Being the final newsletter of Term Three it is hard to believe how quickly time has passed during this year.

And what a year it has been! Who could possibly have imagined what 2020 was going to hold? Moving from smoke covered schools in late 2019, to devastating bushfires which affected so many across 2019 and 2020, to then have floods and finally, to top it all off, COVID-19 – something which continues to impact on our daily lives.

While NSW has been fortunate in comparison to states like Victoria or conditions in various countries across the world, our lives have been irrevocably changed and as a College we are still learning from our time during remote learning. So at least there will be positives which result in terms of the learning and teaching which the College provides.

Further good news, and we certainly need good news, is that the College will still have a College Graduation for our Year 12s and a Formal.

The timing and format for the Graduation will differ significantly from previous years – and the College is currently exploring spaces and formats which can allow at least one (hopefully two) parents/carers to attend with their children. While more details will follow, I am so pleased that our Year 12s will at least have some joy after a torrid year.

Included below are both sentiments and a prayer from Pope Francis regarding COVID-19 and, while our lives in NSW are gradually returning to greater normality, I continue to acknowledge that many families are struggling significantly from COVID-19. Thus, our hearts, thoughts and prayers continue to go out to those families. Once again, I reiterate that if families are struggling financially and need support please contact the College so that I can have a conversation with you.

In mentioning our Year 12s I would also like to acknowledge the very high quality of Major Works (Visual Arts, Design & Technology, Extension II English, Society & Culture and Industrial Tech Timber) and/or Performances (HSC Music and Drama) which have been produced/presented this year. External markers/visitors and our own staff have spoken very highly of the quality of these works. Given the nature of the mixed COVID-19 year we have seen I warmly congratulate our students.

While revision for our Year 12s will be available in Week One, Term Four there will be an official farewell for our Year 12s amongst students and staff to mark the end of their formal lessons. I wish our Year 12s all the very best as they enter their final week.

While isolation, social distancing and economic uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic prove to be a challenge, Christians are called by God to take part in the church’s mission in the world, Pope Francis wrote in a message for World Mission Sunday 2020.

“The impossibility of gathering as a church to celebrate the Eucharist has led us to share the experience of the many Christian communities that cannot celebrate Mass every Sunday,” the Pope wrote in his message, which was released by the Holy See on May 31.

“In all of this, God’s question: ‘Whom shall I send?’ is addressed once more to us and awaits a generous and convincing response: ‘Here am I, send me,’” he said.

World Mission Sunday will be celebrated October 18.

In his message, the Pope said that despite the suffering and challenges posed by COVID-19, the church’s “missionary journey” continues.

Although pain and death “make us experience our human frailty,” it also serves as a reminder of “our deep desire for life and liberation from evil.”

“In this context, the call to mission, the invitation to step out of ourselves for love of God and neighbour presents itself as an opportunity for sharing, service and intercessory prayer,” he wrote.

“The mission that God entrusts to each one of us leads us from fear and introspection to a renewed realisation that we find ourselves precisely when we give ourselves to others.”

To be a “church on the move,” he said, is neither a program nor “an enterprise to be carried out by sheer force of will,” but rather follows the prompting of the Holy Spirit “who pushes you and carries you.”

Pope Francis said the celebration of World Mission Sunday offered an opportunity to reaffirm that one’s prayers, reflections and offerings were ways “to participate actively in the mission of Jesus in his church.”

He also reminded Christians that the mission of evangelisation was “a free and conscious response to God’s call” that could only be discerned by one’s “personal relationship of love with Jesus present in his church.”

(Catholic Leader Australia - June 4 2020)

HSC 2020 - Key Dates 

2020 HSC: 20 October - Wednesday 11 November

Detailed information regarding examination procedures and requirements will be communicated to Year 12 students and parents separately.

Students and parents/carers are encouraged to familiarise themselves with the HSC 2020 timetable. (link below)

2020 HSC Examination Timetable

HSC Minimum Standard Testing

Year 10 students have completed their National Minimum Standards testing through Term 3. 

Students are able to access their results through the NESA Students Online portal or by speaking with their English and Maths teacher. 

Students are required to attain a Level 3 or 4 result in each test to be eligible for the HSC credential. Please note that NMS tests do not impact eligibility for an ATAR. 

Students who are yet to attain the NMS in reading, writing or numeracy will have the opportunity to complete their testing again through Term 4. 

Any questions regarding HSC National Minimum Standards Tests can be forwarded to Miss Stephanie Phillips. 

DENIM DECONSTRUCTION PROJECTS

Year 9 and 10 Textiles students were given the task to deconstruct a used denim item. They were then asked to reuse the fabric to design and construct a new textile item. As you can see the results are very creative and impressive! Projects included a variety of shoulder bags, hats, dream catchers, pencil cases, an ottoman and even a teddy bear! 

We are very proud of the work that has been produced by both elective Textiles and Design classes.  

Mrs Violi and Mrs Rixon 

This term students in Year 10 Physical Activity and Sport Studies have completed a coaching unit. Part of this unit was to design and implement training sessions in junior PDHPE classes. In the design of their training sessions, students were asked to focus on a particular skill from a sport of their choice and then progress this skill throughout the training session by utilising different forms of practice, including skill-based game simulations. Training sessions were implemented during practical lessons in week 4 - week 7. The Year 10 PASS students were outstanding in their design and implementation of the training sessions and should be congratulated on their efforts throughout this unit. Thank you to all PDHPE staff for their assistance throughout this unit and thank you to all of the junior PDHPE students who were participants throughout our training sessions.

Term Three Sport

Throughout the term, students at the College have had the opportunity to participate in a range of physical activities and sports. Well done to all students for their efforts and participation at sport this term. 

Term Four Sport

In Term Four, the current COVID-19 guidelines remain to ensure the safe participation of staff and students in Tuesday Afternoon Sport. The following applies to sport and physical activity for Term Four.

• Students will only participate in venues and facilities within the local Camden Council area.
• External providers can be used for the delivery of sport and physical activity programs.
• Contact with the general public and other schools will be avoided.

In the last week of Term Three, students in Years 9 and 10 will be making sport selections for Term Four. The outline below details the sporting arrangements for Term Four, however, this is subject to change according to venue availability and COVID-19 guidelines.

Reminders

Students are reminded to ensure they are prepared for participation in sport by having appropriate footwear, college hat, water bottle and other equipment such as asthma medication and epipen as required. If a student is unable to participate in Tuesday Sport, a note needs to be handed to Mrs Andruschko on Tuesday morning.

MISA Sport

As a result of the current COVID restrictions and guidelines, the Macarthur Independent Schools Association has made the decision to cancel all MISA sports for Term Four. Students in Years 7 to 10 will participate in sport as detailed above. 

As included in the last College newsletter, information about the Macarthur Independent Schools Association can be found at the website below:

https://www.misaonline.org.au/

Diocesan and Catholic Schools NSW Sport

As with MISA sport, all Diocesan Sporting Events for Term Four have also been cancelled. This includes the events - Junior Years 7-9 Boys Cricket, Boys 14 years and Girls Years 7-9 ALF and Boys and Girls Junior (Years 7-9) and Boys and Girls Senior (Years 10-11) basketball.

Further information for Diocesan and NSW Sport can be found using the links below. 

Events - Secondary

CSNSW Sport Events Cancelled

If there are any questions about Tuesday Sport, please contact Mrs Andruschko via the College Office.

Georgia McCann - Costume Design

Carla Fitzsummons - Costume Design

Angela Alaniz-Marceca - Costume Design

John Vinoya - Poster/Promotion Design

Congratulations to the following students Olivia Cameron, Jordyn Campbell and Helena Burke for their nomination for possible inclusion in OnStage 2021!

These students were nominated for their excellence in Performance for the Individual Project. 

OnStage is an event that showcases exemplary performance pieces in February of each year at Sydney's Seymour Centre. Selection of candidates for OnStage 2021 wil be announced by NESA in the coming months.

Lisa Stevens

Drama Teacher

Year 9  - Modernist Landscape Compositions

Year 9 Visual Arts students have selected a Modernist art movement to recreate the style in their own landscape painting. In the process they have learnt about that particular art movement, the artists and their work. Two works that were particularly successful are Taylah Robert’s Impressionist painting of a lavender field using thick impasto with acrylic paint and Emily Turner’s Postmodernist interpretation of her local area.

Taylah Roberts

“My Artwork reflects the Impressionist works through a traditional cottage and cottage garden. I like that I could experiment with different techniques and could be creative with my work, to depict my chosen image.”

Emily Turner

“My artwork aims at reflecting Post Impressionist style. This art movement had many different artists who were beginning to express their feelings in their artworks rather than depicting the world around them in a realistic way. My work reflects the work of Paul Cezanne who emphasised the structure and shapes of objects within his landscapes scenes.”

Grace Cossins

“My Modernist landscape reflects the art movement Post-Impression. Post-Impressionism rejected Impressionism's concern with the spontaneous and naturalistic rendering of light and color. This art movement brings out the brushstrokes as if they are alive and moving. The brushstrokes give the painting a sense of liveliness and sometimes even emotion. Some of my favourite artists in Post-Impressionism are, Vincent Van Gogh, Paul Cézanne, and Edvard Munch. These artists are unique in the way they use their brushstrokes to achieve a liveliness in their works and even catch the audience's attention as well.”

The second-hand uniform shop is open on Friday's 7:50-8:15am. 

Donations of pre-loved uniforms can be given to the College Office and are greatly appreciated.