"Like a man running a race, I try hard to reach the line so that I will receive the prize. Because we belong to Christ Jesus, God is calling us to receive this prize that he has for us in heaven.
15 All of us who are grown-up Christians should feel this way. And if you do not think this way, God will show you the right way.
16 But no matter how far we have gone, we must keep on going that way. And let us do it together, having the same things in mind"
Philippians 3:14-16
From The Principal
Welcome back to all of our families for what hopefully promises to be a productive and exciting third term. For our Year 12 students, this term is 'the premiership quarter', where they can set themselves up for an excellent finish to their formal education by working hard, refining their study habits and ensuring holistic wellbeing as they move towards the finish line. For the rest of our students this term is an opportunity to act on report card feedback and set new goals for personal success, whether it be in the academic, sporting, cultural or service fields.
On the staffing front this term, we see the return of Mrs Penelope Galletly-Salisbury from maternity leave and welcome her back to the staff. Also, Mr Jared Rose will be covering Mrs Regan's classes for the term. We welcome Mr Rose to the staff and hope that he enjoys his time here at EAC.
I am taking this opportunity to remind you about some important calendar events that are occurring throughout the duration of third term. It promises to be a busy start to the new term and with COVID-19 restrictions gradually lifting, our students will hopefully begin to feel like life is regaining some sense of normality. However, we will need to stay vigilant and if the situation changes then events may need to be rescheduled or cancelled.
Mr Darren Parks
Acting Principal
Term 3 Week 2
Monday 27 July - Year 10 Immunisations
Meningococcal vaccinations are provided by NSW Health. Some envelopes are still available from the office if you wish for your child to be immunised. Only students with written permission from parents will be immunised.
Monday 27 July - K-12 Parent Teacher Interviews
Parent Teacher Interviews will be held from 3.30-8.30 pm on this date. All Primary interviews will be held in the teacher’s classroom. Secondary interviews will be held in the library, the Ezzy Centre and ST block downstairs classrooms. Bookings can be made via Parent Lounge. Parents are asked to social distance from one another, wash their hands and to not congregate in large groups whilst interviews are occurring.
Tuesday 28 July - Year 7 Mental Health First Aid Program
This course started just before we moved to learning at home. We have been able to secure bookings to recommence the program from Tuesday 28 July. All students in Year 7 will complete this program as a permission note was sent out earlier in the year.
Tuesday 28 July - Years 7-12 Parent Teacher Interviews
Parents of students in Years 7-12 will have the option of a second afternoon of interviews. Interviews run from 3.30-6.30pm and will be located in the same places as the previous day.
Friday 31 July - College Photo Day Years 2-12
All students are required to wear full school uniform on this day. Year 11 and 12 students must wear their blazers. Photo orders can be made on The School Photographer’s webpage. Each student will have an individual photo taken as well as a class photo. Sibling photos can be taken if parents choose to order these.
Please note that students in Years 7-10 will be required to change into their sports uniform after their photos have been taken in order to be ready for sport.
Term 3 Week 3
Monday 3 August - College Photo Day - ELC,1,2, Group Photos and Catch Up Photos
All students are required to wear full school uniform. Catch up photos of individuals and siblings will be taken along with Year 12 leaders, Year 6 leaders and SRC members.
Thursday 6 August - Kindergarten Experience Day
2021 Kindergarten students have the opportunity to join Kindy for a wonderful opportunity to learn about the routine and expectations of the EAC environment.
Friday 7 August - Year 10 into Year 11 Subject Expo
Year 10 students will view short presentations from subject teachers regarding the course offerings available to them for Year 11. This will occur during the normal College day and will be organised by Mrs Boyd.
Term 3 Week 4
Monday 10 August - Year 10 into Year 11 Subject Selection Evening
Unfortunately, due to caps on numbers at group gatherings and the size of our facilities, this event will look different in 2020. Mrs Boyd will pre-record a presentation and it will be sent home to families along with subject selection details. Curriculum Leaders will be available from 6.00-7.00pm on this date, should parents wish to visit the College to meet with relevant Curriculum Leaders to discuss any questions or concerns that they have regarding subject selection.
Thursday 13 August - Year 7 Experience Day
Current Year 6 students plus new enrolments to the College will be having a day of enjoyable, transition style activities. Miss Guest, Stage 4 Coordinator, will facilitate the program for the day.
Term 3 Week 5
Monday 17 August until Friday 28 August - Year 12 HSC Trial Examinations
Mrs Boyd will provide a timetable and further details regarding the HSC Trial Examination process.
Tuesday 18 August - Whole College Chapel
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, this will be a virtual service shown during pastoral care lesson.
Term 3 Week 7
Monday 31 August - Year 7 Immunisations
This is round 2 of the immunisations that occurred earlier in the year. It will also serve as a catch up day for students who missed the first round.
Tuesday 1 September - Year 12 Elevate Study Skills Workshop
This has been rescheduled from earlier in the year. Presenters from Elevate Education will work with Year 12 students to develop examination strategies and promote a positive mindset ahead of HSC Examinations.
Thursday 4 September - College Cross Country
This year's College Cross Country will be held at Lennox Head. Further details to be provided by Mr Walker.
Term 3 Week 8
Primary Intensive Swimming Block
This is a 5 day intensive swimming program and further details will be sent out closer to the date.
Year 11 Examination Block
This is for Year 11 final examinations. Mrs Boyd will provide further details and a timetable at a later date.
Term 3 Week 9
Primary Intensive Swimming Block
This is the second week of the intensive swimming program.
Thursday 17 September - Kindergarten 2021 Experience Day
New Kindergarten students spend a day with their teachers engaging in a transition program, in readiness for 2021.
Thursday 17 and Friday 18 September - College Tennis Championships
Mr Walker will provide further details regarding this event.
Friday 18 September - Year 11 Retreat
Rev Sal and Mr Raguse will undertake self reflection and leadership skill development activities with the Year 11 students. This will not be an overnight event like in the past.
Term 3 Week 10
Monday 21 September - Brainstorm Productions Anti Bullying Presentations
All students in K-6 will be involved in these presentations which are designed to reinforce anti bullying messages with students.
Friday 25 September - Year 12 Retreat
Year 12 students will work with Rev Sal and Mr Raguse to reflect upon their schooling experiences. The retreat will be held at St John The Baptist Anglican Church at Lennox Head.
Friday 25 September - Secondary Interhouse Multi Sports Day
This will occur at the College and will be run by Year 11 students.
Saturday 26 September - Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award Qualifying Journey
This is a 4 day journey of a demanding nature. Mr Walker will provide further details in due course. This may be cancelled if restrictions do not lift in time.
Sunday 27 September - Duke of Edinburgh Silver Award Qualifying Journey
This is a 3 day journey of a demanding nature. Mr Walker will provide further details in due course. This may be cancelled if restrictions do not lift in time.
Early Learning Centre News
When programming and planning for quality learning, Educators must consider the adult role, space, time and resources. At the Early Learning Centre, we view the environment (space) as the third teacher -
"Contemporary theories and research informed by the Reggio Emilia approach recognise and value the environment as a 'third teacher'. Behind educators and families, physical spaces hold the potential to influence what and how children learn".
(ACECQA, QA3)
Considering this, we have purchased a variety of open-ended resources including brick blocks, bamboo, large rectangle blocks, mirrored shaped blocks, coloured perspex blocks and small wooden planks. We have also increased our 'loose parts' resources including chain, rope, plumbing pipe, tubes, wire coils and crates. All of what we do here may appear to be 'play', however, science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM) underpin this play. Embedding quality STEAM resources into our space enables and empowers children to develop their sense of agency, as well as a range of dispositions for learning such as imagination, curiosity, persistence and enthusiasm.
Mrs Natasha Livock
Early Learning Centre Coordinator
Secondary News
Why healthy sleep is vital for school success
Not only is sleep critical to the functioning of all body systems, scientists have found a distinct correlation between our ability to learn and process memories, and our sleep habits. Studies have shown that too little sleep can contribute to many physical and mental health issues, including poor ability to learn, depression, high blood pressure and disease.
Sleep deprivation is a massive issue for many students and is having a profound effect on their physical and mental wellbeing, because both their bodies and minds are not being rested and recharged. Also, essential growth hormones, which are released during sleep, will not be able to do their job.
Those students with a 24/7 addiction of being connected to their peers by having their phones on all night, makes deep and uninterrupted sleep impossible. Interestingly, studies have revealed that over 60% of adolescents are unhappy with and exhausted by this, don't understand the consequences of a lack of sleep and rest, but continue to stay connected because of FOMO. Also, the blue screen light from mobiles stimulates adrenaline release, further preventing sleep.
For adolescents, memory and learning are consolidated during REM sleep. During high pressure times such as exams, students are often tempted to pull all-nighters to cram for the next day. Unfortunately, this is often counterproductive as not only does sleep strengthen learning and memories - it also has the ability to prioritise memories by breaking them up and organising them according to their emotional importance.
Parents can support students in getting enough sleep by making gradual changes to their child's sleeping habits. Some strategies that can help you are:
- Be clear how much time your child can spend on their computers and phones.
- The light from LED screens delays the release of melatonin and makes it difficult to wind down. Enforce a no screen policy one hour before bedtime if your children are fighting sleep.
- Take your child's phone out of their room at bedtime, or turn the setting to 'Airplane Mode' to disconnect it for the night.
- Regular exercise will help tire their bodies and get them ready for sleep.
At least 9 hours deep and uninterrupted sleep and rest are non-negotiable essentials for the healthy development of young people. Listening to students' opinions on things like sleep is important, but it is our role as parents to ensure they are informed and knowledgeable about it.
Acknowledgement: Rath & Breus
Mrs Amanda Middleton
Director of Secondary School
Year 8.1 STEM - Interactive Game Design Challenge
In the last 4 weeks of Term 2, students were working collaboratively in groups of three and four to produce an Interactive Game using CoSpace EDU. Students entered into the Design Phase of game making. Once their ideas were sorted, they commenced coding their scene in the Production Phase. Upon completing, students were allocated time to play each other's games and provide the creators with feedback in the Evaluation Phase. These three phases will assist the students through any task they may encounter during their lives.
These three groups of Year 8 STEM students are to be congratulated for their high level of innovation and commitment to the task. You can view their interactive games by clicking on the links below. Who knows, our students might have created the next Flappy Bird craze!
Group 1 - Alexander Keir, Roilehsar Chang and Joshua Williams
Group 2 - Olivia Carter, Anya Grant, Marlie Koenen and Zoe Marr
Group 3 - Taj Patton, William Picken and Jack Whitaker
Mrs Julie Beavis
Secondary Teacher - Maths, STEM & IT
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