You who created us,

who sustain us,

who call us to live in peace,

hear our prayer this day.

Hear our prayers for all who have died,

whose hearts and hopes are

known to you alone.

 

Hear our prayers for those who put the welfare of others

ahead of their own,

and give us hearts as generous as theirs.

 

Hear our prayers for those who gave up their lives in the service

of others and accept the gift of their sacrifice.

 

Help us to shape and make a world

In which we will lay down the arms of war

And turn out swords to ploughshares

For the harvest of justice and peace.

 

Amen

Fr Austin Fleming

Tomorrow is Remembrance Day, originally named Armistice Day, it recalls the end of World War 1 at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. It was supposed to have been the war to end all wars. Yet, as we know today, we are slow to learn from history. The list of people killed in action continues to grow, in Africa, in Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

The Peace Research Institute in Oslo reported in June that there were almost 240,000 conflicted related deaths in 2022 with the wars in Ethiopia and Ukraine being the most significant contributors. This was before the outbreak of war in Israel and Gaza.

On Remembrance Day, as we pause for a minute’s silence to remember all who lost their lives or who have placed their lives in danger to fight for peace and freedom, we pray for peace in our world.

 

Finishing the Year

From today there are just over three weeks left in the school year. The final weeks of a term are always a very busy time. Students across the school have a range of exams, class tests and assessment tasks which need to be completed over the next three weeks. It’s vital that everyone continues to work hard to the very end.

As always, it’s important that all students are at school each day unless sick. Sometimes students will ask parents and carers for a day off towards the end of the year, claiming that things are winding down. This is not the case. The final weeks require one hundred per cent from everyone.

 

Inter-house Athletics Carnival

We enjoyed an outstanding Inter-house Athletics Carnival last Friday. There were many very good individual feats and some great team performances.

Thank you to everyone who came in fancy dress. The costumes and colour added to the fun and House spirit on the day.

Congratulations to Corbett who were the overall winners.

Thank you to all involved in organising the day, particularly the Sports Captains, Mr Boudaher and the Health and PE staff, and all staff and officials. Lastly, thank you to all who participated, displaying strong team spirit and giving their best for their House.

 

Images 2023

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the opening of Images 2023. This year’s exhibition was once again a terrific celebration of student work and creativity. The support from families on the night was fantastic. It was great to see everyone there in such good numbers. I’m sure that all who were able to attend are in awe of the work that the students have presented.

Thank you to staff from the Arts and the student curators who spent many hours working on the displays. Your dedication, energy and hard work were well rewarded by the appreciative comments of the many visitors to the exhibition.

 

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.

 

Report Preparation Day

Families are reminded that staff will be correcting exams and preparing reports on Friday 01 December 2023. There are no classes for students on this day.

 

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 2024, 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 all 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: 24 November    20 December

Key Dates Term 4 2023                        

Year 7 Experiences Prayer 

As our year draws to a close, our Year 7s conclude their religious education curriculum by exploring and experiencing prayer both within and outside the Catholic tradition. The unit begins understanding the relational aspect of prayer. A relationship with God and our inner contemplative self, takes time and needs to be prioritised. A routine established in the religious education classroom is that the first five minutes are allocated to Christian meditation and making time to access their inner world. 

This term we have explored other types of prayer, this could be a prayer pilgrimage around the school, a rosary, or praying through scripture. Prayers we have experienced outside the Catholic tradition is nature mandala making. This is an example of the mandala we made and the prayer we prayed at the conclusion of the activity.

Creator God,

Creative Word,

Creating Spirit,

instill in us the humility of creatures

and the wisdom of co-creators.

May we act and speak and breathe

as if within your dance of divine love.

Open us to marvel at the wonder

of your handiwork.

Enable us to see your spirit within all things.

Teach us to respect all that is created.

Humble us to hear the cry of the earth

and the cry of the poor.

Empower us to respond with all our heart and

mind and spirit.

In Christ and through the Spirit

we seek to be the carers within your creation.

AMEN

Year 9s Experiencing Catholic Social Teaching

Preferential options for the poor and upholding human dignity are at the heart of the Year 9 curriculum for this term. In addition to learning about the origin of Catholic Social Teaching and the important role this teaching plays in a world where the division of wealth remains, the class explored ways they could create social change. This year each homeroom aimed to raise $120 to send a student to school in Father Nestor's school in Uganda. Year 9s have used teamwork and creativity to achieve this goal. Year 9 Hughes made cake pops and lemonade to raise money. Students often found skills they didn’t know they had, which included promotion, experimenting with new recipes, handling cash or just organising a large amount of hungry students. So much more was achieved than just fundraising. Well done to Year 9s for living your faith.

We would like to congratulate the Year 7 and Year 8 students who participated in the 2023 Maths Challenge, a problem-solving activity organised by the Australian Maths Trust.

These students completed problems that were challenging and required mathematical thinking, persistence and effort.

Year 8 Stuents
Ajak, Marian 8 Hollows
Ha, Charlie - 8 Hollows
Ha, William - 8 Hollows, - Certifiicate of CREDIT
Huynh, Jason - 8 Clark Certificate of CREDIT
Istaifo, Lena - 8 Hollows
Mom, Stella - 8 Orifici Certificate of DISTINCTION
Nedjo, Oli - 8 Attard
Nguyen, Emma - 8 Clark
Pham, Sophia - 8 Orifici
Salle, Rhys - 8 Attard
Tran, Gavin - 8 Edison

Year 7 Students
Brillouet, Esabella - 7 Snowy
Cham, Xavier - 7 Snowy
Doan, Marcus - 7 Wimmera
Huynh, Diana - 7 Wimmera
Iso, Sam - 7 Avoca
Liantli, Thang Boi - 7 Avoca
Linmaung, Van Bawi Thang - 7 Snowy
Ly, Esther - 7 Wimmera
Ma, Jacky - 7 Wimmera
Nguyen, Emily - 7 Wimmera
Nguyen, Kevin - 7 Snowy
Nguyen, Rachel - 7 Kiewa
Nguyen, Wendy - 7 Snowy
Tran, Anthony - 7 Kiewa,

Well done to all these students. We hope that they found the Challenge enjoyable and a valuable
learning experience.

Ms Grace Cini - Deputy Principal Learning and Teaching

On Thursday 2nd November, we officially opened our Images 2023 Visual Arts, Visual Communication and Design and Media Arts Exhibition. The night was extremely well attended and families explored the varied forms of Visual Arts and Media on display. It was also very exciting as we opened the exhibition in our brand new, state of the art, Design and Technology building. Our students are so creative and everyone enjoyed viewing the installations and high quality work. We were also entertained by the Years 9 and 10 Media Arts videos and the music of Cooper Callanan and Teresa Marsom. The school choir opened the night with our school song and we then presented the award winners with their certificates and prizes. Our judge, Nicole Haddad, was very impressed with our students' work and had a difficult time selecting awards on the night. We also had our Community Arts Project on display that was connected to our 2023 school theme, ‘To be Known and Loved’.

I would like to thank the Visual Arts teachers for all their work with students and in preparing the exhibition. Thank you to Ms Flora Petruccelli, Ms Laura Cioccia, Ms Maria Calafiore, Mrs Claire Rayos, Ms Elsa Ramirez and Mr Justin Mead. Thanks also goes to our student curators: Angelina Brillouet, Mia Lekkas, Corey Dang, Nicholas Lay, Melak Al-Najjar, Noor Zahra, Santa Daabool, Kalan Vella, Siena Singarella, Jenny Pham, Jimmy Tran and Anderyana Qapo, to Ms Lee-Ann Steele, Ms Carmel Baronessa and the Year 9 Food Technology students. To Mr Adrian Norton, Mr Hasi Abeywickrama, Ms Connie La Macchia and Ms Eileen Chalmers for all their work in the background. Thanks to our Principal, Ms Christina Utri for her continued support of the Arts and most of all, to all the incredible students of CRC St Albans for their creative abilities and phenomenal artworks.

Clarence Marshall – Arts Leader

Images 2023 Award Winners

Brian O’Loughlin

Junior – Abigaile Fernando – Year 8 Portrait

Senior – Jenny Nguyen – Year 10 Ceramic Sculpture

 

Visual Arts Awards

Year 7

Rachel Nguyen - Painting

Year 8

Tania Leong - Sea Creature

Year 9

Jennifer Tran - Ceramics

Year 10

Tran Vo - Silk Painting

 

Visual Arts Encouragement Awards

Year 7

Marina Saqat - Ceramic Gargoyle

Year 8

Angelina Truong - Sea Creature

Year 9

Vatican Baqtar - Pop Art Food

Year 10

Emily Nguyen - Sculpture

 

Visual Communication and Design Awards

Year 7

Riva Pataq Juice Box Design

Year 9

Angelina Brillouet Tiny House Design

Year 10

Mirai Azeez Attaallah Skateboard Design

 

Visual Communication and Design Encouragement Awards       

Year 9

Mari Habash - Tiny House Design

Year 10

Kayla Lay - Sneaker Design

Jessica Pham - Sneaker Design

Jenny Pham - Design Brief

                             

Media Arts

Year 9 

Mia Ye, Emma Lean, Joanne Tran,
Evana Sakarya, Danilyn Gangur and Van Par Hniang 

Music Video

Clarissa Hurmez and Sara Atallah     

Photo Story Board

Year 10  

Monika Floresca and Tran Vo 

Music Video

On Monday, 16th of October, after school, the School’s leadership team arrived at the school’s auditorium to attend this year’s Student Leaders Conference. There, we were all welcomed by staff and were introduced to Jimmy Mastorakos, Assistant Secretary for the Department of Home Affairs. He was invited to CRC St Albans to help further develop our thinking and leadership skills. Jimmy kindly explained his story of where he started, how he got to where he is today and how he displays himself as a leader. Jimmy was extremely open-minded, friendly and knowledgeable, teaching all of us something new while including his personality and some of his humour. During his presentation, he also taught us the main aspects he thinks a leader should uphold; these points included relationships, communication and humility.

After Jimmy’s wonderful presentation, we were split into our leadership groups and rotated around the Year 10 centre completing workshops, discussing the presentation and more. The rotations included further discussing the presentation with Jimmy himself, leadership and getting things done activity using percussion instruments conducted by Mr Marshall, a conversation about how to include everyone as a leader with Ms Grant, and a couple of short and fun activities led by our school captains that developed our coordination, communication and collaboration skills. We ended the evening with an amazing dinner filled with delicious food. To conclude, the conference was successful as we all learnt something and the presentation opened our minds to further thinking. 

Mia Ye - Yr 9

On Tuesday the 17th of October, 7 students went to Parliament House here in Melbourne to meet with Natalie Suleyman. Due to Natalie's new role we were lucky enough to get an audience with the Youth and Veterans Minister. The students went on a tour of Parliament, learning about the different areas and the history of the building itself. We also learnt about the traditions of Parliament and saw the new Premier, Jacinta Allan and Vice, Ben Carol, who walked past us during our tour. After a while we were able to meet with Natalie in a chamber to discuss the Foodbank and pass on some other important inquiries that were brought up in the previous meeting. It was a lovely day that connected the students with politics and will help to bring forth a new generation of young people who are willing to speak out.

Audrey Gerada - Yr 10

Mr Marshall and Mr Danny before and after the Movember shave down.

EXAMS

The last weeks are an important time as students prepare for their exams and ensure that all work is completed and submitted. As was pointed out in the newsletter last week, it’s very important to ensure that a good year is not spoilt in the last few weeks and it is never too late to put in some effort.

Uniform

Students are expected to be in correct uniform until the last day. This is outlined below.

Exams: School uniform (Unless PE elective that day)

Celebration Day (29 November):  PE uniform

Key Dates and Activities:                  

  Wednesday 22nd November

• Periods 1 & 2:  English Exam
• Periods 3, 4 & 5: Timetabled Classes

Thursday 23^rd November:

• Periods 1, 2 & 3: Timetabled Classes
• Periods 4 & 5: Maths Exam

Friday 24^th November:

• Periods 1, 2 & 3: Timetabled Classes
• Periods 4 & 5: Humanities Exam

Monday 27^th November:

• Periods 1, 2 & 3: Timetabled Classes
• Periods 4 & 5: Science Exam

Tuesday 28^th November:

• Periods 1, 2 & 3: Timetabled Classes
• Period 4: RE Exam
• Period 5: Clean out of lockers & Graduation practice

Wednesday 29^th November: (Celebration Day – Final Day of Year 10)

• 45 – 9:00 Homeroom
• 9:00 – 9:30 Year level Assembly
• 9:30 – 10:00 Bus to Sunshine Roller-Skating Centre
• 10:00 – 12:00 Sunshine Roller-Skating Centre
• 12:00 – 12:30 Bus to Newport lakes Reserve
• 12:30 – 2:00 BBQ & Picnic Lunch at Newport Lakes Reserve
• 2:00 – 3:10 Final Homeroom Reflections, Signatures & Photos
• 3:10 – 3:45 Bus to CRC St Albans
  3:45pm - Dismissed

Let’s Continue our Consistent Predictable Routines

Let us continue placing a strong emphasis on maintaining consistent and predictable routines for the benefit of all. Please take note of the following guidelines to ensure a smooth transition between classes and we ask that parents/carers/guardians remind their child of these expectations and assist them by ensuring they have the correct material to ensure they are ‘ready to learn’.

1. Seating Between Classes: We kindly remind all students to remain seated in their classrooms during transitions between periods 1 and 2 and 4 and 5. Leaving classrooms during these intervals is discouraged.

1. Prompt Transition: Should you need to move to a different room, we expect you to arrive within 3 minutes of the period's starting time. It's essential to be punctual, as your classroom teacher will note lateness on the attendance roll.

1. Organised Materials: To promote efficiency, ensure your laptops and relevant materials for periods 1 and 2 and 4 and 5 are organised in advance. Please refrain from leaving your classes to retrieve materials between classes.

Following these routines can create a more helpful learning environment for everyone. Thank you for your cooperation and commitment to making Term 4 productive and successful.

Growing Connections

Get ready for our "Growing Connections Celebration Day" on Tuesday 14th November. CRC St Albans staff and students are coming together to support the 'Bullying. No Way!' campaign and build a more compassionate and connected school community.

Leading up to the event each morning in homeroom we have reflected on a prayer, focusing on "Growing Connections." Let's reduce bullying, support mental health, and create a caring environment where we all feel known and loved.

There will be activities held throughout the day

• Scavenger Hunt - Recess
• Music on the Stage - Lunch
• Flowers on sale - Lunch
• Red ribbons to be worn (optional).

Growing Connections Celebration Day Prayer

God our Father, we come to you today with a humble heart. 

We ask for your guidance and blessings in 

growing connections with the people around us. 

Help us to be mindful of the needs of those around us, and to show 

kindness, compassion, and understanding in our interactions. 

We know that it is through your love that we can truly connect, 

and we pray that you would fill us with your light 

and love so that we may share it freely with all we encounter.

May we be a source of comfort to those who are struggling and a 

beacon of hope to those who are lost.

Help us to live out the true value of love,

To understand that we are called to love one another

As you have loved us.

We ask this through Christ our Lord, 

Amen.

Movember

We're thrilled to announce that our school community is joining forces with the Movember Foundation this November to raise awareness about the significance of taking care of our health and wellbeing. It's not just about growing mustaches; it's about fostering a culture of wellbeing for staff and students alike.

Our dedicated staff members and a small group of students have pledged their support to grow mustaches throughout the month or committed to increasing their physical activity, not only sparking conversations but also encouraging our students to engage in open dialogues about men's health. This initiative aims to shed light on topics like mental health, prostate cancer, and testicular cancer.

We encourage students to participate in various activities and discussions cantered around health and wellness. Stay tuned for upcoming events, including informative assemblies and workshops that will provide valuable insights into how we can all maintain a healthy and balanced lifestyle.

By uniting as a school community, we hope to create a safe space for these important conversations, support the Movember Foundation's mission, and emphasise that taking care of our health and wellbeing is a year-round commitment.

Together, we can make a significant impact and encourage one another to prioritise our health. Let's embrace Movember with enthusiasm, learn, and grow together!

Please see the pictures taken where we had two of our Year 9 students; Domyan Abbo and Matuos Daabool, who used their skill sets with barbering to shave Mr. Dale Marshall and Mr Danny Sgro.

This Movember, you are invited to join our St Albans Team. You can sign up for our team by just clicking here.

Catholic Regional College Sydenham

Monday 20 November 2023

380 Sydenham Road

Sydenham, 3037

 

Tours of the College 5:00pm - 6:30pm

Information Session 7:00pm - 7:30pm 

Bookings required. Please follow the below steps below:

How your teenager can manage distractions

It’s completely normal for teens to get distracted from study from time to time, especially during stressful exam periods or when they’re struggling to understand the work. Plus, the transition to digital school work and having the internet right at our fingertips means that it’s never been easier to be distracted.

Avoiding doing work or study is a really common response to feeling overwhelmed and stressed, but while leaning into a bit of self-care to get through high-stress study periods is one thing, you don't want your teen perfecting the art of procrastination because it’ll come back to bite them during exam time.

If your teenager is struggling to balance study with school work, social media and other daily distractions, there are ways you can help them help themselves.

Set time aside for fun
After spending hours studying and working, it's to be expected that your teen might be feeling exhausted or stressed. While they may already have a study plan, encourage them to have a fun plan, too. If they have a specific time set aside for relaxing, social media or gaming, they’ll have less desire to distract themselves while working.

Take regular minibreaks
Suggest that they work in chunks of time – say, 20 minutes – then take a few minutes to get a drink, stretch and walk around. This will keep up their energy, maintain their concentration and make study feel more manageable. You might keep an eye on how they’re going by having a cup of tea and a quick chat with them during one of these scheduled mini-breaks.

Block screen alerts
If they're working on a tablet or computer that is linked to their messages or social media, encourage them to block the alerts. When they're concentrating, a message alert pinging up will distract them and break their train of thought. In their non-study time, they can go for it and catch up on social media.

Agree on 'phone free' zones
Have a conversation about areas of the house that can become temporary phone-free zones, such as where they study and where everyone eats together. Encourage the whole family to play a role in making it happen.

Create a space they can concentrate in
This is especially important if your teen has to study in a common area with plenty of distractions, like the living room or kitchen. Being around a lot of noise and activity can significantly disrupt their study routine. Creating a space that is primarily dedicated to their study hours (if possible) will help them to focus and concentrate.

If you’re unable to create a dedicated space, try to create a quiet environment where they're studying. Keep the TV turned down or off and avoid having lengthy conversations around them. If you have other kids, ask them to keep the noise down, so their sibling doesn't get distracted. Some people work best with silence, others with a hum of background noise or music. See what works for them.

Minimise interruptions
While they're studying, don't let anyone disturb them; leave it until they’re having a break. Did you know that it takes most people around 20 minutes to get back on track with study after an interruption?

Monitor their sleep
Lack of sleep makes you lose focus, so it's easier to procrastinate or get distracted when you’re tired. Here's how you can help them get better sleep. On the flipside, if your teen is studying from home, there may be a temptation to hit snooze on the alarm and lay around all day. Explain to them the importance of maintaining a routine at a time like this, including when they wake up and go to bed. They can learn more sleep routine tips here.

Eat healthy, regular meals and snacks
Being hungry causes energy levels to drop and makes it hard to concentrate, so encourage your teen to eat proper meals and healthy energy snacks such as nuts. Help them out by using these handy tips when cooking them food. Sharing a meal with your teen is a good chance to check in on how their study is going. Even a break for a quick lunch before heading back to the books gives you a chance to ask how they’re feeling and support their wellbeing.

Cut the caffeine
Encourage them to drink lots of tap water; being hydrated will help them concentrate. Long days at the desk may make them keen for coffee (and lots of it!). Remind them that too much of a good thing can be bad, and suggest alternatives: Herbal teas are an excellent calming substitute.

Exams, expectations and study loads can lead to your teenager being stressed and easily distracted. Trying even a few of these tips can help you support them to manage teenage distractions, keep calm during exam periods and study more efficiently, which reduces their overall stress and improves their wellbeing. If your teen has ADHD, it’s likely that many of these traditional distraction management methods won’t be as effective for them. Read more on how to support teens with ADHD.

Did you find what you needed?

• Yes - Take the quiz to see if you have the same expectations as your child
• No - Check out our 7 tips for helping your teenager manage exam stress
• I need to know more - Read our fact sheet about exam stress

How to Have a Great Relationship with Your Teacher by Dr Justin Coulson

By the time your child graduates high school, they will have spent about 17, 640 hours at school. That’s a lot of hours. In fact, on a typical school day, our kids spend 2-3 times as many hours with their school teacher than they spend with us, their parents and caregivers.

Our teachers work hard. On average, Australian teachers work 45 hours a week, with many even working on weekends to keep up with the workload. Yet 71% of teachers feel as though their work is unappreciated, and that their profession is not respected. I don’t know about you, but anyone who spends twice as much time with my kids as I do on a regular basis deserves to feel all the appreciation in the world. And while buying a #1 Teacher mug or a box of chocolates as a gift on World Teachers Day certainly helps, there are things we can do all year round to have a great relationship with our kids’ teachers, and help them to feel supported and appreciated:

Communication

Having open and frequent communication with the teachers goes a long way towards establishing a supportive relationship. This includes taking a proactive approach at the start of the year, where you should share with the teachers any relevant information that may affect your child’s performance or behaviour at school. This includes medical conditions, learning difficulties, and even special interests. Then throughout the school year, keep the teacher updated about any changes in your family’s or your child’s circumstances. Communication can occur through emails or phone calls on an as-needed basis, but also make sure to attend parent-teacher conferences, school events, and any other meetings organized by the school. Frequent contact fosters open communication. Finally, if your child is facing any academic or behavioural challenges, collaborate with the teacher to address any difficulties and identify strategies that you can employ together to support your child’s learning.

Involvement

Show interest in your child’s education by asking them about their day and experiences in class. When you demonstrate an interest in their education, it sends a positive message. If you can, make time to get involved in the school community. Volunteer in your child’s classroom as a parent helper, participate in school events, or join the parent council. Getting involved both supports your child’s education and eases the burden on your child’s teachers. Finally, support classroom rules and expectations. Don’t undermine your child’s teachers by disrespecting them at home. Encourage your child to take responsibility in the learning process, and follow the guidelines set by their teachers.

Respect

I wish this didn’t need to be said, but sadly it does: Don’t verbally threaten, intimidate, or get physical-ly aggressive with your kids’ teachers. It’s never ok. Respect goes beyond that though. Treat teachers with kindness and appreciation for their work. Take time to acknowledge and appreciate their efforts and dedication. Be grateful for the time they invest into your children. Make sure you see your child’s teacher as a whole person (hopefully as an adult you no longer believe that teachers sleep at the school!), with responsibilities and interests beyond teaching. Avoid contacting them outside of school hours and be patient in awaiting their responses.

Teachers do one of the most important jobs in our society. They are shaping the next generation of leaders, thinkers, caregivers. Let’s do what we can to thank them for everything they do for our kids.