Grace No ces

Friday, 30 May 2014

Coming up Week 6 Monday, 2 June WA Day Public Holiday Tuesday, 3 June Year 11 & 12 Exams (3 -10 June) Little Library 9am Wednesday, 4 June Year 8 Geography Excursion Back Beach Thursday, 5 June Year 6 & 7 Winter Sports (Hay Park) Kindergarten Tour 9.30am Year 8 Geography Excursion Back Beach

Week 7 Monday, 9 June Parent Prayer Group 9am Tuesday, 10 June Little Library 9am Grace Netball Fundraiser Cake Sale Wednesday, 11 June Year 6 Parent Information Evening 6.30pm Friday, 13 June Dreambuilders Church Missions Conference (13—15 June)

Week 8 Monday, 16 June Parent Prayer Group 9am Tuesday, 17 June Little Library 9am Year 8—10 Exams (17—20 June) Board Meeting Wednesday, 18 June Year 10 Parents Dinner Friday, 20 June Junior School Assembly 2.20pm

Uniform Shop Open Times Monday & Friday 8.15am—9.00am Wednesday & Thursday 3.00pm—3.45pm

From the Principal’s desk Our School has been a hive of ac vity over the past couple of weeks, from our AGM, Cross Country, and Busy Bee, School Photos, Year 7 Parents Dinner and class excursions. It is a me where we see service in ac on, and I would like to extend our gra tude to all our volunteers who have given up their me and effort to assist our School Community. Welcome I am pleased to introduce Mrs Leanne Brooks, who has joined our administra on team as Recep onist/Enrolment Officer, replacing Mrs Marie Waite. Leanne with husband Des have three children: Abby, Ethan and Layla who a1end Grace Chris an School. Please make Leanne feel welcome as she joins the Grace family to serve the school community in her role. I would also like to take this opportunity to introduce you to our newly appointed Grace Chris an School Board members; Mr Terence Ho and Mr Rob Marshall. We welcome both our new members and thank you for your dedica on to the ministry of Grace Chris an School. Board Member Introduc on Hi! I am Terence Ho and have been married to Dora for 25 years. We have two daughters; Gwen, aged 24, lives and work in Paris and Anja, aged 20 who is in 1st year at the University of Western Australia. I currently work with Anglicare Financial Counselling Services assis ng those in the community facing financial hardships. In 2003 I moved from Singapore to Sydney and completed 2 years at Hillsong Interna onal Leadership College. I pastored a church in Geraldton upon gradua on and I went on to work with Department of Jus ce before re-loca ng to Bunbury. In Singapore, I have been a missionary, worked in the insurance and training industry, and was a pastoral ministry staff member for a congrega on of 2000. I am passionate about people; I live for the next genera on and believe that God has graced and invested much in me to bless others and to make Him known. Dreambuilders Bunbury Church is where I have planted myself since I moved to Bunbury 5 years ago. I am excited to be in partnership in building His Kingdom. I also have one other passion; song wri ng and one of the most encouraging things I have heard was from a Geraldton pastor and a couple in Bunbury who said they have sung my songs before in their own churches. I feel like I had fulfilled a part of my des ny in this na on. It is such a humbling privilege to be given an opportunity to serve Grace Chris an School as a Board member. Rob Marshall together with wife Jacqui and four sons Nathan, Brendan, Aaron and Jus n a1end Dreambuilders Church Bunbury. Nathan and Brendan are past students of Grace Chris an School and Aaron and Jus n are currently enrolled. Rob runs a couple of highly successful businesses, including Ebizsolu ons (winner of the Telstra Small Business Award and named Na onal MYOD Partner of the Year 2011) and has previously served on other School Boards. Rob represents country cricket at the Western Australian Cricket Associa on and is highly involved in local cricket. The Grace Chris an School Board meet monthly (excluding school holidays); members are: Pastor Dale E Hewi1 (Chairman), Mr Phil Durell (Deputy Chair), Pastor Rod Thiele, Pastor Dale T Hewi1, Mr Ric Turner, Mr Cale Begley, Mr Simon McQuade, Mr Darran Plumb, Mr Terence Ho, and Mr Rob Marshall. Mr Hugo de Ridder Principal

2014 Term Dates Term 2: 29 April—4 July | Term 3: 23 July—26 September | Term 4: 14 October—12 December

Term 2 Issue 3

Grace No ces - Friday, 30 May 2014

Independent Schooling In Australia—How Governments Fund Independent Schools

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Grace No ces - Friday, 30 May 2014

Term 2 Issue 3

School News The Girls who Can Each year for the past four years, students at Grace Chris an School have been eager par cipants in the annual ‘Give a Can’ food collec on sponsored by the Bunbury Leschenault Rotary Club, on behalf of the Salva on Army, St. Vincent de Paul and the In Town Lunch Centre. Chaplain Akita Olsen, who has worked previously in other school systems, said she was blown away by the generosity of the school community, “I’ve worked in a school with over 1,000 students where they’ve struggled to fill a container; the response here at Grace is amazing – it demonstrates the level of compassion students and their families have.” Over the two weeks of the appeal, several Student Council members arranged to pickup dona ons from each classroom, crea ng quite a pile of foodstuffs in the Administra on area, for distribu on to people in need. To all who contributed, a big thank you for suppor ng the work of the three charitable organisa ons. Can Collectors: Front: (L-R) Jenani Cargill, Natasha Douch, Sarah Woods, Mackenzie Holman. Seated at rear : (L-R) Jesse Plumb, Angelique Luus, Talya Dinkelman.

Mr Ross Le Cras Community Rela ons Officer

Visit by Troy Bennell, Aboriginal Ar st and Spokesperson Year 11 English students had a visit from Mr Troy Bennell on Friday 16th May as part of their study of the award winning text ‘Deadly Unna’ by Phillip Gwynne. Troy spoke about the experiences of his family members with the Stolen Genera on and explained to students how Aboriginal culture is closely related to the land, rivers, food supplies and the sea. It was great to hear this first hand from a local Noongar with such a rich knowledge of Aboriginal culture, language and history. Troy then played the didgeridoo and sang with tapping s cks to demonstrate the importance of keeping Aboriginal culture alive. We were all impressed by the way Troy spoke and was kind enough to share his wisdom with us. Mr Hugh Ryder Head of English

GCS Chemistry Teacher on Na onal Review Team Next year, Chemistry classes across the na on will be working from text books reviewed by GCS Chemistry and Physics teacher, Mr Paul Walker. Mr Walker said he was surprised, but pleased to be invited to be one of seven on the editorial review team. “I suspect my name was put forward through the school’s involvement with the Australian Independent Schools Associa on, along with another West Australian, Dr Siew Yap, who was also appointed. “Dr Yap brought a strong academic focus to the process, while my strength – having taught for 18 years in England and New Zealand as well as here in Australia – was understanding how effec ve the material would be in the classroom.” The process started in May 2013, and con nued un l November the same year. As a reviewer, part of Mr Walker’s responsibility was to gain a deep understanding of the learning outcomes in the new Na onal Curriculum, and to assess whether the new text covered the appropriate performance criteria. He was also required to check for accuracy, and make comments where he thought clarity and consistency might be improved. “Most of the chapters were quite well wri1en, and I’d be sugges ng only small changes, such as replacing Mole as a unit of measure to the more commonly used millilitres per litre,” he said. “My favourite chapter was Chapter 9, on reac on rates. I found it par cularly well wri1en and I was recently able to meet the author, Ms Rachel Whan, at a Science Teachers Associa on of WA mee ng and congratulate her on her work.’ In all, Mr Walker reviewed four chapters in Units 1 and 2, the Year 11 text, and three chapters in Units 3 and 4, the Year 12 text. The two new texts will be in use from the start of the 2015 school year, although some schools plan to work from the new texts in Term 4 of this year. Photo above: Chemistry and Physics teacher, Mr Paul Walker, displays the Year 11 text on his iPad. The text book itself is s ll in the process of being printed. Mr Ross Le Cras Community Rela ons Officer

Term 2 Issue 3

Grace No ces - Friday, 30 May 2014

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School News cont. Construc on Star ng Soon on New Primary Classrooms It’s always exci ng to see how God is blessing our school, and the building programme geTng underway in a few weeks’ me is evidence of His provision. Grace Chris an School has long held the vision of having double streams (two classes) for each year level, and we’re thrilled to be taking a step closer to this goal. In line with the school’s strategic plan, Grace Chris an School will have four new primary classrooms ready for the start of the 2015 school year. The new rooms, ini ally catering to Years 4 and 5, will be located between Classroom P8 and the Uniform Shop, directly adjacent to the basketball courts. The project, which also includes an extension to the administra on building, is now out to tender, and construc on is expected to commence mid-June. While there won’t be any impact to exis ng classrooms during the building phase, there will be some access restric ons while construc on is underway. Changed Access for Foot Traffic Parents and students who now get to the Primary School through the gateway on the south side of the admin building will need to enter the school grounds via the pathway between administra on and the auditorium, and the construc on sites themselves will be strictly out-of-bounds for students. The changed routes will be clearly signposted and restricted areas taped off. The stand of marri and pine trees which are in the middle of the proposed building site won’t be wasted. AUer felling, the trees will be milled into planks and once seasoned – a process which will take about 12 months – the mber will be used in projects by the Design and Technology classes. Below: When construc on gets underway, the entrance to the south of the administra on building will be closed. Students can access their classes via the route illustrated .(New buildings shown in green)

Paren ng snippet Inevitable Rivalry Are you dealing with sibling rivalry in your home? If you have two or more kids, it’s almost inevitable! Sooner or later parents are going to have to deal with the “you love her more than me” syndrome. When you have more than one child, it’s an unavoidable fact — they’re going to argue over you. But if it seems like a constant occurrence, it may be me to give your rela onship with your kids a check–up. Could it be that you’re simply not spending enough me with them? The quality of your rela onship with your kids is directly propor onal to the amount of me you spend with them on a daily and weekly basis. It may be that you need to make some sacrifices, cuTng back on the me you spend on hobbies, recrea on or even housework. A strong bond with your children is much more important than a spotless home. Whether you have boys, girls or both, make sure to pay a1en on to their cues for me with you. For more on connec ng with your kids in a posi ve way visit us at www.families.org.au

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Grace No ces - Friday, 30 May 2014

Term 2 Issue 3

Student Achievements Congratula ons! Cer ficate recipients—Middle School Assembly 16 May 2014 Year 3/4 Paige Fell Cole Palmer Eli Allan Jus n Marshall Amy Twodros Danelle Lee

Year 4 Tyler White Jae Smith Jack Plumb Imogen Lewis Ashandri Barnard Jon Claud Nepia Joshua Hall Jacob Noble

Year 5 Ryan Jacobs Brigi1e Parker Zane Dixon Ethan Brooks Caleb Bowden Ellen Ivey Chloe Ma1hews

Year 5/6 Darcey Redman Joshua Napoli Ann Twodros Elavina Williams Lili-Rose Gleadell Jaymon McQuade Elias Gibberd Ami Bradey

Year 7W Remi Allen Riley Westra Abby Brooks Natasha Douch Jenani Cargill

Walden Claassen Georgia Plumb Jake Watson Luan Theart Bonnie Driscoll Jessica Lee Grace Huang

Year 7N Caelan Forrest Macy Hobson Byron Hutchinson Hanna Torney Hendry Visser Sophie Woods

Have Sum Fun Sarah Woods Mackenzie Holman Darcey Redman Grace Huang Jake Watson Caleb Bowden

Community Notices Bunbury Forum “Reward your School” Promo on 2014 Promo on ends 15 June 2014—Grace Chris an School is one of 10 local schools compe ng to win a share of $10,000 in cash prizes. Bunbury Forum shoppers can place receipts totalling $100 in provided envelopes in the entry barrels located in the mall outside the Progressive Supa IGA during the promo on period. We are currently ranked 4th out of 10 Schools so there is s ll me to get those dockets in! Thank you for your support.

South West Career Expo South West Careers Expo is on next week Wednesday, 4 June 2014. 11.00am – 5.30pm Bunbury Catholic College, Rodsted Street, Bunbury Over 30 presenters will be there. For more informa on please phone Sue Howard at Bunbury Catholic College on 9721 0000 or visit h1p:// web1.bunburycatholic.wa.edu.au/cms/other

Expressions of Interest—Community Garden headspace Bunbury is looking for young people to help out in an upcoming community garden project. Please call Kate on 9729 6800 for more informa on.

Grace Netball – Cake Sale Grace Netball is holding a cake sale on Tuesday, 10th June to raise funds for netball equipment/uniforms. Cake sale will take place during recess. Any enquiries, please contact Mrs Kelly Szolkowski on 0421 120 022