ST BENEDICT'S CATHOLIC COLLEGE
May 19, 2017
PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE
Dear Parents and Carers
Over the last few weeks at Mass we have listened to the Gospel of St John who has given us a clear message about how we may be saved. Two weeks ago, the reading spoke of Jesus as the shepherd who knows his sheep and they know him. The difference between the Gospel of John and the other three gospels is that he refers to Jesus as the gatekeeper to the sheepfold. This theme continued with last Sunday’s gospel where Jesus says “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me”.
In both these readings, the statement is not simply that Jesus loves us and cares for us (although of course this is true) but that we can only reach the Father by going through Him. He is the gatekeeper of the sheepfold and it is by continual prayer to Him and living the life that He proclaims that we can find eternal salvation. The theme of prayer is reinforced when we consider that last Saturday was the centenary of the appearance of Mary to the children of Fatima. Whilst there are many things that can be said as a result of Fatima, one of the continued messages is that change is possible as a result of prayer.
As you would now be aware, Mr Hanratty has moved to John Therry for two terms following a request from the Catholic Education Office. During this time, our leadership team has been joined by the promotion of Mr Costin and Mr Shelton to the roles of Assistant Principals. Mr Costin will be responsible for the coordination of staff and assisting with student management and Mr Shelton will look after timetables and reporting processes. They will continue to oversee their previous areas and will be assisted by Sr Ann-Maree, Mrs Castelli, Mrs Grana, and Mrs Williams who will take on various roles within RE and TAS. I congratulate each of these staff and encourage you to contact the College should you have any concerns.
On Friday we will be holding a Staff Development Day which will focus on student improvement through the use of data. This inservice is based on the work by Professor Lyn Sharratt from the University of Toronto and looks at building information on student learning and developing profiles to improve this learning. Whilst this is a pupil free day, the teachers will be working hard on developing College-wide plans and continuing to maintain their efforts on the learning of your children.
Finally, a huge thank you to all our mothers and grandmothers within our community. I hope you had a happy and gratitude filled Mother’s Day last Sunday and continue to be valued by all around you.
Steve Lo Cascio
Acting Principal
FROM THE DIRECTOR OF MISSION AND VISION
We celebrated Mother’s Day last weekend and the celebration of this important day is always a special day in my family. This year, I was reminded of this quote from Pope Francis about the importance of mothers in our society today.
“Mothers are the strongest antidote to our individualistic and egotistic tendencies, to our lack of openness and our indifference. A society without mothers would not only be a cold society, but a society that has lost its heart, lost the “feel of home.” … I have learned much from those mothers whose children are in prison, or lying in hospital beds, or in bondage to drugs, yet, come cold or heat, rain or draught, never stop fighting for what is best for them. Or those mothers who in refugee camps, or even the midst of war, unfailingly embrace and support their children’s sufferings. … Where there is a mother, there is unity, there is belonging, belonging as children.” Pope Francis, January 1, 2017
It is a busy assessment time for our students in Religious Education with most year groups in the midst of their examinations and assessments. As students are preparing for these important tasks, I encourage students and families to ensure that you understand the requirements of these tasks and work with your teachers to ensure that you can achieve a grade of which you are capable.
Next Tuesday, Year 12 have the opportunity to meet with Bishop Peter at a Gathering with the Bishop. This will be a wonderful opportunity for all of our Year 12 students to not only meet with the Bishop, but to talk to him about their experiences of being in a Catholic school, as well as having an opportunity to ask some questions of the Bishop.
The Prayer Focus this week continues along the theme of community. Last week we focused on understanding how in St Benedict’s time, there was great upheaval in society and he was very concerned about the way people treated each other. Therefore building community was very important to him. In fact, he talks about three actions to avoid and three to be encouraged in a community. St Benedict talked about avoiding: vicious talk, deceit, and evil. He encouraged: doing good; making peace; and living compassionately, truthfully and kindly.
This week we focus on some of the writings of St Benedict that help us to understand the importance of humility. When living in community, humility is important because it is about accepting who we are and accepting others as they are. It is about accepting our God given gifts, and those of others, for the betterment of the community. We continue to pray for, not only the St Benedict's community, but also all other communities to which we may belong.
The College Outreach program continues to grow and develop. Eight Year 11 students have been attending Carrington since the start of the year. During this time, students have been involved in a program where they have met weekly with and interviewed two residents. They have listened to their stories and gained an understanding of the amazing lives they have had. Two weeks ago, the visits finished and students, at afternoon tea-time, presented the residents with a beautiful memory book of their lives. Congratulations to the students and Mrs Creswick on an amazing program. We keep Nancy and Laurie in our prayers here at St Benedict’s.
David Costin
Director of Mission and Vision
Acting Assistant Principal
Years 9 & 10 Exams
Leading up to these exams, students should be setting time for revision as part of their study routine.
Parent Teacher Interviews for Years 11 and 12
Bookings will open at 9:00am on Friday 19 May. Details on accessing the online booking site have been distributed this week. Once you have made your bookings please print out your timetable.
For parents who do not have internet access, please phone the College once the bookings have opened, on 4631 5300 for assistance.
P&F Meeting
OLD BOYS AND OLD GIRLS - ST BENEDICT'S ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
As St Benedict's moves into a stage where we actually do have ex-students who have graduated, the time has come to make some plans to foster a connection with the college which hopefully lasts a lifetime.
We're excited to announce that plans to form St Benedict's Alumni Association are under way. This week, a meeting was held with the Year 12 student leaders to start an association which will forge bonds which will stretch into the future: Reunions, visits to the "old school", participation in the ongoing life of the college, and forging lifelong relationships with ex colleagues and teachers are just some of the plans.
Most successful schools have such organisations and the benefits are huge, not only socially but beneficial in terms of networking and careers in later life.
We would like you, the parents, to be involved in this, and we'd like to hear your thoughts.
Please contact me if you'd like to be involved in creating and maintaining the connection with St Benedict's for all our ex students. Hopefully a life long connection!
Stay tuned for more developments!
Andy Lundy
Parent and Community Engagement Coordinator
TEACHING AND LEARNING AT ST BENEDICT'S
Learning at St Benedict’s
By Shanae Slattery, Maddison Maher, Mia Gibbs-White, Ethan Aquilina and Ashlee Stevens
We are the Prefects for Learning and Middle School Leaders of Learning. Together, our Learning Leadership team has the job of coming up with initiatives to make learning at St Benedict’s an even more enjoyable and rewarding experience than it already is.
At the end of Term 1, we conducted a survey about learning. In this investigation, we wanted to find out more about learning at SBCC and the sorts of learning initiatives that students would be interested in.
We were amazed at the hundreds of responses to our survey. There were numerous excellent ideas and it was great to see how passionate about learning we are at SBCC. We thought it was important to report back to the school community about our survey findings.
Which are the most popular subjects at SBCC in 2017?
We thought we would include a fun and controversial question so we asked about the students’ favourite subjects.
This year, our survey showed PDHPE coming out on top with 41.4% of survey-takers voting for it. We believe that this might be due to the constant team work and practical activities that incorporate everyone’s skills and values.
Technology, including Wood Tech, Food Tech, Robotics, Textiles and Graphics were the second most favourite subject of voters with 30%. Again, we suspect that this is because TAS provides practical subjects that allow students to be creative and work cooperatively with materials and equipment.
In third place was Science with 29.3%. English and HSIE tied in fourth position with 27.9%.
The results of the survey suggest the students of St Benedict’s love to learn in interactive and collaborative ways.
How do we prefer to learn at SBCC?
Included in the survey, was a question which asked students about the way in which they felt they learned the best. An amazing 70.7% of responders said that they learned best through practical activities. Many of these practical activities are included in Technology, PDHPE and Science as well as many other subjects.
Visual activities were also popular with students and were rated by 60% of voters. These activities can be incorporated into any subject by the teacher or may even be created by the students.
In third place was a tie between group and independent work, both voted as important by 42.1% of students.
What do students like best about learning at SBCC?
Another question we asked students was what they liked best about learning at St Benedict’s. The overwhelming response was that students appreciated the dedication and the help that teachers offered. Students also liked the innovation and challenge of their classes. We also found the level of engagement in classes was something that is good about the school.
What do students want to see more of in their learning?
Our survey found that students were interested in a range of learning opportunities. An overwhelming 77% of students wanted to have fun and make learning a more interactive experience. 48.1% of students wanted their learning to be more closely tied to career skills and knowledge. Linked with this, 23.7% of students were interested in studying senior courses that were closely related to industry. 15.6% of students wanted more opportunities for challenging work in class.
What are some popular initiatives that students would like to see?
The two most popular initiatives that people were interested in were peer tutoring and a reading book club. We will explore both of these options and hope to offer students some exciting new initiatives along these lines in the near future. There were also lots of other great ideas that we will follow up on.
We will use this survey to create fun and interesting initiatives this year. If you see us in the playground and you have some good ideas of other things we can do, come and see us or feel free to send us an email.
L to R. Ethan Aquilina, Ashlee Stevens, Mia Gibbs-White, Shanae Slattery, Maddison Maher
Science at St Benedict's
The Science Faculty at St Benedict’s is composed of a small team of teachers who are passionate about science. The faculty consists of Mr Gavin Bates, Ms Heather Brown, Ms Chloe Chalmers, Dr Maria de Lima, Mrs Rebecca Sammut and Mrs Catherine Whiter, all of whom are qualified to teach at least one of the Stage 6 senior subjects (Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Senior Science and in 2018, Investigating Science). Several of our teachers have also previously held positions working in industry or scientific research, thus further broadening the faculties skills and insight into career paths and opportunities for our students.
Science is a core subject and is compulsory from Years 7 to 10. It is an integral part of a student’s learning as it provides a platform for our young people to become informed citizens in a fast-paced world that is constantly changing both technologically and environmentally. Through the processes of Working Scientifically, students develop their understanding of science ideas and concepts, as well as learning the importance of scientific evidence. A big focus is on the development of critical thinking and problem solving skills, as well as collaboration and communication.
The importance of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) in the curriculum has become of increasing significance in the past decade in order to prepare young people for ‘careers of the future’. Stages 4 to 6 Science have always had a major focus on incorporating STEM skills into the curriculum. From using data loggers, to bridge and crane building challenges and designing sustainable homes or hypothetical animals, the science program covers outcomes relating to the Physical, Chemical and Living Worlds as well as Earth and Space.
As a faculty, we hope to instil in our students an appreciation of all things scientific. Our lessons incorporate a large variety of practical activities and we have six fully functional teaching labs with a well-stocked preparation and chemical store room which is run by a full-time and highly competent laboratory technician, Mrs Pauline Bonfield.
What’s happening in Science this term
There are many opportunities for students, both co-curricular and curricular.
The Year 7s visited Taronga Park Zoo on 2nd May as part of their study of animal adaptations (see separate article).
The Big Science Competition takes place on 18th May. Participating students will be competing at a national level with the opportunity to win prizes.
Education Perfect continues to be a highly effective online learning platform for our Stage 4 and 5 students. Students can log on at any time with their unique username and password to do extension work or reinforce concepts if struggling.
Year 9 will be attending an incursion on 7th June. They will be watching a science show called “Lightening: So Frightening” which is part of the teaching unit “Power to the People”.
Year 10’s have just completed individual research projects in which they have designed an investigation using the processes of Working Scientifically. Some of these students will be entering their projects into the Young Scientist Awards competition which is run by STANSW.
Year 10 girls with a particular interest in science are encouraged to take part in the STEM Careers Week for Girls from 10th-14th July at various locations in Sydney (advertisement attached in this newsletter).
There are a number of other activities, incursions and excursions that will be taking place over the course of the year. Students are encouraged to keep an eye out for opportunities and get involved.
Maria de Lima
Science Coordinator
Year 7 Taronga Zoo Excursion
Year 7 had the opportunity to visit Taronga Zoo on Tuesday the 2nd May for our Science excursion. We were able to see giraffes, chimpanzees, monkeys, seals, penguins, reptiles, lemurs, hippos, elephants and many more animals! We learned many things about various types of animals, and their adaptations to their environments in order to survive.
At one point in the day we had the opportunity to learn about vertebrates and invertebrates and the 5 groups of vertebrates which are: mammals, fish, birds, amphibians and reptiles. After learning about each group the instructor brought out turtles, lizards, frogs, some stick insects and two cute, little baby possums for us to look at. We were also allowed to touch some of them.
The purpose of this excursion was to assist and help us for our upcoming assessment on animal adaptations and their survival in certain environment conditions. Overall, it was an enjoyable and fun learning experience, and we were incredibly lucky to have the privilege to visit Taronga Zoo.
By Olivia Krpez, Demi Connell & Jasmine Cosio
HELP FOR ST BENEDICT'S PARENTS
On May 10 and 17, two workshops for parents were delivered at the College by our school counsellor, Ms Gloria Melham. In the workshops, Gloria took a large contingent of mums and dads through some practical, helpful tips for navigating their way through the tricky teen years.
Many topics were covered, including avoiding and managing conflict, meaningful communication, cybersafety, negotiating with your teen and managing risk taking behaviours.
The workshops were very well received and there are plans to develop these further.
Andy Lundy
Parent and Community Engagement Coordinator.
Changes to Access to College Site
The photo above indicates the changes to movement within the precinct.
Please be aware of the access back on to Catherine Park Drive when leaving the College site, as there is no right hand turn from Hollows Drive.
- Exit the site, turning right onto Hollows Drive (slight dogleg)
- Take 1st street on left, Phillips Avenue (almost opposite exit)
- Turn right at 3rd street, O'Keefe Drive
- Turn right at the roundabout onto Catherine Park Drive
Can we once again remind all visitors to the site to be aware that there is a 10kph speed limit within the schools and church precinct. Due to the ongoing changes and the confusion that may arise, it is critical that drivers follow these speed limits.
Years 7-9 Ultimate Frisbee
In a college that is accustomed to ‘firsts’, St Benedict’s students proudly participated in the inaugural MISA Ultimate Frisbee competition on Tuesday. What is most impressive about this newly registered competition is that, in the true spirit of MISA, there are no referees; rather play proceeds through student leadership, integrity and discretion.
In the ultimate display of sportsmanship, our first match was contested without issue, with all team members committing to giving their best in a game that they had never played before. Ably led by Ms Abouchabake, all students encouraged each other and it was wonderful to see their skills develop enormously in the second half as their confidence improved. The final score was 9-2 to Wollondilly. Well done to our inaugural MISA Ultimate Frisbee team.
Mrs Pereira
Vaccinations for Years 11 and 12
The NSW Minister for Health has announced the start of a school-based meningococcal vaccination program targeting Year 11 and 12 students in Term 2 2017. The vaccinations at St Benedict's will take place on Friday 2 June.
A letter outlining the planned program, as well as the forms required to be completed if you wish take advantage of this free service, has been distributed to students.
Family Mass at St Anthony's Tahmoor
The next FAMILY MASS @ St Anthony’s Church, Tahmoor is on Saturday May 27 @ 5:00pm.
We invite all families to share in this Special Occasion as we also welcome the INTERNATIONAL CENTENARY PILGRIMAGE IMAGE (ICPI) of Our Lady Of Fatima, blessed by our Beloved POPE FRANCIS especially for Australia, and here in our Parish for ONE DAY ONLY, May 27th.
Our usual Band of Musicians, our Amazing Choir and our talented and graceful, liturgical dancers will help us CELEBRATE in a JOYFUL manner . Refreshments will be served after Mass a usual.