16 December 2022

Newsletter Articles

PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE

Dear Parents and Friends,

Welcome to the final newsletter of 2022.

It was a wonderful finish to the year with our end of year ceremonies and graduation nights. The halls were full of happiness and joy that made us all proud.

With this last newsletter for the school year, I reflect with great pride on the many achievements made during the year. 2022 has been a brilliant year at Pinnacle College - a year of true hope, rich learning and happiness.

The students are our greatest source of achievement and watching each of them learn and grow this year has been the greatest pleasure of my role. As a community, we have had some terrific achievements this year, which have all contributed to each child’s flourishing.

In this newsletter, I take the opportunity to thank and congratulate all those who’ve made it a great year.

I would like to thank all parents for their continued support of our school by respecting our school values, showing interest in your child’s learning and supporting our teachers.

A very special and heartfelt gratitude goes to The Parents and Friends Committees of both Golden Grove and Gilles Plains campuses who have had another successful year with their support at school events and fundraisers.

I would like to also thank our exceptional staff who always go above and beyond their duty. Their dedication, hard work and care for the students have taken Pinnacle College to the next level.

Sadly, upon their leaving, I would like to say thank you to Shalini Moss, Sandra Holland, Victoria Mackowiack and Molly Scott for their contribution to the school. We wish them all the best in the future. I also thank Alpaslan and Gulsum Altunkopru for their efforts at Pinnacle College and wish them all the best in their new roles in Perth, WA.

Finally thank you to all students for another successful year. I am so honoured to be your principal and look forward to seeing you all next year.

I wish you all a great holiday season and May Allah give blessings to you and your family for the year ahead.

Thank you.

Kind Regards,
Mr Atilla Sinik
Campus Principal

SECONDARY COORDINATOR

As we near the end of the year, it is time to celebrate the students' achievements for the year. We have the End of Year Award Ceremony in week 8 at the Elizabeth East campus, along with the end of year behaviour excursion. I would like to congratulate all deserving award winners from both campuses.

I would also like to congratulate the Year 12’s for completing their SACE and wish the Year 10’s all the best for their exams in week 9.

Next year, the new secondary girls building will provide amazing facilities and opportunities for our high school girls, which is expected to be completed early in the year. This is definitely something to look forward to!

I would like to congratulate Renee Taylor on her new role next year as the Secondary Coordinator as I say a sad goodbye to the Pinnacle community. I would like to thank each and every one of you for making me part of the Pinnacle family for the last 5 years. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at Pinnacle and will miss you all.

I wish you a safe and enjoyable holiday and new year!

Kind Regards,
Mrs Molly Affolter

PRIMARY COORDINATOR

As the year draws to an end, we look forward to our End of Year Events. The End of Year Concert is a fantastic time to celebrate the achievements of our students and to express their artistic flair. We also look forward to the Year 6’s celebrating their graduation of their final primary year before they embark on high school. It Is also an exciting time for our boys as they move to the Elizabeth East campus and no doubt, are excited for a new environment. While our girls remain at our Golden Grove Campus, they can look forward to the new Secondary Girls Building and its facilities which will be completed in the new year.

Kind Regards,
Mr Myles McLean

JUNIOR PRIMARY CURRICULUM COORDINATOR

Dear Parents and Friends,

We have made it for another year! COVID, flu, gastro, all the sickness that have been thrown upon us this year, we have conquered and become stronger! We are ready for anything that 2023 brings. Over the holidays, I encourage you to take your children and enjoy what Adelaide has to offer! Go to the beach, experience a Moonlight Cinema movie, watch a show at the Adelaide Festival Centre, hike around Morialta Falls, play Mini Golf at West Beach or ride the Ferris Wheel at Glenelg. The students work so hard during the term, I think it is nice to allow them a break and to build upon life experiences that we can’t provide at school. These can also be activities at home - cook a meal, bake a cake, make their bed, fold their clothes. These life skills provide positive advantages to students, including independence, inferential thinking and being able to connect to the real-world. Please continue to read over the holidays, books are free to borrow at council libraries! If your child struggles to read, read to them!

Kind Regards,
Mrs Chloe Rees

UPPER PRIMARY CURRICULUM COORDINATOR

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

As we hurtle towards the end of the 2022 academic year, our calendars are filled with the transition visits, Year 6 Graduation and End of the Year Concerts. We recognise the students who have done exceptionally well in their learning and those who have put in the effort to make small but meaningful steps forward. I want to congratulate our award winners and the many talented students that we have.

As 2022 draws to a close, my time in Pinnacle College also comes to an end. I will pass on the reigns to Ms Sarah Watkins who will take over as Upper Primary Curriculum Coordinator and Mrs Kerry Sangermano who will take on the role of Inclusive Education Coordinator.

I am grateful for the many opportunities I have been given in my 11 years at Pinnacle College. I wish you a safe holiday and a Happy New Year.

Kind Regards,
Mrs Shalini Moss

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT DEPARTMENT

Dear Pinnacle Community,

As we are fast approaching the end of a very productive year, we would like to share a presentation of not all but some important events and activities that occurred throughout the year.

We are very grateful to have many selfless parents who helped organise all these events with tremendous efforts.

One of the biggest highlights of the term was held on the 18th of November.

The Arabic Night was a great success with almost $4000 raised for the Yemen Bread Distribution Project by ARO.

EOYC was a great chance to showcase the contributions of our valuable parents and their bonding through these programs. We were delighted that Rihannon Pearce, MP state member for King Assistant Minister for Deputy Premier, was able to present their gifts. A special thanks to Mahmuda Rahman , Dr Shahlaa Mohsan, Dr Haneen Heyasat, Ratna Uorbosy,Tini Abduloh, Eva Smolka, Douah Tawil,Tina Eksi, Ayse Erdil.

As a community engagement department, we hope that more of our parents and friends become involved in our termly meetings and be a part of this amazing Pinnacle family.

Regards,
Mrs Serap Sinik
Community Engagement Department

FRONT OFFICE NOTICES

Please see the Front Office Noticeboard below as well as a safety message from the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation.

LIFE SKILLS

For our final life skills lesson, students had the opportunity to make their own gingerbread men! Students enjoyed making the mixture, cutting out the shapes, cooking the gingerbread and then decorating the gingerbread with icing. During the process they were able to learn important skills including how to follow a procedure, measuring the ingredient amounts as well as develop their fine motor skills.

Kind Regards,
Ms Donna Freeman
Ms Heidi Pligl

LIBRARY

This has been an exciting year - we have had fun in the library from Book Fairs, Book Week and lots and lots of reading. However, reading cannot stop over the holiday break.

The public library is a great source of books, but also little free libraries around the community. Friends and family can share their books with you.

Tea Tree Gully Library - Summer events can be found here:

Please read anything over the break. By reading you will increase your reading ability and broaden your knowledge.

Congratulations to Aleena Khan in Year 3 who won the 'Surprise yourself' book challenge! Thank you to all the students who participated.

Next year, I plan to invite the parents into the library for many events. The details of these events will be known next year. We always welcome volunteers in the library - please come and talk to me anytime if you are interested.

See you all in the library next year!

Keep Reading,
Mrs Lisa Preston
Ms Tammy Skelton

PASTORAL CARE

The Year 7 students shared fabulous memories with their friends during the sleepover program. The program consisted of reading and discussion time as well as a sleepover at night and many activities such as ice skating!

Kind Regards,
Pastoral Care Team

END OF YEAR CONCERT PERFORMANCE

The EOYC was a great success! Through the Yellow Submarine, we went under the sea, surfed to the USA, wondered how far we could go and ended up at a pirate ship battle! We are extremely proud of the children and their efforts this year. A big thankyou to the teachers for all of their hard work and dedication through rehearsals, costume preparation and help on the night. Well done to our award winners on their achievements this year. We can't wait for next year! See you in 2023!

Kind Regards,
Miss Sawafta Natasha
Mrs Chloe Rees
Mr John Incoll

YEAR 6 GRADUATION CEREMONY

On Wednesday the 14th of December, Pinnacle College came together to celebrate their Year 6 graduates. JDF Receptions hosted our function and students and families celebrated the many successes and events. Congratulations to the graduates of 2022 and good luck on your new experiences as you begin high school!

Kind Regards,
Mr Myles McLean

LUNCHTIME CLUBS

ART CLUB

Students had fun during Art club this term. We have looked at modeling with polymer clay, soap making, origami and resin. Students have enjoyed being supported by our Senior Art Club members while creating arts and crafts.

Kind regards,
Mrs Jocelyn Mungall
Art Teacher

STEM CLUB

This term, students were asked to survey five people with pre-loaded questions. The end goal was to find out what someone needs in their life to make something easier. As that is what a great deal of technology is used for, I wanted students to start looking at technology with this lens and not just with a gaming lens. We have had mixed results and will dive much, much deeper into this avenue next year.

Kind regards,
Mr John Incoll

WRITING CLUB (DDLC)

The Writing Club students have been working independently on their artworks and stories, and editing each other’s work. The DDLC are looking forward to a relaxing holiday break in preparation for publishing their collection in 2023.

Kind regards,
Dr Liz Allan

BOOK CLUB (PCBC)

The Book Club students ran a very successful ice cream and spider stall as a fundraising venture, and raised $250 towards 2023 book club activities. PCBC would like to thank the school community for their support of the club throughout the year and are looking forward to a reading-filled break!

Kind regards,
Dr Liz Allan

PRIMARY CLASSES

FOUNDATION

How exciting that the first year of school for our Foundations is coming to an end! What amazing progress they have made throughout the year. I am incredibly proud of them and cannot wait to see what leaps and bounds they take in year 1!

We had such an incredible time on our very last excursion to the Ice Arena. We played with snowballs and pulled each other around on sleds. We also got to see some friends from the Elizabeth and Gilles Plains campus. We had such a great time afterwards playing at the Bonython Park Adventure Playground!

Have a lovely break and a Happy New Year! I can’t wait to see you all in 2023!

Kindest Regards,
Miss Amy

YEAR 1

Students in Year 1 thoroughly enjoyed their final incursion where they had the opportunity to make their own paper out of recycled newspaper. We were lucky enough to have two educators from KESAB come and talk to students about the importance of recycling materials and the 3 R’s which help keep our environment healthy. Students were able to consolidate their learning about recycling in HASS and they had their own piece of paper to take home! Students were amazed!

As the year comes to an end, I would like to thank all of my parents and families for their ongoing support over the last two years. I am so proud of all my students' efforts and achievements and I have loved watching them grow into the beautiful young children they are. I will miss them all dearly but I know they will all continue to do amazing things in Year 2.

I wish you all a safe, restful holiday and a Happy New Year! :)

Kindest Regards,
Mrs Centofanti

YEAR 2

The Year 2’s consolidated their understanding of national parks and living things, with a visit to Para Wirra Conservation Park. At the park, students enjoyed a range of facilitator and teacher led experiences. The students thoroughly enjoyed surveying the ground for slow movers, fast movers and scats! Then, we explored what life looks like to an insect by viewing our surroundings through a bug lens. Eventually, we met Emily and her array of fast, scaly and camouflaged friends including the tawny frogmouth, goanna, gecko, quokka and a children’s python. The students spent the rest of the day playing in the nature space and completing sketch drawings of their unique finds. Thank you to Ms. Rona, Ms. Nimet and Ms. Tammy for your helpful hands on the day. I was so impressed with how the students represented the school and displayed outstanding behaviours. I hope you enjoy the images from our last excursion together!

Kindest Regards,
Ms Villani

YEAR 3

And we are done! I am exceptionally proud of the students this year, watching them turn into mature learners and take on responsibilities easily. The students this term have been busy dancing away for Art, exploring insulation and heat conductors in Science, researching facts for biographies for English, studying levels of government and famous Australians of the Year for HASS, learning how to be resilient and strategies to help them cope with stress in Health and dodging balls for PE! I will miss this bunch a lot! They welcomed me back to school after Maternity Leave and made my first year as a working mum smoother than I thought it would go! I wish them all the best in Year 4. I hope they come back and say hello every day!

Kindest Regards,
Mrs Rees

YEAR 4

Dear Parents/Caregivers,

I hope you are all doing well.

In English, we focused on procedural texts and students wrote a persuasive text on why a chosen sport, activity or hobby is the best! There were so many choices & I was definitely persuaded whilst reading them! Our class visited Monarto Zoo recently and participated in the Safari tour of the giraffes, lions, rhinoceros, cheetahs and meerkats. The students enjoyed their time and learnt many interesting facts about the animals!

This year has flown by! It has been eventful and memorable in many ways. I am proud of all of the learning successes and experiences each child has overcome. We have been busy learning our End of Year Concert dances and I can’t wait for you all to see! I have thoroughly enjoyed my time teaching the Year 4’s. I will cherish our memories and wish everyone the best for their learning journey next year!

I wish everyone a safe, blessed and enjoyable holiday!

Kind Regards,
Miss Sawafta

YEAR 5

What an amazing year and what a performance at the End of Year Concert! The Year 5’s were absolutely fantastic. I could not be happier with the dedication they put into that dance throughout the year. I also want to personally thank you all for the time and effort you have put into your child's development this year. I am very proud of their results and will eagerly await the news of their future successes.

We had a great time at the Woodhouse Activity Centre and there are plenty of photos to see. This term we had a great opportunity to go on the Adelaide Zoo Snooze they missed out on in Year 3 and I just want to say a big thank you to Mr Atilla Shinik for giving the students that opportunity. The feedback received was overwhelming with gratitude. In English, we have been working on poetry and if you get the chance, ask your child to share their poetry with you. They wrote beautifully and were very moving.

Warm Regards,
Mr Incoll

YEAR 6

After analysing poems for several weeks, the Year 6’s recently went to the city of Adelaide as a stimulus for writing their very own poems. Students were presented with the topics of chaos and serenity and were challenged to find examples of either, or both, along the cityscape and our Botanic Gardens.

Kind Regards,
Mr McLean

PRIMARY PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Pinnacle College was one of the top 50 participating schools in the Premiers be Active Challenge this year. Some students were selected to attend the Premier’s Reception to collect our award and a $1000 grant to use on sports equipment for our school. Thank You to all the Pinnacle students who entered the challenge this Year. Stay active!

Kind regards,
Miss Bridget Andrews

SECONDARY CLASSES

YEAR 7

In Physics, the Year 7’s enjoyed an excursion to the Beachouse to experience forces in action, and used their knowledge of forces and machines to successfully build their own rat-trap cars. Each class held a race and the winning teams were: Sarah Sabir and Aamina Khan in 7A and Sarah Kodirjonova in 7B. Congratulations girls!

Kind regards,
Year 7 Teachers

YEAR 8

During Week 5, the year 8’s attended a Coastal Management excursion to Port Noarlunga Jetty, Southport Beach and Glenelg North to look at several different coastal landscapes as part of their Geography unit and major assessment. The girls had a beautiful, sunny and enjoyable day at the beach!

In Science, we took a trip to the Museum of South Australia. We had a great experience, observing and comparing the unique variety of rocks and minerals. We gained insightful knowledge from this excursion and we ended the day with a delicious lunch.

Thank you to Mrs Aslan for her hard work.

- Zeenat Ali, Year 8 student in 8G

Today's excursion at the South Australian Museum (SAM) was very fun and educational. We learned a lot about rocks, gems and minerals. We even learned about animals and aboriginal artefacts. Afterwards, we went to Rundle mall! It was a very exciting and fun day!

- Wania Shahrier (and Ziya)

Kind Regards,
Year 8 teachers

YEAR 9

The Year 9 girls that were part of the STEM Girls Academy Creative Challenge, had the opportunity to attend the End of Year Celebration Event, where they received their certificates, toured the Oz Minerals office, networked with mentors, and heard from highly successful women in the STEM industry. Congratulations ladies on a very successful STEM year, you have made our school proud!

Kind regards,
Mrs Genine Meredith

YEAR 10

In Science, the Year 10 girls started the term continuing their learning on the topic Evolution, and enjoyed a very competitive ‘Battle of the Beaks’ challenge. They have now moved onto forces and motion, designing and setting up their own experiment to investigate variables that affect the acceleration of a small car on a ramp.

The Year 10’s have been attending university career sessions and tours at the University of Adelaide, Flinders University, and the University of South Australia as part of their Personal Learning Plan studies. The sessions have been informative and inspirational, helping the students to determine their interests and future career paths.

Kind regards,
Year 10 Teachers

SECONDARY PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Secondary Physical Education had a quiet end to the year with our Year 10 girls competing in a Beach Volleyball competition at Mawson Lakes. The girls had a social day and there were some stand out players. Well done to everyone who competed in a SA School Sport Competition this year - we had a lot of standout athletes! Congratulations to all of the students (Years 8 & 9) who attended Basketball Club on a Monday lunchtime. All of your skills improved dramatically throughout the year. Try to be active over the holidays and enjoy your break from school.

Kind regards,
Miss Bridget Andrews

LANGUAGES AND RELIGION

RELIGION AND VALUES

Dear Parents,

This year, 2022 has been a long but fruitful year for all of us and now that we are almost at the end of the year, we hope that we were able to make a difference in students’ knowledge and manners. In term 4, we mostly studied universal values such as honesty and kindness and how we can apply this understanding in our daily lives. We hope it helped to improve students' manners and character. We wish all students and parents a safe and peaceful break.

Kind Regards,
RV Teachers

ARABIC

السلام عليكم و رحمة الله و بركاته

Dear Parents,

We are a few days away from a well-deserved break and an end to a successful year. Students from Year 1 to Year 10 have shown great involvement in the learning process this term. We wish you all a safe and enjoyable break. We are looking forward to seeing the beautiful faces of our students next year.

Have a blessed holiday.

Warm Regards,
Mrs Soheir Habib
Mrs Rasha Tabet

TURKISH

Dear Parents,

After having a break for several years, it has been a great pleasure teaching Turkish to your children. My Year 1 students worked really hard to present Erik Dali Dance at the EOYC.

I sincerely hope you enjoyed the traditional Turkic costume parade performed by the Year 2 & 3 students as much as I did. Special thanks to Dear Abida Xiaowukaiti and Eleina Elham from Year 9 for their contribution with their beautiful Uighur costumes and amazing performance.

I hope everyone enjoys the beauty of diverse cultures through wonderful performances such as these :)

Kind Regards,
Mrs Serap Şinik

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