My big fella boss up in the sky is like the father Emu.

He will always look after me and take me to green grass,

and lead me to where the water holes are

full and fresh all the time.

He leads me away from the thick scrub and helps me keep safe from the hunters, dingoes and eagles.

At night time when I am very lonely and sad,

I will not be afraid,

for my Father covers me with his feathers

like a father emu.

His spear and shield will always protect me.

My big fella boss always give me a good feed

in the middle of my enemies.

In hot times he makes me sit down in a cool shade and rest.

He gives me plenty of love and care all of my life through.

Then I will live with my big fella boss like a father emu:

that cares for his chicks in good country, full of peace and safety

For evermore and evermore.

Amen.

This week marks NAIDOC week across Australia. NAIDOC week is an opportunity for all Australians to come together to celebrate the rich history, diverse cultures and the achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, the oldest continuing culture on our planet.

Always Was, Always Will Be, the theme for NAIDOC week 2020, recognizes that First Nations people have occupied and cared for this continent for over 65,000 years. It acknowledges and celebrates that our nation’s story didn’t begin with documented European contact but that the very first footprints on this continent were those belonging to First Nations people.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were Australia’s first explorers, first navigators, first engineers, first farmers, first botanists, first scientists, first diplomats, first astronomers and first artists.

Australia has the world’s oldest oral stories. The First Peoples engraved the world’s first maps, made the earliest paintings of ceremony and invented unique technologies. We built and engineered structures - structures on Earth - predating well-known sites such as the Egyptian Pyramids and Stonehenge.

NAIDOC 2020 invites all Australians to embrace the true history of our country – a history which dates back thousands of generations.

I would like to thank Ms Lowe for planning and leading our NAIDOC week awareness raising and reflection activities.

Finishing the Year Well

Students across the school have a range of exams, class tests and assessment tasks which need to be completed over the next 2 - 3 weeks. It’s important that everyone remains focussed and works hard to the end of the year.

As always, students need to be at school each day unless they are sick. Sometimes students will ask parents and carers for a day off towards the end of the year, claiming that things are winding down. This is not the case. The final weeks of the year are a time to put in extra effort, not to wind down. The time to kick back from a break will come with the holidays.

Best wishes

Throughout lockdown online chess has been popular with some of our students. Next week, our chess team will be competing in the SACCSS Interschool online chess tournament. We wish this team of skilled, strategic thinkers the very best as they represent our school.

Graduation and Final Day for Year 10

The final day for Year 10 students will be Friday 27 November. Plans for the day have changed a number of times as we monitor the easing of restrictions. With limited excursions now possible, we are exploring a mix of onsite and offsite activities to celebrate the culmination of students’ time at the College.

Sadly, the Graduation ceremony will be limited to students only, however, we will livestream the event so that families can be part of it from home.

Details for both events will be forwarded to Year 10 families once they are finalised.

Report Preparation Day: Friday 27 November

Whilst assessment and finalisation of reports continue into the last week of Term 4, Friday 27 November is set aside for Years 7 – 9 staff to mark exams and to begin the preparation of reports.

Years 7 - 9 will not be required at school.

Keeping Everyone Safe 

All families and students are reminded that whilst restrictions in Melbourne are easing, each of us needs to do our part in reducing the risk of transmission of the coronavirus (COVID-19). Students and staff need to:

1. Stay home if they are unwell, and get tested for COVID if they show even the mildest of symptoms.
2. Practice good hand hygiene.
3. Coughing into the elbow.
4. Wearing a mask to and from school, and at school.

The advice on masks is that they should be changed after four hours. Families are asked to send students to school with a second mask and a plastic bag for storing the used mask. Spare masks are available from the office if students forget their mask at home.

Enrolment for 2021

If a student in Years 7, 8 or 9 is not continuing at the College in 2021, we ask that their family notifies 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 some levels and would like to let these families know sooner, rather than later.

Term 4 Uniform

All students should now be in full summer uniform.

Newsletter

In Term 4 the newsletter will continue to be published online only. Families will receive a SMS with a link to the newsletter, and students will receive the newsletter by email.

Newsletter Days for Term 4 2020:             

Fridays:                 27 November     18 December

The newsletter can always be accessed on the College website at http://www.crcstalbans.catholic.edu.au

Tuesday 17 November: McAuley Awards Assembly

20 November – 25 November: Years 9 and 10 Exams

Thursday 26 November: Year 10 Graduation

Friday 27 November: Report Preparation Day (Years 7 - 9 not required at school)

 and Year 10 Final Day

30 November – 4 December: Year 11 2021 Orientation at CRC Sydenham

Friday 4 December: Final Day for students in Years 7 - 9         

Friday 18 December: School office closes

Food Bank Food Drive

Firstly I would like to thank everyone who helped make the casual clothes day possible. An extra big thanks to Wendy, Pauline and Joy who worked hard in the canteen to make our red food day possible.

We raised $1450.50 last Friday at the casual clothes day which is an incredible community effort. $503 was donated by the students during morning PC - that's an average of $26.50 per homeroom. Our total amount of money raised will be donated to Loaves and Fishes Food Bank at the McAuley awards on Tuesday.

In addition to this the school raised:

115kgs of Rice

65 packets of pasta (32.5 kgs)

30 jars of pasta sauce

33 tinned tomatoes.

Thanks to our whole school community who participated and supported the Loaves and Fishes Food Bank. 

Jacinta Dykes

Faith Leader

Loving God, bless all those gathered here today

as we come together in friendship and fellowship.

Thank you for the blessings of our individual

and collective God-given gifts.

Place in our hearts the desire to make a difference

to our families, to our community, to our country,

and to the many cultures and people worldwide.

Give us balance in times of distraction and uncertainty.

Help us move towards our goals with determination

and always with an abundant sense of humour.

Thank you for food in a world where many know only hunger;

For our faith in a world where many know fear;

For friends in a world where many know only loneliness.

Please bless this food that we have donated,

and bless and support those who will receive these donations,

may you be with them during these difficult times.

Amen

CRC Student Leaders Conference 2020

MIND OVER MATTER 

This year's Student Leaders Conference was held at the College on Thursday 12th November. The purpose of the conference was to solidify leadership learnings from 2020, and look to the future. Students watched video addresses from former students and staff, and attended workshops covering the topics of Character Strengths, Leading a Team and Being a Positive Role Model During Difficult Times, Working With Loss and Perserverance and Resilience.

YEAR 9 & 10 EXAMS

Exams for Year 9 and 10 students commence on 20th November until the 26th November.  Please note that when students are not completing exams, they will have their normal scheduled classes. Click on the link below to download a copy of the exam schedule. 

YEAR 7 ANCIENT ROME DRAWINGS

SHAPE CHALLENGE NEWS