Term 3 I The Way Newsletter I Friday 6 September 2024

It was a privilege this week to drive the Senior Girls AFL team with their coach to their semi final fixture as part of our regular Tuesday Sports Program. On a beautiful sunny day out at a local oval, it was wonderful to be able to watch the skill, competitiveness and spirit of fair play exhibited by the whole team. Watching the combination of aerial ruck contests, the speed and catching ability of our side and finally the kicking prowess as set shots for goal from distance and amazing snaps for goal from tight angles were converted with precision was just awesome. I want to commend all of the senior girls who took the field and played their hearts out under the expert coaching of Mr Weir and congratulate them on prevailing to once again take their place in the grand final of this competition.

Another particular high this week was the excellence on display at the College assembly. Senior School were able to see the intricate design and creation skills of the Year 9 Visual Arts class as the wearable art pieces were modeled and explained. They were truly incredible and showed the vast talents of some of our most creative students. It was also lovely to see our award winners from the recent ICAS History competition take the stage to receive their certificates. Finally it was excellent to our football captain Jy interviewing Adrian on his recent accomplishment of being selected for a national team! 

We have so many talented students across the College and it is such a joy to be able to celebrate their achievements as a College. Thank you to all families for continuing to support your children in their areas of passion by driving them to all their trainings, assisting them with additional resources, listening to them practice their instruments, reading through their work and taking the time to kick or catch a ball with them in the back yard!

As we approach the end of Term, we want to remind families considering a move to another school next year to contact the College now with notice of your intention to leave to avoid any penalty fees and charges.

This helps us manage resources and ensures a smooth transition for your child.

To submit a withdrawal notice, please email [email protected] with the following details:

Student’s Name

Reason for leaving

Forwarding school

Last day of attendance

If you have any questions, please contact the College on T9608 0033

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Last Friday we held our Father's Day Breakfast.

Thank you to everyone who came along and made it a fun morning. It was great to see dads and grandads enjoying breakfast with one another. Particularly, we would like to thank our amazing MRK Team for all of your hard work of cooking and preparing all of the food. 

It has been a busy term in the Creative and Performing Arts!

We began the term with Music Camp where we took 52 musicians away to Long Point Conference Centre for three days of learning and creative collaboration. Students learned both vocal and instrumental repertoire and had the opportunity to engage in a variety of elective sessions exploring harmony, recording studio fundamentals, boom whacking and rhythm making. We were treated to a masterclass by Glenn Cunningham, a professional musician and composed who was a finalist on Season 1 of The Voice. 

Juggling, balance acrobatics and puppeteering are some of the skills Year 9 Drama have been developing this year. Swoop Physical Theatre came to the College and ran a circus workshop where students built balancing shapes with their bodies that they will incorporate into their performances. They also travelled to Broughton Anglican College for the 2024 MISA Drama day where they learned about puppetry with 220 other students from the region. This term Year 9 Drama will develop their own original plays in the style of melodrama. 

Junior Concert Band have begun to welcome students from the Year 4 Band Program into their rehearsals in recent weeks. It is quite daunting for young students to join such a large group with older, more experienced musicians, yet they have fitted in perfectly and are quickly adapting to the complexity of the repertoire. 

During this past week, CAPA hosted the Young Performers Evening, a night dedicated to showcasing the work of students who receive private/group music tuition at the College. It was a wonderful evening that included students of all abilities and instrument types performing for family and friends. I want to thank our tutors for their ongoing support of our musicians and am excited to see them continue to grow throughout the remainder of the year. 

We have lots happening in Term 4 so stay tuned for all things CAPA!

Luke Robinson
Productions & Creative and Performing Arts Coordinator

The English faculty have just wrapped up our annual incursions from the Australian Shakespeare Company, most lately on Wednesday, 4 September, with Year 10 being treated to interactive performances of scenes from ‘The Tragedy of Macbeth’. The students have just started a critical study of this most bloody of Shakespeare’s plays, and it once again helped them greatly to show the early modern English dialogue being performed in real time by experienced actors. The fight scenes were also well-received.

Amidst performances of key scenes, the visiting Shakespearean players shared with the student audience valuable insights into plot, character and the conventions of Shakespearean tragedy, along with some important explanation of contextual influences. It is widely accepted that ‘Macbeth’ was composed as a propaganda piece for the newly crowned King James I, after the death of Queen Elizabeth I. The central message: don’t depose God’s appointed king unless you want to be ruled by a blood-thirsty tyrant!

Of course, while the professional actors were fantastic, the occasion was topped off by the student participation. So, a big “Bravo!” goes out to Isabella M. and Justin F., for their worthy amateur performances as Scottish lords, as well as the three boys who played the weird sisters – just as it would have been in Shakespeare’s day, when no women were allowed on the dramatic stage.

The Australian Shakespeare Company had also visited the College a fortnight earlier – Tuesday, 20 August – at that time to entertain and inform students in the Year 11 English Advanced course. This prior interactive performance was of scenes from another of Shakespeare's tragedies, ‘The Tragedy of the Moor of Venice, Othello’, and was similarly designed to enhance students' understanding of the text and the motivation of characters. It served to ensure that those students renew their familiarity with the tragedy genre after experiencing a performance of Shakespearean comedy, last year.

While they were learning about ‘Othello’ as a critical study for their Final Examination in Week 9, familiarity with the genre is also crucial for their next critical study in Year 12, which focuses on William Shakespeare’s ‘King Henry IV, Part 1’. While that is a history play, its mixed genre includes comedy, tragedy and other elements as presumed prior knowledge.

We look forward to giving students at the College similar opportunities to experience the Shakespearean drama that they are studying for English, through further incursions in 2025.

With thanks to Mrs Guthrie for organising and Mrs Mattiello for assisting, the Year 11 English Standard cohort attended a separate excursion event during the ‘Othello’ incursion. They attended a Nature Walk around the Western Sydney Parklands, reflecting on the themes of their poetry study regarding John Foulcher. The Gabragal Trail provided an opportunity to contrast the urbanised landscape of the houses around Austral with the natural parklands. This was equally engaging and relevant for their current and future learning. It will prove to be a valuable experience as they study the poetry of Robert Gray in a similar module for Year 12.

Isabella M in Year 10 - "The Macbeth show today was a lot of fun. It was very entertaining and engaging from the beginning; the actors would use Scottish accents  when acting as the characters - true to the original setting of the play - and explain what was happening and the history of when the play was written. Their acting was entertaining and took volunteers from the audience to engage us in a different way. When I was chosen to play Ross, the actors explained what was happening and made sure I was comfortable. I also noticed that even while it wasn't their line or the focus wasn't on them, they acted with each other and kept acting, which I thought was very fun and professional. All in all I thought the show was a lot of fun and I'd like for it to happen again next year and for other years as well."

David Gawthorne
Faculty Coordinator - English

We are thrilled to share some exciting updates about our Thomas Hassall Anglican College Talented Athlete Program (TAP). As we continue to nurture and celebrate the talents of our students, we have several noteworthy events and initiatives on the horizon.

Annual Dance Concert- Monday the 11th of November

We are pleased to announce the date for our annual Thomas Hassall Anglican College Dance Concert, which will be held on Monday, 11 November 2024. This eagerly anticipated event will showcase the incredible talents of all students from our Dance Academy Program, MISA Dance, and Dance Academy Troupe. Our TAP coaches have praised the dedication and hard work of our dancers as they prepare for this competition, and we are excited to see their performances come to life.

TAP Parent Observations- Week 9 (16th- 20th of September)

In Week 9, we will be hosting TAP Open Parent Training Sessions and Observations. This is a fantastic opportunity for parents to witness their sons' or daughters' participation in their respective sports and observe their progress firsthand. We encourage all parents to attend and support their children as they demonstrate their skills and improvements.

Upcoming Holiday Programs

Looking ahead, we are also gearing up for our regular holiday programs. These programs are designed to keep students active and engaged during the break, offering them additional opportunities to develop their skills and enjoy sports in a supportive environment.

Congratulations to Our Dance Troupes

In our last edition of The Way, we announced the results of our dance troupes at the Platinum Dance Competition where both the junior and senior teams made it to finals. While our troupes didn’t place, we are so proud of how far they made it and the excellent feedback received by the adjudicators.

A big thank you to Mrs Michelle Raft for leading the initiative and for the work of Miss Emma Isakka and Miss Ellie Bull, our incredible dance coaches. Their choreography, teaching, and strength-building have been instrumental in preparing our dancers for competition.

We look forward to these upcoming events and continue to be inspired by the achievements of our students. As always, we are committed to providing a supportive and enriching environment for all our athletes, helping them reach their full potential.

Thank you for your ongoing support and enthusiasm for the Talented Athlete Program.

Kent Weir
PDHPE Coord & Coaching Leader