The Vine Newsletter

Mrs Felicity Grima - Principal

Sincere Thanks

I cannot begin to express my thanks and appreciation for all the support the College community has generously provided my family and me over the past few weeks. I was not expecting this journey, but I have been carried by the constant stream of messages of care and support, flowers, gifts, meals, practical help and most importantly, your prayers. I know I am only one of many impacted by cancer in our community so that has made the support even more humbling and overwhelming. Thank you.

I sincerely thank the Executive team, especially Mr Leighton Corr, who have carried an extra load over the past weeks as they have supported me. Rest comes easily when you know the College is in excellent hands.

The surgery went very well. The cancer has been completely removed, and the margins are clear. There was no cancer found in my lymph nodes. Treatment will continue with radiation therapy starting next week after school.

Throughout this process and as we head towards Easter, I have been reminded of the great hope we have in Jesus Christ. I have a great God who walks with me each day. We can find so much hope in Scripture through the gift of eternal life made possible through His son, Jesus Christ. No matter what trials, temptations or pain we may suffer, we can always hold onto the hope God extends to us.

Romans 8:38-39

38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[b] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Recognising the impact cancer has had on many College families and will continue to have, PAC Turned Pink on Friday 31 March.

The initiative was a fundraising and awareness event that supports the work of the McGrath Foundation.  Students and staff dressed up in pink mufti clothes, some with outstanding creativity, and engaged in a series of age-appropriate activities throughout the day to both raise funds and educate our students about breast cancer.

Many thanks to our families who supported the day with a gold coin donation, as well as providing delicious pink items for the bake sale at lunch. We are truly humbled by your generosity.

And very special thanks to Mr Anthony Kelshaw, Director of Students 7-9, the Mentor Group Representatives, and Mrs Ljubica Mansell, Deputy Principal (Primary) for the organisation on the day.

Families are warmly invited to join the College for Easter Chapel starting at 12pm on Thursday 6 April.

At the conclusion of Chapel at 1pm, students can be picked up from the College.

Primary School: students can be collected from their classrooms and signed out with the class teachers.

Secondary School: students can be collected from the Primary School Assembly Area and signed out with their Head of House.

After 1:45pm, Primary students can be collected from the Lighthouse Theatre. Secondary students will need to be signed out at the Front Office. We ask that parents to be mindful that the carpark will be busy during this time, and College staff will assist where possible.

Supervision will continue to be provided for all students on site until the normal time of 3:45pm and After School Care and normal school buses remain in operation on the day.

We are seeking your help to support the students in our College who are at risk of anaphylaxis.

Anaphylaxis is a severe allergic reaction that is potentially life-threatening. The most common causes of anaphylaxis in schools are food and insect allergies. The only way to prevent allergic reactions is to avoid being exposed to the allergen.

Food allergies are now common in school aged children. Children can be allergic to any food.

There are students at Penrith Anglican College with Anaphylaxis so we would kindly request that you do not send any nut or nut products with your child to school. This includes products such as Peanut Butter and Nutella.

There are several ways you can assist as we manage these life-threatening allergies in the College:

• Please discuss with your child the contents of their lunch box each morning.
• Please remind your child not to share food with others.
• Please remind your child to wash their hands after eating.

As we educate our college community to help with the management of food allergy and anaphylaxis, the parents of students with food allergies will continue to educate their children on self-management at a developmentally appropriate level.

We ask you to support the College’s risk minimisation strategies outlined above so that we can increase safety and provide an environment that meets the needs of all our students.

Romans 6:23 NIV
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

  Please pray for:
 The upcoming Primary Easter Hat Parade and Cross Country Carnival.
Those families in the College community experiencing times of hardship and stress.
Easter Chapel next Thursday.

 Praise God for:
The wonderful experiences Year 6 had on their Canberra Camp last week.
Turn PAC Pink Day!
The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. 

Mrs Fiona Wright - Director of Students 10-12

I love daylight savings! The beginning of daylight savings in October each year heralds the season of eating together outside, of longer evenings and balmy weather as Spring takes hold. Daylight savings holds the promise of summer holidays. At this end of the daylight savings season though, I am keen for daylight savings to end and the sun to be rising earlier once more! I have been finding it very difficult to get out of bed and to wake up properly in the dark. It makes me feel tired.

That reminds me of the importance of sleep. It really is difficult to overstate the importance of sleep. When you are asleep your brain is cleaned of toxins and learning and memories from the day are consolidated. Good quality sleep is also important in regulating appetite, metabolism and mood.^[1]

Did you know that approximately 70% of all teenagers are sleep deprived? Have a look at the guide below to see the recommended guide for different age groups^[2]:

6-13 years old         9-11 hours a night

14-17 years old       8-10 hours a night

When we do not get enough sleep, our performance and resilience are impacted. This can be especially difficult for teenagers whose bodies secrete melatonin later than normal during puberty, meaning they are naturally wanting to go to sleep later and wake up later. At school, we can certainly see that students often need more sleep. They are staying up late to balance work or other commitments with study, chatting with friends on technology late at night, or gaming. This really does impact their level of attention and retention in class and their ability to roll with the demands of everyday life.

Having a great bedtime routine can really help students get to sleep well and stay asleep. Turning off technology, especially any technology which emits blue light and inhibits the production of melatonin, an hour before bed is a great place to start. Having a shower, reading a book, chatting to family and then heading to bed to sleep can help the body to recognise the need to sleep. It’s also really important to keep the bed for sleeping, not studying!

As we head towards the end of term, and daylight savings ends, conduct a check up on your family’s sleep patterns to ensure that everyone is awake and alert and able to enjoy learning and functioning well each day.

Mrs Fiona Wright
Director of Students 10-12

We had the pleasure of hosting students from Trinity Grammar youth ministry over three days as part of their student mission to teach the Bible in Primary classes. Our guests shared the word of the Gospel with BIG and ROCK lunchtime groups, led Primary Chapel service, and had a blast with students in Christian Living classes. We wish members of the Trinity Grammar team well as they continue to put their faith into action, and look forward to welcoming them back in the future.

On Wednesdays there is a lunch time group called BIG. BIG stands for Believers in God.

At BIG, we learn about Jesus and the amazing miracles that He performed.

In Week 9 two people from CRU came to visit us in BIG to talk about the miracles that Jesus performed and how amazing He is. We played a game called Ultimate Rock Paper Scissors where everyone had to verse each other, and the winner got a new handball.

CRU is an amazing organisation. They also run camps in the holidays where we get to learn about God and do fun activities with our friends. The CRU leaders spoke about CRU Camp and how much fun we will have there. We are so excited because we might get to go.

Alfie Micallef, Mitchell Pap and Gavinu Wijayarathna
Year 5 Students

Daniel Hanna (from the book The Right Way to Rock) and members of our wonderful College community with camera phones at the ready!

Coming up in Term 2 are our Book Parade and National Simultaneous Storytime, on Wednesday 24 May. Students can once again come to the College dressed as their favourite book character, ready for our parade at 9am.

We can’t wait to be inspired by their creativity and love for stories as we celebrate this amazing event together.

As part of our library program, we participate in the annual KOALA Awards because of their Australian focus and reader involvement. The awards are student nominated and voted with only Australian authors and illustrators eligible. The Awards not only give students a voice but also encourage the joy of reading.

Nominations are made online during library lessons by the end of Term 1 and voting is open until the end of Term 3.

To find out more, visit the official website of this non-profit initiative: https://www.koalansw.org.au/

Mr Leighton Corr - Deputy Principal (Secondary)

As we come to the end of a busy term I want to thank our families for helping our community be something so significant and special to be a part of. This week we had ‘PAC Turns Pink’, a day to raise awareness and funds for those impacted by breast cancer and to celebrate Mrs Grima’s return to the College after her recent surgery. This was a very clear visible reminder of the power and importance of community. It was great to see our Mentor Representatives in the Secondary School work with Mr Anthony Kelshaw on making this a successful event.

But this has not been the only impressive thing recently worth noting to families. I mentioned 3 examples at Assembly this week of students stepping up and going above and beyond in their involvement and willingness to try their best.

I mentioned our NASSA swim team, who proudly represented the College at an evening Carnival last week at Homebush. They all tried their best, gave up an evening and then had a very late night to represent the College and swim as well as they could. Well done to these students.

Our Girls CIS Soccer team were also recognised for their efforts in their round 1 fixture against Norwest Christian College. In very warm conditions and with losing a few players the day before the game, these girls ran hard, played well and didn’t give up in a situation where they easily could have. We talk a lot at school about building perseverance and resilience and this was displayed by many of the team on this day.

Finally, I talked about our newly created Chess Club, happening at a lunchtime each week. We had close to 30 people present last week and what I saw here was a community learning and teaching each other the skills of chess. Students in different year groups were interacting and keen to learn and I hope to see this continue to grow in the future.

We have a wonderful community at PAC and I encourage our students, your children, to make the most of every opportunity to be part of it. 

Leighton Corr
Deputy Principal (Secondary)

This year, our Year 10 is working together to fundraise for our Charity Ball. We have chosen to support Rare Cancers Australia - a charity who strives to improve the lives and health outcomes of Australians living with rare, less common, and complex cancers. Each year approximately 52,000 Australians face the devastating news of a diagnosis of a rare cancer and 25,000 people lose their lives due to the cancer.

Rare Cancers Australia helps support many Australian patients and families who are affected by a rare cancer. Every dollar raised for Rare Cancers Australia goes towards potential lifesaving medications giving hope to families and friends. Our Year group will have a chance to dress up and celebrate our fundraising efforts with the Charity Ball at the end of the year. Sienna Repac (Year 10 Student)

Year 10 have already kickstarted their fundraising efforts with a chocolate drive. A group of students have begun meeting and brainstorming different ideas as we work towards our goal of raising $5000.

Their next venture is a drinks stand at the Primary Cross Country Carnival. There will be bottles of still water for $2 and cans of lightly sparkling flavoured water for $3. Badges with the House coloured logos on them will be sold for $2 each, to wear in support of your House.

Students will also be running a guessing competition with tickets available for purchase ($1 each) on the day. The prizes on offer are a 10 kilo block of Cadbury chocolate and a 4.5 kilo Toblerone milk bar.

Year 10 appreciates the support of the school community as they work to raise money for such a valuable cause.

Mrs Renata Lackey and Mrs Cate Duxbury
Year 10 Charity Ball Coordinators

Penrith Anglican College were represented by Year 10 iSTEM and Year 10 Industrial Technology-Engineering at the Science and Engineering Challenge. The day-long competition is designed to provide students with a positive experience of Science and Engineering. The day consisted of eight different activities that covered Science and Engineering disciplines such as civil, structural, mechanical, aeronautical, and electrical engineering, plus computer science and energy systems. Students were able to employ learning skills of collaboration, planning, transferring and perseverance to name a few in finishing Second overall, which was a great achievement. Further, the students won the day-long bridge build contest with a 119-gram bridge, breaking with an applied load of 8.5 kilograms. The college is incredibly proud of all the students who participated for their efforts and perfect conduct on display.

Mr Shane Stratford
Technologies Teacher

Students studying elective music at Penrith Anglican College had the incredible opportunity to attend a performance by the Sydney Symphony at the iconic Opera House. The concert featured two classic pieces of music: Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" and Bernstein's "Symphonic Dances".

This concert was made possible through Meet The Music, a program that aims to introduce students to the world of classical music. In the lead up to the concert, students were able to learn about the music and the instruments involved, which made the experience all the more enriching.

We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Mrs Allan, Mrs Hext, and Mrs Lucas for their hard work in organizing and facilitating this event. Without their efforts, this incredible opportunity would not have been possible.

Mr Nick Lane
Head of Performing Arts

Here are a few thoughts from some of the students who attended the concert:

I wanted to share with you how moving the recent performance by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra was. The performances were perfect, with different styles seamlessly integrated. The piano solo by Simon Tedeschi was technically amazing to listen to, and the layering of textures in one piece, where the violinists played quietly with solos played over the top of them, was truly impressive. Thank you for the opportunity to attend this performance.  Tim Batcheldor (Year 11 Student).

I had an incredible experience attending the Sydney Symphony Orchestra's performance of Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue. Seeing a symphony in real life was a dynamic and engaging experience, as the sounds came to life and the instruments played cohesively. I was particularly struck by the way each instrument used dynamics, especially the strings. Sitting directly behind the percussion section gave me a newfound appreciation for what happens "behind the scenes".  Elysia Castillejo (Year 11 Student).

At the recent concert, I was amazed by the variety of musical textures and patterns presented by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. The clarinet displayed polyphonic, homophonic, and monophonic textures through an ascending glissando, while the 32-bar chorus followed a fixed pattern of four phrases: AABA, ABAB, ABCA, AABC. The uplifting, jaunty medley of five songs took us on a musical journey from uncertainty to achievement, with sections that felt improvisational as the melody constantly developed and changed. The music ranged from rhythmic piano solos to richly orchestrated sections, creating a strong contrast of thickness and thinness of instruments. The solos were integrated yet felt episodic. Overall, the concert was an enjoyable and educational experience, shared with my peers.  Elena Tomaras (Year 11 Student).

The rain threatened to cancel the day before it even began, however, the weather held off and it turned into a perfect day to be playing touch football. Students from the Year 5 and 6 travelled to Milperra to compete in the NASSA Touch Football Gala Day. It was a challenging but enjoyable day for all of our students with both the girls and boys teams showing off their flick passes and side steps. It came down to the final game for the boys with PAC winning 3-0 against TIGS to take out the competition. Well done to both teams for competing so well on the day, and congratulations to Zane Clifford who was selected to trial for the CIS Touch team next term.

Primary NASSA Touch Football Boys: Darcy Bernuetz, Rueben Bleasdale, Zane Clifford, Jack Fenech, Isaac Galea, Beau Gerace, Alexander Godwin, Nathaniel Grima, Owen Morris, Caleb Ritchie, Lucas Robinson and Jacob Williams. 

Primary NASSA Touch Football Girls:  Ellyse Bayada, Emma Beshay, Sarah Broad, Estelle Ferro, Charlotte Green, Piper Luscombe, Kelsey Maurer, Eva Nercessian, Imogen Ovington, Ariana Peikos, Bianca Rossetto and Havana Williams.

Mr Chris Hall
Primary Sports Coordinator

Congratulations to Charlotte Nicholls, Harper Egglestone, Ava Hutton, Grace Nicholls, Rueben Bleasdale, Mia Egglestone, Caleb Ritchie, Max Rolles, Jack Greentree, Spencer Hutton, Scarlett Sturt and Jacob Williams who represented NASSA at the Primary CIS Swimming Carnival at Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre on 22 March. These students competed hard and showed great determination in their events. Congratulations to the Junior Girls Relay Team of Harper Egglestone, Mia Egglestone, Ava Hutton and Charlotte Nicholls who qualified for the finals and finished 7th overall. Also, well done to Harper Egglestone who qualified to the finals for two individual events placing 8th in the 10 Years Girls 50m Freestyle and 4th in the Junior Girls 50m Backstroke. A special mention to Mia Egglestone for winning the 8 Years Girls 50m Freestyle. Mia will now go on to represent CIS at the NSWPSSA Swimming Championships next week. Go Mia!

Mr Chris Hall
Primary Sports Coordinator

30 Secondary students represented PAC at the NASSA Swimming Championships, and although it was a tough night in the pool, every member of the Swim Team showed resilience and a drive to achieve their personal best. Well done to all who participated. Results of note:

• Klarissa Goodwin (Year 8) – Runner-up Age Champion, 14 years
• Toby Greentree (Year 7) – 3rd place Age Champion, 12 years
• Sophia Hutton (Year 7) – 3rd place Age Champion, 13 years
• Hannah Roots (Year 12) – 3rd place Age Champion, 17 years
• Our Intermediate and Senior Relay Girls’ teams – qualifying for both the 4x50m relay and medley relay at AICES!
• The sheer tenacity of our Senior Boys’ relay teams – although they may have been “first at the other end” (direct quote), they never gave up!

11 students qualified for the AICES Championships, and whilst we are still waiting on final qualifiers for CIS for the specialty events, our team members were critical in their role supporting NASSA, who were crowned the AICES Champion Association for 2023! 

Mrs Amanda Houison
Director of Sport

Congratulations to Luke Attard (Year 7) who won the under 14's JDS Springwood tournament on the weekend of 25-26 March! 

Junior Development Series (JDS) tournaments are for players who are looking for an opportunity to play a higher standard of tennis outside of junior club competition, and is also their first taste of tournament experience. This is a huge achievement considering he is still only 12yrs of age. Well done Luke!

At the end of Week 9 a crazy bunch of Secondary students went away to Blue Gum Lodge in Springwood for our annual ROCK Camp! ROCK is our Christian lunchtime group where we get together weekly to hang out, eat food, pray and study the Bible together, so ROCK Camp ends up being a huge, extended ROCK meeting!

We left the after school on Friday in the College bus and settled in. Our first session was a bit of orientation to the Book of 1 Timothy followed by a bunch of typical games where we got to have some fun, wear ourselves out and mingle. Saturday began with 2 awesome sessions with our guest speaker Gil, who helped us to draw out a few important concepts from 1 Timothy – followers of Jesus love: truth, prayer and good mentorship. He encouraged us to know and protect the truth in our lives; to devote ourselves to pray for the things that God wants us to pray about; and to intentionally choose people who can mentor us and support us through life. Things got a bit silly with “The Fruit of the Spirit” song, a blast from the past for those coming from PAC Primary years.

The rest of the weekend passed with lots more food, hanging out, games, running around, D&D, Mafia, study, craft, discussion, a Black & White dress up dinner and heaps more!

We all had a blast and came home exhausted from our glimpse of living in Christian community and fellowshipping together around God’s Word.

Mrs Emily Heath
Assistant Chaplain

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.

The Uniform Shop will be open during the Easter school holidays on Friday 21 April from 10am - 4pm.

In Term 2 Week 1, the uniform shop will be open for trading on:

Wednesday 26 April 12pm - 5pm

Thursday 27 April 8am - 11am

Friday 28 April 8am - 11am