HEAD OF SCHOOL UPDATE Jonathan Brayshaw Dear Parents and Carers,
I am filled with joy and gratitude as I reflect on the progress and achievements of our students this year. The final few weeks of term have been filled with an abundance of opportunities for students to flourish spiritually, academically, socially and physically.
Our Year 11 students have taken an important step forward, completing their first HSC Assessment Task for a variety of courses. These new leaders of the College have approached the beginning of their HSC journey with a commendable work ethic and a positive attitude, setting a strong example for others.
Year 10 has embraced an engaging end of year program, beginning with two days of Peer Support training, followed by a day of mentorship to students in Years 3-5 and our incoming Year 7 students during Orientation Day. Their program continued with Service Week and Business Week, culminating in the much anticipated Year 10 Celebration Dinner. I would like to thank all the staff involved in these various activities, especially Mr Adams, Mrs Tranter and Mrs Cavens for their dedicated efforts in coordinating these enriching experiences.
This term, our Secondary students have demonstrated incredible generosity through their involvement in supporting Operation Christmas Child. Across the College, 390 boxes were filled, including an impressive 22 boxes from Miss Flood’s Year 8 homeroom! These boxes will bring joy to hundreds of children in need around the world. Through initiatives such as Market Day, Christmas Shirt Day and other financial contributions, including the Go Fund Me page, a total of $5,421.80 was raised! This covered the cost of processing and transporting all 390 boxes overseas!
On behalf of the Secondary staff, I want to express my sincere gratitude for the achievements of our students, both individually and collectively. We thank God for His presence and continued blessings through our College community, and we deeply appreciate your partnership as parents and carers in supporting the growth and formation of each child.
DUKE OF EDINBURGH AWARD AT ACC Paul Griffiths
We are thrilled to announce Australian Christian College Marsden Park is now officially an accredited Duke of Edinburgh International Award Centre! This exciting opportunity allows us to offer this renowned program to our Secondary students, giving them the chance to explore their potential and make a positive impact on their community.
The Duke of Edinburgh Award is an internationally recognised program that challenges young people to develop key skills, participate in physical activities, serve their communities and take part in adventurous experiences. Engaging in the program helps students build resilience, leadership skills, while also creating lasting memories.
We are confident this new accreditation will inspire our students to embrace adventure, pursue excellence, and cultivate a strong heart of service to others.
To learn more about the Duke of Edinburgh program, including helpful resources, CLICK HERE to watch our informative video.
You can also CLICK HERE for more detailed information.
SECONDARY SPORT IN TERM 4 Melanie Kewley
This term in Sport, we started with Open Futsal Gala Days, with both of our teams making valiant efforts and representing the School proudly. The boys made it all the way to the Semi-Finals before being knocked out by the competition winners. Students David A and Caleb G even took home the Most Valuable Player awards on the day, which honoured their determination and effort, rallying their team members as they played.
Meanwhile, our Futsal Development Team has been training every Tuesday before heading off to competitions on Wednesdays. The three teams have been improving in leaps and bounds and are leading the way half way through their season, which continues in 2025.
For Tuesday Sport this term, our students have been participating in the weekly CSSA Met-West Zone Touch Football Competition. This has been a very close competition, with all the ACC teams doing exceptionally well. The teams have shown great improvement in their skills and tactics. As an example of their efforts, our ACC Opens team were Premiers in their competition, diligently led by their Captains Micah K, Luke S and Zac M.
ACC has also been participating in the U15 CSSA State Cricket Knockout Competition this term. In October, the ACC team played against Norwest Christian College, taking home an outstanding first round win by over 250 runs. Congratulations to the team Captains, Alex D and Prasheth K, who scored over 100 runs each. In November, the team played against Oxford Falls Grammar School in the Semi-Finals. ACC scored 319 runs against Oxford Falls, smashing the 117 runs needed to take home the win. The MVPs on this day were Charan R for achieving a Century (100 or more runs in a single innings by a batter), and Evan T also achieving 4 wickets. We look forward to seeing these students play again early next year, when they compete in the State Finals.
Thank you to all staff, students, and parents for making Sport such a fun, friendly and community building aspect of ACC this year. We look forward to another fantastic year of Sport in 2025!
YEAR 10 DRAMA Liam Tomalaris
Year 10 Drama and Year 11 VET Entertainment showcased their class production last week, performing a collection of short stories from renowned American author, Edgar Allan Poe. The play demonstrated the exceptional performance skills of our Drama students, and the technical talent of the VET Entertainment team. More than that, the students excelled in the teamwork and collaborative culture they created in the development of the production. We are very proud of our team, and what they were able to accomplish together.
CLICK HERE to watch a video about our students' experiences producing and performing this play.
BUSINESS WEEK 2024 Brad Adams
Business Week has been enjoyed this week for our students in Year 10. They were placed in teams of ten, which formed a hypothetical company. The newly formed companies elected leaders and worked in smaller sub-teams to create business related items.
Teams first selected a product which they developed and had to market. From there, the teams were required to describe the product, identify the need for the product, price the product, and establish where the product will be sold. Students created a marketing campaign that involved digital media, commercials, posters, a trade display and even a website. Students also entered a ‘Shark Tank’ style scenario to pitch for investment. Lastly, the students also created a small podcast, featuring a member of the group.
As the students worked in teams to achieve these tasks under the pressure of time, they learned technical skills, communication, and teamwork, all skills which are invaluable for their future.
We were blessed to have a number of Christian business people speak to and inspire the students including Kristy Brisbane (founder of Allsorts Sorted, Castle Hill), Luke Mewjork (public speaker), Stefanie Dundas (former marketer with Global X investments), Elijah Marlow (project management and design).
Alongside these external guests, special sessions were run by college staff, including Mr Tranter and Mrs Heindrich, specialising in video shooting and production. The students also heard from Mr Dethan about establishing a memorable trade display.
YEAR 7 ORIENTATION 2024 Ralph Hearsey
Our Year 6 students began their Secondary School journey with a purposeful Orientation Day for Year 7 2025. This day was focused on equipping students with the information, encouragement, and support needed for a smooth transition from Primary to Secondary school. The day provided opportunities for students to strengthen peer connections and build meaningful relationships with our Year 10 Peer Support Leaders & College Prefects. A highlight was the introduction to ACC’s distinct culture, with sessions focusing on our College values: Courage, Humility, Respect, Initiative, Self-control, and Trust.
Year 10 Prefects played a key role in fostering a positive culture, leading engaging small group activities designed to help students bond and feel at ease about their entry into Secondary. These activities emphasised collaboration, belonging, and mutual respect, laying the foundation for strong friendships and teamwork. The College Prefects also took time to visit and share their heart for service and leadership, inspiring the Year 6 cohort with their example of living out ACC values in both word and action.
The Orientation Day was not just about gaining knowledge, but about creating a warm and welcoming space for every student to thrive. We are excited to see our Year 6 students grow and flourish as they begin their journey into Secondary in 2025.
SERVICE WEEK 2024 Brad Adams
Last week our Year 10 students spent the week serving; just as our Lord and Saviour taught us to serve others, we did so in our local community:
Peer Support Our first day of serving involved the Year 10 students, who had been trained the previous week in Peer Support Leading, splitting into teams to support the Primary School and the new Year 7 students of 2025.
ACC students led activities throughout the day that helped students get to know each other as well as getting to know some of the Year 10 cohort. Primary students from Years 3-5 participated in the program; they loved getting to know the Seniors! The new Year 7 students were led through an orientation program that helped prepare them for the transition to Secondary School. Our ACC students led games that encouraged the new students to get to know their future peers.
Aged Care Home Visits Our Music students were involved in performances each day at a different Aged Care Home. Students and Music staff performed songs for the residents, including some tunes that the residents joined in on! After the performances, students spent time getting to know some of the residents. Some of these activities even involved making Gingerbread houses, which was thoroughly enjoyed by all!
Watching our Year groups grow in confidence in their performances, and grow in confidence in conversing with the residents was a real highlight! Some of the more reserved students really started coming out of their shells during the week.
Students had the privilege of visiting the following Aged Care homes: The Donald Coburn Centre (Castle Hill), Lemongrove Gardens (Penrith), The Ponds Independent Living Village (The Ponds), Dudley Foord House (The Ponds), Melva McDonald Lodge (Rooty Hill).
We received some feedback and comments from the staff at these homes, which highlighted our students' passion for serving.
“Thank you so much for letting our residents have the opportunity to socialise, interact and listen to the students’ performance. They did enjoy the students so much and were appreciative of their behaviour, presentation, and manners during their visit.”
“It was an amazing day. Our residents and students were great together.”
“The residents and the staff all enjoyed the ACC visits and I am sure every home would welcome you back.”
Samaritan’s Purse Warehouse Visit Our Samaritan’s Purse Warehouse visit involved students helping to check boxes donated to Operation Christmas Child. They filled boxes, tagged boxes, and packed them ready to be sent to various children around the world. The students worked so well in the warehouse and were struck by the generosity of people, and reflected the respect and care Samaritan’s Purse gives to each box. Hearing stories from other volunteers was also a highlight, some travelling all the way from South Australia to take part in this worthy cause!
Anglicare Op Shop Warehouse Some of our Year 10 students were able to visit the Anglicare Op Shop Warehouse to learn what happens to clothes placed in the donation bins at churches and community locations. Students were divided into teams and helped sort clothes and footwear according to levels of quality. These clothes are then sent out to the network of Anglicare Op shops or other distribution centres. Again our students impressed with their efficiency and teamwork. They also found a few bargains at the Op Shop in the front of the warehouse!
Carevan Visit Finally, other students spent time with The Carevan Foundation, an organisation that seeks to build bridges in the community. The students in this project helped pack a large number of Christmas hampers that are to be given to people ‘doing it hard’ in the Blacktown Council area. Students again served as a joyful and effective team that worked hard and represented the College's values of generosity.
There were so many highlights throughout the week as students enjoyed serving others in the community and learning more about themselves, individually and as a group. Seeing different students take initiative and grow in confidence was a highlight for many of the staff.
Special thanks to the following staff members; Mrs Cavens, Mr Woods, Mrs Neave, Miss Barton, Mr Palu, Miss Perry, Miss Flood and Mr Peters for giving up much of their time to enable this week to happen.