THE KING’S SCHOOL PREPARATORY SCHOOL
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Issue No 5 – 9th April, 2014
Headmaster’s
Distinctions
Term 1
Weeks 10 & 11
Kindergarten
BALL, Alexander
CHEUNG, Toby
DAWES, Lachlan
GUAZZAROTTO, Max
IRVING, Harry
O’GRADY, Liam
PONTURO, Sebastien
TRAN, Lachlan
Prep News
9 April, 2014
th
In Mr Allison’s absence, I have the pleasure of writing this week’s Head of Prep
School Newsletter. As you are aware, Mr Allison, Dr Hawkes, Mrs Baxter and
approximately 15 boys and accompanying parents, left last Sunday to travel to China.
They have enjoyed four days in Beijing and are currently on an overnight train to the
beautiful city of Xian. Next week, they will leave the city lights and spend time in a
rural setting in the area of Yangshou, before returning on the 17th April. I pray that
they will have a safe and rewarding trip and that the boys return with a better
understanding of how fortunate we are to live in Australia and a greater appreciation
for different cultures and lifestyles.
Year 1
BALL, Sebastian
HEISKANEN, Kasen
XI, Murphy
Year 2
CHADWICK, Noah
CHEMERYS, Daniel
HAZZOURI, John – Aldo
MERCIECA, Phoenix
MIRANDA – CLARK, James
Year 3
LEVY, Jake
NGUYEN, Adam x 3
POTTER, Todd x 2
WU, John x 2
Year 4
DI TOMMASO, Angelo
LI, Eric
PATTINSON, Oscar
RAJANI, Amir
TZAKOS, Michael
Year 5
DUNLOP, Harrison
FISHER, Spencer
GILMORE, Tom
McCONNELL, Thomas
OSCHADLEUS, Ryan
Year 6
McENCROE, Hugh
SHAW, Lachlan x 2
Easter
The Easter holiday period has always been a special holiday for me. From the age of
10 until I was well into my twenties, my family would travel each Easter to Walgett
in far west NSW. We would meet up with great family friends who lived in Walgett
and would be joined by up to eight other families. We would all camp on a property
beside the Barwon River and these camping trips are some of my fondest childhood
and teenage memories.
Despite being well away from civilisation, we would always share Easter eggs and
hot cross buns. Even though I had been brought up in a Christian family, because we
were always away for Easter, the message of Easter escaped me for many of these
years. My parents, like many families were time poor and this holiday, as simple as it
was, was waited for each year with great anticipation.
At this time, our priorities at Easter were not placed on Jesus. As a parent I have, at
times, also been guilty of making the same choice of priority at this time of year.
However, this is rare and I do my best to be a role model to my daughters and openly
display to them how important it is to have Jesus in my life.
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK: “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”
Psalm 118:24
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-1 Issue No 5 – 9th April, 2014
These days it is near impossible to escape the commercialism of Easter, however, it is imperative that we do not miss
the message of Easter. Jesus was put on the earth for one main purpose; to ensure eternal life with God for all who
believe and ask for forgiveness of their sins. To give us this beautiful gift, Jesus had to make the ultimate sacrifice. To
quote the words of John Newton, the man who wrote the song Amazing Grace, (one of my favourite hymns): ‘I am a
great sinner, but Christ is a great Saviour’. We are truly blessed to have such a saviour and know that no matter how
far we travel from God, Jesus came to seek and save the lost and bring us back to God.
I hope you, as I will, share this Easter with your family enjoying the eggs and buns but also using this time to reflect on
the blessings we have been given through the grace of God. As a Prep School, we will gather together on Thursday
afternoon (1:40 pm) before the Easter break to reflect on this message.
Year 5 Experience King’s Senior School Day
Last Wednesday the Year 5 boys were joined by their Tudor House counterparts and enjoyed a day together
experiencing the Senior School. The Tudor House boys joined the King’s boys just before recess and played some ‘get
to know you’ games and shared recess together before moving up to the Senior School. The boys experienced activities
in the Drama Centre, the Sports Centre and our new Science Centre. They then had lunch in the Dining Hall before the
King’s boys returned to The Prep and the Tudor House boys went on a tour of the School. The boys returned very
excited about the Senior School and some of the subjects they will study in the future. My thanks goes to the Senior
School staff and our Year 5 staff for organising and hosting this event.
Music Concert
Last Thursday evening, the Music Department held the first of its Evening Music Concerts for the year. We had boys
from Strings, Band and Choral performing and it is one of the few times each year when this happens. The large
audience was entertained by each group and the standard for the end of Term One was very high. I wish to congratulate
our Director of Music, Mr Jonathan Todhunter, our Head of Strings, Mr Trevor Addison, our Head of Bands, Mr Dan
Williams and the numerous peripatetic tutors for the wonderful work they do with our boys and the beautiful music they
produce.
IPSHA Cross Country
Last Saturday, we hosted the IPSHA Cross Country Carnival. This is a huge event with over 1500 competitors and over
4000 visitors to the school. We were blessed with the weather and the day was a tremendous success. I want to pass on
my sincere thanks to Mr Phill Rogers for his wonderful organisation of the day, to the many staff who assisted and
supported the day and a very special thanks to the large number of Prep dads who so gladly volunteered their time to
run the canteen, BBQs and parking. Without your help, the day would not have been the great success it was.
The boys’ results were also outstanding:
Under 8/9 (166 runners)
Under 10 (198 runners)
Under 11 (197 runners)
Under 12 (180 runners)
PLACE
Athlete
PLACE
Athlete
Place
Athlete
PLACE
Athlete
1
James Tierney
5
Jayden Gill
33
Oliver Lennox
14
Douglas Bygrave
4
Jake Levy
27
Charlie Jeffreson
66
Jude Henshaw
29
Rylee Hazell
19
Curtis Preston
33
Orlando Denton
75
Noah Bradford
36
George Poolman
47
Joseph Nashed
38
Harris Yang
104
Hamish McMorran
42
Isaac Olsson
55
Jordan Mathieu
51
Rohan Srivastava
118
Nicholas Horne
43
Harrison Stewart
61
Eren Kadayifci
103
Harrison Fenech
128
Thomas McConnell
66
Liam Kelly
71
Gus Van Aanholt
137
Richard Bao
132
Norman Huang
68
Aneesh Kaul
104
Sam Turner
152
Joseph Papasinos
137
Louis Pash
70
Keegan Halfpenny
127
Jordan Netto
160
Henry Bridgestocke
153
Harrison Dunlop
106
Gabe Preston
170
Lachlan Hargraves
156
Oliver Morris
121
Ben Harvey
James Tierney, Jake Levy, Jayden Gill and Douglas Bygrave have all made the IPSHA team that will compete at the
NSW CIS Carnival at Eastern Creek on Thursday, 12th June. Well done lads!
Congratulations
There have been a number of successes for Prep boys in recent weeks.
Piano
Joshua Han (Year 6) has recently received his LMus A certificate in piano. We believe he is the youngest
person in Australia to have ever received this award. Joshua played at least week’s Music Concert and I feel
blessed to have been part of that audience. He is such a talented musician. Congratulations Joshua!
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-2 Issue No 5 – 9th April, 2014
Swimming
Five Prep boys, Tyrone Bailey, Tyrone Albertyn, Luke Irving, Ben Irving (all in Year 6) and Tom Gavan (Year 3)
represented the IPSHA Swimming Team two weeks ago at the CIS Swimming Carnival. All boys represented the
King’s School with pride and put in some great performances. Our relay team of the two Tyrones, Luke and Ben swam
a PB and finished 4th. Tom Gavan came 16th out of 50 swimmers, Tyrone B came 4th in the breaststroke final; Tyrone
A came 7th in freestyle final, 4th in the backstroke final and a fantastic 3rd in 50m butterfly final. This means Tyrone
Albertyn has been selected in the NSW CIS team and will compete in the 50m butterfly race at the NSW PSSA State
Championships on Thursday this week. We look forward to celebrating his results next term. Well done boys!
Karta Karate
Nathan Yuen (Year 6) recently competed at the NSW Karate Championships and received the gold medal in Karta in
the Under 10/11 division. He will now compete at the Australian Championships later in the year. A fantastic
achievement Nathan!
Football
Joshua West (Year 6) competed at the NSW CIS Football Carnival last Friday as part of the IPSHA team. The team
played well and was placed third. Joshua gained selection in the NSW CIS team as the only goalkeeper. He will
compete at the NSW PSSA State Championships in Bass Hill from the 27th to the 29th May 2014. Congratulations Josh!
I wish to congratulate all these boys for their skill, commitment and attitude.
Year 3 Multicultural Day
Our annual Year 3 Multicultural Day will be held on Thursday and I am sure will be a wonderful success that celebrates
the diversity of not only Australia, but our wonderful King’s Community. The boys enjoy dressing up in outfits from
various countries and I thank Mr Lavender and Mrs Weston for their organisation and the wonderful parents who will
supply the lunch celebrating our different cultures.
Kindergarten Easter Hat Parade
On Thursday, Kindergarten will be holding an Easter Hat Parade from 8:30 am to 9:30 am. The hats have been made in
class and the parade will be a lovely way to conclude the boys’ first term of school.
ANZAC Service
ANZAC Day is an important part of Australian culture and even though the day occurs during the holidays, we will
recognise this important day with a special ANZAC Service Assembly on our first day back next term, Tuesday 29 th
April commencing at 1:40 pm.
Staff Training
As outlined recently by Mr Allison, we have introduced Pedagogical Coaches as part of our plan to improve teaching
and learning in The Prep School. The Prep Executive and our four Pedagogical Coaches, Mrs Tina Ruddock, Mrs Sonia
Weston, Mrs Annie Reuben and Mrs Shelley McMorran spent an invaluable Professional Development day last Friday
with a knowledgeable consultant on the subject from the Association of Independent Schools Leadership Centre. The
day was most worthwhile and will be reinforced with a second session later in the year. The staff continue to strive for
the best educational outcomes for your sons.
Student Leadership
Over the past two weeks, our Year Six leaders have had an opportunity to participate in some leadership training. The
first event was the National Young Leaders Day which the School Captain and four House Captains attended with me.
We had some interesting and inspiring speakers who spoke about their own leadership journey:





Ita Buttrose – 2013 Australian of the Year
Bob Carr – Former Foreign Minister and Premier of NSW
Andy Griffths – Best-selling children’s author
Mike Martin – Executive Director of the Halogen Foundation
Cohen Ashton - 16 year old Cystic Fibrosis sufferer
On Monday this week a larger group of boys spent the day in Gowan Brae with the TARA and Tudor House Year 6
leaders. Marco Levy, our Prep School Captain, has written a great report on this day later in the newsletter. The boys
were a credit to the School on both days.
House Points
At the conclusion of Week 10, Term One, the Class House Points are as follows. In 4 th is Blaxland on 19 points, equal
2nd is Thomas and Stiles on 23 points and our leaders at this stage in the year are Harrison on 28 points. The points are
very close this year and I encourage the boys to keep working hard and earning points for their House.
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-3 Issue No 5 – 9th April, 2014
End of Term Arrangements
Term One concludes on Thursday, 10th April. As is the common practice at the end of term, we will have a staggered
end to the day to assist with congestion at the Turning Circle. There are no After School Activities on this day and all
boys need to be picked up by 3:30 pm.
It is the School’s recommendation that boys be picked up by parents, grandparents or through arrangements with other
families.
Boys who require picking up after 3:30pm will need to be collected from After School Care, housed in the building
adjacent to the pool. This is a user pay service and further information may be obtained from Camp Australia
(1300 105 343 or www.campaustralia.com.au).


Boys in the year groups listed will be picked-up from the Turning Circle.
Kindy - 2:45 pm
Yr 1
- 2:50 pm
Yr 2
- 2:55 pm
Yr 5
- 3:00 pm
Yr 6
- 3:10 pm
Parents of boys in Years 3 & 4 will need to park their cars in the Gatehouse Driveway and walk to the
classrooms to collect their sons at 3:10pm.
Extra caution and patience will be required in the Turning Circle with so many students leaving within this
pickup period.
All bus boys are to catch their normal early bus services departing soon after 3:30 pm.
The Stanhope Bus will leave the Prep Turning Circle at 3:40 pm
PLEASE NOTE THAT NO LATE BUS SERVICES ARE AVAILABLE.
Holiday Events
1st XV Armidale Trip
During the break (Friday 11th to Sunday 13th April) our 1st XV side are travelling to Armidale to compete in the
Armidale School Rugby Carnival. This is a wonderful opportunity for the boys, with sides coming from all over NSW
and Queensland to compete. We wish the boys and staff a successful carnival.
Football and Rugby Camps
We will be hosting a Football and a Rugby Camp during the break and further details may be found in this newsletter.
These camps are a great opportunity to get a head start on the winter season.
Greg Blackman
Deputy Head of the Preparatory School
Upcoming Events
Week 1
Monday, 28 April 2014
Staff PD Day
Tuesday, 29 April 2014
Term Two Commences
ANZAC Service (1:40 pm)
Week 2
Wednesday, 30 April 2014
Presentation of Year 3 Headgear by Waratahs (3:30 pm)
Saturday, 3 May 2014
Winter Sport - Round 1
Tuesday, 6 May 2014
Prep School Tour (9:30 am)
2I Book Launch (8:25 am - 9:25 am)
Kindergarten Parents Literacy Workshops - ILC (12:30 for 1:00 to 2:40 pm)
K-6 House Meetings (1:40 pm)
Wednesday, 7 May 2014
Art Show Meeting (7:30 pm)
Friday, 9 May 2014
Year One Mothers’ Day Chapel Service and Luncheon - Chapel and Horrocks Hall
(9:30 am - 1:30 pm)
IPSHA Debating
Saturday, 10 May 2014
Winter Sport - Round 2
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-4 Issue No 5 – 9th April, 2014
Transdisciplinary Learning
At The Preparatory School you will often here teachers explain that our programme is
“transdisciplinary”. The PYP states that, in this context, the meaning of the prefix “trans”
is two-fold: to convey learning that has relevance across the subject areas and more
importantly, learning that transcends the confines of the subject areas to connect to what is
real in the world. (The Primary Years Programme as a model of transdisciplinary
learning – Feb 2010)
Basarab Nicolescu in The Transdisciplinary Evolution of Learning writes about a new
kind of education for the 21st Century emphasising four pillars:
Learning to know - This is the capability of making connections, adapting to
changes and knowing how to learn. Most notably, this refers to the inquiry-based
approach to learning such as the scientific process or research and information
fluency.
Learning to do - Transdisciplinary learning is
framed in the idea of project-based learning or
performance tasks that demonstrate the ability to
apply knowledge in a creative manner.
Year One boys learning about
How we express ourselves
through the lens of drama.
Learning to live together - The interconnectedness of the world makes this
aspect even more urgent for a need to be able to collaborate on a local and
global scale.
Learning to be - The life-long journey of self-discovery must be part of the
process of learning.
The illustration provided here (courtesy of www.hent.org/transdisciplinary.htm) visually shows the differences between
approaches to teaching and learning. With transdisciplinary learning, a framing topic/big idea or "burning issue” serves
as an overarching theme for the inquiry process.
So what does this look like for us here at The Prep School?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
The transdisciplinary units of inquiry are transcendent of the curriculum content and focus on authentic
learning, new perspectives, current issues within the context of multiple disciplines.
The transdisciplinary approach focuses on the inquiry or process itself through the lens of disciplines.
The units of inquiry are significant, relevant, engaging and challenging to the students.
Units of inquiry deal with real life issues such as the environment, hunger, resources and equality.
The units of inquiry look at problems that are complex and worthy of solving and can provide multiple
perspectives for addressing and providing solutions.
We ensure that we do this by teaching six transdisciplinary units each year (see picture below). Ask your boys about
their current unit of inquiry. You may be surprised by their answers!
Rachel Johnston
Director of Learning
[email protected]
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-5 Issue No 5 – 9th April, 2014
Student Leadership Day
On the 7th of April, 2014, student leaders from King's,
Tara and Tudor House attended the GRIP Leadership Day
held in Gowan Brae. To start off the day, we played a few
exciting games to introduce ourselves to the students from
the other schools. The four GRIP leaders, which consisted
of Andy, Mason, Rachel and Freya, then guided us
through each of the activities in our booklets. While a lot
of fun was had, the main aim of the day was to develop
our leadership skills and our understanding of what it
meant to be a ‘servant’ leader. The four leaders were very
creative in the way they addressed something during each
session which involved quite a lot of humour!
One of the key sessions was when we had to give a speech about ourselves to a small group of students
(there were students from King's, Tara and Tudor House in each group. We had to fill in a 'job description"
based on what our role is in our own school and then using this we had to prepare a
two minute speech to share with our groups and then the audience had to ask us
questions. Not only did this inform the audience on what our involvement is in our
school, it also helped the audience think differently about their own role.
When we arrived back at our meeting place, we had a delicious meal outside and
played some games. Once we finished lunch, we were split into groups that had
similar roles to ourselves from our own school. During this time we planned a
meeting and had a good discussion about how we can work together to improve our
schools.
Overall, I am sure that I can speak on behalf of the King's, Tara and Tudor House
students in saying that today was a great and memorable day that everybody enjoyed.
We had with great leaders, learned new skills, had great fun, played games, made
new friendships and enjoyed a "tad" bit of music. It was truly a day to remember.
Marco Levy
Prep School Captain
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-6 Issue No 5 – 9th April, 2014
Year One visits the Senior School Drama Centre
As a part of their Unit of Inquiry, Year One were fortunate enough to spend some time “expressing
themselves” with the Head of Drama and his Year 11 and 12 students last week. Michael Terzo
treated Year One to a lesson that I am quite sure the boys (and Mr Terzo) will remember forever.
Beginning in the Drama Centre, the ‘youngest’ and ‘oldest’ of students at our school, worked
together imaginatively and creatively. There was lots of noise, dance, action, drama and loud
laughter.
We then had time in the magical King’s Theatre exploring the stage and hearing stories of the
‘Hairspray’ production. Current Hairspray performers sang a special song just for the boys, which
Year One loved!
“I went to the senior school. I had fun there. I danced with Year 12. We played a game. The boy
who I did it with drove the same car as my dad. It is a BMW. We heard a song and it was called the
best kids in town. They were good and we got to watch colourful things and I want to go back
another day. We did a sound war. We went there on the bus then we danced. I felt nervous but I did
my best. When I heard the song I felt I was at the movies. One boy was named Nick Bra. It was
good. I loved it. We had so much fun. We wish Charlie was there. The Year 12 boys were good to
me and Mr Terzo was good to everyone as well.” By David Akuoko 1Y
“Year One went to the Year 12 Drama Centre. Mr Terzo took us upstairs and he put the year
twelves’ into groups and the boys had to make a vehicle and animal. Then a year 12 boy sat on a
chair and someone had to get the person off the chair. Then we had a sound war against 1G and 1Y.
We had to get 1G or 1Y on the floor. I got most people down. Then we went to the drama Theatre
and we watched year 12. They showed us how good they could dance and sing. I liked it so much
that I was going to burst!” By Christopher Tiong 1G
Jo Grinham and Sarah Moujalli
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-7 Issue No 5 – 9th April, 2014
Prep Chess News
Chess Coaching
Many boys have been enjoying the challenge of Chess Coaching provided by the Sydney Academy of Chess this term and
enrolments are now open for Term 2. Please find enrolment forms attached to this note, on the School Notice Boards and on
iLearn.
Friday afternoon NSW Junior Chess League Competition
Next term we have enrolled four teams in the NSW Junior Chess League competition. I encourage the boys to get as much
match play in as possible leading up to this competition. I will provide the draw to the players as soon as possible in the first
week of Term 2 as play will begin on Friday of the second week of term. Thank you to the parents who have offered to drive
boys to ‘away’ games. I will send a Working with Children Declaration to you soon. This will need to be completed and
returned prior to you driving boys to other schools.
Holiday coaching and Tournament Opportunities
There are many opportunities for boys to participate in further coaching and tournaments in the holidays. I encourage those
who are interested to view the websites of the Sydney Academy of Chess and the NSW Junior Chess League (both provided
below) to see the dates and conditions of various holiday coaching and tournaments.
It is through tournament play that boys are able to make significant improvements in their play and achieve a rating.
Sydney Academy of Chess: https://www.sydneyacademyofchess.com.au/tournaments/upcoming
NSW Junior Chess League: http://www.nswjcl.org.au/ComingEvents/2014/Autumn/ComingEvents.htm
Also available on the Sydney Academy of Chess site is the ability to play on-line games. I encourage all boys to consider
playing chess online as a good use of screen time in the holidays.
Finally, this except from an article by Dr Peter Dauvergne from the University of Sydney highlights the benefits for children
of studying and playing chess. He demonstrates that chess can:
·
Raise intelligence quotient (IQ) scores
·
Strengthen problem solving skills, teaching how to make difficult and abstract decisions independently
·
Enhance reading, memory, language, and mathematical abilities
·
Foster critical, creative, and original thinking
·
·
·
·
Provide practice at making accurate and fast decisions under time pressure, a skill that can help improve exam scores at
school
Teach how to think logically and efficiently, learning to select the ‘best’ choice from a large number of options
Challenge gifted children while potentially helping underachieving gifted students learn how to study and strive for
excellence
Demonstrate the importance of flexible planning, concentration, and the consequences of decisions
Given these educational benefits, the author concludes that chess is one of the most effective teaching tools to prepare
children for a world increasingly swamped by information and ever tougher decisions
Catherine Pearman
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- 11 Issue No 5 – 9th April, 2014
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- 12 Issue No 5 – 9th April, 2014
TKS Parents' Association
Invites you to attend
The Inaugural K-Year 12
Carnival Ball
Saturday 31 May 2014
Tickets are now on sale for the Carnival Ball at
http://www.trybooking.com/EQUF
You are encouraged to book tables of ten.
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- 13 Issue No 5 – 9th April, 2014
The King’s School Preparatory School
Holiday Rugby Skill Development Clinic
When:
9.00am - 1.00pm
Wednesday 23rd and Thursday 24th April, 2014
Where:
Price Fields.
Who:
Any TKS student Years 3-6.
Cost:
$100.00 – includes GST, coaching, rugby giveaways, and sausage sizzle on last day.
Features Include:
-
focus on individual and unit skill development.
fitness and fun.
confidence in contact.
qualified coaches.
Uniform:
any rugby jersey, shorts, socks, boots.
Mouthguard is compulsory.
Headgear is strongly recommended.
Bring morning tea, a drink and sunscreen for each day.
RSVP:
Please complete the tear off slip and return together with date of payment to the Prep
front office by Friday 4th April, 2014.
……………………………………………………………………………..
--------------------------------------- will be attending the Rugby Skill Development Clinic.
(please print name)
Age group this year: ………………. Medical Conditions:…………………………………
Methods of Payment (pay by 4 April 2014)
Credit Card – Secure Online Payment
Online Payments: https://payment.kings.edu.au –
Select Other Activities / Prep Rugby Clinic
(Please note that a 2% surcharge will apply to payments made via credit card accounts.)
EFT: The King’s School BSB 032 078 A/C no.214400 (WBC)
(Ensure you include your son’s name and GL21344
as a payment reference to assist in identifying and allocating your payment).
Signature (Parent/Guardian) ……………………………………
Date of payment…………………. Contact Number:………………………..
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- 14 Issue No 5 – 9th April, 2014