RUST and NAVY

Growing Enrolments and Open Day

Open Day this term was held on Saturday 13 March to allow for over 100 families to attend within the COVID guidelines that have been in place until now. This was in addition to the private tours conducted each week. It is so encouraging to see Tangara experiencing an overwhelmingly large number of enrolments. In some year groups, the number of enrolment applications exceeds the number of places available. This is a wonderful situation to find ourselves in and we thank you for your continued support and ongoing recommendations. We are so happy to welcome new families to share in Tangara’s future.

Feast of St Joseph

Friday 19 March marked the solemnity of the Feast of St Joseph. Our school celebrated together with a very solemn and special Mass, and we feasted on ice blocks and donuts afterwards. All students have been given a St Joseph prayer card and as a school we have committed ourselves in the Year of St Joseph to praying this prayer every Wednesday and on the 19th day of each month. 

St Joseph is most well-known as the patron saint of the Universal Church, fathers, families, and workers. He is a role model for all fathers and we pray for St Joseph’s intercession to help our father’s to continue to lead their families with unconditional love, trust and courage. 

In the Pope’s Apostolic Letter “Patris Corde” Pope Francis highlights that “Saint Joseph was a carpenter who worked faithfully to provide a living for his family and that from him, Jesus would have learned the value and dignity of work.” Pope Francis continues saying that “when work is placed in the service of the community and the Church it becomes, an opportunity for our own capabilities to grow, an opportunity to bring about the basic core of society, i.e. the family, a participation in the work of salvation, and an opportunity to hasten the coming of the Kingdom of God”. 

Let this be a reminder to each of us of the importance and value of work and how we can use our work as an opportunity to grow in the virtues so beautifully displayed by St Joseph and to bring others to the knowledge and experience of God’s love for all.

Term 2 KPF

Our Term 2 KPF will take place virtually with the first session on Thursday 29 April and a follow up session on Thursday 13 May. The topic is one that is relevant and central to the philosophy of education at the Pared schools. I look forward to you joining Alexander Harvard present on the important topic - “Building Leadership in your Kids”. 

Thank you and Happy Easter

We have come to the end of a very busy and productive Term. In just nine weeks, we have seen our students grow in the classroom with so many innovative teaching and learning initiatives, we have had opportunities to grow and deepen our faith throughout Lent and the celebrations of some major feast days, excel in sport in both the swimming and cross country, compete against some top debaters in the ISDA debating competition. We’ve had a wealth of wonderful experiences in the life of our school that have helped our students to grow in leadership and character and to experience the wonderful sense of belonging and community that is so unique to Tangara.

I thank all our parents, staff and students for your ongoing efforts and support throughout the term. I look forward to welcoming our parents on campus throughout Term 2 for a range of events and celebrations. I wish you and your families a very blessed Easter and a restful break and I look forward to seeing you all energised back at school in Term 2 on Tuesday 20 April.

We have been getting ready for Holy Week this Lent 2021 with St Joseph

On 19 March, we celebrated the Solemnity of St Josep at Tangara with a School Mass. I like to know that St Joseph, being a tradie, can fix everything. Let's grow in this year of St Joseph our devotion and trust in him, who took care of Jesus and Mary with such a great love.

And after Lent we are now ready to live again the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Our Lord, next week, starting on Palm Sunday: the Holy Week!

I like these words of Pope Francis, who leads us to meditate and contemplate our Lord on the Cross:"Let us walk this path, pausing in these days to gaze upon the Crucifix; it is the “royal seat of God”. I invite you during this week to gaze often upon this “royal seat of God”, to learn about the humble love which saves and gives life, so that we may give up all selfishness, and the seeking of power and fame.  By humbling himself, Jesus invites us to walk on his path.  Let us turn our faces to him, let us ask for the grace to understand at least something of the mystery of his obliteration for our sake;  and then, in silence, let us contemplate the mystery of this Week".

I wish you a holy Holy Week and a very happy Easter!

Catholics should be open to dialogue and harmony with peoples of all religious persuasions and of none. Christ came that all might be saved, and he showed his love for all by dying on the cross for them. 

On Friday, April 9, there will be a launch of my latest book, Question Time 5 - 150 Questions and Answers on the Catholic Faith. Peter Rosengren, editor of the Catholic Weekly, will do the launch at St Michael's, Belfield, at 7.30 pm and all are welcome to attend.

What a wonderful start to the year we've had in Prep White and Silver. Our new Blue Gum Cottage classroom has been so much fun to explore and make new friends in. We have been so busy already. In Prep, we are working on developing so many skills to help us become more independent. We unpack our bags in the morning, follow routines during the day and take care of our belongings.

We have enjoyed starting the Prelit program where we get to explore books, language and comprehension. We have also enjoyed mathematical experiences, indoor exploration and outdoor exploration. This term we are exploring and developing our sense of self. Sharing Time is giving us an opportunity to introduce ourselves to the class, talk about our families, our favourite things to do and practice important skills in talking, listening and taking turns.

We have so much fun in Blue Gum Cottage and we can't wait to see what the year holds.

The past week has been filled with activity and celebrations in the Junior School. We began looking at the new virtue of courage. This can be lived in our daily lives by facing up to the things we find difficult, such as raising our hand in class if we are shy, telling the truth in a difficult situation or even being kind and generous to others when we find it difficult. It was lovely to see so many of our Infants boys and girls receiving an award for living the virtue of courage.

Saint Patrick’s Day was celebrated throughout the Junior School. The Infants were given special treats, which were green of course! It was lovely to see so many beautifully coloured shamrocks and special artwork to celebrate this feast. In the Primary the girls were treated to green lollypops, which proved a real hit. The girls also wore green ribbons to commemorate the day.

On Friday we celebrated the Feast of Saint Joseph. A School Mass was held in the Multi-Purpose Hall. Each child in the Junior school was given an ice block in honour of this special feast. Once again, the Infants were busy doing special craft on Saint Joseph to take home. On this occasion special prayers were offered for all our dads as Saint Joseph was a model father for Jesus.

Harmony Day was also celebrated last week. On Tuesday 16 March The Secondary School leaders delivered a power point presentation to the Infants and Primary classes, exposing them to a diversity of cultures. This Year the theme was ‘ Everyone Belongs’  The Primary entered a Poster competition and the Year 6 Rust presented a beautiful item in assembly on the different cultures around the world and closer to home the different cultures found in our school.

To coincide with events around Harmony Day, 5 Navy were lucky enough to have a visit from some Year 10 girls who shared with us lots of interesting and unusual information about the country of Italy. The presentation was fun, engaging and informative, especially the part where we had to guess the famous Italians! The week prior to the presentation we discovered that 5 Navy is blessed with wonderful diversity from around the world. We counted 18 different nationalities in our various backgrounds including Italy, Germany, America, Lebanon, Korea, China, England, Ireland, Scotland, Syria, India, The Philippines , Sri Lanka, Spain, France, Egypt, Poland and of course, Australia. Unique family customs were shared and enjoyed by all! We even discovered things about our friends and peers that we didn't know even though we've known some since kindergarten!

Last week we celebrated Harmony. It is a day to celebrate our culturally diverse society. In school, we celebrate inclusiveness, respect and a sense of belonging for all Australians, from the traditional owners of the land, to those who have come from countries around the world. 

The ongoing theme of Harmony Day is ‘everyone belongs’. Harmony Day is a day of cultural respect for all. It is about celebrating and embracing new cultures and making sure that everybody is included in society, as well as being celebrated for their uniqueness. Students in 6 Rust shared their knowledge of a variety of cultures in the Primary school weekly assembly. They researched facts, spoke a variety of languages, dressed up in national dress and presented to the girls from Years 2-6. Everyone had a very cultural week and learnt a lot about our diverse society.

In the Primary School, we also had a Harmony Day poster competition.

Thank you very much to all the girls who entered this competition. 

Ten posters have been selected and entered into the NSW State competition. The final results will be announced later in the year.

On March 17, the Primary girls celebrated St Patrick's Day by immersing themselves in the Irish spirit. They wore green ribbons and enjoyed a green lollipop as a special treat. The girls have been learning about this incredible saint during their Religion lessons and we all appreciated the chance to celebrate his life in such a fun way.

The Virtue focus in the Junior School is COURAGE.

I am practicing courage when I:

· Do what is right even when it is hard or scary

· Find strength within me even when I am afraid

· Am willing to try new things

· Admit mistakes and learn from them.

· Make it up to people when I do something wrong

Each week, we are lucky enough to have our Scope I.T. teachers ("Scopers") to guide us through coding with 'Mine Craft Education' and Scratch. We are learning to code, learning about 'conditionals' and 'sprites.' We are creating games and making our 'sprites' move. We are learning to be more I.T. literate and create code. We are learning about the introduction of computer programming and app development. A lot of fun in Scope I.T. 

This year Tangara celebrated Harmony Day on Tuesday 16 March with a variety of activities taking place across the school celebrating Australia's cultural diversity. All of the secondary leaders were given the task of producing a power point presentation focusing on a particular country and they had to research the terrain, cultural dress, foods and significant dates. The leaders were then paired with an Infants or Primary class and they presented their powerpoint to them and completed an activity with the students.  

In addition to the above the Secondary Staff planned and delivered lessons focusing on Harmony Day. 

In Science and Maths students researched a given scientist/ mathematician noting their contribution and place of birth/nationality and this was presented to the class.

In Year 10 History, students researched an event in History that reflected differing perspectives in a positive and negative manner. They had to focus on one of the key vocabulary terms: compassion, inclusiveness, respect, empathy, care, diversity, culture, belonging, unity and equality and they had to show their differing perspectives in a visual manner using historical sources.

In Year 8 History, students are studying ancient Japan and as part of this study they look at Confucius. The task they were given was to reflect on a Confucius saying that linked to our theme of Harmony Day and present this on their canvas.

In their Music lessons Year 9 and 10 students had a focus on World Music and they shared a piece of music that represented their culture. Students learnt new songs from each other as well as completing a listening task from a different culture.

In TAS students contributed to a recipe book titled “Recipes for Harmony” and this will be shared with all Tangara staff and students.

In Religion the students in Year 7 and 8 researched Saints from around the world and presented their finding to the rest of the class

In Languages students learnt how to say ‘hello’ in a different language as well as other common greetings.

On Tuesday 17 March, the Year 11 Advanced English class was joined by three Year 12 students; Natalia N, Hanna Pi and Ainara R, who took time out of their busy schedules to share some valuable tips about how to excel in creative writing. 

Natalia began the presentation by reinforcing the importance of incorporating figurative language into our work. She then explained that it is challenging to start writing an assessment as a perfectionist due to the constant fear of failure. However, she advised us to overcome this difficulty by beginning to write, then going back and elaborating on our points. Natalia and Ainara read out extracts from their creative writing tasks. These blew my mind and were the most incredible pieces I had ever read. 

Ainara continued with the presentation and advised us to "use the marking criteria as our best friend," as it will remind us what we're writing about. She encouraged us never to miss the planning stage of writing, ensuring our piece stays on track. Ainara introduced a unique way of getting into the headspace of a character we are portraying. She recommended watching movies and listening to music to understand the character's emotions, which will make it easier to write from their perspective. 

Hanna, enjoys and excels in analytical writing. She provided tips about how to write an effective reflection statement. Hanna recommended investing time and effort into the reflection statement as it can account for many assessment marks. She has created her own method of structuring a reflection statement and was kind enough to share this with us. Finally, the girls offered to read over any work for us, and Ainara shared her Extension 1 creative piece from last year. 

I know the entire class will undoubtedly benefit from the tips they provided and implement the methods they introduced into our work. Their kindness and generosity are unprecedented, and on behalf of the whole class, I would like to thank them all for giving us their time and for constantly being so supportive. 

By Natalie B.

Persecution. Imprisonment. A family’s plight. Although these may seem foreign to most of us in this nation - young and free - this pain is all too familiar to many Assyrian Christians who lived in Iraq during a time of civil unrest.

One such refugee, forced from her home at the age of seven is our very own Mrs. Stephenson. Last week, as I walked to school in safety enjoying the comforts and freedoms that our Australian democracy has to offer, I was blissfully unaware of the accounts of hardship undeserved, and adversity unsought for that I was about to witness. 

As Mrs. Stephenson recounted her tale, and all the uncertainty and insecurity that tainted her childhood, my classmates and I listened intently and marveled at the courage of this woman who we thought was just our saving grace in Mathematics through the grueling COVID-stricken year of 2020.

In 1969, Mrs. Stephenson and her family were contemplating emigration from Iraq. The deciding factor that forced Mrs. Stephenson and her family to move, came when two of her older brothers were conscripted into a war they wanted no part in. The fortunate employment of her father allowed for herself, her mother and her eight siblings to come over to Australia via Kuwait.

In the prelude to their arrival in Australia, Mrs. Stephenson detailed how her mother, a young woman in her 30s at the time, confronted an military general after her husband was wrongly imprisoned. She marched into the commanding soldier’s office when no one else would, cast her baby into his lap and made her plea, with the virtually fatherless infant lying in the General’s arms. Through this act of bravery she was not only able to secure the release of her husband but 4000 other innocent men as well. 

After arriving in Australia, they were relieved to finally have escaped the ever-present danger they faced in their native country, but this was certainly not the end of adversity for this young family. Mrs. Stephenson, or Miss Yousef as she was then, was put in all the lowest classes in Primary school because she could not speak the language, but eventually she worked her way up through her work ethic and intelligence (particularly in Mathematics).

Our class showed a keen interest when our teacher told us of her romantic tale between herself and her husband. Mrs. Stephenson enlightened the class on how she met her first love in her Year 8 Math’s class and the journey they embarked upon to eventually become husband and wife. This anecdote was greeted with many ‘Awww’s’ and much giggling, of course. She described how they dated secretly after high school, using walkie talkies, until eventually her family found her out and requested to meet this boy, to a joyful end.

Mrs. Stephenson and her husband are happily married to this day with three daughters and two beautiful grandsons. When asked if she experienced racism, she told us that it was a rather common occurrence for her to be singled out due to her race or victim to comments such as ‘go back to where you came from!’. However, she had a wonderfully positive outlook on her experience, saying that it made her all the tougher and expressing her gratefulness for the freedom and safety of Australia.  

I think I speak for my whole grade when I say that Mrs. Stephenson’s story has opened our eyes to the immigrant experience and changed our outlook on adversity. 

By Elizabeth L

This term the Year 11 Ancient Historians visited The Big Dig Centre in The Rocks and completed a program designed to maximise students’ learning experiences beyond the classroom in a hands-on, interactive environment of an authentic archaeological dig. Students used tangible, archaeological evidence from The Big Dig site to develop their own historical arguments to reconstruct the past. The program began with a PowerPoint presentation that clearly outlined the connected roles of history and archaeology before students explored the remains of structures built more than 200 years ago, helping them construct a strong picture of the everyday lives of the people who lived and worked there. Working collaboratively, students examined artefacts excavated in The Rocks and considered the same questions working archaeologists ask to determine the use, possible owners and manufacturing dates of artefacts. This process allows students to develop strong feelings of connection to the individuals and groups who comprised The Rocks’ communities of the nineteenth century. 

On the weekend of 6 and 7 March, 16 of our most adventurous Year 9 girls completed the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Bronze practice expedition. The girls started the walk at Berowra Station on Saturday morning and, from there, walked for most of the day through difficult terrain to finally limped into Crosslands Reserve where they pitched their tents, cooked their dinner and camped overnight. On Sunday morning they continued up a very steep section of the walk, back to Berowra Station to complete the loop.

Though finding the walk physically very demanding, the girls showed great fortitude. There were many blisters as well as painful shoulders and hips from the weight of their packs.  For some it was their first time participating in such a hike or even camping. As a teacher, it was marvellous to go on a camp where the girls were so tired they fell asleep as soon as they went to bed!

Despite the fatigue and soreness, the girls were determined to finish the walk, and they should be proud of their perseverance.

Well done to Olivia, Jacqueline, Dominique, Victoria-Rose, Hannah, Katherine, Khara, Charlotte, Fifi, Ashlee, Sophie, Messina, Esther, Shakthi, Elaria and Nadine! The best of luck for your Bronze test walk in October.

Annemarie Hill

On Thursday  5 March Year 12 Geography travelled to the Drayton’s Winery in the Hunter Valley to study Viticulture. The students where able to see first-hand the process of Viticulture from the grape to the bottle. Students explored the vineyard, learning about the environmental factors that affect the growth of grapes. They then took a tour through the winery with the lead winemaker, who revealed to them the intricate science behind winemaking and how red and white wine vintages are created every year. Finally, the girls were taught about sales and promotions. Overall, it was a wonderful learning experience that the girls thoroughly enjoyed.

Last week was the end of the Summer Basketball season rounds and our girls finished top of the ladder, well done! This week they we got to play the semi -final against the Warren Gees, the team that finished 4th on the ladder.

We had an outstanding match, 10 - 0 ahead at half time, increasing our lead to 15 – 0 and holding the opposition scoreless! Well done to our girls, they now meet the other semi final winner, X-Gems next Tuesday night at 6.15pm at Hills!

Thanks to all the parents who attended, as we say…. We are not just a team, we are a family!!

Go the wizards!!

George Nisbet

Coach

Thank you very much to the Nisbet family, Caitlin in year 7, Isabella in year 1 and Spencer in Prep

The Premier’s Reading Challenge (PRC) aims to encourage a love of reading for leisure and pleasure in students and to experience quality literature. It inspires students to read, read more and read widely. The PRC reading list is extensive to cater for the social diversity and reading ability of ALL students in NSW. Please note that there are books on the PRC list which Tangara does not endorse. However, the PRC library collection at Tangara has only those books that meet the stringent criterion requirements of this school. 

The Teacher Librarian, Kindergarten and Year 1 Class teachers will be reading 30 appropriate books to students in Kindergarten and Year 1. Mrs Ellis (Teacher Librarian) will upload and validate the books onto the PRC website. Each student in Kindergarten and Year 1, will receive a certificate at the end of 2021. Kindergarten and Year 1 parents will not be required to do anything towards the program.

Students in Year 2 - 10 are responsible for managing their own reading record and logging books on the PRC website. It is an optional activity. Students in Year 2 - 6 will be given a sticker in their diary that has their own unique login details. Students in Year 7 - 10 will need to come and see me or email me for their login details.

The PRC opens on Monday March 1, 2021

The PRC closes on Friday August 20, 2021

Please click on the following links for further information:

1) PRC Information 

2) PRC Book Lists 

3) PRC Login Page 

4) Personal Reading Log  

If you have any further questions, please email Mrs Ellis - samantha.ellis@tangara.nsw.edu.au

Tangara Library Staff

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