Newsletter - T2,W6 - 2/6/23

From the Acting Principal

On Friday, 26 May 2023 the College held the annual Beef Day celebrations. There was a carnival atmosphere at the College and all students participated in the events with enthusiasm. The day was a great community building event and a high level of school spirit was on display. I would like to acknowledge and thank all the staff and students who were involved in the planning of the day.

Congratulations to St Mary’s Beef Week Cattle Team who attained outstanding results. So much work was put into Beef Week by both staff and students, and it was fantastic to see them receive the recognition they deserved. Well done to all!

Results: On the Hoof

• Alana King Placing in u/15 Paraders
• Jack Richards who placed 3rd in Junior Steer class
• Claudia Whitney who placed in Junior Steer class

Results: On the Hook

• Champion Lightweight Carcass (350-400 kg)
• Second place for 350-400 kg Carcass
• First place for Junior Lightweight Carcass
• Third place for Junior Lightweight Carcass
• Fifth place for the Junior Midweight Carcass

Casino Rotary BBQ
On Saturday, 27 May 2023, a few staff and senior students volunteered to help with the Casino Rotary BBQ to raise funds for their charitable works. These students worked extremely hard and represented the College with pride. Thank you to the following students for their assistance, the Rotary community were very grateful.

• Tom Wyatt
  
• Connor Turner
  
• Jack Hannigan
  
• Ava George
  
• Charlotte Day
  
• Kharis Birney
  
• Gloria Sampson

Michael Campbell
Acting Principal

Upcoming Dates

Week 7
Monday 5/6/23 - Forming Futures Community Outreach: Primary School Visits
Tuesday 6/6/23 - Troubie - Year 7
Tuesday 6/6/23 - Dio Junior Soccer - Coffs Harbour 
Wednesday 7/6/23 - Year 10 Vaccinations
Thursday 8/6/23 - Winter Sleepout
Thursday 8/6/23 - Close the Gap Day 
Thursday 8/6/23 - Vinnies Winter Sleepout 
Friday 9/6/23 - Student Free Day 

Week 8
Monday 12/6/23 - King's Birthday Public Holiday 
Tuesday 13/6/23 - Parents of Stage 6 2024 Subject Selection Information Evening
Wednesday 14/6/23 - Champagnat House Assembly 11.25am - 12.25pm
Thursday 15/6/23 - Athletics Carnival
Friday 16/6/23 - HTA Coffs Harbour Student Study Day

Parish Mass Times

Weekend Mass
Saturday 5.00pm 
Sunday 8.00am

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

Adoration
Following 9.00 am Mass Saturday

Reconciliation
Saturday 8.30am - 9.00am

Country Mass
Sunday 11 /6/23 - Mallanganee 10.30am

From the Assistant Principal - Learning and Teaching

Stage 4 and 5 Examinations
The College completed its first cross year examination program a few weeks ago. Initial feedback from staff regarding examination protocol, behaviour and attitude of students was positive. It was such a pleasure to see the majority of students take these assessments seriously and give their best effort to showcase what they had learned over the semester. The College will continue with a zero tolerance policy in these exam periods. Students who disrupt the exam environment for themselves and other students will be automatically asked to leave the exam room and will receive zero on their exam. Our assessment booklets will be updated with this new information and the College has revised its communication to parents to reflect this new procedure.

The Core values that we attempt to instill in all students are our 3R's - Respect, Responsibility and Readiness.The main value that we are trying to uphold here is respect - for the learning environment, for other students in your class and for yourself. We want to encourage students to try their best, to give every question a go and to respect the right of other students to do the same.

Stage 4 and 5 Reports
The Stage 4 and 5 Semester 1 reports will be released by the Friday of Week 8 (Friday, 16 June 2023). These reports will be available to view on Compass in digital form only - reports are no longer being printed and sent home. A Compass notification will be sent out to parents and students when the reports are available for viewing.

Please note - In relation to the exam mark on the report: Those students who were asked to leave an exam, or who were unjustifiably away for an exam and who made no attempt to catch their exam up will receive a zero on the report for this section. For those students who were justifiably away, or who made an attempt to catch up, but may have had more exams than time, an NA will appear on their report. This NA means that an average was calculated for this student based on previous work in this subject. This average was then used to help calculate the Common Grade. 

Nadine Connolly
Assistant Principal - Learning and Teaching

From the Assistant Principal - Mission

Last Sunday the Church celebrated Pentecost, this feast signifies renewal and the remarkable influence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. The Casino community also celebrated the cultural highlight of the year- Beef Week. Walking around the town there was so much energy and excitement, and it’s amazing to see a small community come together for something quite spectacular. I would like to congratulate our students for sharing their God given gifts with the broader community. We had winners of the Art competition, contestants in the rodeo, students volunteering for various organisations, students leading steers, models at the fashion show, sporting stars, and so much more. 

As we reflect on Pentecost, let us open ourselves to the Spirit's guidance. Are we surrendering to God's will? Are we utilising our gifts for others? May we embrace the Holy Spirit's transformative power, living as witnesses of Christ's love and bringing hope and joy to the world.

The Holy Spirit inspires us to be agents of peace, justice, and reconciliation. We are called to challenge injustice, speak for the marginalised, and create a compassionate society. This week we are also celebrating National Reconciliation Week, the theme “Be a Voice for Generations”, encourages all Australians to be a voice for reconciliation – where we live, work and socialise. Our Community is one that values Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, histories, cultures, and futures. I hope that all of our students continue to build a community that is inclusive, supportive and allows the gifts of every person to be known and celebrated.

Clare Axman
Assistant Principal - Mission

From the College Business Manager

School Contact Details
Just a friendly reminder to all our families that the preferred email address to use for attendance and general enquiries is smccadmin@lism.catholic.edu.au

All fee enquiries please email cash-fees@lism.catholic.edu.au

Leanne Cummins
College Business Manager

From the Leader of Curriculum

Subject Selections - Year 10 into Year 11 2024
During period 2 on Tuesday, 13 June, I will be giving a Subject Selection talk in which I will explain all the necessary NESA requirements for the HSC as well as the Compressed Curriculum model we use here at St. Mary’s.

An evening session for parents and guardians will follow where we will be joined by the Leaders of Learning and advice on what subjects to choose and to what level e.g. Mathematics Advanced or Mathematics Standard 2 or 1 will be available.

Please keep in mind that whilst the College is providing all the required information for a student to make an informed decision, it is critical that every student engages with this information AND asks the relevant teachers questions about the subject they are thinking of taking in the HSC.

Parent Teacher Conference
Parent/Teacher/Student conferencing for Year 7 - 10 students will be held on Tuesday, 20 June 2023 and Wednesday, 21 June 2023.  As on previous occasions we will be using SchoolInterviews to handle the bookings and information on how to book, along with the code, will be published next week.

Michael Woerner
Leader of Curriculum

From the Leader of Pedagogy

Student Free Day - Friday 9/6/23
Friday of Week 7 staff will continue their learning journey with a Staff Development Day on ‘Assessment’.  As we have just completed two major examination weeks - Week 1 = Senior Preliminary Examinations and Week 4 = 7-10 Semester Exams, it is timely that we come together and reflect on the learning from these blocks to grow and improve for our next examination blocks.

As a staff, we will continue to build our collective understanding of quality formative and summative assessment.  We will collaborate in our Key Learning Areas (KLAs) to design and improve assessment in our KLAs and reflect on our current practices and set goals for improvement. 

We appreciate that student free days are not easy to accommodate from a parent's perspective, but this opportunity to collaborate together is important to student outcomes, so thank you.

Kelly Winters
Leader of Pedagogy

From the Leader of Pastoral Care

Year 10 Vaccinations
A reminder that the Year 10 Meningococcal ACWY vaccine will be offered for our students here at the College Wednesday, 7 June 2023. The vaccination will only be provided at school if consent has been received. To provide consent for vaccination online, parents/carers will need to:

• visit the online consent portal link at Service NSW 
• click the login with ‘Service NSW Account’ button and log in with their Service NSW details, or creat an account with Service NSW  if they don’t already have one
• enter Medicare details for themselves and their child.

NSW Health have also provided the following step-by-step guide on how to provide consent online. For families who are unable to access the online consent form, there are written copies available from the College office.

Safe on Social Resources for parents and carers
Once again Kirra Pendergast from Safe on Social has produced an insightful article about the importance of making time for conversations with our children in today's world.
Safe on Social: Balancing Bytes and Bites

Vaping Resources for Parents
The Commonwealth Government’s recent announcements regarding increasing regulation and decreasing youth access to vaping products is welcome news. 

The Northern NSW Local Health District have put together some excellent resources for parents and will soon be advertising for school and community attendance at the Northern NSW Youth Vaping Forum to be held on Tuesday, 20 June 2023 at Ballina SLC. Please take the time to read the below resource flyers.

Should you wish to attend this forum, registration is essential due to catering. Please contact Michele McCaffery directly through the College office to register. 

Michele McCaffery
Leader of Pastoral Care

From the Leader of Careers

Although you might think that things have been quiet in the Careers corner of the College, there has been a hive of activity since I returned from my leave of absence.

Careers now has its own dedicated area in the TAS Block, where Mr David Lynch and I share an office space. It’s been great being able to conduct interviews and meetings in a set space, especially when the weather is against us.

The Careers space also has three noticeboards. One is dedicated to jobs and employment opportunities in our local area. I have been using Compass to alert students and parents of casual/part time/full time work, apprenticeships and traineeships but I also print all of the jobs and place them on the board as well. Students are welcome to come and check out the board at any time. Even if you’re not actively looking for work, it can be like an inspiration board for ideas about future careers.

The other two notice boards are dedicated to all things related to university, TAFE and other post-school opportunities (e.g. the Australian Defence Force). I am hoping to secure some stands soon to be able to leave course guides and other materials for students to take away and look through at home. Watch this space.

Speaking of the Australian Defence Force, they actually came and visited us late last term. We had a good turn out of students from Years 8 to 12 who listened to a short presentation from three members of the Defence Force and asked a range of questions after the presentation. I have brochures and materials from the Defence Force if anyone missed the presentation and would like to know more.

The Casino TAFE campus has put on another Yes Program and we have 18 students in Year 10 who attend TAFE each Friday to experience what they have to offer in the fields of nursing, beauty, early childhood and media. This is a wonderful opportunity for students to get a taste of what studying at TAFE looks like, as well as an idea of certain fields for future careers.

We have a few opportunities lined up for later this term and early next term; Trade Readiness and the Northern Rivers Careers Expo, as well as the SCU Master Class Day. 

Trade Readiness is a 3 day program where 20 students in Year 10 get to experience life on the tools, with a focus on civil and commercial construction. 2 days of the program will be held at our Earth Centre by qualified and experienced tradespeople and the third day will be an off-site excursion where students will visit a range of local businesses and job sites. 

The Northern Rivers Careers Expo will see all students in Year 10 head down to the Lismore Showgrounds early next term to see & experience a range of career opportunities. From tertiary studies like TAFE and university, to the arts, trades and emergency services, this excursion will allow students to see just some the career paths and avenues they could take as they approach the end of their high school career.

To cater for those who are considering a university pathway after high school, Southern Cross University is offering a Master Class day early in Term 3 for approximately 30 Year 10 students. The day is shaping up to be quite spectacular, with students being able to experience two sessions in one of these fields: naturopathic medicine, health, law, sports science, education, arts, forest science & environmental science. Students will get to experience the life of a university student for a day and see if that particular field is one they could potentially dive into after high school. 

Please remember that, for students in Years 10, 11 & 12, Work Experience is an option for them. Students are permitted 10 school days of work experience. These can be taken in a number of ways; two, five day blocks (either at separate times or back-to-back), one day per week for a whole term or shorter stints of 2-3 days. Please feel free to contact me to discuss work experience and how it can help your child find their pathway in life.

Finally, as part of our careers program, Shenane Reuben Kawane and I accompanied 7 of our junior Goori students to the Bari Health Day at the Lismore Centre for Rural Health on Thursday, 25 May 2023. Our students represented themselves and our school with pride. They were attentive, polite and engaged in all the amazing activities the Centre provided.

Students experienced a range of health related careers; as budding Pharmacists, they learned how to read hospital prescription cards and pack medications for a week in a Webster Pack. As junior Dieticians they explored different tastes and textures and how these effect our overall health and wellbeing. Learning the skills of an Occupational Therapist was a favourite - dressing themselves and making fairy bread with one arm proved easy for some but challenging for others. Hands down the biggest winner was as beginning Doctors who got to apply a real plaster cast to their classmate’s broken arm! Experiencing the $150,000 state-of-the art nursing simulator was also a huge hit with the students.

Shenane and I would like to thank the Centre for welcoming us and providing our Goori kids with this inspirational and incredible day. We look forward to working with them in the future and supporting our young health care professionals of the future!

Michelle Went
Leader of Careers

From the Leader of Library and Resources

Parent Resources
Students love their devices…

While they are a place where most work occurs, for many young people, computers are also a source of entertainment and connection. 

I thought in this short article, I would share a link to the parent page on esafety that may clearly and simply set out steps for parents to support their child’s digital use. This one-page site contains many tips for parents on gaming, cyberbullying, and online safety to name a few. While many of you would be aware of these sites, I thought with their concise and relevant content, they could be worth mentioning again.  https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/issues-and-advice.

For parents/guardians who would like further information, please remember our Parent Collection. Some of these books are available in the front office, or, you may like to put ‘Parent Collection’ into the Search bar at the top of the Library site, available on the scholl intranet,  to view all books available for loan.

Bev Champion
Leader of Library and Resources

From the Leader of Learning - Inclusion & Diversity

Youth Yarn Up - Reconciliation Week
The Northern Rivers Reconstruction Corporation in collaboration with local NRL organisations invited our College to participate in a Youth Yarn Up for Reconciliation Week on Thursday, 1 June 2023. The NRRC aims to honour the 2023 Reconciliation week theme of Be a Voice for Generations by hosting an Aboriginal youth forum that brings together Aboriginal youth from across the Northern Rivers to share their stories, knowledge and dreams for their generation.

Students worked in groups to share their experiences of their communities and yarn about what would make their communities better for youth. This is an ongoing project, and is only the beginning of a very important conversation for our Aboriginal youth.

Kelly Scurr
Leader of Learning - Inclusion & Diversity

From the Sports Coordinator

Athletics carnival
The annual SMCC Athletics Carnival will be held on Thursday, 15 June 2023 (week 8). All events except the 1500m and high jump will be held on the day. If students are interested in competing in either the 1500m or High Jump, they will need to put their name down on the sports noticeboard ASAP. These two events will be held on Thursday next week.

Students are encouraged to deck themselves out in the colour of their houses to increase school spirit. The year 12 students will be running a BBQ so please bring some loose change to support our seniors. Parents, guardians and the community are welcomed and encouraged to support the college.

Upcoming Sport
Term 2 is always a very busy term in regard to sport. In the next few weeks SMCC has:

• Dio Junior Soccer Years 7-10 boys and Years 7-9 girls: Tuesday 6th June - Coffs Harbour
• Dio Netball girls and boys Years 7/8, 9/10 and 11/12: Tuesday, 13 June 2023 - Tweed Heads
• Katrina Fanning Cup open girls rugby league - date TBD

Weekly School Sport
A reminder to students and families that students are to wear the correct sport uniform on Thursday’s for weekly sport. Students are not permitted to wear black socks or canvas shoes and must adhere to the college’s uniform policy.

The College wishes to promote sport in a safe and positive manner and this begins with the correct uniform.

Andrew Fitness
Sports Coordinator

From the Leader of School Evangelisation

Beef Day Fundraising
Our ministry students and student leaders were busy on Beef Day serving soft drinks and beef and gravy rolls. We raised over $1000 for the St Vincent de Paul which is an incredible effort. Thank you to the students who assisted on the day. 

Beef Week Rotary Volunteers
Thank you to all the students who assisted with the Rotary BBQ at Beef Week. Everyone worked so hard and the Rotary Club was extremely impressed with the students efforts. It is great to be able to support our local Rotary Club and the wonderful work they do. 

Champagnat House Mass
This Saturday, 3 June 2023 we will be celebrating our Champagnat House and their families by joining with the Parish community for Mass and supper. We would love to see our Champagnat families and staff come along. Students from other house groups are welcome to attend however we will be focusing on celebrating the contributions of our Champagnat House. Mass is at 5pm with supper served in the Church grounds directly after Mass.

Vinnies Sleepout 
A reminder that we will be hosting the Vinnies Winter Sleep Out at school on Thursday, 8 June 2023. The Friday is a student free day so students should have plenty of time to recover from braving the cold. Students who would like to attend must pay and consent on Compass before Wednesday, 7 June 2023.

Festa Christi 
In 2023, two groups of Year 8 students (divided into male and female groups) from across the Diocese are invited to attend Festa Christi, a two-day retreat experience with activities that focus on ‘walking in another person’s shoes’, having the students overcoming their fears and gaining a greater awareness of social justice. Our school has an allocation of 5 female students and 5 male students. 

Both of these retreats will be held at the Coffs Harbour Adventure Centre. 

Boys Retreat- Tuesday, 1 August 2023 to Wednesday, 2 August 2023
Girls Retreat- Thursday, 3 August 2023to Friday, 4 August 2023

All Year 8 students are invited to apply to attend this event and have been emailed an application form.

Mahaila Day
Leader of School Evangelisation

Sport Summary & Results

Cochrane Cup Rugby League
On Wednesday of last week the students and staff met bright and early to travel to St Joseph’s at Banora Point to compete in Round 1 of the Cochrane Cup. Two teams progress through to Round 2 in Coffs Harbour and the teams were keen to be one of them.

St Mary’s began the first game against St Joseph’s with eagerness, but needed to tighten up through the middle, unfortunately allowing an early try to slip through. Despite some heavy defence and errors on their part we were unable to make any points back against them until Nash Thomas danced through some broken defence to score beside the posts. Despite this second wind, Banora scored out wide and would finish the game 1 try ahead.

During the break we worked on some errors and continued to improve throughout the day with only one other try being scored through our middle.

As the full time whistle blew for each of our games we were 1 or 2 tries down against the carnival’s heavy favourites. All of the players should be proud of their efforts, especially those who stepped up despite never playing Rugby League before.

Diocesan Cross Country - Grafton
On Friday of Week 4, staff and students travelled down to McAuley Catholic College in Grafton to compete at the Dio Cross Country. The students arrived just in time to collect ID badges and walk the track. It was a little more ‘hilly’ than our school track and littered with obstacles so we knew that it wasn’t going to be an easy run.

Across the whole day all students competed to the best of their abilities and clocked some incredible personal best times. The team had a lot of fun enjoying the fine weather and competing against other Colleges in the Diocese. Congratulations to Libby Walker who was selected to represent the Diocese at Sydney.

2023 Beef Week Clash Results

Jacob Ludwig & Andrew Bartlett
Teachers

Intercollegiate Meat Judging Competition

On Friday, 26 May 2023 10 Students travelled to the Food Co-op to compete in the first ever Intercollegiate Meat Judging competition. Students were tasked with identifying 15 retail cuts of meat, 15 wholesale cuts and placing two sets of carcasses from 1st to 4th. It was a fantastic day and we enjoyed walking through the plant, dressing up in marshmallow outfits and, most of all, learning more about the red meat industry and what to look for in a quality carcass. A big congratulations to everyone who participated. These are skills we are looking forward to honing over the next year to come back even more competitively.

A big congratulations to:

• Ryan Greenwood: 2nd place Cut Identification
• Mia Ryan: 3rd place Cut identification
  
• Samara Leven: 3rd Place Carcass Judging
  
• Callum King: 4th Place Carcass Judging
  

We also placed third overall by a narrow margin as a school, a fantastic feat considering 8 schools and over 50 students were competing on the day.

A big thank you to The Co-op for hosting and organising the event.

Jacob Ludwig
Teacher

Beef Week 2023 - Led Steer Competition

Beef week 2023- Led Steer Competition 
I want to congratulate all SMCC students for their efforts in this year's Led Steer Competition. Students have worked tirelessly in the lead up to the competition. Throughout the day students participated in Junior Judging, Junior Paraders, Junior Steer Classes, Open Led Steer Classes and the Led Steer Auction.

Congratulations to Alana King who placed in the finals of the u/15 Junior Paraders in a field size of roughly 70 competitors, Jack Richards/SMCC who placed 3rd in the Junior Steer Class (401-450kg) with our Limousin steer and Claudia Whitney who placed with our Charolais steer in the Junior Steer class.

On the hook competition proved to be very successful for SMCC this year. Overall the college won 6 ribbons for on the hook category with the college taking away Champion Lightweight carcass 350-400 kg (first prize), second place for 350-400 kg carcass, Junior Lightweight carcass winner, third prize in junior Lightweight carcass and fifth place for the Junior Midweight carcass.

I would also like to make a special mention to the Butler family who purchased our Hereford steer at the auction and the Casino Food Co-op and Riverina stockfeeds for supporting our show team.

Aaron Kennedy
Leader of Student Wellbeing - McAuley

10 Pass Coaching Experience

On Wednesday, 31 May 2023, Year 10 PASS completed their Coaching Unit by instructing Year 1 students from SMP in basketball skills. The Year 10 students enjoyed this experience and showed great leadership in delivering the lessons. The Year 1 students were very enthusiastic and the whole experience proved valuable in building community between the two schools.

Keely Maguire
Teacher

Forming Futures Program

A group of dedicated students from the Forming Futures program have been making a significant impact in our local community visiting St. Michael's Residential Aged Care facility once a fortnight.

During their visits, our students engage in a variety of activities that bring joy and companionship to the residents. They participate in art and craft sessions, where they explore their creativity alongside the residents, creating beautiful pieces of art together. The laughter and shared moments of accomplishment are truly priceless.

Another activity that has captured the residents' interest is bocce. Our students and the residents form teams and engage in friendly matches, fostering a sense of healthy competition and camaraderie. The intergenerational bonding that takes place during these games is truly remarkable.

Our students have taken it upon themselves to create trivia quizzes for the residents, providing an opportunity for them to reminisce and exercise their mental faculties. These quizzes spark engaging conversations and a sense of intellectual stimulation for both our students and the residents.

Many of the residents eagerly look forward to the arrival of our students as it has become a highlight of their day. The residents often express their gratitude for the companionship and the genuine connections they have formed with our students. Not only do these visits benefit the residents, but our students also experience tremendous personal growth. They develop empathy, compassion, and a deeper understanding of the value of intergenerational connections. 

We are immensely proud of our Forming Futures students for their commitment to making a positive difference in the lives of others.

Kylie Parker 
Teacher

Beef Day Activities 26/5/23

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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

Reminder: Girls navy scarfs are out of stock until further notice.

The Uniform Shop service is now a cashless service. Methods of payment are EFTPOS or online ordering via Flexischools. No fees are charged to families for using the Flexischools service.

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

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

Thursday Orders
- Cut off time is 12 noon 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.