HEAD OF SCHOOL UPDATE Melanie Woods
Science Week 2024 Thank you to all the families that joined us for our Science Incursions. Mr Jordan, our Primary Science & Technology Teacher, carefully prepared science experiments for our children and staff to enjoy, and to bring wonder about God’s creation and the student’s place in that. We often say that when doing Maths in class, we are Mathematicians, so we did the same things during our Science incursions: we put on our Scientists brain and became Scientists! Please enjoy the photos of what each grade embarked upon.
Book Week 2024 We are so excited for Book Week in Week 4 of Term 3! This year, the theme is ‘Reading Brings Wonder’. We have a number of activities planned throughout the week to challenge and inspire all our students in their love of literature.
Book Character Dress Up On Friday 23 August, we are asking every student and staff member to dress up as their choice of book character! This is one of our favourite traditions at the College and we can’t wait to see what our students come up with, whether as a standalone character or as part of a group costume with their classmates.Primary students and families will have ‘Book Week Parades’ for students to show off their costumes on Friday 23 August in the MPC. All parents and carers are welcome to attend. Please park off site and make your way by foot on campus to the MPC:
Kindy - Year 2 Book Week Parade: 9.00 am - 10.15 am
Years 3 - 6 Book Week Parade: 10.30 am - 11.45 am
Scholastic Book Fair We are partnering with Scholastic to host a Book Fair outside the Library. Families and students are encouraged to come and view the books for sale. Students will have had the opportunity to make a wishlist in and bring this home to discuss with parents. Families can purchase books for their own family library to enjoy at home.There is also an opportunity for parents to purchase a book to donate to the Library. This book will have a presentation sticker with the family’s name in thanks for the donation. Scholastic has also provided a range of small novelty items that will be available to purchase. EFTPOS payment is preferred, but cash will be accepted. Where: Level 1 Tech Centre, outside the Library When: Monday 19 August (8.00 am - 10.00 am and 3.00 pm - 4.00 pm) Tuesday 20 August (8.00 am - 10.00 am and 3.00 pm - 4.00 pm) Wednesday 21 August (8.00 am - 10.00 am and 3.00 pm - 4.00 pm) Thursday 22 August (8.00 am - 10.00 am and 3.00 pm - 4.00 pm) Friday 23 August (8.00 am - 4.00 pm) How to purchase: Parents can purchase during the above hours. Students in Years K-6 need to be accompanied by a parent to purchase at the Book Fair. Students in Years 7-12 can come to purchase before and after school. If parents of Primary students are unable to attend the Book Fair hours, books can be ordered during regular class library times. Students will need the correct cash amount placed in a ziplock bag with their name and the book title written on it. Please note that book orders are placed during Book Week, and will arrive in subsequent weeks, to be received by students and families.
Borrowing Books at the Library The library has been all a flutter as the borrowing of books has been a highlight for our students. There is nothing more exciting than reading a book and knowing you can get another new book filled with adventure the following week. Our desire is for our students to have a love of reading, and we certainly enjoy our new space in the library to encourage this endeavour.
Research funded by The Arts Council found that library use is positively associated with wellbeing, with library users having higher life satisfaction, happiness and sense of purpose in life.
Students are being reminded that in order to borrow, they must have their ACC School Library Bag. We have noted there has been a fault in the logo and inscription on the bags, and will be expecting replacements soon.
KickOff (Word of Life) We were excited to once again welcome ‘KICKOFF’ to ACC Marsden Park. KICKOFF is a children and youth ministry who provide action-packed activities while sharing the Gospel message for our students. This was an opportunity for our students to enjoy team building activities in a fun and highly engaging, interactive environment.
Year 3 Camp What an adventure our Year 3 students and staff had, with an overnight camp to Wedderburn, where the activities were fun and eventful. Many bullseyes were hit during archery. The heights that the students climbed to create crate towers was dizzying. The flying fox was a hit, with screams of delight and laughter heard down in the valley, with grins from ear to ear as they achieved a huge goal. Then there was bush craft activity, where students foraged through the bush to make creations out of raw material with an Australian twist. We were privileged to see a koala up in the gum tree having a snooze, and feed the resident emu called Stanley. We were so proud of how our students conducted themselves, made new memories and grew overnight with confidence. Please enjoy the photos of our time away.
Assemblies and Chapels A reminder that our Assemblies and Chapels are every Monday during term time and we encourage our parents and families to attend and join in the celebrations with us. We have had lovely class performances and Marsden Bear videos to enjoy. This is where we get to see our students shine. We also love to present awards and credit the children on their learning and personal growth.
Uniform We love our school uniform and teach the children to take pride in their clothing. We ask that all apparel is labelled please. We also ask that the correct uniform is worn and ‘extra’ pieces of clothing outside the Uniform Guide are not worn. If unsure, please enquire at the Primary Student Hub and an administrator will assist with your questions. A reminder that black leather lace up shoes are required for all year shoe wear. Mary-Jane-style buckled shoes are not permitted. Term 3 continues to be formal winter uniform and winter sports uniform.
On occasions that your child may come home with another child’s piece of clothing, we would be grateful if you could return the item, so they can get back to the relevant family. Our staff are diligent in handing back the different clothing items, and we are thankful for it!
Kinder Experience and Explore - 2025 Kinder Orientation One of our Primary School mottos is ‘Love and Nurture’. We believe that it is critical that each child has opportunities to maximise their potential, in order to provide the key building blocks that will underpin their success.
As part of the Integration Program for our future Kindergarten 2025 students, we have designed four events and would ask that our Kindy 2025 families attend them all. Each event is an ‘Experience and Explore Orientation’ for you and your child, which builds upon the previous orientation event, bringing familiarity, relationship, community and learning, which is what we want to achieve.
Our desire is for your child to look forward to the start of their schooling and feel they have already made connections with their peers, teaching staff and their new environment for the years to come.
We also desire that you, our parents, will make connections with other parents, our staff and with the Australian Christian College community at large.
We have four specially planned Orientation days for our 2025 Kindergarten students and families to attend. Three of these events are what we call ‘Experience and Explore - Story Time’ and the last event is an Information Evening for our Parents of 2025 Kindergarten children:
Event 1 - Tuesday 27 August, 2024: 9.00 am to 10.30 am in A Block Concourse (2025 Kindergarten students and family to attend)
Event 2 - Tuesday 10 September, 2024: 9.00 am to 10.30 am in A Block Concourse (2025 Kindergarten students and family to attend)
Event 3 - Tuesday 22 October, 2024: 9.00 am to 10.30 am in A Block Concourse (2025 Kindergarten students to attend)
Event 4 - Tuesday 5 November, 2024: Kindergarten 2025 Parent Evening 5.30 pm - 6.30 pm in the Tech Centre Lecture Theatre (parents only)
I See You Star Morning Tea Every Face has a Place at ACC and we continue to embed into the lives of all our students that we know them, that we see them. We want the students to know that we see their kindness, we see them being respectful, we see when they are learners, we see when they make Christ-like decisions and when they make wise and safe choices. To celebrate their hard work and efforts, students are invited to attend an ‘I See You Star’ Morning Tea each week, which is hosted by Mr Parsonage, the Stage Coordinators and Mrs Woods. This is an opportunity to spend quality time with them, thank and congratulate them for their good work.
Below are the students who have been given an ‘I See You Star Award’ and attended the Morning Tea in Week 2, Term 3:
Arayah J, Emanuel B, Kai VS, Iris A, Amari B, Keeva D, Zac W, Alejandro M, Sai Aniketh K, Eva A, Sebastian L, Simeon K, Chatham A, Olive E, Dia C, Saanvi P, Adira I, Amelia R, Alexander L, Vibhuh C, Emmanuelle A, Nahara H, Malaika J, Aarav A, Prital V, Kevin L, Nathaniel J, Charlie A, Carissa N, Chloe L, Abraham K, Annika B, Myra J, Kassandra N, Avantiga A, Cruz B, Isaac R, Sarayah S, Viaan Y, Andrew R, Priyaana D, Ann T, Jay H, Caeden M, Skylar G, Ian L, Aadhya M, Bavishya B, Devaansh P, Hartlyn C, Sophie M, Benjamin P, Carter L, Chloe L, Thabo D, Sajani S
Below are the students who have been given an ‘I See You Star Award’ and attended the Morning Tea in Week 3, Term 3:
Kevin L, Myra J, Isaac R, Kassandra N, Priyaana D, Sarayah S, Skylar G, Ann T, Viaan Y, Devaansh P, Ian L, Carter L, Hartlyn C, Malaika J, Jay H, Alexander L, Aadhya M, Chloe L, Nathaniel J, Abraham K, Andrew R, Avantiga A, Sophie M, Prital V, Thabo D, Carissa N.
EXPLORING INFORMATIVE WRITING: 4T'S JOURNEY INTO THE OLYMPIC GAMES Billie Thorne
Over the past few weeks, our class has been diving deep into informative writing. We have been learning about facts versus opinions, finding reliable sources, and mastering how to write clear procedural texts.
Our journey began with a deep dive into the incredible history of the Olympic Games, stretching back over 2,700 years to ancient Greece. From chariot races to discus throwing, we have been enthralled by tales of athletic skill and ancient competition.
Putting our newfound skills to the test, we recently rolled up our sleeves for a hands-on project: making Olympic Games Rings cookies. Following a detailed step-by-step recipe, we concluded our weekly lessons by enjoying our beautifully decorated tasty treats. It was a delicious way to combine our love of writing with a bit of kitchen creativity!
Throughout our lessons, we've discovered that informative writing isn't just about sharing facts: it is also about organising information logically and making it engaging for our readers. We have practised using headings and subheadings to structure our writing effectively, which will be really useful as we tackle different types of informative texts in the coming weeks.
Next, we will be exploring new types of informative writing. We are looking forward to creating enticing travel brochures, recounting factual events, and even writing biographies of inspiring people. Each project will challenge us to research, write clearly, and present information in a way that is both interesting and accurate.
Understanding the importance of reliable sources has been a big part of our learning too. We have been discussing how to check where information comes from before using it in our writing, making sure everything we share is trustworthy and well researched.
Informative writing is helping us to be better communicators, so that we can share our knowledge effectively and tell stories in a way that captures people's interest. We are excited to keep building on what we have learned and apply it to new topics.
PRIMARY SPORT REPORT Shawn Parsonage
Representative Sport Term 3 has certainly had a busy, exciting start for the students in Primary school. Wednesday of Week 1 saw all 400 of our Years 3-6 students travel to Riverstone for school sport and Term 3 inter-school sport selection trials.
Thankfully the weather was kind to us, and we were able to finalise our Term 3 teams who will represent ACC in the following sports against our fellow Western Sydney Christian Schools:
Junior & Senior Mixed Newcombe Ball
Junior & Senior Girls Football
Junior & Senior Boys Oztag (two teams each)
Gala Days This week our Senior Girls Netball team competed in the CSSA State Netball Gala Day. They spent the past few weeks training with Ms Wallace in preparation and had a fantastic day.
Looking ahead, there will be opportunities for our students to participate in the CSSA Oztag, Tennis and Cricket Gala Days later in the year. More details will be sent home regarding these soon.
Primary Athletics Following on from our successful School Athletics Carnival, our biggest team (70 students!) competed at the Met-West Zone Carnival last Thursday at Blacktown International Sports Park.
On quite a cool day, our ACC athletes were red hot! We had some outstanding performances on the day, with 17 of our superstars qualifying to represent both ACC and MetWest Zone at the CSSA State Carnival.
Most pleasing on the day was the behaviour, team spirit and sportsmanship shown by our ACC representatives. They could be seen and heard cheering loudly from the grandstand all day, as well as encouraging fellow competitors down the finish straight. Fantastic to see!
Some outstanding performances of note on the day were:
Samantha (Year 2) - 8 Years Girls Age Champion
Wynter (Year 3) - 10 Years Girls Age Champion
Matthew (Year 6) - 12 Years Boys Age Champion
Myah (Year 6) - 12 Years Girls - 2nd place overall
We look forward to hearing all about how our team performs at CSSA State Athletics on Friday 23 August.
