From Mrs Chacon 

As we approach the end of the term, I would like to thank our families for supporting the Junior School and their children's education throughout this busy period. Across the term, students have sat their NAPLAN and ICAS assessments, and Year 6 students have worked tirelessly with Mrs Suzanne Heffer-PYP Coordinator, in readiness for their Term 4 PYP Exhibition. We have participated in various activities, including RAS sporting events, IPSHA Debating and Performing Arts, IPSHA Teacher Umbrella Groups, Tournament of Minds,  Awesome Science (Yr K-4) and Wagga Wagga Science and Engineering Challenge (Yr 5-6). We have held various events, including Seussical Jnr!, Little TRACers Transition program, Celebration of Learning, playgroup, stage 3 camps, Jump Rope for Heart, Fathers Day breakfast and the Intensive Swim Program. 

Musical

The Riverina Anglican College Junior School was thrilled to present Seussical The Musical by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flagherty. 

Throughout this wonderfully challenging experience, our IB Learners strived to be: knowledgeable about the world, natural inquirers, deep thinkers, communicators in a variety of ways, caring towards themselves and others, principled in their actions, open-minded to all, balanced in their daily lives, risk-takers in new learning situations, and reflective.

Participating in the musical allowed students to think about how they learn, work collaboratively and act. They applied various skills related to the five International Baccalaureate interrelated learning approaches (ATL): research, thinking, social, self-management and communication. The musical was a celebration of our outstanding talent, learning and character development at The Riverina Anglican College.

We couldn’t be prouder of our Producer- Clare Brassil, JS Director- Georgie MacDiarmid and our team of teachers, who led numerous student rehearsals in readiness for the musical. Seeing our whole Junior School on stage in the final scene highlighted the impact the musical had on strengthening our community and culture within our evolving school community. It is hard to believe that we are in our second year of operation and that our school was a paddock less than two years ago.

The Riverina Anglican College Junior School Point Of Difference

IPSHA Debating- Sydney

Recently, Mrs Holly Dean- Debating Coordinator, Mr Ian Begg, and the TRAC Junior debating team attended St Ives Grammar School in Sydney to compete against various independent schools across NSW. The inaugural IPSHA debating team showed dedication, collaborative teamwork and skill at the event. IPSHA Debating allows selected students to develop and practise their debating skills in a supportive environment. Our students strengthened their communication and critical thinking skills throughout the program. 

IPSHA Performing Arts Festival- Sydney Town Hall

As mentioned in Mr Marsh’s article, our children performed at the IPSHA Performing Arts Festival held at the Sydney Town Hall, which was a huge success. Thank you to Mrs Brassil and Ms MacDiarmid for preparing our students for the exciting event. Our talented Ms Brassil- Head of Music, conducted the combined orchestra and played the piano. We are incredibly proud of the students and teachers who represented us in the combined choir, combined orchestra, National Anthem and vocal trio. It was lovely to be a part of the excitement amongst our students and parent community at the Town Hall. 

On the night, a number of our families suggested that I share information regarding what it means to be an IPSHA school. Last year, as part of the registration process, I was inducted into the National Professional Charter for Primary School leaders, which led to our membership with APPA (Australian Primary Principals Association) and IPSHA (Independent Primary Heads of Australia). We are the only school in the Riverina to be registered with the association and be able to access such unique state and national opportunities. The Riverina Anglican College pays the annual membership fee for each student.

What is IPSHA?

IPSHA provides access to an Australian wide collegial network of independent primary school educators and leaders.

Support networks for staff in member schools to link executive and teaching staff with specialist interests and responsibilities are organised through Umbrella Groups, which encompass a range of primary school leadership and curriculum areas, facilitating a rich exchange of ideas and resources through regular meetings and informal networks.

Students in member schools have access to a range of excellent events that provide them with experiences and memories in their formative years of schooling that will last for a lifetime. Performing Arts Festivals, Debating and Public Speaking, Social Issues Expos and Teacher Forums, Travelling Art Exhibitions, and a wide range of Saturday Sport activities, sporting carnivals and pathways to higher levels of sporting representation afford many opportunities for students to share and develop their talents and interests alongside others. Please acces the IPSHA website for further information https://ipsha.org.au/.

We had a special ceremony at our assembly to celebrate our talented students and teachers representing us at term 3 IPSHA events.

Celebration of Learning Open Night

I want to thank our families and community members for joining us to make our Celebration of Learning event a great success. Opening our classrooms to showcase our exemplary learning and teaching at the Riverina Anglican College was exciting.

The 'Celebration of Learning' concept is a part of the IB PYP curriculum framework and a great way to strengthen our partnership between parents and the school. It was a powerful opportunity for our students to make their learning public and gain confidence by presenting it to an authentic audience. All parents were given a chance to respond to the student's presentation and co-design goals with their child at the session's conclusion. We hope you enjoyed this celebration as much as we did.

NAPLAN Results 2022

Congratulations to our Year 3 and 5 students on completing NAPLAN. Please keep in mind that NAPLAN tests are an assessment of a student's learning on one day at one time. The teachers conduct regular assessments of our students throughout the year to gain an overall understanding of their learning progress. The Junior School Leadership Team and I will meet in early Term 4 to finalise our implementation plan for our data-driven strategy informed by our 2022 NAPLAN results. I will communicate our Term 4 plan with the parent community at the commencement of the schoolwide program.

And that's a wrap on Term 3! I would like to wish our whole school community a safe and happy September break. We look forward to welcoming you back for the commencement of Term 4 on Tuesday, 8 October.

Have a well deserved break everyone.

Kylie Chacon

Head of Junior School