Mrs Michelle Kay-Browning - Chaplain/Director of Christian Faith and Values

This term in Chapel, our theme has been “The Be- attitudes”, attitudes that we ‘be’, based upon the teachings of Jesus, from the famous Sermon on the Mount, recorded in Matthew 5. 

Jesus said: 

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, 
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted. 

5 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth. 

6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled. 

7 Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy. 

8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God. 

9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God. 

10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

A reminder for all girls and parents to purchase winter uniforms, if needed, prior to the end of term. 

We are very excited to announce that Tara’s annual 1-12 Night will be taking place on Friday 29 April! As of last week, the theme for 2022 has been officially revealed.

The 2022 theme is… ‘Time Warp’ (decades)!

We would like to formally invite all students to attend this student event, as this night of music, games, food, performances, and much more is not to be missed.

Bookings have opened and can be made through the following link:

https://www.tara.nsw.edu.au/book-events/

Please be advised that bookings are essential for students attending and will not be accepted after the 22 April.

We thank you in advance for your support of this event - Year 12 2022

To book your tickets please click here

To book your name or art tile please click here - orders closing soon!

The Tara Dad's Club had their AGM on 31 March and a new Executive Committee was elected.

The new Executive Committee consists of Pascal Mouawad as President, Vik Garg as the Vice President, Adam Canceri as Secretary and Chris Hui, Joe Sassine, James Raad, Kassam Hussein, Sanjit Roy, Mohamad Dib, Rob Fallins and John Capolupo as Committee Members. Congratulations to the new office bearers!

On behalf of the Community Relations Manager I want to thank the outgoing committee for your help and support in what has been a difficult and somewhat frustrating two years! I would like to thank John Capolupo as he has been a wonderful and enthusiastic President, who is extremely passionate about Tara and connecting the Tara dads with their daughters.

The first event planned for the new committee will be the Tara Dad's Colour Run Festival which is being held 21 May, 2022 on the Mouleric Oval.

Tickets are still available via the Tara website.

Click here to book www.tara.nsw.edu.au

Sink or Float? Our clever girls have been investigating whether items sink or float in water. This week the children had a range of materials that they were able to choose from to create their own boats. The aim was to design a boat that could float when placed in water. We used bottle caps, recycled boxes and containers, paddle pop sticks, paper, and many other materials in the project design. The children enjoyed trialing their boats in a tub of water and adjusting them if needed.

Tara Commerce Students came First and Second in the Western Sydney Blueprint Competition. Dr Micheal Lwin came to assembly to present the school with $5000 which will be spent on picnic chairs and tables. 

Jessica S - Year 12

On Wednesday 16 March, the Year 12 HSC Geography class had the amazing opportunity to attend an excursion to NSW’s largest wine region, the Hunter Valley. This term in Geography we have been studying ‘People and Economic Activity’ with a focus on the Global Viticulture Industry, as well as Tamburlaine Organic Wines as an economic enterprise, which we had the chance to visit on our excursion. We began our excursion by eating a beautiful morning tea prepared by Mrs Chaiban herself. We all got to stretch our legs from the two and a half hour drive up to the Hunter Valley, and enjoy cheese and crackers, grapes, and alcohol-free wine!

Visual Arts at Tara Anglican School for Girls encourages students to develop ideas and skills that reflect their experiences of the world. Students explore the creative possibilities of different forms of art and materials. They progressively increase their understanding of visual language, and how signs and symbols create meaning. Students investigate how context changes the audience appreciation of an artwork, and how values and beliefs may be fluid. 

Click here to view our video on what has been happening in Visual Art for Term 1.

Arnvi M and Imogen B - Year 11 Peer Support Leaders

Throughout this term, Years 7 and 8 have participated in the Peer Support Program run by the Year 10 and 11 Peer Support Leaders. 

The Peer Support Program encourages peer connections throughout the School as well as assists the younger students in developing practical skills to enhance social and emotional well-being. This term, girls in Year 8 actively participated in three engaging sessions focusing on the skills of inclusivity, teamwork, and social media safety, displayed through various activities such as two truths and a lie and team Pictionary that reinforced the focus on inclusivity and everyone having an important role in the mentor group. As part of the last session of this term, Year 11 Peer Support Leaders ran an Easter Egg Hunt to celebrate Easter and the achievements of the Year 8 girls! We hope the Year 8 girls enjoyed the activities run this term and the Year 11 Peer Support Leaders look forward to running more in the future! 

Senior School Library Team 

[Reading] is something you build up from twenty-six letters and a handful of punctuation marks and you … get to feel things, visit places and worlds you would never otherwise know. - Neil Gaiman

Welcome to your Personal Reading Journey for 2022!

Whether you are already a regular reader – or are just getting into books – start collecting your Book Tags now.  

The routine is the same as last year.  

• Submit the titles and images of books you have read this year to the link below.

• Choose a colour coding system that suits you (Yellow for Thrillers?  Blue for your favourite author?)

• We will provide you with a keyring and your book titles on mini tags (as per the image)

Add to your collection through the year!  Each time you finish a book, send a request for the next mini book tag to add to your key ring.  Audio and online books are included too.

So, get reading and start collecting!

Submit your cover images and colour choices here: https://forms.office.com/r/8NA1sQAHn9

This form is also on the front page of Oliver.   

The annual and longest Australian Poetry writing competition for students is now open for 2022 entries. 

2022 OPTIONAL THEME: “IN MY OPINION”

 “Our poets are encouraged to take inspiration from wherever they may find it, however if they are looking for some direction, competition participants are invited to use this year’s optional theme to inspire their entries.”

In 2022, the Dorothea Mackellar Memorial Society has chosen the theme “In My Opinion.” 

As always, it is an optional theme. The Society encourages students to write about topics and experiences that spark their poetic genius (in whatever form they choose.)

Information on how to enter is available from the following website: 

https://dorothea.com.au/how-to-enter/

The sections include:

Junior Secondary (Years 7-9) and Senior Secondary (Years 10-12) 

The competition closes on 30 June, 2022.

Arnvi - Year 11 Drama Student

A terrified 12-year-old boy finds himself separated from his family in the unfamiliar streets of a war torn city. He takes refuge in a bombed-out house and in the total blackness his bravado crumbles into tears.

Into his life steps Anna – older, street smart and scornful of his crying. As a way of shutting the boy up, she starts to tell him a story that she vaguely remembers from her own childhood. And so begins a journey into the shifting, shimmering world of ogres, princes, singing bones, foolish lads and wolf-mothers.

Stories in the Dark explores the power of storytelling, mingling the magic and earthy wisdom of folk tales with the hard-edged story of violence, conflict and the struggle to survive.

Year 11 Drama students have been busy producing and rehearsing Debra Oswald’s ‘Stories In The Dark’ to make it performance ready in Week 2 of Term 2. As part of our Elements of Production in Performance unit, we have been learning about the elements of production and how they are used to communicate scripted drama to an audience. As a class, we’ve been able to plan bright and fun costumes, colourful lighting and entertaining sound effects to bring these stories to life in our Tara Theatre.

Year 11 Drama hopes to see you on Wednesday 4 May or Friday 6 May to join us in the dark but whimsical world of ‘Stories In the Dark’. 

To book please click on the link below
www.tara.nsw.edu.au/book-events

Jasmine I - Year 7

During Year 7 Science, we have been exploring water and learning about the accessibility we have to clean water sources. We have found a deeper understanding on the issues of clean water and the impact that unhealthy water has on many populations. 

In doing so, we started to investigate ways to create a clean source of water by making filters and collecting dirty water to test them out. We researched how to make a water filter and the materials needed, then we ordered the materials and when they arrived we began our work. Some groups ordered some interesting items, like plant leaves, fabric, charcoal, and popcorn kernels. All of the filters used plastic bottles and later we drew a flowchart to show how to make the filters. The filters varied, but none-the-less, each filter was unique and worked well. We produced clear and cleaner water from a bucket of water containing dirt, leaves, and gumnuts.

Charlotte M - Sport Prefect

On Friday, 25 March, a group of some of Tara’s best swimmers and divers headed to the Sydney Olympic Aquatic Centre to compete in the 2022 IGSA Swimming and Diving Carnival. 

IGSA carnivals are a chance for Tara girls who excel in their sports to compete against other girls from other schools, to progress to high levels of competition. Tara competed in several races, including but not limited to the medley and freestyle relays, individual 100m and 200m medleys, and individual races for breaststroke, backstroke, butterfly, and freestyle.

Ruby in Year 9 represented Tara in diving, competing in the 14 years springboard and open platform divisions. It was an exciting day for both Ruby and Tara, with Ruby placing 1st in her events. Congratulations Ruby!

Overall all the girls had a great day, cheering each other on from the stands and achieving personal bests!

Jessica S - Year 11

On Monday 21 March, Tara provided both myself and Agatha (Year 7) the opportunity to participate in the CIS Secondary Golf Championship at Macquarie Links Golf Course.

It was a nice early morning and by 8:00am we were warming up and hitting golf balls on the golf range. At 9:00am, Agatha hit a strong drive off the 10th tee and I followed her in the group behind. We both played some great shots and also made some good recoveries.

Overall, it was a great and challenging course to play at and we both had an excellent time.  

Mrs Michelle Williams - Careers Coordinator

Parents are encouraged read the Careers Newsletters and information on careers and courses on Canvas Careers page. 

Congratulations to all Year 10’s for a very successful Work Experience!! We are very proud of you. 

Careers Newsletter - 28 April 2022 

Careers Newsletter - 5 May 2022 

For more information please contact Mrs Michelle Williams via email.