Term 1 | Friday 19 February 2021

From the Principal
Principal Ross Whelan

The College start in 2021 has been significantly different to most other years given the concerns and limitations of COVID.

While we are successfully managing the introduction to the year, and especially thinking about new students, staff and families, and while the customary start up events such as camps, swimming carnivals and ‘meet the teacher night’ have been conducted successfully, we have missed the physical engagement of families into the College and of your joining into our programs including assemblies.  We look forward to your return, to your involvement and to your positive contribution to the life of the College when the NSW Government regulations allow parents back on site. Let’s trust that the strategies adopted by authorities and the introduction of vaccines continue to build protection and confidence.

Our 2021 Open Day event will therefore look different this year. We will instead be hosting an ‘Open Week’, where we will be hosting small group tours and virtual webinars for prospective families from the 15-20 March. Please tell your friends and neighbours that ‘Open Week’ is still on!

It was pleasing to be able to hold the annual High Achievers’ Assembly this week to recognise the outstanding HSC results of many students from the Year 12 Class of 2020.  Our new Director of Teaching & Learning for the Senior School Mr Broadbent has written an article regarding the event. 

Student attendances at both Junior and Senior Carnivals this year were the highest numbers on record, which speaks well of the interest and optimism of our young people.  Our Sports specialists Mr Fox and Mrs Evans, and their teams, have once again organised very fine carnivals.  We are keen to have a higher level of performance from swimmers and the Representative teams as they move to the next stage of competition. College swimmers represent at the NASSA carnival, then the very best proceed to CIS and PSSA.  While competition swimming is a demanding sport, its benefits for young people in terms of resilience and self-confidence are significant. Congratulations to our team representatives.

If you are a new family to the College, let me again encourage you to speak to our staff and teachers regarding any new start-up issues.  We welcome your enquiry.

Thanks again to all families for your continued support of the College and our community.….

'I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.' Ephesians 1:17

Mr Ross Whelan
Principal
From the Deputy Principal - Senior School Student Development
Roger Young

Recently I was reviewing an Academic Report with a Senior Student who was feeling disappointed with his result.

As we were looking at one of the subjects being reported; I asked him what he thought was the most important component of the Report. Without pausing he pointed to the final grade. Of course, despite the importance of the grade, this was not the most important element. He then pointed to the assessment marks for each of the tasks. Again, not the most important part of the report. He was non-plussed at this because when people receive their report these are typically the first elements that everyone goes to. However, as I pointed out to the confused student, the most important component was the section reporting on the ‘attitude and effort’. We call these Learning Behaviours.

These behaviours use the language of our Positive Learning Classroom and include the terms like: Persevering through the Challenges, Respect and Responds to the Teacher, Manage their Distractions, Collaborates Effectively with Others, Engages in their Learning. These behaviours can be given a numerical value and clearly shows how much effort students have employed over the Semester. The really amazing thing was that this student immediately saw where he could improve. He wasn’t being judged by the Grade Score or his Assessment Results, but by his application. What he needs to improve from here is work on his application in the classroom. He felt that he could do this and when I followed up with him he felt that he was making positive progress.

We have really focussed on the Positive Learning Classroom with teachers and have tried to incorporate this into the way we report and encourage students right across the College.

The best students are not those who score the highest test grade or are the most talented in a particular skill area; the best student must be those who excel in growing in their learning, wisdom and service. This in turn is reflected in their Learning Behaviours.

Please take time to have a look at the current reports when they arrive. Ensure you familiarise yourself with the Learning Behaviours and be encouraged to have a conversation with your child around their application to learning.

Let’s have a great year together as we grow in Learning, Wisdom and Service.

Mr Roger Young
Deputy Principal - Senior School Student Development
From the Assistant Chaplain
bible

At Thomas Hassall, the students have an excellent opportunity to investigate the claims of the Bible in a number of ways.

There are timetabled opportunities, like Christian Studies and Chapel, but there are also volunteer opportunities such as our lunchtime Christian groups. These groups aim to provide students with the opportunity to explore the truths of the Bible in more depth. They are run by Christian Teachers who choose to give up their lunchtime to teach the students more about Jesus.

We run 3 Christian lunchtime groups which all run on a Friday. These are Junior JAM (for Years 3-4 students), JAM (for Years 5-6 students) and Abide (for all of Senior School). They aim to be fun and engaging, where all students feel safe and welcome to join.

This Term for JAM in the Junior School, the students will be looking at the book of Luke. They will be exploring what it looks like to be a follower of Jesus.

Lunchtime Christian groups are one of many ways that allow students to ask key questions about Jesus and to examine what that means for themselves.

If you have any questions regarding the Christian Groups that run in the College, please contact Rev Oliver or myself.  

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
2 Timothy 3:16-17

God Bless
 

 

Mr Matthew Richards
Assistant Chaplain
Term 1 Important Dates
Tuesday2 MarchJS NASSA Swimming Carnival
Wed3 MarchSS NASSA Swimming Carnival
Thursday11 March Year 7 Meet the Teacher and Year 12 PT Night
Mon - Sat15 - 20 MarchOpen Week at the College 
Thursday25 MarchYears P-6 PT Night
Friday 26 March Junior School Cross Country Carnival
Tuesday30 March Easter Hat Parade
Thursday1 April Last Day of Term 1 

 
Class of 2020 I High Achievers' Event

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High Achievers

On Monday, it was a delight to welcome the High Achievers of 2020 back to College to recognize their achievements.

As we consider the concept of excellence, it is important to explore two questions- what does it mean to think about excellence and what is the purpose of excellence?

In considering what it means to think about excellence, Philippians 4:8 is instructive. The start of the verse expands the idea of excellence to include things that are true, noble, pure, lovely, and admirable. The point that Paul appears to be making is that the category of excellent things is broad. It is certainly great to focus on classically religious things like prayer but you can also see excellence in science labs, on the sporting field and in our places of employment.

Some excellence is easy to observe. It’s not hard to watch excellence in sport or the performing arts. At other times, it is not so easy to see things that are lovely and admirable. This is one of the reasons why it is so important to have occasions to celebrate academic achievement. We may not be able to read the exams written by the Year 12 students but we can acknowledge that excellence has been achieved in the HSC.

It is probably even harder to see those examples of excellence that occur in the homes of our students. We don’t see the excellent ways that older brothers and sisters care for their siblings or the excellent way that a child works hard to include a disabled family member.

So as we seek to follow Paul’s command to think about excellence, it is important to remember that not all excellence is easy to see or measure.

This brings us to the second point about excellence, what is the purpose of excellence? On our College crest you see the phrase ‘a more excellent way’. The College’s motto is drawn from 1 Cor 12:31. Paul's text to the people of Corinth reminds us that excellence has a purpose. It is to love. Our world is facing a number of challenges. The planet is under great stress and we are entering a time of political and economic change that is unprecedented. The world is going to need some outstanding people to help find the solutions we need.  At the High Achievers assembly, we celebrated a group of students who have been able to develop their capacity to make a difference. They can think. They can communicate. They can create. They can be excellent.

The challenge for these students, and for us, is to use the gifts we have been given here to live the excellent way- the loving way of service for God and His creation.

Mr Douglas Broadbent
Director of Senior School Teaching & Learning
Engagement Announcement

We rejoice with the happy couple.

Congratulations to Cherie Luckman (Junior School Teacher) who became engaged to Brock.

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

 
Wedding Bells

New lives together!

Congratulations to Lelah Broadstock (Junior School Teacher) who was married in the holidays to Andrew Bye (Maintenance Assistant)

We wish them well as they begin their lives together and pray that God will richly bless them for many years to come.
NCCD Data Collection

Information for Parents 

The College will participate in the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data (NCC) this year.

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 special 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 Skene (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 the information and assure you that it will be shared discreetly 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) and Mrs Elizabeth Skene (Senior School Learning Support)

WellbeingBack to Top

Starting Year 7

Starting Year 7 poses many new challenges, but also offers exciting opportunities.

It comes with a number of mixed feelings. Unfortunately for many Grade 6 students, 2020 was marred with school closures and remote learning due to the pandemic and the overall impact of this is still unknown.

For many students regular orientation activities at the end of 2020 were less than ideal. Therefore, many students may be feeling a little bit more anxious than usual about their expectations of starting Year 7. Grasping new skills and establishing new study practices can quickly become daunting and overwhelming.

During this time of transition, parents and carers need to be supportive, but also realistic in their expectations. This is an important milestone in your child’s life. There will be feelings of exhilaration, but also the fear of the unknown. Therefore it will be important for parents and carers to be vigilant in monitoring their child’s mood and mental health during this time. They could easily become overly anxious or even depressed.

In this Special Report, there are a number of strategies offered that can make this transition period smoother and start things off on the right foot! We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this Special Report, and as always, we welcome your feedback.

If you do have any concerns about the wellbeing of your child, please contact the school for further information or seek medical or professional help.

Here is the link to your special report https://thac.nsw.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/special-report-starting-year-7

Mrs Jacoline Petersen
Director of Student Counselling

Source: SchoolTV

LearningBack to Top

Senior Library Book Snap

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Read through all time and space with the Doctor!

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Read through all of time and space with the Doctor!

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Read through all of time and space with the Doctor!

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Are you brave enough to read one of the scariest Dr Who stories?

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Anime movies in the Library every Tuesday! Now Showing: Spirited Away

Library opening hours and borrowing guidelines
The Senior IRC is open from 7:15am to 3:00pm Monday to Friday.
The IRC is open at lunchtime and recess every day.
Students in Years 7 to 11 can borrow up to two fiction and two non-fiction resources at one time. Each resource has a loan time limit of two weeks.
Students can renew loans after these two weeks if required. Resources can also be reserved. 
Students who don’t return their loans with the time period will receive an overdue notice. 

Chaos in the Library’s space time continuum! – Term 1 Competition
Something terrible has happened! The Senior Library’s omega energy source has been split into five separate segments. These segments have hidden themselves inside five different books in the Library. Not sure what to do, the Librarians called on the only being in the universe able to help…a 900-year-old Time Lord! 
The Doctor has come up with a solution but she needs help from the students of Thomas Hassall. Only by borrowing one of these five unknown books will the segments of omega energy be released. However, time is not on the side of the Senior Library. If any of the segments haven’t been released by the end of Term 1, the Senior Library will transform back into its original particle state and vanish forever!
Help the Doctor! Help save the Senior Library! Mrs Comiskey and Mr Smith are relying on you!
Great prizes to be won for each student won borrows one of the five hidden books. For more information please speak to Mr Smith.

Library loans of 2020
Students in Years 8 to 11 who still have library books from 2020 need to return them to the IRC as soon as possible. Students who do not return their books will receive an invoice for a replacement copy. Please speak to Mrs Comiskey or Mr Smith if you require a printed list of your loans.

Anime in the IRC
Anime has arrived in the IRC! The IRC will be showing Japanese anime movies up on the big screen during lunchtime on Tuesdays. The first movie being shown is ‘Spirited Away’ directed by Hayao Miyazaki. The movie will be shown over consequent Tuesdays till finished.  Many more great anime movies are planned for 2021. Please speak to Mrs Comiskey for more information.

IRC on Canvas
The Senior IRC’s canvas page is the place to be for all Library information. As well as providing information on the latest Library news and competitions, students will also have access to HSC and career resources, Year 11 and 12 subject guides, recommended reading pages, a library catalogue guide as well as help with the Dewey Decimal System. Research hints and tips, footnoting and bibliography help guides are also available. Lots of great resources are to be found on the IRC Canvas page!
For more information please speak to Mr Smith.

What’s new on the shelf?
‘Are you brave enough to read one of the scariest Dr Who stories ever written?’
Fear of the Dark – Trevor Baxendale
“In the year 2382 archaeologists land on Akoshemon's only moon, searching for evidence of the planet's infamous past. But when the Doctor, Tegan and Nyssa are drawn into the lunar caverns they find more than a team of academics -- and help uncover much more than ancient history. Something is lying in wait, deep inside the labyrinth of caves: something that remembers the spiral of war, pestilence and deprivation that ruined Akoshemon. Something that rejoiced in every kind of horror and destruction. An age-old terror is about to be reborn. But what is the hideous secret of the Bloodhunter? And why does Nyssa feel that her thoughts are no longer her own? Forced to confront his own worst fears, even the Doctor will be pushed to breaking point -- and beyond.”
‘Fear of the Dark’ written by Trevor Baxendale is a wonderfully written claustrophobic and atmospheric SCI-FI/Horror story that will have readers hooked. Featuring the Fifth Doctor (Peter Davison) and his companions, the author has done a terrific job bringing these television characters to life on the page, each sounding and acting like they would have if this had been a television episode. Dark, spooky and thrilling, this novel features a couple of terrifying monsters that are both unique and terrifying in equal measure. Readers who enjoy darker more intense stories are bound to love this book, the story’s high quality and faithfulness to the source material will also definitely please Doctor Who fans. This novel would be most suitable for students in Year 8 and above. 
Librarians final health warning: Make sure you don’t read this in the dark!

Mrs Annette Comiskey & Mr Michael Smith
Senior IRC Library Team
Year 7 Meet The Teacher

Last night we hosted a virtual Meet The Teacher event for our Year 7 families.

Due to ongoing COVID restrictions, we had to host the event in an online forum.

This was a great opportunity for families to meet the Year advisors, pastoral care teachers and various subject teachers through a series of short videos. The faculties also shared what students would be learning throughout the year, the assessments and homework that they could expect to receive.

The site will be available until next Thursday 25 February for those Year 7 Families who weren't able to log in last night. 
Senior Assembly

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Our Senior School College assemblies feature a wide selection of performances from our talented musicians.

Last week, we had a very special presentation from 40 Year 7 students, playing a drumming piece called ‘MORIBAYASSA’. Year 7 have been studying African music and culture, and Moribayassa was their focus piece for assessment, which features multiple rhythms on various African percussion and a fun chant too. The piece is a traditional song and dance performed in North-west Africa when a woman has overcome an illness or her problems have been solved, which also tied in nicely with celebrations of International Women’s Day.

The other performance featured Evelyn Kilic from Year 12, singing ‘Part of Your World’ from the Little Mermaid. This is also one of her HSC assessment pieces, and she was accompanied by Mrs Hobbins on piano.

It has also been exciting for our assemblies to have a small live audience now, whilst still being streamed to other students around the College. Thanks to all those performers and the tech crew for making these opportunities possible for our students.

Mr Byron Mark
Director of Ensembles

Performing ArtsBack to Top

Senior School Connect Clubs 2021

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Finding a sense of connection and belonging at school is hallmark of student success, joy and identity.

We know from research that students who are able to participate in and contribute to various endeavours during their time at school act as safeguards, places of acceptance giving a meaningful connection. On Wednesday of this past week all students in Years 7-10 experienced our ‘Connect Clubs 2021’ sign up day.

Students were able to walk through an expo-style exhibition of over 20 different clubs and activities and put their name down to be part of the adventure. Hundreds of names were registered for the array of different options available from coding, chess, creative writing, gardening, leather works and many, many more.

We are optimistic about the opportunities that this provides both students and staff across the journey of 2021. More so than ever, students need to connect with their peers, from different year groups and grow a sense of collaborative engagement with their day to day life at College. I would like to thank all staff who have volunteered their time to run these clubs and activities.

If your child is not sure about what club to join, or they missed out on Wednesday – there is still time! Please reach out and chat with me about how to sign up and get involved in this endeavour. More details will come in the coming days about when these clubs and activities will run and the range of experiences that will happen – let’s Connect in 2021!


All the best,
Mr Stuart McCormack
Director of Student Wellbeing (Senior School)
Assemblies Online

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We are excited to be able to offer our students performance opportunities whilst we continue to host our assemblies online.

To kick off our performances for 2021, some of Year 12 students collaborated to perform one of Stevie Wonder’s classics ‘Isn’t She Lovely’. Featuring Nashita H. on lead vocals, Olivia W. and Sacha G. on backing vocals, Eric Long on cajon, Mr Robinson on acoustic guitar and Mr Mark on piano.

It is great to see students enjoying these classic hits, and sharing them with our student community. Thanks to all those students involved.   

Mr Byron Mark
Director of Ensembles
Senior Assembly Item

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The Year 10 Elective music class is a very talented group of musicians with a wide array of talents.

During our Week 2 assembly, three students from this class collaborated to perform ‘My Everything’ by Ariana Grande; Keona H. on lead  vocals, Tahlia K. on piano, and Josh Cook on acoustic guitar.

Well done to these students for arranging the piece on their own and entertaining our online audience so professionally.

Mr Byron Mark
Director of Ensembles

2021 Talented Athletes Programs and Development Programs

There was much excitement as our Talented Athlete Programs commenced last week.

The afternoon Development programs in Football (soccer), Basketball, Dance and Classical Ballet were well attended and we still have a few vacancies in some of our afternoon programs.

The Advanced Pathway Programs in Basketball and Football have selected their squads and training has commenced. These programs are designed for representative players.  If you missed the trials for our Secondary Basketball and Football programs and are keen to apply, please complete the enrolment form and we can arrange an additional trial.

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

The overall daily schedule is found on the book page.

How to book:
Enrolment applications must be completed online using the Thomas Hassall website.  The booking link is found on the Events booking page. 

Places in TAP programs are limited, so please ensure you enrol online to secure a place in the program.

Mrs Sharon Evans
P-6 Sport Coordinator
Talented Athletes Program Coordinator

CommunityBack to Top

Sibling Applications

Enrolments are currently working towards our 2022 positions and are now taking sibling applications

Interviews will take place in Term 1, so please submit your applications as soon as possible.

Please note, all sibling applications must be received at least 2 years in advance to qualify for sibling priority. 

Please complete the following Application Form below if you wish to apply:

https://www.thac.nsw.edu.au/content/applying-now
Uniform Update

Our College Uniform Shop has received new stock of the Senior Boys hats and Junior School jumpers.

Please note that appointments are still necessary to visit our uniform shop.
Make an appointment online to visit the store onsite or make a purchase online.

Tel: 02 8776 1193 

Email: [email protected]