Primary School Update - 7 November 2025

HEAD OF SCHOOL UPDATE Melanie Woods

Dear Parents and Carers,

We are certainly in the swing of Term 4!

We know that sometimes students get anxious or have fears about different things. Please let myself (Mrs Woods) or the classroom teacher know if you are aware of this with your child, as we have counsellors available that work with our students everyday and bring comfort, strategies and skills to our students. This can be particularly helpful as students begin their transition into 2026. To assist with this transition further, we will be hosting an Orientation Day on Tuesday 18 November where each student will spend the morning in their future year. We hope this time will bring comfort and excitement for the 2026 school year.

Keeping in Contact with Class Teachers You should have received your Year Letters from the class teachers. These are an overview of what is being learnt in the class this term, including topics, important dates and other relevant information. Please feel free to contact your child’s teacher with updated information, highlights or concerns. Your communications assist us with the day-to-day support of your children.

Please also be advised that ALL correspondence should be sent to the Primary Student Hub. We know that you have many questions and we would love to answer them - please send them through to primaryhubmp@acc.edu.au. However, you may continue to use your teacher's direct email if it is a question specifically for the class teacher.

Year 6 Camp Last week our Year 6 students embarked on their last Primary School camp. This experience was part of their celebrations of completing Year 6 as they enjoyed the sights and sounds of all that Canberra has to offer. The new Parliament House was a real treat and an honour to visit. The students especially enjoyed Cockington Green, the Australian Institute of Sport and Questacon. The moments in between, such as bus travel and hanging out at our accommodation, provided much fun and quality time. Please enjoy the images below of the memories that have been made.

2026 Kindergarten 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 early years, in order to provide the key building blocks that will underpin their success.

As part of the integration into ‘big school’ for our Kindergarten 2026 students, we recently held an orientation event. It was a delight to see the children make connections with their peers, with the teaching staff and with their new environment. Seeing our parents also making connections with other parents, with staff and with the Australian Christian College community at large brought so much joy.

K-6 Swim School Our K-6 students have very much enjoyed their last 3 weeks in Swim School. There are many reasons why swimming lessons are very important: students can build lifelong skills, there are health benefits with the increased activity, they have social time, and it is so much fun of course! Please enjoy the photos of some of our students as they begin their swimming journeys.

Samaritans Purse - Operation Christmas Child Over the last couple of weeks our students have been enjoying the act of ‘gift giving’ to those who may have never received a gift at Christmas time. This blessing to others is something that we take part in every year at Australian Christian College. The organisation Samaritans Purse gives us boxes to fill that are gifted to children all over the world. 

Thank you for the generous gifts students have brought in to pack their boxes. The College is aiming to send 300 boxes this year! The students also enjoyed wearing their Christmas shirts today as part of the fundraiser. Their gold coin donations pay for the postage of the shoe box gifts to be sent overseas. We thank you for your generosity and know the importance of training our students to be generous, think outside of their own world, and begin to be globally-minded.

I See You, Star Morning Tea Every Face has a Place at ACC! We continue to encourage students that we know them and that we see them. We want the students to know that we see when they are kind, showing respect, being willing to learn, make Christ-like decisions and when they make wise and safe choices. To celebrate their hard work and efforts, select students are invited to attend an I See You, Star Morning Tea each week, hosted by Mr Parsonage, the Stage Coordinators and myself (Mrs Woods). This is an opportunity to spend quality time with them, thank them, and congratulate them for their good work!

The following students have been given an I See You, Star award and attended the Morning Tea over the last two weeks: Aadhya B, Aaradhya B, Aarav G, Aarnavi T, Agam S, Alannah-Rose E, Alaria S, Amaira G, Angus B, Aquilla C, Braydan S, Cassandra T, Cayden T, Danielle S, Deyaan G, Divit S, Elliotte K, Ethan W, Harrison D, Hudson, Ify E, Isaac T, Isabel H, Jairus A, Jeremy N, Joseph E, Joshua S, Judah W, Kavin K, Luke W, Mauritz K, Maysa K, Mehraz B, Nathaniel M, Nivin B, Olivia L, Riyansh P, Saachi S, Sahasra Y, Saimone T, Samuel T, Sebastian D, Shannon G, Shlokansh D, Shyelle V, Tane T, Tanish V, Thea T, Tnushree R.

2027 Kindergarten Experience and Explore On Tuesday we welcomed some of our potential Kindergarten 2027 students to the College. We had a wonderful time sharing our College with their families and friends and getting to know them all - the ‘little ones’ even got to spend the morning in ‘big school’ classrooms with current students. There were many fun activities, such as singing, storytelling, craft and play dough. If you are an existing ACC family and have not completed an enrolment application form for Kindergarten 2027, please go to our website and get in contact with us. 

Term 4 Summary of Events Every Monday at 9.00 am: Assembly or Chapel (Parents and carers are welcome to attend. Please arrive no earlier than 8.50 am to allow for morning Kiss N Drop traffic to be over and parking spots to be available. You can then walk down to the MPC and be seated by 8.55 am.)

• Tuesday 5 November: Kinder 2025 Parent Information Session

• Wednesday 19 November - Friday 21 November: Year 5 Camp (updated)

• Friday 21 November: Year 6 Celebration Event

• Monday 24 November: Nativity Event

• Monday 1 December: Primary Presentation Assembly

• Tuesday 2 December: K-6 Swim Pool Funday

• Wednesday 3 December: Semester Two Academic Reports

• Wednesday 3 December: Last Day of school for students

PRIMARY SPORT REPORT Shown Parsonage

With the 2025 sporting calendar now drawing to a close, it has been a pleasure to look back over the year and reflect on all of the sporting opportunities and accomplishments of our students this year.

Our Swimming Carnival in Term 1 saw a large number of students build on the confidence they gained from Swim School and consequently attempt 50m races for the very first time - it was a big success. We had swimmers achieve personal bests, and a number went on to represent ACC at Zone and Christian Schools Sporting Association (CSSA) State level, which was fantastic.

Also in Term 1, we saw our Boys Cricket team progress through to the final of their CSSA Gala Day competition.

Carnivals During Term 2 and Term 3, the weather certainly did its best to disrupt our sporting plans on many occasions. Despite this, we held a successful Cross Country and Athletics Carnival, and were so impressed with the level of student participation, team spirit and athletic achievement. We watched our students challenge themselves at the CSSA Cross Country Carnival and achieve personal bests.

Our Primary Athletics team performed particularly well at the Zone Carnival, with our largest team to date, qualifying to compete at the CSSA State Carnival. From here, we even had one student qualify to compete at the Combined Independent Schools (CIS) Carnival - a tremendous achievement. Congratulations Samantha (Year 4) on her 3rd place in the final of the 9 Years Girls 200m - outstanding!

Interschool sport was certainly a challenge this year. The wet weather and frequent ground closures were a constant frustration. In the weeks when games were possible, our students were excellent ambassadors for the College. Our coaches came back with numerous reports about the sportsmanship and positive behaviour our teams displayed. 

With the weather finally warming up in Term 4, our Boys 20/20 Cricket team aimed to replicate their success from 2024 when they took on Norwest Christian College. On this occasion, we were defeated in a low scoring, highly competitive game. A big thank you to Mr Somanader for all of his work with our cricket teams this year.

Also held this term was the CSSA Tennis competition. A small but highly enthusiastic group of students participated in this event. We are thrilled to report that again this year, we have a CSSA Champion. Congratulations to Ava (Year 4 Distance Education), who not only competed in the Years 5/6 Girls competition but also won her final and is the CSSA Senior Girls Champion for 2025. Well done also to Judah W from Year 5 who had his first tournament match victory.

Swim School Our students are now halfway through the K-6 Primary Swim School program this term. The warmer weather has meant sunshine and warm water, which is wonderful! It has been tremendous to see not only the increasing enthusiasm each week, but also the significant growth in our students. Swim confidence is such an important life skill, and to see so many students making positive growth this year has been fantastic! 

Looking ahead to 2026, we have already planned several exciting events. Our Swimming Carnival will be held in Week 2, with more information to be shared soon. We are also very pleased to continue offering a K-6 Gymnastics program in 2026, which will run for eight weeks in Term 1.

6T REFLECTIONS Dianne Tonpi

What a great year so far! 6T have been getting to know each other better, while exploring new concepts in Mathematics and studying the establishment of the Australian Constitution and how the Government works. In Creative Arts the students have been studying famous Australian artists and dance. In Personal Development and Health, Year 6 are learning how to keep themselves balanced and healthy; physically, socially, mentally and spiritually. In Term 3, 6T had the privilege to give praise to the God of the Bible and to show off our traditional clothing for the Chapel service. It was an extra special time, performing in the studio and then showing our skills on screens all around the school. Our culture is special to us all, and it is really special that we have learnt that the God of the Bible meets us there, in our culture! We can praise him and worship him through aspects of our culture and be proud of it. 

Year 6 students only have a few weeks left of their Primary School years at ACC. But until then, they will continue to learn something new every day, appreciating God’s creation, learning about Jesus, and enjoying their last days of being in Year 6.

MARSDEN BEAR VISITS 3R Shae Reibelt

Over the past two weeks, our class has been blessed with a very special visitor — Marsden Bear, our beloved Primary School mascot! Marsden Bear has joined us for our learning adventures in Year 3R, and it’s safe to say he has had a wonderful time discovering all that we’ve been exploring together.

In Mathematics, Marsden Bear has been learning alongside us as we practised arithmetic, created and interpreted graphs, and explored different strategies for solving problems. He especially enjoyed watching students work together to represent data using tally marks and bar graphs. Marsden Bear was even spotted helping to count blocks and cheer on classmates as they worked through number challenges.

In English, our focus has been on persuasive writing. Marsden Bear listened carefully as we discussed how to use strong arguments, powerful adjectives, and convincing reasons to persuade our readers. Some students even wrote persuasive letters trying to convince Marsden Bear why Year 3R is the best class in the school — and we think he might just agree!

In History, we have been learning all about celebrations from around the world. Marsden Bear joined in as we explored how different cultures mark special occasions, from birthdays and weddings to national holidays. Together, we discussed how celebrations bring people together and reflect on what is most meaningful to them.

During our recent Encounter night, Marsden Bear joined Year 3R for a special time of worship and praise. With his paws raised and a big smile on his face, Marsden Bear sang along as we lifted our voices to Jesus. The students loved having him beside them as we worshipped, reminding us that praising God is a joyful celebration we can all share together. His enthusiasm encouraged everyone to sing boldly and focus their hearts on Jesus, making our Encounter time even more meaningful and full of joy.

Perhaps Marsden Bear’s favourite part of his visit was joining our class Bible discussions. We’ve been reflecting on the ‘Golden Rule’: “Do to others what you would have them do to you” (Matthew 7:12). Through our conversations, we talked about how this verse guides the way we treat others both in and out of the classroom. Marsden Bear has been a wonderful reminder of how we can show kindness, respect, and love in all we do.

Marsden Bear even joined us at swimming this week — goggles on and ready to jump in! Although he decided to stay dry on the sidelines, he cheered on the students as they practised their strokes and encouraged everyone to give their best effort.