Newsletter - T4W2 - 15/10/21

From the Principal

Welcome back to Term 4. I sincerely hope that life can resume in a more normal fashion for the sake of our entire St Mary’s community. It has been a very tough road for all of the staff, students and families, but I feel with the opening up of the state, some of the things that we have taken for granted eg. meeting as a whole school community, will be able to occur as we move through this term.

The decision by NESA to move the HSC exams has had a huge impact on Compressed Curriculum schools - not only on the students doing their HSC, but for all of our year groups. Students at St Mary’s will be changing over on Monday, 29 November (Week 9), instead of the usual Week 6. The delay is necessary to allow the majority of our Year 11 students to finish their exams, before they have to start learning in their new subjects. The Term 4 relevant dates are:

Year 12 Graduation - Wednesday, 27 October

Exams for students in Years 7-10 - Week 7 (Monday, 15 November - Friday, 19 November)

HSC Exams - Tuesday, 9 November - Friday, 3 December

Year 12 Formal - Saturday, 4 December

Pupil Free Day - Friday, 26 November 

New Academic Year - Monday, 29 November

Last day of school for all students - Wednesday, 15 December

It is with great sadness that I need to inform the wider school community of the death of Ms Therese McDonogh. Therese was a teacher of English and HSIE and was employed at the College for approximately three years. On behalf of St Mary’s, I would like to pass sincere condolences onto Therese’s family - especially her 3 sons, and her mother Sandy, and Stepfather Jack.  

“Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May their souls and the souls of all the faithfully departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.”

Tracy Robinson
Principal

Parish Mass Times

SUNDAY AND WEEKDAY MASS

Churches in our parish are presently closed until the first Sunday after NSW reaches 80% vaccination. From this date those who are vaccinated and not fully vaccinated can enter a house of worship.

This has been done as (a) we are unable to properly monitor the requirements of the health regulations that only vaccinated people enter the church and (b) to avoid causing distress to those who, for various reasons, are not fully vaccinated.

This measure is approved by the Bishop and consistent with other Dioceses in NSW.

We look forward to opening up our church to public worship.

For further information, please contact

 https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/rules

From the Assistant Principal - Learning & Teaching

Masks
Once again we have returned to school under Level 3 restrictions which means masks must be worn by students whenever they are in indoor spaces. Students are reminded of this when they enter the school of a morning, they are given another reminder in Homeroom and their Period 1 teacher also reminds them before the day truly begins. The College provides masks for all students if they need them - they are handed out before school and in Period 1 and are available at all times during the day from the front office, from my office and from Mrs Axman’s office. 

The College will maintain its zero tolerance policy towards mask wearing in order to try as hard as we can to guarantee the safety of both staff and students whilst they are in the College. This means that any student who is refusing to wear a mask or who is continually wearing their mask improperly will be excluded from the school grounds for the rest of the day. A member of staff will contact parents requesting that they pick up their child. If a parent is unavailable, the College will attempt to contact the emergency contact numbers provided to us on enrollment. If parents would like more information regarding the incident, classroom teachers will be more than happy to contact you at a later time. 

We appreciate your cooperation during this time - we understand that this policy has caused some inconvenience, but we are all just trying our best to make sure everyone stays safe. 

Uniform
This is a reminder that Sports uniform is only worn by students on a Thursday.

If students are wearing their sports uniform on any other day of the week, they will need a note explaining why they are out of uniform.

Sport days do not change at the College and students are not asked to wear their sport uniform for any other purpose if a note has not gone home to parents.

We would appreciate it if you could make sure that your child is wearing the uniform they are supposed to be wearing throughout the week, or if you provide them a note to explain why they are not in uniform.

Stage 6 Students
Information was sent to all Stage 6 students in the holidays outlining the College plan for the first 4 weeks of this term.

Under NESA and state government guidelines, Stage 6 students are now required to be at school for these 4 weeks.

The College has attempted to provide a variety of options for students on both ATAR and non ATAR pathways.

All of the information given to students can be found HERE

Nadine Connolly
Assistant Principal - Learning & Teaching

From the Assistant Principal - Mission

It has been wonderful to welcome our students back on site again this week and to be able to see our community together again.

Today marks the Feast Day of Teresa of Avila. As a Catholic mystic, St Teresa challenges us find God within ourselves and acknowledge God within every person we encounter. At St Mary’s we value the innate dignity of each member of our community, for it is within each other that we encounter God. 

We have made tentative plans this term to gather together as a student body in a Covid Safe manner - we hope as restrictions ease we are able to celebrate our community.

Clare Axman
Assistant Principal - Mission

From the Leaders of VET, Careers and Resources

This term, Yr 12 students who have applied for Early Entry will hear whether or not they have been successful. As some offers are still conditional on students receiving a designated ATAR, it is a good reminder to work to the ‘finish line’.

For students who are looking to move straight into the workforce, there are a number of traineeships available at present. Interested students have just had the opportunity to view the Richmond Valley Council program online and have been told about the application process. 

School Based Traineeships are an excellent way to build skills needed for employability and gain industry/work experience. REIP are running a webinar for students and parents about School Based Traineeships. If you would like to know more for future reference please register via the link below.

Wednesday 27th October at 7pm                    
SBAT Information Session for Students and Parents

Register here; https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/187325314057

This session will be facilitated by RIEP Mid North Coast and is for STUDENTS and PARENTS considering undertaking or who have recently commenced a school based apprenticeship or traineeship. Topics include:

• What you need to know about a SBAT
• How your SBAT works alongside your HSC
• Hear from a previous SBAT on how to make your SBAT successful
• Hear from an employer of SBATs and an employers perspective and expectations
• The benefits and pathways SBATs can provide

Also over the next few weeks we will be running webinars for interested students to gain knowledge about specific industries. Professionals working in these industries will be talking about their industries via a live webinar. 

Industry webinars include: Regenerative Agriculture, Careers dealing with Climate Change and Sport and Fitness.

If your son or daughter is interested in attending one of these webinars in school time, can they please come and see me to register. Sessions such as these open students' eyes to potential careers that they may not know exist or they may not have considered.

Creative Futures @ SAE Byron Bay
Year 11 and 12 Students interested in Creative Industries, ie film and music, may like to explore the SAE Creative Industries event on Wednesday, 27 October 2021 at 5:30pm - 7.00pm          

Event for Year 11 & 12 students only:
SAE Byron Bay Campus, 373/391 Ewingsdale Rd, Byron Bay
Register for Creative Futures  - Link to Eventbrite

Bev Champion
Leader of VET, Careers and Resources

Literacy Coach

The beginning of any new Term (week or day even) is a wonderful opportunity for a fresh start and to create new positive habits.  Term 4, in particular, brings with it the opportunity to finish a year strong, with students demonstrating their best work to show themselves and their families all the learning and growth they have made this year before they start a new school year.  This means all students should be communicating all their learning and growth clearly and appropriately.  As always we encourage students every time they write something (handwritten or typed) they make sure they have:

• Read their work aloud to check it makes sense
• Check that they have constructed complete sentences
• Check that they have answered the question or activity fully
• Check their spelling, punctuation and grammar
• Have checked with someone else (peer, teacher, sibling, parent/carer) that their work makes sense (if this is appropriate)
  

Before they submit their work or hand it in.  If students are in exams they still should be completing all these steps except the last one. 

In continuing to provide tools to support your student at home in our Literacy Focus areas of:

• Elements of Grammar: such as maintaining correct tense when writing, using a range of sentence structures and phrasing to improve the quality of student’s writing
• Spelling accuracy
• Using punctuation correctly

Here are a few tips to remember:

I will continue to provide tips to support your student at home in these areas in the coming Newsletters.  If you have any questions about this work, please do not hesitate to contact the College or Kelly Winters, Literacy Coach by email at kelly.winters@lism.catholic.edu.au.

Kelly Winters
Literacy Coach

SMCC Ministry Corner

With lockdown over and restrictions beginning to ease we are running at full speed with ministry in term 4. Have a read of the exciting things ahead, all of which are being transformed into a Covid-safe format.

Catch the Wave - Year 8

Catch the Wave is a short experience for year 8 students to build their knowledge of ministry at SMCC and the wider diocese. Year 8 students will participate in this program facilitated by the YMO’s and Ms Day on 

Thursday the 4th of November during Period 1 and 2. 

SHINE Unplugged - Year 9 & 10 Ministry

The postponed SHINE conference scheduled for this term has unfortunately been cancelled due to ongoing COVID restrictions and a change in the HSC Exam block. However, with help from the CSO, there has been organised an experience called SHINE Unplugged. This year will be the second instalment of the SHINE Unplugged series after we were faced with similar difficulties last year. We are excited to be able to run this long awaited event for our students. Last year the theme was: Called to Greatness, this year we continue to the theme of being called, but we are instead Called to Connection. SHINE Unplugged will be held on Tuesday the 23rd of November. 

Proclaim Lismore Wildfire

The Lismore Diocese band, Wildfire, have some exciting news to announce. They have a whole new album! Check out the Proclaim Lismore Students Youtube or @proclaimlismorewildfire on Instagram for updates. Check out the Album on Spotify here.

Want more? Check out @proclaimlismorestudents and @proclaimlismorewildfire on Instagram and/or Spotify for some awesome content, music and playlists. 

Stay safe during this time everyone, we can’t wait to see you all again.

God Bless.

Dan and Theo
Youth Ministry Officers

Investigating Science

Yr 11 Investigating Science student Evelyn Genge has applied and been accepted to the National Youth Science Forum 2022.

"The NYSF Year 12 Program offers an exciting range of in-person and digital science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) experiences for participants across Australia." The program runs for 12 days over January 2022, with a choice of Brisbane or Sydney venues.

Evelyn will engage in a digital program including specialist lectures from STEM experts, speed networking, careers days, critical thinking and science communication. She will also see inside amazing STEM facilities and labs in capital cities around Australia, meet researchers and STEM experts, listen to lectures, and learn what a career in science looks like. 
https://www.nysf.edu.au/programs/year-12-program/ 
Congratulations Evelyn.

At the end of Term 3, Investigating Science also experienced a Q&A Zoom session with Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) experts Rod Dowler (National Education and Engagement Manager) and Hefin Griffiths (Safety Manager). Students discussed nuclear waste and storage, and the new decision by the Australian government to purchase nuclear submarines.

Allison Adams
Teacher

Canteen

Volunteers
We are looking for volunteers to assist in the Canteen. Please contact the Canteen via the College office if you are available at any time to help.

Flexischools
Flexischools is a well-established organisation allowing you to easily place all your canteen orders online at any time.

Download the Flexischools app from the App store or Google Play. Click here for details on how to set up your account. 

Once registered, you can start placing orders immediately.

Please note that sushi orders will need to be placed before Tuesday afternoon at 1pm as Sushi will only be available for Wednesday orders.

There is a charge of $0.29 per order for using this service.

If you have any questions, please contact the Flexischools Customer Service Team via their website contact page.

The normal process of ordering from the canteen (cash, eftpos, morning lunch orders) is still available.

Uniform Shop

Due to the current Level 3 restrictions, the Uniform Shop is operating via the Flexischools service where uniforms can be ordered and purchased online. No fees are charged to families for using this service.

Please note the following information for orders made via this service:

Tuesday Orders
- Cut off time is 12noon on Monday
- Pick up available from the College office on Tuesday afternoon from 3.30pm - 5.00pm

Thursday Orders
- Cut off time is 12noon on Wednesday 
- Pick up available from the College office on Thursday afternoon from 3.30pm - 5.00pm.

Orders not collected will be given to the student the following day to take home.

Whilst all care will be taken to ensure that stock availability is correct at the time of ordering, there may be some items that are not in stock at the time of packing the online orders. In this case, you will be contacted to advise of an estimated time of arrival for new stock of that item or given the option of a refund processed through Flexischools.

We have had a number of enquiries from parents of Year 7 (2022) students about purchasing uniforms but unfortunately due to Level 3 restrictions, the College is unable to operate the Uniform Shop as normal. Further communication will be provided via the College app once we are able to have parents onsite and the Uniform Shop can reopen. 

All uniform shop order enquiries can be emailed to: cash-uniform@lism.catholic.edu.au

Uniform Shop Opening Hours
Tuesdays         3.15pm to 5.00pm
Thursdays        2.00pm to 5.00pm

Payments of cash, cheque or EFTPOS are welcome.

Second Hand Uniforms

Sustainable School Shop is an online shop dedicated to buying and selling of second hand uniforms. For more information ring 1300683337 or visit www.sustainableschoolshop.com.au.

 Please note that this facility is available for use with the new College uniforms only.

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