Term 3 : Tuesday 21 August 2018

Year 12 students complete their Trial HSC (do you recall that time of pressure).  Their completion of the school years is not far away, and teachers are pleased that nearly every student is working to their very best effort.  Keep going – the end is near.

The Governor of NSW, His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley AC DSC (Ret'd) and Mrs Hurley, will join us tomorrow to officially open the new sports facilities – the Rawdon Middleton VC Sports Complex and we will be joined by many visitors on the day.  What a joy it will be to welcome so many visitors this week.  Members of the wider Hassall family will be here, since Rawdon Middleton was related to Thomas Hassall through the family line.  One or two of Rawdon’s relatives will also be in attendance.  His story is one of quiet, courageous heroism and we are honoured to name this lovely complex after his memory.  It will be a great occasion.

On Saturday our College community celebrates the annual South West Festival from 10am to 3pm – a day open to the broader community with lots of colour and entertainment. I trust that you and the family will join us for some time during the day.

We have visitors from Japan in the College this week.  Exchange students from the second of our Japanese sister schools – Fukuroi High School in Hammamatsu on the main island of Honshu will be here from Tuesday until next Monday. They will stay with families; join students in classes; learn some additional English and visit some of the well-known cultural centres around Sydney.  Thank you to the College families who have undertaken to provide accommodation to our visitors.

It’s also the week of electing our next group of student leaders to provide the best example of student leadership across the next 12 months. We are looking forward to the final group being named and then to hold a special commissioning assembly in a fortnight’s time.

Please take time across the festival or in the near future to take a tour of the new buildings and oval.  We have provided the words ‘be strong and courageous’ so that students might be challenged and encouraged to bring their best efforts in sport and learning, as they engage with the new sporting facility.  These key words come from the book of Joshua in the Old Testament of the bible, and I’m sure will be an encouragement to us all.  Thanks for your continued support of our College programs:

‘Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go’. Joshua 1:9

From 7pm

We will be displaying the major works of our current Year 12 students and featuring work from Extension subjects. It's always wonderful to see the hard work and effort the students put in for their HSC Major Works.

It is expected that all major works will be displayed at this event and students will be in attendance to discuss their work, answer questions and enjoy celebrating their achievements from 6.50pm until 7.30pm.

At 7.30pm performances from Drama, Music and readings of Extension major work extracts will commence in various locations around the College. 

We look forward to seeing you there.

Mr MIchael Clisdell
Secondary Teacher - Creative Arts 

Book Week is being held in the IRC during Week 5 this term. (20th -24th August)

To celebrate book week, the IRC will be holding an ancient challenge that will test the literary knowledge of all willing adventurers! 
Long lost riddles from the Ancient Library of Alexandria have been discovered in the IRC, rumoured to be the source of great treasures (and prizes!) for any students able to decipher them.  

A new riddle will appear every two days. Will you be able to solve all five riddles of the Ancient Library?

For more information please speak to Library staff.

Book in a Jar Competition is back! 

Back by popular demand the ‘Book in a Jar’ competition will be held during Book Week this year. Parts of five books have been placed in five jars in the Senior IRC. Can you guess the name of the book in each of the jars? 

Students who can guess all five books will win a great prize! All entries need to be in by Friday 31st August.

For more information please see Mrs Comiskey or Mr Smith.

What’s new on the Shelf?
Travel back to the land of the Pharaohs in the IRC!

The Story of Egypt – Joann Fletcher
“The story of the world's greatest civilisation spans 4000 years of history that has shaped the world. It is full of spectacular sites and epic stories, an evolving society rich in inventors, heroes, heroines, villains, artisans and pioneers. Now Professor Joann Fletcher pulls together the complete Story of Egypt - charting the rise and fall of the ancient Egyptians while putting their whole world into a context that we can all relate to. From Ramses II's penchant for dying his grey hair, to how we know Montuhotep's chief wife bit her nails, Joann Fletcher brings alive the history and people of ancient Egypt as nobody else can.”

The Story of Egypt by Professor Joann Fletcher is a clear, accessible and highly detailed account of Ancient Egypt from the earliest dynasties to the takeover of Egypt by Rome. Well written and interesting, this is a book that provides a wealth of information covering a wide range of topics. Professor Fletcher not only provides a detailed account of all known pharaohs, but also information on the importance of woman in ancient Egyptian society, details on the critical part religion played in daily life, as well as information on tombs, temples and important archeological discoveries.

Professor Fletcher gives readers a much grander view of the world around Egypt, describing how the Egyptians interacted with neighbours Babylon, Greece and the Hittites, as well as providing information on the wars of conquest that impacted the area surrounding them. Containing useful maps and a detailed index, The Story of Egypt is a great resource for all students of Ancient History and anyone who wants to learn more about the land of the pharaohs.
More great new Ancient Egypt resources have recently arrived in the IRC! Please speak to Library staff for more information. 

Overdue books 
Overdue notices will be sent out this week.  If any students require a printed list of their loans please speak to Mrs Comiskey or Mr Smith.
This year the IRC has introduced a new overdue policy. Students who do not return their books after receiving their third notice as well as an email will be invoiced for a replacement copy.
All invoices will still stand if books are returned after this final date.

Mrs Annette Comiskey & Mr Michael Smith
Senior IRC Library Team

On Monday 6^th August, 5 football teams represented the College in the NASSA Football Gala day. Heading off to different locations, each team endeavoured to play their best and respect one another. Each team played several games competing against schools such as PAC, TIGS and GRG. Most games were matched on skill level and team work, often with only a 1 goal difference between winning or losing.

Overall, The College received some outstanding results, with both the Junior and Intermediate Boys winning the competition. Congratulations to all students who represented the College with great pride and enthusiasm. Thank you Mr. Palmer, Mr. Williams, Mr. Wee, Mrs. Howard and Sonny Makko for coaching their team.

Year 8-9 Boys Review by Mr. Williams

The THAC Under 15’s team won the annual NASSA Football Gala Day tournament. Despite the rainy and bleak weather, the boys prevailed to finish first in the highly competitive tournament which saw them win ahead of seven other schools on the day. The day started very inauspiciously when THAC lost 0-1 to underdogs George’s River Grammar after a lucky goal against the run of play. THAC had a similarly nervy showing against The Illawarra Grammar School (TIGS) straight after, but fortunately the luck fell on our side as the boys came away 1-0 winners. A break from the rain and cold served the team well and by the time the boys took to the pitch for their third and fourth games, the bad weather had literally and metaphorically cleared. The game of the day followed as THAC wrestled past a plucky Broughton Anglican College team 2-1 with an excellent defensive effort from centre-back-pairing Daniel Pearce and Daniel Matic. In our last round-robin game, two quality finishes from Justin Vidic saw THAC coast through against Penrith Anglican College 2-0 and into the final.  The boys were keyed up for their final against TIGS who were keen for revenge after their loss to us earlier in the day. It took the calming presence and maturity of a number of the senior students, in particular Alex Gvozdenovic and Kristian Djakovic, to keep THAC focused on the game and not the referee or the opposition. The boys went into the sheds with the score still at 0-0 but a great pep talk from talismanic coach Sonny Makko had the team confident in their ability and structure. The breakthrough came with only about 5 minutes left with Dylan Joseph latching onto the ball in a chaotic episode inside the opposition box. THAC finished champions, again beating TIGS 1-0. Well done to the boys for their hard efforts throughout the day and a special shout out to Mrs Tina Nou who braved the rain to act as the team’s fan, mother and even ball-boy throughout the whole day!

Results:

Year 7-8 Girls – 5^th

Year 10-11 Girls – 6^th

Year 7 Boys – 1^st

Year 8-9 Boys – 1^st

Year 10-11 Boys - 5^th