Wednesday is the Feast of All Saints and on Thursday we mark All Souls. At the moment the trappings of Halloween are everywhere in our supermarkets and shopping centres. However, Halloween actually has little to do with monsters, pumpkins or spider webs. It is a shortening of the words, All Hallows-Evening, the night before All Saints Day (or All Hallows Day).

The feasts of All Saints (01 November) and All Souls (02 November) are important feasts in the life of the Church. The days remind us that the Church is a community – a communion – of all the faithful, both in this world and beyond. All Saints and All Souls invites us to remember those who have walked before us; all the holy men and women, acclaimed and anonymous, who have truly lived the gospel, in their time and place, and are now at peace in heaven.

Saints are an interesting bunch. Some of their stories are gory and grisly, especially those of the early martyrs. Others are known for their patience and persistence, for quiet heroism and for ordinary lives lived well. There are saints who have founded great religious orders whilst others simply cooked for their community all their lives. There are saints who went to war and those who died for peace. There are saints who challenged the Church and others who have been thinkers and theologians. There are saints who were hermits and others who, like St Teresa of Kolkata are known across the world for their good works. Some are named but many are unknown. They could be people we have known.

On All Saints Day we pray for all saints and thank God for the lives they have lived and the example they provide for us. On All Souls Day and throughout November, we remember our loved ones who have died.

(With acknowledgment to Anne Rennie)

World Teachers’ Day

Today is World Teachers’ Day across Australian schools. It is a wonderful opportunity to acknowledge our teachers and to thank them for all that they do.

At CRC we’re fortunate to have dedicated, talented and enthusiastic teachers who work hard to ensure that students have every opportunity to achieve their full potential. Their skill, openness to further learning, ideas, generosity of spirit, care for students and commitment to the St Albans community are inspiring. On your behalf, I thank each of them for all they give to our community.

Year 12 Graduation CRC Sydenham

Last Friday, the Year 12 students celebrated the conclusion of their secondary education with mass at St Patrick’s Cathedral. As a school community we can be very proud of these young people and all they’ve achieved throughout their time at CRC. Their first day in Year 7 seems only yesterday. Thank you to all the staff, both here and at Sydenham, who’ve worked with them and supported them to this point.

The students are now fully focussed on their final exams which began with English on Tuesday. I ask that you keep them and their teachers in your thoughts and prayers at this very important time.

Images 2023

Unfortunately, due to staff illness we have had to postpone the opening of Images to next week. The opening night will now be on Thursday 02 November. It is a chance to see some amazing art work by our students. The exhibition will be held in the new Design and Technology centre, the first chance for families to visit the new learning space. We look forward to seeing you there.

Design and Technology Centre

Yesterday, to the delight of students and staff, we opened our new canteen. The canteen staff are very happy to be in their new space and look forward to providing many delicious options for breakfast, morning tea and lunch. I would like to thank everyone for their patience over the last few weeks as we managed with temporary facilities.

Arts and Technology classes will move into the new centre gradually over the rest of the term, with Materials Technology classes starting in a week or so.

Inter house Athletics Carnival: Friday 03 November

Preparations are under way for the Athletics Carnival next week. Families will have received information about the day and an excursion permission form through the PAM portal. We ask that these are completed in a timely manner.

School starts and finishes at the normal times.

We hope for a fine day but should it be raining, it will be a normal school day, Day 5 of the timetable.

Term 4 Uniform

For the first five weeks of term, students are able to wear either the winter or summer uniform. From Wednesday 08 November all students will need to be in full summer uniform. We ask students to ensure that they are not wearing non-uniform items.

Sun Smart

The College Sun Smart policy is available on the website.

As we are now well into spring, forecasts of UV levels are predicted to reach three or higher during the period from now to the end of April. UV radiation is a major cause of skin cancer, and UV damage accumulated during childhood and adolescence is strongly associated with the risk of skin cancer later in life. We encourage families to speak with their child about ensuring they are Sun Smart during this time, including:

• wearing appropriate clothing
• wearing a broad brimmed, bucket or legionnaire hat while outside
• applying SPF30 or higher broad spectrum water resistant sunscreen approximately 20 minutes prior to going outside and re-applying every two hours while outside, or immediately after physical activity and swimming
• remaining in the shade during times when you are not involved in a specific outdoor activity, or if you are unable to follow the above recommendations

We also encourage all adults, including parents/carers, to adopt a SunSmart approach for themselves, not only to protect themselves from the dangers of UV radiation, but to also act as role models for our students.

For more information on sun protection, please go to the SunSmart website:  https://www.sunsmart.com.au/

Cup Weekend

Families are reminded that there are no classes on Monday 06 November or Tuesday 07 November due to the Cup weekend. 

Enrolment for 2024

Enrolment at the College continues automatically from year to year. However, if a student in Years 7, 8 or 9 is not returning in 2023, we ask that families notify us as soon as possible. Please email echalmers@crcstalbans.com.au or ring Eileen Chalmers on 9366 2544 with this information.

Your assistance with this is much appreciated as we have a waiting list at some levels and would like to let these families know sooner, rather than later.

Newsletter

The newsletter is published fortnightly and available online on Day 10 (Friday Week 2).

Newsletter Days for Term 4 2023:           

Fridays: 10 November,     24 November,     20 December