From the Vice Principal

Posted September 12 2008

This week saw the Huntingtower Cross Country Team making history by winning the EISM title for a record 10 years in a row. To add to this feat, the team claimed the Boys and Girls trophies too. What a remarkable effort! Congratulations and thank you to the dedicated staff and students who trained for weeks before and after school to ensure Huntingtower was well placed to be make history.

How do we continuously get outstanding results in the academic, music, sporting, and cultural arenas? I believe that one of the reasons is that we constantly remind ourselves that anything is possible. Part of our belief system at Huntingtower is that we, as unlimited divine ideas of God, good, are able to achieve brilliance because we are brilliant.

What is a useful way to constantly be reminded to see ourselves and others as wonderful and brilliant? How are we better able to remember the positives in life and not get caught up in a negative view of the situation or person? I recently heard about the formula CVS2BVS. This stands for Current View of Situation to Better View of Situation. According to Michael Hewitt-Gleeson, the man behind the formula, it symbolizes a switch which flips from one position to another position. So whatever you are thinking at the moment, is your CVS. We all have a CVS. The switch can be moved from CVS to BVS. The BVS, according to Hewitt-Gleeson, is measured as a ten times better view of the situation. (The mathematicians out there would agree that the new formula is CVS X10 = BVS). This switch is not always an easy thing to do. Logic-based thinkers especially find this challenging as they tend to defend the ‘rightness’ of their CVS instead of escaping from it and searching for a BVS. However, practice of the skill and training your mind enables you to get better at making the switch.

Would Jesus have used this formula? I would say he would have had his switch constantly set on SVS – Spiritual View of Situation (which would be infinitely better than BVS and CVS). Jesus only saw the perfect person before him and it was this view that healed. The same would hold for a troubling situation. When his disciples, were being tossed about on a small boat in stormy weather, he knew only of God’s power and presence and was able with perfect assurance, to calm the situation with the words, “Peace, be still.”

Perhaps over the next few days you might like to practice switching from your CVS to a BVS and even to a SVS.

Huntingtower is a school which offers a myriad of opportunities to its students. Over the past few days we have had an Art Exhibition, music evenings, and a Year 7 Poetry Night. These occasions organised by our dedicated staff provide students the stage to present to their families and peers creativity, flair, composure and teamwork.

On Monday we look forward to our 5th annual Dansation competition. This year we have even more entrants and it will be an evening not to be missed as our Middle School students take to the dance floor. On Wednesday you are invited to attend the Dance and Drama Evening where the talents of our VCE students will be on display.

These holidays, we wish our students, teachers and members of our Huntingtower community (parents and friends) wonderful journeys. These include a group who head off to South Africa on the Friends of Simunye community service experience; our Year 7 and 8 students who travel across the globe to Clairborn in the USA; and Mr Fletcher’s group of intrepid travellers who are off to Europe. Bon voyage to you all!

Yes, Huntingtower is a vibrant school, brimming with talent and opportunity.

Enjoy your holidays!

Peter Dry
Vice Principal

September 12 2008 | All and Principals Message | No Comments » |

PTA Page

Posted September 12 2008

Diary Dates:

Sunday 14 September: Year 8 Get together

School Holidays: Perfect time to clean out, sort and deliver your donations for the fete

Tuesday 7 October: PTA meeting, 7:30 pm in Library

Sunday 12 October: Camerata

Saturday 8 November: School Fete for 2008

 

Thankyou to Sabrina, Sheree, Wendy Bentley and Linda Alexis for their help on the fathers’ day stall. The children were very happy to come and shop for their dad’s and other favourite uncles and grandfathers.

 

And what happened to the funds?! The substantial fundraising efforts made in 2007 resulted in the PTA donating a large sum of money to the school. We are pleased to announce some of these funds have been put to good use. So far, PTA has funded a large water trough, outside foam mats and paper for the Occasional Care Centre – “Playhouse”. The PTA has also purchased some badly needed new urns and eskies for use during functions. Many more items are on the way and will appear around the school over the next few months. If you have suggestions or how you would like PTA funds to be put to use, please email or contact one of the PTA representatives. We are always happy to listen. Teachers are more than welcome to make suggestions also.

 

Camerata is just around the corner. We will be calling for volunteers to help with afternoon tea. It’s a 20 minute commitment. If you already have tickets, it’s a very convenient way of doing our community a service. Please add your name to the roster on the PTA notice board.

 

4 Year Old Pre-prep are having a Holiday play day on Wednesday 1st October. We’ll meet at the Batten’s home at about 10.30am. Please bring a plate of lunch to share. Siblings welcome. Please let Sue or Janet know if you will be there.

 

Year 8 Parents: A family get together is being planned for Sunday 14 September, 6pm at Sofia’s Restaurant, 820 Ferntree Gully Road, Wheelers Hill.

We hope you can come as it will be nice to have a relaxed opportunity to catch up with other families. Please RSVP to Sheridan Calleja on 98027970 or e-mail sherjcal@bigpond.net.au by Thursday 11 September so that booking numbers can be finalised. Hope to see you there!

 

Any budding baristas?  Training for a vac job? We are looking for Year 11 or 12 students wishing to learn how to work a coffee machine – please contact either Peter Dry or Sheree to organise your training! You will learn to make the perfect coffee – and to drive a commercial machine. We need baristas to run our coffee cart at the fete. You need to be available for a minimum of 2 hours on fete day to help run the stall. In return the PTA in conjunction with trainers will provide your training and a certificate.

Are you doing Duke of Ed?  You will also be able to claim training time and doing the job as part of your Duke of Ed!

 

Cleaning out over the holidays? Put aside your unwanted CDs, DVDs, VCRs and vinyls, clean second hand hand bags, clothes (no rips, tears, stains), books, toys (complete and in good order!) etc. for the fete.

 

Cleaning up the garden? It’s a great time to be potting up cuttings and seedlings – they will be perfect for November.

 

Leave all donations in the big shed (just up from the boarding house, opposite the astro turf; look for the sign tat says ‘fete’ on the door) is the best place to leave goods.

 

Your year level stall is:

 

 

And of course, HOSA will man the Bar-b-Q

Call your fete rep now and offer to help!

 

Gaps – Fete reps: we need a volunteer from year 10 and one from 4yo kinder. PLEASE throw your hat in the ring. Year 10 – nachos is very easy, basically just the roster.

 

Year 11 Christmas cakes / Pantry: We would love your contributions to the Pantry/Christmas cakes stall. There are lots of ways you can help:

If you enjoy making jams or chutney, or baking Christmas cakes at home, we would love your contributions for the Pantry, please phone Heather Bunting(9885 8460) or Marg Hourigan (9802 4986).

 

Year 11’s: Watch for your invitation to the Christmas cake mixing sessions. Please come along. You may wish to donate ingredients (or money to put towards ingredients) that would be of great assistance – items include butter, eggs, brown sugar, dried fruit.

All welcome!  If you’d like to help please call Marg Hourigan (9802 4986) or Heather Bunting (9885 8460).

 

CD’s, DVD’s VCR tapes and records (year 9): Its time to sort through your collection – this is the perfect opportunity to get rid of those you don’t want! Year 9 is collecting for the second hand stall at the fete. Leave in the box at the office.

 

Plant Stall (4yo kinder): What about a project for mid term break? Grab some seeds or seedlings, stick them in some small pots and have the pleasure of watching them grow – then the double pleasure of donating them to the school fete.

If you have ANY plastic pots – black, green, brick brown – please leave them in the shed, past the boarding house, opposite the astro turf.

 

Food handler’s certificate? We need someone who has a food handling certificate to help on the day of the fete. Our food stalls depend on us finding someone with the right qualifications. If you can help, please call Sheree Amprimo on 9800 4430

 

Baskets for Silent Auction (year 7):  Your old, not too well worn cane baskets can be recycled, filled with goodies for the Silent Auction. If you have any, or can collect some, please put them aside.  Maybe you could put together a basket on a theme – a chocolate basket, garden basket, herb basket, tea drinker’s basket – let your imagination run riot!

If you own / work in a business that might be able t donate something to the silent auction, please call Carol Jones on 9887 7252 or Sharee Charrett on 9886 8704. We need gift vouchers, goods and / or dollars. All offers welcome!

 

Good Quality Clean clothes (year 4): Is it nearly time you cleaned out your wardrobe to make way for spring…or your children’s wardrobes? Put aside clean, good quality clothes for our second hand clothes stall. Deliver to the shed…but please, no rips, tears, stains or patches.

 

Ride Sponsorship: Sharee Charrett is looking for people to help with contacting companies to sponsor the rides for the Fete, she is also looking for any companies you feel would be willing to sponsor rides. The company sponsoring rides will be able to attach there signage to the ride for advertising. Please contact Sharee on sharee.charrett@team.telstra.com

 

Have you heard of Monashlink? It’s a local service for parents wanting help from the local community for extra ideas or tips in raising their children. Are you clear on the differences between independent schools and government schools? Check out the new PTA notice board for further details and news of what is happening. Head towards the school office but turn right – and enjoy the magnificent woodwork display on the way!

 

Did you know Airstream Café donate a portion of your bill to the school – if they know where you are from? When paying, simply ASK how your bill can be recorded to benefit Huntingtower.

 

Farm Pride Eggs: Our school has registered to participate in the Farm Pride and Golden Egg Farm collect-a-thon. Every token collected from Farm Pride and Golden Farm Eggs packs will earn 50c for the PTA. There is a tin in the foyer of the office, just waiting for your tokens. Please cut out the 50c tokens from your egg cartons. Proceeds will help our PTA coffers! Funds raised will go to help buy some much needed items for the ELC area. Watch out for the posters in classrooms and around the school.

 

Your Parent Teacher Association: Don’t be shy. As part of the school community, you are invited, encouraged and very welcome to attend all PTA meetings. You will learn much about the school, what is happening and how it functions.

Committee members for 2008 are happy to be contacted:  Sheree Amprimo 9800 4430,  Joy Di Fede 9574 9993,  Judy Orford 9571 9740,  Jenny Salgo 9802 5058,  Sabrina Samaranayake. We welcome your feedback, support, participation in PTA activities and ideas for fund raising.

 

September 12 2008 | All and PTA | No Comments » |

Music Page

Posted September 12 2008

Huntingtower Camarata Gala Concert
Sunday 12 October - 2.30pm. Performing Arts Centre
A special thank you to John Bruce to celebrate his amazing contribution to the Huntingtower Association.
Come and enjoy this magnificent concert!

We are thrilled that Professor John Hopkins OBE is coming as our Guest Conductor – what an exciting experience for our students to play under such an illustrious, famous conductor!
Our soloists will be Julie Haskell who will perform the 1st movement of Beethoven’s wonderful Piano Concerto No 1 and Geoffrey Payne who will perform dazzling trumpet solos which he has recorded on commercial CD and has performed to thousands of people at the Sidney Myer music Bowl receiving a standing ovation from the entire audience.  Julie and Geoff are both Huntingtower parents and we are so grateful to them both for their willing participation.

• Another exciting item will be a special song “One Song” composed by our own Huntingtower parent Kate Lawson-Gould and sung by Philip Gould and Margaret Haggart (from the Australian Opera) especially for this occasion – a premiere performance!
• Other Huntingtower parents who are also players in the Melbourne Symphony will join the huge Camerata Symphony Orchestra along with staff, old students, friends and our Senior Orchestra – what a privilege to hear such internationally renowned musicians under our own roof!
• Junior Orchestra/Little Symphony, Junior Choir, Senior Choir and Senior Orchestra will also perform.
• Come and hear your favourite exciting works including the suite from “Swan Lake” and other great works by Beethoven and Kodaly (complete with a full percussion section!)
• Delicious refreshments will be available.
• There will be balloons and streamers galore.
• Any proceeds will go the the Gerard van der Weide Scholarship Fund which has been set up in memory of our great friend, mentor and musician, Gerard, who led the Camerata Symphony for 5 years.

So please come and support this very special event and have a wonderful time!!
Tickets are available now from the School Office.  Participating students do not need a ticket.
Adults     $10.00
Students  $ 5.00

CHAMBER CHOIRS, STRING ORCHESTRA and SMALL ENSEMBLES CONCERT
This remarkable concert was held last Friday evening and sincere gratitude is extended to the amazingly talented performers and to the enthusiastic audience who encouraged every performer.  The works performed and the quality of the performances were of the highest caliber and it was an opporturnity for the musical excellence and maturity of our wonderful students to be appreciated by a large discerning audience.  Sincere appreciation is extended to Mrs Sutton for her outstanding work with the Chamber Choirs.

CONGRATULATIONS
1.  To Nicholas Duong who recently received his Associate Diploma in Performance – a wonderful achievement.  Hearty congratulations Nicholas Duong A Mus A!

2.  To the Year 9 students who presented a fantastic concert this week.  Every item was thoroughly prepared and presented by these very talented musicians.

3.  To Jason Huang, Tom Lo and Sam Hodson who have been chosen to perform at the Waverley Eisteddfod Showcase Concert.  The concert will be held on Sunday 21 September at Monash University as part of the big “Music in the Round” Festival which starts at 1.00pm.  The concept of “Music in the Round” has been demised, organised and directed by our own Huntingtower parent Jeff Crellin and it is a spectacular afternoon of hour long concerts in several different venues around Monash University encompassing a huge range of music with top professional performers to entice all musical tastes (jazz, popular, world music, classical, music for children. etc)  Please call at the Music Centre for more details – it is a “must” to attend!!

4.  To the Small group of Junior musicians who performed beautifully and behaved impreccably at the Citizenship Ceremony at the Monash Council Chambers last week.  A special highlight was when the Mayor came out especially to shake each of the children’s hands (the delicious sandwiches, biscuits and “mentos” also featured high on the priorities list!!)

MUSIC DATES – TERM IV 2008
1.  CAMERATA GALA CONCERT REHEARSALS (Senior Orchestra only)
Saturday 4 October 2.00pm – 5.00pm   PAC
Sunday 5 October 2.00pm – 5.00pm     PAC
Monday 6 october 7.00pm – 10.00pm   PAC
Saturday 11 October 2.00pm – 5.00pm PAC

2.  CAMERATA GALA CONCERT
Sunday 12 October 2.30pm  PAC

3.  YEAR 7 SOLO CONCERT
Tuesday 28 October – Orchestral Room

4.  JUNIOR WIND SOLO CONCERT
Thursday 30 October – Orchestral Room

5.  HUNTINGTOWER FETE (Senior/Middle School Orchestras, Concert Band)
Saturday 8 November 10.30am

6.  LITTLE SYMPHONY and LITTLE CHOIR CONCERT
Thursday 20 November 6.00pm – PAC

7.  JUNIOR SPEECH NIGHT
Friday 28 November 6.00pm – PAC

8.  SENIOR ORCHESTRA BREAK-UP TEA and SPEECH NIGHT REHEARSAL
Sunday 30 November 5.00pm – 8.00pm

9.  SENIOR SPEECH NIGHT
Friday 5 December 7.30pm – Robert Blackwood Hall

September 12 2008 | All and Music | No Comments » |

Camerata Gala Concert

Posted September 12 2008

 

 

HUNTINGTOWER

 

GALA CONCERT

 

Sunday 12 October 2008, 2:30pm

 

Huntingtower Performing Arts Centre

“

A Special Thank-you to John Bruce”

 

OVER 350 PERFORMERS INCLUDING

Little Symphony, Junior Orchestra, Junior Choir, Senior Choir, Senior Orchestra and the enormous Huntingtower Camerata Symphony Orchestra including past and present students, staff, friends and parents from the Melbourne Symphony.

 

GUEST CONDUCTOR –

Professor John Hopkins OBE – World renowned conductor and our own Huntingtower parent and grandparent.

 

GUEST SOLOISTS –

 Geoffrey Payne – Principal Trumpet with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and our own Huntingtower parent! Performing dazzling virtuosic works which he has released on commercial CD.

Julie Haskell – Brilliant pianist and also our own Huntingtower parent!

 

EXCITING WORKS WILL INCLUDE –

Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 1 and other works by Tchaikowsky and Rossini.

 

Delicious refreshments will be available

 

PROCEEDS TO THE GERARD VAN DER WEIDE MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP FUND

 

TICKETS are available from the School Office

 Adult           $10

 Student       $ 5

 

ENQUIRIES – 9807 8888

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The HT Shop needs Helpers!

Posted September 12 2008

If you are able to assist at The HT Shop on FRIDAYS between 12.30pm to 1.30pm or 3.30pm to 4.30pm, I would be very pleased to hear from you.  Please speak to me in the uniform shop or leave your contact details at the office.  Liz Bowen

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