NEWSLETTER Daffodil Ball Sarah Moir - Alumni 1999
Headmaster’s Message The Value of Languages Education Head of Senior School Head of Junior School Issue 3 Term III, 2010
Academic • Christian • Caring
Chaplain
The Value of Languages Education There have been times that I wished I had a better command of languages other than English, no more so than when I once attempted to catch a morning peak hour train at Shinjuku Station in Tokyo. Shinjuku is used by 3.4 million passengers every day and it felt that they were all leaving the station as I attempted to enter. I had no hope and caught a taxi instead. There are many benefits arising from learning another language and these go beyond helping us to successfully travel when overseas. It is a curious thing that Australian students, and often their families, typically do not recognise the benefits of learning an additional language and often do not commit to language learning when the opportunities arise. At TIGS we are committed to providing students the opportunity to learn an additional language. I use the term ‘additional language’ deliberately because many of our students already are proficient in a second language. A recent survey of students in our Junior School found that 71 students spoke a language other than English at home. Currently we have 30 International students from South Korea, China, Hong Kong, Macau, Vietnam and Thailand enrolled at TIGS. Language learning is mandated by the Board of Studies with students at TIGS learning Japanese in Years 2 to 6. Learning another language is also an integral part of the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program (PYP). Learning either Japanese or French is also compulsory in Years 7 and 8 after which they may be chosen as electives in Years 9 through to 12. There are many reasons why we are committed to our students learning an additional language:
Stephen Kinsella Headmaster
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It broadens our understanding of people from other cultures. While it is good to know about cultural differences such as food, clothing and religious practice, we gain a better understanding of others when we learn their language. This not only allows us to communicate personally, it gives us an insight into how others think. Globalisation and the growth of the internet mean that it is highly likely that our students will communicate with people from around the world and interact with them as part of their study and work. Those that can communicate using the languages of others are well placed to succeed in such a world.
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With the understanding that comes from learning another language also comes empathy and understanding for the people who speak that language. The understanding of others and the development of personal relationships between cultures that become possible through language learning is the most successful way to counter the bigotry and racism that appears all too often in Australian society and culture.
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The human brain functions better when it learns another language. Skills in organisation, memory and expression have been found to all improve with language learning, not just in the new language but in the mother tongue as well. Research shows that learning a pictorial language such as Japanese also has benefits in developing both the right hemisphere of the brain (visual literacy from learning and understanding the characters) and the left hemisphere (memory and logic from the structure of the language).
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For purely pragmatic reasons, an ability to speak multiple languages will increasingly be essential in forging a career in a global economy. Employees that can communicate with overseas based work colleagues, managers or customers are in increasingly high demand.
With subject selection in the Senior School well and truly underway for 2011, students would do well to be certain of any decision to discard the learning of an additional language. Did you know that at TIGS: •
Students are meeting before and after school for lessons in languages other than English? We are calling these ‘Heritage Language’ classes and these already include students who speak languages other than English at home including Japanese, Mandarin and Urdu with more to follow.
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Students from Years 9 to 12 spent the last holiday break in New Caledonia developing the French language skills.
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In October 2011 students from the senior school will be travelling to Japan to visit our sister school in Hokkaido to develop their Japanese language skills.
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Student in Year 11 will travel to France in December to undertake intensive practice before their HSC year in French.
More information about the study of languages at TIGS can be obtained from the Head of Languages, Ms Previati, through the School Office.
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Stephen Kinsella Headmaster
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Chaplain’s Connection Have you ever acquired a taste for something you now can’t imagine living without? Sometimes a taste for something comes automatically. I remember as a child my first taste of mango. I had for some time refused to eat this fruit because its flesh looked a little like pawpaw (which I didn’t like), and was the same colour as the yolk of an egg (which I can’t eat). So I was convinced I wouldn’t like it. But one day my mother persuaded me to at least taste it before dismissing it forever – and I was an immediate convert. Sometimes a taste for something comes more slowly. I used to take sugar in my coffee. Not just one teaspoon, but three. A friend persuaded me that perhaps all that sugar wasn’t good for me, so I gave it up. Cold turkey. One day, three sugars; the next none. At first it was horrible. Coffee without sugar was bitter! But gradually I began to appreciate actually tasting the coffee, rather than just the sugar – to the point where today, if someone gives me coffee with sugar in it I find it unbearably, sickly, sweet. Sometimes you take to a new food (or drink) straight away. Sometimes it’s an acquired taste: it may be that your first few experiences are terrible, but by persevering, you notice and begin to appreciate flavours and sensations that you had previously missed. In Psalm 34, the psalmist writes that we should “Taste and see that the LORD is good.” We should take the psalmist’s advice and set about on the journey of acquiring a taste for the things of God. So how does one taste of the Lord? In Psalm 119, we read: “Blessed are they whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the LORD. Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart ... Oh, that my ways were steadfast in obeying your decrees! Then I would not be put to shame when I consider all your commands. I will praise you with an upright heart as I learn your righteous laws ... How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your Chaplain word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Praise be to you, O LORD; teach me your decrees. With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth. I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word ... How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!”
John Reed
There’s plenty more, but you get the picture. To taste of the Lord means to walk with him, listening to and following his word. It means meditating on - chewing on - the things of God. It’s not always easy. We have busy lives, and many things demanding our attention. But, in time, this becomes an acquired taste: one that we can hardly go a day without.
Senior School
This week and last we were privileged to be presented with Year 12 HSC performances which exemplified and celebrated our School philosophy on so many levels. At the Extension Music Concert on 5 August and the HSC Drama Night on 9 August one wasn’t sitting in a School room. One was at that magical place where art can take one: where time is suspended and one is held in thrall of performances that are inexplicably moving or thrilling or maybe even downright funny. 1.5 It is recognised that students learn in different ways and at different rates and that the gifts each child possesses are unique in the extent and combinations. Student learning is organised so that each child is given the opportunity to identify and develop their gifts and talents to the fullest extent. Year 12 Drama students performed in three group-devised and group-performed pieces of drama. From the poignant and hauntingly symbolic Free Town which Elias Brown, Martin Gallagher, Angelique Ngoy, Hellen Norrison and Zoe Wong based on the true stories of refugees; to BP The Musical written, composed and gloriously yet outrageously performed by Georgia Kollaras, John Reynolds and Debbie Neilson and the slick and witty Sticky Date Pudding written and deftly presented by Georgia Crisp, Renee Simmons and Anthea Theophanou. Each of the students showcased their different talents within the group and each group combined those talents to produce true theatre which elevates and transports. Each student also presented an individual project: either a performance or design brief or a script.
Monica Watt
1.6 The School sets excellence as its standard when planning and evaluating its academic programs and outcomes. Excellence is viewed as neither elitist nor exclusive and is accessible to all who aspire to be the best they can be.
Deputy Headmaster
Madelaine Hitchcock, Lauren Aitcheson, Aneshka Mora and Tiffany Cheng are each outstanding musicians and performers who in the Extension Music Concert displayed their virtuosity, their range, their repertoire and left the audience in awe of their consummate professionalism. Sometimes words cannot do justice to the levels of excellence which each of these students demonstrated not only on this wonderful evening but also at House Competitions, School Musicals, School Performances and Assemblies over their years here at TIGS. Their performances and pursuit of excellence have been inspiring to both their peers and to younger students. They have each contributed so much to the culture of the School. 1.6 The advantages of our culture of academic excellence are not just for the individual but are for the benefit of our whole School community and beyond. Thank you to all Year 12 Performing Arts students for giving us so much joy and contributing so much over the years. But there is more ......... Can I also encourage everyone to come and experience the unique TIGS culture of excellence at The Works Exhibition (27 and 28 August), the HSC Music 2 Concert (31 August) and the Music 1 Concert (7 September.) I promise that you will find that this Year 12 are truly outstanding.
Junior School Recently 1W presented an item at Junior Chapel Service. They learnt about Hezekiah, the Good King who trusted in God more than any other King before or after his time. In order to deepen their understanding of what it means to trust in God, they were asked to think about ways they can put their trust in God and times that they have done this. After some discussion they drew pictures to express their understanding. Operation Christmas Child Item for Week 5 is ‘Something Special’
Judi Nealy
Head of Junior School
Junior School Sport
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3A
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Zane Taylor, Estelle Robertson
KP
Ben Giason
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Charlotte Atkinson
1D
Nikala Bricevski, Julian Lopac
1S
Jessica Hall, Cambell Cleary
2A
Sarah Tubman, Danielle Wharrie
Illawarra District Netball Association Carnival On the 1 August TIGS entered 5 school teams into the competition. Teams came from all regions including Sydney, Southern Highlands, South Coast and the Illawarra. TIGS U/9 Sapphires – This team was graded correctly and celebrated their first win of the season. Many close games and lots of improvement. TIGS U/10 Sparkles – The team had numerous close games against tougher competition than usual. They won 2 games and lost 5 having a day of great experience for the girls. TIGS U/11 Crystals – This team had only 7 players for the day and played extremely well under the circumstances - 3 wins and 3 losses. TIGS U/11 Diamonds – Extremely competitive day with 5 wins, a draw and 2 losses. The girls responded to pressure and fought back to win in many games. They came 2nd overall which is an outstanding result against these teams from other regions. Thank you to our umpires, Katerina Dominis, Leanne Brailey, Cassandra Wallace, Gina Snodgrass and Emily Sotiros for giving up their Sunday to support the Club. Thank you also all the coaches for their time and efforts on the day.
r e t s o R n antee Arts CCreative The Works Exhibition
There are only a few weeks left before the Opening Night of The Works Exhibition. We are pleased to announce that not only will we have 37 current students represented but we will also have 50 artists’ works which will be available for purchase on the night and the following day. On Saturday 28 August, a range of fascinating talks will be given by past students who are currently working in the arts field. ‘The Works Cafe’ will be open for visitors to enjoy on Saturday from 11am until 2pm. An exhibiting artist’s works is shown here. Enquiries about the exhibition should be forwarded to Sandra Esposito sesposito@tigs.nsw.edu.au or Wendi Leigh wleigh@tigs.nsw.edu.au
Student Art Competitions
There are so many wonderful art/photographic competitions that students can be a part of at the moment. Please click here for the Term III Timetable.
Alicia Geissler Gluttony HSC 2010
Mary Preece Saraband Friend of TIGS
Information for Parents on Senior School Supervision The Goodhew Centre opens at 8am each morning. Teaching staff are on roving duty on the campus from 8.20am supervising locker areas and play areas. Students who stay behind after 3.15pm, or do not get picked up until after the last scheduled bus leaves the school at 3.45pm, must sign in at the library which is open until 5pm, Monday to Thursday. At 5pm, when the library closes one TIGS bus goes north and the other south. On Friday the library is closed at 4pm. There are no late TIGS buses on Friday. Students are not to leave the campus if there is a scheduled activity, rehearsal etc which begins at 3.30 or a little later. They should wait in the area designated by the supervising teacher until the activity begins. In the case of an excursion, the supervising teacher will give students instructions about arrangements. For their own safety, students are not to be in any area of the campus unsupervised nor are they to play games or use sports facilities unless they are with a teacher or coach.
An Update On How To Donate Obsolete School Uniforms A big thank you to all parents who have sent in uniform items that are no longer part of the official School uniform. I am currently in the process of re-doing my stocktake to count in the latest arrivals and bundling them up ready for shipment. I am still collecting so please do not think it is too late to send your items in. Please send items in to either Senior or Junior School reception as soon as possible. I am collecting any items of the former sports uniform (white sleeved sports jackets, cotton rugby style shorts, girls’ shorts with maroon stripe on one leg) and also superceded Prep uniforms. I am also thrilled to report that the uniforms have found a home in Tanzania, supporting the fabulous work of the Katoke Trust. This trust is a project set up by a TIGS parent, Leonie Cox and is providing secondary education to children of Tanzania. Leonie herself runs in-service teacher programmes for teachers within the region, to improve the quality of education within primary and secondary schools. Our uniforms will go straight to the Katoke Secondary School and also to a needy village primary school, as designated by the Trust. At this stage, the container with our items will leave in September and arrive in January ready for back-to-school distribution to many needy children. I am also happy to collect other items of wearable clothing for the consignment, particularly soccer boots, school shoes and sport shoes. If you would like further information about the work of the Katoke Trust, you can access their website at www.katoketrust. com. Thank you again for your support of this project. Any questions, please feel free to contact me on 0438683968 or mdkovac@bigpond.net.au Kind regards Megan Kovac
We are now taking enrolments for the December Vacation Care - 13/12/10 - 17/12/10 Please check on the TIGS Website for further information, as well as an enrolment form and booking sheet, Please return completed forms to the Junior School Office at your earliest convenience this will secure your child a place. As you can see from the photos, the children had an amazing time in the June/July Vacation Care week. Also enjoy some photos of the children at TIGS Extended After School Care.
TIGS EXTENDED
Senior School Sports NASSA Football Boys
Junior and Intermediate Boys On Monday 26 July the Junior (Year 7) and Intermediate (Year 8 & 9) travelled to Jim Ring Reserve, Birrong, to compete in the NASSA Football Gala Day. Both teams played admirably and won their respective divisions. Both teams played five and four games respectively. Each game lasted 30 minutes. The Junior side won all five of their matches relatively comfortably, scoring a total of 19 goals and conceding just five. Special mention goes to Lachlan Scott who scored 12 goals and Kyle Del who scored 6. The team performed well in all positions and dominated most of their games. The Intermediate side had a slow start to the tournament, losing and drawing their first two games. However, after victories in the final two games, the Intermediates won the competition on goal difference. Special thanks to Brett Patterson for coaching the team. Finally, thank you to all of the boys that participated on what was a very successful day. Coach: Mr Wall Senior Boys The Senior Boy’s team had a very ‘consistent’ day with three one-all draws and a loss to finish in 4th position at the end of their four games. They were, perhaps, a
little unfortunate not to have won two of those games given the free flowing style and technical ability they displayed on the day. Thanks to Jake Anastas, Nathan Belsito, Jake Broers, Jackson Gosling, Adam Greedy, William Harrison, Nikita Langford, Dylan Mena-Naydovski, Luke Moore, Alexander Morlando, Mitchell Neilson, Brandon Saveski, Lachlan Shrubb
The Illawarra Academy of Sport
The Illawarra Academy of Sport is currently taking athlete nominations for its sport programs in the sports of: • • • • • •
Hockey Rugby Union Netball Tennis Individual Athletics Netball U15s
All necessary information and athletes’ nomination forms are available at the Illawarra Academy of Sport website: WWW.IAS.ORG.AU Nominations Close: Saturday 21 August 2010. Any further questions please feel free to contact the IAS office.
Hockey
Illawarra Women’s Hockey are running an Indoor Hockey Coaching clinic for all players. This will be run by Gaye Tarrant (Australian Indoor player from 1992-2007,
Australian Indoor Captain 1996-2007). Under 13 Girls When: 16, 23, 30 August and 6 September Where: Indoor Hockey Stadium, Waples Road, Unanderra Time: 4.15-5.30pm Cost: $25 for the four weeks Under 15 Girls When: 16, 23, 30 August and 6 September Where: Indoor Hockey Stadium, Waples Road, Unanderra Time: 5.15-6.30pm Cost: $25 for the four weeks Under 11 players will be provided with an opportunity to play. Details are to be advised.
Coerver Skills Training Sessions
To further develop football in the Senior School at TIGS we are providing specialist Coerver coaching at the school. When: Tuesday afternoons 3.30-4.30pm Where: Senior School Oval Coach: Matt Borg Cost: Free This program is available to all Senior School students. Students are encouraged to come along advance their skills and have some fun. Registration forms are available from student reception. For more details see Mrs. Sharpe at school.
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New Term III Menu
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There is a new Term III menu which includes price changes. Please ensure you refer to this when you are placing an order. This menu is also available on the School Web Site.
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Online Ordering is Here!
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Our School has now introduced a great new online ordering system for the canteen called FlexiSchools. This system allows parents or students to place orders from home, work or school at any time up until 9:00am in the morning.
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The payment is also done online, so you no longer need to send cash or write up a paper order.
Anne Ke enzie Mc K Alison Gibbs Kim
As well as being convenient for parents, the online orders are much faster and easier for the canteen to process - so it makes everyone’s life a little easier. FlexiSchools is well established and tested, operating in hundreds of schools across Australia.
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Getting online is easy and only takes a second to register. Simply go to www.flexischools.com.au and click “Register Now”. You will be sent an email with further instructions on how to complete the registration. Once registered, you can start placing orders immediately. If you have any questions, FlexiSchools provide a great help desk on 1300 361 769, or you can contact them via their website.
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There are a variety of payment options supported, including Visa, Mastercard (credit and debit), Bank Transfer and Payclick. The system operates via a pre-paid account, so you don’t need to scrounge for coins in the morning and can easily budget for your canteen spending throughout the Term. The system is now available, so we look forward to seeing your next order online! If you have any questions please feel free to contact the canteen on 4220 0241 for more information.
TIGS P & F TIGS P & F September Dinner & Auction 3 September Wollongong.
6.30pm
at
Villa
D’Oro,
Flinders
Street
Come along and join the fun with a great dinner, drinks and a DJ to entertain you, all for $80 per person. To continue in the proud TIGS tradition, we are helping to fund the installation of shelters for the bus and car lines and for the road between the Junior and Senior Schools. Payment can be made by cash, cheque or direct deposit to the TIGS P & F account. Click here for the Auction booking form. Please fill in and return the booking form to School with payment or payment details if using direct deposit facility. For more information please call Sheridon Tregonning 0409822273 or Sheldri Hamilton Smith - 0417301108. This is our only all School social function for the year.
BOOK I N G S C LOSI NG NOW! TIGS Class of 1990
TIGS Tee Off Charity Golf Day
Sunday 22 August 2010 from 8.45am All welcome – Teachers, Students, Family and Friends Wollongong Golf Club, 4BBB Medley Stableford Cost including lunch $50pp - General $25pp - Wollongong Golf Club members $20pp - Children/6-9 hole fun competition for non-golfers Social handicaps available Prizes, raffles, mulligans and much more All proceeds to support Triple Care Farm Enquiries/Booking - Email Leisl at leisl@eplaza.com.au or call 0414 258563 Also seeking sponsorship for individual holes and prizes for the trophies and raffles. All support greatly appreciated.
TIGS Class of 2000
High School Reunion 20 years
High School Reunion 10 years
If you attended TIGS during your primary years from 1978 - 1984 or in Year 7 1985 to Year 12 1990 you and your partner are invited to attend the 20 year School reunion
If you attended TIGS during your primary years from 1988 - 1994 or in Year 7 1995 to Year 12 2000 you are invited to attend the 10 year School reunion
Click here to view full invitation
Click here to view full invitation
To keep up-to-date with the latest news and events that are happening in and around our School, we encourage you to subscribe to the email Newsletter. Simply visit our website: www.tigs.nsw.edu.au and sign up on the home page.
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