Other Clubs and Activities

The Anime Club meets every week in the Banjo Paterson Library. The club looks at not only Anime but many forms of this popular area of Japanese society including Manga, modelling Gundam and Cosplay.

Typical club meetings include viewing of an ongoing anime series, discussion about new shows or manga that are being released as well as looking at upcoming events for the especially dedicated. The club also analyses style, storylines and characters used in many anime and manga productions and how this has changed over the last twenty years.

This year the club is currently looking at which new series we will view each term. We are also planning some meeting times for viewing movies or a day where boys bring in different manga to read and share amongst each other.

If you are interested in joining the club please see Mr Aitken in the library or just come to a meeting in the library classroom when we meet at lunch each Wednesday.

The Audio Visual Department provides audio, lighting, video and other technical services that are frequently required within the School. Audio Visual Crew members are trained in the use of various pieces of equipment and are subsequently encouraged to use that knowledge to assist in the staging of the dramatic and musical events that may occur throughout the year.

Boys wishing to join, should be aware that although service in this extra-curricular activity is voluntary, membership is viewed as a long term commitment. Periods of activity can sometimes be condensed into increments of time rather than a regular weekly commitment. Crew members may also be asked to record School events from time to time.

The Sydney Business Society is an interschool, society/club run by young individuals who are passionate about business and teaching other students all the intricacies of business in the world. We are dedicated to providing enthusiastic and entrepreneurial minds with previously unattainable experiences, such as guest speaker events, stock-pitch competitions and work experience with leading Australian companies. We are passionate about entrepreneurship and finance, our mission being to foster these interests and to provide opportunities in all things business.

Image: Guest Speaker: Robyn Denholm, Chair, Tesla.

The Economics Department runs a weekly forum for those who are interested in all matters relating to the subject, both on and beyond the HSC syllabus. Formats include dissecting an article from the print media or watching a vodcast or listening to a guest speaker.

The idea is that the boys drive the discussions by focussing on issues that they are interested in or want to know more about. We meet every Wednesday morning from 8am in HB2. All are welcome, particularly Form VI Economists!

Details will be given out through Tutorial Notices.

Every year the Form VI Prefects nominate a charity and organise fund-raising activities. In the past, charities chosen have included widely-known international groups, such as Medicins Sans Frontieres, organisations working at home and abroad, such as Fred Hollows, and more local causes, such as Triple Care Farm (run by the Sir David Martin Foundation for Australian teenagers experiencing difficulties). Considerable funds are raised each year, through such events as Mufti Days, Barbecues, Prefects vs Staff Sports, and Computer Games. The charity chosen each year will often reflect a particular area of concern or relevant issue to the Form VI year group concerned.

Christians have been meeting together at Grammar since 1930. Each week a group of boys and staff encourage each other in their faith in Jesus by reading a passage from the Bible, having lively discussions, and praying. This is a safe space for those who have a faith, and those who don't, to explore the big questions about life from a Christian worldview. All are welcome. If boys have any questions, please see Dr Tong.

Sydney Grammar School has been conducting a Community Awareness Programme since 1999. We are proud of the links that the School has established with several local institutions. These institutions include Matthew Talbot Hostel, St. Canice's, Jesuit Refugee Service, Oasis, Wayside Chapel and William Booth Hostel.

The programme operates through the House Tutorial system.

The School also conducts a voluntary program at Matthew Talbot Hostel. Volunteers commit to a minimum of a term's work in order to develop a familiarity with the Hostel's clients. The focus is on understanding and appreciating the difficulties faced by the homeless, and the fostering of community spirit. Contacts are also provided for boys wishing to do further community service outside of school hours. Voluntary opportunities also exist for the Vincentian Village, Darlinghurst and the Holdsworth Centre, Woollahra. Boys must be 16 or over to volunteer.

The Doctor Who Club is a group of more than thirty boys devoted to watching and discussing all aspects of history’s greatest television programme. The Club meets at lunchtime once a week to catch up on the latest news and to watch an episode of the show. There is also a thriving online forum which hosts discussions of every aspect of the programme — plot, casting, direction, production, music and merchandise. See Mr Bottomley at Masters’ Reception if you are interested in joining.

Drama Club is a great opportunity for boys to experience the world of drama and theatre. Boys involved learn to be a part of an ensemble, build performance skills and work towards a production. Previous productions have been Peter Pan, Where in the World is Frank Sparrow and Animal Farm.

Drama Club is open to all boys in Form I and II, no experience is necessary and all boys are welcome. Numbers are capped, and applications to join will be open at the start of Term II.

Impro Club members practise spontaneous improvisation in the form of Theatresports with the Drama master during lunchtimes. Boys work together to create narratives and stories spontaneously by making and accepting offers, learning to yield and extend ideas. These collaborative skills are transferable to all other aspects of life. Boys have opportunities to compete against each and other schools in Theatresports Schools Challenge in Term II and IV.

Impro Club runs as follows:

Senior Impro Club (Form III – VI) is on Wednesdays in P1 for Term I and II;

Junior Impro Club (Form I and II) is on Thursdays in P1 for Term III and IV.

The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award – Australia (Duke of Ed/ the Award) is open to young people between the ages of 14 and 25. It is aimed at personal challenge, service and responsibility, developed through a range of activities in four mandatory areas: service, skills, physical recreation and adventurous journeys. There are three levels: Bronze (for those 14 years and older), Silver (for those 15 years and older) and Gold (for those 16 years and older). In New South Wales the Award is overseen by an office connected to the NSW Office of Sport.

At Grammar, the Award is co-ordinated by Ms RM Fin and Mr WJ Cree. They provide information to boys and issue the required permission forms and sheets for recording of activities. They will ensure that only activities approved by the School will be allowed to count as Duke of Ed activities. All activities must be taken out of class time.

Boys are responsible for keeping accurate records and for updating their files electronically on the International Online Record Book system.

Duke of Edinburgh enquiries contact

Activity Sign on Sheets

The Environment Club is a group dedicated to improving the sustainability of the School through initiatives such as recycling program. The club hosts guests speakers, presentations by members of staff and educational round table discussions. The club is open to all forms and we meet every A Day lunchtime to discuss solutions and ideas with regards to sustainability.
If you are interested, please contact Ms Emma Knight.

French club meets at lunchtime on Wednesday to read texts beyond the curriculum and to discuss them in French. Recent books have included Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Le Petit prince (1943) and Jean de La Bruyère, Les Caractères (1688). This year we are (topically) reading Albert Camus’ La Peste (1947). This group is particularly suited to advanced students of French who may already have been on exchange or are intending to go. But all boys are welcome and those who don’t feel confident to take a turn in reading and translating may sit and listen.

Contact Dr Allen or simply drop in to the class.

Image: Louis le Vau, Institut de France (1662-88), Paris, Watercolour by Victor Jean Nicolle, c. 1810

At Grammar Boardgamers, boy and Masters meet in the library after school to challenge each other across a variety of styles of board and card games, all of which encourage strategic thinking, co-operation or healthy competition.

Games range from empire building in the ancient world of Seven Wonders, sleuthing and deduction as you and your faction try to stage a Coup, to outright destruction as your monster attempts to become King of New York. We provide a supportive, nurturing environment in which boys can enjoy interacting with their peers, and masters, learning important social and intellectual skills whilst having great fun in the process. Come try it out!

Please see Mr Fuller in the mathematics department or Mr Aitken in the library.

Grammatica is a student-run newsletter that delves into topics of science and technology, politics, current affairs, and daily school life. The publication process is completely handled by the members, from writing articles to handing out issues in the playground.

Club Grammatica meets every A day in P32 and new members are welcome to join any time.

The Informatics Club is open to all boys and meets during lunch once per week in the Computer Room. Meetings are conducted by older boys who happily pass on their knowledge and enthusiasm in various programming languages.

Currently the Club is programming in Python and C++..

Boys work in a collaborative manner. Membership is voluntary and new members are always welcome either to learn or to teach members new skills. Boys interested in joining the Club should contact Mr Powell.

Boys who volunteer as librarians spend two sessions per week performing a variety of activities. As they progress through the School they also progress through the Library with new tasks and responsibilities. During their first years they are involved with shelving, shelf checking and processing. In Third and Fourth Form they help at the circulation desk and take on supervisory roles in this area. Senior librarians help to train and support newcomers, and supervise shelving and shelf checking.

Maths Society is a before school club for Second to Fourth Form boys, interested in exploring some of the fascinating branches of Mathematics beyond the school curriculum. Any boy with a fascination with numbers, an interest in puzzles, a passion for the history of great thinkers and a natural curiosity for the underlying unity of Mathematics is welcome to come and join our ranks.

In recent months boys have investigated the mind-bending properties of hexaflexagons, the beautiful symmetry of the Oloid and the nature of Logic and Proof. Boys are regularly presented with problems taken from mathematics competitions around the world and are encouraged to explain and discuss their solutions with the group. They are also directed towards other quality resources to pursue their interests whether they lie in topology, number theory or analysis. For further information contact Mr Fuller in the Mathematics Department.

Here the tools and resources needed for boys to create their own music are explored. There are two streams at College Street tailored for different levels of experience. Activities range from discovering new repertoire and theories to writing music for the Sydney Symphony Sinfonietta Composition Project. While the focus is the Western classical tradition, budding composers working in other genres also get a great deal out of it. See Dr Vines in the Music Department if you would like more information.

Persian club meets on Thursday at lunchtime and offers an introduction to reading, writing and speaking the Persian language (Farsi in Persian). Persian is a beautiful language with an exceptionally rich literature, including some of the most widely-read poets in the contemporary world (especially Omar Khayyam and Rumi). As an Indo-European tongue, it also complements the study of the related languages of Sanskrit, Greek, Latin and German, all of which are taught at College Street.

Contact Dr Allen or simply drop in to the class.

Image: Reza Abbasi, Youth reading, 1625-26 (detail)

Politics club meets on Mondays at lunchtime for animated but courteous debates about a wide range of political and social issues. Boys are welcome to suggest topics or to raise them on the day; no subjects are prohibited and freedom of expression is upheld as a fundamental principle, although boys have to be prepared for their views to be subjected to examination and criticism. This club was restarted a few years ago at the instigation of a group of boys with very different ideas on social, political and economic matters, and has recently been popular with debaters interested in developing their knowledge of current political questions.

Contact Dr Allen or simply turn up to one of the sessions.

Image: J.H. Foley, Statue of Edmund Burke (1868) at Trinity College, Dublin

The Science Club is for boys in Forms II and III who enjoy the subject and want to explore their interest further. They generally like working in a laboratory, solving problems and designing and carrying out experiments. The various projects explored cover all sciences including Chemistry, Biology, Physics and Earth Science. All sessions involve practical work and some examples of projects being explored this year are:

Making polymers; growing crystals; leaf chromatography; prawn dissection; building a bionic hand; sinky squidy - a cartesian diver; building a motor with household materials; gyotaku fish printing; growing slime mold; building batteries out of fruit; restoration of shipwreck artefacts and civil engineering with newspaper towers.

The Science Club meets twice a week after school in laboratory S4 at 3:10pm until 4:30pm on Tuesday for Form II and Friday for Form III.

For more information contact Mr Seawright.

Yoga is a practice with both physical and mental dimensions, connected by the practice of conscious breath control. It develops a strong and flexible body in a way which – unlike most other physical training – is sustainable throughout life; equally importantly it helps to foster the mental stability and peace of mind to deal with the stresses and anxieties of school and of the world at large.

Yoga classes are held early in the morning (7:15am to 8:15am) and also at lunchtime (1:00pm to 1:35pm) on Friday.

Contact Dr Allen or simply come to either of the classes; all equipment is provided and all are welcome.

Image: B.K.S. Iyengar teaching Trikonasana to Yehudi Menuhin in 1954.