TAS Talks Term 4 Week 3

Summer co-curricular options are now well underway. In addition to the casting stages of CHICAGO: Teen Edition and early rehearsals, a plethora of sport has begun. This season, this includes nine basketball teams, mountain bikers competing in Monday evening Dirt Crit races, rowers preparing for their first regatta in Sydney at the end of November, tennis, swimming, futsal, pilates, strength and conditioning, golf, volleyball and also indoor hockey and gymnastics for some of our Junior School students. There have been some early highlights in the season for our cricketers with the First XI winning both of their games in the Armidale District Second Grade competition and the TAS under 15s Wibird Shield Cricket team winning their first game in this statewide knockout competition against Lindisfarne Anglican Grammar School, at Tweed Heads. It is also wonderful to see cricket in the Junior School for the first time in a number of years.

None of these activities would be possible without the passion and enthusiasm of our staff, both teaching and many also from support and administration. Mr Pearson speaks to World Teachers Day in his article and I would like to extend my thanks to all of our staff at TAS for their commitment to our students that extends well beyond the traditional school classroom.

Our enrolments team are currently booking interviews for entry to TAS in 2025. If you have a child who would like to come to TAS in that entry year, please contact them directly or on enrol@as.edu.au.

Dr Rachel Horton
Principal

The late co-founder of Apple Inc., Steve Jobs, credited his high school electronics teacher, John McCollum, with sparking his interest in technology and electronics. McCollum introduced Jobs to cutting-edge technology, inspiring his lifelong passion for innovation. Acclaimed actress Meryl Streep has acknowledged the profound influence of her high school drama teacher, Brother Gil, who nurtured her acting skills and passion for the performing arts. Former Vice President of the United States, Al Gore, has often spoken about his high school teacher, Roger Revelle, who introduced him to the concept of climate change. Revelle’s teachings greatly influenced Gore’s dedication to environmental activism and awareness.

This Friday is World Teacher’s Day. On behalf of all the students, I would like to pass on my thanks and admiration to the fantastic teachers we have here at The Armidale School. As a sign of appreciation, our newly appointed Prefects cooked a barbecue breakfast for all staff this morning and have encouraged their peers to make an effort to give messages of thanks to the teachers who make their experience at School a special one. 

With the warmer weather upon us, it is a timely reminder that all students must bring a TAS hat (named and in good condition) to School each day. Students are required to wear a hat during all breaks when outside. 

In the lead up to Remembrance Day, our Prefects and SRC will be selling red poppies for $2 for students to wear during our service on Friday 10 November. All funds raised will go to SoldierOn.

I wish all students and staff taking part in the Bivouac tomorrow and Friday all the very best. 

Mr Ray Pearson
Deputy Principal

Christmas Puddings – Order Now

Thank you to all who have donated brandy for the Christmas Puddings. Production starts this week.

The famous TAS P&F Christmas Puddings can be ordered online here Order Puddings Now

For those already on the pudding waitlist, please use the above link to confirm and pay for your puddings.

We will communicate the process for collecting puddings over the coming weeks.

Christmas Puddings – Volunteers Wanted

The TAS P&F Christmas Pudding production weekend is set for Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 November. Please get in touch with the P&F Exec if you can volunteer for a couple of hours on either of these days.

Term 4 P&F Meetings

Save the dates for this term’s P&F meetings:

• Wednesday 1 November (Week 4) at 7.00pm
• Wednesday 29 November (Week 8) at 7.00pm

Contact P&F Executive

If you have anything you would like to raise with the P&F Executive, please send us an email at pandf@as.edu.au

Mr Paul Gaddes
P&F President

Year 9 and 10 End of Course Examinations

Our Year 9 and 10 students will be sitting their End of Course Examinations at the end of Week 5 (Thursday and Friday) and the start of Week 6 (Monday and Tuesday). Now is the time to be working through a three-phased approach to examination revision:
 Finalising notes
 Committing those notes to memory
 Practising writing exam style responses
Students are encouraged to reach out to teachers early if they have questions around examinable material.
Please find the timetable for these examinations here.

Free webinar – supporting your child to manage their time

Elevate Education continue to run their free webinars for our families; this week’s topic is ‘How you can help your child manage their time’. If you are interested in registering, please do so here. The webinar will take place from 6.30pm tonight – Wednesday 25 October – but if you cannot make it, please register and you will be sent the recording as well.

ICAS results

A number of our students across all three sub-schools recently participated in the ICAS assessment program. It is wonderful to see the achievement attained in this space and a particular congratulations goes to the following students who received either a Distinction or a Credit in one or more of their tests.
Distinction
Year 3 – Patrick Kim (Maths), Bill Mayne (Maths)
Year 4 – Xavier Nozad Kahriz (Spelling)
Year 5 – Sarah Chittenden (Writing), Matilda Polson (Science), Luke Varvari (Digital Technologies and Maths)
Year 6 – Leo Thavapalasundaram (English)
Year 7 – Zana Ross (Science and Writing), Ethan Wooldridge (Spelling)
Year 8 – Peter Thompson (English, Maths and Writing)
Credit
Year 2 – Wilbur Drain (Maths), George Quast (Maths)
Year 3 – Patrick Kim (Science and Spelling), Jasper Moran (Science)
Year 4 – Xavier Nozad Kahriz (Digital Technologies, English and Science)
Year 5 – Sarah Chittenden (English), Matilda Polson (Digital Technologies, English, Spelling and Writing), Luke Varvari (English)
Year 7 – Ashan Jayawardena (Maths, Science and Writing), Sienna Nguyen (English and Spelling), Zana Ross (English and Maths), Megan Varvari (English and Writing), Ethan Wooldridge (English)
Year 8 – Peter Thompson (Science), Elsie Caulfield (Writing)
Year 9 – Luke Gaddes (Maths), Marshall Kellett (Science)

Mrs Gill Downes
Director of Teaching and Learning

On 24 September, 20 Japanese Language students from Years 9 to 11 embarked on our Study Tour around Japan. Spanning over the entire two-week holiday, we were given the amazing opportunity to visit countless incredible places. 

Over the first week, highlights included Universal Studios, The Nakasendo Trail, and karaoke with a special treat of unlimited access to melon soda (but not nearly as much a treat as Mr Moore’s iconic rendition of ‘Dancing Queen’). In the next few days, we saw the deer of Nara, ate incredible seafood in Kanazawa, explored the scenic Fushimi Inari Shrine and were guided around the famous Himeji Castle. 

In my opinion, the greatest of the trip was our visit to Meitoku Gijuku High School, offering ultimate cultural immersion. After getting off the bus, we were immediately greeted by the Wadaiko (Japanese Drumming) Club with a performance, and shortly after were invited to participate in one of their classes. After a day of picking huge, delicious nashi and exploring a cave, we represented Australia at their sports carnival. Here, our boys and girls won the relays, and we had some wins in the 200m races for the girls. However, in some of the other novelty games such as skipping and tug of war, we were not so competent. Later that night was the School Autumn Festival. Here, we got to experience incredible food from all the different club stalls. Towards the end of the night was an impressive display of fireworks, seeming to mark the end of our trip. 

We all learnt mountains of new language skills, and cultural concepts, making for a very worthwhile trip. So lastly, I’d like to extend a massive thanks to Mrs Murray, and especially Mr Moore, as without him, this trip would be unimaginable. Thanks so much Sir for making this possible and keeping our various shenanigans to a minimum. I can’t express how grateful we all are to you for going so far out of your way to make this happen. 

Ellie Miller (Year 9)

All boarders are to be commended on their start to Term 4 with overwhelming positive feedback received from all Heads of House and significant effort observed across evening prep, co-curricular activities and in houses over the first three weeks of term. With the Years 9 and 10 Yearly Exams fast approaching, both year groups deserve special mention for the way they have applied themselves during evening prep. The change in prep arrangements for Year 9 has been an overwhelming success with the Learning Hub a much more conducive study space.

A big thanks to Mr Jamie Brauer who has coordinated number of Recreation Activities for the boarders this year. This term the boarders have enjoyed using the pool of a weekend, lawn bowls last Sunday and mid-week games of touch football.

Last Tuesday evening we welcomed Mrs Adi Ritchie to TAS to conduct an Etiquette Workshop to all our Year 11 boarders and interested day students. This workshop focused on the important but often forgotten skills of introductions, dressing for occasions, table manners, conversation tips, grooming, body language, interview skills, correspondence, and general street smarts. All boarders were in attendance and thoroughly enjoyed the occasion. It’s been pleasing to see many putting these skills into practise at meals and in their respective boarding houses.

At the conclusion of the HSC Exams, conversations will commence with the Senior Heads of House and the class of 2024 regarding the Year 12 boarders’ privileges. There will be a uniform commencement date, across the four senior houses, for these privileges which include moving into their Year 12 rooms, cars, technology, and town leave.

Mr David Drain
Director of Boarding

Inter-schools Horse Extravaganza (ISHE)

Earlier this month, on the 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th and 16th of October, the TAS Equestrian Team competed at the Inter-schools Horse Extravaganza (ISHE) at AELEC in Tamworth. This huge competition drew thousands of people to watch over 550 students riding more than 700 horses, including interstate competitors. TAS performed admirably and our riders came home with numerous ribbons and more than 10 top 5  rosettes.

Out team consisted of the following 17 riders from our Junior, Middle and Senior Schools: George Allingham, Ellen Adams, Joshua Bourke, Patrick Bourke, Jessica Emmery, Isabelle Coddington, Robin Henry, Lucy Kelly, Sam Kelly, Clem McKemey, Tilly Rogers, Halina Saunders, Jack Saxby, Lucy Sedon, Charlie Ward, Georgia White, Ethan Wooldridge. Brooke Tudor also hoped to compete, but was a late scratching due to her horse being lame. Georgie White, as the new Equestrian Captain, led the team well and a huge congratulations must go to all the riders, who represented TAS in a wonderful fashion and also to all of their parents, as without their support events like these would not be able to occur. In particular, a huge thanks must go to Liz Rogers who acted as the Camp Mum, organising all the catering and to Miriam Henry who acted as the Team Coach and Organiser. I myself, was particularly grateful for all their support and guidance and they greatly assisted me in my new role.

Some of the highlights of the event included some of our team results. The Team Mug Race was incredibly exciting, with the youngest TAS team (Ethan Wooldridge, Ellen Adams, Clem McKemey, Josh Bourke) of the three we entered, qualifying for the final with the fastest time of all teams. Unfortunately they didn’t have the best run in the finals but still came second overall. In addition, our Team of Four (Jack Saxby, Robin Henry, Sam Kelly, Lucy Kelly) placed second overall, and were the top team composed from just one school.

Please see below for some of our Individual results. These are just some of the many individual results that students achieved – there are so many that I couldn’t fit them all in!!!

One Day Event:
● Ellen Adams 4th EvA50cm Primary
● Robin Henry 2nd EvA95cm Secondary
● Charlie Ward 2nd One Star Secondary
Combined Training:
● Lucy Kelly 3rd 80cm Intermediate/Primary
Showjumping:
● Ellen Adams 3rd 60cm Primary
● Halina Saunders Champion 60cm Secondary
● Tilly Rogers Reserve Champion 75cm Intermediate
● Jess Emmery Champion 90cm Intermediate

● Charlie Ward Reserve Champion 100cm Intermediate
Sporting:
● Ellen Adams 1st (11 yrs) – Ellen won four of the five sporting events en route to winning her age group.
● Patrick Bourke 4th (10 yrs)
● Charlie Ward 3rd (15 yrs)
● Jack Saxby 3rd
Campdraft:
● Patrick Bourke (Yr 4) 1st in the 8 & Under 11 Campdraft with his horse Troy. They took home over $250 in cash and prizes.
● Joshua Bourke’s (Yr 6) 2 horses placed 2nd and 3rd in the 11 & Under 13 campdraft, taking home $120 in prize money. He was the youngest competitor in the event.
Hack:
● Lucy Kelly 1st in her 14.2-15h Hack Class
● Lucy Kelly 3rd in her 13yrs Rider Class
Dressage:
● Ethan Wooldridge 4th in the 1.3 dressage test yrs 7 – 9 division

General Equestrian Results from Earlier this Year
I would also like to take this opportunity to mention some of the exceptional Equestrian results of our students outside of school events. Robin Henry recently represented NSW at the Nationals held in Victoria last month in the under 17 Show Jumping. She had three clear rounds and two with one rail down, giving her three top 10 placings. In addition Joshua Bourke represented NSW in polocrosse this year. Congratulations to both these students on these exceptional results.

Mrs Alexandra Murray
MIC of Equestrian

We’ve announced a number of different HSC achievements since Term 3, but one we’ve been holding off on is letting everyone know that Harry Turnbull and Grace Thompson (Music 1) and Emily Thompson (Music Extension) have been selected for Bravissimo, a showcase of top HSC Music student performances from across the Tablelands and Mid-North NSW. These students were nominated by their classroom teachers for their exceptional work and they will get to perform next year in Port Macquarie to inspire future generations of HSC Music candidates. It is wonderful having so many of our HSC Creative Arts students being recognised for their talent, hard work, and commitment to their craft.

We have announced our cast for the 2024 TAS Production CHICAGO: Teen Edition! We were faced with so many talented students auditioning that we’ve decided to double-cast all the main roles in the show, so you’ll see we have team ‘RAZZLE’ and team ‘DAZZLE’. We commenced rehearsals with a script read last Sunday and this Sunday we’ll launch the production with a barbecue and viewing of the award-winning film adaptation of the show. Term 4 is a chance for us to wrap our head around the show and the songs, plan choreography, and get our ideas in place to launch into it properly in 2024. One thing is certain – it’s going to be a blockbuster TAS Production!

Culminating NERAM’s 40th anniversary year is the Inspiration and Iterations exhibition, celebrating the collections and many of the wonderful artists NERAM has worked with over the years and featuring local amateur and student artists. We’re very excited to have Year 11 students Gen Maunder and Tess Roman featuring as part of the exhibition. Make sure to get to the gallery before the end of the year to see their works hanging with many other talented local artists.

Finally, if you need a laugh this week I encourage you to check out ADMS’ current production Black Comedy performing at The Armidale Playhouse this Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7pm. It’s a hilarious farce filled with wonderful performances (Mr O’Connell’s wig has become the star of the show) and as a one-act play you’ll get a night of laughs and still be home in time for tea. Grab a ticket on their website: https://www.adms.org.au/

Mrs Andrew O’Connell
Head of Creative Arts

Student Leaders – 2024

Yesterday I met with Year 7 students as part of the Year Level Meeting to discuss opportunities to be a student leader in 2024 and to outline the selection process. In 2024,  Middle School will be appointing between six and eight student leaders in the day school, and two leaders in boarding. In the day school, we will be selecting one student to lead each house (Abbott, Broughton, Croft, Green, Ross, Tyrrell). These students will work with their senior house leaders in terms of organising house events and promoting positive house spirit and culture throughout the school. In addition, we will be selecting two students (one boy and one girl) who will be the Head Boy and Girl for Middle School and these two students will also represent Middle School on the Student Representative Council for the School. There will be a Dangar House and White House leader elected within the respective boarding houses. Interested Year 7 students have been asked to email me if they wish to apply for a role. I will be sending interested students a nomination form on Monday. This form will need to be completed by Friday 10 November. Students will then be asked to vote in their respective houses for House Leaders and the wider student body for Head Boy and Head Girl. This information, in conjunction with information received through the nomination process and input from staff, will be used to finalise the student leaders for 2024. We expect that announcements regarding these positions will be made in Week 9. These students will be formally inducted into their roles at the commencement of 2024.

A Reminder about Upcoming Activities and Consent Forms 

All of Middle School will be completing an overnight bivouac this Thursday and Friday, 26 and 27 October. Year 6 and 7 will be completing some activities at TAS and  heading out to a property near Dumaresq Dam to complete a number of activities including canoeing, trekking, cooking, orienteering and bush skills activities.For parents and carers of students in Year 6 and 7, a consent form will need to be completed for this activity and this can be done online through: https://forms.gle/zaw3TrNLBb9f3wqT6

Bivouac Packing Information – Year 6 and 7 Rangers

Students will require 2 x bags:

• overnight bag – that is for at camp (ie sleepwear, sleeping bag, cutlery, torch etc)

• daypack (backpack) which should be able to take to each activity (i.e. water bottles, snacks, notebook, pen, water activity clothing, sunscreen etc).

Students are asked to pack the following:

• Sleeping bag (and small/inflatable pillow if they wish)

• A set of clothes that can get wet – shirts must have sleeves to be sun-safe, and shorts to the knees.

• A small towel

• A plastic bag for wet items

• Casual (to wear on the Thursday evening – pants are to be long to avoid insect bites, no shorts allowed)

• Jumper / hoody to put over if cold (students can sleep in casual clothes)

• Camp cup / mug

• Torch (preferably a head torch)

• Notebook and pen or pencil

• Raincoat (rain is forecast)

• Roll on insect repellent (no aerosol)

• Sunscreen

• 2 full water bottles

• Plastic bag for any rubbish

• Any necessary toiletries (strictly no aerosol)

• Any snacks you may wish to pack (all meals will be provided for)

Please remember you MUST be wearing jeans (or proper walking trousers), as well as joggers or walking boots throughout the day on both Thursday and Friday, as well as a long sleeve shirt and a bucket/wide brim hat. This is non-negotiable.

Our Year 8 students will be completing their Bivouac as part of the Cadet Program and students have been briefed on the activities. Any questions regarding Year 8 Cadets can be directed to Mr Woodbridge – jwoodbri@as.edu.au

Stand Tall Event – Tamworth – Friday 17 November 2023

Year 7 and 8 have been invited to take part in this year’s Stand Tall Event, held in Tamworth on Friday November 17. This event provides our students with the opportunity to be alongside some 4000 secondary students from across our region to hear from a range of keynote speakers. This inspirational event aims to equip students with the skills of resilience, the strength to stand up to bullying, the keys to motivation, the power of perspective and the benefits of making good and wise decisions. These skills come together to build hope for the future in teenagers, a vital component of their mental wellbeing. More information can be found on the Stand Tall Website:https://www.standtallevent.com/ and  https://www.standtallevent.com/tamworth2023

Please complete the consent form online: https://forms.gle/ijue5r9egkadmLfj7

Mr Luke Polson
Head of Middle School

Our sincere thanks to the many members of the community who were able to attend the recent Finding Nemo working bee over the weekend. The costumes and stage already look wonderful, and preparations are ramping up this week with the first of our whole-of-cast rehearsals taking place tomorrow and Friday. We are sure that our audiences will be delighted by the musical extravaganza and encourage you to purchase your tickets without delay at https://events.humanitix.com/tjsfnj, especially if you wish to watch one of the evening performances as these tickets are already almost sold out! A reminder that our final working bee prior to the performances takes place between 3.30pm and 5.00pm this afternoon, Wednesday 25 October. All are most welcome to attend, with painting of props the last significant task to complete.

The summer sports seasons are already well underway. I was fortunate to watch some of our indoor hockey teams and two Junior School cricket teams compete over the weekend. While the individual and team performances were impressive, for many in a sport they have only recently turned their hands to, the effort and sportsmanship on display were exemplary. While we endeavour to communicate fixture information with our community in a timely fashion, we sometimes only receive this from the organising body a day or two prior to the fixture, particularly at this early stage in the season as teams entered in these competitions are finalised.

We try our very best to “catch” our students “doing the right thing” to positively reinforce the high expectations that we set. This applies even more to the students’ behaviour and effort than their achievement, as we all have control over these each and every day. It was wonderful to meet yesterday with students across a range of year levels to discuss their learning and celebrate their progress. While the writing and reading of our Year 1s has been tremendous and the attention to detail of our Year 4s in their maths exemplary, it was incredible to read through some of the persuasive texts written independently by students in Year 3, which are now shared here for your enjoyment. It is a safe assumption that these young wildlife warriors already have the bit between their teeth when it comes to making a
positive difference in the world.

The next week sees our Year 2 and Year 5 students attend academic excursions to Thalgarragh Environmental Education Centre and the University of New England respectively. Those in Year 5 continue their enhanced transition program to Middle School with the intention of becoming more familiar with the environment, programs and expectations that await them in next year.

One of the most eagerly anticipated days in the school calendar is Step-Up Day. This year all Junior School students will “step up” to the subsequent year for much of the day on Monday 20 November. Your child(ren) will spend time up to 1.00pm working with other students who may well be in their class next year, and wherever possible the teacher who will work most closely with them in 2024. Students currently in pre-Kindergarten will return to their normal program after recess on this day. Class groups will participate in a range of classe and activities, all with the intention of supporting your child(ren) transition to 2024 with comparative ease.

All students will soon be asked to identify five “learning friends” who they believe they will work well with in the academic space. Teachers will then allocate students to class groups with these preferences in mind, in addition to the other many and varied considerations, with the intention that all students will have at least one of these nominated students in their proposed class group on Step-Up Day. Please note that the class groups remain very much subject to change and will only be confirmed at the end of this year.

Happy Birthday

Birthday wishes this week go out to Chloe Chen, Hunter Crane, Eddie Mitchell, Rayyan Shahid and Bella Widders-Major.

Mr Scott Chittenden
Head of Junior School

Upcoming Events

Basketball

What a fabulous start to the Basketball season we have had. The teams had their first training last Wednesday, kicking off with 37 keen and eager students from Year 2 through to Year 6, the largest number in history for the Junior School. The Year 2 students impressed with their ability to listen to instructions and dribble the ball without losing control and it was lovely to see the older and more experienced players supporting those less familiar with the sport. On Monday this week our Year 3-6 players had their first ‘real’ games at The Den and they certainly held their own on the court with some impressive passing, dribbling and shooting.

At this week’s training, there will be a continued focus on skill development and shooting. Thank you also to experienced coaches Mrs Barrett and Mr Arndt for showing Mrs Hardin and Mrs Chapman the ropes!