Newsletter Issue 5 Term II 2017 by The Illawarra Grammar School

NEWSLETTER Issue 5 Term II 2017 Junior School participating in National Simultaneous Storytime

An International Baccalaureate World School

Academic • Christian • Caring

HEADMASTER

Mr Stephen Kinsella Headmaster Did you know that at TIGS we allow our most gifted students to accelerate ahead of their grade? Occasionally students skip a whole grade but it is more common to accelerate in a single subject area. Currently, for example, we have some of our most gifted Year 5 and Year 6 mathematicians meeting regularly with Mr Rogers in the Senior School who is challenging them with Mathematics well ahead of their current grade. Gifted students in Music are regularly playing in ensembles in the Senior School. Students have been able to sit for HSC (and soon DP) examinations ahead of their grade if they have demonstrated they are sufficiently advanced in the mastery of their subject. One of the benefits of a Prep to Year 12 school is that it is possible to accelerate students to the level that reflects their educational needs. Each of our students, from Prep to Year 12 are unique. They have their own personalities, interests needs and learning styles. How boring it would be if they were all the same. Yet, the approach to learning that many parents experienced in their schooling was based on the assumption that all students were best taught in the same way and at the same rate of progress. Strength in mainstream academic subjects was an advantage and rewarded. Those whose strengths were in other areas were grouped together and taught in a way that reinforced the notion that they were not as clever as the high fliers in the ‘A’ class.

At TIGS our fundamental assumption is that each child is unique and special: “It is recognised that students learn in different ways and at different rates and that the gifts each child possesses are unique in their extent and combination. Student learning is organised so that each child is given the opportunity to identify and develop their gifts and talents to the fullest extent.” (TIGS M & V, 1.5) It is for this reason that we have adopted the approaches of the International Baccalaureate in teaching the NESA (was NSW BOSTES) curriculum. Through the use of concept-based, child-centred learning strategies our students are able to engage in learning in a variety of ways enabling them to connect with the learning in ways that suit their unique needs and learning styles. Well, that is the theory and in the majority of cases at TIGS it works. However, there are some students that need additional opportunities and strategies to succeed in their learning. In educational jargon, these students are identified as ‘exceptional’ students. Most people immediately assume that ‘exceptional’ refers to students who are gifted and talented but in the world of education ‘exceptional’ also refers to students that are not experiencing success in their learning because of an identified learning difficulty. There are some students that are identified as ‘twice exceptional’: being both gifted and having a learning difficulty.

At TIGS we have established programmes and strategies for students in addition to mainstream curriculum that enable ‘exceptional’ students to experience success in their learning. These programmes include: Programmes and provisions for gifted and talented students. These programmes are managed by our specialist teachers: Mrs Wallace in the Junior School and Mrs Dubowski in the Senior School. The

clustering of students that share gifts and talents in the same area. These include mainstream academic areas such as Mathematics, Science, English and Languages as well as specialist subject areas. The clustering of students also occurs for our talented athletes and musicians. Students gain inspiration from spending time with other students who share a similar level of ability.

The

provision of co-curricular opportunities specifically designed to encourage and nurture talented students in the development of their area of interest and expertise. These opportunities cover the whole range of experiences at TIGS including Academic, Sport, The Arts, Leadership and Service activities.

The Arrowsmith Program for exceptional students that have specific problems in their cognitive development. This programme is limited to a total of 10 full-time students drawn from Years 4, 5 and 6. A limited number of TIGS students in other year groups have the opportunity to benefit from the Arrowsmith Program by participating in a part-time programme offered after school hours. Families interested in accessing the Arrowsmith Program at TIGS should contact Mrs Nealy. Learning support is provided to ‘exceptional’ students identified as having specific learning difficulties. Mrs Henry in the Senior School and Mrs Worthington in the Junior School manage the provision of extra support for these students that assist them to overcome or compensate for their learning difficulties and experience success in their learning. It is usual for students to receive this assistance while maintaining their position in their normal classes. Support is also provided for students with more significant learning difficulties. The School has an open enrolment policy but has only a limited number of positions for students in this category of ‘exceptional’ student. All our students are exceptional in their own way and it is our intention that at the end of their TIGS education they will have received the level of support required for them to “be the best they can be.” (TIGS M & V, 1.6)

GAMES FOR ENQUIRING MINDS Does your child pick things up at a fast pace? Do they have an insatiable thirst for knowledge? Do they have trouble finding peers/making social connections? Are they “quirky”? The Gifted Families Support Group (GFSG) Illawarra Regional sub-branch is pleased to announce its formation and first Games for Enquiring Minds (GEM) evening for children in Kindergarten to Year 8 and their parents/carers. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to join us for an evening of games and creative challenges under the theme of “Crazy Codes, Ciphers and Cryptography”. Connect with “like minds” in a supportive environment.

6.30pm - 8.30pm Friday 16 June in TIGS Rees Hall. Click here for more details or email us at illawarra@gfsg.org.au

CHAPLAIN

Rev. James Rogers Chaplain Partners in the Gospel This week in both Junior School and Senior School chapels, students were privileged to hear from guest speaker Kellie Thomson. In the Junior School, Kellie spoke about the blessings of friendship. This was part of a wider series this term titled ‘God’s Good Gifts’. We are learning how all good gifts in one way or another can be traced back to God the giver of all good gifts. In the Senior School, Kellie bravely shared something of her life story and the real difference Jesus has made in her life. As a young girl Kellie suffered from an Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. This developed in response to a family tragedy. Kellie sought to resist further chaos in her life by trying to control her world. She told the story of how she operated in fours. When turning lights on, for example, she would flick the switch in lots of fours - four times four. If she lost count and got it wrong she would have to restart the process by multiplying it all again by four - four times four times four - to redeem herself and regain control of her world. She spoke of being enslaved by this disorder. Underneath was a fear that if she didn’t do this her life would spiral out of control. And that was her greatest fear. One of the blessings of becoming a Christian for Kellie was learning that God was in control of her world for good. Over time this allowed Kellie to let go of her efforts to control her own world. She learned to entrust herself to God’s loving care. As she did this she experienced freedom from her obsessive tendencies. It doesn’t always work out this way for Christians, but it was encouraging to hear that it did for Kellie. It was a powerful testimony which had the students on the edge of their seats. Kellie is a Schools Ministry Worker for The Crusaders Union of Australia (colloquially known as ‘Cru’). Cru is a worldwide Christian ministry, working in partnership with churches and schools. It has been active in Australia since 1930.

Cru has a real passion to enable churches and schools to better communicate the good news about Jesus. Cru also has a real passion for leadership training. Many of today’s Christian leaders have at some stage in their development benefitted from the expert training Cru provides. Cru also has a passion for camps. They hold a range of different camps right throughout the year, catering for the varied interests of children and young people. A lot of these camps are run in school holidays. They even have study camps for Year 12. Many of our students over the years have benefitted from Cru camps. Cru have been active at TIGS for many years. They have been a great help to our chaplaincy work from the moment I started at TIGS. I have been hugely blessed by their partnership in my work. They are a great example of humble dedication to the best interests of others. To put that another way: they are Christ-like in their approach to service. I write this article out of appreciation for their partnership with us at TIGS. I am so thankful to God for the ministry of Cru. If you would like to find out more about Cru, especially their camps and ministries, the following links will be of assistance: www.crusaders.edu.au www.crusaders.edu.au/cru-holiday-camps/crucamps

7.30am - 8.20am Tuesday 6 June In the Goodhew Research Centre (Library)

Parents, staff and friends are invited to gather to pray for our School community. Breakfast and supervision is available for children

RSVP by Friday 2 June Please contact Mrs Natalie Moore Phone 4220 0200 or email nmoore@tigs.nsw.edu.au

SHORT TERM ACCOMMODATION Students from Chi Lin Primary School in Hong Kong will visit us again this August. We are hoping to be able to accommodate these students with families from our Junior School and are looking for parents who would be able to offer accommodation and meals at no charge. We are also hoping to accommodate their female accompanying teacher. The students will be studying with us in Weeks 2 and 3, Term III 2017. If you are able to help with accommodation for one of the students or their teacher, please contact Mrs Deck, Enrolment Officer, International at rdeck@tigs.nsw.edu.au or by phoning 4220 0269.

JUNIOR SCHOOL

Mrs Judi Nealy Deputy Headmaster, Head of Junior School Fair Mindedness We live in a world where truth is viewed to be “relative” and our children are bombarded by this view. There is the potential for intellectual fair mindedness and relativism to be bundled into the one category but this is not the case. Fair mindedness as an intellectual virtue is not about accepting all answers as equally valid, that is relativism. “Those who are fair-minded, earnestly want to know the truth and thus are willing to listen in an evenhanded way to differing opinions, even if they already have strong views on the subject” (Dow. P. 2013 Virtuous Minds, pg 49.) Intellectual fair mindedness is a very difficult trait to develop, this becomes evident when we think of the silly things we argue about, as children and as adults. It is an inbuilt aspect of our human condition that we fight for our current opinion. This makes the choice to consider other perspectives very difficult. Even being aware of perspective is complex. In the Junior School, it is one of the key concepts taught explicitly through the Primary Years Program (PYP).

Being able to identify different perspectives and understand them is the first step in developing intellectual fair mindedness. After this is embedded into our thinking routines, we can begin to evaluate whether these other perspectives require a shift in our own thinking and learning occurs. This is practiced each and every day in our inquiry learning from PrePrep to Year 6. Sometimes, perspective is a focus concept for the Unit of Inquiry and specifically and explicitly unpacked, taught and practiced. Parents can help their children develop fair mindedness by talking about the perspective of various stakeholders in movies, books or even in the family group. It is wonderful as an influential adult when we get to model to the children looking up at us, incidents where we are practicing fair mindedness. Statements like “I used to think….. but now that I understand additional information, or another perspective, I now think…..” demonstrate to young people that we do not have to hold rigidly to a particular view when evidence or other factors show us that adjustments need to be made to our thinking. If our intention is to understand the truth, then by adjusting our position we are practising fair mindedness.

JUNIOR SCHOOL AWARDS MERIT CERTIFICATES Academic

Lachlan Taylor Samuel Stevenson Jay Segar Aahan Rakheja Aarnav Prabhu Heathcliff Peacock Parrie Mizori Austin Mitchell Lin Yu Ma Toby Jinks Lincoln Hoskins Alexandra Da Deppo Isabella Carswell Ethan Bywater James Brewer Odelia Aghmesheh

Service

Spencer Newhouse

Alexander Mumford Class: 3D

Assembly 2T will be hosting next week’s Assembly in Rees Hall from 12.10pm.

WEEKLY AWARDS

Emily Clark, Laura Hernandez

Mihir Aurangabadkar, Shreya Mehan

Solomon Kennedy, Angelique McNeill

Ava Hernandez, Addison Keefe, Heathcliff Peacock

Ryan Haghparast, Chelsea Bessell

James Dalton, Jia Tang

Darby Parrish, Aarnav Prabhu

Lily Still, Parrie Mizori, Lachlan Taylor

Aston Di Donato, Aahan Rakheja

Myer Matyana, Odelia Aghmesheh

Katherine Binks

Estella Loeser, Wyatt Toland

Eve Mullins, Billie Prescott

Georgie Lancaster, Ella Smith

Jay Segar

Pia D’Rozario, Lin Yu Ma

Thomas Kirby, William Rice

Who are your friends and what do you like to play? Riah, Zac, Sam and Aahn and we like to play scaring each other in our scaring contest. What do you like to do best in the classroom? Writing. What are you really good at? Writing narratives. What do you need to work hard at? Maths division problems. How do you improve? By practicing at home and at school. What do you want to be when you grow up? I would like to be a doctor.

Awards listed in the Newsletter will be presented at Assembly/Chapel the following Thursday at 12.10pm

TIGS YEAR 12 COHORT PRESENTS...

TRIVIA NIGHT ALL FUNDS TO THE HOMELESS HUB

FRIDAY | JUNE 16TH | 6:30PM - 10PM

IGC -The Illawarra Grammar School Tables of 8: $120 Tables of 10: $150 1st Prize: Dinner for 8 at the Lagoon Seafood Restaurant Silent Auction, Top Prize and Other Games BYO Drinks and Snacks

Click HERE to book online

NATIONAL SIMULTANEOUS STORYTIME Students from the Piper Centre to Year 2 were treated to a very special event last week in their library. Mrs Nealy and library staff delivered an exciting National Simultaneous Storytime which included songs, costumes, live music and of course wonderful books. Every year a picture book, written and illustrated by an Australian author and illustrator is read simultaneously in libraries, schools, pre-schools, childcare centres, family homes, bookshops and many other places around the country. TIGS was proud to join more than 3,500 other locations in this national celebration which promotes the value of reading and literacy. To borrow this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s book, or get advice on other fantastic read-aloud Australian books (or any books!) make sure you visit our library. To keep up with library news, like our library Facebook page: www.facebook.com/tigslibrary

SENIOR SCHOOL

Mr Greg Lanyon Head of Senior School Student Leadership at TIGS Leadership in its simplest form is the practice of guiding others in pursuit of a goal, destination or desired outcome. However, we aren’t necessarily born leaders. Leadership represents a set of skills that can be learned and honed through practice. It’s important for all students to experience leadership opportunities during their schooling, to learn the art of building relationships within teams, defining identities and effectively achieving outcomes. It also provides another opportunity to learn, to identify and display effective communication, and to demonstrate interpersonal skills. The philosophy behind student leadership at TIGS is twofold. The first element is one of servant leadership, based on the principles 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 he or she serves. The other key element of leadership at TIGS is that it is inclusive and involves choice. That is, we encourage all students to take on some form of leadership at a level and area where they feel they can contribute. Undertaking some form of leadership role in Years 7 to 12 is an important part of the holistic development of a TIGS student. We also know that the skills required to undertake a leadership role are highly sought after by higher education institutions and employers. In Years 7 to 9 students can undertake leadership roles in the Student Representative Council (SRC), which meets once a week with the School Captains. They are also encouraged to assume leadership roles with various Year group community service activities, House events and the Great Fete. As part of the preparation and training for leadership, Year 9 students attend a Leadership Camp where they may start to gauge their leadership potential through a series of challenges, teamwork and skillbuilding. The leadership opportunities have been further expanded to allow greater diversity in the options available to students. For 2017, the possible Year 10 leadership choices include:

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Arts Leader (engage, assist and mentor in Visual and Performing Arts)

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Intercultural Leader (promote global citizenship throughout the School community)

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Community Liaison Leader (ambassador for the use of media, technology and library activities)

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Outdoor Education Leader (leaders on school camps in Year 7 and Year 8)

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Peer Reading Leader (reading help with Junior School students)

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Peer Support Leader (support for students entering Year 7)

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Sports Leader (promoting and encouraging participation in sport)

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Student Host Leader (providing service at various school events)

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World Vision Leader (design and promote the 40-hour famine strategy within the school)

During Term II, Year 11 students are invited to make applications online for a range of leadership opportunities they will undertake in their final year. For some positions, such as School Captains and House Captains, there will a combination of voting and interview to select students to take on these important roles. Other leadership roles that are available to students include: •

Chapel Prefect (responsible for organising and running Chapels and other Christian groups such as FISH and XPLORE)

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House Prefect and Senior Leader (assist captains in managing House events)

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Various subject specific Prefects and Senior Leaders (HSIE, Science, English, Mathematics, Languages and the Arts)

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Sports Prefect and Senior Leader

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Outdoor Education Prefect and Senior Leader

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Community Service Prefect and Senior Leader

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Cross-cultural Prefect and Senior Leader

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Technology Prefect and Senior Leader

SENIOR SCHOOL SPORT

CIS Open Hockey

The CIS Open Hockey Championships were held at Pennant Hills Park on Wednesday 24 May. TIGS was represented by two players, Connor Harvey and Rory Hanrahan, who played for the AICES team. The day was very successful for AICES, who finished undefeated and were named CIS Champions. Congratulations to both Connor and Rory for their superb efforts.

CIS Rugby League Camp Congratulations to Isaiah Kennedy who was chosen to be part of the CIS U15 Rugby League team after trialling all weekend at Narrabeen Academy of Sport and Recreation. He will now compete at the U15 National Schoolboys Rugby League Championships later this month. Well done!

Senior School Athletics Carnival When: Monday 5 June

Where: Kerryn McCann Athletics Centre (Beaton Park) Time: First events at 9.00am Transport: Buses depart TIGS from 8.30am or parents can drop their children off at the track. Canteen: There will be a coffee van for parents, a BBQ selling sausages, and an assortment of snacks and drinks.

Up and Coming Sport Events TIGS Senior Athletics Carnival – Monday 5 June AICES Cross Country – Monday 5 June NSW Netball Schools Cup – Boys and Girls – Wednesday 7 June Bill Turner Cup Boys Football – Wednesday 7 June Bill Turner Cup Girls Football – Thursday 8 June NASSA Athletics – Wednesday 14 June CIS Cross Country – Thursday 15 June

EXTEND @ TIGS Last week we competed in a Spaghetti challenge, played Pac Man and made some wonderful Fidget Spinners that were a hit with everyone! We participated in running and team games outside like Soccer and tried our best to kick the ball as high in the sky as we could! We made some Tie Dye art and played Handball against one another, we made some really cool toilet roll people and finished off with the Spud game! Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s on next week? Monday:

Rainbow milk and Shoot Hoops

Tuesday:

Create your own book and Body parts scavenger hunt!

Wednesday:

Paddle pop stick puzzles and Pac Man

Thursday:

Collage portraits and Dodgeball

Friday:

Worm Farm and Play gym

To check out whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s on visit our website at extend.com.au and book via the Extend Parent Portal. PARENT PORTAL: extend.com.au

Winter Holiday Programme Bookings are Open! Book 14 days in advance to receive the lowest rate.

Participate in our winter-themed activities, including science experiments to learn about animals with blubber, recreate a winter snowstorm in a jar, and participate in a snowman slam! To check out the daily schedule, visit our website at extend.com.au and book via the Parent Portal.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Monday

Jun Tuesday

Jun

TIGS Prayer Breakfast Goodhew Research Centre (Library) 7.30am Junior School 3-way Conferences In Classrooms

Wednesday

Jun Thursday

Jun Friday

Jun Monday

Find us on Facebook

Senior School Athletics Carnival All Day Event Kerryn McCann Athletics Centre, Beaton Park

Jun

Year 11 Parent Teacher Interviews 4.00pm - 7.30pm Goodhew Research Centre (Library)

Junior School 3-way Conferences In Classrooms

Professional Learning Day Pupil Free Day

Queenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Birthday Public Holiday