The Vine Issue 15 – 2022

COLLEGE PRINCIPAL

Mr James Tamblyn

This week we have celebrated the final stage of our Year 12 students’ journey at Pedare. This year’s graduating students have had their entire Senior School experience influenced by the Pandemic, making the navigation of such an important period of their lives far more complex than usual. And whilst we hope we never again have to endure another period characterised by masks and restrictions and lockdowns, perhaps a silver lining of our Year 12’s experience over the past three years has been the development and refinement of resilience that will stand them all in good stead as they begin their post-school lives.  

Congratulations to all our graduates on the resilience you have demonstrated and on your capacity to continue contributing so positively to College life. You are a beautiful cohort of young adults that is greatly admired and deeply respected. Your school is so proud of you all, as I know are your families. Thank you for all you have contributed to Pedare.

We wish you all every blessing, every success and every happiness with whatever lies ahead for you, and we look forward to following your progress with great interest. Remember always that you are an old Scholar of Pedare and that there will always be a home for you here amongst the Pedare family. God bless you. 

To the parents of our graduates, thank you for your support over the journey. Your contributions to our community are so highly valued and most greatly appreciated. Perhaps the most special part of the past few days has been sharing it with you. 

And to our staff, thank you for all your hard work over the academic year. You are an amazingly committed and talented team of professionals. You inspire our students, and each other. I say this often; the quality of a school cannot, ever, exceed the quality of its staff. And our school is exceptional because of your dedication to our students.

DEPUTY PRINCIPAL – TEACHING & LEARNING

Mrs Lauren Brooks

At Pedare, we strive for excellence. 

We unapologetically challenge every student to be the best version of themselves. To strive beyond their perceived potential, whether that be on the field, in the pool, through their extra-curricular passions, developing credentials, undertaking employment, workplace practice or in their academic studies. 

Last week we spoke to our Year 12 students about their approach to the finish line. We spoke about purpose, overcoming challenges and trying your best. 

This is such a unique time in the lives of our Year 12s. It is stressful, overwhelming and tiring. Although we have challenged our students to achieve their academic potential this year, these next few weeks won’t decide the remarkable and amazing lives our graduates are destined to lead. 

A final message for our Year 12 students..

During the next few weeks, remember that nothing that happens now has to determine what happens next. The potential in you is breathtaking, whether you’ve realised it yet or not. There will be choices, twists and turns in your path, and a lot of that path won’t be anything like you imagined. That’s one of the beautiful things about life. Sometimes things will work out exactly as you thought, and sometimes things will be different. It’s in the unexpected that the magic happens, so take notice of your disappointments – they are often opportunities disguised as something else.

As you sit down to your exams, you owe it to yourself to work hard and do your best but know that the results won’t be a measure of you. There is no exam, block of exams, or assessment that will even come close to showing what you are capable of, or the life that’s waiting for you.

Exams will test your memory and your understanding of a particular concept, not your intelligence. 

Education is powerful, but some of the most powerful things your time at school would have given you won’t be found on the periodic table or between the pages of a maths book. Your education has given you the capacity to have a voice and a presence – whether that’s through the way you use words, the way you create, the way you play sports or perform – or maybe it’s something else. It’s shown you that setbacks are temporary, disappointment doesn’t last, and enough courage can lift you out of anywhere. It’s given you opportunities to flourish your resilience and your wisdom about the way the world works. It’s shown you a lot – a lot – about people, and given you insight that can only come from experiencing good ones and not-so-good ones. It’s taught you about the relationships to seek out and the ones to steer clear of – you’ll come across plenty of both. 

Hopefully, above all else, it’s taught you that you can learn anything and do anything when you put in the effort. You may not have found whatever it is that ignites you yet. For you, that might be yet to come. Know that in you is everything you need to set the world on fire. Whether you realise it or not, it’s there – I promise you.

It’s important to work hard and give it everything you’ve got but know that there are so many more things about you that will determine the life you have. Most of the things, if not all of the things that will make you successful, happy and give you a wonderful life will not be measured by the exams you’re about to take. 

You have incredible power to open all sorts of doors and shape the life you want. This power is yours, and nobody can take it from you. It’s yours regardless of the marks you get. You can’t even know the doors you’ll open, and you’ll find the way to open them whether you get the grades you want or not. You don’t have to have it all figured out yet. 

Your path will be crooked, unexpected and beautiful, which is exactly the way it should be. Don’t let any of the bends or detours change your belief in your own potential, or the wonderful depth and richness of you.

Know that we’re behind you all the way.

Adapted from Hey Sigmund and Karen Young.

DEPUTY PRINCIPAL / HEAD OF SENIOR SCHOOL

Mr Andrew Whiteman

Welcome back to families for the final term of the school year. It seems a popular saying but, once again, this year has flown by, and it’s hard to imagine that Christmas will be here in under two months. This term is another busy time for students, full of activities and special events, as well as the important farewelling of our graduating class of 2022. 

Once again, in 2022, the Spring Carnival was a wonderful celebration of community spirit where all Middle and Senior students were involved in the fun activities. Although the weather wasn’t very kind to us, it was still a wonderful day of food, fun and celebration led by our Year 12 students dressed in their Hollywood theme. The Jackson oval has never looked so busy. We thank families for their generous support, and we look forward to providing you with the details of the funds raised for the Michael Rice Foundation.  

Thursday was the final official day for our Year 12 students. Their hard work and perseverance through their final year of school have been commendable, and they have been rightly celebrated this week. To celebrate with family and friends on Thursday was a wonderful occasion as they transition from current students to old scholars. We wish them the best of luck as they begin their SACE exams in Week 4.

Our Year 11 Geography students visited Morialta Conservation Park last week to conduct fieldwork, accompanied by Mr Andrew Richards and Ms Aleisha Caddy. Students used a number of methods to collect data and assess the risk of bushfires in the park. They considered risk factors including vegetation, fuel hazard and topography and took note of measures to help protect neighbouring residential areas.

Congratulations to our Year 10 Basketball team, who played to a very high standard last week and won through to the second round of the SSSA Basketball Knockout tournament. Our team was up against some older (and taller!) students but competed for every ball and were rewarded with advancing to the next stage of the competition. Well done, boys!  

Thank you for your ongoing support with our students’ summer uniform and personal presentation expectations. We have tried to communicate as effectively as possible a clear understanding of the College policy. Our students are certainly aware of what is required and what is acceptable, and we will continue to remind them of their own role in ensuring they meet the College’s expectations. Please do not hesitate to contact your child’s Community Coordinator or Home Group teacher if you have any questions.

2023 Senior School Leadership Team

Congratulations to the following students who were formally inducted into their 2023 Senior Student leadership positions at the Induction Assembly on Thursday, 20 October.

HEAD OF MIDDLE SCHOOL

 Mr Callum Iles

Last week, the Senior School Leader commissioning service was an incredibly powerful time where the 2022 Senior School Leaders handed responsibility over to the 2023 Senior School Leaders. It was exciting to see who the new leaders would be, but it was also a powerful vision of the new ideas, opportunities and changes each student cohort brings. Each year level wants to do things better than the year before and has different hopes for the year ahead. This idealistic passion is always exciting to see, and I anticipate what the 2023 Year 12s will bring to the school as leaders.

The Middle School team is currently working through the swathes of leadership applications to appoint the 2023 Middle School Leadership Team. The traditional Middle School, Community and Service Captains will be appointed later this term, as will the two new positions, Global Captain and Wellbeing Captain. The Global Captain serves the Middle School by promoting international-mindedness, and the Wellbeing Captain will promote student and staff wellbeing amongst the students and staff. These 18 students will have the opportunity to make a difference in the school and wider community through the opportunities they have to lead.

Seth Godin, a marketing legend, has a simple and realistic definition of leadership. It consists of someone who wants to create change in the world and has the ability to cast a vision for that change in a way that brings people along with them.

Simon Sinek, a leadership expert, states that leaders are able to create a space in which people can be themselves and feel safe sharing what’s on their minds. In that environment, leaders create trust, such that people follow them anywhere and willingly go the extra mile for them, not because they have to, but because they want to.

Mark 10 shares the words of the greatest leader of all, Jesus, who said, ‘whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.’

Leadership is a privilege, and the fact that so many students have the opportunity to serve each other, the community around them and the world they inhabit makes each new year an exciting prospect. 

HEAD OF JUNIOR SCHOOL

Mr Randall Pearce

Term 4 is busy, fun-filled and full of activities and adventures for both the Junior School students and staff. 

Year 4 Sleepover

Friday, 16 October, we completed our Year 4 Sleepover, where the children camped overnight on the Junior School oval just in front of the Blue Gum Sports Centre. Many thanks to Hannah Vlahos, Emily Hampel, Lyn Davis, Rebecca Wallace, Talitha Anderson and Tracy White, who camped out with the children on Friday night.  

School camp is a fantastic opportunity for children to develop new skills, friendships and interests. The benefits of school camp are numerous, here are my top five:

1. Development of social skills

School camp is an excellent opportunity to develop a range of social skills. Most activities at camp involve teamwork, which is great for strengthening established friendships and developing new friendships by connecting with children they don’t regularly talk with at school.

Through bonding activities, children develop supportive relationships not only with different children but also with their teachers. At camp, children have the opportunity to learn about acceptance, caring and understanding.

2. Development of independence skills

For many children, school camp is their first time away from family and home for a few nights. Parents are not there to remind their kids to eat their vegetables, brush their teeth, or have a shower.

Therefore, this is a great opportunity for kids to grow up by learning to take care of themselves and do things independently. Most kids rise to the challenge and learn to rely on themselves when they spend time away home.

3. Development of decision-making skills

Should I go with my friends or should I do the activity I really want to do? Should I sneak in my iPad / iPhone or similar? Should I stay up or go to bed? Supervising teachers are not able to hover over each child all the time, so at camp, children are responsible for making more of their own choices.

4. Increased environmental awareness

During camp, children are exposed to authentic nature-based experiences. Hands-on activities in the outdoors stimulate all senses and facilitate learning. Children become more aware of the environment and develop outdoor skills and an appreciation for nature.

5. Learning new skills

At school camp, children will be exposed to a range of activities that they may not have tried before. When away from their parents, children are often more adventurous and willing to try new things.

Finally, school camps provide children with the opportunity to work with various adults, which will nurture experiential education, build intergenerational relationships and result in a different learning style. Our students have the opportunity to form connections through first-hand experiences with trained, caring adult role models and experience a sense of achievement in a supervised, safe and positive environment as a result. Teacher involvement is, of course, vital to every successful camp, with the bonds between students and teachers strengthened away from the classroom.

Looking forward to the Year 3 sleepover on Friday, 4 November, end of Week 3.  

Please enjoy the following photos and reflections from our Year 4 whilst on camp. 

STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT

Also placing in the Department for Education Young Scientist Awards were:

Yr 5-8    Thomas Palmer    2nd place

Yr 9-12     Omar Haider    4th place

Yr 8 student, Eugene Lee, was also presented with his Oliphant Medal, having been the overall winner of the 2021 Oliphant Trophy.

Congratulations to these students for their significant achievements in science.

Jan Robertson, Acting Science Learning Leader

Australian CO2 National Dragsters Competition

20-21 October 2022

Junior School Mother’s Day in October Breakfast

Friday, 21 October

NEWS, UPDATES AND RESULTS

The Pedare Extra-Curricular Team are excited to bring you a new portal, containing information and links all in one location to our Sports and Clubs program.

The Portal is updated regularly to bring you the latest news, announcements, updates, results and more of Pedare Extra-Curricular activities and events.

Pedare Pride – Coin Line

Tea Tree Gully Anglican

Tea Tree Gully Anglican Church is a group of Christians who seek to serve Jesus in everything we do. Whether you are just visiting, or looking for a Christian home, we aim to be a loving and supportive family for you. We meet at the church at 8:30am, 10:00am, and 6:00pm in person. If you can’t join us just yet, we’ll continue to stream at 8:30am and 10:00am online using Zoom and YouTube  Service times are 8:30am and 10:00am.

Please contact Dave Brown on dave@ttganglican.org.au for more details, or check their Facebook page for links.

If you are struggling and would like to talk with someone from the church during these trying times, please phone 8264 3736.

Tea Tree Gully Uniting – Banksia Markets

Tea Tree Gully Uniting host the ‘local and friendly’ Banksia Markets on the first Saturday of each month from 8:30am to 1:00pm at 600 Milne Road, Banksia Park. Stalls inside the hall and in the car park include produce, fresh fruit and vegetables, jewellery, tools, bric-a-brac and lots more.

For more information contact the TTG Uniting Church website at https://www.ttguc.org.au/

St Mark’s Anglican Church

St Mark’s Anglican Church has a 9.00 am traditional service each Sunday morning and 9.30am each Wednesday morning. We would love to see you at either or both of our services. We are located on the corner of The Golden Way and Wynn Vale Drive, Wynn Vale.

For further information and updates about St Mark’s services and events, please visit our website at https://www.stmarksgoldengrove.org.au/ or visit our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/stmarksgoldengrove.org.au

Golden Grove Uniting Church

Golden Grove Uniting Church, corner of Crouch and One Tree Hill Road, Golden Grove, has a traditional service at 10 am on Sunday. Also, on the second and fourth Sunday of the month, we have a cafe-style church, which is a relaxed contemporary worship service at 6 pm in the Church hall.

Café Youth is a fun, interactive program for young people ages 14 and up looking to engage in topics of faith. It is held in the Church hall on the first and third Sunday of each month during the school term, from 6.30-8.30 pm. Café Youth sessions start with a fun 30-minute activity based on the theme for the night, then followed by “Talk Time”, during which the group discusses a topic of faith whilst enjoying delicious snacks, refreshments and pizza! The cost for each session is $5.

For further information, please contact the Office on 8251 4298 or email office@goldengroveuniting.org.au. You can even check our webpage: https://www.goldengroveuniting.org.au

Please click here to visit the College Calendar for a full list of College events