It is fascinating to see how the brain develops and how we can influence that development with what we do both at home and at school. The take home messages for me was that we need to give our students time to play, imagine, expose them to languages and most importantly to music as this really assists their cognitive development.  We also need to consider how much exposure to technology and the times this is happening.  It is very important to ensure that children are not using technology before bed as sleep is an essential part of brain development. We must allow our children to have down time, no technology, television, planned activities where they can be quiet and use the creative part of their brain.

This leads to looking at what we do at College and reviewing the programs that we have introduced. Spanish has been very successful this year, the children have really enjoyed it and have benefited greatly from this so we will be extending the program to Year 3 next year. Our music program has also been developing with a number of opportunities for students to learn and participate in ensembles and bands. I encourage the children from our Year 4 program to consider continuing with music.

We have also been reviewing our Literacy program, ‘Get Reading Right’ using the PIPS testing data from the start of Kindergarten to the end. The growth across the grade has been outstanding with many children making above expected growth. We also added resources to work with small groups of children that would not qualify for the standard learning support, but just needed a boost to help their literacy development and this has been very successful. This focus will continue in 2019.

Our staff are busy preparing reports and portfolios for each of the students in their class. Communication to parents about their child’s progress is an important aspect of schooling and parents often are unsure about what their children are actually doing in the classroom until the portfolio comes home. Next year we will be replacing the portfolios with an online program called ‘Seesaw’ that will allow parents to have access to their children’s work throughout the year and give a snapshot of life in each classroom. We are trialling it at the moment and plan to launch it to you from the beginning of 2019.

Thank you to all the parents and grandparents who could make it to the Prep – 2 Tabloid Carnivals this year. It was fantastic to see the enthusiasm of the children and the way the new facilities worked. There are many events coming up as we head towards the end of the year and I am looking forward to our two Celebration events and to saying farewell to our Year 6 students as they head into the Senior School. We are also welcoming our newest members of the College over the next few weeks, always a special time.

Isaac Watts (1674-1748) is best known for writing the song, Joy to the World. He wrote it, despite disliking music in church, he thought it was dull. It was his father who gave him a challenge to do something about it. This set Watts on a lifelong pursuit to write lyrics that praised Jesus and reminded Christians of their hope in his saving work on the cross. This is exactly how he came to write, Joy to the World.

IsaacWatts_Long.jpg

One day he was reading Psalm 98, and verse 4 gripped him:

“Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth; break into joyous song and sing praises!”

And this is exactly what Watts set out to do. But it's not about the Jesus' birth, it's about the story of Christ’s return—his second coming.

You can see it quite clearly in the words. Verse 1 says;

Joy to the world! The Lord is come;

Let earth receive her King;

Let every heart prepare him room,

And heaven and nature sing

The earth did not receive King Jesus, but like sheep, we went astray. Still, we know that there will be a day when this will not be so.

Verse 3 talks about sins and sorrows being no more:

No more let sins and sorrows grow,

Nor thorns infest the ground;

He comes to make his blessings flow

Far as the curse is found

If you have lived on this earth for more than two minutes, you know that this is not our current experience. But there will be a fulfillment of all Christ’s work that is not fully expressed this side of eternity. So we have hope. And that brings joy despite our circumstances.

The final verse says:

He rules the world with truth and grace,

And makes the nations prove

The glories of his righteousness,

And wonders of his love

These final lines speak of how the nations will take an active role in revealing the glory of God. That certainly isn't today, but that day will be wonderful! 

It's a wonderful song that can be sung at any time of year, even Christmas!

I pray that you and your family experience something of the joy expressed in this song that is found in Jesus.

Have a very blessed Christmas.

Rev Stuart Tye
College Chaplain

We are very pleased to offer a limited number of Academic Scholarships for students entering Years 7 and 11 in 2020. To be considered for a Scholarship students must register and sit the ACER examination. Outlined below are the details regarding how to apply.
 

Applications close: midnight AEDT Monday 4 February 2019

Test Date: Saturday 23 February 2019

Application Fee: $100

Location: Thomas Hassall Anglican College

Steps in the Scholarship Process:

1. Register online to sit the ACER Scholarship examination at http://www.thac.nsw.edu.au/scholarships 
2.  An invitation to sit the examination will be sent prior to the examination date, including location at the College and requirements for the exam. In the meantime, please advise the College if there are any changes to your contact details.
3. All applicants will be notified of the outcome of their scholarship applications in early April 2019.
4. Online individual reports will be available to parents in April 2019.

If you have any questions please contact Mrs Amanda Low, Enrolments Co-ordinator on 9608 0033.

Applying for school travel passes has never been easier. The online process is thanks to a partnership the College has with Transport for NSW.

The application process has been simplified so new or updated applications for school travel passes are only needed when a student is:

• Applying for school travel pass for the first time
• Requesting an additional pass as a result of a new shared parental responsibility situation
• Changing school or campus
• Changing home address
• Receiving an expiry notification
• Repeating a school year
• Changing their name
• Requesting a new transport operator

This means students who are progressing to Year 3 and 7 only need to reapply if they are changing circumstances.

Students who are not residents and are temporarily in Australia can provide their Visa subclass number when applying online, making the approval process much faster.

Apply today HERE. If you don't have internet access, call 131 500.

*Please note, do not throw out Opal cards - they are reusable.

The Summer IPSSO Competition (Cricket, Girls Soccer, Summer Tee-ball & Softball, Oz Tag and Basketball) continues in Term 4.  

Students who were selected in Summer teams from Term 1, continue this sport for Term 4.  Training is held each Wednesday 7.30 – 8.15am. 

TERM FOUR DRAW

COLLEGE SPORT PROGRAM FOR TERM 4 

Students who are not involved in Summer IPSSO teams will participate in the Year 3 - 6 College Sports program.

All sports are taught by qualified coaches and the sport runs for the entire term.  There is no cost associated with the program as it is covered by College fees.  

Mrs Sharon Evans
P - 6 Sports Coordinator

The Prep - Year 2 Tabloids provided a fun day of athletic and skill-based activities that saw all students experience a variety of physical games.

Assisted by our Year 5 and 6 helpers, our younger students participated in a variety of activities on the new sports oval.  At the end of the carnival we had some running races, using the running lanes on the new oval.  

After all that fun we enjoyed lunch with our parents and friends on the concrete concourse outside the new sports stadium.

A big thank you to the parents who came along to support their children, some of whom participated in their very first sports carnival. 

Some special moments from our students:

Prep - "Prep loved doing the running races and tried really hard to run in a straight line."

Kinder - "We loved the running race the best"

            - "All the activities were fun"

            - "Hitting the ball under the bridge was the best fun"

1A –"We went to the sports carnival and our favourite events were the races, tug-of-war and soccer. We had so much fun!"

1B –  "The class enjoyed the running races and having their parents watch them. They loved the pizzas and cupcakes too."

1G-  "We love all the fun activities, the running races and the best was the pizza."

1R- "The tabloid games was super fun because we got to play very fun activities and get super tired."

1S- "We loved soccer because we were able to exercise, learn new skills and play with our friends."

2W – "We loved using the new oval and seeing the new auditorium. The best day ever!"

2R – "It was exciting to play different activities."

2D – "We loved the rotating activities and sharing recess time with our mums and dad. The pizza and cupcakes were delicious!"

2H – "It was so much fun, we had the best day playing with our friends and learning different skills."

Mrs Sharon Evans
P-6 Sports Coordinator 

The TAP Swimming program is designed to identify talented students from Years 3 – 12 and offers an extensive training program to students who have represented Thomas Hassall Anglican College at the NASSA carnival level or above.

In 2018 we extended the program to include an extra day for students to train. 

Days: Monday, Wednesday and Friday during the College term (except public holidays)
Time:  5.45am - 7.15am
Venue: Whitlam Leisure Centre - 90A Memorial Avenue, Liverpool
Cost: Fees will be charged per term
Transport: Parents are to make their own arrangements to get children to the pool for a 5.45am start. Students will be transported by mini bus to College at the conclusion of the session.

The squad-based sessions will be structured to adopt best practices and will focus on stroke development and correction, developing strength and endurance. 

Sessions will include race preparation, dives and turns.

Eligibility
The TAP Swimming program is offered to all students who competed at the NASSA Junior or NASSA Senior Swimming Carnival. However, if there is a talented swimmer who did not attend the College Swimming Carnival they may be assessed to be part of the program.

If you would like more information about the TAP Swimming program, please contact Mrs Evans [email protected]

Brochures are available at the College Office.

THAC TAP Swimming 2018 v1.pdf

THAC TAP Swimming 2018 v1.pdf