TONGARRA TIMES

Wednesday, 18 March 2015 - Week 8 of Term 1

www.ics.nsw.edu.au

Key Dates

WEEK 8

Thursday, 19 March Association Meeting - 7.30pm at Cordeaux

WEEK 9

Monday, 23 March to Friday, 27 March Year 10 Work Experience

Monday, 23 March to Tuesday, 31 March Year 12 Half-Yearly Exams

Tuesday, 24 March Reading in the Primary Years (Green Room Session), 9:00-9:15am Year 7 Immunisations Year 7 to 12 Pastoral Care Interviews Tongarra Annual Speaking Competition, 7pm

See website calendar for more dates & other information

Check Your Child’s Bag! These things went home this week:

7-12 Pastoral Care Interview Letters

Da Vinci Decathlon Letters

School Photos

Batter 4 Better SRC Fundraiser Letter

Please send all feedback and prayer points by email to

tongarra@ics.nsw.edu.au

"Batter 4 Better" On the last day of term, Thursday 2nd April, Tongarra Campus will be having a fundraising day and Easter Celebration. This day is run as a part of our student leadership program at Illa-warra Christian School, Tongarra Campus and is fully organised and managed by our Student Council. The fundraiser will raise money for the school's sponsor child in Rwanda, Bettisheba

Mukakayumba. This event will involve several activities. A period of 'fair like' fun with games, activities and selling of pancakes will happen early in the day, one time slot for K-6 and one for 7-12. The day will conclude with a K-12 assembly at 2:30pm, where we will celebrate what Jesus did on the cross for us, and investigate how we should live in the light of that forgiveness. Guest speakers from churches where our students attend youth group will be speaking at this assembly. There will be several activities leading up to this event, including a colouring in competition and letter writing to our sponsor child.

Parents and members of the wider community are more than welcome and encouraged to attend the festivities and final assembly for the school term. Stephen Babbage Deputy Principal

Tuesday, 24 March 9:00 - 9:15am

Reading in the Primary Years

Learning to read is a life-long journey. Once children have learnt the 'nuts and bolts' of reading during the initial years of school, what happens next? How do we help children gain a deeper understanding of texts?

Mrs Bell will be exploring this topic and giving parents some tools they can use to encourage their child's reading progress at home.

"Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly

loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave

himself up for us as a fragrant offering and

sacrifice to God." Ephesians 5:1-2

Bettisheba Mukakayumba

DOB: 9 August 2008

Bettisheba lives with her parents, and her two brothers

and three sisters in the Mubuga Area Development Program in

Rwanda. She enjoys playing with dolls. Both of Bettisheba’s parents are unemployed.

Please Pray...

Pray for our Year 12 students who begin their important half-yearly exams next week. Pray that they might study

diligently and be rewarded for their labours. Pray that they will feel God’s peace and strength as they face each

exam.

Give thanks for the recent Infants/Primary Parent Teacher interviews last week, and pray for the Secondary

interviews next Tuesday. Pray that this valuable time of parents partnering with staff

Please continue to pray for families in the school community who are dealing with illness and other difficulties.

Pray that parents will be encouraging and supportive of staff as they endeavour to partner in training up our

children to honour God.

Pray for good attendance at our Association Meeting this Thursday. Pray especially for our Board as they serve the

school in this way.

Pray for the people of Vanuatu in the wake of the devastation of Cyclone Pam. Pray that as they grieve the loss of

homes, businesses, family and friends that they will find comfort and support and that ample aide will be provided.

School Captain’s Speech

Greetings fellow students, staff and parents It is truly an honour to be given the title of Tongarra’s very first school captain ever. I’d like to thank Dr Bertram and the executive staff for providing me this chance to display and utilise my God given leadership talents. It is in my best interest, and it should be yours as well to uphold the schools and ultimately God’s values to be a witness of the gospel to others in our school and the wider community.

If you do not yet know me I am a member of St Georges Anglican Church in Gerringong in which I am a leader at the kids Friday Fun afternoon programme. I also attend Insite youth group on Friday nights and church on Sundays. I work part time at Blue Espresso Café in Gerringong and my hobbies include tennis, going to the beach and serving the Lord Jesus Christ.

I have been at Illawarra Christian School for 13 years now, throughout which our school has given me and others knowledge and skills to be able to live independently in the outside world. But deeper than that, ICS has given me something which other schools cannot, that is a solid, firm foundation on which my relationship with God could be developed. By giving devotions every day and having quality Christ centred education has my spiritual life been able to be what it is today. For which I am eternally grateful, and thus the captaincy position is another wonderful avenue for me to be of service to the school community.

As school captain my goal is to be the best model of all God honouring values to my peers and younger students. By doing so hopefully everyone to which I am modeling will follow my example and will thus become more like Jesus. Also throughout this year it is my intention to try my absolute best in my school work, actions and words. By setting this example, younger students will imbed these actions and values into their own lives as the saying goes “a rising tide lifts all boats.”

Romans 12 verses 4 and 5 say “Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” So our bodies would not be able to function if we were made of only arms or only legs. Likewise, our school would not be able to reach our mission and vision if it were comprised of only teachers or only students. Therefore every member of our school is given the responsibility of being relied upon to do their best with their God given talents and only when each of us undertakes this responsibility we are able to maximise the collective potential of our school and achieve our mission and vision.

Therefore as school captain all I ask of you is that you do your absolute best in your schoolwork, actions and words.

Today marks the dawn of a golden chapter in the history of Illawarra Christian School Tongarra, it is the beginnings of a new era of leadership of which I am excited to be a part of. Throughout my time as school captain, it is my best intention to serve the student body, the staff, the wider school community and therefore God.

Samuel Cuthbertson

Visit from Remondis Shellharbour

Over the last 2 weeks, students in P-6 have enjoyed a visit from Sue Fletcher from Remondis Shellharbour. Sue came to

talk to students about Recycling and Composting by providing age-related activities. Students learnt about which plas-tics can be recycled along with how to sort your rubbish so that it can be recycled. A discussion was had on landfill and

how we can reduce this by composting and recycling. Students learnt fun songs and learnt how to best look after a compost by feeding it 'yummy food'. Things like cardboard, paper, fruit scraps (not citrus), hair and many other

things. To which some of the students replied, "that's not yummy". Students were encouraged to think of the rubbish

they have and the best ways to use it so that they can look after God's environment.

The students enjoyed the visits from Sue and staff are very thankful for her organisations of lessons and for teaching

our students about the importance of recycling and composting.

Please talk to your children about these lessons and think about how you can implement these practices in your home.

Keep an eye out for some of the things we may implement here at school in the coming weeks.

Miss Yeo Kindergarten Teacher

π Day 2015

Last Friday morning was a busy morning for Year 7 to 10. They spent the first three periods learning about the number

π. They spent time out on the basketball court throwing sticks and beans then analysing the results to determine

approximations for π. They also took measurements of some large circular objects to calculate π. They threw

cardboard circles at a target to see who could get the closest and were surprised by just how difficult this was.

Inside D1 they had a chance to practice the digits of π as well as searching for their birthday in π, taking

measurements of circular objects to calculate the ratio π, exploring the relationship between crop circles and π, and

playing computer games to learn about π. In D2 they were able to listen to π, explore some methods used to

approximate π, answer some questions using π in the calculations, write Pi-ku poems and solve some puzzles involving π.

The students threw themselves in with gusto to all of the activities and had an enjoyable morning. The contest for the

most complete Pi Day Passport was closely fought. Three teams were close for Stage 5. The winners were Andrew

Imisides and Mitchell Imisides. Two other teams were very close. These were David Cuthbertson and Andrew Barnett;

and Lachlan Clarke and Ben Markoulis. The winners for Stage 4 were Caleb Walker and Jacob Macleod; and Lily Barkeit,

Summer Ivanovic and Lydia Funcik were very close behind. The contest to see who could recite the most digits of Pi

was won by Jessica Hawkins.

Congratulations to all these teams and to all students involved in the morning.

Mrs Struthers Maths Head Teacher

2015 VACCINATION PROGRAMME Yr 7 (Yr 11 & 12 catchup)

The combined programmes will be run over 3 visits to the school:

1st visit, 24/3/2015 :

Year 7 Human Papillomavirus vaccine (HPV) for girls & boys (dose 1 of 3)

Year 7 Diphtheria/Tetanus/Pertussis booster (single dose)

2nd visit, 26/5/2015

Year 7 HPV for girls & boys (dose 2 of 3)

Year 7 Varicella (chicken pox) vaccine – 1 dose – catch up only. Not required if student has had

the disease or have received 1 dose as a child.

Year 11 & 12 Measles/Mumps/Rubella vaccine MMR (This is a “catch-up” for students in Yrs 11 & 12

that missed their doses usually given at ages 1 & 4 years. (Forms available from the Office)

3rd visit, 28/10/2015

Year 7 HPV for girls & boys (dose 3 of 3)

Year 7 Catch up HPV, dTpa and Varicella will be provided to students in Yr 7 if vaccines missed at

previous visits.

Year 8 At each clinic held in 2015 catch up HPV vaccination will be offered to Year 8 students who

commenced but failed to complete the course in 2014.

Parent Information packs have been sent home via Yr 7 students.

2015 Year 12 Fundraiser

Help your families and friends and neighbours share in the Easter tradition of HOT

CROSS BUNS and buy your Easter Buns this year via our Bakers Delight

Fundraising order form (more order forms are available from the office).

For each dozen buns that we sell the Year 12 students raise $4. If we sell 100 dozen

we raise $400 – as easy as that.

So please get busy collecting orders and submit the form and correct money in an envelope by

March 24 to either the office or your child’s roll call teacher. NB On the outside of the envelope please

include your child’s name, class and the amount of money enclosed.

Buns will be picked up on Wednesday April 1st, collated and bagged, then sent home that day via your

child.

School Banking - the next 10 students who sign up for school banking will receive a prize!

The Tongarra Annual Speaking Competition for 2015 is next Tuesday, 24 March in the Learning

Hub starting at 7pm.

Mother’s Day is only 53 days away! Please start sending in gifts now for the P—Yr 6 Mother’s Day

Stall which will be held in Week 2 of Term 2.

The Premier’s Reading Challenge for 2015 is now open. Permission forms and information is avail-

able from The Learning Hub or from the office.

Term Dates for 2016 are now available on the school website, www.ics.nsw.edu.au, under the

community tab

A big thank you to

Albion Park Blooms the

Chemist Pharmacy who

generously donated two

Epi-pens and five Ventolins

to the school.

This is a very valuable

resource for the school and

for the well-being of our

students.