Father’s Day & Footy Colours Day
Mrs Tiarne Tranter
On Friday, September 1st, our school took the time to honour the wonderful men in our community with our annual Father's Day celebration. Dads in the carline were treated to a drive-thru delivery of delicious bacon and egg rolls, as well as some inspiring dance moves from the staff team.
In addition to our Father’s Day breakfast, students sported jerseys from their favourite teams, to celebrate Footy Colours Day. We thank our school community for their gold coin donations to support the Fight Cancer Foundation, showing their support for kids battling with serious illness.
Secondary students embraced the footy fever, engaging in a thrilling OzTag competition at lunchtime. It was a day of community, fun, and giving to others - a wonderful reminder of the values that make our school community so special.
Successful Chess Tournament at Australian Christian College Leaves Lasting Impression
Mr John Picart & Mrs Sharon LeGrange
On Wednesday, our school hosted a thrilling semi-finals chess tournament, uniting 159 young chess enthusiasts from 25 qualifying Sydney schools. Organised by the Sydney Chess Academy, the event was an outstanding success, with Australian Christian College earning high praise for its exceptional venue and warm hospitality.
The tournament featured the talented Primary team consisting of Samuel Huang, Jackson Gallagher, Aaryan Ponnala, Riya Mendsez, and Caleb Vemuri, along with the Secondary team comprising Sahasraamshu Dasari, Connell Supatra, Divyansh Sharma, Manav Sharda, and Damanpreet Sharma.
While they may not have secured medals and trophies, these students displayed remarkable sportsmanship, courage, and humility throughout the competition. Our best individual result came from our Secondary team, achieving 4.5 wins out of 7 games and 3.5 wins out of 7 games from our Primary Team. Majority of our players scored 3 wins resulting in a commendable 8th place finish for the Primary team and a noteworthy 9th place finish for the Secondary team.
Sydney Chess Academy along with the visiting teachers and staff were overflowing in their praise for the warm welcome and exceptional hospitality provided by Australian Christian College. The venue, beautifully presented and faithfully maintained, received widespread admiration.
Our heartfelt thanks to the teams and individuals who contributed to the event's success. Special appreciation goes to the Events Team, Set Up Team, AV Team, Welcoming Team composed of Prefects, teachers who helped organise, Parking and Traffic Team, and the Executive Team for making the event possible and ensuring its success.
It was indeed a remarkable day filled with sportsmanship, camaraderie, and strategic thinking. Our school community, along with the Sydney Chess Academy, is looking forward to more successful chess tournaments in the future, building upon the foundation of this week's memorable event.
Heritage Celebration Assembly
Mrs Tiarne Tranter
This Monday, our Secondary School came together for a truly enriching experience at the Heritage Assembly. The event was a joyful celebration of the diverse world that God has created, highlighting how culture and faith intertwine in such wonderful ways.
Students from various backgrounds shared their cultural heritage and its significance to their Christian faith. Paratea took us on a journey to the Cook Islands, while Shrutvi and Tanya shared the vibrant tapestry of India. Mr. Finau shared some of the traditions of Samoan culture, and Ms. Son shared insights into Korean traditions. Finally, Toby transported us to the Philippines, sharing about the cuisine and family traditions.
To close our assembly, we had the privilege of hearing special guest, Micah Leaverton’s testimony of how God can work ALL THINGS for his good. Micah experienced a life-altering injury on a road trip across America in 2013, and has used his experiences to share his confidence in the hope of Christ. Micah is married to Ms Rupa Ranjit, who we farewelled from the College earlier in Term Three as she moves to the United States with her family.
We are so grateful to the students who shared their experience of how Jesus is expressed uniquely through their culture, as well as demonstrating their impressive cultural attire. It was a reminder of the rich diversity of our school community and an encouragement to embrace and learn from one another as we celebrate our shared faith.
Year 9 Elective Taster Day
Ms Elizabeth Oloaga
On Wednesday 30 August, our Year 8 students had an exciting day of exploration during the Subject Taster Day sessions. They got a sneak peek into elective subjects, helping them make informed choices for 2024. It was a fantastic opportunity for students to discover their passions and plan for a successful academic journey toward senior school.
As part of this day, some of our Year 9 Visual Arts students ran a short Q & A discussion with our current Year 8 cohort about their experience and enjoyment of the Visual & Studio Arts elective. The session was followed by our Year 8 students designing mini artworks on denim using fabric/paint pens. We are excited to have our Year 8’s join this elective next year!
Primary Athletics Report
Mr Shawn Parsonage
Our students have been super busy on the athletics field this term.
Following our successful school carnival, our team of 60 students then competed at the Met-West Zone Carnival on August 10th.
We had a number of outstanding performances on the day, with 17 of our ACC superstars qualifying to then represent our zone at the CSSA carnival.
Most pleasing on the day was the behaviour, team spirit and sportsmanship shown by our ACC representatives, encouraging their competitors and cheering on their own teammates from the grandstand.
Some performances of note on the day were:
Lavinia (Yr6) - 3rd overall 12yrs Girls age group
Emmanuella (Yr3) - 2nd overall 8yrs Girls age group
Wynter (Yr3) - Age Champion 10yr Girls age Group
Following the Zone carnival, 17 students qualified to represent the college and zone at the CSSA State Carnival on September 2nd. The competition was of a very standard all day and our students acquitted themselves extremely well. Once again the overall behaviour and sportsmanship displayed by our students was outstanding.
Two of our students achieved some outstanding results and have now qualified for the CIS Primary Athletic Championships on September 19th.
Lavinia (Yr6) - placed 3rd in 12Yr Girls Shot Put, throwing 6.94m
Wynter (Yr3) - placed 2nd in 10Yr Girls 800m (2:52) as well the 1500m (5:58)
A special mention also to Edwina (Yr6) who came 4th in the 12Yr Girls High Jump, narrowly missing out on qualifying for the CIS carnival as well.
We wish our CIS representatives the very best of luck for the events in Week 9.
Drama with 2G
Mrs Nicole Zarate
Year 2 have loved dabbling in the art of drama this term, as part of our Creative Arts unit. 2G have enjoyed creating performances based on various reading theatres such as Hansel and Gretel and The Three Billy Goats Gruff. This unit encourages students to participate in their own learning and empowers them to take on different roles, make choices, communicate confidently and work collaboratively. This week, 2G will be performing the story of the Tortoise and the Hare.
Every fortnight, groups are predetermined to allow for different combinations of students with each new script. This ensures that every student has the opportunity to work with all of their classmates over the course of the term, learning from each other and acting alongside various personalities. The initial phase of the lesson involves students deciding on their roles, highlighting their speaking and acting parts and reading through their scripts individually first and then again as a group. Once each group has performed a few ‘sit down’ readings, they are encouraged to incorporate actions, facial expressions, a variety of tones and even props to make their performances more authentic and enjoyable to watch. This creative freedom produces amazing, ‘out-of-the-box’ thinking and many innovative ideas stem from this collaborative opportunity. While each group have the same characters, settings and lines to perform, a unique array of dramatic choices are presented each week, making every performance fresh, amusing and distinctive.
Not only have students learnt about the many aspects involved in being a performer, but we’ve also delved into the importance of being a member of the audience and the etiquette that accompanies this role. Students have learnt that in order to be a respectful audience member, they must be completely silent during line deliveries, laugh at the appropriate times during the performance and use their whole body listening while each group performs. Each week, students are given the opportunity to critically reflect on their own performances and that of their peers. We utilise the system of two ‘star standouts’ and a ‘helpful thought’ to encourage students to reflect on what aspects of the performance were successful and as well as providing the opportunity for students to receive feedback on how they could improve for their next performances. The class have been able to grow and learn from this method of feedback as both performers and audience members.
A highlight from this unit has been seeing more softly-spoken students come out of their shells in order to take on ‘bigger than life’ roles and perform as part of a team. I have seen large improvements over the course of the unit particularly with students voice projections and utilising their whole bodies when performing. Several students have recently chosen to be courageous in their learning and endeavour to memorise their lines throughout the week. I can’t wait to see every student tap into their potential and continue to make strides in this space!
