TAS Talks Term 1 Week 4

Gluttony - Ecclesiastes 2:1-11

What do you think of when the word gluttony is mentioned?

Maybe it’s more of who than what. Maybe you think of Homer Simpson or King Henry the Eighth or the wafer guy from Monty Python?

But the Roman Emperor Vitellius, takes the cake (so to speak). Infamous for his wasteful ways and endless banquets, he seemed to live only for the act of stuffing his considerable face.

According to reports, “everything that could creep, fly, or swim, and could boast a delicate flavour when cooked, was pressed into the service of the emperor.”

In fact there is a rumour that Romans created a special room, a ‘vomitorium’, in which to throw up their food, so that they could make room to eat more.  The belief that the Romans indulged in this practice, stemmed from the unbelievable greed of Vitellius. The disgusting story is even told that the imperial glutton was in the habit of taking an emetic to empty his stomach, that he might begin a fresh course of gluttony.

Is that all gluttony is? Eating too much? Being overweight?

Ecclesiastes gives us a bigger definition of gluttony: not just empty stomachs – but empty souls. Ecclesiastes Chapter 4 talks about God setting eternity in our hearts, that God has made us with a sense of longing, a yearning for fulfilment, a hunger for satisfaction, a kind of a spiritual vacuum: empty souls. The 4^th century theologian Augustine called it a ‘God shaped hole’. And the point is, God’s the one who put it there, so only God can fill it. God made us, made us for relationship with him, so we have an in-built wiring to need God, we’ll never be satisfied outside of him. But the problem is that we’ve taken our God-shaped whole and tried to fill it with all sorts of other things. Instead of being hungry for God, we’ve become hungry for just about anything else. We’ve become gluttons. Hungry people, but trying to fill up on junk food, rather than something sustaining. Trying to fill the place that only God should occupy but filling our souls instead – with rubbish.

Here’s the real problem of gluttony. It’s not just that we crave junk food for the stomach. It’s that we crave junk food for the soul. The real problem of gluttony isn’t just empty stomachs, but empty souls, not heart attacks, but broken hearts. A problem only God can fix.

Mr Richard Newton
Chaplain

The annual Warcries evening is always a good indicator of school and house spirit, particularly among the boarders, and this year’s event didn’t disappoint with all houses putting in polished performances. Congratulations to all houses, particularly Tyrrell House who were the deserving winners on the night.

The Swimming Carnival is a great opportunity for students, family and friends to come together in a competitive yet social setting and highlights the unique camaraderie of TAS students. I enjoyed talking to a number of parents throughout the day who all enjoyed being able to watch their children compete while catching up with friends old and new. The sportsmanship of all students was evident throughout the day and credit must go to the house leaders who ensured the support from the grandstand was always positive. All three boarding houses were well represented across all events with Tyrrell House winning the coveted points per house member and overall points shields. It was pleasing to see the mass participation, synonymous with Tyrrell House, continue this year. The highlight of the day for me is the relays, and this year didn’t disappoint. The record-breaking Croft House Senior Boys 6 x 50 metre team was a great team effort breaking the 10-year-old record by the smallest of margins. Croft House followed this up with a come from behind win in the famous ‘Tooth and Nail’ relay which saw John Moore power home over the final 25 meters to secure a memorable win.

With the Warcries and the Swimming Carnival now over, it will be back to normal evening routine over the coming weeks. Evening prep for Middle School is 6.30pm – 7.30pm and Senior School 7.15pm – 9.00pm Monday to Thursday. All houses have one hour of evening prep of a Sunday evening. Can I ask all parents and carers to avoid calling their son or daughter during evening prep as it is vital that this time is used as productively as possible. Allocated time is given to all boarders to call family and friends of an evening.

It is always pleasing to see a large number of boarders utilising the wonderful facilities we have here at TAS of a weekend. The pool is open and supervised by trained staff of a Saturday and Sunday afternoon with the popular inflatable regularly used of a Sunday. On my walks around the campus of a weekend I am impressed by how many boarders are involved in informal games of tennis, basketball, touch football and cricket. Great friendships are forged amongst the boarders during these times of a weekend. Please be aware that all house staff are monitoring technology use, particularly of a weekend, and encouraging all boarders to balance their academic, sporting and social commitments.

I remind all Middle School Boarders parents/carers of the upcoming Closed Weekend (Friday 6 – Monday 9 March). A letter was sent out regarding on Friday 7 February.

Mr David Drain
Director of Boarding

Armidale Triathlon

Parent Information with a difference: TAS Middle School

To mark our twentieth year of operation, last Thursday night’s Middle School Parent and Family Information session was held in the Memorial Hall and while I spoke to the large audience (including our students, there were well over two hundred people in attendance) I did so only in ‘top and tail’ fashion. The other adult, our MYP Coordinator, Mrs Rachel Piddington, also spoke, but for less than four minutes. Our status as a Round Square School is now complemented by full International Baccalaureate implementation: the principles of each clearly champion the wisdom of student ‘voice’: accordingly, honing their public speaking skills in this forum, our Year 8 leaders completed most of the information sessions for Middle School students and their families. They were good, really good – especially in their first foray to public speaking life and those of you (must have been most of you) who were there showed, per spontaneous applause, your appreciation in the best possible way.

Amongst other things, on Thursday I referred to the challenge of our staff brief of ‘looking out’ for the needs and interests of the 11 – 14 age group, being one characterised by a massive spike in social, emotional, moral, spiritual and definitely, physical growth. Certainly, the brief is a challenging one, and it is so, regularly. As I’ve indicated previously, ‘fast and furious’ would seem to be the best adjectives to characterise the pace and variety of Middle School activities. Also, on Thursday the combined expertise of our Year 8 student leaders provided another outlet for these people. The ideas were their own – all I did was help edit and arrange their information. Mrs Frost, in inimitable fashion, busily prepared all visual information you saw and, in very little time at all, put together, with the expert advice and support of Mrs Donna Jackson, the individual Year level booklets for all families. These booklets were also sent to all families in electronic form, having been emailed to you on Friday afternoon.

Warcries and Swimming Carnival 13 & 14 February

All people were busy last week, regardless of age. As we were preparing for our presentation to you, everyone was also preparing for the Warcries (also on Thursday night) and then the Middle and Senior School Swimming Carnival on Friday. Thank you, while I admit to having done so unashamedly, I encouraged you, wherever possible, to attend these sessions. For many boarding families these occasions must have constituted your first actual contact with the boys and girls: for our young people, three weeks can be a long time, so it was ‘time to catch up’, encourage and listen to your children. We realise that for our rural families the Armidale trip must have been made in between feeding of animals and we also appreciate your efforts.  Certainly, there was much news to tell and I know the Middle School people were looking forward to your arrival at the end of last week, in particular. All had been attending their Senior Houses for War Cry sessions and such activities were necessary to the development of their perceptions of ‘community’. The House and Swimming Captains made Middle School students feel welcome in their respective Houses – I know this for a fact because I’d been shadowing them to witness the various activities. As was the case over the last few years, while the students’ capacity (I refer to students of all ages, not just our shared charges) to ‘hold a tune’ is questionable, the volume is nothing less than impressive and I hope you, too, enjoyed the carnival.

Things familiar…

Despite the conventional wisdom associated with keeping all new and returning students gainfully employed, it would be supremely naïve to think that none is missing home. As indicated last week, while their reactions are as various as their individuality, missing home is natural and considering this feeling is an affirmation of ‘things familiar’ and people they know well and trust, it is, as I’ve indicated, actually a very normal reaction and something we expect. To their credit, the boarding staff and all Homeroom Advisors have been tremendously busy and supportive: I went to White House last week to find so many staff, including Mr Jamie Brauer, on duty, assisting with academic work and, perhaps more importantly at this stage of the year, just talking to the boys about their day. I’ve been sitting with the day and boarding girls at lunch and this next week want to visit our girl boarders in Dangar. The Year 8 students in White and Dangar also deserve special mention: they’ve shown the new ones how to manage house routine, are generally knowledgeable, good humoured and sensible in terms of advice given to their peers. In short, the signs of a healthy, successful start to the year are real ones. Still, if there’s something that families feel we should know to facilitate the settling process, please be sure to contact Homeroom staff, Mrs Frost or me. This message is as relevant to day students’ families as it is to boarding ones.

The next two weeks are important and they mark further change: as the term progresses at an inexorable pace, summer sports, as will be advised in an upcoming full school assembly, will be making way for early winter options: Athletics schedules, for example, will begin for us soon as, while swimming carnival activity is the initial bookend for the early part of the term, athletics will bookend the last part of it. Lunch time cricket and tennis sessions will be fewer for some because debating season, as was forecast during this week’s Town Meeting Assembly is about to begin. In fact, the first outing of Tri-Schools Debating (postponed from last year) was held earlier this week.  And, all the while, boarding and day house activities continue as do classes, prep work, assessment task preparation and more meaningful (in terms of consistency) engagement in academic activity. Further, the fact that this last Monday welcomed to our TAS Scholarship and Open Day prospective students for 2021 is sure proof that that the term is ‘flying’. This day was very productive – we’re grateful for this level of interest against the backdrop of continuing weather difficulties experienced by so many families, regardless of geography.

Thank you for coming to TAS last week: we’re ‘in this’ together of course and our communication needs to be frank. You were frank last Thursday and Friday when I saw you and you were also helpful in terms of comments you have made. As indicated, our student-driven parent information session went very well, as did the light dinner and refreshments part of the evening. The Warcries, as predicted, were characterised by enthusiasm and volume and I feel sure that some managed instances of melodious function.

Stop Press: One of our new students, Georgie Blanchard, has misplaced her Ross House sports uniform. Georgie’s name is clearly marked on most of it. If any one of you knows the whereabouts of Georgie’s Ross House gear, please contact Mrs Frost as soon as possible.

Mr Mark Harrison
Head of Middle School

Lake Keepit Excursions

The excitement is growing in those classes heading off to Lake Keepit next week but I note that some students and families have not been fortunate enough to have the experience that venues like Lake Keepit provide.  I encourage all our parents to discuss this opportunity with their children in preparation for what can be an exciting, yet challenging time. TAS and the Staff at Keepit have designed a program that is fun, highly appropriate for the range of development and beneficial is so many ways.  Over many years, we have seen the benefits of children extending themselves in a safe environment, yet full of adventure. Being away from home can be difficult at first, but being with friends and having outdoor time with their teachers allows students an opportunity not possible at school and in the classroom environment. For most, returning home is full of stories  about wonderful stories of friendships made, an opportunity not to be lost…..

We also wish those staying at TAS a very exciting week of local excursions to the town pool and Sport UNE. It will be a very exciting week.

Discoveries in the classroom….

I take my hat off to Mrs Hawksford and the Year 3 class for their fantastic research into the machinations of a working beehive. What a wonderful opportunity for the children to see a hive in action and to be able to observe the process firsthand as they can, now the hive and the bees are in place. Our thanks go to Mr Scott for again adding another, wonderful dimension to our learning.

Year 5 Buddy Reading

What a great pleasure it is to see the interaction between our classes as they engage with other age groups to read to each other. Each week, a number of our classes get together to share the love and joy of reading….. a fulfilling exercise on so many levels.

Junior School Swimming Carnival

Again, I thank all our parents and friends for supporting our Junior School Swimming Carnival, some on the side-lines, some volunteering to hold stop watches and some attempting to pervert the course of fair competition when they swam by changing lanes, deliberately obstructing swimmers and swimming underwater (in the Parent/Gappie v Year 5 relay). What a close relay it was, the students pipping the adults out by a touch – I believe they set a new record?! It was another great day and, as usual, so well organised by Mrs Christine Wright and her troops behind the scenes.

School Spirit

Congratulations to the following students for receiving School Spirit Awards at last week’s assembly:

Anna Trevaskis, Hassan Almokhtar, Neave Drain, Ruby Rice, Daniel Mo, Janesh Wijewarna, Evelyn Brownlie, Lucie Stephen, Layla Abu Assab, Joshua Bourke, Cameron Carruthers, Xavier Stephen, Richard Ma and Arabella Blanchard.

Happy Birthday

Many happy returns to Mila Wright and William Dennison for your special days this week

Mr Ian Lloyd
Head of Junior School

Junior School Swimming Carnival Results

A huge thank you to our parents and friends who helped to make the day such a success, by stepping up and helping in many areas during the carnival, from the cake stall to the timekeeping to swimming with their children in the Parent-Year 5 relays. This family participation is what makes our Junior School carnival so successful.

Thank you also to the many children who eagerly and excitedly participated in many events on the day. The enjoyment from the novelty events to the more arduous races was evident on many little faces!

Official results from the day are as follows:

• 6 years girl champion:            Mehleen Sandhu
• 6 years girl runner up:            Emilia Fawcett
• 6 years boy champion:           Daniel Mo
• 6 years boy runner up:           Hassan Almokhtar
• 7 years girl champion:            Izzy Law and Eloise Leary
• 7 years boy champion:           Patrick Bourke
• 8 years girl champion:            Cecilia Price
• 8 years girl runner up:            Evelyn Brownlie
• 8 years boy champion:           Baxter Carruthers
• 8 years boy runner up:           Lachlan Wood
• 9 years girl champion:            Sophie Banister
• 9 years girl runner up:            Mila Wright
• 9 years boy champion:           Oliver Robb
• 9 years boy runner up:           Joshua Bourke
• 10 years girl champion:         Edwina Newton
• 10 years girl runner up:          Minnie Chick
• 10 years boy champion:         Arthur White
• 10 years boy runner up:         Cameron Carruthers
• 11 years girl champion:         Chloe Dennison
• 11 years girl runner up:          Arabella Blanchard
• 11 years boy champion:         Joe Fenwicke
• 11 years boy runner up:         Hugo Broun
• 12 years boy champion:         Marcus Robb
• 12 years boy runner up:         Richard Ma

Division Results:

• Sub-Junior Boy:                      Patrick Bourke
• Runner up:                              Daniel Mo
• Sub-Junior Girl:                       Mehleen Sandhu
• Junior Boy:                              Arthur White
• Runner Up:                             Baxter Carruthers
• Junior Girl:                              Sophie Banister
• Runner Up:                             Edwina Newton
• Senior Boy:                             Joe Fenwicke
• Runner up:                              Hugo Broun
• Senior Girl:                              Chloe Dennison
• Runner up:                              Arabella Blanchard

Rofeta Cup Winner (Highest Point score girl):          Sophie Banister

Macready Cup Winner (Highest Point score boy):    Joe Fenwicke

House Champion:                             

• Green – 648
• Ross – 455
• Broughton – 414

PSSA Swimming Carnival – Thursday 20 February

Children have been nominated for events at our local PSSA meet this Thursday. Please ensure you have indicated to Mrs Wright whether you are catching the TAS minibus on Thursday morning at 8:00am or meeting us at the Monckton Aquatic Centre. The day commences with the Open 100 Free and marshalling at 9am

Children need to bring $4.00 cash for entry along with morning tea and lunch. There is a kiosk at the swimming centre if required.

NCIS Swimming Carnival – Alstonville – Thursday, 5 March

If your child qualifies for our Independent Swimming Carnival in Alstonville they will receive information from Mr Jim Pennington shortly.

Mrs Christine Wright
JS Sports Coordinator

Basketball

The Year 4 basketball team had a great first game on Monday. The team worked well together and were constantly looking to pass the ball to one another. The TAS team worked well dribbling the ball and trying hard to cause a turnover. Chelsea’s shooting has improved so much over the season and Izzie was working hard with her dribbling. Oliver worked well with his team and was always open and ready for the next pass. All in all, it was a great first game back. We are very excited to continue to watch the Year 4 team improve their skills over the term.

Miss Alice Woodhill

TAS Year 5 played Armidale City on Monday night. It was a tight match with great attacking and defending from both teams.  TAS played very well as a team, using all their players with consistent subs.  Xavier Leary shot up and down the court passing well placed passes with Andy Li and Marcus Robb ready to receive.  Stand in player, Paige from Ben Venue was a valuable team member and worked well with Sam Ford, who was always ready for the rebound and dribbled his way down the court to set up many a goal.  Early in the second half Andrew Alkhouri also lobbed a magnificent goal to score TAS’s way into the lead.

Joe Fenwicke shot two clean goals from outside the circle to take TAS into the lead and winning the game 26 to 23.

Mrs Gaye Piper