11 September 2015 - Thomas Hassall Anglican College
Transcription
11 September 2015 - Thomas Hassall Anglican College
Term 3 I 11 September 2015 From the Principal There are significant issues across the world again, and as we focus on the plight of hundreds of thousands of people caught up in the Syrian crisis, we are aware that many families in the College will have connection to the drama. Perhaps some in the College community have direct family connections; we know that many have historical connections with this part of the world. All of us however are caught up in the emotion of families in distress and our hearts go out to those families in struggle, particularly those identified by the Prime Minister as members of persecuted minorities including Orthodox Christians. I’m concerned that we consider an appropriate response because of our family connections. Let’s be interested to assist in practical ways. The Anglican Archbishop of Sydney Dr Glenn Davies who was with us at the College recently to open the new Anne Marsden Centre, called this week for Sydney Christians and the Anglican community to reach out to incoming refugees in practical support. Let’s consider how we might be part of this support program. Year 12 Students begin their last classroom week ahead of the Graduation Ceremony next Friday 18 September. This is an important time for the students and their families as they head into the final stage of College life. We will hold a number of activities throughout the week, including the Tri-Series Staff Student Challenge. The students have taken an early lead with victory in the Volleyball Challenge ahead of the Netball and Football matches next week. Staff will host a Prayer Breakfast for Year 12 and there will be opportunity to finalise arrangements for the Study Camp in the vacation. The majority of teachers of Year 12 will attend this camp in an effort to bring every confidence to the students ahead of the HSC examinations. The Higher School Examinations have already been underway in terms of aural and practical subjects. Written examinations will commence in the second week of Term 4. Students will be undertaking their last preparations in terms of study for these exams and we extend our best wishes to the Class of 2015 and as always have high expectations for the group. As the 2015 graduates enter their final stage of College life, it is time to announce our new student leaders; our School Captains and Leadership Team for 2016. Their names are listed in this issue. The 2016 Student Leaders will undertake their roles with passion and commitment and we congratulate them on their selection. A Commissioning Assembly takes place early next term. Please support them and commit them to prayer. We have been enjoying some testing of the menu and facilities of Mrs Riitano’s Kitchen over the past week or so. Next week will see the first of a few functions held in that space including the Year 12 events. Let me take this opportunity to wish you safe travels and a restful time for the upcoming break. Thanks again to all those who support our community and on your behalf let me thank staff and students for a great Term 3. We look forward to the new term with many opportunities to celebrate the achievements of the year. Ross Whelan “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.“ Matthew 7:7 Awards CARMICHAEL Paris Grippaudo Beth Clarke Leona Magri Sophie Hunter Gerrica Fong Tyler Cooke William Collyer Isodora Tang Brittany Beetham Dahlia Logozzo Elena Bobrowski LEWIS Thomas Choi Rylan Moore Nick Bevitt Luca Lo Proto Alexander Christodoulou Alexandra Ahearn Angelina Sacprasith Aleksandar Gvozdenovic LIDDELL Sophia Kaltsas Riley Hogan Kaitlyn York Tyrese Luong Jessica Lin Natasha Mirzai Emily Tiplady Biaggio Gimellaro Emmeline McAnally WILBERFORCE Giselle Molluso Adrian Molluso Denim Nou Dana Cetojevic Reece Smith Allegra Fotopoulous Anthony Molluso The term is coming to a close and with it we will see our 2015 Year 12 group graduate from the College. We will take some time in the last week of term to celebrate this achievement with the Class of 2015. This is not their final hooray because they still need to meet the challenge of the HSC. However, the classroom component of their learning will finish and this will mark the end of an important period of their life. Many students will breath a sigh of relief and for others there may be a sense of anxiety and fear about the future. For all our graduating students there will be a time of reflection where they will look back upon their time at Thomas Hassall Anglican College. Although the students might not have always appreciated all the processes of the College or the nagging of the teachers, there will usually be a deeper sense of appreciation for what the College has provided for them, post school. I regularly encounter old students who share their appreciation of what the College provided for them as a foundation for life. Some of these students could be quite difficult at times and for others they wanted to be somewhere else. Nevertheless, later in life we get this sense of appreciation. The questions around the ATAR and Assessment Tasks is no longer the dominating force in their thinking; what is important is the sense of connection and relationship to something far more important. Although I haven’t dug deeper with these students I would hope that the ‘hidden curriculum’, has impacted them. The ‘hidden curriculum’, isn’t something written down in a program but it is expressed in action across the College on a daily, weekly, yearly basis in a consistent but practical way. This might include things like asking a student to, be punctual to class and school, expecting them to wear their uniform well, asking about their completion of homework, spending time to ask assist them in their learning, to ask them about their weekend and what they do in their spare time, to encourage them in an area of interest or even to provide opportunities for students to grow in special interest areas. For some of these past graduates the ‘hidden curriculum’ served them in the development of self worth, purpose and their place in the world. Term 3/4 Diary Dates Week 9 Monday 14 - Thursday 17 September Year 11 Final Examinations Tuesday 15 September Wednesday 16 September Over the break a group of these Year 12 students will attend a HSC Study Camp. Many teachers will be giving up their time to ensure the students have last minute questions and potential roadblocks answered. It is a real pressure time for them and we continue to pray for them and do all that we can to ensure that they get to the examinations with the best possible preparation. Camp Australia Information Night Our 2016 Senior Student Leadership Team has been announced and I would like to congratulate, encourage and pray for this team as they take on these extra responsibilities as they enter into their final year at the College. These students will be commissioned in the first week of Term 4 with a special assembly, as they enter into their final studies. Year 12 Graduation Assembly I am looking forward to a short break as are many of our staff and students before we come back for an important final term. We encourage all students to take some time out and return to College refreshed and ready to tackle their final assessments and examinations for 2015. Thursday 17 September Year 12 Beach Day Friday 18 September Week 1 Monday 5 October Labour Day Public Holiday Tuesday 6 October Commencement of Term 4 Thursday 8 October NASSA 7-9 Gala Day (Basketball) Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5: 6-7 Mr Roger Young Friday 9 October Year 9 History Excursion (Canberra) 2016 Prefect Commissioning Assembly This week the Junior School has had a focus on Mathematics as part of the National Literacy and Numeracy week. Many parents took the opportunity to visit their child’s Maths class and get a glimpse of how Maths is taught to our 21 st Century learners. The culmination of the week was a presentation by Mrs Kelly Borg who is a consultant with the AIS who advises the College on how we implement the new curriculum. This presentation was about the framework behind the new syllabus and why the shift has been from rote learning and just learning computations to understanding the real world application of Maths and being able to apply what the children have learnt. The main emphasis is that there are many different ways to solve a problem and come up with the correct answer and we, as educators, need to guide them towards this. This certainly does not mean that children are left to work things out for themselves but more that the teacher is planning and facilitating opportunities for the students to apply and demonstrate what they have learnt. Thank you to Mrs Smith for organising these events. Mrs Smith would love to receive feedback from parents about what else they would like to learn about how literacy and numeracy are taught in the Junior School. The 2015 Naplan results have arrived and they were very pleasing in many areas. The College was above or at the National level in all areas. Writing in both Year 3 and Year 5 was outstanding and certainly a highlight, Year 3 had 90.7% of students in the top 3 bands, this was well above the National average of 77%. The results for Year 5 showed excellent growth from Year 3, this was due to a targeted approach to Comprehension and to understanding the writing process. Grammar and Punctuation continues to be an area that we need to focus on. Well done to all our students and staff. Mrs Christine Bessant Term 3/4 Diary Dates Week 9 Tuesday 16 September PSSA Boys Softball Wednesday 17 September NSW PSSA Boys Softball Camp Australia Information Night Thursday 17 September NSW PSSA Boys Softball P - 2 Tabloid Carnival Friday 18 September Year 12 Graduation Assembly Week 1 Monday 5 October Labour Day Public Holiday Tuesday 6 October Commencement of Term 4 Australia has now joined with other countries throughout the world in offering to take in Syria's refugees. Thousands are fleeing the country to escape the brutal civil war and many are risking their life and the lives of their families. For those who survive they find themselves without a home and now for example, 160,000 refugees have joined the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan. Australians have always been available to help those in need. Over the years we have accepted refugees and migrants from all over the world. Many in our College community have left countries overseas for a better life in Western Sydney. Now, more will be joining us. And we can be a part of helping them. The parable of the Good Samaritan (in Luke 10) is a reminder to offer practical help to those in need regardless of their race, ethnicity and religion. As the story goes, a Samaritan man (an ‘enemy’ of Israel) comes to the aid a dying Jew. It never crosses the Samaritan's mind to ask about the religion or background of the man he finds dying on the side of the road. His response is immediate, generous and unquestioning. In contrast though the Jews own countrymen pass by on the other side of the road. Around 6,000 people a day arrive at the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan, which has become the country's fifth largest city. We can do the same. Sydney Anglican Archbishop Dr Glenn Davies has called upon Sydney Anglicans – including Anglican schools – not only to pray for these victims of persecution, but to step up and be prepared to do whatever is within our power to provide practical assistance, “…to ensure that those who come to find safety in Australia are afforded the best possible chance to make a new start and benefit as fully as possible from the peace, freedom and opportunity that far too often we take for granted.” Like the Samaritan in the parable that Jesus told, we too must, ‘Go and do likewise’. Stay tuned for opportunities to give food, clothing and funds to assist our most recent Australians. Rev Stuart Tye “Love your neighbour as yourself…” Luke 10:27 Important College Dates Term 3 Thursday 17 September 2015 Friday 18 September 2015 P - 2 Tabloid Carnival - Prep Blue, Prep Purple, Years 1 and 2 Year 12 Graduation Assembly Term 3 Concludes Term 4 Monday 5 October 2015 Labour Day Holiday Tuesday 6 October 2015 Term 4 Commences Friday 11 October 2015 Senior Student Leadership Commissioning Assembly Friday - Sunday 16 - 18 October 2015 Jam Camp Thursday 22 October 2015 Orientation Day - Prep to Year 6 Wednesday 28 October 2015 Year 11 Parent Teacher Night Thursday 29 October 2015 Orientation Day - Year 7 Monday 9 November 2015 Mid Term Break (Students Only) TBC Celebration 4 December 2015 Term 4 Concludes Friday Student Leadership Team 2016 School Captains Kendall Page Elijah Viglione Vice-Captains Tara McManus Matthew Deoliveira Sports Captains Stephanie Taylor Lefteri Mihalatos Senior Prefects Chloe Makko James Squire Rose Caruso Jacob Della-Camera Leah Chegwyn Maily Do Rebekah Cromie Geovanny Gandy Brigette Lepherd Jeremy Infanti Taylor Mock Matthew Mangiapane Beth Purton Dalton Melonas Isabella Refalo Matthew Micallef Prefects Father’s Day Stall The Parents and Friends Association Fathers Day Stall was held last Thursday and Friday and was a very successful fundraiser but more importantly, it was so wonderful to see the joy on the little faces of our students as they selected their gifts for Dad, Grandpa or those who are ‘just like a Dad’. Thank you so much to our amazing volunteers: Laura Khoury; Suzana Matic; Namali De Silva; Neviene Georgey; Nina Marino; John Frisken; Paula Taylor; Sandra Clement; Julie Della-Camera; Jouman Kalach-Warda and Mena Sardo who worked so hard on the day to help the children with their selections. I know that the children just love it when mum or dad come to ‘work’ at the College and we are sincerely grateful for your commitment. As I always say, “we couldn’t do it without you” so thank you for making Fathers Day very special! In particular I would like to acknowledge Laura and Suzana who spent many hour selecting the items for sale, receiving deliveries, pricing and preparing the display prior to the sale days. Thanks Gals! Volunteer’s Thank You Lunch Thursday 26 November If you have volunteered at the College this year, please make sure you put Thursday 26 November in your diary. Invitations to this lovely annual gathering will be sent out in Term 4. Class Parents’ Term 4 Activities & Meeting As discussed at our last meeting we would like to reschedule the Bush Dance which was cancelled earlier in the year due to water damage to our Auditorium stage. Now that all the repairs are done we can dance the night away so if you would enjoy being involved in the organising committee for The Great Aussie Christmas Bush Dance – please let me know before the end of this term. We need the following roles to be filled: Bookings Co-ordinator, Décor Co-ordinator, BBQ Co-ordinator, Supper Co-ordinator. If we can gather the team, we will reschedule this event for October/November. Our Term 4 Meeting is schedule to combine with the Volunteers Thank You Function so please pop the date in diaries! Blessing for the holiday break. Mrs Jo Hutchens National Literacy and Numeracy Week During Week 8 the Junior School was busy celebrating the National Literacy and Numeracy week. We held a Book Swap as a fundraising activity for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation. We raised close to $700 across the Junior School. A very big thank you to the students and parents for their generosity. During the week we opened up our classrooms enabling parents to come and participate in Maths lessons. The students enjoyed having their parents in the class and in return parents could see how Maths is taught in the classroom. To conclude the week, we held an information session for parents on the new Maths Syllabus. We had an overwhelming number of parents attend the session. It provided parents with an overview of the new Maths Syllabus and a better understanding of what is expected of students. Mrs Irene Smith Gifted & Talented Parents participating in Maths lessons Information Session on the new Maths Syllabus Book Swap Piano Tutor Tania Rashidi is one of our piano tutors at the College. Below are the results of her students who sat the AMEB examinations in 2014 and 2015. Congratulations to all of her students! 2014 Jasmine Hanna – PFL Grade 4 – December 2014 Mia Zinghini – P Plate Piano Book 1 – December 2014 2015 Pierson Ford – Grade 1 Theory – 2015 Pierson Ford – PFL Grade 2 – May 2015 Shardae Abdishou – P Plate Piano Book 2 – May 2015 These are the students taking part in an examination later in the year. This year’s candidates are (to be scheduled in Term 4) Mia Zinghini – P Plate Piano Book 2 Shardae Abdishou – P Plate Piano Book 3 Amber Gilani – P Plate Piano Book 1 Jasmine Hanna – PFL Grade 5 Eliana Sapone – P Plate Piano Book 1 Sarah Ambrose – PFL Preliminary Mr Nicholas Lane Music Teacher Musical 2016 We warmly welcome students in Years 5-11 (2016) to participate in the College Musical 'The Wizard of Oz'. Information booklets are available from the Creative Arts Staffroom. Auditions for major roles will take place in Week 1 and 2 of Term 4, so it's important to get application forms in ASAP. There will be an opportunity for parents and students to meet the director, Mr Justin Fitzgerald next Monday 14 September 3-3.25pm for a short Q&A time. Questions about the audition process can be asked at this time. This meeting will be held in M5. Please return your forms to Mrs Jo Hazell in the Creative Arts Staffroom. Mrs Liz Ford Creative Arts Coordinator Hub Talent Competition for THYC Event In the week leading up to the College’s second THYC event, the College music staff decided to provide our students with a special opportunity to perform as pre-entertainment before the headline artists. To select the winning artists, Mr Robinson and Mr Mark organised three heats as part of a support-act competition held at lunchtimes. Each competitor would perform two songs, with the winners decided through student audience votes. All entrants performed exceptionally well, and the crowd votes were extremely close in numbers. Our top 3 finalists chosen to perform at the THYC event were Laani Jansen, Elysia Mayne and the Year 10 Quintet featuring Shannen Safi, Jeramiah Sampson, Ali Dursun, Domenico Stambe and Lauren Sarkis. Kenneth Wong was also our DJ between artists at THYC. The Year 10 Quintet plus other guest vocalists, including Georgia Cosier were also lucky enough to perform on the main stage with headlining band ‘New Empire’! Overall, this was a great event and opportunity for students and it was excellent to see so many students support their peers, both in the lunchtime heats and at the main concert. Well done to all students who auditioned for this event! In other exciting musical news, on Sunday 23 August, our Senior Drum-Circle also competed in the Australian Percussion Eisteddfod, held at the Kings School in North Parramatta. This was the first time Thomas Hassall participated in this event and they performed extremely well, achieving a Highly Commended Award. Mr Byron Mark Bronze Dukes Qualification Expedition 2015 Two large hiking groups tackled the rugged bush near Glenbrook in the Blue Mountains recently on their two day qualification expedition. Staff were delighted with the level of commitment, enthusiasm and skill displayed. All students passed with distinction their qualification stage in adventuring. Some students learned much more about the need for accurate navigation after getting temporarily disorientated! A big thankyou to Mr Stone, Mr Booy, Ms Mertzanakis, Ms Monteleone and Ms York who accompanied Mr Ward in supervising this expedition. All Bronze students need to focus on the other aspects of the Award now so that they can finish this level as soon as possible. Well done Year 9 Dukes! Mr Jim Ward Dukes Coordinator Group One on departure into the bush Detailed, thorough, preparation and careful map and compass work are the keys to success! Group Two fully focussed on getting going! Term 3 Winter IPSSO Sport Junior and Senior Boys Soccer, Junior Newcombe Ball, Senior Modified Volleyball and Senior Softball CHAMPIONS! The Winter IPSSO Finals were played on Wednesday 2 September, with Thomas Hassall hosting the AFL, Softball and Soccer matches. Thomas Hassall was successful in having 9 teams represent in the semifinals – Junior and Senior Boys Soccer, Junior Newcombe Ball and Senior Volleyball, Junior and Senior AFL, Junior Netball, Junior Tee-ball and Senior Softball. A fantastic effort by all students and coaches involved with the teams. Newcombe Ball IPSSO Finals What an amazing season both our junior and senior Newcombe ball / modified Volleyball teams have had! Both teams have been undefeated all year! Not only have they progressed in skill, they have worked hard to be an encouraging team player towards all other team members. This year both the junior and senior team won the 2015 grand finals. Well done to all of the players and thank you for making sport time fun. Mrs Schatzman Senior Girls Netball Well done to the Senior Girls Netball Team, who played very well together this season. They showed great teamwork and sportsmanship throughout their matches and were very supportive and encouraging of one another. A few loses early in the season meant that the team finished a very close third in our pool and so narrowly missed progressing to the semi-finals. Congratulations on a great season. Junior Girls Netball Congratulations to the Junior Girls Netball Team, who finished all the matches in our pool as an undefeated side! This was particularly remarkable as only a few girls in the team had played netball before this season. We progressed to the semi-finals, but faced tough opposition in Macarthur Anglican School. We were two girls down due to illness, but thanks to some superb shooting from Maddie and Tahlia, dazzling defence from Eliana and Natalie, and impressive work in the mid-court from Steph, Estella, Ayla and Ava, we were leading at half time. Unfortunately, following an injury, Macarthur managed to push ahead, winning a close match. I was very proud of the sportsmanship and teamwork the girls displayed and the way they represented the College. Well done girls. Soccer IPSSO Finals Our Junior Primary Soccer Team capped off the Winter IPSSO season by successfully defending their title. The boys from Years 3 and 4 were strong competitors all season long. Thomas Hassall played off against St. Peters in their knock out semi-final. St. Peters proved much tougher competition than our boys had previously encountered. At full time scores were locked at 0-0. It took a miracle goal in the last minute of extra time to finally break the dead lock and see the team progress through to the big one. Thomas Hassall produced a dominant display when it mattered most disposing of Georges River 4-1 and claiming the richly deserved title. Congratulations to all the boys on their success. The future of soccer at Thomas Hassall looks bright. IPSSO Junior Soccer Premiers 2015 - Braeden Webster, Christian Khouchaba, Luke Moran, Travis Smith, Nicholas Khoury, Connor Gargoulo, Ruban Sarvaparipalan, Lucas Velnic, Marcelo Veliz, Joseph Mikhail, Bailey McDermott, Adrian Duric, Kye Finneran, Adrian Veleski, Harrison Curl. The Senior boys were the benchmark of the IPSSO competition completing the regular season undefeated minor premiers. Thomas Hassall were at their entertaining best in the semi-final knocking out a strong Broughton line up 7 – 2. This saw the team progress through to the biggest game of the season. Macarthur fought hard and defended strongly. Our boys displayed great patience and control to create limited opportunities. They eventually broke the dead lock with 15 minutes remaining. It took two truly sublime strikes to get past a determined Macarthur goal keeper. In a tight match Thomas Hassall secured victory 2-1 and successfully defended their IPSSO title. The Seniors are an extremely talented team and their success this season was richly deserved. I’d like to make special mention of the Year 6 members of the team that have worked extremely hard over the last four years and have represented the College with great pride and distinction. IPSSO Senior Soccer Premiers 2015 – Justin Vidic, Jett Ghersinich, Denim Nou, Jarod Hooker, Tristan Moledo, Dylan Sacco, Alex Gvozdenovic, Dylan Joseph, Luka Maksimovic, Chris Atlagic, Michael Cuello, Blake McDermott, Chris Logozzo, Stefan Todorovic, Daniel Viggiani. Coach Raft AFL IPSSO Finals Our AFL teams performed strongly throughout the round games. The teams combined silky skills in attack with tenacity in defense. It was not unusual for either team to hold opponents to nil throughout whole quarters of games. The Junior team remained undefeated throughout the regular season. The improvement of individual skills through the season was clearly apparent. Strong performances from Petar, Josh, Holly and Abbie guarantees that the team would progress to the finals. The Juniors won a nail-biter against Macarthur Anglican in the semi-final with a clutch mark and goal in the final quarter. Sadly, the team was outclassed in the final against St Peters; ending the sides undefeated streak at the final post. The Senior side also played strongly throughout the regular season, finishing on top of their pool and dropping only one game against ASG. The seniors uncompromising defense kept some sides scoreless for entire games and occasionally put up 100-point victories. The combination of Andrej and James in the forward third was almost unstoppable while Simona and Tamara were the " sledgehammer sisters" in midfield and defense. In the semi -final the seniors dropped behind in the first quarter by 28 points but showed outstanding resolve and determination to claw back to even at three quarter time. Momentum swung back and forth through the final quarter and ultimately the scores finished even. With extra-time ensuing and weary legs on the field we were just outplayed by the opposition and beaten by a goal. Despite not picking up any silverware, all players should be proud of their strong performances both throughout the season and on finals day. Mr Bakarich Summer IPSSO Draw - Term 4 Game Time 12.20 2.10 12.10 2.00 11.55 1.45 Oz Tag & Softball Basketball William Carey THAC Hammondville Park William Carey Parry Park Parry Park Australis Park THAC THAC THAC THAC 12.10 Hoxton Pk Res Powell Park THAC THAC Semi & Grand Final MAS 8.00 Back-up finals MAS Term 4 IPSSO 7-Oct William Carey CS 14-Oct St Mark's 21-Oct ASG 28-Oct Training of teams 1.00 - 2.20 4-Nov Georges River GS 12.30 2.20 11-Nov Wet Weather/ Training 1.00 - 2.20 18-Nov 25-Nov Yr 3 Boys Yr 3 Girls Yr 4 Boys Yr 4 Girls Depart Girls Soccer 11.45 William Carey 11.35 Hammondville Park Brown's Farm Res Hammondville Park 11.00 Parry Park Basketball Swimming Tennis Athletics Cricket depending if teams make it to Finals Yr 5 Boys Yr 5 Girls Yr 6 Boys Yr 6 Girls Football (Soccer) AFL Volleyball Netball Students who are not involved in IPSSO teams will participate in the Year 3 -6 College Sports program. All sports are taught by qualified coaches and the sport runs for the entire term. There is no cost associated with the program as is covered by College fees. CIS Junior Athletics Carnival The College has 15 students who represented NASSA at the NSW CIS Athletics Carnival on Wednesday 9 September. Congratulations to the following high achievers: Praise Lauano – 3rd place in 11yr Shot Put with a throw of 8.90m Jessica Weston– 8th place in Junior Discus, 12th in Junior Shot Put Wiremu Taylor – 9th place in 11yr Shot Put, 11th in 11yr Discus Stefan Todorovic – 9th place in 11yr Shot Put Luke Moran– 10th place in Junior Discus Sebastian Ghisso – 11th place in 10yr 100m I was very proud of the awesome effort from all our College representatives. Thomas Hassall team at the NSWCIS Athletics: Luke Moran, Harrison Curl, Sebastian Ghisso, Aidan Sayasith, Aleksandar Gvozdenovic, Wiremu Taylor, Alexander Giakoumelos, Stefan Todorovic, Christopher Atlagic, Jessica Weston, Praise Lauano, Breana Steele, Sreya Diddee, Sarah Casanova, Tatiana Mendez and Shayal Mudaliar. A special thanks to Mr Fortuin who gave us expert relay coaching advice and trained the teams. Tee-Ball and Softball Finals Our Tee Ball and Softball teams had a very successful winter season with both teams making the Grand Final last Wednesday. I was impressed with the team spirit and effort displayed on the day. Both teams played well and were great ambassadors for the college. The Junior team have improved so much over the season. Most players had never played Tee Ball before and their improvement was significant. We had a very successful season meeting William Carey Christian School in the Grand Final. Unfortunately, WCCS played very well and they kept our batters from making it home! With some extra time we began a third innings, and we started playing the way we had demonstrated all season, with some big hits and fantastic home runs. Sadly we lost 11 -2 at full time. Better luck next year, and I hope to see you all in 2016. The Senior Team were up against Georges River Grammar School – a team that we have had mixed results with. The softball team displayed great sportsmanship, encouraging each other and giving their best effort. It was a very close game with the score tied after the first innings. Parents and teachers were very nervous on the sidelines! After a great hit from Mark Carbone, we were able to get 3 home and win the game 10 – 7! Thank you for all your hard work this season, I look forward to seeing you in softball next year. The students improved in all aspects of the game, and we were lucky enough to have 2 qualified umpires to help us learn further. Thanks to all the parents who supported us this season and for cheering us on last week! Mrs Lawler Prep – Yr 2 Tabloid Sports Carnivals PREP, Kinder , Year One and Year Two will have their own Tabloid Sports Carnivals at College. The Last of these will be held next week on: Thursday 17 September – Prep Blue, Prep Purple, Years 1 and 2 We will be holding a sports fundraiser on both days to assist our NSW CIS and NSW PSSA sporting representatives. Please come along and support the day. There will be: Cake Stall at Recess Iceblocks Pizza slices available for purchase at Lunch Poppers Congratulations Congratulations to Praise Lauano who will now represent NSWCIS at the NSWPSSA Athletics Championships for the 11year girls Shot Put in October. Congratulations also to our TAP Coach Ramsin Shamon who has just successfully coached the grand final team in the Southern Districts Men’s State League 2. PE and Sport Reminder… It is advisable that your child has a refillable drink bottle on Sport and PE days to ensure that they are able to re-hydrate after exercise. All children are required to wear the PE cap or College hat for sporting events. Important Junior School Sport Dates … Term 4 - Week 2 Friday 16 October – NASSA AFL Gala Day, Wollondilly Anglican (Yr 5 & 6) Term 4 - Week 4 Friday 30 October – NASSA Boys Cricket Gala Day, Camden (Yr 4 & 5) Term 4 – Week 6 Wednesday 11 November – Junior School Sport Representative Photo Day Term 4 – Week 7 Wednesday 18 November – IPSSO Summer Finals Day Mrs. Evans P-6 Sports Coordinator Nationals School Aerobic Championships Congratulations to Alana Sankovic who recently competed in the Nationals School Aerobic Championships at Gold Coast Convention Centre held on Sunday 16 August 2015. Her persistence and determination meant that a serious injury which transpired earlier this year didn’t stop her. In the lead up to the event, her support from her coaches and family also meant that she was able to have a positive attitude. Alana competed in prelims and finished 10th out of 24 competitors, then competed at the 2015 NSW State Finals and came 2nd from 13 competitors becoming a NSW Silver Medalist! On the 16th August at Nationals she also competed and placed 6th from 13 competitors missing a silver medal due to 6.75 deductions. Congratulations on your amazing achievements. Good luck in your future events at FISAF and School Aerobics Spring Challenges in November. Football Individual Highlight Congratulations to Adrian Viggiani who has recently been selected to play for the Western Sydney Wanderers youth team for 2015. In recent times he has also played in the NSW state team, National Championships in Coffs harbour, NSW futsal state team, Futsal National Championships in Canberra, National School Championships in Darwin and has been selected to represent both the AICES and NASSA football teams. Well done in your achievements, we wish you the very best in your upcoming tournaments. AICES Athletics Championships The AICES Athletics Championships were held at Sydney International Athletics Centre, Homebush on Monday 31 August. We had 15 students representing NASSA from Thomas Hassall Anglican College in over 30 different events. The students are commended on the outstanding results on the day, their sportsmanship, their ability and their overall team spirit. Congratulations to the following students who have made it in the AICES team to compete at CIS on Wednesday 16 September: Christian Georgallis (Long jump, Shot-put, 200m, 800m and 100m) Adrian Neoklis (1500m) Scott Reynolds (3000m and 1500m) Gabriel Safi (100m) Jordyn Sinclair (High jump) A big thank you for the parents who came to support our students and to Mr Kaye, Mr Palmer and Mr Harrington who also attended the day. Australian Interschool’s Snow Sports Championships Congratulations to Catarina Di Ramio who represented our College in the Skier X discipline at the 2015 Australian Interschool’s Snowsports Championships held at Mt Buller Victoria on Friday 11th August. Unfortunately due to a poor exit from the start gate she narrowly missed qualifying for Alpine discipline by just 0.48 of a second in combined times. Well done Catarina for your exceptional effort and amazing performance. We wish you the very best in your future snow sport events. Mountain Biking Competition On a dark and misty Friday morning past, our fearless band of mountain bike riders headed off in the eerie pre-dawn haze towards our nation’s capital. Catching up on some much needed sleep on the bus meant that our crew was fresh and raring to go when they hit the muddy, obstacle laden mountain. After an inspiring and informative team briefing from Scott and Max about the course and what to expect this year, the 4 hour team relay marathon began with a flurry of legs and pedals. This year we entered 5 teams with special mention going to Georgia who rode up a division. The first transition point where teams tag their second rider was absolute mayhem but our crafty students navigated it effectively. Juniors each traversed their way through a tight and tricky 4 km course at break neck speed. Seniors flew around their 7km loops at a furious pace and midway through the day, the entire Thomas Hassall MTB club were in top gear with seamless changeovers, overcoming chain dislocations, muscle cramping, tree collisions and fatigue with the grit and determination that characterises this group. As the clouds rolled over the top of the snowy mountain range and began to descend upon the competition, the four hour event mercifully reached its conclusion. Our group showed good team spirit and stood at the finish line to cheer in each team’s final rider. When the dust settled, the results filtered in and our feats of skill and endurance were rewarded with some excellent overall results. With over 600 competitors in a variety of divisions, the team of Dom, Kenneth and Cooper finished 45th, Dejan, Dane and Oscar Finished 24th, Jeremy, Stephan and Daniel finished 13th, Brock, Ben, Iona and Marcus achieved a 5th placing and finally Scott, Max and Georgia came in a very impressive 2nd place. Many thanks go to our awesome parents, some of whom ferried their charges to the venue for pre event skill sessions, who fed and watered our competitors throughout the day and kept spirits high during such an epic event! Mr David Butler Senior Boys Volleyball The Senior Boys Volleyball Team competed in the MISA competition this term. The squad included a mixture of Year 11 and Year 12 students with varying levels of experience and high levels of enthusiasm. The team ranked fourth through the pool rounds and earnt a place in the semi-final against the unbeaten William Carey team. The game was played to a high standard. Thomas Hassall was able to field their full strength team, including senior members from Year 12. William Carey were caught off guard and were soundly outplayed by the Thomas Hassall team. Our team was found their rhythm and were able to consistently set accurate balls to our key hitters, John Cenatiempo and Nikola Sankovic. Thomas Hassall raced to a two sets to love lead and also won the third shortened set. This put the team through to the final which would be played at All Saints in Casula. The team were confident and keen to compete for the right to be called premiers. Again, we were able to put our strongest team on the court and dismantled the opposition in the opening two sets. Our serve reception improved in this match, led ably by Shea Alexander's defensive digging, which enabled our setters, Jesse Bartone and Joel Gadd to deliver quality sets to our spikers. John Cenatiempo and Alessandro Tolomeo. John's smooth swing pummelled the ball into the opposition court frequently. However, All Saints were able to rally in the third set and held on to reduce the deficit to one set. In the fourth set, with time running out, All Saints made the better start and kept their nose in front long enough to 'complete' the set at 12-10 and so tie the match. The overall result in this situation was that both teams, Thomas Hassall and All Saints were declared Joint Premiers. The College bids farewell to four senior players, John, Alessandro, Nikola and Shea who have represented the College in the Volleyball team throughout their high school careers and been MISA Premiers on no less than three occasions. It has been a pleasure to coach them over this time and see them develop their talents and apply themselves with enthusiasm and positive sportsmanship at all times. Year 10 and 11 are encouraged to build on the strong Volleyball culture that is Thomas Hassall in 2016. Coach Loane Feedback Most people dislike negative feedback and kids are no exception. While teachers aim to provide encouragement and motivate students, sometimes receiving assessment results or comments about how to improve can be disheartening. So how do we help students to learn from the feedback they receive? Pause, don’t react. The first thing to remember is to encourage your child to pause and reflect, rather than reacting. Often the first instinct upon receiving negative feedback, whether through comments or test results, is to become defensive. “No, this comment isn’t true…” “That result was because…” If it makes your child angry, give them time to cool off. Then, help them to problem solve. First make sure they can identify the concerns or problem. What contributed to the situation? Then brainstorm ways of fixing the problem. What can they do differently from now on? Encourage them to ask themselves “how can I improve?” Help your child to remember this is just one result in one aspect of life. Sometimes a negative result can be blown out of proportion by a student, thinking it will have disastrous consequences for their future, or means something about them as a person. This feedback does not capture their entire person. Remind your child of the things they do well, or qualities you like about them. Reinforce that this is just one assessment task or comment – they have the opportunity to improve next time. It might not be easy to receive negative feedback, but teaching students to grow from it will be helpful for years to come. Mrs Clare Calderwood Student Well Being Important Reminder—No Parking in Bus Zones We just wanted to remind you that under no circumstances should anyone park in the bus zones outside the College. Please note the following :What does it mean? You must not stop or park in a bus zone unless you are driving a bus. Why is it there? To provide a safe place for large buses to set down and pick up school children. Penalty $311 + 2 Demerit Points (School Zone) 2016 Term Dates Term 1 Tuesday 26 January 2016 Australia Day Public Holiday Wednesday 27 January 2016 Term 1 Commences Years 1-7, 11 & 12 commence Thursday 28 January 2016 Years 8, 9 & 10 commence Friday 29 January 2016 Kindergarten Commence Tuesday 2 February 2016 Prep Blue/Purple commence Wednesday 3 February 2016 Prep Red/White commence Friday 18 March 2016 College Open Day Friday 25 March 2016 Good Friday Public Holiday Monday 28 March 2016 Easter Monday and Public Holiday Friday 8 April 2016 Term 1 Concludes Monday 25 April 2016 ANZAC Day Wednesday 27 April 2016 Term 2 Commences Tue –Fri 10-13 May 2016 NAPLAN Testing Monday 13 June 2016 Queen’s Birthday Public Holiday Friday 24 June 2016 Term 2 Concludes Monday Saturday 18 July 2016 27 August 2016 Term 3 Commences South West Festival Monday 29 August 2016 Mid Term break - staff and students Friday 23 September 2016 Term 3 Concludes Tuesday 11 October 2016 Term 4 Commences Monday 14 November 2016 Mid Term Break - students only Wednesday 7 December 2016 Celebration Thursday 8 December 2016 Term 4 Concludes Term 2 Term 3 Term 4 Parent Portal A reminder to all parents : Please update any changes to contact details including phone numbers and email addresses to ensure that all correspondence from the College is received. All student absences need to also be verified through the Parent Portal within 7 days of each day of absence. Any enquiries please email parentportal@thac.nsw.edu.au Uniform Reminder As we prepare for the change back to the Summer Uniform, please take some time to check that all your child’s property is labelled. If uniforms are labelled, we can ensure any lost property can be returned to the student. Unlabelled items of clothing are resold through the clothing shop. THYC On Friday 28 August, Thomas Hassall Anglican College hosted THYC, an annual youth concert aimed at bringing together young people from the local community to enjoy a great night of music and fellowship together. It was a fantastic night that featured Jake Nauta and 2012 OZ Artist of the Year runner up, New Empire. Hundreds of kids turned up to be a part of the show and a group of Year 10 students from the College even had the opportunity to join New Empire on stage for a performance they will never forget. The excitement was certainly in the air during the night and carried on long after the main show concluded with a number of students performing afterwards in the new cafeteria. Thank you to everyone who supported THYC 2015. It was a night many of these kids will never forget. Mr Luke Robinson