Newsletter - T1- W7 15/3/24

From the Principal

The theme for the assembly this week was one of the nine Catholic Social Teachings; Solidarity. 

An extract from the scripture from St Paul states;

If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honoured, all rejoice together with it. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.

This is a message of community, St Mary’s is a tight-knit community. We are one community and as such, we need to support and stand with one another. As a community, we share in all the successes and challenges that any community faces.

We aim to build relationships through community, promoting student wellbeing through engagement with the College community. One of the key aspects of working together is for all people in that community to be accountable for their decisions, and actions and take responsibility. 

On Wednesday we were fortunate enough to have Mr Scott Wisemantel, a special guest speaker address the student body. Scott has been involved in professional Rugby League and Rugby Union as a player and coach, he was involved with the NSW Waratahs, worked with the England Rugby Union team to reach the 2019 World Cup final, and more recently the Wallabies Australian Rugby Union side. Scott spoke about community through the lens of high-performance professional sports. One of the major themes emerging throughout his presentation was the importance of all individuals involved in the organisation taking responsibility and not playing the blame game. He emphasised the importance of hard work and the ability to get along with people as important aspects of professional sports. These are indeed attributes for success in any area of life. The College emphasises the 3 R’s with students, Respectful/Ready and Responsible. These are attributes that set people up for success and were certainly themes that came across in Scott's presentation.

The high school journey is full of many successes and challenges. St Mary’s has a proud tradition of high academic achievement as evidenced by the 2023 HSC results. However, there is more to school than just academic achievement. Any school aims to set up students for success beyond school, many students leave the College before the end of Year 12 to pursue a non-academic career pathway. These students deserve to be celebrated as they pursue apprenticeships. Jack Plant is the most recent of these students who has attained an apprenticeship in carpentry, the College wishes Jack well as he embarks on the next chapter in his life.

Relationship with the Parish
St Mary’s has a very strong relationship with the Parish, we continue to work with the Primary School and the Parish to make sure this relationship remains strong. Once a Catholic School loses its relationship with its local Parish, it ceases to be a Catholic School.

Saturday, 16 March 2024 at 6pm the Parish is hosting a family Mass that will involve families and staff from the Primary School and the College. The Mass starts at 6pm and it would be fantastic to have a solid representation of parents and students.

Open Evening
Our Open Evening is on Monday, 8 April 2024 starting at 4.30pm and concluding at 6.30pm. There will be a mix of guided and self-directed tours. If you cannot make the 4.30pm start, please feel free to arrive at a time that suits you.

Please see below communication from the Australian Government of Education.

Michael Campbell
Principal

From the College Business Manager

Camp Kodoka
Year 9 student Camp Kodoka has been billed to parent/carer school fee (debtor) accounts. Payments for the camp can be paid via Compass, BPAY, or at the College Office. The two amounts below will also appear on your next School Fee Statement and are due and payable by Friday, 5 July 2024. Regular payment instalments are encouraged to spread the expense from now until the due date. The total cost Yr 9 Camp Kokoda is as follows:

The College is required to confirm student numbers and make an advanced payment to Camp Kokoda six weeks prior to the camp ie Wednesday, 17 July 2024. Please note this is a non-refundable event.

No student is to miss out on this opportunity. If you are experiencing financial difficulties, please contact the College Business Manager as soon as possible to make alternate arrangements for payment.

Leanne Cummins
College Business Manager

Upcoming Dates

Week 8
Monday 18/3/24 - NAPLAN continues for Yr 8 and Yr 9 
Monday 18/3/24 - Wednesday 20/3/24 - Commitment to Art Sydney Excursion 
Thursday 21/3/24 - LEAD Conference 2024

Week 9
Tuesday 26/3/24 - Biology and Investigating Science Field Trip - Flat Rock
Wednesday 27/3/24 - 2024 Open Football North Gala Day - Lismore 
Thursday 28/3/24 - Student Free Day (Staff Spirituality Day)
Friday 29/3/24 - Good Friday 

Week 10
Monday 1/4/24 - Easter Monday 

Parish Mass Times

Weekend Mass
Saturday 6.00pm 
Sunday 8.00am

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

Adoration
Wednesday 5.00pm 
Following 9.00 am Mass Saturday

Reconciliation
Saturday 8.30am - 9.00am
Anointing of the sick - First Saturday of each month 

Country Mass
Sunday 14/4/24 - 10.30am Bonalbo

Holy Week & Easter Mass Times

Palm Sunday
No Vigil - Palm Sunday
8.00am - Sacred Triduum - (Fr Joe Holloway)
 
Holy Thursday
7.00pm Mass of the Lords Supper - Casino 
 
Good Friday
10.00am Stations of the Cross
Reconciliation following Stations and 3.00pm service
3.00pm Commemoration of the Passion

Holy Saturday 
9.00am Morning Prayer
7.00pm Easter Vigil
 
Easter Sunday
8.00am Casino 

Mission Team

Lent
Lent is a time of self-examination, repentance, and spiritual growth, and each week brings unique opportunities for reflection and growth. As we enter the fourth week the initial enthusiasm or resolutions made at the beginning of Lent might be waning. Lent encourages acts of charity and generosity. Consider the impact of your efforts to give to others through simple acts of kindness. Consider how these actions have influenced you. Lent is a dynamic and evolving process, and each week provides an opportunity for growth, reflection, and renewal. We encourage all our students to deepen their connection with themselves, others, and God.

Catholic Social Teachings
We are continuing our exploration of the Catholic Social Teachings and how these impact us in a Catholic school. This fortnight we are looking at the teachings on Solidarity. Solidarity involves developing empathy and compassion for others, understanding their struggles, and offering support. We are encouraged to listen to others, learn about different perspectives, and seek to understand the experiences of others. We can develop our understanding of solidarity through service, reflection, and discussion. In the next fortnight, we challenge our students to stop and reflect on the other perspective in situations where we are being called for a just response. 

Clare Axman
Assistant Principal - Mission

Combined Family Mass
Tomorrow we will join St. Mary’s Primary School at our first Combined Family Mass for the year. Students and their families are invited to attend mass at 6pm on Saturday, 16 March 2024. Afterwards there will be pizza and the opportunity to mingle with those in attendance. We hope to see many of you tomorrow evening. 

LEAD Conference
Next week we have 20 amazing individuals attending LEAD. We look forward to hearing about their growth and their building sense of solidarity they experience at the discipleship event. 

Transitus
Expressions of Interest for the Year 7 Transitus Retreat close on Monday, 18 March 2024. We ask all students who are interested in attending to complete the EOI which can be found on their Compass dashboard. If students have any questions about Transitus please come and speak with Mrs Rowlands.

Fr Peter Celebrations
Today we joined in the community celebrations for 20 Years of service to our parish of Fr Peter Slack. We want to thank Fr Peter for his ongoing support of the College and all our activities. 

Kate Rowlands
Leader of School Evangelisation

Attendance Matters - Every Day at School Counts 
When students attend school consistently, they have more opportunities to develop and maintain positive friendships. 

Regular attendance in secondary school provides the consistency and continuity necessary for students to develop, nurture, and maintain positive friendships. These friendships contribute not only to the social aspects of secondary school but also to the overall wellbeing and personal growth.

Consistent Presence in Social Settings. Regular attendance ensures that students are consistently present in school, providing them with ample opportunities to engage in social settings. Daily interactions with peers in classrooms, hallways, and common areas foster the development of friendships.

Building Trust and Reliability. Consistent attendance contributes to building trust and reliability among peers. Being present regularly shows a commitment to friendships and helps establish a sense of dependability and mutual support.

Consistent Communication not Online. Regularly attending school allows for consistent face-to-face communication with peers. Students who are present daily can maintain ongoing conversations, share updates, and stay connected with the lives of their peers beyond social media. 

Development of Social Skills. Engaging with peers on a daily basis face-to-face contributes to the development of essential social skills. These skills include communication, empathy, teamwork, and conflict resolution, which are valuable for building and maintaining positive friendships.

Safer Drivers Course
Lismore PCYC is offering Safer Drivers Course designed for students in years 10-12 who have their learner licence and have already completed 50 on-road hours of driving.

The Safer Drivers Course is part of the Transport for NSW goal towards Zero, which is aimed at reducing crashes involving casualties on NSW roads and targets the biggest factor of these statistics: P1/P2 drivers. The course teaches them low risk driving skills to prepare them for when they get their P1 licence so that they are prepared to be safer drivers.

Lismore PCYC have asked if they could use our facilities here at the College and will be running these courses after school hours. More information is available in the flyer attached as well as the permission form required to register for this course.

To register for this course please complete the permission form.

Family Tech Agreement: Real Talk for Parents and Caregivers
Have you had this conversation?
How often does your family talk about how people use their devices?

And I don't mean yelling, "get off your phone!" or, "if you don't get off your tablet right now."

This week's short video is practical and important! If you don't have a family tech agreement in your family then this is a must watch.

Michele McCaffery 
Leader of Pastoral Care 

Learning & Teaching Team

Parent Open Day
Have you ever wanted to see how a high school classroom functions?

Are you interested to look at how we teach students and implement learning goals?

Come in for the SMCC Parent Open Day - Friday, 12 April 9:00am-11:30am

You will get a chance to celebrate mass with members of the school community, tour junior classrooms and look at how we do things at SMCC, and even ask learning questions of students so they can showcase to you what they are doing.

We will finish the morning with morning tea - join us for free tea and coffee, or purchase morning tea from the College Cafe - L’Avenir Cafe - this is a student-owned, student-run, and student-staffed cafe offering cappuccinos, lattes, hot chocolates, milkshakes, iced coffee, and iced chocolates. They sell food products as well, depending on the weather. A full menu with prices will be sent to all who are attending.

To register your attendance on this day, follow THIS link.

Nadine Connolly
Assistant Principal - Learning and Teaching

Disability Provisions - HSC Examinations

Attention:   HSC 2024 parents and students 

This information is for students in Year 11 and 12 who will be sitting HSC exams in 2024.

Disability provisions in the HSC are practical arrangements designed to help students who couldn't otherwise make a fair attempt to show what they know in an exam room.

The provisions granted are solely determined by how the student’s exam performance is affected by their diagnosed disability. Provisions may include braille papers, large-print papers, use of a reader and/or writer, or rest breaks.

The College would like to lodge student applications with the New South Wales Education Standards Authority (NESA) by the end of this Term. To start this process, please obtain a ‘Disability Provisions - HSC Examinations 2024 form’ from the College Office and return by Week 9 Term 1.

When this information is provided the next step is to determine what evidence will be required for the application. This could involve a reading and spelling assessment, a letter from a doctor and/or sample essays. It is the parent’s responsibility to provide medical reports for disabilities such as Anxiety and Autism Spectrum Disorder. Further information can be found at http://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/11-12/hsc/disability-provisions

Once NESA has made a decision about which provisions are approved or declined, a decision letter is provided to the College. The College will provide the family with a copy of the letter. Many families request extra time for their child. Please note that for disabilities such as Anxiety and Autism Spectrum Disorder the students may receive separate supervision and time to rest, not extra time to complete the exam. During this rest time the student must turn over or close their examination questions and answers booklet, must not read, write or make notes, however may stretch, move, rest or refocus in their seat. During the rest break, the timing of the examination stops and then restarts when they continue with the exam. Further information about rest breaks can be found at http://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/11-12/hsc/disability-provisions/provisions/rest-breaks 

If your child is approved to access a reader or writer for their examination please note that it is a student in Year 10, trained in these conditions, who will be their support person.

For further information please contact Alicia Nowlan, Leader of Learning Inclusion and Diversity.

Alicia Nowlan
Leader of  Learning -  Inclusion and Diversity

College Chess Club
Four members of the College Chess Club travelled to Ballina on Wednesday, to take on Emmanuel Anglican College in the NSW Junior Chess League School Competition. Ramon, Eli, Chris, and Sam were a little bit worried to discover the team they were playing against was all in Yr 11 and 12, but they gave all their games their full grit and determination and represented our school with honour. Unfortunately, we didn’t win, although the team does have another opportunity to continue in the competition, dropping through to the second-chance round.

Tonya Lickiss
Teacher

This year, St Mary’s Catholic College will work with St Mary’s Primary School  to take part in WAKAKIRRI. WAKAKIRRIi involves story dancing. Story Dancing is a story told on stage using a blend of creative movement, acting and dancing. Using various formations, levels, staging and characterisation. As a group we will create a 3-7 minute performance.  We would love to have many of our students take part in this. It’s fun and exciting to be part of such an amazing event, you do not need to be a ‘dancer’ or ‘actor/actress’ to take part. Everyone is welcomed. 

If your child is interested please get them to complete this form below to express your interest.

Expression of Interest

Thank you to the students who have already shown great interest, this is what the SMCC community is all about!

Keely Maguire
Teacher

Sports News

On Thursday, 7 March 2024 SMCC sent a small but talented and dedicated team of swimmers to the Lismore Diocesan Carnival at Port Macquarie.

From L to R - Jed Handford (Yr8), Emma Green (Yr8), Clayton Wilkinson (Yr12), Kayla Patch (Yr8), Belle Wall (Yr10), Harper Myers (Yr8), Ella Rose (Yr9)

Out of eleven secondary schools that sent teams, SMCC finished in a very credible 5th place.

2024 Lismore Diocesan Secondary Championships - Total School Points

1. St Pauls, Kempsey West 332
2. Mt St Patricks, Murwillumbah 289
3. John Paul, Coffs Harbour 268
4. MacKillop, Port Macquarie 224
5. St Marys, Casino 187
6. St Josephs, Port Macquarie 173
7. St Johns, Woodlawn 128
8. McAuley, Grafton 121
9. Trinity, Lismore 89
10. Xavier, Ballina 83
11. St Josephs, Banora Point 82

There were many highlights on the day including the 14yrs Girls 4x50m freestyle relay finishing first, Clayton Wilkinson (17+ boys age champion), Harper Myers (14yrs Girls age champion, Ella Rose 14yrs Girls runner-up age champion). In fact every swimmer in the team experienced at least a top three finish in at least one of their chosen events. 

The students conducted themselves superbly on the day and they should be very proud of their achievements as I know the remainder of the student and staff population are. Thank you to all the parents for their wonderful support on the day and getting the swimmers there and back safely.

Winter Trials
As mentioned in the last newsletter, several students went to winter trials for Rugby League and Soccer on Tuesday, 5 March 2024 at Woodlawn and Lismore Thistles FC. The following students were successful and progress to the next stage of CCC (Combined Catholic Colleges) trials. Good luck to those students!

• U15 Boys Rugby League- Finbar Standfield (Y10)
• Open Boys Rugby League- Rory McInnes (Y10)
• Open Girls Rugby League- Elle Hannigan (Y11)
• Open Boys Soccer- Broady Hoare (Y11)

Diocesan Netball trials 
Diocesan Netball trials for U15 & U18 Girls (Parents to provide transport)

The details of the trials are as follows:

Date: Friday, 5 April 2024
Venue: Sportz Central, Coffs Harbour
Time: 9.30am - 2pm approx

Process: Athletes will be required to participate in a warm up, skills/drills session, followed by a minimum of three 15 minute games.

To register please click here.

Upcoming SMCC Sporting events for Term 1 include:

• Opens Boys and Girls Soccer - Wednesday, 27 March 2024 - Woodlawn 
• SMCC Cross Country-  Thursday, 4 April 2024 -  Course TBC
• U14, 16 & 18 Rugby League Schoolgirl Challenge- Thursday,  11 April 2024- Casino
• Bill Turner Boys v Richmond River HS & Girls Soccer v Summerland Christian College -  (Week 10 or 11, venue TBC).

Upcoming CCC Events and Registrations
Please note no late entries will be accepted. All students must be registered by close date to be considered for selection. The following sports are individual nominations only - this is the responsibility of the parents.

Registrations are completed on the CSNSW.SPORT portal. Parents must create an account and add child. Click Here for assistance.

• New Sport Pathway - Lawn Bowls - EOI Closes Monday, 18 March 2024
  Successful applicants will be informed by Monday, 25 March 2024.
  NSWCCC Selections - Wednesday, 29 May 2024 -  Club Sapphire Merimbula  $45 
  NSW All Schools - Friday, 9 August 2024)
  
  
• NSWCCC Girls 15yrs and Under AFL - Closes Friday,  12 April 2024
  NSWCCC Selections - Monday, 6 May & Tuesday 7, May 2024 - Wagga Wagga $90
  
  
• NSWCCC Boys 16yrs Football - EOI Closes Tuesday, 30 April 2024
  Successful notification by Tuesday, 7 May 2024
  NSWCCC Selections - Friday, 17 May 2024 - Kareela $45
  
  
• NSWCCC 16yrs & 18yrs Basketball - Closes Friday, 3 May 2024
  NSWCCC Selections - 18yrs Monday, 13 May, 16 Years Tuesday, 14 May - Sutherland $45
  
  
• NSWCCC 15yrs Open Hockey Selections - Closes Friday, 3 May 2024
  NSWCCC Selections - Monday, 20 May 2024- Bathurst $45
  
  
• NSWCCC 17yrs under Water Polo Selections - Closes Friday, 17 May 2024
  NSWCCC Selections Monday, 27 May 2024 - Ryde $35

Catholic Sports NSW 
Sport Search (½ way down page) → Step 1 (click on CCC) → Step 2 (select sport). Registration & Calendar is also there.

Craig Beare
Sports Coordinator

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 4.15pm
Thursdays        1.45pm to 4.15pm

The Uniform Shop service is a cashless service. Methods of payment are by 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 - 4.15.00pm

Thursday Orders
- Cut off time is 12 noon on Wednesday 
- Pick up available from the College office on Thursday afternoon from 3.30pm - 4.15pm.

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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