Newsletter Term 1, Week 6 2021

Dear SJC Families and Friends

I hope this finds you well. 

I would like to commence this article by acknowledging the enriching and enjoying community day that was shared by many in our community last week. Following the delay of one week due to inclement weather, it was with pure relief that we woke to clear and sunny skies on Friday, February 26. The students who were present on the day ensured they were exemplary in their behaviour and participated with pride and effort. 

In a Catholic School, community is one of the pillars upon which we pride ourselves with the roots of our great faith embedded in the notion that where two or more are gathered in Christ's, name, He will be present. Community events build connections and relationships; it cannot be articulated enough how important the element of community is in our College. 

Whilst our student attendance numbers were good (a little over 70% were present), it is still disappointing that so many students chose to stay away, obviously with the support of their parents or carers. There are always legitimate cases of student illness, injury or prior family engagements but history would tell that sadly, the rates of these occurrences is much higher on some of these important community days. 

Days such as the Swimming Carnival, St Joseph's Day (March 19) and the Athletics Carnival (June 4) are so important that a student's attendance status on these days forms part of the formal reporting process. After a year when so many people could not come together, my hope was for great attendance figures for our Swimming Carnival. I hope to see a greater percentage for our upcoming St Joseph's Day celebration. 

It was with sadness that last week, I was forced to issue a letter to all families relating to unsafe practices that became evident to the College. This resulted in a large number of punitive measures being taken to ensure that there is a clear understanding of our College policy and expectations by the students involved. If you have not yet read the letter, please do so through the app. 

As I always attempt to do, when events occur that fail to live up to expectations, I always attempt to find positives in the process. Out of this event relating to the dangerous practice of vaping, I was heartened by the honesty of our students involved, the fact that students reported what they had witnessed to the school and the support of the parents during the events that unfolded. 

I stated in the letter, and to staff in my weekly update, St Joseph's College has always been an overwhelmingly safe place for students, staff and visitors and it is my role to ensure the safety of all. When risks become apparent, processes will be put in place to mitigate and diminish harm. Vaping is a dangerous practice and places students in danger. Like a number of other practices, it will not be tolerated at SJC. 

Communication with the College

In my first newsletter of the year, I outlined a number of procedures relating to communication between the College and families and outlined some of the expectations we have in place to ensure our students (your children) get the best chance to fulfil their potential during their time with us. If you did not get a chance to look over this, please do so here. 

I would like to remind all members of the SJC community that when contacting the College, be it by phone, email or in person, there is a requirement that civility and respect are maintained. Our staff at the College, particularly our office staff who speak to most members of the community first, will always do their best to ensure the most appropriate outcome is reached. If you have any major and pressing concerns, please remember that the office staff will simply direct you to the staff member who can help. A simple short summary of your situation is all that is required.

Please remember that the person you are dealing with is a fellow brother or sister in Christ and deserves the appropriate level of respect. Bearing this in mind and acting in such a way will always see the best outcome for the student at the centre of any concern. 

Year 7 2022 Enrolments

Next week we commence visits to our feeder schools in the area in preparation for our Open Evening on March 16. If you know of any families who may be considering SJC for their secondary schooling choice, please let them know of the date. It is a Tuesday evening and will include a short formal address and be followed by self-guided tours around the College with ample opportunities to engage with our fantastic students. 

Kind regards

Mr Scott Thomson
Principal

Please read the following notice from the Australian Goverment regarding the collection of student information:

College Photo Day - Friday 5 March (This Friday!)

School photography day is coming up soon. Group and portrait photographs can be purchased by following the link below or by your child handing the order envelope with payment to the advancedlife photographer on school photo day.

Please note that the Year 12 students will be having their Year 12 year group photo at 8:30am on the hardcourts.

NEW! advancedlife now offers Latitude Pay! To take advantage of LatitudePay and split the cost of your order into 10 small easy payments, simply order your school photos online as usual, set up a Latitude Pay account in just a few clicks and pay no interest or fees when you pay according to your payment schedule; it’s that easy.

3 easy ways to purchase:

• LatitudePay – Click on the link below, set up an account during the online order process and split your payments across 10 weeks with no interest or fees, if you pay on time 
• Visa, MasterCard or PayPal
• Cash – complete the envelope supplied and return it to our photographer on photo day

School photography information:

• Online orders - do not require an envelope returned to the school (How to order)
• Sibling Photos - Don’t forget to pre-order your sibling photos online up to 24 hours before photo day. We provide your school with a list of sibling orders right up to the day of photography, so no one misses out. If you miss the online order deadline, you can submit a completed sibling order envelope first thing in the morning of the day of photography, so your school is aware you want the photo taken and can bring your children together in time for it. Sibling photographs only apply to children enrolled at your school. Please note not all schools offer sibling photos
• Late fees - a late fee will be applied to each package purchased after photo day due to the additional cost of producing these packages separately
• Package delivery - photographic packages will be returned to your school for distribution approximately six weeks after photos are taken
• Previous Years’ photos - Past years’ photographs including sports, co-curricular and representative groups are also available to order under the 'previous years or group photo' tabs at your school’s advancedorder site when you click on the 'Order School Photos Here' button above. You can also order past packages, portrait images and gifts from your child’s unique, individual and secure advancedyou image archive site using the unique 9-digit image code found on packages you have ordered in the past

Mr Eamon Brown
Assistant Principal - Mission

advancedlife would like to express our appreciation to St Joseph's College for placing your trust in us. Please remember we offer a 100% money back guarantee on our products to ensure your peace of mind. We would also love to receive your feedback or resolve any issues you may experience as fast as possible, to ensure your satisfaction. If you have any questions, comments or feedback relating to your advancedlife experience please contact us at: www.advancedlife.com.au/contact

St Joseph’s College has had the goal to find a form of prayer that all staff and students can participate in so we can provide more opportunities to draw closer to God. After consulting students and staff, meditation was chosen as the preferred way to pray. 

Staff and students have begun daily meditation this year as the research strengthens for the benefits of this practice. Meditation has been shown to improve wellbeing, interpersonal relationships, stress management, learning and relationship with God. 

We are stopping two minutes before the end of Period 4 and the meditation is about three minutes in duration. This time was chosen as the best option from a range of options, due to the minimal impact on learning. We will evaluate this and make necessary changes if needed in the future. 

Evidence from within our schools and other Australian dioceses is demonstrating that Christian Meditation is proven to:

• make children calmer and more relaxed
• help create a sense of wonder in children
• help create a sense of God in those who meditate
• help create a sense of community where each person is reverenced
• allow children a chance to be silent and experience God’s presence
• develop in children a greater ability to learn and maintain attention

An upcoming parent information session for those interested in learning more about this practice will take place later this term with details to follow. 

The SJC Mission Team 

Mr Mathew Lynch (Leader of Student Wellbeing),
Mrs Hannah Ardrey (Leader of School Evangelisation)
and Mr Eamon Brown (Assistant Principal – Mission)

We began our annual Lenten Project Compassion journey last week, introduced at the College Ash Wednesday Liturgy. In this newsletter, we share with you two video stories from the first and second week of the Project Compassion campaign.

Week 1 - Jamila from Bangladesh

The first story is that of Jamila and her family. Jamila, 22, is a Rohingya woman, living in the world’s largest refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. A single mother, she fled armed conflict in Myanmar to save herself, her elderly mother and eight-month-old baby. 

With the support of Caritas Australia, through Caritas Bangladesh, Jamila was able to access emergency food and shelter. She also received counselling, emotional support and learnt sewing skills, to help her earn an income.  Jamila now feels less alone, with a sense of community around her. She is able to ‘Be More’ to her little family.  

• 860,494 people remain in the densely populated camps, in desperate need of humanitarian assistance, especially due to COVID-19.

Week 2 - Margret from the Solomon Islands

The second story, through Project Compassion, we learn about 39-year-old Margret, a teacher at a vocational school for deaf students in the Solomon Islands. She was born deaf, so she knows the challenges it poses to education and employment. Apart from the difficulties the students all have, the school also faced water shortages, with not enough to supply staff and students with safe water for drinking, cooking, washing and growing vegetables.

Then Tropical Cyclone Harold damaged the school and its vegetable garden, amidst the threat of COVID-19. Staff and students rely on the vegetable garden to provide food for their meals.

With Caritas Australia’s support, the school installed water tanks, provided cyclone-proof building materials and helped to implement COVID-19 prevention measures. Margret’s school now has enough water for its students and the capacity to cater for more, with plans to boost food security, through increased agricultural production. 

• Around 60% of people in rural areas in the Solomon Islands don’t have access to piped water, while about 80% don’t have access to latrines or toilets. (UNICEF, 2019)

“Aspire not to have more, but to be more.” Please support Project Compassion: lent.caritas.org.au. By seeing the 'faces' of the appeal, we get to see the human side to our collections and what a difference we can all make by supporting this appeal.

Thank you for your support.

Mrs Hannah Ardrey
Leader of School Evangelisation

A reminder that the first round of Year 7 vaccinations will be taking place at the College on Tuesday 2 March:

To consent to the vaccination of their child, parents/guardians are advised to:

• read all the information provided
• complete the consent form, including signing their name next to the vaccine/s they would like their child to receive (no vaccination will be given without an original signed consent form)
• return the completed consent form to their child’s school
• ensure their child eats breakfast on the day of the school vaccination clinic.

Please note that students will be opportunistically offered any missed doses during Year 7 and catch-up into Year 8 (for HPV and dTpa vaccination). (Parents will have received a text from NSW Health regarding any of these catch-up vaccinations.)

Parents/guardians who wish to withdraw their consent for any reason may do so by writing to the school Principal, or phoning the school. The Procedure for Withdrawal of Consent is available on the NSW Health website at https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/immunisation/Pages/withdraw_consent.aspx.

School Safety Zone Information

Please take note of information published in this document by the NSW Government pertaining to road safety in and around schools. We ask that all members of our community obey the required speed limits and always drive with caution in and near schools. 

Mr Mathew Lynch
Leader of Student Wellbeing

Change and loss are issues that affect all of us at some stage in our lives. At St Joseph’s College, we recognise that when changes occur in families through death, separation, divorce and related circumstances, young people may benefit from learning how to manage these changes effectively. We are therefore offering a very successful education program called Seasons for Growth (which will commence at a date to be announced). This program is facilitated in small groups and is based on research which highlights the importance of social support and the need the practise new skills to cope effectively with change and loss. The program focuses on issues such as self-esteem, managing feelings, problem-solving, decision-making, effective communication and support networks.

Every family will receive a notice in the near future with more details about the Seasons for Growth program. If you think your son or daughter would benefit from Seasons for Growth, we would encourage you to talk to him/her about participating in the program.

St Joseph’s College is pleased to be able to offer this important program and we are confident that it will be a valuable learning experience for those who request to be involved. If you require further information, please contact me at the College.

Mr Mathew Lynch
Leader of Student Wellbeing

Study Skills Tip for March – Four Reasons NOT to put off Starting Assignments

Here are four reasons why you should start working on your assignment immediately:

So get started today!

Learn more this year about how to improve your results and be more efficient and effective with your schoolwork by working through the units on www.studyskillshandbook.com.au  - our school’s access details are:

Username:        sjc
Password:        24results

Mr Carlo Trimboli
Leader of Pedagogy

We are pleased to announce our College Open Evening on Tuesday 16 March:

‘It’s not a disability, it’s a different ability’.

The Learning Support Teachers, and Teachers Aides provide scheduled learning support for students with special needs in mainstream classrooms and in the College’s Learning Support Centre. They also assist teachers and other students with reading skills analysis, assignment assistance, study skills advice and lesson work when small group or individual lesson assistance is needed. 

The Learning Support Teacher assists subject teachers adjust classwork and assessments for students in the junior years who have learning difficulties and assists all teachers in the application of special provisions for these students, and eligible students who are undertaking Stage 6 courses.

For each student who has a disability an Individual Education Plan is written following meetings of teachers and parents with the Learning Support Teacher and Catholic Education Regional and Diocesan advisers. These plans list the adjustments to be made for the student and the focus areas being addressed ; they also indicate the roles of the classroom teachers, Learning Support Teacher, the Teachers’ Aides and the parents/carers in the goals of the plan. The Individual Education Plans and supporting documentation form the basis of funding applications for learning support for students with disabilities.  

Specialist learning support is provided by the Indigenous Education Worker, the Counsellor, and the Literacy and Numeracy Coordinators. 

The NSW Board of Studies has Life Skills Curricula for students who are not able to access the mainstream School Certificate and Higher School Certificate course outcomes.  

Students who are enrolled in the Life Skills courses are usually integrated in mainstream classes where they are given extra learning support. Some of their subjects are taught separately in the Learning Support Centre when this provides the optimal learning environment. The Learning Support Teacher is responsible for teaching the Stage 6 Life Skills subjects “Civics and Society” and “Work and the Community”, and assisting the students doing these courses with their work placements and TAFE studies.  

Our learning support team is just an email shellae.boss@lism.catholic.edu.au or phone call (07) 5524 9002 away. Please feel free to make contact to discuss your child’s individual needs with us.

Swimming Carnival Results

Congratulations to HANLY who were crowned HOUSE CHAMPIONS at our College Swimming Carnival last Friday:

HANLY - 724
DALTON - 718
REYNOLDS - 648
HOADE - 541

With the theme of 'Summer Festival' our students fittingly enjoyed a very warm day in and out of the pool, as can be seen in the photos below. It was great to see so many students competing in and participating in events, and generally entering into the spirit of the day, having fun with their friends and fellow 'housemates'. After all of last year's cancellations, it was great to once again have a whole school sporting event. 

A big thank you to the House Captains who worked hard not only throughout the day, but also in the lead-up to promote participation and create carnival cheer, you did a fantastic job. And of course this wouldn't be possible without the support of our staff - Thank you all very much!

Congratulations to our Age Champions:

Ms Madeline Ilic
Coordinator of Sport

The Big Science Competition is back for 2021 and this year, it’s 100% online and 100% free!

2021 marks the 35th year of Australia’s participation in the International Science Olympiads and to celebrate, we’re excited to offer free entry into the Big Science Competition.

The Big Science Competition is a fifty minute, multiple choice competition testing science knowledge, critical-thinking and problem-solving skills across Year 7 to 10.

Participating in the Big Science Competition can lead to some BIG opportunities, like the Curious Minds program and the Junior Science Olympiad and you could travel overseas to represent Australia internationally.

This year, students self-register using this link: https://australianscienceinnovations.force.com/portal/s/bsc-application-form 

Ms Fiona Murray
Assistant Leader of Learning – Science

Mathematics Update - Calculators

All of Year 7 and Year 11 have been issued with a new model calculator, Casio FX-100AU 2ED. This is our recommended calculator, as per our booklist. We have had a request from other students who may have a need to purchase a calculator. The calculators are available through the School Office at a cost of $48.95.

Mr Shane Burns
Assistant Leader of Learning – Mathematics

It's great to see a new and existing Homework Hub cohort using the library in the afternoons. Please know that it is a safe environment if you're waiting for your bus/parent or you're finishing off some school work or study. Everyone is welcome.

20% off at Lowes - Thursday 11 & Friday 12 March

The On-Campus Uniform Shop will be open both days from 8:00am to 12:30pm