ST ANDREWS COLLEGE MARAYONG

Congratulations on such a wonderful start to the  2020 school year. Congratulations to all staff and students who took part in the Opening Mass and High Achievers Assembly. I really enjoyed returning to witness the polite way that the student body greet staff, the professionalism and dedication of the staff and the pride the community has in our great school. The message that the student body was given from our high achievers was clear. Routine, Hard Work and seeking Feedback from staff were secrets to their success. We can all learn from these principles. I look forward to meeting and interacting with parents, students and the wider community throughout the year and look forward to acknowledging the many successes we see on a daily basis here at St Andrews College.  

‘It’s All About Learning’

'God does not have favourites'~ Acts 10:34-38 ~

‘This is my Son, the Beloved; my favour rests on him.’

~ Matthew 3:13-17 ~ 

At his baptism, Jesus fully realizes that he is loved and chosen by God for a mission that only he can fulfill.

Do we feel loved and chosen by God for a purpose that only we can fulfill in the lives we live now? God has gifted us with everything we need to respond.

What work in 2020 do you sense God has ‘chosen’ you to complete – and why you?

What do I see as my purpose in 2020?

Martin Scorsese’s award-winning film Hugo is the story of an orphan living in Paris during the 1930’s. Hugo inherits his late father’s ability to fix and rebuild things, from intricate clocks to sophisticated mechanical toys. Hugo’s world is one of tools and gadgets. Hugo muses:

I’d imagine the whole world was one big machine. Machines never come with any extra parts, you know. They always come with the exact amount they need. So I figured, if the entire world was one big machine, I couldn’t be an extra part. I had to be here for some reason…..

Maybe that’s why a broken machine always makes me a little sad, because it isn’t able to do what it was meant to do…. Maybe it’s the same with people. If you lose your purpose…. it’s like you’re broken.

To find our life’s purpose despite our fears, our doubts, our brokenness, our feeling of inadequacy is the great challenge ever one faces. The story of Jesus is a ‘blue print’ for everyone in how to transform the crosses of our lives into vehicles of resurrection, to realize the purpose of our lives, within the challenges and complexities  we encounter, to discover wholeness and meaning as we repair and replace the broken pieces of our lives.

As we reflect and ponder the year ahead: ‘What do I see as my ‘purpose’ in 2020?

We need to hear God’s voice saying personally and publicly such words to each one of us. When Jesus heard the mighty, tender voice of love, he immediately went to the desert, where he would prepare to give his whole life to God in gratitude.  As you and I begin to grasp the meaning of “You are my beloved,” we too begin to live our lives out of thankfulness to the One who stands behind the words.

The Feast of the Baptism of Jesus is about the proclamation of God’s life and love in Jesus and everyone.  Baptism did something to Jesus and demanded something of Jesus. Jesus’ life – his ‘vocation’ was determined by God-  to make the love and life of God REAL in the world.

God says to us: “To be with you I give everything. I give all to you, all my divinity, everything. Nothing will keep you from me.” 

Will we accept the self-Gift of such a humble God?  Accepting God really means accepting that the words spoken to Jesus today are spoken to us: ‘You are my Son, my daughter; my favour rests on you.’  However, God does not force our acceptance. Ours is not a God who will force us to be ‘beloved’ but our humble good God never tires or stops asking us, “Accept me, accept me, accept me.” 

That our College will be staging a production of Blood Brothers at the end of Term 2 this year. The call for expressions of interest have gone out and it looks like an amazing Drama/Musical. More details will follow. I am really looking forward to seeing our students in this context.

It was wonderful to have our High Achievers Assembly and College Opening Mass joined this year. The Mass was both joyous and solemn, and the High Achievers Assembly was a fitting celebration of outstanding effort.

I will be sending out a letter outlining protocols and expectations regarding emails and communications with staff outside of school hours. If you have any questions please contact me. The general expectation is that communication would be responded to in 24hours.

Congratulations Josiah on being selected into the Medicine Course at Cambridge University. What an amazing opportunity and achievement.

I hope that your Christmas and summer break were outstanding. I would like to take this opportunity to welcome all students and families back to St Andrews College for another great year of learning.

 Year 11 Information Evening - Monday 10th February

 Year 7 Meet and Greet - Tuesday 11th February

 Year 10 Reflection Day  - Monday 17th February

 Year 7 Reflection Day - Wednesday 19th February

 Ash Wednesday  - 26th February

 Swimming Carnival - Thursday 27th February

 College Open Day - Tuesday 3rd March

 Blacktown Show  Year 7 - Saturday 14th March

 Year 11 Retreat - Thursday 12th and Friday 13th March

 Year 7 Camp - Thursday 19th and Friday 20th March

 Years 7-12 Student Learning Conference - Tuesday 24th March

 Year 7 Vaccinations - Wednesday 1st April

 Last day Term 1 - Thursday 9th April

 Good Friday - 10th April

 Easter Sunday 12 th April

 Students return Term 2 Tuesday 28 th April

The College Swimming Carnival will be held on Thursday the 27th of February. This is a whole College event and is compulsory for every student to attend. Student will attend the College for Learning Groups and will travel by bus to Blacktown Aquatic Centre for the day.

They will return to the College by 3pm that day.

The Opening College Mass and the HSC High Achievers Assembly were celebrated in the Parish Hall on Thursday the 6th of February. This was a great way to start the 2020 spiritual and academic year. A big thank you goes all the people who made these events a great success.

We have changed the name of our Leaders of Learning Pastoral to Leaders of Learning Wellbeing.  You may have noticed us using Positive Psychology Language. We are focusing on each student holistically and working with the SPIRE Framework in our interaction with the students. The College planners are full of ideas and information about Positive Education and how it supports students with their learning. During the year we will post information about Positive Education in the newsletter.

All schools in the Diocese have been set an attendance target of 94%. This will mean that during a school year all students are expected to attend the College as much as possible to take advantage of all learning possibilities. It is expected that there will be times that some students will be sick and cannot attend school. An acceptable absence rate for a term will be around three days. 

Parents will be contacted by their child’s Learning Advisor if the absent days go above this target rate. 

There is a lot of potential damage to a student’s learning and progress the more time they take off from school. It is important that each student is at school as much as possible to take advantage of every learning opportunity.

A reminder to families, if your child is late or absent they must produce a note written by the parent/guardian and signed by the parent/guardian. You have seven days to produce the note or the absence or lateness will be recorded as an unexplained. If the reply is by SMS please enter the child’s name, the reason for absence (keep it short, e.g. sick) and the date of absence.

If there is a planned absence a written application must be lodged with the Principal before the date of absence from school. With a change of legislation, there is more paper work that must be completed for absences. Families are discouraged from having family holidays during term time, however we are aware that there may be a few exceptions. The application for Leave can be found on the Skoolbag app.

If there is a problem with attendance, the College will make contact with each family to develop an attendance plan to ensure classes are not being missed. The first contact from the Learning Advisor will be at thrre days absent, then five days absent. Once a child has seven days absent a letter will be sent to families and a phone call from the Leader of Learning will occur to develop an attendance plan. Once a child has 12 days absent in a year, one of the Assistant Principals will make contact to ask you to attend an attendance plan meeting to see how the College can assist the family in getting the child to school. After 15 days absent a meeting with the College Principal will be held to support the family.

As with absence, lateness to school has the potential to cause significant harm to the student's learning. Parents are asked to ensure their child is at school on time every day. There will be times that are unavoidable but if a pattern of lateness is evident the families will be asked to attend a lateness meeting to address the problem.

Just a reminder about the College uniform. St Andrews College has high expectations about the way each student wears the uniform. It is expected that each student is dressed according to the Colleges Uniform policy (which is in the student’s planner).

The College uniform expectations were developed by the College community and represent what the parents, students and College expect to see a St Andrews College student looking like. I ask all families to work with their Learning Advisors and Leaders of Learning Wellbeing as they keep the standards set for the College Uniform.

Each male student is expected to be clean shaven each day. If facial hair is noticeable, they will be asked to shave it at school. 

No male students are to have earrings of any type including clear plastic ones. Females are allowed to have one set of earrings in their lobes that are simple gold or silver sleepers or studs with a small jewel in them. All other earrings will be asked to be removed. No nose rings, tongue rings or any other piercings are acceptable. 

Hair should be one natural colour and neat and tidy. Girls are to have their hair tied back at school. Boys are to have short hair according to the College policy. If a student’s hair is not acceptable, families will be contacted to have it rectified. 

The first way to communicate with the College is through the Student Planner. Teachers will use the Planner to communicate small concerns or praises. If you have any concerns you can contact the students Learning Advisor who oversees a small group of students during the year or the class teacher of different subjects. If the matter is a major concern you can ring the College to speak to your child’s Leader of Learning- Wellbeing or Leader of Learning-KLA. Please feel free to contact your child’s teacher if you have any concerns with your child’s progress in class. 

We have asked each student to record all learning/homework and task in the planner every day. It is important that parents are aware of what is in the planner and we ask that the planner is signed every week by the Learning Advisor and the parents. 

The College will start using the Skoolbag App this year for many of its notes and notifications. The App is free to download from the App store on either Apple or other devices. Search for “St Andrews College Marayong Skoolbag” and install the app. If families do not have access to Skoolbag they will be asked to notify the College early in the term.

Parents are reminded that they are not to be using the College car park to drop students off unless they have permission from the College. There have been a number of times where parents who have students with a disability have not been able to park because other parents are parking in their assigned spots. Please drop students off on Quakers Road or Benalla Crescent.

The six elements of wellbeing

• Positive engagement- engaging in the moment in a positive way
• Meaning and purpose- having passion and a reason for doing what we are doing
• Skill and achievement- building capacity to strive, thrive and flourish
• Relationships and optimism- believing you and others matter
• Strength and emotion- soaring with your strengths and being optimistic
• Exercise and Health- healthy body means a health mind

Use the website www.learningcurve.com.au and your planner for more information about the elements of wellbeing.

We have asked that all students complete the strength survey to help them recognise their strengths.

Complete the via character strength survey to develop an understanding of your strengths. Use these strengths to develop goals for the year

Reduce stress by exercising each day.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact the College. I am looking forward to another wonderful year for the College and working with the great St Andrews community.

God Bless
Mr Nicholas Thrum
Assistant Principal Students

Students in Year 11 have received a note indicating the compulsory parent/student information evening on the 10th of February . This evening will cover essential procedures and considerations for all students as they start their Preliminary Year.

Year 7 and 9 will be asked to download the NAPLAN Browser over the following weeks. The NAPLAN Test agenda is provided in the accompanying poster for NAPLAN. The school schedule will be shared early in Term 2 to parents and students. 

In order for students to be familiar with the online testing environment, students will be required to sit a practice test on March 24. Student will be able to play with the online tools to see what the features do. The test mark is NOT recorded. Therefore students should not worry about attempting this test. The test will combine each of the tests the students will ultimately sit in each domain. 

The NAPLAN Parent Support site provides all details about the tests students will be involved in.

Example tests are provided in the following link.

Public demonstration site - practice tests for students. 

All of Year 10, and some Year 11 and 12 (who have not met one or more HSC Minim Standards Tests) will sit for Numeracy, Writing and Reading HSC Minimum Standards Online Tests in March and early April. The schedule for the tests will be shared with students this week so they are well aware in advance. 

Students can practice each test online. 

Students have two opportunties to resit the tests each year until the conclusion of Year 12, and two attempts each year, 5 years after the HSC Examinations. 

The College has support structures in place to ensure every student passes each of the tests before the conclusion of Year 12. 

HSC Minimum Standards Explained

1.1. What has the NSW Government announced? 

The NSW Government has announced that from 2020, all Year 12 students must reach a minimum standard of functional literacy and numeracy to receive the HSC. 

1.2. Why did the NSW Government announce this? 

Literacy and numeracy skills are the foundation for success in learning and in life. Through the State Literacy and Numeracy Action Plan 2012–2016 the NSW Government has had a strong focus on supporting students in Kindergarten to Year 2 whose literacy and numeracy development is at risk. The NSW Government will continue to support intervention in the early years of schooling, but has now extended this strong focus on literacy and numeracy to secondary school students. The new Literacy and Numeracy Strategy 2017–2020 requires cooperation between and action from the three school education sectors, the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA), schools, teachers, students and parents to ensure every student has the essential literacy and numeracy skills they need for work and life. 

1.3. Why is this particular reform being implemented? 

The introduction of a minimum standard signals high expectations for the achievement of all NSW students and serves to maintain the integrity and value of the HSC for students, employers and tertiary and vocational education providers. 

Additionally, the HSC does not directly measure students’ literacy and numeracy skills. A new minimum standard for award of the HSC will provide students, parents, communities, tertiary and vocational education providers, business and employers with an assurance that students have the literacy and numeracy skills required for life beyond school. 

1.4. How will students benefit from the new minimum standard? 

Literacy and numeracy are core skills in society, providing access to work and further education or training after school as well as in life. Standards set for the HSC influence teaching and learning priorities in the earlier years of school. Every student will benefit from a greater focus on the mastery of knowledge and skills as they move through school. The HSC is not the end of learning for students, but preparation for the next stage of a student’s life. Students at risk of not meeting the standard will be identified and supported to reach the standard. This strengthened focus on literacy and numeracy will also be of great benefit to the 20,000 students each year who leave school without an HSC.

1.5. What is the new minimum standard? 

It is a nationally agreed standard of functional literacy and numeracy, mapped to the Australian Core Skills Framework (ACSF) Level 3. The ACSF has been endorsed by federal and state government ministers. It describes the core literacy and numeracy skills required for personal, community, work and training contexts.

1.7. What are the expectations of students at Australian Core Skills Framework (ACSF) Level 3? 

ACSF Level 3 describes the everyday literacy and numeracy skills required for life after school, for work and further education.

The minimum standard is set at a level of literacy and numeracy needed for everyday tasks such as: 

• following operating instructions in equipment manuals 

• interpreting routine tables, graphs and charts 

• writing a job application, and 

• preparing an invoice.

1.8 If a student does not meet the standard prior to the end of Year 12 can they still sit for the HSC examinations? 

Yes. Students will not be excluded from sitting for their HSC exams if they have not met the standard. Students who sit for the HSC exams without meeting the standard will have their results recorded on the Record of School Achievement (RoSA).

1.9 Will students still receive a credential if they don’t meet the minimum standard? 

Yes. Year 12 students who do not meet the minimum standard for award of the HSC will receive the Record of School Achievement (RoSA). The RoSA records completed Stage 5 (Year 9-10) and Stage 6 (Years 11-12) courses, results and grades, and participation in any uncompleted Stage 6 courses. Current students who leave school before the HSC already have the option of sitting an online literacy and numeracy test and recording the result on their RoSA. 

The NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) issues the Record of School Achievement (RoSA) to eligible students who leave school before completing the Higher School Certificate (HSC).

The RoSA is a cumulative credential, meaning it contains a student’s record of academic achievement up until the date they leave school. This could be between the end of Year 10 up until and including some results from Year 12.

The RoSA records completed Stage 5 (Year 10) and Preliminary Stage 6 (Year 11) courses and grades, HSC (Year 12) results, and where applicable participation in any uncompleted Preliminary Stage 6 courses or HSC courses.

The RoSA is useful to students leaving school prior to the HSC because they can show it to potential employers or places of further learning.

The RoSA is also available to students who, from 2020, have not demonstrated the HSC minimum standard  to receive their HSC.

Michelle Deschamps
Assistant Principal Teaching and Learning

Dear Readers,

Hello, my name is Ms Melissa Blackwell and I am the Leader of Learning Wellbeing for Year 8, 2020.

I am a part of the Year 8 Wellbeing Team which includes the following teachers in their role as Learning Advisers:

• B4 Mrs Borg

• B8 Miss Chang

• C6 Mr Zammit

• C10 Mrs Suzuki

• F7 Miss Sumcad

• F8 Miss Mamuk and Mr Lopez

• G8 Mrs Kramer

• G9 Mr Silva

We have had a very well organised beginning to Term 1. Year 8 students received their timetables and Learning Planners and are in the process of meeting all their subject teachers.

During the next week, each Learning Group will elect their student leaders for the semester. These student leaders have the responsibility of helping the Learning Adviser and thus must also be responsible students.

On Monday the 10th of February Year 8 will have their first Wellbeing lesson for the year. During this lesson students will complete their Youth Survey, which is on the following website www.viacharacter.org . This survey identifies a student's character strengths, which will help with their learning throughout 2020. There are 24 character strengths and each person has their own personal mix of them. Students will discover their top five strengths, which are called signature strengths.

Please refer to page 10 of the Year 8 Learning Planner for further information. I urge all parents and guardians to discuss these results with their son or daughter. 

After the student discover what their signature strengths are they will be encouraged to begin conversations on how they could use their signature strengths on a daily basis. For example:

Gratitude - Students have the opportunity to thank people for what they do for them no matter how small, it may seem to be; or

Prudence - for students to be careful about one’s choices; not saying or doing things that might later be regretted. 

Once again for more information please refer to Page 11 of the Year 8 Learning Planner.

I found a little poem that I think sums up the purpose of the Year 8 Wellbeing Team for 2020 and I would like to share it with you and all of the Year 8 students of St Andrews College.

Lean on Us

If you need a listening ear

we are here for you …

If you need someone to talk to

at any time of day

We will do our best to help you

and to guide you on your way.

We all have times throughout our lives

When we don’t feel that strong

and that’s what teachers like us are for

to carry you along

Don’t ever feel you’re on your own

on us you can depend

We’ll face each day together

and all the challenging times will end!

Thank you for sending your child to St Andrews College. Please do not hesitate to email me with any questions or queries you may have. My school email is mblackwell@parra.catholic.edu.au . 

Until next time reader, 

Regards
Melissa Blackwell
Leader of Learning Wellbeing - Year 8

After the College Opening Mass held on Thursday the 6th of February the St Andrews College community celebrated the outstanding 2019 HSC results at a special assembly.

The following five students achieved an outstanding ATAR. Our ATAR Dux Aman Jaswal achieved an ATAR of 96.35, ATAR 2nd Place Ebony O’Connor achieved an ATAR of 95.70, ATAR 3rd Place Peter Nguyen achieved an ATAR of 92.45. Roland Clemson and Gene Tibig both achieved an ATAR above 90.

Eleven students were listed on the 2019 HSC Distinguished Achievers List for achieving Band 6 in a course of study or a Band E4 in an extension course. In 2019 these students collectively achieved 21 Band 6 or Band E4 results.

Hitik Ahuja
Mathematics Standard 2

Alexy
Mathematics
Hindi Continuers

Roland Clemson
Mathematics Extension 1

Aman Jaswal
Legal Studies
Mathematics
Mathematics Extension 1
Studies of Religion I

Anna Kravtsova
Music 1

Sylvia Musel
Design & Technology

Peter Nguyen
Mathematics Extension 1

Ebony O’Connor
Community and Family Studies
English Advanced
English Extension 1
Society and Culture
Studies of Religion I

Ryan Oxley
Industrial Technology

Patrick Sheehan
Investigating Science

Gene Tibig
Industrial Technology
Mathematics
Visual Arts

During the assembly Ebony O’Connor and Aman Jaswal shared their HSC experiences and gave the student body some words of wisdom to succeed in their HSC. 

Ebony advised the students to identify when they worked best and to use that time wisely. She also strongly encouraged the students to develop a love for reading as it enhances your ability to write well.

“Playing the long game is the trick to success in the HSC”, says Ebony. 

Ebony continued to say that having done extensive study leading up to the HSC and during her Year 11 studies released a lot of the stress during the HSC exams.

Aman advised students to identify and understand what they really want to achieve during their Year 12 studies.  

“If you are aiming to achieve a high ATAR, you will need to study consistently and stay focussed - there is no substitute for hard work”, says Aman. 

He continued to say that a lack of motivation to study is something you need to push pass if you want to achieve your goal.

Along with these outstanding HSC results there were three students who were nominated for the HSC Technologies Showcase of outstanding Major Projects - SHAPE Exhibition. The students were:

• Sylvia Musel for her Design and Technology Major Design Project 

• Ryan Oxley for his Industrial Technology Major Project

• Gene Tibig for his Industrial Technology Major Project 

The College Leadership Team extends their congratulations to the students and commends the teachers who mentored them along the way.

Therese May
Careers Counsellor

On the evening of Monday the 3rd of February, Mrs Anita Weaver and Ms Emily Pett attended the NSWCCC Blue Awards where Sylvia Musel of Year 12 2019 received the Blue Award for Volleyball. The Awards Ceremony was held at St Mary Star of The Sea College in Wollongong. Also in attendance was Mr Gregory Whitby, Executive Director, Catholic Education Diocese of Parramatta.

Sylvia has been a part of the NSW Combined Catholic Colleges Volleyball Team since 2017. She has embraced opportunities and developed her skills, showing great improvement over the last few years. This was evident in her level of play during the Quad-Series which was held late last year.

Sylvia’s positive attitude is infectious and develops confidence in others. Her determination and competitive nature guarantees that she always gives her maximum effort. This paired with her natural athletic ability, allows Sylvia to be a dominant force on the court.

During 2019 she was an integral part of the Open NSW Combined Catholic Colleges Volleyball Team with her exceptional skills and commanding teamwork which resulted in her deserved selection in the NSW All Schools Merit Team..

Congratulations Sylvia.

Five numbers are placed in a row. From the third number on, each number is the average of the previous two numbers. The first number is 12 and the last number is 7. What is the third number?

125 awesome students of St Andrews College did 30 of those mind-boggling problems and were given only a little over an hour!  Talk about problem solving skills and persistence!

These mathletes competed in the annual Australian Mathematics Competition on Thursday the 1st of August 2019.  It is an international Mathematics Competition with students from more than 30 countries participating. St Andrews College mathletes competed and were awarded 14 Participation, 88 Proficiency, 17 Credit and six Distinction awards!

On Monday, the 2nd of December 2019 at the Junior Campus Assembly, we celebrated the success of those students who have attained a Certificate of Distinction.  Mr Kennaugh presented these outstanding students with their certificates. The students were:

Moses Badelles and Sinali Weerashinghe from Year 7

Finlay Blanch from Year 8

Jeffery Wong and Henry Wu from Year 9

Kushi Gupta from Year 10 received her certificate at an assembly on the Senior Campus.

Sinali Weeransinghe achieved the school’s highest standardised score and was awarded the Best in School Award.

Congratulations goes to these students and all students who participated and took on the challenge and represented the College in the 2019 Australian Mathematics Competition!

Gilda De Guzman
Leader of Learning Mathematics - Junior Campus

Each year JMC Academy holds an exciting film and animation event; The Martini Film Awards and includes a category known as the Mocktail Film Awards. This is where High School students are also invited to submit their best short fiction, short documentary, short animation, television commercial or music video clip, to be reviewed by industry professionals. Shortlisted films will be shown and the winner will be announced at the prestigious Martini Film Awards to be held in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane in June 2020.

JMC Academy invites high school students to submit their short film and go into the running to win awesome prizes to the value of $2,500 for themself and their school!

Submission closs on the 5thof April.

For entry requirements click here

For more information about The Mocktail Film Awards, please email JMC Academy at hello@jmc.edu.au or phone (02) 8241 8899.

Monday 10th February 
Student ID Photos - Catch up
Year 11 Information Evening - Senior Campus - 6pm -7pm

Tuesday 11th February
Year 7 Meet and Greet - Junior Campus - 6pm - 7pm

Friday 14th February
Onstage - Seymour Centre - Year 11 and 12 Drama

Monday 17th February
Year 10 Reflection Day

Wednesday 19th February
Year 7 Reflection Day

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