COLLEGE NEWS
Welcome
Welcome to the second edition for Term 3.
This fortnight's report on College News contains important information regarding the transition to NAPLAN online.
School Readiness Testing 2021
In preparation for transition to NAPLAN Online in 2022, our students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 will be participating the School Readiness Test (SRT) between 23rd to the 27th August.
SRT is an opportunity for schools to set up and run simulated tests to become familiar with the online assessment platform and reflect on areas that may need to be addressed ahead of moving online. SRT is not an assessment of student ability. Student test attempts will not be marked, and results will not be available.
If you have any questions about SRT, please contact Mrs Kylie Chacon for Junior School students or Ms Helen Foster for Senior School students.
Mrs Helen Foster | Head of Academic Administration
NAPLAN School Readiness Test Preparation for Year 7 and 9
In preparation for the School Readiness Testing (as per above article) all students in Year 7 and 9 are required to:
Update their laptop with the most recent version of their operating system.
Download the Windows or Mac Lockdown Browser software that allows students to complete the exam in a secure digital environment.
Windows Lockdown Browser download
Please ensure that these requirements are fulfilled prior to August 9th.
If you have any questions, please contact Mr Clinton Lough or Mr Ross Kennedy.
Full time Mathematics Teacher Position
Looking for a change of scenery?
The Riverina Anglican College is seeking a full-time Mathematics teacher for immediate start to cover a staff member on medical leave. This position is temporary until the end of Term 3 with the possibility of further work in Term 4 and beyond.
Please contact Deputy Principal, Mr Trevor Howard 02 6933 1811 or by email Trevor.Howard@trac.nsw.edu.au for further information.
Medical Action Plans
If your child has a Medical Action Plan please ensure that the College Office has an up-to date copy for the student's file and Sickbay.
If you need more information, please contact the Office on 69 331811 or Office@trac.nsw.edu.au
Little TRACers
Our newest students have completed the Little TRACers Readiness program. You can read more about their adventures on the Junior School page.
Stanley House Day - 26th August
All students are encouraged to come dressed as their favourite book character for Stanley House Day, being held on Thursday 26th August.
Secondary students will be able to participate in the Cake Auction.
Junior students more information on events will be provided to families soon.
Gold Coin donations will be accepted in support of Riverina Bluebell.
Sheppard House Day
Last week, we celebrated Sheppard House Day with a theme of 'Down on the Farm' to support Sheppard House charity Landcare. Head of Sheppard House - Mrs Jenkins made some adjustments to the usual House Day festivities due to current restrictions, our Assembly was live-streamed, followed by Chapel and viewed by students within their Homerooms.
Congratulations to Archie from Year 7, Tyson in Year 10 and Tayarni from Year 11 on receiving the Sheppard Awards for demonstrating leadership, generosity and kindness as a member of Sheppard House.
Thank you to Mrs Jenkins, House Captains Eliza and Ciara, and to all of our staff and students for participating and making the most of this special occasion.
Interschools Young Auctioneers Competition
On a rainy 23 July, the College hosted Heat 1 of the "Interschools Young Auctioneers Competition" under marquees at the Ag Plot.
A total of 20 students from five local schools (The Riverina Anglican College, Wagga Wagga Christian College, Mater Dei High School, Mount Austin High School and Yanco Agricultural High School) demonstrated their auctioneering skills by selling three-second cross lambs (Armdale Park and Gleneith bloodlines) in quick succession with their competitors acting as mock bidders in the audience.
The young auctioneers were judged by three local Stock and Station Agents (Joe Wilks, Ken Miall, and Shannon Wicks) who had taken time out of their busy business lives to align themselves with a school and tutor the budding auctioneers.
Due to COVID restrictions, Yanco students were judged by video on the day.
The top three students from each school will progress through to Heat 2 which will be held at the Ganmain Show on 21 August at 11am.
The top five auctioneers from this heat will progress to the Final held on the stage in front of the crowd on show day. In the event of the show not happening due to COVID restrictions, the competition will continue as an online event.
College competitors were Jack Rodham, Michael Bacon, Indigo Dawson, Angus Lee and Zoe Muller.
Congratulations to Jack who placed first for the College and 4th in the overall competition, Michael who placed second for the college and Indigo for placing third. Zoe and Angus, who placed in the top half of competitors, will still remain part of the team to upskill for next year and also be ready to step up if one of the top three cannot attend the second heat.
Thanks to Mrs Johnson for running the administration for the event.
We wish all competitors the best of luck in Heat 2 in a couple of weeks.
Trevor Dawson | Head of Agriculture
Interhouse Chess Competition
The Grand Final of the Interhouse Chess Competition was played last Thursday.
You can read more about the Grand Final and who was crowned the winner on the Head of SWANs page.
Secondary Students - Are you interested in Equestrian riding?
If you are interested in participating in the Scotts Interschools Competition on 11-12 September in Albury, please register your interest via email to Kym.Kjaer@trac.nsw.edu.au
by Wednesday 11 August.
IMPORTANT REMINDERs:
Late Arrivals and Early Leavers
Secondary School students who are arriving late or leaving early will be required to report to the College office to sign themselves in/out using their ID cards. Parents are required to submit a leave/arrival notification on the Compass Portal stating the reason and time.
College staff will then confirm we have received the formal notification before the student can sign out.
Due to Covid restrictions parent entry to the College Office is not advisable for this task.
YEAR 7 2023 - Applications Open
Enrol Now for Year 7 2023!
If you have a child in Year 5 and have not submitted an enrolment application for Year 7 2023 we would love to hear from you.
Students enrolled at our Junior School will automatically continue their enrolment to the Secondary School, therefore no further action is required from parents.
Places are filling fast for Year 7 2023 and we don't want siblings to miss out on enrolling.
If you would like more information about enrolling at the College, enquiries are welcome at any time.
Please contact the Director of Enrolments and Public Relations, Mrs Karen Wilson on 02 69 331811 Press 3 or via Enrolments@trac.nsw.edu.au
College phone lines - Main Menu Updated
The College phone menu has been updated to improve the flow of communication.
Please note the following NEW menu options or listen carefully before making a selection:
For Secondary School reception, please press 1.
For the Junior School, please press 2.
For Enrolment enquiries, please press 3.
For the Uniform Shop, please press 4.
If you know the extension of who you would like to be connected to, please press 5 and enter the 3 digit extension number.
HSC Trial and IB Examinations
The examinations for the Trial HSC will be held in the gym with the exception of The Drama Group Performances and the Music Aural examination (please refer to the timetable). IB exams will be held in Room 34 in the library.
Students unable to attend an IB or Trial HSC examination for any reason should follow the Illness and Misadventure flowchart found on the College website under the parent portal – assessment procedures tab, and return the required paperwork to the College.
http://www.trac.nsw.edu.au/parents.php?id=68
Due to the current climate the following rules will be in place for both the IB and Trial HSC examinations.
- Students need to arrive 20 minutes before the examination so they can have their temperature checked and sanitize their hands. They will also be asked to confirm they have not been asked to self-isolate by NSW health, and do not have flu like symptoms.
- Two entrances to the gym will be used to facilitate this process for Trial HSC students, the entrance near the basketball courts and the entrance near the Tech mandatory building.
- IB students will undergo the aforementioned process on entry into the library prior to their exams.
- Students should not attend any examination if they have flu–like symptoms (fever, cough, sore/scratchy throat, shortness of breath, loss of taste or smell), are awaiting a COVID test result, have been directed to self-isolate by NSW Health or have tested positive to COVID 19. An illness and misadventure form will be completed in this case.
- If students have a known illness that has flu like symptoms they should provide a medical certificate to Ms Foster (HSC students) or Mrs Humble (IB students) prior to the examinations.
Thank you and do not hesitate to contact myself or Mrs Humble if you have any concerns.
Helen Foster | Head of Academic Administration
NESA Advice Regarding the HSC
Please see below for advice from NESA regarding the HSC and Stage 6 assessment during this time.
NESA's core principle is that no student is disadvantaged due to Covid-19 and we should all feel a degree of reassurance in that; it was certainly the approach NESA took during last year's HSC.
At the same time, all assessment tasks, Trial HSC examinations and actual HSC examinations will remain on schedule at this point and we have no reason to expect that to change.
The College has illness and misadventure policies in place that are in line with NESA policies. If in doubt check these on the link to the College website below as well under 'Illness and Accidents'.
NESA: https://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/covid-19/coronavirus-advice/year-11-and-12
College
College Website: http://www.trac.nsw.edu.au/parents.php?id=32
College Term Dates for 2022
Please find attached the 2022 College Term Dates for your information.
Winter Clothing Appeal
One week in and we’ve already filled Mr Tyndall’s car boot with winter clothing for Anglicare. Thank you to our College community for their generosity. Let’s keep sharing the tangible love of the Gospel by filling up even more car boot loads! Donations for the Wagga Anglican Op Shop can be dropped off at the Dr Ian Grant Library.
Can you help support those in need this winter? Please consider donating winter clothing for families in need. Please refer to Mr Tyndall's, article in Issue 9 (College Chaplain page) of the College Newsletter for more information.
Senior Academic Support -
Updated Sessions Times
Please see the attached flyer for updated session times for Year 11 and 12 students to upskill in effective study, learn time management skills, and access space for guided study.
College Guidance Counsellor, Mr Richardson offers Senior Academic Support in Room 31.
Elevate Webinars
Elevate Education are continuing to provide parents of The Riverina Anglican College exclusive access to their Parent Webinar Series for Term 3, 2021.
Upcoming Dates
18th August - Note taking skills to help your child deepen their revision.
1st September - Exam Homestretch and how to support your child in the final weeks.
To reserve your spot, you can register for free below,
You can register by clicking here.
Should you have questions or would like to contact Elevate directly, their details are listed below.
✉️ auscoaching@elevateeducation.com
💻 https://au.elevateeducation.com
👍 https://www.facebook.com/ElevateEd/
Traffic Management
The recent wet and cold weather conditions have brought additional challenges to the morning and afternoon student drop-off and pick-up routines. We thank you for your patience during those busy periods.
This term we have observed students navigating their way amongst traffic on Farrer Road and within the College carpark, in an attempt to get to their parents/carer’s car before it has parked.
Please remind your son/daughter to remain on the curb at the pickup bays, and wait patiently with College staff until you have parked within the pickup zone parking bays. You are asked to remain in your vehicle while your child is getting in or out of the vehicle.
Parents are reminded that stopping on Farrer Road to pick up or drop off their son/daughter is dangerous and not permitted.
Alex Sarantakos | Head of Operations
Student ID Cards
Example only
Secondary students are asked to bring their ID cards to school each day, to use for the reasons listed below. Please ensure they are kept in a safe place such as their locker.
The ID cards replace those previously printed by the College Office and are for general use as proof of age. Students are also required to use the ID card when arriving late or leaving early by scanning into the Compass Kiosk in the front office. The Library borrowing system also allows students to scan the cards when they borrow a book or other resources.
Compass - Absence/part day attendance procedures for students
It is imperative that an Attendance note is submitted on the Compass parental portal if a student is away for a full day, arriving late, or leaving early.
Secondary School students who are arriving late or leaving early will be required to report to the College office to sign themselves in/out using their ID cards. Students will not be permitted to leave without the formal notification on Compass.
Junior School parents are required to sign a student in/out at the Junior School Office.
College Offices
As families would be aware, with the opening of the Junior School, the administration now operates from two offices - College Office and Junior School Office.
For all K-12 enrolment enquiries, school fees and account enquiries, signing secondary school students in/out and meetings with Secondary School staff, please report to the College office (located in the front of the College)
For signing in/out Junior School students, meetings with Junior School staff and general enquiries regarding current Junior School students, please report to the Junior School office (located at the Eastern end of the Campus)
Changes to Excursions Permission Notes
All Permission notes will now be distributed via Compass.
Details were provided to families in Issue 5. Click below to view. Please refer to the Deputy Principals Report in Issue 5.
Term Dates for 2021
Term 3 concludes - Friday 17 September 2021
Term 4 commences - Tuesday 5 October 2021
Term 4 concludes - Wednesday 8 December 2021
Term Dates for 2022
Term 1 Commences - Monday 31st January - Year 1 to 12
Term 1 Commences - Wednesday 2nd February - Kindergarten
For a full list of College dates for 2022 see below.
Have you downloaded the Compass Parent Portal?
This communication platform is a secure site where you can access an array of information about your child/children.
Please contact the College office, if you are yet to receive your login details.
Access to the College
Please view the parking arrangements in the image above if you are not familiar with the parking arrangements in the image
Driving to School - Year 11 and 12
Students in Years 11 and 12 who wish to drive to school, need to ensure the following steps are taken and agreed to before students are permitted to drive to and from the College.
• Complete a 'Driving to School Permission Form' (see attached), and return the signed form to the College Office for processing.
• Taking Passengers - Any student travelling in the car of another student will be required to complete the 'Passenger Permission Form' (see attached), and return the signed form to the College Office for processing.
The College recommends that siblings be permitted and, at most, one other authorised person.
Vehicles must not leave the College during the day without the student/s signing out from the College Office.
Driving to School Forms:
Driving to School Permission Form
College Office
Do you need to update your contact details?
Have you moved address or had a change in your family circumstances and need to update your contact details?
If you have changed your contact details recently. We urge you to contact the College office to update your phone numbers and email, so if we need to contact you urgently we can do so.
Please email Office@trac.nsw.edu.au
with your current details or update in the Compass portal.
Long-term Absences
If the student will be absent for more than 2 weeks (10 school days), an application to the Principal is required via the Application for Extended Leave - Vacation/Travel Form prior to departure. Once this document is completed by the Parent/Guardian, please return to the College Office for processing. You will then receive a Certificate of Extended Leave - Vacation/Travel.
Students who will be absent for shorter periods of time (less than 2 weeks) are also required to supply written notification to the College.
All student long-term absences should be reported to the College via email absences@trac.nsw.edu.au.