We were reminded, in considering our friends, and in the words of the Bible, to be peacemakers: 

‘banish bitterness, rage and anger…these are poison. Instead, be kind and compassionate.

Graciously forgiving one another as God has forgiven you’

Ephesians 4: 31-32

‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called Children of God’

Matthew 5: 9

We honour and unite with the Abdallah family in their declaration of hope and faith. May we also extend forgiveness and grace in our lives and live to be a blessing to others. 

Where there is hatred, let us sow love.  

Amen.

February 1 marked the first anniversary of the passing of Angelina and Sienna Abdallah and their brother Antony and cousin, Veronique. The deep sadness continues for many of us and as the anniversary is acknowledged, I have very much admired Danny and Leila Abdallah for their willingness to forgive in the midst of their unimaginable sorrow, with the development of the Government supported #i4Give Day. We will also make this a part of our School life at Tara.

We have created a memorial plaque for the girls and placed it in the garden near the Performing Arts Centre. It is a place that Tara girls and staff can go and just “be”, quietly on their own or in a small group and will forever keep the memory of Angelina and Sienna as Tara girls.  We held a short prayer gathering for this event on Wednesday 3 February.

Thank you to everyone in the community for the grace being demonstrated in the new ways of accessing the School as the building of the new Aquatic and Fitness Centre gets underway. I understand there are many families bringing children to School and picking them up again in a short time frame and I am grateful for your patience. The excavation for the new pool is underway which will be a slow process, and could take some weeks. This is a small frustration to ensure the long term safety for students for generations to come. 

We ended 2020 with the best HSC results the School has ever achieved. There was much celebration here at the school and it was such a delight to speak with so many very happy students. We are planning an assembly on 16 February to welcome and acknowledge our Distinguished Achievers. In summary, the girls achieved the following:

All this success is the result of hard work by students and teachers and a great deal of love and support from families. We have all worked with great purpose for and with each girl and have been honoured to do so. I pray every Year 12 2020 Tara young woman leaves us feeling equipped, and empowered to achieve, serve and thrive in a dynamic world.  

I hope everyone enjoys the term ahead.

ChiFUNese is one of the most innovative and popular Chinese language programs held at 70+ locations around Sydney. Our students feel happy and inspired to learn because it’s fun and easy!

Classes at Tara are held on Tuesdays 3.30pm-4.30pm . To enrol in the existing class or to express interest in a brand new class, please email to moakley@staff.tara.nsw.edu.au. Get FREE access to online learning simply by expressing your interest at www.chifunese.com/eoi/

The ChiFUNese difference:

• Fun, multi-sensory learning through games and hands-on activities;
• Clever mnemonics for remembering pronunciation and characters;
• Small classes for maximum engagement and participation;
• Cultural enrichment through Chinese festival celebrations;
• Multimedia online learning for additional practice at home;
• Support and feedback to parents including student reports;
• Team of professional teachers who are experienced and passionate.

admin@chifunese.com | www.chifunese.com | www.facebook.com/chifunese

ELC Bluey - Teacher: Mrs Terri Wilson 

Bluey is a 6-year-old Blue Heeler pup who loves to play and has lots of ideas. Her parents and teacher give her lots of time to practise, which means she’s become very good at inventing games, deciding on the rules and helping everyone choose their roles. Bluey likes trying new things and is learning to find ways to be brave. Her favourite games are ones that involve lots of other kids and she mainly likes to pretend she’s a grown-up doing grown-up things herself. Bluey loves hanging out with her family, playing games with dad, having hugs with mum and playing with her sister Bingo. 

ELC Bingo - Teacher: Mrs Frieda Maguire 

Bingo is Bluey’s younger sister. She’s a 4-year-old Red Heeler like her mum and loves having fun with her sister. Bingo loves discovering new things and learning from Bluey. She makes up names for herself and isn’t afraid to ask questions. Although she is the smallest in the family, she is knowledgeable and tries to work things out on her own. Bingo loves to sing, move and dance. When she’s not playing, you can find her in the yard talking to tiny bugs or off lost in her own beautiful world. After all her adventures, Bingo loves to end her day with a goodnight cuddle with her mum and dad. 

K Lola - Teacher: Miss Melissa Bowden 

Have you ever felt so many creative ideas bubble up you can hardly contain them? Meet Lola Dutch, a young girl bursting with creativity and a wild imagination. Some say she is ‘just a bit too much’ but Lola puts her whole heart into everything she does. She has four best friends, Gator, Crane, Pig and Bear and will do anything to show how much she cares for them…even cooking each of them their own favourite breakfast. Lola is passionate about making new discoveries and exploring the world around her. She's whimsical and wonderful and so utterly herself. The unstoppable Lola Dutch shows us how to make each day grand and full of fun. 

K Anna - Teacher: Mrs Jo Schultz 

Anna and Otis are the best of friends. They love exploring and having adventures in the garden. When Anna decides that it’s time to explore the town, Otis is a little worried. He knows that some people are afraid of snakes, even harmless ones like him. When at first the townspeople behave meanly and unkindly, Anna determines that together they will be brave and try again. You see, Anna knows that it is brilliant having a snake as a friend, and soon everyone else will too! 

1 Billie - Teacher: Mrs Janet Jolly 

Billie B Brown is a courageous, creative little girl who is constantly learning as she bounds from one adventure to another. From camping out overnight in the garden to solving mysteries like ‘who ate the strawberries?’ there’s never a dull moment with Billie around! Through her adventures, Billie learns all kinds of things like always telling the truth and the importance of being a caring friend.  

1 Ruby - Teacher: Miss Emma Poletto 

Ruby adores her red shoes, strawberry jam and living in her colourful caravan with her grandmother. She is kind, gentle and very open-minded. Ruby is a collector of memories which she can treasure in her heart forever. Above all, Ruby is an ‘aware hare’. She is quite adventurous having travelled to London and Paris and now uses those experiences and her imagination in her own little veggie garden. When the world seems worrying and chaotic, being an ‘aware hare’ can teach you how to slow down, find peace within simple moments and learn what makes life that little bit sweeter.

2 Rosie - Teacher: Mrs Melanie Mihno 

Where some people see rubbish, Rosie Revere sees inspiration. Alone in her room at night, shy, creative Rosie constructs great inventions from odds and ends. As an aspiring engineer, she makes hot dog dispensers, helium pants and even python-repelling cheese hats. Rosie’s gizmos would astound anyone... but Rosie chooses to keep them to herself. Afraid of failure, she hides them away under her bed. Until a fateful visit from her great-great-aunt Rose, who shows Rosie that a failure isn’t something to fear—it’s something to celebrate.

2 Izzy - Teacher: Mrs Parul Roy 

Izzy is a creator and inventor who carries her bag of tools everywhere she goes.  She loves to invent but her inventions never seem to work the way she hopes. In this story of ingenuity and determination, Izzy uses her mechanical mind and her commitment to friendship to show that girls can achieve anything. Izzy is put to the challenge when she meets a new friend who she is determined to help. She goes back to her trusty tool kit and uses her imagination. The question is: will Izzy’s invention be enough to help her new friend? 

This activity was great for the children of all ages and even our ELC’s had a go! Using hammers, nails and completing the toolboxes allowed us to develop our gross and fine motor skills. Our hand-eye coordination was improved by focusing on carefully hammering the nails into their correct places and keeping them straight. 

We want to say a big thank you to Mr Redford for coming in and showing us these new skills! We love our toolboxes. 

Have a great Term 1 everybody!

In anticipation of Dennis Villeneuve’s film adaption starring Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya, we will discuss Frank Herbert’s seminal sci-fi classic, Dune. Whether you like, love or loathe the original text we want to hear your point of view. Bring your own lunch to the Claridge Learning Resource Centre. No experience necessary. Interested? Speak to Mrs Wade-Ferrell or Ms Aitken. For more information see the Classics Club noticeboard in the library. 

If you would like to craft an original piece of writing over the course of 2021, The Tara Writers’ Workshop is for you! All final works deemed by a panel of English Teachers to possess literary merit, be of a publishable standard and have met the audience specifications will be published in The Works, our annual digital anthology. Interested? Please send your expression of interest to aaitken@tara.nsw.edu.au. You may also like to read the printed anthologies from previous years available at the library. 

Information on this vital aspect of laptop use has been discussed during the Tara ICT Orientation program for Year 7. In addition, the girls are working during their orientation to create an awareness campaign reminding young people to take care of their digital footprint (such as engaging in the appropriate use of social media). 

Resources and links for both Junior and Senior School parents to access in order to support their children to engage in safe and appropriate internet use are available from the eSafety Commissioner via the link HERE. 

This Safer Internet Day 2021, the eSafety Commissioner will also be running free webinars that will look at “how parents and carers can support young people to have safe and respectful online relationships - what to do if things go wrong.

 The aim is to cover:

• starting conversations with your child about their online friendships and positive ways to deal with changing relationships
• understanding the rights, laws and community expectations that govern social media use
• where to seek help if your child is involved in a cyberbullying incident.

The webinar will include case studies, research and targeted advice so you can support the young people in your life to have safe, enjoyable online experiences.”

Celebrated in 150 countries, Safer Internet Day is coordinated by the joint Insafe/INHOPE network, with the support of the European Commission. In Australia, the eSafety Commissioner is responsible for managing and promoting Safer Internet Day. 

We look forward to continuing to support Tara girls in their online journey – as safely as possible!