Newsletter - T4W6 - 18/11/22

From the Principal

I must commend all students and staff for the smooth start to the 2023 academic year. The full use of these last five weeks of the school year by our junior classes has been one of the great ‘hidden’ benefits of our compressed model of HSC curriculum. Parents and guardians can assist us over these next five weeks by ensuring that students are maintaining their home study routine.

At this point it looks like we will be moving into our long overdue new building - the Mercy Centre - next week. We are hopeful that classes will be able to start in this beautiful new environment in Week 8. This is a very exciting time for the College and for our students as we have been waiting for so long to move into these purpose built facilities. While there are still some finishing touches which will need to be attended to, essentially the building will be ready for learning and teaching. I look forward to the day when classes begin in the spaces designed for the 21st century learner. There will be more information at a later date regarding open days where you can come along and have a tour and see where your children will be learning.

With the new school year comes new staffing arrangements and I would like to warmly welcome Mr Matthew Carter (TAS) and Mr Brett Anderson (TAS) to the teaching staff for 2023. Each of these teachers is already well known within our community and I offer them a very warm St Mary’s welcome. There are several changes to staffing and leadership roles which are outlined below: 

Ms Dana Barnsley is moving to Xavier Catholic College on secondment for the 2023 school year. As Dana is currently Leader of Pedagogy, she is being replaced in this leadership position by Mrs Kelly Winters. Mr Jacob Ludwig has moved from a full-time to a part-time position for 2023. Mr Bailey Veitch is leaving us at the end of the year to travel overseas. Ms Hannah Toohey will also be leaving for a position at St Josephs College, Banora Point. Mr Andrew Bartlett and Ms Helen Gooley will both be taking 12 months long service leave, and Andrew Bartlett will be retiring at the end of this time. All of these staff members will be appropriately farewelled at our annual Celebration Evening in Week 9. A full account of new staff will be published as soon as all replacement positions have been determined. All of these teachers have been part of our College community for some time now. We thank them for all their efforts in our College during their time here and wish them well for their future.

Upcoming Events:

• Our Year 7 (2023) Orientation Day will be held next Friday, 25 November here at the College. Welcoming a new cohort of Year 7 students into the College is always exciting and I know days such as these go a long way towards ‘easing nerves’ for our new students.
• A reminder that our annual ‘Celebration Evening’ will also be held on Tuesday, 6 December commencing at 6.30pm in the Relihan Centre. I really encourage all members of our community to make the effort to attend this important evening as we celebrate the collective achievements of our students throughout 2022. Parents and friends are welcome and indeed encouraged to attend.
• The final day of 2022 for students across Years 8 – 11 is Friday, 16 December at 3.10pm. 
• Parent/Teacher/Student Interviews will be held on Monday, 19 December from 9am to 10.30am. Please note that these interviews will be for discussion of the final report from the 2022 academic year.

I would like to let everyone know that I will be taking leave in weeks 9, 10 and 11. It has been an incredibly tumultuous year and I am blessed to be in such a caring and supportive community. Mrs Clare Axman will be Acting Principal in my absence and I know that you will show her the same level of support and care that I have always enjoyed.

Tracy Robinson
Principal

Upcoming Dates

Week 7
Monday 21/11/22 - Vaping, Clearing the Air Presentation
Tuesday 22/11/22 - Dio Golf Championships, Coffs Harbour
Friday 25/11/22 - 2023 Year 7 Orientation Day

Week 8
Monday 28/11/22 - Forming Futures Parent Inforamtion Evening
Wednesday 30/11/22 - 2022 Year 7 Vaccinations (second dose)
Wednesday 30/11/22 - NRCC Cricket, Lismore
Wednesday 30/11/22 - Secondary Schools Rugby 7's, Casino
Thursday 1/12/22 - Headspace Natural Disaster Workshop 

Parish Mass Times

Weekend Mass
Saturday 9.00am and 6.00pm
Sunday 8.00am

Weekdays
Monday 9.00am
Tuesday  8.00am
Wednesday 8.00am
Thursday  9.00am
Friday  9.00am
Saturday  9.00am

From the Assistant Principal - Mission

This week we celebrated the life of Venerable Catherine McAuley. Catherine was born in Ireland in the late 1700s. She began the Sisters of Mercy in order to provide care and compassion for the women and children living in poverty in Dublin. Our students in McAuley House at the College strive to live the values of their house patron in all their actions. This was particularly relevant this week as a community we participated in acts of service in our local area. 

Reach Out Day and Wellbeing Day
As a College community we had a fantastic week last week where we were about to be of service in our local area. We had students assisting in primary schools, nursing homes, cleaning up waterways, weeding gardens for elderly, cleaning windows, sorting donations, and much much more! The students had a great experience and really enjoyed their time with other members of their homerooms who they may not usually spend time with. I would like to thank Ms Day for her organisation of this program.

Vaping
At our assembly this week, I spoke with the students about the dangers of vaping and outlined the College response to vaping. The use and/or possession of e-cigarettes for a young person is illegal. As a College we do not allow the possession or use of e-cigarettes by our students on the premises. This also extends to students vaping outside of the College premises while in College uniform (or part thereof), or while on excursion from the College.

Thank you to our families for supporting us as we, as a community, tackle this concerning behaviour. 

Uniform Expectations
As we begin a new academic year, we turn our attention to restating our expectations and standards. During the assembly I repeated aspects of our uniform policy. This policy has not been altered, it has remained the same. I reminded students that a close shave around the ears when the rest of the hair is longer is deemed an ‘extreme’ cut by the College standards. Many families received a letter outlining our expectations regarding uniform as a result of inappropriate haircuts. 

We have also had an increase in students wearing the incorrect footwear. If we have any families who require financial assistance in order to meet the uniform expectations please make contact with your Leader of House and we will aim to assist where possible. 

Clare Axman
Assistant Principal - Mission

From the Leader of Pedagogy

Transition Week: Stage 6 Readiness Program
On Wednesday and Thursday of last week, our Year 10 students participated in a transition program to help them best prepare for their studies as HSC students. This is the third year that we have embarked on the program to support our Year 10 students with core skills needed in transitioning into the rigours of Senior Studies. Workshops held over the two days included:

• How to take class notes and study notes using the Cornell note system
• Enrolling in and navigating Stage 6 online learning platforms eg. Schools Online and Edrolo
• Emerging Leadership
• Respectful Relationships

An essential aspect of the transition days was the completion of the NESA mandated HSC: All My Own Work course and test. HSC: All My Own Work is a program designed to help HSC students follow the principles and practices of good scholarship. This includes understanding, valuing and using ethical practices when locating and using information as part of their HSC studies.

Students who have completed the program will also know about penalties for cheating and how to avoid malpractice when preparing their work for assessment.

To be eligible for the HSC, students must complete HSC: All My Own Work before they submit any work for Preliminary (Year 11) or HSC (Year 12) courses unless they are only entered for Year 11 and Year 12 Life Skills courses. If any students did not complete this course as part of their Transition Days due to absence, it is important that they contact the Leader of Curriculum, Mr Woerner, as a matter of some urgency. We wish all of our Year 10 2022 cohort the best of luck as they embark upon their Senior Studies.

Dana Barnsley
Leader of Pedagogy

From the Leader of Library and Resources

With the new school year upon us, we here in the Library, have been busy ensuring students are equipped with the texts required for their new courses.

I thought that perhaps it is a good time to explain this process.
All resource loans, texts and books, are loaned through the Library to students for a nominated time. Texts are loaned for one year and reading books for a period of two weeks.

It is the student’s responsibility to ensure these are cared for during this time.

It is therefore a good idea for students to ensure they have their lockers locked and manage drink bottles etc in their bag.

We understand that accidents happen from time to time and I ask that students report this to the Library immediately so we can support where possible.

For students who do not return books, new texts for the new school year cannot be loaned. Whilst many students have returned texts and have collected books for the new academic year, a number of students still owe texts from last year. These students will be given a printout of outstanding loans with the cost of replacement. If books are lost, they need to be paid for at the Front Office. In a number of instances, we are still waiting on texts to be returned, so other students may borrow for the 2023 year.

I ask that you check with your son/daughter that they have the required books and texts for 2023 and if they have not been issued, please check if they have been given a notification of an overdue loan. This will assist the process and hopefully ensure students can be equipped as soon as possible. 

Bev Champion
Leader of Library and Resources

From the Sports Coordinator - Internal

College Sports Uniform
Beginning in the 2023 academic year, the College will be implementing a full college sports uniform policy when students are representing the College for any sport competition. What this means is students will be required to wear their full college sports uniform to events demonstrating team cohesiveness and pride in our College. Students will not be permitted to wear any other non-school attire (e.g. hoodies, trackpants, hats etc.) to these events. Students that do not adhere to this policy will not be representing the College and will be asked to remain at school instead of attending the sporting event.

SMCC Swimwear Policy
With the swimming carnival scheduled for early term 1, the College would like to remind the SMCC community of the swimwear policy here at school. 

For all water, swimming and aquatic activities the following swimwear policy has been adopted by St Mary’s Catholic College. Hopefully this will make it clear what attire is safe and appropriate at College events and activities. The policy will now apply to students currently participating in water activities for Sport and for upcoming excursions and carnivals involving swimming. 
We want all students to be able to participate in aquatic activities safely and modestly. We are concerned about students’ physical and emotional wellbeing.
Prohibited apparel includes: non-swimming shirts, running shorts, compression tights, athletic shorts, undergarments, swimmers not covering buttock cheeks, thongs and Brazilian cut swimwear. These garments are either considered unsafe for water and aquatic activities or inappropriate due to their revealing nature. The aim is for everyone to have fun, participate and enjoy aquatic games and activities.

If you have any concerns or wish to clarify or discuss this policy, please feel free to contact the Sport Coordinator via the College office.

Andrew Fitness
Sports Coordinator - Internal

From the Leader of School Evangelisation

Accendere
Four of our Year 10 ministry students volunteered their time to assist at SMP Year 4 retreat day ‘Accendere’. Accendere means to ‘switch on’ or to spark the flame, and it is a part of the discipleship continuum. Many of our Year 9 and 10 ministry students attended this retreat when they were in primary school. This was an excellent opportunity for our ministry students to apply their leadership skills. The year 4 students from SMP loved having them there and there presence during the retreat day was very much appreciated. 

Senior Retreat 
A letter has been sent out to parents and carers via email and with students. This will provide an overview of our senior retreat program for this year. All of the details are available through the compass app.  The retreat days will be held on Thursday, 8 and Friday, 9 December 2022. 

The structure of the Retreat Program will be as follows: 

Student Discipleship BBQ
We will be hosting a family BBQ for any student and their family who has attended a discipleship event throughout the year. This will be a wonderful opportunity to gather as a community and share a meal together and allow students to share their experiences from various discipleship events that they have attended throughout the year. We will be gathering in the Church grounds for some family games from 5pm, followed by mass and a BBQ. Students who have attended a discipleship event are invited to attend with their families. We look forward to seeing our ministry students and their families there. All of the details for this can be found via compass events. 

When: Saturday, 3 December 2022

• Gathering in the church ground from 5pm 
• Mass at 6pm 
• BBQ served directly following Mass in the Church Grounds
  

Reach Out and Well-Being Days
Our Reach Out days were highly successful and our staff and students worked tirelessly to give back to our surrounding communities. Our year 10 students completed a stage 6 readiness program which was facilitated by members of the College leadership team. Year 7-9 participated in a range of wellbeing and community service activities in their houses and homerooms. The feedback from businesses and staff who facilitated sessions was very positive and many were impressed with the work ethic of our students. Students were rewarded for their hard work with a fun day on Friday electing to attend Ballina Waterslides, Primex, or School based activities. Below are some photo’s from our students in action during their community service and wellbeing activities.

Mahaila day
Leader of School Evangelisation

From the Leader of PDHPE

Diocesan Water Polo
On Thursday 10th November SMCC competed in the annual Lismore Diocesan Water Polo Competition at Alstonville. The last time the carnival was held was in 2009 (COVID), the last time St Mary’s entered a Water Polo was back in 2010. 

With seven teams in the 15yrs Girls competition, it was divided into two pools, St Mary’s had to play St Joseph’s Tweed and Xavier.

St Mary’s first game was against St Joey’s, all were nervous as they had never played Water Polo and because of the state of the Casino Pool, no training had occurred. So it was a pleasant surprise that St Mary’s scored first through Elle Hannigan. Thoughts were, this game isn’t too bad!! With scores at one all Elle was able to put another goal into the net, 2 – 1 with only a minute to play! St Joey’s scored a quick goal and with less than 30 seconds left, St Mary’s went for the win with the pass intercepted and a goal to the opposition on the bell! 3 to 2 down. However, the players were very happy with the result, knowing now how to play the basics of the game.

The next game was against Xavier – they knew more than the basics – at least three of their players did!! At the end of the game the score was 7 – 1 against – a very steep learning curve, with Elle adding another goal – now three for her

Finishing third in their pool the girls were excited and keen to play Trinity as they knew many of their players – a grudge match! St Mary’s scored in the first minute and this set the tone for the rest of the match. Elle scoring two more goals and Elise Pratt putting one away to win 3 – 0. 

A BIG thank you to Cassie, she found the girls at Woodburn Pool and decided to show them a few skills – finding out later that she played for the Australian Women’s Water Polo team – not bad!! 

All students should be extremely proud of their efforts. Instead of watching a black line on the bottom of the pool, they were able to put their swimming skills to use in a sport. All the girls are keen for next year to come around quickly, and with Casino Pool open – a bit of training will occur!

Andrew Bartlett
Leader of PDHPE

Vaping Awareness & Information - Part 2

Vaping: Why is it attractive? 
Young people can be drawn to vaping for a number of different reasons including peer  pressure, accessibility and affordability, the belief that vaping is harmless and curiosity.  Sometimes a family member who vapes can also influence children and young people  to try vaping. 
This short video provides some insights into why vaping is attractive to young people  and is important viewing before parents and carers use the conversation starters at  home.  

Conversation Starters 
Be ready to have these conversations with your child with a sense of calmness and  interest in what they have to say. Be ready to listen to their responses without jumping  in too quickly to correct them. Choose your timing wisely, perhaps during a relaxed moment at home, when driving somewhere together, or when no other stress or  distractions are present. 

1. Why do you think more children and teens are vaping? Listen to understand. Your child may mention one of the reasons listed above or have another opinion. This conversation starter opens the door to healthy dialogue.  
2. Could you confidently say no if you were offered a vape? How could you do this? Help your young person create an ‘exit plan’ if they are offered a vape. 3. How do you think the person offering you the vape would react to you saying no?  How might that make you feel about this friendship?  

Now might be a good time to talk about what your child values in their friends. 
Peer pressure can be powerful, so coming up with realistic action steps and practising  them together in a safe environment will prepare and empower your child to make good  choices when it matters. Remind them that not everyone is vaping. There are many  young people making healthy choices to say no.

Vaccinations

The 2nd dose of Year 7 Vaccinations will take place on Wednesday, 30 November at the College.
Please see the attached flyer for information about the vaccination program for 2023.

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

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

Payments of cash, cheque or EFTPOS are welcome.

Orders can also be placed via the Flexischools service. 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 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.

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

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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