Student Chapel ‘Takeovers’ have been a feature at the end of Term 2, with Years 6, 8 and 10 leading the way.  

In Junior School, Year 6 did an admirable job leading the entire Chapel, including forming a mini Orchestra, performing a scripted drama, facilitating a Q and A, and organising the whole service all under the watchful eye and helpful guidance of Ms Rebecca. We were so proud of our girls, as one of their final acts of Junior School. Well done, Year 6! 

In Senior School, it was Year 8 and Year 10 who held the reigns. As part of our ‘Just Cause’ Chapel theme, Year 8’s Ruby, Sienna and Ellie gave a helpful talk together about how a loving God shows us how to live justly and love others well.  

Suhanya, from Year 10 gave a great summary of the term’s Chapel teaching, before a panel, including Dana, Emily, Rada and Liz shared the practicalities of justice within our ‘circles of influence’ - local, national and global.  

Alpha is a Christian course that creates space for conversations around life, faith and God. Alpha originated from a church called Holy Trinity Brompton in London and since the 1990s has been an effective tool to reach people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Now, all over the world, millions of people have tried Alpha and it has been translated into 112 different languages.

Starting in 2021, our Chaplaincy team at Tara run the Alpha Youth Series in Term 2 on Thursday afternoons from 3:30 – 5:00pm. It is a fun, safe place for students to explore their faith and beliefs. Food and the power of sharing a meal together, has been an essential part of the Alpha course. This year our theme was “Afternoon Tea from A to Z” and the girls enjoyed eating through the alphabet week by week with sweet and savoury treats.

Every Alpha session there is time for youth group games, allowing the girls to develop friendships between the different year groups, before watching the videos produced by Alpha Youth. The videos provide an outline of the Gospel message including content such as “Jesus: Who is he?”, “The Cross: Why did Jesus die?” and “Prayer: Why and How Do I Pray?”. These videos are present a fun, engaging and thought-provoking look at the Christian faith, followed by meaningful reflection and discussion. 

Laura and Raelene are two students who attended Alpha for the first time last year and have chosen to serve and help facilitate it this year. Here’s what they have to say about why they love Alpha. 

Laura:

Alpha is a place where we can explore some of life’s biggest questions and a space to look for answers with one another! Serving others feels way better than BEING served. A way to worship God is by helping the community, this is why I chose to join Alpha this year. During Alpha we eat delicious food and chat with one another before playing games and watching videos learning about God. 

Raelene:

These enhance our relationships with each other and create new friendships with people that we wouldn’t have met otherwise. This year during Alpha, we went through the alphabet with what we were eating every week, for example A was apple juice or E would be eclairs. Alpha is very enjoyable and is a great way to meet new people and to learn about Jesus.

Throughout the recent extended period of lockdown and its accompanying online learning, professional advice was clear that maintaining connections with others is a key to fostering a positive sense of wellbeing. 

Beyond Blue, for example, stresses that connections matter. Strong ties with family, friends and across the general community support people in terms of general wellbeing, security, and a sense of purpose. Such research indicates that being connected to others is particularly important for mental wellbeing and can be a protective factor against anxiety and depression.

https://www.beyondblue.org.au/

In reflecting on the significance of personal interactions, a well known motivational speaker Simon Sinek simply says, human contact and connections are where it’s at.

With such observations in mind, the continued easing of COVID restrictions throughout Term 2 has offered more opportunities for student connections and this has been a cause for some celebration!

Sport teams have returned to early (and increasingly cold) practice, debating has returned onsite with students visiting (and arguing) their way to Tara from all parts of Sydney. Matilda rehearsals are again in full progress for students from Years 7-10 from Tara and the King’s School, whilst Year 8 girls have also had the opportunity to attend a social evening at the King’s school. These have added to many other activities which have promoted new, renewed and varied connections.

The Tara Uniform Shop will be closed for the holiday break from 25 June till 13 July. The Uniform Shop will be open prior to the start of Term 3 at the following times:

Thursday 14 July 10:00am - 4:00pm

Friday 15 July 10:00am - 4:00pm

Monday 18 July 10:00am - 4:00pm

Do you have any good quality secondhand uniforms that your daughter has outgrown or is no longer wearing?

The uniform shop requires summer uniforms. If you have any good quality second hand uniforms please complete the form located on the website and drop them into the uniform shop.

Kathryn Dickinson - Community Liaison Manager 

Our 125 Celebration Dinner will be held on 6 August at the Shangri-La, Sydney. This is an exciting time for Tara as a school and we can’t wait to celebrate with you all.

As part of our celebration, we are holding a Silent Auction. We have fabulous items lined up so far, and I am continuing to reach out to families that would like to contribute towards donating a silent auction item. If you would like to contribute, please contact me at kdickinson@tara.nsw.edu.au. 

Alternatively, another option available to families is making a $20 per student Year Group contribution, which in the past has been popular. This plays a significant part in supporting our fundraising efforts for the Silent Auction. To contribute, please use the link below.

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

Raffle books have been distributed amongst the Tara community and I would like to thank those that have kindly offered their assistance with this and to all of you who have purchased raffle tickets. I ask that all raffle books and money are returned to me by Friday 24 June.

125 Celebration Dinner is quickly approaching and for those guests that have booked to stay at the Shangri-La, Sydney there is a 10% discounted room rate. In order to take advantage of this discount, please mention the Tara Anglican School for Girls 125 Celebration Dinner on checkout. 

Students from Year 6 have recently undertaken, an education tour of the national capital. Students were given the opportunity to participate in a variety of educational programs with a focus on Australia’s history, culture, heritage and democracy. The Australian Government recognises the importance of all young Australians being able to visit the national capital as part of their Civics and Citizenship education. To assist families in meeting the cost of the excursion the Australian Government contributed funding of $30 per student under the Parliament and Civics Education Rebate program towards those costs. The rebate was paid directly to the school upon completion of the excursion and taken into consideration with the costing of the experience.

Victoria L (Year 6)

Year 6 went to Canberra for an excursion on June 1-3. It was an exciting experience for those who were able to attend. In the morning, we had to arrive at school between 6:30am-7:00am for a COVID test and, fortunately, everyone was cleared to go on the trip. First, we went to a park to have lunch and then we went to Mount Ainslie to enjoy the beautiful view. Then we went to parliament house for a SHOCKING surprise because it opened a new door to our knowledge of Australian history. We had a talk from The Big Issue about homelessness which was really eye opening and challenged some of our misconceptions. The second day we visited the National Arboretum, the National Archives of Australia, the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra Glassworks, and ended the day with a fun time at iPlay. After packing up on the final day, we went to the War Memorial, had a driving tour around the embassies and our last visit was to the National Electoral Education Centre where we got to practise voting. 

For camp, Year 5 took a thrilling trip to Canberra. Over three days, we explored a range of exciting educational venues which taught us a lot about significant buildings, events and people that have contributed to shaping the national identity of Australia. 

We visited the Royal Australian Mint where we learnt all about the history of coins and how modern coins are manufactured. Our stop at Questacon allowed us to interact with many galleries like ‘The Shed,’ ‘Awesome Earth,’ ‘Q-lab,’ and ‘Australia in Space’. Highlights for us involved seeing caged lightning and going into an earthquake room. We went to the National Portrait Gallery and looked at ways artists presented meaning through their artworks. We also drew portraits without lifting our pencils off the page to learn that mistakes are valuable in the process of creating beautiful art. Our National Library holds more than just books, displaying treasures of rich literature and culture like scrolls, paintings, and clothing (Jane W, Eva S, Sofia C, and Teni T).

Year 5 had fun at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation Discovery Centre. Here, organisations design and create important inventions involving science and technology. At the Australian Institute of Sport, we went into the Sportex, engaging in different sports experiences like wheelchair basketball, virtual downhill skiing, rock climbing and more. Lots of exhibits held bios on popular athletes and built on our knowledge of health and well-being. Visiting the National Capital exhibition, we learnt about Walter Burley Griffin and his wife Marion; the people behind the design for Canberra! Travelling to the Arboretum, we found that this site looks after many rare trees from Australia and worldwide. Here, we orienteered which involves looking at maps closely to find items in our surroundings (Carissa C, Zara F, and Shriya N).  

Our grade enjoyed our drive to Mount Ainslie; a lookout to the capital city surrounded by the beautiful natural landscape. We also had an Embassy Tour, looking at buildings and gardens with unique designs representative of their country. We finished our stay at Canberra by visiting the Australian War Memorial to acknowledge the contributions of those serving our country past and present (Allison L, and Mirna I). 

Wendy Abernethy -Dean of Learning E-6

One of the joys in life is getting lost in a good story. Students in the Junior School are passionate readers, writers and illustrators. Aside from the wonderful experiences shared daily in the classroom environment, girls were recently offered an opportunity to participate in our first ever writing and illustrating festival - ‘Illuminated’. This festival provided an authentic audience and was an exciting celebration of writing through the following annual competitions:

• WriteOn: students write a narrative, journal entry, poem or letter of up to 500 words in response to a picture stimulus
• Storyathon: students create tiny narratives of exactly 100 words and must focus carefully on tightening their word choice
• The Dorothea Mackellar Poetry Competition: students write a poem of their choice

There was also an opportunity for students to be creative with their art making in response to the school based illustrating competition 'Picture This!' where a set poem was provided as a stimulus.

On June 7 and 8, many students and parents visited the Junior School Library to view the many entries for the four competitions. Visitors enjoyed the variety of stories, poems and pictures on display, and had the opportunity to vote for their favourite entry in each competition. People’s Choice Awards are soon to be announced, but all students who prepared an entry, often thoughtfully acting on feedback as part of the process, are to be congratulated. Formal submissions have now been processed for the three writing competitions and we will eagerly await official results. Winners of the Tara 'Picture This!' competition will be announced at the end of the Term.

I would like to thank the team of teachers who investigated, ideated, provided feedback, liaised with students, displayed, and processed formal submissions for the different competitions. These teachers are: Mrs Snelson, Mrs Maguire, Ms Rainy, Miss Gambrill, Mrs Roy, Miss MacAskill and Miss Poletto.

Carissa C (Year 5)

The Tara Book Draw is a competition for girls who have finished the Premier’s Reading Challenge and is all about reading more and more books.

Did you know every time you read ten books it equals to one Tara Book Draw entry? You collect an entry from the library, write what books you have read and their authors on it and put it into the entry box.  You can enter as many times as you want for more chances to win!

Every term there will be 2 book draws and if your name is pulled out you win a book of your choice, and the library will buy it for you. I was the first winner this term. So, what are you waiting for?  Enter now for your chance to win!  

During the course of BSC and ASC this term the children got to learn about and involve themselves in ocean week. During ocean week the children learnt about all things to do with the ocean including sea creatures. The girls also participated in ocean animal craft with animals including turtles, fish and octopus. Here the girls worked on their creativity, imaginative and fine motor skills to create these artworks which are on display in the before and after school care classroom.  

To further the children’s learning and engagement, various activities throughout the course of before and after school care involved extending on these activities by learning about other animals and ecosystems. Term 2 has continued to be a great term full of enjoyment by the children and we look forward to what the rest of the year has to come.  

Kyria G (Year 8) 

On the afternoon of 27 May 2022, the Year 8 Tara girls joined the Year 8 Kings boys at the Kings School dining hall for a trivia night together! The aim was to help make a positive relationship between Tara girls and Kings boys, and of course, have fun! With the hard work of the staff and Year 12 students from both Tara and Kings, the trivia night became a reality and an event to look forward to for Year 8 students! Activities in the trivia night ranged from charades, to a quiz about general knowledge, animals, music, sport and even a yummy dinner from the Kings School cafeteria! The amazing night concluded with a thank you speech from the Kings School and from Tara, which I had the privilege of saying, and prizes handed out to the winning group! What a spectacular night it was! 

Mila N - Community Prefect

The King's and Tara Trivia Night served to foster positive relationships between Year 8 King's and Tara students. The fun, entertaining and collaborative evening on Friday, 27 May aimed to promote positive relationships between both Schools. By interacting in a supervised and respectful manner, students learned to build relationships that were beneficial, constructive, and further develop their communication and social skills.

Dana Gharavi (Year 10)

On Sunday 12 June, Elizabeth (Year 10), Georgia (Year 10), Keira (Year 9), Anika (Year 9) and myself (Dana, Year 10), who comprised Tara's 2022 Intermediate Theatresports Team, competed in the final round of the Theatresports Schools Challenge. Theatresports is where 3-5 students perform 1, 2 and 3 minute improvised scenes live on stage, judged by a team of improvisation professionals, whilst competing against other schools. Our intermediate team progressed forward from the Heats to the Semi-Final Round, where we came First! From here, our team moved forward to the Grand Finals held at the Enmore Theatre, where we versed the best teams from schools all across the state. In the Grand Final Rounds, the team put forward an amazing performance, placing 6th in the state! 

Congratulations to Ruby D for her achievements at the NSW All Schools Diving Competition.

Ruby placed second in the 14 Year Girl’s Springboard and second in the 12-14 Years Girl’s Platform.

Ruby competed for the CIS team and continues to excel in the sport.

Congratulations to Cameron K (Year 11) who has been accepted to the NSW CIS Secondary School Girls 18 years and Under Touch Football Team for 2022.

Angela V (Cross Country Captain)

The annual IGSA cross country was held in Mittagong, at Frensham School, on 27 May. Though we feared another rescheduling due to the rain, we were lucky enough to be met with sunny weather and dry tracks. The girls proudly represented Tara, running distances of three to even six kilometres. Zayla T came 33rd in the girls 14 years four kilometre race. Girls from all different grades cheered each other on at the start of races and waited at the finish line to congratulate each other as they completed the difficult race. It was truly a day of good bonding between the girls and great food provided by the lovely sports team. Thanks to the girls who participated, the coaches who conducted the day and the parents who came to support, the day was a victory! We can only hope next year is just as successful, with great weather, great bonding and great food. 

S04 Tara 1 vs Roseville 2, Win, 5-1

S08 Tara 2 vs Ravenswood 3, Loss, 0-2

Y702 Tara 3 vs Loreto Kirribilli 4, Loss, 1-10

S02 Tara 1 vs Queenwood , Loss, 23-29

S08 Tara 2 vs SCEGGS 2, Loss, 11-18

S11 Tara 3 vs PLC Sydney 3, Win, 27-26

S12 Tara 4 vs Ascham 2, Loss, 22-56

S15 Tara 5 vs Meriden 6, Win, 23-20

J03 Tara 6 vs Roseville 12, Loss, 9-21

J09 Tara 7 vs Ascham 7, Win, 47-18

J11 Tara 8 vs MLC 5, Win, 42-12

J12 Tara 9 vs Loreto Normanhurst 21, Loss, 6-21

J14 Tara 10 vs Abbotsleigh 28, Loss, 5-34

J15 Tara 11 vs Abbotsleigh 31, Loss, 0-20

J15 Tara 12 vs Brigidine 10, Win, 30-7

Y704 Tara 13 vs BYE

Y707 Tara 14 vs Meriden 15, Win, 20-19

All girls in Years 7-12 are encouraged to read this newsletter every week on the Canvas Careers page.

Careers Newsletter -  1 June 2023

For more information please contact Mr David Berridge via email - dberridge@tara.nsw.edu.au