THE HART
Term 1 2024 - Edition #3
In this newsletter
Principal's Message
Mr Ian Mejia
Mr Paul Murphy
Celebrating the Adventures of Term One in Years 5 & 6
Mr Paul Murphy
Term 1 Excursion: Ramses, the Gold of the Pharoahs & Remembrance Service at the Anzac Memorial
Miss Marie Yeo
Mr Paul Murphy
End of Term Cleanup and Move Into the New Building!
Important Announcements and Reminders
Principal's Message
Ian Mejia, Principal
Dear Parents and Guardians,
This afternoon we celebrated the end of Term 1 with an assembly in our new rooms. It also provided an opportunity for some students to be recognised for their Term 1 efforts with a number of merit awards being handed out. It was great to see a wide range of students receiving awards, keep up the great work gents!
In my end of term address to the students today I emphasized the importance of having a good holiday break. The key messages were to:
1. Be productive
Learn a new skill, read a new book, complete a new project, engage in a new hobby.
2. Spend quality time with family and friends
Organise to meet your friends, help out mum and dad with a task, watch a family movie together.
3. Be of service to others
Do some community service, help a neighbour or relative, mow a neighbour’s lawn.
4. Relax, rejuvenate, and reflect.
Have some time for yourself to disconnect. Reflect on your term, and think about what you can do better for Term 2. I wish all our students a safe and restful break.
As the end of financial year approaches please consider making a tax deductible donation to our Scholarship, Building, or Library fund. If you, or someone you know, has the capacity to make a donation it truly makes a big difference.
Building Fund - Your donation will go towards ensuring that our students thrive in a learning environment that is surrounded by state-of-the-art facilities and infrastructure, optimal for limitless learning.
Scholarship/Bursary Fund - Your generous gift will help Hartford College fund future scholarships for deserving boys who may not otherwise be able to attend Hartford due to their family's financial circumstances.
Library Fund - Donations towards the Library Fund will help Hartford secure important texts for our current and future students.
If you would like further information about our funds, or would like to see the building project currently underway, please contact us on (02) 9184 8840 or email info@hartfordcollege.nsw.edu.au
Lastly I would like to extend a warm invite to all the mothers and grandmothers, for our Mother’s Day Morning Tea in Week 2. I hope you can all make it for this lovely occasion, the details are below.
Warm regards,
Ian Mejia
Celebrating the Adventures of Term One in Years 5 & 6
Jenny Hoare
Years 5/6 Teacher
What an action-packed first term the Years 5 and 6 students have completed! I would like to congratulate all the students on their hard work, enthusiasm for learning, and, most importantly, positive commitment to all areas of College life.
Term One marks a milestone for our Year 5 students -Lachlan Harrison, Leo Leeder and Akash Wild. They've shown remarkable school spirit and courageously tackled the myriad challenges that come with starting a new school: forging new friendships, adapting to fresh routines and rules, and facing the Year 5 NAPLAN head-on. Their unwavering determination, resilience, and commitment to excellence in all pursuits have blessed our class.
Within the classroom, all the students have embraced the Key Learning Areas with eagerness, curiosity and cheer. The class have thoroughly enjoyed reading Jackie French's historical novel, 'Nanberry', which captures the life of a young Aboriginal boy navigating the complexities of early colonial Australia, evoking empathy, understanding, and profound discussions about our nation's past. The novel has given the students a deeper knowledge of our History Unit: 'The Australian Colonies.' The students have also enjoyed researching the Australian Gold Rush and how the convict colonies developed into more progressive cities with the influx of immigrants.
In our Science Unit, 'States of Matter,' the boys have thoroughly enjoyed delving into the fascinating world of the chemical sciences, investigating solubility, and exploring reversible and irreversible states of matter through experiments. I am particularly impressed by their Science Assessment projects, where they meticulously observed matter's physical and chemical changes through engaging cooking experiments.
The boys have not only excelled in academics but fully embraced the Sport for Life Program. Their enthusiasm for the UNSW swimming Program was evident, and I'm confident they'll approach the winter sport program next term with equal fervour. They're also eagerly anticipating the commencement of the Chess and Debate Clubs next term, showing their diverse interests and active participation in the school community.
This term's highlight was certainly the reverence and dedication the class displayed when leading the College community in the Stations of the Cross. Seeing their sincere portrayal of our Lord's suffering and death was very moving. I sincerely thank all the students and families in our Hartford Community who supported our annual Easter Raffle for Project Compassion. Jonathan and Nicholas Madouris in Year 6, Lachlan Harrison in Year 5 and Matthew Hui in Year 8 were overjoyed to win the delicious Easter baskets. I would also like to thank Michelle Loye for her time and expertise in coming to the class to make beautiful chocolate Easter Eggs. The boys loved their Easter treats!
The term finished on a high with the students eagerly embarking on a cultural journey, visiting the Australian Museum to marvel at the Ramses Exhibition, immersing themselves in the splendour of ancient Egyptian history. They also paid homage to the nation's heroes at the War Memorial in Hyde Park, reflecting on the sacrifices made for the freedoms we enjoy today.
I wish the boys a safe, happy, and restful holiday, and I look forward to new and exciting adventures with them in Term Two.
Term 1 Excursion: Ramses, the Gold of the Pharoahs & Remembrance Service at the Anzac Memorial
Marie Yeo
Liberal Arts Coordinator, Latin & Music Teacher
This term's excursion has been a highly anticipated and thoroughly enriching experience for our school!
Boasting Australia's largest exhibition for over a decade, the Australian Museum is host to over 100 artifacts from the Tombs of the Kings, including those of Ramses II's sarcophagus and coffin. The excited enthusiasm from both the teachers and the students were palpable!
The exhibition commenced with a large-scale video, explaining the background of Ramses II's life and accomplishments. The students then made their way through an extensive gallery, showcasing gold necklaces, headpieces, sarcophagi and other artifacts with vivid display and educational descriptions. One highlight was that of Ramses II's coffin, lying in a glass case, surrounded by a room set up to replicate the interior of the Pharoah's tomb in Egypt. There were some audible gasp moments from both teachers and students alike!
The exhibition concluded with a cinematic virtual reality experience which took the viewer through the Pharoah's tomb and temple amidst the sands of Egypt. There were some audible screams as we were chased by a spirit through the sand and I am sure that was not part of the video. What an experience!
After lunch in Hyde Park, the school held a brief remembrance ceremony for the fallen ANZACS, commemorating in silence whilst accompanied by prayers and the "Last Post" played through a speaker. All the boys held respectful silence throughout, standing in quiet ceremony.
We then made our way to the ANZAC memorial where a dedicated staff member explained the history and context of the memorial before guiding us through a star ceremony which consisted of the "ode" recited before gold stars with passed soldier's names were dropped into the Well of Remembrance into the room below. We were told that these stars would be cremated and passed to students all around the world to be scattered at places of war and sacrifice.
Downstairs, the students walked amongst an exhibition of Australian soldiers, nurses, and Army and Navy artifacts which were used during the Great Wars.
We are grateful to be given the opportunity to see such historical riches up close, and I am sure the students will have merited from such an experience as did I!
End of Term Cleanup and Move Into the New Building!
Today, the year 7 & 8 students executed a thorough cleanup whilst they moved the relevant resources, tools, and personal tubs into the new classrooms. The students were clearly excited to use them next term! Thank you to all who helped!
Important Announcements and Reminders
Term 2 will commence Tuesday 30 April.
Compass Information
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.
