God of this place and all places,

God of footpaths and local parks,

God of highways and bush tracks –

walking, wandering, sauntering God.

Today we choose to walk with you.

We want to walk beside you, God:

not ahead of you – anxious, busy, distracted;

not behind you – lost, ashamed or uncertain;

but with you, God,

at your pace,

pilgrims together,

shoulder to shoulder

in the fullness of life.

Today we choose to walk with you, O God,

to know your company, your presence and your calm.

God, you have called us to walk in faith,

to walk in integrity and in truth,

to walk in love and in a manner worthy of your name.

Heeding your call, we commit ourselves afresh

to follow the footsteps of Jesus.

God our creator, our companion,

today we choose to walk with you. Amen.

Welcome Back

Welcome back to term 4. I hope that students, staff and families had a good break and are ready for our final term.

The next few weeks are busy as we prepare to celebrate students’ creativity at Image 2024, our annual Arts and Technology exhibition, and their sporting skills at the Inter-house Athletics carnival on the 1^st November.

As we begin the journey through Term 4, I encourage students to remain focussed on their studies. It is important to keep on top of things and do the small things well: use your diary, use class time effectively, ask questions, set up a study group with friends, complete homework, don’t leave things to the last minute, organise your locker and your study space at home, start exam revision today, meet deadlines, come to class prepared………

Every blessing for the term.

Year 9 Camp

On behalf of the students and families, I’d like to thank Ms Roberts and the staff who planned and attended the camp. It was a terrific experience for everyone. Families will recognise that it is a huge responsibility taking away 120 or so adolescents. I thank staff for their willingness to be part of this, and students who were engaged, positive, mature and responsible in their approach to the camp. I know that the benefits of learning opportunities such as this are immeasurable.

Year 10 Work Experience

Congratulations to all Year 10 students who completed Work Experience at the end of Term 3. Feedback from employers has been very positive. They were impressed with students work ethic, interpersonal skills, interest and maturity. Students appreciated this taste of the world beyond school.

Work Experience is an important part of the Year 10 program and does not happen without lots of effort from many people. Thank you to families for all your support in sourcing work experience placements; to Ms Denise Geraldo for her relentless search for placements and for ensuring all the paper work was completed, and Mr Orsini (Careers) and Mr Barresi (Year 10) for their support and preparation of students.

Proposed Changes to Social Media Age Limits

The Victorian Government is working with other states and the Commonwealth to introduce age limits for social media - to protect children from harm and support families to keep young people safe online. The government is seeking community input and you are invited to share your views by completing this survey.

This consultation will close at 5pm on 1 November 2024.

Enrolment for 2025

Enrolment at the College continues automatically from year to year. However, if a student in Years 7, 8 or 9 is not returning in 2025, 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 most 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 2024:             

Fridays: 01 November, 15 November, 29 November, 15 December

Year 9 Reflection Experience

In 1986 Pope John Paul II identified four very important issues when he spoke to the Aboriginal people in Blatherskite Park at Alice Springs.  He challenged all Australians to ensure the preservation of indigenous cultures and to keep working for an inclusive multicultural Australia. He called us to seek and explore the points of agreement between indigenous traditions and those of Jesus and all his people. He praised the way the indigenous peoples had cared for the land and then challenged us to learn together how to preserve our fragile environment. Finally, by naming past hurts and continuing injustices Pope John Paul II confronted us as a nation with the need to move towards true reconciliation.

Through the Aboriginal spirituality unit, students have learnt the strong link the
aboriginals have with the earth and how this link was not acknowledged by the early white settlers. They took time on the Year 9 camp to deeply reflect on the statement,

“Learn about the past and make a commitment to the future."

Students then wrote a pledge to undertake in the future, to care for country as the Aboriginals had done for thousands of years. To seal that
action and promise, each Year 9 student wrote their name  onto the cross that has been designed by an Aboriginal Woman from the Santa Monica Community, Alice Springs. It is our way of preserving the indigenous culture and moving towards
true Reconciliation.

We concluded our reflection with the following prayer:

Father God,
Mother Country,
Giver of Life and Love.

Bless us all as we return to our communities.
Help us to see each other as we are:

with our own dreamings,
our diversity,
our histories,
our visions.

We are the past
We are the future
We are here today

Lord, please provide your guidance
to lead us in our understandings of our rich
and diverse cultures and languages.

Help us to see all people as they are:
Happy, Proud and Wise peoples.

We make this prayer through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

The PAT Maths and PAT Reading are assessments expected  to be completed in Term 4 for all Year 2 to Year 10 students in Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools.

Our students will be completing their PAT tests for Reading and Maths over the next two weeks.

The specific date and time for each year level is as follows:

• Year 7:
• Wednesday 23 October (Period 2): PAT Reading
• Friday 25 October (Period 3): PAT Maths
  
  
• Year 8:
• Monday 28 October (Period 2): PAT Maths
• Tuesday 29 October (Period 2): PAT Reading
  
  
• Year 9:
• Friday 25 October (Period 1): PAT Maths
• Monday 28 October (Period 3): PAT Reading
  
  
• Year 10:
• Monday 21 October (Period 2): PAT Reading
• Tuesday 22 October (Period 1): PAT Maths

Wherever possible, please avoid making appointments during the testing period.  If a student is unwell, a medical certificate needs to be provided to the school and the test/s will then be rescheduled for another time.

Is your child missing a school blazer, jumper or vest? Come and collect from the front office.

Please ensure that all uniform pieces are clearly marked with your child's name. 

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Welcome back to term 4.