St Clare's Catholic High School
Hassall Grove
18 December, 2017
Praise God by Your Life
To provide excellence in education:
- through quality teaching and learning
- by providing a safe and creative learning environment
- by challenging students to strive for academic excellence
- by being a place where faith and values are enriched and shared within the Catholic tradition.
Principal's Message - Mr Morris
Dear Parents, Guardians and students,
We wish you a safe and merry Christmas and we remember those less fortunate.
Jesus, the Light of the World
Jesus, the Light of the World,
as we celebrate your birth may we
begin to see the world in the light of
the understanding you give us.
As you chose the lowly, the outcasts, and the
poor to receive the greatest news the world
have ever known,
so may we worship you in meekness of heart.
May we also remember our brothers and
sisters less fortunate than ourselves in this season of giving.
At this point in time staff are busily completing preparations for next year which involve writing teaching programmes, formulating assessment schedules and participating in professional learning for some of our new initiatives in 2018.
In particular I would like to highlight some exciting changes for 2018. These consist of the following:
- Commencement of Project Based Learning in HSIE, Religious Education and Science in year 7. An information evening will be scheduled for early 2018 for all parents to attend.
- We will move to 100 minute lessons to be known as 'sessions'. This will mean students will have 3 sessions a day. This will enable for greater instruction time, increased time on tasks and increased descriptive feedback students to improve their progress in leanring tasks, including formative and summative assessments.
- We will increase the number of activities students will have access to to improve their wholistic development and wellbeing. These activities will add to the wide range of sports/extra curricula programs we currently have on offer for our students. Students will nominate their interests for activities in early term 1 2018.
- As part of the CAPTIVATE program, a CEDP initiative; St Clare's will host a Music Ensemble program each Thursday for the 2018 school year. Initially, 25 students from our school will nominate to participate in this program. We will look at expanding this program to incorporate tuition in musical instruments/programs and establishment of a school orchestral program.
I would like to thank all parents/guardians for supporting the work of our staff in 2017. We continue to reflect on how we can strengthen our partnerships across our community. We acknowledge your ongoing support and care you provide your son's/daughters as they engage in their schooling and navigate the challenges of being a young person in todays world.
To the staff that are leaving our community this year to pursue new professional opportunities. We acknowledge and thank you. To our permanent staff members; Mr Geribo, Mrs Duffy, Mrs Brackenbury, Mr Setefano, Mrs Benjamin, Mr Adams, Mr Marshall, Mrs Indrele, Mr Whittmann and Mrs Vlahovich (22 years service). To the staff who have completed temporary appointments; Ms Alfafara, Mr Dunaeff, Mrs Thompson, Mrs Raad, Miss Eskander, Mr Hai Ho and Mr Senathirajah. We thank you for your dedication and professionalism.
Congratulations to our newly elected School Leaders for 2018 who were announced to the school community last Wednesday.
School Captains: Clare Wilkes & Melgene Sugpatan
Social Justice Leaders: Chloe Appleby & Camille Bautista
Community Leaders: Jed Garcia & Denise Alviz
House Captains
Benedict: John Onkingko & Ronan Wu
Kolbe: Elizabeth Akosah & Jeralyn Tui
Chisholm: Jadine Roman, Kurt Edwards
Mackillop: Alyssa Bergonia,& Claire Summers
To our student leaders, we look forward to working with you in 2018.
These are some important dates for the commencement of 2018 school year:
· Monday 29th January, 2018 – School opens, staff return (pupil free day)
· Tuesday 30th January, 2018 – Year 7 commence
· Wednesday 31st January, 2018 – Years 8, 9 and 10 return
Congratulations to the community on an outstanding and successful year. We look forward to an exciting 2018 with a theme of “Everyday, Every Learner” in the Year of Youth.
If you need to contact the school during the holiday break for any urgent reason, please email me at smorris@parra.catholic.edu.au
Wishing each of you a very happy and holy Christmas. Mr Morris
Assistant Principal's Message - Mr Hulme
At the end of the term all students were given a listing of required resources, as well as a letter where I outlined the expectations in preparation for returning in 2018. Special mention was given in regard to correct school shoes and devices.
Student Devices
All students must bring a fully charged device everyday. New students and parents purchasing a new/updated device are asked to supply their child with a laptop meeting the attached specifications. We have moved away from the iPad due to limitations in studies, as well as the interruptions to learning. The minimum size screen is 13”. No android/tablets are permitted.
Next year students will need to take more responsibility for their devices. We would always recommend a hard style protective case for all laptops. Many students are not using these protective measures. A student should know where his/her device is at all times. Installing Apps such as ‘Where is my device’ are often recommended by Police. Including the device as a portable item on home content insurance to cover damage is always suggested. For apple devices, the AppleCare Protection Plan to cover damage is worth considering. The school cannot be held liable for any damage to a personally owned device. Students who break/damage school property will be given a bill to repair the damage/device.
Mobile phones:
A large number of the students are not respecting the school rules in regard to appropriate mobile phone use.
During classtimes the mobile phone MUST be switch off.
This includes students in the library and all school areas. No exceptions. If a parent/carer needs to urgently call a message can be left at the front office.
We urgently need parent support as recently a number of videos/images have been posted online that have required reporting to police due to student safety. Students who do not follow the rules will be asked to leave their phone at the front office for safe keeping and parental collection.
Uniform reminders: Student will return in full summer uniform
Hair: The school's expectations regarding hair are clearly published on our website and in the student diary. No colour, shaved areas(including lines)
School Shoes: We need parents/carers to be careful in the selection purchase of appropriate shoes for school and the site. Traditional leather lace up solid heel, polishable school shoes must be worn. School shoes must meet Workplace Health & Safety guidelines.
Not permitted: Canvas, skating/running shoes with a flat sole, open top shoes similar to Mary Jane style, or shoes with decorative hole patterns (that would allow liquid in) are not permitted.
Earrings/piercings: Only girls are permitted to wear one small sleeper/stud in the lower ear lobe. Plastics spacers/keepers are never suitable at St Clare’s. Facial piercings do not form part of our uniform expectations at any time. Band-aids/patches are also not acceptable to cover such items.
Wishing your families a happy and safe Christmas and New Year.
Leader of Diversity & Learning - Ms Ruff
On Wednesday, 6th December, Mr Morris and I had the privilege of attending an award ceremony for the students of the Learning Ground at Mt Druitt. The ceremony began with an invitation to Corroboree, a Smoking Ceremony and Cultural Dancing brought to us from Stradbroke Island and the students of Learning Ground. This was a very significant and moving experience. Following on from this was the award ceremony where all students were recognised and rewarded for their contributions to learning, and being part of community. The students from St Clare’s who were acknowledged were Hope Sharpe, Maddison Jackson, Rianna Roffey and Joshua Deushian. It was a very proud morning for the students, parents and teachers present. The community at Learning Ground certainly made everyone feel welcome and their motto of ‘Each One - Teach One’ was evident throughout the many conversations had with the students and the wider community. The St Clare’s community look forward to continuing to support the work of Learning Ground in 2018.
Leader of Wellbeing & Learning and Leaders of Year
More on ‘Into the Big Blue Day’:
“On the 22nd November, the St Clare’s community were involved in activities and celebrations aimed at raising awareness of youth mental health and some organisations that help people across all ages with metal health problems. The Black Dog Institute, beyondblue and Kids Helpline, along with many other organisations help those individuals who are suffering from mental health issues and enable students and other age groups to access help should they need it.
To start off the day, each student was given a blue or purple ribbon and were asked to wear this as an accessory to their uniform, however they chose. These colours both represented the theme of the day which was ‘Into the Big Blue Day’. Throughout the first period Stage 4 students were accompanied by teachers and were taken to the SDC where they were involved in a presentation from the Black Dog Institute about youth mental health and building resilience in this area. A representative from the Black Dog Institute talked with students about her own struggles with mental health issues and the way she fought back. During this time, Stage 5 students were involved in activities in their learning groups, ran by their Learning Advisors. These included discussions about the importance of being aware of mental health as adolescents, motivational quotes, reflective music and finally the story of Sadako and the thousand paper cranes. Students then wrote messages of strength on squares of paper and turned these into paper cranes - the goal being to make over a thousand paper cranes as a school. As the bell rang for the beginning of period two, Stage 4 students returned to their homerooms to participate in the planned activities and Stage 5 students attended the talk by the Black Dog Institute.
The day didn’t end there. Throughout recess Year 7 and 8 had held a bake sale, in which they sold many blue items. These stalls were able to raise money due to its great amount of products and the money raised was being donated to an organisation aimed at helping youth with mental health challenges. At lunch there were performances, with many Year 9 and 10 students singing and performing to songs that empowered the youth of our school, while others performed a cultural Hukka. All these performances were well thought out and definitely suited the theme of the day. At the conclusion of these performances Jeralyn Tui of Year 9 sung ‘Man in the Mirror’ by Michael Jackson, with teachers and students joining her on stage to show the unity between all members of our community when tackling youth mental health. This was an amazing performance that showed the greatness and support that the students at St Clare’s have.
The day was a great success. This topic of mental health isn’t talked about enough with our youth and I thank the school for helping to open the eyes of many students who may have not known of this massive risk factor in our community. I strongly believe and encourage everybody to get behind this amazing event and help the school do this more often. As I spoke to the teachers about the day they were extremely pleased to know that it was planned out well and was appreciated. To all staff and students who helped to make the day a success you should be proud.”
Kaylan George, Year 9
A short message from the staff to the students:
“We would like to thank all students involved in this special day. The manner in which you conducted yourselves, responded to the activities and showed support for each other throughout the day was truly wonderful. The day was as successful as it was because of you! We would also like to make a special mention of the following students, who played an integral role in organising, planning, promoting and performing on the day:
The Year 8 students (anonymous) who worked with Lauren Luthra to develop a resource about youth mental health and helping your friends in need, which was distributed to all students on the day.
The Year 7 and 8 students who prepared the goods for the bake sale and spent their time selling these.
The performers; Michael Balabat, Vitoryna Vaifale, Lexena Tuvale, Kuli Falakiko, Alyssa Bergonia, Caitlin Estalilla, Jason Cabrera, Elian Garcia, Renz Tomacruz, Jeremiah Magsakay, Jeralynn Tui, Caleb Tiedmann, Peter Taateo, Sonasi Vave, Leonard Skelton, Peter Kalogeropoulos, Christian Joseph, Justice Sene, Aisea Katoa, Kiso Piilua and TJ Khailahi
The Student Leaders for promoting the day, especially with visits to learning groups in the lead up to the day.
At the conclusion of the day, the members of the St Clare’s community managed to make 1143 paper cranes and raise $813.55 for youth mental health. This is a great achievement and all members of our community should be immensely proud. A special mention also needs to go to Mrs Benjamin, Mr Brain and Mrs Killeen who helped prepare students for their performances.”
Mrs Nielsen, Lauren Luthra, Ms Baker, Mrs McArdle, Ms Calleja and Mrs Watton
REC - Ms Cassar
ACYF 2017
On the 7 - 9th December we took fifty Year 9 students to the Australian Catholic Youth Festival. This was a great opportunity for the staff and students who attended to reflect on their faith with like minded youth across Australia. This festival was a massive success with over 19,000 people in attendance. Students and teachers attended various talks, plenaries and mass which allowed the opportunity for all to engage with their faith and enjoy the atmosphere that the festival bought with it. There was plenty of opportunities to engage with those who attended including, Sister Hilda, Matt Maher, Father Rob Galea, Archbishop Anthony Fisher and many more. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the students who attended as well as the staff including; Mr Adams, Mr Ahern, M. Calvo, Ms Cassar, Ms Eskander and Mrs Mc Ardle.
ACYF Reflection by Melgene Sugpatan - Year 9
The Australian Catholic Youth Festival, or ACYF was a surreal experience. Gathered in one area was 19000+ people who all shared one common characteristic, and that was a faith in God, and the desire to strengthen that faith. At ACYF, I discovered a variety of ways to express my faith, through worship, confession, adoration, lectio divina, hymns and praying the rosary. Amongst entering the Qudos Bank Arena, all you could hear was loud cries of joy and excitement. People were jumping out of their seats and dancing to the music. Balls were being hit and thrown around, flashlights were being flashed. The atmosphere filled me with awe and amazement. It wasn’t just a one sided experience where we, audience members were strictly just spectators. It was also very interactive.
I had a tonne of memories and highlights. One highlight was during the evening plenary on the first night, when American worship singer, Steve Angrisano got the males and females to engage in a chant and shout out assigned lyrics. The two parts were “He’s the best” and “J-E-S-U-S”. During our parts, we had to shout and scream as loud as we could. It was such an amazing occurrence. Not only did he make us shout out religious slurs, but he engaged all 19000+ people to be passionate about their faith. Another highlight was from that evening as well, where we did the Catholic wave. A famous crowd movement, we started from the right side of the nosebleeds and made our way all around until we reached the left side, and then it carried on along the middle up to the top. It was just such a beautiful sight. Seeing all these young people come as one and work together was just inspiring. Another highlight was the pilgrimage. Our school was fortunate enough to do the Sydney Harbour Bridge pilgrimage, where we started off at Milsons Point and walked 1 hour and 15 minutes to The Domain to have mass. During the walk, we were accompanied by other schools, who started chants, and our school decided to sing along. Then, I started my own cry by singing “Our God Will Reign Forever”, by Fr Rob Galea. The next thing you know, other people were joining along and shouting passionately. Being able to get other people included in professing our faith was very touching and heartwarming. My greatest highlight of the whole experience was Matt Maher. Everything he did was spectacular and pulled at the heartstrings. I went to 2 of his concerts, but the moment that hit me the hardest was his performance on the evening plenary on the first night. When he came out on stage and performed for 30 minutes, everybody was screaming. We were seated right in the centre, in elevation on the highest level. During this worship session, my friend, John and I were huddled. We then raised our left arm and put our right hand on our hearts whilst we sung the lyrics out loud, even though I had already lost my voice after so much screaming. His song, “Lord I Need You” got me very emotional. My friends and I all had our hands over each other’s shoulders and sung the lyrics together. When Matt Maher sung the lyrics “I’m alive, I’m alive because he lives” from his song “Because He Lives” I started to tear up and next thing you know, so was John. I was laughing, crying and singing joyously simultaneously. That moment was when my faith had begun to strengthen. I felt renewed and inspired.
ACYF was an indescribable and memorable experience which I will forever cherish and remember. For me, ACYF was a journey, a journey in which I learnt from, enjoyed and explored new things. A journey where I had to overcome my own trials and obstacles. A journey which required me to be honest, to put aside all my worries and have trust in the Lord. And that is exactly what I did. ACYF empowered my faith, showed me new ways to practice my faith, taught me new Christian values, strengthened my relationships, created great memories and most importantly, ACYF taught me how to open new horizons to spread joy.
Business Manager - Mr Wakeling
ST CLARE’S CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL
2018 - Diocesan and School Based Fees V2
Total School Fees are expressed in terms of both ‘Diocesan’ and ‘School-based’ fees. The revenue gained from these fees allows us to provide the following services, which will enhance Teaching and Learning in our school and is passed on to your sons and daughters in quality education and care.
DIOCESAN FEES are set by, and collected on behalf of the Diocese of Parramatta and are passed on to the Catholic Education Office. They are directed towards supplementing Commonwealth and State Grants (which covers around 80% of the running costs of the schools) for the payments of teachers’ salaries, general running costs associated with the school and the administration of the Catholic Education Office, Parramatta.
Please note that sibling reductions for Diocesan School Fees only apply to those children attending Systemic Schools in the Diocese of Parramatta and St Dominic’s at Kingswood or Systemic Schools in the Archdiocese of Sydney and Diocese of Wollongong and Broken Bay.
ST CLARE’S CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL’S ‘SCHOOL-BASED FEES’ (2018) include:
Resource / Subject Fee One School Planner per year (replacement copies - $20), locker hire, one combination lock for Yr 7 (replacement cost - $15), one identification card (replacement cost - $11), photocopying, exam papers, teacher texts, IT upgrades, school notes, postage, utilities, library books, cleaning costs, maintenance, SMS Messaging and Hot Maths / Maths Online where applicable.
TAS and Art Equipment (Yrs 7 & 8), Elective Subject Costs (Yrs 9 & 10).
Activity Fee Covers most Sports / Activities and Electives excursion costs. The entrance to venues on sports day and payment for extra-curricular sporting / activities. All bus fares to and from local sporting venues and some local excursion bus fares.
Yearr 7 Swimming program ($60) is NOT included in the standard $213 Annual Activity Fee.. Year 7 and Year 8 Camp are NOT included. Year 9 Overnight Retreat is NOT included. These Extra Curricular activities will be charged separately.
Major activities held throughout the year such as camps, overnight excursions and elective-related textbooks are not included and will be charged separately if applicable.
As a school community we have sought cost savings and total fees were reduced by between 1% to 5 % per student for 2017. This was in spite of Diocesan fees increasing 3% last year. For 2018 Diocesan fees and School Based fees have increased 3.6% compared to 2017. In spite of this, School Based fees remain lower than those charged in 2016 and Total Fees over two years for most families have increased between 0% and 3%.
If school fees present a genuine difficulty, information on payment plans and fee assistance programs is available from the School Finance Secretary on 9830 2400 (select option 2).
The following table shows a breakdown of the 2018 Diocesan School Fees and St Clare’s School-based Fees. These fees are divided into three equal amounts and are invoiced in Terms 1, 2 & 3. Payment is due 28 days from the Statement date unless an arrangement is made with the Finance Team and approved by the Business Manager. Term 1 fees are due approximately 5th March, 2018 and will be posted out approximately early February 2018.
(Overdue accounts may be referred to a Collection agency as instructed by the Catholic Education Office.)
In Addition to the Year Group Totals the following will be billed:
Year 7 Camp - $288 (Billed with Term 1, 2018 fees.)
Year 8 Camp - $288 (Billed with Term 1, 2018 fees.)
Year 9 Retreat - $251 (Billed with Term 2, 2018 fees.)
Year 7 Swim to Survive program $60 (Billed $20 in each of the 3 installments of 2018 fees.)
Financial difficulty
Families who are experiencing financial hardship which makes it difficult to meet the financial commitment of your child’s education, can have their circumstances assessed for assistance with fees, over and above that of setting up a fortnightly or monthly payment plan. This will require that families provide certain income, expense and liability documentation to substantiate that they meet the requirements of Catholic Education Diocese of Parramatta school fee management policy. Once the documentation is submitted the Business Manager will assess and may require an interview with families.
Assessments are made for one year only and MUST be reviewed each year. These matters will be treated sensitively and with absolute confidentiality, and will not affect your child’s education.
Notice Required to withdraw a student or 10 Weeks fees in lieu of notice.
Please note that Parramatta Diocese School Fees Management Policy, requires that when withdrawing your child from the school, one term's notice (10 school weeks) in writing must be given to the Principal. If no notice is given (or less than 10 weeks notice), then an additional 10 weeks fees will be payable. Under this policy only the Manager of the School Fees Liason Unit, Catholic Education Parramatta has the discretion to vary this policy. The only exception to this required notice is where the school is advised during term 4 that a student will not be continuing at St Clare in the new school year.
UNIFORM SHOP JANUARY OPENING HOURS 2018
The last trading day for 2017 is Thursday 14th December. The Uniform Shop will open on the following dates and times:
Thursday 18 JANUARY 2:00pm - 7:00pm
Saturday 20 JANUARY 9:00am - 2:00pm
Tuesday 23 JANUARY 9:00am - 2:00pm
Thursday 25 JANUARY 9:00am - 2:00pm
EXTENDED OPENING HOURS TERM 2 2018
Saturday May 5th 9:00am - 2:00pm
Unwanted / Surplus uniform
Any families with graduating students or where students have outgrown uniform items are invited to donate them to the school. While the school does not run an official clothing pool these items are used in emergencies or to assist families in financial difficulty. Please launder and bring such items to the school office. Thank you.
Leader of Learning HSIE - Mr Ahern
As 2017 draws to a close, HSIE have been working hard reflecting on all that we have done this year and what we can do next year to engage our learners in the subject. This term our Year 7’s have been working hard on PBL (Project based learning). They were asked to respond to a problem and inform the public through a public service announcement. This was linked in with our subject on ‘the black death’ and how we can safely let the public know how to respond to this plague. The students were introduced to this through an entry event which was a video created by some our talented Year 9 students. The entry event video can be seen here and via the video link below. This has been a fantastic way to engage the students in a new way of learning in the 21st century.
Further to this we have had many great opportunities for students to engage in learning outside the classroom throughout the year. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all students in their hard work throughout the year and their efforts to engage in all aspects of HSIE. Below is some of the highlights of learning that our students have experienced throughout the year.
I hope all students, parents and caregivers have a safe and enjoyable break and come back ready for another great year at St Clare’s.
Leader of Learning CAPA - Mr Smolen
As we near the end of 2017 am excited about the initiatives being developed for 2018 and encourage students to get on board with the Creative and Performing Arts activities on offer.
Students interested in joining the CAPTIVATE Hubs next year and wanting to commit to learning an instrument or develop their singing skills are welcome to pass their names onto Mr. Smolen.
Also a big thank you to the large number of students who showed an interest in being part of the school musical 2018, I am looking forward to working with the team and being part of what I am sure will be an excellent production.
CAPTIVATE will be celebrating their 10th anniversary next year and we are looking for dance performers and vocalists to be a part of the Showcase celebration.
Thank you to the Vocal Group of 2017 for your uplifting voices at school events throughout the year and more recently at the Year 10 graduation ceremony. We hope to further build on the foundation set by this group next year.
We farewell one of our long serving music teachers at the end of this year, Mrs Lucy Benjamin who has been a great inspiration to our students, and a valuable member of staff for the past nine years. We congratulate Mrs Benjamin on her new appointment and thank her for her service at St Clare’s.
I wish to extend a big thank you to all of the parents, caregivers, staff and students for your ongoing support of the Creative and Performing Arts throughout 2017.
Have a safe and enjoyable break.
Leader of Year 7 - Ms Watton
Leader of Year 7
Year 7 attended the Swim School Program from the 4th December to the 6th of December at Emerton Leisure Centre. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Year 7 and their efforts over the three days. The behaviour of the students was outstanding as was their application to the practical and theory skills they learned over the course of the three days. We encourage students to keep practicing their swimming skills to ensure they are constantly improving their ability in and out of the water.
I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate Year 7 on completing their first year of high school. They have come so far in such a short time. It was an absolute pleasure having the opportunity to work with these students and lead them through the challenges of transitioning into high school. I wish all students and their families a happy and safe holiday season.
Leader of Year 8 - Ms Calleja
Congratulations to Calven George of 8.4 who represented New South Wales in the under 16’s mixed Netball team in Queensland during week 8. The team made it to the semi-finals which was a great achievement.
Throughout 2017, Year 8 students have continued to show their commitment to learning and achieving as well as demonstrating qualities of compassion, generosity and persistence throughout all they have been involved with. Some of these events have included the Year 8 camp, choosing electives for 2018 and the Into the Big Blue Day Bake Sale. A definite highlight of the Year 8 camp was the students ability to come together as a community - by keeping the camp fire alight for three consecutive days and nights and completing a number of activities that would not have been possible without the encouragement or support of their peers. This was clearly evident once again at the Bake Sale for Into the Blue Day where Year 8, along with the assistance of Year 7, successfully organised, set-up and sold a variety of goods to raise over $800 for charity. A special thank you must go to the leaders of each Learning Group who assisting in coordinating the stands and sales on the day:
8.1 - Ebony Butcher, Angela Gallego, Justine Gutierrez
8.2 - Tomika Harley, Bridget Alam
8.3 - Madison Holmes, Sarisha Sant, Peta-Lee Hepenstall
8.4 - Daniel Lawther, Sylivia Prakash
8.5 - Juantia Kendall, Wardha Ijaz, Joleen Mikhail, Denicka Tabios
This event was a clear indication of the leadership qualities evident in Year 8, which I am sure we will continue to see displayed throughout the next two years.
I wish all Year 8 students and their families a joyous and safe Christmas holiday and wish all of Year 8 students the best of luck as they embark into Stage 5 of their educational journey.
Leader of Year 9 - Ms McArdle
As the year comes to a close, the garden that a group Year 9 students, along with some indigenous students, is starting to look wonderful. Our plants are taking hold, and our herbs and vegetables are starting to provide us with useable produce. Students are looking forward to continuing this work into next year, with some finishing touches planned.
I would like to make mention to the students involved in restoring this area of our school:
Elizabeth Akosah
Miguel Aguilan
Denise Alviz
Logan Barendregt
Chloe Batac
Kyle Borg
Trisha Cunanan
Emily Ford
Micaela Fuente
Joyce Nipales
Jadine Roman
Ethan Singh
Angelica Tabula
Flavina Taefu
Nelson Tan
Jasmine Tully
Ronan Wu
Denise Alviz and Ronan Wu also deserve further mention for the time they spent designing the signs for our garden.
In addition to these students, I would like to thank the following staff who have supported these students in this project; Theresa Nielsen, Craig Purcell and David Wakeling.
Denise Alviz and Ronan Wu with the signs they designed.
Garden group members with some of the first harvest from the herb and vegetable gardens.
A reflection from Ronan Wu and Trisha Cunanan:
“Over the course of this year we’ve been able to experience many extra curricular activities, one that stands out however is the gardening group, with around 20 members or so the odds of a restored and beautiful garden were promising. After weeks of planning out the landscape and choosing which plants to use, we were ready to physically change the garden. We were all very optimistic of what was to come and don’t recall any of us giving up (except for that one time I, Trisha, got dirt in my hair ). After a couple of sessions with the garden, we were finally finished. Flowers were selected and planted, weeds were plucked out, signs were created, everything was in place. Looking back on the garden now we are proud of ourselves, and the rest of the gardening group.”
Peer Support
Peer support workshops were held on both the 12th and 13th of December, where 20 plus students gathered to participate in activities which would help them develop skills before they meet their peer support groups in 2018. These peer support groups will allow Year 7 students to comfortably transition from primary school to high school. Peer support is one of many ways that students are able to show leadership throughout the St Clare's community, this role in the school is extremely important to allow the future Year 7 students to be comfortable in different scenarios that could occur while in high school. The peer support leaders had participated in many activities that had ranged from relationship building to communication skills, in which all play a vital role in being a peer support leader. The activities that us students had done allowed us to grow knowledge about how important it is for Year 7 students to have a successful transition into the St Clare community. On both of the days students were required to show teamwork, leadership, motivation and communication as we worked with our partners to create each session and a brief outline of each activity and to understand how important it is to Year 7 students.
Myself and my partner Helena had designed sessions where we would play games that allowed each individual student to say something about themselves. This activity would allow Year 7 students to come out of their comfort zones and talk to other new students who are in the same situation as them. Helena and I feel that communication is key with the Year 7 students and that peer support allows them to have two older students to talk to about how they feel, as high school can be overwhelming.
Myself along with many other students are happy to be apart of the peer support team which allow us to learn many skills that we can use not only with the future Year 7 students, but also in our personal lives. Us peer support leaders are excited to start new relationships with students that will also become future leaders of St Clare. I personally feel that peer support is one of many great ways for Year 7 students to know more about the school, the way things run, the expectations and the the overall importance of being at school. Us peer support leaders can’t wait to work alongside the Year 7 students who will play a large role in shaping the community.
Kaylan George - Year 9