Pinnacle College eNewsletter

10 March 2023

Newsletter Articles

PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE

Dear Parents and Friends,

Welcome to a new year and a new term. I hope everyone had a relaxing break and a wonderful holiday period.

It has been a fast paced start for all schools due to NAPLAN starting earlier this year. It’s just a couple of weeks away and everyone feels the pressure and excitement already. After having great results last year, it has become a big task on our shoulders to preserve the good reputation for this year as well. I wish all the best for Year 3, 5, 7 and 9 students in their tests.

Unfortunately, we had to cancel our annual Welcome BBQ this year due to the Turkiye and Syria earthquake. I would like to take this opportunity to extend my heartfelt sympathy to those who lost their loved ones in this tragedy. The region is going through a very hard time and Pinnacle College has organised several fundraising events to show our support as much as we can along with the Australian Relief Organisation (ARO).

Our first Primary School Parent’s Interviews will kick off this week. Please make the most of it and keep communicating with your child’s teacher in the future to achieve the best outcome for your child’s learning.

The Golden Grove secondary building completion is coming to an end and will be available for our students to use early next term. In spite of many statewide construction issues, we were able to come this far and we are all so excited to be able to see our students in the new building with the new facilities. I also would like to thank our parents for their understanding and support, especially after school when picking up their children. The traffic has been very hectic lately and it will be the case for a little bit longer. Please continue to be patient so that everyone will be safe and happy.

Gilles Plains car park upgrade is almost complete and with the new car parking area, our parent’s pick up and drop off will be much easier. However, I would like to kindly remind our parents to obey the rules in the carpark. It’s everyone's duty to keep every child safe on school grounds. This can only be achieved by following the safety rules and being patient in the car park, especially when you are there to pick up your child.

Finally, I would like to welcome all the new fantastic staff who have recently joined our Pinnacle College family. Ms Carolina Hoyos, Ms Nikki Garland (Gilles Plains), Ms. Sally Zeunert, Ms Tursunay Elham, Ms Nurisha Smith, Ms Seydanur Selvi, Ms Shyamali Jayasena (Golden Grove) and Mr. Rob Watkins as the new maintenance manager. I wish them all the best in their new roles.

I wish everyone an amazing and fruitful year.

Kind Regards,
Mr Atilla Sinik
Campus Principal

SECONDARY COORDINATOR

Dear Parents and Friends,

Welcome to Term 1 2023! Firstly, I would like to explain how truly honoured I am to fill the position of Secondary Coordinator for 2023. We have an amazing and diverse cohort of students, as well as some very talented staff members. I look forward to working with and learning from families, students, teachers and staff members, with a focus on encouraging students to be their best.

I must admit that it has been a tremendous and exciting start to Term 1. Well done to all students for achieving overall good behaviour so far as a cohort. Thank you to our dedicated staff members who have worked hard to ensure a smooth transition into Term 1.

This year in Secondary, we are delighted to announce that we will have an engaged Student Representative Council team. We sincerely congratulate all the newly elected SRC members, prefects and our new School Captain Rania Abdula, and Vice-Captain Nada Al Balawi. Thank you all for taking the responsibility and initiative in supporting your school and fellow students.

This year in Secondary we are facilitating The Resilience Project wellbeing curriculum and program at Golden Grove. This focuses on the attributes of gratitude, empathy and mindfulness, which in turn build resilience. These themes complement religious values, and support overall wellbeing. We will be giving extra MySIS points to students displaying or using those 3 key attributes. It would be helpful to discuss how your children can show gratitude, empathy and mindfulness in their daily lives.

Finally, the Year 7s had a great time at camp and improved their cooperative and life skills. We would like to encourage them to continue building those life skills at school and home. We also thank them for being well behaved on camp. I look forward to enjoying the festivities of Ramadan with the eager students and school community.

Kind Regards,
Mrs Renee Taylor

PRIMARY COORDINATOR

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

I hope you have been keeping well.

We have had a fruitful start to the year and it has been lovely seeing all of our students back at school. I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself. My name is Sawafta Natasha and I have been appointed as the new Primary Coordinator at our Golden Grove Campus. I look forward to supporting and collaborating with parents, students and staff. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me or contact the front office team to arrange a face-to-face meeting.

Our Primary Clubs have been up and running since Week 3, and it has been wonderful seeing all of the students engaged in their extracurricular activities. Some of the options we have offered this semester are STEM, Art, Sport, Wellbeing, Creative Play, Book Club and many more!

Just a reminder that we have NAPLAN around the corner, starting on the 15th of March until the 27th of March (week 7 & week 8). Students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 will be sitting the Writing, Reading, Conventions of Language and Numeracy tests. Please ensure that they are getting plenty of practice and rest, and implementing a healthy routine during the period.

Thank you so much!

Kind Regards,
Miss Sawafta Natasha

JUNIOR PRIMARY CURRICULUM COORDINATOR

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

Welcome back to school for our returning students and a big welcome to our new parents, particularly those starting in Foundation this year! It can be a scary time for some children starting at their big school but I hope the transition has been smooth!

Our first Parent Teacher Interviews will be happening in Week 6. This will be a nice opportunity to say hello and meet your child’s teacher face to face in case you couldn’t make it to the Meet The Teacher event. This is also a good opportunity to ask and clarify any questions that you might have and to discuss any initial concerns. If you need longer than 10 minutes, please book another meeting with your child’s teacher in a different week, as the time can go quite quickly and other parents will be waiting.

Please also be aware that we are no longer using the A-E scale for grading in Foundation in Maths, English, HaSS and Science. We will now assess students using a 3-point scale: Above Standard, At Standard and Below Standard.

Kind Regards,
Mrs Chloe Rees

UPPER PRIMARY CURRICULUM COORDINATOR

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

It has been a busy few weeks on campus with Term 1 now in full swing. We warmly welcome families who are new to the school.

During Week 6, you will have an opportunity to meet with your child’s teacher. I strongly encourage parents to make the time to meet with your child’s teacher during these interviews. It is also ideal to bring your child along and involve them in the discussion about their strengths and areas of improvement.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding teaching and learning at Pinnacle College, please do not hesitate to contact me through the front office team. I look forward to working with you to improve your child’s learning.

Kind Regards,
Ms Sarah Watkins

INCLUSIVE EDUCATION COORDINATOR

Welcome to the 2023 school year at Pinnacle College!

My name is Mrs Kerry Sangermano and it is my pleasure to be taking over as Inclusive Education Coordinator for our Gilles Plains and Golden Grove Campuses. My primary responsibility is to promote an inclusive learning environment that provides additional learning support for individual students. My goal is to ensure that all students have access to an inclusive curriculum, where they may achieve their individualised goals and fully participate in the learning process.

I would like to welcome our new learning support officer, Mrs Shyamali Jayasena. Shyamali is providing in-class support to girls in the secondary school. We also welcome Mrs Amy Clark, who like me, has recently come over from our Gilles Plains Campus. She supports our primary school students.

If your child is currently on an individual learning plan (ILP) it will be reviewed towards the end of Term 1. The ILP is created by your child’s class/homegroup teacher and aims to outline the types of learning support provided, as well as the student’s learning goals. The document allows for teachers to cater lessons more effectively and provide the required support for your child’s individual learning needs.

In Term 2, a meeting will be arranged with you and your child’s teacher to discuss their individual learning plan and to inform you of the support your child is receiving. We highly appreciate your support in your child’s education. Collaboration from teachers, parents and caregivers, support staff and healthcare providers will be highly beneficial in assisting your child in their learning journey. I look forward to meeting and working with you to help your child reach their full potential, this year and beyond. Please feel free to contact me at any time via email kerry.sangermano@pinnacle.sa.edu.au or arrange a time with the front office team to discuss your child’s ILP.

Kind Regards,
Mrs Kerry Sangermano

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT DEPARTMENT

Morning Teal at the University of Adelaide

Our Year 11 students and staff were invited to join a special awareness event in support of Ovarian Cancer Australia, organised by Senator the Hon Simon Birmingham (Shadow Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs).

Our students and teachers greatly enjoyed their visit and found it to be interesting and informative and asked many interesting questions at the morning teal program.

They also had a guided tour of the Medical Science building and their facilities.

Many year 11/12 students also attended from other schools and mingled with each other. Our students also donated.

Money raised will help Ovarian Cancer Australia to support those who are affected by this disease. Thank you Nazan Toryan and Ceri Ann Williams for your support

Adelaide Fringe Show

Pinnacle College supported and helped organise the Adelaide Fringe Multicultural Ensemble event last Saturday at Adelaide Town Hall. There were more than 800 people in attendance. The evening featured fantastic, diverse, multi-cultural and entertaining presentations.

Such events are a great promotion for our school community. Thank you to those staff members who attended.

Also, this was a great opportunity to fundraise for the victims of the Turkish/Syrian earthquake at Adelaide Town Hall. Thank you to our community engagement team and former graduates for their assistance for the earthquake appeal.

Regards,
Dr Mehmet Aslan
Mrs Serap Sinik

FRONT OFFICE NOTICES

Please see the Front Office Noticeboard below.

LIBRARY

Welcome to the library in 2023.

It is time to think about the Premier’s Reading Challenge. This year is the 20th anniversary of the PRC, so they are asking for students to read 20 books. Forms are not due until September but the first year 3, 4, 5 or 6 class that return all of their forms to the library, will earn a pizza party later in the year! It is expected you have read all the books on the list and that you can tell an adult about the book. Ask your teacher for your form. Parents, teachers, librarians or SSOs can confirm that you have read the books. Reception, Year 1 and 2 - your lovely teachers are doing this for you.

Returning this year, we have had lots of overdue books. The school policy remains that you cannot borrow library books, if you have overdue books. If you think you have returned the book, please come talk to us in the library. If you have paid for the books, you will not get a refund if you have found the book. You may keep the book.

Here is a link to suggest new books for your library.

Keep Reading,
Mrs Lisa Preston
Ms Tammy Skelton

Writers Week Microstory Competition

Congratulations to Year 10 student Rania Abdula, whose short story was shortlisted for the Writers Week Microstory Competition. Rania’s entry was one of 10 shortlisted entrants out of approximately 900 entries statewide, an amazing achievement!

We also congratulate the eleven other secondary students who participated in the competition: we have a lot of talented writers here at Golden Grove Campus! We spent a beautiful day at Adelaide Writers Week and look forward to participating again next year.

PASTORAL CARE

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

Welcome to all of the Pinnacle College family as students, parents and friends. My name is Esma Altinsoy and I am the new Pastoral Care Coordinator. Pastoral Care team after school activities commenced in week 3, and will continue until week 8 this term because of Ramadan. During Ramadan, we will have iftars with our students rather than after school programs.

In week 5, students competed against each other in the Pinnacle Masterchef competition! Students selected a recipe item and made it during the program, and teachers got the chance to vote for their favourite. We had contestants from Year 6 who made brownies, Year 8s who made rainbow pancakes, Year 9s who made sushi, and Year 10s who made kunefe. All of the dishes were extraordinary, but special congratulations go to the winning Year 9s for their delicious yummy sushi.

Kind Regards,
Esma Altinsoy
Pastoral Care Coordinator

PRIMARY CLASSES

FOUNDATION

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

Welcome to Term 1, 2023! As I type, we in foundation have just completed our 24th day of school! Aren't we clever! Daily, we are super excited to count the days we have been at school, as when we reach 100 days we will have a celebration!

We have had a wonderful start to our FIRST year of primary school and have enjoyed getting to know each other through social interactions and planned team building activities. These learning opportunities have been imperative to building positive reciprocal relationships, both within the classroom and within the wider school community.

We have created a Family Tree in our classroom and have displayed family portraits along with beautifully drawn masterpieces of our families. Please pop into our classroom and see our creations, we are very proud!

We have also been busy establishing routines and expectations within the classroom and learning where very important things are like the water fountains and canteen!

We are really enjoying the Jolly Phonics program and the songs and actions associated. We are proud to say we have learnt with ease the sounds up to “e” and have been practising the formations of all these letters, doing our very best to form our letters within the lines.

Warm Regards,
Mrs Smith

YEAR 1

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

Welcome back to school, I am so glad to see everyone back at school this year!

In Year 1, we have been learning about two digit numbers! We have been practising making them using MAB blocks, ten frames, tally marks and drawing. We have been learning to skip, count and identify before and after numbers, all the way up to 100. We have loved using hands-on activities to learn all about place value!

Please message me if you have any questions or concerns, as we are very busy in the morning and I don’t always have time to chat when the bell rings!

Kindest Regards,
Miss Amy

YEAR 2

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

A very warm welcome back to school! It was lovely to see some parents at my Meet The Teacher afternoon in Week 3 - some parents I have known for a long time and some new to our Pinnacle family.

We have started the year with Recount writing in English and are close to finishing up this genre of text. Students have been using the 5 W’s to speak of events that have happened in the past and writing using paragraphs. For Maths, the students have been exploring the Getting to 10 and Near Doubles strategy for Mental Addition, and will now learn to use the Getting to 10 for subtraction. It has been tricky getting back into the swing of things after the holiday break, but the students are working hard.

A reminder that the students have PE on Monday’s and library borrowing on Thursdays. Students below Level 26 will continue to take 5 readers for the week. Reading journals can be filled in with these books or chapter books - anything the student reads! As mentioned in our Meet The Teacher, feel free to contact me with any questions on Seesaw, or book in to see me when needed!

Kindest Regards,
Mrs Rees

YEAR 3

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

Welcome to 2023 in Year 3! It was wonderful to meet you all in our Meet the Teacher session earlier this term. I have enjoyed getting to know all of the students in Year 3 so far; they are certainly a hardworking and vivacious group of children!

As NAPLAN is fast approaching, we are working on our persuasive writing skills in English. In Maths, we are exploring different mental and written strategies to solve addition problems. Students have commented on how they are loving some of the hands-on experiences so far in Year 3, such as making their own clocks and using mini whiteboards for warm ups in Maths!

I am excited for what the rest of the year holds for my students, and I look forward to discussing your child’s academic progress so far during our parent teacher interviews in week 6.

Kindest Regards,
Mrs Sangermano

YEAR 4

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

Welcome to the new school year! It was lovely to meet some of our families at our recent Meet the Teacher night.

In Maths, we have started our year by looking at the place value of numbers and addition and subtraction strategies, with numbers containing up to five digits. In English, our genre focus for the term is information reports, where we will have the opportunity to research an animal and write our own report. We are enjoying reading our class novel, Charlotte’s Web.

In Science, we have been learning about life cycles of plants and animals. We are investigating this firsthand by germinating bean seeds. It has been exciting to observe and record the growth of the root and stem of our seeds with labelled diagrams and measuring the lengths of the shoots. We have been surprised by how quickly the seeds have grown and look forward to continuing to track their growth over the coming fortnight.

If you have any queries about your child’s learning, please get in touch with me on Seesaw.

Kind Regards,
Ms Zeunert

YEAR 5

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

What an amazing start to the year! It has been fantastic meeting the class and getting to know the students. I look forward to meeting you all at the parent teacher interviews next week (6th March – 10th March).

In English, we have been working hard on our narratives. Students have been looking at the 7 steps to writing strategies. I have put a big focus on students improving their computer skills. As this year’s NAPLAN will be online, I would encourage further typing practice at home.

In Maths, we have been learning about place value, mental and written strategies for addition and subtraction and started length (perimeter) this week. Students have also been busy creating a comic strip, learning about cyber safety and what it means to be safe online.

Warm Regards,
Mr Incoll

YEAR 6

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

This year has started off with a bang! I have thoroughly enjoyed meeting the class and getting to know the students. In English we have been working hard on our narratives. Students have been looking at the 7 steps to writing strategies and have brainstormed their sizzling starts and pebble, rock and boulder problems. In Maths, we have been learning about place value, mental and written strategies for addition and subtraction and started length (perimeter) this week.

Students have also been busy creating their senior shirts for the year and we have just finalised our design. Stay tuned to see what we have come up with!

Reminders:

PE is on Wednesdays – Students must be in their PE uniform and normal uniform other days.
Homework: Students need to ensure their homework is complete and ready for submission Tuesday mornings.
Parent Teacher Interviews are next week! (6th March – 10th March).
I look forward to meeting you all!

Kind Regards,
Miss Sawafta

PRIMARY PHYSICAL EDUCATION

In Primary Physical Education the students have been enjoying working with their PE teachers in their classes. We welcome Veysel Olku, who is new to the Golden Grove Campus and is teaching Year 4 and 6. This week the girls in grades 3-6 have an exciting opportunity to learn from Cricket SA, where they will be taught by a cricket instructor over several lessons. They will also receive a free pack at the completion of this unit. Since week 3, primary students have been involved in their clubs - where they selected an activity they want to participate in on Friday afternoons. Attached are some pictures of the boys involved in the Sports Club - our sport this term is soccer.

Kind regards,
Miss Bridget Andrews

SECONDARY CLASSES

YEAR 7

The Year 7 students had an exciting Week 5 of school, as they were off on their camp to build cooperation skills and life skills! The students spent two nights at the Woodhouse Activity Centre in the Adelaide Hills. We participated in the challenge hill obstacle course, hiking, tube slide, cooking lesson and many other fun activities. The students (and teachers!) performed in a Talent Show on Tuesday night. We were treated to some delicious food from our own personal cook, which definitely made our stay much more enjoyable. The girls had a blast and got to know one another really well. On second thoughts, maybe a little too well - as some dorm rooms were very chatty at night! We hope the students get a good week’s rest back in their own beds.

Kind regards,
Year 7 Teachers

YEAR 8

Through their CSI unit in English class, the year 8 detectives have been investigating a crime scene, learning crime journalist reporting skills and solving the mystery of who killed Mr Patrick.

In Health, students conducted a debate on peer pressure. We had 2 topics: Boys face more peer pressure than girls and If a friend peer pressures you, then you should stop being friends with them. We had some excellent points from both for and against arguments. The girls spoke particularly well in front of their peers and did some great research. Some notable speakers were Maha, Ameerah, Zeenat and Muhlisa. Well done students!

Kind Regards,
Year 8 teachers

YEAR 9

Exhibition Review

On the 28th of February we went to MOD where there is currently a Flex exhibition. In the exhibition you flex your capacities and boundaries to try something new. There are many smaller exhibits within the Flex exhibit. My favourite one was the Breath exhibit. The Breath exhibit was spread in a long room where the walls were black and there were coloured spotlights swinging around as well as screens of people with shortness of breath. This exhibit was made to simulate a panic attack. I enjoyed the room because it was very immersive and a new experience. Overall, the excursion was super fun and enjoyable.

-Ziya

My favourite part of this exhibition was the Volo swings. I loved the way it created an immersive and in depth feeling.

-Asmaa

Kind regards,
Year 9 teachers

YEAR 10

The Year 10s have started their Integrated Learning program in partnership with the Port Adelaide Football Club, and their first assessment was the creation of a unique guernsey design that they will wear at the Carnival Day in Term 2. We have many talented artists in the class! Congratulations to our guernsey design winner for 2023, Redeta Rahman.

In Sports elective, the Year 10s visited the Elizabeth campus to use the gym equipment in the weights rooms. Students really enjoyed learning about the different exercises they could do and how to improve their muscular strength. Some of the students really pushed themselves and tried to lift heavier weights - great work! We will be going one more time next week.

Kind regards,
Year 10 Teachers

SECONDARY PHYSICAL EDUCATION

We have a quiet Term 1 for secondary PE with not as many sporting competitions compared to other terms. We did have a cricket team ready to compete against some other schools, however the other schools could not make it. Our captain Ayman Sabir would have been excellent on the day. We hope there will be another cricket competition for us later in the year.

We welcome new student Hala Abouelenein who is competing in a SA School Sports Swimming championship on Friday 3rd of March! Hala has competed in swimming competitions in the past and we wish her all the best on the day.

The gym will be open for students to come at lunchtime to improve their skills. Students need to get changed into PE uniform if they do not have PE on that day. At the moment the days and sports are Monday - Basketball
Tuesday - Soccer/Volleyball (alternated weeks)
Thursday – Basketball
Friday - Soccer/Volleyball (alternated weeks)

Kind regards,
Miss Bridget Andrews

LANGUAGES AND RELIGION

RELIGION AND VALUES

السلام عليكم و رحمة الله و بركاته

Welcome back to school. I am happy to see all of the Pinnacle College students.

Year 9 is learning about the Prophet (peace be upon him). Following his departure from this world, our Prophet (peace be upon him) left behind two valuable things to us: the Qur’an and his Sunnah. The government leaders following the Prophet were called Caliphs. The term, Hulefa-I Rashidin is mentioned in one of the Prophet’s Hadith and he urges us to follow their Sunnah as his. In his Hadith when he mentions Hulefa-I Rashidin, he means Abu- Bakr, Omar, Uthman and Ali. This term, the students project is to choose one of the rightly guided Caliphs and prepare a website about him.

Kind Regards,
Mrs Soheir Habib
RV Teachers

ARABIC

السلام عليكم و رحمة الله و بركاته

We would like to welcome all parents and students back to a very busy, yet fun year. The Year 1s are all ready to explore and learn their Arabic letters, sounds, and some words. They are also enjoying the different songs that are being played during Arabic lessons. Attached are a couple snapshots showing our Year 1s engaged and working hard.

Warm Regards,
Mrs Soheir Habib
Mrs Rasha Tabet

TURKISH

Hoşgeldiniz (Welcome). Most of our Turkish groups are learning mainly about greetings, how to introduce yourself and classroom objects in the first weeks of the term. Year 1 students are studying Turkish for the first time and they are getting familiar with Turkish letters, numbers and colours. I hope our lessons will be more fun in the following weeks.