The Vine 2022 - Vol 8

Message from the Principal

Mrs Felicity Grima - Principal

COVID Symptoms
No one with COVID symptoms can attend the College, regardless of a negative COVID test. These include fever, headache, cough, sore throat, shortness of breath, runny nose, loss of smell/taste, muscle/joint pains, diarrhoea, nausea/vomiting, extreme tiredness, unexplained chest pain or conjunctivitis (eye infection).

If your child develops these symptoms during the day, families will be contacted and asked to take them home immediately.

If your child has a pre-existing condition with COVID-like symptoms such as asthma or hay fever, they must have a medical certificate from a Doctor confirming this and that normal preventative and management plans are in place and are being followed to minimize the symptoms.

Positive COVID Results
All families must immediately report a positive COVID result (whether on a PCR or RAHT) to the College using the following link https://forms.office.com/r/8yNj6g2eHT. This is in addition to the requirement to record the positive result through Service NSW.

Once reported, you must follow the NSW Health advice and comply with the following requirements:

Isolate for seven days following a positive result.
Leave isolation after seven days if there are no symptoms.
If there are symptoms after seven days, remain in isolation until 24 hours after the symptoms have resolved.

If a person continues to have symptoms due to another medical condition, they can leave isolation with a medical certificate/clearance from a Doctor. A copy of the clearance should be provided to the College on the day the student returns.

The College will continue to notify families if there is a confirmed positive case that a student may have come in contact with during their time at the College.

Close / Household Contacts Attending School
The isolation requirements for close / household contacts have been eased. Students and staff who are close contacts and have no symptoms can continue to attend school if they follow the guidelines agreed with NSW Health, including:

They must notify the College if they intend to return under this provision using the following link: https://forms.office.com/r/8yNj6g2eHT

They must conduct a daily RAHT and return a negative result each morning before attending school for five school days.
If in Secondary, they must wear a mask indoors except when exercising or eating. Primary students are strongly encouraged to wear a mask indoors.
No student or staff member identified as a close contact will be permitted to attend camps.

Any visitor to the College who is a close contact must advise the College that they are a close contact before they come on campus. These visitors should conduct a daily RAHT and return a negative result before attending. They must also wear a mask indoors at all times.

Students do not need to follow the close contact guidelines in the following circumstances:

if they have had confirmed COVID-19 in the last 12 weeks;
if they have not been in contact with the person who tested positive for COVID-19 while they were infectious. People are generally infectious from either 48 hours before they have symptoms, or, if they do not have symptoms, from 48 hours before they test positive. They may have had no contact because they were away from home (e.g. on a school camp) or were effectively isolated from them (e.g. they live in a granny flat or another separate area of the house).

Students returning from overseas
All students returning from overseas can attend school as soon as they produce a negative PCR or RAHT.

RAHT Kits
The College has received additional RAHT kits and they will be distributed next week. These kits are for symptomatic testing or daily testing as part of the close contact requirements.

Masks
Other than the requirements for masks to be worn by close contacts, masks are no longer mandatory. At the College, we strongly encourage staff and students to wear them to minimise the risk of transmission.

Reducing the risk of illness this winter
All students, staff and their families should follow NSW Health’s advice to reduce the risk of not only COVID but also other illnesses that may affect schools this winter, such as the flu, including:

stay home if unwell;
keep up to date with vaccinations – including the flu vaccines;
get tested immediately for COVID-19 if you become symptomatic and isolate yourself until you receive a negative result;
practice good hand hygiene by regularly washing with soap and water;
take a RAHT before visiting vulnerable loved ones or attending large gatherings and events.

If your child has had the following symptoms that are not related to COVID, the following exclusion periods generally apply:

Fever - In general, return to school when your child is well. If you have seen a doctor, discuss this with them as exclusion periods will vary depending on your child’s illness.
Vomiting/Diarrhea - children should be excluded from attending school for 48 hours after the resolution of symptoms.

If you have any questions or are unsure, please contact Miss Nat via College reception on 02 4736 8100 or [email protected]

We understand these requirements can be challenging and frustrating. We appreciate the way our community have worked together to ensure we provide a safe teaching and learning environment.

Mrs Felicity Grima
Principal

ANZAC Day Service

This year, the College community gathered on Friday 29 April 2022 to commemorate ANZAC Day. Reflecting on the the sacrifices of those who have fought, and continue to fight, for the freedom we enjoy today, Eve Hurley, College Vice Captain, delivered the following address:

Each of us have heard about ANZAC Day when the Australian soldiers landed on Gallipoli peninsula in the Ottoman Empire, Turkey, on 25 April 1915. A battle that ultimately saw us badly defeated. The history of this day has been passed down to us from our parents, teachers, or grandparents, through our visits to the War Memorial in Canberra or watching documentaries. It is an important part of our national history. So today, I want to share a story with you.

On the 23rd of May 1915, not far from here, in Lethbridge Street Penrith, near Penrith RSL, a 19 year old boy left his home to fight in France and Belgium. He fought at many different places over three years. One being in the trenches at Villers-Bretonneux, France. This is the place that we can watch on TV each ANZAC Day where the dawn service is streamed to us here in Australia.

This 19 year old boy from Penrith often wrote home to his wife and she kept his letters. One of these letters, along with his official war service record that is housed in the Australian War Memorial, I have picked a date from, and I’d like to read it to you.

It's the 13th of April 1916 and the boy is in the trenches in Villers-Bretonneux, France. It reads

At 10.30am we all moved into better positions in the trenches, it was raining, we were all saturated, freezing and up to our shins in mud. It’s terrible. We came under heavy bombardment from the Germans, about 8,000 artillery shells hit our location and many were gas shells. The shelling lasted for hours and all we could do was to stay down in our trench being covered by tons of earth praying we would not be killed or worse, be suffocated to death buried under the mud caused by the shelling. The noise left our ears ringing and ringing, the pain was awful.

We could see the Germans moving into position to both sides of us when we had the opportunity to quickly look over the trench top.

At 11am they attacked us, and I was terrified. There was hand to hand fighting, it was chaos, we were all fighting for our life again and literally. There were men everywhere yelling and falling on top of each other Australians and Germans. It was shocking, eventually they gave up and retreated.

Once they left, I found myself still alive and I prayed and thanked God.

Of the 300 of us, over half of my friends 155 of them had been killed. Another 102 gassed with poison of which I was one. My skin had blistered all over my hand and face and the poison gas had got into my lungs. The pain was unbelievable when I took any breaths in. Out of 300 of us only 43 were unaffected men. We picked up and buried our dead and 70 dead Germans. At the end of the day, I was taken to the field hospital and was treated for my gas burns and went back to my mates the next day. This was only one battle that day, more followed later on.

That 19 year old boy from Lethbridge Street Penrith, who lived and survived through this day, was my great grandfather Robert Hardy. He survived three years of trench fighting in WWI and of the 1000 men in his battalion, only 249 survived, 751 boys died. That is half of the school. He was one of 249 who got to come back home, in his case to Lethbridge Street, Penrith.

Many years after the war when he and his wife had a family, one of his daughters was my grandmother.

On ANZAC Day last year I asked my grandmother why her Dad went to the other side of the world to fight in a war that didn’t threaten Australia. She said, “I asked him that a few times when I was your age and he always said it was to make the world a better place. So, children could go to school where they wanted to and so you could walk down the street knowing you live in a safe country”.

I suspect if you asked any soldier, naval or air force personnel who served not only in WWI but WWII, The Korean War, Malayan Emergency, Vietnam War or Afghanistan why they served they would say the same thing, “to make world a better place. So, children could go to school, and we can walk down the street knowing you live in a safe country”.

We are indeed very fortunate for all men and women who served our nation from the very first step taken on the beach of Gallipoli to the War in Afghanistan.

Today, and more broadly the concept of Anzac Day is not a day to celebrate, but a day about reflecting and giving thanks to all who served so we can enjoy the life that we are blessed with.

As a Christian school, today we acknowledge the many men and women who have sacrificed their lives to keep our country safe, but also our God who sacrificed his son to assure us of our eternity.

One of the most recognisable parts of Anzac Day is the Ode. The Ode was written over 100 years ago to remember service and sacrifice. Colby Carroll, representing the Australian Air Force Cadets, will now raise and lower the Australian Flag whilst I read.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
Wewillrememberthem.

Lest we forget.

Homestay Families – Sasebo Shogyo High School Visit, 24 July – 5 August 2022

Japanese Students and Host Families 2018

Throughout the life of the College, we have facilitated exchange trips to, and from, Japan. This year, we will hopefully be welcoming a group of students from Sasebo Shogyo High School in Nagasaki from Sunday 24 July to Friday 5 August 2022, and we hope that our College community will give them a great experience of living with an Australian family. They will be attending classes at the College throughout their time in Australia as well as learning English and visiting some tourist sites in and around Sydney.

We are therefore looking for families from the College to host a Japanese student for the duration of their time in Australia. The details are as follows:

Students require their own bed (not necessarily a separate room), arriving on the afternoon of 24th July and leaving 5th August.
All meals (including arrangements for school lunches) will need to be provided by the host family.
Travel to and from school needs to be arranged (students can catch the bus or train but families are required to provide fares for this).
Organise activities with the student on the weekend of 30th and 31st July.
There is no need for you to speak Japanese. This is an opportunity for students to learn and practice English and be immersed in an English-speaking environment.
Adults in the household will require current Working with Children Checks.
$50 per night for 12 nights will be paid to the family to contribute towards the expenses related to the visit of the student.

The detailed arrangements for the homestays will be organised by the company VS Oceania. They organise hundreds of school visits to and from Japan each year and are the company that helps our school arrange visits to Japan every second year. Once you fill in the form to express your interest, they will be in touch with you about filling out a family profile, sending through student information and answering any specific questions you may have. Please also feel free to contact us at [email protected] or [email protected] at any time if you need further information.

To express your interest in hosting a family, please follow the link https://bit.ly/PACJapanHost and fill out the form. We will be seeking expressions of interest from our College community no later than 10 May 2022.

Prayer and Praise

Message from the Director of Teaching and Learning P-12

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

To say that schools are all about creating the best possible environment to support students to thrive as learners, is as obvious as it is to say that a bakery aims to make the most appealing goods for people to eat. We are a community that is passionate about people and learning because we believe one simple truth.

In a safe and supportive environment, teachers plan, structure and engage students in learning designed to transform them in ways that will last a lifetime. I’m sure you’re not really surprised that students come to the College to learn. But we aim to do more. We aim to teach them to learn HOW to learn. To be skilled in the art of exploring new ideas, theories, concepts or contexts and to do so successfully.

It’s not really a new idea. Proverbs 22:6 says – “Train up a child in the way he/she should go, and when he/she is old he/she will not depart from it.” The way that we start out life, the lessons, the examples, the leadership and the training do have a lasting impact on us. This is the core, the foundation of the culture, the environment, the passion and the practices we adopt at the College. To be committed to producing learners who can effect change and engage in the ever-emerging world, means that we structure our lessons around more than simply the content, we teach how to learn as well.

You can’t be a fly on the wall in our classes most of the time, but if you were, you’d see energy and excitement, engagement and stretching; students and teachers striving to go beyond just understanding the content, training, modeling and mentoring ways of thinking that promote individual agency, learning and growth.

This is the way we do things around here. This is our culture.

So next time you are tempted to ask your child – “What did you learn today?” – maybe consider asking them – “What did you learn today about how to be a learner?” This fundamental truth that shapes every lesson, every activity.

Mr Philip McMurray
Director of Teaching and Learning P-12

Message from the Deputy Principal (Primary)

Dear Families

We are excited to be starting a new term of learning with the students and it has already proven to be very exciting. Students are showing engagement in new units of work, discussions with their peers and even exploring new ways of learning while learning how to build their learning muscles. Research shows that students who are confident in their ability to learn, often learn better and are able to the enjoy their learning, that is why every student at our school knows that learning is learnable. During each new teaching and learning cycle, our teachers are reviewing data and implementing new strategies that support students individual learning styles. When you are speaking with your child next, ask them about the dispositions or learning muscles they are using in class and how they used them.

We have also had an exciting start to the term with our Primary Cross Country. This year’s Cross Country was an event that the students will remember for quite some time and not even the rain stopped our students from running the course and enjoying every moment. A big congratulations to all our students who ran on the day and for showing resilience and perseverance as they made their way through the wet and muddy course.

As we are heading into cooler weather, we are reminding all families about the change over of uniform from Monday 9 May where all students are expected to be in full Winter Uniform, including their bombers jackets in K-6.

You may have noticed that there is a new jacket available in the uniform shop. This jacket can be worn with the sports uniform and as an addition to the Winter school uniform. Please know that this jacket does not replace the bomber jacket, but can be worn as an extra outer layer to the uniform.

We kindly remind families to label all items of clothing as there are so many uniform items currently in lost property. Students are responsible for their own uniform items so please assist by labelling each item.

Thank you to all of our families who joined us for our Mother’s Day Chapel. It was just beautiful to be back together and I know how excited the students were to sing to you.

A special thank you to the Parents and Friends Association volunteers for running such a wonderful Mother’s Day Stall. All of our students were able to purchase something very special for their loved ones and we are excited for you to receive them on Sunday.

As we head into Mother’s Day weekend, I want to take this opportunity to wish all of our mothers and families a beautiful and blessed day with your loved ones. The day can bring so much joy, love and happiness, but it can also be a time where families are missing special loved ones. To those families, you are in our prayers and know that God will continue to give your strength.

1 Corinthians 13:4–8Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.

Warm regards and God Bless
Mrs Ljubica Mansell

Penrith Council 2022 Primary School Leaders Civic Reception

Year 6 and Kindergarten Buddies

P&F Mother's Day Stall

Mother's Day Chapel

Compassion Child Sponsorship 2022

Book Parade 2022

National Simultaneous Storytime

Scholastic Book Club

KOALA Awards Shortlist 2022

Education Perfect Languages Championships

ANSTO Excursion

Year 11 Chemistry and Year 12 Physics students had the opportunity to learn about nuclear isotopes in detail at the Lucas Heights Nuclear Reactor site in the last week of Term 1. Please find below 2 accounts from students about the ANSTO trip:

Year 11 Chemistry and Year 12 Physics went to the ANSTO reactor on Tuesday 5 April 2022. Year 11 spent the first half of the day learning about the radiation of isotopes, how the reactor works in contributing to research and medicine, as well as experimenting with different forms of radiation. This was a really interesting way to discover how neutrons and isotopes are used in medicine, which help people all over the world. The experimenting was also a great way to understand how isotopes work, and understanding the power of each different type of radiation. Overall, the excursion was really educational and fascinating.

Amelia Forti
Year 11 Student

On 5 April 2022, Year 11 Chemistry class went on an excursion to the ANSTO Research Reactor in Lucas Heights. We left on the bus early in the morning arriving at the OPAL (Open Pool Australian Lightwear) research reactor at around 10am. For the first half of the day we were taken into a room with a year 11 Chemistry class from St Dominic's high school, where we all sat down and were given a talk about the ANSTO Research Reactor. The talk was great, we learnt about radioactive atoms and the devices used to detect and measure radiation. I was lucky enough to be picked out as a part of a demonstration where I helped investigate the properties of radiation in different radioactive objects and materials. From here we went on to look at a presentation of the Research Reactor which explained the operation of the Reactor.

After a small break, we then set out for a tour where we visited the Research Reactor itself. Of course we could not go in, but we stood outside and watched over a camera the activities of the workers in the Reactor. We learnt about how the isotope of Molybdenum-99 is made and neutron activity in the Reactor. From here the tour was taken to The Australian Centre of Neutron Scattering where we further saw the splitting of the neutrons and how they are moved from the Reactor. The tour continued to the ANSTO Nuclear Medicine facility where we saw the Molybdenum-99 finally obtained and taken to transport to hospital where it is used in treatments involving the isotope. To finish the day, we were taken to the last part of the tour where we went to the Centre for Accelerator Science, here we learnt about ion beam analysis and isotope dating. This was my favourite part of the tour as we discovered a range of different isotopes which could be analysed and dated through this process. The day ended here, I enjoyed the tour and found it engaging and interesting as it was a fun day out. I learnt a lot from the experience and would definitely recommend the excursion for future Year 11 Chemistry students.

Claudia Camenzuli
Year 11 Student

Dusty Boots 2022

Year 11 students have the opportunity to become part of the Dusty Boots Team each year. Due to Covid restrictions last year, the Year 11 2021 trip was postponed and eventually took place during the first week of the April school holidays. Year 12 2022 Dusty Boots travelled to Ridgecrest in Mumbil, and spent the week serving the people and churches of Wellington and the Ridgecrest campsite itself in various ways. This is an opportunity to gain ‘Service’ hours for the Honours section of the Tabitha program as well as to develop skills in teamwork, and stepping out of comfort zones. Below are two personal reflections of the Dusty Boots experience.

Dusty boots was a last-minute decision for me, I wasn’t going the first few times it tried to run but choosing to go this time was one of the best decisions I’ve made. Being around all the supportive members of the team allowed me to move out of my comfort zone and explore new things. Some cool moments of the trip included helping out in the community, explore Ridgecrest with the family, swimming in the lake and the quality time spent together. A personal highlight for me was the chance we had to go to the local church in Wellington to put on a service. We were all involved in different parts, and I was given the chance to sing with the music team. Although I was very nervous, it was a great opportunity to step out of my comfort zone and explore something I had never thought I would do. Although we were impacted by Covid, I think that everyone who went on Dusty Boots can agree that whatever we were doing, the time we spent together strengthened our friendships and even enabled us to form new friendships and spend time away before the pressure of the HSC begins.

Freya Carveth
Year 12 Student

An experience like no other. Who would have expected a camp where the hosts become a part of the College family so seamlessly. The most memorable experience for me as are for most service trips was the opportunity to create bonds with new teachers I did not know. Alike the Cambodia service trip in 2019, we saw the amazing difference young adults and teachers could make in transforming people's properties in less than a week, through simple acts such as tearing down an old shed, which would normally take much longer for a smaller community to handle.

Some of the amazing experiences shared during the week was the joy we brought to the small Christian community of Mumbil when we played upbeat music at the church. My mates Ethan and Ben were able to share their testimonies in an incredibly soulful way which definitely resonated with the community of Mumbil. On the last day of service, we were able to go down to the lagoon to cool down where we enjoyed the forest views and witnessed God’s amazing creation through the beautiful sunset and pristine waters.

Jedd Kosman
Year 12 Student

Regional da Vinci Decathlon Success

College Musical Sponsors Announced

College Musical Tickets Are Now Available

ROCK Camp 2022 Reminder

Upcoming Events

Webinars for parents and carers from the eSafety Commissioner

Community Business Directory

Primary Cross Country

Health Inspirations Nepean Hospital

Health Inspirations is an exciting and fun work experience opportunity at Nepean Hospital for Year 10 students. It is a highly sought-after program that delivers an interactive and engaging set of experiences that encourages students to learn and reflect on their interests, skills and personal attributes, and how these may complement their career choices. It also exposes students to a variety of potential health careers by introducing them to a range of health professionals.

Penrith Anglican College is very fortunate to have had at least two students participate each year in the past. In 2022, six students have been selected to take part in either the full 5-day or the 2-day programs: Ruby Dalgleish, Christine Danyal, Samantha Esdaile, Elissa Ferguson, Erin O'Shannesy and Isabella Stewart - this is a testament to how well our students represent the College in the local community. Read on to see what Samantha Esdaile thought of the 5-day program.

A few weeks ago I was selected, along with two other students, to participate in the Health Inspirations Program 2022 that took place at the Nepean Hospital. I really enjoyed this experience and didn't realise it would be as good as it was. The activities organised for us included visits to many different wards where we got to see how things operate. These wards were Radiology/Sonography, Midwifery, Physiotherapy, ICU, Triage, NICU, Occupational Therapy and more. We also got to participate in practical activities like CPR on the dummies, using the mobility equipment and testing out the stethoscopes. Over the five days we spent at the hospital we were able to talk to a range of health professionals and ask any questions we had. We learnt what a day in the life working in the hospital looked like, the journey they took from graduating to where they are now, and subject selection, plus University. I think that the Health Inspirations program was an amazing opportunity that I was very grateful to be a part of. The program was very effective and has given me a solid idea about what I want to do in the future.

Samantha Esdaile
Year 10 Student

Monday, 9 May 2022		Year 11 HOS Work Placement
		CIS Open Boys Softball Trials
		World Music Ensemble
		Rostrum Voice of Youth - Regional Final
Tuesday, 10 May 2022		NAPLAN
		Primary Junior Mixed Advanced Football program
		Quaver Crew (Choir)
		College Production Rehearsal
Wednesday, 11 May 2022		CIS 18 Rugby League Trials
		NAPLAN
		Primary Senior Boys Advanced Football Program
		Secondary Cross Country - Rescheduled
		Dance Ensemble
		Council Meeting
Thursday, 12 May 2022		AICES Open Football
		NAPLAN
		Primary Senior Girls Adv Football Program
		Development Band
		Pre-K and Kindergarten 2023 Taster Morning
		Crotchet Crew Choir
		Concert Band
		Primary Football Development Program 3-6
		Cadets
Friday, 13 May 2022		AICES 15G &16B Football
		NAPLAN
		Primary PSSA AFL
		Primary PSSA Netball
		Primary PSSA Soccer
		Senior Choir
Saturday, 14 May 2022		College Tour
Monday, 16 May 2022		NAPLAN
		CIS Girls Softball Trials
		World Music Ensemble
Tuesday, 17 May 2022		NAPLAN
		Primary Junior Mixed Advanced Football program
		Secondary Athletics Carnival
		Quaver Crew (Choir)
		College Production Rehearsal
Wednesday, 18 May 2022		CIS Rugby League Trials
		NAPLAN
		Primary Senior Boys Advanced Football Program
		Year 9 CEP Camp
		Dance Ensemble
Thursday, 19 May 2022		NAPLAN
		Primary Senior Girls Adv Football Program
		Year 10 Career Expo
		Year 11 Subject Selection TBC
		Development Band
		Primary Athletics Carnival
		Crotchet Crew Choir
		Concert Band
		Primary Football Development Program 3-6
		Cadets
Friday, 20 May 2022		NAPLAN
		Primary PSSA AFL
		Primary PSSA Netball
		Primary PSSA Soccer
		Senior Choir

Cross- Country
Age Group	Champion	Runner Up
8/9 Girls	Harper Egglestone	Audrey Morris
8/9 Boys	Levi Holden	Ace Lee
10 Girls	Chloe Turner	Charlotte Green
10 Boys	Owen Morris	Nathaniel Grima
11 Girls	Alexandra Hall	Chloe Vella
11 Boys	Rueben Bleasdale	Caleb Ritchie
12 Girls	Bridie Hutcheson	Alana Jackson
12 Boys	Caelan Green	Blake Roots

In this issue

From the Principal