From the Acting Principal 10 June 2014
Transcription
From the Acting Principal 10 June 2014
10 June 2014 Term 2 | Edition 3 From the Acting Principal Last Friday our Year 12 Leadership Team hosted the K-12 Dinner (photos, right). The girls did a marvellous job and over 500 students attended. It was wonderful to see the girls, from our youngest to our oldest, come in many different costumes with the theme being ‘Blast from the Past’. It was obvious that a lot of work went into all the costumes and I commend everyone for your ingenuity in coming up with costume ideas. Special thanks to the team of Year 12 girls who worked tirelessly to produce this wonderful event. We also thank our special guest singers, Adira Belle, for performing on the night. This term as been a busy one with many students being involved in numerous activities. Last week we held the senior athletics carnival at the State Sports Centre, Homebush. The weather held and the girls had a great day. Congratulations to Abbey Hodge for breaking the record for the 15 years 90m hurdles which now stands at 14.07 seconds and for equalling the record for the 15 years 100m at 12.97 seconds. There were many other highlights but for me, I particularly enjoyed seeing the involvement of so many of our students and the great spirit of competition between the Houses. Congratulations to the winning House for the overall interhouse athletics trophy, Walker, finishing with 2572 points. We had a number of Tara teams competing in the Da Vinci Decathlon at Knox Grammar School recently. Our girls were part of 320 teams who competed in this year’s event. Congratulations to our Year 9 girls who came first in their year group. This is a wonderful achievement as the competition was very strong. Thank you to our staff who also supported the girls and prepared them for this event. The Language Perfect competition has just ended and again, our girls did amazingly well. There were six elites and 47 gold winners awarded. Congratulations to Tiffany Aoun who placed 22nd in the world from over 300,000 competitors! The rehearsals for the School’s musical production of ‘The Pajama Game’ are going at a great pace. Everyone involved in the show is putting in many hours of rehearsals and I am very much looking forward to attending this musical. We still have tickets available for the 1.30pm performance on Friday 13 June. I encourage you and your friends to come and see this fabulous production! On 28 May a group of Year 11 girls lead the initiative to raise funds for the McGrath Foundation. This involved wearing a pink ribbon in their hair, a bake sale, selling McGrath merchandise and Tara drink bottles as well as the anticipated staff vs students cricket match. I want to thank all the girls and staff involved - it is a very worthwhile charity and I am proud that we can support them. Congratulations to students and staff for raising $1565 and to our winning staff team who took out the cricket match. As the term ends, semester reports are being finalised and sent to parents. Please reflect on your daughter’s accomplishments in her learning and involvement in School programs and take some time to talk with her about her future learning goals. When doing this, can I encourage you to adopt a ‘growth mindset’ approach and encourage your daughter to think about what she needs to do and to banish such comments as “I am not great at... ”. This can easily be turned around by adding the word “yet”. Help her to identify the small steps she can take and congratulate her on her achievements. We can all do with acknowledgement and encouragement from time to time. I’d like to wish all families a safe and refreshing holiday and we look forward to the start of Term 3. (Mrs) Sue Hammond Inside this edition Acting Principal 1 Community 2-3 Junior School 4-6 Senior School 6 - 10 School Diary 11 -14 Editor: (Miss) Eileen Opilas Email: [email protected] Planning for the future I would like to thank all the Tara families who constantly support our School. For those who have not recently donated, a friendly reminder that the end of financial year is quickly approaching and any donations of $2 or more are tax deductible. Your contribution, large or small, will make a significant impact in the realisation of our aspirations. At Tara, we are proud of the quality of education that we provide for our students. As a School with a significant tradition and history, we are thankful for the great work and support of our Tara parents, friends, Old Girls and staff. Your past contributions have helped to assist the School in providing the excellent learning environment that our Tara girls enjoy today. With this understanding, the Tara Foundation aims to continue to develop our facilities and the opportunities made available to our Tara girls. Tara is the best place for girls and the board of the Tara Foundation regularly assesses and constructs plans to ensure that our students of today as well as in the future can thrive. If you would like to assist the Tara Foundation as we plan for now and the future, donations are welcome by visiting Tara’s website http://bit.ly/1hC1MDj. Alternatively, please email foundation@tara. nsw.edu.au. Thank you in advance for your generosity and support. 2014 Team: Ian Gray (Y12), Heather Mallett (Y10), Ken Davis (Y12), Glen Hunter (Y11), Gary Mallett (Y10), Geoff Brooke-Smith (Y10), Tina Horn (Y10), Sunny Hres (K), Jo Horton (Y9), Alison Keary (Y9), Nola Haig (Y12), Kathryn Crowhurst (Y7) Wayne Dickinson (Y7), Linda Brooke-Smith (Y10), Allison Grasso (Y2,4), Danielle Simpson (Y2), Julie Cleary (Y2), Anya Pesce (PP), Elizabeth Hinchon (OG), Fiona Cuthbert (Y10), Alison McDonell (Y8), Natalie Gosper (Y3), Julie-ann Coulton (Y6,3) Rebecca Coombes (K,3), Pauline Sorbello (Y2), Rob Lloyd (Y5,6), Todd McDonell (Y8), Kim Stubbs (Y9), Sandra Hodge (Y8,3), Sharon Pinto (Y12,10), Sharon Gray (Y8,6), Patti O’Gorman (Y11, 10), Kim Selig (Y7), Mary Abraham (Y8), Cate Alder (Y11), LeeAnn Olsen (Y9), Natasha Lovrich (Y2), Patricia Cross (elc), Penny Harrison (Y5), Mary-Jo Usher (Y1) (Mrs) Wendy McDermott, Community Coordinator Golf Day Planning is underway and if you are interested in being part of this wonderful day (no golf knowledge is necessary!), then please contact Mr Max Denton on 0422 426 787. Tara Ball 2015 A Tara Ball committee has formed to start preparing for the ball but we still need a few more people to assist on the event. If you are interested in event development and planning please contact Mrs Heather Mallett via email [email protected]. Second Hand Uniform Shop & Crested Items Second Hand Uniforms A reminder we do not accept the following uniform items for re-sale: • Light blue polo tops. • Blazers which do not have TARA underneath the crest. • White tennis skirts and white tennis tops (with the wording, Tara tennis). We currently have a few Tara ski jackets left (ex-rental, some have never been worn) as well as a good supply of the Tara navy overcoats, most in excellent condition, all sizes available. Obsolete items and items not able to be re-sold are given to our regular charity and the last container went to flood affected areas in the Solomon Islands. The organising team from Rotary are ever so grateful for our continued support. (Ms) Miray Makram, Foundation Development Manager Crested Items We only have two Tara fold up sports chairs left. Unfortunately due to high costs, we are no longer able to order these. Community (Mrs) Sandy Giblin (Yr 10), P&F Volunteer - Second Hand Uniform & Crested Items Coordinator GREAT DAY OUT & OPEN DAY 2014 Sponsors A huge thank you to all our Great Day Out sponsors. Tara gains a huge benefit from their generosity. Please support them in their businesses as they have supported us. GDO Team Tara is enormously grateful to ALL the supportive and enthusiastic volunteers and to the wonderful team of parents who delivered the GDO to our community. Thank you for your dedication and skills. Tara is fortunate that you are willing to contribute in so many ways. Stay in touch with Tara online. New Coordinator Required At the end of Term 3 Sandy Giblin will be retiring from the P&F Coordinator position of the Second Hand Uniform and Crested Items after more than 10 years of voluntary service. We are seeking parents or grandparents who are interested in this role. Sandy is happy to give a handover to the new volunteer during Term 3. Consideration will be given to splitting the role also. Please contact Mrs Heather Mallett if you are able to assist. Friends of Tara Rowing Winter rowing started last week and to have 26 girls signed up is a wonderful achievement and shows a real Visit tara.nsw.edu.au or follow Tara on Twitter @Tara_School 10 June 2014 Term 2 | Edition 3 2 Community Online http://portal.tara.nsw.edu.au/parents dedication from these girls and the rowing parent group. The Tara eight finally got to see the water on Sunday and the girls had a fun time being in a large crew. Each year FoTR fundraises to support our rowing girls, buying and updating worn out equipment when needed. This year fundraising has raised over $12,000 mainly through the wonderful donation from the McMillan Family allowing us to have the Club 300 Beef and Lamb Raffle, but also smaller events throughout the year including the Rowing Dinner, GDO Tent, CIS Gymnastics BBQ and Fion Design Photographs. Thank you to all those who bought a raffle ticket or donated to FoTR. This has allowed FoTR to purchase: Cartopper Aluminium Boat ($1613); LED Boat Lights ($200); Croker Skulling Oars ($2729) and Speed Coach GPS ($516). If your daughter has ever shown an interest in rowing or you think they might be interested, they can attend any Sunday morning and join rowing anytime. Please get in touch with the Tara Rowing Convenor/ Head Coach Laura Brienesse at [email protected] or mobile 0431 884 635. Phone (Community Coordinator) 8838 2613 Email [email protected] THANK YOU TO ALL OUR GENEROUS SPONSORS AT THE 2014 GREAT DAY OUT. PLATINUM SPONSORS GOLD SPONSORS SILVER SPONSORS BRONZE & BUSINESS SPONSORS (Mrs) Jo Horton (Yr 9), P&F Volunteer - Rowing Publicity & Promotions Officer Next P&F meeting SB MUNRO Electrical The next P&F meeting will be held on Tuesday 17 June in the Bowern Room at 7:30pm. All Junior and Senior school parents are welcome. See you there! (Mrs) Heather Mallett (Yr 10), Tara P&F President Stay in touch with Tara online. Visit tara.nsw.edu.au or follow Tara on Twitter @Tara_School 10 June 2014 Term 2 | Edition 3 3 • When I read this, I imagine that ... • As I read this, in my mind I see ... From the Head of Junior School Reading is a fundamental life skill. It underpins every aspect of our lives and is foundational in achieving success and satisfaction in every endeavour. As part of our work with the PYP, teachers in the Junior School are thinking seriously and academically about quality reading teaching and learning. We are aiming for authenticity: this means looking seriously at how reading works in the real world and make sure that the way our girls are learning language mirrors the way they use language in the real world. Reading forms a major part of home learning. Reading for entertainment and for information, as well as reading to improve reading skills, does not just belong at school. In order to make significant gains in reading skills and love of reading, significant amount of time must be devoted to it. Oral reading forms a major component of our school-based reading program, and ideally children of all ages will have plenty of regular opportunities to read orally to someone sitting and reading alongside them. 4. Questioning You and your daughter could ask teacher-like questions: • Who is …? • When is …? • What is/does …? • Where is …? • What if ...? • Why is ... significant? • Why does ... happen? • What are the parts of ...? • How is ... an example of ...? • How do ... and ... compare? 5. Summarising How to summarise: • Look for the topic sentence • Look for who, what, when, where, why and how • Omit unnecessary information You and your daughter could say: • The topic sentence is ... • The author is trying to tell me ... • The story/passage about ... begins with ..., discusses/develops the idea that ... and ends with ... Other conversation starters to prompt your daughter before, during and after reading are: • I think that ... The following five strategies are reading behaviours that good readers • I’ve noticed ... use, sometimes explicitly but often completely subconsciously. You could use them as the basis of reading with your daughter, regardless of • I’m wondering ... • I liked/didn’t like ... whether she is 4 or 14 years old: • That reminds me of ... • Maybe ... 1. Predicting • The author might mean ... Make a prediction when: • I’m picturing ... • A title is given • I was surprised by ... • Headings are provided • I hope that ... • The author poses a question in the text • The text suggests what is coming up next Turning Circle You and your daughter could say: • Based on the title, I predict that this is going to be about ... • I already know these things about the topic/story ... • I think the next chapter/section will be about ... • Based on ...(a clue), I predict ... • Based on what ... said or did, I predict ... 2. Clarifying Clarify tricky parts when: • You don’t understand • You can’t follow the text • You don’t know what a word or idea means You and your daughter could say: • I don’t really understand how/why/what/where/if ... • I am wondering ... • A question I’d like answered by the author is ... • One word/phrase I do not understand is ... Every week I endeavour to catch as many parents as I can to ask that the family name be displayed on the front passenger sun visor. It really does make the whole Turning Circle work much better when teachers and the girls can see the names from a distance. I really appreciate your cooperation with this. One or two very concerning factors continue to be: • the speed of cars within the school grounds • the queuing of cars in the ‘inner circle’: stopping at the front of the inner circle prevents cars behind from proceeding and also clogs the entire turning circle. I know that the local police patrols our area as the roads within Tara are actually public roads. Therefore, normal road protocols apply. I would hate for any of our parents to be fined, but more than that, I would hate any girls or adults to be injured. It is timely to remind all users of the Turning Circle of the Essential Agreement written by the Class Parents as representatives of all parents. This will be reviewed in 2014 to ensure its currency (see over page). 3. Visualising Pretend it’s a movie and visualise a picture in your mind: Stay in touch with Tara online. Visit tara.nsw.edu.au or follow Tara on Twitter @Tara_School 10 June 2014 Term 2 | Edition 3 4 As Tara parents, we agree that: • Safety of students, staff and parents is the primary concern of all individuals using the turning circle: courtesy and consideration to other drivers, Staff and students, in addition to an adherence to a 10 km/h limit, is expected by all users of the turning circle. • Parents and caregivers are to remain inside the car during peak times. This is a Baulkham Hills Shire Council recommendation based on its evaluation of our turning circle. Staff is on hand to assist with getting in and out of cars, but should parents need to assist their child, then parking in the car park is the best option. • Children leave and enter the car from the curb side in front of the entrance to Junior School. Calling students across the road contravenes our commitment to safety. • Turning circle is a ‘kiss-n-drop’ system. Extended farewells are best conducted prior to the turning circle, or in the car park or courtyard. • The ‘inner circle’ of the turning circle is a no standing zone. Cars on the ‘inner circle’ of the turning circle are to continue circling, merging considerately with traffic already in the turning circle. • Timing is everything with the turning circle: parents are encouraged to time their arrival at school to align with the time their child is released, to ensure minimum time is spent in the turning circle. Parents with K-2 and 3-6 children should time their arrival once the oldest child is in the turning circle. • All families are encouraged to display their family name in the front window to expedite allocating children to cars. • In the interest of duty-of-care, all students are to be collected by 3:30pm. In the case of an unforseen event that delays you, please notify the Junior School office of your intention to be late. Children not collected by 3:30 will be cared for in After School Care. Some days there are obvious delays in the traffic (eg. inclement weather). In these circumstances, please be assured of the Tara Staff’s preparedness to be flexible in turning circle finishing time. (Ms) Ruth Adams Pre-loved Lego pieces needed by Junior School Library Junior School Library’s 2014 Reading Incentive Program “Connect to Reading” will be a Lego extravaganza. If you have any Lego pieces at home that your family no longer uses and you have been waiting for a worthy cause to donate them to then this is it! We are looking for Lego by the kilo – not in sets – just in mixed bundles. Junior School Awards ClassTerm 2, Week 4 K Alice K Lola 1 Olivia 1 Rose Dhanya Aggarwal, Paige Morath Chelsea He, Emmeline Powell Milly Dohnt, Zara Siddique Danielle Critharis, Zoe Haghverdian, Rischa Jadav, Emily Saad 2 Alice-Miranda Caitlin Irving, Alessia Nassif, Angelina Nohra, Jemma Simpson Muskaan Loura, Danasha Lovric 2 Dorothy Charuni Abhayawickrama, Isabella Coombes, 3 Violet Tahlia Hazell, Angelique Hooi, Sophie Lee, Sanjula Seelan Abigail Arrage, Catherine Mo 3 Wendy Georgia Grasso, Lara Hatoum 4 Lily Olivia El-Rassi, Charlotte Ghannoum 4 Sydney Georgia Harrison, Caitlin Lloyd 5 George Alexandra Doubleday, Sophia Kennaugh, 5 Max Remy Mariam Waqar Holly Hall, Maya Khurana, Erin Shim 6 Anne Sienna Simpson, Sarah Vandenberg 6 Nim Awards Smiley Award Bronze Award Silver Award Jessica Lloyd, Antonia Salic Mia Azzi, Cindy Le, Jessica Lloyd, Alison Mulveney Jessica Lloyd ClassTerm 2, Week 5 K Alice Charlie Coombes, Elanur Kadayifci, Emily Lim, Abigail Ryan Francesca Emmett, Veronica Wen K Lola Madeleine David, Emma Sassine 1 Olivia Emma Malek, India Schultz 1 Rose 2 Alice-Miranda Amelia Eid, Suhanya Jayasuriya Megan Clement, Janice Ye 2 Dorothy Olivia Dohnt, Hannah Fenech 3 Violet Jessica Gosper, Sarah Tunbridge 3 Wendy Olivia Brown, Amy Davis 4 Lily Jordyn Filies, Gabriella Hogan, Macayla Hole, 5 George Mary-Claire Nassif Zoey Hartshorne, Caroline Holland, Zoe 5 Max Remy Thomas Alexandra Coulton, Josie Engelman, Tia Gale 6 Anne Danielle Gebser, Tia Hanaee, Akriti Redhu 6 Nim Awards Smiley Award Mia Azzi, Emily Dawson-Taylor, Sophia Kennaugh, Holly Stott x 2 Tara Bear Award Tia Hanaee Sophia Kennaugh Bronze Award Niharika Gupta, Sophia Kennaugh Silver Award We are expecting a resurgence in Lego popularity in Junior School so suggest that only Senior School families take up this opportunity. Any donations will be gratefully accepted at Junior School reception or by Junior School library staff. (Mrs) Chris Sinden, Teacher Librarian Stay in touch with Tara online. Visit tara.nsw.edu.au or follow Tara on Twitter @Tara_School 10 June 2014 Term 2 | Edition 3 5 Around the School Holiday Science Activities This year many of the professional learning meetings I have been attending have been on the new BOSTES Science Syllabus. One of the most interesting meetings I have attended recently was our PYP network meeting. Normally meetings are listening and talking affairs but this meeting was about exploding plastic bags, paper aeroplanes and many more hands on science experiments. Science is all about inquiry, wondering why something happens. With the school holidays fast approaching and many budding scientists at Tara, you may like to investigate the Discovery Centre by ANSTO (Government International and External Relations, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation). They are running a number of different programs including Sci-Fi movies, Knitting Neurons and new Junior tours in the school holidays. The programs are designed especially for primary-aged students to get them excited about science. Bridget Murphy is the Education Manager at ANSTO. Her contact details are 97173197 for further information or follow the link: www.ansto.gov.au Free Up and Atom Tours for Juniors – July school holidays Monday 30 June 9:45am to 12:15pm Friday 4 July 1:15pm to 3:45pm Monday 7 July 9:45am to 12:15pm Tuesday 8 July 9:45am to 12:15pm Neural Knitworks @ Hazelhurst Gallery Knit a neuron and send it in! Your creations will be joined with others to weave a sculptural, knitted ‘neural network’ as a travelling art exhibition. No knitting experience is required and people of all ages can participate. Knit Neurons at School Find knitting patterns and where to send your neurons at the National Science Week website: www.scienceweek.net.au/neural-knitworks/ Knit Neurons at ANSTO in the school holidays Friday 4 July 10:30am-11.30am ANSTO Discovery Centre. We’ll supply the wool and morning tea. BYO knitting needles. Enquiries: 9717 3090 (Mrs) Denise Hayward, Director of Teaching and Learning Canteen Roster Date Volunteers Mon 9 June Tues 10 June Wed 11 June Thurs 12 June Fri 13 June Mon 16 June Tues 17 June Wed 18 June Thurs 19 Jun Public Holiday Help Needed Penny Harrison Julie-ann Coulton Tina Clement Karen Gale Amaly Sassine Marianne Schmidt Laura Jones Help Needed Help Needed Katrina Emmett Kerry Tierney Help Needed Help Needed Help Needed Ruth Attard To volunteer, phone Mandi Pooley, Junior School Canteen Convenor, on 8838 2643. Stay in touch with Tara online. Visit tara.nsw.edu.au or follow Tara on Twitter @Tara_School The Unmissable Musical Comedy! The Greenhalgh Theatre Thursday 12th June 7:30pm Friday 13th June 1:30pm Friday 13th June 7:30pm Tickets $35.00 Music & Lyrics Richard Adler & Jerry Ross Book by George Abbott & Richard bissell Based on Bissell’s novel “7½ Cents” Tara Anglican School for Girls presents the much loved hit musical from the 1950s, The Pajama Game. Featuring Hit Songs - Once A Year Day, Steam Heat, Hernando’s Hideaway and Hey There. This perennial favourite will be given a fresh sparkle of enthusiasm by our very talented Year 7-10 students from Tara and The Kings’ School. Directed by Ms Belinda Wright, The Pajama Game is an entertaining show for the whole family. With a limited run of only 3 performances make sure you book your tickets early. All performances will be held at The Greenhalgh Theatre Eton road Lindfield, University ofTechnology Sydney (UTS) Kuring-gai Campus. This venue has onsite parking and a fabulous theatre venue. It will be worth the trip! Performance Dates and Times: Thursday 12th June 7:30pm Friday 13th June 1:30pm Friday 13th June 7:30pm Tickets $35:00 bookings: tara.nsw.edu.au/events.asp by arrangement with Hal Leonard Australia Pty Ltd Exclusive agent for Music Theatre International (NY) 10 June 2014 Term 2 | Edition 3 6 Pink Stumps Day Digital Citizenship Information Evening Many people in today’s society have a ‘connection’ with Breast Cancer; whether they have personally experienced it, or someone they held very close to their hearts did. The McGrath Foundation was founded by Glenn and Jane McGrath through their sad and moving story of Jane’s Battle with Breast Cancer. Unfortunately Jane did not survive, however, her legacy and Foundation will live on. During the time that Jane was diagnosed, the McGrath family realised how important it was for individuals who were fighting this battle to have the support of a Breast Care Nurse and enhance education on being breast health aware, in order to empower individuals and the wider community, particularly young women. Digital citizenship covers the ethics and behaviours we expect from students as they use the internet at school. Tara has made digital citizenship a priority for 2014 and we now have a school-wide digital citizenship curriculum across all years of the school which we will adapt and expand over the coming years. The Year 11 Students of Tara held a staff vs students diamond cricket game was quite intense, as well as a bake sale. The students were the first team to bat, with the staff taking over the field. There were many wonderful runs scored by our dynamic duo of Megan O’ Keeffe (Year 11) and Maddison Stubbs (Year 9). Some of the most outstanding staff fielders were Mr Hoy, Mr Hinton and Mr Telfer. At half-time, the roles were reversed when the students became fielders, eagerly awaiting their competition. In the end, the staff were the overall winners of the match! On behalf of Year 11, we would like to thank you for all your support with our very own ‘Pink Stumps Day’ which was held on 28 May 2014. Thanks to your kind donations, we have raised approximately $1565. We were very pleased that the Junior School were also involved in this event, having Mrs Smiles and Mr Harris play in the match whilst Years 4 and 6 were spectators! This event would not have been possible without our hard working and dedicated Year Coordinator, Mrs Hanaee, the equally hardworking and dedicated Year 11 student, Madeleine Yeaman and the committee (Sophia Drury, Kim Palmer and myself). In addition, we would also like to thank Mrs Cropper and Ms Musto who assisted a group of Year 11 girls who volunteered to bake all the goods for the bake sale. “Together- we can make a difference” On Thursday 24 July Tara will be hosting a Digital Citizenship Information Evening for parents. Come and learn about the new Tara Digital Citizenship Program, meet the technology prefects and hear their perspective about learning and living in a 1:1 laptop school. The guest speaker for the night will be John Clear, ICT Education Consultant with the AIS. He will speak about the challenges and opportunities of teaching and parenting teens in the digital age. There will be a light supper provided. Please RSVP online: tara.nsw.edu.au/events.asp (Mrs) Amanda Hogan, Coordinator of ICT Integration Social Sciences news Economics students recently went to the live filming of ABC’s television show, ‘Q& A’ with Joe Hockey answering questions on the Federal Budget. This event was held at the Evans Theatre at Penrith Panthers with a very interested audience. Year 7 Geography enjoyed investigating Lake Parramatta and did a variety of tests on the soil and water to understand the environment better as well as navigating with maps. They loved using weather instruments, and looking at a vegetation transect The Australian Geography Competition is a national competition with very challenging questions. Congratulations to the following girls: Distinctions: Katarina Ducic, Brianna Dwight, Alyssa Ellwood, Cristen George, Abbey Hodge, Alicia McKenzie, Sarah Newman, Morgan Nicholson, Jessie Wang, Annie Xiao, Cathy Zhi High Distinctions: Sarah Braga, Elizabeth Bredhauer, Laura Mallett, Rachel Percival, Lian Yang (Mrs) Elizabeth George, Head of Social Sciences Year 12 Music Showcase Monday 16 June 2014 @ 7pm By Maegan Pathinather (Year 11 Pink Stumps Day committee member) Senior School Awards As at 3 June 2014 In the Tara Theatre Free entry Silver Excellent Academic Achievement: Walker: Taiya Bukovsky (Year 12) Bronze Academic Achievement: Crawford: Stephanie Haig (Year 12) Walker: Keira Dixon (Year 9) Stay in touch with Tara online. Visit tara.nsw.edu.au or follow Tara on Twitter @Tara_School 10 June 2014 Term 2 | Edition 3 7 Pulse@Parkes 2014 The SPOT team had the privilege of accessing one of the world's greatest radio telescope in Parkes, remotely operated from the CSIRO facility in Marsfield. Under the guidance of Dr George Hobbs, Mr Robert Hollows and several PhD students, we observed pulsars - rapidly rotating stars that shoot out a beam of electromagnetic radiation from each end, using special software to record the pulses of radiation. The telescope was moved by entering pre-coded schedules into the software so it could be calibrated to track a specific pulsar. Once it had slewed to the correct position, it began to take readings of the pulses on various frequency channels. Several charts were generated, including a line graph showing the pulses as a regular spike in radiation, and chromatic graphs which used bands of colour to visually depict the pulses. The data was continually averaged to remove RFI (radio frequency interference), which could be generated by anything from mobile phones to milkshake blenders! We were given two hours of observation time, recording readouts from several pulsars. Unfortunately, the data wasn't live, so we couldn't use our own observations for the second part of the day: measuring the distances from Earth to the pulsars. This was done by timing the pulses of radiation on different frequency channels and then piecing it all together by estimating different distances until the graphs lined up. Overall, it was a fun and highly educational experience for the SPOT team, and a unique opportunity to participate in real scientific research. Languages news Language Perfect From 19-29 May, all language students participated in the Language Perfect World Championships, an online worldwide language learning competition. Our students’ collective efforts allowed Tara to gain some impressive overall results, including 26th in the world out of 1149 schools and 6th globally for the 101-250 students category out of 318 schools. We were ranked 3rd in Australia out of 230 schools for our size of school. The students answered 873, 570 language questions during the competition! This represented 2, 278 hours of language learning. There were a number of outstanding individual achievements as well. Tiffany Aoun was ranked 22nd globally out of over 300, 000 students, with 28, 888 points. The 6 Tara students who achieved Elite awards, were Tiffany Aoun, Daniella Feizi Sobbi, Lauren Dritmanis, Tina Kim, Alexandra Shai-Hee and Claudia Rosenberg. They will also be awarded Tara Honour badges. 47 students achieved gold awards and a Tara pocket, there were 9 silver awards, 24 bronze awards and 30 credit awards. The students thoroughly enjoyed their experience, but are looking forward to catching up on some sleep! We congratulate all these students for their commitment to language learning. Language exchanges at Tara France We are delighted to welcome Camille Dunand, Sixtine Hauchard and Inès Rizk to Tara as part of the Tara-Saint Dominique exchange. They will be staying with Sophie Alder, Adelaide Davies and Victoria Boulton for two months. We hope they enjoy their time in Australia and particularly here at Tara. Sophie, Adelaide and Victoria spent two months in Paris at the end of last year. We congratulate Brianna Horn and Alicia McKenzie on their selection to go on exchange at the end of this year. This exchange is open to French students in Year 10 who intend to continue their French study in senior years. Japan Our Japanese exchange school, Tosajuku, will be arriving in early Term 3 for a short visit, with two of their students staying on for an extended exchange. Sophie Irvine and Rebecca Rylance participated in the exchange last year, Caitlin Lee will be heading to Japan for two months at the end of the year to stay in Kochi, Japan on exchange. As with the French exchange, this exchange is open to Year 10 students who will be continuing their study of the language in senior years. (Dr) Morna King, Head of Languages Da Vinci Decathalon By Lian Yang (Space Odyssey Team Member) On 28 May eight Year 9 girls embarked on a competition, the Da Vinci Decathlon. We participated in numerous challenging activities ranging from drama to mathematical equations. We cooperated as a team, displayed determination, persistence and skills and tried our best. In the end all our hard work paid off as we placed 1st in creative producers, 3rd in art and poetry and placing 1st overall. We all enjoyed and benefited from the experience and developed many new skills. We cant wait to compete next year! By Abbey Hodge (Year 9 Da Vinci Captain) Congratulations also to our Year 11 team who came first in science. Good effort: well done to our Years 7 and 8 Da Vinci teams! Stay in touch with Tara online. (Ms) Alison Aitken, Acting Head of English Visit tara.nsw.edu.au or follow Tara on Twitter @Tara_School 10 June 2014 Term 2 | Edition 3 8 Senior sport Basketball Round 4: 24 May saw the senior 1sts play home to Pymble. This match was always going to be a competitive game and our girls with the Tara spirit never gave up, eventually going down by 20 points. Our senior 3rds travelled to Frensham for their Round 4 away game. Congratulations for a big win and special mention to Grace Dugdale for scoring a 3 pointer. Thank you to all our Tara teams, families and supporters who travelled to Mittagong for their away games this weekend. Our Tara 6 team have been improving each week working very hard on their free throw shooting and this showed in their accuracy on the free throw line in their away game to Queenwood. Good luck to all Tara teams for their final Round 5 games leading into the finals after the June long weekend. Special mention to Chelsea Menna, Alex Putica and Chloe Tobin all travelling to Melbourne for the long weekend to play Basketball in their Sydney Metropolitan Representative teams at the National Junior Basketball Classic tournament for 2014. • S01 • S07 • S18 • S20 • J03 • J06 • J11 • J13 • J16 • Y704 Tara 1 vs Pymble 1, Loss, 38-58 Tara 2 vs Wenona 2, Loss, 18-22 Tara 3 vs Frensham 7, Win, 30-19 Tara 4 vs Brigidine 4, Loss, 12-26 Tara 5 vs St Catherine’s 3, Win, 27-14 Tara 6 vs Queenwood 12, Loss, 10-44 Tara 7 vs Ravenswood 12, Loss, 13-15 Tara 8 vs Frensham 12, Loss, 4-34 Tara 9 vs Meriden 7, Loss, 15-30 Tara 10 vs Abbotsleigh 19, Win, 30-8 Round 5: this weekend saw the Senior 1sts play away to Loreto. This match was a highly competitive game and our Tara girls displayed some very accurate shooting led by Chelsea Menna. Gracie Grinham also set some strong screens at the top of the key allowing our shooters time on their shots and Megan O’Keeffe worked tirelessly marking a NSW State player in defence and gaining considerable steals for our team. Congratulations to all our Tara 1sts girls on a great team effort today. Our Junior Tara 6 team had a very tightly contested game against Roseville College. Our Tara girls showed major improvement in their offensive skills going down by only 3 points. Well done to all the Tara Junior 6 girls for improving as a team. Good luck to all Tara Basketball teams in playoffs for our final games of Basketball for the season. By Chloe Tobin (Basketball Captain) • S01 • S07 • S18 • S20 • J03 Tara 1 vs Loreto Normanhurst 1, Win, Tara 2 vs MLC 2, Loss, 12-22 Tara 3 vs Abbotsleigh 8, Win, 40-22 Tara 4 vs Abbotsleigh 10, Win, 24-16 Tara 5 vs Kambala 8, Loss, 16-21 Stay in touch with Tara online. • J06 • J11 • J13 • J16 • Y704 Tara 6 vs Roseville 7, Loss, 13-16 Tara 7 vs Abbotsleigh 16, Win, 27-10 Tara 8 vs Roseville 9, Loss, 12-21 Tara 9 vs SCEGGS 14, Loss, 20-14 Tara 10 vs Meriden 8, Win, 25-14 Football Round 4: this week’s results were absolutely amazing with all teams showing off all the skills that have been accumulating over the season! It was a wonder to see, with many parents and spectators on the edge of their seats. One of the most exciting games was our senior thirds. They had their closest game, with Charlotte Wheeler taking out the first goal, only to be followed by another on the other team, a nail biting game down the last minute! For our senior firsts it was their best game of the season, scoring a goal in the first minute, passing brilliantly and team work shining with a 3-1 defeat against Kambala. It was the great use of wings and space that got the team a great victory - a brilliant game by all. With only two games left after this one all teams have found their groove and their strengths and can only move forward from here! All the junior teams after these weeks have almost become professionals! From the start, with many girls unfamiliar, they have shone and won many games. It was great to see so many girls getting involved, trying their best and being extremely successful. It is wonderful to see all the girls getting so involved. • S03 • S07 • S12 • S15 • J04 • J12 • Y702 Tara 1 vs Kambala 1, Win, 3-1 Tara 2 vs Frensham 3, Loss, 1-2 Tara 3 vs Loreto Normanhurst 9, Win, 3-0 Tara 4 vs Ravenswood 4, Draw, 4-4 Tara 5 vs Frensham 8, Win, 1-0 Tara 6 vs Frensham 12, Draw, 2-2 Tara 7 vs Frensham 13, Loss, 0-4 Round 5: as we approach the last weeks of the football season, tension through all teams has been at an all-time high as many teams needed this weekend to win to advance into the finals. However due to the extremely short season, every team will be able to play for their place on the leader board. This weekend was an extremely great round, even though so many girls had danced way hard the night before at the K-12 dinner (it was obvious on the many faces at the 7.30am starts!). The senior firsts lost 3-1. Well done to Aimee Mitchell-Clark for her last minute goal, and to Zoe Cocks for her excellent goalie skills. The mighty 3rds still stay at 1st place on the leader board, and the 2nds matching with their name in second place; both teams progress to the finals which is extremely exciting. It is the junior seconds as well who have ended on such a high note being right on top of the leader board tying with Pymble. Next game will be an exciting match for the battle of winning the total competition. All junior teams have done extremely well; succeeding in sportsmanship, teamwork and overall having a great time! I am positive that every team is extremely sad to see the season come to a close. Just a reminder that there is no Saturday sport on the long weekend and the finals and playoffs will be on 14 June - can’t wait for all our teams to end the season with a bang! By Samantha Bailey (Football Captain) Visit tara.nsw.edu.au or follow Tara on Twitter @Tara_School 10 June 2014 Term 2 | Edition 3 9 • S03 • S07 • S12 • S15 • J04 • J12 • Y702 Tara 1 vs Roseville 1, Loss, 1-3 Tara 2 vs Ascham 3, Win, 9-0 Tara 3 vs Danebank 3, Win, 2-1 Tara 4 vs Pymble 13, Loss, 2-4 Tara 5 vs Loreto Normanhurst 12, Draw, 0-0 Tara 6 vs Loreto Normanhurst 16, Win, 1-0 Tara 7 vs Roseville 10, Loss, 1-2 Senior athletics carnival On Monday 26 May Tara held our annual athletics carnival at Sydney Olympic Park Athletics Centre. This was overall a very successful day for all who were involved. Junior Athletics Champion was awarded to Rebekah Rose (86 pts) from Walker and in the runner up position was Vasudha Soni (80 pts) from Crawford. Intermediate Athletics Champion was awarded to Abbey Hodge (122 pts) from Waugh who had an exceptional day on the track after breaking the 15 Years 90m Hurdles record with the new record of 14.07. She also equalled the 15 Years 100m record of 12.97. Congratulations Abby! In the runner up position was Elizabeth Georgopoulos (86 pts) from Walker. The Senior Athletics Champion was awarded to Megan O’Keeffe (114 pts) from Crawford and the runner up was Chelsea Menna (98 pts) from Waugh (a huge effort as she has only been at Tara for one term!). The Year Participation Trophy for 2014 is awarded to Year 7. The traditional boarders vs daygirls relay is always a competitive race amongst the girls and this year has been taken out by the boarders. The overall Interhouse Athletics Trophy for 2014 was awarded to: • 1st place Walker on 2578 points • 2nd place Waugh on 2501 points • 3rd place Crawford on 2483 points • 4th place Hake on 2251 points Congratulations to all competitors who participated on the day. By Megan O’Keeffe (Athletics Captain) CIS Netball Congratulations to Sophie Wehrmann who was selected by CIS to trial for the state under 15 netball team. An amazing achievement in a competitive sport. (Ms) Ngaire Musto, Director of Sport Stay in touch with Tara online. Visit tara.nsw.edu.au or follow Tara on Twitter @Tara_School 10 June 2014 Term 2 | Edition 3 10 Day Date Event Tuesday 10-Jun Senior School Assembly 10:36pm NAIDOC 10-Jun Archdale Debating Round 3 Tara v Ascham 10-Jun Senior School Leadership meeting - lunchtime 10-Jun Years 7-10 Musical Rehearsal 12:00noon-8:00pm at Tara 10-Jun FOTSS Meeting 7:00pm Wednesday 11-Jun Senior School Tour 10:00am 11-Jun Senior School SRC meeting - lunchtime 11-Jun Year 6 Dance-a-thon - lunchtime in Gym 11-Jun Years 7-10 Musical Rehearsal all day at Theatre 11-Jun Years 7-10 Musical Performance 7:30pm 11-Jun Year 8 HK1 Mentor excursion 11-Jun Year 9 IST excursion Thursday 12-Jun Junior School Tour 10:00am 12-Jun Senior School Environmental meeting - lunchtime 12-Jun Years 7-10 Musical Performance 7:30pm 12-Jun Year 10 Literature Club - lunchtime 12-Jun Years 7-10 Music Dress Rehearsals from 11:00am 12-Jun Year 12 Ancient History excursion - Lecture Day 12-Jun Junior School ELC-2 excursion Friday 13-Jun Senior School CRU - lunchtime 13-Jun Years 7-10 Musical Performance Matinee and Evening 1:30pm, 7:30pm Saturday 14-Jun IPSHA Sport Round 6 14-Jun IGSSA Basketball and Football Finals and Play Offs 14-Jun Sapere Aude Dinner Sunday 15-Jun Monday 16-Jun Year 12 Music Showcase Evening 7:00pm Tara Theatre 16-Jun Year 10 Commerce Fieldwork 16-Jun Senior School Social Justice meeting - lunchtime 16-Jun Junior School ICAS Writing Competition 7:45am-9:00am 16-Jun Year 9 Literature Club - lunchtime Tuesday 17-Jun Harry Potter’s Birthday - English Department 17-Jun ELC-2 Athletics Carnival 8:30am-10:30am 17-Jun Senior School Assembly 12:22pm 17-Jun Archdale Debating Round 4 SCEGGS v Tara 17-Jun Parents and Friends Association Meeting 7:30pm Bowern Room 17-Jun Senior School Leadership meeting - lunchtime 17-Jun Junior School ICAS Spelling Competition 7:45am-9:00am 17-Jun Legal Studies Breakfast at TKS Wednesday 18-Jun Years 3-6 Athletics Carnival 18-Jun Senior School SRC meeting - lunchtime 18-Jun Australian National Chemistry Quiz Periods 5&6 - selected students Years 8 - 12 18-Jun NSW State Equestrian Championships - SIEC 18-Jun Public Speaking Workshop Thursday 19-Jun Term 2 ends 19-Jun Senior School Interhouse Choral and Drama Competition 19-Jun Fun in Senior School (FISS) - for one Year 6 class 19-Jun Boarding House closes 6:00pm 19-Jun NSW State Equestrian Championships - SIEC Stay in touch with Tara online. Visit tara.nsw.edu.au or follow Tara on Twitter @Tara_School 10 June 2014 Term 2 | Edition 3 11 Day Date Event Friday 20-Jun NSW State Equestrian Championships - SIEC Saturday 21-Jun NSW State Equestrian Championships - SIEC Sunday 22-Jun NSW State Equestrian Championships - SIEC Monday23-Jun Tuesday24-Jun Wednesday25-Jun Thursday26-Jun Friday 27-Jun Saturday28-Jun Sunday 29-Jun Monday30-Jun Tuesday 1-Jul Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Test Wednesday 2-Jul 2-Jul Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Test Northern NSW Snowsports Championships - Thredbo Thursday 3-Jul Northern NSW Snowsports Championships - Thredbo Friday 4-Jul Northern NSW Snowsports Championships - Thredbo Saturday 5-Jul Northern NSW Snowsports Championships - Thredbo Sunday 6-Jul Monday 7-Jul Let’s Get Galactic (Years 5, 6 Tara and other schools) Mouleric Tuesday 8-Jul Duke of Edinburgh Gold Practice Wednesday 9-Jul Duke of Edinburgh Gold Practice Thursday 10-Jul Duke of Edinburgh Gold Practice Friday 11-Jul 11-Jul Duke of Edinburgh Silver Test Duke of Edinburgh Gold Practice Saturday 12-Jul Duke of Edinburgh Silver Test Sunday Monday Tuesday 13-Jul Duke of Edinburgh Silver Test 14-Jul 14-Jul 14-Jul 14-Jul Hockey and Netball Training Day Year 10 Work Experience Uniform Shop open 10:00am-4:00pm Boarding House opens after 2:00pm 15-Jul 15-Jul 15-Jul 15-Jul Term 3 begins K-12 Start of Term Assembly / Service 8:30am Senior School Leadership meeting - lunchtime Year 10 Work Experience Stay in touch with Tara online. Visit tara.nsw.edu.au or follow Tara on Twitter @Tara_School 10 June 2014 Term 2 | Edition 3 12 Day Date Event Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday 16-Jul 16-Jul 16-Jul Senior School SRC meeting - lunchtime Year 10 Work Experience Parent / Teacher Learning Conversations - Kindergarten - Year 6 17-Jul 17-Jul 17-Jul Year 9 Canberra excursion leaves 4:00pm Senior School Environmental meeting - lunchtime Year 10 Work Experience 18-Jul 18-Jul 18-Jul 18-Jul Twilight Athletics [tbc] Year 9 Canberra excursion Senior School CRU - lunchtime Year 10 Work Experience 19-Jul 19-Jul IPSHA Sport Round 1 IGSSA Netball and Hockey Round 1 20-Jul 21-Jul 21-Jul 21-Jul 21-Jul Senior School Music Rehearsals 3:30pm-8:00pm Years 8/9 Japanese excursion Senior School Social Justice meeting - lunchtime Year 9 Literature Club - lunchtime 22-Jul 22-Jul 22-Jul 22-Jul 22-Jul Senior School Assembly 12:22pm Archdale Debating Round 5 Santa v Tara Senior School Leadership meeting - lunchtime Years 11/12 HSC Drama Showcase evening Year 8 Planetarium Incursion (in Science Lessons) 23-Jul 23-Jul Senior School SRC meeting - lunchtime Year 5 Canberra excursion 24-Jul 24-Jul 24-Jul 24-Jul Senior School Environmental meeting - lunchtime Year 5 Canberra excursion Year 10 Literature Club - lunchtime Digital Citzenship evening for Parent 25-Jul 25-Jul 25-Jul 25-Jul 25-Jul Touch Football and Water Polo Registrations due Twilight Athletics Senior School CRU - lunchtime Year 5 Canberra excursion Years 7/8 French Incursion 26-Jul 26-Jul 26-Jul IPSHA Sport Round 2 IGSSA Netball and Hockey Round 2 AASCF Cheer Battle 27-Jul AASCF Cheer Battle 27-Jul Students from Saint Dominique’s depart [tbc] Stay in touch with Tara online. Visit tara.nsw.edu.au or follow Tara on Twitter @Tara_School 10 June 2014 Term 2 | Edition 3 13