HEAD OF SCHOOL UPDATE Jonathan Brayshaw
Dear Parents & Carers,
Our Year 12 cohort commenced their Trial HSC Examinations on Monday 12 August, which will continue through Week 4. We encourage you to join us in praying for all of our Year 12 students as they navigate this important time in the academic calendar.
On Thursday 9 August, students in Years 10 and 11 participated in a VITAL Leadership Incursion. This program, run by Word of Life Ministries in partnership with McCrindle Research, aims to train and equip students to be godly leaders in our community by instilling vision, integrity, teamwork, action and a lasting legacy.
As we move forward in Term 3, we would like to remind parents and carers that students are required to wear the College’s winter uniform. Students are expected to wear their College blazers when arriving on campus, up until the start of Period 1, and again as they are dismissed from their Period 4 class and travel home. For any excursion, unless otherwise stated, students are expected to wear their formal uniform. Apart from Fridays, students may only wear their sports uniform when they have a timetabled practical PDHPE or SES class, or if they are participating in representative sport on a Tuesday.
Thank you for your continued support as we work together in helping each child grow and succeed in whatever God wants them to do.
SECONDARY CHAPEL IN TERM 3 Ben Green - Ministry Leader
For Secondary Chapel in Term 3, our students will be exploring the theme of 'Jesus Among Other Gods'. We acknowledge that we live in a time of religious diversity, but in a world with so many religions, we will be answering the question of ‘why Jesus?’ Together we will explore the exclusive claims of Christianity and how they challenge the idea of there being many paths to God. To assist our exploration, we have invited two guest speakers to help us unpack this topic this term. We would like to invite you, as a parent of our community, to join us at Chapel to explore this together as a community. See below for further details.
Monday 19 August - Clive Buultjens - Evangelist and Trainer with the SATYA Network Clive ministers to lay ministers and school staff teams to equip them to minister more effectively to their South Asian neighbours, colleagues and students with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Clive will be sharing about the exclusivity of Jesus in a culture dominated by pluralism. You can find out more about the Satya Network here: https://www.satyanetwork.org/
Monday 2 September - Pastor Shalen Sharma - Senior Pastor Lighthouse Christian Centre & Norwest Regional Leader for Australian Christian Churches At age 17, Shalen Sharma, a former Hindu priest, experienced a radical conversion to Christianity after powerfully encountering the God of the Bible for himself. Since 1996, Shalen has been pastoring with Lighthouse Christian Centre where he now serves as Senior Pastor. He is also a regional leader for Australian Christian Churches for the Norwest region. Pastor Shalen has a deep desire for people to know and encounter Jesus Christ personally for themselves and will be sharing his story of faith with us in Chapel this term. His story will leave you amazed and inspired by the grace of God shown in and through his life.
MINISTRY UPDATE
Intercru In Week 2, over 100 students from four Christian schools gathered together at Australian Christian College for an afternoon of connection, worship and teaching from the bible, led mainly by our students. It was incredibly encouraging to see a room full of teenagers give up their afternoon to unite under the name of Jesus. Students were able to make meaningful connections with students from other Christian schools and be encouraged by each other's faith. Our visiting schools reported on how well-mannered and respectful our students were. We want to thank all the students involved in the event, and thank CRU for allowing us to host this event.
Kick Off Last week, a number of our Primary and Secondary students participated in Kick Off. This is an annual event run at the College by Word of Life Australia and gives students an opportunity to engage in a number of team-based games and activities as well as listen to a presentation of the gospel. The Word of Life team brought wonderful energy, enthusiasm and helped develop a real sense of camaraderie amongst the student body. We are grateful for the way they clearly articulated the message of the gospel and the invitation for all students to know the one true God of the bible.
Our students had a brilliant time and the overall response was exceptionally positive. We praise God for the students who indicated they had made a decision to follow Jesus after hearing the gospel presented at Kick Off. Our Ministry Team has the joy of now journeying alongside these young people as they care for and support them in this new faith journey. Our thanks goes out to the team from Word of Life Australia for running such an enjoyable and impacting event for our students.
YEAR 9 ENGLISH - THE REFUGEE EXPERIENCE
Natasha Collins
There’s nothing quite like an immersive learning experience, such as the ‘Refugee in My Neighbourhood’ program. Building on our recent English unit, focused on The Happiest Refugee by Anh Do, Year 9 students participated in a simulated journey of refugees seeking asylum. This excursion took place at the Whitlam Institute on the South campus of Western Sydney University in Rydalmere.
Guided by individuals with personal experiences as refugees and asylum seekers, students learned firsthand about their stories and connected these experiences to real-life refugee camps. They explored aspects such as shelter, food, education, and resettlement options. During the experience, students had 20 seconds to list the five items they would take if they had to escape their country and embodied the fear and uncertainty of waiting for placement in a refugee camp through this experience. This excursion deepened students' appreciation for their lives in Australia and fostered a greater understanding of the challenges faced by those who have overcome such significant adversity.
MAD NIGHT Matt Woods
What a night! What a MAD Night!
The atmosphere in the forecourt was vibrant as friends and families gathered under the lights, savouring delectable desserts and meals. The Year 12 Food Tech dishes were being served rapidly from the Cafe.
Once inside the buildings, it was delightful to see young children engaging with the art installation on the A Block Ground Floor, adorning the white instruments with a flurry of colourful dots.
Mrs Oloaga and Miss Morrison curated outstanding art displays on Level 1 and Level 2 of the Tech Centre. Notable Visual Art highlights on the upper floors included the impressive ceramic pieces from the Year 10 elective class, the dry felting interpretations of famous artworks by the Year 9 elective students, and the Major Works created by Years 11 and 12.
Credit must be given to Mrs Oloaga for the exceptional Possum Skin Installation in Studio 3. The Possum Skin Cloak project was an opportunity to celebrate NAIDOC 2024 "Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, Loud & Proud". During this workshop, artist and teacher Mrs Oloaga from Kamilaroi and Wiradjuri Country shared culturally-significant knowledge, stories and skills about possum skin cloaks, their role in society, how they were made and why. Twenty Secondary students (from Year 7-12) participated in creating a large installation to celebrate and connect with stories and culture. This included, burning intricate cultural patterns and designs into 20 possum skin pellets, followed by making and painting with ochre, and sewing the 20 skins together to create a large possum skin garment, traditionally a wearable lifetime story.
Mr Tomalaris and Mrs Mewjork created an amazing atmosphere in the Lumination Lab, with the Drama and Dance performances drawing a steady, engaged audience throughout the evening. The audience enjoyed exceptional drama pieces that stirred a range of emotions, along with lively and energetic dance routines.
The Music performance space was filled to capacity, with the audience thoroughly entertained all evening. Students from Year 9 to 12 showcased the diverse styles and talents of the ACC music cohort. Highlights included outstanding HSC performances on violin and flute, a rendition of ‘Ain't No Mountain High Enough’ arranged by Year 9 and 10 students (featuring seven vocalists and a band), and hauntingly beautiful vocal performances from all students, including a HSC piece sung in Gaelic.
The night was live-streamed for community members who couldn't attend in person. The stream included exclusive interviews with the artists, staff, and musicians who played key roles in the event. Additionally, Year 9 students Haydn and Nathania performed a live guitar duet for the virtual audience to enjoy.
The entire event ran smoothly thanks to the efforts of the events team and the dedicated ‘all hands on deck’ approach of our exceptional staff.
