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REMIND ME
Dear God,
When I cannot see you,
remind me that you never lose sight of me.
When I cannot hear you,
remind me that I never miss a word I pray.
When I cannot reach you,
remind me that you hold me in your arms.
When I cannot find you,
remind me that you always seek me.
When I cannot trust you,
remind me that you never give up on me.
And when I cannot, well whatever:
remind me that you can, you do, and you will.
Amen
(Fr. Austin Fleming: Good Morning. Good God! Prayers to start the day.)
Step Back in Time
Congratulations to all involved in last week’s school musical, ‘Step Back in Time’. The very talented cast took us back through time to re-visit the music highlights of the last 60 years. The singing was superb; the dancing and acting were captivating, and the costumes and props were amazing, in fact, the whole experience was just a delight.
A production like this is the work of many hands. Thank you to all the wonderful students who took part, both on stage and behind the scenes. There are just not enough superlatives to express how gifted and generous you are. The many hours of after school and weekend rehearsals were well worth the final experience. You are all such incredibly talented young people. We are in awe of what you’ve achieved.
Thank you to all the staff involved but particularly Mr Clarence Marshall (Writer / Producer / Director), Ms Kristy Liberatore (First Assistant Director/Choreographer), Ms Emma Baldacchino (Second Assistant Director), Ms Georgia Trousdale (Choreographer) and Ms Pauline Corson and Ms Jo Mallia (Costumes) for all your work. There would be have countless unseen hours of planning, preparation and worry in bringing the production together. We hope that you are all well pleased with what you’ve achieved. It was terrific.
Reading, Learning and Wellbeing
This week is Book Week in schools across Australia. I really like this year’s theme which is 'Reading is my Secret Power'. When you think about this, reading does indeed give us secret powers: the power to walk in the shoes of others through their stories; the power to escape into other worlds; the power to visit and experience the world without leaving the couch at home; the power to test our thoughts and opinions; the power to improve our literacy, vocabulary and imagination…the list goes on.
As well as being a secret power, reading also enhances our wellbeing as it gives us the gift of downtime: time to escape from the frenetic pace of life and to decompress. It is interesting that reading for leisure is used as an indicator of wellbeing in the Resilience surveys we use with students.
I wonder how many of us, young people and adults have lost the art of reading for leisure. I know that with work related reading and the ‘rabbit hole’ of social media, I need to make a conscious effort to set aside some time each week to read for enjoyment. When I do, life has a much better balance. Book Week invites us all to re-connect with the world of reading, not only for our learning but for leisure and our wellbeing.
Sad News
Earlier this week we were saddened to hear of the death of Mr Mark Zitterschlager. For 35 years, Mark served the Catholic Regional College community as honorary accountant, was a member of the College Finance committee and the College Council. He was on the original planning committee for the College and part of the very active group of parishioners who lobbied the Archbishop and Catholic Education Melbourne (CEM) for Catholic secondary education in the St Albans area. We are indebted to Mark for his generosity, vision and energy. What this school community is today, is, in no small part due to all he did. Our condolences to his wife, Kathy, and his family.
SACCSS Interschool Track and Field
Best wishes to all the students who are representing the College at the SACCSS Interschool Track and Field on Monday 02 September. Students have been training and trying out for places throughout Term 3. We wish you well.
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:
- Year 7 Classification incursion.
- Year 10 Evolution incursion.
- Years 11 and 12 course planning day (Year 10 students)
- Year 10 Social
- School Production
- Year 8 Discovery Rotations
- Year 9 Premier League
- 100 Story Treehouse excursion (Year 7)
- Year 9 Family Night
- Brimbank Young Researchers project.
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.
THE GIFT OF BOREDOM
There are two kinds of boredom:
Mind-wandering – a lack of stimulus when completing tasks that require very little mental attention, like taking a shower or a long walk;
Tedious – when one is required to focus cognitively on uninteresting or meaningless tasks.
Researchers have found that both can increase creativity. Emerging from being bored, people often engage in more divergent thinking, make connections between seemingly unrelated topics and generate creative ideas. Unusual and unexpected thoughts arise. One problem in today’s world is that we’ve succeeded in reducing boredom through constant digital stimulation. It is not that people are unable to do deeply creative work but that they don’t experience the mental rest of mind-wandering boredom that may be necessary to engage in such work.
“The Gift of Boredom” by John Spencer in Educational Leadership, December 2018
Term 3 2019
Monday 2 September:
SACCSS Interschool Athletics
Tuesday 3 September:
Immersion Day
18 September – 20 September:
Year 9 Camp
Friday 20 September:
Final day Term 3
Faith in Action at CRC St Albans
Over the four years at St Albans, students are involved in a wide variety of social justice opportunities. This could be in the form of liturgy, as was demonstrated with Year 10 Mackillop and Year 10 McAuley mass on the cause of social justice. Opportunities to participate in extra-curricular activities like Social Justice Group or in the CRC St Albans community garden give students an opportunity to turn prayer into action. It is our hope that students at the end of their time at Catholic Regional College St Albans see their belief in God and their call to action as the foundations of their Catholic Identity. The social justice program evolves as the students’ progress to the senior levels. The Year 7’s theme this term is Growing In Our Community. They do this by responding to needs at home and in their classroom. In the RE program the students document their thoughtful acts and reflect on the impact this has had on their families and their classrooms. In term 4 the Year 7 theme is Giving. In this term they will be preparing for Christmas by donating toys and food to St Vinnies so they can create hampers for those in need at Christmas.In year 8 the students are currently studying The Kingdom of God. After looking at how the first and second testament explore the Kingdom of God students develop their own vision of the Kingdom of God and how we can go about creating the Kingdom of God, here on Earth. They actively do this by assisting in both community garden and on Fridays at the Holy Eucharist Food Bank.In Year 9 next term in RE students will be examining Catholic Social Teaching principles. Two Principles Subsidiarity and Stewardship are demonstrated through the Trinity program students in their classes support local disability services, and assist with local environmental projects.The Year 10 students are completing A Call to Justice unit where they are examining key Church Documents such as LauDato Si, and explore how the Catholic Church should respond to environmental issues around the world. Next week the Year 10 students will hear from a panel of speakers on issues on the environment where they learn about the various opportunities available to respond in action to climate change. Key to our learning is the words of Pope Francis, `We are not faced with 2 separate crisis, environmental and the other social but rather one complex crisis which is both social and environmental.
Jacinta Dykes - Faith Leader
FEES
Term 3 fees are now due and should be paid before Friday 20th September 2019. If you have any queries or concerns regarding School Fees, please contact Mrs. Ross on 93662544.
A reminder to those families who are using Internet Banking for payment of school fees, that it is important that you enter the I.D. number and child’s family name which is located on the bottom right hand corner of your statement as shown below...
School Fees can be paid directly into our School Bank Account: Catholic Regional College St Albans BSB: 083-347 Account No.: 6909 17667 along with your Account Code No. as Reference / Description.
YEAR 7 ANIMAL CLASSIFICATION INCURSION
Student Reflections...
I would rate the Animal classification incursion 4 out of 5. Altogether the incursion was very fun and educational but some animals weren't preferably what people wanted to see or touch. Also some words were difficult to understand. However, we got to touch and learn about different types of animals
The presenter was very kind and taught us a lot and gave us a lot of information about classifying animals.
Amber N
I enjoyed looking at different animals and learning many things about them. Even though they scared me a little, I enjoyed having a look at them and also patting them. It was fun learning about their classification, families and lots of fun facts.
Emily Kio
I really enjoyed the Animal Classification Incursion and overcoming my fear of crocodiles and snakes. It really helped me. I'm not a fan of reptiles at all. Like, when I hear the word 'reptiles', I freak out. I always think of slimy, gross, dangerous animals with sharp teeth. But today, I had a lot of fun and actually felt the crocodile’s tail. I didn't expect it to feel so soft and satisfying. I thought it'd be rough. I also regret not touching the other reptiles.
Maryam O
REFLECTIONS ON 'STEP BACK IN TIME'
- THE MUSICAL
Olivia Barisic - Student Director
Step Back in Time has genuinely been the best experience of my life. This production has allowed me to see what I am truly capable of, and what all the other cast members can achieve. As a performer, stepping out onto that stage in front of so many people is such a massive thing, and seeing everyone transform into their character on that stage was so magical. I am also so incredibly thankful for all the brand new friendships I have made. This, and how close I have become to people I already knew. I am thankful to everyone who has made this such an unforgettable experience.
Emily Gerada - Student Director
‘Step Back In Time’ the musical has been one of the amazing and fulfilling experiences.This year I was given the wonderful opportunity to play a lead role in the musical and selected as a student director. It has been so eye-opening to watch everyone in the production grow so close together and step out of their comfort zones. It was magical to meet so many like-minded people and I am so glad that I stepped out of my own comfort zone and auditioned for a role. I will be forever grateful for this experience.
Clarence Marshall - Arts Leader, Writer and Director
‘Step Back in Time’ was originally written in 2004. It began with a simple story of a young, confident boy (Andy) who really liked a sweet, gentle girl (Roxy) who was crazy about inventing things. Andy wanted to become famous so Roxy invents a travel machine that takes them back in time to meet some of the greatest singers and performers of the past. Now, 16 years later, I got to re-live this magic but with an older group of students and a school where I have had the honour of working at for 24 years. It is Catholic Regional College St Albans’ first ever musical and second major school production.
It has been such an incredible journey of learning, relationship building, risk taking and so much fun. Many hours have gone into this production and many talented students and staff have had a major part in bringing this musical to life. A school musical requires students to step out of their comfort zone, work with younger and older members of the school community and place their trust in the staff who work with them. This year the students involved truly rose to the occasion. They amazed me with their dedication, commitment, passion and love for the Performing Arts. The musical also needed the support of staff and the school community. This year there have been over 20 staff and many parents who contributed in different ways to the production. I would like to thank the Arts, Technology and Learning Support staff who have assisted in the production process and making the show come to life.
Congratulations to all involved.
READER'S CUP . . .
Students currently in the top 10 place on the Readers’ Cup Ladder:
Gregory Estepa, Marsel Eshaq, Vincent Truong, Narmin Atallah, Ghandi Matti, Madyan Tamoz, Malak Ayshoa, Athraa Matti, Merama Baqtar AND Sadeem Alkateb.
BOOKWEEK ACTIVITIES . . .
Winners:
Monday Guess the Reader competition Reuben Rock 8 Edison
Tuesday Name the Book the Film Was Based On Marern Tachee 9 Deakin
Wednesday - Reading Hour
BOOK REVIEW
It Sounded Better in My Head
by Nina Kenwood
Natalie just got her ATAR and is waiting for her uni placement when her world turns. Mum and Dad are separating - a fact they have hidden from her for ten months, all in the name of successful studying.
Natalie is an adorable and angsty teenager. Having suffered from severe acne since puberty, she hates her body, her scars and stretch marks, and generally being seen.
She has two best friends, Zach and Lucy, but this is now sometimes awkward since they became an item. And then Natalie and Zach’s older brother start having a thing. But what is this thing as Natalie has never had any sort of romantic relationship before?
Beautifully written, with real and utterly believable characters, this book is so easy to get into. It handles first love and the insecurities of growing up today with humour and compassion.
REMINDER
please return overdue Library books
Student Reflection - Caelen Khoo Yr 7
On Friday the 9th of August, all the Students Leaders went to the St Albans Community Centre to learn skills about how to become better leaders. Past students Kathleene Mendoza and Gerri Carreon from Catholic Regional College St Albans and guest speakers Hayden O’Doherty, Romina Martinello and Ms Christina Utri came to speak to us about:
- Servant Leadership
- Balance and Organisation
- Public Speaking
- Events Management
- Confidence and Resilience
We were able to pick three workshops to attend and I got two of my choices; public speaking and balance and organization, as well as servant leadership. I found all three of these to be interesting and fun. I have learnt so much from the workshops! I hope I can skills I learnt and put them into practise soon.
Newsletter
The newsletter is published fortnightly and distributed on Day 10. Students will have a chance to read it before taking it home to families that evening.
Newsletter Days for Term 3 2019 are due:
Friday:
6 September and 20 September
The newsletter can also be accessed via the school app or on the College website at http://www.crcstalbans.catholic.edu.au
Brimbank City Council are excited to launch In2Active - Free group exercise classes for young people. Supported by Sport Australia, Council will be delivering the program for 12 months to break down the barriers young people face to accessing Brimbank’s Leisure Centres and physical activity programs.
In2Active offers free, 45min classes such as yoga, circuit training and boxing on a term by term basis. Term 3 is at Sunshine Leisure Centre on Wednesday and Fridays from 4pm, with each term thereafter being shaped by the participants depending on what they want.
This is a fantastic program to get our young people more confident with being active without cost, commitment or competitiveness.
For more information visit brimbank.vic.gov.au/in2active.
Well done to the year 9 students on their participation in the Year 9 Premier League season.
Students took part in numerous sports including; netball, basketball, volleyball and soccer. The students represented the school with pride and should be congratulated on their efforts. Boys volleyball and boys soccer only just missed out on making the finals by percentage.
