Newsletter - T4,W8 - 2/12/22

From the Principal

After 4 years of planning, and 2 years of construction, I am very happy and excited to let you all know that we have been able to move into our new building - the Mercy Centre - this week. This is cause for great celebration as we are able to move into and utilise these beautiful flexible learning spaces which have been designed for 21st century learners. It has been a mammoth process and there are many people who need to be thanked - which will be done more formally at the official opening ceremony next year. Personally I would like to thank;

• Mr Aaron Beach who began this whole process in 2018 in response to significant infrastructure failure in the existing C Block Science labs;
• Fr Peter Slack who believed in the dream and endorsed the project for our College;
• Mr Frank Hannigan, Mrs Natalie Day and the entire building committee for their time, expertise and assistance in running this project;
• Mr Warren Steele, the architect and Project manager for his vision and persistence with this project;
• Michael O’Conner and Lloyd Construction for their work and attention to this project during a very trying 2 years;
• All staff who have helped the design process, taken in classes in spaces where there should never have been classes, worked in with the disruption that 2 years of construction brings, and who turn up everyday to teach our students under less than ideal learning conditions;
• All of our students who have coped with; room changes, travel to the EARTH centre; smaller playground, noise and general disruption for the duration of this project.

The move this week into the Mercy Centre has been intense and has involved so many people. Thank you to Mr Mat Short who has been on the ground organising the movement of furniture which has been stored until we were able to access the new building. Our senior students who are studying the Forming Futures Non-ATAR pathway, as well as some students from other classes and year groups have done a phenomenal job in setting up the learning commons furniture and organising the classrooms with our existing furniture. I have added a couple of photos and am looking forward to welcoming everyone into this space early next year.

The good news continues with Elliana Cox (Year 12, 2022) having her HSC Artwork chosen for ARTEXPRESS. ARTEXPRESS is an annual series of exhibitions of exemplary artworks created by New South Wales visual arts students for the Higher School Certificate examination. From 8028 students who submitted Bodies of Works for the 2022 HSC Visual Arts Examination, 410 students were nominated for ARTEXPRESS. It is a very prestigious honour and some of her drawings from her artwork ‘Refuge, ?’ are shown below:

Elliana’s artist statement described her artwork as:
‘Home’ is known as a place of refuge, a person's safe place, and livelihood. Where is our safe place now? My Artwork is reflected by recent unprecedented events that destroyed many people's safe places. Inspired by Robyn Sweeneys and Howard Arkley’s ability to explore notions of Australian identity and place from their simple streetscapes and homes. I drew flood-affected homes from my own small town to capture the disaster of the floods. Once these intricate pen drawings were complete I deliberately damaged them with coffee imitating the devastation brought on by the 2022 floods.

Damian Rea (Year 11, 2022) was also shortlisted for ARTEXPRESS. Even though he was not chosen to be in the final exhibition, he can be justifiably proud of his artwork and achievement. The College is incredibly proud of both Elliana and Damian and their achievements. Thank you to Mr Darren Harper who worked with all the students in the HSC Visual Arts class this year.

Some important dates as we move into the final few weeks of the year:

• Celebration evening will be held at the College from 6.30pm on Tuesday, 6 December 2022
• Last day for students Friday, 16 December at 3.10pm
• Parent/Student/Teacher Interviews - Monday, 19 December. These will be to discuss the 2022 Semester 2 reports and will be held at the College between 9.00am and 10.30am. More information will be sent home via Compass closer to the event.
• Year’s 7, 11 and 12 will begin their new school year with a Day 1 on Monday, 30 January 2023.
• Year’s 8, 9 and 10 will commence on Tuesday, 31 January 2022. They will begin on Day 2 of the timetable.
  

As holiday time is often when students take the opportunity to ‘alter their appearance’, I would remind all parents that students will be expected to return to School in 2023 having fully adhered to guidelines in relation to neatness and grooming. Of particular note is school shoes, and I thank you, in advance, for your cooperation in ensuring that our students return to school looking like fitting ambassadors for the College within the wider community.

As this is my last newsletter before I take Long Service Leave, I would like to take the opportunity to thank you for entrusting our College with the care and education of your children. Your support, timely reminders and communication are most valuable and important to us. I do believe that great things happen when there is a shared responsibility between the student, home and the school. This is a great school and all of our families, and the wider community have helped it become so.

Finally, I offer the following Advent reflection:
The Christmas message is that the really great stories of our lives involve risk.  And that it’s deeply human to feel afraid, or not good enough, or wanting to run away.  But that it’s also part of being human, a person of faith and hope, that at some point, God gives us the grace we need to take up our role in the story.  At some point, God enters our lives and helps us to take responsibility for the lives we are called to lead for others. Advent is a time of waiting in hope for the arrival of this grace’.                                                           (University of Notre Dame).

Thank you, again, for your support throughout 2022. I look forward to working with you again in 2023 and wish you all a Happy and Holy Christmas spent in the fine company of family and friends.

Tracy Robinson
Principal

Upcoming Dates

Week 9
Tuesday 6/12/22 - Celebration Evening
Wednesday 7/12/22 - Year 9 Agriculture Steer Sale Excursion
Thursday 8/12/22 - Year 12 Retreat Day, Camp Drewe
Thursday 8/12/22 - Year 11 Elevate Study Day
Thursday 8/12/22 - Senior Parents Information Evening
Friday 9/12/22 - Senior Students Community Day

Week 10
Monday 12/12/22 - White Card Training
Monday 12/12/22 - St Michael's Nursing Home Visit
Thursday 15/12/22 - HSC Results released
Friday 16/12/22 - Last Day for students

Parish Mass Times

Weekend Mass
6.00pm (Sat) & 8.00am (Sun)

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

Adoration
Follows 9.00am Mass

Reconciliation
Saturday 8.30am - 9.00am

Country Mass
11 December - Bonalbo 10.30am

From the Assistant Principal -Learning & Teaching

Celebration Evening
The College will hold its Celebration Evening on Tuesday, 6 December. This is the night where we publicly acknowledge academic, pastoral and sporting excellence that our students have displayed this year. All students and families are welcome.
Students who will receive class first place and commendation awards will be notified on Monday, 5 December so they are aware of their awards. The perpetual award winners, as well as Principal awards and first in grade will be announced on the night. Students are asked to wear full school uniform to accept their awards. Students and parents are asked to be seated for a 6:30pm start.

As the new Mercy Centre has recently opened, the College is offering for parents to view our new space on the night. The building will be open from 5:45pm for quick viewings before the Celebration Evening gets under way.
After such a big year, we hope to see you all at the College on Tuesday night to celebrate the achievements of our students and to see our new learning space.

Nadine Connolly
Assistant Principal - Learning & Teaching

From the Assistant Principal - Mission

“Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.” (Matt 3:3)
As we move into the Church season of Advent we begin to take stock of the year that has been. Even though for all of us, it has been a year of challenge, we have much to be grateful for and celebrate. We are grateful for the gift of friendship, the gift of learning, the gift of our community. 
In our final weeks of the term, we look towards how our actions have demonstrated our values throughout the year. At assembly this week we discussed the importance and impact of respect in our relationships at the College. We looked at ways we can demonstrate respect towards ourselves, our peers, our staff, and our environment. This is how we are making straight paths in our lives! We live our values in all our interactions, everyday. 
I encourage our young people to demonstrate this respect in all aspects of their lives. 

Senior Retreat Days
Next week we have the opportunity to spend some time with our senior students in retreat and reflection. Unfortunately, we are unable to hold an overnight retreat this year. However, Ms Day has two fantastic days planned for our young people. This will give them a chance to build stronger friendships among their peers and get to know others in their classes. Our year 12 students will have the opportunity to ‘let their hair down’ and compete in trivia with their families at the end of the day! It will definitely be an evening to remember!

Uniform Expectations
I would like to remind families that a close shave around the ears when the rest of the hair is longer is deemed an ‘extreme’ cut by the College standards. If your young person would like to enjoy this haircut over the holiday period, please ensure it is compliant with the College expectations before they return in January. 

Headspace
Headspace have a new Parent/Carer webinar – Supporting young people in school holidays: practical tips for parents and carers. These webinars will have a focus on supporting young people 12+ years. Please see below flyer.

Clare Axman
Assistant Principal - Mission

From the Leader of Pastoral Care

Headspace Natural Disasters Presentation
Headspace Lismore and Tweed Heads are working with headspace Schools & Communities to deliver mental health education sessions to secondary schools impacted by natural disasters, to support young people to manage their wellbeing during this challenging time. These workshops are being delivered across the Northern Rivers. Our students in Year 8 - Seniors were able to attend these sessions here at the college yesterday. These sessions covered:

• Understanding mental health and wellbeing
• Understanding different types of reactions after a natural disaster
• Identifying strategies to manage your feelings
• Finding local and national services and supports available to young people

For more information about the natural disaster mental health education sessions, contact the Mental Health Education Program team: MHEP@headspace.org.au

Michele McCaffery
Leader of Pastoral Care

From the Leader of Library and Resources

Why Read (Young Adult Fiction).
As our lives become increasingly digital, books compete with the lure of screen time; social media, games and you-tube to name a few.

Students are encouraged to read in their English classes, but many do not take books home to finish. With recent media reports on the decline of reading standards, especially for Year 9 boys, I thought it may be time to visit the benefits of reading and how we can all support students in their reading.

The books in our Library and those widely available to young people belong to the Young Adult Fiction (YAF) category. Books in this category are written to mirror the attitudes, issues and fears of today's teenagers and guide them through some of these tough experiences. They usually contain imaginative storylines combined with an exploration of emotions that may feature in our everyday lives, meaning that they are a fantastic tool to discover the complex and sometimes daunting world we live in. Young adult fiction also invites the reader to empathise with individuals who are unlike themselves and through reading YAF, readers are exposed to characters they may not have access to in real life.

YA fiction can be more than a story to the reader. It challenges their perception of the world and offers the opportunity of self-discovery from the security of a book, answering questions such as ‘What do I believe in?’ and ‘What type of person do I want to be?’ These books also encourage enthusiasm for and a love of reading.

The NZ Council for Educational Research in their paper, “Growing Independence..” sums up with the following;

Continuing the habit of reading widely  into teenage years helps teens to:

• Deal with their increasingly complex world, and understand some of the adult issues they will have to grapple with
• Know they are not alone – that others may be thinking and feeling the way they do
• Open lines of communication
• Share and see how others have found solutions to problems
• Develop their vocabulary

If students are looking for reading material, audiobooks and ebooks found on the SORA site or books may be loaned for holiday reading through the Library.

Bev Champion
Leader of Library and Resources

From the Sports Coordinator - Internal

Weekly school sport for 2023 will remain using the same structure as sport in 2022. Thursday sport will consist of stage 4 students having sport in the morning during periods 1 and 2, whilst stage 5 students will have sport in the afternoons during periods 5 and 6.
Next week on Monday, 5 December, students will have the opportunity to elect preferences for which sporting activity they would like to participate in for the duration of term 1 2023. 

Please see the details below regarding the sports available for each year group:

Year 7
Students will rotate through a range of scheduled activities as they transition into sport at high school. This will include Cricket, Lawn bowls ($2), Oztag and Ultimate Frisbee.

Year 8
Basketball - Where: SMCC - Cost: Nil
Tennis - Where: Casino Tennis Courts - Cost: Nil
Volleyball - Where: SMCC - Cost: Nil
Walking - Where: Various destinations around Casino - Cost: Nil

Year 9 & 10
Basketball - Where: SMCC - Cost: Nil
Golf - Where: Casino Golf Club - Cost: $5 per week
Tennis - Where: Casino Tennis Courts - Cost: $4 per week
League Tag - Where: Colley Park - Cost: Nil
Volleyball - Where: SMCC - Cost: Nil
Walking - Where: Various destinations around Casino - Cost: Nil
Gym - Where: Mercy Centre Gym (MCG) - Cost: Nil
Ultimate Frisbee - Where: Colley Park - Cost: Nil

If you have any questions, please speak to Mr Fitness.

Diocesan Golf Championship
On Tuesday, 22 November, the golfing athletes of St Mary’s Casino travelled down to Coffs Harbour to take part in the Diocesan Golf Championships.
The day began in the Casino Golf Club bus before Connor Turner, Blair Campbell, Colby Leeson and Tom Wyatt hit the range up to begin loosening the shoulders. The 1st tee was met by good and bad shots before they started to hit their strides with many pars and birdies finding the scorecard. After the hilly stride up the 18th fairway, they met in the clubhouse for a can of coke and to find the results.
Overall, the Saints team had a very successful day, coming 1st in the combined points score for all of the schools. Tom Wyatt ran 2nd overall in the individual net leading the Saints charge with 36 points, receiving a silver medal for his efforts. Blair Campbell gained another podium finish for the Saints with a total 36 points, conceding to Tom on a countback. Colby also found the middle of the club with an 8th-place round of 33 points. Connor brought it up the rear for the Saints with a 9th-place 31-point round. So it’s fair to say, a successful day on fairways and greens for the team.
The boys would like to say a big thank you to all the countless hours that their coach, Shane O’Brien, has put into their technique and golf game. Also a massive thank you to Mr Campbell and Mr Wyatt for taking the time out of their week to help the boys get to the course, Mr Fitness for organising the day and to the Casino Golf Club for supplying the free travel for us to and from Coffs Harbour.

Berg Shield Cricket
On Friday, 4 November, 11 cricketers from St Mary’s took the field to play in the second round of the Berg shield which is a knockout T20 comp for years 7-9 held amongst the high school's within the diocese. St Mary’s managed to make it to the second round after a very hard fought and nail biting victory against the Bye which saw them cruise though to take on Mt St Patrick’s in round two.
The sun was shining, the sky was blue, it was a nice 26 degree day and the pitch was a bit of a green top and the outfield looked like it was going to be zippy; perfect conditions for a game of cricket. After a late arrival by Mt St Patrick’s, Captain Ryder Anderson won the toss and elected to bowl first, Mt St Patrick's had a rocky start losing 2 for 30 after 6, but their star batsmen got to work and put on a commanding total of 5/178 after 20. Ryder lead the wickets with 2fa.
In reply St Mary’s were skittled for 64, with Miller Scully top scoring making 21. Despite the result, the boys held their heads high and there were plenty of laughs shared on the day.

NRCC Cricket
On the last day of November, eleven boys from Years 8 - 9 headed to Barry Davidson oval in Lismore to compete in the NRCC T20 cricket tournament. Our first match was against Trinity Catholic College Lismore, who were sent in to bat first, and set a hefty chase of 212 for us. This became even more unachievable when our opening batsmen were sent back with ducks and James Rowlands had to retire due to injury. Our best players for our first match were Tom Bratti who hit 11 not out, and Miller Scully who did an excellent job as keeper, not letting through one bye despite the number of wides our bowlers delivered him.
After a trip across the road to Mcdonald's for lunch, we were in good spirits for our second game against Emmanuel Anglican College. With time getting away from us, both teams decided to up the ante by limiting the overs to 12. Miller Scully opened our bowling and made a solid 42 runs before being caught in the 11th over. We finished our batting innings with 96 runs, however, Emmanuel’s first-grade opening batter quickly diminished any hopes we had of a victory, retiring for 54 after 7 overs setting Emmanuel up to overtake our count in the 9th over. Eli Essery had our best bowling stats for this game, with 1 for 2 off 1.
A big thank you goes to Mr Joe Lollback for not only umpiring both games, but for his unwavering team spirit. Thanks also to parents Mrs Formaggin and Mr Gomez for coming down to support the boys. And finally, hats off to the boys who were the youngest side of the eight schools participating across the region. They are going to be a force to be reckoned with in the future. Their commitment to the two games was outstanding, especially when many of them had another game to play for club cricket that night. 

Secondary Schools Rugby 7s 
On Wednesday, 30 November, St Mary’s participated in the Northern Rivers Secondary Schools Rugby 7’s gala day at Queen Elizabeth Park in Casino. The school sent 3 teams to compete in the day; 7/8 boys, 9/10 boys and 9/10 girls. The day was competitively contested by all three teams with a handful of wins spread out across all three teams; including taking out bragging rights in the local rivalry match against Casino High School in all three grades. The best performing team though was undoubtedly the 9/10 girls who lost a tight match to Ballina Coast High School in their first game, before going the rest of the day undefeated. Some notable moments included Samara Leven’s match winning try with the final play of the game, Finbar Standfield’s full field try and Billy McGrath’s brutal shots in defence. Special mention to Declan for assisting in training the teams in the lead up to the event, as well as Mr Veitch, Mr Ludwig and Mr McCaffery for coaching on the day. Lastly, thank you to Mr Fitness for organising the day.

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.

Casino Golf Club
During the upcoming Christmas school holidays Casino Golf Club will be conducting a 3 day junior golf clinic on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday 23-25 January 2023.

The sessions will be conducted by PGA Professional Brett Dwyer and will run from 9am to 12pm each day. Cost is $25 per person which covers all sessions. Clubs will be supplied if required.
Contact the Casino Pro Shop on 6662 8333 for bookings.

Northern Rivers Football Academy 
The Northern Rivers Football Academy (soccer) are looking for boys and girls born in 2009 for the 2023 season.
Girls train twice per week, playing in the Football Far North Coast mixed competition. Boys train three times per week and play in the Football Queensland Gold Coast Competition.
If you are interested, please contact Gavin Whitney on 0400 117 494 or via email at gavin@nrfootballacademy.com.au

Andrew Fitness
Sports Coordinator - Internal

From the Leader of School Evangelisation

Student Discipleship BBQ
A reminder that we will be hosting a family BBQ for any student and their family who has attended a discipleship event throughout the year. This event has gone out to participants via the compass app. Please indicate whether you will be attending for catering purposes.  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

SMP Year 2 Retreat Day
Our YMOs have been busy this week assisting at running a year 2 retreat day at SMP. This was centred around advent focusing on hope, love, peace and joy. The year 2 students loved having the YMOs present for the day and their work in our primary schools is integral to the formation of future ministry students. 

Senior Retreat 
Just a reminder that our senior retreat days will be held next Thursday and Friday. It is essential that parents consent via the compass up. 

The structure of the Retreat Program will be as follows: 

Christmas Celebrations
We will be gathering as a whole school on Wednesday, 14 December for a Christmas assembly. This will be led by our year 9 and 10 ministry students. 

Fr Dennis Rochford who is replacing Fr Peter Slack whilst he is on holidays will be providing a Christmas blessing for all students on the final day of school. This will take place in the Church during period 5. It will be an important moment for students to reflect on the year that has passed and be reminded of the true reason for the season. 

Mahaila Day
Leader of School Evangelisation

Remembrance Day 2022

Friday, 11 November 2022 marked 104 years since the end of the Great War. November 11 is recognised each year as the date of the conclusion of World War One, and as a time of remembrance of the sacrifices made during times of war. This year, the commemoration was held at Casino’s Mafikan Lamp. After many complications due to COVID-19 it was nice to be able to gather as a community and recall the sacrifices of servicemen and women in all conflicts. We will remember them. St Mary’s Catholic College was admirably represented by College Captain, Nicholas Carey and College Vice-Captain Tom Wyatt.

Christopher Robinson
Leader of Learning - HSIE

Vaping: Information & Awareness - Part 3

How to Support my Child if they are Vaping
Although advertising and peers can heavily influence your teen’s decisions, the impact you have as a parent, carries enormous weight. Research has found that parental involvement and a positive outlook can make a significant difference in healthy decision- making, both now and in the future.

Take a Health Approach
If you discover that your teen is vaping, address it as you would any other risk to your child’s health. Try to resist the urge to lecture, yell or punish your child. It is important to keep the lines of communication open and show your child that you are concerned about their health and safety. Although purchasing vapes containing nicotine without a prescription is illegal in Australia, many vapes labelled as nicotine-free do contain nicotine. Your child may need support to stop vaping as nicotine is very addictive. The more your child vapes, the more both the brain and body will get used to having nicotine, and the harder it is to go without it. When a person stops vaping, even for a short period, they can experience withdrawal, including strong cravings, irritability, fatigue, headache, sleeplessness and difficulty concentrating.

Conversation Starters
Make sure your child recognises how much you care about them and that the conversation is coming from a place of unconditional love, support and concern for their wellbeing. Use the conversation starters below to understand if your child may be continuing to vaping to avoid withdrawal symptoms. Do you continue to vape even though you want to stop or think it’s hurting you in some way?
- Do you feel anxious or irritable when you want to use your vape but can’t?
- Do thoughts about vaping interrupt you when you are focused on other activities?
- Do you vape at school? How often?
- Have you ever tried to stop vaping but couldn’t?
- Do you feel like you have lost control over your vaping?

Support to Quit Vaping
Read this helpful infographic for suggestions about how to support your child to quit vaping.

Source:
smokefree.gov
NSW Health TabaccoFree

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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