From the Principal

Andreas Schleicher – What Really Works for Students?

At the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia and New Zealand Conference during the last holiday, I was very fortunate to listen to Andreas Schleicher’s presentation. Andreas is the Head of the OECD education assessment program, PISA. He is a very intelligent, socially aware person, who is able to assess vast, complex data sets and see patterns and trends in a way that I have not previously seen others demonstrate.

Andreas’ view of Australia’s PISA progress was far from the media’s cynical and pessimistic presentation and affirmed Australia’s balanced and committed approach to education, while also acknowledging a number of areas that I suspect we would all reference for review, in the same presentation.

Amongst other aspects of education, Andreas looked at what teaching strategies achieved measureable change in student outcomes and also examined the very contentious aspect of ‘efficiency’ (both academic learning efficiency and also financial efficiency) in education.

Amongst other domains and conclusions, the OECD data indicated the following, without question:

• Smaller class sizes do not benefit students and restrict teachers’ abilities to do their job well. They actually (ironically) create loads on staff that prevent optimal professional learning and growth for staff and restrict their ability to collaborate with other staff and thus improve their teaching practice.
• Smaller classes are also a significant financial drain on schools and school systems without any measurable consequential gain in academic or social/emotional growth for students. As both a teacher and a parent, I found this surprising as it is counter-intuitive to me, but the research is data is compelling on this point and does reinforce the findings of John Hattie’s Visible Learning work.
• Other countries’ models, with larger classes, less teacher contact time, greater opportunity for PD and collegial collaboration actually produce better outcomes for students.
• These models also ensure the greater personal and professional growth of staff I referred to above, and a more intuitive understanding of the world young people will be moving out into.
• Repetition, drilling and rote learning are proven short-term, poor long-term outcome teaching methodologies by schools, and (in Andreas’ view at least) a short-sighted view of what will equip students best for their future. This approach to teaching equips students to solve low-level, known, and linear problems effectively, but does not equip students to go into unknown areas or problems with confidence; an expectation that will be a part of their post-school world.
• Balanced against this is the confidence this drilling and repetition approach tends to reinforce in young men and particularly, young women. There is an argument that this approach will lay foundations for confidence and risk-taking that will negate the above. This is a compelling discussion for us all as parents.

So, what does this mean for schools?

To be frank, the picture is not clear, and further muddied by compliance expectations created by standardised testing and the ATAR.

The following are two aspects of future education that may be worth some contemplation, based on Andreas’ presentation and the thinking of other educational futurists.

Teaching style – Direct instruction or enquiry?

We clearly need to retain some direct instruction, particularly in the primary years, to ensure basic skills and knowledge in literacy and numeracy are instilled ahead of broader aims. Greater growth for students will be achieved through deep engagement in non-linear and unknown tasks (particularly in the latter years of secondary schooling), in many cases this will be enquiry-based. We can do this within the Australian Curriculum in the Middle Years, but it is more difficult in the final two years because of the current content volume in VCE and IB courses.

Assessment and the ATAR

There is no evidence that the Australian government’s fixation on the NAPLAN standardised testing does anything to improve standards of numeracy or literacy in the population. Its results are only vaguely indicative for any individual student for a range of reasons, but it does allow schools to look at how well they grow their students from NAPLAN to NAPLAN. From that perspective, it provides a tool for schools to examine their effectiveness. Its effectiveness as a tool to improve teaching and learning is entirely unproven.

In an analogous way, Australia’s reliance on the ATAR binds schools to a commitment to performance in standardised testing and examinations. The ATAR exists primarily to filter university entrance and as such, every child will maximise their future options and opportunities by doing as well as they can with their ATAR score.

Earlier this year PWC announced the start of a ‘cadet’ style program where they would take in young people directly from school, without a university degree in Commerce or Economics. This is a very significant change and, combined with early entry to universities through scholarship programs, indicates the beginnings of the erosion of reliance on the ATAR.

As this gathers pace, and at the AHISA conference in New Zealand the opinions of Principals were that this will happen quickly, the ATAR will become less and less relevant. Universities will likely begin to assess applicants’ capabilities in other areas; collaboration, creativity, critical thinking and other, non-content based capabilities. In turn, as that happens, schools will progressively be freed to deliver more relevant educational offerings to young people who will be entering our rapidly changing world.

It is clear that ahead are challenging and uncertain times in education, but also exciting ones. We have more objective and valuable data than ever before and this enables us to kow what really works and what clearly doesn’t. On the other hand, we still do not have a crystal ball to predict what will be the future of 2030 that the Prep students of 2017 will go out into.

Factis non verbis

Brad Fry
Principal 

Chaplain’s Corner

On the plains of Peru, between the Inca and the Nazca valleys lies a series of lines, some covering many square kilometres, these lines for a long time were mistakenly thought of as ancient irrigation channels and even hiking trails.

That was until the 1930’s when aircraft flying over were able to see the lines come together to form giant pictures of plants and animals as well as geometric shapes, some covering many square kilometres. When viewed from an aircraft, these seemingly random lines are enormous drawings. There are a massive 70 animal and plant figures and 900 geometric shapes, all dating back 1500 years or more.

As we are now well into term 4, and our year 12’s have many ‘lasts’. A last English lesson, last assembly, last … , it strikes me that throughout what will have been school journeys of 13 years, we can sometimes feel like we are glimpsing just a segment of what is the larger picture of their lives, and now as they prepare to leave, the bigger picture is coming into perspective. Much like the seemingly random lines which mark the Nazca plains.

Whether we taught students when they were in year one, coached them through a volleyball season or had regular chats in the library over the latest novel, every staff member here at Tintern has formed part of the bigger picture which makes up the lives of these young men and women.

Likewise, in our lives we often hear snip-its of texts from the Bible, that can seem like random parts, but the Bible too is a big picture, made up of lots of smaller pictures. The big picture of God’s love for God’s creation and the restoration of that relationship through the person of Jesus.

And you also, who are reading this, are one important part of the bigger picture which is our school community, Tintern Grammar.

by Alison Andrew, School Chaplain

Music Matters

Chinese Orchestra reveals beautiful instruments and music to Year 7s and 8s

On Wednesday 11 October, the Chao Feng Orchestra, a semi-professional ensemble playing traditional Chinese instruments such as the Erhu or Yangqin, visited Tintern to perform, and teach us about the different instruments each part of the orchestra was playing. The orchestra consisted mainly of three sections – plucked strings, bowed strings and woodwind.

The bowed strings section consisted mainly of instruments such as the Erhu (二胡) and Zhonghu (中胡), the Chinese equivalent of the violin and viola – both instruments are played vertically, like a cello. The plucked strings section consisted of the high-pitched pipa (琵琶), the liuqin (柳琴) and the melodic mellow ruan (阮). The third and perhaps most memorable part of the orchestra was the woodwind section, and in this section, there was the dizi (笛子), the suona (唢吶) and the Sheng, a bamboo free-reed oboe which performed, perhaps, the most memorable but definitely most familiar song to us in a duet, which was the Mario Brothers Theme Song! Every instrument was explained by a solo performer and, after that, a piece that featured the instrument was played. They were often solo pieces. In fact, Sherry Wang (Year 9), who knew how to play the Guzheng, a large 16 string zither-like instrument where the strings are plucked instead of hammered, came up on stage to perform for us a lovely calm traditional Chinese piece.

After the various performances, the students who played musical instruments were taken backstage to learn and afterwards perform the extremely famous Chinese piece, 男儿当自强, which was basically theme song for ‘Master Huang’ Kung Fu videos, in China. The rest of the class got to look at the instruments up front, and then enjoyed a performance by the orchestra. Within twenty minutes, the music students had prepared their piece, and performed it with the Chao Feng orchestra.

by Joshua Choong, Year 8 Violist

Intermediate Jazz Band entertain prospective families at Twilight Tour

The Intermediate Jazz Band did a super job last week of entertaining prospective families as they arrived and registered for their Twilight Tours of Tintern. Thank you to our student performers (pictured) for giving so willingly of their time after school to perform: (from left to right) Charlie Victoria, Alec Chen, Bianca Settle, Alice Church, Amelia Kenny, Ben Apsey and Ashleigh Dowling on piano. Many thanks, also, to Mrs Lisa Clarke, for conducting the ensemble and working with our young jazz musicians, encouraging them to put themselves out there and take risks as soloing musicians in many of their numbers.

by Alison Bezaire, Director of Music

Our Music students brought a range of exciting and entertaining musical offerings to Celebration Evening

All of the Music Staff who prepared students for Celebration Evening and who attended to support students, either by conducting their ensembles, accompanying musical items or assisting backstage were justifiably proud of the wonderful musical performances we witnessed in Robert Blackwood Hall last Wednesday evening. I’m sure you will agree that what is an important and formal annual event in our school calendar, which celebrates our departing Year 12s and the achievements of many of our students, is enhanced considerably by the addition of the many musical offerings performed by our students.

The prelude performances by the Clarinet Ensemble, Clarinet Quintet and Bourbon Street Parade Band welcomed audience members as they filed into the hall and the Saxophone Ensemble provided a suitably entertaining distraction as the Year 12s left the stage and the orchestra filed on at the start of the evening. It was wonderful to hear an original work by Year 11 student, Molly Fleming, played by the Brass Ensemble as the Fanfare to open the evening before Mr Kidd provided a suitably grand Processional item on the organ to herald the entrance of our staff and Year 12s.

Our large orchestral forces challenged our audience with a performance of ‘RPM’ by Australian composer, Matthew Hindson, which left us breathless with the rhythmic drive and moving lyricism of this thrilling piece. The Year 8 Taiko Drummers certainly impressed with their precision and the resonance of their item as it boomed around the hall. This was followed by the exquisitely contrasting grace of the Brandenburg Concerto movement performed by our Chamber Orchestra, with guest artists Dennis Stevenson (trumpet) and Tintern alumna, Nicole Misiurak (oboe). We relived the excitement of ‘Hairspray’ before the whole school gathered on stage to give a rousing rendition of a ‘Les Mis’ medley, with soloists Lovelyn Lim, Eliza Mignot, Lucy Wheeler, Jared Nottle and Brayden Stokes. This annual event always ends with some poignancy as we sing our two school songs, and 2017 was no different, as our Year 12s ascended the ramp in a final farewell.

Many thanks to all Music Staff members who played a role in bringing these performances to fruition: Anne Bortolussi, Lisa Clarke, Elizabeth Feenane, Rowan Kidd, Victoria Lok, Melissa Mackie, Heather McKenzie, Maria Pisani, Nalini Scarfe and Tim Veldman. We are fortunate to have such a dedicated team of Music teachers at Tintern, working with our young musicians on a daily basis to achieve such high-quality performances.

by Alison Bezaire, Director of Music

Head of Keyboard brings music to Afghanistan during the holidays

During our last school holidays, I was privileged to be invited to teach Piano at the Afghanistan National Institute of Music in Kabul. ANIM was founded in 2010 in order to restore music education in the country. For many years, playing or listening to music was prohibited by the Taliban. As Afghanistan recovers from thirty years of war, children are learning to forget the destructive force of conflict by embracing the healing, restorative power of music.

At ANIM, talented children – regardless of gender, ethnicity, or socioeconomic circumstances – can receive a high quality of education that includes general academic and specialist music training. The school has a special focus on supporting the most disadvantaged groups of society – girls, orphans and street vendors.

Part of my time at ANIM was spent assisting in orchestral rehearsals as they prepare for a tour of India. The orchestra combines both traditional and western instruments. These international trips reflect ANIM’s belief in music as a means of cultural diplomacy and building bridges between nations. 

My residency as a guest teacher was challenging, yet very rewarding. There was a huge language barrier, but with much goodwill, and a sense of humour from both the students and myself, we managed to communicate with the universal language of music. The students were polite, respectful, and very eager to learn. They were always keen to ask for extra help. I was also involved with a teacher training programme for local Afghan teachers.

Kabul is chaotic – the traffic is unpredictable, and there is an uneasy feeling that anything can happen at any time. Hopefully, these students of ANIM will become the new generation of music educators, returning the musical culture of Afghanistan to its proud traditions. Danger is ever-present in a war-torn country, necessitating stringent security measures for the safety of all citizens. This has the effect of curtailing lifestyle to a certain degree. Here in Australia, we are so lucky to have the freedom to study music and to come together to perform in a concert situation. The benefits of this were evident in our fabulous Celebration Evening last week.

by Heather McKenzie, Head of Keyboard Studies

Sport Matters

Boys’ House Swimming 2017

The Boys’ House Swimming was held on Tuesday 24 October at Tintern Pool and featured a blend of traditional and novelty swimming events. The boys enjoyed a strongly contested carnival and there were many impressive swims on the day. Our newly appointed captains did a great job engendering support in what was the first of their many duties as 2018 House Captains.

Butterss/Cross and Gordon/Grant fought neck and neck all day with Butterss/Cross prevailing by a mere 28 points after the final race.

House Champions:

Year Level Champions:    

Congratulations to all the boys in Butterss/Cross and also our year level champions.

Congratulations to our Equestrian Riders at the Nationals

At the end of term 3, Eliza Harvey, Ella and Lilly Trevorrow along with their families and horses travelled to Toowoomba, Queensland, to compete at the National Championships in their chosen Equestrian disciplines.  The horses and drivers needed frequent breaks, so the trip up was over three days and totalled over 1800km. September 18-22 saw Eliza and Ella represent Victoria at the Pony Club National Championships. After a long selection process, the girls met with their team-mates a few months ago and have attended state workshop days in readiness. Eliza competed with the Senior Eventing team, which saw her compete in Dressage, Show Jumping and Cross Country. Ella competed with the Junior Tetrathlon team, undertaking Running, Swimming, Shooting and Horse riding.  Both girls, with their teams, placed 1^st and are the new National Champions! Both Eliza and Ella also competed in the Formal Gymkhana, a long and hot day where the girls participated in a mixture of Showing and Riding classes, Show Jumping and games.  Eliza, with the Senior team, placed 3^rd and Ella with the Junior Team, 2^nd.

The following week the Toowoomba showgrounds hosted the 2017 Interschool National Championships. This competition saw over 320 riders from both primary and secondary schools from across Australia including, WA, Tasmania and NT. Lilly Trevorrow qualified to ride and represent Tintern Grammar and Victoria back in May.  Lilly rode in the Secondary Combined Training class, completing a dressage test and a show jumping course. Lilly placed 6^th individually nationally and, as one of the top four scoring Victorians in Combined Training, Lilly was also awarded Reserve Champion for 2017.

All three girls have had quite an amazing adventure travelling, making friends, and competing. Being selected to compete at this prestigious event was a superb achievement, and to come home with their various successes has given them all many amazing memories. Congratulations Eliza, Ella and Lilly!

by Alison Bezaire, Equestrian Coordinator

Tintern Riders attend Show jumping and Dressage Clinic

During the recent school holidays, on Tuesday 3 October, the Friends of Equestrian organised a Show jumping and Dressage clinic for Tintern riders of all levels, abilities and ages. The Clinic was held at Top Show jump coach/rider Adam Wootten’s Show jumping stables situated in Yarra Junction.

The riders had two lessons, one with Adam Wootten for Show jumping and one with Tim Calkin for Dressage.  Both of these instructors are top coaches in their field, so the riders who attended had the benefit of top-level coaching from these two wonderful instructors.

The riders were grouped according to their riding levels, and this enabled the Instructors to assist the riders at their appropriate level and encourage them towards the next level. While some of our team were away competing at the Nationals, those who attended were extremely happy to have had an opportunity to experience such top-level instruction.

Here is just some of the feedback from our riders who attended the day.

Brooke Thompson – “A fun, demanding but extremely successful day with great instructors and an amazing team”

Grace Lloyd – “Fun”

Angel Collins-Sperling – “Overall an amazing, enjoyable, fun-filled experience. I learnt a lot about myself as a rider and also got to know my horse better as well”.

Maddison Bailey – “I like Adam and Tim. They are nice and amazing instructors who helped and challenged me”

Olivia Garland – “I was really happy with how Toby and I went today. We were really pushed, but we achieved amazing improvement in one day. Tim and Adam are awesome.”

by Sandy Garland, FOE President

Darcee and Henry jump at Ayr Hill

On Friday 13 October, Darcee McCallum (Year 9) and her horse Henry Handsome Pants competed at the Interschool Show Jumping Spring Show at Ayr Hill. Darcee came 4^th in the Grand Prix and 6^th  overall in her class. Well done, Darcee!

by Alison Bezaire, Equestrian Coordinator

Community Matters

Community Group Fundraising

Tea Towels – Order Yours Now

We are producing beautiful tea towels to celebrate our 140th year showcasing our talented young artists from ELC to Year 6.

• There will be 3 separate designs by our junior girls, boys and ELC students.
• The tea towels feature artwork from every student on each tea towel (ie. every girl in Junior School has artwork featured on the junior girls’ tea towel).
• The tea towels will be delivered in time for Christmas.
• A wonderful meaningful gift for friends and families.
• To order this treasured keepsake please place your order by the 9 November 2017 at https://www.trybooking.com/SMQP

 
Please note this is a sample artwork

North Queensland Mango Drive Update

Thank you to everyone who has placed an order for the Tintern Parent Group North Queensland Mangoes. This year we have sold 310 boxes! Once the mangoes are packed and heading to us we will let you know an estimated delivery date.

Community Group News

Tintern Parent Group Trivia Night

The TPG Trivia Night is on again in 2017. On Saturday 28 October at 7pm, enjoy a wonderful evening for the community, staff and alumni.

Bookings can be made anytime by visiting TryBooking: https://www.trybooking.com/SMPK

Please note this event is for adults; it is not suitable for students or children to attend.

2017 Spring Garden Tour – Friday 27 October

On Friday 27 October attendees will be visiting the Broughton Hall Garden and a private garden, Barambah, both in Jindivick, Gippsland.

Thank you to the wonderful suppliers who have donated to the 2017 Spring Garden Tour:

• • Ventura Bus Lines
  • Multicrop
  • Seasol
  • Conservatory Café in Croydon
  • The Little Flower Shoppe, Montrose
  • Fernwood Gym, Chirnside Park
  • Officeworks, Bayswater
  • Heathmont Flowers
  • Canterbury Road Flower Gallery, Heathmont
  • Jenny Craig
  • Jindivick Tavern

Community Committee dates

• Tintern Parent Group (TPG) –Next meeting: Thursday 9 November 7.30pm Kennedy Cottage Co-Presidents: Haidee Wallace and Leeze Crowe
• Friends of Music (FOM) – Next Meeting: Monday 13 November 7pm CM Wood Common Room President: Tim Oldmeadow
• Friends of Equestrian (FOE) – Next Meetings: Tuesday 14 November 7.30pm Kennedy Cottage, Community Services. President: Sandra Garland

Upcoming Reunions

• Class of 1972, 1977 and 1982 – 45, 40 and 35 Year Reunions – Friday 3 November at 5.30pm at Tintern and 7.30pm at Rosebank North – Bookings can be made by selecting here
• Class of 1967, 1962, 1957 and earlier – 50, 55, 60 and Hawthorn Years Reunions – Tuesday 21 November at 11.00am to 2.oopm – Booking can be made by selecting here
• YG 2017 Return to Tintern for Graduating class and their families Thursday 8 February 7.30pm to 9pm.
• Class of 1998 and 2003 – Friday 23 February 2018 at 5.30pm

Past Students

Fifi Box YG 1993

Congratulations to alumna Fifi Box (YG 1993) who won the Best Syndicated Australian Program for her radio show ‘Boxed In’ at the 2017 Australian Commercial Radio Awards (ACRAS) on Saturday 14 October.

‘Boxed In’ is an hour-long radio show where Fifi gets to know the biggest stars in film and television, music and sport. You can listen to the show every Sunday at 5pm on the Hit Network around Australia or catch up on past shows here: https://www.hit.com.au/shows/boxed-in-with-fifi-box.

You can also catch Fifi alongside Brendan Fevola and Byron Cooke weekday mornings, 6am to 9am on Fox FM in Melbourne.

David Moskovic YG 2012

Congratulations to alumnus David Moskovic (YG 2012), an up-and-coming Property Consultant at Fletchers Manningham, who has been named as a finalist in the ‘Novice Auctioneer of the Year’ category at the REIV Awards For Excellence. These awards recognise REIV members who have exceeded expectations in pursuit of excellence in service, ethics and results.

The REIV ‘Novice Auctioneer of the Year’ winner will be announced at a Gala Dinner on Thursday 26 October. We wish David the best of luck!

Enjoy David’s final auction video available to view at this link: https://vimeo.com/235439999

David’s profile is available to view here: https://fletchers.net.au/team/david-moskovic

Crystal Kimber (YG 2007)

Congratulations to alumna Crystal Kimber (YG 2007) who was named the Myer Fashions on the Field NSW State Final winner on Saturday 14 October at Merivale. Crystal will now compete at Flemington on Kennedy Oaks Day for the Myer Fashions on the Field Women’s Racewear National title. Good luck Crystal!

Crystal and her mum, Gail, work together to design and create fashions – especially for the Spring Carnival. They were recently featured by Spotlight and you can view the video by selecting here. To view their designs please visit the See Kimber Facebook Page.

Josh Smith (YG 2009)

Congratulations to Josh Smith (YG 2009) on his recent admission as an Australian lawyer. Select here to watch Josh as he is admitted at approximately 20.00.

Emily Mignot (YG 2012)

Fans of the musical ‘A Chorus Line’ will be excited to learn that alumna Emily Mignot (YG 2012) is appearing as Judy in ‘A Chorus Line’ at the National Theatre in St Kilda. The show opened on Friday 20 October and will run until Saturday 28 October. Tickets are available by selecting here.

Please be advised that ‘A Chorus Line’ has adult themes and is suitable for teenagers and adults.

Watch a preview of the show by selecting here.

Read a recent review by selecting here.

Community Group Fundraising

Photo Album

The TPG is also continuing to offer beautiful quality made customised ‘buckram’ binders for only $70. A saving of $20 as they normally retail for $90. The albums are available in both Navy and Burgundy and feature the school crest and name printed in silver on the front cover and come complete with 10 transparent sheet inserts.

The albums are great for storing:
– The official school photos
– Certificates
– Naplan and ICAS results
– Sports and performer ribbons
– Artwork
– Programs from concerts, sports days and special assemblies
– Photos
– Newsletter clippings
– Your own scrapbook creations (as the pages are 30cm x 30cm standard scrapbook size)

In fact, if you think of it like a filing cabinet of memories, over the years it builds up into quite a treasure! Samples can be viewed in the uniform shop and all orders are now taken at this link through trybooking. 

Entertainment Books

The Entertainment books are offered for purchase through the School. The Entertainment™ Book, and the Entertainment™ Digital Membership, are your guide to the most popular restaurants, attractions, shopping, travel and more, all with valuable up to 50% off and 2-for-1 offers. The book is current from purchase until the end of May 2018.

Please click here to order your 2017/2018 Entertainment book

Year 5 Camp Success!

The first week back of Term 4 was exhilarating for both Year 5 classes as they awoke bright and early to meet at the bus bay ready for a four day camp to Sovereign Hill. The girls stepped back in time for the first two days as they adopted the role of schoolchildren in the early 1850’s during the Australian Gold Rush. They became part of the museum and experienced what life would have been like during these times. The four days were jam-packed with history lessons, a light show about The Eureka Stockade, aquatic sampling, an owl show, exploration of the historic and stunning Narmbool, team building and indigenous games. Newfound friendships were made creating even stronger bonds between the girls. They took advantage of every learning experience with gusto and it’s clear that this camp will not be forgotten, as enriched learning took place and many long-lasting memories were made.

Student reflections:

Something I didn’t know before camp was how extremely hard it was to live in the 1850s.

Something that I didn’t know before camp was you need to stand before you speak and you needs to say Ma’am or Sir after you speak.

My favourite part was going to the theatre, singing and having the amazing learning experience.

My favourite parts were all the role plays, and how they reflected life in the 1850s.

My favourite parts of camp were shopping in Sovereign Hill, Blood on the Southern Cross and the Costume program.

Farewell Messages to the Year 12s

After attending the final assembly for the Year 12 students, the Year 3 class returned to the classroom and discussed what it must be like to be finished with formal schooling. Year 3 students reflected on the emotions expressed at the final assembly and were inspired to write a few words to farewell the Year 12s.

This year’s graduating class has a special meaning for me. Some of the girls were in my first Year 6 class in 2011 here at Tintern. It is evident they are still their gorgeous selves with their divine personalities and character traits – just as I remember them. But they are wiser, mature and so much more sophisticated. I look forward to hearing of their journey beyond as they go forth towards “the horizon quivering with potential”. I also look forward to knowing them now as young adults.

Below are the farewell messages from Year 3 students:

Pick a path and follow it. If there is a wall, try to get around it. Be a good leader for all. Best wishes, Matilda Robson

I wish you all the best and you keep all your friends from Tintern Grammar. Always remember to pursue your dreams, you have been great role models. We would love you to visit us. Best wishes, Sidonie Keogh

I wish you all the very best of your entry into the new world ahead. I wish for you whatever you want. Make sure you come back often to see us at Tintern Grammar. With love from Isabella Di Felice  P.S. Go Tintern

Always remember to follow your own path. Never let anything get in your way. The world doesn’t always have to be the same you could be the one to change it. Etienne Meddings

I hope your journey through the world is full of positive wonder. Please always remember us. You have been great role models to us. Continue to follow your dreams. Love Amelie Scherer

We will miss you so much! Always remember to follow your dreams!! We wish you the very best I wish for you whatever you want! Love Loullwa Taher  P.S GO TINTERN!!!!!!

Come back to Tintern to visit us with stories of your journeys beyond our school gates. I wish you all the very best. You will always be our role models. Love Emmy Zhou

Wishing you all the best as you collect your dreams – big or small. Be confident as you venture into the big wide world as an independent person. Follow your dreams. Best wishes, Leia Tian-Yi Yeoh P.S Go… Yr 12’s!!!

You’re the butterfly coming out of the cocoon about to explore the world. Please remember to come back to tell us about your adventures. Love from Zara Cuthbert.

I wish you all the very best. Don’t give up on your dreams. With love, Claudia Murdoch

Dear Year 12s. Safe travels and happy holidays! When the road is windy and your journey becomes bumpy – you may fall but you can pick yourself up and start again. Anika Hutchinson

Dear Year 12. You are a like a baby bird again – about to go into the world. Have lots of fun and remember to follow your dreams. Hannah Renouf

I hope you follow your dreams and go beyond where you are now. You will thrive at your goals and you will explore the world. Now find a path and follow it to your career. Live the best life you can live. Isabel Pham

I wish you the best. Now you don’t have homework – hooray for you! I hope you don’t fail your driver’s test! Go out into the world and make it a better place. Love from Taneisha Jamieson. Remember – Go Tintern!

I wish you all the best. Remember to never give up on your dreams.  With love Maddie Jennings  Go Tintern!

by Karen Dang, Girls’ Year 3 Teacher

District T20 Blast Cricket Tournament

On Friday 20 October Tintern Grammar competed in the District T20 Blast Cricket Tournament at Quambee Reserve. We had two boys and two girls teams competing on the day. The girls’ team one played some excellent cricket to reach the grand final against Croydon Hills. We fell just short in the grand final by 6 runs, however, did enough to progress to the next stage. The girls’ team two also played some fantastic cricket throughout the day, with their only loss coming to our own team 1. It was fantastic to see the improvement in skills and tactics throughout the day from both teams.

Results for the day were:

Team 1 Round 1 – Win 113-102

Team 1 Round 2 – Win 134-73

Team 1 Grand Final – Loss 111-117

Team 2 Round 1 – Win 123-68

Team 2 Round 2 – Loss 73-134

Team 2 Round 3 – Win 129-63

Congratulations to the following girls:

Team 1:

Rachel Adam

Natasha Gillam

Mayunie Munasinghe

Genevieve Gough

Ruby Crowe

Saskia Jackson Smith

Ella Jones

Ananya Khatry

Team 2

Ava Cantor

Drishya Karthik

Coco Butterfield

Ella Carboon

Jessica Fettell

Katherine Howell

Caitlin Tainton

Emma Cooke

Charlotte Collins

by Ashley Viney,  Junior School P.E. & Science Teacher & Assistant Head of Sport Years 7&8

Girls’ Junior School T20 Blast House Cricket Competition

On Friday 22 September Cricket Victoria, along with Seda students ran a T20 Blast House Cricket competition at Tintern. The houses were split into two teams with students participating from Year 3 – 6. The girls were able to improve their skills very quickly and the matches were competitive. There was some excellent batting, bowling and fielding skills on display. During the lunch break, Starman (Melbourne Stars mascot) paid a visit to the girls. It was a great day the results were very close.

The results were:

Somner                1^st

Gordon                2^nd

Cross                    3^rd

Watt                      4th 

Mansfield            5^th

Congratulations to Somner for winning the competition and to all of the girls for a great day.

by Ashley Viney, Junior School P.E. & Science Teacher

Year 3 and 4 Adanac Camp Highlights

Year 3 and 4 Students in the Girls Junior School went on a camp to Adanac in the Yarra Ranges. Here are some of their highlights…

My favourite activity was the Archery; it was such a unique experience. Isabella Di Felice Year 3A

I loved the Flying Fox because it felt great to be up high up amongst the trees. Sidonie Keogh Year 3A

I loved the Mindfulness activity led by Ms Dang before bed. I was able to get to sleep peacefully. Claudia Murdoch Year 3A

I loved the Low Ropes Course because I found myself in many hilariously ridiculous positions. Leia Tian-Yi Yeoh Year 3A

The highlight of canoeing was crashing into Mrs Riddell with my partner. Amelie Scherer Year 3A

I liked hut building because my group competed with the Year 4 students – our hut came second because it was not waterproof but it was constructed well. Taneisha Jamieson Year 3A

I liked sleeping in a dorm room with my friends because it was nice to have them just there. Matilda Robson Year 3A

At Healesville Sanctuary, we saw a long nosed Potoroo having an operation, a Koala that could jump from branch to branch and some of the most ferocious birds in Australia.  Elisha Sze Year 4A

Eating was one of the best parts of the day at camp! Our first meal was chicken with rice followed by chocolate mousse. We also made our own wraps. I loved the lasagne and vanilla ice cream. Glynnis Wang Year 4A

As I was strapped into the harness, my heart began to race. The leader hooked me onto the line and then off I went zooming down the flying fox like a bird soaring in the sky. This was my favourite activity at camp. Lucia Cockerell Year 4A

Following afternoon tea, it was our turn to do archery. We were given a bow and four arrows each. In the middle of the target hung a noodle, which if you hit, gave you a score of 15 points. I scored 40 points and was very pleased with my performance. Josie Pang Year 4A

We had a slow start to this activity because we were debating where to build the hut. We grabbed some long sicks from the previously demolished huts and built ours around the trunk of a tree. There were quite a few gaps so it was not waterproof! We worked as a team and scored of 4 out of 5 points for our efforts. Kaitlyn Law Year 4A

As I stepped into the canoe, it began to wobble. At that point, I was quite scared. As we paddled around the lake, I felt more confident about being on the water. This was a challenging activity for me. Abbey Van Bremen Year 4A

The low ropes challenge activity got more difficult as we went along the course. I found the crossover section the hardest, in fact I could not finish it, but I know had done my best. Sahdia Ali Year 4A

by Karen Dang and Linda Hudgell, Year 3 and 4 Classroom Teachers

National Bandanna Day Fundraiser

This year the Year 6 girls have joined with the Year 6 boys to support National Bandanna Day as our last fundraiser for the year.

National Bandanna Day is CanTeen’s largest fundraiser and aims to raise about $1.3 million dollars to support young people living with Cancer.

National Bandanna Day is this Friday 27 October and we have a range of gorgeous colourful bandannas to sell for $5 each. They come with a diagram showing different ways to wear them as well!

All money raised will be donated straight to CanTeen and your support will make a real difference to many young people. We plan to sell the bandannas at recess and lunch. We look forward to seeing lots of girls wearing their special bandannas on Friday 27 October.

by Zara Bicknell, Girls’ Junior School Captain

Passion….grow and thrive…nurturing of the whole student…embracing

I was surprised and delighted to see Boys Education ‘expert’ and speaker, Maggie Dent, share the video of the final stages of our Prep – Year 12 video from last week’s special assembly.

Her comment, “Wow. A school culture that is rich in tradition with a school song or motto, that encourages the nurturing of the whole student with passionate educators can create an excellent fertile soil for tomorrow’s adults to grow and thrive. Congratulations Tintern Grammar and the Southwood boys for standing close and embracing each other in this farewell moment for the final year students. Moving and positively memorable – and very inspiring.”

“Passion….grow and thrive…nurturing of the whole student…embracing..”

What wonderful words to describe all that occurs here at Tintern Grammar, for our boys and girls.

I spoke in our Year 3 – 6 Assembly yesterday about the need to embrace camaraderie, to develop and build respect for peers and our community, and that that is what these Year 12 boys, supported by their school and family, have done.

As we come to the end of Mental Health Month, it is so important that we look after ourselves and our peers by ensuring that we have a positive growth mindset and that we understand that mistakes happen and challenges occur, and that this helps us learn and grow. In sharing the journey of our Year 12s, I have seen all of the boys confront academic, emotional and social challenges at some point, but they are the richer and stronger for having done so, and are a credit to themselves and their families.

Our Prep – Year 12 Assembly affords our younger boys the opportunity to see that the young men that they, too, will become, can still have fun, share mateship and display outstanding respect to each other and their school.

It was indeed a ‘WOW” moment at Tintern Grammar. Watch the video below to relive the moment.

News from the Music Room

In our Year 3 – 6 Assembly this morning we were privileged to have two fabulous Music performances. Jack Gale played the ‘Cello in preparation for his Grade 1 Music Exam next Tuesday. He has been playing the ‘Cello for 2 years. Will Kenny, who is now in Year 5, originally started playing the Cello in Year 3 and has moved onto Double Bass. Will is currently preparing for his Grade 1 Double Bass exam next week. We wish them luck in their exams and congratulate both Jack and Will on their performances in Assembly.

by Jacquie Casey, Boys Junior School Music Teacher

Eastern Regional Athletics Carnival

On Thursday 19 October, seven students from Tintern Grammar competed at the Eastern Regional Athletics Carnival at Bill Sewart Athletics Track in Burwood East. It was an extremely tough standard of competition and the students competed to the best of their ability. The weather also made the conditions difficult, as short but heavy showers made the track slippery.

Congratulations to:

Mitchell Laurie

Kye Bertram

Felix Kilworth

Ethan Hoole

Ashley Honan

Emma Cooke

Ava Cantor

The boys competed in the u/10 4x100m relay and placed seventh. Emma Cooke competed in the u/11 High Jump, Ava Cantor placed 15th in the U/11 Triple Jump, Ashley Honan placed 19th in the u/11 800m and Felix Kilworth placed 5th in the u/10 200m.

by Ashley Viney, Junior School P.E. & Science Teacher

Spot the Difference

In Year 1 and 2 we are exploring chemical science through our Unit ‘Spot the Difference’. As part of this, the boys were able to experience ‘change’ through the process of bread baking and butter making. This session incorporated not only science but also Literacy – looking at procedural text and language (the boys were introduced to the word TARE and its meaning in context). Numeracy of course also played a part with measurements including volume, grams and ounces and we developed a practical understanding of time. Here is our bread recipe – the easiest and most delicious bread recipe you will ever find!

https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/no-knead-crusty-white-bread-recipe

What is a piece of freshly baked bread without butter? So of course, we made our own butter too! This took a lot of energy and patience from the boys, as they had to shake jars of cream for some time until it became butter. This activity was a wonderful way for the boys to experience the physical changes that occur during this process. Liquid cream became thicker and thicker until a solid began to form. Then the by-product – buttermilk – needed to be poured off (and sampled!) before continuing to shake until we finally had butter.

Naturally, all this effort and patience required the all-important taste test to complete the experience. There were smiles all-round.

by Jen Sloane and Michelle Gluskie, Year 1 and 2 Classroom Teachers

Year 2D’s Amazing Journey to Ancient Egypt

Who would have thought that one page in a picture storybook, about a boy looking to find his way in the world, could lead to such an amazing journey of exploration of Ancient Egypt?

While reading the story “Eric Finds a Way”, by Robert Vescio and Ann-Marie Finn, the boys of Year 2 were amazed at the page where Eric was exploring Egypt. After seeing the towering pyramids in the background of this illustration, the boys were intrigued with the possibility of people building these great structures without machinery, so many years ago.

With such interest, we then went on a quick journey ourselves to the Senior School Library to view the cabinet of replicated artefacts from Ancient Egypt. We were very fortunate indeed to be met by Mrs Healey who, through her own passion and knowledge, was able to share with us much of the history of these amazing pieces.

Again, due to Mrs Healey’s kindness and generosity of spirit, we now have a beautiful table adorned with these precious pieces in our classroom. We were also extremely lucky to have Mrs Macey come in and share some of her memories from a holiday travelling down the Nile River in a Felucca.

Our interest in Ancient Egypt is continuing to flourish as we are now reading a series of fiction books, written by Carole Wilkinson, which are filled with facts from Ancient Egypt. We have almost finished “Ramose, Prince in Exile” and are looking forward to reading the next books in the series.

by Michelle Gluskie, Year 2 Teacher

District T20 Blast Cricket Tournament

The Tintern Boys teams had a very successful day.  The Tintern 1 side finished 3rd overall with only one defeat to a very talented Croydon Hills Primary Team and won their other three matches comfortably.  The Tintern 2 side went one spot better, making it all the way to the Grand Final where they were beaten by the last ball of the innings.  This still allows them to go on to the next level and keeps them in with a chance of getting to play at the MCG!

by John Bonnyman, Year 4 Classroom Teacher

Congratulations Elijah!

Congratulations to Elijah Hanna (Year 4) who competed in the International Sports Karate Association (ISKA) World Cup Championships in Sydney on the weekend. Elijah competed in three events: Extreme Martial Arts (XMA), Sumo and Traditional Forms (kata), receiving a Bronze medal in Sumo and a First Place in Traditional karate forms. The first place result means Elijah is a World Champion for 2017 – an outstanding achievement!

Elijah has been training at Ultimate Martial Arts in Heathmont since he was three and a half. He is well supported by his incredible teachers, in particular, Aaron Smalley who flew to Sydney just to support him. Elijah has also qualified to grade for not one but two Black Belts in December. This means he will grade for a Black Belt in both Bushidokan Karate and Extreme Martial Arts. Good luck for December Elijah!

And finally some words from Elijah himself…

This weekend was for me one of the greatest experiences I have ever had! My Black Belt training was cut short for a day or two, whilst I travelled to Sydney to compete in the ISKA World Cup Championships. I competed in Extreme Martial Arts (XMA), Sumo and Traditional Forms (kata) I went out hard and came in with maximum results! I loved the experience, the atmosphere and especially the Chinese Dragon dance at the start. I hoped to make everyone proud and couldn’t have hoped for a better outcome. And I couldn’t have been any more lucky to have such great support from everyone… thank you.

Club Tinwood Christmas Celebrations

Join your friends for our Club Tinwood Christmas Celebrations!

Teams will complete a Tintern Trivia tournament before exploring the Tintern Campus for clues.

At the completion of the Race, each Team will then enjoy a Sausage sizzle and a soft serve ice-cream or Gelati for afternoon tea.

For catering, we would like you to indicate a preference and notify us of any food allergies. Please note our sausages are all gluten-free, however, the bread is not gluten-free. You are welcome to provide your own bread or vegetarian substitute if preferred.

                 All this for JUST $20  which includes a $5 donation to The Smith family.

For those who haven’t been to our Club Tinwood Christmas Party, every year we make a donation to The Smith Family.

This year we will be purchasing gifts and hope to showcase our donations at the Junior Girls’ and Junior Boys’ Speech nights.

We see the process of this as an important part of our community Christmas Spirit: children giving to someone less fortunate than themselves.

The Smith Family is most grateful for the continuing support of Tintern Grammar students and families, especially at this important time of giving and sharing.

Girls’ Middle School News

Term 4 is off to a flying start and it has been terrific to see students and staff return from the September break revived and ready for what is always a busy but enjoyable term. At this time of the year we begin to reflect on the year to date and it still surprises me how quickly time flies. With Year 12s saying their goodbyes as they prepare for their end of year examinations and life after school, it is heartening to hear them reflect positively on their time at Tintern and laugh as they share their memories of the Middle School… which seems like a lifetime ago to them, but it feels like it was only yesterday to the staff!

On Tuesday 17 October, all ELC – Year 12 girls and staff joined together for a wonderful assembly to recognise, congratulate and celebrate the Year 12 girls as they come to the end of their school journey. During the assembly, we heard reflections from Sarah Brown, Ada Chen and Emily Cowin about their experiences at Tintern and we enjoyed looking at a slideshow that showcased 13 years of memories. Our Prep, Year 1 and Year 2 girls presented the Year 12 girls with a card.  

One of the exciting things about Term 4 is that we continue to welcome our new Year 7s for 2018 as they take part in their orientation program. Their second orientation day was last week and there was great energy and enthusiasm as the girls participated in a range of activities including taekwondo and circus skills. Our next orientation day is being held on Monday 20 November and on the day girls will spend the whole day at school and will be placed into their 2018 Pastoral Mentor and House groups.

It was great to see so many families at our 2017 Celebration Evening. The night was most enjoyable, not only as we recognised the achievements of our Middle School Award recipients but also as we celebrated and reflected on the many aspects of school life our girls participate in. Year 8 students were impressive as they performed on the Taeko Drums and many other students performed as part of ensembles and of course for the Les Miserables finale! Our Middle School Captain, Ashleigh Dowling summarised the highlights of the year so far and I have every confidence that in our remaining weeks there will be more ‘highlights’ added to the year. The Year 7s can look forward to their ‘Night of the Notables’ next week, Year 8s their Performing Arts Night and ‘Days for Girls’ and Year 9s their forthcoming exams and summer expeditions.

On Wednesday we have our House Swimming Sports and on Thursday and Friday we have many girls performing in the Year 9/10 Production – Virtuous Burglar in the CM Wood Centre with performances beginning at 7.30pm, I hope to see many of you there. 

Year 8 Academic Challenge Day

Academic Challenge day is exactly as the title implies – a challenging academic day. One distinguishing feature of this day is that students compete in teams with other schools. Competing in mixed-school teams is not something our students found difficult and this was evidenced by the fact that Alexander Higgins and Matthew Cobb were on the winning team, Millie Kenny and Holly Whitfield were in the team who came third (and who came first in the General Knowledge discipline) and Jonah Fleming and Jake Stubbs were the builders of the Engineering Challenge that won first prize in that discipline.

Another distinguishing feature was that students could choose to participate in an ‘Off the Cuff’ speech, where they were given no time to prepare for a one-minute speech. Numbers of our students participated in this event. Overall this was a most enjoyable day and the students represented our school perfectly.

by Anthea Watkins, Year 8 Girls Co-ordinator & Horizon Centre Co-ordinator

Antipodeans Vietnam Trip

Antipodeans Trip – Team 2

From Sunday 24 September to Friday 6 October, Tintern had two teams (31 students and four teachers) travelling through the north of Vietnam. We were immersed in the culture and made many memories.  My group, Team 2, aided a family in the Mai Chau region to construct a kitchen in only four days! This was a tough experience for many as most of us had little to no building experience and we were yet to be acclimatised to the humid conditions. Through blood, sweat and tears we were able to accomplish this task and on the last day we got to see all of our hard work pay off with a fully constructed kitchen.

We next moved onto the trek which we were told would be an easy and flat walk. We were confronted with quite the opposite. It was raining, humid, dark, rough and extremely steep. With the help of each other, we survived the days and made it to our beautiful homestays. They were situated in the mountains and had a killer view.

After the trek, both teams had time to do lots of activities back in the Old Quarter of Hanoi. We enjoyed shopping in the street markets, visiting temples, watching a water puppet show and getting a tour of the city by a cyclo, which is a three-wheel bicycle taxi. This was a nice time to relax and chill out after all the hard work we had put into the community project and trek.

To finish off our amazing experience in Vietnam, we got the chance to stay the night on a wooden junk boat in Halong Bay. The boat was amazing, it had three levels; which included an upper deck that you could relax on as well as a beautiful dining room and comfy cabins. We also had the chance to kayak to a swimming spot where we were able to watch the sunset over the rocky islands, then later that evening some of us chose to attempt squiding. Although no squid were caught, many plastic bags were and they could all say that they cleaned the bay as well!

Overall, I can guarantee that each and every one of us took something positive away from this trip and learnt something about ourselves along the way. I would like to say a huge thank you to the teachers that gave up their own, well deserved holiday to instead spend it with us. Also to our Antipodeans leader, Chris, who made the trip 10 times better than it already was. Thank you!

by Margaret Pywell, Year 9

Boys’ Middle School News

Beginning a term in the Middle School is like jumping onto a moving treadmill, one which I must say is set at a pace significantly faster than a gentle stroll. The boys immerse themselves straight back into school including co-production rehearsals, excursions, general classes and lunchtime activities. The end of the year is in reach for them now, but with that comes other challenges that will confront them such as end of year tests, exams, major projects, camps and other year based activities. This is something that our pastoral staff will continue to guide our boys with during their morning sessions and timetabled classes.

Recently a large number of our students were recognised for their achievements in a number of academic areas:

ICAS 2017

Maths Talent Quest 2017

Three of our Year 8 boys were recognised for their effort and results in the recent Maths Talent Quest 2017. James Manson and Adam Choong of Year 8 both received Distinction awards for their respective projects, which is an amazing result. Fellow Year 8 student Joshua Choong, was awarded a High Distinction for his project and was adjudged best Year 8 project in Victoria. This took Joshua through to the National competition where he was not only adjudged best Year 8 project in Australia, but also won the best project in all year levels in Australia. This an amazing result for Joshua, and for Adam and James, after a lot of extra hours and hard work went into the creation of these mathematical projects.

Year 9 “Becoming a Man”

On Tuesday 17 October our Year 9 boys had their first of two sessions in their “life skills” program. This followed on from last term where the boys were learning financial literacy and an understanding of the cost of living, as well as basic savings, investing and debt. Along with this, the boys were set the task of cooking a two course meal over the recent holidays for their parents (or others), including setting the table, full preparation, serving and also cleaning up.

Last week’s session had our boys rotating around three of six activities (the final three will be completed next week) which included ironing and clothes washing, coffee making, car maintenance, bike maintenance, small motor tools such as chainsaws, lawn mowers, etc. and also a fitness session run by a trained fitness instructor. The boys really enjoyed the challenges they were faced with, as well as hopefully taking a lot of information out of each session. I know they are looking forward to the second session next week.

Science News

In assembly on Friday 13 October, a large number of students were recognised for their excellence in various Science endeavours. Here is a summary of their achievements.

ICAS Science

The Tintern Grammar ICAS Science results were again very strong. High Distinction (top 1% of students in Victoria) and Distinction (next 10% of students in Victoria) certificates were presented to the following students. In addition, a Tintern Grammar Science medallion was presented to the student with the top score in each year level.

RACI National Titration Competition

Year 12 students Brittany Read, Karly Rosenbrock and Sabrina Wang recently competed in the RACI National Titration Competition finals. They spent more than 3 hours of their precious time at school performing a titrimetric analysis of a mixture of a base and an insoluble unknown material with terrific results. Karly and Brittany gained a silver badge/medal and Sabrina won a gold badge, although the girls tell me that it was very much a team effort.

The Year 12 IB Chemistry students also entered the RACI National Chemistry Quiz this year. Their results were excellent. Brittany Read gained a High Distinction, while Ada Chen, Josephine Owen and Sabrina Wang gained a Distinction.

Science Talent Search

About 20 students entered the Science Talent Search this year. Many of these were Year 12 IB students who entered their Physics, Chemistry or Biology Independent Investigation and some Year 7 and 8 students also entered this very popular Victorian schools competition. We had great success in the Open Experimental Investigation section.

Major Bursaries ($300) were won by Cassie Dods and Josephine Owen.

Minor Bursaries ($200) were won by Ada Chen, Emily McLean, Ben Schneider and Alison Yang.

These students attended the STS presentation day at La Trobe University to collect their medals and cheques.

Photo: Emily Mclean, Ben Schneider, Josephine Owen, Ada Chen, Cassie Dods, Alison Yang and Mrs Lanna Derry with Associate Professor Tony Papenfuss from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, who presented the students with their awards.

The investigations that our Science Talent Search winners undertook had formed part of their IB Science studies this year. Their topics were far ranging and quite engrossing. Here is a summary of each of the prize-winning experimental investigations.

Major Bursary winners

Cassie Dods – How effective are the gluteguard and glutenease dietary enzyme tablets in digesting gluten peptides.

Cassie was interested in testing the effectiveness of these two commercially available products in a simulation of the human digestive system. She worked at The University of Melbourne with supervision and determined the amount of gluten present after digestion with and without these tablets. Her interest in this topic was based on personal experience of gluten intolerance.

Josephine Owen – An investigation of the catalytic effect of some substances on luminol.

Josephine worked in her father’s laboratory and completed some very complex work. She synthesized her own sample of the chemical, luminol, which produces light when it reacts. Luminol is used in forensic analysis of crime scenes to detect the presence of blood. The iron in the blood is what reacts with the luminol, so Josephine was keen to determine whether other metals, and other chemicals that might be used to try to remove a blood stain might produce a reaction with the luminol. She tested a wide range of substances and concluded that while other substances did react with the luminol, the blood reaction was easily distinguished from these reactions.

 Minor Bursary winners

Ada Chen – The effect of an oil-in-water emulsion of vitamins E and C on the lipid peroxidation reaction.

Ada was interested in antioxidants and their ability to prevent oxidation reactions. She chose vitamin C, which is soluble in water, and vitamin E, which is soluble in oil, as her antioxidants, then made an emulsion of the two solutions. She tested the ability of the emulsion to prevent oxidation of some sunflower oil and compared it to the same reaction with an individual vitamin C solution, vitamin E solution and a mixed vitamin C and E solution. Contrary to her expectations, Ada found that the emulsion was less effective than the simple mixture of vitamin C and E. Her conclusion was that the emulsifying agent, lecithin, interfered with the reaction.

Emily Mclean – The effect of changing the percentage of ethanol in the extraction mixture on a cabbage indicator.

Emily used different concentrations of ethanol solution to extract juice from red cabbages. This juice is traditionally used in Year 9 chemistry experiments as it changes colour according to the pH of a solution. Emily then used the cabbage juice to titrate sodium carbonate and find the previously unknown concentration of a hydrochloric acid solution. She compared these experimental values to ones that she had calculated using a common indicator, methyl orange. Emily found that the higher the concentration of ethanol in the solution she used to extract the juice from the red cabbage, the more effective it was as an indicator of pH (measured against the accepted values generated using methyl orange). A 70% ethanol solution was found to produce the most effective red cabbage juice indicator.

Ben Schneider – The networked foraging movement of Physarum Polycephalum.

This project involved biomimicry, an emerging area of Science, using nature to solve human engineering and design problems. Ben investigated the activity of a slime mould, Physarum Polycephalum, in a laboratory over several weeks to plan the most efficient route for an electricity network in rural Tanzania and applied algorithms to analyse the resilience, cost and effectiveness of the networks. He used oat flakes to represent towns and salt solution to represent impassable landforms. The mould travelled over the agar gel between oat flakes, avoiding the salt and thus mapping the most efficient pathways for the electricity infrastructure.

Alison Yang – How do charcoal tablets affect the amount of Ibuprofen?

Alison was interested in methods of decreasing overdose of ibuprofen (in nurofen tablets) using activated charcoal. Activated charcoal’s complex structure, created from carbon in the reactions of Chemical Activation and High Temperature Steam Activation, makes it highly porous and adsorptive, which enables the charcoal to adsorb the ibuprofen in nurofen. It was found, through acid-base titration, that there was a correlation between the two variables: larger quantities of activated charcoal resulted in a greater mass of ibuprofen adsorbed.

All in all, we have had a most successful year of entries in various science competitions, demonstrating the depth of talent in our students at Tintern Grammar.

by Lanna Derry, Head of Science

From the Vice Principal – Senior College, Administration & Students

I would like to publicly thank everyone who assisted at our Celebration Evening last Wednesday 18 October at The Robert Blackwood Hall, Monash University. I have had much wonderfully positive feedback from many members of our audience who confirm that it was a wonderful celebration of the 2017 school year. Our aim, as always, is to enable a large number of students to display their talents and perform on stage. We had a true recipe for success – our multi-talented students, our wonderful staff and a warm and appreciative audience. What a winning combination, and what a night it was!

There are many staff who I would like to thank for bringing the program to its culmination and I hope I can be forgiven for singling out some in particular who assisted so much in putting together a Celebration Evening that we hoped would entertain with its variety: Mrs Alison Bezaire and her team of Music staff for their direction of all of the musical elements; Ms Patrizia Jakovljevic and Mr Vince Di Mitrio for their direction of the  Hairspray excerpts; Ms Nicole Morphett for her direction of the movement of Year 12 students across the stage; Ms Lou Devoy for her phenomenal Stage  Management skills; and, Mr Matt Collens for his visuals which entertained our audience through our many stage changes. Then I come to the real stars of the evening – all of our students, whether they performed in: the Massed Singing item featuring a selection from “Les Miserables”; the School Musical excerpts, from Hairspray the Year 8 Taiko drums item or in our orchestral items. Another highlight that many parents have commented on, was the heartfelt speeches given by our two outstanding School Captains, Sienna Gerin and Angus Maynard. These two impressive young leaders are a true testimony to the outstanding and continuing success of Tintern Grammar.

Our Celebration Evening is not only about Year 12 – we aim to celebrate everything that our students do throughout the year. I congratulate all of our students for their participation and the credit they have brought to our wonderful School. For our Year 12s, Celebration Evening is very special, being the last one they can celebrate, and I would like to congratulate all of our Year 12s, not only for a typically calm and enjoyable end to their academic year, but also for their own level of participation in the evening. The entire School community wishes you well for your future endeavours. Similarly, I congratulate our Year 12 students for their participation in the final Boys’ and Girls’ Assemblies and our Valedictory Service, which was held yesterday in the CM Wood Centre with a large number of Year 12 parents attending, as well as all students from ELC to Year 11 present to farewell them.

I know our Year 12s, their parents and many staff will thoroughly enjoy the Valedictory Dinner to be held at Leonda on the Yarra on Friday 24 November – what a fabulous venue and what a wonderful way this will prove to be to celebrate the end of this year’s Year 12 examinations.

With kind regards to all members of the Tintern Grammar Community,

News from Year 10

During the first week of term, the presenters from Elevate Education delivered the ‘Ace Your Exams’ session with a range of practical advice that incorporated the students’ own experience from Semester 1.

There are a number of additions to the folders on the Year 10 Portal page which includes a copy of the Semester 2 Examination Timetable and The Year 10 Social information. Students are still able to return their reply slips for the Level 2 First Aid Course on Tuesday 28 and Wednesday 29 November and these folders can be accessed from http://portal.tintern.vic.edu.au/homepage/7456/

The Knitting Project Update 

Last year, Molly Fleming, Nicolani Susanto and I ran an initiative for the Middle School girls called The Knitting Project which sought to create knitted blankets for the Fitzroy Drop In Centre. This centre provides a safe space for homeless people in Fitzroy to rest, eat and receive support. 

It was fantastic to see the community completely support the initiative, through knitting, attending knitting sessions, sewing, donating supplies and most of all, spreading the word! Many people had not picked up a pair of needles in years (or ever!) but fully immersed themselves in the Knitting Project. 

We would like, in particular, to thank Lisa Robson for her enormous help in giving us a crash course on sewing the blankets and Ms Constable for her guidance and support throughout the process.

In total, five full-length blankets comprised of approximately 250 squares were made and presented to the Fitzroy Drop In Centre in the Term 2 holidays. They were very pleased to receive the blankets, not only for their warmth but also for the bursts of colour they added to the space!

A huge thank you to everyone who contributed to providing warm colourful hand-knitted blankets during what has been a very cold winter.

by Rose Russell

Student Wellbeing Action Teams (SWAT)

On Thursday 19 October, I attended the Presentation Evening for the Maroondah City Council initiative where groups of students represent their schools in the local area and work collaboratively on a project to enhance the wellbeing of students at their schools. Eliza Allen, Jocelyn Ch’ng, Ella Watt and Jameson Wong represented Tintern Grammar and findings from their project relating to the transition into the Senior College have already been implemented for next year. Our students spoke to the audience about their research and the impact of the changes for our community.

by Heather Ruckert, Year 10 Co-ordinator

News from Year 11

The Boys’ and Girls’ Swimming Carnivals have been a great success with our newly elected House Captains for 2018 organising and leading their House teams exceptionally well. These are the first House activities for which the new Captains are responsible and they have handled the organisation and the pressure well – rallying their individual Houses, “jumping in feet first” and ensuring that they have been “fun days”.

We are in the “home stretch” for classes for Year 11, with the last official teaching day for 2017 courses being Thursday 9 November. Friday 10 November is a Study Day with the Year 11 examinations taking place from Monday 13 to Thursday 16 November.

On Friday 17 November, all Year 11 students are required to attend the compulsory Fit 2 Drive program which educates young drivers on the risks and responsibilities of driving. Presentations from trainers, police officers, and firemen will complement exercises within the classroom to provide a comprehensive overview of their responsibilities, not only as drivers but as passengers as well. The day will begin at 8:30am and finish at 12:30pm.

Monday 20 to Friday 24 November will be the week of the Transition Program, when students will attend Year 12 classes and receive their holiday homework to provide a start for their 2018 Year 12 VCE and IB programs.

by Nick Stefanac, Year 11 Co-ordinator

News from Year 12

On Tuesday 24 October, our Year 12s celebrated their final day with the traditional Year 12 Breakfast, which saw a number of students arrive in costume.  Their costumes were varied, including Where’s Wally, the Scooby Doo gang, several Nuns and a number of Care Bears.  

During this breakfast, the girls opened their time capsules from Year 7, which resulted in a number of laughs and tears: while the boys played their last game of basketball at the School.  The Valedictory Service was an appropriate ending to their final day, in which the students were officially presented to the School community and receiving a sapling as a gift; the saplings were presented to the Years 12s by our Year 3 students.

The Year 12s are now in “SWOT VAC”, with their examinations beginning next week on Monday 30 October for many IB students at 12pm; and for most VCE students on Wednesday 1st November for VCE students, with the English examination beginning at 9am.

Students are reminded of the importance of maintaining a balanced approach to “SWOT VAC”, in terms of studying, eating well and exercising; as well as making the most of the resources available to them, particularly making appointment times with their class teachers in making appointments to go over content. 

The last formal event for the Year 12s will be the Valedictory Dinner at Leonda by the Yarra on Friday 24 November.

by Nicole Morphett, Year 12 Co-ordinator

News from the Careers Department

Year 9 Work Experience Program for 2018

A reminder that current Year 9 students should be organising their Work Experience placement now, as popular organisations including hospitals have specific application procedures and can fill at least 12 months ahead. Our Work Experience dates for 2018 are from Monday 18 to Friday 22 June, the last week of Term 2 2018.

Change of Preference Tertiary Institutions Events and Assistance

Year 12 students are currently focusing on their examinations, but families are reminded that there is support from the Careers Department and also the tertiary institutions.

IB Students: Please take advantage of the help available from tertiary institutions during the Change of Preference Period for the VCE students in December.

All Year 12 Students: Please make contact with the Careers Department using careers@tintern.vic.edu.au to request appointments during the day on Friday 15 December, Monday 18 December and Tuesday 19 December.

 A document listing key tertiary institutions events and assistance has been uploaded to the Careers page of the Portal and emailed to students. It can be found at: http://portal.tintern.vic.edu.au/homepage/16768/

 CareerNews

Career News Number 18 and Number 19 are available on the Portal at: http://portal.tintern.vic.edu.au/homepage/14962/  and includes the following items:

Career News Number 18

• Dates to Diarise in Term 4
• Reminder: VTAC 2018 Key Dates 
• New Courses at Flinders University
• New Bachelor of Sport and Exercise Science at Swinburne University
• News from Monash University
  • Monash Maths Bridging
  • Pharmacy & Pharmacology
• News from the University of Melbourne
  • Studying Surveying at Melbourne
  • Where can a Biomedicine Degree take me?
• Federation University – Courses at Berwick Campus
• Bachelor of Medical Research at the University of Tasmania

Career News Number 19

• Dates to Diarise in Term 4
• VTAC 2018 Key Dates
• Tax File Number
• What if you think you won’t get a place at university?
• Which Deakin Campus fits You?
• Low Income Healthcare Card for Australian Students
• Diploma of General Studies (DiGS) at the University of Melbourne
• Change of Preference (COP) Dates & Contacts 2017

by Heather Ruckert, Careers Consultant

A Message from Metro Trains – Year 12 Celebrations

We here at the Metro Trains Community Education Unit would like to congratulate you on the completion of your VCE school year!

Metro places a big focus on safety with respect to the movement of our customers and the reliability of our infrastructure. In line with this, we take this opportunity to encourage you to remind your students that whilst using our services during end of year VCE celebrations, unsafe behaviours that cause an inconvenience or discomfort to our customers may contravene provisions within the Transport (Conduct) Regulations. Metro Trains Authorised Officers are empowered to report these matters, which could in turn result in penalty notices being issued by the Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport, and Resources, and in some circumstances police involvement.

Metro Trains Authorised Officers and the Victoria Police will be monitoring behaviour across our network. We encourage students to use public transport to get to celebrations and school, but there is still an expectation that all students continue to act in a safe manner. 

Metro is a strong advocate of working with local schools to assist with educating students on rail safety issues and expected behaviours. We would be pleased to send a Community Education Officer to your school to speak to your students, or meet with the school administration to discuss ways we can work together to minimise unsafe behaviour during this time.

IMPORTANT REMINDER for your VCE students: students who have celebrated their nineteenth (19^th) birthday are required by law to obtain a Victorian Public Transport Student Concession Card in order to continue using their concession Myki. Many students may not be aware of this, and Metro appreciates your bringing this to their attention. Application forms are available from any Metro premium station and online If you have any questions, please contact me as I would be happy to discuss this with you and your students.

Information about student concession entitlements can be found at https://www.ptv.vic.gov.au/tickets/concessions/students/

The application form for Victorian Public Transport Student Concession Cards can be downloaded from https://static.ptv.vic.gov.au/PTV/PTV%20docs/Ticketing/1483053939/2017_PTV-School-Student-ID-application-form.pdf

Thank you for making the above information known to your students. This email is being sent to every secondary school in the metropolitan area.

Regards.

Metro Trains

Tintern Grammar Social Justice Group Reflections

As the school community celebrates the Class of 2017, I would like to acknowledge a particular group of students who have contributed not only to the school as a whole but also the wider community. A group of dedicated students have been a part of the Tintern Grammar Social Justice Group since Year 7 and can proudly say that for the past five years they have played a role in helping people break out of the poverty cycle through funding their education.

The Social Justice Group has participated in numerous activities and larger initiatives, beginning with weekly lunchtime sessions where we have deconstructed and analysed key societal issues and events such as the poverty cycle, the Millennium Development Goals and Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations, climate change and global health challenges around the world. We have had students participate in the Live Below the Line campaign run by the Oaktree Foundation, which saw Tintern Grammar as the 3^rd top fundraising school in Australia, placing us 1^st in Victoria. The campaign involved spending only $2 a day (defined by the World Bank as a state of poverty) on food and drink, excluding water, for five days. This highlighted that what we consider a small amount of money can make a significant difference in another’s life. Just $37 can provide textbooks and stationery for one student and $10,000 can provide a classroom for a whole community.

Additionally, each year has seen the group organise and run a major fundraising event in support of the Oaktree Foundation for a number of years and more recently the Sunflower Foundation. These events have included Market Nights, Masquerade Balls, Movie Nights, Trivia Nights and this year a Comedy Night. All aspects of planning these events, from advertising and organisation of entertainment to decorations and sourcing donations, was carried out by the students, each of whom should be congratulated for their phenomenal teamwork. Looking back on the events, it is simply amazing to see what students can accomplish as a team if they have an end goal in sight.  

I hope that each student who has been a part of the Social Justice Group can look back on their time in the group and know that they have taken part in something special. This is an entirely voluntary co-curricular group which required the students to spend their lunchtimes talking about poverty, issues of social justice and trying to make the world a better place. I believe each student has grown in some way through these sessions or developed a skill, whether that be event planning techniques, a greater awareness of poverty in our world and what we can do to help, or simply an appreciation for the privileged lives we lead.

I would also like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank the school community for their ongoing support of the fundraising events run by this dedicated group of students. Thanks to your support the group has raised over $25,000 since 2012 which is a tremendous effort, considering all events were entirely student-run. This money has gone towards providing education to those who may otherwise never receive it, which will hopefully help these young people break out of the poverty cycle.

It has been an absolute pleasure to mentor these girls for the past five years and I have seen them grow into strong, passionate women who are ready to make a difference in the world.

I look forward to seeing the continued success of the Social Justice Group in the future and wish the students all the best in their future endeavours.

by Alex Wakeley (YG 2012), Tintern Grammar Social Justice Group Facilitator

Congratulations to the following students who have been involved in the Poverty Project/Social Justice Group from Year 7-12:

• Emily Cowin
• Sienna Gerin
• Emily McLean
• Eliza Mignot
• Sophie Paul
• Grace Power
• Karly Rosenbrock
• Louise Smith
• Meg Swain

Left: Social Justice Group in Year 7. Right: Social Justice Group in Year 12.

2017 Senior Visual Arts and Design Exhibition

Be sure to visit the 2017 Senior Visual Arts and Design Exhibition which will be open to view from Friday 20 October until Monday 13 November, Monday to Friday, 8.30PM to 4PM.

Artwork by Daniel Smith, VCE Studio Arts, “Minimal”, digital print on aquarelle rag.

Emily Mignot (YG 2012) appearing in ‘A Chorus Line’

Fans of the musical ‘A Chorus Line’ will be excited to learn that alumna Emily Mignot (YG 2012) is appearing as Judy in ‘A Chorus Line’ at the National Theatre in St Kilda. The show opened on Friday 20 October and will run until Saturday 28 October. Tickets are available by selecting here.

Please be advised that ‘A Chorus Line’ has adult themes and is suitable for teenagers and adults.

Watch a preview of the show by selecting here.

Read a recent review by selecting here.

Crystal Kimber (YG 2007) wins Myer Fashions on the Field NSW State Final

Congratulations to alumna Crystal Kimber (YG 2007) who was named the Myer Fashions on the Field NSW State Final winner on Saturday 14 October at Merivale. Crystal will now compete at Flemington on Kennedy Oaks Day for the Myer Fashions on the Field Women’s Racewear National title. Good luck Crystal!

Crystal and her mum, Gail, work together to design and create fashions – especially for the Spring Carnival. They were recently featured by Spotlight and you can view the video by selecting here. View their designs please visit the See Kimber Facebook Page. 

David Moskovic (YG 2012) named REIV Novice Auctioneer of the Year Finalist

Congratulations to alumnus David Moskovic (YG 2012), an up-and-coming Property Consultant at Fletchers Manningham, who has been named as a finalist in the ‘Novice Auctioneer of the Year’ category at the REIV Awards For Excellence. These awards recognise REIV members who have exceeded expectations in pursuit of excellence in service, ethics and results.

The REIV ‘Novice Auctioneer of the Year’ winner will be announced at a Gala Dinner on Thursday 26 October. We wish David the best of luck!

Enjoy David’s final auction video available to view at this link: https://vimeo.com/235439999

David’s profile is available to view here: https://fletchers.net.au/team/david-moskovic

Fifi Box (YG 1993) wins Best Syndicated Australian Program

Congratulations to alumna Fifi Box (YG 1993) who won the Best Syndicated Australian Program for her radio show ‘Boxed In’ at the 2017 Australian Commercial Radio Awards (ACRAS) on Saturday 14 October.

‘Boxed In’ is an hour-long radio show where Fifi gets to know the biggest stars in film and television, music and sport. You can listen to the show every Sunday at 5pm on the Hit Network around Australia or catch up on past shows here: https://www.hit.com.au/shows/boxed-in-with-fifi-box.

You can also catch Fifi alongside Brendan Fevola and Byron Cooke weekday mornings, 6am to 9am on Fox FM in Melbourne.

Josh Smith (YG 2009)

Congratulations to Josh Smith (YG 2009) on his recent admission as an Australian lawyer. Select here to watch Josh as he is admitted at approximately 20.00.

TPG Trivia Night – this Saturday 28 October, 7PM, CM Wood Centre

Bookings close today (Wednesday 25 October). Select your table via TryBooking: https://www.trybooking.com/SMPK

Nudge – healthy eating program launched in the Compass Café

2017 Senior Visual Art and Design Show Opening Night

On Friday 20 October at 6.30pm the official opening of the Tintern Grammar 2017 Senior Visual Art and Design Show took place. We were treated to the beautiful stylings of the Middle School String Quartet as guests joined us for a night of celebration and accolades for everyone involved. As teachers – we often see the hard work that goes into completing a folio subject. The opportunity for students to exhibit their final work in the Senior Art Show is one where we can celebrate the striking achievements that the students have produced from VCE Art, Studio Art, Visual Communication Design, Product Design Technology and IB Art. Alongside the works are artist’s statements that explain the concepts behind the works, as well as the student’s visual diaries and folios – which are artworks in themselves!

Our esteemed guest speaker for the Opening Night, Mr Mike Blood, treated us to his thoughts and reflections of the work and shared many connections to the art space, including the fact that he had created the plinth at which he was standing and his distant relatives once owning orchards on this very spot in the 1800’s. He was followed by our 2017 Art Captains Meg, Abby & Amber and the official opening by our Principal – Mr Brad Fry.

This exhibition is a celebration of the creativity, ingenuity and dedication of these young artists, and is open for viewing from 8.30am to 4pm weekdays until Monday 13 November.

by Rachel Waud, Head of Visual Arts & Design

Eastwood Primary School Twilight Market – Friday 10 November

Key Dates – Term 4

School Events for Term 4