‘I chose you and I commissioned you to go out and bear fruit, fruit that will last”
John 15:16
From The Principal
Welcome back for 2022!
It has been great welcoming our students back in recent days as we have commenced the 2022 College year. In particular, I wish to welcome all those students and their families who have joined the EAC community this year. I look forward to getting to know you and I am sure that in a very short period of time you will all feel part of our wonderful community.
At this year's commencement assembly for the Secondary School, I encouraged the students to think about some goals to make 2022 a happy and rewarding year for all. I invited them to:
- be the best learner they can be by developing good learning habits and enjoying the challenge
- consider how they would grow their friendship groups, build on the strong friendships they already have and how they might go out of their way to welcome the new students, staff and families who have joined our College community
- Think about ways they could get involved in the extra-curricular life of the College
While the start of the school year is always filled with much excitement and frenetic activity, this was especially true for our 2022 Kindergarten class. On their first day there were lots of smiles, a few anxious looking faces and even a couple of tears (from the mums!) but the students looked great in their uniforms and were very proud of their new hats, shoes, lunchboxes and classrooms. Special thanks to Mrs Kelvin and Mrs Smith for helping make the transition to Kindergarten as smooth as possible for all.
Welcome to new staff
We have a number of new staff who have joined the highly talented and motivated EAC staff. We welcome:
| Teaching and Learning Support Staff | |
| Andrew Davy | Leader of Sport and Coaching |
| Jack Murphy | Assistant Sport Coach and MPC Duty Manager |
| Matthew Hogan | Learning Support Assistant (Secondary) |
| Ben McRae | Student Support Officer: Pathways and Partnerships |
| Teaching Staff | |
| James Pearson | Primary Teacher (Year3) |
| Melissa Tonnet | Legal Studies and HSIE Teacher |
| Luke O’Grady | PDHPE, RaP and Mathematics Teacher |
| John Conomos | Computing and Digital Technology Teacher |
| Kate Ashdown | Science and STEM Teacher |
| Tanya Huish | Leader of Curriculum(Secondary) English |
| Andrew Kiesewetter | Leader of Curriculum(Secondary) Mathematics |
| Brooke Fisher | Leader of Curriculum(Secondary) PDHPE |
| Julie Fryer | Acting Leader of Curriculum(Secondary) TAS |
Each of these people bring with them many gifts and talents and I am sure they will prove to be great assets to the College.
COVID-19-safe practices
Thank you to all students, staff and families for your support of our collective efforts to keep everyone safe and to reduce the spread of the virus. We have already had a number of students report that they have tested positive to COVID-19 when using the RAHTs prior to coming to school. In most cases these students were not displaying symptoms which highlight the value of surveillance testing. I encourage all our community to practise and promote the following health and hygiene measures:
- Any students and staff with cold and flu like symptoms or respiratory illness are to stay home and seek medical advice. They are not to return to school until symptoms are resolved.
- Students and staff to undertake surveillance testing twice weekly.
- Regular hand washing will be encouraged throughout the school day. Hand sanitisers will be readily available and all toilets have soap dispensers.
- Additional cleaning of facilities and surfaces will continue.
- Restriction on parent movement on College grounds continues. Parents are to say good-bye to students at the gate and wait outside the College in the afternoon. Parents must continue to practice social distancing and once they have either dropped off or picked up their children, they are to leave the College grounds.
- Students are to bring water bottles to school as bubblers are refill stations only.
- If a staff or student test positive to COVID-19 please inform the College and register the positive test with Service NSW.
- Household contacts must isolate for 7 days.
The Friends of EAC will hold their first meeting for the year on Tuesday 8 February at 6.30pm in the Ezzy Centre. We are always looking for new people to come and join in the great work of Friends, so please come along and join us.
I am very much looking forward to meeting new families, catching up with current families and watching all our students grow and learn in 2022.
Mr Robert Tobias
Principal
off the deputy's desk
Greetings To The EAC Community
A very warm greeting to all the families of EAC. I hope that you took time to relax over the summer and spend time with family and friends. Although many of the College staff have been back at work for a number of weeks, schools remain a collection of empty buildings without the students who energise them. We are all looking forward to their enthusiasm and curiosity that sows the seeds of the success that EAC continues to experience.
But with the excitement also comes the realisation that the hard work begins. Time now needs to be spent on homework, assessment, instrument practice and sports training. Student focus needs to be on the work ahead, in giving their all and doing their very best to ensure that they achieve their potential. As the student population at EAC has increased, so too has the number of teaching, wellbeing and support staff to challenge, nurture and guide them. Our reputation for academics, wellbeing and sport has enabled EAC to attract some of the very best professionals to provide the learning and wellbeing opportunities that will enable your children to thrive.
The coming weeks will be as normal as COVID-19 allows and we are already looking forward to the Primary and Secondary Swimming Carnivals in Week 3. Shortly we will be sending you more information regarding the Carnivals.
Can I also remind families that it is their responsibility to provide COVID-19 safe masks for their children to wear at school for those mandated in Years 7 - 12.
I give you my best wishes for 2022 and look forward to sharing my first full year at EAC with you as we nurture, guide and support our young.
Dia dhaoibh
Mr Francis McGuigan
Deputy Principal
Chaplain's Chat
How good are holidays! Even when they are staycations, the change in the rhythm and expectation of the days can be so restorative. I was just finding my holiday groove when BAM! Suddenly it’s all about getting ready for the new school year.
Getting ready to come back to school looks a little different for me these days with no school age children in my house anymore (actually …none of our kids are still at home!) but the memory of the 20 years of schooling is still strong. Uniforms, shoes, bags, lunchboxes, stationary and hats – ALWAYS hats and socks – I swear we had some kind of hat and sock eating troll in our house!
When they are little, it is an exciting time getting all the bits and pieces together – I remember our youngest was so excited for his uniform for ‘big school’ that he asked Santa for it…and Santa came up with the goods, and you guessed it, he wore that uniform all Christmas Day. Fast forward to Year 9, the enthusiasm was not so great!
Truthfully, my youngest was such a school refuser my aim was simply to get him to school. In uniform was a win, fully prepared was like an unreachable pinnacle. The older three just went, no fuss, not always happily, but they went. But clearly, I’d changed the recipe with number 4 and I had to rethink everything.
This is the part where I’d love to be able to say that I did X and everything was great. But I can’t.
I, we, made so many mistakes with him. The biggest was not acknowledging that it was hard for us to have him go to school too and that it hurt to see him so sad.
The second was not telling the staff of the struggles we were having. If I had known then what I know now – I would have spoken to them and if nothing else I may have received reassurance that we were not alone.
Mr J never loved school, ever. But he made it all the way through, and so did we.
He made incredible friendships, a tightknit cluster of mates that have shown us what unconditional love looks like. I more than happy with that.
I wonder if this resonates with your experience of getting your family ready for school this year? If so, please know that you will not be the only angst-ridden household!
We do focus, through necessity, on the pragmatic aspects of getting back to school, to work, into the regular and often overwhelming routines. I wonder what else we ought to be thinking about, how else could we be preparing our child to return to school? Preparing their hearts and minds, bringing any niggling worries to the fore. Maybe even being proactive in helping kids to focus on others – the studies tell us that this is a brilliant way of helping move beyond some of the lower level worries. We can do this at any time of year – after all every day is a fresh start!
And if I may be so bold – some things I wish I asked instead of ‘how was your day’? Things like:
Did you try anything new today?
See anyone you thought maybe needed a mate?
Hey, how were your shoes today? (I know this one catches them off guard! Trust me)
As we start on the rollercoaster of 2022, please remember all of us can only give our best, and what that looks like each day will be different!
Peace
Rev Sally
teaching and learning update
Welcome Back for 2022
It is wonderful to be back at school for a fantastic year of learning.
When we learn new things, we benefit most from these learning opportunities by exhibiting dispositions or by using specific attributes we already possess. The attributes that help us to learn most effectively include persistence, inquiry, communication, adaptation, problem solving and reflection.
Which of these dispositions do you use in your learning? I encourage all students to reflect on these effective learning dispositions and pick one that you would like to improve. Make this disposition part of your learning goals for 2022, whether it be by collaborating with your peers to communicate ideas more effectively or persisting in the development of a new skill, everyone can benefit from the wonderful learning opportunities they will undertake this year by seeking to grow not only in the knowledge and skills teachers present but also in the ways they learn.
Remember that your teachers are there to help you. I hope all students across the College have a great year and learn many new and wonderful things.
Mrs Boyd
Director of Teaching and Learning
Secondary News
The Challenge of getting back into the routine of school
Many students will find getting back into a routine a challenge after the Christmas break. The idea for many teenagers of coming back to school would be one of disappointment. Gone are the sleeping in until lunchtime and staying up talking to friends late at night. So how do we support students in reestablishing a routine?
In adolescence, your child’s sleep and sleep patterns start to change, so teenagers often go to bed later at night and struggle to get up early in the morning. But if you have to drag your teen out of bed every morning before school, they might not be getting enough sleep. Most teenagers need 8-10 hours of sleep each night. It is important to encourage your child to avoid the use of electronic devices in the hour before bed.
Below are five tips to help a teen get a great start to the day:
Teens in charge
By the time they are in high school, your teen should be able to do things like making their own breakfast and lunch, and managing their time. Encourage your teen’s growing independence by giving them responsibility for getting ready for school themselves. Talk to your teen about how you can support them in the mornings (for example, by giving them a wake-up call) – but let them know that they are in charge of getting themselves up and ready for school.
Be prepared
You can take the pressure out of the morning routine by encouraging your teen to get prepared the night before. Anything that doesn’t need to be done in the morning can be done the night before – finishing homework, making lunches, packing bags, etc.
Keep it simple
Encourage your teen to keep their morning routine simple on school days, and to save non-essential activities and distractions for afternoons and weekends. If they struggle for time, encourage them to keep breakfast simple too – quick nutritious options like wholegrain cereals, fruit and yoghurt can be eaten on-the-go if needed!
Make a plan
Some teenagers find it helpful to develop a morning schedule with key times when they need to get things done, especially if they tend to get distracted or lose track of time. Help your teen to think about what they need to do in the morning, how long each task takes, and what time they need to leave to get to school on time. Then get them to plan out their own morning routine (including wake-up time) to make that happen. Encourage them to build in some extra time in their schedule for emergencies, and stick to the plan!
Use visual prompts
Putting a copy of your teen’s school timetable up where you and your teen can see it will give them a visual reminder of what subjects they have each day. It's even more powerful if there's also a calendar with due dates for homework and assignments. Just remember that you want your teen to be taking responsibility for themselves, so don't use these prompts to remind your teen what they need for the day. Instead, if (and only if) you need to, remind them to check the timetable and calendar for themselves.
During Wellbeing lessons this week the students have been reflecting on their goals for 2022 and creating a study routine. There are pages in their planner which they should have used to reflect on success at the College.
If we all work together, we can support students with their routines during 2022.
Mrs Amanda Middleton
Director of Secondary School
sport news
EAC School Holiday Swimming Program
For the past 2 weeks the EAC Sport team have been running the school holiday swimming program at Alstonville Swimming Centre. The weather has been challenging but several keen students have been attending to practice their swim race starts, diving, finishes and stroke correction sessions. These students have had lots of fun and the skills they have been practising will assist them at their upcoming school swimming carnival.
Special thanks to Sport team members Heidi Craig and Jack Murphy for conducting and specialist swim coaching at the swim clinics.
Mr Randall Evans
Sport Coach/Duke of Edinburgh Leader
Congratulations to Ava!
Ava Delaney competed at Sydney Olympic Park in December 2021, at the All Schools Athletics Carnival.music notes
Extra-Curricular Music is up and running for 2022. We have an exciting year ahead of us with many College and community performances planned to showcase the amazing talents of our young musicians. The highlight of the year will be our inaugural Music Festival in Term Two which will feature competitions, performances and a workshop lead by two of Australia’s great Jazz musicians, John Morrison and Jackie Cooper.
The College offers many extra-curricular opportunities including Concert Bands, Rock Bands, Choirs and instrumental tuition.
Concert Bands
Year 3 Little Mozarts Band
Year 4 Rising Stars Band
Junior Concert Band
Mezzo Concert Band
The Emmanuel Concert Band
For further information please email Mr. Holmes – aholmes@eac.nsw.edu.au
Music Tuition
Music tuition will be delivered on-site and in person with experienced tutors teaching voice, guitar, piano, drums, ukulele and a host of others as both individual and small group 30-minute lessons.
Fun is at the heart of all musical activities at The College as well as building confidence and proficiency on an instrument(s) while being exposed to an increasingly diverse range of music and musical experiences.
Concerts are held each semester for students to demonstrate what they have/are learning with their tutor and this allows for parents, family and friends to share in the joy of their young person making music.
Lessons will take place in the tutor spaces in the TC building during the school day and times are rotated each week to avoid a student missing any one particular lesson more than any other.
If you would like more information or to enrol your child or children, please return the enrolment form which can be found on the College website under the ‘Co-Curricular’ menu and then ‘Music Tuition’. Email this, hand it in to the front office or send it with your child to deliver to Mr. Justin Cleverley in Music and he will make the necessary arrangements for you.
Stage 4 Rock Band
On Tuesday afternoons from 3:15 – 4pm each week the Stage 4 Rock Band will rehearse in TC6.
Participants must already be proficient on an instrument or at singing.
Students are expected to bring their own instruments guitar or bass guitar but others will be provided by the College.
The group will attempt a variety of repertoire, some of which may be chosen by students, and work towards termly performances.
For further information please email Mr. Cleverley – jcleverley@eac.nsw.edu.au.
Last year the College arranged for appropriately experienced and dedicated mountain bike riders to join in on 4 training sessions in the first half of the year in preparation for the Schools Nationals in August. Unfortunately, the National Championships was cancelled but the 20-25 riders really enjoyed the 4 training sessions.
If you would like your secondary aged son or daughter to take part in the program they must fit the following criteria:
- Be a proficient and confident mountain bike rider
- Have adequate fitness
- Be willingness to participate in all 4 training sessions and compete at the Schools National Championships
- Have a mountain bike that is safe and will stand the rigors of a variety of trails
To sign up or find out further information please email Mr. Cleverley directly – jcleverley@eac.nsw.edu.au
Canteen
Canteen Menu 2022
Canteen Coordinator
Online Canteen Ordering
We are excited to be able to offer online Canteen ordering via the 'School Stream' app. Please refer to the recent letter to all families with instructions on how to download the app to your phone, tablet or computer.
Once the app is installed you will be able to view and select from the canteen menu by clicking on Canteen. This will bring up the canteen order form where you will be able to enter the child's details and select desired items from the dropdown lists under the relevant headings and pay. You will be prompted to tick which break you require your selection for.
All online orders must be completed and submitted prior to 8.45am on the day they are required, to enable Canteen staff enough time to prepare and distribute orders.
Manual Canteen Ordering
If you are unable to use the 'School Stream' App please place the money in a paper bag of sufficient size to fit all of the items. If you are ordering a drink with your child’s lunch, please provide two (2) bags. Please write the information on the LOWER half of the bag. If money is short we will substitute items to the value received.
REMEMBER, if ordering at both breaks, you must have a separate bag for each break.
Any change required will be placed in the bag for return with the child’s order.
All orders must be received at the canteen before 9.15am.
Christine Hall - Canteen Supervisor
contact: chall@eac.nsw.edu.au
Community News
