Issue 7 Term IV 2017
NEWSLETTER
Junior School students collaborating for the Camp Programme
An International Baccalaureate World School
Academic • Christian • Caring
HEADMASTER
Mr Stephen Kinsella Headmaster I’ve just passed a group of our youngest students returning from the IGC after a rehearsal for the upcoming Infants’ Pageant. There were many happy faces, still singing their songs and full of excitement about the coming performance. The Infants’ Pageant is probably the best-attended event in our calendar with parents and proud members of extended families keen to support, clap, cheer and photograph their children. The children themselves love showing what they have learnt to those they love and respond to the interest and support shown. It is a great event. Our teenage students also love being supported by their family and friends - they just don’t like to show it. Parents should not be put off by any reluctance from their children for them to attend these events. It is important for students (and staff) that the hard work and achievements of the year are properly acknowledged and celebrated. It is a time when we celebrate as a community. It is a busy time of year when there are often many competing events calling for our attention. Parents should be mindful of the hidden message they send should they choose another event over that which involves their child. Sometimes it is unavoidable that we cannot attend school events and such circumstances should be discussed with the child so that they understand why a parent can’t attend. In the coming weeks, the high priority events at TIGS are: Year 2 Progression and Infants’ Pageant Saturday 2 December starting at 10.00am Students from The Piper Centre to Year 2 all appear on stage and demonstrate their developing skills in music and movement. Year 2 students have a special moment when their progression to primary school is acknowledged. (How do the teachers keep so many young children on task and under control?)
Christmas Celebration Wednesday 6 December from 5.30pm (7.00pm start) Students from the whole school use their gifts in music, dance and drama to tell and celebrate the Christmas story. The evening commences with a sausage sandwich listening to our ensembles playing Christmas carols on the Library Lawn before the formal performance commences in the IGC. This is an opportunity for the whole school community (parents, family members and staff) to support our children, demonstrating the centrality of the Christmas story to our TIGS core values. Years 3 to Year 6 Presentation Day Friday 8 December starting at 1.00pm The many academic and other achievements of students in the Junior School are recognised as well as performances by our music and dance groups. The progression of our Year 6 students into the Senior School is always a special moment. Senior School Presentation Day Tuesday 12 December starting at 10.30am This will be the 59th occasion that Presentation Day has been held at TIGS and it will be the last time the 7th Headmaster speaks publicly to TIGS community. The outstanding academic and other achievements of students from Year 7 to Year 12 and some performances from our elite students from the Performing Arts make this a wonderful way to end the academic year. I hope you will join me in encouraging our students and celebrating their achievements by attending these events.
CHAPLAIN
Rev. James Rogers Chaplain It’s Time to Celebrate The Infants’ Pageant and Christmas Celebration are special occasions which are not to be missed. Each is a declaration and celebration of the birth of Jesus, the Saviour. The Infants Pageant is a wonder to behold. Each year a different approach to telling the Christmas story is taken. It’s always entertaining and a wonderful platform to display the considerable talents of our students. The ceremony also includes the graduation of our Year 2 students. We take this opportunity to acknowledge their achievements and pray for them as they enter their primary school years. We also gift them with a Bible to help them navigate their way forward. I look forward to sharing this occasion with you. The Christmas Celebration is a special occasions where our unity as a School comes to the fore. Like the Infants’ Pageant our primary aim is to announce and celebrate God’s love for us expressed in the birth of Jesus. What makes the Christmas Celebration such a joy is how on the one stage, even in the one item, we can have a Prep student standing alongside a Year 12 student. It is a delight. The Christmas Celebration is preceded by a family picnic on the IGC lawn. This is a wonderful opportunity for us to express the pleasures and privileges of community. You can bring your own food and drink and spread out a rug on the lawn or purchase a sausage sandwich and drink. The picnic commences at 5.30pm.
One of the carols we will be singing at the Christmas Celebration is ‘O Come All Ye Faithful’. The second verse is: O Sing, choirs of angels, Sing in exultation, Sing all that hear in heaven God’s holy word. Give to our Father glory in the Highest; O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord. I encourage you to heed the words of this carol: to come and sing out your praises and in this way express your adoration of God. I look forward to standing beside you and singing with you. Come let us adore him.
JUNIOR SCHOOL
Mrs Judi Nealy Deputy Headmaster, Head of Junior School This week I have asked a collaborative group of two writers from each grade to put together an article that outlines the Camp Programme in the Junior School and what they see as the key learnings of this programme. I was so impressed with their ability to drill down and articulate the four main areas of development they could see from the Camp Programme. I know you will enjoy reading their thoughts.
Camp Programme at TIGS Perspective - Abbey Kuiper and Rhys Chieng The process of camp goes for four years in the Junior School. It is an experience that kids enjoy every year from Year 3. Here is a snapshot of our experiences over the whole Camp Programme. As a group, we had students from Year 3 to Year 6 share their thoughts about camp and the understandings they have developed throughout the process. The main concepts that we encountered were trust, confidence, different perspectives and life skills. As it was our first year at camp, my co-writer and I were talking about what camp would be like. We both had different perspectives and it impacted us both differently. Rhys was worried and I was confident about what we would be embarking on at camp. Over the camp experience, you really see a different perspective on everything. You see a different view of life and how people can change themselves to help cope in a different environment. Different perspectives include seeing people’s strengths and weaknesses. Working in a team where perspective becomes very obvious and can differ from how we interact at school. At camp, we had so many activities that there were no limits to perspectives. In Year 4 there was a strange sense of difference, as even though people had already gone to camp before, they were homesick. Many people in Year 5 were really confident as they had plenty of experience on camp. Trust - Dania Jaber and Alexander Mumford Trust is the reason why people are good friends and everyone really built on that. Trust is a very important aspect that we developed and explored on camp. Trust helped us throughout camp by building confidence, teamwork, friendships, beating
challenges and overcoming fears. On the Year 3 camp, trust was mostly found on the boat exploring activity, by trusting each other to stay safe, trusting the instructor and working as a team. On Year 6 camp, it was much harder over time to complete challenges successfully. This was mostly when we were rope climbing. We had to trust each other to an extensive level, to hold each other up with rope, otherwise, we would fall. In the end, it has been a wonderful adventure. We all trusted each other to a high level, we became good friends and we developed a great team. Confidence - Alex Vartazarian and William MacKay While at camp we had to use many different skills as were pushed beyond our limits. We tried our hardest and it really gave us a great outcome. Many were homesick but all of us had confidence that the person could get through their tough situation. The Year 5 and Year 6’s went abseiling and there were some people who were really scared that the belay team wouldn’t hold them and they were going to get seriously injured. For those people to be able to face their fear, they would need confidence and encouragement from friends and in themselves. They did it! On Year 4 camp we went crate climbing. You need lots of confidence that your friends are holding you and making sure that you are not feeling scared or nervous while stacking and climbing the crates. Overall, confidence is a very important skill in camp as well as in all of your life. Life Skills - Samra Tarrant and Rebecca Winn Throughout camp, we have learnt life skills that are essential for our wellbeing. During this Camp Programme, we were faced with many challenges that we had to overcome by pushing past our limits and developing new skills. We had to organise our own time and belongings whilst still having fun. On the Year 6 camp, we had the added skill of camping, survival and teamwork challenges on the Big Day Out. We had to set up our own tents, embark on a three-hour hike, went canoeing and abseiled down a cliff. Back in Waterslea the Year 4’s were facing their fears head-on. Last year we were really excited to jump off the jetty but when the event came up we realised it wasn’t all fun, some of it was pretty scary but we learnt the skill of resilience and managed to overcome our fears and still take part. All in all, the skills we learnt and gained have helped us and will continue to do so in the future.
Leukaemia Foundation Fundraiser This week our School came together to raise awareness and funds for the Leukaemia Foundation. It is a wonderful thing that our students are empowered and confident to take action when we are confronted with difficult situations. Congratulations to all students, parents and staff who baked and supplied treats for sale and also to those who supported the event by purchasing something delicious.
Taylor Merritt Class: 6C
Please note: There will be no Junior School Assembly/Chapel next week.
Who are your friends and what do you like to play? Grace, Laura, Oscar and Leo and we like to play Netball. What are you really good at? Netball.
What do you need to work hard at? Maths.
How do you improve? Keep on learning.
SCHOLARSHIPS Applications for Scholarships for students entering Year 5 to Year 7 as well as Year 11 in 2019 are now open. Applications close: Thursday 29 March 2018 Examination date: Friday 6 April 2018
Further information is available on TIGS website
What do you want to be when you grow up? A Police Officer.
THE PIPER CENTRE
Mrs Taesha Duley-Smith Director of the Piper Centre Being Bilingual Changes The Brain’s Architecture Early experiences affect the development of brain architecture, which provides the foundation for all future learning, behaviour and health. Experience and environment can change brain development. Brain formation is dependent on brain activity, and because the developing brain is plastic each and every early childhood experience stimulates, both positively and negatively, its neural connections. Because the brain is highly efficient, it actually dumps neurons that are not being used while strengthening those that are used consistently. This process is called synaptic pruning, and makes it possible for your child to develop correctly. Though synaptic pruning extends through a normal lifetime, it is the most active during early childhood. There are windows of opportunity when your child’s brain is highly susceptible to environmental experiences. The important window specifically for language acquisition begins to shut down by the age of five. There are benefits to exposing children to a second language in their early formative years when the brain effortlessly and naturally acquires languages. Research shows that early exposure to a second language facilitates growth and integration of the developing brain. Children can learn many languages simply by being exposed to them during the language window of opportunity, and they can learn those languages simultaneously.
With this current research data, coupled with the Reggio Emilia Educational philosophy that we can express ourselves in many different ways, The Piper Centre introduced French as a specialist lesson to its curriculum this year. The programme has been a success with our families and thoroughly enjoyed by the children. This term the children have engaged in many action rhymes and songs where pronunciation and language development has been an integral part of their lesson. The main focus of their experience was practising the song, “Jingle Bells” in French. The children have enjoyed learning the lyrics of a fun song and we invite you to join us at The Year 2 Progression and Infants’ Pageant this Saturday as they perform their song.
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SENIOR SCHOOL
Mr Greg Lanyon Head of Senior School As part of the School’s community service commitment, students in all Year groups are involved in a community service programme. It engages students from that Year group with the community, in a way that is meaningful and helpful, and is more than just providing a donation of money. Last week Year 9 supported the Kidzwish foundation at their annual Christmas concert. Over the past few weeks Year 7 have been planning and organising a community service project that TIGS has supported for many years. This is the annual Anglicare “Toys ‘n Tucker” programme.
expected to attend this day and parents and friends are most welcome. School commences at the normal time of 8.40am, the presentation ceremony starts at 10.30am and will finish at approximately 12.00pm, when students will receive their final reports and leave the school by 12.30pm. Service buses will be as normal, but students should check public transport connections to make their way home at the earlier time.
Congratulations to Daniel Michelmore (Year 8) who competed in the UN Voice Public Speaking Competition NSW State Final, last week, at the This programme aims to share the joy of Christmas University of Sydney. and demonstrate God’s love, by providing food and gifts for those in our community at Christmas. Over He delivered an excellent prepared speech on ‘How the next week, all Mentor groups will be organising can we improve young people’s understanding the collection of non-perishable food items and of Australian history?’ and went on to answer two toys, to be used to make up hampers, which will impromptu questions. He was declared the Winner of be distributed by Anglicare to families, who might the Grand Final and will go on to represent NSW in otherwise go without at Christmas. Your support for the National finals in Brisbane in April 2018. this project will be much appreciated by many in our Next Friday afternoon, 8 December, there will be an community. opportunity for interested parents to find out more I would also encourage you and your family to come about the Year 11 and Year 12 Diploma Programme along and join the School community at the annual (DP). This is a relatively informal gathering and will TIGS Christmas Celebration. This is an important include parents of the current Year 11 DP students, School activity which all students are expected to who will be available to discuss their experiences attend and an opportunity for you and your family this year. This event will take place in the Library from to be part of a whole school celebration of the birth 4.30pm. of Christ. The final day for all students, is the Senior School Presentation Day on Tuesday 12 December. This is an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of students in academic, community service, performance and sporting activities. It is also a time to farewell the Headmaster, Mr Stephen Kinsella, after an outstanding commitment and service to the School over the last 12 years. All students are
SPORT SENIOR SCHOOL School Sport in 2018 In 2018 compulsory co-curricular sport for Year 7 and Year 8 will occur as part of the normal school timetable, during Period 5 and 6 on either Monday or Thursday. For students in Year 9 and Year 10, compulsory school sport will occur either before or after school, on a Thursday.
Year 9 and Year 10 Sport Sport for Year 9 and Year 10 will now take place on Thursday mornings and afternoons. The system will remain the same with students selecting their sport. Summer and Winter Sports will operate as per the Co-curricular handbook, however, there will need to be 20 students signed up for the sport to run. All students will be expected to sign up online and must select a sport or submit an exemption. A link to the online sign-up system was sent to student’s school email addresses on Tuesday 28 November 2017. This online system will be open to all current Year 8 and Year 9 students on Monday 4 December 2017 at 3.10pm. The following Summer Sports will be offered: Thursday
Surfing 6.30am - 8.00am
Sport is compulsory, however, students who participate in regular sport outside of School, i.e. training at least once a week and participate in weekly competition can seek a sports exemption. Their coach/trainer/manager must sign the exemption form which is in OLLE under ‘Co-curricular Sport’ to denote their attendance at school sport. The form must then be returned to the Sports Office by Friday 8 December 2017. Transport: Students selecting Surfing or morning SUP need to meet at North Beach Wollongong (Surfing) or Belmore Basin (SUP) on Thursday morning. A school bus will transport students back to school in time for normal classes. For Thursday afternoon sports a bus will transport students to the sport, departing Western Avenue at 3.20pm. Students may be picked up from the venue or return to TIGS at 4.45pm in time for late buses or appropriate transport from TIGS. Please remember that not all sports offered will automatically run. We will require a minimum of 20 students to run the sport and will only be able to confirm numbers after the online sign-up system has taken place.
Up and coming Sport Events NSW Schools Volleyball Cup – Friday 8 December
Thursday Basketball 3.30pm - 5.00pm Thursday (am) Stand Up Paddle Board (SUP) 6.30am - 8.00am Thursday (pm) Stand Up Paddle Board (SUP) 3.30pm - 4.30pm Thursday
Tennis 3.20pm - 5.00pm
Thursday
Girls Ballet Body 3.20pm - 5.00pm
PERFORMING ARTS SENIOR SCHOOL Arts Musical Nominations This year’s TIGS Production of Mary Poppins has been nominated for six Canberra Area Theatre (CAT) Awards. The nominations reflect the dedication to the arts from our students, staff and TIGS community. Congratulations to the following nominees: Best Youth Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical Byron Leitch as Bert Best Youth Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical Molly Stewart as Mary Poppins
Best Musical Director for a School/Youth Production Ms Amy Howes Best Orchestra for a School/Youth Production Illawarra Grammar School Orchestra Best Director of a School/Youth Musical Mrs Jacqui Hitchcock Best Production of a School/Youth Musical Mary Poppins
UPCOMING EVENTS
Saturday
2
Dec Wednesday
6
Dec Thursday
7
Dec
Year 2 Progression and Infants’ Pageant 10.00am in the Illawarra Grammar Centre (IGC)
A Christmas Celebration 5.30pm - Picnic 7.00pm - A Christmas Celebration in the Illawarra Grammar Centre (IGC)
Year 10 Formal 6.30pm at the Villa D’oro
Year 3 to Year 6 Presentation Day Friday
8
Dec
1.00pm in the Illawarra Grammar Centre (IGC)
Diploma Programme Information Session 4.30pm in the Goodhew Research Centre (Library)
Tuesday
12
59th Annual Senior School Presentation Day 10.30am in the Illawarra Grammar Centre (IGC)
Dec
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Last day of Term IV