Mr James Harrison - Dean of Junior School

Mrs Wendy Abernethy - Dean of Learning (E-6)

This year’s NAPLAN results in Years 3 and 5 were once again very encouraging. We have just experienced two years of disruption, including more than a term of learning from home in 2021, where student wellbeing was foremost in our planning. It is affirming to see that rigorous academic programs with a balance of explicit teaching, inquiry and student wellbeing have resulted in strong learning outcomes for our girls. 

The results in the tables below show the percentage of Tara students in a particular band compared with the overall number of students in each band in Statistically Similar School Groups (SSSG) and in schools across the state.

When reading the tables, we can see that in both the Year 3 and Year 5 cohorts, Tara has significantly more students in the higher bands in comparison to the State and, conversely, significantly less students achieving results in the lower bands across most domains.

The graphs below demonstrate the average performance of Tara students (green line) across all domains (Reading, Writing, Spelling, Numeracy, Grammar and Punctuation) versus the results for the Statistically Similar Schools Group (SSSG) (black line) and the State (red line). 

This year’s average performance score for Year 3 reflects Tara’s consistent high achievement in literacy and numeracy with results commensurate with last year’s outstanding performance.

This year’s average performance score for Year 5 compares well with our previous strongest years, with only 2021 and 2014 resulting in higher average performance scores.

We have already begun the process of analysing overall trends, specific items of content and individual student results to best inform ongoing teaching plans. During 2023, Tara Junior School staff will continue engaging with and implementing the new research-informed English and Mathematics Syllabus documents, released by the NSW Education and Standards Authority (NESA). This process will assist us in maximising proficiency and fluency in fundamental literacy and numeracy skills across the Junior School. Our main professional learning focus in 2023 will be numeracy as we embark on the year-long ‘Numeracy Project’ delivered by the Association of Independent Schools (AIS).

Whilst we acknowledge that NAPLAN only tests a discrete amount of knowledge and skills at one particular moment in time, the results nonetheless are something of which the students, parents and teachers can be proud.

Wendy Abernethy - Dean of Learning E-6

Everything we do in Junior School seeks to equip students for the culminating experience of the Primary Years Programme Exhibition. This is where our Year 6 students complete their very own unit of inquiry on an issue of relevance, significance or interest. The process begins at the start of the year when students mindfully notice issues and opportunities in the world around them. This may be through something they see in the news, something they learn about, or something they encounter in their daily life, for example, when they visit an interesting place. 

The transdisciplinary focus for the 2022 Exhibition was ‘Who We Are’ which is essentially an inquiry into beliefs, values, health, relationships and what sets us apart as humans. As the girls noticed issues and opportunities in the world around them, they also found links with what it means to be human. An example of this would be, a news article on graffiti in a local community, which might highlight the opportunity to explore graffiti as street art and would link to the idea that humans are creative and share differing opinions.

Once issues or opportunities worth inquiring into had been identified, the students worked in small groups to write a central idea to guide their Exhibition which started with:

‘Because humans are unique, they…’

The next step was to write lines of inquiry based on their chosen issue or opportunity. ‘From knowledge to action’ was a phrase that students kept in mind as they conducted in-depth research and designed a product to provoke change in their audience. The results were worth celebrating at our Community Sharing Evening and during the various student visits. All Tara students and Year 6 students from The King’s School visited the Exhibition. We supported a virtual visit from students at Blue Mountains Grammar School who are curious about the inquiry process too! The Year 6 girls showed a mature and adaptive approach to answering the varied and thoughtful questions asked by audience members. It was delightful seeing them take the initiative to simplify their language and make use of puppets to connect with the youngest Tara girls.

Why do we do the PYP Exhibition?

• Students can engage in an in-depth, collaborative inquiry, using a conceptual lens to view different issues

• Exhibition provides students with an opportunity to demonstrate independence and responsibility for their own learning 

• Students can exercise agency (voice, choice and ownership) over their learning

• Students synthesise and apply their learning from previous years

• To reflect upon the journey through the PYP and the knowledge gained from research

• Students can live out the attributes of the PYP Learner Profile, predispositions that will serve them well throughout life

• It provides an authentic opportunity to use different approaches to learning (skills) that students have been explicitly taught during their time in Junior School

• Exhibition is a platform for students to take meaningful action in response to their learning and share this with the community

• Exhibition allows for students, teachers, parents and other members of the school community to unite in a collaborative experience that incorporates the essential elements of the PYP 

Expert guidance and reassurance were provided along the way by Miss Fisher, Miss MacAskill and all the Junior School teachers who acted as mentors for PYP Exhibition 2022. They graciously showed and shared their knowledge, dedication, patience, and creativity throughout the complex process of Exhibition. Congratulations to our Year 6 girls who worked consistently to learn new skills, pose better questions, communicate more clearly, act on feedback and meet the many deadlines that come with the Exhibition journey.

Cassandra Winfield - Dean of Learning Years 7-10 

Earlier this year, students in Years 7 and 9 joined their peers nationally in sitting the NAPLAN tests. While NAPLAN results can only tell us about a student performance at one point in time, they can provide valuable information about student learning and help us to develop future directions for individuals and cohorts alike. Parents have received a copy of their child’s individual results in the mail, and we are pleased to share a summary of the Year 7 and 9 cohort results with you.

Tara girls have once again achieved pleasing results in Years 7 and 9 NAPLAN. This is particularly heartening given the interruptions to our normal learning routines over the recent period. These results reflect the hard work that the girls and their teachers have put into maximising learning growth and paint a positive picture about the capabilities of these students. 

The graphs below demonstrate the average performance of Tara students (green line) across all domains (Reading, Writing, Spelling, Numeracy, and Grammar and Punctuation) versus the results for the Statistically Similar Schools Group (SSSG) (black line) and the State (red line). 

This graph demonstrates that the average result for the 2022 Year 7 cohort far exceeds the state and SSSG average scores, is higher than any cohort since 2017, and is the second highest average in the last 10 years.

This graph demonstrates that the average result for the 2022 Year 9 cohort exceeds the state and SSSG average scores, is higher than the 2021 cohort, and it’s the third highest average in the last 9 years.

The results in the tables below show the percentage of Tara students in a particular band compared with the overall number of students in each band in SSSGs and in schools across the state for each testing domain. 

There are no Tara Students achieving in the bottom 3 bands in any of the literacy-based tests, and none in the bottom 4 bands in Numeracy. Over 83% of all Tara results are placed in the top 4 bands, a result that is consistent with the 2021 cohort. While this group have performed well in all domains, numeracy is a relative strength for the Year 7 cohort, with over 76% of students achieving in the top 3 bands. Well done Year 7!

There are no Tara Students achieving in the bottom 3 bands in Writing and Spelling or in the bottom 4 bands in Reading, Numeracy, or Grammar and Punctuation. Over 93% of student results are placed in the top 4 bands and over 78% are in the top 3 bands. These results are higher than those of the 2021 cohort, with an additional 8% of results falling in bands 8-10. Grammar and Punctuation are a relative strength for the Year 9 cohort, keep it up Year 9!

A detailed analysis of individual and cohort data has been completed and all teachers in the Senior School have been briefed on these results. NAPLAN results are used to target students who require additional support or extension activities to enhance their learning and whole cohort strategies are being developed to target focus areas for all students. These will include a re-emphasis on spelling across all subject areas and a spotlight on numeracy, particularly for the Year 9 group. 

We thank the students for their sustained and diligent effort. We also thank the teachers and staff involved in supporting the girls in their learning journeys, those staff who assisted in the organisation and running of the NAPLAN testing days, and everyone who has helped with the analysis of student results. 

Tara Anglican School for Girls is pleased to offer the following scholarships:

• Academic All Rounder Scholarships for girls entering Years 7 or 9
• Music for girls entering Year 7
• Boarding for girls entering Years 7-11

Details for these scholarships are outlined on the Tara website. Click here to read more. 

All scholarship candidates are required to take the Scholarship Examination, conducted by Academic Assessment Services, held at Tara Anglican School for Girls. Scholarship applications will incur a fee of $130 and are not available for Overseas Students.

Tara offers scholarships based on applicant’s examination results and their application submission, which together highlight academic and cocurricular achievements.

Applications Close: Friday 3 February 2023 - late applications will not be considered

Academic Examination: Saturday 18 February 2023

Music Audition: Friday 24 February 2023

Parents will be welcome to join a School tour on the scholarship examination day.

The Tara Uniform Shop is now operating under new hours during Term time. Please see the new hours below.

Term Time Hours:

Monday to Friday

7:30am – 12:00pm

Closed between 12:00pm and 1:00pm

1:00pm – 5:00pm

First Saturday of each month (Term time only) 9:00am - 12:00pm

As part of Year 4’s fifth Unit of Inquiry, we have been inquiring into the importance of healthy ecosystems. In Term 3, Week 9, we enjoyed a great day out at Lake Parramatta where we were able to collect data to determine the health of our local environment. Throughout the day we had the opportunity to collect water bugs, bird watch, bush walk and collect rubbish. 

“It was really exciting walking out the school back gate, through the bush. We noticed some different bird types like rainbow lorikeets and crimson rosellas on our way past Hunts Creek to Lake Parramatta.” -  Diya 

“The bug catching was fun because we used our scooper nets to catch different water bugs living near the edge of the lake. After 20 minutes of bug collecting, we studied the variety of bugs in our tub. We started to identify them as bloodworms, leeches and freshwater shrimp. We each caught a lot of weed and algae, but they were great places to hide for water bugs, so we didn’t throw them away.” - Cherie 

We ate our lunch by the lake, studied the old dam wall built of sandstone and caught sight of a bearded dragon sunning itself on the water pipe. After a final bushwalk back to school, we reflected on all the things we had seen and learnt about. The excursion was so much fun and we can’t wait for the next one. 

Last term, Kindergarten girls experienced their first out of school excursion to Calmsley Hill City Farm.

For our third unit of inquiry Sharing the Planet, we have been exploring the central idea ‘Living things depend on each other’. In Term 3, we have learnt how to care for our class ducklings, making sure their shelter was clean, feeding, watering and giving them lots of love. On our trip to Calmsley Hill City Farm, we saw so many animals which needed to be taken care of. They depend on the people who work at the farm to feed them, water them, give them love, give them exercise and to keep them healthy. Each animal on the farm had a special job or purpose, even the bees!

We saw many types of cows which give us meat and dairy products like cheese and milk. Speaking of milk, Kindergarten girls got to milk a dairy cow! We saw dogs working hard as they listened to the farmers to muster and move the sheep into pens to get their medicine and then to have their wool shorn off, goodness that job looks exhausting!

We were lucky to take some of the wool back to school with us to explore some more. It is a little smelly and oily. One of the most interesting things we learnt was that chickens and egg laying birds can lay eggs all different shapes, sizes and colours…even BLUE! We went on a tractor ride which was very bumpy, but we kept screaming for the driver to go faster. On the ride, we saw far out into the paddocks where the animals get to exercise and sleep when all the visitors leave for the day.

Our favourite area was the baby animal area. We got to pat and play with baby rabbits, goats and sheep. They were so soft and fluffy, we never wanted to leave. The funniest part of the day was watching Miss Bowden try to crack a farm whip, but she was terrible at it…Shirley, Chloe W, Kathy, Magdalena, Alice and Lily were much better! Kindergarten had the best day ever!

Towards the end of Term 3, our Tara Junior School Tournament of Minds (TOM) team, fondly named “Dramarama” competed in the TOM State Final at the University of NSW. With Miss MacAskill and Mrs Snelson as our facilitators, we had progressed to the State Final after winning the Regional Semi-Final for Sydney West in our discipline, The Arts.

The Final involved an intense day of completing both a three-hour Dramatic Arts Challenge as well as a Spontaneous Challenge. This year’s three-hour Challenge involved creating a dramatic performance where both a protagonist and antagonist lose their ability to speak for part of the play.  The team created a fantasy tale using key skills such as mime, music and improvisation.  The Spontaneous Challenge involved designing and presenting a fourth arm to our state emergency services within a time period of 4 minutes. These challenges certainly demanded high-level problem solving and creative skills.

Tara’s team, Dramarama, displayed outstanding levels of teamwork, collaboration and time-management to complete their challenges. They were positive and resilient throughout the finals day and demonstrated wonderful sportsmanship and friendliness towards the other teams. The Tara girls loved the opportunity to perform as well as meet students from all over NSW who also participated in the Finals competition.  

Recently, Tara Year 3 attended an excursion to the Sydney Maritime Museum and The Powerhouse Museum!

The girls had the opportunity to visit and tour a replica of the Endeavor ship and visited the H.M.A.S Vampire, a retired naval ship. The girls also learnt about what life was like aboard the ships that travelled to Australia and toured the Powerhouse Museum focusing on space exploration.

The information learnt focused on the Unit of Inquiry ‘Where We Are in Place and Time’ which has the central idea ‘Exploration changes the world and shapes how people live’, allowing the girls to expand their learning in class.

Some highlights of the day included:

• Touching a piece from the real Endeavour and being granted access to see the captains’ quarters
• Experiencing life below deck on the Endeavour as a ship mate
• Seeing a piece of the moon at the space exhibition
• Experiencing life on a spaceship and seeing space rover replicas that we have been studying in STEM

On the first day of Term 4, Year 1 visited Tara Archives and learnt more about the history of Tara with Archivist Enid!

The Year 1 central idea is “Change and continuity are part of family histories” and their lines of inquiry are “Ways to find out about the past”, “How and why family life has changed over time” and “How and why school life has changed over time”.

This visit allowed the girls to learn more about the importance of history and learn about the history of our School.

Year 1 discussed and explored the idea of artefacts and loved the 1980’s Tara classroom video and old School artefacts. They were very excited to try on the old Tara uniforms and to learn that boys were once a part of the Junior School.

They also loved walking the markings of the original building on the Senior School site and enjoyed seeing how Tara Junior School has changed over time.

The CIS Athletics Carnival was held at the end of Term 3. Our sole Tara representative, Ashleigh F, did the school proud by gaining top 10 finishes in both the Girls 11-Year-Olds Shot Put and Discus events. Well done, Ashleigh!

The Junior School Gymnastics Carnival took place at the end of Term 3. After a two-year hiatus due to Covid, the girls in the Junior School were extremely excited to be taking part in this whole school event again. Students in Years 2, 4 and 6 participated in teaching and learning activities involving rhythmic gymnastics in their PE lessons in preparation for the carnival. They inquired into rhythmical movements, changes in movement concepts as well as the process of performing. Students in ELC, Kindergarten, Years 1, 3 and 5 participated in teaching and learning activities centred around artistic gymnastics in preparation. Some of their inquiries included the basic skills of gymnastics, control and stability in gymnastics and how individual strengths can be used to solve group movement challenges.

On carnival day, all students were able to experience both gymnastic disciplines through a stations circuit. It was pleasing to see girls from all year groups moving confidently in front of an audience and with control and precision. A group of competition gymnastics who train after school with our dedicated coaches performed their more complex routines on the day. As always, these routines are a highlight for their peers and teachers, with spectators keenly watching on in awe of their athleticism! Congratulations to all girls who participated on the day. 

2022 Gymnastic Champions and Runners Up

Artistic 

Novice Champion – Mirna I

Novice Runner Up – Tiana G

Advanced Champion – Eva S

Advanced Runner Up – Linda H

Rhythmic

Novice Champion – Olivia W

Novice Runner Up – Anobelle S

Advanced Champion – Yuna L

House Champions – Waugh

The Year 10 Commerce classes are collaborating to create the 2022 Commerce Market Day. 

Each group must create a themed stall with unique products to sell to the Tara Senior School. 

There is a large variety of delicious stalls that students can buy from, ranging from Mexican, pasta, Greek food, waffles, churros, ice cream, lollies, fairy floss, loaded fries and much more for people to enjoy. 

The profits earned from this prestigious event will all be donated towards Parramatta Women’s shelter, a charity that Tara has worked very closely with for many years and are happy to be working with again.  

Each year, RACI (the Royal Australian Chemical Institute) runs a titration competition. The state level competition involves determining the concentration of a solution of acetic acid as accurately as possible by titration. The 50 most successful teams in NSW are then invited to participate in the National competition which involves analysing a solid sample to determine the amount of acid it contains. 

Year 12 students Rebekah, Emily and Lucia represented Tara in the titration competition and achieved outstanding results. They took part in the state level competition at Macquarie University and achieved second place for their venue, which earned them an invitation to Nationals. The girls then spent numerous study lessons learning the technique required for the National competition and were rewarded for their effort by achieving 10th place at the University of NSW. 

Congratulations to Rebekah, Emily and Lucia on their well-deserved success. 

Hannah - Year 11 

For almost a year now, Aileen and I have been representing Tara as part of the Future Project, held at the Kings school. We attend weekly sessions after school until 6pm and will be competing at iGEM near the end of October. The International Genetically Engineered Machine is a prestigious competition for synthetic biologists in high school, college and beyond. Comprised of 22 students from 9 schools across NSW, we are the first high school team from Australia to participate. We aim to effectively create, recognise and encourage young, future STEM leaders to actively initiate change within our society. 

The project we are currently working towards contributes to fixing the major food waste issues modern society is dealing with. Within this larger goal, we aim to focus on the efficiency of existing bacteria that can turn naturally occurring sugars into hydrogen. Our project will focus on sugar uptake and balancing glucose and xylose consumption in biomass. We will achieve this through maximising the utilisation of xylose - a sugar disregarded as an unusable waste product in the conversion of energy; however, we retained the consumption of energy from glucose by maintaining its expression in genes. Therefore, we have employed a previously redundant component in the conversion of energy within biomass to maximise the energy efficiency.

Upon implementation, the efficient production of hydrogen from bacteria will have a wide-reaching impact across the local and global agricultural industry. In the near future, hydrogen will be a vital means of energy storage due to its lightweight nature and ease of transport relative to lithium-ion battery cells, and especially in regions where renewable energy production via solar and wind is impracticable. Furthermore, in regions which may be severely impacted by impending climate change, providing accessible opportunities to use biowaste to create larger quantities of marketable hydrogen will help to keep smaller farms viable in the face of increased agricultural monopolisation. These factors fulfil many of our goals, especially regarding addressing local issues that affect local communities across different regions of the globe.

Throughout this rigorous process, we have enriched our own understanding in the field of synthetic biology but also to provide resources and information for other high school students to participate in this great competition. Our ‘How-to Guide for Australian High School Teams’ will shortly be released to teachers in numerous schools across Australia. This guide is designed for Australian high school students and teachers in kick-starting their team to get involved in iGEM. It has been authored by students from TheKingsSchool_AU_HS, the first Australian high school team to compete in iGEM, communicating their own advice and experiences for future high school iGEM teams, especially within Australia. Moreover, our team has also created a ‘Biowaste Encyclopedia – the first of its kind. The encyclopedia investigates and evaluates the potential of these sources as there is a range of food products that are currently wasted around the world. Many of these products are rich in sugars and other nutrients and serve as outstanding candidates for our research into increasing sugar uptake in bacteria. 

We hope the immediate and direct scientific impact of our project will firstly be to improve the efficiency of xylose uptake and utilisation within E. coli cells. Consequently, we envision our project contributing to the enhancement of E. coli as a chassis organism for broader uses across the field of synthetic biology. Specifically, we intend for our engineered E. coli to optimise the production of sustainable energy from unused biomass, by improving the conversion of sugars present within lignocellulose into new sustainable products such as clean hydrogen.

All of this culminates to the Grand Jamboree held at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, where our team will present our research and findings to a panel and 7000 participants from all over the world. We are indeed extremely happy and humbled to be part of this process and are grateful to Ms Warnant for her enduring support and guidance. 

Last term during Week 8, Tara held its first ever clothes swap!

Students brought in pre-loved clothing that still had some life left to swap for something new. It's a great alternative way to get some new clothes whilst not contributing to fast fashion. The clothes swap lined up with Year 8 Geography learning about fast fashion and its impact on society and the environment, with some Year 8 students creating posters and videos to educate students about fast fashion. It was a fun day with music and looking through clothes and a great opportunity to educate the wider school community about fast fashion. 

The Tara Peer Support Program formally run between Year 7 and Year 10 is a way to facilitate connections across grades and welcome the Year 7’s into the Senior School. Peer Support promotes student wellbeing and empowers the girls with practical skills and strategies to positively navigate their lives and relationships. With Year 10 girls running fortnightly meetings that focus on topics such as friendships, time management, antibullying and creativity, girls are able to feel truly welcomed within the Senior School community. The program is beneficial to both grades and connects them with one another. 

This term, we will be voting in the new Peer Support Leaders from Year 9 to start their role next year in 2023. Girls in Year 9 will be invited to nominate for these positions at the end of the Leadership Training Day on Monday 14 November. This day involves current Year 10 Peer Support Leaders training the girls and giving advice on creating meaningful connections with the younger grades. After the day, girls are asked to nominate for the position and are voted in by their peers and the supervisory teachers. Last year 95% of students nominated to take on this role. Ultimately, we will have 16 peer support leaders in total with 4 per house.

Peer Support is an amazing program, and I cannot encourage Year 9 enough to nominate yourselves for this role and connect with the incoming Year 7’s. However, even if you don’t receive the role, there are many other opportunities for leadership and intergrade connection that everyone is welcome to participate in. All the best!

Senior School World Vision Christmas Markets 23rd November runs for the THIRD year in a row in 2022.

The World Vision Christmas Markets was inspired by a 2020 Year 12 student, Alana, who attended a School trip to Cambodia trip whilst she was in Year 9 at Tara.

She wanted to continue to serve this community and had the idea to hold a Christmas Market run by students from Years 7-11. Students form small groups and make products to sell to the Community. It is a highlight of the School calendar and one where students have the opportunity to serve their community. Whilst we have only been doing this for two years, we have already donated over $8,500 to World Vision and are hoping to be successful again this year. Our students are so gracious in donating both their time and money.

The following students have been operating a stall for three consecutive years, Brianna, Hannah, Carmen, Keisha, Jovana, Arnvi, Imogen and Mylan. If you would like to run a stall pls contact Year 11 students Bella and Evelyn.  

Here is what they had to say about why they do this:

1. What year were you in when you had your first stall at the World Vision Christmas Markets?

We were all in Year 9.  

2. What inspired you to have your first stall? 

We wanted to participate in a school-based service initiative and the Christmas markets was a fun, creative opportunity that we could all do together. Some people in our group also missed out on the Commerce Market Day, so this was a great way to have a similar experience. 

3. What products do you sell? 

In our first year, we sold a variety of homemade scented candles decorated with a Christmas theme. In our second year we sold tote bags with some Christmas themed and some generic designs and books to go with it. This was such a success that we decided to continue selling tote bags in our third year.

4. This is your third consecutive year running a stall. Why do you keep coming back? 

All the previous experiences have been extremely gratifying and rewarding and the time spent planning and organising all the aspects of the stall was worthwhile, knowing that we could positively contribute to the Tara community as well as charity. It was an amazing experience working with friends and enjoying the process of running a stall and it allowed us to have some fun and get into the Christmas spirit! 

5. What are you most looking forward to in 2022? 

We are looking forward to being creative and making something that can spread joy to the Tara Community and give back to those who need it. 

6. What advice would you give anyone that is considering running a stall in 2022? 

We would say not to be intimidated by the challenge of running a stall as the result is very rewarding. Embrace the creative liberty of designing your own stall and products but make sure you start early so you have everything ready on time. Don’t be afraid to make lots of products, because they sell out pretty quickly and most of all, have fun! 

Leanne Parker - English competitions organiser

Tara students competed in the English, Spelling Bee (Year 7) and Writing Competitions this year.

80 students from Years 7-11 competed in the English Competition, 52 students in the Writing Competition and for the first time 14 students from Year 7 competed in the Spelling Bee.

The following students are commended for receiving credits (top 30%):

English Competition

Year 7: Charlotte, Agatha, Claire, Aishani 

Year 8: Matilda, Lavinia, Mia, Angelique, Daniella, Katherine, Teon, Claire, Deborah 

Year 9: Jessica, Daria, Selina, Eva, Bernice, Melanie

Year 10: Dana, Bani

Writing Competition

Year 7:  Anika, Jasmine, Reeta, Hannah, May, Claire 

Year 8: Mia, Daniella, Claire, Lara, Vicky

Year 9: Elisha, Jessica, Bernice, Anika, Hannah 

Year 10: Grace 

Year 11: Brianna 

Spelling Bee

Year 7: Claire, Yixuan, Hannah, Kha-Thi 

The following are commended for receiving distinctions (top 10%): 

English Competition: 

Year 7: Fiona, Ella, Kha-Thi 

Year 8: Iris, Lara, Vicky

Year 9: Shirley, Alison, Orchid 

Year 10: Chelsea, Grace 

Year 11: Brianna, Alisha, Nina, Hannah 

Writing Competition

Year 7: Isabel, Fiona, Agatha, Ella, Kha-Thi 

Year 8: Iris, Katherine 

Year 9: Daria, Orchid 

Year 10: Chelsea

Spelling Bee

Year 7: Ella, Claire, Yiyun 

The following are commended for receiving high distinctions (top 1% of the competitions): 

English Competition

Year 7: Yiyun 

Year 9: Elisha 

Year 10: Jemma 

Year 11: Hannah 

Writing Competition

Year 7: Yiyun 

Year 8: Chelsea 

Congratulations to all these students on their results.

Ashiqca and Jessica - Year 11 Students 

In Term 2, we had the challenge of creating a new and innovative business idea, from which we had to create a business plan. Our business idea was called WATCH-OUT. A practical and fashionable braille watch. Its prime function is to further assist visually impaired people in their everyday life.

WATCH-OUT acts like a normal smart watch, however, contains the main feature of a silent alarm that vibrates within a 2-meter proximal radius of either a moving or stationary object. It also includes the additional features of the time displayed through Braille numbers, connection to devices via Bluetooth, personalized customization and voice commands linked to Siri.

At the start of Term 3, all business students were highly encouraged to submit their business plan with a few modifications to the Plan Your Own Enterprise (PYOE) Competition. The PYOE competition is open to all full-time secondary school students enrolled in a registered secondary school in Australia. There are two divisions of the Competition, the individual and the group category, and with over 422 entries, our business plan was chosen as 1 of 5 group division finalists.

On 12 October ourselves, Mrs Losco and Mr Swainson made our way to Charted Accountants Australia in the city, where the winners would be announced. We then had to present a short speech giving an overview of our product and explaining its function and practicality.

At the conclusion of the night our business plan was picked as the winner of the group division, which was a very exciting achievement for us and the school! Our business plan was then submitted to a national competition, where our plan will be compared to others from across the country.

It is very exciting to announce that we won the National Plan your Own Enterprise Competition!

Alisha - 2022-2023 Debating Prefect 

On Friday October 21 and Saturday 22, 14 students from Tara participated in the 2022 IGSA Festival of Speech at Pymble Ladies' College in the categories of Debating, Drama, Poetry and Public Speaking. Thank you for your preparations leading up to this event. 

Congratulations to the girls who also participated in the Soroptimist Public Speaking Competition on Saturday September 10, especially Sophia (Year 7), Zayla (Year 9) and Anika (Year 9) for winning prize money and achieving a place in their heats.

On September 19 - 21, 8 students participated in the Australian debating and Speakfest competitions. Congratulations to Faith (Year 11) for achieving a place in the debating finals. 

Year 7 have been learning about living organisms in Science this term. After learning the seven characteristics of living things in class, students then used some friendly garden snails to observe these features. The snails were put back in their garden bed after the lesson and Year 7 now have a better appreciation of how snails live! 

Congratulations to Nikhita (Year 11) and Lucinda (Year 8) for their performances at the Voski Cup Competition held on Sunday 9 October in Sydney.

Lucinda (Level 4): 5th Hoop and 4th overall

Nikhita (Level 8): 4th Hoop, 4th Clubs, 2nd Ribbon and =2nd overall

The coaching team is very pleased with all of the gymnasts’ achievements – Good luck for the next competition this season!

Henrietta - Water Polo Captain

Round 1

S04 Tara 1 vs Loreto Kirribilli 2, Loss, 3-5

J04 Tara 2 vs Monte 6, Loss, 8-11

J06 Tara 3 vs Queenwood 5, Loss, 2-14

Y703 Tara 4 vs St Catherine’s 7, Loss, 5-17

The water polo firsts had a good start to the season. The girls played very well, despite not playing for a couple of years. Georgia H had some great saves in goalie, as well as Skye A, scoring her very first goal in water polo!

Team 2 had an amazing game, despite having no subs. Grace T and Verity A utilised their individual skills whilst working with the other girls to score the goals. By the end of the game everyone was tired but continued to push through it and get a few more goals. 

The Junior seconds had a hard game but still managed to work together as a team and put up the best fight they could. As the girls continued through the game, they learnt the best tactics and skills to use when versing a hard team!

Our Year 7 team had a hard game but played very well considering that many of the Year 7 students have never played water polo before and it was their first time playing as a team. Good job everyone for playing hard the first week back to school and good luck with your next games!

Cameron K - Touch Football Captain

Round 1

S02 Tara 1 vs Monte 2, Loss, 2-4

S09 Tara 2 vs Loreto Normanhurst 8, Loss, 5-7

J03 Tara 3 vs Pymble 12, Loss, 2-5

J07 Tara 4 vs Roseville 10, Win, 7-6

J10 Tara 5 vs Abbotsleigh 18, Loss, 3-4

The Tara touch football teams tapped off their seasons with Tara thirds playing at Pymble and all other Tara teams having home games. The sun was out, and weather was warm as the girls worked well together in their games. The Tara firsts team played Monte with the opening try-scorer being Marisa S. All in all, the girls were able to start the season strong and look to improve through training as the season continues! 

Rubie represented Tara at ISHE (Interschools Horse Extravaganza) at AELEC in Tamworth on the weekend of 15 and 16 October.

Rubie competed on her new horse Astro in the CT 80cm / Show Horse / Show Jumping Dressage & Stock Horse Challenge and came away with a number of places.

Congratulations Rubie! 

Netball Semi Finals

S15 Tara 4 vs Meriden 5, Win, 30-13

S17 Tara 5 vs Meriden 8, Win, 15-9

J12 Tara 10 vs Pymble 20, Loss, 12-20

Y708 Tara 14 vs St Vincent’s 20, Win, 18-17

Netball Grand Finals

S15 Tara 4 vs St Vincent’s 7, 

S17 Tara 5 vs St Vincent’s 8, 

Y708 Tara 14 vs Meriden 22, 

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