"So always treat others as you would like them to treat you."
Matthew 7:12
From The Principal
Well, we have made it! What a term! In 10 weeks, we have made the remarkable journey from home based learning, through a transition phase, to finally conclude the term with full time face to face learning. As I reflect on this most unusual time, I cannot help but be so grateful for the incredible teamwork and support shown by all members of our community as we have faced this challenge together. The efforts of the staff, students and families have simply been outstanding. All parties have shown amazing resilience and their flexibility, adaptability, generosity and goodwill have ensured that we have successfully navigated one of the most challenging and uncertain times of the modern era. The efforts have been wonderful and certainly everyone deserves a holiday and some time to unwind, relax and put the feet up.
The heavy machinery, including the piling rig, rolled onto the Multi Purpose Centre building site this week and the next phase of the construction process has begun in earnest. Concrete piles will be driven into the ground to form the foundation for the building. The piles come in 9 metre lengths and will be driven one on top of the other into the ground until they reach the bedrock below. The average depth of each piling point will be more than 50 metres. There are more than 80 piling points to be completed over the next 4 weeks. Fortunately, the students will be on leave for half of this time and so the impact to learning will be kept to a minimum.
Over the break students from Kindergarten to Year 11 will receive academic reports. Despite the different modes of learning, students have still made the most of the learning opportunities and have demonstrated much in terms of growth and development. Due to the alternative modes of learning and assessment, the reports will have a slightly modified design but will still provide an accurate summary of students' growth and learning.
When the students return for the second semester, there will be further easing of Covid19 restrictions and the students will be able to enjoy a number of the extra curricular programs that have been on hold for several months. While still conscious of the ongoing threat from the virus, I am sure the students will be delighted to see the return of some of their favourite parts of College life.
A reminder that I will be on Long Service Leave for the first half of next term. I leave the College in the very capable hands of Mr Darren Parks and look forward to having a rest, catching up with a few friends and getting a couple of those odd jobs around the house completed (finally!).
Mr Robert Tobias
Principal
Off the Deputy's Desk
This week sees the end to one of the strangest and most unsettled terms of all time. From an educational perspective, it has been a challenge to develop online learning platforms via Google Classroom in the Secondary and Seesaw in the Primary. We also had to resort to some good old-fashioned telephone calls to maintain contact with families and to provide pastoral support to students learning from home, and often to parents as well. As a community we have been resilient and realised that it indeed does take an enormous team effort to pull together and deliver when the pressure is on. However, this has also been exhausting for our staff, our students and our parents. COVID-19 has made me feel like something is just not quite right, but I can't exactly explain what that something is right now.
As we reflect upon the term, we should be particularly proud of our Year 12's, who have had major disruptions forced on them in their final year of schooling. On the whole, they have risen to the challenge and striven to be diligent in their approach to learning, even when it may have seemed like they should just give up. For our younger secondary students, the start, stop and restart nature of the semester has left some with challenges that have needed support. For students in the Primary, learning from home was challenging as the traditional primary structure and network had to be delivered in a different way. For our youngest students, they probably just wanted to know why everything had seemed crazy.
For all that we have faced as educators, parents and students, and regardless of how we feel about the situation (your feelings are validated and can only be explained by you), we should take heart from the fact that we are all still standing, still fighting on and still trying to find the good in each other, our students and in our families. A crisis is an opportune time for self-discovery and I have learned an enormous amount about how stress impacts on each individual in a unique way, and that we have to try to see a situation from the perspective of the other person.
As we move towards the winter break, I wish all of our students a great break and hope that they find the time to do what they enjoy. For our staff, it will no doubt be time to regroup and recharge. For our parents, I know that many of you have seen a lot of your children over the last few months, but take heart from the fact that you will miss them intensely when they grow up. Enjoy your time with them while they are young!
Thank you to all of our families for your support this semester and I look forward to working with you all again in a few weeks' time.
Mr Darren Parks
Deputy Principal
Term 3 Week 1
Monday 20 July
Student Free Day - Staff Professional Learning Day
Tuesday 21 July
Primary Inter-house Athletics Carnival - Cavanbah Centre, Byron Bay - Buses depart at 9.00am
Wednesday 22 July
Secondary Inter-house Athletics Carnival - Cavanbah Centre, Byron Bay - Buses depart at 9.00am
Friday 24 July
Kindergarten 100 Days of School Chapel Service - Discovery Centre
Secondary Sport-Years 7-10
Term 3 Week 2
Monday 27 July
K-12 Parent Teacher Interviews - 3.30pm-8.30pm - Primary in classrooms - Secondary in library, Ezzy Centre and ST block classrooms
Year 10 Immunisations - 9.30-10.50am - Ezzy Centre
Tuesday 28 July
Whole College Assembly - 9.00am - Undercover Area
7-12 Parent Teacher Interviews - 3.30-6.30pm
Friday 31 July
College Photo Day - Years 2-12 - Library - 9.00am-3.00pm
Secondary Sport - Years 7-10
Term 3 Week 3
Monday 3 August
College Photo Day - Years K,1, ELC, plus catch up individual photos and group photos
Tuesday 4 August
Primary Chapel
Friday 7 August
Secondary Sport - Years 7-10
Chaplain's Chat
Hasn't it been a year - one heck of a year at that! Particularly as we are only 6 months into it. But it's a good time to remember that 2020 is not over. We have the rest of the year to be getting on with, many more months for looking up, plenty of time to hold good things!
We have done lots of tough love and learning so far this year - but what about some fun times, what about some building up times. I think that is where I want to spend my energy for the rest of the year. I am tired of making the most of a crummy situation, so instead I plan to make the best of every opportunity. And with the school holidays almost here, now is the perfect time to start that.
My family is a large family, particularly as we are close to our extended family, with our children feeling more like siblings than they did cousins. So when one member of the family that we hadn't seen for a few months was able to get home for the weekend, well obviously it was time to get together. It was a joy to behold - the kids, their partners and their children, as well as the one in Melbourne who zoomed in for dinner - laughing, teasing and joking together.
Nothing fancy, a firepit, a 'pot luck meal', so no one person is catering for everyone, and a great deal of love.
As the parents, we sat back and felt pretty darn pleased with ourselves. However, it did not happen overnight, and to a significant extent, we have been intentional in shaping our family.
Here's what we (now realise) we have done:
Kindness matters
My family are teasers...they love to tease each other mercilessly. I on the other hand am not that comfortable with it, I don't mind being teased, but there are limits. Fortunately, whilst the teasing and practical jokes are at times of epic proportions, they are never cruel. Why? Because we have always insisted on kindness.
Kind is not the same as nice.
Kind is not sappy. Kind is respecting and recognising the other person. Kind is taking the time to know the other's favourite things, and having each other's backs. Kind shows real love for another person.
So a child shows kindness in sharing, in doing their share of the chores, in knowing when to stop teasing their sibling.
A parent shows kindness in realising that the last week of term is not the time to let bed times go - that's for Friday night! But in my house, kindness also meant that we maybe ate favourite meals in the last week of term...tacos, spag bol...not a lot of chewing involved really!
Kindness is actually love in action, and it is a gift to see your adult children living it out.
Celebrate everything
I have a bottle of Moet on my wine rack (it's not my favourite bubbles - prosecco, then Veuve, then Moet...in case you wondered). I've decided that on Friday I will open that bottle. It's the last day of term - and that is worth celebrating. Over the years we have discovered that everything deserves to be celebrated. Sometimes we simply need to celebrate the effort of living! Celebrations don't have to be huge, they can be a treat after dinner, or a movie night in, or carefully setting the table with all your favourite things. Don't wait for a reason - make a reason! Celebrate the kid's reports - even if every comment says that they have room for improvement! I wish we had done more of that. It's an area I want to improve in, I am never sure if I have done enough to celebrate yet - but how much is enough? I think learning to celebrate even when it is not perfect helps to create a perspective for our disappointments. I wish I had done better can become a renewed effort to do better!
Traditions
We have developed many traditions in our family. It helps having been raised in the church, and learning the importance of ritual and milestones, but we take our traditions seriously! There are the obvious ones like Christmas and Easter, but we discovered we had accidentally developed milestone rituals as well:
The move from year 2 to year 3 for our kids was big - it was a change in uniform and playgrounds and so became significant.
I think the most ridiculous one that stuck was not allowing the children to eat on the lounge suite until you were 15. It was a random thing that started when we got a new lounge (and we didn't have any 15 year olds at the time!) but it stuck and spread, until I found one child drinking a cup of tea on the lounge on the morning of their 15th birthday - because they could!
Oh and then there is the coffee date when you get your P plates, and the catch up coffee after each HSC exam, which when they went on to uni became a coffee and a phone call - every single exam! Over that cuppa we pulled the exam apart, grieved the bits that were missed and then moved on.
Traditions are like that - they create an intentional space for life to move on.
Over these holidays and into the future, I hope you find time for refreshment and rest. More than this, I hope you find time to truly enjoy your family!
Peace
Rev Sal
Sports Update
Reminder - Athletics Carnival
Date: Week 1, Term 3
Tuesday 21 July 2020 (Primary)
Wednesday 22 July 2020 (Secondary)
Venue: Cavanbah Sports Centre, 249 Ewingsdale Road, Byron Bay
Details: Students will get the opportunity to compete in their house teams in athletics. Some events will be conducted at the College during sport time due to time constraints.
What to bring: Students will need to have their hat and a water bottle. Please note there is no canteen so students will need to bring all their own food.
What to wear: College sports uniform or house colours.
Spectators: At this stage, parents will not be able to attend the carnival.
Athletics Training
Experienced athletics coach Mr Greg Potts is holding athletics training sessions for students who wish to train to prepare for their school carnivals or club competitions.
Field events: Wednesday 4.00pm at Cumbalum athletics fields
Running events: Sunday 4.00pm at Lennox Rugby ground (Williams Reserve)
Cost: Sessions are $5.00
Please contact Mr Potts if you would like your child to attend, or for more information greg.potts@scu.edu.au
Mr Graham Walker
Sport and Coaching Administrator
Primary Update
This week's Primary Assembly was dedicated to Gratitude. The students were given the opportunity to say thanks to those who helped them through the challenges of Term 2. It was wonderful to discover and acknowledge the broad range of people who were there for our students. We also acknowledged our Bronze Award recipients and took a look 'Around the Grounds' to share the many wonderful activities that happen each and every day.
Mr Wayne Cross
Director of Primary
Year 6 Inter-Class Debate
On Friday 26 June, Year 6 had an inter-class debate. The topic was "Smoking should be Banned". Our debaters of 6B included first speaker Julianna Addenbrooke, second speaker Leni Visser, third speaker Jo-Yi Chan and helpers Max Whitaker and Olivia De Marco. The Affirmative team of 6A included first speaker George Lee, second speaker Jessica Evans, third speaker Annie Peart and helpers Eva Rylands and Ben Vanem.
6B were all originally disappointed when given the negative side, with 6A grinning at having the affirmative job. Ben Vanem was the time keeper, with myself as chairman. Mr Tobias came to be the Adjudicator while 6A and 6B were the audience.
The standard of arguments and rebuttals were high. The negative team, after digging deep to find persuasive arguments, walked away with the win. Mrs Sculley, our teacher, was very happy with how 6B performed and they now have bragging rights for the rest of the year over Mr C's class.
written by Lennox Broadley 6B
Secondary News
During secondary assembly last week, two Year 11 students spoke about the importance of school uniform. Below is their speech.
What is the point of a school uniform?
A shirt, tie and for some a blazer may not be the ingredients for your favourite outfit. So why do we wear a school uniform and not what we like?
Wearing a uniform is a badge of pride, it creates an identity for the school and it is an important part of being a school student. Wearing a uniform says we are all together in this. Uniforms give students a sense of belonging and creates an identity for the school in the community. Think about the places people work. Woolworths, Coles and Fast Food outlets, all have uniforms that people wear. We all know who works at these places and who to ask questions to. It creates an identity for the workplace and hence for the school.
A school uniform teaches you all to dress smartly and take pride in your appearance. It helps you to prepare for when you leave school and may have to dress smartly or wear a uniform.
A school uniform means that you don't have to worry about peer pressure when it comes to clothes. When everyone is dressed the same, worrying about what you like isn't as important. There is no competition about being dressed in the latest trend, which could put financial pressure on students and parents.
In America where a majority of schools do not have a uniform, roughly 160,000 children miss school every day due to fear of attach or intimidation by other students. This might not be directly linked to what they're wearing, but having a uniform can be a safety net for many students who might otherwise suffer from bullying.
So, in summary, at EAC we wear a uniform for the following reasons:
- Sense of pride
- Sense of belonging
- Creates an identity for the school community
- Teaches you to dress smartly
Now that we know the reasons for wearing a uniform, let's revise the school expectations.
Hair
Boys: neat, short, clean. No shorter than a number three. No undercuts or hair colours.
Girls: hair longer than shoulder length should be tied back. Colours are not appropriate.
Jewellery and makeup
Boys: no jewellery is to be worn to College, with watches being the exception.
Girls: are permitted to wear plain studs or simply sleepers, without stones or adornment. One per ear, in the lower earlobe. Necklaces are to be worn under the uniform so they cannot be seen. Nail polish, fake nails and cosmetics are not to be worn.
Uniform
The diary outlines the uniform for each stage.
The most important part of a school uniform is a hat. A hat must be worn in the sun. This is for your own safety as you get older.
Bronze Award Winners
Congratulations to the following students who have successfully achieved a Bronze Award this term.
Year 7
Sascha Connolly
Laylan Bradbury
Kalani Franklin
Angus Hatherly
Mackenzie Liska
Franceska Payne
Samuel Southwell
Hannah Vidler
Year 8
Thandi Malaba
William Picken
Jack Whitaker
Kyle Underwood Named Golf All-America Scholar
Kyle Underwood was College Captain at Emmanuel Anglican College in 2017. In mid-2018 he was awarded a golf scholarship at Long Island University (LIU) in New York, USA.
At the end of the 2020 US College Year (back in May), Kyle was awarded the Lonnie Barton Memorial Award for Long Island University New York. Whilst the award is normally not given until the final year of college for the Senior Captain of Golf, Kyle received it at the end of his second year at LIU. Kyle achieved the lowest golf score for the College and also top GPA (academic).
More recently, Kyle was awarded the All American Award from the National Athletic Collegiate Association of America, for his low Handicap and high Academic results. Only 600 students across the United States of America receive this award, out of 460,000 athletes. Read the Golf Coaches Association of America article here.
Congratulations Kyle on your achievement, EAC is very proud of you.
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.
Music Notes
Reminder - Concert Band Program to recommence in Term 3
All rehearsals and face-to-face tuition will recommence at their usual scheduled times:
- Secondary Concert Band - Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 8.00am
- Primary Concert Band (Years 5 & 6) - Wednesday morning from 8.00am
- Year 6 Band - Wednesday Period 5
- Year 5 Band - Wednesday Period 4
- Year 4 Band - Thursday Period 3
- Year 3 Development Band - Wednesday Period 3
Canteen
All orders must be received at the canteen before 9.15am.The canteen will operate Monday to Friday.
All orders must be received at the canteen before 9.15am.
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
Community News
SCHOOL HOLIDAY PROGRAMS ARE ON!
We have done a huge job making sure we are COVID safe. As a result of following these guidelines, there are scheduled cleaning intervals throughout the day and students are required to wash and sanitise their hands and feet prior to classes starting. We also ask that each participant brings their own water bottle and snacks.
BYRON BAY
We will take your kids on the adventure of their lives with the amazing high flying trapeze, circus workshops and the ever-popular Ninja classes for kids!
29 June – 3 July 2020: Half-day mornings only
4 – 20 July 2020: Full program running
(use your Creative Kids Voucher and get $100 off the full price)
KIDS - AGES 5-15 YRS
Book Kids Circus here
TEENS - AGES 12-16 YRS
Book Teens Circus here
New healthy and delicious Kids Lunch Boxes are available during the school holidays. They are homemade by our chefs and are nut free.
Lunch Box is $15 and has to be booked online as an add-on to any program.
