The Vine Newsletter

It gives us great pleasure to welcome you to Penrith Anglican College in 2022. I hope the holiday break has been an opportunity for you and your family to rest and refresh despite the ongoing challenges of COVID-19. 2022 is full of hope and great possibilities and I know it is going to be a wonderful year at the College.

We would like to particularly extend a very warm welcome to all our new students and their families to the College. You are joining a vibrant learning community where a strong sense of community and care is valued and nurtured.

This year, our enrolments have grown significantly across the College and we will start the year with over 70 more students. We also have 5 Kindergarten classes commencing for the first time in the history of the College. 2022 will see us develop our next Strategic Plan and a Master Plan for the College so we can continue to provide inspiring, challenging and engaging learning environments for our College.

Staff have returned to the College this week and they have been preparing for the teaching year ahead. Our professional learning has focused on the College theme for 2022 which is “Building Character to Serve Christ”. We look forward to sharing more on this theme as we move through the year.

This VINE is full of information families will need as they prepare to return to the College. At the beginning of Term 1, we will provide a full report of the HSC achievements of our students in 2021.

Mrs Felicity Grima
Principal

RAHT Kits
RAHT Kits will be available for families to collect on 28 January through a drive-thru service. Two weeks’ worth of tests will be provided for each student (4 tests total). 

To make sure we can safely manage this service to ensure everyone’s health and safety, please see the times of when you can collect your RAHT Kits:

Pre-K to Year 2 families         9.00am-11.30am
Years 3-6 families                 11.30am-1.30pm
Years 7-12                           1.30pm-3.30pm

Families will be signed off once they receive their kits. Unfortunately, other families are not able to collect the RAHT kits on someone else’s behalf.

If you have multiple children across many grades, please come at the time of your youngest child.

Please enter the car park via the eastern gates (automatic gates) and proceed towards the College administration building. There you will see cones and signs marked to direct you to wear you need to go.

Please ensure that you have your car park pass displayed on your windscreen and we ask that you are wearing a mask during this time.

If you cannot collect your family's RAHT Kits on Friday you may come on Saturday January 29 between 9-11am.

Twice Weekly Rapid Antigen Home Tests
Staff and students are required to screen for COVID-19 twice a week for the first four weeks of Term 1.

It is suggested that the testing to occur on Sunday evening or Monday morning, prior to school beginning and again on Wednesday morning.

The results of those tests, both Positive and Negative, will need to be communicated with the College. A link will be provided to all families to assist with reporting the results. This information is kept private and confidential in accordance with the Privacy Act.

We have a number of new staff joining us at the College in 2022.

Mrs Rebecca Finemore          Pre-K Aide

Mrs Candace Lamplough       Pre-K Aide

Mrs Melody Head                  Primary Learning Support Aide

Mr Matthew Asplin                Primary Teacher

Mrs Aimee Tindall                 Primary Teacher

Miss Nikki Tallada                 Primary Teacher

Ms Vicki McGrath                  Primary Teacher

Mr Nick Lane                        Head of Performing Arts

Ms Corrine Robinson             Mathematics Teacher

Mr Phil McIntyre                   Mathematics Teacher

Mrs Marina Assey                 Science Teacher

Mrs Alix Madden                   Science Teacher

Ms Josefa Calfoforo               HSIE Teacher

Mr Isaac Bingham                 PDHPE Teacher

Mr Mark Latham                   Science and Technologies Teacher

Mr Jacob Fleming                  English Teacher

Welcome back to the following staff returning from Maternity Leave:

Mrs Donica Marks                 Returning part-time to Mathematics

Mrs Rochelle Smith               Returning part-time to Primary

Mrs Kimberley Crawford        Returning part-time to Dance and English

Mrs Amy Harrison                 Returning to Administration

Mrs Helen Muller                   Returning to Primary G&T

Deputy Principal: Secondary – Mr Leighton Corr
[email protected]

Supports the Principal in the strategic and day-to-day leadership of the College with particular focus on the Secondary School.

Deputy Principal: Primary – Mrs Ljubica (Luby) Mansell
[email protected]

Supports the Principal in the strategic and day-to-day leadership of the College with particular focus on the Primary School.

Chaplain – Mr David Janzen
[email protected]

Leads the Chaplaincy and Christian Living Departments as well as the Christian fellowship, mission and outreach programs of the College.

Director of Operations P-12 – Mrs Wendy White
[email protected]

Oversees the daily operations of the College.

Director of Teaching and Learning P-12 – Mr Phil McMurray
[email protected]

Oversight of teaching and learning across the College including teacher accreditation and professional practice.

Director of Studies 7-12 – Mr Felix Kobus
[email protected]

Oversight of the academic program of the Secondary School.

Director of Student Wellbeing 7-12 – Miss Adele Crane
[email protected]

Oversight of the Student Wellbeing programs of the Secondary School.

Director of Student Development 10-12 – Mrs Fiona Wright
[email protected]

Oversight of the Student Development programs in 10-12 with a particular focus on Careers, CEP and Tabitha.

Business Manager – Mr Rodney Cosier
[email protected]

Supports the Principal in the management of the business, support services and property functions of the College.

 The 2022 College Term Dates is available on the College website and can also be downloaded via this link.

The Parent Portal on Edumate is one of the main forms of communication between the College and our families. It is important that you are checking the parent portal once or twice a week for any relevant communication or parent permission requests for excursions or sport.

You can view student timetables, classes and teachers by logging onto the parent portal and going to each child and looking at the timetable, which will start in Week 1. There still may be minor changes; in particular, to rooming however, the main fabric of the timetable will remain as is.

If you cannot remember your parent portal details, log onto Edumate through the link via the College Website. If you cannot remember your details click onto “Can’t login” on the bottom right hand side of the login screen.

Once parents have set their password in Edumate, you can download the College App and use this to read and update information on Edumate including recording absences. 

A reminder that the 2022 stationery lists for Years 3-12 are available on the College website.

Mrs Ljubica Mansell, Deputy Principal (Primary)

Dear Families

We welcome you all to a new year here at Penrith Anglican College and trust that you have had the opportunity to rest and enjoy some quality time with your loved ones.  We have included some information below that will allow families to prepare for the beginning of Term 1.

New staff
In 2022 we welcome a number of staff in the Primary School. We are excited to have so many quality professionals join our community. 

Matthew Asplin           Primary Teacher
Aimee Tindall              Primary Teacher
Nikki Tallada               Primary Teacher
Vicki McGrath             Primary Teacher
Rebecca Gange           Pre-K Teacher
Rebecca Finemore       Pre-K Aide
Candace Lamplough    Pre-K Aide
Melody Head              Learning Support Aide

We also welcome some staff back to our College in 2022.

Rochelle Smith           Primary Teacher
Helen Muller               Gifted and Talented Teacher

Diary Dates for Term 1 2022

First days of School

Pre-K 5- and 3-Day and Kindergarten begin Monday 31 January 2022
Year 6 Student Leaders begin Monday 31 January 2022 for leadership training.
Years 1-6 students return Tuesday 1 February 2022
Pre-K 2-day students begin Thursday 4 February 2022

Class Allocations
The timetable is currently live on Edumate but please know that it is not final until Friday 28 January 2022 at 5pm. Teachers will all have copies of the classes on Day 1 of school returning so we can assist your child if they are unsure of their core classes.

Uniform
All students in Kindergarten to Year 6 will commence in their full Summer Uniform and Summer Sports Uniform to be worn on Fridays only.

Pre-Kindergarten students will wear their Sports Uniform.

Please ensure that all uniform items are labelled.

What to bring each day In Primary
Students are asked to begin their lunchboxes and water bottles each day. We have water refill stations located around the school, but our bubblers are still non-operational. All items are to be labelled with your child’s full name and class.

Students will be given a diary that is required each day. It will be part of their uniform and is needed as an additional communication tool.

Masks are not mandatory in Primary settings, however, students are welcomed and encouraged to wear them while in the classroom.

All stationery and learning materials required as per the stationery lists are required from day one of school. Students in K-2 will have all their stationery items provided by the College. However, students who wish to bring their own pencil cases are welcome to do so. We do ask that all students in K-2 have their own headphones. Please ensure all items are labelled.

Classroom Times

Classroom and daily times in Primary will be the same as in term 4, 2021 and are as follows:

8.00am Supervision Begins

Mr Leighton Corr - Deputy Principal (Secondary)

Dear Families

Welcome to the New Year. A year where we had hoped to commence with far more certainty and the demands of Covid behind us. While that is not quite the case, we can assure you that we are working hard to be well prepared for the start of the school year.

We do hope you all had a chance to rest and relax over the break even with so much happening with the pandemic. This letter will provide you with information regarding the start of the year and also the year ahead. We hope you find this information helpful in preparing for your child returning, or joining us at Penrith for the first time. If you still have questions, please feel free to make contact with the College and we will seek to address any concerns you may have.

Daily Times
The day commences at 8:30am each day and concludes at 3:25pm. Each teaching period goes for 53 minutes and students should expect 50 minutes of teaching/learning and then time to pack up and head to their next lesson. Our Mentor time will go for 30 minutes each day with a schedule noted later in this letter.

Mobile Phones
A reminder for parents in the Secondary school about our Mobile Phone Policy; students cannot use their phones from the hours of 8:30am until 3:25pm. The exception to this is for the first 5 minutes of recess and the first 10 minutes of lunch. This will allow students to check their timetable, room changes, any important messages or contact home. Of course, we know at times phones can be used for learning activities and this will be communicated by the teacher for specific tasks. Outside of these times we ask that students keep their devices away.

Phones used outside of the appropriate windows will be confiscated for the remainder of the day and parents contacted if there is a second or third offence in any term.

Uniform
Our College uniform and sports uniform will remain the same in 2022 and the uniform shop is open ready for business. Please note that the uniform shop has moved locations and is now found in the L Block building. Details of our College uniform requirements can be found at: http://www.penrith.nsw.edu.au/enrol/essentials/uniforms/. 

The scheduled rehearsal for Tuesday, February 1st has been cancelled. More detailed information regarding rehearsals will be sent to families in the next week.

Miss Sophie Tucker
English & Drama Teacher / Head of House Ridley

Penrith Anglican College wishes to confirm that you are willing for images (an image can be in the form of photograph or video) of your child and/or details regarding their academic results or other achievements to be used in various media published in the public domain in 2022 or whether you would like to withdraw permission in 2022. 

If you are unwilling to allow images of your child to be used in any way by the College, please complete the details and return the form to the College by Friday 4 February 2022. A new form is required for 2022 if you do NOT wish images of your child to be used even if you have submitted one in previous years.

The Australian Government Department of Education, Skills and Employment (the department) would like to notify you that a request has been made for your child’s school to provide residential address and other information as required under the Australian Education Regulation 2013. 

What do you need to do? 

You are not required to do anything. Your school is responsible for providing the requested details to the department; however, you may wish to ensure that your school has the most up-to-date and correct details for your family. 

Contacts for further information 

Additional information about the Collection process is attached. Alternatively, please visit the SchoolsHUB Address Collection help and support page.

Please be advised the Uniform Shop has relocated to L Block.

We would like to invite all families who require their children to be fitted at the beginning of the year, to make an appointment. Due to the number of children who require new uniforms, we are only taking appointments at this time. This enables us to ensure there are no long waiting times and allows us to follow COVID-19 guidelines. 

Appointments can be made by clicking the link below.  It can also be found on the uniform page on the College website.  

https://penrithanglicancollege.permapleat.com.au/schoolbookings/

We encourage families to make an order online when possible.

Term Time Opening Hours are:

Tuesday       8:00am - 11:00am
Wednesday  12pm - 5pm
Friday          8:00am - 11:00am

If you have any further queries please do not hesitate to contact us by email [email protected] and we will respond during store opening hours. 

Kind Regards
Sharon Louis & Tanya Barnes
Perm-A-Pleat Uniform Store 

Please be advised Camp Australia has relocated to M Block (behind L Block that houses Kindy, Year 1 and Year 2 classrooms).

As 2022 approaches, we look forward to collaborating with Penrith Anglican College to welcome new families. Starting school is a major milestone for them and this transition process can be both exciting and challenging for children – and we relish the opportunity to help families during this time. 

Helpful information to get families started 
To make this new experience as comfortable and positive as possible for families and children, we have attached our Parent Information Leaflet which includes information about OSHC, our tailored programs, and how to register. 

Bookings now open for 2022
Families can prepare for the new school year as 2022 bookings for Your OSHC program are now open. Registration is free for families. We recommend that all families register so if they ever need or want to attend, all they need to do is book their session as we'll already have all the documentation we need from them. They simply have to log in and register through our Parent Portal, also available as a smartphone app, and start booking. 

Camp Australia

Students who need a School Opal card or travel pass for 2022 can apply now. A new application will need to be submitted if they are:

• Applying for a school travel pass for the first time, or
• If they are requesting an additional travel entitlement as a result of a new shared parental responsibility situation

Please see the attached letter from Transport NSW for more details.

The latest version of our Community Business Directory is now available for download.

The Community Business Directory acts as a link for business and families to support each other.  This initiative has been created by the Parents & Friends Association for businesses of Penrith Anglican College families rather than a general advertising site to assist our College Community during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Each business in the Directory has a direct link with a College family.

Please note, the Parents & Friends Association, Penrith Anglican College and their staff will not be liable for any interactions or transactions that occur between any parties connected through this P&F Initiative. The Parents & Friends Association has not vetted the information, products or offerings provided by these businesses. 

We will continue to update this document and post a link to the updated version on the website and the College App.  If you would like your business to participate in the Community Business Directory, please fill out the form via this link. There is no cost involved.

We are excited to be able to support our College families in this way, and hope you find this Directory helpful.