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2021 Newsletter Term 1, Week 10

Parkes Christian School

A Message From the High School Coordinator

Papering over the Cracks!

We have recently moved into a house on the road that I loved when I was a kid. This is not something I ever expected to do, or even wanted to do, but it's been a really great experience so far.
However, there is an intersection in the neighbourhood that was always pretty shoddy and things haven't improved since I was a kid. It's a corner that a lot of trucks use on their way to...

continue reading this article, click here...

For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

School News
Year 5 and 6 Excursion 'Midnight Gang'
Throughout the term, students from Year 5 and 6 have been studying the elements of drama. To follow this up, they travelled to Dubbo to attend a theatre adaptation of 'The Midnight Gang.' It was a very wet day in Dubbo. The rain did not dampen any spirits as students were eager and excited to see the production.
Reflecting afterward, students were amazed at how well the small cast covered a variety of roles and how the stage hands expertly used props to create seamless transitions. Additionally, Year 5 and 6 represented the PCS extremely well by listening, cooperating and showing excellent manners to the Dubbo Theatre staff.
Year 9 PDH
During PDH this term, Year 9 got to work on their communication skills. Everyday talking does not necessarily equal communication.  Plenty of people talk and do not communicate effectively. It doesn’t always come naturally.  It is something that has to be intentionally learned. Therefore it is important to learn the principles behind communication and how to effectively communicate in order to develop meaningful life relationships. Why is this so important? Friendships fall apart because of lack of communication or poor communication.  In work relationships, one has to communicate in order to solve problems and reach the goals of the company. People need communication skills for more stressful situations like job interviews, Group Meetings, and Public Presentations.  It is impossible to do well in these situations without knowledge and practice. Everyone wants to be successful. You can have all of the knowledge and skills in the world, but if you do not have communication skills you cannot be successful. 
In order to practice these valuable skills, students broke up into teams of 3 – 4. In each team, one student was the “architect”, responsible for designing an original design using interconnecting building blocks, but also in figuring out how best to describe his/her creation. One student was the “runner”; this student was responsible for passing along the architect’s instructions verbally and also reporting back to the architect on the status of the building. One or two students were the “builders” – they were attempting to recreate the architect’s design, even though they were not able to see the original. This was such a fun activity with some impressive results! Well done Year 9.
Mrs Muller
Meet Year 9
Year 9 truly are an amazing group of students! We have students who are interested in so many different things, have such different talents and abilities, and yet they get along with each other so well.
Some of our Year 9s have been very focussed on their studies this term and already achieved some excellent results in assessments and exams. Others have achieved success in Zone and State Swimming, or hockey and touch football. We also had a number of students perform in MADD Night and they will also be involved in The Little Mermaid later this year.
Our SRC representatives, Marcus and Tilly, have also been doing a wonderful job keeping the class up to date with what's happening around the school and sparking conversations about how we can improve the school. Year 9 also had the privilege to write letters for a community in the Northern Territory. Marnie Noakes organised alongside the Rotary Club which targets reducing the rate of trachoma (bacterial eye infection that can cause blindness). It was great to be a small part of this project! 

Miss Oates and I work hard to make sure the achievements of all our students are recognised no matter in what area, and no matter how big or small. We have been thrilled to see Year 9 being positive contributors to our school community, and great role models for younger students.
We are looking forward to seeing what else they achieve this year as they start to move towards the senior years! Wow, HSC here we come!!!
Miss Oates and Mr Ballantyne
Meet Year 10
Year 10 have made a great start to 2021. We have seen the Year 10's start off strong in their studies and in their extra curricular activities. The Swimming Carnival saw a great number competing and many going to Zone Swimming to represent the school. Some standouts were Jack, Bella and William. Year 10 have been developing their netball skills in PE, in preparation for the upcoming Gala Day, and the Multimedia students have been working on their portfolios, with Toby Field developing his photography skills, Althea and Blake utilising Minecraft, and Eric working on his audio and video editing skills. Mary has been a welcome addition to the class and has been working on learning the drums in Music, and taking on the senior SLR course along with Wira, Ashlee, Jasmine and Mackenna. The PASS class along with the SLR students have also been working on creating the obstacle course for the upcoming King and Queen of the Mountain. The Year 10's have also headed offsite for a few excursions, with the Ag kids heading to the watermelon farm in Forbes and the Science class heading to PAC Park. It has been a busy year so far, and the students are looking forward to a rest before tackling Term 2. Well done Year 10!
Miss Barrass and Mr Brown
Student Representative Council
Name: Marcus Moss. 
Class: Year 9.
Quote to live by: No amount of money ever bought a second of time.
Person who inspires you the most and why: Arnold Schwarzenegger because he inspires me to keep pushing through tough things like how he pushes through to get so strong. I want to push through the tough things in life.
What do you want to see happen at PCS in 2021: I would like to see classes develop stronger relationships with their peers.
What is your definition of leadership: Someone who stands up for what they believe in and not backing down for when things get a little bit tricky.
What is something that you want people to know about you: I play tennis, have a job at Subway and like to have fun.
Favourite thing about school: The friendships you make.
Name: Matilda Wilson.
Class: Year 9.
Quote to live by: 
There are two that I love at the moment
  • Look beyond what you see - The Lion King
  • Life is like a piano, the white keys show happiness, the black keys show sadness, but as you go through life remember that the black keys help make beautiful music as well.
Person who inspires you the most and why: So many people inspire me it is hard to choose one so I won’t. My mum and dad are two of the biggest inspirations in my life, they have faced so much and they both still manage to put on a smile and enjoy life. Also my grandmother has had some pretty major health issues in the past but not once complains about it. Finally, there is one friend in particular who is just the most amazing person and she inspires me every single day.
What do you want to see happen at PCS in 2021: I would love to see more events within the school that showcases people’s creative side. Coming from someone who despises sports, it would be great to let kids without those sporting abilities shine at what they are passionate about.
What is your definition of leadership: Leadership to me is not being afraid to step out of your comfort zone to set a good example for others. Also to be approachable and always having time for people who need assistance of any sort.
What is something that you want people to know about you:
 I always have time for others' needs or concerns.
Favourite thing about school: The school’s environment is like nothing I’ve seen anywhere else. Everyone knows everyone and everybody cares. I love that teachers put in 110% into their lessons and that they believe in their students.
Crazy Sock Day
On Wednesday this week, we celebrated our creative and wild sides with Crazy Sock day. There were lots of colourful store-bought contenders as well as many DIY creations that included Mr Westcott’s Wallabies mice creation, a primary entry that was popcorn inspired and one high school colourful crocheted sock creation. Thank you all for participating and donating a gold coin towards the SRC fundraising of 2021. We hope to share our fundraising adventures with you next term. Stay tuned for more announcements of events and SRC purchases next term.
The Army Visits PCS
The Army came to visit our school last Wednesday. Four men from different jobs talked to us about their experiences in the army; including an ex-student of PCS! They brought a medic vehicle and an electrician vehicle for us students to look at. I’m very keen to join the army when I leave school so this was a really great opportunity to ask questions and get them answered by people who have gone through the whole process of joining the army. Some of the questions I asked were, “what is the training process like when you first join?”, “How important are grades when joining?” and “How hard is it to leave if you join and find that the army is not for you?” They answered my questions really well, when I asked about training they told me that it depends on the job you choose. For example if you were to choose to be an electrician they would just get you to a basic level of fitness. They also said that it’s the same with grades, it all depends on what job you choose. I asked him about leaving and he said “If you don’t want to be there the army doesn’t want you there, look at it from the Army's perspective.” This was great to have time to ask my questions and other students from Kinder to Year 12 were able to sit in and look through the equipment. Thanks to everyone that made this possible!
Written by Jasmine Collier
The House Challenge
Over the last two weeks our House Captains in High School have started an initiative that has been long in the works. Our goal was to encourage people coming together at lunch for some fun and foster a little fun and healthy competition between our houses. We started small but we have big plans for future competitions in a range of areas including; sport, academics, creative arts and special skills. 
First up though was our High School Touch Competition which saw the Lions, Sharks and Eagles go head to head in teams selected by our Captains from Years 7 to 12. The results are listed below. A special mention to our House Captains especially Nick and Tyler who got the competition up and running and fostered great sportsmanship during each game. It was great to see everyone out there cheering on their team! 
Game 1: Lions 1 (Chloe Amery)  v Eagles 1 (Jack McMaster) 
Player of the Match - William Ellis
Game 2: Eagles 1 (Jack McMaster)  v  Sharks 3 (Nick Unger x2 & Ella Ross)
Player of the Match - Nick Unger
Game 3: Sharks 3 (Logan Varcoe x 3) v Lions 2 (Tyler Boland & William Ellis) 
Player of the Match - Logan Varcoe
Final: Sharks 2 (Nick Unger, Wira Thomson) v Lions 4 (Tyler Boland x 2, Chloe Amery, William Ellis)
Player of the Match - Tyler Boland 
Next up in Term 2....Primary and High School Soccer and Chess Tournaments!
Pie Day
What a great day it was. We consumed pies, lots in fact. Nearly as many pies as Angelique can remember the digits of Pi, retaining her championship for a three-peat. Mila Ballantyne is testing her ability, reciting the famous number to 60 decimal places.
Heidi Barker is quite the baker with a beautiful Lemon Meringue Pie (I ate a lot of it - it was that good). Maddison Wynstra baked an apple pie with an apple tree and a bright red apple on it to commemorate Isaac Newton's birthday! 
Mr Wynstra baked a succulent Lamb Shank Pie.
These three were our Pie baking champions.
But the pie-eating: Mr Brown shone in the teachers race, covering Mrs Milne and Mrs Van Wyk in crumbs in his wake.
Zac Nash inhaled his PIe and took out overall chamPIon along with the Stage 4 title.
Marcus Moss was not far behind as Stage 5 chamPIon, whilst Oliver Hill was the Primary ChamPIon, and in the seniors Davey Moss took the Crown.
What a great day, and we shall do it all again next year.
MADD Night
It was wonderful to see MADD Night back this year! My favourite thing about MADD Night is the opportunity for ALL students to present their performing and creative skills to an audience. The artwork ranged from sketches to sculpture, screen printing and quilting. And on stage, we had instrumentalists, bands, dancers, a karate demonstration and more.
My vision for MADD Nights is to promote and encourage emerging and experienced artists and performers, and we had all of that. Some of our performers were complete beginners - and the process of waiting with them backstage, to celebrating with them as they came off buzzing after they performed for our school community, was what makes putting on events like this worthwhile. At some point, our most polished and confident performers were also the ones waiting nervously backstage and I am delighted to give this opportunity to all of our students (and some teachers...)
Thanks to everyone who was involved in any way with making the night a success - and I look forward to bringing another MADD Night to the school community in Term 3.
MIss Harris
PCS Staff
Name: Amy Crawford. 
Your Role at School: Kindergarten Teacher.

Favourite School Memory: Singing in choir.
Fun Fact: I have one thing in common with Donald Bradman - both born in Cootamundra.
The Best Thing about Working at PCS: The supportive and caring nature of the staff.
Favourite Quote/Verse: For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11
A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. Proverbs 15:1
Name: Hayley Ballantyne.
Your Role at School: Social Media / Promotions Officer
.
Favourite School Memory: Receiving my first main role as a 'Punk Pig' in the Primary school play.
Fun Fact: When I was younger I could use my arms as a skipping rope because I have double jointed shoulders.
The Best Thing about Working at PCS: Being in a school where everyone encourages each other. I am also privileged to be able to photograph students and staff and I just love seeing their happy faces each day.
Favourite Quote/Verse: To see a world in a grain of sand, and a heaven in a wild flower. Hold infinity in the palm of your hand, and eternity in an hour. "Poet William Blake'
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SCHOOL CALENDAR


Monday 29 March
  • Year 11 Exams (9:00am - 12:00pm)
  • Netball Gala Day - Selected Primary and High School Students (9am - 2:30pm)
  • Homework Hub - Yrs 2 - Yr 12 (3:07pm - 4:00pm)
Tuesday 30 March
  • Year 11 Exams (9:00am - 11:00am)
  • CSSA State Swimming - High School
  • Term 1 House Cup Winners Pizza Party (12:50pm - 1:30pm)
  • '91 Storey Treehouse' Orange Excursion - Yr 3 and 4 (9:00am - 5:00pm)
Wednesday 31 March
  • Year 11 Exams (11:00am - 2:00pm)
  • AFL Gala Day in Cowra - selected Yr 7 - Yr 10 students (7:45am - 3:45pm)
  • Easter Service (10am - 11am)
Thursday 1 April
  • Last Day of School for Term 1
  • King and Queen of the Mountain Cross Country + Obstacle Course + Mini Colour Run (11:30am - 3:00pm)
to see more calendar dates for 2021, click here...

High School Assessments

Monday 29 March

  • Year 7 Girls Tech - Google Classroom Tasks
  • Year 9 History - Ideas Exhibition
  • Year 10 History - Rights and Freedoms Exhibition
  • Year 11 Yearly Exams - Mathematics
  • Seniors Business Studies - Business Plan and Pitch
Tuesday 30 March
  • Years 7/8 Mathematics - Financial, Mathematics/Real Number Project
  • Year 8 Girls Tech - Classwork Activities from Term 1
  • Year 10 Science - Ecology Report
  • Year 11 Yearly Exams - Multimedia, Engineering Studies, Biology and Work Studies

Wednesday 31 March

  • Years 7 Art - Visual Art Journal Entries during Term 1 and Completed Artworks
  • Years 8 Art - Visual Art Journal Entries during Term 1
  • Years 8 Geography - Water as a Resource
  • Year 9 Mathematics - Financial, Mathematics/Real Number Project
  • Year 9/10 PASS - Class Activities during Term 1 
  • Year 9/10 Agriculture - Dairy and Beef Cattle
  • Year 10 Mathematics - Financial Mathematics Project
  • Year 11 Yearly Exams - Business Studies (Business Pitch), Design and Technology, Music (Performance and Listening Task)
Upcoming School Events
EASTER ASSEMBLY
We will be holding our Easter Assembly at 10am on Wednesday 31 March.
All parents and caregivers are welcome to attend.
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