College Newsletter
Term 2 Week 10 Friday 1 July 2016
A Message from the Principal
It has been an extremely busy term for both students and staff. As you can see from this newsletter, there is almost no end to the activity and the energy in the school. The staff have been working extremely hard not only in meeting with parents over the past few weeks, writing reports and teaching, but in ensuring that your daughters' receive the best educational experience possible. This also extends to the number of holiday experiences on offer as part of the enrichment programme and to those Year 12 students in some practical subjects who are returning to school to work at fining tuning their major works in the first week of the holidays.
I'd like to take a moment to thank the teachers for their commitment and hard work. Some activities such as Sports Aerobics and Chemistry Titration Competition are held on weekends, and others, such as the Year 12 Drama performance of the HSC major works are conducted of an evening. This week, Year 11 students have been on work placement and Volunteers in Action; it was a big commitment in both time and organisation from Ms Smith and Ms McGlenchy (VET Leaders of Learning) and Ms Kemp, our Careers Advisor, to ensure that students where suitably placed and looked after all week.
Congratulations to all students on their work this semester. It has been encouraging to read in so many reports that the girls are working well, applying themselves diligently and making excellent progress in their learning. I spoke to the girls at assembly last week about the value of 'reward for effort' and in having a growth mindset. I shared an interview experience I had with a prospective Year 7 student who told me that her favourite subject was maths because "if you stick at a problem long enough, you will always solve it", which sums up what the growth mindset of a learner might look like.
Last Friday we celebrated Chavoin Day. This year is a momentous one for the Marist family as it is the 200th Anniversary of the signing of the Pledge at Fourviere. The mass was celebrated by Marist Fr Jim Carty and we were joined by some of the Marist sisters for the mass and lunch back at school. Thank you to Sr Kate, Mrs Parker, Mr Mulheron and Ms Ackaoui for their organisation, to the teachers who performed both at mass and at the Chavoin Day assembly and to Mr Porter, the musicians and music staff for their work at the Church and back at school.
Every girl should have received a band with the theme for this year 'Dare to Dream'.
I leave you with the 21st century version of the pledge that the first Marists took at Fourvière and was recited by the College at mass last week:
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit
All for the greater glory of God and the honour of Mary, mother of the Lord Jesus.
We who gather here in this place are committed to the Marist way of living the Gospel message of Jesus Christ. We do this in full recognition of the consequences of this commitment, not for any extrinsic reward but in the hope that our lives will share in Mary’s work of bringing Christ-life to birth. We acknowledge that living the Marist way will bring its challenges and we expect to encounter difficulties along the way. We believe that we can realise our goal of nurturing a Marist way of being Church through the help of the Holy Spirit, who strengthens us.
We commit ourselves to the mission and message of Jesus Christ, and through our membership of the Catholic Church, we will be nourished in word and sacrament for the ministries that we undertake.
Through our life and work we will strive to our utmost to nurture in others the knowledge of God’s love, to combat injustice and to build communities which radiate the Marist values of peace, compassion, inclusion, gentleness and attentiveness to the needs of all.
We give praise to our Good Mother now and always.
Amen
Enjoy a safe and well earned holiday break.
God Bless
Mr Frank Caristo
Acting Principal
Term 3
Parent-Teacher Evenings for 2016
The Parent-Teacher Nights will be held this term and in Term Three. Details of each evening will be advertised to you via the newsletter and Skoolbag (we ask all parents to download the Skoolbag app as soon as possible). Dates for each night are as follows:
Year 9 Wednesday 20 July (bookings are now open; please see Skoolbag)
Year 10 Wednesday 27 July
As in the past, all appointments can be made via School Interviews. Codes for each evening will be sent to parents via Skoolbag one week prior to the advertised date.
Uniform Shop Notification
Due to renovations and maintenance, the College Uniform Shop will be closed on Monday 18 July (Week 1, Term 3).
The Uniform Shop will resume trading on Monday 25 July, then every Monday for the remainder of the term.
2016 SMH HSC Study Guide
The 2016 HSC Study Guide is published in the Sydney Morning Herald and is now available. The guide is a joint project with BOSTES. It is a valuable resource for students, teachers and parents covering a wide range of HSC subjects. It contains:
- study advice
- oral, performance and written exam advice
- tips for finalising submitted works
- videos
Contributors include BOSTES curriculum inspectors, experienced HSC teachers and markers, past HSC students and parents.
Year 12 Trial HSC Exam Timetable
Earn three UAC bonus points with Macquarie University's Big History Scheme
The Big History Scheme rewards student commitment to learning by acknowledging completion of the Big History: Connecting Knowledge MOOC (Massive Open Online Course). Available through the Coursera Platform, students who verify completion of this course will receive three bonus points on their UAC rank to study a bachelor degree with Macquarie University.
Big History: Connecting Knowledge, is a 12 hour self-paced, independent study course that can be completed by students in Years 10, 11, or 12. It develops skills in problem-solving and critical thinking that will optimise student performance in senior years across all subjects and prepare them for tertiary studies.
How to apply:
- Students must enrol in the Big History: Connecting knowledge MOOC
- Following enrolment students will receive an email from the Big History: Connecting Knowledge team with a link to an online form to register their interest in the Big History bonus point scheme.
- Students must verify completion of the Big History Connecting Knowledge MOOC by obtaining a Coursera verified certificate for the course.
- Students must apply to Macquarie University through UAC within three years of verifying their completion of the course to automatically receive three bonus points on their UAC rank for admission to study from a wide variety of bachelor degrees with us.
Learn more about the Big History Scheme.
If you have any questions you can contact bighistoryinstitute@mq.edu.au or call (02) 9850 6410.
Working With Children Check
Parents or carers who engage the services of a private tutor or coach have an important role to play in helping to keep their children safe. The Certificate for Self Employed People will no longer be valid after their expiry date and the certificate holders will need to apply for a new Working With Children Check.
From 1st April 2016, adults who provide private tuition or coaching services to children are required to have a Working With Children Check. There are some exemptions, including volunteering by a parent or close relative with a team, program or other activity in which their child usually participates in or is a team member.
Parents or carers should ask their child’s tutor or coach for their name, date of birth and their Working With Children Check number.
They must then go online and verify the tutor or coach is not barred from working with children in NSW.
Verifying that a tutor or coach can work with children is quick and easy – just follow the simple steps at www.kidsguardian.nsw.gov.au/parentscheckthecheck . If a person is barred, interim barred or not found then you cannot engage them in child-related work.
If you suspect that an adult is providing services to children without a Working With Children Check you can go online to make a confidential report or phone (02) 9286 7219.
Thank You
Pemulwuy Market Place
6 Butu Wargun Drive
PEMULWUY NSW 2145
(02) 9896 7617
UNSW Debating Day
On the 7th June, Cerdon’s two Year 11 Debating teams attended the UNSW’s Debating Day which was an excellent opportunity to improve their debating skills in an interactive and engaging environment. UNSW Debating Society adjudicators helped students develop their individual skills in matter, manner and method with constructive feedback throughout the day. The day also offered personalised mentoring, both for individuals and the team after three rounds of debates. I would like to extend a huge thank you to Ms Kemp for driving the teams to UNSW at 6:30 am and not returning till after 6 pm. We look forward to applying these newly acquired skills in next year’s rounds of debating.
Miss Alyssa Parker
Blue Mountains Excursion
On 17th June, Year 7 embarked on an excursion to the Blue Mountains. We went to Echo Point and completed a field sketch of the Three Sisters and the area surrounding them. We also went to Scenic World and rode the Scenic Railway and Cableway. For some students it was the first time visiting this beautiful area.
On the day we also had discussions regarding the importance of protecting areas like the Greater Blue Mountains, and the different types of flora and fauna that can be found there. The day was a fun experience and we learned a lot from it.
Thank you to the Geography teachers for organising a great day.
Bianca Simonetta and Natalie Sorensen (7E6)
Science News
Once again an enthusiastic band of Year 12 chemistry students trained and entered the RACI Titration Competition. This year we went to the Campbelltown Campus of Western Sydney University on Saturday 18th June where over 120 students were participating from a variety of schools.
Once the titrations were competed, students gathered to listen to the Nyholm Youth Lecturer, Dr Michela Simone, whilst the results were computed. Dr Simone was from the University of Newcastle and she presented a lecture entitled “Sugars, Drugs and Rock & Roll". Michela described real-world therapeutic applications of sugars in the design and action of drugs .
The new reporting of results left us unsure of our places on the day until we are notified by email at a future date.
Thank you to Ms Liistro who also helped train the teams and gave up her Saturday to help transport the participants.
WYD 2016
Below is a photo of Fr Janusz Pawlicha following his recent visit to the school to bless the staff and students of Cerdon College who will be travelling to the Philippines and Poland to take part in World Youth Day as part of the Diocese of Parramatta.
Numeracy at Cerdon
Numeracy and Literacy
With the end of Term 2 it is time to have some fun with numbers and see the patterns numbers produce. The following investigations are from Paul Swan’s book, “Motivational Maths: Lesson Starters and Investigations”.
Investigation 1:
1. Enter a single-digit number into your calculator e.g. 3 or 4 or 5 etc
2. Multiply by 3
3. Multiply by 7
4. Multiply by 11
5. Multiply by 13
6. Finally, multiply by 37
What do you end up with?
Try it with different single-digit number and see if you can work out why it happens.
If you can explain why it happens, a Coordinators Award will be given to the first girl who sees Mrs. Muscat with her explanation.
Investigation 2:
1. Choose a two-digit number where no digit is repeated e.g. 93
2. Reverse the digits e.g. 39
3. Take the smaller number away from the larger number e.g. 93-39
4. Find the difference between the original two digits e.g. 9 – 3
5. Divide your answer to Step 3 by your answer to Step 4
What do you end up with?
Try it with different two-digit number and see if you can work out why it happens.
If you can explain why it happens, a Coordinators Award will be given to the first girl who sees Mrs. Muscat with her explanation.
Grace Muscat
(Numeracy Coordinator and Acting Mathematics Coordinator)
Enrichment@Cerdon
It has been certainly been a busy end of term with students participating in our Bridge Building finals and The Science and Engineering Challenge. As always, the holidays also will be an enriching time for some of our students. A number of them will be attending the Women in Engineering 'Experience IT’ conference , while two of our students will be participating in the prestigious Discovery Program for Gifted and Talented students at the University of Sydney. For those who are interested in robotics, WSU will be holding Robotics Workshops for students of all ages. There are also a number of opportunities available for students to submit work in poetry, writing or art competitions. Many of these have very attractive cash prizes, but more importantly provide students with the opportunity to showcase their work.
Aurecon Bridge Builders
As reported in the last newsletter, it was a very challenging task for teachers to find a winner for the inaugural Cerdon College Bridge Building competition. Bridges were tested for strength, aesthetics, functionality and safety and most bridges scored highly in one if not all of these features. In the end after much consultation the winning bridge was built by Sophie Le, Rebecca Mansour and Lily Parrott. For their efforts they will now represent Cerdon at the Aurecon Bridge Building Competition at the NSW Art Gallery in August. Congratulations girls and best wishes for the upcoming competition.
Science and Engineering Challenge 2016- Western Sydney University
"It was just awesome" This summed up the Science and Engineering Challenge experience for 2016. On Wednesday 29th June, a group of Year 9 and 10 students competed in a variety of challenges against other schools at the Western Sydney University. Challenges included building grasping hands using straws, a hover-craft which could lift and move across a designated distance, a rover which could travel across a rough terrain, free standing paper towers and a bridge which could support a trolley with weights. The effort from all teams was very consistent and after each project was tested Cerdon College was awarded first place and was declared Champion School!
Holiday Robotics Workshop –Western Sydney University
The School of Computing, Engineering and Mathematics at Western Sydney University is offering students the opportunity to participate in a Holiday Robotics Workshop. Using Educational software students will start to learn the basic commands and develop their programming skills. Students will then have the chance to combine these skills to overcome a series of challenges. This workshop is ideal for any student who:
· Loves LEGO and technology
· Are inquisitive and wonder how things work
· Love problem solving and overcoming challenges
For further information and to register please visit
http://www.uws.edu.au/scem/school_of_computing_engineering_and_mathematics/makerspace
The Conoco Phillips Science Experience 2016/2017 at UNSW –change of date
Calling all junior scientists in Year 9 and 10.The Science Experience is a three to four day program filled with science-based activities, workshops and challenges. This experience is offered by a number of universities across Australia during the holiday breaks and over the years this program has been very popular amongst our students. This year the UNSW will be offering their program during the October holidays (this has recently changed from the July holidays). Students who are interested in Science and are willing to participate in The Science Race are encouraged to apply. Please visit https://www.scienceexperience.com.au/ for further information and to register.
The ATOM Photo Competition 2016
This opportunity has opened just in time for the holidays and is open to any school student across Australia who enjoys taking photos. To enter, students are required to take three original photographs that offer an interpretation of a place that is special to them. Entries are to be submitted online before September 19, 2016. For further information please visit
Village Art –Rio 2016
An exciting competition is available for all students to support and inspire the Australian athletes at the 2016 Olympic Games. For the first time the Australian Olympic Committee has invited secondary school students to participate in the Village Art Program. Students are asked to submit an art work on A3 paper which depict or demonstrates an appreciation of the Olympic Games. This could include a moment in Australian Olympic history, their favourite Olympian both current and retired, or sport in general. Students’ artwork will be used to decorate the Australian quarter of the Olympic village in Rio, for the upcoming Olympics. The competition attracts a first prize of $1000! All entries need to be submitted to the Museum of Contemporary Art or to the address on the website by July 15, 2016.
For further information visit
http://education.olympics.com.au/programs/village-art/village-art
The Somerset National Novella Writing Competition
Calling all writers…The Somerset National Novella Writing Competition is open to all Australian high school students. It is a wonderful opportunity for serious student writers, encouraging them in their literary growth. Students are required to write a novella between 8000 - 20 000 words. The Novella will be judged by an expert panel. Winners from each state will be flown to the Gold Coast to enjoy the Somerset Celebration of Literature Festival and will receive a cash prize. The overall winner will receive a first prize of $2500.
If you enjoy writing this a fantastic opportunity for you and with the holidays starting, there is no better time to get creative and write! For further information please visit http://www.somerset.qld.edu.au/celebration-of-literature/ .Entries close December 2, 2016.
The Somerset National Poetry Prize
The purpose of the Somerset National Poetry Prize is to encourage a love of writing poetry amongst secondary school students, to affirm it as a worthwhile literary pursuit, and to stimulate excellence in writing. It also aims to inspire and enrich youth literature. If you enjoy writing poetry this is a fantastic opportunity for you. There are fantastic prizes on offer including flights to the Gold Coast to enjoy the Somerset celebration of Literature Festival. For further information please visit http://www.somerset.qld.edu.au/celebration-of-literature/competitions/poetry-prize/
The competition closes December 9, 2016.
OZ Kids in Print
Oz Kids in Print is a wonderful initiative by the The Australian Children's Literary Board to provide students with the opportunity to have their writing or art work published. The association produces magazines showcasing students’ work. All entries are eligible to enter the Arts Award program or the Writing Award program. This is a fantastic opportunity for students of all ages to participate in. If you have work which you would like to submit please visit the following website for further information. http://ozkids.com.au/#about All entries close on October 7, 2016.
Enjoy the Holidays!
Mrs S Agius
Enrichment Co-ordinator
PDHPE/Sport Report
School Athletics Carnival
After some cold weather early in the day, we were blessed to have a wonderful sunny day for most of our Athletics Carnival on Thursday June 9. We had impressive participation levels this year and I would like to congratulate all those students who involved themselves on the day. As usual, we witnessed some fantastic performances throughout the day and the following students are to be commended on achieving Champion and Runner Up awards in their respective age group.
12 Years Age Champion Alyssa Abou Hamed
12 Years Age Runner Up Jennifer Ghaleb
13 Years Age Champion Natasha Grech
13 Years Age Runners Up Chloe Issa and Hadel Ramadan
14 Years Age Champion Abyssinia Abaddi
14 Years Age Champion Mikhaela Topfer
15 Years Age Champion Louise O’Neill
15 Years Age Runner Up Vanessa Madeleine
16 Years Age Champion Natasha Milakovic
16 Years Age Runner Up Julia Achmar
17 Years Age Champion Kaitlin Allan
17 Years Age Runner Up Rachael Vella
18 Years Age Champion Melissa Barron
18 Years Age Runner Up Carly Sustek
House Champion
Congratulations to Perroton House who have won the 2016 Athletics Carnival. The final results were very close and the other three houses are to be commended on achieving very competitive results.
1st Perroton 664
2nd Marcellin 615
3rd McOscar 561
4th Colin 474
Many thanks to Mr Caristo and the PDHPE department for organising the day, to Cerdon Staff and Year 9 and 10 PASS students who also assisted with convening this year’s event. It is important to acknowledge the great work of staff members who have made a considerable contribution to the running and organisation of the event behind the scenes. Thank you to Mrs Roach for her help with printing and to Ms Posavec for organising the financial aspects of the Carnival. Thank you to Mrs Kilgannon for her efforts in assisting with finalising the results on the day and at the completion of the event. The day would not have been as successful as it was without the assistance of all involved and we look forward enthusiastically to next year’s carnival.
Mr R Zammit
PDHPE/Sport Co-ordinator
ACU Step Up Programmes
Step Up – Health Science (USU)
This is a great program which has been designed by Equity Pathways and The Faculty of Health Science to support students transition to university. It has the dual purpose of inspiring students to aspire to Higher Education as well as providing students with the opportunity to gain credit towards their units in Health Science if they choose to study at ACU at no HECS cost.
This course does not contribute to their ATAR but does contribute to their university study at ACU.
The USU – Health Science program will be available for current Year 11 students.
This course will take place 16 – 20 January and applications close on 26 August. Students MUST NOT have other commitments during the course delivery week.
Student and Parent Information sessions are available on request.
Selection to the program will be based entirely on information in the application form, additional criteria and school report.
Updated advice for HSC students about examinations
Advice for HSC students about examinations has been updated on the Students Online website to include important information about the 2016 HSC examinations.
It covers a range of topics including revised syllabuses, changes to specifications and courses where personalised answer booklets are being introduced.
HSC Dates for Practical and Performance Examinations
College Uniform Shop
Regular Trading Hours
Monday and Wednesday 8:00 am—2:00 pm (Terms 1 and 4)
Mondays only 8:00 am—2:00 pm (from Week 5 Term 2 and all Term 3)
Cerdon College Uniform Shop Management
Telephone: 8724 7329 (During trading hours only)
School Calendars
Advertising
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