Learning from the Pros

Posted on by

The boys in Year 7 are extremely lucky to have yet another wonderful opportunity to broaden their experiences and learn more about their many different subjects. This week we are extremely lucky to have an “Artist-in-Residence” to work with the boys and pass on some of their professional expertise.

Ms Michelle Tinta is our Head of Visual Arts at the College and below, she introduces our guest and explains what the he and the boys have been up to this week.

Artist and old boy of St Joseph’s College Chris Fox (93) is currently working in the Art Centre with the Visual Arts Department for two weeks as our guest Artist-in-Residence. This program was initiated in 2011 to allow the students opportunity to work directly with and alongside practicing artists.

Chris Fox is a visual artist who combines architecture with sculptures, interventions, hybrid objects, drawings and models and his formal training as an artist and architect is often apparent in his projects.

He has exhibited nationally and internationally and has received a number of awards and scholarships. He has work held in collections in Australia and he has been commissioned for a number of large-scale projects including private and public art commissions nationally and internationally.

Chris has been provoking some lively engagement with each Year 7 class to construct sculptural mobiles. He has injected a flavour of energy and colour into the Art Centre studios through suspending the mobiles individually from the ceiling of the studios.

We look forward to an install of a selection of these mobiles alongside the Year 9 sculptures that Chris will produce with the assistance of our Year 9 students next week.  The install will be on display in the gallery space within the foyer of the Resource Centre next Tuesday.

A big thank you to Michelle and her team for giving the boys the opportunities that they do and importantly, in the case of Chris Fox, presenting them with a wonderful example of a young man from Joeys who has achieved a huge amount in Visual Art all around the world.

Photo 1: David Kidd (Connells Point) creating a masterpience.

Photo 2: Yilin Wang (West Ryde) putting together his mobile.

Photo 3: Billy Dodds (Gladesville) working next to Harry Gosper (Corlette) under the watchful eye of Chris Fox.

Posted in Art

Musicians Bring Down the House

Posted on by

Last Friday evening was the annual Year 7 and 8 Music Concert. Boys performing were selected by their class teachers and there was a great variety of boys chosen.

Although I wasn’t able to be at the concert myself, literally minutes after the conclusion, I ran into a parent who had attended. This mother was very quick to point out how much fun she had had at the concert. Since then I have also received a couple of emails from parents commending not only the performances but also the behaviour of the boys as an  audience. On Saturday I spoke to another parent who had arrived at concert thinking that his son was performing … oops … slip up in communication from the boy. Nevertheless, this particular father  said that it was a “lovely evening”, even if their son never did appear to play!

Aled Morris (Longueville) was one of our Year 7 performers and describes the concert below:

On the 12th of October, Joeys boys in Years 7 and 8 were asked if they would like to perform at this concert. About 30 boys said ‘yes’ and each of them got up and played their instrument. There was quite a large variety of instruments as some boys sung, while others played the clarinet, trumpet, drums, piano and the violin. Johnathon Walker (Roseville Chase) started the night off by singing “The Road to Gundagai”.

As we progressed through the evening some amazing talents were shown to the audience. When it came to Jonathon Garrick’s (Year 8) time to perform he stood up to play “21 Guns” on the drums some technical issues occurred but eventually he was able to perform and he was well worth waiting for. Finn Waugh (Balmain) was one of the last Year 7 boys to perform and definitely stole the show with “The A Team” by Ed Sheeran.

Overall, we all had a fun night and really enjoyed performing and we also enjoyed a nice supper on the Black & White tiles. The boys put their nerves to the test as many of them have not performed in front of a huge crowd before. It was a cracker of a night and hopefully the parents enjoyed it as much as we did.

Thanks to Alan Dawson and the music staff for preparing the boys so well for the evening. The confidence and talent that the boys display is a true testament to the wonderful work of those who work with them in the Music Centre.Did you miss out on attending the concert … no stress … there is still one concert to go this year. Whack it in your diary now – Friday 9th November – all boys in Year 7 will be performing so definitely one not to miss!

Photo 1: Johno Walker (Roseville Chase)opens the show with his vocal “Road to Gundegai”

Photo 2: James Der (Hunters Hill), Tom Small (Willoughby) and Ben Clark (Drummoyne) as part of the Zappa Percussion Ensemble playing “Christine Keeler”.

Photo 3: Milan Nitopi (Drummoyne) on the kit playing “Grenade” by Bruno Mars.

 

Year 7 Shine and Win the Cup

Posted on by

The winter Readers’ Cup was held last term and boys in Year 7 and 8 were invited to particpate. Forty five boys created teams and then competed against each other to see which team would be crowned victors.

Despite the age advantage of the Year 8 boys, it was in fact three Year 7 teams who made it through the heats and into the final. In “Team FAB” we had Finn Waugh (Gladesville), Aaron Murrant (Rozelle) and Ben Wilson (East Ryde). In “Team RED” we had Nicholas Rupolo (Concord), Luke Hkeik (Balmain East), and Jackson McNulty (Balmain East). While in “Team FMN” there was Noah Kelly (Allambie Heights), Tom McGregor (Manly Vale) and Fred Maher (Cherrybrook).

The boys had to read four novels and then compete in activities and trivia based on the novels. Therfore they needed to ensure that they had very good knowledge of each of the books.

Congratulations to “Team FMN” who were the winners of the winter cup. As noted by Mrs Linda Roden, one of our teacher librarians, “these boys did an exceptional job in reading and understanding the texts”. They now each walk away with a prize and their name forever enggraved onto the cup!

There is a summer cup as well and entries for this will be sort soon!

Photo 1: Bennet Rogers (Hunters Hill), James Der (Hunters Hill) and Codey Meads-Barlow (Chatswood) during the heats of the Readers Cup.

Photo 2: Our winter winners, Noah Kelly, Tom McGregor and Fred Maher.

And We’re Off … The Final Straight

Posted on by

After a holiday that, like most, seemed all too short, it was great to see everyone back here at school refreshed and ready for the final chapter of this Year 7 journey. The dorms on Monday night and Tuesday morning were quite electric as boys from all over Australia regathered together to catch up and chat about what they had been up to during the break. It is great to see the boys very happy to be in each other’s company

Although it’s now only 8 weeks until the end of year, this term will not be short of action as the boys focus themselves for their important exams at the end of the semester, as well as their many sport and musical pursuits! There is certainly no time to waste and I am sure the boys will make the most of the next few weeks in order for them to finish the year off very well!

Photo: Binban Jaffer-Williams … I think … (Hanging Rock), Kurt Lee (Wahroonga), James Der (Hunters Hill), Codey Meads-Barlow (Chatswood), Ethan Annesley (Tennyson Point), Ben Clements (Lane Cove), Jack Ridal (Mosman), Andrew Zhao (Bomaderry) and Noah Kelly (Allambie Heights).

Dog-Eared Blog Winner

Posted on by

A big congratulations to Nicholas Rupolo (Concord) who won the Term 3 draw after participating in the Dog-Eared Blog by writing a book review for a book that he enjoyed. Every boy has the opportunity to not only read others’ book reviews but also write their own be published on the blog.

Nicholas reviewed the book “Agent 21” by Chris Ryan. In his review, he wrote:

“When Zak Darke’s parents die in an unexplained mass murder, he is left alone in the world. That is until he is sought out by a mysterious man leading to Zak becoming Agent 21. What happened to the 20 agents before him he’ll never know? What he does know is that his life is about to change forever. Chris Ryan gives the reader an amazing suspenseful feeling. If you like being on the edge of your seat then you should read  Agent 21“

Nicholas’ prize was a a pair of “Skull Candy” headphones something that he will certainly be able to make good use of.

You can read other book reviews written by boys across all year groups by visiting the Dog-Eared Blog at http://blogs.joeys.org/blrclibrary/

Photo: Nicholas Rupolo (Concord) enjoys his new Skull Candy headphones.

History Repeating

Posted on by

Late last term, the History department joined forces with the Resources Centre to celebrate History Week – and they did it in fine fashion! The Staff in the Resources Centre decorated the library magnificently with historical items, people and events.

The boys in Year 7 were treated to a History Expo starring … well … themselves! In their classes they were asked to dress up as a well-known historical figure and then some boys were selected from their class to showcase their creativity in front of the whole form as well as a class of Year 8, 9 and 10 boys. The staff got into the spirit of things as well and there is no doubt that everyone not only learnt a lot but had a great time doing it!

Below is a short video which will give you some idea of what the boys got up to!

A huge thank you to all the staff involved who took the extra time to put this week together for the boys. Their enthusiasm towards History is certainly infectious to not only the students they work with but the other staff as well.

Photo: Harry Gosper (Corlette) interviews Billy Dodds (Gladesville) to find out who he is and from what time.

Memories of Colo

Posted on by

Our boys in Year 7 are incredibly lucky to be able to experience a week at “Colo”, the College’s outdoor education centre not far from Windsor. So far this year, six of the seven classes have attended “Colo” and group after group have returned boasting about how much fun they had.

It has been an opportunity for boys to push themselves beyond their comfort zone in many areas and in doing so develop greater confidence which they are able to take into so many facets of their lives.

The staff at “Colo” do  an incredible job of giving the boys a wide range of experiences which they not only enjoy but will find useful for years well beyond high school.

After each group goes to “Colo” the staff put together a bulletin which sums up the week and often involves boys writing some reflections on the days there. In the right-hand column of this blog you will see a link to each of the bulletins from this year. This is found below the “Introducing … ” profiles. They are very detailed and provide an excellent summary of the experience for the boys!

Check it out!

Photo:  Oscar Skinner (Roseville) in the BMX Skills Park at “Colo”

Sunday Combat

Posted on by

Each weekend, the boarders who are staying in at school for the weekend are taken out on a Sunday activity. Earlier in the year I reported on the boys and their rock-climbing. Activities vary depending on the time of year and how many boys are staying in on a particular weekend. They have been to the movies, the aquatic centre, Darling Harbour, bowling, putt-putt, NRL matches and the list goes on!

On Sunday, we took the opportunity to take the small number of boys to Laser Tag in Chatswood. The boys headed into the compound for two games being pitted against each other and in some cases, making the most of the opportunity to shoot a couple of the teachers. I am pretty confident that in the dim light of the compound I could see a very wide smile come across Hamish “Plague” Spackman’s (Bendick Murrell) face as he aimed his laser gun fair at my chest!

The boys certainly showed no mercy, particular towards the members of the public … several under the age of 10! Although the games are only 12 minutes long, by the end of the second game we had well and truly worked hard to achieve as many points as possible. Congratulations goes to Ben “Wrath” Clements (Lane Cove) who finished the final game with the most points.

After laser tag, the boys spent some time around the arcade games with Binban Jaffer-Williams (Hanging Rock) and Charlie Crawford (Gurley) working together to walk out of the Mandarin Centre with their own soft toy from “Angry Birds”.

Photo 1: Hamish “Plague” Spackman, Charlie “Switchblade” Crawford, Aidan “Gokk” Porter (Dubbo), Binban “Iceman” Jaffer-Williams, Rhys “Buster” Orman (Narrabri) and Ben “Wrath” Clements at the conclusion of their game.

Photo 2:  Binban Jaffer-Williams and Charlie Crawford share their winnings.

Artistic Talent on Display

Posted on by

On Friday evening, a huge number of parents and students joined together at the opening of the Student Art Exhibition. We were very fortunate to have Australian painter, sculptor and draughtsman Michael Snape as the special guest and he had been at the College during the week in order to judge the artworks on display.

I won’t pretend to have a great understanding of artwork, however, I am absolutely certain that choosing the best artworks must have been a real challenge. The work that the boys, across all year groups, have created is simply incredible. In speaking with a parent on the steps of the hall, he so accurately put it when he noted the maturity that is evident in the works of the boys.

On display was a huge variety of artwork, ranging from pencil sketches through to videos and including paintings, clay work, books and simply some incredible photography. Specifically, all the boys in Year 7 had an artwork on display and it was wonderful to see their talent in both paintings (some on canvas and some on paper) and clay work.

A huge congratulations goes to Nick Jessup (Lane Cove) who won the award for best artwork in Year 7. His clay work shows superb creatively, fantastic detail and plenty of colour. With some boys having more than one work on display, Nick takes this honour ahead of over 150 other entries. Well done!

Our boys are exceptionally lucky to have so many opportunities here at Joeys. The staff in our Visual Art department do a fantastic job in helping the boys find talent which many of them didn’t realise that they had. I am certain that anyone who had the privilege of attending the Student Art Exhibition would have walked out incredibly impressed with the talent on display. Congratulations to all the boys and a huge thank you to all of their teachers.

Photo 1:  Aaron Murrant (Rozelle) finding his artwork.

Photo 2:  Nick Jessup (Lane Cove) holding his award winning art work.

Photo 3:  Alexander Bland (Kingsford), Lachlan Markey (Coonamble), Eddy Fay (Castle Cove) and Damian Sevil (Narrabri) find their artworks all right next to each other.

Posted in Art

Getting Scientific

Posted on by

Last week was National Science Week and the College Science Department combined with the Resources Centre to provide a Science extravaganza! The Science theme was very obvious the moment one walked into the Resources Centre with decorations including space models, skeletons, thermometers and lots more!

There were certainly some smart tactics being used to get the boys into the spirit of things as a large sign read “Cooking is Chemistry”. What better way to bring in the crowds than to offer freshly cooked food! As you can see from the photo, the expert cooking skills of Mrs Roslyn Gibson and Ms Judy Gillespie clearly very popular.

It wasn’t just the food that had the boys interested and one of the activities was a competition for the boys to create a NASA Mission Patches. Many Year 7 boys took part in this competition that was judged by Ms Aitken and the Resources Centre staff. Congratulations to Ben Wilson (East Ryde) who won this competition. Ms Gillespie described Ben’s patch as “having an inventive design and use of colour as well as exhibiting the inspirational spirit of space exploration”. Special congratulations also goes to Milan Nitopi (Rydalmere) and Josh Misener (Hunters Hill) who came runners up.

Below is Ben’s winning badge and he has gone to the trouble of explaining the meaning behind his design.

Recently, the library held a competition at lunch in which competitors had to design a badge about a NASA space mission.  The mission was called Zephyr.  My shield design was meant to represent “Unity” because Zephyr was a united effort to explore the furthest depths of our solar system. 

My design was in the shape of a shield.  The shield itself was gold in order to stand out against the background of a white spacesuit.  It also showed the planet Pluto which was where the mission was headed.  The planet was decorated with vines curling around it, a NASA symbol and a rocket. 

The top of this shield had ornate gold antennae with a text box titled Zephyr.  Around this ornate text box were three tri-coloured tongues of flame (orange, blue and green).  On either side of these flames were two Olympics-styled torches to represent bravery in exploration.

Well done again to Ben and all those who took part – they certainly put a lot of thought and effort into the competition. Once again, a huge thanks to the staff from the Resources Centre and the Science Department for their enthusiasm which has clearly been infectious to the boys!

Photo 1:  Boys crowd around to make sure that they don’t miss any of the “chemistry in action”!

Photo 2:  Ben Wilson’s winning badge design.