Term 3, Week 5 - 19 August - 2020

Dear Parents and Carers,

Early in Term 3 each year we acknowledge students in Years 7 to 11 who have achieved academic excellence and outstanding effort, safety, responsibility and respect, which are our College Expectations, in their Semester 1 report. I wish to congratulate all our students who received an award last week and thank them for their efforts and preparedness to be the best they can be. Unfortunately, we were unable to invite parents and grandparents to this event due to COVID 19 restrictions. We have included a list of all award recipients in this newsletter and photos of the presentation.

Year 12 Trial Exams

We wish our Year 12 students all the best as they continue to complete their Trial HSC exams. The students are well prepared and should be proud of their achievements, considering the adversity they have faced this year. I ask that you keep our Year 12 students your thoughts and prayers as they complete their exams and head towards their HSC. 

Year 11 Reflection Day

This week Year 11 will participate in a Reflection Day, which replaces their three day Retreat. One focus of the day is Leadership, which is important at this time of year, as they prepare to take on important leadership positions in the College from Term 4. I encourage students in Year 11 to take the courageous step to be a leader in our College. A letter is going to parents and students this week explaining in more detail the leadership nomination and election process.  

College News in the Community

Each Friday morning representatives from the College have a chat with Damien at FM103.1 Loving Life. This opportunity has been taken up by staff and students. Last week some Year 9 students from Ms Janson’s Geography class promoted the College through their sustainability projects. Well done to Chelsea, Brigette and Paige for their promotion of their projects and the College. This interview is available on the Facebook page of FM103.1 Loving Life. 

OPALs

The mid term OPALs (Ongoing Participation and Application Log) will be available at the end of the week for all students in Years 7 to 11. Please contact the College if you would like to discuss your child’s scores.  

Change to Staff Development Days

Reminder that our Staff Development Days (pupil free days) scheduled for the 24th & 25th August have been postponed to  the 2nd and 3rd of November, depending on the COVID 19 situation. The 24th and 25th August will be normal school days. Details were sent home last week in an email.

Feast Days

I wish to acknowledge the Feast Day of St Mary McKillop which was on the 8th August and last Saturday, the 15th August, the Church celebrated the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. I consider both of these women, who lived thousands of years apart, inspiring and courageous people. 

COVID 19 - Latest news and requirements

We have become used to coping with change and new restrictions due to COVID 19. This week we have received information for schools from NSW Health, Catholic Schools NSW and CSO Lismore. Based on this information we have decided to cancel all our 2020 camps. Refunds or credits will be made to families as soon as possible.

Announcements have been made this week by the NSW Government that school social activities including formals, dances and traditional graduations are not permitted. I realize this is a very difficult time for our Year 12 students, parents and families. We have been holding off making a definite decision about the Year 12 Graduation in the hope that restrictions may be eased; however, this is not the case. I will write to Year 12 families with more details on the Year 12 Graduation situation. 

Students and staff are to stay home and be tested if they are unwell, even if showing only mild symptoms. They should not return to school until they receive a negative test for COVID 19. 

Please look at the COVID 19 section of this newsletter for additional information on COVID 19 and school activities. 

Online Parent Forum Gathering via Zoom

In the latest information received from NSW Health continues to advise us that parents and carers are to limit their attendance at the school. Therefore, I will initiate the Parent Forum Gathering via Zoom, starting next month. We will keep it on the 3rd Tuesday of the month at 5.30pm. More information will be sent out closer to the day. If you have some ideas or suggestions for this virtual gathering, please contact me via the College office or by email. 

As I finish this news item I would like to acknowledge all the front line health workers across Australia and the world for the amazing job they do in attending to the sick and suffering, especially those patients who have COVID 19. Thank you for what you do each and every day. 

To all in our community - take care.

Yours sincerely,

Kate

Kate Thomson

Principal 

“We should be shining lamps, giving light to all around us.” Catherine McAuley

Please find here information received from Catholic Schools NSW on the 18th August 2020. You will find in this document information on School Attendance, School activities and site usage guidelines - including a list of what can take place, activities on hold for Term 3 and activities we are to cancel. 

At times of uncertainity turning to prayer, reflection, and words of inspiration can give us hope and inspiration. Each week we receive a prayer resource from the CSO, Lismore called The Soul. Here are some resources from the The Soul.

Hello to all parents and students,

I hope the start of the term has been smooth for everyone and students are getting back into school routine after what has been a most difficult year.

A few things I’d like to let you all know about this week:

Teen Mental Health First Aid

The Teen Mental Health First Aid Course teaches high school students how to provide Mental Health First Aid to their friends. It teaches students to recognise when a friend is experiencing major changes in their thinking, feeling and behaviour, and when these changes may indicate the presence of a mental health problem.

Over the last three weeks, Year 8 students successfully participated in three classroom sessions and were engaged in a range of activities, role plays and discussions.

80 students successfully completed the course and were presented with their certificates at their year meeting.

This is such an important part of our Pastoral Care program.  Our Year 8 students can now recognise those with mental health issues and know how to direct them to appropriate help.

A huge thankyou to Miss Carla Snow for her coordination of the course.

Uniform

This term we are making a concerted effort to adhere to our uniform policy. A student who wears the correct uniform displays pride in themselves and pride in our College. Students who are constantly out of uniform are often students who need reminders to be respectful of our staff and our school rules in general. This is not always the case but most certainly a “red flag” for me that there may be an issue.

The College uniform requirements can be found in the Student Diary and also on the College website. Also outlined in the Student Diary, these are the consequences for wearing the uniform incorrectly.  

Letters have been sent this week for our regular uniform offenders. These letters apply to students who have been placed on uniform detention more than three times, or students who have had constant reminders from staff but refuse to follow instructions.

If you or your family need uniform assistance, please contact the front office and ask to speak to myself or our Assistant Principal, Kathy Warby.

Bullying Survey

This term in PC we will begin our discussions on Bullying in all of its many forms.  We will then survey the students about their experiences of bullying at our College and endeavour to interview and support those who have been affected by, or who are perpetrators of bullying.  

This is usually not a punitive process, more one of education and awareness.  What is most important in this procedure is that students complete the survey as openly and honestly as they can.  

My number one priority for Pastoral Care is to make our College a safe place for all students, and a place where students are given the opportunity to change their behaviour if an issue arises.

Student voice is so important for this to happen. Please have a discussion with your child about being honest when completing the survey. All responses are confidential.

PC Challenge

Mr Montford has done a great job preparing PC for the term and we thank him for his efforts. He loves a good rhythm pattern for some fun in class! Try this one at home:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=194&v=2-MpzjxEVBU&feature=emb_logo

Thanks for your time,

Rob Imeson,
Leader of Pastoral Care

Congratulations to all students who received Principal Certificates acknowledging Academic Achievement and Effort in Semester 1, at our Awards Assembly last week. The recepients are listed below.

A BIT OF MATHEMATICAL FUN

1. Three people check into a hotel. The clerk tells them that the bill for their stay is $30, so each person pays the clerk $10. The clerk puts the money in the cash register. Later that night, the clerk realises that he made a mistake and should have only charged the three guests $25. He pulls $5 in one dollar bills out of the register and tells the bellhop to return the money to the guests. On the way to the room, the bellhop realises that he cannot split the money evenly between the three people. As the guests don't know that they were charged the incorrect amount for their room, the bellhop decides to simply give them $1 each and pocket the extra $2 as a tip. Each guest gets $1 back, so they each paid $9 for their room, totalling $27. The bellhop kept $2, and $27 + $2 = $29.

But the guests originally handed over $30. What happened to the missing dollar?

    2. Follow these instructions and see what your final answer is:

• Write down three different digits in descending order. e.g. 321
• Write the digits in the opposite order. e.g. 123
• Subtract the second number from the first. e.g. 321 – 123 = 198
• Add your new number with it’s reverse e.g. 198 + 891

What did you get as your final answer? Try another number to start!!

If you enjoyed that, then follow this link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8TRcZklX_Q 

Andrew Mark
Leader  of  Mathematics

In Week 4 the College celebrated Book Week with lots of competitions and events. The theme this year was 'Curious Creatures and Wild Minds'. Every morning in homeroom there was a famous creature from literature guessing competition that was hotly contested. McCarthy were the clear winners followed by Mercy, Champagnat and Tracey.

During the week, everyone who borrowed a book received a raffle ticket and the winner was Paige Mackey. Two other competitions were composing a description of an imaginary creature, won by Liam Perich, and drawing an imaginary creature, won by Amelie Collard. 

On Friday we held the Parade of Characters, thanks to all the students who dressed up. Winners were William Collis, Abigail Lydon, Peta Girdler and Violet Campbell.

The staff also got into the spirit by dressing up as characters from Grimm's Fairy Tales and Alice in Wonderland. 

We also held a mufti day on the Friday in conjunction with NAIDOC Week and we raised $505.00 that has been donated to the Indigenous Literacy Foundation, who provide books in remote Aboriginal communities and create books in specific Aboriginal languages.

Thank you to everyone for your participation.

Mark Bellamy
Teacher-Librarian

As Term 3 progresses, a variety of school based events have occurred. Many have unfortunately been restricted due to the limitations of COVID-19, but our Student Leadership Team has maintained a positive attitude and have continually looked for new and interesting opportunities.

Last Thursday, the Year 9 and 11 Music students were able to participate in another lunchtime concert. These concerts have encouraged many music students to engage and collaborate with their peers and we hope to continue these concerts in the foreseeable future.

The Student Leadership Team have continued the weekly Thursday lunchtime sports, with a variety of sports being provided. This weekly event is a chance for all students to participate in an entertaining sport, interacting with a range of students. 

With only weeks away until Year 12 graduation, the Year 10 and 11 students of the SLT are called to take initiative. This week, the Year 11 students of the College will participate in a Reflection Day (in place of their annual Retreat), where they will focus on the concept of leadership. This will help prepare students for the Leadership process, as the 2021 Leaders will be determined in the next few weeks.

30th Anniversary of (Catherine) McAuley Catholic College.

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Please find attached the latest Parish Bulletin from Clarence Valley Parish

FOOD FOR THOUGHT 9

Genesis 32  tells of the story of Jacob, whose name means, “usurper”, “supplanter”  “cheat and liar”. He is returning to his homeland, with all his family and possessions, to his brother, Esau, whom he had swindled many years before.

In fear of what his brother will do Jacob faces a sobering point in his life with his future, and that of his family in the balance.

Genesis 32:22 ⁺

That night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two female servants and his eleven sons and crossed the ford of the Jabbok.  After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions.  So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak.  When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man.  Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.”

But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”

The man asked him, “What is your name?”

“Jacob,” he answered.

 Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel,(meaning to “contend with God” (because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.”……

The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip. 

There comes sobering times in our lives when we are left alone and must deal with God on a one to one basis. We wrestle in our spirit, our minds and feelings often over looming events in isolation.  In isolation with God. We look for human answers, solutions and directions to take, words to say, you know how it goes.

But when we wrestle with God, often it is unto death. Death of something we’ve struggled with or keep trying to resolve ourselves in our lives. It’s when God puts His hand on us, touches us, in the way only He can, that our walk is never the same. Something has changed in us and in our relationships with God and with others.

Jacob’s character was changed from that of a supplanted, cheat and liar to that of one who wrestled with God and was blessed by Him.

Are you close to your Jabbok?  (David Ogg)

Jessica Redman, Aiyana Death, Regan Howard, Josie Bindon, Tallica-Rose Fox, Jace Gilbert, Tui Simpson, Elle Fisher, Zahley Goodwin-Thistleton, Matthew Morgan, Eilish Bender, Isabella Archer, Harry Chard, Ryan Norton, Henry White, Bailee Hextall, Jack Fels, James Grimshaw, Susannah Miller, Chelsea Wakefield, Amelia Kroehnert, Laura Moloney, Riley Sheehan, Anna Gillies, Shakayla Grieves.