From the Principal

Progress report on the Tintern Grammar Forward Strategy 2022 and beyond.

15 May marked the Tintern Grammar Board and Executive Planning Half-Day that occurs each May. During the day, the key point of business was to further clarify, and then accept in principle the progress and foundations of the 2022 and beyond Forward Strategy. This is a key step in confirming the direction the School will take over the next 5 to 10 years.

From August 2020, up to May 2021, there had been four Board, Executive and Senior Staff strategic planning sessions, the February Community Consultation Day involving approximately 70 parents, staff, alumni and current students, and the community survey sent out to over 2000 people in March. These have served to first generate proposed direction for the School, then to test the direction with our current and past community; first in a small group environment, and then using the findings from those workshops, to further test the proposed direction with the broader community by survey.

Two key things have emerged from the consultation phase. The first is that the Tintern Grammar community, past and present, are remarkably aware of the need to look to an education beyond the ATAR. There was certainly acknowledgement of the link between ATAR and immediate post-school opportunities, and a need to provide excellent learning and teaching to ensure students can reach their potential in this area. But what was also clearly and widely recognised was the need to engender values, emotional and social awareness, and attitudes around confidence and resilience, to support future success. Also noted repeatedly was the critical importance of developing broader dispositions around confidence, considered risk-taking and an attitude of enterprise in the living of one’s life. These attitudes coming from an independent school community represent a significant shift from even 10 years age, and certainly reflect the views of well-regarded leaders in education.

The second very notable point was the degree of alignment of our community. The fundamental intentions of the strategy that the Board, Executive and others developed through those first four sessions were very strongly supported on the Community Consultation Day. That day’s outcomes further enhanced those intentions, which were then very strongly supported in the community responses to the survey.

The clear message to me was one of very strong community alignment in what all we feel are the cornerstones of an excellent contemporary education and this has given me, and the Tintern Grammar Board, great confidence to press on, knowing we have that support.

As a result, the progress and foundations of the Forward Strategy were endorsed by the Board on 15 May, and further work will now be undertaken to flesh out the strategy ahead of its public release, anticipated to be October this year. I am very excited by the direction of the School and I know the Board are too. It is rewarding to be confident that the community are right behind this direction too!

factis non verbis

Brad Fry

PRINCIPAL

2021 Cathedral Service

As we begin to experience a new cluster of COVID-19 cases in Melbourne after 87 days of no community transmission, I reflect on the reasons our 2021 Cathedral Service could, sadly, not include parents or family.

I know that many of our families enjoy attending the Cathedral Service and were very disappointed not to be able to do so this year. Today I am very pleased, after lengthy editing and preparation, to be able to offer our recording of the 2021 Cathedral Service for you to watch.

I hope you enjoy it!

Warm regards,

Brad Fry

PRINCIPAL

Chaplain’s Corner

Chaplains Corner

Lions!

Back in 164 BC, a man by the name of Daniel lived in Babylon but worshiped God. He was very well respected and trustworthy and was given position of leadership as a consequence. In addition to this his devotion to God meant that three times every day he would pause and pray to God. Several others who worked for the king were jealous and plotted his demise, tricking King Darius into signing an edict which meant Daniel could not bow three times a day and worship his God. He continued with his prayer and was caught and thrown into the lions den! The Bible says in Daniel chapter 6, that the king went early the next da to the den and shouted, “Daniel, you were faithful and served your God. Was he able to save you from the lions?”

²¹ Daniel answered, “Your Majesty, I hope you live forever! ²² My God knew that I was innocent, and he sent an angel to keep the lions from eating me. Your Majesty, I have never done anything to hurt you.”

A story of integrity and courage. In our Junior School the boys are bringing to life ‘The Lion King’, an epic story of being true to yourself, and also a story of courage and integrity.

May our boys learn not just performance skills and confidence from their lion performance, but may they also take on the importance of courage and integrity in their lives in big and small ways.

Lions!

Back in 164 BC, a man by the name of Daniel lived in Babylon but worshiped God. He was very well respected and trustworthy and was given position of leadership as a consequence. In addition to this his devotion to God meant that three times every day he would pause and pray to God. Several others who worked for the king were jealous and plotted his demise, tricking King Darius into signing an edict which meant Daniel could not bow three times a day and worship his God. He continued with his prayer and was caught and thrown into the lions den! The Bible says in Daniel chapter 6, that the king went early the next da to the den and shouted, “Daniel, you were faithful and served your God. Was he able to save you from the lions?”

²¹ Daniel answered, “Your Majesty, I hope you live forever! ²² My God knew that I was innocent, and he sent an angel to keep the lions from eating me. Your Majesty, I have never done anything to hurt you.”

A story of integrity and courage. In our Junior School the boys are bringing to life ‘The Lion King’, an epic story of being true to yourself, and also a story of courage and integrity.

May our boys learn not just performance skills and confidence from their lion performance, but may they also take on the importance of courage and integrity in their lives in big and small ways.

Community Matters

Thank you to our Parent Representatives

• Year 3 Girls
• Year 7 Girls
• Year 8 Boys
• Year 9 Boys
• Year 9 Girls
• Year 10

If you are interested, please get in touch with Di Lacey in Community Relations, 9845 7893 or communityrelations@tintern.vic.edu.au

Footy Tipping Competition – AFL and AFLW

The Tintern Grammar community footy tipping competition is here, and it is not to late to join!

For those interested in joining the 2021 competitions, details are below:

• AFL Tipping Competition:  https://www.footytips.com.au/comps/Tintern_Grammar_Community  
• Password: tintern

You will then have to log into your own account or create one. When setting up your account, you might like to check the reminder email box so you don’t forget!

The competition is free and open to our entire adult (18+ @ 28/1/2021) Tintern community – Tintern Grammar students will not be permitted to enter. Competition is until the end of the home and away  games (finals are not included). If you have any questions please email communityrelations@tintern.vic.edu.au and we’ll help you get started.

Cash Prizes, paid by direct deposit, awarded for the winners of each Tipping Competition:

AFL Footy Tipping Prizes:

• 1st Prize $250
• 2nd Prize $120
• 3rd Prize $60
• 4th Prize $40
• 5th Prize $20

If the AFL season is shortened at a later date due to Covid, the tipping competition will continue, but the prizes will be adjusted accordingly. 

Good luck and start tipping!!

AFLW Footy Tipping Winners

Congratulations to the winners of our first ever AFLW Tipping Competition:

• 1^st Place – Michael Gao 
• 2^nd Place – Carl Paul 
• Equal 3rd Place – Brad Fry and Joyce Kok ($20 each)

We will be in touch soon to organize your prizes!

Community Committee Dates 

We are pleased to welcome our Community Group volunteers back on site. To view a map with venue locations marked, please select here.  Please check the information below carefully for details:

• Tintern Parent Group (TPG) AGM –Next meeting: Tuesday 8 June 2021 at 7.30pm President: Haidee Wallace Location: CM Wood Common Room 
• Friends of Music (FOM) – Next Meeting: Wednesday 16 June 7pm  President: Debra Fryer Location:  CM Wood Common Room
• Friends of Young Farmers (FOYF) AGM – Next Meeting: Monday 15 June 2021 at 7.30pm President: Ranald Young Location: Kennedy Cottage or Zoom:  Click here to join Meeting   Password: FOYF
• Friends of Equestrian (FOE) – Interested in joining FOE, contact them here to be included in meeting notifications 

Upcoming Reunions 2021

• 35, 40 & 45 Year Reunion YGs 1985 & 1986, 1980 & 1981, 1975 & 1976 – Saturday 5 June at 3.30pm, followed by Offsite – Book here
• YG 2015, 5+1 Year Reunion – Friday 11 June 2021 at Beer DeLuxe in Hawthorn in the Hop Lounge – Book Here
• YG 2016, 5 Year Reunion – Friday 16 July at 7.30pm – Beer Deluxe in Hawthorn – Book Here
• 20, 25 & 30 Year Reunion YGs 2000 & 2001, 1995 & 1996, 1990 & 1991 – Saturday 31 July at 3.30pm, followed by Offsite

Community Group Fundraising

Tintern Umbrellas

Tintern Grammar Photo Albums – Protect your School Photos!

Protect your child’s school photos with a stunning Tintern Photo Album. The TPG is offering beautiful quality made customised ‘buckram’ binders for only $72. The albums are Navy, featuring the school crest and name printed in silver on the front cover and come complete with 10 transparent sheet inserts.

The albums are great for storing:
– The official school photos
– Certificates
– NAPLAN and ICAS results
– Sports and performer ribbons
– Artwork
– Programs from concerts, sports days and special assemblies
– Photos
– Newsletter clippings
– Your own scrapbook creations (as the pages are 30cm x 30cm standard scrapbook size)

In fact, if you think of it like a filing cabinet of memories, over the years it builds up into quite a treasure! Samples can be viewed in the uniform shop and all orders are now taken at this link through trybooking. 

Once you have placed your order, please take your confirmation to the Uniform Shop to collect your Album and/or extra pages.

Entertainment Books

The Entertainment Book is now 100% digital! Excitingly this means that your Membership is valid for 12 months from the date of activation. 

With many new offers and all the old favourites the value of this book is incredible!

You can purchase a membership now, for yourself, friend or family member, and activate at any time over the next 6 months (extended from 60 days). You then have 12 months to take full advantage of the many wonderful offers!

You can purchase Woolworths Wish e-vouchers for a 3% discount. Whether purchasing to do your weekly groceries, shopping at Big W, or stocking up on Essentials at BWS, Cellarmasters or Dan Murphy’s, or even getting petrol at Woolworths Caltex, the savings can add up:

Please click here to order your Entertainment book from Tintern Grammar. Instantly purchase and access a digital membership which can then be used on two separate devices.

Please contact Community Relations on 9845 7877 for further information.

All proceeds raised go towards the fundraising for the TPG!

Music Matters

Piano Concerts

To the outsider, the piano may seem like a fairly straightforward instrument, which it seems that nearly anyone can play (think “Chopsticks”!). In fact, its accessibility makes it one of, if not the most popular instrument of young, aspiring musicians. But, diving deeper into the craft of the instrument, one might find that there are many intricacies involved in the craft of playing the piano, having to do with technique, musicality, and hand co-ordination.

The Tintern Grammar Piano Concert was an opportunity to celebrate the craft of piano students at Tintern. The Junior Concert took place at 5:00pm and the Senior Concert at 7:00pm on 18 May. After last year’s remote concert, it was a relief and privilege to be back, playing wonderful live music again!

The Junior Concert featured many performances under the theme of ‘your favourite song’, so the audience had the pleasure of hearing a few pop songs, Classical pieces and nursery rhymes. This concert had an excellent turnout, with families, parents and staff attending to show support for Tintern’s burgeoning young players.

At 7:00pm, the Senior Piano Concert commenced, and secondary school students (Years 7-12) offered audiences a wide variety of pieces. A highlight of the concert was a Year 7 student’s performance of his very own work, masterfully inspired by the symphonies of Mozart. This concert concluded with a Spanish dance written for 8 hands and 2 pianos – an ensemble work performed by our piano teachers at school is a tradition of these concerts.

All in all, 2021’s Piano Concerts allowed piano students at Tintern to flex their artistic muscles, take on new opportunities, and celebrate the music programme at the school with skilful, fun music-making. A special thanks to the piano teachers, whose commitment and great teaching made this all possible – Ms Heather McKenzie, Mr Ben Taylor, Mrs Fiona Thompson and Mrs Catherine Wilson. Thanks to all the parents and teachers who attended to make this occasion a successful and enjoyable one!

Joshua Choong

School Pianist 2021

Senior String Duo entertain residents at Olivet

Year 12 musicians, Lydia Tan and Joshua Choong, provided a delightful program of musical treats for residents at the Olivet Aged Care Facility on the morning of 18 May. Lydia’s violin pieces ranged from Vivaldi to De Falla to some lively fiddle music, and Josh took to both his viola and the piano to provide a range of offerings from Billy Joel to Bach alongside some toe-tapping Klezmer tunes. A memorable element of the musical morning for the residents was the inclusion of two sets of timeless sing-a-long tunes, including “Tiptoe through the tulips”, “Tea for two” and “We’ll Meet Again”. Many thanks must go to Lydia and Josh for giving up their time to bring the joy of music to some elderly members of our local community.

Flute Ensemble provides fittingly tasteful prelude music for Mayor’s luncheon

Hot on the heels of their performance at our recent Small Ensembles Concert, the Tintern Flute Ensemble represented Tintern Grammar in a most appropriate fashion last Wednesday 19 May at the Maroondah City Council Volunteers’ Luncheon at the Karralyka Function Centre. The ensemble looked very smart performing their beautiful prelude music as Maroondah Council Mayor, Cr Kylie Spears and her guests arrived at the venue. We received many compliments on the music and our students during our visit to the event.

Many thanks must go to flute teacher, Ms Patton for preparing the students for this occasion and accompanying them on the excursion. We look forward to hearing them perform again at future functions.

Announcement of recipients of Ilma Kelson and Penelope Thwaites Music Awards

Every year, Tintern Grammar offers music students at the school the opportunity to audition for the Kelson Music Scholar Awards. These awards are named in honour of Mrs Ilma Kelson, a former music director at Tintern between 1958 – 1973. In their eighteenth year this year, the Kelson Family have endowed annual encouragement scholarships to be awarded to students in pursuit of musical excellence. We will be welcoming Mr Michael Kelson to Tintern on Friday 11 June to present this year’s awards at a Principal’s Assembly.

Awards will be presented to the following recipients:

KELSON SCHOLAR AWARD RECIPIENTS

Outstanding Performer               Helen Yang                       Piano                   Year 9

Desirable Instrument Awards    Etienne Meddings           Double Bass       Year 7

Averil Lee                          Clarinet              Year 6

Penelope Thwaites Music Awards

Australian Composition              Sophie Liu                         Flute                   Year 7

Original Composition                   Sebastian Humphrys      Piano                   Year 7

We congratulate these students on their successful auditions and look forward to hearing their performances in the Assembly in June.

Sport Matters

EISM Champions Athletics Carnival

On Monday 10 May, Tintern Grammar competed in the annual EISM Athletics Champions Carnival at Lakeside Stadium. On a cool and damp afternoon, the students displayed commitment and enthusiasm whilst competing against strong athletes from all schools in the EISM. There were some outstanding individual and relay results during the carnival. Congratulations to the following students for their achievements:

Ethan Cooke,                   2^nd Open Boys Long Jump,           5.85m

Amelie Scherer                2^nd U/13 Girls 1500m,                  5:37.88

                                                  3^rd U/13 Girls 800m,                     2:47.28

Alice Callahan                 3^rd U/16 Girls High Jump,            1.35m

Elisha Sze                         2^nd U/14 Girls Triple Jump,          9.17m

Daniel Fu                          2^nd U/16 Boys Discus,                   32.10m

Brady Cochrane              1^st Open Multiclass 100m,           18.11 sec

Daniel Hynson                 1^st U/16 Boys Shotput,                 12.82m

Kiara Marsh, Hayley Wansborough, Elisha Sze, Gracie Touliatos          2^nd U/14 Girls 4 x 100m relay,     58.83                                                           

VSAC Swimming Carnival

On Monday 10 May, Shenghao Jin (Year 8) competed for the EISM in the Victorian Schools Association Carnival against all of the other school sporting associations. Shenghao swam in the U/14 4 x 50 Medley relay, swimming the freestyle leg and also in the U/14 4 x 50m Freestyle relay.  Shenghao swam his best in both relays and represented the EISM well. The EISM finished 3^rd overall in the boy’s section and 3^rd overall. Congratulations to Shenghao on this achievement.

Victorian College Basketball Championships

Our Boys’ Year 12 Basketball Team recently competed in the Victorian College Championships, the boys made it through to the semi final but unfortunately just missed out on advancing to the grand final, a great effort overall. 

Lilly Trevorrow Excels in Show Jumping 

Lilly Trevorrow in Year 12 represented Tintern at the Geelong Grammar Interschool Show Jumping day held at Werribee Park recently. Lilly rode strongly all day on her two horses to finish in the jump off.  Riding clear, Lilly was the overall champion of the progressive height. This competition is part of the Victorian Interschool Equestrian series. Lilly will compete later this month in the grand final event. Good Luck Lilly!

Student Welfare Services – Dealing with conflict

DEALING WITH CONFLICT

Conflict can occur in any situation and is a part of life. Being knowledgeable on dealing with conflict can ensure that your friendships and relationships with people remain on track.

We all perceive the world in divergent ways – leading to a difference in opinion about the exact same thing. Conflict can instigate people to feel angry and upset or excited and energised. The mental and physical impact that conflict has from person to person is also different. It doesn’t always fade away and fix itself, sometimes it needs to be worked through and solved.

What leads to conflict?:

• Ideas, opinions or concerns not being understood
• You or others feel as those you are not being treated justly
• Bar of expectations are not being met
• A difference in communication and personality types
• Differences in strongly held values, beliefs and opinions

Dealing with conflict:

• TALK IT OUT! Talking out conflict with the people involved is the best way to ensure that you are all working towards reaching a collective understanding and a resolution
• Stay calm, try not to be judgmental, promote a blame game or get angry and defensive
• Use “I” sentences and be specific
  • For example:
  • I was disappointed when …
  • I felt upset when you …
• Talk about the solutions and what you would like to happen as an outcome of the conflict resolution
• Pick a location (preferably private) and a time that is inclusive of everyone involved so everyone is able to have a say
• Attempt to understand and accept your own thoughts and feelings about what has happened
• Give yourself time and space to calm down if you are feeling angry or frustrated
• Use mindfulness and take slow breaths if the conflict has arisen instantaneously and you’re attempting to calm yourself down
• Represent you’re actively listening through eye contact, nodding and utilising open body language

Dealing with conflict is worth it:

• Unresolved conflict can become worse and lead to resentment and discontent

How experiencing conflict will keep friendships and relationships on track now and into the future:

• Increase confidence to deal with problematic situations
• Regain a sense of happiness and achievement
• Develop skills for conflict resolution that are efficient and effective in light of communication
• Become more sensitive to others wants, needs and perspectives
• Able to put yourself in another person’s shoes

Although conflict is a part of life, it can still have a taxing impact on us. It isn’t always easy to deal with a situation that involves conflict,

you can always access resources such as:

• Headspace
• Reach out
• It’s Okay To Not Be Okay – Youth Mental Health – batyr.com.au
• Beyond Blue
• Kids Helpline

You can always access student welfare services here at Tintern as well:

• Catie McNamara
• Kylie Cummins
• Andrew Dallafiore
• Jessica Soccio

Written by

Andrew Dallafiore and Jessica Soccio

Student Welfare Services

Reference:

https://kidshelpline.com.au/young-adults/issues/ways-deal-conflict.

News from the JS Language Department

We have been having BEAUCOUP de fun en français (lots of fun in French)! Students have all been playing games, singing songs and performing role plays. The students have been demonstrating a high level of energy and enthusiasm in French lessons. Some of our favourite activities are songs, and games such as The Bomb, Slap, Beat the Teacher and Kahoot. Last week many classes began learning the song, “La belle pieuvre” (The Beautiful Octopus). Another favourite song for the younger students is a counting song, “Moussier Tombola”.

Currently Years 1 to 3 are all using a gesture method known as AIM, which introduced last year with Year 1 & 2. For anyone wishing to understand more, this link will give you can idea of how AIM works although it is designed more for teachers than parents. Please bear in mind that in Canada a lot more class time is devoted to learning French than in Australia. Some of the year 1-3s are already attempting their own sentences without prompting, which is very exciting.

Year 4 has been focused on the textbook, “Les Loustics”(meaning The Kids), encompassing revision and learning some verbs structures. We have been learning a new rap song to help embed the vocabulary. Year 4 are now subscribed in a free trial to the excellent platform Education Perfect to support vocabulary development. You can access this platform at home as long as your student knows their user name (TS+ student number) and their password.

Year 5 and 6 have been learning and revising topics such as the daily routine which covers time and activities. Year 5s have begun to experiment with the Sock Puppet app to record themselves describing their daily routine. Year 6 students have begun to craft their letters to their pen friends- it would be terrific if students could start to bring photos of pets/family etc that they would like to share with their pen friend. Year 5 and 6 students have been subscribed to the excellent platform Education Perfect. As mentioned above, students can access this platform at home from any computer. Five minutes of practice every day is very beneficial – short and frequent practice is very successful in helping students learn a language.

Four of the Year 5/6 students worked very hard in Term 1, putting in extra hours at home to achieve certificates in the Education Perfect worldwide competition held last term. Tintern came 175^th out of 1, 383 schools, which is an excellent achievement. Zoe Zhu in Year 6 came second in the whole school, competing against Middle and Senior school students! A big bravo to all of these students:

Angela Ni and Weylan Truong, Year 5 – Credit

Divya Mujoo, Year 6 – Bronze

Zoe Zhu, Year 6 – Gold

Want to support your child’s learning of French at home? All students in Years 1-6 are able to access the website Linguascope which is a fabulous resource covering many topics. The user name and password will be sent home shortly in student record books. Please do not share these details due to copyright reasons; they are only for students at Tintern. Our students should begin in Houlala, in the Elementary section. The apps do not seem to work, however you can access the website from a search engine. Students should always complete the Presentation first before playing any games. Please do not use any of the worksheets, as these are used in class.

Another excellent free website is French-games.net  where students can choose a topic, do the tutorial and then play games to practise the language.

Highlight from Term 2! 

Year 1 boys enjoying a croissant

Year 3 girls playing the bomb game to practise numbers

Year 6 boys playing What’s the Time, Mr Wolf? Can you spot Monsieur le Loup?

Year 6 girls role play: Hungry Madame le Loup disguised as a teacher

Year 1 girls learning about the language for putting on and taking off hats/coats/shoes

Year 2 boys doing the actions to the counting song, Moussier Tombola

2021 House Singing

2021 House Singing

ELC News

Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation

The Tintern ELC has joined the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation.

In 2001 Stephanie Alexander piloted the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program at Collingwood College. The program grew out of Stephanie Alexander’s belief that children learn about food early in life through example and positive experiences, which continues to influence their food choices through life. From there it spread to over 1800 schools.

In 2020 The Foundation rolled out an Early Years Program recognising the different environments within Early Years settings.  The program promotes a whole-service, play-based approach to delivering pleasurable food education to young children.

Through the Tintern ELC Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden (SAGK) we intend to inspire and extend the children’s natural inquiry and wonder, creating a lifelong love for learning. The garden program will lead them to develop their interests and shared understandings of the world around them, the creatures within it and the sustainable future for the world. Developing the farm/gardening program in the ELC has a direct link to the Victorian Early Years Learning Framework and National Framework.

Here in the ELC, we believe that by offering this garden program the children will benefit from being part of the wider Tintern community, socially responsible and respectful of the environment. The pivotal aspects of learning in the garden program is the complete cycle of plant growth (from seedling to plate), through a holistic, hands on program.

Our Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden (SAGK) Farm program will offer children an ultimate experience as it focuses on a complete process of sustainably growing and preparing of fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs, harvesting them, cooking with them and sharing a meal as a community.

With the purchase of our all-weather gear we will now roll the program out to all ELC classes.

We look forward to our parent community becoming involved in this program through either assisting us at the farm, within the ELC during cooking classes or through our market place where we can share and exchange produce.

Girls’ Junior School News

Year 2A Scrabble Tiles, Counting, Purple Mash and Graphs!

It was a cold and cloudy day when the Year 2 girls offered to sort hundreds of scrabble tiles into order so that Ms Flynt could play a game with the Year 6’s.

We worked in pairs or small groups to sort the letters into alphabetical piles. When each group had sorted their pile, we all made predictions as to which letter would have the most tiles.

Next, we made a huge column graph on the floor to discover which letter of the alphabet had the most tiles. We will give you a clue, it was a vowel, just as we predicted.

Finally, we used the data we had collected and entered into a table in Purple Mash on our ipads. Then we pressed a button and made column graphs, line graphs and pie graphs.

We had so much fun doing this and we learnt so much about predictions and graphs.

Year 6 Camp 

Ask a Year 6 student about their 2021 camp experience and you will be sure to hear them say ‘camp was awesome’, ‘camp was the best’. This year, Year 6 travelled to the Summit Outdoor Adventure Park in Trafalgar to participate in 3 days of fun and challenging learning experiences. Students were engaged from the moment they set foot on camp learning about the 5 keys to camp success. For the next 3 days students lived and breathed these, making mistake, taking chances and always having fun.

One of the camp’s goals is to greater understand your comfort zone and ways in which times will challenge these. Students particularly noted this from their experiences in the Snowy River Challenge. This activity was made up of a series of obstacles that the whole team had to manoeuvre their way through supporting their team members as they do. In one particular challenge I watched as students hoisted one another over a wall, the trust, strength and commitment that the students showed one another brought me to tears. Students who before felt scared, nervous and unsure were supported by their peers to complete the task. It was inspiring to witness. Comfort zones were shattered and reborn bigger than before.

My heart was pounding, I have just stepped off onto the log of the Snowy River Challenge and below the log there is disgusting muddy, pooey 40cm deep water. I walked across the log cm by cm. Divya in front of me slightly moving the log.

I am near the middle now, Divya has just stepped off, making her the third person to the other side. Suddenly my legs start shaking at a fast pace. I try to inch forward but my legs are having a hard time doing what my brain is telling it to do. So, here I am standing on a log, below a muddy dirty pool of water, legs shaking and mind set on what will happen if I slip and fall in…

Mayah Dass

Alyssa Flint

Junior School Year 6 Teacher

Boys’ Junior School

Preps visit Camelot Traffic School

On Tuesday 18 May the Prep Boys went on their first excursion to the Camelot Traffic School. The Preps have been studying the importance of having a healthy body and healthy mind, our Integrated Studies focus for the term, and our excursion linked with how exercise is good for both elements of a healthy life.

It was a fine line between which activity the boys were more excited for; the actual excursion or the trip on the bus driven by Mr Kenny. They all put on their helmets the moment they arrived at school, and asked every 5 minutes on the bus ‘are we there yet?’ We were blessed with dry weather on the day, perfect conditions for bike riding. When we arrived, the boys were taken through some road safety information as well as road rules they would need to try to follow.

The Traffic School course involved a round-a-bout, traffic lights, school zebra crossing and even a train line. The boys zoomed around the course, mostly remembering to stay on the left-hand side of the road! Teachers dressed up as school crossing assistants and police officers who issued tickets to super speedy riders. Many of the boys received speeding fines!

“I loved the bikes because they went fast.” – Jaden C

“I enjoyed the safety video because it showed you what to do.” – Alfie M

“I loved riding fast to get away from the police.” – George M

“I loved riding the bikes and learning how to stop and go.” – Ashton H

We would like to thank Miss Emily McLean and Mr Adam Kenny for accompanying us on our first adventure as a class outside the Tintern gates.

Mallory Peters
Boys’ Junior School Prep Teacher

Lion King Production 

We are very much keeping our fingers and toes crossed that our Boys’ Junior School production of The Lion King Junior will still run as scheduled tomorrow, with a Matinee and evening performance.

Rehearsals have been energetic and spirited and as always, the Junior school boys have been flexible, resilient, confident and enthusiastic

We look forward to presenting The Lion King Junior to our families and friends.

Middle School News

The last two weeks in the Middle School have been filled with a wide variety of events and activities, many of which are very much part of everyday Middle School life. From academic based programs, to sport and co-curricular, it has been really great to see so many students involved in different activities aimed at increasing their sense of connection and belonging to the school.  

Our Year 8s completed their Smoothie Bar event on Tuesday 11th May with all groups doing a fantastic job with their overall product design and business creation. The program helps to develop their understanding of what is required to create and build a business, including research into a particular product, financial analysis, marketing and pitching their product to an audience. The expo style event on Tuesday night was wonderfully attended by parents and friends, creating a fantastic atmosphere for each group to pitch their product to potential investors. A huge congratulations to all teams for their efforts over the two days. 

Sport continues to provide many opportunities for our students with regular EISM (Eastern Independent Schools of Melbourne) sport for Years 8 & 9 (Year 7s will be starting their competition at the beginning of Term 3) on a Thursday afternoon, along with our athletics and cross-country training that operates three times a week. There has also been some other recent sporting events such as the volleyball tournament that saw 8 Tintern teams compete against other schools from around Melbourne and greater Victoria with a number of our teams doing very well throughout the one-day tournament. This will be followed up with a 3 day tournament occurring in late July. It has been great to see the level of commitment and effort being put into this opportunity.  

Another event that is occurring near the end of this term is the EISM Chess Competition. As a school we can enter only 8 students across Year 7 – 9 (girls and/or boys) so places are very limited. Our chess club operates from our library on a Thursday and Friday lunchtime and it will be from here that our 8 team members will be selected to represent our school at the tournament. Whilst we have many students attending the chess club who have been playing chess for some time, it is also designed to be a club for students who are wanting to learn how to play chess for the first time, so all players are welcome. 

I would like to thank our Years 7 & 9 students for their recent efforts during the NAPLAN assessments. With the end results not something that we as a school focus on, what was good to see was the high level of effort by which the students approached their assessments. Our students are encouraged to approach all aspects of their schooling life with the intent on doing the best they can. Be it class tests or assignments, performing on stage, in an orchestra or playing on the sports field, if you put your best effort into the preparation and the performance, that is all that can be asked of you. I would also like to express a big thank you to the staff who managed this process so seamlessly over the last two weeks: Mrs Bezaire, Mrs Hong, Ms Groseclos, Mr Beard and our IT team. 

Our Year 9s are currently working hard on their House Showdown performance in preparation for their final performance on Tuesday 15th June. This event is designed to bring our girls and boys together for some fun, whilst also continuing to build connections before they transition into the Senior College for Year 10 next year. I was lucky enough to walk around to each group last Wednesday to see where they were all up to and I was suitably impressed. Not only do they seem very well prepared this year, the level of fun and connection between each group was really pleasing to see.  

As we have almost reached the end of the first semester, we are approaching the time where reports will be made available to parents. For our Year 7 families, this will be a pastoral report highlighting the involvement and contribution to the school by your son or daughter, as well as a summary of the ongoing assessments and reporting that you have been receiving throughout the year as part of our progressive reporting. For Years 8 & 9, you will receive a semester report from each subject that provides a summartive overview of your child’s progress this semester. At all levels it is important that students and families spend time together reflecting on how they went during Semester 1 in each of their subjects, and look to set some goals for self-improvement during Semester 2. This will also be done in greater detail at the beginning of Term 3 when students are back at school. 

Senior College News

Senior College News

As we approach the examination period for Years 10 and 11, the House Music competition today is a wonderful opportunity to bring students together and acknowledge the leadership of our House Captains. Students are being emailed an individual copy of their timetable and Level Co-ordinators have outlined expectations to students. At a Level Assembly yesterday, the Year 10s were briefed about their Future Ready Program and City Experience from Tuesday 15 June to Friday 18 June. It has also been a busy time for Year 12 students as they complete internal assessments but I know they are looking forward to Hump Day this Friday 28 June.

The Year 10 and 11 Study Day is Monday 31 May with examinations from Tuesday 1 June to Friday 28 June with full winter uniform to be worn. Families are requested to contact the school prior to 8.30am if any student is ill during the examination week and a make-up session will be organised in consultation with the student.

The following outlines some information for families from Elevate Education that have been gathered from their empirical research:

A Balanced Life

It is important for students to pursue their interests in sport, hobbies or music to provide a break from study and enhance fitness and wellbeing.

Assisting Memory

Use a combination of approaches including auditory, visual and kinaesthetic

Tip: Short and regular revision assists material being stored in long term memory rather than one lengthy session the night before a test or examination!

Difference between Homework and Study

Homework is directed and set by the teacher whereas study includes regular independent work including note taking, extra reading (for examples and to enhance depth of responses) and practice questions that are marked/discussed by the teacher or checked against solutions.

Time Management

• Aim to create a one-week study/homework timetable that is completed at the start of the week using either electronic or printed options. At this stage the focus should be on revision.

Note-Taking

• Avoid re-writing notes, add colour and use techniques such as key words or concept diagrams to help with connections between the material
• Add examples or evidence from wider reading progressively

Managing Distractions

• Turn off mobile phones and access to social media while studying
• Suggested to work for 30 minutes (study) to 1-hour (homework) blocks
• Eat a well-balanced diet and include regular exercise to assist concentration
• Listening to music can be a motivator to work but there are other times where high levels of concentration are required and there is a belief that students should be training in the conditions that they must perform ie the examination room is a silent space….

Motivation

• Getting motivated and avoiding procrastination are linked and related to goal setting including some reward plan
• Students should seek assistance and use their support network including family, friends and teachers

Green Team News

Tintern Grammar Green Team and Social Justice Trivia Night

Tintern’s Green Team and Social Justice Group organised the silent auction and raffle at the annual Trivia Night on Saturday, 22 May. With over 200 tickets sold filling 23 tables, the two groups were able to raise $4000 to go towards the SolarBuddy project. The SolarBuddy organisation provides compact solar lights for children in developing countries who currently rely on dangerous kerosene fuelled lights. These lamps are sent overseas to young people in need, making it easier and safer for children living with energy poverty to study effectively.

The funds raised at the Trivia night, coupled with the $1700 raised at the movie night and the $1000 from the bake sale and free dress day bring our total for the year to $6700. This amount allows us to purchase another 200 lights. In addition, the Year 10 Café Experience class donated the funds raised on Monday 24 May at their café stall to the project bringing our grand total to 425 lights.

The Green Team and Social Justice Group are incredibly grateful for the ongoing support of the Tintern Parent Group, the teachers and the parents of Tintern in achieving our fundraising goal. With the purchase of in excess of 400 lights, we can provide all students in Years 7-10 and some junior school classes the opportunity to assemble a light during our upcoming Earth Week (7-11 June). The many sponsors who donated items for both the raffles and silent auction are also greatly appreciated by the two teams 9 (see list below).

Thank you to all who participated in the 2021 Trivia Night and to all who have supported the Green Team and Social Justice Group in their journey to make the world a better place.

Donations from businesses:

• Daisys Garden Supplies, Ringwood
• Mary Eats Cake, Montrose
• Flowers Etc, East Ringwood
• Netbags
• Crocks Indoor play centre
• Ajays Heathmont
• Hardrock Climbing Nunawading
• MTEC
• Officeworks Ringwood
• Matthews Timber Knoxfield
• Hugster Family Photography Mt Waverley
• JD digital Photography
• Bunnings Ringwood
• Paul’s Supa IGA Ringwood
• Costco
• Cadbury Mondalez
• Larrykin Dog Treats
• We are Feel Good Inc
• Coles Eastland
• Julianne Hair
• Seymour’s
• Ventura Buses
• Olea Skin Care
• BandeStudio
• Emerald Hills Cottage Bed and Breakfast, Koonwarra Victoria (2 night package)
• Micky Booth Fruit and Vegetables
• Sandton Gallery for Hair
• Body Therapy, Ringwood East
• Red Balloon Candy
• Officeworks Ringwood
• Micky Booth Fruit and Vegetables
• Body Therapy Ringwood East
• Emerald Hills Cottage Bed and Breakfast, Koonwarra
• Larrykin Dog Treats
• Team Kids
• Apiwrap
• Sanguine Estate Wines
• Velissaris Photography
• Entertainment membership

 Donations from parents/friends of Tintern

• Jodi Marsh
• Paul Doupe
• Alison Andrew
• Deidre Sheeran
• Heidi Victoria
• Mark Lawson
• Joanne Willson
• Di Grochowska
• Julianne Main
• Peter Mitcham
• Carl Paul

Tintern Grammar Green Team News: School Strike 4 Climate, Friday 21 May

The School Strike 4 Climate is a global environmental movement inspired by Greta Thunberg’s weekly strikes outside of the Swedish Parliament. The aim of this movement is to plead for urgent action on climate change whilst raising awareness. In order to do this, students are striking from school to demand our politicians to take our future seriously and treat climate change as the problem it is. Sadly, it is up to our generation to take action as we are fed up with the government’s inaction towards climate change.

On the 21 May, 50,000 students from 50 strikes all over Australia; myself included had to miss some school in order to take part in the School Strike 4 Climate. In Melbourne alone, 20,000 students turned up. Meleah Byth, Lachlan Smith, Tash Gillam, Rafi Taylor, Zoe Liew, Jonah Fleming and I headed to Treasury gardens, where the protest began. We encountered inspirational speakers such as Francesca Smith and Tish King and we met students of all ages, from different schools, religions and cultures all communicating the message that we want climate action. This was then followed by a powerful protest around the streets of Melbourne where, together, we expressed our anger and frustration towards the government.

We are sick of sitting in classrooms, learning about the detrimental effects of climate change and watching the government again and again ignoring this problem. The Strikes allows the government to hear our voices, to hear our worries. When we come together like we did last Friday, the government and the politicians can no longer ignore us. We want the government to fund our future and not gas. So dear people who don’t believe climate change is happening, this problem IS occurring and we will not stop fighting until climate justice has been achieved.

By Mia Qian, Year 10