Issue 3 Term II 2012

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NEWSLETTER

Headmaster’s Message Chaplain’s Message

Year 6 Canberra Excursion

TIGS

Head of Senior School

Great Fete

Head of Junior School

10.00am to 3.00pm This Saturday 19 May 2012 Come Rain Hail or Shine Its on!

Issue 3 Term II, 2012

Academic • Christian • Caring

NAPLAN I am regularly asked to explain how TIGS receives and uses its funds.

The current cost of providing educational services and facilities at TIGS in 2012 is estimated to be $19.6 million. Of this amount, 73% is expended in employing teachers and support staff. The remainder covers day-to-day operating expenses, maintenance, administration and the servicing of loans ($5.25m) that were raised to develop the TIGS campus.

Finance for this expenditure comes from three main sources: TIGS families (Tuition fees and other fees for service) $14,017,568 (70%) Commonwealth Government $ 4,476,830 (22%) NSW State Government $ 1,548,372 ( 8%) Other $ 113,130 Total $20,155,900 You will note that the difference between income and expenditure is not large for a budget of this size which reflects the School’s determination to control costs while delivering a premium service to our families. Any surplus is used to provide or improve facilities for students. TIGS does not pay a dividend to the Sydney Diocese of the Anglican Church and has no capital reserves or wellendowed Foundation (the TIGS Foundation hopes for this situation to change).

Setting the level of fee increases provides a challenge for the School as the cost of providing schooling for students in the Illawarra is balanced against the tough economic circumstances that so many of our families are experiencing.

Unfortunately, the cost index for schools is running at a much higher rate than Headmaster the headline CPI figures that define the level of inflation for many people.

Over the last four years the cost of providing educational services in Australia has increased an average of 6.2% p.a. for primary schools and 5.3% p.a. for secondary schools. TIGS has held fee increases to no more than 5% p.a. in the same period, choosing to contain fee increases through the more efficient use of our school resources.

Stephen Kinsella

The Reserve Bank provides a perspective on why education costs increase faster than the general level of prices: “The relative rapid pace of growth of overall education prices reflects the labour-intensive nature of this service… the price indices for primary and secondary education have increased especially strongly…” (1) The amount of funding allocated by the Commonwealth Government to Independent schools like TIGS varies depending on the level of perceived need of the families in each school. This is determined by using the Socio-Economic Status (SES) score which is calculated using census data. The higher the income level of TIGS families, the higher the SES score and the less income is received from the Commonwealth Government. As a guide, a school with an SES score of 130 would receive 13.7% of AGSRC (the average cost of educating a student in a government school) for each student while an SES score of 85 would attract 70% of AGSRC for each student.

The SES score for TIGS is 108 which entitles the School receive 41.2% of AGSRC. If the average income of TIGS families increases then the percentage of AGSRC TIGS receives falls, and vice versa. If TIGS closed its doors the recurrent cost to governments would be much higher than the current funding commitment to TIGS. If the capital cost of building new schools is added it is clear that supporting Independent schools is the cheaper option regardless of any philosophical arguments.

The system the Australian Government uses to fund Independent schools has been reviewed. The recommendations of the Review into Funding for Schooling (known as the Gonski Review) and the Government’s initial response were released to the public in February. The Government is currently undertaking public consultation (I met with Minister Garrett on behalf of the School last week) and possible models that embrace the recommendations of the Gonski Panel are being trialled with school data from previous years. Until the model is finalised and the Government commits to a new model of funding we are not in a position to gauge the impact on the funds received from the Government at TIGS. The School is well aware of the challenges that our families face in supporting their children to attend TIGS. These are challenges shared by the School as we await the economic turnaround in the economy of the Illawarra region.

(1)

Reserve Bank Bulletin July 2009 p.7

Whole School Appraisal (as reported last week) Results from the survey recently conducted with parents, students and staff have now been considered. Over the course of the next few weeks, Mr Nick Clarke (the independent consultant managing the appraisal) will be meeting with representatives from our community to discuss the survey results.

Meetings with parents will be held on Thursday, 24 May starting at 7.00am, 10.00am, 4.00pm and 7.30pm. The number attending each session will be limited to 8 parents and each session is planned to last no longer than 1 hour.

Parents are invited to express their interest in participating in one of these meetings by contacting the Personal Assistant to the Headmaster, Mrs Natalie Moore, on 4220 0200 or nmoore@tigs.nsw.edu.au by Tuesday 22 May.

Stephen Kinsella Headmaster

Chaplain’s Message

Happy Are We

I have been enjoying some fruitful reflection on Solomon recently. Solomon was king of Israel around BC 950. He succeeded his father David, Israel’s greatest king. David had brought the kingdom to a position of great prosperity. Solomon capitalised for a time on this prosperity such that many contemporary kings would visit Solomon, having heard of his extraordinary wisdom and the opulence of his kingdom.

One of the rulers who sought an audience with Solomon was the Queen of Sheba. She, like many others, had heard of Solomon’s fame and wanted to see what all the fuss was about. More to the point, she wanted to see whether the reports were true. When she finally met with Solomon and saw his achievements and heard something of his wisdom she confessed that the reports she had heard were mere half-truths; she said to Solomon, “In wisdom and wealth you have far exceeded the report I heard.” (1 Kings 10.7) It was what she said next that caught my attention. The Queen of Sheba comments on the happy condition of the subjects of Solomon’s kingdom: “How happy your men must be! How happy your officials, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom!” (1 Kings 10.8) She continued her assessment: “Because of the Lord’s eternal love for Israel, he has made you king, to maintain justice and righteousness.” (1 Kings 10.9) In other words, God loves his people so much he has put the very best king over them to guide them and protect them and mediate his blessing to them.

Rev James Rogers Chaplain

The startling revelation we receive as the story of the Bible unfolds is that as great as Solomon was in wisdom and wealth he was but a faint shadow of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus said it himself to those who refused to acknowledge him as God’s anointed king. He observed how the Queen of Sheba bowed before the majesty of Solomon but “one greater than Solomon is here.” (Matthew 12.42) Jesus’ self-acclamation is confirmed on numerous occasions in the New Testament. In 1 Corinthians, for example, Jesus is said to be the very “wisdom of God” incarnate. (1 Corinthians 1.24) It follows, then, that if those under Solomon were happy and blessed, how much more privileged are we to be under the gracious rule of Jesus. Furthermore, if God had placed people under Solomon as an expression of his love for them, how much more is God’s love overflowing to us when he places us under the gracious rule of Jesus? I conclude, happy are we to be in his kingdom. Happy are we.

Rev James Rogers Chaplain

Senior School

Many, many years ago, after taking my first degree at Edinburgh University, I studied to be a teacher in that land of snow and mists. One of the first practical Dip. Ed. classes that I attended was “Discipline 101” which could have been subtitled: ‘The Art and Craft of Belting.’ Great store was placed on how to deliver each blow to the hands of young people (not wrists, arms or any other part of the body) ensuring that ‘a wee slip of lassie’ like me could inflict maximum pain using basic mechanical principles. The training worked quite well, I passed the course and I went on to wield the belt ‘firmly but fairly.’

Discipline

I still have that belt, for some inexplicable reason, and I am horrified when I catch sight of it. It is a relic of times past, a different world and a different worldview, synonymous with the Old Testament “eye for an eye” and “spare the rod, spoil the child” tenets.

The discipline policy which we have in place today at TIGS is one which is the outworking of our Christian beliefs and values. Our aim is to build positive relationships and is based on research and models which work towards reconciliation and restitution, repairing and rebuilding relationships following the imposition of consequences and penalties. It is based on Christian principles using “the example of grace and forgiveness set by Christ.”

Monica Watt

The problem we often encounter is that there are often no public floggings: often the whole community does not see ‘justice being done’ instantly and punitively. We are not a court of law but Deputy Headmaster and we are rigorous in gathering the facts and ensuring that individual students accept responsibility for Head of Senior School the choices that they made. We seek to help them put things right and work things out with those affected. Often the work is long and hard and goes on behind the scenes with students, those affected and with parents. But I have seen how well this system works. I’ve seen students graduate from Year 12 with pride in themselves and what they have achieved because of such work done years before. And I have seen them go on and achieve so much in their future lives because of the support that they had in those formative years.

You might like to read our Discipline Policy document which is on our website in the ABOUT TIGS section where you’ll find School Policies. It’s entitled “Whole School Discipline Policy and Procedures.”

You might also like to read about the concept of Restorative Justice and the organisation – Circle Speak – which has adapted the concepts for schools and young people. http://www.restorativejustice.org/

http://www.circlespeak.com.au/

You really don’t want to see my belt!

Monica Watt Deputy Headmaster and Head of Senior School

Junior School Years 3 and 5 participated in the National Literacy and Numeracy Assessment Program (NAPLAN) this week. The children were calm and confident about these tasks and were looking forward to showing their skills in reading, spelling, writing and maths. NAPLAN week can be a stressful time for children, however, it is our view that the students are well prepared through their day to day learning and development of skills. We are looking forward to using our 2012 NAPLAN results to confirm that our programs are all operating as they should, to identify any areas to be addressed or improved and to affirm our students in their excellent development of skills in the core areas.

NAPLAN is only one set of assessments however and while very useful, we do not rely solely on it to determine a student’s level of success. Our teachers are assessing both formally and informally throughout the teaching and learning sequence to determine pre knowledge, guide in the planning and delivery of learning opportunities and to determine whether the expected progress has occurred. In the vast majority of cases, the NAPLAN results do not bring any surprises as we look to plot out the best learning path for each child. However on occasions they do identify an area to be addressed and when this occurs we are very pleased to have this additional tool at our disposal.

Judi Nealy

A highlight of the past two weeks has been our collaboration with Senior School students in various projects that they are undertaking. Ethan Butson from Year 10 has been working on a UV indication sticker to teach young people about the dangers of UV and to increase their understanding about exposure. He has been meeting with me about trialling his invention in the Junior School and we are looking forward to supporting him in this venture. Inez Playford and Piper Stewart from Year 10 are competing in a Community Problem Solving competition and are representing Australia in the US in July. They have been working on the problem of Bullying in Schools. They have designed lessons and a Bullying Box Intervention Tool which they are trialling in the Junior School.

Head of Junior School

A Kinder to Year 12 School is a unique environment with many advantages and opportunities for our children and the interaction between Senior and Junior children is just one of them. In the Junior School PYP program, action is an essential element of the teaching and learning cycle. At the conclusion of learning the children routinely ask, “so what?” By this they are questioning and evaluating, “what is the purpose of this learning?” “What can I now do that will be different because I know this now?” It is very exciting to observe our children being empowered to take action in various areas and it is even more exciting to support them in their successful action taking.

Ella Fennell, Thomas Saffoury Brandon Nugara, James Brewer Thomas Kirby, Aya Naito Taylor Merritt Reid Gunther, Liberty Collins Joshua Franco Holly Jenner, Temira Cowie Rory Swainson, Isobel Kinnear Francis Mau

Date: Thursday 24 May 2012 Time: 10.00am

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Class Awards

Venue: Centro Restaurant

(Stewart Street, Wollongong - Opposite Aldi)

Cost: $15pp - includes tea/coffee and a delicious buffet of sweets and savouries RSVP: 20 May 2012 RSVP Contact: Text Mary Shalala on 0423190560 or email david@gig.com.au Please RSVP for catering purposes Come along and support a great cause with the opportunity to catch up with family and friends.

Canteen News Canteen Corner Online Lunch Orders

As of Term II we are asking parents to go online to order children’s lunch orders. We would like the online ordering system to supersede the brown paper bag form of ordering and are now asking parents to order lunches online. We will of course accept the old style lunch order if you are not connected to the internet or if time does not allow you to make your order online for any reason.

Please see the information below regarding the online ordering system:

FlexiSchool App

This app has been created for FlexiSchools by “Iron Tortoise” and can be bought from the iTunes store for $1.99, by searching for “FlexiSchools” or by clicking here: http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/flexischools/id514188579?mt=8 Always update your app, as new functions are always becoming available.

New Flexischools App Flexischools has now released an iPhone and iPad app!

New Menu for Term II 2012

Please click here to download the menu for Term II.

Roster Week 5

Monday 21 May HELP NEEDED

Tuesday 22 May Rose Dragutinovich Lauren Cunio

Wednesday 23 May Pat Calchi Daniell Burton

Thursday 24 May Lana Tut

Friday 25 May Melanie Smith Jeanette Young

2012 High School Mooting Competition Congratulations Hugh Allison Congratulations to Hugh Allison of Year 12, who participated in this year’s regional rounds of the 2012 High School Mooting Competition. The judges were very impressed by the abilities of all students, however awarded a Advocacy Merit Award to Hugh – an outstanding achievement!

The Illawarra Grammar School has also been successful in progressing through to the finals. Well done TIGS!

2013 Enrolments We would like to remind existing families that Enrolments for 2013 and beyond are now being taken, with limited positions in several Year groups available. All new students interested in attending The Illawarra Grammar School are required to complete an Application for Enrolment form.

For further information please visit the our website and click on ENROLMENTS or contact Ms Nicci Fripp on 4220 0216 or email: nfripp@tigs.nsw.edu.au

Senior School Careers University of Wollongong Year 10 Future Finder Evening Date: Tuesday 22 May 2012 Location: UOW Hall, Wollongong Campus Time: 6.30pm - 8.30pm Bookings can be made online or by calling UniAdvice on 1300 367 869

The Illawarra Grammar School proudly presents

The

Boyfriend

Show Times 7.30pm 7.30pm 7.30pm 2.00pm 7.30pm

Wednesday June Thursday June Friday June Saturday June Saturday June

13 14 15 16 16

TICKETS $10

School Aged Students

$20 Adult

Tickets available for purchase online via the TIGS Website

www.tigs.nsw.edu.au

Senior School Sport U/15 Boys Bill Turner Cup The U15 boys travelled to Dapto for their second game in the Bill Turner Cup last Thursday. The boys played a fantastic game with lots of team work demonstrated. Dapto had no reply and we went on to win the game six goals to one. Joel Moore (Year 9) had a great game up front scoring three of the goals while Lachlan Scott (Year 9) held the defence together brilliantly.

Credit to all the players for both their conduct and performance.

U/15 Girls Bill Turner Cup

On Wednesday 9 May, the TIGS U/15 Girls Football team travelled to Holy Spirit College, Bellambi, to compete against their team in the first round of the Bill Turner Trophy.

Both teams were evenly matched in the first 10 minutes, with neither team able to break through the defence of the other. After this time the strength and speed of the Holy Spirit team began to become evident. At the half time break the score was 4-0 to Holy Spirit. TIGS went into the second half with the goal of putting the ball in the back of the oppositions net before the end of the game. That was achieved in the last five minutes of the game, with Bridget Mullany scoring a great goal from brilliant lead up with Denali Hutt.

The final score was 8-1 to Holy Spirit.

Rugby 7’s

On Wednesday of Week 3, TIGS entered four teams in the Inaugural Illawarra High School Rugby 7’s competition held at the University of Wollongong.

Up against teams from Edmund Rice, Southern Highlands Christian School, Shoalhaven High School, and Kiama High School, our teams performed admirably. The two teams in the opens division finished 3rd in their respective pools with a number of new players to the game experiencing Rugby for the first time. The under 16’s teams finished the day strongly and even had the opportunity to play against each other, with the Year 9 students taking out bragging rights against their Year 10 school mates. The Under 16’s narrowly lost the final of the day against Kiama High School.

AICES Hockey Championships

Nine students travelled to Newcastle Hockey Complex last week for the AICES Hockey Championships. After three full games of Hockey Ross Sharpe (Year 12) and Lilli Bennett (Year10) were selected in the AICES Open Hockey Teams to attend the CIS trials. Mungo Skyring (Year 11) was selected to play in the Barbarians team to also trial for CIS

Open Hockey team. Congratulations to these students.

AICES U/15 Girls Netball Championships

Last week Ruby Pallone (Year 7) and Mackenzie Roberts (Year 8) played in the AICES U/15 Netball Championships.

They both demonstrated that they will be players to watch in the future for selections in this age group. Well done to both of these students!

Snowsports Entries Now Open

Each year TIGS enter students from Kindergarten through to Year 12 in the Northern Region Snowsports Championships. There are individual and team competitions with the opportunity to represent the School at a State and Australian level in Snowsports.

This year the championships will be held at Thredbo 4 - 7 July 2012. If you would like to enter your child or require more information please contact Jay Tregonning jtregonning@tigs.nsw.edu.au 4220 0200.

TIGS Charity Trivia Night It’s that time of year again, as we are fast approaching the TIGS Charity Trivia Night to be held on Friday 25 May. Please follow this link to place a booking and find details for this wonderful night. All funds raised will be contributed to the 2012 Year 12 Charity, the Friends of the Disability Trust.

Teams will be made up of eight people each, and you may come dressed according to the theme of the letter “D” if you wish.

Keep in mind that there will be a prize for the best dressed table as chosen by a highly qualified panel of judges.

So for those of you who have come before, and to anyone who is yet to participate, we hope to see you there!

The 2012 TIGS School Captains Isaac Kim, Lisa Fernandez, Hugh Allison and Rosemary Davis

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.

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Short Term Homestay Required

28 July 2012 – 8 August 2012

Students from Shonan Koka Daigaku Fuzoku High School in Kanagawa, Japan will visit TIGS for a study tour in July this year.

Our Homestay Coordinator would like to invite TIGS families to participate in this study tour. Any families interested in providing homestay for payment are invited to contact Sally Ann Gail at the School on 42200269 or via email sgail@tigs.nsw.edu.au