Star of Peace

Welcome back to Semester 2, it has a very different feel in some ways. The usual milestones that mark our Calendar are missing but at the heart of who we are as students, staff and parents, our wonderful community and family spirit remains the same. As I walk around the school, our students remain positive and optimistic. Our break times are loud, with lots of chatter, laughter and smiles. In our classrooms students are engaged and actively working together in their learning. Last week I visited Year 10 English. They were studying Macbeth with some finding it very challenging and I admit I was also in the learning pit, trying to work with them to understand a particular quote. I am happy to say both the students and I got there. You are never too old to learn new things. 

I have been reflecting this week on work written about Marist Education in 2010 by Brother Michael Green and the last 6 Chapters of Avis, Lecons, Sentences (Opinions, Lessons, Sentences and Instructions from Venerable Father Champagnat, 1868), that was shared by Mr Paton with the Leaders of Learning Pastoral in their meeting. I continue to be inspired by the consistency of what is and continues to be the essence of Marist Education spanning over 200 years and I share a little of this with you today.

“What will this child turn out to be?” (Luke 1:66). That is indeed a question that like John the Baptist’s  parents asked at birth we also ask as parents in our own ways. Marcellin says “He will become what education makes him - a good Christian and a good citizen”. The education of any child is a partnership and we recognise that parents are the primary educators of their children and we are humbled that you offer us a place in this partnership here at Dundas. 

Marist Education today is essentially no different from what it has been since 1817, and one may hope, will always be. Marist Education is what Marist Educators do. It is an enormously rich, efficacious and compelling way through which we undertake the Christian Education of young people, that is aligned entirely with the mission of the Church. 

It is vitally important that we equip our young people with the knowledge, skills, attitudes and capabilities to allow them to meet the challenges of a contemporary world, to become productive and engaged members of society, to be the change that is needed. To teach Christ is to attend to the development of the whole person, sourced in the inherent dignity and external destiny of each student and to do that in and through the experience of community. A Catholic Marist  Education is a work of love, for the full human development of students, grounded in the person of Christ and at the service of society.

Our building works are progressing despite the rain and we are still scheduled for handover towards the end of August. The staff are very excited about the opportunity these learning spaces will bring.

This week we held our first online Subject Selection evening for both Year 8 and Year 10 for 2021. I would like to thank Ms Hagarty for her leadership, the KLA Leaders and staff for their outstanding work in helping to create our new Subject Selection sites and to Ms Tripodi and Mr Hornby our Years 8 and 10 Leaders of Learning Pastoral for their assistance with this process. I hope that you found the evening informative. 

I would like to thank the Year 12 teachers who offered holiday classes over the holiday break. It is another example of their commitment to their students. On any morning or afternoon in walking around I am likely to see teachers running additional classes for their students. This often goes unseen and I would like to acknowledge and thank these teachers for doing more and going beyond. 

Today, I will send out a letter letting families know that representative sports MCS, MCCS and PDSSSC, including Carnivals and Gala Days have all been cancelled for Term 3. I understand that this is incredibly disappointing and that the question might be asked as o why is this the case, if Saturday sport continues. The Principals and members of these Associations have given considerable thought to the risks associated with external sport and I am very comfortable with the decisions that have been made. I pray as we all do that this pandemic will be over soon and that as much as possible life as we knew it pre-pandemic will return. As always I thank you for your patience and understanding as we all navigate these challenging times. 

Last week we had our first round of Debating. This is the first time in  years that I haven’t been able to attend.  I thank families for driving students to Brookvale, and then having to sit and wait for the conclusion of the debate. Thanks to Ms Nelson for her leadership of Debating and to Mr Moussa and Mr Palmer and Ms Logiudice for attending and adjudicating.

Finally, I would like to thank families for keeping their children home when sick, for getting a COVID test as needed and for keeping us in the loop. Please let us know if you have any concerns particularly related to the possibility of a possible infection or close contact.

As always I hope that you are keeping well and safe.

God Bless

Yours in Jesus, Mary and St Marcellin

Mrs Angela Hay

Principal

The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) collects data from schools to determine the Index of Community Socio-educational Advantage (ICSEA). CEDP is currently working to provide relevant details to the Catholic Education Commission of NSW.  Data collected is de-identified of personal information.

Parents and caregivers must advise their school if they don’t want their child's data included in this report by 28 August 2020

Copies of Catholic Education Diocese of Parramatta (CEDP) Standard Collection Notice and Privacy Policy can be viewed in the attached documents.

Welcome to Term 3!

I hope you and your family are safe and in good health during this period of uncertainty.

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all of our students on their achievements in Semester 1.  I see so many positive contributions by our students every day at St Patrick’s Marist. Well done!

I would also like to acknowledge the outstanding work and genuine care demonstrated by our staff who are doing their very best in meeting the needs of our community during this very challenging time.

As we begin another busy term together I have provided some details of events below. If you need more information regarding anything happening at the College or if you have a question, please email me on pfinnerty@parra.catholic.edu.au

Parent/Student/Teacher Feedback

Information regarding Parent / Teacher interviews will be sent home in the coming day.

Semester 1 Reports

As you know, feedback is essential to learning.

Please remember that if you have a question regarding any aspect of your child’s report to make contact with the classroom teacher or Pastoral Leader of Learning. 

Semester One Awards

This week and next week we are acknowledging our Semester One Award Winners in a brief assembly during Pastoral Care.  As you would understand, adjustments needed to be made in order to comply with COVID-19 restrictions, however, we wanted to take the opportunity to celebrate the achievements of our students.

Year 12 Trial HSC Examinations 

With the Trial HSC Examinations commencing in Week 5, it’s always great to see so many Year 12 students attend the Wednesday Study Evenings each week! On average there are about 60 students and so many teachers there to assist. Thank you to Mr Bonora who coordinates this study opportunity and also to the many teachers who attend to support our Year 12 cohort.

Below are a list of some tips and hints for examination preparations from our Study Skills partner, ‘Elevate’:

• Utilising the syllabus to frame study

• Structuring, organising and condensing notes

• Conceptual approaches to learning to develop deep understandings

• Utilising practice exam papers and submitting them to teachers for feedback

• Using this feedback to amend errors and ensure constant improvement over time

• Collaboration and sharing of knowledge/skills with peers for learning retention

• Being familiar with how exams look and the sections to be completed

• Practising answering questions under correct examination time frames 

• Knowing the techniques that assist you in managing stress and anxiety

In cases of misadventure, please contact the College – Mr David Bonora – the Year 12 Pastoral Leader of Learning to inform of your son/daughter’s absence. A reminder that in cases of illness to also obtain a doctor’s certificate on the day of the illness and return it to Miss Hagarty the following day.

Subject Selection 2021

On Tuesday evening we had our first-ever remote Subject Selection evening for Years 9 and 11 in 2021. Thank you to the many families who joined the on-line presentation.

A big congratulations and thanks to Miss Hagarty for her planning and execution of this very successful initiative. 

Thank you also to Mr Hornby and Miss Tripodi for their work and assistance on this evening, and to Ms Thompson, the KLA Leaders of Learning and staff who created the informative videos and resources for these sites which will enable students to make informed decisions about their subject packages.

Teacher Professional Learning Update 

Our teaching staff are continually learning about new ways to maximise growth and increase achievement for every student. Ms Maish and Mrs Kelly (our Instructional Leaders/Learning Coaches) work with our Leaders of Learning (in each subject) who then collaborate with their teams to bring our St Patrick’s Marist College Vision for Learning to life. 

In 2020, our focus is to develop our understanding of the different levels of complexity through a teacher-led inquiry process.

Library Update 

Thank you to staff and students for sharing their ideas about our library space. We are in the process of finalising the furniture and bookshelves and are really looking forward to seeing it all come together!

Thank you to Ms Fraser for coordinating the furniture order and installation, Mr Stanwell for his ongoing assistance, and to the Library and IT staff for their valued assistance also.

Thank you also to our wonderful Librarian, Ms Thompson, for being integral in this process.

Tell Them From Me (TTFM) Survey 

In the coming weeks we will be inviting students, teachers and parents to provide feedback on their experience of our college using an online survey. The surveys are an important part of our whole school evaluation and planning process.

We would like to invite you to complete the Tell Them From Me (TTFM) Partners in Learning survey as we value the role of parents and carers within our school community and we would greatly appreciate your feedback. The information you provide will be used to maintain our commitment to working together in partnership to further improve student learning and wellbeing.

An email will be sent with additional details next week.

Thank you for your continued support

Mr P. Finnerty

Assistant Principal

Innovation, Teaching and Learning

Please take the time to read the attached letter from Mr Gregory Whitby, Executive Director, Catholic Education Diocese of Parramatta regarding an exciting update about the development of our Draft New Religious Education Curriculum. The New South Wales Education Standards Authority (NESA), has endorsed Stages 5 and 6 of our new curriculum. This is a considerable achievement and complements the important work underway with this term’s trial for Stages 2, 3 and 5. 

The College photo day is tomorrow Friday, 31 July.   Ordering envelopes were distributed to students.  Further information can be found in the following attached document.

TERM 1 SPORTS PHOTOS

The Term 3 Sports Group Photos are online for any parents who would like to purchase them. To order these group photos please visit the Leading Image  website: www.leadingimage.com.au, On the Home page please click on the green tab Order Your School Photos, Enter the Shoot Key: N7V9W8VW and your email address. Group Photos are $12.00 each and will incur one postage & handling charge per order. All orders will be sent to parents postal addresses and not to the College. If parents have any questions regarding their photo order please call the parent hotline number on 1800 750 586.

At Catholic Education Diocese Parramatta (CEDP) we see parents and carers as partners in your child's learning journey. In partnership with the eSafety Commissioner, CEDP would like to invite you to join one of the following free webinars for parents and carers:

•  Helping Kids Thrive Online (5-12 yrs) - Thursday 20 August 2020, 12:00 -1.00 pm
• Tech, teens and time online (secondary schools) - 7 September 2020, 7.00 - 8.00 pm 

These live webinars explore the latest research and they are a great way to learn how you can help your child develop the skills to be safer online. All sessions are delivered by the eSafety Commission’s expert educators.

About the webinars

• Helping kids thrive online: is a one hour live webinar suitable for parents and carers of young people aged  5-12 years old.
• Tech, teens and time online: is a one hour live webinar suitable for parents and carers of young people aged 12-18 years old.

Both sessions will cover topics including:

• ideas to start the chat about harmful content, contact with strangers and online bullying/harassment

• strategies for addressing common digital parenting challenges

• skills that young people need to protect themselves online

• how to get help if things go wrong.

What you need to do:  Please register for the course on the secondary site via the following link: 

• 20 August 2020 session - link to register

• 7 September 2020 session - link to register

If you have any further enquiries please email safeguarding@parra.catholic.edu.au.

Adjustments to 2020 School Fees

As you are aware, most excursions and incursions that were planned for 2020 have been cancelled. All those scheduled up to 6th March went ahead. Some KLA or pastoral critical ones have been postponed to later in the year. The Year 9 Camp and Year 11 retreat are still scheduled to go ahead in Term 4 (subject to government restrictions at the time).

CEDP will be sending statements for Term 3 soon. The adjustment for cancelled excursions and incursions will be fully reflected by reversing the Term 2 Resource Fee and charging the whole adjustment within the new reduced Term 2 Resource Fee. The Term 3 Resource Fee will be the same original amount.

Payments at the office

CEDP have asked schools to move to cash-free transactions, to reduce the volume of cash receipted/banked by schools. We already have EFTPOS facilities at reception and can take credit card payments over the phone, however we are investigating an additional alternative cash-less method and hope to transition to cash-less soon.

This will only apply to non-school fees payments which are not already included in school fees, for example representative sport uniforms, bags / hats / ties, replacement items, etc and other payments like the Year 12 formal, etc.

For payments of school fees, other than by arrangement with CEDP, you can also pay cash by billpay at the local post office, credit card over the phone or by EFTPOS at reception.

We will only accept cash for Lenten appeals, mufti days, etc.

COVID-19

We continue to provide:

• One-way corridors and pathways to assist with flow of students and social distancing.
• We have placed numerous social distancing signs around the school.
• During break times, Years 7 and 8 are in Harrington Courtyard, Years 9 and 10 are under the Basketball shade structure, Year 12 remains in the senior COLA area while Year 11 are under La Valla and Theatre covered areas (until our new building is completed in late August).
• We have sanitisation stations inside the main reception and Wiyanga’s reception as well as at the 2 main entry points for students (in junior breezeway and from the bus bay)
• We continue to provide sanitiser in every classroom (however, we ask that students bring their own sanitiser), sanitising alcohol wipes for musical instruments and other shared laptops or equipment. Science labs have sinks with hand soap.
• Our cleaners are continuing to disinfect touch points in every classroom / learning space and every office, every night!
• Our sick bay single bed has been removed and replaced with a more hygienic vinyl chair (which folds out to a bed, when required). Students are being sent home if they are unwell. They cannot simply stay in sick bay.

Lowes Uniform Shop, Carlingford

Light-weight Trousers

The first delivery of the new lighter-weight trousers for the boys have arrived!  Please note that as these are 'mens' trousers, the sizing is that for mens ie starting from 62R, 67R, 72R up to 112R. I have been advised that 62R is approx similar to size 10. The previous thicker trousers will no longer be sold.

Lowes customer feedback/complaints email address is customercare@lowes.com.au for customers who want to know information, or have a problem that cannot be solved at the store level. Customer email and contact details will be sent directly to the Key Accounts Manager to follow up on. 

Maintenance

Over the school holidays, as usual, we had multiple tradespeople in to do all the background servicing/repairs/maintenance work to ensure the school continues to function safely and is clean, neat and tidy. We had painting done (outside the canteen and the main lift and the doors in TAS block), air cons serviced (and COVID cleaned), pest spray, TAS equipment and other building items serviced, rubbish bins cleaned, pressure cleaned basketball courts, compliance inspection of roof, gutters and stormwater drains, etc, etc.

Laser Cutter and 3D printers

After a long procurement process, our brand-new laser cutter arrived and was installed during the school holidays. We had to renovate one of the classrooms to house it. We are anxiously awaiting the training day for selected teachers before they can start using it in lessons with students.

Our 3D printers were serviced, and further training is being organised. Together, these will create a wonderful technology space for our students!

Building Works

The building project is looking fantastic and is on schedule for completion and handover in mid/late August! Some staff have been for a walk-through to visualise the new spaces and to start planning ahead. We will slowly transition classes into this space in the later part of this term, as the new demountables at the back of the school will be moved to another school.

• Landscaping – Angela Hay and I recently met with the landscape architect who designed the landscaping for A block building works during the break. We want to landscape the rest of the front of the school, so that it flows from where the building works end to the bus bay. He are awaiting for his design options.
• Library renovations (disability access) – the grass areas in front of Art rooms have been blocked off so that a disability access ramp can be built to go into the library. The design of the ramp will eventually provide shade for students sitting in front of the art rooms.

Ms V. Fraser

Business Manager

WELCOME BACK TO TERM 3!

Thank you to all those families who booked into a personalised planning teleconference. As we draw to a close with these appointments just a final reminder that if you would like to schedule an appointment for your son/daughter there are still appointments available.

Please refer to your letter of invitation sent out in May. If you cannot locate this letter please email Elaine Glading at eglading@parra.catholic.edu.au so she can email a copy of the letter to enable you to follow the online booking system.

The LEC team is here to support all students and teachers with the return from COVID - we have an open door policy in C101 and chill out couches for all.

For parents/ carers as part of our NCCD data collection process please see attached link: NCCD LINK

Message from Cathwest - Pathway enrolments:  Thank you to those families who have already submitted enrolment applications. We have commenced some enrolment interviews however, we will be conducting the majority of interviews during Week 2 and 3, Term 3. Information regarding interviews and how to make a booking will be communicated during Week 1, Term 3.

Tuesday 4 August - 2020 Online employment, Lifeskills and Leisure Expo

https://employmentlifeskillsleisureexpo.com.au/about-online-expo/ See following flyer.

The WSVSN Virtual Expo replaces the expo that was held at Blacktown over the years. The expo will be a resource for families considering support for school leavers or for those students (Years 9 - 12) who have NDIS Funding. Represented at the expo will be:

• DES Providers
• SLES Providers
• NDIA
• TAFE
• Day Program/ Community Participation Providers

Here is a direct link to the expo website.  

Ms C. Thomson

Leading of Learning - Learning Enrichment

Mrs Padden’s and Mrs Papoulias’ Year 7 Mathematics classes have been learning in a co-teaching environment this year. This term they have been busy learning about Integers. We started the unit with a pre-test to understand where our students' knowledge, skills and understanding are at and then used this data to group students according to their strengths. 

Students have enjoyed collaborating in this unit by sharing their ideas and strategies. They have been enthusiastic with the use of concrete materials which help them to have a deeper conceptual understanding of the unit. 

It’s enjoyable to see our students thriving by being so engaged in the work we are doing, hearing their accountable talk and having the students embracing peer learning.

We cannot wait to use our agile learning space with our class next term.

Mrs Padden and Mrs Papoulias

Mathematics Teachers

Year 8 PDHPE have completed a unit on Equality in Relationships and were asked to create an Anti Bullying Campaign focusing on the following Driving Question:

"As Year 8 students of St Patricks’ Marist College, you have been asked to create a presentation on Equality in Relationships focusing on BULLYING. Your presentation requires you to promote and develop a clear and respectful set of communication skills and strategies to help in promoting and maintaining healthy relationships, with the avoidance of unnecessary conflict."

A shared understanding of bullying is the starting point for effectively preventing and responding to bullying in life and within any school community.

The students completed an individual campaign to address the issue of Bullying in our society, and to provide information for the school community that will enable students and parents to become further informed of the various strategies and communication skills that will promote and maintain healthy relationships and to develop an awareness that:  ‘Bullying prevention is Everyone’s Responsibility’.

Ms W. Curry

PDHPE Teacher

Finally...School Sport is back!!!!

Last Thursday our Year 7-10 students were able to enjoy Thursday sport and activities for the first time since early term 1. Both staff and students were extremely excited to return to some level of normality, embracing the opportunity to enjoy an amazing winter day, and participate in a range of activities.

Year 7 - Enjoyed a fun afternoon of cricket skills with NSW Cricket.

Year 8 - Had a great afternoon with a Western Sydney Wanderers soccer clinic.

Years 9 and 10 - Were enjoying a variety of activities both at school and off site.

MCS and MCCS - held trials for their term 3 competitions.

It was great to walk around and see the participation and enthusiasm shared by both staff and students. It has definitely been a difficult period for everyone the last few months and it was great to get back to regular Thursday sport which we know has a positive impact on improving mental wellbeing offered through our excellent sport program.

I can’t wait to see all the students back out there regularly on the upcoming Thursdays afternoons.

Ryan James

Sports Coordinator