Pinnacle College eNewsletter

18 September 2019

Newsletter Articles

OUR MISSION, VISION AND VALUES
Principal’s Message
Student Representative Council
Sports Day
Primary
Secondary
Pastoral Care
Sporting Competitions

OUR MISSION, VISION AND VALUES

Our Mission

Pinnacle College strives to establish and maintain a safe and nurturing environment so that every student may reach their full potential and achieve a high level of academic excellence determined by state and federal standards.

Our Vision and Values

When you enter Pinnacle College you will be met with a friendly smile. Our level of pride is displayed by our teachers and staff. Apart from a high standard of education at our well-maintained campuses, we aim to develop responsibility in our students, alongside appreciating and valuing different cultures, possessing positive behaviour and a high ethical conscience. We also guide students to accept actions, widen their view of the world which in turn enables them to learn from the consequences of their choices. Studying in a diverse multicultural community, students have the opportunity to widen their view of the world, enabling them to help each other and be productive both now and in the future.

Principal’s Message

Dear Friends and Staff,

We have concluded Term 3 with our Sports Days and Science Shows at Elizabeth Campus. For the first time our junior primary students joined with their peers at Golden Grove campus along with the Gilles Plains campus junior primary classes. It was a great day for everyone and I would like to congratulate the Yellow Eagles (Angas) for coming first. Also, I would like to congratulate the upper primary sports day winners, blue sharks (Gilbert) for their achievement on the day. Also, I would like to congratulate the primary and secondary HPE departments for organising sports days smooth and without major disruptions.

For the first time Math department organised maths competitions for our high school students and maths incursions for our primary students as well. We have all witnessed the fantastic and competitive atmosphere during the game and observed the students who are pushing their boundaries of their brains to get the answers right. We would like to see this and similar games/competitions happening more often in our school and will look forward to organising where possible. The incursions of the primary students and the games presented to them by the secondary students were also great initiative. All the puzzles and math games broaden the horizon of the students and I am sure they also realised that math is not only about numbers and it’s everywhere.

Finally, I would like to wish everyone a refreshing and enjoyable term break. I hope everyone including teaching and non-teaching staff will be back rejuvenated and ready to wrap up the whole year in Term 4 which will be the busiest of all.

Kind Regards,
Atilla Sinik

Student Representative Council

Got a niggling feeling that someone you know or care about it isn’t behaving as they normally would? Perhaps they seem out of sorts? More agitated or withdrawn? Or they’re just not themselves. Trust that gut instinct and act on it. On the 10th of September Pinnacle College started a school wide conversation about mental health.

We reminded students that by starting a conversation and commenting on the changes you’ve noticed, you could help that family member, friend or workmate open up. If they say they are not ok, you can follow our conversation steps to show them they’re supported and help them find strategies to better manage the load. If they are ok, that person will know you’re someone who cares enough to ask.

This year, the year 10s hosted an assembly about R U OK day to set the scene for the week. The whole school was encouraged to wear yellow and there were various decorations placed around the school. The primary school conducted various activities during DEAR time. A new R U OK bench was unveiled where students can express their feelings in a safe and supportive environment. At 3pm the primary classes then had a Walk n Talk where they talked to five different people from other year levels.

While the primary classes conducted their activities, secondary classes had a guest speaker from Beyond Blue give a talk about her on-going journey through anxiety. Anxiety, depression and suicide can affect any of us at any time. At different points in our lives we can be at greater risk. One in four young people experiences a mental health condition at some point in their childhood. Therefore, it is always a good idea to check in on a family member, friend or workmate.

Sports Day

On 26th September, Pinnacle college held their annual Sports Day. Angus, Finnis, Torrens and Gilbert competed against each other to win the grand trophy. This year we had a new prize called the spirit award where the team with the best sportsmanship won a trophy as well. The warm, dry conditions, were ideal for the various events such as long jump, discus, shotput and track. The students showed their loyalty to their team through wearing house coloured tops, with many adding face- paint, coloured socks and other accessories to show off their team spirit. The House Sports Leaders lead their house chants to ensure every opportunity to gain valuable points. After a day of sporting events Gilbert took the prize. Well done Gilbert!

Primary

Year 1

Term three has been a very busy term in Year 1. We have enjoyed 100 Days of School and Book Week as well as the usual events a school term brings. In Science we have been studying ‘Chemical Changes.’ We have melted icy poles, heated chocolate, spaghetti, popcorn and bread. We have looked at how they change and if we can change them back again. Spent one lesson comparing raw spaghetti and cooked spaghetti. We took part in a challenge to make a two storey tower from raw spaghetti and marshmallows. We came across some difficulties but two teams overcame these to make a finished tower. In HASS we have been learning about who transport has changed over the years. As part of this work we had a great day out at both the ‘National Railway Museum’ and the ‘Aviation Museum.’ We enjoyed exploring the old trains and planes.

Year 4

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

What a fun few weeks we have had! Book Week was a blast with some students taking part in the dress up parade. Nasiba and Sameer won best dressed for our class and were lucky enough to receive a prize. CONGRATS!

During Book Week, our students attended the incursion organised. They enjoyed learning about drawing comics. It was a good opportunity to learn from an expert who is passionate about their profession.

Thank you to those families who attended interviews. The students organised a small talk for you to share their strengths and areas to improve. There is still time to come in before the end of the term to share in their excitement about their learning. We would love to show you what they prepared.

We will begin rehearsing our End of Year Concert item. I must know definite numbers for costumes and choreography. We can’t wait for you to see it as I am sure you will be impressed!

Kind regards,
Sarah Watkins
Year 4 Teacher

Year 5

Term 3 has been packed full of events, incursions, excursions and festivities. The school has been filled with colour, creativity and a lot of happy faces! The Year 5 class in particular have extended their drawing abilities in a comic workshop where they focused on drawings that couldn’t be rubbed out, working on how to develop and improve their own creations. Next, they used mathematical concepts to grid reference a beach setting and then produce a procedure of how a family might visit each site. As a follow-up assessment, students chose their own procedure, but there was a ‘catch’… they had to make whatever it was that they wrote about. From changing a car tyre, to baking a chocolate cake, our students showed great ability in their endeavours!

Science

During Term 3, grade 5s and 6s have been busily working in Science.

Students presented their solar system models to their peers. Projects were done with effort and determination. Grade 5s also conducted certain experiments in front of the class, in order to practice for the Science show, which will take place in week 10.

Keep up the effort scientists!

Grade 6s received their personalised T-shirts; and graduation preparations are also coming along.

In Science, students presented their natural disaster projects to their peers. Grade 6s have also conducted certain experiments in front of the class, in order to practice for the Science show. Great effort scientists!

Ms Nesibe

HPE

Over the past 14 weeks, students in Years 5 and 6 have been developing their skills at ball games through Soccer, AFL and Gaelic Football. Students demonstrated their soccer skills with proficiency and it was clear during assessments that our students have a real passion for the game. However, our students found difficulty with the AFL oval-shaped ball… this did not prevent them from having a good go at it! They improved with the bounce, mastered the handball and became accurate with their kicks. Finally, with Gaelic Football, the students came alive and any difficulties they had with the oval ball were soon forgotten as they have now participated in a series of competitive matches.

Visual Arts

In Art, the foundation students have been enjoying creating circus themed crafts this term. The students have made whistle blowing elephants, clown bookmarks, clown hats and Paper plate clowns with fun balloon noses. We have developed our cutting and design skills along the way. The Year 2s have been busy doing a study of fruit/still-life in the arts. We have looked at how still-life has been represented differently by different artists and in different countries and times. The students’ still-life study is on display in our school hall if you have time please stop by and view their body of work.

Secondary

Humanities

CITIES AND URBAN LIFE

For the first four weeks of Humanities this term, we learnt about Cities and Urban Life. This was a very interesting topic, and we learnt many new concepts and terms, such as urbanisation (the increase of people living in urban areas compared to rural areas), megacities (cities with a total population of 10 million or more) and more. We were taught about the differences between rural and urban areas, why people move to urban areas, the pros and cons of cities and reasons behind urbanisation in multiple areas of the world. There were many interesting facts, such as the way cities are organised, how megacities have grown in such a short period of time, how we can manage the growth of our cities and much more. Overall, I believe this was a very interesting topic to learn about and I really enjoyed it.

By Omar Litip Year 8B

STEM

The year 9 STEM class have been busy engaging in food sciences and engineering challenges this term.

Students have been exploring the use of enzymes in the food industry, producing cheese in the lab. In a subsequent practical, students moved to the kitchen and utilised “food safe” materials and ingredients to produce their own cottage cheese which was fit for human consumption and enjoyed with crackers.

In the last few weeks students were randomly assigned into small teams and given engineering challenges which explored forces. This included designing and constructing a bridge that could hold a stack of books, and a catapult that could project an object the furthest.

Drama

In Drama, we have been drafting our final scrip for the EOYC ceremony. The Year 9 Drama students are creating a filmed production of ‘Harry Potter’ for the Secondary Ceremony this year. We will also be performing a scripted play for the Primary classes. We have combined elements from ‘Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone’ and ‘Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets’. Students will be performing classroom scenes from the 1st and 2nd Years at the Hogwarts school of Wizardry and Witchcraft. The students completed some wonderful auditions at the start of the term and are now busy analysing their characters and perfecting their character accents. We look forward to sharing our hard work with parents and friends and hope you can all come along and support the Arts in Term 4.

Art

Year 7 students have been working on their masks diligently. After their initial design they fleshed out details and substance with masking tape, papier-mâché and plaster strips. They will be completing the fine details in the remaining weeks of the term. Year 8 students explored how to construct illusion using angle and perspective through a ‘forced perspective’ assignment. They also used the opportunity to focus on spring and ‘yellow’ on R U o.k. Day. Year 9 students got close to completion of their identity art project. They address the question “what involves a person’s social and individual identity in the information age and social media?” The results are promising.

Biology

The year 11, stage 2 Biology class is finishing their last assignment and are preparing for their end of year exam in term 4. Although they are heavy with anticipation and the normal levels of stress, they are still in good spirits.

Their current practical is about the tolerance limits of plants. All groups have different plants undergoing different conditions. The picture below shows one group measuring the height of their tomato plants. Each sample has been given different levels of hormones in order to show the effects of Auxin on growth. In the photo below, we can see Laila watering her plants different solutions with varying salt concentrations.

Plants 19, 20, 7 and 8 are already looking unwell even though they have the lowest salt concentrations. Their group will have lots to discuss in their practical report. Throughout the year the year 11s completing stage 2 biology have shown the high quality of students that we have. They have submitted their work to a stage 2 standard and I am so proud of the class. I can’t wait to see what they will achieve next year when they complete more stage 2 subjects.

Mathematics

YEAR 7&8 MATHEMATCIS COMPETITION

Pinnacle College’s Mathematics Competitions continued today for Year 7 and 8 students! Congratulations to Muaz Yildirim, Abdul Mohammad and Omar Litip for scoring first place, Ahmad Aly, Abdurrahman Elshazly and Kaisar Mutalip for second place & Jasur Shalar, Asir Shaikh and Khaled Elkaisi for third place winners. Well done to all our contestants from Elizabeth & Golden Grove, you all did super great and thank you to our Year 11 team assistants and MC’s Ebubekir Pulat and Nuha Rafeek for their hard work.

YEAR 9&10 MATHEMATCIS COMPETITION

Pinnacle College held their first annual Mathematics Competition in celebration of Numeracy Week 2019. 6 teams consisting of Year 9 and 10 students competed by solving a range of Maths questions. Congratulations to Amna Saad, Muhtasina Ahammad and Elnur Abliz for scoring first place, Yusuf Pulat, Mohannad Budair and Hamza Zahid for second place & Mona Aly, Hibba Daghestani and Mona Daghestani for third place winners. Well done to all our contestants, who all did their very best!

NUMERACY WEEK INCURSION FOR STUDENTS RUN BY YEAR 9 ACCELERATED STUDENTS

Year 9 Accelerated Mathematics students ran an incursion to all primary students of Elizabeth &Golden Grove students in celebration of Numeracy Week 2019. Primary students were challenged with varying levels of exciting puzzles and problem solving questions. All students were so engaged and enthusiastic! A huge thank you to the Year 9 accelerated boys & girls for making Mathematics FUN for primary.

English

Term 3 has been a busy term with a range of activities to celebrate all things that are English. Book Week celebrations in Week 5 were backed up with more activities for Literacy Week in Week 8. Secondary students from all year levels paired up with the primary classes as reading buddies and a short story competition really showcased the best that Pinnacle has to offer in terms of writing and creativity.

The following is an extract from the riveting story ‘Thief’ by Irfan Omarhoja of Year 9B, who took out first prize:

The air shimmered and turned dark, the purest form of black, seemingly limitless in depth. I stared into the inky blackness, unable to look away and unable to see anything else. Something floated past, something soft and silky, yet firm, brushed past my cheek but nothing came into view. And suddenly just like that, I was back in bed, staring at the ceiling, drenched in so much sweat I could have been mistaken for a marathon runner. A groan escaped my lips as I realised I’d still have to go to school…

Music

As we near the end of Term 3, the students are reaping the rewards for their efforts. It was exciting to hear the raps or songs that they composed using GarageBand, with topics including The Black Death, Bloom, Soccer Madness, Ramadan, Golden Night and Let’s Write a Rap! Performing in front of their peers was a challenge that most of the students were brave enough to overcome with great success! And it was wonderful to hear the students saying positive and encouraging comments to each other, as well as giving constructive advice for improvements to make their music even better. With Theory Tests this week, the students will be able to demonstrate what they have learnt so far this year.

Tracy Schache
Music Teacher

Pastoral Care

Year 9

Year 9 girls pastoral care has been quite busy.

During Ramadan, Firdevs, Ms Nesibe and Ms Semanur invited the girls for an iftar. We thank all the students who attended, as well as the hosts for their hospitality. Wishing a blessed past Ramadan to all.

At the end of Term 2, Year 9s went to cinemas to watch Aladdin, both as a social activity and a reward for all their efforts at school. Students enjoyed the night and broke loose from any stress the last few weeks of school and loads of assessments could offer…

Our most recent event occurred this Term, when the girls visited Clayton Residential Aged Care Service. Students played games or did art with the elderly residents. Congratulations to Sarah, Firdevs, Eman and Azra, who took part in the second visit and gave effort to make the visit a memorable one for the elderly residents.

Sporting Competitions

Table Tennis

Midway through term 3 an assortment of year 11 and 12 students attended the Woodville District Table Tennis Club for the interschool table tennis state championship.

Pinnacle College competed against schools big and small, ranging from small rural schools to large inner city private schools. The students were competitive in all their matches – no small feat considering some of the best juniors in the state and even country were present. The highlight of the day came in the last match with a victory against local rivals Parafield Gardens High School.

A special mention to Nasir Ahmet (12), Tameem Hussainzadah, Aydin Herkiloglu & Nasibulloh Gorfujonov (all 11) for representing Pinnacle College with distinction.