TAS Talks Term 1 Week 5

Activities Day 1

This Friday will see the Activities Program for 2019 get underway for all students in Years 6 to 11. The Activities Program is a deliberately structured and sequenced course of activities that are designed to stretch our students’ abilities through challenge and enable them to build leadership skills along the way. From Bush Skills in Year 6 to Pioneers in Year 7, Cadets for Years 8 to 10 and a choice of Cadets, Surf Lifesaving or Rural Fire Service in Year 11, the level of challenge, skill development and leadership opportunities grows as our students do. The Activities Program is the cornerstone of our character development curriculum and the investment of 12 school days each year in it reflects how important it is to us. Some students will be looking forward to the program and getting into the bush, whilst others may see the prospect as daunting. I encourage all who may be looking ahead to Friday and beyond with trepidation to remember that the challenges are designed to be accessible to all and while they may be testing at times, you will look back on them with satisfaction.

Year 12 Academic Activities

While the rest of Middle and Senior School are being tested in the field, Year 12 will be preparing for the challenge of the HSC in the first of the Year 12 study days. This program of three days in first term and one day in each of the following terms is designed to complement and supplement the work done in each subject by focusing on generic skill development and habits that will assist academic work across the board. Topics will be as diverse as essay structure, memorisation techniques, how to develop study habits and keeping life balance. Some of this will come from special presenters from outside the School and some from our own senior staff and our Director of Studies, Seonia Wark, in particular. I encourage every Year 12 student to make the most of the sessions by building the advice given into study routines for the two and a half terms remaining.

Representative Sporting Success

TAS students have enjoyed some special success at the ‘next level’ of competition in both hockey and athletics over the past week. Those who have been following the growth of TAS hockey over recent years will not be surprised that the club had a big presence at the recent Hockey NSW Centre of Development regional carnival for 13 and 15 years age groups in Sydney. Over 15 players, all of whom had been training for the past eight weeks in Centre of Development squads, represented the Northern Inland Thunderbolts in the two teams, with Tom Ball being named the Northern Inland 13 years boys player of the tournament. With the winter hockey season just around the corner, prospects for the TAS Hockey Club are clearly very strong and I wish all players well as they look to the competition ahead.

In individual news, Eliza Ward competed strongly in the U17 girls 800m at the NSW State Junior Championships at Olympic Park. Reaching this elite level in athletics is a rare feat and I am sure that the experience was a memorable one for Eliza. She is to be congratulated as much on the dedicated training that led to this representation as she is for her performance itself.

Murray Guest

From the Science Department

It has been a marvellous start to the year in the science department. I’ve been hearing trills of ‘Every Day is a Science Day’ coming from the Year 6 class and the sounds of busyness in the laboratories as experiments are excitedly conducted.

Our new science elective courses ‘Future of Food’ and ‘Robotic Medicine’ have been very well received. Eighty servo motors arrived the other day so that the creation of robotic arms can begin as did edible ink cartridges for cake icing sheets. So it’s ‘Full STEM ahead’.

It’s this time of year that we receive information about challenges and competitions and I want to inform the TAS community of some of these.

Australian Science Olympiads

I seek expressions of interest from Year 11 students in the 2019 Physics, Chemistry and Biology Olympiad Qualifying Examinations. Ideally I would like a team of three to four passionate science students from each subject area who will train in an attempt to qualify for the 2019 Olympiads. These challenging exams are not for the faint hearted – some of the two hour examination content is of a first year university level.

Students may also prepare for the exams by practising on Olympiads Online and trying out past papers. CLICK HERE

• Physics Olympiads Exam –(14 August – registrations close 19 July)
• Chemistry Olympiads Exam – (7 August – registrations close 19 July)
• Biology Olympiad Exam – (12 August – registrations close 19 July)
• The cost is $10 (plus GST) per student per exam.

Please see Mr Hey if you are interested in participation.

Brain Bee Challenge

In this challenge Sambavan Jeyakumar was placed 2nd in the NSW finals in 2016 and won a $20,000 scholarship to UWS.

This year I have appointed Medhi Ahsan as leader of a team of students who I hope will train hard for the 2019 Brain Bee Challenge. CLICK HERE

Round 1 is an online quiz which runs through March. Should you be interested in taking part, please see Medhi and we will aim to have you registered in the next week.

Aviation Update

Congratulations to the following past students of the Aviation Elective who, since last December have now gone solo or achieved their pilots licence:

• Solo: Riley Simmons (Year 11), Henry Mitchell (Year 10)
• Private Pilots Licence: Ben McElroy (Year 12)

Future of Food

On 19 and 21 February in two separate outings, students of the Future of Food elective travelled to the Blush tomato farm Guyra, Deano’s Black Mountain trout farm and Castledoyle Road Red Jewel Strawberry and Raspberry farm. I wish to thank the proprietors of these businesses for affording our students such a valuable experience.

Students are investigating modern farming methods and you may be surprised by some of the facts that they learned:

• Glass housed tomato plants can grow up to 18 metres long.
• The Guyra tomato farm glasshouses cover 10 hectares.
• Rainbow trout take half as long to grow to maturity as Brown trout.
• Yabbies are shipped live, in hibernation on ice.
• One tissue culture of strawberry can produce 40 million plants.
• Quarantine times for imported plants can be up to 18 months.

Thanks to the students of the class for these facts and a massive thank you to Mrs Chick for organising the excursions.

Mr Alasdair Hey
Head of Science

Art and Music Excursion - Sydney

An excited and talented group of art and music students journeyed to Sydney to get inspiration, extend understanding of their artistic process and gain insight into the standards and expectations required for HSC art and music.

Upon arrival we wandered through Eden gardens to experience artworks created by thirty local and international artists. This extraordinary exhibition incorporated the gardens, recycled materials, natural materials, living plants, water and air in beautiful, intriguing and thought-provoking artworks.  We sweltered in the humid conditions whilst Italian installation artist Marta Ferrancin explained her artistic practice and the development of her intentions highlighting the reuse of plastic items and science in art.

We settled into our accommodation freshened up and headed down to Circular Quay for dinner before attending the Encore! Concert at the Opera House.  The Concert Hall was filled with the family and friends of the 2018 top achievers and the atmosphere was thrilling with spontaneous cheering and enthusiastic clapping. Mind you the MC’s jokes were somewhat predictable and obvious.  Each performer astonished us with a unique performance showcasing their dexterity, mastery and passion, highlighting the many options there are for students doing the HSC music course.

The next day although we love Stuart the bus-driver and his driving, we decided to walk everywhere which was an exceptionally good idea as we managed 17 000 steps by the end of the day. Art students went down to The Rocks and the Museum of Contemporary Art to view the David Goldblatt and the ‘Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow’ exhibitions.

Time passes unnoticed when you are captivated by art. Meanwhile the music students visited the JMC Academy in Ultimo and were treated to a guided tour of the facilities, an explanation of the courses and insight into possible careers in the music industry. The technology available and utilised by modern musicians was a feature of the JMC Academy.

That night Stuart drove us to Kirribilli for a performance at the Ensemble Theatre.  David Williamson’s new play ‘The Big Time’ has at its core themes of jealousy, ambition and betrayal with some mobile phone humour thrown in for good measure. The students found the play accessible and interesting with some lively discussions occurring on the footpath after the curtain closed.

This excursion was vital for forming relationships and connections between the students and the students and the teachers.  We all got to be on our best behaviour and interact in important ways out of school. The experience afforded everyone the opportunity to contemplate new concepts, bounce ideas off each other, initiate strategies and commence planning for their own artistic and musical endeavours.

Mrs Fiona Xeros

Education USA

Below are some extracts from an email I received from Education USA.

‘There will be three (possibly four)  U.S. Universities visiting Sydney on 4 March. All of which are NCAA Division 1. The Universities are: Indiana University, University of Delaware, The University of Akron, University of Vermont (tbc).

The universities will be hosting an Evening Information Session for students and families on 4 March from 5:30pm – 6:30pm. The session will be located at NYU Sydney Campus, 157-161 Gloucester St, The Rocks.
Registration link: CLICK HERE. 

Further information on studying in the U.S can be found HERE.’

UONDRH

The University of Newcastle Department of Rural Health (UONDRH) will be conducting its Health Careers Forum for North West New England Secondary schools for Years 10, 11 and 12 students again in 2019.

Tuesday 5 March 2019

• Morning Session              9.15AM – 11.30AM
• Afternoon Session           12.30PM – 2.45PM

The forum will include presentations and workshops by academics, clinicians and current UONDRH students from health disciplines including; Medicine, Nutrition & Dietetics, Physiotherapy, Medical Research, Occupational Therapy, Pharmacy, Mental Health, Medical Radiation Science, Nursing and Speech Pathology.

We attended this forum last year with Years 10, 11 & 12 students which was very favourably received by those who attended.

Places are filling up quickly but seats are limited and priority will be given to Year 11s and 12s if demand exceeds the number of seats available.

QUT Newsletter

From time to time, as they arrive I will post a copy of the newsletters from the various universities and colleges. These generally contain up to date information about course entry and changes in course structures. They also give detailed examples of university programs and campus life.  Go to the link provided for more details. CLICK HERE.

PCA Cadetship

Professional Cadetships Australia have provided Year 12 students with cadetships in Business, Technology and Engineering for the past 12 years. Cadetships enable students to study in the various fields whilst being paid by a parent company. This can be very lucrative for students especially with the high cost of living away from home which many country students have to contend with.

I have posted most of the information regarding PCA on the school’s website on the Careers page or you can go to the link HERE  for more details.

University of Newcastle – New Steps

UON is offering a new course designed to assist students who have experienced adversity during their HSC year and did not get the ATAR entry they desired for University. It is a pathways course that specialises in developing the necessary skills for success at university.

For more information please go the link below which will take you to the school’s Career page.  CLICK HERE

Mr Mark Taylor

Activities Day 1 - Cadets

Activities Day 1 will be held on 1 March, Friday of Week 5. Cadets were briefed on their activities and required equipment on Tuesday 26 February. 

Cadets conducting overnight bivouac (4 & 8 Platoons) are required to meet at TAS Adamsfield for parade on Thursday 28 February (tomorrow) at 3.45pm.

All other cadets will assemble at TAS Adamsfield for parade on Monday 4 March at 8.40am.

Activities will cease and cadets released on completion of parade at 3.30pm Monday 4 March.

The activities will be conducted as follows:

A Company

1 Platoon: Mountain Biking, Black Mountain to Armidale via Puddledock.

2 Platoon:  Kayak touring at Malpas Dam.

3 Platoon:  Abseiling in vicinity of Gara Gorge.

B Company

4 Platoon:  Night harbour and routine in vicinity of Newholme property (UNE). Trek to Dumaresq Dam.

5 Platoon: Kayaking & water activities at Dumaresq Dam.

6 Platoon: Abseiling in vicinity of Gara Gorge.

7 Platoon: Abseiling in vicinity of Gara Gorge.

C Company

8 Platoon: Night harbour and routine in vicinity of Peatfield’s Overflow.  Trek to Dumaresq Dam. Canoeing activities at Dumaresq Dam.

9 Platoon: Navigation & fieldcraft training at Kirby Station (UNE)

10 Platoon: Canoeing activities at Dumaresq Dam.

11 Platoon: Navigation & fieldcraft training at Kirby Station (UNE)

Equipment Requirements

Cadets conducting an overnight bivouac (4 & 8 Platoons) should note the below packing list as a minimum. There may be additional equipment required by platoon leaders for cadets. These will have been discussed at activities briefing.

Back Pack (issued)

Compass* Hootchie (issued)

Spray jacket* / raincoat* 5m hutchie cord/rope*

Kidney Cup* (issued) Pegs x 4* (issued)

KFS set* Ground sheet (issued)

Water bottles x 2 (issued) Sleeping bag* & mat*

Towel (small) Olive Green thermal or cotton undershirt*

Notepad (in plastic bag)* Jumper (issued)

Torch + spare batteries* Wet gear (swimmers, shirt & shorts)

Plastic bag for wet gear Bush Hat* (issued)

Sun screen & insect repellent (tube or roll-on only)

Change of underwear & socks*

Toilet bag  (toothbrush + paste, baby powder)

*Available for purchase from TAS Clothing Shop

All members of The Armidale School Cadet Unit (TASCU) will be issued with required equipment by the TAS Q-Store on joining the unit. If this equipment is lost or damaged, it must be replaced at students’ own cost. Many items in the list above can be purchased from the TAS Clothing Shop and have been selected specifically for their suitability for TASCU use and reasonable cost. Clothing that has been outgrown can be replaced at no charge at Q-Store by arrangement with the Quartermaster.

If cadets have questions about their activities, they should in the first instance approach their platoon leader for more information.

MAJ (AAC) Angus Murray
Commanding Officer Cadets

Travel

• Depart Friday 1 March 2019 at 6:30am from Brown Street
• Boarders early breakfast at 6am.

Return

• Depart Sawtell Beach 1.30 pm
• Arrive Brown Street at 4.30pm

Staff
Mr J Pennington (0419 250 984), Mr M Ball, Mrs G Chick

Organisation
Friday: Arrive Sawtell approximately 9:00am.
Unpack bus.

• 9.30 am – 10.30 am Beach Session 1
• 10:30am – 12:00pm Beach Session 2
• 12.00pm-1:00pm Beach Session
• 1.30 pm Depart Sawtell
• 4.30pm Arrive Armidale

Requirements
Swimmers, goggles. Pens, Manual and Workbook. Casual clothes including covered shoes.
Sunscreen, insect repellent, toiletries.

Dress
To travel: School sports uniform – Full school tracksuit if necessary, white shirt, blue shorts, white socks, sports shoes, hat, water bottle (to be carried onto beach), swimmers (board shorts are not allowed for lifesaving activities; rashies and caps provided), towel.

Meals
Breakfast: Cereal/toast spreads at TAS
Lunches: Rolls, salad filling, sliced meat, fruit

Mr Jim Pennington

Kayaking

NSW State Junior Athletics Championships

Mountain Biking

Over the weekend students from the TAS mountain bike team competed in a Mountain Bike Australia national cup race, hosted by New England Mountain Bikers and held at the SportUNE mountain bike trails. Day one consisted of short course XCC racing. This format sees riders race on a short, non-technical track for approximately 15 minutes, with the fastest riders enjoying a premium place on the following days’ XCO race start. Most of our students who raced over the weekend participated in this event, as it was a good introduction to competition at a national level. Everyone who did compete from TAS rose to the challenge and really did themselves and the school proud with their effort.

Some notable results were Ted Chick, Banjo Lawrence and Will Brett finishing first, second and third respectively in the under 13’s mens’ race. Toby Inglis finished 7th in the under 15 mens while Archie Chick placed 9th in the under 17s. The following days’ racing consisted of the longer XCO races, held on a longer, technical track. TAS was represented by Ted Chick, Banjo Lawrence, Blake Whitehill and Will Brett who all rode very well to finish first, second, third and fifth in this ordering the under 13s. In the under 15s race Toby Inglis finished in 8th place, while Max Rogers and Blair Eichorn placed well amongst their older competitors. Archie Chick, Riley Simmons and Jack Armstrong all rode well in the under 17s race with Archie finishing in a very respectable 7th place. The under 19s race was represented by team captain Duncan Chalmers and Toby McMaster who both put in a very solid ride for this event. Congratulations to everyone who participated over the weekend, you should be proud of yourselves. Full race results and photos can be found on the NEMTB Facebook page.

The start of the U13s XCC race

Talking to People

It’s that time of the year again: we’ve all been here long enough to form opinions, have a tendency, occasionally, to be tired, can be a little apprehensive about our first Activities Day (this coming Friday, actually), are managing sports and other co-curricular activities. As indicated in the past, talking to students, especially when they’re tired, a bit distressed or frustrated can be challenging but, ultimately, one of the most beneficial aspects of my job. It’s beneficial because, having been here longer than most students, I can advise them, counsel them, direct them to others better equipped than I am to advise them. So, I want you to speak to your children and tell them to come to me if they’re concerned about aspects of school life. I also want to speak to them when they’re happy – hearing them can actually make my day. I’m not referring to formal interview either; rather, I refer to those talks I have every day with individuals who come to the office to speak to me. The fact that they are beginning to arrive of their own volition is encouraging for me. Yesterday, two visited me and we spoke about arachnids (a shared distaste) animals in general and sea life, cuttlefish, in particular.

As I indicated last week, we’re continuing to make progress. Classes are, as a general rule, both settled and reasonably happy places. The Middle School is simultaneously frustrating and fascinating – largely because of its juvenile ‘inhabitants’. But, I enjoy the Middle School: yes, students can be naughty at times, will be naughty at others, but I’ve not met a bad one yet. Last weekend I was away speaking with and listening to the school’s executive team. I spoke briefly about the potential for disengagement of young adolescents, both males and females: it’s not always the case of course (thank goodness we humans are not so predictable), but the body can grow faster than the brain and all available energy is expended on physical growth. The form this disengagement can take is disengagement with self – and it must be pretty confronting when you’re so young and realise that, at times, you’re your own worst enemy. We adults need regularly to remind ourselves of what life was like for us when we were so young.   In order to find their place in relation to others, especially their peers, they are going to make mistakes, learn from them (with our help, of course) and become better as people as a result.

Wow, half way already

We’ve reached that ‘pointy’ part of term. Students are amazingly busy and this is as it should be, but they’re showing, as I’ve indicated, signs of weariness as well. Please, when speaking to them, would you acknowledge this fact and advise your children that sometimes when we are tired we say and do things to others that people, for whatever reason, take exception to… In fact, if there’s nothing pleasant or positive to say, especially, say nothing at all. This is one of those lessons we all learn as we grow up and now’s the time for our students to start learning it or having it reinforced. I’ve indicated, in Town Meetings and in my talk at last year’s Final Assembly, that one of the surest signs of increasing maturity is the ability to accept others for who they are, regardless of our personal opinions – on the proviso that those others don’t interfere with our enjoyment of ‘self’. There’s so much variety in the Middle School and, within reason, I want to keep it this way.

It’s cloudy outside – “what do yer reckon the chances are, mate?”

Mr Mark Harrison
Head of Middle School

Lake Keepit

Next week Years 2 to 5 will be travelling to Lake Keepit and I encourage you to discuss this adventure with your children at home. I have been fortunate enough to travel away on many of these excursions and, particularly in this day and age, the opportunities provided are increasingly important for our students.

A good part of our taught curriculum includes developing independence in learning, developing a broad range of understanding across a balanced range of disciplines, exercising initiative and thinking critically to solve problems, clearly expressing ideas and information and being open to other perspectives.  Many of you will notice that this is a summary of some of our Learner Profile about which we speak so regularly.

More specifically however, I would like to focus on the attribute of demonstrating courage and the capacity to explore unfamiliar situations without uncertainty or hesitation. If we seek an environment for our children that promotes relevant and challenging activities, we can then realise just how important it is that our children travel to Lake Keepit and put themselves to the test.

Armidale Show & IPSHA Travelling Art Show

This Friday is our first Activities day, giving us a great chance to get some artworks under our belt, for exhibitions in both the Armidale Show and the IPSHA Travelling Art exhibition later in the year. The real opportunity on these days, is for our students to work together across year groups to collaborate on a common project. The first few activities of the day are spent like this before each class returns to their own room to complete a class project. I look forward to seeing such a happy and productive day in action.

Supervision in Junior School

A quick reminder please, that the daily supervision in Junior School begins at 8.15am. If children are arriving earlier for clubs or other teacher-supervised activities, they must remain there with the teacher at all times.

And after school, we have had a growing number of unsupervised students as well. It is important that this does not happen while they wait for other activities (sport, late collection etc) and we will request that the After School Care service is used to minimise the risks. You will have noticed increased fencing in Junior School as we continue to work to improve this area for all our students while they are in our care.

Our Champion Swimmers – at PSSA and NCIS

We have recently had our swimmers heading off for representative carnivals and you will see a list of achievements in our Sport Section as a result. When I was a Head of House, travelling to western NSW to interview prospective students, I was always keen to hear from those who were musicians, athletes or swimmers; they had already shown considerable persistence and self-discipline to achieve in their various fields. I congratulate our swimmers who have been training hard to represent their school and look forward to hearing of their continued success.

School Spirit Award Recipients – Week 4

Congratulations to the following students for receiving School Spirit Awards at last week’s assembly:

Freddie Post, Eva Cook, Neave Drain, Lucie Stephen, Levi Watts, Ruben Higgins, Andrian Zhang, Chelsea Miller, Arthur White, Harry Brownlie, Lucas Hu, Katie Hynes, Sam Vrkic and Angus Tydd.

Happy Birthday

Happy birthday this week to Izzie Glover, Maya Slade and Raymond Wang.

Mr Ian Lloyd
Head of Middle School