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THE HART

Term 1 - Week 10

In this newsletter

Deputy Principal's Message

Mr Ian Mejia

From the Chaplain

Fr Paul Grant 

Mr Paul Murphy

Sport for Life

Miss Jenny Hoare 

Languages

Mrs Bénédicte Uphill

Mr Paul Murphy

Music

Ms Marie Yeo

Holy Week Liturgy

Philosophy

Dr Emma Wood

Compass

Deputy Principal's Message

Mr Ian Mejia

Mr Ian Mejia, Deputy Principal

Dear Parents and Friends, 

As an eventful Term 1 draws to a close it is inspiring to see the continued enthusiasm of our students after a busy 10 weeks.  

If they have not already done so, mentors will reach out to you to book in your parent-mentor meetings. This is a great opportunity to not only receive feedback about your son, but also to discuss some of his strengths, weaknesses, and goals that you may have already set for him. Having parents and teachers on the same page with unified goals can bear wonderful fruit. 

With the holidays approaching it is also a great time to talk to your son about his plans for the break, encouraging him to have balance, be productive, be active, and to also have some personal time. As parents it is also a good time to give your son an extra project, responsibility, or chore. Perhaps something you never get the chance to get around to, like giving the garage a good clean! This helps our sons understand they are an integral part of the household (and not just guests at a surprisingly free Airbnb).  

There is also something we can do as parents during the holidays (in exchange for that clean garage). And that is to genuinely take an interest in something your son may choose to do in the break. That may mean picking up the PlayStation controller, sitting through 48 minutes of an NBA game, or facing a few spin bowls in the backyard, but this invested time will pay dividends. This is particularly important for fathers, as boys move through to high school, and will increasingly need and seek advice and guidance from dad. Some of your son’s fondest lifetime memories will be those formed in their holidays. 

Looking forward to seeing all the boys back in their winter uniform,  hopefully with the same enthusiasm as they demonstrated in Term 1! 

 

Warm Regards

Sport for Life

 

Mrs Jenny Hoare, Years 6 & 6

Hartford’s Sport for Life Program offers students diverse skills and sports that ignite their passion and motivation to participate confidently and enthusiastically. Throughout Term 1, the students have thoroughly enjoyed developing their basketball, football, and cricket skills in our PDHPE lessons. It has been a joy to watch their talents and improved skills emerge, but most importantly, it has been wonderful to witness their teamwork, spirit, and confidence develop.  

Lifelong health and fitness goals are an essential mindset for young men. We encourage the students to focus on their fitness by maintaining their involvement in club sports and staying active during lunch breaks. The boys look forward to playing basketball, handball, and football each day. Access to Rowland Park provides the students with a beautiful open space to run freely and play games. This term, the boys completed a one kilometre run time trial where their times were recorded for measuring fitness. We look forward to seeing their times improve each term.  

Over the last four weeks, the students have participated in a Swimming Program at the UNSW Aquatic Centre. The structured program allowed each student to develop their swimming skills at their individual level. The students also enjoyed the swim safety skills in the sessions.  

We look forward to offering new opportunities next term with specialised coaching in rugby, football and golf.  

Music

 

Marie Yeo

Miss Marie Yeo, Registrar & School Secretary

It has been an exciting start to our school this term and Music has certainly found its place amongst it! 

In the first few weeks, students learnt that Music is one of the seven Liberal Arts and holds a vital role in their education. As an “art” (from the proto-Indo-European root word ‘ar’ meaning “to join/fit together”) of “number in time”, Music is a language that finds itself everywhere in the natural world as much as it can be heard from man-made instruments.  

Years 5 & 6 have found their singing voices and I am delighted to discover a potential choir out of the mix. Starting with “Do-Re-Mi” from the Sound of Music, students have been learning about Solfege and Curwen’s hand signals, learning to sing echoes and rounds. Students have also learnt that everything in the world has an innate heartbeat, and that the “art” of music is to put together collections of sounds on every heartbeat.  

Year 7 students have been discovering the origins of early music instrumentation, exploring the history of music as a means of understanding its theoretical and practical evolution through time. Alongside ancient Jewish and Greek modes - scale patterns which form the basis of most ancient notational theory – and tones and semitones - intervals which identify pitching and different sound waves – students have learnt about Pythagoras’ Monochord, the ancient ancestor of the violin, guitar and harp family. The keyboards have been a vital tool in developing their theoretical knowledge.  

As they develop their theoretical and musicianship skills throughout the year, the students will continue to learn how music is used both as a means of worship from man to God and a form of human flourishing, identifying a means of entertainment in its healthiest form. The students seem to love Music overall and there have only been positive results consequentially. It will be exciting to see how this “art” will develop their minds and character throughout their schooling. 

Philosophy

Dr Emma Wood

Dr Emma Wood, Philosophy

Year 5 and 6 philosophy has undergone some exciting curriculum development over the last few weeks. What was originally philosophy class has evolved into a subject we are calling “Introduction to Western Civilisation.” 

In this subject, Year 5 and 6 will learn world history, from the earliest times right up to the modern day. As the boys take this journey through time, they will learn about the influential philosophers, scientists, works of literature, and political leaders who have shaped our world. 

In recent classes, Year 5 and 6 have covered prehistoric times, the agricultural revolution, and the ancient civilisations of the Near East. In coming weeks, we will continue to learn about Egypt, Babylon, Israel, and the many stories that make up the Old Testament.

From the Chaplain

Fr Paul Grant, Chaplain

Fr Paul Grant, Chaplain

Another month has gone by. So being at Hartford College is just a normal thing now. We are all used to it. It is as if the College has been around for years. 

From a Chaplains’ point of view the next event on the horizon is Easter. It is great to see the involvement of all the boys in the “Passion Play” directed by Miss Hoare. I am looking forward to seeing the production on Holy Thursday. I am sure it will help us prepare for the great feast of Our Lord's Resurrection.  

After Visiting the school a few times each week, and giving a class each week, I hope the students are learning more about what makes life meaningful, enjoyable, and exciting. 

And talking with a good percentage of the boys it seems that Hartford College is going along very well. And I certainly enjoy being part of this project. 

Languages

Mrs Benedict Uphill

Mrs Bénédicte Uphill, French and Latin

At Hartford College students are privileged to learn two languages, French and Latin. 

The study of French exposes our students to the culture and linguistic structure of one of the most spoken languages in the world whose influence goes far beyond the boundaries of francophone countries. In Term 1 they have learnt French greetings, how to introduce themselves and ask basic questions, some aspects of spelling, pronunciation and grammar, and numbers up to 31. 

Latin has always had pride of place in a liberal arts education as it provides access to the literature and history of the Roman Empire as well as subsequent centuries of Western and Ecclesial tradition. In Term 1, Hartford College students have been introduced to the geography of the Roman Empire as it was at its greatest extent in 117AD, and the basic structure of a Roman household, whilst reading, hearing, reading and writing basic Latin sentences.

Important Announcements and Reminders

Compass Information

Your son’s progress reports will soon be available on Compass. If you have not already done so, you can download the app here. 

Compass for Parents 

About

THE HART is Hartford College's newsletter for parents and students. Here you will receive all the latest news for what is happening around the school.

The name 'THE HART' refers to a mature stag of more than five years old. Its use is now considered in a more poetic form deriving from the Middle English word hert.

The word hart can be found in many classic texts such as the Old English epic Beowulf, which names Hrothgar's royal hall Heorot after the Danish word hjort meaning "deer".

J. R. R. Tolkien uses the word hart in his book The Hobbit, especially in the scenes traveling through Mirkwood Forest.

Shakespeare's uses the word in his plays, particularly the Twelfth Night as a pun between 'hart' and 'heart'.

It is in the spirit of these great works that we decided to name our newsletter THE HART since we want our boys to grow into mature and wise men like a faun grows into the stag or hart.

This newsletter will go to the heart of what is happening at our school by sharing news, stories and events.

Dare to think. Dare to know.