Newsletter Issue 7 Term III 2017

NEWSLETTER Issue 7 Term III 2017

An International Baccalaureate World School

Academic • Christian • Caring

TI G S

The Illawarra Grammar School

Year 4 Excursion Old Government House and Elizabeth Farm

HEADMASTER

Mr Stephen Kinsella Headmaster Congratulations to our Year 12 students who graduate this coming Friday. Having just signed their reports and references, I know how hard they have worked at their studies. I also noted the contributions they have made to our School community and thank them for the part they have played in maintaining and enhancing our TIGS tradition.

A total of 78 students will graduate this year. Of these students, 12 started in Prep and another 9 started in Kindergarten.

Leaving school is not easy. On top of the emotion associated with this milestone there is also the weight of expectation regarding HSC examinations and results to contend with. It is sad that graduation and all the celebrations that go with it occur under the shadow of the HSC and the issuing of an Australian Tertiary Entrance Rank (ATAR). The ranking of students, largely for the purpose of allocating places at the 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 2017 to be no different to those that have gone before them.

More importantly, these skills equip our students to be valued citizens who will make a difference in the work place and more broadly in the community.

In December when the HSC and ATAR results are released, most of us will automatically ask our graduates “how did you go – what ATAR did you get?” How easy it is to get caught up in the ATAR game. Research shows that it is unlikely that the student with the highest ATAR will achieve the greatest success after graduation. Yet we discard the celebration of all that was achieved in 13 years of schooling when we focus just on an ATAR.

What does 88.25 or 78.60 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 99.00?

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 to 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 also hope they don’t need reminding that their experience and achievements at TIGS have been 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 ambition we have for our students has not changed in 59 years: “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.” (TIGS Mission Statement) We look forward with anticipation to all that our graduates will achieve.

Year 12, we are proud of you regardless of your ATAR. Congratulations on your graduation from The Illawarra Grammar School.

Mr Stephen Kinsella Headmaster

CHAPLAIN

Rev. James Rogers Chaplain People of the Book One of the unexpected features of the Bible is that it is largely narrative. There is one overarching storyline (what in literature is termed metanarrative) and many smaller stories which are situated within this larger storyline. These smaller stories find their coherence within the larger story; sometimes they follow the contours of the larger story but in miniature.

An example of the Bible’s meta-narrative in miniature is the parable Jesus tells of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15.11-32). It’s a story of a father’s love despised and rejected but not extinguished. The father loves the son, despite his profligacy, and welcomes him back at great cost to himself. The father’s love for the prodigal son is so extravagant it causes the stumbling of the loyal and obedient son. He is appalled at the father’s acceptance of one who has squandered so much.

Jesus tells this story as a concise way of telling the larger narrative. It is the story of the world. God loves us all. We have all denied his love but he loves us nonetheless and is always ready to welcome us back into his loving arms when we acknowledge our waywardness. Some people stumble for God’s grace as they cannot accept a God who so freely accepts sinners. Sadly, while God’s grace attracts some, it repels others.

The point of narrative is that it draws us in. As readers we situate ourselves somewhere within the storyline. In that sense we are the smaller stories whose coherence is found within the confines of the larger narrative. So, to use the example of the parable of the Prodigal Son, we cannot help ask ourselves which son we are: are we the one who has returned to God after having squandered his love or are we the one who is so secure in our own righteousness that we despise “sinners” and God’s acceptance of them?

Jesus was a master story-teller. Many of his stories have become engraved into our cultural consciousness. Think of the Parable of the Good Samaritan or the Parable of the Lost Sheep, or the Parable of the Sower. They are told to us but they are also told about us. The fact that they were told

about us was indicated by Jesus in his unique way of finishing a story, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.” (see Mark 4.9) Jesus did not come to entertain us with stories, he came to help us find our rightful place in the world. Stories were ways he attempted to situate us in life as God’s people, living in God’s place under God’s rule.

As I mentioned in last week’s newsletter article, one of our primary aims in Biblical Studies at TIGS is to immerse our students in the stories of the Bible, especially its meta-narrative. We do this so that our students might begin to find their own place within that story. Sometimes the story of the Bible will bring greater clarity to the story of our own lives – we find we are living in agreement with God’s story, at other times it will reveal that we have placed ourselves in another very different story with dramatic consequences. One thing is certain: it is impossible to encounter this story without giving serious thought to our place in the world. That is what education is all about.

Rev. James Rogers

DEMENTIA CARE Unwanted board games

The Year 8 CmPS team (Daniel Michelmore, Nick Seal, Lucy Koder, Aria Bacic-Johnston and Mackinley Zecevic) are collecting good condition board games to donate to dementia wards for their project on Dementia Care.

If you have any board games you could donate, please bring them to the Library.

Thank you very much.

JUNIOR SCHOOL

Mrs Judi Nealy Deputy Headmaster, Head of Junior School One of the aspects I really enjoy about writing the newsletter each week is connecting theory with observed practice in our School. This term, there has been fantastic opportunities to do that around 21st Century fluencies - Solution Fluency, Creativity Fluency, Collaboration Fluency, Media Fluency and Information Fluency. I have been so pleased to see the way these fluencies are addressed by our teachers in their planning and the opportunities that our children access each day at School. I trust that at home you have been able to identify simple ways that you can keep on practising and reinforcing these fluencies.

I hope all of our families have a great break and look forward to greeting you all back at School next term.

What’s Happening In The Junior School Japanese Assembly Konnichi wa! Hello!

This week all students from Year 1 - Year 6 participated in our annual Japanese Assembly. It was great for the students to show their skills, and see what other Year groups have been doing in Japanese class.

Stage 1 demonstrated their ‘Super Powers’ and confidence poses in the ‘Superhero’ song.

Year 5 shared the song they recorded ‘What can you see under the sea?’ This is part of their production ‘Urashima Tarou’, a Japanese Folk story. Thank you to Ms Richards, Mrs Bonaccorso and Mrs Hollander for your ideas and support with this project.

Stage 2 provided a highlight of the Assembly, with their version of ‘The Gingerbread Man’. They had so much fun with the characters in this story.

The Gingerbread Man, Grandmother, Tiger and Crocodile sang as they chased after the tasty ginger snack.

We saw some photos of Year 6, who participated in our first ever ‘Mystery Skype’ event. The goal of a ‘Mystery Skype’ is to track down our opponent’s location using only ‘yes/no’ questions in target language. It was not simple. It takes some understanding of Japanese geography, logic and good sentence translating skills. It was such a rewarding experience for us. We were shocked because the students in Japan came to school during their Summer Holiday just to meet us.

The enduring understanding gained through learning a second (or third!) language is so valuable.

Students learn to speak with confidence in another language. We learn that it’s OK, and in fact essential to make many mistakes, learn from them, and try again.

Discovering where there are similarities and where there are differences between cultures and languages helps our students develop empathy and sensitivity.

Arigatou! Thank you for encouraging your children to speak Japanese.

Marshall sensei

Year 4 Excursion – Old Government House and Elizabeth Farm “Back in the day, it was Friday 8 September. My colleagues and I set off. We travelled nine months to get to the legendary Parramatta. We were visiting John and Elizabeth Macarthur. One of Elizabeth’s servants told us they had nine kids, two died and one was sent back to England for a proper education.”

During our excursion to Elizabeth farm we experienced what life was like during the early years of the colony. We went into the cellar and experienced what the trip was like on the first fleet. Then we had to wash clothes with our hands! Later in the house and garden we heard stories about convict life and the original Aboriginal people. We also visited Old Government house. It was the year 1815 and we were taught by a teacher who was very strict. He taught us about the money used, times tables, handwriting and the cane! Fortunately we all obeyed Mr Richardson.

This was an excellent learning experience that enabled us to immerse ourselves in early colonial life.

Samra Tarrant, Year 4

Reuben Grundy Class: 4S

Who are your friends? Monty, Harley, Saxon and Ger.

GIFTED OPPORTUNITIES

iTAG @TIGS is proud to present Code Camp

These school holidays, TIGS is hosting a very special school holiday programme called Code Camp - Spark where your child can learn to code and build their very own iPhone or Android app!

Code Camp has already taught more than 22,000 students in Australia and is a great way to spend time over the holidays. Kids have lots of fun with friends while learning important new skills such as logic, creativity, problem solving, app development and game building in a fun and engaging way, ready to take on the digital world of the future.

Every child attending Code Camp will build incredible games on the software platform “Code Camp World” and walk away with their very own app, playable via the Code Camp App store that they can take home to share with family and friends!

The Illawarra Grammar School Spring Code Camp - Spark Date: Wednesday 4 October – Friday 6 October For: Year 2 to Year 6 (beginners and intermediate) Fun, engaging and challenging – Spark is a popular Code Camp that over 18,000 students have completed. Code Camp Spark is where every student in Year 2 to Year 6 should start their Code Camp journey.

Enrol today and help your child become a coding superstar! For more information, visit codecamp.com.au/tigs or email hello@ codecamp.com.au.

What are you really good at? Tennis and Art. What do you need to work hard at?

Homework.

How do you improve? By asking a parent.

What do you want to be when you grow up? An Artist.

JUNIOR SCHOOL

JUNIOR SCHOOL AWARDS Assembly Junior School Captains will be hosting next week’s Chapel in Rees Hall at 12.10pm.

Awards listed in the Newsletter will be handed out Term IV Week 2 (Thursday 19 October 2017)

MERIT CERTIFICATES Academic

WEEKLY AWARDS

Spencer Newhouse Surabhi Parab Isabella Perri Oscar Ryan Lily Still India Strangman Rana Ulusu Joshua Llewellin Reeva Kothari Lachlan Kiang Addison Keefe Lohithan J Avinash Rhiannon Evans Hugh D’Rozario Jack Cleary Neeti Boga Hugh Bartholomeusz Lauren Ayers

KM

Neeti Boga, Lohithan J Avinash

KP

Bailey Kiang, Reeva Kothari

1R

Sophie Deck, Wilfred Windsor

2M

Alexander MacKay, Matilda Pead, Jamie Vickery

2S

Riley Cook, Kaj Eriksson, Darby Parrish, Rana Ulusu

2T

Jannah Kermali, Maddison Tonkin

4G

Geraint Dodd, Toby Jinks

5A

Tania Kalsi

5M

Xavier Druett, Jessica Llewellin

6C

Rhiannon Evans, Oscar Ryan

6Y

India Strangman

Service

Hugh D’Rozario Oliver Alexander Oliver Johnson

HICES DEBATING Ademic Merit Certificates

James Gardner* Angus Kiang* Thomas Kirby Emily Sutherland Rebecca Winn Loren Yusuf* *Loren, Angus and James will also be receiving a special certificate for “Best Debater Preliminary Rounds” from HICES.

YEAR 4 EXCURSION

Old Government House and Elizabeth Farm

THE PIPER CENTRE

Mrs Taesha Duley-Smith Director of the Piper Centre

For children, movement is a fundamental form of expression. Children enter preschool as kinaesthetic and tactile learners, moving and touching everything as they learn. They use their bodies to explore the world, express feelings, and act out their ideas.

Bodily-kinaesthetic intelligence is recognised as one of our multiple intelligences (Gardner, 1983).

The use of creative movement is an example of holistic teaching that integrates kinetic and verbal activities.

Movement and dance help students: • Engage in learning • Apply their kinaesthetic intelligence • Understand concepts and themes • Develop and refine their higher-level thinking skills • Communicate in unique ways and appreciate the artistic expression of others • Develop spatial awareness • Cooperate Dancing and creative movement stimulates the development of general motor skills, mostly coordination of movement, orientation in time and space, balance and speed, stamina and precision.

It is important to emphasise that dancing has a positive effect on a child’s self-esteem, on social and emotional relations in a group, and an easier understanding of the world. Research also shows benefits of the creative movement as a dancemovement therapy when working with pupils with special needs.

Dance, Play, Grow in The Piper Centre

Dance, Play, Grow is an innovative dance and creative movement programme provided by Tania Lavis. Tania is a qualified Dance educator with 20 years experience in designing and delivering dance programmes for students from three years old to adulthood. Tania is also a registered provider of the syllabus of the Royal Academy of Dance.

The programme’s underlying movement content is based on the pre-dance and creative movement syllabus of the Royal Academy of Dance (Dance to Your Own Tune) and is enhanced with activities designed to link movement skills to the Piper Centre’s academic, artistic and social, emotional development targets. A great example of this is the experiences called Read My Dance. When learning or refining a movement skill such as spinning, the children, guided by the educator, design a symbol to represent the movement. The symbol is printed on a card and laminated to create a movement library – these symbols are used in later sessions to practise skills and for children to create dance sequences.

Dance, Play, Grow classes are designed to engage and delight students as well as support their physical, emotional and social development.

Classes are carefully structured to maintain the students attention and balance periods of activity with times for consolidation.

JUNIOR SCHOOL SPORT CIS Primary Athletics

St Peter’s Cup

Congratulations to our 17 athletes who competed at the Combined Independent Schools (CIS) carnival at Homebush on Wednesday. In the very hot conditions the students gave great performances with the Junior Boys Relay making the final (Samuel Lowe, Oscar Kiely, Saxon Parrish and Harley Adams) and six students placing in their events, therefore qualifying to represent CIS at the state PSSA carnival in October.

The St Peter’s Cup was held on 11 September in Camden.

TIGS Girls were defending champions and continued their winning ways collecting The St Peter’s Cup for the second time. The girls have shown amazing growth in their skill and teamwork throughout the year and it was wonderful to finish with a positive result. The Boys played well throughout the day and despite being such a young team, they have really grown in skill and maturity. Unfortunately they missed out on the final.

Molly Buikstra – 3rd Place 12 Years Girls High Jump Allegra Fock – 3rd Place 11 Years Girls High Jump Ella Fennell – 3rd Place 10 Years Girls High Jump Samuel Lowe – 3rd Place 10 Years Boys 100m, 4th Place 10 Years Boys 200m Jamaya Wayne – 2nd Place 11 Years Girls Discus, 3rd Place 11 Years Girls Shot Put Chelsy Wayne – 1st Place 10 Years Girls Shot Put, 1st Place 10 Years Girls Discus

Well done to all our football players for their commitment to training and competition all year.

Student Success William MacKay has had some great achievements in swimming over the last few weeks. Last month William competed in the South Eastern Swimming Association Winter Championships and was named 10 Years Boy Champion.

Over the past weekend, he also competed in the NSW State Swimming Championships in four events and was the 7th fastest 10 year old boy in NSW for 50m Butterfly. These are such outstanding results by William and we wish to congratulate him on his achievements.

SENIOR SCHOOL

Mr Greg Lanyon Head of Senior School There is some research to suggest that a higher level of individual wellbeing is more likely to be achieved when the focus shifts from self to others. In the teenage years, this is not so easy to achieve. It is a period of emotional and psychological development that tends to be egocentric. However, it is also a period of time when there is an emerging sense of social justice and a real questioning of values and relationships. There is an opportunity for schools to tap into this growing consciousness, by providing students with a range of community service activities where they might engage in the service of others.

One of the really positive features of an education at TIGS and one that sets it apart from other schools, is the increasing opportunity for students to be involved in community service activities in both the local and broader community. The rationale for providing individual service opportunities is to foster a rich service climate and culture, to give students opportunities to be extravagant in the use of their God-given talents and to normalise service for all of one’s life. Serving others also reflects a key message in the Bible as modelled by Christ and one of the three pillars of an education at TIGS. As TIGS continues to embed the IB programme across the School, service will be further integrated in student learning, as action service is part of the educational framework of the IB. In the Diploma Programme (Year 11 and Year 12), for example, creativity, activity and service (CAS) is one of three essential elements students undertake alongside their academic studies. It involves a student-initiated activity which students must reflect on, as part of the compulsory components of the course.

Currently, every Year group in the Senior School is involved in some form of community service activity.

Most of these activities are hands-on activities, rather than simply raising or donating money. For example, Year 8 last week visited the William Beach Aged Care facility for the first of two visits. Each student spent some time talking with their designated resident, asking them questions and interacting with them, one on one. On their return to school, students spent time in their Wellbeing classes and the Year Meeting creating a PowerPoint presentation to show the residents, based on their conversations with them.

Next week the students will share an afternoon tea with their connected person and present their story back to them. Some students are also taking small gifts and artwork to give to the resident as well.

This community service activity embodies the value of this type of programme to students and to the community the students serve. The following observations from parents of Year 8 students exemplify the value of such activities to all involved.

“I believe this is a very good programme for students to meet and engage with a diverse range of people with different age cohort and background in the community. I am sure that the continuation of such programmes will help them to become more comfortable meeting other people. Students just need to remember that the residents of “William Beach Facility” were young once too!”

And this conversation: Mum: “What did you do today darling?”

Daughter: “We went to the old people’s home” Mum: “How was that?”

Daughter: “It was cool” “It was interesting” High praise indeed!!!

And this: “You are right - this is the hidden curriculum but is so much more important in many ways than other aspects of formal education. I love that this contribution and learning is nurtured and encouraged at TIGS.” We will continue to provide these opportunities for students to give back to the community in which they live. Thank you to Mrs Toland for organising this service activity and feeding back to parents about the experience.

Mr Greg Lanyon Head of Senior School

Student Success in Robotic Competition

SENIOR SCHOOL SPORT

Zero Robotics is an international robotics programming competition in which the robots are SPHERES (Synchronized Position Hold Engage and Reorient Experimental Satellites) inside the International Space Station. The competition starts online, and involves the teams programming in a simulated environment that mimics the real SPHERES. The aim is to have the SPHERES solve a challenge within a given time. The finalists will be invited to compete in a live championship aboard the ISS. An astronaut will conduct the championship competition in microgravity with a live broadcast.

We would like to congratulate the TIGSonauts who have made it through the Australian Preliminary Rounds and have been invited to participate in the International round of the competition.

Up and coming Sport Events TIGS Netball Club Presentation Tuesday 19 September CIS Athletics Carnival Wednesday 20 September Great Race Thursday 21 September Year 9 and Year 10 Summer Sport Week 1 Thursday 12 October Year 7 and Year 8 Summer Sport Week 2 Tuesday 17 October

Parker’s School Holiday Tennis Clinic Where: Farmborough Heights Community Tennis Club Date: Monday 25 September – Wednesday 27 September 2017 Time: 9.00am – 12.00pm Cost: $90.00 (Ages 4 – 14 years)

Australian Interschools Snowsports Championships Congratulations to Ethan Jackson (Year 11) who competed at the Australian Interschools Snowsports Championships from the 6-9 September. The event was held at Mt Buller in Victoria. This is an extremely competitive event with 3,000 entries from 200 schools from VIC, NSW, ACT, QLD and SA. Ethan performed extremely well in the Division 1 Skier Cross event, finishing in 4th Place. In the Alpine GS event, after a strong first run, Ethan unfortunately crashed out in his second run. Ethan is to be commended for his extraordinary achievements and being a great representative for the School.

Great Race

The Great Race will be held at Jamberoo Recreation Park on Thursday 21 September.

The Great Race is a compulsory 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. There will also be an additional event for Year 12 as their final chance to contribute to the Shell Shield competition.

Transport arrangements: Students 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. 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.

Uniform: 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.

Safety: 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. Also a reminder to students who require asthma medication to have it with you at all times on the day.

We are looking forward to a great day to farewell Year 12 2017. If you have any questions please contact Mr Deck at school.

COMMUNITY

PARENT AND GUARDIAN SCHOOL SURVEY As part of our continuous improvement process and to assist planning for our next strategic plan, we wish to provide opportunities for parents and guardians to provide us with research informed feedback relating to their views of the School across a wide range of areas.

The survey is quite extensive and covers the full range of School activities, including academic, Christian education, student wellbeing, co-curricular and sports programmes.

If you haven’t completed the survey yet, you have until Sunday 17 September to submit it. If you didn’t receive an email from MMG Education please check your junk email or spam folder.

Please remember that, by completing your questionnaire, you will be making an invaluable contribution to the future of the School as we strive to ensure that we are providing the best opportunities possible for the students.

EXTEND @ TIGS Last week, the children had so much fun making their own playdough, slime and goop, they also added food colouring and glitter to it before taking it home.

Basketball, handball, cricket and football are just some of the sports we played to keep us active.

The children also worked on their homework during a mediation session or made letters to add to our letter box.

Jovica Taseska, Team Leader.

Our Extend Superstars are:

Aushada Ranamuka Rallage for being very polite and enthusiastic towards his peers and teachers at Extend Eva Grimm for always being well mannered, enthusiastic and a great help to her teachers at Extend.

What’s on next week?

Monday: More Slime Making, adding pop sticks as well as mixing colours.

Tuesday: Making a Pokémon Scavenger Hunt as well as playing it next term.

Wednesday: Pictionary and a Handball competition.

Thursday: Making non-Newtonian fluids.

Friday: Making our own game of Charades with Mirrors and Play Gym.

Spring Holiday Programme Bookings Are Open!

Book 14 days in advance to receive the lowest rate.

Make your own DIY paints and have fun with Messy Art, participate in delicious cooking activities, learn all about persistence of vision by inventing your own spinning Thaumatrope and loads more!

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

UPCOMING EVENTS

Tuesday

19 Sep

Wednesday

20

TIGS Netball Club Presentation

CIS Athletics Carnival

Sep

Thursday

Junior School Big Day In

Sep

Senior School Great Race

Friday

Year 12 Graduation Ceremony and Formal Ceremony - 9.00am in the IGC Formal - 6.00pm at the Novotel Wollongong

21 22 Sep

Last Day of Term III

Monday

First Day of Term IV

9

Oct

Summer Uniform

Friday

Senior School Leadership Induction 2.00pm in the IGC

13 Find us on Facebook

Year 6 Handball Challenge

Oct