Issue 6 I 9 May 2019

We have had a wonderful start to Term 2 with the

opening of our new Junior School building and

classes in Years 4 to 6 are settling in well to their new

learning environments. This has allowed us to utilise

the demountable classrooms for Senior School with

the Music faculty moving across to take up the

benefit of more space and closer access to the music

practice rooms. The College is such a dynamic place

as we respond to the growing needs in our

community to provide a quality education to over 720

students. Our staff have done an amazing job to get

everything set up for students over the holidays and I

am very thankful for their dedication and energy. We

look forward to showcasing our students and facilities

this weekend at our Open Day and Oran Park

Festival.

As the College continues to grow we also need to

review how we undertake some of our events. One of

those is our Celebration Assemblies at the end of the

year. ‘Celebration’ is the pinnacle event of the year in

which we acknowledge and celebrate the achieve-

ments of our students across a range of pursuits both

inside and outside the classroom. We seek to bring

our community of students, staff, parents and

supporters of the College together to be thankful and

rejoice in the vibrant learning community we have

here at Oran Park Anglican College. In 2019 we have

out grown our facilities in being able to host the whole

College together. As our students are the most

significant part of our learning community and we

seek to see them all included in our Celebration

assemblies, we have made the decision to run three

Celebration assemblies during the day on Tuesday

10 December:

Prep – Year 2 9.00am – 10.00am

Year 3 – Year 6 11.00am – 12.00pm

Year 7 – Year 11 1.30pm – 3.00pm

Whilst this will require parents to take time off work

we hope with sufficient notice plans can be made to

allow for this. Further details of the day’s events will

be given out in Term 4 and parents of award

recipients and performers will be advised ahead of

the assembly.

This year also marks the graduation of our first Year

12 class. Their Graduation assembly will be held on

Wednesday 25 September at 11 am followed by their

Valedictory Dinner in the evening.

2020 Term Dates have been published on the

College website and I would encourage parents to

refer to these when planning their holidays to reduce

the disruption to their children’s learning caused by

absences during term time.

Please enjoy perusing the rest of this newsletter as

you learn more about what has been happening in

‘the Life’ of our College in recent weeks.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

Mrs Naomi Wilkins Principal

Term 2 - Week 2B

Saturday 11 May:

ORAN PARK FESTIVAL and OPEN DAY

Week 3A

Monday 13 May:

Year 3 & 4 Gymnastics

Tuesday 14 May:

NAPLAN Years 3,5

Wednesday 15 May:

NAPLAN Years 3,5

IPPSO—OPAC vs WAC (home Game)

Thursday 16 May:

NAPLAN Years 3,5

Friday 17 May:

P– 6 Chapel 2.20pm

Week 4B

Monday 20 May:

Year 3 & 4 Gymnastics

ASC 2019 Young Leaders' Day

Wednesday 22 May:

IPPSO—OPAC vs BAC (All Games at BAC)

Thursday 23 May:

Concert Band (Year 3 - 12) 3:30pm—5pm

Friday 24 May:

P-6 Buddies

Term 2 - Week 2B

Saturday 11 May:

ORAN PARK FESTIVAL and OPEN DAY

Week 3A

Monday 13 May:

Year 10 Work Experience (till Friday 17/5/19)

Tuesday 14 May:

NAPLAN Years 7,9

Wednesday 15 May:

NAPLAN Years 7,9

Thursday 16 May:

NAPLAN Years 7,9

Duke of Edinburgh Silver Practice Hike (till Saturday 18/05/19)

Friday 17 May:

NAPLAN Years 7,9

Week 4B

Monday 20 May:

Year 10 Excursion (Luna Park)

MISA Debating - (at OPAC)

Wednesday 22 May:

Stage Band 3.15pm—4.15pm

CSSA Rugby League trials

Thursday 23 May:

Year 9 & 10 Visual Arts Excursion

Concert Band (Year 3 - 12) 3:30pm—5pm

College News

Dear Parents/Guardians

Don’t forget to collect the Earn & Learn Stickers from Woolworths and drop them into Parent Reception.

We appreciate your continued support.

Trybooking closes Thursday 9 May - 11pm, hurry and buy your

Unlimited rides pass and save $5.

Purchase online: www.trybooking.com/BAWGC

Rides Pass can be purchased on the day for $30.

Mrs Katherine Kendon Deputy Principal - Head of Junior School

Welcome back to the beginning of Term 2. It has been

lovely to welcome a number of new families to the

College this term.

It has been wonderful to begin the

term in our new buildings, with the

opening of C Block and the

Junior School Library. Years 4,

5 and 6 arrived back to College

to find that their classrooms

had been moved into the new

block over the holidays. These

are beautiful, flexible learning

spaces and grades have already been taking advantage

of the ease with which they can use these spaces for

collaborative group times.

With the opening of C Block we have also been able to

open another playground space. Handball is always a

favourite break time game, so students have been

taking full advantage of the extra play space and we

have also appreciated having a large undercover area

to play in during wet weather.

The old Staff Centre has been transformed into the new

Junior School Library. As with all of our learning spaces,

the Library has been designed for flexible learning and

includes not only a traditional reading area, but also a

and Maker Space that we can use for STEM, Art and

Co – Curricular clubs. Kindy and Year 1 classes have

been trialling the Library this week and have

enjoyed the space to stretch out and enjoy reading!

Next week Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 will be sitting NAPLAN

tests. This year, along with schools across the country,

we will be completing NAPLAN Online. One of the main

differences of NAPLAN Online is that the test

automatically adapts to a student’s test performance as

they complete questions. Tailored or adaptive testing

is designed to assess a wider range of student abilities

and to measure student achievement more precisely.

However, as with any assessment it is important to

remember that NAPLAN is just one piece of

information that we use to build a picture of a child’s

learning. It is important to keep this in mind as we

strive to prepare our students for a life of learning, for

them to question, wonder, problem solve, be creative

and continually growing as learners. We know that for

some students, this can be an anxious time. Please

encourage your child to not rush, read the questions

carefully and do their very best. More information on

NAPLAN Online can be found at

https://www.nap.edu.au

This Friday we are looking forward to celebrating

Mums with a Mothers Day afternoon tea and Chapel

service. We’re looking forward to spoiling our Mums

with scones and jam and a special Chapel service, just

for them. On Saturday, the excitement continues with

the Oran Park Festival. There will be rides, delicious

food, performances and market stalls– a fun day for

the whole family. We look forward to seeing you there!

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does

not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour others,

it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps

no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but

rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always

trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

1 Corinthians 13: 4-7

Prep Blue

We were all excited to be back at College last week, eager to share our holiday stories and to catch up with our Prep friends again. The children have come back settled and ready for learning!

The term began with an investigation into colour. We made red poppy flowers to commemorate Anzac Day. We discussed the warm colours we see in autumn as the leaves begin to change and fall and went on a walk, creating autumn treasure sticks with the treasures we collected along the way.

We eagerly await visits from our Year 3 Buddies and will continue to meet with them regularly to play, complete activities together and to help familiarise us with the daily routines of the college.

We look forward to seeing you all at the Festival on Saturday as we perform one of our favourite Christian Studies songs.

Mrs Shepard and Miss McKittrick

Prep Red

It has been an exciting and enjoyable start to Term 2 for Prep Red. To coincide with the ANZAC Chapel we read stories about ANZAC day such as “My grandad marches on ANZAC day” by Cateriona Hay and “ANZAC biscuits” by Phil Cummings. We discussed why we wear a red poppy flower on ANZAC day and why it is important to remember the ANZAC soldiers.

We made red poppy flowers out of cupcake line’s and paddle pop sticks. We also made ANZAC biscuits, taking turns to measure, pour and mix the ingredients together. This was lots of fun and they tasted so yummy to eat.

In Maths groups, we have been practising writing and recognising numbers 1-10, playing number BINGO and using a number line to write numbers on butchers paper. We also made numbers out of unifix cubes. Cayden was proud of his efforts making the numbers 4 and 7 out of unifix cubes’.

In Literacy groups we have been learning the letters-‘s’, ‘m’, ‘t’ and ‘a’. We made the letters out of LEGO. You can see Alfie made the letter ‘m’. We have been playing games that help us to identify words that begin with these sounds as well.

Mrs Maloney and Miss McKittrick

Mother’s Day is this Sunday, 12 May! But don’t panic because Visual Arts and TAS have this covered at the OPAC Open Day.. We are running workshops to create paper flowers and a vase to hold them. There will be 3 workshops running at 11.00am, 12.00pm and 1.00pm. Numbers are limited so make sure you sign up on the sheets outside D12 and D13 on Saturday. Don’t miss out!

Paper Flowers Art Workshop Give mum a unique and beautiful gift made by you.

Flowers for Mother’s Day are always a good idea, so this year why not give mum a bouquet that she could enjoy all year round made by you? Using coloured paper, pipe cleaners and a wooden skewer, these cute paper flowers can be created in no time.

Laser Cut Vase Workshop Complement the paper flowers with a vase personalised and laser cut by you.

Laser cutting enables your ideas to be re-produced exactly as you envisioned them. Learn some simple Adobe Illustrator techniques and apply these to some templates to produce your very own test tube vase.

Mr McKenzie and Mrs Low

In Class with CAFS

This term, Year 11 Community and Family Studies have been investigating individuals and groups. Within this unit, we discuss the different leadership styles and adaptability; why it is important to be a leader and to know your character to be the best leader you can be within different group contexts. One activity that we have completed is the Spaghetti and Marshmallow Challenge. In groups of 3, students had to create a spaghetti tower to hold a marshmallow. This looked at problem-solving, teamwork, communication and leadership. The students had a ball and were able to understand the importance of the aspects of group work and leadership through this activity. Mrs Clisdell

Year 3

We have been studying our great country Australia. We

have discovered what makes Australia great and what

significant Australians have done to improve our

communities. This term Year 3 will be continuing to

discover Australia with a focus on geographical skills such

as mapping.

Our writing focus is persuasive texts. Students have had fun discussing their opinions on a variety of topics. Year 3 are developing their use of powerful, emotive language to convince their readers.

To complement our recent ANZAC day assembly, Year 3

appreciated artworks of ANZAC significance. They

discussed the artist’s purpose and the way the different

artworks made them feel. Students also created their own

artwork to represent and honour those who have fought

and died for our country.

Students have begun gymnastics lessons run by qualified

external providers, which the students have loved. They

are learning a variety of gross motor skills that will develop

their overall sporting ability.

Mrs Hills, Mr Baker and Mr Chapman

Welcome back to College for Term 2. There are many opportunities this term for students to develop skills and contribute to the wider school community. The Oran Park Festival this coming Saturday will see a range of wonderful student performances including bands, choirs, drama and dance. There will also be some fantastic workshops in TAS, Science and Art along with a host of other fun activities. I encourage you to come along with your family, experience a taste of the College and support us in building community. In Week 3, our Year 10 students head out on work experience while Year 7 and 9 sit their annual NAPLAN tests. Students completing the Silver Award for Duke of Edinburgh also head out on their practice hike to the Blue Mountains with Mrs Chow and Mr Williams. In Pastoral Care classes over the next few weeks, students in Years 9 to 12 will be taking part in seminars with Mr James Grady around one of the most concerning, harmful and ubiquitous issues facing our young people; pornography. James spoke to us in Term 1 on cyber safety and we have invited him back to run these seminars with our students. He is an outstanding presenter whose values align strongly with our College and we are looking forward to him working with our community again. You can find out more of what he will be presenting here.

I have been very impressed with the culture of learning happening throughout our classrooms as we have returned this term. I spoke with the students on the first day back about the importance of respecting the rights of everyone to learn in a safe, supportive and calm environment. The responsibility for that lies with all of us. We each have a personal responsibility to ensure that others can learn, free from distractions, in a community that values, respects and is kind to one another. No school is perfect; however, as a College I am seeing with increasing regularity, the evidence of a cohesive and harmonious learning atmosphere where students are engaged, positive and caring, with all of us working to uphold our core values- the 5 C’s that we need for success in learning and life. “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up “ Galatians 6: 9

Mr Michael Newton Deputy Principal - Head of Senior School

Year 8 - Make connections with Roseville College

On Thursday 2 May, Year 8 students from Oran Park

Anglican College welcomed students from Roseville

College to be interviewed about life in Oran Park and its

surrounds, as part of studies for the Geography topic

“Place and Liveability”. Oran Park is a dynamic, rapidly

growing suburb of great interest to geographers. The visit

by Roseville College also gave Oran Park Anglican

College students the opportunity to find out about life in

another suburb of Sydney.

Mrs Brennan and Mrs Steele-Smith,

Year 9

In Term 1, Year 9 considered responses to war in the

form of poetry. We studied a variety of poems that

explored the associated concepts of death, futility and

glory and how they used poetic techniques to convey

their message. In response, students then used these

concepts and techniques to compose their own poetic

responses to war. We are impressed with the moving

and thoughtful poems that were created and reflected

our learning over the unit. Three were selected to be

read at the ANZAC Assembly last Friday and are

provided on the next page for your reading.

Mrs Chow & Mrs McLaren

ANZACs

GALLIPOLI

ANZACs

Gasping for air in a sea of blood

Bodies drop, thud on thud,

As death looks at us in the eye

We prevail, this is not goodbye

For we, are the ANZACs

We are the ANZACs, Prevail! Prevail!

Shouting, Screaming, Chanting, Wail.

Up the hills we shall climb

For we, are the ANZACs

Take up your feud with the foe

Us ANZACs are angry, let them know

If sacrifice is needed, don’t be dumb

Let them have it, to kingdom come

For we, are the ANZACs

Let us be remembered

Let us be heard

We shall never surrender

We shall not defer

For we, are the ANZACs

By Evan Gardner

GALLIPOLI

Freezing temperature could

be the source of shivers.

Maybe it was the fear

controlling every move

Or it was the future, unclear.

A shield of valour and pride

protecting the soft, fearful soul

of a man, young and timid.

the only thing that breaks the silence

Are the fearful tears of regret.

Crash, Bang, Boom!

Bullets rain on fighters pushing through the sand.

Left, Right, Centre.

Falling like great oaks.

Enemies taunt, acting as a tormentor.

Days turned to months,

Trapped in tombs of dirt and disease.

Tens turned to thousands.

Friends that were loved,

Mourned by soldiers crowding.

And then we left,

10 months, 3 weeks, 2 days.

They will remember us in history.

Lest we Forget,

Gallipoli.

By Charlotte Arnold

Year 12 - It’s Zoo Business

On Tuesday 2 April, Year 12 Business Studies students

attended a lecture day at Taronga Zoo connected to the

topics Operations, Marketing and Human Resources.

Students also got to observe the exhibits, including the

recently added “Tiger Trek” connected to the baby Tigers.

The visit consolidates a lot of learning in the classroom,

and key concepts can be incorporated in HSC

examination responses later in the year.

Mrs Brennan

HOMEWORK TIPS

Children are more successful in school when parents

take an active interest in their homework — it shows

kids that what they do is important.

Parents can be supportive by demonstrating study

and organisation skills, explaining a problem, or just

encouraging kids to take a break. Here are some tips

to guide the way:

1. Know the teachers — and what they're

looking for. Attend school events, such as

parent-teacher nights, to meet your child's

teachers. Ask about homework and how you

can be involved.

2. Set up a homework-friendly area. Make sure

you have a well-lit place for your children to

complete homework. Keep supplies — paper,

pencils, glue, scissors — within reach.

3. Schedule a regular study time. Some kids

work best in the afternoon, following a snack

and play period; others may prefer to wait until

after dinner.

4. Help them plan. On heavy homework nights

or when there's an especially big assignment to

do, encourage your child to break up the work

into manageable chunks.

5. Keep distractions to a minimum. This includes limiting TV, loud music, or phone calls.

6. Make sure children do their own work. They

won't learn if they don't think for themselves and

make their own mistakes. Parents can make

suggestions and help with directions but let them

do it!

7. Be a motivator and monitor. Ask about

assignments, quizzes, and tests. Give

encouragement, check completed homework, and

make yourself available for questions.

8. Set a good example. Do your children ever see

you diligently balancing your budget or reading a

book? Children are more likely to follow their

parents' examples than their advice.

9. Praise their work and efforts. Post a good test

result, certificates or an art project on the fridge.

10. If there are continuing problems with

homework, ask for help. Talk about it with your

child's teacher. Some children have trouble seeing

the board in the classroom and may need glasses;

others might need additional support around their

learning.

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find;

knock, and it will be opened to you.”

Matthew 7:7

Mrs Lataster and Mrs Cornford

College Counsellors

ANZAC DAY

Oran Park Anglican College Remembers ANZAC Day

During the holidays. 30 students from the College

participated in the Camden R.S.L. Sub Branch

ANZAC Day Commemoration Services. We marched

down the main street with many other schools and

organisations from the local area to the Camden

Bicentennial Equestrian Park where we took part in

the commemoration service and laid a wreath. It was

a humbling time reflecting on the brave men and

women who defended our nation’s freedom through

service in the Australian Defence Force.

On Friday 3 May, we also held an ANZAC Day service. This was a very moving service and allowed every student the opportunity to reflect upon the sacrifice and service of our brave defence forces. The Stage 5 Drama students set the scene with a powerful depiction of the realities of war on families and loved ones. Students from the Junior School prayed for safety for our Defence Forces, for those who have lost loved ones and for the organisations who support them. Three students from Stage 5 English recited their own poems reflecting on war and Reverend Stuart Starr from New Life Anglican Church gave the commemorative address. At the beginning of the service, our flag was lowered to half-mast and during the playing of the Rouse before the flag was raised again, Mr Plunkett laid a wreath on behalf of the College. This was a powerful service and the respect displayed by our students shows the gratitude they have for the freedom that was fought for by the generations that have come before them.

Mr Przydacz

Junior School Wellbeing

Coordinator

IPSSO

IPSSO Winter Teams have been training hard on Wednesday afternoons. Our first game is next week, 15 May with training beginning the next week on 22 May. We are looking forward to a great season from our teams

AFL

Giants staff came out last Monday and ran some AFL clinics and as always were amazing in the skills that they taught our students. They are offering an after College program starting next Monday, 13 May. You can register here: https://play.afl/ Please enter 2570 as the postcode and click on "Oran Park Anglican College (After School) Auskick Centre." You can also register at the first session as well.

College PE and Sport

Kindergarten have started their Football (Soccer) program this week and Years 3 and 4 have started Gymnastics. We are so excited to see what skills our students will be taught this term

Mr Chapman Junior School Sports Coordinator

Mrs Clisdell Senior School Sports Coordinator

MISA Term 2

The MISA Competition in Term 2 has started well! During winter, training times vary for each team. Please discuss with your coach when training is as it is an important part of improving your craft as a sportsperson. Keep going strong!

NSW All Schools Baseball Championships

Well done to Logan Harris (Year 10) for representing OPAC as well as CIS at the NSW All Schools Baseball Championships on Wednesday, 3 April. It takes courage, determination and lots of training to reach this elite level of sporting achievement. Well done! Good luck with your Baseball trips overseas as well!

NSW Athletics Championships

Well done to Lauren Tisdale (Year 11) for representing OPAC at the NSW Athletics Championships on Thursday, 4 April. Lauren jumped really well achieving a personal best of 3.15m. As a result of this incredible achievement, Lauren has been selected as a part of the Australian Junior Team to compete at the 2019 Oceania Games in June. We wish you good luck and will be cheering for you!

CIS Swimming Championships

Congratulations to Lauren Kaye (Year 9) for being selected to represent OPAC and CSSA at the CIS Swimming Championships on Thursday, 2 May. Lauren competed in Girls U14 50m Freestyle, 50m Butterfly, 100m Backstroke, 50m Backstroke and Junior Girls 200m Backstroke. She swam with strength and determination! Congratulations for coming 3 in the 50m Backstroke! Well done Lauren and good luck for the NSW Swimming Championships in Week 3!

CSSA Rugby Union Gala Day

Congratulations to Henning Seymour (Year 11) who has been selected to represent CSSA at the AICES Rugby Union Gala Day on Thursday 9 May. Well done on this great achievement and we look forward to hearing of your success!

CSSA Soccer Gala Day

On Monday, 6 May, three teams from Oran Park Anglican College (U15’s boys and girls and Open Boys) attended the CSSA South Met Soccer Gala Day at Jameson Park Penrith. The competition was fierce however; our students represented the College with courage, determination and excellent sportsmanship. Congratulations to the students who represented the College at this event!

National Christian Schools Games – Gold Coast, Queensland

In week 4, Victoria Shaw (Year 10) is heading to the Gold Coast to represent OPAC and CSSA at the National Christian Schools Games in Tennis. We wish you luck and will be praying for safety during your time away!

Dates for the Diary:

CSSA State Cross Country – Friday, 31 May

National Christian Schools Games – Week 4

Mrs Clisdell Senior School Sports Coordinator

Tennis Coaching at Oran Park Anglican College – Monday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons

Enrol online through the following link: https://sprout.readysetbook.me/go/First-Serve-Booking

or call Tony for further enquiries on 0418414780