1 July 2022

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 - Gilles Plains

Dear all, 
Welcome to the 4th edition of the Pinnacle newsletter for this year. This newsletter is again full of exciting news and snapshots of activities around the school that you will enjoy when you scroll through. 

Firstly, I would like to share with you a section of an article which was published in The Guardian newspaper. "10 tips for being a better parent: a head teacher writes". I know there are many similar articles but I especially enjoyed reading this article, since I personally fully agree with the points he brought up in it. 

1 Your children love you abd look up to you. They copy what you do, so please set an example. If you act aggressively in everyday life, in the street or the car park, that could be reflected in how your children behave  - to their teachers, peers or even to you. At school, we try to set an example of politeness and consideration.

2 Please show your children that you care about them. I'm not talking about "I love you" all over the place. When your 11 year old gets into the car after school, please get off your phone - she wants to tell you about her day. Please, ask her how her day went, celebrate her success and encourage her if she finds it difficult. Your child will do far better at school if she knows how important she is to you. 

To be contuned.....

For the past several years, we have been receiving inquiries from our parents to open OSHC facilities onsite, to accomodate the needs of working parents. This hasn't been a possibility due to the lack of space around the school until now, however, with the new builiding and additional classrooms, this seems like a possibility for the 2023 educational year. We are now in the application process and you will be notified here in the future, if there is any update on the matter. 

Finally, I would like to thank Mr Alaa Ahmed and Mrs Melek Akkus, for their service at Pinnacle College until now. Mr Alaa is going to his home country for a period of time. We wish him all the best in his endeavours. Mrs Akkus is taking her maternity leave and we wish her all the best with her new baby boy. Hopefull, we will be together again in the coming years when there are new opportunities for both the teachers. 

Kind Regards,

Mr Atilla Sinik
Campus Principal

PRIMARY COORDINATOR

Dear students, Parents and Caregivers,

As the first semester comes to a close, we take a look back at the students who just finished their tests and evaluations, showcasing their mastery of the material and their ability to put it to good use.

It was wonderful that this term was full of school activities and events. We had book week and also celebrated Eid Festival, which was fun for everyone—students, teachers, and family.

I'd like to let you know that the new grassy area in the new building is now being used by the students, giving them more room to enjoy their breaks.

Although there were obvious student absences, we were nevertheless able to pass it without your assistance and good communication.

Here are a few reminders:

• All students must be picked up by 3:45 p.m., so please drop off and pick up your child on time.
• Smart watches are not permitted for students to wear in class; if your child has to wear one for a particular reason, the school must grant permission beforehand.
• Our uniform shop is now open Monday and Friday, so please make an appointment before coming.

Finally, I sincerely appreciate all of your assistance and work on behalf of the school.

Happy Eid to all the families celebrating, and I hope you have a wonderful holiday.

Kind Regards,
Ola Abdelmonem

JUNIOR PRIMARY CURRICULUM COORDINATOR

It has been an exciting term, as our Community Engagement Department has been working very hard with organising times at all three campuses in order for our parents to meet and come together. It has been a great opportunity for our Junior Primary parents to meet each other and begin to form special bonds, as their children will be going through their schooling life together for the next 10 years. A special thank you goes to Mrs Serap Sinik for organising these special meetings amongst the parents and teachers.

Model gratitude in your household

We often ask our children questions such as, “How was School?'' and “What did you do today?”. However, we should be asking questions for them to express their day. You could ask the following questions and create a game out of it over the dinner table. Questions such as, What did someone do today to make you happy? What did you do to make someone else happy? What did you learn today? These questions allow parents to help their children find a positive in each school day. This type of questioning helps take all stresses of work life away and helps you as the parent to learn more about your child/children.

Holiday Period

I would also like to take this opportunity to remind parents that listening to your children read and reading aloud to them is very important. It is vital that their reading skills are not lost during the holiday period.

Kind Regards,
Maria Vokolos

UPPER PRIMARY CURRICULUM COORDINATOR

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

How quickly this term has gone. We are in the middle of the year and your child will be getting a report with comments from the teacher soon. Please go through this report with your child. Celebrate their success and discuss how grades can be improved. Make a plan and guide your child to achieve better results next term. Please do not hesitate to speak to your child’s teacher if you need more input.

I wish you a safe and restful holiday.

Kind Regards,
Shalini Moss

LIBRARY

Thank you to everyone who supported the Book Fair. I hope this generated some interest in reading. The library acquired some interesting books as a benefit to the Book Fair. We also acquired some prizes for the upcoming Book Cup. Book Cup is open to year 5s-6s (and some year 4s), where they read 5 books and get quizzed on them. The Book Cup will happen mid next term. The three campuses will compete against each other.

Book Week is coming up in Term 3. (week 5) The Theme this year is ‘ Dreaming with your eyes open’. Some classes have discovered some of the shortlisted books though a Book picnic. The Shortlisted books will be presented to primary classes throughout the first few weeks of next term.

We have some exciting events planned including an aboriginal coming to talk to primary classes about dreamtime stories and aboriginal artifacts. IF you are thinking about costumes for Book Week - the judges will be encouraged to focus on BOOK characters.

There is also a competition for poster design for Book Week. This is open to ALL students (primary and secondary). The winning design will be used at all campuses. The design is due the 1st Friday AFTER the school holidays. (July 29th)

Mrs Lisa Preston
Librarian
Keep reading..

SCHOOL EVENTS & SRC

Students had a terrific time at our annual Qurban Festival, held at our Golden Grove Campus. Thank you to Ms Sawafta Natasha, all staff, SRC and stall holders for your hard work in making sure the festival ran smoothly and was a big success. Thankfully the weather was kind to us too!

Foundation to Year 2 students also had a visit from the educator Deb at the RSPCA to learn about animal welfare. Deb had a lovely time and praised all our students for making her feel so welcome, even if they were not in Junior Primary. Congratulations students, you should be proud of how you welcome visitors to our school.

This Friday marks the end of Term 2 and we will be holding a gold coin fundraiser for the Pyjama Foundation. Students are encouraged to come to school in their warm and cozy pyjamas for the last day of term and will enjoy a movie and popcorn!

Upcoming Dates to Remember:

Mrs Sandra Holland

SCHOOL COUNSELLOR

Dear Parent and Guardians,

We have approached the end of term 2, I wish you all a very relaxing and fun holiday break.

During the holidays it's important to encourage your children to engage in extracurricular activities such as sports, musical instruments, arts and volunteering. Engaging in extracurricular activities has many benefits including learning new skills, improving academic performance, expanding social circles and improving social skills as well as learning time management skills. Extracurricular activities allow individuals to develop personal interests as well as discover their strengths and weaknesses. This will encourage your children to build confidence and resilience which will evidently translate into their schooling. This will also teach your children to have and maintain a balanced lifestyle resulting in healthier overall well-being. I hope you have a restful holiday.

Zina Almufti

PE DEPARTMENT

Dear Parents,

This term Year 4&6 students have learnt a variety of fundamental AFL skills such as kicking,handballing,catching that will benefit them for future physical development and sports participation.

Wishing you all a safe and relaxing holiday!

Kind regards,
Veysel Olku

Art Club

To finish the semester, the Art club has been learning skills in painting and drawing. We are looking forward to another semester of creative fun. Notes for enrollment will go out early Term 3. Please return promptly to ensure your child gets a place. Have a wonderful and well deserved break!

‘The Art Club was really great. I got to express myself. We made really cool stuff and we had a great teacher. I can't wait until next semester! It is one of my favourite things about school. I look forward to coming to school on club days. Us students were very excited to see what new things we would make each week. Mrs Mungall always knew what cool things to make! My favourite things that I made this semester were the tie-dye, slime and the watercolour painting. It was hard to pick favourites because it was all amazing!’

-Jana Year 4

FOUNDATION

Dear Families,

I can’t believe we are already halfway through the year and have reached the end of term 2!

This term has been full of amazing learning experiences, and I am so proud of your children for all that they have achieved so far this year!

We learnt all about friendships with a visit from The Life Education Van and enjoyed a fun filled day celebrating the Qurban Festival at Golden Grove campus.

I look forward to many more exciting learning experiences in Term 3 and I wish all families a restful and safe holiday break!

Kind Regards
Ms Kiya Norris

YEAR 1

Dear Parents,

And just like that, Term 2 has come to an end. Students have worked super hard in all areas of their learning this semester and I am very proud of their achievements. Our visit to the Old School Museum, our persistence with programming Bee-Bots and learning with Harrold the Giraffe have been our highlights.

With the school holidays upon us, I would like to encourage all families to continue supporting their children, by listening to them read every day and keep revising their tricky words. We hope to make Semester 2 an even more successful one!

Thank you for all your support and happy, restful holidays!

Kind regards,
Mrs Victoria Mackowiak

YEAR 2

What a whirlwind of a term! Year 2 have worked really hard this term on writing information reports and turning them into published books. We are going to put the finished books on our classroom bookshelf to read during DEAR and we might also see if we can add them to the library. Our Science projects on arcade games were so much fun and students enjoyed an arcade day to play them all. We also had a fantastic excursion to Inflatable World as a fun way to investigate forces and motions with our bodies. Enjoy your hard earned break Year 2!

Mrs Sandra Holland

YEAR 3

Dear Families,

Just like that, we are halfway through the year. We have had many memorable learning experiences this term, including creating our 3D castle models in Maths and our cooking excursion to the Golden Grove campus, where we made delicious bliss balls! In Science we have been learning all about the 3 states of matter. We discovered that Oobleck is a Non-Newtonian fluid, which means it is both a solid and a liquid!

Well done to all students on their fantastic efforts this term. I look forward to what semester 2 brings. Wishing all my students and families a safe, relaxing and happy holiday break.

Kind regards,
Miss Kerry Apergis

YEAR 4

Dear Parents,

This term has been a whirlwind of activities. We celebrated the Eid Festival and the children had a lot of fun playing games and meeting new friends. We also had an incursion where students cooked their meal of Lamb koftas, salad and couscous. They loved cooking and sharing a meal together. I’m proud of all my students and how much they have improved this year. Have a safe and happy holidays.

Kind regards,
Shalini Moss

YEAR 5

Dear Families,

The Year 5s have successfully finished another term, completing all our assessments and partaking in several fun activities, including the Qurban Festival and an excursion to the Adelaide Gaol. I would like to congratulate all my students on their efforts thus far, and hope to see many more positive achievements next semester.

Wishing you all a restful, enjoyable break!

Kind regards,
Ms Mubarak Ashimajy

YEAR 6

In our year 6 classroom we are arriving at the end of a successful term. Students have produced wonderful persuasive writing focusing on a number of interesting topics, such as Australian Colonisation, what to do in a bushfire situation, and the 1967 Referendum. We were also able to visit the zoo as a part of learning about animal adaptations and have just finished learning about probability in our mathematics learning. I am looking forward to another term full of learning, teamwork and fun after the break.

Kind regards,
Mr Peter Sowerbutts

MUSIC

It’s hard to believe we’re already half-way through the year. As I’ve been planning for the upcoming term, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed looking back at what your children have achieved so far in Music this year. For many of them, they have engaged with brand new musical concepts or skills. I look forward to seeing the talent, growth and persistence exhibited by our students in Term 3.

Mrs Sarah Hateley
Music Teacher

LOTE - Arabic

السلام عليكم و رحمة الله و بركاته

We are at the end of another term! What a busy term it has been! In this term, we have had some amazing new challenges we explored:

Year 2/3

The focus was pronouncing and writing Arabic the alphabet with short vowels. The students are learning how to join letters to make words. At this stage we are learning to read three letter words with short vowels and understand the nature of how letters join together.

Students learnt to combine double vowels and long vowels in their reading and can apply some simple grammar. For example, Tanween. We also focused on reading this helped with increasing the students’ comprehension skills by learning the meaning of the words.

Year 4/5

Students continued with their topics from (Al Madinah book) with a focus on reading and building sentences. The focus was building vocabulary that will enable students to further their comprehension of the Arabic Language and its use. They are starting to know some Arabic grammar such as: Masculine and feminine and Pronouns and nouns.

Year 6

The class had an Arabic project “Letter to their mothers” the students had to write an essay then read it. This is combined with reading of textbook topics, with an emphasis on comprehension. Furthermore, the class focused on some Arabic grammar such as: Singular and Plural and Nominal and Verbal sentences.

Warm regards
Mrs Ola Abdelmonem
Mr Alaa Ahmed

LOTE - Turkish

Merhaba everyone!

In Term 2, Turkish students enjoyed learning about diverse and interesting topics and skills including spelling, listening, vocabulary and translating words and phrases from English into Turkish.

Year 1 Turkish class has learned about classroom objects and numbers, while year 2 and 3 is studying new vocabulary and phrases related to daily routine and leisure times. Year 4 and 5 Turkish class has engaged in learning about school subjects, countries, flags and jobs in Turkish.

Warm regards
Mr Ahmet Sonmez

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