TAS Talks Term 1 Week 5

Junior School to Lake Keepit

As I write, our Junior School students from Year 2 to Year 5 are at Lake Keepit for their annual excursion and camp. The purpose of this trip, above the excitement and fun of being away from home with friends, is much like that of our outdoor education program for Middle and Senior School students. Presenting challenge in the outdoors has long been a central pillar of the TAS experience and it is key to our aspirations for character development and this experience for our youngest students is the beginning of that. The activities through the camp, which varies in length depending on age, range from initiative and team building exercises to problem solving and adventure activities, with the emphasis being on presenting the new and unfamiliar to contend with.

Cadet Leaders

Over the past two weekends some 40 students have been immersed in leadership training that has deliberately tested them physically and mentally in ways that will prepare them to take on responsibility for others in the field. All the reports I have heard from both parts of the course have been very encouraging and I congratulate all who have been willing to step forward and show their courage and confidence in their own abilities.

Douglas Shield Cricket

As the Armidale cricket season begins to wind up with finals in the coming weeks, our First XI have continued their Douglas Shield campaign, with a convincing win against Carinya on Friday last week in the quarter final. Reaching this level of the competition is a fine achievement and I wish our players well for their upcoming games.

TAS Regional Country Tour

Starting today in Scone, the Enrolments Registrar Jo Neilson, Director of Boarding David Drain and Director of Development Cressida Mort and I will head out on the first leg of the Regional Country Tour. This trip around the home country of many of our boarding families is the opportunity to meet with parents and students considering TAS for 2021 and sometimes beyond and to meet socially with our school community in their backyards. This year the tour will take in Inverell, Glen Innes, Scone, Tamworth, Moree, Narrabri and Gunnedah, with both enrolment interviews and evening social functions in each of those towns and I hope to see as many of our current families and former students there as can possibly make it.

‘The Spark’

By now most of you will have hopefully read a letter regarding the Board’s decision yesterday, to remove the statue titled ‘The Spark’ that is in front of the Hoskins Centre. The reasons for this are outlined in the letter and I encourage you to read it if you have not already done so. Needless to say, the School continues to take most seriously any allegations of historical abuse and we again urge our community to come forward to us, or police, if they have any knowledge or concerns.

Alan Jones

P&F FACEBOOK GROUPS

You may have been contacted by your Year Group Liaison Parents to let you know about our Facebook pages… Each year has a Closed Facebook Group for parents and carers (no students please). If you haven’t been contacted please still join up…

The Facebook groups have been named according to the year that the group will be in Year 12. ie. TAS Year 12 2020, is the current Year 12, right down to TAS Year 12 2033, which is the current Transition class. So search for these in Facebook and join the fun!!

These are a way of building community within a cohort and an easy way for LPs and parents to communicate with each other about school and group activities.  These pages can also be used for information sharing, such as reminders about whether formal uniform is required the next day, uniform or sporting gear trading, supporting families experiencing ill health or crisis, or as a way to meet new people.

Key information from the P&F will still be sent via Liaison Parents through email as well but we encourage all parents and carers to use your Year Group Facebook Pages as a friendly way to quickly keep in touch.

Please use these groups wisely, they are not for promoting products or events that are not relevant to the TAS School Community nor for student issues that should be taken up with staff. Comments should be polite, inclusive and relevant, or they may be deleted.

Also, don’t forget that the P&F have our primary Facebook Page as well (search TAS Parents & Friends).

SAVE THE DATE – TAS RUGBY CARNIVAL

The TAS Rugby Carnival is coming up in the middle of the April holidays on Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 April. This is the biggest event of the year for TAS and the P&F and showcases TAS far and wide – we have well over 1000 kids, coaches and managers to feed each day – plus their families … phew!!!

If you can help or bake or both for this event it would be much appreciated. The Rugby Carnival is in the middle of the holidays so if you are going to be round we would love if you can help.

More information will be sent out through TAS Talks, emails and Facebook in the next few weeks.

Our first planning meeting for the Rugby Carnival will be on tonight Wednesday 26 February at 7pm in the Archdall Room (opposite the doors to the Dining Hall).  If you think you can manage BBQs, help organise food and drink or generally would like to be involved in organising this event please come along or send us an email at [email protected]

KEY DATES FOR 2020

• Thursday 26 March – Junior School Athletics Carnival – P&F Cake Stall
• Friday 27 March – Middle & Senior School Athletics Carnival – P&F Cake Stall
• Saturday 20 November – TAS@Dusk
• Friday 19 – Sunday 21 November – Art Show (TBC)
• Other events will be advertised throughout the year via email, TAS Talks and on Facebook.

P&F Meetings

We have two main meetings a term – usually these are held in the Lower Maxwell Room at 7pm on a Wednesday night.  These meetings are open to all and we would love to see you there.

• Term 1 – 18 March
• Term 2 – 6 May (AGM) and 17 June (Funding meeting)
• Term 3 – 29 July and 9 September
• Term 4 – 21 October and 18 November

Mrs Rachael Nicoll
P&F President

UCAT MedEntry Information session

MedEntry is a company who offer courses on how to complete the UCAT entry requirements for the medicine-based courses in preparation for the UCAT exam. A course will be conducted at TAS on 21 March in the PDHPE classrooms. For more information and registration details go to the following link. https://www.medentry.edu.au/

Dr Edward Boyapati from MedEntry has offered to give a presentation to students, parents and anyone interested in UCAT, interviews, pathways into medicine on the Friday the 20 March, at 3.30pm . I will be asking the Year 11 and 12s for expressions of interest for his kind offer.

For more details on UCAT courses and dates, please go to the website below. https://www.ucat.edu.au/

 UONDRH HEALTH CAREERS FORUM – TAMWORTH EDUCATION CENTRE, TUESDAY 3  MARCH

The University of Newcastle Department of Rural Health (UONDRH) will be conducting the annual Health Careers Forum for North West New England Secondary schools for Years 10, 11 and 12 students who may be interested in a career as a health professional. The invitation is also extended to parents and carers of the students attending.

The forum will include presentations and workshops by academics, clinicians and current UONDRH students from health disciplines including; Medicine, Nutrition & Dietetics, Physiotherapy, Medical Research, Occupational Therapy, Pharmacy, Mental Health, Medical Radiation Science, Nursing and Speech Pathology.

Currently, I have 20 students who have put their names down to attend. This equates nicely to a school bus load so the cost will be minimal. I have asked for any further expressions of interest but did not receive any further names. Students will be leaving TAS at 7.15am and will return to TAS by 1.00pm. Students will need to wear full school uniform with blazer.

Mr Mark Taylor
Careers Advisor

Winter Sports Choices

Please find attached a list of Winter Sports Choices. We encourage students to discuss their choice with both parents and advisors before making their selection. We need all selections in by next Tuesday 3 March and appreciate you taking the time to have this conversation. If you have questions specific to the sport please contact the MIC of that sport. For general enquiries email [email protected]

Summer Group Photos Rescheduled

We have streamlined our approach to photos by scheduling all group photos in Term 3, on 3 – 4 September. A schedule will be published closer to this date.

First Experience on the Olympic Course

For many of our rowers last Saturday, at the Sydney Rowing Club Regatta, was their first taste of rowing on the Olympic course. The three Boys’ Fours competed against other GPS Schools in the 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd IVs before combining to race in the Men’s Open Eights. Our girls Quad raced in the Under 19 Quad and the C/D Women’s Quad. All crews had the opportunity for close racing as well as being exposed to the next step up. They benefited from the experience and have now set a benchmark and can set some goals for their respective Heads of the River later this term.

Mr Will Caldwell
Director of Co-curricular

TAS Rugby 2020

TAS Rugby continues to grow in 2020 with the continuation of games in the GPS competition along with the inclusion of teams in the New England competition. Games will be played in Armidale, Tamworth and Inverell, with two games played in Sydney for the GPS competition. Our season opens on 21 March 2020 in Tamworth with the First XV playing before the Waratahs v Bulls game at Scully Park.

Please click on the link below for the 2020 Rugby draw.
2020 Rugby Draw

Buses will transport all teams to and from all games, and supporters are welcome to attend all games.

For more information regarding TAS Rugby, please read the Winter Sports Information in this edition of TAS Talks.

Mr AJ Whalley
Director of Rugby

Creative Arts

The countdown is truly on for The Wizard of Oz, with performances commencing in Week 8. Rehearsals are kicking into overdrive and we should see some members of the orchestra joining us in the theatre starting this week. After a couple of Working Bees and some overtime we have a lot more of the set elements in place, though there is still plenty to be done, and we may put the call out for an extra Working Bee before too long. We’ve had a lot of bookings come through already so you better jump online and grab your tickets before all the good seats are taken!: https://www.trybooking.com/BIBTW

 

It is with great excitement that we announce this year’s Middle School Play, Roald Dahl’s beloved James and the Giant Peach. All students in Years 6, 7 and 8 are invited to audition next Monday and Tuesday afternoon. More information about the show, the audition booklet and the link to book your audition can be found here: https://www.as.edu.au/james-and-the-giant-peach/

Mr Andrew O’Connell
Creative Arts Coordinator

Making your bed each morning is important

Now making one’s bed every morning may seem to be, for some, a simple task.  However, once completed, know that you have just completed a task that has a beginning and an end. This can be important in that it gives you a sense of completion. The task doesn’t have to be making your bed each morning.  It could be anything that is doable. From this small completed task comes forth a movement away from the status quo. Surprisingly it can lay a foundation, however small, from which you can build bigger things over the course of the day.  Even if your day does not end well, you can always go back to that small task you completed in the morning. The underlying idea is that by achieving small things and developing good habits students will achieve a ‘small win’ that they will want to continue by developing other good habits.

One of the good habits that I would encourage all students to set out to achieve in the weeks and months ahead is to be organised and disciplined with respect to homework. Whether it be an extension task that stretches the concepts students have learned in class, preparation for an assessment task or simply consolidating learning and revising content covered earlier in the year, the benefits of additional study and meeting deadlines are clearly established.

To support students in this, the Learning Hub is the one-stop place for students to access support, tuition and small group teaching beyond the classroom. It is a great place to sit and work, as help is there when needed. The Learning Hub is open for Middle School students from 7:30am – 6.30pm.

Inquiring deeper

Inquiry is an integral part to learning, and students taking ownership of that learning. Learning is not simply memorising facts and regurgitating knowledge; it’s using skills to think critically and problem solve. In order for students to delve deeper into their learning, and inquire into each subject area, they need to think about the Key Concepts that are being covered in that unit. The concepts are the keys to unlocking inquiry. By asking and creating conceptual questions, students to view ideas through different lenses.

There are 16 Key Concepts that are explored through the MYP:

These concepts have an essential place in the structure of student knowledge. They require students to demonstrate levels of thinking that go beyond facts or topics. Concepts are used to formulate the understandings that students should retain in the future; they become principles and generalisations that students can use to understand the world and success in further study and in life beyond school.

Mrs Rachel Piddington
MYP Coordinator

Lake Keepit

I am writing from Lake Keepit this week and having arrived yesterday, I am already acutely aware of the benefits that can be achieved by taking children out of their comfort zone. For some, this is a first; travelling away from home for the first over-nighter can be daunting enough, but to be dealing with the lack of familiarity that is Keepit and all it has to offer can be tough. I am heartened to have such full attendance and I know that on their return, you will hear the stories that indicate the experience has been very beneficial. (Quote of the day….”I did it…I paddled all the way there and back all by myself!”) Priceless. Click HERE to view photos.

I look forward to hearing about the great activities that our younger students in Kindergarten to Year 2 have experience on our return on Friday.

Prefects in Assembly

I am really pleased to see our Senior School leaders appearing regularly in our assemblies. They have been organising themselves to present TAS Bear each Wednesday to the most deserving class and by doing so, have begun a connection between the senior and junior schools that will continue to develop and grow. We will be promoting this relationship wherever possible and I thank them for their efforts.

Parent/Teacher Interviews

Next week, you will receive a detailed email about the Parent Teacher Interviews and the booking process we use. Please watch for this email as it will include a specific year group password to login. If you do not have success, please call your class teacher or Junior School Reception.

Swimming

It is really pleasing to see that our representative swimming team continues to be so well supported and that our PSSA team performed creditably last week. Their behaviour was outstanding and I am happy that they represent the school so positively.

School Spirit

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

Carla Price, Elsie Nexo, Raseel Alazizi, William Minter, Rupert Newton, Humjot Sandhu, Sahib Singh, Sophie Banister, Minnie Chick, Chelsea Miller, Xavier Leary and Saxon Muirhead.

Happy Birthday

Birthday wishes to Raymond Wang, Maya Slade and Izzie Glover for your special days this week.

Mr Ian Lloyd
Head of Junior School

Junior School Upcoming Events