Term 4 | Week 7 | 27 November 2019
"Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest."
Matthew 11:28
From The Principal
It is with much mixed emotion that I announce that Mrs Lisa Weingarth has been appointed to the role of Coordinator of Teaching and Learning P-12 at Richmond Christian College, commencing in 2020. Lisa is an outstanding educational thinker and leader and is most deserving of the appointment to this significant executive role.
Lisa has made a wonderful contribution over the last decade as a classroom practitioner, Curriculum Leader and member of the College Executive. She has demonstrated incredible insight regarding pedagogical practice and proved herself to be a highly effective, determined and focused leader. We will also miss Lisa's energetic, positive, friendly and compassionate disposition. The EAC community has been greatly blessed in so many ways by Lisa's presence and contribution. We will all miss her enormously! I am sure you will join with me in thanking and congratulating Lisa as she moves into the next phase of her career.
Congratulations to Hamish Walker who received an award for Academic Excellence in Year 10 from the Southern Cross University. The award was presented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic), Professor Tyrone Carlin at a special ceremony at the University's Lismore Campus. The award recognises the top academic students in Year 10 from across the region.
The end of the College year is rapidly approaching and I highlight a number of key events that are on the Calendar to help you with planning and organisation.
Christmas Concert
This exciting event will take place on Tuesday 3 December at St Mary's Anglican Church. Families are welcome to come early and enjoy carols from 6.00pm, with the official concert beginning at 6.30pm. There is a $5.00 donation for adults on entry which will go to the Anglicare Christmas Appeal. Please come along and enjoy this wonderful community event.
Step Up Day
On Thursday 5 December, students in Kindergarten to Year 5 will 'step up' into their class for 2020 and find out who their classmates and teacher will be next year, while Year 6 will have their final Secondary Experience Day in readiness for their transition to high school.
Year 6 End of Year Celebration
Year 6 students, parents and teachers will take time on the evening of Thursday 5 December to celebrate their Primary school journey. The evening contains some formality, a shared meal and a disco for the students. Formalities commence at 6.00pm in the Discovery Centre.
College Presentation Day
We will acknowledge and celebrate all of our wonderful students and their achievements on Wednesday 11 December at St Mary's Anglican Church. The Primary Presentation will commence at 10.00am and the Secondary Presentation at 12.00pm. I hope to see as many families as possible at this wonderful end of year celebration.
Mr Robert Tobias
Principal
Off the Deputy's Desk
Excitement is building as the conclusion of the academic year draws near. Our staff are currently very busy with assessment, marking and reporting as we prepare second semester report cards which are due to be published soon after school concludes. As parents, please take the time to read your child's report and discuss his/her strengths and weaknesses, areas of improvement and goals for the future. By being reflective, you will gain the opportunity to assist your child to interpret the results and comments and use the feedback provided to assist him/her to develop a learning strategy for the future.
At present, the College Executive is operating in two time zones as we complete all the activities necessary to wind up one year, whilst at the same time develop timetable, calendar and class lists for the 2020 school year. It is a challenging and exciting time where there is a lot of dotting i's and crossing t's along with thinking about the future and the implications of decisions made now on the next school year.
I hope that our Year 6 students are having a wonderful time on the annual camp and I am sure that they will come back exhausted, fulfilled and with many great stories to share. Thanks to Mr McCotter, Mrs Sculley, Mr Papworth and Mr Christensen for all their efforts and commitment in planning a great experience for the students.
The Year 6 Celebration is next Thursday night and a busy group of parents has been hard at work organising what will hopefully be a wonderful function to take place after the formal speeches component of the evening at the Discovery Centre. It promises to be a great night and a wonderful way for the Year 6 students to celebrate the milestone of finishing Primary school and making the big step into Secondary schooling.
Last Saturday, a group of our Year 8 students represented the College at The First Lego League North Nationals at Grace Lutheran College in Brisbane. The team finished 16th overall out of 44 teams and most impressively, were second in Strategy and Innovation (design of their robot). Well done to these students on their wonderful achievement.
Finally, don't forget next Tuesday night's Christmas Concert where our musicians, choirs and drama groups will put together what hopes to be a wonderful evening of Christmas entertainment. Admission is $5 per adult and all proceeds will go to a Christmas charity. It promises to be a great night and our students have been busy bringing in donations of non-perishable foods for the Anglicare Christmas Appeal. If you haven't yet donated there is still time to contribute and we look forward to a wonderfully generous contribution from our community to support others at this time of peace on Earth and goodwill to all.
Mr Darren Parks
Deputy Principal
Term 4 Week 8
Monday 2 December
Year 10 Transition Week until Friday 6 December
Tuesday 3 December
Meitoku Visit
Christmas Concert-6.00pm for a 6.30pm start - St Mary’s Anglican Church
Wednesday 4 December
Primary House Touch Football Cup
Meitoku Visit
Thursday 5 December
Primary Step up Day
Year 7 Experience Day
Year 6 Celebration-6.00pm - Discovery Centre then over to Ezzy Centre
Primary House Touch Football Cup
Friday 6 December
Secondary Sport
Years 5/6 Rock Band Performance-1.20pm - UCA
Term 4 Week 9
Monday 9 December
College Picnic Day
K-2 - Meerkat Productions here at EAC
Years 3-6 - Ten pin bowling and movies at Ballina Cinema
Years 7 and 8 - Ballina Pool
Years 9 and 10 - Byron Bay beach and lighthouse walk
Year 11 - Wet and Wild
Tuesday 10 December
Primary Assembly-9.00am - Discovery Centre
Secondary Assembly-10.00am - UCA
Wednesday 11 December
Presentation Day
Primary Presentation-10.00am - St Mary’s Anglican Church
Secondary Presentation-12.15pm - St Mary’s Anglican Church
Term 4 concludes
Chaplain's Chat
Advent...again.
Well there is no hiding from the fact that Christmas is nearly upon us: tinsel, bells, flashing lights, wish lists and competing functions. Do you remember the promises you made earlier in the year to be more organised? The plans to pace the shopping, to not over spend in panic buying, all the good intentions. And if that has not happened...cue the self-berating mind games.
This year, let's not do that.
If the circumstances around us this year have shown us anything, surely it is what really matters. People, not possessions, relationships, not things. As the fires may have shown us, houses, cars and fences may be replaced, but lives and memories are much more precious than that.
I think that this year we could all benefit from Advent, a real Advent. A time of gently, slowly, mindfully and purposefully getting ready, not just for Christmas Day, but for Christ mass. The celebration that welcomes hope, love, joy and peace into our lives.
Advent can be a time of building joy, of opening to love and peace in our lives and finding hope. There are times when this may just happen, but mostly we need to be intentional about it, creating the opportunities for such things to flourish. Personally, I like to read, to watch Christmas movies (yes, even the schmaltzy ones) that help me to feel what I am often not feeling. There is a double benefit here - I have to make the time to watch these movies, a couple of hours a week where I curl up on my lounge and lose myself in nostalgia. Tacky I know, but it helps me to find that space to remember what this time of year is really all about. Not Santa, not the best Christmas feast, not the many parties and functions...but about generosity, and compassion.
It is a time of making room. In Christian circles, you might hear us talking about making room for Jesus - but seriously, what does that mean? To me, it is about getting real, remembering not to sweat the superficial stuff and to enter into a time of learning, or re-learning to be open to God, to be open as I said before to hope, and peace, love and joy. There is of course - the next step...sharing that with others.
Sharing from our abundance with others. Sure, we do this in donating to the Christmas Hampers and appeals that are around. What if this year we seek to do this with our actions and attitudes too?
Why don't we speak generously and lovingly...to everyone!
Or what if we sprinkle compassion and understanding over those we come into contact with (and hope it sticks like that really annoying glitter that covers everything at the moment!).
That is just for starters. Oh and what if we cut ourselves some slack about making sure everything is perfect. There are four Sundays in Advent. Plenty of time to breathe and wonder and open up to the gentleness of the season.
For us all - the blessing of Mary Oliver's poetry:
Making the House Ready for the Lord
Dear Lord, I have swept and I have washed but
still nothing is as shining as it should be
for you. Under the sink, for example, is an
uproar of mice - it is the season of their
many children. What shall I do?
And under the eaves
and through the walls the squirrels
have gnawed their ragged entrances - but it is the season
when they need shelter, so what shall I do?
And the raccoon limps into the kitchen and opens the cupboard
while the dog snores, the cat hugs the pillow:
what shall I do?
Beautiful is the new snow falling
in the yard and the fox who is staring boldly
up the path, to the door.
And still I believe you will
come, Lord; you will, when I speak to the fox,
the sparrow, the lost dog, the shivering sea-goose, know
that really I am speaking to you whenever I say,
as I do all morning and afternoon: Come in, Come in.
May this weekend bring the start of a gentle and mindful Advent.
Peace
Rev Sal
Sports Update
The most anticipated netball game of the school sporting calendar, awash with tactics and potential bribed officials, took place on Friday 15th November.
Each team had to make last minute changes to their starting line-up, the teachers because Mr Pryor pulled a sickie, probably because he was too intimidated by the towering inferno of the Year 12 students. For the student team, Jade Monti preferred to go to the Orthodontist than be challenged by a game she claimed would hardly cause her to break a sweat.
The day was gusty and goals weren't easy to come by. After a slight case of nerves in the first two minutes, Pat Thorton found his shooting boots and sunk a few goals. Pat combined well with his shooting partner in Stella Atkinson (a little too well for the teachers' liking), whose usual precision feeds and shot accuracy on goal was hard to beat.
At the opposite end of the court, the teachers' shooting star Mr Brenton was kept quiet and contained (a rare feat) by the height and agility of Ryan Richards and the reflexes of Joey Carey.
The speed and power of the teachers mid-court, Ms Campbell, Mr Jukes, Ms Guest and Mr Evans were sadly not much match for the students mid-court superstars in Lachlan Mumford and Nick Mounic, who combined well with the likes of Brianna, Angus, Bella, Bailey and Lara who came on and off the court in a wave of youthful energy.
As Ms Campbell grew increasingly frustrated and Mrs Miller pointed out "we never should've taught them to play", not even the youth of the newly recruited prac teachers could help the EAC staff team get over the line and the students raced away to an emphatic win which will be celebrated over and over in the next 12 months and years to come.
The teachers were left to ruminate on how to notch up a sporting win against this year 12 group. As the EAC staff dragged their sore bodies back to the comfort of the air-conditioned staff room, Ms Campbell was seen googling how to play the sport of croquet - maybe that would be the answer to beating the students!
A sporting event is not possible without umpires and officials and therefore a special thanks goes to the student umpires (Paige Wilkie and Lara Atkinson) and the time keeper and scorer (Mr Walker and Mr Jarrett) for their help and assistance on the day.
Mr Randall Evans
Sport Coach and Duke of Edinburgh Leader
Wheelchair Basketball
Wheelchair basketball was an incredible experience that brought a lot of fun. Rick came up from Sydney with the Wheelchair Sports New South Wales Roadshow, he was super friendly and an insightful instructor who superbly taught us the struggles of day to day life in a wheelchair. It was an eye-opening experience, learning first hand how people less fortunate than us play sport and interact. We were lucky enough for each student to play a few rounds of basketball and at the end, the whole class tried to face Rick in a game and Rick showed us his skills by smashing us.
Playing the game was super fun, we learnt to play a completely new sport, in a way that was super enjoyable and hands-on. Shooting from such a low point was a tough task, but controlling the wheelchair was surprisingly easy. All in all, it was a great experience.
Ethan Jenkins and Samuel Harding
Year 8 Students
Early Learning Centre News
Nature Pedagogy is "an understanding of our sense of belonging to land, our sense of working with nature...the art of being with nature, inside, outside and beyond."
-Claire Warden
Nature is a powerful teacher, affording fascination, awe, wonder and the development of a range of dispositions for learning. The natural elements of earth, air, fire and water facilitate learning across all curriculum areas.
Nature is the ultimate sensory experience.
How does this look at the ELC?
- Attentiveness to, curiosity about and care toward the Natural World
- Providing natural resources across learning environments
- Embedding Indigenous perspectives
- Valuing risky play
- Slow time
- Seasons and cycles
- Place-based learning
From The Office
Second Hand Uniform Shop
The EAC second hand uniform shop will be open in the Ezzy Centre on the following days next week:
Tuesday 3 December from 2.30pm to 3.30pm
Thursday 5 December from 2.00pm to 4.00pm
Canteen
EAC Canteen opens at 8.30am and operates 4 days a week: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday & Friday, with special lunches on Tuesdays, canteen is open on Tuesdays for general sales at LUNCH only.
Canteen opens at 8.30am and the Menu is available here:
Subway – Tuesday 3 December
Subway from Ballina Fair will be available from the canteen next Tuesday 3 December. If you would like to order Subway for your child’s lunch next Tuesday please complete the order form then attach your order to a paper bag with your payment enclosed. This should then be put in the canteen basket on Monday morning, 2 December.
Order forms will be sent home but are also available at the canteen, office or online.
Canteen Stock - End of Year
With the college year coming to an end, I will be cutting back on my ordering so that excess stock is not being held over the Christmas break. This processed has commenced.
I will keep you posted of the availability of items through this newsletter and post which items are no longer available and which items are running low. There will always be fresh items (sandwiches, rolls etc) available as well as dino nuggets and junior pies.
Low Stock - please give another option
Pizza - cheese and bacon
Sweet Chilli Tenders, including burgers and wraps
Focus Water
Meat Pies
Chicken Nuggets
Chicken Burgers
PRIMARY LUNCH ORDERS
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 child’s lunch please provide two (2) bags. Please remind your child to place their lunch/recess bag in the class tub NOT directly to the canteen.
PLEASE DO NOT STAPLE / TAPE BAGS CLOSED, FOLDED IN 4 APPEARS TO WORK WELL
BAG 1: Name, Class, Teacher, Lunch Order (John Smith, 5A, Mr Falvey, 1 Junior Pie)
BAG 2: Name, Class, Drink/Cold Order (John Smith, 5A, Mr Falvey, 1 Orange Juice)
Any change required will be placed in the bag for return with the child’s lunch order.
Christine Hall
Canteen Supervisor
0414 811 668
Community News
