STOP PRESS!! We have some amazing news to end the school year. Our two F1 in Schools teams have been competing in the State Finals, and we are very pleased to announce the following results released today:
CADET CLASS
2nd Place NSW Final – Adrenaline – Penrith Christian School
In Week 7, students from Years 7 to 10 performed experiments with dry ice.
They observed the sublimation (moving straight from a solid to a gas, bypassing the liquid stage) of the dry ice and how that can make a chunk skirt around the table with little to no friction.
They saw the acidification of water and the production of carbonic acid (H2CO3) and related it to how excess fossil fuel burning was leading to ocean acidification and the killing of ecosystems like the Great Barrier Reef.
The Accountants Daily 30 under 30 is a prestigious national accounting awards program. Our own Nathan Sloane was nominated in the Management category and on Thursday 3 December was awarded winner.
Last year Nathan was nominated and this year has pulled off a win! This is fantastic recognition of everything Nathan contributes to our School in the areas of management and finance.
Congratulations Nathan!
We have some amazing budding artists in Early Learning. As part of our graduation for the Prep class, they drew and painted a self-portrait and then their friends made comments about why they like that person.
Katrina Baines
Head of Early Learning
In January of this year a small team of Middle School students, parents and teachers had the privilege of going to visit our sister school Divine Junior School Uganda. Our team was joyfully welcomed by Divine Junior School community and it was an absolute delight to meet face to face after partnering with the school since 2017. Our itinerary included visiting and serving at Divine Junior School. Teaching the children bible lessons using the brand new technology we provided. Visiting some homes where the students live and joining a local village church, participating in a local gospel outreach day and much, much more.
While we were in Uganda, the Divine students enthusiastically attended school daily even though it was school holidays. They each received a ‘Buddy letter’ and a gift provided by PCS students. Divine Junior School students wrote a letter back and these were carried in our luggage safely back to Australia. Finally, during Term 4 our PCS students had the opportunity to write a letter back to a friend in our sister school - Divine Junior School. Students, one grade per week, could choose to give up their lunchtime to write a much needed letter of encouragement to Divine students. These will be posted early next year as all schools have been closed in Uganda from mid-March until the end of this year. Schools were only allowed to open mid-October primarily for students who needed to sit for their final exams. Thank you for your generous support of Divine Junior School through prayers and Missions giving. A huge shout out to many of our amazing Junior School students who wrote a beautiful and encouraging letter to a friend in Uganda. Thank you also to the lovely Mrs Blight who handed out Year 5 and 6 letters and organised for them to write a return letter as well.
Have a blessed and refreshing Christmas and New Year.
The Year 10 Music class studied Australian Music this year. As part of their assessment they had to compose music to accompany an Australian landscape. The level of sophistication in these compositions is incredible. As you listen you will 'hear and feel' the images. Most are instrumental, but some students chose to write lyrics which also represented personal journeys for them. They couldn’t share these wonderful works at a concert so instead they have created an eBook for your enjoyment.
It was with great joy that we successfully COVID safely graduated our 2020 Year 12 students on Friday 13 November, with socially distanced parents of Year 12 in the audience. Students were also elated to be able to celebrate with a COVID Safe Graduation Dinner on Monday 23 November.
There were times this year when we thought this would never happen, and we had different plans and dates in place in case it did. In the end, we have been very pleased that our Year 12 students have ended the year with some happy memories in what has been very challenging and changeable times.
See below for photos of some very happy Year 12 graduates.
Last week Year 4 had an awesome celebration day to mark the end of finishing Junior School. Since we were not able to go on camp this year, we decided the next best things was to bring camp to us.
The wonderful team from Wedderburn Christian Campsite came and set up so Year 4 were able to do our camp activities on site. Students got to test their accuracy as they learnt the skills of archery and played archery golf. They also cooled off from the heat during a battle of water skirmish with giant inflatable barriers to hide behind. The last activity was all about team building skills where students had to think on their feet and work together in order to complete the challenges.
Although it was hot, the students coped really well and enjoyed fun activities with their friends.
For their first Physics assessment task, Year 12 Physics students were asked to do a depth study on Induction. They were required to build a device that used the principles of induction, devise a way of testing it, then write a scientific report.
Brock Stinson and Adam Hillany made motors and used creative ways of testing the torque they produced. Imogen Rogers tested a variety of variables that impacted the formation of eddy currents; she related her findings to MRI machines. Ben Armstrong investigated how eddy currents are formed and used in amusement park rides, and Hayden Barton researched and performed experiments that explored how the brightness of LEDs can be affected by induction.
Well done Year 12 Physics students!
After the rain cancelled our Wellbeing Day in Term 1, Year 6 were very excited to be heading out to Wentworth Falls for the bushwalk. Although the majority of students enjoyed it, unfortunately (for the teachers) the rain did begin, as we were halfway down the walk. Due to this, our day was cut short as we had to head back to school. A special thanks to Mr Wallace, Mrs Blight, Mrs Perigo and Mrs Gela who helped us throughout the day.
I loved the fantastic, amazing views from the sides of the waterfall. The smell of nature filled the air. The hundreds of steps and the narrow paths were exciting. Every step felt like a wonderful journey. – Grace
The sky was dark when we got there, but we decided to go on with the bushwalk. My friends and I chose to do the hardest walk. As we descended the steep stone steps, the rain started to dampen the rocks and trees around us. We got all the way down to the bottom (Phew!) and we looked up, a misty stream of rain showered us. The rain had activated the waterfall. We stood there in the moment, taking in the sight that we were witnessing. Then, we all realised that we had to climb the steep stone steps once again. We got back up to the top exhausted. It was raining harder and everyone was getting back on the bus, leaving for school. - Caleb
Year 10 have been very busy this term with their Service Learning, where they researched challenging issues, such as: homelessness, domestic violence, mental health, Aboriginal reconciliation, autism and lung disease. In teams they fundraised for their causes with stalls, selling food and products they had made. They created Blackout Poetry and documentaries, which were displayed on the last day. We saw great passion emerging for the issues and hundreds of dollars being raised for each cause.
One group, looking at mental health in elderly people, collaborated with Year 2 students who wrote about and illustrated their favourite memories. These will now be shared with the residents of a nursing home in Springwood. (photos Y10_DOCO)
This week they also participated in a wonderful program called Business Week, with Mrs Hogan and our HSIE teachers . They formed six teams, each team creating a product, then financing and marketing the product. It was great to meet the CEOs, and hear about the roles of each team member, and then to see their displays. They had to pitch their products to a Dragon’s Den, equivalent to a Shark Tank! What a wonderful end to a creative and innovative term where Year 10 were given the opportunity to shine in so many areas.
Our Years 5 and 6 students entered the annual Prue Car MP Londonderry Christmas Card competition for 2020. One of our Year 6 students, Tyler Shaw, has been announced as the winner for 2020. Her card design will be used by Prue Car this Christmas.
Well done, Tyler and all the students who entered.
Kylie Bronson
Year 6 Teacher
With the challenges of 2020, Visual Arts Elective classes had to come up with a creative way to exhibit their amazing artworks. Usually we would be invited to ‘Art With Punch’ to experience the HSC Major Works, and there would be an expo at school for Year 9 and 10 Wearable Art Projects. This year we are all able to visit these exhibits through eBooks created by Mrs Siorokos. The links below are for sensational viewing from the comfort of your home.
Enjoy!
CLICK HERE FOR YEAR 9 Wearable Art Projects
Congratulations Year 10 Science Students!
Every year since 2016, PCS Year 10 students have sat the Science VALID exam. Most Year 10 students in the state sit for this examination and it covers science material from Years 9 and 10. Last year we obtained 66 Level 6 (the highest level) results. This year, Year 10 obtained 88 Level 6 results!
20 Level 6 results for Knowledge and Understanding
23 Level 6 results for Extended Responses
Coco Purcell in Year 4 recently competed at the 2020 CSSA Primary Tennis Gala Day, an event that was originally cancelled and then put back on after restrictions were lifted.
Coco had a great day at this event where she played eight matches in her Year 3/4 Girls draw, which she won all matches very comfortably.
Coco won against a student from Oran Park Anglican College winning 6-2, and in the finals, she played against a student from Mamre Anglican School and won 6-0.
‘Consider your child’s screen use in the context of their overall health and wellbeing. For example, is online time getting in the way of their sleep and exercise? Is it impacting on their face-to-face connections with family and friends? The answers to these questions will guide you and help strike the right balance of online and offline activities for your child’ - E safety Commissioner
Parent and carers, there is no magic figure. The right amount of screen time can depend on a range of factors like your child’s age and maturity, the kind of content they are consuming, their learning needs and your family routine.
It can be easy to focus only on the clock, but the quality and nature of what they are doing online, and your involvement, are just as important.
ClickView is running a competition called ‘Aussie Student Inventions That Changed the World’. This competition allows students to present their invention to an expert panel of judges, for the chance to win some amazing prizes. It is free to enter.
These kinds of initiatives really excite me and I’m sure that within the PCS community there are a number of students who have amazing ideas that could possible change the world.
If you are interested in activating your God given creativity, I encourage you to explore this opportunity.
Year 3 have been enjoying a journey around Australia’s neighbouring countries in Geography. We have explored what it would be like to live a day in the life of a child in the Philippines, Japan, New Zealand and even Papua New Guinea! Students have chosen the country they were most interested in to research and write a letter to a child in Australia, imagining they were living in their chosen country.
In Literacy, Year 3 have been exploring stories about Australia. Over the past two weeks we have been learning ‘My Country’ by Dorothea Mackellar and are about to choose our own poems to recite in class. We are looking forward to completing our narrative writing and try our hand at writing our own poetry in the remainder of this term.
Art has been so fun, where we have been inspired by Van Gogh, painted the Harbour Bridge, and created dioramas around our beautiful Australian landscape. Students have produced a variety of scenes such as beaches, deserts and bushland.
During Week 5, Year 9 Science students had the opportunity to perform a dissection of a lamb's brain. They made a cross-section cut down the centre of the brain to identify different structures and lobes of the brain.
The students drew some incredibly detailed pictures of these regions and then did a research task to link what they learnt about the structures and their function to an MRI scan of various neural diseases.
Tim Smith, Science Prac Teacher
Denise Bailey, Head of Science
We have been advised that there have been a number of people who have recently been dropping off and collecting their children from the Bus Bay Area (at the end of Simeon Road), or parking near the Uniform Shop and having students walk in there to be picked up.
This has been an area of concern in the past and it is imperative that parents/guardians not park anywhere near the bus bay, as you may not only endanger the students trying to cross, but obstruct the buses as well as they try to turn.
Thank you for your support in doing the right thing.
