HouseNews

Remembrance Day. And in 2020 we will mark the day with traditions as always, yet with a COVID twist in not having the whole school assembled but rather zooming our Service to all classrooms. I am very pleased that our Cadets have been able to support key events on the Northern Beaches; with a Catafalque Party attending the War Vets, who in turn are zooming their Service to all the residents. Similarly, we always support the Manly Dam Service and I am delighted that with the Council’s decision to have a Service there, we were asked by the Northern Beaches Council to be the sole School in attendance, providing both the Catafalque Guard and the small group of singers that will be allowed. This speaks so clearly to the role Pittwater House plays on the Beaches, our well-known Cadet Unit and our maintenance of this community service and sense of tradition, on key days for our nation. 

On this day, at the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month, when the guns on the Western Front fell silent after 4 years of war that left up to 13 million dead, a third of whom lie in unmarked graves, we stop and listen and reflect in the silence that this time allows, observing and dedicating the opportunity to those soldiers who died fighting to protect our nation. Known initially as Armistice Day to remember those who died in World War One in Australia and other Allied countries, the day became known, on the suggestion of the United Kingdom, as Remembrance Day, after World War Two, commemorating those who were killed in both World Wars. Now, of course, this day commemorates in our country, the loss of Australian lives from all wars and conflicts together with our Defence Force members presently serving on active operations in various parts of the world.

I am proud of so much that is undertaken at Pittwater House. Days such as this, make this even more so for me.

Eve and Lauren - House Captains Butterworth

Hi everyone!

We are Butterworth’s newly appointed House Captains - Lauren and Eve. Thank you to everyone who saw us worthy of these roles and who continue to support us every step of the way. We are beyond excited for everything that lies ahead in the coming year!

Despite these uncertain times, we have many goals we are hoping to achieve throughout the course of our leadership at Pittwater House. Our main goal this year is to improve House spirit for all Houses and to encourage participation in House events in order to help all students build positive friendships within their House. Lucky for us, Butterworth has some of the best culture and camaraderie the School has ever seen! So it’s only upwards from here. Firstly, we aim to better House spirit and rivalry through the current inter House events of swimming carnivals and athletics carnivals, should they go ahead. But we are also hoping to achieve this through our new approach to House Meetings. Since we are currently unable to come together as a House in person, we are hoping to complete these over Zoom, which will be a new and positive experience to help us all get to know the house. During these meetings, we plan to evoke spirit within Butterworth and rivalry between Morgan and Orrock while playing a variety of fun games and competitions that we hope you will enjoy! Unfortunately, the infamous Brofest and College Performing Arts have been postponed for the foreseeable future due to COVID-19 restrictions. Having been one of our favourite times of year, this news has been devastating to us. However, we hope to use this misfortune for good and turn it into an opportunity to flourish as a house so that Butterworth can return stronger than ever before at the return of these events.

Once again, we are honoured to have this opportunity to be a part of the 2021 leadership team. We promise to work very hard to uphold the integrity of Butterworth and Pittwater House alike and do you all proud. Go Butterworth!

Thomas and Mollie - House Captains Morgan

Our Vision

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, house tournaments and activities have lost their momentum and fallen away from the School's activities. Our goal is to rekindle the competitive spirit and bring the House tournaments back. It is important for us to return the Houses to their original state as it encourages the students to work together without the boundaries of year groups, and simply is a lot of fun for the students.

For the remainder of 2020

For the remainder of this year, both Mollie and I want to maintain the House spirit and encourage students to be active within the House. Due to the Covid-19 restrictions, House activities like House Meetings, Bro-fest and College Performing Arts have either been cancelled or postponed. However, with the discovery of online learning using Zoom or Microsoft teams, Mollie and I are starting to come up with some ideas that would utilise these tools. 

Moving into 2021

Looking forward, 2021 will hopefully be a better year with the Covid-19 restrictions easing, allowing us to engage in House activities again. As announced earlier this term, both Bro-fest and College Performing Arts will be in Term 1 of next year. With the support of the other House Captains, Mollie and I want to make this year's Bro-fest and College Performing Arts the best year. We also want to bring back the concept of the House Cup. For the few weeks it was running, House Cup improved House spirit and encouraged healthy House competition. Both Mollie and I will be working with the other House Captains to make sure House Cup starts up next year and runs smoothly throughout the year.

Importance of Teamwork

Mollie and I want to echo the importance of working with the other House Captains. As although the idea of House competition separates the three Houses, the House Captains play the role of planning and working together to make sure the various activities run smoothly and all the students have fun doing them.

We are looking forward to the next few weeks and the year to come.

Oscar and Shantani - House Captains Orrock

We are very thankful and excited to have been given the opportunity to be the Orrock House Captains for 2020/2021. Despite the hardships of this year with Covid-19 restrictions we hope to continue a positive and uplifting experience for all Orrock House students. We want to continue previous House Captains objectives to increase House spirit and unite as one and are hopeful for upcoming carnivals and House meetings to go ahead as planned and to be able to strengthen bonds between all Orrock students no matter what year of school they are completing. One of our major goals for 2021 is to increase participation through School events, not only in the carnivals but also throughout co-curricular activities in the School such as joining basketball teams or participating within performing arts troupes. Currently, we are working towards zoom house meetings with the aim of fostering relationships between Orrock students and bringing the House together as much as we can within the current restrictions. With College Performing Arts Festival and BroFest being postponed until next year, we are excited to see the talent and creativity within the year groups. We believe these events allow students to harness their skills of leadership, communication and teamwork and act as avenues to increase House spirit and further strengthen the bonds between year groups. Nevertheless, we believe active participation and frequent interactions with students will positively impact relationships within Orrock House, we are both very excited for the year ahead, honoured to receive this position and are ready for an uplifting and successful year. 

Junior School Cooking Competition

We are now offering a competition to promote the use of native ingredients in everyday cooking. To assist our young aspiring chefs from Years 3 to 6, our cookbook and website will be available for use, at https://sticktoyourrootstphs.wixsite.com/cmps . We hope that this will be an enjoyable and educational opportunity for all participating students and families. 

Instructions:

1. Either find or design your own recipe or find a recipe you want to recreate and enjoy from our recipes on our website  https://sticktoyourrootstphs.wixsite.com/cmps
2. With the help of a parent, follow the recipe and make the dish.
3. Take a photo of you and your family enjoying your dish and note how it tastes
4. Submit your most appealing photo and a short description of your dish’s taste to the following e-mail: nina.selvaggi@tphs.nsw.edu.au

Students have between the Weeks of 5 to 7 of Term 4 to submit the dish. 

Dishes will be judged from Weeks 7 and 8. The winners will be revealed shortly after. 

Good luck! 

'The Erasure Initiative' - Lili Wilkinson 

Review by Prudence (C8)

Rating: 5/5

“The Erasure Initiative", is a sci-fi psychological thriller, with captivating themes surrounding genres such as romance and science-fiction. You will not be able to put this down! An utterly captivating and thrilling ride of a novel, that will have you questioning your own morality. Lili Wilkinson provides you just enough information to sustain the mystery and keep you hooked in. It was a gripping yet thought-provoking right from the first to last page. The novel also raises questions about effectiveness of rehabilitation versus the consequences and the prejudices that we may hold to people that need help in this way; therefore affecting our perceived judgement of mental illness and criminals. Wilkinson successfully managed to explore each character and their inherent flaws in a way that made them feel so life-like, and as if you knew them each personally. You notice the physical attraction and chemistry develop over time between the characters, and as the book nears an end it will leave you gobsmacked and desperate. As a self-confessed major Lili Wilkinson reader, I highly recommend this thoroughly enjoyable novel, and can confidently say it is one of my favourites.

Books similar to “The Erasure Initiate”

• The Boundless Sublime
• After The Lights Go Out
• Green Valentine 

'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' – Stephen Chbosky

Review by Blake (G9)

Rating: 4/5

'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' follows the life of Charlie, a high-school student who is juggling schoolwork and relationships. This book captures the adversities young adolescents can face and the struggles that emerge when trying to overcome them. Charlie’s best friends, Sam and Patrick, support Charlie as he encounters these struggles and end up forming strong bonds. In the middle of the book, Charlie begins experimenting with drugs and this severely affects his relationships and mental state. The impact can be seen through panic attacks as he is continually feeling scared and sick. By the novel’s conclusion, Charlie uses these substances less frequently and instantly starts to feel better as his grades and relationships improve. The Perks of Being a Wallflower is an entertaining novel which includes the struggles of being in high school, such as substance abuse, peer pressure and managing relationships.

'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' - Stephen Chbosky

Review by Mr Hine

Rating 5/5

'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' provides insights into the challenges faced by high-school students. Charlie, the novel’s protagonist, can be regarded as a ‘wallflower’ as he is intelligent and shy – often observing social events from a distance rather than participating. During the novel he forms a close relationship with his English teacher who allows Charlie to call him Bill. Not only does Bill lend Charlie canonical texts which captivate and challenge him to improve at English, he also encourages Charlie to participate more in social events which has a profound impact on Charlie’s life. The most significant development from Bill’s mentoring is Charlie’s subsequent friendships with Sam and Patrick – both of whom become Charlie’s best friends. As the novel is written from Charlie’s perspective, we empathise with his plight as he goes through many adolescent experiences including a first romance and risk-taking behaviours as a result of peer pressure. I think this novel does an excellent job of capturing the highs and lows of being in high school.

'The Proposal' -  Jasmine Guillory, A Reese's Book Club pick

Review by Ms McIntosh

Rating 3/5

Nik is at a Los Angeles baseball game with her boyfriend of five months, when he proposes to her on the big screen. But it's all wrong, he can’t even spell her name correctly! When she turns him down, he becomes angry and leaves her in front of thousands of people. Handsome doctor, Carlos Ibarra and his sister Angela, swoop in to save the day, hustling Nik out of the stadium and into a bar where her best friends are waiting to debrief the incident.

This was a warm, engaging romance novel. We see Nik and Carlos become friends and see their relationship grow into something more. But will they allow themselves to love and be loved?

This novel took serious, important themes and seamlessly wove them into the storyline. It demonstrates women taking charge of their own life and the importance of having a great support network.

Uniform Shop - Online Bookings

During Term 4 we are trialling an online booking system for Uniform Shop appointments.

Bookings are Essential For NEW families starting at Pittwater House please allow a 45 minute time slot per child.

For CURRENT families please allow between 15 - 30 minute time slot per child.

To make a booking the link is available on the Uniform Page of the Pittwater House website here:  https://www.pittwaterhouse.com.au/join-us/uniforms

While COVID restrictions are in place, please note that only one family member in addition to the student(s) being fitted may attend.  Please wait until the previous appointment has concluded before entering the shop.  We ask that if you or your child/children are unwell, please reschedule your appointment.

If you have any queries please call Mrs Tess Spark on 9972 5721 during opening hours or email teresa.spark@tphs.nsw.edu.au.