Term 3: Thursday 24 August 2017

The Junior School held the first of their Creative Arts performances for the year on Monday as our Prep, Year 5 and 6 students brought to us the delightful production, Alice the Musical.  The students entertained and amused us with their wonderful performances.  On Thursday night we look forward to more laughs and entertainment from our Years 3 and 4 students as they perform Rockin’ Through the Ages and next Wednesday we look forward to the final performances from Kindergarten together with Years 1 and 2 students as they bring to us the show, Billabong Bill.  It is tremendous to see the showcase of talent that we have in our Junior School. The students have been spending many hours practising and their efforts have certainly culminated to give us some fantastic entertainment.  Well done to all the students and a big thank you to the staff for their hard work and of course our parents for your support and help with costumes, props and coming along to the shows.  I am very much looking forward to the rest of the performances. 

We have certainly seen the standards of productions, musical items and the confidence of the students improve over recent times in the Junior School and we do attribute this to the introduction of our Year 4 Compulsory Music Program.  This initiative launched in 2015 and it has been wonderful to see both students and parents embrace the program and be enriched by the experience in many ways. 

While literacy and numeracy are core competencies that all students should have, research does support that learning Music can help students’ self-discipline, team work and self-confidence.  When children learn Music it has also been proven to help students progress further in other key learning areas, such as Maths, Science and English.  Research has shown that countries that place a strong emphasis on musical education tend to perform better in these areas. 

Musical experiences enhance processing which impacts on the perception of language, which in turn affects a students’ ability in learning to read.  It has also been proven that students who engage in music programs have better attendance at school and can be particularly beneficial for students who may not be achieving as well academically in school.  It is important to provide a wide range of opportunities for children to explore and discover a passion and talents that they did not realise they had.

We thank you for your continued support of our music programs. We know that these experiences are memories that stay with our children for life. The joy and excitement they feel, the sense of accomplishment at the end of the day is priceless. Well done to everyone involved.

In case you’re wondering, that’s a quote from James 1:19 and it's really helpful when you're in a discussion with someone who disagrees with you. 

No matter where you stand on any issue, there’s a very good chance we are going to be in a discussion with someone who thinks the exact opposite to us. At some point, all of us are going to be tempted to say mean things to that person or about other people – whether they are from a different family, church, country of origin, or something else entirely. Social media is already full of people debating. All the people you interact with, and speak about, whether in broad generalisations or in very specific terms, are made in the image of God, they are loved by him, and Jesus died for them. Treat them for who they are. They are God’s and he will take your treatment of them personally.

What if our first response to someone who disagrees with us either online or in real life was “tell me more”, “I don’t know enough about this, help me understand”, or “Thank you, I hadn’t thought of things that way”.

Chances are whatever you want to say has already been said, so you probably don’t need to say it again, they’ve heard it before. But what if you were known as someone who listened, someone who was thoughtful, and someone who was not easily baited. That’s probably better than being known as someone who thinks they’re right, and tells everyone else why they’re right, and how everyone can be right like them.

Stuart Tye

During Code Camp at Thomas Hassall Anglican College your child can learn to code and build their very own iPhone or Android app.

Code Camp has taught more than 22,000 students in Australia and is a great way to spend time over the holidays with friends while learning important new skills like logic, creativity, problem solving, app development and game building in a fun and engaging way. Every child attending a holiday camp will build games on software platform Code Camp World and walk away with their very own app. They can take it home to share with family and friends.

Thomas Hassall Anglican College - Spring Code Camps
Camp Dates: Tuesday 3 October – Thursday 5 October

Spark (Years 2-6) - Beginners + Intermediate
Fun, engaging and challenging – Code Camp Spark is where every student in Years 2-6 should start their coding journey. Code Camp teachers will challenge them to develop their coding to reach more advanced levels.

Ignite (Years 2-6) - Intermediate + Advanced
Students build on their skills and create new apps with increasingly complex logic, more code, behaviours and problem solving. Start with 'Drag and Drop' and then move to Line Coding with JavaScript.

Enrol today and help your child become a coding superstar.

For more information, visit codecamp.com.au/thac or contact us at [email protected].

We have seen a large number of students coming down with a nasty bug. Here are some of the symptoms:

• Fever
• Headache
• Dizzyness
• Stomach ache and nausea
• Lethargy and body aches

May we suggest that if your child complains of any of these symptoms, please keep them home from College until they are completely well again.

The virus appears to be lasting approximately 7-10 days and some children appear to be getting better and then relapse.

As it is a virus it will not respond to antibiotics, the best advice is lots of rest.

Karen Tindall
College Nurse

If not, I encourage you to do so right now http://thac.nsw.schooltv.me/category-latest-newsletter

It contains useful information to support you in your parenting role. Comprehensive videos on many topics have been prepared for your convenience. Leading specialists in various areas have been consulted and they share information on the latest research to support you with safe parenting in this challenging digital age our children are growing up in. You can also find fact sheets, suggested books, websites and much more on the site.

For this week I thought I would encourage you to explore what they say about supporting a child who experiences anxiety.
http://thac.nsw.schooltv.me/newsletter/youth-anxiety-0

We would love to hear if you have any specific questions on this topic.

Jacoline Petersen
College Counsellor

Scratch is a web-based program that allows students to create animations, games and apps using a block coding system. The students are having a lot of fun discovering how to create scenes and manipulate them. They are able to share their projects with each other and explore their classmates' creations. 

The children have used code to make the letters of their name rotate and change colour, made characters fly and have added sounds and movement to their projects using the Scratch tutorials. Later in the term, they will have the chance to produce a creation of their choice, using the skills they have learnt over the last few weeks. Look out, mums and dads! The next Steve Jobs could be living in your house!

Check out some of the kids' projects by following these links:

Flying Cat - Adrian 3A Click the green flag to start. Use the arrow keys to move.

Running Race - Luka 3A Click the green flag to start. Hold down the G key to race. Click green flag ro reset.

Making Music - Toby 3M and Mrs Beatton Click the green flag to start. Use the V and B keys to rap.

"I like using Scratch because it's really creative and lets your imagination go wild!" - Melarose 3L

"I learnt how to animate names and how to use computer code to make things happen on the screen." - Luka 3L

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.

Days: Monday and Friday during the College term (except public holidays)
Time: 6am – 7.30am
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 6am 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.

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 or contact Mrs Evans, P-6 Sports Coordinator and TAP Coordinator - [email protected]

Year 7 - 9 Secondary Program         Tuesday 3 - 4pm - spaces available

K - 6 Girls Only Program                  Friday 3 - 4pm - spaces available

Kinder - Year 2 Program                  Monday and Wednesday 3 - 4pm - full

Year 2 - Year 6 Program                  Thursday 3 - 4pm - full

The Junior School has many students 'carving up the ice' in competitions locally and interstate.

Recently some travelled to Melbourne to compete in the Crystal Challenge. From all reports they made quite an impression and performed well in the Championships.

Congratulations to the following students who are training hard for the upcoming State Championships in October at Penrith:

Tomi Garard, Mia Kusilek, Angelina San Filippo, Pietro San Filippo, Valentino San Filippo, Faith Wu, Isabella Wu and Ava Zamprogno.

We wish them all the best and look forward to hearing of their results.

These will be held on:

Friday 15 September - Prep Red, Prep White and Kindergarten

Thursday 21 September - Prep Blue, Prep Purple, Years 1 and 2

A note with information regarding the day will be sent home at the end of Week 8.

Hi, my name is Christian Georgallis and I'm in Year 10 at Thomas Hassall Anglican College. I recently climbed Mt Kosciuszko to raise funds for the Cerebral Palsy Alliance. The funds I raised went to the Alliance's gym and recognition program. Now I'm onto a new mission and I need your help.

I'm participating in an event called Steptember. The challenge is to take 10,000 steps a day for 28 days. You join up in teams of four and ask your family and friends to sponsor you for your efforts. All money raised goes towards helping children and adults living with Cerebral Palsy - many of whom will never be able to take a single step without assistance.

Apparently, the average office worker only takes 3000 steps a day. It might sound a lot but it's way below the recommended 10,000 steps we all need to take in order to lead healthy lives. But getting more physical activity into your day doens't just help your health - it actually makes you feel better too.

So, if you're feeling sluggish and constantly battling 3.30-itis, Steptember is the perfect opportunity to get out from behind the desk and make the change your body is screaming out for. It will be a great way to get some more movement into your day along with the added benefit of helping a good cause.

And, since so many of us at Thomas Hassall Anglican College are going to be participating, you'll have lots of people to keep you accountable and motivated to take the most steps and raise the most money.

Participating in an event like this will make a big difference to people like me and I'm sure with your help, we will reach new heights and be making a big difference in the lives of those living with cerebral palsy. Plus, don't forget registrations close this Friday at midnight.

Thanks

Christian . . . I look forward to climbing this mountain with you.