Newsletter Academic Christian Caring
ISSUE 1
TERM IV 2016 Senior School students at Nganambala
Headmaster “Soldiers of Christ Arise and put your armour; Strong in the strength which God supplies through his eternal son” We have entered what I describe as the ‘Soldiers of Christ’ season. Our School Hymn is sung at the major School events which occur toward the end of the academic year. It has already been sung at the Year 12 Graduation Assembly and the Senior School Prefects’ Induction Ceremony. Still to come are the Junior School and Senior School Presentation Days. There is no doubt that this old hymn, using outdated imagery and less than contemporary music, would not be chosen as the School Hymn if the decision was being made today. Soldiers of Christ has been sung continuously at TIGS events since its first Chapel service held in 1959. It is a tradition of the School and connects those of us at TIGS in 2016 with all the students, parents and teachers that have associated with the School for 58 years. There are actually twelve verses to this great Charles Wesley hymn which was written in 1741 in a style that some might say has long become irrelevant to those living in the 21st century. Words such as “put your armour on”, “arm you for the fight”, “walking in your captain’s sight” and “wrestle and fight and pray” are not commonly found in contemporary Christian music.
Stephen Kinsella Headmaster Last weekend 41 of our Year 12 students provided respite care for 21 students with disabilities. This is an annual event organised jointly with the Sony Foundation and the NSW Disability Trust. It is an important part of our service programme at TIGS. The impact on the students with disabilities is profound, as the following message from a grateful parent attests: “My daughter Emily was lucky enough to attend the camp held last weekend. I just wanted to thank the girls that were Emily’s buddies for the weekend. Their names are Caitlin and Marie. When Emily was asked to attend the camp, our family was hesitant to say the least, but after much discussion with the Trust we decided to let her attend the camp and after meeting the girls on Friday I was so happy we decided to let her go. The girls looked like they would go above and beyond what was expected of them during the weekend. And they did. As Emily is limited in speech we wondered how we would know what she got up to. Well, when she got off the bus not only were we presented with a beaming 12 year-old but also a scrapbook with photos and heartfelt messages from both girls. Caitlin and Marie, we can’t thank you enough. You are both a credit to your families and your school. We wish you both every success in your future endeavours.” Congratulations to all the students and staff that made it such a wonderful weekend. “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Acts 20:35
Charles Wesley wrote many of his hymns as a means of teaching biblical principles in a way that can be easily remembered. In writing twelve verses for this hymn he must have had a lot on his mind to pass on to others. The three verses that we sing as the School Hymn are actually an amalgamation of sections of a number of the original verses. I can assure everyone that there are no plans to sing all twelve of Charles Wesley’s original hymn at future School events. In reviewing our version of the hymn, and sifting through the 18th century imagery Charles Wesley used, it is clear that those who chose our hymn believed that we should be continually reminded of the fundamental principle on which the school is built: that Christ is the source of our strength and that it is through our relationship with Him that we become complete. It is not surprising that our motto, From Strength to Strength, is found in the third verse. So when we sing Soldiers of Christ during the coming events there may be some that sing it for its intrinsic worth and the beauty of the words and music. However, we can all sing it knowing that the words capture the core values of our School community. By singing Soldiers of Christ we are identifying with these values and all the TIGS family that have shared them over the course of 58 years. Stephen Kinsella Headmaster
Chaplain’s Message GOD MATHS One of the joys of working in a Christian School is the privilege to start each day hearing from God and calling upon him to guide and govern us throughout the day. We call this part of the day ‘devotions’. The title captures well the intention – we take this opportunity to devote ourselves to God and his purposes; we present ourselves to him and ask him to equip us for the task he has set before us. Devotions are shared amongst the staff. This adds richness to our time together. Not only do we hear the voice of God, we hear him speak through the distinctive voice of each staff member. I am often blessed by God through the unique voice of my colleagues. Earlier this week, Sharon I’Ons our MYP Co-ordinator, read from a children’s Bible she had recently purchased for use with her own children. It was a delightful message which captures well the essence of Christian ministry at TIGS. I thought I would share it with you. It is titled ‘God Maths’. Do you know God Maths? It’s nothing like ours! For instance, according to God Maths: 5 loaves + 2 fish = enough food to feed 5,000 (+leftovers) 1 lost sheep = as valuable as 99 Gideon was the leader of God’s
army. But God told him, ‘Your army of 32,000 is way too large to defeat the Midianites.’ Too large? Wait. What? Twice, God had Gideon actually reduce his army – until it was small enough to win the battle. Small enough? God would give Gideon’s army the victory, but he wanted them to rely on him and not their own strength. Gideon’s army of 300 was outnumbered – 450 to one! But remember God Maths? God + nothing = everything. Everything – God = nothing. “It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the Lord” (Zechariah 4:6) There are some delightful resources to bring the good news of Jesus to children and young people. I commend this book to you. It is called ‘Thoughts To Make Your Heart Sing’ by Sally Lloyd Jones & Jago (2012). Sally is the author of many books for children including ‘The Jesus Storybook Bible’ (2007) which is a masterful retelling of the bible story with a focus on the integral place of Jesus in the biblical narrative. I often find as an adult that a good children’s book is as helpful to me as
Rev James Rogers Chaplain it is to children. I was certainly helped by Sharon’s devotion this week. What a great reminder that God + Nothing = Everything and Everything – God = Nothing.
Rev James Rogers
Junior School been “conned” into thinking that kids just lose things, when the truth may be that we allow them to not care for things and pick up after them and in fact train them to not take care of their clothing and equipment.
Judi Nealy Deputy Headmaster, Head of Junior School Last term we finished with a massive pile of lost property and a rather messy few weeks in the playground and classrooms. Frequently I see frustrated parents going through the lost property searching for expensive items of uniform that have been left behind or lost. Daily we return labelled items of lost property to students that have been left lying on the oval or outside classrooms. At each recess or lunch break, students routinely take hats off pegs etc that do not belong to them so that they can play as they cannot find or have not brought their own. I think we have all
This leads to much discussion and investigations amongst the staff about how we help train our learners to be self sufficient and competent in caring for themselves and their learning environment. This is not about making life easier for parents or teachers, but rather about preparing our children for independent futures. An interesting approach is presented in this video and I encourage you to click on the link to check it out. You may decide to implement elements of this thinking at home! Some of the changes we will trial in Term IV include: •
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No more returning items from lost property to students, they will need to come and collect themselves. Collection of lost property will not be permitted during learning time, play time is when lost items are collected. Uniform items will be labelled by the school with permanent markers if they are not already labelled. Parents are encouraged to not provide multiple hats and other equipment but rather to encourage
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their children to look after the one piece of uniform or equipment, know where it is and use it appropriately. Students will not be permitted to call home if they have forgotten a nonessential element of equipment of uniform eg swimming, sports equipment, hats etc. Instead they will need to cope for the day or event without that item and learn to make sure they have what they need at school next time.
This is tough love and hopefully some tough learning will occur, however, our goal is to produce competent, independent young people and being able to have what you need, keep what you need and care for what you need is very much a requirement for this goal. I look forward to observing the changes in our children as we all implement this approach together both at home and at school and I welcome your comments and feedback on its efficacy.
ASSEMBLY/CHAPEL
4R will be hosting next week’s Chapel in Rees Hall from 12.10pm.
DATES FOR YOUR DIARIES
Friday 28 October Pupil Free Day/Professional Development Day
Lost Property
Co-curricular Club Highlight DRAMA CLUB Drama Club takes place every Friday under the guidance of Miss Young and Mrs McGoldrick. Students from Year 2 Year 6 participate in a range of creative drama games, activities and role-plays. These aim to build dramatic skills and techniques, whilst also providing an opportunity for students to be risk-takers and develop communication skills and confidence. It’s always loud, physical and a whole lot of fun! In Term IV students are working specifically on monologues and how to embody a character with a short amount of time to prepare. Improvisation can assist students with thinking skills, problem-solving and creativity. Thank you to all of the students who participated in Drama Club 2016.
WEEKLY AWARDS
4Y
Jude De Araujo, Tyler Sullivan
Amina Nemr
5H
Rhiannon Evans, Rebecca Winn, Thomas Kirby, Chloe Shadler
Elizabeth Michelmore
5S
Tess Rowland, Jessy Harman
KD
Zoe Grieve, Lincoln Hoskins, Odette Sperring
KH
Sophie Deck, Ethan Tierney 6C Rithanya Jeyachandran
KP
Gretel Alexander, Ideen Hashemi, Jessica Britton, Arya Patil
1M
Zara Clark, Darby Parrish, Tobias Knight, Harrison Stone
MERIT CERTIFICATES
1S
Rana Ulusu, Jamie Vickery
Academic
Jessy Harman
1Y
Henry Chen, Aushada Ranamuka Rallage
Leyla Yusuf
Nicholas Chiaverini
Popi Tsaganas
Rhea Boga
2C
Ronghao Chen, Hugh Bartholomeusz
Samra Tarrant
Kai Baker
2M
Saxon Gerovasilis, Parrie Mizori
Addison Tarrant
Hugh Bartholomeusz
3G
Estella Loeser, Ben Harman, Samra Tarrant
3R
Ashely Brewer, Joshua Burden, William MacKay, Zachary Hilton, Amina Nemr, Spencer Newhouse, Joanne Park, Sayuri Taaffe
Neel Shetty
3S
Saxon Parrish, Keiran Reveley
Aushada Ranamuka Rallage
4M
Lachlan Neal, Kai Baker, Mia Taylor
Daniel Peden
4R
Teerth Khanna, Austin Keefe, Hamish Dutch, Ella Fennell, Ainslie Goodman, Tania Kalsi
Ashley Parker
Ameesha Gogulan
Cody Maynes-Rutty Nikhilan J Avinash Elizabeth Hoskins Grace Hobeika Zachary Hilton Ideen Hashemi
Tyler Sullivan Harrison Stone
Archer Ryan Samuel Robinson
Spencer Newhouse
Service
Maddison Tonkin Elizabeth Michelmore Inaaya Kermali
Senior School the new student leaders made a commitment to servant leadership in the presence of their parents, teachers and fellow students, in their chosen area of responsibility. Leading this team are the new School Captains and ViceCaptains, Robert Martin, Mia Whitehall, Meena Jasim and Nathan Troiani. In the interviews for the leadership positions, all the candidates understood and articulated well the model of servant leadership, based on the ideal that Christ set as an example, through his own leadership and evident throughout the New Testament. That is, leadership that is not about self-interest but has at the heart of all decision-making, the interests of the group or the community that they serve.
Greg Lanyon Head of Senior School The final term of school before the summer break is an important one for many reasons. Last week the HSC examinations commenced for the current Year 12 cohort with the English exams. The students are relieved that they are on their way and generally are commenting that their expectations and fears about the difficulty of the examinations, have not been realised. The good news is that a significant proportion of our students have already been offered conditional early entry to courses at the University of Wollongong. This knowledge has reduced the pressure for many of the students so that they can already look forward to a future beyond the school gates. It also confirms for them that working consistently throughout the last two years is rewarded, so that their efforts won’t be judged on one final ATAR score. The new Year 12 cohort commence their HSC courses this term, as the cycle begins again. They also embark on their leadership responsibilities following the Prefect Induction ceremony at the end of the first week. In this ceremony
Many of the Year 12 cohort also participated in the week long cultural exchange with the Nganambala Aboriginal community in Central Australia, where TIGS has established a strong mutual relationship with the local school and its community. As well, many of the students had the privilege of partnering with the Illawarra Disability Trust in the annual Sony Camp, which is designed to provide respite for families as well as an activity filled three days for those attending the camp. I will write in coming weeks in more detail about both these community service and cultural exchange activities. Thanks also to the staff who gave up holidays and weekends to support these activities. Also during the recent holiday break, a number of our students were competing in the national final of the Future Problem Solving competition in Melbourne. TIGS students were involved in the Community Problem Solving program, where students apply the six-step problem solving process they have learned to real-life problems within their communities. At this event, reports of problem solving projects are evaluated and winners at each of the age divisions may receive invitations to attend the International FPS Conference. I am pleased to report that TIGS achieved outstanding results again this year. Sam Aubin (Year 8) was declared the Middle Individual
Champion for his project Sharkmate. This report was about changing people’s negative perceptions of sharks and he created an app to update surfers of latest shark movements and/or attacks. In the same division, 2nd place went to Lara Papadimitriou (Year 8) for her project. ‘Opening Minds’ which was aimed at encouraging acceptance of refugees to Australia. Lara spoke movingly at the School Assembly at the end of last term about this well-researched project. In the Middle Division teams section, Andrea Avenido and Cecilia Arsenovic (Year 9) placed 3rd with their project. ‘Helping the Homeless’ providing resource packs for the Illawarra homeless and education about the misperceptions around homelessness. Congratulations to all these students on their success and we wish them all the best if they compete in international competitions next year. Thanks also to Mrs Burton and Mrs Bowmaker for their support and training of the students. Greg Lanyon Head of Senior School
Sony Camp
Nganambala
2017 School Captains, School Vice Captains, Chapel Prefects and House Captains
TIGS Foundation COMMUNITY BUSINESS DIRECTORY
* * * APPLICATIONS/RENEWALS CLOSING FOR 2017 * * * Thinking of promoting your business by advertising through our School Community? There is an annual fee of $300 per business each calendar year for advertising in the Community Business Directory. Applications for 2017 will close on Tuesday 15 November 2016 for inclusion of the business in the directory for the ensuing year. A TIGS Foundation fundraising initiative, the Business Directory will provide an opportunity to strengthen and tighten the bonds between the School, parents and the businesses contained within the School Community with funds raised from the Business Directory assisting to drive forward the fantastic educational opportunities children will receive here at TIGS. TIGS reserves the right to decline any advertisement or request changes before accepting any submissions. For inquiries please contact Lisa Wilson in the Foundation Office on 4220 0264 or email lwilson@tigs.nsw.edu.au
P&F
TIGS PARENTS AND FRIENDS ASSOCIATION – ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
5.00pm to 6.00pm Tuesday 15 November Goodhew Research Centre (Library) It’s your P&F – so please come along and have your say and hear about plans for the new awning to be built at the Princes Highway pedestrian entrance to TIGS using funds raised from TIGS Great Fete. RSVP: pandf@tigs.com.au by Friday 11 November 2016 Melanie Silburn P&F President
Artist Impression of awning
School Captains’ Message Good afternoon teachers, students, friends and family. Year 12. It’s finally here and even though we’ve all thought since Year 7 that it was merely a far off and non-existent reality, it has finally dawned upon us, our final year of high school. Having lurked in the back of our minds for many months, we’ve finally made it. In exactly three hundred and forty-four days, we will again stand here, on this very stage at this very lectern, giving our final address as School Captains, at the 2017 Graduation Ceremony. That’s only 187 school days away. Year 12, we promise you, there’s no need to console yourselves; this will be without a doubt the best year of your high school experience, and the most rewarding too. We are an incredible family and with the love and guidance of all those at TIGS, our friends and our family, we’ll make it through, and we’ll emerge all the better for it. Year 12, congratulations! You have been appointed to various leadership roles within our School community because you are mature, capable, passionate, driven, and self-aware young adults. We wish you all the best as you fulfil your roles and responsibilities, and exceed expectations. As School Captains, we look forward to working with you, and watching you serve and lead in numerous capacities. As an absolutely fantastic cohort, we’re no longer impressionable young children, but intelligent, well-informed, and caring young adults. This incredible school of ours has blessed each and every one of us with so much more than we know, and it’s exciting to see
how we can give back and involve younger year groups in the process.
down “everything inappropriate that Jackson says that makes us laugh”.
Year 12 really puts into perspective the fleeting temporality and brevity of life and existence. If only I wrote that in my Paper One Prelim Essay. High school will be over before we know it. Therefore, as Captains we are so excited to develop a tangible manifestation of the beautiful journey of our final year, something that captures all the trials and tribulations, a motif that will carry us throughout the year and unite us.
At the end of the year, we’ll all sift through each individual moment and reflect on our final year of high school. This way, we’ll be left with a physical week by week recount of our final year, that won’t ever escape us; something that we can all treasure forever.
In 2016, the theme was the Rubik’s Cube, symbolic of diversity and individuality coming together as a team. In 2015, the theme was “What do you want to be when you grow up?” These motifs provided us with the direction we needed to formulate our own. It was imperative for us to immerse all members of the Year group in this memorable process. We considered recycling the motif of footprints to represent our journey through high school, but our time studying ‘Journeys’ in Year 11 English put us off this idea. It is with great pleasure that we present to you today, the Year 12 2017 motif ‘Mission Moments’. By the end of the year this jar will be filled with all the little moments of our final year of high school transcribed onto paper. Each week, students and teachers will have the opportunity to write down, and place into the communal jar, anything that made them laugh, smile, or cry, all the challenges and successes encountered throughout the week. As I’ve told the Year group, they can write
Thank you to all the friends and family for coming today to welcome the new leaders of 2017. Your support throughout the year means all the world to each and every single one of us. It is such a personal honour that we stand here today, representing this cohort that we love so much. Year 12, our message to you is simple. The next twelve months are going to be filled with many obstacles and challenges, but as we continue to support each other, we know we’ll all have a brilliant time. We wish you, as the new servant leaders of The Illawarra Grammar School all the very best with your individual roles. We know you’ll continue to be the absolutely fantastic role models to younger students, that you already are. This time next year, as we read over the hundreds of moments we scrawled onto paper and threw in the jar, we’ll know it’s all been worth it. Year 12, good luck! 2017 Captain Team
Senior School Sport CIS ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS On Wednesday 21 September, 10 TIGS students competed at the NSWCIS Athletics Championships held at Sydney Olympic Park, Homebush. All students performed exceptionally well and should be extremely proud of their efforts. There were many highlights on the day, but the most impressive was James Seal sprinting 300m to the finish line at the end of the 16B 1500m to break a record that had stood for 10 years! The TIGS student’s results for the day were as follows: •
Katherine Bodey (13G): High Jump – 4th (1.50m)
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Iluka Budai (13G): 100m – 5th (13.29), 200m – 4th (26.54), 400m – 4th (1:03.37),Long Jump – 4th (4.49m)
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Margaux Chauvet (14G): 100m – 7th (13.42), 400m – 1st (1:00.20)
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James Healey (13B): 1500m – 1st (4:42.00)
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Elliot Hutt (16B): 400m – 8th (56.18), High Jump – 8th (1.75m)
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Elizabeth Martin (17G): 3000m – 2nd (11:04.56)
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Natasha Mullany (17G): 800m – 7th (2:52.01)
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Hugo Parrish (12B): 400m – 3rd (1:03.63), 1500m – 2nd (5:02.92)
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James Seal (16B): 1500m – 1st (4:13.07 – New Record), 3000m – 1st (9:27.84)
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Nina Segar (12G): Discus – 6th (20.89m)
Congratulations to the following students who were chosen for the CIS Merit Team: •
Margaux Chauvet
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James Healey
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Elizabeth Martin
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Hugo Parrish
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James Seal
NSW ALL SCHOOLS ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS The NSW All Schools Athletics Championships were held at Sydney Olympic Park, Homebush from 13-16 October. TIGS was represented by eight students, all of whom performed exceptionally well, with most finishing in the top eight and many beating their own Personal Best. TIGS finished the competition with six medals (three gold, one silver and two bronze) and three students were selected to compete at the Australian All Schools Athletics Championships. The results for each student were as follows: •
Katherine Bodey (13G): High Jump – 14th (1.40m)
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Iluka Budai (13G): 400m – 3rd (59.67), 200m – 7th (27.12), Long Jump – 28th (4.44m)
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Margaux Chauvet (14G): 400m – 5th (60.45)
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James Gorham (14B): Pole Vault – 1st (3.10m)
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James Healey (13B): 800m – 4th (2:12.16), 1500m – 5th (4:43.98), 200m – 28th (28.20)
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Elizabeth Martin (17G): 2000m Steeplechase – 1st (7:36.94), 1500m – 8th (5:18.31)
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Hugo Parrish (12B): 1500m – 3rd (4:49.92), 400m – 5th (63.33)
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James Seal (16B): 3000m – 1st (9:07.90), 1500m – 2nd (4:08.03)
Congratulations to James Gorham, Elizabeth Martin and James Seal who were selected for the NSW team to compete at the Australian All Schools Athletics Championships in December.
NATIONAL SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS After their outstanding achievements at NSW All Schools Swimming, Nathan De Lutiis and Ethan Dorrian were selected to represent TIGS at the School Sports Association National Sporting Championships held in Darwin from 15-22 September 2016. Unfortunately, Ethan was unable to attend, however Nathan blitzed the pool despite the hot and humid conditions in Darwin to come 2nd in the U/16 200m breastroke and 3rd in the U/16 400m individual medley. This is an amazing accomplishment competing against the best swimmers across all Australian schools and we congratulate him for his fine efforts at this prestigious event.
THE UNDERCARD SCHOOL SURFING COMP On Friday 14 October we had six keen surfers compete in The Undercard School Surfing Competition at Sandon Point, competing in the U/16 and Open Divisions across the day. Our students were: Tahlia Collinge, Ruby Crandell, Billy Fisher, Riley Hanlon, Finley McLaren and Jai Tuckwood. Congratulations to Billy Fisher who made the semi-final of the seniors and Finley McLaren who finished 2nd in the very competitive U/16 event.
James Healey NSW All Schools Athletics
James Seal CIS Athletics.
Elizabeth Martin at NSW All Schools Athletics
THE
Arrowsmith Program
Extend@ TIGS LET’S RAISE 100 BLOOD DONATIONS!
INFORMATION SESSION
Extend is coming together as a community with a goal to raise 100 blood donations by the end of October this year. To encourage everyone to get on board, Extend Director Stevenson will complete one of three possible dares if we reach 100 blood donations! Visit darrensdare.com to watch our launch video and see further information.
Learn more about the Arrowsmith Program and how it may be able to help your child achieve their potential
We encourage all families to make an appointment TODAY!
The cognitive exercises are individualised to each student’s cognitive profile and are designed to assist students with learning difficulties reach their potential.
Extend@TIGS has a lot of different and exciting upcoming events organised. Last week we had heaps of fun creating woollen eyes, pom-pom bears and even paper planes that the children competed with. We also played games including soccer, dodgeball, Wembley, balloon stomp and handball. This week we have a range of exciting science, craft and cooking activities planned so please come along and join in on all the fun.
Date: Time: Location:
Wednesday 26 October 4.00pm to 5.00pm The Illawarra Grammar School
Junior School Arrowsmith Class Room Entrance via Princes Highway
RSVP: TIGS Website www.tigs.nsw.edu.au/events-and-bookings The Arrowsmith Program is not suited to students with Autism, oppositional behaviour or a brain injury.
Academic • Christian • Caring
An International Baccalaureate World School
A Cognitive Program for Students
Visit darrensdare.com for further info.
Please do not forget to check the Newsletter for our weekly programme.
WEEK 3 ACTIVITIES
Monday 24 October Activity: Pom-pom caterpillars Sport: Handball Tuesday 25 October Craft: Erupting clay volcano (Groups) Outdoor sport: Outside soccer Wednesday 26 October Activity: Button jellyfish Sport: Outside basketball skills course Thursday 27 October Craft: Stickle puffs Sport: Outside mini Olympics Friday 28 October Craft: Tape painting Sport: Children’s choice ONLINE BOOKINGS: extend.com.au CALL OUR OFFICE 1300 366 437
UPCOMING
EVENTS
WEEK 3
Year 9 Leadership Camp 25 - 27 October
Elective Dance Evening 6.30pm Thursday 27 October in the IGC
Pupil Free Day Staff Development Day Friday 28 October
WEEK 4
Year 6 Exhibition Opening Ceremony
4.00pm Wednesday 2 November in the Goodhew Research Centre (Library)
Year 6 Exhibition Thursday 3 November