The Vine Newsletter

COVID Update

From today, the Public Health Order (PHO) has been updated to reduce the isolation requirements for people who have tested positive to COVID-19 from 7 days to 5 days, provided the person does not have any acute symptoms on day 5. (If acute symptoms remain, the person must stay in isolation for 7 days.)

The PHO now requires any student or staff member who tests positive to COVID-19 to comply with the NSW Health Testing Positive to COVID-19 Fact Sheet for 7 days after they have tested positive.  The Testing Positive to COVID-19 Fact Sheet requires a person who has tested positive to comply with the following five requirements:

• Register your rapid antigen test on the Service NSW website as soon as possible (PCR test results are automatically registered).
• Self-isolate immediately for 5 days from the day you did your test. If you continue to have acute symptoms, such as a sore throat, runny nose, cough, or shortness of breath, remain in self-isolation for 7 days from the day you did your test.
• Not enter certain high-risk settings for 7 days from the day you did your test, including hospitals, health facilities, residential aged care, and residential disability care facilities.
• Notify your household that you have tested positive and self-isolate from them as much as possible. (Household contacts must follow the NSW Health Household and Close Contact Guidelines for 7 days.)
• Notify the school and people you have spent time with from the 2 days before you started having symptoms or 2 days before you tested positive (whichever came first) that you have COVID-19.

Please continue to notify the College of a positive test result via the Positive Test Result Notification link:https://forms.office.com/r/8yNj6g2eHT

As people who have tested positive to COVID-19 can transmit COVID-19 to other people for up to 10 days after they have tested positive, NSW Health strongly recommends that positive cases take the following precautions after they leave self-isolation until 10 days after their positive test was taken:

• Wear a mask in indoor settings other than your home.
• Avoid healthcare, aged care, disability or correctional settings unless you need medical care or in an emergency.
• Avoid contact with people at high risk of severe illness.
• Avoid large or crowded indoor gatherings or undertake a rapid antigen test if you need to attend an indoor gathering, and do not attend the gathering if the result is positive.
• Work or study from home where practicable.

Please contact me if you have any questions.

Mrs Felicity Grima
Principal

Penrith Anglican College has held a Clean Up Australia day event each year since 2000, assisting the local community and giving students a chance to volunteer in their community. This year with the closure of Regatta Park for maintenance, the site has relocated to Hunter Fields at Emu Plains.

Date:  Sunday 18 September   

Time:  7.00am to 12noon

Location:  Hunter Fields 26-28 Nepean Street Emu Plains NSW 2750 Meet near the clubhouse carpark

Students under 15 must attend with a parent/carer.

Students 15 years and over can attend the site without parents present. Once registered, volunteers can walk through the area to collect rubbish and return it in bags. Students and parents/carers do not need to register before the day.

Volunteers should bring sunscreen, water, a hat and gloves (we will have some spares) to use on the day.

Students can earn community service points towards their John Lambert award by participating in the clean-up.

Please contact Mr Mark Pullen, Head of Library Services, if you require any further information.

Mrs Felicity Grima
Principal

Start children off on the way they should go,
and even when they are old they will not turn from it.
Proverbs 22:6

Please pray for:
Those members of the College community experiencing times of hardship and stress.
Our Year 12 students as they approach their final fortnight of schooling.
Our Year 11 students as they sit their end of year exams.

Praise God for:
Wonderful camps with new experiences and lots of fun for Year 3, 4, 5 and 6.
Latimer House Charity Day where much was achieved to assist people in need.
The many musical opportunities available to students at the College.

Mr Philip McMurray - Director of Teaching and Learning P-12

Acquiring – the skill of learning from, with and for others, together.

The old African proverb - “It takes a village to raise a child”, has taken on a whole new meaning for us in 2022. The events of 2020/21 with lockdowns could not have provided a clearer reality check to us all that we need one another! We are not made for isolation, nor can we make it successfully through the challenges and rigours of life without the support of others.

Our College culture – based on our passionate desire To Serve Christ – is far more than a motto or a series of warm fuzzy feelings designed to make people feel better about our school. We believe that all humanity is made in the image of God – a God who is personable, creative, community-minded and caring. This is the foundation of our passion to assist all who come into our community. We want to be a community of givers. We want to be a community of encouragers. We want to be a community of people who share the gifts, talents, insights, wisdom, and time given to us so that we build one another up!

We use the term “acquiring” to describe this desire in each of us to know, learn, imitate, and gain skills, understanding, empathy or experience. It’s part of being resourceful. It’s a fantastic skill to talk about with students – so that in every sphere of their lives, they can avail themselves of the resources, learning, wisdom, and warnings that others in “the village” have to offer. It’s about learning from, with and for others – together!

Here at the College, you will see, hear and experience this skill of acquiring being modelled, encouraged, demonstrated, and explicitly taught and practised. It may seem obvious to those of us a little further down the road than our students, but the Bible injunction to “train up a child in the way they should go” (Prov 22:6) is a passion of all teachers and staff. They work each day to take teachable moments to support, inject and encourage students to acquire additional skills and resources to respond to playground situations, challenging conversations, new content or stressors. To limit learning to the classroom or to assume that students are one-dimensional beings is not who we are! Penrith Anglican College is a Christian community committed to being the kind of “village” that values, supports, encourages, teaches and models what it is to “do life” – to be skilled in the 95% of the time where book learning doesn’t prepare you in the way to act or react.

Thanks for being part of our “village” and for actively partnering with us to help our students, your children, grow in the wide gamut of skills necessary to grow and thrive. Whether that is in the way your read with your child, reflect on their day together, or how you respond to the dynamics of the latest friendship issue, thank you. To build a strong and thriving community where each person is valued because they are made in the image of God and are precious in His sight will take the village to come together, doing our own part to raise up the next generation of men and women who serve Christ and others with courage, compassion, integrity, humility and perseverance.

Mr Philip McMurray
Director of Teaching and Learning P-12

Students in Kindergarten to Year Six have the opportunity to combine their love of writing poetry and helping the environment in a creative poetry writing competition.

POEM FOREST invites students to use their words to make positive climate action. For every nature poem received, a tree is planted to help heal habitats and create a POEM FOREST for future generations. In 2021, over 5,000 poem trees were planted.

Students are asked to compose an original poem about nature. Their poem could be inspired by a place, plant, ecosystem or species that is special to them.

Entries close on Friday 23 September 2022.  Please see the attached letter and criteria for more details.

Year 3 students had a fantastic day camp at Port Hacking on Thursday 8 September.  They enjoyed fishing off the jetty, participated in a Navigation Adventure activity, collected wood for the camp fire and then made damper.  They even used the charcoal to paint on their faces afterwards!  The students displayed exemplary behaviour and worked well as a team.

Mrs Lynette Karp
Stage 2 Coordinator

Year 4 have had a blast at overnight camp on the Port Hacking!

Filled with excitement and anticipation, Year 4 students entered the Lighthouse Theatre with their band instruments ready to perform a concert for College staff, Year 3 students and parents on Tuesday 30 August. Within minutes, the auditorium was filled with the beautiful sounds of clarinets, flutes, saxophones, trombones, trumpets, baritone horns and percussion played by over 70 students.

Year 4 students dazzled the audience with their wonderful performances of pieces, including Rolling Along which showcased a variety of dynamics, section solo performances in Hot Cross Buns, the bright and energetic Mickey Mouse March and the show-stopping, energetic version of Power Rock.

Special thanks to our fabulous staff and band tutors Mr Nick Lane, Mr David Thurlow, Mrs Irene Samuels, Mrs Karen Allan, Mrs Joanna Watson, Mr Adrian Munn, Mrs Diana McIntosh, and Mrs Nerida Hext for their hard work supporting our students every week, and of course, Mrs Kathryn Nott, Mrs Jane Drayton and Mr Jake Nauta for their amazing work organising the event behind the scenes.  

At the College, we sincerely believe in the importance of providing quality music education from Pre K – Year 12. The Year 4 Band Program has been established to give all students the opportunity to learn a band instrument. Every week, Year 4 students receive a music lesson on their instrument with professional teachers who help build their technical skills in a warm, positive and supportive environment. Students also work on their ensemble and performance skills, learn how to read music, develop their aural and composition skills, and improve literacy and numeracy skills through their learning.

Year 3 students will be invited to make their instrument selection next term and Year 4 students are also invited to enquire about joining the Development Band which meets every Thursday morning at 7:30am. A huge congratulations to Year 4 for putting on a fabulous concert!

On Wednesday 7 September, PAC attended MathCup, a competition for Year 6 students that is designed to foster interest, teamwork and fun in Mathematics. At Amity College in Prestons, PAC's three teams of three students took part in three rounds of creative mathematical challenges: MatChoice (an individual multiple choice paper), MatOperator (students use six digits once and the four operations to achieve the closest answer to a given number) and MatRace (hands on challenges and puzzles). Our teams worked hard and collaboratively through the morning and enjoyed watching six out of the 75 teams compete in the MatTrivia problem solving finals in the afternoon. Some highlights included taking part in the audience problem solving questions in the afternoon session, and although not a mathematical highlight, students enjoyed the excellent canteen food at Amity College!

Mrs Helen Muller
Learning Enrichment Teacher

Congratulations to the following Year 6 boys who are in the PAC development squad for soccer: Jack Berwick, Liam Bowler, Jonny Farrugia, Beau Gerace, Leo Horne, Joshua Lee, Isaac Membreno and Jaxson Willmington.  As members of the Mulgoa FC U12s, they won their Grand Final 3-1 on 27 August!

Years 9, 10 and 11 students are invited to apply for the The Menzies Emerging Leaders Fellowship Program.  It is an initiative to encourage 15–17-year-olds to engage with ethical challenges, reflect on leadership, and the roles they might play in contributing to the greater good.

11 successful applicants will be chosen as the 2022 Menzies Emerging Leaders. You will receive $1000 bursary in support of your leadership journey and participate in a virtual leadership workshop.

Why not apply? You could be part of the 2022 Cohort of Menzies Emerging Leaders Fellowship Program.

To apply, use your mobile device to:

1. Upload a 30 sec video telling The Menzies Foundation what POWER means to you
2. Upload a 30 sec video explaining how $1000(AUD) would support your leadership goals?
3. Upload a visual artifact that represents POWER - an image, poem, piece of art etc.

You can access the application page HERE and please see attached document.

Applications close 11 September so interested applicants will need to work promptly. Please see Miss Adele Crane if you have any further questions.

Sundown Dance was a wonderful inaugural Dance Showcase that took place in our Tiered Learning Centre in the afternoon of Wednesday 7 September. The showcase featured performances by students from our Dance Ensemble and Dance Elective program. We decided to try something a bit different and open up the back curtain to our Oval, to create a natural backdrop as the sun gradually set behind the dancers.

Our Year 12 students had the opportunity to showcase their HSC Performance and Composition pieces. A huge congratulations to Anna, Emma and Caterina who all received Callback Nominations for various pieces that were showcased, and also to their Core Composition dancers, Alex, Alecia and Teagan.

Our Dance Ensemble also performed student-choreographed duets by Mannat and Tamsyn, Ella and Amelia, and Chloe and Klarissa, who all did a wonderful job. Our whole Dance Ensemble closed the showcase with 'Dos Oruguitas', a piece inspired by the film Encanto, focusing on the intent of a strained relationship between and grandmother and granddaughter.

I am so very proud of these students, and also very thankful for the friends, family and teachers who supported the event and our dance students.

Mrs Kimberley Crawford
Dance Teacher

The English Department organised an incursion for Year 8 in preparation for their Rhetoric Unit next term. Actors from the company Poetry in Action performed and deconstructed famous speeches and poetry from world history, film, theatre and more to help enlighten students of the rhetorical techniques used to construct an inspiring movement and either advocate or protest. This show revised the modes of persuasion; pathos, logos and ethos, and had a focus on how words have had the power to change the world in the past and how they can change the world today.

Here is a reflection from Aryan Patial:  “I thought that the incursion made public speaking sound much more fun and easier to do. The performances were really funny and interesting. I really enjoyed it!”

Miss Lauren Kenny
Head of English

We had an amazing time during the Year 8 CEP camp at Lake Macquarie. Some of the things that we experienced whilst a part of this camp was amazing food, which consisted of meatball subs, chicken schnitzel, bacon and egg rolls, and many more amazing foods that made our mouths water. We also experienced camping, and whilst half of Year 8 experienced sleeping under the stars, the other half sadly had to miss out and camp under cover due to bad weather, but either way, it was a new experience for many. On Tuesday and Wednesday mornings we heard from one of the Cru leaders about the Bible, the talks were around 15 mins each, and then we split off into discussion groups so that we could talk about what we had been presented with so that we could understand it more. To keep us physically active, we all participated in a 1-2 hour bushwalk. We mostly stuck to thin trails that forced us to walk in single file, and to keep us on our toes. Overall, I enjoyed camp very much because it meant that we got to participate in activities that we haven’t done before. 

Matthew Braga
Year 8 Student

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Camp was filled with great food, Bible talks and some more outdoors activities. We participated in even more activities which included rock climbing and sailing. Rock climbing involved a 12-metre-tall tower with 2 sides open for use. One side was like an everyday rock-climbing tower with normal hand and foot holes, but the other side was something very unique. It was made to look like the side of a building. This contained multiple pipes a window and bricks sticking out from the wall and no normal rock-climbing handles to be seen. Many people loved this wall and Bailey Nott with one hand made it look easy as he conquered the wall faster than most people. 

Many people also enjoyed sailing on camp. As we went to the Lake Macquarie Cru centre we were perfectly equipped to go sailing. Most people got to do it but then a storm started coming so we all couldn’t go on the lake at that time. Instead, the lovely Cru leaders put on a Trivia competition with some mini games in between. One competition was unfair though as it was a joke competition, so Mr Latham came up and showed everyone who was boss. The thunderstorm had passed so some of the people that missed out on sailing got to go out on the lake. Some of these people capsized their boats just as they had to come back in as the storm had returned. Naturally, I was on the water and my crewmate who shall stay unnamed for privacy reasons capsized the boat leaving me and my crewmates in the freezing water. After a few minutes, we fixed and boat with the help of the Cru staff and raced back into the campsite. Personally, my favourite part of camp was the Cru staff. They were just so inviting and friendly and just got along very well with us. Thanks to Sophie, Mei, Papa Gru and many others who lead this camp. Have a great time next year Year 7 students. Thank you. 

Chris Oliver
Year 8 Student

This round of debating has been such a joyous and competitive opportunity to build our public speaking and problem-solving skills as we build connections with our teammates. Debating has allowed all of our team members to think together and try to prove why our side of the argument was better. The topic for this debate was ‘Should domestic cats be banned’. We on the negative side, believed that not banning cats was much more beneficial and tried coming up with our best arguments and worked together as a team to cover as much as we could. Our team consisted of Gabby, Lily, Arni and Teagan, all Year 9 students. The team only had one hour to prepare their speeches with only 15 minutes for research as the rest was completely impromptu. The team went through a lot of cooperating while making last minute rebuttals and coming up with strategies on how we would exactly oppose the other team, and all our efforts certainly paid off. This debate has overall taught the team to structure and organise our thoughts and to also develop our research and statistical skills to make sure we had the best impression towards the adjudicator, so it helps our confidence and public speaking skills be enhanced. I am very proud and happy with our team, and I can successfully say that we had won this round with all our hard work and logical skills as I also wish good luck to my teammates to continue to strive in our future debates as well.

Arni Mankotia
Year 9 Student

The following Final Word was delivered at Secondary Assembly on 1 September: Using Adversity to your Advantage

Today, I want to talk about using adversity to your advantage, and show how you can turn your daily stresses and worries into a means of productivity, inspiration and creativity with the help of a story of mine. 

When I was a kid, I adored writing. Coming home, when i was bored, i would get out a workbook i had and just come up with bizarre and ridiculous stories. Despite this, i was also insanely shy. I never wanted to be the first one to speak in class, or speak at all for that matter. The thought of getting on a stage like this and speaking to a crowd of more than about 3 people would’ve been a nightmare to me. This was until my year 5 teacher asked me to join the public speaking competition. At the time, i swore i would never do anything like that, except my teacher knew this. That’s when she gave some advice. She asked me if the thought of doing a speech made me nervous. I admitted it did. She asked me why that made me not want to do it, and i looked at her bewildered. Of course I wouldn’t do something that made me nervous. Why would I? But she said something that changed my perspective on what adversity really was. She told me that being nervous was just a sign my brain was telling my body to be prepared, that something important was coming. 

Adversity is nothing more than a moment that shows you just how important you are. Those scary times, times of stress or worry, it’s just the world telling you you’re far stronger and smarter than you think.

There’s a quote I’ve always loved, that reads “God gives his hardest battles to his strongest soldiers.” If you’re going through adversity right now, times that feel bleak or weary, just know that you are ready to face it. I implore everyone watching and listening to try and enter those uncomfortable moments, ones that give you experience, and stories. That’s the true meaning of courage and bravery. That’s the way you turn adversity into your own story. 

Thank you.

Veer Dutt
Year 11 Student

Congratulations to the following students who achieved a podium finish at the AICES Athletics on Tuesday 6 September:

• Isabelal Degei – 1st 16 Girls Shot Put
• Alex Doyle – 3rd 17 Girls High Jump and Long Jump
• Elizabeth Godwin – 3rd 15 Girls 200m and Javelin
• Nicholas Godwin – 3rd 13 Boys Discus
• Isla Puri – 3rd 14 Girls 400m
• Ellie Whiticker – 2nd 18 Girls Discus
• Alexander Wright – 3rd 17 Boys 1500m

And the most exciting result of the day…our Senior Girls 4x 100m Relay team: Hannah Stanford, Alex Doyle, Isabella Degei and Elizabeth Godwin. They are the AICES Champions! 

Mrs Amanda Houison
Director of Sport

Congratulations to our Netball superstar, Isabella Degei (Year 11), who was a member of the AICES Team at the recent CIS Netball Challenge. The AICES team was a dominant force at the Challenge, and Bella was successful in being selected into the CIS Opens Team. Bella will next play at the All Schools Netball Championship next Monday, 12 September, and we wish her every success.

The Penrith Anglican College Parents and Friends’ Association (P&F) will be hosting its second Colour Run fundraiser on Tuesday 13 September 2022. The event will commence shortly after 1pm with the primary students completing the course first, followed by senior students. 

The P&F will use this event to help raise funds to go toward new Athletics and sporting equipment for students at the College.  

To take part and support the Colour Run, we are asking $20 per child for entry. Payment via Flexischools is preferred, and cash will also be accepted at College Reception.

For more details, please read the attached information that was emailed to families on 29 August 2022.

The College Reception has had a parent ask if there is anyone interested in carpooling in the Ropes Crossing Area.

Please contact Reception during business hours Monday - Friday from 8am - 4pm and we will put you in touch with the interested parent.

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.

Once again the College has been well-represented at the Penrith Show 2022 by our budding young artists and designers. PAC has won the Talinga Shield in recognition of our excellent entries. A special thanks goes to Mrs Beryl Knight who has once again assisted us with our entries. Come and have a look at our First place winners in the Foyer of the Front office, and all other prize winners in the B Block gallery space and H Block Foyer Display Cabinet.

Mrs Karina Chambers
Technologies Teacher

Textiles winners

First place winners
128       Isabella Stewart - Year 10 - Embroidery
129       Isabella Stewart - Year 10 - Soft furnishings
130       Chelsea Jenkins - Year 9 - Wallhanging
131       Claire Nicholls - Year 9 - Doorstop
132       Ariel Mercer - Year 10 - Hoodie
135       Sebastian Camenzuli - Year 8 - Pencil case

Second place winners
132       Rishika Bhaskar Rao - Year 10 - Hoodie
130       Alyssa Premutico - Year 9 - Wallhanging
131       Chelsea Jenkins - Year 9 - Doorstop
135       Rose Tasevski - Year 8 - Pencil case

Third place winners
129       Annika Noakes - Year 7 - Cushion
130       Ava Kobus - Year 10 - Wallhanging
132       Ava Kobus - Year 10 - Hoodie
131       Alyssa Premutico - Year 9 - Doorstop
135       Shelby Carroll - Year 8 - Pencil case

High Commended
132       Ava Toland - Year 10 - Hoodie
130       Jessy Schoebel - Year 9 - Wallhanging

Special Awards
Best Exhibit 18/u Needlework - Isabella Stewart
Best Beading in 18/u Needlework - Jessy Schoebel    

Art Winners

First place winners
1          Heidi Thoms
6          Chloe Turner
8          Rueben Bleasdale
10        Charlotte Wright
11        Thalia Rao
12        Hannah Danyal
13        Audrey Stubbs
14        Madalyn Wilde
16        Sandra Stojanovic
17        Claire Nicholls
19        Chelsea Jenkins
24        Abbey White

Second place winners
1          Zara Williams
5          Natalia Kurian
8          Layla Davidson
14        Shrey Purighalla
24        Savannah Jeffrey 

Third place winners
6          Ruby Rogic
13        Pavreen Kaur
14        Isla Puri
22        Hannah Roots
24        Amelia Forti

High Commended
1          Madeline McKeown 
1          Max Chaplin
1          Jonah Heiser-Smith 
1          Adrienne Akladios 
1          Grace Hanna  
3          Amelia Kurian
3          Ella Garrett
3          Frankie Lee
5          Chelsea Membreno
5          William Edwards
8          Sienna Ovington
8          Spencer Witten
8          Joshua Kim
8          Layla Davidson
8          Eva Nercessian
9          Alana Jackson
9          Simeon Radmanovic
9          Ava Borger
10        Eva Nercessian
10        Chloe Still
12        Keira Gurney
13        Lily Regan           

Special Prizes
Best Exhibit 18/u Needlework - Isabella Stewart
Best Exhibit Stage 4/5 Art - Thalia Rao
Best Exhibit Pre K & Kindy Art - Heidi Thoms
Best Beading in 18/u Needlework - Jessy Schoebel