The Church teaches us to practice prayer, sacrifice and alms more intensely in these 40 days. The sacrament of Penance fits into these practices. First, prayer. It would be wonderful to discover Confessionin its entirety (preparation, confession, penance) as an encounter and dialogue with Jesus. Second, sacrifice. Putting our faith in action by saying our sins to a priest who acts in the person of Jesus is always a sacrifice. And alms: in Confession we give Jesus our sins and along with them, our repentance, fears and shames.

It has been an exciting start to the school year. All students from Prep to Year 1 are settling into their new routines with enthusiasm. We are especially proud of how they are forming friendships, playing cooperatively, and showing kindness to one another.

Learning is thriving across the Infants’ classes, with children engaging in a variety of hands-on and interactive activities. Our Prep children have also been aspiring artists, busy creating beautiful pieces that showcase their creativity and imagination. With the warm sunshine, we have embraced opportunities for outdoor learning, allowing students to explore, discover, and connect with nature while developing important skills. It has been wonderful to see their curiosity and confidence grow each day.

This term 1 Navy have been busy learning about the GIVE virtue ‘Teamwork’.

1 Navy have explored the following questions: 

• What does it mean to work as a team?

• What does collaboration look like?

• How can we work together? and is our class a team?

By working in teams 1 Navy have not only developed their problem solving skills, communication, and critical thinking skills, but it has also allowed students the opportunity to learn from their peers.

1 Navy had the pleasure of performing ‘Count on Me’ by Bruno Mars at the Infants Assembly, to which parents were invited. They also shared their beliefs about the qualities of teamwork and why it is important to be a good friend and work together. 

It was lovely to see so many happy faces at the KPF last week. I’m sure you would agree we are blessed to have such a positive, vibrant and caring school community. I hope you enjoyed looking at the class displays and work samples as well as meeting the teachers and other staff members.

Piano Showcase

Congratulations to the talented students who participated in the Piano Showcase. Some of these students also performed at last week's Lunchtime Musical Concert, delivering exceptionally impressive performances. Stay tuned for more details in Creative and Performing Arts Music Section of the Rust and Navy.

Debating

Our debating teams are working steadily under the guidance of Mrs McFarlane. They meet weekly to engage in practice sessions that focus on refining their debating techniques and deepening their understanding of the structure of a debate. Our teams compete against a range of schools each Friday evening. Special thanks to Mrs McFarlane for her care and dedication.

Semester 1 Monitors

The virtue that we are focusing on in the Junior School is Orderliness.

Definition:

A place for everything. Keeping my environment well arranged, so I can be effective and reach my full potential.

I am practicing orderliness when I:

Have a place to put each of my things

Put my things away in the same place when I am finished with them

Solve problems step by step

Have a plan before I start a job

Create a harmonious space that makes my soul peaceful

Practical Tips

If you think of it – do it, don’t put it off for another day

Create appropriate times for your activities

Set a timer to keep you on track

Leave a room better than you found it

Have a ‘home’ for all your stuff (piles are not homes!)

Stop a task a few minutes earlier, giving you time to pack away before the next activity.

Don’t dump on the table when we walk in – put things away – and push in chairs when you get up from the table.

For older students:

😊 Orderliness is more than organising our stuff.

Year 3 started the year excited to move to the main primary building and quickly learnt new routines, made new friends, stepped up and embraced the new freedoms which came with new responsibilities. We love Thursday afternoon choir and music groups where some of us have chosen to play the flute, trumpet, cello, violin, and clarinet.

Participating in our first swimming carnival was so much fun and we cannot wait for the cross country and the athletics carnival later this year. So far, we have managed to consistently remember all our uniform items, take responsibility for our belongings, complete and return our homework on time and avoid paper pick up and reflections - we are certainly growing into excellent Year 3 students!

As we enter the season of Lent, we are trying to pray more, be more compassionate to others and fast from thinking only of ourselves and think of others.

It has been another busy fortnight in the Secondary School with a range of curricular and co-curricular activities taking place. Our girls have been engaged in their learning both inside and outside the classroom.

Some highlights from the past fortnight for Secondary have been:

• ISDA Debating - Rounds 2 and 3.
• Elevate Study Skills Seminars.
• Encore Music Excursion.
• Year 10-12 Police Presentation.
• Year 7-12 Sue Whiting Writing Workshops.
• Open Day.
• CIS/All Schools Triathlon.
• HZ Opens Tennis.
• Year 10 Physical Theatre Drama Incursion.

Congratulations to our ISDA Debaters who versed St Andrew's for Round 1. Tangara won 4 out of 8 Debates, which is a great way to start the season. Well done to our Primary B, Year 8, Year 9 and Senior A Teams who all won last week. We look forward to hosting Round 3 tonight.

As the intensity of the term starts to increase, it is important that your daughter has a good routine in place which balances school and home life.  

We look forward to sharing the outcomes of the efforts and achievements of your daughters in our Secondary Assembly in Week 5, as our second round Merit Awards for the year will be presented.

Congratulations once again to the winners of the 2025 Tangara Piano Showcase! Last week, they performed in the performance event, where they had the opportunity to share their music with the school community.

It was a fantastic event, and we are proud of all the students who participated. Thank you to everyone who supported the showcase, including our adjudicators and music staff.

Earlier this week, our Year 11 and 12 Music students had the opportunity to attend ENCORE, the annual showcase of exemplary HSC Music performances and compositions, held at the Sydney Opera House. This event highlights the outstanding achievements of NSW's top HSC Music students of 2024, offering our own students valuable insight into the depth of musicianship and creativity required for success in the Music 1, Music 2 and Music Extension courses.

Attending ENCORE is always a highlight of the year, and we look forward to seeing our own students continue to strive for excellence as they work towards their own HSC performances and compositions.

We are delighted to announce that Tangara will be welcoming a new Brass (Trumpet and Trombone) tutor and a new Woodwind (Clarinet and Saxophone) tutor, both joining us directly from Redfield College. Their expertise and experience will be a fantastic addition to our instrumental program.

Additionally, we are pleased to share that a new Cello tutor will be joining our team next week. 

If anyone wishes to have private music tuition, please contact musicacademy@tangara.nsw.edu.au.

We look forward to seeing our Tangara Music Academy continue to grow with these talented new tutors!

Congratulations to Isabella Raad on her achievement in piano late last year! Isabella received a Pass with Honours in her AMEB exam, a testament to her dedication, skill, and countless hours of practice. Well done, Isabella!

What a fantastic start to the year with our first carnival held in week 2! After the terrible weather on the Monday, we all held our breath and were blessed with perfect weather to watch our swimmers in action at Hornsby Aquatic Centre. The attendance and participation was particularly impressive, as was the sportsmanship and spirit.

A special congratulations goes to Olivia Siau (Year 11) who broke FOUR Tangara records on the day! 17 Years 50m Backstroke, 50m Butterfly, 100m Freestyle and the Secondary 200m IM.

Good luck to the students selected to represent Tangara at the HZSA Swimming Carnival at Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre on Monday 3rd March.

Congratulations to the students below who placed 1st, 2nd & 3rd overall in their respective age groups.

Age Champions 2025

Primary

Secondary

Photo Credit: Mrs Denahy

Congratulations is also extended to Siena for winning the overall House Champion and Tintagel for the House Spirit!

Congratulations to the students who trialled at HZSA for the opportunity to trial for the CIS team.

A special congratulations to Nicole Gao (Year 5) who was successful. Good luck at the CIS trials!

The Tangara Cross Country will be held at Tangara on Thursday March 20th. All welcome!

The schedule for the day will be shared soon.

Congratulations to the secondary students who trialled for the HZSA Basketball team to compete at AICES.

A special congratulations to Yumin Oh who was selected into the 16s team and Anastasia Limbers and Mary Vieira who were selected into the 18s team. Good luck at AICES!

As well as being Valentine's Day, February 14 is also Library Lovers' Day! This year we celebrated with an Emoji Book Title Competition! The Secondary students had a lot of fun trying to work out the titles. Can you guess them all? Click on the link to see.

Emoji Book Titles

Overdue notices have been emailed to all students and their parents with books outstanding from last term. Printed notices have also been issued to all Primary students. If you have received an email, can you please help your child locate the missing books and return them ASAP? Books still outstanding at the end of the term will be assumed lost and charged to your account together with a $5 processing fee. Thanking you for your assistance in locating wandering items!

We were very excited to welcome acclaimed children's author, Sue Whiting, to run a series of writing workshops for our high school girls on Tuesday, 25th February. Sue has had 75 books published ranging from picture books to some very exciting historical and mystery middle fiction books, such as Missing, Tilda, and The Book of Chance. The girls received lots of encouragement and tips to help them add interest and depth to their creative writing. She helped them to discover how to create a vivid setting, characters that the reader will care about and a page turning plot. Sue has a couple of new books coming out later in the year, which will be welcome additions to the Library.

What is lent and what can you give of yourself to God?

Ah, Lent. That time of year when the candy aisle at the grocery store becomes a forbidden land, and everyone’s suddenly talking about sacrifices like they’ve just signed up for a new diet plan. But let’s slow down and take a breath. Lent is more than just giving up chocolate or trying to survive without your favourite TikTok trends. It’s a season of reflection, growth, and (yes) a little self-discipline.

So, what is Lent really about, and how can you make the most of it without feeling like you’ve entered an endless season of self-denial? Let’s break it down!

What is Lent?

Lent is a 40-day period in the Christian calendar that leads up to Easter. It starts on Ash Wednesday (this year is the 5th of March in Week 5) and ends on Easter Sunday. It’s a time of reflection, prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.