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Welcoming new students and families

During the past two weeks we have welcomed our new 2019 Prep and Kindergarten students and their families to our school. It is extremely exciting and encouraging to have our Prep classes full in 2019, as well as introduce a third Kindergarten class.

The children were able to settle into the learning spaces smoothly and begin to feel familiar with their classrooms, the playground and meet teachers. There was a really positive and exciting atmosphere during both mornings amongst the parents, students and teachers.  The children played with new friends and made some craft to take home.

I’d like to thank our Early Stage One teachers, support staff, Year 6 students and Year 11 students for their contribution to these events. Next Wednesday, our Kindergarten students and parents will join us once more for another morning at school.

We look forward to partnering with parents to care for and teach these precious children in the coming years.

Mr Paul Carter
Head of Junior School


From the Principal

Mr Brett Hartley

November is often an intense month for a range of people. Workplaces become more intense, students complete exams and assignments and families try to find time to organise their Christmas celebrations and summer holidays. When we are immersed, and sometimes feel submerged, in this busyness it can be helpful to take a brief moment to look beyond the immediate demands on our time. This can involve thinking of, providing financial support to and praying for those less fortunate than ourselves; from those in our city who are struggling to make ends meet to those living in slums in India to people trying to survive in war-torn Syria. Reflectively praying for these people is an important end in itself as well as helping us to gain perspective on our own situation.

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Amazing Me

Mr Paul Carter

Last night Rowena Thomas from ‘Amazing Me’ came and spoke with Year 4,5 and 6 students and their parents about topics such as where babies come from, how I grow and change and puberty. It was great to see so that many families took up this opportunity to learn and discuss these topics in a fun but informative way. Rowena has a wonderful ability to present the material with a Christian perspective and in a style that helps everyone to feel comfortable and contribute.


2019 fee structure approved

The 2019 Fee Structure was approved at the General Meeting of the company held 25 October.

The Fee Structure has been set to ensure the school is able to continue providing affordable high quality education. The budgeted surplus will also ensure the school is able to maintain it’s asset base and to continue the various capital works outlined in the master Building Plan. Regular visitors to the school will have noticed the capital improvements completed during the year, with more scheduled for 2019.

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Optometrist endorses Sunnies at School

Optometrist Ian Cleaver, association member and former parent at Shire Christian School, has supported the newly introduced 'Sunnies at School' initiative. 

'It is important that children wear sunglasses when spending long periods outdoors to reduce the effects of UV exposure later in life.'

We thank Mr Cleaver for his time in writing the below article for the newsletter. 

You may be aware of the dangers of UV exposure to your skin, but are you aware that your eyes are vulnerable to UV damage anytime of the day, anytime of the year?

Almost 60 per cent of Australians believe it is only the midday sun that poses the greatest UV threat but this not the case. UV exposure to the eye before 10am and after 2pm may be higher than during the middle of the day on some days due to the angle of the sun in relation to the eye.

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For One Night Only

Congratulations to all the students who performed at For One Night Only last week! Thanks also to everyone who joined us as part of the audience to celebrate the 20 years that FONO has been running.

Performance nights like these don't just happen. We can't just roll out what we did last year. It is a monumental effort spanning a large portion of our school year.

I want to particularly thank Mrs Elissa Stonestreet, Mr David Stonestreet and Mrs Bronwyn Irvine for putting in countless hours on top of their regular teaching load. Thanks also to Mrs Kerrie Baker and Mr Rhys Williams for helping the show to run smoothly and look incredible. This year was the first year where students filled the key roles backstage and behind the scenes. I was incredibly proud of the 30+ students who served our school in this way.

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Year 10 History: the Vietnam War experience

Joel Stokes (Year 10 student)

On Monday 14 October, Year 10 history classes were fortunate enough to have three visitors come to school and talk to us, as an introduction to our unit of study on the Vietnam War.

Upon our arrival in the second half of lunch, they had an extensive collection of various equipment, clothing, medals, disarmed explosives, and diagrams displayed throughout the school hall. We were able to observe all of the items that they had collected over a number of years.

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Reflections from Year 4 Camp

Keira: The waterslide was my favourite part.  I really enjoyed helping out with the meal duties. It was a really good experience.
 
Abby G: I also enjoyed the waterslide because we got to do it with friends and spending time in the cabins overnight with my friends.
 
Maddie: I really liked pool canoeing because we got to canoe with our friends and afterwards we could swim around in the big pool.
 
Yuuna: Camp was like a big sleepover. We got to hang with friends and do activities like pool canoeing and the waterslide.
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Year 5 Camp

Year 5 had a great time on our overnight camp. We participated in a range of activities designed to nudge us out of our comfort zones and build resilience. Some of our favourite activities included the low ropes obstacle course, rock climbing and canoeing in the bay. Even though many of us had not done some of these activities before, we all had a go and experienced success. Our camp leaders were so friendly and after each activity we discussed how we felt and what we might like to improve on for next time.

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Silver Duke of Edinburgh Hike

Lara Knight (Year 10 student)

On Thursday 25 to Saturday 27 October, three teachers and eight students from year 10 participated in the Silver Duke of Edinburgh qualifying hike. After completing 44km of the great Northern Walk for our practice hike, we were well prepared for the 45km from Katoomba to Jenolan. On our first day, we walked 15km, mostly downhill, including walking over a wobbly suspension bridge. At the campsite, there were many wallabies, and we were able to cool down in the shallow river nearby.

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Mullins sisters win Oztag World Cup

On the weekend of November 3, Isabelle and Georgia Mullins (Year 10) represented Australia in Oztag at the Tag World Cup 2018 at Coffs Harbour. Many nations from across the globe compete in this highly acclaimed tournament. Amazingly, the girls and their U16s team went through the tournament undefeated which included a come from behind victory over New Zealand. The team won the Grand Final 10-0, against a strong Australian Indigenous side. Congratulations to both Isabelle and Georgia on an incredible achievement!

Mr Peter Richardson
Head of Secondary Sport

Jessica cruises to win Tennis Gala Day

The Secondary School Tennis Gala Day was held on Tuesday at Beaton Park Wollongong, with a small but enthusiastic team representing Shire Christian School in the Junior Boys and Open Girls divisions.

Leading the way for Shire Christian was Jessica Robinson, who played amazingly all day and was successful in the Girls Open Final, winning comfortably 6 games to 1. Jessica trains very hard and demonstrated without a doubt the best technique I have seen from a student at our school for many years. She will now go on to represent CSSA at the Combined Independent Schools (CIS) competition early next year. Congratulations Jessica!

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Primary Cricket Gala Day

With the weather warming, it's time to bring on the summer sports!

The annual Primary CSSA Cricket gala Day was again played at Coachwood Oval, Alfords Point between arch rivals William Carey Christian School, Inaburra School and Shire Christian Schools.

We were blessed with perfect weather for cricket, a slight cooling breeze and plenty of sunshine.

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U15s Cricket Gala Day

On Monday, 5 November, the U15s Cricket Team competed in a Twenty20 cricket gala day against William Carey Christian School and Inaburra School.
 
The first game was a close affair, in which Shire restricted a talented William Carey Team to 134 runs. Shire bowled and fielded brilliantly but still had a tough run chase ahead of them. Jake and Harry started brilliantly with some classic cricket shots being played and the opposition bowling being dispatched to the boundary. Matt Thompson came in and dominated, scoring a quick fire 30 runs from 16 balls. This innings put Shire in the box seat for the run chase. Unfortunately, a few quick wickets fell, so the score ticked over very slowly, which Shire was unable to recover from. William Carey won by 15 runs.

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Are we encouraging each other?

Rev Bruce Christian

The Elders at our church are currently working through “The Vine Project”, by Col. Marshall and Tony Payne.  It is a good reminder to me of how important it is for us all to be involved, actively and deliberately, in encouraging each other in our spiritual walk. There is so much happening around us to discourage us and wear us down, that we need to use every ‘gift’ God has entrusted to us for this purpose.  Why do we find it so much easier to talk to each other about the weather, or about sport, or about the latest ‘breaking news’ - all of which only tend to discourage us these days - than we do to talk about what God has been doing in our lives, blessing us with good things, or just sustaining us through trials and tribulations?

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Students Leaving

The school would like to remind families that under the terms of the enrolment contract parents are required to provide a term's notice if they wish to withdraw their child.

Uniform Shop Trading Days

Last trading day for Term 4 – Thursday 13 December 2018

Regular trading days resume on Tuesday 29 December 2019

Extra trading days in January

  • Wednesday 23rd - 8.00am -2.00pm
  • Thursday 24th – 8.00am – 2.00pm
  • Friday 25th - 8.00am -2.00pm

The uniform shop encourages parents to make appointments. This can be done either by calling the uniform shop directly or making an appointment online

Regular trading days during school term: Tuesday and Thursday 8.00am- 2.00pm

School password: shire2234

Please refer to the old branded uniform phase out document as you prepare for 2019. 

What's on - Week 5 and 6

 Junior SchoolSecondary School
Week 5
Mon 12 Nov 
 Yr 12 VET Construction: Work Placement
Yr 9 & 10 Semester 2 Examinations
Yr 12 Sign Out Morning
Tues 13 Nov AFL After School ClinicsYr 9&10 Semester 2 Examinations
Wed 14 NovKindergarten Orientation Day 2
Yr 3 Swimming Program
Yr 4 Bounce Gymnastics
Yr 9 History Excursion
Years 7 & 8 - AGAT & PAT Exams

Thurs 15 Nov School TourYr 9&10 Catch Up Exams
CRU Training
Yr 12 Formal 2018
Fri 16 Nov Yr 6 Fire Safety Excursion 
Week 6
Mon 19 Nov
CSSA Primary Basketball Gala Day - Yr 5&6
Yr 4 Excursion Maritime Excursion
Yr 10 Peer Support Training
Tues 20 Nov AFL After School ClinicsYr 9 The Business Concierge
Year 10 Global Awareness Week information session
Asia trip parent night
Wed 21 NovYr 3 Swimming Program
Yr 4 Bounce Gymnastics
Yr10 Business Concierge
Thurs 22 Nov Yr 10 AMOW
Yr 7 2019 Orientation
Fri 23 Nov Yr 10 Social Evening Cruise

Screenagers: the impact of screens on young people

Screenagers is a 70min documentary that explores the impact of screens on young people.

The film will be shown on Wednesday 14 November at 7pm at Jannali Anglican Church and can only be seen by arrangement through Fan Force. Tickets can be purchased online and are $15 plus a $2 booking fee.

In SCREENAGERS, as with her award-winning documentaries on mental health, Physician and filmmaker, Delaney Rushton takes a deeply personal approach as she probes into the vulnerable corners of family life, including her own, to explore struggles over social media, video games, academics and internet addiction. 

 

 

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For Prayer and Praise

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me (Paul), or seen in me - put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you” Philippians 4:8 & 9

  • Pray that our minds would be set on that which is true and noble, right, pure, lovely and admirable and that we will learn from the writings and example of the apostle Paul.
  • Pray for the students who have now completed the HSC exams and pray for an enjoyable evening next week at their formal.
  • Pray for the Year 9 & 10 students sitting their yearly exams next week.
  • Pray for families in our school community experiencing times of anxiety or loss or family upheaval.
  • Pray for continued safety as students and staff travel to and from school each day.

The future of careers in schools

Mrs Robyn Buchanan

Last week I attended the NSW Careers Advisors Association annual conference, an opportunity to hear the latest from various industries, universities, TAFE, private providers and government, as well as spending valuable time sharing with fellow careers advisors from across the state.

The conference included a unique opportunity to undertake a guided tour of one of the remarkable Google campuses. The message from Google is that if you are considering studying Computer Science you should be aware of other degrees or look at picking up a minor in another area of interest. In doing so you will broaden your academic foundation and give a unique edge to your employability.

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Latest Career Path Information

TAFE NSW qualifications + practical skills = Job Ready!

We’re keeping you updated about the many benefits of TAFE NSW courses including practical skills, expert teachers delivering quality knowledge and a variety of post-school options. So, what next?

Our Industry and Career Insights provide in-depth and current facts to help students stay informed with the realities of their future careers.

Tourism and Hospitality
https://www.tafensw.edu.au/documents/60140/219174/Careers_Snapshot-Tourism_Hospitality_and_Events.pdf 

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