"Love is always patient and kind; it is never jealous or conceited; it is never rude or selfish; it does not take offence… love delights in the truth and is always ready to excuse, to trust, to hope and to endure whatever comes"
1 Corinthians 13 4-7
From The Principal
At our Primary and Secondary assemblies this week, we took time to induct the Student Representative Council and present our Band Leadership Team for 2022. I congratulate the students who have been identified by their peers as having the skills and talents that mark them as a leader. I am sure they will make a wonderful contribution to EAC in the coming year. I also want to thank and congratulate all those students who were generous and courageous enough to nominate for leadership positions this year. A willingness to be involved, to lend a hand and to give of your time are all signs of a person with great character. To those students who did nominate and were unsuccessful, I say thank you, and also encourage you to continue to look for ways to support the College. Whether wearing a badge or not, everyone has the opportunity to be a role model for others and to give something back to the College and our community.
I am sure you will join with me in congratulating our Student Leaders and we look forward to seeing the fruits of their efforts as the year unfolds.
Congratulations to Year 12 student and College Captain, Judah Wright, who participated in the Lions Youth of the Year Quest and was a State Finalist. The Quest has been running since 1964 and in 2022 it is truly a national competition designed to celebrate the talents, efforts and hopes of young people. It is open to students who are 16 years and older. The Quest to identify the Lions Youth of the Year involves three parts. Firstly, participants in the Quest are required to prepare a portfolio outlining their hopes and goals, their personal achievements and their community involvement. Secondly, they must meet with an interview panel of 3 to answer questions about what they have presented in their portfolio. Finally, they must attend a speech evening and present a prepared five minute speech on a topic about which they are passionate and they must also speak for two minutes about 2 impromptu topics. Judah has worked his way through the three stages of the competition to reach the State Finals. His special interest speech highlighting the challenge of ‘compassion fatigue’ was insightful, thought provoking and engaging.
Special congratulations also to alumni Hayley Oakes (2021) who has been selected as a member of the Australian Cycling Team who will compete in the UCI Junior World Series in Europe later this month. They will participate in the AusCycling’s European Cross-Country training camp prior to racing in competitions in Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic. It is a wonderful achievement for Hayley who has been competing at a national level for almost a decade. We are very proud of her achievements and look forward to hearing of her success in Europe.
Fundraising for the Friends of EAC Colour Run continues to soar to new heights. This week we have surpassed the $30,000 mark - that is incredible!
Congratulations to all of the students and families involved in the fund raising efforts. All of the funds raised will be donated to flood recovery efforts for families in our community. Weather permitting we hope to hold the Colour Run very early next term.
As we reach the end of this very difficult and challenging term, I wish all our students, staff and families many blessings for the Easter Season and I hope you all have a restful and refreshing break. As we approach this holy time in our Christian calendar, we are reminded of the great message of ‘hope’ that the joy of Easter brings and we think especially of the importance of this message for those in our region impacted by the recent natural disasters. We continue to pray for all those in our region impacted by the floods and give great thanks for the generosity and compassion of all those that have reached out to others during this time of enormous challenge.
God Bless
Mr Robert Tobias
Principal
FEEDBACK FROM OUR RECENT COLLEGE OPEN EVENING
Thank you so much for an amazing open evening! We were so impressed by the students, teachers and facilities alike, and our eldest is super keen to start already. We were especially impressed by all the lovely young people leading the tours, what a beautiful testament to the school.
Lovely to meet you all at the tour yesterday, and well done on a great evening. We were all impressed by the staff, students and facilities.
Congratulations on a successful open day yesterday. The campus looked amazing and speaking to the students and teachers was my favourite part of the evening.
Please pass our thanks to all the staff and students who went the extra mile to make everyone feel so welcome and informed at last night’s Open Evening. It was great to walk around the school, see the resources, speak to the teachers and view the students work.
Last night we attended the open evening at Emmanuel and absolutely loved it! The school was well set out with plenty of space but more impressive was the interaction from both teachers and students. I found the school welcoming and would like to confirm we would be thrilled if our children were accepted in the 2023 enrolments.
Thank you to all of the staff and students for such a wonderful night last night! The students were a credit to the school and did such a wonderful job showing us around.
Thank you for the opportunity to visit your school on Tuesday. We were really impressed with the positive learning environment. It was great to meet the passionate teachers and happy students.
Thank you for the open night last night - everyone was so welcoming and it’s such a beautiful College.
It was lovely to meet you all yesterday at EAC’s open night. We had a lovely student named Ellie showing us around. She was so informative and polite. It was a pleasure to meet her.
It was lovely to be able to tour the school last evening and meet you all. Based on the positive experience of last evening, we would now like to change our enrolment preference for our children from Year 7 to Year 5.
Nice to meet you all in person and chat with you at the school this evening. The girls thought it was amazing, as did we.
We attended the Open Evening tonight and were absolutely blown away. What a beautiful school. I originally was aiming for a year 7 intake. But was interested if I can change this to an earlier intake for both of my children.
Lovely to meet you briefly tonight, and thank you for the invite. The girls were very impressed with the school and had a great night looking through the class rooms, playing and talking with the teachers. We also enjoyed the night looking through the facilities along with speaking to both teachers and students.
Thank you to all of the staff and students for such a wonderful night last night! The students were a credit to the school and did such a wonderful job showing us around.
The grounds the teachers and all programs we looked at were just incredible. However what stood out the most for us were the students - such a lovely, engaging, beautiful bunch of kids, so helpful and kind! Certainly, a breath of fresh air to see! Especially those gorgeous year four kids!
Congratulations on a successful open day yesterday. The campus looked amazing and speaking to the students and teachers was my favourite part of the evening.
Thank you for the opportunity to visit your school on Tuesday. We were really impressed with the positive learning environment. It was great to meet the passionate teachers and happy students.
Just wanted to say we attended the open night last week and were so excited and impressed with the College and the facilities, the teaching staff and the students were exemplary, we are really looking forward to the possibility of the children attending.
It was lovely to meet you this Tuesday and get to come through the school and see all it has to offer. We just wanted to say a big thank you for a great evening at your school. We were so impressed with the school facilitates, the grounds, the teachers, the students who guided us on our tour and not to forget those brownies!
We really enjoyed the open day and viewing the school, our minds were filled with positivity and potential.
To all the staff, teachers and students of EAC we met at the Open Evening last week, we were blown away with the evening's events and wanted to thank the entire team. From the chats with all the teaching staff who were so open and generous with their time, to the students themselves - they held their own, full of spirit, independence, charm and intelligence. We've been to a few open days the last two years - EAC was a shining example of what kind of environment we'd like our daughters to be immersed in. Not afraid to be themselves, and the confidence to hold a conversation with any adult. Your students should feel so proud of how they presented themselves. Thanks again for a terrific night.
Thank you for holding such a positive and informative Open Evening event under such difficult circumstances. To get the opportunity to explore College in-person and interact with the staff and students re-affirmed our belief that the school is a perfect fit for our family. Everyone we met was a pleasure to speak with and a credit to the school being so open and happy to be part of the event.
Our family had an enjoyable evening learning about the school’s values, additional learning opportunities and extra-curricular activities. Japanese and STEM were both huge hits with our children, with one of them asking if she could start at Emmanuel the following day!
Many thanks for the invitation to the impressive open evening at the College last Tuesday.
How refreshing to be guided around a school by its students. As they say the proof is in the pudding, and the students of EAC shone bright. From the beaming faces of the young library monitors, to the dedicated drama students performing mime, those from home economics serving yummy meals and brownies, and the array of guides, that warmly greeting parents and children alike.
We, along with another family, were escorted around the College by Conrad, whom I might add was as impressive as the College. He courteously and confidently toured us around, never hurrying nor failing to engage and answer our questions.
What we took away from the open evening was that EAC is a committed, happy, respectful, learning environment, that produces confident, well educated, well mannered, and well rounded students.
Off the Deputy's Desk
‘Where Do The Children Play?’ Cat Stevens
We have come a long way in the past eleven weeks as we traversed the challenges of Term 1. The highs of the Swimming Carnivals and the lows of the climatic challenges both brought out the best in the EAC Community as people rallied round to help friends and strangers. I watched students cheer on students in their Houses to victory at the Alstonville pool, even though they may not have known them well and short weeks later I worked with members of the EAC community who were helping clean houses of people they barely knew. Such is the spirit of EAC, compassion, commitment and service for others. That is why each day I feel fortunate to be part of such a community. So may you all enjoy a safe and happy Easter with friends and family.
Year 7 Immunisation
This has been rescheduled to Monday 9 May.
School Photographs
The school photographer will be at the College on 2 and 3 May. All photographs will be taken in The Lindsay Walker Centre. Individual and school group photographs will be taken each day. Family photographs will be taken before school each day starting at 8am and will need to be arranged by each family.
The Lindsay Walker Centre
The Lindsay Walker Centre Gym has proved a hit for students who are instructed each Friday by our EAC staff. The new equipment has just been installed and already a weekly program of training sessions is being developed to engage our students. It is that collaboration of mind, body and soul that proves such a winning combination for student wellbeing.
Anzac Day
Emmanuel Anglican College has a proud history of supporting ANZAC Day commemorations in our local area. To this end, we have been invited to attend two local marches - Ballina and Alstonville. Local RSL Sub-Branches are always delighted to see school students supporting the march and honouring the traditions and sacrifices of those who have served our country in all armed conflicts.
Due to the ongoing Covid concerns the Ballina RSL Sub-Branch has requested that only two EAC student representatives participate in the march. These students will lay a wreath at the memorial on behalf of the EAC community. However, I invite any interested students to attend the Ballina march and view from the sidelines of River Street.
The march at Alstonville has no such restrictions and students may attend and march behind the College banner.
As ANZAC Day occurs during the term break, it is anticipated that many families may be away but if your child is here, then it would be wonderful to see them in attendance. Students are welcome to wear the medals of relatives but these must be worn on the correct side of the chest (right side) in keeping with ANZAC Day protocol.
Students who intend to march in Alstonville must be attired in full College formal uniform including hats. Students should bring a water bottle and apply sunscreen before the march. Once the march finishes students are welcome to stay for the service or can depart with their parents. Families should organise pick up arrangements so that their children are aware of what is happening at the end of the march or service. Primary students must be picked up directly from the staff attending the march or service in order to maintain student safety.
The details for each march are:
Ballina
The College will be represented by the College Captains.
10.00-Form up outside clock tower on River St
10.30-March commences
10.55-Service commences at RSL Memorial Park
Parent pick up at RSL Memorial Park after the march or after the service
Alstonville
09.15-Form up at Paddy Bugden VC Memorial in Bugden Ave
09.45-March commences
10.00-Service at Elizabeth Ann Brown Park
Parent pick up at Elizabeth Ann Brown Park after the march or after the service
Please log in to Parent Lounge to accept for your child to attend the Alstonville march. Please lodge your acceptance by Tuesday 19 April. We hope to have a large group of our students attend the march to honour all those who served and continue to serve our nation.
Dia dhaoibh
Mr Francis McGuigan
Deputy Principal
TERM 2 WEEK 1A
Monday 25 April
- Anzac Day (Public Holiday)
Tuesday 26 April
- Staff Professional Learning Day
- Year 12 Ext 2 English Task 2
Wednesday 27 April
- Term 2 Commences
- Anzac Day Assembly – Whole School 9.00am
- Primary Parent Teacher Interviews 3.30pm-8.00pm
- Secondary Parent Teacher Interviews 3.30pm-8.00pm
- Year 12 reports published to Parent Lounge
Thursday 28 April
- Year 12 ITM Task 2
- Year 12 Physics Task 2
- Year 12 ITT Task 2
- Year 12 ITM Task 2
- Year 12 Physics Task 2
- Year 12 ITT Task 2
- Secondary Parent Teacher Interviews 3.30pm-6.00pm
Friday 29 April
- CIS Touch Football
- EAC Cross Country
- Year 12 Food Technology Task 2
- Year 12 Business Studies Assessment
TERM 2 WEEK 2B
Monday 2 May
- School Photo Day 1
- NSW CIS Secondary Swimming - Sydney
- Year 12 English Std Task 2
- Year 12 Adv English Task 2
- Year 9 Marine Studies Excursion
Tuesday 3 May
- School Photo Day 2
- Year 11 Biology Task 1
- Year 11 Drama Task 1
- NSW CIS Secondary Swimming - Sydney
Wednesday 4 May
- Year 12 Adv Maths Task 2
- Year 12 Std Maths Task 3
- Mountain Bike Training Day 2 - Nerang
Thursday 5 May
- CIS Open Girls Basketball - Sydney
- 12 Drama excursion
- Northern Rivers Careers Expo Yr 10-12
Friday 6 May
- NSW Netball Cup Fast 5 Carnival Yr 11-12
- Year 11 Ext Maths Task 1
- Year 11 Japanese Task 1
- Year 11 Photography Task 1
- Pathways and Partnerships Conference
- K-6 Peer Support
- Debating
Chaplain's Chat
I cannot find words to describe this term.
Chaos? Confusion..if nothing else it has been a messy term. And now we have come to the end of Term One. We also come to the end of Lent with this coming Sunday being Palm Sunday, leading us into Holy Week and Easter.
I’ve never experienced such a Lent, a wet and worrisome Lent. I’ve felt so disconnected from the traditional church stories of Lent, but I am beginning to see that in many ways this has been the realest and rawest Lent. If we take the understanding that the Lenten journey is meant to provide us time to intentionally strip away the clutter in our hearts and minds, allowing us to see or to make room for God – then this has been one heck of a decluttering Lent.
Two years of Covid taught us not to take any plans for granted, taught us the importance of connecting and the pain that isolation can bring…one month of floods has shown the utter fragility of life, the often times tenuous grip we have on those things we thought were our foundation, our bedrock. For me, the biggest learning has been watching the students from families where we know that the floods caused absolute upheaval – turning homes and businesses into mud piles and rubbish. Yet I see those students playing, learning and laughing at the ordinary ‘stuff’ of life. I know that many will carry the hurt, fears, the trauma raised in the floods, but I see hope in the way they carry this load, allowing school and friends, footballs, story books, and silly jokes to help them to heal. And yes. This will take time, but what a lesson to learn – that the simple, the ordinary will help us to heal. I’ve learned that kindnesses, and generosity given and received are some of the best antidotes to the sorrow that came in the form of rapidly rising, fast moving waters. And I am learning that sometimes ‘everything’ becomes nothing – and yet, we are not left empty.
If this is not Lenten learning, then I don’t know what is!
I have been thinking that I am just not ready for Easter this year – I didn’t think I could find an Alleluia in me.
But now…now I can see that I am ready. Because the story of Palm Sunday, of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday is one of being totally and utterly emptied. The scriptures describe this as Jesus life poured out, of Jesus being emptied of life. As we dragged items out of homes, as I drive past lives now dwelling on the side of the road, through streets darkened through loss of power. As I watch the news filled with the sadness and horror that is Ukraine, or Afghanistan at this time… I now have an incredible graphic imprinted in my mind of what life poured out looks like.
Both in the sorrow of loss, and the presence of those who poured themselves out to be hands, hearts, feet, strength for those who had none left.
This is where I find the alleluia, where I see the new life of Easter – the resurrection life that Jesus promises. In the same way that Jesus breathed new life and hope into the world then and now – we too can hold onto that hope, we too can be that hope for others.
Perhaps your ALLEULIA this year may be a little croaky, a little tired, but I pray that as we reach into Easter, (and maybe enjoy an Easter egg or two) we will find those seeds of hope, share those seeds of hope in our being and our doing.
May you have a holy and peaceful Easter.
Rev Sal
Primary News
Despite being cooped up at home with the dreaded COVID myself all Week 9, I was overjoyed to hear the reports regarding our first Harmony Day Assembly. The procession of nations attracted roughly 20 students which for the limited notice and being our first time, provided a solid example for the years to come. Nations such as Denmark, Holland, England, Scotland, Sweden, Japan and Australia were represented by members of our student body. Thank you to the families who quickly got a costume together to celebrate this event. Following an inspiring Q and A session with staff and senior students, Melia Naughton, helped raise the roof of The Lindsay Walker Centre as she led one of her famous Shire Choir sessions with the students assembled. Melia whipped up the crowd with a version of the Ben Lee classic “We are all in this together”. A perfect song choice for the occasion. Parents may enjoy a good sing out loud themselves at the next adult Shire Choir event at the Bangalow Bowlo on Thursday 7 April https://shirechoir.com.au/
With the postponement of the Foundation Day and Colour Run event last week, there will be plenty of time over the break to raise some funds for EAC families affected by the recent floods via the student’s online profile. We look forward to more favorable conditions next term to enjoy these much loved events.
Our Year 5 and 6 Debating team, lead by Mr Walsh, competed in the first round of HICES Debating on Tuesday here at EAC. They came up against tough opponents in Bishop Druitt College in Round One and were respectable runners up on the day.
Next term, your child will be provided with their username and password to enter the Premiers’ Reading Challenge. All books are to be logged online at https://online.det.nsw.edu.au/
Director of Primary
Secondary NEws
Elevate Education Workshops Yr 7,11 and 12
To support our students in developing effective study habits we have organised the Elevate Education team to present a series of skills development sessions, which target specific year groups. Used by many Australian high schools, the seminars, which are delivered in class-size groups, are designed to achieve behavioural change amongst students.
Elevate motivational presenters are current university students who have only recently completed their HSC. This year, students in Yrs 7, 11 and 12 took part in the workshops. They focus on time management and prepare senior students for success in their HSC.
Harmony Week
The continuing message of Harmony Week is 'Everybody Belongs' that aims to encourage inclusiveness, respect and belonging for all Australians and celebrate the richness that diversity brings to life in Australia.
It is an opportunity for all Australians to embrace our diversity and to share our unique experiences and backgrounds to bring better understanding and appreciation for what makes us who we.
During wellbeing lessons, students had the opportunity to reflect on their heritage, and discuss a range of family traditions linked to food, cultural traditions and sport. Students reflected on racism within society and were challenged to think beyond stereotypes when they meet new people.
Last week finished with a Harmony Week assembly on Friday where students learnt from a number of teachers and students about their countries of origin and traditions before singing together in Harmony with the support of the Shire Choir.
Belonging is a key aspect of the College’s wellbeing programs. When people feel that they belong they are more likely to engage with the diverse range of opportunities available. If your child is struggling with belonging at the College, please speak to their Leader of House.
Mrs Amanda Middleton
Director of Secondary
11 HSC Biology Excursion to Hastings Point and Marine Discovery Centre
On Friday 25 March a group of (rather tired) Year 11 students, accompanied by Mrs Ashdown and Dr Jacob, set off for Hastings Point to study Rocky Shore Ecology. On arrival we were greeted by North Star expert Rhett Brambleby and after a safety briefing we walked down to the Rocky Shore. After an exploratory search, students identified and counted animal and plant species using quadrats in 3 marked zones. Despite our concerns that the environment would have been affected by the flooding, we were lucky to experience the cleanest water and sunniest day that had occurred in recent times. Students and staff were excited to find interesting species of fish, molluscs and colonial organisms. Our guide Rhett has a lifetime of experience of this beach and he shared his insights and knowledge with the students.
After a pleasant break and some Kit Kats, we moved to the sand dune and collected some data on dune plants to enable the students to contrast methodologies. We then moved to the cafe for ice cream followed by a walk to the Marine Discovery Centre. Rhett delivered an excellent lecture about the ecology of the area and some curriculum relevant content about population dynamics. We viewed some of the organisms under a microscope which revealed urchin and mollusc characteristics that amazed us all and then had free time to explore the centre.
EAC Students were complimented on their hard work and preparedness for the excursion and results generated will contribute to Year 11 Biology Task 1.
Mrs Kate Ashdown
Science and STEM Teacher
To book your child into our Vacation Care program, email enrolments@eac.nsw.edu.au or phone the College on 6681 5054.
Spaces are limited!
Community News
