In my final newsletter article for this term, I thought our community might appreciate learning more about the important role of our Head of Curriculum, Mr. Hadley Johnston, in guiding subject selections, overseeing examinations, and supporting students in reaching their full potential and achieving success in the Higher School Certificate. (HSC).

I hope that the following interview will be of interest.

• Your title is Head of Curriculum. What are your main responsibilities in this role?

I am responsible for overseeing the teaching and assessment programs in the Senior School. This also involves coordinating external examinations, NESA compliance and HSC matters. NESA is the government body responsible for the NSW curriculum and HSC exams.

• Students choose two elective subjects for Year 9. When students move into Year 11 the only compulsory subject is English, which means that students choose several subjects to complete their HSC. How does RHAC help students to make wise subject choices?

The College provides several opportunities for students and parents to obtain information about the available subjects and make informed decisions about their Stage 6 studies. This includes information sessions (which include attendance from local universities and TAFE), a student FAQ panel session, interviews with student and parents, and guided recommendations from staff in leadership roles.

Our fabulous Year 7 Visual Arts students have created beautiful realistic drawings of various bugs layer over washes of colour, inspired by Australian artist, John Wolseley.

We are so proud of them! Here are some snippets below - don't forget to check out our social media pages for more!

Mrs Sondrine Glendenning (Head of Visual Arts)

Mrs Catherine Tweed (Teacher - Visual Arts Faculty)

Mrs Elisabeth Goodhew (Teacher - Visual Arts Faculty)

HZSA Basketball Gala Day

On Tuesday, nine boys from Years 5 and 6 represented the College at the Hills Zone Sports Association Basketball Gala Day at Hills Basketball Stadium.

The boys were outstanding from the very first whistle, winning all their round games to secure a place in the semi-final against the second-place team from the other pool. The semi-final was one to remember! With the score locked at 30–30 and the buzzer sounding, one of our players was fouled while shooting, sending him to the free-throw line with two shots. The pressure was on, all we needed was one basket to avoid overtime. The first shot just missed, but the second swished through the net and the stadium erupted with cheers. We were through to the final!

By the time the boys hit the court for the grand final, they had already played five hard-fought games, and the exhaustion was showing. Despite their determination and grit, they were defeated by a very strong Redfield team.

I could not be prouder of the way our boys represented the College, their teamwork, sportsmanship and relentless effort were inspiring. A highlight across the day was the way they moved the ball around, finding space and setting up teammates for great shots.

Congratulations to the team on finishing second place in such a competitive tournament, an incredible effort and a day to remember!

• RHAC Boys Basketball Team: Connor B, Hayden C, Henley H, Cohen I, Tyler L, Chase M, Isaac M, Jack P and Elroy S.

On Monday, the Junior School was abuzz with excitement as students took to the stage for our annual Public Speaking Competition . With poise and passion, each participant delivered their speech, showcasing not only their public speaking skills but also their courage and confidence. The variety of topics and the quality of presentations were truly impressive.

Earlier this term, our Year 2 students participated in a Poetry Recital Competition . The winners of this event delighted the audience with their poems during the breaks between the public speaking finalists.

We extend our warmest congratulations to all the students who took part in this enriching event. Whether presenting on stage or in the classroom, every student contributed meaningfully. Special recognition goes to our grade finalists and Year 2 poetry winners who presented during the assembly—your efforts were outstanding.

Thank you to our dedicated teachers and staff for their guidance and support, and to our families for encouraging our young speakers. We are especially grateful to Mr Hartley and Dr Chalwell for adjudicating the competition—a challenging task.

We look forward to another exciting competition next year.

Last week, our Stage 3 Science Fair took place, and it was incredible! Everyone in our grade put in loads of effort to explore energy transformation through hands-on investigations. Many projects used renewable materials and showed creative ways we can help protect our planet. There were so many fascinating ideas, and I learned heaps from my classmates.

There were solar panels that heated water or generated electricity, pendulum demonstrations using a netball stand to show potential and kinetic energy, and even a project with super worms that could break down plastic, how wild is that! Some students created electricity using water and copper coils, others compared the efficiency of LED lights to regular ones, and someone built a Newton’s Cradle to show energy transfer. One that really stood out to me was Chase M (Year 6) ferrofluid project. All the projects impressed me with the amount of effort and expertise that they put in.

For my project, I tested which propeller design would make a toy go the fastest by trying two-blade, three-blade, and four-blade versions, and surprisingly, the two-blade propeller was the fastest!

The best part was presenting our projects to parents and teachers we explained our hypotheses, methods, and results, and used graphs and tables to show our data. The adults were really impressed. Ash Denton’s unique and visually appealing wind turbine was placed in the library for display.

It was such a fun and inspiring day. I think we all walked away feeling like real scientists!

(By Hritvik L, Year 6)

Last Thursday, a group of writers and illustrators joined together to Write A Book In A Day. This is an initiative designed to raising money for the Kids Cancer Project by spending the day with peers writing a story and designing the cover and illustrations for a book to share with children in hospital receiving cancer treatment.

Our Stage 3 students were grouped together with peers and received parameters and key words to base their story around. Our teams produced some very creative stories and enjoyed their time together planning, writing, editing and publishing their books.

Team 3 and Team 5 had their books selected to submit to be published and delivered to hospitals around NSW- we anxiously await the results of our submission.

Congratulations to our writers and illustrators, and I hope you enjoyed this creative way of supporting children in need.

MindQuest 25 is a weekend event held at Glenwood High School for students in the area who are; high potential and gifted students, are gifted underachievers, and students of well above average abilities with a special interest.

Students from Years 1-6 can select from 35 exciting, fast paced courses in the two day program. They include courses in chemistry, earth sciences, Lego robotics, and more. The courses and designed to challenge and enrich students and are presented by individuals who are experts in their field.

• When: Saturday and Sunday - 15th - 16th November, 2025
• Where: Glenwood High School
• Cost: $250 paid for by parents
• What do I do to register my child for a course: Collect a brochure from Mrs Susannah McDonald (Learning Support Teacher) by the end of Term 3 to select the course and register online.

Please download the KT OOSH School Holiday Program below.

Important Reminders:

• Bookings: Can only be made via the OWNA App only.
• Early Bird Bookings: Close 12:00pm on Wednesday 17 September. Bookings taken after this date will be classes as a Casual Booking and will be charged at the current fee schedule.
• Casual Bookings: Close 12:00pm on Friday, 19 September. Bookings taken after this date will be classes as Last-Minute Booking and will be charged at the current fee schedule.

As I mentioned in a previous newsletter, I would like to remind parents of the processes that we have in place that have been carefully developed to ensure the safe and smooth collection of students in the afternoon.

Everyday many Junior School staff are rostered on to ensure that students are safely picked up from school. We carefully supervise students before they are picked up by their parents or siblings and when they catch the bus.

Please note the five ways that students are picked up from school and the safety arrangements that are in place:

To ensure safety and positive learning for all students it is important that parents do not congregate in the L Block quad or K Block undercover area until 3:10pm, or the H-J quad (or surrounding classroom areas) until 3:20pm. This is to ensure that students can continue learning in a calm, quiet environment.

These rules are important for ensuring the safety of all children. We are concerned that when these rules are not followed, children are put at risk. Please follow these rules and help us to keep all members of the school community safe.

In addition to the weekly updates, Senior School students have been emailed a calendar outlining all the representative sporting opportunities for Term 3.

Please note, students who nominate to trial for these teams should have extensive playing experience and in the case of AICES and CIS trials, students should be playing in a representative team outside of school at an association or state level. Some sports, such as cricket, require students to be involved in certain representative teams or academies for nominations to be accepted.

Nomination Guidelines:

• All nominations should come from the student interested in trialing.
• Students MUST email all nominations to the Head of Student Opportunities ( [email protected] ) AT LEAST 2 days before the nomination date . Late nominations will not be accepted. Students who do not nominate will be turned away from any trial they attend.

Once the nomination has been completed and accepted, further information about the trial will be sent to students and their nominated parent email address.

• Hills Zone Sports Association (HZSA)
• Association of Independent Co-Educational Schools (AICES)

• Combined Independent Schools (CIS)

Do you want to improve your child' s results and their understanding of their coursework? If so, this is a great opportunity to receive guided advice and support.

Faculties in the Senior School conduct weekly opt-in study and support sessions for students to attend as they require.

Students are strongly encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity to access subject teachers and support and assistance for work or assessments that are currently completing.

Students do not need to book a place but should arrive to the listed rooms at the times included in the timetable below.

Whilst our greatest aim is to foster the growth and development of your children in partnership with you throughout their whole schooling journey, we know from time-to-time families relocate, and other plans are made.

Should you find this is the case for 2026 for your family, please remember that it is important to provide one (1) full term’s advance notice to the College in writing to the Registrar at [email protected] to avoid incurring further fees.

Please reach out to our friendly Enrolments Team if you would like any assistance in this area.

For further information please refer to your RHAC's timetabled services at https://www.busways.com.au/nsw/school-services/school-timetables and select the link adjacent to the College “New timetable | 29th Sep 2025”.

Alternatively, you can contact Busways Customer Service on 1300 69 2929 or [email protected] .

Route 5633 will not service :

• Junction Road between St Albans Road and Schofields Road.
• Schofields Road between Junction Road and Railway Terrace.
• Railway Terrace between Schofields Road and Riverstone Road.
• Riverstone Road between Railway Terrace and Piccadilly Street.

Route 5133 will not service :

• Riverstone Road westbound between Piccadilly Street and Railway Terrace.
• Railway Terrace southbound between Riverstone Road and Advance Street.
• Schofields Road between Railway Terrace and Junction Road.
• Boundary Road between St Albans Road and Schofields Road.

Please download the information flyers below for more details.

Did you know you can purchase College umbrellas?

The P&F is excited to offer College-branded umbrellas for sale! These stylish and practical umbrellas are perfect for keeping dry during school drop-offs, weekend sports, and everyday use. Priced affordably, all proceeds from umbrella sales will go directly back to the College to support student programs, resources, and community initiatives. Your purchase not only keeps you covered – it helps make a meaningful difference at our school.

Available in large or small size. Please note, small umbrellas are available for students from Year 3.

A reminder to all families to download the Rouse Hill Anglican College mobile app which has been designed to connect and enhance our community's College experience.

Over the coming weeks, we will be updating the way we communicate certain information to families, with the aim of reducing the number of emails you receive and to ensure you don't miss any updates. More details will be shared soon.

The mobile app links directly links to:

• Edumate Parent Portal
• Absences
• College Calendar
• Your child's timetable and events (incl. permission notes)
• Clipboard
• Academic and Wellbeing Reports

• Parent and Carer Handbook

• Weekly newsletter

• College Shop (Valour)
• Munch Monitor
• Announcements (coming soon)

Please bookmark the new College Shop website so that you can order uniforms easily. If this is your first time visiting the new uniform shop you will need to create a new login and password and read the full user guide below.