A Glimpse into the Future
We are at the end of a very busy Term 3. Looking back over the term, there have been so many different things that our students have been involved in – camps, open classrooms, performing arts concerts, Book week to name a few. It has been such a joy to welcome families into classrooms to share in the learning happening there.
The end of this term also marks the end of our Year 12 students’ time with us at the College. As the Junior School lined up to create a guard of honour for them before their Graduation Assembly this week, one of our Junior School teachers said to me “These students were my first Year 6 class at the College”. I looked down the lines of children to where our current Year 6 were standing, and thought about all the experiences they will have as they move through Senior School, finally arriving at their own graduation. Some of these will be positive and some will be challenging for them, and the best way to prepare them for this journey is to teach and provide them opportunities to grow in persistence, gratitude, resilience, adaptability and responsible risk-taking.
All these things are part of the Powerful Learner Framework that we teach from Prep to Year 12. These things are not learned in one lesson, or even over a week. But they are grown and developed over time – a bit like strengthening a muscle. Building muscle strength takes time and practice. Sometimes this involves struggling through hard situations.
As parents, we often find it very difficult to watch our children struggle. Our natural instinct is to take away the pain, ease the difficulty and solve the problem for them. Sometimes we do need to step in, but if this is always our first reaction, we can deprive our children of the opportunity to grow those powerful learner muscles.
I was speaking with some of our Prep students this week and they were excitedly telling me some of the things they were going to be doing during the holiday break. I know that many families will be taking the opportunity to get away and spend some time together, as will our hardworking staff. Thank you for the way you have supported and encouraged our teaching and support staff this term – we really appreciate it – and we are looing forward to seeing each of our students continue to grow throughout Term 4.
God bless,
Mrs Jenny Squire
Deputy Principal – Head of Junior School
Sport
3-6 College Sport
This term, our Year 3-6 students began learning frisbee skills from an expert coach and volleyball skills from our teachers. These skills will benefit them as they develop their sporting skills and were excellent preparation for the House Cup in Week 10. Each House competed in modified volleyball, hockey, frisbee, and soccer at the House Cup. Congratulations to Wilberforce, who won this term’s competition by 3 points!
Todd Woodbridge Cup
On Monday, Week 10, several students represented the College at the Todd Woodbridge Cup tennis competition. They played with excellent skill and sportsmanship throughout the day. The Year 3-4 team finished as runners-up and qualified for the regional finals next term. We are looking for two more girls to join this team. Please let Mr Barber know via email (jbarber@opac.nsw.edu.au) if your daughter would like to join the team. This competition is perfect for beginners, with minimal experience required to participate.
The Year 5-6 team won their competition, and have qualified for the state finals next term. Congratulations to both teams on their incredible efforts at this event! We look forward to hearing about how they go in their next events in Term 4.
K-2 Athletics Carnival
Unfortunately, the rainy weather on Thursday caused us to postpone the K-2 Athletics Carnival until the first week of Term 4. This event will now be held on Thursday, October 17th, from 9:00 to 11:00 am.
CSSA and CIS Nominations
From time to time, the College can nominate some of our exceptional athletes to trial for CSSA or CIS representative teams. These teams are selected for high level representative competitions, drawing from almost 100 schools across NSW. If you would like the College to nominate your child for one of these events, please follow the procedure below:
- Go to the CSSA website to see the list and dates of these trials (cssa.net.au)
- Email me (jbarber@opac.nsw.edu.au), expressing your child’s interest, background, and skills in the sport
- If they fit the requirements of the trials, I will nominate them to attend
- Attend the trials with your child
Upcoming Events
Term 4 Week 1
Wednesday (16/10):
- IPSSO bye- students will train with their teams during normal College Sport time.
Thursday (17/10)
- K-2 Athletics Carnival at the College. Parents are invited to attend, spectating from the grandstand between 9 am and 11 am.
Term 4 Week 2
Monday (21/10):
- Todd Woodbridge Cup Stage 2 regional finals (selected students)
Wednesday (23/10):
- IPSSO training at 7:45 am.
- IPSSO games against Wollondilly Anglican College. Junior games begin at 11:30 am; senior games begin at 1:00 pm. Cricket and girls’ soccer games will be held at Doohan Reserve, and basketball and Oz Tag games will be held at the College.
Thursday (24/10):
- Year 1 Swimming program.
God bless,
Mr Joshua Barber
Junior School Sports Coordinator
