In Focus No 13 - 2019 - August

Week 4

Responsiveness and agility. These are two important concepts when leading a school. This week we have launched two significant initiatives in response to the needs of our families. Firstly our Tuition Fee reductions for 2020. I am very aware of the financial pressures placed on families in this current economic climate. A comprehensive fee review was conducted over the past months, aimed at achieving greater affordability, whilst maintaining our high standards. I am pleased to be able to offer reductions across the board, as well as retaining our generous sibling discounts. The complete fee schedule will be sent out later in the year and I am sure that the simplification of the levies and charges will make life easier for everyone. Thank you to those who have contacted me either personally or via email. Your feedback is appreciated. Click HERE for the letter sent to parents.

This week we also launched our Voyager Programme for Year 7 2020. Voyager is a selective programme for students who display a love for Mathematics, English or Music, or all three.  Applications are now open for Year 6 students. All applicants will join us on September 11 for a Voyager Activities Day, after which selections will be made. If you would like to know more about Voyager, please HERE.

Science Week has been spectacular again this year. Thank you to Mr Carman and the Science staff for bringing us hair raising experiments, rockets launches, birds of prey and all the fun that Science has to offer. I discovered that Wedge Tail Eagles have lips. At first I wasn’t sure that Michael the handler was telling the truth, but I was able to get up close to this majestic bird who was only too happy to show off her lips!

The Wellard Campus has been awash with some amazing outfits today as we have embraced Op Shops and found an outfit to wear. Our YMAD students have facilitated a Pop Up Op shop to raise awareness of the importance of Op Shops in our community and how we can help support them with all donations being made to Anglicare Street Connect Bus.

Good luck to our students and staff who will be sleeping out at Optus Stadium for the annual Anglicare Sleepout. Thank you to Mrs Rebecca Weddikkara, Mrs Cara Barrett and Mrs Aneta Ward for supporting our students.

God bless.

Ms Felicity House
PRINCIPAL

Science Week

Wow, what a spectacle PCACS students and staff were treated to when Junior and Senior school students blasted their own rocket designs into the sky last Monday to celebrate Science Week.   A very large crowd gathered on the School oval to enjoy the many innovative, creative and different rocket designs as they competed for the prizes on offer.

Congratulations to Mr Carman and his staff and to the Junior School staff who teamed up to make Science Week a whole school event.  What a great week it was to see so many students keen to showcase their scientific minds, willingness to explore, to experiment and to discover.

To all students who entered into the competitions and who displayed their view of the future world of science, well done.  A world of future scientific discoveries is in your capable hands.

Year 12 2020 Parent Information Night

Parent / carers received a letter with important information regarding the Year 12, 2020 Parent Information Night as follows:

• Tuesday 27 August, commencing 6.00pm to 7.00pm
  (Administration Seminar Room Wellard Campus)

Year 12 is a very significant year for all students and the evening will assist students to finalise their course selections for 2020.  Entering the final school year in the right courses will assist students to achieve their goals.

We look forward to seeing you all at this event and to work in partnership with us to support all students throughout their last year at school.

Online Literacy & Numeracy Round 2

OLNA Round 2 is scheduled for all Year 10, 11 and 12 students enrolled to sit this WACE requirement as follows:

• Writing:  Tuesday 3 September 8.30am
• Reading:  Wednesday 4 September 9.15am
• Numeracy:  Thursday 5 September 9.15am

A schedule is available on SEQTA.  Practice sessions will be held at school for all students and students have been issued with login details to OLNAWA to allow them to practise at home. 

Year 12 Trial ATAR Examination Timetable

A Year 12 Trial ATAR Examination Timetable has been issued to all students.  The timetable is also available on SEQTA.  All students will be supported throughout this term to complete the following:

• Post School Applications:  University Direct and TAFE Applications
• Scholarship Applications
• Individual WACE Tracking
• Preparation for Trial ATAR Examinations
• Completion VET Certificates

Please contact me at the School if you require further information.

Japan Snow Sport and Culture Tour - January 2020

Students who will be in Year 10, 11 and 12 in 2020 are invited to express their interest in joining a sensational tour to Japan that will include skiing/snowboarding and sightseeing.  Students will experience aspects of Japanese culture, visit tourist sites in Tokyo and Kyoto that showcase the best of Japan’s history and modern day life, plus spend four days on the ski slopes near Nagano. Incorporated into the tour will also be a day trip to Tokyo Disneyland!  Students are invited to submit their Expression of Interest form to Mrs Steel by email to jsadmin@pcacs.wa.edu.au by Wednesday 21 August 2019.  

Ms Judith Stringer
HEAD OF SENIOR SCHOOL

Congratulations to the Junior School Cross Country Team!

Hours of rigorous training has paid off! Last Friday, our Year 3-6 Interschool Cross Country team took on the best local runners at the KSSA Cross Country Carnival. PCACS had runners consistently placed in the top 10 of all events and were announced as the Champion School for 2019! Congratulations to all members of the team for their impressive efforts. Special mentions go to the following students for individual excellence:

• Dane Sproxton - Year 3 Champion Boy
• Isabella Steiner - Year 4 Runner-Up Champion Girl
• Sonia Gosain - Year 4 Third Placed Girl
• Harley Elwell - Year 4 Boy Third Placed Boy
• Zayde Kingston - Year 5 Champion Boy
• Riley McNamara Year 6 Champion Boy

Thank you to Mrs Chapman and Mrs Knight for accompanying the team to the Carnival, as well as training the students in preparation for the big day.  Thank you also goes to Mr Holland who led the training last term.

Science Week Blasts Off!

There has been tremendous enthusiasm for anything scientific this week.  Across the whole school, Science Week has been celebrated with curiosity and gusto.  Student-designed rockets were launched on the school oval and Junior School students were invited to participate in investigations in the Senior School Science Labs.

At Calista on Friday, each class engaged in science activities.  It has been an exciting week of scientific learning and investigation!

Operation Op Shop

Thank you for your overwhelming support for this event!  It was fabulous to see the children wearing their ‘op shop dress ups’ this Friday and making gold coin donations in support of Anglicare Street Connect Bus.  Also, thank you for your support of the PCACS Pop-Up Op Shop. 

Book Week is Coming Up

Week 6 will come around soon!  Don’t forget to start organising your costume.  All students and staff are encouraged to wear a costume depicting a book character.  The Book Week Dress Up days are as follows and families are very welcome to attend:

• Calista – Tuesday 27 August, 8.45am Assembly and Parade
• Wellard – Wednesday 28 August, 8.45am Assembly and Parade

Year 2 - 6 Athletics Carnival

Please remember the Year 2 – 6 Athletics Carnival will be held at Wellard Oval on Friday 6 September.  Year 2 students will conclude their portion of the Carnival by midday; however, the Year 3 to 6 students will finish at approximately 3.00pm.  We look forward to having families attend to cheer on our students.

Kindergarten to Year 1 Tabloid Sports

The Tabloid Sports Carnival for Kindergarten to Year 1 students will be held at Wellard Campus on Friday 13 September from 1.00pm – 3.00pm.  Parents and friends are invited to cheer on the students.

Enrolments for 2020

Kindergarten enrolment interviews for 2020 are almost complete.  There are a few remaining vacancies available, plus some vacancies in other Junior School year levels, so please contact the School if you would like to enrol a child or have a friend or relative interested in attending PCACS.

Thank you for your wonderful support during this busy term of school events.

Wishing you a fabulous fortnight ahead!

Mrs Shirley Steel
HEAD OF JUNIOR SCHOOL

International Study Tours

This week we farewelled our international visitors from Yiwu QunXing Foreign Languages School and Shimodate First Senior High School. It has been wonderful having these students visit us and spend time as part of our School community. They have joined our students in classes, immersed themselves in the awesome Science Week activities and laughed and joked with everyone during break times. Both tour groups have been extremely complementary of our School and our wonderful environment.

The benefits of tours such as these are mutual. Our students have had the opportunity to learn about another culture and country, as well as a few phrases.   I would like to thank all of the students who helped and assisted our visitors throughout their stay.  Many students have made lasting friendships and I look forward to our Schools working together in the future.

God Bless.

Mr Shane Parnell
HEAD OF IT AND OPERATIONS

Sibling Enrolments Applications

Parents are reminded if you have not already submitted your future enrolment applications for siblings ie KG/2020 please do so as soon as possible.  Thank you.

Withdrawal Notice

If your child/ren are not returning to School for 2020 families are reminded that a minimum of a One full School term’s notice (excluding holiday time) is required. 

Student Medication

Parents are reminded if your child is coming to School with medication please see staff in the office to ensure all the appropriate paperwork is filled out.  

The Admin Team

At the end of Term 2, students in Years 10, 11 and 12 attended the annual PCACS Careers Expo.  Once again, representatives from a variety of organisations spoke to the students about post school options. This year Tertiary Education presenters attended from Murdoch and Notre Dame Universities, South Metropolitan TAFE and the Building and Construction Industry Training Fund. An Australian Defence Force Recruitment representative also attended, along with a recently returned volunteer from Lattitude Global Volunteering.

Students learned about courses being offered, direct and indirect application processes, how tertiary education works and where to find further help. They were offered insight into personal career stories, first hand advice from lecturers, new ways to think about the choices they can make based on existing personal skills and challenged to consider why they want to follow certain careers. Lattitude also provided an option for those who still trying to decide what to do, but may be looking for something that will help them develop new skills, travel and gain thinking time.

At the conclusion of the presentations, students were able to talk one on one to the representatives, to get more personalised information in order to help their decision making. Speaking to students after the event, it was clear they had made the most of the opportunity presented in the Careers Expo.

We therefore offer sincere thanks to the organisations and their representatives who attended and hope to welcome them back to PCACS in 2020.

Parents,

We are requiring a variety of resources for a Whole School activity on R U OK? Day.

Can anyone donate:

• Enamel paint (exterior) - any colour – new or old
• Turps
• Paint brushes -  art type and interior brushes
• Nitrile glove
• Jam jars -  empty
• Old shirts for aprons
• Takeaway containers

Please leave your items in student services.

YEAR COORDINATORS

Rehearsals for Junior Band began last week for our young woodwind and brass students.  The Junior Band is directed by multi-instrumentalist, Ben Kossenberg, and rehearse every Thursday at lunchtime.  Through the Band Programme students will develop their technical ability in order to read and perform the selected ensemble music.  They will learn to perform with contrast in dynamics, appropriate style and articulations as they blend their sound within the ensemble.  Participation in a music group provides many non-musical benefits, such as developing a sense of responsibility, learning to work together as a team, and feeling a sense of accomplishment in doing something well.  However, the primary purpose of a musical performing group is to build instrumental technique and musicianship, and to make music together.

If you would like to learn and instrument or join an ensemble, please contact

Ms Alicia Walter in the music office, or email music@pcacs.wa.edu.au. 

Instrumental enrolment forms can also be found on the SEQTA portal.

Ms Alicia Walter
LEARNING AREA COORDINATOR - MUSIC AND PERFORMING ARTS

I came across the following article, which explores the idea that our children should face challenges, be given the opportunity to problem solve, and develop a sense of resilience from potential failure.  As parents and educators, we can often become too involved in solving problems for our children and students, potentially robbing them of opportunities to grow.  To support the work of parents, the Compass programme creates these opportunities and encourages the independent development of skills in our students.

Mr Adam Halliday 
DIRECTOR OF PASTORAL CARE

Your teenager has a science project due. He hates science. He hates projects (as do you). Do you:

1. Set deadlines for him, get the necessary materials, lay them out on the table with some homemade chocolate chip cookies
2. Ask your neighbour who is a renowned chemist to stop by and wax poetic about the joys of the periodic table
3. Hide and pray

If, out of love or a desire to bolster your child’s self-esteem, you picked 1 or 2, teacher and author Jessica Lahey thinks you’re wrong.

“Do I want [my kids] to be happy now and not-scared and not-anxious, or, a year from now, do I hope that they pushed through being a-little-anxious and a little scared and became a little more competent?”.

We seem to be more worried about raising happy children than competent or autonomous ones.

That question is at the heart of her best-selling book, The Gift of Failure. She realised not long ago that something was wrong with her parenting and something was amiss with the middle-school students she taught. They wilted in the face of challenge. They didn’t love learning like they used to. Parents took bad grades personally. Everyone was unhappy.

She couldn’t pinpoint the root of the problem until she realised: we seem to be more worried about raising happy children than competent or autonomous ones.

Lahey cites the work of Wendy Grolnick, a psychologist, who puts pairs of mothers and children in a room and videotapes them as they play. Grolnick then labels the mothers as “controlling” or “autonomy-supportive,” meaning the mums let the kids figure things out on their own. Grolnick then invites the pairs back and the children are put in a room by themselves and asked to perform a task. The results were “striking,” Grolnick says in the book. The children who had controlling mothers gave up when faced with a task they could not master. The others did not. Lahey writes:

Kids who were raised by controlling or directive parents could not contemplate tasks on their own, but the kids who were being raised by autonomy-supportive parents stuck with tasks, even when they got frustrated. Kids who can redirect and stay engaged in tasks, even when they find those tasks difficult become less and less dependent on guidance in order to focus, study, organize, and otherwise run their own lives.

Although advice like “let them try and fail” seems blindingly obvious, it is very hard to implement. At every book event for the Gift of Failure, at least one parent approaches Lahey in tears. The parent describes a 16-year-old son who cannot pack a backpack or an 18-year-old daughter who cannot manage conflict.

“We think, ‘I have plenty of time to teach them,’” Lahey says. “And then they are 17.”

So what’s a well-intentioned parent seeking failure (to get to success) supposed to do?

Lahey speaks about some ways to inhibit the helicopter in all of us and build resilient kids.

 “We rescue because it feels good,” Lahey says.

Lahey admits she is equally culpable, though she has tried to change. One morning she found her son’s homework on the table and decided not to drop it off at his school, even though she was going anyways. She was determined that he become more independent and better organised.

Rescuing her son would make Lahey feel like a good mum, but it would not help her son’s organisational issues. Parenting for the long term meant leaving the homework on the table and letting her son, and herself, suffer a bit.

As it turned out, the teacher gave her son some extra work and offered some tips on how to remember his homework in the future. The tips have served him well, Lahey says.

The dirty secret of parenting is that kids can do more than we think they can.

Let them own it

Ever grabbed a sponge from a kid because she was making too much of a mess cleaning up?

The dirty secret of parenting is that kids can do more than we think they can, and it’s up to us to figure that out. Kids can do dishes and clean a room without a bribe, but to get to clean kitchens and tidier rooms we have to face messier kitchens, not perfectly sorted laundry, and clothes stuffed in drawers while they figure it out.

Praise effort and not outcomes

We love to praise our kids; call it a hangover from the self-esteem movement of the 1970s. But praising kids for being smart rather than working hard pushes them into what Stanford researcher Carol Dweck calls a fixed mindset, one in which kids shy away from challenges. Consider this study:

Researchers give two groups of fifth graders easy tests. Group one is told they got the questions right because they are smart. Group two is told they got the questions right because they tried hard. Then they give the kids a harder test, one designed to be far above their ability. Turns out the “smart” kids don’t like the test and don’t want to do more. The “effort” kids think they need to try harder and welcome the chance to try again. The researchers give them a third test, another easy one. The “smart” kids struggle, and perform worse than they did on the first test (which was equally easy). The “effort” kids outperform their first test, and outperform their “smart” peers.

If they see you fail and survive, they will know that failing at a task is not failing as a person.

Lahey sees the results of a fixed mindset in her classrooms. The kids who have been overpraised for their smarts “do the bare minimum required to get by; they never take up the gauntlet of challenging extra work and are reluctant to risk saying anything that might be wrong,” she writes.

Dweck’s advice is easy: praise effort, not outcomes. Lahey adds to that advice: let your kids know about your own struggles. If they see you fail and survive, they will know that failing at a task is not failing as a person.

Cheer like a grandparent, not a parent

Most of us sign our kids up for sports for the right reasons. We want them to run around, get fresh air, learn how to be part of a team, and have fun. If they show talent, many of us suddenly turn into maniacs, screaming instructions about sports we have never played and questioning coaches at decibel levels we prohibit at home.

Bruce Brown and Rob Miller, two former coaches who formed Proactive Coaching, asked college athletes, “What is your worst memory from playing youth and high school sports?” The answer was the drive home with their parents. Too much advice, not enough support.

Lahey suggests that if you go to the games, cheer like a grandparent and not a parent. College athletes wanted grandparents at their games because their support was not predicated on achievement.

“Grandparents don’t critique the coach’s strategy or a referee’s call. Even in the face of embarrassing failures on the field, grandparents support their grandchildren with no ulterior motive or agenda,” Lahey writes.

The teacher is your partner, not your adversary

If we talk to teachers and they talk to us, a lot of problems can be avoided.

Lahey has a long list of suggestions on how to build a better parent-teacher relationship. Some are so obvious it is sad she has to write them down—be friendly and polite; project an attitude of respect for education.

Here are some others:

• Wait a day before emailing a teacher over a perceived emergency or crisis
• Let the teacher know about big events at home
• Let your child have a voice; role-play to help him prepare for tough conversations

Some other excellent books on the subject of extracting yourself from your kids’ lives include Madeline Levine’s Teach Your Children Well: Parenting for Authentic Success and Wendy Mogel’s The Blessing of a Skinned Knee.

The somewhat contrarian message in all of them: failure = success.

We are nearly at the end of the 2019 Winter Netball Season with only three games to go. We have had a fantastic year with the largest amount of teams so far. 

After these three games we may possibly have three of our six teams who are eligible in the finals. Good luck to these teams.

One of the highlights of this part of the season is receiving our new hoodies. We had seventy five players, coaches, managers and parents order one. They are super warm and we have had other clubs comment how great they look.

A congratulations to Caela Trent who recently achieved her National C Badge in umpiring.

If anyone would like to join our Summer season starting in October for eight weeks please fill out an Expression of Interest form on the website. We have limited spots available.

Hello Parents and Friends,

We certainly have an action-packed term going on with lots of activities happening around campus and the P&F has some exciting events coming up as well.

We are excited to again be supporting the Athletics Carnivals by running the canteen to offer refreshments throughout the day.  This year we will also be firing up the BBQ and offering a sausage sizzle at lunch time to students, staff and families.  There is a note coming home shortly for pre-orders and otherwise we will have a limited additional number of snags available for purchase on the day.  Sausage in bun with or without sauce for $2.50 or team it with a drink from just $4.00 for a juice box or $5.00 for a sports drink (available at the Senior Carnival only). 

The Senior Athletics Carnival is happening on Friday 23 August 2019 at Wellard Oval and we will be looking for donations of food items on the day.  These can be delivered to student services from 8.00am to 8.30am and after 8.30am direct to the canteen.  We welcome both home cooked items or pre-packaged items but please remember we are an allergy aware school so no nuts will be allowed.

We are also on the lookout for volunteers on the day so please email us at pcacspf@gmail.com or message 0404 440 594 if you have time to help.

The Junior Sports Carnival is being held on Friday 6 September and we will be seeking volunteers for that carnival shortly.

We are also very excited about the 'Dads Camp Out' which is being held again this year on Friday 30 August 2019.  Families are again invited to come along to our Wellard Campus oval from 5.00pm and set up their tent and then join us for a fun night of dinner and games before braving the night together on the oval.  Tickets are now available via Trybooking at https://www.trybooking.com/BEUNY for the cost of $25 per family.  This includes camping, dinner, breakfast and refreshments throughout the evening.  Make sure to grab your tickets quickly as we have a limited number of sites available and tickets always sell out fast.

We will also be hosting a morning tea at both campuses this year during the Book Week Celebrations.  These will be free events open to all PCACS parents and friends.  Look out for more information about these events next week.

Look forward to seeing you all at the Sports Carnivals next week!

Ms Clarissa Thomson
P&F PRESIDENT

Athletics Carnivals 2019

The 2019 Peter Carnley Anglican Community School Athletics Carnivals are fast approaching.

• The Secondary School (7-12) Carnival will be held on Friday August 23 (Wellard Oval)
• The Junior School (2-6) Carnival will be held on Friday September 6 (Wellard Oval)
• The ELC (K-1) Tabloid Sports Carnival will be held on Friday September 13 (Wellard Campus Oval)

The entire School will be actively involved in showcasing their talents.  There will be track and field events ranging from sprints to throws to jumps.  There will also be team games and relays.  All students are currently in preparation for this event and training hard in Phys Ed.  Lessons as well as our Co Curricular athletics programme. 

On the day of the carnival the School canteen will NOT be available for lunch orders or recess to those specific year groups.  Students are asked to bring their own lunch and snacks with them. The canteen will still be available to the rest of the School.  The P&F will be selling snacks at the Wellard Oval canteen on the Junior and Senior Carnival days.  Donations of cakes, biscuits, muffins etc can be dropped off at the Wellard Oval Pavilion from 8.00am or taken to Student Services that morning.  Please remember we are an “ALLERGY AWARE” school.  We are seeking volunteers to help on the day.  Please contact Clarissa at pcacspf@gmail.com or 0404 440 594, if you can assist on the day with donations or volunteering your time.

For the Junior School two separate carnivals will be run, one for the Early Learning (K-1) and one for the Junior School (Years 2-6). The Early Learning Carnival will be entirely held on our School (Wellard Campus) oval while the Junior School compete on Wellard Oval.  An information letter will come out to students in the coming weeks.  Both carnivals are sure to be action packed and fun.           

Students are required to wear full House sports uniform (not required for ELC Tabloid Sports (K-1) to and from school which includes their House coloured shirt), navy shorts and PCACS tracksuit.  They will also need to wear their hat when not competing in events.  Attendance at the Carnival is compulsory and a medical certificate must be submitted if a student is unable to compete.

I would like to invite all parents, family members and friends of PCACS to come along and support the students.  If you are able to help in marshalling students, measuring, setting up, packing away or other duties please see the carnival coordinator on the morning of the carnival.

Senior School Athletics Carnival Training

Training continues on Tuesday mornings (Fitness) 7.45am – 8.15am and Thursday afternoons 3.30pm – 4.30pm (skills and fitness).  All senior school students are encouraged to attend. This will finish up in Week 7.

RKAS Sport

Term 3 RKAS Sport is underway, we are fielding a Year 7-9 boys and girls soccer team.  We have played one fixture so far, with both teams going down to Court Grammar School.  It’s great to see a large number of students participating and representing the School. Good luck to all involved.  The ACC are trialling a new app to view fixtures and results for all RKAS sports.  Search RKAS in your app store to see how the teams are going.

Mr Roh Weddikkara
COORDINATOR - HEALTH AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION