Issue 4 Term IV 2015

Newsletter Academic Christian Caring

ISSUE 4

TERM IV 2015 Junior School students participating in Jump Rope for Heart

Headmaster

TIGS has a strong sporting tradition that dates back to its first years. Students in the Senior School compete for the Shell Shield each year through a range of activities, including sports. At the recent Year 12 Graduation Ceremony the Shell Shield for 2014/2015 was awarded to Wolgal House.

It is useful to be reminded of the history of the Shell Shield and the important part it plays in the 57 year history of our School.

Our records indicate that in 1959 when the School commenced with students in Kindergarten through to Year 5 they were placed in three Houses: Kingsley, Wilberforce and Shaftesbury.

Congratulations to all our prize winning athletes who were recognised for their achievements at the Annual Sports Presentation Evening held this week.

There were a total of 120 students, ranging in age from 8 through to our recently graduated Year 12, honoured for their achievements. I was impressed with the range of sports represented beyond the expected swimming, athletics and cross-country sports. You would expect surfing in a coastal community but some unexpected sports such as snow sports were also featured.

Our students are encouraged and supported in the pursuit of excellence in their chosen activities. They were reminded that in their success they should appreciate the support they receive from parents (and often grandparents), coaches and teachers. It is exciting to see students making the most of the opportunities that they have to pursue their interests and dreams and the Presentation Evening was certainly an exciting night.

It was also inspiring to hear from the guest speaker at the Sports Presentation Evening, Katie-Louise Patterson. Katie-Louise was School Captain of TIGS in 2008 and spoke about her sporting career and how it has its roots in her experiences at our School.

This year (apart from her busy career in finance) she became the first female to referee an A-League Football match (men’s competition) and her journey, including her triumphs and mistakes, was inspirational and we are proud to have her as a member of TIGS alumni.

What happened between 1959 and 1968 is not clear. The Shell Shield records that the winning House in the period 1968 to 1971 was Farrer. An ex-student from that time, Rod Yeatman, remembers that in 1966 the Houses were Shaftesbury (Green), Wilberforce (Yellow), Kingsley (Maroon) and Hammond (Light Blue). He remembers further that in 1968 the House names changed to Farrer (Gold), Mawson (Light Blue) and Wentworth (Green). Two new Houses, Sturt House (Yellow) and Hume House (Green), were also created in the Junior School.

The record from 1973 onward is much clearer. In that year the current Houses were created and named after Aboriginal groups: Aranda (Yellow - NT), Coligan (Blue- Vic), Kogara (Red-WA) and Wolgal (Green-NSW).

The Shell Shield was donated to the School by the Shell Company and first awarded in 1961 to Wilberforce House. All available space on the original shield was used up by 1993. The original shield is now the centre part of the now much larger shield, also donated by the Shell Company, which was first won by Coligan in 1994.

Since competition between the current Houses began, the Shell Shield has been won by all four Houses: Aranda (Yellow) 9 times winners, the time in 2013 Coligan (Blue) 9 times winners, the time in 2009 Kogara (Red) 8 times winners, the time in 2014 Wolgal (Green) 18 times winners, last time in 2015

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The scope of the competition for the Shell Shield has broadened in recent years to encompass the breadth of activities available for students at TIGS. In 2015/6, students will represent their Houses in competition for the Shell Shield in the following areas: • House Quiz Competition • Swimming Carnival

• • • •

Cross Country Carnival ArtsFest (covering Music, Drama and Visual Art) Athletics Carnival The Great Race

Dance,

The breadth of these activities reflects the School’s commitment to the education and celebration of the whole child and the benefits, as Katie- Louise Patterson demonstrates, equip students for success far beyond their school years.

From Year 11, 2017 students at TIGS will be in the advantageous position of being able to select two reputable courses of study – the HSC and the IB Diploma Programme (DP). Both courses will be equally supported by the School so students can choose the course of study that best suits their needs.

It is important that students and parents are fully informed about both courses so that an informed decision can be made.

Understandably, a number of information sessions about the DP have been held, and will continue to be held, to inform families about this new opportunity at TIGS. During these sessions it has become clear that there are many misunderstandings about the HSC, particularly in the areas of assessment and scaling.

To address this issue, a number of information sessions, specifically about the HSC assessment and scaling, are being held by the Director of Teaching and Learning, Ms Melina Sangster. A booking for one of these sessions can be made HERE. There has also been coverage of the DP in the media: •

Comments by Sir Ken Robinson https://app.frame.io/f/eQJnwCNn

•

SMH article about the DP at St Paul’s Grammar School http://www. smh.com.au/national/education/ international-baccalaureate-examsbegin-in-australia-and-around-theworld-20151102-gkp910.html

The School will continue to supply information about both the HSC and the DP so that students and families are fully informed when course choices are made mid-year in Year 10.

Stephen Kinsella Headmaster

Chaplain’s Message WHAT’S IN A NAME?

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” So says Juliet to Romeo in the great play by William Shakespeare. Her point is that a name is a mere label that in no way describes the essence of the one she loves. While this may be so in Romeo and Juliet, it is not always the case with names. Oftentimes names do describe their referent. An example is the name of God – Yahweh as it is transliterated from the Hebrew to English.

Yahweh is the verb ‘to be’. It is descriptive of God. He is the one who is. Indeed, He is the one who was, who is and who will always be. He is the ground of existence - Yahweh.

Christian Studies has always been a core subject at TIGS. But I think there is a better name that captures the essence of the subject. That name is Biblical Studies. In Christian Studies our primary text is God’s word, the Bible. We seek to learn the content of the Bible - how its immense diversity finds its profound unity in the person and work of Jesus Christ; we seek to learn how to read the Bible intelligently – taking note of the historical and literary elements of each book; we seek to understand how the Bible would have us view the world – comparing and contrasting its worldview with other dominant worldviews; we seek to understand the Bible’s impact on history and culture – observing how many of the structures and customs of western society are built on the foundation of its pages; we seek to discern the peculiar vision of the good life the Bible promotes – again, comparing and contrasting this with alternate versions of the good life.

If this is our core business in Christian Studies – understanding the Bible and its implications for life – then why not call it Biblical Studies? It seems a better description of what actually happens in the classroom. And this is what we intend to do right across the School from 2016. In making this change we join many other like-minded schools who have adopted this

name or who have always used it as a fitting label for their subject.

There is another reason I think a name change is warranted.

For some, Christian Studies denotes studies for Christians. Those who don’t consider themselves Christians can sometimes wonder what the subject has to do with them. It can be an unnecessary hindrance to learning.

Rev James Rogers Chaplain

The study of the Bible, however does not necessitate or even suggest a prior commitment. Knowing the content of this book helps us to better understand the world we live in, a worthy endevour for all. Making a decision to live according to this book is a personal choice, but one which will bring ultimate reward.

I hope you will embrace this new name with me and forgive me the times when I slip back into calling it Christian Studies!

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

Thursday 12 November 7.30am - 8.20am In the

TIGS Goodhew Research Centre (Library) Academic • Christian • Caring

An International Baccalaureate World School

TIGS

Prayer

Breakfast

RSVP Tuesday 10 November VISIT www.tigs.nsw.edu.au Please contact Mrs Douglas on 4220 0284 or email mdouglas@tigs.nsw.edu.au

Senior School

One of the most exciting aspects of an IB education is the wider perspective that it brings. Our students learn to view the world and knowledge through different lenses, particularly that of global contexts. This makes them more empowered, more adaptable and much more discerning.

By learning a second language, students expand and enrich their brains by activating neural pathways that would never otherwise be forged and activated. Have a look at Prof. Robert Winston’s explanation of this process. www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4np5wLAhWw Not only do our academic disciplines support such approaches to learning but also in the communal life of the School we seek to ensure that our students experience different languages and cultures and that they experience the single most critical element in cross-cultural understanding – personal relationships – such a feature of 21st century life and the careers our students will embrace.

Students have lots of opportunities to travel and learn from different communities: Nganambala in the Northern Territory, the Crossroads Community in Hong Kong and Vietnam, through the Society and Culture Trip.

We have also forged academic relationships with schools in Japan and Taiwan. Our students and theirs enjoy exchange visits to study and learn at: Sapporo Nichidai High School, Japan; Tachibana High School, Japan and Pumen High School, Kaohsiung, Taiwan

Monica Watt Head of Senior School Deputy Headmaster

In addition, a number of carefully selected schools with excellent English programmes now visit us: Prasarnmit Demonstration School, Bangkok Thailand; Chi Lin Buddhist Primary School, Hong Kong; Caritas Girls Junior High School, Kawasaki Japan; Wellspring International Bilingual School, Hanoi Vietnam and, over the last two weeks, students from St Gabriel’s College, Bangkok have stayed with host families, made friends with our students and joined some of their classes.

Their stay concluded with three of the students: Chotipat Mekanontchai, Sawut Assavalerdplakorn and Natthapol Kittitadachaikul addressing us on Assembly - with the support of our Cross Cultural Prefects Ruilin Zhu and Wi Meh. They were funny and engaging and had clearly forged strong relationships here.

Our Mission statement promotes that ‘All relationships within the School should be characterized by courtesy, grace and understanding.’ Our students learn to demonstrate these qualities everyday and carry these social skills out into the world through our continued commitment to global understanding.

P.S. Another great way to facilitate global understanding for the whole family is to host an overseas student in your home. Payment for homestay is $260 per week and Ms. Sally Gail our Coordinator of International Programmes would love to hear from you if you would be interested in this. She can be contacted at: sgail@tigs.nsw.edu. au

MYP Personal Project As mentioned in last week’s newsletter, our current Year 9 cohort will be undertaking a Personal Project in 2016. The details of this project can be accessed via OLLE, by choosing Senior School ---> MYP Personal Project from the menu. Should parents require further information, they should contact the Personal Project Co-ordinator, Mrs Margaret Dubowski, and register their interesting in attending one of the information sessions next week.

Session times are as follows: Tuesday – 8.00am (Library Media Room) Thursday – 4.00pm (Chaplain’s Office) Please use the following email address if interested in attending, or to request an appointment regarding the project mdubowski@tigs.nsw.edu.au

TIGSFOUNDATION Fundraising Event

TIGS Foundation

"Not so secret" Men's Business “Rugby World Cup Wash Up” with

Glen Ella

Former Australian Rugby Union Player

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6.30pm Friday 13 November 2015 North Beach Surf Club, North Wollongong

Tickets

Includes gourmet BBQ, beverages and entertainment SPONSORED BY

TICKETS ON SALE NOW Visit www.tigs.nsw.edu.au or enquiries to Lisa Wilson on 4220 0264

HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT ADVERTISING YOUR BUSINESS THROUGH OUR TIGS COMMUNITY? Have you been online recently to visit the new initiative of TIGS Foundation? The TIGS Community Business Directory is enabling TIGS families to promote their business/s by advertising their details on the TIGS Website.

There is an annual fee of $300 per business each calendar year for advertising in the Directory. Upon approval, immediate applications for 2015 will receive a bonus of several weeks’ free advertising, expiring 31 December 2016. Applications for 2016 are currently being finalised.

The Business Directory will provide an opportunity to strengthen and tighten the bonds between the School, parents and the businesses contained within the School Community.

If you are interested and would like to be involved please phone, Lisa Wilson on 4220 0264 or Joanne Danckwardt 0426 264 771, or email: foundation@tigs.nsw.edu.au TIGS reserves the right to decline any advertisement or request changes before accepting any submissions.

Junior School Class Construction The class construction process in the Junior School is complex, requiring the input and expertise of all classroom teachers to design learning communities for the next academic year.

During this process we discuss each child, their academic, physical and social needs and construct intentional classes designed to support learning. There will be movement between classes and being with a friend is only one element that is considered when placing a child in a learning group for the next academic year. In fact, sometimes, being with a particular friend is not the best decision for constructing a learning (not purely social) environment. In each grade there will be cluster groups formed for children who are gifted and talented or who have a particular area of skill or need. This allows us to cater specifically to these needs.

I encourage parents with any particular concerns regarding class placement to come and speak to me over the week, I will be happy to hear your perspective. Please be advised however, that classes Judi Nealy are not constructed based on parent requests regarding teacher Head of Junior School choice or friendship preferences. This information is considered after the construction process has occurred and in some cases minor adjustments are made.

The 2015 teachers will spend a considerable amount of time handing over to the 2016 teachers so that continuity of information and care is maintained.
The children (and their parents) will find out who their 2016 teacher and classmates are on the first day of school in February. On the first day of school, all children go back to their old classroom, catch up with their old teacher and classmates and then we progress each year group into their new classes over the course of the morning.

This is the most organised and stress free way to do this for the children. Meet the teacher evenings will occur in week 2 of Term I so you will all have an opportunity to get to know your child’s new teacher very early in the year.

We all start to get excited as we plan a new year of learning, but it is important that we finish 2015 well. It is my expectation that the children will all work right up until the end of the year as well as maintain their high standards in the areas of uniform and behaviour. Thank you to our parents who support us in ensuring a great finish even as we look to the year ahead.

Sports Presentation

A highlight for me this week was attending the Sport Presentation evening on Wednesday evening. This event is unique because it recognised achievement in a particular area of endeavor across the entire School. It was great to observe our Junior School Athletes being inspired and encouraged by their older peers.

The other aspect of this event that I find particularly pleasing is the overt recognition of the importance of persistence, training, practice and attitude in order to achieve success. Every student who received an award has had to work incredibly hard to earn it, they have all had set backs and recovered from them, each has had the support of parents, coaches and our School Sport Department and each could stand on stage not only feeling excited and proud of their success but very much aware of the effort it took to achieve it.

This is life long learning and the development of skills and attitudes that benefit the children in a myriad of ways, not just in the sporting arena. I congratulate all of the recipients of awards from the Sports Presentation and encourage our other Junior School students to investigate how practice, persistence and effort will assist them in being the best that they can be, in whichever domain they choose.

ICAS MATHEMATICS RESULTS

MERIT CERTIFICATE Personal Presentation Ali Matar Jacob Murrie

Year 2

High Distinction Joanne Park

Service

Distinction

Glory Obinwanor Nicole Mau Adil Qureshi

Ashley Brewer Joshua Burden

Year 3

High Distinction Tyler Sullivan

WEEKLY AWARDS

Distinction

KD KP 1W 1Y 2M 2Mc 2S 2T 3R 3S 3WJ 4Y 5G 6C

Diya Mehan Oren Petersen Anika Rindani Samarth Sirohi

Year 4

Distinction

Euan Christopher Angus Kiang Aditya Kumaresan

Year 5

Distinction

Nadia Nagaratnam Alison Guo Michael Marzano

Alexander Burden, Joshua Llewellin Maddison Tonkin Riya Bahl, Lily Still, Roscoe Kambouris Miriam Al-Khalidy, Connor Hutchinson Rhea Boga Bora Kim, Ayaan Chabungbam Ronak Jayswal, Cate Giason, Spencer Newhouse Astrid Sperring, Chelsy Wayne William Dolan, Cohen Sawyer Brandon Nugara, Diya Mehan, Teerth Khanna Victoria Steward, Hussen Bangamwabo Jamilla Perri, Thomas Bradley Zachary Birch, Benjamin Lu Joshua Locke Paterson, Alexandria Gunther

Year 6

Distinction

Elliot Winn Aria Bacic-Johnston Jayson Cooper Isobel Kinnear James Kirby Amy Lendrum Lauren O’Hanlon

DATES FOR YOUR DIARIES:

Thursday 12 November Thursday 19 November Saturday 28 November Monday 7 December Thursday 10 December

Academic

Nadia Nagaratnam Euan Christopher Anika Rindani Spencer Newhouse Mia Taylor Jamilla Perri Ella Fennell Ella Smith Teerth Khanna Cate Giason Glory Obinwanor Tyler Sullivan Connor Hutchinson William Dolan Samuel Murrie Joshua Llewellin Allegra Fock Gabriella Thornton Aushada Ranamuka Rallage Samuel Stevenson Rhea Boga Sayuri Taaffe Femke Duursma Chloe Jackson Thomas Kirby Oscar Tilden Terrance Tsakiridis Reuben Grundy Stephanie Fiorio Thomas Saffoury Guoqin Ding Samuel Murrie Jessica Llewellin Abha Mundada Spencer Clark Leonardo Attorre

Jump Rope for Heart Jump Off Year 6 Progression Dinner Infants Pageant 10.00am – 12.00pm to be held in the IGC Christmas Celebration Year 3 - Year 6 Presentation Evening

Junior School Sport Jump Rope for Heart

All our Junior School students are fervently working on their skipping skills and raising awareness of heart health. It is wonderful to see all our students improving their skills and fitness.

We have a number of students who have raised significant amounts of money for the cause with many of them coming from our Stage 1 classes.

Well done to Nelle-May Makowski, Noah Bottele and Kaj Eriksson who have so far raised over $1000.00 each.

Please click on or visit the link below to see our fundraising endeavours or to sign up. http://jumprope.everydayhero.com.au/event/JumpRope2015-TheIllawarraGrammarSchool-111585 Our Jump Off day is Thursday 12 November.

Second-hand Uniform and Textbook Trading The School is conscious of the need to provide an efficient process for families to be able to recycle and trade their textbooks, uniforms and other student resources.

We are pleased to inform you of the School’s new initiative to provide our School community with the ability to trade secondhand items via the Sustainable School Shop. Results from other schools have been excellent; families have enjoyed a more comprehensive and convenient method of trading these items.

The service provides year round access to second-hand textbooks, uniforms, calculators, stationery, musical equipment, etc.

Individuals can trade within the school community or with members from other school communities; many schools use this service.

For • • • • • • • • •

the best results: Register on the Sustainable School Shop website (www.sustainableschoolshop.com.au) List your items for sale List wanted ads for those items you are looking to buy The School’s uniform and booklists are loaded into the system to make listing ads easy The system matches the ads of buyers with sellers and notifies the buyer (wanted ad) via email Buyers contact sellers and arrange where and when to trade Most trading will occur with other members of the school community Families are well supported via Sustainable School Shop’s telephone (1300 683 337) and email help lines The system is simple and easy to use - If you don’t have a computer, internet access or an email address, please call the Sustainable School Shop for assistance • You can pre-arrange the transaction and then trade after the texts are not required.

Families are offered three levels of access: • Search only - registering/logging-in on to the Sustainable School Shop, searching all the for sale ads and gaining the sellers’ contact details is free.

• Single items cost $1.00 to be advertised • Subscription - an annual subscription costs $19.95 and is the most anyone will pay. These are taken by families who have many items to advertise.

All enquiries should be directed to the Sustainable School Shop on: 1300 683 337 or help is also available through ‘Contact Us’ on their website at www.sustainableschoolshop.com.au We are very excited about this new initiative and we hope you will make the most of this opportunity and gain the benefit from recycling your student’s school items.

The Arrowsmith Program A COGNITIVE PROGRAMME

The Arrowsmith Program will be offered after school at TIGS in 2016. This will allow more of our TIGS families to benefit from the great results we are seeing. If your child is under performing or has an identified learning difficulty, cognitive exercises may help them to learn more independently in the future.

There are two delivery options avalable. The at-home option requires 1 hour at School each fortnight on a Wednesday and a commitment to complete homework each week.

The part time program will be held Tuesdays and Thursdays 3.30pm - 6.00pm in term time.

We have limited places. Please register your interest by the visiting the TIGS website. www.tigs.nsw.edu.au/events-and-bookings

Extend@ TIGS ONLINE BOOKINGS: extend.com.au CALL OUR OFFICE: 1300 366 437

WEEK 6 ACTIVITIES: Monday 9 November Craft: Alien Hands Outdoor sport: Soccer

Tuesday 10 November Library and play lawn Indoor sport: Drama Play Wednesday 11 November Craft: Christmas Card Competition Indoor Sport: Chinese Whispers Outdoor Sport: Soccer Thursday 12 November Indoor activity: Simon Says and Charades Science: Hovercraft Outdoor Sport: Soccer

Please join us any time between 5.00pm and 8.00pm to catch up with Monica and wish her well in her retirement DATE Friday 20 November 2015 AT The Illawarra Grammar School In the Goodhew Research Centre (Library)

RSVP Essential - Friday 13 November 2015 Visit TIGS website

www.tigs.nsw.edu.au/events-and-bookings

Academic • Christian • Caring

An International Baccalaureate World School

Friday 13 November Craft: Recycled craft Outdoor Sport: Cricket

UPCOMING

EVENTS

WEEK 6

TIGS Prayer Breakfast

7.30am Thursday 12 November in The Goodhew Research Centre

WEEK 7

Year 6 Progression Dinner 5.15pm Thursday 19 November in the IGC

WEEK 8

House Quizzes

1.40pm to 3.10pm Monday 23 November in the IGC

Year 10 Formal

6.30pm Friday 27 November at the Villa D’oro

Infants Pageant

10.00am – 12.00pm Saturday 28 November in the IGC