From the Principal

What does a future-focused school look like? Part 3 – The Kitbag of Tools for Young People’s Future Success

In Parts 1 and 2 on the topic of schools to educate for our students’ futures, not our own past (8 February and 8 March, accessible here), I explored the current social, educational, and workplace landscapes of our world in Part 1, and what they meant for our young people as they navigate their schooling and plan their post-school future in the world. And in Part 2, I focussed on what the gradual erosion of the ‘knowledge economy’ means for our young people and their future; what are the critical elements of the historic ‘industrialised model’ of education that we absolutely must keep, and what are the shifts required to ensure we prepare our young people optimally for their future lives.

In this final, Part 3, I will look at what are the tools, capabilities, attitudes, and dispositions young people will need to maximise the chance of them finding success in their future. The elements that will make up the ‘capability house’ that I referred to in Part 2.

It can be argued that in the past, you were primarily valued for what was stored in your head; what you knew. While I would counter that value to others has always been about more than simply that, there is no doubt that breadth and depth of knowledge and understanding has always been highly valued, particularly in technical or academic workplaces. People landed roles early in careers because of their Year 12 marks, or their university grades. If this was not the only thing, it was certainly a significant influencer of good outcomes for younger people.

When I listen now to the engineers, the lawyers, the accountants, the business owners, and ironically, even the academics, on our Tintern Grammar Board, it is clear this has shifted, and it has shifted primarily for two reasons. Firstly, knowledge and information are available to anyone who has a phone in their pocket or an iPad in their bag, so these are no longer the privilege and stronghold of the intellectual or well-educated. The second reason follows from this. If anyone can access the knowledge, then it will be the person who understands it clearly and then utilises it most effectively, who will be recognised and affirmed, and who will find success, rather than the person who merely possesses that knowledge.

What are the component parts of this understanding and application excellence? What elements will help our young people find that affirmation and value? The answer to this is that there are multiple capabilities and attitudes, largely co-dependent, and each contributing in more than one way:

• Thinking critically empowers us to consider the value and applicability of knowledge or ideas. It prevents us using inferior quality information, or an inapplicable theorem or method, but more importantly, it ensures that we apply an effective ‘pub test’ filter to anything before we take a first step. Mindful consideration of decisions in context, the forces influencing them and the probable consequences of path A, or path B, are all encompassed in this important capability. The ability to think critically is respected by superiors, colleagues, friends, and life partners, and it is one that both value-adds, and reduces the probability of making career-limiting or ending decisions significantly. Critical thinking can be simultaneously a life turbocharger and a life jacket for life.
• Working collaboratively and highly effectively with others is more than just a good workplace habit resulting in us being viewed as a good colleague. Increasingly workplaces are about teams, based on the proven theory that when we work collaboratively, effectively and with a recognition and understanding of what other people bring to a group, we can truly achieve synergy (an outcome greater than the sum of its parts). This requires emotional intelligence, along with the self-awareness, and the ethical and values-based capabilities I referenced in Part 2.
• The courage and confidence to take measured risks, along with the resilience to bounce back when things do not go as hoped or expected, is a fundamental need in a world that is shifting more often, more dramatically, and with less warning than we have seen historically. As has been visible over the pandemic, we need to be able to make a decision, choose a path, or back ourselves to continue the path we had already set. And we need to have some basis on which to make that decision as well as the confidence to believe in ourselves. None of us will get every decision, plan, or action right every time, so we also need to be able to deal with failure, ensuring it does not crush confidence or the appetite to try again.
• And what do we do when we do not know what to do? This is a situation that generates anxiety in most of us, regardless of age. In the future, our young people are going to need to find solutions to big problems, some known already (and unsolved so far), and some waiting in their future. In many cases there will not be an instruction manual, and it will be our future generations who will need to find a way, as humankind did before we became so focussed on our 20^th and 21^st century expectation that “someone will tell me the answer”. These challenges will require an amalgam of these other capabilities, as well as strong background knowledge and understanding, and applicable technical skills.

These capabilities (along with others) are then the visible cladding and roofing of this ‘capability house’ that our young people need to develop over their school journey. There is no doubt that the underpinnings of an excellent, future-focussed school will continue to be a crafted, well-taught, and rigorously pursued academic program. But if we focus the intent, strategy, and operations of a school on the true future needs of its students, as opposed to a commitment to a past that may have served us well in its time, the capabilities discussed above, along with the ethics and values base on which to make wise and caring decisions, is what the overall program of a future-focussed school must look like, now and into the future.

factis non verbis

Brad Fry

PRINCIPAL

Neurodiversity Celebration Week

During March, Tintern Grammar celebrated Neurodiversity Week. The intention was to raise awareness and understanding about neurodiversity, and educate our community about this little-known subject. It was hoped we could help broaden our acceptance of each other, particularly those we perceive to be “different” in some way. This aligns perfectly with Tintern’s Compass values, particularly respect and compassion, and caring for each other.

Some of the ways we endeavoured to raise awareness included placing information posters quoting well-known people who are neurodiverse (eg/ Justin Bieber) around the school, intentional delivery of information during Utility sessions, recorded interviews of students present and past who consider themselves to be neurodiverse shown during assemblies. They spoke of challenges neurodiverse people face, and also what they wish others understood about their conditions.

Our Middle and Senior school Assemblies were dedicated to the theme of Neurodiversity and students were encouraged to purchase student-designed ‘Celebrate Neurodiversity’ badges (pictured). We also had a Free Dress Day on 1 April with students bringing a gold coin donation to be given to a relevant and worthy cause.

As a result of these events, I do believe the Tintern Community has a greater awareness and understanding of neurodiversity, which we hope to build on and continue. In addition, the community raised $828.70, which is a wonderful additional outcome. Students were consulted on where the funds should be donated, and selected Irabina Autism Services as the recipient, which seemed very fitting as numbers of our students have benefitted from the wonderful services they provide. More information can be learned about this organisation here.

How to manage your anxiety and stress.

It’s totally normal to feel anxious from time to time, but there are lots of things you can do to feel better. Remember: there’s a difference between feeling stressed every now and then, and experiencing ongoing anxiety. If the anxiety is starting to take a toll and you’re looking for ways to deal with it, here are some ways to help you get started and learn how to deal with stress and anxiety.

Quick tips to help with stress and anxiety.  These techniques can be really helpful if you experience anxiety now and then or feel unexpectedly anxious.

Practice breathing techniques. The physical symptoms of anxiety can be triggered by hyperventilation. This is when your breathing quickens and your body tales in too much oxygen. Try doing one of these breathing exercises to help calm you down and slow your breathing whenever you feel anxious:

The 4-7-8 technique: Breathe in for 4 seconds, hold for 7 and exhale for 8. Or Long Exhale: spend a bit longer exhaling than you do inhaling.

Practice muscle relaxation techniques. Also called a “body scan”, this technique helps you focus on yourself and release tension your area holding in your body.  Here is a link that guides you through this exercise.

Focus on the present. Have you ever noticed that feeling stressed or anxious often coincides with dwelling on the past or worrying about the future? Focusing in the present moment can help you feel more relaxed.

Take a break. Schedule regular breaks in your day. Excuse yourself for five to 10 minutes, go to a different room, or put aside what you are doing to take a walk around, try some breathing exercises, get some fresh air or do some light stretches to help you relax.

Talk to someone you trust about how your feeling. Just talking to someone about how you’re feeling can take a weight off your shoulders. Find someone you can trust, work out what you want to say to then, and then explain how you are feeling. If you want to talk to someone anonymously there are online forums at Beyond Blue and ReachOut.

Move more, eat well, Sleep. It is pretty well-known that exercise lowers stress, reduces anxiety, and improves mood. And the good news is that you don’t’ need to run marathon to get the benefits. It takes just 30 minutes of exercise a day to make a difference. Diet and sleep are also really important for your wellbeing. A healthy diet will make you feel healthier and stringer and better able to handle stress, while enough sleep positively affects your mood and stress levels.

Here are some links that you might find helpful.   

• Beyond Blue
• Headspace

Catie McNamara

Director Student Welfare Services

Chaplain’s Corner

Welcome back to Term 2 at Tintern in 2022!

The Easter Long weekend provided an opportunity for many of us to leave Melbourne and travel to different parts of the state and country, and I hope you were able to stop and take a breath.

Australia is an amazing country, and as we drove past many fields of sheep and cattle last week, I was reminded of something I heard long ago that has stayed with me.

Australia has vast expanses of grazing land which are used to grow and protect large cattle herds, herds as big as 110,000 head of cattle. I want to reflect how our cattle stations, some as big as 2.4 million hectares simply cannot maintain and build fences to keep their cattle in, it is impossible.

So what do they do? How do they keep and protect their herd?

The answer lies in watering holes – if you have watering holes, you don’t need fences.

In the vast and unforgiving landscape of the Australian Outback, the reliable waterhole is life. Staying near the waterhole is in the interest of the cattle. And thus fences with all of their required time and expenses, are simply not necessary.

This analogy can be applied to many areas of our lives, are we spending all our time maintaining the fences, defining and containing, or are our energies better spent making waterholes.

At Tintern, our energy as a school community is not wasted on fences, but instead in invested in providing watering holes, providing for our students and our community opportunities to refresh, grow and be nurtured. Truly a community of care.

While reflecting watering holes and fences I was reminded of the well-known Psalm 23, ‘The Lord is my shepherd.’

‘The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want, He leads me beside still waters, he restores my soul.’

There are no Psalms that mention fences but there are 47 that mention water. Our God is not a God of fences, but of watering holes too, where, life, hope and refreshment can be found.

Every blessing for Term 2.

TeamKids Update

A big warm hello from us here at TeamKids to you.

My name is Alex and I am the Director of Service here at Tintern Grammar. Welcome to Term 2. All of us at Team Kids are excited to begin another amazing term filled with excitement, laughter, and of course, FUN!

We had an amazing and successful Autumn holidays here at Team Kids. We had some exciting excursions, as well as some incredible incursions. There was a lot of fun and so many memories created. This term at Team Kids is going to be just as amazing.

Our Term 2 clubs sign ups are out now, so encourage your children to sign up. We have so many amazing clubs to offer such as S.T.E.M club, cooking club, gardening club, epic games club, and many more.

Just a reminder to make sure you book in. Our after-school care sessions are booking out quickly, so get in early to avoid missing out.

 If you have any questions at all, please reach out. Our contact information is below. 

Contact information:

Service mobile: 0484 300 362

Service email: TinternGrammar@teamkids.com.au

Office phone: 1300 035 000

Office email: info@teamkids.com.au

Curriculum Matters

NAPLAN

Next week, students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 will sit the annual ‘National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy’ (NAPLAN) tests. These tests provide practice for students at sitting formal tests and are one source of data for schools and parents to assess the progress of individual students, cohorts and programs against national standards. Our consideration and analysis of NAPLAN assessment data is enriched when we place it alongside other assessment platforms and data including, importantly, teacher-based assessment regimes which cater for different learning styles.

The government has now shifted all NAPLAN testing online and Tintern Grammar students are well placed to complete the NAPLAN tests utilizing the online system, having experienced and become familiar with it as part of the online trialling process during the past few years.

Whilst these test results are useful, and our students always do perform well by national standards, it must be remembered that they are a single snapshot in time, focussing on a few key skills and not the whole picture. Whilst the NAPLAN results can provide broader indicators of learning trends within states and regions, individual and collaborative teacher assessment over time provides a richer and deeper picture of student learning. NAPLAN results are best considered in this wider context.

End-of-semester reporting

Parents are reminded that Semester Reports will be published to families online via our Tintern Grammar Portal. Secondary reports will go live at 3pm on Tuesday 21 June. Instructions for accessing these reports will be emailed to families in the last week of term.

Secondary Program and Subject Selection for 2023

As part of Tintern Grammar’s commitment to ensuring students make informed choices, we are holding two information sessions relating to the options available for our Year 10 and 11 students of 2022.

The first of these sessions, our Guiding your Future event, is scheduled for Wednesday 8 June. This event, designed for current Year 9 and 10 students, will explore how senior subject selection is best informed by an understanding of the senior qualifications on offer at the school and the potential career pathways available to students. Further information will be forthcoming to Year 9 and 10 families regarding this event in the near future.

As a follow up to this evening, a Subject Showcase Evening will be held in Term 3 on Thursday 21 July 2022.  On this second evening, all individual VCE and VET subjects on offer next year will be outlined and subject teachers will be available to answer specific subject-related questions. At this evening Year 9 (2022) students and families are invited to attend a special information session on the possibility of taking a VCE subject in Year 10.

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 in special assemblies at school and details of electives available for selection will be published on the Portal towards the end of this term.

The information sessions mentioned above will assist students to select the most suitable pathway and subject choices for 2023. Individual teachers and our careers counsellors also will be available to assist in this process throughout the timeline outlined.

Alison Bezaire

Director of Studies

Music Matters

Middle School Quartets entertain visitors to Tintern

Our Intermediate String Quartet and the Wagner String Quartet have had two performance opportunities over the past few weeks. They performed at the School in Action Morning on 29 March and again at our recent Open Day on 30 April.

The Year 8 and 9 students in the Intermediate String Quartet are: Kacee Chen, Danny Gong, Leon Jiao & Sophie Qiu.

The Year 7 students in the Wagner String Quartet are: Ruby Chen, Mayah Dass, Charlotte Koutsiafaras & Enya Ouyang.

Many thanks to all of these students for being such great musical ambassadors for Tintern!

Chamber Choir sing for TOGA Reunion

On 5 April a large gathering of Tintern Old Girls met at the Hawthorn Arts Centre to enjoy a delicious high tea and to reminisce about their school days. Our Senior Girls Chamber Choir joined them and provided some enjoyable choral items before leading the ladies in a rousing rendition of the Tintern Girls School Song and the School Psalm.

Twilight Concert

On Tuesday 5 April, we held the first of many Twilight Concerts for students who were interested in gaining performance experience and in sharing their beautiful music with an audience. Twilight Concerts are an incredible way to bring together the community in a delightful night of diverse genres of music and to allow VCE musicians and students undergoing assessments to practise their pieces. There were a variety of instruments showcased on the night including violins, clarinets, vocal performances, pianists and guitarists. It was wonderful to listen to each student as they stepped out of their comfort zone to experience a new and creative side of themselves many may not have experienced before. The ambience was warm and inviting and allowed everyone to enjoy themselves in a supportive environment. Every student was unique and should be thoroughly proud of themselves. Many of our performers were accompanied by the talented Ms Heather McKenzie and Ms Tori Wood, without whom this evening could not have occurred. I would like to thank them for their dedication and kindness towards the students and the school. Other persons who should be commended are Mrs Bezaire, our Head of Music, and Mrs Feenane, our music coordinator who work hard every day to ensure our music programs aid the students reach their fullest potentials.

There were many students and parents who attended who like me, thoroughly enjoyed hearing each piece. I would love to congratulate and commend Bohan Liang in Year 8 for his performance of Carmen Fantasy ~ Gypsy Dance on the Violin as it was a superb way to finish the evening and personally left me with my socks knocked off and with chills. Thank you all for performing or attending; you were all fabulous and we cannot wait to see more at the next Twilight Concert.

Ella Jones

Choir Captain 2022

Open Morning Performances

On Saturday 30 April, Tintern’s combined Wind Symphony and Symphony Orchestra provided an impressive start to our Open Morning, performing from the highly popular film score of “How to Train Your Dragon” to the visitors to our school.

I have the privilege to work with both ensembles, and I can confidently say that all students have worked with great effort to put the music together, as most of us have found different aspects of the score very challenging, both technically and musically. Thanks to Mr Veldman and Mrs Clarke, the rehearsal process for this ingenious musical arrangement was not only efficient, but also enjoyable. For me, the most challenging parts of the music were developing my confidence as I prepared my flute solo and maintaining good intonation throughout the piece. 

After the performance in the morning, students from Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra remained for the afternoon to rehearse for our exciting upcoming events, including our Cathedral Service, Concerto Showcase Concert, and Annual Music Concert.

Helen (Hailun) Yang

School Pianist 2022

Friends of Music Raffle

Congratulations to the winners of the Friends of Music Easter Raffle:

1st – Michael Mak (5D)

2nd – Kerry Boromeo (Grace 9B)

3rd – Stewart Cant (Olive Yr2)

 Little Shop of Horrors Band

Our production of “Little Shop of Horrors” was re-scheduled to hit the stage of the Karralyka Theatre in Ringwood last week, after the unexpected postponement of this event due to concerns around COVID outbreaks last term. It was great to see all of our hard work come to fruition. A big thank you, especially, to the staff and students who played in the band. Although the audience couldn’t see you in the pit, your significant contribution to the success of the show did not go unnoticed. Special thanks to the students who played: Isaac Hong (Year 12), Euan Forbes (Year 11), Charlotte Du Blêt (Year 10) and Chloe Hong (Year 10).

Alison Bezaire

Director of Music

Sport Matters

2022 Mogul Ski World Victorian Interschool Championships

The Mogul Ski World Victorian Interschool Championships will be run at Mt Buller in August this year. Cross Country takes place on  7 August and downhill on 22 -28 August. If your child is a keen skier or snowboarder and is interested in competing this year, please email Kathryn Brentwood kbrentwood@tintern.vic.edu.au to register your interest.

There will be an information session at 7.30pm tonight (Tuesday 3 May) in the CM Wood Centre for interested families who would like to find out more. There will also be a Friends of Snowsports meeting held at this session, so any families interested in being a part of the new Tintern Grammar Friends of Snowsports, please come along or let Kathryn Brentwood know if you’re interested and can’t attend the meeting.

2022 Run the Tan

On Sunday 24 April we had five students representing Tintern Grammar at the 2022 Run the Tan event.

The students were:

1. Avie Lee 7B
2. Kayla Paton 7B
3. Jade Gilbertson 7B
4. Alexandra Noonan 7A
5. Harley Cantor 

The students ran exceptionally well and were placed in the top six in their U14 girls and boys categories. Avie did really well too and came in 1st in her category for U14 girls in the schools event. 

Official race results can be found here.

Brady Cochrane 

Community Matters

Mother’s Day Stall – Wednesday 4 May 2022

Our Mother’s Day stall will be held on Wednesday 4 May from 8.30am to 1.30pm in the Southwood Centre.

Gifts range in price from $3 – $15. 

Please send a shopping bag on the day for your child to put their goodies in!

Tintern Parent Group AGM – Thursday 12 May 2022 @ 7pm

The next meeting for the Tintern Parent Group is to be held on Thursday 12 May 2022 in the CM Wood Common Room from 7.00pm.

All parents are welcome to attend and be a part of the Tintern Parent Group. We look forward to seeing our old and many new faces at the meeting.

Please select here to view the TPG AGM Agenda and Nomination Form for 2022.

Friends of Snowsports – Inaugral Meeting

If you are interested in learning more about the Friends of Snowsports, please join them this evening for their inaugral meeting at the CM Wood Common Room at 7.30pm.

The best entry is Gate 7, the Bush Carpark on Alexandra Road. For a map please select here.

For further information please contact Kathryn Brentwood on 9845 7777 or by email to kbrentwood@tintern.vic.edu.au.

Tintern Open Day 2022

Thank you to the wonderful volunteers who gave up their Saturday morning to assist with our Open Day. They did an incredible job managing the BBQ and chatting with the prospective families. The attendees greatly appreciated the delicious sausages and veggie burgers.

Presentation Ball 2022

The Volunteer Presentation Ball Coordinators and the School are delighted to offer our Year 11 & 12 students the opportunity to participate in our Annual Presentation Ball, to be held on Friday 16 September 2022.

The information booklet can be downloaded here, detailing what is involved to participate in the Presentation Ball program. 

All registrations and payments must be received before Wednesday 4 May via the Humanitix booking link.

Please do not hesitate to contact us by email to presentationball@tintern.vic.edu.au or our contact numbers are available in the booklet.

Alternatively you can contact Di Lacey in the Community Relations office on 9845 7877.

We hope you can join us for ‘An Enchanted Evening’.

Annual Inter-School Horse Trials 2022 – Working Bee

Thank you to the incredible volunteers for the Friends of Equestrian (FOE) Committee who have been working hard to put together this wonderful event.

In preparation for the Horse Trials, FOE will be holding a working a bee at the Shirley Heights Equestrian Centre on Sunday 15 May from 11am. Are you able to help?

Details for the working bee:

• Date: Sunday 15 May
• Venue: Shirley Heights Equestrian Centre, 610/640 Yarra Junction-Noojee Rd, Gladysdale, VIC 3797
• Time: 11am Start

Don’t forget, this week is your last chance to get your entries in for the Horse Trial to be held on Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 May. Entries close Thursday 5th May, so get your teams sorted and jump on to event secretary to enter https://eventsecretary.com.au/equestrian/.

Friends of Young Farmers – 2022 Fundraiser

Thank you to everyone who supported the Tintern Grammar Friends of Young Farmer’s Wooly the Lamb fundraiser.

Your Wooly will be distributed to your child in their classrooms over the next week.

Any enquiries can be sent to foyf@tintern.vic.edu.au, or contact Community Relations on 9845 7877 or communityrelations@tintern.vic.edu.au.

Parent Representatives 2022

Thank you to the many parents and guardians who have volunteered to act as the Parent Representatives for their Class or Year Level in 2022.
We are still seeking representatives for the following year levels:

• Year 8 Boys
• Year 9 Boys
• Year 10
• Year 11

Please note that some of the Class and Year Level representative are still in the process of being finalised, and this list will be updated on the Portal.

Parent Representative are a liaison between parents/guardians and the school. Informing parents about activities planned either by Tintern, our community groups or within the class or year level, such as fundraisers or events. We greatly appreciate the time and commitment given by our Parent Reps.

Parent Reps also organise class or year level functions to provide parents with the opportunity of meeting and socialising in a relaxed atmosphere. It is a great opportunity for class groups to connect, while supporting our local community cafes and restaurants still recovering from the lockdowns.

If you would like to volunteer to be your Year Level’s Parent Representative or would like further information contact us by email communityrelations@tintern.vic.edu.au or by phone 03 9845 7877.

Thank you to Stewart Cant, Class Representative for 2A, who organised a wonderful Easter Egg Hunt late Term 1.

Footy Tipping Competition – AFL

ELC News

As we welcomed back the Early Learners and Pre-Preps to the ELC, there was much excitement in the air. The children are enthusiastic to be back in the classroom, reconnecting with peers and engaging in a plethora of learning experiences. At Tintern we are lucky to have such a beautiful and large learning space and we continuously appreciate the natural wonders in our environment. 

There has been one very special addition to our outdoor learning space, our new sand pit. Throughout Term one, the children have watched curiously through the fence as the contractors have worked hard to build our fantastic sand pit. The children watched attentively as diggers and excavators were used. It has been a great learning experience for all as many questions have been asked by the children. Looking at drills going into the ground and seeing the diggers moving heavy rocks has helped the children get a better understanding of how real trucks work. It has been great to observe the children then take this new knowledge into our classroom as they engage and explore our block areas with different transport vehicles.

How exciting it was for the children to be able to use our new sandpit this week. The children excitedly used the equipment such as spades and buckets to make sandcastles. Roads were being built and smoothed out with some of our diggers and rollers. Cakes were cooked and tunnels were dug. And this is only the first week of our new sand pit!

There are so many benefits of sand play for children. It is not only fun and engaging it is also incredibly beneficial for children’s development.  Children love scooping, digging, building sandcastles, mixing sand with water and cooking. Sandpit play is such an open-ended activity that it also promotes wonderful developmental benefits such as sensory development, gross motor development, social and language development.

We look forward to supporting and extending the children’s skills, knowledge and learning in our sandpit over the coming weeks.

Genevieve Brown

Girls’ Junior School

Preps Commemorating Anzac Day

After attending the special Prep-Year 6 Anzac Day Assembly, the Prep girls had a class discussion about the significance of red poppies and why they are such an important symbol at this time. The girls were keen to make their own paper poppies and proudly wore them home that afternoon. We also read a beautiful story about the history of Anzac biscuits featuring a little girl baking cookies with her mother to send to her father during the First World War. The girls really enjoyed the experience of making their own Anzac cookies, incorporating elements of Maths as they carefully measured out the ingredients and then during our literacy session cut and pasted the steps of the recipe into the correct order. It was an engaging way for the girls to learn about the significance of this iconic biscuit. 

Mary Whitcher – Prep Girls’ Teacher

Boys’ Junior School News

SEAN BELL’S RUN FOR WISHES

Sean Bell is currently running from Cairns to Melbourne, 60km a day and will complete the trip in 60 days. Sean says, “I’m so inspired by the life-changing work that Make-A-Wish® Australia do.  Through me chasing my dream and doing what I love (running and helping others), I play a small part in helping make the wishes of sick children come true.”

In our Assembly on Monday 9 May, we will be crossing live to Sean as he runs that day, anticipated to be near the Gold Coast, and have a chat with him about his run. We will be holding a fundraiser soon for Sean’s Run For Wishes and Sean will be visiting us later this term. You can learn more about Sean’s Run for Wishes here. https://www.seanbellrunforwishes.com/ and follow him daily on Facebook.

THANK YOU TINTERN.

We are thrilled to announce we raised $16,481.01.

It was such a proud moment and one of enormous fulfilment for our Junior School yesterday when we able to present a cheque for the above amount to Wheelchairs For Kids.

This is an incredible effort from our Junior School families and will result in 82 wheelchairs being sent to villages in developing countries to change the life of young children, and their families.

A component of our Tintern Strategic Plan is for our students to “… experience a profound sense of belonging that develops their confidence in their identity, their agency, and their capacity to serve and contribute to a better world.”

Today, we certainly felt that we had all “…contributed to a better world.”

We would like to sincerely thank all students, parents, friends, and family who contributed to this with incredible generosity.

Secondary School News

Head of Secondary

It goes without saying how wonderful it was to be back on campus with all our staff and students in Term 1. Despite the minor hiccup mid-term where a spike in cases led to us running a week of remote learning, the rest of the term ran in almost the same manner as schools did prior to COVID. Our camps were run successfully along with many excursions and incursions. Our sports and music programs are back running at 100%, along with many of our other co-curricular clubs and activities providing many opportunities for our students to be involved in and to connect with their peers and the school. There is no doubt there are going to be small challenges that we face as 2022 continues; but it is comforting to know that we have a staff and student community that is both resilient and competent in dealing with these challenges.

ANZAC Day Service and assembly
The first week of Term 2 started early for our Senior College leadership team with their attendance at the ANZAC Day service at 5am under the clock tower in Ringwood. Our two School Captains, Jasmine and Andrew, placed a wreath on behalf of the school out of respect for all those involved in past and present conflict. This was later followed with our own ANZAC Assembly on Friday, 29 April for all secondary students.

School In Action Morning

On Tuesday 29 March we held our School In Action Morning where almost 100 visitors attended the school to be guided around by a large number of student volunteers. It was a great opportunity for potential families to see Tintern in action, to ask questions to both staff and students, and to potentially see if the Tintern community would be a place that would be right for their children and for them. I would like to give a huge thank you to many student volunteers who gave up their time to attend this event and help lead tour groups around the campus.

Open Morning

Saturday 30 April was our school’s Open Morning where we had over 300 visitors attend the school and be guided around the campus by many of our wonderful student volunteers. It was great to have so many of our current students volunteering to be a part of the Open Morning and the feedback we received from many visitors about the warmth and friendliness of our students was a pleasure to hear. I would like to express a huge gratitude to all students and staff involved in the Open Morning events.

Athletics training

It has been great to see a strong number of students joining our athletics training sessions that have commenced. These optional sessions are a great opportunity for any student, regardless of ability, to improve their fitness and to help create a balanced life. The sessions allow students to focus on a wide variety of events/styles from sprint and long-distance training to field events such as long jump and triple jump. Everyone is welcome with sessions running on:

• Monday’s 7:00am.
• Wednesday 3:45pm.
• Friday’s 7:00am.

Year 9 Clean-Up Australia

On Wednesday 30 March our Year 9 students and other representatives from our Green Team spent the afternoon performing community service as part of a delayed Clean Up Australia Day. With our original day cancelled due to COVID, we were able to transfer it to be part of our Year 9 Challenge Program tying in with their community service element of the Duke of Edinburgh Program. In small groups, our students and staff circulated around different parts of Ringwood East, collecting a substantial amount of rubbish that had been left by others. Thank you to all students and staff who were involved.

NAPLAN Practice Year 7 & 9

On Thursday 31 March our Year 7 & 9 students participated in two Practice NAPLAN sessions, one for writing and the other an omnibus test which is a combination of reading, conventions of language and numeracy. The practice session is aimed at ensuring students are familiar with the format of the new NAPLAN, whilst also ensuring that their devices and our IT facilities are adequately set up. After a few minor hiccups with our new Year 7 laptops, we are now very pleased that our students are well equipped for NAPLAN later in Term 2. The week for NAPLAN this year is the week beginning Monday 09 May.

Debating

Our Year 9 – 12 debating teams are two rounds into their competition, and we have had some very good results. All teams have either had wins or have been very, very close in their respective matches. A big congratulations to Adrian Bisignano, Elisha Sze and Mia Qian who have all received “best speaker” awards so far this season.

VCE Career’s Expo

On Thursday 28 April our Year 11 students visited the VCE and Careers Expo 2022 at Caulfield Racecourse. It was an opportunity for them to speak to a huge variety of future career options including many universities, TAFEs, the Defence Forces and more. This excursion is part of a continual approach to their life after school and has hopefully provided them with more information on future options. They are encouraged to reach out to our Careers Department if they have follow up questions around courses or future employment opportunities.

ACU Presentation

On Monday 02 May our Year 12 and 10 students were presented to by two ambassadors from Australian Catholic University regarding university life and the opportunities available to all students if they were to pursue this pathway. The opportunity provided both a group presentation as well as the opportunity for individual students to spend time with the ambassadors asking specific questions relevant to them. The careers guidance is a very big part of the Senior College experience and if there are parents who would like to know more about this department or have questions about their son/daughter, then please reach out to Heather Ruckert and her team at careers@tintern.vic.edu.au.

I’d like to wish everyone all the very best for Term 2, as mentioned earlier, it is a very short one that is still very full of regular school activities. Good luck to our Year 8 team of staff and students as they head off to the Grampians on Monday next week.

The Resilience Project Parent/Carer Webinar

Tintern understands as primary carers, you have an essential role to play in building positive mental health with your children.

As a school, we work to support you in this role by providing a dedicated wellbeing program in pastoral sessions. The Resilience Project engages students in weekly lessons and activities around the key principles of Gratitude, Empathy and Mindfulness (GEM) which help them to manage challenges that arise.

To support us all in this work, The Resilience Project are offering a parent/carer webinar on Wednesday 11 May between 7.00pm-8:30pm.

This session will provide you with:

• A brief introduction to The Resilience Project purpose and mission
• Strategies to build your confidence when talking with others about resilience
• Ideas around looking after your own wellbeing so that you can be available for your children when it is really needed

To register your interest for this session, please complete the EdSmart form emailed to you on 28 April. 

The session will be hosted by The Resilience Project via Zoom, and we will be joined by parents from other partnership schools in the session. Your identification will not be publicly visible during the session. There should be time for questions via the chat function at the conclusion of the presentation.

The Zoom webinar registration link will be emailed to parents/carers on Wednesday 4 May.

Any questions, please contact Rebecca Infanti: rinfanti@tintern.vic.edu.au

Rebecca Infanti

7B Mentor
Secondary Geography Teacher
The Resilience Project Coordinator

Hospitality Staff Wanted

Christabelle Sriratana (YG 2021)

Congratulations to alumna Christabelle Sriratana (YG 2021) and current student Zak (Year 12) for recently being selected as 2022 Grid Kids at the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne. They both had the exciting opportunity of being on the grid prior to the race, and being up close to the formula 1 drivers at the event!

Madeline Townsend (YG 2008) and Stephen Coles (YG 2008)

Sarah de Witt (Grecea YG 2009) and Samantha Green (Brown YG 2003)

As part of our Alumni Mentoring Program our incredible Alumni have been working with students to help them develop their skills and businesses.

Sarah de Witt (YG 2009) is mentoring Zara Jansz in Year 10, who business is the Embellishment Emporium. Zara says of her company, “Embellishment Emporium began from a passion which originated from baking cakes for friends and family. Embellishment Emporium then evolved to a cake decorating business. We aim to make baking effortless and straightforward for busy schedules. No matter who you are, Embellishment Emporium has a product for your every cake decorating needs.”

Sarah  opened her first specialty tea house business, Impala & Peacock in 2014. I late 2016 Sarah expanded and re-branded as Mary Eats Cake, celebrating special moments with High Tea. During the Pandemic Sarah founded talklink, Australia’s first completely anonymous online mental health directory. The concept of talklink originated after co-founders Sarah de Witt, husband Ruan de Witt and friend Eric Nastase recognised that many Australians were waiting up to 12 weeks to access mental health support and in many cases, were disheartened by the lack of rapport they felt with their practitioner when they were eventually treated.

Samantha Green (Brown YG 2003) is mentoring Chloe Hong, also in Year 10. Chloe’s business, Clay or Origin, began as a small project inspired by a combined variety of contrasting designs, with an aim to bring simplicity while also making a statement. With a selection of handmade rings, earrings and bracelets available for sale you can view her website here: https://www.clayorigin.com.au/ 

Samantha Green is the CEO and Founder of JACK, an end-to-end marketing & events company that has been transforming people, businesses and brands since 2005. Samantha has more recently taken on the role of Managing Director of Mentor List, a collaboration of business services and professional growth, we are dedicated to connecting the very best minds, insights, technology and talent in Australia in order to achieve greatness together.

Thank you to Sarah and Samantha for sharing their experience and mentoring Zara and Chloe.

If you are interested in more information on the Alumni mentoring program please contact Di Lacey in Community Relations on 9845 7777 or communityrelations@tintern.vic.edu.au.