"So always treat others as you would like them to treat you."
Matthew 7:12
From The Principal
Congratulations to all involved with the Primary and Secondary Swimming Carnivals last week. The participation, behaviour and cooperation of the students was simply outstanding. The level of enthusiasm was fantastic. Team spirit was also highly visible with many students dressed in House colours and eager to hear the updated point scores throughout the day. There was also great enthusiasm in the water, with many heats going down to the final stroke and the place getters being separated by the smallest of margins. The spirit of competition was strong and equally matched by the sportsmanship of the competitors. When I was standing with the timekeepers at the end of the pool, I heard numerous students congratulating other competitors on their performance and then watched as they returned to the House groups, excitedly talking about the race and the efforts of the other swimmers.
A huge thank you to Mr Walker and his team for all their organisation and efforts in bringing the carnivals together. There were lots of personal best performances and a number of records to fall at each carnival. Age Champions and our winning House will be announced at our College assembly next week.
The College and ‘Friends of EAC’ would like to develop the links that exist between all families across the College. One important way for this to be done, is to establish a network of contacts based on the student’s class groups in Kindergarten to Year 7. To coordinate this network in each class group, we are seeking a volunteer to take on the role of Class Parent.
A Class Parent would:
- Welcome new parents and introduce them to existing parents
- Support social initiative among the parents
- Be available to support some of the initiatives of ‘Friends’
The Class Parent role is really important as it helps build the friendship networks for parents and families.
If you are interested in nominating for such a role please complete the attached nomination form or email Mrs Kate Jenkins, College Registrar on kjenkins@eac.nsw.edu.au.
With the hot sunny weather in full swing this week, I wish to remind all families of the need to ensure students have a College hat with them at all times. Students are required to wear their hats whenever they are not in a covered space. This includes while in the playground, on excursions and waiting for buses in the afternoon. The College is reviewing and renewing its Sun Safe practices and are raising awareness and reinforcing expectations regarding the wearing of a College hat. For Seniors, we have introduced an additional formal girls and boys hat to add to the existing broad brim hat and cap. The formal hat is compulsory for students in Year 11 in 2021.
Mr Robert Tobias
Deputy Principal
Off the Deputy's Desk
Students should now be well established in their study routines and it is my hope that they will demonstrate and develop a growth mindset towards their studies, their friends and to the College’s extracurricular opportunities. This growth mindset can be demonstrated through development and application of the Habits of Mind and particularly by persisting and taking every opportunity to learn and try something that is new and challenging. I firmly believe that our students don’t grow and learn when they are comfortable-they need to be uncomfortable and out of their comfort zone before they grow.
Last week was Safer Internet Day and I found a great article from Dr Kirra Prendergast regarding the challenges that parents face when navigating social media and mobile phones with their tweens. As students grow up more quickly, issues that are traditionally faced by parents of teenagers are now pushing into the upper Primary years. I hope that you enjoy the read.
Tips for Parents of Tweens With Regards to Social Media and Phones
When your child reaches 10 – 11yrs (or even earlier), they may start asking for their first smartphone and to use social media. So here are ten things to keep your tweens safe online:
1. If your child is asking for a phone, make sure that you get them to do a little presentation, or write a small project sheet, on a topic of cyber safety every week in the lead up to getting their phone.
2. Think about the age recommendations; it is not illegal for a child to use social media under the age of 13yrs with their parents’ permission. But they need to remember to update their age on any site that has asked for it when they actually turn 13yrs. Like Facebook, for example. This way, the app will not think they are older. As an extreme example…if your child signs up to use Facebook when they are 10yrs, and they have to lie and say they are 13yrs…so by the time they are 15yrs if they haven’t adjusted the year they were born, the app will think they are 18yrs. Then they can get a Tinder account as it relies on Facebook for verification!
3. Teach your kids to think twice before they accept a friend request. Just because someone is a friend of their big brother or sister or cousin who goes to another school does not mean they should let them into their life.
4. Engage with them about their favourite social media app and get them to teach you about it so you can at least know the basics. Get them to show you how to block and report so you can be sure they know how too.
5. Be a good role model. Keep your screen time in check. There is no use banning the phones from bedrooms if you go to bed with yours each night, for example.
6. Help them to check and manage privacy settings. This is something you can do together when they are younger by making it a shared experience.
7. Think twice before “sharenting.” Do not post photos of your kids in school uniform or school events or holding certificates with their full name and school name on it. You are letting the whole world know where they go to school. This can happen by “checking in” or geotagging a school as well.
8. Ask them first when you are about to share their photo. Let your kids be involved in the decision making on whether they are ok with you posting a photo of them or not as young as possible. This will teach them to ask others first before they post pictures as they grow up.
9. Put healthy boundaries in place. Don’t ban them from their device if they forget to do a household chore or are naughty for something totally unrelated to their device. Do not take it off them if they speak up about something that has happened online because you are scared either. This is the quickest way to drive all the conversations that you want to be having underground. Instead, if you have a healthy boundary like all devices are banned from the bathroom or bedroom. So then if they are caught with their device in either place, you ban them for a week. This way, they will learn that it is safe to speak up about what is going on online without punishment unless they break the rules about device use.
10. Respect the classifications. The average age of a gamer is 35yrs old. Classifications are there for a reason. It is not ok for a child under the age of 18yrs to be playing R Rated games…even with their parents!!! If your child is playing online games, set healthy boundaries around time playing as well. All of the other tips above also apply to gaming.
Source: Safe on Social, Dr Kirra Prendergast
Reminders
Buses
Buses depart at the time stated on their timetables. All students are dismissed on time and they must move to their buses in a safe and orderly manner.
Hair
Boys’ hair must be tidy and adhere to the College uniform guidelines. Girls’ hair must be tied back and off the face as per College guidelines.
Parent Lounge
Please ensure that you accept all relevant activities that your child has been selected for or invited to. This makes our job easier when it comes to students travelling.
Homework Help
Secondary Homework Help runs after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays. It is not individual coaching as such but provides a quiet environment for students to gain assistance with academic work.
Year 9 Camp Packing
Make your child pack themselves. This assists with development of responsibility for their equipment list and teaches them valuable planning skills. Please do not allow mobile phones as there is no coverage in the area and they are counterproductive to the aims and objectives of the camp.
Mr Darren Parks
Deputy Principal
Term 1 Week 5
Monday 22 February
Secondary Assembly - 9.08am
Brainstorm Productions Anti Bullying Presentations - Years 7-10 - 12.00-2.00pm
Primary Swimming Team Training - 12.30-2.50pm - Alstonville Pool
Tuesday 23 February
Primary Football Training - 7.30am-8.30am
Years 9 and 10 Geography Excursion
Ballina Lions Youth of The Year - 6.30pm-Ballina RSL
Wednesday 24 February
NCIS Primary Swimming - All Day - Alstonville Pool
Northern Rivers University Showcase - Year 12 only - 11.15am-12.15pm - Library
Friday 26 February
Tobias Marquardt Cup Interschool Football vs Lindisfarne Anglican Grammar School - 9.30am-2.10pm - Cavanbah Complex
Term 1 Week 6
Monday 1 March
Year 9 Camp - Camp Bornhoffen, Numinbah Valley - Until Friday 5 March
Year 7 Immunisations - 9.30am - Ezzy Centre
Tuesday 2 March
Primary Football Training - 7.30am-8.30am
10.2 PASS Excursion - 1.30pm-3.00pm - Strike Martial Arts
Wednesday 3 March
Primary Concert Band Workshop - 9.00am-3.00pm - Ballina Players Theatre
Thursday 4 March
Year 12 Geography Fieldwork - 9.00am-3.00pm - Byron Bay/Cumbalum
Primary Interschool Football vs Holy Family - 11.50am-3.00pm - Lennox Head
Friday 5 March
Primary Assembly - 6C hosting - Discovery Centre
Sports Update
Swimming Carnivals
We were blessed with some fine weather on Thursday and Friday last week to hold our Swimming Carnivals at Alstonville Pool. College spirit was on display during the carnivals with students competing in multiple events to score points for their Houses. Well done to all students who participated. Thank you to our team of teachers for helping run the carnivals. There were an amazing 27 new school records set at the carnivals. Congratulations to these competitors who broke records. Point Score and age champions will be presented at an upcoming assembly.
New Primary Swimming Records
Eve Drew (8 years girls) 50 Free
Sarah Vanem (11 years girls) 50 Free, 50 Back, 50 Fly, 50 Breast
Zia Folscher (9 years girls) 50 Back
Coco Robinson (open girls) 100 Free
Anthony Kikiras (11 years boys) 50 Free
Hugo Atkinson (9 years boys) 50 Back
New Secondary Swimming Records
Mikala Campbell (16 years girls) 50 Free, 50 Back
Poppy Robinson (16 years girls) 50 Breast, 100 Free, Open 100 Free
Ellen Miller (14 years girls) 50 Fly
Jackson Bond (16 years boys) 50 Free, 50 Fly, 100 Free
Lachlan Walker (18 years boys) 50 Free, 50 Back, 50 Fly, 50 Breast, 100 Free, Open 100 Free
Walker Junior Girls Relay
Smith Senior Boys Relay
Primary Swimming Carnival
Secondary Swimming Carnival
NSW Hockey Team Selections
Congratulations to Year 8 boys Kalani Franklin and Finnigan Robinson who have been selected in the under 15 NSW Hockey Team. The boys have been trialling over the past few months against the best players from across the state. The boys will have training camps in the lead up in Bathurst and Sydney, before the championships are held in Bathurst. Their selection in this team is very impressive, considering both boys are in the younger end of the age group.
Mr Graham Walker
Sport and Coaching Administrator
Kalani Franklin
Finn Robinson
Secondary News
Good Routines = HSC Success
On Wednesday 10th February, Year 11 parents and students attended an information evening to hear about the NESA requirements for the HSC. Part of the evening focused on 10 tips for HSC success. These are listed below.
1. Set your goals
Establishing a goal for Years 11 and 12 is the foundation to a successful and solid HSC study plan. Goal setting not only allows you to visualise your ideal future, but motivates you to transform your vision into a reality. Goal setting could be focused on your future ambitions or what you want to achieve each year. The planner provides a place for students to reflect and set goals.
2. Figure out how many hours you need to study
Students should study on average 2-3 hours per night. This 2-3 hours of study is not just independent study but includes homework, assessment preparation and study. Realistically, homework should only take a maximum of 90 minutes per evening, allowing for some time to do independent study (ie note writing, revision, specific study for the HSC).
3. Get ahead at school
Most people think that teachers are the only way you can learn content, however you may be pleasantly surprised to realise that most of your textbooks provide theoretical explanations behind concepts to be covered in the HSC.
Once you’ve tried to teach yourself a concept, class time can be spend consolidating that information, and smoothing out any kinks in your understanding.
Identify the syllabus dot points for each subject that your are likely to cover in the next week at school and spend 30 minutes each day going ahead and covering these points. Write down any questions that you have for the teacher to clarify.
4. Set yourself study times on your calendar
One of the most difficult things that you will experience during the HSC is self-discipline; sitting down by yourself and sticking to your HSC study plan because you said you would. Consistent study is one of the many keys to success, and setting yourself non-negotiable study times is key. By blocking in non-negotiable study time that you absolutely must do, you are developing self-discipline by giving yourself a routine and habitual behaviour.
Get a calendar out for your week and map out your study periods. Based on the amount of study time you identified in Step 2 that you need to do each day, on each day of the week write down your non-negotiable study session that you are going to do (we like to call it a ‘study training session’).
Work your existing habits – so if you know you come home from school and fall asleep, don’t try to schedule a study habit then. You’ll just fall asleep.
5. Set pre-determined break times
Breaks should be about relaxing your mind. This might be checking Facebook, finding something to eat, doing fifty star jumps, or watching that YouTube video your mate told you about, so long as you are strict about when you start your break and when you end your break.
Plan your breaks in advance because if you don’t have a set plan for your breaks, you’ll take a break whenever you feel like it (which is probably 3 minutes after you start studying) and then you’ll never come back from your break or complete your HSC study plan. So you need to have pre-planned breaks, so you can push yourself to study for a period of time, and then know you’ve got a window of recovery before studying hard again.
6. Remove all distractions
We live in a highly distracting world. When you have distractions, your attention is divided and you begin to lose focus upon your task. That’s why you need to remove everything which can be a distraction to you.
Smart Phone: Turn your phone on airplane mode, or better still, turn your phone off completely.
Food: Hungry, or just bored? Before you launch into studying, have yourself a light but healthy meal so that you won’t be hungry when you’re studying. During study, nibble on brain-foods like nuts or dried fruit. Try to stay away from the sugar-filled lollies and chocolate that will just make you crash after 30 minutes anyway!
Music vs. No Music: music works for some people, and for others it’s a distraction. Based on our research with students who’ve scored an ATAR over 98, most students fell into two distinct groups – those who studied with music and those who didn’t. Interestingly, prior to exams, almost every student stopped studying with music.
7. Choose a study location
Ultimately, it all comes down to personal preference based on a few factors. Ensure you have a clean space to study where you can place all the required materials.
8. Write to-do lists
In reality, the HSC is made up of smaller assessments, tests and exams which you encounter consistently on your way to the finish. What you need to do is break them all up into more manageable tasks to tick off as you go through the year.
To-do lists aren’t just a list of things that you need to do though.
They help you to keep grounded not only by showing you the whole picture in smaller pieces but they also show you how much you can achieve.
Use to-do lists to plan what you do in your ‘study blocks’.
9. Schedule fun into every day
Everyone needs something to look forward to in order to keep sane during Year 11 and 12.
This will be different for everyone; maybe it’s going to the cricket nets with some mates, or going to see a film in the evening with your sister. Whatever it is, just make sure that it doesn’t come easy: you have to work for it! Use the 25:10 Principle – for every 25 minutes of study, reward yourself with 10 minutes of fun.
10. Stick to it!
There’s the myth that it takes 21 days to build a habit, however in reality, it can take more or less time depending on who you are as a person.
At the beginning of this HSC study plan, we went through setting yourself a goal. By developing a good pattern and work ethos around your HSC study plan, you are building a study habit.
You don’t need to be in your Senior years of schooling to implement these changes to routine. This is a good practice to get into in your early years of Secondary school. The planner provides an area for goal setting and provides sample templates to develop a study routine.
Advice taken from “The 10-Step Guide to Creating Your HSC Study Plan”: Art of Smart
The Importance of Student Voice
The changing attitudes and views of young people – as well as changes to schools’ views about young people – over several decades have led to the development and refinement of the term ‘student voice’.
In schools today, student voice is much more than token consultation with students over things like uniform, or the theme of College events. Students want to understand why things are done as they are, and to be able to voice their views about change and to have those views heard. They want to be part of the decisions.
This week all students in House Assemblies have the opportunity to learn about the Student Representative Council (SRC) and why it is important at the College. Students will be given nomination forms to nominate for positions and speeches and voting will be held during Week 5.
Being a member of the SRC is a way that students can actively participate and be involved in student voice at the College.
Mrs Amanda Middleton
Director of Secondary
Year 8 History - Investigating the Past
Students in Year 8 have started their studies of History by investigating the past. Students had to bring in a box of items for the class to investigate the person’s interests and develop a hypothesis.
Students also began to learn about archaeology. They learnt that archaeologists literally dig up the past and investigate the buried items. The classes had the opportunity to do an archaeological dig to determine the diet of the Aztecs. Students wore gloves and used a stick to remove all the items from the dig and determine what people ate.
Year 7.2 STEM - Marshmallow Tower Team Building Activity
In small groups, students were required to construct a tower using only forty mini marshmallows and sixty dry spaghetti strands. The aim of the team challenge was to create the tallest tower possible.
Two teams achieved 80cm high, self-sustained structures.
Congratulations to all students.
Mrs Julie Beavis
Secondary Teacher - Maths, STEM and IT
Early Learning Centre News
As we move between Summer and Autumn weather, we begin to notice the changes in our garden. A small group of children had a close look at our food and flower gardens and quickly set about removing the weeds that had established themselves over the summer break. As we pulled out the weeds we were surprised by the uprooting of a sweet potato. After a couple of hours of digging and forking the soil we uprooted many sweet potatoes - a bumper harvest indeed. We will bake these sweet potatoes and use them as toppings on our pizzas; along with the kale, spring onion, parsley and thyme that we can also harvest from our gardens. Soon, we will plan our Autumn crops and begin the cycle again.
Mrs Natasha Livock
Early Learning Centre Coordinator
Library News - Book Club
Reminder - Scholastic Book Club Orders must be completed online
or given to me by Friday 19 February 2021
Orders can be placed directly online, with payments made by Visa or Mastercard. Paying online also unlocks great benefits and special offers throughout the year.
You may also pay by cash or with cheque payable to Scholastic Australia.
Mrs Fiona Wilson-Jones
Library Resource Centre Manager
Canteen
EAC Canteen is open every day of the week.You should by now be aware of the new break times:First Break - Secondary 10.48-11.18am; Primary - 11.08-11.48amSecond Break - Secondary 12.58-1.28pm; Primary - 1.28-1.58pmPlease take into account when placing orders for your child.
Canteen Menu 2021
The new menu is available on the College website. The menu complies with the NSW Healthy School canteen strategy. Further items will be added as the year progresses and an expanded Winter Menu will be available in terms two and three.
Please note that items change in price from time to time. If correct money has not been provided, the item will be substituted for an item of the monetary value provided.
Secondary Student Orders
All orders MUST be placed at the canteen by 9.15am each morning, bags can be provided if required.
Primary Student Orders
All orders must be placed in the classroom tub at the start of the day so they can be received at the Canteen before 9.15am. Late orders will only receive an emergency lunch.
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 at both breaks, you must have a separate bag for each break.
FIRST BREAK BAG 1: Name, Teacher, PC Class, First Break Order
Sue Smith, Mrs Kelvin 4B
First Break
1 Pie
FIRST BREAK BAG 2: Name, Teacher, PC Class, First Break Order
Sue Smith, Mrs Kelvin 4B
First Break
1 Orange Juice
1 Juice Tube
SECOND BREAK: Name, Teacher, PC Class, Second Break Order
Sue Smith, Mrs Kelvin 4B
Second Break
1 Mini Fingerbun
1 Snap Stix
Any change required will be placed in the bag for return with the child's order for Second Break.
Christine Hall
Canteen Supervisor