From the Principal

A guest introduction from Mrs Sue Healey, Director of Information & Technology Services.

It is an exciting time to be working in education. As Director of Information & Technology Services, I have witnessed at first hand the introduction of various life-changing technologies including our first connection to the Internet back in 1992. Our network at the time consisted of a small hub with approximately 30 computers connected across the school. Since that time the evolution of technologies has grown exponentially to the point that Tintern Grammar now has a school-wide fibre network including wireless access supporting more than 2,000 device connections on a daily basis. Earlier this year when our school lost access to the internet due to a major disruption in our electricity supply the biggest issue was not the lack of lighting or heating in the classrooms but the lack of connection to the digital world. It was a strange teaching day mostly challenged by the loss of our connectivity the internet which is now the norm.

Fast forward to 2018 when we will welcome our youngest learners into ELC that have never known a world without technology. Most will have started their lives with iPads and Smart Phones and will be we aware of how to operate them in terms of accessing and using their favourite apps. Back in 1983, Steve Jobs wanted “to put an incredibly great computer in a book that you can carry around with you and learn how to use in 20 minutes… with a radio link in it so you don’t have to hook up to anything”.  What a difference a single individual has made to your lives and to the lives of our children.

While the array of technologies available are life changing in countless ways, many of these devices are used by our students to consume products and services. Over the last 10 years the digital maker community has been raising awareness for the need to take control of how our world will operate in a digital future. Makerspaces have sprung up across the globe and schools have embraced this ‘hands-on let’s create’ approach. This has been empowering news for the education community and together with the recent introduction of the Australian Digital Technologies Curriculum, schools in Australia now have a formal platform to take the creating of digital products and solutions to the next level.

The making of things has long been an important part of a Tintern education. When Southwood first opened in 1999 Design Technology was part of a rotating core program and is now taught in both our boys and girls Middle Schools. In our Junior Schools many elements of Design Technology are incorporated into various year level programs. Check out the clocks made by our Year 5 girls in Art last term including one they made of the Junior School library. In our Middle School we have run a number of technology electives including 3D Printing, Build your own apps, Animation & Film Making, Music Technology and even Build a PC. While these technology electives have always been popular, access has been limited to students in those classes. With the need for schools to ensure that all students from Foundation to Year 12 are digitally literate and capable of creating their own digital solutions, it was a timely decision for Tintern to launch the STEAM Centre initiative in June this year.

The STEAM Centre will be a place for students from Prep to Year 12 to explore their creativity in a digital environment. While students will use this space during class times they will also have access outside of those times (before and after school and lunchtimes) to equipment such as a laser cutter and 3D printer. In 2018 we will be looking to invite technology experts into the school to run digital technology workshop as part of an after-school program for students and staff. Alongside this program we also want to encourage our own students, who have skills in the digital making space, to share with others. There will be opportunities through the CAS Program (Years 11-12 IB) as well as the Year 10-12 Community Service Program for Senior students to use The STEAM Centre as a place to share their skills across the year levels. This also means welcoming parents with experience using various technologies to support our after-school programs in their area of interest. We were truly fortunate to have two parents involved in our Robotics Programs in Terms 2 & 3 this year.  With a key goal of The STEAM Centre to broaden student opportunities to get involved in the creation of digital solutions it is truly an exciting time to be in education.

by Sue Healey, Director of Information & Technology Services

Chaplain’s Corner

If you had one word you could spread as your legacy what would it be?

At our Valedictory Service held on Tuesday this week, I asked a rhetorical question of the students (ELC – Year 12) present, that if they had one word they could spread as their legacy what would it be. This was in response to my reflection on the man, Arthur Stace, who during his life wrote the word ‘eternity’ in chalk over the pavements of Sydney more than half a million times.

It was in response to my question that a Year 1 put her hand up. I was not able to stop and ask what her word would be but enquired after the service. And the word this young girl of Year 1 had chosen? ‘Integrity’.

by Alison Andrew, School Chaplain

Music Matters

Final Twilight Concert for 2017

A wonderful array of student performers from Years 7-11 provided a varied and entertaining program of music at our final Twilight Concert for 2017. Well done to all performers and thank you to their music teachers for preparing them for this event.

Music lessons for 2018

We encourage all of our Music students to continue lessons on their instruments through to the end of November, as the summer break is quite lengthy and lessons do not usually recommence until February of the following year. As so many of our music students reach their quota of 30 music lessons for the year by early to mid-November, we will be increasing the number of lessons per semester in 2018 to 16 (i.e. 32 per year). This will save the flurry of letters currently going out regarding extra lessons in November. A letter soon will be coming home to parents of all current Instrumental Music students regarding enrolling for lessons next year. New Music Lesson enrolments for 2018 also are welcome at this stage. Please call Elizabeth Feenane in the Music Office (Ph: 9845 7837) if you have any questions regarding these matters or if you would like to receive an enrolment form for Music lessons in 2018.

Munch with the Musos

The Tintern Grammar Friends of Music invite you to Munch with the Musos on Sunday 26 November, 10am – 12.30pm in the CM Wood Performance Centre. Enjoy musical performances from our Senior and Junior Girls’ and Boys’ Ensembles – and of course Christmas Carols! 

Book now through TryBooking: www.trybooking.com/SSTI Tickets cost $10 per person when purchased via TryBookings and $20 per person at the door. Please note performers and pre-schoolers are free. Early bookings are given seating/table allocation priority so book early.

Sandwiches, buns, tea, coffee and juice will be provided and you may bring your own snacks. 

For enquiries please call 9845 7877 or email fom@tintern.vic.edu.au  

by Alison Bezaire, Director of Music

Sport Matters

All Schools Athletics

Congratulations to Breanna Turnbull (Year 10) and Corey Dickson (Year 9) who both competed in the All Schools Athletic Championships on the weekend. Breanna finished 2nd in the U/17 Javelin and Corey finished 3rd in the U/16 3000m Walk. Breanna progresses to the Australian Junior Athletic Championships in Sydney next March.

Girls’ House Swimming 2017

The Girls House Swimming Carnival was held on Wednesday 25 October at the Tintern Pool and featured a blend of traditional and novelty swimming events. The girls 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. In a carbon copy of the boys’ carnival, Butterss/Cross and Gordon/Grant fought neck and neck all day with Butterss/Cross breaking clear in the final relay events.

House Champions:

1st – Butterss/Cross 2,117

2nd – Gordon/Grant 2,066

3rd – Dann/Watt 2,059

4th – Somner/Stewart 1,950

5th – Mansfield/McKie 1,796

Year Level Champions:

Year 7 Sienna Dass

Year 8 Harriet Rasmussen

Year 9 Jade Hutchinson

Year 10 Ella Ritchie

Year 11 Rosie Addison

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

Congratulations to Charlie Johnson (Year 8) – Qualifier for World Championships 2018!

Charlie Johnson has recently qualified for NBHA World Championships 2018.  NBHA (National Barrel Horse Association) is the largest barrel racing organisation in the world and each year competitors are given the chance to qualify as a champion to represent their country at the NBHA World Championships held in Perry, Georgia (USA).

To qualify Charlie had to earn and maintain points.  Each competitor must be a registered member of a district to qualify for the World Championships.  Each rider competes in a division, with each division being determined by time brackets. Each division then awards points to the winners.  The fastest time in the class (e.g. Juniors) will set the time at each competition.  Charlie set times and was awarded points consistently in Divisions 1 and 2.

Charlie has been riding since she was small but began competing in the sport of Barrel Racing in 2014. She qualified and competed at Australian Barrel Horse Association Finals held in Tamworth in 2015 and again 2016. We wish Charlie all the best as she prepares to head to the USA next July to compete at the NBHA Worlds!

Success of Junior Riders has Tintern Grammar sitting 4^th on Leaderboard!

Maddison Bailey (Year 2) has entered the final event for the Boneo Interschool Series on 2 December for Dressage and Combined Training.  Maddison and her two friends, Mia and Aisha Heinrich, have competed in the first three rounds in the series and have done so well that Tintern Grammar is currently sitting 4th on the Schools Leaderboard for dressage heading into the final round of the series!  Whatever the outcome, this is an excellent achievement for three of our Junior School riders in Year 2 and 4 in their first year of Interschool events, representing Tintern Grammar. Congratulations to Maddison, Mia and Aisha. We look forward to hearing more about your riding in the future!

by Alison Bezaire, Equestrian Coordinator

Community Matters

Tintern Parent Group Trivia Night

A great night was had by all who gathered for our annual Trivia Night on Saturday 28 October. It was a fun and energetic evening attended by alumni, parents and staff from across the School. Thank you to the TPG group who organised such a successful event, and congratulations to the winning table, of parents and community members.

2017 Spring Garden Tour

The 2017 Spring Garden Tour was a day of enjoyment and wonder for all involved. The weather was beautiful, the gardens were incredible and the view from the Jindivick Tavern was to die for.

The Garden at Broughton Hall in Jindivick was stunning. With a backdrop of the Tarago Reservoir, it features a terraced garden of 4 acres that cascade down the slope towards the water. They have limited opening times during the year, please visit their Facebook page for further information: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Broughton-Hall-Garden/865016410284575

Their other destination, Barambah, offered attendees a rare chance to view a private garden. It was a wonderful place to browse and was enjoyed by all.

The tour raised funds for our school’s Sustainable Futures Program. Through this important program, which is based on the Tintern Farm, students learn about water and waste management; maintenance and development of a sustainable garden; seed propagation and native plant production and bushland management.

Thank you to the wonderful suppliers who have donated to the 2017 Spring Garden Tour and helped raise money for this worthy cause:

• Ventura Bus Lines
• Multicrop
• Seasol
• Conservatory Café in Croydon
• The Little Flower Shoppe, Montrose
• Officeworks, Bayswater
• Heathmont Flowers
• Canterbury Road Flower Gallery, Heathmont
• Fernwood Gym, Chirnside Park
• Jenny Craig
• Jindivick Tavern
• The Jindivick Country Gardener Rare Plant Nursery
• Barambah Garden
• Jeff and Jeanette Functional Art and Design
• Stockdale and Leggo

Munch with the Musos – Bookings now open!

Munch with the Musos is Tintern’s Friends of Music fabulous end of year social event to be held on Sunday 26 November from 10am to 12.30pm. It is a fundraising brunch which brings the Tintern community together to celebrate the end of the year with a Christmas themed concert from the school’s talented ensembles. Sandwiches, buns, tea, coffee and juice are provided and you may bring your own snacks. Bookings are now open through trybooking: www.trybooking.com/SSTI

This event is not to be missed so book now!

Tintern Parent Group last day lunch: Tuesday 12 December 11am – 2.30pm

The last day of term is always an exciting one for our families, with many special events to celebrate the end of the school year. The Tintern Parents Group warmly invite all families to sit and relax in the middle of this busy day, to share the festive spirit and time with friends. For only $20 per head you will be able to sit and enjoy a relaxed lunch in the Compass Café Gallery Space. Book now via tryBooking: https://www.trybooking.com/SYQM 

Class of 1977 – 40 Year Reunion

Last Friday we welcomed back to Tintern the Class of 1977, who were the graduating class in our schools centenary year. They enjoyed a tour of the school led by our amazing 2018 Student Leaders, drinks and canapes before travelling to Rosebank North for a delicious three-course dinner. It was wonderful to see so many from the Year Group attend, despite the rainy weather. A wonderful time was enjoyed by all who attended.

Upcoming Reunions

• Class of 1967, 1962, 1957 and earlier – 50, 55, 60 and Hawthorn Years Reunions – Tuesday 21 November at 11.00am to 2.00pm – 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

Community Committee dates

• Tintern Parent Group (TPG) –Next meeting: Thursday 8 February 2018 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
• Friends of Young Farmers (FOYF) – Next Meeting: Monday 5 February 2018 7.30pm Kennedy Cottage, Community Services. President: Joy Ashfield

Past Students

Deanne Carson (YG 1987)

Congratulations to alumna Deanne Carson (YG 1987) who was a finalist for the Robin Clark Leadership Award at the 2017 Victorian Protecting Children Awards in September. These Awards recognise dedicated teams and individuals working within government and community services who make protecting children their business every day.

Although won by Anglicare Victoria CEO, Paul McDonald for his nearly 40 years with disadvantaged and vulnerable children and families, Whitney Yip, Body Safety Australia co-founded with Deanne, won the Education Initiative Award category for their Safe Adult Dedoches (finger puppets).

Congratulations to Deanne, Whitney and Body Safety Australia on their achievements and please visit their website to read more about the Safe Adult Dedoches or to purchase your own: https://www.bodysafetyaustralia.com.au/shop-launch

Michael D’Addazio (YG 2016)

Alumnus Michael D’Addazio (YG 2016) is making waves… airwaves that is! Michael along with his friend Josh Robinson from the Reach Foundation host The Scene – AUS, a radio show on Friday nights on SYN 90.7FM from 8-9pm, where they talk about different scenes, movements and cultures within Australia. Show Michael your support and tune in tonight, 8-9pm on SYN 90.7FM!

Michael also volunteers for The Reach Foundation and is participating in the City2Sea fun run on Sunday 12 November to raise money to support the foundation. If you would like to donate to support Michael in the City2Sea you can do so here: https://city2sea2017.everydayhero.com/…/michae…/wizard/share

Gary Haasbroek (YG 2016)

Congratulations to alumnus Gary Haasbroek (YG 2016) who has been awarded a full sports scholarship to Wake Forest University in North Carolina, USA. Gary will start at Wake Forest next year where he will compete for the university, but will also be able to compete as an Australian for his ongoing International commitments, the first being the U20 World Athletic Championships in Tampere, Finland in July 2018.

Gary has also qualified to compete in the second season of Australian Ninja Warrior, due to be filmed in December. Good luck Gary! We’ll all be watching.

Caitlin Jensen (YG 2011)

Congratulations to Caitlin Jensen (YG 2011) who is currently studying her Masters in Egyptology at Oxford University in England. Caitlin first developed an interest in ancient Egypt when she was 12, when her mum gave her a book on the subject. After graduating Tintern, she attended Monash University completing a BA in Ancient History and Archaeology.

It was one of Caitlin’s dreams to study at Oxford, as it is considered the best in the world for Egyptology. The application process for Oxford was incredibly long – requiring an application to be made a full year beforehand. Caitlin says, “I was sure that I’d failed the interview, but I suspect everyone feels like that. The news came as quite a surprise – I remember I was shellshocked as I calmly told my parents. Their response was very different to mine, they were very excited. Besides myself, only one other person was admitted to this masters program.”

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.

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

Congratulations to the winning Year 3 and 4 GATEWAYS team!

Congratulations to our Year 3 and 4 GATEWAYS team who just took out the competition as the winning school in the district. They have now qualified to take part in the final taking place on Friday 8 December. The girls have worked hard to do a lot of preparation prior to the event and have worked extremely well as a team. Congratulations girls!

Bandanna Day

Canteen is an organisation that supports young people living with cancer. It helps them to cope with their own cancer or cancer in their family. This year our Year 6 boys and girls “banded” together and sold bandannas to raise funds and awareness for Kids with Cancer. The response was overwhelming and we sold all of our bandannas well before Friday 27 October, which was Bandanna Day. Through our efforts, we raised a total of $905. Special thanks to Mr Kenny and Mrs Mac who joined with me, last Friday, to assist some of the Year 6s at recess as they led a wonderfully energetic and fun game of ‘Cops and Robbers’ involving more than 70 of our Prep-Year 6 girls and boys all sporting some very colourful bandannas!

It is always heartening to see the manner in which our Junior Schools’ Community raises awareness of and supports causes and Community groups that are important to us all.

by Ros Neilson, Boys’ Year 6 Teacher

National Computer Science School Challenge Results

The National Computer Science School Challenge is an online programming competition run by the Grok Learning section of the University of Sydney. The Challenge lasted for five weeks and students competed in one of three streams (Beginners, Intermediate or Advanced) learning the Python programming language.

During Term 3 this year, 56 students from Years 5 to 12 participated in the NCSS Challenge. Particularly notable were four students who each achieved perfect scores in their respective competitions. They were:

• Ananya Khatry (Year 5) – Beginners
• Anika Mulemane (Year 5) – Beginners
• Genevieve Gough Year 6) – Beginners
• Olivia Dowling (Year 7) – Beginners

These four students are to be highly commended for their flawless performances in solving highly challenging programming problems.

Congratulations to all students who participated in the NCSS Challenge this year.

by John Holland, Head of ICT

News from Head of Boys Junior School

The coming three weeks see our Junior School boys immersed in a wide range of wonderful opportunities designed to further complement classroom learning, enhance independence and responsibility and finish the year with more memorable and enjoyable events.

As you read this I’ll have the pleasure and privilege of sharing our annual Surf camp at Phillip Island with our Year 5 boys.

Attempting to surf can be quite challenging, requiring balance, coordination and resilience in what can be cool (and of course wet!) conditions. Our boys will all ultimately end up standing on their boards and catching waves… what a sense of fulfilment and a skill that can lead to years of fun!

Living together on camp requires a great deal of cooperation and responsibility… ensuring that early risers don’t wake others, keeping accommodation tidy for all, waiting for a meal… these are life skills that are important to develop and practice.

Our Year 3 and 4 boys will shortly head to Camp Manyung at Mt Eliza and again will be guided and supported by challenging events such as a ropes course and the famous Giant Swing. Again, having a go at such activities provides more than just fun… it requires resilience and a sense of “wow, I did it”.

Our Year 6 boys next week will each fly a Piper Warrior plane at Lilydale airport… what an amazing opportunity! This can be the spark that ignites a passion in aviation… I’ve seen this occur on numerous occasions after our Flight experience. The final month of schooling sees our Junior School boys sprinting to the end, and they’ll finish tired and fulfilled… much better than slowing to a gradual stop!

The coming month

The next five weeks of school provide many wonderful and unique opportunities amongst the continuing, normal classroom learning.

• Swimming lessons commence in the Tintern Pool next Monday for all of our Junior School boys… times for these lessons, Monday to Thursday and then Monday and Tuesday the following week, are below;

P/1 combined; 8.50 – 9.20

2/3 combined; 9.20-9.50

Year 4; 10.30 – 11.15

Year 5; 11.15 – 12.00

Year 6; 12.00-12.45

Please note that all boys require a swimming cap for the lessons.

• Our Year 6 boys head to Coldstream Airport for the culmination of their Flight Unit, the opportunity to co-pilot a Piper Warrior plane
•  On Thursday 16 November our Year 2 boys will have a wonderful evening at the annual Year 2 Dads and Lads evening, with sport, a BBQ, Ten Pin Bowling and Laser Tag
• The following night sees our annual Prep/Year 1 Pyjama Party, another very memorable evening
• Our Club Tinwood Christmas event is on Tuesday 21 November. This sees more than 100 of our Junior Schools girls and boys gathering for a fun afternoon, while also being part of a fundraiser for The Smith family
• Our Year 2 boys to perform “Peter and the Wolf” at the P-2 assembly on Friday 24 November
• Our Prep-2 Fun Swimming Morning is on Wednesday 22 November at 9.00am, and is followed by our Year 2-6 House Swimming Carnival (please note that, as with our House Basketball earlier this year, our Year 2 boys will join with our 3-6s for this House event, providing an enjoyable transition to our ‘upper primary’ sporting events
• On Friday 24 November, our Year 3-6 classes will attend a financial literacy session run by the Commonwealth Bank

Year 3 Geometry – Angles

Recently the Year 3 boys have been exploring angles; we can now identify angles as measures of turn and can compare angle sizes in everyday situations. We have been busy learning the names and sizes of different angles such as acute, obtuse, right, reflect, straight and revolution angles. We then wondered how we would go about measuring the size of angles, so protractors were introduced to the boys.

The more we increased our knowledge of angles, we started to notice angles are everywhere, even when we write our names. We set ourselves a challenge, find out how many angles were in our names, what types of angles and for an extra challenge, measure them.

“I am Noah, and in Maths we were writing our names neatly in capital letters to see what angles we could find and how big they were. In total I had 16 angles. Overall it was a really fun task!” Noah Quinlan

 “We made our names and looked at the angles. My name had 10 angles, some people had a lot more. I thought it was a fun activity, and little hard but still very fun.” Emil Zhang

For our Maths activity we looked at angles in our name, I decided to label the types of angle. First, we had to do a draft copy on graph paper first. Then we got a blank piece of paper and did our good copy. We then chose a coloured piece of card, to glue our name onto, I chose yellow. Finally, we traced over our grey lead with textas and labelled the angles. I was the first one to finish.” Jack Ravenscroft

by Kylie Newman, Boys’ Year 3 Teacher

Club Tinwood- Amazing Christmas Race- Tuesday 21 November

Replies due Wednesday 15 November

Teams will complete a Tintern Trivia tournament before then 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 – This includes a $5 donation to The Smith family.  For those with more than one child attending a $5 per family donation is appreciated.

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 donation 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.

Want to have your design on our 2018 Club Tinwood Shirts?

All Club Tinwood members both new and old have the opportunity to design our 2018 Club Tinwood T-shirt.

Simply submit a design (in blue or black ink) on a plain piece of A4 paper, with your name and level and return it to Tintern Junior Reception by Wednesday 15 November.

TPG Tea Towels – order date extended to Sunday 12 November

The TPG’s Tea Towel opportunity is coming to an end, with the final order date extended to Sunday 12 November.

 The tea towels make a wonderful and practical gift or keepsake.

Three unique designs featuring artwork from every student. 

Order this treasured keepsake by  12 November 2017 at https://www.trybooking.com/SMQP

Girls’ Middle School News

As we reach the halfway mark of Term 4 there’s still plenty of action to come in the Girls’ Middle School. On Monday 20 November we will welcome our 2018 Year 7 students to Tintern at their final Orientation Day. It is a very exciting time for families as the girls prepare themselves for Year 7 and throughout the day the girls will get to meet their Form group and Pastoral Mentor for 2018 as well as take part in transition and House activities.

Our Year 9s are busily preparing for examinations (16, 17 and 20 November) and beyond that can look forward to Year 10 transition from 22 November – 1 December and Summer Expeditions 4 December– 8 December.

Our Year 7 and 8 students will be taking part in the eYp or ‘End of Year Program’ from 6 -8 December. Throughout the three days girls will be working in House groups on a comprehensive and engaging project. The project topics are still ‘top secret’ but there’s going to be plenty of opportunity for students to demonstrate their skills in creativity, teamwork and collaboration as well as test their thinking skills. Stay tuned for more information in the coming weeks!

Girls is Year 8 are currently asked to nominate for 2018 Middle School Leadership Positions. There are various positions that girls can be involved in; Middle School Captain, Middle School Vice-Captain, Middle School Leader, House Captain, Sport Captain, Music and Drama Captain and Community Service Captain. I hope to see many expressions of interest for these positions as leadership is a great opportunity for individuals to develop themselves and experience fulfilment in their school life.

2017 Vietnam Antipodeans Trip – Student Reflection

The 2017 Vietnam Antipodeans trip was one of the best experiences of my life. The people we met at the amazing culture that we were immersed in was truely eye opening. Each and every one of the group recognised the immense impact a single action can have, and with this mindset how we can help others.

After an 8 hour flight, then a 3 hour one, we finally flew into Hanoi. Stepping outside was a huge shock to the system, about 30 degrees and extremely humid. We stayed in a hotel in Hanoi, before driving out the next day to our Community Project. We stayed in a beautiful home stay, just 50 metres down the road from our community project. The four of us leaders were invited into their home, to learn about what and why we were going to be building. The woman in the house told us she had three sons, and they all had to leave their families to work in the city. Their wives were left with their children, and we were going to be building them another room. For the next few days we carried bricks and mixed cement. Once we had finished there, we started off on or 3 day trek across the mountain region. We stayed at home stays along the way, and enjoyed the lush country side (plus swimming in a waterfall!). After that was Ha Long Bay, where we slept one night on an old junk boat. We went swimming, kayaking and even explored some caves, all whilst surrounded by the beautiful water. We returned to Hanoi, and explored the city a bit more through tourist sights and museums. 

I learnt that no matter who it was that came on the trip, if you are with for two weeks straight, you are bound to become friends. So many unlikely friendships formed whilst we were away, which would never have happened without the journey we went on together. Despite having to overcome our differences, as a group we learnt to accept and work with each other in tough situations, and to encourage each other when some of us were struggling or felt down. Situations like these helped our team members to better understand another, and to bond into the amazing group we have today.

By the end of the trip, the team was tightly-knit and many close friendships had been made. On our last day in Vietnam, our team gave each other simple bracelets that signified the importance of each and every person, that would later become a reminder of our incredible time in Vietnam. It was an experience we will never forget.

by Alice Church, Year 9

Boys’ Middle School News

In our Middle School assemblies this term we have been discussing the idea behind personal brand and what it means for our boys. As our boys move further through their years of schooling it’s important that they start to understand that they are moving toward a very competitive environment. A marketplace where there will be a large number of equally qualified candidates with impressive grades, with a long list of extra-curricular activities, all vying for the same careers. The secret is to stand out in other ways – to have a personal brand that makes you shine.

Personal brand is your reputation. It is who you are and how you go about doing what you do. We have discussed with the boys that this requires them to look at their personal strengths, what they want to be known for, what will make them stand out from others. This is something we will be reminding and encouraging the boys endlessly as it’s crucial that they always look to be their ‘best self’ at all time. At school this can be things such as organisation, passion, respect, etc. All areas that don’t have anything to do with academic ability or future ATAR scores and things that all boys can focus on building and strengthening.

As the term progresses all year levels have been preparing for exams and end of year tests in certain subjects, as well as understanding that workloads can increase toward the end of year as each subject assesses areas of content covered this semester. This will put pressure on organisational skills for our boys as they will need to plan and organise their time, as well as ensure they seek assistance from their teachers regarding an appropriate study routine. Their pastoral mentors will be important people for them and parents in terms of helping provide guidance and support.  

2017 Maths Results

Tintern Grammar has experienced an exceptional year of outstanding Mathematics results from a range of competitions, tests and challenges. Certificates and medallions were presented to the following students at Assembly on Friday 13 October.

Maths ICAS 2017

ICAS Mathematics results were very strong. High Distinction (top 1% of students in Victoria) and Distinction (next 10% of students in Victoria).

Year 7

Distinctions

Lorcan McCrave

Colin Ming

Nicholas Touliatos

Harry Zhao

Ellen Abajas

Austen Humphreys

Aleisha Paul

Patrick Reid

Amber Wild

Michael Yuan

High Distinctions

Abigail Chai

William Zhang

Olivia Dowling

Year 8

Distinctions

Erin O’Callaghan

Kiki Argyros

Alec Chen

Matthew Cobb

Jaimee Jalocha

Sayani Kaluarachchi

Amelia Kenny

Zoe Liew

Victoria McKenzie

Holly Whitfield

High Distinctions

Marlin Ma

Freya Bryson

Joshua Choong

Joel Dunn

Oliver Huang

Year 9

Distinctions

Jac Bellfinch

Fintan McCrave

Ashleigh Dowling

Grace Gao

Clarisse Liew

Irene Liu

Zeb Lyons

High Distinctions

Angie Fu

Kelly Chen

Year 10

Distinctions

Steven Li

Olivia Adkins

Gemma Bettess

Daniel Boss

Ron Chen

Sean Chisholm

Reilly Collins

Oscar De Jong

James Harvey

Jasmin Liew

Aidyn Malojer

Jared Nottle

Rose Russell

Eddie Yu

Jason Zhang

Brayden Stokes

High Distinction

Nicolani Susanto

Year 11 and 12

Distinctions

Ada Chen

Josephine Owen

Alison Yang

Morgan Li

Gavin Choong

Annie Zhao

Maths Challenge for Young Australians

Year 7

Abigail Chai: High Distinction

Olivia Dowling: Distinction

Year 8

Amelia Kenny: High Distinction

Freya Bryson: High Distinction

Oliver Huang: High Distinction

Joshua Choong: Distinction

Maths Talent Question MTQ

The Maths Talent Quest is organised by the Student Activities Committee at The MAV and is open to all primary and secondary school students. It is a competition which aims to promote an interest in mathematics and to foster a positive attitude amongst students, teachers and parents alike. The focus of the Maths Talent Quest is on the process of mathematical investigations. Looking at real-life situations and finding that maths is everywhere helps capture the imagination of all involved.

The Maths Talent Quest allows students to investigate mathematics on an individual, group or class basis with the chance to have fun, see mathematics in real life situations and receive recognition in the process

Year 7

Nishka Fernando: Is estimating pi a piece of cake? – Credit

Abby Chai: The Tale of Hexaflexagons – High Distinction and best individual Year 7 project in Victoria and through to the Nationals to be named winner of the best individual Year 7 project

Year 8

James Manson: The Maths in Basketballs Free Throw – Distinction

Adam Choong: Gulliver’s Mathematical Travels – Distinction

Joshua Choong: Lines in between Lines – High Distinction and best individual Year 8 project in Victoria and through to the Nationals to be named the overall winner across all Year levels for Australia

(MTQ Ceremony Monash University: James, Abby, Mrs Tillyer, Josh and Adam)

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/kids-news/lightbright/year-8-tintern-grammar-students-fidget-spinners-wow-maths-talent-quest-judges/news-story/f1bf3e7b0d9f04ef5b22b2e1dc5e67b0?csp=bc994020bea41b2849b310d218a6e976

We are very fortunate to work with such fine young people who demonstrate application and persistence with the most challenging of mathematical quandaries.

Congratulations to all.

by Vanessa Rich, Head of Mathematics

Duke of Edinburgh Award Senior School Assembly Presentations

At the beginning of this term, a number of students achieved their Duke of Edinburgh Awards.

The Duke of Edinburgh program is an internationally recognised award that invites young people aged 14-25 to realise their ambitions and to change their world.

Young people challenge themselves by choosing activities that spark their interest in the three sections of the award – service, physical and skill. They set their own goals and work towards achieving them over the given time period.

Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award Recipients 

The Bronze Award is the first level of the program and involves a 3 – 6 month commitment in the three areas of skill, physical and service plus four days of an Adventurous Journey. Five students completed their Bronze awards.

Bianca Gerin: Bianca chose cooking as her skill and set her goal as ‘making awesome desserts and planning an entire meal for her family’. For physical, she improved her technique and flexibility in callisthenics and for service, she volunteered at a local afterschool care program. For her Adventurous Journey, Bianca took part in the 2016 Year 9 rafting expedition on the Mitchell River.

Lara Horman: Lara played the part of Queenie in the 2016 Year 9/10 production and her goal was to develop her acting and to extend herself beyond her comfort zone. She was a member of the Victorian Softball Development Academy and her physical goal was to develop confidence in her skills and a reliable throw. For community service, Lara took on the role of assistant coach for the U15’s Lilydale ‘Ejays’ team and the Knox representative softball team. Lara took part in the Mitchell River rafting expedition in Year 9 for her Adventurous Journey.

Caitlin Howley: Caitlin chose to pursue two skills, both in the area of music. She joined the Concert Choir in order to enhance her understanding of music and aimed to learn four new classical pieces on piano. As her physical activity, she undertook a regular walking program in order to improve her stamina and general fitness. Caitlin made two contributions to community service. She participated in the Maths Assist program and was also a member of the Pegasus committee. Caitlin completed an exploration for the Adventurous Journey component and spent five days at the Elisabeth Murdoch Children’s research institute visiting several departments and learning about genetic research.

Malisa Watson: Malisa began running as a means of increasing her general physical fitness and reducing stress. She continued classes at the Action Drama Studio for her skill development and aimed to perform well in the mid-year Showcase. She also became better acquainted with the other students and her teachers, which increased her confidence. For community service, Malisa volunteered at Glengollan nursing home every Saturday morning where she helped the workers set up and participated in activities with the elderly. Malisa took part in the Mitchell River rafting expedition in Year 9 for her Adventurous Journey.

Kaitlyn Woodhill: Kaitlyn chose to improve her voice through regular singing lessons and performing a solo in a concert. She improved her karate skills as her physical activity and coached a younger group of students in karate as her community service contribution.  Kaitlyn took part in the Mitchell River rafting expedition in Year 9 for her Adventurous Journey. Kaitlyn is now undertaking her Silver Award.

Duke of Edinburgh Silver Award Recipients 

The Silver Award requires six months commitment to two activities, 12 months commitment to the 3^rd activity and six days in total for the Adventurous Journey split over two separate journeys in the April and September school holidays. Four students completed their Silver Awards.

Natasha Bigg-Wither: A keen photographer, Natasha worked on her photography skills with the aim of taking better photos and extending her knowledge on editing photos in Photoshop. For physical, she chose to improve her karate skills, get into the black belt qualifier and subsequently, graded to the black belt. Natasha volunteered at a charity shop for the Brotherhood of St Lawrence as her community service contribution. For her Adventurous Journeys, Natasha came on the Great Ocean Walk and the Major Mitchell circuit (Grampians) which were both held in 2016.

Ada Chen:  Ada chose piano studies as her skill and set herself the goal of learning 12 new pieces. For physical, she took up swimming as a means of relaxation from the rigours of her Year 12 IB studies and as a means of improving general fitness. For community service, Ada volunteered at the Vinnies Op Shop in Ringwood. Ada came on the Major Mitchell expedition in September holidays 2106 and the Falls Creek/Hotham Alpine crossing expedition in April this year. These journeys were a significant undertaking for a student who had never slept in a tent or camped before.

Emily Cowin: Emily chose cooking as her skill and planned a series of healthy, interesting meals. She experimented with recipes and learnt to substitute ingredients to cater for those with dietary considerations. As her physical activity, Emily continued her gymnastics training with a goal of maintaining her strength, fitness and flexibility levels. Emily was a committed member of the Tintern Poverty Project and gave countless hours to this worthy cause. She participated in both the Great Ocean Walk and Major Mitchell circuit for her Adventurous Journeys.

Belinda Rees: Belinda chose two skills in music and cooking. She wished to improve her guitar playing and secondly she was very keen to construct a series of difficult desserts and extend her culinary skills in preparing dishes from other cultures. For physical she sought to improve her technique in dance and, in particular, her pointe and tap skills. Belinda was also an enthusiastic and committed member of the poverty project both this year and last year and she participated in the Major Mitchell hike and the Falls/Hotham Alpine crossing for her Adventurous Journeys.

Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award Recipients 

The Gold Award is a very significant achievement, as it required 12 months commitment to two activities, 18 months commitment to one activity, eight days of Adventurous Journey and a residential project.

Eliza Mignot is the only student this year to complete the Gold Award.

Eliza completed 253 hours of dancing for her physical and her goal was to improve flexibility, strength and turning co-ordination in ballet and prepare for her Advanced 2 examination. For her skill, she completed 227 hours of singing in choirs, lessons, practice and productions. Her goal was to improve expression, versatility and technical execution and complete her AMEB Grade 6 Singing Exam by the end of 2016. For community service, Eliza was a dedicated member of the Poverty Project giving 90 hours of her time to this cause.

The residential project for the Gold Award stipulates that awardees spend 5 days away from home staying in an unfamiliar environment and engaging in an activity for six hours a day. The purpose of the project is to push students out of their comfort zone and interact with new people. Eliza went on the French exchange last year and spent considerably longer than five days in an unfamiliar environment attending a new school, staying with a host family and improving her French language skills. As a Gold Award recipient, Eliza will be invited to attend an official ceremony at either Parliament or Government House early next year where she will receive her award from the Governor of Victoria.

Congratulations again to all our recent Duke of Edinburgh Award recipients.

If any students would like to participate in the Duke of Ed, please search for the relevant folder on the portal for all information or email Ms Bortolussi. There is no set starting date and new students are welcomed to the program at any time.

by Anne Bortolussi, Co-ordinator Duke of Edinburgh Awards Program

News From Year 10

Congratulations to Breanna Turnbull

Breanna competed at the 2017 All Schools Track and Field Championships representing Tintern Grammar over the weekend and she was awarded a silver medal in the Under 17 years Javelin. This is an outstanding achievement and Breanna has qualified for the Australian Junior Athletics Championships to be held in Sydney next March. She has all our best wishes and support for a busy period ahead in preparation for such a major event.

Year 10 Notices and Reminders

Year 10s have entered an intense time of examination revision this week and a reminder that the final day to return replies for The Year 10 Social is Thursday 9 November. Additional copies are available at Reception or on the Year 10 page of the Portal. Families and students have been sent this information and while I do encourage students to study at home, I have made provisions for some supervised study at school.

Year 10 Examinations

Study Day: Friday 10 November

Examinations: Monday 13 – Thursday 16 November

Summer school uniform to be worn.

The Social at Alfred’s Homestead (Optional)

Thursday 16 November    7.00 – 10.30pm

METEC (Optional)

Friday 17 November            Session 1: 2.30pm – 9.30pm

Bus departs Tintern at 2.30pm. Students make their own way home at 9.30pm

Parent Session presented by a Victoria Police representative commences at 8.00pm.

Monday 27 November        Session 2: 8.30am – 3.00pm

Bus departs Tintern at 8.30am and bus will depart METEC at 3.00pm for return trip to school.

Please note: Neat casual clothing is to be worn with closed footwear and students are to bring sufficient food/drink for the entire day and evening sessions. Please notify Mrs Ruckert in writing if you intend making your own way to METEC.

Year 10 – 11 Academic Transition Week

Monday 20 November – Friday 24 November (inclusive)              

Full school day of academic transition classes. Summer school uniform to be worn.

Level 2 First Aid (Optional)

Tuesday 28 November – Wednesday 29 November

The course will be held in C10 and C11 in the Senior College. Students are asked to arrive at 8.45am and the sessions conclude at 3.30pm each day.

Please Note: Students not participating in the optional METEC and First Aid courses are NOT required at school on these days.

by Heather Ruckert, Year 10 Co-ordinator

News From Year 11

The Cup Weekend has come and gone and the Year 11s have now commenced the final part of their academic year with examinations and transition. As they are preparing for their Unit 2 examinations, and will also be studying for their Unit 4 exams should they have any, it is always important to pause and consider the best approach to these last two weeks of the 2017 calendar.

The state of Victoria has created a website with essential tips and advice for students in order to help develop effective study habits. It can be found at this link: http://www.youthcentral.vic.gov.au/studying-training/studying-tips-resources/top-10-study-tips

Additionally, students are encouraged to seek any last-minute advice from their teachers should there be any further assistance required with their study and practice.

On behalf of all the Year 11 Pastoral staff, I wish them the best of luck in their examinations and the transition week following.

by Nick Stefanac, Year 11 Co-ordinator

Career News

Career News Number 20 is available on the Portal at http://portal.tintern.vic.edu.au/homepage/14962/ and includes the following items

Dates to Diarise in Term 4

Reminder: Key VTAC Dates

• News from Monash University
• Accounting: it’s not just a Numbers Game
• Biology Bridging Course
• Careers in the Rail Industry
• Prosthetics and Orthotics at La Trobe University
• Bachelor of Veterinary Nursing at Melbourne Polytechnic
• Careers that started in Science
• Career as a Protective Services Officer (PSO)

by Heather Ruckert, Careers Consultant

From the Vice Principal – Senior College, Administration & Students

We have now very much entered examination mode at the Senior College with our Year 12 students having commenced their final examinations last week – Monday 30 November for our IB students and VCE on Wednesday 1 November. Dependent on their individual subjects studied, some of our VCE Year 12 students will have completed their final examinations as early as today.

Next week our Year 10 and 11 students undertake their end of year examinations before commencing a week of Transition classes from Monday 20 – Friday 24 November.

I would like to commend this year’s Year 10 and 11 students for their assistance in keeping the Anderson Centre (Senior College building) as quiet as possible while the Year 12 students are doing their examinations.

Belatedly, I would like to advise the Community of the ‘Special Awards’ that were awarded at our Celebration Evening on Wednesday 18 October; these awards are not listed in the program as they are announced on the night. Our congratulations go to the following students; awardees are from Year 12 unless otherwise indicated.

• The June Ward Trophy for Commitment to Girls Sport – a dual award this year, Kirsty Clark & Lorna Clark
• The Pinnacle Trophy for Commitment to Boys Sport – Mackenzie Smead
• The Sylvia Walton Trophy for Excellence in Sport – Adam Blazevic
• The Mei Lyn Wong Award for the Dux of the School, 2016 – Madison Button
• The Marisa Sibson Award – Sara Arif (Year 11)
• The Elizabeth Ann Walker Art Encouragement Award – Georgina James (Year 11)
• The International Student Award – Ada Chen
• The Young Farmers’ Award – Paige Marshall
• The Tintern Grammar Parents’ Group Awards – Erin Hynson & Hunter O’Shaughnessy
• Friends of Young Farmers’ Award – The David Wilkinson Award – Maya Watt
• The Lyn Bartold Performing Arts Awards – Sienna Gerin
• The Friends of Music Award – Eliza Mignot
• The Long Tan Leadership and Teamwork Awards – Louise Smith and Molly Fleming (Year 10)
• School Awards – Madison Jones, Patrick Kenna, Emily McLean, Daisy McMillan, Jayan Pillay, Shobana Satkunarajah, Mackenzie Smead, Meg Swain, Vicky Wang & Maya Watt
• The Caltex Best All-Rounder Awards – Sophie Paul & Edward Wang
• The Wendy McComas Awards – Emily Cowin, Eliza Mignot & Lucy Wheeler
• The Chairman’s Awards – Adele Bicknell, Mitchell Lacey & Grace Power
• The Sylvia Walton Award – Angus Maynard
• The Emma B Cook Award – jointly to Sienna Gerin & Louise Smith.

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

Caitlin Jensen (YG 2011) to undertake her Masters in Egyptology at Oxford University

Congratulations to Caitlin Jensen (YG 2011) who is currently studying her Masters in Egyptology at Oxford University in England. Caitlin first developed an interest in ancient Egypt when she was 12, when her mum gave her a book on the subject. After graduating Tintern, she attended Monash University completing a BA in Ancient History and Archaeology.

It was one of Caitlin’s dreams to study at Oxford, as it is considered the best in the world for Egyptology. The application process for Oxford was incredibly long – requiring an application to be made a full year beforehand. Caitlin says, “I was sure that I’d failed the interview, but I suspect everyone feels like that. The news came as quite a surprise – I remember I was shellshocked as I calmly told my parents. Their response was very different to mine, they were very excited. Besides myself, only one other person was admitted to this masters program.”

Congratulations Gary Haasbroek (YG 2016)

Congratulations to alumnus Gary Haasbroek (YG 2016) who has been awarded a full sports scholarship to Wake Forest University in North Carolina, USA. Gary will start at Wake Forest next year where he will compete for the university, but will also be able to compete as an Australian for his ongoing International commitments, the first being the U20 World Athletic Championships in Tampere, Finland in July 2018.

Gary has also qualified to compete in the second season of Australian Ninja Warrior, due to be filmed in December. Good luck Gary! We’ll all be watching.

Michael D’Addazio (YG 2016) co-hosts The Scene, Friday nights, 8-9pm on SYN 90.7FM

Alumnus Michael D’Addazio (YG 2016) is making waves… airwaves that is! Michael along with his friend Josh Robinson from the Reach Foundation host The Scene – AUS, a radio show on Friday nights on SYN 90.7FM from 8-9pm, where they talk about different scenes, movements and cultures within Australia. Show Michael your support and tune in tonight, 8-9pm on SYN 90.7FM!

Michael also volunteers for The Reach Foundation and is participating in the City2Sea fun run on Sunday 12 November to raise money to support the foundation. If you would like to donate to support Michael in the City2Sea you can do so here: https://city2sea2017.everydayhero.com/…/michae…/wizard/share

Congratulations Deanne Carson (YG 1987) 2017 Victorian Protecting Children Awards Finalist

Congratulations to alumna Deanne Carson (YG 1987) who was a finalist for the Robin Clark Leadership Award at the 2017 Victorian Protecting Children Awards in September. These Awards recognise dedicated teams and individuals working within government and community services who make protecting children their business every day.

Although won by Anglicare Victoria CEO, Paul McDonald for his nearly 40 years with disadvantaged and vulnerable children and families, Whitney Yip, Body Safety Australia co-founded with Deanne, won the Education Initiative Award category for their Safe Adult Dedoches (finger puppets).

Congratulations to Deanne, Whitney and Body Safety Australia on their achievements and please visit their website to read more about the Safe Adult Dedoches or to purchase your own: https://www.bodysafetyaustralia.com.au/shop-launch

Tintern Grammar 2018 Charter Bus Routes Transport Brochure now available

The Tintern Grammar 2018 Charter Bus Routes Transport Brochure is now available and can be viewed here: Transport Brochure 2018

If you would like your child/children to travel to or from school using Tintern Grammar’s charter bus service please complete this form and return it to the Transport Department via main reception as soon as possible.

If you have any queries please contact Carole Nye on 9845 7892 or via email transport@tintern.vic.edu.au.

School Events – Term 4

School Events for Term 4