From the Principal

“The vlogs are too long!” spake the people and lo verily, the vlogs were shortened by the power of the people’s voice!

Yes, the feedback has been that in a bid to get across important information, we are now risking the consciousness of our community through the length and detail of the vlogs. So I have been set a new target of a maximum of 90 secs duration! The first one of these is below and while it is a fraction long, I am looking at it with a Growth Mindset and I am sure I can get better!

Supporting every individual do the best that they can is at the centre of the Tintern philosophy. With this last week being the semester examinations for our Year 10 and 11 students, the Senior College section of the campus has been both quiet and has also had a palpable hum of working brains! For our Year 10 students, these are generally their first set of true examinations and their attitude and approach is very indicative of their state of mind and preparedness. We all do our best when we are appropriately attentive, a bit keyed up but not when we have significant anxiety.

Watching out my window as the students assemble prior to each examination, has seen our students cheerful and happy as they wait for the instructions to enter. Subject teachers and pastoral staff take great care to prepare students for both the academic and content challenges of examinations as well as the stress and challenge of the process itself, which makes most of us at least a little anxious! Teaching staff are united in their approach to this, working to ensure there are no surprises for students when they open the papers and that they are well practised at the skills and in the knowledge required to complete the papers. As a result, I also often see the students leaving the examinations cheerfully too – a very positive sign for our young men and women on the road to Year 11 or 12.

Tintern has an enormous number of co and extra-curricular activities happening at any time but two are worth a particular mention. Firstly, we have kick-started our Girls’ Junior School Robotics Club. This is an after school activity that has now been running for three weeks and is already over-subscribed! We have had to extend the finish time as we cannot get the girls away from their projects – a terrific state of affairs!

The Heads of the Girls’ Junior and Middle Schools, Mrs Anna Riddell and Ms Oriana Constable have envisaged and launched this initiative, which was generously supported by the Tintern Association just prior to its merge into the Tintern Parents’ Group. It was intended to be a pilot program but we are already looking at how we can expand it into the Girls’ Middle School next year as part of our commitment to STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics) education to ensure our young women are ready for a world where they can wield their interests, skills and influence in an environment of equality and inclusion. Let’s hope the world is ready for them!

The second co-curricular item is Tintern’s amazing co-educational team for the Regional da Vinci Decathlon. Held at Methodist Ladies’ College on Friday 6 May 2016, our team finished 3^rd in a very, very strong regional group and qualified for the State Championship for the first time! This is a brilliant effort by our students, particularly on the back of our amazing National Mathematics competition wins last year! Other schools are now beginning to notice us in these academic competitions and see us as very significant opposition! Congratulations to the team and mentor Anthea Watkins on a terrific effort

Factis non Verbis

Bradley Fry
Principal

Please click on the Video Blog below ‘Principally – in 90 secs!’ from our Principal, Mr Bradley Fry.

Music Matters

On 25 May, 18 students from Years 7 to 12 performed in the Preliminary Concerto Concert. This was the most performers that we have had in this particular concert, which is a credit to the calibre of music students currently studying at Tintern. It was a lengthy concert and all the performances were very enjoyable. The concerti covered a wide range of styles by composers including Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Seitz and Saint-Saens. We also had two movements from a double piano concerto and a movement from a double violin concerto.

We were fortunate to have Trevor Henley, an experienced performer and director, to adjudicate our performances. The performances were judged not only on the accuracy of the interpretation, but also on audience engagement, which was most crucial. Four students were selected to perform with the school orchestras on 18 August at the Concerto Showcase: Holly Fryer (Year 10), Clarisse Liew (Year 8), Alan Wu (Year 12) and Alison Yang (Year 11). This promises to be a most engaging concert also.

On behalf of all of the performers, I would like to thank Mrs Clementson and Ms Lok for the many hours of work they put into rehearsals and accompanying the performances on the night.

by Alan Wu, School Pianist 2016

Congratulations to Alex² on their graduations!

String teacher, Alexander White, who was appointed to our Music teaching staff in January recently attended a graduation ceremony at Monash Ceremony, where he received his Master of Arts (Music Performance). We congratulate Alex on this achievement and note, with interest, that he graduated alongside ex-Tintern student, Alexandra Giller (YG 2007). Alexandra studied IB Music at Tintern and went on to an undergraduate degree in Music Performance in Canberra, before embarking on her Master of Arts (Music Performance) at Monash on double bass.

Sport Matters

The Olympic sport of Modern Pentathlon sounds like something out of ‘The Three Musketeers!’

You start by fencing against 30+ fencers, dive into the water and swim 200 metres, climb onto the back of a horse and race over a series of jumps and then hop off the horse and run as fast as you can over 3,200m whilst stopping every 800m to shoot 5 targets with a pistol.

James Bond, eat your heart out! Wow, what an amazing event requiring such a mix of skill and endurance!

It may surprise you to hear that two of our Middle School students compete on a regular basis in Modern Pentathlon. Ella Trevorrow (8B) and her sister Lilly (7C) are a force to be reckoned with. Both girls recently competed in a Modern Pentathlon Victoria event in Benalla in central Victoria with great success. Competing in the 12/13 Yr. Youth section Ella finished in 1^st place and Lilly very close behind in 2^nd place.

This Friday, Ella and Lilly will head-up two teams the school has entered in a mini Pentathlon run by Balcombe Grammar on the Mornington Peninsula. In all, some five Tintern teams will compete in an ‘Equathon’ event involving Show Jumping, Swimming and Cross Country running. Some of our most elite junior athletes, swimmers and equestrians from Year 7 & 8 will be joining us for this unique event and we wish them well.

“I go to Rio”……

We are all familiar with the Peter Allen hit “I Go To Rio”, but David Powell can rightfully say that he is going to Rio. David has been selected to compete for Australia at the Rio Olympics in Table Tennis.

We were very fortunate to have David visit the school on Thursday 2^nd June to take a training session with our Year 8/9 Boys Table Tennis team. The boys are undefeated so far this season and we hope that some of David’s winning ways will rub off on the team.

We wish David the best of luck in Rio and hope that he has a wonderful experience.

Community Matters

Tintern Parent Group

The new Tintern Parent Group met for its inaugural meeting on Thursday 26 May. Congratulations to the new committee:

Loraine Allender – President

Jessica Adam and Kate Jones – Vice Presidents

Secretary – Clare Jensen

Assistant Secretary – Roshini Higgins

Treasurer – Ruby Nagendran

Committee members: Katy Brumley, Leeza Crowe, Lisa Robson, Caitlin Bryson, Kylie Spears, Lee Elliott-Bruce, Michael Love, Djoymi Baker and Haidee Wallace

Meetings will continue to be held in the CM Wood Common room every second Thursday during term time. The next meeting to be held Thursday 14 July @ 7.30pm.

The Tintern Parents Group is made up of parent and friend volunteers who support the school under the following aims:

1. to promote the welfare of the School and to assist the School Board, other bodies which form part of the Tintern Family, the Principal and Staff Members, and other persons and organisations associated with the School in furthering the interests and objectives of the School;
2. to promote and facilitate contact and communication between Members, Staff Members, the School Board and other interested parties in order that ideas and views may be exchanged and developed for the support of the School and its activities; and
3. to raise funds for the School.

The Tintern Association and the Southwood Parents Club 1922 – 2016: The Tintern Association was established in 1922, 94 years ago, when money was tight and it was thought that parents and friends could assist keeping the basic running of the school; the immediate object of the group was to ‘improve material conditions at the school.’ During the depression and for some years following the regular income of the school was stretched and could barely cover essential purchases and replacements. Tintern was dependent on its old girls and on the small but active Tintern Association to donate and fund Library books, sports trophies, an epidiascope, top dressing for the tennis courts, playground equipment and donations for prizes. These things and much else were given by individual members of TOGA or the Association, or by the groups themselves from funds raised by bridge evenings, plays, fetes and other activities.

Over the years the need has changed but the community spirit and support has continued. In 1996 the Tintern Association joined together with other community groups as part of the Tintern Family association which provided the groups with legal protection under the Incorporation rules.

In 1999 following the commencement of Southwood Boys Grammar, the Southwood Parents Club was formed with their inaugural meeting on 21 July 1999.

A number of notable contributions over the history of the SPC followed including honour boards, tree project, kayaks, Southwood inaugural fair in 2003, awards, cubby house, billiard and table tennis tables, Southwood coffee table book, pavers, coffee machine, hoodies and support of the Mothers and Father’s day breakfasts.

In 2008 the two parent groups discussed a possible merger but decided to defer to another time.

The Tintern Association also continued to add value added items to Tintern and during most recent years has contributed with its Southwood counterpart items that include water tanks, solar panels, computer equipment, play and sports equipment, sound equipment, stage lighting, honour boards, art affects, tents and outdoor equipment.

We must not forget the numerous events that are supported and hosted by the parent Associations; Fairs, exhibitions, garden tours, mother’s and father’s day stalls, movie nights, second hand book sale and the Presentation Ball are just to name a few.

It is important to also acknowledge the special interest groups that stem from the Tintern Association such as the Friends of Music (est. 2000) and Equestrian (est. 2001) and the newly formed Friends of Young Farmers (est. 2012) and we can’t forget the Parents of Paddlers which finished up in 2011.

It goes without saying that these achievements over the years do not happen by magic; they are the culmination of many dedicated and passionate people who all have one thought in mind; to enhance the students experience through value added activities whilst building a spirit of togetherness. The Tintern Association together with the Southwood Parents club no doubt has contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars, to the school but more importantly it has built on Tintern’s resounding community spirit that will take the new combined parents group well into the future.

No dollar value can be placed on the worth of community spirit and unity. Thank you to all the parents and friends who are willing give their time, energy and effort into different activities around Tintern Grammar. 

 ‘Don’t ever question the value of volunteers. Noah’s Ark was built by volunteers; whereas the Titanic was built by professionals.’ anonymous

Entertainment book 2016/2017

The NEW 2016 | 2017 Entertainment™ Book and Digital Memberships are available now and are packed with thousands of up to 50% off and 2-for-1 offers.  From every Membership we sell, 20% of the proceeds go towards our parent groups fundraising goal for Tintern Grammar.

If you prefer not to pay online you can download the order form here from the Portal and return to the Community Relations office and collect your book.  For more information please refer to the community news on the Tintern portal or contact the Community Relations Office. You can click here to have a look at what is inside. Thank you for your ongoing support.

140 Year Celebrations in 2017 – we need your help

We are currently assembling a working group for thoughts and ideas on how we can celebrate the School’s 140 years in 2017 and we would love to hear from our parents. If you feel you have the skills, inclination to be involved and you would be available during the day we would love to have you on board. Please contact Di Lacey in the Community relations office on 9845 7877 or email communityrelations@tintern.vic.edu.au for more information or to register your interest.

Tintern Trivia Night – 30 July 2016

Please click here to make a booking for our Trivia Night.

Tintern Grammar Fair 2017

Do you have any new ideas that could make our next Fair an even bigger success than before? Are you interested in being a part of the dynamic team of individuals who plan the Fair and create the fun for our community? If you are keen to be involved in any way, please contact our the community relations office on 9845 7877 or email fair@tintern.vic.edu.au 

Friends of Equestrian

Notice of AGM – CM Wood Common Room, Tuesday 14^th June 2016, 7.30pm

We invite you to attend our AGM and become a part of the Friends of Equestrian team.

As we head into our 17^th year of Friends of Equestrian (FOE) and our 17^thAnnual Interschool Horse Trials Championship in 2017, we need you!

We have had an exciting 2015/2016 offering FREE clinics, a subsidised camp and VEIS competitions for those interested. We also reimburse entry payments for one competition each year and of course the planning of 2017 Horse Trials. We have recently put our support behind and funded entries for the 2016 Balcombe Grammar School Equathon Challenge!!

For our riders it’s not all about the horse trials but a range of other activities to develop their skill, horsemanship, fun with their mounts and they all enjoy being together developing bonds and friendships that will last a long time beyond school.

Currently we have 6 enthusiastic members on the committee and a wonderful Equestrian Co-ordinator in Alison Bezaire, who have worked extremely hard the last 12 months, but we are running out of steam!!! We need extra hands to continue to offer our riders the opportunities they have enjoyed. We have been able to provide these opportunities to our riders with the funds raised from the Horse Trials. Moving forward we need people to join us in order to continue this great tradition, without more commitment and assistance we could be in danger of not continuing. Currently we are the only school in Victorian that runs standalone interschool horse trials, and we have developed a wonderful name in the Eventing world. We would dearly love to continue this tradition for the school, and the interschool equestrian community.

You do not need to be an expert in any area, simply willing to have a go….we have all learned along the way! We are volunteers with day jobs and we all pull together and have a go!

So come and join us, we would love to have you and your energy!

RSVP for attendance and supper to Sandy Garland 0425735577.

If you would like to have a chat about what’s involved contact Sandy or Gabby on the numbers below and we would be happy to have a chat to you.

Sandy Garland –  0425 735 577
Gabby McCallum – 0419 155 626

Community Committee dates

• Tintern Parent Group (TPG) – Next meeting: Thursday 14 July 7.30pm CM Wood Common Room President: Loraine Allender
• Friends of Music (FOM) – Next Meeting: Tuesday 7 June 7.00pm CM Wood Common room President: Tim Oldmeadow
• Friends of Young Farmers (FOYF) – Next meeting: Tuesday 14 June 7.30pm Kennedy Cottage, Community services. President: Joy Ashfield              
• Friends of Equestrian (FOE) – Next meeting AGM; Tuesday 14 June 7.30pm CM Wood Common room. President: Kevin Jones

Girls’ Music Night

Our annual Junior School Music Night event came around again on the last Friday in May. This event is a high point of the Junior School Calendar, providing the opportunity to showcase the rich and diverse musical talents of our girls. We are especially proud of the inclusive nature of the evening; every girl from Years 3 to 6 takes part in at least four items. Also making an appearance are all of our Junior School performing groups. Once again the dress and behaviour of each girl was outstanding and the evening was a great success.

The evening also provided the opportunity to showcase other talents in the Junior School. The audience was treated to a display of a range of solo items – Sienna Dass, Mellyn Sun, Elizabeth Madge, Millie Jensen, Georgia Norton, Annabelle Guscott and Ella Callow-Sussex. An additional element to the evening was a Farewell segment to Mrs Sandi Gaskin who has retired from full time teaching.  Cooper Choir sang a most heart-warming rendition of the song called For Good.  The words of the song reflected how many of us feel about Mrs Gaskin ‘Because I knew you I have been changed for good’.  The entire evening was compèred most ably by many of our Year 6 students.

District Cross Country

Congratulations to the Junior Schools – District Cross Country Team for coming 6th in the Ringwood Primary Schools – District Championship! There were many excellent individual efforts on the day but what is important to recognise is the great effort by all our girls and boys!

Individual results:

Congratulations to the girls below for their outstanding performance on the day earning them a spot at the Divisional Championships at Yarra Glen Racecourse.

U/10 Years                   7th Felix Kilworth

U/10  Years                  2nd Jessica Fettell

U/12&13  Years         9th Krishnaa Kannan

by Ashley Viney, Junior Schools PE Teacher

Work Environment Day

World Environment Day Newsflash!

This week the ELC celebrated World Environment Day which is being held on Sunday 5 June. This day is the United Nations’ most important day for encouraging worldwide awareness and action for the protection of our environment. Since it began in 1974, it has grown to become a global platform for public outreach that is widely celebrated in over 100 countries.

This experience for our children helped to reinforce our commitment towards the sustainability program that we offer in the ELC. The children, staff and some wonderful parent and grandparent helpers came together on Thursday morning to engage in a variety of experiences to help promote the children’s understanding of World Environment Day.

The activities on offer included:

– planting

– endangered animals

– water conservation 

The children really enjoyed these activities and it was a wonderful opportunity to join together and embrace an important ongoing global issue that our planet is facing.

We warmly invite everyone to the ELC to come and have a look at our new succulent garden (work in progress) and our beds of daffodils (yet to flower).

by Suzie Bissett, ELC Co-educator

Boys’ Junior School News

We have just completed another very special week in our Boys’ Junior School.

Monday saw our annual Grandparents morning, with more than 100 guests joining with our boys to spend time in class, and to gain a first-hand perspective of life in our school.

Many of our guests had flown from Interstate to be with their hosts, and it was lovely to be able to share our school with people who mean so much to our boys.

Last night, more than 280 people gathered in our CM Wood Centre for our Year 3-6 Cabaret Evening. This unique evening sees families sitting at tables, eating and drinking in a cabaret-style environment, whilst the ‘performing arts’ skills of our boys are showcased. Our orchestra gave their first public performance and their rendition of the theme from Star Wars was rousing. To perform so cohesively and with such expertise after minimal practices was a credit to them, and Mrs Wagner and Mrs Casey.

Similarly, groups such as the Year 3 Strings, the Band and the Paganini Strings delighted our audience.

More than 30 boys performed solo acts, and every boy participated in our House Poetry Competition, and our choir. The latter’s Beatles medley was a vibrant way to end the evening, the crowd joining the boys in the roaring end to Hey Jude.

The past month has seen us host a Mothers’ Day Breakfast, Cross Country, Club Tinwood, Grandparents Morning and Cabaret Evening, all nestled comfortably amongst the normal work and fun of our Junior School.

Our boys always tackle tasks and activities with a wonderful sense of determination and a positive mindset….I congratulate and thank them for their ongoing efforts and demeanour.

Year 2 La Trobe Wildlife Sanctuary Excursion

‘Plants Alive’

As part of our Unit of Study on Plants, the Year 2 boys had an excursion out to the La Trobe Wildlife Sanctuary adjacent to La Trobe University.

Despite the very chilly start, it was a beautiful sunny day and we were able to enjoy walking around the sanctuary. Andrew led the ‘Plants Alive’ session and engaged the boys in experiences to broaden and enhance their understanding.

We were lucky enough to spot some wildlife – a possum in a box (well we could only see some fur moving but that was sufficient) and a couple of kangaroos and also several insects and a spider when Andrew dug up a poa and pulled it apart. The boys then got to plant a poa in a tube. We have brought these back to school with us and will ask Gary if they can be planted out somewhere on campus.

There was also the opportunity to look at various plant materials under a microscope which the boys really enjoyed (and be able to do more of at school as we have borrowed some microscopes from Senior School)

Hopefully the boys gleaned a few interesting facts that they might be able to share with their friends and family, such as how long it takes a tree to form hollows……. 

by Jen Sloane, Year 2 Teacher

District Cross Country

Congratulations to the Junior Schools – District Cross Country Team for coming 6th in the Ringwood Primary Schools – District Championship! There were many excellent individual efforts on the day but what is important to recognise is the great effort by all our girls and boys!

Individual results:

Congratulations to the girls below for their outstanding performance on the day earning them a spot at the Divisional Championships at Yarra Glen Racecourse.

U/10 Years                   7th Felix Kilworth

U/10  Years                  2nd Jessica Fettell

U/12&13  Years         9th Krishnaa Kannan

by Ashley Viney, Junior Schools PE Teacher

Girls’ Middle School News

It has been an exceptionally busy term to date for our Middle School girls who have certainly made the most of all of the wonderful opportunities on offer at Tintern! This past week has involved lots of colour and entertainment as we have been privileged to watch students perform in the Preliminary Concerto Concert and Speech and Drama Performance. The high level of dedication, commitment, discipline and passion that goes into these performances is most impressive. On Friday of last week we held our first ever colour run!!!! The energy, enthusiasm and enjoyment of students (as well as staff and parents) was high and it was a fantastic community event, helping our World Challenge students to raise over $2500 towards their community project to take place on their trip to India later this year.

Girls taking part in The Knitting Project are working tirelessly on their blankets (knitting project) and with the Annual Music Concert, House Cheersport, House Dancing and Year 8 Performing Arts Night coming up there is plenty of energy going in to making the final touches on these events. I look forward to seeing families at the Music Concert on Thursday 9 June, House competition on Tuesday 14 June and the Performing Arts Night on Wednesday 18 June. These events promise to be a wonderful way to finish off a fantastic semester of schooling.

Victorian Interschools Snowsports Championships

Winter is here and with it comes the snow season! The Victorian Interschools Snowsports Championships are being held at Mt Buller on 7 August (Cross Country) and 22-28 August (Downhill). If your child is an experienced skier or snowboarder and they would like to compete in Cross Country, Giant Slalom, Moguls or SkierX/BoarderX please email oconstable@tintern.vic.edu.au by Friday 17 June indicating your interest in the competition. We will be holding a training day in July, date to be confirmed prior to the end of Term 2. Please note that for the competition, whilst Tinter staff will be in attendance, it is the responsibility of parents to accompany their child to the competition and make their own accommodation arrangements. We highly recommend that accommodation be booked ASAP as it is a very busy week at Mt Buller. For event information, including the provisional timetable of event dates please visit www.vicinterschools.com.au

Mindset and use of language

“Sometimes a single word changes everything.”  Peter H. Johnston

Mindset is a term you will hear a lot this year.  What we know is that ‘language can effect a child’.  During staff meetings, teachers work together as a professional learning community to discuss how language can effect  a child. This work helps teachers use careful language to promote ‘growth mindsets’ in our students.

Those with growth mindset have a desire to learn. They embrace challenges, persist, learn from criticism and as a result, they strive for higher levels of achievement. Those with a fixed mindset have a desire to look smart.  They avoid challenges, give up easily, ignore useful feedback and threatened by the success of others. They tend to plateau early and do not achieve to their full potential.

“If parents want to give their children a gift, the best they can do is to teach their children to love challenges, be intrigued by mistakes, enjoy effort, and keep on learning. That way, their children don’t have to be slaves of praise. They will have a lifelong way to build and repair their confidence”  Carol S. Dweck

Year 9 Challenge – City Investigation Task 6-8 June

The City Investigation Task (CIT) is part of the Year 9 Challenge Program which all Year 9 students will participate in from 6-8 June. Students are given the opportunity to work collaboratively with their peers to design a focus question or statement about Melbourne, which they would then investigate during a full day trip into the City of Melbourne and report back on to their peers.

The CIT caters for student diversity by connecting student learning to the outside world. It draws on research regarding Middle School student engagement with their schooling and the need to provide opportunities through teaching practices that:

• strengthen both teacher-student relationships and the challenge of learning’;
• are based on a constructivist method of learning;
• involve students in decision-making about content, process and assessment’;
• present authentic tasks that require complex thought and allow time for exploration;
• include processes involving cooperation, communication, negotiation and social competencies generally; and
• provide for individual differences in interest, achievement and learning styles.

Middle Years Research And Development (MYRAD) Project, 2002

The three day task will allow students to ‘bounce ideas’ off teachers as they work on the development of their focus and guiding questions and to ‘check in’ with us whilst in the city. The program places emphasis on students selecting areas of interest to their group that is relevant and enjoyable, with questions/statements including ‘Is Melbourne fit to hold the Olympic games?’, ‘How effective are the laws in Melbourne?’, ‘How has architecture changed over the years’, ‘What is Melbourne’s opinion on street art?’ and ‘Busking is a popular form of entertainment in Melbourne’. It is the responsibility of each group to decide on the content to be gathered and the method of collection and students will spend time researching information on the internet, developing surveys/questionnaires for the public to complete and speaking with relevant organisations on the phone to prepare for their trip into the city. Each group develops a travel plan and detailed itinerary for submission; a valuable exercise in planning and understanding Melbourne’s Public Transport System.

Working independently within their groups of 3-6 students to plan, implement and report back on their focus question will require a great deal of co-operation and communication. This is particularly important in the development of the focus question and guiding questions where students have to narrow down what the aim of their task was and how they are going to prove/disprove the statement. Managing a group and navigating around the city will also put these skills to the test as students need to manage their time and problem solve issues such as missed trains, closed businesses, lack of patrons to survey and inclement weather.

The final day of the program will be spent at school with students compiling their research in order to present information. A variety of formats will be chosen by students from PowerPoint to Prezis, posters and interactive displays. I look forward to sharing the results of their findings with you in our last Aspectus for the term.

Annual National Simultaneous Story Time 2016

On Wednesday, 25th of May we held the Annual National Simultaneous Storytime 2016.

 It is an annual campaign that aims to encourage more young Australians to read and enjoy books. It is now in its 16th successful year.

The book we read was “I got this hat.” I think everyone enjoyed listening to the book. I am sure the everyone is looking forward to be doing the follow up activities during their library lessons over the next week.

 by Georgia Norton, Information and Technology Captain

Club Tinwood @ JumpDeck

We had an awesome afternoon at Jumpdeck this afternoon….107 girls and boys bouncing and jumping and throwing balls…all having great fun…AND NOT ONE INJURY…YEE HAH!

Most importantly…all at the bus bay for a 3.30 departure, all at Jumpdeck at 4.00, all departed Jumpdeck at 5.05, and all back at the bus bay right on the announced time of 5.30.

Make a note;  the next Club Tinwood activity is Monday 18 July- Mini Golf.  More details will be sent home shortly.

Boys’ Middle School News

Term 2 is nearing an end and the winter months are upon us. This sees with it the wearing of our winter uniform including long pants and long-sleeved shirts for the boys as well as wearing their tie. If you haven’t already, take the time to show them how to tie a tie correctly and that it is to be worn up against their collar. Their pastoral mentor will also help them to learn how to tie a tie if it is something unfamiliar but I must admit it looked fantastic in the building on Wednesday morning with the boys all dressed in their long pants, blazer, etc.

This week at assembly we touched on Commitment as one of our Compass points. It was discussed in terms of commitment to themselves, their family, their peers and their school work. It challenged them to assess the level of commitment they were actually making to their school work and if there was room for improvement. A key point we discussed was the use of criterion sheets in assessments and the importance of boys checking and understanding this prior to submitting pieces of work.

The band Bottom Line, made up of four Year 8 boys and 1 Year 8 girl, played for us at the assembly and the performance is available to watch on the link. The vocals didn’t come through that well with the speaker but I’m sure you can tell that it was a fantastic piece.

The Knitting Project

The Knitting Project is off to a great start! Every second Wednesday lunchtime, girls’ middle school students have a meeting to knit squares to make blankets for the Fitzroy Drop-In Centre for those who are homeless.

We aim to have knitted 240 squares (or 6 blankets) by the 20th of July. We welcome help from the wider community, and hope that you can aid us in reaching our goal by donating wool, or knitting squares.

If you can donate wool, we use 8ply wool, preferably in dark colours.

As for knitting squares, the squares are 20 x 20cm using 4mm knitting needles and 8ply wool or yarn.

Any donations and squares are much appreciated and can be placed in one of the Knitting Project donation boxes in the girls’ middle school building, handed into Main Reception, or given personally to Molly, Nicolani or Rose (Year 9).

Hope you can help!

by Molly Fleming, Nicolani Susanto and Rose Russell, Year 9

Year 5A Science Fair – hands-on STEM learning!

The girls outdid themselves today at the Science Fair! They interacted so well with all visitors, engaged the younger students in their experiments and models, and were impressive with their knowledge. I’ve had so many positive comments from visitors and teachers it’s been wonderful. Thank you to all parents for supplying what the girls needed and for encouraging them and supporting them by coming along today. So many grandparents came as well, some from as far as Wagga! It was a proud day for us all. Our maintenance team did a fantastic job assisting us and troubleshooting when we needed access to a power point at the last minute. Thank go out to Mrs Hill for help up and down the ladder yesterday putting up posters etc. and also to Mrs Koochew form the Science department for a myriad of scientific equipment, lab coats and goggles. There are some photos on the portal – you just need to scroll down to see them.  Once again, thank you girls and be proud!

by Kathy Agius, Year 5 Teacher

Growth Mindset

Mindset and use of language

“Sometimes a single word changes everything.”  Peter H. Johnston

Mindset is a term you will hear a lot this year.  What we know is that ‘language can effect a child’.  During staff meetings, teachers work together as a professional learning community to discuss how language can effect  a child. This work helps teachers use careful language to promote ‘growth mindsets’ in our students.

Those with growth mindset have a desire to learn. They embrace challenges, persist, learn from criticism and as a result, they strive for higher levels of achievement. Those with a fixed mindset have a desire to look smart.  They avoid challenges, give up easily, ignore useful feedback and threatened by the success of others. They tend to plateau early and do not achieve to their full potential.

“If parents want to give their children a gift, the best they can do is to teach their children to love challenges, be intrigued by mistakes, enjoy effort, and keep on learning. That way, their children don’t have to be slaves of praise. They will have a lifelong way to build and repair their confidence”  Carol S. Dweck

A message and thank you from Mrs Gaskin

Dear Girls’ Junior School, Staff, Students and Families,

Thank you for a wonderful ‘send-off’ at Music Night. The Cooper Choir’s song with Alex Kavanagh’s solo was beautiful and moved me to tears. (Mrs Wagner always knows the perfect song!)

The bird bath looks terrific in the garden and I am sure will attract many native birds to our backyard. We both love the silver tray which is now on permanent display in our lounge room.

 How proud I feel to have been associated with Tintern for more than 20 Years.  – the tray is constant reminder of the joy of those years.

May I wish you all happiness good health and peace always,

Yours, most fondly,

Sandi Gaskin

Art in Boys Middle School

During Semester 1 in Visual Arts the year 8 boys were encouraged to explore a range of activities and experiences. The students completed a collaborative printmaking unit based on the theme of ‘urban environment’ and a wire sculpture piece on portraiture, using contour drawing as further inspiration. The students experiment with different artistic ideas, materials, techniques, processes, tools and equipment including 2 D and 3D forms. Students are encouraged to share and document ideas and respond to artworks, understanding how these can contribute to their own personal and artistic development.  All students have completed a theoretical component and followed a design process to explore various materials. It has been a delight to watch the boys’ skills continue to develop throughout the semester to produce quality artworks that they are very proud of.

by Jenny Kerr – Art Teacher

Year 7 boys art classes have been a creative hub for exploring observation skills and creatively applying techniques, explore materials and reflect on various artists. The boys used their own ‘photo lab’ to shoot a series of images of pears and apples with their Ipads, while exploring the paintings of Cezanne. Students created their own, unique still life acrylic painting. It is amazing to think that each of the artworks were created from a simple palette of red, blue and yellow, with the students creating their own colours – complete with some very creative names! Collage was also explored, with the theme of ‘home’, and students investigated the colourful works of Australian artist Howard Arkley. Year 7 & 8 boys were able to showcase their work in the annual 7-11 exhibition held in the Exhibition/Gallery space. They should be very proud of their work!

Crawl Down Low- Go Go GO

The prep boys had a special visit from the MFB this week. They were learning how to stay safe in a fire and how to identify ‘good fires and bad fires’. The boys really enjoyed practising ‘Stop, Drop, Cover, Roll and seeing Ms Mac dress up in the fire fighters uniform. Next week the boys will have the chance to look over the fire truck and have a go on the hose.

by Claire MacDonald, Prep Teacher

Year 9 English Incursion Report

On the 25th of May Year 9 students attended an incursion on the Making of a Magazine as part of our study of magazines in English.

The incursion was presented by Ms Emma Hughes , an ex-magazine publishing worker, who spoke to us about her experience working for Pacific Magazine, which published magazines including “Girlfriend”, “Better Homes and Gardens” and “Men’s Health”.

We were given an insight on the complicated process which every company goes through in order to put just one image on a page, and learnt about how everything on the magazines are deliberately placed there to appeal to certain audiences.

During the seventy five minute hour presentation we partook in activities such as ‘Designing an advert for a certain product’ and ’analyzing what audience a certain magazine was designed to be appealing for’.

Though every piece of information presented was invaluable, the one message that I walked out with was that we can’t believe anything we see in a magazine as they have probably been heavily photo-shopped.

by Ron Chen, Year 9

Da Vinci Decathlon – State Finals

In any competition, it is always exciting to qualify for ‘the next level’. This state of excitement was evident for one of the recent da Vinci Decathlon teams, who made it to the State Finals.

Providing extension opportunities for identified students is a priority at Tintern Grammar, and da Vinci Decathlon is one example of such an opportunity. Named after Leonardo da Vinci, one of the world’s greatest thinkers and scholars, the Decathlon competition places a particular emphasis on higher order thinking skills, problem solving and creativity. It challenges and stimulates the minds of school students and celebrates the academic gifts of youth by providing competition run in the spirit of an Olympic Decathlon.

After participating in two training days, our students competed in teams of eight across 10 disciplines. These included Engineering, Mathematics, Code breaking, Art and Poetry, Science and English. During the competition Tintern Grammar competed against 21 teams from metropolitan schools in a vibrant and energizing atmosphere. Each of the 10 disciplines are scored separately based on the nature of each task and over the two days of the Year 7 Decathlon, Tintern Grammar achieved first in the disciplines of Mathematics, Science, Cartography and Philosophy, and third in Creative Producers. One of our participants, Sayani Kaluarachchi, noted that “Although the actual da Vinci days were great and intense, I think we enjoyed the training days more.” For all involved, it was a wonderful experience.

by Anthea Watkins – Horizons Co-ordinator

Year 8 Excursion to State Library

A tiny carving no bigger than a poster stamp, an enormous tome valued at over $20 million and a fully illustrated hand drawn Bible that took almost a decade to write.

These books, among others, were features of the year 8 History trip to the State Library. The collection of books, many of them more than 500 years old, were amazing to see in person. The students were especially in awe of the massive hand-drawn catalogue of birds, the most expensive book in the State Library’s collection.

Each student also tried their hand at creating their own illuminated manuscript. Using painstaking care and a special pen, they learned the elegant style of manuscripts past and wrote Latin phrases.

It was incredible to see just how history has changed – both in how we write and record it.

by Luke Mansour,  History Teacher & Year 7 Form Teacher

Year 7 Boys’ House Hockey Tournament

The ball smacked into the goals – the sixth Gordon Grant scored for the tournament, and it was the icing on the cake from their excellent play. The Year 7 Boys’ House Hockey tournament, held in Doncaster, ended with Gordon Grant wrapping it all up with a win. They managed to finish the tournament undefeated, a great testament to their team work.

Most of the boys only learned hockey a few weeks ago and yet it didn’t take long for them to settle into a confident, fast style. Lachlan Bastin and Jake Stubbs were especially effective all over the ground and it sometimes felt that there were several of each of them on the pitch. In the goal circle, Alec Chen was consistently solid and even stopped two short corners in rapid succession.

It was especially encouraging to see such effective team-work. The boys made long passes to open forwards, sprinted back to assist their goalies and kept rotating off the bench to ensure that everyone got a rest.

The tournament was wild but undoubtedly fun!

by Luke Mansour, History Teacher & Year 7 Form Teacher

The EGGciting Egg Crash Eggsperiment

Over the past week Year 5 has been working on a design and technology project – The Crash Capsule. The Year 5’s aim was to design a crash capsule that will protect an egg that has been dropped from a 5 metre height.

They were only allowed to use a page from a newspaper, tape, unlimited drinking straws, two tissues, a shopping bag and some string. Yes, these items may appear random but it was time to put on their ‘Creative’ thinking hats and design and constructed a package that will protect an egg from the impact of a 5 metres drop. Much discussion was had regarding ‘crumple zones’ which will hopefully take away some of the impact! We looked at the history of safety designs with cars and how, by using a crash test dummy, they could record the results and modify their design to improve on the initial concept. The boys too pre-tested and modified so that they could hopefully create a successful crash capsule for their egg.

The pre-tests and modifications were conducted and the final test was completed last Friday. The results were mixed…or should I say scrambled! However, most eggs survived the 2 storey which made for some very excited students.

by Lee White, Year 5 Teacher

Boys’ Junior School Grandparents Morning Monday 30 May

Monday was a very warm and special morning as we shared it with more than 100 guests for our annual Grandparents and Friends Morning. With many guests arriving from Interstate, whilst for others it was a wonderful opportunity to be involved in their ‘grandson’s schooling’, our Southwood centre buzzed with activity, and much reminiscing about ‘the old school days’.

Our morning finished with a special assembly, including a performance from our Year 3-6 choir, and a video presentation, which can be seen on Head of Junior School (Boys) Portal page. Our guests then joined together in the Southwood Centre and enjoyed a lovely morning tea. Our Biggest Morning Tea raised $250 for the Cancer Council .

NGV Prep-Year 2 visit

Prep, Year 1 and Year 2, together with their teachers and parent helpers had a brilliant day at the National Gallery Victoria. Preps were most capably led by Kate Shearer through a number of exhibits. Kate’s knowledge and passion for all things Arty is such a joy for us. Year 1 and 2 enjoyed a vibrant and engaging guide and were fortunate enough to spend some time viewing ‘Whistler’s Mother’, currently on loan to the NGV.

The weather was breathtaking for this time of year, so we took full advantage of this and lunched in the Botanic Gardens, where there was time for not only lunch but free play, a few games and some trip trapping across bridges on a delightful walk. The girls were without fault, marvellous role models and did Tintern proud! A wonderful day was had by all! Please enjoy reading the Year 1 reflections below.

Christine Campbell, Mary Whitcher, Colleen Yardley, Kate Shearer

The colourful stained glass ceiling has different shapes and sizes, triangles, squares rectangles, and … rhombuses. It had colours like … red, green, aqua and yellow. There was also big thick black lines. We lay on our backs on the ground to see it. It was beautiful! We were told there were hidden symbols. We thought we could see a koala. We got to draw our own stained glass drawing using big thick lines on our iPad. We loved our wonderful day. Charlotte and Ruby

Daniel took us to a SCULPTURE that had been a real deer. The artist had covered it in clear glass bubbles which were lots of different sizes. The bubbles were made of shiny and sparkly. It was beautiful! Then we had to draw our favourite animal on our iPad but somehow make it different like the deer was different. We chose a reindeer and a chick. We used squares and circles to make it different. It was fun! Jasmine and Annalisa

Daniel, our guide took us to an “emotion” painting. It was amazing because there were feelings in it. There were lots of shades of pink in the painting we saw. Daniel told us a secret about the painting. The gallery had accidently hung it upside down. It is the right way now. The artist used lots of crisp strokes. We had to do our own emotion drawing on the iPad using lots of strokes. We had to think of a time we felt happy, sad or angry and draw the colours to match our mood. We loved the Art Gallery! Maddison and Taylor

We saw Weeping Woman. Picasso painted it. He was born in Spain and there was a war there. He was feeling sad and angry. The Weeping Woman was green, purple and black. Daniel asked us if we liked the painting. Lots of us didn’t really like it at all. Maybe because of the colours. Mayah and Aisha

Whistler’s Mother was sitting in her chair in her black and grey room. She looked very bored. She had her night cap on. She was on a brown chair and looking at the wall. There was lots of black and grey in his painting. We had to draw our own mother in her favourite place. We did our mothers’ in the garden and the lounge room. We had so much fun! Evie and Eylul

We went to the Botanic Gardens for lunch. It was beautiful! It was fun to give out my cakes to the girls and the teachers. It was even more fun to play tag on the green grass on a lovely sunny day. It was amazing decorating a tree with the camellia flowers that had dropped on the ground. The tree looked beautiful! Sanaya

2016 Computational and Algorithmic Thinking Competition

The results of the 2016 Computational and Algorithmic Thinking Competition were released recently. This competition was conducted on March 22 with the aim of identifying students who have a talent for designing and writing computer programs. Each student sat a one hour paper with 15 questions requiring logic and problem solving skills.

Of the 29 entrants, 21 students were awarded credits or better. These students were:

Upper Primary division (Years 5 & 6)

Junior division (Years 7 & 8)

Intermediate division (Years 9 & 10)

Senior division (Years 11 & 12)

This was the first year that Tintern entered students in the Upper Primary division and with a large number of participants, three quarters of those who entered achieved a Credit or better. Particularly noteworthy was the achievement of Max Lalor in Year 5 who was competing in the lower half of his age division yet received a percentile rank of 100.

These are excellent achievements and all students who entered this challenging competition are to be congratulated on their efforts. Students who are interested in learning more about computer programming are encouraged to enter the NCSS Programming Challenge which will be advertised in Term 3.

by John Holland, Head of ICT

From the Head of Senior College

School Captains’ Visit to Parliament House

On Tuesday 24 May, I accompanied our two School Captains, Genevieve Barclay and Michael D’Addazio, to an annual School Captains’ function which is sponsored by members of Victoria’s Parliament who serve the Eastern Metropolitan Region.

This event provides an opportunity for senior student leaders to meet some of our state politicians, to tour Victoria’s wonderful historic Parliament House and to hopefully have the chance to see at least one of the Houses of State Parliament in session. The three principal hosts for the evening were: Bruce Atkinson and Mary Woolridge, each a Member of Victoria’s Legislative Council (The Upper House) and Dee Ryall who is the local member for the seat of Ringwood in the Legislative Assembly (Lower House) – Tintern Grammar is in the Ringwood electorate. The Hon Mary Wooldridge is the Opposition leader in the Legislative Council and Shadow Minister for Health. The Hon Bruce Atkinson is President of the Legislative Council. He always takes a special interest in the Tintern Grammar Captains as his two daughters and son are Tintern Grammar graduates.

As our School Captains Genevieve and Michael and attendees from other schools are seen as potential future leaders and problem solvers for both our State and our Nation. During the evening Dee Ryall showed us around both Chambers of Parliament House as well as the fabulously ornate Library which serves all members of Parliament, as well as Queens Hall. Dee Ryall was able to provide us with many “snippets” from the History of our State Parliament and we were able to see the Legislative Council in session and to observe parliamentary debate on a current issue.

Early in the evening, Genevieve and Michael were able to chat further with Heidi Victoria about their career aspirations. Heidi Victoria is responsible for the ministerial portfolios of Arts, Women’s Affairs and Consumer Affairs within the Victorian Liberal government and is the Legislative Assembly member for the Bayswater electorate. She has visited Tintern Grammar many times to address School Assemblies and is herself a current Tintern Grammar parent.

Pictured below are: Michael D’Addazio, Dee Ryall and Genevieve Barclay in Queen’s Hall at Parliament House

School Uniform

As all families and students would be aware we have now officially entered the Winter season for School Uniform and thus, apart from “free dress” days and days when particular year groups may wear Full Sports Uniform, Winter uniform is required every day, including to all examinations.

The GAT – Tuesday 7 June

All Year 12 students and all Year 11 VCE students who are completing a Unit 3/4 subject this year will be sitting the GAT (General Achievement Test) – a state-wide 3 hour test of general knowledge and skills which runs from 10am to 1.15pm and is scheduled for next Tuesday 7 June. Hence for these students there will be no Periods 1 – 3 classes on this day.

Year 11 IB students will have their usual Periods 1 – 3 classes; Year 11 VCE students who are not completing a Unit 3/4 subject this year will also be expected to attend classes in Periods 1 – 3.

As this is a year when the GAT falls on a Tuesday we will have our usual scheduled classes in Period 4 and Period 5 (late class) on this day and all students are required to attend their scheduled classes.

Students undertaking the GAT are required to meet Mr Andrew Cho (VCE and VET Co-ordinator) in the Anderson Centre at 9.00am on the day to check the seating plan and to allow sufficient time for staff to organise the 138 students who will be sitting the GAT in accordance with VCAA regulations.

Key points for students sitting the GAT to remember include:

• Photo ID is required and this may be a school card or driver’s licence or learner’s permit
• No electronic equipment is permitted
• An English or bilingual dictionary is acceptable but not one with a thesaurus (no highlighting, annotations or tabs are allowed)
• No electronic dictionary
• Blue or black pen must be used for the writing task
• Pencil to be used in the multiple choice section
• All writing materials, eraser and sharpener to be kept in a clear bag
• No white out is permitted
• Water bottles must be clear, have labels removed and be no larger than 1.5L
• No eating is permitted but medication is allowed with special permission – asthma inhalers are an exception

News From Year 10

Year 10 examinations progressed smoothly during the week Monday 30 May to Friday 3 June. Examinations are an opportunity to test revision strategies and learning across an entire semester. Results should be interpreted as a reflective tool and when combined with the upcoming reports form the basis for future goal setting after the holidays.

James Cox Shortlisted for Apprentice of the Year Award

James has been selected as one of 4 school based apprentices from Victoria to be shortlisted for the apprentice of the year award. He has our best wishes for the interview scheduled to occur in the last week of term and we are all proud of his efforts and achievements while studying his Vocational Educational Training program in Agriculture.

Year 10 Work Experience Program

The Year 10 Work Experience program extends from Tuesday 14 to Friday 17 June. It is important that each student contacts their employer and check details such as dress code and hours of work so that they feel well prepared for this important week.

Monash Scholars Program

Applications to the prestigious Monash Scholars Program are now open and close on 24 June 2016. Monash University has changed the application process for this year. Please refer to the link included from the icon above and a brochure is saved in the Monash Scholars folder on the Year10 Portal page. The time commitment for the program is approximately 20 hours per year throughout Years 10, 11 and 12. Successful applicants will also have assistance with study techniques, CVs and interview skills plus the benefits of creating networks with other high achieving students. Students are required to discuss the online application form with Mrs Ruckert before commencing an application.

by Heather Ruckert, Year 10 Co-ordinator

News From Year 11

The Year 11 IB and VCE students have completed their mid-year examinations, and have earned a weekend rest before the last two weeks of Semester 1, which culminates in the Year 11 Formal.   Supervising staff were particularly impressed with the level of organisation as well as the level of maturity and calm approach that our Year 11s displayed in their formal first semester examinations

On a more pastoral note, our Year 11 students have continued to entertain, inspire and impress the Junior School students with the activities they’ve been organising over the last few weeks as well.

The feedback from the Year 11s has consistently been that they have also learned a lot and it has been rewarding experience both for themselves and for their young participants.

by Nick Stefanac, Year11 Co-ordinator

News From Year 12

This week marked the half way point of the academic year; a significant milestone for our Year 12 students. They celebrated on ‘Hump Day’ in a number of ways and took the opportunity to eat, connect and relax with their peers. Students started the day started off with a delicious BBQ breakfast and some music before heading to their normal classes. They then enjoyed a pizza lunch and some slushies before an energetic game of skittle ball. Finally, the day concluded with a trivia competition and various other forms of relaxation. Two of our very capable School Leaders, Anjali Lobo and Ryan Tierney, were an integral part of this event and I know that the year level is most grateful for all the hard work they put into making this day an enjoyable one.

Now that ‘Hump Day’ has passed we look forward to a very busy, challenging, yet enjoyable journey towards the end of year examinations and finally, the Valedictory Dinner.

In these last few weeks of Term 2 maintaining motivation and enthusiasm for study can be difficult for Year 12 students. However, now that the ‘end is in sight’ all students are encouraged to do the best they can do to maintain a positive a proactive approach to their studies.

by Jen Tsai-Bove, Year 12 Co-ordinator

News from the Careers Department

The recent Careers Practitioner Day at ACU provided updates to admissions procedures and information relating to a variety of programs relevant to our senior students.

ACU University Experience Day

ACU Melbourne Campus is holding an experience day for Years 10, 11 and 12 students to demystify University and to help students gain knowledge about different course offerings by attending workshops in such areas as Business, Paramedicine, Physiotherapy, Midwifery and Exercise Science. Registration is online for the Ballarat campus day on Tuesday 28 June and the Melbourne campus day on Tuesday 5 July at: http://www.acu.edu.au/study_at_acu/future_students/undergraduate/experience_uni_before_you_start/university_experience

Year 12 Applications for ACU Early Achievers’ Program (EAP) and La Trobe’s ASPIRE Program

Both of these special entry programs recognise an applicant’s community service involvement in addition to their ATAR and, if successful, result in an early offer at a reduced ATAR for a number of programs. Year 12 students are encouraged to start preparing their applications over the holidays. Further information can be found using the hyperlinks below:

ACU: Early Achievers Program (EAP)

Applications Open: Monday 10 August 2016

http://www.acu.edu.au/study_at_acu/alternative_entry/early_entry

La Trobe: ASPIRE Program

Applications Opened: Wednesday 1 June 2016

http://www.latrobe.edu.au/study/aspire/how-to-apply/apply

ACU New Passion for Business and Passion for Law Programs

ACU has recently introduced a new series of programs called a Passion for Business (P4B) and a Passion for Law (P4L). The Passion for Business program is designed for Year 12 students studying a business related subject who would like to gain a “competitive edge” Successful applicants can gain benefits including guaranteed entry into a Business or Commerce course subject to meeting the minimum ATAR and pre-requisites, access to mentoring and leadership programs plus a financial contribution towards the purchase of books. Further information can be found about the Passion for Business at: http://www.acu.edu.au/about_acu/faculties,_institutes_and_centres/law_and_business/school_of_business/passion_for_business

CareerNews Number 7

The seventh edition of CareerNews is now available and an index of the newsletter includes:

Reminders

1. Find out about Nursing Degrees at Deakin University
2. More Deakin News
3. VCE Lectures at the University of Melbourne
4. Design Event Coming at Swinburne
5. Explore the Melbourne School of Design
6. RMIT Folio Preparation Courses
7. Which Career Suits my Personality? See: My CareerMatch
8. La Trobe University News
9. Where might a Science Degree take me?

You can access CareerNews by selecting the Careers tab on the portal.

by Heather Ruckert, Year 10 Co-ordinator and Careers Consultant

Term 2 Dates 2016