GIB GATE • FRENSHAM • STURT
TERM 1 NO 3 - 2 MARCH 2005

With all Frensham students having departed for their Outdoor Education programme on Tuesday morning, it is timely to note the huge contribution of staff to this important annual curriculum project. Cycling, canoeing, bushwalking, leading, navigating, journal writing, cooking and camping provide varying degrees of challenge for each of us and our best wishes are with all who are involved this week!

“Each one of us can play a very important part in the School’s future
simply by becoming a member of the Foundation.”

Acknowledgement this week to:

• Decorative and Fine Arts’ Scholarship for 2005 and to the Southern Highlands Branch of ADFAS. This Award has great significance for the recipient and recognises the financial constraints that often arise for those wanting to complete the full time 12-month Certificate IV Course in Fine Woodworking at Sturt School for Wood;
• Georgina Mooney and Elizabeth MacDiarmid [Year 10], Bronze Duke of Edinburgh’s Award recipients;
• Alice Leitch and Matilda Raynolds who have been selected in the IGSSA Softball team for 2005. This places them in the top team of a competition with almost 200 teams and 2000 players.
• House Leaders at Gib Gate who led students at the Inter-house Carnival at Mittagong pool recently;
• Heads of Art, Holly Cook and Jessica Gilroy on their critique of the current exhibition at Sturt;
• Inter-Schools Equestrian event team members who competed last weekend at Horsley Park; individual results and team achievements are noted;
• Parent Coordinators of the Winifred West Schools’ Equestrian Weekend – the programmes are at the printer and we are already sensing strong interest in involvement from within and beyond the School;
• Frensham parents, on their support of the Outdoor Education programme that is underway this week for all students. The preparations are considerable and the timely provision of essential information has been appreciated;
• Mr Geoff Marsh, Deputy Head of Frensham, on his management of the Outdoor Education programme – from his work with individual students to coordination of staff and liaison with our professional providers – The Outdoor Education Group [OEG];
• Archives Volunteers who are working on a regular basis to meet their goals for 2005. Interested supporters should contact Mrs Sylvia Kerr [02 4860 2000] on the Frensham Campus, for dates of the workshop sessions for this term;
• Music Ensemble members who have responded so positively to the 2005 Ensemble rehearsal programme implemented by Mr Spencer. Current participants are: Flute Choir with Mrs Roma Dix [7]; Clarinet Choir with Mr Greg Stone [5]; Senior Strings with Mrs Anne Mercer [9]; Junior Strings [11] and Senior String Trio with Mrs Christine Jarczewski; Junior, Year [11] and Senior Chamber Ensembles with Mr Spencer [11]; Stage Band with Mr Bresnahan [11]; Guitar Group with Mr Napthali [12]. Additionally, very soon, students will be invited to perform a percussion ensemble to be led by Mr Spencer. Parents and students are encouraged to contact Mr Spencer re membership criteria and expectations.

Welcome to:

• Miss Emily Mulhall who has joined the School as a permanent member of the Boarding House Staff, to share responsibility for Hartfield House;
• Mr Jeremy Birds who is teaching PDHPE and Sport at Gib Gate in the absence, owing to illness, of Mr Sheehan. [Our thoughts are with Mr Sheehan for a speedy recovery!]
  News of Former Students:
• We hear that Olivia Newbold [Year 12, 2000] who completed her Sydney University studies in Music with 1st Class Honours, has been accepted at the Royal School of Music in London, from September this year.

News of Former Students:

• We hear that Olivia Newbold [Year 12, 2000] who completed her Sydney University studies in Music with 1st Class Honours, has been accepted at the Royal School of Music in London, from September this year.

Thank you to:

• All who attended the Gib Gate Parent Information Evening on Thursday 17 February. Staff greatly value the opportunity to discuss with parents the workings of the classroom and the programmes in place for 2005;
• Mr Wal Friend and Mrs Penny King who have been elected to the positions of Chair and Secretary of the Frensham Advisory Committee for 2005.
• Mrs Rhonda Wallace and Mr Bill Duncan who have been elected to the positions of Chair and Secretary of the Gib Gate Advisory Committee for 2005. Mrs Wallace has also been appointed as the interim Chair of FOGG and Mrs Georgia Baillieu has accepted the nomination as FOGG representative on the Advisory Committee, on her retirement from the FOGG Chair position. We acknowledge the outstanding efforts of Mrs Baillieu in her work as Chair of FOGG over the past 12 months.

Year 7 Parent Weekend and Open Day are important opportunities for our School community to host visitors to the Frensham Campus. Please invite friends or just come along and enjoy the chance to have a tour of the School or see students ‘at work’ in all curriculum areas. [Time: 12.30-4.00pm Saturday 5 March]

Ms J A Gillick
Head of Frensham
Head of Winifred West Schools

AHEAD:

Parent / Community News

Music

We have been auditioning for places in the Madrigals over a number of weeks. It was commendable that almost all students from Years 5 & 6 auditioned. Places were announced on Friday with successful and unsuccessful students handling themselves with grace
and maturity. Madrigals members for 2005 are: India Wallace, Amelia Leicester, Cassandra Perry, Asha Hogg, Amelia Chapman, Nicholas Presgrave, Charlotte Blake, Amelia Lawson, Harriet Robertson, Isaac Roach, Sophia Grattan-Smith, Courtenay Leventis, Rose Kennedy, Amelia Parsonson, Grace Jenkins, Ella Purvis, Lucy Hay, Alice Scamps-Goodman, Edward Taylor, Peter Rankin, Kate Lee and Patrick Bailey.

The Gib Gate Orchestra is in full swing with 39 members for 2005. We rehearse on Fridays and the sound is excellent.

There are some spaces available for Clarinet or Saxophone lessons with Greg Stone. Please contact Mrs Graham to take advantage of this opportunity.

Extra Subjects
Places are available in Drama on Mondays and Weaving on Tuesdays. Please contact Mrs Graham on (02) 4860 2000 for more information on these subjects.
Parents are reminded to collect their children at the advertised finishing time. Students who are not collected will be directed to After School Care.

Mrs A Graham, Activities Coordinator

STURT

Sturt News

Photographic Exhibition at Sturt Gallery Peter van Sommers is presenting his latest solo exhibition of colour photography at Sturt Gallery - to be opened by David Tranter at 11am on Sunday 6 March. The best advice is, “Don’t miss it!” This show runs for six weeks, including the Easter period, and follows his extremely successful show at Sturt in the spring of 2003. The title of the exhibition is Banksias, Cactus, Feathers, Fans. One of the highlights of the show is a set of large, high-resolution photographs of the Selenicereus, a cactus whose flowers open only for a single night in summer – white interiors, dusty pink on the outside, and brushed with pale cream pollen. There are also strikingly beautiful images of native plants, banksias and grevilleas in particular, and a series of almost abstract macro-photographs of feathers, made available by the Australian Museum in Sydney. Finally there is a wonderfully presented set of images in fan format – subtle colours that began life as one of Peter’s botanical oil paintings. The last exhibition of his work at Sturt was a virtual sell-out and this exhibition will certainly be the same. Each print is one of a limited edition, the prices are remarkably modest, and one half of all the artist’s proceeds will go to relief and reconstruction following the tsunami disaster.

Classes in Photography
Sturt is commencing a course in Photography – the Art of Printing in the Darkroom, with Ken Redpath, at the beginning of May. In this course, students will learn how to process film, make contact prints and use the enlarger to make larger images. The course will run for eight weeks and will cost $250.00 (includes GST). Equipment will be provided. Film and paper will need to be purchased by students as the course progresses. The tutor, Ken Redpath, is a former advertising/fashion photographer who has taught and lectured throughout Australia. He has won many awards for his photography and is particularly passionate about black and white photography. Sturt is taking enrolments for this class now.

For any enquiries regarding the upcoming exhibition, or photography course, please ring Sturt on 02 4860 2083.

Megan Patey, Head of Sturt

FRENSHAM

Deputy Head

Frensham has now completed two full cycles of the ten day, seven-lessons-per-day, timetable structure. The Extra-Curricular Programme is well under way and we have completed the first four rounds of the IGSSA Competition.

Other activities which have occurred during the past fortnight have included:

• Year 12 University Day;
• School Photographs;
• Year 11 and 12 Drama students went to see On Stage at the Seymour Centre;
• Year 9-12 Agriculture classes visited a local farm;
• Years 11 and 12 Visual Arts Excursion;
• A First Aid course for Duke of Edinburgh students;
• Our swimmers competed in the local schools carnival;
• Our riders competed in the EFA event at Horsley Park

As I write, all year groups have left the campus for Outdoor Education Week and Open Day preparations are being finalised.

Mr Geoff Marsh, Deputy Head

Director of Studies

In the weeks following the Frensham Outdoor Education experience students will be engaged in activities and thinking which will allow them to reflect on their experiences in the outdoors. When preparing the expeditions for each Year Group, Faculty Coordinators were involved in mapping curriculum outcomes to the Outdoor programme. This means that many of the activities and experiences on camp will be linked to curriculum learning areas.

As part of making this link between learning at school and in the natural world, all students will be provided with hard-cover journals for their trip. These journals will be used for a range of purposes including, recording their experiences and thoughts in diary form, making visual records, developing their thoughts into poetry or narrative, recording observations of the natural world, and solving problems regarding navigation or science in the physical world.

The Outdoor Education experience will be a rich learning environment on which Faculties will draw inspiration for the classroom in the weeks to come.

Director of Boarding

Friday night saw Year 9 initiate Year 7 into games around the School block; the setting works so well and the energy evident at the end of the week seemed boundless! A great deal of hilarity echoed along the parapets and through the Loggia. After Sport on Saturday many girls attended Robertson Show and on Saturday night In-House activities were accompanied by hotdogs.

Our Sunday morning School Service was led by Year 11 students from Linden. The theme of the service was Attitude is Everything. In the afternoon students were taken to see the movie “Raise Your Voice” and then it was time to pack for camp and make sure everything was ready. Students are looking forward to this week, though for some it is their first experience of camping.

We warmly welcome to Hartfield Miss Emily Mulhall as a permanent member of the House Staff.
On the Final Weekend of Term we have been lucky enough to obtain well-priced tickets to the Saturday night performance of Dirty Dancing for Years 10, 11 and 12. Permission notes need to be returned by mid-Week 7.

We are looking forward to seeing many of you at the Year 7 Parent Weekend, Open Day and the Dinner to welcome Parents of New Students.

 Mrs Susan Cyganiewicz & Mrs Ros Buick
Co-Directors of Boarding

Pastoral Care

This year we have been endeavouring to reduce the weight of items carried by students in their backpacks, and have organised for all books to be included in one folder. The backpack is designed to distribute the weight appropriately if worn as intended with the chest straps fastened. All students in the School should now have the regulation School backpack, which is listed in the Information Booklet as part of the requirements for each student. These bags are available from Whytes at all times, and any bag lost or broken should be replaced with the regulation item.

A reminder that earrings worn at school are to be plain, gold or silver studs with no adornment.

Mrs Trish Symons, Director of Pastoral Care

Agriculture

Students in Years 9 and 10 Agricultural Technology have commenced the year with an emphasis on beef cattle and the many aspects of production and this has been combined with practical work including the collection, pressing, preserving, identifying and detailing of a range of pasture plants and weeds. Year 9 students have considered the inputs and outputs of the Frensham farm in relation to steer production and they have seen and discussed the uses of the equipment employed for the preparation and parading of Show animals. Consideration has been given to the quality of the Frensham pastures and the nutritional content and value of the special rations used.

Year 10 are combining information about many aspects of the practical management of beef cattle with the further development of their computer skills. As part of their first term assessment task students are producing a minimum of twenty slides for a Powerpoint presentation. The quality of the presentations developed so far is very impressive with the majority of students exhibiting a high level of skill in this aspect of the use of computers.

The first topic for the year for the Preliminary Agriculture students has been a broad overview of agriculture and the consideration of inputs, processes and outputs from farming enterprises as well as discussion of the inter-relationships between various sub-systems on a farm. The differences between intensive and extensive farming systems have also been discussed. Plant collections have been a component of the practical work for Year 11, as has the handling and training of the Frensham steers. The Junior and Senior Show Cattle team members are all looking forward to parading the cattle on Open Day.

Mr Don Selway, Coordinator of Agriculture

English

Mr Del Villar presented his second lecture on Critical Perspectives for Years 11 and 12. This enrichment supports the work being completed in both Preliminary and HSC courses in Advanced and Extension. The series continues with an emphasis on the nature of transformation, a topic well timed for the present Module being studied in Year 12 on Hamlet by William Shakespeare and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, by Tom Stoppard.

While on camp, all girls will have the opportunity to write in their camp journals. In class this term, students have had experiences of reflective writing, creative writing and journal writing in many of their class programmes and will be able to build on these skills using the camp experience.

On Open Day, the English Faculty will be involved in three separate activities. Firstly there will be a Public Speaking programme which will allow parents to see a variety of speaking forms. Some Year 7 students will reflect on their First Impressions of Frensham; Emma Campbell will present a speech she delivered for the South Coast Competition last year; Sarah Hayes will share her entry in the State final of the Legacy Junior Plain English Speaking Competition, and Harriet King will demonstrate what happens in the Readings section of the AHIGS Festival of Speech. Helen Stanbury, this years’ Head of Public Speaking, will chair this session. Year 8 will be involved in a lesson on journal writing with Mr Del Villar and Mrs Tupou and Year 11 will explore some ideas about Othello with Mrs Di Francesco.

HSIE

Year 12 Geography Fieldwork
Year 12 Geography students recently completed a half-day field trip to Wingecarribee Swamp. This significant area of montane peat bog has been subject to great controversy in terms of its management up to and since the collapse of much of the peat in 1996. It provides an excellent case study of environmental management and gives students an insight into the economic and environmental value of such an area. Many thanks to Mr Lambkin from Sydney Catchment Authority for his time, expertise and enthusiasm in hosting the students.

Year 9 Geography Fieldwork
Year 9 Mandatory Geography students have been introduced to fieldwork skills in the Lower Holt. Students divided into groups taking water samples, measuring stream velocity (using corks and stopwatches), checking out biodiversity and vegetation structures using sampling systems and by drawing up transects. The data gathered has been entered onto the computers and now students are being asked to draw-up their own conclusions regarding human activity and its impact on the environment.

These valuable skills can be related to much more than Geography and focus on the fact that all students can make judgements and come to their own conclusions without depending on secondary sources. Results of these deliberations will be in evidence on Open Day as students work through the evaluation process for visitors.

Mr Matthew McMahon, Coordinator of HSIE

Music

the assembled School warmly applauded the following students as Ms Gillick presented them with their AMEB certificates in Morning Prayers:

• Lucy Brennan: Pass with Credit - First Grade
• Sally Newton: Pass with Credit - Second Grade
• Jessica Bond: Pass - Fourth Grade
• Geneviève George: Pass with Credit - Fifth Grade
• Mirei Ballinger Pass: with Honours - Sixth Grade

Congratulations to all those students and their respective teachers!

The Frensham Music Department sees the undertaking of external examinations as a valuable means of providing students with goals and ensuring they continue to progress in their musical endeavours, and students are encouraged to consider discussing this with their teachers if they are not already doing so.
It is with the students’ progress in mind that a new policy for private practice has also been launched this year. Probably the biggest obstacle to a musician’s progress is that of not finding enough time for individual practice between lessons. So, the Practice Policy states that each student is required to complete a minimum of three half-hour practice sessions each week. This is a commitment students need to make if they are to get any real value from their extra-curricular music lessons.

As for classroom teachers, an important tool in monitoring students’ work is the Frensham Diary. Students must now bring their diaries to lessons. Teachers then write instructions for the week’s practising of pieces and technical work on the actual day of the lesson with a further reminder on the days the student nominates for her half hour practices. As with Prep work, the student then ticks each symbol when the work is done. Another valuable use of the Diary can be that of marking in of the next lesson (or indeed, the whole term’s lessons) for students to check in Prep the night before. This should help to avoid students forgetting their music on the days of lessons.

The Music Centre remains open until dinner time each night, and is open on weekends in the afternoon enabling Boarders to use the facilities for practising. Most importantly, Glenn is open each morning from 7.30am and, if students come straight up after breakfast, they will have a good half-hour for practice before Morning Prayers. Students should pack their schoolbags after Prep each night, then bring it and their toothbrush with them to breakfast. This will provide an additional five practice sessions each week!
It is hoped this Practice Policy will lead to tangible results in both the students’ individual progress and, for instrumentalists, in the Ensembles programme. Support and reinforcement from parents will also assist.

Finally, congratulations to students in the Flute Ensemble who, led by Ms Roma Dix, performed a beautiful “Scherzino” in three parts for Morning Prayers last week. Their phrasing and intonation were commendable.

Michael Spencer, Coordinator, Music Performance

Science & Technology

Senior students have commenced their Science studies with enthusiasm in Biology, Chemistry and Physics. Year 11 Biology students have been assessing the impact of technology on living organisms, including the development of the microscope in relation to the development of the cell theory.

Microscopes have been used to observe cells in plants and animals and organelles and materials such as the nucleus, chloroplasts, cell walls, vacuoles and cytoplasm have been identified. Practical work has included the identification of a range of substances present in tissues as well as investigating the selective permeability of cell membranes and the effect of surface area to volume ratios on the rate of diffusion of materials into cells. The Year 12 biologists have identified a range of senses used in animal
communication, including a first-hand investigation of the mammalian eye and consideration of the differences in the range of electromagnetic radiation detected by humans and other animals.

Year 11 chemists have been conducting practical analyses to separate and identify the components of a range of common mixtures. They have distilled orange oil and separated coloured dyes from Smarties using chromatography. While investigating the unit “The Acidic Environment” Year 12 chemists have extracted chemical indicators from red cabbage and flower petals. They have analysed the pH of a variety of household substances to identify them as acidic, basic or neutral.

Year 11 Physics students have been investigating Newtonian Motion. They have analysed Newton’s three Laws of Motion and described them mathematically. Over the next few weeks they will be studying the Laws of Conservation of Momentum and Conservation of Energy. Year 12 physicists have been studying the motor effect and the application of this principle in the use of DC motors, AC motors, generators and transformers. Over the next few weeks students will be investigating the production and transmission of electricity.

Ms Don Selway, Acting Coordinator of Science

Special Projects

“An Evening With ….”
Following last year’s successful Global Forum with Year 9, the decision was made to present students with ongoing opportunities to meet and listen to a range of guest presenters. These presenters would address students on global and national issues, personal achievements, unusual events or organisations and activities.

We are about to implement a programme titled “An Evening With …” for Years 10, 11 and 12. Guest presenters will address students on Tuesday evenings prior to a slightly later evening meal at 6.30pm. Students will have the opportunity to ask questions and discuss issues and ideas over the meal.
It is hoped that we will be able to host at least two “Evenings With …” each term. If parents are aware of any potential guest presenters I would be delighted to hear from them by telephone or by providing contact details to me at awilkinson@frensham.nsw.edu.au so that I can consider the suitability of the suggestion. Our aim is to stimulate the interest of and inform students about the role that they may play within our global community.

Holting
Year 10 ‘Holters’ have refurbished the old Pet Shed near Hartfield for use by environmental groups in The Holt. They cleaned out the shed and it now provides them with an easy point to access equipment such as gloves, hoes, etc. Unofficially it has become known as “The Green Shed” – a statement that accurately reflects both the colour of the shed and its function.
Year 9 and Year 10 students (under the able leadership of Inca Hutchinson – Year 11) are continuing to weed around last year’s seedlings. Planting-out and bark-chipping near the Red Bridge is next on the agenda.

Mr Tony Wilkinson, Special Projects / Overseas Exchanges

Sport

Swimming
Last Monday afternoon the Frensham Swim team attended the Bowral Pool for the Annual Twilight Carnival involving the local schools. All students swam with great determination and spirit with many setting new personal bests.

A highlight of the evening was the 15 years relay team of Harriet King, Lucy Beak, Caitlin McDougall and Phoebe White winning by half a pool length.

Fine efforts by the following swimmers are noted: Grace Musgrove (13 years); Morgan Sheargold (12 years), who achieved Age Group Champions, and Roberta Friend as 16 years Runner-up. Strong swims also came from Caitlin and Brianna McDougall in the breaststroke and backstroke.
In the overall point score Frensham finished in second place.

The squad enjoyed being able to compete before the IGSSA Carnival on 11 March and, with our Coach, Shane Richards present poolside, the feedback and positive results will ensure a solid build-up to the Carnival at Homebush.

Mrs Wendy Elliott, Coordinator of Swimming

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