The Vine Newsletter

Mrs Felicity Grima - Principal

Dear Families

It has been a very smooth start to the College year and it has been wonderful to see students starting at the College for the first time and those returning after their holiday break. As a College, we have grown by over 120 students with our largest cohort of Year 7 students of just over 130 students.

To kick off the year we held Information Evenings for the Primary School, Year 7 and Year 11 families. At those evenings, I shared with families our Strategic Plan, highlighting our priorities for 2023 to 2027.

As part of the Strategic Plan, we have launched our refreshed Mission Statement that speaks to who we are as a College and what we want for our students.

"To nurture and develop empowered learners with strength of character who know and follow Christ and serve others"

We have also included our aspirations for our students encapsulated in our Graduate Statements:

As graduates of Penrith Anglican College, our students:

•       Know Christ and understand what it is to be servant-hearted and compassionate;

•       Are empowered learners with strong wellbeing and strength of character;

•       Are critical thinkers who innovate to solve problems with a focus on the future;

•       Embrace new and challenging opportunities with commitment, creativity and determination; and

•       Are respectful, collaborative and confident in their relationships and their ability to communicate with others.

Each family will receive a copy of the Strategic Plan next week. It can also be downloaded from the College website.https://www.penrith.nsw.edu.au/explore/publications/

We look forward to an excellent year of learning together at the College.

Mrs Felicity Grima
Principal

To comply with privacy requirements, we need to seek parent or carer permission for their child/children to have their image used when the communication or advertising is visible to the public. In the past, the College has asked for families to opt-out but this year, and going forward, we will be asking families to opt-in.

Possible uses for students’ images (either in photo or video format) where the student’s image is reasonably identifiable are:

 The Vine Newsletter;

• Social media – advertising and page posts;
• The College website;
• Advertising and marketing for the College in Cinema, Shopping Centres or other public venues; 
• Advertising and marketing for the College in newspapers or other media either in print or online;
• College publications including the Annual Report, Strategic Plan, Prospectuses and other brochures or flyers; 
• Bus sides in the Penrith LGA; and
• The Harvest Yearbook

Instructions for Permissions

Please log into the Parent Portal (You will find the Permissions under News Feed --> 'To Do') or the College App (Found under 'To Do') and take the following action:

1. If you give permission for your child’s image to possibly be used for the above purposes, then please select GRANT PERMISSION to give your permission.
2. If you do not want your child/children’s images to be used for any external purposes, please select DENY. 
3. If you would like to restrict the use of your child/children’s image for some purposes but grant permission for others, then please select DENY and, in the Notes section, indicate which purposes you are happy for your child/children’s images to be used. 

If you have any questions or would like to provide further information, please contact Mrs Jane Drayton [email protected]. 

If your child is at risk if their image appears in public for any reason such as child protection issues, ongoing litigation such as family law or domestic violence disputes, or witness protection schemes, please notify either Mr Leighton Corr – Deputy Principal (Secondary) [email protected] or Mrs Ljubica Mansell – Deputy Principal (Primary) [email protected].

The College’s full Privacy Policy is available on our website https://penrithac.policyconnect.com.au/module/716/page/27d1c0c4-25cc-4db8-9397-df315c697417.md

In Term 3, we will have an Anglican Schools Corporation Review. Every five years the Anglican Schools Corporation Board commissions a review of each of their schools. This year a Review will take place in Term 3. The Review provides an opportunity to reflect on the school’s progress and assists in future planning. The five ASC objectives are used as a framework for the review:

·       To provide high quality education that is shaped by the Bible

·       To communicate in word and deed the gospel of Jesus Christ to students, staff, parents and the wider community

·       To provide education that is financially accessible to local communities

·       To operate the Corporation efficiently and safely

·       To grow the Corporation

 An important part of the review process is the surveying of the school community (parents, students and staff). The information collected through the surveys provides the review team with comprehensive data on a broad cross section of the school. All parents will be invited to participate in the survey to share their experience of the school. We will communicate more specific information during Term 2.

The Australian Government Department of Education (the department) would like to notify families that we have requested for your child’s school to provide residential address and other information. Details are provided in the attached letter.

You are not required to do anything. Your school is responsible for providing the department with the requested details; however, you can login to the Edumate Parent Portal to update your family’s details.

For further information, please visit the SchoolsHUB Address Collection help and support page.

Term Dates for 2023 is available for download here.  It is also available on the College website.

 Psalm 59:16 NIV

But I will sing of your strength,
in the morning I will sing of your love;
for you are my fortress,
my refuge in times of trouble.

  Please pray for:
 Students and staff of the College, particularly new students and staff,
to settle into the routines and expectations of life at the College and get to know people quickly.
Those families walking through times of hardship and stress.
Year 12 students - for focus and energy.

 Praise God for:

The many new students and staff God has brought to the College.
The work done by our Property staff over the holidays to have the College looking wonderful.
Time spent relaxing and moving more slowly in holidays.

These areas, or domains, are at the heart of our College Learning Culture. We are intentionally training students to be aware of how they learn and what dispositions or approaches they need (the muscles) to navigate lessons, interactions, challenges and conundrums effectively.

As a result, in 2023, our teachers and staff aim to value inquisitive questioning and encourage thinking outside the square, to value students’ attitude of curiosity rather than caution, and continual progress rather than on-off performance. This is what learning looks like – and it will be a stretch, requiring resilience and perseverance, and that’s OK. Naturally, as an active community that desires to serve Christ and others, we aim to continue promoting, supporting and challenging everyone to look beyond oneself to the needs, thoughts, input and opinions of others.

This year, we pray, will be a wonderful time of growth, not simply in skills as learners but in the knowledge and confidence to continue to take an active role in being a learner.

Mr Phil McMurray
Director of Teaching and Learning

Please note: THIS IS NOT AN EVENT.

Just as the students have signed and returned their BYOD agreements, we also ask that parents have acknowledged that they understand the agreement.

Please see attached copy of the Student BYOD Agreement.

To acknowledge that you have read and agree with this document, please 'Grant' permission via the parent portal on Edumate or by logging into the College App the same way as you would to grant permission for an event. By granting permission you are in agreeance with this document.

If you have any questions regarding the BYOD Agreement, please contact Mr Kobus via email [email protected]

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. There still may be minor changes during the first few weeks of Term 1, however, the main fabric of the timetable will remain as is.

In October 2022, the College upgraded the parent authentication for Edumate to improve security. This has changed parents’ login details. 

Your username will now either be your email address or mobile phone as listed in Edumate.

If you cannot remember your details, log onto Edumate through the link via the College Website.

Click onto “Can’t Login” on the bottom right hand side of the login screen and follow the prompt. You will then be sent an email or text to reset your password.

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, access The Vine newsletter, Uniform Shop hours, download a copy of Book and Stationery Lists.

Mrs Ljubica Mansell - Deputy Principal (Primary)

Dear Families

I would like to extend a warm welcome to all our families to a new school year and in particular, our new families joining us for the first time. It has been wonderful to see the students settle into the new school year and getting into new routines in their new classes. Over the past two weeks the students have enjoyed getting to know their new teachers, finding out about the year ahead and even making new friends. Our Kindergarten students have been very excited to visit the farm to play at recess and lunch and have already begun exploring new areas around the school.

We are excited about the year ahead and we look forward to sharing the journey with you.

By now you would have received a Welcome to Term 1 letter which outlines the learning that will occur across all key learning areas as well as some specific information related to the class. A copy is attached below. In addition to that welcome letter, you would have received an information booklet specific to your child’s grade and a 2023 sporting opportunities document which provides detailed information about the sporting programs running this year. If you were unable to attend the information evening, please visit College reception and they will have copies of the documents for you.

Thank you to all who joined us at the Primary Information Evening. It was a wonderful opportunity to start the new year by building connections with the teaching staff and other families within the grade. We plan to bring our families together more often for those connections to strengthen.

In Week 3, we will have our Tell Us about Your Child evenings, where you will provide the teaching staff information about your child. You would have received an email with booking information as well as a link to complete a questionnaire prior to your appointment with the core class teachers. If you require assistance with the bookings, please contact College reception.

Congratulations to all the students who attended, participated, and competed at the Primary Swimming Carnival on Thursday. While it was a hot day, the students had a great time getting into house spirit and cheering on their peers in each race and even encouraging one another during the novelties. A special thank you to Mr Hall for organising such a wonderful event for our students and to the staff who assisted throughout the day. 

We had new records at our carnival and I am pleased to share the updates below:

Mia Egglestone

• 8 Years Girls 50m Freestyle
• 8 Years Girls 50m Backstroke

 Harper Egglestone

• 10 Years Girls 50m Butterfly
• 10 Years Girls 50 m backstroke

Congratulations Mia and Harper for those incredible achievements.

I am also excited to announce the points of each House. We had a so many students participating in so many events yesterday and we are just blown away by the level of participation this year.

The total points for the Swimming Carnival were as follows:

Ryle 793
Latimer 853
Ridley 866
Cranmer 906

Congratulations to all the Houses for an outstanding result this year.

We will be sharing additional information about the carnival results in our next edition of the Vine.

We are looking forward to our first Chapel together on Friday and continuing the conversation with our families over light refreshments in the hospitality space during recess. Our first class lead chapel will be Friday 17 February at 10am. Everyone is welcome to attend.

A friendly reminder that all families to please use the crossings when walking your children in and out of the college. We want to ensure our students are always safe and by modelling the correct ways of crossing the road, is a vital lesson. Thank you for supporting us as we teach our students about road safety.

I look forward to sharing more exciting updates with you all as the term progresses and pray that you have a peaceful week ahead.

Warm regards and God Bless,
Mrs Ljubica Mansell
Deputy Principal  - Head of Primary

Timetables

Parents and Carers can access the current timetables on Edumate and on the College App which provides details of your child’s class teachers. Teachers will have copies of all the classes on the first day of school so we can assist your child if they are unsure of their classes.

Uniform

The Uniform Shop has informed us that they are awaiting a delivery of some items. In this instance, full sports uniform is permitted to be worn. Please provide a note to the class teacher.

Sports uniform is to be worn each Friday from 3 February 2023.

Please ensure that all uniform items are labelled.

What to bring each day in Primary

• Lunchbox with recess and lunch
• Drink bottle (water only)
• Stationery items as required by grade
• Full college uniform including hat
• Student diary
• Laptops (Years 5 and 6 only)
• Change of clothes and undergarments in a plastic bag (This can be kept in your child’s school bag)

Please ensure ALL items are labelled with your child’s full name.

Mobile Phones
A reminder for parents in the Primary school about our Mobile Phone Policy; students cannot use their phones during the school day. Mobile phones are to be handed in to their core class teacher at the beginning of the day, where they will be stored in a safe and secure location.

Students who wear smart watches are required have them on school mode during the day.

If parents need to communicate with their child in Primary school during the day they are asked to contact College reception on 47368100.

Food
Students are encouraged to bring healthy and nutritious food to school each day. Please ensure that the food you are packing does NOT include nuts as we have students in our school who have anaphylaxis. Core class teachers will provide additional information to the parents at the information evening.

Daily Times
Classroom and daily times in Primary will remain the same as 2022.

Supervision begins at 8:00am and finishes at 3:45pm. Outside of these times students will need to attend TheirCare, our Before and After School Care provider.

Pre-Kindergarten starts at 8.40am and finishes at 3.00pm – supervision is available until 3.45pm.

Kindergarten to Year 6

Morning drop off and afternoon pick up

Pre-Kindergarten
All students in Pre-Kindergarten need to be signed in and out at their classroom by a parent or carer only, each day. Parents and carers are asked to park in the marked bays only, not in the Kiss and Run zone. Please do not leave your car unattended in the Kiss and Run zone.

Kindergarten to Year 2
Mornings
Students in K-2 can be dropped off via the Kiss and Run located in front of L Block between 8am and 8.30am. Parents and carers can park in marked bays and walk their child into school. Please do not leave your car unattended in the Kiss and Run zone.

Students who arrive later than 8.30am must get a late note from the office before going to class.

Afternoons
Teachers will walk their classes to the Primary Assembly area and students will be seated until they are collected. All students will be collected from the Primary Assembly Area each afternoon. Parents and carers can use the Primary Kiss and Run zone or park in marked bays and collect your child. Please do not leave your car unattended in the Kiss and Run zone.

K-2 students who catch a bus will be taken to the bus bay by a staff member each afternoon.

Years 3 to 6
Mornings
Students in 3-6 can be dropped off via the Primary Kiss and Run between 8am and 8.30am. Please do not leave your car unattended in the Kiss and Run zone. Parents and carers can park in marked bays and walk their child into school.

Students who arrive later than 8.30am must get a late note from the office.

Afternoons
Teachers will walk their classes to the Primary Assembly Area and students will be seated until they are collected. Parents and carers can use the Primary Kiss and Run zone or park in marked bays and collect your child. Please do not leave your car unattended in the Kiss and Run zone. If you have multiple children across the College, you are asked to come at the time of your eldest child.

Students in Years 3-6 who catch a bus will be taken to the bus bay by a staff member each afternoon.

TheirCare – our new Out of School Hours Care Provider
After much research, parent feedback, and consulting with other independent schools, we are pleased to announce that the outside school hours care at the College will now be provided by TheirCare. TheirCare is an Australian-owned and operated service. They are committed to delivering a high-quality service through qualified and inspired team members and through outstanding relationships with schools and families.

TheirCare commenced operations on Monday 30 January. 

A detailed information pack is available on the College website including the cost of each session and booking information.

Staff from the service will be presenting at the Primary Parent Information Evening on Wednesday 1 February. Further information can also be found at www.theircare.com.au.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Mrs Mansell, Deputy Principal (Primary).

Dates for your Diary

Zooper Dooper Stall run by Year 5 students! How cool is that?

At recess on Wednesday 22nd February Year 5 will be holding a Zooper Dooper Stall for all the Primary School, including Pre-K students to enjoy!

Money raised will go to Compassion for the eight children we sponsor from P-6.

Zooper Doopers will be on sale for 50 cents.

Mrs Sue Munce
Primary Compassion Child Coordinator

Welcome back to all College families and a special welcome to those who have just joined our community in 2023.

Library at the College is housed in 3 spaces, each including a physical collection, library office and learning space:

Prep Library (PreK to Year 2) in L Centre
Year 3 and 4 Library in D Centre
Years 5-12 Library in G Centre

Students are welcome to borrow from the wide range of resources including fiction, non-fiction, autobiographies, graphic novels, magazines, picture books & more.

Curriculum-based Library classes are held for students from PreK to Year 6 aiming to develop a love of reading, build research skills and foster a thirst for knowledge.

In an ever-expanding information environment, Library also provides access to the following online resources available through student login to the library home page 

• Sydney Morning Herald
• World Book Online for all age groups
• Clickview (educational TV programs)
• Story Box Library (stories read aloud)
• Sora (ebooks)
• Gale in Context High School and JStor (Secondary student research)

If you have any questions about library please call us at the College or email [email protected]

Scholastic Book Club Issue 1 is currently on sale so check the website if you’d like to order and watch out for this special offer

https://www.scholastic.com.au/book-club/book-club-home/

There are some great books for all ages and your purchases also help the library so our students benefit twice! Download this helpful guide Scholastic has put together for more information.

Mr Leighton Corr - Deputy Principal (Secondary)

What a wonderful first few days we have had at the College to commence 2023. It has been a delight to welcome students back, or welcome them for the first time and see them in uniform and attending their classes.

2023 has allowed us to return to a ‘normal’ start to the year where we could meet together as a Secondary School and run through expectations and how we would like things to work.

This highlighted something I often refer to with our students and families, that we are a community. Simply being back together made such a difference in helping people feel like they belong and are part of something. I hope this feel of community can continue.

I extend a welcome to our new staff who have settled in quickly and been incredibly professional in establishing themselves as quality and caring educators.

Our new Year 7 cohort are also to be commended for the mature way in which they have adjusted to their first week in the Secondary School. They may still get lost or be unsure who all their teachers are, but I have been impressed with their attitude and how settled their classes have been.

The year ahead will be one filled with wonderful opportunities for our students to learn, grow in their knowledge, skills and character and we look forward to partnering with you on this journey.

A copy of the Start of Year letter that was emailed to all families is attached below for your information.

Mr Leighton Corr
Deputy Principal - Head of Secondary 

Travelling on Buses
Many of our students use Public Transport to travel to and from school. Here are some updates:

• Students require an Opal Card and must Tap On and Tap Off. This is required so the bus company knows who has travelled on our services.
• Students are required to continue to wear their College uniform on public transport with the same expectations we would have if they were on site.
• The same behaviour expectations for students are in place as students travel to and from the College.

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 Group time will go for 30 minutes each day with a schedule that includes 5 Mentor Group sessions a fortnight, 2 Chapels, an Assembly (7-12), a Year Meeting and a House Meeting. Students will be informed of this schedule at the start of the year.

Timetables
Students are able to log on and see their timetables from 25 January 2023.

Diaries
Each student will be presented with their diary on the first day they are at the College and are expected to have this with them in each class. They are strongly encouraged to use this to help them with their organisation and planning for the year. It will also be required for them to leave class outside of normal times or to note issues during the day for example needing to go home early or not having a blazer. If you know that your child will need to be picked up early for an appointment, please feel free to write this in their diary for them to show their teacher and leave class at the appropriate time.

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 and check any important messages. 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 mostly the same for 2023, although we have introduced a shorts option for male students in the Secondary School. This is part of the summer uniform and shorts can be purchased from the Uniform Shop.

Hats and blazers remain compulsory parts of the College uniform.

Students will wear sports gear to and from the College on Tuesdays and any day that they have practical PE commitments.

Details of our College uniform requirements can be found at: http://www.penrith.nsw.edu.au/enrol/essentials/uniforms/.

Mentor Group Time Timetable
The College seeks to provide students with a thorough and comprehensive school experience both in academic pursuits but also with a strong focus on well-being, and as a Christian school we endeavour to give every student a chance to explore the Christian faith and ask questions about the world and ensure that as young people, they are looked after and well connected with other students at the school. The College takes its mission to care for students seriously and seeks to do this through a variety of ways.

Every fortnight students will spend time in their Mentor Groups, have a House Meeting (to be organised by their Head of House), attend Chapel, attend Assembly and also have a Year Meeting for age-specific content to be delivered. 2023 will see each of these events commence in a face-to-face manner.

The table below gives a visual of how the schedule will operate.

Class Structure in 2023
There will be an academically high achieving class in each year group 7-10, but the remaining classes will be mixed ability, hence creating a more comprehensive learning environment for our students. 2022 assessment and testing data was used in the formation of these class lists. All classes will continue to have high expectations and will work towards the achievement of the same educational outcomes. Please note students will also have ‘creative classes’ for subjects like Music, TAS which will be completely mixed in Years 7-8.

The College carefully considers class placements for all of our students and ask that parents are supportive and understanding of the class their child has been placed in for the year.

Communication
The College acknowledges the importance of the partnership we share with parents in helping students have the best experience of school. Therefore, we seek to be open, honest and regular in our communication with families.

All parents have access to our App which gives information about the calendar and events. Parents are also able to log onto the Parent Portal on Edumate and see details of either positive or negative comments and actions from any teacher. Parents will be regularly able to check on their child’s behaviour via this platform. We feel this will give our parents a more thorough understanding of how their child is tracking at school. Student timetables are also accessible via Edumate.

Our College staff are readily available to discuss academic or well-being matters with families as necessary and all families should expect to hear from their child’s Mentor Group teacher in the first few weeks of the term.

The Vine continues to be the major form of ongoing communication with parents. This publication is sent out fortnightly during term time and we encourage you to read each issue. We also post regularly on Facebook and the website with relevant information and hope parents find these avenues of communication are clear and helpful.

Structure of Secondary Leadership Team
In 2023 the College welcomes its largest ever Year 7 cohort, which will be five streams. To accommodate this and allow for future growth there will be a new structure in place for 2023.

We have introduced two roles focusing on the well-being and care of students, a Director of Students (7-9) and a Director of Students (10-12). These roles will assist me in the running of the Secondary School and work closely with Heads of House with our well-being programs.

Key Contacts
As parents, your primary contact person for general matters will be your child’s Mentor Teacher. For subject-related matters, we encourage you to communicate with the class teacher or Head of Department. You should expect some form of communication from your child’s mentor teacher in the first 2-3 weeks of Term 1.

The other key contacts that you may wish to note are listed below.

Heads of House:
Mr David Andison (Cranmer) [email protected]
Mr David Thurlow (Latimer) [email protected]
Mr Ben Andison (Ridley) [email protected]
Mr Tim Pigot (Ryle) [email protected]

College Counsellor: Mr Jon Wright [email protected]
Director of Studies: Dr Samuel Jackson [email protected]
Director of Students (7-9) : Mr Anthony Kelshaw [email protected]
Director of Students (10-12): Mrs Fiona Wright [email protected]
Deputy Principal (Secondary): Mr Leighton Corr [email protected]
Principal: Mrs Felicity Grima [email protected]

Diary Dates for Term 1 2023

To celebrate Valentine's Day, Year 12 College Student Leaders will be selling roses, carnations, and lolly bags to raise funds for Compassion Child. There will also be the opportunity to win a giant plush teddy bear. Students can get their orders in from Monday 6 - Friday 10 February. Come on everyone, let's show some LOVE!

All students from Years 7-10 are subscribed to Mathspace, an online mathematics program. 

Mathspace is hosting a webinar for parents and carers to share tips on how they can support their child's learning on Mathspace at home. 

There will be two Back to School Parent and Carer webinars on the following days. To register, click on your preferred date:

• Wednesday, 15 February at 7pm AEDT
• Tuesday, 21 February at 9pm AEDT

Over the holidays we had two 2m x 4m images installed on the walls in the Science corridor. One shows a periodic table and the other is an artwork showing a cell & DNA. 

Mr Stephen Matthews
Head of Science

Welcome to our new students to the College, especially Year 7. Visual Arts is not just about artmaking skills or media specific techniques but more importantly, develops a way of thinking that involves; problem solving, innovation, understandings of theories of aesthetics and critically viewing our world to offer new interpretations. Developing one’s creativity is a highly desired employability skill of the contemporary workforce.

We are excited to welcome Mrs. Rochelle Smith who will be teaching Visual Arts to students in Years 3 to 7. Also joining our team as an Art Assistant is Mrs Sally White. The Visual Arts department are planning several projects and excursions this year and we are excited to see the creative talents of our students develop.

All high school students studying Visual Arts have been issued with a Visual Arts Process Diary (VAPD) as part of your studies of Visual Arts. These books are to demonstrate creativity and the documentation of artmaking. Students can leave their VAPD in the classroom when not completing homework and assessments. They are also encouraged to take their books home to continue to develop concepts, skills and investigative studies.

I look forward to some exciting artmaking ahead.

Mr. Steven Lewis
Head of Visual Arts

The College Canteen is open daily. Order through FLEXISCHOOLS www.flexischools.com.au, the Flexischools App or the College App. 

The menu for Term 1 is available here. Due to the current situation, supply issues may mean that items may, at times be unavailable, particularly the potato items. This menu is subject to change. Please refer to Flexischools for the most up-to-date information.

Orders can be placed for Breakfast (7am cut off), Recess and Lunch (9am cut off). We also offer a limited late order menu (11am cut off). Pre-K to Year 2 students are now able to order recess orders, and these will be delivered to the classrooms.

Did you know that you can order a Birthday Treat Bucket for your child to share with their class? It is available in the lunch order section. Simply choose what your child would like (Quelch Stick, Zooper Dooper, Chocolate Mousse, Chocolate Brownie, Ice Cream Cup or a Choc-Chip Muffin) and how many you would like to order. For students in the Primary School, we will advise the teacher and they will send the student to the Canteen to collect it at a time that is convenient for the class. High School students can collect it at any break time. It also comes with a balloon.

Should you have any questions or suggestions please feel free to contact Canteen Manager, Mrs Michelle Cochrane, or one of the other Canteen staff [email protected] or phone 4736 8100 (after 1:40pm is the best time).

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

The Community Business Directory acts as a link for business and families to support each other.  This initiative was 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.

We are so excited that TheirCare is the new provider for our Outside School Hours Care!

TheirCare provides a stimulating and safe environment for all children. Children develop life-skills, friendships, confidence and creativity through play-based programs. The program is available for all Primary school children at Penrith Anglican College from 6:30am until 8.00am in the morning and from 3:00pm until 6:00pm each school day.

During School Holidays & Pupil Free Days the service will operate from 6:30am until 6:00pm.

To learn more about the wonderful services provided by TheirCare and to enrol your child please visit the website: www.theircare.com.au

Please note, families are eligible for a Government Rebate called the Child Care Subsidy which can reduce the cost per session by up to 85%.

For more information contact the school office or TheirCare Support Team on 1300 072 410.

TheirCare - It’s Where Kids Love To Be!

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.”

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. Please remind your child/ren to tap on and tap off every time.

Copies of the College's Year Book, The Harvest 2022, were distributed to the youngest student in each family present on the last day of Term 4 2022.

If your family has not received a copy, one can be picked up from College Reception during school hours.