News & Updates: 4 March 2024
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Principal's Update: Term 1, Week 6
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Extended Absences During Term
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CIS Primary Tennis
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Secondary Basketball: AICES Cup
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Secondary HRIS Basketball Team Selection
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CCAS Primary Class Running Challenge
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The CCAS Chatter
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Family Reading Night: 6th March
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Year 11 Geography Excursion
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Year 9 HSIE Industrial Revolution Dioramas
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Year 6 Library Leaders
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NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge
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NAPLAN 2024 Dates & Information
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CCAS Exchange Program
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Fee Payments Update
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Years 7 & 10 Immunistaions
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Outside School Care Billing
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Go4Fun Program
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Bible Verse Of The Week
Principal's Update: Term 1, Week 6
This week marks the midpoint of Term 1. We have a slightly longer 11-week term, but with Easter thrown in we have a few 4 day weeks coming up which I am sure we will all enjoy. Needless to say, we are well into the rhythm of another year here at CCAS and enjoying a really positive start to 2024. I hope the feeling is mutual for our parent community and your children have settled well into another year of learning and growth.
On March 27th we have our annual Open Day, which will run from 3:30 – 6:00 pm. This is a great opportunity for prospective families to visit and see what CCAS has to offer, but is also a great opportunity for you to come along and explore not only their current experience but also what lies ahead for your child right through to the completion of schooling. It is the one chance we offer for parents and families to do a deep dive into their children’s education here at CCAS and visit every corner of our campus. So please consider yourself invited, we would love to have you come along. If you have friends or neighbours who are considering CCAS for their children, feel free to extend an invitation. I know from personal experience that almost all our new families that come to CCAS have done so based on a personal recommendation from existing families – so please keep doing what you do – with demand so high, families do need to plan ahead to get a spot – but a visit to the Open Day is still an important confirmation of the recommendations you provide.
As always thanks for your support and hope you enjoy this week's newsletter.
Mr Tony Kent
Principal
Extended Absences During Term
If you are planning a holiday during term time, it is a government requirement that students taking extended leave from school for 5 or more consecutive days must apply for a Certificate of Exemption from Attendance at School. This can be found on our school website under "Quicklinks", "Parent Hub" then "Absences".
For absences between 1-4 days, please email the relevant campus with the reason and permission.
If your leave will coincide with major events eg. important exams or assessments, please make sure your child discusses the absence with their teachers.
If you are ever unsure, please call or email the school directly.
Administration Team
CIS Primary Tennis
Last Monday, Sophie S and Kane R travelled to The Kings School to compete in the Primary CIS Tennis Championships.
It was a tough competition with the best tennis players from all NSW Independent Schools in attendance. Both Sophie and Kane represented HRIS and CCAS with great energy, enthusiasm, and sportsmanship. Even though they didn't walk away with the results they would have liked they both had a fantastic experience playing against very tough competition.
Well done Sophie and Kane!
Mr Michael Kosmeier
Primary Sport
Secondary Basketball: AICES Cup
Last Friday, our Open Girls and Open Boys Basketball teams ventured down to Castle Hill to compete in their first tournament of the year - the AICES Cup.
The boy's team had a very familiar matchup for their first game, Avondale School, who they last had an upset win against in December up at Nationals on the Gold Coast. The Open Boys managed to start their day off with a victory and continued this winning momentum against Hills Grammar and Moriah College. After finishing first in their pool the boys progressed to the quarter finals against Immanuel College where they struggled to play their own game and had a close loss by 3 points. Immanuel College went on to win the competition by 8 points in the Final.
The girl's team also put on a dominant performance during pool play where they had convincing wins over Thomas Hassall College, William Clarke College, Pittwater House and HRIS rivals - Newcastle Grammar. After winning their pool the girls played against Central Coast Sports College in the semi-final where the girls were able to re-establish themselves as the stronger team. The final saw CCAS vs St Luke's College, with both teams undefeated up until this match. Unfortunately, after a close game, the girls were unable to bring home the win and lost by 3 points.
All in all the tournament was a great success and has set a good foundation for the teams in the year to come with more tournaments on the way.
Mr Ryan Starrett
Basketball Coach
Secondary HRIS Basketball Team Selection
Each year schools within the Hunter Region Independent Schools have students selected to trial and compete for a spot on the HRIS team where they go and verse other equivalent teams at AICES. This individual pathway runs in parallel to the school team pathway as another opportunity for players to progress through the system and gain more exposure to opportunities.
From CCAS the following students were selected for HRIS teams:
Caleb Dunstan (Year 11)
Oliver Power (Year 10)
Annabelle Hedger (Year 11)
Hayley Douglass (Year 11)
Amelie Boonstra (Year 10)
Charlotte Roder (Year 9)
Lara Tillot (Year 8)
The boy's AICES competitions took place last week and the girls' competitions will take place this week. Ultimately the goal for players is to not only win the AICES tournaments with their respective teams but to be selected for the AICES Team to compete at a CIS level and gain entry to the CIS trials.
Mr Ryan Starrett
Basketball Coach
CCAS Primary Class Running Challenge
CCAS began the Primary class challenge this week with students taking up the challenge and running laps of the oval, both in the morning and with their class.
We are off to a flying start with a total of 2962 laps (889 km) run in the first week!
Congratulations to the class winners for this week and also some great individual efforts:
Class Winners - KH, 1S, 2K, 3S, 4K, 5V and 6R
Great Individual efforts:
Kindy - Chloe M (31 laps) and Arlo M (35 laps)
Yr 1 - Addison P (56 laps) and Coby K (56 laps)
Yr 2 - Jackson M (42 laps) and Jax R (29 laps)
Yr 3 - Spencer G (34 laps) and Alexander H (22 Laps)
Yr 4 - Jonty G (53 laps) and Samson M (52 Laps)
Yr 5 - Hugh G (26 laps) and Bailey K (25 laps)
Yr 6 - Levi L (40 laps) and Fletcher G (31 laps)
The challenge continues next week. Well done students!
Mr Michael Kosmeier
Primary Sport
The CCAS Chatter
Extra, Extra, Read all about it!
Have you heard the CHATTER? We have our 2024 CCAS Chatter Newspaper Team.
The "M & M S S S" have rolled in, they have their press passes, notepads & pens and are ready to report on the Chatter around the school. If you see Max, Maddy, Sofia, Sarina, or Sophie coming your way with their notepad get ready to help them bring the news to our Primary School.
This year the team behind the scenes has changed slightly with the wonderful Mrs Ibbott stepping back and handing over the role to Mrs Robertson.
We would like to acknowledge and thank Mrs Ibbott for her passion and dedication to starting this project a few years ago, and look forward to continuing her legacy for us all to enjoy.
Mrs Donna Robertson
Librarian
Family Reading Night: 6th March
For those of you who have attended our Family Reading Night in the past you know that it is a lot of FUN!
If you are new to CCAS or haven’t attended before, it is a must for your calendar. So save the date: Wednesday 6th March, 2024 from 5 pm-6:30 pm.
Information was sent out last week in an email with a link to RSVP however we have a few spots left so click on the link below before it is too late.
You will learn a little about the NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge, play a few games, and relax with your children to simply enjoy reading time together.
Come prepared to get cosy, bring your pillow/cushion, blankets & even wear your favourite PJ’s. You may even be able to find a space to make a cubby.
Prizes up for grabs for the most coordinated family outfits.
Mrs Donna Robertson
Librarian
Year 11 Geography Excursion
Last week Year 11 Geography students spent the day exploring estuaries around Kincumber. They tested water for salinity levels, turbidity, PH levels, available phosphate, and dissolved oxygen to name a few!
Mrs Fiona Beams
Secondary Teacher
Year 9 HSIE Industrial Revolution Dioramas
In response to the driving question "What would a mine or factory look like during the Industrial Revolution?" Year 9 History students have been working in small groups to research, design and build a physical representation of a mine or factory.
Mrs Fiona Beams
Secondary Teacher
Year 6 Library Leaders
We have had a busy few weeks of term 1 with our lunch times being filled with lots of excitement, noise and activity.
Students in Primary school can visit the library at lunch time to relax and read in the ‘Reading Tree’ or build, create and play in the ‘Play Space’.
Every year we are assigned a new group of Year 6 leaders who help us during these busy lunch periods. This year we are excited to announce our very excited team of Library Leaders.
Lacy, Mia, Milla & Mila - Welcome to the Library Team!
Mrs Donna Robertson
Librarian
NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge
What is the PRC?
The Premier of NSW aims to encourage a love of reading for leisure in students, and to enable them to experience quality literature. It is not a competition but a challenge to each student to read, to read more and to read more widely. The Premier's Reading Challenge (PRC) is open to all NSW students in Kindergarten to Year 10.
At the end of the year those who have completed the challenge receive a certificate from the Premier of NSW.
What do you do?
Students are to read PRC titles + a selection of free choice books
Log into the PRC website using your username & password (available from the Library)
Enter titles to your record
Once students log 5 books against their name they will receive a bookmark. When they complete the challenge they will be able to add their name to the display board to be a part of the
Building Readers Display Board
This board will be created by students as they complete stages of the challenge. They will be building their future library… (to tie in with the current building project)
CHALLENGE OPENS: Monday 26th February, 2024
CHALLENGE CLOSES: Friday 23rd August, 2024
Mrs Donna Robertson
Librarian
NAPLAN 2024 Dates & Information
Every year, students in Years 3, 5, 7, and 9 take part in NAPLAN to gauge their reading, writing, language, and maths abilities in Australian schools. These results help us at CCAS evaluate how well our educational programs are working, in addition to our usual assessments. Parents will also get a report detailing their child’s performance, measured against the national minimum standard.
Below are the dates that the NAPLAN testing will take place in March:
All students in Australia are encouraged to sit NAPLAN however it is not a compulsory assessment, particularly for students where these types of testing situations create unnecessary stress. Students may be withdrawn from NAPLAN by their parents or carer. This is a matter for consideration by parents in consultation with the school. If you wish to withdraw your child from the tests please advise us in writing and we can then provide the necessary paperwork on your behalf.
Every effort will be made by our teachers to ensure the NAPLAN does not result in any additional pressure on our students to perform. We equip students with the skills they need to do their best and encourage them to personally engage in the tasks to the best of their ability.
For more information about NAPLAN, please see below.
Mr Ryan Starrett
Data Coordinator
CCAS Exchange Program
Each year, CCAS welcomes exchange students through the ‘Students of the World’ Exchange program.
Our CCAS students get to interact and build friendships with these students. For some of our early exchanges, these friendships have now spanned a decade, with Australian families visiting the exchange family in their home country.
If you and your family are interested in hosting a student from Spain or France, sometime this winter, please contact Mrs Grange via email (marilyn.grange@ccas.nsw.edu.au) for
Mrs Marilyn Grange
Secondary Teacher
Fee Payments Update
Please see below a message from our Finance Team.
- All families should have received either a Fee Statement or a Notification of Fees Document for the Fees charged for 2024.
- All Annual payments and Term Payments not yet paid are now overdue.
- All direct debit payment plans have been set up and communicated.
- All bpay payment plans have been set up and communicated.
If you don’t believe you have received any of the information above, please;
- Check your spam folder or search finance@ccas.nsw.edu.au to ensure you haven’t missed this communication.
- Check with your spouse/primary account holder in case they received communication instead.
- If nothing can be found please contact us immediately so we can resend this information.
Remember you can also view your fees and payments through your seqta engage finance tab.
Lastly, please review the emails you have been sent to ensure the correct details have been set up and if any changes need to be made regarding your payment option, please contact us immediately.
Electives are yet to be applied, keep an eye out for these charges in seqta or via statements sent out at the end of this term.
Mrs Rose Tikoicina
Business Office
Years 7 & 10 Immunistaions
A reminder for Years 7 & 10 parents to provide consent for the upcoming immunisations.
Year 7 vaccinations will be on 24 June and Year 10 on the 25th March.
Mrs Tracey Bennetts
Head of Secondary School
Outside School Care Billing
Welcome to 2024, to our new outside school care families, and our returning families, we hope that you have had a lovely holiday break and that the start to school has been a smooth one for all. I thought it would be a good idea to remind our returning parents and let our new families know how our Outside School Hours Care Bills work.
Xplor issues Statements of Account, not invoices. This is purely a snapshot at a particular point in time as per the dates entered into the system. This means it is a rolling account, and will show all sessions, payments, government subsidies for that period of time. If you have sessions that cross over onto two statements, this is just a reporting statement and you won't be charged twice.
We send out statements mid month on a Thursday. The statements include sessions for the future two weeks and will show the prior 3 weeks, so you can match up any changes that have occurred due to payments, changes in CCS and Vacation Care Activity Charges.
Accounts are due by the last Friday of the month (usually the end date of the Statement), these are due in full at this time.
You can pay via Eftpos over the phone or in person at the Business Office, via Bpay (on the bottom of your Xplor Account. NOTE THIS IS NOT THE SAME AS YOUR SCHOOL FEE BPAY) or via Direct Debit as set up in Xplor.
If you have a Direct Debit set up in Xplor it will automatically default to weekly deductions on a Thursday for whatever is the outstanding amount in your account. IF you would like to change this arrangement you will need to contact me in the Business Office to change frequency and set limits to your deductions etc.
Please note that OSHC Gap Fees CANNOT be paid in CASH, due to government regulations, sorry for this inconvenience.
Vacation Care Activity Fees, are not always processed immediately. As you can appreciate Miss Lisa is very busy at these times and will often not get a chance to process activity fees till school is back.
Thank you for your cooperation and look forward to a great year with your family in OSHC/Vac Care.
Mrs Karen Humphris
Business Office
Go4Fun Program
Go4Fun is a 10-week healthy lifestyle program for children between 7–13 years old to enjoy along with their families.
To find out more information or register, visit the link below or call 1800 780 900. Places are limited, so get registering now!
Bible Verse Of The Week
2 Peter 1:5-7
"Make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love."