In Focus - Vol 5 - Edition 4 - 16 March 2018

Calista Blessing and Dedication

It was with great delight that we welcomed The Most Reverend Kay Goldsworthy, Archbishop of Perth, to Bless and Dedicate our Calista campus this week. In the presence of all our Kindergarten to Year 1 students, we were joined by very special guests to witness this wonderful occasion including Mrs Barbara Godwin, Chair of the Board of the Anglican Schools Commission, Our Chair of School Council, Mr Jeremy Ludlow and Foundation Chair, Mr Keith Lindbeck who shared stories about the purchasing and refurbishment of the campus. The Reverend Peter Laurence, CEO of the Anglican Schools Commission told us stories about the significance of friendships and happiness.  We were delighted to hear the Peter Carnley Children’s Choir singing ‘Instrument of Peace’ whilst the ELC students sang ‘If I were a Butterfly’.

Guests to PCACS

On Wednesday 7 March, Dr Mark Sly, the President of Anglican Schools Australia came for a visit.  It was an honour to take Dr Sly around the School to visit classrooms and to meet some of our staff and students. This week we hosted the ASC Senior Staff of Junior School Meeting. Over a dozen staff from our fellow ASC schools came together to meet and collaborate. Mrs Dunnill presented a workshop on Core Competencies, sparking much interest across the network of schools. Our visitors commented on the quality of our buildings, the clean and beautiful grounds, the welcoming staff and the friendly students. The sound of joyful playing, learning and singing is an uplifting and notable feature of our School.

ACC Swimming Carnival

After winning the Division G ACC Swimming Carnival in 2017, this year we have been elevated to Division F. The calibre of competitors created fierce competition, a challenge our squad was only too willing to take on. As the representative Principal for the day, I was given the honour of awarding all the trophies for the carnival. Our students sense of team spirit was strong and we came 3rd out of the 7 schools in our Division. (Only 44 points separated the hotly contested top 3 places).  Our boys won the Junior Boys Trophy.

Congratulations to Breanna McNamara, Alicia Allen and Jake Crellin for winning Age Champions in their respective categories.

Congratulations to all our students who represented PCACS, especially to those who broke PBs on the day. Well done!

Commonwealth Day Multi Faith Observance

Our Prefects and House Leaders participated in the Multi Faith Observance for Commonwealth Day at St George’s Cathedral on Sunday 11 March, in the distinguished presence of Her Excellency, The Honourable Mrs Kerry Sanderson AC and Assistant Bishop Kate Wilmot. The Commonwealth is made up of 53 countries, making up a quarter of the world’s population, with the core values of equality, justice and democracy. Our student leaders carried flags of Commonwealth Nations in the processional, with Ashleigh Watson holding the honour of carrying the Commonwealth flag.

Kwinana Industries Council (KIC)

Being a member of the Kwinana Industries Council Education Group presents opportunities for our students within the community.  One of these is for our students to enter the KIC Youth Art Awards. Categories included Visual Art, Digital Media, Fabrics, Woodwork and Metalwork. The exhibition was officially opened at the Gary Holland Centre in Rockingham on Wednesday 14 Marc. Congratulations to Abby Foster – Winner of the Woodwork and Metalwork Category; Tia Nixon-Smith – Runner Up of the Fabric, Fashion and Accessories Category; Eve Pattiselanno – Runner Up of the KIC Presidents Award.

It was wonderful to see our PCACS Senior School Choir on display, entertaining the audience with their beautiful voices.

The exhibition is open to the public from Thursday 15 March until Thursday 22 March between 10.00am and 4.00pm.

Year 10 students Breanna McNamara and Ebonie Cortez are participating in the KIC iWomen Project.  This project exposes students to career opportunities available in industry. They participate in workshops, meet people in industry and focus on resume writing and mock interviews.

Other projects run by KIC throughout the year which our School participates in are Bright Sparx, iMen, iScience, iDiversity, iConference

Ms Felicity House
Principal

Head of Senior School…..link up

The Year 7, 8 & 9 Parent Information Night on Tuesday 6 March outlined some key messages to the many parents and their sons/daughters who attended this event.  Detailed information relating to the New Senior School Awards System that will promote and encourage all students to achieve their personal best in academic, sporting, cultural and citizenship was outlined to those in attendance.  This new system will be presented to the School Community with more detailed criteria that students will need to demonstrate to be gain any of the awards.

Several years of data was presented to give parents; a snapshot of the academic improvement in NAPLAN, OLNA and the Year 12 WACE and ATAR performances.  The academic improvements and the strategies outlined places PCACS as a major academic performer in the surrounding districts.  The processes mandated by the School Curriculum and Standards Authority (Authority) relating to the ‘judging standards’ and the School’s internal moderation mechanisms offered parents an assurance that their child was engaged in meaningful learning with a range of alternative pathways for all students.

Our roll out of SEQTA to parents listed the main information framework structure that will give parents access to their child’s learning details and their results for all courses.  Letters, important dates and general information will also be readily available.  SEQTA will become a significant communication tool for students, staff and parents.

Interim Reports

Interim Reports will be available on SEQTA from Monday 26 March.  This report gives early indicators of the academic results a student is achieving and begins a dialogue between the parent, school and the student.  Please take this opportunity to discuss your child’s progress at the Parent, Student and Teacher interviews scheduled as follows:

• Tuesday 8/5/18, 3:30 – 7:50pm = Year 9-12 Interviews.
• Tuesday 15/5/18, 3:30 – 7:50pm = Year 7/8 Interviews.

A letter will be sent to Year 11 and 12 parents requesting an interview if early results indicate that their child is at risk.

Information outlining the process to make an interview time will be sent to all parents by the end of this term.

National Assessment Program Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN)

PCACS Years 3, 5, 7, & 9 will be participating in the ONLINE NAPLAN programme again this year.  A letter will be given to your child to take home at the end of this term.  Please take the time to read this information letter.  A schedule will be published before the end of this term.  All students will be prepared thoroughly for this national assessment program (Note: Year 3 students will complete their Writing NAPLAN using paper and pencil).

A reminder to all parents and their child to review the Years 11 and 12 and Years 7 to 10 Assessment Policies available on the School website.

Please contact me at the School for further information.

God Bless

Ms Judith Stringer
HEAD OF SENIOR SCHOOL

Harmony Week 15 – 21 March

The Junior School is about to celebrate Harmony Week, (20 and 21 March) the time set aside for all Western Australians to celebrate our vibrant multicultural State, and more importantly, for our School community to celebrate our wonderful multi-cultural school. 

This is the week for us all to encourage, experience, explore and appreciate each other’s wealth of cultural, religious, linguistic and ethnic diversity.  We share a rich heritage that originates from every part of the world, and here in the Junior School, we are learning what it means to celebrate inclusiveness, respect and a sense of belonging for all Australians, from the traditional owners of the land to those who have come from many countries around the world.

In order to discover where we all come from, we have displayed large world maps at each campus so that every student can place a dot sticker on the country from where his or her family originates.  The final result will be very colourful, and I suspect that a huge number of countries will be represented. 

Some facts!  Did you know that the 2016 Census showed that:

• One-third (32.2 per cent) of Western Australians are born overseas — that’s the highest percentage of the population for any Australian State or Territory
• Among those born overseas, people from non-main English speaking countries (410,291) outnumbered those from main English speaking countries (387,423) for the first time since the Census began in Western Australia
• The top five countries of birth are England, New Zealand, India, South Africa and the Philippines
• WA’s population speaks more than 240 languages.  The top five languages spoken at home (other than English) are: Mandarin, Italian, Vietnamese, Cantonese and Tagalog (Philippines).  Italian is the largest ‘language group’ other than English’ groups.  Note: we teach Italian at our School
• More than 100 religious faiths are followed in WA.

Some of the activities we will be doing at School in celebration of our School community:

• We might be finding out how many people in our class speak more than one language. They might even teach the class a few words.  We might be saying ‘good morning/afternoon’ in a different language during the week.
• We might make a list of words used in English that come from other languages, for example: shampoo, karaoke, sofa, lemon, robot – not to mention spaghetti and pizza!
• We will be creating whole-class or individual harmony projects, for example: decorations, art displays, posters, etc to symbolises the diverse cultural backgrounds of students in the school.  Look out for some of these displays in the classrooms.
• We might dress up in our National costumes, and parade around the campus.
• We might read some Harmony Day Stories, and sing some songs in another language.
• We might taste different foods that are enjoyed in other countries
• We might talk about different aspects of racism, and how hurts can be easily transmitted to others, whether intentionally or unintentionally.
• We might write poems or narratives expressing our own understandings of Harmony Week.

Our diversity makes Western Australia a great place to live, a place that celebrates cultural respect for everyone who calls Australia home.  Join in, and we can make a world of difference!

Mrs Maggie Dunnill
Head of Junior School

Thank you to all families that have paid their School and Music Tuition fees for Term 1. 

If you have not paid or made arrangements to pay your Music Tuition Fees, please do so without delay as non-payment may result in your child/children being withdrawn from the programme.

Kwinana Industries Youth Art Awards opened on Wednesday 14 March and runs until Wednesday 21 March at the Gary Holland Centre in Rockingham.

Take time out this weekto view the excellent creative work of seven of our past and present students who have had their work selected for exhibition in this prestigious competition. Students represented are Abbey Foster (Year 8, 2017), Eve Pattiselanno (Year 9, 2017), Breanna McNamara (Year 9, 2017), Shekinah Wilkinson (Year 9, 2017), Lewis Wipp (Year 10, 2017), Tia Nixon-Smith (Year 12, 2017), Cameron Pavey (Year 12, 2017) and Dung (Yoong) Le (Year 12, 2017).

Term 1 Junior School Co Curricular

It has been fantastic to see the Junior School students enjoying their Co Curricular activities this term. PCACS staff offer their time to deliver a range of fun and interactive programmes to support student learning as well as student’s social, physical and mental wellbeing.

There are a number of activities being run on the Calista and Wellard Campuses this term. At Calista, students have the opportunity to participate in Yoga Club, Colouring Club, Outdoor Play and Trikes Group, Lego Club and Craft Club.

At Wellard, students have enrolled in activities including Volleyball, Chess Club, Tournament of Minds, Hockey, Swimming, Netball, Lego Club, Craft Club and Computer Club.

Parents are reminded to collect students from the relevant pick up area at Calista, and from the Junior School courtyard at Wellard, no later than 4.30pm.

Nominations for Term 2 activities will be available in Week 9 of Term 1.

Ms Samantha Maddy
Junior School Co Curricular Coordinator

Hello parents and friends,

We are now just one week away from our biggest event all year, the disco!

We hope by now that Friday 23 March has been locked into your calendar.  The disco will be held in the undercover area at the Wellard campus, with the ELC Disco starting at 5pm and the Senior Dance Party finishing at 10pm, proving to be a very long day for us all!  Tickets will again be available for presale at both campuses on Thursday 22 March and Friday 23 March from 8-8.30 am.  Card facilities will be available at the Calista campus only, Wellard will be cash only.

Catering for all students from Kindy through to Year 12, the ELC (Kindy –Y2) and Junior (Y3-Y6) disco will have a fantastic DJ entertaining the kids on the night with music and karaoke as well as other games and prizes.  After listening to feedback from last year, we have made a few changes to the dance party with the seniors (Y7-Y12) having a combination of the band playing covers only, as well as a DJ playing all of 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.

I would also like to remind all ELC parents that an adult guardian must remain at the disco with their children at all times.

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.  We are now urgently seeking volunteers to help 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.

Looking forward to seeing all of you in your dancing shoes next week!

Ms Clarissa Thomson
President
PCACS P&F

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:  94393499

On Friday Week 5, the Year 4 classes travelled by foot to the Calista Campus to meet their Pre Primary buddies. 

When we arrived, the Year 4s were so amazed by the colourful environment of the school grounds and the classrooms. Students were welcomed with open arms and big smiles. Eagerly awaiting them were 90 Pre Primary students. Some students were taken back at first, but once given the opportunity to settle in, they interacted with their buddies by drawing pictures and reading books. Afterwards, the Year 4s joined the Pre Primary’s for recess and a play in their beautiful nature bush play area. The Year 4s thoroughly enjoyed their experience over at Calista and are excited to return at the end of Term 1.

Year 4 Teachers

On the 23 February, the Year 4 students went on an excursion to the Perth Zoo as part of the Year 4 Geography Programme.

The students started off by walking to the Wellard Train Station, before catching the Ferry to the South Perth Foreshore. This was a unique opportunity for some students, as they had never been on a ferry before. The students were even surprised by a visit from one of the local dolphins.

Once we arrived at the Zoo, students divided themselves into three groups. All students had the opportunity to participate in a unique learning experience that looked at the physical, social and behavioural adaptations of African Savannah animals. Did you know? A lot of animals that live in the Savannah like the Antelope, Rhinoceros and Elephant get the majority of water that they need from the vegetation they consume. Also, the black circles around the eyes of the Cheetah act as a natural pair of sunglasses, absorbing the sun and preventing it from reflecting back into their eyes. Students also had an opportunity to explore the zoo to look at the adaptations of other animals that live in Australia and Asia.

At the end of the day, we boarded the ferry again, before making our way back to school. Judging by the number of tired and exhausted students on the train, it was an engaging experience that many will not forget. Students are now looking forward to using this new knowledge to help them write Information Reports in the classroom. 

Our next Library Busy Bee for the term will be held as follows:

Date : Wednesday 28 March
Time: 8.30am until 10.30am
(Morning Tea provided)
Venue : Library

All assistance is welcome and appreciated.

Mrs Melanie Hill
LIBRARY OFFICER

Congratulations to the following students who recently completed in the recent State Little Athletics Competition.

Luke LAWRENCE (Year 4)
Zayde KINGSTON (Year 4)
Tyler LAYMAN (Year 6)
Trinity JENKIN (Year 6)
Charis KINGSTON (Year 7)
Allie KNIGHT (Year 7)
Lataya LAWRENCE (Year 7)
Nathaniel HUTTON (Year 10)
Declan RYAN (Year 11)

Last week I wrote a little bit about the service of Baptism, and I thought I would give a bit more information this week. 

Baptism and Christening are the same service. Baptism can be done at any age, and in previous times was done to all infants at about 6 weeks of age. These days, the decision to baptise an infant is not automatic, and so the family can choose to let the child decide for themselves whether they would like to be baptised or not, when they are a bit older. When this happens, the child will attend some classes to ensure they understand the promises they are making, as the Christian church sees these promises as having a fair amount of weight and should be taken seriously. Baptism welcomes the person into the universal church, and is recognised all over the world. If you change the denomination of church you attend, you do not need to be rebaptised, as this is a once-for-all event and cannot be repeated.

As I mentioned last week, if a person wishing to be Baptised is over the age of 13 or so, then the Bishop will encourage that person to also be Confirmed in the same service. 

Baptism and Confirmation are public declarations of your Christian faith. As people can be baptised as infants or young children, the Confirmation service is the public service in which the candidate publicly declares their Christian faith, and serious promises are made to this effect.

If these are services you are interested in either for yourself or your child, please do let me know on chaplain@pcacs.wa.edu.au and we can start these conversations. 

We also have Parent Prayer meetings here at School. Typically, these have been once a month, at 8.30 at the Wellard Campus, but our numbers have reduced to such that we are able to rethink when and where we meet. If you are interested in this, please do let me know on chaplain@pcacs.wa.edu.au or via our main switchboard, and we can work out when is best to meet. 

Services at All Saints, Kwinana  
9am Sundays - usual Sunday Communion service. 
All are welcome. 

God bless,

Reverend Melanie Simms
School Chaplain