"So always treat others as you would like them to treat you."
Matthew 7:12
From The Principal
R U OK? Thursday September 10 is R U OK? Day and a very timely opportunity to check in with all those around us to ask R U OK? The College will be undertaking a number of initiatives involving both staff and students, to encourage all of our community to be proactive in reaching out and checking in with friends, family, classmates and colleagues. It has been a very difficult and challenging year for all our community and this is a great opportunity to touch base with those around us and offer our friendship and support.
R U OK? has been developed to 'inspire and empower everyone to meaningfully connect with people around them and support anyone struggling'.
It aims to:
- Boost our confidence to meaningfully connect and ask about life's ups and downs.
- Nurture our sense of responsibility to regularly connect and support others.
- Strengthen our sense of belonging because we know people are there for us.
- Be relevant, strong and dynamic.
Given the challenges of 2020 and recent local events, it is a very opportune event to support and promote across our community. It is just one of a number of initiatives the College is involved in to not only support students, but to equip them with information, skills and resources to support their self care and also look out for those around them.
I offer to all our families a simple overview of support services available and actively encourage you to share this with your children. Each organisation has web and social media platforms as well. This information is also listed in the Student Planner for those in Year 5 through to Year 12.
Kids Helpline - 1800 55 1800 - phone support is there all day, every day. Online support is open from 8am-midnight every day (AEST).
Suicide Callback Service - 1300 659 467 - phone support all day, every day and follow-up calls.
eHeadspace - 1800 650 890 - open 9am-1pm daily (AEST).
Lifeline - 13 11 14 - phone support all day, every day. Online support 7pm-4am daily (AEST).
Beyondblue - 1300 22 4636 - phone support all day, every day. Online support 3pm-midnight every day.
I was delighted to be able to inform our Year 12 students and their families that restrictions on Graduation ceremonies and Formal will be lifted from November 12 or after the HSC Examinations conclude. For all students, these events represent a very significant rite of passage as well as a special and unique opportunity to celebrate friendships as well as the success and achievements of their schooling. The students were very happy to hear the news and now can focus on their studies knowing they will be able to celebrate their final year with all of the grace and glamour they had so desired.
Congratulations also to all our HSC students that have participated in courses that have a Major Work or performance pieces as a component of their HSC examination. This includes students undertaking Music, Drama, Design and Technology, Visual Art, English Extension 2 and Industrial Technology-Multimedia. Each practical task is the culmination of many months of preparation and work. I am inspired and humbled by the talent and commitment of all those who have taken on such a challenge. Special mention to Mr Raguse, Ms Spring, Mr Brenton, Mrs McLintock and Mr Cleverley who have guided and supported students through the development of their works and performances.
I also ask that you keep Year 11 in your thoughts and prayers this week as they participate in their End of Preliminary Course Examinations.
Mr Robert Tobias
Principal
Off the Deputy's Desk
You have highlights of your week when you are an educator. These are moments which often lift you up to a higher place. One of these moments was last Thursday when Mrs Middleton, Mr Raguse and I interviewed our shortlisted Year 11 leadership applicants. Each of these young men and women presented themselves with sheer class, dignity and grace. They made our task to further shortlist candidates incredibly difficult. I want to thank each of these students for making my day so wonderful. The time flew by as we engaged with each one of them. Unfortunately, not all applicants were able to be shortlisted to go forward to the final phase, but we are truly blessed with a wonderful group of new leaders in waiting. I look forward to sharing further news of the progress of the leadership selection process in the near future.
Happy Father's Day to all of our EAC dads out there. It takes a lot of effort, commitment and selflessness to be a good father. Unfortunately, I lost my father 15 years ago but I often reflect upon the wise, earthy advice that he gave me with regards to many things. I hope that between the socks, the jocks, the burnt toast etc, that you each had a wonderful day and that you enjoyed spending time with your children.
This Thursday is R U OK? Day across Australia. Given the current health and economic situation, we now, more than ever, need to be alert and stop and ask those whom we work with, who we teach and those who we love, whether they are okay. There is no shame in admitting it if you are struggling. In other words, it is okay to not be okay and there is someone who can help if you need it. For our students, we have a very well defined, compassionate support network for mental health concerns. In the Primary, students can talk to their Class Teacher, Welfare Leader, Counsellor, Chaplain, Director of Primary or Deputy Principal. That's 6 significant adults who they can go to if they are struggling. In the Secondary, students can talk to their Pastoral Care Teacher, Stage Coordinator, Counsellor, Chaplain, Directory of Secondary or Deputy Principal. Again, that's 6 channels of support available for any student who is feeling low.
Finally, as we move towards the pointy end of the term, I want to make a special mention of our Year 12 students. They have sat their trial examinations and are now receiving feedback and their results, and their teachers are busy writing their final reports. It has been a really challenging year for these students and I encourage them, along with their parents, to hang in there just a little longer. We are all working on ways to give you a great send off and to acknowledge your achievements.
Mr Darren Parks
Deputy Principal

Term 3 Week 9
Monday 14 September
Year 11 Examination Block
Tuesday 15 September
Primary Netball Training - 7.30-8.30am - Courts
Primary Chapel - Recorded on Screencast and sent to Primary Class Teachers - 9.08am
Secondary Assembly - Recorded on Screencast and sent to Secondary PC Teachers - 9.08am
Primary Netball vs Holy Family School @ EAC - 11.40am-2.30pm
Year 11 Examination Block
Year 9 Mental Health First Aid - Periods 1-3
Homework Help - 3.30-4.30pm - Library
Year 7 2021 Information Evening - Sent to parents via Screencast
Wednesday 16 September
Year 11 returns to normal classes
Year 11 leadership speeches and voting - Periods 1 and 2 - Ezzy Centre
HSC Music Performance Practical Examination @ EAC - 3.00-4.15pm - TC6
Thursday 17 September
Year 11 Retreat - Dunoon Anglican Church
Primary College Tennis Championships at Ballina Tennis Club - All day
Homework Help - 3.30-4.30pm - Library
Friday 18 September
Secondary Sport - Periods 5 and 6
Secondary College Tennis Championships at Ballina Tennis Club - All day
Term 3 Week 10
Monday 21 September
College Cross Country - Rescheduled from 4 September
Tuesday 22 September
Year 12 Assembly - 9.08am - Ezzy Centre
Wednesday 23 September
Primary Netball vs Richmond Christian College - 11.45am-2.30pm - Courts
Thursday 24 September
Year 12 Breakfast - 7.30am - Ezzy Centre
Friday 25 September
Year 12 Retreat - St John the Baptist Anglican Church, Lennox Head - All day
Secondary Sport - Periods 5 and 6
Term 3 concludes - 3.00pm
Cyberbullying
Established in 2008, Internet Safe Education delivers training, speaking and consultancy worldwide in the field of digital compliance including internet safety and cyberbullying. They also provide a community where parents, carers and those interested in the health, safety and well-being of children in an online environment can access the most credible, up to date resources available worldwide.
Please find below a link to one of their Parent Presentations: Understanding and Managing an Online World - Cyberbullying, presented by Internet Safe Education facilitator, Brett Lee.
Sports Update
Primary Inter House Tournament
Last Wednesday and Thursday our Year 3 to 6 students played in the annual Primary Inter House Netball Tournament.
The Tournament followed the Primary sport Netball class program over the past 5 weeks. The tournament involved each year group playing in mixed gender inter house teams against each other, in a round robin event.
Congratulations to all students who played on the day as they demonstrated a high level of netball skill and teamwork. Furthermore it was most pleasing to watch the games played with great house spirit and sportsmanship.
The netball tournament required the help of many people and I have some special people to thank, firstly our Year 6 House Captains and Ms Coghill who assisted with the set up and pack down each day of the netball tournament equipment. The Year 3, 4, 5 and 6 teachers for their help in assisting the house teams with player rotation and scoring and lastly a very special mention to the wonderful assistance of our volunteer umpires from Year 8, 9 and 11 (Elise Edmiston, Lara Atkinson, Lola Saul, Lucia Mitchell, Paige Wilkie and Letia Paton).
The individual age group winning houses and overall winning house for the netball tournament were announced at today's Primary Assembly and we congratulate Brockington House who were the overall winning house.
Mr Randall Evans
Sport Coach and Duke of Edinburgh Leader
Secondary News
A conversation can change a life.
Thursday 10th September is World Suicide Prevention Day. This day, organised by the World Health Organisation and the World Federation of Mental Health, raises global awareness of how suicide can be prevented and provides a forum for communities to discuss and connect people to supports. With the tragic loss in the local community recently, this day allows us to have those conversations to support others to seek help.
The impacts of suicide are immediate, far reaching and long lasting. They are felt by families, friends, work colleagues and the broader community. While not all suicides are preventable, increasing individual and community capacity and resilience and supporting individuals and communities at risk to seek and receive help, can reduce the number of people taking their lives.
The World Health Organisation estimates that approximately 1 million people die each year from suicide. As 2020 has been a challenging year for everyone and circumstances have made it even more important for us all to stay connected, it is important that we have conversations that could change a life. Suicide is a desperate attempt to escape suffering that has become unbearable. Blinded by feelings of self-loathing, hopelessness and isolation, a suicidal person can't see any way of finding relief, except through death.
Most suicidal individuals give warning signs or signals of their intentions. The best way to prevent suicide is to recognise these warning signs and know how to respond if you spot them. If you believe that a friend or family member is suicidal, you can play a role in suicide prevention by pointing out the alternatives, showing you care and getting a doctor or psychologist involved.
Major warning signs for suicide include talking about killing or harming oneself, talking or writing a lot about death or dying, and seeking out things that could be used in a suicide attempt such as weapons and drugs. More subtle signals include hopelessness or dramatic mood swings.
This year, students in Years 7, 9 and 10 have participated in the Youth Mental Health First Aid course run by Safer Communities. This course encourages students to spot the warning signs of suicide in someone they care about, start a conversation and seek help for the individual. Each student has reflected on three people they would feel comfortable asking for help if they felt down or if they have recognised the signals in a friend or family member.
As World Suicide Prevention Day and R U OK Day fall on the same day, use this week as a time to check on others and guide them through how they can continue a conversation that could change their life. There are many organisations which provide tips for having conversations and provide online chat and phone support. There are also video messages about having these difficult life changing conversations. Links to these can be found below.
Mrs Amanda Middleton
Director of Secondary
Grok Python Challenge 2020
Congratulations to Year 9 and Year 10 IST for completing the NCSS Challenge for July 2020! Everyone has done such a superb job. The students competed in three levels of the course, Beginners, Intermediate and Advanced.
Advanced Course
Samuel Cant (Participation)
Intermediate Course
Oliver Payne (Perfect Score)
Ryder Doran (High Distinction)
Beginners Course
Ziggy Kowalski (Perfect Score)
Pasquale Deo (Perfect Score)
Finley Parker (Perfect Score)
Orlando Swan (High Distinction)
Zane Crowe (Participation)
Chiron Moon (Perfect Score)
Conrad Bahadur (Perfect Score)
Luca Bancks (Perfect Score)
Luka Wagner (Perfect Score)
Christian Weingarth (High Distinction)
Oscar Parker (High Distinction)
William Benson (High Distinction)
Johan van Kempen (Distinction)
Tye Keane (Distinction)
Jonah Morris (Credit)
Lachlan Saul (Merit)
Timothy Hill (Participation)
A big congratulations to you all. A huge amount of time and effort was put in.
Mrs Beavis and Mr Hawkes
The quirky IST staff
#Choosekind
Year 7 students have been studying a unit called #Choosekind and have recently submitted some work in regards to combating bullying.
Miss Kellie Guest
PDHPD/English, Stage 4 Coordinator
1000 pebbles makes a boulder by Samuel Southwell
In response to this video.
This image uses the idea of each little negative comment on social media/sms is like a small pebble being thrown. Whilst each small pebble does not cause a lot of pain or injury, the cumulative effects are massive. As is shown by my image above, the weight of a boulder can crush you. Each of these pebbles being thrown end up weighing like this boulder on someone's mental health/wellbeing. This is similar to the analogy "death by a thousand cuts". The problem with social media is when someone is getting bullied, you don't see the effects because they may keep it quiet, and they seem withdrawn. You can't comfort them because the injury isn't physical and apparent to an outsider. You don't know when or if they're getting bullied.
Nowadays the problem with bullying is harder to deal with due to the fact most people have personal devices, such as iPads, iPhones and computers. This means that the bullying can follow them home. The people are experiencing bullying in spaces that were historically safe (bedrooms, living room, shops etc). This modern access to technology means the bullying can become relentless, where as previously the mental torment was limited to face to face interactions. The face to face nature of bullying limits people's opportunity to cause much hurt as it could be observed by teachers, parents or friends and acted on. People feel more able to hurt other people when it isn't face to face. The bullies are natural cowards and use the separation of the social media/sms platform to hurt more easily.
For example, in this video we can clearly see the negative impacts of bullying as this girl becomes withdrawn fro her family, spends more time on her mobile phone rather than talking to her family, winces at the pain of each stone thrown and just generally appears lethargic in her body language.
This video asks the viewer to consider: are your words doing damage?

Bullying poem by Jack Safranek
Here's a poem about bullying a wrote,
With important messages I need to promote.
Bullying can happen anywhere,
From the skatepark to your phone software.
If you're at the courts about to play,
And you see the bully, just walk away.
You can tell your teacher or your dad
It's important to stay calm and not get mad.
If you get something bad sent to you don't reply
Screenshot the page, be a good guy.
Block the sender and tell your mum
Be smart about it, and don't be dumb.
If you're in a lot of trouble and having a bad time
Don't be scared to call the Kids Helpline.
1800 551 800 just call
Or go to the counsellor that's at school.
Primary Update
Book Week 2020
Traditionally a Term 3 event, Book Week has been moved this year. The official Book Week is now 17-23 October. As these new dates clash with our planned Intensive Swimming sessions for half of our student body, the EAC Primary Book Week Parade will be held on Friday 30 October. We are working on a COVID safe plan for all students to be able to parade past all classes and we will endeavour to make the event virtual so that parents can see all the colour and excitement of this much loved school tradition. On the day, students are invited to wear their costume to and from school.
EAC Bus
Parents of younger students who use the EAC bus are reminded to wait at the allocated bus stop to collect their child. When drivers wait for late parents to arrive, their whole run is affected.
Primary Assembly

Early Learning Centre News
We love our sandpit. Our sandpit affords a variety of play and learning. As we build sandcastles we express our imaginations as we share stories and make believe. Our sandpit is a sensory process, sometimes dry and dusty, sometimes wet and sloppy, sometimes a slurry of 'cement' and sometimes a potion, a cake or soup. Our sandpit enables trust as we remember to keep the sand low and to not get sand in each other's eyes. Our sandpit is a space we need to share. Sometimes our sandpit can be 'one huge exploding volcano' or it can be full of flowers and plant off-cuts as we pretend to be camping on the beach in Fiji. Our sandpit is fun, and important.
Mrs Natasha Livock
Early Learning Centre Coordinator


Free Parent Webinar - Exam Preparation
Elevate is an award-winning organisation that assists schools and their students become more effective learners. With students increasingly working independently at home, how effectively they revise and prepare is key to their success in the next few months.
Elevate are offering a free webinar where they will show you – as parents – the crucial study skills your child needs to achieve their best and how you can reinforce that at home.
Event Title: Elevate Education - Exam Prep
Date: Tuesday 15th September
Time: 6pm AEST
Duration: 1 hour
Cost: Free

SCU STAR Early Offer Program
Last chance - applications close this Friday 11 September!
The STAR program allows you to secure your place in a Southern Cross University degree before your Year 12 results are even released. It’s designed to remove some of the pressure from Year 12 and give you a pathway directly into university study. Applications are free and direct to Southern Cross University at www.scu.edu.au/star.
Check out the below flyer for further information and how to apply.
Friends of EAC Business Directory
The EAC Community Business Directory seeks to provide you with a comprehensive listing of businesses and services offered by members of the College community. This community initiative serves to connect families, staff, alumni and supporters of our College throughout our community in a practical and mutually beneficial way.
Friends of EAC understands it has been a very difficult and challenging year for all our community and we would like to offer free entry to the directory for 12 months.
If you would like to take up this opportunity, please contact friends@eac.nsw.edu.au or click here. The directory is updated annually and is normally $50 per entry per year.
To view current listings in the Business Directory, click here.
CWA of NSW Education Grants
The Ballina Branch of the Country Women's Association of NSW awards Education Grants of
$500 (primary student) and $1,000 (secondary student) each year in the Ballina area.
See below for further information regarding the grants and an application form.
Closing date for applications:
$500 Education Grant to a primary school student - 26 October 2020
$1,000 Education Grant to a secondary school student - 28 September 2020
Canteen

Important Reminder:Primary students need a separate bag for drinks.Please refer to the Term 3 Menu when ordering.
The Canteen menu for Term 3 is below for your information and is also available on the College website.
Please note: burgers are not available at the moment.
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