St Benedict's Catholic College
Newsletter, June 30 2017
PRINCIPAL'S REPORT
“Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.” Matthew 10: 32 – 33. This was an extract from the gospel of Matthew from last Sunday. It is a clear message that we should each strive to proclaim the message of Jesus and ensure that we are His witnesses in the wider world. With much of the current turmoil throughout the world at the moment, it is important that we remember His overall message that we should love one another as God loves us, but that we should stand proudly for our faith and the love that Jesus Christ proclaims.
Last Friday evening, more than 40 students stayed after school with a number of staff for the Bennies Bring a Blanket evening. This is the St Benedict’s equivalent of the winter sleep-out and involved students completing activities and having a very, very brief experience of what it may be like for someone who has nothing and lives on the street. This experience was not reflective of what life is like for these people but it was a good stimulus for discussion about how we can impact those around us. The students were joined by the Youth Mission Team from Wollongong and experienced some great singing and games. We look forward to later in the year when this team will return to sing for, and with, the students working toward the mission of bringing Christ to our youth.
Over the last week, we have been represented by our talented students at the MISA Dance performance and the latest round of the MISA debating competition. At both of these events, our young men and women showcased their talents and efforts and have gained greatly from the experience. I congratulate them and thank Mr Hayden and Mrs Hatton for their ongoing work with these teams.
Last week was the Yr 10 subject selection evening for students entering Year 11 in 2018. This is the start of a process where the students and parents are given a huge range of information about how the HSC, ATAR and ROSA work as well as the types of subjects that students can choose in their Stage 6 studies. This process will continue over the next few weeks with each student being mentored and classes being decided based on student choices. I acknowledge the continued work by all the staff but especially Mr Bombardiere and Ms Lemon on the process and advice that is being given to these students.
Year 7 – 10 Reports were distributed on Monday and Yr 7 & 9 Parent Teacher meetings occurred on Thursday evening. Year 8 & 10 parents will have an opportunity to meet with your child’s teachers at the start of Term 3. Again I thank all staff for their work with these reports and meetings and ask parents to speak with your children about their strengths and areas for development that have become evident from these reports and meetings.
Finally, I wish all of the students and staff a very restful and safe holiday and look forward to a new enthusiasm at the start of Term 3.
Steve Lo Cascio
Acting Principal
School returns for Term 3 on Monday 17 July
FROM THE DIRECTOR OF MISSION AND VISION
I was reminded recently, at an inservice day focused on prayer, of the importance of the Eucharist in our lives. Pope Francis shared this with us in 2014:
Dear brothers and sisters, the Word of God and the Eucharist fill us with joy, always. Remember it well! When you are sad, take up the Word of God. When you are down, take up the Word of God and go to Sunday Mass and receive Communion, to participate in the mystery of Jesus. The Word of God, the Eucharist: they fill us with joy.
As I read the above quote from Pope Francis, I was also reminded of the Year 10 unit, Eucharist, the Big Idea, which is: The Eucharist is the Heart of our faith and the Cornerstone of our actions. This beautiful concept is a great reminder to us of the importance of receiving the Eucharist and then living a life modelled by Christ.
Retreat Program
Next term sees the cyclical return to the retreat program of the College. Both Years 7 and 8 will be involved in their retreats. These days will provide both groups with valuable lessons about themselves, their peers and their faith. I look forward to these days and in advance thank the staff members involved for their contribution. I will write more about the retreats closer to the dates.
Bennies Bring a Blanket
Bennies Bring a Blanket was held last week and again was an amazing experience for the 50+ students who attended. These young men and women braved the winter night to participate in a program that allowed them to, not only further understand the causes of homelessness, but to be reminded of important areas of Catholic Social Teaching, that we are made in the holy image of God, and the concept of human dignity. Catholic Youth Mission Wollongong did a wonderful job in performing both secular and religious music and providing students with an opportunity for prayer and reflection. A big thank you to all staff who were involved, in particular to Mrs Castelli, who was critical in organising this year’s program.
Prayer Focus
The current Prayer Focus is on homelessness. Last week we learnt that the Australian Bureau of Statistics estimated that there were 105,000 homeless people in Australia. Some 16% of these did not have any form of accommodation and were living on the streets, in parks or in the bush, or were obtaining temporary shelter in places such as cars or derelict buildings. The remaining 84% of people were regularly moving from one form of temporary shelter to another, such as living in emergency accommodation provided by the Government, staying with relatives, or “couch surfing” with friends. We continue to prayer for those without a home.
Next term, the Prayer Focus moves towards the Benedictine virtue of Hospitality. Students will have an opportunity to put their hospitality into practice when the visiting Japanese students arrive next term. Coming to a foreign land will be challenging and we can certainly help them feel more welcomed by being hospitable people.
Mr David Costin
Director of Mission and Vision
Acting Assistant Principal
Bennies Bring a Blanket
Bennies Bring A Blanket was another success this year with 50+ students attending. This annual event allows students to experience, in a small way, a taste of what it would be like to be homeless, and allows them to think of ways in which they may be able to help.
Throughout the night students, from across all year groups, participated in various activities and discussions that explored homelessness. For dinner they were given pumpkin soup, corn and a bread roll to be eaten outside in the cold weather. To keep warm, they had the clothes and blankets they brought as well as a cardboard box.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Grima Bros in Gregory Hills who donated the vegetables needed for our soup kitchen, Anita's Bakery in Harrington Park Plaza for donating the bread rolls, and Woolworths in Camden who provided us with the remaining ingredients for our dinner.
The students were entertained by Seth, Michaela and Joel from the Youth Ministry in Wollongong through song and fun activities. I would also like to take the opportunity to thank each and every student who participated whole heartedly in this event. Without your enthusiasm and very kind donations the night would not have been such a success. Lastly, I would like to thank those who could not attend Bennies Bring A Blanket but who have donated warm clothes and blankets. These items will certainly help people in our community who are finding it tough.
Mrs Sara-Jane Castelli
ATTENTION ALL PARENTS! ATHLETICS CARNIVAL SHOUT OUT!
As you're no doubt aware, our annual Athletics Carnival is approaching fast, and will be hot on our heels when we return for Term 3. The date is Wednesday July 19, at Campbelltown Athletics Centre (beside Campbelltown Stadium).
We would love some parent assistance with some of the events, (full on the job training provided), so, if you'd like to spend some time in the winter sunshine and fresh air with us and our students, please email either myself or Sport Coordinator Miss Julia Liska, preferably in the school holidays.
Below is a short clip of our House Meeting cheer rehearsal, held on June 27, featuring a "cheer challenge" between all three houses, Dharawal, Ingham and Polding.
Andy Lundy
Parent and Community Engagement Coordinator
HOUSE SPIRIT!
SEMESTER 1 ACADEMIC ASSEMBLY
Andy Lundy
Parent and Community Engagement Coordinator
YEAR 11's SEASIDE BIOLOGY EXCURSION.
On the 9th June, our Year 11 Preliminary Biology class ventured out to the Kiama rocky shore, to study the abundance and distribution of organisms that lived in the different rocky shore zones. It was a splendid day, learning about the different species, using a variety of different scientific equipment to conduct observations and to gather data.
The weather was breathtaking in the morning, although towards the end of lunch, it began to rain and the excursion was unfortunately cut short. However, during the time that the weather was favourable, we were able to collect all the data needed for our up and coming assessment task. It was a superb day, and a captivating experience.
CCC CROSS COUNTRY STARS!
It was a cold start to the morning but on Friday 16th June, Jared Madsen, Aiden Wood and Connor Price made their way to Eastern Creek where they competed in the CCC Cross Country Championships. All boys ran very well with Jared Madsen and Connor Price coming 6th and 3rd respectively. These results have allowed the boys to progress to the NSW All Schools Cross Country Championships in July. We would like to wish these boys all the very best of luck for this day.
Congratulations on your great achievements boys.
AMAZING RESULT FOR DRAMA AT ST BENEDICT'S
Four students from the college (Emma Hooton, Lukkas Marrapodi, Isabelle Brown-Rogers and Julian De Giovanni) competed in the most competitive drama competition in Australia, The Impro Australia-Schools Theatresports Competition. It brings together representative teams from over 100 independent and government schools across Sydney, Wollongong, the Central Coast, Bowral and Nowra to perform together in the spirit of joyful improvisation.
Teams of 3-5 students from each school create 1, 2 and 3 minute improvised scenes live on stage, judged and scored by a team of improvisation professionals. The competition attracts established drama schools like Newtown High School of the Performing Arts, MacDonald College of the Performing Arts and The Kings School. This was the first year that the college has sent a team to compete and the competition was fierce. As this was the first time these students had performed in front of an audience it was a baptism of fire and the lessons came hard and fast as we realised the standard of the other schools. Our students took it in their stride, growing in ability with each round and rolling with the punches in a mature and dedicated manner.
As the scores were announced at the conclusion of the performances St Benedict’s was announced as coming in third place out of the eight schools present and continued to the semi finals.
In the semi-final round at Tara Anglican Girls School, our team was the clear favourite with consistent scores of four out of five. Two of our rivals who had only scored threes and fours, each had a round with perfect scores, which brought the top three to within a few points of each other. As the scores were announced we amazingly achieved third, only one point behind second place. Unfortunately only the top two progressed to the final at the Enmore Theatre, but the skill and dedication shown by our team was outstanding. They gracefully accepted defeat, showing great maturity in recognising that they had done their best and improved with each round. It was the best moment of my teaching life so far and the kids were absolutely ecstatic.
I cannot stress the immensity of what these four students have accomplished. I’m so proud of their efforts and they deserve all the praise they have received. St Benedict’s has emerged as a drama force to be reckoned with and we look forward to having the chance to perform again at next year’s competition, bigger and better than ever.
Mr Hayden
Drama teacher
Congratulations
Peterson Caccamo represented St Benedict's last weekend at Fencing State - NSW Schools Championships. He competed in U/13 boys foil which is his current age group. He finished with a Bronze.
Peterson’s current individual rank is 3rd in NSW for U/13 boys foil. Well done Peterson!
Year 8 & 10 Parent Teacher Interviews
Our Parent/Teacher interviews provide an opportunity to discuss with your child’s teacher the areas of learning growth your child has achieved and their areas for improvement in all courses studied.
- Year 8 & 10 - Thursday 20th July (Term 3, Week 1)
Bookings for Parent/Teacher interviews will be conducted using www.schoolinterviews.com.au. A unique booking code was given to the students today as well as details about when the booking period opens and closes. This information has also be emailed to parents of children in Years 8 & 10.
Please note that bookings open at 9am on Monday 17 July