Year 7 Exhibition Night

school council
Parents
Virginia Swanton
(President)
(mob) 0408 031 531
virginia.swanton
@transport.vic.gov.au
Jacqui Van Vugt
(Vice President)
Communications Convenor
jvanvugt@iprimus.com.au
1st November 2013 volume 9 edition 54 Newsletter
Falconer St Fitzroy North 3068 Telephone 94881900 fitzroy.hs@edumail.vic.gov.au
Year 7 Exhibition Night
Tuesday 22rd of October saw students in Year
7 take to the stage to participate in their
second exhibition night of the year. Over the
course of the term, students in Year 7 had
examined the rise and fall of Ancient Rome.
They had studied the daily life of Romans and
John Melia
(Treasurer)
Finance Convenor
Robert McWaters
Canteen Convenor
Louise Dorrat
Education Convenor
Tim Dolan
Built and Natural Environment
Convenor
Cyndi Dawes
Staff
Bronwyn Lewis 9488 1900
Linda Mitchell 9488 1900
Erin Schroeder 9488 1900
Community Representative
Roger Smith
Executive Officer
Pauline Rice
inquired into significant events during this era.
As part of their task, students chose a
significant individual from Ancient Rome and
performed an in-character monologue to
parents, guardians, teachers and their peers.
The night was full of authentic looking
Emperors; Caesar and Nero turning out to be
popular choices. Accompanying them were a
range of plebeians, patricians and soldiers. It
was a wonderful event that allowed students
to showcase their knowledge, performance
skills and costume creativity.
Thanks to all who made the night possible.
Thanks to everyone who supported the recent
raffle and our local sponsors below, please
support them if you are able to.
Congratulations to the winners Maddy &
Svetlana.
Hoochie Coochie
Key Ingredients
Peak Osteopathy
Loafer Bread
North Fitzroy Pharmacy
Melbourne Hardware
The Singing Whale
Manny’s
Mockingbird Café and Patisserie
Dench Bakers
Everest Trekking Travel Tours
Cellini Workshop
Ferguson and Plarre Bakehouses
School grounds patrolled from 8:30am every morning
Due to traffic safety concerns, students are required to enter the school grounds when they
arrive, and not wait in Falconer Street.
1st November 2013 volume 9 edition 54 Newsletter
mark your calendar
Scarlet 10 Experience
Student Free Day
when Monday 4
November
where FHS
who
Pauline Rice
Year 7 - 2014 Parent
Information Night
when Tuesday 12
November 6.308.00pm
where FHS
who
Jenny Fulford
Year 11 VCE Exams
when 18-21 November
where FHS
who
Matthew
Nieuwenhuizen
Year 12 Early
Commencement
Program
when November 22 - 29
where FHS
who
Matthew
Nieuwenhuizen
bustle. The gardens provided many photo (and
selfie) opportunities. After wandering through
The Scarlet 10 Experience is a unique
the gardens we moved onto conquering Victoria
component of the Year 10 program that was first
Peak. It took some serious walking (thanks to
implemented in Fitzroy High School in 2010.
Jamie's poor navigational skills) to get to the
Essentially, this opportunity allows for groups of
Peak Tram. Upon arrival we noticed a rather
students to collaborate, develop and lead a rich
large line - we were told that a 3-HOUR WAIT
and authentic learning experience either locally,
was expected if we wanted to take the trip to the
nationally or to an international location.
top. So the group, tired and emotional, decided
This year one group traveled to Hong Kong and to get something to eat to lift our spirits and
China, and the other to the local destination of
move back towards the harbor to catch HK's
Apollo Bay. Those students attending the camp famous 'Symphony of Lights'. In the poignant
participated in the relevant Excel programs
words of Rhys, "It moved me emotionally. It was
leading up to their departure, these classroom
beautiful." Everyone was ready for bed after the
sessions explored the history, customs,
light show and decided to retire to their rooms
traditions and language of the destinations (this for some R and R - an early start was planned,
was more specific for the international camp), as as the team would be tackling the Giant Buddha,
well as looking at the practical aspects such as the nearby markets and some serious street
planning the activities for each day.
food.
The learning outcomes of such a program are
outstanding, from the acquisition of knowledge
and understanding of new and different cultures,
to the development of the individual. As one
teacher stated on the last night of the camp,
“This experience wasn’t so much about the
destination, it was more about the journey.”
The next day began with a little bit of bread and
croissants down in the subway on the way to the
Big Buddha and the surrounding attractions. The
cable car to the top of the mountain area was
daunting to begin with, Jordan quietly
whispered, "That thing goes pretty fast..." It did.
Very enjoyable. Once on top of the mountain the
team explored the Big Buddha, the chopstick
A special thank you must go out to those
gallery and the monastery. Once fed and
students who drove this program this year – you
enlightened the group hopped back on the cable
know who you are.
car to return for, wait for it... some more
shopping. Our feet were screaming for a rest, so
we headed back to our accommodation to
After landing recharge the batteries.
in Hong
Kong, Pauline The next task was to negotiate the Temple
Street Night Markets - famous for its
guided the
team through fortunetellers, terrible karaoke and cheap knock
offs. It's fair to say that there were some hairy
the hotel,
well, the hotel moments throughout the evening, plenty of
that we were people, lights and bargaining = nightmare for
supposed to teachers.
Hong Kong & China - 2013
be staying
at... Moving
on (I think we have moved on...) the group
crashed at a very lively part of Nathan Road Hong Kong's main street. Lots of culture and
electronic shops, a good mix.
Hong Kong was sensational - plenty of laughs,
some tears, but memories for a lifetime. Long
live 'The Mansions!'
The next two days were been jam packed full of
movement and information. The first major event
was the short trip from Xi'an to take a sneak
Day 2 was fantastic - it opened with a visit to
peek at the Terracotta Warriors. Walking into the
one of the greatest food courts of all time in
first pit that contained the warriors was
Hollywood Plaza. People felt the freedom to
sensational. The size and scope of the area was
start the day with dumplings, Hot Korean BBQ
impressive, however the most mind-blowing
chicken and noodles, rice pancakes and
aspect of the attraction was the intricate details
blueberry Oreos. The group then moved onto
of each of the warriors - simply outstanding.
Chin Lin Nunnery and the Nan Lian Gardens - a Another interesting aspect of going to the see
majestic little oasis in the heart of the hustle and the warriors is that you can get a signed book
1st November 2013 volume 9 edition 54 Newsletter
and photo with the original farmer who found the
warriors nearly 40 years ago. After moving
through the pits, the group moved to a more quiet
area of the warrior village to have dinner with
some locals - Mr. Yang and his family rolled out
the red carpet and provided a meal to remember.
Good on you Mr. Yang!
added to the atmosphere. The night was topped
off with another banquet at a local restaurant and
an evening stroll along Suzhou's 'Little Venice'.
The last mode of transport the group
experienced was the famous bullet train to
Shanghai. This train reached 310km per hour –
now that’s pretty fast. On arrival we walked
along The Bund and did what everyone does in
Shanghai - shop. Shanghai was the last stop for
the tour and we finished the experience by
having a lovely group dinner and watching the
world famous Shanghai Acrobats.
All students thoroughly enjoyed their traveling
experience, from the airplane food to walking on
The Great Wall, many memories were made and
good times were had.
One of the most common ways to cover large
distances in China is by a sleeper train; so in
order to 'live like the locals' the group packed
their bags (for some, it was more bags than at
the start of the trip crammed full of bargains) and
headed for Xi'an's train station. The station was
busy and hot. Once we boarded things calmed
down and we settled in for the long haul. After
being screamed at by a local for being to noisy,
the team moved to their bunk beds and
attempted to get some sleep. For some it was
successful, for others, not so much. The warm
shower waiting in Suzhou was heaven. The
afternoon in Suzhou involved visiting 'The
Lingering Garden' - without doubt one of the most
tranquil and beautiful gardens you will see
anywhere in the world. The zigzag layout of the
garden instilled a sense of space and the
traditional performances by the local musicians
Chilli P – Scarlet 10
Year 10 Experience 2013 –
Apollo Bay
On the 7th of October, 18 Year 10 students and 2
teachers grouped together early in the morning to
prepare for a 3 hour road trip to Apollo Bay. Their
drive towards the coast was delayed only by a
quick stop in Werribee to pick up another student
along the way. The crew arrived at the
accommodation that is situated right in the heart
of Apollo Bay Township. It was an old house with
many rooms, a table tennis set, no shortage of
dust, and an equipped kitchen for our home
cooked dinners. After everyone settled in, we
drove up to the Supermarket to stock up on some
weekly supplies. Whilst the night’s dinner group
was preparing a ‘Special Tran curry’, everyone
else was enjoying some free time and explored
the area.
The next morning we set out to the Otway Fly for
a fun adventure amongst the treetops. There we
traversed a zip line course. This was a great
1st November 2013 volume 9 edition 54 Newsletter
experience for students to build confidence,
build trust and for some to overcome fears. After
this we journeyed back to Apollo Bay for an
eventful afternoon down at the beach. People
were swimming, sunbaking, playing cricket,
beach volleyball, frisbee and we held a
sandcastle building competition. That night, after
dinner was cooked, we took a night walk along
the rock wall and the pier, to soak up the
beautiful atmosphere and view.
Wednesday arrived and it was action-packed!
We started the day with an eventful horse-riding
lesson, we were taught how to control the rails
on our horse and also how to trot. We rode
through a bushy and hilly trail for an hour and a
half, most of the horses behaved very well, but
every now and then, there would be a little
drama. Later on that day we had a surfing
lesson in Lorne for two hours, lots of people
managed to ride a wave and others persisted.
The weather was absolutely marvellous and the
waves were brilliant for surfing. Later on that
night we had a scrumptious barbeque down at
the park, kicked the footy and relaxed. As the
night crept in, a few of us planned a game of
murder in the dark up in the attic as well as very
fun and competitive rounds of Uno.
We started off Thursday with a relaxing stroll to
a beautiful waterfall. Then we headed to Lorne
for lunch and some free time in the town, after
this we were scheduled for another surfing
lesson and refined our skills. After our two hours
of surfing in the rain and the cold we made our
way back to the bus. This bus ride was a lot
more enjoyable than most of the others, this was
mainly due to the people that were singing along
to the tunes on the radio and we continued doing
this for the rest of the bus rides. When we
arrived back at the house, some people enjoyed
hot tea and cheery conversations, table tennis,
footy and dinner - a delicious stir-fry was
prepared. That night everyone had a plan for no
sleep; this was to be our epic last night of camp!
The next morning everyone was hesitant to get
up to pack and clean but eventually we got the
job done and were on the bus ready to hit the
road.
The Apollo Bay camp produced some great
memories and experiences, and a whole lot of
fun to remember and cherish.
Atiida and Asmaa – Scarlet 10
1st November 2013 volume 9 edition 54 Newsletter
Return of the School
Review: Penelope Bartlau
story of the original rom-com by making it a
“meta” (self referential) musical, so that the
characters were actually kids in an Excel, writing
the musical. In all there were 14 students
In mid-October, after a long creative
involved in writing the script. The collaborative
development and rehearsal period, the FHS
2013 school production, a musical, Return of the process was achieved through the use of via a
Google folder, which Linda set up so that
School was presented for two evenings, on
th
th
October 17 and 18 , at the Clocktower Centre students had the same writing and editing rights
as the teacher. Students contributed to the
in Moonee Ponds.
writing, as well as costume planning and other
Return of the School was a story of romance,
elements, through the shared Google folder.
self-discovery, integrity and fighting for what you
believe in at any cost. The story was about four Tom worked with kids on the composition and
arrangement of the music including writing an
teenagers, caught up in the drama of high
original overture. Stella and Jackson wrote most
school relationships, who stumbled upon the
of the songs and then the team used a few
lives of their predecessors while writing a
musical about the history of their school. Sifting popular songs (with revised lyrics) to support the
story, such as David Bowie’s “Space Oddity”.
through the twenty-year-old archive boxes, the
Simultaneously Tom, worked with the kids also
teenagers came across the evil Kennettron, a
robot, who attempted to destroy the school and in an Excel class to rehearse the band, and then
was defeated by three unlikely heroes who were later the band and singers rehearsed together.
there to make a stand. One of the teenagers
Return of the School was highly collaborative in
made a startling discovery about her family, and
the creative process and students were
was taken on a journey of the closing and
encouraged to take creative risks and make bold
reopening of the school, while mending a
creative offers.
relationship she had thought was broken forever.
The show was a delight. There were some firstHow Return of the School was developed
rate performances, and a storyline, music and
band that kept the audience engaged and
At the end of 2012, a number of the FHS staff
enjoying Return of the School for the whole
discussed the idea of presenting a musical
show. The performance incorporated film into
instead of a play for 2013. Tom Hoyle - FHS
music teacher and musical creative gun (Musical the narrative, to great effect. The use of the
Director and Producer of Return of the School), meta musical made the work all the more
enjoyable: the performers played with gusto, and
and Linda Mitchell – an inspired and
we were really able to laugh at the selfexperienced theatre-maker and one of the
schools drama teachers - suggested a link to the referential material. Hearing kids parodying
themselves as teenagers was gold! There were
school’s ten-year anniversary. Tom had
touching moments also – and this is where real
encouraged kids to write the script was
bravery comes in. To perform comedy is one
responsible for overseeing first submissions.
thing, but to allow yourself to be vulnerable on
Stella Bridie and Jackson Hurwood, of their own stage is another. We were allowed into the
initiative, went away during the summer break
hearts of some of these characters because the
and wrote an initial script - a rom-com (romantic kids took this risk. This is a credit to the team
comedy), and delivered this to Tom. This script
and to the directors: an actor will only blossom
then formed a basis for the rest of the script
by taking risks - in a safe environment. The
development. Then, for FHS students interested directors gave the kids space, time and security
in writing for or performing in the musical, they
to take these risks and make these creative
joined together in an Excel class with Linda from choices. How lucky are our children, to be in an
Term 1. Linda worked with the group in the
environment that allows them to follow their
Excel to incorporate the initial rom-com script
hearts and dreams, as they are guided towards
into the broader work, using a collaborative
excellence. Return of the School was a
creative development process.
wonderful work, and a credit to the entire cast,
crew, band and presenting team.
The initial rom-com script became the kernel of
Act 1. The team researched the history of the
closing and then the re-opening of the school to
create Acts 2, 3 and 4. They then integrated the
1st November 2013 volume 9 edition 54 Newsletter
-treating
to other
Dance Excel Performance
Less is More
Next Friday the 8th of November students in the
Dance/Pilates Excel will be performing in the
Less is More Dance and Photography Exhibition
Night at Dancehouse, 150 Princes Street, North
Carlton. All are welcome!
Drinks and nibbles start at 5:30pm, at 6pm the
Photo Exhibition opens, and the event will
commence at 6:30pm and finish at 7:30pm.
classrooms and offices around the school,
Students in the performance are to meet out the
front of the school after lunch on Friday and
travel to Dancehouse to rehearse for the night
performance. Students are to be picked up at
7:30pm from Dancehouse after the
performance.
games including
pin-the-head on
the skeleton,
Year 9 Halloween Special!
Yesterday,
Thursday October
31, the Year 9s
enjoyed Halloween
North American
style. Although not
a tradition here in
Australia, it does
help to have a
Canadian teacher
who is pretty keen
to celebrate. Well
the students
certainly knew how
to get spooky and many took a lot of time and
effort to get their costumes just right. We were
pleased to see many different get-ups including
an LA Lakers basketball player, a ghost, two
minions, Wham!, a member of Run DMC, a mad
scientist and a zombie high school student, plus
many many more! The morning involved trick-or
and a competition for
best and scariest
costume.
Prizes went to Leilani K
for scariest costume
(zombie bride), Ryan P
for best male
costume (the
Joker) and Emily
BK for best female
costume (Sandy
from Grease).
Jet Team
1st November 2013 volume 9 edition 54 Newsletter