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CedarNewsOnline
Term 1, Week 10
Community, Faith, and Education
Congratulations to Gould for winning the Upper Primary Sports Day and to Bradman for their success in the High School Sports Day.
It was wonderful to see students’ enthusiasm and encouragement for one another throughout both Sports Day events. While winning and losing were not the focus of the day, they provided valuable learning opportunities, helping to build resilience and improve teamwork skills.
Faith-based Education
On a completely different topic, Australia is preparing for a national election in a few weeks. It is interesting to observe the very different policy approaches the major parties are taking toward independent schooling. I encourage you to look closely at the options as you consider your vote. Continued adequate funding and the right to maintain religious expression, including the management of faith-based schools, are fundamental for organisations such as Cedar College.
Christian Schools Australia (a partner organisation with Cedar College) is holding an Election Forum to let politicians of all parties know what is important to the parents and communities associated with Christian education: Freedom for Faith, Focus on Flourishing, and Fairness in Funding. If you are available, it would be wonderful to have many Cedar families join the wider Christian school community at Tyndale Christian School on April 29. (There are further details here.)
Around the Campus
In this issue of CedarNews, we look at all the highlights from the Primary School and High School sports days, find out about the Not Ashamed of the Gospel sessions, hear what the Year 5s have been up to, and take time to consider what Easter is all about.
Mr Tim Heading, Principal
The Front Page
Easter - A Time to Rest
This has been a massive term! So many exciting things have been happening amongst our students, and a culture of hope and expectation is brewing in the High School in particular.
News and Notices - Week 10
Last day of Term 1
Friday April 11 is the final school day for Term 1. Primary School students finish at 3:15pm, High School students finish at 3:20pm.
Free Hot Cross Buns & Coffee
Next Thursday morning’s school drop-off will be extra special, with our friends from Navigate Baptist Church giving away free Hot Cross Buns and Coffee, near the Kiss&Drop area. They’ll also have invitations for the Good Friday service, held at 10am in the Church Auditorium. Keep an eye out for the team and enjoy a delicious start to the day!
Canteen – last day of Term 1
Please note that lunch orders will not be available on the last day of Term 1, Friday, April 11. The Canteen will be open for snacks only on this day.
High School Learning Conversations
The High School Learning Conversations are scheduled for Term 2, on Monday May 5, from 3:30pm-8pm. These Conversations will be held in F-Block, in various rooms. Parents and Caregivers will be emailed booking instructions in Week 1 of Term 2.
Students are encouraged to be available to meet with their teachers and parents/caregivers. In some circumstances, the interview may begin with just parents/caregivers and teachers, and end with the student being present as well.
Entertainment Book Fundraiser
Cedar College has an ongoing fundraising opportunity with Entertainment Book, receiving a percentage towards our fundraising from each sale.
The Entertainment Book App offers savings on dining, travel, shopping and entertainment, and currently includes a FREE Multi City Upgrade for a limited time, for a total cost of $70. To purchase the Entertainment Book App, click the following link: Entertainment Book – Cedar College.
Kiss&Drop Reminder
Please note that, due to safety requirements, Kiss & Drop is NOT permitted via our Fosters Road entrance.
If you use street parking around the school for drop-off or pick-up, please be mindful of our neighbours and do not park across driveways or obstruct street access in any way. This also applies to Cedar College’s internal Kiss & Drop road, as traffic must continue flowing from Navigator Drive.
For those with older children, please consider picking them up 10 minutes later to help reduce traffic congestion during peak pick-up times.
Enfield Chess Club
The Enfield Chess Club has a regular meeting time for 12-18 years olds to play and learn with other students the same age. This is an opportunity to strategize, outsmart, and level up your game. Whether you’re a complete beginner or a chess master, the Enfield Chess Club is the place to be, Tuesdays during school terms, starting 1st April, 3.30pm to 5pm, at the Enfield Community Centre – FREE!
(Please note this is a community organisation and is not affiliated with Cedar College in any way).
Calendar Information
TERM DATES
Term 1, 2025 – Tue 28 January – Fri 11 April
Term 2, 2025 – Tue 29 April – Fri 27 June
Three-week break between Terms 2 and 3
Term 3, 2025 – Tue 22 July – Fri 26 September
Term 4, 2025 – Tue 14 October – Wed 10 December
UNIFORM SHOP
Regular opening hours during term:
Monday 8:30am – 4:30pm
Wednesday 3pm – 5:30pm
Thursday extended opening hours:
TERM 1 – Weeks 1 – 6, 3pm – 5.30pm
TERM 2 – Weeks 1 – 3, 3pm – 5.30pm
TERM 4 – Weeks 1 – 3, 3pm – 5.30pm
PRIMARY ASSEMBLY
Our Primary School Chapels and Assemblies are held on Fridays at 2:35pm.
Assemblies can be attended by invitation from the involved classes, and parents/caregivers are welcome to attend our fortnightly Chapels.
Parents/caregivers are able to sit in the allocated chairs at the back of the Auditorium.
Entertainment Book
Cedar College has an ongoing fundraising opportunity with Entertainment Book, receiving a percentage towards our fundraising from each sale.
The Entertainment Book App offers savings on dining, travel, shopping and entertainment, and currently includes a FREE Multi City Upgrade for a limited time, for a total cost of $70. To purchase the Entertainment Book App, click the following link: Entertainment Book – Cedar College.
Easter Services
Friday April 18 & Sunday, April 20, from 10am
Join us at Navigate Baptist Church (Main Auditorium) for a special 10AM Good Friday service, which will feature a Gospel presentation, music and more! Hot cross buns and coffee available after the service.
You are also warmly invited to our Easter Sunday service at 10AM, where we will celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus.
Primary School News
Blue Ribbon Sports Day
On the 21st of March, the Upper Primary held its annual Sports Day—and what an incredible day it was!
Preparation began weeks earlier with pre-events, where students competed in the 200m, 400m, 800m, shot put, 1500m, 2km, and 3km. At this stage, Bradman had taken a narrow 6-point lead over Gould.
Sports captains Abbey, Charlotte, Seb, and Harry prepared speeches and even created an exceptional video for staff and students to demonstrate the long jump and vortex scoring system. I was especially impressed with how effective this was, as those events ran incredibly smoothly on the day!
After some roaring chants and close relays, students broke into their classes to compete in their Sports Day events. Throughout the day, new records were set, and old ones tumbled. Students got soaked during the ever-popular aqua hurdles and gauntlet, and also enjoyed a delicious bake sale and sausage sizzle!
Parents Join the Fun!
After suffering a solid thrashing from the parents in last year’s tug-of-war, staff regrouped and claimed victory this year in record time! The relay was a close affair, and while the staff triumphed over the parents, the High School captains’ team humbled everyone by finishing first—staff came second, parents third, and Primary School captains fourth. While the staff didn’t enjoy losing, they certainly appreciated how helpful the High School students were in running events.
Race to the Finish
Going into the 100m finals, only 100 points separated all the teams. Students zipped down the track with photo finishes in every race, showcasing the incredible talent in each age group! Finally, the moment arrived for Mr Heading to announce the final standings—Gould had once again claimed the Sports Day trophy!
Final Standings
1st – Gould (1236 points), 2nd – Bradman (1175 points), 3rd – Jackson (1048 points), 4th – Laver (958 points)
Captains Seb and Abbey accepted the trophy and gave an excellent speech, summarised here: “Thank you to the parents for coming to cheer on their teams and helping with the bake sale. Thank you to the teachers for encouraging and supporting the students and to the maintenance team for the awesome setup. Thank you to Mrs Robinson & Mr Raw for preparing the students and organising the day. Well done to all the other teams on their sportsmanship, effort, and hard work—you provided great competition! Finally, thank you to GOULD for working so hard and being such a wonderful team to lead! GO GOULD!”
Age Group Champions
U8 Boys – Lucas S & Yericko S, U8 Girls – Antonia P & Yuna O. U9 Boys – Liam J, Mav G & Jack R. U9 Girls – Emily M, Phoebe V & Ava H. U10 Boys – Leyton F, Benji G & Jakub G. U10 Girls – Sophie L, Arin O & Natalia S. U11 Boys – Josiah G, Jude G & Harry M. U11 Girls – Mila S & Sarah L. U12 Boys – Reuben D & Jayden K. U12 Girls – Rachel F & Elliana B.
Mrs Bek Robinson, Sports Coordinator Year 3-12
Busy Buddies in Year 5
The Year 5s have had a very busy start to 2025, with camp, an excursion, and meeting their Reception buddies.
The highlight of the Year 5 camp at Narnu Farm would have to be the interaction with all the animals. The students loved getting into the pens and feeding them. They scattered grain for the deer and chickens, hid carrots for the pigs to hunt down, and bottle-fed the baby goats and calves. Some students even had luck finding eggs in the chicken coop! Many students were desperate to take home one of the cute, fuzzy guinea pigs after cuddling them.
Other activities included mud brick making, butter churning, a blacksmith demonstration, and damper making—all of which were a hit with everyone.
Boats and Buddies
Our excursion to the Maritime Museum gave students a taste of what life was like for the early South Australian settlers who pioneered our state, as well as the impact this had on the Indigenous population. There were plenty of interactive exhibits for them to explore and engage with.
Meeting their Reception Buddies and taking part in fun activities like the Teddy Bears’ Picnic has been a long-awaited special moment for many of the Year 5s, who still remember what it was like for them to meet their buddies many years ago. It has been wonderful to see the Reception students becoming more familiar and engaged with their Year 5 Buddies.
Miss Susan Dix, Year 5 Teacher
High School News
Green Machine Revvs Up!
High School Sports Day kicked off on March 26 and 28 after a date shift due to soaring temperatures in previous weeks.
Wednesday’s pre-events, including the 1500m, long jump, and triple jump, ran smoothly, with eight records broken and Bradman taking a commanding lead.
The main event on Friday saw students flocking to Vickers Vimy Oval, proudly sporting their House colours. The annual Year 12 dress-up tradition did not disappoint, with Gould’s cheerleaders, Bradman’s Shrek cast, and the overall winner, Owen, as a Knight in Shining Armour.
Sports Prefects Aymee and Joshua opened the day with words of encouragement and prayer, followed by an impressive flash dance by Gould to set the tone for the day.
Records Tumble
The all-in tunnel ball and tug-of-war were an exciting way to kick things off, with staff proving that age still equals strength by defeating the Year 12s in the tug-of-war.
As records continued to fall, Bradman held onto their lead while Jackson, Laver, and Gould battled for second, third, and fourth, swapping positions throughout the day. The atmosphere was electric, with praise and worship, thrilling events, novelty games, and spontaneous tug-of-war challenges adding to the excitement.
The Year 12 students tied up the points against the teachers in the water sports, while also drenching me (Mrs Robinson) along the way! The staff’s last hope was the 4x100m relay, but even with an old scholar helping, the students still outran us. Congratulations, Year 12s—staff may have strength, but it seems we’re lacking in speed and accuracy!
Prefect Reflections
Reflections from Sports Prefects Joshua R & Aymee J: “It was an awesome day with so many highlights, like the students beating the staff in the water games and relay. We’re so thankful to Mrs Robinson for all the hard work she put into the day—and for being a good sport when we dumped two buckets of water on her! A big highlight was the praise and worship session and the girls beating the boys at tug-of-war at lunchtime. Dressing up was a great way for the Year 12s to come together for our last Sports Day. Thank you to all the teachers, the maintenance team, and House Captains for their hard work, and to the parents who came to support us on the day!”
With the points hidden at lunch, teams hoped the 100m finals and relays would shake up the leaderboard, but when Mr Lock announced the results, it was clear—Bradman were the 2025 Sports Day Champions!
Final Standings: 1st – Bradman (1807 points), 2nd – Gould (1500 points), 3rd – Jackson (1492 points), 4th – Laver (1467 points)
Bradman Captains Jess & Archer reflected on the day: “We couldn’t be prouder of our team this year. Everyone put in a tremendous amount of effort, and it showed in the results. The pre-events on Wednesday gave us a strong start, and what really stood out was the dedication from every student. For the Year 12s, it was a great way to wrap up our Sports Day experience—dressing up and winning the day!”
Age Group Champions: U13 – Liam A & Eve W. U14 – Curtis T & Helena M. U15 – Daniel S & Anja J. U16 – Erin M, Grace W & Alex O. Open – Ben S & Lauren F.
Mrs Bek Robinson – Sports Coordinator Year 3-12
Senior School News
Not Ashamed of the Gospel 2025
On Thursday, March 27, 200 students from both private and public schools across South Australia gathered at the Church Auditorium for the annual Not Ashamed of the Gospel workshop.
As we funnelled into our seats, an energy filled the air—an electric atmosphere surrounded us. This enthusiasm did not fade. The hours ahead were filled with lively worship, challenging messages, and heartfelt prayer.
Grant Bouchard, one of our Faith and Fellowship prefects, shared from the book of Colossians. The passage calls Christians to pray for opportunities to spread the message of the Gospel through love, grace, and kindness towards others. This became a key theme for the day as we learnt how to effectively reflect Jesus’ character to our non-believing friends.
The frequent worship sessions provided powerful moments of energetic praise between events, as well as opportunities for quiet reflection. A Cedar student who attended highlighted the worship as an “opportunity for everyone to be strong in their faith.” Another added, “It was clear the Holy Spirit was there, changing young people’s lives!”
Encouragement and Application
A key part of the Not Ashamed experience is the workshops. Each student selects one of five sessions designed to address the challenges we face when sharing the Gospel. Personally, I had the privilege of taking part in the Tackling Tricky Questions seminar, hosted by our School Pastor, Jeremy Wright. The workshop was filled with teaching, discussion, and practical applications, encouraging us to find the deeper meaning behind the difficult questions we are asked about our faith. Other seminars explored how to start Gospel conversations, collaborate with youth groups, the overflowing Gospel, and running a Youth Alpha program. After the workshops, we ended the day with a powerful time of prayer, lifting up each school as they prepared to return to their campuses.
Not Ashamed is an event unique to Cedar College that encourages students across South Australia to be bold in their faith. The impact on those who attend cannot be understated, and the transformation in our school communities is clear. A shift in attitude towards one another is evident as we embrace our relationships with teachers and peers with love and respect.
It is through the shared prayers of both staff and students that the impact of Not Ashamed continues beyond the annual workshops, shaping our everyday school lives.
Matthew Priest – Year 11 student
Previous Newsletters
Read all the news from our previous issues