In Focus No 8 - 2019 - May

It has been wonderful to see so many parents at PCACS over the last few weeks. Hundreds in fact, at both Calista and Wellard.  Many engaging events have been happening both on site and out of the School.  The Learning Showcases are a new Junior School initiative, where the doors of the classroom have been thrown open for the students to share their classroom experiences with their families.  Parent Teacher Interviews in the Senior School saw our biggest turn out ever.  We appreciate the time taken by parents to attend these important events to gain valuable feedback about academic and social progress.  It is an important reminder, as we move to examinations,  of the significance of regular routines for homework and revision at home.  If you require assistance in this regard, please contact your child’s Class, Tutor or Subject teacher for advice.

We are blessed to have such a hardworking and committed P&F, offering a wide range of activities for parents and students throughout the year.  The week of Mother’s Day was busy with the highly successful gift stalls and Mother’s Day Breakfast.  The stalls were well subscribed by many of our students as they bought thoughtful gifts for their mums.  The senior school baristas loved serving coffee from our coffee van, Carnley’s Cuppas, during the Mother’s Day breakfast.  Never resting, the P&F also hosted the Parent Morning Tea after the Junior School Cross Country. Thank you to the P&F Committee for their energy and great ideas.

We currently have a bike being raffled at our Calista Campus thanks to a donation from Roger Cook MLA – Member for Kwinana. Tickets can be purchased from Calista administration.  The raffle will be drawn on Founders’ Day, 14 June with all proceeds going to the Anglicare Winter Appeal.  We thank Roger Cook for his ongoing support of our School.

It is with sadness that I share the news from Jude Stringer that she will be leaving us at the end of the year. Jude is looking forward to living life at a less frenetic pace, spending more time with her family, especially her delightful grandchildren.  Jude has been a driving force in the Senior School and her energy and passion will be missed.  We will farewell Jude appropriately as the year draws to a close.

God bless.

Ms Felicity House
PRINCIPAL

Head of Senior School…..link up

Here we are and it is the end of Week 4 already.  The days of the calendar seem to turn so quickly and it is now time to prepare for some big milestones for each Year group in Senior School.  Year 12 students are half way through their final year of study.  Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 completed their ONLINE NAPLAN in fine style and the minor connectivity issues for the ONLINE Writing (Year 3 all did Paper Writing) test will be addressed by ACARA through all school Principals.  The school will forward, to parents, this information from ACARA. We have every confidence that the initial connectivity issue will be addressed by ACARA so no student who sat the ONLINE NAPLAN Writing test will be disadvantaged. All students in Senior School should have a revision programme in place for the Semester 1 Examinations and at the end of the term we will be celebrating Founders’ Day as a whole school. 

Semester 1 Parent, Teacher and Student Interviews

It was very pleasing to see so many parents / carers come along to discuss their child’s progress at the Senior School interviews during Weeks 2 and 3 this term.  The partnership between the School, students and their parents / carers is so important to make sure we all work together to support each child.  With Semester 1 Examinations scheduled to commence in a few weeks the guidance and advice from teachers will assist students to prepare for their examinations.

Co Curricular is an additional opportunity for students to get support to prepare for their exams and it assists every student to achieve their personal best results.

If you were unable to attend the Semester 1 interviews and wish to contact your child’s teacher please contact the School Administration.

2020 Years 9 and 10 Parent Information Night (Current Years 8 and 9 students)

An important Parent Information Night will be held in the Keith Lindbeck Centre on Tuesday 11 June commencing at 6.00pm and concluding at 7.00pm.  Students currently in Years 8 and 9 and their parents /carers will receive a letter with the key messages to be presented to include:

• Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE) changes effective 2020.
• Navigate your Learning Pathway – the next few years.
• SEQTA – next step.
• Elective choices 2020 – how to choose wisely!
• The School Curriculum & Standards Authority (SCSA) – What is their role?
• Compass Programme and Awards System.
• Advice for all Students.

We encourage all parents / carers and their child to attend this important information night on Tuesday 11 June.

Year 7 – 12 Examinations – School Website

The Semester 1 Year 7 – 12 Examination timetable is available on the School website by following the LINK.  Please be reminded that any missed examinations require a medical certificate to avoid any penalty.  If a misadventure occurs please contact Ms Jude Stringer or Mr Ross Dods to discuss.

Years 7, 8, 9 & 10 students will be required to attend school during the Semester 1 Examinations.  Normal classes will continue throughout the examination period.

Years 11 and 12

Please note the following arrangements for all Years 11 and 12 students during the Semester 1 Examination timetable.

• No formal classes will be held for Years 11 and 12.
• ATAR students to arrive 15 minutes prior to the commencement of each examination.
• ATAR students enrolled in examinations are not required to be at school during the examination timetable period.
• The Loft will be available for students to study (School uniform to be worn).
• VET students will be required to attend as required to complete units (VET teachers to inform students of VET expectations).
• Certificate II Building & Construction students to complete workplace hours (Skill Hire & Mr Dods).
• Certificate II Community Services (Child Focus) students to complete workplace hours (Mrs Musson-Brown).
• Year 11 and 12 students must wear their School Uniform to all examinations.
• Year 11 and 12 students must sign in upon arrival and out when leaving the School at Student Services.

Please check the School website and SEQTA engage for all important information about your child’s academic progress and for all up and coming events and activities at PCACS.

You are very welcome to contact me if you wish to discuss your child’s wellbeing and academic progress.

God bless you all.

Ms Judith Stringer
HEAD OF SENIOR SCHOOL

Learning Showcase – Calista 21 May and Wellard 24 May

What a wonderful experience each campus–based showcase was for our Junior School families!  The children proudly shared their work and discussed their learning journey with their visitors.  This was an important event for the children, especially because of the role they played in guiding the conversations.  Walking around each classroom, I felt incredibly proud of our students who conducted themselves beautifully. The students and the teachers are congratulated on a wonderful event!

You can access the gallery of both campuses HERE

Years 2 – 6 Cross Country

All Year 2 to Year 6 students participated in the Cross Country on Friday 24 May.  They are commended for their enthusiastic attitude and effort.  Thank you to all our parent helpers who either assisted with jobs around the course or ran alongside the children.  It was wonderful for the children to have so much encouragement and support as they pushed themselves to the limit.  Well done to Mr Holland and the Health and Physical Education department for organising this event. 

Parent Teacher Interviews

Soon the Parent Teacher Interviews will be taking place on the evenings of Wednesday 5 June for Wellard (Years 2 to 6) and Wednesday 12 June for Calista (Kindergarten to Year 1).  Parents are encouraged to make contact with their child’s teacher if they are unable to book a suitable time using the PTO booking system.  Alternate meeting times can be arranged directly with the teachers.

Founders’ Day and Lapathon – Friday 14 June

The 14 June marks Founders’ Day, an important annual event in the calendar of our School.  There will be a Founders’ Day Service for Year 2 to Year 12, held in the morning in the Keith Lindbeck Centre.  Calista children will travel to Wellard by bus to participate in buddy activities between recess and lunch, followed by a lapathon in the afternoon.  The lapathon is a fundraiser for supporting Anglicare WA, a worthy provider of support to those in need in local and surrounding communities.  Calista students will be transported back to Calista at the end of the school day by bus.  More detailed information will be issued to families soon.

I wish students and families a fantastic fortnight ahead!

Mrs Shirley Steel
HEAD OF JUNIOR SCHOOL

Founders’ Day

Founders’ Day will be held on Friday 14 June with a Founders' Day service commencing at 10.00am in the Keith Lindbeck Centre. This service will allow us to reflect on the hard work and dedication it took to create our wonderful School and to celebrate the contributions of staff, students and families. This year the service will be shorter than in previous years and I invite parents to attend. If you are able to join us, please RSVP to info@pcacs.wa.edu.au

ASC International Study Tours

During August we will be hosting two study tours in partnership with ASC International. From the 5 – 16 August, 34 students from the Yiwu Qun Xing Foreign Language School in the Zhejiang province of China will be part of our community.  We will also be join by 30 students from Shimodate Daiichi High School in Japan who will be with us from the 12 – 16 August.  Both of these tours will provide a wonderful opportunity for our students to learn about different cultures and make new friends.  Gold Intercultural Learning are looking for families to assist in hosting these students. If any families are interested, please see the flyer below.

Parking at Campuses

Over the past few weeks there have been a number of traffic and parking issues I would like to raise with parents.

Calista Campus

A number of parents are parking on the verge area around Moulton St and Summerton Rd. Parking in this area reduces visibility for cars turning onto Summerton Rd and may cause an accident.  I would like to ask all parents to please refrain from parking in this area so traffic is visible to everyone.

Wellard Campus

Can I please ask for parents support in ensuring that they are not parking across resident driveways and laneways around the Wellard Campus. This issue has been raised with us by a number of residents who have been unable to access their properties around pick up time.  It has also been noted that some parents are parking in the staff car park behind the Science and Technology buildings. I would like to remind all parents that this area is for staff parking only and not general parking.

I appreciate parent support with these matters

God Bless

Mr Shane Parnell
HEAD OF IT AND OPERATIONS

A reminder that Term 2 Music fees are due Friday 24 May 2019.  Please contact the Finance Office on 9439 3499 or finance@pcacs.wa.edu.au to make payment.  All overdue fees will incur a late fee of $50.00 in accordance with the 2019 Tuition Fees, Charges and Business Schedule.

In addition, Term 2 fees are now overdue and need to be paid immediately.

Thank you to all the Families that have already paid. 

The Finance Team

Parents, 

We are looking for adult volunteers to participate in the Fitter, Faster, Better incursion that Year 4B are organising next week, Friday 31 May 2019.  Ms Barker's Year 4 class will be trained throughout the week to become fitness coaches and then on the Friday they will run two fitness sessions for adults.  They need adult volunteers to participate on the day.  Details are included on the flyer below.

"This is such a fun and exciting opportunity for Year 4 plus our adult community."

Any staff who are free during this time are also encouraged to participate.  Contact Ms Sarah Barker or Mrs Shirley Steel for more details.

You can view more about the program by clicking on the following video link:  https://vimeo.com/264219583

Each month the library hosts a Library Busy Bee at the Wellard Campus.  Currently we have a large number of books that require covering for our Wellard and Calista Library.  If you feel that you have an hour or two to assist, your help would be much appreciated.

Date: May 29 Wednesday
Venue: Wellard Library
Time: 8.30am to 10.30am

Morning Tea provided.

Please contact Library Officer, Mrs Melanie Hill for more details.

library@pcacs.wa.edu.au

Our Kids Are Losing Their Empathy & Technology Has A Lot to Do With It

We have a crisis of empathy in Australia amongst our young people in particular.

It’s shocking to discover that our kids are growing up to be far less caring and compassionate than any previous generation. While you can’t place the blame entirely on technology, it’s undeniably a major factor in Australian society’s documented decline in empathy.

How did we get here? How can we fix it? The Compass Programme at PCACS places an emphasis on giving students an understanding of the importance of empathy.  It also gives the opportunity to develop skills to practice empathy, which helps the whole school community become more genuinely connected, providing a bigger support network for all. 

The following article written by Alon Schwartz offers an insight into the impact technology is having on our kids and their levels of empathy.

Dr. Michele Borba offers some critical insights and answers in her remarkable new book, UnSelfie: Why Empathetic Kids Succeed in Our All-About-Me World. I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Borba last week for the upcoming unGlue podcast launching soon.

Among the compelling evidence that she presents is research that suggests today’s high school students are 40 percent less empathetic compared to their peers 30 years ago. Meanwhile, the level of narcissism has increased by 58 percent. An educational psychologist and parenting expert, Borba sees these damning trends in the rise of bullying in schools and the massive popularity of the selfie, among other cultural phenomena.

I asked her how much of this can be traced to children and young adults becoming hooked on smartphones and other forms of screen time. Her answer won’t come as a shock to many parents and certainly not to users of unGlue.

“Our children became very plugged in around the year 2000,” Borda told me during our podcast interview. “It’s very hard to be empathetic and feel for another human being if you can’t read another person’s emotions. You don’t learn emotional literacy facing a screen. You don’t learn emotional literacy with emojis.”

How can parents encourage more empathy? When it comes to technology, parents should be setting the right boundaries, teaching kids how to self-regulate their online habits, and talking to them about being good digital citizens.

Find ways to get kids off their gadgets and have real-life human interaction. Instead of emailing or texting a friend or a relative, how about jumping on Skype or, even better, making an actual phone call or chatting in person?

“Kids are so used to looking down, instead of looking up,” Borba said. “You don’t learn empathy and face-to-face connection if you’re looking down and texting.”

Why is empathy so important? Well, for one, it’s the right thing to do. We should all be more caring and compassionate to our fellow human beings. Also, kids who are more empathetic are shown to be happier and have less conflict in their lives.

In fact, Borba and other experts say empathy may be the single most important skill for young adults to learn to thrive and get ahead in the 21st century.

Thankfully, human beings seem hardwired for empathy. It’s a trait that sets us apart from animals and it’s one that can be nurtured in children and young adults. That’s where parenting can be hugely rewarding, and, yes, exhausting at times. It takes a ton of work to raise good kids who care about other people.

Just as there’s no shortcut for parenting, there’s no quick solution for building up empathy. It takes a lot of conversation and role modeling and working on emotional skills. It takes commitment and intention. I would suggest that finding a good balance with technology and screen time is great place to start.

Mr Adam Halliday
DIRECTOR OF PASTORAL CARE

For Registration, go to www.scienceexperience.com.au

PROGRAMME DATES FOR WA

Curtin University, Perth - 10-13 December 2019
Murdoch University, Perth - 16-19 December, 2019
Edith Cowan University, Joondalup - 14-17 January 2020
UWA, Perth - 14-16 January 2020
Edith Cowan University, South West - 3-5 December 2019

REGISTRATION FEES

3 day Programme $190 (Includes GST)
4 day Programme $260 (Includes GST)