Volume 54 No. 6

NAPLAN

NAPLAN Tests for Forms I and III will be held on: Tuesday 15 May, periods 1-3; Wednesday 16 May, periods 4 and 5; and Thursday 17 May, periods 1 and 2.  When the boys are not sitting NAPLAN Tests on these days they will have their normal timetabled classes.  Sport and other activities continue as normal on these days.

Forms I-IV Half-Yearly Examinations

Routine

1. Examinations commence on the following days :-
   Form I: Friday 25 May
   Form II: Thursday 24 May
   Form III: Wednesday 23 May
   Form IV: Wednesday 23 May.
2. Each day will consist of three sessions, as follows :-
   Session A:  8.40 am - 10.50 am
   Session B: 11.10 am - 12.33 pm.
   Session C:  1.15 pm - until conclusion of examination.
3. Tutorials will not meet at registration during the examinations.
4. There will be no assemblies, cadet parades or music ensemble rehearsals on Friday 25 May.

  Attendance

1. Attendance in most examinations will be taken by scanning the bar code on the back of Library Cards.  It is therefore essential that boys bring their Library Card to all examinations.
2. All morning examinations for Forms I - IV will commence so that they end at 10.50am.
3. Form I boys will attend School each day and they may not leave School before 2.15pm. They will normally spend Session B in their Home Rooms.
4. Form I sport sessions :- 
   • Monday 28 May – boys will leave College Street at 12.30pm and return to School at 2.30pm
   • Wednesday 30 May – boys will leave College Street at 11.00am and return to School at 2.30pm.
5. Form II boys will spend Session B in supervised study sessions if they do not have an examination at that time. Form II boys who have no afternoon examination may leave at lunchtime.
6. Form III and IV boys need only attend School when they have an examination.
7. Form III and IV boys who are present at School when they do not have an examination must attend a supervised study session. They will not be allowed to sit in the playground.  Boys who have examinations in both the morning and the afternoon must attend a supervised study session during Session B where the roll will be marked.  
8. Parents must contact the School if a boy is absent on the day of an examination. If a boy is absent due to illness, a medical certificate must be provided to the Director of Studies on his return to School.  Medical certificates must be from a doctor who is not related to the boy.
9. Boys must arrive at examination rooms at least 5 minutes before the beginning of an examination.
10. Thursday 31 May is a Free Marking Day for Forms I-IV.
    
11. Please see the Sports information page on the School website for sports practice arrangements during the examination period.

General

1. Boys must provide their own pens, pencils, instruments, approved calculators and a stapler; they may not borrow such articles during an examination. Pencil cases must not be taken into examination rooms. Boys may not bring paper into rooms for rough work. Boys must not take mobile phones or any electronic devices into examination rooms. Desks must be empty and all bags and books left at the front of the room.
2. Boys should number and name each page as they progress through the examination and turn each page face downwards upon completion.
3. Boys must not enter the examination room until directed to do so by a master.
4. Boys must enter Big School via the Portico entrance on College Street.
5. No boy may leave the examination room until the end of the examination period except for serious indisposition.
6. Results in the Half-Yearly Examinations are used together with those in the Annual Examinations for purposes of class allocations in the subsequent year. Speech Day prizes, however, are awarded on the basis of the Annual Examinations, unless a ‘count-back’ is needed.

Conduct

1. Cheating in any form, if detected, will normally incur the cancellation of that paper. 
2. Any inappropriate conduct during examinations, including irrelevant or disrespectful inscriptions on examination papers, will be viewed very seriously.

 Form VI Assessment Block

 Routine

1. Assessment dates are as follows:
   Thursday 24 May - Wednesday 30 May
2. Tutorials will not meet at registration during the Assessment Block.
3. There will be no assemblies, cadet parades or music ensemble rehearsals on Friday 25 May.
4. Normal lessons, including registration, will recommence on Thursday 31 May for Form VI.

 Attendance

1. Attendance will be taken during assessments by scanning the bar code on the back of Library Cards.  It is therefore essential that all boys bring their Library Card to all assessments.
2. Form VI boys need only attend School when they have an assessment. 
3. Boys must arrive at assessment rooms at least 5 minutes before the beginning of an assessment.
4. No boy may leave the room until the end of the assessment period, except for serious indisposition.
5. If a boy is going to be absent from an assessment, parents must notify the office of the Director of Studies (9332 5853 or 9332 5970) prior to the assessment. Medical certificates must be provided to the Director of Studies on his return to School.  Medical certificates must be from a doctor who is not related to the boy.
6. Please see the Sports information page on the School website for sports practice arrangements during the assessment period.

 General

1. Boys must provide their own pens, pencils, instruments, approved calculators and a stapler; they may not borrow such articles during an assessment.  Pencil cases must not be taken into assessment rooms. Boys may not bring paper into rooms for rough work. Boys must not take mobile phones or any electronic devices into assessment rooms.
2. Boys must use their HSC candidate numbers on all assessments materials.
3. Cheating in any form, if detected, will normally incur the cancellation of that paper.
4. Boys must wear full School uniform when attending assessments and when visiting the School during the assessment period.

 Dr AD Stevens

Lesson Cancellations
Please note that the following policy applies regarding the cancellation of private instrumental lessons. A letter or email must be received by the Music Department no later than the end of week 5 of a term for the cancellation of instrumental lessons to be effective at the end of that same term. Therefore advice for discontinuing instrumental lessons at the end of Term II 2018 must be received by the Music Department no later than Friday 1 June 2018.
 
AMEB examinations
Boys who are sitting AMEB examinations at the AMEB studios in Clarence Street are required to request short leave. Parents should request leave from Mr Watkins (Forms II - VI) by email to Senior.Housemaster@sydgram.nsw.edu.au  or from Mr Hesketh (Form I) by email to trr@sydgram.nsw.edu.au.  Photo identification is required to be presented for boys sitting Grade 8 and Diploma examinations.
 
Music Concert Etiquette
It has been noticed that some boys have been leaving concerts prior to their conclusion. Out of courtesy and respect for your fellow performers, all boys performing in a concert are expected to stay until the conclusion of that concert.

Volleyball

Five Grammar boys were selected from amongst a high standard of nominees for the NSWCIS Volleyball team. Congratulations to Brandon Chong (VI), Charles Evans (VI), James Gao (VI), Mikey Grogan (V) and William Zhang (VI) who will now compete in the All Schools Tri-series competing against NSWCC and NSWCHS in June.

Rugby

During the April school holidays, sixty-two boys attended the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) Camp. This camp included forty-three boys from Form I and the First XV squad. The boys were fortunate to use the outstanding facilities at the AIS. They played games against Canberra Grammar School, St Edmund's College, Daramalan College and Marist College. The immense value of this camp was the mentoring provided to the U13s boys from the seniors boys.

In the April holidays, forty-three boys attended the Grammar Rugby Narrabeen camp.  This group included the 1st XV and U16 squad.  The infamous “Toughen Up” session, run by Mr Rob Rowland-Smith (The Sandhill Warrior), was a highlight of the camp. All boys paddled skis up and down Pittwater visiting numerous beaches for surprise exercise activities followed by a run to the Palm Beach Light House and a finishing set in the sand hills. No doubt a session to draw on throughout the season.

Finally, seventy-six boys from the junior rugby programme participated in the Weigall Rugby camp run by Mr Staunton.  Boys from all three campuses attended the two day camp working on skills and drills.

Tennis Camp

The tennis camp was well attended. The boys responded well to the coaching. At the end of the week and after a week-long competition in singles and doubles, awards and prizes were presented to the boys. The next holiday camp will be held from Monday 2 to Friday 6 July.  Preparatory School boys will attend from 9am-12pm and College Street boys will attend from 1- 4pm.

Winter Fixtures      
                       
The remainder of our pre-season and season fixtures are set out on the Sports Announcements page on the School website. There will be compulsory attendance days for designated Houses and Form I Tutorials at home games.

Rugby fixture in Armidale

The Rugby teams travel to Armidale this coming weekend, Saturday 12 May, for fixtures against The Armidale School. The boys will leave school at lunchtime on Friday and return to College St late Saturday evening.  On Saturday 19 May, our rugby fixture is against St Gregory’s College at the College Campus in Campbelltown. The School is not organising transportation on this occasion. Matches commence at 9am. Please remember boys should be at their designated venue 30 minutes prior to the start of their match.

Training during Examinations

The School expects boys to honour their commitment to training and their sports fixtures on Saturday 26 May during the upcoming examination and assessment block. To assist the boys we have reduced the number of days of training, except for the Open and 16A rugby and football teams. The specific training arrangements for each sport will appear on the School website on the Sports Training page and on the Grammar App. The boys will be notified through their Tutorial prior to the examination period.

Winter Sports Training Times and Buses

All weekly sport training sessions finish close to 5pm. STA buses will pick boys up from Weigall and then drop them off at College Street and Town Hall. The first return bus will leave Weigall at 5.10pm. The second bus is set to leave Weigall at 5.15pm.

Telford Buses will also be used to transport boys to and from Weigall for training. Please be aware that the return Telford buses will not continue through to Town Hall. Boys may choose to go home by other means. The School has a policy that no boy will be left at Weigall after training unsupervised. We expect parents picking up their sons to do so close to the finishing time of training. Boys who are not picked up prior to the last bus leaving, will be required to return to College street.

Bat & Ball, Moore Park West Sports Field, Robertson Rd and Parade Grounds, Centennial Parklands

The School has arranged with the Telford bus company to take boys to and from training at Bat & Ball, Robertson Rd, Parade Grounds and Moore Park West sport fields during the winter season. This service leaves the training venue at 5pm, delivering boys to College Street. The buses will also stop at Central Station. Any boy who is not collected by his parent(s) before 5pm from the training venue will be directed to travel back to College Street.

Physiotherapy Services at Sports Training and Games

Sydney Grammar School has a long standing arrangement with the physiotherapy group, Sports Focus, to provide physiotherapy services at Weigall during Tuesday and Thursday afternoon training sessions and on Saturdays. The School has also endeavoured to provide Sports Trainer First Aid services on Monday and Wednesday afternoons at Weigall. Services such as appointments for injury rehabilitation and treatment are the financial responsibility of parents. Sports Focus will fulfil all its responsibilities to obtain informed consent regarding treatment and financial disclosure to parents. Sport Focus provides a professional and convenient service for our boys during our Rugby, Football and Basketball seasons. Please ensure that any bill for service your son receives from Sports Focus is settled promptly.

Entry to Medicine

Boys wishing to apply for entry into the Medical programs offered by Australian universities need to lodge an application to sit the Undergraduate Medicine and Health Sciences Test – UMAT, by Friday 1 June 2018. Boys can view the UMAT Information Booklet and register now online at http://umat.acer.edu.au  

UNSW 2019 Co-op Scholarships.

UNSW offers a full range of scholarships including the Co-op program. Applications for the Co-op scholarship program are now open and are available in several faculties at $18,200pa. See www.coop.unsw.edu.au/future-students  

UNSW Law: Law Admissions Test – LAT for Forms V and VI.

UNSW Law uses the LAT as a means of assessing applicants for the Law Dual Degree 2019 programs. Applications are open for boys in Forms V and VI at

www.law.unsw.edu.au/future-students/undergraduate/law-admission-test-lat

Boys should check Schoology for all up-to-date career and course information.      

If boys or parents need further information, they can make contact at pjw@sydgram.nsw.edu.au or 9332 5806.

Mr PJ Whild                                     

Due to the nature of the expedition, boys are required to undertake the walk with a parent or adult family member or friend. The tour will be escorted by masters from the School as well as a military history guide. In addition to the physical and mental challenge of the expedition, there will be an emphasis on the Kokoda Track as a battlefield and its place in Australian history.

The expedition will be organised through an experienced Kokoda tour operator. This company has strong links and a good reputation in PNG, with safety and security a priority. At this stage, it is estimated that the expedition to walk the track will cost approximately $5,500 per person.

An information meeting will be held at the School at the end of June 2018 later this term. A number of training walks will be organised, the first to take place on Sunday morning in August 2018.

Please email Ms Leonie Liu at lyl@sydgram.nsw.edu.au with an initial expression of interest or questions prior to the meeting.

                                                          Ms L.Y. Liu and Mr N.A. Smith

We start the tour with a drive through the Blue Mountains before moving on to Bathurst and Canowindra, where we visit a couple of fossil and mineral museums.  The next day starts with a breakfast balloon flight before visiting limestone caves in the afternoon. The day will end with a night safari and a bush camp.  On the third day we will enjoy the delights of Dubbo Zoo before heading up to Coonabarabran for a spot of star gazing.

The following day we will have a guided tour of Sidings Springs Observatory and the geological wonder of the Warrumbungles.  On the second last day we will visit a historic minesite as well as a petrified wood locality before spending the night in Mudgee.  The last morning finds us studying the ancient art of viticulture before heading back to Sydney.

Accommodation is comprised of four nights of twin share, motel style, accommodation and one night of accommodation in permanent safari tents at the Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo.

The cost of the trip, excluding most meals, will be around $1600pp.  The trip is for boys and accompanying parents.  Siblings are welcome if vacancies permit.  The School does not undertake to accept all applications.

 If you wish to register your interest, please click on this link, pick up an application form from the SBC folder opposite Master’s Reception or send an email to akbb@sydgram.nsw.edu.au.

The deadline for the deposit has been extended to Monday 14th of May.

Mr A Bowes               

Weigall Canteen 

Thank you to all the parents who volunteered and provided delicious food at the Weigall Canteen last term. The canteen will be very busy in coming weeks and we kindly request the help of more volunteers and donations of food. Please label any containers that need to be returned.

Below is the link to sign up for volunteer time slots and food donations for the remaining Saturdays this term.

http://www.sgswa.com.au/weigall-canteen.html

A reminder that EFTPOS is now available and you can purchase the new reusable Grammar coffee cups.

If you have any questions please contact Jenny Booth at SGSWA@sydgram.nsw.edu.au.

Form Parties

The recently held Form I-II and Form III-IV parties were a huge success. Thank you to Angela McGee, Dearna Mazzola, Dyan Comino, Dominique Hart, Sophia Aroney, Sarah Boyd-Clark and Jenny Booth for organising these nights. Photos from these nights are available on the website sgswa.com.au under events.

The Grammar Shop is open:

Monday 12 - 2pm

Thursday 12 - 5pm

Friday 12 - 5pm

A current Grammar Shop price list and order form is available by clicking here 

Tuckshop

If you have your name down on the Tuckshop roster and for some reason you are unable to do your shift, please let Jenny Booth know in advance by email sgswa@sydgram.nsw.edu.au or on 9332 5858 so that we can arrange a replacement. 

Form III Informal Lunch

Date: Friday 1 June 2018

Time: 12 noon

Place: The Greens North Sydney, 50 Ridge Street, North Sydney

Contacts: Liz O'Connell (liz_oconnell@hotmail.com) or Maryann Apte (maryannapte@bigpond.com)

No need to RSVP, just turn up.

Form II Informal Lunch

Date: Friday 22 June 2018

Time: 12 noon

Place: The Greens North Sydney, 50 Ridge Street, North Sydney

Contacts: Claudia Nemeth de Bikal (nemethc@bigpond.net.au) or Maryann Apte (maryannapte@bigpond.com)

No need to RSVP, just turn up.

Key Dates for Terms II and III

Friday 11 May: Literary Lunch 11.30am (Boatshed)

Friday 27 July: General Meeting (WP)

Saturday 28 July Form I Dinner: 6:30pm Nick’s Bar & Grill, Darling Harbour

Thursday 20 Sept Form VI Leavers’ Dinner: 6:30pm Cyren Bar & Grill, Darling Harbour

All the above information, calendar, contacts and event information is available on the SGSWA website www.sgswa.com.au

Ms S Soorian

Football vs The Scots College – Saturday 19 May - BBQ Assistance Needed

As mentioned, we will be running the BBQ for the Football matches played at Weigall. If you can help, please go to Weigall BBQ to register.

We really need a minimum of six people per shift to ensure rotation and allow fathers to go off and see their son’s game during the day. Please try and stagger your timings if possible.

Next Meeting – Thursday 7 June
All fathers who are Association members are encouraged to attend the meetings of the Committee, held at 6.00pm on the first Thursday of the months that fall during Term. The meetings are held at the School in room SB8, are quite informal and are generally over within the hour. Parking is available from 6.00pm in the Middle Playground. Our next meeting is on Thursday 7 June at 6.00pm.

Further information is available on the School website at the Fathers’ Association page.

Mr M Scotter