St Benedict's Catholic College
Newsletter Friday 1 May 2020
PRINCIPAL'S REPORT
Dear parent and Carers
Welcome back to Term 2, I hope that over the holiday break you were able to relax and enjoy the wonderful autumn weather. I would like to take this opportunity to thank parents, families and staff for the incredible efforts in supporting the wellbeing and learning of the young people in our care, as well as supporting each other in these very challenging times.
I know our students have felt disconnected from school and their peers. and our staff have missed seeing them on a daily basis – school is just not the same! This term our staff have continued to create engaging and meaningful lessons so that our students can find challenge and purpose with their learning and can connect in positive and meaningful ways. This term also, our parents continue to juggle looking after a family, working and supervising their children learning from home. I appreciate the additional pressure that this has placed on you and I thank you for your support.
The College will communicate with families the plan for Remote Learning and our students return to school from Week 3 onwards . Please continue to advise us of any concerns you have about your child’s learning or wellbeing so that we work together to ensure the very best outcomes for them.
Year 7 2021 Enrolment Interviews
On Tuesday 5 May we are conducting the Year 7 2021 Enrolment Interviews via Zoom and/or telephone. Our staff are really looking forward to making a connection with these young people and their families. Over twenty teaching staff will be involved in these interviews. Remote Learning will still continue for all class on the day however, teachers who are involved in the interviews will not be available for Zoom conferences with students on the day.
Kind Regards
Kerrie Piatek
Principal
FROM THE ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL
Welcome back to Term 2. As the current situation that we find ourselves in continues, it is important for students and families to continue with their current practices. I have spent some time in the last few weeks speaking at some of the ‘zoom’ year meetings, and I have been discussing with students the challenges that the current climate has brought about, but importantly how proud students should be of the way in which they have adapted to this different style of learning. Not just in my classes, but from reports that I have received from students and teachers, I see a great level of maturity and resilience in our students and families during these times. It has been pleasing to also see teachers spotting strengths in students and issuing merits based on these strengths in their current class situations.
The next few weeks will see some more changes coming in terms of school and how students will be supported in their learning. I ask that families continue to work with our staff to ensure that we can together best support families. If there are any questions or issues that need clarification, please feel free to call the office or email the appropriate staff member.
In the holidays, we installed phase 2 of the CCTV camera’s in the school. This is important in keeping both the students and the site safe. CCTV camera’s were installed in the TAS area, J Block, Oval, COLA, Handball area, Prayer Garden, Science area and the library entrance.
Mr David Costin
Assistant Principal
DATES TO REMEMBER
Tuesday 5 May - Year 7 2021 School Interviews
Wednesday 6 May - Mother's Day at Bennie's CANCELLED
Term 2 - School Uniform
In Term 2 students should be dressed in the winter uniform for remote learning. If students do not have the winter uniform then they should continue to wear the summer uniform as they did in Term 1.
FROM THE DIRECTOR OF MISSION AND VISION
An Easter break unlike any other. I hope it was a restful time for all plus a time to ZOOM and speak with your loved ones.
Participating in online Masses and liturgies for Holy Week - was a new way to engage with our faith. Many if not all Staff spent the break:
recording and making videos or screencastify (I am loving this tool),
transferring keynote presentations into Google Slides or some other form.
Learning and trying new ways to use technology to deliver content
Writing new assessment tasks - both summative and formative
creating new worksheets/resources to support the learning of our students,
creating online quizzes and activities for students.
marking and completing reports.
Planning for Term 2
MASSES ONLINE
DIOCESE OF WOLLONGONG
Each Sunday at 9 am AEST, the Diocese of Wollongong will be continuing to broadcast Sunday Mass online with Bishop Brian and other clergy from Lumen Christi Catholic Parishes, Wollongong. You can watch them on the Diocese website (https://www.dow.org.au/) or on their YouTube Channel or Facebook page.
These online Masses give parishioners throughout the Illawarra, Macarthur, Shoalhaven and Southern Highlands (and everyone else watching from around the world) the opportunity to join with their bishop and make an act of spiritual Communion together as a diocese.
ST MARY MACKILLOP PARISH - LIVE STREAMED MASSES WITH FR DAVID AT THE SOUTHERN MASS CENTRE
While public Masses have been suspended in the Diocese of Wollongong, you can make an act of spiritual Communion as a parish family online by watching Fr David's live-streamed Masses on their YouTube Channel during the following times:
LIVESTREAM SUNDAY MASSES ONLINE
Saturday
5.00 pm Vigil
Sunday
10.00 am
MESSAGE FROM BISHOP BRIAN MASCORD
This Sunday (3rd May) —the fourth Sunday of Easter—is “Good Shepherd Sunday” and the 57th World Day of Prayer for Vocations. Fr Duane Fernandez, as Vocations Director, has provided a video message to be shared throughout the diocese which is now available on the diocesan YouTube channel, Facebook page and the diocesan website at
http://dow.sh/VocationsMessage2020 .
Prayers for current Seminarians and those discerning Priesthood:
On this Good Shepherd Sunday and 57th World Day of Prayer for Vocations, let us pray for our current Seminarians, James Arblaster and Sinh Le, as they continue their priestly formation for Wollongong Diocese. We also remember in prayer the four young men from Vietnam - James Minh Quy Tran, Martin Hoang Dang-Pham, Peter Thanh Cong Tran and Joseph Huu Minh Vuong Nguyen – who are spending three months in parishes within our Diocese, receiving intensive English tuition and experiencing parish life as they and the Diocese discern together whether they will return for 12 months next year, and possibly proceed to subsequent seminary formation for our Diocese. Finally, there are also a number of other young men actively discerning their vocation with the Diocese. Let us hold them all in prayer this weekend and continue to pray for more priests to serve the people of our Diocese into the future.
ANZAC DAY - #lightupthedawn
ANZAC DAY 2020 - STAND AND REMEMBER
When times are tough, Australians have always relied on the distinctive qualities of mateship, humour, ingenuity, courage and endurance to get us through. Known as the ANZAC Spirit, these five qualities have defined Australians ever since the first troops landed on the beaches of Gallipoli in World War I.
The post on Compass and various advertising through social media saw many of our staff, students and their families get up early and head to their driveways to stand and remember. Our College Captains, Morgan along with his brother Sebastian in Year 8 participated. Ella in Year 10 along with her sister created a most beautiful artwork to share with their neighbours in commemoration of Anzac Day and to honour their aunt and uncle who have both served our country.
SCIENCE NEWS
Science IQ National Champions!
Late last term, and just before we moved to remote learning, a team of four students in Year 8 participated in the National Science IQ Competition. Science IQ consists of two rounds of intellectually challenging and time pressured online quizzes sponsored by the Science Teachers’ Association of Western Australia (STAWA). It tests student knowledge, skills and understandings in most areas of Science such as: astronomy, biology, chemistry, physics, biotechnology and science investigations.
This year it saw 35 teams across the country compete from a range of schools in the public and private sector.
In their first ever attempt, our students consisting of Lucas A, Joseph C, Nikhil K and Flynn W took out 1st place as National Champions!
They will have another opportunity at the end of the year to fight for top spot once again.
A big congratulations goes out to these boys who together showed an exceptional aptitude for science. Their scientific knowledge, skills and teamwork were of a level well above their years and what a privilege it was to observe!
Mrs Hickman
CAPA NEWS
During this unique time in our lives we ask our students to use their love of the Creative Arts to relax, destress and have fun.
Practice playing songs you love on your instrument, paint, draw or make art, take photos of the beautiful things in the garden and read a script for fun.
Remember the Virtual Art club is still running so go to the google classroom site to get creative ideas for home.
To our Year 12 Drama and Music students, make sure you are in communication with your teacher, email footage, audio recordings and all ideas to your teacher for feedback and support.
We are all here for you.
Jenny Koryzma
VIRTUAL ART CLUB
At the conclusion of Term 1, Ms Andonopoulos and Mrs Castelli launched the College's first Virtual Art Club. Student's have been working hard creating various types of artworks.
YEAR 11 PHOTOGRAPHY
LITERACY TIPS FOR PARENTS OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
There are many ways parents/guardians can support their students’ reading development and encourage them to maintain positive reading habits in high school, especially in our current trying times.
Three Components of Reading Support
· Vocabulary—words students must know to communicate and read effectively
· Fluency—the capacity to read text accurately, quickly, and smoothly
· Comprehension—the ability to understand and gain meaning from what has been read
Why is it important to improve reading skills?
High school students need strong vocabulary skills and reading comprehension skills to perform well on assessment tasks, examinations and throughout their career.
Having strong reading skills is also critical to success in university, TAFE, careers and in life in general.
What can parents/guardians do?
Help students increase their vocabulary.
· Encourage your children to ask about new words they hear or read.
· Students learn new words through verbal interactions with others.
· Find ways to increase conversation time at home.
· Adults should make a conscious effort to use more complex language in their conversations with their children.
· Play word games. Now is the perfect time!
· Visit museums, zoos, historical sites and plays. Through these experiences, students will gain exposure to new vocabulary words. This can be done remotely using a variety of websites that have been developed for use in our current situation.
· Provide books and magazines at home.
· Visit the library. SORA has a plethora of online books for children to borrow.
Help students improve reading fluency.
· Model fluent reading by choosing a section of a book, magazine, or newspaper, and then read it effortlessly and smoothly to your child.
· Try “repeated reading” where you will read a passage and then ask the child to repeat the reading. The child should practice the passage until he/she reads the passage effortlessly.
· Try “echo reading” by reading a line or sentence from a book, and then have the child read the same line, trying to mimic the adult’s expression and fluency.
Help support the development of reading comprehension skills.
· Read the books that your child is assigned so that you can discuss the book and check for comprehension.
· Encourage your child to be an active reader, which means that reading should be done with one hand on the book and the other holding a pen. Children should note details about characters, plot, setting etc. whether it’s in the book itself or in a separate notebook.
· Remember the importance of location, location, location. Reading for school should be completed at a desk in room that doesn’t have a TV, computer, or mobile phone. Reading comprehension for texts that are more challenging requires careful attention and structure.
Ten literacy tips for parents and caregivers
· Posted by Australian Literacy Educators’ Association |
· Thursday 19 March 2020, 12:41 PM (EST)
Parents and carers can have a big impact on their children’s education. By providing learning opportunities and support at home you can help encourage learning from an early age, right through to high school.
Here are some fantastic literacy tips and inspiring ways parents and carers can be more involved in children’s learning.
1. Make books important
Turn off the TV and devices and read for half an hour. Talk about what you are reading and/or read with your child, depending on the age group. Sitting in the same room and reading independently can send strong messages about enjoying books.
2. Visit the library
Help your children borrow books and borrow some yourself. Talk about your choices (authors, topics, book types) on the way home. You may have to be more inventive now that libraries are closed. Online books are a great alternative.
3. Make books available
Have a range of books available in your home to read anytime.
4. Write together
Compose greetings together for birthdays and other special occasions, whether a card, letter, email etc.
5. Set up some correspondence
Arrange for a family member or friend living away from you to correspond with your child via mail or email. Even young children who may need help reading the letters/emails will enjoy receiving and sending correspondence. Friends and family will love receiving a return letter or email from your child! This is particularly important in our current situation to curb feelings of isolation.
6. Discuss the news
Talk to your children about family events, trips, and local and national news events that are appropriate for their age. A strong vocabulary is important for oral language, reading and writing.
7. Help your child with homework
You don’t need to be an expert on each task. You can support your child to think through how they should plan their time and complete the task. Just being there, expressing an interest and saying you want to help can make your child feel supported. Try to show your thinking in action, in what is known as ‘think-alouds’. This is a method by which a parent can ask themselves questions out loud as they read and write, demonstrating their thinking process. This modelling of thinking strategies can be very powerful for children.
8. Get support if you need it
If you struggle with reading or writing, or have a language background other than English, use the support that is offered through the local library or community centre, or contact the Reading Writing Hotline. Talk to friends and neighbours who may be happy to read to your child, share books or talk about what they are reading.
9. Be selective about TV programs
Try to have a family night and watch something suitable together and talk about the show afterwards. The program might create an interest for future reading or research into a topic.
10. Do things together
There can be lots of talking, reading and writing involved when planning and participating in family events. These include bike rides, cooking, shopping trips, researching for a day out, working in the garden, visiting friends or family, or planning an outing to a cinema, museum or public event. Get your children involved in the process, allowing them to participate in reading and writing activities that will help in the organisation.
Useful websites you may like to visit:
http://www.petaa.edu.au/imis_prod/w/Teaching_Resources/Parents_guide.aspx/
https://www.fondationalphabetisation.org/en/family-literacy-day/reading-hints-and-tips/
COLLEGE SPORT
TUESDAY SPORT
Being active and staying fit is extremely important during this time. I will be posting weekly on Compass and the Sport Google Classroom page various workouts the students can do in the comfort of their own home.
I strongly encourage everyone, parents and students, to get up and be active every Tuesday afternoon from 1 pm onwards. The workout activities that I will be posting will be no longer than 30 minutes so it will be over and done with before you know it.
Students are also encouraged to film themselves doing the activity to earn points for their house. The video does not need to go for the duration of the exercise, 30 secs of the session is fine.
I would like to congratulate those students who participated in this week’s HITT challenge and uploaded a video of themselves completing the exercise. I would love to continue to see the students being active whilst at home and I look forward to seeing many more of the videos.
DIO SPORT UPDATE
All Diocesean sports that were scheduled for this term have unfortunately been cancelled and will not be running this year. It is disappointing, however, the safety of the students, staff and spectators is at the forefront of this decision. Sports cancelled:
-Soccer
-Cross Country
-Hockey
-Volleyball
Term 3 Diocesean sports are TBC at the present moment.
Thank you for your ongoing support with sport.
Yours in Sport,
Miss Liska