Term 1 I Wednesday 19 February 2020

From the Principal
Principal Ross Whelan

Celebrating 20 years in 2020 is a joy and a privilege for all of us at Thomas Hassall.

Imagine the thrill it would have been for Thomas Hassall himself to imagine a legacy that this College provides. A learning community committed to growing and nurturing excellence in the key areas of Learning, Wisdom and Service.

As a young man in the 1820’s Thomas, and his wife Anne Marsden, committed themselves to serving God by growing churches and schools – (the only schools were operated by churches in his time.  The Government only started to grow schools after 1870). 

2020 has begun in such an unusual almost chaotic fashion. Bushfires, floods and now the impact of the coronavirus, have caused us all to be uncertain, even anxious.

Thank you for your understanding and support of the necessary changes to the start-up of routines at the College. In addition, we have had to manage a busy traffic process due to our building at the front entrance to the College. While it’s important to know that all will settle down into much more normal processes, we realise that College life is hectic right now.

Thankfully our SMS and email systems seem to be connecting to our families and a reminder to you ensure that all contact details are accurate and up to date. 

The 20th Anniversary Thanksgiving Service will be held tomorrow, Thursday 20 February 2020.  You are most welcome to join students, staff and invited guests to this special occasion.

Parent-Teacher meetings are occurring from now and through the remainder of the term. Please take the opportunity to have an initial conversation with teachers. 

This first edition of The Way introduces new staff; revisits the success of the 2019 HSC; opens up opportunities for you and your family to connect with the College in positive ways.  We have also added a new feature this year which enables you to read The Way in your preferred language. You will find the drop-down bar under the date on the title page to choose an option. 

Please enjoy the 20th year celebrations.

Thank you again for your support of all we do at Thomas Hassall Anglican College.

‘to the praise of His glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One He loves (Jesus)’  Ephesians 1:6

Mr Ross Whelan
Principal
From the Deputy Principal
Sandy Wheeler

As I commence the year as the new Deputy Principal and Head of Junior School I take this opportunity to thank the College community for such a warm welcome as I return in this new role.

We wish to connect with all College families and partner with you throughout the year. Our ‘Meet the Teacher’ event on Tuesday 11th February was an excellent connection point for you to get to know your child’s teacher, the classroom routines and environment. Thanks to everyone who attended! 

New beginnings are an excellent opportunity to reflect on what you wish your child to achieve in the year 2020. The key is to set up routines that will set you up to succeed. You could try one of the following:

  • Positivity routine: On the travel home share 2 positive moments or stories from the day. You can model the way by sharing first.
  • Book worm routine: Ask your child to set a time they would like to read each day. Remind them, create a comfy environment and why not read a book too?!
  • Active routine: Create a new route home and stop off at a local park or place your child to enjoy the fresh air and nature while you relax, rejuvenate. With a coffee is even better!
  • Music routine: Ask your child if they would like to try a new instrument. The College have private tutoring available. I myself play 4 instruments. Come and ask me how it enriches my daily life.

We have had some staff changes to the Junior School Team this year and it is wonderful to welcome the following staff:

  • Lisa Hansford – Director of Teaching and Learning P-6
  • Sean Walker – Classroom Teacher
  • Layla Broadstock – Classroom Teacher
  • Melissa Knight – Classroom Teacher
  • Matthew Richards – Junior School Chaplain

My Junior Staff are excited to partner with you as your children blossom in learning, wisdom and service throughout 2020.

Mrs Sandy Wheeler
Deputy Principal & Head of Junior School
Term 1 Important Dates
Thursday 20 February 2020 20th Anniversary Thanksgiving Service 
Saturday 29 February 2020 2021 Scholarship Test
Wed - Fri  4 - 6 March 2020 Year 5 Camp 
Wed  4 March 2020 Years 7 & 12 PT Night
Friday 6 March 2020 College Open Day
Wed - Fri  11 - 13 March 2020 Year 6 Canberra Camp
Monday 23 March 2020 Senior School Cross Country Carnival
Thursday 26 March 2020 Years P-6 PT Night
Monday 30 March 2020 Years 9 & 11 PT Night
Tuesday 31 March 2020 Years P-6 PT Night
Friday  3 April 2020 P-6 Junior Disco
Monday  6 April 2020 Years 8 & 10 PT Night
Tuesday 7 April 2020 Junior School Easter Hat Parade
Thursday 9 April 2020 Last Day of Term 1 

 
Welcome to our New College School Staff for 2020!

 
High Achievers 2019 Assembly

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High Achieveres

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Daniella Saliba

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This was a very special time of presenting the 2019 Merit Award Winners (Band 6 students) to the student body. There were 24 former students in attendance and before these students embark on to the next chapter of their careers, they were able to share their collective wisdom with our current students.  A special congratulations to Daniella Saliba who was presented with the 2019 Dux Award with an ATAR of 99.4. Well done to all our graduates of 2019.  We wish them and the Class of 2019 all the best in their pursuits.
Engagement Announcement

Congratulations to Johanna Latty who became engaged to Barney.

We pray God's blessings to them as they prepare for their upcoming nuptials and for their future together.

 
​​​​​​​Information for Parents

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 recognise 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 recognise 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 to each student’s requirements.

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

Mrs Narelle Lawler (Junior School Learning Support) or Mrs Julie Smythe (Senior School Learning Support)

 
College Banking

Thomas Hassall Anglican College is excited to offer the Commonwealth Bank School Banking program to all students.

School Banking is a fun, interactive and engaging way for young Australians to learn about money and develop good savings habits.  Children who deposit money into their Youthsaver account through School Banking earn Dollarmites tokens, which they can save up and redeem for exciting rewards.

The rewards available during 2020 are:

  • Terry Denton’s Activity Book
  • Mini Soccer Ball (size 2)
  • Treetop Stationary Set
  • Treetop Handball
  • Tomato Seed Kit
  • Magic Mist Drink Bottle
  • Emoji Wallet
  • Snakes & Ladders Game


School Banking is also a great fundraiser for our school. Our school receives a Regular Savers Contribution of $5 for every 10 deposits processed per student as well as an Annual Contribution which is based on the number of students who made at least one School Banking deposit in the prior year.

School Banking day is Friday.

If you would like to know more about School Banking, please ask for a 2020 School Banking program information pack from the school office or visit www.commbank.com.au/schoolbanking
2020 Student Residential Address and Other Information

This notice is in relation to the Commonwealth’s next collection of student residential addresses – 2020 Student Residential Address Collection and Other Information Collection – which is taking place between Monday 17 February 2020 and Friday 13 March 2020.

The data collected in 2020 will be used in connection with the new the direct measure of income (DMI) – the proposed new methodology being based on the median income of parents or guardians of students at a non-government school, and is intended to replace the current socio-economic status (SES) scores.  Group Office will extract the address data from Edumate and upload that to the Commonwealth’s collection website.

Please click on the link for more detailed information.  

Mrs Rebecca Clarke
Business Manager 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Parent Prayer Meeting

A group meet together once a week in order to pray for our school community.

The prayer meeting will be held every Tuesday from 8.00 - 8.30am in Cafe MRK.

All parents and carers are welcome to attend! For further information please contact Matthew Richards: [email protected]

We look forward to seeing you there.

Mr Matthew Richards
Assistant Chaplain - Junior School

EventsBack to Top

20th Anniversary

A number of celebratory activities and events have been organised throughout the year which is open to past and present members of our community.

We invite you to join in our celebrations and make 2020 a memorable year. 

Thanksgiving Service
20 February 2020

20th Anniversary Gala Dinner
20 June 2020

To RSVP for these events, please visit out website
Open Day

This is a great opportunity for prospective families to see the College in action, on a normal day. 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 Day are online on our website.

If you are able to assist on the day, please email [email protected]

Thank you for your support.

Mrs Sarah Wickman
Marketing and Community Relations Assistant
Peter Pan

Our musicals are a great opportunity to showcase the talents of our students at the College and is a great evening out. There are several shows running in May that you can come along to.

Tickets for the sessions will be on sale soon. 
 

 

WellbeingBack to Top

School Transitions

However, transitioning is an ongoing process. It can continue long after students have entered their new environment and may encounter difficulties at a number of different stages. These stressors may appear as anxiety and frustration and result in negative or disruptive behaviours. Such behaviours can become problematic making the transitioning process even more difficult for children and parents.

In this edition of SchoolTV, parents will learn practical strategies to assist your child during the transition process and reduce stress and anxiety levels.

We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this edition of SchoolTV and we always welcome your feedback. If you have any concerns about your child, please contact the school counsellor for further information or seek medical or professional help.

Here is the link to the School Transitions edition of SchoolTV

https://thac.nsw.schooltv.me/newsletter/school-transitions

Mrs Jacoline Petersen
Director of Student Counselling 

Performing ArtsBack to Top

Instrument Tuition

If you are new to the College in 2020, or are interested in learning how to play an instrument, the College offers tutoring from professional musicians on various instruments such as Trumpet, Piano, Guitar, Drums, Saxophone, Violin and more. Please see Mrs Hobbins in the Creative Arts Faculty for an information note. We look forward to seeing you grow your musical journey at College.
Junior Assembly

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Gina played two short pieces on violin and is working towards an exam later in the year.  She currently has lessons at the College and is part of the Junior Strings Orchestra. Gina also plays Euphonium with the Junior Concert Band.

Congratulations to Gina on her performance and commitment to music.

Mr Byron Mark
Director of Ensembles

2020 Talented Athletes Programs and Development Programs

This year sees more programs added to our morning and afternoon Talented Athlete Program.

In addition to our afternoon Basketball Development programs, this week we commenced a new Years 6 – 12 Advanced Pathway Basketball program, targeting our Basketball representative players. If you are interested in joining the APP Basketball Program please complete the online registration form. We will have another enrollment session at the end of Term One.

In Dance we introduced 3 more Dance classes, including Classical Ballet for students in Kinder – Year 6.

Our Sport Speed program for Year 3 - 12 has expanded into Sport Conditioning, targeting fitness, conditioning, and strength training for our representative students.  Places are still available in this program.

The additional programs complement the existing Football (soccer), Basketball, Dance and Sport Speed programs which were popular last year.

The overall daily schedule is found on the book page.

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

How to book:
Enrolment applications must be completed online using the Thomas Hassall website.  The booking link is found on the Events booking page.
If you have any enquiries regarding the programs please email: [email protected]

Mrs S Evans
P-6 Sport Coordinator
Talented Athletes Program Coordinator
Junior School Sport - Term One - dates for your diary

Important Sport Dates for 2020 - Term One 

Week 3 -            Monday 10 February – APP Football, Football Development, Academy of Dance and Basketball Development Programs commence

Week 3 -            Wednesday 12 February – Year 3 – 6 Sport starts

Week 3 -            Thursday 13 February – COMBINED - Year 3 – 12 Swimming Carnival – Prairiewood Leisure Centre

Week 3 -            Thursday 13 February - Year 1 swimming program starts

Week 3 -            Friday 14 February - Year 2 swimming program starts

Week 4 -            Friday 21 February – CIS Primary Boys and Girls Basketball trials (selected from NASSA Gala Day)

Week 5 -            Monday 24 February – CIS Tennis Trials (Year 5 and 6 - players must be ranked to enter)

Week 6 -            Tuesday 25 February – NASSA Junior Swimming Carnival – Homebush – 4.00 – 7.00pm

Week 7 -            Monday 9 March - NASSA Junior Boys and Girls Soccer Gala Day (APP Football Senior Boys and Girls)

Week 8 -            Monday 16 March – CIS Primary Girls Football Trials (selected at NASSA Gala Day)

Week 9 -            Thursday 26 March – NSW CIS Primary Swimming Carnival - Homebush

Week 10 -          Thursday 2 April – Year 3 - 6 Cross Country

Week 11 -          Wednesday 8 April - CIS Primary BOYS Football Trials (selected at NASSA Gala Day)

 

Mrs Sharon Evans
P-6 Sports Coordinator 
Years 3 - 12 Swimming Carnival

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Swimming Carnival

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Swimming Carnival Junior 2019

All 50m competitors braved the forecast of more rain and traveled to Prairiewood Leisure Centre, to select the swimmers that will go on to represent the College at the NASSA carnival.

The highlight of the day was the combined House relay, with 2 Primary and 2 Secondary students representing each of their houses, to close the carnival.

Congratulations to all who attended and swum their best.  The results are still being finalised across Junior and Senior school and they will be included in the next edition of The Way.

Swimmers who will progress to the NASSA carnival will receive information about the carnival soon.  The NASSA Carnivals will be held at Homebush Pool on:

Tuesday 25 February - Junior School (Years 3 - 6) - afternoon carnival

Wednesday 26 February - Senior School (Years 7 - 12) - evening carnival

We wish them all the best as they represent the College.

Sharon Evans                                                                Michael Fox
P-6 Sports Coordinator                                               7-12 Sports Coordinator
Junior School Sport - Term One 2020

Term One IPSSO Draw

Term 1

Wk

IPSSO

Game Time

Depart

Girls Soccer

Cricket

Oz Tag & Teeball, Softball

Basketball

27-Feb

5

St Mary's

12.20 - 2.10

12.00

THAC

Powell Park

THAC

THAC

6-Mar

6

Training - Yr 5 camp

 

 

THAC

THAC

THAC

THAC

13-Mar

7

Training - Yr 6 camp

 

 

THAC

THAC

THAC

THAC

20-Mar

8

St Mark's

12.10 - 2.00

11.35

Hammondville Pk 

Hammondville Pk

Hammondville Pk

St Mark's School

27-Mar

9

William Carey

12.30 - 2.20

12.10

THAC

Powell Park

THAC

THAC

3-Apr

10

GRG

12.00 - 1.50

11.20

Gordon Parker Res

Marco Res

Marco Res

GRG school

10-Apr

11

ASG

11.55 - 1.45

11.00

THAC

Powell Park

THAC

THAC

Students who are not involved in 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 is covered by College fees.

GROUP SPORT GROUP SPORT
Year 3 Boys  Soccer Year 5 Boys Basketball
Year 3 Girls Swimming Year 5 Girls AFL
Year 4 Boys Dance Year 6 Boys Tennis
Year 4 Girls Cricket Year 6 Girls Joey League

Mrs Sharon Evans
P-6 Sports Coordinator

CommunityBack to Top

Before and After College care

OSHClub's compelling programs empower your child to explore, navigate, experiment and engage in a diverse range of experiences before school, after school and during the school holidays. They focus on building knowledge, skills and behaviours that help prepare your child for a world yet to be imagined…

You can be confident that your child is in safe hands with our experienced and passionate educators. Whether your child attends OSHClub daily or only occasionally, each visit is an exciting new adventure with fabulous food, awesome clubs, activities, mindfulness and so much more.

Find out more about OSHclub in their flyer or on our website
Parent Community Network

The Parent Community Network is supported by the Marketing & Community Relations staff. A termly meeting will be held at the College in order to get to know each other, discuss upcoming activities and plan ahead.

Parents, carers or grandparents of current students join our Parent Community Network with the key objective to work in teams to help foster friendships and support amongst our families. The Parent Community Network aim to: 

  • Welcome new parents to the College 
  • Encourage participation to parents of your Year Group 
  • Support the College with running events such as the Mother’s Day stall and Year 6 Dinner 
  • Give feedback and make suggestions on matters relating to the College 
  • Facilitate social gatherings

 If you are interested in joining the Parent Community Network, please visit our website to fill in an application form: www.thac.nsw.edu.au

 The safety of our students is a priority, so please note that it is a requirement that all volunteers complete the online Working with Children Check and submit their approval number to the College for verification.

Our Term One meeting will be held on Tuesday 17 March from 8.30-9.30am or 5-6pm in Cafe MRK. This will include an induction for the Parent Community Network. Please sign up for the event here.

We look forward to you joining us.

Mrs Sarah Wickman
Marketing and Community Relations Assistant