6 September 2022
Newsletter Articles
Principal’s Address
Dear Parents, Students and Staff,
Welcome to the fifth edition of the newsletter this year.
Since the last edition, as a habit of Pinnacle College Elizabeth East Campus, we have held a great number of events on campus.
I would like to start with some important reminders.
- Covid Cases: Covid cases are still around us, and according to the rules & regulations, a person must be isolated for seven days when she/he catches Covid. Particularly, this kind of absenteeism affects student learning tremendously. Therefore, if we take preventive measurements properly, we can minimise the negative impacts on our lives.
- Drop off/Pick up time safety matters: On Anderson Street, around the school start & finish time, traffic congestion occurs almost every day. Therefore, we would like our parents to check street signs and be more respectful to our school community and neighbours. Our child’s safety comes first!
Important events:
Year 10 Subject Selection Night: Mr. David Hannan organised a parent information night for year 10 students’ parents about how the SACE system works. Around 40 parents participated in this seminar either online or on campus. We believe it will be a positive guideline for parents and students to draw their pathways for the future.
Book Week and Book Parade: On a positive note, we have noticed that our students love reading! To promote reading, our librarians organised several events such as the best door competition, the best dress competition as well as a book parade. A huge thank you and appreciation to Mrs. Prestons and our library team including staff and students who assisted us on the day.
Parent Teacher Interviews: It is great to see parents on the school grounds again. However, the participation rate was very low. We believe that education life is not only between students and teachers; parents also play crucial roles in any success story. We would like to see more parents next time. Positive student, parent/ carer and staff relationships are highly valued at our school.
Pinnacle Talks: The community engagement department has organized two Pinnacle Talks this term. The first one was about the Identity formation and Muslim youth, presented by Prof Muhammed Abdalla from UniSA, Centre for Islamic Thought and Education , and the other one was about a correlation between five senses and happiness: A psycho-spiritual analysis, presented by Prof Salih Yucel from Charles Sturt University, Centre for Islamic Science & Research Academy. It is great to see academics at our school grounds interacting with our young students. Furthermore, the Community Engagement Department organized the Abrahamic Faiths Panel & Noah's Pudding (Ashure) event which were held at the Joinery in Adelaide. More than 65 people joined from diverse cultural and faith backgrounds. It was great to see many different faiths and people from different organisations gathering together to meet and discuss our commonalities.
Science Week: Our Science Department organized a small science fair for our secondary students. I would like to thank Ms. Neong and Year 12 students for their great efforts, all experiments were well-organized!
Sports events: Our school has achieved much success through different events again! I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mr. Triantafilakis who organised all sporting events for our students.
Port Adelaide Intercultural Program Leadership Day
Year 9/10 Boys Five a side
soccer: Winners (team 1)
Year 9/10 Boys Five a side soccer: 3rd place
(team 2)
Year 9/10 Boys 3 x 3 Basketball: Winners
Year 9/10 Boys Basketball: Runner up
Year 7/8 Basketball qualifying stage:
Winners
Year 7/8 Boys Bachar Houli Cup: Runner up
Year 7/8 Girls Bachar Houli Cup (Golden Grove):
Winners (Mashiar Adam - Runner up best player of the tournament)
Year 5/6 Boys Bachar Houli Cup: 3rd Place (Adem
Herkiloglu - Runner up best player of the tournament- as a year 4!)
Till next issue…
Educationally Yours,
Mr. Gokhan Kot
Campus Principal, Elizabeth East
Community Engagement
The Abrahamic Faiths Panel & Noah's Pudding (Ashure)
The Abrahamic Faiths Panel & Noah's Pudding (Ashure) event were held at the Joinery in Adelaide. More than 65 people joined from diverse cultural and faith backgrounds. It was great to see many different faiths and people from different organisations gathering together to meet and discuss our commonalities. The topic for consideration was thought-provoking. A favourite part was also the Kahoot competition and Mr Bekir Pamuk's traditional OUD musical performance which was very entertaining. Invited guests also enjoyed delicious Noah's Pudding and mingled with each other after the event. As McYESS Platform, we were very happy to be part of these gatherings. A huge 'thank you & appreciation' goes to McYESS Ltd, Multifaith SA, the Abraham Institute and St Peter’s Cathedral.
A Spiritual Diversity
When Noah’s Ark came to rest on Mount Ararat in Turkey, Noah’s family celebrated with a special dish according to Abrahamic faiths and traditions. Sharing Noah’s pudding has become a symbolic representation of the unity and essential relationship between people and the creator. Noah’s Pudding, a porridge made of grains and fruit, is traditionally served in the Balkans and Turkey during the month of Muharram, in which the Day of Ashure takes place. The dish is often called “ashure”. It is traditionally made in large quantities to commemorate the ark’s landing and is distributed to friends, relatives, neighbours – by tradition those living within 40 houses from you, according to traditional lore.
Noah’s Pudding (Ashure) symbolizes different cultures living together peacefully in harmony with preserving original identities. Noah’s pudding can offer us a global metaphor for richness of diversity, dialog of civilizations, democracy, multiculturalism, tolerance, harmony of colors, and world peace.
***I would like to thank Mrs Serap Sinik, GG/GP PnF Ladies, McYess ladies group who made these special puddings and assisted us with organizing Ashure preparation.
Dr M Aslan, Community Engagement Manager
Inclusive Education / Counselling
Student needs vary for every child and therefore it is imperative that we provide them with a holistic approach to their learning. We believe strongly that learning is not only conducted within the classroom, but also through different strategies, interventions and resources. Students at the Elizabeth East campus undertake their learning with seamless differentiation. This is achieved with the help of our teachers, SSOs, coordinators and counsellors who work to ensure that the individual needs of the child are met.
Some of the ways we provide this support is by updating their ILP and providing changes and allowances to students based on their learning needs. We also ensure that students are receiving support from both the classroom teacher and SSO working collaboratively. We provide a range of resources, but digital and on paper that further their understanding and help them develop an interest in their learning. We aim to have all our students be independent learners and model citizens and this is embedded in the way we approach inclusive education at our campus.
Students also undertake life skills such as Home Economics as part of their ongoing learning. This extra-curricular activity allows students to explore their interest with cooking and baking which helps students in broadening their horizons, even for career pathways.
Parents can always communicate directly with me if there are any concerns about their child’s learning or development needs. You can reach me via my email, inclusive.education@pinnacle.sa.edu.au
Thank you. Hope you all have a lovely term. Until the next issue!
Kind regards
Saad Kalaniya
Inclusive Education Coordinator
Year 1
Term 3 has kicked off with a gigantic……... BANG!
In HASS ‘Team Year 1’ explored and investigated different modes of transportation. On Friday the 19th of August we visited the National Railway, Aviation, and Maritime Museums in Port Adelaide. The students consolidated their learning further by exploring the tactile and tangible nature of rail, sea, and air. All three museums were interactive and highly engaging.
In English, we have been unpacking all the components to persuasive writing and practising lots and lots. In Mathematics, we have strengthened our knowledge with counting on, back and finding the difference. As well as examining time and duration.
Physical Education has brought us many entertaining moments and laughs so far this term. We have been learning about Gymnastics and are currently putting together an aerobics routine. Within the Arts, we studied drama and performance, and we staged the Dreamtime Story, Tiddalick the Frog.
Team Year 1 is soaring with confidence, curiosity, and inquisitiveness. Great work crew, keep it up! A great adventure awaits us, bring on Semester 2!
Ms. Christina Surmèi
Year 1 Teacher
Year 2
Welcome to Term 3!
The year 2 class attended an exciting excursion to the Adelaide Festival Theatre to watch an interactive drama performance called ‘Home’. The students thoroughly enjoyed themselves dancing, laughing and discovering and they were especially captivated by the giant inflatable snail.
The students enjoyed celebrating book week in week 5! On Thursday we read ‘Amira’s Suitcase’ and they made their very own colourful suitcases and sprouting plants. On Friday, they listened to a special talk given by Trent Hill and had their book week parade to showcase their amazing costumes! It has also been a lot of fun taking part in the book week door competition. We are currently reading George’s Marvellous Medicine; so the students decided to make their very own medicine bottle to put onto the door.
Miss Parletta
Year 3
What a great term we have had so far! We have had a very busy term full of learning and fun.
This term, the students have really enjoyed learning about the sun, the moon and how the earth rotates and orbits around the sun in Science. We have made some diagrams and will be making dioramas later in the term to show off what we have learnt.
Book Week was another fun celebration for everyone. It was wonderful seeing the students dressed up as their favourite characters and enjoying reading! We also really enjoyed decorating our door for the door competition. Our class novel this term is Matilda so we created a bookshelf with Matilda reaching for a novel. Every student made their favourite book to add to our bookshelf.
Lastly to celebrate Book Week - we read the shortlisted book For Love by Cristina Neri. This was a fantastic book about appreciating the smaller things in life. The students then created some triaramas of the things they love and appreciate.
As always - thank you for your ongoing support! We look forward to the rest of the term :)
Miss. Musa
Year 4
We have had so much fun this term so far!
This term in science we are learning about rocks and minerals. We were able to explore this with the year 1’s by creating volcanoes during science week. They even erupted! When we visited the Library we were able to explore some awesome science gadgets that Ms Preston prepared.
In English we are learning about Narratives. We are bringing our stories to life by creating digital storybooks using PowerPoint. In HASS we are learning about the First Fleet and the famous Captain James Cook.
We look forward to what the rest of the term brings us.
The year 4 team and Miss Marcoionni
Year 5
In Digital Technology Year 5 students recognise and know the different parts of a computer.
They also demonstrate their understanding of Microsoft office software programs including Word & PowerPoint. The students in year 5 had the opportunity to use Touch type Format text by changing colours, size and fonts and adding effects.
They were able to show on the interactive board how to add animations and effects to a presentation.
The students also had the opportunity to add timing to a slideshow so that the presentation scrolls automatically.
They Inserted both internal and external links into a presentation.
Added sounds/audio files to a presentation and recorded and added audio files to their presentations.
Mr Kazonis
Year 6
What an action packed term we have had in Term 3. During Book Week, we had a lot of fun dressing up as characters from some of our favourite books. We entered the ‘Book Week Door Display Competition’ and I asked for volunteers to give up some break times to create a display. We had so many volunteers that we decided to create two displays! The students did a great job and we have had many other students walk past and comment on how amazing they look.
During STEM, we have been acting as Structural Engineers and learnt about cross-bracing and tapered geometry. Using this knowledge we are building models of a two storey building which can withstand an earthquake!
We have continued our school year with great enthusiasm, are experiencing some fun learning and having many lightbulb moments along the way.
Mr. Schlicker
Sports
Sports results Term 2/3
Open Boys Five a side soccer: 3rd Place
Open Girls Five a side soccer: 3rd Place
Open Boys AFL Intercultural Gala Day: 4th place
Open Girls AFL Intercultural Gala Day: = 3rd place
Year 9/10 Boys Five a side soccer: Winners
(team 1)
Year 9/10 Boys Five a side soccer: 3rd place (team 2)
Year 9/10 Boys 3 x 3 Basketball: Winners
Year 9/10 Boys Basketball: Runner up
Year 7/8 Basketball qualifying stage: Winners
Year 7/8 Basketball State Finals: 4th place
Year 7/8 Boys Bachar Houli Cup: Runner up
Year 7/8 Girls Bachar Houli Cup (Golden Grove): Winners
(Mashiar Adam - Runner up best player of the
tournament)
Year 5/6 Boys Bachar Houli Cup: 3rd Place
(Adem Herkiloglu - Runner up best player of the
tournament- as a year 4!)
Well done all!
Mr T
Bachar Houli Leadership Program
The first Bachar Houli Program was launched in 2013 by champion AFL football player Bachar Houli, in partnership with the AFL and the Richmond Football Club. Since its establishment, the foundation has developed a cutting-edge framework with key focuses on mental/physical health and well-being, strengthening cultural identity by building confidence through education and developing leadership skills to inspire the next generation of leaders.This year was the first time the highly successful program was run in South Australia.
Prior to the program, Pinnacle was joined by students from Playford College and Islamic College where they tested agility, vertical jump, 20 metre sprint and skills, with a pool of over 50 students. From here, 25 students were selected to partake over the 3 day program.
This year we were lucky enough to have students from Pinnacle College selected to take part in the 3 day senior boys, senior girls and junior program.
Participants were mentored by role models such as Bachar Houli and other Islamic leaders who shared their personal experiences of resilience, decision making and social inclusion. After the completion of the SA program, students may also be selected to take part in the elite camp in Melbourne, then further on to a training camp in Dubai.
The two boys programs consisted of sessions about strength and conditioning, Team Values, Identity, Gratitude, Nutrition and Team building.
The girls sessions consisted of culture, religion, gratitude and teamwork, as well as swimming, skills, strength and conditioning and prayer.
Upon completion of the program, a vote takes place where participants nominate their peers based on their leadership qualities. In a fantastic endorsement for the school, a Pinnacle College student was nominated for the Bachar Houli medal in each of the 3 programs.
Ayman Ismail - Senior Boys
Winner
Asraa Al-Sarraf - Senior Girls Winner
Adam Ahmed - Junior Boys Winner
-Mr T
Secondary Humanities
During Term 3, our Year 7 classes have been investigating the topic ‘Water in the World’. During their Geography studies, students have explored how different countries use water and how they are impacted by hydrological hazards. For their assessment, students have been busy working on a poster to demonstrate their learning of a selected country.
Secondary HEAT
The year 10 elective class will jump into the realm of E-Learning with students partaking in an online ‘virtual classroom’ based around ‘training like elite athletes’.
‘Flight Deck’ is a digital interactive learning hub, created by the Essendon Football Club, which delivers 8 sessions to students about nutrition, strength and conditioning, mental and physical preparation, gameday awareness and other important athletic factors.
Each session is based around an interactive lesson/video, followed by a quiz. The students also have a workbook whereby they need to complete activities such as their own nutrition plan and exercise plan. Students also need to complete the physical exercises and tests set by the program, where they compare results to AFL standards. It is a great opportunity for the boys to take ownership of their own learning and a chance to build on their own physical and mental attributes. The lessons content and knowledge they are able to absorb will hold them in good stead as (hopefully) elite future athletes.
-Mr T
Secondary Maths
Pinnacle College strives to push capable students to excel and surpass their current levels. This year, the Year 6 students, who achieved 90 or more are studying and preparing for Secondary schooling with "Cracking the Maths" club. This weekly Maths club assists students with understanding the fundamentals of Mathematics in Secondary and teaches them how to analyse and solve questions quickly and correctly.
Pinnacle’s Got Talent - EE
This term we hosted our annual Pinnacle’s Got Talent competition!
It was amazing to see how many talented students we have at Pinnacle who are brave enough to showcase their talent. This year we had a range of talents from singing and dancing to puzzles and karate!
Well done to all that tried out for the show and to all that participated in the show. It takes a lot of courage to go on stage and perform in front of so many people - you should all be so proud of yourselves.
An extra big congratulations to those who won first, second and third place.
1st Place: Amira (year 2) and Amal (Foundation) for their wonderful kitten dance
2nd Place: Sakif (year 5) for his amazing Rubik's Cube solving skills and Zainab (year 2) for her piano playing skills.
3rd Place: Aayan (year 3) for his impressive stick swirling sills.
Amazing job!!
We can’t wait to see what talents we will see next year!
Miss. Musa and Miss. Marcoionni.
