11 November 2022
Newsletter Articles
PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE
Dear Parents and Friends,
Welcome to the first edition of the Term 4 newsletter.
I cannot believe how fast the year has gone and we are already in Term 4. While we are working to conclude the year, we are also finalising the intake of next year Foundation students. The classes are almost full and we are very grateful for the interest shown to Pinnacle College. We will do our best to make our community happy and satisfied with their experience in this school.
This year for the first time our Gilles Plains campus participated in the Children’s University program which has been organised by Adelaide University every year. This has been a great experience for our students after having a STEM collaboration with the University of South Australia. After our Golden Grove secondary students' amazing experience with UniSA, this final initiative became the icing on the cake. They participated in an award ceremony in Bonython Hall at Adelaide University and received their certificates from one of the professors from Adelaide University. We really enjoyed the night and this program will be extended to Golden Grove primary students in 2023 as well. Well done to all of our students who worked towards collecting all these hours to receive the awards.
A group of Golden Grove students have received the Premier’s Be Active challenge this year again and they had the opportunity to meet the Premier of SA, Peter Malinauskas last week. They enjoyed the atmosphere with him and additionally the school received a $1000 grant to be spent on sporting purposes. I would like to thank those students and Mrs Jocelyn Mungall for her support in this organisation.
It has been a busy term so far and will be much busier with all the ceremonies that will take place in a few weeks time. Looking forward to seeing you all at the ceremonies.
Kind Regards,
Mr Atilla Shinik
Campus Principal
SECONDARY COORDINATOR
Welcome back! Only one term to go!
As we near the end of the year, stress levels can rise and energy levels may fluctuate. It is important that we reflect and finish the school year strongly. High school students can reflect on their subject goals set at the beginning of Semester 1 and 2. Did they achieve them? Is there something they should set for a 2023 goal? Are they proud of their achievements this year?
As we move through what can be an exhausting homestretch, keep encouraging your children to work hard, do their best and look after their mental health - there is a huge reward at the end.
At the end of the term, we farewell our year 10’s who leave for the Elizabeth East campus. We would like to thank the year 10’s for their positive contribution and feedback in setting up our Secondary Campus over the years at Golden Grove. We wish them all the best with their SACE and will miss them here at Golden Grove. Come back to visit any time!
Lastly, if you are planning on going on an early holiday, please inform the front office as soon as possible who will then send you a leave form to complete. This way teachers can plan for your child's absence and ensure they do not miss any important learning for the future year and/or their assessments are not affected. Thank you for your cooperation.
Kind Regards,
Mrs Molly Affolter
PRIMARY COORDINATOR
With our wellbeing activities, where weather has not impacted us so much, the Year 6 class has taken part in meditation, reflections and challenges to make someone’s day better. We have used the Smiling Mind app to choose customised meditation guides that help us to remove distractions, focus on our breathing to calm ourselves and even to reflect on moments that we may not process so easily and how to handle them so we can clear our mind.
Some mornings, we have gone for walks on our own, taking note of what we see, hear and feel, before coming to class to reflect on them as we write in our journal.
A recent challenge was for students to choose someone in their school or home life and seek to enrich their day. Many students took part and were given a variety of suggestions they might try. Students then came to class and noted whether they were successful or not; we did not focus on what they did as this is something special between them and the person they chose. Our focus was on whether they could set a target and achieve it for the betterment of the other.
Well done students!
Graduation: As the Year 6 graduation approaches, I encourage parents to finalise their ticket purchases. If you have any questions about the running of the night, food, amenities or photography, please send me a message via seesaw and we can discuss your concern.
Kind Regards,
Mr Myles Mclean
JUNIOR PRIMARY CURRICULUM COORDINATOR
Happy Term 4 everyone! Not long to go now! I was recently invited to see how students can benefit from learning outside the classroom. Outside environments extend learning beyond the four walls of the classroom into a space where students can learn, grow and play with nature. The Junior Primary team will incorporate some outdoor learning into our teaching as the weather improves and we can explore our school grounds in different ways!
A reminder that EOYC tickets can be purchased at the front office for $5. This year we don’t have to cap numbers and can invite the whole family along! The students have been working tirelessly, learning some fantastic performances to entertain you on 6th December at the Golden Grove Arts Centre.
Kind Regards,
Mrs Chloe Rees
UPPER PRIMARY CURRICULUM COORDINATOR
Dear Parents and Caregivers,
It has been an excellent start to Term 4 and it is impressive to see the positive attitude that students have returned to school with. It is evident they are working towards demonstrating accountability, cooperation and engagement in their learning in the final term of the year.
Next year, we will be working with the updated Australian Curriculum which now sets a higher standard for educational achievement in Australia going forward. It has been decluttered, allowing teachers to focus on what matters most, and it is evidence-based. There is a stronger focus on phonics in English and on mastering essential mathematical facts, concepts, skills and processes. Students will be introduced to concepts and processes at the right time. History has been significantly decluttered too, allowing more time for in-depth teaching. In addition, there is a strengthening of explicit teaching of consent and respectful relationships from F–10 in age-appropriate ways.
Thank you for your support and let’s complete this academic year by working together to ensure your child succeeds.
Kind Regards,
Mrs Shalini Moss
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT DEPARTMENT
Dear Parents and Friends,
As a community engagement department, we have a very busy schedule this term.
We hope you can all join us in the range of activities we have organised for our valuable parents and wider community to build a closer relationship with the school.
We started the term with a candle making workshop for ladies at our Golden Grove campus. A special thanks to Mrs Nurcan Akkoyun, for teaching us the basics of candle making and all of our parents who could be a part of it.
Our biggest agenda during this last term is the second ‘Cultural Night’ which we are holding with our hard-working parents and some voluntary contributions from cultural organisations. Arabic Cultural Night will be held on the 18th of November at Elizabeth East campus and all of our parents are invited. All proceeds from this event will be donated towards the ‘Yemen Bread Distribution campaign’ of ARO.
The Community Engagement department works with P&F members very closely and we are planning on having two meetings during week 3 and 7 of each term. If you wish to be a part of this beautiful ladies group (GG P&F) please contact us.
We really appreciate Sister Mahmuda Rahman’s invitation for a breakfast with our members while we are having our termly meeting this Friday.
We are looking forward to having our Youth Bonding Workshop and Barossa Chateau High Tea with our parents and friends from our three campuses in the following weeks.
Regards,
Mrs Serap Sinik
Community Engagement Department
FRONT OFFICE NOTICES
Please see the Front Office Noticeboard below.
LIBRARY
This term we are focusing on games and reading. To play ‘Bookopoly’ please read the following:
Classic BOOKOPOLY Rules
OBJECT: The object of the game is to read as many books as possible by working your way through all the types of books in the library.
PREPARATION: Place yourself at the beginning to get ready to READ. Each player can choose the speed and complexity of their reading at their own level.
THE LIBRARY: The Library holds the titles of the books in the library. But books may also be acquired from home, friends or public libraries.
THE PLAY: Starting Reading, each player can choose books in the Easy Fiction, Junior Fiction, Series, Fiction, Graphic Novels, Secondary Fiction or Nonfiction categories. But make sure you can read the category before moving on to the next category.
PAYING FINES: If you do not return your library books on time you will have to pay the fine to the front office.
BOOK CHALLENGE: When you need a Challenge – Please find a book in the library that is a little above your comfort reading.
LIBRARY QUEST: Find a book in a genre that you have not read before…
WINNERS: We are all winners as long as we continue to read.
END OF GAME: Last week of borrowing is Week 5 for Golden Grove campus.
ALL books due by the end of the year on the 14th of December 2022.
Keep Reading,
Mrs Lisa Preston
Ms Tammy Skelton
PASTORAL CARE
Assalam Aleikum,
It is the most exciting time of the year when the Pastoral Care team is busy with the preparation of Mylor Summer Camp. The camp will be held between the 14th -16th of December. This year we organised Swimming, Raft Making, Canoeing and many more! Please make your payment to the front office so you don’t miss out on these fun times to spend with your friends!
Also, the Year 7-8 students enjoyed their cooking and DIY art activity during the last two weeks of their after school pastoral care program.
Kind Regards,
Pastoral Care Team
LIFE SKILLS
During our life skills lessons, students had the opportunity to harvest the vegetable garden. The students were very proud of their efforts and they loved picking and pulling out all of the delicious vegetables!
Kind Regards,
Ms Heidi
Ms Donna
SSO support
LUNCHTIME CLUBS
ART CLUB
In the Junior Art Club, students have been creating colourful rock art. We have been experimenting with paint pouring and have embellished our colourful rocks with gems, metallics and glitter. The Senior Art Club has been modelling charms from polymer clay.
Kind regards,
Mrs Jocelyn Mungall
Art Teacher
STEM CLUB
A few boys from Year 5 entered into a competition which involved them designing and making a game from scratch, using the program Scratch. The competition is The Australian STEM Video Game Challenge, with around 3,000 students from all over Australia entering this year alone. Aahil, Gholam, Habibulloh and Ahmed had a very impressive platform game called Ninja Dash, unfortunately they didn’t take home the win, but they did finish in the top 38 and were 2022 Finalists. Here is the feedback they received from the Judges:
Judge 1-
“This is a great GDD! Well done. It would be very helpful to have some extra images included in your GDD to show the art that you have developed, images of the characters, game environment, or example scripts. Otherwise, a great effort. Your GDD is a great attempt, remember to include images of your development. Show us samples of your coding, designs for your sprites. Tell us about what went wrong, and what went right. Congratulations - I think you have made a creative and fun game. I enjoyed the art style, it integrated well with the game play. Some good creative thinking! Well done. You have made a game with quite challenging gameplay. I think the skills you have learnt programming your game will stand you in good stead in the future. Well done! Your game is very interesting. You've come up with a unique idea and have managed to program the game very successfully. If you wish to continue working on your game, I'd suggest creating a UI system that pauses the game and allows players to consider their next actions. Overall this is an excellent, engaging and well-polished game. Your game was engaging and met with the theme well. Unfortunately though there's not enough documentation in the GDD, especially in regards to the theme and supporting documentation (for example art, level design, examples of code and scripts).”
Judge 2
“Your GDD has some great honest thoughts and feedback. It was great that you went into some depth to answer the questions and gave some good insight into the development of your game.
I think you have made a creative and fun game. I liked the simple approach to your visual design, it worked really well and gave your game a unique look and feel. You have made a game with quite challenging gameplay. A great effort, your gameplay was unintrusive and consistent, demonstrating your capability in programming. This game uses a simple mechanic that takes advantage of clever level design which makes it a really fun game to play. I would have liked to have seen the Theme addressed more directly.``
An amazing effort from the Year 5 boys. We look forward to joining the competition next year and taking home the win!
Kind regards,
Mr John Incoll
WRITING CLUB (DDLC)
DDLC are spending the rest of the term working individually on their stories and art works, preparing them for editing, organisation and publication in the new year.
Kind regards,
Dr Liz Allan
BOOK CLUB (PCBC)
PCBC are currently working on book reviews and other content for their library pinboard. Club members are also planning fundraising activities this term including a lunchtime ice cream stall: further information coming soon!
Kind regards,
Dr Liz Allan
PRIMARY CLASSES
FOUNDATION
Welcome back to term 4. We have many exciting events this term and we can’t wait to see snow at the ice arena! We have been learning about the weather patterns and identifying appropriate things to wear and activities we can do depending on the weather. Each morning we are using our 5 senses to identify the weather, and using our critical thinking skills to predict the weather for the next day.
In English, we have been learning about Narratives. We have learnt that a narrative is a made up story and we are working towards writing our own stories. We will learn to write an orientation, a problem and a solution. We can’t wait to publish our own imaginative stories!
We have been lucky enough to have a year 10 work experience student in our class this week! Thank you Reyan.
Kindest Regards,
Miss Amy
YEAR 1
I can't believe we have reached our fourth and final term of the year! Students thoroughly enjoyed Sports Day where they participated in a range of sporting activities and events. Well done to Finnis Dinosaurs for taking home the gold!
In class, we have been focussing on writing detailed character descriptions using adjectives and descriptive language. In Mathematics, we have been practicing how to equally share objects using division strategies. Students also had the opportunity to participate in a maths incursion where they demonstrated various mathematical techniques and skills.
Kindest Regards,
Mrs Centofanti
YEAR 2
Welcome back! We have an action packed term planned with the students engaged in many experiences to consolidate their learning across the curriculum and whole school events, such as Sports Day. In the classroom, students have been working on persuasive writing in English and Fractions/Division in Mathematics. In Science, we have started looking at the life cycle of animals and the ways humans grow and change over a lifetime. Students will use this knowledge to create their own Bee-Bot mat illustrating the animal life cycle of their choice. At home, students should be planning and organising their last Show and Tell for Year 2!
We have been lucky to have some extra support in the classroom in Week 3, with Haroon from the Elizabeth Campus conducting his Work Experience Placement with us in the Year 2 room. The students have enjoyed having an extra person to ask questions and read to. We would like to take this opportunity to thank Haroon for his help and support in the classroom- we wish you all the best on your learning journey.
Kindest Regards,
Ms Villani
YEAR 3
Our final term together!
We spent the first few weeks investigating money and the classroom was set up with a Mini Shop. They absolutely loved pretending to be shopkeepers, totalling and calculating change for their ‘customers’ and representing values in different ways.
For English, we have started to explore Biographies. We started the term by reading about a wide range of important historical figures such as Sir Edmund Hillary, Malala Yousafzai, JK Rowling and writing key facts/events about ourselves.
We have been practising lots and lots for our EOYC dance. We have tried on our costumes ready for the EOYC, we are looking fantastic! The students can’t wait for you to watch our item on the night! I have booked an excursion for the students to Mindshift Escape Rooms where the Year 3’s will be tested on their resilience, problem solving skills and quick thinking! I can’t wait!
Kindest Regards,
Mrs Rees
YEAR 4
Dear Parents/Caregivers,
I hope you have all been doing well.
We have had a jam-packed beginning to our final term in the academic year. In Week 1, all primary classes participated in sports day. It was amazing seeing everyone display great team spirit, determination and confidence in all the activities. Congratulations to Finniss Dinosaurs for their win! Students also participated in a Maths World Incursion which consisted of several hands-on learning experiences that extended students’ critical/creative thinking and problem solving skills.
Please ensure you purchase your End of Year Concert tickets from the front office and if you have any questions, please let me know!
Kind Regards,
Miss Sawafta
YEAR 5
Dear Parents/Caregivers,
We have had a very exciting start to our final term of the year. The year 5’s finally had the opportunity to go on the ZooSnooze they missed out on in year 3. A special thank you to Mr Atilla Sinik for giving the year 5’s the opportunity to experience something they will forever remember and cherish. I have included some photos from our wonderful time at the Adelaide Zoo.
A message from one of our students, Aaliyah. H:
“On Tuesday, the first of November we went to the Adelaide Zoo-snooze. It was really, really fun and I enjoyed the animal olympics and having pillow fights at night. My most memorable experience was the night because it felt like a sleepover party and we went on a night walk around the zoo. Overall it was really good and everyone had a great time. I hope we get to go to camp again! Thank you to everyone who helped make this happen.”
Warm Regards,
Mr Incoll
YEAR 6
We have been so busy with our learning and assessments that Sports Day was a fitting change of schedule for all. The Year 6’s enjoyed splitting up and spending the day with students from our sister campuses, Elizabeth East and Gilles Plains.
Students supported each other and gave tips for success in the many different activities. We are also grateful for the parents who could attend and add to the support and positivity of the day.
Congratulations Finniss Dinosaurs on your win and well done to all competitors.
Next year will be our year, Angas Eagles!!!
Kind Regards,
Mr McLean
PRIMARY PHYSICAL EDUCATION
Primary Physical Education had a cracking start to the term with Primary Sports Day! The event was held at Bridgestone Reserve and the students participated in a range of athletics events. Grades 4 to 6 competed in shot put, discus, long jump and high jump and those who placed 1st, 2nd or 3rd received a ribbon for their efforts. Our Junior primary students participated in some fun games which improved their motor skills. We finished the day with some sprint races with students either running 50m or 100m. There was wonderful competitive spirit and support from teammates on show for the day.
Thank you to the parents who came to support their children. Go Finniss!
Kind regards,
Miss Bridget Andrews
SECONDARY CLASSES
YEAR 7
The Year 7 students are currently learning a range of advertising techniques as part of their English advertising unit. The students have created gross food advertisements, and are now working on selling strange pets to consumers. If you are in the market for a strange pet, please ask the year 7 girls for recommendations!
Several Year 7 students attended the end of semester Behaviour Excursion where the Secondary girls went ice skating! A great day was had by all!
The 7A class were sad to say goodbye to Yasmintara, who is moving to Melbourne. We wish her well at her new school, we will miss you!
Kind regards,
Year 7 Teachers
YEAR 8
Many Year 8 students have very high behaviour scores. This resulted in many of them attending the end of Semester 1 Behaviour Excursion to the Ice Arena! We all had a lot of fun (including Miss Andrews and Mrs Scott)!
For contributing outstanding artworks to the ‘Future You’ exhibition, participating Year 7 and 8 students had the opportunity to participate in a professional printmaking workshop at Gallery 1855. Run by artist Petra Dolezalova. It was a great experience for all.
‘It was fun and inspiring and we learned many new skills & techniques.’ -Tasnim
Kind Regards,
Year 8 teachers
YEAR 9
The Year 9 students have been working hard on their Market Day projects for Wellbeing. Students need to work in a team and create a stall which sells either food or a product. Students need to work together in a group and create a budget with the intention of making a profit on the day. Students will also need to purchase the food/stall items with money from the school (with no money going missing I hope!) in their own time. Good luck students! Market Day will be held on the 24th of November.
The Year 9 girls enjoyed a reward 'Bowling & Lunch' excursion for their effort during the Peer support sessions with the Year 2 class once a week throughout 2022. The peer support sessions were a great opportunity for the older students to learn leadership, empathy and responsibility skills. It also helped the younger students improve their overall wellbeing. The girls thoroughly enjoyed their well-earned reward. Well done to Asiya for coming in first place at a smashing 111 points!
Kind regards,
Year 9 teachers
Mrs Renee Taylor & Mrs Gulsum
YEAR 10
The Year 10 students completed their work experience placements in week 3 of this term. The students worked at a range of exciting businesses to gain skills and experience, including the State Opera of South Australia, the Post Office Project Art Gallery, The Crowne Plaza, and Soi 38. The students all had very successful placements, with three job offers so far! We congratulate all of our year 10’s on their hard work, motivation, and ambition. Very bright futures ahead.
A few of the Year 10’s attended the Ice Arena for the Semester 1 Behaviour excursion. We skated along the ice for two hours and went to a cute cafe afterwards!
Kind regards,
Year 10 Teachers
SECONDARY PHYSICAL EDUCATION
This term for Secondary Physical Education the students will be practicing a range of sports in their classes. In Week 1, SRC student leaders and Sports elective students in Year 9 and 10, helped with the running of Primary Sports Day. These students ran an activity on the day and were an excellent help to the teachers. Students explained their game to primary students, encouraged them and helped the students complete the activity. Some examples of activities that were run exceptionally well include the mini hurdles, egg and spoon race, 3-legged race, tunnel ball and the ball pick up. Thank you for all your help girls!
Kind regards,
Miss Bridget Andrews
SECONDARY MATHEMATICS
I welcome all my students to the last term. In this term, students are very busy completing their math investigations, especially Year 7, 9 and 10 students.
Most of the classes have major assessments at the end of the term and each class has to do math space each week as well. It is important for students to do Math space at home to master skills learned in class.
High school students will have a math Quiz competition in week 8 at Elizabeth and Golden Grove campuses for numeracy week. I hope my year 10 students have a wonderful work experience this week and I can’t wait to see them back at school next week.
Kind regards,
Mr Raza Mangol
LANGUAGES AND RELIGION
RELIGION AND VALUES
In this last term of 2022, the Year 5 and 6 students are studying universal human values and manners such as honesty, patience, kindness, charity and so on. We are also reading examples from the seerah about the relevant manners. Students also enjoy watching videos about these values and answering questions about them in written/spoken form. We hope they can put this knowledge about universal values into practice and try to be good role models for the juniors as well.
Kind Regards,
RV Teacher
ARABIC
السلام عليكم و رحمة الله و بركاته
Dear Parents,
As this amazing year comes to an end, we would like to share some news about the Arabic department. Our Year 4-5 students are taking part in the rehearsals for the End of Year concert and working hard on their performance song and dance.
Warm Regards,
Mrs Soheir Habib
Mrs Rasha Tabet
LOTE TURKISH
Year 2 and 3
While we are approaching the end of the year, my Year 2 and 3 students are getting more excited about our end of the year Traditional Turkish & Uyghur fashion parade which will be a showcase of the diverse Turkic culture. Our students will wear the traditional folkloric costumes from different regions of Turkiye like Ankara, Silifke,Uskup, Kirklareli, Burdur and Izmir as well as Uyghur and Uzbek national dress.
Additionally, we are learning about clothes and food (kiyafetler ve yiyecek,icecekler) this term.
I wish my students all the best in their Turkish learning journey.
Kind Regards,
Mrs Serap Sinik
