Term 3, Week 1

It was great to welcome our families to Term 3. A special welcome to the 15 new students who commenced at Launceston Grammar on Wednesday.  We welcome them into our Grammar Community.

I have been interested to hear the many exciting adventures that our students and staff have had over the break.  A particular congratulations must go to Emily Wood who organised a black tie dinner party fundraiser on Flinders Island to raise money for the Grade 12 walkathon charity “Let us speak”.  The event was well attended by Grammar alumni and raised in excess of $30,000.  Well done to Emily and her family for championing this wonderful cause.

It is with sadness that we also note the passing of former staff member Mr Barry Dudgeon.  Barry taught at the school for 28 years, over 20 of those as our Director of Music before becoming our Academic Dean.  An incredible teacher and mentor who will be greatly missed by all who knew him.  Our sincere condolences to Barry’s family.

It was wonderful to see our students planting trees as part of National Tree Week. It also gave me cause to reflect on the many beautiful trees around our campus. I was fortunate enough as part of a tree planting campaign to buy a Plane Tree which was planted outside the boys boarding house in the late 1990’s.  There are so many metaphors that can be taken from the growth of a tree.  I once read that the true meaning of life is to plant trees under whose shade you do not expect to sit. I was reading in the book Big Panda Tiny Dragon.  As the two of them looked up in the tree in the picture I have included, the Tiny Dragon asked, “how is that tree still standing?”  “During better times” said Big Panda “it grew deep roots, now it can weather any storm”.

Trees, however, also need people to nurture them. It takes someone to plant them, to provide water, maybe some fertilizer, and perhaps protection from the wind when they are little, just like us. At times we get buffered by life’s winds as well and during those times we need to rely on those deep roots that were bedded down in better times and the gardeners in our life to provide some protection.  As I once read someone wished that they had of planted a tree earlier in their garden and were told this it is okay you are planting it now.  When is a good time to start something?  Today.  As we start this new term some of our students will have their roots well and truly established to help the weather difficult times and for others today is a good day to start spreading theirs. As always, I encourage our students to rely on their proverbial gardeners in life, their parents, their coaches, their teachers, and their tutors are all there to help nurture that growth, to provide protection from life’s winds and often just to sit along side them and enjoy the sun together.

Finally, I hope that our Grade 12 students enjoy their ball on Saturday evening and thank Mr John McLaine for organising this wonderful evening.

Enjoy the weekend with your families.

God’s Blessing

Nick Foster

What an enjoyable sight! Seeing our students performing or representing our school in Co-curricular activities of music, debating, performing arts and on the sport field in Term 2. It was heart warming to see happy students & happy staff working together.

My observations were shared with all students in Grade 7-12 in an address at the final Headmaster’s Assembly in Term 2. I spoke to our students about our pastoral care system and a goal for Term 3; to build on our strong school culture and for students to take pride in their appearance and actions.

Our pastoral care system is of the highest standard and is so valuable for our students’ journey. This system includes our School Chaplain, Head of Grade 7, House Tutors and Heads of House. Since the start of Term 2, Mark Webster and Simon Shaw have guided the Pastoral Care Team through their role as Co-Directors of Pastoral Care.

The system is in place to enhance the experience for each individual and to support and nurture students. Another role of this system is to support students when they make mistakes and to help them understand the flow on effect of their actions. Being accountable, learning from mistakes and taking action is essential for growth. There is still some work to be done to reduce the pastoral care time that is spent dealing with issues that are a result of poor choices so that this important resource can focus on what it is designed for. To support students.

In a previous newsletter article, I spoke about the need for support on the home front to work with our staff in partnership so we continue to build on our strong, positive culture. I encourage parents to have a conversation with their child about how they present themselves every day. Does their behaviour align with the School’s values and are they meeting the expectations? Is there any room for improvement? I posed these questions to students in assembly and encouraged them to return in Term 3 with this in mind to make every interaction with peers and staff a positive one.

Launceston Grammar has an impressive reputation, developed over many years. The School seeks community support in maintaining and enhancing this through a high standard of student appearance. Pride in the school uniform is a key part of visibly demonstrating participation as a member of the School community. The Launceston Grammar School uniform enables students to develop not only a sense of community and belonging, it also provides a visible link from one generation of students to the next. As custodians of this legacy, students are expected to wear the uniform with dignity, pride and respect. The Appearance Policy is designed to ensure students are adhering to workplace safety requirements and prepare them for maintaining professional dress in the workplace environment and community. 

It’s my strong belief that if everyone can get the small things right, such as uniform and appearance, then everything else will flourish. Pride in appearance will flow on to pride in actions, in application and most importantly pride in our school. This will increase in importance when our students venture out into the wider world.

We have an amazing school with countless opportunities and support to help each of us achieve our potential. I trust that you share my excitement and optimism for the opportunities that Term 3 presents.

Adrian Finch

Acting Head of Senior Campus

Each year, Yamaha reaches out to the community of Piano Teachers who strive to advance their own professional development for the benefit of their students. Teachers who are committed and passionate about the value music education has and the impact it can have in students’ lives.

The music community came together to celebrate the 10 recipients of the inaugural Yamaha Piano Teacher Award: Breakout. Welcomed by special guests and award advocates, Tina Arena and Paul Grabowsky, the ten deserving recipients were treated to an all-expenses paid trip to Yamaha Headquarters in Melbourne to participate in two days of unique, professional development with industry-leading professionals including Randall Faber, Samantha Coates, Angela Turner and Paul Myatt.

Australian Yamaha Piano Education Consultant, Carly McDonald, Nathan Rippon and the team at Yamaha Music Australia created the award to celebrate the deeply important and impactful work that our teachers do and shine a light on all of the ways they make a difference to students and their communities.

Welcome to Term 3, and what will be the final full term of secondary schooling for our Grade 12 students. It will be particularly wonderful to celebrate with them at the ‘Starry Night’ Ball this weekend – there has certainly been a buzz at school this week.

During Week 3, TCE subject reports will be sent home providing a clear indication as to how your child is progressing following Semester 1 assessments and the mid-year trial examinations. Please reach out to subject teachers if you have any questions or concerns. As we move closer to final assessments, including completion of folios, practical examinations and the end-of-year written examinations, we encourage students to proactively seek help from their teachers as this can be a challenging time.

Subject selections are upon us! This week, Grades 10 and 11 students participated in introductory sessions outlining the subject selection timeline, nature of the TCE, understanding ATAR requirements and processes for selecting subjects for 2023.

At Launceston Grammar School, we offer a broad range of subjects and programs tailored for individual student needs. Catering for a variety of pathways may include enrolling in select TCE subjects, a VET course, a University of Tasmania subject, or considering work programs. What is important is that students are beginning to think about what they would like their senior secondary journey to look like.

To further support students with the subject selection processes, next week TCE subject teachers will run a series of sessions detailing the nature of their courses. These are mandatory sessions for Grade 10 students, with Grade 11 students encouraged to attend.

Tutors, too, will sit down with students and encourage them to reflect on and document their interests, passions, strengths and future career aspirations. This will then form an important part of discussions in 1:1 subject counselling with Heads of House, the Careers Advisor and Co-Directors of Teaching and Learning, to ensure students are making informed decisions for 2023.

Parents play an important role in supporting students in considering and selecting their senior secondary program. A subject information evening on Tuesday August 9 is an opportunity to learn about senior secondary school pathways and speak with teaching staff. Grade 10 parents and students are strongly encouraged to attend to assist them with understanding the subject selection process and supporting conversations at home. Grade 11 parents and students are also encouraged to attend.

Research, too, is an important part of the process. We encourage our students to visit Ms Symons in the Careers Office, to seek out help from teachers and Heads of House and to read TASC course guides and other online materials to further inform their decision-making processes.

Subject selection processes will be similar for Grades 7, 8 and 9 electives. Please diarise the parent subject selection evening which will take place on Tuesday 16^th August. More information will follow to parents via email communication.

Thank you for your continued support as we find the appropriate study programs for your children.

Natalie Stewart and Sarah Shepherd

Co-Directors of Teaching and Learning.

The highlight of the last week of Term 2 was the Assembly to thank and farewell our retiring Junior Campus maintenance man, Colin Davis. Colin’s wife, Toni, was also in attendance. Colin has proudly served the School for 14 years and 1 month! The children were pleased to acknowledge his contributions through speeches, film, artwork, songs and stories. ‘The Important Book About Colin’ pays tribute to his fine demeanour, emphasis on safety, friendliness, interest in the children and support of the School. Our Grade 6 Leaders led the Assembly and presented Colin with a cape, books and artwork. The students are to be commended for their initiative, leadership and teamwork, ensuring that the event was engaging, fun, heart-warming and memorable for all.

The Important Book About Colin can be found here. The Important Book About Colin.pdf

Staff farewelled Colin, with Toni by his side, in the afternoon. Acting Deputy Head of Campus and PE/Sport Teacher, Christian Zantuck, represented the sentiments of the staff who have worked alongside Colin in a beautiful speech. The speech is included for you to read if you wish. Colin Davis Speech 6.7.22

The events, and all the sentiments expressed, reminded us of the importance of community, respect, commitment, integrity, good humour and willingness to keep learning – all qualities embodied by Colin. He takes the very best wishes of the children, the staff and the community as he prepares to embrace retirement with his much-loved wife, Toni, by his side. As a lifelong friend of Grammar, Colin will always be welcome back!

In the final week of Term 2, Grammar’s first ever Grade 9 Entrepreneurship elective class participated in a Pitching Competition where students competed for $500 in prize money.

Eight finalists pitched either a fully for-profit business concept or a social enterprise to a panel of external judges.

Just like last year and the year before, students determine how the prize money would be divided. In 2020 and 2021, $300 was awarded for First Place, $150 for Second and $50 for Third Place. This year, the class decided that it would be a Winner Takes It All affair!

As it turned out though, there was a tie for First Place with Ashton Harrison and Isaac Bramich and his co-entrepreneur, Archie Burke, splitting the money. Not too bad for a three-minute presentation! Honestly, though, all the pitches were amazing!

This semester, the Entrepreneurs’ Club will start up again and will be open to all students in Grades 7 – 12. There will be another Pitching Competition in Term 4, with another $500 up for grabs. Interested students are encouraged to express their interest to Mr Ellison during Week 3.

Our Mandarin students were treated to a cultural experience by Ms Ives. Students cooked rice together as a selection of traditional dishes were collected from MeWah Restaurant located in Invermay. This was an engaging opportunity to use their Mandarin language skills to describe the dishes and learn more about traditions such as the teacher serving the students and how Chinese tea can cool the spice of a Szechuan dish.

The students really enjoyed their cultural experience and gained a new understanding of what it means to share a meal together in different parts of the world.

Friday 29th July is National Tree Day. Across the Junior and Senior Campus, students have been taking part in the National Tree Day Challenge organised by Launceston City Council and NRM North to plant 5,000 trees in four days. Our fine lemon tree at the Senior Campus has had a haircut ready for Spring and Rodney Brown kindly picked all of the lemons from those branches to share across the school community. Some of the Junior Campus team are going to be using lemons in their units of inquiry over the next week and on the Senior Campus, they will find their way into creations in Food Technology.

To support this important day, our Junior Campus Librarian Mrs Lee and the Senior Campus Learning Hub Co-ordinator Mrs Parker have created special displays about trees for the students. An inspiring and enjoyable part of the library is the opportunity to find books that are representative of key parts of the curriculum, community days like National Tree Day and NAIDOC week and books written by our alumni and teaching staff.

A love of books and reading for pleasure as well as to gain knowledge is a wonderful thing to instil in a child and the work of our librarians is priceless. Mrs Parker has also shared the importance of the books that are donated to the school each year as they become resources and inspiration for the curious mind beyond the content that is driven by the Australian curriculum.

Mrs Parker and Mrs Lee both stated that they were always excited by students coming to them to recommend books that they believe that we should have in the library. Mrs Parker was also able to share one of her favourite books about the Tarkine with her students which led to further discussion about the Tarkine and its importance to the ecosystem of Tasmania.