College Newsletter
Term 4 Week 11 Monday 18 December 2017
A Message from the Principal
Dear Parents, Staff and Students
The Advent season is quickly drawing to a close and we finalise our preparation for the coming of Christ. May I take this opportunity to wish you all a very happy and holy Christmas.
God our Father,
may the simplicity of the birth
of Jesus, your Son,
remind us
that we can readily discover him
in the ordinariness of our daily lives
Amen
As the school year ends, Cerdon College has had a busy few weeks where students have had the opportunity to showcase their talents especially in the Creative and Performing Arts and TAS areas at Showcase. Congratulations to the large numbers of students whose work was displayed or who performed during Showcase. Special thanks to the teachers who spend countless hours setting up the displays or helping perfect our student performances.
The College also took the opportunity last week to congratulate our 2017 students for their academic, sporting and cultural achievements during the year. Almost 200 students or 20% of our Year 7 to 11 cohort were congratulated on their achievements. It is wonderful to see so many students acknowledged for their outstanding effort and achievement.
Cerdon College can also congratulate our Year 12 students and their teachers on the College's outstanding HSC results in 2017.
Cerdon College is the only systemic Catholic school in the Parramatta Diocese that can proudly boast that the school has been ranked in the Top Performing HSC School's List for the past 12 years.
In 2017, 140 students received a Band 6 result and 414 a Band 5 result which means that 54.7% of the College's HSC results were achieved at a Band 5 or 6 (51.6% in 2016) and 302 students received a Band 4 result which means that 84.5% of all the College's HSC results were achieved at a Band 4 or above (84.2% in 2016).
Special Congratulations to the following students who received State subject recognition -
Durcy Carolina Dominguez Demichelli
4th in State Italian Extension
Wenjing Qiao
3rd in State Legal Studies
Aida Mesanovic
3rd in State Croatian
Catherine Raftopoulos
2nd in State PDHPE
Gloria Tomic
4th in State Croatian
Three students were also acknowledged as Distinguished Achievers receiving a Band 6 result in 10 or more of their Units -
Celina Elsusu
Annmaree Kenny
Thy Mai
Another six students were only one or two marks off receiving this Distinguished Achievers Award.
Cerdon College would like to acknowledge each of these students for their efforts and achievements. Many of our 2017 Year 12 students have received offers of scholarships from all the metropolitan universities and large numbers of the 2017 cohort have been rewarded for their achievements by receiving offers of early entry to courses at all the metropolitan universities. The College will formally acknowledge the Year 12 students at the Opening Mass on February 16th, 2018.
A full list of outstanding HSC achievements will be printed in the first Newsletter for 2018.
God Bless
Mrs Patricia Baker
Principal
Gold Principal's Award Recipients for 2017
Sarah Denniss 8G23
Nitika Harpalani 8G23
Josephine Moujaes 8G24
Sophie Vo 8G23
Arielle Bergmann 9I31
Bao Tram Doan 9I33
Nora-Lee Doueihi 9J29
Charlize D'Souza 9I32
Zyra-Jane Falcon 9I33
Emma Giudice 9I32
Rose Hanratty 9I31
Bethany Heng 9I33
Flavia Lu 9J29
Margaret Makary 9J28
Suzanne Mekdessi 9I31
Brijet Mellier 9I33
Rachael Menezes 9J28
Natacha Nasrallah 9J29
Shanice Seaib 9J29
Bailey Soo 9I32
Sarah Vella 9J29
Sophia Vicic 9J29
Isabella Allegretti 10F24
Emma Balogh-Caristo 10F24
Tamsyn Balogh-Caristo 10F24
Monica Chan 10F24
Jemma Lee Dickson 10FD1
Quynh Doan 10F24
Amelia El-Halabi 10F19
Ma. Dominique Espinosa 10F24
Megan Fisher 10F24
Caitlyne Halabi 10F24
Caitlin Hitti 10F21
Alisar Khalil 10F19
Alexandria Makary 10F18
Elise Noble 10F19
Sabah Shekeb 10F21
Jade Williams 10F22
Anh Dinh 11F13
Katrina Jelavic 11F14
Georgia Kalisperis 11F12
Hannah Rahimi 11F17
Carissa Zajac 11F13
2018 Trading for Uniform Shop
The College Uniform Shop will resume trading next year as follows -
Term 1 2018
Tuesday 23 January - 8:00 am to 2:00 pm
Wednesday 24 January - 8:00 am to 2:00 pm
Thursday 25 January 8:00 am to 2:00 pm
Friday 26 January - Public Holiday - CLOSED
Monday 29 January 7:30 am to 2:00 pm
Tuesday 30 January 7:30 am to 2:00 pm
Thursday 1 February 1:00 pm to 6:00 pm
Friday 2 February (Blazer Fitout) - 8:30 am to 3:30 pm
Normal Trading Hours from Monday 5 February 2018
Mondays - 8:00 am-2:00 pm
Thursdays - 1:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Cerdon College Uniform Shop Management
Telephone: 8724 7329 (During trading hours only)
Advent Mass
To conclude the school year during this Advent season, all of Years 7, 8 and 9 along with the staff gathered in the Hall to celebrate Mass with Fr Peter of St Margaret Mary's Parish. This solemn celebration was a fitting way to prepare ourselves for the coming of the Christ child, bought to life through Mary's "yes".
Fr Peter spoke of the role of the shepherds, outcasts of the society at the time, at the birth of Christ. Every student received a prayer card with the image of the nativity to take away and assist in their own prayer life during the Christmas season.
As always the Cerdon community is very fortunate to be able to call upon the services of Fr. Peter. A thank you also to Mrs Schinella and Sr Kate for their work in organising such a solemn and reverent Eucharistic celebration.
Mr Mulheron
Australian Catholic Youth Festival
The Australian Bishops celebrated mass in The Domain on Saturday 9th December to formally close the Australian Catholic Youth Festival. Students of Cerdon College participated in the Pilgrimage from Milsons Point station to The Domain to be part of the concluding concert featuring Matt Maher and Fr Rob Galea as well as the celebration of The Eucharist. Cerdon students joined with thousands of other Catholic young people from all over Australia, joining together in prayer and song. The group truly appreciated the opportunity to share in the mass with such a large and fervent audience.
A special thank you to Miss de Jesus and Mr Tham who also gave up their time to assist with the supervision of Cerdon students. Australia's Catholics will come together again in 2019 in Perth to celebrate the next Catholic Youth Festival.
Mr N Mulheron
Support for St Vincent de Paul Christmas Appeal
Monday 4th December saw Cerdon College present our annual Showcase performance. On this evening the Year 10 Service Leaders alongside Cerdon staff organised a Sausage Sizzle to raise funds for the St Vincent de Paul Christmas Appeal. On Wednesday 6th December the College hosted a lunch to thank the many volunteers who work at Cerdon throughout the year. Many countless hours are provided by the parents of students to ensure that our canteen operates each day. Our lunch meant that the Service Leaders once more organised themselves so as to provide students with the opportunity to purchase their lunch. All the funds raised have meant that Cerdon can provide a sizeable donation for St Vincent’s to continue their work in the community for those facing financial hardship this Christmas season.
Thankyou to the Year 10 Service Leaders, as well as Mrs Schinella and Mr Harvey who gave up their time to assist the students.
Mr N Mulheron
Year 10 French Excursion
On Friday the 1st December, the Year 10 French class, accompanied by Ms Djafri and Miss Meduri, travelled to the Little Snail Restaurant in Pyrmont, Sydney. As we are currently studying the topic on French food, this excursion allowed us to taste and experience real French gastronomy. It was for us an unforgettable culinary experience, expanding our knowledge in not only food terminology in French but the tastes of various dishes, associated with the French culture.
The restaurant allowed us to choose from three different meals for each course. Some students, including myself had the opportunity to eat “Les Escargots” (Cooked Snails), “Le Coq au Vin” (Chicken in Red Wine Jus) and “La Glace Française à la vanille” (French Vanilla Ice Cream) and Mousse au chocolat (Chocolate Mousse).
Celeste Aviet (Year 10 French student)
P & F Thank You Luncheon
Wednesday 6th December, saw the Year 11 Hospitality classes undertake their annual practical assessment task - the P&F Luncheon.
Preparation before the day saw the students plan the menu, taking many dietary requirements into consideration; plan table setting requirements; prepare all glassware, cutlery and crockery.
The two classes both trialled the menu and made alterations as required.
The morning to the luncheon, saw the Fourvière Centre and Hospitality Kitchen become a hive of activity, as the two teams worked to set up the dining area and prepare the 2 course alternate serve menu.
Upon arrival the guests were offered a mocktail of either a Berry Mojito or Banana Pina Colada.
Main consisted of Summer Greens and Basil Frittata or Chicken and Roast Vegetable Pasta. Dessert of Individual Berry Pavlova or Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake Tarts was accompanied with Espresso Coffee or Tea.
Several guests commented on the professionalism of both the meal and service they received.
We have attached the recipes of each item, as many guests enquired about them.
Mrs Kelly, Mrs Manning and Year 11 Hospitality
Enrichment@Cerdon
As the year comes to a close I would like to congratulate all the students who have participated in the many enrichment opportunities offered to them and thank all the teachers who have made many of these opportunities possible.
For all the students embarking in new enrichment programs over the holidays, I wish you an enriching time .. I look forward to hearing all about your adventures in the new year!
In this final issue, read about the last knowledge challenge for the year and an exciting maths day for talented students.
The Inquisitive Minds Talented Problems, Patterns, Pictures, Puzzles Day
It was with much excitement that on Friday 1st December a group of Year 8 and 9 students participated in a mathematics day for talented students at Bossley Park High School. This day provided students with an interactive problem solving lesson and a hands-on problem solving competition designed to challenge their thinking, develop their problem solving strategies and promote a positive attitude to the study of Mathematics.
Students were first paired with students from the same school working through a variety of practical mathematical challenges. After lunch the pairs were re-organized, with students asked to work with a student from another school. Although this seemed daunting, all groups soon eased into the task with many of our girls winning prizes for their efforts.
Overall, the day was a very enjoyable experience, with students gaining many positive mathematical insights. We look forward to an exciting mathematics day for talented students at Cerdon next year!
The Year 9 Cerdon College Knowledge Challenge 2017
Although Year 9 was the last group to participate in the challenge, they surely did not disappoint in enthusiasm. Although their calendar was super busy with other activities, they did not relinquish the opportunity to organise their teams and answer hundreds of questions on a range of disciplines including religion, english, mathematics, science, the arts, sport and current affairs.
The challenge was fiercely contested with the Perroton team trying to defend their title after winning it back to back in Years 7 and 8. Once again it came down to a Perroton and Colin final, with both teams deserving their place. Congratulations to Arielle Bergmann, Charlize D’Souza, Rachael Menezes from Colin I for their enthusiasm and for making it once again to the final. A special congratulation to Rose Hanratty, Paula Kahwajy and Nicole Wang from Perroton I for taking out the challenge once again and for being the Year 9 CCKC champions for 2017.
Mrs S Agius
Enrichment Co-ordinator
Study Samurai
The holidays are a great time to improve on areas of weakness and the Study Samurai Library is packed full of resources to help parents and students. It includes the Study Skills Handbook, an Online Wellbeing Resource and 80 short video lessons on study skills and wellbeing.
Evaluating Areas to Improve
Over the Christmas break it is easy to put all thoughts of school out of your mind and just enjoy the holidays. This is not a bad thing, it is important to have a good break and clear your mind. However when you start back at school again you will probably have forgotten what you were doing well at school and what you need to change in order to improve your results.
So before school ends this term, it is important to take some time and evaluate your approach in these key areas, writing down the changes you will make when you return to school so you don’t forget them.
USE OF CLASSTIME
How well did you use your time in class? Who did you sit next to? Did you work well together? Did you listen to teachers and fellow students when they were speaking? Did you participate and contribute in your lessons? What are the main changes you need to make in this area?
ASKING FOR HELP
If you didn’t understand something in class did you ask a question about it? If you were unsure about an assignment or assessment did you check in with your teacher? If you were struggling with a topic did you ask for help? What are the main changes you need to make in this area?
TIME MANAGEMENT
Did you do enough schoolwork each afternoon? Did you plan out a timeline to do the work for your assessments? When you were working at home did you remove all distractions so you could focus? What are the main changes you need to make in this area?
PREPARING FOR TESTS
Did you ensure that you were always clear on what you were being tested on? Did you make study notes along the way so you had them ready for test time? Did you test yourself on the content as you were learning it to see if it was in your memory? Did you do lots of questions to practice the skills of the subject? What are the main changes you need to make in this area?
School Calendars
CEDP News
Child Safety Handbook
NSW Police Legacy Child Safety Handbook is now available in digital form. The Handbook provides advice to assist children, parents and teachers on a range of areas related to child safety, including cybersafety, bullying and crossing roads safely.
Over the past five years, many NSW primary schools have received hard copies of the NSW Police Legacy Child Safety Handbook for distribution to their families. Now schools are encouraged to assist in the promotion of this resource to all families. Attached is an article that can be included in your school newsletter or other communications with parents, carers or the broader community. The direct link to the resource is http://www.childsafetyhub.com.au/
School Zones Reminder
A reminder to all our parents ahead of the Christmas holiday break at the end of Term 4 that school zones remain in place for the safety of our children and families.
School zones operate on all gazetted schools days, which are all days the school is open, even pupil free days.
It is recommended that this advice is provided for the break at the end of Term 4. Most NSW Catholic schools school zones operate as normal until (and include) Tuesday 19 December 2017 and resume on Monday 29 January 2017. Note: even though some schools will elect to have some of these days as pupil free days, school zones will be in operation on all gazetted school days, whether students are present or not.
Bishop's Office News
Special edition of Catholic Outlook
At the request of Bishop Vincent Long OFM Conv, Catholic Outlook will be back in print for a special, one-off December 2017 Christmas edition. This special edition will be a beautifully bound, 40-page, A4 magazine and will showcase the work of the parishes, ministries and agencies of the Diocese of Parramatta. Look out for copies in your parishes and schools from Monday 4 December.
Positions Vacant
- Youth Minister - St Bernadette’s Parish, Castle Hill
- Accounts Officer - Chancery Office, Parramatta.
More details at: www.parracatholic.org/employment
Christmas 2017 Mass Times
Christmas Mass and Reconciliation times across Western Sydney and the Blue Mountains can be found by visiting: www.parracatholic.org
Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse
The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse will shortly release its final findings on public hearings, and its recommendations, related to the Catholic Church in Australia. The Diocese of Parramatta once again offers its unreserved and deepest apologies to those many people who have suffered because of the child sexual abuse that has occurred in the context of Church ministry. In particular, the Diocese of Parramatta apologises to survivors of abuse and their families for the hurt and suffering this abuse has caused throughout their lives. During the Royal Commission, the Diocese of Parramatta has strived to engage in their processes with openness, transparency and a commitment to learning about our history so that our child protection policies and procedures are strengthened and there is restored confidence in Church ministry. The Diocese of Parramatta is committed to continuously reviewing and improving its child protection policies and procedures. For more information please visit www.safeguarding.org.au. For more information please refer to the Royal Commission website: www.childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au
For anyone needing information and support please contact the Diocese of Parramatta information line on (02) 8838 3419. Concerns or allegations about any criminal offence should be reported to NSW Police on 131 444.
About us
Email: cerdon@parra.catholic.edu.au
Website: http://dev.cerdon.nsw.edu.au
Location: Sherwood Rd, Merrylands West, New South Wales, Australia
Phone: 8724 7300
Facebook: www.facebook.com/CerdonCollege
Twitter: @CerdonCollege