St Benedict's Catholic College
Newsletter - Friday, 17 September 2021
Artwork by Felicity C in Year 11.
As members of a Catholic Benedictine Community where our central tenet is ‘Love of Neighbour’ we recognise and acknowledge that we are all interconnected and interdependent. And with our focus this year on Belonging, we have worked even harder to strengthen this interconnectedness and support for each other.
So as Term Three draws to a close I would like to thank our students, parents and families for your support, positivity and ongoing gratitude. We are blessed to have such a close and positive partnership between home and school and it is through the support of parents at home and our belief that “we are all in this together” that we have been able to continue to deliver quality learning experiences and engage our students in remote learning.
I would also like to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of staff at the College. Not only for how they have supported students and families during Term Three but also for their support of myself and the College Leadership team. I feel very privileged to work alongside each and every staff member.
Information will be forwarded through Compass for the return to school of Years 7 to 12. I would ask that you keep Year 12 and their families in your prayers as they navigate the many changes to Term 4 lesson structures, HSC Examination and Graduation schedules. We are very proud of the Class of 2021. They have supported each other, completing major HSC works, for some students this was done remotely. They have been focused in all lessons and have been proactive in providing feedback to staff about their wellbeing. We are very proud of them!
Staff
Earlier this term Helen James the College’s Senior School Support Officer and foundation staff member announced that she would be taking Long Service Leave in Term Four and retiring in January 2022. Helen is committed to Catholic education and her contribution has been significant over many years both as a parent, P&F member and staff member across catholic schools in the Macarthur Diocese.
Helen worked closely alongside Foundation Principal, Mr Michael Hanratty and foundation staff members to support the creation and vision for this wonderful Benedictine Catholic Community. Helen's leadership at St Benedict’s has always promoted the holistic nature of Catholic education which focuses on the academic, spiritual and pastoral needs of all. In her various leadership roles, Helen has been responsible for the establishment of best practice procedures and policies for administration and teaching staff, and has ensured that communication between home and school is always of the highest quality. Helen has a genuine interest and concern for each person and family in our College community and always ensures that those in need are supported.
Helen has always worked in partnership with staff and parents to achieve the best faith, learning and wellbeing outcomes for both students and her staff. Helen has actively promoted the values of the College in all areas of her leadership and she is an authentic witness to her faith
Helen’s welcome and hospitality is the essence of our Benedict charism and she leaves a lasting impression on all students and staff at St Benedict’s.
I hope you are able to enjoy the warmer weather during the school break,
Warm regards
Kerrie Piatek
Principal
Week 9
During week 9, students in Years 7-10 undertook a really exciting project based learning experience. This has allowed students to branch out into areas of interest and look into an area of wellbeing they have an interest in. There has been some incredible work and I am really impressed with the completed works.
Private number on mobile phones
Many staff, in their communications with families are ringing from phones that will display ‘Private number’ on your own personal mobile display.
Please be aware that if you are receiving phone calls from private numbers it may be a staff member attempting to contact you.
Reminder: Communication during with remote learning
Communication remains important as we work together to deliver the best faith, learning and wellbeing outcomes for students. A reminder that if you have any questions about your child’s learning, please direct this to the classroom teacher where you have the concern.
Any questions about faith development and wellbeing, please speak with either Mrs Logue (for faith development) or your child’s STRIVE Coach.
SEARCH Framework – a Pos Ed approach
I have included some information from Dr Lea Waters. You would remember that Dr Waters has been critical in Positive Psychology and visited our College to help us launch our Positive Education approach.
Today, I include a link to an article she has written about ‘How the SEARCH Framework Helps Students Use Their Strengths in Remote Learning Situations’. The article is written for teachers, but could certainly apply to families. The SEARCH Framework identifies six pathways that can help young people reach their full potential not just with their mental health but also socially, physically, and academically.
I wish you all a relaxing and enjoyable holiday.
Kind regards
Mr David Costin
Assistant Principal
What a term it has been! And as we now look forward to the school holidays, a time of rest, relaxation and recuperation, we as a Christ-centred community remember how much God loves us. Unconditionally! We are also called to love our neighbours and care for one another.
And we have much to celebrate as a result of Term 3 of 2021
• We have not only survived but also thrived!
• We have become masters of Zoom!
• We have been challenged to have a growth mindset!
• We have created opportunities for genuine wellbeing!
We concluded the term with a wonderful liturgy led by Fr David Catterall who shared words of wisdom about the importance of having a strong foundation of faith, having hope and showing gratitude to those we encounter and those who help us.
Dear Lord, as we head towards the holidays, we pray:
To live deeply with purpose,
To live freely with detachment,
To live wisely with humility,
To live justly with compassion,
To live lovingly with fidelity,
To live mindfully with awareness,
To live gratefully with generosity,
To live fully with enthusiasm.
May this break be WONDERFUL for our whole community - enjoy the SUNSHINE too.
Kimberley Logue
Director of Mission and Vision
Season of Creation student work - Cody, Year 8
Cody "I decided to create a poem about our planet to spread the word about how we are misusing God's gift, I also wanted to remind people about how this is our only planet, so we must look after our home. To further emphasise this point I put together a collage of birds around my neighbourhood, I hope this shows the beautiful gift we have and how we must nurture it for our coming generations."
Ripples Podcasts
Paul Field is a renowned musician and author. He is a well-known supporter of RUOK Day 2021. Paul was the lead singer for the Cockroaches, the Manager of the Wiggles for almost 25 years and more recently released his first solo album. He is also the brother of the BLUE Wiggle - Anthony.
Paul is married to Pauline and they have five children. In this first of two Episodes of the Ripples podcast Paul shares his own story, both his professional career as well as the tragic death of his daughter Bernadette who died from SIDS when she was eight months old. He speaks about the impact of people checking in on him at critical times and of the value of reconnecting with those things that bring you life. Paul highlights how his music, family, friends and faith have all played such an important part in his wellbeing. It is a moving and authentic story and one that reminds us all of the value of a single conversation.
In Conversation with Paul Field - Part ONE and Part TWO
In this Second Episode Paul Field shares the story of his time as the Manager of the Wiggles and his newly emerging solo music career. He delves more deeply into some of the barriers in asking RUOK? and he shares some of the life-giving ways he has learnt to connect with people in his own life. It is a powerful and engaging story and one that reminds us all of the value of connection and community and of pursuing those things in life that bring us joy.
“Do things that are positive and that bring you joy. That’s kind of a theme in my life.”
Paul Field
CCD Wollongong Prayer Seminars
Start Date: Tuesday 21 September 2021
End Date: Tuesday 30 November 2021
Time: 7 PM-8:30 PM
Venue: Weekly via Zoom
The CCD Wollongong team are excited to invite you to Prayer Seminars, which will commence on Tuesday 21st September, and run weekly, 7 pm – 8:30 pm each Tuesday.
Each week a different presenter will lead us in a style of prayer that is meaningful to them. The seminar will include information, but also the opportunity to be led by an expert in the prayer experience.
You are welcome to come to any or all of the seminars. Registering for all of the seminars does not require you to attend every seminar. If you think that you will come to most of the seminars, please register for all seminars.
The first six prayer seminars are as follows:
• Tuesday 21st September Rachel Fleurant MGL on Centering Prayer
• Tuesday 28th September Peter Gilmore on Praying with the Holy Spirit
• Tuesday 5th October Frances Tilly on The Examen
• Tuesday 12th October Sr Sue Barker SGS on Introduction to Lectio Divina
• Tuesday 19th October Sr Magdalen Mather OSB on A Benedictine Path to Prayer
Due to current health restrictions, these will take place online via Zoom. Upon registration, you will receive a link to join the Zoom session. Registration details can be found at https://www.dow.org.au/events/prayer-seminars/
The information below is an excerpt of the full Plan. Please read the information below in conjunction with the full plan document.
Year 12 - Week 10 Assembly
Stay healthy HSC hub
Find tips for looking after yourself during your senior studies and dealing with changes and challenges arising from studying in the time of COVID-19.
Visit the Stay healthy HSC hub for more information
https://education.nsw.gov.au/student-wellbeing/stay-healthy-HSC?q=
Shooting for the stars
This Week's Spotlight is on Marco, a senior student of our St Benedict's Community, who has been named in the Australian Junior World Championship team for his skill in shooting.
"Representing Australia in any way is my main goal, representing your country and travelling the world - that's the dream." said Marco upon learning of his inclusion.
Shooting Australia named 13 athletes who met the national selection criteria during the first half of this year. Unfortunately Marco will not be able to compete at the World Championships in Peru due to the current health climate, but he is very proud to be named in the Australian Team.
Marco has trained tirelessly at the Cecil Park Clay Target Club, as well as travelling across the country for competition events.
"It's really good when you find out that what you worked so long for, travelling Australia and attending all the shooting events and the training every weekend, has really paid off," the Cecil Park Clay Target Club member said.
Marco was inspired by his Father and began shooting as a 13-year-old. He enjoys the motivation and encouragement from his club community.
Watching the Olympics this year was encouraging, and Marco hopes to wear the Australian team colours soon.
Congratulations on achieving National Team inclusion Marco. Your St Benedict's Community is very proud of your achievements and commitment to your sport.
Available during the holidays - St Benedicts IT Help Desk
For the fastest, easiest solutions to your college IT problems reach out to our experienced staff at the St Benedict's IT Help Desk.
Click the image above or cut and paste the URL into your browser:
Year 7 T3 wrap
As we come to the end of Term 3 I wish to congratulate all students in Year 7 for their efforts during remote learning. This term definitely saw the student’s embrace the character strengths of perseverance, creativity, self-regulation and love of learning. Every day the students logged onto STRIVE ready to start their day, even if they were not feeling it. They pushed through the struggle and showed the true meaning of what a St Benedict student is about; asking questions, facing up to any challenge set by their teacher and showing a love of learning.
Throughout the term Year, 7 were involved in many different activities including Green and Gold Day in support of the Olympics, Daffodil Day in support of Cancer Council and various Wellbeing Challenges every week. The students took great pride in participating in these activities and found different ways to keep themselves motivated during remote learning. Below are some of the amazing work that the students produced during remote learning when exploring their Mental Health, finding different ways to be mindful and calm.
On behalf of the Year 7 STRIVE team, I would like to congratulate all students and their families on the amazing work they did this term. We wish you all a restful and peaceful break and look forward to seeing you all next term revitalised and ready for the last term of the year.
May God bless you all over the holidays,
Mrs Julia Novak
Year 7 Coordinator
Butterflies by Tehya M, Hildegard House
Wolf by Natasha J, Dharawal House
Colourful by Feba M, MacKillop House
Dream Catcher by Lillian S, Polding House
Year 9 Photography and Digital Media
Throughout remote learning, 9 Photography and Digital Media have been exploring non traditional portrait photography!
Students have learnt about the history of portraiture including the first 'selfie' dating back to 1839, the same year that Louis Daguerre patented the invention of photography as a commercially viable process.
Well done Year 9 on your consistent application towards creativity throughout Term 3!
Mrs Kovacevic
Visual Arts & Photography
Year 9 Visual Arts
This semester Year 9 Visual Arts have been exploring both traditional and contemporary forms of sculpture. Throughout remote learning, Year 9 have been busy creating food sculptures inspired by Pop Artist Claes Oldenburg.
Well done Year 9!
Mrs Kovacevic
Visual Arts and Photography
Year 10 PDHPE - Project based learning Assessment Term 3
This Term in Year 10 PDHPE, Students engaged in a Project Based Learning (PBL) approach in order to tackle a future challenge which may present for young people. Project Based Learning (PBL) is a teaching method in which students learn by actively engaging in real-world and personally meaningful projects.
This style of learning involves a student centred approach to PDHPE lessons which allows them to discover multiple issues young people may face which could lead to a future challenge, problem or issue. Their teachers did a fantastic job in mentoring them through mini workshops regarding specific topic areas and provided them multiple opportunities for feedback throughout the process. The students worked in groups which was one of the reasons for maintaining this style of learning, as so many students have mentioned how much they are missing their peers.
The overall products, service and initiatives were presented to a panel of PDHPE Teachers - Mrs Durrant, Miss Paton and Mr Hall, over the course of the two days. The panel members were blown away at the creativity, apathy and diligence in researching and presenting issues and providing solutions that address a future challenge for young people. Students worked well together and overcame the obstacles of group work that remote learning may have presented. It is this act alone that shows us that our students are equipped with the skills and attitude to deal with future challenges. The exact purpose of this project to begin with.
I want to take the opportunity to thank the Year 10 PDHPE team for their time and effort in supporting the students, the panel members, for their enthusiasm over the 2 days of marking and finally to our students for inspiring us teachers with their outlook to the issues presented to them in the world. Please see below some examples from this year’s fantastic projects. Great Job Year 10.
Mrs Ashleigh Durrant
Acting Leader of Learning
Winners of the Soybean Science Week Competition
Many of the year 7 students got involved in the Science Week project and planted their soybean seeds.
We received many wonderful photos of healthy looking soybean seedlings.
The judging was difficult but the following soybeans (and students) were chosen and will be awarded Mad About Science vouchers.
Kalpana N – for the tallest seedling
Natasha J – for the most creative name “Cardi Bean”
James B – for being quickest off the mark to send in a photo
Annaliese B – for sending in a fantastic slide presentation about her ‘Minion’ soybeans.
Why soybeans, you might ask?
The Science Week theme this year was on food sustainability. Soy foods are popular due to their
high-quality and quantity of protein content, and their ability to be processed into milk and meat
substitutes. There is currently a push to introduce more legumes such as soybeans into our diet to reduce our meat intake and take care of our planet.
The St Benedict's Careers and Further Education Website
Mr Mustapic updates the St Benedict's website each week to include information such as:
- University Admissions Centre updates
- Updates from Individual Universities (please add)
- Updates on University Early Entry (please add)
- Updates on Scholarships (including University scholarships) please add
- Apprenticeships/Traineeships
- TAFE updates
- Private College updates
- Careers pathways
- Labour market information
Please visit the website to explore post school opportunities:
Art Club @ Bennies
Bennies is now offering Art Club online. Please email Mrs Castelli for the classroom code to join. There will be various activities posted each week for you to choose from. Take a photograph of your finished work and upload it!
MangaMania Competition
Our Gallery is growing! Keep sending in your entries!
The holidays are a great opportunity to get creative - design your manga character and tell us a little bit about him/her.
No scanner - no problem - just take a photo of your drawing and email it to sbcclibrary@dow.catholic.edu.au with your info.
Great prizes will be awarded in Term 4
The Premier’s Reading Challenge has now come to a close. All our participating Challengers are to be congratulated on their fantastic effort, not only have they fostered their love of reading for leisure and pleasure but have explored a wide range of literature. Remember this was not a competition, but a challenge.
Congratulations to all our participants :
Year 7 - Sofia A, John B, Brodie B, Agnes J, Charbel M, Eva S, Zlata S, Sharon S
Year 8 - Aaron J
Year 9 - Isabella M, Tahlia M
All our participants have earned House points for each book they have read and will also receive a special prize from the Library in Term 4.
In addition, the following students will also be awarded a Certificate issued by the Premier of NSW.
Year 7 - Ava N, Laila T
Year 8 - Kirsty F, Mikayla R, Chloe S
Year 9 - Lara C, Cita C
Woohoo! Amazing effort!!
Don’t forget you can access ebooks and audiobooks through the digital platform Sora - Just go to the College Library Homepage Oliver and click on the Sora button to open a world of reading. It’s a great way to relax.
Speaking of the College Library Homepage … keep an eye out for upcoming events and activities. There is also a wealth of information you can discover by exploring our LearnPath Guides - choose your year group and subject - it’s only a few clicks away! Both our Homepage and the LearnPath Guides are constantly being updated and added to, so don’t forget to check it out regularly.
Happy reading and safe holidays
The Library Team
Year 12, 2022 - University of Wollongong’s Summer Master Classes
The University of Wollongong’s Summer Master Classes are enrolling now for 2022 Year 12 students. This is such a fantastic opportunity for students in what has been a very difficult year.
Applications for Summer Master Classes close on 10 October 2021.
University of Wollongong’s Summer Master Classes applications
HSC Exam Supervisors required
Exam Supervisors are required for the HSC which commences on the 9 November 2021 and concludes on the 3 December 2021.
Applicants must have a current Working With Children Check and be compliant to current requirements by NSW Health and/or NSW Public Health Orders to work onsite in a school setting.
Please complete the form below and your details will be forwarded to the Presiding Officer.
CatholicCare Online Courses for Families
A message from St Mary MacKillop Catholic Parish, Oran Park
Just a reminder that the Camden/Oran Park Conference of the St Vincent de Paul Society remain available to provide emergency assistance by telephone, and drop off resources as required.
Any person requiring assistance should telephone the Conference on (02) 8250 1484 and a Conference Member will retrieve details and follow-up requests for assistance.
Information for affordable food hampers is available through Our Community Pantry (a community food rescue initiative) or copy and paste the URL into your browser: https://www.ourcommunitypantry.com.au/.
Rainer Schoolwear Shop update
College uniforms can be purchased online and will be processed when the store reopens.
For online purchasing information visit: shop.ranier.com.au or by email narellan@ranier.com.au
Phone: 02 4647 8942 - responses will be provided during opening hours.
For more immediate assistance, Head Office details are:
Online: ranier.com.au/contact
Email: custservice@ranier.com.au
Phone: 02 8337 7290
MY FIT REWARDS - ATHLETE'S FOOT STORES
P & F Clothing Pool
The P & F Clothing Pool is currently on hold, and will recommence when mandatory NSW Health Orders allow. Please contact the P & F via pandf@sbccdow.catholic.edu.au with a list of your requirements and a contact telephone number and Tracey will contact you.