In my backyard there is a beautiful Jacaranda tree and it is often in full bloom at this time of the year. The purple blue flowers of the Jacaranda always signal two things, firstly that we are nearly at the end of the year, and secondly that Advent is close.

Sunday marks the beginning of Advent; the beginning of a new Church year and a time of anticipation and preparation. At this time of the year we are very familiar with the sense of waiting and preparing. We are waiting for the end of the school year and preparing for next year; we are waiting for the holidays and preparing for Christmas. We talk about Advent as a time of waiting and preparing for the coming of Jesus. However, another way of looking at Advent might be to see it as a time when God is waiting for us. As we rush around and worry about little things, God is actually close by, waiting for us to ‘wake up’ to the fact that we are not alone.

As our opening prayer reminds us, December can be overwhelmingly busy. We need to take care that the very busyness of this time does not distract us from living an Advent season that truly prepares us for Christmas; for the peace, joy and hope that this season brings. I pray that in the next few weeks, you will find time to simply sit and spend time with God who is waiting, and that you are blessed with the space to watch, wait and prepare for the birthday of Christ.

Catherine McAuley Pins

In the College library we have a plaque from 1978 which recognises the contribution of the Sisters of Mercy and the Sisters of St Joseph in establishing primary and secondary education in the St Albans area. It is fitting that our College pins for Community Involvement (McAuley) and Academic Excellence (MacKillop) are named after the founders of the two orders.

The quote from Catherine McAuley on the plaque reads as follows:

It is not for us to bestow gifts like benevolent people in the world but rather to bestow ourselves (1778 – 1841)

These words of Catherine McAuley capture well the spirit of our McAuley awards and the qualities we look for in the recipients. At CRC we encourage young people to be generous with their time and gifts; to look beyond themselves to the needs of others and to work for the common good. They are called to be responsible, compassionate and active citizens who know that they can make a difference, even if it is only one small step at a time. 

Throughout the year students have many opportunities to be involved in learning beyond the classroom and to contribute to the community. This happens through service, leadership, fundraising, sport, the Arts, extension programs and clubs.  I’d like to thank all students for the way they’ve participated and been involved in 2018.

Each year we recognise students who’ve made an outstanding contribution to the school and broader community with a Catherine McAuley pin. Points towards this award are accumulated throughout the year and about 10 students at each level receive a pin at the final school assembly.

Congratulations to the recipients of the 2018 Catherine McAuley pin. You are indeed people who make a difference and your willingness to lead, challenge, put in and to be part of things is very much appreciated. Thank you.

Thank you to all the families who were able to join us for the assembly and morning tea.  Your presence, support and encouragement are very much appreciated.

Recipients of the Catherine McAuley Pin for 2018 are……

Sacreana Ulugia-Sa'ena, Vincent Nguyen, Genevieve Durand Deslongrais, Nhi Nguyen, Rejoyce Modi, Miranda Gangur, Hannah Nguyen, Vivian Dang, Carl Mikhail Sevillano, Sharelle Lynch, Xuan Dien Vo, Tri Truong, Hai An Vo, Tony Le, Amy Ruel, Megan Flores, Arabella Celine Julian, Lydia Asmerom, Kira Jansen., Aebram Bactad, Trixie May Celestial, Maire McEvoy, Victoria Olatunbosun, Christian Tapuala-Unasa, Olivia Barisic, Jessica Tran, Delvana Dorbor, Julia Cabaldon, Augustine Morris Jnr, Harrison Gatt, Janaya Nheu, Matthew Le, Hinh Ho, Sonany Istaifo, Emily Gerada, Leya Asmerom, Rhanel Hao, Mekayla Tapuala-Unasa, Daniel Duong, Danika Alwyn and Hayley Nguyen.

Long Tan Leadership Award

Each year the Australian Defence Force provides a scholarship to recognise a Year 10 student who demonstrates outstanding leadership and teamwork within the school and in the broader community. This student must also demonstrate strong values such as respect for others, always striving to do their best and the best characteristics of mateship.

Congratulations to Harrison Gatt who is this year’s recipient of the Long Tan Leadership Award. Harrison is an excellent role model who has managed to balance the responsibilities of being School Captain with his commitment to his studies. He is a capable and highly reliable young man who is always ready to give his time, has initiative and the ability to get things done. Well done Harrison.

Caltex All Rounder Award

This award acknowledges a student at Year 7 or 8 for their all-round contribution to the school and the community. This year the award was given to Sonany Istaifo (8 Attard). As well as achieving outstanding academic results, Sonany has been involved in sport, service and all aspects of school life throughout the year. Congratulations Sonany.

Loaves and Fishes Food Bank

A highlight of our final assembly was the presentation of a cheque for $2,970 to Charlie and Annette from the ‘Loaves and Fishes Food Bank’ at Holy Eucharist. Throughout the year students and staff help out at the food bank on Fridays. Led by Charlie, an amazing group of volunteers collects, parcels and distributes 200+ food packages each week. Where possible, produce from our school garden is added or sold to raise funds to purchase food staples like rice.

Our fundraising efforts were led by our Student Leaders. Congratulations to all involved on an outstanding effort. Whilst Charlie and Annette were absolutely delighted to receive the donation they again pointed out that the best part of our partnership is the student help on Friday mornings. For the volunteers it is heartening to know that there are young people ready to step up and continue what they’ve begun.

Year 7 Giving Tree Appeal

Continuing the theme of thinking of others – the Year 7 classes are collecting Christmas gifts to be distributed by St Vincent de Paul. This year we are focussing on Christmas foods like puddings and cakes, and gifts for boys who are 5 – 12 years of age, however, all gifts are welcome. I encourage you to support this very worthwhile work and thank the Year 7 House Council for leading this initiative.

School Captains 2019

On behalf of the school community I would like to thank our 2018 School Captains: Jenaya Nheu and Harrison Gatt, and the Vice Captains: Cindy Vo and Daniel Duong for their great work as leaders in our school. Throughout the year they’ve contributed in a very real and practical way to making our school a great place and in ensuring that students ‘have a voice’ on many issues. I thank them for their time, generosity and willingness to serve our community.

It is with great pleasure that I can now announce that our School Captains for 2019 are Arabella Julian and Rhanel Hao. Our Captains will be assisted in their role by Jessica Tran and Dennis Truong who will be Vice Captains. They are a talented and impressive group of young people and I look forward to working with them next year.

We were privileged to have fine field of candidates for these roles and the final decision was a difficult one. Thank you to all who applied for this important leadership role and to Jenaya Nheu, Ben Carville and Samantha Smith for all their work as members of the selection panel.

Farewell Year 10 2018

At our final assembly our Year 10 2018 students were farewelled by our 2019 School Captains. Thank you to Arabella and Rhanel who spoke so well about the contributions the Year 10 students have made over the past four years. They highlighted the leadership, hospitality and school spirit the Year 10 students have shown, and the sense of peace, welcome and inclusion they’ve helped to create in our school.

Jenaya and Harrison responded on behalf of the Year 10 students, thanking staff, students and families for their support and reflecting on their time at the College; the many terrific experiences they’ve had and how these have helped shape who they are today.

This evening we farewell Year 10 2018 more formally at the Year 10 mass and Graduation.

End of Year Arrangements for Years 7 - 9

Monday 3^rd to Wednesday 5^th December are normal school days and students are expected to attend in full uniform, with the required books and prepared to finalise their work.

On Thursday 6^th December Years 7 and 8 students will enjoy the annual Ball Sports Day. This is the last chance for Houses to gain points towards the 2018 Williams Cup. Year 9 students will enjoy their final Trinity Day which includes skating at the Medibank Icehouse.

Students in Years 7 – 9 finish school on Friday 7^th December. They are required to be at school by 8.40am (normal time) and will be dismissed at 12.15pm.

End of Year Mass

Our mass for the end of the 2018 school year will be celebrated at Sacred Heart Church on Friday 7^th December at 9.30am.

We warmly invite families to join us for this very special celebration.

Report Preparation Day: Friday 30^th November

Whilst assessment and finalisation of reports continue into the last week of term 4, Friday 30^th November has been set aside for staff to mark exams and to begin the preparation of reports. Year 10 students will have finished at St Albans and students in Years 7 - 9 will not be required at school.

Live Simply – Simply Live: Shared Stories Anthology 2018

The 2018 edition of Shared Stories was launched last week. This is an annual anthology of writing and art work by students in 25 Catholic primary and secondary schools. The anthology forms part of the permanent collection of the State Library of Victoria.

For writers and artists there is no greater honour than to have your work published. Once again a large number of students from our school have had their work accepted for publication. This is an outstanding achievement. Well done to everyone who has had their work published.

This is the 13^th edition of Shared Stories. The anthology was first published in 2006 with funding from the Felton Bequest. The concept was developed in response to the Cronulla riots in Sydney, as an authentic way of sharing perspectives across diverse groups.

From 72 pages it has grown into a massive tomb of 573 pages, far too heavy for bedtime reading! It is an exceptional collection of writing and art work.

Thank you to the English and Visual Arts teachers for supporting student involvement in this activity, and to Ms Maria Calafiore for accompanying students to the launch.

Lost Property

We have several items of lost property in the school office. If any student has lost an item of uniform you are asked to see Denise Geraldo before the end of the year.

Items not collected by the last day of Term 4 will be placed into the second hand uniform pool.

It is concerning that a large number of these items of uniform cannot be returned to their owner as they are not named!

2019 Re-enrolment

The re-enrolment forms for 2019 are now overdue. I ask that the families with an outstanding form return it as soon as possible.

Newsletter Days for Term 4 2018:           

The final newsletter will be mailed home on 19 December 2018.                

The newsletter can also be accessed on Friday morning (Day 10) on the College website at  http://www.crcstalbans.catholic.edu.au

Since our last newsletter…..

Over and above the day to day activities of the school since our last newsletter students, families and staff have participated in the following:

• 7 Health excursion
• Years 9 and 10 exams
• SACCSS Awards Lunch
• AIR4 STEM for Girls Day
• Shared Stories Launch
• Year 10 Graduation Mass

I am sure that students and their families are very appreciative of all these opportunities and the time and energy that staff put into organising and offering these experiences.