The Vine Issue 15 – 2024

COLLEGE PRINCIPAL

Mr James Tamblyn

This week, we have celebrated the final stage of our Year 12 students’ journey at Pedare. At Friday’s Thanksgiving Service, I spoke about the power of gratitude, and through it, our opportunity to choose happiness even through the most challenging times.

Benedictine Monk David Steindl-Rast is a renowned advocate for grateful living and I love his work on the connection between happiness and gratitude. He teaches that happiness is achieved by being grateful for what we have, rather than coveting something else or more of the same. We reflected with our graduating Year 12s on some examples of people who perhaps had every right not to feel grateful but chose to focus on cultivating gratitude for what they did have. 

Eddie Jaku, a Holocaust survivor and author of ‘The Happiest Man on Earth,’ exemplifies the power of gratitude in the face of unimaginable hardship. After enduring profound loss and suffering, he chose to embrace life with gratitude. His story teaches us that while we cannot control our circumstances, we can choose how we respond to them. Eddie Jaku’s journey reminds us to cherish every moment and to be thankful for the gift of life itself. He cultivated a grateful heart to find joy in circumstances we cannot begin to imagine. 

On 2 September 2011, Turia Pitt competed in a 100km ultramarathon through Western Australia’s Kimberley region. During the race, she ended up being surrounded by an uncontrolled wildfire and suffered burns to 65% of her body. She subsequently underwent over 200 operations. She embodies gratitude. After surviving this ordeal, she chose to focus on what she had – her strength, her support system and her dreams. Turia Pitt teaches us that gratitude can be an extraordinarily powerful force in our lives, pushing us to overcome obstacles and to celebrate our victories, no matter how small. Her spirit reminds us that every setback can lead to a new opportunity for growth and gratitude. 

Neale Daniher, an Australian rules football legend, has faced the challenges of motor neurone disease (MND) with remarkable grace and gratitude. Since being diagnosed with MND in 2013, he has dedicated his life to raising awareness and funds for research, emphasising the importance of community and connection. Neale Daniher’s journey is a testament to the idea that gratitude can inspire action. His commitment to making a difference teaches us that expressing gratitude for what we have can motivate us to give back to others. 

Each of these people had every reason to focus on the negative circumstances in their lives. But instead, they chose gratitude; a focus on what they had and what they could do with it. They chose happiness, which no one or no circumstance can take away from them. It is not happiness that makes them grateful; it’s gratitude that makes them happy.

We wish our graduates every blessing, every success and every happiness with all that lies ahead, and we look forward to following their progress with great interest. 

DEPUTY PRINCIPAL / HEAD OF SENIOR SCHOOL

Mrs Mandy Hore

First of the Lasts – Celebrating our 2024 Year 12 cohort

Welcome to Term 4! This Term begins with the “Festival of Year 12”, celebrating the final moments before the Year 12 students leave our College. Every moment is tinged with reflection and celebration of the growth, friendships and achievements.

The ‘first of the lasts’ extends to the day-to-day experiences that Year 12 students are wrapping up. Every day seems to bring another ‘last’—whether it’s the final time wearing their school uniform, submitting an assignment or the last lunchtime spent with friends. These moments are not just a countdown to graduation but also an opportunity to appreciate the sense of community they’ve been a part of.

The first ‘last’ was last week’s Senior School Leadership Induction Assembly, where our 2024 student leaders were celebrated and thanked for the legacy they leave behind. This service was a great reminder of their leadership and dedication to being exemplary role models within the College. I thank Liam H (Year 12) and Caitlin E (Year 12) for their service and I am excited to work with the new 2025 leaders.

DEPUTY PRINCIPAL (TEACHING & LEARNING)

Mrs Kat Elliot

Term 4 has launched and is in full swing. As Year 12s wrap up their final tasks and exams, Year 5s have commenced work on their exhibitions for the PYP, and final assessment programs are underway across all areas of the school.

To complement this, teachers are beginning to review learning programs and consider what has worked well, as well as areas to change or adapt moving forward. To help us, data from PAT and NAPLAN tests can inform our practice and support our understanding of student progress. From these and myriad other sources, we learn from what we have done and look for ways of constant innovation and engaging learning programs.

When we watch a movie or read a book, our enjoyment of the story often hinges on how the plot all comes together at the end. In this same way, we have been speaking with Year 12s about the importance of finishing well. All of us can benefit from considering our attitude and commitment through to the very end of our school year and aim to finish well.

It will feel like the blink of an eye when we gather to celebrate academic achievements later this term in the Middle and Senior Schools. While we recognise the 10% who have achieved Academic Excellence awards, we also recognise that sustained effort and excellence in attitude are equally important through our Endeavour awards.

HEAD OF JUNIOR SCHOOL

Ms Lisa Daws

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” – Galatians 6:9 (NIV)

As we begin this final chapter of the year, we’re graced by beautiful weather, symbolising a fresh start. This is a season to finish strong, embrace challenges and maintain a growth mindset—knowing that perseverance and effort lead to growth and improvement.

Term 4 brings exciting opportunities for new perspectives, particularly as we prepare for transitions, welcome new students and meet the teachers who will join us in the journey ahead. Each new experience is a chance to develop, and it’s this mindset of growth that will carry us through the term and beyond—new friends, connections and for some, a chance to restore relationships.

Year 5 Exhibition

One of the major highlights this term is the Year 5 Exhibition, a pinnacle of their PYP journey. Year 5s are preparing to showcase not just their knowledge, but also their resilience, curiosity and determination. This exhibition is an example of how, with a growth mindset, challenges are embraced, mistakes are viewed as learning opportunities and perseverance leads to success as they prepare for the next step in their educational pathway.

Junior School Student Leadership

In addition, the Junior School Student Leadership nomination process is now underway for Year 4 students. They are learning to step into new responsibilities with confidence and the understanding that leadership is about effort, learning from feedback and continuous improvement. We encourage them to see leadership as a stepping stone where growth comes from stepping out of comfort zones and embracing opportunities to lead with empathy and integrity.

Student Relationship and Engagement Policy – Neat

On Friday, we were excited to introduce the next value in our Student Relationship and Engagement Policy – Neat. A neat and well-presented uniform and environment not only reflect pride but also a mindset of taking care of oneself and the community. With every effort to wear the uniform correctly, we’re fostering responsibility and attention to detail—qualities that help build a strong foundation for lifelong growth. Wearing our uniform correctly fosters a sense of belonging, respect and unity within our College community. Thank you to all our families for your support in ensuring our students present themselves proudly in their uniforms.

Let’s make this term a time of growth, achievement and positivity for all. The term is full of engaging experiences, and I encourage you to mark the dates on your calendar. They promise to be enjoyable and valuable learning experiences for everyone!

HEAD OF MIDDLE SCHOOL

Mrs Eliza Buckoke

Thank you for your continued support as we move into Term 4. It is a short term ahead, but one that is packed with activities and opportunities for all students.

VEX tournaments have continued in full swing, with several teams heading to Salisbury East High School on the very first day of the term. We are incredibly proud that many of our teams have progressed to the State Championships, which will take place next Monday, 28 October.

Year 7 Sustainability Excursion to St Luke’s Anglican Parish

Year 7 Sustainability students visited the community garden at St Luke’s Anglican Parish to prepare garden beds for the Pedare and Parish Community Celebrations on 9 November. They toured the garden, learning how to cultivate successful yields for continuous harvest.

With help from Parish volunteers David and Max, the students prepared planter boxes and selected companion plants to grow. They also toured the church, gaining insight into the Anglican foundations of the College.

A highlight was exploring the Op Shop, where they found treasures to upcycle for the school gardens.

Many thanks to Rev Jo and the volunteers for their warm welcome.

Mrs Jude Johnson

Fun in OSHC

In OSHC, we’ve been focusing on wellness and teamwork with some fun activities as the students return to the College. We explored healthy eating by creating food faces from magazine cut-outs of fruits and vegetables, and the after-school care group even made delicious banana muffins! The students also enjoyed a teamwork challenge, completing an obstacle course in pairs to strengthen their relationships and cooperation skills.

Ms Katy Allen

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.

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.

On Sundays, we meet at the church at 8.30 am, 10.00 am and 6.00 pm. If you want to discover what the bible says Christianity is all about, join one of the numerous weekly bible discussion groups, or want to find out about our Kids Club (R-6) from 3:30-5pm and Youth group (Y7-12) from 7-9pm that both operate on a weekly basis during school terms.

Please visit our website (https://ttganglican.org.au/) or contact Rick Maude at rick@ttgAnglican.org.au for details.

Gully Church (Tea Tree Gully Uniting) – Banksia Markets

Gully Church hosts the ‘local and friendly’ Banksia Markets on the first Saturday of each month from 8.30 am to 1.00 pm at 600 Milne Road, Banksia Park. Stalls inside the hall and in the car park include produce, fresh fruit and vegetables, jewellery, tools, bric-à-brac and lots more.

For more information, contact the Gully Church website at https://www.ttguc.org.au/ or email office@gullychurch.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 a Sunday.  Also, on the second and fourth Sunday of the month, we have a cafe-style church, 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. 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 while enjoying delicious snacks, refreshments and pizza! The cost for each session is $5.

For further information, please contact the Office at 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