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Hills Adventist College Newsletter - 11 MAY 2018

From the Principal's Desk

May is always a month with a lot going on at our College. We built on the excitement, involvement and dedication to faith development arising from the Week of Worship for Middle and Senior School students. Students, parents and staff had opportunity to offer feedback to the College through our biennial satisfaction surveys conducted by Insight SRC. Students had their photos taken individually as well as in family and class groups this week, so that they have a lasting memory of the year. The presenters from Elevate Education spoke to various student groups. They also conducted an evening presentation for parents outlining how to support their child’s skills in managing time, assessment tasks and study. On both campuses we continued to ready students for NAPLAN testing next week.

As we approach the weekend with its special emphasis on Mothers’ Day it is a great honour to be part of those celebrations through the stalls provided by the Home and School and the Mothers’ Day breakfast on the Castle Hill campus. To all our mums we say Thank You!

Mother's Day Breakfast

New Staff Profile

Mr Jayden Groves

Mr Groves is originally from Toowoomba, in southern Queensland. He completed his schooling at Murwillumbah, on the north coast of NSW at our sister school, Tweed Valley Adventist College. He recently graduated from Avondale College with a Bachelor of Business/Bachelor of Teaching and is excited to commence his teaching career at Hills. Mr Groves teaches Economics, Geography, History and Maths at our Kellyville campus. He loves building rapport with students and providing them with skills so they are prepared for whatever life throws at them after they finish their schooling years. He also enjoys playing sport in his spare time, particularly basketball and touch football. We know all our families will make him feel welcome in his first year here at Hills.

College Announcements

NAPLAN

All students in years 3, 5, 7 and 9 will participate in NAPLAN starting the 15 May (next Tuesday). Our school is utilising NAPLAN Online this year and we are excited about some of the benefits of this process. Reminder that all students in these year groups need to bring headphones with an audio jack with them from the 15-18 May. Those students in year 7 and 9 will also require the NAPLAN-specific browser on their computer. For Year 7 and 9 students, please ensure their computer is fully charged before they arrive at school to avoid batteries failing during the test.

Attendance

Just a reminder that student absences should be reported as soon as possible to the College. If the absence is pre-planned, please ensure you have notified the College prior to your child's absence. If your child is sick, please notify on the day they are absent. You can do this via the link below or by phoning College Reception.

Late Arrivals and Early Pick-Ups

Please ensure if you drop off your child late to school or pick them up early, it is important that you report to College Reception to sign in and sign out via SEQTA on the iPad provided.

Food Allergy Awareness Week

Food Allergy Awareness Week is May 13 - 19. This is an initiative of Anaphylaxis Australia to help increase awareness and knowledge about allergies. Allergies are a community health concern. Not only is it a lifestyle adjustment for those with the allergies, it also impacts the whole family, their friends and all who care for them. Our College family has many children at risk of life threatening anaphylaxis.

ANZAC Day Service

Our College was represented at the Dawn Service on ANZAC Day, during the school holiday where students from our Castle Hill and Kellyville campuses laid wreaths to remember those who fought in defence of our country.

Music News

Mark Your Diary - Important Music Events Coming Up

Band Camp: Monday 21 – Wednesday 23 May (Years 3-6)

Mile End Church Visit: Saturday 2 June (Junior Choir, Primo Orchestra)

HICES Music Festival: Sunday 19 – Wednesday 22 August (Years 7-12)

Creative Collective: Thursday 30 August

If you have any enquiries about these events please contact Miss Thomas at emily.thomas@hills.adventist.edu.au

Castle Hill Campus News

Junior Choir Rehearsal - Time Change

Due to the difficulties involved for numerous families with arriving at school so early, the Junior Choir will be changing the time of rehearsals. Currently they meet at 8:15am on Wednesdays. This will now change to Second Lunch (straight after eating their lunch) at 11:25am on Wednesdays. This new timetable will commence next week. We hope this will assist in ensuring those wishing to be part of our Junior School Choir are able to do so without difficulty. We understand it can be challenging to get your child to school early enough for choir rehearsals and we appreciate the effort that parents have made in assisting to make the choir a success.

Car Park Etiquette

To ease the traffic at our Castle Hill campus, we would like to ask our families to please be courteous and careful. Each day we have over 300 children entering and exiting the College in a short period of time. Please read and follow the drop off / pick up etiquette that we will be sharing over the next few weeks.

Kiss and Drop Zone

Watch out for more information about car park etiquette in the next newsletter.

Kellyville Campus News

ADRA Food Collection

Empathy for others is a value that we would like to encourage in all our students. Some of the greatest service opportunities can be found in our own areas rather than overseas. We as a College community have an opportunity to support ADRA(locally) to provide food items for those less fortunate.

Please take a look at the list of food items and the schedule for your child’s year group and if you can and are able, we appreciate your contribution.

Week 3 (week starting 14 May) -Year 5

Week 4 (week starting 21 May) -Year 6

Week 5 (week starting 28 May) - Year 7

Week 6 (week starting 4 June) -Year 8

Week 7 (week starting 11 June) -Year 9

Week 8 (week starting 18 June) -Year 10

Week 9 (week starting 25 June) -Year 11

Week 10 (week starting 2 July) -Year 12

Thank you for helping to help others.

- Mr Irwin Steyn, Head of Campus - Kellyville

Year 9 & 10 Drama Excursion

On the last day of Term One, the Year 9 and 10 Drama students journeyed to Riverside Theatre in Parramatta, to enjoy a theatrical production called ‘Patrice Balbina’s Chance Encounter with the End of the World’.

This was an incredible play about change, courage, loss and acceptance. ‘Patrice Balbina’s Chance Encounter with the End of the World’ was about how one girl, Patrice Balbina, an average 10-year-old girl with immigrant parents, dealt with the idea of change through her forced move to a new country. Patrice initially referred to her new country as ‘the end of the world’, but she eventually changes her mind about her new home by making friends and learning to adjust to her new life.

This was a beautifully written play and performed by six leading international theatre company directors from Italy, Canada, Germany, Portugal, and Australia, who kept the audience engaged and wanting more. - Nashe, Year 10

Year 7-12 Poetry Performance Incursion

In the last week of Term One, Years 7 to 12 English students attended a poetry performance incursion brought to them by the traveling acting troupe, Poetry in Action. The year 10, 11 and 12 students enjoyed a performance of Wilfred Owen’s poetry, ‘War of Words’, exploring themes to do with war, protest, conscription, propaganda and trauma. The year 7, 8 and 9 students enjoyed a performance of poetry called ‘The United Nations of Poetry’ exploring various forms of poetry from all over the world. The performances were highly engaging (not your usual poetry performance!) and enjoyed by students and staff alike. If students wish to enter the PIA poetry competition, just click on the link below:

Kindergarten Students Enjoy Lunch with Year 10

A wonderful opportunity for getting to know each other was had by our Kellyville Kindergarten class and our Year 10 Food Technology class recently. Our Year 10 students were able to provide a healthy lunch for our Kindy's as part of their assessment task. Everyone had a great time, and the Kindy's were very excited to eat the delicious food shared with them.

Kindergarten students enjoying their lunch provided by Year 10 Food Technology students

Improving Study Skills

This week, students in Years 8 – 11 participated in study skills seminars run by Elevate Education. Elevate Education draws on over 15 years of research into the habits of the country’s top students and presents high impact seminars & workshops that help students improve their study techniques, increase motivation, build confidence, and lift exam performance. Students participated in the following:-

Year 8 – Junior Time Management – students were guided to create a study timetable and planner

Year 9 – Memory Mnemonics – this involves showing students how to maximise attention and minimize distractions. Several memory and learning styles and semantic learning techniques were demonstrated.

Yr. 10 – Study Sensei – students were encouraged to use syllabus and revision note to frame their study. They were given tips for structuring and organizing their notes and making the most of their assessment calendars and exam outlines. Students were also encouraged to complete practice exams or additional practice questions from their text books.

Year 11 – Senior Time Management - outlining the most efficient study techniques.

Students filled in a booklet to support the above content. Elevate Education has a comprehensive website with additional tips and strategies that can be used to further improve student study habits.

Additionally, over 40 parents attended a night meeting where key points from the seminars their children attended were shared, plus tips and strategies for how the skills can be reinforced at home. Elevate Education has a parent portal where parents can access more information about how to support their child.

Yr. 7 and Yr. 12 students participated in seminars last term. Yr. 7 completed the Study Skills Kick Start seminar and Yr. 12 participated in the Ace Your Exams session.

Let's work together to support our students to implement these strategies to keep organised, maximise their marks and decrease their stress levels.

- Mrs Julie Sutton, Learning Support Co-ordinator

Parent Information Night - Elevate Education

Sports News

Hills Zone Netball Representation

Congratulations to TaylaLea (Year 8) who is our first ever Hills Adventist College Netball Representative. She was selected to play in the Hills Zone 15 Girls team and the team was undefeated. Great job TaylaLea!

State Basketball Representation

Congratulations to Kai (Year 6) who travelled to Tamworth this week to represent the College at the NSW Primary School Sports Association Boys Basketball Championship as a member of the Combined Independent Schools (CIS) team. The team made it through to the finals, finishing first place in their pool. After a challenging semi-final in which they were defeated, the boys went on to win their final game, finishing the Championship 3rd in the state!

Cross Country Awards - Kellyville

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