"And so, the last will be first and those that place themselves first, will be last."
Matthew 20:16
From The Principal
We are continuing to monitor the financial impact of the Coronavirus situation and once again I remind all our families that College Council has made supporting those impacted negatively by the economic shutdown a major priority. We do not want to see students leaving the College because their family has been impacted negatively by the situation. If you need support with fee payments, please contact our Business Manager, Kelley Malaba at businessmanager@eac.nsw.edu.au or see the website for more details. It is an easy and confidential process, so please reach out if you are in need of support.
Keeping our community together remains our number one priority and so College Council will move prudently at every step of the construction of the Multi Purpose Centre to ensure that we can continue to support struggling families. This may mean a slightly longer construction timeframe, but will guarantee that all our community are with us to celebrate the opening of this awesome College facility.
In the light of managing the uncertain economic and financial times responsibly, I am pleased to say that College Council has approved the next step in the construction program for the Multi Purpose Centre. All of the ground preparation work has been completed, with the site having been filled and raised in preparation for the foundation stage. The next component of the project will be the installation of the concrete piling, which will form the foundation of the building. The piling process is complex and presents a significant engineering challenge. Piles will be driven into the ground until they reach the bedrock, which is more than 50 metres below the surface. The piling process involves banging the piles into the ground, one after the other until the rock is reached. Approximately 6 piles will be driven into each point and there are more than 80 piling points to be completed. This work will take several weeks and will obviously create some noise. We hope to use the July holiday break to complete about half of the piling, which will minimise the impact on students and their learning.
The Primary Assembly and Secondary Chapel this week were both very significant events, made even more so by them being delivered online. The wonderful benefit of this is that we can share them with our families. Both are available via the link below and if you have time, I would encourage you to take the opportunity to see what is happening in the College. In particular, the Secondary Chapel this week had a very strong anti-racism message which was both challenging and pertinent.
Vacation Care will return in the July term break and operate from 8.00am to 4.30pm each day. Please contact elc@eac.nsw.edu.au for bookings. Monday 20 July 2020 is a Professional Learning Day for teachers and staff of Kindergarten to Year 12. Vacation Care will also be available on Monday 20 July 2020. Term 3 will commence on Tuesday 21 July 2020.
Mr Robert Tobias
Principal
Off the Deputy's Desk
At present our teaching staff are busy in the midst of marking assessment pieces and writing academic reports from students in Years K-11. It is a highly challenging activity for teachers and one of their most important professional responsibilities.
As parents, many of you will no doubt take the time needed to read your child's report and ask the important questions of your child when doing so. The report will contain academic results linked to syllabus outcomes along with written subject comments. The bottom comment is the pastoral care comment where your child's class teacher (Primary) and Pastoral Care Teacher (Secondary) writes a summation of the student's overall effort, achievements and contribution to the wider co-curricular life of the College.
Important questions that parents should ask their child when debriefing upon their report card are as follows:
1. Which subjects are you most proud of your achievements in?
2. Which subjects to you want to improve in?
3. How can you make these improvements?
4. When you reflect upon your semester, are you convinced that this report demonstrates a true reflection of your ability?
5. How can we work with your teachers to help you learn better and possibly improve your results?
The language in these questions is both reflective yet future focused and doesn't dwell on letter grades or numerical marks and it lets your child take some ownership over his/her achievements. The language would need to be framed differently for Primary students.
I am certainly looking forward to my proofreading role of viewing all K-11 academic reports over the coming weeks. I will be paying particular attention to student effort, student co-curricular and service participation (although this has been limited this semester) and the overall academic tone of each student's report.
We are now beginning to transition to a more 'normal' look for school and by the start of next term we will be looking and feeling more like what school was like pre-COVID. However, we will need to continue to reevaluate everything that we learned as educators, parents and students during what has no doubt been one of the most challenging times of our lives. By working together, we can assist each of our students to be successful in their transition to the 'new normal' of schooling.
Mr Darren Parks
Deputy Principal
Term 2 Week 9
Tuesday 23 June
Secondary Assembly - Via Screencast
Primary Chapel - Via Screencast
Wednesday 24 June
Secondary Chapel - Via Screencast
Friday 26 June
Secondary Sport - Years 7-10
Term 2 Week 10
Tuesday 30 June
Primary Assembly - Via Screencast
Friday 3 July
Secondary Sport - Years 7-10
Term 2 concludes - 3.00pm
Term 3 Week 1
Monday 20 July
Student Free Day - Staff Professional Learning Day
Tuesday 21 July
Primary Interhouse Athletics Carnival - Venue TBC
Wednesday 22 July
Secondary Interhouse Athletics Carnival - Venue TBC
Friday 24 July
Kindergarten 100 Days of School
Secondary Sport - Years 7-10
Chaplain's Chat
Every week it seems like there is another special day or week set aside to mark. June is a month packed with such events - Sorry Day, Reconciliation Week, Pride Month and Refugee Week. I know for some people this is an absolute annoyance, and at school, it's really easy to feel overwhelmed by the competing demands.
Yet, what it highlights to me is the incredible diversity of the world we live in, and the stories we have to share. More than this, the absolute importance of ensuring these stories are shared. Why? If we ever want to live in a better, kinder, more compassionate world, then this is our starting point. Sharing the stories allows us to stand for the briefest moment in someone else's experience and to grow in our understanding of that person, their world and their 'why'.
Jesus was all over this story telling and used them to help people see the possibilities of a new way and a new world - the Kingdom of God. In parables, in conversation and even in charged yet witty banter with the leaders of the day, Jesus told stories that opened people's eyes.
This week is Refugee Week. There are still many who need our support, our understanding and our prayers. For many their homelands are still not home for them, and they are forced into a life in a refugee camp, or on the run waiting for the change to come, searching for safety. The students will hear something of this at school, in our chapel time. Obviously that is there for everyone to connect to and share in, but I want to encourage you to talk about this at home too - there are plenty of wonderful resources to share in on www.refugee.org.au - some great video resources too.
Talking about world issues at home
It can be tricky to know how to approach talking about world issues with our kids, but you are the one they learn from the most (I know...scary thought right...), modelling what they learn from you in their daily interactions with others. So we probably, as parents, need to step into these conversations more often. Whilst this little infographic refers to talking about culture - it's a super handy guide for any of those tricky conversations.
Ever-present God,
most of us will never have to decide
whether or not we should flee our home.
For this, we are truly thankful.
Whether it is war, oppression, religious persecution or other fears,
we commit those children and families who have chosen the journey of a refugee
into your hands.
Lord, in your mercy
hear our prayer. Amen
Peace
Rev Sally
Vacation Care will operate from 8.00am to 4.30pm each day during the term break. Please contact elc@eac.nsw.edu.au for bookings.
Primary Update
National Day of Action against Bullying
Due to COVID restrictions, the National Day of Action against Bullying didn't happen in Term 1. This didn't stop the EAC Primary students in marking the day by entering posters into an anti-bullying poster competition. At this week's virtual assembly, we announced the winners and runners up. In keeping with the themes of friendship and acceptance, the winning groups won icy poles for their whole class. Congratulations to students below.
Mr Wayne Cross
Director of Primary
Early / Stage 1
Winners: "Think Before You Act" - Zia, Isla and Charlotte (2A)
Runner up: "Friends Around the World" - Florence (KB)
Stage 2
Winners: "Stop Bullying" - Angus, Wil and Hudson (4B)
Runners up: "Stand Up to Bullies" - Tallulah, Olivia and Charlotte (4B)
Stage 3
Winners: "A Person's a Person, No Matter What" - Annie, Summah, Indiana and Charlotte (6A)
Runner up: "Celebrate our Differences" - Bonnie Coote (6B)
Secondary News
Brain Breaks
In life we are always being presented with new materials and new ways of doing things. Sometimes it is hard to stay focused and calm as we tackle new problems such as assignments and tests. Brain breaks can be used to positively impact our emotional states and learning. The break can refocus us and even help us to process the new information.
A brain break is a short period of time when we change up the dull routine of incoming information that arrives. Our brains are wired for novelty which we know as we pay attention to every stimulus in our environment that feels threatening or out of the ordinary.
When we take a brain break, it refreshes our thinking and helps us discover another solution to a problem or see a situation through a different lens. During these few minutes, the brain moves away from learning, memorising and problem solving and actually helps to incubate and process new information.
Below are some simple brain break activities that can be used at home to support your child doing assignments and revising for exams.
- Squiggle Story: on a blank sheet of paper draw one squiggly line. Give one minute to stand and draw with their non-dominant hand, turning the line into a picture or design.
- Invisible Pictures: in pairs, one person draws a picture in the air while the partner tries to guess.
- Rock, Scissors, Paper, Math: play "rock, paper, scissors", the last call is "math". With this call, both partners lay out one, two, three or four fingers in the palm of their hand. The first player to say the correct sum of both players fingers wins.
- Take a thumb and pinkie break: take your left hand and have the fingers in and your thumb up. Then take the right hand and put all the fingers in except the pinkie. Now switch the roles of your hand and see how fast you can do this.
When you are next at home completing a task with your child, try one of the above activities, give the brain a short break and you should see how the brain has refreshed.
Mrs Amanda Middleton
Director of Secondary
Adapted from Energy and Calm: Brain Breaks and Focused-Attention Practices by Lori Desautels
Science Update
Our secondary Science students have been undertaking some very interesting prac work this term!
Year 10 Science students have been conducting DNA practicals:
Extracting the DNA from a kiwi fruit.
Preparing a lolly model of the structure of DNA.
DNA sequenced bracelets!
Canteen
Purchases from the canteen can only be made by pre-ordering.All orders must be received at the canteen before 9.30am.The canteen will operate Monday to Friday.NO counter service will be provided.
The revised menu is below for your information and is also available on the College website.
All orders must be received at the canteen before 9.30am.
Please place the money in a paper bag of sufficient size to fit all of the lunch items.
If you are ordering a drink with your 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 RECESS, you must have a separate recess bag.
RECESS: Name, Teacher, PC Class, Recess Order
John Smith, Mr Falvey, 3A
Recess
Cheesymite Scroll
Pack Sultanas, Small
LUNCH BAG 1: Name, Teacher, PC Class, Lunch Order
John Smith, Mr Falvey, 3A,
Lunch
1 Snack Pie
LUNCH BAG 2: Name, Teacher, PC Class, Drink Order
John Smith, Mr Falvey, 3A,
Lunch
1 Orange Juice
Any change required will be placed in the bag for return with the lunch order.
Christine Hall
Canteen Coodinator