Newsletter Term 3, Week 2 2021

Dear SJC Families and Friends

I find myself writing about the content I thought we would not be revisiting more than a year on from the first case of the virus in this country but if there is anything that we have been taught during these times it is to expect the unexpected. I would like to start by extending my prayers, on behalf of the SJC community, to all those who currently find themselves afflicted by the virus or are in a lockdown situation. As I articulated to our students on Tuesday morning, they are lucky to find themselves being allowed to set foot on school grounds and our hearts go out to the many students and teachers who find themselves in a far different situation. 

I ask that all families are aware of, and understand the COVID communication documents that have been shared via email and the Schoolzine app.  It is really important that in our area, we do what is being asked of us so we do not find ourselves in the complex situation some of the major centres in Australia are currently experiencing.  It is also vital that you communicate with the College if you or your immediate family are affected in any way, as has been the case with the recent Chinderah exposure. 

I trust that your child, and you if you were able to, had a relaxing and enjoyable recent break.  Sunday Gospel from Mark was a great example of the importance of rest and regeneration in our lives.  There is a line in the Gospel where Jesus states to His disciples, "Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest awhile."  They were in the midst of preaching to masses of people and Jesus recognised the importance of His 'foot soldiers being well-rested if they were to do the best job they could do. 

This wonderful example set by our Lord is something that all of us should take note of.  There is a phrase that is sadly often used by busy people when others recognise they need a break; "I have no time to find time".  I know very few people who are effective in their various life roles when they are exhausted and worn out.  The same can be said for our students.  The need for adequate sleep is vital if they are to be charged and ready to go each day.  A student struggling to keep their eyes open is simply taking up space in a room and they are ineffective as a learner. 

I often note when students are looking tired and when I engage in a conversation, they invariable explain they were up until incredibly late hours.  Their reason often relates to technology devices such as gaming consoles or phones.  It is not uncommon for students to explain they have been up until after 2:00am in the morning and then wonder why they are tired at 9:30am. I ask that all families please ensure that technology is not in their child's room for the sake of their education and development.  If adequate rest was OK for our Lord, it must be a good thing. 

Staffing Announcement

It was with sadness that I recently accepted the resignation of Mr. Peter Lyon, College Assistant Principal.  As the etymology of his name implies, and there would be few who would dispute it, Pete has been the rock of this school for a quarter of a century.  He has been, and will forever be remembered as, a giant and great servant of this College.  In a recent discussion with Pete, he said that he was really enjoying life and was happy with his decision to step away from education.  He will extend his leave into next year but will not be returning to his substantive role in the College. 

It is my honour to speak for the entire staff, all past and present students and families, in saying thank you Peter for all you have done for the young people, staff, and families of the Tweed and surrounding areas across all of your years involved with SJC.  He will be sadly missed and we look forward to sharing a fitting farewell at some point in the future.

Mr Scott Thomson
Principal

School Uniform - Sports Jackets

The College has been provided with an update from Lowes regarding the shipment of sports jackets.  The sports jackets are in the Lowes warehouse and are being dispatched this week.  As a result, they should be at the Lowes uniform shop shortly.

Mr Eamon Brown
Assistant Principal - Mission

$20 Boss

Last term, Year 12 Work Readiness Pathway students participated in the $20 Boss program.  $20 Boss is a nationwide immersive entrepreneurship program where students are provided with $20 of start-up capital to help them create, launch and operate a business over the course of a school term.  The expectation is that all businesses will be profitable, and all start-up capital will be repaid by students with a $1 interest payment at the end of the project.

Students are required to write a business plan, pitch their business idea to a panel of ‘investors’, work out their costs and projected profit/loss, project manage and market their business and maintain accurate records of their cash flow throughout the project.

This year's businesses Quick and Clean, Thiccc Shakes and Simply Nachos were all profitable and collectively made $600 profit which they have decided to donate to the Jensen family.

This program is always a highlight for students who choose to study the Work Readiness Pathway in Years 11 and 12, and it provides a meaningful context for students to develop and use key transferable/employability skills.

“Throughout this project, I learnt that it is difficult to get along and work with all team members.  We all had our allocated tasks and the majority of them were completed to the best of our ability.  I developed a range of enterprise skills and learnt a lot from the $20 boss project in general.  I now understand how challenging it would be to start your own business.” Zoe Guy

“For teamwork I think it is only ever going to work out if you are all willing to compromise and not be stubborn, you need to listen and be respectful even if you aren't being heard.  If you aren't being heard in a team you need to speak up and show that you want to contribute and the main thing is to be confident.”  Braeleigh Jones 

“I am happy that I learnt how to do a bit of finance which can benefit me in my future.  I learnt to use many enterprise skills like problem solving”.  Christian Hayes 

Ms Hannah Lindschau
Work Readiness Pathway Teacher

French Culture

Year 8

At the end of Term 2, the Year 8 French classes enjoyed 'un petit déjeuner'.  Students moved through French activities in small groups, and embraced the opportunity to order a drink and something to eat in French.

This was a wonderful opportunity for students to demonstrate their pronunciation skills and converse in French.

Year 9

During elective French, students refined their skills at rolling, creating and baking some French croissants.  The aroma of that distinct French bakery smell was evident with their creations.

Teamwork and multiple rolling in of the butter was certainly the key to success.

Bon appétit!

Mrs Joanne Scotcher
Teacher of French

Study Skills Tip for July:  Evaluating Areas to Improve

Over the mid-year break it is easy to put all thoughts of school out of your mind and just enjoy the holidays.  This is not a bad thing, it is important to have a good break and clear your mind.  When you return to school, it is important to take some time and evaluate your approach in these key areas, writing down the changes you will make this semester so you can really focus on them.

Review of last semester:

Use of Classtime
How well did you use your time in class?  Who did you sit next to?  Did you work well together?  Did you listen to teachers and fellow students when they were speaking?  Did you participate and contribute in your lessons?  What are the main changes you need to make in this area?

Asking for Help
If you didn’t understand something in class did you ask a question about it?  If you were unsure about an assignment or assessment did you check in with your teacher?  If you were struggling with a topic did you ask for help?  What are the main changes you need to make in this area?

Time Management
Did you do enough schoolwork each afternoon?  Did you plan out a timeline to do the work for your assessments?  When you were working at home did you remove all distractions so you could focus?  What are the main changes you need to make in this area?

Preparing for Tests
Did you ensure that you were always clear on what you were being tested on?  Did you make study notes along the way so you had them ready for test time?  Did you test yourself on the content as you were learning it to see if it was in your memory?  Did you do lots of questions to practice the skills of the subject?  What are the main changes you need to make in this area?

You and your parents can learn more about how to achieve your personal best at www.studyskillshandbook.com.au by logging in with the details below and working through some of the units.

Username:   sjc

Password:    24results

Mr Carlo Trimboli
Leader of Pedagogy

Due to the Level 2 restrictions currently in place for schools, our College representative sporting teams cannot compete in any competition located outside the Local Government Area (LGA) of the Tweed Shire. Unfortunately, all competitions scheduled for Term 3 are outside of our LGA and are therefore postponed until restrictions are lifted. 

Ms Madeline Ilic
Leader of Sport

It has been a great pleasure to print out the books our twelve teams creatively sprinted to produce for Write a Book in a Day (a Kids’ Cancer Project charity event) at the end of last term.  Fuelled by a cornucopia of snacks, nearly one hundred students sweated, argued, advocated, laughed, collaborated, panicked, soared, and ultimately triumphed by producing and submitting their book literally moments before the deadline.  The books are now available in the library and students are justly proud!

I believe that reading is a creative act, with the imagination operating as a kind of machinery for generating internal imagery (some people tend to ‘see’ in their imaginations, others tell themselves or just ‘know’ what is there).  When watching a screen, the brain work of creating imagery has already been done for us in a kind of pre-digest, but the physical act of reading or listening to audio stories invites us to further develop our creative muscle by having to envisage, and there can be intrinsic satisfaction in that process.  Kind of like how good the body can feel after stretching and movement.  There are studies that show that reading fiction fosters and deepens empathy and that our capacity to imagine other characters’ lives, motivations, feelings and perspectives broadens us.  In short, reading can make us better humans.

So it’s probably obvious but part of engaging our students further with reading, literature and literacy is also by empowering and offering them opportunities to create their own stories and be delighted by what their imaginations can conjure.  Every working day, I’m asking the question – how can the library connect more of our kids with their creativity, whether by reading or writing or both?  And how can it further foster a sense of joy in that process?  Write a Book in a Day is one such way and despite the pace being relentless, some participating students have said it was one of their best days at school!

Ms Melaina Faranda
Acting Teacher-Librarian

Griffith University

Open House or Open Day? Or Both? You get to choose

If you’re helping your child make a decision about uni, Griffith University have provided two ways for you both to see everything they have to offer—Virtual Open House and on-campus Open Day.

Explore Griffith from home 24/7 at our Virtual Open House from 12 July – 20 August 2021.  You’ll find on-demand study and support information, as well as live sessions every Tuesday and Thursday with the chance to chat with our study advisers.

Visit us on campus on Open Day, Sunday 8 August, 9 am–2 pm (AEST) at our Gold Coast, Nathan or South Bank campuses.  You can tour our facilities, talk with academics and get a taste of life at Griffith.

Use this link to register and book for either the Virtual Open House or on-campus Open Day.

Queensland University of Technology (QUT)

Register for Open Day

QUT’s Virtual Open Day is on Sunday 25 July.  Attendees will have the opportunity to chat to our staff about courses, entry to QUT, scholarships and more at a selection of 45 online booths.  Webinars about courses, featuring some our expert academic staff and current students, are also programmed.

In-person campus and facilities tours will be run on Saturday 24 July. Bookings for on-campus tours are essential.

Creative Industries – important dates for additional entry

Some Creative Industries courses require an interview, audition, or portfolio to apply. In 2021 all additional entry requirements including interviews and auditions will be conducted online.
 
The application process and dates for these courses may differ, so it is important that students read all the application information that is relevant to them.  Students will need to apply to both QTAC and QUT before 5pm Monday 27 September to be eligible.  Find out more.

QUT Excellence Scholarships

The QUT Excellence Scholarship is their premier offering for high achievers.  They award over 130 scholarships annually, worth over $3.5 million.
 
From 2022 future students are no longer required to apply to be considered for the QUT Excellence Scholarship (Academic).  This scholarship will be distributed based on highest ATAR to students who have placed QUT as their first preference on their QTAC application.
 
In addition to financial support, the program helps students make the most of their QUT experience through extra development opportunities, which build their leadership skills and professional networks.  Find out more. 

Seeking Applications for McDonald’s

McDonald’s Banora Point, McDonald’s Murwillumbah and McDonald’s BP Chinderah are currently looking to hire over fifty school-aged crew for positions available between five restaurants.

For more information, students can go to careers.mcdonalds.com, or use this link to apply for a position at Banora Point.

Southern Cross University

Open Day goes virtual for month-long study discovery

This year Open Day at Southern Cross University isn’t just a day; it’s a whole month. Now live and online, the virtual Open Day 2021 provides access to special on-demand videos from each study area, live chat with study advisers and virtual campus tours. The University's academic experts and lecturers will be hosting live online information sessions for courses where you can ask specific study questions in real time. Anyone registering for Open Day has the opportunity to win a scholarship worth $15,000.

See more.

Ms Frances Stegeman
Leader of Careers and EVET

Just a reminder that, due to WHS laws, skate style shoes or canvas high tops CANNOT be worn in workshops and kitchens – even with a parent note.

Students who come to TAS classes wearing these shoes will be given alternate theory work to complete.

Ms Karen Parker
Leader of Learning – TAS

Homework Hub will run again in Term 3 in the College Library, Monday to Thursday, 3:10pm to 5:00pm.  Everyone is welcome.  It is free and supervised.  We welcome any new students who have recently started at the College.

Mrs Fin and Mrs Williams

The Lowes On-Campus Uniform Shop hours are as follows: 

Every Tuesday during the school term: 12:00pm – 3:30pm
Every Thursday during the school term: 8:00am – 12:00pm

Should you need to contact their office, the following telephone number is operated by a Lowes staff member only during shop hours: 07 5523 9300

Please be aware that you can also order online using this link.