Pinnacle College
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150 Bicentennial Drive
Golden Grove SA 5125
Subscribe: https://pinnacle.schoolzineplus.com/subscribe

Email: goldengrove@pinnacle.sa.edu.au
Phone: 08 8367 9022

2 June 2021

Newsletter Articles

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

Dear Parents, Friends and Students,

We have gone past 5 weeks of term 2 and only three weeks left to wind up the semester. These remaining weeks are very crucial for our students to conclude the semester successfully, since major assessments will be completed in this short period of time. I advise our students to be a little bit more patient and use their time wisely, to achieve good results. I wish them all the best!

As you are also all aware, the NAPLAN is no longer a pen and paper assessment. The system is real-time online and we have had the NAPLAN 2021 completed with some minor hiccups. All the technical issues we came across, will be sorted out in order to have a much smoother test environment in 2022. I just would like to thank the government authorities for allowing us to reorganise the assessment schedule, due to Eid.

Our PnF committees at Golden Grove and Gilles Plains campuses are slowly getting on their feet. Their ongoing support is crucial and we would like the committees to widen their network and bring more support in any form. If you have time and would like to give a hand to PnF activities, please contact the front office or community engagement officer Mrs Serap Sinik.

This year secondary students have been receiving wellbeing classes as a new subject. Our coordinators and student wellbeing team, are still in progress to shape the curriculum for this subject so, please feel free to let us know if you have any feedback regarding this matter.

Finally, I would like to let you know that Mrs Chloe Rees, Year 1 teacher at Golden Grove campus, is taking her maternity leave by the end of this term. I would like to thank her for a great semester and wish her a smooth break with her family until the end of the year. Ms Sarah Watkins will be taking over the class who has been on maternity leave. I wish Ms Watkins a fabulous year with our Year 1 students.

As the last note and a reminder, we have received an enormous amount of Foundation applications for 2022 and their assessments will be conducted in a few weeks. If you have a child at Foundation age, please make sure you have informed the front office for the assessments, due to limited intake.

Kind Regards,
Atilla Sinik
Campus Principal

Community Engagement Events at Golden Grove Campus

Our Community hub is off to a beautiful start this term. Playgroup is run two times a week Monday 9-11am and Thursday at 1-2pm. This is a great place to meet other parents with children and a fantastic place for you and your child to experience some fun, educational activities together.

Our English classes are also run two times a week, Monday 1-3pm and Tuesday morning 9-11am. Our community hub parents are enjoying our sessions as they learn English in a fun, safe and engaging environment.

Our cooking classes have been a great way to get together to create and share delicious cultural foods.

For anyone interested in joining in please call Mrs Hannan Hassan on 0433814396. All our sessions are free along with a free child-minding service. Come and try it out!

Kind Regards,
Dr Mehmet Aslan
Community Engagement Manager

Primary Coordinator (Golden Grove)

Congratulations to our Year 3, 5, 7 and 9 students for recently completing NAPLAN! We are proud of their efforts to enter a week of continuous testing across a range of formats which can at times be difficult to prepare for. Overall our students performed well and managed their energy and rest during the week with great skill and thought.

While there is a wait for results which allow our staff to reflect on teaching processes and student ability (which then allows both students and teachers to improve their teaching and learning abilities), it is important to focus on all forms of assessments and how best to help your child grow academically.

In the weeks before the end of term, students would have completed multiple tasks which teachers review to note where a student can be extended and where further revision is required. Whether it is formative or summative assessments, diagnostics, external testing like PAT (Progressive Achievement Testing) and ICAS, or even daily lessons, a Parent Teacher interview is a fantastic opportunity to gauge your child’s progress and to pinpoint areas of focus and improvement.

Mr Myles McLean

Primary Coordinator (Gilles Plains)

National Reconciliation Week: More than a word. Reconciliation takes action.

Ahead of National Reconciliation Week (NRW), students from the SRC and Mrs Holland gathered for a special assembly in the library on Monday 31/5/21. During the assembly, the SRC students welcomed students and staff to the Kaurna Land on which Pinnacle College stands. In addition to the welcome, we acknowledged the country that we learn on together, an action symbolic of our collective appreciation of Australian history prior to European settlement.

Reiterating the theme of NRW, More than a word. Reconciliation takes action, we sang Advance Australia fair, paying particular attention to the significance of the word ‘young’ having recently been changed to ‘one’, paying respect to our shared histories, cultures and achievements. Although NRW ends on 3 June, reconciliation is a continuous journey we are committed to continue at Pinnacle College.

I would like to thank the parents who came to join us at our Sports Day. It was great to see many parents helping students get ready and take part in the parents’ races. I would like to see more parents get involved in activities in school.

Please make an appointment to see me if there are any compliments or concerns that you have regarding our campus at Gilles Plains. I welcome the feedback and suggestions.

Kind Regards,
Shalini Moss

Library

17-23 May was Library and Information Week. On Tuesday 18 May was Library Technicians Day - I would like to THANK Tammy for all the help and support she provides the Golden Grove Campus Library. Reception to year 2 celebrated by being involved in National Simultaneous Story time and read ‘Give me Some Space’ by Philip Bunting. The story was read from the International Space Station.

Book Fairs are quickly approaching. Golden Grove Book Fair is May 25 – May 31 and Gilles Plain Book Fair is June 1 – 8. This year, we are emphasising on books and reading for the students. Book Fair is a great opportunity for every student to have books of their own to keep and treasure. To encourage this, we will have a special when buying 4 or more books. Come and see the staff at the Book Fair during lunch, recess and after school.

Book Week is approaching in term 3. The theme for Book week is “Old Worlds, New Worlds, Other Worlds”. We have read many of the books during library time. It is a great celebration of great Australian authors and books. Ask your students what is their favourite book so far.

Premiers Reading Challenge forms are due early September. But if your student has completed their – please return to your student’s teacher.

Kind Regards,
Ms Lisa Preston
Librarian at Golden Grove and Gilles Plains

PASTORAL CARE

Year 7 girls enjoyed an iftar together at Ms Esma's house, as well as an iftar at school. Thank you to Ms Esma for hosting her beautiful iftar & thank you to all our lovely students for attending. May Allah accept our fasting and prayers this Ramadan.

Year 7 Iftars

Golden Grove Pastoral Care teachers also hosted their annual iftar for mothers and daughters during Ramadan. Our teachers and PC students prepared gifts to give to their beautiful mothers. It was a truly memorable iftar; being surrounded by such a lovely group of people,whilst tasting an array of delicious dishes from a variety of cultures.

Kind regards
Girls Pastoral Care Teachers

Pastoral Care Golden Grove

SCHOOL COUNSELLOR

Dear Parents and Guardians,

I hope you are doing well.

I just wanted to provide some tips on noticing signs of a child’s/teen deteriorating mental health and wellbeing. It is important for parents to remain mindful of their child’s wellbeing and to be able to recognize and identify signs to ensure that your child receives the required support as early as possible.

Signs to look out for:

  • Spending more time in their room (isolated/withdrawn)
  • Loss of interest in usual activities they enjoy
  • Decline in school performance
  • Disturbance in routine, sleep and diet
  • Excessive sleep or insomnia
  • Fatigue
  • Low self-esteem
  • Personality shifts and changes (e.g. excessive anger)
  • Expression of hopelessness
  • Stop contacting or seeing friends
  • Unmotivated
  • Have an unexplained physical problem (e.g. Headache, nausea)

Things you can do to support your child:

  • Check in with them, listen to them and provide emotional support
  • Book them in with a GP (referral to a psychologist and other support services)
  • Encourage them to seek counselling support at school

Resources:

Kind Regards,
Zina Al-Mufti

MUSIC

In Music this term, Years F-2 are looking at different ways to play percussion, Years 3-4 are using their knowledge of rhythm to write their own music, while Years 5-6 are focusing on the ukulele.

One of the fun things that has come out of this term was from the Year 1 class at Gilles Plains as they were experimenting with different ways they could sort their percussive instruments. Check out the many ways you can make a stick figure using percussion!

Music - Gilles Plains

Mrs Sarah Hateley
Music Teacher

ART CLUB

The Art Club has been busy making some Mothers Day and Eid crafts to share with our loved ones. Currently we are exploring watercolour and acrylic paint. Students have enjoyed learning how to create washes using different techniques. We have also explored blending with paint.

Kindest Regards,
Mrs Mungall

Art Club - Golden Grove

FOUNDATION – GOLDEN GROVE

This term, students have continued to work hard recognising their Jolly Phonics sounds which is evident in their reading and writing development. Students have been practising how to write a simple sentence using capital letters, full stops, fingers spaces and beautiful handwriting. I am so proud of their efforts. Students also enjoyed participating in their first Pinnacle College Sports Day! I was very pleased with their constant teamwork, persistence and participation during the day! Go Dragons! :)

Kindest Regards,
Miss Daniella Di Cola

Foundation - Golden Grove

YEAR 1 – GOLDEN GROVE

Year 1 has been very busy these last few weeks! We were lucky enough to visit the Uleybury School Museum for our excursion last week to see the differences between schools in the past and present. It was eye opening for the children to see what life was like back before we had iPads, whiteboards and the internet! We even had a naughty student that got the cane from Mr Squire (it was just pretend!)

I only have a few more weeks left with the students before I head off on Maternity Leave. It has been great to see how hard the students have worked and matured, in only a short time. I will be replaced by Sarah Watkins, who is on maternity leave herself after 5 years as a teacher and coordinator at the Gilles Plains and Elizabeth Campus. She has been popping in on weekly visits to see and meet the students, and she is very excited to take over the class. Thanks for being really supportive parents, it has been great to get to know you all.

Kindest Regards,
Mrs Chloe Rees

Year 1 - Golden Grove

YEAR 2 - GOLDEN GROVE

On Monday 17th of May, the Year 2 students hosted a special High Tea for their Mother. The class was transformed into a restaurant with the students creating decorations, cooking treats and serving up a storm. Sarah and Osman greeted mums at the door and Mariam showed parents to their seats. Hilal, Haya and Elif kept the younger siblings engaged in our ‘Child Care Zone’ and our chef crew ensured the parents had plenty of food to enjoy as they watched our Mother’s Day Video. Thank you to all the mums in attendance. We hope you had an enjoyable time.

In Week 5, a small group of girls visited Aleeza Zeeshan in her home. The students enjoyed playing and laughing with Aleeza. Thank you for welcoming us into your home and preparing a lovely recess for the students. Please continue to pray for Aleeza as she continues her treatment.

Kindest Regards,
Ms Bianca Villani

Year 2 - Golden Grove

YEAR 3 – GOLDEN GROVE

The Year 3 NAPLAN testing is over! All our students did an amazing job and were very mature in their approach to the week of testing. We have also been involved in Tri-skills Gymnastics skill and movement development during our PE lessons in weeks 2 and 5. Students have had a blast trying out new equipment and learning new ways to safely move their bodies. As always, thank you for your ongoing support.

Kind Regards,
Mrs Kylie Burton

Year 3 - Golden Grove

YEAR 4 – GOLDEN GROVE

This term, students have been developing their interviewing skills in order to write a Biography text about a family member. The interview will be used as a primary source of information in the Biography text. On Wednesday the 26th of May, all year 4 students gathered for an incursion at the Elizabeth East Campus to experience SciWorld. This show focused on Energy and Forces, which students have been learning about in their Science lessons. It also covered Newton’s Laws of Motion and the ideas of kinetic and potential energy. A fun take on physics with plenty of action!

Kind regards,
Miss Jessica Tripodi

Year 4 - Golden Grove

YEAR 5 – GOLDEN GROVE

Dear Parents/Caregivers,

I hope you all have been keeping well.

Congratulations to the Year 5 students for doing an incredible job during NAPLAN tests. I am very proud of the tremendous effort you all displayed. Students have enjoyed learning about Indigenous Australians, First Fleet, Convicts, Myall creek Massacre, Gold Rush, Assisted Passengers, Muslim Cameleers & the Eureka Stockade in HASS this term & we can’t wait to attend the Adelaide Gaol in Week 7.

Kindest Regards,
Miss Sawafta Natasha

Year 5 - Golden Grove

YEAR 6 – GOLDEN GROVE

Building on the skills of a narrative, this term the Year 6 students are applying the 7 Steps to Writing Success in 2 creative and challenging formats. The first task is for students to choose a written option that gives them some constraints to test their ability to create tension and engage the reader with a detailed setting and plot with some freedoms in the way they deliver their idea. The second is to delve into comics and understand how visuals can provide a high level of understanding and nuances. Students will use these conventions to create their own comic and replace worded descriptors with speech bubbles, facial features and to ‘Show, Don’t Tell’!

Kind Regards,
Mr Myles McLean

YEAR 7– GOLDEN GROVE

The Year 7 class has been busy creating an A3 page about Aboriginal Art in their Art Journals. To properly appreciate Aboriginal art past and present you need to understand why and how Aboriginal people create art. In Aboriginal culture art has been used as a visual language. It is a form of communication and is also a visual documentation of their history. Taking inspiration from Aboriginal art the students are also creating an artwork to tell a story using symbolism.

Year 7 - Golden Grove

YEAR 8 – GOLDEN GROVE

Year 8 Girls 5-a-side soccer

During week 3 the year 8 girls participated in 5-a-side soccer at Salisbury High School. Salisbury East, Paralowie and Gawler had some very strong, competitive teams. Our Pinnacle 1 team won their first match against Mark Oliphant College and our goal scorers for the day included Nazanin (3), Nada Albalawi (2), Dania (2), Shahd (1). Nuralhuda and Redeta were excellent in defence and Jana (Jinna) stood out as an unstoppable and consistent goalie. A fun day was had by all!

Miss Molly Affolter

Kind regards,
Year 8 Teachers

Year 8 - Golden Grove

YEAR 9 – GOLDEN GROVE

In Humanities, the year 9 girls have been learning about Australia’s participation in World War I. We culminated the unit with an epic battle simulating trench warfare, with the classroom becoming a ‘battleground’. The students were divided into the two main opposing forces, Britain and Germany, and using paper balls had to take over the other side’s trench. Both sides organised battle plans, conducted ‘raids’ and had to respond to different challenges. In the end, Germany emerged victorious, although Britain put up a gallant fight!

Kind regards,
Miss Bronte Dahms

Year 9 - Golden Grove

YEAR 10 – GOLDEN GROVE

This term in Health, the year 10 students have been learning about the Muscular and Skeletal System. With the visual aid of “Noah” (the human skeleton) the students have learned the muscles and bones of the human body and are able to apply them to particular sporting movements. We are having a lot of fun with our new friend!

On the 28th May, the year 10 girls (and some year 9s) participated in their 5-a-side soccer tournament. The goals scorers for the day were Saeeda (5), Mariam (3), Basira (1), Amal Jassim (1) and Amal Dib (1). Farah was formiddle in defence and our goalies Inas and Basira, were exceptional all day! We finished strongly, winning our 2 finals. Well done girls!

Kind regards,
Miss Molly Affolter
Year 10 HPE Teacher

Year 10 - Golden Grove

FOUNDATION – GILLES PLAINS

This term our Foundation students have been working hard in sharing their knowledge and understanding of Forces and Motion. They were very brave in sharing about their making of a toy, which they described the materials that they used to make it and what they had to do to make their toy move. A wonderful effort all round girls and boys!

Kind Regards
Ms Victoria Makowiak

Foundation - Gilles Plains

YEAR 1 – GILLES PLAINS

Week 4 was a busy week for the Year 1 class. We loved hearing the story ‘Give me some Space!’ read to us by the astronaut Dr. Shannon Walker from the International Space Station! We did some colouring and activities afterwards, including pretending to be an astronaut too. We also visited the Uleybury School Museum and found out what it was like to write on a slate and with a dip pen and ink well. Finally we played with some old school toys and games. It was so much fun!

Warm regards
Mrs Sandra Holland

YEAR 2 – GILLES PLAINS

This term we have been focusing on toy making and forces in our Art and Science unit. We have had so much fun making our own parachutes and testing them to see how gravity makes them fall to the ground. I have been so proud to see how each student is growing and learning this term by working well with others and being engaged in their learning. I cannot wait to see the knowledge we have learned through the students' toy making assessment.

Warm regards
Mrs Eleni Rocca

YEAR 3 – GILLES PLAINS

Dear Parents,

This week the Year 3s will sit their first NAPLAN tests. Tests like these can be daunting, even for adults at times, so I am very proud of the students for maintaining their resilience and positivity in the days leading up to NAPLAN. Wishing the year 3s the best of luck this week!

Kind Regards,
Miss Kerry Apergis

YEAR 4 – GILLES PLAINS

Dear Parents,

This term, the Year 4s are learning about ‘Forces’ in Science. We attended a special excursion with our friends at Golden Grove and Elizabeth East to learn more about this incredible phenomenon. Next week, we will begin our catapults invitation to test forces in motion. We can’t wait to put our knowledge into action!

Kind Regards,
Ms Mubarak Ashimajy

YEAR 5 – GILLES PLAINS

The year 5s have been very busy this term with many different events – NAPLAN, sports day, debating and an excursion to Adelaide Gaol, just to name a few. The students all had a great time participating in sports day at our Golden Grove Campus, congratulations Dragons for winning overall. I was very proud of how well-behaved everyone was and the encouragement, sportsmanship and team-spirit I saw on the day. I would also like to congratulate Inisha, Taqwa, Maria and Mrs Moss for winning their debate against Mercedes College. All your hard work definitely paid off.

Kind Regards,
Mrs Nicole Scriven

LOTE - Arabic

السلام عليكم و رحمة الله و بركاته

In term two, students continue building their Arabic vocabulary by learning new words related to home and school environment. Students will also learn about singular and plural forms and how this affects sentence structure. Students will learn about demonstrative pronouns and their different forms as well as prepositions.

Warm Regards,
GP LOTE Teachers

RV - Religious Values

Dear Parents,

Now that we set the foundation of our student’s RV knowledge about Six Pillars of Belief in the first term, we are studying the Five Pillars of Islam with the primary students this term. (Mr Akif)

Year 7s and 8s did various activities for Eid during RV classes. Some amazing pieces of Art were made in the process. Great work girls. (Ms Nesibe)

Year 7 & 8 RV

Warm Regards,
Mr Akif Okumus
RV Teacher

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