Issue 5 Term II, 2013

NEWSLETTER

Issue 5 Term II 2013 School Production CATS preperation

Academic • Christian • Caring

Programs of Teaching and Learning Last weekend, The Australian newspaper published a league table that ranked schools on the basis of their 2012 NAPLAN results. TIGS ranked very highly in these tables: •

In the list of the Top 100 Primary Schools, our Junior School was ranked 71st in Australia

•

In the list of Top 80 Secondary Schools, our Senior School was ranked 43rd in NSW

No other non-selective school from the Illawarra was ranked in these tables.

The School is pleased to receive this recognition. However, we believe the value of a TIGS education far exceeds the very narrow measure of student performance that NAPLAN provides.

Teachers at TIGS do not stop normal teaching to prepare students for NAPLAN tests.

At TIGS we follow our normal programs of teaching and learning, confident in the expertise of our teachers to cover the skills assessed by NAPLAN. Delivering the syllabus of the NSW Board of Studies within the framework of the International Baccalaureate Organisation’s Primary Years Programme (PYP) for Prep to Year 6 and the Middle Years Programme (MYP) for Years 7 to 10, is the best way for our students to learn. We are pleased when this is confirmed by external organisations such as The Australian.

Stephen Kinsella Headmaster

The 2013 season of CATS opens on Thursday 20 June.

Rehearsal of this famous Andrew Lloyd Webber musical is approaching its final stages and there is excitement amongst the 157 students and 20 staff involved as staging, costuming and make-up are finalised.

At the Senior School Assembly this week we were delighted to see a preview of the production with Grizabella (Michaela Georgiou) and the TIGS Orchestra performed Memory, a well-known and loved hit song from the musical.

CATS is next in a long line of challenging musicals that have been successfully presented by the students and staff at TIGS. It is a tribute to the students that they have developed a culture and expectation of excellence amongst the performers which the senior students pass on to the younger students each year. This has enabled the School to successfully present complex musicals such as Les Miserables, Jesus Christ Superstar, West Side Story and The Boyfriend in recent years.

TIGS does not choose easy musicals. It is our belief that by setting the standard at a high level, students rise to the challenge.

This is our experience in the classroom, on the sporting field and on stage. It is no surprise that students that perform beyond our expectations in a musical or in a sporting contest do the same in their academic studies.

One of the delights of observing the musical each year is to watch the progression of students from the chorus in Year 7 through to lead roles in Year 11. The School policy is that students in Year 12 need to restrict their involvement to being a part of the audience because of the demands of their HSC year.

Please show your support and encouragement for the students and staff involved in this year’s production of CATS by attending one of the performances. Bookings may be made through the School website.

On Tuesday, 28 May the School Council approved the School’s Strategic Plan for 2013 to 2017.

The Plan builds on the gains made under the previous Strategic Plan which expired at the end of 2012. It has been developed after a period of broad consultation with the School Community, including: • The School Council • Staff • Parents • Students The process of development was informed by: •

The evaluation of the outcomes under the Strategic Plan: 2008 – 2012

•

External consultation, assessment and recommendations by the Association of Independent Schools (AIS) that conducted a whole-of-school review: Evaluating Excellence in Independent Schools (EEIS)

•

External consultation, assessment and recommendations by the Association of Independent Schools (AIS) that conducted a Financial Review of the School’s operations

The Strategic Plan provides a framework for the School community that will inform and guide its activities over the period 2013 – 2017 and ensure the continued achievement of the School’s Mission and Core Values.

The Strategic Plan: 2013 - 2017 may be viewed on the School website.

Stephen Kinsella Headmaster

Animal Ethics One of the delights of teaching Christian Studies is being able to answer students’ questions. On the whole, our students ask penetrating and insightful questions. They think deeply and passionately about the big issues of life.

Occasionally, I get asked unusual questions. A Year 7 student asked one such question this week.

We were considering the original sin of Adam and Eve and how that sin fractured God’s good order established in creation. The question was whether animals sin as well.

As someone who has endured 18 years of domestic pets I was tempted to say yes. But I refrained.

Good theology held me back. From the perspective of the Bible, sin is only pertinent to creatures that are able to communicate verbally with God. This includes human beings, and even angels, but not animals.

Rev James Rogers Chaplain

As human beings God addresses us with words and calls us to respond to his word so that we might truly live as he intends. Indeed, we are liable to God’s wrath if we ignore him. This is not the case with the animal kingdom. God has a different way with animals. He has wired them with instincts that direct much of their behavior. Animals move according to innate compulsions, not verbal instructions. One of the great fascinations in life is observing these peculiar compulsions.

This is not to say that the animal kingdom remains unaffected by human rebellion. The Bible teaches that all of creation has been fractured by human sin. God worked frustration into the creation when its caretakers turned their backs on him. What this means for the animal kingdom is hard to tell. But I think we can say at the very least that animals are not what they should be or will be when God restores all things. But that is different to saying they sin. They don’t sin. They simply suffer the consequences of our sin.

I love how the prophet Isaiah pictures the restoration to come at the return of Jesus. It’s a vivid picture of God’s good order re-established: “The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the cobra’s den, and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.”

(Isaiah 11.6-9) Well, that was my fast-footed response to that question. I could feel mildly satisfied if I wasn’t certain that there is still another more difficult question lurking in the mind of yet another student in a class I will take sometime soon! It’s not hard to be humble.

Rev James Rogers Chaplain

Senior School

International Baccalaureate People often ask for numbers and statistics about the International Baccalaureate so here are some.

The IB was started by a group of educators in Geneva, Switzerland in the 1960s as a rigorous pre-university pathway. It is now being delivered across the entire school-age range to over one million students in 144 countries.

There are four programmes: the Primary Years Programme, the PYP, for children aged 3 - 12; the Middle Years Programme, the MYP, for 11 – 16 year olds; a Diploma Programme, DP, for 17 - 19 year olds and a new Career-related Certificate available to the same age group as the DP. There are currently 1000 IB schools worldwide offering the Middle Years Programme - the MYP in 90 countries. Of the1000 schools authorised to offer the MYP 470 teach only the MYP, 228 offer the MYP/DP while 207 offer the PYP/MYP/DP. 95 schools worldwide are PYP/MYP schools.

Monica Watt

Deputy Headmaster and Head of Senior School in their progress to being week.

There are 150 IB World Schools in Australia offering one or more of the three IB programmes. 87 schools offer the Primary Years Programme, 42 schools offer the Middle Years Programme and 63 schools offer the Diploma Programme. The first school was authorised in 1978.

Professional Development for staff is rigorous and thorough. All staff must be accredited and the Junior School has benefitted greatly from this mandated Professional Development Programme fully accredited. The Senior School is now accessing this Professional Learning as I outlined last

As you can see being authorised as an IB World School is a wonderful accomplishment and places us at the forefront of educational theory and practice. It’s exciting and inspiring for staff and the ultimate beneficiaries are our students.

Monica Watt Deputy Headmaster and Head of Senior School

Junior School It was 5.00am on the morning of the 30 May. Everyone was asleep except for the Da Vinci Decathlon students who rose early to meet at Figtree Park. We were feeling anxious yet excited about what the day would bring. We had a long two hour trip ahead of us, so we amused ourselves with games and music, and each other of course.

When we arrived at Knox Grammar School we were shocked by how massive the School was.

We entered the Great Hall with enthusiasm and couldn’t wait to get started. Jarod was the Year 6 team leader and Thomas was the Year 5 leader. They took responsibility for the lunch vouchers and handled the collection of question and answer sheets. Our theme for the day was light and colour. Before recess we completed the Philosophy, Science and English activities.

It was challenging but we gave it our best shot. After recess, we attempted Art and Poetry, Mathematics and Chess, Cartography, Engineering and Creative Producers. We had a few issues with our teamwork but we still managed to finish each task confidently and on time. The Drama students enjoyed creating a skit on ‘good vs evil’ with only ten minutes to prepare. At lunch we ate a lot of Pizza and shared in the successes and failures so far. All that was left to complete was Code Breaking and General Knowledge after lunch.

Judi Nealy

Head of Junior School

During the award presentations, we could not believe it when they announced that the TIGS Year 5 team came equal 2nd in Science and the Year 6 team came equal 3rd in Code Breaking.

This was a great result considering there were so many students to compete against. We were happy about our outcome and congratulated each other. Overall, the day had its ups and downs. We were all tired at the end of the day but also very proud of our achievements. It was a fun day and a wonderful experience for everyone involved.

Team Members Year 6

Alysha De Ruyter, Archita Sitharthan, Min Seo Kang, Ella Green, Jarod Tuckwood, Corey Read, Michael Kyriakoudis.

Year 5

Niamh Christopher, Annabel Malouf, Aanya Rakheja, Farrah Al-Salih, Micah Sullivan, Connor Harvey, Thomas Main, Sufyaan Ul-Haq.

Junior School Awards Futsal The TIGS Futsal teams will attend the State Championships at Penrith • U10 Boys and U/12 Girls 5 August • U/10 Girls and U/12 Boys 6 August The preparation has been excellent. All teams have been working hard to improve team structure, movement of the ball, set plays and fitness. The development of each player has been very pleasing and the attitude to learning is exemplary. The TIGS teams will be a credit to our School at the State Championships.

Junior School Awards Weekly Awards KD KM KP 1C 1M 2H 3W 4S 4R 5A 5Y 6S

Scarlette Ford, Devesh Rajpal, Harry Fuller Olive Windsor, Cate Giason High D’Rozario, Jocelyn Ayers Tyler Sullivan, Austin Keefe Bhargav Jagarlamudi Thomas Kirby Miranda Golding Emma Black, Thomas Peden, James Kirby Paige Jenkins Mila Lancaster, Aaron Ylias, Aiden McGoldrick, Annie McLearie, Aanya Rakheja Sufyaan Ul-Haq, Ruby Tilden Zacharya Winter, Kassee Dennis

Merit Certificates Tyler Sullivan – Academic Austin Keefe – Academic Jack Worthington – Academic James Kirby – Academic Lillian Glover – Academic Aiden McGoldrick – Academic

Senior School Sports CIS Boys Football Cup The first round saw a match up with Shellharbour Anglican College. Despite a shortened game, TIGS were by far the stronger team, taking control from the outset and showing good composure dominating across the park. Final result 7-0.

Congratulations to Keiran Devitt, Luke Bussoletti, Damian Galanti, Benjamin Goodhew, Steven Hristovski, Jeremy Hutton, Anthony Keating, Michael Ledwidge, Joshua Chapple, Samuel Isabella, Brodie Miles, Kyle Del, John Kollaras, Zac McLaren, Lachlan Scott

Futsal Three teams competed last week in the Futsal Regional School Championships at Minto. The U14 boys won their pool, but were defeated in the semi-final, while the U14 girls were unable to progress beyond the pool stage. The Open Boys team were undefeated in their pool, making their way comfortably through the quarterfinal only to be stopped by a very strong ACT side in the semi-final.

Well done to: Year 7: Isabel Bodey, Ashley Dribbus, Caleb Grace, Benon Harris, Rebekah Hutton, Lachlan Philpott, Zara Winter Year 8: Nick Kyriakoudes, Elizabeth Martin, Ruby Pallone, Georgia Robson Che Stubbs, Harrison Taranto, Brent Tekkol, Jai Tuckwood

Year 11: Joshua Chapple, Samuel Isabella Year 12: Luke Bussoletti, Damian Galanti, Benjamin Goodhew, Steven Hristovski, Anthony Keating, Michael Ledwidge

Under 14 Rugby League Gala Day Tuesday of this week 17 boys from Years 7 and 8 took part in the South Coast Rugby League Gala Day in Figtree. With a number of Year 7 boys still eligible to play next year we had a young but enthusiastic team.

In game one versus Oak Flats High School the boys started brightly but unfortunately could not hold possession and as such defended for long periods of the match. To the boys credit they tackled well and the end result of 24 to nil was respectable considering how few attacking opportunities TIGS had.

The round one loss saw us move to the consolation side of the draw where we met St Joseph’s. In a mirror image of the first game a solid start gave way to handling errors and a 26 to nil result ensued.

All the boys tried hard and considering many of the side were playing out of their age group there were plenty of positives to take out of the day. Elliot Hutt and Noah Gibbs were standout performers alongside some brave efforts from our smaller players from Year 7 in Samuel Shalala and Samuel Oakley.

The Rugby League boys can now look forward to the Rugby League 7’s tournament early in Term 3.

Waratah Rugby Cup On Tuesday July 4, the following Senior students represented the School in the first round of the Waratah Rugby Cup. Up against a well drilled Shellharbour Anglican College outfit, The TIGS students took control earlier by maintaining good ball possession, putting Robert Gyngell in to space on the touchline who then brushed aside cover defenders and ran 50m to the try line. He followed this up soon after with a very similar try, and with Jake O’Conner converting both TIGS tries we took an early 14-0 lead. Shellharbour fought back and just before half time Jake O’Conner converted his own try to lead 21-12. Shellharbour opened the scoring in the second half and narrowed the gap to 21-17, but from there TIGS once again took control with tries to Stefan Vellar and Kuiam Anu, sealing the victory 31-22. A great effort by all the students.

Jake Morgan, Lachlan Prior, Andrew Barker, Paniti Thongsima, Oliver Sinclair, Isaac Brown, Xavier Whitton, Andre Hollis, Kurt Ferguson, Lachlan Hubble, Jake O’Connor, Stefan Vellar, Ken Issa, Robert Gyngell, Jaiden FullertonHarvey, Kuiam Anu, Luke Defratis.

Career Information Apprenticeships and Traineeships Information Sessions Information on what employers want, where do to find a job, how to give yourself the best chance, strategies and resources can be accessed at the following two information sessions.

Please click here to see the full flyer.

Tuesday 18 June 2013 6.00pm – 7.30pm Wollongong Master Builders Club

Wednesday 19 June 2013 6.00pm – 7.30pm The Shellharbour Club

University of Sydney Year 10 Information Evenings These evenings are designed to help Year 10 students and their parents choose subjects for the HSC and navigate through the process of applying to University.

Topics include: • ATAR, scaling and assumed knowledge • Subject selections • Career pathways • University transition Date: 17 or 20 June 2013 Time: 6.00pm for 6.30pm start Venue: Eastern Avenue Auditorium, Camperdown Campus (K5/6 on map) RSVP: Register for the event here

proudly presents

12.00noon Wednesday June 19 7.30pm Thursday June 20 7.30pm Friday June 21 2.00pm Saturday June 22 7.30pm Saturday June 22 $15 Concession

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$25 Adult

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Andrew Lloyd Webber’s sensational hit musical

Tickets available for purchase online visit TIGS

www.tigs.nsw.edu.au

Extend @ TIGS Weekly Recap This week, the children played Superheroes using the Dress Ups. They ran around the classroom pretending to save Planet Earth from aliens!

For our Cooking Club, we made Pizza Bread by spreading salsa sauce/tomato paste onto bread. The children sprinkled on mozzarella cheese and we baked it in the oven for a few minutes. They absolutely loved it and there were seconds to go around for everyone.

Week 6’s Activities: Monday 10 June: PUBLIC HOLIDAY Tuesday 11 June: Arts and Crafts Day Wednesday 12 June: Bend It Like Beckham Thursday 13 June: “So, You Think You Can Dance?” 80’s Fever Friday 14 June: Movie (G) and Popcorn

Winter School Holiday Program bookings NOW OPEN! Monday 15 July to Friday 19 July We have heaps of jam-packed activities and incursions ranging from Winterthemed activities, plenty of games and sports, and a Christmas in July Party! Visit the Extend website at extend.com.au for program timetables, booking forms, and activity descriptions.

Bookings close Friday 28 June – book now to avoid disappointment.

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

TIGS Daffodill Ball The Illawarra Grammar School is delighted to once again be hosting TIGS Daffodill Ball, which is set to take place on Saturday 3 August. Now in its fifth year this event has become a flagship event in the school calendar, enjoying the steadfast support of the school community.

The theme chosen for this year’s event is “The Secret Garden” and funds raised on the evening will support the work of Cancer Council NSW. All members of the school community are warmly invited to attend, and tickets are now available by visiting the school website.

The Secret Garden Saturday

3

August

Saturday 3 August 2013 6.30pm for 7.00pm seating The Illawarra Grammar School IGC (entry via Powell St) Dress: Black Tie $150 per person or $1500per table of 10

TIGS Daffodil Ball

All tickets are non-refundable

Supporting the work of

Cancer Council NSW

Visit TIGS to book tickets

www.tigs.nsw.edu.au

Creative Arts News Ilford Schools Photographic and Digital Media Competition Each term our senior students submit Photographs for selection in the Ilford Schools Photographic and Digital Media Competition. Congratulations to the following students Lauren O’Neil, Roisin Concannon, Harrison Steele and Oliver Sekulic who achieved Merit Certificates in this Australia wide Competition. These students entered some outstanding photographs and they, along with 26 Visual Arts and Photography and Digital Media students have contributed to the team scores for The Illawarra Grammar School. Last year we placed 3rd overall in Australia and hope they we can continue our successful run to be announced later in the year.

Lauren O’Neil Year 10, What’s for Dinner?

Oliver Sekulic Year 11, Untitled

Harrison Steele Year 11, Wave

Roisin Concannon Year 11, Austinmeer

Uniform Shop Opening Times Wednesday 17 July 9.00am - 2.00pm Friday 19 July 9.00am - 2.00pm No appointments necessary.

Five Winter Camps and three Spring ones, all over Sydney and beyond.

Created to get you ready for life during and after the HSC. 2012 prices for early birds.

Call: 02 8268 3346 or visit our FB page: HSC.Study.Conferences http://www.youthworks.net/hscstudy-conferences

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