Term 3: Thursday 27 July 2017

Two of those staff who have made a difference to so many lives in the College have decided that it is time to move to the next stage of their life and enjoy some family time and a more relaxed pace of life. That is right, Mr and Mrs Wheadon have decided to retire! This won’t happen until 2018 so there will be opportunities for us all to say farewell later in the year. The College is currently looking for their replacements, a very difficult task!

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Mr Wheadon has been at the College since day one and even before that, he has been part of the leadership team that has built the College from very small beginnings to the wonderful place that it is now. Many of our students have been guided through difficult times, listened to, supported and redirected through Clive’s patience, wisdom, encouragement and expectations. He has supported the staff through difficult times and day-to-day. He has been there for many parents, giving advice and support, walking the journey alongside many of you.  He is always available to support others with a smile on his face and he will be greatly missed.

Mrs Wheadon started in the second year of the College and met Mr Wheadon soon after. Miss Whitelock, as she was then, was one of the College’s first Stage Coordinators and established many programs used in the K – 2 area. Mrs Wheadon then moved into Learning Support where she has been a passionate advocate for children with learning needs at the College.  Many children have gained success at school because of her dedication. Mrs Wheadon also works closely with many parents and is always available to lend a listening ear, wise advice and support.

I’m sure you will join with me in wishing them both well in the coming months and as we celebrate their wonderful contribution to the College. 

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Please Note:  South West Festival and Mid Term Break (August/September) to be confirmed

The weather was amazing, the decorations splendid, the menu was just like being at a game and of course, having our dads come to serve lunch made this a very special day . . . as well as a visit from two of the Canterbury Bulldogs, Greg Eastwood and Brad Abbey who spent four hours playing sport with the children, signing autographs and smiling for endless selfies - thank you.

Thank you so much to all the dads who came not only to serve lunch but to warm up, set up and pack up:  David Ould, Peter Flanagan, Andrew Wilkinson, Chris Hagipantelis, Deepak Maini, George Khoury, Dom Currao, Jim Strounis, Simon Payet, Robert Sabongi, Jason Mikosic, Brett Goodbun, Alex Garrido, Mark Devine, Khan Groube, Raymond Conrad, Geoff Pollitt, Quinto Pallone, Rony Isaac, Robert Veleski, Simeon Ofidis, Antony Elazzi and Anthony Rumble.  We are sure some new business connections were made on the day too!

 Athletes Foot also came along and set up a 'pass the ball' activity and footwear display for the students and Dads - great to have you involved in this event - thank you Paul.  Our TAP Football Coach, Sonny, also set up some fun balls skills activities which were a bit hit with the Junior School students.

Heartfelt thanks also to the MRK (Mrs Riitano's Kitchen) Team, without whom the day would not have been possible - thank you for all you do to keep us well fed every day but especially for Dads' Day in MRK!

We loved having our dads volunteer at school for the day and we are already planning the next event ... get your Hawaiian shirts and hibiscus ready!  More information to follow shortly.  Enquiries:  Mrs Jo Hutchens, Director of Marketing, Enrolments and Community Relations E: [email protected]

4D and 4M have been learning about the instruments of the orchestra.

Their challenge was to create a model of a traditional orchestra using miniature paper figurines.

The students coloured the tiny musicians and then placed them in their correct positions according to orchestral families. As part of the compulsory band program in Year 4, students participate in a weekly theory lesson.

On Friday 21 July Kindergarten children had some Bulldogs players and dads join in our sport session.  There was lots of fun and excitement had by all children and adults.

Kindy children and dads as well as the Bulldogs players participated in games of skipping with ropes, football passing, hand ball and soccer skills. A very memorable day for everyone.

Years 3 –6 - Athletics Carnival

The Yr 3-6 Athletics Carnival was held at the Blacktown Athletics Stadium on Thursday 22 June.  It was a lovely day and all students had the opportunity to participate in a variety of track and field events. 

Overall, I was impressed with the high level of sportsmanship that the children displayed both on and off the track.  It was great to see everyone striving to do their best.  Thank you to the parents who assisted on the day.  Your support was greatly appreciated.

THANK YOU…A huge thank you to Mr Geering and Mr Kaye and the Secondary PASS students who ran the field events. You did a FANTASTIC job and because of you the carnival ran smoothly and efficiently. 

Congratulations to CARMICHAEL, who won the House Point Competition.

The Primary Carnival results were;

1^st –   Carmichael               2,268 points                                  

2^nd – Wilberforce               2,199 points

3^rd – Liddell                         1,779 points                                  

4^th –  Lewis                          1, 567 points

The following students were the Age Champions:

Students who have qualified to represent the College at the NASSA carnival will be notified soon.

The College offers football development programs for students in Kinder to Year 9. 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 suited for all abilities. Students will be involved in fun activities that develop skills and promote understanding of the game.

Students can enrol in more than one day if preferred. The program runs for 35 weeks. Details outlining cost and further information can be found on the flyer available at the College Office.

Year 7-9 Secondary Program         Tuesday 3.00 - 4.00pm - spaces available

K-6 Girls Only Program                  Friday 3.00 - 4.00pm - spaces available

Kinder-Year 2 Program                  Monday and Wednesday 3.00-4.00pm - full

Year 2-Year 6 Program                  Thursday 3.00 - 4.00pm - full

If you require information on any of these programs please contact Mrs Evans, P-6 Sports Coordinator and TAP Coordinator - [email protected] Brochures and application forms are available at the College Office.

Welcome to our first responsive digital edition of The Way and we trust that you will enjoy browsing through the great articles in our new newsletter format which will be published fortnightly on a Thursday – our research suggests that this is preferable to Friday as we are perhaps more focused on family and weekend activities rather than reviewing the school newsletter!

You can now view The Way on any device at any time and it will automatically adjust so that you can read and scroll through the articles easily.  It is a very intuitive platform and we are sure that you will become very confident moving around the edition from article to article in no time at all. 

We would certainly appreciate your feedback during the launch period and ask that you email us at [email protected] to let us know what you think of the platform, content and user experience.  The Way is our most important method of communication with our whole College Community so please give us your feedback so that we can continue to improve and help get you the information you need, to your fingertips, in a timely way.

Happy reading!