14 April 2023

Newsletter Articles

PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE

Dear Parents and Friends,

Welcome to the 2nd edition of Pinnacle College newsletter for Term 1.

The month of Ramadan is indeed the highlight of Term 1, and we are celebrating it as much as we can with the busy schedule of our lives. As far as I can see, the students have adapted themselves very well and the majority of them are in very good shape. The school Iftar dinners are at full speed and Parents & Friend Committees are doing a great job of organising these programs smoothly and enthusiastically. I have been lucky enough to attend several Primary School Year Level Iftar dinners and seeing parents around the table and breaking fast with them has been a great privilege. In previous years we had some amazing Iftar dinners as whole school events, however, it’s almost impossible to organize such a big event due to the increased number of students at Pinnacle College. The new year level Iftar format has been a great success so far and we are very pleased with the attendance of our parents. I would like to thank every one of those parents who attended the nights, especially to those parents who took the lead in organising all the delicious food and making this event possible. I also would like to thank the community engagement team for their contribution.

The pickup traffic problem is getting better at Gilles Plains campus however, the Golden Grove campus pickup problem gets hectic from time to time. I would like to remind parents once again not to stop on Bicentennial Drive. If the parents can’t drive into the turn pocket they have to continue and make a loop at the roundabout. This will delay your pickup maybe for a few minutes but the traffic will be able to flow and other people will be able to continue. We need to set a good example as the Pinnacle Community to everyone.

We will be farewelling our long serving staff member Mrs. Donna Freeman as she will be stepping into a new era in her life with her retirement. As the Pinnacle College community, we greatly appreciate her service for the past years. She has always been a role model to all of us and taken care of people around her where and when needed. We wish her all the best in her retirement with her grandchildren.

Finally, I wish you all a relaxing term break and I also would like to wish Eid Mubarak in advance to everyone who is observing Ramadan.

Kind Regards,
Mr Atilla Sinik
Campus Principal

SECONDARY COORDINATOR

Dear Parents and Guardians,

What an incredible and busy Term 1 we have had! The Secondary students and many teachers have been able to reflect and engage with each other through the journey of Ramadan and fasting at school. It has been heart-warming to see many of our students reflect and enter a spiritual journey through fasting. I hope that they learn and experience some humbling factors, and that they can continue any positive changes in their lives after Ramadan.

The Year 7s have smashed through their transition term and they are well underway to adapting to Secondary life. The SRC have held several assemblies as well as the Harmony Day whole school event. They have displayed leadership and initiative, and are doing an amazing job. We are very proud of them! The Year 7s and 9s have completed NAPLAN and we are happy it was overall a smooth program. Please note that results for NAPLAN are released later in the year.

All students have been developing an awareness of being grateful and empathetic through their class wellbeing program, ‘The Resilience Project’. We are encouraging their mindfulness of these qualities, throughout all aspects of their life. We would like to remind parents of the risks of social media, please have an open conversation with your child about this. Many of the wellbeing problems can occur due to social media engagement. If you would like any further information about this, please don‘t hesitate to contact me.

For all those celebrating, I would like to sincerely wish a productive and spiritual end to Ramadan followed by a joyous occasion of Eid. I look forward to seeing all of our amazing students in Term 2!

Kind Regards,
Mrs Renee Taylor

PRIMARY COORDINATOR

Dear Parents and Friends,

I hope you have been keeping well.

Our primary school students will be participating in a Swimming – Water Safety Program at Thebarton Aquatic Centre next term (Week 4). Please ensure you complete the consent + medical information form and make the payment at front office by the end of this term. Students are super excited and cannot wait to extend their skills!

Our Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 students have successfully completed their NAPLAN tests! We are extremely proud of their efforts and look forward to receiving the results towards the end of Term 3. Thank you to everyone involved in making the process smooth for the students.

Creating and implementing Healthy Habits are important for our wellbeing, social life & academic progress. It is important to reflect on our choices and establish healthy habits on the following:

• Exercise (30 minutes per day)
• Healthy diet
• Spend less screen time on devices
• Create a good sleep schedule
• Time management (homework, spiritual activities, chores etc.)

Students and families are encouraged to watch this video to understand and establish healthy habits over the holidays:

I hope everyone has a safe, blessed & wonderful holiday!

Kind Regards,
Miss Sawafta Natasha

UPPER PRIMARY CURRICULUM COORDINATOR

Ramadan Kareem! I was fortunate to attend the Year 4 class Gilles Plains Iftar organised by the Parents and Friends Committee. Participating in different celebrations is one of the reasons I love working at Pinnacle College. It is such a special time, the children are so excited and full of life. I can proudly announce that the Year 4s were the winners of the Ramadan Pinboard Competition at Gilles Plains Campus. Congratulations! It was all them, they were totally unassisted by me and they did a fantastic job. Please take the time to admire all of the class displays in the main building next time you are at the school.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions regarding your child’s learning. Have a safe and enjoyable holiday.

Kind Regards,
Ms Sarah Watkins

INCLUSIVE EDUCATION COORDINATOR

Dear Parents,

Ramadan Mubarak! Wishing all those who celebrate, a blessed Ramadan!

What is inclusive Education?

Inclusive Education provides support to students who may have additional needs. At Pinnacle College, our teachers and staff celebrate diversity and uniqueness. We value student differences and support our student’s learning needs, to the greatest extent possible. Some students require more support from their teacher, or in class support from one of our friendly learning support officers. Other students might need occasional assistance throughout the year, or counselling services to help them get back on track. Our goal is to create equal learning opportunities for all children to fully participate in their education.

Here are 3 tricks and tips you can implement at home these holidays:

1. Switch off devices and encourage movement
Take a movement break with GoNoodle. You can sign up for a free account from the link below where you can access a tonne of free and engaging brain break videos.

2. Visual Schedule
Although holidays can often be busy with visiting family and friends and going out, children generally thrive on routine. Create a visual schedule for your child to help them get into the swing of things. This is particularly helpful during Ramadan, where eating habits may change. You can read more on the importance of visual schedules here:

3. Fidgets
Put the iPad away and encourage concentration and emotional regulation with fidget toys. They are inexpensive and are available basically everywhere! I highly recommend Kmart and KaiserCraft for all your sensory needs. From pop its, to slime and stretchy bananas, they have it all!

Kind Regards,
Mrs Kerry Sangermano
Inclusive Education Coordinator

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT DEPARTMENT

Dear Parents,

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our volunteers and P&F members for their efforts to help people who were impacted by the earthquakes in Turkiye & Syria. We raised altogether $3,150 at the kebab stall at Golden Grove Campus.

The most rewarding month of the Islamic calendar is here, and our P&F members are very busy organizing year-level Family Iftar Dinners. This will give us a chance to meet with other parents whose kids are sharing the same classroom for several years. Our first Iftar dinner was held in Golden Grove gym with Mrs. Amy and 11 families from year 1. Special thanks to Mrs Mahmuda who helped us on the night.

Please check out the photos from the highlights of Term 1 events like Barossa High Tea, IWD forum, Kebab Stall, mothers’ afternoon teas, and Iftar dinners.

If you would like to be a part of our parents and friends group, please let us know by email at serap.sinik@pinnacle.sa.edu.au,

We are looking forward to seeing you at one of our Iftar dinners.

Ramadan Kareem.

Regards,
Mrs Serap Sinik
Community Engagement Coordinator

SCHOOL COUNSELLOR

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Ramadan Mubarak to all celebrating this holy month. May it be filled with many blessings.

During the month of Ramadan students usually decline in energy and may struggle to maintain their regular study routine. Here are some tips to help students study during this month.

• Resting and taking frequent breaks
• Being organised
• Staying hydrated and eating well/healthy during Iftar and Suhoor
• Finding the right time to study (after Fajr prayer or mornings)
• Having a good sleep schedule (getting enough/restful sleep is essential)
• Finding study techniques that work better for you e.g. visual revision/ interactive learning
• Studying with friends/ study groups to increase motivation and encourage each other.
• Setting up a clean study space free of distractions

Kind Regards,
Miss Zina Almufti

LIBRARY

This term we have been advertising the books we have read. This encourages others to read these books. Most classes are working really hard in completing the Premier’s Reading Challenge (reception, year 1 and 2 are doing this as a class). The tree in the library will grow and bloom with those who have completed this challenge.

We still have a problem of students not being able to borrow from the library. It is school policy if students have overdue books of any kind, they can not borrow library books or readers. This really impacts the progress of the younger ones to improve on their reading skills.

Students are welcome to borrow library books over the holidays. Please encourage students to keep reading.

Next term is the Scholastics Book Fair at Golden Grove Campus is May 23rd - 30th in the library.

This encourages young people to care for their own books and to enjoy reading without having to borrow books from the library all the time.

Keep Reading,
Mrs Lisa Preston
Ms Tammy Skelton

PASTORAL CARE

Ramadan Mubarak Dear Parents and Caregivers,

The Pastoral Care team organised a Pinnacle Talk with Azra Bagsoken. Azra is an Alumni who went to Indonesia with the project called the Fatih Project.

Also, we held a Ramadan workshop in the after-school programs in order to become more familiar with the upcoming Ramadan.

We have stopped our after-school programs considering the busy days and nights during Ramadan and we will resume Term 2 week 2.

Kind Regards,
Pastoral Care Team

CHOIR CLUB

This year I am so lucky and blessed to be running our very first Pinnacle Choir which consists of a group of students from each campus. These students came to the 'Come and Try' session in week 3, and they have decided to stay on - I knew I was going to be lucky with even 1 or 2 students joining, but it turns out that I ended up with a total of 39 students ranging from Years 3-6. So far, I have been teaching them all the ropes to becoming a successful, confident, and competent singer. With these skills they have been able to: sing in front of the class either with others or on their own, learn how to read music (yes that's right - proper sheet music), learn about dynamics in singing, and also learn about vocal anatomy. I couldn't be prouder of their progress in the short amount of time that we've had! They have their first upcoming performance opportunity which will take place at Adelaide Festival Theatre, and they will sing 'My Island Home' during the opening ceremony of the DreamBIG festival along with 2000 other school students from SA. I cannot wait for you to hear them!!!

Miss Parletta

PRIMARY CLASSES

FOUNDATION

We have concluded our first 50 days of school with an excursion to Little Sprouts at The Botanical Gardens!

This excursion was a part of our Integrated Studies topic that included Living Things, Life Cycles and Personal Health.

We learned that bees are indeed our friends (most of the time) and if we say “Hi bee! Bye bee!” The bee will carry on doing their job of pollination and producing yummy, yummy honey!

Students took selfies, photos of signs and our beautiful surroundings for our seesaw account. We will use this student-led content to explore the IT component of our curriculum next term. The learning cycle never ends!

We enjoyed our first excursion bus ride, and some students even had a lovely nap on the way home!

Warm Regards,
Mrs Smith

YEAR 1

What a term we have had in year 1. We have learnt so much and been on so many adventures together. We had an amazing time at the Hahndorf Farm Barn, where we got to feed baby goats and lambs, pat bunny rabbits, play with horses, milk a cow, and touch the lizards! We spent the term learning about habitats and living things, all while learning to write information reports about farm animals. I am incredibly proud of the work we have done so far.

Have a fantastic break and I look forward to seeing you all rested in term 2, ready for sports day and swimming lessons!

I would like to take this opportunity to wish Miss Donna all the best in her retirement. We will miss you!

Kindest Regards,
Miss Amy

YEAR 2

It has been an exciting term for the year 2s as they used informal units of measurement like hand spans, paper clips, glue sticks and pencil cases to measure the length and area of things around the classroom. They wondered and investigated as to why different objects that they were using to measure and compare were giving different measurements.

In procedure writing, the year 2s had a lot of fun and laughter in exploring what happens when a step or an ingredient is eliminated from a recipe or instruction manual. They also practiced following procedures by making a paper boat, practiced rewriting a recipe on ‘How to make a wombat stew,’ and proofread the procedures for specific instructions on ‘How to make buttered toast.’

I am proud of our year 2 students for their enthusiasm and creativity in these learning activities. As always, thank you for your support in your child's education.

Have a blessed Ramadan and a wonderful restful break!

Kindest Regards,
Mrs Rees

YEAR 3

The year 3 class has been extra busy this term! We worked super hard to revise and prepare for our very first NAPLAN tests. I am very proud of all of my students for showing dedication, resilience, and a positive attitude during the testing period.

As a part of our health and nutrition unit, we got messy in a hands-on cooking adventure where we made some delicious and nutritious bliss balls! We learned a lot about the health benefits of the different ingredients we used to create our healthy snacks. I only hope that some made it home for parents to try, but I have no doubt that most were gobbled up by the end of the day.

Wishing you all a blessed Ramadan and lovely holiday break!

Kindest Regards,
Mrs Sangermano

YEAR 4

The Year 4s thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Cleland Wildlife Park for our Term 1 excursion during Week 8. We loved exploring the park, which mostly contains animals from South Australia.

As we have been learning about the life cycles of plants and animals in science this term, we started with a keeper talk about this topic. It was very interactive, and we had the opportunity to see a range of insects in various phases of their life cycle, as well as touch a blue tongue lizard and even a snake! We then were able to pat a very cute koala and learn some interesting facts about her from the keeper. After lunch, we explored some of the free-range enclosures, which contained kangaroos, wallabies, and emus. We also visited several walk-through bird aviaries and saw other animals, including dingoes and wallabies. We concluded our visit in the Oceans to Outback Display Centre, which contained a range of invertebrates, frogs, reptiles, and nocturnal animals that we could examine up close.

It was a fun and interesting day!

Kind Regards,
Ms Zeunert

YEAR 5

I don’t know if you feel the same, but this term has flown by super-fast! We have had an amazing term and been super busy. NAPLAN was a big focus, as this year it was placed in Term 1. I appreciate all the extra support that was given at home in readiness for the tests. The year 5s showed amazing resilience and determination throughout that week, as well as in the lead up to the tests.

We had a huge focus on narratives this term, thankfully, as that was the chosen text type for NAPLAN. It was fantastic to see the students put their ideas on paper and then bring those ideas to life when they orally presented it. Great job to all! Next term we'll be focussing on information reports.

Students will be given holiday homework and I would encourage them to have that complete by day 1 of Term 2. Please make sure students are also reading as well, our Librarians have been generous this term, allowing students to borrow up to 8 books over the break.

Have a fantastic holiday and warm regards,
Mr Incoll

YEAR 6

Dear Parents and Friends,

I hope you have been keeping well.

The Year 6s have been busy in science learning about Natural Disasters and how they impact the world. One of their recent STEM projects required students to research, design and construct a model of an Earthquake Resistant building. It has been fascinating seeing students’ extended thinking skills and creative abilities applied to this task. Collectively, they have done an outstanding job as individuals and as a class.

In English, students have been busy finalising their final versions of their narratives. They have developed their skills in editing and recognising things to improve on in their drafts – which has been a great learning curve for all. In maths, we recently completed our assessment on Data Representation and Interpretation where students learnt about different features to a graph, different ways to represent data, qualitative and quantitative data and how to create survey questions which give us valid data.

Over the term break it is imperative students continue with reading and comprehension and I will be providing holiday homework as well.

Have a great holiday!

Kind Regards,
Miss Sawafta

PRIMARY PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Primary Physical Education is set for a busy year! Firstly, please be advised that our Primary Sports Day will be held on Wednesday May 10th, in the second week of Term 2. All students will be attending on the day and will participate in athletic-style events and fun games. It will be held at the Bridgestone Athletics Track, and students from the Elizabeth Campus and Gilles Plains campus will be attending also. It is going to be a cracking day with some excellent displays of sporting abilities! The Years 4-6 students have been informed that their year levels will have the opportunity to participate in some School Sport SA competitions this year. These events will be starting next term.

Kind regards,
Miss Bridget Andrews

PRIMARY MUSIC

The students have been busy bees working really hard in their music classes - all learning very different things! The Year 1 students have learnt all about dynamics, and you may have heard them saying some words in Italian too! The Year 2s and 3s have focussed on learning ALL the notes in the treble clef and how to play them on different instruments - which they have been amazing at! The Year 4 classes have reconstructed an instrument with recycled materials - and they are looking fantastic. The Year 5s have been learning about different genres of music and have created their own information PowerPoint about a specific genre - some of the genres include Bossa Nova, Pop and Rock! Lastly, the year 6s have really delved into learning about the history of Video Game music - and they have made their very own composition using a program called Beep Box. I am so proud of all their efforts, and it’s been so lovely getting to know all the students at Golden Grove Campus.

Miss Parletta

SECONDARY CLASSES

YEAR 7

The year 7’s have been learning about Ancient Greece and wrote a diary entry pretending to be an Athenian or Spartan person. They explained how they would feel if they were them during the time of the Peloponnesian War. Check out their work!

Kind regards,
Year 7 Teachers

YEAR 8

The year 8’s have learnt about Japanese history early this term. The focus was on Japan before and after the rule of the Shoguns in ancient Japan. All the year 8’s went on an excursion to the Himeji Gardens in the city to learn more about Japanese history and culture. Check out our pics!

In science this term the year 8’s have been learning about cells and their functions. They have put their creativity to the test by building model cities that represent plant or animal cells.

Kind Regards,
Year 8 teachers

YEAR 9

As part of their persuasive writing unit, the year 9 students held a series of scintillating debates. The year 9s passionately argued for and against contentious topics such as banning junk food, the dangers of social media, mandatory vaccinations, and banning plastic packaging. A fantastic and convincing debate from all teams.

Kind regards,
Year 9 teachers

YEAR 10

Congratulations to the year 10s for not only winning the Ramadan classroom decorating competition but also the Harmony Day Best dressed class as voted by teachers. All of the students looked wonderful on the day but in particular the Year 10s added that extra touch to their cultural dress. They made their decorations by hand for the classroom - well done!

Kind regards,
Year 10 Teachers

SECONDARY PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Secondary physical education have started training for our first School Sport SA competition which is coming up Week 1 of Term 2. It is a Volleyball competition for Year 9 and 10 students, and they have been training hard and practising their skills in the gym at lunchtime. There will be other school sport opportunities for other year levels later in the year. Congratulations to Hala Abouelenein from Year 7 for placing 3rd in the School Sport SA State Swimming competition! She also competed in the 50m freestyle, 100m freestyle and the 50m butterfly. Hala improved her personal best times for all of the events she competed in.

Kind regards,
Miss Bridget Andrews

STEM GIRLS ACADEMY

The STEM Girls Academy has commenced for the year, with a record attendance of eleven girls in Year 9 and twelve girls in Year 10. Each group spent the day at a University of South Australia campus where they were given a creative design challenge to solve. During their workshops they had the opportunity to collaborate with girls from various other schools. Our students represented Pinnacle College well and are looking forward to attending the next two workshops over the coming months.

Kind regards,
Mrs Aslan & Mrs Meredith

PINNACLE COLLEGE BOOK CLUB

The Golden Grove Secondary Book Club has recommenced this term, and members are excited to participate in the 2023 Children’s Book Council Shadow Judging Program. Book Club members will read the six shortlisted books for the prize and create their own creative responses to the texts, as well as voting as a group on which book should win the CBCA Prize.

Kind regards,
Dr Allan

PINNACLE LITERATURE CLUB

The Golden Grove Secondary Writing Club has recommenced this term, and members are currently working on their individual submissions for the 2023 Young Writers Award. We are excited to welcome new members this term from our new Year 7 cohort.

Kind regards,
Dr Allan

LANGUAGES AND RELIGION

RELIGION AND VALUES

The Year 2 students have learnt about topics such as Prophet Adam (as) life, tawakkul, Allah knows and sees everything, and they have also familiarised themselves with Ramadan. They have created their own Ramadan poster and do and do not lists in groups. I am so proud of all their efforts and it’s been lovely to see their interest in RV lessons. Ramadan Mubarak everyone!

Kind Regards,
RV Teachers

ARABIC

السلام عليكم و رحمة الله و بركاته

Dear Parents and Friends,

We would like to extend our warmest wishes for a blessed Ramadan to all of our students and their families!

We wanted to update you on what Year 9s and 10s have been working on during their Arabic lessons. Recently, they completed a speaking project on physical and mental games, which involved creating a PowerPoint presentation outlining the advantages and disadvantages of each type of game. Additionally, they have been busy preparing the classroom for Ramadan by decorating it for the occasion.

Thank you for your continued support, and we wish you all a joyful and fulfilling month ahead.

Warm Regards,
Mrs Soheir Habib
Mrs Rasha Tabet

TURKISH

Dear Parents and Friends,

In primary Turkish classes, we have been studying practical topics like greetings and names of objects, while also trying to have dialogues with upper classes about their families, backgrounds, and countries. We also started a new class activity called speed reading and students loved it: they read a text projected on the screen with a timer/countdown so that they can check their speed in words per minute. They even challenged their classmates, and it created a constructive and competitive class atmosphere.

Ramadan Mubarak and now that we are getting closer to the holidays and the end of Ramadan, we wish you a Happy Eid: “Bayraminiz Mubarek Olsun!”

Kind Regards,
Mr Okumus
LOTE Turkish Teacher

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