upcoming 30 October 2015 events - Columba · and replica World War One sources as part of their semesterly assessment. This task explored differentiation in the History classroom

St Columba Anglican School - SCAS Connections Page 1

s ca s

connec t i o ns

ST COLUMBA ANGLICAN SCHOOL · 3 IONA AVENUE PORT MACQUARIE NSW 2444

02 6581 4188 · www.scas.nsw.edu.au · www.fb.com/scasinfo

u p c om i n g

e v e n t s

From the PrincipalIf only natural talent and examination results were the only benchmarks for school achievement and success! The Higher School Certificate has begun...Premier Mike Baird has sent his best wishes to students sitting the compulsory two unit English exam this morning. “The first exam can often..

Secondary SchoolLast week, Year 9 History students had the opportunity to analyse genuine and replica World War One sources as part of their semesterly assessment. This task explored differentiation in the History classroom and allowed students to select sources or artefacts they were interested in. Students’...

Sports NewsA record number of schools and competitors attended the Primary School Hunter Region of Independent Schools (HRIS) Tennis Championships in Newcastle last week. SCAS was represented by the following 8 students who had qualified to attend this event via the SCAS Tennis Championships...

Whole School - Student Safety MessageAs the new ‘Kiss and Drop’ and Bus lanes seem to be working well and pick up times are reducing, I would like to remind you that the safest place for your child to wait to be collected is on the school site....

Performing Arts NewsThe Primary Showcase for 2015 was a resounding success. Touted as the best ever, the evening saw a mix of all SCAS Primary PACE ensembles.

Monday 2nd November•HSC Examinations continue• Year 2 Learn to Swim commences

Tuesday 3rd November•HRIS U15 Touch Gala Day

Thursday 5th November•HRIS Open B&G Touch Gala Day•Year 12 RISK Seminar

Friday 6th November•Year 12 Chapel Service and Breakfast•Kindergarten 2016 Orientation

Session 4•Year 2 Learn to Swim concludes•Year 7 to 12 Youth Group

Monday 9th November•Year 4 Kincumber Bush Camp•Year 5 Great Aussie Bush Camp

Wednesday 11th November•HRIS Year 4-6 Touch Gala Day•Year 10 Dance At Bangarra

Performance, Glasshouse

Thursday 12th November•Year 7 and 10 Examinations

commence•HSC S&C PIP Day

Friday 13th November•Kindergarten 2016 Orientation

Session 5• Year 7 to 12 Youth Group

Check the Parent Lounge Calendar for more details of upcoming events

30 October 2015

Primary SchoolYear 2 enjoyed investigating displacement, floating and sinking during their Science Superclass today.


TalentFrom the Principal

If only natural talent and examination results were the only benchmarks for school achievement and success!

The Higher School Certificate has begun...Premier Mike Baird has sent his best wishes to students sitting the compulsory two unit English exam this morning. “The first exam can often be daunting but my message to students is to simply do your best and be proud of the work you have completed,” Mr Baird said. “It is only natural that you may feel anxious but there are many pathways to the career or vocation you choose after school.” ABC News.

Before Christmas we get the results Elation, satisfaction, disappointment, relief, frustration, pride, aspiration often all land at once via SMS, website etc.

Imagine:

• If HSC or NAPLAN results were all that we had to determine our success!

• If all we had to do was force-feed examination preparation knowledge into our students and wait for the examination results to come, so that we knew we were a good school!

• If we chose to “weed out” students who we knew would score under 80% so that our school’s results would place us “up the top” in rankings.

• If we only let in students who passed tests at the highest level.

Reality Check: As a principal, I am not going to turn away from academic success, ignore great results or feel the need for false humility when our students do so well but we know that natural talent, high academic results and topping examination league tables are not enough for us. Things called character, resilience, selflessness, community-mindedness and gratitude are things we value at SCAS.

And the value of quality of character over natural talent is easy to see if you want to look. As the Rugby World Cup unfolds, I opened the newspaper recently to see this: “The troubled career of James O’Connor has taken another turn with the former Wallabies back being released from the Queensland Reds on Tuesday with one year to go on a two-year contract.The Queenslander’s playing future has now been thrown into doubt again with the announcement on Tuesday that the Reds have let him go “effective immediately.” SMH October 13, 2015.

O’Connor has talent by the truckload. He gained recognition and adulation for his performance at the highest level as one of Australia’s youngest representative players and then….

I watched the Wallabies play Wales early Sunday morning. I saw talent, I saw resilience, I saw teamwork (and some frustrating mistakes) and I saw character. James O’Connor could have been part of that if natural talent alone was enough.

Talent, hard work and character together are amazing but given a choice between character or talent with a lack of character, I’ll take character.

Mr Terry MuldoonPrincipal

[email protected]

“Mediocre ability, well developed and properly planted, will produce a larger tree of success than will extraordinary ability, scattered or uncared for.” Nathaniel Fowler


Whole School

Pastoral Care - Parenting WorkshopMr Marten Hilberts

Director of Primary Pastoral [email protected]

As the new ‘Kiss and Drop’ and Bus lanes seem to be working well and pick up times are reducing, I would like to remind you that the safest place for your child to wait to be collected is on the school site. Occasionally I see Secondary students waiting on Major Innes Drive alone after hours, away from our supervision and support should they need it. I would ask parents not to arrange to meet students outside the school grounds, as in my mind it exposes them to unnecessary risks. I would also encourage parents to plan their pick up journeys to avoid peak hour traffic conditions. On most days the Kiss and Drop lanes are clear by 3:45pm. Thank you for your support in keeping our children safe.Allan GuihotHead of Secondary

Student Safety Message Mr Allan GuihotHead of Secondary [email protected].

On Thursday 12th November Sara Phillips will be presenting another Parenting Workshop from 5-7pm in the SCAS Chapel. This workshop will have focus on mindfulness which will include: understanding how your brain works, why you react the way you do and tools to calm down as well as understanding how your child's brain works, why they do what they do and tools to help them calm down. This workshop is aimed for parents who have primary school aged children. Unfortunately there will be no child supervision for this workshop. The last parenting workshop Sara presented at SCAS in August was extremely valuable and received resounding praise from those who attended. If you would like to attend please RSVP to [email protected] This is a free workshop for St Columba Anglican School Parents.

Parents and students are reminded of bicycle safety when on the School Grounds. Bike riders are to dismount whilst on the School grounds and are to use the pathways and designated crossings to navigate their way to and from the bike racks in front of the Iona Centre. Bike riders are not to leave the footpath at Kiss and Drop and enter into the traffic after collecting their bikes.

Bicycle Safety


Primary SchoolAward Presentation Dates

A friendly reminder to all Primary Parents that details of all Primary School events can be found on the calendar in your Parent Lounge.As this time of year is extremely busy for families we would like to inform you of our Primary School Awards Presentation Dates including the addition of a separate presentation for Years 3-6 Primary Sports Awards;

HRIS Primary ChessSt Columba entered two teams into the HRIS Chess Tournament. The teams earned their best scores yet and the day was enjoyed by all. Great sportsmanship was displayed by the teams and each match was ended with a friendly handshake. This was a first time experience for some of our teammates who surprised themselves with their achievements. The Primary SCAS Chess Club is open to all students from Years 3 to 6 and practice is held on Monday and Tuesday Long Breaks.

Mr Josh BarnettYear 2 Teacher

[email protected]

Thursday 3rd December 2015Event: Years 3-6 Sports Awards Presentation

Time: 12:00 - 1:00PM

Venue: Iona Centre

Monday 7th December 2015Event: Years 3-6 Awards Presentation

Time: 10:00AM - 12:00PM

Venue: Iona Centre

Tuesday 8th December 2015Event: Years K-2 Awards Presentation

Time: 10:00AM - 11:30PM Iona Centre

Venue: Iona Centre

News from Year 1 Mrs Jaana GrayDirector of Stage One

[email protected]

Year 1 have been exploring the concept of bending and stretching as a part of their Science topic. Last week we completed a scientific experiment to see which brand of snakes stretched the most. Students learnt how to complete a fair test. We tried to learn the fact that scientists do not eat their experiments. Very hard to accept when we knew that experiment this time was edible snakes. This week we had the pleasure of the Year 10 Japanese students helping us to learn how to fold paper and making origami. Students made hearts, flowers, Pikachu, jumping frogs and boxes.


Primary SchoolMrs Julie Chambers

Year 2 [email protected]

Year 2 enjoyed investigating displacement, floating and sinking during their Science Superclass this week.

Year 2 Science Superclass


Primary SchoolCurriculum Corner Mrs Lisa Gooding

Director of Primary [email protected]

2015 Newcastle Permanent Primary Mathematics Competition

Standing Desk TrialA number of research studies have been completed on the benefits of using standings desks throughout the day. It is said that our brain equates being seated to being inactive and responds by restricting energy. It is recommended that you add a standing time every 45 minutes to improve energy production which in turn tells your brain that you are still active or mobile. This research comes from Dr Sugarman, who serves as Director of Applied Neurosciences. He goes on to say that we should; check your neck.

If you need another reason to sit up straight, consider this: For every inch your head tilts forward, the amount of weight your neck has to support doubles, a chore that could affect your daily level of fatigue. Whether sitting or standing, keep your shoulders back, your spine straight, and your head held high above your neck. Letting your head droop puts strain on your neck, making you achy and tired.

It is stated quite often that standing more benefits our brain function. Think about it, physical activity gets oxygen flowing which in turn maintains our cognitive function. To think better and faster get

involved in physical activity. It does not have to be strenuous to be of benefit to your body and mind. If you are standing your legs and abdominal muscles are engaged and burning about 50 calories an hour. Call it passive activity. So standing increased brain function and can assist with general health and well being.

For more tips on how to stand and work, take a look at Bottom Line/Health’s article “A Standing Desk: The Smart Way to Stop Sitting So Much.”

Puzzle Time(Permission given to use by KENKEN)

Jinuki Senanayake of Year 6 received FIRST place out of the Hastings area schools winning a monetary prize and an invitation to the Northern Region Awards ceremony. Jinuki placed 12th overall in the Northern Region and Isaiah Chandler placed 25 in the Year 5 division, both Jinuki and Isaiah gained High Distinctions. The Year 4, 5 and 6 students also did very well in the Distinction range with 18 from the Year 5 category and 14 from the Year 6 category. In the Merit range there were 18 students in the Year 5 category and 19 students in the Year 6 category. Congratulations to all participants, this is a fantastic achievement. Thank you to Mr Benson for running the event.


Secondary SchoolYear 9 History Sources Task Miss Kayla Doolan

Secondary HSIE [email protected]

Last week, Year 9 History students had the opportunity to analyse genuine and replica World War One sources as part of their semesterly assessment. This task explored differentiation in the History classroom and allowed students to select sources or artefacts they were interested in. Students’ feedback showed that they thoroughly enjoyed a ‘hands on’ approach to learning.


Secondary School

Art Club have started an 'artist in residence' with talented local artist Skye Petho from Arthouse Industries. The students are learning various jewellery making techniques, starting this week with creating their own glass beads. Excitement levels were high!

Art Club ‘Artist in Residence’ Miss Ingrid MannsVisual Arts Teacher

[email protected]

Year 9 Geography Excursion Mrs Gayle HoulahanAssistant Head of HSIE

[email protected]

Year 9 students studying Geography this semester were able to put theory to practice recently when they undertook a field trip to Bonny Hills and Laurieton. Despite inclement weather conditions students approached the full day excursion with enthusiasm and developed their skills in data collection, analysis, map work, observation and investigative techniques. They enjoyed a range of environments while undertaking their fieldwork as they walked along the scenic coastline and down North Brother Mountain track. The fieldwork forms part of an assessment task which requires students to create a Google Map of their excursion route and annotate the map with relevant information.


Performing ArtsDance of Champions televised Sunday Miss Brianna Thomas

Dance [email protected]

Music: Count us in 2015 Mrs Amy CorriganPrimary Music

[email protected]

Yesterday our Primary students participated in Music: Count Us in 2015 with Gold. Music: Count Us In is Australia’s biggest school initiative, with more than 500,000 participating students from over 2,100 schools nationwide. Music: Count Us In brings teachers, parents, students and the music industry together in celebration, as more than half a million people unite to sing the same song at the same time, right across the country.

Dont forget to tune into Channel 10 this Sunday, 1st November at 2.00pm to watch our very own Year 9 Dance Elective class performing at the Dance of Champions in September this year. The group took out 1st place.We can’t wait!


Performing ArtsPrimary Music ShowcaseThe Primary Showcase for 2015 was a resounding success. Touted as the best ever, the evening saw a mix of all SCAS Primary PACE ensembles. Opening the Show was Nicola and Charlotte of Year 6 who gave a fun rendition of Naughty for the musical Matilda, and Anneke and Danika presented Defying Gravity later in the evening. The newly formed Performance Club, String Honours, Primary Concert Band, Infants and Primary Choirs and Guitar Club all gave their best performances. The Year 3 String sounded fantastic for only 2 1/2 terms of tuition and the Year 5 Band program, new in 2015 gave a massed performance showcasing all 80 Year 5 students.


Performing Arts


HRIS Tennis ChampionshipsA record number of schools and competitors attended the Primary School Hunter Region of Independent Schools (HRIS) Tennis Championships in Newcastle last week. SCAS was represented by the following 8 students who had qualified to attend this event via the SCAS Tennis Championships held late in Term 3:

• JackMills(Year6)• WillMarchant(Year6)• PhoebeHempsell(Year6)• PradaHanlan(Year6)• TomMarchant(Year5andunder)• Brayden-JamesBennett(Year5andunder)• HannahMurray(Year5andunder)• ChloeHanlan(Year5andunder)

Each of our students competed individually, in either the Year 6 division or the Year 5 and under division, with points allocated to a combined team score based on their final position.

Tennis was played at an exceptional standard throughout the day, with St Columba competing well across both divisions. At the end of the ‘pool’ stage, SCAS had 6 representatives progress through to the quarterfinals and then 4 into the semi-finals which was the most of any school.

At this point Will Marchant and Phoebe Hempsell narrowly missed out on the final, although SCAS would still be represented by Jack Mills (Year 6) & Tom Marchant (Year 5 and under) in their respective finals.

Tom, who we note is in Year 3, played a tremendous final coming back from 3-1 down to win the Year 5 and under boys division, while Jack dominated his match to win the Year 6 boys title.

SCAS was further acknowledged at the presentations by also taking out the overall point score to win the Primary School HRIS Tennis perpetual shield for the first time.

Congratulations to all students for representing SCAS with distinction at this event and we thank all parent supporters who attended the day.

Mr Tony HarrisonPrimary Sport Coordinator

[email protected]

Sport


SportHastings Inter-School Futsal Gala Day Mr Tony Harrison

Primary Sport [email protected]

The inaugural Year 3-6 Boys/Girls Hastings Inter-School Futsal Gala was last week hosted by SCAS in the Iona Centre. The day was well supported with approximately 120 boys and girls across 13 teams playing on the day in either the Year 3/4 or in the Year 5/6 competitions.The SCAS Year 5/6 boys and girls, assisted by Year 12 student Sarah Harrison, got the day off to a great start by scoring at will to win their first game by a massive margin of 19-0. This trend continued through the pool games with both of the SCAS teams undefeated, demonstrating excellent team play and skills throughout the day. A couple of early goals against the run of play in the semi-final, resulted in the Year 5/6 team straying away from the excellent team play structure which had been so successful all day. Despite maintaining the majority of possession and having more shots on goal, the side was unable to convert the numerous opportunities being created through a dominant midfield. The boys and girls tried valiantly although lost a thrilling encounter 4-3 to the eventual Year 5/6 winners, Lake Cathie. The Year 3/4 team, coached by Secondary School student Ben Heazlewood, qualified for the final against another team from Lake Cathie. SCAS started with confidence and it wasn’t long before the team had chalked up an unassailable lead. A combined team effort proved too much for the visitors, with SCAS making the most of their opportunities to win 12-0.

Congratulations to the students for their involvement and a big thank you to the Ben & Sarah for their assistance on the day.


AICES U15 GIRLS BASKETBALL Mr Dane DicksonHead of Sport and PDHPE

[email protected]

SCAS was represented at the AICES U15 Girls Basketball Championships held in Sydney last week by Mollie Burton, Hannah Griffin and Elissa Veitch. The trio were all selected to play in the Hunter Region of Independent Schools (HRIS) team after a successful trial which took place in Newcastle late Term 3.

The girls all featured prominently for the HRIS team over the course of the day, pleasing the coach with their individual skills and team play. Together they assisted HRIS to a very successful championship, losing just the 1 game and finishing runners-up on the day.

Given the success of the HRIS team it would be expected that a number of the squad members would have been subsequently selected for further representation, although unfortunately there is no further pathway at an U15 level.

Well done and congratulations to Mollie, Hannah & Elissa for this fantastic achievement and your outstanding representation.

SportYear 2 Learn to Swim Mrs Julia Jenkins

Year 2 [email protected]

Our Year 2 students are currently participating in a 2 week intensive swimming program this week. The children are having a fabulous time learning in small groups with qualified Austswim instructors at the town pool.


Canteen NewsFlexischoolsFlexischools allows parents, students and staff to place food orders from home or work at any time. Payment is also completed online, so there is no need for paper bags and cash to be sent via your student to school. As well as being convenient for parents, the online orders are much faster and easier for the Canteen co-ordinator to process - so it makes everyone’s life a little easier.

The online menu is the same price as the normal Canteen menu, however there is a small fee of 25 cents per online order to help pay for the labels and the website system. Parents and students can, of course, continue to order and pay cash for their canteen orders as they do now.

For more information and to sign up for Flexischools, go to the Flexischools website, www.flexischools.com.au

Enrolments for future yearsThe Enrolments Office at St Columba wishes to advise that limited places remain for enrolment into Kindergarten and Year 7 in future years. Families who wish to have students enrolled in future years are asked to email [email protected] as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

The School now has additional places available into Year 5 in 2016 as an enrolment entry point for those families who wish to take advantage of early entry to secure places at the school.

Due to the overwhelming number of enrolment applications received for Kindergarten and Year 7 2017, the school has proceeded with appointments for that year already. This decision has been made so that parents may have the security of knowing that they have a place confirmed for 2017 well ahead of time.

Community News


Community News

Second Hand Uniform ExchangeSchoolxchange is an online alternative for the buying and selling of school items. The exchange is a third party website where uniforms, text books, musical instruments etc. can be bought and sold. Parents can register for this site, and then list their items, or alternatively search for items in the Port Macquarie area. They then deal directly with the buyer/seller and arrange payment etc. This site is not run or endorsed by the School and parents need to make these arrangements individually. Visit the website at www.schoolxchange.com.au

Uniform Shop

The Shop is located in the School’s Iona Centre, adjacent to the main car park at the end of Iona Avenue and can be contacted by phone on (02) 6581 4706. Noone also offer an online shop, available on their website, www.noone.com.au Parents can nominate to “click and collect” uniform items, and students can collect the prepaid items required directly from the Uniform Shop. Alternatively you can choose to have the items delivered via Australia Post for a small charge.

School Holiday Trading Hours January 2016Monday 11th Jan 11.00am-4.00pmTuesday 12th Jan 8.00am-12.00pmThursday 14th Jan 1.30pm-4.30pmSaturday 16th Jan 9.00am-12.00pmMonday 18th Jan 11.00am-4.00pmTuesday 19th Jan 8.00am-12.00pm

Term IV Trading HoursMonday 11.00am – 4.00pmTuesday 8.00am – 12.00pmThursday 1.30pm – 4.30pm

The Uniform Shop trading hours for Term IV and the Christmas School Holidays are as follows:

New Sports Bags now available

at the Uniform Shop

Gearsack $20.00Large Sports Bag $46.50


Community NewsHeadspace Port Macquarie Programs


Newsletter 1

Young People and Risk Taking

Risk-taking is an essential part of learning and personal development for young people. Teenagers need to explore their own limits and abilities, as well as boundaries set by adults. They also need to express themselves as individuals. It’s all part of their path to becoming independent young adults, with their own identities. Unfortunately, the risk involved in different activities and settings can often be poorly judged by young people and they are over represented in every category of risk taking resulting in injury and trauma. For more information about the different types of risks for young people, see http://www.kidshelp.com.au/grownups/news-research/hot-topics/risk-taking.php

The RRISK Program aims to reduce risk-taking behaviour associated with alcohol and drug use, driving and partying amongst year 11 students in the North and Mid North Coast of NSW. Attending RRISK extends the school based drug education and road safety curriculum by providing opportunities for senior high school students to further develop knowledge, attitudes and skills to reduce risk taking and develop safer celebrating strategies .

Over 4,500 students from more than 52 high schools from Port Macquarie to Tweed Heads have registered to attend one of 10 RRISK Seminars. If you have a year 11 student in your family, encourage them to attend.

RRISK seminar dates 2015

Port Macquarie Panthers Auditorium 5 and 6 NovemberCoffs Harbour Southern Cross University 19 and 20 NovemberKempsey Melville High Community Hall 3 NovemberLismore Southern Cross University 12, 13 and 16 NovemberMurwillumbah Seventh Day Adventist Church 24 and 25 November

Research shows that RRISK is effective in reducing young driver crashes by 44%.

The largest study ever undertaken into young driver behaviour was conducted by the George Institute of International Health and published in 2009. Researchers consider RRISK a best practice program because it builds resilience by equipping young people with strategies and practical skills to manage risks in their social life and on the roads as drivers and passengers.

Look for information about the RRISK Program on the RRISK website www.rrisk.com.au and in this newsletter over the coming weeks.


YOUR VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY COULD START HERE

Samaritan’s Purse invites supporters of Operation Christmas Child to register in the draw for our Family Discovery Trip to Fiji in July 2016.

Registration is open to all families who have packed a shoebox for Operation Christmas Child this year and are residents of Australia or New Zealand. Just 20 places are available for family groups of between

two and four family members including at least one adult and one child aged 10 to 17 years.

This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for your family to see Operation Christmas Child shoebox distributions and to visit a number of other Samaritan's Purse projects.

Samaritan’s PurseFamily Discovery Trip 2016

Registrations are open until midnight Friday 4th December. This is going to be a wonderful experience. Register your family's interest today!

Find out more and register at www.samaritanspurse.org.au/family-discovery-trip

Documents

upcoming 30 October 2015 events - Columba · and replica World War One sources as part of their semesterly assessment. This task explored differentiation in the History classroom