Term 2 I The Way Newsletter I Friday 13 May 2022

Latest UpdatesBack to Top

From the Principal
Principal Ross Whelan

It is interesting how busy a College can be. Week 3 has been filled with many events and occasions that have showcased many gifts and also brought us together as a community.

The College Biannual Musical ‘Shrek the Musical’ has now wrapped up.  I hope you had an opportunity to watch one of the six performances over the last few weeks. It takes a big team to put on such a spectacular show and it was a joy to watch.  So many students and teachers have worked hard on this show for months. Well done to the cast, crew, musicians and staff for all the hard work. 

It has been wonderful to see our parent community back in the College with events such as the musical as well as our Mother’s Day Breakfast and stalls.  It is so special to have that opportunity to gather with your child and enjoy breakfast together, isn’t it?  We are thankful that we were able to experience that again after a two-year interruption.  Thank you to all the Mother’s and significant women in our student’s lives who were able to attend the breakfast. Thanks also to the organising team and in particular to our MRK staff for the lovely breakfast boxes. 

This week was NAPLAN for students in years 3, 5, 7 and 9. Whilst some nervousness is normal it is important to see these tests as point-in-time or a snapshot of literacy and numeracy skills. It allows us to reflect on how programs are working and to identify areas for improvement. 

Our Junior School Cross Country was held last week as well as the Senior School Athletics Carnival, this week. I would like to acknowledge the Sports and PDHPE team for their hard work and commitment to our students.  

I look forward to welcoming grandparents to join us for a lovely morning tea and a classroom visit on Friday 27 May.  It is always special for grandparents to be able to engage in the lives of their grandchildren at the College.  On this day we will also celebrate Thomas Hassall who was born on 29 May 1794.

Thanks for all the support that you give to the College.

How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity! Psalm 133:1

Mr Ross Whelan
Principal
From the Junior School Director of Operations & Welfare
Kylie

In the Junior School we value positive partnerships with parents.

Partnering in Celebrating Learning

In the Junior School we value positive partnerships with parents.

We are pleased to announce that Assemblies are back on! Beginning on Friday 3rd June at 1:50pm, we extend a warm welcome to parents to attend these assemblies in S block. Please note the new time is different from previous years. 

Each week a different class will showcase their learning as part of the assembly time. Teachers will inform parents via SeeSaw communication two week prior to the class presenting their learning in assembly. From 1:20pm, parents are required to sign in through the Main Office before proceeding to S Block. 

Partnering with Student Safety

Safety is our priority as students arrive at and leave College each day. The new Kiss and Ride Zone on Southern Cross Avenue is working well; students are becoming more independent walking quickly to the gate in the mornings and listening for their names as they are called in the afternoons.

However, we do have some safety concerns that require attention.

Please partner with us to ensure student safety by:

  • Crossing the road at the top of Holden Avenue or at the pedestrian area near the roundabout and not through the Kiss and Ride Zone
  • Holding your child’s hand when crossing the road
  • Refraining from performing a u turn across double white lines or at the start of Holden Avenue

Partnering in Celebrating Our Community

The Mother’s Day breakfast was a wonderful celebration and it was encouraging to see so many mothers and grandmothers in attendance. On Friday 27 May we will be holding Grandparents’ Day. Grandparents are invited to visit the College for morning tea, to watch performances from the peripatetic groups offered at College, to visit classrooms to see their grandchild’s learning as well as to stop off at the Book Fair.

More details will follow. And of course, the whole community is invited to Movie Night that same evening .

We hope to see you at College very soon.

Mrs Kylie Singles
Director of Operations & Wellbeing – Junior School
From the Chaplain
Denis Oliver

What is Friggatriskaidekaphobia? No, it is not a new teenage swear word. 

It means having a morbid, irrational fear of Friday the 13th. I think this is a ridiculous fear. Having said that, I do suffer from Sesquipedalophobia.

We all have fears. They can be rational or irrational, healthy or unhealthy. What do we do with our fears? Psychologists say that there are three responses to fear – fight, flight, or freeze.  While you are fighting, fleeing, or frozen in your fears consider God.

12 You shall seek those who contend with you, but you shall not find them; those who war against you shall be as nothing at all. 13 For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you.” Isaiah 41

Those who trust in the living God must remember that they are never alone in their fears. When you know that God is so close it effects the way you live.

For me, I work really hard at never making decisions based on fear, but rather based on faith – I make choices that show my faith rather than my fears (though they are still there at the time). 

Here are some things for us to consider. When we run from our fears, where or who are we running too? Does God want us to stay and fight? When we choose to fight our fears, are we fighting in a way that befits a follower of Jesus? Finally, when we are scared stiff, we need to remember that God is there regardless of how we feel.

Don’t forget courage is not about being fearless, but about making decisions despite your fears. This is easiest when you have faith in Jesus as he understands fear and knows the way through it.

Reverend Denis Oliver
College Chaplain
Upcoming dates

Date Event
Tuesday 17 May Kindy-Year 2 Literacy Program Parent Information Evening 4-5pm
Thursday 26 May Senior School NASSA Cross Country Carnival
Friday 27 May Grandparent's Day 11.30am
Movie Night Under the Stars 5pm
Movie Night

Join us for a movie night under the stars as we watch Shrek 2!

Friday 27 May | 5pm

This is a free event and everyone is welcome. Gates open at 5pm with food trucks and entertainment. The movie will begin at 6pm.

Bring your picnic blanket and join us on the oval. In the event of wet weather, this event will be held indoors in the Rawdon Middleton VC Complex.

View the flyer
Grandparents Day

You’re invited to come along to our special Grandparents day in the Junior School at the College. 

Join us for coffee and cake at the MRK from 11.30am with some featured performances from our students. Classroom visits in Prep - Year 6 will then take place from 12.30pm until 2pm.

There will be a book fair open throughout the day at the Junior School Library.

Register for the event online www.thac.nsw.edu.au/book 
Year 6 Transition

Each Tuesday afternoon, Year 6 have had the wonderful opportunity to be involved in the High School Transition program.

This program, headed by Mrs Millie Pettett, Director of Learning and Innovation - Middle Years, has been designed to make the Year 6’s transition into Senior School as smooth as possible. It gives students a glimpse into life in the Senior School at the College by getting to work in Senior School classrooms with Senior School teachers.

Year 6 participate in: History, Art, Science and Japanese classes, rotating every 6 weeks. Year 6 have just entered into their second rotation with their new subject and teacher.

Here is what a few of the Year 6 students have to say about the program:

“I have loved art and learning about the different steps that can be taken to create an artwork” - Analise from 6S.

“It’s been great to experience what high school is like” - Zack from 6S.

“It’s interesting learning about a different culture and trying to speak Japanese” - Bronson  from 6B.

“I’ve liked working in the high school classrooms and getting to meet the high school teachers” - Luke from 6B

Year 6 transition
Cinco de mayo

Year 1, 2 and 3 students participated in a Cinco de Mayo Fiesta as part of their Spanish program.

Cinco de Mayo is an annual celebration held on May 5th to commemorate the Mexican Army's victory over the French Empire at the Battle of Puebla. Over the years, it has evolved into a huge celebration in many communities across the world to honour Mexican culture and heritage. 

Students explored and immersed themselves in Mexican culture by participating in different classroom activities, which included learning the history behind this celebration, making crafts, learning traditional songs and dressing up.

Cinco De Mayo
Mother's Day

It was a busy week last week with our Mother's Day stall and breakfast taking place.

Thank you to our Parent Community Network who helped run the stall. The students had a great time picking gifts for the special women in their lives.

It was wonderful to welcome you onsite for our Mother's Day Breakfast on Friday. We hope you had a wonderful time celebrating together.

Mothers Day
Shrek the Musical

IMG_1022.JPG

Shrek the musical

IMG_1241_0.JPG

Shrek Musical

IMG_1527.JPG

Shrek Musical

IMG_1016.JPG

Shrek Musical

Shrek the Musical finished on Saturday night after two weeks of shows. What a spectacular production it was!

Our students worked tirelessly to put on a fantastic show for our audience.

Thank you to these students, our parents and teachers who all contributed to making this such a success.

 
CIS Netball Team

On the 6th of May, Ella W in Year 6 attended the Combined Independent Schools (CIS) Netball trials.

There were 100 players from 11 different districts, Ella represented NASSA and Thomas Hassall Anglican College.

Ella’s outstanding skills demonstrated throughout all the games resulted in her progressing to the next stage of the day which was Possibles and Probables.

30 girls then went on to play another 40 minutes of netball, making the selectors decisions very difficult.

At the end of the day, Ella was successful in making it into the CIS Primary Netball team. She will go on to compete at the All Schools competition with the potential to make it into the NSW PSSA netball team to compete at a national level.

We wish Ella all the best in her training and trials.
Junior School Cross Country

IMG_0946.JPG

Junior Cross Country

IMG_0904.JPG

Junior Cross Country

image002_0.jpg

Cross country

IMG_0891.JPG

Cross Country

The Junior School Cross Country was held on Monday 2nd May.

Students ran the 2km or 3km track, using both the bottom oval and behind the Rawdon Middleton VC Sports Complex at College.

Our Years 3 – 6 students had a wonderful day participating and doing their best in amazing weather conditions.

A special thank you to the Secondary Students, led by Mr Ward and Mr Weir who assisted us and encouraged us while we ran. Thank you also to Hanan and the MRK staff for providing us with Ice blocks after a nice sunny day.

Well done to all students who participated in the Cross Country Carnival this year.

Congratulations to the students who finished in the top 8 of each age group, who will go on to represent the College at the NASSA Cross Country Carnival on Thursday 26th May at Horsley Park Equestrian Centre. We wish you well with your training and preparation. 
University of Australia

Learning Labs is an academic and creative arts enrichment program for high-achieving students from Year 1 to Year 10.

Learning Labs offers one- or two-day workshops during the school holidays that cover numerous interest areas. To find our more and register your interest for the July holidays, please visit the link 


 
Year 2 Lego Masters

lego1.jpg

Lego

lego 2.jpg

Chess

Lego Masters has arrived at Thomas Hassall.

Year 2 have started a lunch time group every Tuesday. The creative thinking has started as they build amazing creations. Look out,  Lego Masters here we come. 

We also have a Chess Club running. It is wonderful to see students in Year 2 challenge themselves and each other. It is a great start to the year. I look forward to seeing what wonderful things we can build.

Mrs Trudi Woods

Stage 1 Assistant Coordinator- Year 2W
Parent and Carer Webinar

Learn how to set up parents controls on devices and apps to keep your children safe online.

eSafety Commissioner's expert education and training team is running free live webinars in May about how to manage settings on devices and apps.

Parents and carers of young people aged 4 to 13 years are invited to join.

Find out how to set up devices and apps to help keep young people safe online. This webinar will include practical tips, demonstrations and advice - designed for parents and carers of kids aged 4 to 13 years old.

The presentation will cover:

- the benefits and limitations of parental controls
- how to safely set up iOS and Android devices
- how to safely set up popular games and apps, like YouTube and Roblox
- family tech agreements and other parenting strategies to manage online risks
- how eSafety can help you when things go wrong.

Tuesday 31 May: 12.30-1.30pm

Thursday 19 May: 12.30-1.30pm

Register online: esafety.gov.au/parents/webinars