Living out “Never see a need without doing something about it” starts with the little things in our daily lives. It could mean choosing to spend less time on our phones so we can be more present to those around us - friends who might need someone to talk to, a classmate who feels left out, or a family member who needs help without asking. Being aware and available is already a step toward action.

Sometimes the biggest needs aren’t shouted - they’re silent. To notice them, we need to grow in a prayerful attitude and take time each day to be still and listen: to Jesus, to our conscience, and to the people around us. Whether it’s by offering kind words, really listening without interrupting, or simply being patient, mercy begins when we truly pay attention to others.

Welcome Back to Term 3!

We’re looking forward to another exciting term ahead, with highlights including our 100 Days of School celebration next week on Wednesday, 6 August, as well as Science Week, Book Week, and Grandparents Day.

As we begin this new term, we’d like to share some of the special moments from the final week of Term 2.

Teddy BearsPicnic
Nominated students were invited to attend our Teddy Bears' Picnic, a special reward for those who consistently try their best in all aspects of school life. Congratulations to last term’s Teddy Bears' Picnic guests!

Kindergarten Animal Farm
Kindergarten enjoyed a hands-on, educational visit from the Golden Ridge Animal Farm. Dressed in gumboots and overalls, the children embraced their roles as little farmers. They were thrilled to meet and interact with lambs, goats, rabbits, and chickens, learning about how to care for each animal and the role they play on a farm.

Welcome to Term 3

It has been lovely to see how happy the students have been to return to school. The energy in the classrooms and playground has been evident and it is clear the students are ready for the busy and exciting term ahead.

Semester 2 Monitors

The Semester 2 monitors have been appointed and briefed on their new roles. These students are given extra responsibilities and greatly assist in the running of the Primary School. Congratulations girls!

I-Care Week

We look forward to a new initiative to focus on Australia’s first saint, St Mary of the Cross McKillop. This year students have been invited to participate in an art initiative to celebrate Mary McKillop’s life, faith and values. During Religion lessons, we discussed St Mary’s faith, courageous life and her care for those in need. We have also focused on what we can learn from some of her sayings, such as, "Do not be hasty in judging one another", "Find happiness in making others happy" and "Never see a need without doing something about it".

SALT Magazine

The Virtue we have been working on in the Junior School is Patience.

Patience is being able to cope with annoying and difficult situations without becoming angry or aggressive. Patience uses logic and self control to behave in a way that won't hurt other people. When we are patient, we are considerate and kind to those who work slower than us, we can wait our turn and control our actions and reactions.

I am practicing patience when I:

· Calmly tolerate a delay or confusion

· Am willing to wait for things I want

· Set goals and stick with them until they are completed

· Am gentle with others when they make mistakes

How does Patience fit in with other virtues?

Love

·        Forgiveness

·        Compassion

·        Empathy 

·        Charity

·        Respect

·        Friendliness

·        Courtesy

·        Kindness

·        Patience

·        Helpfulness

For older students:

😊Would people who know me say that I’m a patient person?

😊How do I react if a situation is disorganised or a task is taking longer than planned?

😊 What things could I achieve if I exercised more patience? 

On the 17th of June twelve girls, accompanied by Mrs Wall and I, were invited to The Hills Grammar School to participate in a variety of extension activities around the theme of “Branching Out In Nature’s Classroom”. The beautiful bushland setting of Hills Grammar provided the inspiration for creative writing, a robotics and STEM challenge, and visual literacy activity.

Stage One students explored the bush on a sensory nature walk, collecting natural objects and noticing sounds, sights, and textures around them. They transformed their findings into imaginative bush characters and brought them to life through creative storytelling. Using figurative language, the children constructed and edited their stories, strengthening their writing skills while immersed in nature.

The scene was set for Stage Two students when they were asked to imagine that a brand-new National Park was being established in the Hills District to protect its biodiversity. The first step was to explore their “national park” and to select an object from nature to incorporate into their robotics activity. Using micro:bit and MacQueen Plus cars, they coded a vehicle to tackle conservation. Applying their creativity and engineering skills, they constructed a trailer to transport their endangered creature (soft toy!) to safety.

Welcome to an insight into the first two weeks of Term 3 in 6 Navy! In our Text Studies unit, students have been immersing themselves into the novel Wonder by R. J. Palacio, a heartwarming story that explores themes of kindness, empathy, and celebrating inner beauty. Through guided reading and reflective discussions, students have delved into Auggie’s world and considered the impact of every word and gesture. It’s been wonderful to see students not only engage with the characters but also relate the story’s message to their own experiences and reflect on how important kindness is in everyday life.

Maths lessons have involved exploring how the place value system can be extended using the decimal point. 6 Navy have also been consolidating their knowledge and understanding of the connections that can be made between benchmark fractions, decimals and percentages. This is a highly useful skill as they can apply this knowledge to problem solving questions.

We started the term with a Secondary Assembly and Grade Meetings, which allowed us to check-in with the girls and let them know of the happenings for the term ahead. The girls appeared refreshed and ready to embrace the abundant learning and growth opportunities awaiting them.

Tangara's Piloting of I-Care Week: Living Out the Spirit of St Mary MacKillop (Week 3)

From August 4th to 8th (next week), Tangara will be piloting I-Care Week, a new initiative inspired by the compassion, courage, and service of Saint Mary MacKillop. As the first school in the Sydney Catholic Schools to pilot this initiative, we hope that what begins here may one day grow to reach other schools across the system.

I-Care Week is about putting faith into action through small, meaningful gestures that reflect St Mary's call to "never see a need without doing something about it." Throughout the week, students will participate in:

• Art for a Cause: Create artworks honouring St Mary, to be exhibited at the MacKillop Museum.

• Handwritten Letters: Write thoughtful letters to someone needing support, encouragement, or a kind word.

• Buddy Reading: Older students read with Prep to Year 1 girls at lunchtime, fostering connection and confidence.

• Morning Rosary: Held at 8am in the chapel daily, with each year group leading

• Learning and Outreach: Explore St Mary's life and legacy in Religion Class and in REAL lesson, hear from a guest speaker about Mary's Meals, the charity Tangara is supporting.

Congratulations to the following students who are our Athletics Age Champions for 2025:

Primary

8 Years
1st - Eva Eckersley
2nd - Sherlyn Liu & Olivia McAuley

9 Years
1st - Grace Elbayeh
2nd - Arya Arisuthan
3rd - Miriam Grzech & Matilda Doherty

10 Years
1st - Angelique Chan & Talitha Gregory
2nd - Tess Kennedy
3rd - Ivy Niu

11 Years
1st - Serah Silva
2nd - Isabella Nisbet
3rd - Bridgette Bazouni

12 Years
1st - Mari Sun
2nd - Lucia Assaf
3rd - Claudia Perisa

Secondary

12 Years
1st - Vanessa Sarkis
2nd - Felicity Barbero
3rd - Esther Bou-Samra

13 Years
1st - Clara Mulkeen-Suarez
2nd - Ava McAuley
3rd - Isabella Greenfield

14 Years
1st - Elizabeth D’Souza
2nd - Sohana Singh-Bains & Isabella Assaf
3rd - Emily Kwon

15 Years
1st - Yumin Oh
2nd - Sophie Setoh
3rd - Victoria Frangi

16 Years
1st - Ella Zeaiter
2nd - Taylor Jane Haifa
3rd - Taylor Zeaiter

17 Years
1st - Liana Perisa
2nd - Olivia Siau & Clare Tanna
3rd - Gabriella Greenfield

18 Years
1st - Erene D Souza
2nd - Maria Arentz
3rd - Joann Min

What a big term we have coming up! Here's just a snapshot for your information ... further details to follow.

MOTHER/DAUGHTER READING: Thanks to all the mums who participated in this over the holidays. We hope you and your daughter/s enjoyed the books and some fun discussions. Please note these books are now due back, so if you could return them ASAP, that would be much appreciated.

ESCAPE ROOM: Our Secondary students have been enjoying the Escape Room activity we are running every lunchtime till Week 4. Each group has 40 minutes to solve the clues and find the "Lost Mummy". We are looking forward to finding out who can "escape" the quickest!

AUTHOR VISITS: Every year, in the lead up to Book Week, we organise visits from Australian children's authors to inspire the children about the importance of stories. This year we have renowned Picture Book author and illustrator, Sara Acton visiting Kindy, Yrs 1 and 2 on Friday, 8th August. Then, on Monday, 18th August, we welcome Katrina Nannestad, author of many books aimed at Primary level children. She will be speaking with Yrs 3-6.

My name is Lilliana Stillone and I am the Tintagel House Captain for 2025. I have thoroughly enjoyed leading Tintagel this year, it has been such an honour. We have had a great run with our spirit house results in the Swimming Carnival and other initiatives such as Big Sister Program and Wacky Olympics. While this role certainly has its challenges in organising such big events, I am incredibly lucky with the support from my peers in this house, as well as other Captains. I’m so proud of the participation and engagement of the Tintagel girls because our house achievements are a product of their hard work. I was so pleased with the primary girls especially as they are always eager to cheer and be involved with new initiatives. I’d like to thank all of the Tintagel girls, the Tintagel Vice Captain Claire Tanner and my teacher supervisor Mrs De Kock for making my role so enjoyable this year. I’m looking forward to passing on the baton and seeing what’s next for Tintagel! 

This Friday we held the Voice of Tangara Finals, where 5 passionate high-school students presented speeches which they worked hard preparing over the holidays. 

The topic was ‘Do we create ourselves, or discover who we are?’ and all of their speeches were quite impressive! 

A big congratulations to Kiara Kottaram (Year 8) who placed first, and Ruby Vassallo (Year 11) who came runner-up. Also a special congratulations to Kate Hatcher (Year 12), Simrat Gondara (Year 8) and Liana Hamdan(Year 8) who were highly commended and presented such strong, entertaining and inspiring speeches. These girls represented our school with pride and showcased the passion and hard work which our school community strives for. 

It is beautiful to see the large amount of talent amongst our school community regarding Public Speaking, and the encouragement from their peers, especially from the Senior Years, and the high-school teachers!