COMMUNITY NEWS26 October, 2018 : Term 4 Week 2

Principal’s Message

Our VisionTo foster a Christ centred learning community where all students receive an education which enables them to know

the Lord Jesus Christ, grow in Him and serve Him to their full potential.

Term 4Thurs 18 Oct - Fri 9 Nov

S: HSC Exams

Fri 2 NovP: Kindergarten

Orientation

Mon 5 NovP: Next Steps Parents

MeetingP: Jr Basketball Gala Day

Fri 9 NovP: Kindergarten

OrientationP: Transition Day

Mon 12 - Fri 16 NovS: Y8 & 9 Exam Week

Regents Park Christian School59 Regent Street,

Regents Park, 2143Ph: 9644 5144 Fax: 9743 7082

principal@rpcs.nsw.edu.au

“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5: 16 – 17

This term, as we start a new chapter in the RPCS journey, we are pausing to give thanks to God for His faithfulness over 42 years of the school’s ministry.

This week we thank God for the faithful, Godly leadership of Mr Brummell, who became Principal in 2000 and is retiring this year. Mr Brummell has been a visionary leader who led the school through a period of great transition. Under his leadership, the school assumed responsibility for South Granville Christian School. This led to the school becoming a K-12 school and changing its name from Christian Community High School to Regents Park Christian School. This continues to be a wonderful journey, with many opportunities to Grow Up Into Christ from the earliest years of schooling right through to the completion of secondary school.

Mr Brummell’s vision for the school is evident in many aspects of the property, with the redevelopment of the Oasis area, two Primary building programs, carpark extensions, the Village Green and a number of key property purchases. He has developed a strategic plan that will guide future property and facilities development.

Mr Brummell took a particular interest in helping students who were struggling, and under his leadership, student wellbeing and spiritual growth always held a high priority. A powerful legacy has been the foundational understanding that our students are first and foremost people, before being students.

We thank God and thank Mr Brummell for his many years of faithful ministry.

There is more information on our website athttp://rpcs.nsw.edu.au/farewell-mr-brummell/.

Les Barnard

ALL SCHOOL NEWSWorld Teachers’ Day

Celebrated in more than 100 countries world-wide, World Teachers’ Day was established by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in 1994 to recognise the role of teachers in society. It is held internationally on 5 October. As the day usually falls during school holidays, Australia holds its celebrations on the last Friday of October each year.

In 2018, World Teachers’ Day will be celebrated on Friday 26 October.

Every day, teachers are making a positive difference — creating opportunities for their students, empowering minds of young people and proudly teaching our future leaders, innovators and influencers. World Teachers’ Day is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate and thank our teachers for the important role they play — inside our classrooms and out in the community.

Today, we would like to take a moment and thank all of our amazing teachers for the amazing work that they do.

Thank you for all that you do in the classroom, for putting your needs on hold, for the countless hours of planning and for changing those plans at the last minute because they didn’t fit the needs of your students that day. For smiling at them, laughing with them, for reassuring them. For thinking of a new way to reach some who wasn’t ‘getting it’. Thank you for the prayers, the Godly example and for seeing them as people first and students second.

Grow Rule For The Week: Use Positive Talk

Next week we will continue to focus on good stewardship by using positive self-talk. Self-talk is the conversation that we have in our head. We can either encourage or discourage ourselves. When we encourage ourselves we remind ourselves of God’s promises to us, reminding ourselves that He has given us all things that pertain to life and godli-ness (2 Peter 1:3) and that we can persevere through challenges. Alternatively, we can discourage ourselves by saying that we will never learn or that we are useless. We need to train ourselves and our children to speak to ourselves the way that God speaks to us, rather than how the devil does. Using positive self-talk is a scriptural principle that aligns our thinking with the word of God.

Let’s demonstrate good stewardship by using positive self-talk. Get it? Got it! Gotcha!

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4, 2018

2019 Opal Card Applications

School student Opal card applications for 2019 are now open.Students progressing to year 3 and year 7 do not need to re-apply if they:

• are continuing at the same school• are residing at the same address• have not been sent an expiry notification from Transport for NSW.

Where a student meets the new distance eligibility, the system will automatically update their entitlement. If they do not meet the new eligibility, they will receive an expiry notification.

If students need to update their information or re-apply, they should go online to https://apps.transport.nsw.gov.au/ssts/updateDetails

All 2019 applications need to be submitted before 7th December, 2018 to receive your Opal card without delay for 2019.

Boys’ Hair Rule Adjustment

Parents are reminded that boys’ hair must be neat and tidy, of fairly even appearance. No part of the hair may be cut shorter than #2 clippers. Non-natural colours or streaked hair is not permitted. Hair is to be no longer than collar length. Boys whose hair is long will now be encouraged to tie it back neatly (or have it cut!)

2019 Enrolments

Please note that while Primary enrolments are filling fast for 2019, there are still places available in Secondary, as the Secondary department has 3 classes in each year group. Please contact Mrs Dorizas, the Enrolments Officer, for enrolment enquiries.

Uniform ShopThe Uniform Shop is open every Friday of the school terms from 8am - 12pm & 12:30 - 4pm.

Donations:We gratefully accept donations of 2nd hand uniforms as they assist families in our community. Donations can be left at the office or Uniform Shop.

Layby:Layby is available if you would like items set aside to pay them off slowly. Items can also be put on hold.

Online ordering:Online ordering! Information and order forms can be found on our website under the ‘Today’ tab. Orders are packed on Friday and sent home with students.

Name labels: Personalised, iron-on name labels are available for $0.50 each. They are to be ironed on at home and come with instructions. Each Secondary blazer sold has a free label included.

Casual Teaching StaffApplications are always welcome from qualified and experienced teachers who would like to be considered for casual teaching opportunities at our school. Visit www.rpcs.nsw.edu.au for an application form.

Shrek Jr The Musical DVDs of the production can be purchased from both the Primary office & the main office for the cost of $10.

Music LessonsRegents Park Christian School offers singing lessons on Tuesdays.

If you’re interested in your student learning how to sing, contact Mr Chavura in the Secondary Creative Arts Department (tchavura@rpcs.nsw.edu.au).

Primary parents and guardians can obtain more information from Mrs Guerra.

String Ensemble - Free!

Does your child play a string instrument such as violin, viola or cello?

If so, they’re invited to join the Friday morning Primary String Ensemble with Mrs Kim every Friday morning. Please see Mr. Ping for more details.

Heartbeat Church61 Regent Street, Regents Park NSW 2143

For more information about any of the below activities please contact the Church Office on 9738 9799

Adult English ClassesJoin our fun and friendly English language classes where you can learn and share.

When: Tuesdays (term time) From:10am-12pm

Mums & Bubs PlaygroupJoin us for play time, morning tea, a story, arts and crafts, Music and Movement.

For children 0 - 5 yrs

Every Friday during the school term10:00am-12:00pm

Fee: $2 per family per session

Sunday SchoolDo you know that we have Sunday School for kids?

Time: Every Sunday from 10:00 - 11:30 am

Classes: Bubbles (3 yr old to Year 1) Splash (Year 2 & 3) Xstream (Year 4, 5 & 6)

Program: Worship, singing, Bible stories, Crafts, Prayer

Heartbeat Community CareHeartbeat Community Care welcomes donations of quality, 2nd - hand clothing, shoes and homewares (no electricals).

Our Emergency Relief program welcomes donations of non-perishable food items such as canned soup, Weet-Bixand basic hygiene items such as toothpaste.

Donations can be dropped off at:Heartbeat Community Care Shop 1/5 Amy Street, Regents Park.

Christmas Wreath Workshop

Make your own willow Christmas wreath with ‘Willow flowers by Design’.

$85 for the workshop, wreath and dessert.

RSVP and pay by 28 October, 2018.

All welcome. If you have a child below the age of 13 years please contact us prior to booking.

Book your tickets online through the church Facebook page.

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4, 2018

PRIMARY NEWS“4 Steps to a Better Life” by Focus on the Family

There’s no easy road to being a better person. But there are simple things you can do to live a better life. Here are four steps to get you started.

First, avoid gossip at every opportunity. When those around you talk behind someone’s back, simply smile and change the subject. You don’t have to confront them—they’ll get the message sooner or later.

Second, learn to let go of anger and bitterness. Never allow yourself to be held hostage by the words and actions of others.

Third, live for people, not stuff. A wise person once said, “Never love anything that can’t love you back.” Fourth, be generous—with your time and your possessions. It really is better to give than to receive. If you haven’t learned that, you just haven’t given enough.

For more healthy advice go to www.families.org.

Return and EarnRockdale Return and Earn are now providing us with a Return and Earn service. They provide the bins and collect them for us, depositing the money we earn into our account. All we need to do is return the right containers to the bin. Easy.

Remember, containers must be manufactured in Australia, have the 10c return symbol, be empty and not crushed. The Return and Earn bins have a green lid, are clearly labelled and are next to the Canteen. Please support our efforts to recycle and raise money for our Compassion children.

Thanks to your great work, we have filled our two Return and Earn bins! The full bins are set to be collected and replaced with empty ones! Keep it up!

Transition Day Friday, 9 NovemberChildhood is a time of enormous change and an integral part of our school’s wellbeing program is assisting students to pre-pare for these changes.

We help our students prepare for Kindergarten by having an Open Morning when next year’s Kindergarten students and their families come to Assembly and then visit kindergarten (2 November). This is followed by our Kindergarten Orien-tation (9 November) and then by Stay and Play Days (14 & 21 November). All these activities are designed to help ease the transition into Big School.

On 9 November, we will also be having our Welcome to Year 7 Day, when our current year 6 students spend a day in Second-ary meeting future classmates and teachers, getting a better feel for what a day in secondary is like.

On that same day, we give our other Primary students an op-portunity to visit their new learning space. Our current Year 1 welcomes our current Kindergarten to the stage 1 learning space, Year 3 welcomes Year 2 to Stage 2 and Year 5 welcomes Year 4 to the Stage 3 Learning Space.

The day is an opportunity for our students to become more familiar with where they will be learning, as well as develop leadership skills in our older students. It is a time to prepare students for change, reduce anxiety and thereby improve learning.

Please pray that God will bless these days and times to build resilience in our students and strengthen our school commu-nity.

Primary AssemblyEach Friday (9:00- 9:30 am) we hold Primary Assembly in the school hall. This is a time when Primary classes come together to celebrate God’s goodness. Parents and friends are very welcome to attend, particularly when your child’s class is rostered to share in Assembly. Stage Assembly dates are listed below for your convenience:

Class Date

Stage 3 26 October

Kinder Assembly 2 November

Stage 2 9 November

Stage 1 16 November

Assembly 23 November

Presentation Assembly 30 November

K-12 Assembly 7 December

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4, 2018

Crunch n SipGood nutrition and healthy eating habits are an important part of learning. Each morning our stu-dents enjoy Crunch n Sip, when they will have a drink of water and eat a serving of fresh fruit or vegetables. We ask parents to support this, by providing your child with a serving of fresh fruit or vegetables for their Crunch n Sip break. Students should also bring a drink bottle filled with water.

Healthy Kids – Healthy Snacks• Healthy snacks in between main meals help kids and teens meet their daily nutritional needs.• Young children have smaller stomachs than adults, so they need to eat every few hours to

keep up their energy levels and get the right amount of nutrients. Teens get particularly hun-gry during periods of fast development and snacks are important.

• Snacks based on fruit and vegies, reduced fat dairy products and whole grains are the healthi-est choices.

• It is important to limit snacks that are high in sugar, salt or saturated fats – such as chips, cakes and chocolate – which can cause children to put on excess weight. These ‘extra foods’ should only be offered occasionally.

Ideas to help you ‘snack smart’• The simplest way to limit unhealthy snacks is to not buy them. Instead, stock the pantry, fruit

bowl and fridge with healthy snacks, and include them in lunchboxes.• Commercial snack foods available in the supermarket have varying nutritional value. When

choosing grain-based snacks, look for the healthier options which are high in fibre and whole grains.

• Put a clear limit on the number of less healthy snack foods eaten each week, such as lollies, chocolate, donuts, some fruit/cereal/muesli bars, potato and corn chips, and sweet biscuits.

For more ideas about healthy eating, visit, www.healthykids.com.au.

Operation Christmas ChildAt this Friday’s assembly, we will bepraying for all the children who will be receiving our shoeboxes. Please bring your completed shoebox by then.

When filling your box, remember that we are introducing these children to a generous God who lavishes us with His love. Boxes should be packed full and not just contain one or two items.

We are encouraging each family to participate and prepare a box for a boy or girl. This year, Samaritan’s Purse are providing us with lists of shoebox gift ideas, Preprinted boxes are now available from the primary office, for 50c. All boxes will need to be returned by week 2, term 4 (26 October, 2018).

Parents’ Breakfast & Devotion (PB&D)PB&D is held every Tuesday in H4: Breakfast is provided from 8:30am, with a brief (15 min) devotion at 9am. Parents are welcome to stay for some or all of it.

All parents welcome!Chinese Parents Bible Study (Mandarin)Every Wednesday from 1:45 - 2:50pm in H4 during school terms. Contact Michelle Lin at Heartbeat Church on 9738 9799 or mlin@rpcs.nsw.edu.au

Year 2 ANZ Stadium

On Thursday 19 October, year 2 went on an excursion to ANZ Stadium. This excursion was a great opportunity for our students to experience and learn first-hand about the history and current use of the stadium. We had a great day!

Two of our year two students have written a recount of the excursion.

“Yesterday, year 2 went to ANZ stadium. Year 2 went on this excur-sion because in inquiry we will be learning about local history. Our guide was named Marie, she was showing 2W around. We went to level 0 which is where only staff members and players are allowed. We went in the radio room and we put on the headphones. She told us there was a monster truck race on the weekend and that was why the grass wasn’t green. We went to the change rooms and the staff said they will decorate the change rooms to be in the team’s colour.

We got to sit on the middle seats. I learnt that the middle seats were the best and I also learnt that ANZ stadium was made in 1990. We also watched a movie about how ANZ stadium was built. At the end of the day we did a quiz. I enjoyed doing the quiz. We had to look at the poles to find the answers. One of the questions was ‘where did the torch relay start?’ It was Uluru. We had a great day, I really enjoyed learning about the history of ANZ stadium!” Mimi, 2W

“A guide named Lyn gave us a tour of the stadium. We got to see the sports ground. We also got to see a video about the history of the stadium. We got to sit in the seats of the highest level which is level 6. We learned that the theme of the stadium was water because the chair colours were in a wavy pattern. We got to see the players’ changing room and warm up room. We got to do exercises like push ups, one armed push ups and jumping jacks. We went to ANZ stadium because we are going to learn about the history of different places in Sydney. Mrs Budiawan asked us to make a book about the history of different places in Sydney” Angel, 2N

Save the Date Presentation Assemblies and Celebration Night: 30 November, 2018

Our students and staff are working very hard to prepare for our Celebration Evening on Friday 30 November. The musical for this year is Silent Night and we trust that all of our families will be attending. As well as the musical, we celebrate all that God has done for us over the year and graduate our Year 6 students from Primary.

Our Primary Presentation Assemblies are that morning (November 30), when we acknowledge the special achievements of our students. Our K-2 Presentation will take place 9:00-10:00am and our 3-6 Presentation will be held 10:15-11:00am. There will be a morning tea for our parents during the break.

SECONDARY NEWS

CareersThis week’s Career Events and Happenings are now on Schoolbox – Careers – Events.

Operation Christmas Child Shoe Box AppealSamaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child celebrates 25 years of blessing children with gifts that show them that someone cares for them. Along with the gifts, children are given the opportunity to learn about Jesus and what he has done for them.

How can I be involved?• fill a shoe box with gifts for either a 2-4, 5-9

or 10-14 year old boy or girl • donate gifts to help fill a shoebox• make a donation to help send a shoe box

overseas

How much does it cost? If you want to send a shoe box overseas you will need to pay $10. You can do this online at www.samaritanspurse.org.au

Who do I need to see? To pick up a shoe box or to donate money or gifts please see Mrs Frisken in the F3 staffroom.