In Focus - Vol 5 - Edition 3 - 2 March 2018

Swimming Carnival

On Thursday 22 February we held our Senior School Swimming Carnival at Aqua Jetty in Warnbro.  House spirit was alive and the centre was awash with our House colours.  It was great see such high levels of participation as well as a strong spirit of competition.  Thank you to all the parents who joined us for the day.  Well done to Laurence for bringing home the House shield.

Parent and Friends

I am pleased to announce that Ms Clarissa Thompson was elected to the position of President of the P&F at the first P&F meeting of the year.  I look forward to working with Clarissa in her new role and thank the P&F for their enthusiasm and hard work.  The 2018 P&F calendar is full of wonderful friend raising opportunities.   Copies of the calendar have been distributed at the various Parent Evenings and a copy can be found on the Website. 

Welcome Mornings

Welcome Mornings are held once a month at both Campuses to allow prospective families to view our School in operation.  If you know any family or friends who may be interested in enrolling at PCACS, please encourage them to join us.  Calista parents are always welcome if they would like to take a tour of the Wellard Campus. 

Scholarships

PCACS have advertised a number of scholarships for 2019.  Please visit our website to see the opportunities available for Senior School students.

Year 5 Camp

It was with great excitement that the Year 5 students set off for their camp at Forest Edge in Waroona and they were not disappointed.  They were treated to perfect weather for a variety of enjoyable and challenging activities. Zip lining, low ropes, incentive course, climbing wall and canoeing were amongst their activities.  Thanks goes to the staff and parents who attended, allowing the students to enjoy this enriching experience.

Kiss and GO

A number of problems are apparent at pick up time, both at Calista and Wellard.  It is important for all parents and carers to show patience and respect at this pressured time of day.  Please do not park in the Wellard Kiss and Go.  If your child is not waiting for you and ready to go straight to your car, then move to a designated parking bay to allow the traffic to flow.  The Kiss and Go is only for Junior School students.  Senior School students should be walking up to Wellard oval or using Abingdon Crescent.  When moving through the Calista or Wellard car park, please drive at walking pace.  It is the responsibility of all parents and carers to follow these guidelines to ensure the safety of all. 

Ms Felicity House
Principal

Welcome to the Senior School 2018 academic year.  We are now three weeks into Term 1 and it has truly been a smooth and positive start.  This affirms the preparation by staff to instil confidence in our students that their school experiences will be only good experiences and will guide each one of them to be open to new and wonderful life changes.

Year 12 students are fully aware that any changes to courses after week 3 may affect their end of year results and is not recommended by the School Curriculum & Standards Authority (SCSA).  Year 11 students are encouraged to continue in their current timetabled courses and a review of all students will be completed towards the end of Semester 1 when changes can be actioned with thorough consultation and within the School and the SCSA guidelines

Years 7, 8, 9 & 10 students have settled into their learning and will soon be completing their first set of assessments.

YEARS 7, 8 AND 9 PARENT INFORMATION NIGHT

An important information night will be held in the Keith Lindbeck Centre (KLC) on Tuesday, 6 March commencing at 6.00pm and will conclude at approximately 7.00pm.  The purpose of this School event is to inform parents and students from Years 7 - 9 of the curriculum requirements and to highlight the key elements of the Western Australian Curriculum Outline that will affect all students.   In addition, some added value initiatives will be outlined at this event.
We encourage all parents to put this date into their calendars and make it a priority to attend.  Getting the knowledge and understanding of ‘the system’ will only lead to positive and open communications and a successful partnership between the School, parents and the student.

Key discussion points:

• Aims: 2018 at PCACS – what is different?
• NAPLAN/OLNA & WACE and beyond (Actual results and how it will affect your child).
• Awards System and positive behaviour expectations.
• Balancing the routine between school, study and family.
• Navigating the School Curriculum & Standards Authority website.
• Course and Assessment Outlines:  How to navigate SEQTA.
• How it all works:  Achievement Standards/Judging Standards.
• Access and diverse learning for all students at PCACS

A letter will be sent home with your child and we ask you to return the signed reply slip to your child’s Tutor Teacher by the due date indicating whether you are able/unable to attend.

I would like to welcome Mr Ross Dods, Director of Curriculum; a newly created position at PCACS, who will be working with me in the Senior School to assist all students with their learning and to support staff as required.  I am personally looking forward to Mr Dods assisting with the growing demands of curriculum in schools and his appointment will add another layer of support for all students.

Parents are very welcome to contact me if you wish to discuss your child’s learning.

Ms Judith Stringer
HEAD OF SENIOR SCHOOL

ROCK AND WATER

The Junior School has embarked on a learning journey this term with the implementation of the Rock and Water Program across all year levels. The Rock and Water program is a socio-emotional program centred around safety, integrity, solidarity and spirituality. Developed in the Netherlands, the program aims to teach self-regulation, self-reflection and self confidence in children through physical games and learning experiences.

This term, students have been learning how to ground themselves and focus on their breath as a tool that can help assist their focus and emotional state. Students are taught to bring their breath from an excited state (high breath, located in their chest) to a calm, grounded breath (low breath, located in their stomach). Once we practise bringing our breath and body to a low grounded state, the students are challenged with high energy, exciting games. Discussions afterwards encourage the student to reflect how their body reacted to different situations and how they can work to control their reactions, particularly in an exciting environment. Children react well to these hands on activities and it allows them to reflect on the way in which their bodies and minds are connected, and how their bodies can signal what their mind is feeling. This is important as emotions can be quite abstract ideas, but by bringing it into the body, the students connect with real, tangible signals.

A typical Rock and Water session is very active and engaging for the students and we like to run them during tutor times in the morning. The group commences with a breathing, grounding exercise and then moves into games. My personal favourite involves trying to prevent someone taking a ping pong ball from my hand using only my peripheral vision. As the game goes on and the anticipation rises, I have to work hard at keeping my body and my breath in a calm, grounded state. I don’t always succeed! After the games, the group comes back together to discuss their challenges and their successes. Respect is spoken about throughout the session as a key component of the learning.

Next term, students will move towards discussing the attitudes of the rock (immovable, solid) and the water (flexible, communicative) in solving conflict and disagreements. They will also explore ideas around how their body communicates messages through actions and how we can assist the body in shifting our moods.

We are looking forward to seeing the improvements in self-reflection and self-regulation with our students. If you are interested in learning about the grounding technique for your child or have any other questions about this program, please speak with any of the Junior School Staff.

Ms Kierin Janes
DIRECTOR OF UPPER JUNIOR

Kwinana Community Funding Program

Recently the School was successful in gaining $1500 of funding as part of the Kwinana Community Funding Program.  This programme is a joint collaboration between the City of Kwinana, The Kwinana Community Chest and Bendigo Bank.  The funding we received has enabled us to purchase and install a Defibrillator in the Keith Lindbeck Centre.  This device is an invaluable addition to our campus and ensures that we have the necessary means on School grounds to respond to an emergency medical situation.  The addition of this defibrillator now brings our total number to 3 devices across our 2 campuses.  We thank the Kwinana Community Funding Program for their generous support of our School and this initiative.

Parent Notes - SEQTA Engage 

The Parent Note section of the old School website has now moved into the SEQTA Engage Portal. All excursion letters and information for parents can be found under the ”Parent Letters and Information” section.  Relevant School Policies and Handbooks can be found in the “Documents” section.
   
All Junior School parents will be sent an activation email with instruction on how to set up their SEQTA Engage account. The SEQTA Engage portal can be accessed by clicking on the SEQTA link on the website.

If you have any issues gaining access, please email the School at info@pcacs.wa.edu.au

God Bless

Mr Shane Parnell
Head of IT and Operations

This important Parent Information Night will be held in the Keith Lindbeck Centre (KLC) on Tuesday 6 March commencing at 6.00pm and will conclude at approximately 7.00pm. We recommend attendance by all Years 7, 8 and 9 parents.

Open communication is the key to assist your child throughout their Secondary Schooling and this night will be the beginning of a successful partnership between the School, student and parents.

The purpose of this School event is to inform parents and students from Years 7 - 9 of the curriculum requirements and to highlight the key elements of the Western Australian Curriculum Outline that will affect all students. http://k10outline.scsa.wa.edu....

Key discussion points:

• Aims: 2018 at PCACS
• NAPLAN/OLNA & WACE and beyond
• Awards System and positive behaviour expectations
• Balancing the routine between school, study and family
• Navigating the School Curriculum & Standards Authority website
• Course and Assessment Outlines: How to navigate SEQTA.
• How it all works: Achievement Standards/Judging Standards.
• Access for all students: Modified programmes purpose and reporting.

We look forward to seeing you at the Parent Information Night.

At PCACS we aim to create a safe and supportive school community for everyone.

Sometimes, it can be difficult for parents or carers to know what to do when their child talks to them about bullying.

You are an important part of our work to prevent bullying and to respond effectively if it happens.  Stopping bullying involves everyone.

If your child talks to you about bullying:
Listen calmly and get the full story. Your calm response is important to allow your child to tell you all about the situation.  After they’ve told you their story, ask questions to get more details if you need to: who, what, where, when.  Although you may feel some strong emotions about your child’s experience, try to keep calm to avoid more distress to your child. 

Reassure your child they are not to blame. Many children blame themselves and this may make them feel even worse. You could say things like, ‘That sounds really hard to deal with. No one should have to put up with that.’ or ‘I’m so glad you told me. You should be able to feel safe at school; that’s not fair at all’.

Ask your child what they want to do and what they want you to do. A critical part of your response is to avoid jumping in to solve the problem.  While it is natural to want to protect your child, helping them to find their own solution is a better option.  It helps them feel they have some power in the situation.

Visit www.bullyingnoway.gov.au to find some strategies. The website has tips and ideas for different bullying situations. One idea is to practise strategies at home to help your child feel more confident.

Contact the school. Your child may be reluctant for you to do this, so discuss the idea and reassure them that the school would want to know and is able to help. Make an appointment to meet with your child’s teacher and, if you need to, ask to talk with the principal. Contact the school immediately if you have a concern about your child’s safety. 

Check in regularly with your child.  Keep the conversation going. It can take time to resolve issues, so check in regularly with your child about their experiences and their feelings.  Your ongoing support is important. 

 In the lead up to ‘Bullying No Way Day’ on Friday 16 March 2018, our year 7 students have been exploring the issue of bullying.  They have developed anti-bullying pledges which will be displayed in the library after Friday 16 March.  

Our partnership with the ‘Bullying No Way’ organisation is a positive step towards bringing the school community together to help find workable solutions that address bullying and violence.

Mr Adam Halliday
DIRECTOR OF PASTORAL CARE

Service Learning

Service Learning combines meaningful community service activities with formal learning in the classroom.  It includes instruction and reflection to enrich the entire experience, teach civic responsibility and strengthen communities.  It endeavours to have students involved in activities that support the community’s needs whilst developing the students as ethical citizens with strong character.

Service Learning is a new area of focus for the School.  We are currently planning a Kindergarten to Year 12 programme that will enrich the students’ experiences at School by providing opportunities to reach into our community to support those around us.  

I am on the search for local community organisations that parents or members of our school community have connections with that we may be able to support and create a partnership with in the future.  If you have any ideas or thoughts you can share with me on Service Learning, I would love to hear from you via phone or email. 

I look forward to sharing more with you about Service Learning in the coming months and working with our School community to create a meaningful, diverse and rich Service Learning Programme.

Walkabout Cambodia 2019

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an overseas service learning experience for the current Year 10 and 11 students.  Students from Peter Carnley Anglican Community School, along with students from John Wollaston Anglican Community School, have been invited to join Frederick Irwin Anglican School’s service learning tour to Cambodia in April 2019.  The main focus of this trip is for students to work one-on-one with ex-street children teaching them English and building relationships.  To find out more details including dates, purpose of the trip, itinerary, cost, supervision and participation expectations, parents and students are invited to attend an information evening on Tuesday 20 March at 6.00pm in the Admin Seminar Room.  Please email me to confirm your attendance at the meeting.  If you are unable to attend the meeting and would like more information, please email or phone me at the School.
Mrs Rebecca Weddikkara
Service Learning Coordinator 
Email:  rebeccaw@pcacs.wa.edu.au
Phone:  (08) 9439 3499

2018 Senior Interhouse Swimming Carnival

The 2018 PCACS Senior Inter House Swimming Carnival was held in Week 4 at the Warnbro Aqua Jetty.  Weather conditions were perfect and the competition was fierce.

The students, looked fantastic in their House colours and came to the Warnbro Aqua Jetty ready to battle.  Competition was fierce early with our Year 7s leading the way with some excellent swimming.  
The day ran smoothly largely thanks to our fantastic teachers and parent support, as well as the exemplary behaviour shown by our students. It was great to see the comradeship and sportsmanship particularly with some of our weaker swimmers. The encouragement shown to all competitors was evident that our School spirit is glowing.

Congratulation to Laurence House on winning the carnival.  

Thank you to all the parents, teachers, students and friends for their help and support with the running of the carnival.

Mr Roh Weddikkara
LEARNING AREA Coordinator –Health and Physical Education

ACC Interschool Swimming Carnival

A squad of 50 students have been selected to represent the School in the upcoming ACC Senior Interschool Swimming Carnival to be held on Wednesday 14 March at HBF Stadium outdoor pool.  We wish the squad all the best for the big day.  The squad will also be participating in a training day (RKAS swim meet) on the 6th of March to prepare for the carnival, the purpose of this is to bring the squad together and fine tune their skills.  As we have moved up to F division the competition will be a lot stronger.

RKAS Sport

The Rockingham-Kwinana Associated Schools (RKAS) Wednesday sports competition is now underway.  Our years 9 and 10s have so far competed against The King’s College and Serpentine Jarrahdale Grammar School.  The year 9 boys’ basketball team is coached by Mrs Ward and the Year 10 Boys’ basketball team is coached by Mr Radulovic.  The year 9/10 girls’ soccer team is coached by Ms Hunter.
The teams have all performed well and have enjoyed the competition and are enthusiastic about representing the School.  Fixtures, results and ladders can be viewed on the following link: 

http://www.metisc.com.au/iscor...

ACC APP

The Associated and Catholic Colleges (ACC), which is our sporting association for all senior school interschool sport has designed an APP which gives students, parents and teachers easy access to the ACC Sport information in a fast and convenient format.  Most people carry a mobile device with them and the ACC sport app will make it easier to access news, results, event information, fixtures, programs etc…from the Associated & Catholic Colleges.  

This is the must have app to follow everything ACC Sport.  Results from all events, breaking news, important updates, calendar events, event photos, event programs, fixtures, contact details and GPS carnival locations.

The APP is free and is available on all mobile devices and I encourage you to all get on board and have up to date information regarding Interschool sport.

Mr Roh Weddikkara
Subject Coordinator  - Health and Physical Education

Tips to help your child get organised!

Display a term planner in their study area and together write-in due dates for projects and also for when tests are on (see Course Outline for due date details).

Provide a plastic folder to put in worksheets to take home if they are required for homework. This saves students having to think at the end of the day what to pack for homework .

Read the diary together each night to see what is coming up. Sign the diary! Communicate to teachers if your child worked on the homework to the best of their ability, even if they didn’t finish.  This is valuable information for teachers. 

Inclusive Education Team  

Ky Hamersley

Congratulations to Year 3 student Ky Hamersley, who recently competed in the Zones Athletics Competition. Under 7 and Under 8 athletes are too young to go to the state competition so they receive medals at Zones instead. 

Ky finished with silver in the (long jump) and bronze in the 70m (70m). 

Hello parents and friends,

The committee held their first meeting last week and high on the agenda was the appointment of a new President for 2018.  I am proud to announce that I was officially voted in to the position and look forward to an exciting year ahead!

P&F Event Calendar

The annual P&F calendar which outlines all of our events as well as important school dates is now available.  Hopefully by now you have already received a copy but for anyone who has missed out these are available for collection from reception at both campuses.

Welcome Morning Tea

Our first event for the year is now done and dusted.  Thankfully, the clouds parted for a beautifully sunny morning and we were joined by a group of mostly new parents for a cuppa and the chance to get to know one another.  After such a successful morning we are now working on a Wellard event for next term, so keep your eyes peeled for more information towards the end of Term 1.

Annual Disco

We are now well into preparations for the Disco/Dance Party on Friday 23 March to be held in the undercover area at the Wellard campus, flyers will be coming home soon with all the information.  Tickets will again be available for presale in the days leading up the event and information about dates and times will be available in the coming weeks.
  
Catering for all students from Kindy through to Year 12, the ELC (Kindy - Year 2) and Junior (Year 3 - Year 6) disco will have a fantastic DJ entertaining the kids on the night with music, karaoke as well as other games and prizes.  The seniors (Year 7 - Year 12) will have a band playing covers of all your favourite tunes together with the return of the popular photo booth.  There will be snacks, lollies and drinks available to purchase from the canteen and of course we couldn’t forget the very popular pizza and punch which is available exclusively at the Dance Party.

As I am sure you are all well aware, the disco is our biggest event for the year and does require many volunteers to make it work.  As committee members it is not unusual for us to spend anywhere from 5 to 12 hours at the school on disco day preparing and running the event.  As such, we are again looking for volunteers this year to help as much as possible as the more help we have, the earlier we can all get home on the night.  If you are able to spare some time to come along and help out in the canteen, student marshalling, or car park patrol please email us at pcacspf@gmail.com.

Clarissa Thomson
PRESIDENT - PCACS P&F

I have heard a number of stories of students or teachers who are really excited about the beginning of the school year and all the adventures and challenges this year will hold.

I have also heard from a few (mostly senior school) students who are apprehensive of the new year and nervous of what this year will hold. They seem to be aware that this is a big year for them, different to the ones that have come before, nervous of all the hard work that will be needed and wondering if they are up to meeting the challenge of the work that is required of them.

This has reminded me of what the Old Testament prophet Isaiah wrote back in the 8thC BCE, when he reflected upon the earlier Israelites’ journey from slavery in Egypt to the Promised Land, “16This is what the LORD says- he who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters, 17who drew out the chariots and horses, the army and reinforcements together, and they lay there, never to rise again, extinguished, snuffed out like a wick: 18”Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.

19See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”

While I REALLY hope you do not see school as a wilderness or a wasteland, this Scripture points out to us that God is with us wherever we go, and wherever we are. There is no place on Earth where
God cannot find us. There is no situation we find ourselves in that God cannot help us through, if we ask him.

The New Year is a wonderful time to think of all the exciting opportunities ahead of us: to dream of adventures and possibilities and good times with family and friends.

May you be blessed this year in all its challenges and opportunities. May you know God’s peace in all you do. 

God bless,

Services at All Saints, Kwinana

9am Sundays - usual Sunday Communion service.

All are welcome. 

The Reverend Melanie Simms
CHAPLAIN