Tudor House – 2022 Highlights

Tudor House

2022 Highlights

Learning is an adventure, life is an adventure, and Tudor is the ultimate school adventure. Since its inception, Tudor House has proudly built its educational philosophy on the development of character through challenge and adventure. Now, 125 years on, we are still beating the same drum.

In 2022, Tudor House had a record enrolment of 262 students, including more than 100 girls. Yet despite its transition to a co-educational school just six years ago, the School remains resolute in its approach to primary education. Caring for the whole child and providing experiences that help them to develop physically, emotionally, spiritually, academically and socially remains foundational. With a growing school comes new opportunities, new staff and new ideas. This year the Tudor 12-Hour Mountain Bike Challenge, Basketball, Netball, Biathlon (laser shooting and cross-country skiing) and a plethora of new co-curricular activities were all added to the Tudor House menu.

‘Good Learners and Good People’ and ‘Lend a Helping Hand’ were two of our termly mantras this year, and we hold fast to an approach that allows children to develop as learners in various domains, while simultaneously living out the School Values and those of the IB Learner Profile. It has taken 125 years of iteration, refining and reflection, but this approach produces happy, whole and well-adjusted children who are ready for the world.

The articles that follow bear witness to our uniquely Tudor approach and the adventure our students call ‘school’.

Mr Adam Larby Head of The King’s School, Tudor House

The first Tudor House PYP Exhibition Humanity’s greatest challenge

The PYP Exhibition is a culminating event in the journey through the PYP curriculum and this year Tudor House experienced the very first PYP Exhibition. In 2020, Tudor House became the only authorised International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (PYP) School in the Southern Highlands. The exhibition is one of the final experiences of the IB Primary Years Programme, done in the final semester of Year 6. As part of the exhibition, students are encouraged to explore and document their understanding of important topics and learn from each other.

The exhibition supports students to engage in a collaborative form of learning and inquiry, show autonomy and agency with regards to their learning, and demonstrate they have learned, and can enact the key qualities of, the IB Learner Profile.

Year 6 students embarked on an inquiry into, ‘Sharing the Planet’. Their central idea was ‘Peace and Conflict Shapes Society’. Through a conceptual lens, students focused on responsibility, perspective and connection across their inquiries to build their knowledge and understanding. The students formed their own lines of inquiry, according to their area of interest. It was student-initiated, designed and collaborative.

The students produced a magazine containing their written expression pieces, outlining their reason for their inquiry. They created audio guides to explain their processes behind their Art For Impact and they put on display their final product – a creative and informative piece of art.

Racism, human rights, corrupt governments, animal poaching, the Olympics, equality and slavery were just some of the global issues the students investigated. Their research culminated in outstanding responses to their learning. The Art for Impact displays were just that – moving, provocative and engaging. Students demonstrated their preparedness to contemplate complex topics, analyse information, make connections and decide on an area for which they can take action. The boys and girls employed their voice, choice and ownership and showed their community they are ready for the next chapter and to make a positive contribution to their society as lifelong learners.

Billy Cart Derby Day

Thrills and spills at Billy Cart Derby Day

The 2022 Billy Cart Derby tested the concentration and determination of the students, and the persistence and patience of the parents and spectators, in the wet, windy and bitterly cold conditions of Saturday 3 September.

Thrills and spills were the themes of the day, with some spectacular hay bale bumpers and sensational skids off the track in the downhill event. The children (and parents) really stepped up, with some beautifully engineered Formula One-inspired carts built to break records in speed.

A local Highway Patrol Police Officer helped clock the downhill speeds this year. Fortunately, no children exceeded the speed limit, and no arrests were made.

Year 6 Challenging Change Day

As Year 6 students entered their final few months in primary school, Tudor House played host to Year 6 students from The King’s School, Preparatory School and Tara Anglican School for Girls. The day comprised many opportunities for students to engage in challenging situations. These included forging new friendships, as well as learning to work together collaboratively, solve problems, be empathetic and trust others. Not even the wind and rain could dampen the spirits of the students who were also reminded of the importance of having fun together with their mates (both new and old) – in the mud!

French Immersion Day

Each year, the staff and students at Tudor House dress up for a very special day celebrating French history, language and culture.

The day began with the raising of the French flag and salutations in French and was followed by a day full of French-themed activities. Parents with French heritage spoke to the students about their childhood and life in France and migration to Australia. The boys and girls participated in the Tour De Tudor traditional French games and activities and were treated to a smorgasbord of French cuisine throughout the day.

One hundred girls at Tudor House

One hundred girls at Tudor House

After 120 years of educating boys, the shift to co-education at Tudor House in 2017 was a significant milestone for the School. In May 2022, five years after the first female student enrolled, Tudor House celebrated another momentous milestone with the 100th current girl enrolment.

The Tudor community celebrated this special occasion by sharing a custom cake in the shape of the iconic red bobby hat worn by Tudor girls. Having boys and girls learning alongside each other has been beneficial for all students, making the School community a more diverse and interesting place to be.

Sport at Tudor

Sport is an important part of the co-curricular program at Tudor House. The variety of sports on offer allows the students to explore different skills

The Tudor House Snowsports team competed in the 2022 Subaru Northern NSW & QLD Interschools Snowsports Championships. The students achieved some great results, with the first-ever Tudor House girl, Pip Flitcroft, placing 1st in Division 4 Ski Cross.

Aladdin Jr

Five-star review for Aladdin Jr

In August, Year 6 students performed three show-stopping performances of Aladdin Jr for the annual Tudor House musical.

The shows were full of colour, energy, laughs and happy children. They produced a show worthy of a five-star review and the hours of hard work and dedication were evident to everyone who came along to support the boys and girls.

It takes a village

It has been said it takes a village to raise a child. At Tudor House, we believe there is immense value in partnering with families to develop young people of great character. In September 2022, Tudor hosted two Grandparents’ Day events for students to connect, share and celebrate with their grandparents.

Classes and choirs performed musical items in the War Memorial Hall before students showed their special visitors around the various learning spaces.

After a shared morning tea, many grandparents accompanied their grandchildren to the book fair in the library and enjoyed reading a story together. The School received more than 100 book donations for the Library, which were generously gifted by the children’s grandparents.

It has been said it takes a village to raise a child. At Tudor House, we believe there is immense value in partnering with families to develop young people of great character.