The Benefits of Studying Drama · 2019-05-14 · The Benefits of Studying Drama The subject of Drama is often one that is misunderstood. One common misconception is that drama is

It has been a challenging and emotional week at Arndell Anglican College, I would like to thank our community for its continued strength and support during this time. As we move through the emotions of this week’s news, please be assured that the College continues to provide resources and support for our staff, students and community during this difficult time. Last week I joined a group of School Principals to visit a school in the Northern Territory,

Kormilda College. Kormilda College is owned and operated by the Anglican Diocese of the

Northern Territory and the Uniting Church of the Northern Territory and offers, what can be

best described as, a unique and inspiring educational experience. Kormilda is a school of

almost 700 students, of which 150 are indigenous boarders. It seeks to provide educational

opportunities for all of its students and has developed a strong reputation for educational excellence.

Of particular interest to me was the way the College had successfully integrated 150 indigenous boarders, many of

whom have come from some of the most remote places within the Northern Territory and its surrounds, into the full life

of the College. The reasons they come to Kormilda are many, but one of the most compelling was that in many of the

communities these children come from, there are no high schools for them to attend. Without a school like Kormilda

these children would not have the opportunity to further their education and develop skills which will help them go onto

lead the lives they have been given. The elders in these communities passionately support Kormilda and what it has

to offer. I found this community truly inspirational and feel blessed for having the opportunity to visit them.

At Arndell Anglican College we also seek to inspire our students and provide them, within our comprehensive intake,

opportunities that will develop skills which will enable them to go on to lead productive lives. As I left Kormilda I realised

how blessed and lucky our students are, including my own children, that they have access to the quality of education

that we offer here. Like Kormilda we are interested in educating the whole child, yes their academic development is

important and the vast majority of our time is spent on this, but we are also interested in developing their creativity,

their faith, their physical capacity and their development of relationships. If we are to remain a quality Christian School

we need to remain focused on developing the whole child and that also means we develop their sense of social justice,

we want our students to leave with a sense that they have a responsibility when they leave the College to make a

positive difference in the world, something our Lord God expects of us.

Year 12 Extension History students attended a talk by British Historian

and author Niall Ferguson on Sunday 22nd May at the Opera House

(#SOHIdeas).

He spoke on the use of history to understand and navigate politics and

economics today, and the dangers of ignoring history’s insights into our

future.

This talk provided a great opportunity to see History applied.

The Benefits of Studying Drama The subject of Drama is often one that is misunderstood. One common misconception is that drama is less academically challenging as it is simply all play and no work. To non-theatrical types it may appear that way as you walk past a drama classroom. Where other subjects require technologically smart classrooms, organised desks, individual skill and understanding, the drama classroom requires open space, human interaction, imagination and thrives on noise and collaborative chaos. The essence of drama involves a deep understanding and analysis of human behaviour. Studying drama can have an extremely positive impact on a student’s physical, emotional, social and cognitive development. In our current world, students are heavily reliant on their technological devices as a cure for boredom, real chat has been replaced with Snapchat, face to face interaction has now become more ‘screen to screen’ due to such applications as FaceTime. Social media has created a new and somewhat isolating landscape for communication and interaction. Is it a coincidence that the occurrence of teenage anxiety, depression and anti-social behaviour is rising or can it be considered a consequence of our technologically dependent, device driven world? Theatre Professor Tracey Moore from the University of Hartford is an advocate for theatrical education and urges that the study of drama is needed more than ever in our current world. In her article for The Chronicle of Higher Education (April, 03 2016) Moore writes that the communal and physical world of drama may be a cure for what ails us in our digital world. Drama students are required to disconnect from technology and connect with themselves and each other. The ‘human’ skills of thinking, feeling and action are improved and developed in order to connect with individual character, fellow actors and the audience. Drama explicitly teaches students how to be genuine, selfless, enthusiastic, positive and adaptable human beings. The Arndell Drama classroom focuses on teaching our students how to:

Connect and communicate with others

Develop empathy and the ability to “step into someone else’s shoes”

Focus in the moment without distraction

Develop imagination and abstract ideas

Improve memory

Engage cooperatively and collaboratively

Be emotionally and physically fit

Self-reflect and develop self-discipline

Build trust and social awareness

Critically study and appreciate the works of others The Stage 5, Preliminary and HSC Drama courses cover an array of theatrical topic areas such as; the elements of drama and production, interpreting and performing scripts, character development, the use of movement and voice, scriptwriting and design, group play building, improvisation and mime, theatrical styles and traditions.

Recently our HSC Drama class had the opportunity to further develop their drama skills at two fantastic incursions run by Swoop Physical Theatre and Illuminate Theatre Company [photos below]. The HSC Drama course is an intense course that requires students to study two modules for the written HSC examination – Contemporary Australian Drama and Studies in Drama and Theatre (Tragedy). Students are also required to complete a major Individual Project, as well as devise an original piece of theatre for the Group Performance task. Next month the HSC Drama class will also be attending a live theatrical performance of the Australian play Stolen at the Riverside Theatre.

On Monday morning Kindergarten Red walked across the carpark and into the new Arndell Agriculture Centre where

we were met by Mrs Evans and the Year 11 students. We watched the Year 11 students feed the calves and then KR

helped brush the calves. The Year 11 students took us to look at the new chickens, which we were able to hold. We

then helped feed the hens and collected the eggs.

Kindergarten Red and Mrs Finn would like to thank the Year 11 students and Mrs Evans for being so willing to share

their lesson with us and giving us such an enriching experience. We look forward to visiting more in the future.

On Wednesday 25 May, the third round of debating was held at Macarthur Anglican School (Cobbitty). Congratulations

to Jeremy Liu, David Lavelle, Jessica Steenbeeke and Laura Holman who qualify through to the finals with 3 straight

“wins”, even though they haven’t had any actual debating practice since February.

A special congratulations to the Open team of Rosie Rodgers (generously filling in for Bethany), Lleyton Bird and

Emily May who defeated St. Pauls Grammar arguing the affirmative “That HSC students should spend as much time

on physical activity as they do on social media.”. Emily went through the whole 10 minute impromptu speech with

barely a note and the team won convincingly.

Also a huge congratulations to the Year 7 team of Evie Claxton, Caleb Clark, Lochie Watts and Will McGregor who

recorded a strong win over Richard Johnson affirming the topic “That drinking alcohol should be removed from all

media, TV and advertising.”. This makes two “wins” in a row for Year 7 who, along with the Open team, will reach the

regional finals with another win next round.

The Year 8 team of Sarah Black, Noah Shean, Clayton Isaacs and Elizabeth Barter performed very strongly on the

same topic, arguing the same case but were defeated in a high quality debate by William Clarke.

The Year 9 team’s misfortunes in being on the wrong side of the draw when it comes to topics and side unfortunately

continued, going down to Penrith Anglican arguing the negative case “That all advertising of gambling should be

banned.”. Commiserations to Jake James, Joanna Nanthakamuran and Will Franks. Well done to Taryn Phillips too,

on her debating debut as 4th speaker. Sometimes, debating can be unkind and this team have been unlucky this year.

At lunchtime on the day, St. Paul’s Grammar unfortunately forfeited to our Year 10 team.

Special thanks to Monique Wilson, Ben Webb and David who so willingly made the long trip carried out the

chairing/timing duties.

The fourth (and final) preliminary round of the competition before the inter-regional finals stage will be on Thursday,

16th of June at St. Paul’s Grammar School.

Thankyou to all of our Lego Competition Entrants. With some wonderful entries this year we are very pleased to

announce the following winners;

Early Stage 1 - Tristan Daly from Prep

Stage 1 - Sophie Turville from Year 1

Stage 2 - Lachlan Radke from Year 4

Stage 3 - Braydon Blackhall from Year 6

Senior School - Joey Mezzomo from Year 7

This term our Prep classes have been busy exploring caring for our world. The past two weeks we have been learning

about growing and planting. This week we invited parents and friends for a special gardening afternoon. We worked

together in the Prep garden, read gardening books together, made gardening crafts and most importantly of all had

fun sharing what we have learned.

Thank you to all those family, friends and helpers who came along and made this a very special event for our students.

Congratulations to Erin Barnes of Year 11, who was recently accepted into the National

Arts School to undertake a short course following the submission of her portfolio and

profile. This course is specifically offered to Year 11 students to assist in continuing to

build their skills.

Erin works within the traditional practices of painting. Her style refers to representations

of the human form that is influenced by artists such Da Vinci, Michelangelo and

Caravaggio.

Erin has explored the use of acrylics in her work and recently has begun experimenting

with oil paints as a way of furthering her practice. Erin not only is an outstanding Visual

Arts student; she also gives of her skill to the College community through her contributions

to co-curricular activities such as painting sets for school musicals.

As per the Conditions of Enrolment, Fees and Charges are due and payable by the end of the first week of the term to

which they relate. Your commitment to on time payment is appreciated.

There are several options for paying fees:

Cheque, Cash, Eftpos, Visa or Mastercard – accepted at the main administration office every day between 8.00

am and 4.00 pm;

Cheques can be posted to the school – PO Box 4063, Pitt Town NSW 2756;

BPAY® - refer to your fee statement for reference details;

Online via the Edumate Parent Portal. This facility provides payment by Visa, MasterCard or American Express

(1% surcharge applied) or via the SASC Direct Debit Payment Plan – refer to your fee statement for details.

Where circumstances arise that may prevent timely settlement, contact should be made with me at the College on

4545 2485 for a private discussion about your circumstances. Fees and Charges not paid by the end of term, and

where an approved arrangement is not place and being met, could lead to the exclusion of your student/s from the

College.

Improved availability of your fees notice: Fees notices can now be downloaded via the Parent Portal.

Improved flexibility of the direct debit payment plan: You can now set up weekly, fortnightly, monthly or termly

arrangements on the Direct Debit Payment Plan including selecting the actual day in the cycle you wish the funds to

come out of your bank account.

Week 1A Monday 26/4 Tuesday 27/4 Wednesday 28/4 Thursday 29/4 Friday 30/4

ANZAC DAY Term 2 Commences ANZAC Services

Week 2B Monday 2/5 Tuesday 3/5 Wednesday 4/5 Thursday 5/5 Friday 6/5

Year 12 Parent / Teacher Interviews


Change to Winter Uniform NAPLAN Years 3, 5, 7 & 9

Year 12, Hamlet Excursion

NAPLAN Years 3, 5, 7 & 9


Secondary School Exam Week








HICES Debating Round 3

Silver – Duke of Ed


Western Sydney Careers Expo (UWS Kingswood)

Stage 5 Anti Bullying Workshop Year 10 English Incursion

Year 8 TAS Engineering AVC Competition Day UNI Kingswood

Stage 5 Subject Information Session during HR


Stage 6 2017 Subject Information Evening RFS Secondary Schools Cadet Program 2016

Year 8 English Incursion Year 9 English Incursion HSC Drama Excursion

Senior School Athletics

Carnival

Arndell High School - Fiji Mufti Day Fundraiser Year 12 HTA History HSC Study Day


Queen’s Birthday

HICES Debating – Round 4

Year 11 Agriculture Case Study Excursion

HICES Debating – Round 4 Year 11 Agriculture Case Study Excursion

Year 11 Agriculture Case Study Excursion Western Sydney Careers Expo


Year 7 – 1 Parent Teacher Interviews Year 10 History Vietnam War incursion

Year 7 – 1 Parent Teacher Interviews RFS Secondary Schools Cadet Program 2016

Year 7 – 1 Parent Teacher Interviews

Year 12 Geography Excursion


ANZAC DAY Term 2 Commences ANZAC Services


Mother’s Day Stall


Change to Winter Uniform NAPLAN Years 3, 5, 7 & 9



Year 6, Gala Day


Eagles Wings

Eagles Wings


Eagles Wings

Year 1 Excursion to Muru Mittagar Culture Centre

Eagles Wings


Eagles Wings

Eagles Wings


Eagles Wings Concludes

Eagles Wings Concludes


Queen’s Birthday Junior School Musical

Junior School Musical Kindergarten Excursion - Sydney National Park


Year 3 Gala Day Year 2 Excursion - Bicentennial Park

Junior School Reports Distributed

Headmaster: Mr Gareth Leechman

Deputy Head / Head of Senior School: Mr James Webb

Head of Middle School: Mr Austin Robinson

Head of Junior School: Rev. Keith Peterson

Director of Curriculum and Policy: Mrs Karen Merrick

Director of Teaching and Learning: Mr Jim Milford

Director of Staff and Student Welfare: Mrs Lynn Gillen

Chaplain: Rev. Jeremy Clark

Business Manager: Mrs Jodie Woods

Enrolments Manager: Mrs Roxanne Arnold

Careers and Tertiary Education Advisor: Mr Tom Lavelle

Equestrian Co-ordinator: Miss Kristen Bailey

[email protected]

Uniform Shop: Mrs Liz Moore – 4572 3254

Tuesday and Thursday (Term Time)

8.20 am – 11.00 am & 2.30 pm – 4.00 pm

Before and After School Care: Camp Australia – 1300 105 343 (for bookings)

www.campaustralia.com.au

Before School Care: 6.45am – 8.45am

After School Care: 2.45pm – 6.00pm

Miss Elle (Co-ordinator) – 0401 904 531

P & F President: Mrs Siggy Grima

Email: [email protected]

Canteen: Monday – Friday – 4545 2486

(Recess / Lunch)

Website: www.arndell.nsw.edu.au

General: 02-4572 3633

[email protected]

Advocate Newsletter: [email protected]

Sport Scene Newsletter: [email protected]

https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/arndell-mobile/id1004876453?mt=8

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.campaustralia.com.au/


http://www.arndell.nsw.edu.au/






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The Benefits of Studying Drama · 2019-05-14 · The Benefits of Studying Drama The subject of Drama is often one that is misunderstood. One common misconception is that drama is