Let us put ourselves into the hands of our Lord,

and pray that God will bless us and our families

during the coming holy days.

May we be people

who walk with others,

not averting our eyes from the suffering around us

but finding God’s love always present.

May each of us help to make our homes

places of joy, love, peace and safety.

May we be generous and considerate,

helping others keep the celebration of the dying and rising

of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

May God bring us light and joy and bless us all.

Amen

Easter brings many good things; time with family, time away, a break from school, hot cross buns and Easter eggs. However, it’s important that amidst all this, we set aside some time to walk with Jesus to the cross and to appreciate more fully the depth of God’s love for each of us. I encourage all families to join their parish communities in the ceremonies of Holy Week, particularly Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday. We’ve included information about the Easter ceremonies in each of our parishes later in the newsletter,

May the blessings of Holy Week and the joys of Easter be God’s gifts to each of you over the next few weeks.

Thank You

The end of Term provides a great opportunity for students and their families to reflect back over the last 9 weeks. As we approach the holidays, we have much to celebrate. Students have had a very positive approach to their learning, many have participated in co-curricular activities and all have contributed to building positive and caring relationships with peers and staff. Take some time to think about your highlights and all those who helped to make these happen.

As this newsletter marks the end of Term 1, I’d like to thank students, staff and families for all you’ve contributed to our community in Term 1. Many thanks for everything.

The holidays bring the opportunity for rest, recreation and time with family and friends. Enjoy. I look forward to your return after Easter, refreshed and raring to go.

Harmony Week

Last week we celebrated Harmony Week with gusto. The different cultures in our community were celebrated through food, films, games, music and a traditional clothing day. It was great to see so many students getting involved, wearing traditional clothing and just having fun. It was a great week.

One of the key messages of Harmony Day (21 March) is that ‘everyone belongs’. As a school community, this is something that we believe deeply and try to live out in all that we do.

Thank you to Mr Mizzi, the Student Leaders and the Social Justice Team who organised all the activities. Your hard work was very much appreciated.

Start of Term 2

Term 2 will begin on Monday 15 April 2024. This will be Day 6 of the timetable.

There will be a new timetable for Term 2.  This should be published in the second week of the holidays. We ask students to check their timetable before returning to school.

Year 7 and 10 Immunizations

Next term, there is an Immunization program for Years 7 and 10 students. This will be on the following dates:

Parental / Guardian consent for the vaccinations now needs to be done electronically by following the links below.

Please note:

1. Phone number needs to be entered with no spaces.
2. The edit button needs to be clicked to get ‘YES’ consent or ‘NO’ deny.

The Year 7 link is https://portal.cirv.vic.gov.au//PrivacyCollection/?id=f898980a-56d0-ee11-9079-000d3ae1a0d5&Year7

The Year 10 link is https://portal.cirv.vic.gov.au//PrivacyCollection/?id=1a78e13d-57d0-ee11-9079-000d3ae1aeaf&Year10

Uniform

From the beginning of Term 2 all students will need to be in full winter uniform. This includes wearing the blazer to homeroom each morning, and the wearing of the school tie for both boys and girls. The uniform policy and requirements are in the Student Diary.

The holidays provide a good opportunity for families to check uniform items, to buy school shoes if these are needed, to let down hems if the kilt is too short, to mend PE uniforms that have been worn etc… There’s really no reason for students not to be in full uniform at the beginning of term. I ask for the support of families in this matter.

Holidays: a great time for getting into book.

I know that in many families computer games are put away / not allowed / rationed during term time and brought out during the holidays. However, holidays are also a great time for reading (and sport, getting together with family and friends, playing, enjoying the outdoors, pursuing other interests). Time online is very much the world of people today, however, like all things, it needs to be kept in balance and proportion to other activities!

Hopefully, all students will set aside some time to enjoy a book or two. This is the chance to read, not what you have to but what you choose to, a chance to visit a completely different world.

Newsletter

The newsletter is published fortnightly and distributed on Day 10 (Friday Week 2). Students will have a chance to read it before placing it in their diary to be taken home to parents that evening.

Newsletter Days for Term 2 2017:            

Fridays:                 19 April,     03 May,     17 May,     31 May,     14 June,     28 June                              

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

St Patrick's Cathedral Leaders’ Excursion

Recently, to celebrate Catholic Education Week, Ms Utri was invited along with Ms Dykes, the School Captains, Vice Captains and Year 10 Social Justice Council to attend St Patrick's Cathedral Church to represent our school. It was an honour to hold up our school banner and experience the truly beautiful mass. This was a blessed experience and one we are all grateful for. In the light of Christ, the mass opened our hearts and ears. We were amongst many other Catholic school leaders from primary school to year 12 and many special guests, including Ben Carroll, Deputy Premier of Victoria and Minister of Education, Raff Cioccone, Senator for Victoria and many others.

Harmony Week

In recognition of Harmony Day on the 21st of March, Ms Nguyen, Mr Mizzi and the school leaders at CRC St Albans have worked hard to create an eventful week to commemorate the day. Harmony Day is a day where we all celebrate the unity and diversity in our world. The events that were celebrated throughout the week include a music performance, cultural games, food trucks and more! Each leadership group was assigned a role and event to celebrate the day, we thank everyone who participated and all who helped out!

Mia Ye, College Captain

Student/Parent/Teacher interviews will take place in the hall on Tuesday 23^rd April from 3:30 – 8:00pm and on Wednesday 24^th April from 9:00 am – 3:30pm. 

Interim reports will indicate whether an interview with subject teachers is requested.   The college will endeavour to accommodate interviews that are requested.

Families are asked to book sessions with their children’s subject teachers through the Parent Access Module by Friday 19^th April. The booking system is available through the college website or the SIMON Everywhere App. 

Early Dismissal

Students will be dismissed at 3pm on Tuesday 23^rd April and there will be no classes on Wednesday 24^th April as all teachers will be involved in the interviews.

We look forward to meeting with families and students to discuss their academic progress, achievement and goals.

Father Gerard Keith from Resurrection Parish, spoke at our year 7 assembly about support for the Bugaya School in Uganda.

Student Leaders organised a range of cultural activities, including 'Pantintero' a Filipino traditional children's game.

It was great to see so many students attend school in their cultural dress for Harmony Week.

MARRIAGE ENCOUNTER Weekend

“Live Your Best Married Life in Love”

Every relationship is a journey and the grind of everyday life can cause you to lose touch with your spouse.

This experience gives married couples the tools to keep your passion alive in a gentle, nurturing environment, away from pressures and distractions of daily living.

The weekend is based around Catholic values and couples of all faiths are welcome.

Please check our website for more details.

12-14 April 2024 in  Melbourne

Information/Bookings: Phone Mercy & James 0409 183 676 or

Email: vicbookings@wwme.org.au    Website: wwme.org.au