All parents are warmly invited to attend the next Tara Hub Community Meeting on Tuesday 2 June.

Light refreshments will be served from 7.00pm, with the meeting commencing at 7.30pm. We are pleased to welcome our new Heads of Sport, Leah Virtue (Head of Junior School Sport) and Cameron Middlemass (Head of Senior School Sport).

Leah and Cameron will share their vision for Sport at Tara and there will be an opportunity for parents to ask questions.

If you would like to attend, please register for catering purposes using the link below.
Book Now: Tara Hub Community Gathering - Tuesday 2nd June, 7pm Tara Chapel

Please RSVP by Monday 1 June.

The idea for a Dads Club was first planted on 26 January 2016 at Tara Activate, where a donation of $250 secured a special box containing a Tara tie, Tara cufflinks, and a cap embroidered with the words “Tara Dad’s Club” - complete with an apostrophe. That small but meaningful purchase sowed the seed for what would become the Tara Dads Club.

TDC was officially launched on 28 May 2016 at The Tara Great Day Out Fair, led by the then Year 2 dads (Year 11 in 2026). With the support of the Parent & Friends Association (predecessor to Tara Hub), a loan was provided to produce the first 200 TDC caps. These were sold for $20 each, with the dual purpose of repaying the loan and funding future supplies.

The response exceeded all expectations. On launch day alone, 109 dads registered, surpassing the initial target of 100. Within a fortnight, membership had grown to 178 dads, a clear sign that the idea had struck a chord within the Tara community.

On 30 July 2016, TDC hosted its first father-and-daughter event, Into the Wild. More than 250 dads and daughters attended an unforgettable evening of delicious food and the infectious rhythms of African drums - setting the tone for the many memorable events that would follow.

The first Annual General Meeting of the Tara Dads Club was held on 8 November 2016, with 22 supportive dads in attendance. This marked an important step forward, as members formally adopted the Club’s constitution, appointed its first President and committee, and laid the foundations for the organisation TDC would become.

Since those early days, the Tara Dads Club has gone from strength to strength. Through the dedication of its members, the leadership of past and present Presidents, and the commitment of the TDC Organising Committee, the Club has grown into something truly special - something worth celebrating and being proud of.

As TDC celebrates this milestone, heartfelt thanks are extended to the Tara School Council and Principal Adele Ramsay for their continued encouragement and support of Jodie Doyle, Community Engagement Manager. Their belief in the value of the Tara Dads Club has helped ensure its longevity and success.

Most importantly, congratulations go to every dad (past and present) who has been part of the journey over the past decade. Each contribution - big or small - has helped shape a Club that strengthens connections, supports Tara’s values, and enriches the lives of Tara girls.

As a nod to the Club’s beginnings, here’s a piece of TDC trivia: the first 200 Tara Dad’s Club caps featured an apostrophe in Dad’s. If your dad owns one of these caps, he is officially an inaugural member of the Tara Dads Club - a small grammatical quirk that has become a treasured badge of honour.

Here’s to ten years of connection, contribution, and community - and to many more years of the Tara Dads Club making a meaningful difference at Tara.

Sanjit Roy (Aarya, Year 11).

Today, the Tara Dads Club is led by President Nick Ross and continues to play a vibrant role within the Tara community. One of its most anticipated annual traditions is the father-daughter camping trip, attended by more than 200 dads and daughters each year.

In addition to family events, TDC also hosts social gatherings for dads, creating opportunities for connection and friendship. This year, dads will come together to watch Game 2 of the State of Origin on Wednesday 17 June, with details available in the invitation.

At the heart of the Tara Dads Club is a simple but important purpose: creating a place where dads can connect, support one another, and make a meaningful contribution to the Tara community.

Our Junior School students recently enjoyed the opportunity to shop at the Mother’s Day stalls, which returned to Tara this year. The stalls provided the girls with a special chance to choose gifts for the significant women in their lives, with excitement and enthusiasm high throughout the day as students carefully selected their treasures to take home.

A sincere thank you to Maya Abboud Hamdan, Sandy Armany, Rimsy Widge and Hollie Haddad for working alongside the Community Team to organise the event and coordinate volunteers.

Thank you also to all of the wonderful volunteers who assisted on the day. Your time, support and generosity were greatly appreciated and helped make the event such a success.

We are excited to announce that food bookings are now open for Winterfest 2026.

Winterfest is one of the most anticipated community events of the year and a major fundraiser for Tara Hub. We warmly invite all families to join us for an evening of celebration featuring delicious food, vibrant entertainment, and a strong sense of community spirit.

To ensure you don’t miss out on your favourite dishes, please note that all food must be pre-ordered. We encourage families to place their orders early via the booking link provided.

In addition to an outstanding selection of international cuisine, the evening will feature a wide range of exciting stalls and activities for all ages, including:

The night will conclude with a spectacular fireworks display, offering a memorable finale to a wonderful evening shared with family and friends.

Bookings close Wednesday 3 June, so be sure to secure your food orders before the deadline.

Sponsorship packages are now available for businesses to consider.

Winterfest is a key fundraising event for Tara Hub, and this year we are proud to be supporting an exciting outdoor furniture project.

The goal is to create welcoming and functional outdoor spaces with seating areas that can be enjoyed by students and utilised for a range of school events. These spaces will support everyday student life as well as provide opportunities for lunchtime activities, outdoor learning, long lunches, and year-level breakfasts. Funds raised will also contribute to enhancements within the Junior School, helping to create shared community spaces that can be enjoyed by all.

If you are interested in supporting Tara and contributing to the development of inspiring new facilities for our students, please contact Jodie Doyle at jdoyle@tara.nsw.edu.au.

Thank you to everyone who attended our annual Mother’s Day Lunch. Held at the beautiful Pennant Hills Golf Club, the afternoon provided a wonderful opportunity for our community to come together and enjoy a delicious buffet lunch in a warm and welcoming atmosphere.

A special highlight of the event was hearing from our guest speakers, Simone Gibson, alongside her sister Lauren and mother Christine, who shared their heartfelt and inspiring story. Their honesty, strength and openness touched everyone in attendance, and we are deeply grateful to all three women for sharing their journey with our community.

Thank you again to all the mums and guests who joined us and helped make the afternoon so memorable.

Lottie E, Elizabeth Medalist

Something exciting in the Junior School is the Athletics Carnival. The carnival is a day to have fun doing a range of athletics activities with friends from Years 3-6. Getting excited for the carnival looks different for different girls. Lots of girls have been joining different athletics clubs in the morning to prepare for the day, and some other girls are just going to have fun on the day. Both are okay, and no matter what, it’s all about doing your best and supporting your House and friends.

Another thing that has happened this term is the DaVinci Decathlon. This is an event where 16 girls across Year 5 and 6 get to go to Knox and compete with other schools with different subjects Leonardo DaVinci studied. The girls worked so hard throughout Term 1 and Term 2 with Mr Sullivan and Miss Dos Santos and each other, and did well on the day.

Well done to all the Junior school girls for a great start to Term 2!

The Waugh House Team hosted a Service Learning Day for students in ELC to Year 6. All of Junior School came together to support Bear Cottage and the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation (SCHF). Bear Cottage is the only children’s hospice in New South Wales. It provides specialised care for children and young people, while also offering vital emotional and practical support to their families. The compassionate work of Bear Cottage helps families create meaningful memories and ensures children are cared for with dignity, comfort and love. Girls brought in a teddy bear, gold coin and took part in a range of engaging activities led by the Year 6 Waugh House Team. From a teddy bear treasure hunt to story time, music and movement and craft activities there was something for everyone! This special day was a wonderful opportunity for students to develop empathy, generosity and social responsibility while having fun and working together for a meaningful cause.

Year 4 went on an excursion to Lake Parramatta to fish for water bugs. Here are some pictures and a blurb: As part of their inquiry into “Sharing the Planet,” our Year 4 students visited Lake Parramatta to investigate the quality of water in their local environment. By collecting and examining water bugs, they explored their central idea: Interdependent relationships sustain life on Earth developing a deeper understanding of how we can all play a role in protecting our environment.

Year 4 students joined Year 8 and 9 science students for a shared learning experience focused on heat. The senior students led a series of hands-on experiments that explored how heat is generated, transferred and used. This session served as a provocation for our upcoming unit of inquiry, where students will investigate heat energy and how scientific understanding influences design. The collaboration also aligned with the Senior School’s Festival of Learning week, providing an authentic opportunity for cross-age learning, student leadership, and inquiry-driven exploration.

Our Year 5 and 6 students recently enjoyed a special visit from Australian author Jacqueline Harvey, who spoke with students about her upcoming book, The Girl and the Ghost: Grand Opening (Book 3) , and the journey of becoming a writer.

During the session, students heard about Jacqueline’s inspiration, writing process and the creativity involved in bringing stories and characters to life.

Students were highly engaged throughout the visit and enjoyed the opportunity to ask questions, hear from a professional author and deepen their love of reading and storytelling. They even had the opportunity to take home signed copies of Jacqueline’s books, including the yet-to-be-released The Girl and the Ghost: Grand Opening (Book 3) .

Experiences such as this encourage curiosity, creativity and a passion for literature, while inspiring students to explore their own ideas and voices as writers.

Rebecca Sultana, Dean of Learning Years 7-10 (Acting)

Every day at Tara, students engage in inquiry-based learning that develops them as confident, capable learners. This term, Senior School students extended this work beyond their classrooms, making their thinking visible to a wider audience through a week-long Festival of Learning.

The Festival was a vibrant celebration of Tara’s strong culture of learning in action across every classroom and shared space. Rather than focusing solely on outcomes, it highlighted the process of learning by encouraging students to embrace challenge, reflect on their thinking and share work that was still evolving.

Throughout the week, students demonstrated the IB Learner Profile in authentic and visible ways across a range of learning experiences. In the Year 9 History Elective Ned Kelly displays, students worked as thoughtful inquirers and critical thinkers, exploring multiple perspectives and posing meaningful questions. Geography lessons in the Colonnade encouraged open-minded engagement with real-world contexts, while visual arts exhibitions highlighted students as creative risk-takers.

Hallways, walls and staircases became vibrant galleries of learning, where students communicated their thinking and collaborated to make learning visible. In the library, ethical dilemmas prompted principled and reflective thinking, while research displays and AI guessing challenges sparked curiosity and encouraged students to question and analyse information more deeply.

Performance and creativity also brought the Learner Profile to life. Year 7 students showed confidence and courage in sharing their Minimal Music compositions, Year 8 students performed as expressive communicators, and Year 9 English students interpreted the Balcony Scene from Romeo and Juliet in an open performance from the Colonnade balcony. In PASS, Year 9 and 10 students explored recreational extreme sports with a focus on balance and friendly competition. Across the school, the “Draw Your IB Learner Profile” activity invited students to reflect on their strengths as learners.

In the context of living in a rapidly changing world shaped by AI and complex information landscapes, experiences like the Festival of Learning are vital for our Tara students. They invite students to step outside their comfort zones, proudly display work that is still developing, and build the confidence to take ownership of their learning.

Our students recently competed in the Da Vinci Decathlon, an academic competition that challenges students through problem-solving, collaboration and creative thinking across a range of disciplines.

Throughout the day, students tackled complex tasks that encouraged them to think deeply, work together and apply their learning in new ways.

A special congratulations to our Year 10 team, who achieved 1st place in Engineering. This outstanding result reflects their innovation and ability to work effectively under pressure.

Congratulations also to our Year 8 team, who achieved 2nd place in Creative Producers, demonstrating originality and strong teamwork throughout the competition.

The Da Vinci Decathlon is a valuable opportunity for students to extend themselves beyond the classroom while building confidence in their academic abilities.

Well done to all students involved on the way they represented Tara throughout the event.

Our Year 11 students recently participated in a Leadership Day with Matt Cogin as they prepare to step into leadership roles within the School next term.

Throughout the day, students explored the qualities of effective leadership and reflected on the kind of impact they hope to have within the Tara community. Sessions focused on personal growth, communication and the responsibilities that come with leading others.

The workshop encouraged students to think more deeply about leadership as service, and the importance of building strong relationships, supporting others and leading with integrity.

Experiences such as this are an important part of student development at Tara, helping students grow in confidence as they prepare for opportunities both within and beyond the School.

We thank Matt Cogin for sharing his experience and supporting our students as they begin this exciting next chapter.

Check out our video to learn more about this day!

Dhruti, Year 8 Student

I thoroughly enjoyed the excursion to see A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare. The production was engaging and thoughtfully executed, with the actors delivering expressive and dynamic performances that captured both the humour and complexity of the play. I particularly appreciated the portrayals of Hermia, Helena, Lysander, and Demetrius, as the actors effectively conveyed the confusion and emotional tension between the characters while still maintaining the play’s comedic tone. The portrayal of Puck was also especially memorable, whose mischievous presence added energy and charm throughout the performance. In addition, the creative staging and costumes brought the magical characters to life. Overall, the excursion was both enriching and enjoyable, as it deepened my appreciation of Shakespeare’s work and enhanced my understanding of the play’s themes and character relationships. It was a highly memorable experience and an excellent opportunity to experience the text beyond the classroom.

We are delighted to welcome our French exchange students to Tara for the remainder of the term.

Earlier this year, Tara students had the wonderful opportunity to travel to France and experience life with their exchange families. Now, it is our turn to welcome the French students into our community as they shadow their Tara hosts, attend classes and experience everyday school life in Australia.

Exchange programs such as this provide valuable opportunities for students to build friendships, strengthen language skills and develop a deeper understanding of different cultures and perspectives. It has been wonderful to see students reconnect after their time overseas and share this experience together.

We look forward to the many experiences and memories that will be created throughout the term and hope our exchange students enjoy their time at Tara.

Congratulations to Lily (Year 8), who was recently selected in the GWS Giants AFL Academy.

As part of the program, she has been attending training sessions at Blacktown ISP on Tuesday evenings, where she has been developing her skills and enjoying the opportunity to train alongside other talented young athletes.

Selection into the Academy is a wonderful achievement and reflects her dedication, hard work and passion for AFL. Programs such as this provide valuable opportunities for students to further develop their sporting abilities in a high-performance environment.

We look forward to following her progress throughout the year and congratulate her on this exciting opportunity.

Congratulations to Justine on her recent success in table tennis, earning selection in two New South Wales representative teams for upcoming national championships.

She has been selected in the U21 Women’s B Team to represent NSW at the 2026 National Table Tennis Championships, to be held in Goulburn, NSW from 6–11 July.

In another outstanding achievement, she has also been selected in the U15 Girls A Team to represent NSW at the 2026 Junior National Championships in Moreton Bay, Queensland from 27 September to 3 October.

These selections are a reflection of her hard work, dedication and talent within the sport, and we are incredibly proud of all she has achieved. We wish her every success as she prepares to compete at both championships later this year.

Our recent Swim Safety Week was a fantastic success, with the highest attendance we have seen for the program to date.

This year’s theme, Emergency Responders , helped students engage with important water safety concepts in a fun and memorable way. Throughout the week, students participated in activities designed to build confidence in the water while reinforcing essential swim safety skills.

Swim Safety Week is an important part of our swimming program, helping students understand that learning to swim is not only about developing technique, but also about building the knowledge and awareness needed to stay safe in and around the water.

It was wonderful to see so many families involved throughout the week, supporting students as they developed valuable lifelong skills.

Thank you to our swimming staff and families for making the week such a success. We are already looking forward to the next Swim Safety Week.

Congratulations to all of our students who recently represented Tara at the IGSA Cross Country Carnival at Frensham.

The girls approached the day with determination and resilience, giving their best effort out on the course while supporting and encouraging one another throughout the event. We are very proud of the way they represented Tara and the commitment they showed in both their preparation and competition.

This event also marked a special milestone for many of our students, who proudly wore the new Tara Visors. These visors are awarded to students who reach IGSA level competition, recognising their dedication, perseverance and achievement in sport.

The Tara Visor is a significant acknowledgement within our sporting program and celebrates students who have demonstrated commitment to representing the School at a high level.

Well done to all students involved on a fantastic achievement.

Congratulations Pare on her selection in the CIS Swimming Team to compete at the upcoming All Schools Championships.

She will represent CIS in both the 50 metre Butterfly and 100 metre Butterfly, an outstanding achievement that reflects her dedication, hard work and commitment to the sport.

Selection at this level is highly competitive, and we are incredibly proud of her efforts both in and out of the pool.

We wish her all the best as she prepares to compete at the championships.