Term 1 : Thursday 15 February 2018

Camp week, swimming carnivals and Parent Teacher Information Evenings all signal that the College program is in full operation.  It’s a joy to see the classrooms and everyday programs in action.  This week’s copy of ‘The Way’ provides a delightful glimpse of the first few weeks of our work together.

We are calling for your involvement whether it’s in the Class Parents Network, which holds its first meeting next week on Thursday morning, or whether its our first ‘Movies under the Stars’ on Friday 23 March from 6pm for food and fun before the movie.  We want to encourage our community at the start of the year.  Please feel very welcome. 

Rehearsals for our Musical, ‘Leader of the Pack’ are progressing well and it’s time for chorus members and additional cast and crew to come on board.  Students should talk to Mr Lane or just knock on the door of the Creative Arts Staffroom if they are interested.

Have you driven past the new Physical Education Centre or taken the long way around the College perimeter to see how the new Oval is progressing ahead of its first cut of grass in the next few days?  We are certainly looking forward to the completion of this exciting project in May.

Very best regards to every College family.  Please let us know if there are any concerns.

‘Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Saviour, and my hope is in you all day long.’ Psalm 25 : 4-5

The Southwest Festival is a day for all the Community with rides, stalls, food, school tours and entertainment! Save the date for a family filled day of fun.

Lots more details for stallholders and our community will come over the coming months.

It has been a fast-paced, positive start to Senior School at Thomas Hassall for Year 7. By now, students are making new friends and becoming familiar with their timetable, house group and layout of the College. Students, parents and teachers have given encouraging reports on the start of the year and are looking forward to the many challenges and opportunities still to come in 2018.

However, after an exciting and information-filled first week of school, 150 of our Year 7s embarked on one of the highlights of their first term at Thomas Hassall – the mighty Year 7 camp!

The days we spent at Deer Park, in the Royal National Park, were so exciting and exhilarating. All Year 7 students were introduced to this wonderful and enormous landscape full of interesting and daring activities such as the skyweb, water slide, dragon boating, sailing, fishing, survival skills, rock-climbing and many others. The skyweb (high robes and flying fox course) certainly proved that this year group are fearless, courageous and will give anything a go. Through facing their fears and stepping out of their comfort zones our Year 7 students, along with their Pastoral Care teachers, learned to overcome challenges both as a group and independently. Their encouragement of one another and resilience proved to be a highlight of most group activities.

This fabulous camp was truly something to remember. It encouraged our students to build on the initial friendships they had developed in Week 1, as well as giving them an opportunity to challenge themselves through a range of activities. The momentum this camp generates for our year group, together with the positive life lessons of friendship, the importance of encouragement, teamwork and honesty ensures that our year group starts the year in the best way possible. The last day of camp ended with smiles and no regrets as everyone said our farewells to the camp staff.

The camp was certainly a success with many of the students sharing their positive experiences of the trip:

• “The food was amazing… and the activities were engaging and fun” Brandon Solis and Justine Gallarde
• “Camp was a wonderful bonding experience with students and our PC teachers” Charlee Collier
• “The best experience I have ever had, especially the basketball games!” Elan Latifi
•  “Dragon boating is harder than it looks, but persistence is key” Aram Zamel and Jimmy Tang
• “We got to make new friendships and work together as a team” Emma De leeuw and Elliana Collyer

Special thanks to the Youth Works staff, the Pastoral Care teachers and our fantastic Year 11 Peer Support students who led the Year 7s with enthusiasm and cared for them with patience and understanding. They make a great team and Year 7 is certainly in for a memorable year ahead!

Mr Robinson and Miss Mugridge
Year 7 Advisors 

Information for Parents on the NCCD

As a mandatary requirement, the College will participate in the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data this year. The NCCD is an annual collection of data that all schools in Australia participate in. Through this collection, data is collected about the number of school students with a disability and the level of reasonable adjustments with which they are provided. Under the Education Act schools are required to report this information required for NCCD to the Australian Government.

Protecting the privacy and confidentiality of our students is important to us. We do not disclose any student names or any specific information about your student to any authority. If you have any questions, please access the public information notice at www.education.gov.au/notices or contact Mrs Lawler (Junior School) or Mrs Smythe (Senior School).

A Message for All Parents and Carers in the College.

The Learning Support Team advises staff of any specific requirements that your student may need. Any information that you have forwarded to the College about your student is shared routinely with the relevant staff at the beginning of the year so that we can suggest appropriate teaching strategies to best help any students with specific needs. We also routinely complete some simple assessments on many of our students in each year group in order to provide up to date strategy information for teachers, government censuses, and in the Senior School, to gauge eligibility for Disability Provisions provided during examination periods.

We recognize the sensitivity of this information and assure you that it will be shared discretely with teachers. Any shared information will be kept securely and appropriately by teachers and stored according to legislative requirements.

Please recognize that sharing this information is essential if we are to address the learning needs of our students. We appreciate it when parents and caregivers regularly forward updated information regarding their son or daughter as it assists us to cater for each student’s requirements.

We thank you for your co-operation and please feel free to contact Learning Support at any time.

Mrs Lawler (Junior School Learning Support) or Mrs Smythe (Senior School Learning Support).

This week at the High Achievers assembly, the Senior Concert Band performed the National Anthem, along with a special debut performance of an original composition by Year 11 student Caleb Cruz. Caleb composed this work at the end of 2017, through his own initiative, not for the purpose of an assessment. This shows great dedication and commitment to his study and journey of music, and this high achievement is a credit to Caleb and his devotion to learning. The Senior Concert Band began to workshop this piece at the end of Term 4 last year, and Caleb would then go home and make edits on the composition based on feedback from Mr Mark and his fellow band members.

The performance went very well, and Caleb is to be commended on his efforts and great musical composition – well done Caleb!

Byron Mark
Manager of Ensembles

2018 Football Development Programs

This program is held Tuesday afternoons from 3:00 to 4:00pm.

The College offers football programs for Secondary students in Years 7 and 8. The year-long program caters for both boys and girls and will be conducted by our football director Sonny Makko.

The one-hour sessions are designed to improve the skill level of each individual and is suited for all abilities. Students will be involved in fun activities that develop skills and promote understanding of the game.  The program runs for 35 weeks.

Information flyers and application forms for the 2018 football development programs have been emailed to all College families. Copies are also available at the College Reception.

For further information, please contacts Mrs Evans, P-6 Sports Coordinator and TAP Coordinator - [email protected]

THAC TAP Football Snr 2018 v1.pdf

THAC TAP Football Snr 2018 v1.pdf

THAC TAP Football Snr Application Form 2018 v1.pdf

THAC TAP Football Snr Application Form 2018 v1.pdf