College Newsletter
Term 1 Week 6 Friday 4 March 2016
A Message from the Principal
As the term progresses at its usual busy pace, Cerdon College students continue to be challenged to achieve their personal best in everything they undertake. This is evident in student achievements in 2016 in Sport, Public Speaking and in the large number of students involved in community based programmes that extend their skills. Five Year 12 students have committed to studying university courses in the Step Up Into Teaching programme at the Australian Catholic University (ACU) and two Year 11 students have committed to a university computer studies subject offered at the University of NSW (UNSW) while the school continues to build its relationship with the School of Engineering at UNSW and large numbers of students are now studying language at the School of Community Languages on a Saturday.
All students are constantly challenged to take up opportunities offered by the College to involve themselves fully and take initiative in their academic development.
As we enter the fourth week of Lent, let us pray:
May Lent prepare our hearts to receive God's forgiveness -
but let us receive it and then do the same with others:
forgive heartily.
Perhaps you never even greet me in the street,
but in my heart I have forgiven you.
In this way, we get closer to this thing so great,
so Godly, which is mercy.
Forgiving, we open our hearts so that God's mercy
might come and forgive us, for, we all have need of pardon,
need to ask forgiveness.
Let us forgive, and we shall be forgiven.
Let us have mercy on others,
and we shall feel that mercy of God,
who, when He forgives, [also] "forgets".
(from Vatican Radio)
God Bless
Mrs Patricia Baker
Principal
Urgent Safety Notice
All parents are reminded that students are not to be dropped off or picked up from the Sherwood Road or Kenyons Road staff carparks at any time.
A number of parents continue to enter the Sherwood Road Staff Carpark, putting staff and students in danger. PLEASE STOP THIS UNSAFE PRACTICE immediately.
Also DROP OFF AND PICK UP at BP is strictly forbidden and NEVER STOP IN THE T-WAY.
Parents are also reminded that Police and Council Parking Rangers are very active in this area and they will not hesitate to fine you for inappropriate parking or driving within the designated school zone.
Student Attendance
Attendance
Regular attendance at school is critical for each student’s academic growth and social development.
Students should attend school EVERY day unless they are SERIOUSLY unwell.
Family holidays should only be taken during designated school holiday times as any absence will impact on a student’s progress and student’s will struggle to catch up on skills and concepts missed. Any request for leave should be made well before the leave commences.
Every student MUST bring a note explaining their absence on the first day they return to school. Any senior student (Year 10 to 12) will need to provide a Doctor’s Certificate to explain an absence from an Assessment Task or Examination. All notes must clearly state the student name, dates of absence and reason for absence and must be signed by a parent/carer.
To assist you, we have attached an absence notification that you are able to download and complete with the relevant information relating to your daughter's absence. Alternatively, a handwritten note with all the required information is adequate.
Partial Student Absences
All students are expected to be punctual to school and remain at school until the conclusion of the school day unless there are exceptional circumstances. Parents must have notified the school prior, so that students know that they must leave class early. These circumstances do not include leaving early to collect children from other schools, attending appointments that can be scheduled out of school hours, part-time work or catching a connecting bus or train. It is impossible to expect Cerdon College staff to collect students from class for parents who wish to pick them up early without notification.
Changes to the University of Sydney's admission requirements.
From 2019 students in some courses will need to have completed the Mathematics course (2 unit) and achieved a Band 4 (70 marks) or above to be potentially eligible for admission. A full list of courses and other important information is available from http://sydney.edu.au/study/maths.html.
This affects students in Year 10, as these changes are set to apply to admissions for 2019. These changes will be listed in the 2016 Universities Admissions Centre (UAC) Year 10 Guide, distributed to schools in May.
ELES Online Study Skills Handbook
STARTING THE DAY WELL
Do you find it hard to get out of bed some days and be positive about going to school and learning? It can be hard to turn the day around when you wake up like this and don’t take steps to start your day in a positive way. Your approach in the first hour of the day dictates the direction of your day of learning at school.
To ensure you start your mornings well you need to make sure you have a night-time and wake-up routine.
1. Set Your Intentions Before Bed: consciously decide every night to create a positive expectation for the next morning.
2. Move Your Alarm Clock Across The Room: so you have to get up to turn it off.
3. Brush Your Teeth: when you wake up and splash water on your face.
4. Drink a Full Glass of Water: to hydrate yourself after several hours without water.
5. Add some of the following ideas to your own routines.
The “Miracle Morning” is a book written by Hal Elrod and he speaks about starting your morning with “Life SAVERS”. The idea is that you add some of these to your morning routine or come up with your own activities for a positive start to the morning:
- Silence can be meditation, mindfulness, prayer etc.
- Affirmation can be a word you use that reminds you of who you are and how to be.
- Visualisation is an intention (directing your focus) on how you want your day to be.
- Exercise can be a short walk or stretching or going for a run (exercise is a great thing to do in the morning).
- Reading something that is positive and enjoyable. What you read “resonates” with you. It gets you thinking and expanding “beyond yourself”.
- Scribe is about journaling. Writing in your journal about your day gives you insight and clarity about issues. It also helps you realise what’s working and how far you have come.
These tips are courtesy of www.humanconnections.com.au
You can learn more about creating positive learning handouts and many other topics to help you achieve your best at school at www.studyskillshandbook.com.au by logging in with these details:
Username: cerdoncollege
Password: achieve
Homework
Students should now be settled into their courses of study for 2016 and all students from Year 7 to Year 12 should be undertaking home study every night. Year 7 and 8 students should be spending 1-1½ hours each night on homework. Students in Year 9 and 10 should be spending 1½-2 hours each night on homework and Year 11 and 12 students should be spending 2½-3 hours each night on homework.
This homework should include some time for general reading, but also time completing work assigned in class, research assignments or projects and assessment tasks.
Students needing assistance with this homework should come to Learning Plus sessions held in the Library during each lunchtime.
A thank you from a member of the public
"One of your students just offered me a seat on a packed train (22nd Feb afternoon). Very much appreciated. Thought I'd make the effort to report good deeds. Hope my children would do the same."
Fundraising for the Marist Sisters Community in Fiji
As you are aware, tens of thousands of people in Fiji are living in evacuation centres after Cyclone Winston tore across the South Pacific country.
The Marist Sisters community in Fiji also suffered considerable damage as is evident in the photos below.
In an effort to raise much needed funds for the sisters, the staff held a fundraising raffle earlier this week and the money raised will be sent to the Marist Sisters to assist in their efforts to rebuild.
CSDA Public Speaking
On Friday 26th February, 11 students from Cerdon College participated in the Catholic Schools Debating Association Public Speaking Competition held at Mount St Joseph Milperra. The competition provides students with the opportunity to express their ideas and opinions on their chosen topic and listen to the thoughts of their peers from other schools. Our students spoke with passion and flair, communicating their insightful interpretations of topics articulately. The following girls proudly represented Cerdon in Round 1 and are to be congratulated on their outstanding speeches:
Year 7
Cartia Roccisano
Charlie-Rose El Riachi
Year 8
Bailey Soo
Hayley Toman
Year 9
Isabella Allegretti
Year 10
Kiranpreet Kohli
Anh Nguyen
Seniors
Nicole El Jammal
Catalina Valdivia
Amanda Kheir
Freshta Nawabi
A special congratulations to Cartia, Hayley, Kiranpreet, Nicole, Freshta and Catalina who have been selected to move through to the Zone Final to be held here at Cerdon College this Friday 4th March. Good luck, girls!
Mrs J Kearsley
Public Speaking Coordinator
Numeracy at Cerdon
What is the single most powerful and therefore important number? Ask any Year 7 student and she should be able to tell you it is TEN!!!!!
Building relationships of the number ten are fundamental in any student’s Numeracy growth and development and this can start from Kindergarten. Many of our Year 7 students brushed up on this at the start of the year by focusing on their Friends of Ten. Friends of Ten, sometimes called Rainbow Facts, are two numbers that add up to ten:
1 and 9
2 and 8
3 and 7
4 and 6
5 and 5
10 and 0.
You can extend your Friends of Ten to 100 or 1 000 or 10 000.
Have a look at the poster below and then try these mental calculations:
1. 16 + 42 + 44 =
2. 13 + 21 + 7 + 19 + 6 =
3. 53 + 27 + 15 + 7=
4. 38 + 26 + 22 =
5. 91 + 28 + 12 =
6. 161 + 32 + 29 =
7. 36 + 22 + 78 =
8. 152 + 33 + 28 =
9. 172 + 71 + 9 + 28 =
10. 24 + 17 + 19 + 33 + 66 + 11 =
Grace Muscat
(Numeracy Coordinator and Acting Mathematics Coordinator)
Enrichment@Cerdon
It is only term one and already much is happening in enrichment! There has been a really positive response to all the writing competitions available with students from all years submitting entries (it’s not too late…some competitions are still open). An enthusiastic group of Year 7 and 8 students are preparing for the Kids Lit Quiz which will take place at school on the 18th March. A number of our senior students have already enrolled in a holiday program in engineering, filling almost half of the available places. Congratulations to all these girls for taking these opportunities and I hope your experience will be a positive one.
UNSW High School Computing
Congratulations to Tina Giang and Wenjing Qiao from Year 11, who have been accepted into the UNSW High School Computing Course for 2016. The girls will be completing the same course content as taken by first-year computing, science and engineering undergraduates at UNSW. On passing the course, they will have the opportunity to receive full credit into an Engineering or Computing university course at the UNSW.
Spineout Success!
Erin Cahill from Year 11 has once again had her poem published in the February-March issue of Spineout magazine. Erin’s published work can be accessed through the SAM Learning Centre Google website under library links http://digital.spineout.com.au/?#folio=26
Congratulations on continuing with your passion of writing and for achieving such amazing success.
Lions Youth of the Year – Zone Final
After winning the Holroyd Club Lions Youth of the Year competition in 2015, Christina Kheir represented the club and her school at the Zone final, on Saturday 27th February. Christina spoke confidently about issues relating to the lockout laws and social media and also delivered an insightful speech about active citizenship. For her efforts she won both the Public Speaking award and also the Zone Final award. This will mean she will be representing the district at the regional final in April. Congratulations on such a wonderful achievement!
Christina with Holroyd Lions Club President and Executive Members (Left)
The 2016 National Science Youth Forum
This year, Cerdon was fortunate to have two students accepted into NYSF. This residential program, at the Australian National University Canberra, provides students with opportunities of a lifetime. Read about some of their adventures below. Applications for NYSF 2017 are now open.
‘There are no words that would express my immense gratitude in providing me with the opportunity to participate in the National Science Youth Forum (NYSF). This program not only broadened my mind, but I was privileged to meet and create strong connections with bright, passionate students who made the experience memorable and transformative…
…We participated in workshops on logical thinking, robotics, the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes and experienced some new and innovative technologies ….we even ‘speed-dated’ a number of scientists, who introduced us to a diverse range of disciplines including biology, medicine, physics, engineering and environmental studies.
We attended Partners Day and heard informative talks about the different industries like Lockheed Martin, Cochlear, CSL, Murray Darling Basin Authority GRDC, CSIRO, GSK, ResMed, and from IBM who support this program…Universities such as Monash, University of Queensland, UNSW, University of Melbourne and ANU and the Australian Defence Force talked about their opportunities and possibilities for the future. I personally really liked this lecture as it opened my eyes to scholarships and somehow made me think of all the different possibilities!
..I will always remember this experience and it will be definitely one of the many programs that has shaped me into a better scientist and person.
Amanda Kheir Year 12
“I don’t think there is one word that can describe how amazing, wonderful and enlightening my experience at NYSF has been...Every part of the experience, from the friendships I forged to visiting some of the top engineering facilities in Australia, has massively influenced me and my direction in life…I entered NYSF with a vague understanding that I wanted to enter the field of science…now I am empowered with an understanding of all that is available to me, some of which I never knew existed!
We’ve had many lectures from various qualified and insightful individuals ranging in topics from women in scientific fields to forensic science.
I particularly liked the talks from the staff entitled “What happens next?” in relation to the HSC and university. Since the staff were basically in our position (some only one year ago) it particularly hit a chord with me (along with many of the other students) as to expectations for the future and how to deal with stress and failure.
..I left NYSF with the understanding of just how many opportunities there are available not to mention that some jobs available in ten years time may not be in existence now. Knowing this, along with the friendships I’ve made, some of which will last a very long time, made NYSF one of the very best experiences I’ve ever been a part of”
Christina Kheir Year 12
The 2017 National Science Youth Forum
The National Youth Science forum is a 12 day residential program for students in Year 11 who are passionate about science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM). The NYSF program aims to show students the wide variety of study and career options in STEM fields.
NYSF applications are now open! If you would like to find out more information please visit https://www.nysf.edu.au/
Engineering Link Project @UNSW
An exciting opportunity is available for Year 11 and 12 students to work with REAL engineers across a wide range of engineering discipline. Students will be presented with real engineering problems and in teams, will design and create solutions. This program provides students with the opportunity to explore the diverse field of engineering and to see if engineering is a career for them. If you want to learn more about this experience, visit http://telg.com.au/register/ . The workshop will run on 18-19th April at UNSW and registration is now open.
WHAT MATTERS? 2016
The Whitlam Institute within Western Sydney University, offers students in NSW and the ACT the opportunity to write a 400-600 word opinion piece of what matters to them and why. There are a number of prizes on offer and students will be judged in categories based on their school year. For further information and to download an entry form, visit whitlam.org/whatmatters. The competition closes on May 6, 2016.
Write4Fun- Competition
Entry is now open in the 2016 Schools Writing Competition! Students from all over Australia are invited to enter their poems OR short stories, and battle it out for the great prizes on offer including iPads, x-box1 and a first prize of $1000.
Students are required to write a poem or short story on any theme. Students from all grades are welcome to enter. Entry is FREE and all entries must be in my Thursday 31st March 2016.
For further information please visit http://www.write4fun.net/
Mrs S Agius
Enrichment Co-ordinator
PDHPE and Sport Report
Community and Family Studies (CAFS) Scavenger Hunt Excursion
Year 7 Splash Carnivals
On Tuesday February 23 and Wednesday March 2, the annual Splash Carnivals were held at Cerdon College Pool. The events showcased the planning and organisational skills of the Year 9 Physical Activity and Sports Studies (PASS) students, who convened the events. Both carnivals ran very smoothly and provided the Year 7 students with the opportunity to participate in a number of competitive and novelty events. Special thanks must go to all Year 7 students for participating with enthusiasm and to the Year 9 PASS students, who fulfilled their roles with diligence. Of course, events such as these cannot run without the assistance of teachers and I would like to thank Miss Hanson and Miss Herrera for their assistance on both days. Congratulations to Colin House for accumulating the most points over the two carnivals. See the points tally below:
Splash Carnival Results
1st Place: Colin (172 points)
2nd Place: Perroton (169 points)
3rd Place: Marcellin (124 points)
4th Place: McOscar (68 points)
PDSSSC Basketball Gala Day
On Monday the 29th of February Cerdon entered a Junior, Intermediate and Senior team into the PDSSSC Basketball Gala Day held at Cambridge Park. All teams experienced wins on the day and it was exciting to see some real talent in our younger teams.
Our Senior team placed 3rd out of 9 teams which is a huge achievement and very well-deserved. They won 3 out of 4 of their intense and, at times, physical games, including a convincing win over OLMC for 3rd place.
Special mention to some outstanding performances by Olivia Bourke and Claire Duffy (Senior), Monica Chan and Claudia Bryson Miguel (Intermediate), Jessie Finch and Josephine Moujaes (Junior)
The girls were a credit to the College in their attitude and sportspersonship during the tournament and it has been exciting to see their skills develop.
Miss Parker and Mr Farlow
Triathlon Teams
On Thursday March 3, the NSWCCC Triathlon Teams event was held at Penrith Regatta Centre. Cerdon entered 16 teams with a total of 48 students registering to take part, which is our largest team entered for some time. Whilst Cerdon did not place in the Junior or Intermediate divisions all students willingly represented the College and are to be commended for their efforts. Unfortunately due to the hot conditions, the senior event was cancelled to ensure the safety of the participants. Thanks to the following students who attended the day:
Mallory Morrell, Channary Srey, Lisa Doszpot, Angela Pham, Lauren Smith, Gabrielle Barbara, Mariam Darwich, Shiarna Tarasenko, Christoni Dandan, Katarina Planinic, Claire Duffy, Catherine Raftopoulos, Bianca Simonetta, Natasha Ozols, Bianca Bezzina, Bianca Buttigieg, Alexia Abouhamad, Janel Keskin, Olivia Achmar, Jessie Finch, Sophia Vicic, Quyen Nguyen, Louise O’Neill, Mikayla Ozols, Taylah Ibrahim, Daniella Elakcnouch, Marisa Incognito, Sunday Akot, Amira El-Sayed, Laura Jehdian, Rachel Mardini, Daniela Angeloni, Hayley Nolan, Ashai Hawach, Alexzandria Smith, Shanice Seaib, Cecilia Bolognesi, Sarah Denniss, Hannah Khoury, Isabella Vrtkovski, Isabella Saad, Emily O’Brien, Lillian Awad, Emma Younan, Channelle Succar, Armani Barakat, Lara Sahyoun, Alexandra Boutoubia
Special thanks must go to Mrs Deegan and Miss Hanson for organising and preparing the squad.
Mr Zammit
PDHPE/Sport Coordinator
Assessment Booklets & Assessment Central
Students can also access these document by logging into Classm8. They are to use their school username and password to log in and they can access the assessment handbook in Google Drive.
Parents and students can also download the assessment handbooks via Assessment Central. Either click on the link provided in this newsletter or navigate to the Assessment and Curriculum page on the College website to access Assessment Central. Each year group will have its own assessment handbook and assessment schedule.
All formal assessment tasks for Years 10-12 are also entered into the relevant Google calendar (see below for links to each calendar).
Whooping Cough
Please see information below regarding Whooping Cough
Time from exposure to illness
Usually 9 to 10 days (can range from 6 to 20 days).
Symptoms:
Starts with a running nose, followed by persistent cough that comes in bouts. Bouts maybe followed by vomiting and a whooping sound as the child gasps for air.
Do I need to keep my child home?
Yes, until the first 5 days of a special antibiotic have been taken.
How can I help prevent its spread?
Immunisation at 2, 4, 6 months and 4 years of age. A particular antibiotic can be given for the patient and those that have been in close contact. The infected child should be excluded from childcare and school until 5 days after treatment begins. Unimmunised childcare attendees may be excluded from childcare unless they take the antibiotics. Click here for NSW Health Whooping Cough Factsheet.
College Uniform Shop
Regular Trading Hours
Monday and Wednesday 8:00 am—2:00 pm (Terms 1 and 4)
Mondays only 8:00 am—2:00 pm (from Week 5 Term 2 and all Term 3)
Cerdon College Uniform Shop Management
Telephone: 8724 7329 (During trading hours only)
Student Medical Information
Change of Contact Details
Please notify the College Office if you have changed any of your contact details ie. address, telephone number, email address, etc so that we are able to update our records accordingly.
Thank you
School Fee Statements
School Fees Statements for 2016 have been issued to families by the Catholic Education Office. Term 1 school fees are due for payment by Monday 7 March 2016. Included with your statement are the various payment options available to you. Should you decide to take one of these options please complete and return the paperwork promptly in the envelope provided.
Please contact the College if you have not received your statement or if you require any further information. Thank you.
Finance Department
Cerdon College
School Excursions and Incursions
As you are aware, you have provided the school with permission to conduct certain excursions and incursions and sports activities. For those activities covered by the general permission note, you will receive a notification where it is appropriate to do so (eg for an excursion).
For other excursions not covered by the general permission note, you may receive a permission note which will need to be completed and forwarded to school by the due date. Some of these excursions may incur a cost which will also need to be paid by the due date. There are no exceptions or extensions to the due date for payment.
A copy of each notification and permission note is also available from the College Website.
School Calendars
School Zones
Parents need to take note that the area surrounding Cerdon College is designated as a School Zone. Police and Council Rangers constantly patrol the area. They will have no hesitation in prosecuting drivers for driving offences.
In NSW more than one million school students travel to and from school each day. The vast majority of students do so safely. The NSW State Government is committed to further increasing safety for children during school travel times.
There are 127 fixed digital speed cameras installed in NSW, of which 57 are in school zones.
The school zones were selected according to a number of criteria concerning the risks young pedestrians are exposed to, including a combination of high traffic volumes, the level of pedestrian use and crash history.
All NSW school zones are sign-posted with regulatory signs that list the operating times of the school zones.
What times do the school zone speed cameras operate?
All school zone speed cameras operate 24 hours per day, seven days a week and detect vehicles exceeding the speed limit. They are also programmed to detect vehicles exceeding the 40km/h school zone speed limit during sign-posted school zone times.
For most locations these times are: 8am – 9.30am and 2.30pm – 4pm on gazetted school days.
How do I know I am entering a school zone?
NSW school zones are sign-posted indicating the operating times of the school zone. There are also large, bright yellow markings painted on the road showing the 40km/h speed limit. In addition to the regulatory signs Roads and Maritime has also installed flashing lights (school zone alert systems) at a number of school zone sites, including all fixed speed camera sites that are located in a school zone. School zone flashing lights are used as an additional warning system to alert motorists to slow down, and are not legally required in NSW.
Are school zones enforced on pupil free days?
Fixed digital speed cameras enforce the school zone 40km/h speed limit during the stated school zone hours on all gazetted school days. Pupil free days or staff development days fit into this category and in some cases there may still be students attending schools on these days.
There are also some instances where double demerits apply on a school day. This will usually happen when the day before a long weekend is also a gazetted school day.
School days are defined as those gazetted by the NSW Government and which can be found on the NSW Government website and in most annual diaries. Both Catholic and independent schools, irrespective of their term dates, have enforceable school zones in line with Department of Education school terms. The fixed speed cameras enforce the school zone speed limit in accordance with the Department of Education school term dates.
About us
Email: cerdon@parra.catholic.edu.au
Website: http://dev.cerdon.nsw.edu.au
Location: Sherwood Rd, Merrylands West, New South Wales, Australia
Phone: 8724 7300
Facebook: www.facebook.com/CerdonCollege
Twitter: @CerdonCollege