ST ANDREWS COLLEGE MARAYONG

Dear Members of the St Andrews College Community,

I am delighted with the way our Open Day Tours and Presentations went on Tuesday. The Student Leaders and volunteers were exceptional. They stepped up in many ways, demonstrating initiative, passion and were able to articulate clearly why St Andrews College is their school, and should be the school of choice for the prospective students. It is no wonder that the applications are coming in quicker than in previous years. If you know of any prospective families who are considering St Andrews College as the high school option for their child, please encourage them to get the applications in ASAP to avoid disappointment. I would like to thank Monsignor Ron, Fr Lewis and Fr Flor for welcoming me to Masses last weekend to share what we are doing as a College with the Parish community. The feedback we received and questions raised were very encouraging. As we lead into Year 11 Retreats please keep in your prayers our Year 11 cohort and the staff facilitating this wonderful experience of relationship with God. 

‘It’s All About Learning’

‘Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.’

~ (Matthew 4:1)  ~

The feel of autumn is in the morning air, the humidity is dissolving, the amount of sunlight each day is decreasing; the heat is not so harsh; daylight will soon no longer be saved; the light is gentle and our tanned skin is starting to fade...  the annual spiritual meltdown - Lent - has begun! 

We begin with a 'walk on the wild side' with Jesus.  A time we slow down, take time out, and withdraw into the wilderness to face our own wildness: our deepest desires, our angels and demons, our light and shaded side, our shortcomings and defects of character, our passions, compulsions and obsessions (our wild beasts) and our temptations - the spice of life!

Temptation is not necessarily a bad thing. The word 'temptation’ in Greek means to explore something, to test out its value, to see how much you resist it, to see what capacity you have to go further into it. The Latin 'temptare' means to touch; to try or test; to feel. With Jesus, Lent is our 'wilderness' time, our time to tap into what is touching us, trying us, testing us and what we are feeling – evil or bad spirits or the Spirit of God.

According to Matthew, when Jesus was baptized, the Spirit of God outed him as God’s own beloved. Jesus’ wilderness is his struggle to discern how to live with that knowledge. Jesus was led into the wilderness by the Spirit, with that struggle. He had to wrestle with self,  as we all do. And through the Spirit Jesus encounters the unfailing, unconditional, everlasting love of God the Father, Abba.

Jesus was led by the Spirit out into the wilderness to seek the one who loves him, and to spend time with God the Father. This testing time in the wilderness, connecting with God the Father, results in Jesus’ ministerial habit of going off alone to a quiet place to commune with God: in other words to pray! Jesus will encourage his disciples and US to do the same. To ask God’s protection and care with complete abandon.

Jesus’ leaves behind aspirations for possessions, prestige and power to be with the poor ‘...and the angels appeared and looked after him.’ Those angels may well have been the outcasts of society exiled to the wilderness and who ‘appeared’ and supported Jesus after his ordeal with the devil - the evil spirits. Jesus knew how to hear his Abba’s words over the devil’s babble, and he would not desert the great love of his life, God.

'No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone.  God is faithful, and will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing God will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it’ (1 Corinthians 10:13)

The question should not be 'What would Jesus do?' but rather, more dangerously, 'What would Jesus have me do?' The onus is not on Jesus but on us, for Jesus did not come to ask semi-divine human beings to do impossible things. He came to ask human beings to live up to their full humanity; he wants us to live in the full implication of our human gifts, and that is far more demanding.

(Rev. Peter J. Gomes, professor and minister at Harvard University)

Thank you to Mrs Sabine, Ms May, Holly Pham, Michelle Phu, Francis Galang, Hayley O’Connor and Jayden Merhab for their attendance at Masses with me last weekend. Their support was appreciated, and noted by many parishioners with one coming up to me and stating “how reverent and respectful they were during Mass”. The connection between Parish and our College is something I value greatly and I would like to thank Monsignor Ron for his support in this domain. He is a strong advocate for our College.

We congratulate Trisha Pathak from Year 11 for being successful in her application for the University of NSW course in Computing Studies. A great achievement considering the number of students who apply for this privilege. Well done

Photos of the day are posted further into the Newsletter but I would like to comment on how pleased I was with the day and the contribution of all involved. It demonstrated a very unified and clear understanding of where we are going as a College.

We are experiencing unprecedented demand for places at the College. This has lead to the addition of another stream in Year 7 2020 but we could have had another two classes on top of that with the number of students we could not offer places to. The ladies in the Front Office are reporting another spike in demand from Day 1 this year. Even though our enrolment period has not officially opened we have had over 50 extra calls for enrolment packages to be sent out. This will no doubt place more pressure on families to not delay the return of the enrolment for their son or daughter when we officially open the process for 2021.

Thank you to Ms Pett and Ms McKechnie for all the work they did in organising the State Debating Finals last Friday. With over 200 people coming from across NSW to participate it was a a big task. The student helpers were wonderful and we are very grateful for their help considering it was a pupil free day.

We have now moved onto the CSDA Public Speaking Competition which started Friday, Week 6. Thank you again to Ms Pett for all of her organisation with auditions as well as hosting organisation for Round 1. We are so lucky to have Ms Pett do this valuable work. Best wishes to all student competitors and thank you to the many helpers who assisted.

I was reading an article by Dr Mark Williams about mobile phone use. He has come up with nine questions that you can ask yourself to see if you are addicted to your phone. Remember phones are designed to be addictive.

1)       Is your smart-phone always within reaching distance?

2)       Is checking your smart phone the first thing in the morning and last thing you do at night?

3)       Do you check your smart phone when you are in a face-to-face conversation with someone?

4)       Do you use your smart phone when watching TV or eating meals?

5)       Do you panic when you realise the battery is running low and you don’t have a charger on you?

6)       Do you start sweating when you think you left your smart phone at home?

7)       Do you read texts or social media while driving and stopped at red lights?

8)       Do you lose time while on your smart phone?

9)       Do you obsessively check for emails, texts, social media posts etc?

If you answered yes to 5 or more of these questions you may have a problem with your connection to your smart phone. 

Reconnect to the real world for more time and freedom - Smart phones are designed to be addictive. Breaking the habit/addiction is difficult and will take time. Reflect on what your time is worth and what is important to you. Refer back to each of these steps regularly. 

1)       Place a reminder on your lock screen. Something that will remind you to consider whether you really want to disappear into your phone.

2)       Download a screen-time tracking app. This will help you monitor how much time you waste on your phone and what apps are your weakness. Use the app to block or limit your time on apps that you feel are wasting your time.

3)       Consider deleting social media from your phone. If you only look at it on a computer at home you will be more aware of when you are engaged.

4)       Put your phone away at least two hours before you go to bed and don’t touch it for at least 1 hour after you wake in the morning.

5)       Consider deleting all Health apps like step counters from your phone (unless they were recommended by a doctor). Research shows that they do not work.

6)       Turn off all notifications for all apps. Beeps and bells just distract you from the ‘real’ world. They are also one of the ways the designers use to get you addicted.

7)       Don’t have your phone in your bedroom (ever). It will interrupt your sleep patterns.

8)       Buy an ‘old-school’ flip phone with no internet access. Set times/days when you will use it exclusively (on weekends and/or evenings). Then put your smart phone away and be set free.

9)       Get ready for lots more spare time. You might have to start a new hobby or catch up with friends (in person)!

One of the biggest issues facing young people is the addiction to social media and gaming. There have been some recent studies that suggest that this addiction can be as bad as addiction to alcohol and drugs. It has the potential to take over their lives.

We have students turning up to school very tired because they are online playing games or checking their social media pages so they don’t miss out on anything. What they end up missing is learning opportunities during the day because they are too tired.

If you attempt to take your child’s device away, what would be their reaction?

If they react badly I would say they have an addiction problem. It is important that children are given strict guidelines about technology use and appropriate use at all times.

If you are struggling to see what they are doing on line or they are constantly on their devices you may need some help. There are organisations such as The Office of E- Safety Commissioner who can help with problems online and with technology use or you can contact your child’s Leader of Learning who will assist you in dealing with the issues.

What’s the difference between a fixed and growth mindset?

Fixed mindsets are about proving, they only look at performance not effort, you feel that there is nothing you can do to change your ability.

Hard work and effort = lack of ability

Growth mindsets rely on efforts being made and you trying different things and learning. 

Hard work and effort = achievement

The key character strength for people to focus on is KINDNESS to others and PERSPECTIVE.

In the planner each week there is a section on “What went well this week” and “How I feel this week”. I encourage students and families to fill these out every week and discuss the results of these together.

God Bless
Nicholas Thrum
Assistant Principal  Students

Tailored testing automatically adapts to a student's performance and allows each student to demonstrate their knowledge with questions that match their test performance.

So how does tailored testing work? Students are presented with questions based on their performance during the test. Many of the test questions are of mid-range difficulty for each year level but some are of higher or lower complexity. Students answer an initial set of questions and are then directed to subsequent questions based on the accuracy of their responses. For example, students who struggle with questions early in the test will be directed to questions that are less complex or challenging. Students performing to a higher level on the test will be asked questions that are more complex.

Tailored testing allows students to demonstrate what they know and encourages students to stay engaged with the test. Let's look at some examples of how students experience tailored testing. Marco and Lucy begin with questions that largely test the same range of difficulty. Marco is finding some questions difficult early in the test, so he is directed to a few questions that are less complex. Marco has an opportunity to demonstrate what he knows. Lucy is performing better in the test so she is presented with some questions that are more complex. She is challenged and less likely to become bored because the questions are too easy. This means both Marco and Lucy are connecting with the test in a positive way. Both have an opportunity to better demonstrate their range of literacy and numeracy skills.

Tailored testing is not a new idea. Many school testing programs already use a form of tailored testing, for example, the progressive achievement test in reading comprehension, vocabulary and spelling, which uses adaptive testing to match questions to a student's level of performance. ACARA has already carried out its own research to prepare for NAPLAN Online and to see how students respond to an online testing environment. The research shows that students engage better with the test that adapts to their current performance. Tailored testing will also provide teachers and schools with more targeted and detailed information on their students' performance on the tests.

So tailored testing offers students a more engaging test experience for the students while providing results that can support the next stage of their learning. For more information about NAPLAN Online and tailored testing please visit www.nap.edu.au

All students at each year level start with the same set of questions (testlet A). Depending on the student's test performance in testlet A, the second testlet includes questions with overlapping content that may be easier (B) or more difficult (D).​

At the end of the second testlet, the student is directed to a third testlet, again depending on their test performance. The final testlet also includes overlapping content of varying difficulty: hard (F), medium (E), easy (C).​

Students who complete a more complex pathway are more likely to achieve a higher score (and a higher band placement). A student who answers the same number of questions correctly, but follows a less complex pathway, will achieve a lower score.

Year 12 have been asked to predict their achievement band for the HSC for each of their subjects based on their achievement and application to their subject. Their teachers have also been asked to predict each students band at this stage of the course. 

The data will be used for conversations between staff and students, in order to support students to achieve their best results in the HSC.

It is imperative that students attend school every day unless they are sick. One important part of my role is to look at student achievement across all of their subjects which includes: assessments, classwork, home study and attendance.

Remember: NESA states that students must satisfactorily apply themselves with sustained effort and due diligence!

With this in mind, each area I mentioned above contributes to student achievement. In consideration of student absences, it is evident that students who have repeated absences, have reduced learning and achievement. Further to this when a student misses, 100 minutes of learning in a subject, that equates to a significant amount of learning to either catch up on or is lost. It is extremely difficult to catch up on learning when a student has been away as they are expected to be involved in new learning on the day they return to school. What also makes matters more difficult for students, is the fact that when they return they are not up to the sequenced learning within a unit that other students will be up to. Other issues may also occur such as lack of confidence, stress and poor wellbeing. 

So.. the answer is to attend school every day to ensure you have the best circumstances to achieve your best!

Michelle Deschamps
Assistant Principal Teaching and Learning

What is Vinnies Van?

St Andrews College has been a long time supporter of St Vincent de Paul’s “Vinnies Van” program,  providing friendship, compassion and dignity to those experiencing homelessness and social isolation in the Parramatta and Mount Druitt areas. This service provides those experiencing or are at risk of homelessness with a warm drink, something to eat and friendly faces to break down the barriers of loneliness and isolation that many people living on the fringe of society may suffer. 

This year’s Vinnies Van has kicked off in February with the following Year 12 students participating: Kirsten Henderson, Kristelle Sangalang, Madeleine Alforque and Danielle El-Khoury Nehme. A special thanks to Ms Thomson and Mr Zahra for accompanying our students in this initiative this month!

On the celebration of the Feast Day of St Valentine, the College, led by the Vinnies Group held a Valentine's Day fundraiser. To support St Vincents de Paul, the College offered a College-wide mufti day in addition to personalised sweet messages of hearts and chocolates. Through the generosity of the College community, the students raised $381.55 on the Junior Campus and raised $389.55 on the Senior Campus. Special thanks to the Vinnies Group and Student Leaders for running this very successful fundraiser!

On Shrove Tuesday, Vinnies Groups on both the Junior and Senior Campuses held Pancake Day fundraisers, selling delicious pancakes and topping to the College community to mark the start of the Lenten season. Both campuses did extremely well to not only serve the hunger of the students but to lend a helping hand to those in need, raising $167.80 on the Senior Campus and $423.55 on the Junior Campus with all proceeds going to St Vincent de Paul Society! Thank you to the Vinnies Group on the Junior Campus and the Student Leaders on the Senior Campus for their services on the day, and a special thank you to Miss Malonzo and Miss Pett for rallying the students on the Junior Campus, and to Mrs Robinson, Ms Simmonds, Mr Gillogly, Mr Miller, Ms Thomson and Mr Koleck for their service on the Senior Campus. 

From Aaron Sabio, Year 10 SRC College Events

On the 25th of February 2020, the St Andrews College Vinnies Team celebrated the annual Pancake Day, otherwise known as Shrove Tuesday, with the rest of the school community. 

During lunchtime, our very own Year 10 Vinnies students prepared the delicious pancakes and sold them to the staff and students to enjoy. Many peers came and celebrated with the team by buying the delicious treats and sharing them, amongst themselves. They were fortunately able to make a large profit from the day which has been generously donated to the St Vincent de Paul Society.

Last Wednesday, 26th February the College celebrated the start of season of Lent with Ash Wednesday, which also marks the beginning of the annual Caritas Australia Project Compassion Appeal. This year’s Project Compassion campaign takes the theme of Global Community, in an effort to work for the Common Good of International Community and to  ́'Go Further Together’.  Learning Groups will be given the opportunity to contribute to Project Compassion everyday through the Project Compassion boxes and various initiatives will be launched throughout the Season of Lent in support of Caritas’ local and international activities. Please support this initiative here within our College community and in the greater community and together, we can help Caritas Australia to alleviate poverty, hunger, oppression and injustice! 

Ash Wednesday at St Andrews College, Marayong saw our College enter into our Lenten season. Students attended Mass on the Junior Campus and at our Parish Mass. 

Through all of our College receiving Ashes with the words, "Turn away from sin and follow the Gospel" we were reminded that this season of Lent calls us to prepare ourselves in heart, mind and deed to imitate Jesus' example more closely. 

In Lent, our emphasis on almsgiving, prayer and fasting assists us to prepare the way of the Lord. Our thanks to Fr Flor for his faith leadership today and everyday.

Ralph Loyola
Leader of Mission in Action

We have now started supporting the Parish Catechist program where our trained Year 10 students attend Quakers Hill Primary each Tuesday and Marayong Heights Primary each Wednesday.

Kellie Robinson
Leader of Faith Mission and Learning

February 19th Year 7 meet on the Senior Campus and our reflection day was held in the Saint John Paul II Centre.

We started the day with a prayer and played some games that made us meet new people and make new friends. During that game when people sat down Mrs Robinson would ask students What school did they come from?, Who is their favourite teacher?, What they like about St Andrews College?, and if they’re enjoying themselves.

We then went to the Parish Church where Fr Flor talked to us about what is in a Church and the parts of the Mass. We then celebrated the Mass as a Year Group.

After recess we came together as a group and three of the teachers read out the Noah’s Ark Story and it’s similarity for us. We have all come from different schools to join the St Andrews College community and we all have gifts and talents to contribute. We went off into small groups to share our gifts and our family story.

After lunch we heard about the story of St Andrew our College Patron Saint.  Mrs Robinson talked to us about the history of the St Andrews College community and how it was created, and what was the purposes of the community being built, and how it helped the Marayong/Blacktown community.

We came together at the end to listen to the Parable of the Talents and finished with a prayer on our talents.

I felt it was an educational and enjoyable day.

Garry Singh
Year 7 RE7

This year, as part of our 7-12 Wellbeing Program, we are looking at Character Strengths. Character Strengths are your personal best ways of looking at and doing what you do. There are 24 in total and we all have our own personal mix of them. 

Each week there will be a focus on one character strength – it is written in the student’s Learning Planner and in the daily notices each week and it is also displayed in the library. The Leaders of Learning Wellbeing may ask students to complete some activities in Learning Group or during Wellbeing lessons around this character strength – it is an opportunity to celebrate your strengths and to develop them even further. It’s also an opportunity to develop new skills.

Once a term we will celebrate as a College a particular character strength. There will be many activities to get involved with during this week. 

GRATITUDE was the first character strength that we celebrated as a College and it was held in Week 4 this term. 

A big thank you to all who took up the invitation to be involved in the various gratitude activities in Gratitude Week. Some of the activities included: writing someone a thank you note; texting or emailing a family member to tell them what they mean to you; creating a poster or uploading a photo of something you were grateful for; thinking differently about challenges as an opportunity to learn more about yourself and to learn more skills. 

Although Gratitude Week has finished, we encourage everyone to be aware of the things you are grateful for on a daily basis. 

Sue Cooper
Leader of Wellbeing

Over the past six weeks the College has been implementing our new Wellbeing Program. As  Leader the purpose of this article is to give you a summary of what has been happening in Year 8.

During the first lesson students were able to identify their Character Strengths. They now know their top five which will help them to overcome the challenges of the academic school year. They may also be used to create a healthy, positive environment at St Andrews College. It is highly recommended that parents have a conversation with their son or daughter about their individual personality strengths.

The aim of our Wellbeing lessons this year is to focus on the positive and challenge students to become their best possible selves as young people. By lifting personal effort every day to do wellbeing activities students can become their best self. Students have frequent opportunities to write reflections about their self growth. I have read many of these as students have generously shared them with me and I must say we have many outstanding young people, who are most mature and responsible.

In Week 3, students designed their Goal Action Plans, which included Learning and Personal Goals for Term One. It is now Assessment Time and over the next three weeks students should be busy completing their first assessment task for each subject. Learning Centre is open every Wednesday afternoon and students should not hesitate to email teachers or see them after the lesson, if they have any queries about the task. I am also available before school, lunch and after school to help.

Week Four was Gratitude Week and students spent their Learning Group time taking photos of things that they were grateful for and uploaded them on Google classroom. Mrs Cooper made a fantastic presentation combining all the photos of Gratitude and it was very wonderful to see so many smiling faces of family, friends and even pets.

Students also emailed their family and friends and sent Thank You messages to people that they were grateful for; it was indeed a most positive week. Of course during this time of Lent, we can all be mindful of the kind actions of other people that make our day easier. An appreciative smile, a recognition of a job well done can boost people’s spirits in so many positive ways.

The students’ Learning Planner is full of positive Wellbeing Challenges. One that was very successful was based on Respectful Relationships and can be found on p.30 of the Learning Planner. Learning Group F7 and Miss Mamuk sent me their finished product and I thought I would share it with you, dear reader. The Solution Tree can be used any time at any age to solve dilemmas that occur in our lives. I was very impressed once again with the maturity of the reflections of our students.

In summary by teaching students to write down goals about the type of person they want to become and how to overcome possible obstacles, provides students with optimism and hope for the future. Goals focusing on student’s personal motivation will enable them to make good choices in their lives. Students need to remember goals are their anchors when challenges get tough.

Melissa Blackwell
Leader of Wellbeing - Year 8

During the summer, an essay competition was held to award a scholarship to a Cambridge University summer programme held in the UK in August 2020. This is a programme offered to students world wide, aged 13-18, who would like an opportunity to immerse themselves in subject areas including economics, medicine, architecture, international relations and philosophy. The essay competition requires perspective students to write 500 words on a question tailored to their subject interest. 

This year, we had one student attempt the competition, focusing on the field of medicine. Josiah Prasad, of Year 9, needed to address the question: What is the relevance of the Hippocratic Oath in the 21st Century? As well as developing a thesis, Josiah had to reference the response using external sources.

Josiah worked on drafts of his submission throughout the summer. In January, he uploaded his response and in February he was notified that he was successful in winning a scholarship to the programme. 

The prize includes:

• 13 nights accommodation in a central college of the University of Cambridge;

• 40 hours of academic sessions from Oxford University and Cambridge University tutors;

• Carefully designed study and lecture materials;

• Mentor programme and access to support material; and 

• Excursions to the surrounding area and formal meals in university dining halls.

We congratulate Josiah on his success and know that this will be a fantastic opportunity for him to work with students from around the world.

Duncan Dewar
Literacy and Special Projects Co-ordinator

Every year, Mr Greg Whitby, Executive Director Catholic Education Diocese of Parramatta encourages secondary and primary students to enter the Summer Reading Challenge. The competition asks students to review a book they have read in 50 words or less. Students submit their review on the Catholic Education Diocese of Parramatta website and are able to enter as many times as they like. 

In addition to the main competition, schools were asked to engage Ambassadors who would promote the competition and then be entered into a separate draw. We were fortunate to have a number of volunteers who set forth to encourage students to read and enter. 

Our 2019 Ambassadors were:

Year 7 - Euleila Barret and Cooper Ison

Year 8 - Keya Pandya and Josiah Prasad 

Year 9 - Wasim Rahman and Joanna Owusu 

Year 10 - Charisse DeMesa and Joshua Gesilva 

The competition closed in early February and we have been notified that two of our students were runners up. At an assembly held on Monday the 24th of February the students were presented with their prize of a $30 gift voucher. This is a great achievement when you consider how many students and schools are involved in the competition. 

Congratulations goes to Euleila Barret of Year 8 and Eric Modaffari of Year 10. 

Duncan Dewar
Literacy and Special Projects Co-ordinator

The NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge is an annual statewide initiative open to all students in NSW.  The aim of the Challenge is to improve literacy, encourage a love of reading, to read more and to experience quality literature.

St Andrews College gives students in Years 7, 8 and 9 the opportunity to participate in the Reading Challenge, however the Reading Challenge is compulsory for all Year 7 to undertake.

Each year every student who participates in the Reading Challenge is awarded a certificate of completion.  However, students who have taken part in the Challenge for four years receive a Gold Certificate and a Platinum Certificate for seven years of successful participation.

Last year a number of students in our College received a Gold or Platinum Certificate.

The following students were awarded a Gold Certificate for their successful completion in the Reading Challenge over four consecutive years.

The following students received a Platinum Certificate for participating in the Reading Challenge for seven years:

Congratulations to all these students and may we become more aware of the necessity, importance and value of reading in our technological and ever changing society.

Happy Reading
Mary Lipec
Teacher/Librarian

On the 21st of February, the Year 10 and 11 SRC attended Blacktown City Council’s annual Youth Forum. On that day, we and other students from different schools embodied the voice of Blacktown’s youth and participated in discussing significant matters affecting our community such as bullying, crime, environment, mental health, domestic violence and more. Also, four of our very own students, Wasim Rahman, Maiah Lazaro, Angela Abouchaaya, and Hayley O’Connor had the opportunity to address the Blacktown City Council and raise the different issues affecting our communities and represented our school in the Council Chambers. The students were also extremely fortunate to be given advice by Kerry Robinson, the Chief Executive Officer for Blacktown. He delivered advice to our student leaders, saying: “No one will push your own wheelbarrow; you have to push yours.” Our students were also given the opportunity to listen and meet the councillors of Blacktown City Council and the current mayor, Tony Bleasdale. Hopefully our student leaders will utilise and share the advice gained from the day to make St Andrews College a safe and enjoyable learning environment.

Janella Canete
Year 10 - SRC Publicity 

On Tuesday the 3rd of March the Junior Campus opened its doors to the community to celebrate and showcase Catholic education at St Andrews College.

It was an opportunity for future students and their families to experience what happens each day in our great College.

Students from Year 6 and their families heard from Year 7 students - Hamish Seymon and Raphaella Thimiopoulus-Wilson, our School Captains - Jayden Merhab and Hayley O’Connor and Principal, Mr Stephen Kennaugh about the rich and unique teaching and learning experience offered at St Andrews College.

Open Day was another opportunity for the community to see the students and staff doing more and going beyond.

On Thursday the 27th of February the College Swimming Carnival was held at the Blacktown Aquatic Centre.

The Participation Shield went to Chang and the overall Carnival winners were Bennelong.

The Age Champions will be announced at each Campus Assembly in the coming weeks and published in the following newsletter.

Congratulations to all students who participated in the 2020 Swimming Carnival.

On Monday 24th February 2020, our Senior Girls and Boys competed in the PDSSSC Basketball Gala Day at Penrith Basketball Stadium. The following students competed in the competition. 

Boys Basketball results were the following: 

• Won against Marian 24-14

• Won against St Marks 39-23

• Won against Delany 32-8

• Won against Gilroy 27-17

The Grand Final was between St Andrews College and St Clare's Catholic High School. This was a competitive game that was well played between both teams, unfortunately St Andrews Collage lost against St Clare's Catholic High School 18 to 29. The boys are congratulated for the way they represent the College, they played with integrity and great sportsmanship.  

Girls Basketball results were the following: 

• Won against St Marks 14-5

• Won against Cerdon College 18-10

• Lost against Gilroy College 11-27

• Lost against Catherine McAuley 7-35

• Won Against Nagle College 32-24

The girls represented the College well and played with great perseverance and teamwork throughout the day.

We would especially like to thank our helpers who give their time and share their talents benching for us. These girls were Katelyn Calima, Maheka Karunaratne, Semeina Ambolo and Shanika Chua. 

We would also like to thank the parents and guardians who attended the day to help support, cheer and provide encouragement to both teams. This is only the beginning of what is set to be a great year of Basketball. 

We would like to thank and acknowledge our Year 12 Students as this was their last PDSSSC Basketball Tournament. These students always participated in the Basketball program at St Andrews College and have given their time, effort and talents to be a part of this program since Year 7.

Keep shooting those hoops and practicing your free throws! 

Until next time! Keep Ballin, Mrs Bennett and Mrs Carlos 

Monday 9th March
Year 10 REACH Incursion - Junior Campus

Tuesday 10th March
Year 11 Geography  Biophysical Interactions Excursion to Oatley Park

Wednesday 11th March
MUFT DAY - Project Compassion 

Thursday 12th & Friday 13th March
Year 11 Retreat - Various Locations

Monday 16th to Friday 20th March
Work Placement - Year 12 Information & Digital Technology Students

Tuesday 17th March
St Patricks Day

Wednesday 18th March
Big Day In @ UTS

Thursday 19th & 20th March
Year 7 Camp - Collaroy Centre

College Leadership Team

College Leaders of Learning - KLA

College Leaders of Learning

Senior Campus Leaders of Learning - KLA

Junior Campus Leaders of Learning - KLA

Leaders of Learning - Wellbeing

PHONE:   (02) 9626 4000

eMAIL:  standrewscollege@parra.catholic.edu.au

Website:  www.standrewscmarayong.com.au