Prayer groups happening at Tara:

• Junior School – Tuesday mornings, Years 5 and 6 gather together with Mrs Jolly and Brooke in Mrs Jolly’s room – sharing in hot chocolate and prayer (what a great combination) Time: 8.00-8.20am
• Senior School - Tuesday fortnightly – a new student-led prayer group has begun in the Chapel, with 18 present at the first meeting! Hot chocolate again features! As does prayer and gathering together. Girls from all year groups are welcome to attend. Time: 7.45-8.15am Chapel
• Staff - Wednesday morning fortnightly -‘Selah’ time together featuring coffee, gathering together, and prayer. All Tara staff are welcome to attend. Time: 7.40-8.10am in the Chapel.
• Parents - the parent prayer group begins again soon (COVID regulation permitting). This will take place in the Glass Room during Junior School Chapel time on Monday mornings, 8.30-9.00am.  For more information, or to register, please contact Mrs Kathryn Dickinson community@tara.nsw.edu.au, or Mrs Michelle Kay-Browning mkay-browning@tara.nsw.edu.au.

‘What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer’

The Learner Profile frames much of what the girls experience at Tara, and is a positive, strengths-based approach to academic achievement, character development and wellbeing. Through academic, cocurricular and pastoral programs, girls and teachers are showing and growing their progress in being: 

• Communicators
• Caring
• Inquirers
• Courageous 
• Principled
• Balanced
• Open-minded
• Thinkers
• Knowledgeable
• Reflective 

Teachers and students of the Junior School have enjoyed refocusing our attention on the Learner Profile, agreeing on its relevance for both adults and students, and its need to be noticed in each other, modelled, and explicitly taught. 

Teachers began the year with a commitment to renew their students’ understanding of what it means to live the Learner Profile. A range of strategies classes have been employed to both show and grow the 10 traits of the Learner Profile. Showing involves the girls demonstrating and expressing their current capacity in each trait, whereas growing involves actively developing that capacity, essentially, becoming more. 

Classes have begun by looking at the traits of the book character after which their class is named. As they grow in their understanding of her, each class will analyse their character through the lens of the Learner Profile, asking “What kind of learner is she?” and “What kind of friend is she?”, along with more specific questions which align with each attribute of the Learner Profile, such as “How does she care for others, herself and the environment?” [caring] and “How does she bounce back from disappointment?” [balanced].  

Thinking about the Learner Profile is not just a ‘start-of-the-year’ exercise. Each class has also developed a way every girl (and teacher!) can continue throughout the year to self-reflect on how, when and why they are showing and growing each trait of the Learner Profile. Some classes have hung individual self-portraits which will develop into another kind of self-portrait: one chronicling their growth of the Learner Profile. Girls will attach Learner Profile words to the self-portrait every time they, a peer or a teacher notices they have shown or grown a Learner Profile trait. Some classes have started little individualised Learner Profile Jars which each girl will gradually fill with slips of paper with Learner Profile words, chronicling their Learner Profile journey in 2021.  

Other classrooms have Learner Profile handprints, inviting girls to ‘high 5’ a trait they have expressed or become more proficient in during a lesson. Outside our new Spanish learning space, there is a display of hanging necklace pendants ‘collares’– each one showing a design to represent one trait of the Learner Profile. At the commencement of Spanish lessons, the girls can choose a necklace to wear which best represents their commitment to either show or grow that trait “hoy quiero ser….” (I want to be….). This is a clear reminder throughout a lesson and allows teachers and peers to also support the expression or development of the student-chosen trait. 

These are just a few examples of how self-identification, self-selection and self-reflection, along with the support and recognition of peers and teachers, are building each child’s capacity to celebrate her progress is becoming an internationally-minded person. I can imagine the depth of understanding that will emerge as the year progresses, as each girl reflects on the traits she has ‘collected’ and those which await her focus.  As parents, I hope you enjoy supporting this process too. Which one will your family think about this week? 

Bus Safety Week, part of the ‘Be Bus Aware’ campaign, sees Governments, bus operators, and emergency services raise awareness about the importance of being safe in and around buses and spread the message to ‘Be Bus Aware’.

The initiative provides a timely reminder to parents to have a talk with their children about bus safety; to motorists when giving way to buses; to pedestrians to make sure they are alert of their surroundings; and to cyclists to ensure they can see where buses are. We all have a part to play in bus safety.

The ‘Be Bus Aware’ campaign has been developed with input from Bus NSW, NSW Police and Transport for NSW.

For more information on bus safety or to learn about Transport for NSW’s ‘Be Bus Aware’ campaign, visit https://roadsafety.transport.nsw.gov.au/campaigns/-be-bus-aware.

3 Hilda - Teacher: Mr Michael Sullivan 

Hilda is a courageous, caring, creative, and resilient girl who struggles to sit still. She can't resist setting off on adventures to explore her enchanting world, a place where trolls walk, crows speak, and mountains move. Hilda is a little girl and has a habit of befriending anyone and anything, no matter how curious it might seem. Hilda becomes lost in a snowstorm and avoids getting squashed by a lost giant in her quest to navigate her way home. In this adventure, Hilda uses her resourcefulness, her kind heart, and her ability to make friends to face the challenges she encounters. 

3 Hazel - Teacher: Mrs Claire Carr 

Hazel is an independent, courageous and caring girl. She lives on the 12th floor of the majestic old Moody building which lies in the heart of her city. Each year on Frogg Day, a fabulous parade fills the streets, but children aren’t allowed to take part. Hazel is determined to persuade her community to be open-minded and allow children to participate in the parade. She learns about the power of teamwork as she leads the other children in the Moody building through the planning and creating of a float for the parade. Despite obstacles that come her way, Hazel uses her thinking skills to solve mysteries and help her neighbours. 

4 Rowena - Teacher: Ms Holly Boardman 

Rowena Batts is unable to speak, but this doesn’t affect her ability to communicate. Whether it’s sign language, writing, whistling, sky writing or shoving a frog into the school bully’s mouth… Ro always gets her message across. Despite many challenges throughout Rowena’s life, she faces her problems head on and looks for the positives in any situation. Rowena doesn’t always do the right thing, in fact, her choices often get her into trouble. However, she is the first to admit when she’s made a mistake and will go to great lengths to set things right. Ro demonstrates courage as she starts a brand new school, faces judgment and exclusion from her peers and never gives up on her quest to make new friends. She shows us that anyone can have a voice and everyone has the right to be heard.

4 Ally - Teacher: Miss Temika Gambrill 

Ally Nickerson is a creative, independent girl who is always thinking outside the box. She is clever at coming up with disruptive distractions and she has been able to outsmart a lot of smart people, including her mum and teachers. There is just one problem: she struggles with reading and writing. Ally is afraid of asking for help, until Mr Daniels, her new teacher arrives. With his help, along with her friends Keisha and Albert, Ally learns not to be so hard on herself, to be open-minded and that not being able to read is nothing to be ashamed of. As her confidence grows and valuable relationships are formed, Ally discovers that everyone is different and there's a lot more to her and everyone than just a label.

5 Safiya - Teacher: Miss Julyann Dos Santos 

Safiya is an avid gamer with a big imagination, who feels both misunderstood and distanced from her mother since her parents split up. Challenges arise as she learns to accept her parent’s divorce, handle changing friendships, and more recently cope with news of her mother suddenly falling ill. Guilt, grief and anxiety fill Safiya’s waking moments, and, in her dreams, as she finds herself using her gaming skills of following clues and building stories to uncover the truth about her mum’s history. Along the way, she finds out things about her that will bind them together forever. This story is about finding hope in the past to help survive in the present. It reveals how discoveries assist Safiya to move forward, help her find her feet, and guide her towards forming valuable relationships with family and friends. In ‘A Pocketful of Stars’, we learn about how to be a good friend and daughter, and the importance of self-worth, gratitude and acceptance. 

5 Iris - Teacher: Mrs Rachael Farries 

Iris Chen-Taylor is a creative and independent 12-year-old girl, of Chinese and Australian descent. She is sent from Australia to Spain by her scheming parents to visit her wealthy, land-owning and slightly crazy Great Aunt Ursula who Iris's parents are certain is on her death bed. Iris’s job is to gather details about Great Aunt Ursula’s estate and convince her that she is the one who should inherit the money and sprawling estate. After meeting the wonderfully eccentric and whimsical Great Aunt Ursula and exploring the estate, Iris realises that nothing is as it seems at Bosque de Nubes. She notices something different, special and almost magical happening on those estate grounds. And when Iris discovers a mysterious painting called "Iris and the Tiger" she is intent on figuring out its origins and why the painting has no tiger, and realises that maybe, there's more to life than just her parents and an inheritance. Iris has many real and not-so-real adventures and discovers possibilities of a wider world, opened to her through Great Aunt Ursula and her friends. Iris dives into the mysteries that Bosque de Nubes with an open-mind and an open heart. 

6 Lucy - Teacher: Mr Jarred Baker 

Lucy can hear all sorts of strange noises coming from the walls in her house, but her family ignore her warnings that these sounds are coming from wolves in the walls. When the wolves finally emerge, her family is forced to flee and live outside in the garden. That is, until Lucy comes up with a plan to take their house back. She shows remarkable courage in how she puts herself on the line to save those that she loves. Lucy is a keen observer, having an open mind towards what she sees and using the information to craft plans brimming with clever creativity. When her family dismisses her, Lucy responds with steadfast determination, showing her principled nature. Having wolves coming out of your walls would be scary for a lot of us, but we can learn from Lucy that we can outmatch them when we are brave and ‘think outside the walls’.

6 Girl - Teacher: Miss Nicky MacAskill 

“Girl” is a slave in the Emperor’s palace in ancient China for a dragon keeper who badly mistreats her. Yet despite this, she is a principled person who treats others with real care. Girl builds many strong friendships on her journey towards Ocean and approaches all creatures with an open mind. She may not have a name, but she has the courage to leave the only place she’s ever known, taking risks in order to rescue the last surviving dragon. Girl soon discovers that it is her destiny to protect the aging dragon and his mysterious purple stone. She has had very little education, but when provided with opportunities, she commits herself to learning as much as she can, showing that she is knowledgeable. Girl learns that in order to succeed in her quest, she must reach deep within herself to find the courage she never knew she had because she knows that she can no longer be the timid, shy orphan she once was. When the friends reach their destination, Girl finally sees herself as others see her, and learns to use her unique talents to become the true Dragon Keeper. 

The day started out with an activity designed to get people from the different schools to talk to each other and work together. We then moved on to the main activity for the day which involved us working as a team to collect clues by completing activities. One leadership quality we developed was decisiveness by taking action. We learned that sometimes this can seem like being bossy. It also taught us to make quick decisions under pressure. There were lots of different activities like tennis, basketball, canoeing, marshmallow cooking and the ropes activity which was fun and required lots of teamwork – excellent for team bonding!

The Tudor House students knew where most of the clues referred to, so they naturally assumed a leadership role. Sometimes one of the leaders chose another representative to collect a clue and they varied who got chosen. Even though Tara girls were outnumbered, the Tudor House kids were very inclusive. It was challenging to keep up physically with some of the boys but the Tudor House students stayed at the back to make sure nobody was left behind. Some groups had trouble being motivating without sounding bossy and we learned that lots of the other kids are very competitive!

Lunch is always a highlight of any day out and the home-grown Southern Highlands produce didn’t disappoint. The sausages were juicy, scrumptious and packed full of flavour.

The overall theme of the day revolved around the quality of humility which the Head of Tudor House, Mrs Sandwell, defined as, “Not thinking less of yourself but thinking of yourself less.” This means don’t think badly of yourself but just commit to thinking about others more. To be truly happy, everyone needs to feel included, as though they belong and it’s up to us as leaders to try and make sure that happens.

At the end of the day, we spent time looking at the values of The King’s School and those from Tara. To help us remember, we made a values bracelet; integrity was one of the Tara values that we really connected with. During this activity people helped each other and it was a good chance to reflect on the purpose of the day. It was a great way to finish the day before the long bus ride home.

Overall, it was a fun day of teamwork and collaboration. We may have ended the day with muddy shoes and socks but it was great to get out to the country and back to nature. The day was a worthwhile way of developing our leadership skills in a different environment and great for our confidence in meeting and working with other people.

Question time: 

Jeeya: How long have you been doing your job? 

Amelia: A year and a half (plus 1 year in self projects) 

Bella: What is your favourite part of the job? 

Amelia: Working with people from all over the world 

Mysha: What is the hardest part of your job? 

Amelia: Playing games for leisure is now not as enjoyable 

Erum: What is the easiest part of your job? 

Amelia: Getting to do what I love and seeing people’s ideas 

Chloe: What happens if you reveal something about a game that hasn’t come out yet? 

Amelia: We sign a binding legal agreement not to disclose information about a game, so if I revealed that information my company would be liable. It’s someone’s job to plan how people find out about the game. 

Eden: How long did you have to study at university to do this job? 

Amelia: I studied 6 years part time, but there are people from all different degrees and work backgrounds who do this job (including people who are self taught). 

Claire: What are the main skills you need to create a game? 

Amelia: Creativity, but also perseverance. 

Miss Longmuir: What could the girls start doing now if they were interested in getting into game design? 

Amelia: Draw lots and do art, practice programming, come up with ideas for games and write them down. 

The Year 6 students have been given the task, this year, to design their own game, so Amelia was able to give some advice to them: 

• What can you include that would make you feel excited? 
• How do you show that you are doing well in the game? 
• How do you teach someone how to play this game? 
• Have lots of ideas and then pick out your best one (brainstorming). Don’t try and do everything. 

Amelia also agreed to look at the Year 6 students’ games once they have completed them. 

The girls enjoyed her visit and look forward to hearing her feedback for us later on in the year. 

During a Mathematics class, we, alongside our teacher Mr Hudson set out to complete an activity to expand our knowledge of trigonometry by practical means. We used clinometers and trundle wheels resultingly gaining the opportunity to experience and solve math problems we've been studying in real life situations. The task was to measure lengths and angles to test recorded results against calculated results. We were able to work out missing sides and angles on a triangle that was made to scale with parts of the senior school colonnade.

Through drawing diagrams and using formulae we were able to reflect on our work and discuss as a class what we could improve on with our accuracy and calculation.

This task enabled us to not only to challenge our understanding of Maths concepts but also engage in more difficult problem-solving situations.

Round 2

• S01 Tara 1 vs Roseville 1, WET
• S04 Tara 2 vs Roseville 2, WET
• J02 Tara 3 vs Roseville 7, WET
• J04 Tara 4 vs Abbotsleigh 12, WET
• Y701 Tara 5 vs Ravenswood 7, WET

The first week of softball began with all the girls eager and ready to play!!

We saw great results from all teams as everyone came away with a win, setting Tara up for a great season ahead. All of the softball community is very excited to welcome our new year 7 players. On Saturday, the Year 7’s were fortunate enough to participate in a Softball Gala Day, where the girls were given the opportunity to watch a Senior firsts game, picking up basics and seeing many skills in action. Our own Senior firsts were also able to showcase many skills and techniques in the first round with Kate H pitching exceptionally in the third innings to assist the firsts to a nail-biting win.

From our up and coming players to our Senior firsts, all teams put in a lot of effort on Saturday and will continue to train hard, play hard and most importantly have fun! Whilst all the teams were excited to play and to continue the winning streaks, unfortunately, our second round of softball was washed out, but the girls were able to relax and get ready for their next training where they were able to spend time with team mates whilst developing their skills and team cohesion. 

Jaz H - Softball Captain

Tennis

Round 1

• S03 Tara 1 vs Ravenswood 1, Loss, 1-7
• S12 Tara 2 vs Ravenswood 5, Win, 7.5-0.5
• S14 Tara 3 vs PLC Sydney 5, Loss, 3.5-4.5
• S15 Tara 4 vs Roseville 12, Win, 5-3
• S18 Tara 5 vs MLC 6, Loss, 2.5-5.5
• S19 Tara 6 vs Kincoppal Rose Bay 6, Loss, 0-8
• S21 Tara 7 vs Kincoppal Rose Bay 7, Loss, 0-8
• S22 Tara 8 vs Kambala 5, Loss, 0.5-7.5
• S25 Tara 9 vs BYE
• J07 Tara 10 vs PLC Sydney 15, Win, 5.5-2.5
• J10 Tara 11 vs Meriden 22, WET
• J12 Tara 12 vs Meriden 23, Games Win, 4-4
• J14 Tara 13 vs PLC Sydney 17, WET
• Y706 Tara 14 vs PLC Sydney 20, WET
• Y707 Tara 15 vs Monte 19, WET
• Y710 Tara 16 vs MLC 10, Win, 5-3
• Y711 Tara 17 vs St Vincent’s 6, Win, 7-1

Round 2

• S03 Tara 1 vs Kincoppal Rose Bay 2, WET
• S12 Tara 2 vs Roseville 9, WET
• S14 Tara 3 vs Ascham 6, WET
• S15 Tara 4 vs Queenwood 6, WET
• S18 Tara 5 vs PLC Sydney 7, WET
• S19 Tara 6 vs Kambala 4, WET
• S21 Tara 7 vs Ascham 8, WET
• S22 Tara 8 vs Meriden 15, WET
• S25 Tara 9 vs Meriden 16, WET
• J07 Tara 10 vs St Vincent’s 3, WET
• J10 Tara 11 vs SCEGGS 8, WET
• J12 Tara 12 vs Danebank 5, WET
• J14 Tara 13 vs Danebank 6, WET
• Y706 Tara 14 vs Queenwood 14, WET
• Y707 Tara 15 vs Loreto Normanhurst 23, WET
• Y710 Tara 16 vs Meriden 35, WET
• Y711 Tara 17 vs Meriden 36, WET

The carnival displayed many impressive individual and team performances, high levels of encouragement from fellow peers, as well as great community spirit amongst the houses. The day finished on a high with the relay races attracting the attention of everyone in the grandstand with lots of vocal screaming and cheering for their houses.

Congratulations to all the girls who participated in the carnival and to our champions:

Junior Swimming Champion: 

Champion:  An An F (Crawford)

Runner Up:  Verity A (Waugh)

Intermediate Swimming Champion: 

Champion:  Skye A (Waugh)

Runner Up:  Suzie K (Waugh)

Senior Swimming Champion:

Champion:  Sarah K (Crawford)

Runner Up:  Nara B (Crawford)

Synchronised Swimming:  

1st Walker

2nd Hake

3rd Crawford

4th Waugh

Boarders vs. Daygirls Relay: 

Daygirls

Interform Relay: 

Waugh

Next up came the double of Emma and Olivia and Sarah who was in a single who had great races and managed to place first!

The Year 8 quads of Arushi, Sally, Orchid, Milly and their cox Amelia, and Holly, Ella, Jemima, Selina and their cox were also racing against the cold rain, but they managed to push through to the finish line. 

This regatta, the Year 9’s also had the opportunity to row in doubles. Mackenzie and Caitlin placed first, and both doubles of Charlotte and Myfina, and Suhanya and Eliza placed third. Kaelyn and Jemma and Jaskirit and Krishnaa had close finishes in their races! Olivia also had a great race placing first in her single. Well done girls!

Last year Emma and Sarah managed to qualify to represent Tara in and IGSSA 8. This was the first time that this had been done in history. Sarah had managed to qualify with the fastest time out of the 16 girls who qualified! The 8 that Sarah was in managed to place 3rd and Emma’s placed 5th! Congratulations on such a special achievement. 

IGSSA

The day after the King's/PLC/RNSW regatta was IGSSA. Starting us off, we had the double of Kaelyn and Jemma who were up against some tough competition and they fought hard through to the end. 

The Year 8 quads of Holly, Ella, Jemima, Selina and their cox Piper and Arushi, Sally, Orchid, Milly and their cox Amelia, improved on their previous days time, which is fantastic!

Olivia then had her single race where she was able to have a podium finish placing second!

The Year 9 quads of Jaskirit, Krishnaa, Suhanya, Eliza and their cox Holly, and Mackenzie, Caitlin, Myfina, Charlotte and their cox Amelia, were also able to beat their times from the regatta the day before. Having all four quads do this is really exceptional. Congratulations girls!

The final events of the day came from our Seniors Emma and Macayla in a double and Sarah in a single, who all came first!

Congratulations to everyone who competed this weekend.