Term 2 I The Way Newsletter I Friday 24 June 2022

It’s been a great joy to see so many families attending a range of events at the College this term.

These events have been uplifting times when we’ve needed that extra boost- to have fun or celebrate a special occasion. We want a brighter future for our students and on that journey we do well to gather together, enjoying life at the College on our beautiful campus. We also encourage you to connect with other families too.

Today our Parent Community Network invited Kindergarten parents to attend Café MRK to get to know one another. This was an opportunity to informally meet others over a cup of coffee on campus. Thank you to everyone who attended and to the committee for initiating the gathering. We look forward to hosting more in Term 3.

Last night our Junior School students met together in cohorts to have fun together at our disco! It was such a joy to see students celebrating and dancing with their peers.

This week our Year 5 students showcased their findings on a science project with parents. Students were given an independent research task to write an inquiry question about space. They were able to present their findings in a creative way of their choosing. There were so many great submissions including dioramas, videos, power point presentations and posters. You can see some of these later in this Edition. Well done Year 5.

Our Junior School Assemblies have been taking place on Fridays. This has been a chance to recognise student achievement and also for classes to share their learning with our parents. We hope you have enjoyed coming along to these. They will continue in Term 3.

Term 2 has focused on celebrating family, student learning and building community with our Mothers’ Day breakfast, Musical, Grandparents Day and Movie Night. We will be continuing to bring the community together in Term 3 with events such as Fathers’ Day.  

Thank you for your commitment and involvement in your childs journey this Term.

Have a safe and enjoyable holiday break.

Last Wednesday, Brielle and I were privileged enough to be invited by our local member, Tanya Davies, to the annual ‘Mulgoa Senior School Captains Leadership Forum’ which was held at the NSW Parliament House.

After arriving there, accompanied by Mrs van der Schyff and Mr Schrack, we were asked for our school name in order to sign in. When we replied with Thomas Hassall, they couldn’t find our names on the list, so they just decided to add us in and let us through. A little odd, but not completely unbelievable.

We then got to meet and question various local members of different areas on what they do and how they do it. Funnily enough, throughout all of this, the College was calling us saying we were apparently not at the event, but a quick picture of Dominic Perrottet who made a surprise visit seemed to resolve the issue.

At the end of the questioning, there was a small moment where the various schools could take a picture with their respective local members. Once an announcement was made for the schools under Tania, we made our way outside for the photo. When we greeted her, she was utterly convinced we did not belong in the picture as she exclaimed to “know her schools”, and shooed us away. After researching, it turns out she was actually Tania Muhailuk, the representative of Bankstown, but hey a quick explanation by her would have sufficed.

An odd moment once again, but being surrounded by captains of various schools, it was obvious we were at the right place, right? Afterwards, we enjoyed a quick lunch which then led straight to the Governor’s house. This is where we met the Lieutenant-Governor, Tom Bathurst, and got to talk to him about his current role as well as his previous role as the Chief Justice of NSW.

Seemingly, this was the end of the day. However, knowing normally there is some kind of certificate or gift we were supposed to receive, we made our way back to the Parliament to try and find it. Upon our arrival, just before the stairs on the right of it, we saw a sign that was way too small for its purpose that said ‘Mulgoa Senior School Captains Leadership Forum’.

In hindsight, maybe it was obvious, but it was still a hilarious moment when we realised that we were at the wrong place the whole day. Thankfully, after explaining what happened to the lovely assistants of Tanya Davies, we actually received a private tour of parliament house, a photo with Tanya Davies herself, and a small but memorable moment on TV.

Overall, it was a day full of laughter and miscommunication, but it was also quite a serious and impactful experience as we got to meet and question various leaders who are experts in their own respective fields. Just from sitting back and listening, we personally witnessed what kind of changes they can and do make which impact the lives of thousands of people. However, that was not what stuck out the most for me. While such decisions can be grand and there is an obvious prestige that comes with being a leader, it was not something they flaunted (except for maybe Tania from Bankstown). Instead, they continued to stress the importance of serving the community, which I found to often come at the price of a sacrifice. To me, this ability to sacrifice and serve is a great quality that I personally hope to improve on, and a lesson to be learned for any aspiring leader.

 Written by Tom N 

What is it? A writing competition open to ALL students, Prep to 6. Students enter under their name, grade and HOUSE.

Points will be awarded to the students’ houses for every person who enters.

When is it? The writing competition will open from Monday the 20th of June and close on Friday the 29th of July.

Students will be given one or two lessons to work on their entry in class time, but any final editing or corrections will need to be done at home.

Theme: Belonging. Please include the idea of belonging or wanting to belong somewhere in the story. Prep, Kinder and Year 1 will be provided with images to give them prompts if they wish to use them.

Submissions: Students may submit a creative writing piece (narrative or poem). It needs to be submitted on A4 paper.

Entries must be labelled with the student’s first and last names, class and HOUSE. The entry must be legible (at an age-appropriate level). Students must submit their own work. It must be original, and not previously awarded any prizes in other writing competitions. Parents and teachers may help with basic editing before the story is submitted, but not write the text for the student.

Entries will be chosen from every grade to be published in a Thomas Hassall Magazine! A winning entry from each grade will also receive a mystery (book-related) prize!

Questions to [email protected]

Alex Saville
Gifted and Talented Liaison for the Junior School

This term 6M have been learning about poetic devices in poems written by famous poets, including Australian and Indigenous poets.

One technique we explored are extended metaphors. Extended metaphors are metaphors that unfold over multiple lines to create meaning, imagery and mood.

After interpreting a poem from Emily Dickinson called “Hope” is the thing with feathers, students were asked to create their own extended metaphor poems. Here are some of their poems.

He is a bright star-
He shines with glory
With a contagious smile
That is tossed - in the waves

Turning into a dull star
That is lost - in space-
Confidence washed away
Glowing brightness - drowned out
But a window of light-
Clearing his vision-
He is a bright star-
He shines with glory.

Written by Nadine W and Merona A

My room is a dreamland-
with a soft fluffy throne-
with stories on every wall- and
a magical sky painted above-
and it’s all mine

Written by Xander G

Life is like a maze-
endless twists and turns-
that all lead to a different outcome-
there are so many options that can change your life-
forever-

Written by Alex A

Life is like a box of chocolates
You never know which flavour you'll get
You can get lucky or unlucky
You'll never know until you try

Written by Chloe L and Alana M

I thought that the SCIL presentations were a fun way to show what we have learned about space. As we got to present it to others in a gallery walk, it helped us to practise presenting in front of others. I made a video with voice overs and transitions. Overall, it was a fun experience compared to other assessments on SCIL. Krishna R (5W)

I liked the freedom and creativity of this activity to answer the inquiry question, ‘Why are there so many dwarf planets and what is their purpose?’ I made a movie which took a lot of time and effort and help, but it was worth it in the end because I got the presentation award for my class. I liked seeing other people’s creativity and way of thinking and I would like to do it again. Christian C (5W)

I really enjoyed having our presentations. We got to showcase the hard work we’ve accomplished to our parents and our teachers. I personally loved learning about space. Showing everybody what we’ve done has really helped me grow confidence in myself, but not just in myself. I saw my friends and others also enjoying what they’ve done. I would definitely want to do something like this again in the future. Leah T (5B)

I grew confidence in myself by doing the project. When I first started researching my big question about space and astronauts, I didn’t know that much. After all my researching, I’ve learned such a lot. Alandra A (5B)

I loved coming up with my own inquiry question, then researching independently to answer it. I’ve always wondered so much about space and this topic helped me answer all my questions. It also helped me with my research skills. I learned so much about planets and what their environments are like. Isabella T (5K)

During this project, I really enjoyed coming up with my inquiry question. I loved working all about how astronauts survive in space. It also improved my research and information skills. I hope we do something like this again. Lilianna T (5K)

Year 8 went on a Science excursion to the Science Space at the University of Wollongong on Monday.

The students have been learning about different types of energy in class this term and the excursion enabled the students to see some real life examples of energy. The students enjoyed a planetarium show, where they explored some of the planets of the Solar System. The students competed against each other to build a bridge that could withstand a number of masses being placed on it. Some bridges passed the test and unfortunately, some of them collapsed under the weight. The students explored the hands on exhibits that covered many aspects of Science. The students also took part in a show about some of the different types of energy.

Mr James Wright
Assistant Coordinator - Science

The Year 1 & 2 String Program has been running at the College led by Mr Ehab Ibrahim for approximately 7 years.  We have a large group of 32 students participating in the program this year who had their first opportunity to perform for parents, peers and Mr Whelan.  The students were very excited to present three pieces in each group and display their progress so far.  The students also had a special performance from Mr Ibrahim to show what they can aim for if they keep up their regular practice and lessons together.

Congratulations to all the students involved and we look forward to hearing more of their efforts and skill on their instruments later in the year.

Mr Byron Mark
Director of Ensembles

On a sunny June day, the Years 7-9 Frisbee team battled Macarthur Anglican School in the Grand Final. 

We started strong, creating many opportunities, and converting twice leading 4-2 at half time. In the second half, we took the lead to 8-2. 

The team held on tightly (to the frisbee, that is) winning the championship trophy (8-4). Special mention to crowd favorite Joel. He defensively slapped frisbees out of the air, like squatting flies. Thanks to Matias who helped coach the team and to Alex and Mitch who helped greatly with logistics. 

Well done to all team members. You played with such enthusiasm and determination. I am proud of you all: Tiana, Mia, Andrea, Christina, Georgia, Chavas, Billie, Amelia. Dominic, Matias, Alex, Joel, Angelo, Mitch, Elias. 

Mr Bradley Warton 
Senior School Teacher - Mathematics