Elizabeth East Campus Newsletter

OUR MISSION, VISION AND VALUES

Our Mission

Our mission is to foster academic and creative excellence in a respectful and nurturing educational environment. We strive to support student wellbeing and provide meaningful learning experiences that develop socially responsible and resilient life-long learners. Through collaboration and leadership, our students will engage in, and contribute to the community, both locally and globally.

Our Vision

At Pinnacle College, we celebrate diversity and uniqueness in an innovative and inclusive learning environment. Our vision is to equip students with the confidence and skills to reach their potential and meet the challenges of the future as global citizens, leaders and innovators.

Principal’s Message

Hello all parents, students and school community members,

Time certainly flies. We are already at the end of Term 2. We have had many things happen during Term 2 including the Qurban festival, fundraising stalls and of course, much learning.

I have had the opportunity to further connect with our students and parents. I thank all parents who have had the chance to take time out of their busy schedules to take part in school events during Term 2. It always is a pleasure to meet with parents. I urge all other parents to find the time to also come into school. Students take even more ownership of their learning when they see their parents at school. Never underestimate the power of a visit or attending at school programs!

As is custom, I would like to raise awareness of a few things:

- Literacy Pro and reading at home: Reading is an essential skill all kids will need in the future.Students who read consistently frequently have improved outcomes compared to students who do not read consistently. We need our parents’ help in this. Please support our students by encouraging them to read at home whether it’s from a book or using the Literacy Pro app that students have access to. Better yet, read with your kids. Makes for great bonding time!

- Attendance: We understand that students may not be able to attend school from time to time. However, extended absenteeism or being late daily is something that negatively impacts students’ outcomes. Please ensure that your children attend school daily, and timely, to give them the best chance of reaching their potential!

- Consistent work and study: I believe all parents will appreciate it when I say that consistency is the key to success. I am sure a lot of our parents also hear “I’ve already finished my homework” from their children. Homework is set by teachers but working or studying is not restricted to homework. A bit of daily revision is much better than studying a few hours right before an assessment. I ask all parents to encourage their children to revise consistently, daily in fact. Students who have established a good study or work routine are much more likely to succeed as they begin to take on SACE.

I wish all our students and parents a relaxing and restful term break and hope to see you all in Term 3.

Kindest regards,

Omer Faruk Demirbas
Elizabeth East Campus Principal

Deputy Principal

As we wrap up Term 2, it has been truly wonderful to see our students' hard work and dedication shining through in all aspects of school life. Their efforts in the classroom, their enthusiasm during events, and their continued commitment to their learning have been a joy to witness.

This term has been full of memorable experiences. The Life Ed Van visit offered valuable lessons in health and wellbeing, while National Simultaneous Storytime brought the joy of reading to life across our school. Our Arabic Art Incursion allowed students to explore rich cultural traditions through creativity, and we were proud to come together as a community to celebrate the Qurban Festival, reflecting on the values of compassion and generosity. Our Book Fair was also a great success, helping to foster a love of reading while supporting our school library.

As we head into the mid-year break, I hope everyone takes the time to rest, recharge, and enjoy time with family and friends. For our Year 12 students, this marks the beginning of the final stretch, your last full term is just around the corner, and we are here to support you every step of the way.

Wishing all our students, staff, and families a safe and restful holiday break.

Warm regards,
Thomas Schlicker
Deputy Principal

Teaching and Learning Coordinator

It’s hard to believe we’ve already wrapped up another action packed term in the Primary years! Our students have enjoyed a variety of enriching learning experiences, including National Simultaneous Storytime, the Qurban Festival celebrations, exciting SciWorld, Islamic Art and Bubble Show incursions, and varied fascinating excursions! These opportunities continue to support our curriculum focus while making learning meaningful and memorable.

Next term promises to be just as exciting, with a number of academic competitions on the horizon, including Spelling Bees, the ICAS assessments, and the Book Cup. These events provide students with the chance to extend their learning and challenge themselves in new ways.

Over the break, we encourage families to continue supporting learning at home by engaging in regular reading, practising multiplication tables, and revisiting key numeracy and literacy skills. Even a little each day can make a big difference!

We’ve also had the pleasure of welcoming several prospective Foundation students for 2026 during recent tours, it’s always lovely to see familiar faces as siblings continue their journey with Pinnacle. If you’re looking to enroll a child for next year, please contact our Pinnacle Enrolments team at your earliest convenience.

Warm regards

Nibal Al Bayati
Teaching and Learning Coordinator

Library

The Library at Elizabeth East Campus

In South Australia, May was history month so in May we looked at the history of various items including history of pictures/ cameras and even had the chance to look at a Stereoscope, Toys and  Sports.  This is always a fun month to let children know about history.

National Simultaneous Story time was fantastic with the reception to year 2s.   Mr. Omer Demirbas read “The Truck and the Cat” to all the reception to year 2 classes here at Elizabeth Campus. 

Students would have noticed that a lot of our Fiction, Junior Fiction and Easy Fiction books now have a three-digit number on the spine.  The new spine labels identify the Lexile level a book is. Lexile levels are a way to measure the comprehension difficulty of a book and match it to a reader's ability. The Lexile level is represented by a number, where higher numbers mean more complex texts.

The Elizabeth Campus hosted a  Scholastic Book Fairs during Term 2. Hundreds of books, resources and keepsakes were available for purchase. By purchasing items from the book was a great way to help Pinnacle College? Scholastic gives back a percentage of the total spend to our school to acquire new books for the library.

Next term we are looking forward to Book Week – the theme this year is “Book an adventure”. It will be held 16-23 August. With the Book Week parade on Friday 22nd August.

Thank you,

Lisa Preston
Mucella Kot
Your library staff

Counselling

Dear parents / caregivers,

As we conclude another productive term at Pinnacle, the counselling team of Mr Jesse and Ms Maysa had the primary focus of student resilience regarding social dynamics that tied in with emotion regulation and positive choices in and outside of the classroom. There is firm believe that nurturing resilience equips the student cohort with the necessary skills to navigate

obstacles, adapt to change, and thrive in all aspects of their lives.

These skills were implemented to help with time management strategies in order to combat the distractions of excessive social media, online interactions and other components of screen time that the majority of students participate in. Students were able to actively develop a deeper understanding of their personal stress triggers and mindsets around their abilities and objectives.

At the conclusion of the Qurban festivities in week 5, the counselling team aimed to make sure that the student diversity was still prominent in the acceptance and warm welcoming of different family cultures and backgrounds to our school grounds.

Wishing everyone a restful and rejuvenating break, and looking forward to an amazing term 3.

Best regards,
The Counselling Team.

Elizabeth East Campus Newsletter

Foundation

This term, Foundation students visited Anglicare and had a wonderful time. It was heartwarming to witness their resilience, confidence, and friendly nature as they interacted with the residents. The experience highlighted their ability to build meaningful connections and engage positively in a new and unfamiliar environment.

Kind regards,

Miss M

Foundation / Year 1

This term we have been learning about materials in Science. We have learnt about their properties by doing a number of different experiments. We tested absorbency, transparency and strength. We had fun working together on our experiments.

Kind regards,

Mrs Mirfin

Year 1

In 1A, we have been learning how to use the elements of art to create different artworks. These artworks demonstrate our experimentation with line, colour, and shape, with an additional artwork using warm and cool colours to show the four seasons.

Kind regards,

Mr Brady

Year 2

Year 2 had an amazing time at the planetarium! They learned about why we have seasons and saw the planets and stars up close in a stunning dome show.

The children were fascinated by how the planets move and how this affects Earth. It was a fun, hands-on way to explore space and deepen their understanding of the world around them.

Kind regards,

Mrs Musa

Year 3

In English, we focused on persuasive writing, learning how to express strong opinions with clear reasons. In HASS, students explored the importance of rules in our communities. A highlight of the term was our engaging Science incursion, where students participated in hands-on experiments! It’s been a term full of curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking. Great work, Year 3.

Kind regards,

Mr Sun

Year 4 A

Term 2 has been a busy and exciting time for Year 4A! In HASS, students deepened their understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, languages, and connection to land. In Maths, we explored area and perimeter, along with odd and even numbers. A highlight of the term was our Islamic Art workshop, where students created beautiful kaleidoscope designs inspired by traditional patterns. It’s been a wonderful term of learning, creativity, and curiosity. Well done, Year 4A!

Kind regards

Mrs Pietrantonio & Mrs Nibal

Year 4 B

This term has been a very busy and exciting term for the students in 4B! The Year 4 cohort had an incursion to learn about the history of islamic art and its contributions to society today! We have also been learning and practicing different types of stop animation, in which the students have worked together and by themselves to explore their creative ideas to create beautiful animation pieces! 

Kind regards,

Miss Newton

Year 5

Congratulations to both the Elizabeth East boys and girls teams for achieving a clean sweep of trophies in the Bachar Houli Cup and the Islamic Cup so far this year! This term’s Islamic Cup brought together Islamic-based schools from across Adelaide for a round-robin soccer tournament at Service FM Stadium. Elizabeth East continued their winning streak, with both teams reaching the Grand Final—and taking home the titles. Boys secured the title with a 2-1 Grand Final victory, while the girls sealed the trophy with a 3-2 Grand Final win.

Congratulations also must go to Abdulaye, Ibrahim, Idrissa, Nalan, Emaan and Sofia for being selected in the State squad travelling to Queensland later this year for the National Islamic Cup. What a great achievement.

Kind regards,

Mr T

Year 6 

This term, the Year 6 class put their multiplication and division skills to the test by creating sums for partners and solving them using chalk outside. Students also worked in teams to support each other during a fun and interactive “game show” activity that reinforced their understanding through collaboration.

Kind regards,

Miss B

Religion and Values

Alhamdulillah! In this term we learnt about different topics, including the Five Pillars of Islam, Salah, Wudu and Hajj. All the Primary classes had activities regarding Hajj, where we explored our understanding of the rituals of Hajj, such as, Tawaf, Saee and Arafah Day. Students learnt different surahs, such as, Al-Mutaffifin, Al-Buruj, Al-‘Ala, Ad-Duha, and Al- Bayyinah. Well done everyone!

Kind regards,

Mrs Sultana, Mrs Reham and Mr Ahmet

Primary Sport

Congratulations to both Elizabeth East boys and girls for completing the clean sweep of trophies for The Bachar Houli Cup and Islamic Cup.

The Islamic Cup saw Islamic based schools across Adelaide come together for a round robin soccer tournament. Elizabeth East students carried on their winning ways with both boys and girls making it to the Grand Final and winning both.

Kind regards,

Mr T

SRC

This term the Student Representative Council worked together to create their own fidget stall at the Qurban Festival! We sold many types of fidgets for students to take home, while raising money for Qurban! Well done and good effort SRC Team!

Kind regards,

Miss Newton

Secondary

Senior Religion and Values

Over terms 1 and 2 in religion and values, the year 8 students have been learning about prophethood in Islam. They have covered the important responsibilities and unique qualities of the prophets and the sahaba. The class have been reading the inspiring stories of the lives of prophets, such as Prophet Muhammad, Yusuf, Ayyub, Ibrahim, Sulayman, Isa and many others to learn from their moral lessons while also learning about the history of Islamic monuments like the Ka’bah. Students have gained a deeper and more appreciative understanding of their religion while also being able to apply the lessons they have learnt towards self betterment and Righteousness.

Kind regards,

Mrs Yasmin and Mr Nurudeen

Art

Art and Technology Departments have been busy with various topics in term 2 that include First Nations Art, Word Art, coding and programming.

As an Arts & Tech Department we always encourage our students to enter state and interstate competitions. Entries to Refugee Week Art Competition has been very successful and we are pleased to announce that the following students’ works have been chosen to be displayed in the final exhibition under ‘’secondary school’ category at the Adelaide Arts and Entertainment Centre:

• Syed Azaan Shah (Year 9) from Elizabeth East
• Sadiya Multani ( Year 9) from Golden Grove

We extend our sincere congratulations to both students for their achievements!

Kind regards,

Mrs Selen

English

Dear Students, Parents, and Supporters,

We've had an incredibly eventful Term 2 here at the English Department! Our students have once again showcased their talents and dedication through a series of exciting competitions and creative endeavors.

YouDebate Success

We are proud to announce our outstanding achievements in this year's YouDebate competition, where our teams from Elizabeth East and Golden Grove faced off with our sister schools from all around the nation. Congratulations to all participants for their spirited debates and thoughtful arguments!

Elizabeth East Highlights:

• Year 7: Orhan Kot, Mustafa Abu Shaban, Adil Ali
  
• Year 8: Aahil, Omer Albaraa Mohamed, Hasan Hajeer
  
• Year 9: Chris Sharma, Mehmet Eren Guler, Malek Abudusamaiti
  
• Year 10: Musa, Erfan, Abraham
• Public Speakers: Raihan Sufandi.

Golden Grove Highlights:

• Year 7: Sara Al Mufti, Samiha Bashir, Mariam Hussein, PS - Muskaan Faria Syed
  
• Year 8: Juwariah, Maham, Zunairah, PS - Aaya Shawqy
  
• Year 9: Zubi Syed, Lara Salman, Ayesha Khan, Public Speaker - Sirin Omar
  
• Year 10: Anamtta Baig, Elaha Jafari, Ragd Elrayah
  
• Public Speakers: Muskaan Faria Syed,Aaya Shawqy , Sirin Omar
  

Achievements:

• Golden Grove claimed 1st place in Public Speaking for Year 7 and 3rd place for Year 8.
  
• Our Year 8 Golden Grove girls secured an impressive 2nd place in the YouDebate competition.
• Elizabeth East placed 3rd in the Year 9 division of the YouDebate competition.
  

Write a Book in a Day:

A special shout-out to the Elizabeth East team for their incredible dedication in the "Write a Book in a Day" competition. Ahil Tajdar, Hasan Hajeer, Daniel Belba, Ali Rezaye, Muser Qurbani, Haroon Khan, and Moussa Abdelsadek wrote tirelessly for 8 hours, demonstrating creativity and teamwork. Best of luck to our Golden Grove girls in Term 3!

Open Day Preparation:

As for Open Day, we want to extend our heartfelt thanks to all the teachers in the English Department who worked tirelessly to make our department shine. Your dedication ensures that our students excel in both academic and creative pursuits.

Thank you to:

• Saphron Brackney
  
• Ashton Botha
  
• Natasha Cameron
  
• Hilary Donraddt
  
• Lucy Moschos
  
• Michael Salter
  
• Thomas Schlicker

Stay tuned for more exciting updates and events from the English Department in Term 3!

Warm regards,

Carmine Guglielmucci
Head of English Department

Humanities

Year 8 students have delved into studies of Feudal Japan, bringing history to life through creative diary entries written from a samurai’s perspective. They explored the values of loyalty, honour, and discipline while learning about the samurai’s daily life. As a fun activity and to consolidate students' understanding of the way of a samurai, they have planned and constructed various samurai weapons to showcase the intricacies of samurai warfare.

Kind regards,

Ms Roelofsen

Science

Our Year 11 Physics students have recently completed an engaging experimental investigation exploring the electrical behaviour of different materials. As part of their Electric Circuits unit, students designed and conducted their own experiments to distinguish between ohmic and non-ohmic conductors.

By measuring current and voltage across various components—such as resistors, light bulbs, and diodes—students determined whether each material obeyed Ohm’s Law. Ohmic conductors, like resistors, showed a constant resistance and a linear current-voltage relationship. In contrast, non-ohmic conductors like diodes demonstrated non-linear behaviour, sparking rich class discussions about electron flow and material properties.

This hands-on task deepened students' understanding of key electrical principles and helped build critical skills in experimental design, data analysis, and scientific communication. Well done to all students for their thoughtful investigations and enthusiastic participation!

Mrs Toryan

Maths

Student Reflection on the SACE Mathematical Investigation

The SACE Mathematical Investigation is not just a school assignment — it's a practical experience that helps us understand how mathematics applies to the world around us. In our investigation, we get to choose a real-life situation and use mathematical models to explore it, draw conclusions, and communicate findings clearly. It’s a process that blends problem-solving, logic, creativity, and communication — skills that matter beyond the classroom.

For example, in my own investigation, I explored Traffic Flow using a range of mathematical tools like linear functions, inverse variation, and regression analysis. I examined how speed and time are related, how road density affects traffic flow, and even used real-world data to model how the number of lanes on a road impacts the total capacity of vehicles per hour. What stood out was not just the maths — it was seeing how these relationships helped explain problems in road design, congestion, and urban planning. It felt like doing the work of an actual traffic analyst.

This kind of task would be much harder if I hadn’t had earlier experience in Years 9 and 10 doing smaller open-ended tasks, graphing with tools like Desmos, and thinking critically about what a graph or equation actually means in real life. Those early years gave me the confidence to tackle unfamiliar problems, justify my choices, and communicate clearly — all of which are essential in the SACE investigation.

The benefits of learning these investigation skills early go beyond maths. You learn how to question information, test ideas, and make evidence-based decisions. These are valuable in any career — whether you're planning a business, analysing data in science, or even deciding how to budget your money.

In the end, the SACE Mathematical Investigation teaches you more than just equations. It teaches you how to think independently, explain your ideas, and apply maths to real-world problems — and that’s something every student should start learning as early as possible.

Kind regards,

Mr Hussein