The Way Newsletter I Friday 19 November 2021

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From the Principal
Principal Ross Whelan

We are feeling more settled at College each day, as we approach the end of the year.   

We have a few weeks to go and can see the end of year in close reach. All families will be looking forward to taking a break and spending quality time with loved ones over the Christmas Season.

We continue to monitor the COVID situation and note that statewide numbers fluctuate slightly each day at manageable levels. Local case numbers are at a minimum, yet we need to remain diligent in our safety measures at the College with procedures in line with recommended guidelines. 

The HSC Examinations are progressing well and students are feeling confident and relatively pleased with the exams. The Hoxton Park Anglican Church venue has been a great asset to the students in various ways including ease of parking and remaining separate from the rest of the College. This is certainly providing students an extra measure of calmness and assurance. 

Planning for end of year events is in full swing and we will host a number of significant occasions including the Year 10 Formal which will be now be held onsite to enable all students to attend; the Year 6 Dinner onsite, and the Year 12 Formal in the city on December 15. Celebration events including the presentation of Awards will be our livestream events, to be broadcast on THACTV.

The final event to be held onsite will be the Class of 2021 Graduation event which will be a memorable and significant occasion as we congratulate and send these young adults onto the next chapter of their lives. 

Orientation events are being planned to be held next week in the Junior School and Year 7. It will be lovely to welcome students onsite for these events. Academic Reports are nearing completion and will be ready for issue in the coming weeks. 

Take care at this time. Thanks again for your continued support of the College.

May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word. 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

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

As we come to the last few weeks of Term 4 we are busily planning for 2022.

There is a sense that 2022 will afford us a fresh start in terms of a whole group of activities.

These include:

⇒ Our biannual musical. Planning and rehearsals for Shrek the Musical are well underway. Whilst the main parts have been cast there is plenty of opportunities for students to get involved in areas of dance, chorus or general production.

⇒ A revamped Sport Plan which includes: MISA, NASSA and CIS representative opportunities across a wide range of sports.

⇒ Establishment of the Athletics Precinct which will allow us to focus on developing skills and training in specialist areas such as high jump/long jump, sprinting and general middle and long distance running.

⇒ Targeting additional areas of Sporting Excellence: e.g. Athletics, Tennis and review of the former Swimming Program

⇒ A relaunch of the Duke of Edinburgh Leadership Scheme.

⇒ A revamped Ensemble and Band program/ Camp/ Performance Events

⇒ Planning for overseas trips in 2023-25: Japan, Europe and Kokoda

⇒ Establishing the Student Representative Council giving greater voice to students

⇒ A relaunch of the College Club Program that included anything from craft, chess and robotics to calligraphy, and gardening.

There is a sense that the year to come will be no less challenging as ‘living with COVID-19' is still a work in progress, but there is the promise of new opportunities and a sense of adventure as we head into a new year.

I thank God for our College community and look forward to the celebrations of Christmas and meeting together with family.

Mr Roger Young
Deputy Principal - Senior School Student Development
From the Chaplain
Denis Oliver

This weekend I went scuba diving at La Perouse and saw not one but two pot belly seahorses! Below is a photo I took.

Seahorse

I felt so privileged to be allowed to see such beautiful animals that I rang my wife when I got to the car and told her about how God blessed me that day.  As I drove home I had to verbally thank God to release the pressure in my heart.

As a Christian I do not believe in coincidences, but rather that all of life is orchestrated by God. Sometimes God is so generous that we develop an entitled attitude – you know what I mean if you have teenage children!!

'For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.' Romans 1:21

Like teenagers, we too forget to say thank you. Losing the habit of saying ‘thank you’ we effect our hearts and minds in very bad ways – we dehumanise ourselves.

As we pull out of lockdown and head to a new year, can I encourage everyone to start new habits of being thankful.

Start saying ‘thank you’ to people who give you good things. May the Lord give you eyes to see good, the lips to declare good, and the hands to do good things. In Jesus name.

Thanks for your time.

Reverend Denis Oliver
College Chaplain
Upcoming Important Dates

Here are some important dates to mark in your diaries

 

Term Dates
Scholarships 2023

Thomas Hassall Anglican College is pleased to offer a limited number of Academic Scholarships for students entering Year 7 and Year 11 in 2023.

Register online to sit the ACER Scholarship examination. The cost is $100 (inc GST). Registration is now open and closes at midnight AEDST Monday 7 February 2022. This registration fee is not refundable should you cancel.

The ACER Scholarship Examination will be held at Thomas Hassall Anglican College on Saturday 26 February 2022. An invitation to sit the examination will be sent prior to the examination date, including location at the College and requirements for the exam.  In the meantime, please advise the College if there are any changes to your contact details.

All applicants will be notified of the outcome of their scholarship applications in early April 2022.

If you have any questions regarding the scholarship program please do not hesitate to speak  to our Enrolments team
Uniform Shop

From next week the Uniform Shop will be open for their regular trading hours

Monday 7.30am – 3.30pm
Wednesday 12.00pm – 6.00pm
Friday 7.30am – 3.30pm

Senior school students will be able to go to the shop before and after school and during lunch and recess to make purchases.

Any parent visiting the store will need to make an appointment, bookings are online. Customers will need to wear a mask and show proof of vaccination before entering the store.

The shop will also be open for extended trading hours during the school holidays.

Holiday Trading hours:

Thursday 9 December – Friday 17 December:
Thursday 9 9.00am – 2.00pm
Friday 10 9.00am – 2.00pm
Saturday 11 9.00am – 2.00pm
Monday 13 9.00am – 2.00pm
Tuesday 14 12.00pm – 5.00pm
Wednesday 15  9.00am – 2.00pm
Thursday 16 12.00pm – 5.00pm

Monday 10 January – Saturday 29 January:
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday: 9.00am – 3.30pm
Thursday: 9.00am – 5.00pm
Saturday: 9.00am – 2.00pm
(Closed for Australia day 26th January)

Appointment bookings are available on the College website.
Remembrance Day

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Remembrance Day

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Remembrance day

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Remembrance Day

On the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month, we remembered and honoured the service men and women who have served our nation.

Our students all had a time of reflection and did various activities to learn about Remembrance Day.

5G spoke about what the Poppy represents. The artwork we completed incorporated the Poppy and the Ode. It was a time of thoughtful discussions questions.

Remembrance Day

We will remember them.
Junior Choir Virtual Choir

Virtual Choir Sing Along

The Junior Choir has been working hard on Zoom each week continuing to improve their singing and ensemble skills.  They were set the task to record themselves following a track so that we could create our first Virtual Choir project. 

The students rose to the challenge and worked hard on learning their parts and then recording their parts.  A snippet of the finished song is included below and I congratulate the students on their continued efforts.

Miss Simone Rapisarda
Secondary Teacher - Creative Arts

 

 
Class of 2022 Dedication & Commissioning Service

On Monday 8 November we had the privilege of commissioning our Year 12 Class of 2022 students and our College Leadership Team.

It was a great opportunity to encourage the cohort, welcome in the leaders, and pray for them all.

If you would like to watch the assembly online, visit http://www.tv.thac.online using the password 'hassalltv'.

Congratulations to the Student Leadership team for 2021/2022 

Prefects
Year 7 Visual Arts

Year 7 Visual Arts students have been given the chance to create their own portrait for the inaugural “THAC Young Archies Competition Entry".

This is similar to the “Archibald” Portrait Competition held annually at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. Mr Whelan kindly accepted the offer to be the model for the competition.

It has been a great chance for the students to chat with Mr Whelan and ask him questions about his life, family and being the Principal at the College.

Year 7 Visual Arts
Innovation in Film

8C English have been learning about Innovation in Film. 

They have watched the Martin Scorsese film Hugo depicting Georges Méliès. Georges Méliès is famous for his many innovations in motion pictures. He was one of the first to film fictional narratives, and he is regarded as the inventor of special effects in movies. His films were among the first to use such techniques as double exposure, stop-motion, and slow motion. 

As a class, students put into practice the film technique of stop-motion by creating their own stop motion masterpieces using Lego and/or Playdough. Students planned out their story using a storyboard. They had to use critical and creative thinking skills to decide how many individual shots it would take to give the impression that the Lego people and vehicles were moving. Following this they filmed their Stop Motion. The final stage was to add music, sound effects and animation features.

Here are a couple of examples:

 

Mrs Catherine Sutcliffe
Senior School Teacher - English
Hassle Street Film Clip

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HassleStreetBand

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HassleStreetBand

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HassleStreetBand

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HassleStreetBand

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HassleStreetBand

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HassleStreetBand

Hassle Street Film Clip

Even though our ensembles are not able to perform together at the moment due to Covid restrictions, our Senior Stage Band enjoyed the opportunity to be involved in making a film clip for their debut single release for their upcoming album. The song ‘Without You’ was composed during lockdown to enter the Triple J Unearthed High competition. From this experience, the students have been encouraged to continue their songwriting skills and are working towards creating an EP of all original music. The College AV team is very professional and our students are fortunate to experience this process with an amazing team of staff.

The film clip will be released at our Senior Celebration event at the end of term. Here are some photos from the film shoot – stay tuned for more information from our originals College band ‘HASSLE STREET’!

Mr Byron Mark
Director of Ensembles
Tutor Spotlight

Tutor Spotlight

Fran
Francesca Olson is a highly experienced and skilled vocal coach. With fifteen years of experience her students excel in HSC exams, AMEB Singing Grades, finalists in Eisteddfods and granted scholarships.

The method she teaches is founded on the latest research in vocal science and she is certified with the International Voice Teachers of Mix. Private singing tuition is an unregulated industry so it can be difficult to know what to look for in a teacher. With Francesca you can be assured that you will be receiving a world-class standard in vocal education in a warm-hearted manner. 

Mrs Olson has been tutoring at Thomas Hassall for approximately 8 years and has been instrumental in helping Year 12 music students prepare for their final examinations.

If you would like to enrol your child in vocal lessons an application form can be completed through the website using this link or alternatively email the [email protected] to request an application form.

Mr Luke Robinson
Productions & Creative and Performing Arts Coordinator
Disability Provisions for the HSC

Important Message for Parents and Care Givers of students sitting the 2022 Higher School Certificate

To ensure that we create a level playing field for all of our students in the Higher School Certificate Examination, Disability Provisions are available to a small number of students in Year 12 with documented medical or learning difficulties.  Disability Provisions may include the use of reader writers, rest breaks and occasionally, for extraordinary circumstances, extra time.

NESA requires detailed evidence before provisions are granted for certain conditions. If you believe that your student maybe eligible, please contact myself or the College for details of NESA requirements.

Disability Provisions may be available even though your student has not accessed provisions before. If your student has received provisions in Years 7-11, I will be in contact with you soon.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions regarding Disability Provisions,

Mrs Elizabeth Skene
Learning Support Co-ordinator, Senior School