TheGrammarWord - Ipswich Grammar School

TheGrammarWord
5 February
Junior School
Interhouse
Swimming
Carnival
Senior School
Middle School
Junior School
Sports & Activities
Prep, Years 1, 3 &
4 Info Evening
6 February
Years 3-6
Assembly
Years 7-12
Interhouse
Swimming
Carnival
7 February
Cricket v ACGS
Volleyball v GT
9 February
Junior School
Support Group
Meeting
Senior School
Info Evening
11 February
Caring For Sons
Evening
12 February
Prep-Year 2
Assembly
13 February
Debating v BGS
Years 3-6
Assembly
/MyIGS
@MyIGS
Newsletter changes: You will notice a new-look Grammar Word in 2015 as
we produce one newsletter for Prep to Year 12. This is an evolving process,
and one which will improve communication across the school. The section
titles under ‘The Grammar Word’ masthead are clickable on most devices,
taking the user directly to their section of choice. I hope you enjoy the new
format and continued improvements throughout the year.
Senior & Prefect Induction: This week we conducted a very important
assembly to especially welcome our Year 12 students and their families as
they embark upon their final year of schooling. When I met with our Year
12s last week I remarked that the final year should be a wonderful year of
schooling. It is a time to work hard and become fully engaged in school life.
It is also the time to cultivate friendships and links that can last a lifetime.
It is a privilege not a right to be a leader at IGS. The title ‘Prefect’ is
meaningless unless accompanied by good works and actions to benefit the
school and its students. I am sure our leaders of School Captain Oliver Pye,
School Vice-Captains Hayden Randall and Sam Wallace, Boarding Captain
Cooper Smith, Boarding Vice-Captain Thomas Raymond and Prefects Chase
Cawood, Julio Escobar, Samuel Greive, Matthew Haspels, Tommy Jarrard,
Alexander Leathem, James Foddy, Patrick Moroney, Marcus Poniewierski,
Jacob Sanderson and Alistair Snow will be up to the challenge.
One of the traditions of our school is inviting a former school leader to
address the seniors. Class of 2011 School Captain, Tom Massey, had an
important commitment so was unable to attend. School Vice-Captain in
2011 was Nicholas Hooper. Nick spoke very eloquently and remarked
about the importance of ensuring balance during the final year of
schooling. Best wishes to Class 152, I am sure they will be outstanding
ambassadors for their families and their school.
Mr Robert Henderson
Headmaster/CEO
MIDDLE SCHOOL
Welcome to Term 1: I welcome all new and returning families to 2015. I hope all ‘batteries’ have
been recharged and that the New Year proves to be a rewarding one for all. Over the holidays
numerous beautification projects have been underway with a particular emphasis on the new
Middle School precinct. Some of these projects have included new lockers, painted rooms, the Year
7 Innovative Learning rooms, new furniture and appealing corridors. There is an old cliché that
‘All roads lead to Rome’. Now we can also say ‘All bright colours lead to the Middle School’. Take
a look for yourself and you will see what I mean! The precinct looks terrific.
What are the boys saying? I asked the question to some Middle School classes: “What was your
first impression of high school at Ipswich Grammar School?”
• Cooper: “Good, I like having the mobility to move around to different classrooms.”
• Charlie: “I like the teachers.”
• Dominic: “Good to catch up with mates.”
Upcoming events:
• Friday, 6 January: Year 7 Father & Son Function.
• Wednesday, 11 February: Caring for Sons Night. Focus is on positive wellbeing, in particular the
social and emotional needs of teenagers, resilience building and how to talk to teenagers. Parents
from Year 5 to 12 are invited.
• Wednesday, 18 February: Middle School Information Evening. Includes timetables, homework
expectations, use of computers, programs and camps. Year 7 families will have the opportunity
to view the new Year 7 rooms. For parents with Senior School sons, don’t forget the Senior School
Information Evening is on Monday, 9 February.
• Friday, 20 February: Parent Welcome Evening.
• Wednesday, 25 February: Middle School Mums’ Afternoon Tea. Great opportunity to catch up
with other mums without the children.
• Monday, 2 March: Middle School Induction Ceremony.
Positive Education: One of the new programs officially launched in 2015 is Positive Education.
The focus of positive education is to help staff, students and parents flourish. If the wellbeing of
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oneself is positive then there is a greater opportunity for everyone to achieve ones best in different
facets of society. The school focus is on building positive relationships, positive health, positive
mindset, positive direction, a positive self and positive emotions. Dr Taylor (School Counsellor),
Mr Wellings (Head of Year 8), Ms Thompson (Junior School teacher), and Mr Macknish (Head of
Junior School) have joined me as the team to drive this program and implement it into the Junior,
Middle and Senior Schools.
Life Skills: Life Skills is a once a week, age relevant designated subject. Topics currently being
studied are Cyber Safety and Positive Wellbeing (Year 7), Transition to High School (Year 8), Boys
to Men Program (Year 9).
Cybersafety Committee: Ipswich Grammar School is lucky enough to have a Cybersafety
Committee. Comprising of teachers, students and administrators, the committee meets to discuss
cyber matters, develop codes of conduct for appropriate usage and from time to time discuss the
best possible solutions to the ever growing demands of technology. Useful tips on cyber issues
will be added to this column in the near future.
Mr John Chalvatzis
Head of Middle School
jchalvatzis@ipswichgrammar.com
JUNIOR SCHOOL
Communication & Screening: This week, many parents will hopefully take the opportunity
to attend the respective Parent Information Evenings for their sons. Throughout the year, it
is important to maintain communication with the classroom teacher via occasional emails,
telephone conversations, diary notes, parent evenings or meetings in order to demonstrate to
the boys that the school and home environments are synchronised and supportive of each other
to maximise learning abilities. A parent who knows the homework expectations of the teacher
will be able to reinforce these in the home environment. Alternately, a teacher who knows about
any upheavals or disruption in the home can make reasonable allowances for the student based
upon their knowledge.
Throughout this week, we have continued our regular screening to confirm student needs. This
has predominantly been across spelling, reading, writing and mathematics concepts and, of
course, varies in nature depending upon the year level. This data is exceptionally helpful to ensure
that teachers know the best point from which to start with each child or to confirm each child’s
particular level of competence.
Years 4-6 ICT Parent Evening (Laptops): This short evening will be held in the Earle Williams
Literacy Centre, commencing at 6.30pm on Thursday, 12 February. The aim of the evening is to
brief parents about some of the ways that the students in Years 4 to 6 will utilise their laptops and
ICT to enhance their learning. Additionally, we will show parents how to navigate in MyIGS and
Parent Lounge in order to ensure they are fully informed of student progress and expectations.
Years 3-6 Swimming Carnival: Parents are more than welcome to support our boys at the carnival
on Thursday. The event commences at 9am and students are reminded that, while they wear their
sports uniform for the day, the carnival provides an opportunity to be highly vocal in support
of mates and, of course, be quite parochial for their respective houses. It is always wonderful to
experience the support that the boys give to their peers and also the dedication to participate as
highly as possible, even if swimming is not their greatest talent.
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A relatively short event, concluding between morning tea and lunch, it will still be crucially important
for all boys to regularly apply sunscreen and drink water throughout the morning. Parents will be able
to access the tuckshop during the morning for tea, coffee and snacks. Students will need to order their
tuckshop as normal through Flexischools and this will be delivered to the pool.
Junior School Parent Support Group Meeting: This Monday evening, the Junior School Parent
Support Group will hold its first meeting of the year. As is the case each year, the group has
seen a number of regular attendees move on into Middle School. We are seeking more parents to
be an active part of the Parent Support Group this year. It is an excellent way in which to meet
other parents. There are various levels at which parents can be involved, even if unable to attend
meetings regularly or at all. I encourage parents to join us on Monday evening at 7pm in the Earle
Williams Literacy Centre for an hour of fun while planning activities and learning more about the
school. All are welcome.
Student awards: Jacob Hines, Sam Stallmann, Austin Trevanion and Hamish Long have been
recognised with a Community Award for proactively welcoming and encouraging new students
into their peer group games.
Mr David Macknish
Head of Junior School
dmacknish@ipswichgrammar.com
SPORTS & ACTIVITIES
Quote of the week: “A winner is someone who recognises Gods given talents,develops that talent
into skill and uses that skill to reach their ultimate goal.”
Thank you to staff and students for a very productive week. It was great to see many new faces in the IGS
colours. A big welcome to our Year 5 cricket team. I must commend all teams on their efforts and conduct.
Congratulations to: Thomas Fanshawe, who has been selected in the Met West triathlon team.
Mr Nigel Greive
Director of Sports & Activities
ngreive@ipswichgrammar.com
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Cross Country: On Saturday, 31 January endurance squad boys and their coaches made their
fourth annual foray to the Caboolture Historical Village Dusk 2 Dawn ultra-marathon. IGS White,
lead by Cross Country captain Oliver Pye, ran an enormous 164.213km in the 12 hours, smashing
the record set by the 2012 seniors by 16km. This allowed IGS to secure first place for the fourth
consecutive year. IGS Red came second with 146.700km. The future of IGS endurance is looking
very bright with the three youngest runners – Jack Partridge, Isaac Bracker and Ryan Trace –
driving this team of Middle School boys for the entire 12 hours.
The IGS Maroon team of developing runners ran 120.903km to place fifth. Across all teams our
boys managed an impressive average of 12km/h. We also had two junior boys entered in the 10km,
Thomas Hurd and Hayden O’Mara. They finished first and second respectively. Congratulations
to all boys involved and a big thanks to the parents and coaches for making this event another
successful challenge for our boys.
Mr Bruce Hardy
MIC Cross Country
bhardy@ipswichgrammar.com
Cricket results v BBC
Cricket results v BBC:
TEAM
First XI
12B – Second XI
12C – Third XI
11A
11B
10A
10B
9A
9B
8A
8B
7A
7B
6A
6B
5A
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BBC
8/146
4/224
80
8/163
95
77
11
7/141
95
93
25
7/144
54
8/97
7/48
54
Leadership
145
6/200
130
7/251
4/96
5/171
9/142
5/145
4/96
2/94
8/100
7/145
106
95
3/91
5/125
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For All Boys & Girls - AUSKICK – U6’s to U19’s (Colts)
– U15 & 17 Girls – Open Women’s & Over 35’s Masters
U6 & U8 no tackle, U9 & U10 Intro with modified
tackles ~ designed for all to have Fun With full
participation to develop skills
Date:
Saturday-Sunday 7th & 8th February,
Time:
9am – 2pm
Place:
Ipswich Cats Clubhouse
Ivor Marsden Park, Old Toowoomba rd
Via – One Mile / Liechhardt &
@ Riverlink - Booval Fair – Brassall Village
https://www.facebook.com/ipswichcatsjuniorafl
www.ipswichcatsjafl.com.au/
@IpswichCatsJAFC
ipswichcentraljuniors@aflbj.com
Club President, Sean McComb 0418 195 755
Proudly sponsored by
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