PhoCuS Term 3, 2014
for a flourishing and engaging learning community
Beyond (Missions) Tonga Mission Trip
Year 3
at The Rocks
Year 4
Introducing Allison Pe単a
Junior School PE & Sport
visits UWS Observatory
Early Childhood Services PCS Preschool
From the Principal Early Childhood Services
PhoCuS is a publication of Penrith Christian School
Penrith Christian School 1 Simeon Road, Orchard Hills
Telephone: (02) 4736 4044 Fax: (02) 4736 6388 Email: admin@pcs.nsw.edu.au Website: www.pcs.nsw.edu.au Editor:
Sherilyn Freeburn
Design: Shel Design www.sheldesign.com.au Cover photo: Junior School Sport
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enrith Christian School is dynamic in its evolution. The introduction of our Preschool this term has taken education in our school to a whole new level. It is exciting to consider that we truly have become a ‘one school, one decision’ facility; whereby, parents can enrol their child at 3-years-old into our Preschool and, God willing, see them graduate at 18 years of age from Year 12. A phenomenal thought! With this in mind, it is our pleasure to share with you the delights of Early Childhood/ Junior School education. This term has certainly had its fair share of opportunities for our younger students, with our new Preschool kiddies settling in; Book Day and dress-ups bringing smiles to many faces; Year 3 and Year 4 enjoying excursions they would like to go on again, sporting fun days and more.
Term 3 was amazingly full and lively. With a lot of colour, a lot of fun and a lot of great experiences for many students from Preschool through to Year 12 – who this term, have graduated after completing 13 years of schooling; some beginning PCS before the introduction of our Early Childhood Services, in Kindergarten. As mentioned before - a phenomenal thought!!!
Ms Sherilyn Freeburn Editor
From the Principal
Page 1 Welcome From the Principal Page 2 Early Childhood Services ... PCS Preschool Page 3 Year 3 at The Rocks Year 4 visits UWS Observatory Page 4 Junior School PE & Sport Page 5 Beyond Missions ... Tonga Mission Trip Page 6 Introducing ... Allison Peña Page 7 Book Day 2014
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Here we see Jesus intervening in adult actions, attitudes and conversations about children to bring a radical perspective, which was in fact quite revolutionary at that time. He was clear in identifying the fact that children are significant, and need to be recognised and appreciated; treated with kindness and respect, and nurtured. In addition, He pointed to the innocence and the simplicity of a child in directing us to how we should relate to God ourselves. A newborn baby is probably as close as we are going to get this side of heaven to a totally innocent and pure human being. Yet inside all of us is the inbuilt DNA of going our own way. It never ceases to amaze me how quickly children seem to learn to act in ways that are manipulative and defiant
With this in mind, we have been able in the past 12 months, to extend the Early Childhood Services to cater for a 3-year-old program; and, to offer a Long Day Care Service with the Preschool and Prep School programs embedded. At the beginning of Term 3 we commenced these new services; and, can now offer families access to the government rebates for childcare, thereby providing a more affordable service for our families. This allows us to take maximum advantage of our facilities, which are registered to accommodate 40 children per day, whilst at the same time integrating with the programs that are running in the rest of the school. This we believe serves the needs of our community in two main ways by providing:
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he Bible gives us a very good insight into the attitude that Jesus had towards children in Mark 10:13-16 (TM): ‘The people brought children to Jesus, hoping He might touch them. The disciples shooed them off. But Jesus was irate and let them know it: “Don’t push these children away. Don’t ever get between them and me. These children are at the very centre of life in the kingdom. Mark this: Unless you accept God’s kingdom in the simplicity of a child, you’ll never get in.” Then, gathering the children up in His arms, He laid His hands of blessing on them.’
PCS Preschool
It is also a privilege to introduce you to our engaging and funny Mrs Allison Peña who teaches Year 1; and, to share with you the amazing experiences of our Mission Tonga team.
Early Childhood Services
Contents
Early Childhood Services
Welcome to Term 3 2014 PhoCuS
without ever having to be taught how to do it. Yet in children there is a dimension of knowing God that adults often lack and which gets lost and overwhelmed in the complexities of our own self-absorption as we age. As a community of Christians it is entirely appropriate, therefore, that Early Childhood Education should be a focus, priority and a calling for Christian schools and teachers to be engaged with. At PCS we entered into this arena in 2007 when we commenced our Preparatory School program for 4-year-olds. It has long been a desire though, that we could serve families by offering a Christian Preschool, so younger children could be nurtured in an environment that was in keeping with the values and worldview held by families who have, or wish to have, children enrolled at PCS.
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a childcare service between 6.30 am and 6.00 pm which allows parents to work and have their children in the care of a service with a Christian worldview focus
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an educationally focused service for our younger children that is designed to not only meet the needs of childcare, but to also add valuable contextual educational experiences to enable children to develop appropriately towards the commencement of their formal schooling years in Kindergarten.
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CS Preschool program offers children (aged 3-4 years) the opportunity to experience a broad range of learning opportunities in preparation for Prep School and formal schooling. The Preschool program runs alongside the routines and programs implemented in the Prep School, assisting in a smooth transition into Prep. Preschool is a great opportunity for children to develop friendships, explore their interests with peers; and, develop confidence and a sense of belonging. Each day begins with Devotions as an opportunity for each child to discover the joy of learning all about God, His creation and themselves. The children then participate in exploring their interests in literacy, numeracy, science,
nature, music, fine motor and gross motor skills within play contexts. Our School Readiness program provides the children with the opportunity to use their fine motor skills in cutting, gluing, drawing and creating. The children also engage in music and movement experiences, which allows them the opportunity to foster an appreciation for listening to and creating music; and, exploring expressively through movement. Every day is OPEN DAY at PCS, so book a tour or contact me if you are interested in learning more about our Preschool program and Early Childhood Services.
Mrs Sharon Tuft Executive Manager
These new services add to our vision for ‘One School, One Decision’ as we offer parents Christ centred education from the early childhood years through to Year 12. Enrolments for 2015 are already close to full for all positions and this is encouraging to see. If you are considering enrolling your child for either 2015 or future years, please contact Sharon Tuft to ensure you don’t miss out.
Mr Bruce Nevill Principal
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Year 3 at The Rocks W
e have been studying British Colonisation in Year 3 and went on an amazing walking tour of The Rocks, Sydney, which was the perfect way to finish this unit. We were sad Mrs Blight was unable to come on the excursion, but were very grateful to Mr Spare who joined us on our adventure. Our day started off well with a speedy bus trip into Sydney. After a quick recess, our tour was to begin. Before we set out though, everyone had to dress up as a character from colonial times. One student was dressed as Governor Phillip, some as soldiers and the rest of us were convicts. Even our parent helpers dressed up too! Our guides took us on a wonderful tour of The Rocks and told us many stories of the convicts and the early settlers. We also learned a lot about the first interactions the white settlers had with the aboriginal people and the impact they had on the aboriginal way of life over the early colonial years. After walking around The Rocks for two hours there were many tired and hungry people ready to have lunch. We ventured up to Sydney Observatory Park and had lunch with a beautiful view of Sydney Harbour.
The bus trip home was certainly a lot quieter than on the way in as many drifted off and had a snooze on the way home. Mr Lachlan Whale - 3W Mrs Dani Blight - 3B Mr Cliff Spare - Head of Junior School A few comments about the excursion: My favourite part of the excursion was seeing the tall ships in the Harbour. Diya Paulose – 3W I dressed up as Francis Greenway. One thing I learnt was that they used limestone and crushed shells as cement for the sandstone bricks. Ethan Grice – 3B I liked the excursion because we got to learn about what Australia was first like when the British settled here. Emre Dalkic – 3B
Junior School PE & Sport Physical activity is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. At PCS, we promote physical activity and healthy living through PE lessons and our sport program, as well as a Crunch&Sip® healthy snack time each day. Healthy eating behaviours are modelled in the classroom and reinforce the nutrition messages in the PDHPE curriculum. Healthy habits developed in K-4 can continue through school into adolescence and adulthood.
represent the school against other schools within the Penrith District in sports such as: Tee-Ball, Newcomb Ball, Soccer, AFL and Netball. Other sporting activities offered this term included: the K-6 Commonwealth Games Fun Day, K-4 Swim School Program and State Gala Days.
Students in Years K-2 participate in Physical Education twice a week with their class teachers. Year 3 and Year 4 students are taught by specialist PE staff one lesson per week and participate in Years 3-6 Sport on Fridays.
Students in Years 3 and 4, and those in Year 2 who turn 8 years old, have the opportunity each year to compete in the Swimming and Athletics Carnivals; and, the annual school Cross Country is a fun day for all K-4. Many students from these events go on to represent PCS at Zone Level and some represent the Zone at a Christian Schools State Level.
In Friday Sport, students can experience a range of recreational physical activities; or
Mr Andrew Hutchinson K–12 PDHPE and Sport Coordinator
I was dressed up as John Irvine. He was sent out on the First Fleet for stealing a metal cup from a widow. Keegan Healey – 3B My favourite part was dressing up and seeing the old buildings in Sydney. Jake Clinton – 3W I was dressed as John Herbert. He was sentenced to seven years in the colony for stealing a spoon and a handkerchief. Caleb Taylor – 3W
Year 4 visits UWS Observatory O
n 11 August we visited the UWS Observatory because we were learning about the Solar System in class. The staff explained to us about the Solar System and said it has been there for over four billion years. We watched a cool 3D movie which explained about the size of the planets and many interesting facts. After the movie, we went to the telescopes. We saw Saturn, stars, moon, Jupiter and other planets. After that we had supper. It was the best night ever! I wish we could go again. Bennett Cyril – 4G Year 4 went on a night excursion to the Observatory. Everyone arrived around 7.00 pm. Before we went in we took some group photos and thanked God for the beautiful night that He had given us. Our Guide’s name was Raelene. We sat down and she went over some very important safety rules and talked about the planets, moon, stars and our own galaxy, the Milky Way. We watched two videos. One was about the sun and how there is a small leakage in our atmosphere. The next was
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a 3D movie; this one was just about the sun. We went outside and looked through telescopes at Saturn, the Butterfly Cluster, the Super Moon and so much more. The Observatory was one of the best things we have done in Year 4! Elizabeth Weeks – 4H At the Observatory, I learned that a light year is 9,460,730,472,580,800 metres exactly and also, that it will take more than one million years to shine a light across the Milky Way. One of the main things that got the kids’ attention was the 3D movie. The presentation was really interesting and I learned a lot about the different kinds of stars and galaxies; and, I got to learn about the biggest stars out there, like VY Canis Majoris and Rigel. Next we looked though telescopes at the big super moon. We saw many things like craters on the moon, galaxies. My most favourite thing of all was to see Saturn and its big yellow rings made out of moons and asteroids. The excursion was probably my favourite excursion ever! Mitchell Collinson – 4H
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Beyond (Missions)
Tonga Mission Trip No matter how many times we were told otherwise, I still expected to see grass huts everywhere I looked. Wanting to get into the Tongan culture, our entire first day was pretty laid back: buffet breakfast, shopping and lunch at the local markets, and meeting our host families. There were speeches and hugs and itineraries to get through before we split up and went home with our new families. The following day was easygoing. Our families dressed us up for a two hour church service (in Tongan) followed by a traditional Sunday feast and a nap. Monday was spent getting to know the students and teachers at Tupou High School, Nukunuku Campus. We had an official welcoming ceremony and got the chance to play sport with the students – they really love volleyball and touch footy. On Tuesday we went on an island tour with our host families. We saw sacred sites, beautiful scenery and capped the day off with a ‘Palangi’
(Aussie) night. The next day we sang and performed for the Primary School students and taught our first English class, as well as helping prepare for ‘Tongan’ night. On Thursday we experienced a Tongan beach first-hand and traditional Tongan food. Friday we had a formal farewell, filled with performances and gift-giving. As a parting ‘gift’ the PCS team cleaned out their school library. We found lots of spiders – not all of them dead! On the Friday night we gave our host families gifts, shed tears and packed our bags. Sunday we spent at an island beach jumping off shipwrecks and walking around. The fun was capped off with walking for twenty minutes in the pouring rain to a Chinese restaurant. We all got soaked, but it was still fun. The final Monday we were all packed and spent it sitting around at the airports thinking of the experiences we’d had. Jackson Goss – Year 11
Introducing ...
Allison Peña
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was born in Goulburn NSW, the second of six children.
My Dad was a Draftsman and one of my first memories is, at five years old, heading down to my Dad’s shop with my younger brother so we could get a lift home with him on his motorbike. After crossing the highway and many kilometres and hours later, we turned up, only to be disappointed to not get a ride home. An old biddy from church had thwarted our plans and I think we had given my parents early heart failure. We moved to Sydney when I was ten years old. I learnt quickly that after living on four acres, we couldn’t leave things lying where we left them and go back to find them again. After moving to Nelson Bay I finished Year 12 and started Primary Teaching at Newcastle University. In third year uni I moved back to Sydney and married Ronnie. I had Isaac in August and as I only had a few months left of Uni and was doing my fourth year part time at night, Ronnie would pace the University Library with him while I completed my degree. Two and a half years later our family was complete with the birth of Sarah. I began casual teaching after Isaac started school at PCS and enjoyed getting into lots of different schools and classrooms. Six years ago I started job-sharing at PCS with Sam Dawkins on Year 4. I loved working with Sam and was sad when she moved to Arizona. I love the heart for Missions at PCS and seeing students not focus on themselves, but on others. I was blessed last year to go with the team to Darwin and serve with them in schools and at ImagineNations Church, Darwin.
I will give anything a go once or twice … Falling out of two perfectly good planes and walking the Six Foot Track for WestCare; iFly earlier this year for ‘professional development’ of course! I love the beach, four-wheel driving and wish I had more time for photography. I love my family and hanging out with the extended family. With 16 nieces and nephews, Christmas and family time is always crazy and fun. I love teaching at PCS and having my kids here too, where they both are using their passions here and at ImagineNations Church. I love being able to talk to kids about how much God loves them and how they are not too young to change the world too. I love teaching and using fun and different ways to get kids to learn. I love technology and using the iTV, iPads and computers for learning. I love watching children ‘get it’! I love seeing children learn and experience success. I love seeing kids try again if they don’t succeed the first time. Above all, I love doing something I love, in a team who supports each other and who allows me to have fun – sometimes. Mrs Allison Peña Year 1 Teacher
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