Welcome

At Tintern, community is at the heart of everything we do. In recent weeks, our school has been alive with events that highlight the many ways students, staff, and families come together to learn, grow, and connect.

The TPG Trivia Night was a wonderful chance for parents and staff to share an evening of laughter and friendly competition. We also welcomed child psychologist Emma-Rose Parsons, who spoke with ELC parents about building resilience, problem-solving skills, and confidence in young people and shared practical strategies that families can use at home.

Our students, too, have been embracing opportunities to challenge themselves. The Year 8 Smoothie Bar gave students a ‘taste’ of entrepreneurial thinking through creativity, teamwork, and risk-taking. Year 9 students also pushed their limits on Winter Camp, developing resilience, confidence, and independence while supporting one another through the challenges of cross-country skiing, mountain biking and rafting. At the same time, senior students have been helping to shape our updated mobile phone and device policies, ensuring their voices are heard in decisions that matter.

These examples, and many more, from Science Week, to 100 days of Prep, the Annual Music Concert, and even ELC visits to the construction site of the VCE Centre building, show how Every moment matters at Tintern. Whether it’s parents connecting at school events, students testing themselves in new environments, or families sharing in the journey, there are countless ways to get involved, explore, and grow together.

Oriana Constable

Assistant Principal

ELC News

The magic of play dough

Play dough is one of those timeless favourites that children just seem to love – and for good reason! It’s not only fun and engaging, but it also offers endless opportunities for learning, creativity and development. Whether students are rolling out a snake, making pretend cupcakes, or just enjoying the feel of it in their hands, play dough has a special place in early childhood. There are so many benefits of play dough, and that is why it’s an integral part of our daily program.

Play dough is a wonderful sensory and learning experience for children being a never-ending tactile learning experience for all children. When given play dough, children are instinctively motivated to explore its soft and responsive sensory qualities. They squeeze it, poke it, squash it, pick it up and pat it down. The dough responds to each of their actions, and the child is learning that their actions have consequences.

Working and moulding play dough with their hands helps develop large and small muscles, supports arm movements, and aids hand-eye coordination. It also helps improve fine motor skills, which are so important for everyday tasks and pre-writing development. Children need to build strength in their finger muscles before they learn to write, and play dough is one of the best ways to support this. They mould, flatten, squish, pinch, break and roll the dough. To take it even further, we add tools like plastic knives, rolling pins, and cookie cutters – plus fun extras like beads, googly eyes, paddle pop sticks, toy animals, nature treasures, buttons or shells to inspire their creations.

Making play dough with children also opens up wonderful learning opportunities. They explore measuring, mixing, experimenting, predicting, and watching a gooey mix turn into soft, stretchy dough. It’s a hands-on way to introduce maths concepts like size, shape, space, and weight, while also encouraging imagination and creativity.

Play dough supports language and communication. As children chat about what they’re creating, they build vocabulary and express ideas. Educators gently guide the conversation with questions like ‘What do you see?’, ‘What makes you say that?’, or ‘What will you do next?’ These interactions help children learn to think, describe and imagine – skills that prepare them for both school and life.

It also encourages social skills and cooperation. Whether they’re making a pizza together or building separate creatures side by side, play dough gives children a chance to share ideas, take turns and play together. Best of all, there’s no right or wrong way to use play dough. It’s open-ended, creative and fun – whether it’s turning into food, animals, faces or just blobs!

Children work their stress out through their hands, so play dough is a useful way to help children release stress. It helps build self-esteem, gives a safe outlet for emotions, and is often one of the first places children head to at the start of the day – a familiar, calming place to settle in and begin.

So next time you see your child happily squishing and shaping play dough, know they’re not just having fun – they’re learning, growing, and calming their little bodies and minds, all at the same time.          

Kristin De Vos
Head of Early Learning

Girls’ Junior School

Year 1A TwistED Science

What an exciting adventure we had at TwistED Science! The Year 1 girls explored contact and non-contact forces, discovering how pushes and pulls make things move, and how magnets can attract or repel like magic. Meeting Vinny the Van de Graaff generator was a highlight—there were plenty of giggles as hair stood on end! The girls made hypotheses, tested ideas, and learned how scientists work. This linked perfectly to our Inquiry Unit on Push and Pull, where we’ve been exploring friction and designing simple machines that can help to make life easier.

Michelle Gluskie                                  
Girls’ Junior School Year 1 Classroom Teacher

Curriculum matters

NAPLAN Results

We recently received NAPLAN results for our current Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 cohorts. Individual results have been mailed out to families.

Our students’ results again have been of an exceptionally high standard, with all median results above and more often well above state and national standards. Of the four proficiency standards, most of our students fell into the upper two bands of Strong and Exceeding across all domains.

We are celebrating the fact that 55 of our Year 9 students were awarded Certificates of Achievement by VCAA this year. These acknowledge students who have excelled into the Exceeding Band for either Reading or Numeracy (or both) in the recent NAPLAN tests. 29 of those 55 students received certificates in both domains. This is a testament to both their learning in our Junior Schools, in many instances, and the fine teaching and learning taking place in our English, Maths and broader classes in Middle School.

Your child’s NAPLAN results are a snapshot of their progress at a given point in time and all individual NAPLAN test results should be considered alongside broader school-based assessments, which provide a more detailed picture of the whole child and their progress across many streams.

VCE Subject Selection Showcase, Monday 11 August

Our VCE Subject Showcase Evening for Years 9 and 10 students took place on Monday 11 August. Subject selection for our Years 7-11 students is an online process and will close next Monday 18 August.

Parents are reminded that it is not possible to meet all student preferences during the subject allocation process, due to the constraints of timetabling and blocking based on an overview of all students’ choices.

Secondary Student Progress Meetings

Afternoon Student Progress Meetings will be  on-campus at school between 4.00pm – 8.00pm on Wednesday 3 September, followed online sessions from 4.00pm – 8.00pm on Monday 8 September.

There will then be a full day of Secondary Student Progress Meetings online on Tuesday 9 September from 9.00am to 4.00pm. Secondary students will not attend school on this day but will, instead, be expected to complete non-contact asynchronous work at home left for them on the portal by their subject teachers that day. Students are expected to take a break from their work and log in to these Teams meetings with their parents.

Further information regarding the booking arrangements for these events will be forthcoming in the near future and bookings for Progress Meetings will open on Wednesday 27 August. The teachers look forward to meeting with both students and parents to discuss your child’s progress.

Alison Bezaire
Director of Studies

Sport news

House Cross Country – Tuesday 5 August

On Tuesday 5 August, Tintern Grammar held the annual House Cross Country Carnival. Students from Years 7-12 gathered on the oval under clear winter skies, ready to test their endurance, determination, and House spirit.

The course, weaving through the school grounds, including the farm, challenged runners with both fast straights and steep inclines. From the starting whistle, competitors pushed themselves to find the right pace, cheered on by enthusiastic classmates and staff lining the track.

Participation was outstanding, with every House fielding strong teams across all age groups. Some runners surged ahead early, while others paced themselves for a strategic finish. The spirit of the event shone through in the encouragement shared between competitors — whether sprinting for first place or jogging to the line, everyone’s effort counted towards valuable House points.

Special thanks go to the staff, student helpers and tomato timing for ensuring the day ran smoothly. More than just a race, House Cross Country was a celebration of fitness, resilience, and community spirit. Congratulations to all who participated — you’ve done your Houses proud!

Overall Results were:

Lowest Score Wins

House Athletics

The Junior School House Athletics Carnival was a fantastic day filled with energy, determination, and team spirit. Students competed in a range of events, including sprints, relays, long jump, high jump, discus and shot put, showcasing their skills and enthusiasm. The cheering from the sidelines created an electric atmosphere, with students and families proudly supporting their House. Every student gave their best, demonstrating great sportsperson ship and encouragement towards others. At the end of an exciting day, Mansfield McKie emerged as the overall winning House, celebrating their victory. Congratulations to all participants for making the Carnival such a memorable and successful event.

Ash Viney
Head of Sport

STEAM

Science Week and STEAM Thinking

In STEAM, Prep-Year 6 have been investigating the 2025 Science Week theme, decoding the universe. What does it mean to you? In STEAM classes, we workshopped that decoding means unravelling, unlocking patterns, codes and secrets of the universe. Asking each other, is there an algorithmic order in the universe? Why do we see repeating patterns?

We talked about patterns as a language communicated through patterning, such as, animal sound patterns, footprints, animal coverings as well as, repeating patterns in nature such as, spirals and cleaving as seen in roots, trees, veins, lightning, cracks (we then worked through these ideas as underpinned by the Fibonacci sequence, the Golden Mean/Ratio and, fractals). We conducted scientific inquiries and experiments to test some of these concepts. We asked, why are our results (possibly) different from our predictions? We looked at artworks and found the Fibonacci sequence/Golden Mean in a number of important artworks.

We then asked – what makes good design? We wondered, is good design inherent, subconscious or deliberate, following the rule? Building on this thinking, we expanded the idea of patterns to include ‘patterns of action’ such as, to name a few, lifecycles, day/night, moon phases, planet orbits, forces – if /then – and slow or fast weather events. And then we posed – if the universe has patterning, if events have a pattern, can we make predictions once we understand these patterns? Is this what decoding the universe means? What does this mean for society/ the environment/humankind?

To build on our thinking, students had a number of additional, very exciting opportunities this term. First, students were invited to participate in science challenges in the library most days in Science Week. Second, classes were offered to join in online incursions with scientists at the Australian Space Agency and provider Scitech to participate in live workshops for four sessions, covering topics such as: Space, physics, chemistry and biology, around the theme of ‘Mission to Mars’.

Third, extending this collaboration with the Australian Space Agency, Year 4 Tintern students have been enrolled to be part of their Mission to Mars project (with other schools across Australia) to be part of a build challenge to design a Mars rover and submit prototypes to the Agency which can be launched 2.5 metres with a G-forces of three or less.  Part of this engineering design challenge involves repeated testing/design changes of these prototypes using specialised technological sensors and specific coding to meet the design brief. The technology to be able to test G-forces of our built designs is exciting. It is the plan, at this stage, for Year 6 students to also use these microbit sensors/coding technology next term as part of their flight unit to test the forces of their model aeroplanes (and, please be reassured, of course, all students will be able to access this technology learning, in time).

We are right at the beginning of our Tintern Mars Rover Challenge. Please stay tuned for photographs of the prototypes and videos of the launch testing day!

Yes, it is not lost on me my name is Mrs Mars conducting a Mars Rover Challenge with the Australian Space Agency!

Emily Mars

STEAM

Music matters

Annual Music Rehearsal Weekend

Over the final weekend in July, our music students and staff gathered for Rehearsal Weekend. Across three action packed days, the Intermediate, Concert, and Senior Girls’ Chamber Choirs worked tirelessly alongside instrumentalists from the Senior Stage Band, Concert Band, Scrolls String Orchestra, Wind Symphony, Chamber Orchestra, and Symphony Orchestra, all preparing for the Annual Concert held on Friday 8 August.

While rehearsals were at the heart of the weekend, there was no shortage of fun. We enjoyed singing and dancing along to some karaoke, got creative making 10×10 music-themed art pieces led by Ms Waud, and were treated to a talent filled performance of Peter and the Wolf by the Chamber Orchestra, and narrated by Performing Arts Captain Isabella Di Felice.

The weekend was a perfect blend of hard work, laughter and beautiful music, an experience which strengthened our ensembles and created lasting memories. A heartfelt thank you goes out to our music staff and the Friends of Music for their support to ensure this event ran so smoothly.

Tammy Lerk
Choral Captain 2025

Annual Music Concert

Our Annual Music Concert provided a feast of wonderful musical performances to a large and appreciative audience on Friday 8 August.

Peter and the Wolf entertains our Years 3-6 students

After their initial performance to our weekend ‘campers’ on Sunday 27 July, the Chamber Orchestra reconvened to perform ’Peter and the Wolf‘ for an appreciative younger audience on Friday 1 August. This work presented many technical and musical challenges and, under the careful guidance of our Head of Strings, Mr Veldman, our student musicians mastered the challenging score, giving a resoundingly satisfying rendition of this beloved and classic work.

Year 6 musicians mentored by Middle School band members

Our Concert Band members performed for our Year 6 Wind Band and then combined with them for a fun workshop together on Friday 25 July. It was great to see the Middle School students mingling with the younger musicians, sharing their skills and helping them to improve their technical fluency.

SAVE THE DATE: Saturday 6 September

Our jazz musicians and senior choristers will once again grace the CM Wood stage alongside Paul Williamson’s wonderful dance band to entertain the masses at the Annual Friends of Music Jazz Night.

Pop the date in your diary so you don’t miss out: Saturday 6 September, 7.00pm – 11.00pm

Alison Bezaire
Director of Music

Wellbeing matters

Helping teens thrive – three simple habits to boost wellbeing

As teens navigate the pressures of secondary school, small daily habits can make a big difference to their overall wellbeing.

Move – physical activity releases endorphins that boost mood, brain function, self-esteem, and sleep. Encourage your child to stay active through brisk walking, dancing, team sports, or other enjoyable movement to reduce stress and create a healthy routine.

Power down – excessive screen time can raise anxiety and disturb sleep. Support your teen in switching off devices at least 30 minutes before bed. Try phone-free meals or walks to build stronger connections with family, friends, and nature.

Appreciate – practising gratitude helps build emotional resilience and supports mental health. Encourage your teen to reflect regularly on what they’re thankful for to develop a more positive mindset and stronger relationships.

These simple habits can help your teen face school and life with greater balance and confidence.

Ewa Oaten
Director of Student Wellbeing and Counselling
Counsellor for Middle School Students (Years 7, 8 and 9)

Giving Day

The Spirit of Giving at Tintern

As Tintern approaches its third Giving Day, I am reminded once again of the strength and generosity that define our community. Giving Day is more than a fundraiser; it is a celebration of the connections we share and the opportunities we can create together.

What I love most about Giving Day is that it’s never about pressure. My new role as Development Manager, is about discovering what people care about, listening to the stories of what they have loved, or continue to love about Tintern, and exploring how they might wish to leave a legacy for others. When someone’s personal story connects with a cause they truly believe in, generosity becomes not just an act, but a deeply fulfilling experience. Helping to transform that passion into life-changing opportunities for students is one of the most rewarding parts of what I do.

The benefits of Giving Day are far-reaching. Every gift is amplified through the support of our generous matching donors, ensuring that contributions go even further in providing scholarships and resources. These scholarships change lives, opening the doors of a Tintern education to students who may not otherwise have had the chance to join our School. Beyond this, Giving Day unites us as a community; Alumni, families, staff, students, and friends, in a collective effort to make a difference.

I am always amazed at the extraordinary support we receive on this day, and I am both excited and proud to be part of our third annual Giving Day on Wednesday 27 August. I encourage everyone who has the capacity to give, whether a little or a lot, to take part. Every gift truly matters, and together, they create an enduring impact for generations of Tintern students to come.

Di Lacey
Development Manager

Middle School news

Naomi Baulch recognised for excellence in geography teaching (again)

We are proud to celebrate the outstanding achievement of Tintern Grammar’s Head of Geography, Naomi Baulch, who has been awarded the 2025 Alex Lyne Fieldwork Award for her VCE Unit 3 Fieldwork on Land Use Change at Martha Cove.

This prestigious award, presented recently at the GTAV Annual Conference, recognises excellence in geography fieldwork and curriculum. Naomi’s work was described as a benchmark piece and a master class in exceptional teaching. Remarkably, this is the third time she has received this honour in the award’s 15-year history. An extraordinary achievement and a proud moment for Tintern. Congratulations, Naomi!