Newsletter Term 2 Week 6 - 28/5/21

From the Principal

Welcome to our ‘Beef Week’ edition of the College Newsletter. Firstly, it was great to again see two ex-student’s as this year’s entrants for ‘Beef Week Queen’, Margaret Magner and Brooklyn Handford. Well done to both young ladies for their nominations and huge congratulations to Brooklyn who was crowned the Beef Week Queen. Having taught at St Mary’s for the last 25+ years, I understand the importance of community celebrations such as ‘Beef Week’. The ‘traditions’ within town communities (such as Casino) signifies what is both special and unique about the local area. I hope each of our students is proud to say that they come from Casino and in turn, St Mary’s. I would also like to thank Mr Paul McCaffery and his team for their organisation of our annual Beef Day here at the College today. This is a great day in our community and is one that the students will long remember. 

Primex has come and gone over the last week. Thank you to our Agriculture teachers and students in Years 9 and 10 for representing the College by your presence at Primex. Our students enjoyed the displays and the presence of many facets of agriculture in our town. Thanks to Mr Aaron Kennedy and other staff members who ensured that our students were given this opportunity.

National Sorry Day was held this week on Wednesday, 26 May. The College had a beautiful reflective service which was organised and run by Mr Dane Walker and our Goori students. I would like to end with a reflection from the Sisters of Mercy: “This day is an opportunity to become more conscious of past harm done and the healing needed in relationships between Aboriginal and white Australians. In 1998, Australia stopped to recognise for the first time a National Sorry Day on 26 May, the eve of the commencement of National Reconciliation Week. Genuine reconciliation requires acknowledgement of the harm done by the perpetrators and beneficiaries of past policies so that healing can reach the whole community. This prayer invites us to pray together for such healing:

God, Mother of Mercy, stir within us compassion and a deep desire for reconciliation. On this National Sorry Day may this compassion and reconciliation be strong and true so that justice flows, action flourishes, a difference is made and peace is accomplished. Amen”

Finally, on behalf of the entire College community I would like to offer condolences to Mrs Cheryl McDonald on the death of her mother. May she rest in peace.

Tracy Robinson
Principal

Upcoming Dates

Week 7

Monday, 31 May - Stage 6, End of Preliminary Reports sent home with students

Wednesday, 2 June - Dio Junior Soccer Gala Day (Yr 7-10 Boys & Yr 7-10 Girls) @ Coffs Harbour

Wednesday, 2 June - Compressed Curriculum Parent Information Evening (current Year 10 students) - 6pm

Thursday, 3 June - Len Diett Shield Rugby Union Round 4 vs Woodlawn (Open Boys) @ Casino

Week 8

Monday, 7 June - Grin and Tonic - Years 9 & 10 - Shakespearean drama performance

Tuesday, 8 June - Stage 6 Parent/Teacher Interviews

Friday, 11 June - Yr 7 (2022) letters of offer posted

Parish Mass Times

WEEKEND MASS

5pm (Sat) & 8am (Sun)

WEEKDAYS

Monday 9.00am

Tuesday 8.00am

Wednesday 8.00am

Thursday 9.00am

Friday 9.00am

Saturday 9.00am

RECONCILIATION

Saturday 8.30am - 9.00am

COUNTRY MASS

Sunday, 13 June - Bonalbo

BAPTISMS, WEDDINGS, FUNERALS

(Contact Parish office for details)

MASKS ARE RECOMMENDED 

From the Assistant Principal - Learning & Teaching

School Winter uniform

All students should be wearing their winter uniform from next Monday, 31 May. We ask for your support in ensuring that your sons and daughters wear the correct school uniform. A reminder that students are not to wear long sleeved shirts under their school uniform blouse. Any students wearing these items will be asked to remove them. Girls are able to wear navy blue stockings with navy blue socks over the top to keep their feet warm. Only navy blue socks will be permitted with stockings. Senior girls must wear their uniform blouses under their Senior jerseys. Similarly, all students must only wear the College jacket (or cardigan for girls) with College crest or Senior Jersey (for senior students). The school has ordered some samples of girls’ long pants. We are waiting for them to arrive but there have been delays due to COVID. Once they have arrived, girls will be able to order long pants to wear as part of their uniform. Also, the Uniform Shop and the College office now stock College scarves which can be purchased for $25.

Girls Winter Uniform

Years 7-10                                                                           

• College pleated skirt (checked blue)
• Blue stockings may be worn
• College jacket or cardigan with College crest
• School bucket hat with College crest

Years 11-12

• College pleated skirt (navy blue)
• Blue stockings may be worn
• College jacket or cardigan with College crest
• Year 12 Jersey (optional)
• School bucket hat with College crest

Boys Winter Uniform

Years 7-10

• Grey Midford side tab shorts or long grey trousers with plain leather belt
• Collared school shirt – blue with College crest
• College jacket with College crest
• School bucket hat with College crest

Years 11-12

• Long grey trousers
• Plain leather belt
• Collared school shirt – white with College crest and College stripe tie
• College jacket with College crest
• Year 12 Jersey (optional)
• School bucket hat with College crest

Nadine Connolly
Assistant Principal - Learning & Teaching

From the Assistant Principal - Mission

Welcome to Reconciliation Week

Reconciliation week follows on from ‘Sorry Day’ which we acknowledged as a whole school on Wednesday. It was a fitting way to remember our role in the Reconciliation journey of Australia. 

Respect

At the College we are focusing on respectful relationships at the moment. Our young people are learning how to navigate their way in our world. In order to build our students for success, we insist upon showing respect to all members of our community. This includes the way students respond to our staff as well as their peers. The use of inappropriate language when speaking to their friends is not acceptable at the College. We are reminding them of this regularly at present as we look forward to improved communication and relationships as a result. 

Haircuts

A reminder as we hit the middle of the term when many students are getting a trim, we have clear expectations regarding haircuts. The students have been reminded of this again this week. If a student presents at school with an inappropriate haircut, they will be sent home until it is rectified. Our Principal, Mrs Robinson, reserves the right of decision over haircuts. 

Discipleship Events

We are still calling for applications for Ignite Conference. Forms and payment are due in Week 7, so there is still time to get them in. 

Last week we saw our first Apostoli event with our Ministry students in Years 9 and 10. We were grateful to have some meaningful input from our YMO's Theo and Dan as well as a visiting YMO, Sophie from Xavier Catholic College. We are looking forward to our Ministry classes attending Shine next term and our Apostoli program will help them get ready for this event. 

Clare Axman
Assistant Principal - Mission

From the Leader of Curriculum

Subject Selections for Year 10 going into Year 11 - 2022

The first of several sessions in the Subject Selection process began this week with the Year 10 cohort being taken through the first session. The timeline below will help with planning.

• Session 1 — Term 2, Week 6 during one of the Science lessons
• Student Information on Compressed Curriculum, HSC, ATAR & VET
• Session 2 — Term 2, Week 7 - Period 1
• Leaders of English & Religious Education speaking about those two subjects
• Lines sheet issued for discussion and to be completed by Session 4
• Session 3 — Wednesday, 2 June, 6pm (Term 2, Week 7)
• Parent Information on Compressed Curriculum, HSC, ATAR & VET as well as English & Religious Education
• Session 4 ~ Monday, 19 July, Period 1 - 2 (Term 3, Week 2)
• Students discuss choices & have them signed off by relevant LOLs
• Session 5 ~ Monday - Thursday (Term 3, Week 4)
• SETP Interviews

• Please note that the Term 3 dates are approximate at this stage.
• Here is the link to the Stage 6 Subject Site which contains information about all of the subjects St Mary’s offers
• The Subject Selection Form for which there is a link on the above site is currently not taking responses & will not be taking any until after the students have had their selections signed off by the various Leaders of Learning
• Students & their parents/guardians are strongly encouraged to engage with the information on that site & direct any questions they may have to their teachers, the Leaders of Learning or myself.

Michael Woerner
Leader of Curriculum

From the Leader of Pedagogy

SRC: Teen Mental Health Outreach in Casino

In honour of Dolly’s Day, the SRC ran a College Assembly in Week 6 focussing on Community. All students were encouraged to wear blue accessories to create awareness and conversation around Youth Mental Health. The College Vice Captains, Liberty James and Shane Rosolen spoke to the College to remind them of ways to deal with bullying, how to give support to those around you who are being bullied and how to spot the warning signs of both being bullied and the person bullying.

 To further affect change around Youth Mental Health, the SRC have started a petition to request that the government will increase funding to improve access to youth mental health in Casino through a designated Headspace Casino Office to ensure our young people have access to holistic, multidisciplinary and consistent mental health care. Students at St Mary’s College recognise that Headspace is a fundamental organisation that helps people through things such as bullying and the mental impact that it can have on young people.

Currently, Headspace only operates out of the offices of another partner organisation in Casino two days a week. Casino’s young people are therefore unable to receive help to the extent they need. The lack of access to mental health services for youth living in Casino is a known health gap. Accessing services in larger neighbouring towns is hard for young people who often have limited access to transport. Headspace is such an important service for all of Casino, but particularly young people. It is the first contact point for young people who are initially seeking help and have never spoken to anyone before. 

Student’s and staff have been committing to this course by signing the petition and the SRC will now seek to allow the wider community have their say about the lack of mental health services in our regional community, taking the petition to Casino High and our sporting clubs to get as many signatures as possible so that our young people can get the support they need. 

If you come into the College office, please add your name to this important petition so that all of Casino’s youth will have somewhere and someone they can go, so they can speak even if their voice shakes.

SRC - Mother’s Day

At the start of the month, the SRC in conjunction with the Richmond-Upper Clarence Regional Library acknowledged the mothers, aunties, sisters, grandmothers, cousins and friends in our community by acknowledging the female staff in our College with both prayer and a gift of seeds. The seed library is an initiative of the Richmond-Upper Clarence Regional Library in conjunction with Richmond Valley Council as part of the Food and Garden Organics (FOGO) project. Year 11 student and SRC member Sophie-Rose Hastie is currently completing a traineeship with the library and organised the joint venture with St Mary’s Catholic College.

May is the month of Mary, the namesake of our College. Mary, our good mother, is a model for all of us of love, nurturing and sacrifice. Happy Mother’s Day to all of those women at home who follow in the footsteps of Mary our Good Mother.

Dana Barnsley
Leader of Pedagogy

From the Leaders of VET, Careers and Resources

Supporting students with Yr 10 Subject Selection

As mentioned in previous newsletter articles, our focus in the Year 10 Careers classes this year has been to support students in making informed decisions in terms of career. With the increasing cost of living, education and a planned pathway to careers are becoming increasingly important. Our classes have included; an understanding of how the world of work is changing, looking at industries that will grow and exploring various industries that students may enjoy and could suit and to then help students decide on the best pathways for themselves. This content links to supporting students in making tailored subject decisions to build and enhance career choice. Good subject choice can open up pathways and opportunities for students and if students are considering particular courses at University, may make their transition easier by ensuring they have the appropriate assumed knowledge for courses.

Parents play a vital role in this process supporting students by beginning conversations with students. Once students start to chunk down on Industries of interest, there are numerous resources available for students to investigate and find out more about possible options. Parents may ask “What do you like doing?” and “What can we find out about pathways towards this area as a career?”. 

While some answers to these questions may be simple for some, other students may need to investigate pathways to reach their desired choice. Students have a range of online resources and some government websites to support this process. I have listed some below for you to investigate as students begin to decide.

1. www.thecareersdepartment.com (students in Years 10-12)
2. www.smcccareers.com. (College website with a designated student portal) - all students.
3. www.jobjump.com.au (all students)
4. www.myfuture.edu.au
5. www.joboutlook.gov.au
6. www.skillsroad.com.au

These sites provide much information on career, employment prospects and pathways.

I encourage all Year 10 students in particular to invest some time in themselves and do a ‘deep dive’ into industries of interest to find out more before selecting subjects.

Students are also encouraged to speak to their teachers about what they are most suited to and what exactly will subjects be like. Once this has been considered, if students still have no idea, consider whether or not University is a preferred option and then study the appropriate subjects that one most enjoys.

As always, I am available if you would like to discuss anything further regarding your son or daughter.

Bev Champion
Leader of VET, Careers and Resources

SMCC Sport

Important Dates

Wk 7

Wednesday, 2 June - Dio Junior Soccer Gala Day (7-10 Boys & 7-10 Girls) @ Coffs Harbour

Thursday, 3 June - Len Diett Shield Rugby Union Round 4 vs Woodlawn (Open Boys) @ Casino

Diocesan Cross Country Carnival

On Friday, 21 May, 11 students travelled to McAuley Catholic College, Grafton for the Diocesan Cross Country Carnival. After some bus troubles got us off to a slow start, we eventually arrived and started preparing for a fun-filled day of competitive running. Our students all ran exceptionally well and were terrific representatives of our College. Congratulations to Taj Newton (Year 9) and Sienna Thomas (Year 7) who qualified for the NSWCCC Cross Country Championships to be held at Eastern Creek on 8 June.

Results:

Sienna Thomas - 5th place - 12 years girls (3km) - Time: 14:32
Georgia Falls - 37th place - 14 years girls (4km) - Time: 30:42
Harriet Chard - 7th place - 18 years girls (6km) - Time: 34:52
Archie Creighton - 8th place - 12 years boys (3km) - Time: 16:09
Chayce Newton - 17th place - 13 years boys (3km) - Time: 12:06
Nash Falls - 35th place - 13 years boys (3km) - Time: 13:24
Rory McInnes - 44th place - 13 years boys (3km) - Time: 16:53
Toby Hannah - 28th place - 14 years boys (4km) - Time: 19:07
Cadell Holzhauser - 31st place - 14 years boys (4km) - Time: 19:27
Taj Newton - 2nd place - 15 years boys (4km) - Time: 15:22
Lachlan Maclean -11th place - 18 years boys (8km) - Time: 44:23

Len Diett Shield - Rounds 2 & 3

Our senior boys are again participating in the Len Diett Shield Rugby Union competition. The competition is in memory of the late Leonard John Diett, former Australian Wallaby, who was heavily involved with rugby union on the Far North Coast. A huge thank you to Jason Ainsworth, who has generously given up much of his time to coach the side for another year.

Round 1 vs Trinity (Week 4) - We were scheduled to play Trinity Catholic College, Lismore who unfortunately were unable to field a team in this year’s competition and were forced to withdraw, giving us a first round bye.

Round 2 vs Evans River (Week 5) - Our first opportunity to get on the field saw us travel to Evans River High School who found themselves down on numbers due to some clashes with senior assessment tasks. To ensure we were still able to get a game in, three of our boys, Oliver Clarke, Kane Taylor and Jason Brooks, chivalrously joined the Evans River team to play against their school mates. We started off well, with Logan Brereton crossing out wide for an early try on the end of a nice backline play, however the game quickly became a scrappy affair with a lot of dropped balls and silly mistakes letting both sides down. Evans River levelled the scores soon after and were right back in the contest. After crossing over for another try, Evans took the lead, and held onto it leading at the break 10-5. Halftime saw a motivational speech from Kalen Olive give the boys a mighty wake up call. After entering the game full of confidence, they became their own worst enemies, with some terrible ball handling and poor decision making. As the match resumed, Evans kicked a penalty goal and extended their lead to 13-5. A couple of injuries saw us call on a few of our spectators, the Ainsworth boys, to throw the boots on and they both made an immediate impact. We were able to hold onto the ball and begin to put some pressure on a tiring Evans defence. Nick Griffin crossed over late in the game for our second try and Lachlan Newman converted an amazing drop goal from out wide to leave the boys trailing by only one point. Unfortunately, the final whistle was blown as Lachy’s kick passed through the goal posts and our boys were defeated 13-12 in a tightly contested game.

Round 3 vs Xavier (Week 6) - Following a quick turnaround from our previous match against Evans, we were off to Xavier Catholic College, Skennars Head. The boys had learnt from their previous outing and were not entering this match with the cockiness that had let them down only days before. It was now our turn to be down on numbers due to various reasons. We debuted a couple of fresh faces in Ethan Rann and Lauchlan Hogan who both had strong impacts off the bench. Xavier outclassed our boys early as they laid on a number of quick tries in front of a vocal home crowd. Without much possession in the opening half, the boys from Casino got in plenty of tackling practice, entering the break down 24-0. After regrouping at halftime, the boys started to find some aggression and put on some bone-rattling tackles and barnstorming runs, particularly from Joseph Brooks, Will Ainsworth and Lachlan Newman. Xavier scored another couple of tries, however our boys never gave up, giving their all until then end. Final score Xavier 36, St Mary’s 0.

2021 Beef Week Clash Results

SMCC:   5 wins          CHS:  7 wins   and   1 draw

After SMCC winning back the trophy in 2019 and COVID last year, the trophy heads back up the hill to CHS - hopefully for a one year visit.

Hayden Comerford - NSW All Schools Swimming Championships

Good luck to Hayden Comerford (Year 8) who will be competing as part of the NSWCCC Team at the NSW All Schools Swimming Championships to be held at Homebush on Friday, 28 May. Hayden will be competing in the 14yrs Boys 50m Breaststroke. On behalf of St Mary’s I would like to wish him all the best.

Mike Ryan
Sports Coordinator

SMCC Ministry Corner

We’ve hit full straps for ministry here at the College so let's take a look at what’s been going on.

Apostoli

There’s a first time for everything and last Friday Year 9 and 10 Ministry classes took part in the first ever Apostoli Ministry Session at St Mary’s. Apostoli, meaning Mission in Greek, is a series of sessions for the Year 9 and 10 ministry classes to undergo formation in the way of the CSYMA course as well as get to know and mingle with people from both classes in preparation for the SHINE Conference coming up in Term 3. Our first of seven sessions was focused around Building Community. Here’s what the students had to say about the first apostoli Session. 

“I went to Apostoli last Friday and it was an amazing experience. We mainly talked about community, all of them and how it is important to be a part of one.  We talked about how great the ministry community is, how it will always be there for you and will be there to support you without judgement. We also talked about coming together as a community and working together as we can do so many great things together other than us as individuals. I can't wait for the next session.”
- Seb Scholl (Yr 9 Ministry)

“Apostoli was a great experience for our Year 9 and 10 ministry classes. It allowed us to build new connections and prepare for our Shine Retreat. We shared testimonies and talked about how we could build a better community. Apostoli was a great way to come together and grow as a ministry community and I'm looking forward to our future sessions.”
- Nick Carey (Yr 10 Ministry)

Vinnies Winter Sleepout Committee:

Congratulations to Nick Carey (Year 10) - President, Seb Scholl (Year 9) - Vice President, Brooke Chivers (Year 9), Jett Crosson (Year 9), Clayton Wilkinson (Year 9), Harry Thompson (Year 10) and Mia-Rose Jowsey (Year 10) on becoming the 2021 Vinnies Winter Sleepout Committee here at St Mary’s. Their role will be in organising the event in terms of the content on the night and making sure that the other students know what’s going on. Any students interested in attending the Vinnies Winter Sleepout on the Friday, 18 June, are encouraged to see Dan or Theo for a note.

Blokes Get Real:

Last Friday night, we held our second Blokes Get Real meeting and it was a huge success. We doubled our numbers from the first meeting with 14 boys from Year 7-10 coming along to have some pizza, have a meaningful chat, spin a few yarns and watch a great game of footy between the Warriors and Tigers. Congratulations to Sam Thompson for picking the winner and the margin and snagging a free frozen drink from maccas. It was also great to have Father Peter and Lola join us for the majority of the evening.

This initiative is designed to give young men a safe and supportive space where they can talk about anything and everything. And watch a bit of footy. Our next meeting will be on Friday, 11 June (Week 8) to watch the Sea Eagles take on the Cowboys. It would be great to see as many of our male students there as possible so see Dan and Theo for a note if interested.  

IGNITE Conference

IGNITE Conference is quickly approaching and the due date for the note is Friday, 11 of June which is fast approaching. IGNITE Conference will take place in Brisbane from the 22nd to the 25th of September. A payment plan is being discussed and we have been encouraging students to get the note in before the due date. Any questions or concerns or for a note, please don’t hesitate to see Dan or Theo.

Dan and Theo
Youth Ministry Officers

Indonesian Corner

St Mary's Catholic College has a BRIDGE School Partnership with Sragen Junior High School Number One and as part of the current unit of study we are looking at ways to have some Indonesian experiences here at school to better imagine life for our students in our partner school. Year 8 Indonesian are investigating Indonesia through their senses. This week adventurous students tried the topical fruit 'durian'. Review were varied comparing the creamy fruit to everything from mango and passionfruit to onions and icecream. One for the bucket list. We are also exploring the smell of the spice islands as Indonesia is known, sounds of Indonesian 'gamelan' orchestra, the feel of traditional 'batik' cloths and the sights of our archipelago neighbour. We are working up to sharing an authentic meal together to really get those taste buds working.

Katie Coughlan
Indonesian 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

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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