Arndell Anglican College
| Arndell Anglican College | |
|---|---|
|
Learning through Christ | |
| Location | |
|
Oakville, New South Wales Australia  | |
| Coordinates | 33°37′15″S 150°51′0″E / 33.62083°S 150.85000°ECoordinates: 33°37′15″S 150°51′0″E / 33.62083°S 150.85000°E |
| Information | |
| Type | Independent, Co-educational, Day school |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Established | 1990[1] |
| Employees | 90 |
| Enrolment | Approximately 1000 |
| Colour(s) |
Red, Blue and White |
| Slogan | headmaster = Gareth D. Leechman |
| School fees | As of 2015, $8,910 for Year 12 Students, including School Fees and Service Charges (Excl. Application fees of $50.00 and Acceptance Fees of $500.00) |
| Website | www.arndell.nsw.edu.au |
Arndell Anglican College is an independent, co-educational, day school, that caters for students from Prep to Year 12. Arndell Anglican College is located in Oakville, New South Wales, Australia and is a member of the Sydney Anglican Schools Corporation.
History
Arndell Anglican College was named after Thomas Arndell. He was one of Hawkesbury's first settlers and founded the Ebenezer Church in 1809, which is Australia's oldest church. The College was originally established on the Macquarie Retreat, Threlkeld Dr, Cattai in 1990 with Mr Craig Laffin as the first Headmaster.
The College was relocated to its present location at Oakville in 1993.
In 1995, Mr Peter Walker became the Headmaster of the College and the population grew to over 800 students from K-12.
In 1996, Arndell Anglican College became part of the Sydney Anglican Schools Corporation .
In 2003, Dr John M. Goddard became the Headmaster of the College. He improved the curriculum and the co-curriculum and undertook a number of building projects.
In 2009, Mr Gareth Leechman became Headmaster of the College.
In 2014, Arndell Anglican College introduced a laptop programme, offering students from years 7 to 12 with laptops and needed software. Comparably, iPads were given to junior years.
In 2015, the College embraced its growing population by dividing the Senior School into two cohorts to ensure the better welfare of students. Years 7 to 9 were deemed Junior Students, whereas years 10 to 12 were deemed Senior Students. Furthermore, 2015 was the 25th Anniversary for Arndell Anglican College. The school celebrated with an entire school day devoted to activities for the students, as well as other events throughout the year.
Headmaster
The current Headmaster is Mr Gareth D. Leechman. Mr. Leechman is Arndell's fourth Headmaster. He was previously the Headmaster at Clarence Valley Anglican School in Grafton, and has also been the Head of History and Head of House at Sydney Church of England Grammar School (Shore).
Former Headmasters
Arndell Anglican College has had three former Headmasters.
| Headmaster | Period |
|---|---|
| Mr Craig Laffin | 1990 - 1994 |
| Mr Peter Walker | 1995 - 2002 |
| Dr John M. Goddard | 2003 - 2009 |
Curriculum
- The following represents studies available to senior students as of 2015;
- English
- English Standard
- English Advanced
- English Extension 1
- English Extension 2
- Mathematics
- General Maths
- Mathematics
- Mathematics Extension 1
- Mathematics Extension 2
- Science
- Senior Science
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Physics
- Social Sciences/HSIE
- Society and Culture
- CAFS
- Business Studies
- Legal Studies
- Economics
- Geography
- Studies of Religion
- Modern History
- Ancient History
- Creative Arts
- Music 1
- Music 2
- Art
- TAS
- Textiles
- Graphic Design
- Software
- Hospitality
- Languages
- French
- English
- Due to Christian Belief, Arndell Anglican College also enforces mandatory religion classes for all years.
College Ethos
Arndell Anglican College is a Christian School and therefore advocates religion strongly. Once a week, students attend Chapel, which consists of sermons concerning faith, the afterlife, and Jesus. The Arndell Way of Life includes Christian morals, which incorporates themes of unity, companionship, and acceptance. Similar understandings of life are taught in Biblical Studies, a class Arndell Anglican College insists all of its students attend regardless of religious denomination or faith. If students wish to continue their studies of faith outside of their predetermined schooling times, programmes at lunch and after school are available through the local Pitt Town Church.
The College is also found to aid many charities, such as the 40 Hour Famine for WorldVision.
College Culture
The College Crest builds on the legacy of its earlier incarnations. It is dominated by the central cross, indicating the importance of Christ and his teachings in all our endeavours. The rays coming from the cross indicate the infusion of Christian thought in all that we do. The undulating lines represent the Hawkesbury River. The school colours of red and blue are distinctive among schools in the Hawkesbury region.
Greenway House is named in honour of the convict architect, Francis Greenway, who designed many of the fine buildings of early New South Wales, a number of which still stand in the Hawkesbury region. Greenway’s colour is green and its verse comes from Philippians 4:13: “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”
Johnson House is named in honour of the Reverend Richard Johnson, the first Chaplain of New South Wales. Johnson’s colour is blue and its verse comes from Isaiah 40:31: “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
Macquarie House is named in honour of Lachlan Macquarie, the fifth Governor of New South Wales, responsible for converting the penal settlement into a genuine colony and perhaps its most significant early administrator. Its colour is gold and its verse comes from Joshua 1:9: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Tebbutt House is named in honour of John Tebbutt, the distinguished Australian scientist and astronomer who lived in the Hawkesbury region and whose observatory still stands a few kilometres from the site of the College. Tebbutt’s colour is red and its verse comes from 2 Timothy 4:7: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
Campus
Arndell Anglican College is located in Oakville, New South Wales, 54 kilometres north west of Sydney. The Junior School & Senior School are on the same campus.
The current facilities of the college include:
- Two administration buildings
- Four blocks of classrooms in the Junior School with SMART Boards
- The Stubbs Junior Library including a reading pit with cushions, Printer & Photocopier, 30 computers with two SMART Boards & classrooms equipped with SMART Boards.
- Two Basketball Courts in the Junior and the Senior Schools
- Gymnasium in the middle of the campus for both Junior and Senior School use
- The Mears Senior Library including two printer/photocopiers, with a mezzanine study area upstairs
- A TAS Building with a Food Technology Kitchen, Commercial Kitchen, Two Textiles classrooms, Strategic Learning Support Office and Two Classrooms. All except the Commercial Kitchen are equipped with SMART Boards.
- Two Art Classrooms equipped with SMART Boards
- Four Science Lab Classrooms equipped with SMART Boards
- Two Canteens in both the Junior and Senior Schools
- The John Lambert Performing Arts Building with an Auditorium that seats 550 people, a Music Computer Lab with 16 computers and a SMART Board, Two Music Practice Classrooms with SMART Boards & a Dance & Drama Practice Classroom equipped with a SMART Board.
- Six blocks of classrooms in the Senior School
- A Sporting Field in the Junior School and two Sporting Fields and two Cricket Nets in the Senior School.
- Grassed area at the front of the college
Governance
Arndell Anglican College is governed by a school council. The College council helps develop the facilities and the growth of Arndell Anglican College. The current chairman of council is Mr Greg Catto.