COLLEGE NEWS
Welcome
Welcome back to Term 2!
We have had a busy start to the term, with the Official Opening of the Junior School, ANZAC Day commemorations, and excursions being in full swing. In this edition, we have the inclusion of a new page - Junior School Classrooms. Each fortnight we will focus on the happenings in different classrooms. This week we visit Year 3 and Year 4 and get to know the teachers a little better.
Please remember to check the important dates page of the Newsletter or keep up to date via the Compass portal.
ANZAC Day
We are proud to have Year 9 Prefects participate as banner bearers in the ANZAC day parade. College Captains George and Holly represented the College by laying the wreath at the cenotaph.
Lachlan, Daisy, Clover, Maggie and Halle represented the College at Lockhart’s March and Anzac Day Service yesterday. Maggie, Halle and Daisy also placed flowers at the Cenotaph.
Thank you all for your participation in this important day of commemoration.
Last Friday, our Junior School students commemorated ANZAC day through making ANZAC biscuits and decorating their classrooms with poppies.
Junior School Opening
Last Wednesday, was a very special day at The Riverina Anglican College as we opened Stage 1 Build of our Junior School. With the easing of Covid restrictions, we were very grateful to be able to invite a small number of honoured guests to join Junior School staff and students in acknowledging and celebrating this momentous occasion.
Principal, Mr Paul Humble and Board Chair, Mr Colin May welcomed guests including Dr Joe McGirr MP; Mayor Greg Conkey; Founding Chair, Mr Neil Stubbs; Founding Principal, Dr Ian Grant; Ven. Dr Grant Bell and Diocesan General Manager, Mr Trevor Ament. We were honoured to have The Rt Rev Dr Mark Short declare the building officially open with the unveiling of a plaque.
The Hon Michael McCormack, Deputy Prime Minister and Member for Riverina was unfortunately unable to attend however, we were very pleased to receive his words of encouragement via video message.
Please follow the link below to view this and other videos of the event.https://photos.app.goo.gl/iJFLzZ5cZJDh3Fdm9
NAPLAN
This year The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) will be held at the College for students in Years 7 and 9 over the 11th, 12th and 13th of May. A catch up time for students who miss a test will be held on Friday 14th May.
NAPLAN is a point in time assessment of literacy and numeracy skills that are essential for every child to progress through school and life. NAPLAN consists of tests in writing, reading, conventions of language (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and numeracy. This year the tests at the College will be carried out on paper.
Excessive preparation for NAPLAN is not recommended.
Further information about the tests can be found here.
NAPLAN frequently asked questions.
Timetables of the arrangements when Years 7 and 9 will sit the tests will be emailed to each student and their parents/caregivers.
If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact the College.
Helen Foster | Head of Academic Administration
Senior Academic Support
College Guidance Counsellor, Mr Richardson is pleased to offer Senior Academic Support beginning this week in Room 31.
Please see flyer for session times.
This is a wonderful opportunity for our Year 11 and 12 students to upskill in effective study, learn time management skills and access space for guided study.
College Visual Arts Competitions 2021 (Secondary Students)
Calling all creative Secondary students. Would you like to win some great prizes?
This year's theme is 'Animals'.
Two Visual Arts competitions are currently running.
Click below for further details.
College SS Photographic Competition
Submissions Close - Term 3 Week 3.
College SS Visual Arts Competition
Submissions Close - Term 3 Week 3.
Lindie Mannion | Head of Visual Arts
Wordmasters : HICES Debating : English - UPDATE
Our participation in the HICES Debating Competition is speeding along. Round 1 is complete and we are now beginning Round 2. Our students are learning so much about the control of language and critical thinking. They are learning how to organise and be confident in their presentation of an argument, expanding their vocabulary, research skills and knowledge of the world around them as they prepare for each of their debates. Their capacity to work collaboratively toward a team goal is amazing to watch to in action.
The completion of Round 1 brought with it much learning, so always successful, and some wins too.
Our Middle Years Team A, Year 8, went up against Shellharbour Anglican College on Monday the 29th of March fighting to prove that "Holding a current first aid certificate should be a prerequisite for obtaining a driver's license". Our team battled well losing by only a hair of tiger. Well done for your first debate of the year! Our team members were: Anneliese Klimpsch, Brooke Graham, Best Inyang and Sana Malika.
Our two Open Teams, Year 11, also went up against Shellharbour Anglican College on the same day. The topic: "That Obesity is regarded as a global health issue. To help fight obesity the Australian government should, as it did with tobacco products, impose a significant sugar tax. Team A: Tayarni Woods, Sarah Siddiqui, Louis Lambert and Ostara Loesch' lost their round despite presenting a formidable argument. Team B: Isabel Brown, Chelsea Burgess-Hannon and Paige Jessop also presented a formidable argument for the same issue with only three team members and won their round. Congratulations!
On Wednesday the 31st of March - our two Senior Teams: Team A (Cecil Wahba, Karina Zhang, Diya Bhengra and Dionisa Gendy); and Team B: (Caitlyn Cumberlege, Trang Nguyen, Karin Rezkalla, Vinudi Rathnayaka) battled each other to see whether "It should be compulsory for all Australians to receive the COVID vaccination”. Success was delivered to Team B. Congratulations!
Best speakers went to Caitlin Cumberlege, Karina Zhang and Trang Nguyen. Thank you must go to Claire Heazlewood who was both Chair and Time-keeper for our final debate.
Well done to all participants for their courageous efforts in Round 1. The debate for Round 2 commenced this week with our excursion to Shellharbour to compete against and network with a range of sister schools.
Last Wednesday students had the opportunity to attend a Debating Workshop where experienced debater and adjudicator, Claire Honeywood, held her audience entranced for an hour speaking with passion about the debating process and in the process sharing all the tips and tricks of the trade that will greatly assist our students in their strive for success.
A big thank you to M Guise, Miss Montague and Miss Tyson for assisting with the debates. Our debating experience so far has been an amazing journey and we look forward to our future arguments and adventures. "We are the Champions". Go team TRAC!
Corrina Hawke | Head of Department - English
Behind the Career
Two of our Senior Students, Patrick (Year 11) and Caitlin (Year 12) have had their television debut in a local production of the 'Behind the Career' Series.
'Behind the Career' seeks to remove the confusion when investigating different careers and industries. It takes an entertaining look at the people and stories behind different careers in our local region. Every episode investigates a different industry and provides resources to help investigate the ins and outs of different careers and industries.
Follow this link for more information: https://www.behindthecareer.com/
In the segments on Local Government and Horticulture, Patrick and Caitlin are the presenters. Well done!
Check out these wonderful productions:
https://www.behindthecareer.com/localgovernment
https://www.behindthecareer.com/primaryindustries
Junior School News
Junior School Cross Country
Congratulations to all our age champions from the Junior School Cross Country Carnival held on the last day of Term 1. Students from Kindergarten to Year 6 were presented with their ribbons at Friday's Assembly. The winning House was also announced by Mrs Chacon after students created a drumroll on the floor.
Blackwell achieved the highest points overall and were named the first ever champions of Cross Country in the Junior School. Blackwell House Prefect Jude was presented the shield by Sport Prefect Harlem.
Congratulations Blackwell!
RAS Primary School Netball trials
Last Wednesday, six Year 6 girls (Rachel, Piper, Olivia, Daisy. Pepper and Harlem) attended the RAS Primary School Netball trials. Thanks to Mrs Kjaer from the Secondary School for attending the event with them. Piper and Harlem were successful in selection and will now travel to Sydney in two weeks to compete in the NSWCIS carnival.
Animal Planet Interest Group
On Wednesday, in the Animal Planet Interest Group, Mrs Bromley encouraged Junior School students to explore the importance of worms in our world. Students enjoyed gently handling and taking a close look at worms with magnifying glasses and learning some crazy facts!
Music Lessons
Thank you to our peripatetic music teachers for taking on some of our Junior School students for their first individual music lessons at The Riverina Anglican College.
Head of Music, Ms Brassil was very excited to see Gabe and Raymond from Year 4, Patrick from Year 5 and Jude from Year 6 meet with Sarah Blanch, Tim Chandler and Damien Johnson to begin their musical journeys with the cello, trumpet, saxophone and violin.
We wish these students the best of luck with their lessons and look forward to seeing them perform sometime in the future.
Information on how to access music lessons at the College for your child/children is available at both Junior or Secondary School reception.
Build A Bridge...and get over it!
Build A Bridge...and get over it! is a three day Camp run by REROC in partnership with Compact. It aims to encourage students in Years 10-12 to consider a career in civil engineering. Students participated in practical, hands-on activities over the three days allowing them to experience the work that a civil engineer does.
Engineers from the REROC region mentor the students with help from Engineers from the NSW IPWEA and Transport for NSW. The Camp was held at Borambola Sport and Recreation Centre on the outskirts of Wagga Wagga. The 2021 Camp is funded by REROC and Compact and sponsored by the NSW IPWEA, Riverina Water and School of Engineering at Charles Sturt University.
Congratulations to our participants Alex (Year 12) and Angus and Karina (Year 10) for graduating from this incredibly valuable program and thank you to Mrs Knight for her help in facilitating our student's involvement.
School TV - Raising Girls
This month on SchoolTV - Raising Girls
Raising girls in today’s modern world can be a difficult path for parents and carers to navigate. These days, girls are transitioning to puberty a lot earlier than they used to and the physical, psychological and emotional changes they experience are challenging. As a result, by mid-adolescence, girls are twice as likely to develop mood disorders more so than boys.
Some parents and carers may feel uncertain about how best to support their daughter through the ups and downs of adolescence and how to keep the lines of communication open. With the rise of social media and technology, mental health difficulties in girls are increasing as often they are faced with online images that make it difficult to see themselves as acceptable. Ensuring a daughter’s opinions are heard and her views listened to, will go a long way towards making her feel loved and supported as she tries to establish her own identity.
In this edition of SchoolTV, adult carers will attain a clearer picture of what girls are wanting from their adult carers and how best to support them through adolescence. We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this month’s edition, and we always welcome your feedback.
If you do have any concerns about the wellbeing of your child, please contact the school for further information or seek medical or professional help.
To view this month's edition:
World Greatest Shave
Last day of term saw 25 participants step up for 'World's Greatest Shave'. 6 ponytails were cut off and donated to become wigs, 6 heads were shaved and the remaining participants had their hair coloured.
The total of donations to the Leukaemia Foundation is over $18 000! with over $1200 raised on the day.
Mr Dawson is extremely proud of the efforts of all those who have taken part and donated. Thank you to our visiting hairdressers for the occasion also.
Phone calls to the College
When you call us at the College, you hear a pre-recorded message with menu options. We understand that you might not want to listen to this message every time!
The main information to remember is:
For the Junior School - Press 1
For the Main Office (Senior School)
- Press 2
For the Uniform Shop - Press 3
Term Dates for 2021
Term 2 concludes - Thursday 17 June 2021
Term 3 commences - Monday 12 July 2021
Term 3 concludes - Friday 17 September 2021
Term 4 commences - Tuesday 5 October 2021
Term 4 concludes - Wednesday 8 December 2021
Have you downloaded the Compass Parent Portal?
All families should have received an email inviting you to download the compass School Manager for Parents. 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
Absence Process
Student absences should be reported to the Compass Parent Portal, preferably by 9am.
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.
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
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.