A New Beginning

 

 

Loving Lord,

 

At the start of this new school year we ask you to bless our school community:

 

 

Make it a place of peace and joy

 

Make it a place of love and light.

 

Make it a place of warmth and welcome

 

Make it a place of grace and goodness.

 

We offer up these prayers through Christ Our Lord.

 

Amen.

Welcome

A very warm welcome to the 2019 school year. I trust that you’ve had an enjoyable break and are looking forward to all that this year will bring.

We’ve had a great start. As always there’s been a real buzz around the school as students catch up after the break, meet new teachers, get to know the students in their class, and once again settle into the patterns of school and study. It is great to see that everyone is positive and ready to do their best.

This first newsletter is quite lengthy as it contains a range of information for the beginning of the year.

 

2019 School Theme

Our College theme for 2019 is Let us build a house where love can dwell. This is the first line of our school song ‘All are Welcome’ and will be unpacked in different ways throughout the year.

A house is a building. A home is a place where people are connected to one another, care for each other, and learn to grow together. A home is a place where every person feels welcomed and loved. We hope that our community is like a family; one where each person is known, respected and feels a deep sense of being at home.

Anyone who has moved house knows that unpacking boxes is part of moving to a new home. It takes time. In the process of unpacking we sometimes re-discover old treasures and see them in a new light.

At the start of each school year we are all moving into a new home with our new class family. This year as we settle into our new homes we are once again ‘unpacking’ our school values and looking at them with fresh eyes.

Last week our focus was on Respect (pink) and this week we are looking at what it means to be a Community (blue).

 

Thank you to families

A very big thank you to all families for all you’ve done in the background to ensure a smooth start to the year. It’s a busy time as you sort through booklists, buy and label uniforms and once again establish the routines of the school term, especially after the more relaxed life of the holidays. All this takes planning, energy and patience. Thank you.

The importance of good routines, adequate sleep, eating well and having all the materials needed for school should never be underestimated.

 

New families

On behalf of the school community I’d like to extend a very warm welcome to the students and families who have joined our school community this year, particularly our Year 7 students.

The start of secondary school is an important milestone; something that students look forward to with great anticipation and excitement. I hope that your start has been a smooth one, that you already feel ‘at home’.

We look forward to meeting Year 7 families at the Family Nights which take place in a few weeks.

As well as the new students at Year 7 we also have students joining us at Years 8, 9 and 10. These students and their families come from diverse places: overseas, interstate, other areas of Melbourne and neighbouring schools. You are indeed very welcome.  

 

New Staff

It is with great pleasure that I welcome Adele Simoncini, Georgia Trousdale, Emma Baldacchino, Stella Alexopoulos and Deng Alier to our staff.

Adele Simoncini:

PE and Health, Religious Education, Yr 9 Trinity and Yr 9 Pastoral Care. Families may know Adele as she worked at the College last year whilst completing her studies at ACU.

Stella Alexopoulos:

Year 8 Level Leader, English, Year 8 Discovery.

Emma Baldacchino:

Drama, Music, Media Arts and Year 8 Pastoral Care.

Georgia Trousdale:

Visual Communication and Design, Visual Arts, Humanities and Year 8 Pastoral Care.

Deng Alier:

Learning Support Officer / Multicultural Education Aide (Dinka)

Each brings a wealth of experience, many gifts, fresh ideas and a strong commitment to learning and our students. I wish them every blessing as they join our school community.

 

Mobile Phone Policy

With this newsletter families will receive a copy of the revised College Mobile Phone policy. The key change is that mobile phones and earphones must be turned off and out of sight, from 8.40am – 3.05pm. Students can no longer listen to music at recess or lunchtime.

We advise students to hand in their phone at the office when they come to school in the morning.

The response to this policy change has been very positive. I thank all students for their support in this matter.

 

Australian Government Data Collection

In the next few weeks the College will need to complete the Student Residential Address and Other Information Collection (SES) for the government. This information is used to assess the communities’ capacity to contribute to the recurrent costs of schooling and to determine an equitable needs based funding model for non-government schools.

The Australian Government has asked schools to notify student’s parents and carers about this process.

Should you require more information, a flyer is available at the college office.

 

Opening Mass

Our opening mass will be held on Thursday 21 February at 9.30am at Sacred Heart Church.  At the end of the mass we will induct our 2019 School Leaders. I’d like to invite all families to join us if you have the time.

 

Year 10 2016

Last week the Year 10 2016 students who completed Year 12 last year joined staff for afternoon tea. It was great to see them again, to reminisce about their time at St Albans and to celebrate what they’ve achieved over the last two years. All have done really well and are looking forward to their tertiary studies or entering some form of training and the workforce.

Contact with the School

At different times during the year families may wish to chat with staff regarding their child. This may be to raise a concern, to share information that might assist teachers or simply to share a ‘good news story’ about your child. We encourage you to do this.

The initial contact for pastoral matters is always the Pastoral Care teacher, then the Year Level Leader. For learning matters it is the subject teacher and/or pastoral care teacher. The names of Pastoral Care teachers and Year Level Leaders are printed below. Our office will help with the names of subject teachers when you ring.

Staff will try to return calls or respond to emails as quickly as possible, however, I’m sure that you’ll appreciate that sometimes it’s difficult to do this immediately due to teaching commitments. If the matter is urgent and the PC teacher or Year Level Leader is not available, parents / guardians might like to speak with Mr Kevin Quinn (Deputy Principal Pastoral Care) or Ms Grace Cini (Deputy Principal Learning and Teaching).

Some families prefer email to phone contact. Staff email addresses follow a consistent pattern: the initial of their first name followed by their surname and then @crcstalbans.com.au.

Alternatively, emails sent to the College email enquiries@crcstalbans.com.au will be forwarded to the appropriate staff member.

 

Year Level Leaders 2019

Year 7:           Mr Justin Mead

jmead@crcstalbans.com.au

Year 8:           Ms Stella Alexopoulos

salexopoulos@crcstalbans.com.au

Year 9:           Mr Brad Taylor

btaylor@crcstalbans.com.au

Year 10:         Mr Eder Ramos

eramos@crcstalbans.com.au

 

Year 7 Pastoral Care Teachers   

7 Avoca:         Mr Clarence Marshall

7 Kiewa:         Ms Josephine Lowe   

7 Snowy:        Mr Chris Strachan

7 Wimmera:  Mr Daniele Zarosinski

7 Yarra:          Ms Annetta Carullo

Year 8 Pastoral Care Teachers   

8 Attard:     Mr Liam Stewart / Ms Trish McDonald

8 Clarke:     Ms Georgia Trousdale

8 Edison:     Ms Sangeeta Arora

8 Hollows:  Ms Emma Baldacchino

8 Orifici:     Mr Ross Russo / Ms Marcelle Gusman

 

Year 9 Pastoral Care Teachers   

9 Barton:       Mr James Younan

9 Curtin:        Ms Jess Iaria

9 Deakin:       Ms Kristy Liberatore

9 Hughes:      Mr Dale Marshall

9 Lyons:         Ms Adele Simoncini

 

Year 10 Pastoral Care Teachers

10 McAuley:    Mr Chris Orsini

10 MacKillop:  Ms Mai Nguyen

10 Mannix:      Mr Anthony Barresi / Ms Christie Roberts

10 O’Connell:  Mr Garry Connor / Ms Maria Calafiore

 

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 1 2019:             

Fridays:        1 March          15 March         28 March 

The newsletter can also be accessed on Friday morning (Day 10) on the College website at

http://www.crcstalbans.catholic.edu.au

 

Student Diary

All students have received their diary. As this is an important avenue of communication between home and school we ask all parents / guardians to check diaries at least once a week.

Supervision

Parents and students are advised that the College grounds are supervised on a daily basis from 8.20am to 3.15pm, except on Wednesday when supervision commences at 8.30am and concludes at 3.15pm.

Outside these hours there are sometimes special activities, practices or events. For these parents are notified through the weekly newsletter or a special letter.

Parents need to know that students who arrive prior to 8.20am on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, and 8.30am on Wednesday or who leave after 3.15pm are not supervised.

The library is open until 4.30pm on Monday – Thursday and 4.00pm on Friday. Students are able to complete homework or read quietly in this space if they need to wait for parents.

 

School start / finish times

Students need to be at school by 8.40am on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, and 9.05am on Wednesdays.

Classes finish at 3.05pm each afternoon. However, students may be detained by teachers until 3.20pm without formal notification to parents. This allows teachers to follow up work, provide additional assistance or to address minor behavior issues before they become major.

Students who arrive at school prior to 9.05am on Wednesday mornings must remain in the school grounds. They cannot leave to go to St Albans with friends.

 

Notification of Absences

We ask that parents or guardians contact the school before 10.00am if a student is absent on any day. This can be done by phone on 9366 2544 or email to Jill Gerada at jgerada@crcstalbans.com.au. As Jill is responsible for tracking absences we ask that parent notification by email be directed only to her, not to other staff.

If the phone call or email notifying absence is received it will be taken as the official explanation of the student’s absence and no further note is required. If no contact is made with the school, a note explaining the absence will be required on the student’s return to school.

To ensure the safety of students the College has a policy of contacting parents when a student is away from school without notification. Jill rings parents after 10.00am. It is a great help if parents/guardians ring before we make contact.

 

MacKillop Pins

At the open assembly we recognised a number of students for academic excellence in 2017.

The Mary MacKillop pin is awarded to the top 10 students at each year level. Results from Semester 1 and 2 are considered in selecting these students.

I’d like to congratulate all students who received a MacKillop Pin. You are indeed a talented group! Excellence is never an accident or luck. In Edison’s words it is about 1 per cent inspiration and 99 per cent perspiration, or in other words, hard work.

Recipients of the MacKillop pin generally have the ability to stick at things and to work hard even when the work is not immediately enjoyable. They know that learning is about making mistakes and learning from them. They’re focussed, seek help, use feedback and constantly look for ways to do better. Well done on working hard throughout the year and doing everything to be the best you can be. Your pin is well deserved.

I’d also like to congratulate all the students who were not recognised with a pin, but who know that what they achieved last year was their very best. Well done!

Recipients of the Mary MacKillop Pin for 2018 were:

YEAR 7

Leo Thinh, Matthew Le, Genevieve Durand Deslongrais, Hilary Ho, Ngoc Do, Hai An Vo, Maire McEvoy, Tony Le and Dustin Nguyen 

YEAR 8

Yvonne Nguyen, Michael Tran, Sonany Istaifo, Sandy Hong, Nhi Nguyen, Jonoel Jeremy Nerpio, Joseph Phan, Katie Vu, Rejoyce Modi, Alessia Lo Guarro, Tu Tran and Vivi Nguyen           

YEAR 9

Breanna Pruszak, Rhanel Hao, Julia Cabaldon, Samantha Smith, Arabella Celine Julian, Jessica Tran, Hannah Nguyen, Annie Pham and Vivian Dang

YEAR 10

John Abuan, Sharelle Lynch, Jimmy Tran, Richie Vung, Khai-Minh Vo, Vimal Naik, Trixie May Celestial, Jordan Luong, Carl Mikhail Sevillano, Nawar Alsakat and Hayley Nguyen

 

2018 Learning Bursaries

As well as the MacKillop Pin we also awarded a learning bursary for the DUX (student with the most outstanding academic results for each year level). The recipients of these awards for 2018 were:

The DUX for each year level:

YEAR 7:          Genevieve Durand Deslongrais

YEAR 8:          Sonany Istaifo

YEAR 9:          Arabella Celine Julian

YEAR 10:        Jordan Luong

Congratulations to these students. Each had a terrific year and achieved results of which they should be very proud. We hope that each student uses the prize in some way towards their education.

 

Kwong Lee Dow Scholar 2018

Congratulations to Jordan Luong on being accepted into the Kwong Lee Dow Scholars program at Melbourne University. Jordan has achieved excellent results throughout the year and has been involved in a range of co-curricular activities. He is a worthy recipient.

 

Williams Cup

Congratulations to Guelen House who continued their recent dominance of the Inter-house competition by winning the 2018 Williams Cup. Guelen House began the year with a win at the Swimming Carnival and held the lead from that point onwards. Third year in a row - an outstanding effort!

Competition for the 2019 Williams Cup kicks off in the next few weeks with Inter-house Swimming and Project Compassion. We wish each House the very best.

                                                           

Changes in contact details

Families are reminded that the school needs to be notified immediately that there are changes to phone contact details or addresses.

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:

• Day 1 for Year 7 students
• MacKillop Assembly
• Year 10 2016 Afternoon Tea

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.

 

Term Dates 2019

Term 1:                 Monday 4 February – Friday 5 April  

Term 2:                 Tuesday 23 April – Friday 28 June

Term 3:                 Monday 15 July – Friday 20 September

Term 4:                 Tuesday 8 October – Friday 6 December

 

Please Note:

Year 10 students finish at the College on Thursday 28 November but have an Orientation program at CRC Sydenham from Monday 2 December to the Friday 6 December

 

Mid-year exams (Years 9 and 10):

11 June – 18 June 2019

End of year exams (Years 9 and 10):

20 Nov – 28 November 2019

Families planning to travel in the middle of the year or at the end of 2019 are asked to note that exams and the Orientation program at Sydenham are compulsory. Exams must be taken within the exam timetable. They cannot be taken before or after the exam week.

Please do not book travel before:

• 18 June in the middle of the year (Years 9 and 10)
• 6 December for Year 11 2020 students (Year 10 2019)
• 29 November for Year 9 students

Secondary School Vaccinations in 2019

The Secondary School Vaccination Program offers free vaccines to Year 7 and 10 students. These vaccines provide protection against:

*Diptheria, tetanus and pertussis (whooping cough) - one dose for Year 7 students

*Human Papillomavirus (HPV) - two doses for Year 7 students

*Meningococcal A,C,W,Y - one dose for Year 10 students

Parents/guardians of Year 7 and 10 students should look out for the vaccine consent card booklet that has come home from school with your child. You need to read the information, complete and return the card, regardless of whether your child is being vaccinated at school or not.

The Brimbank City Council immunisation service may contact you about the Secondary School Vaccine Program. Schools are authorised to provide basic parent/guardian contact details to local councils for this purpose. Contact the school by 28 February 2019 if you do not want your contact details given to the Brimbank City Council immunisation service.

To learn more about the Secondary School Vaccine Program, the vaccines, the diseases they protect against, or how you can prepare your child for vaccination, go to betterhealth.vic.gov.au

Additionally, the Commonwealth government is funding  vaccinaions for all children under 20 years of age who missed any scheduled vaccines, including a catch-up program for Meningococcal ACWY vaccine for adolescents aged 15 - 19 years of age who have not already received the vaccine in school. If students have missed vaccines, either in childhood or adolescence and require catch-up vaccines, they should speak with their immunisation provider (eg: Brimbank City Council or their local Doctor).

Maths help after school

Key Dates Term 1 2019

 

Monday 18 February:

Sunnystones Day   (7 Snowy and Avoca)

 

Tuesday 19 February:

Sunnystones Day   (7 Kiewa and Wimmera)

 

Wednesday 20 February:

School Photos

Sunnystones (7 Yarra)

 

Thursday 21 February:

Opening Mass

Year 8 Family Night

 

Wednesday 27 February:

7 Wimmera Family Night   (6.30pm)

 

Thursday 28 February:

7 Yarra Family Night   (6.30pm)

 

Monday 4 March:

Year 10 Family Night

 

Tuesday 5 March:

7 Avoca Family Night   (6.30pm)

Thursday 7 March:

Inter-house Swimming Carnival   (recess -> Period 6)

 

Monday 11 March:

Labour Day Holiday

 

Tuesday 12 March:

7 Kiewa Family Night   (6.30pm)

 

Thursday 14 March:

7 Snowy Family Night   (6.30pm)

 

Wed 13/3 – Fri 15/3:

Year 8 Camp

 

Friday 15 March:

Immersion Day 1

 

Tuesday 26 March:

SACCSS Interschool Swimming

 

Thursday 4 April:

Student Parent Teaching interviews

 

Friday 5 April:

Final Day Term 1

YEAR 10 FAMILIES

ENROLMENTS FOR YEAR 11 IN 2020 HAVE BEEN EXTENDED TO MONDAY 18 FEBRUARY 2019.

Parents should lodge the required documentation with the $125 enrolment fee by this date to ensure a position at this college for 2020.