In Focus No 6 - 2019 - April

Week 10

As Term 1 draws to a close, it is very rewarding to look back over the many events our students have enjoyed.  From welcoming our new students, the joy of the Year 12 Ball and Prefect Induction, our camps, incursions, excursions, parent information evenings, swimming lessons and carnivals, P&F Discos, Scholarships plus all of our in class learning. I thank the Prefects for their enthusiasm and vision as they lead the student body and make a difference through Crazy Hair Day. The dream of House Mascots is coming together and we hope to have them ready for Founders’ Day.

Visiting classes is always enjoyable and my most recent invitation was to Ms Maddy’s Year 3 ‘Celebration’ Expo last week. Learning about different celebrations around the world like Australia Day, Independence Day, Valentine’s Day and St Patrick’s Day to name a few. The students had created colourful posters with their information. Some students were in traditional dress and had props to enhance their display. The addition of iPads to help showcase the music and festivities surrounding their chosen ‘Celebration’ was a bonus.

It was wonderful to have The Reverend Peter Laurence OAM, CEO of the Anglican Schools Commission Inc. join us to preside over our Easter Chapel Service at Wellard on 11 April.  To view the video from the Easter Celebration, Click HERE!

On Sunday the Walkabout Cambodia Pilgrims from PCACS, Frederick Irwin and John Wollaston came together for their final time before they depart on their service learning trip. They came together for a Blessing Service in the Rush Chapel at Frederick Irwin. Father Noel prayed for the students and their families as they recognised the significance of the journey ahead of them. Our students accompanied by Mr Paul Dewhurst leave on 14 April. We wish them safe travels and look forward to their return to share their stories and experiences.

Over the holidays I will be travelling through The Holy Land on a study tour organised by the WA Anglican Schools Association. My colleagues from fellow Anglican Schools and I will be travelling the footsteps of Jesus, exploring the Christian story through visits to historical sites, contextual bible study and spiritual reflection. On Palm Sunday we will join the procession from Bethphage to the top of the Mount of Olives and across the Kidron Valley to the Lions’ Gate. We will visit deeply moving sites such as the Yad va Shem Holocaust Memorial and travel to Bethlehem, Nazareth and the Sea of Galilee. I look forward to sharing my experiences with the PCACS community on my return.

I hope all families find time these holidays to relax and reflect on the true meaning of Easter.

Stay safe and enjoy this Easter break with your families.

God bless.

Ms Felicity House
PRINCIPAL

Happy Easter and Safe Holidays!

Junior School students and staff are congratulated on a wonderful term’s work.  I wish them and our whole PCACS community a wonderful holiday and Easter!

Early Learning Chapel Service

This week’s celebrations included a beautiful Early Learning Chapel Service on Tuesday where Mrs Farmer shared the Bible message about Easter and Ms Walter led some vibrant singing.  Featuring at the beginning of the Chapel Service was the presentation of the cross, Bible and lighting the candle, all well-orchestrated by Year 1 students Japman, Mitchell and Isla.

Following the formality of Chapel, the Early Learning children donned the colourful Easter hats they had made themselves in class and paraded around the oval for parents and friends to watch.  It was wonderful to see so many families take time out of their busy lives to attend Chapel and the Easter Parade.  Thank you PCACS families for the support you show!

Year 2 to 12 Easter Service

On Thursday Years 2 to 12 participated in a sensational Easter Service presided by Reverend Peter Laurence.  This was a fitting way for our Wellard Campus to acknowledge Easter as a significant celebration in the Church Calendar and to finish Term 1. 

To view the video from the Easter Celebration, Click HERE!

Year 6 Sleepover

Year 6 students participated in leadership and team-building activities at Calista Campus on Thursday, slept overnight and were collected on Friday morning.  On Thursday evening they participated in campfire cooking (baked bananas), toasted marshmallows, hunted for Easter eggs in the dark and then settled down to watch a movie in the auditorium before falling asleep.  What a wonderful experience!  Thank you to Ross Griffin, Donna Bowdler, Lana Ceklic, Jane England, Alysha McDonald and Claire Hickey who supervised the sleepover.  Thank you also goes to James Morris who helped on Thursday evening.

Staffing Changes

Jane England returned from Long Service leave this Monday.  We are very pleased to welcome her back.  Jane has resumed teaching Year 6, as well as undertaking the role of Upper Junior Coordinator.

Fleur Gwerder leaves us this week to commence Maternity Leave.  This year Fleur has been providing Learning Support to students for both remediation and extension. We greatly appreciate the expertise Fleur has brought to this teaching role.  She will be missed; however, we are very excited that she will soon have a new baby joining her family.

To fill the role that Fleur leaves behind, Kendall Roberts will teach Learning Support for four days and Kimberley Taaffe will teach an additional day of Learning Support.  We are also pleased to welcome Lisette Lawler to full time teaching, covering various specialist classes.

It truly has been an amazing term.  Stay safe and rest well over the holidays.  I look forward to seeing you all in Term 2.

Mrs Shirley Steel
HEAD OF JUNIOR SCHOOL

Head of Senior School…..link up

It has certainly been a busy term and there has been so much to celebrate.  My sincere thanks to staff, students and to parents / carers for the many contributions that you have made to make Term 1 of the school year so successful.  It is now time to take a well-deserved break and enjoy some family time particularly during Easter which falls during this holiday break. 

A reminder of some important dates during Term 2:

• Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 ONLINE NAPLAN -14-17 May inclusive.
• Years 7-12 Parent, Teacher and Student Interviews - Tuesday 7 May & 14 May 3.30pm – 7.45pm.
  • PTO Online Interview booking information to be emailed to parents / carers.
• Externally Set Tasks Year 12 - Friday 17 May – Wednesday 22 May.
• Semester 2 Examinations Years 7 – 12 (Examination timetable to be published start of Term 2)
• Semester 1 Reports – end of Term 2 (SEQTA)
• Assessments and assignments will continue (refer to your child’s Course and Assessment Outlines on SEQTA)

Peter Carnley Anglican Community School is a place where we can all continue to build positive and strong relationships.  We celebrate diversity and encourage each person to strive to achieve their personal best.

Parents & Friends Roller Disco

The P&F Senior School Roller Disco at the ZONE in Kwinana was a great way to end the School term. It was wonderful to see so many students from Years 7-12 skating around the rink, some very polished skaters, and some very tentative skaters. 

And in true form the Year 12 students came in 60's dress to again bring their sense of fun and wholesome leadership style to the event.  Their efforts to be positive role models to all students is so valued.

Congratulations and a huge thank you to the Parents and Friends for their efforts to organise this event.  It was definitely a winner!  A sincere thanks from the Staff at PCACS.

God bless you all and keep safe during these holidays.

Ms Judith Stringer 
HEAD OF SENIOR SCHOOL

Photo Day

School photos will be held at the Wellard Campus on Thursday 2 May and at Calista on Thursday 9 May. Year 12 students will also have their Valedictory Photo on Thursday 9 May.

Year 3 – 9 students are to wear their winter uniform, including School jumper. All Girls are to wear black tights and Year 3 – 9 boys are to wear Navy trousers.

Kindergarten – Year 2 students will have their photos taken in their ELC uniform without their tracksuit. Students can wear their tracksuit on the day.

Further information regarding Photo Day has been emailed to all parents and order envelopes should have arrived home with your child this week. If you did not receive an email or your child did not bring home an envelope, please contact the School.

ANZAC Day Service

Our School will hold an ANZAC Service on Wednesday 1 May for all Year 2 – 12 students at the Wellard Campus. The service commences at 8.45am in the Keith Lindbeck Centre and parents are welcome to attend.  Students who are members of a service or cadet group are able to wear their uniform to School for the day.

EASTER Service

All staff and students at our Wellard Campus ended the term with a wonderful Easter Service. This service, presided by the Reverend Peter Laurence, OAM, CEO of the Anglican Schools Commission, was a truly joyous occasion.  Reverend Laurence spoke to the students about the meaning of Easter Eggs and Hot Cross Buns, paying particular attention to Easter eggs. The hollow Easter egg represents the empty tomb that Jesus was laid in. When we wake on Easter morning (or technically when the sun goes down the night before) and crack open an Easter egg , we are reminded of the followers of Jesus finding his tomb empty. This finding of “nothing inside” gives us hope, hope in our world, hope that Jesus is with us to help guide us each day. We are also filled with a sense of Love, the Love of God, who gave his only Son for us.  Both of these 2 words are so important in helping shape our lives and they strengthen the key message of Easter, that Love conquers all.

I would like to thank all the students for their participation in this service, to the Chapel band, student choir, student leaders and readers, and all who took part in this event. 

Interim Reports on SEQTA

Interim reports were recently made available to parents via SEQTA Engage. If any parent has been unable to access their child’s report, please contact the School.

Mr Shane Parnell
HEAD OF IT AND OPERATIONS

Uniform Shop

Year 10 Blazers are now ready to be collected and are available for collection during all the holiday opening hours for pick up only.

School Fees

Term 2 Fees will be emailed out during the School holidays to all families that are not on a Direct Debit 

This term Year 1 were chosen to be involved in an AISWA Early Childhood Project entitled ‘Using Blocks to Support STEM Learning in Early Childhood Classrooms’. 

Each class acquired a set of big wooden blocks to use in our projects and we have enjoyed so much learning and fun already! After some experiential play, we had a go at an Easter themed block provocation. The students showed many elements of STEM learning; packing the blocks away prompted students to use lots of Maths language. We cannot wait for Term 2 to embark on our Inquiry project based on ‘Australia – Then and Now’.

Several Junior School students were kept busy at the weekends competing in the Little Athletics Zones competition earlier this term.  Zones are district heats which enable young athletes to qualify for the WA State Championships held in February and March each year.

Five Junior School students were proud to show their friends and teachers a handful of medals they earned from competing in a range of track and field events during the competition held on Saturday 17 February and Sunday 18 February this year. Their results were as follows:

Zones:

Caitlyn Knight (2W) WA State silver medal for long jump.

Cienna Shepherd (3K) WA State gold medal for discus and bronze for shot put.

Harry Jenkin (3K) WA State silver medal for long jump and silver for discus.

District Championships:

Cienna Shepherd (3K) gold in discus, two silver medals in the track events and another silver for the turbo javelin.

Caitlyn Knight (2W) gold for long jump and hurdles and a silver medal for both the 70m and 100m sprints.

Club Championships:

Ky Hamersley (4M) silver for both the 100m and 70m sprint and silver for the turbo javelin.  Ky’s efforts in the Zones 70m, 100m, and 200 metre sprints qualified him for the WA State Championships.

Jacob Waaka (4M) gold for the 200m, 400m and 800 metre sprints.  Similarly, Jacob’s efforts qualified him for the WA State Championships in both the 400m and 800 metre track events. 

How fantastic it is to see these students develop their abilities through this community event.  They will definitely be students to watch in our upcoming Junior School Cross Country Carnival in Week 4 of Term 2. 

Hello parents and friends,

School holidays already!! That’s certainly came around fast!

Well we finished off the term with a blast hosting our senior roller disco at Astroskate Kwinana on the last night of term. Trying something new is always a bit of a gamble but we were so thrilled to fill up the venue to capacity and see all the kids really getting into the spirit, giving it a go and enjoying themselves. After the success of this event, committee is excited to look into other options for exciting events to be held off campus.

We are also excited to officially announce the launch of our very own Facebook group which has been created by the school and linked into the official school Facebook page. We hope this space can be a great source of information for parents looking for updates on all things P&F and will make it a lot easier to communicate details of upcoming events to our school community. Please note however that this page is a public open space so it is vital to ensure that private information is not posted here, and as such we recommend all such questions, uniform sales etc to continue to be shared in our private parent only social media platform.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/411846499575865/?source_id=324533731307435

Looking into next term, we will be getting into things straight away with Mother’s Day celebrations kicking off in week 2! The Mother’s Day stall will return at both campuses with an array of wonderful gifts for both mum and grandma. We will also again be hosting a Mother’s Day breakfast on Friday 10th May. Look out for details online over the break with notes to come home in week 1 next term.

Finally, we want to wish all our community a very happy and safe Easter and we look forward to seeing you all next term after a well needed rest!

Ms Clarissa Thomson
P&F PRESIDENT

Always exciting and forever busy, the Upper Junior students began the term in contemporary learning spaces demonstrating how modern furnishings and natural light creates a warm and inviting learning environment.

We introduced our Year 6 leaders to the school at our first Upper Junior Assembly, and I have been so impressed by the leadership skills they have employed and the responsibilities they have taken on in their first 10 weeks of Year 6.  Students captained our Swimming Carnival, represented our school at the KSSA Interschool Cricket Carnival and visited Parliament House.  Finally, what better way to wind-up the term than a culmination of activities aimed at leadership and team-building exercises during the Year 6 sleepover in Week 10.

Elsewhere around the school, Year 2 learned how to be waterwise through a visit from the Water Corporation and Year 3 travelled to Piney Lakes to engage in a bush biology programme at the Environmental Education Centre.  Year 4 have been busy as bees completing a swarm of activities on these honey producing insects.  The students utilised the Junior School iPads in their inquiry unit, integrating Science, HASS, and Digital Technologies into one multifaceted learning programme.

Finally, Year 5 began the term with their 3-day Camp at Forest Edge Recreation Camp in Waroona.  Designed to fulfil goals with a focus on leadership, communication and trust, the students expanded their paradigm through a range of activities, including sea biscuiting, rock climbing and kayaking.

Mr Ross Griffin
DIRECTOR OF UPPER JUNIOR

This term the Year 2 students have been learning about water. On Thursday 14 March, Tanya from the Water Corporation came to our classroom and taught all of Year 2 how to be water wise. She showed us bottles of water from the sea and dams and she told us that the dams do not have enough water. Then we played a water game. We learnt that we should not have a shower for over 4 minutes; we need to wash our Dad or Mums car on the grass and do not turn the tap on fully. In addition, we need to be water wise by fixing leaks around the house. We thought that it was a fun and informative incursion.

From Katherine, Aleisha L, Ashlyn and the class of 2H.   

Year 12 Prefects attended the GRIP Leadership Conference at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre on Tuesday 26 March.  The conference empowers young leaders and provides skills that are relevant to their leadership roles at PCACS and beyond.  

Our 2019 Prefects have already hit the ground running this year, introducing some new initiatives to improve the school and develop our community spirit.  The area of Service Learning continues to grow within the school, and our Service Captain, Aiden Galbraith, is continuing to drive this growth with the introduction of Crazy Hair Day, which saw students raising $2300 for the Leukaemia Foundation.  The House Captains are passionate about developing House spirit and have already conducted voting amongst their House for the introduction of House Mascots.  Their hard work may result in us having the mascots before Founders' Day or most certainly our Junior and Senior School Athletics Carnivals. 

The Prefects have already demonstrated their exceptional leadership qualities and they’ve continued to develop these skills at the GRIP leadership conference.  The key messages explored in the 2019 conference was how to apply the ‘People Pathway’ model. This tool assists students in understanding the four categories of people on the pathway: self, student leaders, school community and society.  This hands-on experience taught students how to transfer concepts into action to have an impact at a school-wide level.

Our Prefects are congratulated for conducting themselves in a professional and enthusiastic manner. This leadership group gained a new perspective on their roles within our school and an excitement for what lies ahead for 2019.  I look forward to working with them throughout the year as they continue to make a positive impact on our school community.

Mr Adam Halliday
DIRECTOR OF PASTORAL CARE

In Week 3 of Term 2, Wednesday 15 May to Friday 17 May, the Calista Campus will be hosting The Scholastic Book Fair.  This event is a great way to promote literacy in the Early Learning Campus.  The book fair will also be open for sales after the Learning Showcase assembly on Wednesday 21 May.

For this event to be a success it requires volunteer help.  If you would like to assist with the writing of wish lists or sales please contact Mrs Melanie Hill at info@pcacs.wa.edu.au or ring 08 9411 4819. 

Literacy is a part of everyday life at PCACS in our Early Learning Centre.  As we take part in daily routines we are reading, viewing, creating texts, speaking, listening and thinking critically.

We place great value in communicating with others.  Our literacy program involves young children sharing and making meaning with spoken and written language as well as with images such as photographs and drawings.

We know that children learn through interactions with others – family members, carers, teachers and other children. These everyday conversations are essential for children’s language learning and later reading and writing. We work in partnership with families, knowing that parents and carers are a major influence in the development of early literacy skills.  

When our educators, parents and carers sing songs, recite chants and rhymes and tell stories, children enjoy and learn about the sounds and patterns of language. This helps them to recognise sounds and language patterns when reading. Experiences with songs, rhymes and stories also build an appreciation for language and story, as well as a positive attitude towards language and literacy learning.

Here are some of the ways we encourage PCACS families to support their child’s literacy development at home:

• Reading to your child and having them read to you
• Sharing stories at meal times
• Have them tell you about their day
• Encouraging them to tell you stories, you can even record these to play back to them later
• Have them help you write lists such as a shopping list
• Visit the public library
• Joining in with their play
• Most of all just show an interest in what they are doing and engage in conversations with them

Mrs Donna Farmer
DIRECTOR OF EARLY LEARNING