Welcome to the 2026 School Year

What a wonderful start we have had to the year. We were delighted to welcome our new Year 1 leaders, who commenced the year with confidence and enthusiasm. They have already shown fabulous leadership skills as they introduced themselves to their new Year 1 friends and helped set a positive tone for the term. Our Year 1 students modelled beautiful behaviour and were outstanding role models for our new Kindergarten students.

On Friday, with big smiles, and only a tear or two, our Prep and Kindergarten children joined our school community. It was a heart-warming sight to see our little ones walk through the gates for the very first time, filled with awe, excitement, and anticipation. Meeting their 2026 teachers and new friends can sometimes bring a few nerves and butterflies, but these feelings quickly disappeared. Within minutes, classrooms were filled with smiles, giggles, and a sense of belonging.

We are proud of how smoothly the children have settled and how warmly our community has embraced the beginning of a new school year. We look forward to a joyful and productive term ahead.

It was wonderful to welcome all our students and families to the new school year. There is something energising about beginning again. The year ahead holds many opportunities for our students to grow both academically and personally, developing strong character and making thoughtful choices along the way.

Tangara’s 44th Birthday

We began the week with a special celebration of Tangara’s 44th birthday. The children loved marking the occasion with an ice block, especially as it was such a hot day! We will always be grateful to the founding families who began our school so many years ago.

Monitors and Student Leaders

We look forward to appointing our Junior School monitors next week. These students play an important role in supporting the smooth running of our school each day. Our Year 6 girls are also in the process of voting for their House Captains, a significant milestone in their leadership journey.

Debating

Our debating competition begins this week and the teams, made up of Yr 5 and Yr 6 students, have been training diligently with Mrs McFarlane. We wish them the very best for the competition ahead.

Fresh Classroom Door Displays

One of the delights of the new year is seeing the creative classroom door displays prepared by our teachers. These welcoming designs set a positive tone for the year ahead.

Teamwork in Action

Students have been engaging in a variety of fun teamwork challenges in the GIVE program this week. We hope all our students become positive members of their class, making good choices and supporting others.

In the Junior School we have been working on Teamwork. Teamwork is when a group of people link up to complete a task or achieve a common goal. Good teamwork means that the task will get done efficiently and usually requires humility, respect and flexibility. Group activities are often aided by leadership, but only when the participants respect the leader.

I am practicing teamwork when I:

· Get along with others and compromise
· Respect everyone’s opinions
· Offer support to others
· Use soft voices
· Participate actively
· Stay focused on the task

Reflection Questions:

😊 What was the last team/group I was in? Thinking honestly, was I a good team player?
😊 How do I determine if a group needs a leader, and who that leader should be?
😊 How can I be a better team player in my classroom and at home?
😊 What is something I do that helps my friends when we work or play together?
😊 How can I show kindness and take turns when I’m in a group?

Tangara will again enter the Da Vinci Decathlon in 2026. This is a team-based
competition where groups of 8 students complete tasks in the domains of
engineering, mathematics, code breaking, art and poetry, science, English, ideation,
creative producers, cartography and legacy. The junior school competition takes
place on Thursday May 14 th and will involve one team from each of year 5 and year
6. Students will be nominated by their teachers using an established criteria list and
must be able to commit to one lunch time per week to practise with the team.

A warm welcome to all of our Tangara Secondary families in 2026. A very special welcome goes to our Year 7's, new students, parents and staff members who have joined our school this year. It was wonderful to see the Secondary School buzzing again last Monday, as the girls returned from the holidays in high spirits with beaming smiles and embracing their friends, as they eagerly went from room to room to see where their new homerooms were located and which class they had been placed in!

We were able to celebrate the Class of 2025 during a Special Assembly last week. It was wonderful to hear from two of our students from last year's graduating class, Emily M and Heidi J, as they reflected on their path to success during the HSC. Some practical tips they gave our Secondary girls included: be consistent with study throughout the year as the HSC is a marathon and not a sprint, have a balance between home and school life, complete practice questions regularly and ask your teachers for help anytime you are unsure of a new concept.

Again this year, we will be encouraging our girls to set high expectations in all aspects of school life, for example, work ethic, behaviour, punctuality and presentation, just to name a few. We are also encouraging the girls to make the most of the opportunities available to them here at Tangara by increasing their participation in co-curricular activities, whether it may be in Sport, Community Service, Music, Public Speaking, Creative or Performing Arts.

Good Luck to our ISDA Debaters who have their first round of the competition tonight at Tangara. It is also wonderful to see so many of our Secondary students volunteering to assist with our home debates.

Some highlights for the next fortnight for Secondary will be:

- ISDA Debating Rounds 2 and 3

- Elevate Study Skills Seminars

- Ash Wednesday Mass

- HZSA Rep Sport Trial Day

- Tangara's Term 1 Open Day

The Secondary Staff and I thank you for your ongoing support and we look forward to an enjoyable and productive year at Tangara Secondary!

See below for some photos of our Secondary girls in action during the first fortnight!

We are very excited to announce that Tangara School for Girls will once again be competing in the da Vinci Decathlon, which will be held at Knox Grammar School in May.  The theme for the Competition this year is Machines and Mechanics.

Secondary Students have been invited to a briefing session this coming Monday, 16 February at lunchtime, to register their expression of interest.

The da Vinci Decathlon is an academic competition designed to challenge and stimulate the minds of school students. Students compete in teams of eight across 10 disciplines: engineering, mathematics, code breaking, art and poetry, science, english, ideation, creative producers, cartography and legacy.

When is the competition?

14 May 2026 – Year 7 & 8 – Tuesday
15 May 2026 – Years 9-11 – Wednesday

How can my daughter participate?

da Vinci is open to all Secondary students in Years 7-11 who are willing to commit to one lunch time training session a week

Teams will be selected at the end of the term using an established criteria that will be shared with the students at the information session.

Please note each team is 8 members only and attendance at all training sessions does not guarantee your daughter a spot on the team. If your daughter has any questions they can contact Mrs Duncan.

Year 7-11 da Vinci Coordinator: Mrs Ann Marie Duncan annmarie.duncan@tangara.nsw.edu.au

On Tuesday February 10, Tangara hosted the HZSA U16 & U19 Basketball Trials. There was a great turn out from our association schools and a lot of talent on display. Congratulations to all students who trialled.

A huge congratuatlions is extended to the following Tangara girls who were selected:

U16s Team

Ava McAuley (Year 8)
Yumin Oh (Year 10)

U19s Team

Amelia-Rose Lin (Year 8)
Clare Stoodley (Year 11)

The teams will play in their respective AICES competitions in March. Good luck!

Hi, my name is Jaime, your Sport Captain for 2026. My passion for sport began at the age of five when I first stepped onto a netball court. Since then, sport has become a huge part of my life, shaping who I am both on and off the court. I have been playing netball for 12 years and have loved every season. Alongside netball, I’ve enjoyed participating in a variety of other sports including tennis, touch football, oz tag, swimming, squash and many more. Being involved in so many different sports has helped me build confidence, stay active, and create many friendships.

As Sport Captain, my goal is to encourage the Tangara community to get involved in sport not just by competing, but by supporting and cheering each other on. We already saw this incredible school spirit at our swimming carnival last term. It was an amazing day and it was great to see everyone cheering for their houses and participating in events. I'm really looking forward to seeing this same energy and enthusiasm in the cross-country and athletics carnivals later this year. I’m excited for the year ahead and can’t wait to see what we achieve together in 2026!