Star of Peace

This week we farewell Mr Scanlon our Assistant Principal Innovation, Teaching and Learning. He leaves us after 7 years of service to the College and the wider Marist community. While this is a sad moment for us, we congratulate Mr Scanlon on his new appointment. Mr Scanlon is a passionate committed educator. He has been relentless in that commitment, firstly in his role as Director of Mission, a true and authentic leader of Catholic Mission and Identity. He continued to develop and lead the Catholic life and culture within our school, always giving witness to our distinctive educational, moral and social purpose, including the leadership of retreats and formation opportunities for our community.

An outstanding Religious Education teacher, Mr Scanlon has always built great rapport and positive relationship with his students. Interested in developing the whole person, with a deep belief in the goodness and potential of each person.

Under his leadership of teaching and learning, we have developed our Vision for Learning, which has created the narrative for next steps. He has been instrumental in ensuring quality learning opportunities for all students and staff and at the same time ensuring excellence not only in teaching and learning, but in all that we are and all that we do.

Mr Scanlon is a person who cares deeply about our community. He always puts students at the centre of  his decisions and actions. He has led and lived by example with modesty, simplicity and humility.

We ask Mary or Good Mother to watch over him as he begins this new journey. We thank Mr Scanlon and wish him all the very best for the future.

Last week we celebrated the Feast of All Saints and All Souls day. The Feast of All Saints is a holy day of the Church honouring all saints, known and unknown. While we have information about many saints, and we honour them on specific days, there are many unknown or unsung saints, who may have been forgotten, or never been specifically honoured. On All Saints Day, we celebrate these saints, and ask for their prayers and intercessions. In celebrating all Souls day we are thinking of everyone within our community who have lost a loved one. To those whom have passed we send them our love,  we know they are at peace and we remember with gratitude the joy that they brought to our lives. 

We are coming to the end of the HSC period. I know each of our students have worked hard and have been well prepared for each exam. I congratulate them on their efforts and thank each of their teachers on your behalf for their efforts in working with each student to give the best possible chance of success.

Last Monday our new leaders for 2019 gathered for the day to reflect on what it means to be a student leader at St Patrick’s Marist College and to work together to formulate their plans for 2020. The evening concluded with a dinner with parents, this was a wonderful way to come together in community. Our senior leaders identified four key focus areas for their leadership Faith, Wellbeing, the Environment and Social Justice. I look forward to seeing the ideas and goals of this group come to fruition in the coming year and their work with the student body and our Year 9 Leadership Team. I thank Mr Moussa for leading the day and Mr Paton, Mr Bonora, Mrs Pavlovich and Mrs Dunston for their contributions.

Enrolments 2021:

As you would be aware, we have begun taking enrolments for 2021. The closing date for enrolments is the 27th March, 2020. It is important for current families with Year 5 students (2019) to have enrolments in by this date. This year we have 100 students on a waiting list for 2020.

Movement 2020:

If you are aware that your child/children will not be returning in 2020, we would appreciate you letting us know as soon as possible. We have students on waiting lists anxious to secure a position for 2020.

Mrs Angela Hay

Principal

HSC EXAMINATIONS

The HSC Examinations are nearing conclusion with last exams on Monday 11th November. The examinations have progressed smoothly and without any disruptions. While we have some new syllabi in some subject areas, the exams have been suitable and students have been happy with how they have been presented.  A reminder that Year 12 students need to inform the College of their ATAR results on 18 December when they are released as the College does not receive these results. We congratulate the 2019 Year 12 cohort on their conclusion of secondary schooling and look forward to excellent results following the two years senior studies.

YEAR 12, 2020 ASSESSMENT

An assessment calendar has been shared with Year 12 with links to their Summative Assessments for this term as Year 12 begin their HSC courses. This will indicate when assessment tasks are due, requirements, weightings etc. We trust this will help parents keep track of student work demands and progress. Please read through these assessment handbooks with your son/daughter as they contain information regarding submission of tasks and the protocols regarding student absence on the day of a task, late submission and illness/misadventure processes.

STUDENT DIARY

As Term 4 continues, I ask that you assist your son/daughter to use their diary well. Good planning and organisation will greatly assist them in their learning. Please make sure that you sign the diary each week; it is an excellent resource that, when utilised, will assist students with their learning.

Students need to develop the habit of writing down each subject for each period each day.

Ideally this should be done on the weekend for the week ahead (highlight practical subjects that require students to bring equipment). Students are to write down homework when it is set and revision is to be undertaken when there is no set homework. Assignment due dates can also be placed in this section. I thank Leaders of Learning KLA who oversee issues and concerns with student engagement in their learning. When such issues occur you will find communication either through the student diary or with contact being made at home.

HOMEWORK

Homework learning/revision is an essential part of your child’s learning and I ask for your support in ensuring your son/daughter completes their homework each night to a high standard. Work set by teachers usually prepares your child for what is coming up in class and reinforces work covered. Homework can also take the form of preparation for assessment tasks. There is no such thing as NO HOMEWORK. It is an expectation that each student would revise work completed in class each day, read and plan for upcoming work, commence assignments and as such will always have work to complete.

MINIMUM STANDARD TEST

Congratulations to our Year 10 students who undertook the NESA minimum standards tests in Numeracy, Reading and Writing in Week 1 this term. Results have been shared and a small number of students will have the opportunity to undertake the tests later this term.  The results for Numeracy and Reading are instant and 95% of our students passed the first time round. Again, our English and Maths teachers have been working with students to sit these tests and I thank them for their work and efforts in supporting our students attain a pass in these tests.

SUBJECT SELECTIONS

The process for Year 10 subject selections and Year 9 electives is being finalised. Confirmation of subjects will be shared next week. I thank Miss Hagarty for leading the process and meeting students who have last minute changes. While this process enabled for important discussions to be had at home and with teachers and Leaders of Learning, it seeks to guide each student to reflect upon their interests, their skills and future ambitions. It is a process where deep listening, seeking advice, exploring options and refining the various pathways is at the heart of this move into the HSC course.

THANK YOU AND FAREWELL

This will be my final newsletter and I would like to thank parents and caregivers for your support and feedback over the past seven years. My time here at St Patrick’s Marist began in 2013 as the Religious Education Coordinator and later in 2015 as Assistant Principal - Teaching and Learning.  St Patrick's Marist College is a unique and special learning community. Your sons and daughters are outstanding young people who are deeply relational and respectful individuals who care about others, are self-motivated and mature. It has been an absolute pleasure in sharing the learning journey with students at St Patrick's Marist over the many years. Our students are very capable individuals and so achieve incredible results in their learning, and my hope is that this passion for learning continues with the many opportunities open to our students now in curriculum.

I thank the Leaders of Learning - KLA who have been instrumental in insuring quality teaching programs, resources and activities take place in their subject areas and for their collective passion to make learning collaborative, authentic and engaging. Their support over the years and their dedication and hard work is inspiring.

I also thank our Curriculum Support Team, Mrs Le Mottee and Ms Wadih who are tireless in their work and dedication in ensuring that Student Reporting, Awards, College Communications, Open Days, Year Books, NESA requirements, etc are all completed and up to date for each student.

I thank the leadership team, Mrs Hay, Mr Paton, Miss Hagarty, Ms Maish, Mrs Ledesma and Ms Fraser for their support, guidance and council over the years as we strive to ensure that St Patrick's Marist continues to be a home for learning where our young people grow to know themselves and their God and so be best prepared for an ever-changing world in which happiness can be a daily experience.

I look forward to my new position as Deputy Principal at St Edmund’s College in Wahroonga in the Edmund Rice tradition. St Patrick's Marist will always be a special and privileged experience of Marist education.

Esto Fidelis

Mr Jason Scanlon

Assistant Principal - Innovation, Teaching and Learning

The Parent Representative Council (PRC) Wellbeing presentations are focused on student, parent, family and spiritual Wellbeing. Please see following an advertisement for their next event being a presentation held on Monday 18th of November. The topic to be presented is on:

                          CYBER SAFETY CHALLENGING TODAY’S YOUTH 

The guest speaker is from the  School Liaison Office - NSW Police.

The PRC has had overwhelming requests from parents to host a presentation to cover this topic.  

The speak will help parents understand the modern day challenges facing our young people within the digital world.  Everything that they write, post and send can be traced and will remain there forever.  Learn how parents can protect their kids from online risks. Sexts, Texts and Selfies are a concern for any parent. Learn how to give your child the skills, knowledge and strategies to use the internet in a safe, smart and responsible way.

End-of-Year Finance Close-off 2019

The finance office will close at 4pm on Monday 16th December, for staff to complete end-of-year processes including stocktake of uniform shop items (bags, hats, ties, rep sport uniform, etc). Please ensure that payments of school fees, purchases of school bags, hats, ties, etc are completed by this date.

Payments of school fees and other items can be made via credit card over phone, by EFTPOS at reception or cash/cheque can be put into a sealed envelope with student’s name, homeroom, amount and what it is for, on it. Students are to put in drop box at student counter. If you are paying in cash, please put correct money in envelope.

The office will remain open on Tuesday 17th December for enquiries, however, no further finance transactions can be taken, and will be closed from Wednesday 18th December for staff professional development training.

Office opening in 2020

The office (including finance and uniform shop) will be open again from 8.00am on Wednesday 22nd January, 2020.

Years 7, 11 and 12 return to school on Wednesday 29th January 2020 and Years 8, 9 and 10 return on Thursday 30th January 2020.

Drop off at front of school

The school has recently become aware that parents are dropping off and/or picking up their children on/near the crossing outside Gate C and in non-parking areas, due to the limited parking spots available on Kirby St (taken by builders’ trucks). The building works are not expected to be completed until about Term 3, 2020.

Parents must always take care where they are stopping and dropping off/picking up their children for their own children’s safety and that of other children's safety. Please ensure you always comply with road rules and do not stop where you shouldn't and consider everyone's safety! If there are no parking spots just outside the school, you can stop a little  further down Kirby Street and students can walk a short distance to the school.

Alternatively, please consider whether students can commute via public/school buses. If you would like information about school buses that stop onsite or about public buses that stop on Kissing Point Rd and about bus passes, please do not hesitate to contact the front office on 8841-7900.

Kerb and Gutter Repairs

KK Civil Engineering has been appointed by Parramatta Council to do kerb and gutter repairs on 2 spots on Kirby Street. One is just at the entry of the bus bay and the other is about halfway between the bus bay entry and exit. We have not been advised exactly when this work will be done, but expect it will be sometime in the next week or so. They advised that it will only take a few hours per day for approx 2 or 3 days and they will have traffic controllers and barriers around the work. After discussions with me, they agreed to start after 9.00am each day (to avoid the peak periods).

Please take extra care when you see this road work.

Evacuation and Lockdown Drills

These are part of our WHS compliance routine practice to ensure all students and all staff are aware of our emergency procedures, know what to do and where to go! Our procedures are designed to keep students and staff safe while emergency services deal with a real situation (if it was to occur).

Following multiple routine drills this year, the evacuation drill in Term 3 included a scenario whereby a staff member will act as the fire at one location, and students and staff in that area had to use an alternate route to evacuate. This worked well, so in the latter part of Term 4, we will practice a Lockdown drill (date to be advised) during either recess or lunch break. The WHS Committee and I are working on the logistics of this.

Uniform Shop

Whilst the majority of our school uniform is at Lowes Carlingford, our onsite uniform shop is open on Wednesdays and Thursdays (before school and during recess and lunch breaks). We sell schoolbags, sports bags, hats, boys ties and representative sports uniforms (which are not sold at Lowes). We also sell good-quality second-hand uniforms.

Costs of uniform items are:

• School Bag - $65;  Chiro Bag - $95;  Sports Bag - $15; Senior / Junior Ties - $20; Hats - $20.
• Soccer / Rugby Shorts - $30; Cricket Shirt - $35; Netball Shirt / Skirt  - $35*; Representative Sport Socks - $15.
• Second Hand Uniform items – various prices (please ask)

* the cost of these were previously incorrectly shown as $25

Students know the uniform shop as part of the “Book Room” (facing the main courtyard).

Lost Property

If items that are found or handed in are labelled, we contact the student to come to the office to collect it. During every term, we accumulate lots of lost property that we have no way of knowing who it belongs to. These items are held in the uniform shop until the end of each term, so that students that can recognise their item can come and claim it.

However, at the end of each term, any unclaimed uniform items are added to our second-hand uniform stock and other items such as water bottles, lunch boxes, umbrellas, etc are discarded.

Please ensure your child’s name is on their belongings so that if found, we can call them to office to collect.

Lowes Uniform Shop, Carlingford

A reminder that Lowes have recently introduced a customer feedback/complaints email address: 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.

 Ms V. Fraser

Business Manager

On the 21st of November at 9:00 am 180 Year 9 students travelled with 13 teachers to The Great Aussie Bush Camp, Tea Gardens. As a cohort all the students and teachers were challenged to push the boundaries in various activities throughout the day including; the giant swing, mud run, archery, high ropes, kayaking, sailing and a survivor challenge. We also took part in night activities including commando where everybody was jump scared by Mr James and night challenges where we all had to work as a team, while also sitting around the fire, telling stories and bonding with our peers and the teachers. We all pushed many boundaries whether it was going to the top of the giant swing or sliding through the mud, while also connecting with each other and working together to overcome all the obstacles. It was a great experience which we all enjoyed besides waking up way too early in the morning.

While we all had fun taking part in these activities it got to the final day when nobody wanted to leave, we all had a magnificent time and made many memories that will last forever. We would also like to thank all the teachers for taking time away from their families to come to camp but especially Mr Quigley for his hard work and organisation for camp. 

Mia Boulous

9 Paul

ENGLISH EXTENSION 2 SEMINAR

State Library of New South Wales

Last Friday, 1 November, 2019 Janika Fernando and Joseph Arabit attended the much sought after State Library Visit. 

The students were privy to seminars and workshops on “Creative Essentials” with Dr Felicity Plunkett and “Pitfalls and The Pendulum” with Ms Catriona Arcomone.   Ex-Extension 2 students who have been showcased, shared their secrets to success with the current candidates – an invaluable shared experience for Janika and Joseph.

A fabulous start to the students’ compositional journey which will culminate in a Major Work and Reflection Statement to be submitted for external marking in the 2020 Higher School Certificate.

Ms S. Graham

Assistant Leader of Learning - English

YEAR 10 PBL HISTORY PROJECT

Here, students responded by creating 3 galleries for a museum display depicting Changing Aboriginal Rights and Freedoms.

Mr C. O'Connell

History Teacher

On the 30th of October, Year 9 and 10 Photography and Digital Media students travelled to Bondi Beach to observe the 'Sculptures by the Sea' displays. There were many different and unique sculptures, presented to our classes, as we walked along the coastline of Bondi to Tamarama Beach.

One such sculpture was “More than it Seems” by Geraldo Zamproni, a  big, pointy, red pencil because it was larger than a person, and revealed more about the work as you changed perspective. The tiny, ceramic houses of “Out of Reach” by a NSW Artist Collective because there were so many intricate details. There were also “Transience” by Cave Urban, massive domes made out of reeds which was one of our favourites as it allowed us to step inside and view the sculpture from a completely different point of view.

Some other sculpture highlights included “View Finder” by Joel Adler, a weathered steel box on the edge of the beach cliff side with a mirror inside, reflecting the crashing waves below. Another sculpture that was intriguing was the large pink army tank “Pinktank Wrecked” by David Cerny, which was positioned on the edge of the cliff facing the ocean. The bright pink colour and geometric shapes were very bold which instantly attracted us to it. 

This excursion was very engaging and exciting as we were able to view large, physical artworks that all differed in appearance and meaning. We really enjoyed the day and we would like to thank the teachers for taking us on this amazing excursion.

By Sharon, Lauren, Mia and Anthony 

9 Photography and Digital Media