Welcome

The Welcome article is by Jason McManus Vice Principal 

Creating a culture of (human) thinking in a GAI world

The last year has seen the release of what many believe will be one of the biggest disrupters to how we work and learn in recent history. Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI), like many technologies, has been released ahead of regulative or ethical guard rails and has gone straight to use in many workplaces, universities and schools. While many are finding it a useful time saver, others question its implications in a wide range of areas.

In a school like ours, that strives to create a culture of thinking, where ‘a group’s collective as well as individual thinking is valued, visible, and actively promoted as part of the regular, day-to-day experience of all group members’¹, it begs the question: how do we do prioritise student (human) thinking in order to make it visible, in a GAI world where words that resemble thinking can be mechanised in an instant? How do we avoid deskilling our students (and teachers) when aspects of their thinking processes are outsourced to GAI technology?

We have been working with Educational Consultant Leon Furze who specialises on GAI in education, on a cautious, reasoned approach to policy and practice around GAI in our School and are in the process of consulting with staff on draft policies and procedures for release in Semester 2.

A group of secondary teachers are also focussing in their professional learning inquiry group on developing and trialling the use of GAI in their classes to build a culture of thinking relevant to their teaching disciplines.

As the technology is already in use across all sectors, I asked Microsoft Co-pilot ‘how can a school can create a culture of thinking with the existence of generative artificial intelligence?’ to see what the technology itself offered as a response to this question.

It responded that attempting to create a culture of thinking in a school with the existence of generative artificial intelligence (AI) can be a transformative process and suggested some strategies that schools can consider. Interestingly, it is these transformative opportunities that we have been investigating, as the technology is here, in use in workplaces now, and will likely increase in the future world our students will inhabit. In saying that, we need to also take care not to allow its use to reduce the opportunities our education provides for students to think deeply.

I have included an edited version below of some of these opportunities which align with the work we have been doing to create a set of guidelines for use by staff and students that helps teachers designate what, if any, role GAI could and should have in a given learning task at Tintern Grammar.

1. Integrate AI in curriculum: We are looking to integrate AI into the curriculum in appropriate places, teaching students how AI works and its applications to stimulate critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
2. Promote AI literacy: Promote AI literacy, ensuring students understand the ethical implications, potential biases, and limitations of AI to foster a culture of informed and responsible AI use.
3. Use AI as a learning tool: Use as a tool to facilitate personalised learning, provide instant quantitative feedback, and enhance student engagement. However, it’s important to emphasize that AI is a tool for learning, not a replacement for human teachers particularly regarding qualitative feedback.
4. Collaborative learning: Foster collaborative projects where AI tools are used to support group work, allowing students to leverage AI for research and analysis.
5. Teacher empowerment: Provide teachers with AI tools that can assist with administrative tasks, freeing up time for them to focus on teaching and mentoring students.
6. Ethics and responsibility: Teach students about the ethical use of AI, data privacy, and digital citizenship.
7. Continuous professional development: Offer ongoing training for educators to stay abreast of the latest AI developments, ethical considerations and pedagogical approaches aligned with our values and philosophy.
8. Evaluate and reflect: Regularly assess the impact of AI on the learning environment and make adjustments as needed to ensure it supports a culture of thinking.

Our goal is not to replace human thinking with AI, but to use AI as a tool to enhance and stimulate human thinking. It’s about creating a balance between technology and human intellect. AI can be a powerful tool in education, but it’s the educators and students who will truly drive a culture of thinking in schools by focusing on critical thinking and human-centered values.

The golden rule we will be applying in this brave new world, is that anything we do enables student thinking.

Jason McManus | Vice Principal 

¹ https://pz.harvard.edu/projects/cultures-of-thinking

Student Voice – Junior School Leaders

Earlier this term our School Captain Oliver Hunt and Vice Captain Emily Stokes interviewed our Junior School Captains Blake Lawson and Sasha Lim about leadership. Below is a snapshot of their conversation and you can read the full interview in the 2024 edition of Factis to be published later this year.

Oliver: ‘So what skills would you say you’ve learned being a Junior School leader?’

Blake: ‘Oh, there’s a lot, a wide variety of skills, but the main one I’d say would be public speaking. The ability to say that everything is going to be OK to help other people in ways that you would do for yourself.’

Emily: ‘And what about you, Sasha?’

Sasha: ‘I agree with Blake. I think the best skills I’ve learnt is communication and collaboration skills. Helping people work together in teams and staying open minded to what everybody thinks.’

Emily: ‘For you both, what does it mean to be a leader in either the Boys’ Junior School and the Girls’ Junior School community?’

Blake: ‘Being a leader is a lot of different things, but it’s being a role model that people can look up to.’

Sasha: ‘In the Girls’ Junior School, I think being a leader is being somebody that people can trust and that people can turn to when they need help.’

Blake Lawson, Boys’ Junior School Captain

Sasha Lim , Girls’ Junior School Captain

Student Voice – Cathedral Service Reflections

On Monday 20 May, the Secondary School gathered together for the annual Cathedral Service at St Paul’s Cathedral in Melbourne. The following are reflections from our Faith Captain and Choral Captain.

The theme for this year’s service was ‘Spirit of this land’ which was reflected in the choir and orchestra performances. Student musicians came together to present a wide range of music, with a notable performance by the combined Intermediate and Senior Choirs of My Island Home by Neil Murray, accompanied by Murrundindi on the didgeridoo.

The guest speaker was Major Brendan Nottle, Commanding Officer of the Salvation Army Melbourne. Major Nottle spoke about the importance of love and community, sharing stories of his work with Melbourne’s most vulnerable and marginalised people. His message emphasised how our job as a community is to bring outsiders in and love and support them, no matter the background they come from. His words touched all of our hearts and challenged us all to rise to action together to support those in need.

Joanne Chang | Year 12 Faith Captain

The service included guest speaker Major Brendan Nottle, readings from the bible, as well as an assortment of music pieces performed by Tintern’s choirs and ensembles.

Our Chamber Orchestra performed Spirit by Tyler Arcari, played by the School’s most experienced strings players.

Our Choral Captains led the singing of our School anthem, with many voices coming together as one; the Senior Girls’ Chamber Choir sung beautifully I will sing with the Spirit by John Rutter, followed by the hymn How Great Thou Art by Carl Boberg.

The combined Intermediate and Senior Choirs sang two pieces, Fresh Wind and My Island Home which was accompanied by Murrundindi in a remarkable use of the didgeridoo.

The Tintern Flute Ensemble was also featured in the service, playing Nocturne.

The Great Southland was led by the Choral Captains and the sound from the singing and pipe organ was magnificent in the Cathedral.

There were so many great moments from the choirs and soloists who filled the Cathedral with beautiful sounds making it a service to remember.  

Xavier Kemm | Choral Captain

Curriculum Matters

End-of-semester reporting

Secondary School end of Semester Reports will be available on the Tintern Grammar Portal on Friday 28 June. Instructions for accessing these reports will be emailed in the last week of Term 2.

Secondary Program and Subject Selection for 2025

Tintern Grammar is committed to helping senior students make informed choices about their subjects and is holding a series of events around subject selection to assist students to select the most suitable pathway and subject choices for 2025. The first event, Guiding Your Future was held online this week, and the next one will be the Subject Showcase Evening in Term 3 on Tuesday 23 July 2024.

All VCE and VET subjects on offer in 2025 will be outlined on the Portal and Subject Teachers and our Careers Counsellors will be available on the evening to answer students’ questions. On the evening, current Year 9 students who are contemplating taking a VCE subject in Year 10 (2025) and their families are invited to attend a special information session around this option and important matters to be taken into consideration prior to lodging their request.

As in previous years, the subject selection process will occur online in late July. Students will be given instructions on how to follow this process during Pastoral sessions at School and details of electives and subjects available for selection will be published on the MyTintern Portal towards the end of Term 2.

Alison Bezaire | Director of Studies

Music Matters

Generations in Jazz Success!

A huge thank you to the staff who accompanied over 40 of our student musicians to Generations in Jazz in Mt Gambier from Friday 3 – Monday 5 May. Lisa Clarke co-ordinated the trip, and she was ably supported by Karl McNamara, Tim Veldman, Blakely McLean Davies, and Patrick Wallace, who all did a great job of looking after the students and leading their fine performances.

Our Intermediate Stage Band were in the non-competitive Division 5 last year, after insisting they wanted to be in the competitive division this year, they worked hard and came away with a great result of 15/23. For these students, who are in many ways beginners in the world of jazz (and some of them beginners on their instruments), moving up a division in one year was a great achievement, and they were thrilled not to come last!

Senior Stage Band had another wonderful result. Having been in Division 4 last year and finishing in the middle of the group 12/25, they moved into Division 3, again after pushing themselves to move up, and have come away with 9/25. The students felt like they had won –their excitement over this achievement was obvious to all. It is not about winning for them, but about improving. They are already setting themselves the next goal. Division 2 next year apparently!

Our four combos did us proud and Blakely McLean Davies, Dave Bathgate and Joel Sena have worked to give these students such a different creative outlet. A relatively new initiative driven by the students desire to learn the craft of improvisation, we are excited to see where this is headed in the years to come.

The Trigg Combo came 17/23 and this is an improvement on last year’s result. The competition was fierce this year. The Nu Jazz band in the same division came 11/23 which they were about. This was their first time playing in the small combo division, so this is a fantastic result. There were only four points between the two ensembles, so it was a tight competition.

Results for the other two combos – Combo Blue and Combo Electric – in another Small Combo section are still to come as we discovered there were data entry problems and these problems have severely compromised the division results. Results to come.

Again, a big round of applause to the staff who gave their time to support the endeavours of our young musicians.

Piano Concerts

On Tuesday 14 May Tintern held its annual Senior Piano Concert, with Middle and Senior students performing an incredible range of works including pieces from the classical and modern eras. Our pianists had been rehearsing vigorously to perform on stage, practising their pieces to perfection, which was evident in their performances on the night, including some students who performed the incredibly challenging virtuosic works of Liszt and Rachmaninoff. 

Many performers, whether they’re beginners or advanced musicians, have also been working hard towards their AMEB music exams, progressing one step at a time. For other students, it was their first time in the spotlight, taking their work in piano lessons and practice-at-home to the stage as a solo pianist, and I congratulate every one of them, for their bravery and courage.

It was so amazing to hear the beautiful sounds from our talented student pianists at this special event. Congratulations to all those who performed.

Sebastian Humphrys | Year 10 student and School Pianist 2024

Annual Cathedral Service

Each year our Senior and Middle School Choirs, Chamber Orchestra and a small ensemble make wonderful musical contributions to the Tintern Grammar Annual Cathedral Service at St Paul’s Cathedral. This year was no exception, with a highlight being the combined Choirs singing My Island Home accompanied by Murrundindi on didgeridoo.

Click here to read our Student Leaders reflections on the event.

Small Ensembles Concert

While we often hear from our larger ensembles, it’s not often that we hear from our smaller ensembles at Tintern, but they give students the opportunity to grow their skills in ways that larger ensembles don’t. Small ensembles play a very different role in our School and they can often be found playing prelude, background or atmospheric music, such as the flute ensemble’s performance at the Cathedral Service.

There’s no place to hide in a small ensemble and students are required to listen to each other, focus on intonation and timing, and really work together to create beautiful sounds.

On Wednesday 22 May, guests were treated to an incredible showcase of these ensembles at the annual Small Ensembles Concert. Performances included the Percussion Ensemble, Saxophone Ensemble, Flute Ensemble, Guitar Ensemble, Clarinet Ensemble, The Nu Jazz Band, The Trigg Combo, Combo Blue, Combo Electric, Senior Girls’ Chamber Choir and Scrolls String Orchestra.

As a member of a few small ensembles, I’ve found my confidence and ability to work in a group growing with every rehearsal and performance. Not only that, a big part of playing in the jazz combos is improvisation – something that requires an intimate knowledge of musical language and the trust in yourself and each other to come up with ideas on the spot.

All of these musicians work hard every week refining their skills as individual and group performers, and it was a delight to listen to them all perform! 

Katie Howell | Year 12 student, Instrumental Captain 2024

Music lockers for hire

Student musicians and parents of these musicians are reminded that we have a bank of storage lockers in the Music Department for storing instruments during the day. Often students attend rehearsals in the morning, so popping an instrument into a locker for safekeeping during the day is worthy of consideration (as long as students remember to collect them at the end of the day so they can take them home to practise!). This allays the problem in some buildings of limited space to store instruments, especially larger ones (e.g. horns, saxophones, violins).

Lockers are available for a fee of $10 per term and the monies raised through locker hire are returned to the Friends of Music committee who then, in turn, support our musicians by funding events and equipment purchases.

Please email Di Woodhouse or call 9845 7837 if you would like further information. Or simply complete this hire form and return it to the Music Office

Alison Bezaire | Director of Music

Sport Matters

Volleyball

Tintern Grammar showcased their athletic skills at the recent Volleyball Victoria One Day Schools Cup fielding an impressive ten teams among a highly competitive field.  Held at the State Volleyball Centre in Dandenong, there was 210 teams from 36 schools with a total of 1300 enthusiastic athletes participating. It was a fantastic display of young talent and sportspersonship.

Tintern Grammar’s teams performed admirably, bringing home two bronze medals in the Year 7 Boys Division 2 and Year 9 Boys Division 2 categories. These achievements contributed to Tintern Grammar’s commendable overall standing, as we finished in equal 13th place with a total of 10 points! This outstanding performance is a testament to the dedication and hard work of all our athletes, coaches, and teachers. Congratulations to everyone for their remarkable efforts and successes at the One Day Schools Cup. Your determination and team spirit have made the Tintern Grammar community proud!

Congratulations to Year 9 student Ethan Luo for being selected to the School Sport Victoria Volleyball Championships – 16 and Under State Volleyball team.

Ethan competed from Sunday 2 June to Friday 7 June at Olympic Park, Sydney. In a tough game against South Australia, Ethan’s team achieved Bronze!

Well done Ethan!

Equestrian

We congratulate Year 9 student Grace Baines and her horse Corail noir de Derrinal competing in the 75cm and 85cm Grand Prix at the Werribee National Equestrian Centre on Saturday 11 May.  This was their first show jumping competition.

Reconciliation

Reconciliation Week 

Reconciliation Week (was more like a month!) here at Tintern with activities and special guests spanning several weeks in May for students from the ELC – Year 12.

Last week students arrived at School to the beautiful sound of the didgeridoo calling across the campus as the cockatoos joined in. Playing the didgeridoo was Koobaroo, Murrundindi’s grandson, and just a week earlier Murrundindi had joined us for the annual Secondary School Cathedral Service at St Paul’s.

Earlier in May, Pallyan, Murrundindi’s son, joined us for the day and he shared with secondary students his reconciliation journey and the challenges he has faced.

Over the past few weeks as a community we have shared indigenous food prepared by our café, made badges, incorporated indigenous aspects into our lessons, watched the documentary Off Country and participated in many activities of engagement, respect and seeking understanding as continue our journey of Reconciliation.

Rev Alison Andrew | Reconciliation Action Coordinator

ELC News

Superhero Disco

On Friday 24 May we held a Superhero Disco which was a fun afternoon to bring our families together to connect and create a sense of belonging. Students were invited to dress up as superheroes and bring along their ‘hero’, who could be their mother, father, aunty, uncle, sibling or a family friend.

We were lucky to have Bop Till You Drop come along to the Disco and play some of our favourite songs. They organised dancing games and some of the students had a turn at karaoke, singing Disney’s Let it go and Katy Perry’s Roar.

The students and their families had so much fun dancing the afternoon away and eating yummy treats. This year the money raised was donated to Hero for Heart Kids, who support Australian families affected by Congenital Heart Disease (CHD). The types of assistance Hero for Heart Kids provide for CHD families include:

• In-hospital and family support programs.
• Camps for children and young people living with CHD.
• Education and peer support programs to help families navigate the lifelong journey of the disease.

A big thank you to all our ELC families for your support of this great event, together we raised $605.00 to donate to Hero for Heart Kids.

Kristin De Vos | Head of ELC

Girls’ Junior School News

Perceptual Motor Program

Our Prep – Year 2 girls have been developing their running, jumping, rolling, balancing, throwing and catching skills. The Perceptual Motor Program (PMP) has allowed them to work in small groups to complete a variety of stations to improve their motor skills including balancing beams, rolling wedges, rebound net and beanbag throwing and catching, speed ladders, launchpads, skipping, hopscotch, climbing walls and trampoline jumping. These skills help students to develop their motor skills to play modified sports, with soccer being our first this term.

In Physical Education this term, the Years 3 – 6 girls have been developing their basketball skills. Students have been working on keeping control when dribbling, moving into space, strong chest, shoulder and bounce passing, and the accuracy and form of their shooting.

These skills are being developed to play games of basketball, and to build the confidence of the students as we begin our lead into the annual Hooptime Tournament and House Basketball Day in Term 3.

 Following on from the ‘EPIC!’ theme in the Girls’ Junior School, it has been fantastic to see so many students interested in trialing for the Hooptime Tournament, feeling empowered and confident to take part with the encouragement of their classmates and teachers around them.

Mathematics 

We are great thinkers and mathematicians in Year 1A, and below are some of the different concepts we have been learning about during Term 2.

For addition and subtraction, students used two dice and the girls had to roll the dice and use the two numbers to create addition equations and then switch to subtraction equations. Students learnt to use the larger number first, but also know that when completing addition, they can also use the smaller number first. Like a balanced seesaw, students also learnt that the equals sign means the same on both sides.

Students have also explored measurement using non-uniform tools to measure. The girls used counters to find out how long they were, or coins to measure the length of the table or counters to measure the length of a book. When using non-uniform tools, we know that to be consistent means we need to keep using the same tool.

Another concept has been Money. Students have identified the different notes and coins in Australian currency and have worked out that even though some coins are larger than others, that does not mean that they are worth more. For example, the $2 coin is the highest in value of all the coins but one of the smallest in size. The girls learned a great tip from Ms Price – there are five kangaroos on the $1 coin, and you need five 20c coins to make $1. Students also learnt that you can use different combinations of coins to make certain amounts. Another interesting fact students learnt from Ms Price is that the two animals on our Coat of Arms on the 50c piece, are the kangaroo and the emu and that neither animal can walk backwards!

Students are now focusing on the concept of data collection and representation. Students chose a question to gather as much information as they could – naming all the chocolate bars – and then voted on their favourites! They gathered the data in a tally and then eliminated the ones with the least votes to get the Top Four, representing the data in a bar graph to discover that the favourite chocolate in Year 1A is a Kinder Surprise!

Miranda Price |Year 1A Class Teacher

Seed Germination Study

This term, Year 4 girls have embarked on an in-depth scientific exploration of seed germination and the life cycle of a seed. The young scientists began by reflecting on their existing knowledge and identifying key questions they wished to investigate. The classroom transformed into a laboratory as students planted Broad Bean and Dwarf Bean seeds to study the optimal conditions for seed growth. Various experiments were conducted to observe the effects of different variables, such as sunlight, water, oxygen, and the type of growing medium (soil vs. paper towel).

The girls documented their findings in seed journals, noting each stage of germination. They observed that soaked seeds split open to reveal roots emerging from the seed scar (hilum). These roots, initially white, grew downward due to gravity, developing fine root hairs within two weeks to enhance water absorption. The seeds also sprouted green shoots, which grew upward towards the light, with the first leaves already formed inside the seed. This crucial stage marked the transition to a seedling, ready for potting into soil. To deepen their understanding, the students dissected soaked seeds, examining their internal structures, and regularly measured seedling growth in millimetres and centimetres, integrating real life mathematics into their observations.

Digital technology played an important role in this project. The girls photographed each growth stage, aiming to compile their findings into a digital book using the Book Creator app. This book will not only showcase their experiments but also include research on questions that could not be explored hands-on in the classroom. To support their learning, a word wall featuring relevant scientific terms, including ‘photosynthesis’, was created to enhance their vocabulary and spelling skills. This term’s inquiry has provided Year 4 girls with a comprehensive understanding of plant biology, blending scientific inquiry with practical experimentation, technology, mathematical and literacy skills.

Simone Draper | Year 4 Girls Junior School Teacher

Language 

Bonjour à tous!  As we wrap up another term in the Junior School, it’s time to reflect on the wonderful journey our students have had in learning the French language.  From exploring nationality in our class to discussing weather patterns, our students have delved into a wide range of topics, expanding their vocabulary and cultural knowledge along the way.  We learn the language through singing, education apps like Kahoot and Blooket, watching short videos and games.

Year 3: Introduction to French and family members

Our students embarked on their French learning with an introduction to basic greetings, numbers (1-20) and classroom phrases.  As they progressed, they explored the theme of family, learning vocabulary related to family members and describing their own families.  Through interactive activities and games, they learned to say how many family members they have and who their family consists of.

Year 4: French Revolution and weather

Students continued their French learning by exploring the topic of French Revolution.  They learned about the reasons of the overthrowing of the King Louis XVI and Marie-Antionette of France and how they were guillotined in the late 1800s.   Additionally, they explored weather expressions, enabling them to describe various weather conditions in French.  From ‘Il fait beau’ to ‘Il pleut.’, the students learned all these phrases with enthusiasm.

Year 5: Extended family, clothing and money

Our students expanded their vocabulary for extended family members such as uncle (l’oncle), aunt (la tante), male cousin (le cousin), female cousin (la cousine), stepmother (la belle-mere), stepfather (le beau-pere).  We also learned some grammar on the verb to have (avoir) and possessive adjectives of my (mon, ma, mes).  We moved onto learning of French currency, Euro, and explored the reasons of changing from French Francs to Euros.  We also learned about clothing vocabulary.  By the end of the term, the students worked in pairs creating a dialogue between a shopkeeper and a customer where they presented in front of the class.

Year 6: Nationality, daily routine and time

Students delved into more advanced topics of nationality, daily routines and telling time.  They learned how to say different nationality with the two genders, they learned how to say where they come from and also revised on the grammar of the verb to be (etre).  Students created a dialogue of two strangers meeting and introduced themselves and mentioned their nationality, they presented their creation in front of the class.  Following this topic, they learned how to tell time in French and discussed their daily routines from waking up to going to bed.  Students wrote the time and the routine of their day.

As we celebrate the achievements of the students this semester, I’d like to thank the students for their enthusiasm and willingness to be open-minded in learning French and the culture.

Looking forward to the next semester of more discoveries and learning!

Allison Prandolini | Head of Girls’ Junior School

Boys’ Junior School News

Canberra Experience

Our Year 6 girls’ and boys’ classes went to Canberra on Tuesday 4 June for four amazing exploring the many attractions of our amazing Capital. Complementing their classroom inquiry into Government and Democracy, the Canberra Experience Camp is always a rewarding and enriching program, with our girls and boys visiting places including The Governor’s Residence, Parliament House and the War Memorial.

There were many highlights of the Camp, ranging Parliament House and having our local Member for Deakin Michael Sukkar taking time to come and greet us all, being shown around the Governor-General’s residence and visiting Questacon. It was a fantastic few days watching our students look out for and after each other, developing new friendships and asking lots of questions to enhance their learning.

Heritage Trail

On Thursday 6 June our Year 1 boys were excited and most grateful, to be led on a ‘Heritage Trail’ by Life Governor and past student Lynne Franke. Our boys gained a strong appreciation of the rich history of Tintern Grammar as part of their Now and Then Inquiry learning. The boys also visited the former Southwood Boys’ Grammar Campus in Maidstone Street Ringwood for a tour of where it all began before our Parallel Learning model.

Business Expo

On Wednesday 12 June our Year 5s presented their Business Expo to the Community. Working in pairs, students have spent the term developing, analysing, advertising, and preparing a small business, and our Junior School community visited the businesses at the special Expo. After the Expo, students will reflect on the success of their endeavours via feedback forms and their profit and loss statements.

First Aid

On Thursday 13 June all girls and boys Junior School classes will attend First Aid Courses run by St Johns,

Big Freeze

On Friday 14 June we look forward to the Junior School Big Freeze! We are delighted to once again support FightMND while having fun ‘cooling down some of our hot-headed Junior School staff!’ 😊

Adam Kenny | Head of Boys’ Junior School

Secondary News

Winter is upon us and the recent chill in the air has given us a glimpse of the cold months ahead. Having said that, the days throughout May and early June have been full of sunshine despite the cool start to the day, and the autumnal colours of the trees on our school campus look amazing when the sun is shining.

In recent weeks the School has been bustling with activities across all year levels. Our Year 9 students were on the first (of three) camps for the year to the Great Ocean Walk, as part of their ongoing development through the camps program where the idea of ‘journeying’ begins. The development of their experiences in their first two years of secondary school leads to what they do in Year 9 along the Great Ocean Walk. On this trip our students are fully self-sustaining and independent throughout the hike. They carry their own clothing, food and equipment, and in small groups of approximately 12, hike along the coastline. By the completion of the hike, some groups will have walked upwards of 45 kilometres, with all groups gaining a real sense of fulfilment from their journey.

A big part of our School is the celebration of our diversity and the amazing culture that we have.  Our Festival of Cultures week ran in the week beginning Monday 13 May and provided our secondary students and staff with an opportunity to understand the many diverse cultures that we have in our School community and to hear about some of the challenges faced by certain groups. A hugely popular event in the week is the cultural food activity where students enjoyed the flavours of many wonderful foods from different countries around the world, including indigenous food from our local area. Students also raised much needed funds for the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre.

On Saturday 11 May we held our annual Open Morning. We had so many wonderful student volunteers who assisted with tours around the School, who assisted with different faculty set ups, or to played music on the stage. We are so grateful for our wonderful students who continually demonstrate fantastic commitment to the School, and for that I say thank you. Read the Open Day article 

Our annual Cathedral Service held at St Paul’s Cathedral in Melbourne is a private service for the Tintern school community, and all secondary school students and staff are bussed into the city for this auspicious occasion.  As always, it was such a moving service that included music from our ensembles, singing from our choirs as well as some solos, and we were fortunate to listen to a reflection from Major Brendan Nottle, Commanding Officer of the Salvation Army Melbourne. His remarks remind me of how grateful I am to belong to a community like ours. One where we care for, look out for, and after each other.  Read the article 

There has been so many fantastic opportunities throughout this term including the VCE Careers Expo, Cows in Schools, Melbourne University Maths Competition, Athletics Carnivals, Year 7 Performing Arts Night, Big Science Competition, and many more.  

As the end of term draws closer, students in Years 9 – 11 will sit their Semester 1 examinations, putting into place strategies and techniques that they will refine by the time they are completing Units 3-4 examinations.

Public Speaking Finalists  

We are thrilled to share with the Tintern community, the outstanding success of our Middle School Public Speakers. Tintern had five entrants in the Junior category of the DAV Public Speaking competition and one in the Intermediate category.

Public speaking is an important skill to develop and our students took on the challenge with 3 earning a place in the final held last week (against schools across Victoria), Year 7 student Mirelle Cossens and Year 8 students Senudhi Kariyawasam and Weylen Truong.  Along with Year 9 student Saketh Rao they all delivered persuasive five-minute speeches and also an impromptu speech, in the challenging online format of the competition.
We congratulate Mirelle who was awarded runner up in the competition. ⭐🎤⭐

Year 9 students Saketh Rao and Himandee Jayaratne also competed in Rostrum Voice of Youth Junior both further refining their public speaking skills. 

DAV

Tintern Grammar is a host school for The Debaters Association Victoria (DAV) competition and is proud to support students learning the valuable skills of debating.

The DAV competition is the largest English-language debating competition in the world with over 250 schools competing.

From March to August each year, Tintern hosts the Ringwood region competition with our students competing and refining their debating skills against other schools in the region.

Tintern Grammar has six teams in the competition: two B grade teams, one C grade and three D grade teams.

Three rounds of DAV debating have already been completed, and the fourth round is this week, and our teams are once again having a successful debating season. Results for this season so far are:

B grade

Tintern 1: 2 wins and 1 loss

Tintern 2: 2 wins and 1 loss

C grade

Tintern 1: 1 win and 2 losses

D grade

Tintern 1: 3 wins

Tintern 2: 1 win and 2 losses

Tintern 3: 1 win and 2 losses

With many of these losses being by the slightest of margins (1 point), the outcome of the season for these teams is still undecided.

The last round for the season is on Monday 24 July, and we hope to have teams progress through to the finals – we’ll keep you updated!

Brett Trollope | Head of Secondary 

Cut Out Youth Homelessness

The Lighthouse Foundation program ‘Cut Out Youth Homelessness’ launched on Wednesday 29 May in the Middle School and Senior College.

80 life-size cut-outs are on display at Tintern to represent the number of homeless youth in the City of Maroondah, encouraging our students to think about, and fundraise for people in their local area who are doing it tough.

We aim to raise $1000, and as each donation milestone of our target is reached, cut-outs are removed from the display to represent the lives changed. Donate now

The ‘best’ drink tap at Tintern

On Tuesday 14 May Akira, Joel and Henry wanted to conduct a thorough report on which drink taps in Tintern Grammar are the overall best. The research was conducted with three criteria in mind:

• Drinkability (the flow of the water, for this to be 10/10, there needed to be enough pressure to get the water a suitable distance from the drink tap, but not too far that it would shoot out of the basin)
• Temperature (it had to be cold enough to be refreshing but not too cold that you couldn’t have much water without getting brain freeze!)
• Splash (for this to be 10/10 it needed to have no splash from the water hitting the basin).

The first drink tap tested was in the Boys’ Middle School and this drink tap had an overall rating of 6/10. The water temperature was very pleasing, but the flow of the water barely propelled the water past the cap on the tap, and there was little to no splash!

The second drink tap tested was in the Girls’ Middle School and this tap had an overall rating of 7/10. There was a very pleasing flow, the only downside was that there was a very extreme splash when using the water bottle tap, and the temperature was pleasing but not optimal.

The third tap tested was the canteen drink tap, and it had an overall rating of 6.5/10. The flow was very slow which pulled down the rating, the temperature was extremely cold (the coldest out of all the drink taps tested), but the biggest problem was the splash when using the drink bottle tap.

The next tap tested was the drink tap outside of the greenhouse and L005 Science Building.  The flow was minimal and there was a large splash, the temperature was quite warm and not refreshing (for anyone!) giving this an overall rating of 6.3/10.

The fifth tap was the Sports Centre tap.  This tap is very cold, and the flow is minimal, the drink bottle tap splashes a lot when pressed hard, making it an overall rating of a 8.5/10.

The second last tap is located at the Pavilion on the bottom oval, and this tap has the perfect flow and the best temperature. The only factor that brought the rating down is that when the button is pressed down hard, the water gets thrown out of the basin causing the rating to be taken down to a 9/10.

The last tap to be tested is the tap in between the two ovals in front of the Middle School. The tap had a rating of 6/10 as the flow was minimal, the temperature was quite warm, there was no splash because of the slow-flow and the water did not taste refreshing. 

In conclusion, the highest rated drink tap is the one located at the Pavilion as it had very good flow, the temperature was optimal, and the splash was very low! So, if you’re needing a drink of water, the Pavilion drink tap is the best tap to quench your thirst.

Written By: Henry

Research by Year 8 students: Joel Beard, Henry Brand and Akira Dinges

Note: For the criteria of temperature there was no optimal temperature – it was based on personal preference between Joel, Henry, and Akira. 😊

Giving Day

In 2023 we were humbled by the Tintern community, to witness the depth of generosity on our first ever Giving Day. Together we raised more than $100,000 within 24 hours. Put simply, this equates to eight Scholarships for one year; meaning that eight young people, who would not have had the opportunity otherwise, have received the gift of a Tintern education.

 On Wednesday 19 June 2024, we are excited to announce our second Giving Day.

This day presents us with a unique opportunity to unite as a community and reaffirm our commitment to care for our students and our community. This year, we’re hoping to support even more young people through Scholarships, and we’re aiming to raise even more money for Scholarships to Tintern.

Join us in supporting our Building Futures Together 24-hour Giving Day. 

Your donation will be doubled on Giving Day 19 June, thanks to the generous support of our matching doners. Donations can be made on our secure online Giving Day 2024 site.

Donate  &  follow our progress  

You can participate in Giving Day in many ways:

Recycle to fundraise

Our community is working together to raise money for Giving Day 2024. We are collecting drink containers with the 10c logo to be cashed in and donated to Giving Day. Everyone can make a difference. We have collected lots of drink containers already, remember to bring in yours and place in the collection bins. To find out more about Giving Day 

Add $1 donation to your canteen purchase

On Wednesday 19 June staff and students will have the option to add a $1.00 donation to their canteen purchase. All donations will be doubled on the day by our matching donors and included in the grand total for Scholarships

Music at lunchtime

Some of our very talented music students will be performing in the music village during lunch on Giving Day come and support their performances.

Build a coin trail

ELC are hosting a coin trail to support our Scholarship Giving Day and invite all families to drop off a coin or two when dropping off or collecting their students.

Scholarships

We are proud to offer Scholarship opportunities to young people who might not otherwise be able to attend Tintern. A Scholarship to Tintern provides the student with a breadth and depth to their education, opens up diverse and challenging opportunities as well as developing their leadership within the Tintern community. Find out more about Tintern Grammar Scholarships.

Scholarship applications open on 1 July 2024

Open Morning

On Saturday 11 May we held our annual Open Morning, which is a great opportunity for prospective families to come and explore about beautiful campus, to meet with current students and staff and to find out about the wealth of programs and opportunities on offer. The morning was a huge success with over 900 visitors attending, listening to and seeing our amazing musical program in full swing, hearing from Mr Fry about the ethos of our School, and taking a tour of the campus and our incredible farm!  The day was an overwhelming success thanks to our student representatives. We were inundated with wonderful student volunteers to assist with tours around the School, to assist with different faculty set ups, or to play music on the stage. We are so grateful for our wonderful students who continually demonstrate fantastic commitment to the School, and for that we say thank you.

Community Matters

It’s been a very big Term 2 with lots of activities and events to get the community together and it’s not over yet!  Coming up next week is our second Giving Day and we’re asking everyone to be involved and donate – either money or your time or both! You can read all about it in the update below.

As we look towards the second half of the year, there’s more exciting community events coming up that will bring us all together to be entertained and have fun including:

• Trivia Night: Saturday 20 July
• Jazz Night: Saturday 31 August
• Presentation Ball: Saturday 14 September

These events offer wonderful opportunities for us to celebrate, connect, and support one another, further details below.

Seeking Volunteers for Giving Day

Last year’s inaugural Giving Day was a huge success, raising over $100,000 thanks to our generous community and pre-pledged matchers! This incredible effort funded eight scholarships for one year, enabling eight young people, who otherwise would not have had the opportunity, to receive a Tintern education.

Our second Giving Day is on Wednesday 19 June, and we aim to raise even more for the Scholarship Fund, providing more opportunities for students who would not normally be able to attend Tintern.

As a valued community member, you can contribute through donations, supporting student activities, or volunteering an hour (or two!) in the Giving Day Operations Room.

We’re seeking enthusiastic volunteers to assist with phone calls on Wednesday 19 (9.30am-8.00pm) and Thursday 20 June (8.30am-10.30am). Please Sign up here. Treats provided! 😊

Our Giving Day will feature activities across the School to boost awareness and donations and once again all donations in the 24-hour period will be doubled!

Your support, whether monetary or in-kind (or both!), is greatly appreciated and will help us Build Futures Together.

TPG Trivia Night

The TPG Trivia Night is back on Saturday 20 July 2024. Don’t miss this fun night out with friends. This year’s theme is Totally Disco, so get ready to have some fun. Whether you go with a touch of disco or decide to go all out with a 70s groove/Studio 54 style outfit, it’s all about getting together, having fun and helping the TPG fundraise for the benefit of our School community. Please note this is an adult only, student-free event. Book now.

Community Committee dates 

Meetings coming up:

• Friends of Music (FOM) next meeting: Wednesday 17 July at 7.00pm  
  CM Wood Common Room
• Tintern Parent Group (TPG) next meeting: Thursday 13 June at 7.00pm  
  on Zoom 

Tintern Parents Group (TPG)

There are so many ways to get involved with the TPG with multiple events and opportunities to participate in throughout the year. 

All are welcome at TPG meetings and we look forward to meeting you. If you are interested in more information, or would like a new membership form, please email us.

Open Morning – Thank you to our volunteers

A heartfelt thank you to all our amazing volunteers who joined us on Saturday 11 May. Your dedication and hard work in cooking 1000 sausages and welcoming families to our beautiful School made the day very special. It was such a joy to catch up with everyone and share the latest happenings in our wonderful community. Read about Open Morning

Parent Representatives 2024

Parent Representatives liaise between parents/guardians and the School and inform parents about activities planned either by Tintern Grammar, our community groups or within the class or year level, such as social gatherings, fundraisers or events.

If you are interested in being a Parent Representative, please email Community Relations or call 9845 7877

Presentation Ball: Saturday 14 September 2024

We are excited to announce that we have received nearly 60 registrations for our 2024 Presentation Ball! This extra-curricular activity, offered to our Year 11 students by the Tintern Parent Group, is all about having fun while learning etiquette in a more formal environment. The Presentation Ball provides an opportunity for students to establish and develop friendships, expand their social circles, and engage in learning outside their comfort zone. Participants will learn different dances and the behaviours expected in formal settings, all while enjoying themselves.

In preparation for the Ball, students commit to eight weeks of dance classes held after school each Thursday in Term 3. These sessions help build their confidence and resilience while ensuring they are well-prepared for the event.

Students dress in their finest attire, building confidence, resilience, and friendships through this great experience. The Ball is organised by dedicated parent volunteers with the support of the school, and we are always looking for more volunteers to help make this wonderful event a success.

The Presentation Ball will be held on Saturday 14 September at the beautiful Art Deco venue, The Ivanhoe Centre. If you would like to get involved, please contact TPG

Friends of Equestrian

A huge thank you to all the volunteers and sponsors who made the annual Tintern Grammar Victorian Interschools Horse Trials Championship 2024 at Shirley Heights Equestrian Centre, Gladysdale, a resounding success. Without the support of our dedicated FOE volunteers and generous sponsors, this event would not have been possible.

Volunteers

Cherie Baines

Michelle Clinton-Brent

Nathasha Gillam

Pip Hodson     

Kevin Jones

Emma Leonard

Mary-Anne Lowe

Kate McPherson

Dianne Price

Judy Rodsted-Wood   

Allison Savage

Sherie Vicary-Carter

Sponsors

Bramleigh Estate       

Brandt Cavalli Park    

Equine Nutrition Centre        

FT Gully Nissan           

Grain and Mane

Haileybury Pangea Online School
Hairy Pony      

Hay Direct

Horseland Lilydale
Hurstbridge Saddlery

Hy Gain Feeding

JNK Collection

KayBee Earthmoving  

LG Photography          

Lysterfield Landscape

Morgans Winery and Distillery

Off the Track
Rider Video

Rowville Horsetrailers
Shirley Heights Equestrian Centre

Slumber Trek

South Eastern Equine Hospital

The NRG Team

Wyronga Park

Yarrambat Horsewear

Reunions 

Class of 2014, 10 Year Reunion, Saturday 17 February. See photos

Golden High Tea, Tuesday 5 March. See photos

Upcoming Reunions

TPG wet bags

Tintern wet bags are an initiative from the Tintern Parent Group and are versatile for a range of uses from swimming to camps. Simply roll down the top closure and close the snap lock for a waterproof seal.
Made from robust laminated nylon grid cloth, with heat-sealed waterproof seams.

You can purchase wet bags here. 

Once the bags have been purchased, they can be collected from the Uniform Shop during normal Uniform Shop open hours. Upon payment, please take the order confirmation to the Uniform Shop to collect your bags. 

The Uniform Shop is open Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays during term time from 8.00am to 4.15pm. 

Rain approaching don’t forget the TPG Tintern Grammar branded umbrellas 

Purchased from an Australian owned company, and constructed with high-quality components, these beautifully branded umbrellas will withstand harsh conditions.

You can choose from a large golf-style umbrella or a compact, lightweight folding umbrella and purchase online here. Upon payment, please take the order confirmation to the Uniform Shop to collect your umbrella. 

The Uniform Shop is open Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays during term time from 8.00am to 4.15pm. 

If you would like to contribute to Community Matters, email your submissions to Community Relations and we will incorporate your news wherever possible.