The Vine Newsletter

Over the past few weeks, you may have heard about 23-year-old Nedd Brockmann who ran 4000km from Cottesloe Beach in Western Australia to Bondi Beach in Sydney in 46 days and 12 hours. This incredible feat saw him start at 3.30am in the morning completing on average 100km a day. This big audacious goal was fuelled by Nedd’s passion to raise awareness to the issues of homelessness in the nation. In addition to the awareness of this important issue, he has also raised more than $1.85 million for homelessness.

It's not the first impressive charity run the 23-year-old has completed. He also ran 50 marathons in 50 days and raised more than $100,000 for the Red Cross in 2020.

Nedd’s story is inspiring. He attributes his success to becoming ‘comfortable with feeling uncomfortable’. It required 100% physical effort and 100% mental effort.

Throughout 2022, we have focussed on the theme, ‘Building Character’. I shared Nedd’s story with the Secondary School at Assembly as an example of someone, only a few years older than most in the room, who demonstrated great courage and perseverance. It also highlighted three points for our students in their final term of the year.

1.     Set goals that challenge yourself and help others. 

Nedd was driven by a desire to make a difference in the lives of homeless people around the nation. While it is impossible for everyone to run across the country, we can start by doing something each day. Every student will have different goals. The challenge could be in learning, sport or other co-curricular pursuits or it could be in service of others. 

2.     Break your goals into manageable chunks.

Nedd spoke about breaking each day into 20km and then 5km blocks. When you divide a large goal into smaller goals, it is easier to achieve. Improved academic results may look like studying for 10 minutes each day, leading to an extra hour of study each week for each subject. Similarly, proficiency with a musical instrument may look like attending band rehearsals, weekly lessons and practise.

3.     Tap into the support around you

Nedd spoke about the power of a strong support crew that gave him encouragement and practical help to reach his goal. Students at the College have an incredible support crew through the relationships of care available to them every day. Classroom and Mentor teachers, fellow students in their year groups or Mentor groups, Heads of House and Departments, Executive staff, Chaplains and Counsellors are all available and ready to support. 

The year is coming to a close, but it is never too late to set new goals that challenge yourself and serve others.

Uniform Updates 

We have made several changes to the College uniform over the past six months in response to feedback from students and parents.

1.     Introduction of a Waterproof Jacket

The new waterproof jacket has been well received by the students. It provides a waterproof, warmer layer to be worn over the sports tracksuit jacket or the College bomber jacket (Primary) or blazer (Secondary).

Please note, this jacket does not replace the sports tracksuit jacket or the College bomber jacket (Primary) or blazer (Secondary). These items need to be worn under the jacket.

2.     Introduction of Shorts and Short Socks for boys in Summer

We will introduce optional shorts for Secondary boys as part of the summer uniform from Term 1 2023. Secondary boys may continue to wear trousers in summer if they would prefer.

We will also introduce a new College sock for all boys from Kindergarten to Year 12 to wear when wearing shorts. It will be a short, ankle-height version of the current Primary boy’s sock (black with a white/red/white stripe). This will replace the long Primary socks for boys.

Primary boys will be able to wear the long socks with shorts until the end of 2023. 

3.     Girls’ Uniform

Initial work has commenced with Permapleat to update the girls’ uniform across Kindergarten to Year 12 to include a short and trouser option. We will be seeking feedback from students and parents in Term 1 2023.

Mrs Felicity Grima
Principal

Presentation Day Save The Date.

Thursday 1 December:

4.30pm  Pre-K Presentation

Wednesday 7 December: 

9am  Kindergarten - Year 2

11am  Years 3 - 6  

1.30pm  Years 7 - 11

Please find attached the invitation to the 10 Year Reunion for the Class of 2012.  

Saturday 22 October 2022
6pm - 7pm     Tour of campus
7pm - 10pm   Cocktail Function in the Hospitality Space

All members of the Class of 2012, current or past members of staff are welcome to attend. 

Tickets via trybooking link.

Opal card data gathered by tapping on and tapping off is used to determine demand for bus services. If students don’t tap on and tap off every time, then bus services will appear underutilised. Without accurate data, the need for additional services to match demand will most likely be overlooked.

It is a requirement of bus travel that your child has a valid Student Opal card and that they tap on and off each time they use the school bus or route bus service. This is outlined in the TfNSW Code of Conduct as follows:

“It is a condition of the School Pass Terms and the Student Codes of Conduct when travelling, that students in possession of the School Opal card must tap on and tap off every time when using public transport to travel to and from school. Per section 3.2 of the Opal Privacy Policy, Transport for NSW collects information from taps on and tap offs to support coordination, planning and policy development for transport, transport services and transport infrastructure.”

It’s been noted that students from our school using the bus services have not been tapping on or off.  In Term 4, there will be a strong focus on getting students back into good habits of tapping on and tapping off with their student Opal card.

We’re requesting your help to restore the tap on and tap off numbers to match the school bus travelling numbers to benefit the students, parents, school, and bus operator.

"Seek the Lord while he may be found;
    call on him while he is near."
Isaiah 55:6

Please pray for:

Those members of the College community experiencing times of hardship and stress.

Our Year 12 students as they continue to sit their HSC examinations.

Safety and good health for staff and students in a very busy term full of opportunities and events.

Praise God for:

The opportunity to have Grandparents and other special people onsite for Grandparents’ Day!

The swimming and gymnastics programs currently running in our Primary School.

Miss Nat and all she does to help our students.

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

Imagine...what if...

A powerful and essential part of lifelong learning is the ability to imagine, dream, and explore possibilities in all sorts of areas. Albert Einstein is famous for saying that “logic will get you from A to B, but imagination will take you everywhere”. The truth is, with all his genius, we didn’t need Einstein to tell us that. Each of us knows the power of imagining. It is essential for life. 

Don’t get me wrong, simply resorting to dreaming and abandoning interactions and relationships to imagine can lead to all sorts of brokenness. The Bible warns against dreaming that leads to inactivity and laziness and the terrible effect this has on people and those around them. But equally, as people made in the image of a creating God, we are created with imagination, creativity, and a passion for exploring possibilities. That’s how discoveries are made! We are in the business of encouraging and training thinkers who strive for truth and use imagination to explore new perspectives and discover deeper truth about God, the world, others, and themselves.

Part of our College Learning Culture is to enhance, encourage and entice students to use their imagination as a resource for all kinds of learning. It’s not limited to creative writing or artwork. Students are encouraged to ask the kind of “what if…?” questions that promote the exploration of alternative possibilities. In any field of study, relationship situation, or context, we want students to be prepared to reach into their creativity, intuition, and imagination and to explore.

We encourage students to imagine and use the power of “what if…?” questions to explore possibilities. Together, staff and students at the College daily create contexts where people are safe to not simply wish or stay stuck with an immovable impression of themselves as learners. We explore the power of thinking, planning, promoting, and engaging in imaginative ways to grow and change as people in all contexts. It doesn’t matter where this takes place, we want everyone in our community to be empowered and supported to apply God-given resources including their imagination to ask, wonder and experiment with different ideas in both safe and responsible ways.

So, next time you hear your child make a comment, ask a question, or provide the platform for a discussion – why not explore the power of imagination and engage in thinking beyond the moment to what could be?

Mr Philip McMurray
Director of Teaching and Learning P-12

Mrs Ljubica Mansell - Deputy Principal (Primary)

Dear Families

We have enjoyed the first two weeks of Term 4 with so many wonderful things happening in the Primary School.

Students in Years 2, 4 and 6 have been enjoying the intense Swimming program each day that has helped develop and refine their swimming skills. Living in a country with many water ways and beaches, it is a vital skill for all students to have help keep them safe in and around the water. Thank you to the lovely staff at Nepean Aquatic centre for making our school feel welcome and supporting us with this program.

Students in Years 1, 3 and 5 started their Gymnastics program and will continue that program for the next few weeks. Students are learning new skills each week and having fun as they learn to develop and strengthen coordination through a series of exercises and movements of their bodies.

We were blessed to have our Grandparents at the College on Wednesday 19 October after many years on hold due to the pandemic. Students shared their appreciation and love through special performances, classroom visits and even spending morning tea together. As I walked around the College I saw the beaming smiles on the students faces as they shared their classrooms with their grandparents and even as they completed activities together. The smiles were equally as warm on the faces of the Grandparents who were delighted to be able to see where and how their grandchildren learn and grow each day.

Thank you to all our grandparents for all that you do each day.

Thank you to all the students who have submitted their poems to school and online as part of the Poem Forest Writing Competition through Red Room Poetry. Each entry submitted equals a tree being planted for our environment. The official winners of the competition will be announced on 17 November and we are excited to see the results. Many students have been notified that their entries have made the next round. If you have been notified that your child has been successful in the next round, can you please inform your child’s core class teacher. I look forward to sharing the students poems up and around the school and in future Vine editions.

Wishing you all a very blessed week ahead and thank you for your continued partnership with the primary school.

Warm regards and God Bless.

Mrs Ljubica Mansell
Deputy Principal (Primary)

Grandparents' Day celebrates the active role that so many grandparents have in our students' lives. It also provides grandparents with an opportunity to share a small moment of our school day with their grandchildren. 

At PAC, this special event was celebrated on Wednesday 19 October. It was also the first Grandparents' Day for two years and there were A LOT of excited Grandparents and students!

Grandparents enjoyed performances by Primary School students in the Lighthouse Theatre, followed by morning tea served by Year 10 students in the Hospitality Space, before attending the Book Fair. Classrooms were opened for visitors where families engaged in craft activities together. 

We thank our College families, staff, and College Leaders for a memorable day.

Pre-K Red will be learning Soccer skills this Term for Sport with the coaches.

Pedro Guilherme Oliveira Sampaio is sponsored by the current Year 1 and has been part of our PAC family since these students were in Pre-K. He is 7 years old and lives in Brazil with his mum and two siblings. Pedro loves to play ball games and go to Kids’ Church. He doesn’t have any chores to do because he is too little.

In the town in which Pedro lives there are about 9,300 residents. Houses are constructed of cement floors and mud walls.  The regional diet consists of maize, bananas, fish, rice, beans and beef. Common health problems in this area include viruses, diarrhoea, intestinal worms and leprosy. A working adult earns about $159 per month!

Social inequality is a major issue in Brazil and the challenges for children in poverty differ in rural and urban communities. In cities, drug and gang problems are rife. In rural areas, access to adequate health sanitation and education facilities is limited.

Life in so many parts of the world is very difficult. We are so blessed to live here in our wonderful country. May we never take the blessings we are given for granted!                               

Mrs Sue Munce
Primary Compassion Coordinator

After a two-year hiatus, we were so excited to be sharing in our annual Book Fair with students and their families once again this week.

Thank you to all the families who visited and purchased books from the Fair, and a special thank you to those who donated books to our library from the wonderful range of Scholastic books for all ages.

We were pleased to also welcome Grandparents to our Pre-K Library class to join in the fun on Grandparents’ Day 2022.

Library Staff

Makaylah Carroll (Year 11) completed her work placement in Week 9 Term 3 and found it to be a rewarding experience. 

"The work placement at Poles Patisserie was one of the best experiences I have had the privilege of having throughout my schooling experience. I was able to see what it is like to work full-time within the food industry, with both front and back-of-house tasks. I helped with cannolis, lime and lemon tarts, almond butter croissants, decorating shortbread men, and making pies and other pastries.

Using the skills that I learned over the week, I have been able to further my baking abilities as well as my service to customers. On the last day of my work experience, I worked at the front-of-house, serving customers. I was able to meet many new and interesting people while also being able to understand what it would be like to work in the service part of the hospitality industry.

It was a very enlightening and enjoyable experience. I would highly recommend it to anyone who is interested."

Congratulations Makaylah for pursuing your passion. We are very glad you had an enjoyable week.

Mrs Diane Catto
Head of Technologies

On Friday 14 October, families and staff were able to enjoy the beautiful creations of the students of Design & Technology and Textiles on display at the Technologies Major Works Showcase. 

A memorable afternoon, not to be missed! World-renowned musician James Morrison will be playing with his quartet and also fronting the Penrith’s Bird Yard Big Band and bands from schools in the area.

Date:  Sunday 30 October 2022

Time: 12.30pm   

Venue:   Sydney International Regatta Centre, Old Castlereagh Road, Penrith.

Tickets:   http://www.trybooking.com/BYLWD (Group Booking for 10+ @ $50 each).

Last month, we had a large number of staff, students and families attend the Visual Arts HSC Major Works Showcase. Throughout the evening, families were treated to afternoon tea, mingled and chatted with the student artists.  They were also entertained with live music from the Performing Arts students! As the old saying goes, a lot of sweat blood and (many) tears have gone into producing these bodies of works, and we congratulate the students for their stunning and thought-provoking works of art.

Congratulations to the following students who have been selected to the PAC Basketball teams, who will play at the upcoming NASSA Gala Days!

Year 7 Boys:  Jordan Abassi, James Comber, Nicholas Godwin, Tolga Goker, Nathan Gombakomba, Aarav Jolly, Seth Perry, Caleb Simmons, Brahmeet Singh Johal, Damien Tomarchio, Coah: Sam Lucas.

Year 7 Girls: Lillyava Brenner, Mahli Bunting, Ella Johnson, Amelia Marland, Ava Maurer, Skye McDowell, Teagan Walton, Coach: Francesca Pereira.

15s Boys: Michael Calopedis, Harrison Canning, Ranveer Dhaliwal, Morgan Leita, Reuben Marshall, Cooper Thomson, Sam Wright, Coach: Mr Pullen.

15s Girls: Estella Connelly, Shayla Edwards, Samantha Esdaile, Elizabeth Godwin, Teagan Kumar, Ivana Stefanovski, Krystal Walton, Lucy Young, Coach: Mrs Price.

Mrs Amanda Houison
Director of Sport

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.