The Vine Issue 17 – 2019

ACTING COLLEGE PRINCIPAL

Mr Andrew Whiteman

“Every Problem has a solution you just have to be creative enough to find it.” 

This quote could not be more evident in last weekend’s First Lego League competition. For those that missed it, Pedare was host to over 600 students from around the state competing for a chance to represent SA in the National finals in Melbourne. Problem solving was the order of the day as the students worked tirelessly on their imaginary city problems. Teams had to present to a panel of judges their ideas and also use their coding skills, robot design and building skills to tackle challenges. I could not have been more proud of the students and staff that represented Pedare.

From our youngest members, the Year 4 team, joining our Middle School teams, the students were brilliant. Solving problems on the run was a true test of their character and instils in them some real-world experience. At Pedare we want to produce students who are able to perform in the modern world. They are going to have to communicate with others, they need to be creative, think critically about issues and, most importantly, challenge themselves. All these skills and more were evident in the Lego League competition and a huge thank you to Mr Gale as our teams coach and mentor, Mr Zankov, Ms Filippi, Ms Cameron and Mrs Johnson for their outstanding organisation and help to get the event running and to all the staff and parents who helped make the day a success. Good Luck to the Pedare Pioneers as they travel to Melbourne to compete in 2 weeks time.

Coming from a sporting background I was so pleased to see the competitive spirit alive and well at the Junior School Sports Day last week. Congratulations to Brooklyn as they were the winners on the day. The true winners were the students with smiles on their faces as they ran, jumped, threw, crawled and hopped their way around the ovals. Well done to all involved.

Last week in The Vine we included some short video clips rather than the text that has become the tradition of The Vine. The intention is to ‘mix up’ The Vine and to make it easier for parents to connect with the College in smaller more manageable pieces. It may not be every week, but videos may be appearing in your Vine over the remainder of the term. We hope you enjoy them.

Good luck to our Year 12 students as they continue their Stage 2 examinations this week and next. We hope that the students are able to draw on their years of experience of study techniques and put their best effort into their exams. Having a balanced lifestyle over the coming weeks is important and trusting in the work they have completed this year should allow them to enter into the exam room with confidence!

Welcome back to our Chinese Tour staff and students! The students enjoyed a 14-day tour of China and visited 2 schools on their travels. From all reports the students had a ‘once in a lifetime’ experience and enjoyed plenty of firsts, including some interesting foods along the way. A cultural tour such as this one only enriches the study of language and I know the students who attended are focussed more than ever on their language studies. As the world becomes smaller due to technology, those that are able to communicate in another language are one step ahead of the competition. Well done to Ms Ng and Mr Pearce for their organisation and mentorship during the tour.

One College Timetable

The College is pleased to continue our move to One College with the merging of the daily timetables between the three sub-schools. In 2019 we have had two distinct timetables and we are looking forward to seeing the benefits that being on one timetable will bring. A more efficient use of our wonderful learning spaces across the College such as the Blue Gum Sports Centre, the Science and Art rooms is one such example. Our canteen will still be in operation throughout the week and we are working with Rory’s to provide a system that works best for our students. During our break times Junior, Middle and Senior students will be separated and we are working on our plans to continue to provide safe and engaging play areas for students of all ages. Having the same timetable will assist in transition when our students move across schools.

School Times

• 8:15 am: Yard supervision begins
• 8:35 am: School Day begins
• 10:25 am – 10:50 am: Recess
• 1:05 pm – 1:45 pm: Lunch
• 3:15 pm: Students dismissed
• 3:35 pm: Yard supervision ends

The school year is rapidly coming to a close and we encourage all our students to finish the term strong and really focus on the final assessments ahead of them. There are many events in the coming weeks, and I look forward to celebrating the end of another busy year with you all shortly.

 ACTING DEPUTY PRINCIPAL/HEAD OF MIDDLE SCHOOL

 Mrs Lauren Brooks

 ACTING HEAD OF SENIOR SCHOOL

 Ms Jan Robertson

HEAD OF JUNIOR SCHOOL

Mr Randall Pearce

Ni Hao, I am very pleased to back amongst the Junior School students and staff at Pedare. I missed you all greatly in my two weeks away in China. Term 4 is always a very busy term and if you blink you may miss something, and so this article is procedural, sharing processes and information about the end of the year.

Staffing 2020 

For our staff, there is also some movement from year to year, for me change is part of a professional’s journey and so there will be staff moving year levels, staff moving to new schools and challenges is normal and healthy.

Currently we are still deliberating over the staffing mix for 2020 and are dedicated to finding the right teachers and balance across the Junior School to support students, families and to continue to grow the programs that we offer.

At the end of this year, we will farewell Mr Jay Callaghan after two years of dedicated service to the children and families at Pedare.  Mr Callaghan has, in his short time at Pedare, revitalised our Year 4 curriculum with many fresh ideas and innovative approaches to the curriculum. Jay is most likely returning to his home state of Queensland where he is better able to support his family.

Transition

On Friday 8 November, our new Receptions and current Reception classes started their transition visits. For some, this transition will cause great excitement while for others a few anxious moments, this is normal, and we have programs and people in place to support all the students.

Welcome Day

On Thursday 28 November, we will welcome all new students to the College in 2020 from Year 2 to Year 10. Students from Year 2 to Year 5, will be buddied up with a current Pedare student, who will support and welcome these students to our school. All students will spend part of the day in the year level up, familiarising themselves with their cohort and the type of learning that might take place in 2020. Please note that the teacher your child visits on the day may not be their teacher for 2020.

2020 Classes

On Friday 6 December, all Junior School students will have an opportunity to meet their class teacher and classmates for 2020. Please note this year we will not be sending home a finalised class list, instead, you will receive a letter informing you of the class teacher your child will have in 2020.

In Closing

Looking at the end of this term, I can certainly affirm the work and care all staff of Pedare has for each child. The curriculum, activities and events planned will ensure a busy and fun term. More information will follow shortly regarding Thanksgiving for Years 3, 4 and 5 only, and the Junior Primary Nativity Musical for Reception, Year 1 and Year 2. Please check the College website, calendar and newsletters to keep you informed about all the wonderful events planned for this term.

Til Next time

SEQTA ENGAGE

Further to recent communications, it has been pleasing to see so many parents create an account in SEQTA Engage. SEQTA Engage is a Parent Portal and will provide parents with a ‘window’ into the classroom and allows for greater partnership between parents, teachers and students. Through this, parents can access information whenever they choose, using any computer, tablet or smart phone,

For Middle and Senior School parents the SEQTA Engage platform will, in 2020, enable you to:

• receive all your children’s academic results throughout the school year
• upcoming assessment tasks and due dates
• see timetables
• homework
• lesson topics and resources
• see community notices
• access excursion consent forms
• school notices and more…..

Pedare aims for academic excellence and to provide support for all students and both SEQTA Engage and SEQTA Learn help us to do this more efficiently. SEQTA Learn will initially only be available for Year 6 – 12 students. The Junior School will continue to use Seesaw to communicate about student learning with families through the school day.

If you have not yet created an account in SEQTA Engage, another ‘Welcome to SEQTA Engage!’ will be sent next week from SEQTA as the previous link will no longer be valid. Please activate this within 7 days of receiving to ensure that you can access your child’s academic reports at the end of the year.

SEQTA Engage will increase our ability to provide more timely, high impact feedback for student growth and improvement as well as providing faster and better communication with families throughout the year.

Please click here to follow the link for the instructions on how to create an account.

If you require any assistance to create an account in SEQTA Engage please contact Shelley Martin, our IT Support Coordinator at seqtasupport@pedarecc.sa.edu.au

Mr Andrew Whiteman – Acting College Principal

CODE CAMP

Code Camp – Not your average Holiday Camp

Code Camp is back at Pedare in January 2020. Book before Friday 15 November for the Early Bird Discount.

Code Camp are equipping children with the skills to succeed in an increasingly digital future. Join them over the school holidays for 3 days of fun, creativity and coding!

Need a fun, exciting and educational activity to help fill the long Summer holidays? Code Camp is coming back to Pedare Christian College, and if you book on or before Friday 15th November, you’ll get $50 OFF your camp!

Code Camp are offering Spark and Blast 3D oat Pedare 15 -17 January. For more information and to view the Code Camp flyer, please click here.

Book now using code EARLYBIRDSA for your discount: https://www.codecamp.com.au/pedare

Children of the World Musical

Time is moving quickly towards the end of the school term and the annual Junior Primary Christmas Musical. A reminder for all parents/caregivers of our Pedare Junior Primary students that they will be presenting the Children of the World Musical on Wednesday 4 December. This is a delightful musical by Mary Green and Julie Stanley for children aged 5 to 9 years.

Children of the World Musical will be held in the College Chapel from 6:30pm. This will be a wonderful night of entertainment and excitement and a great opportunity for families to come along and support their children.

Junior School Sports Day

Reception Ready at the Zoo

Reception & Year 7 – Peer Teaching

VEX Girl Powered

Year 5, 6, 7 – Chinese Lion Dance

Year 9 – Visual/Media Art Excursion

Science at Pedare

Year 11 – English Art Gallery Excursion

China Tour 2019

JUNIOR SCHOOL SPORTS DAY

Friday 1 November was a perfect day for the Junior School Sports Day with students showing their athletic capabilities and competitiveness in the many different sporting activities. Along with the track and field activities, the children also enjoyed being involved in the sack race, tunnel ball, power vortex throw, egg and spoon race and tug of war. The Receptions to Year 2s also had fun in the Sports Centre with Beanbag Throw, Frisbee Throw and Quoits. After a long and tiring day, the winners of the shield were the Brooklyn Community with the most amount of points.

Well done to all who participated and a big thank you to all our wonderful volunteers and helpers who assisted on the day.

RECEPTION READY AT THE ZOO

On Monday 28 October, Reception Ready students went on their first school excursion to the Adelaide Zoo. This was a part of our Inquiry Unit, How We Express Ourselves. The students have been inquiring into our central idea of ‘Colour is everywhere and has purpose in the world’. As the students explored the zoo, they saw how some animals use camouflage to protect themselves. Some of the highlights were walking through the nocturnal house and also seeing the Pandas, who were outside looking for their treats.

Student comments:

• “The giraffes are yellow and brown. They also have a blue tongue.“ –  Grace
• “I liked the Pandas and I learnt that they eat bamboo.” – Zoe
• “I liked the crocodiles and lions. I learnt that chameleons can be green.“ – Gurbaaj
• “I learnt how the animals hide, using their colour.” – Moses

Mrs Sharon Booth – Reception Ready Teacher

RECEPTION & YEAR 7 – PEER TEACHING

The Receptions’ Central Idea for our Unit of Inquiry for this term is People around the World Celebrate Special Events. We are very interested in learning about different cultures, their celebrations and traditions.

As part of this unit, some Year 7s learnt a dance called Haida. Haida comes from Jewish traditions and is a dance of celebration, often performed at events like weddings. 7Y had fun learning the dance from Ms Young (drawing on her Jewish family roots) and then demonstrating and teaching it to the Receptions. Ms Young was impressed by the Receptions’ knowledge of celebrations from around the world.

Year 7s thoroughly enjoyed their visit and there were many requests to come back to the Receptions to work with them again.

Ms Rachael Young – Year 7 Teacher

VEX GIRL POWERED

Girls from Year 4-8 were involved in the first ever Girl Powered Event at Pedare on Tuesday 29 October.

The event focuses on empowering young girls to consider the exciting future of careers, based around the learning disciplines of STEM. The girls were presented to by Deb Kayser who has had an exciting career in the field of STEM as an engineer working for organisations such as the Australian Air Force, Santos, Clipsal and ProManage Australia.

The girls then undertook an activity in identifying women of technology and were involved in a reflection activity to “dream big!” Listing pathways, they were considering following some of the discussion from the day. Students also built a VEX IQ robot and were given the challenge to program it autonomously to avoid obstacles and get across the other side of the field.

We had Year 9 Technology students help mentor throughout the day and awesome girl powered swag was given out thanks to VEX Robotics and the RECF Foundation.

Thanks to Cat White from the SWIFT Program at University of Adelaide. We look forward to collaborating in the future to keep inspiring our girls at Pedare and the wider community.

Ms Natasha Filippi – Middle Years Technologies Teacher

YEAR 5, 6, 7 – CHINESE LION DANCE

On Monday 28 October, Pedare invited the Trinity College Lion Dance Troupe to give a Lion Dance workshop for the benefit of our Year 6 students. Students enjoyed their wonderful performance and learned for themselves some of the Lion Dance moves and drumming techniques involved in this art form.Lion Dance is an important traditional performance in Chinese culture, used in many celebrations and special occasions throughout the year.For the performers, it is a beneficial combination of acrobatics and dance and can help teach students better resilience, cultural awareness and teamwork.

We are now recruiting members from Junior and Middle School to join the Pedare Lion Dance Club as a part of our Extra-curricular activities. Please contact Mr Guo if you are interested.

Ms Hui Guo – Chinese Teacher

YEAR 9 – VISUAL/MEDIA ART EXCURSION

In Week 3 and 4, Year 9 Visual Art and Media students travelled to the city for a day of immersion into many different types of art practices, cultures and styles. We started the day with a walk through the city streets observing the vibrant and eclectic street art woven through the back streets of the east end. Students then had the opportunity to draw from observation in the tranquil environment of the Botanical Gardens.

From there, we walked to the Art Gallery of South Australia to view the Tarnanthi exhibition and learn about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art. In Kaurna language ‘Tarnanthi’ means to emerge and that’s exactly what the students did; they were inspired by the myriad of different styles, mediums and cultures on display throughout the exhibition.

We then walked to the Samstag Museum, where the students saw a mixed media exhibition titled Ascent by the well-travelled Australian artist Fiona Tan.

Further exploration of these artists and their techniques will continue to inform student learning in the classroom.

Mrs Kai Benyk – Teacher, Visual/Media Art

SCIENCE AT PEDARE

Week 3 was a jam-packed week for students in Science and STEM with a wide range of very engaging and interesting experiences/excursions. Monday 28 October, Stage 1 Biology students went to Adelaide Zoo as part of their studies into Classification, Adaptations & Ecosystems. Students explored the Zoo before having a talk on the role it has in protecting endangered species. They also met up with Reception Readys on their excursion to the Zoo.

On Tuesday 29 October, some Year 11 students had the fantastic opportunity to attend a One+ Electronics excursion at the University of South Australia Mawson Lakes with other like-minded students from Gleeson College and Golden Grove High School. Students participated in a workshop designed to introduce them to electronic circuits, their components and soldering.

Thursday 31 October saw students in the Year 10 Engineering class as well as Year 9 STEM students travel to the Adelaide Convention Centre for Adelaide University’s Ingenuity 2019. This is an interactive showcase of university student projects exploring the real-life applications of Engineering, Computer and Mathematical Sciences.

On Friday 1 November the Stage 1 Physics classes went to the University of South Australia to apply what they have been learning in class to practical’s on Nuclear Physics and Radar Technologies.

Miss Samantha Ireland -Acting Learning Area Coordinator, Science

YEAR 11 – ENGLISH ART GALLERY EXCURISON

Stage 1 English classes went to Adelaide Art Gallery as part of a narrative writing unit. Students spent time in the Gallery looking at the various artwork and considering them as a stimulus for some narrative writing. They also considered how the artwork may present ideas for settings, characterisation and plot. This was an enjoyable excursion which is hoped will allow the students to explore their imaginations and create some original and interesting narratives.

Mr James Goodall – Learning Area Coordinator, English

CHINA TOUR 2019

At the start of October, 2 teachers and 11 students journeyed around China on a voyage of discovery.

First stop was the mega-city Beijing, with its walled Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, the Summer Palace and the Temple of Heaven. A city of 25 million people has a very different feel to Adelaide, and students experienced the crowds and the hospitality of its’ locals. In the parks they played shuttlecock with friendly strangers and watched people singing and dancing, not as buskers, but for the sheer joy of performing.

The group then travelled to Jinan where Pedare’s two Chinese sister schools are situated. Bonds between the schools are strong, and students were greeted as dear friends. It was in Jinan they enjoyed two days of classes, basketball, netball, buddies and fun; however, this was followed by sad farewells before heading to Xian, home of the Terracotta Warriors.

Last stop was the largest of Chinese cities, Shanghai, where the group climbed the Oriental Pearl Tower and walked on the terrifying glass floored observation deck, visited the water village of Zhujiajiao and took in an amazing acrobatic show.

Teachers who accompanied the students were Ms Siew Ng, and Mr Randall Pearce, (a.k.a. Mr Randall by the Chinese).

Thank you to Ms Ng (Huang Laoshi) who has planned and led four China Tours at Pedare and must be recognised for the months of organising every minute detail of this trip, as well as the effort in keeping everything flowing smoothly.

Please also see link for the blog written by the students:  https://pedarechinatour2019.blogspot.com/2019/10/

To read some excerpts from students’ reflections on the China tour please click here.

Congratulations to the following students on their achievements at the Australian Music Examinations Board (AMEB) Exams:

NEWS

Extra-Curricular Sports feature articles and results below:

EXTRA-CURRICULAR RESULTS

TERM 4

WEEK 2

Basketball

• U10 Boomers – Forfeit
• U12 Panthers – BYE
• U12 Stars – Pedare vs Prescott Wildcats – Loss 2 – 22
• U12 Year 5/6 – Pedare vs SFX Raptors – Won 30 – 19 (MVP Rohan, Tom, Ryan)
• U14 Blue – Pedare vs SJP Lions – Won 46 – 21 (MVP Nicholas)
• U14 Red – Pedare vs SJMS Blue 6/7 – Won 32 – 20 (MVP Stephen)

Cricket

• Year 6/7 – BYE
• Year 8/9 – Pedare vs Blackfriars Priory – Loss 10/108 – 7/152 (MVP Nick, Aayush)

Netball

• Sub Junior 1 – Pedare vs Newton Jaguars 2 – Loss 9 – 37 (MVP Matilda)
• Sub Junior 2 – BYE
• Sub Junior 3 – Pedare vs Northern Cobras Rising Stars 1 – Won 29 – 6 (MVP Maddison, Amity, Haley)
• Junior 1 – Pedare vs Northeast Zodiac 3 – Loss 23 – 34 (MVP Lucy, Emily, Georgia)
• Sub Primary 1 – Pedare vs Hope Valley 4 – Won 9 – 4 (MVP Whole Team)
• Sub Primary 2 – Pedare vs Tyndale Christian School 1 – Loss 3 – 13 (MVP Whole Team)
• Primary 1 – Pedare vs Tango 5 – Loss 6 – 13 (MVP Lily, Grace)
• Primary 2 – Pedare vs Para Hills Wanderers 1 – Won 8 – 6 (MVP Katherine, Madelyn)
• Intermediate 1 – Pedare vs Newton Jaguars 1 – Won 39 – 36

Tennis

• Primary 1 – Year 7 – Pedare vs St Peter’s College 4 – Cancelled
• Primary 2 – Year 6 – Pedare vs Blackfriars Primary – Cancelled 
• Middle 8/9 – Pedare vs St Paul’s College – Won 7 – 5 (MVP Kosta, Emily)

Volleyball

• Pedare 1 – Pedare vs PAC C1 – Won 3 sets – 0
• Pedare 2 – Pedare vs Pulteney Grammar School 1 – Won 3 sets – 0 (MVP Whole Team)
• Senior Girls – Pedare vs SAC 3 – Won 2 – 1

WEEK 3

Basketball

• U10 Boomers – Pedare vs Keithcot Knights – Loss 7 – 20
• U12 Panthers – Pedare vs GS Nets – Loss 8 – 19
• U12 Stars – Pedare vs GS Shooters – Loss 5 – 6
• U12 Year 5/6 – Pedare vs Bullets – Loss 8 – 42
• U14 Blue – Pedare vs Stradbroke Sizzlers – Won 36 – 31 (MVP Gideon)
• U14 Red – Pedare vs SJH Tigers – Won 34 – 15 (MVP Whole Team)

Cricket

• Year 6/7 – Pedare vs Dernancourt Primary – Won 3/103 – 6/97 (MVP Jamin)
• Year 8/9 – Pedare vs Scotch College – Cancelled due to weather

Netball

• Sub Junior 1 – Pedare vs Golden Grove 3 – Loss 20 – 28 (MVP Matilda)
• Sub Junior 2 – Pedare vs Hope Valley 5 – Loss 13 – 21
• Sub Junior 3 – BYE
• Junior 1 – Pedare vs GT1 – Loss 34 – 46 (MVP Deniz, Emily, Izabella)
• Sub Primary 1 – Pedare vs Newton Jaguars 2 – Won 24 – 1
• Sub Primary 2 – Pedare vs Hope Valley 7 – Loss 1 – 3 (MVP Whole Team)
• Primary 1 – Pedare vs Tango 5 – Won 14 – 9 (MVP Ella, Ruby, Lily)
• Primary 2 – Pedare vs Tyndale Christian College – Cancelled due to weather
• Intermediate 1 – BYE

Tennis

• Primary 1 – Year 7 – Pedare vs St Michael’s JS – Won 7 – 2 (MVP Whole Team)
• Primary 2 – Year 6 – Pedare vs St Paul’s College – Won 7 – 2 (MVP Hiphrany, Thomas)
• Middle 8/9 – Pedare vs Blackfriars – Won 6 – 3 (MVP Whole Team)

Volleyball

• Pedare 1 – Pedare vs Concordia College 2 – Won 2 sets – 1 (MVP Levi, Miesha, Brayden)
• Pedare 2 – Pedare vs Cabra College C2 – Won 3 sets – 0 (MVP Whole Team)
• Senior Girls – Pedare vs Mary MacKillop 2 – Loss 0 – 3 sets

Tea Tree Gully Anglican

SWAT Youth (Years 7-12)

Meets Friday each week during school term at 7:30pm. Come for a great time of games, friendship and Bible discussion. We meet at 19 Perseverance Rd TTG. Click here for more details or phone Dave on 0403 723 953.

Weekly Services – Check out our web site for more details.

Sunday@8:30: Prayer book service – weekly communion.

Sunday@10: Family service and specific children’s ministries.

Sunday@6pm: Youth, young adult and those young at heart. There is no children’s program but drawing supplies and a withdrawal room are available for your young ones.

Please click here to visit the College Calendar for a full list of College events