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From the Headmaster
I would like to take this opportunity of wishing all the students and their families a very happy holiday over the next two weeks. Summer Term seems to have gone very fast and has been packed with activity, not least of which were the Outdoor Education Camps. I am in no doubt that the students will enjoy the break. This past week or so has seen the Year 12 Half-Yearly Examinations which is always important in their preparations for the Higher School Certificate. I am sure the Year 12 students will enjoy a slightly different routine during the vacation period and will no doubt be in and around the School as they usually are continuing their HSC preparations. Thursday and Friday this week saw a very significant number of Year 9 students attend the Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Awards practice hike. It is wonderful to see such a large number of students take on this extra outdoor learning experience. Under the watchful eye of Mr Cartwright and Mr Hughes, Duke of Edinburgh continues to grow and provide wonderful learning opportunities for the students. Later next term the students attempting the Silver level of the Awards will have their turn on the wonderful 6-Foot Track in the Blue Mountains. The Macarthur Community Academy of Sport is in full operation again these holidays with sports clinics in soccer football, netball, basketball and AFL taking place next week. I am sure that those who attend will not only have a great time but their various sporting skills will be improved. A flyer outlining these various clinics can be found a little later in The Bulletin. Further vacation clinics are being organised for the end of Winter Term later in the year. Autumn Term Commences on Tuesday 26 April 2016 and on that day the School will hold its annual ANZAC Day Commemoration service at the Memorial Wall at the front of the School. Any parent or grandparent who wishes to attend is most welcome. Over the years this has become a very important service in the life of the School.
After just over 26 years of service to the School we bid farewell to Mrs Sharon Donaldson who retires today. Sharon has been the Office Manager at Macarthur and is significantly responsible for the operation and function of the Administration team that supports the staff and students. I am sure you join with me in wishing Sharon God’s every blessing in her retirement and thank her for the extraordinary years of service to the School Community. David Nockles
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From the Dean of Students
The Thailand Outreach Team for 2016 arrived back in
Australia on Friday 18 March after spending two weeks immersing themselves
within the Thai culture and battling the thickly polluted atmosphere in
temperatures around 30-38 degrees. Despite these difficulties, all 38 members
of the team gave of themselves in different ways, either through their singing,
drama, teaching skills or simply getting alongside children and playing with
them. The theme for 2016 was ‘Toys’ where we were able to explain to children
that God is our Maker and we are His workmanship. The Thailand Outreach programme has been running for
over 14 years, and each successive year builds on the relationships established
in previous years. It is this
unique bond between the Varee Chiang Mai School and Macarthur that allows the
Gospel message to be presented to Thai students and teachers without
compromise. The singing and skits
performed by our students at the beginning of each day clearly articulate the
love that Jesus has for the Thai children and often the same children return for
years to come. Throughout the trip, our students were given the
opportunity to visit the James O. Fraser centre in Chiang Dao where Jim and
Linda Macintosh live and work.
Linda is a past student of Macarthur and, with her family, has committed
to training and discipling Bible students from the Lisu people who in turn will
Pastor the villagers in their own language. For our students, seeing the
commitment and the change of lifestyle of
‘one of their own’, broadened the concept of Outreach onto the world
platform. Our students were sadly confronted by the hardships
experienced by children suffering from HIV while visiting the Agape Orphanage –
the home for up to 100 homeless children.
It was during this visit that the privileged and the underprivileged met
and the fragility of life was seen first hand. This was an emotional occasion for all involved, and I am
sure another aspect of this trip that influenced the worldview of our students. I am looking forward to continuing our
link with Agape and encourage those students who visited to remember these
children when considering their own material well being.. There can be no doubt that this trip is an Outreach in
every sense of the word. As a
Christian Ministry, the Team expound the love of God through song and
Drama. As an Outreach to one
another, the Team learn to live in close community and daily pray together and
take part in Bible reading and discussion. In giving of themselves, despite the
cultural differences and weariness that sets in, our students reached out
beyond their comfort zone into the lives of the Thai people. This trip was truly and expression of
God’s workmanship and life changing for all those who formed the Team.
An extensive part of this trip is in the preparation
leading up to the 2 weeks away.
Students prepare lessons, choreograph songs and rehearse Dramas. None of this is possible without the
committed leadership of Allie Margin, Hayley Tuft and Kylie Elling. Students and parents are in debt to the
dedication that these staff members offered throughout the trip and it was a
pleasure to work with them ultimately for Gods glory. Timothy Cartwright
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Equestrian Results Congratulations to
Isabella and Grace Tyson who have recently competed at the Sydney Royal
achieving some tremendous results in a very high standard of competition. After an exhausting
few days of competing, Isabella left with the following results: Third in working Hunter Galloway Fourth in child's saddle pony Seventh in open saddle pony with twenty-three competitors Sixth in the novice show Hunter Likewise, Grace also
impressed with hold her in high regard among her fellow competitors. Her results speak for themselves: Third in working Hunter pony Fourth in novice show Hunter pony First exhibit in the Junior Judging competition saddle pony First Led APSB Galloway
These are impressive results and reward for the training and
commitment to this sport. Tim Cartwright
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Oxley Interschool Gymkhana
Four students - Emily Moore (Yr 8), Codi Gibbeson (Yr 7), Brooke Baker (Yr 10) and Taylor Drayton (Yr 10) competed in the above gymkhana on Sunday 3 April.
Results are as follows:
Emily Moore - First in Derby, Third in Show Jumping and Fifth in Dressage Codi Gibbeson - First in Dressage, First in Derby and Fifth in Show Jumping. Emily also came fifth overall in Year 8. Brooke Baker - First in Derby, Second in Show Jumping, Third in Rider Class, Fourth in Pleasure Mount and Fifth in Dressage. Taylor Drayton - Champion Year 10 Rider, First in Dressage, First in Derby, First in Rider, First in Best Educated Mount, Second in Barrels, Second in Pleasure Mount, Second in Show Jumping, Third in Scudahoe, Third in Hay Ball Twist, Fifth in Best Presented and First in the 95cm Derby (Yr 7-12). Taylor was only one point off winning the overall champion girl rider on the day.
Congratulations to all the riders.
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Chaplain’s Chat
One Egg Project What
a joy it is to give! 370
pre-school children in northern Rwanda will receive an egg a day for a month as
a result of the generous donations we received in our Anglican Aid One Egg
Project. This will give them well-needed nutrition as well as providing
employment for those providing the eggs. We
raised $1848.80! Thank you to those who donated. Below
are some photos from the KP and 5H as well as some fun on the Eggstravaganza
day!
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Dad’s and Daughters
Weekend
Twenty
two dads and twenty three daughters had a wonderful weekend at Telford, Port
Hacking, in March. Friendships were made, lots of fun was
had and relationships between dads and daughters were deepened. Here are a few
photos. The Reverend David Hayman
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Uniform Shop - School Vacation Hours
The Uniform Shop will be opened as follows:
Monday 11 April and 18 April - 8.15am to 4.30pm Wednesday 13 April and 20 April - 8.15am to 2.45pm Thursday 14 April and 21 April - 8.15am to 2.45pm
Please not that due to ANZAC Day on Monday 25 April being a public holiday the Uniform Shop will be closed.
Sue McKell - Uniforms Consultant
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Innovation and Research Centre Update
The Innovation and Research
Centre (IRC) is housed in the Stoddart Centre and incorporates library
facilities for Transition to Year 12 students. The IRC is a key resource of the
School in promoting innovation in learning and teaching. It is currently
undergoing a significant period of transition. During 2016 the physical
facilities, as well as the learning and teaching resources, are being
reimagined to better suit 21st Century learners. Macarthur's focus on
developing Enduring Understandings in our students through deeper and visible
thinking is at the heart of the IRC. At the outset of planning our
focus has been to have the IRC as the “learning hub” of the School, a crucible
for learning. Our vision is to promote intellectual curiosity and invention and
nurture and inspire learning. Libraries are no longer just places to borrow a
book or do homework. They are meeting places connecting learners, teachers and
the broader community, media centres and digital repositories.
The IRC has been a wonderful
place of learning this term. The Junior Library area has been filled with stimulation
with a Lego theme and associated activities. Mrs Laird quickly generated
curiosity and excitement with a tank of tadpoles. What a wonderful opportunity
it has been to watch and learn about the lifecycle of frogs, including pondering
on where missing tadpoles may have gone!. The Senior library area has
experienced some minor changes this term as the IRC staff seek to learn new
systems, stocktake existing resources and assess the future of the learning
spaces.
Planning has begun - The IRC staff have been active in visiting learning
spaces in other schools. These visits will continue to provide ideas and
inspiration now and into the future
- At the beginning of Summer Term Senior Staff had an
opportunity to discuss the future direction of the IRC. All staff will
progressively have the opportunity to make suggestions on how the IRC could be
transformed to better suit the learning needs of 21st Century learners and
their teachers
- Students are also completing a student survey about
their vision and needs for the IRC. This will be followed up with a series of
focus group discussions on the future of the IRC. An IRC student committee is
taking shape and the members of this committee will help Mrs Fitzpatrick
reflect on student surveys and participate in and assist with focus group
discussions
Where to from here? Leading learning in an evolving
environment is a task that is both exciting and challenging. This year there
will be many ongoing professional conversations through a multiplicity of
channels. Some questions to ponder over the coming months include:
- How can we best promote, support, encourage and
enhance students’ love of reading?
- What types of books and resources should
we keep?
- To what extent is there scope for expansion?
- What contemporary design layouts will suit our
needs and context?
- How can we encourage students to learn to
independently research and expand their reading and writing?
- What are the ongoing learning needs of our students
and teachers?
- How might we support students and teachers in their
quest to be not just consumers, but producers of information?
- How can we encompass the pedagogy of learning to
the physical and virtual spaces in which it occurs?
- How can we provide innovative programs that enable
staff and students to explore their creative inclinations, up-skill and apply
their learning in innovative ways?
- What mix of learning spaces will be required now
and into the future?
Rebecca Fitzpatrick Head of IRC (Innovation and Research Centre)
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Get the Kids Active these Holidays!
Make sure your
kids are being active these School Holidays and not just sitting in front of a
screen! Registration for
the April Holiday Sports Academies close this Friday at 3pm. Get your
registration in to ensure that the kids are ‘out and about’, developing their
physical skills and being fit and active these holidays.
Follow the ‘IN FOCUS’ prompts on the School website.
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Sydney Royal Easter Show 2016
An incredible week where the hard work of the students over the past 6-12 months was truly rewarded.
Steers Jester selected in the Simmental Stanhill team to represent the breed in the Inter-Breed Steer Competition. He pulled up into front line and seventh in class from fifteen steers. Patto pulled into front line and was fifth in class from twelve steers
Cattle Paraders Richard Cartwright (Yr 11) was Highly Commended in the Open Parader Class and Abbie Jenkins (Yr 12) also performed very well in this class. Jordyn Snape (Yr 10) came first in her heat in Open Parader Class. Sean McIntosh (Yr 12) was first in heat of the Schools Parader Class and ultimately took out Champion School Parader for 2016.
Sheep Two firsts, one second, three thirds and two Highly Commended. Megan Baker (Yr 6) was fifth in the Milk Tooth Ewe parade whilst Emily Nieuwenhuis (Yr 8) received a Highly Commended. Champion pair of ewes were paraded by Mikayla Harris (Yr 8) and Emily Nieuwenhuis.
Sheep Paraders Megan Baker was Second in the State final 10-14 Years Age Group. Tereva-Chine Atkin-Zaldivar (Yr () Fifth in the same State Final. Merry Bowman (Yr 10) was Fourth in the State Final of the 15-19 Years Age Group.
Meat Breeds Junior Judging Richard Cartwright was Seventh in the State Final.
Merryn Bowman also won the State Final of Angora Goats and Mohair Junior Judging.
Congratulations to all the students on a wonderful effort. The School also wishes to thank Alan and Marg Anderson, Michael and Maureen Rawsthorne and ‘Victoria Park’ and Nepean Engineering for supplying our steers and their support of the Macarthur Anglican Show Team.
David Baker
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Jade Errington (Yr 8) was selected in the NSW U14’s Development Squad for Cricket. Congratulations Jade - a potential up and coming your cricket star in the making!
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The Perich family had a very successful Camden Show this year winning the Junior, Intermediate and Senior Holstein. Samuel (Yr 10) and Jackson (Yr 8) Buda and Liam (Yr 4) and Olivia (Yr 1) Perich all paraded very well and spent many hours getting the cattle ready for the show.
Jackson, Ethan and Liam all participated in the Junior Paraders class where they were up against other children under the age of 14 years. The judge was specifically looking how the parader handled the cattle and how much information they knew about their animal. Liam was successful in achieving second place which is a great effort for a 9 year old!
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NASSA Junior Football Gala Day
Two Year 5 & 6 squads comprising 15
girls and 15 boys, travelled to Ron Dine Oval, Camden on Monday 14 March for
the annual NASSA Primary Football Gala Day against seven other schools. Despite
the heat and tough competition, both teams performed and behaved with great
determination and sporting spirit. As reigning champions, the girl’s team started
strongly by winning all their pool games, but were unable
to move beyond the semis and finished fourth overall. The boys managed an impressive win, but
had too many draws and losses and finished seventh out of eight. The NASSA Gala Day is also a selection
day for the NASSA Junior boys football team that goes on to compete at the
regional CIS tournament. Josiah Beggs is to be congratulated as his skill and strength
was recognised by both the NASSA team selectors and then later by the CIS Primary
selectors. Ryley Paki’s determination and ability was also rewarded as she too
was selected for the CIS Primary girl’s team. This is an outstanding
achievement by both these students! We wish Josiah and Ryley the best of luck,
as they play at their respective state championship competitions later in
Autumn term.
Special mention needs to be
made of the support from senior students, Samuel Nockles and Jacob Beggs. They performed
refereeing and linesman duties tirelessly throughout the day. Our parent’s enthusiastic
encouragement was also greatly valued. Andrew Woods and Peter Groves
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From the Head of Junior School
Congratulations
to the following students who were treated to a special morning tea with me to
recognise them for their efforts throughout Summer Term. KC
– Marley Henson and Lachlan Reid KP
– Harry Shafer and Imogen Marshall 1S
– Tex Thornton and Olivia Perich 2L
– Amelie Albert and Lachlan Whitelaw 2M
– Alexander Green and Stephany Cabrera-Yee 3R
– Nathan Simpson and Lucy-Lei Mingay 3P - Jackson Neumann and Elizabeth Ha 4A
– Andrew Towell and Marielle Lucia 4H
– Brayden Ruttley and Jasmin Smith Junior
Literacy Class – Oscar Saunders and Zarah Pantazis
These
students have been working extremely hard towards their learning goals and
their teachers and I are very proud of them. Keep up the great work! Kylie Elling
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Upcoming T-6 Mother’s Day Stalls Monday 2 May (for T3 students) and Tuesday 3 May (for T2 & T5 and
K-6 students) T-6 Mother’s Day
Breakfast Friday 6 May 7.30am-8.30am
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Grandparent’s Day
Once again our students’
lives have been enriched through the involvement of loving grandparents. One and all were engaged in a variety
of activities including a visit to the book fair, creating fridge magnets and
crafting farm animals for our farm mural. Students and grandparents were quite
happy to linger longer to have one last look at the calves and have a chinwag
under the trees.
We are already looking
forward to Grandparents’ Day 2017 and hope you share our excitement! Elma Stassen on behalf of the Grandparent’s Day Committee
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Year 1 Excursion
On Tuesday, 15 March, Year 1
students undertook a breath-taking excursion to the Aqua Zoo in Gregory Hills. Students were met by very
excited staff members and given interesting information about natural and man
made shelters. They were squirted by a threatened clam carrying an abalone on
its back and were amased by a pair of sea dragon. The male sea dragon was
carrying hundreds of eggs that were very clearly visible. We returned to school exhausted
and enriched and cannot wait to set up our very own fish tank containing both natural and man made shelter.
Mrs Stassen - Year 1
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From the Head of Middle School
Year 6 Student Leaders Visit NSW Parliament House On the 24 March Year 6 Student Leaders had the opportunity to Visit and tour the NSW Parliament House with other student leaders from the Macarthur area as they were invited by Chris Patterson Member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly.
They were able to see some of the facilities and have an experience of what occurs in Parliament.
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Year 7 2017 Open Day
What a wonderful day for our Year 6 Students and those visiting from other schools as they experienced some of the subjects on offer for them in 2017. Neil Davies
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Kids Lit Quiz After travelling forty-five minutes we arrived at Cerdon College, in Merrylands. There were thirty-four teams in total competing at the Kids Lit Quiz. Each participating school had between one and four teams and each team consisted of four members. Macarthur entered two teams. Team one was made up of Hannah Davey, Luke Stewart, Isaiah Gray and Joshua Ferguson and team two was, Elliot Herd, Tahlia Grounds, Sarah Peck and Claire Sich. We were told that the team that came in first place out of these schools would travel to Darling Harbour to represent Sydney at the national competition the next day. The winner of that would then represent Australia at the world final. With the promise of Krispy Kremes if we won, we started by picking our double points category. Team one chose mythical creatures and team two chose Roald Dahl. There were ten categories each with ten questions. The quiz was difficult, team one came in fourteenth and team two nineteenth. It was a fun day and I would like to thank Mrs Williams for taking us there.
Claire Sich
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Year 5-6 Debating On the very first debate we arrived at Arndell Anglican College where we would debate our first debate of the year. Luke, Isaiah, Sylvia and Hannah were our team for this debate. We discussed the topic that Australia should become a republic (we were affirmative). Isaiah shared his thoughts on funding, independence and stability to our government. Luke talked about sporting and aboriginal rights and our last speaker Sylvia rebutted and summarised our team case. Hannah was our team advisor. The opposition talked about how we might lose support in war and their team line was “if it ain't broke don’t fix it” but in the end we still had a successful win.
For our second debate we arrived at The Hills Grammar School and were directed to our room to start the debate, the topic was ‘that tourists need to visit regional and rural areas to experience the true Australia’. We were the affirmative team. Our first speaker, Justine talked about the fauna and flora native to the rural areas and our culture. Our second speaker, Joshua talked about the land mass of Australia, the diversity of our landscapes and the economy. Sarah, our third speaker summarised our team case and rebutted. Sylvia did a great job as our team advisor.
So far the debating team has won both of the debates we have participated in and will try to keep the streak alive in our next debates. Hopefully we can advance to the next stage.
Luke Stewart, Isaiah Gray and Josh Ferguson
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Writing Riddles Gateway have been focussing on our word choice in writing. This week we took on the task of creating short riddles that would use ‘showing’ rather than ‘telling’ to convey our meaning to the reader. Can you guess what it is that we are describing?
I rise up from hills, reaching for the sky. My brilliant colours can be seen from near or far, but I am always out of reach. Every step you take towards me makes me seem further away. Each day I can see you, but you may not notice me. Sylvia Rickman I am a sunrise
Mightily strong and powerful, yet also, still, gentle and calm. People say it is both refreshing and cool and marvels at its speed. It cannot be seen but is often heard and causes things to move because of its force. Hannah Davey It is wind
ROAR! Do I sound like my ancestors, roaring on the dry, barren savannah? I might be able to tell you what I am thinking or feeling with a swish of my tail, if you can understand me. Ohh! there's a ball of blue, sparkling wool, I wonder if I could catch it? I can batt things with a swat of my paw, and can climb to incredible heights with just a run and a leap. I can be, a mean, grumpy me, or I can be, a happy, cuddly me, it just depends on how I feel. I enjoy chicken, but my meal of choice is tuna. Sarah Peck I am a cat
I am never-ending yet rarely sufficient. I age things over a long period and can be read in a multitude of different forms. Lachlan Rathbone
I am time
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Year 5 Gravity and Air Artwork
As
part of Year 5’s recent study of space, the students experimented with gravity
and air to produce some eye-catching artwork.
Each
student created their artwork by first of all ‘drawing up’ food colouring into
a straw by dipping their straw into a container of colour and applying their
finger over the top. The outside and inside air pressure equalises and holds
the liquid in place. The finger is released and gravity pulls the liquid down
onto the paper. The splash of colour is complete by blowing the droplets of
food colouring around with the straw. Mr Wood and Mrs Hey
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Careers
Expos 2016
Senior Students are invited to apply to attend either the Sydney Morning
Herald Careers Expo on Friday 3 June OR the Western Sydney Careers Expo on
Thursday 16 June. These expos are
wonderful opportunity for our students to start exploring post schooling possibilities.
Students need to apply to attend by clicking the link that has been
emailed to them or by clicking the link below.
Applications close early next term
and these days are highly recommended. Students who attended last year should
only reapply if they are currently in Year 12.
http://goo.gl/forms/z1WfxnaeZO
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