Dear parents and caregivers,
Ramadan Mubarak!
Playford College celebrated Harmony Day on Tuesday March 21st along with most Australian schools. Many students and staff took the opportunity to wear traditional clothing or clothes with orange colours. The College looked very colourful and cheerful and we celebrated with separate Primary and Secondary assemblies.
Mr Riemann and Mrs Makki shared a Mem Fox book about inclusivity and multiculturalism in Australia and the welcoming of new families from overseas to create our diverse and rich Australian identity.
At the Secondary assembly Mr Riemann thanked and honoured the students for teaching him so much about their culture and religion. Some of his personal reflections mentioned were:
- The strong sense of belonging to Allah as celebrated in the Prayer Hall, during halaqahs and Illumination lessons.
- The importance of family. I delight to see older brothers and sisters caring for younger siblings and friends as students enter school each day. I have never seen mums treated with such reverence and respect.
- The respect for teachers because of the Quran teaching that after parents, teachers should also be highly respected.
- The pride the girls have with wearing their hijabs at school.
- The acceptance of students from cultural backgrounds in Afghanistan, Iraq, Africa, Lebanon, Pakistan, Iran, India and other countries as friends and peers.
- The wonderful modelling of our Islamic (and non-Islamic) staff of how to live a life full of faith, integrity, kindness, gratefulness, honesty and generosity.
- Delicious food. I now appreciate briyani, mantu and lots of middle eastern food.
- The beautiful and colourful traditional clothing.
Mr Riemann stated that he could have mentioned so much more but he complimented the students of living lives that informed an older person who was born and raised in Australia, with limited contact with Muslims, to appreciate Islam and a new culture. He said that he has become a strong ambassador for Muslim rights within his circle of family, friends and acquaintances.
Mr Riemann and Mrs Makki concluded by encouraging students to be proud of their Muslim identity as young Australians and grow in their connection with Allah. They appreciate the honour of being a member of the Playford College community.
With blessings,
Chris Riemann and Racha Hammoud Makki
Heads of SchoolS
Head of Primary School
Assalamualaikum dear parents and caregivers,
On behalf of the Primary School staff, teachers, admin, SSOs and students, we would like to wish you all Ramadan Mubarak.
Alhamdulillah we have started Ramadan with a whole Primary School assembly with Quran recitations and beautiful reminders from our Illumination Custodians of the Primary School. They were excellent and confident MashaAllah. Well done!
Below are our Custodians of the Primary School:
Year 3
Year 4
Year 5
Year 6
We had the Harmony Day assembly on the 21st of March and our SRC students team shared some amazing thoughts about what Harmony Day means to them. They also read some verses from the Quran to all the Primary students including;
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اجْتَنِبُوا كَثِيرًا مِّنَ الظَّنِّ إِنَّ بَعْضَ الظَّنِّ إِثْمٌ ۖ وَلَا تَجَسَّسُوا وَلَا يَغْتَب بَّعْضُكُم بَعْضًا ۚ أَيُحِبُّ أَحَدُكُمْ أَن يَأْكُلَ لَحْمَ أَخِيهِ مَيْتًافَكَرِهْتُمُوهُ ۚ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَوَّابٌ رَّحِيمٌ ﴿١٢﴾
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّا خَلَقْنَاكُم مِّن ذَكَرٍ وَأُنثَىٰ وَجَعَلْنَاكُمْ شُعُوبًا وَقَبَائِلَ لِتَعَارَفُوا ۚ إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِندَ اللَّهِ أَتْقَاكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌ
O you who believe! Avoid suspicion as much (as possible): for suspicion in some cases is a sin: And spy not on each other behind their backs and do not backbite. Would any of you like to eat something very disgusting and awful? You would surely be revolted and be sick by it... But please Allah: the Most Merciful the Most Kind
O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know each other (not that you may despise each other). Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you. And Allah has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things).
May Allah accept our fasting and grant us forgiveness in this holy month of Ramadan.
Assalamualaikum and Khuda Hafiz,
Head of Secondary School
It has been busy in the Secondary School since I last wrote. NAPLAN completion was a big part of the week for Year 7 and Year 9 students. The focus and effort required by the students for each test was challenging for all the students but will be beneficial for them when they sit their semester exams next term.
Last week we celebrated Harmony Day and the traditional clothing worn by many of the students were beautiful. Harmony Day helped remind us we are a multicultural school and a living demonstration to the students of how well that can work when everyone has respect for one another.
As the holy month of Ramadan gets underway, we are aware of the extra challenges that this places on our students energy levels. We also understand and celebrate the importance of faith, prayer, the Mosque, and family at this time. We would encourage that students are supported with the new sleeping routines to ensure that their learning does not suffer during this time. Some assessment tasks will still need to happen as the term gets close to the end, and we ask you to encourage your children to get enough sleep at night to support their energy levels and allow the focus they need to continue to achieve; encourage them to do their homework early so that they do not have that as a reason for a late night.
As the term comes to a close, teachers have begun writing the student reports where they will share with you the learning journey of your child so far this year. There are many things to celebrate.
I look forward to seeing many of you at the Iftar Dinner on April 1st and I wish you all the blessings of the holy month.
student leaders 2023
Playford College is pleased to announce and congratulate our captains and vice captains for 2023.
Our 4 leaders have been voted to these positions by all students and staff and have been through a rigorous interview with the Head of Secondary, Deputy Principal and Principal.
Congratulations to our:
Captains
Vice Captains
Our captains and vice captains will have a number of roles and responsibilities which we will describe in the next newsletter when all of the Student Leadership positions are announced.
harmony day 2023
Highlights
FAITH IN OUR COLLEGE
With the Name of Allah, the Infinitely Merciful, the Extremely Merciful,
Dear Parents and Caregivers
Salam Alaykom,
I would like to begin by welcoming the month of God, the month of Ramadan where its days are the best of days, its nights are the best of nights, and its hours are the best of hours; a month in which a person becomes the guest of Allah, and the doors of His mercy are wide open.
To welcome the month, we have been reflecting on the different lessons that this month brings, a focus on limiting our engagement in this material world so that the realm of the soul may flourish.
We have also recently launched the Custodian program in honour of the holy Month. By definition, a custodian is someone who has the responsibility for taking care and protecting something. At Playford College, the Custodians will be in charge of taking care of the College in various areas. Becoming a Custodian also means that the students will earn the privilege of being part of a group that will be honoured at Playford College. These projects will revolve around developing the College in physical and spiritual capacities. Some of these projects include looking after and improving the prayer hall, taking care of the environment, and decorating the College during faith celebrations and commemorations, etc.
Custodians have taken it upon themselves to build a spiritual atmosphere in the month of Ramadan by going around to classes explaining what the holy month is about, collecting and facilitating ideas on how we can decorate the school. There are other projects that they have been working on as well, but we will get to know about it as they come to fruition.
We also had our pastoral care excursion, where pastoral care students went to laser tag and focused on their team working and communication skills to help facilitate a fun excursion!
In spelling, students used 'ig' word and family words, they also looked at identifying vowels and consonant letters. Afterwards, they applied this learning by making simple sentences using the sentence starter 'I have a...'
fr
Last week in Design and Technology, FR students learnt about copyright and creating digital work. They learnt that work that belongs to them needs to have their name and date on it, so it cannot be copyrighted.
In Math, students are learning about ordinal numbers. To apply their understanding, students created 'Peacock puzzles'.
1a
This term, students from 1A are learning about the books by author, Eric Carle. The class favourite so far is 'Papa, please get the moon for me'. Students thoroughly enjoyed creating art inspired by the book for the library display. They used water colour and oil pastels for the background and created their ladders using the pop sticks and matchsticks.
In Science, students have been investigating lights and sounds. They used their senses to see, hear and feel sound move through the environment.
1j
In 1J, students have been developing their number sense and knowledge with group games and hands-on activities. Students are learning about ordering two-digit numbers in a variety of different ways.
The class initially started with numbers one to twenty with real-life examples such as house numbers. Towards the end of our unit, they ordered numbers from one to one-hundred using number lines.
Ramadan Mubarak from 1J!
1J have warmly welcomed the month of Ramadan. They have engaged in craft activities such as paper plate moon and stars, lanterns and mosque sun-catchers to welcome this beautiful month.
2H
In Design and Technology, 2H students had their first photography lesson. The students learnt about perspective and how to make photographs more interesting by using different angles. Once they took photos they then had to select their best and take ownership of their work before sending to Ms H and printing. It was a big lesson.
As the holy month of Ramadan was approaching, 2H placed an emphasis on the different ways we can be grateful during this holy month.
During the month, the class will use their 'gratitude calendar' during morning circles to discuss one thing they can be grateful for during each day of Ramadan.
2R
In health, 2R have have been looking at their bodies and how to keep them healthy. Ms Lind bought in a stethoscope and oxygen monitor for them to use and hear their hearts as well as see their oxygen levels.
In Technology, students discussed internet safety. Students learnt that the work they create falls under their ownership, so they need to include a name and date to create copyright of the work. They also discussed privacy and what type of information needs to be kept private and what information is ok to share.
year 3 classes
Students in Year 3 are using iPads to search and understand the meaning of their spelling words. Afterwards, they write their own meaning and form sentences using the word.
In science, students learnt about heat and how it is produced. They investigated what an insulator is and how it works. Students were set a challenge of building their own insulator to slow down an ice cube melting. In pairs, students planned and designed their insulators, wrote a list of materials they would need and now they are in the process of building their insulated boxed. Once complete, students will predict which will work best and then put them to the test.
Year 4 classes
Weeks 7 and 8 were been filled with excitement and celebration; week 8 in particular! On Tuesday students celebrated diversity and inclusivity with Harmony Day. Many students brought in delicious plates of food to share and wore their traditional clothes. Thank you to the parents who cooked these delicious meals to share with the year 4 classes. This was a day full of fun and colour.
To top last week off, 4J celebrated the beginning of Ramadan. Every morning students have been reflecting about what Ramadan means to them. They have created a variety of art which is displaying these reflections throughout the classroom.
In HASS, the Year 4 students became explorers as they researched the biomes of South America and Africa. In science, they have been looking at a variety of aspects including the lifecycles of consumers, producers and decomposers. They learnt about mutually beneficial and competitive interactions between living things and continued to watch their plants that have grown in the veggie plots.
year 5 classes
The Year 5 students have been learning about our solar system. They have been enjoying researching data on a planet of their choice. Students have challenged themselves by trying to locate credible information that is true and factual. As a class they have located some great information to be shared within our classroom.
Students continue to learn about the solar system by creating planets in art!
6A
Ramadan Mubarak from 6A!
May the Spirit of Ramadan stay in our hearts and illuminate our soul from within. 6A has been a very busy place with many activities. The students enjoyed Harmony Day with their buddy class and had a lovely outdoor shared lunch.
In science, they have been busy with researching and designing their Buzz Game project.
6F
Students from 6F continued to work on their Buzz Games for Science and Design and Technology.
SECONDARY SCHOOL
Year 7 Excursion
On Thursday Week 8, the Year 7 students went into an excursion to University of South Australia as part of Science. The activities during the excursion applied the STEM thinking, where Maths, solving problems, and engineering were involved.
English
To celebrate Harmony Day, the Year 9 students created and displayed life stories about inspiring and influential individuals in English class. Below are some of the sensational and powerful stories written by the students.
Sciences
In science, Year 7 students investigated how mass, air resistance and gravity interact by putting different numbers of paperclips onto paper spinners and timing their drops.
The Stage 1 Physics students investigated how length of a pendulum affects its period.
Food and Hospitality
Students in Food and Hospitality built upon what they learned using the modelling clay, and applied the learning to real dishes, with real ingredients. They made cold rolls, a Vietnamese dish and then plated exceptionally well so that they were a feast to the eyes as well as the mouth.
COMMUNITY HUB
'Sing and Grow' in the playgroup is such an amazing program. Children and mums get to be the part of the group and connect with each other as we sing rhymes and read stories. This program will run again later this year.
We encourage any one with little ones to join us.
COUNSELLOR'S CORNER
Dear parents/caregivers,
Ramadan Mubarak
May Allah accept our fasts, prayers, good deeds, and grant us the strength and guidance to make the most of this blessed month.
The month of Ramadan is a great occasion to share our love with each other. It is an opportunity to strengthen ourselves, our connection with our children and with others in the community. It is a time we can reflect and make changes within ourselves to become the best versions of ourselves and part of our duty as parents is to support our children in their spiritual journey. We can do this by spending time with our children, reading Quranic stories and exploring the lessons we can learn from them such as patience and self-regulation. Another great way to support our children is discussing one thing each family member can choose to work on to improve themselves. Let us make this blessed month a time of spiritual reflection, self-improvement, and a time we share with our loved ones.
In Ramadan our daily routines will be affected such as, the times we eat changes, and the amount of time we spend with our family and friends at the mosque increases. Children will most likely be very excited and enjoy the increased social gatherings, but it may be challenging for them to enjoy their school days, particularly those in Primary school years.
How can we best support our children to adapt into the new routines and to stay energetic at school?
Here are some suggestions you may benefit from if you have younger children from 0 to 12 years old.
- Prepare ‘suhoor’, the meal before sunrise, for your children as it is an essential part of fasting, and will help them to stay full for longer.
- Encourage your children to avoid high-intensity exercise, and have less high-sugar or salty foods, and drink lots of water during the non-fasting hours to stay hydrated.
- Discourage children to overeating during non-fasting hours, but instead, split meals to prevent discomfort or digestive issues.
- Don’t forget to give food to children who are young or who are not able to fast and encourage them to eat at school.
- Avoid making your visits to family friends or the mosque run too late into the night, to ensure your child still has at least 10 hours of sleep.
- Try to have gatherings at home on weekends rather than on weekdays so children can sleep well and have more rest.
- Try to reflect with your children about this Holy month of Ramadan and on how to implement self-control spiritually, emotionally, and physically to insist on positive change, alongside embracing the social belonging we may feel in this blessed month.
We pray this Ramadan will be a source of blessings, peace, and happiness for you and your loved ones.
With blessings,
canteen
Dear parents and caregivers,
Ramadan Mubarak to you all!
The canteen will remain open during the month of Ramadan. Orders can be made on QKR and students can also buy food and drinks during recess and lunch. However, Biryani and Mantoo will not be available during the holy month.
With blessings, Zeinab Alaarji
Seatbelts at Playford college
Parents may have noticed that Police officers were visiting the school last Friday to check whether our families were using car seat belts appropriately. They will return again soon so please make sure your child car seats are properly installed and children are safely in their seats.
Playford Communities for Children - Autumn 2023 Newsletter
Playford Communities for Children is pleased to share their new autumn newsletter. In this edition, you will find information on the funded programs that are available for all families with children aged 0 – 12, highlights of what the team has been up to around the Playford area and additional support for families from AnglicareSA.
The newsletter can be found by searching 'AnglicareSA Playford Communities for Children Autumn Newsletter 2023'
They would be delighted if you could please share with your families, social community and networks, if you would like hard copies please email cfcplayford@anglicaresa.com.au and they will let you know when they are ready for collection or delivery.
TERM DATES
31/01/2023 – Primary Iftar Dinner
01/04/2023 – Secondary Iftar Dinner
06/04/2023 – Photo Day
07/04/2023 – Good Friday (public holiday)
10/04/2023 – Easter Monday (public holiday)
14/04/2023 – End of Term 1
01/05/2023 - First Day of Term 2
24 Durrington Road Elizabeth SA 5108
Phone: (08) 8252 3044
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