At the end of Week 2 I was able

to spend two days with our Year

9 students as they attended the

overnight Canberra excursion. I

am pleased to report that they

behaved themselves exceptionally well, and not only

was it an enjoyable time, but an educationally

beneficial one as well. Over the two days we spent

time at the Australian War Memorial, National

Museum, Questacon and the Australian institute of

Sport.

At the Australian War Memorial students were

required to complete worksheets that covered a

series of displays. Students reflected on Australia’s

involvement in WW1, WW2 and the Vietnam

Conflict, as well as exploring some more recent

events such as Afghanistan and Iraq. Whilst

exploring the memorial, students were able to reflect

on the impact these conflicts have had on our nation

as well as take time to reflect on the quality of the

memorial itself. For some of the students the

highlight was finding on the Roll of Honour names of

relatives who had served and died whilst on an

overseas campaign.

In the evening we were able to spend two hours at

the Questacon exploring the world of science. This

was a wonderful opportunity for our students to have

access to all that this building has to offer. Several

students enjoyed the Free Fall Wall, the Quake

Shaker, the electric charge and a series of other

scientific based activities. Our students enjoyed the

experience of making science come alive.

Then, after a rather chilly morning in Canberra, we

spent two hours at the Australian Institute of Sport.

Naturally, many of our students enjoyed the

sporting programmes offered by the AIS. They

were in awe of the gymnasts who train several

hours a day, the 212 cm Australian Volleyball player

and the commitment of team members, as well as

the quality of the AIS gymnasium. I think some of

them left inspired as to what might be possible for

them, if they are willing to try.

On behalf of the college I would like to thank all the

staff involved, especially Mr Corr for his oversight,

as experiences like these would not be possible

without the commitment of our teachers.

Grandparents’ and Special Friends’ Day 2015

It’s perhaps just a truism that our

relationships make and hold the

central meaning and purpose of

all of our lives. Isn’t it also just

as true, that in the varied quality and stretch of our

connections, our relationship with our grandparents

invariably seems specially to shine out with a

special, uncluttered and uncomplicated, joy and

light?

Thinking about grandparents, Rudolph Giuliani

comments,

What children need most are the essentials that

grandparents provide in abundance. They give

unconditional love, kindness, patience, humorous,

comfort, lessons in life. And, most importantly, a

never ending supply of lollies!

And Lexie Sage;

Sometimes our grandmothers and grandfathers are

like grand-angels

Or looking at it from grandparents’ perspective:

If I had known how wonderful it would be to have

grandchildren, I’d have had them first – Lois Wyse

And a final perspective from Margaret Mead,

Everyone needs to have access both to

grandparents and grandchildren in order to be a full

human being.

On Friday August 14th the Junior School will be

celebrating its annual Grandparents and Special

Friends Day. There will be open classrooms across

the Junior School, from 11:15am where

Grandparents/Special Friends are very welcome to

visit students in their classrooms. This will be

followed by an opportunity for Grandparents to share

lunch with their Grandchildren. There will be a Light

Afternoon Tea for Grandparents outside the John

Lambert Performing Arts Centre from I: 15pm, to be

directly followed by a Service of Thanksgiving and

Celebration at 2:00pm, with musical contributions by

the Junior School Choir and a Song for

Grandparents’ Day by all of our students, joining

together to communicate their appreciation of that

very special gift of love so uniquely unwrapped by

grandparents.

So, Grandparents and Special Friends - do please

come and join us if you are able!

PS: On the seventh day God rested. His

grandchildren must have been out of town! – Gene

Perret.

Rev Keith Peterson: Head of Junior School

ENSW STATE INTERSCHOOL CHAMPIONSHIPS

In the last week of Term Two, 34 riders represented Arndell at the Equestrian

NSW State Interschool Championships. These riders competed in a range of

disciplines including; Eventing, Combined Training, Show Horses, Dressage,

Show Jumping and Vaulting. Our riders had numerous wins and placings

throughout the 4 days of competition. Whilst the riders compete individually, the

results are tallied for each school, and overall champions are given. Arndell was

awarded:

Champion Overall Primary School

Reserve Champion Overall High School

Champion Show Jumping School &

Reserve Champion Combined Training

School.

As well, Billie Kinder of Year 5 had an outstanding

competition and was the Overall Champion Primary

School Rider. Congratulations Billie. Students are congratulated on their

results and sportsmanship shown over the four days of competition.

On Tuesday, 28th July, 2015, Arndell played host to two visiting Colleges – Masada and Moriah – for elimination finals, deciding who would progress through to the final 16 schools within the NSW HICES debating divisions. It is a considerable achievement to reach this level, as it means each team must have won at least three of their four preliminary debating rounds, placing first in their region to qualify.

All finals debates, in all divisions are impromptu, meaning the teams only discover their topic one hour before the debate. For the Middle division teams (Years 7 & 8) this was the first impromptu debating experience for many speakers. Most people would say that speaking for 6 to 8 minutes on any topic at one hour’s notice, in front of an audience is difficult at any time!

The Senior Blue team comprising Laura Holman (1st), Lleyton Bird (2nd), Jessica Steenbeeke (3rd) contested the negative case for the topic “That the age you get your learner’s permit should be raised to 18” against Moriah College. The debate was of a high quality and the final margin obviously very tight given the 10-15 minutes the independent adjudicators took to decide Moriah was the winning team. It was a valiant performance by our team, especially with Laura stepping into the vacancy left by the absence of Elly Hibberd. Lleyton showed commendable perseverance to present some strong rebuttals and arguments, whilst Jessica turned in a characteristically dominant performance as the final speaker, almost snatching a victory and intellectually “scaring” the opposition. It was a great season for the Senior Blue team.

The Middle Blue team, comprising Joanna Nanthakamuran (1st), Will Franks (2nd) and Jake James (3rd) also faced adversity. With team member Janaya Lee missing due to illness, the team was reduced to three speakers and Will called in as a speaker at short notice. The team argued the affirmative case for the topic “That domestic skills like cooking and ironing should be a compulsory subject in Primary school.” They emerged with a victory against Masada, and now join the Middle Red team (Year 7 - Sarah Black, Noah Shean, Elizabeth Barter, Makenzie Thomas in their first year of entry) and the Open team (David Lavelle in Year 9, Emily May and Rosie Rodgers both Year 10) in qualifying for the round of 16 finals. I believe this is as far as any teams from Arndell have yet reached within the HICES competition and to have two teams through in the same Middle division promises great things for the future of debating at Arndell.

Visiting staff complimented our Arndell students in general, and specifically our debaters, on their friendly welcoming manner and hospitality. Chair Manager Bethany McNamara and timekeeper, Trianah Tumbridge, performed their duties with style and did a wonderful job. David Lavelle also gave valuable support in helping the day run as smoothly as possible. My gratitude to all the staff, especially those who were disrupted in terms of preparation rooms and Mr. and Mrs. Wilson for making the auditorium available. The Canteen staff, as usual, provided a wonderful morning tea and bottled water for all. My thanks too, to Mrs Anslow for her support and taking photographs on the day.

The Senior Blue team V Moriah, comprising Laura Holman, Lleyton Bird, Jessica Steenbeeke

Thank you to all who attended the College’s 2015 Visual Arts Exhibition. It

was a wonderful evening that celebrated the artistic talents of students

across all year groups, and an excellent opportunity for the Year 12 Visual

Arts class to present their completed HSC Bodies of Work. Accompanied

by the wonderful musical talents of Zach Elven, Gabriela Dixon, Elysia

Sproule and Jack Kenyon, the evening showcased the vast variety of

God-given gifts that our students possess. A very big thank you to the

Creative and Performing Arts staff for all their hard work and support.

Invitation to Free Parents Seminar

Few issues are more challenging for parents, teachers and students than helping our young men and women

to make positive decisions regarding relationships, self-image and sexual choices. Over the

coming term as part of our Pastoral Care Program we are running a number of Seminars focused on

discussing issues such as Sexual Pressure, Body Image, Eating Disorders,

Pornography, Self-Worth, Sexting, Unhealthy Relationships, Media and Marketing,

Bullying and the Appropriate Use of Social Media. To help us connect with students on these

important issues we have invited Senior Constable Benjamin Gillen and presenters from YourChoicez.

Parents are invited to attend a free information evening which will be held in the College Auditorium on

Tuesday the 18th of August at 7:30 pm. The aim of the evening is to empower parents to be an

influential presence in their children’s lives with presenters from YourChoicez addressing many of the

questions that parents may have about how they can help their children navigate decisions regarding sex,

dating, relationships and pornography.

If you would like more information regarding YourChoicez please feel free to visit their website

www.yourchoicez.com.au .

A number of our Senior School students participated in the recent ‘Australian Geography Competition.’ These

students answered a series of challenging geographical questions, competing against 76,000 students from 770

high schools across Australia. Arndell achieved some outstanding results, receiving seven distinctions, and an

impressive 12 high distinctions – a wonderful improvement on last year’s solid results. Well done to all involved!

Distinction

Jessica Steenbeeke

Ashleigh Greely

Nicholas Eglin

Amy Cumming

Riley Horne

Emily May

Jordan Vella

High Distinction

Lleyton Bird

Harrison Chambers

Cody Koski

David Lavelle

Jeremy Liu

Liam Patterson

Olivia Ridgewell

Lachlan Robinson

Rose-Maree Rodgers

Timothy Rymer

David Sproule

Harrison Webber

"Woolworths Earn &Learn program is running again this year and after the success we have had in the past,

we have decided to register Arndell Anglican College again.

This program is for both Junior & Senior School.

All you have to do is shop at Woolworths, grab your stickers from the checkout and bring them into the

school.

We will have boxes around the school for you to deposit your stickers into. Main Office, Senior School Gym

and Performing Arts Building.

So please help out and start collecting now to help bring some more valuable resources into our children's

learning environment.

Term 3 (10 weeks) . Tuesday 14 July: Term 3 Commences Friday 18 September: Term 3 finishes

Term 4 (9 weeks) . Tuesday 6 October: Term 4 commences Tuesday 1 December: Infants’ Presentation Afternoon Wednesday 2 December: Primary School Presentation Evening Thursday 3 December: Students’ last day for 2015 Senior School Presentation Evening

Term 1 (11 Weeks)

Wednesday 27 January Term 1 Commences: Prep, KG, Yrs 7, 11 and Yr 12.

Thursday 28 January All students return to College

Friday 25 March Good Friday

Monday 28 March Easter Monday

Friday 8 April Term 1 Finishes

Term 2 (9 Weeks)

Tuesday 26 April Term 2 Commences

Monday 13 June Long Weekend (Queen’s Birthday)

Friday 24 June Term 2 Finishes

Term 3 (10 weeks)

Tuesday 19 July Term 3 Commences

Friday 23 September Term 3 Finishes

Term 4 (8 weeks)

Tuesday 11th October Term 4 Commences

Thursday 8 December Term 4 Finishes – Students’ last day for 2016

HSC Drama Evening Friday 31st July: HSC Drama night provides

Year 12 Drama students the opportunity to present their Major

Individual Projects and their Group Performances to the school

community before the official Board of Studies marking day. The HSC

Group Performances are student devised theatrical pieces that present

a variety of themes, styles and contexts that the students have chosen

to explore. HSC Drama students will also showcase their Individual

Projects in Monologue Performance, Costume Design, Short Film

Making, Theatre Critiques, Director’s Folios and Publicity and

Promotion. (Coordinator – Mrs Wilson)

HSC Music Evening Friday 31st July: HSC Music students will combine with

the HSC Drama students for this evening, and play a selection of repertoire in

preparation for their upcoming HSC examinations. The performances will be

vocal, guitar and piano and will include a diverse mix of musical genres. It is an

excellent opportunity for students to perform for their families and peers in a

relaxed environment before the HSC examination. (Coordinator – Mrs Court)

“Arndell on Stage” – Drama Evening Friday 28th August: This year

each of the Elective Drama classes will have the opportunity to showcase

their dramatic talent and curriculum based projects at the Arndell on Stage

Drama evening. A variety of dramatic styles and forms will be presented

– such as comedy, slapstick and farce, contemporary tragedies as well as

the classic works of Shakespeare and student devised

adaptions. (Coordinator – Mrs Wilson)

Peripatetic Concert Week 9 Term 3: Students involved in the Peripatetic Program at Arndell Anglican College

have to opportunity to perform for their family, friends and peers at one of our Peripatetic concerts. Each concert

is presented in a casual environment where students can present pieces they have been working on throughout

the year. (Coordinator – Mr Wilson)

Creative Arts Week 10 Term 3: Throughout Week 10 the Junior School will be learning about the Arts with

a focus on Asia. “Out of Asia” will have performances and displays from all the primary year groups,

culminating with a final performance at the Friday assembly. (Coordinator – Miss Joyce)

Showcase Evening – Week 3 Term 4: Join Arndell’s Music and

Dance students as they present a showcase of work from throughout

the year. All Music ensembles, from the Stage Band to the Guitar

Ensemble will be performing, as well as the College’s Dance groups.

(Coordinators – Mr Wilson, Mrs Wilson)

Infants Nativity Week 8 Term 4: Come and join the Infants school as they

celebrate and present the birth of Jesus in the Nativity. With song, drama and

dance, students from Prep to Year 2 will perform their specially devised

performance for family members. (Coordinator – Miss Joyce)

Presentation Evenings: 1st Dec (afternoon - Infants) 2nd Dec

Junior School, 3rd Dec High School: Music students from the

College will perform a variety of pieces during Presentation

Evening. Ensembles that have worked throughout the year will

have an opportunity to perform at these special events for the

entire school community. (Coordinator – Mr Wilson)

Hawkesbury Eisteddfod – TBC: 2015 will see Arndell’s Music Ensembles and Dance Groups compete in

the Hawkesbury Eisteddfod. Exact dates will be published once entries are confirmed. This will be an

excellent opportunity for students to perform in an external competition against other local schools.

(Coordinators – Mr Wilson, Mrs Wilson)

Community Performances – TBC: Throughout 2015 Arndell Anglican College Creative and Performing Arts

students will be involved in a number of community performances. Details of these performances will be

posted onto the College’s Facebook page and promoted in the Advocate newsletter prior to the event.

(Coordinator – Mr Chris Wilson)

Headmaster: Mr Gareth Leechman Deputy Head / Head of Senior School: Mr James Webb Head of Middle School: Mr Austin Robinson Head of Junior School: Rev Keith Peterson Director of Curriculum and Policy: Mrs Karen Merrick Director of Teaching and Learning: Mr Jim Milford Director of Staff and Student Welfare: Mrs Lynn Gillen Business Manager: Mrs Jodie Woods Equestrian Co-ordinator: Miss Kristen Bailey kristen.bailey@arndell.nsw.edu.au Uniform Shop: Mrs Liz Moore – 4572 3254 Tuesday and Thursday (term time)

8.20 am – 11.00 am & 2.30 pm – 4.00 pm Before and After School Care: Camp Australia – 1300 105 343 (for bookings)

www.campaustralia.com.au Before School Care: 6.45am – 8.45am After School Care: 2.45pm – 6.00pm Ms Smriti (Co-ordinator) – 0401 904 531

P & F President:

Mrs Alannah Norman – 0404 033 994 pandf@arndell.nsw.edu.au

Canteen: Monday – Friday – 4545 2486 (Recess / Lunch) Website: www.arndell.nsw.edu.au General: 02-4572 3633 enquiries@arndell.nsw.edu.au Advocate Newsletter: Sport Scene Newsletter

carolyn.anslow@arndell.nsw.edu.au peter.gordon@arndell.nsw.edu.au