Last Saturday, we celebrated the solemnity of the Annunciation to our Lady. We read the gospel in which the archangel Gabriel greets Mary with these words: "The Lord is with you". Pope Francis helps us to deepen in their meaning:

"The first is when he greets her and says, “Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you” (Lk 1:28). The reason to rejoice, the reason for joy, is revealed in those few words: the Lord is with you. Dear brother, dear sister, today you can hear those words addressed to you. You can make them your own each time you approach God’s forgiveness, for there the Lord tells you, “I am with you”.

All too often, we think that Confession is about going to God with dejected looks. Yet it is not so much that we go to the Lord, but that he comes to us, to fill us with his grace, to fill us with his joy. Our confession gives the Father the joy of raising us up once more. It is not so much about our sins as about his forgiveness.

It has been a busy week for children, teachers and parents.

Parent /Teacher Interviews

Our Parent and Teacher interviews took place this week and the feedback was very positive. The interviews are a wonderful opportunity for parents and teachers to exchange information about the children in our care. Please feel free to make a time with your child’s teacher or mentor if there is ever a concern or something you would like to discuss. Of course, I am always happy to meet with you if you should have any concerns or you would like to provide feedback.

Dental Care

Last week we were fortunate to attend a Dental Hygiene workshop organised by Pennant Hills Dental Care who believe education and prevention is key to long-term oral health.

The Year 1 children have been very busy this term with so many beautiful things to learn in Religion classes. 

On Ash Wednesday Fr. Paul and Fr. John came to visit us with the ashes for Ash Wednesday. They reminded the children of the three things we need to remember during Lent. To pray, fast and give.

Year 1 Silver were interested to learn that we do not use the word “Alleluia” during Lent. They learnt that it actually means “He is risen”, and that we can start using this word again at Easter when Christ rises in His glory. The children decorated signs using the ‘A-word’, and we hid them in the classroom. We will be joyful after Easter when we can display our colourful work when we know that Christ has indeed risen.

The music of childhood is so important in shaping and preserving memories. Many of the songs we learn as children stay with us all our lives. In our Infants Class Music lessons, our children have been building up their repertoire of songs. “Peace Like River” and “The More We Get Together” fostered feelings of joy and belonging... “Grizzly Bear” and “Penguin’s Attention” lifted the excitement levels through fun rhythmic movements.

Using whole body movements, our Prep students waved colourful scarves to represent the song “Leaves are Falling Down”. We then used our scarves to perform choreographed movements guided by a piece of music.

Kindergarten and Year 1 students choreographed their own movements to represent the form of the folk song, “Blue Bells Cockle Shells”. The students learnt to read and perform rhythmic phrases containing ta, titi, tika-tika and za.

We learnt to walk on the beat to a march and then used rhythm sticks to accompany the famous “Radetzky March” by Johan Strauss Sr.

by Angelique Goldsworthy | Music Teacher

Kimochis is a social/emotional education program which provides children with communication and emotional-regulation strategies which they can implement in their lives. It centres around the principal that the natural feelings we experience can affect us positively and negatively. Some feelings we enjoy having, such as, happy, excited and kind. Others are not as enjoyable, such as mad, frustrated and disappointed. Kimochis helps children to identify these feelings and express them in a positive way.

St Patrick’s Feast Day

The Primary school was awash with green on Friday. The girls looked wonderful! They had the opportunity to learn about St Patrick and his amazing legacy. They also enjoyed a delicious treat form the cake stall!

Year 4 Assembly Item

The Year 4 classes presented a charming assembly item on Friday. Mrs Barbero explained that the girls had come up with the ideas and written the script themselves. Thank you Year 4.

Healthy Lunch Boxes

The Year 6 monitors reminded us on Friday of the importance of bringing healthy lunches to school. We know that eating lunch raises blood sugar level in the middle of the day, which gives children the energy they need for the rest of the day. It also enables children to focus and concentrate on their afternoon lessons.

Love of Reading

I was lucky enough to take some Primary girls to our beautiful Junior School library this week. It helped me remember how much children love books and the importance of nurturing their love of reading. I was a little amused when I asked the class what a nonfiction book was and one little poppet said, “A book that doesn’t exist”!

In the Junior School we have been working on the virtue of Courage.

Courage and fortitude mean making a choice to confront hardship or scary situations even when you feel afraid, for the sake of something more important. It means doing the right thing even when your friends are not and it’s not easy to stand strong. Courage also means we have the emotional and character strength to withstand hardship or pain.

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.

Synonyms:

Where does Courage fit?

Fortitude

·        Resilience

·        Personal toughness

·        Bounce-back-ability

·        Grit

·        Audacity

·        Courage

For older students:

😊What is the most courageous thing I have ever done?

😊What are some tactics for overcoming fear that I can share with my classmates?

😊Is there something I have been putting off that I can courageously face today?

This term for History, Year 4 Navy students are working on a research task - ‘The impact of Early Explorers and the discovery of unknown areas of the world’. Each student has been given an explorer and they are researching the background and purpose of the voyage. This information is presented on a poster.

Our Secondary girls have been immersed in a range of learning experiences over the past fortnight, with a number of incursions and excursions taking place, including presentations by guest speakers.

On Wednesday 22 March the students from Year 7 – 12 participated in STEM workshops. Students worked collaboratively and planned, designed and build structures using their knowledge of mathematics and engineering design.

●Year 7 took part in the Sierpinski Triangle Origami Challenge which explores the various ways origami is used in engineering processes.

●The Year 8 students were involved in constructing Easter baskets out of paper and designed structures for a raw egg to survive a drop of approximately 4m from a balcony in the Egg Drop Challenge.

●Year 9 will create a geodesic dome out of straws. Geodesic domes are commonly used in the creation of soccer balls, greenhouses and even play equipment in parks.

●Year 10 will be designing and building bridges using spaghetti. The bridge that can carry the most weight will be the winner.

●Year 11 students will design and construct a roller coaster out of paper. The challenge will be to create a roller coaster that include loops, jumps and funnels.

The year 9 Science students have been learning about the human brain.

This week, they conducted a brain dissection to identify the various structures of a lamb's brain. Some thoroughly enjoyed the activity while others squirmed, a memorable experience for all.  

The Cross Country is compulsory for all students in Years 3-10 and OPTIONAL for students in Years 11 and 12. A written note to Miss Sunner requesting non-participation is needed if any student is unable to participate for a medical reason. 

Please find below the timetable for Primary and Secondary.

On Saturday some of our secondary girls ran a Buddies Fun Day here at Tangara for a group of disadvantaged young people from around Sydney.

Our girls did a wonderful job organising and running a range of fun activities for these children.

Best of all they showed a great amount of care, interest and warmth in the children who appreciated the time and attention and fun the girls gave them. These children did not wipe the smiles of joy off their faces all day and Vinnies Youth Team were very impressed and appreciative of the wonderful, happy day our girls provided for them.

Well done girls, you did Tangara proud with your excellent day of service.

Special thanks to our year 12 dynamos who despite their busy schedules came and threw themselves wholeheartedly into the day! Everyone did a great job, well done!

Mrs Barbero | Community Service Coordinator