St Benedict's Catholic College
Newsletter 21 June 2019
PRINCIPAL'S REPORT
Dear Parents and Caregivers
With Pentecost being the season of “new life”, there has certainly been a lot of life in this incredibly busy time at the College over the last fortnight. Examinations were held in Stage 5, a series of special events occurred, and the launch of our Positive Education programme was held with staff.
We were proud to be able to host Olympian Josh Katz at this week’s College Assembly. Josh presented St Benedict’s College with an Olympic Flag on behalf of the Australian Olympic Committee in recognition of Courtney Schonell’s Youth Olympics representation in 2018. Josh represented Australia in Judo and is ranked in the top 20 in the world. At the time, Josh was Australia’s youngest ever Olympian and attended the 2016 Rio Olympics together with his brother who also represented Australia in judo.
The art works of four of St Benedict’s students, Emelia Waters, Joshua Quinn, Benjamin Waights and Jochobed Nyamadzavo, have been selected to hang at the CEO offices in the annual Director’s Art Gallery showcase of outstanding pieces by diocesan high school students. Congratulations to some very talented young men and women.
Work will commence over the semester holidays on the excavation works for the Prayer Garden and associated passive recreation areas. This will mean access to the bus bays will have some restrictions in Week 1 and we will be changing some internal access points to the Oval as our new “The Green” area is laid, and the Oval is extended to its full length.
From Week 10 until Week 5 of Term 3 I will be taking my sabbatical, an opportunity for renewal and further study provided by the Catholic Education Office. I look forward to completing some study at Harvard College in Boston; undertaking the Benedictine Camino in Italy from Norcia to Monte Cassino and visiting schools in Hong Kong to study the work they are undertaking in the field of Positive Education and particularly their work with families. Whilst in Norcia I will be presenting the Prior of the Benedictine Abbey with a cheque for 1500 euro, money raised by the students on Benedict Day, to assist with the rebuilding of the monastery which was completely destroyed in the 2016 earthquake. In my absence, Mr John Killeen, a highly experienced Principal from the Sydney Diocese will be the Relieving Principal. I am sure you will make John very welcome and I look forward to returning “Renewed”!
At our two staff development days this week we launched our Positive Education Programme with staff. Led by psychologist and educator Daniela Falecki from the Positivity Institute, the staff had a wonderful immersion into the Foundations of positive psychology and examined resilience and building strengths in students and ourselves. Later this year the Parents and Friends Association is hosting internationally acclaimed speaker and author Dr Lea Waters in a free seminar for parents on strength-based parenting and information will shortly be coming home about the evening and about Dr Waters work.
In an incredible coincidence of timing, Pope Francis recently had this to say about the family-school partnership -
…“And here we come to the second point, that is, to the educational alliance between the school and the family. We all know that this alliance has long been in crisis, and in some cases completely broken. Once upon a time there was significant mutual reinforcement between the stimuli given by teachers and those given by parents. Today the situation has changed, but we cannot be nostalgic for the past. We must take note of the changes that have affected both the family and the school, and renew the commitment to constructive collaboration – or rather, rebuild the alliance and the educational pact – for the benefit of children and young people. And since this synergy no longer occurs in a “natural” way, it must be promoted in terms of planning, also with the contribution of experts in the pedagogical field. But first we must encourage a new “complicity” – I am conscious in my use of this word, a new complicity – between teachers and parents. First of all, by avoiding thinking of each other as opposing fronts, blaming each other, but on the contrary putting ourselves in the shoes of each other, understanding the objective difficulties that each encounters in education today, and thus creating greater solidarity: complicity in solidarity.” - Pope Francis' Address to Italian Catholic Primary School Teachers’ Association (AIMC)
Let’s be complicit in our solidarity.
Warm regards,
Michael Hanratty
Principal
FROM THE ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL
Year 8 Debating
The Year 8 debating team has continued to be engaged in their local competition. Mrs Mizzi and the students are working hard at improving their skills in order to perform to the best of their ability. They lost in a very close debate last week – but keep up the great work everyone.
Mock Trial
The mock trial team competed in its fourth and final trial last week as well. Although putting in a great effort, the team lost the last trial and unfortunately won’t progress to the next level. Congratulations to all on their input and great effort throughout the last 10 weeks in this competition.
LIVE
LIVE was held last Friday and was again well supported – despite the cold starting to set in. Students once again enjoyed the experience and congratulations to Miss Brown and the team on a wonderful night – and we hope to see even more students next time.
Olympic Flag Presentation
This week the school had the honour of hosting Josh Katz – an Australian Olympian from the most recent Olympic games present an Olympic flag to the College. This was in recognition of Courtney Schonell (Year 12, 2018) who represented our Nation at the Junior Olympics last year. Congratulations to Courtney on her efforts.
History Debating
The history debating team was in action this Wednesday and had a mixed afternoon. The year 11 team performed well but unfortunately were defeated. Our year 10 students put in a great performance and won their debate – congratulations to all on a great effort.
Yr 11 2020 Information Night
On Wednesday, Year 10 were involved in their Subject Selection evening. Families were informed about the requirements, challenges and supports for the HSC. After the initial information session, families had the opportunity to look at the large range of HSC subjects that are being offered to the students. Good luck to all students as they begin the subject selection process and choose courses for their HSC.
Staff Development Days
This week saw two staff development days being held. These were focused around Positive Psychology and are an important step in the Positive Education Program here at St Benedict’s.
PTS Interviews
PTS interviews will be held in week 10. A reminder that this is split into houses for the Monday and Thursday evening sessions. The Friday is available to all families. As all staff will be involved in these interviews – as will students who attend this day, students will not be required to attend school on Friday 5 July (except those having interviews).
Uniform
A reminder to all families that students should be in their full Winter Uniform throughout terms 2 and 3. The only exception to this would be: a) Tuesdays; b) when junior PDHPE classes have double practical lessons. I would ask that all families are aware of when their child’s junior PDHPE class has double practical lessons and ensure that students are always dressed in the correct uniform.
Kind regards
Mr David Costin
Assistant Principal
DATES TO REMEMBER
Friday 21 June - 2020 offers mailed out
Friday 28 June - Years 7 - 10 Report Distribution
Monday 1 July - Years 7-10 Parent Interviews - Dharawal, Ingham and Polding Houses
Thursday 4 July - Years 7-10 Parent Interviews - MacKillop, Hildegard, and Norcia houses
Friday 5 July - Years 7-10 Parent Interviews Daytime. Students attending interviews only.
Monday 22 July - First day of Term 3
FROM THE DIRECTOR OF MISSION AND VISION
REFUGEE WEEK
Refugee Week provides a platform where positive images of refugees can be promoted in order to create a culture of welcome throughout the country. The ultimate aim of the celebration is to create better understanding between different communities and to encourage successful integration enabling refugees to live in safety and to continue making a valuable contribution to Australia.
Message of His Holiness Pope Francis for the 104th World Day of Migrants and Refugees 2018 “Welcoming, protecting, promoting and integrating migrants and refugees”
“You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God” (Leviticus 19:34)
Every stranger who knocks at our door is an opportunity for an encounter with Jesus Christ, who identifies with the welcomed and rejected strangers of every age (Matthew 25:35-43). The Lord entrusts to the Church’s motherly love every person forced to leave their homeland in search of a better future.
Below are some useful links that our students have reviewed during Academic Care classes during the week.
SYRIAN JOURNEY CHOOSE YOUR ESCAPE ROUTE https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-32057601
REFLECTION SONG: Missy Higgins - Oh Canada
Deng Thiak Adut - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buA3tsGnp2s (HIS STORY)
Emily Azzopardi (Year 10) wrote a beautiful prayer for our College Assembly:
This week we pray for your guidance to help us to seek out opportunities for us to celebrate the courage, resilience and contributions made by refugees to the Australian society.
Through your guidance, we pray that we will embrace the spirit of St Benedict and welcome the refugees at our door with open hearts and minds.
We pray that refugees will find a safe home and smoothly transition into a society that accepts them and compromises with them so as to make everyone feel at home.
We pray that world leaders will take action and use their influence to positively benefit the lives of the people who have been affected by violence and war.
We pray for all those who have died as they try to find a safe place to call home, running from dangerous circumstances of violence, abuse and war.
SUBJECT CHOICE - YEAR 10
Year 10 students are busily deciding and making choices about their pattern of study for Year 11 in 2020. Students must select an RE course to complete in Stage 6. There is a change in Stage 6 Religious Education, Catholic Studies has been replaced by the new course Studies in Catholic Thought. I have included some details about it below
Studies in Catholic Thought promotes an understanding and critical awareness of the human person and how a life of Christian virtue can be lived. Students arrive at this understanding through the exploration of the theology, scripture, philosophy, history, texts and artwork of the Catholic Tradition. This exploration will foster the understanding of the human person within the Catholic Tradition. The course is underpinned by a Catholic Liberal Arts approach allowing students to develop a holistic understanding of Catholic faith and life.
1 UNIT COURSE
YEAR 11 - PRELIMINARY COURSE
Core Module 1: Who is the Human Person? 20 hours
Core Module 2: The Trinitarian God and Humanity 20 hours
Core Module 3: The Re-Imagining of Creation 20 hours
YEAR 12 - HSC COURSE
Core Module 1: Virtue, Vice and Salvation 20 hours
Core Module 2: The Good Works 20 hours
Core Module 3: The Common Good 20 hours
Studies in Catholic Thought is non-ATAR while both Studies of Religion I and Studies of Religion II are ATAR courses.
PLENARY COUNCIL - NATIONAL DISCERNMENT
The six National Themes for Discernment are inspired by the data and call us toward the future. As we move into this second stage of preparation for the Plenary Council, we continue to seek the wisdom of the Holy Spirit.
In coming months, through the discernment process and drawing on the six National Themes for Discernment, we will develop the agenda for the first session of the Plenary Council.
This discernment process will involve establishing Working Groups for each National Theme for Discernment. Also, people in faith communities across Australia will be called to participate locally in their own communal Listening and Discernment encounters.
The fruits of what is discerned during this time will shape the agenda of the first session of Plenary Council in October 2020
For more details check out - PLENARY COUNCIL
News - St Mary MacKillop Parish Oran Park
MacKillop Youth
MacKillop Youth Junior (for Yrs 7-9) will gather this Friday 21st June, and MacKillop Youth Senior (for Yrs 10-12) will gather on Friday 28th June. All young parishioners in these year groups are invited to come and enjoy a time of food, fun and faith. Parent permission forms are available at the Info Table at the Parish and at St Benedict’s College.
RCIA
Would you like to think about becoming a Catholic-Christian? Are you already a Catholic but would like to grow in your faith? If you answered YES to either of these questions Fr David Catterall PP and the RCIA team at St Mary MacKillop Parish invite you to be a part of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) program for 2019.
This year the RCIA program in the parish of St Mary MacKillop Oran Park will have two streams, that will run simultaneously: a stream for those who aren’t Catholic and who would like to discern becoming a Catholic-Christian, and a stream for those who are Catholic but would like to be a part of RCIA to grow in their faith. Copies of an 'RCIA invitation cards' are available from the Info Table at the two mass centres of Oran Park and Leppington or if you would like one posted to you or for more information, please contact the St Mary MacKillop Parish Office - oranpark@dow.org.au (46482226).
CAPA NEWS
Subject Selection Evening
Special thanks to all of our students who attended the Subject Selection Evening in support
of all the CAPA subjects. It didn’t take much convincing for our students to give up their time
to share our same passion for the arts.
COLLEGE SPORT
Mixed Sports:
Alexandro Reano & Kalahny Fairclough
Zumba:
Dylan Tosello & Isabella McTiernan
Netball:
Adam Litherland & Elizabeth Simmons
AFL:
Ireland Gerhard
Soccer:
Liana Corbo
Gymnastics:
Nicole Edano
Dance:
Angela Hunt & Amelia Hays
Skating:
Braedon Pocock
Flipout:
Lazar Kljajic & Madison Bailey
Bootcamp:
Natasha Camera
MISA Sport
Our MISA teams played the last week of the East Conference competition this week. Well done to all of our representatives on their involvement in MISA for term 2.
Year 7-9 Mixed Frisbee Lost: 25-4
MVP: Ryan Wood
Year 7-9 Boys Basketball Won: 33-22
MVP: Bailey Helson & Matt Aducayen
Year 7-9 Girls Basketball No Game
Year 11-12 Boys Soccer No Game
Year 10-12 Girls Soccer No Game
Year 10-12 Boys Softball Won: 7-0
MVP: Damien Eagles
Year 10-12 Girls Indoor Cricket No Game
Year 10-12 Girls Netball Lost 37-3
MVP: Alexia Hobman
Yours in sport
Mr Jason Smith
Sport Coordinator
COLLEGE ATHLETICS CARNIVAL 2019
Thursday of Week 2 saw a number of firsts for our College Athletics Carnival. One being a shift to a new format to accommodate our growing student population, and the second being the addition of our three new houses MacKillop, Norcia and Hildegard.
Perfect weather greeted the students at Campbelltown Athletics Centre, in what promised to be a great day. Students arrived dressed up in their house colours and showed wonderful house spirit throughout the day, culminating in the inaugural house cheering competition. Each house was given 2 minutes to showcase their chants to gain additional house points. A huge congratulations should be given to all of our six houses for their enthusiasm and participation, but in particular Polding for their winning performance.
It was fantastic to see the high levels of student participation throughout the day and some outstanding individual performances across the many track and field events. St Benedict’s will be well represented at the Wollongong Diocese Athletics Carnival next term, where many of our athletes will hopefully gain selection to compete in the CCC carnival and represent our Wollongong Diocese.
The College would like to thank our wonderfully generous parent helpers, for giving up their valuable time to come and assist on the day. Also a huge thank you to the staff for their involvement and support.
THE BEARS
VEGETABLE GARDEN UPDATE
As usual, the students in the College Environment Club (the BEARs) have been working hard on the vegetable garden. We now have a clear path of stepping stones, thanks to Mr Shelton and his Construction class, allowing easy access to the garden. All the soil has been transported into the garden beds and pots, with seeds planted (and some already sprouting)! Our resident lemon tree ‘Lenny’ has also taken pride of place at the end of the garden and we are hoping that he will produce some lemons for us when the weather starts to warm later in the year.
I would personally like to thank all the students for their hard work this year, and extend that thanks to all staff involved in this process including: Mr Costin, Mrs Logue, Mrs Smith, Mrs T Brown, Mrs Pollicina, Mr Topham, Mrs McFarlane, Mrs Earnshaw, and anyone else who has played a role in this important project.
Looking forward to a great Semester 2 with the BEARs!
Miss Madelaine Joyce
Speaking 4 the Planet Competition
On Friday 7 June, seven Year 9 students attended the Speaking 4 the Planet competition at The Australian Botanic Garden, Mt Annan, that hosted schools from the Camden, Campbelltown and Liverpool Local Government Areas. The competition celebrated World Environment Day (5 June) and focused on the theme of tackling air pollution. Our students achieved the following outstanding results:
Rhiannon Essex - Winner of the impromptu speaking section.
Eliza B., Amy Crisante, James Hunt, Sophia Laurantus, and Olivia Scavone - Runners Up in the drama performance section.
Emily King - performed in the prepared public speaking section, unfortunately not placing but she did an outstanding job with an exceptionally well-researched speech.
We were also gifted with a range of prizes for the school which will be well-used by the Environment Club (the BEARs), including windowsill planters, and a bee and insect house. Overall, it was an excellent day to celebrate World Environment Day and highlight the importance of tackling air pollution.
Below is an extract from Rhiannon Essex’s winning speech:
Take a deep breath in…and relish in the fact that we are some of the 8% of the world’s population with relatively safe air. We are some of the few people with air pollution levels that meet recommended World Health Organisation standards. We do not, yet, have to spend huge portions of our days coughing and protecting our mouths. Many people are not afforded this luxury.
Air pollution is an increasingly growing problem in society. It is a silent killer, as poisonous gases such as carbon monoxide, lead and the like infiltrate our source of life; the very air which sustains us. Here’s a frightening figure: 1 out of 9 deaths worldwide are caused by air pollution…1 out of 9 deaths worldwide are caused by our human selfishness.
In a democratic society, we are the driving force for change. There are many personal adjustments we can make to have an impact. Choose personal sustainable energy options, such as solar panels to replace the carbon dioxide producing alternatives. 5 star energy rated appliances are also environmentally conscious options. Transport is another culprit of carbon emissions. Rather than driving places in petrol-guzzling cars, choose to walk, use public transport, invest in electric cars, or carpool. These small changes, when done by many, will make all the difference.
By thinking locally, we can have a global impact.
Congratulations to all students involved and thank you for your dedication and enthusiasm on the day.
Miss Madelaine Joyce
Quota Club Student of the Year Competition
A proud moment for our College, as Morgan White took out Runner-Up in the Quota Club Student of the Year Competition. Morgan was an outstanding ambassador for the College and only just missed out on first place.
J.A Thompson History Debating Competition
On Wednesday 19 June, St Benedict’s hosted the second round of the J.A Thompson History Debating Competition. The competition is independently run and supported by the History Teachers Association of NSW. The topics centre around the Australian History Curriculum and encourages students to draw on historical evidence to formulate their arguments.
The Year 11 Team, consisting of Morgan White, Darcey Christl, Olivia Dowling and Rhianna Irons competed against The Kings School, debating the topic “Museums are more destructive than productive for history.” As the affirmative team St Benedict’s provided detailed arguments that suggested the destructive nature of museums, however in the end Kings proved to have a stronger argument and won the debate. A massive thank you needs to be extended to Mia Gibbs White and Nathaniel Murphy for being the chairperson and timekeeper for the debate as well as the selected Year 9 students who were a great audience.
The Year 10 team, consisting of Nick Williams, Nick Carroll, Hannah Small and Sydney Madsen debated after school against Good Samaritan. The Year 10 topic was “That Napoleon betrayed the French Revolution.” As the affirmative team, St Benedict’s provided a logical and historically accurate argument that proved Napoleon’s ultimate betrayal. The year 10’s were the successful victors of this debate. A thank you needs to be extended to Emily Azzopardi, Kai Straub and Grace Cremen for being the chairperson and timekeeper for the debate.
All teams are to be commended on their dedication to debating and the manner in which they represented the College. We are currently waiting for the results of the other debates to determine whether or not we proceed into the semi finals.
Miss Brown
Film Club at SBCC
Film Club has been running at SBCC for the last 12 months. Students meet up in a classroom at recess or lunch, two to three times a week to watch a film/movie. The original idea was to predominantly show some ‘older’ movie musicals, such as Singin’ In The Rain (1952) and The Sound of Music (1965) and both were big hits with the students. In fact, the most popular film so far has been Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971). This movie repeatedly draws a huge crowd of teenagers, both times over 30 students in a classroom, and some students only attend when this film is shown! We have changed it up this year, showing some of the perhaps forgotten childhood movies, such as The Lion King , Matilda, Thumbelina, James and the Giant Peach and Pinocchio to name a few. Recently we have have gone slightly more modern, and have been watching the original Aladdin, and are working our way through Toy Story 1, 2 and 3 to line up with the current movies showing in cinemas.
The students that attend Film Club always do so with a smile on their faces, and they know they are in for a good time. They surprise me almost every time with the enthusiasm they show as a group for these movies. During the Sound of Music, they have applauded and cheered when Captain Von Trapp realised he loved Maria, and decided he couldn't possibly marry Baroness Schrader. They have got up and danced with Cosmo Brown when he sang "Make 'em Laugh" in Singin' in the Rain. They've made ME laugh when they repeatedly tell me that Don Lockwood flirting with Kathy Selden in Singin' In The Rain is just plain creepy. They have cheered with the students in the hall during the scene in Matilda, when Bruce Bogtrotter was forced to eat an entire humungous chocolate cake. They found Snow White's general reactions to almost anything particularly dramatic, and enjoyed re-enacting her movements with their friends. This week they almost had me in tears with their huge unprompted applause as Aladdin freed the Genie. These students continue to make my days that much better and I know we all love taking this time out to relax, and find a happy place where we are comfortable to be ourselves.
All are welcome to come along to Film Club, just listen for the morning announcements! Upcoming films for Term 3 are: The Sound of Music (again), The Borrowers starring John Goodman, Disney's Fantasia, The Rescuers, Babe and Milo and Otis. See you there!
Ms Jane Kelleher
Teacher in charge
YOUTH MINISTRY UPDATE
On Friday 24 May, St Benedict’s celebrated their Feast Day. As part of the Feast Day celebrations we saw the badging of our Year 11 Youth Ministry Leaders (YMLS). The YMLs have the role of promoting and fostering Youth Ministry at the College. These students do a fantastic job at this.
Last Friday St Benedict’s held their second LIVE night for the year. The event began with a concert at lunchtime in the COLA. This was open to all students and saw a great turn out of students singing and dancing along. The rest of the event continued after school. The after school component allowed for students to form friendships and explore their faith in a safe and supportive environment. The focus of this was on “Who is he?” The students listened to a guest speaker who shared his faith journey and how he finds Christ in all aspects of his life. He captivated the students with his passion, enthusiasm and humor. The evening finished with Pizza and more games.
A massive thank you needs to be extended to the staff who stayed back.
Keep an eye out in Term 3 for the LIVE festival which will be held in Wollongong and open to students from Year 9 to 12.
Miss Tabitha Brown
Youth Ministry Coordinator
PARENT'S NEWS
FROM THE P & F - Save the date
The P&F association strongly supports the efforts of the Catholic Education Office and St Benedict’s Catholic College to work together to support us in our parenting teenagers experience .
Our kids don’t come with a manual! And we all sometimes feel we are not coping with the attitude and the stress of it all. Please know you are not alone! Our aim to be the best parent we can be, often leads us to look for additional tools in our parenting tool kit to work with our teenagers in their journey to adulthood.
The P&F invite you all to come along to an evening with Professor Lea Waters to do just that. Lea Waters is a world leading expert on strength based parenting. She will be providing some true, tried and tested strategies for you to use to help unlock your teen’s potential and ultimately be the best that they can be.
We would love to have as many St Benedicts family’s attend this amazing event as possible before we open it up to other schools, so get in quick for this free, ticketed event so you don’t miss out. More details to follow on this event and we look forward to seeing you on the 18 September.
P & F CLOTHING POOL
The clothing pool is open on Friday mornings from 8:00 - 8:30am. Students are welcome to come if parents are unable to. Cash sales only.
We would also welcome any donations of uniforms, school bags, lap top bags etc. as stocks are running low.
Café News
Lunch Order – Any lunch order completed through Flexischools, lunch collection for hot food is in the oven labelled “Lunch Orders” any Cold Food is in the Milk Fridge.
All orders including drinks are labelled with Students name and order. If students cannot find their lunch order, please can you ask the CAFÉ staff for assistance.
Woolworths is conducting the Earn & Learn Programme for 2019
"It's that time of year again".
We have received wonderful equipment for the school in years gone by.
So from May 1 until June 25 collect those little Woolworths stickers and send them into the school office, or place them in the St Benedict's boxes, which will be placed in the entrance of Woolworths stores at Oran Park and Narellan Town Centre.
Happy collecting!!!!!
On Sunday 30 June 2019 (11.15am – 12noon) St Mary MacKillop Parish will be holding an information session for families whose children (in Year 3 and above) have already made their 1st Reconciliation (either at a different parish or in St Mary MacKillop parish in a previous year) and would now like them to make their 1st Holy Communion in 2019.
The information session will be held in the ‘Penola Room’ demountable next to the Oran Park Mass Centre, 94 Oran Park Drive.
This Information Session and following program is ONLY for children who have made their 1st Reconciliation.
For more information contact oranparksacraments@dow.org.au