Blue Hills College

Dear Parents/Guardians & students

The Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge in Japan has the longest central span of any

suspension bridge in the world. It was completed in 1998 and links the

city of Kobe (on the mainland of Honshu) to Iwaya (on Awaji Island) by

crossing the Akashi Strait. Before it was built, ferries carried people

across the strait, which sometimes was lashed with bad weather. In

1955, two ferries sank, killing 168 people. The public outrage urged the

government to build a suspension bridge. Construction began in 1988,

and the bridge was opened for traffic in 1998.

The Pearl Bridge, as it has been nicknamed, has three spans. The center

span is 1,991m long, with the other two measuring at 960m each, mak-

ing the total length of the bridge 3,911m. To protect the bridge from

damage, special girder systems were built to withstand winds of 286km/

h and earthquakes measuring 8.5 on the Richter scale. It also has to

stand against harsh sea currents. The two supporting towers rise to

283m high. Because of the changes in temperature, the bridge can actu-

ally “flex” by 2.1m!

Cables that hold the bridge up sink into 390,000 tons of concrete. Each

cable is a whopping 1.12m in diameter and contains about 36,830

strands of wire each. There are 1,737 red, green, and blue lights mount-

ed on the cables to illuminate the bridge; these can be changed with

computer technology to many different patterns for different national or

regional holidays. About 23,000 cars cross the Pearl Bridge every day.

Jesus once described the way to heaven as being narrow. Like the Pearl

Bridge, it carries one over

treacherous waters to the safe-

ty of God’s kingdom. But not

many take this path. “Enter by

the narrow gate; for wide is the

gate and broad is the way that

leads to destruction, and there

are many who go in by it. Be-

cause narrow is the gate and

difficult is the way which leads

to life, and there are few who

find it” (Matthew 7:13, 14).

Which bridge are you taking?

Where Christian Values Matter 23 March 2017

Calendar HSC Mid Year Exams

17-24 March

Immunisations Year 7

28 March

Cross Country Carnival

29 March

School Concert

6 April

Blaze Out

7 April

TERM 1 Ends

7 April

SCHOOL HOLIDAYS

10 - 25 April

Pupil Free Day

24 April

ANZAC DAY

25 April

TERM 2 Begins

26 April

NCIS Touch BHC

1 May

Book Week

1-5 May

Book Week Parade

3 May

2

General School News

Our Primary School Soccer Team did very well in Armidale. Well done, we are very proud of you.

Students in Year 4 have

been busy creating a va-

riety of artworks, linked

to their History unit,

First Contacts.

One of our favourite

Visual Arts lessons was

creating these Indige-

nous Wall Hangings.

Students chose an

Australian animal

and used dot

painting in tradi-

tional 'Ochre'

colours to create

these masterpiec-

es!

NCIS Primary Soccer Armidale Host Families for Japanese Students

Blue Hills College will be hosting 20 Japanese stu-

dents from our sister school in Tokyo again this

year from 21 July to 3 August . We would love it if

you could host a student at your home for a small

amount of time.

The experience of hosting a Japanese student is

often both an enriching and exciting one for you

and your family. Students usually develop friend-

ships with each other that last a lifetime as well as

gain an important insight into other countries and

cultures. You will also receive a financial contribu-

tion to help with the added expenses of having an

extra child in the home.

Expression of Interest form will go home soon. If

you are interested in hosting a Japanese student,

please fill in the form and return it to the front

office by the end of Term 1. We hope to hear

from you soon!

Mrs Rachel Spence

Japanese LOTE Teacher (Primary Teacher)

Book Fair— Change of Week

On Tuesday, 21 February, Abby and Ava Brunton repre-sented the school at the NCIS Hockey Gala Day, held in Grafton. The girls had a fun filled day and it was a great experience. Well done girls.

NCIS Hockey

The Book Fair books will be arriving a few days

later at the College this year and consequently

we will have to move the Book Week to the fol-

lowing week from 8-12 May. The Book Week

Parade will be changed from Wednesday, 3

May, to Friday, 5 May. This will mean that it will

be held in the week before Book Week due to a

clash with the Mother’s Day Concert.

Year 4 History

3

General News

The dog barked and growled in the meanest way possible. A thief was there, at the owner’s house. The dog clever-

ly opened the sliding door and went to wake her owner, for the thief wanted to steal the golden necklaces, brace-

lets and jewelled wonders they hoped for in this house. They had no idea what BIG, BIG

trouble they were in.

Imagine if I didn’t have an intelligent, courageous, friendly dog, but a sleepy, hairball-

puking, stuck-up cat. Cats can't bark, they don't even try to open some doors. I would've

been dead meat if I had a cat.

The dog yipped, yapped and barked excitedly as the children scratched her behind the

ear. She laid on her back, still wanting to be played with. The children played with her

until they were called for dinner. They loved their little puppy.

Imagine if instead of that friendly dog they have it was a sleepy cat. Cats don't like their

ears getting scratched, and if you do they scratch back. To me, the best kind of cats are smart, playful declawed

ones.

Yes I know how cute and cuddly kittens are, but when they get older they get moodier and also lose their cuteness ,

puppies on the other hand do still lose their cuteness, but they make up for it by never, ever, ever losing their

friendliness.

If you agree with this then why don't you test it with yourself and your kids. So in conclusion that is why dogs are

better than cats, and most likely why they are named "MANS BEST FRIEND".

~ Written by Rhianna Lawton Year 5 ~

Well done Rhianna on an excellent piece of writing.

On Wednesday Blue Hills Celebrated Harmony Day. The primary was split into 7 groups with each group having kids from Kindy to Year 6. In the Kindergar-ten room, Miss Hillier made Indian Headdresses to celebrate native Ameri-cans. Year 1 discussed the refugee Anh Do who is now an Australian author and they talked about refugees and what life would be like. Year 2 made ana-conda's from South America and learned about Brazil. In the Year 3 room, they went to Paris, ate some French sticks and sang a French song. Year 4 room celebrated Nepal and the students participated in making prayer flags. Year 5 discussed the coliseum and saw some pictures of what it is like today, they tasted crossini, the Italian bread sticks. Scotland was cele-brated in Year 6, with Scottish dancing and facts about Scotland with some tasting of shortbread.

DOGS VS CATS

Harmony Day

4

General School News Junior Musicianship Classes

The Blue Hills College concert is coming closer. Please make

sure that you pencil this great event into you diaries. This

will be a fun filled evening for young and old. The students

and teachers will be presenting 'Jonah-Man Jazz' on Thurs-

day, 6 April, at the College and commencing at 7pm. It is

going to be a whale of a tale!

We are very pleased to announce that we have a new

Piano Teacher, Mr James English. A specific day and

time has not been fixed for piano lessons at school,

but we will do that as soon as we know who would

like to continue with lessons at school. Mr English can

be contacted on 0435245669.

Lessons will be charged at $20 per half hour, or $30

per hour lesson. For more information, please con-

tact Mr English, or Mr Neuhoff.

12 Bar Youths Junior Musicianship Classes

A small group learning for primary aged students will

be offered at Blue Hills College. Come and join the

singing, fun games & activities about:

Pitch, Harmony, Rhythm

Sight reading & General music theory

Cost: 30 min @ $10 p/person

When: Tuesday and Thursday afternoons at 3.10 pm

Where: Blue Hills College

Call Anita on 0434214785 for more information and

to secure a place for your child.

School Concert

English Tutoring

HEAD START ENG-LISHExperienced English teacher/tutor avail-

able for students in Years 7 to 12. Rea-

sonable rates. References available.

Contact Toni mob. 0432287156

Tutoring classes started on Tuesday, 14 February.

Classes will be on every Tuesday afternoon, 3-4 pm.

It is open for all students from Year 7-12.

Classes are run by qualified staff, free of charge!

Mr de Witt and Mrs Kingston will be involved.

This is where you:

get help with a homework question,

get another explanation,

can do some homework, and get help if needed,

can get some extra extension,

can get extra exposure to Mathematics.

Maths Tutoring Classes for High

Piano Lessons

5

The next Mufti Day (Casual Clothes Day) is scheduled

for Tuesday, 4 April. Please check the guidelines for

casual clothes and foot wear on these days. A gold coin

donation will be taken up for a charity organization.

General News Blue Hills College Blazer

For many years Blue Hills College students have been

involved in StormCo. StormCo stands for Service To

Others Really Matters. We are heading out to Toome-

lah, by bus, again this year and we cannot wait! We

need students who are in Year 10 and above to join our

team to serve the aboriginal community in Toomelah.

Parents, if you want to see a change of attitude in your

child the best thing for them is to see a greater need

than their own. We are leaving Saturday, 1 July, and

returning Sunday, 9 July. The cost of this trip is $160,

this includes all travel, accommodation and food for 10

days. We would love to have you join our team!

For extra information or to book in, please call Trudi

Chilcott on her mobile: 0402619444

STORMCO 2017

Mufti Day

Winter is on its way and that means students need to wear their blazers. If you have a BHC blazer which is in good condition (approx. size 14—16) and would like to sell it, please ring Gael on 66 331424. She will appreciate it very much.

……………………………………………………………………….

Please make sure that you order your new blaz-ers well in advance for winter!

Cross Country

NAPLAN

The annual Blue Hills College Cross Country is being held on Wednesday, 29 March. This event will be held on-site at Blue Hills College.

Students are asked to wear house colours and uniform sports shorts. Please ensure that your child/children wear correct sports shoes, not formal uniform shoes or thongs. Ipods, Iphones and any electronic devices are not allowed to be used during the running of the cross-country.

If there is likely to be wet weather, please ensure your child/children bring another school uniform to change into and a towel to dry themselves. Please note that the cross country will go ahead even if there is wet weather (It will only be cancelled if there is severe weather). Please check our Face-book page if you are in doubt on the day for updates.

Participating in the BHC Cross Country is compulsory for all students.

Students will run in groups according to their age as at 31/12/17. This is the age they turn in the 2017 calendar year.

The College gate will be closed at approximately 9:15 am for the safety of students, as the children will be running over the entire school campus. The gates will be re-opened at the completion of all the events (11:30 am).

Classes will resume as per normal after the completion of the Cross Country.

It will be great if you could come along and support your child.

Students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 at BHC will be sitting the

National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy

(NAPLAN) tests this week on Tuesday, Wednesday and

Thursday, 9-11 May 2017. Friday will be catch-up day.

These tests occur every year and involve the participa-

tion of all schools in Australia.

The Principal will reward students who show improve-

ment in their NAPLAN results, so please encourage your

children to put in their best efforts.

Science & Japanese students at work

6

This notice is from the Australian Government Department of Education and Training (the department), to advise you that the department has requested your child’s school provide a statement of addresses, in accordance with section 21 of the Australian Education Regulation 2013 (the Regulation).

A statement of addresses contains the following three pieces of information about students at the school:

Students’ residential address (not student names or other identifying information)

Students’ level of education (i.e. whether the student is receiving primary or secondary education)

Students’ boarding school status (boarders or day students)

Authority for and Purpose of Collection

Consistent with previous practice, and following the 2016 Australian Bureau of Statistics National Census of Popula-tion and Housing (Census), it is timely that information held by the department is updated in order to ensure that Australian Government funding calculations for your child’s school are accurate.

Under section 21 of the Regulation, a statement of addresses must not explicitly identify an individual student. Accordingly, all information in the statement of addresses provided by your child’s school to the department is de-identified.

Use and Disclosure of Information

It is important to ensure the statements of addresses are accurate, and the department may from time to time car-ry out audits of statements of addresses to verify their accuracy. In the event of an audit, the department’s con-tracted auditors may seek to compare a school’s statement of addresses with student enrolment information held by the school for the purpose of verifying the information. The department’s contractors will not use the infor-mation for any other purpose.

Any further use and disclosure of information relating to the statement of addresses will occur in accordance with section 65 of the Regulation.

Contact

If you have any questions regarding this notice, you can contact the department by:

Email: seshelpdesk@education.gov.au

Phone (free call): SES helpdesk on 1800 677 027 (Option 4)

For further information about the department, including the department’s privacy policy, please go to: https://education.gov.au.

General News 2017 Student Residential Address Collection

7

General News

www.bluehills.nsw.edu.au (02) 6625 6000 (02) 6625 2637

reception@bluehills.nsw.edu.au

Contact Us

At Blue Hills College, we believe in the pow-er of prayer. Please contact us if you would like to share specific prayer re-quests with our staff. We ask you to join us in praying for specific individuals, both stu-dents and staff.

“Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what hap-pens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.” (Phil 4:6-7, MSG)

27 March Leon Barca

Georgina Cappe

28 March Coby Clifford

Emerson Compton

29 March Thomas Contojohn

Flynn Creighton

30 March Isaac Daniel

Lachlan Darko

31 March Shenae Flanagan

Malcome Goltz

Staff Tony Coombs

Maree Finey

3 April Brodie Lockhart

Jack Lynch

4 April Nicholas Newell

Loc Nyugen

5 April Mia Osborne

Isaac Rapmund

6 April Araya Smith

Mason Squires

7 April Edward Stevens-Kowald

Jayd Whicker

Staff Allison Parkinson

Julie Jackson

Prayer List

The Complete Health Improvement Program (CHIP) is a scientifically proven lifestyle interven-tion program that can prevent, arrest, and even reverse today’s most common chronic diseases

caused by poor lifestyle choices. This community-based program:

Addresses the causes and risks of chronic disease

provides participants with the motivation, knowledge, skills and support for making lasting lifestyle choices

shows how to eat more and weigh less

demonstrates simple, nutritious, tasty meals

has proven results in reducing cholesterol, blood pressure & blood sugar levels

comprises 12 sessions each of 90 minutes

When? Commencing 30 April (7pm). Three evenings per week during May, followed by 1 evening per week during June (7.00—8.30pm).

Where? Blue Hills College

Information/Registration Sessions:

Either Sun 2 April or Tues 4 April (7pm)

- provide overview of program

- explain pricing options

- process registration

Contact: (02) 6628 8663 or visit chiphealth.com for more details

Turn Your Health Around (CHIP Program)