ARDEN Anglican School

TABLE TENNIS / Often described as ‘high-speed chess’, table tennis is a game of speed, strategy and mental fortitude. Arden was proud to have a team of four students compete in the 2026 NSW Secondary Schoolboys Challenge Cup at Sydney Olympic Park. Lucas and Yankai competed in the Junior division (Years 7–8) and Kieran and Ethan competed in the Intermediate division (Years 9–10).

Many of the matches were extremely close, with several decided by a net or edge ball. Lucas and Yankai placed second in their round robin pool, however did not progress to the knockout stage. Kieran and Ethan topped their round robin group and advanced to the knockout stage and finished in third place. Congratulations on your achievements and sportsmanship.

VISUAL ARTS CAMP / Our Year 11 and 12 Visual Arts students recently stayed at Bundanon Homestead and Riversdale Education Centre, the renowned national arts institution, overlooking the Bangli/the Shoalhaven River on the NSW South Coast. The visit was given more resonance as one of our students attending the camp is a descendant of the settler family who built the original sandstone homestead.

Revered Australian artist Arthur Boyd owned Riversdale and later bought Bundanon, then in 1993 the 1,000-hectare property was gifted to the nation.

Our students were inspired by the natural landscape and the creativity of the community and immersed themselves in critical study and artmaking of a high standard. Please enjoy some of their work.

CAREERS@LUNCH / Our weekly Careers@Lunch sessions are a great opportunity for Year 11 and 12 students to prepare for their future and learn more about a variety of universities and other tertiary education providers.

We recently welcomed student ambassadors from Macquarie University, who were also Arden Alumni. It was wonderful to reconnect with Paige (Year 12 2021) and Abbey (Year 12 2023).

Students learnt about courses, early entry, scholarships and upcoming events with the opportunity to ask questions at the end.

MAY WRAP / May has been a month of celebration, gratitude, service and outstanding achievements across our Arden community!
We started May with Birnam Day, our Junior Campus runners showcased their talents at Cross Country, and we honoured the amazing mums and mother figures in our lives through special Mother's Day celebrations.
Our Year 6 - 12 girls celebrated the Y2K theme at Girls Night In, raising vital funds for Cancer Council.
Thanksgiving Week was a highlight! Prayer and Praise Night, special Thanksgiving Chapels and Assemblies reminded us of God's abundant blessings.
Our students demonstrated their problem-solving brilliance at the da Vinci Decathlon, entrepreneurial spirit shone at Year 9 Shark Tank, whilst our Social Justice Group continued their compassionate mission through the 'Take Love' food donation drive for Anglicare.
J Day had us all in yellow to celebrate and raise funds, and throughout the month our students engaged in enriching excursions, incursions and sporting achievements across both campuses.

Looking ahead to June we are excited for our Athletics Carnivals, Hire A Hero Auction and Day, Anchor Camp at Lake Mac, multiple music soirees, Year 3 Camp, Grandparents Day Assembly, and the departure of our transformative Red Earth Immersion to the Northern Territory and The Extra Mile Mission Tour to Vietnam and Cambodia!
What a jam-packed Term 2!

HEALTH AND MOVEMENT SCIENCE / Year 11 Health and Movement Science (HMS) students recently achieved their Level 1 Sports Trainer qualification.

Students applied themselves theoretically and practically to enhance their knowledge and confidence in responding and delivery first aid, including CPR and emergency care for suspected spinal injuries. Students also gained training in injury management, injured athletes and sports trainer learning.

HISTORY DAY / A tank trundled, a knight charged, aviators flew and a king strolled into TACAC on Tuesday as part of History Day at Secondary Campus. It was wonderful to see students and teachers alike dress up as revered historical figures and partake in all of the history themed activities throughout the day.

Thanks to all who participated and helped bring history to life.

NATIONAL SIMULTANEOUS STORYTIME / NSS is an annual Australian campaign that promotes reading and literacy by having millions of children across the country gather to read the exact same picture book at the exact same time.
This year's choice was "Luna Roo the Kangaroo Baller" by Adam Jackson and Adrian Lloyd, illustrated by Jake A. Minton.

Our Lower Primary students were treated to some soccer skills from Emerson and Sebastian and then a special book reading from our Deputy Principal, Mr Harnwell. The students also got a very special bookmark to remember the day, and the library will be open at lunch for the rest of the week for special soccer games created by our Junior Library staff.

SOCIAL JUSTICE / Our Social Justice Group at Secondary Campus were on a mission - to collect and deliver as many pantry items as they could to assist in Anglicare's Emergency Food Collection. With collection bins placed at all major entrances to the campus as a friendly reminder to our community, the group was able to collect 330 items!
Every 6 minutes someone comes to Anglicare looking for immediate food and financial assistance. One in every three of these people will have children under the age of 16.
Well done to those students who helped with the collection and thank you to those in our community who gave.

DA VINCI DECATHLON / What a day for Arden!
From Year 5 all the way to Year 11, our students recently took on the best schools in NSW at the 2026 State da Vinci Decathlon.
Our top results were:
Year 5 - 2nd in Legacy and 8th in Art & Poetry Special Teamwork Award
Year 6 - 9th in Science
Year 7 - 4th in Ideation
Year 8 - 7th in Engineering
Year 9 - 7th in Ideation
Year 10 - 4th in Cartography
Across the teams, our students placed in 14 events, earned three top-5 finishes, and demonstrated courage, creativity and collaboration in every session.
This is what it looks like when Well Known, Well Cared For, Well Taught meets a hall full of the best young minds in the state.
Congratulations to every student who competed in the day.