Issue 4 Term II, 2011

NEWSLETTER

Headmaster’s Message What a Day! Head of Senior School Head of Junior School

Issue 4 Term II, 2011

Academic • Christian • Caring

What a Day! The Great Fete was fantastic. I seem to say that every year but there is no other way to describe it. Parents, students, staff, former parents and students and many members of the public all gathered to have a wonderful time and felt proud to be a part of the TIGS community.

Congratulations to everyone that made it such a success, be they experienced volunteers working on old favourites like the Country Fare and Cake Stalls, new volunteers working on the Korean and African Food Stalls, or one of the thousands that attended on the day. Special thanks to our P&F President, Barbara Mandelson, for an extraordinary effort in bringing it all together.

I enjoyed catching up with many ex-students and parents and hearing their stories and memories of their time at TIGS. I was particularly heartened by a mother who told me how her son had such a positive experience at TIGS that his life was changed. This was good to hear because he experienced many ‘challenging’ moments as he grew through his somewhat difficult teenage years. The perseverance of staff and the strength of our programs, in partnership with his family, made the difference.

Stephen Kinsella

This was the highlight of the Great Fete for me and it reminded me that there are times when we need to stand back and look at Headmaster the big picture. The School currently has 1060 students attending each day, each at a different stage of growing up. Some bring us much joy while others bring much heartache: they are all children growing into young adults and TIGS provides a safe and nurturing environment in which to safely grow, make mistakes and learn what it means to be a valued member of society.

We know our children are not perfect as we are not perfect. If we think that our students always study hard, do their homework, wear their uniform correctly, speak politely, show respect to one another, never bully or make unkind comments, volunteer to help others then I am sorry to report that this is not true. TIGS students generally delight us by their attitude to study and their behaviour toward each other but there are times when they all make poor choices – of course some more than others.

The strength of TIGS is that we know what we stand for and what we hope to achieve with our students.

Staff and families work together to help our children as they grow, and learn and make mistakes, into the mature adults that make us so proud. They learn from our explicit teaching and programs and implicitly from watching how staff and family members live their lives.

All parents, including those that are unable to yet see the light at the end of the tunnel, can take heart from two statistics: • All students in Year 11 are required to engage in 15 hours of community service. This occurs near the end of our Service program that starts in Kindergarten. This year, in addition to these required hours, 68 Year 11 students have volunteered, in their own time and at their own expense, to serve others, either with the remote NT Aboriginal community of Emu Point or by providing respite care for students with disabilities at the TIGS Sony Foundation Children’s Holiday Camp held in association with the Disability Trust.

• The academic quality and all-round reputation of TIGS students is such that the University of Wollongong offered early entry into their undergraduate programs to 82% of the TIGS students that applied, which was nearly all of the cohort.

TIGS students do succeed academically and they do develop into responsible adults - it just takes some longer than others.

Our children bring both joys and heartache as they grow. We need to give them space to make mistakes, and consistent explicit and implicit instruction at home and at school on making good choices. A colleague once told me that he never judges his students until they turn 40. We also need the patience to allow them to grow up in their own way and at their own pace and to have confidence in the values that we teach them.

Stephen Kinsella Headmaster

Celebrating the KJV’s 400th This week’s article comes from Rev Sandy Grant, Minister at St Michael’s Anglican Cathedral, Wollongong.

Friends, this year is the 400th anniversary of the publication of the King James Bible. No book has been more influential in the English language than this Bible translation.

Who said, “I am a little taken aback at the biblical ignorance commonly displayed”? Not a Preacher or Bishop, but none other than celebrity atheist, Richard Dawkins. In The God Delusion, he also said, “The King James Bible of 1611 includes passages of outstanding literary merit in its own right, for example the Song of Songs, and the sublime Ecclesiastes… But the main reason the English Bible needs to be part of our education is that it is a major source book for literary culture.”

Dawkins devotes two pages to listing over 120 idioms, phrases or clichés that come from the Bible, often straight from the King James Version (KJV), such as • fat of the land • apple of his eye • escaping by the skin of my teeth • reaping the whirlwind • can a leopard change its spots? • hide your light under a bushel • turn the other cheek • go the extra mile • casting pearls before swine • suffer the little children • physician, heal thyself • casting the first stone • fallen from grace • fight the good fight.

Classic authors, such as Shakespeare, Donne, Milton, Dickens, the Bronte sisters, Hardy and Steinbeck, require a knowledge of Old and New Testament. Post-colonial non-Western writers, such as Rushdie, Allende and Marquez, are also infused with biblical motifs. So too Australians like Tom Keneally, Les Murray and Tim Winton.

At the other end of the cultural spectrum, well known rock songs allude to Christianity and the Bible. Take Led Zeppelin, whose classic Stairway to Heaven also says, “there are two paths you can go,” and “the truth will come to you”, right through to many songs from U2, Paul Kelly and Nick Cave.

Of course, Richard Dawkins only wants us to keep the Bible as a treasured cultural heritage while giving up belief in God. But over time, that will leave us nothing but an empty husk, bereft of a seed’s life-giving power. You need more than a cultural education for facing suffering, evil and death.

So the most important way you can celebrate the KJV’s 400th is by reading the Bible for yourself, most likely now in a more modern translation, such as the NIV or ESV, which still often ring with the KJV’s majestic heritage. And of course, reading the Bible, don’t forget to put it into practice.

Rev Sandy Grant St Michael’s Anglican Cathedral, Wollongong www.wollongong.anglican.asn.au

Senior School

This week I’m continuing to introduce teaching staff whose role is to realise our commitment to assist each student to fully develop their individual abilities, acknowledging that “the gifts each child possesses are unique in their extent and combination.”

Ms Dubowski runs Debating and Public Speaking, Tournament of the Minds, da Vinci Decathlon, Writers in Residence programs and GATEway 8, in her role as Gifted Education Coordinator. She supports students, staff and parents whose needs and interests relate to the provision of services for identified intellectually gifted students.

She manages The Honours Program, which provides an opportunity for students to engage in specific areas of interest through research, encouraging a broader and deeper approach to inquiry. She also oversees The Acceleration Program, offered to students from Years 9-12 whose academic performance and personal characteristics demonstrate the need for advancement beyond their age peers in a particular subject area.

Monica Watt

Deputy Headmaster and Head of Senior School

Ms Dubowski oversees the identification and differentiation of these students’ needs and is always available for advice and assistance regarding these issues as part of the Special Provisions team. She is another wonderful asset to the teaching team at TIGS.

Reminder

Responses are due for the Kindergarten and Year 7 parent survey that was issued in Week 5.

Participants simply need to click on the link in their email invitation.

Thank you for your time.

Junior School

One of the things I most enjoy about our school is the sense of community. This was in strong evidence on Saturday at the Great Fete, but even more importantly, it is an aspect of a TIGS education that permeates so much of our school, home and local area life. The word community can be defined as: “A group of people living together in one place, especially one practicing common ownership”. This is rather narrow and doesn’t even begin to describe the TIGS version of community. Even though as individuals we are very diverse, our community is connected through a shared set of values that centre on the children. The concept of each child being unique and special, each child having unique potential, the role of the family and the School in providing opportunities to develop that potential and the collaboration between home and school to make this happen. They are beautifully paraphrased as “Academic, Christian and Caring”.

Judi Nealy

Head of Junior School

Our community is complex, with an amazing number of relationships and interactions occurring each day. Sometimes relationships break down and we work hard to restore them when this happens. However, it is a great strength to observe that all of the people involved in these interactions generally demonstrate their commitment to our shared set of values. All of the staff at our school (not just the teachers) correctly see themselves as having a responsibility towards the academic, social and spiritual development of the children in our school. Not everyone stands in the classroom and teaches, but the work of each staff member contributes to how effective teaching can be. All of our extended community looks to care for every child here at TIGS and we do this based on the Christian values on which our school is founded. There is a lovely saying that “it takes a village to raise a child”. Our TIGS “village” was on display on Saturday at our Great Fete and I was very proud to be a member of it.

Our second hand uniform facility has been managed by Mrs Jacey Dema for the last few years. Jacey has done a wonderful job in providing a source of good quality second hand uniforms to our community and we thank her very much for her effort and commitment to this important provision. Jacey is about to begin a new job and needs to hand over the reigns to some other parents. Please consider whether you could help out in this way. It would be a great opportunity for two or three parents to jointly share the responsibility of running the second hand uniform facility so that the workload is not overwhelming for anyone. If you feel that this is something you could take on, please contact Mrs Kerrie Tregonning in the Junior School office and she will forward your details to Jacey who will be very glad to hear from you!

Dates for your diary:

NASSA Carnival – Monday 30 May JS Athletics Carnival – Thursday 2 June

Sport

NASSA Junior Oz-tag Our Senior Boys and Girls teams travelled to Milperra last Friday to compete in the first Primary Oz-tag Gala Competition. While some of our students had played Touch Football and some Oz-tag, most had only been introduced to the game in recent weeks. It was an enjoyable day for all and the students improved their skill and understanding as the day progressed.

The girl’s team finished in second place and the boys finished in third place which is a very commendable result.

Congratulations to all players and particularly Ashley Dribbus and Sam Okley who have been selected to trial at CIS. Team Members Boys Girls Oliver Birt Emilia Bujaroska Ethan Jackson Caitlin Chadrawy Flyn Kilby Julia Devitt Nicholas Kyriakoudes Ashley Dribbus Hugo Mackenzie-Wood Meg Kunkler Oscar Malouf Elizabeth Martin Sam Okely Charli Morelli Joshua Shalala Perri Moustoukis Samuel Shalala Ruby Pallone Che Stubbs Natasha Pather Harrison Taranto Natalia Smith Nathan Troiani Ashlan Waldock Klara Zecevic

rit tes e M ica if t r er Fras Ce ph

Jose

KM

Jamilla Perri

1D

Holly Jenner

1W

Jack Worthington

2A

Joshua Jansen

2D

Mia Stone

2P

Molly Parrish

3M

Josh Agarwal, Nathan Bridge, Ruby Tilden

3Y

Stephanie Taggart, Chad Jenkins

4M

Nicholas Sutherland

4R

Arthur Vail

5N

Joshua Fullerton-Harvey, Stephanie Moustoukis, Aaron Doherty, Jonty Swainson

5S

Samuel Shalala

6C

Natalia Smith, Megan Farrell

6Y

Patrick Li, Jin Won Kim, Sarah I’ons

- Weekly AWARDS -

• •

Thank you to the many parents, students, staff, former parents and students and many members of the public that helped make this year’s fete a HUGE success!

Canteen Corner Online Ordering

To order canteen food online visit www.flexischools.com.au.

The new menu for Term II has commenced. Please ensure you are checking the new menu prior to placing an order as there have been some price changes to existing products.

Canteen Roster Week 5 Term II Monday 30 May Jan Osborne Linda Edmund

Tuesday 31 May Clare Barber Megan Milic

Wednesday 1 June Help Needed

Thursday 2 June Help Needed JS Athletics Carnival

Friday 3 June Help Needed Maureen Whitton

TIGS Charity Trivia Night

The Year 12 Charity Trivia Night is NEXT week! All attendance forms must be in by Monday 30 May and all platters must be in by Friday 27 May! As part of their fundraising efforts for the TIGS 2011 Year 12 charity “Express Yourself”, the School Captains invite you to attend a Trivia Night. “Express Yourself” is a new initiative run by the Salvation Army that provides help and support to disadvantaged youth within the Illawarra through mentoring and literacy programs that use art, drama and music to help encourage young people to express themselves and develop essential life skills.

Date: Location: Cost: Theme:

Friday 3 June (Week 6 Term II), 6.30pm – 10.00pm The Illawarra Grammar Centre (IGC) $10 per person (Tables of 8) “Express Yourself”

For more information including the booking form please click here.

Holiday Study Blitz

Study courses are being held at the School during the Winter School holidays for any student from Years 7 - 12.

The courses being run are: Study Skills and Strategies - Years 7 - 9 Senior Study Skills and Strategies - Years 10 - 12 Essay Skills - Years 10 - 12 Advanced Reading Skills - Years 10 - 12 Please click here for more information and to download your enrolment form.

Senior School Sport

School Contact Details 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 e-mail 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.

2012 Enrolments and Beyond Limited places are available for 2012 with places filling quickly for 2013 onwards. Please contact our Enrolments Secretary, Ms Nicci Fripp, on 4220 0216 or email nfripp@tigs.nsw.edu.au for an Application Form or further information.

Student Success:

SWIMMING: Jarrod Poort (Year 11) has been selected in the Australian Junior Swim Team to compete in the Youth Commonwealth Games being held at the Isle of Man in September.

VOLLEYBALL: Kieran Ackhurst (Year 9) has been selected in the U/15 All Schools Boys Volleyball Team.

RUGBY: Congratulations to Benjamin Toussis (Opens), Lachlan Shrubb (Opens) and Stuart Mill (U/16’s) for their selection in the AICES Rugby teams.

Operation ‘Hope’ The students from Japanese classes in the Senior School would like to thank you for participating in our first fundraising activity for Operation ‘Hope’, the fundraising appeal for Christchurch and Tohoku, Japan.

Through this first activity, we raised about $420.00. We especially would like to thank some of the Junior School students who came to fold cranes or to do the colouring-in activity a number of times.

Thank you very much for your contribution and we are looking forward to seeing you in the next fundraising activity.

NASSA Cross Country

Next Monday over 100 students will represent TIGS at the Senior School NASSA Cross Country. The event is at Macarthur Anglican School, Cobbity and the bus leaves Western Avenue at 7.10am. Good luck to all students. GO TIGS!

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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