Catholic Regional College St Albans eNewsletter

Easter

Lord,

the resurrection of your Son

has given us new life and renewed hope.

Help us to live as new people

in pursuit of the Christian ideal.

Grant us wisdom to know what we must do,

the will to want to do it,

the courage to undertake it,

the perseverance to continue to do it,

and the strength to complete it.

Amen.

A very happy Easter to everyone. May the hope and promise of this joyous season be with you. I trust that you had a good break and enjoyed the time together as family and with friends.

Yesterday we celebrated Anzac Day which marks the day that Australian and New Zealand soldiers landed at Gallipoli during the First World War. The theme of Anzac Day is ‘Lest we forget’. On this day we remember not only those who gave their lives in this war but also all who have sacrificed their lives in the conflicts that have followed and continue today. We should not remember only the heroism of our service personnel but also the horror of war itself. War can bring out the worst in people – on both sides. This is what violence does. The damage to individuals and communities, on all sides of the conflict, lasts for generations.

This year we mark Anzac Day in the shadow of the senseless killing of innocent people in Christchurch, in Sri Lanka and in the many unnamed places throughout the world.

Anzac Day always falls within a week or two of Easter, and occasionally even at Easter. It shares with Easter a hope for a world that lives in peace. One of the recurring themes in the Resurrection stories is peace. As Jesus catches up with his disciples he often greets them with ‘Shalom! Peace be with you’. However, the peace Jesus wishes his friends is not a passive thing or just an absence of conflict and irritation, it is the peace that comes from creating God’s world; a world that focuses on our shared humanity, a world that is just and inclusive; a world where there is a place for everyone; a world where we live in right relationship with each other and our earth.

Both Easter and the Anzac tradition call us to be people who do everything we can to make sure God’s world happens.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.

Enhancing Catholic School Identity (ECSI) surveys

Thank you to all families who completed the ECSI survey late last term. Your time and input is very much appreciated. I recognise that it was no simple task to complete the four surveys. Responses from students, families and staff are now being processed by KU Leuven and a report will be forwarded to the school in early October. The information will be important for our school review in 2020.

Congratulations to Madyan Tamoz (7 Wimmera) and his family on winning the raffle draw for all families who completed the survey.

Thank You

Thank you to all families for your participation of the Student / Parent / Teacher interviews at the end of Term 1. Your interest is very much appreciated and is of great support to your son / daughter. I hope that you and your child found the time spent at the College to be valuable.

The mid-term reports and interviews provide students with the opportunity to celebrate what they’ve achieved, to reflect on their learning and to set goals for the rest of the semester.

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 2019:

Fridays: 10 May, 24 May, 7 June, 21 June

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:

ANZAC Day schools commemorative ceremony.
Parent / Teacher / Student interviews
Year 7 Premier League Training
Year 7 Visual Arts National Gallery of Victoria visit.
Volleyball Club
Health and Fitness Club
Girls Futsal Tryouts
STEM Club Launch!!!

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.

All students should now 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.

Easy access

At Parent / Teacher / Student interviews we distributed a flyer about the College app which can be downloaded from Google Play or the App Store.

The Catholic Regional College St Albans App keeps families and the school community up to date with the Latest Newsletter, Upcoming Events and Parent Access Module (PAM). There are also quick links to the School Website, Lastest News and Events. Click on the ‘Contact Us’ link to call the school from the App, or allow ‘Push Notifications’ to receive messages from the College. Download the College App from Google Play or the App Store.

HOW TO INSTALL THE COLLEGE APP

1. OPEN GOOGLE PLAY or Apple Store on your smart phone or device.

2. SEARCH for CRC St Albans.

3. TAP Install.

How to set up Notifications from the School

1. Select ‘more’ on the bottom menu of the
App and go to ‘settings’.
2. Choose which year level you would like to
receive notifications for.

Term 2 fees are due by Friday 28 th June 2019. Please note if school fees are paid in full before 28^th June you receive a discount of $100. If you have any queries or concerns regarding School Fees, please contact Ms. Ross on 93662544.

School Fees can be paid directly into our School Bank Account:

Catholic Regional College St Albans

BSB: 083-347 A/c. No. 6909 17667

along with your Account Code as Reference.

A Mothers Day Breakfast will be held at the college on Friday 10th May at 8am. Mothers and carers of our students are warmly invited to join with us as we celebrate together with breakfast and a guest speaker. For the purposes of catering please call the office to rsvp on: 9366 2544.

Our Mass on the 8th May will be dedicated to Mary and Mothers in preparation for Mothers day on the 12th of May. It would be great to have as many mothers as possible attending.

Sacramental Program

If you are interested in your child recieving their first holy communion or completing their confirmation and you are member of the Sacred Heart Parish please email Ms Dykes on jdykes@crcstalbans.com.au

Social Justice Team Update

The social justice team has been busy raising funds and promoting awareness of the communities that Caritas support. Every Thursday in homeroom a short fillm was shown describing the issues faced by many in our global community. In addition to learning the fundraising boxes went around to the homerooms and the team also organised a Easter raffle to raise money. Our final action was an act of Solidarity where over 40 students carried 3 litres of water around the school oval. Twelve-year-old Thandolwayo from Zimbabwe would walk seven kilometres each day, threatened by crocodiles, to collect contaminated water for her family. Many of the students reflected on how hard this walk would be for Thandolwayo who had to do this walk every day before school.

Term 2 Social Justice group will be exploring issues for people living in Australia, some of these include homelessness, refugees and the issues of our own indigenous communities.

We have a valuable and sometimes underutilised resource in our school – the library. Our library is open until 4.30pm on Monday – Thursday, and 4.00pm on Friday. After school a number of learning support staff are available to assist with homework and to provide study support. We encourage students to make use of this extra assistance.

NEW BOOKS IN THE LIBRARY

FING by David Walliams

An explosively funny, totally surreal Tall Story about two perfectly nice parents and their unbelievably monstrous daughter.

The Secret Runners of New York

by Matthew Reilly

Skye joins an exclusive gang known as the Secret Runners of New York. But this is no ordinary gang - they have access to an underground portal that transports them into the future. What Skye discovers in the future is horrifying. As society crumbles, the race is on to figure out how to survive the impending annihilation and discover that the chaotic end of the world is a perfect time for revenge.

PIZZA LUNCH COMPETITION
STARTS AGAIN

at the beginning of Term 2

The 25 students who read the most books will share a Pizza Lunch at the end of term .... Books totals are readjusted each term.

KEEP READING!

This year our school will be doing NAPLAN Online. The NAPLAN Online assessment window starts on Tuesday 14^th May and finishes on Friday 24^th May. All students in Year 7 and Year 9 will complete 4 tests during this period.

Writing (42 minutes)
Reading (65 minutes)
Language Conventions (45 minutes)
Numeracy (65 minutes)

NAPLAN Online is a tailored test that adapts to responses made by a student. As students’ progress through the tests they will be presented with questions that may be easier or more difficult.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGFseJAM3Ew

During this time parents/guardians are asked, where possible, to arrange appointments when their child is not required to do a test. Please refer to the following schedule.
If a student is sick on the day of a scheduled test, parents/guardians are asked to notify the school and provide a medical certificate. The test will be rescheduled.
Students are required to ensure that their laptop is at school and that it is fully charged on the day of each test.
Students need to bring a pen or pencil to each test.
Mobile phones, IPads or other devices including Bluetooth are not allowed.
Each test will be conducted under strict test conditions. There will be NO talking once the test has started.
Students are not allowed to leave the room during the tests.
NO toilet breaks are allowed during the tests.

The International Gardening Exhibition

On the 27th of March, 12 students that actively volunteer in the garden were privilege of attending the International Flower and Garden show located in the city.

The garden was full of flourishing plants and many elegant flowers, there were hundreds of fruits and vegetables, outdoor and indoor home designs and many, many more! The scenery was rather spectacular and displayed the beauties of design and nature.

Us students were allocated to different workshops such as The New Joneses and Beyond blue to experience the joy of gardening. The New Joneses workshop allowed the students to explore the ways of protecting the environment, while beyond blue was a place where we were allowed to experience fun with games and activities provided.

Overall, the students had a blast and we are very grateful for the opportunity! Thank you to Hayden for supervising and allowing the students to attend this amazing event. Make sure to join the gardening club and help out for a chance to participate in these amazing experiences!

Written by Tommy Pham and My Nguyen in year 7

A big congratulations to our year10 student Kira Jensen who competed in the Australian Women’s Baseball Championships which ran from the 15^th- 20^th April in Canberra. Representing the Victorian Women’s Youth team. Victoria won the bronze medal in which Kira played a major part. Kira had an outstanding batting average of 0.471 which included a massive home run.

Also over the summer Kira played a major part in Essendon Baseball Club’s first ever Women’s Division 1 premiership, in which she was the youngest member.

Anyone wishing to come and try baseball, any age, any ability can contact Essendon Baseball Club at ebcjuniors@gmai l.com

Best wishes to all the students who will represent the College at the SACCSS Interschool Cross-Country on Tuesday 7 May. We look forward to each of you achieving your personal best, giving good support to each other and participating in the spirit of sportsmanship.

Come join us for dinner at Quatrefoils

Enter via the CRC Sydenham Campus Gate 10 on Pecks Road

Key Dates Term 2

Wednesday 1 May

Year 7 Premier League starts

Tuesday 7 May

SACCSS Interschool Cross Country

Friday 10 May

Mothers Day Breakfast

14 May – 24 May

NAPLAN online testing

16 May – 17 May

Outdoor Education Camp

Thursday 30 May

Feast Day

Friday 31 May

Staff Professional Learning Day (No Classes)

Monday 10 June

Queen’s Birthday Holiday (No Classes)

11 June – 18 June

Years 9 and 10 exams

Wednesday 19 June

Correction Day / Report Preparation (No Classes)

Friday 28 June

Final Day Term 2

A very happy Easter to everyone. May the hope and promise of this joyous season be with you. I trust that you had a good break and enjoyed the time together as family and with friends.

Enhancing Catholic School Identity (ECSI) surveys

Thank You

Newsletter

Newsletter Days for Term 2 2019:

Since our last newsletter…..

All students should now 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.

Easy access

A Mothers Day Breakfast will be held at the college on Friday 10th May at 8am. Mothers and carers of our students are warmly invited to join with us as we celebrate together with breakfast and a guest speaker. For the purposes of catering please call the office to rsvp on: 9366 2544.

Our Mass on the 8th May will be dedicated to Mary and Mothers in preparation for Mothers day on the 12th of May. It would be great to have as many mothers as possible attending.

Social Justice Team Update

PIZZA LUNCH COMPETITION STARTS AGAIN

at the beginning of Term 2

This year our school will be doing NAPLAN Online. The NAPLAN Online assessment window starts on Tuesday 14th May and finishes on Friday 24th May. All students in Year 7 and Year 9 will complete 4 tests during this period.

The International Gardening Exhibition

Come join us for dinner at Quatrefoils

Key Dates Term 2

PIZZA LUNCH COMPETITION
STARTS AGAIN

This year our school will be doing NAPLAN Online. The NAPLAN Online assessment window starts on Tuesday 14^th May and finishes on Friday 24^th May. All students in Year 7 and Year 9 will complete 4 tests during this period.