Newsletter Academic Christian Caring
First Day on the Junior School Oval
ISSUE 3
TERM I 2015
Headmas Congratulations to Coligan House in the Junior School and Aranda House in the Senior School on their success at the Swimming Carnivals this week.
The Senior School Swimming Carnival was held on a perfect day with spirited competition between the four houses. The most successful students have been selected to represent the School at the NASSA Carnival to be held at Homebush Bay on Wednesday 4 March. The Junior School Carnival was held on a not so perfect day with rain and sunshine competing as vigorously for ascendancy in the atmosphere as the students were in the pool. Many records were broken and the Junior School team has been selected to compete at the NASSA Carnival on Tuesday 3 March. TIGS has a proud tradition of winning at the NASSA Carnivals and is seen as the team to beat. We wish our elite swimmers every success and hope that they achieve ‘personal bests’ at the Homebush carnivals. TIGS is a member of a number of associations that make it possible for our students to progress to national representation in their chosen sports. The representative opportunities for our students are as follows: •
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Chaplain’s Message TAKING GOD’S LEAD
School representation at NASSA (New Anglican Schools Sports Association) - selection occurs at TIGS: o
Swimming, Cross-country and Athletics Carnivals
o
Trials for specialist sports and teams
NASSA Representation at AICES (Association of Independent Co-Educational Schools) - selection occurs at:
We are going through the Old Testament Book of Joshua at our church at the moment. This week we were looking at Joshua Chapter 3, the episode where Israel under Joshua is making preparations to cross over the Jordon River into the Promised Land. Central to the narrative is the tabernacle – that construction which God commanded Israel to build to be a portable temple in which he would dwell by his Spirit. What struck me afresh about this passage was how the tabernacle was to lead the way into the Promised Land. The priests were to carry it ahead of the people and the people were to follow it. Here are Joshua’s instructions to the people about this:
“When you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the Levitical priests carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it. Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before.” (Joshua 3.3-4) The ark of the covenant was contained within the tabernacle. Sometimes, as here, the two are used synonymously. They represent God’s chosen abode (remembering, of course, that not even the highest heavens can contain God – see 1 Kings 8.27) God, in the tabernacle/ark, is to lead the way into the Promised Land. Israel will need to know the way for, as they are reminded by Joshua, they have never been that way before.
ster o
NASSA Carnivals
o
NASSA Gala Days
list of some of the questions that were asked at the meeting will be posted on the TIGS website together with the School’s response next week.
There are 8 AICES associations: NASSA, Combined Districts, Hunter Region, Hills Zone, Independent Sydney and Districts, Southern Anglican Schools, South Western Independent Schools, Western Associated Schools •
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AICES representation at CIS (Combined Independent Schools) – selection occurs at: o
AICES Carnivals
o
AICES Carnival days
NSW All Schools – Selection occurs through CIS and success at this level leads to selection for national carnivals and competitions from which national selection may take place in some sports.
Junior School students sometimes go through PSSA to higher levels of representation and sometimes AICES is bypassed with students going directly to CIS level. Whatever the pathway, TIGS students are able to experience the challenge and joy of competing at a level that matches their ability as well as having the opportunity to strive for higher honours. These are important experiences that contribute to succuss in the classroom.
One of the wonderful things about being a part of the TIGS community is the rich cultural diversity of our families. Our Indian community is holding a special event on Saturday, 7 March. The Taj Mahal was first held in 2013 and was a memorable event - a great celebration of Indian food and culture. The Taj Mahal in 2015 is planned to be bigger and better than ever and the proceeds from the evening are to be allocated to two important TIGS programmes: •
The Disability Trust/Sony Foundation Camp for Disabled Children - this is an important service activity for Year 11 students
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TIGS Foundation Scholarships – provided for students whose circumstances would otherwise not allow them to access a TIGS education.
We thank the organising committee for their hard work - Mrs Usha & Dr Cedric Fernandez, Dr Sharad & Dr Lata Tamhane, and Mr Craig Peden, Chairman TIGS Foundation. Details of this event are included in the pages of the Newsletter. Stephen Kinsella Headmaster
Thank you to the 150 people who attended the IB Diploma Programme (DP) Information Evening last Wednesday. This is the second such event that has been held and the School will continue to provide students and parents with information about the DP in the future. Students will not be asked to make a commitment to the DP or the HSC until course and subject selection takes place midway through their Year 10 year. A
It strikes me that this is true of our lives. Each day we confront the reality of “going where we have never been before”. We might not be aware of this. We might think that most of our days are fairly routine – boring in their regularity. But this is not exactly the case. Each day is significantly unlike the day before. Even if we are doing the exact same things (as most of us will do) all the variables have changed – people and the situations we find ourselves in are marginally different to what they were the day before. The landscape is altered, if but slightly. For this reason, we are right to look ahead to every new day and think we have never been this way before. What does this demand of us? Exactly the same as Israel as they journeyed
into the Promised Land: Keep our eyes on God and take his lead as we step out into the unknown. Jesus’ teaching is of particular relevance here. As the one in whom, in John’s pointed words, “tabernacled among us” (see John 1.14), his teaching gives us guidance and direction in life. He instructs us how to orient our lives so that we will not miss out on the good things God has in store for us. Jesus’ teaching navigates us through life’s unknowns. Let’s be sure to hear and heed this teaching each day for it is true of every day “we have never been this way before.”
Rev James Rogers Chaplain
Senior School IN THEIR OWN WORDS: STUDENT VOICE activities such as Community Problem Solving and Future Problem Solving as well as in the Honours Programme and in the Junior School PYP Exhibition. These are models and fore-runners to the Year 10 IB MYP Individual Project which students will undertake in 2016.
Monica Watt Head of Senior School Deputy Headmaster
O
ur IB curriculum aims to allow students’ interests to direct their learning within the context of subject disciplines. It also allows students to be actively involved in determining the ways in which their knowledge and skills can be assessed. This powerful student-centred paradigm for learning is termed ‘Student Voice’ and it can be heard – and seen – in action already in a number of high school subject areas and in Co-curricular
Two of our current Year 10 students, Himali Wijesinghe and Rebecca Adams, are pursuing a project and approached me with this request to involve parents and the wider community. Please assist them. It will only take a short time to fill out their questionnaire and would allow their ‘Student Voice’ to be more informed about the issue that is a great passion of theirs. I will keep you informed on the outcome of their research and the ways in which they will progress their project. It is a fascinating topic. “The Heart2Heart Community Problem Solving Team is a group of Year 10 students aiming to make a difference. Their task: to raise awareness about organ and blood donation.
Australia has a very low organ and blood donation rate. 1 in 3 Australians need blood in their lifetime, but only 1 in 30 donate. There are over 1800 people on organ transplant waiting lists, but only some 300 donate their organs each year. Something needs to be done.” “The Heart2Heart team is conducting a survey to determine if organ and blood donation education should be incorporated into the school curriculum. Their plan is to educate students about organ and blood donation while they are in school, so that when they join the wider community they will be informed about the issue and able to make an educated decision.” The girls would really appreciate it if as many parents as possible could fill out their online survey. It will only take a moment of your time, but will help them immensely. www.surveymonkey.com/s/LW8673G
Public Notice Academic • Christian • Caring
An International Baccalaureate World School
TIGS EXPO DAY
10.00am to 2.00pm SATURDAY 7 MARCH 2015 TIGS – AN IB WORLD SCHOOL Visit Expo Day and experience the difference that TIGS can make for your child To book a guided tour click here. Additional tours available on the day
Junior School The Australian Government recognises the importance of all young Australians being able to visit the national capital as part of their Civics and Citizenship education. To assist in meeting the cost of the excursion the Australian Government is contributing funding of $20.00 per student under the Parliament and Civics Education Rebate programme towards the costs. The rebate is paid directly to the school upon completion of the excursion.
Judi Nealy Head of Junior School
Our Oval is open!!! It was with great excitement that the children waited at the top of the stairs to play on the new all-weather surface for the first time this week. The seating under the trees was very popular and of course soccer was in full swing. Massimo Forte scored the very first goal on the new surface, well done Massimo! It was lovely to see Mr Donald sitting on one of the benches in the shade, just to observe the children’s enjoyment as they played on this great area. This week’s attitude is Confidence •
I believe in myself. . I take what I have learned in the past and use it now.
Year 6 Canberra Excursion Students from Year 6 have recently undertaken an educational tour of the national capital. Students had the opportunity to participate in a variety of educational programmes with a focus on Australia’s history, culture, heritage and democracy.
Student reflection… On the 12 February Year 6 went on an excursion to Canberra, this was fun, interesting, exciting and tiring. We left for Canberra at about 7.00am and travelled for 2 hours. We stopped at Goulburn Park for some food and a run around. Then we set off again and travelled the rest of the distance to Canberra. Our first stop in Canberra was Old Parliament House, it was an interactive tour where we saw old artifacts and learned a lot about the history of Australian voting. We also saw the old Senate, and the Prime Minister’s office that was used by three of Australia’s Prime Ministers. Afterwards we crossed the road to the Aboriginal Embassy, which has been the longest running protest camp (40 years). An Aboriginal man named Uncle Jed who has been a part of the Aboriginal embassy, was kind, and gave up some of his time to teach us their view of Government Systems in Australia. It was great fun to drive past all the embassies of nearly every country in the world! All the buildings were unique and different and looked exactly like their country’s culture. Then we checked in to the IBIS Eagle Hawke and had dinner! Later on, we hopped on the bus and drove to the
AIS to discover the different types of sports Australia competes in all over the world! We also got to try out simulation sport, where it looked like we were racing in the Olympics! We were exhausted! We all hopped into bed and fell asleep. Well, most of us that is!! It was an early start the next morning. We had to be out by 7:30am, to quickly have breakfast and pack up ready to depart for the New Parliament House! It was amazing. It looked very new and exciting, and we visited The House of Representatives and The Senate. We sat in the viewers’ chairs and looked down on where they debate and discuss laws. By Ruby D’Rozario
DIARY DATES: •
Thursday 26 February – Junior School Captains’ Induction Assembly
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Friday 27 February – Junior School Twilight Picnic
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Thursday 5 March – Junior School First Assembly
JUNIOR SCHOOL
Twilight Picnic FRIDAY 27 FEBRUARY 2015 5.00PM - 8.00PM JUNIOR SCHOOL OVAL
Junior School students and their families are invited to a fun filled night to be held on our Junior School Oval. Please pack a basket with everything you will need for a picnic. Our Senior School Leaders will be organising lots of games and races for parents and their children to enjoy together.
RSVP Online Click here By 9.00am Friday 27 February 2015 An email/SMS will be sent if the weather does not allow this event to take place Please be advised that this is an alcohol free event
The Illawarra Grammar School ‘Camp Gallipoli’ Competition Years 9, 10 and 11
Yrs 9, 10 and 11 students are invited to enter a competition to design a poster which highlights the historical significance of the upcoming 100th commemoration of the ANZAC landing at Gallipoli. The winners will be awarded the prize of attending the Camp Gallipoli event in Sydney on the night of the 24 April and morning of 25 April. This event will involve watching performances, sleeping out with a swag and waking up to partake in a commemorative service on ANZAC DAY. Posters will need to be handed to your history teacher OR uploaded to your history class OLLE page by MONDAY WEEK 8 for judging. The winners will be announced on Tuesday 17 March at the Senior School Assembly. See Mr Chamberlain OR your history teacher for more details. The Camp Gallipoli website is www.campgallipoli.com.au
GAMEON
for parents of children who love ‘gaming’ A free presentation by TIGS
Monday 25 May 2015 6.30pm to 8.00pm The Illawarra Grammar Centre with
Collett Smart
Sydney based psychologist and educator Collett Smart is a Sydney based psychologist, qualified teacher, speaker, freelance writer and mum of 3. She has spent the last 20 years working in private and public schools, with children, teens and their parents around Australia, the UK, and in Africa. Collett regularly appears in the media, covering topics related to parenting and raising teenagers. ‘GAMEON’ tackles issues such as: • How does gaming fit into this generation of parenting? • The benefits of gaming • An analysis of violent video games
For more information or to book online visit
www.tigs.nsw.edu.
• Online addictions – fact or fiction? • Guidelines for parents on creating gaming boundaries “As parents it is our responsibility to guide our children toward healthy life choices. It is often easier to make tough decisions with and for our children when we think about the type of adult they will become.” Collett An International Baccalaureate World School
Academic • Christian • Caring
Sport SENIOR SCHOOL The TIGS Netball Club We would like to invite any girls aged 18-17 years to join the TIGS Netball Club. The final registration details are as follows: When: Friday 20 February Time: 3.30pm - 5.00pm Where: MG3 (the classroom next to the IGC) Registration Fees: Netta (8-10 years) $190 and Junior (11-17 years) - $200 Uniform: $100 Training: Friday afternoons 3.30pm 5.00pm at TIGS Contact: Virginia Kelman virginia@kelman.com.au or Kylee Lane klane@tigs.nsw.edu.au
The TIGS Swimming Carnival We had a fantastic Swimming Carnival on Tuesday 17 February. The weather was perfect, the team spirit and sportsmanship was exceptional and a fantastic day was had by all. Aranda House were hard to beat and maintained a strong lead throughout the day, taking out our Carnival this year. The point score for the day was as follows: Aranda - 3006 Kogara - 2619 Coligan - 2095 Wolgal - 2039 The NASSA Senior Swimming Carnival will be held on Tuesday 3 March. Our Age Champions and team will be announced shortly, with the top two places from each age group progressing in Freestyle and only first place will progress in all other events.
NSW Country and City Schools Cricket Association Congratulations to Jonathan Fowles who has been selected in the NSW CCSCA Team to play in the NSW Secondary Schoolboys Cricket Championships, from Monday 9 March to Friday 13 March 2015 at Tamworth.
AICES Basketball Congratulations to the following students who were selected to compete for NASSA at the AICES Basketbal Championships: U/15 Girls - Chloe Lavalle and Renee Thompson U/15 Boys - Blake McDougall and Jacob Upton Open Girls - Chloe Kuiper Open Boys - Vincent Chauvet
AICES Tennis Well done to Mitchell Main who was selected in the NASSA Tennis Team to compete at AICES in the Open Boys Tennis Championships on Wednesday February 25. Mitchell is in Year 9, so this is an outstanding accomplishment to be selected as part of such an older team.
Up Coming Events: Week 5 • Year 8 Camp Monday 23 February - Friday 27 February •
CIS Open Girls Tennis Wednesday 25 February
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AICES Girls Basketball Thursday 26 February
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Individual All Schools Triathlon Thursday 26 February
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AICES Boys Basketball Friday 27 February
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Teams All Schools Triathlon Friday 27 February
Week 6 •
U/14 Males and Females Futsal Tuesday 3 March
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NASSA Senior Swimming Carnival Wednesday 4 March
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U/16 Boys Futsal
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Inter School Mountain Bike Riding Championships Friday 6 March to Sunday 8 March
Mrs Kylee Lane Head of Sport and Outdoor Education
Friday Night Hoops at the Snake Pit Beaton Park Wollongong Friday night basketball will commence in April at the Snake Pit Beaton Park. Students are encouraged to get their friends together to form TIGS teams. Nominations are due now. Please go to the Office or check OLLE for a nomination form.
Community TA J MAHAL DINNER WOLLONGONG We want to tell you about our continued initiative as a small committee of parents, who are joining with The Illawarra Grammar School in offering a Taj Mahal Dinner on Saturday 7 March 2015. We are inviting all adults who enjoy Indian food and culture to participate in a local community fundraiser. The chosen charities will be the Disability Trust Children’s Holiday Camp and TIGS Foundation Scholarship Appeal. The dinner will raise funds for the Disability Trust in the Illawarra enabling local disabled children to enjoy a children’s camp in October 2015 and October 2016. This camp not only provides a wonderful camp opportunity for the children, which would not otherwise happen, but also affords much needed respite for local families. The other half of the funds raised will provide a full scholarship for a local child/children whose circumstances would otherwise not allow them to access the opportunities afforded by an education at TIGS. Craig Peden, Usha and Cedric Fernandez, Sharad and Lata Tamhane
2016 Scholarships TIGS will be offering Scholarships to students entering Years 7 and 11 in 2016. For further information please refer to the School’s website. Closing Date is Wednesday 11 March 2015.
Extend @TIGS Extend@TIGS is fully operating from The Rees Hall this year onwards. We have a lot of exciting outdoor activities lined up since The Oval is open for play this week.
Week 5’s Activities:
Monday 23 February: Organised Sports - Hungry Hippos Soccer on The Oval Crazy Craft with Prep and Kinder - Clocks! Tuesday 24 February: Extend@Library (3.30pm - 4.15pm) Basketball on The Oval Wednesday 25 February: Handball/Soccer in Rees Hall Organised Prep & Kinder Sports Hungry Hippos Crazy Craft Year 1-Years 4 - Clocks! Thursday 26 February: Gardening Gloves Friday 27 February: Crazy Craft - Clocks! Movie (G) and Popcorn ONLINE BOOKINGS: extend.com.au CALL OUR OFFICE: 1300 366 437
UPCOMING
EVENTS
WEEK 5
Year 8 Camp
23 to 27 February
Junior School Captains’ Induction Assembly 9.00am Thursday 26 February in Rees Hall
Junior School Twilight Picnic
5.00pm Friday 27 February on Junior School Oval
WEEK 6
Professional Learning Day Pupil Free Day Monday 2 March
Junior School First Assembly Tuesday 5 March
Beyond Bundanon Exhibition 6 and 7 March in the IGC
TIGS Expo Day
10.00am to 2.00pm Saturday 7 March
WEEK 7
Scholarship Applications Close Wednesday 11 March
Year 7 Parents’ BBQ Friday 13 March