Term 1 I The Way Newsletter I Friday 18 February 2022

When my parents came to Australia they came with two suitcases, 11 dollars, and me.  

While there were many joys, life was tough. Yet from my parents I learned many things which I still use now.

Has your family faced tough times? 

Times were also tough in Bible times. Just after Jesus died Caesar at the time made Christianity illegal and many people were arrested. Below is part of a letter written to a young man doing it tough and wanting to give up.

5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.
6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 
7 For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. 
8 So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God.    

2 Timothy 1

The first thing Paul highlights is the faith of his mother and grandmother - how cool is that! As a child, Timothy was immersed in the faith of his mother and grandmother. The faith he saw in these two women as a child would become his own as an adult. The work that they put in to him as a child would serve him when he moved out as a man.  

The influence that we parents have on our children is massive - we pass on so many things to our children as they watch us. We must make sure we pass on the good stuff.
This term in the midst of many uncertainties, the challenge for us parents is to share the certainty of our faith rather than uncertainties of our anxieties.  

As a Christian dad, I work hard to make my faith visible to my children: I pray for and with my children; I remind them of God’s big picture in their times of tension; I work really hard to not verbalise my fears or anxieties; I want to immerse them in my faith and not my fears; and I remind them that with God they have everything they need.  

God the Father has their future, God the Son has their past, and God the Spirit will equip them in the present.

Join us at Thomas Hassall this year as we use our influence to make the adults of the future.

Our Open Week is coming up at the College from the 21 - 26 March.

This is a great opportunity for prospective families to see the College in action, at a time that suits them. It is an ideal opportunity for future families to glimpse our culture, observe our staff and students, meet our Principal and key staff, tour our fantastic facilities and ask questions whilst enjoying morning tea.

Many families visit the College more than once when making the decision about the best school to meet the educational needs of their son or daughter.  

If you have friends or family who are interested in finding out about the College, we encourage you to invite them to come along and see what sets us apart. Registrations for Open Week are online on our website.

Thank you for your support.

On Monday 14 February we welcomed back our High Achievers of the 2021 HSC to acknowledge their accomplishments.

Congratulations to all of our students on their outstanding results, as well as to our 2021 College Dux, Sreya D.

Thank you for your inspiring words of encouragement to our 2022 cohort. We wish all of you the best as you pursue the next stage in your journey.

Here is a small clip from our assembly featuring three of our students, Sreya, Damien and Tino, as well as the Principal, Mr Whelan and Design and Technology Teacher, Mrs Georges.  

Our Prep students had an engaging week focusing on developing fine motor skills, problem solving and learning about the number one.

There are some great lunchtime groups rehearsing at the College that students can join.

There is a new guitar ensemble group starting in Week 4, every Thursday lunchtime in M2. Mr Robinson will be leading this acoustic guitar group that plays pop and rock songs. The group builds on skills such as playing harmonies, melodies and chord patterns. Students with some guitar experience are encouraged to join this ensemble.

The Senior Drum Circle meets every Wednesday in M5  and the Junior Drum Circle meets every Monday in M5 to learn and play African drums called ‘djembes’ and bass drums called ‘dun-duns’. Students study various accompanying rhythms and solo phrases, as well as working on group compositions.

This is a great way to develop fundamental musical knowledge, learn how to work as a team, and have fun! Mr Mark leads this group and all students of all abilities are welcome to come and participate in these rehearsals.

These groups are free for students and instruments are available at College to use for rehearsals.

Congratulations to Vansh Maini who has earnt his blackbelt over the Summer Break.

Vansh worked extremely hard even during the Lockdown period to prepare for his grading. His Blackbelt grading went for over 4 hours and it was on the hottest day of the summer. Despite the heat, he kept his focus and determination, persisting through the challenge. He ended up finishing with a Perfect A grade and also won the Best Student Award. He is the first person to receive a Blackbelt with an A grade in his age group. A huge congratulations to him for the effort, growth and achievement in Sport outside.

2022 Talented Athlete Programs in Football (soccer), Basketball, Dance and Classical Ballet

It has been wonderful to see our 2022 Talented Athlete Programs commence this week.

All APP Football and Basketball programs have been selected for both Junior and Senior School.

We still have some vacancies in our afternoon Development programs in Football (soccer), Basketball, Dance and Classical Ballet.

To find out more information, read the individual brochures below:
Dance 
Basketball  
Football Seniors 
Football Juniors 

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. 

Places in TAP programs are limited, so please ensure you enrol online to secure a place in the program.

Mrs Sharon Evans
P-6 Sport Coordinator & Talented Athletes Program (TAP) Coordinator

Traffic in and around the College has become quite problematic as I’m sure many of you have experienced.

Thank you for the comments we have received. It is important that we implement some immediate solutions and plan other long-term changes. The beginning of each year is busy and now is the time to make some realistic changes to assist everyone. 

Senior School

DROP OFF IN MORNING – both Flynn Avenue and Kingsford Smith Entries. From 7:30am to 8:00am in the morning, drop-off for Senior School students can occur at the Junior School drop-off bay on Kingsford Smith Avenue as well as Flynn Avenue (note the map for location for drop off). Junior School drop-off occurs after 8am mostly.

DROP OFF & PICK UP – FLYNN AVENUE Gate 3 on Flynn Avenue is currently the common gate for entry. We will add Gates 1 & 2 further west on Flynn Avenue. This change means that Gate 3 will be RIGHT turn only to J Block drop off / pick up. Gate 1 – will be an additional entry gate for drop off / pick up and exit Gate 2. This change will take place from Monday 21 February 2022, and also coincides with a building program at N Block (Ann Marsden) starting later in the month. 

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE FROM COLLEGE 

The round-a-bout on Flynn and Kingsford Smith is both an advantage to us as well as a limitation. Are you aware of other ways to arrive and depart the College via the neighbouring streets? We have a few options to show you on the map attached below. 

We have issues with queuing across the round-a-bout. Therefore we need to remind drivers, particularly in Junior School to not come early to queue for pick up. This is a large contributor to congestion with cars remaining in one spot. Gates are not open for entry until 2.20pm. Gates 1 and 3 are not open for entry until 2.35pm. Please do not block the entry. 

Thank you very much for your patience. A reminder of the Council Notices and normal traffic rules and regulations which include: 

• No double parking 
• No blocking of the round-a-bout. Please also consider our neighbours and not park in or block their driveways. 
• 40km speed limits in School Zones at peak times. 

We trust that these and other changes in the future will assist everyone.