(PDF) TAS TALKS...Musica Viva- Elias String Quartet, Armidale Town Hall Sunday 18 August 8.30-3.30pm Year 10 First Aid course (optional day 2) 11.00am Service at Kellys Plains Community - DOKUMEN.TIPS (2023)

phone: 6776 5800 fax 6776 5830 web: www.as.edu.au email:[emailprotected]

TAS TALKSTHE WEEKLY NEWSLETTER OF THE ARMIDALE SCHOOL

Wednesday 14 August, 2o13 Term 3 Week 5House on Duty Abbott,0439 041 627

HEADMASTER, MURRAY GUEST

As some will know, I have been away from the School on longservice leave over the past four weeks and I offer my considerablethanks to our Deputy Headmaster, Alan Jones, for kindly stepping into cover a number of tasks during that time.

As I mentioned at assembly yesterday, viewing the activities ofthe School from afar during these recent weeks gives freshperspective to the scale and pace of life at TAS. So many majorevents and achievements have been recorded in this short periodthat it is difficult to keep up. What was highlighted to me inlooking at all that has been happening is the commitment of so manyof our staff in providing the opportunities that make TAS life sofull. I was able to remind our students yesterday that they arevery fortunate to have such committed people volunteering theirsupport and I offer the thanks of the School as well to ourteaching and support staff who so often contribute well beyondexpectations.

HSC Trial ExamsThrough this week and next our Year 12 studentswill have their focus on their Trial HSC Exams. Whilst mostsubjects will still have some course material to cover after thetrials, this is the final examination period for these studentsbefore the HSC itself and it will bring them close the end of theirassessment program. I wish all our senior students well for thisfortnight as they strive to present the fruits of their study inthe best light possible.

Curtain UpI have enjoyed hearing glowing reports following theYear 12 drama showcase last Thursday evening. This evening was notonly the final assessment for our HSC drama students, but also animportant opportunity for them to perform their group andindividual works in front of a live and responsive audience. I knowthat that audience enjoyed the evening very much and I wish all ourperformers well as they continue to refine their pieces inpreparation for the examiners.

Headmaster, Mr Murray Guest and Commanding Officer, Cadets,Major Trevor Thatcher

invite you to attend the

The Annual Ceremonial Passing Out Parade of The Cadet UnitonAdamsfield

Sunday 25 August, 2013 at 11.00am

Reviewing Officer: Colonel Scotty Palmer (Australian DefenceForce Capability Development Group)

City to SurfCongratulations are due to the TAS team of over 30runners that completed the 14km City to Surf on Sunday. Beyondbeing a big personal challenge, being part of this enormouscommunity event is a wonderful experience that will last with themfor many years. With leadership from Year 9 student Huw Knox, thegroup was also responsible for raising over $8,000 to support thefight against Multiple Sclerosis and I congratulate them on addingsuch fine purpose to their physical efforts.NSW Parents’ Counciland the 2013 ElectionParents will be aware that school education isfeaturing as an important focus for the coming federal election. Asa major advocacy group for independent schooling, the NSW Parents’Council has prepared an information pack for independent schoolfamilies to assist them to support lobbying of federal candidatesin this area. The information pack is included with this edition ofTAS Talks and I commend it to you.

Science Bee CongratulationsIn an amazing effort Ali Ahsan, Year10, has placed fourth in the NSW final of a prestigiousinternational competition.Out of more than two thousand studentsfrom across the state that entered the Australian Brain Beecompetition by completing an online test at school, Ali andclassmate Tom Mailler were amongst only 140 selected in the statefinals in Sydney last week. The Australian competition is adivision of International Brain Bee, a world-wide neurosciencecompetition for high school students founded in 1999. Thecompetition aims to encourage students to learn about the brain,capture their imaginations and inspire them to pursue neurosciencecareers in order to help treat and find cures for neurological andpsychological disorders.Ali was one of 10 students selected for thenext session, and was placed fourth – just missing out on a $5000scholarship, awarded to each of the top three placegetters. This isa great effort and Ali and Tom are to be congratulated.

Head of Middle School BoardingMiddle School boarders and theirfamilies were made aware yesterday that our Head of Middle SchoolBoarding, Bill Doherty, has accepted the position of DeputyHeadmaster at St Kevin’s College in Melbourne and I offer mycongratulations to Bill on his appointment to this senior role. Atthe same time, I also take this opportunity to offer my thanks toBill for his leadership of Middle School boarding since taking upthe post at the start of last year. Middle School boarding, ofcourse, occupies a special and very important place in the life ofour school and the challenges of ensuring that it is a positive,productive and happy environment are many. Bill’s commitment tothose challenges has been greatly appreciated.Mr Doherty will takeup his new post in Term 1, 2014 and the process of searching for anew leader of White and Dangar Houses will commence shortly.

TAS TALKS 2

TAS TALKS 3

CHAPLAIN, RICHARD NEWTON

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Term 3 Week 5Wednesday 14 August HSC Trials continue NCISAthletics (Coffs Harbour)

Thursday 15 August HSC Trials continue Year 10 Parent TeacherInterviews 6.15pm Year 10 into 11 Parent Information session Friday16 August HSC Trials continue PSSA Athletics11.45am Year 10 into 11Parent Information session Saturday 17 August Rugby vs St Ignatius(Riverview) at TAS Musica Viva- Elias String Quartet, Armidale TownHall Sunday 18 August8.30-3.30pm Year 10 First Aid course (optionalday 2)11.00am Service at Kellys Plains Community Church Monday 19August HSC Trials continue Year 11 Metals & Engineeringworkplacement Tezukayama visit all week (JS)6.30pm TwilightConcert

Tuesday 20 August HSC Trials continue Year 11 Metals &Engineering workplacement Year 9 Geography Excursion to CoffsHarbour AgQuip in Gunnedah

Wednesday 21 August HSC Trials continue Year 11 Metals &Engineering workplacement Year 9 Geography Excursion to CoffsHarbour AgQuip in Gunnedah 6.30pm TAS/NEGS Service

Term 3 Week 4Thursday 22 August HSC Trials continue Year 11Metals & Engineeringwork placement AgQuip in Gunnedah Friday 23August HSC Trials conclude Year 11 Metals & Engineeringworkplacement12 midday OBU Golf Day - BBQ lunch Armidale GolfClub6.00pm TAS vs Old Boys debate in Hoskins Theatre

Saturday 24 August OBU Weekend8.30am Tennis on the School courtsShooting at Meadowfield Rifle Range 11.00am NE Branch of Bell TowerSociety, Morning Tea Lower Maxwell (Old Boys over 70 years)11.00amFootball on the Cricket Oval 1st XI v Old Boys11.30am Tours of theSchool from McConville Centre 12.15pm Rugby - TAS 1st XV v TheKing’s School 3rd XV 2.00pm Touch Football - Old Boys v TAS onCricket Oval3.00pm Tug-o-War - Hoskins area Presentation of CroftCup - Hoskins Centre 3.30pm TAS OBU AGM - Hoskins Centre 6.30pm PreDinner Drinks in Big School7.00pm TAS OBU Official Dinner in theTAS Dining Hall

HSC French Continuers Oral Exam (AHS) Tezukayama depart Sunday25 August9.30am OBU Chapel Service - TAS Chapel followed by morningtea11.00am TAS Cadet Unit, Passing Out Parade,Adamsfield

Monday 26 August Foundation meeting Tuesday 27 August BoardMeeting

Wednesday 28 August Winter Sports photos

Kellys Plains Community Church Service at

Perrott Chapel, Kellys Plains

11am, Sunday 18 Augustfollowed by morning tea

all welcome

Any queries please phone Rev Newton 0429 157 905

TAS TALKS 4

P&F ASSOCIATION, SANDRA KAYNES - PRESIDENT

COUNSELLOR, ROB HADFIELD

RazzmaTAS Fete - 2 November 2013Thanks to all our enthusiasticparents who attended our fete meeting last Wednesday evening. Thisyear’s fete will be another fantastic event that brings the wholeschool together. Over the next couple of weeks your Liaison Parentswill be contacting to you to get some assistance with your yeargroup’s stall.

Cup Cakes and CraftKindergarten is running a Cupcake and Craftstall at

this year’s RazzamTAS fete. So we were wondering if the craftyfolks... people who can

knit, crochet, sew... could start to think about creatinglovelythings for us to sell at our stall. I’m sure there areGrandma’s,mums, aunts, dads(maybe!) who can make

us something - now is the time to start.Contact FelicityPennington for more information via

6776 5800

Some students in Year 12 are reporting stress at this point inthe year. There are all kinds of individual reasons why this is thecase as well as some generic ones common to all facing the HSC andthe end of school life.

There are many elements in the situation that constitute highpressure. For example, personal, school and family expectations cancreate pressure. Entry levels for some tertiary courses can do thesame.

As a result of this pressure some students experience stress.Stress is our response to pressure or a sense of threat. There is a‘realistic’ level of stress that might be expected in the contextof the HSC and stress up to a certain point is important to bringout our best performance. Stress can help us direct our energies,focus our attention, and connect us to our priorities. Too muchstress however, interferes with our performance and subverts ourconfidence. In this case stress quickly becomes anxiety.

Anxiety is usually focused on the future and imagined outcomesthat would be disastrous. These thoughts often begin with, ‘whatif….’. We quickly develop narratives of the future that distract usand take us away from the here-and-now of giving things our bestshot. Becoming pre-occupied with imagined futures contributes toour stress becoming ‘dis-stress’.

If you recognise yourself here why not become pro-active in yourself-support and drop by. There are things you can do.

Tombola Jars Wanted Filled or Unfilled

Year 4 is organising the Tombola stall at the RazzamaTAS feteand they are looking for

donations of jars, with or without contents. They can be left atTAS Reception or contact

Cressida Mort 0417 271 835

TAS TALKS 5

GENERAL NOTICES

TAS Cadet Unit Passing Out Parade

Passing out parade for all cadets in Year 8 and above will beheld on Adamsfield on Sunday 25th August. This is a compulsoryactivity for all cadets.The polyester parade uniform was issued inWeek 4 and all cadets should now have this. The uniform will beinspected during the full dress rehearsal on Wednesday 14th August,then handed-in for safekeeping by the Q Store. Uniforms will thenbe issued back out on the morning of the parade, all cadets willget dressed in this uniform in classrooms prior to the parade. Uponcompletion of the parade, cadets will change and hand back theiruniform prior to dismissal. See timings for the parade below.

Passing Out Parade Rehearsal ScheduleWeek 5 14th August(Wednesday) - 3.40 - 5.00pm Full Unit Dress Rehearsal - PolyesterUniform with black boots. 15th August (Thursday) - Lunchtime FullUnit Rehearsal - school uniform 15th August (Thursday) - 3.30 -5.00pm Year 12 Cadets Rehearsal 16th August (Friday) - 3.30 -5.00pm Year 12 Cadets Rehearsal followed by Dining-in NightWeek 619th August (Monday) - 3.40 - 5.00pm Full Unit Rehearsal - schooluniform 20th August (Tuesday) - 3.30 - 5.00pm Year 12 CadetsRehearsal 21st August (Wednesday) - 1.30 - 3.30pm Year 8 Cadets,Flag Party, and their Leaders (B Coy) - school uniform 22nd August(Thursday) - Lunchtime Full Unit Rehearsal - school uniform 22ndAugust (Thursday) - 3.30 - 5.00pm Year 12 Cadets Rehearsal 23rdAugust (Friday) - 1.30 - 3.30pm Full Unit Rehearsal followed byYear 12 Cadets Rehearsal - school uniform

Passing Out Parade - 25th August (Sunday) - 8.30am - 12.30pm8.30am - cadets parade wearing casual dress - roll call 8.45am -breakfast for whole cadet unit in dining hall (hot cooked) 9.15am -cadets re-issued polyester uniform by platoons 9.30am - cadets topolish brass and dress in platoon classrooms 10.15am - inspectionunder covered way 10.45am - unit to form-up front of Dangar House10.55am - markers take post 11.00am - parade commence 12.00pm(approx) - parade complete 12.15pm - cadets change into casuals inplatoon classrooms and hand-in polyester uniform, except SGT andabove who move to lunch with families. 12.30pm - cadetsdismissed.

Year 9 Geography Field TripWhen? 20 and 21 AugustWhere? CoffsHarbourWho? All of Year 9How much will it cost? Approximately $50to cover travel and food.Why? As a part of our unit of study thisterm, which investigates the factors that cause change incommunities, we will be conducting a case study of Coffs Harbour -its environment, management, industries, past and future. This willalso be an op-portunity for us to model a Research Action Planbefore the boys begin work on their own. The RAP is the majorassessment component for the semester. We will be staying at BishopDruitt College, hearing from a variety of guest speakers, visitingthe National Maritime Research Centre and Muttonbird Island, aswell as gathering some of our own primary data in the CBD. We willarrive back on the Wednesday afternoon in time for day boys tocatch buses.

A list of items to bring, what to wear etc will be issued closerto the date.

Trevor Thatcher, Major (AAC), Commanding Officer

TAS TALKS 6

HSC Trial ExamsYear 12 Trial exams began on Monday 12 August andconclude on Friday 23 August. All Year 12 students have beenemailed the Trial exam timetable and a copy of the Rules andProcedures for exams. Students should read the rules and procedurescarefully.

Year 10 Parent Teacher InterviewsDetails for booking timesonline for Year 10 Parent Teacher Interviews have been emailed toparents.Two Interview sessions are planned for Year 10 - Thursday15 August (primarily for day boys) from 3:30pm - 6:00pm and Friday16 August from 1:50pm - 5:30pm. (primarily for boarders). Theonline booking system will be available from 31 July 2013 to 16August 2013.Please go to the Armidale School PTI homepage athttp://denbigh.as.edu.au/pti_den/ and login in with your allocatedusername and password.Once you log in, it is a matter of choosingyour child’s teacher and a time to suit. When you choose your timeit will be high-lighted in red. When you have finished you will beable to print off a personalised booking sheet.Should interviews onthese dates prove inconvenient, an alternative date or telephoneinterview may be arranged at a time that suits both parents andteachers. Requests can be directed to your son’s Advisor or to theAcademic Assistant, Vickey O’Brien.

In an effort to accommodate all parents - those working andtravelling, two Information Sessions will be held in Big School.The first session will be on Thursday 15 August beginning at 6.15pmand a repeat session on Friday 16 August at 11.45am. These sessionswill focus on the academic support at TAS, subject choices - A linkto the Year 11/12 Subject Handbook will be emailed to parents andstudents in the week prior to Parent Teacher Interviews, HSCscaling, the Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank (ATAR) andexpectations as a senior student. These sessions will be conductedby the Headmaster, Mr Guest, Mrs Wark, Director of Studies and MrBuntine, Director of Pastoral Care. It is highly recommended thatstudents attend these sessions with parents.

Please email [emailprotected] to indicate which informationsession you will be attending.

Ag Quip 2013Students in Years 9, 10, 11 Agriculture and Year 11Primary Industries will be attending Ag Quip on Thursday 22August.The bus will leave at 6:30am and return at approximately6:00pm.

Mike Ball

MEDICAL CENTRE - SISTER JENNY MURRAY

We recognise that some students missed the first (and second)opportunity to commence immunisation at school for HPV vaccination.Three doses of this vaccine are required to provide optimalprotection. If parents/carers wish we can start the course forstudents who missed out on the first dose/s this year during thenext clinic visit to the school on November 7th. The course can becompleted during the first visit/s next year while they are in year8.

Also Giardasil Vaccination (HPV ) is available free to 15 yearold boys in Year 10 this year at doctors’ surgerys.

What are you doing with those boots and balls ?Have you eversaid to yourself, “What am I going to do with those boots? They arein good condition so I can’t chuck them out.” How about you donatethem to a local Fijian school. In Fiji, a lot of kids play socceror rugby bare-footed. Sometimes they don’t even have a soccer ballor rugby ball to play with, but instead use something else. Thesechildren need the right equipment - boots and balls - that we cansupply to them. If you are interested and want to give thesechildren the right equipment needed to play these sports, just cometo Middle School where there will be two boxes with a poster oneach. Just put your equipment that you want to donate into one orboth of those boxes. There are few requirements except that ballsare not to be pumped and that they all must be good quality. Thesecond requirement is a big one. It must be good quality. If youwant more information, just email me at [emailprotected] or justask me directly during school hours. PS I now have plenty of bootsbut not enough soccer or rugby balls!!

Brayden Hadfield

TAS TALKS 7

DIRECTOR OF CO-CURRICULAR, JASON LINCOLN

TAS Careers NightI wish to congratulate Waseem Sajeev and theother members of the TAS Speakers for the initiative taken tointroduce our community to a Careers forum on Friday night. I amdelighted to report that feedback given to me about thepresentations was most favourable. On the whole the boys andfamilies were not only entertained but they felt they had a betterunderstanding of the pathway chosen by our guests and why. It hashelped motivate a number of our boys in their decision makingprocess and it has got many of our boys thinking about thepossibilities for themselves beyond school.

St Joseph’s College VisitSaturday's visit by St Joseph's Collegewas a most enjoyable day thanks to the continued support of ourfamilies in prioritising these weekends on so many levels. Despitethe nail biting loss for our 1st XV the highlight for me was theway our boys held themselves and the spirit of competition whichwas impeccable. This weekend we welcome St Ignatius College,Riverview for another full round of fixtures.

Old Boys Weekend (23/24 August 2013)Next weekend we host TheKings School as part of our annual Old Boys Weekend. Our boys willbe competing against both Old Boys and Kings alike throughout theweekend and I encourage you to go to the TAS website for allinformation on what is truly the highlight of the year on oursporting calendar.

Jay Kennedy On the swimming front Jay Kennedy continues to shineachieving even more PB's in the New England & North West AreaShort Course Championships held at the TAS pool on Sunday. Jayachieved many placings on the day and we congratulate him on hisself discipline displayed to pursue his goal with an impressivework ethic in what can be an isolating sport.

City to SurfI congratulate all our staff and students whoparticipated in the City to Surf 14km fun run on Sunday. Specialmention must go to Huw Knox who's fundraising efforts for MS sawthe team raise in excess of $8000 for this very worthy cause.

NCICS AthleticsSenior athletes have been helping out Juniorathletes in the preparation leading up to the NCIS competition inCoffs Harbour today. It has been delightful to have the seniorathletes offering their expertise and giving up lunchtime hours tohelp the juniors develop their skills for their upcomingcompetitions at NCIS and PSSA. The athletes are getting excited atthe prospect of competing in Coffs Harbour on Wednesday and atArmidale High on Friday. Huw Knox, Joe Makeham, Henry Coldham, BenBroster and Will Brissett have all happily attended juniortrainings on designated days for the past two and a half weeksweeks.Ben Broster is seen right working with the sprinters on thestarts.

TAS TALKS 8

HOSKINS CENTRE, EMMA BUZO - MANAGER

'West Side Story' Information Evening - tonight!There will be ashort information session at 5pm on Wednesday August 14 (tonight!)at Hoskins for students from TAS, NEGS, PLC and OCC. We will give alittle (but not too much) away about the BIG plans we have for theshow and answer questions about the auditions and rehearsals.Potential crew members are also welcome. West Side Story is epicand one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Auditioning,however, is not epic. It's really easy, as is the 'street combat'style of movement/dance in the show. We're looking for studentswith guts, attitude and fightin' spirit to form the two rivalgangs. We'll teach you the rest...

Details:http://teams.as.edu.au/groups/hoskins/wiki/2bb17/West_Side_Story.html

Last week's HSC Drama showcase 'Curtain Up'Fourteen studentsfrom TAS, NEGS and PLC took the stage last week in front of one ofthe biggest and most enthusiastic audiences I have ever seen atHoskins. Hundreds of boarders, day students and family members ofthe cast cheered the class on as they told their stories with greatcourage and a palpable sense of joie de vivre. Special thanks go tothe guest markers Andrew O'Connell, Sorelle Stewart and JessVince-Moin for their valuable input in the lead up to the pracexams in a few weeks.

Jazz Workshop and Performance A group of 45 students from acrossArmidale were treated to a delightful and inspirational workshopexperience last Sunday. Students had the opportunity to work withnationally renown Jazz artists, led by trombonist and vocalist DanBarnett and vocalist Tricia Evy. A range of Jazz concepts wereexplored including improvisation and establishing a sense of style.The workshop culminated in an en masse performance. It is throughexperiences like these that music can become a life long passion.So it was great to see students so engrossed in music making. Itwas a privilege for TAS to be involved in such an exciting project.Many thanks to conductor and instrumental tutor, Rob Woodhouse forbeing the visionary behind this exchange. Also thanks must go toSusanne James and NECOM for including us in this collaboration.Everyone at TAS continues to appreciate the amazing contributionNECOM makes to our community. We are looking forward to futurecollaborations.

Elective Music students to Musica Viva A reminder that allelective music students at TAS (Year 9, 10 and 11) will have theopportunity to attend the 2013 Musica Viva concert series inArmidale. The series of concerts on offer this year presents anunprecedented opportunity for students to gain valuable insightsinto a range of styles and concepts as covered in the electivecurriculum. Students will attend two concerts over the year at adiscounted group price of $18 per concert. Details of the concertprograms are outlined below for your information. Students will beexpected to find their own way to the Town Hall concerts. Arrivalshould be no later than 15 mins before the concert commences.Purchased tickets will be distributed at the door. A bus will takeboarders from the book room at 3:30pm and will return studentsafter the concert. Students are required to wear formals to eachconcert. A free pre-concert talk will also take place at 3:15 atthe Town Hall on the 17th. The talk will unpack the music that willbe played at each concert. Delivered by Alan Davidson, convenor ofMusic, UNE, the pre concert talk will be a great opportunity forany student or parent wishing to gain a deeper insight into theperformed repertoire. An email with details of both concerts hasbeen sent to Elective Music parents and students this week. Nonelective music students and their parents are also welcome toattend. Please contact the TAS Music Dept as soon as possible ifyou would like to be included in our discounted group booking.

Elias String Quartet - 17 August - Armidale Town Hall 4pm Secondin the Musica Viva Armidale Concert Series for 2013 is the EliasString Quartet. The Quartet brings together together their diversecultures, languages and musical interests to create a dramatic andsatisfying whole. In this triumphant return tour of Australia theypresent two revered staples of the quartet repertoire alongside ahighly anticipated world premiere from composer Matthew Hindson,inspired by the movement and energy of light.

The Elias String Quartet take their name from Mendelssohn’soratorio, Elijah, of which Elias is in its German form, and havequickly established themselves as one of the most intense andvibrant quartets of their generation. They perform around theworld, collaborating with many different artists. The Quartet wasformed in 1998 at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchesterwhere they worked closely with the late Dr Christopher Rowland.They also spent a year studying at the Hochschule in Cologne withthe Alban Berg quartet. Other mentors in the Quartet’s studiesinclude Hugh Maguire, György Kurtág, Gábor Takács-Nagy, HenriDutilleux and Rainer Schmidt.

TAS TALKS 9

MUSIC, NIK GLASS - DIRECTOR

Term 3 Twilight Concert Monday 19 August 6:30pm HoskinsCentre

Featuring student musicians from our peripatetic instrumentaland vocal programs

All welcome - entry free

TAS TALKS 10

HEAD OF MIDDLE SCHOOL, MARK HARRISON

New ArrivalsAfter having fare-welled our Auckland boys just twoweeks ago, we’re about to welcome two new Round Square arrivals,this time from Scotch Oakburn College in Tasmania. Samuel Herbertand Will Jones, both of whom are in Year 8 will be joining MiddleSchool boarders and attending classes for two weeks. Again, it isso good that our students can take the opportunity of meeting andassisting new people, dealing with different approaches to schoollife and, hopefully, forging friendships. I look forward tointroducing Samuel and Will at this week’s Town Meeting.

Year 8 Parent Interviews and Stage 5 Information SessionLastThursday hosted the first round of Year 8 Parent Interviews and anInformation Evening. While I’m hoping that the academic interviewswent well for all families, I know that the Information Session wasa real success, involving about forty people. Interviews andInformation sessions continued on Friday, this time to a Hoskinscapacity audience. While many families could attend one of thesedays, for those who couldn’t, I’ll briefly outline the content ofthe Information part of each. Effectively it involved talks fromBarney Buntine, Cindy Barnsley and me. Amongst other matters,Barney Buntine, Director of Pastoral Care, informed boys andparents about the differences between Year 8 Home Room clusters andthe Senior School Advisor system, opportunities and serviceinitiatives available to seniors and the senior boarding and dayhouse systems. Importantly, he also spoke about the School’spastoral care program. Cindy Barnsley, Middle School CurriculumCoordinator, then ‘walked’ families through the Stage 5 subjectselection options. Year 8 boys now have the bulk of informationthey need for the their three Electives (and one optional extra) inYears 9 and 10. I spoke about the responsibilities that invariablyattach to making academic choices. These selections should becarefully considered by individuals (and families) and all boysneed to ‘go with their heart’ when choosing one of them, at least.This is a wonderful time for students to focus on an elective,being an area of interest they’re really keen to pursue over thenext two years.

I was very happy, not just to meet parents, but also to discusstheir sons’ academic and extracurricular lives. Middle School boysare a lively and, thankfully, eclectic group to say the least andboth days presented themselves as ideal opportunities to canvasstheir parents’ views on the ways in which students, both as membersof a group and as individuals, make the best of their time here.Not surprisingly, the majority want their boys to ‘be out andabout’ and all want the boys to be engaged, pursuing activitiesthat interest and challenge them. Within reason, I want them to dothose activities that appeal to them, too. They need to be givenopportunities simply to enjoy themselves while they’re at TAS.Setting up a desk in the Memorial Hall, I was really pleased alsoto talk to boys who, of their own volition, came to speak to meabout - anything other than their academic performance, as a matterof fact! So happy in fact that I want you, as parents, to encouragethis kind of interaction whenever the boys want or need to talk,even advise, about Middle School. As you know, I’ve told all ofthem that the place belongs to them and that the only effective wayof determining its course is largely to tell me what works and whatdoes not… The staff do this, so the boys, likewise, have the rightto do this, too.

City to SurfDespite their relative youth, I’m pleased to reportthat the City to Surf contingent of thirty-seven TAS and PLCstudents comprised three boys from the Middle School: Jordan Frahm,Jim Orr and Ollie Shannon – all of whom are in Year 8. These werethe youngest competitors from TAS and each acquitted himself betterthan well. These boys finished the course easily and their timeswere good. The TAS contingent raised more than $8000 and all monieswill go towards research methods in an attempt to find a cure forMultiple Sclerosis.

Communication With YouI’m know that not all parents can read TASTalks easily - I’m well aware of your busy lifestyles. So, assomeone new to this position, I’ve decided to communicateinformation relevant to you in a more direct manner and, somethingchallenging for me, as succinctly as possible to Year 6, 7 and 8parent e-mail accounts. In addition to this TAS Talks inclusion,Year 6 parents will have received a ‘bare bones’ e-mail from methis afternoon outlining information that exclusively concerns ourYear 6 cohort. Already, I’ve received five responses from parentsand this is heartening for me. For those others of you who wish tocommunicate with me directly, I’m including again the e-mailaddresses that will come to the Middle School. My personal addressis: [emailprotected]

TAS TALKS 11

Tournament of Minds The Tournament of Minds team is well andtruly working hard preparing their presentation for this year’sTournament of Minds Regional Final, to be held at UNE on Sunday 25August. The team has chosen to answer the Social Sciences Challenge- Secrets...Shhh don’t tell! Almost everyone keeps secrets. Theycan be small like “we ate the last chocolate biscuit” or importantlike our ATM pin number. We keep secrets for all sorts of reasons.Whether the reasons are deemed good or bad depends on our personalvalues. Sometimes we share our secrets and sometimes our secretsare discovered. When secrets become known, there may beconsequences. Having read the challenge our TOM team have puttogether a fantastic story involving a singer with tonsillitis, acomputer programmer with greed on his mind and busy body Housepainter. We wish them all the very best of luck as they busilyprepare over the next 12 days. The 2013 TOM team: Will Grant,Brayden Hadfield, Noah Rose, Xavier Tonkin, Harry Jones, HenryO’Neil and Owen Chandler.

Jack Vallance Memorial Football CarnivalOn Sunday the TAS U12s Ateam played in the Jack Vallance Memorial Football Carnival. Weplayed 5 matches each with two 7-minute halves. Because of theshorter halves taking your chances were very important. The firstgame we played was against Ex Servies West Wolves. The game wasvery tough and at half time the score was nil all. Both teams wereplaying well and with not much time left Ben Hamilton scored off agreat pass from Sam Jeyakumar. The full time whistle blew and wehad won 1-0. Our second game was against Walcha Brumbies. Thisagain was a hard game but we managed to win 2-0 with Joe Gordon andCotter Litchfield both scoring. Our third game was against adetermined DK Saints team. Ben Hamilton was on fire scoring threegreat goals especially when he chipped the keeper off a Harry Jonespass. Joe Gordon also picked up another goal with a screamer intothe top corner. We won 4-0.After lunch we had the toughest gameyet. It was against DK Demons. We were almost one nil down in thefirst half but Harry Jones managed a great save however the refawarded a penalty and DK got a penalty shot. Luckily for us theshot just missed and we were saved. Luck was on our side when DKscored an unlucky own goal. A late goal to DK made the score lineat the end of the match 1-1. If we won our last game against SouthSkeetas we would win the tournament. We started well but missed afew chances. Then Ben Friend had a shot from a long way out thatwent in. Luke Evans also scored a great goal to go with Ben’sscreamer. We won 2-0 and also won the tournament. Thankyou to MrHadfield our coach and all the parents who were there supportingus. Kieran Dennis

The Jack Vallance Tournament is a Football (Soccer) Tournamentthat is on every year. This year was the first time TAS has enteredinto the Tournament. TAS entered three teams, I was in the under14s Division 1 group. In my team there was Noah Piper in the goals,Lewis Baber, Tom Baily, Tom Hyatt and Angus Cornell in the backsthen in the midfield there was Oscar McBean, me (Harry Mackenzie)and Hunter Hine for one game then in the forwards we had OscarBarrett, Archie Woodhouse and Griffon Shepherd. In our group therewere five teams - Souths, two DK teams and Exservies. Our firstgame was against Exservies. In the first half we had a close halfwith only nine players on the field. Exservies had a couple ofshot’s on goals but nothing to tough for Noah to handle, as thesecond half started we were joined by Tom Hyatt to bring us up to10 players which helped us in the defence. As the end of the secondhalf neared I slotted the ball in the bottom left corner, as theExservies kicked of Oscar Barrett made a perfect tackle and passedit to me on the wing which opened the centre up for Oscar McBean tohave a clear run at goals so I crossed the ball into the centre atOscars feet and he just slotted the ball into the net which madethe score 2:0. The game finished and we had won our first game.Next was against the strongest team in our group the DK destroyers.As the first half had started DK got threw our very strong defenceand had a couple of shots on goal but luckily Noah made someexcellent diving saves. In the second half we nearly scored but putthe ball to the side of the goal, the game ended at a nil all drawwhich was a really good out come. Our next game was against the DKconquerors but unfortunately we were a bit tired in this game andwas on top of our form and ended up having another nil all draw. Asour last game against South’s came near Hunter turned up which gaveus a bit more energy to put up a fight to win the competition. Thegame started and we had a couple of close shots on goal but onlyjust missing. As the game was coming close to the end we put up alast and final effort to score but with no success - we ended uphaving another nil all draw which put us in second place on theladder but Souths was close on our tale and had one game left, ifthey won 1:0 they would be level with us and if they won 2:0 thenthey would be in second place. As we watched the game Souths scoredonly one goal and we all were happy and thought that there would bea play off for second place only to be disappointed because the onegoal put them just in front of us because we only had two goals andthey had three. We were still happy for we had come third andconsidering that we hadn’t played together before it was a greatoutcome. Harry Mackenzie

TAS TALKS 12

HEAD OF JUNIOR SCHOOL, IAN LLOYD

From Ian LloydFundraisingThis week we heard from our friends atSt Jude’s School in Tanzania, for whom a previous fundraiser hasraised almost $350. To receive a handwritten letter, graciouslyexpressing their appreciation for the support and help from others,reinforces to our children just how important it is to serveothers. On the same note, you will again see a reminder about theChristmas Child project from Liam Matherson and San Behrend,outlined below with suggestions for each week’s donation. It is awonderful program and I strongly commend it to you.

Tezukayama Elementary School Visit and Bush DanceYou will havereceived by now an outline of next week’s activities withTezukayama. As you will see it will be a busy time and we thank allthose who have supported this venture. Specifically, we would liketo invite all our families to join us at Echidna Gully on Thursdayan evening for an Aussie style bbq and bush dance. We are usingthis occasion as an opportunity to have a party, but also to thankthe billeting families for their support by hosting students. TheSchool was very thankful so many were able to help out.

NCIS and PSSA AthleticsWith healthy sized squads departing forthese carnivals, I would again like to mention the assistance ourstudents received from senior students for the last number ofweeks. You’ll find all the details in the Director of Co-Curriculasection, but it goes without saying that we have appreciated theirhelp. I hope all the athletes enjoy the occasion. Representingtheir school is significant, but giving up their time and effort todo so and performing to the best of their ability is even more so.Good luck team!

Looking Ahead

Wednesday 14 August Transition Assembly – Hoskins Centre NCISAthleticsFriday 16 August PSSA Athletics – Armidale HighSchoolMonday 19 August Stephanie Velia Prac Student in for fourweeks on Year 4 TEZ arrive – approx 4pmTuesday 20 August WelcomeAssembly for TEZ 8.45am – Hoskins CentreWednesday 21 August MathsOlympiad Hanna Shield at UNE Aquatic Centre No ClassAssemblyThursday 22 August Robo-Tec performance 2.30pm EchidnaGully dance and Bush band 5pmFriday 23 August TEZ Farewell Assembly2pmSaturday 24 August TEZ depart 8.45am Old Boys WeekendSunday 25August Tournament of the Minds

TAS TALKS 13

Happy Birthday WishesWe wish a very Happy Birthday to thefollowing students: Kieran Dennis, Zac Matherson, Liam Matherson,Thomas Wu, Dominic Ferguson, Zoe Strelitz, and Kyanna Ping Kee.

HatsPlease remember that the Junior School children are expectedto wear a school hat when they are in the playground. The widebrimmed boys’ and girls’ hats are compulsory. The school “No Hat NoPlay” policy is being reinforced for the children’s well being.

Promptness to SchoolPlease ensure children are at school before8:45am ready to start of the day. The morning routine is animportant one and it can be rather disruptive if children arriveonce a lesson has commenced. If your child is late please escortthem to the Junior School Reception desk prior to heading to theclassroom and we thank you in advance for your co-operation.

Christmas ChildThe Year 5 Christmas Child committee would liketo remind all parents and students to bring in an item or a shoeboxthat you and your family have created. Please note the cost ofpostage is $9 per box.These boxes may include: Week 5: Something toWear – t-shirt, polo shirt, shorts, skirt, cap, beanie, sandalsetc. Week 6: Something to Love – Teddy bear, doll, soft toy etc.Week 7: Something Special – Carry bag, sunglasses, stickers,necklaces, craft kits, a personal note, a photo of yourself etc.Week 8: Someything for School – Exercise book, pencil case, pens,pencils, colouring pencils, sharpener, eraser, chalk etc. Week 9:Something to Play With – Tennis balls, toy cars, skipping ropes,marbles, musical instrument, yo-yo, slinky, finger puppets, wind uptorch etc. Week 10: Something for Personal Hygiene – Soap and facewasher, toothbrush, comb, scrunchies, hair clips etc.If you canpossibly donate you will have the sensation of feeling good bymaking someone who is poor happy. Just remember, these childrenonly get 1 Christmas box in their time at school so lets jointogether and make these boxes count.Kind Regards, Liam Mathersonand Sam Behrend (Year 5 Christmas Child Committee)

JUNIOR SCHOOL SPORT, KIRSTY BRUNSDON

HockeyU11s Girls’ HockeyThe mighty U11s girls hockey team playeda superb game against Harlies last Saturday. Despite the finalscore not being in our favour, the match was a fine display ofteamwork and sportsmanship. Our defence was strong, both from ourbacks and Sophia Grant in goals. This prevented Harlies fromscoring on a number of occasions, including several short cornersin a row. The girls created a number of good opportunities insideHarlies circle, but unfortunately, Harlies defence was very tightand we were unable to convert. Despite this, it was a terrific gameto watch and see the girls playing well in their positions,communicating with each other and passing the ball well. We arelooking forward to our game this weekend against St Johns at10.30am. There will be no training on Wednesday due to the NCIScarnival in Coffs Harbour. See you all on Saturday!

U11s WhiteFriday saw an understrength TAS Whites face up againstServies Red in a tough matchup. With some talented individuals inthe Servies side, it was easier pickings than it might haveotherwise been considering we were two short. Servies, on the otherhand, must have had at least three or four reserves. Despite theseodds, our boys worked tirelessly and Josiah Alcorn and ZacMatherson were regularly seen at both ends of the field in bothdefensive and attacking roles. Stewart Williams did a good job inthe backs, aiding first time keeper Alex Gibson, whilst CassidyWilliams and Dominic Ferguson tried their luck running the ball butto no avail. Eventually, despite a good goal from Zac Matherson,Servies took out the match with a commanding scoreline.

U13sUp against City Hornets, TAS 13s were keen to show some ofthe form they have exhibited earlier this season, and with a fullcontingent when compared with last week, it was looking as if wewould put up a good fight, on paper at least. The opening 10minutes saw TAS dominate, with some excellent ball movement andpositional play. However, as the subs started to roll on, someplayers demonstrated that they were less familiar with theirexpected roles, and the tight marking and work off the ball shownearlier, began to fade. Even though the City attack were beginningto get on top, a quick breakthrough by the TAS attack saw SamBehrend race into the circle and fire one into the backboard forour first score. Shortly after, in almost repeated fashion, Behrendonce again broke away and made no error to get TAS another superbgoal.

TAS TALKS 14

The TAS Tonkas/Transformers plus Solomon Layton from St Johnsplayed in the Jack Vallance Carnival on Sunday 11 August at theRologas Fields, Armidale. The team played 4 x 15 minute games andplayed fantastic football throughout the day. They played 3 drawsand 1 loss which was a great result.Everyone displayed really goodsportsmanship and were a credit to their school.Special thanks toNeil Smart for his coaching and refereeing, Ingrid Evans for theoranges and all the parents who turned up to watch the kids play.Matt MeehanPhoto right from the dayBack Row: Oliver Smart, JoshPongrass, Alex Webber, Sam Meehan, Lachlan Costello, SolomonLaytonFront Row: Beatrice Henzell, Peter Evans, Conol Nicoll,Campbell Aitkin, Lachlan Hunt

Despite City evening the card in the second half, goalieSterling George had a stunning game once again showing his manyabilities in front of the net. In defence, Sam Ruba proved himselfonce again to be a valuable member of the team whilst Sam Wrightshowed his versatility and great attitude. Late in the second half,Jonothan Chamberlain got a well deserved goal and played a pivotalrole throughout the game to give TAS 13s another fine win for theseason. Well done to all for their fine efforts and desire to dobetter week after week.

Please note - latest draw is on the TAS Hockey webpage.

Tornadoes - Mrs WrightWell, the Tornadoes were certainly on firelast Saturday, playing Norths at Rologas Fields. The game started alittle slowly, with both teams taking possession of the ball andusing it to their advantage. It was the Tornadoes, however, whowere first to score with some great teamwork in the forwards.Norths equalised shortly after with a great goal, drawing our backsout of position and placing the ball into the corner of the net.During the second half the game the Tornadoes continued to workstrongly as a team, passing the ball, staying in position andmaking accurate passes to score 5 more goals. It was a terrificteam effort this week. Great work boys!

TAS/St Johns Tonkas v North Armidale Red Rovers - Matt MeehanOnSaturday the Tonkas played a top game of football against NorthArmidale Red Rovers. Solomon Layton played another blinder andkicked 2 goals. Josh Pongrass and Alex Webber did a great job asour goalies again this week and held Red Rovers to one goal.Campbell Aitkin was ever reliable throughout the game. LachlanCostello scored another ripper goal by drilling one from far out.Catherine Alcorn had her best of the year and awarded player of theweek. TAS/St Johns won 3-1.

NetballTAS/PLC Topaz vs Sunbeam - Mrs TrenerryTopaz well andtruly shone in their second last game of the competition onSaturday. It was great to watch the girls move more freely aroundthe court with many series of good passes. Sunbeams were strong anddefended well but Topaz were stronger and excellent positional playfrom Ruby Straker, Casey Smith, Lucy Caldwell, Lucy Young andRachael Kenrick sealed our victory. Stephanie Evitt warmed up asthe game progressed and by the end was trusty and determined. Shemanaged to net her second goal of the series. Grace Smith slowlygot into the rhythm of the game but by the end was into positionand helping out with secure catching and throwing. CharlottePortell, once again, showed her great coordination scoring 2 goalsfor the team. Goals were also scored by Rachael Kenrick with LucyYoung getting her second of the series as well.It really was agreat team effort this week and the girls should be very proud ofthemselves. On Saturday, 17 August we have a bye and we meet forour final game on 24th August when we play ACSC Rainbows. Therewill be a presentation to all Junior Netball players after thefinal game.

TAS TALKS 15

COMMUNITY EVENTS

NO TICKETS SOLD AT THE DOOR

TAS TALKS 16

Exhibition will run until 11am Sunday 8th September 2013

Opening Night Cocktail FunctionWhen: Friday 6th September2013Where: NEGS Multi-Purpose CentreTime: 6.00pm - 9.00pmCost:$30.00/head prepaid; $35.00/head on the night(includes champagnesupper, live entertainment and drinks)

RSVP: With payment advice, 2nd September 2013Direct Deposit:NEGS OGU Inc. BSB: 932 000 Acc No.: 726755 Ref: your full nameCheque: NEGS OGU, C/ NEGS, Uralla Road, Armidale NSW 2350 Or: NEGSAdministration Office for ticketsConfirmation of attendees forcatering purposes to: Mrs Jo Campbell E: [emailprotected] P:02 6772 2048

Plus NEG

S Inaugura

l Student A

rt Compet

ition

Proudly Sponsored by:

Raffle prize kindly donated by Kate Warby

Exhibition will run until 11am Sunday 8th September 2013

Opening Night Cocktail FunctionWhen: Friday 6th September2013Where: NEGS Multi-Purpose CentreTime: 6.00pm - 9.00pmCost:$30.00/head prepaid; $35.00/head on the night(includes champagnesupper, live entertainment and drinks)

RSVP: With payment advice, 2nd September 2013Direct Deposit:NEGS OGU Inc. BSB: 932 000 Acc No.: 726755 Ref: your full nameCheque: NEGS OGU, C/ NEGS, Uralla Road, Armidale NSW 2350 Or: NEGSAdministration Office for ticketsConfirmation of attendees forcatering purposes to: Mrs Jo Campbell E: [emailprotected] P:02 6772 2048

Plus NEG

S Inaugura

l Student A

rt Compet

ition

Proudly Sponsored by:

Raffle prize kindly donated by Kate Warby

Exhibition will run until 11am Sunday 8th September 2013

Opening Night Cocktail FunctionWhen: Friday 6th September2013Where: NEGS Multi-Purpose CentreTime: 6.00pm - 9.00pmCost:$30.00/head prepaid; $35.00/head on the night(includes champagnesupper, live entertainment and drinks)

RSVP: With payment advice, 2nd September 2013Direct Deposit:NEGS OGU Inc. BSB: 932 000 Acc No.: 726755 Ref: your full nameCheque: NEGS OGU, C/ NEGS, Uralla Road, Armidale NSW 2350 Or: NEGSAdministration Office for ticketsConfirmation of attendees forcatering purposes to: Mrs Jo Campbell E: [emailprotected] P:02 6772 2048

Plus NEG

S Inaugura

l Student A

rt Compet

ition

Proudly Sponsored by:

Raffle prize kindly donated by Kate Warby

Sally Carmichael Specialist Tutor

Offering tutoring to primary aged students in Literacy andNumeracy.

• Multilit – Word Attack & Extension programs• PrecisionAcademics - Visual Maths program• Sight word, sound and blendassociation• Homework supervision• Reading and comprehension

Before and after school appointments available

Ph: 0408 388 444

Circuit Classes are on:Monday: 6:15pmTuesday 5:15pmSaturday4:15pmCost is $8.00 per session ($7.00 for TAS staff andstudents)Contact: Chris Doherty 6771 1158 or 0414 98 43 78

HEADMASTER, MURRAY GUESTCALENDAR OF EVENTSCHAPLAIN, RICHARDNEWTONCOUNSELLOR, ROB HADFIELDP&F ASSOCIATION, SANDRA KAYNES -PRESIDENTGENERAL NOTICESMEDICAL CENTRE - SISTER JENNYMURRAYDIRECTOR OF CO-CURRICULAR, JASON LINCOLNMUSIC, NIK GLASS -DIRECTORMIDDLE SCHOOL, MARK HARRISONJUNIOR SCHOOL, IAN LLOYDJUNIORSCHOOL SPORT, KIRSTY BRUNSDON COMMUNITY EVENTS