NEWSLETTER WEEK 10 TERM 4 2020 - CHRISTMAS EDITION PRINCIPAL'S REPORT Rosemary McDowall, Principal FAREWELLS It is always sobering this time of year to say goodbye Peter Santamaria, Deputy Principal is departing to to staff members who leave us to take on new take up further tertiary studies. Peter was Head opportunities or retirement. Sheree Hamilton, our Teacher Teaching and Learning for several years SAM will be retiring next year although we hope she before taking up the Deputy’s position. He has will continue working with us from home from time contributed to numerous whole school programs to time. Sheree has been at The Forest for over and significantly improved our students’ learning twenty years and her corporate knowledge is outcomes through his dedicated approach. All of legendary. Jayne Marshman from the office is also these staff members will be missed by the retiring. Jayne has been a huge support to the community. We wish them all the best in their International Students’ Program. Catherine Walker, future endeavours and we hope to continue our one of our Counsellors will be departing to take up connection with them in the future. the role at Killarney Heights High School. Catherine has made a significant contribution to student well WELCOME being at The Forest. Leslie Pitt from PD/H/PE will be In 2021 we will welcome a new Deputy Principal, leaving us to take up a consultancy position with the Miss Mirjana Simic from Balmain Secondary Department’s Aboriginal Program. Les leaves a Colllege. Miss Simic will take over the Deputy role legacy of cultural knowledge and Aboriginal murals from Mr Santamaria. We are very excited that Miss and welcome poles for us to learn from and enjoy. Simic is joining our executive. She brings an Natalie O’Toole from PD/H/PE and Alanna outstanding skill set to the role as an excellent Kochetkova from Languages are leaving us for English Teacher and experienced Deputy Principal positions in other schools. Both these teachers have with expertise in gifted and talented education. made a positive impact at The Forest in 2020. Finally, TFHS NEWSLETTER WEEK 10 TERM 3 2020 Mirjana Simic Peter Santamaria Sheree Hamilton Les Pitt Jayne Marshman Deputy Principal Deputy Principal SAM PD/H/PE Teacher SAO HAPPY HOLIDAYS On 18 December the HSC results will be published As 2020 draws to a close, I reflect with pride on the and students will receive their ATARS. We look way in which our school community responded the forward to celebrating with our graduates. It has multiple challenges we faced this year. Staff, been such a difficult year for them and we all hope students and families have demonstrated huge they reap the rewards of their effort and dedication resilience, continuing to achieve and progress in 2020. whether at school or working and learning from home. I sincerely thank the school community for I hope all of you have a restful, relaxing holiday with the incredible work they have done this year and family and friends. We look forward to welcoming for their patience and collaboration. I especially you back in the New Year. want to acknowledge the teaching and support staff for their tireless efforts on ROSEMARY McDOWALL behalf of our students. PRINCIPAL P&C News The Uniform Shop will be open on the following dates in January 2021 from 9.00am to 12.00pm. Saturday 23 January 2021 Thursday 28 January 2021 Friday 29 January 2021 Please follow this link to book your 20 minute time slot https://www.trybooking.com/BNRCN SARAH BUTCHART P&C PRESIDENT TFHSTFHS NEWSLETTER NEWSLETTER WEEK WEEK 10 10 TERM TERM 4 32020 2020 DEPUTY PRINCIPAL'S REPORT Mathew Finley, Deputy Principal The following is an abridged version of the I am so proud that each and every one of you has Deputy Principal's address from the persevered through this year and not allowed its Presentation Day Awards Ceremony: slings and arrows to disrupt your learning and achievement. A warm welcome to our Forest High community: students, parents, colleagues and friends. You have accepted that universal truth: what will be, will be, and so it goes. My name is Mathew Finley and I am a proud Australian, born on Ngunnawal Country to Irish, I would like to take this opportunity to Scottish, and English heritage. I am at home acknowledge those who have supported you this amongst the ancient Brindabella Mountains, but year. have made my home here on the Pacific Ocean. First of all: to our wonderful parent community. I would like to acknowledge the traditional You are invaluable partners in everything we do custodians of the land on which we work and here. Your children achieve through our united meet today. I pay my respects to elders past, belief that every child should strive for their present, and emerging. personal best. You support us in developing respectful and responsible young adults. Your I am committed to acts of reconciliation. I am child’s success is our community’s success. committed to a just and equal society. I hope you will all join me on this quest. I must thank our wonderful Year 12 cohort. School leaders must lead by example, and as the student To all our 2020 award winners: Congratulations leaders of this school they were exemplary. When on your outstanding performance. competitive football was on hiatus, our seniors didn’t sulk. Instead, one of our seniors, Jude Congratulations on setting high standards every Dolan, decided to record the games played here day. at school, produce a professional media package of the games, get Optus Sport football Congratulations on asking the right questions, commentators Simon Hill and Premier League and listening carefully to your teacher’s feedback. commentator Peter Drury to commentate, and organise their final game to be played at And last, but not least, congratulations on Bankwest stadium. Talk about making lemonade earning the right to tell your children and out of lemons. grandchildren, “a global pandemic didn’t stop me from being top of my class”. Our SRC put together video assemblies, so the school could continue to meet regularly, even I know that being successful in your studies if it was virtual. Our seniors got their assignments hasn’t made the difficulties of navigating the in on time, were well prepared for their HSC, and Covid-19 world any easier. Like all of your peers, were thanked by their HSC invigilators for being missing out on carnivals, camps, and excursions positive and polite in every examination. We has robbed you of some of the best experiences a currently have 35 students in Year 12 who have high school has to offer. TFHS NEWSLETTER WEEK 10 TERM 4 2020 already received early offers for university places, of your education in 2020. When society went for 2021, across multiple universities and in some into lock down, your teachers were on endless of the most sought after degrees, including zoom meetings to plan and coordinate work and medical science, mechanical engineering, law, assessments. Your teachers were coming to site, cognitive and brain sciences, nursing, and ... supervising those of you whose parents were drumroll please .... teaching. essential workers, ensuring they could do their jobs, safe in the knowledge you were still being I want to thank your Year Advisers, who have given safe and effective supervision. They were been there to support you through the good learning a whole new model for delivering and the bad. They have listened to your concerns, content, in an asynchronous digital world to talked to your teachers, and kept us all informed hundreds of students. Many of them did so while of the challenges you are facing. struggling with the challenges of Covid-19 in their personal lives: partners and spouses losing their Thank you to Ms Sweeney and Ms Coleman, jobs, their own children’s studies interrupted, whose Learning Hub has been a space for many their own family and friends stricken with the of you to get additional support and assistance impacts of the virus. And while the rest of society throughout this challenging year. settled into the brave new world of working from home, they returned, full-time, face to face To Ms Murray, our invaluable Teacher Librarian, teaching. They became experts in enhanced who has helped you find the right resources for cleaning protocols, and Covid-19 symptom your homework and assignments. diagnosis. They too, had to sacrifice many of the extracurricular activities and events that bring To our wonderful School Counsellors, Mr Fraser them great joy in this workplace. It was an and Ms Walker: they have provided some honour to work with these great teachers this of you with guidance in times of serious need. year, and I hope you will join me in a round of applause for their efforts. To my Deputy colleagues, Ms Thompson and Mr Santamaria, who have kept our school focused on Your success this year should give you improving every student, no matter the tremendous confidence that you can achieve challenges. anything you set your mind to. You have achieved extraordinary things in extraordinary To our Principal, Ms McDowall, who sets high times. expectations and clear goals, not just for all of you: but for all of her staff as well. Long may it continue… Most importantly, we must thank your teachers MATHEW FINLEY who have worked tirelessly to ensure continuity DEPUTY PRINCIPAL TFHS NEWSLETTER WEEK 10 TERM 4 2020 WELLBEING We are all certainly looking forward to a well-deserved break! However, the school holidays can take students away from friends and their usual routine.