Issue 3 Term III, 2011

NEWSLETTER Year 3 Excursion to the Science Centre

Cancer Council Daffodil Ball 2011

Headmaster’s Message Gifts and Talents Senior School Head of Junior School Issue 3 Term III, 2011

Academic • Christian • Caring

Gifts and Talents The HICES Years 5 – 8 Music Festival held last Wednesday night was a fabulous event. Some parents will know exactly what I am referring to while others will have no idea.

TIGS is associated with a number of other independent schools for the benefit of our students. The Heads of Independent CoEducational Schools (HICES) is one of these associations. There are 45 NSW schools that are members of HICES and they come together to participate in activities ranging from music and debating through to special programs such as gatherings of gifted and talented students.

HICES Music Festivals first began in 1988 and more recently they have been held each year. This year the Festival was open to students from Years 5 through to 8 while next year’s Festival will be open to students from Years 7 through to 11. The Festival encompasses a four day camp where the students rehearse with other students of similar interest and ability under the direction of specialist teachers. Specialist musicians combine with music teachers from the participating schools to refine and improve their performance, skills and proficiency with their instrument. The growth in the expertise and confidence of these budding musicians over the event is spectacular.

Stephen Kinsella Headmaster

A guest specialist this year was conductor and composer, Mr George Ellis. His biography is impressive and includes regularly conducting the Sydney Symphony Orchestra - he was the conductor of the SSO at the opening of the Sydney Olympic Games.

The Festival ends with a concert at which family and friends are able to attend and celebrate the wonderful talent of the students. This year the final concert was held at The Hills Centre, Castle Hill while last year the concert was held at the Sydney Town Hall. It is a great experience for young musicians to perform at such an inspirational venue under the leadership of such a renowned conductor.

17 students from TIGS attended this year and performed in the various ensembles: Concert Band, Symphonic Winds, String Ensemble, Boys Choir and Girls Choir. The final performance involved all the students either singing or playing in the orchestra. They performed two Traditional African pieces: Tuwe Tuwe and Jambo Kwa Afrika.

It was a wonderful concert and I am very proud of the students and the way they participated and performed. Congratulations also go to the teachers, tutors and parents who have helped along the way.

There are many opportunities for students at TIGS to participate in events such as the HICES Music Festival that develop their interests and abilities. There are also many opportunities to try something new. This philosophy is captured in our Statement of Mission and Values which says: “Student learning is organised so that each child is given the opportunity to identify and develop their gifts and talents to the fullest extent.”

Congratulations to our HICES musicians for seizing the opportunity.

Stephen Kinsella Headmaster

“Rest” This week’s article comes from Rev Ian Barnett, Senior Minister at Figtree Anglican Church.

How often do you feel like resting?

I think the issue or balance between school/study or work and rest is a major one and I am far from getting it right. In fact, word on the street is that we all struggle in this area and technology has hardly helped.

My daily reading on Thursday was Hebrews 4, which encourages us to think more about rest, especially the thought of entering into God’s rest. The author wanted to impress the importance of paying attention to what God had done (2:1-3). Some were casual in their approach to salvation as well as the consequence of rejecting this great salvation. The author picks this up at the beginning of Chapter 4, “Therefore since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it”.

It is the idea of rest that grabs my attention. What is the right balance between school/study or work and rest? This is an area I still struggle in. Let’s think for a moment on ‘rest’. The Bible is very clear that when God made us, the pattern was to work 6 days and then rest on the 7th (Ex 20:8). Of course this is the very pattern God himself established in Gen 2.

Right throughout the Bible you have this overwhelming sense that to ‘rest’ means to disconnect from all that is going on; to pray, fast and meditate. In fact you could argue that to be the best we can be, we need to rest; to stop. The challenge we face, is that today’s fast paced living hides any hope of hearing any invitation to rest. In fact as I write this I have my iphone and ipad plugged in to ensure I get the best out of them. That’s right, to get the best out of technology, they have to be ‘connected’. For God to get the best out of me I have to be disconnected. What to do?

Jesus himself observed a human weariness when he said, “come to me...and I will give you rest” (Matt 11:28). So what is rest?

A right relationship with God. So is it Sunday? What are your plans for this day and for the week ahead? Let’s all add some rest to our school/study or work life and maybe then, joy for many may be restored.

Ian Barnett Senior Minister, Figtree Anglican Church ian.barnett@figtreeanglican.org.au

Senior School Deputy Head and Head of Senior School Mrs Monica Watt is currently on long service leave and will return Week 1 Term IV.

‘New Words Lead to New Worlds’ New eyes bring a fresh perspective and a fresh perspective brings new opportunities. As a relative newcomer to TIGS, I have a prime viewing platform. What I see is that TIGS is a school of opportunity. It is clear that TIGS values engagement from all members of its community. I immediately found that it is very difficult for anyone to stand still for too long in the TIGS environment, as you are easily swept up into the whirlwind of energy created by the students, teachers and parents alike.

The language department is no different. Upon my arrival last year, I was met by a team of language professionals eager to continue to strengthen a student focussed language program which extends from Kindergarten to Year 12 and aims to be relevant, challenging and open to change.

As our language department motto implies, language learning creates opportunities and our students have been keen to seize these. Take for example our student reaction to the devastating events we have seen in Japan and New Zealand.

Rather than being overwhelmed and paralysed into inaction, our senior language students have chosen to respond by creating a series of events to raise money for Operation Hope, a fund-raising initiative aimed at assisting in some small way to the financial burden that rebuilding will demand in both Japan and New Zealand. From origami folding in the Junior School, to cherry blossom art work, to Obento charity runs in the Senior School, the idea is to make people aware that we can help. The intermittent visits from French and Japanese exchange students have also provided students with the opportunity to reflect on what it means to be a young person in places like France and Japan, through cross cultural conversation often resulting in the conclusion that young people everywhere have the same concerns and pressures. These visits have led to reciprocal visits for some of our own TIGS students.

The PYP learning approach in the Junior School places a focus on language learning and welcomes opportunities for students to learn more than one language where practicable. The language team of the School is busy planning an exciting program of events for the Big Day In, which will have an Asian focus this year. With the assistance of senior language students, our Junior School students and families will be served a banquet of activities to savour throughout the day. It is our hope that students will gain a greater intercultural understanding of the similarities and differences that can unite diverse cultures and strengthen cultural identity in an in increasingly globalised world.

The view is quite promising from where I stand. I can see new worlds opening for our students and our department, thanks to our passion for learning new words!

Ms Doriana Previati Head of Faculty, LOTE

Junior School

Our Attitudes to discuss this week are: Appreciation - Appreciating the wonder and beauty of the world and its people.

Respect - Respecting ourselves, others and the world around us.

I have spent time this week discussing respect and reminding the children of the “Choose Respect” initiative that was implemented at the beginning of the year. We have discussed the need for members of a community to choose to act in respectful and courteous ways without an adult “enforcing” this type of behaviour. This type of selfcontrol is a crucial part of developing into a young person with integrity and I encourage our students to keep looking for opportunities to “do the right thing and choose respect” Car Line I would like to commend our school families for their assistance over the last two weeks in improving the car line. There has been a marked improvement in the queuing, with not one incident of us being outside the gate and onto the highway (I must admit that I feel slightly amazed at this!)

There are still two areas that remain problematic and I must ask for your assistance

Judi Nealy

Head of Junior School

1.

Children must be accompanied to the car by a teacher. Please do not get out of your car and collect the children and most importantly, DO NOT wave the children to get into the car unaccompanied by a staff member. This is very dangerous behaviour and I must insist that it does not happen.

2.

In the morning the right angle parking at the bottom of the car park is for Prep families only. This is because Prep families are required to sign the children in to the facility.

Families of Kinder – Year 6 children must use the “kiss and drop facility” or park off site and walk in to school.

I appreciate your commitment to ensuring the safety of each child (both your own and each other’s). This shared commitment is what our TIGS community is all about and whilst we acknowledge that parking is short and that sometimes in the afternoon you want to hurry your children along by getting out of the car or not waiting for the teacher, the cost of possibly injuring one of our children is simply too high for us to risk this behaviour. Thank you for your assistance in the continuing safe operation of our car line in the Junior School.

Upcoming Events in the Junior School • Karobran Term 3 Meeting – Friday 26 August – Book Week • Assembly – Friday 26 August – Book Week • Father’s Day Stalls – Tuesday 30 August and Friday 2 September • Father’s Day Breakfast – Friday 2 September Operation Christmas Child – Week 5 ‘Something for Personal Hygiene’

Weekly AWARDS

KM

James Burgess

1D

Daniel Aghmesheh

2A

Harrison Webb

2P

Liana Smigulski

3M

Zoe Dribbus, Harrison Dennis, Ruby tilden

3Y

Aaron Ylias, Toria Tsakiridis

Their student-driven investigations uncovered issues such as racism and poverty. The students also incorporated their earlier investigations into human rights. They presented the audience with information and composed a movie to bring about awareness.

4M

Emmanuela Franco, Lola Bond

4R

Kassee Dennis

The Premier of NSW, The Hon. Mr Barry O’Farrell MP opened the day and his message revolved around helping others and volunteering. There were speakers from World Vision, Anglicare and the students participated in constructing a cardboard city reflecting homelessness and this was lead by Mission Australia.

5N

Ashleigh Mill, Aiden Wingate, Mitchell Main

5R

Zane Dema, Alexander Santos, Dylan Sormus, Celeste Bonaccorso

5S

Samuel Lendrum, Lucas Heidrich

6C

Natasha Pather, Robert Martin, Chloe Summerill, Harrison Taranto

Mrs Judy Nealy Head of Junior School

Student Success

Late last term, five Year 6 students, Florencia Di Martino, Sarah I’ons, Nathan Troiani, Robert Martin and Hannah Reveley were invited to participate in a Social Issues Expo at The King’s School. After thorough preparation and commendable teamwork, meeting during the holidays and during school lunchtimes, this team presented a triptych of their understanding of current social issues, together with many other independent schools on Thursday 28 July.

Awareness, Advocacy and Action were the focus words that emerged from the Social Issues Expo and these five students were outstanding ambassadors of not only TIGS but of collaborative learning and commitment to a common cause.

Junior School Fathers Day TI G S

The Illawarra Grammar School

You are invited to the

father’s day breakfast FRIDAY 2 SeptembeR 2011 7.00am - 8.00am

The Works 2011 TI G S The Illawarra Grammar School

‘The Works’ 2011 Exhibition 26 – 27 August 2011

Please join us celebrate Youtoare invited to art theand design and continue the tradition at The Illawarra Grammar School with ‘The Works’ 2011.

father’s day

The exhibition will feature Artworks, Film, Design, Furniture, Photography, Ceramics and Textiles from HSC 2011 and from past and present students, teachers, parents and friends of The Illawarra Grammar School.

breakfast

Official Opening 2 2011 SeptembeR Friday 26FRIDAY August, 7.30pm2011 - 9.00pm in the IGC Announcement of the $2,000 Acquisitive Prize donated by 7.00am - 8.00am Westpac. Launch of The Works People’s Choice Award.

Held in Rees Hall

Saturday 27 August, Held in2011 Rees Hall The Works Cafe 10.00am - 4.00pm in the IGC

RSVP: Friday 26 August 2011 Phone 4220 0250

RSVP: Friday 26 August 2011 Phone 4220 0250

School Contact Details

P & F Message

Have you changed contact details recently?

Current details of all students including names, addresses, emergency contact information, medical conditions and parent contact details including mobile phone numbers and email addresses need to be kept on file and accurate at all times. Please ensure that any change of any details during the year are noted on a Notification of Change in Contact Details form and returned to the School office for recording.

Orana Meeting 7.00pm Monday 22 August 2011 Goodhew Research Centre Please join Orana on Monday 22 August at 7.00pm in the Goodhew Research Centre . There will be a breakdown of fete and P&F funding.

Canteen Corner Please remember to order lunch so that you don’t miss out on your favorite items.

Ordering Lunch

To order lunch from the Canteen you can either order online, to do so visit www.flexischools.com.au or by handing your lunch bag (clearly marked with name, year and order) to the Lunch Muncher in the Junior School or at the Canteen window in the Senior School before the start of school.

Canteen Roster Monday 22 August Sonja Forte Julie Chiaverini

Tuesday 23 August Rose Dragutinovich Lauren Cunio

Wednesday 24 August HELP NEEDED Danielle Burton

Thursday 25 August HELP NEEDED Jennifer Cowie

Friday 26 August HELP NEEDED Pat Calchit

Senior School Sport State Futsal Championships On Wednesday 10 August, the TIGS U/14 Girls Futsal team competed at the State Futsal Championships.

All of the teams drawn in our pool were very evenly matched and each game was extremely close.

The first game of the day was against Narara Valley HS. After opening up the scoring, TIGS held a 1-0 lead until just before the end of the first half when Narara Valley were able to equalise. TIGS scored another goal early in the 2nd half, but Narara Valley soon countered with another goal, and the game finished at 2-2.

The next game was against the formidable Pymble Ladies College. Once again TIGS was able to open the scoring up, going into half-time with a 1-0 lead.

Pymble fought hard in the second half and were able to score two quick goals to take a 2-1 lead. After a number of opportunities for both teams, the final whistle blew with Pymble coming out on top.

In the final game, TIGS were up against Elderslie HS, who had been the strongest team in our pool all day. The game was evenly poised at half time with the score at 0-0. Once again, two quick goals from Elderslie saw them take out the game with a 2-0 win.

TIGS finished the day placed third in their pool, but it was not enough to see them progress to the next round.

All the girls competed with great enthusiasm and sportsmanship. The team was: Olivia Porcheddu Madeline Laing Perin Leach Maria Kyriakoudes Zoe Correa Stephanie McEwan Coach: Mr Deck

Library News

Book Week 2011

Monday 22 August – Friday 26 August The 2011 theme for Book Week is One World, Many Stories.

At TIGS Junior we are celebrating diversity and global stories in our PYP units of inquiry and in our literacy programs.

On Friday 26 August we invite parents to share in our ‘One World Many Stories’ learning at a special Book Week assembly to be held in Rees Hall from 1.00pm until 2.00pm. Parents may take their children home directly after the assembly.

ENGAGING ADOLESCENTS

During the assembly each year level, from Kindergarten to Year 6, will share a taste of the stories they have been exploring. The children are also dressing up to A tand hreeglobal w eek diversity course f or celebrate their particular themes: parent s of children aged 10 and up.

Kindergarten Japanese Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6

Indigenous Australians Toys Space Multicultural Australians Significant world events Human diversity

Avo id in g t h e n ag g in g t r ap ...w e kn o w it d o esn ’t w o r k b ut w h at ’s a b et t er w ay?

We are also holding a global diversity Book Sale with books in including Chinese, Urdu, Greek, and with your children from 10.30am onwards.

Wh en sh o u ld I w o r r y? Is t h is b eh avio ur an exp rEnglish essio n o f as m y well ch ild ’sas in our student mother tongues Vietnamese, Hindi, g r o w in g in d epFrench, en d en ce oKorean, r is it a r isk -tJapanese, akin g r eb ellio us act io n ?

Arabic.

Please feel free to come and browse Get t in g t h e silen t t r eat m en t ?

Wo r k o n so m e skills t o m ain t ain o p en an d p o sit ive co m m un icat io n .

If you have any questions please contact library staff on 4220 0275 or 4220 0226 or by email on librarystaff@tigs.nsw.edu.au We are looking forward to celebrating Book Week with you and your children.

ENGAGING ADOLESCENTS A t hree w eek course f or parent s of children aged 10 and up.

Avo id in g t h e n ag g in g t r ap ...w e kn o w it d o esn ’t w o r k b ut w h at ’s a b et t er w ay?

Wh en sh o u ld I w o r r y? Is t h is b eh avio ur an exp r essio n o f m y ch ild ’s g r o w in g in d ep en d en ce o r is it a r isk -t akin g r eb ellio us act io n ?

Get t in g t h e silen t t r eat m en t ?

Wo r k o n so m e skills t o m ain t ain o p en an d p o sit ive co m m un icat io n .

To keep up-to-date with the latest news and events that are happening in and around our School, we encourage you to subscribe to the email Newsletter.

Simply visit our website: www.tigs.nsw.edu.au and sign up on the home page.

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