from the P rInci
International Grammar School is proud to celebrate its Silver Jubilee. We have come a long way since 1984 when our first students were welcomed at the gates of a temporary site in Randwick. At 25 we can look back with great pride on the hard work of the pioneer students, staff and parents and thank them for the foundations that they laid for us. The early years were not easy. The School had to move premises at the end of its first year. Even after acquiring and a year later purchasing the new premises in Riley Street, Surry Hills, the lack of appropriate development approvals hindered the process of gaining registration and accreditation with the Board of Studies and thus receiving government funding. IGS celebrated the start of 1987, some three years later, with full registration and accreditation and a new Principal, Rita Fin.
In the early days, and throughout the journey to the new building in Kelly Street and the expansion in Ultimo to include additional premises in Bay Street and Mountain Street, our community has thrived on passion, commitment and drive to create a very special School.
This year we have celebrated the core values and aspirations that set us apart from other schools, both here in Sydney and internationally. Our motto is Concordia per Diversitatem. "Unity through Diversity" encapsulates the School's commitment to a model of the world where acceptance of difference in peoples and cultures is regarded as the keystone to understanding our world as a cooperative, complex whcle. The stylized globe in our logo represents our international outlook, the arc a span between culture and people.
IGS is a different place because we put respectful relationships and acceptance cf others as central tenets in everything that we do. Over the quarter century the fabric of community we now experience emerged I am very proud of our School today. Our students are an impressive group of individuals. They are optimistic, with a sense of hope for their future. They have the skills and fortitude to avail themselves of the opportunities available to them and to make wise decisions along the way. They possess a strength of character that
enables them to deal with I e and the tenacity to iake their lives ork for them. Most importantly, they have captured the passion of those whc have ccme before them and they are willing to strive for what they value and keep it alive within and around them. Our commJnity is all the better for tle compassion ani care that connects incividuals and mekes them part of the"hole.
Our commitment now is tc' :e future, a future shared with our loca Indigenous commurity. Ne are proud of the progress we have made in reconciling our histories. Togethe we look forward This edition of Jigsaw reflects the depth and complexity of the educaticnal experience offered to our students an: the richness of the community within whic the relationsh ps grow. It binds toetber our past, oui present and our future.
Kerrie Murpny Principal
Zoe Brockes of Preschool Go1c shows her Foundat,on Z ay project— a special Happy Birthday IGS card
//r 7
IGS' wonderfu' .'nternational Day was celebrated on Friday 7 August. Tha school's focus on diversity and unity ws ighlighted through th/activities and amazing costumes worn by students and staff. The food fair on tle roof waf extremely popular and we thar the whole IGS cam unity for helping to make it such a wonderful day.
(/ 2
On the first day of Term 4 IGS hosted one of our most significant events ev?r - A Celebration of Gad gal. We honoured the Gad gal people as the traditioral owners of this land and together we dedicated an art
GAD I GAL COUNTRY
installation depicting sandstone carvings found within the Sydney basin.
Students, carents and staff entering ite campus were cleansed with a traditional smoking ceremony by Uncle May. Eulo. A formal ceremony, nduding a Traditional Vvlcome to Country bj Allen Madden, was held outcoors and was streamed iie to students in the hall aid Primary classroom and was also available tc the public via a weblink. loomurri dancers performec at a High School assembly and Primary
s:Ldents and staff getting into the spirit of the occasion by joinir9 in the dancing. Every student, staff member and guest 'eceived a specially produced bookmark as a memento of the occasion.
At International Grammar, we seek to build and strengthen our engagement with our Indigenous community. For 25 years our school has brought together Australian and overseas students for a unique, Preschool-to-HSC education that demonstrates a commitment to languages and music unmatched by any other school in NSW.
n 2002, we established our first Indigenous scholarshb, which 2nables recipients to spend all 13 of their school years at IGS. Jur permanent recognition of the Gacigal people syrrbolises and reinforces our commitment to improve our service to irner:ity Aboriginal families by expanding our Indigenous schclarship -ogram. Board Chairman David Baker announced at the ceremony that the International Grammar School Indic anous education Fund is in the final stages of registration wi:h tie Australian Taxation Office. We will seek to build this fund hrDugh tax deductible donations fron- philanthropic 5urces io provide a growing income stream to cover the cost of ou' expanding Indigenous scholarship program.
Ou thanks go to the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Laid Council, Allen Jack+Cottier Architects and Kristy Masel a for thei' cortributions toward this Celebration.
Photos: Fiona Freeman for mojc photo gathering, with young
The 25t1 an iversary concert on 7 May a' Arel Place Recital Hall was a truly fitting celebation for IGS.
The first hal- of the program was a selectior of tems from past students who have oursued mjsic at tertiary level and also items f-om 1G5 music tutors, saff and parents.
Symphorsyothe CIiiH in :he second half was a ccmmissioned work from local composer James Humberstone. The wor involved more than 200 instrumentalists and singes across all levels of tie schoo and ircludecl parents, staf and mu;ictLtors. The mus c in the four contrasting movements tracked the progression of a child frcm early childhood through to tseir high schooi years through the six IGS la guages set to melodies and rhythms tha: brought this progress on to l fe. The work was a tri umph to the nusi: staff that produced it, to the students and all participants. It was a majo event that will be remembered for many years.
25th Anniversary Dinner
On Friday 25 May around 500 parents, staff, Board and friends of the schoo a:tended the social event of or 25th birthday calendar -the Gala Dinne' and Auction held at Doltone House, Jones Bay Wharf.
Jaslyn Hall was a magnific'it MC, we were entertained by Peter Colemaniri iht, Jenny Morris and our ex-student band, with a bit of 'shimmy End siake' fro-n Carmelo & Liz. Tim Stackpool ensured the live auction items fetched a handsome sum and guests had great fun trying to outwit and outbid each other in the silent auction.
Chairman Daid 3aker and Principal Kerrie Murphy were thrillec to welcome such a con;iderable gathering of people brought together by one thing: their shared love of IGS.
The event wculd not have oeen such a success without the wholehearted u3port of all our sponsors and crganisers and for this, we offer our rea'tfelt "thank you".
Earlier this:ear IGS re:eived a $3 mu I bn grant awarced to us by the Federal Governmen as part o' its "Building the Education Favolution Drogram: Primary Schools for the 21st C€ntury" project
The Board and architects have been working closely with Mrs Murphy arci senior staff to finalise plans for a new building to be constructed. We hava secured a lcng-term lease on the site at the corner :f Bay and Macarthur Streets,
our Development Applicaticn has bcen approved by Sydney City Council and plans are steaming ahead.
One of the stipulations of the Federa grant is that the building is to be completed by early 2011. Plans are nearing completion and we hope to break ground eaiy next "ear.
The new construction will oe a specia purpose primary school building whid will include a library, multi-purpose hall, idoor wet weather play area anc sorre staf
offices. Once again, the sc-ico is pa-tnering with award-winning archi:e:turtl fHm AJ+C.
The site is cistinct from o.r current acilities, he ice we anticipate little or no Jisrption dvirg con5tructicn.
The roll-on effect of the rew building is that .,ve can plan :0 expand the seror libary, open up Design and Tecnnclogy (D&T) areas and increase ':lass soace in our Kelly Street building.
th
r"m es,, ~ 'hool -
7 ,
dressing up and preterng, contributes to the goals of ez rly education: Representational thought
Conctual thought
Lang .nge skills
Contrunication skills
Social skills (from the f ndings of an Au;tralian Research Study: Perry R. 1989)
At IGS cur children are constantly invo vEd in dramatic pla'/ whether it be adult guided dramatisations during language and music or open ended child directed play'.
is part of every day in Preschool. The ciibrerì love not only the Op:):)-tLfl ty:o sing and dance but also to :reat :hr own music. Walking thrcLgl te Dreschool and Transition clas5es F i: is not music time we can stiF iea the children singing and mEking rrusi in many languages.
"In Fres:hool play is the :reative process that gives b rth t literacy" (Seymor Papert Our Preschool children are 1rq jently seen L 21avinglike eaders t and ir coing 50 they cnstruct mea-iing and
underrtnding - pr from ¶rnbo!s in prin-. Literacy in
Pres:hxI is all fl' about a love of r ' slove Of g
primary dCbOOI =,A
Ws part of the transition from the Preschool into the Primary School children ii the Transition classes are "buddied up" with students in Year 5. Each Year 5 class visits the Preschool over a number of weeks in Term 4. The Year 5 children jump at the opportunity to have the responsibility of helping a child move into formal schooling and the Transition students really enjoy having an older student they can look up to, play with and show how they are growing.
This relationship cortinies once the children move up a level into Kindergarten and Year 6. Throughout the year; from time to time, the chidren get together in the paygrçun. in tie Kindergarten rooms or in the Year 6 ro fun games and learning. The children picture meeting up for the last lime for the year to & and writing together. TIe bonds forged over a year often remain as the children move into high s4 and middle primary school. The memories remain str when the children each Year 5 they can clearly recall
BRok
a ra. rs
I n Term 3 primary children had the opportunity to come to school as their favourite book character. This was great fun ..and made the school an even more colourful and happy place than usual. However, there was a greater purpose to the day. From this point forward the children had the opportunity to help provide reading materials and opportunities to remote Aboriginal communities thro-ghout Australia by embarking on their own reading journey ard gaining sponsorship to do so. This required a commitment :o this purpose over a period of several weeks.
MEN
In all primary school years it is important that :Iildren have
the opportunity to develop their creativity and use their
The culrr ination of this for IGS stdents lies in the IRT imagination to demonstratc their understanding of the (lndeperdent Research Task) undertaken by every child world in which they live. From d?signing and making specific in Year E. Through this rich learn ng task the children objects with a limited numer o resources in Kindergarten, develop the ability to answer a qjestion in great depth to gaining an understanding about rainforest preservation by looking at it from many angles. This will include and habitats by developing theii own rainforest creatures research using factual and fictioral accounts, drawing in Year 3, the children not only increase their knowledge from the world of art and sortinc fact from opinion. They but they also learn from each otner, developing a social then have the opportunity to present their findings to conscience and understanding the issues we face today. More their peErs, parents and sometimes children from other than this, they learn about the rle they can play as members years using websites they have created and presentations of our society. they have prepared.
International Grammar students were invited to be involved in the peer2peer student video interview project. This was a first for an Art Museum in Australia and similar projects have been implemented at most international museums in the US and UK (including the Museum of Modern Art, New York and The Tate Modern, London).
This project was part of the Art Gallery of NSW Youth Audience Strategy and since its inception in February 2009 our students have played an integral part in its success. In February, Ruby Feneley and Liam Marosy-Weide were involved in interviewing ARTEXPRESS 2008
participarts about their work. In Math, Fllowing the success of these inaugural Ruby Feneley and Patricia Talob inte,viewed interviews the pe2r2peer project is row Mar \'eloraki, one of the winners ol the to be incorporated into the Gallery's Anne _arla Award for New Media Art 2009. annual Contemporary Projects program.
In July both Liam Marosy-Weide anc Ruby This has produced an engaging and dynamic resource for future student; of Fenelej were invited back and given the rare oppc•rtunity to interview Edrnu-d 'visual Arts. The interviews are posteJ CapDr., D rector of the Art Gallery of New on the AGNSW web site http://www. South Weles. artga llery.nsw.gov.au/ed/7 1 2/peer2p 9er.
Andrew Thompson - Head of Visual Arts
Photos- Ca fey Wright, AGNSW
AND APPLIED SCIENCES (TAS)
4A
Durirg Term 1 Ms Fairs class was required to, design anc construct a pair of board sorts, insireJ the taste in cloth ng )f ou- target narket, Year 8. Our favoj- te ask (besides constructing the board short;), was creating a mood board. For :his. we coiiecteJ images and designs fo-n magazine; and the internet which rellected our :hcica n textile design. Cur sewing experience from Chen lie club heipec make constructing the hoard shorts a fun lask Once we
began sewing, the ciassrom became alive with the busyress and excitement of productive and practical work.
Completing a pair c-f shcrts and trying them on showed is how all our planning and hard work had paid off. We both agree that the Urban Wear Design Project was one of the best lAS tasks yet!
Hanako Howard-Sh buya and Ruby Fischer
Inter iational Day celEbrations allowed all who ertered the Technolcgy department to have a spectacular tirre.
Using card glasses cu: on our new mach ne, the laser cutte; we could see the world thrD.gh arose :inted lenses.' Or as you can see canival ce e3ration lenses!
Anaslasia Fairs - Head of T,\S
beeril
he Science Department has had everal excitirg developments this ear. We congratulate Jerome Sam -, tathi Weir and Hugh Millar on bei:-j warded Young Scientist Prizes, ased on experiments researched ai:I onducted by the students. All :h-ee re entered into the next rund cf he competition - national;! We ave our fingers and toes crossed Dr them!
Two of ou Science staff tested Newton's aws and the effects of forces on human bones (finding out that cars and gravity seen to exert quite large forces!). They then investigated medical technologies such as titenium plates and screws, as well as the healing rates o bone and muscle tissue. Luckily, thei investigat ons are now completed and we are very pleased :0 hawe them back and teaching again.
Year 8 and 9 students Wide Reading - investigating the science contained in books oi ctier texts. Topics included TV series' Futurarna aid I-c use and books examining the science behind Buff' tie Vampire Slayer or The Simpsons. This time was used to help develop an awareness of the way Kience is i,sed (sometimes incorrectly) in the media and in CL everyday lives.
Mr Smiths clavicle (collarbone) enhanced with titanium piate and screws. We think he might set tfe security alarms off next time he does to the airport!
Some senior student! were lucky enough to gain control of the arkes Rsdio Telescope (of
'The Dish" fame). Their collected data will be wed for real science end added to the scientific research database.
There have been many experiences provided for students on and off campus: Year 12 attended the Area of Study Day at Darling Harbour which provided an insight into Paper 1 in the English exam and also offered Extension 2 English students inspirational ideas for thEir Major Work; a performance of Richard Ill at Carriageworks Theatre and the production of the Shoe Horn Sonata. Lunchtime writing workshops were conducted to hone essay-writing skills and the Extension 2 English showcase eveninc was a fine example of the passion and creativity our studen:s possess. The senior students dazzled us with short stories, film and critical responses which explored sophisticated concepts.
The junior years also participated in a number of events such as the UNSW English Competition, Rostrum Voice of Youth Public Speaking Competition, the United Nations Youth Association's Speaking Competition and the wide reading program run internally for Years 7-10. Year 7 entered the
Write4Fun poetry comoetilion whilst Year E participated in the school's Shakespeare and Sonnets competition. Film Club also offered senior stuJerts the opportuniti to view and discuss film genres, styles and techniques.
English teachers embrace I new technolocy and incorporated Audacity and Wikispace r:o their teaching programs. In particular, Year 10 workad on Collaborat ye Learning Projects and used blogs as a way of leveloping, taisforming and communicating their ileas.
The Canberra experierca al owed students :0 expiore how Australian society has oecn affected by via- through mediums such as film, literature pcse:ry, sculpture, memorials and song. This integrated uiit of work embraced HSIE's Australia in the Vietnam War Era ai: English's Representations of War program. Studenis c'rked in small groups and created multimedia presentation oased on researci gathered from Canberra's museums ard memorials.
We welcomed Jillian Butler's baby girl, Lily, as an honorary member of the department. Derek Patulny continued with his Masters Degree whilst Eleni Tatsis completed her Graduate Certificate in Leadership and Education. Some of the members of the team ventured intc writing book notes. David Strange published a book on Lost in Translation for the Extension 1 HSC Course, Derek Patulny and David Strange published a book on Alistair Macleod's Island for the HSC Extension 1 Course and
Eleni Tatsis and David Strange published a 000k on Seamus Heaney's poetry for the HSC Extensioni Course. Sarah Napier and Margarita Cantafie :orrpleted the Gi1.ed and Talented Course run internally by B-a1 Gillieatt. Stephen Pace, Brad Gillieatt, Margherita Cnt o and David Strange a I took on HSC Marking as well.
Eleni Tatsis - Head of Eng ish
;iuiiiiIr y
Hello, I'm Nancy Sharkawy
I studied a BEd (Secondary Mathematics) at the University of Sydney. I have thoroughly enjoyed my first year at IGS. Working in a school where students are highly cooperative and keen encourages innovative teaching and I have learnt Ifrom ers'
g visual presentations
e is powerful for students' understanding as well as retaining knowledge. A powerful memory of this year is the Year 8 camp. It was so pleasing to see students take on the outdoor education challenges as well as offer assistance when sensing that others are in need.
Maths Tournament
In the Year 7 Maths tournament, students had the opportunity to take part in a variety of competitive activities that challenged their numerical skills. All students had a wonderful day.
We celebrated International Pi day with some games and video clips to assist in memorising Pi. Students had a look at the Pi chart on the board and then faced away and recited Pi. To motivate the students some delicious cupcakes were baked by staff with the Pi symbol on top. The student who remembered the most places for Pi received a cupcake. The student at the end of the lesson's Pi activities with the most cupcakes was declared the grand champion and the Pi Master.
Jane Martin -Head of Mathematics 7 kJLJLL L
ftt
IN
orovokiny ard sometimes confronting moments. The Citadel I at Hue; the tnb ccmplex of the emperor Tn Duc; the Buddhist betovns id counrde; eWar Remnants Museum, with i-r~ di;turbing images of Agent Orange victims; :he clauslrohobi: crawl through the tuirels of Cu Chi, the site of major fiet Cong DperationE during the American War and Early one morriny ii Octobe, our intrep c grouo of twenty three :he visit to te merrorial at Lcng Tan to pay our respects to the s:udents and three :aft mer:bers leti S'dey a rport for Hanoi, Australian soldiers who fought in Viet Nam. These experiences tie capital of 'vie Nam. Thee was some anxieti but rro of ensured Viat the history focus of the trip was more than satisfied. all. we were exited and eager to arrive at our destinatic'i and Dne can't forget those unexpected, unp anred and surprising exoerience for ourselves the wonders of a :ount-y we hac heard moments that add to the enjoyment of such trips: the overnight SD much about Aic we weren't disaç:pc'ir:ed. Fom the moment :rain from HE no lo Hue, n which we held a mad party; the we arrived in the mddle of lf'e busy and roisy Ljnar Festival and ncredibl. 'dc.dv' hatel at Can Tho in the Mekong Delta, dubbed had tc make our way throuç iHanoi's CliQuarter by cliLing ay Mr Miller as tie 'House of Horrors'; cjr guide, Mr Hoi, with his over motor bikes Nhich bloce the fooejaths, ve knew we were depth of now edge and often questiorable sense of humour; about to exper erce somethng extraorc ir 3ry.
our small buddy groups dninc and shopping together in Hoi An; Indeed- our t'ip yes to leave us with niaryvery .ifferen1 and :he long bus -ides sleeping and watching the countryside go by; special experiences. There were beaLtiful iomeits -swinning repeated recitals of Taylor Swift's 'You Belong with Me'; and the in the quiet, sti I aers of He long Ba" wfth its slunning imestone magnificent Royal banquet held to celebrate the birthdays of formations sLhoueTled agair ;t the g ant :: -ange moon hanging Max Henriessj-Trupheme and :reya de Wilde Barr. low in :he sky; ar DLI journe through Vie - Narr s lush central
All in all, t was. a fantastic trip and one That our whole group will mointain ranges, travelling om Hue, tie ancieit capital, to the recall with foid memories for years to corre. tourist mecca of l-oi An.
Marlena Lutz-HughEs--Year 1)
In <eeping with tie reasons or the t - p n :he first place, ve were ennc1 to Viet N rn'c Ir d long - rich hctr, with i - h-.. David Mu er -Head of HSIE
Language Camps
French Camp "'apans
/taYihc
Vilrna Rotellini - Head of Primary Languages
The Music Department has e'igaged in
. -.2 an amazing array of activities in 2009. Students participated in ensembles It in both primary and high school that cater for string, woodwind, brass players and vocalists.
The year began with a new welcome event called the Massive Musical . Mingle where all instrumentalists - I rehearsed together before commencing work in their ensembles. Senior students participated in a community event - the Pyrmont-
. Ultimo festival - and the audience enjoyed the range of items presented. - All Music staff undertook to earn brass instruments this year and played
• t . an item at high school assembly. Students enjoyed visits from professional musicians from Musica Viva with their Sousaphonics group and a perormance of Cinderella from Oz opera. Excursions to the - Yamaha sand Festival and Engadire Festival were most successful and enjoyed ball.
Alison Hosley - Director of Music
IGS students erthusiastically make use A golp of student volui:eers is greatly The Learning Centre was part of the of the Learning Centre for all aspects of appreciated as they assist with book team planning and implementing if teaching and learniig both during class covering and she vi - g. the Collaborative Learning Project for time and for recreational activities. It We ive fortunate10 have been uDplied Year 9 students researching a risk taking is always busy with a constant buzz of thrcugh a GoverruTlent gant with 28 behaviour. The use of web 2.0 thrcugh activity as students engage in research laptops for student use givng students class wikis created an avenue for studentactivities using the irary resources of iicred access to resoLrles to support teacher collaboration and reflection. The books, laptops and desktop computers. their laarning and tte taols to communicate communicate students responded eagerly to usirg wikis IGS students are avid and wide readers L with t'eirteacher5 id peers an-i ndertake and confirmed their strengths as 21st with a range ol interests from vampires to collaborative tasks. The iop environment century digital natives. manga. In response to student needs for supports project based aid reseErh based Glynis Martin-Head of Senior recreation at li.wicFlime, we have formed earning and encourages gher-order Learning Centre a chess club, a Docto- Who appreciation thi -iKing skills whi:h are essential across all group and a Magic of the Gathering club. tie curriculum areas
This year 1c5S competed for the first tiTe in the Rock Eisteddfoc Challenge. Our 80-member group performed in the Open Division Final, showcasing the "Raw"(meaning 'o uge sets or props) section. Al performers and behird-the-cenes workers made ar enormous contribution in terms of tin. sk II and plain hard .c'rk to present a graceful and entertaining message on the need to look afte our environment.
The performance was about a young by and girl growiig up and seevg the environment cbnge tiroghout their lives. An environriental sing and dance represEnted each decade: the 0'5
followed a l'ippy theme to Joni Mitchell's Big Yellow Taxi; the 80's dance was an animalistic urban jungle theme accompanied by tie song We Didn't Start the Fire, by Billy Joel and the 90's dan:e was E delicate, contemporary piece to the Earth Song rem x by Mkhael Jackson. The finale was a great success as our cast of over 60 students performed to Waiting for the World to Change by John Mayer. We all felt that Rock Eisteddfod Cha lenge was a triumph, we all learnt so much and we will definitely dD it next year!
Pau Galea and Melinda Hodges
The Year 9 Fete was held on a sunny Frioay in June. The day began with a ca<e stall before school a-id continued until after lunch with eating and drinkiig, alfresco disco, face decorating and 'sponging" of some brave teachers. The PTF kindly donated prizes for a raffle, our lovely Canteen ladies helped with ordering g000ies and giving much-needed advice, our Facilities and Accounts staff were enthusiastic helper; and many teachers helped out in different ways.
AThe criginal aim was to raise S1500 to buy a well for a community in a ceveloping country in order to prov ce access to clean drinking wate-. In the end, Year 9 achieved way beyond that goal and managed to raise $3560! TherE will now be TWO wells provided
to communities in Bangladesh, Bu ma, Cambodia, Ethiopia, India or Sudan. Year 9 also wishes to doiate two new barbecues to the school to -eplace the currently overworked ones.
Year 9 students were on duty the whole day doing al the hard work serving and organizing activities for over 600 ol their fellow students. Some ycung people in our community disccvered Iow they were able to make a real difference through their own desire and effort.
Thank you to everyone who ent a helping hand. Particular thanks to the parerrs of Year 9 students for their supJort wih the hundreds of cakes and cookie; they provided.
Paul Galea - Director of Student Activities
Primary Sport
Primary School
Dor4iPik TraAovski, Kallesh
-nans and Christopher Waiters Maria -ma EL
*e CrQsCQantry Carnival swimming Cc
andAice Neill 4t-the 12/73 in the
qua tic Centre•
Frances Potter tauren 1ronmoner, Chloe Kennedy-Ro
Year 11/12 Girl! Start at Cross Country Mc..emaii-Tyrrell supporting Baado at the cross Counti Emma Richards - Coordinator of Primary Spout
Year 5 a,d 6 students at the lookout during the busti walk
Ar"eda 3ev.ns climbi Liçh Alex Lavery-Jones th? tIre for the Private Treasure the Giant Swing
o.wJnik Trajkovski on the Nido'as Walker getting ready ving vert.ral duster for mountain bike riding
High School
High SchoolAthletics Carnival
Lots of sugport. Kuyal ç laced 2no Ak
Over 60 students went on tc represent IGS at the CDSSA Athletics Carnival with 35 qualifying to Al.=
Sarah Long, Hannah Kichin, Evar ,e - nis and James Constantine compEteo zt the NSW CIS Athletics Charrpionships wi:h Hannah ard Evan thrci.gh to 'VSWAJI Schools Championships
High SchoolSwimming Carnival
<uyal and Baado oattle it out in tug o war
Kuyal take the trophy home for t.me tear Hannah Snooks Coordinatr of High School Sport
Kuyal and Gura unite!
Ovr 2009 house champions -Ba-al! 26 recocs broken on the day
calm and serenity amongst Bamal
'Vitaofile: M o r a b i t o
I am a Foundation teacher at IGS.. I began teaching at the Avoca St Randwick site where I was employed as the first Italian teacher in a school which numbered 40 children in total. News of this new language focus in education spread quickly and I became a Year 1 home class teacher and bilingual Italian teacher. For one third of the day I taught my Italian class, which consisted of Preschool to Year 10 in one class. It was known as family grouping and in those early days it actually worked as we had fun discovering new words, learning songs and creating performances to showcase learning.
My association with IGS goes back further though. My family spoke the languages of French, Greek, Italian and English consistently and interchangeably. This taught me about differences in language and culture as my parents had lived in Egypt in the 1920's, coming to Aus:ralia in the 1950's.
When I was growing up I didn't realise what an asset languages were, as at school everyone spoke English only. At the time it was
not fashionable to be heard speaking another language in public. It was not until I was at Sydney University studying to become a Primary teacher and considering my Honours Thesis, that I realised our Primary school system did not in any way recognise or reward children who could speak another language: in fact they were often seen as disadvantaged. A huge mind shift in education was needed if we were to start seeing the languages with which children often arrived in this country as resources that were often ignored. In July 1980 I stumbled upon an article in the University of Sydney news which showed Reg St Leon teaching German to Primary school students at Paddington Public. Hence began my association with Reg as he became a case study in my research which dared to dream the idea of bilingual education as a right for all Primary students in NSW as a way to explore diversity in languages and culture and achieve global unity. I researched various language teaching approaches in Wales and England where mother tongue language maintenance models were at various stages of implementation. Upon my return from overseas and the completion of my thesis Bilingualism: Policy into Practice, Reg St Leon offered me the opportunity to begin teaching at the new school IGS.
Those early days were challenging. We were creating ground breaking education and we were the leaders, trying new ideas and testing them out. We marched on the steps of Parliament House, staff worked without pay for a short time and parents regularly attended working bees to help turn the Elizabeth Arden makeup factory into a real school. It was passion which drove us and a belief in language learning as a vehicle towards human compassion and understanding which helped us to persist. It was creative, inspiring and never dull.
We took risks in education. My early experiences with creating, devising and showcasing Italian performance work resulted in further study at the University of Bologna and in Siena in Drama and Theatre. I returned home to complete further studies here and lobbied to offer the new syllabus subject Drama at IGS. We created enormous events which involved Primary School to Year 12 students to mark the transition from Kelly Street premises to Ultimo with the creation and performance of The Journey. We collaboratively created the spectacle to mark the former principal's retirement, as a Primary to Year 12 event, with The Wright Way Home and we devised Balancing Act, looking at the four elements which form the basis of our House system, Fire, Earth, Air and Water. We transformed teaching spaces and led audiences through promenade theatre in large scale school community celebratory events.
Now, excellent HSC results are achieved in Drama as students pursue their passion for creative expression through Performance, Design, Theatre Criticism, Scriptwriting, Applied Research Project and Film Studies. Each year I see Year 12 students leave IGS as fluent, confident, broad-minded individuals who have access to more than one way of looking at the world, making sense of difference, and more than one way of expressing their ideas.
The schooling we have today here at 165 began as a dream, was fought hard for and has taken a special type of community of parents and teachers to comprehend its value and support its growth from our humble beginnings to the impressive and inspiring school we have created today for future generations.
Rita Morabito
Rita Morabito with her son, Jamison Dower of Kindy Green
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It It is with some o he fondest memories of my teaching career that I recall my time at IGS, especially during the last four years when t was Principal. Both :he chool and I were very young whe'i I was appoii:ed, aIlovHg us both to grow as IGS became firmly e;tablished within the ccnstellation of Sydney private schools. Fond memjries -ena n for many reasons, foremosi of which was the passion e al shared for bilingualism and good music educa: on. In tIioe early days we fought hard to build a school t—at colc g ye second generation children the opportunity to be proud of their heritage; and for the Aussies, a chance to lear-i enc experience another culture. felt strongIN about th;. as I had grown up in tie Australia of the 1960s where my sidings and I relied on concealing our Italian backgrcund as a means of ;urv ving the schoolyard taunts of our Ançlo mates.
Running a newly-established sciool made ne appreciate hc reliant we were on the goodwi and many hours of volunteetime of the entire s:hool ccmm..nity - especially the staff a-ic parents The work of the fcucdtion familes that helped u; to raise much-needed fund-, .as pienomenal. The hours that :he staff put in to es:ablish teaching programmes that pioneered the notion of teachinc the normal '.chool curri:ulum in six langjEges
other than English were limitless. At time; it was overwhelming to steward all parties to work on what was a very tight budget and to support the teachers to make it though the difficult protocol of the Registration requirements of the Department of Education. After many years of arduous work, in 1988 the School was finally accredited.
For me, though, the connection with the school runs even deeper - my father, Cavaliere Giuseppe Fin (OAM) was the master builder in the refurbishment of the Surry Hills campus, when in January 1985 it was converted from a perfume factory to a working school in just under six weeks. My husband, lutenist with the Brandenburg Orchestra, Tommie Andersson taught classical guitar at the school for many years. My children, both already bilingual in Swedish have a connection with IGS - Oskar attended Preschool in 2001-02 and my daughter Freja Anderssn has been at IGS since Preschool and is currently enrolled in Year 4, studying Italian as her third language (not to mention viola, piano and flute!) My nieces and nephews -the Mitchell family have been IGS pupils across a span of thirteen years.
More than anything, it is a great source of pride for me that IGS has flourished from the humble beginnings of 1984. Furthermore, I am relieved that since the 1960's, our country has moved on to accept what IGS has made its motto - unity through diversity. To have watched the growth of a philosophical idea blossom into the reality that it is today makes me deeply proud that the foundational leadership that I provided hs enabled the School to continue to reach the goals we set out to achieve.
Happy 25th Birthday IGS!
Rita Fin
How often do teachers take their parents to school? In October, IGS celebrated International Teachers' Day 20O with a unique concept. We encouraged our staf to invite a parent or other family merrther to school, spend some time with them in their workplace and share a special morning tea. The staff who did not have visitors jo ned in the special morning tea in small groups.
The tea:hing and suppol staff at IC-S do exceptional work in supporting the education of yours people. International Teachers- Day is a time each year when we can pause and reflect on thei- work and celebrate the contriution they make to lives o our students. During the day Kerrie rvkirphy welcomed gusts and shared a personal sbry about an occasion wher ier contribution as a teacher was recognised and the impact this had upon her. Davic Hamper. Assistant Principal Staff Services, announced that in recoiition of our long sen.ing stafa new honour coard will be erected in the Staff Common Room to recoiJ the names of those staif who have served the school for at least 20 years. (the Staff HorEur Boa, is now rip, displaying the names of 11 staff with 20 or more years' setvice, &J.)
As part of a strategic redeployment of some areas of the Kelly Street building, the Principal's Office, Finance staff, Registrar and Assistant Principal - Staff Services have moved to new offices within the Mountain Street annexe.
As a result of the move, new spaces have been created for meeting rooms, a staff computer area off the staff common room and a back office for Reception equipment and stationery.
The Uniform Shop is also located within the Mountain Street annexe (best entered via Small Street).
Street
Gillian Pick
T1' Gillian graduated with the Class of 2003 having attended IGS since Preschool. She inlended joining the NSW Police Force '7 - igto eventually have a career within ,lice, hence combining her 'ith her desire to serve the lung and working as an language skills to work, after whi:h she commenced a Bachelor of Policing. However, her love of horses and her longing to work with them sooner rather than later influenced her to train as an apprentice jockey, wiich iri:luded an exciting year of racing.
Earlier this year, Gillian gave up her three-year career as a jockey. Her strong social conscience combined with her love of culture, learned from IGS, had boosted her desire to help people, explore &ffererT cultures and develop an understanding of the needs of others. She decided to take a direct approach.
To this end, she i5 undertaking a 10-week volunteer position in Vanuat'j with Youth Challenge Australia, commencing in DecembeL The kcal community will identify its most pressing need: youth wor<, environmental or infrastructure development. Gillian firmly beheves that this experience speaks strongly to the care values of IGS, which were cemented during her Preschool to Year 12 education here, namely diversity, personal achievement, cc.,nectedness, authenticity and vibrancy. We wish you well, Gillian!
Sophie Edin
SOPHIE THROSBY EDIN (Class of 1999) recently completed her double degree at UTS and graduated LLB (Indigenous Studies) and was admitted to the Supreme Court of NSW in August 2009.
Sophie was appointed a Criminal Defence lawyer with the Northern Australian Aboriginal -Justice Agency s JAAJA) in September 2009 and now resides in i.Nightcliff. Darwn, practising her chosen profession.
ftër leaving IGS,. Sophie travelled to Europe in 2000 and on rturningtoAi.tralia undertook the first two years of her
dgree at Southern Cross University in Lismore, NSW before "
re urn ing to Sydney to complete her studies at UTS, where she excelled in all aspects of Indigenous law.
During her stucies at UTS she worked at the Redfern Legal Centre and completed her professional training at
Campbell:own District Court, preparing her well for the often arduous work-load of criminal defence in the
Northern Territory.
(with thanks to Mr P Edin)
