The Vine Newsletter

Mrs Felicity Grima - Principal

This week I shared an important update regarding the leadership of our College Council. This week, Mr Philip Bell, OAM, has completed his tenure as Chair of the College Council. He has held this important position faithfully since July 2018. Over the past seven years, the College has been truly blessed by Mr Bell's wisdom, his unwavering commitment to the College's mission and values, and his extensive experience in school governance and business. Mr Bell will continue as Chairman of the Board of the Anglican Schools Corporation.

Looking ahead, I am pleased to announce that the Anglican Schools Corporation Board has appointed Mr Bill Farrand as the next Chair of the College Council. Bill has been a valued member of the Council since 2022. He currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer at Sydney Missionary and Bible College (SMBC), having previously served as the Chief Operating Officer of Anglicare. Mr Farrand brings a wealth of experience and expertise, with a deep understanding of governance, strategic leadership, and a strong commitment to Christian education. He is married with three adult children and attends Northmead Anglican Church.

On behalf of the College Council and the wider community, I warmly welcome Mr Farrand to this vital role and extend our sincere thanks to Mr Bell for his invaluable service and profound impact on our College.

We’re excited to announce the official opening of our new building on Tuesday, 3 September.
Please save the date with more details to come. We look forward to celebrating this special milestone with you!

We wish all our College families a safe, restful, and enjoyable holiday break. May this time be filled with relaxation, special moments, and quality time together. We look forward to welcoming everyone back refreshed for the new term.

Please see the attached Term Dates for 2026 for your reference.

Mrs Melinda Richardson - Head of Primary

Parent / Teacher Interviews:

It was wonderful to see so many of you at the Week 8 Parent / Teacher Interviews. We hope you enjoyed the opportunity to connect with your child’s teacher and explore our incredible new learning spaces.

Please continue to stay in touch—whether it’s a quick wave, an email, a note in the diary, or a phone call. Strong communication between parents and teachers plays a vital role in a child’s development. When families and educators work together, children feel supported and understood, both at school and at home. Open, regular communication helps identify needs early, celebrate growth, and create a consistent approach to learning and wellbeing, laying the foundation for each child to thrive. We are committed to partnering with you to support your child’s learning and overall development.

Supporting Learning Through the School Holidays:

As we head into a well-deserved three-week break from today, Friday 4 July, it’s a wonderful opportunity to rest, recharge and enjoy quality time as a family. It’s also a great chance to support your child’s development in fun, relaxed ways that fit naturally into everyday life.

Here are some simple and enjoyable ideas to keep your child engaged and growing over the holidays:

• Keep reading!
  Just 15–20 minutes of reading a day can help maintain and strengthen literacy skills.
• Write for fun!
  Encourage writing in creative ways—keep a holiday diary, write letters to family members, or design menus for family meals.
• Make maths meaningful!
  Involve your child in real-life maths through cooking (measurement), shopping (money and calculation), or planning a day out (time and distance).
• Explore and discover!
  Visit local parks, galleries or museums. Encourage curiosity by asking open-ended questions and letting your child lead the way.
• Get creative!
  Paint, build with Lego, or make up a play—give your child the freedom to explore, make mistakes, and take pride in their creations.
• Talk and connect!
  Strengthen language skills through meaningful conversation. Share stories from your day, your childhood, or discuss age-appropriate current events.
• Prioritise wellbeing!
  Most importantly, make time for rest. Ensure your child has the chance to relax, sleep well, and enjoy unstructured play.

Just a little time each day can make the holidays both fun and meaningful. Thank you for all that you do to support your child’s learning journey.

A reminder that students return on Monday 28 July.

Key Events in Term 3:

We’re already looking forward to a vibrant and engaging Term 3. Please save the date for the following key community events:

• Primary Disco (supported by the P&F): Friday 15 August (Week 3)
• Grandparents Day: Friday 22 August (Week 4)
• Father’s Day Breakfast: Friday 5 September (Week 6)

This term, Year 2 has been exploring the fascinating world of old technology and how it has changed over time. Students investigated items such as rotary phones, cameras, and typewriters, learning how they worked and how they helped people in the past. Through their discoveries, they have gained an understanding of how technology continues to evolve and improve to make life easier. 

As part of their exploration of past technologies, students selected an old technology item and used recycled materials to design, create, and paint their own models. At our recent Primary Assembly, Year 2 students proudly showcased their ‘Old Technology’ creations. 

Well done to our Year 2 students for their curiosity and enthusiasm in uncovering the ways technology has transformed our world!

Miss Nikki Tallada
Year 2 Teacher

Last week, our Year 4 students hosted a vibrant lolly stall to raise funds for Compassion. The children thoroughly enjoyed the experience of selling their treats, with some even engaging in friendly haggling to boost their sales.

A heartfelt thank you to all the families who generously contributed lollies and to everyone who supported the stall by making purchases. Thanks to your collective efforts, we raised a total of $1507.30!

This initiative not only supported a worthy cause but also provided our students with valuable lessons in entrepreneurship and community engagement.

Thank you once again for your incredible support!

In Year 6, students have been diving into the world of democracy through an exciting HSIE project all about elections and voting. Each group created their own campaign, came up with creative policies and designed eye-catching advertisements and websites to win support. Students were excited to welcome parents who interacted with the campaigns and cast their votes in a real voting experience. The event was a huge hit, giving students a fun, hands-on look at how elections work and showing the power of teamwork, leadership, and persuasive speaking. Thank you to all who were able to come in and support our students!

Miss Hannah Prow
Year 6 Teacher

Mr Anthony Kelshaw - Head of Secondary

Student Voice

Students are at the heart of any school. The very reason we exist as an organisation is to foster them by nurturing and developing empowered learners with strength of character who know and follow Christ and serve others. A key driver for my personal involvement in secondary education for the past 25 years has been because students bring with them ideas, hopes, aspirations and contributions to the educational community they are part of. Some express their thinking quietly, while others are very vocal about what they want from their community and the world around them. These varied ideas and contributions make Penrith Anglican College a rich and vibrant place to work and learn.

Capturing student thinking has led to two passion projects for me over the past nine months. The "Hot Seat" has become a regular segment in the fortnightly secondary assemblies. The aim is to showcase some of the wonderful things happening across the College and to give a voice to students who are passionate about an element of their learning. Students and staff nominate individuals or groups who are actively engaged in any aspect of school life. I have the privilege of interviewing them in front of the secondary school, exploring what they are involved in and how it connects to their learning. Initially, students were hesitant to participate, but over the past six months it has grown to the point where students now actively seek out opportunities to share their stories and speak about how their involvement in the College is having a positive impact on them and their education.

Building on this idea and providing a platform for students who may not enjoy being in the spotlight has led to the creation of the PAC Productions Team—a small group of students working to capture PAC stories through video. So far, the team has produced three videos highlighting Harmony Day, the Athletics Carnival, and Ryle House Charity Day. Mr Jake Nauta will be supporting this group, offering guidance on how to craft compelling narratives about life at the College, further amplifying student voice.

More formal avenues for student voice are found through student leadership. In the last Vine publication, the new Student Leadership Team was announced. This team not only represents the student body but also serves as a valuable source of insight and feedback. Student leaders work closely with staff and are regularly consulted to contribute to decision-making processes.

Perhaps less well known within the wider community is our Mentor Rep System. Each mentor group selects a representative to speak on behalf of their peers. Mr Mark Gee, Director of Students (Years 7–12), oversees this group and meets with them regularly to gather their ideas and perspectives. This year, mentor group representatives are being selected mid-year to align with the selection of school leaders. This will allow a group of school prefects to guide the mentor reps, offering both students leaders and mentor reps a meaningful and authentic opportunity to develop their leadership skills.

As a College community, we value the hopes, dreams and aspirations of our students, and we remain committed to nurturing and developing them into empowered learners with strength of character who know and follow Christ and serve others. What a wonderful reason to come to Penrith Anglican College each day and work with and amongst this fantastic student and staff body.

On the 1st of July 2025, the annual, long-awaited PAC’s Got Talent took place, and it was unforgettable! It was a time of passionate house spirit, contagious laughter, and true to the name, an incredible showcase of talent found in our college community. From lively band items, energetic MC-ing (which did involve quite a lot of bickering), dances and even some pro-wrestling, the school came alive with enthusiasm in support of their houses!

🥇Juliette T (Year 10)

🥈Jessica M (Year 8)

🥉Edison N (Year 12)

But as much as it was a success onstage, a remarkable amount of planning, coordinating and valid craziness took place behind the scenes. A huge thank goes out to the Year 11 and 12 Entertainment classes, junior students who helped backstage, and the Student Leadership team of 2024 to 2025 to organise this fantastic event, ensuring it would be a raving success. This day was a display of sheer hard work as well as talent. Allow this legacy to not only continue – but grow, shine, and inspire all who follow!

God Bless.

Teagan K and Kupa T
2024/25 College Vice Captains.

Last Wednesday, Mr Pap took four students - two Year 7s and Year 8s to compete in the HICES Mathematics Challenge at Richard Johnson Anglican College. It was a really fun day where they got to meet other students from 22 different schools across NSW who share our passion for maths. One team even travelled over 500 kilometres from Armidale to be there! There were 40 teams in total, and they worked through some tricky maths problems while competing against other schools in a friendly and exciting way.

The four of them teamed up for the challenge and kicked things off with a fast-paced problem-solving session. They had to race through as many tricky puzzles as they could, including logic problems, shapes, and equations. It took teamwork and some serious thinking!

Next up was the individual pattern round, where each of them had to identify number sequences on their own to earn points for the team. Then things got intense in the relay finals! Year 7s and Year 8s took turns solving problems – one person would finish, then pass it on to the next. They had to rely on each other, and it was all about speed and precision.

Unfortunately, they didn’t get the first place, but weren’t far off – just 45 points away,  about 4 or 5 questions! But more than the scores, they got to connect with students from other schools while taking on some tough challenges. It was a great chance to sharpen teamwork and maths skills, and even though it was exhausting, it was worth it!

Mrs Nimmi Martin
Head of Mathematics

On Friday 20 June, Year 12 Standard and Advanced English students attended a Clever Cookie seminar in the Tiered Learning Centre. The presenters went through a plethora of different strategies to approach their HSC Paper 1 and Paper 2.

Students completed a number of timed writing activities, designed to prepare them for specific ways in which to answer the questions come examination time. The presenter communicated with her own brand of language that helped the students clearly understand the sometimes-technical jargon of HSC examination questions. Students were engaged and enthusiastic and plan on transferring their newly refined writing skills to their HSC examination responses.

English Standard Student Ethan J relayed his experience with the incursion:

Clever Cookie was with us for only five hours but the lessons we learnt will be with us through the rest of the HSC. [….] Going to Clever Cookie allowed me to have a clearer understanding of what the marker is looking for in my work. Clever Cookie was a fantastic experience and I would absolutely recommend to anybody that this is a must do.

On Friday 20 June, students from Year 12 English Studies had the opportunity to participate in an excursion to Penrith Plaza. Students had the chance to experience the challenges of planning an excursion as part of their unit of study ‘On the Road’ and were able to watch the new live-action movie “How to Train your Dragon” as part of their Term one unit “Big Film”. The day also included lunch and some time to explore the shopping centre. The following comments provide a snapshot of the experience:

"I think the best part of the excursion was being able to go outside of the school and have fun. The massive dragon falling into the volcano was my favourite part of the film.” Christian F.

"The best part of Friday was seeing the movie, my favourite part of the film was the Red Death, with the CGI used to create the beast. While we were window shopping, I found something I was looking for in a store I wanted to get, but I could not purchase it. I will just have to go back another day.” Sean T.

"For me, the best part of the excursion was going to some of the stores at the Plaza to look around. My favourite moment from the film was the ending (no spoilers). I enjoyed the whole day” Harrison D.

Hospitality Career Session

Last month, five Year 11 Hospitality students had an incredible opportunity to attend "The Hospitality Careers Session," a special event hosted by renowned chef Luke Mangan.

Luke Mangan was joined by a stellar panel of industry professionals who generously shared their invaluable experiences and insights:

• Big Sam Young from the popular restaurant ‘S’more'
• Amelia Birch, a Michelin-trained chef and former chef/owner of the acclaimed hatted restaurant ‘Marque'
• Representatives from ‘Famelia’, a unique wine bar and bottle shop that proudly features wines exclusively by women winemakers

Year 11 Hospitality student, Ava M, shared her personal highlights from the day:

"On Friday 13 June, the Year 11 Hospitality class attended a hospitality event at Kingswood TAFE, where we learned more about the renowned chef, Luke Mangan, along with three other professional chefs. The event was part of Luke Mangan’s series called ‘The Inspired Series,’ and we were even filmed as part of the day! The purpose of the event was to gain insight into their career journeys, personal stories, and experiences within the hospitality industry. It was an incredibly eye-opening and valuable experience, and I learned a lot throughout the day.

In the hospitality space where the discussion was taking place we were invited to volunteer to ask a question during the session. I took the opportunity and was selected to ask a chef a question about their career in hospitality. This was a particularly rewarding experience, as it allowed me to personally engage with an industry professional and deepen my understanding of what is involved in day-to-day life in the hospitality industry.

We were also taken on a tour of the hospitality facilities at Kingswood TAFE. During the tour, we were also informed about various programs, pathways, and experiences available to those interested in pursuing a career in hospitality and what is available at Kingswood TAFE.

Overall, the day was both inspiring and educational. It provided valuable insight into the hospitality industry and pathways available to young individuals wanting to pursue a career in hospitality."

Mrs Annette Carter
Careers Coordinator

SAVE THE DATE

Our 2025 Scholastic Book Fair is coming soon!

This event is a major highlight on the library calendar as it is so well supported by our wonderful College community. Every purchase translates to direct benefits for our students via new library resources.

Once again the Book Fair will be held as part of Grandparents’ Day on Friday 22 August in the Staff Common Room.

There will be lots of book bargains for all age groups, plus stationery supplies and kits to satisfy every hobbyist!

See you there!

This week’s Drama Showcase delighted audiences with a dynamic journey through laughter, reflection, and suspense. The evening featured a spectacular array of talent, with captivating monologues, powerful ensemble pieces, and thought-provoking video dramas - all showcasing the creativity, courage, and dedication of our students.

Congratulations to all our performers for lighting up the stage, and a heartfelt thank you to the backstage crew and Drama staff for bringing the evening to life. It was a powerful reminder that the world truly is a stage at Penrith Anglican College.

On Friday 20 June, Years 4, 5 and 7 were treated to an amazing incursion performance presented by Kaboom Percussion. Students learnt about countless ways to create, play and compose with percussion instruments, including both tuned and untuned percussion such as cajons, bucket drums, Boomwhacker xylophones, and even a pig squeezy toy piano – my personal favourite. We look forward to further engaging educational activities in music through 2025 and witnessing how students incorporate these ideas into their classroom activities in Semester 2.

Dr Christian Watson
Head of Performing Arts

Jake F (Year 6) represented CIS as vice captain of the team at the NSW PSSA Rugby League State Championships last week. His team performed really well, finishing equal second in their pool and placing 5th overall.

Jake had a great tournament and was selected as one of 34 players for the NSW Development Squad who will attend a 5 day training camp at St Gregory’s College these school holidays. From this squad 17 players will be selected to represent NSW at the School Sport Australia National Championships later in July.

Well done Jake!

Celebrating Our PAC Alumni!

We're thrilled to introduce an exciting new series, "Where Are They Now?" launching very soon

This series will explore the diverse and inspiring journeys our former students have embarked upon since graduating from PAC.

Having taught at PAC for the past 15 years, I've had the incredible privilege of witnessing the growth and aspirations of countless students. Now, as they've ventured beyond our gates, we're curious about the paths their lives have taken. Each instalment will feature a different PAC alumnus, offering a compelling look into their careers, further studies, personal achievements, and the obstacles and triumphs they've navigated.

This series promises to be incredibly enriching for our entire school community. For our current students, it will offer valuable perspectives on the multitude of opportunities ahead, illustrating the successful and varied paths that can emerge from their time at PAC. For parents, it will serve as a strong affirmation of the quality education and support provided by the College. And for our devoted staff, it will be a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with former students and celebrate their achievements.

Mrs Annette Carter
Careers Coordinator.

Thank you to all of our amazing volunteers who helped at the Pre K – 2 Athletics Carnival today. Families and little athletes enjoyed stopping by to refuel, hydrate and warm up with a hot chocolate and a sausage sizzle!

Save the Date! The Parents & Friends Primary Disco will be on Friday 15 August. The theme for 2025 is come dressed in your “fluoro” best! Families are welcome to stay and mingle in the Primary Assembly area whilst the groovers dance the night away.  We will have live music for your enjoyment, the Year 10 students will be cooking up sausages on the BBQ to raise funds for the Rare Cancers Australia charity and the P&F will host a snack and beverage stall for families and disco dancers to enjoy. Of course, none of this is possible without the support from our amazing volunteers, so dust off your dancing shoes, grab your current WWCC and complete the PAC Volunteer Induction training session to help us out at this event. Reach out to us via email to [email protected]

The Australian Government Department of Education (the department) would like to advise all staff, parents, guardians and students (where applicable) that it will collect certain information about your school, its staff and student body as part of the non-government schools census collection (the census).

Please see the attached information for your reference - a copy of this communication can be found on the College App and Edumate broadcasts.

Are you ready to take your football (soccer) skills to the next level this holiday season? Whether you’re a beginner looking to learn the basics or an experienced player aiming to sharpen your game The Primary Football (Soccer) Holiday Camp is the place to be!

Dates: Monday 7 July – Wednesday 9 July

Time: 8:30am – 2:30pm

Location: College Oval

Age Group: Pre-K to Year 6

Cost: $65 per day or $180 for 3 days

Please bring boots, shin pads, water bottle and food. Open to friends and family of the Penrith Anglican College community.

Register now and make this holiday one to remember! Visit https://www.trybooking.com/CHIUD

As part of the College’s Enrichment Program, students have the opportunity to participate in one or all of the ICAS English, Mathematics and Science tests.

ICAS is an independent, skills-based assessment which recognises and rewards student academic achievement and requires students to think beyond the classroom. Each test is sat at the College and is invigilated by teachers under normal examination conditions.

The tests will be held within the following dates. The exact dates are to be confirmed.

• English: 11-15 August 2025
• Science: 18-22 August 2025
• Mathematics: 25-29 August 2025

Participation in English, Mathematics and Science test costs $19.95 including GST per test. The tests are open to students from Years 3 to 10.

For further information about registering for the ICAS assessments, please refer to the letter that was sent home in the April holidays.