Term 3 Week 3

Do you sing in the shower? That could be construed as slightly personal, but I do wish to share with you that singing to me is the ultimate expression of personal happiness. The mere act of belting out your favourite song be it in the car on the way to work, or as you do the chores or even performing at the Rockin Hot Pizza Karaoke Bar does wonders for your wellbeing. The endorphins are supercharged, and the happy chemical dopamine is released into our systems lowering our stress and anxiety. A natural prescription for joy in our lives!

You can only imagine how happy the Senior School students were this afternoon with the annual House Singing Competition (aka the Singing Carnival) being held in the gym. What a spectacle and what a show. Maybe Broadway won’t be on our doorstep any time soon, but gee Grammar students know how to perform! The teamwork, choreography and enthusiasm captivated the audience. Grade 6 students joined us for a “sneak peak” of life on the Senior Campus and I am sure many of them cannot wait to be a part of the fun next year. They also had the opportunity to award the Peoples Choice award and emphatically chose Roff House. I felt for the judges who knew by the end of Friday that 1/5th of the campus would love them, and the remaining 4/5ths may be feeling robbed of their “glory moment”. The winners were Roff House and their performance of Voulez Vous had us all grooving along to ABBA on a Friday afternoon. And yes, we do want more of this in our lives.

This is the stuff of lifelong memories and strengthening the community. Congratulations to all students on a great afternoon’s entertainment!

I am looking forward to welcoming Jodi Richardson to the School next week to share with our staff and students her wisdom about how to deal with anxiety when it shows up in our lives. One of the protective factors to deal with anxiety is engaging in opportunities that “fill your bucket” and I am heartened by the fact that life at Grammar is rarely dull with the numerous activities which students participate in. We need to seek challenges in our life that contribute to the maintenance of our personal well-being. 

Next week is also National Science Week and I know our science staff and students have an action-packed week exploring the power of innovation. STEM is alive and well at Grammar and is one of our core learning pillars. Each year many Grammar graduates pursue a future in the applied sciences and with the dynamic growth in artificial intelligence I would assume that this trend will continue. I saw a few of our leading science students engaging fully in the singing this afternoon so perhaps we need to consider rebranding to STEaM education. You may like to muse upon how the subject areas of Science, Technology, Engineering Arts and Maths may come together to create dynamic and creative learning experiences for our students. Or alternatively, perhaps you are considering what tune you will bust out tomorrow morning in the safety of your own shower! Either way, have a great weekend and take time to “fill your bucket!”

Dale Bennett

Principal

Nurturing, Challenging and Inspiring at the Junior Campus

At Grammar, the Junior Campus children from Early Learning to Grade 6 experience a well-rounded education which includes embarking on a journey of self-discovery. Promoting wellbeing, leading to a happy and fulfilling life, is a school priority. Our children explore learning that encompasses social and emotional, academic, physical, personal and spiritual learning. They learn first-hand the importance of balancing different aspects of their lives to achieve well-being for themselves and others.

To plan experiences which help the children to learn, within and beyond the classroom, our staff reference national and international frameworks to best cater for the developing needs of the children in our care. This unique blend of educational philosophies makes it possible for us to nurture young learners, shaping them into compassionate, knowledgeable, and well-rounded individuals.

As we are an International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme (PYP) school, developing the attributes and dispositions of the IB Learner Profile is central to our programme.

These attributes cultivate a sense of self-awareness and empathy, enabling students to form meaningful connections with themselves and others. One of the attributes of the IB Learner Profile is being balanced. At Grammar, students are encouraged to strike a harmonious equilibrium between their academic pursuits, physical activities, emotional expression, social interactions and understanding of spirituality. Through a diverse range of activities, from engaging in sports to practising mindfulness, our students are learning to prioritise self-care and manage their responsibilities effectively.

Aligned with the IB Learner Profile, the ACARA Personal and Social Learning Capability aims to equip children with essential life skills, enabling them to navigate challenges with resilience and foster healthy relationships as developmentally appropriate. By understanding the importance of self-awareness and self-management, children learn to identify their emotions and develop strategies for emotional regulation.

The beauty of Grammar’s approach lies in the seamless integration of the IB Learner Profile and the Personal and Social Learning capabilities into everyday learning experiences. Whether learning through play, a Science experiment, a Literature Circle, or a collaborative Art project, children are encouraged to reflect on the situation at hand and apply their understanding to real-life situations.

The children at the Junior Campus are not just learning academic subjects; they are evolving into compassionate, resilient, and well-rounded individuals who understand the importance of balancing different aspects of their lives to achieve well-being for themselves and others. As they grow and mature, the seeds of lifelong learning, empathy, and balance are sown, ensuring that our young learners will thrive not only academically but also as contributors to a better and more peaceful world.

Assistant Head of Junior Campus, Mrs Lisa Watson, and PYP Coordinator, Mrs Claire Calvert, are collaborating with staff and students to implement initiatives to nurture, challenge and inspire our students in a variety of ways.

Read on to find out more about what is happening…

Sheona Carter

Head of Junior Campus

Embracing Mindfulness with Smiling Mind 

At Grammar we are committed to providing our students with a well-rounded education that equips them for success in all aspects of life. We are excited to announce that we have adopted the Smiling Mind app as a tool to promote mindfulness and well-being within our junior school community. 

Starting this term, our students will have the opportunity to engage in mindfulness practices through the Smiling Mind Program. Whether it’s a short exercise to start the day, a moment of calm after a busy playtime, or a dedicated mindfulness session during the week, we believe that integrating mindfulness into our daily routine can empower our students to thrive emotionally, academically and socially. 

The Power of Mindfulness in Education 

Mindfulness, often defined as the practice of being present and fully engaged in the moment, has gained recognition for its myriad of benefits across various age groups. However, its potential in the realm of education is particularly remarkable. Research suggests that mindfulness can enhance attention, reduce stress and anxiety, improve emotional regulation, and even bolster academic performance. In an increasingly fast-paced world, helping our students develop these skills is more important than ever. 

Introducing the Smiling Mind App for School and Home 

The Smiling Mind app has emerged as a leading tool for introducing mindfulness to students of all ages. Created by a team of psychologists and educators, this app is designed to introduce mindfulness and meditation techniques to children and adolescents. The app links directly to the Australian Curriculum.  

Smiling Mind offers information and strategies to help establish mindfulness at home too. I invite you all to download the free app and explore the range of tools and resources to build and foster positive mental health routines with your family. Mindfulness not only benefits children, it supports parents’ and caregivers’ mental health and wellbeing, benefiting the family as a whole.  

Dear Hawkes Boarding Families and Grammar Community,

Another two weeks have flown by in the Hawkes Boarding House and the students have settled back into their daily routines. We’ve had a few adventures over the last two weeks. The boarders enjoyed a trip to the movies, and it turned out that Barbie was quite the hit with all in attendance.

We also walked over to the University ovals to support one of our Boarding Staff members, Mr Connor Bryant, playing football last weekend. This is part of what makes this Boarding community so special. The staff and students are invested in each other’s interests, and it is great to see our students being excited to support our staff in pursuing their passions away from work.

We celebrated our Christmas in Winter ‘informal’ formal dinner where the students had a fun night of socialising, eating some amazing food prepared by Mark and his team, and sharing secret Santa gifts with each other. Our new boarders were awarded their Boarder Badges and are now officially part of the Hawkes Family.

Our Grade 12 students attended their final school ball. This is such a special occasion as a celebration of their time at school, but also as a group of friends that have experienced the highs and lows of life as a boarder together. The Grade 10 and 11 students will join the Grade 12’s when we celebrate the annual Boarders Ball on Friday 18^th of August combined with the Scotch Boarding House.

Last night we had visitors from Sherborne and three day-students stay in the Boarding House. It was an awesome opportunity to show the girls from England what boarding looks like in another country, and for our three day-students it was a an opportunity to experience life as a boarder in Hawkes House.

I hope you all enjoy a lovely weekend.

TJ Pieters

Head of Boarding

Nurture, Challenge, Inspire – challenge and extension at the Junior Campus

At the Junior Campus, the Primary Years Programme (PYP) provides us with evidence-based direction about how our students might learn most successfully. The framework we work within gives us endless scope to engage students in their learning and recognise their unique learning needs.

 ”In all IB programmes, teaching is … designed to remove barriers to learning. Teaching is inclusive and values diversity. It affirms students’ identities, and aims to create learning opportunities that enable every student to develop and pursue appropriate personal goals.

— (What is an IB education? 2013:6)

Every day within our learning environments, our staff work hard to meet the needs of all the students in our care. We are excited this year to see many initiatives relaunch that were paused during the Covid-19 disruption. In addition to the broad cultural, sporting, artistic and support offerings we have in place, we also have opportunities happening on campus that are designed to challenge and extend students who are highly able academically and who may be seeking to put their learning skills to the test. Some offerings are ongoing, and some happen in short units to meet a point of need.

Tournament of Minds

We are incredibly grateful that Grade 3 classroom teacher, Mrs Lauren Thompson, has volunteered her skills and experience to enable us to enter our first team into the Tournament of Minds (TOM) since 2019. Tournament of Minds is an academic competition focusing on collaborative problem solving and critical thinking. It is open to students in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and a number of other locations in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Launceston Grammar has a proud history of involvement in TOM and we are thrilled to be engaging in the competition once again. We wish our TOM team all the best with their mind-bending STEM challenge.

Write a Book in a Day – Book Blitz

Write a Book in a Day is an inclusive, creative competition with a difference. Students have just 12 hours to write and illustrate a book that will be uploaded to an online library for children in hospitals around Australia. This year we have one Grade 5 team entering the official Write a Book in a Day competition that is held at the Launceston Library.

Many community members will already know that each year Launceston Grammar hosts its own variation on Write a Book in Day named Book Blitz. This year we are excited to have a team of Grade 6 students taking part in the event in the Senior Campus Learning hub alongside teams from Grades 7, 8, 9 and 10. We wish both our Grade 5 and 6 teams the best of luck with their creative endeavours, and we thank Learning Enrichment team member Mrs Sarah Williams and our Teacher Librarian Mrs Dana Hinds for assisting our groups.

Maths Olympiad – Maths Explorer

Each year at the Junior Campus, some students from Grades 5 and 6 tackle the highly respected APSMO Mathematics Olympiad Competition.  The Junior Division Olympiad is specifically designed to stimulate and challenge students at primary school level. It teaches major problem solving strategies and strengthens students’ mathematical intuition prior to starting high school. This year in addition to our 5/6 team led by Mrs Catherine Langley, Mr Timothy Brown is also facilitating a group of Grade 3 and 4 students who are taking part in a programme called Maths Explorer. Maths Explorer enables students to develop their skills and knowledge in the field of maths problem solving and prepare them for the challenges of either the Maths Games and/or the Maths Olympiad in later years.

International Competitions and Assessments for Schools (ICAS)

This year we are proud that 46 students from Grades 3-6 have opted to take the challenge of competing in the ICAS online competitions.  The ICAS competitions are challenging, rewarding and fun. This year our students are competing in Writing, English, Mathematics, Spelling and Reading.  The questions in the online assessments change each year and are designed to stretch students beyond what they may experience at school and help develop their critical thinking and problem-solving abilities.  We look forward to sharing the successes of our students with our community in the coming weeks.

Finally, as a member of the Tasmanian Association for the Gifted (TAG), we receive notification of parent information sessions from time to time that may be of interest to our community. Please see the latest offering from TAG, an information session titled ‘Interpreting an Educational Psychologist’s report’ included towards the end of this edition of the School Newsletter.

Claire Calvert

Primary Years Programme Coordinator

We are currently working on the soil quality in our school Agricultural Plot. If you have spare manure and would like to donate some to the project, please contact Vahid Rahimi.

Email: VRahimi@lcgs.tas.edu.au, Ph. 63366000.

Thank you.

Register here: https://forms.office.com/r/R55rccy5bP

Friendly reminder that our Grade 12’s still have Pyjamas for sale, with all funds going directly towards their chosen charity for the year, Sony Foundation’s ‘You Can Stay’ program. They are $20 per piece or $40 per set. To please your order, please email DChilcott@lcgs.tas.edu.au.

This year, the Grade 12s have chosen to support the work of Sony Foundation’s ‘You Can Stay’ program, a cause close to their hearts due to the support provided to one of their own, at a time when it was most needed.

You Can Stay provides free accommodation for regional and rural youth cancer patients who must travel to the city for life-saving treatment.

In 2021, Launceston Grammar Year 12 Student, Miles Chilcott was diagnosed with cancer. The best treatment for his rare cancer was in Melbourne. Sony Foundation’s You Can Stay program provided Miles and his family a 2 bedroom apartment at Quest at no cost while he was in Melbourne for his treatment over the course of many months.

Every year about 1,200 young Australians aged 15 – 25 are diagnosed with cancer. About 1 in 3 of these are from a regional or rural area and for them, the burden is disproportionately heavy.

Since launching in mid-2020, You Can Stay has provided over 13,000 nights of free accommodation for over 200 youth cancer patients and their families.

Funds raised this year will fund nights of accommodation in the You Can Stay program.

RSVP here: https://www.trybooking.com/CKRHP

RSVP here: https://www.trybooking.com/CKCAQ

RSVP here: https://www.trybooking.com/CKRGQ

Calendar of Events

• Just a reminder that our web portal Parent Lounge is where you will find the school calendar for upcoming events
• You will have been issued with your Parent Lounge username and password when your child/ren began their schooling at Grammar
• Just a note that if you have children enrolled who have not yet commenced, their details will appear in Parent Lounge on their commencement
• Here is where you will find Parent Lounge: https://tass-web.lcgs.tas.edu.au/parentlounge/
• If you have any questions, please email ParentLounge@lcgs.tas.edu.au