NEWSLETTER
Issue 3 Term II 2013 TIGS Great Fete
Academic • Christian • Caring
Archdeacon Begbie Who was Archdeacon H.G.S (Gordon) Begbie? This was the question I asked at the Senior School Assembly this week. The answer is important because without Archdeacon Begbie and the team of enthusiastic and dedicated parents who gathered around him TIGS would not exist. The 3rd of February, 1959 was the day TIGS commenced lessons with 28 boys and three staff, holding its first lessons at St Mark’s Anglican Church until new buildings were opened on the current site a year later. However, through the 1950s Archdeacon Begbie worked with great enthusiasm toward the establishment of an Anglican school in Wollongong. The School archives indicate he was well supported by parents and community members who shared his vision. Supporters such as Dr J Oddy, Mr M Morris, Mr P Farthing, Dr C McLaughlin, Mr V Darby, Mr D Thompson and Mrs L Rees are not as well known now but their role in the 1950s was crucial to the establishment of the School. We should marvel at their commitment and be thankful for their self-sacrifice and vision. Collectively, they mortgaged their homes as security for the School’s development, lent money to the School at zero interest, participated in working bees, raised donations of funds and goods to build the School, coached sports teams and transported students to school each day in their own cars.
Stephen Kinsella Headmaster
What united Archdeacon Begbie and his team of supporters was their shared vision for the School they named The Illawarra Grammar School. The Foundation Headmaster captured this vision when in 1960 he prayed: “It is my earnest prayer that as boys (it was a boys’ school then) enter the door of the School they may come to know personally the One who called Himself the Door. We are convinced that unless a boy is directed by Jesus Christ, his life will lack the highest and best direction it can have, for Jesus Christ is the Door to true wisdom, to wholesome living, to true manhood and to eternal life.” R Bosanquet We have benefited from this vision and commitment and many of our traditions and practices can be traced back to 1959, including: • • • •
Regular Chapel services Lessons in Christian Studies Service activities Discussing the relevance of the Christian faith in class
It is not surprising that these are still important today at TIGS given that the School continues to be owned by the Sydney Synod of the Anglican Church of Australia. Choosing to be a member of the TIGS community indicates a willingness to participate in these important traditions of our school. Knowing who we are and what we value are important characteristics of TIGS which sets it apart from other schools. I also spoke about the central role of mutual respect in the way matters of Christian faith are learned and discussed at TIGS: •
•
The School respects the right of students to develop their own understanding of the Christian faith and its relevance to them. There is an important distinction between teaching about the Christian faith (which the School does) and insisting on what students must believe (which the School does not do).
Archdeacon H.G.S (Gordon) Begbie
Students respect the right of the School to maintain its Christian traditions and practices. To do otherwise would be to betray the vision and sacrifices of those that established the School.
So the building ‘Begbie’ is more than a useful learning space located in the centre of the TIGS campus. It is a constant reminder of the vision and sacrifice made by Archdeacon Gordon Begbie and his team which established the School and from which we benefit today. Stephen Kinsella Headmaster
Students at an early Chapel Service in 1959
A Room with a View I love being a Christian. There are lots of reasons for that. One has to do with revealed truth. Christians believe that someone outside the universe (and therefore distinct from it) has spoken to us and told us how things truly are. Of course, I refer to the maker and creator of all things - the only one God who has created us as communicating beings and then communicated to us in the Bible. It is significant that God is outside the created universe. He alone is the uncreated one. As such he can speak into our world and give us an outsider’s perspective. God sees with the perspective of one who views the whole. He views the whole not only because he is outside the universe but because he created it – and that with a purpose. When you’re a part of a system it is hard to see the whole thing. The saying, “we can’t see the wood for the trees” was coined to communicate this predicament. Because we are a part of the system we cannot exhaustively comment upon the whole. We only have a partial view.
Rev James Rogers Chaplain
There is much that baffles us about living in this world. This is true whether we are Christian or not. The questions raised by our experience of suffering are key. For example, why would God allow such a catastrophe as we have observed in Oklahoma this week? There are no easy answers. To suggest there are is only to trivialize people’s misery and grief. The fact is issues are often so complex even when God has spoken to us about them.
I don’t want to make light of the complexity of truth at all. But I do delight in the fact that when we deal with difficult subjects, such as the level of suffering we experience in our world, we do so with a word and perspective from someone who is outside the universe, who made the universe, who knows the universe intimately, and who loves the universe. That is our God – the God who has revealed himself in the Bible – and I delight to be in a School that invites God’s perspective on life. Rev James Rogers Chaplain
Senior School
Last week I told you about our new Year 11 students and their observations on coming to a new school. Their insights were interesting, revealing that the School does reflect the Mission and Values which we espouse in our literature, particularly our commitment to ‘aspirational excellence.’ And this week I talked with the new Year 10 students. What had they observed and what do you think they commented on? It was people and the culture of the School which most impressed them. ‘All the teachers care,’ they said. Theirs was a more personal take on the same significant features that Year 11 had noted. ‘The teachers care about everyone in the class, not just the top students. They care and check that we do our work, if we understand and they want us all to improve and learn.’ The students did acknowledge that this came with a downside for some of them: having their homework checked and followed-up with their parents, having to actually work hard. But they did recognise, albeit reluctantly by some, that this was all good!
Monica Watt
Deputy Headmaster and Head of Senior School
They also had observed that they were expected to use teachers’ names – e.g. Mrs Watt, Ms Van Woerden and M. Wall instead of the generic ‘Miss’ and ‘Sir’ and that staff had made the effort to quickly learn the newcomer-students’ names too. They made special mention of some of their buddies who had been assigned to help them adjust and learn about their new school. Well done, buddies! They made mention of the fact that there was so much and such a varied range of Sporting activities available, and that Mrs. Sharpe was ‘awesome’ but also they noted that our Assemblies were not just a litany of sports reports. This was definitely a bonus for most of them!
They talked about the wonderful facilities and grounds, about the library and the way they were encouraged to be independent and mature and how that made them more responsible. In fact they talked about so many aspects of our school which we, who have been here for some time, often take for granted. It was refreshing and affirming to listen to their insights. Welcome to all the new students and their parents who have come to TIGS this year. We hope you have settled in well and it is now YOUR School, too. Monica Watt Deputy Headmaster and Head of Senior School
Junior School Uniforms The children need to have a good quality, yellow raincoat in their bags each school day. They get wet, cold and uncomfortable very quickly without them and this is easily avoided by the use of raincoats. Car line is particularly uncomfortable for those children without wet weather gear. Can I request that this weekend, all of our families take a look at the wet weather gear for their children and replace or purchase if required so that the children can stay dry and warm. Excellent raincoats can be purchased from the uniform shop. The weather has now cooled sufficiently for the children in Years 3-6 to wear their blazers to and from school every day.
Car Line
Judi Nealy
I would like to thank our community for their ongoing commitment to ensuring our car line is safe and efficient. You will have noticed some streamlining of the process, most obviously in our request to parents to do another lap if their child is not ready to be loaded. It is a great commendation of our community that this instruction is generally followed with courtesy and grace. Thank you!
Head of Junior School Dates for your diary: Wednesday 5 June – UNSW Science Competition (Years 3-6) Friday 7 June – Pupil Free Day Wednesday 19 to Saturday 22 June – TIGS Production Performances of ‘CATS’
Junior School Awards Weekly Awards KD KP 1C 1M 1T 2M 3R 3WJ 4S 4R 4S 5Y
Matilda Hughes, Isabelle Bush Campbell Boardman, Charlotte I’Ons Xavier Druett James Brewer, Glory Obinwanor Ella Fennell, Mayank Aurangabadkar Molly Buikstra, Marley Stephenson, Alissa Tonkin Temira Cowie, Bowen Kimberley-Mastalir, Sophie McGuire Zachary Birch, Nicholas Chiaverini, Massimo Forte, Mathilda Hoy, Ryan Jinks Sarah Hutchinson Elliott Winn Tamara Matar, Soraya McCann Winnie Cheng, Shay Harper, Joseph Rossi, Selma Celik, Aaron Avenido
Merit Certificates Lola Bond – Academic Rory Hanrahan – Academic Sarah Jansen – Academic Nicole Russo – Academic Aaron Ylias – Academic Bowen Kimberley-Mastalir – Academic Isabella Atkinson – Academic Michael Marzano – Academic Molly Buikstra – Academic Zachary Birch – Academic Jade Hyde – Academic Sophie McGuire – Academic Annie McLearie – Academic Xavier Druett – Academic Connor Harvey – Academic
DID YOU
KNOW
?
Did you know you can access the TIGS Parent Portal from your home at any time? The Parent Portal allows you access to your child’s information such as daily notices, past reports, awards and discipline summary, assessment tasks pending (Years 7 – 12 only) and assessment results (Years 7 – 12 only) The TIGS Parent Portal can be accessed here If you experience password difficulties please contact Mrs Regina Buckley on 4220 0200
TIGS P&F TIGS P&F Facebook Page The TIGS P&F now has a facebook page. You can read about the latest happenings for parents and students by clicking the “Like” icon. It is also a useful way to contact the P&F if you have any questions. https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Illawarra-Grammar-School-PF/125427547642086?ref=hl
TIGS
Prayer Breakfast Parents, staff and friends are invited to gather to pray for our School community
Tuesday 4 June 2013 7.30am - 8.20am TIGS Library
Breakfast and supervision is available for children RSVP: 28 May 2013 Please phone 4220 0200
proudly presents
12.00noon Wednesday June 19 7.30pm Thursday June 20 7.30pm Friday June 21 2.00pm Saturday June 22 7.30pm Saturday June 22
$15 Concession
$25 Adult
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s sensational hit musical
Tickets available for purchase online visit TIGS
www.tigs.nsw.edu.au
Extend @ TIGS Winter School Holiday Program bookings NOW OPEN! Monday 15 July to Friday 19 July We have heaps of jam-packed activities and incursions ranging from Winter-themed activities, plenty of games and sports, and a Christmas in July Party! Visit the Extend website at extend.com.au for program timetables, booking forms, and activity descriptions. Bookings close Friday 28 June – book now to avoid disappointment.
ONLINE BOOKINGS: extend.com.au CALL OUR OFFICE: 1300 366 437
TIGS Biggest Morning Tea WOW! Double the people and a huge $7117 raised, so yes definitely TIGS Biggest Morning Tea yet! With 160 people attending from within our extended community everybody enjoyed a lovely morning catching up with friends over delicious food while supporting a fantastic cause. Almost 100 prizes donated from 58 sponsors, displaying such amazing support from the community. THANK YOU to everyone that attended, donated and was able to support in any way. Amazing effort and definitely one to be proud of. Mrs Mary Shalala TIGS Parent
Japanese Charity Obento Day The Language Department is happy to announce that there will be a Japanese Charity Obento day. This is to raise money for Barnardos. •
Tuesday 11 June for the Senior School students (last day to order is Friday 31 May)
•
Tuesday 11 June for Years 5 and 6 students (last day to order is Friday 31 May)
There will be two types of lunches available, meat or vegetarian. Senior School students who wish to order one, need to bring money when you order at your mentor time.The cost of Obento is $12. For Junior school students, if you would like to order one please put $12 in an envelope with your name, your choice of obento (meat or vegetarian) and your mentor group. There is a box to put your order in at Student Receptions at Junior School. Thank you for supporting our event!
Career Information Apprenticeships and Traineeships Information Sessions Information on what employers want, where do to find a job, how to give yourself the best chance and strategies and resources can be accessed at the following two information sessions. Tuesday 18 June 2013 6.00pm – 7.30pm Wollongong Master Builders Club
Wednesday 19 June 2013 6.00pm – 7.30pm The Shellharbour Club
Please click here to see the full flyer.
University of Sydney Year 10 Information Evenings These evenings are designed to help Year 10 students and their parents choose subjects for the HSC and navigate through the process of applying to uni. Topics include: • ATAR, scaling and assumed knowledge • subject selections • career pathways • University transition Date: 17 or 20 June 2013 Time:
6.00pm for 6.30pm start
Venue: Eastern Avenue Auditorium, Camperdown Campus (K5/6 on map) RSVP: Register for the event here
UNSW Year 10 Subject Selection and Information Evening Date:
29 May 2013
Time: Registration Opens 6.00pm Venue: Leighton Hall, Scientia Building, UNSW Kensington Campus Cost:
FREE
Contact: Chez Orchard : email: c.orchard@unsw.edu.au phone: (02) 9385 2413 Event Description: UNSW offers popular Year 10 Subject Selection and Information Evenings designed specifically for current Year 10 students and their parents. RSVP:
Register for the event here
Senior School Sports Bill Turner Cup – Boys The Boys Bill tuner Cup team played their second game on Monday against Kiama at Macedonia Park. Initially it looked like it might be a close game and it was well into the first half before we were up 2-0. After that the floodgates opened up and by half time we had an unassailable 7-0 lead. As a result the backline went to the front and vice versa. The final score was 8-3. Congratulations to all of the team on a great effort with excellent ball control and passing shown throughout the game. Goals went to the following players: Zac McLaren 3, Harrison Taranto 1, Evan Jenkins 1, Nicholas Grozdanov 1, Matthew Galanti 1 and Louis Parsons- O’Malley 1. Bill Turner Cup – Girls On Monday 20 May, the U/15 Girls Football team travelled to Bulli High School for the second round of the Bill Turner Trophy Football Competition. Having placed second in the region last year, Bulli were hot favourites to win the game and it looked like things were going to script early on after Bulli scored two goals within the first 10 minutes to take a 2-0 lead. Having not played together before, the TIGS girls took a while to gel as a team, but once they did, they started to dominate the play. TIGS were able to score four unanswered goals in quick succession to go to the half time break with a 4-2 lead. TIGS played much more defensively in the second half and were able to hold Bulli to 4-2 for most of the game until they scored a late goal to finish the game at 4-3. A great team effort by the TIGS girls saw them deserved winners and they now look forward to the third round match in a couple of weeks. AICES Football Trials This week seven students represented NASSA at Valentine Park, Glenwood for the AICES Football Team selections. Both the boys and girls NASSA teams were undefeated in all matches and declared the winning association of the day. Congratulations to Kieran Devitt (Year 12) and Zoe Correa (Year 9)for their selection in the AICES Football team to play in the CIS championships next week.
TIGS Great Fete
Night ia iv r T tains2013 p a C l o o h c • S Friday 24 MAY 6.30pm
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ing n e v E n io rmat o f n I 4 9 201 3 une 201 • Year J 3 y a Mond 5.30pm
cert n o C s g in tr • P-1W2edSnesday 5 June 2013 6.30pm
e Day e r F il p g Day u in n • P r a e L sional s e f o r P • e 2013 Jun Friday 7
day li o H c li b u • P 10 June 2013
views r e t n I cher a e T t n e 0 Par 1 r a e Y • sday 12 June 2013
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