As I imagined the crowd, the unified cry of ‘Hosanna’, I tried to imagine their need, the juxtaposition of desperation and simultaneous hope, the elation at impending emancipation. It was the realisation of the people that they cannot save themselves and need to connect to security, crying out to their saviour. In its purest form, it is worship, coming to the end of oneself, and seeking God to intervene. Certainly, it looked and sounded like worship.

‘Hosanna!  He who comes in the name of the Lord is the blessed One!...Hosanna in the highest heaven!” (Mark 11: 9-10)

I considered two perspectives, and wondered, as they called ‘Hosanna’ (Lord, save, save us) did the people really know who they were crying out to? Did they really know this was ‘The Saviour of the world’, who gave up his throne in heaven, and was about to give up his life?  

Or did they imagine something different?

I think the latter. 

And then I imagined Jesus. He knew who He was. There was no confusion. 

As he heard ‘Hosanna’, took in the eager faces, and bowed knees surrounding him, was he also imagining the nails that would deliver that salvation?  Was he considering the pain and the suffering this type of saving would offer?

We have the most wonderful Saviour. 

The cry of Hosanna is just as relevant today, in our world, and for us, as it was then.

Jesus’ power and authority are just as strong and as relevant as it was then. 

This Palm Sunday, 28 March, and into Easter, I invite you to remember, ‘Hosanna’. 

 ‘It was indeed a very Good Friday, when the King of Kings gave his life to purchase our salvation. What a magnificent God. What an outrageous gift. 

Hosanna! Blessed be the name of the Lord. 

Happy Easter everyone!

I liked playing in the vets with the animals. I check the dog’s tummy – Kaylee

I liked playing at the vet. I checked the dogs and they were ok – Alice

I liked playing with the stethoscope. I checked the babies’ heart – Jamie

I liked being a doctor and helping the babies – Amelia

I loved being a doctor and helping the babies when they were sick or hurt – Ayat

I like playing with my friends in the supermarket. I liked using the cash register and zapping the food for the customers – Olivia B

I liked playing in the supermarket. It felt like I was in a real shop – Arielle

I liked shopping in the supermarket. I loved buying the doughnuts – Miranda

This incursion connected with our Unit of Inquiry and gave the girls an opportunity to explore different occupations and how people organise and help each other within their workspaces.

Years K and 1 will develop their public speaking skills as they engage in a range of classroom tasks. These tasks will prepare them for presenting to a larger audience as they reach Year 2. Some examples of the skills that Years K and 1 will be exposed to include talking in a clear and audible voice, using good pace and using eye contact with their audience.

In the lead up to round one, it has been wonderful to see the girls rehearsing in the classroom and on the playground. Students have demonstrated continuous commitment and enthusiasm throughout the festival, allowing them to build on their confidence.

At the completion of round one, students will individually reflect upon their performances and be provided with constructive feedback from their teachers and peers. They will utilise this feedback as they progress to round two, taking place in Term 2.

Public speaking demonstrates the Learner Profile's attribute of 'courageous'. It takes great courage to stand in front of others and present a rehearsed or impromptu speech. Students should be very proud of their efforts and achievements.

I am thoroughly looking forward to listening to all speeches as we move forward to Finals in Term 3.

The students participated with enthusiasm and enjoyed the opportunity to have experienced guest presenters educate them on the importance of developing lifelong physical activity routines… while having some fun along the way!

We commend the girls on their positive approach to these activities and look forward to observing their application of these experiences to increase their understanding of theoretical concepts within the course. Great work girls!

All teams did ice-breaker sessions to familiarise themselves with each other and played games such as the human knot in order to promote teamwork and collaboration. 

The Year 7 Peer Support leaders have focused on organisation, giving them a hand with finding their way around Senior School, teaching them how to open their lockers and use their planners in addition to plenty of games and lollies. Anticipating the upcoming Easter break and celebration, some groups organised and participated in an Easter egg hunt with a relaxing picnic at the end. 

In Year 8 Peer Support, there has been a focus on finding your "why?". Finding and retaining motivation for success at different aspects of School, academic or otherwise. There were also light-hearted discussions around camp and some more serious ones on how to choose Year 9 and 10 electives and most effective ways to study. 

A big thank you to the Peer Support leaders and the mentors who are passionate about making sure that the girls receive the best support that they can and make all of the peer support sessions happen. 

Round 6

S01 Tara 1 vs Abbotsleigh 2, Draw, 9-9
S04 vs S03 Tara 2 vs Ravenswood 1, Loss, 11-14
J02 Tara 3 vs Danebank 3, Loss, 3-12
J04 Tara 4 vs Frensham 10, Win, 11-7
Y701 Tara 5 vs Frensham 12, Win, 10-9

Round 5 was a tight round for all Tara teams. Junior 1sts played an outstanding game with many highlights including many strong overthrows from Dana G to Holly H ready to tag any players that were trying to steal 2nd base. Janavika H had another awesome game, pitching very consistent strikes allowing some catches in the field by Clair C. Despite a close loss of 10-7, the girls produced their best fielding and batting yet! The Senior 1sts played a fierce game against Brigidine, with a massive hit from Charlotte M. Jordyn E took a great catch in the field to keep the game competitive, however unfortunately Brigidine’s base running was just too quick in the last innings. 

What a game from the Year 7 girls on Saturday with an amazing win against Frensham (who were undefeated at that time)! This most definitely made the early morning drive worth it, well done to our youngest players! The Year 7's have come a long way since the beginning of the season by developing important skills and a strong bond between all team members. The girls have put in a lot of effort and it is really paying off. The Senior 1sts held up a fight against Abbotsleigh 2 in Round 6. The highlight was an awesome triple play – what a terrific effort by the girls involved! The Senior 1sts are very eager to take on Abbotsleigh 1 (who are on top of the ladder) this Saturday to prove that the endless lunchtime trainings, facing the pitching machine at 90km/h, has thoroughly improved all of our batting. 

Heading into the final rounds I wish all teams all the best!

Jaz H - Softball Captain

Tennis

Round 5

S03 Tara 1 vs Wenona 1, Loss, 0-8
S12 Tara 2 vs Pymble 7, Win, 6-2
S14 Tara 3 vs SCEGGS 3, Loss, 2.5-5.5
S15 Tara 4 vs Abbotsleigh 12, Win, 4.5-3.5
S18 Tara 5 vs Meriden 11, Loss, 0-8
S19 Tara 6 vs St Vincents 1, Loss, 0.5-7.5
S21 Tara 7 vs SCEGGS 5, Win, 4.5-3.5
S22 Tara 8 vs Danebank 2, Loss, 2-6
S25 Tara 9 vs PLC Sydney 11, Loss, 3-5
J07 Tara 10 vs Danebank 4, Loss, 1.5-6.5
J10 Tara 11 vs Ascham 12, Loss, 1.5-6.5
J12 Tara 12 vs St Stanislaus 3, Loss, 1-7
J14 Tara 13 vs Kambala 9, Loss, 0.5-7.5
Y706 Tara 14 vs Abbotsleigh 31, Loss, 2-6
Y707 Tara 15 vs Ravenswood 14, Loss, 1.5-6.5
Y710 Tara 16 vs St Catherine’s, Games Loss, 4-4
Y711 Tara 17 vs Meriden 37, Loss, 2-6

Round 6

S03 Tara 1 vs Abbotsleigh 2, Win, 5-3
S12 Tara 2 vs Abbotsleigh 10, Win, 8-0
S14 Tara 3 vs Frensham 6, Win, 6-2
S15 Tara 4 vs Loreto Normanhurst 6, Win, 5.5-2.5
S18 Tara 5 vs Ascham 7, WET
S19 Tara 6 vs Frensham 8, Loss, 0.5-7.5
S21 Tara 7 vs Frensham 9, Loss, 1.5-6.5
S22 Tara 8 vs Frensham 10, Loss, 3.5-4.5
S25 Tara 9 vs St Vincent’s 2, Loss, 1-7
J07 Tara 10 vs Meriden 21, Win, 5.5-2.5
J10 Tara 11 vs Frensham 15, Loss, 2.5-5.5
J12 Tara 12 vs Frensham 17, Loss, 1.5-6.5
J14 Tara 13 vs Kincoppal Rose Bay 15, Loss, 1.5-6.5
Y706 vs Y705 Tara 14 vs Roseville 28, Friendly
Y707 Tara 15 vs Loreto Kirribilli 20, Loss, 1-7
Y710 vs Y709 Tara 16 vs Pymble 29, Friendly
Y711 Tara 17 vs St Vincent’s 6, Win, 6-2

Over the past two weeks Tara has fought hard to win and carry through with their tennis. Tara 1 fought a hard battle against Wenona but unfortunately lost due to some injuries within the team. Last week the team fought hard to overcome Abbostleigh with three of our girls winning their singles and our second seed just losing in a tight tie breaker. Overall our team won half of our doubles leading Tara to a 5-3 sets and 42-29 games win. Well done Tara 1 on their success. Our Tara team will be competing at Tildesley this coming week. All the best to all our Tara girls! 

Caroline H - Tennis Captain

Tara Diving Carnival

From Term 4 last year, girls have been attending early morning trainings to practice and improve their dives ready for the diving carnival in Term 1. Girls have worked hard, listening to the coaches’ feedback to ensure they can get as many points as possible, both for their house and individually. The carnival was different this year, competing at The King's School pool. Despite being unable to participate in synchronised diving this year, due to the pool only having a single diving board, girls were able to represent their house proudly, gaining house points to go towards the house shield awarded at the end of the year. The girls all performed amazingly, regardless of being unable to have the rest of the School cheering them on.

Overall, in the Junior Division, the diving champion was Ruby D (Crawford), with Veronika A (Waugh) securing the runner up position.

In the Intermediate Division, the trophy went to Charlotte O, securing another win for Crawford house, followed closely by Tori C (Hake) as the runner up.

And finally, the Senior diving champion for 2021 was Mackenzie C (Hake), with Emelie W (Waugh) following as the runner up. Both girls were competing for the last time in their final year of school.

There is always a big commotion when the overall Interhouse carnival trophy winner is revealed, and even though the entirety of the Tara Senior School was unable to compete or watch, the Interhouse diving house trophy was no different.

In fourth place came Walker with 22 points. Third place was awarded to Waugh with 28 points. With only ten points difference between first and second, Hake managed to pull through to secure the win with 42 points, leaving Crawford in second with 32 points.

In spite of everything that has changed over the past year, it’s an impressive feat that so many girls continued to practice and compete. A massive congratulations to all those who attended the carnival and represented their house.

Hannah C - Diving Captain

Olivia won Bronze in the Schoolgirl Year 10 Single Scull 1500m, Macayla and Emma won Bronze in the Schoolgirl Double Scull 2000m and Sarah won Gold in the Schoolgirl Single Scull 2000m. Sarah’s success in the Schoolgirl Single Scull will see her represent Tara at Nationals in Tasmania next week. Her coaches Graham (2-time world champion) and Robyn are both exceptionally skilled and accomplished rowers. We are thrilled for Sarah and very proud!

Congratulations girls on your exceptional placements, a testament to all the hard work, intensive training and commitment you bring to Tara rowing.