Term 1 | Friday 19 February 2021

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.

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.

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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
 

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

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.

This week in Prep Red we have been reading The Itsy Bitsy Spider.

We have enjoyed singing the song and we have been discussing what different spiders look like. We have been sorting animals and story stones into colours using tweezers to help develop the muscles in our hands.

We love to use playdough as a fine motor activity and have been using this to explore numbers. Scissors can be very tricky, so we have been learning how to hold and use these correctly to cut curved lines.

We have had a great start to the year and I cannot wait to see the progress that our Prep students will make throughout the rest of the year.

Mrs Erin Johnson
Early Stage 1 Assistant Coordinator - Prep Red

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. 

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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

Daniel B in Year 4 has been learning the cello with Mr Ibrahim for 4 years and is working towards taking his Grade 4 AMEB exam this year.

He is a part of the Junior Strings Orchestra along with his sister Elizabeth on violin and now younger brother Jonathan.  His regular practice routine and determination has seen Daniel improve very quickly and his cello playing is an asset to the String ensemble. Well done to Daniel and his siblings for their dedication to their music.

Mr Byron Mark
Director of Ensembles

It was great to see so many students participating in events at the Junior School Swimming Carnival held at Prairiewood Leisure Centre on Wednesday 10 February. 

All students had an opportunity to have a go, with children entering 50m, 25m or novelty events. 

The grandstand was alive with colour, with many students proudly wearing their College House shirt and cheering their house on in the competitve events.

The 25m races were very popular and students in the novelty events had lots of fun with Miss Hackfath and Miss Garard.

The relays were hotly contested, with many close races.

A big thank you to the Year 11 Fitness class, under the guidance of Mr Fox and Mr Weir, who eagerly assisted on the day.  They did an excellent job encouraging the Junior students and helping in the pool where needed. 

Congratulations to LEWIS house who won the overall House Point competition at the Carnival.

The results were;

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AGE Champions will be announced at an Assembly later in the year.

Names of students who will compete at the NASSA carnival are printed on the Sports noticeboard.  We wish them all the best as they represent the College on Tuesday 2 March.

Mrs Sharon Evans
P- 6 Sports Coordinator