Issue 7 Term III 2011

NEWSLETTER Year 2 Incursion - Time and Change

Cancer Council Daffodil Ball 2011

Headmaster’s Message Congratulations Year 12 Senior School Head of Junior School

Issue 7 Term III, 2011

Academic • Christian • Caring

Congratulations Year 12 We congratulate our Year 12 students on reaching the end of their formal years of schooling. As they enter their last week we acknowledge the contribution they have made to our school community and thank them for the part they have played in maintaining and enhancing the TIGS tradition.

It is sad that the thrill of graduation and the celebration of all that has been achieved while at school occurs under the shadow of the HSC examinations and the issuing of an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR). The ‘system’ of HSC examinations and the ranking of students, largely for the purpose of allocating places at universities, can distract students, teachers, family members and friends from what has really been achieved at school.

From Kindergarten (or before for students enrolled in the Piper Centre) through to Year 12, students have grown from young children into mature adults ready for life beyond school. Through their studies they have acquired the thinking and learning skills to be creative, reflective, critical and discerning. These skills underpin the success our students regularly achieve in the HSC and we expect the Class of 2011 to be no different to those that have gone before them.

More importantly, these skills equip our students to be valued members of society that make a difference in the work place and more broadly in the community.

Stephen Kinsella Headmaster

Is it likely that the student with the highest ATAR will make the biggest difference in society after graduation? I would be surprised if anyone thought that this was true. Yet in December when the HSC and ATAR results are released, most of us will ask the question “how did you go?”

How sad that after 13 years of schooling all that has been achieved can be reduced to an ATAR. What does 82.6 or a 71.3 really tell us about a student’s achievements at school? Why should a student feel disappointed that they achieved an ATAR of 98.95 and not 99?

It is right to celebrate academic achievement which after all is the core business of schools. Our high achievers will receive the accolades they deserve and their results are sure to set them on a wonderful pathway at university and beyond. However, at TIGS we set excellence as the standard for all our students and define it as being “neither elitist nor exclusive and is accessible to all who aspire to be the best they can be.”

We wish Year 12 every success in the coming HSC examinations and beyond. We hope that their HSC and ATAR results make them feel they have achieved the best they could achieve and to feel proud of the progress they have made since their first lessons in Kindergarten.

We remind them that their experience and achievements at TIGS have been much more than what occurred in the classroom. The experiences of camp, chapel, leadership, sport, house, mentor groups, excursions, musicals, ensembles, clubs, peer reading, Duke of Edinburgh, FISH, Art after Hours, … all contributed to their development into young adults that are whole people, able to celebrate all that life offers and to make a positive contribution to society beyond school. The TIGS Mission Statement captures the ambition we have for our students as they leave TIGS: “The achievement of academic excellence in a caring environment that is founded on Christian belief and behaviour, so that students are equipped to act with wisdom, compassion and justice as faithful stewards of our world.”

Year 12, we are proud of you for who you are. We look forward with anticipation to see all that you will achieve. Congratulations on your graduation from The Illawarra Grammar School.

Stephen Kinsella Headmaster

Learning from Biography This week’s article comes from Rev Sandy Grant, Senior Minister at St Michael’s Anglican Cathedral, Wollongong Friends, recently I read a biographical sketch of John Piper, a Baptist Pastor from the USA, influential in Australian church circles. I picked up a few valuable lessons from it.

And the first was the value of school teachers!

It was at school that John experienced the beginnings of an intellectual and emotional awakening. His tenth-grade geometry class – “with its process of reasoning from axioms and postulates and corollaries in order to turn theorems into proofs”– was “explosively exciting” to John, awakening in him a love for precise thinking. His advanced biology class with Mrs. Hinton taught him to slow down and to see what is before his eyes with painstaking observation. […]

Mrs Crandall’s English class stirred within him “a passion for conceptually clear and emotionally moving expression in writing,” which he expressed through a desire to read serious books and to write serious poems and essays. (For the Fame of God’s Name, pp25-26) Those qualities of precise thinking, good observation skills and clear, passionate writing have marked Piper’s ministry as a Bible teacher. Of course, not every student will be so impacted by his teachers. But recently I counted 50 current, former and trainee school teachers at our church! I hope this quote encourages you about the influence teachers can have.

Another lesson came in how Piper overcame a debilitating fear of public speaking. His voice would break, his hands would shake, and his heart palpitate. When he went to Wheaton College (i.e. uni), the chaplain asked him to lead a prayer in chapel before 500 students and faculty. Piper surprised himself by asking “How long does it have to be?” The chaplain said the prayer could be as short as 30 seconds, so long as it came from the heart. So Piper agreed.

He vowed that if God helped him with that public prayer, he would never turn down another opportunity to speak because of fear. He made it through and said it was a decisive turning point in his life. Many would be poorer if Piper’s speech paralysis had not been overcome. As someone who organises prayer at church, I asked myself whether I would be as wise as that chaplain was. His advice illustrates Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount…

And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. (Matthew 6:7-8, NIV) Rev Sandy Grant St Michael’s Anglican Cathedral, Wollongong www.wollongong.anglican.asn.au

Just Imagine Deputy Head and Head of Senior School Mrs Monica Watt is currently on long service leave and will return Week 1 Term IV. During August and September, Visual Arts students in Years 9 to 10 have had an opportunity to participate in enrichment workshop days that have been held at The Wollongong City Gallery in conjunction with the Just Imagine exhibitions. They met and worked with Visual Arts students from all over the Illawarra and viewed the fascinating exhibition, Just Imagine. Students were also treated to a full day of drawing, painting, mixed media, printmaking and sculpture taught by specialist art teachers.

This experience has enhanced the students’ regular classroom art activities as well as important aspects of the NSW Visual Arts Syllabus. The students involved were: Claire Bonham, Helena Bonham, Harrison Heycott, Jessica Kuit, Madeline Negus, Titus Greyner and Stephanie Thompson.

Mrs Sandra Esposito Head of Visual Arts Department

Claire Bonham, Helena Bonham, Harrison Heycott, Jessica Kuit. at the Just Imagine Enrichment day

Jessica Kuit and Harrison Heycott at the Just Imagine Enrichment day

Junior School

As I write the newsletter for this week I am packing for the Stage 3 camp. The camping program at our School stretches from Year 3 – Year 12. It is an important program in the development of many skills for the children as they progress through the Junior School and into senior schooling. Camp provides opportunities to develop confidence, skills and relationships beyond the classroom and playground boundaries. It is wonderful to observe children who have never worked together at school before achieve success at camp.

The camping program at TIGS is structured and sequential, beginning with easy cabin style camping and progressing to caving, canoeing and snow camp in the Senior School.

For some of our students it is their first time away from home without mum or dad. This can be challenging and a little bit scary, however our students always return from camp feeling tired, happy and proud of the experience they have had.

Camp also provides the children with an opportunity to get to know their teachers in a less formal setting, to have fun together and continue to build the positive relationships that characterise a TIGS education. I am thoroughly looking forward to my time at camp with the Stage 3 children and staff. If it’s not too cold, I expect to have many trips down the water slide and brush up on my archery and abseiling skills. I am sure the children will have many stories to tell after their camp experience and that our younger students will look forward to their time at camp with much enthusiasm.

Judi Nealy

Naplan results were posted home this week and should have been received by all parents of students in Years 3 and 5 in the Junior School. If your child’s results have not arrived Head of Junior School yet please contact the Junior School Office for assistance. Our Years 3 and 5 students performed well in NAPLAN with the majority of our students achieving results in the higher bands. We use the data from this National Assessment to track trends in our school and to direct our teaching and learning programs so that we can continue to provide excellent learning opportunities for our children.

The Learner Attitudes to consider and discuss this week are Empathy and Curiosity.

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Empathy – Imagining themselves in another’s situation in order to understand his or her reasoning and emotions, so as to be open minded and reflective about the perspective of others.

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Curiosity – Being curious about the nature of learning, about the world, its people and cultures.

Both of these attitudes are seen in abundance in our sporting life here at TIGS. Where else can we see these attitudes displayed?

Upcoming events in the Junior School • • •

Wednesday 21 September – One Day Chess Tournament Thursday 22 September – Big Day In and Obento Picnic Uniform change over – First day of Term IV

Uniform Change Over Winter to Summer Uniform Shop holiday opening times • 9.00am – 2.00pm Thursday 6 October 2011 • 9.00am – 2.00pm Friday 7 October 2011 • 9.00am – 2.00pm Saturday 8 October 2011 Appointments necessary, phone 4220 0230 Please note all existing Year 6 students who are entering Year 7 in 2012 should have their uniforms fitted and purchased by 10 November 2011.

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Weekly AWARDS KH

Taylor Merritt, Inaaya Kermali

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Euan Christopher

1D

Isaac Saffoury

2A

Aydin Arapali, Hugo Parrish

2D

Ajay Rindani

2P

Rory Swainson

3M

Annabel Malouf, James Gorham, Toria Tsakiridis

3Y

Shay Harper

4R

Annalise Chadrawy

Science News 2011 Australian National Chemistry Quiz

Nearly 123 000 students from 1567 schools from across Australasia and Europe competed in the 2011 Australian National Chemistry Quiz. Some students from Years 7 – 10 Science classes and the Years 11 and 12 Chemistry students from TIGS took part in the Quiz and achieved highly commendable results. One TIGS student, Hugh Allison in Year 11, achieved a mark of 100%. At this week’s assembly Hugh was awarded a Royal Australian Chemical Institute plaque and Certificate of Excellence in recognition of his truly outstanding performance. Ten other students were placed in the top 10% of the state and have earned High Distinction awards. 23 students were ranked in the top 10 – 25%, and seventeen in the top 25 – 40%, earning Distinction and Credit awards respectively.

AWARDS

Hugh Allison received a RACI Plaque and Certificate of Excellence for achieving a score of 100%.

Students who received High Distinction Awards were: Year 8 Emily I’Ons Year 9 Ethan Butson and Alexander Marzano Year 10 Thomas Bolt, Timothy Johnson and Thomas Oysten Year 11 Alice McCosker and Kishan Wijesinghe Year 12 Kuang Jun Li and Dilpreet Wadhwa Students who received Distinction Awards were: Year 7 Evan Jenkins Year 8 Teagan Johnston and Aislinn Turner Year 9 Isaac Brown, Penelope Drastik, Jaiden Fullerton-Harvey, Emma Hatton, Henry Hulme, Georgia Roberts, Mohammed

Sameer, Oliver Sekulic and Staphanie Varcoe Year 10 Kieran Devitt, Kurt Ferguson, Michael Ledwidge, Mungo Skyring and Angus Turner Year 12 Lu Ding, Alexander Hipsley, Rohan Ranasinghe, Sarah Stone and Laura Sunderland Students who received Credit Awards were: Year 7 Simon Mill and Heather Varcoe Year 9 Fondas Haris, Inez Playford and Peter Rekouniotis Year 10 Damian Galant and Laura Stutchbury Year 11 Aaron Avramopolous, Sam Butler, Siobhan Butler, Rosemary Davis, Lisa Fernandez, Katherine Marvell, Nicholas Marzano,

Callum McNeilly Year 12 Robert Henderson and Rebecca Parrish Congratulations to all who participated, and I would like to express my thanks to Mr Stutchbury for assisting with the organisation of the competition.

Martin Sormus Head of Science

2011 NAPLAN Student Reports Important Information about Writing Results

To assist parents in understanding the new writing scale and the implications for reporting student growth, it is recommended that the following information be provided: The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority, which oversees the delivery and reporting of the NAPLAN tests, introduced a persuasive writing task in 2011, replacing the narrative writing task which was tested from 2008 to 2010.

Because students perform differently on the two types of writing tasks the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority has introduced a new and additional reporting scale for writing. This means that it will not be possible to compare the writing performance of students who completed the narrative task in 2009 with their performance in the persuasive task in 2011.

You will still be able to measure your child’s growth in Spelling, Grammar and Punctuation, Reading and Numeracy from 2009 to 2011, by comparing their 2009 NAPLAN student report with the 2011 NAPLAN student report.

For further information on understanding the NAPLAN student reports please go to www.nap.edu.au/Test+Results/ Student+reports/index.html.

Back to TIGS Saturday 1 October 2011

11.00am onwards including School tour at 12 noon Please join TIGS community for the annual day of reunion.

We welcome our students, our alumni and their extended families and the community to join the celebrations and participate in a Rotary charity BBQ and browse the ART4Refugees exhibition and sale in the IGC.

Reminder Year 12 2012 Year 12 2012 textbook orders are required to be completed either online www.campion.com. au or post by the 22 September 2011.

Campion advise all orders placed online are delivered to your home, office or any designated address. The parcels will be delivered the week ending 7 October 2011.

Placing your order online by the due date is the best way to ensure students will receive all available items in time for the new school year.

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Canteen Corner New Menu for Term IV 2011 Coming Soon. Please check website.

Deleted Items: Macquarie Juices New Product:

Wild Juice 400ml (Apple, Orange, Apple/Black Current) $2.30

No Lunch Orders Thursday 22 September (Great Race and The Big Day In)

Canteen Roster Week 9 Term III Monday 19 Sep

Tuesday 20 Sep Barbara Mandelson Alice Martin

Canteen Roster Week 1 Term IV Monday 10 Oct Leilani Donovan

Tuesday 11 Oct

Canteen Roster Week 1 Term IV Monday 17 Oct Help Needed

Tuesday 18 Oct Barbara Mandelson

Wednesday 21 Sep Marie Mc Corquodale Alison Mc Kenzie

Wednesday 12 Oct Nichole Anastas Pam Parkinson Heather Rugg Wednesday 19 Oct Marie Mc Corquodale Alison Mc Kenzie

Thursday 22 Sep TIGS GREAT RACE BIG DAY IN

Thursday 13 Oct Vanessa Cross Assunta Disibio

Thursday 20 Oct Help Needed

Friday 23 Sep Pat Calchi Last Day of Term

Friday 14 Oct Megan Armstrong Kylie Mill

Friday 21 Oct Pupil Free Day

Senior School Sport The Great Race - Senior School The Great Race will be held at Jamberoo Recreation Park on Thursday 22 September.

The Great Race is a compulsory senior school event promoting participation in novelty events for all students. On this day points are awarded for a number of novelty events and the well known House “Haka“ to go towards the famous Shell Shield.

Students this year are not to be driven to or from Jamberoo Recreation Park but are to come to school at the normal time, using the usual modes of transport.

Shuttle buses have been organised to transport all students to and from the Park. Students are not allowed to remain at the park to wait for parents.

Students must wear their House Shirts and school sports shorts to this event. They are expected to wear appropriate swimwear/ rash shirts, hats and sunscreen. The water will be cold so students may like to wear their wetsuits. Students are encouraged to bring plenty of food and water for the day as there may be limited food outlets open.

While at the Park strict safety regulations will be enforced by the attendants and TIGS staff. Students will be required to obey all safety instructions, follow safety signage and not engage in anything considered reckless behaviour. Due to changes in risk management by the Park all students must wear colour-coded wrist bands to identify their level of swimming proficiency. Students are also advised to operate a buddy system within the park, not going alone to rides, shops, cafes or toilets.

A reminder to all students to return their permission slips for the Great Race to their Mentor Teacher as soon as possible. If your note is not returned you will not be able to attend this event.

We are looking forward to a GREAT DAY. If you have any questions please ring Mrs Sharpe at School.

TIGS Netball Club TIGS Intermediate netball team won their Grand Final last Saturday against Southern Suburbs at the Illawarra District Netball Association competition. These girls have had a great season, training every week and playing together Saturday for the past 16 weeks. Congratulations on a fantastic win!

Cycling Success Bridget Mullany recently competed in the Australian Junior Cycling Championship and was highly successful winning two silver medals. She also finished the road season with two State Championship titles (Road Race & Criterium).

Her U/15 cycling medal tally for this year is: Grace Hennessy, Kristen Chadrawy, Aleksija Smith, Alexandra State Level: seven gold, five silver, one bronze Lavalle, Lauren Tillotson, Hailey Cross, Miriam Birt, Simone National Level: one gold, three silver, two bronze Lindsay, Paige Gervaise, Mikayla Smith.

Congratulations to Bridget on these outstanding results. She will be one to keep an eye on for the future.

TIGS P & F TIGS Dinner Dance WHEN: WHERE: COST: DRESS:

Friday 14 October, 6.30pm for 7.00pm Villa D’Oro, Flinders Street, North Wollongong $85pp, includes 3 course meal, drinks and entertainment Lounge suit

Please email Sheridon Tregonning on sheridon@elitetrainers.com.au Tables of 10 are available. * Tickets will only be available through the schools online booking system.

Sheridon Tregonning TIGS P&F

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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Please Note OFFICE CloseD

The Illawarra Grammar School Office will be closed on Friday 21 October due to the Staff Development Day.