TAS Talks Term 4 Week 6

P & F

Tonight, our P & F will gather for the final time this year in the Hoskins Foyer at 7pm. This will be an opportunity to both look ahead and reflect on what has been a very different year for the P & F. I know they are very excited to be able to finally meet in person at the school and tonight will allow us to offer thanks to those who have continued the great work of this group throughout the year and in particular, it will be a chance to offer thanks to the P & F Executive who have led and have been behind the funding decisions that have benefited our students. I look forward to celebrating with them as their work and commitment to TAS remains undaunted.

Creative Arts

The end of the year brings creative arts and performance to the fore and a good number of our students, from right across the school, are being involved.

Our Virtual Debaters continue to compete and will have their chance to shine in the next round of finals in the National Virtual Debating Competition and I wish all our speakers well.

Other students will be preparing to entertain in different ways as Junior School prepares for their production of Aladdin. I cannot thank Andrew O’Connell in particular, Arlene Fletcher and Michael Cornford for all of their dedication and excellent work to make this production happen in a very new and untried format because of COVID restrictions and I know students and parents alike are looking forward to the end product.

Middle and Senior school students have been rehearsing and preparing for the annual Inter-house Cash Cup Creative Arts Competition that will take place when they return from Activities Week. There will be one final morning of rehearsal and performances will begin at 1.30pm on Tuesday 1 December.

Activities Week

As I wrote last week, this coming week is the culmination of the outdoors program for the year and something that we invest in heavily. Almost all of our teaching staff and a good number of support staff will be in the field with our students, this reflects their collective belief in its importance in the building of our character development curriculum. Every Old Armidalian I know, through generations, has memories of their experiences in the Activities Program and of Activities Week in particular, and I have never heard a past student say that they regret their participation – even those who admit they did not delight in the prospect at the time, and there will still be some now, who can readily see the personal benefits that the program gives them. This is because it is through experiences of stepping away from our comfort zone that we are able to test our boundaries and find character traits that perhaps we did not know we had. This is the reason for our program and why we commit to it, rather than taking an easier path. It is an experience that is central to being a TAS student and I am looking forward to sharing it with our students in the bush and at the beach next week.

Alan Jones
Head of School

Christmas Pudding - Sold Out!

If you haven’t already bought a fabulous P&F Christmas Pudding, then I’m sorry to say you have missed out.  Please accept our apologies but we’ve had a wonderful response and they are all gone.

If you did manage to buy one, please don’t forget to collect it from Reception between Thursday 26 November and Thursday 3 December.  Any puddings not collected by end of day on Thursday 3 December will be donated.

If for some reason you are unable to collect your pudding during these dates please contact the P&F as soon as possible and I’m sure we can sort out a way to get your pudding to you so that you can enjoy it during the Christmas season.

LIASION PARENTS FOR 2021

Liaison Parents have a vitally important role in being the ‘first port of call’ for people wanting to know what is going on in their year and at school.  The P&F could not operate without them. So that we can hit the ground running next year and make sure all new families in 2021 feel the love and support right from day one, we would love to have all our Year Group LPs for 2021 sorted before the end of this term.

We are always seeking more Liaison Parents.  Even if your Year Group already has amazing LPs there is always room for more.  Being an ‘LP’ is not an arduous job –primarily it is to be a conduit for P&F matters to parents, a great way to make new friends and a wonderful way to foster a sense of community within your year, particularly when new families start at TAS.  Arranging the odd Year Group get together in a Covid-19 world, possibly managing your Year Group FaceBook page, organising year group helpers for sports day cake stalls and finding someone (not necessarily yourself) to potentially organise a year group stall at TAS@Dusk or any other large P&F event is basically what’s required. Essentially, think of yourself as a year facilitator… you don’t need to be an ‘old hand’ to take it on – you just need to be able to befriend your year group.

If you are interested in becoming a Year Group Liaison Parent for 2021 or would like to know more about the role, please contact us on pandf@as.edu.au

FINAL 2020 P&F MEETING TONIGHT WEDNESDAY 18 NOVEMBER 7PM HOSKINS FOYER

Our final P&F meeting for the year and Christmas farewells are on tonight Wednesday 18 November at 7pm in the HOSKINS FOYER  We would love for you to come and help us raise a glass to the end of 2020.

Mrs Rachael Nicoll
P&F President

During an online professional development course I recently completed, I came across a very interesting webinar regarding the impact of social media and its impact on teenagers. It was hosted by Dr Michael Carr-Gregg, a high-profile psychologist who has spent considerable time researching the effects of technology on the teenage brain. Unfortunately, I was not able to download the video, so I thought I would provide you with the parts I found most interesting.

So social media…… is it all bad?

It obviously plays a huge role in the lives of many Australians, in fact 40 percent of the world’s population uses a social media platform of some kind. 80 percent of Youtube users are teenagers and Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat are used by over 70 percent of teenagers.

The Pros:

Connectedness

Developmentally, one of the biggest predictors of wellbeing amongst adults and teenagers is connectedness. People who have a strong sense of connection (strength of connection not necessarily number of connections) are far more likely to experience positive wellbeing. Social media provides an environment for teenagers to stay connected with each other.

Mental Health

One in four young people experience significant mental health challenges. The average age these problems begin to manifest is 15. Social media platforms can function as a place of support, especially for those without traditional support networks or people to reach out to for issues such as sexual orientation, anxiety, depression and bullying.

Globalisation

Social media allows young people to experience different perspectives on world-wide events and opens their eyes to real-time events on a global scale. There are unlimited amounts of content being shared, some of which can be very harmful, but the sharing of information can provide opportunities for collaborative learning, further technological skills and enhance communication skills.

There is no doubt that there are some positives to social media use, but there are skills that need to be learned in order to navigate the content safely and positively.

The Cons:

COVID has amplified some of the darker sides to social media use in Australia. Instances of cyberbullying, image abuse and sexual exploitation have tripled during the COVID period. Over 100 charges have been laid against online predators between March and September this year, up from 673 for the same period last year. Arrests made by the AFP relating to online grooming have increased 120 percent compared to last year.

There have been too many tragic stories of adults and teenagers who have taken their lives as a result of being trolled on social media. Sleep deprivation is a common issue that was explored by the University of Glasgow last year. The study found, the more young people use social media of an evening, the later they go to sleep and the more likely they are to wake up during the night. This was primarily a result of the blue light emissions and participants experienced difficulty concentrating in class. It is recommended that devices be shut of at least 30 minutes before bed to eliminate the blue light emissions and engage the body’s circadian rhythm.

There is a distinct lack of privacy over social media for many teens. Talking and oversharing of information to absolute strangers can be very dangerous, but the overwhelming problem with social media use is when teenagers use social media to compare themselves.

Young people are twice as likely to subject themselves to unrealistic images than adults, at a time when they are vulnerable because of the intense physical and psychological development taking place. The odds are stacked against young people who can fall into the habit of pressing their proverbial noses against the window, watching those people who are leading allegedly amazing lives. It’s the compare and despair phenomena. Kids are constantly viewing content they know they can’t live up to, so are constantly losing a game they cannot win.

As a society, we reward achievers with respect and validation. Unfortunately, there are more and more young people experiencing greater despair than validation because of the time they spend comparing their uncut lives to another person’s highlight reel. They become way too critical of themselves and experience a heightened feeling of envy and pressure to live up to those around them. Teddy Roosevelt said that ‘comparison is the theft of joy’, over 100 years ago………how applicable this comment is today.

Reality can be lost in social media but as parents, we need to teach our children to be resilient online. You need to recognise that young people projecting images of themselves in order to gain validation is unhealthy. It will not end well if we allow comparisons with others to be the driver of self-esteem.

What can parents do?

The Office of the eSafety Commissioner is a great place to start. Go to the parent’s section of the website https://www.esafety.gov.au/ and check out some of the suggestions. Establishing reasonable limits including curfews, regular monitoring (physically or digitally), establishing standards, encouraging face to face interaction, are all good ways to reduce heightened anxiety or digital dependence.

Dr Michael Carr-Gregg acknowledges that you need to pick your battles when it comes to raising children, but this one is a big one that needs addressing. It’s not a question of whether or not social media is good or bad. The reality is, that it will be a part of teenage life and parents need to focus on the use being positive, intentional and safe.

Mr Adam (AJ) Whalley
Director of Pastoral Care

Annual Camp 2020

Annual Camp represents the culmination of the year’s training and will be conducted over the period 21-27 November at Nymboida. Q Store & Advance Party will depart Friday 20 November. Signals Platoon & B Coy will depart on Saturday 21 November, A & C Coys on Sunday 22 November. As a mandatory part of the outdoor education program at TAS, the expectation is that all students will attend.

Please click on the button below to view the full details for Annual Camp 2020.

Mr Angus Murray
Commanding Officer

Rangers - Activities Week

Rangers – Activities Week, Monday 23 – Friday 27 November

Year 7 will be heading to Nymbodia for the first three days of Activities Week (23 – 25 November). The remaining two days will be held back at TAS
(26 – 27 November).

The expectation is that students will be part of the Activities Week for the full five days, day students will not be returning home during the final two days at TAS unless there are exceptional circumstances.

Similar to Bivouac, students will need to bring 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, small inflatable pillow, foam or inflatable mattress.
• T-Shirt, shorts and shoes for the water (sun-safe)
• 2 small towels – one for showers
• A plastic bag for wet items
• Casual wear for 4 days
• Extra underwear (water activities)
• School sports uniform (Service activities at TAS)
• Jumper and beanie
• Camp cup/mug
• Torch (preferably a head torch) – with spare batteries
• Notebook and pen or pencil
• Raincoat
• Compass
• Roll on insect repellent (no aerosol)
• Sunscreen
• 2 full water bottles – at least 2 litres total
• Plastic bag for any rubbish
• Toothbrush and toothpaste
• Hairbrush if required
• Thongs or crocs for showers
• Any snacks you may wish to pack – strictly no nuts permitted (all meals will be provided for).

All students have received this information in Activities briefing.

If any day students take medication or suffer from hayfever etc, and you would like to pack medication, then please put it in a named envelope to hand into Mrs Pollard. Students must not carry their own medication unless required to do so (e.g. Epipen/asthma inhaler).  Boarders medication will be collected by staff.

All teachers will have teacher first aid packs with them, which will include allergy tablets, panadol, band-aids, inhalers etc. As well as a full first aid kit for the group.

Mr Stephen Thompson
OIC Rangers

Thrive on Chaos

Due to so many events being postponed due to COVID, we have reached this point in the school year where everyone is scrambling to squeeze in events. This may seem a chaotic way to finish the year, however, we are grateful for every opportunity and it is great to see students rising to the challenge.

Last week our Year 7/8 Debating team won their way through to the semi-finals in the National Virtual Debating Competition, to be held next Monday. Earlier this week our Year 9/10 team lost in a competitive semi-final debate against Scotch College. It is a wonderful accomplishment for both teams to get this far and I congratulate all involved and commend Tim Hughes’ report to you.

Meanwhile, our cricketers enjoyed the rare opportunity to play inter-school fixtures. Our First XI fell four runs short of St Columba’s total of 184 in the Douglas Shield whilst our U15 team met their match against a strong and more experienced team from Scone Grammar in the Wiburd Shield. Thank you to Will Waterson for all his organisation and Mark Taylor for his support.

Our musicians returned to the stage last night in front of a small but appreciative audience in Memorial Hall. Creative Artists have been some of the hardest hit throughout the pandemic. It takes tremendous discipline and commitment to continue practising without the opportunity to perform and I thank the music and peripatetic staff for their constant encouragement and perseverance.

Tunes echoing over the sound of leather on willow and calm and calculated rebuttals. All this as we prepare for a week of activities as a final crescendo. Chaos? Yes – but we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Mr Will Caldwell
Director of Co-curricular

Debaters in national finals

Having won six debates with no losses, the Year 9/10 team have bowed out of the National Virtual Debating Competition on Monday following their first defeat, in the semi-final against Scotch College, Melbourne. Debating the Negative ‘That art should be free from censorship’, the team (Bridget Burnett, Fred Kearney, Hugo Catterall and Wiley Wright) built a strong case that a classification system was a form of censorship that served society well; that young and vulnerable people did not have the capacity to make sound decisions whether to consume art or not based on their own moral codes, and that governments had a duty of care to the welfare of society generally that was a more important right than the right of unrestricted expression. Despite having perhaps the stronger matter, the experience and sophisticated technique employed by Scotch – probably one of the top three schools in this national competition – secured them the points in a debate described by the adjudicator a being of high quality and “very close”.

Next Monday morning – just before heading off on Activities Week – it is the turn of our Year 7/8 team who are in their semi-final against Mamre Anglican School, Sydney. Bella Fernance, Daniel Emmery, Samuel Krishnan and Jack Coddington earned their place after a sound win over Calrossy Anglican School on Wednesday, successfully Affirming ‘That we should ban all violent video games’. Best wishes to them for their preparations.

The competition has been a wonderful journey for our debaters who have learnt much along the way from each other and the different debating styles of other schools.

Mr Tim Hughes
Debating Coordinator

The Year 9/10 Debating team of Fred Kearney, Wiley Wright, Hugo Catterall and Bridget Burnett made the semi-final of the National Virtual Debating Competition

You will have received a letter outlining the End of Term arrangements. It is very unfortunate that we are not in a position to open up the School to our wider community and this has significantly impacted upon these events. However, as mentioned, we have a wonderful series of festivities which will bring the 2020 school year to a memorable finish, some of which will be live-streamed where possible. This information is available by clicking  HERE.

It is timely then, to acknowledge the work of the Creative Arts Department, especially Mr Andrew O’Connell, Ms Arlene Fletcher and assistants Jessie Kininmonth and Mr Michael Cornford. No doubt they will receive due accolades in time…. but what they have achieved is extraordinary, so I thought I would start now….

The concept for a movie was borne out of the challenges that COVID presented; but in itself, what a challenge it has been?! All those involved, however, will tell you they have enjoyed the process as much as you will the final result. When you consider this, it is one of the most impressive projects I have seen in my time in Junior School and I congratulate all involved.

Book Week Competitions

Hearty congratulations to those who participated in the following competitions and thanks to Mr Gordon Arndt for his organisation.

For Composition:

Harry Brownlie for Sapper – a diary-based account of a soldier’s experience in World War 2

Cormac Downes for Darth’s Dream Car – an original story from the world of Star Wars

Zana Ross for A Girl And A Mouse – a Kafka-esque tale of discovery and metamorphosis

Matilda Polson for A Journey Through Time – an exploration of history through a magical timeline

Rory Secker for his Orca letter and wonderful illustration

Elsie Nexo for her creation and description of her Curious Creature

For Illustration:

Harriet Coupland for Where The Wild Things Are

Cormac Downes for Dragon

School Spirits

Congratulations to the following students for receiving School Spirit Awards last week:
Chloe Chen, Alexa Wood, Ivy Rice, Toby Whysall, Emi Fawcett, Daniel Mo, Liam Hoad, Evelyn Brownlie, Maya Slade, Levi Watts, Matilda Polson, Mila Nexo, Casper Cook, Harry Fawcett, Lucas van der Werf, Mila Wright, Andrew Alkhouri, Xavier Leary and Rafferty Tonkin.

Happy Birthday

William Minter is the only Junior School person celebrating this week, so Happy Birthday wishes to you, William.

Mr Ian Lloyd
Head of Junior School

TAS Junior School Triathlon – Friday, 20 November

We are so pleased to be able to hold our annual Bike Day and Triathlon next Friday 27 November.  Bike Day will commence at 9.00 am with activities involving obstacle courses, long-distance rides and bike safety sessions. Our Triathlon will commence at 2pm after walking the course at 1:30. Lunch will be as normal on the day.

Kindergarten and Year 1 children will all be involved in a team event, whilst students in Years 2 and above will have a choice of either entering as an individual or as part of a team.

Following are the distances each year group will have to complete as part of the Triathlon.
 

 
 
Please ensure your child has their bike in good working order ready for the day, along with their bike helmet, drink bottle and hat. Children will wear sports uniform for the day with their house coloured t-shirts.

Gymnastics

It is always a pleasure taking this group of gymnasts to their lesson. They display beautiful manners to the bus drivers and their instructors.  All children listen attentively to instructions and try hard to master a variety of skills.

This week we rotated through four activities.

• Activity 1 – High bars
• Activity 2 – Backward rolls
• Activity 3 – Handstands and balances
• Activity 4 – Animal walks – used to help strengthen the children’s sense of balance and develop body awareness

Next Monday 23 November will be our final lesson for this term.

Grania Fawcett and Veronica Waters

Hockey

TAS Navy

This week in hockey, TAS Navy played the Waldorf Wondersticks. It was a great game with a great result- 5-1 to TAS. Lachie played well as goalie in this game, Lucie made sure they had to work hard for their goal and Cecilia and Humjot continue to bring their best to this game as they strive to be better each week. The whole teams’ skills are improving every week due to communicating with each other and working together.

Levi Watts

TAS White

The other team was winning and Zana kept on getting ball so it would not go in their goal. We nailed our short corners! Everyone was going so well even though we were losing, everyone had high hopes. We were passing for so long then Harriet shot from the other end of the field and it went through the crowd and we were are crossing our fingers! It hit the pole and it missed! We all got couldn’t believe it, it was devastating, but we didn’t lose our hope! At the end we were so happy with how we played that we didn’t know we lost.

Minnie Chick