The Way Weekly Recap I Friday 19 June 2020

We have had a few exciting things happening lately - new ways of doing things!

Virtual Parent Teacher Night
On Thursday evening of this week, we held the Year 11 and 12 Parent Teacher night. Our new format allowed families to zoom in with their teachers from the comfort of their own homes. It was positively received and was a great opportunity to once again strengthen the important partnership between teachers and parents in the roles they play in supporting the education of the students at the College. With the success of the evening, we will adopt a similar format for the Year 7 – 10 Parent Teacher nights in Term 3.

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Subject Selection Evening
We had a fabulous night on Monday of this week with the Parent Webinar for Year 10 Subject Selection. The Q & A part of the evening allowed parents and students to seek guidance about the most suitable academic pathway and subjects to select for study in 2021. The College has a wide selection of subjects on offer once again this year and it is exciting to be able to offer such a range of experiences and qualifications to our senior students. Many thanks to our panellists Mr Cole, Ms Munro and Mr Moynan and our marketing and technical teams for their support of the event. If you have any further questions about the subjects and the process, please email Ms Munro kmunro@thac.nsw.edu.au.

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Fantastic 2020 Virtual Reality Careers Expo 17 – 21 June is a great success!

Advertised as “A unique virtual experience to help shape academic success, course & career choices”, this year’s online Careers Expo is state of the art in innovation, accessibility, and all-round usefulness for all Senior students, who should be looking ahead to develop several different Career plans. 

Once registered through the Inspired website inspired.edu.au/thecareerexpo, a whole new world of amazing resources and links to knowledgeable staff, who can assist Career search, open up.  Explorers start at the Entrance Lobby where guide Ivy greets you in a most welcoming voice and says she is here to help.  She points out the three main halls to explore: straight ahead is the Exhibition Hall with many booths of presenters, to the right is the resource hub full of information about training, and to the left is the auditorium, where an impressive list of presenters are all scheduled to speak over the period 17 – 21 June, on a wide range of inspirational and informative subjects that assist students on their career search journey.

The site advertises the offerings as:

Exhibition Hall

Visit with over 50 universities, TAFE and education providers representing NSW, VIC and QLD. Live chat, video chat, schedule a meeting or download course handbooks, videos and other resources at each booth.

Auditorium

Live daily sessions about scholarship opportunities, early entry programs, campus life, UAC & NESA updates, subject-specific exam insights, inspirational speakers, career guidance and maintaining a positive mindset throughout the senior years of high school.

Resource Hub

Resource downloads and videos from UAC and NESA plus live chat with senior teachers and markers.

The great advantage of this superb experience for our students is that it can be accessed many times for free and parents and students can access it together.  As presentations are recorded, nothing needs to be missed and there is no problem being prevented from looking at booths because of huge crowds all squashing in for a brief chance to explore an area. There is now a more leisurely opportunity to sample pathways precisely and more thoroughly. 

This certainly looks like the way ahead for the future as the logistical savings are enormous.  For the time being though, we rejoice that, despite Covid-19 restrictions, our students do not need to miss out on their Careers Expo this year.

Mr Jim Ward
Careers Advisor (7 – 12)

All the Prep teachers and children have thoroughly enjoyed being back in the classroom.

It has been a special time to see the children re-unite with their friends and appreciate the various class-based opportunities to continue their learning journey.

Since being back, the children have had fun exploring their play centres including the home corners, construction zones and craft tables. During these times, they have continued to develop their social skills such as learning how to communicate with their peers, take turns, compromise and play imaginative games.

Throughout the day, the children have had fun learning about their names, letters and sounds. It is certainly a memorable moment when a child is able to recognise their name for the first time. It is a memorable moment when a child learns to hold a pencil correctly for the first time. It is a memorable moment when a child learns to form the letters in their name for the first time. All these milestones slowly pave the way to a successful transition into Kindergarten next year.

We have lots of fun investigating colours, shapes and numbers. Who knew it could be so exciting to make numbers out of playdough or paint, use virtual dice to count how many altogether or build short and long towers out of LEGO, beads or cars! We all look forward to singing and dancing along to number songs, especially when they involve the robot dance, slow motion movements or instruments.

As the children continue to learn how to be independent, the teachers are continually impressed at how far the children have come since the beginning of the College year. It is a significant moment when a child takes their jumper off by themselves for the first time. It is a significant moment when a child finds and puts on their paint shirt by themselves for the first time. It is a significant moment when a child attempts a new, and possibly challenging task for the first time with an enthusiastic and positive attitude, regardless of the outcome. These children are well on their learning journey at the College.

Learning in Prep is fun!

Mrs Elise Hona
Prep Blue

There are still some positions available in Dance, Ballet, Basketball and Football afternoon programs

Our Talented Athletes Programs and afternoon Development Programs are now up and running. There are some spaces still available in the afternoon Development programs...

We still have some vacancies in our afternoon Development Program.  
To find out more information, please read the individual brochures below:
Dance
Sport Speed - Sprint and Agility sessions.  Expression of interest for TERM THREE program.
Basketball
Football Seniors (soccer)
Football Juniors (soccer)

The overall daily schedule is found on the book page.

How to book:
Enrolment applications must be completed online using the Thomas Hassall website.  The booking link is found on the Events booking page.
If you have any enquiries regarding the programs please email: sevans@thac.nsw.edu.au

Mrs S Evans
P-6 Sport Coordinator
Talented Athletes Program Coordinator

Breaking News!
Overdue notices will be sent out very soon.  If any students require a printed list of their loans please speak to Mrs Comiskey or Mr Smith.
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.
If you have any problems or questions regarding overdue books please speak to Mrs Comiskey or Mr Smith who will be happy to help.

What’s new in the IRC?
Recommended Reading Guides – ‘What should I read next?’
Another fantastic new feature has been added to the IRC’s canvas page. Under the ‘Books and Reading’ section you will find our brand new recommended reading page 'What should I read next?' This is the perfect place to go if you need some advice or help in finding your next great read.
Here you will find information on whether a particular genre is suited for you, some Librarians choices from the collection, as well as lists of other great authors to be on the look out for.
All genres in the IRC have been covered so there is something for everyone. Finding the perfect book has never been easier!
For more information please speak to Mr Smith.

Book Bites – see if a book is to your taste
'All Quiet on the Western Front' – Erich Maria Remarque
“One by one the boys begin to fall …
In 1914 a room full of German schoolboys fresh-faced and idealistic, are goaded by their schoolmaster to troop off to the ‘glorious war.’ With the fire and patriotism of youth they sign up. What follows is the moving story of a young ‘unknown soldier’ experiencing the horror and disillusionment of life in the trenches.”
‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ is rightly considered to be a classic of literature and one of if not the best military fiction novel ever written. The story is told from the perspective of Paul Baumer, an 18 year old German boy who enlists with his friends expecting to find fun and adventure in this great new conflict. However what he and the reader soon discovers is that the true nature of warfare is nothing but terror and horror and that the lives of these young men will never be the same again.  ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ is a difficult and emotional read but an important one that all readers should experience. It gives readers a real insight into what the war was like for the ordinary man, people whose voices often get overlooked in many histories of the First World War. It also tells the story from a German perspective which provides an interesting contrast to many of the Anzac and Allied war experiences we have heard in the past. A gripping and incredible novel, a must read!

Mrs Annette Comiskey & Mr Michael Smith
Senior Library Team