In 2020, the Science and HSIE faculties are planning a joint learning initiative for students in Year 9 exploring content around ecosystems, biomes and food production. To increase the relevance of this unit of work we are hoping to partner with individuals or organisations who are involved in the agricultural industry, particularly those with an interest in managing or increasing the productivity of the land.

If you are involved in, or have contacts in this field who might be able to speak with our students, be interviewed by our students or be open to students presenting work to them, then we would be most interested in discussing this opportunity with you.  The project will be running from late June to August next year. 

Please make contact with either Mrs Denise Bailey at Denise.Bailey@pcs.nsw.edu.au, or Mrs Sharon Hogan Sharon.Hogan@pcs.nsw.edu.au if this is an area in which you can assist.

Last week Junior School was visited by Ditto the Lion Cub from Bravehearts.

Bravehearts is a Queensland based organisation whose vision statement is ‘to make Australia the safest place in the world to raise a child’. The children were taught about Ditto’s rules for being safe and what those rules look like in a practical and engaging manner. The rules are:

We all have the right to feel safe with people.

It’s ok to say NO if you feel unsafe or unsure.

‘Art with Punch’ is an exciting event that showcases Year 11 and Year 12 bodies of work, and was held this year on Thursday 21 November. Students help plan and curate this formal exhibition and are an integral part of the energy and dynamics of the evening. ‘Art with Punch’ is a celebration of the Year 12 students' hard work and a welcome to the emerging young artists of 2020.

Students created a diverse range of thrilling artworks ranging from wearable art, film, sculpture, embroidery, photography to printmaking. They created series and collections of pieces exploring their themes and concepts that strongly articulate their ideas within the postmodern, cultural, structural and subjective frames.

Students, families and friends had a fantastic time enjoying the artworks, canapés and community involved in this profoundly engaging and exciting occasion.

Please be advised that there will be changes in regards to term dates for 2020.

Typically, students have had a free day at the start of Term 2 and Term 4.  From 2020, we will have all staff AND students return on the first Monday of these terms.

Please find below term dates for 2020.

On Wednesday 27 November, twenty Year 3 and Year 4 Missions students went to visit Governor Phillip Nursing Home. They performed a dance, sang songs and Christmas Carols, and presented the gospel through poetry in front of the residents. Afterwards, we gave out handmade Christmas cards.

I am proud of the kindness our students displayed when interacting with the elderly residents. Missions students gave up their lunch time throughout the term to make the cards and prepare for our trip. Thank you to each and every student for your heart for others. Thank you also to Vanessa Renny for coming along to help support the students.

Be kind to one another and tender-hearted. Ephesians 4:32

UPDATE: Our Year 10 students raised approximately $1500 from their stalls of items sold for their causes, with the Cancer Project Team raising $850. Well done Year 10, we are so proud of you and what you’ve achieved.

Last Friday Year 10 students shone as they presented their service learning team work to family, staff and students. They have spent three weeks exploring issues that affect our youth and our community.

The culmination of this saw each group set up a stall with information, stunning blackout poetry, goods they made to sell, and a BBQ lunch, as well as a car wash. The money raised will go towards their chosen causes. After lunch they moved into the Auditorium and the parents were able to watch the documentaries they have worked on over the last three weeks.

What an amazing week our F1 in Schools World Finals team have had! Team Ascension performed at a high level across all aspects of the competition. Towards the end of the competition, their car improved its fastest time from 1.075 to 1.048. They also found out that they were one of only 4 or 5 teams (55 teams in total) that had zero penalties on the two race cars. An incredible result by our Engineers.

On the last day of competition going into the finals, Ascension was ranked 6th. This was an outstanding achievement with 55 teams competing. Unfortunately, they were knocked out by 0.009. Brock and Caleb had the privilege of spending time with representatives of the Williams Racing Team.

Our F1 in Schools Ascension journey culminated in a nail biting awards ceremony held at Turn 1 on the F1 Grand Prix track at Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi. Prior to the ceremony, all 55 teams, their supporters and the judges and officials did a lap around the circuit in 15 coaches!

Our F1 in Schools Team Ascension made it safely to Abu Dhabi, arriving early last Thursday morning. The engineers had worked non-stop over 24 hours preparing the race cars, after a setback earlier in the week - it was a huge effort!

On the weekend, Ascension were one of the first teams to register for the World Finals. Both cars were just over 50 g which was great. It is amazing to see so many countries at the one location competing in this prestigious event.

The weekend also saw the official opening of the World Finals for F1 in Schools, and the team built their Pit Display in one of the hotel rooms before transporting it 600 m to the Du Forum. It is great to have so many parents here to help carry this very large pit display! The students had two hours to rebuild the Pit Display to completion against 54 other teams from around the World. Each Pit Display build had an individual judge watching. Team Ascension completed their Pit Display and it looks fantastic. The team took up the whole two hours making, sure everything was spot on.

On Thursday 14 November, we were very pleased to host renowned speaker, Melinda Tankard Reist, for our final Parent Seminar of 2019. Melinda’s presentation ‘Too Much Too Young: the sexualisation of children and what we can do about it’ was hard hitting, shocking and extremely valuable for parents with children of all ages. Parents were shown the reality of what our children are viewing and learning, both online and in all forms of media. In addition to increasing awareness, Melinda also provided parents with ways to enact change (see end of article for suggested links).

It was especially useful for parents of our Year 10 girls, and our Year 6 and 7 students, as these students also had the opportunity to hear from Melinda at various sessions throughout the same day. We are hopeful that the sessions have sparked some meaningful conversations in your house!

We were really pleased to see that a number of parents who attended the Parent Seminar were not PCS families. Here’s what some of them had to say:

Congratulations to Emily Dal Santo, Penrith Christian School’s first Gold Duke of Edinburgh recipient. The Gold Awardees were presented to the Governor last week at St Stephens Church in Sydney, followed by a morning tea at Government House.

Emily completed the Milford Track as her Gold Test Expedition and is a very dedicated member of the Rural Fire Service. Her Physical Recreation activities were Touch Football and Oz Tag. Emily is an outstanding representative for PCS and the Duke of Ed Award. Amazing Emily - well done!!

Our Year 10 students have been involved in a Service Learning program for the last few weeks, designed by the Senior Staff to take them on a journey of researching issues in our area that affect young people and trying to find solutions, as well as serving the local community.

We believe that each student can make a difference and step by step, make the world a better place. The students chose the issues they felt passionate about and this year they are: Addiction, Animal Welfare, Mental Health, Children’s Cancer, Domestic Violence and Human Trafficking.

They have been researching the issues, looking at the statistics, choosing a scientific aspect, looking at causes and solutions, using words of hope to create gifts to sell, and doing community service. In Week 6, teams put on a community lunch for people in crisis in the area, packed bags for WestCare, to bless those in refuges due to domestic violence, and visited Westmead Children’s Hospital to take gift bags and Christmas cheer to sick children.

This year, Year 4 have grown in their friendship with God and others. We have had Ps Matt Rau come and visit us regularly throughout the year to encourage us in how to be a good friend. This week his focus was on how we communicate using ‘I’ statements instead of ‘you’.  Following this, Year 4 were asked what they could do to be a better friend and to find a Bible verse that would encourage them to be a friend like Jesus. Here are some of their thoughts and Bible verses.

Angelina Huxley - I can put others first by letting them choose the game, giving options and helping them feel better. John 14:15 If you love me, you will do as I command.

Ethan Scott - I can give my friends a chance by being kind, listening and focusing on them. Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Alicia Weir -  Friendship is very important and you shouldn’t just think about yourself. Proverbs 27:17 You use steel to sharpen steel and one friend sharpens another.

The following article is recommended to you by Talitha Treasure, our Junior School Counsellor:

Self-regulation is something everyone continually works on whether or not we are cognizant of it. We all encounter trying circumstances that test our limits from time to time. If we are able to recognize when we are becoming less regulated, we are able to do something about it to manage our feelings and get ourselves to a healthy place.  This comes naturally for some, but for others it is a skill that needs to be taught and practiced. This is the goal of The Zones of Regulation (or Zones for short). ​

WHAT ARE THE ZONES?

Last term, Year 10 Science students completed the Validation of Assessment for Learning and Individual Development (VALID) Exam. This is a state-wide exam with over 20,000 students participating.

PCS students scored well above state average and statistically similar school group (SSSG) average in every section of the exam. Band 6 is the highest Band and our Year 10 group has 54 students.

Highlights include:

Last week Dominic Nitsos received the Victor Chang Award for outstanding achievement in Year 11 Science. Dominic is presently studying Physics, Chemistry and Biology at PCS. Coincidently, Dominic’s grandfather had a lifesaving heart operation performed by Victor Chang in the 1980’s.

Dominic will be given an opportunity to visit the Victor Chang Research Institute to learn first-hand about its research activities and the careers available in Science. He also has plans of applying to do work experience at the Institute. Dominic has been passionate about science from a young age and is a very worthwhile recipient of this Award.

The Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute plays a major role in the development and training of students in cardiovascular research at both the undergraduate (BSc Hons) and graduate (PhD, MD, MSc) level through its affiliation with the University of NSW as well as through interactions with other Australian and international universities.

Around 300 Year 10 girls from nine different schools across Western Sydney gathered at St Marys Band Club for Girls Rising 2019. Coordinated by Penrith Christian School, Girls Rising is an exciting, informative and inspiring day for Year 10 girls, from public and private/independent schools, in Penrith and surrounding areas. It aims to build strength in both mind and character, emboldening girls to reach their potential.

Melinda Tankard Reist started off our day speaking to the girls about the pressures of the media and sexual exploitation of women. She empowered them to stand up against this pressure. There was complete silence and girls were glued to their seats taking in the message that Melinda was presenting for almost two hours.

2016 Rio Olympic Gold Medallist Chloe Esposito spoke about pushing forward and how hard work can get you rewarded.  She brought her gold medal and passed it around for the students to touch and take photos which was a hit for everyone!!

What an amazing performance by the young Year 8 students from our F1 in Schools (Development Class) team, UNITY, at the recent NSW State Final. Taking on students in Year 9, they won Best Portfolio and the Best Reaction time. Emmanuel was fantastic at the reaction racing and also took the team to the final two in the Knockout competition. Emmanuel was only beaten by four hundredths of a second.

Winning the NSW State Final means Team UNITY have an automatic entrance into the Australian National Final in Melbourne next year.

'Our logo was designed to replicate the Aboriginal symbol of a kangaroo taking flight to emphasise our catchphrase and convey we are moving forward. The logo also has a similar shape to an arrow, depicting moving in one direction and Soaring Together.’ - Vaughan Todd

Wow, we can’t believe we are already half-way through our last term of being in Year 3!! Our term started off with a lovely visit from some of our grandparents. We learnt about their life and what it was like for them growing up. We also got to create some pretty awesome mini grandparents rocking out with a guitar.

In Creative Arts, students have been busy exploring different aspects of Australia and have been creating dioramas to portray Australia. We are impressed by their imaginations and their engagement in this activity. They are looking AMAZING! Students have designed and created waterfalls, camp fires, Ayers Rock, the Harbour Bridge and the Australian Outback. They scurried around the school searching for authentic resources to use and then brought in some objects from home. They have been busy painting and gluing to turn their cardboard boxes into works of art.

We have enjoyed running Grade Chapels. We have been learning about the Fruits of the Spirit and about how God has a plan for our lives. Each class rehearsed and performed a song for their peers and participated in leading us through prayer and Bible reading.

The ANCQ (Australian National Chemistry Quiz) is truly an international competition with papers translated into seven different languages. The Quiz attracts students throughout Australia and 23 other countries, including India, Germany and China.

Congratulations Mark and Sean in Year 9 who obtained Distinctions; Josiah from Year 9, as well as Riley and Madeline in Year 11 who received Credits.

Denise Bailey

Join us for a special concert, featuring performances by PCS Concert Band, PCS Intermediate Band, Middle School Choir, and more.

WHEN: Thursday 28 November 2019

TIME: 11.30 am - 12.45 pm

WHERE: PCS Auditorium