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Term 4, Week 3

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29

Calendar

October

Term 4, Week 3

Contents

Senior Executive
Headmaster - Mr Richard Ford Head of Junior Campus - Ms Sheona Carter
175-Year Anniversary Celebrations
Gala Day - Saturday 16 October Launceston Grammar Merchandise Gala Evening - Saturday 16 October
Careers Office
Careers Advisor - Fiona Symons
Senior Campus
Values in Action
2023 Scholarships Programme
2023 Scholarships Programme Open
Community Engagement
Madeline's Story - Online Charity Auction for Childhood Cancer Research Parent Grade Representative Programme - 2022 Expressions of Interest
Senior Executive

Headmaster - Mr Richard Ford

ValedictoryThe final week for Grade 12 has been full of moments of reflection and inspiration thanks to the collective effort and input of staff and ...

Valedictory

The final week for Grade 12 has been full of moments of reflection and inspiration thanks to the collective effort and input of staff and students. It has also been wonderful to be able to share some of these moments with parents and carers.

At the Valedictory Assembly I shared with students the story of an ordinary farmer, Cliff Young, who, in so many respects was simply extraordinary.

As most parents will know, in 1983, Cliff Young, aged 61, showed up to run in the first Sydney to Melbourne Ultra Marathon. Cliff wore his first-ever pair of running shoes and windbreaker pants which were ventilated thanks to a number of hand-cut holes.

Cliff collected his race number, took out his false teeth lest they rattle as he ran, and stepped into line with a group of young athletes waiting to start the 875-kilometre race.

Some athletes and spectators at the start line looked at him and were dumbfounded. The less charitable scoffed. How was this old man going to compete against athletes who had carefully trained for this intensive race? What 61-year-old could run the equivalent of 11 Launceston Grammar Walkathons?

Cliff was a potato and sheep farmer who had built up endurance chasing thousands of sheep across his family farm in overalls and gumboots.

Not surprisingly, when the race started, Cliff was quickly left behind.

His running stride wasn’t much of a stride, it was more of a shuffle, and he was anything but fast.

It is reported that before the race he told reporters: “See, I grew up on a farm where we couldn’t afford horses or tractors, and the whole time I was growing up, whenever the storms would roll in, I’d have to go out and round up the sheep. We had 2 000 sheep on 2 000 acres. Sometimes I would have to run those sheep for two or three days. It took a long time, but I’d always catch them. I believe I can run this race.”

Now the standard approach to an ultramarathon at that time saw athletes run for about 18 hours a day before sleeping for 6 hours. Cliff’s approach was anything but standard.

When the professional athletes laid down for the evening, Cliff just kept shuffling. When the athletes woke, Cliff had covered significant ground in the night.

Before long, Cliff had gained a lead that no athlete could chase down.

When Cliff crossed the finish line in Melbourne, he was 10 hours ahead of the second athlete. His time of 5 days, 15 hours and 4 minutes beat the previous record for a run between Sydney and Melbourne by more than two days.

When Cliff was awarded the first-place prize of $10 000, he surprised everyone still further by sharing the prize money with the other race competitors and giving most of it away.

While none of our Grade 12 are likely to be planning to run an actual ultramarathon any time soon, all are about to embark on the ultramarathon of life.

As Grade 12 students looked ahead this week at the new race they will be starting soon, I encouraged students to find inspiration in three aspects of Cliff’s approach.

Firstly, Cliff knew that just because everybody runs a certain way did not mean he had to run that way. Cliff found the right way for him to run and had the courage to not let the doubters at the start line deter him.

As it turned out, Cliff’s odd way of running around his sheep farm in overalls and gumboots was later found to be an extremely energy-efficient way to run long distances due to the slow-but-steady gait. Today, the gait is known as the “Young shuffle” or the “Ultra shuffle” and has been adopted by other ultra-marathon runners.

For our graduating students, throughout their life there will be pressure at times to be someone who they are not, simply to fit it with the crowd. When this occurs, our hope is that students will remember what they have learned in Chapel over the years, that God has made each and every one of them uniquely and beautifully. Their best days and years will come when they confidently embrace those unique gifts, abilities and interests rather than copying the crowd.

Secondly, Cliff knew that the discipline of pushing through and putting one foot in front of the other would get him to where he wanted to go. His progress was slow and steady but most importantly it was consistent.

6.4 kilometres an hour. That was the average speed Cliff maintained over the five-and-a-half days, including breaks. It’s not very fast. His pace while running was just over 8 kilometres an hour. Some of our students can run faster. But how many can keep up that speed for an entire day, much less consecutive days?

Cliff showed remarkable perseverance as a runner. In life, not surprisingly, perseverance is a more accurate predictor of achievement than a person’s raw talent. Perseverance is not only what wins long distance races, but also what will allow students to achieve their long-term goals.

As Grade 12 start their journey beyond School, they should not be disheartened if they do not achieve their goals quickly or easily. Instead, they should seek to keep putting one foot in front of the other knowing that they will make steady progress towards their goals as they stick at them and persevere.

Thirdly, Cliff found joy in giving not joy in getting. When Cliff recalled receiving the prize money of $10000, Cliff exclaimed, “Now that’s a helluva lot of potatoes”, and it was. In 1983, Cliff could have purchased two new cars with $10000. These were the days when you could pick up property for $40000.

Instead of keeping the cash to himself, Cliff chose to share it with the other competitors.

That spirit of focusing on what you give rather than what you will get, is what we hope will guide Grade 12 in the journey they now go on over the years ahead.

Cliff Young was an ordinary farmer whose extraordinary life was in large part due to his:

  • Courage to not follow along with the crowd;
  • Perseverance as he worked towards his goals; and
  • Generosity with the good things he received.

While none of Grade 12 are yet to run an ultramarathon, they have each been on their own marathon through school. As staff, students and parents have watched Grade 12 on their run through their school years, we have seen each of them shine in their own unique ways and we will miss the joy they have brought to our community.

We also know that they are ready to run the ultramarathon ahead of them because of the way they have persevered with the challenges that are part of the Launceston Grammar experience, whether it was a rainy outdoor education camp on Maria, intensive musical rehearsals or the final leg of the Walkathon.

Grade 12 have persevered and, in the process, they have given so much to so many. They have given to the students who have served breakfast at Mowbray Primary. They have given to the students who they have read to with the Smith Family. They have given in a remarkable way to Cancer Council Tasmania. I am confident that they will continue to give as they come back for Sony Camp and as they seek out opportunities to be abundantly generous to others in the years ahead.

Ordinary people live extraordinary lives when their lives are shaped by courage, perseverance and generosity. In the years ahead, as Grade 12 run the race ahead of them, we hope they keep looping back to School and letting us know what they are up to, because we cannot wait to hear about the extraordinary ways in which they are serving and shaping our world.

Head of Learning Enrichment

In 2022 we are pleased to be introducing a new Executive leadership position responsible for ensuring students who need support or extension across Early Learning to Grade 12 are nurtured, challenged and inspired. Following a recruitment process which saw some strong candidates from across the country, we are excited that Cassandra Lobley, current Head of Learning Enhancement at St Patrick’s College, will be joining Launceston Grammar next year in this new position. Cassandra has a Master of Science Research (Psychology) as well as a Master of Education. With her partner, Cassandra also runs the Fork n Farm Homestead which won a Tasmanian Tourism Award this year. We look forward to Cassandra joining the School community next year and the impact we know she will have on learning enrichment.

At the end of this year, we are sad to be farewelling staff who will be retiring, relocating, embracing new challenges or finishing fixed term contracts. Heads of Campus will provide a more comprehensive staffing update to parents in the coming fortnight in relation to appointments which have been made at respective campuses.

Parent Survey

Thank you to all parents who made time at the end of last term to complete the Parent Survey. MMG will be presenting the feedback to the School Board in November and input from parents will help inform planning for 2022. I look forward to sharing further information with you before the end of the term.

175th Gala Day and Dinner

Thank you to all members of the Launceston Grammar community who contributed to the celebrations on the Gala Weekend. It was a delight to share the day and evening with so many people from across the School community. As the term progresses I look forward to seeing you at a number of community gatherings and would encourage you to pencil in your diary a whole School Carol Service which we are holding this year at St John’s on Wednesday 1 December (6:30pm for 7:00pm start).

Richard Ford
Headmaster

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Head of Junior Campus - Ms Sheona Carter

The final term has begun well, with many opportunities for the students. SwimmingAll Grade Prep – 6 students have had the opportunity to participate ...

The final term has begun well, with many opportunities for the students.

Swimming

All Grade Prep – 6 students have had the opportunity to participate in the intensive swimming programme, which ran over the first two weeks of term at our Grammar pool. Our Acting Deputy Head of Campus and PE Teacher, Christian Zantuck, arranged for additional, qualified swim staff to assist with the implementation of the programme. Our young swimmers have reported an improvement in confidence, swimming skills and water safety knowledge.

Thanks to Christian, the swim staff, our bus drivers and all the teachers for their support of the programme.

Taekwondo

This term after school Taekwondo has been introduced for students on the Junior Campus. The programme is running for six weeks.

Taekwondo is one of the most systematic and scientific Korean traditional martial arts and teaches more than physical fighting skills. It is a discipline that shows ways of enhancing one’s spirit and life through training the body and mind. Today, it has become a global sport that has gained an international reputation and stands among the official sports included in the Olympic Games.

The sessions are being run by Joshua Warren (Master Josh) from Hoju Martial Arts. The sessions are based on the Hoju Martial Arts Early Development Programme (EDP), which is specifically targets the holistic well-being of children.

Grounded in empirical research, the programme aims to optimise child development in areas including:

  • Gross and fine motor physical development
  • Cognitive functioning and receptive and expressive language
  • Social skills, emotion regulation, behaviour and attention
  • Learning and school related difficulties
  • Mental health, confidence and self-esteem

Ref: Hoju Martial Arts 2021

Thanks to Grade 5 Teacher and Taekwondo instructor, Sabumnim Krystal Bassano, and Kwangjangnim Master Josh Warren, for their leadership and support of the programme. The students are very enthusiastic!

Semester Reports

Our teachers are currently preparing the students’ Semester 2 Reports. Ongoing literacy and numeracy assessments are used to determine progress and achievement. Teachers also reference data from Progressive Achievement Tests (PAT) the Orton Gillingham programme and class observations. Grade level teachers meet to moderate student work to ensure fairness and consistency regarding the expected standard of attainment. Teachers also reflect on learning evidenced when engaging in units of inquiry, in single subjects and how well each child participates. The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) outcomes are used as points of reference.  Parents of students with an individual learning plans will have an opportunity to meet with the grade teacher before the year concludes.

Thanks to all teachers, grade and single subject teachers, for their commitment to the reporting process, ensuring that you will have a clear understanding of the programmes in which the children have engaged, their level of engagement and the progress made. Our Learning Enrichment staff have also made valuable contributions to the process, ensuring that diverse learning needs are understood.

Grade 12 Breakfast

The Grade 12 students who came through the Junior School were invited to Breakfast on the Junior Campus on Friday 22 October. The senior students the opportunity to revisit Junior Campus, enjoy meeting with past teachers, share memories and meet the younger students.  Certificates were presented to the Grade 12 students by our Grade 6 students. We hope that the event was a chance to strengthen belonging and involvement across the School community and that our Junior Campus students could appreciate the further leadership development opportunities that await.

Thanks to Grade three teacher, Ann Green, who delivered this very moving and inspiring speech…

It has been quite a while since many of you entered these gates. Welcome back to our Junior Campus Year 12s. We are delighted to be here today to wish each of you every success in all that you do beyond 2021. The next chapters in your stories are sure to be full of adventures, new horizons and experiences. It doesn’t matter how you write your story. Maybe for you, it is through a University degree or a trade. Perhaps it’s travel or taking a gap year to discover all things new. Whilst the idea of material success influences many lives, for you our hope is:

  • That you are enough; be you, be passionate and be happy. The rest will follow.
  • Write each chapter of your own story with honesty, integrity and drive.
  • Fly through the turbulence, take the challenges and be the best version of yourself.
  • When uncertainty is around, and we have had a fair share of that recently, NEVER stop looking, thinking, caring and learning. Remember you are in the midst of your story and the best is yet to come.

One important chapter to always remember, the one thing in your life that is constant and unchangeable is that – you are a special part of THIS family, THE GRAMMAR FAMILY. We, at the Junior Campus, wish you well as you celebrate and honour your developing stories. Please, don’t forget to come home to share your journey with us – often.

Best wishes to you, our 2021 Valedicts.  

Attendees were invited to give us feedback via a survey after the event, so we can further improve next year.

Comments were very affirming and helpful:

Worked well: ‘simple breakfast,’ ‘keep the egg and bacon rolls – they taste great. Don’t change them!’ ‘having time to wander and mingle,’ ‘opportunity to re-enact Kinder photo’, ‘Grade 6 presentations’

Suggestion for improvement: ‘more time to wander around the campus,’ ‘more interaction between Grade 12 and Grade 6,’ ‘clearer communication re programme for the morning,’ ‘more Junior Campus teachers!’

Class Lists 2022

The placement of children into new class groups each year requires careful thought and consideration. This is a delicate process which requires staff to reflect on each individual student, and the cohort, to ensure that there is an equitable balance within each class group.

Teachers consider factors such as –

  • Engagement in learning
  • Cognitive ability
  • Social-emotional maturity, developmental and behavioural needs
  • Relationships
  • Gender
  • Language background
  • New and continuing students

Parents and carers will be given an opportunity to provide perspective. Please note that any requests will be considered, but no promises will be made as requests can be conflicting. A separate communication will be sent to families.

Your ongoing support of the teachers, and their knowledge of individuals and their astute judgement will be appreciated.

Healthy communication habits

Parents and carers can contact the School using electronic communications, by telephone and in person. We are keen to engage with you and endeavour to respond within 24 hours. In the interest of keeping our on-line engagement at healthy levels, we hope that you understand if we do not I respond to evening communications immediately.

Sheona Carter
Head of Junior Campus

 

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175-Year Anniversary Celebrations

Gala Day - Saturday 16 October

It was wonderful to see our families enjoying the celebrations at our Gala Day on Saturday 16 October. The day was filled with a collection of ...

It was wonderful to see our families enjoying the celebrations at our Gala Day on Saturday 16 October.

The day was filled with a collection of events, activities, demonstrations and displays that showcase Launceston Grammar.

Thank you to all of our staff, students, parents, and alumni for their involvement across the day.

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Launceston Grammar Merchandise

A number of newly introduced Launceston Grammar branded items will be available for sale at the Gala Day, and Evening, including cufflinks, Camelbak ...

A number of newly introduced Launceston Grammar branded items will be available for sale at the Gala Day, and Evening, including cufflinks, Camelbak drink bottles, quality nickel keyrings, bone china mugs, ruled notebooks and golf umbrellas (new design).

These items will then be available for purchase from the school shop – both online and in-store.

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Gala Evening - Saturday 16 October

Here is a selection of photos of the Gala Evening held at the Albert Hall to celebrate our 175th anniversary.

Careers Office

Careers Advisor - Fiona Symons

Support for Students After Release of TCE Results The arrival of TCE results in December can cause some students to re-evaluate their future plans.  ...

Support for Students After Release of TCE Results

The arrival of TCE results in December can cause some students to re-evaluate their future plans.  The Careers Centre will be open from 8.30am – 4.00pm on Thursday 16 December (the day after the release of TCE results) to assist students and parents who want to discuss options and/or make changes to tertiary study applications.

Please feel free to email careers@lcgs.tas.edu.au, phone (03) 6336 6058 or pop into the Careers Centre on this date.

Tasmania Police Career Development Program 2022

The Tasmania Police Career Development Program is aimed at Grade 12 students from around Tasmania who have a keen interest in becoming a Police Officer.  It is a free, five-day program conducted during school holidays, during which students will live at the Tasmania Police Academy, Rokeby, and experience first-hand what police recruit training involves.

As a part of this program students will undertake the Tasmania Police fitness testing and written examinations.  Those students who are successful in these will progress through to the next stage of the recruitment process and possible employment at the completion of their Grade 12 studies.  More information about the Program can be found on their website here.

Applications for the April 2022 Career Development Program are now open to current Grade 11 students only.  The Program will be held during the Term 1 holidays.  To apply, Grade 11 students should check their school email account for full details.  Applications are strictly due to the Careers Centre by Tuesday 23 November.

I welcome the opportunity to talk with parents and students at any time throughout the school year; please contact me on phone: (03) 6336 6058 or email: careers@lcgs.tas.edu.au.

Fiona Symons
Careers Advisor

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Senior Campus

Values in Action

On Thursday October 14, members from the Social Enterprise Groupparticipated in our annual pitching competition. This year, students from Grades 7 ...

On Thursday October 14, members from the Social Enterprise Group participated in our annual pitching competition.

This year, students from Grades 7 to 9 had to identify a social issue or problem, whether it be at a local, state, national or global level. They then had to conceptualise a viable business that would help alleviate the matter for a target clientele. In addition to this, students had to work through an array of challenges to ensure that their respective enterprises were sustainable rather than having potentially limited life spans.

The quality of the seven pitches was exceptional! Judges Fiona Symons (Launceston Grammar’s Careers Advisor) and Martin Quinn (Pharmacist, Co-founder of M2’s Tasmanian Hand Sanitiser and most recently partner of Du Cane Brewery and Dining Hall) were impressed with each of the presentations, many which included PowerPoint and one that even featured a model prototype.

With an incentivised plan to encourage greater levels of recycling, James Gaunt’s pitch was Third place getter, earning him $50 in prize money. In Second place, with a prize of $150 Griffin Ball’s Turtle Trolleys concept saw old shopping trolleys repurposed and reconfigured so that homeless people could stow their belongings securely. Taking out First place by a mere two points was Zoe Hyland’s clever toothbrush and pelletised toothpaste concept to ensure that oral health and hygiene could be maintained by people living in regions impacted by natural disasters and where they may no longer have access to clean and safe drinking water – Zoe won $300!

Christopher Ellison
Enterprise Learning Coordinator

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2023 Scholarships Programme

2023 Scholarships Programme Open

Launceston Grammar’s 2023 Scholarship Programme has officially launched. For more information on the scholarships available, click on the link below ...

Launceston Grammar’s 2023 Scholarship Programme has officially launched. For more information on the scholarships available, click on the link below and follow the prompts to download a copy of the 2023 Scholarship Booklet.

Contact the Registrar’s Office via registrar@lcgs.tas.edu.au if you have additional questions.

Scholarships

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Community Engagement

Madeline's Story - Online Charity Auction for Childhood Cancer Research

My name is Madeline Gordon and I live in Launceston, Tasmania. I’m a parent and alumni of Launceston Grammar. After a tough few years for everyone, ...

My name is Madeline Gordon and I live in Launceston, Tasmania. I’m a parent and alumni of Launceston Grammar.

After a tough few years for everyone, my family has decided to end 2021 with something positive: an online charity auction for childhood cancer research that will be held from 8 December to 15 December.

After my 3-year-old son was diagnosed with T-Cell Lymphoma in April 2020, my family’s eyes and hearts were opened to the need for kinder, more effective treatments for children with all types of cancer. 100% of the money raised during the auction will be donated to The Kids’ Cancer Project.

We are currently gathering prizes from businesses and individuals to include in the auction. To date, we have received a range of generous donations spanning gift vouchers, accommodations, local business products, furniture, artwork, and more. If you are interested in supporting our cause please feel free to share with your friends, family and community, with a prize donation (closing on November 8) and or through bidding on the Auction items (opening December 8)!

Learn more about our online charity auction and our family’s story:

  • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/madelinesstory40
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madelinesstory/
  • Website: https://madelinesstory.com.au/

Our ultimate goal is to improve the journey for childhood cancer with the support of our friends, family, and community.

Contact Madeline here if you can help

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Parent Grade Representative Programme - 2022 Expressions of Interest

Community Engagement Team is planning for the 2022 Parent Grade Representative (PGR) programme and we are seeking interest from our parents and ...

Community Engagement Team is planning for the 2022 Parent Grade Representative (PGR) programme and we are seeking interest from our parents and carers to take up an opportunity to become a parent grade representative.

Our PGRs play an integral role in providing ongoing support to our parents and families.

If you are interested in becoming a parent grade representative please contact community@lcgs.tas.edu.au

For more information about the programme please click here.

Community Engagement would like to extend a sincere thanks to all our 2021 parent grade representatives – your support and contribution throughout the year has been invaluable.

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We respectfully acknowledge, with deep respect, the Palawa/Pakana people as the traditional owners of the land, sea, and waterways of Lutruwita (Tasmania) on which we work, rest and play. We pay our respects to elders past, present, and emerging and recognise their continued care for land, waterways, and community. We also acknowledge that sovereignty has never been ceded. It always was and always will be Aboriginal land.

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