WELCOME BACK
Welcome back to all students and families to the commencement of Term Four. What an unexpected and atypical year it has been! We hope everyone is faring as well as they can.

It was great this week to have some more normality with students in Years 7-10 returning to Sport activities and MISA Trials on Tuesday. Our students in Year 11 also have, unless involved in MISA, the opportunity for study and revision.

Additionally, it is pleasing to be able to start planning more extra-curricular activities for 2021.

In the meanwhile, I urge all to continue to abide by NSW Health recommendations and exercise social distancing, hand sanitising and appropriate measures to keep any community transmissions of COVID-19 at bay.

HSC EXAMINATIONS
We congratulate our Year 12 students on the way in which they concluded their formal studies. HSC Examinations will commence on Tuesday and we wish each student all the very best in their final planning, study and preparations. It is only natural to have a degree of nerves going into examinations, but we do recognise the significant amount of work and effort that has gone into this very mixed year with so many implications and consequences due to COVID-19.

See the prayer below which is for our Year 12 2020 students.

TELL THEM FROM ME (TTFM) SURVEY

As a part of our College’s focus on effectiveness and improvement, we will be participating in an online survey for students, staff and parents/carers. The survey, “Tell Them From Me” (TTFM), will be utilised across all Catholic secondary schools in the Wollongong Diocese and will provide our College with valuable feedback on key aspects of school life. 

During the next two weeks students in Years 7-11 will be given the opportunity and time to participate in this survey during regular school hours. Students will be given a random username and password to access and complete the survey online. Students’ names cannot be linked to their responses which allows it to be completely anonymous. Results will show all student scores combined together – it is not possible to single out individual students in the results. Similarly, parents/carers will have an opportunity to access this anonymous survey – and a link will be made available through a Compass Notification early next week.

The survey takes approximately 10-15 minutes to complete. The survey measures include such topics as emotional and social well-being, physical health, and behaviours and attitudes linked to student success. The survey also allows students to give their thoughts and feedback in open-ended question responses.

I thank you in advance for your assistance in helping us reflect on what we are doing well, what we can do more of and what we might do less of. If you have any queries about this survey, please contact me through the College Office.

PRAYER FOR OUR YEAR 12 STUDENTS

A Prayer for our 2020 Year 12 HSC cohort  

Dear Lord, we ask you to bestow Your blessings on our 2020 HSC students as they ready themselves for their upcoming HSC Examinations.

2020 has already presented incredible challenges with bushfires, floods and COVID-19, so we ask that You continue to bless them in their time of need and keep them close to Your heart as they move into this significant part of their academic journey.

May they have the confidence required to give their best in examination situations.

May their reserves of resilience, as they have demonstrated time and time again this year, be matched by unwavering focus and diligence.

Allow them to call on the College’s values of a love of learning and desiring for their personal best when things get difficult.

Provide our 2020 HSC cohort with the ability to be discerning and structured in their planning. 

May they find solace in their Lord and be enriched by the knowledge that the Lord is an abundant source of love and hope.

May their faith and piety give them the strength to face the challenges of this examination period and attain their personal best 

We ask this through Christ Our Lord.

• Amen

Next Sunday’s Gospel reading reminds us to give to God what belongs to God - which is in fact, our lives. The coin in the story is made in the image of Caesar but every human being is made in the image and likeness of God. Since we have been created with immeasurable love in God’s image, can we dedicate our lives to God and to treating ourselves and those around us with kindness and compassion? 

Matthew 22:15-21

The Pharisees went away to work out between them how to trap Jesus in what he said. And they sent their disciples to him, together with the Herodians, to say, ‘Master, we know that you are an honest man and teach the way of God in an honest way, and that you are not afraid of anyone, because a man’s rank means nothing to you. Tell us your opinion, then. Is it permissible to pay taxes to Caesar or not?’ But Jesus was aware of their malice and replied, ‘You hypocrites! Why do you set this trap for me? Let me see the money you pay the tax with.’ They handed him a denarius, and he said, ‘Whose head is this? Whose name?’ ‘Caesar’s’ they replied. He then said to them, ‘Very well, give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar – and to God what belongs to God.’ 

Congratulations to the following students on their selection as College Leaders & SRC Representativies for 2020/2021.

The date for the Leadership Induction Ceremony is yet to be determined due to COVID-19 regulations. Notification will be sent out when a date is set.

We commend and acknowledge the following: 

HSC 2020 - Key Dates 

2020 HSC: 20 October - Wednesday 11 November

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 in 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. 

The University of Wollongong would like to invite students to LEARNING LABS, an academic enrichment holiday program targeting students from Year 7 to 10 during 2020, who are passionate, self-motivated and curious learners.

Wollongong Campus Dates: 14^th- 15^th January 2021                            

Applications close: 9th November 2020

• LEARNING LABS program brochure

For further information about workshops and the application process please visit our website, or contact the Learning Labs team via email at learning-labs@uow.edu.au or phone on (02) 4221 5557.

Term 4 Sport

With the revised guidelines relevant to conducting sport and physical activity, changes have been made to some of the Tuesday Afternoon Sport activities. 

MISA Sport

The MISA Tuesday Afternoon Sport Competition will recommence in Term 4. Students have completed one week of trials, with the remaining week to be conducted on Tuesday 20th October. It is important all students attending trials have signed up or given their name to Mrs Andruschko. The following table outlines the sports, venues and equipment required by students attending the trials.

* As outlined in current guidelines for Sport and Physical Activity, no spectators are allowed at games/trials.

Other Sporting Activities

Students in Year 7, 8, 9 and 10 who are not involved in MISA for Term 4 will participate in the scheduled sports outlined below.

Year 7 House Sport Challenge

Congratulations to all Year 7 students for their participation in sport for Week 1 with the commencement of the House Sport Challenge. Year 7 students will participate in PC classes and play against other Year 7 PC classes, with the results being tallied throughout the term. The Week 1 results for the House Sport Challenge are listed below:

Reminders

All students are reminded to ensure they are prepared for participation in sport by having appropriate footwear, College hat, water bottle. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure they have their own asthma medication and epipen to participate in Sport. If a student does not have this, they will not be able to leave College grounds and/or participate in Tuesday Afternoon Sport.

If a student is unable to participate in Tuesday Sport due to illness or injury, a note must be handed to Mrs Andruschko on Tuesday morning in the Top Quad from 7.45am to 8.15am.

Please contact Mrs Andruschko via the College Office if there are any questions about Tuesday Afternoon Sport.

We will continue with the earlier pick up arrangements for the next 2 weeks up until Friday 30 October.

We encourage students to stay at school however if leaving early it is essential that students have a current note in their diary with permission to leave class.

Early pick up is strictly from the turning circle inside College grounds between 2.00pm and 2.20pm only. After this time any students who are still waiting will be directed back to class and can be collected after 2.35pm. 

Please avoid calling the Front Office to request your child to be collected early if they do not have written permission. Likewise, please do not send your child a message on their phone to show their class teacher as they should not be accessing their mobile phones during the school day.

Uniform Information

As indicated in Newsletters dating back to late 2019, the compulsory wearing of our new uniform will be for Year 7 2021 as well as Year 10 2021 and Year 11 2021. The wearing of this uniform in other years is possible but totally optional. The only caveat for students choosing to wear the new uniform in Years 8, 9 and 12 is that students wear it in its entirety.

Lowes at Narellan Town Centre currently have limited uniform stock remaining at a discounted price, with some items up to 50% off.

Our second-hand Uniform Shop will be open Fridays 7:50 - 8:15am. Payment can be made by cash or EFTPOS.

School bags that display the old school crest can now be purchased at the College Office for the reduced price of $35.

Year 10 Vaccinations

Monday 19 October 

HSC 2020  

2020 HSC: 20 October - Wednesday 11 November

P & F Meeting

Tuesday 27 October 7pm via Zoom

Second-hand Uniform Shop

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

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