Mr James Tamblyn
I’d like to extend my gratitude to the College community for my commissioning service last week. It was a lovely event and I appreciate the formal welcome of the College. I am humbled, and I feel extraordinarily privileged, to have been appointed, and now commissioned, as the seventh Principal of Pedare.
At the service I took the opportunity to speak to our students about our College motto which compels us to ‘Let our Light Shine’. Letting your light shine, or being the very best version of yourself, requires courage. It is a difficult task to respond to the challenges that God calls us to. When we are challenged, we have two options; we can shirk it, and stay in our comfort zone. Or we can rise to it, exploring and testing the limits of our potential. This is difficult and requires courage.
Letting your light shine also requires a commitment to being true to yourself. Committing to what you know is right, in order to become the very best version of yourself. Being honest with yourself, and staying true to what feels right, will enliven you.
And committing to a life of service, where the betterment of others is embedded in your choices, will allow your light to shine more brightly than you ever thought possible. Being courageous, being true to yourself, and putting others first; a very simple road map to becoming the best version of one’s self.
Last week we commenced the season of Lent as we prepare for Jesus’ death and resurrection at Easter. In the Christian faith it is common practice to give something up or take something on during Lent to deepen our relationship with God. At assembly this week I shared the following Lenten Reflection with our students, providing some thoughtful suggestions for what we might consider fasting from, and feasting on, during Lent;
Fast from judging others;
Feast on fairness and kindness.
Fast from words that hurt;
Feast on speech that heals.
Fast from discontent;
Feast on gratitude.
Fast from anger;
Feast on patience.
Fast from pessimism;
Feast on hope.
Fast from negatives;
Feast on encouragement.
Fast from bitterness;
Feast on forgiveness.
Fast from self-concern;
Feast on compassion.
Fast from suspicion;
Feast on truth.
Fast from gossip;
Feast on purposeful silence.
Fast from problems that overwhelm;
Feast on prayer that sustains.
Fast from anxiety;
Feast on faith.
Mr Andrew Whiteman
Thank you to all our families that have attended the recent Parent Information evenings. These nights are a great opportunity to hear about the year ahead and talk with individual teachers. It is always nice to put a face to the name and talk directly with teachers about any concerns that you may have. The Year 12 parent evening was very informative and allowed parents a window into the requirements of 2020 for their children. We are always looking to improve these evenings and if you do have any feedback on these nights please do not hesitate to contact me. On Friday night last week, we also held welcome drinks for new families to the College, and again another chance to meet some new faces and mingle with families.
Last week was the first time the College has provided student feedback directly to parents through the SEQTA Engage app. The students handled this important task very well and when reviewing the comments made by students of all year levels, I was very pleased to see just how worthwhile an activity such as this is. As the year continues, the SEQTA Engage platform will notify you when your child has completed any assessments. We understand the importance of constructive feedback to students and this is delivered to the students either on paper or online with their assessment tasks. We are hopeful that SEQTA is a driver to open up conversations about learning at home and how we can support student growth here at school. Some example comments from students are listed below:
Our Senior School students are now into an important phase of Term 1; a time where assessments are being handed in and tests are being completed. It is so valuable to start the year off well and set themselves up for a successful year. I have spoken with the students about starting the year off in a positive manner and really focusing on the assessments that they have. Procrastination does hurt some students and we have discussed that taking that first step to get started is hard but small steps lead to success.
Our Year 12 leaders spoke at our recent Senior School assembly about how best to use study lessons. They discussed the importance of taking the opportunities that are in front of everybody here at Pedare, whether that be in-class opportunity or an extracurricular activity, making the most of the time they have here. Senior Students also know that it won’t be long until the end of the year, and results matter just as much now as they do in September and therefore should take every opportunity to perform well. Students are here at the College to improve and to achieve their potential, and teachers are here to support in any way that they can. Please encourage your children to seek assistance from their teachers directly if they are having trouble keeping up or need a little extra assistance.
Our Year 12 students attended the St Peter’s Cathedral in North Adelaide this week and were treated to a tour of the grounds. This forms part of the Stage 2 Religious Studies course that all students are completing. Students enjoyed seeing the inner workings of the Church and learning about the history of this great iconic Adelaide Cathedral right next door to Adelaide Oval.
Mrs Lauren Brooks
The IB Learner profile contains a set of attributes that guides us in developing active, compassionate, life-long learners. Each fortnight, we have a focus on one key element of the IB Learner Profile, this week, being ‘Risk-takers’. With so many events and activities happening in Term One around the College, many students find themselves approaching unfamiliar situations with a great deal of courage. We encourage our students to explore new opportunities, new ways of thinking and feel brave enough to try new things.
Certainly, within our new subject Spark, we are seeing students further develop in the ‘Risk-taking’ element of the IB Learner profile. It has been wonderful to see such high levels of engagement, and a love of learning in Spark, develop more and more as the term goes on. Year 8 students are working together to establish a student-run community garden, which links with their term focus of ‘sustainability’. Our brand-new Greenhouse has provided a great platform for students to become immersed in this project. We have teams led by students in the fields of marketing, finance, community engagement, student liaison, produce growers, aquaponics, pottery, art and much more. It is so pleasing to see students find a genuine local problem and collaboratively, working on real-life solutions to make Pedare a better place. At the end of this term, we will be holding a grand opening of the student-run community gardens, inviting family, friends and staff to come along. We look forward to celebrating the wonderful work of students within their Spark learning journey.
Please view the video below which was created by Year 8 student Han Fan.
Year 9 Middle School Student Leadership Team
We have been very proud of our Year 9 Middle School student leadership team. They have hit the ground running in 2020 with a multitude of events and activities to lead and organise. These students have been an integral part of our “The First Ten Days” initiative, where leaders have been checking in with new students to ensure they are warmly welcomed into the Pedare community. They represented the Middle School beautifully at the Junior School Swimming Carnival, supporting students in the pool to feel included and swim their best. Furthermore, we are excited to see them lead Year 7 students on their Outdoor Education camp in the coming weeks, to support our younger students and enhance their camp experience.
Mr Randall Pearce
Next Assembly
Our next Year level assembly will be Year 2 on Monday 23 March from 2.30pm. Please note the venue for this assembly will be the Blue Gum Sports Centre.
During this assembly, I plan to share with students the following message – If asked for three words to describe YOU, what three words would your people use?
Each of us has a reputation in the eyes of others. This reputation may be accurate or ill informed. It may have been hard earned over many years, inherited through our position or even assumed based on first impressions.
This year, I would like all in our community to think about the three words you’d LIKE your reputation to be. What would you like people to say about you at the end of the year?
I plan to use the three things I would like my reputation to be as a checklist for my behaviour. The only way I can get that reputation is to act that way.
The challenge I am personally setting myself, and I encourage others to do so for this year, is to LIVE THE REPUTATION YOU WANT TO HAVE. Identify three things you’d like your reputation to be and then live that reputation. Ensure that your behaviours match the reputation you’d like to have.
Parent Teacher Interviews
During Week 7 of this term, Tuesday 10 to Thursday 12 March, our Parent, Teacher Interviews are being held. These are an invaluable experience for the teachers and we hope for you as parents. There is a huge body of research that points to the correlation between parent involvement in a child’s schooling and their educational success. As I have mentioned before in previous newsletters, if you want your child to improve his / her learning then take an interest in their learning, attend as many school functions as you can such as Parent Teacher Interviews. Celebrate the successes and together with your child and teacher work alongside each other to further develop any challenges.
Learning Journeys
Learning Journeys will once again commence in Week 8 this term – Wednesday 18 March and are a wonderful opportunity for students to celebrate their learning with parents and family.
All year levels will open their classroom and invite parents/caregivers to share in the learning. It involves classes showcasing completed work to their special guest. Each child will have the opportunity to share and reflect upon their different learning experiences, work, learning environments and classroom experiences.
We believe Learning Journeys are valuable to students, giving them the experience and enabling them to develop many different skills, including; responsibility, reflection, choice and control of their learning through self-evaluation
Year 5 parents please note straight after Learning Journeys, Emily from Wilderness Escape will be offering a parent presentation from 6.30pm to 7.15pm.
To register for the Resilient Culture of Care event at Pedare, please click here.
As the middle of the term approaches, our students may find their school workload, and number of assessments, is increasing. Sometimes this can be a source of stress, and a time when well-being can suffer from the feeling of the added pressure.
We want to encourage our students to keep positive and productive in these busy times. These 5 hints from ReachOut are simple and effective strategies that students can use to help manage their workload.
Please click here to view the flyer 5 Steps to Study Success
…from the Well-Being Team
One of the most exciting events held at Pedare is the annual Cabaret. This year, students will present our Roaring 20’s Cabaret, on Thursday 2 April, in the College Chapel from 7:00pm.
Money raised on the evening will go towards Pedare students competing in the Generations in Jazz trip in May.
If you would like to be entertained by our very talented music students performing a variety of Vocal, Band and Solo acts, you can book a $20 ticket via trybooking.com. Please be quick, as half of our tables are already sold!
BYO food and drinks.
Code Camp April School Holidays: Early Bird Discount
Code Camp will return to Pedare Christian College during the April School Holidays to help them continue their coding journey! We will be offering a mixture of Camps these holidays to cater for students aged 7 – 14. Camps will take place from 21-22 April and bookings are now open via this link: www.codecamp.com.au/pedare
Early Bird discount for Pedare has been extended to midnight on Sunday 8 March – use the code PEDARE50 for a $50 discount.
Children who have already been to a Code Camp will be able to develop their skills further. Come for one day or two.
Ignite for 7 – 12 years old. This camp is for those who have conquered Code Camp Spark or who already have a lot of coding experience elsewhere. Build your own top-down adventure game with heaps of mini-games and fun features!
Next-Gen Entrepreneurs – for ages 8 – 14 Wednesday 22 April
Space Exploration – for ages 7 – 12 Tuesday 21 April
To view flyer for more information, please click here.
Although the weather wasn’t as warm as it has been in recent years for our Junior School Swimming Carnival, held on Thursday 27 February, it was still a day of great enjoyment and competitiveness. Students participated in a variety of events and once again showed a wonderful sense of pride and rivalry for their communities.
Congratulations to this year’s winners of the Shield, Hillcott community.
On Wednesday 4 March, Junior School student leaders attended the leadership conference, Grip at Adelaide Convention Centre. The day emphasised that leading the way is less about being given a position and more about having a personal desire to be proactive and help others. The concept of ‘leading the way’ was broken down into; knowing the way, going the way and showing the way. In a school setting, this means that students should understand the needs of their school, how to be a role model, and how to teach others. Students heard about success stories that focused on ideas that use the talents of the team, ideas that cost no money, and ideas that help serve their peers who need it most. Activities throughout the workshop enabled students to have discussions with other schools to share experiences and generate new ideas together. All our student leaders enjoyed their experience and felt empowered by the presentations.
Mrs Lyn Davis – Assistant Head of Junior School
It is an old and much loved tradition in Germany that children receive a Schultüte, or school cone, full of lollies and stationery, when they first begin school.
Year 6 students at Pedare helped to create and decorate their own Schultüten to celebrate the beginning of their German studies. 6 MZ were also very excited to present another newcomer to the College, Principal Mr Tamblyn with his own Schultüte.
Ein herzliches Willkommen an alle!
Ms Susan O’Connell – Learning Area Coordinator, LOTE
Year 6 students were visited by one of our favourite returning guests, Monty ‘Boori’ Pryor, on Tuesday 3 March.
Boori is an award-winning author and incredible storyteller, weaving together traditional Dreamtime stories with those from his own childhood in a humorous and engaging performance. The students especially enjoyed dancing to the didgeridoo!
We would also like to congratulate Boori on his Emmy award nomination for the ABC series ‘Wrong Kind of Black’, based on his life.
Ms Sarah Mossel – Year 6 Teacher
A beautifully cool day emerged for the Year 7 Liveability Excursion. Students were lead around Golden Grove to learn and analyse the liveability of the local area. Students were encouraged to look at the different types of houses, parks, shopping centres and many other aspects that make Golden Grove such an attractive area for young families. Two thirds of the way in we were fortunate enough for Mr Rick Dell’Oro to host us at Garden Grove where he provided ice blocks to refresh the students. Students were excited to ask questions thoughout the day with the most popular being “how far have we walked?” After 12kms, ice creams and a whole lot of learning, the students arrived back at Pedare ready for a good night’s sleep!
Miss Bianca Cameron – Year 7 Teacher
In Week 5, ten of our 2019 Year 12 graduates visited the College to speak with the Class of 2020 and share some of their own experience of Year 12 and some tips for making it an enjoyable and successful year.
Some of the take-aways our students appreciated hearing were:
We really appreciate our old scholars continuing to be a part of our Pedare community and wish them all the best as they begin University!
Ms Jan Robertson – Assistant Head of Senior School
On Friday 6 March, students, families and staff of Pedare were joined by members of neighbouring schools and the wider community for our breakfast celebration of International Women’s Day.
The breakfast event showcased food prepared by our Year 10 Food and Hospitality students and Year 11 and 12 Business Innovation students helped to co-ordinate the planning and set up for the event.
Eloise Hall, young entrepreneur and co-founder of Taboo sanitary products shared her inspiring story of hope and determination. Eloise is a powerful role model for our young people, showing that we can all make a difference.
International Women’s Day is an important day to celebrate the many achievements of women and to show our commitment to continuing to improve gender equality. We thank the many staff and students who have worked together to make this celebration such a wonderful success.
Mrs Kirstin Davenport – Senior School Business Teacher
Congratulations to Year 12 student, Luca Iacob, who is a successful recipient of the Parafield Airport 2019/2020 Private Pilot Scholarship.
Luca is doing this in conjunction with his SACE studies at Pedare. Luca will be instructed by Aerostar, with navigation lectures and exams and a minimum of forty hours practical flying time, to achieve a Private Pilot’s license.
To read an article written about Luca’s achievement, which was published in the Parafield Airport Newsletter, February 2020, please click here.
Well done Luca.
Congratulations to Kiera Geesing, Year 8, who recently competed in the State Track and Field Championships, receiving medals in 4 out of 5 events. Kiera has now qualified for the upcoming Australian Athletics Championships in Sydney.
Kiera’s results were:
Under 14 Women
Good luck for the competition in Sydney Kiera!
Extra-Curricular Sports feature articles and results below:
The SPIN (Specialist Program in Netball) teams represented Pedare Christian College at this year’s Season Launch supporting the Thunderbirds Bushfire Fundraiser Match against Southern Force.
More than 2000 netball fans flooded into Priceline Stadium with representatives from the 6/7 SPIN Squad (coach Alana Glapa) 8/9 SPIN Squad (coach Jude Johnson) 10 SPIN Squad (coach Mary Beresford) and Senior SPIN Squad (coach Karen Zerner) representing Pedare with pride.
This special event gave the girls the opportunity to view and analyse professional netballers to start their 2020 journey, while contributing to a total of $18,217.00 raised for the Australian Red Cross and Recovery fund of Kangaroo Island.
Our girls were given the opportunity to meet and greet the Thunderbirds and ask for tips and tricks from none other than old scholar Chelsea Blackman.
The event was a fantastic way to bring in the 2020 Netball Season and is just the beginning of bigger and better things for our SPINners.
Ms Alana Glapa – Specialist Program in Netball (SPIN) Coordinator
Congratulations to the Year 8/9 Cricket team who had a good win against Pembroke College recently. Well done to Nick Graves who scored a massive 105 runs off of 13 overs. A great win for the whole team.
TERM 1
Week 4
Basketball
Cricket
Netball
Tennis
Volleyball
Week 5
Basketball
Cricket
Netball
Tennis
Volleyball
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.