Santa Sophia Catholic College Newsletter

You are invited to attend and participate in a truly valuable parent event for ALL our parents/carers on the evening of Wednesday 19th June where we will have one of Australia's most respected and popular parenting authors and speakers, Dr Justin Coulson presenting on ‘9 WAYS TO A RESILIENT CHILD'.

Please REGISTER HERE: https://www.trybooking.com/BCUNV

DETAILS:

Date: Wednesday 19th June

Time: 6:30pm - 8:30pm

Location: College Hall, St Mark's Catholic College, 160 Perfection Ave, Stanhope Gardens

Invitees: All parents of students from K-12

Topic: ‘9 Ways to a Resilient Child’ Parents will learn the psychological secrets that build their child's sense of identity, strengths and growth mind-set in order to perform better, be happier and build resilience

RSVP: This is a FREE event but we ask you to please REGISTER using the link below or clicking HERE

Please view the video below where Dr Justin sends a personal invitation to you to attend!

by Mrs Kalocsai

Santa Sophia Stage 4 students and teachers came together as a school community on Tuesday 30th April to commemorate ANZAC day, which occurred when we were on school holidays.

The ANZAC tradition was established on 25th April 1915 when the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps landed on the Gallipoli peninsula, however ANZAC day goes beyond the anniversary of the landing on Gallipoli.

It is the day we remember Australians who served and died in all wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations. We were priveldged to have Warrant Officer David Walker from Richmond RAAF Base as our special guest. Warrant Officer Walker explained what ANZAC Day means to him and also graciously answered the students' many questions about his experiences during his time serving in the Royal Australian Air Force.

Kindergarten students were then presented with the bookends. Luke Bollard, one of our Kindergarten students, commented on one of the bookends saying, “The way that they’ve painted it is beautiful”. Kindergarten students were overjoyed to receive 'their presents', and in return they presented the Stage 4 students with a thank you card.

The occasion was also marked with a musical celebration in the form of a whole school concert, which showcased the talents of students of all ages. Mr Rooke led the Stage 4 strings orchestra in a performance of the Pachelbel Canon. They then accompanied the Kindergarten students singing of ‘Old MacDonald had a Farm’.

I would like to thank all of the students that were involved in the organisation of the Kindergarten visit and congratulate each and every Stage 4 student on their hard work in Term 1.

By Michael Faccin

Sports Coordinator

Welcome back to Term 2 Sport at Santa Sophia. This term is promising to be a very big term for our school community. On Friday 3rd May we had 18 students represent the college at the PDSSSC Cross Country Carnival held at Penrith’s Jamison Park.

It was a very wet day where students competed against 22 other high schools from our Diocese. I would like to congratulate all students on their participation and conduct for the day. It was noted by several other schools the amount of support our students expressed for each other while competing. A special thanks to Mr Knight for his support on the day as well as to the parents and family who came along to support all our students.

Santa Sophia Cross Country Team 2019:

Kennith Tjhin, James Achten, Reyad Makessi, Aiden Stacey, Thomas O’Brian, Ryan Withers, Oliver Vrljic, Vito Galati, Jayden Ormsby, Aiden Carle, Kurt Seget, Holly Keyvar, Ananya Kumthekar, Karyss Toilalo, Samantha Grozvenor, Erica Pisani, Sadie Oneill, Nikisha Kumar, Sarah Gauld.

We have several key upcoming sporting events taking place this term. On Monday 27th May our school sent two teams to the PDSSSC soccer gala day.  On Tuesday 28th May we held our Athletics Carnival in conjunction with Saint John Paul II Catholic College at The Blacktown International Sports Centre.

Our college will also be holing trials for the PDSSSC Netball Gala Day, Dance competition, Futsal and OzTag Gala days later this term. For updates for all sporting events and notices please regularly check the school’s Santa Sophia Sport’s Google Classroom page.

If your child has made a significant achievement in sport outside of school be it a representative team, scholarship or championship event we would like to acknowledge them here at school so please let myself or the school know with details about their achievement.

by Mrs Kihi

On Tuesday 2nd April, the Year 7 English PIP students participated in an excursion to the Kindergarten class where they engaged in a picture book reading with the students. As part of their project, these students designed and created an original picture book in order to address the driving question posed at the start of the project. This driving question was;

How can I serve my College community through my study of English?

On the day of the book reading, the Year 7 English PIP students travelled to the kindergarten class and read their stories to the children. The ‘big kids’ really stepped up and showed great enthusiasm in their reading, and this was met equally with excitement from the ‘little kids.’

It was truly a great experience where we were able to forge connections between the older and younger students at Santa Sophia. 

Flu is much more serious than a cold and spreads easily. In 2017, over 650 people died in NSW from it. An annual flu shot is your best protection against the flu. The flu shot is safe and does not give you the flu. Free flu shots are available for pregnant women, children from 6 months to under 5 years, all Aboriginal people from 6 months of age, people with serious health conditions, including severe asthma, diabetes, cancer, immune disorders, kidney, heart, lung or liver disease, and all people 65 years and over. Talk to your doctor or health worker for more information. It’s in your hands. See the NSW Health website here.

What is flu? Influenza, or flu, is a highly contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses. There are two main types of influenza virus that cause infection in humans – types A and B – and many sub-types or strains. Flu can occur throughout the year but flu activity usually peaks in winter. Flu is a vaccine-preventable illness but a new vaccine needs to be given each year because flu viruses change (mutate) constantly. A new flu vaccine is prepared each year to best match the strains predicted for the coming flu season. What are the symptoms? People with flu typically experience some or all of the following symptoms for at least a week:

• fever and chills
• cough, sore throat and runny or stuffy nose
• muscle aches, joint pains, headaches and fatigue (feeling very tired)
• nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea (more common in children than adults)

Seek immediate medical advice if the illness quickly becomes worse or if any of the following occurs:

• shortness of breath or rapid breathing
• chest pain
• confusion or sudden dizziness
• persistent vomiting

How is it spread?

• Flu viruses are mainly spread by droplets made when an infected person coughs or sneezes
• Flu can also spread after touching surfaces where infected droplets have landed
• Flu can be spread to someone by an infected person even before their symptoms begin
• Adults with flu are infectious from the day before their symptoms start until 5-7 days later
• Young children and people with weakened immune systems may be infectious for longer.

How is it prevented? Flu vaccination each year before winter arrives is the best way to prevent flu.Healthy respiratory hygiene also helps to prevent the spread of flu.

• Cover your mouth with your elbow when you cough or sneeze
• Stay at home if you’re sick
• Wash your hands frequently

Monday 10th June:

Queen's Birthday Public Holiday

Wednesday 12th June:

Fr Galea Visit

Friday 14th June:

NSW CCC Cross Country

Wednesday 19th June: 6:30pm - 8:30pm

Parent Education Network Event: Dr Justin Coulson

Details and RSVP here: https://www.trybooking.com/BCUNV

Wednesday 26th June: Stage 5 Information Evening

Friday 5th July

Last day of term