Newsletter Issue 4 Term III 2016

Newsletter Academic Christian Caring

Risini Gamage, Year 10 1st placed in the State Final of the Australian Brain Bee Competition

ISSUE 4

TERM III 2016

Headmaster demonstrate a minimum standard of literacy and numeracy. The media coverage of the announcement gave the false impression that this standard was the achievement of a Band 8 or higher in the Year 9 NAPLAN literacy and numeracy test. This is not entirely correct which will be a relief to those that believe that the importance of the NAPLAN tests are already overstated and the cause of too much stress for students. In the 2016 Year 9 NAPLAN testing, 25 - 30% of students state-wide did not achieve at the level of Band 8. It would be alarming if this many students while in Year 9 believed that their chance of being awarded an HSC was minimal.

The minimum standard of literacy and numeracy required for the award of an HSC will actually be Australian Core Skills Framework (ACSF) Level 3 which describe the core literacy and numeracy skills required in personal, community, work and training contexts.

Students will be able to demonstrate they have achieved the minimum standard in a number of ways:

Stephen Kinsella Headmaster The Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards (BOSTES) has announced changes to the HSC that will take effect from 2018. Parents and students from The Piper Centre through to current Year 9 should become familiar with these changes as they will have an impact on the outcomes for students who choose to study the HSC. BOSTES have stated that the purpose of the changes is to “support all students achieving a minimum standard of literacy and numeracy, to reduce excessive student stress, to remove opportunities for plagiarism and preprepared responses, and to motivate and challenge students to achieve at their highest possible levels.”

The announced changes to the HSC will have no impact on those students that choose to study the IB Diploma Programme (DP).

The change that most interest in the announcement that to be awarded an

attracted the media was the for a student HSC they must

•

Band 8 in each of their Year 9 NAPLAN reading, writing and numeracy tests; or

•

Pass an online literacy and numeracy test in Years 10, 11 or 12.

It is important to note that Year 9 NAPLAN testing is just one way of demonstrating that the minimum level has been achieved. There will be regular opportunities for students to demonstrate that the required level has been achieved right up to the HSC examination in Year 12.

Students that do not demonstrate they have achieved the minimum standard of literacy by the time they have completed their Year 12 examinations will only receive a Record of Student Achievement (RoSA). A student will have an additional 5 years after their HSC examination to demonstrate they have achieved the minimum level of literacy and numeracy and be awarded an HSC. It should not be a surprise that some students (25-30% state-wide) will not have achieved the minimum standard in Year 9. The minimum standard is to be reached by the end of Year 12, not by the time of the Year 9 NAPLAN test. Students will continue to develop their literacy and numeracy skills as they study English and Mathematics in Years 9 through to 12. It is important that undue importance is not placed on the NAPLAN tests in Year 9 and that

labels are not assigned to students that are yet to meet the ACSF standard.

BOSTES has advised that “exemptions will be made for some students, such as those with disabilities undertaking Life Skills courses, and students from non-English speaking backgrounds who have been learning English for less than one year.”

Other changes to the HSC include: •

New syllabus documents are being prepared for implementation with Year 11, 2018 in the subjects of English, Mathematics, Sciences, History. The review of other subjects will follow;

•

Each syllabus will place more emphasis on depth of learning and analytical skills, and a stronger emphasis on the mastery of knowledge and skills, instead of a broad overview of content.

This is designed to reward higher order thinking skills and discourage rote learning and the use of preprepared answers. Engaging in concept-based learning in the PYP and MYP years at TIGS is, and will become even more, a significant advantage;

•

A new Science Extension course to motivate and challenge students to achieve at the highest levels;

•

A common assessment scale to be used across all Mathematics courses, discouraging the growing trend of capable mathematicians choosing easier rather than more challenging Mathematics courses in search of a higher ATAR through favourable scaling.

•

Limiting further the number of school-based assessment tasks in each subject.

While the broad picture of the changes to the HSC have been announced there is still a lot of detail to be determined.

Parents and students wishing to find out more about the changes to the HSC may wish to consult the links on the following BOSTES site.

Stephen Kinsella Headmaster

Chaplain’s Message THE DEMANDS OF LOVE We have all marvelled over the past couple of weeks at the physical and mental prowess of Olympic athletes.

It is easy to feel quite ordinary when comparing our ability to that of elite athletes. I saw recently a video of “average” people having a go at the pole vault. It was very funny and just showed how wide the gap is between “them” and “us”.

On Monday at our Professional Development Day, I realised the demands of a teacher are Olympic-like.

We are called to an elite performance of our own kind in a whole range of areas. It gave me a new respect for the profession as well as a sense of trepidation. Was I able to perform at such an elite level?

A workshop about students with disabilities particularly challenged me. Not only was my understanding of potential obstacles to learning expanded, so too was my understanding of the professional imperative I had to ensure that these obstacles did not prove to be hindrances to learning. I have a professional obligation to differentiate and to make whatever adjustments are necessary to ensure all students learn to the best of their ability. Talk about an elite activity! It is quite daunting really.

As I thought about this demand I could see that it is just a part of the call to love. Jesus summarised the core constituent of God’s law as love – love towards God and one’s neighbour.

We know this well. But occasionally we are reminded just how difficult love is. I think that’s what struck me at our Professional Development Day. Love is not only necessary; it is an elite activity and, as such, will often stretch us to the limit.

While it was true I was struck afresh by the demands of love on Monday, it is also true that I knew this is what love involves. Jesus demonstrated the difficulty of love by loving us to death on a cross. That was not easy. It stretched him to breaking point. His sweat and tears in the Garden of Gethsemane were proof of that. But it was necessary if we were to be forgiven.

Jesus defines the true nature of love. It is tough. When he calls us to take up our cross and follow him, he is calling us to love in this manner – to love like an elite athlete strives with everything in them to reach maximum performance.

This is the profession of teaching. It is a great sport.

I am encouraged to be a part of a community of professional educators who strive for maximum performance

Rev James Rogers Chaplain each day. That spurs me on to reach for my own personal best. I felt the bar was raised a bit on Monday. Even so, I know I am a part of a great team who will move as one toward the goal.

Rev James Rogers

Junior School The teachers started Week 5 as students while the children all stayed at home for the Professional Learning Day. Our staff participated in three workshops, all of which will assist us in providing the best possible learning environment for our students and their families. The areas covered included:

Judi Nealy Deputy Headmaster, Head of Junior School

•

Disability Legislation and the school and teachers’ responsibilities under this

•

Mrs Hutchins assisted by Miss Smith and Ms Gordon lead a workshop for Prep – Year 12 staff unpacking the Learner Profile

•

The importance of good communication skills. This session was conducted by Michael Grose who later lead a parent workshop on Creating Confident Kids for over 300 parents.

The professional learning of teachers is a crucial component for great educational outcomes. Imagine sending your children to a school that still operated as it did 20 years ago, the learning would be irrelevant to the children and of very limited future use. The staff at TIGS participate in Professional Learning in multiple ways. They attend Professional Development offered by various providers both in Australia and abroad, they participate in various post-graduate courses and qualifications in their own time, they contribute to on-line learning opportunities and we also have our whole school Professional Development days. Professional Development days are important because they allow us as a school to focus together on a particular area of need or interest.

ASSEMBLY/CHAPEL

There is a consistent body of research and evidence that states that when members of a school community learn together in ongoing and meaningful ways, the learning opportunities and outcomes of the students, benefit. In 2016 we have been focusing on improving the way we teach writing.

Next week will be our Book Week Assembly. Assembly begins at 12.10pm in Rees Hall.

MICHAEL GROSE PARENT WORKSHOP It was fantastic, on a cold and wet night, to have over 300 parents attend our Raising Confident Kids workshop conducted by Michael Grose. Michael provided an entertaining and insightful workshop with a focus on resilience and independence and the impact of these attributes on confidence. Michael’s underlying premise is that the aim of parenting is to “make our children independent and ourselves redundant!”

Some of his key messages included:

DATES FOR YOUR DIARIES:

Friday 26 August ‘The Works’ Exhibition 7.00pm – 8.30pm in the IGC Saturday 27 August ‘The Works’ Exhibition 11.00am – 2.00pm in the IGC Tuesday 30 August Father’s Day Stall – Prep 2 day, Kinder, Years 5 and Year 6 Friday 2 September Father’s Day Breakfast 7.00am in Rees Hall Friday 2 September Father’s Day Stall – Prep 3 & 5 day, Years 1 to Year 4 Thursday 22 September Big Day In (Times TBC)

‘Never do for a child what they can routinely and safely do for themselves’ - this is about developing competence and independence.

‘Breaking bread together at least 4 times per week is crucial to positive and effective parenting’ - sitting at the table eating a meal allows communication and maintains connection between parents and their children.

‘Allow children to experience the consequences of their choices and actions’ when it is safe, he encouraged parents not to rescue children, examples included not bringing forgotten homework or hats in to school.

There were some challenging ideas for us all as parents to consider, however his message was very well received and sparked many conversations amongst our parents.

Our School is committed to providing access to high quality parent information and training opportunities. If you have a request or an idea for parent training at TIGS, please contact Judi Nealy on 4220 0210. We would love to hear your thoughts.

Sport NASSA ATHLETICS CARNIVAL Last Thursday TIGS came away from a very successful day at the annual NASSA athletics carnival with the title of Champion NASSA Athletics School and also convincingly won the ‘best of the best’ schools relay championship in record time.

Five students broke NASSA records and 18 students will now go through to CIS Championships in September at Sydney Olympic Park.

Congratulations to the following students on breaking the old records: Victoria Summerill – 13yrs 100m Samuel Lowe – 200m Christian Vujic – 200m Chelsy Wayne - Discus Jamaya Wayne - Discus and Shot Put CIS Team: Allegra Fock Mackayla Hutchinson Chelsy Wayne Jamaya Wayne Harley Adams Christian Vujic Samuel Lowe Alex Vartazarian Daisy Field Eva Katkjaer Rebecca Winn Victoria Summerill Thomas Partland Cooper Kerridge Olivia Varmedja Molly Buikstra Benjamin Lu Michael Marzano

Co-curricular Club Highlight LANGUAGES – FRENCH AND MANDARIN Our French and Mandarin language clubs are achieving excellent results each Monday afternoon. The students explore the language and culture of France and China in a fun and interactive environment. The children listen, repeat, speak, read and write. All components of our scheme of work are interwoven with crosscurricular themes, such as maths, financial literacy, social studies, music, art, sports and many more. At the heart of the programme is communication and intercultural understanding. Students rapidly acquire knowledge and confidence to enjoy using the language for communication and expression. New students are always welcome and more information is available from Nicole Weber on 0433 513 006.

HINDI This is the fourth year since we started Hindi classes at TIGS. We started these classes in 2013, and the students in this batch have mastered the basics of the Hindi language – the alphabet, numbers, songs, poems, greetings and elements of conversation. We hope that these classes can add one more element of multiculturalism to the school environment, while giving these children knowledge about their country of origin.

Mrs Neera Godbole TIGS Language Tutor

WEEKLY AWARDS

MERIT CERTIFICATES

KD KP 1M 1S 1Y 2C 3C 3S 4M 4R 5H 6C

Academic

Anushka Bartholomeusz, Miranda Di Marco Sophia Johnson Isabella Nicholson, Addison Tarrant Ashley Parker, Naomi Fock, Jack Cleary, Neel Shetty Alexander MacKay, Jude Lozenkovski Marcus Smith, Elizabeth Hoskins Harrison Deck, Scarlett Ford Matilda Hughes, Victoria Di Martino Ishe Chibanda, Nicole Mau Victoria Steward, Samarth Sirohi Aditya Kumaresan, Cody Maynes-Rutty Kiarna McIlwraith, Ryan Jinks

Madeleine Sheargold Ava Santos Victoria Di Martino Kiarna McIlwraith Scarlett Ford

Senior School In last week’s newsletter I wrote about a number of significant achievements by students in the diverse areas of Football, Science, the Arts and transdisciplinary problem solving. I am pleased to announce that two TIGS students in particular have excelled in their chosen areas of specialisation and are to be congratulated on their achievements as well as the dedication and effort that is required to achieve at this level.

Greg Lanyon Head of Senior School

Risini Gamage from Year 10 was this week placed first in the State Final of the Australian Brain Bee Competition, in the individual challenge. The competition for high school students in Year 10 relates to neuroscience; including the structure and function of all parts of the nervous system, its interactions with the other parts of the body for movement and the senses, the role of neurotransmitters in both normal functioning and disorder conditions as well as sleep, stress and drug related disorders. As you might imagine this would be a challenge for most of us who are not specialists in this field. To win the state final and move to the Australian final, Risini completed a second multiple choice test based on a 96-page resource, placing her in the final 12 from 120 competitors. Then, through a process of elimination based on a series of questions Risini progressed to the final round of three students before being declared the winner after this round was completed.

By winning the NSW Brain Bee Challenge Risini is invited to the National Competition to be held in Hobart, Tasmania in early December. This will be contested by eight students from Australia and New Zealand. We wish her all the best in this final competition.

Ashley Dribbus, another Year 10 student, has been selected in the Australian U17 Women’s National Team (Junior Matildas), to represent Australia in the AFC U-16 Women’s Championship Qualifiers held in Hanoi, Vietnam from 19 August – 5 September 2016.

Ashley is currently overseas competing and we wish her all the best as she represents her country on the international stage. I will let you know about the outcome of that tournament in another newsletter segment.

Both of these Year 10 students have achieved great things through high levels of commitment, dedication and perseverance in their chosen fields. These are attributes that all students can aspire to as they develop their interests and passions in their journey through school.

Greg Lanyon Head of Senior School

‘THE WORKS’

EXHIBITION An inspiring exhibition of the creative major works of our 2016 HSC students

OFFICIAL OPENING FRIDAY 26 AUGUST 2016 7.00pm - 8.30pm in the IGC

SATURDAY 27 AUGUST 2016

Academic • Christian • Caring

11.00am - 2.00pm in the IGC

An International Baccalaureate World School

YEAR 10 PERSONAL PROJECTS For parents or students who were unable to attend the recent exhibition of Year 10 Personal Projects, a selection of the projects will be displayed again in the Library on Tuesday 6 September between 6.30pm and 7.30pm. It would be a good opportunity for younger students to be inspired and to start thinking about their own project when they reach Year 10.

WESTERN AVENUE CARPARK Please note that, with the safety of students and staff in mind, students should not be dropped off or picked from the Western Ave carpark. This entrance is to be used for staff and visitors only.

Extend@TIGS WEEK 6 ACTIVITIES

Monday 29 August Science: Gravity Experiment Sport: Soccer Tuesday 30 August Craft: Popsicle Stick Friends Outdoor sport: Run the Gauntlet

Wednesday 31 August Activity: Bug Catching Sport: Assorted Ball Games including dodgeball and tunnel ball Thursday 1 September Cooking: Pancakes Sport: Wembley Friday 2 September Craft: Recycle Craft Sport: French Cricket

SPRING HOLIDAY PROGRAMME BOOKINGS ARE OPEN!

Book by the deadline to take advantage of lower rates!

NSW/SA/WA booking deadline: Friday 16 Sept

We have heaps of fun activities planned these school holidays and can’t wait for you to attend! Have fun with science experiments, participate in a bunch of craft activities with access to a plethora of art media, and get active with a variety of sports and team games.

Join in on all this and more at Extend’s Spring Holiday Programme.

To check out what’s on visit our website at extend.com.au and book via the Parent Portal.

Extend@TIGS has a lot of different and exciting upcoming events organised. Last week we had heaps of fun creating craft animals, pattern worms and nautical Hama beads. We also played games including soccer, dodgeball, Wembley and Handball. This week we have a range of exciting science, craft and cooking activities planned so please come along and join in on all the fun.

ONLINE BOOKINGS: extend.com.au CALL OUR OFFICE: 1 300 366 437

Charity Obento Day FOR STUDENTS FROM YEAR 7 TO YEAR 12 The Language Department is happy to announce that there will be a Japanese Charity Obento day. This is to raise money for the Year 12 Charity.

Obento Boxes will be delivered on Tuesday 20 September for the students in Years 7 to Year 12 to collect at lunch from the under covered area in M block.

There will be two types of Japanese style lunches available, chicken or vegetarian.

If you would like to order one, please visit the flexischools website and place your order by Tuesday 13 September. The cost of obento is $12.00 of which $2.00 will go to the Year 12 charity.

Thank you for supporting our event!

Mount Keira Challenge JOIN TEAM TIGS IN THE MOUNT KEIRA FUN RUN AND WALK

Please join our team and help us to raise funds for this cause. To join the team please click on the link below. You will need to register first. Once you are part of Team TIGS you can share the team Fundraising Page and get sponsored.

Saturday 25 September Join or sponsor Team TIGS This event is another great opportunity for us to get together as a community and support a local fundraising event. You can choose to walk, run or ride, it’s up to you to decide how you would like to participate or perhaps just sponsor one of your friends or family members!

This event is not a formal school event and while students can register as part of Team TIGS, they are under the care and responsibility of their parents.

Memorial Service MR JOCK MACKINNON

Mr Jock Mackinnon AM was the second Headmaster of the Illawarra Grammar School from 1966 to 1971.

His family has asked for the details of the memorial service, being held at Radford College, be made available to the TIGS community. All are welcome to attend.

Memorial Service to give thanks for the life of our Foundation Principal

Jock Mackinnon, AM

The Mackinnon Family, the Chairman of the Board, Ian Morison, and the Principal, Fiona Godfrey, invite you to join us for a Memorial Service to give thanks for the life of Jock Mackinnon, AM, Foundation Principal of Radford College.

Jock Mackinnon AM, Principal 1984-1988

DATE

Thursday 1 September

TIME

9:30 am – 10:30 am

Celia Lindsay celia.lindsay@radford.act.edu.au or 02 6162 6240

VENUE

Radford College Chapel 1 College Street Bruce ACT

Please confirm your attendance by Monday 29 August.

RSVP

UPCOMING

EVENTS

WEEK 5

‘The Works’ Exhibition

7.00pm to 8.30pm Friday 26 and 11.00am to 2.00pm Saturday 27 August in the IGC

State Snowsports Championships Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 August

WEEK 6

Music 2 HSC Concert Monday 29 August

Father’s Day Stall

Tuesday 30 August and Friday 2 September

Father’s Day Breakfast 7.00am Friday 2 September in Rees Hall

WEEK 7

Music 1 HSC Concert Monday 5 September