Newsletter issue 6 Term IV 2016

Newsletter Academic Christian Caring

ISSUE 6

TERM IV 2016 Year 6 Progression Dinner

TI G S

The Illawarra Grammar School

Headmaster

The International Baccalaureate was initially founded in 1968 to serve the needs of the children of diplomats.

Working with UNESCO, the IB quickly developed into a highly respected organisation providing a consistent, high quality education that transcends international borders. The IB is now acknowledged internationally for its high standards of teaching, pedagogical leadership and student achievement. The IB works across the globe with schools, governments and international organisations to develop challenging programmes of international education and rigorous assessment. In Australia, ACARA has endorsed the IB programmes as meeting the requirements of the Australian Curriculum.

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TIGS provides a continuous and consistent approach to learning from 3-year-old Prep through to Year 12. In learning the IB way, students:

Stephen Kinsella Headmaster

It is with great delight that I announce that TIGS is now an authorised Diploma Programme (DP) IB World School.

Congratulations to our Senior School Teachers on achieving this result and for the hard work that went with it.

To be now authorised in three International Baccalaureate Programmes, PYP, MYP and DP, is an enormous achievement for the School. We are only the second school in NSW and the twelfth in Australia to be authorised across all three programmes. There are several high profile Sydney schools also on the IB journey and hoping to gain three programme authorisation in 2017.

To be authorised across three programmes by the IB says a lot about our School and our commitment to excellence in teaching and learning: •

It is independent verification that teaching and learning at TIGS is world class. Only 4,573 schools world wide and 116 schools in Australia have successfully presented themselves for assessment by the IB and been found to have met the IBO’s exacting standards. It is expected that TIGS claims to be an excellent school (and we do and we are) – it is much more convincing when the world’s leading school education organisation provides the accolade.

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are empowered through their active (not passive) involvement in their learning

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are encouraged to think independently and drive their own learning

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become more culturally aware, through the learning of a second language

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are able to engage with people in an increasingly globalised, rapidly changing world.

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take part in programmes of education that can provide direct entry to the highest ranking universities in the world

This sets us apart from other schools and provides our students with a significant advantage, whether or not they finally study the DP or the HSC in the Senior School.

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The teaching staff at TIGS are able to develop and enhance their skills as members of an international community of teaching professionals that spans 158 countries. TIGS teachers have access to the information and resources available through the IB as well as forums, workshops and conferences that enable them to continually upgrade their professional knowledge and practice. The international community of teaching professionals operating under the umbrella of the IB provides TIGS teachers with a considerable advantage in professional development.

Again, congratulations to all TIGS staff. This is a significant day in the history of our School .

Stephen Kinsella Headmaster

TIGS Sony Camp was featured on Channel 9 last Sunday evening during the ‘Christmas with The Australian Women’s Weekly’ special. If you missed it, the 4-minute segment can be viewed on TIGS website.

Chaplain’s Message THE SHADOW SIDE OF CHRISTMAS There was a disturbing article in the Sydney Morning Herald this week.

The article was based on research conducted by The Salvation Army which grew out of their welfare work with Australian families, especially around the Christmas season. The article talks about the nightmare that Christmas has become for up to fifty percent of Australian families. Much of this has to do with the financial burden that Christmas is. Parents simply cannot meet the expectations of their children at Christmas time.

We live in a consumerist culture. Our children’s hopes and expectations are fuelled by the advertising industry.

It is becoming increasingly difficult for parents to match their children’s expectations. Instead of Christmas morning being a joyous occasion, many are reporting it to be a huge let down. Parents come to the day feeling they have under-provided for their children; children come away from the day feeling they have been let down by their parents.

Here are some statistics from the article: The Salvation Army poll of more than 1000 people found 13 per cent of Australians were worried about how they would pay for Christmas, and 10 per cent believed festive expenses would leave them in worrying debt.

Some 15 per cent of respondents said they knew someone who would have to sell possessions to make ends meet at Christmas. Seventy per cent of respondents believed the gap between rich and poor was widening, a perception supported by the Poverty in Australia Report by the Australian Council of Social Service, which found 2.9 million Australians lived below the poverty line, including 730,000 children.

This is a tragedy. How have we let retail set the agenda on this day? When we think of the first Christmas it speaks of grace and simplicity. It is a noble instinct to want to commemorate the day with gift giving, but surely not how we do it at present where up to fifty percent of families are feeling anxious and alienated.

There are no easy solutions. I think back to the much-quoted phrase, ‘Be the change you wish to see in the world’. Surely, a part of the solution is for parents to have frank conversations with their children and decide not to play the game according to the rules that have been set by the consumerist culture which surrounds us. That’s easier said than done, but few things worth doing are easy.

Another response is to set aside something of our bounty for those who are less fortunate than us. Each year at this time TIGS partners with Anglicare in their Toys ‘n’ Tucker campaign. The aim of the campaign is to provide gifts for families who would otherwise go without this Christmas.

All TIGS students have been invited to bring in some toys and tucker for the needy this Christmas. Can I encourage you to ensure they do? There is a list of suitable items in this week’s newsletter.

The gifts can start to come in now.

They can be given to your child’s mentor teacher or classroom teacher.

They will be stored and presented to a representative at our Christmas Celebration event on 7 December.

Rev. James Rogers

Rev. James Rogers Chaplain

Junior School This week we celebrated a Progression Dinner with our Year 6 students. We are very excited to send them off to Senior School knowing that they are well prepared and up for the challenges ahead. We have this confidence because we know that the best education is an ‘education of the head, heart and soul’. Academic education, ‘education of the head’ is core business at TIGS, but it is the education of all three (head, heart and soul) that makes schools a place where young people wish to be, feeling safe and engaged.

We know that this holistic approach has been the emphasis for them in the Junior School and will continue to be the approach they benefit from in our High School programmes.

Judi Nealy Deputy Headmaster, Head of Junior School

MARANA - PREP REPORT Our Central Idea in Prep this term has been ‘We can all think, create and express ourselves in many different ways. As a provocation, we looked at a variety of different artworks in Marana Prep, introducing a range of styles such as Modern Art, Impressionism, Surrealism and Pop Art. This demonstrated to the children that all artists do not create in the same style, yet all are valid forms of art and are hung in gallery’s around the world. The children were encouraged to look at the different ways the artworks were created and reflect upon the mediums used, then go on to talk about which ones they liked and why - being open-minded in their choices.

There is a growing body of study that is recognising the links between wellbeing and academic success, the advantages to “head”, when “heart and soul” are nourished. At our school, we intentionally plan for our students form Pre-Prep right through to Year 12 understanding that students’ levels of hope can be better predictors of academic success than intelligence, personality or even previous exam results.

The best schools focus on the whole person, recognises them for who they are, and works with their parents to see them grow and develop. This sets them up for both short term and, more importantly, long term success as an adult. An ‘education of the head, the heart and the soul’ includes a strong academic education, supportive care, building a strong sense of wellbeing and, a rich, rewarding co-curricular programme. The components all operate within a positive and clear set of commonly held values at TIGS, within which, parents, teachers and students act with common purpose.

We enjoyed celebrating with our Year 6 students the conclusion of the Junior School “head, heart and soul journey”, and look forward to hearing of their many successes as they transition to Senior School.

Each child went on to choose an artwork to create their own version of, painting ‘in the style of’ the original artist, but adding their own individual creativity to the piece.

WEEKLY AWARDS Justine McGuire

KP

Eva Grimm

KP

Evelyn Sanzone

1M

Josie Lowe

1M

Kaj Eriksson

1M

Hollis Bridgeman-Law

1M

Neel Shetty

1S

Naomi Fock

1S

Ashwin Gogulan

2C

Lotte van Oijen (2 Awards)

2C

Isabella Carswell

2C

Amaan Vakil

2M

Isaac Turner

2M

Miriam Al-Khalidy

2M

Oliver Johnson

2T

Astrid Sperring

3S

Ashton Tregonning (2 Awards) 3R Katherine Binks

3R

Kayden Merritt

3R

Noah Sweetland

3S

Keiran Reveley

3S

Thomas Partland

3S

Oscar Kiely

3S

Harrison Deck

3C

Hamish Lepp (2 Awards)

3G

Toby Jinks

3G

Jacob Murrie

3G

Charlotte I’Ons

3G

Spencer Clark

4Y

Bhaavya Gupta

4Y

Ella McIlwraith

4Y

Thomas Devlin

4Y

Alexander Attorre

4M

Ali Matar

4M

Allegra Fock

4M

Joel Turner

4R

Victoria Steward

4R

Mena Tsaganas

5H

Emily Sutherland

5H

Jamilla Perri

5S

Elizabeth Michelmore

6A

Alexandra Wall

6K

Adelaide Thompson

6K

Liam Harvey

6K

Ben Giason

6C

These Weekly Awards will be presented at Assembly 12.10pm Thursday 1 December

Co-curricular Club CODE IT YOURSELF Computer science, including coding, is quickly becoming an essential skill for all 21st century learners. It is the link that connects all modern day technology.

The Code It Yourself (CIY) Club provides students with training in many different coding languages, from Scratch to Java to HTML. While coding is engaging, exhilarating and addictive, it also encourages mathematical thinking, computational understanding, logical reasoning, design planning, problem solving skills, and the ability to effectively communicate ideas.

The repetitive and challenging nature of coding teaches students patience and determination. Every task includes challenging, logical problem solving.

So far the students have completed challenges on Code.org, Code Studio, Scratch, Tinkercad and Piskel. They will experience a variety of learning projects. The CIY programme is structured so students progress through levels whilst continually developing new skills, building on the ones they have acquired and being rewarded for it. Every Tuesday and Thursday the CIY. Club meets in 3G at 3.15pm with Scope IT, Ms Gordon and Mrs Segar.

YEAR 6 PROGRESSION DINNER

Senior School This week all of the students in Year 9 will be involved in supporting KidzWish as part of their engagement with our local community. This is one of the ways in which TIGS students are given the opportunity to be actively involved in a community service endeavour rather than simply making a donation to a worthwhile cause. Learning to give in this way is part of an education which is aimed at developing the whole person.

Greg Lanyon Head of Senior School

At the request of the KidzWish organisation, this year the level of involvement of our students has increased substantially, mainly as a result of the ongoing success of this project and the impact that it has on the lives of so many children in our region.

The main event that Year 9 are supporting is the KidzWish Children’s Christmas Party on Thursday 24 November at WIN Entertainment Centre. This event supports thousands of children from the Illawarra and South Coast who may suffer from a serious medical condition, be disadvantaged or have a disability.

Our students volunteered to join and work at two of three possible events related to the Children’s Christmas Party. The first was on Tuesday where 70 students prepared almost 4,000 “goody” bags, by filling them with sweets, vouchers and other items in preparation for the children receiving them on Thursday at the party. The second was being helpers for the day at the Christmas Party. The students had the chance to dress up and help entertain and manage the distribution of lunches to the children at the party.

The third option was to assist with the setup for a more formal fundraising event, the Charity Ball for Kidzwish, which raises funds to provide a range of programs to assist disadvantaged children and their carers in the Illawarra region.

As well, over the past few weeks Year 7 have been planning and organising a community service project that TIGS has supported for many years. This is the annual Anglicare Toys ‘n’ Tucker appeal.

This program aims to share the joy of Christmas and demonstrate God’s love by providing food and gifts for those who would otherwise go without. Over the next two weeks the Mentor groups will be organising the collection of nonperishable food items and toys to be used to make up hampers that will be distributed by Anglicare to families that might otherwise go without at Christmas.

Finally, I would encourage you and your family to come along and join the school community at the annual TIGS Christmas Celebration which will be held in the IGC. There will be a family picnic commencing at 5.30pm, followed by the service commencing at 7.00pm. See you there.

KIDZWISH CHILDREN’S CHRISTMAS PARTY

Toys ‘n’ Tucker is a wonderful way to share the joy of Christmas with people in need. Together we can provide Christmas food and gifts to thousands of families who would otherwise go without. We hope you’ll join with us to share the joy of Christmas this year.

Any food provided needs to be non-perishable, standard size and nothing that breaks or melts.

Extend@ TIGS WEEK 8 ACTIVITIES

Monday 28 November Craft: pokemon suncatcher Outdoor sport: outside dodgeball Tuesday 29 November Craft: foam printing Outdoor sport: handball Wednesday 30 November Science: pokeballs Sport: soccer Thursday 1 December Activity: paper plane comp Sport: relay runs Friday 2 December Science: tape painting Sport: handball ONLINE BOOKINGS: extend.com.au CALL OUR OFFICE 1300 366 437

Uniform Shop The Uniform Shop is open from 8.30am to 4.00pm Tuesdays and Thursdays during term time.

Avoid the queues! Make an appointment by contacting the Uniform Shop email tigs.uniforms@permapleat.com.au or phone 4220 0230.

EXTRA TRADING DAYS

Term IV • Monday 5 December • Monday 12 December

Back To School Trading Hours 2017 • • • • • •

Monday 23 January Tuesday 24 January Wednesday 25 January Monday 30 January Tuesday 31 January Wednesday 1 February

P&F News YEAR 10 FORMAL PARENT DINNER Year 10 parents are invited to enjoy a three course dinner together from 7.00pm to 10.00pm at $54.00 per person.

7.00pm to 10.00pm Thursday 8 December 2016 Centro CBD (28 Stewart Street, Wollongong) Bookings close on Friday 2 December RSVP here For inquiries please contact Kim Main – 0414 842 816, Renee Santos – 0422 995 509, Liana Bonaccorso – 0427 623 623

UPCOMING

EVENTS

WEEK 8

Year 7 Vaccinations Monday 28 November

Year 2 Progression and Infants’ Pageant 10.00am Saturday 3 December

WEEK 9

A Christmas Celebration 5.30pm Picnic 7.00pm Celebration Wednesday 7 December in the IGC

Year 10 Formal

6.30pm Thursday 8 December at the Villa D’Oro

Year 10 Formal - Parent Dinner 7.00pm Thursday 8 December at Centro CBD

Year 3 - Year 6 Presentation Day 1.00pm to 2.30pm Friday 9 December in the IGC

WEEK 10

Senior School Presentation Day 10.30am - 12.30pm Tuesday 13 December in the IGC

Last Day of Term IV Tuesday 13 December