HEAD OF SCHOOL UPDATE Melanie Woods
Dear Parents and Carers
What a lovely term of learning this has been! We have two more weeks and want to continue our students’ learning in and out of the classroom. Thursday 19 September is the Year 3-6 Family Showcase (1.40 pm - 2.40 pm). This is the last showcase for the year and we love having as many parents and family in our classrooms to see all the things our students are learning.
Primary Hub Email For ALL correspondence for Primary Student Hub, please use the following email: primaryhubmp@acc.edu.au. You can continue to email teacher emails directly if it is a question for the class teacher.
Uniform Please ensure that your child is wearing black leather lace up school shoes. Note that ‘Mary Jane’ style shoes for girls (with a buckle or velcro) are not aligned with the school uniform policy. We have also noticed Winter Blazers being worn with Summer Uniform Shorts - to better align with our uniform policy, please instead wear Blazers with the Winter Uniform and ACC School jumpers with the Summer Uniform (when wearing shorts). We also request that colourful sport shoes are avoided. Students need to wear predominantly white shoes - small extra colour features are acceptable.
Living Safely with Pets During Week 7 our Kindergarten to Year 2 students enjoyed a government initiative, the ‘Living Safely With Pets’ Primary School Program, to support our students in feeling safe and comfortable with pets. The program educates children on what it means to be a responsible pet owner and how to live safely with dogs. The presentation was delivered using multimedia tools, role play, song and story-telling. Schools are given complimentary educational resources and teaching tool packages. Educating children and their families ensures the child-pet relationship is not only physically and emotionally rewarding, but also safe. The Program teaches students about how to stay safe around dogs and what it means to be a responsible pet owner in the home and wider community. We look forward to our Pet Educator, Nikki and her team returning next year!
Year 12 Prayer Buddies Throughout the year, our students from Kindergarten - Year 6 have been visited by a Year 12 Buddy student. The aim of these visits is for our students to hear from older students and be inspired for their own future educational journey. Primary students have said comments like: “I’m inspired to go to University”; “I’m encouraged that learning can be fun and engaging when you are in Year 12”.
Our students have prayed for peace in the Year 12 students' hearts, that they have clarity of mind and that they end their time well at ACC.
Blacktown Library Pop up Shop in Elara Blacktown Library are thrilled to inform us that they have a pop up Library in Elara. This is another wonderful opportunity to engage your children with books and embrace the wonder of reading and knowledge. The Library is located in the Elara Shopping Centre. During Primary Library time, students are welcome to speak to our Library Staff to request an application form that will have a special stamp on it, so the joining process is faster and simpler. The Library is open on Wednesdays (10.00 am to 6.00 pm) and Saturdays (9.30 am to 12.00 pm).
Family Showcase This week our families joined our Kindergarten - Year 2 classrooms for our Term 3 Family Showcase. Our students and staff were excited to welcome families into the classrooms! Our showcases are an opportunity for families to come and enjoy what happens in the classroom. The students enjoyed the opportunity to showcase their amazing work. The teachers demonstrated what Explicit Direct Instruction (EDI) looks like, and families saw how this supports our students’ learning in and out of the classroom. Families also enjoyed looking at classroom work, participating in daily routines, while some also competed in a ‘kahoot’ quiz and hopefully learnt something new!
Kinder Experience and Explore - 2025 Kinder Orientation One of our Primary School values is ‘Love and Nurture’. We believe it is critical that each child has opportunities to maximise their potential, in order to provide the key building blocks early, which will underpin their success.
As part of the Integration Program for our future Kindergarten 2025 students, we have designed four events and would ask that Kinder 2025 students attend each of them. Each event builds upon the previous one, bringing familiarity, relationship, community and learning.
Our desire is for your child to look forward to coming to school and feel they have already made connections with their peers, teaching staff and their new environment for the years to come.
We also desire that you, our parents, will make connections with other parents, with our staff, and with the Australian Christian College community at large.
This week, we gathered to enjoy our second Orientation Event for the year which was lovely for the new families and Kinder 2025 students to familiarise themselves with our school and how we interact with the students. The next events are:
Event 3 - Tuesday 22 October, 2024 - 9.00 am to 10.30 am in A Block Concourse (2025 Kinders only - no parents)
Event 4 - Tuesday 5 November, 2024 - Kinder Parent Evening 5.30 pm - 6.30 pm in the Tech Centre Lecture Theatre (Parents only)
I See You Star Morning Tea Every Face has a Place at ACC and we continue to embed into the lives of all our students that we know them, that we see them. We want the students to know that we see their kindness, we see them being respectful, we see when they are learners, we see when they make Christ-like decisions and when they make wise and safe choices. To celebrate their hard work and efforts, students are invited to attend an ‘I See You Star’ Morning Tea each week, which is hosted by Mr Parsonage, the Stage Coordinators and Mrs Woods. This is an opportunity to spend quality time with them, thank them and congratulate them for their good work.
Week 6 & 7, Term 3 - ‘I See You Star Awardees’ Janice A, Mrithula K, Eve T, Unuaki, Aidan G, Anika J, River A, Shiloah S, Abigail M, Sithuni L, Anvika K, Samuel, Ivana T, Jacinta H, Sarayah S, Trishal D, Tamara B, Gideon G, Isaac W, Manasvi K, John A, Shiloh A, Owen X, Lakshiv S, Levi A, Aayan L, Vedh M, James T, Liam B, Selena P, Olivia T, Idha G, Adam B, Avyaan M, Kaia R, Eshon W, Sahana C, Mira B, Sebastian L, Ulu T, Sophie A, Isaiah A, Eric C, Arnav Y, Jesu B, Tiana A, Maggie-Lou, Sahasra Y, Shayne P, Anaya A, Shlok P, Mithun K, Ethan B, Idaa A, Dev P, Sarah V, Lumina A, Rebecca Z, Dheeksha Z, Enoch V.
A WEEK WITH 2G Tess Graham-Chubb
In Literacy, we kicked off our writing unit this term with a ‘stationery strike’. Imagine the students’ surprise when they discovered letters from their stationary items—pencils, erasers, rulers —explaining that they were quitting! Each letter outlined the reasons why these essential tools were going on strike, and it was up to the students to persuade them to return. We have been using words with high modality (strong convincing language), following the persuasive letter text structure and clearly stating our opinion throughout our writing. Students discussed ways they could persuade their stationary to return and we then took the time to plan, draft, edit and publish our letters to convince our resources to come back!
This immersive scenario captured the students' attention and provided a meaningful foundation for our persuasive writing lessons. Throughout the unit, students learned to identify opinions, support their arguments with reasons, and enhance their writing with modal language. The final persuasive letters were a testament to their hard work and growing writing skills.
In the lead-up to Father’s Day, 2G students channelled their creativity into making special tie cards with folded collars for the important men in their lives. These cards were not only a fun craft activity but also a meaningful way for the students to express their love and appreciation. We talked about how Father’s Day is a time to honour the special men in our lives—fathers, grandfathers, uncles, or family friends—and to thank God for the guidance and love they provide. The pride the students took in designing these cards was evident, and we hope they added a personal touch to your Father’s Day celebrations.
In Health, students have been learning about the amount of exercise and sleep they need as well as how to make the best food choices that help our bodies grow and thrive. We also explored how our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, and how taking care of our health is a way to honour God. The students created vibrant and informative posters which showcased what they’ve learned about eating balanced meals, staying active, and taking care of their bodies and minds. These posters are now proudly displayed in our classroom as a daily reminder of the importance of living a healthy life in a way that glorifies God.
It has been a big term of adventures in 2G! Check out some of our photos below of our adventures (with Marsden Bear too!).
A DAY WITH MRS BINKS AND MRS CHAN! Grace Chan
Recently we were very lucky to have both teachers in 2Z supporting the students in their learning. We started by doing some breathing and movement exercises which greatly helps us with our focus and concentration. We also listened to a devotional story about the importance of resting. In the book of Genesis, we are reminded that God rested after he finished creating the world. When we rest, it gives us the opportunity to spend time reflecting with a grateful heart.
We learnt that we add the suffix ‘es’ (instead of ‘s’) after the letters ‘sh’, ‘zz’, ‘z’, ‘s’, ‘ss’, ‘ch’ and ‘x’. After practising our writing, we showed our work by ‘chinning’ it and sharing our answers with our think-pair-share partner. After recess, we went to the library to borrow our new library book for the week. It’s always a lot of fun with Miss Reichardt because she reads to us and helps us with library borrowing. In 2Z we know our library rules, where we read quietly and use our shelf markers to keep track of where we got our book from.
Mrs Binks taught us all about repeated addition. We used special actions to help us remember the difference between rows and columns. We worked hard to find the total by grouping objects into rows and making sure each row has the same number.
We hope you enjoyed seeing all the fun things 2Z did with Mrs Binks and Mrs Chan!
PRIMARY FUTSAL WRAP UP Shawn Parsonage
This term our girls and boys Futsal teams competed at the Regional Championships. Both of our teams represented ACC extremely well, displaying excellent skill and sportsmanship throughout their competitions.
The Girls team performed well, but on this occasion were not successful in advancing to the next level. They had a fantastic day nonetheless and can be extremely proud of the way they played and represented the College.
Our Boys team also performed particularly well at the Regional Championship, winning one game, drawing one, and narrowly losing two. Unfortunately we ran out of legs in the playoff match and missed out on a place in the semifinals.
The Boys team was fortunate enough to receive a special invitation to the Futsal State Championships held at Windsor on Sep 5. The skills on display throughout the day from all teams was of a very high standard. Despite this the team really rose to occasion, achieving some great results. On the back of some excellent team work, the team achieved two wins, one draw and one loss on the day. Whilst they didn’t qualify for the playoff rounds, achieving a Top 10 result at the State Championships is a tremendous achievement. A big thank you to Mr Mthembu and Mr Kwok for all of the work they have done with our Futsal teams this year!
EXCURSION TO MT ANNAN (YEAR 1 AND 2) Lara Dikha
Stage 1 students recently went on an excursion, ‘Connection to Country’, at Mount Annan. This was to support their learning about special places, which was a part of the program for their Term 3 Geography Unit.
The program was a unique opportunity where students learnt about the culture of the local Indigenous people (the Dharawal people), and explored the different man-made, natural and managed parts of the environment. Students and staff enjoyed the splendid day in the sunshine, and the beautiful surroundings of a botanical garden, while touching, tasting and smelling native plants used for food, medicine, weapons, tools and shelter.
