The Vine Newsletter

Mrs Felicity Grima - Principal

It is only the end of Week 4 of Term 1 and yet we have had a full calendar of College events and activities.
The Primary and Secondary Swimming Carnivals were very successful and it was exciting to finally have the carnivals back to normal.
We celebrated our new Primary Leadership Team at their Investiture. Please pray for these students as they serve the College community in their leadership roles.
The Alumni Thanksgiving Service saw the return of the familiar faces of our Class of 2022. Our College Alumni remain an important part of our community and we look forward to keeping in touch with these graduates into the future.
I had the pleasure of visiting the Year 7 and Year 11 CEPs last Tuesday. The Challenge/Explore/Prepare program provides students with important opportunities to create connections with other students, take on challenges outside the classroom and explore their relationship with the world around them as part of building their character to serve Christ.

The College welcomed back students from our Class of 2022 at the Alumni Thanksgiving Assembly on Thursday 16 February. It was lovely to see families join our alumni and students and staff in the Lighthouse Theatre to celebrate their achievements, and enjoying catching up with each other and former teachers over morning tea afterwards. 

Alumni Braden Jones, Mia Kobus and Benjamin Mallin (2022 Dux of College) spoke to students about how choosing the subjects they enjoyed most helped them to achieve their ATARs, how hard work and perseverance throughout Years 11 and 12 really paid off, and how their faith in Christ put them on the path to success.

On Monday 13 February, eight of PAC's 2022 HSC Distinguished Achievers attended a morning tea hosted by Tanya Davies MP to celebrate their hard work and accomplishments. Mrs Davies also offered her support for their future endeavours and encouraged them to make the most of every opportunity presented to them. 

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 marketing@pac.nsw.edu.au. 

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) l.corr@pac.nsw.edu.au or Mrs Ljubica Mansell – Deputy Principal (Primary) l.mansell@pac.nsw.edu.au.

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

 1 John 4:10

 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

 Please pray for:
Those families in the College community experiencing times of hardship and stress.
The Primary Family Fun Night tonight.
New students as they continue to settle into life at the College.

Praise God for:
Year 7 and 11 CEP camps.
The many opportunities available to students at the College.
The exciting plans He has for our Alumni.

Mrs Fiona Wright, Director of Student Development 10-12

The start of the 2023 College year has been both very settled, and very busy. It’s only the end of our third full week, yet we have had our Primary Leaders’ Investiture, Safer Internet Day, run several information nights, experienced a Culture Walk run by our Student Leaders to help our Year 7 students to help them understand the College Values and Learning Culture and celebrated our Class of 2022 at the Alumni Thanksgiving Service. Year 10 have engaged in Careers Profiling and interviews, peripatetic Music lessons are filling the Performing Arts building with beautiful sounds, and Year 7 and 11 have just arrived back from their CEP camps. Not to mention the Primary and Secondary Swimming Carnivals and several other sporting events!

Lunchtime groups such as BIG and ROCK have restarted, as have assemblies, chapels and house meetings. Chess Club, Dungeons and Dragons, Choir, Concert and Development Bands, Dance Groups, Drama Club are all up and running and the College, like all schools, is a busy place.

But life at the College is also settled. There is a sense of calm in classes and around the campus. From our brand new Pre K students who are excited to be making new friends and learning to open their own packets of food for lunch to our largest ever cohort of Year 7 students who are settling in beautifully and learning where all their classrooms are, right up to our Year 12 students who are already engaging in formal assessments, students are engaged in learning and finding their place to belong.

A sense of belonging at school is particularly important. It is associated with higher levels of “optimism, self-efficacy, self-esteem, self-concept and sociability” and “can reduce the likelihood of mental health problems, (and) promote resilience when mental health difficulties arise”[1]. At PAC there are so many opportunities for students to find a place to belong. In their class, their year, their Mentor Group, their House or as a member of any one of the many co-curricular groups which are available. In the first week, one of the most encouraging things I saw was large numbers of our older students in Years 10, 11 and 12 helping younger or newer students who looked a little lost – walking them to classes and helping them understand timetables. Our Primary Student Leaders were also wonderful on the first day for our Kindergarten students, helping them settle into class, and guiding them when they needed a hand.

The College is a community where all students can find a place to belong and grow and it is our prayer that as students grow up at the College, they find the confidence to try new things, get involved in activities and find a place where they belong and can use the gifts and abilities God has given them.

Mrs Fiona Wright
Director of Students 10-12

Parent acknowledgement is required by Saturday 18 February 2023.

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 Felix Kobus via email f.kobus@pac.nsw.edu.au

Students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 will be sitting NAPLAN from Wednesday 15 March until Friday 17 March. All tests will be online except for the Year 3 Writing Test which will be pen and paper. Letters have been emailed to families this week with further relevant information. A copy of the NAPLAN Information for Parents and Carers 2023 is attached for your information.

Mrs Ljubica Mansell, Deputy Principal (Primary)

The new Primary Leadership Team had their Investiture last week. Congratulations to all our Primary School Leaders:

Captains
Sarah Broad
Spencer Witten

Vice Captains
Estelle Ferro
Addison Ralphs

Prefects
Lewis Clark
Olivia Holden
Stella Jenkins
Ayra Mahmood
Eva Nercessian
Grace Nicholls
Caleb Ritchie
Chloe Vella

House Captains
Benji Brard - Cranmer
Sienna Ovington - Cranmer
Izaak Casha - Ryle
Torah Kelly - Ryle
Beau Gerace - Ridley
Charlotte Wright - Ridley
James Darcy - Latimer
Havana Williams - Latimer

Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.

1 Peter 5:2-4

Students were buzzing with enthusiasm when they received their instruments on Tuesday for the year 4 band program. It is always delightful seeing students develop a keen interest in playing and choose to join our Concert Band program. Each student has had both aural and embouchure testing to choose a suitable instrument.

Here are some important details regarding the ensemble:

• If any instrument issues arise, please ask your child to bring the instrument to the music staffroom to repair. Often breakages are quite easy to repair for our repairer, avoid any home DIY.
• Practice is crucial to the program working. Your child should play their instrument every day.
• Instruments can be brought up to the music storeroom in the Performing Arts Centre.

If there are any questions or queries, please contact Mr Lane.

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

The Premier’s Reading Challenge 2023 commences later this month and once again we hope as many students as possible participate in this program encouraging reading for pleasure.

There have been a few positive changes to the Challenge this year, including the increase in personal choice books from 5 to 10 which will make it much easier to complete.

Participants can also now include any 5 books from a Challenge-approved series, another improvement to make the goal easier to reach.

For more information check out the official website:

https://online.det.nsw.edu.au/prc/home.html

or the student site:

https://online.det.nsw.edu.au/prc/studentExperience.html#/

Lucinda Gifford is a Melbourne based author and illustrator who will be visiting us virtually on 1 March. She has illustrated over 30 books including the Chicken Diva books plus a new chapter book series, the Wolves of Greycoat Hall.

Check out Lucinda’s website for all her books and some fun activities: https://www.lucindagiffordbooks.com/

Charmaine Ledden-Lewis is a Blue Mountains artist, and descendant of the Bundjalung people. She was the 2019 winner of Magabala Books’ Kestin Indigenous Illustrator Award and illustrated Bruce Pascoe’s children’s picture book Found and Cathy Freeman’s Born to Run. Charmaine is joining us in person on 8 March.

Learn more about Charmaine’s work here: https://www.magabala.com/collections/charmaine-ledden-lewis

Mr Leighton Corr - Deputy Principal (Secondary)

The Secondary School enjoyed perfect weather for the swimming carnival last week and again we took another step towards things returning to ‘pre-pandemic’ with all students able to attend and enjoy the day. It was a great time for those students who excel at swimming, with a number of students qualifying for representation at the NASSA Swimming Championships in multiple events. Schools are fantastic places for young people because there are so many different areas where we can celebrate success and achievement. I am aware that for some students they look forward to the Swimming Carnival with great anticipation, as swimming is ‘their thing’ and I commend those who were heavily involved and raced hard on the day.

I also know that for others, simply being there and having a go in something is a huge achievement. Our Heads of House team worked hard to have our students engaged and participate and you can always see a real sense of perseverance and courage on these days shown by our students. Well done to everyone who stepped up and got in the water. Thanks also to Mrs Houison and her team for the organising of the event. We look forward to another great carnival in the last week of term.

On Thursday February 9, I also had the privilege, along with Mrs Grima, of joining our Senior Student Leadership team at the annual Archbishops Student Leader Commissioning Service at St. Andrew’s Cathedral. This is a chance for our students to meet with leaders from many other Anglican Schools around NSW and be challenged from the Archbishop in their role. This year the strong message was for leaders to be people who don’t use their power or position for themselves, but to serve others and put other peoples’ needs above their own. Imagine what our community would look like as a school if all of our students had this mindset of helping and serving others.

It continues to be a lovely start to 2023 for the students of PAC and as routines and systems become more normal for everyone, I am sure this will continue.

Mr Leighton Corr
Deputy Principal (Secondary)

During the second week of school over the course of a week and a half, the Prefect team began preparations for one of the biggest fundraising events of the year; Valentine's Day. This involved the team engaging with florists and other suppliers in order to pull together the flowers, lolly bags and the Big Bear. Through many drawbacks and unprecedented events, the team was still able to successfully raise $520 for the Red Cross Flood Appeal. Thank you to everyone who participated in the event and the hard work of the Prefects! The Big Bear prize will be drawn in Week 5. 

Caitlin Mu
Year 12 Prefect

Year 7 Challenge // Explore // Prepare program was a great opportunity to welcome a significant number of new students to Penrith Anglican College. On Monday the 13th of February, students set off for the Collaroy Centre to engage in a series of learning experiences designed to both challenge them and build relationships with their classmates.

The camp began with a range of team-building exercises, rock climbing, giant swing, team games, lazar-tag, and problem-solving challenges. These activities helped the students to get to know each other better, develop their communication skills, and work together effectively.

One of the more memorable parts of camp was the significant rain event that happened during the water games activity on the middle day. Students started the activity in overcast conditions; however, mid-way through the first rotation the heavens opened, and students got very wet regardless of how well they played the water games. After some hot showers and a change of clothes, Year 7 stayed dry by watching a movie for the remainder of the afternoon.

Mrs Heath presented the daily talks which provided students with a foundational understanding of what the Bible teachers. In order to help students better understand this Mrs Heath undertook a range of different science experiments and games that provided students with a visual representation of the claims of the Bible.

Throughout the camp, the students were encouraged to support and encourage each other, and we were delighted to see the relationships between the students growing stronger each day. By the end of the camp, the students had made new friends, developed important life skills, and created lasting memories.

We believe that the Year 7 camp was a valuable and worthwhile experience for all students, and we look forward to seeing the positive impact it has on their academic and personal lives.

Mr Anthony Kelshaw
Director of Students 7-9

Year 11 students were challenged to try new things and demonstrated teamwork at the CEP Camp at Lake Macquarie. New friendships were made, and it looks like the students weren't the only ones who had a blast on Dress Up Night! We look forward to sharing their experiences in the next edition of The Vine. 

Excitement is in the air as students at PAC have embraced the future of technology with open arms.

The College has recently acquired two of the latest VR headsets, providing an unparalleled opportunity for students to explore, experiment and engage with an immersive, virtual reality environment.

With this new technology, students are able to create innovative projects and develop interactive games that will help them to expand their skill sets and enhance their creativity. The implementation of these VR headsets is a fantastic opportunity for the students to explore the potential of virtual reality.  

The students have thoroughly enjoyed building VR projects and excited to use new and emerging technologies. Year 12 student, Riley Duong, was quoted as saying “Working on a VR project has helped me to unlock new skills and expertise for a brave new world”.

Mr Adam Weber
Technologies Teacher

The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award is an exciting self-development program available to all young people aged 14 to 25 worldwide equipping them with life skills to make a difference to themselves, their communities and their world.

The Award program has three levels; Bronze, Silver and Gold. Each of these levels is made up of four sections

• Service (e.g. coaching, church music or youth leading, first aid, vet)
•  Skill (e.g. music, netball umpiring, Spanish, L driving, acting, photography)
•  Physical Recreation (e.g. netball, soccer, dance, boxing, Oztag, golf)
•  Expeditions (typically a hike for one or two nights)

Students personalise their own program and set their own goals to work towards. Completing the four sections to gain your Award requires persistence and determination to overcome challenges faced along the way. It is a fantastic was to recognise students’ achievements and community engagement outside of the classroom.

If you’d like to learn more about the Duke of Edinburgh Award please speak to Mrs Price. Alternatively, you can head to the Duke of Edinburgh Australia website www.dukeofed.com.au

Mrs Erica Price
PDHPE Teacher & Duke of Edinburgh Award Leader

Joshua Craig is a fantastic new Brass tutor at the College.  An aspiring musician, he plays the French Horn, Trumpet, Bass and Piano. He is passionate about music and passing on his knowledge to others. He strives to make lessons fun, enjoyable and encouraging.

Joshua is currently tutoring students in several schools across western Sydney and has a number of years’ experience in high level ensembles including the NSW Public Schools Symphony Orchestra, NSW Public Schools Symphonic Wind Ensemble and the NSW Public Schools Millennium Marching Band. He was a member of the NSW Department of Education's Schools Spectacular Orchestra in 2022. Joshua is a current member of Sydney Youth Orchestra Philharmonic and is looking forward to working at Penrith Anglican College.

If your child is interested in lessons with him, please contact musicadmin@pac.nsw.edu.au

Primary Swimming Carnival 2023
Congratulations to the following students on their achievements with our Primary Swimming Carnival: 

Ribbons, medals and trophies will be handed out on a Morning Assembly at a later date.

Friday 3 February saw Cranmer, Latimer, Ridley and Ryle Houses out and about in full colour and support for their teams at the Secondary Swimming Carnival. Competitive spirit was strong and plenty of frivolity was had by all, with many students keen to do their best. Congratulations to all those who participated on the day. Results to be tallied so stay tuned!

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.

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.

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.