TERM TWO WEEK ONE

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from the principal Welcome to Term 2 and ‘Learning from Home’. I have visited our classrooms

across the school and have been so very impressed by the work undertaken by

our students and all our teaching and support staff. What a blessing it is to be

working in a school that is so organised and flexible. Much preparation and

planning has gone in this rapid transition. We hope and pray that the work

provided has been helpful to our parents. As you remember in

the recent newsletters, our focus for 2020 remains – feedback:

creating and maintaining positive relationships so we continue

to use our feedback loops to monitor and improve what we

do in our classrooms each day.

For those staff working at home it has been a wonderful

experience to connect with our much missed classes and

students using Canvas. Thanks to the IT team for answering the

thousands of questions this week

with all the patience of saints.

Canvas Instructional Videos

Many new resources are being

developed as we respond to the

needs of our community. For example,

have you been to our College website

and watched “How to Log on to

Canvas”? Thanks to all our dedicated

teachers for the enormous effort and

time put into these to sources to

ensure quality Christian Education. I

would like to thank Trent Welsby, Rob Potter, Aiden Frewen-Lord, Brandon Potter and Jesse

Bulman for the many, many hours of work to ensure a smooth transition to this platform. What a

blessing these guys are.

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from the principal cont’d ANZAC DAY

At 5.30am for tomorrow’s Anzac

Day the Australian War

Memorial will broadcast a

ceremony to the nation on the

ABC and online. Thanks to

Chappy Phil for the work to

ensure that this important event

continues despite the current

measures in place. From

6am, RSL is asking Australians to

stand in their driveway, on their balcony or in their living room to

’Light up the Dawn’ and remember those who served and

sacrificed. We encourage our community to take part in this

request and support all those who have served.

Student Free Day

This week began with a planned ‘Student Free Day’. I would like to thank our community for

such a positive response to this day for the much needed professional development and the

finalisation of our planning for Term 2’s ‘Learning on Line’. I would also like to thank the Board

who presented in the morning and for their ongoing partnership with all our staff here at the

College. We really appreciated the encouragement, biblical teaching and prayer. At the

student free day I asked the staff to consider these three aspects to the term and to prepare

with a Christian mindset: ‘Praying the course’, ‘Staying the course’ and ‘Celebrating along the

way’. I urge us all to continue to pray fervently during this time and to support each other in

new and old ways. Please continue to thank our staff – that email or telephone call is so

uplifting for a member of staff at the end of hard week. Finding ways to celebrate

achievements is also challenging but it is not only necessary for our mental health but core to

our college vision – ‘celebrating life and learning through Christ-centred education’.

Celebration is very much a way of thinking so please join with us as we celebrate in new ways

during this time. Remember the encouragement of Paul in Romans 12:12 ‘Be joyful in hope,

patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.’

Shalom, Andrew Jones

Blessings to our college families

We are aware that many families in our ACC community are experiencing financial difficulty in

this covid-19 pandemic. To show our love and support, the board has decided to bless you by

reducing Term 2 college fees by 50%.

In addition, all Kindy fees for Term 2 will be fully waived. This has been made possible by state

and federal support.

Please continue to pray and support our college families and their businesses during this time as

we represent Jesus in our wider Townsville community.

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From the Head of Primary Chess Club

Lunch time chess and after school Chess Tutoring are both on hold at the

moment until we get further direction regarding when schools will open again.

Round Two of the Inter-School chess competition would normally be held in

Week 6 of this term but like other events around this time, it has been cancelled. It is hoped

that Round Three will be up and running again in August.

Gardiner Chess, who run the Queensland Inter-School chess competitions will be presenting

online lessons-online during this period as well. They are running a combination of online

lessons in Term Two, some of which will be on Chesskid.com as the learning platform. The

lessons will be before and after school hours for a cost of $64 for the term. Full information can

be found at https://gardinerchessonline.com.au/.

Our traditional Anzac Day March will look very different this year, with all marches around the

country being cancelled. As a College community, and as members of the city of Townsville,

we can all still ensure that the day remains a significant and respectful day of remembrance

for our members of the Australian Defence Force - past and present. As you would no doubt

have seen in the media and on our Facebook page, people are encouraged to stand at the

end of their driveway in the morning with a candle at 5:55 am for a minute’s silence at sunrise.

It would be wonderful for as many of us as possible to manage this.

Learning from home has commenced with lots of success stories which has been encouraging

for everyone. As teachers have contacted their students / or parents at home, and spoken

with students at school, we have refined processes to ensure we continue to improve the

delivery of curriculum and the effectiveness of communication. Emailing your child’s teacher

is the most effective means of addressing any queries you may have. Teachers are scheduling

their day to make contact with parents to answer questions, either through email or phone,

and although they are fielding many queries, they are continuing to respond to parents and

students.

Work for next week will be available on Canvas by 5pm today, but there is no expectation for

anyone to commence that work until next week. The decision was made to make the

following week’s work available on the Friday before only to give those parents who wanted

to, the opportunity to think through how they needed to organise their schedule for the

following week.

Thank you in advance for your prayers for the teachers as they juggle the preparation for an

entirely unprecedented experience for all of us. Thank you also for your support,

encouragement and prayers over these difficult times. I pray that you can make times over

this weekend to stop and rest.

Rod Lane

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From the Head of Secondary As we near the end of the first week of this experiment known as ‘learning from

home,’ I am very grateful to be working in such a wonderful college

community. Despite some expected hiccups and glitches along the way, I can

report with a degree of confidence that our delivery of online learning has been,

for the most part, a success. This is in a large part due to the teamwork and adaptability of our

staff, student and parents, who have pulled together with a common purpose, making the

transition and dealing with issues as they arise so much easier. On Tuesday, amongst the

frenetic activity of lessons, technology trouble-shooting phone calls and emails, there was a

perceptible air of nervous excitement and positivity which was quite uncanny. As I write this

now at the end of the week there seems to be an air of productive routine as students become

more familiar with the structures and processes of the learning. If things are not starting to

settle for you at home, please know that we are committed to supporting you. Secondary staff

are aiming to make contact with every student via phone - to check in with families and ensure

necessary support when needed.

I would especially like to thank the IT Department and Mr Welsby for tirelessly and patiently

guiding us through the technical stuff. And I thank parents and students for their patience and

understanding- this is new for all of us. One thing I love about ACC is that we take education

seriously but we don’t take ourselves too seriously - when things don’t go quite right to have a

bit of a laugh at ourselves and move on, knowing that our worth has not changed in our Lord’s

eyes.

Conference Recordings

In the information that has been sent home, it said that online conferences will be recorded so

that students who may have missed a session due to having to share devices etc can catch up

later by watching the recording. This is still the case, but some technical difficulties mean that

this has not always happened. We are working on this and appreciate your patience and

understanding as we work through it. However, I would say that students should make every

effort to participate in online sessions; whether it be a discussion, chat or conference. The

recordings are really intended as a back up for those who genuinely need them due to not

being able to participate at the time.

Online protocols and behaviour

Like anything new, it’s a learning process and the protocols and expectations around online

chat behaviour are regularly being reinforced by teachers. It would be appreciated if parents

also keep bringing the ‘Protocols for Online Learning’ distributed earlier to families to the

attention of their children. During online sessions, normal classroom expectations about

respectful language, conduct and on-task behaviour apply - it is not a platform for social chit

chat. We are finding some students are taking longer than most to get that message. Students

should realise that if, after a reasonable number of warnings, inappropriate online conduct

persists, they may find their account access suspended, with obvious implications on learning.

….cont’d

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From the Head of Secondar...cont’d

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Be encouraged

Last week I wrote to our Year 12’s to encourage them in their learning during this time and I

shared with them an encouraging word from a friend of mine who is a Professor of Nursing at

the University of Newcastle. I would also like to share it with you:

There are loads of learning opportunities for children and adults alike at the moment... a

strengths based approach to coping with adversity will see many people more resilient in

months and years to come... there are opportunities to thrive - we just need to find ways to

access the internal agency and invite others to do the same so no-one is left 'behind'. From a

mental health perspective, I can't help but think there are so many kids who psychologically

battle in their school lives - who are thriving on line and enjoying the reboot of the balance

of power and influence in the grade cohorts and school grounds... perhaps it will help us all

as a society to become kinder and more collaborative in the future... this will be a

transformation like we have never seen before... and my prediction is that plenty of good will

come of it. As a university educator I am looking forward to students who are better at

solving and organising their personal lives... who can work well and productively and adapt

to changes in settings and circumstances... who have stronger online collaborative working

skills... and who can self care and self motivate... and who can reflect on the meaning of

adversity and draw forward resilient traits... I think they will be a delight to work with... I am

not so worried.

We have a mighty God who can turn any circumstance into opportunity for His glory. I am

convinced that this season will see our college community pull together and be

strengthened even more:

‘Now I rejoice in the Lord greatly, because once again you have shown your concern for

me. Of course, you were concerned for me but you did not have an opportunity to show it. I

am not saying this because I am in any need, for I have learned to be content in whatever

situation I am in. I know how to be humble, and I know how to prosper. In each and every

situation I have learned the secret of being full and of going hungry, of having too much and

of having too little. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.‘ (Philippians 4: 10-13)

Mal Schneider

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Chappy Corner

A Thought to Ponder …

I have slept this week away as I’ve been at home unwell, thank you for

those who have prayed for me, I appreciate that. Hoping to be back

on-board next week.

Term 2 has taken off very differently from any term that’s ever

gone before at our school, and there is no doubt this season will

throw up many different challenges on any given day, as we all

adapt to on-line learning.

We can be assured at ACC that everyone is doing the best they can in

unchartered waters and it’s good to stop and give thanks as we consider

how blessed we are to be in Australia, and even more so in Townsville, as this Pandemic rages

across the world.

In difficult times anxiety and worry can easily

become a habit if we’re not careful, so let’s not

worry or be anxious but rather take time to pray

and make the most of the opportunities to ask

questions and make new discoveries as we all

learn ‘together’ how to navigate this different

way of learning. We know this too shall pass and

one day we will look back and hopefully be

proud of how we bravely journeyed through a

pandemic. I’m sure as we reflect, we will also be thankful for the amazing technology

available to us in 2020 that helped this process to be successful.

I was reminded again of the truth found in God’s Word, a little verse from Matthew 6:34 says:

So, do not worry or be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will have worries and anxieties of

its own. Sufficient for each day is its own trouble.

How true is this right now! There is enough challenge in today so let’s continue to take one day

at a time and let tomorrow be dealt with when tomorrow comes. Worrying can be a bit like

sitting in a rocking chair, going back and forth, but going nowhere. Turn the worries into

prayers for each other as we go through this time ‘together’.

Please know that Chappy Cath and Chappy Phil are here for you if you need pastoral support.

Just send us an email to chappy@acc.qld.edu.au or you could make a call to the front office

4725 2082 and leave a message and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can, we are here for

you. Take care!

From the Chappy Office

So do not worry or be anxious

about tomorrow, for tomorrow will

have worries and anxieties of its

own.

Matthew 6:34

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Name: Megan Kennedy

Role: Year 6 Teacher

When did you start at the College? This year!

What do you think makes ACC a great place to work? Definitely the people. Everyone I

have met has been so helpful and friendly. I also really love devotions time with my class. It’s

amazing to be able to share in and witness what God is doing in their lives.

What is God doing in your life right now? God is reminding me about His faithfulness at the

moment. It’s pretty amazing the way he works things together.

Where were you born? Darwin, NT

What would we find you doing on the weekend to relax? Sleeping in, catching up with

friends, playing music or just relaxing with a good book or Netflix series.

What is your secret talent/skill/ability that not too many people know about? I play the flute.

I’m a bit rusty at the moment but I do still play

What is your ‘Deep Hope’/ goals /dreams for 2020? My deep hope is that students would

come to truly understand their worth and value through the eyes of God so that they can

fully embrace all that God has made them and called them to be.

The health, safety and wellbeing of our communities and our people remains our highest

priority. Due to the ongoing uncertainty surrounding coronavirus, the School Banking

program will remain on hold. We will continue to monitor the situation and keep you

informed with any updates including how we will be managing Dollarmite tokens for

students.

In the meantime, here are some handy online resources for parents who wish to maintain

momentum with their child’s financial education:

Start Smart: these resources have been created to improve children’s money

management skills, and is aligned to the Australian Curriculum and the National

Consumer Financial Literacy Framework.

The Beanstalk: offers videos and fun activities for children to learn about money.

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Welcome to Silver e-Trail 2020!

While many school events have been cancelled with the current situation, we would like to

invite our ACC community to keep the annual Silver Trail tradition alive and support

Compassion Australia.

Step 1 - Make a Silver Trail at home

Step 2 - Measure its length

Step 3 - Photograph it

Step 4 - Send your photos and the measurement to Mrs Lane @ jlane@acc.qld.edu.au

Step 5 - Deposit the money electronically (before 6th May) to

BSB: 014 730

Account Number: 4126 75928

Ref: Silver Trail

Step 6 – Pray for our Compassion kids L-P, Akesh and Frances.

Still life was an art activity for Year 4 students who are studying

at home this week.

I did these still life sketches using oil pastels on coloured paper. I

chose primary colours for my backgrounds to see how the

secondary coloured green avocado would look against the

primary colours. I’m really happy with how they turned out.

Laela Mudge

STILL LIFE

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PRAYER POINTS

Prayer for all our students ‘Learning from Home’ and that they

stay safe.

For the mental health of all our students, staff and parents.

Prayer for Chappy Cath’s recovery from Influenza A, Dengue

or Ross River Fever.

Prayer for a senior student in challenging circumstances.

Pray for our state and federal leaders.

https://www.acc.qld.edu.au/enrolment/

initial-inquiry-form/