Advent begins…. 

Lord, we are so often overwhelmed by

the busyness of this time of the year.

O come Emmanuel,

come into our hearts

and show us by your light

the beauty of your way of love.

We are your people, Lord,

and we are waiting for your return.

Come Lord Jesus.

Amen.

Advent is a time for walking slowly when others are rushing, for travelling lightly when consumers are burdened with merchandise, for eating less with others are eating more, for focus inward when merrymakers drone in noisy carousing. Preoccupied with gift lists, Christmas cards and party planning, we allow Advent, this quiet season, to become the most frantic time of the year. Without Advent, it is difficult to find the Christmas Christ. When dazzled by tinsel, we cannot see the star, let alone follow it. When speeding through the countdown before Christmas Day, we bypass the stable, and when our ears fill with jingles, about Frosty and Rudolph, we miss the sweet strains of the angels’ song…

(Mitch Finley, With Grateful Hearts)

As our opening prayer and reflection reminds us, December can be overwhelmingly busy. We need to take care that the very busyness of this time does not distract us from living an Advent season that truly prepares us for Christmas; for the peace, joy and hope that this season brings. I pray that in the next few weeks, you will find time to simply sit and spend time with God who is waiting, and that you are blessed with the space to watch, wait and prepare for the birthday of Christ.

TOGETHER - we did it!

2021, 2021 has once again been a challenging year, a year where a significant part of Semester 2 was spent working remotely, and many events were planned and cancelled. We repeatedly rode the wave of expectation and disappointment. Yet throughout all this time, students, staff and families continued to show remarkable grit, resilience and support for each other. It is important to recognise these amazing qualities.

Over the past few weeks, Ms Cioccia has worked with students and staff to capture words or phrases that sum up 2021. These have been distilled into the phrase TOGETHER – we did it! All students will receive a badge with these words to celebrate this achievement. Well done to everyone.

Catherine McAuley Pins

In the College library we have a plaque from 1978 which recognises the contribution of the Sisters of Mercy and the Sisters of St Joseph in establishing primary and secondary education in the St Albans area. The quote from Catherine McAuley on the plaque reads as follows:

It is not for us to bestow gifts like benevolent people in the world but rather to bestow ourselves (1778 – 1841)

These words of Catherine McAuley capture well the spirit of our McAuley pins and the qualities we look for in the recipients. At CRC we encourage young people to be generous with their time and gifts; to look beyond themselves to the needs of others and to work for the common good. They are called to be responsible, compassionate and active citizens who know that they can make a difference, even if it is only one small step at a time. 

Throughout the year students have many opportunities to be involved in learning beyond the classroom and to contribute to the community. This happens through service, leadership, fundraising, sport, the Arts, extension programs and clubs.  I’d like to thank all students for the way they’ve participated and been involved in 2021.

Each year we recognise students who’ve made an outstanding contribution to the school and broader community with a Catherine McAuley pin.

Congratulations to the recipients of the 2021 Catherine McAuley pin. You are indeed people who make a difference and your willingness to lead, challenge, put in and to be part of things is very much appreciated. Thank you.

Recipients of the Catherine McAuley Pin for 2021 are……

YEAR 7

Aurelius Catayong

Michel-Ange Durand Deslongrais

Danilyn Gangur

Javier Aceiton

Angelina Brillouet

Aidan Li

Kevin Phung

Amanda Rafoo

Joanne Tran

Emma Lean - Earth Stewardship Cross (50 hours)

Steven Nguyen - Earth Stewardship Cross (50 hours)

YEAR 8

Audrey Gerada

Charlotte Gerada

Ruby Nguyen

Wilsin Ghpreta

Monica Le

Mariam Maroka

Vicky Huynh

Jimmy Tran

Jenny Pham - Earth Stewardship Cross

Roger Louis - Earth Stewardship Pin

Monicka Floresca - Earth Stewardship Pin

YEAR 9

John Bryton Santiago

Caelen Khoo

Ana Markic

Theodore Gatt

Claretta Rock

Katie Cagoroski

Hoang-Quan Tran

My Nguyen

Sammy Zogheib

Tommy Pham - Earth Stewardship Pin

Peter Lean - Earth Stewardship Pin

YEAR 10

Tri Truong

Sacreana Ulugia-Sa'ena

Christian Tapuala-Unasa

Thomas Le

Reuben Rock

Alexandra Tam

Aiden Dang

Juswin Ramachandran

Cayden Aguila

Chloe Lefebure

Melisa Nguyen

Long Tan Leadership Award

Each year the Australian Defence Force provides a scholarship to recognise a Year 10 student who demonstrates outstanding leadership and teamwork within the school and in the broader community. This student must also demonstrate strong values such as respect for others, always striving to do their best and the best characteristics of mateship.

Congratulations to Tri Truong (10 O’Connell) who is this year’s recipient of the Long Tan Leadership Award. Tri is an excellent role model, an outstanding leader and is always ready to give his time, has initiative and the ability to get things done. Well done Tri.

Ampol All Rounder Award

This award acknowledges a student at Year 7 or 8 for their all-round contribution to the school and the community. This year the award was given to Audrey Gerada (8 Orifici). Congratulations Audrey.

New House Mascots

Throughout the year, the House Captains have been working with a range of students and staff to develop new House mascots. These were launched at the recent school assembly. Thank you to everyone involved.

School Captains 2022

On behalf of the school community I would like to thank our 2021 School Captains: Sacreana Ulugia-Sa’ena and Cayden Aguila, and the Vice Captains: Alexandra Chau and Tri Truong for their great work as leaders in our school. Throughout the year they’ve contributed in a very real and practical way to keeping the community connected through remote learning and in ensuring that students ‘have a voice’ on many issues. I thank them for their time, generosity and willingness to serve our community.

It is with great pleasure that I can now announce that our School Captains for 2022 are My Nguyen and Caelen Khoo. Our Captains will be assisted in their role by Ana Markic and Alex Aceiton who will be Vice Captains. They are a talented and impressive group of young people and I look forward to working with them next year.

College Captains 2022: Caelen Khoo, My Nguyen, Ana Markic and Alex Aceiton

Farewell Year 10 2020

At our final assembly our Year 10 2021 students were farewelled by our 2022 School Captains. Thank you to My and Caelen who spoke so well about the contributions the Year 10 students have made over the past four years. They highlighted the leadership, hospitality and school spirit the Year 10 students have shown, and the way they have kept the community connected throughout this difficult year.

Sacreana and Cayden responded on behalf of the Year 10 students, thanking staff, students and families for their support and reflecting on their time at the College; the many terrific experiences they’ve had and how these have helped shape who they are today.

As I write this newsletter, preparations are under way for tonight’s Graduation. For all of us, students, families and teachers Year 10 Graduation always brings mixed emotions, sadness that it’s time to part, trepidation about the unknown future, but most importantly we all feel a deep sense of satisfaction at a job well done. Tonight will be no different. We are farewelling an outstanding group of young people. It has been a real privilege to work with them.

End of Year Arrangements for Years 7 - 9

Monday 29 November to Wednesday 01 December are normal school days and students are expected to attend in full uniform, with the required books and prepared to finalise their work.

On Thursday 02 December Years 7 - 9 students will enjoy level based offsite activities days.

Students in Years 7 – 9 finish school on Friday 03 December. They are required to be at school by 8.40am (normal time) and will be dismissed at 12.15pm.

Enrolment for 2022

Enrolment at the College continues automatically from year to year. However, if a student in Years 7, 8 or 9 is not returning in 2022, we ask that families notify us as soon as possible. Please email echalmers@crcstalbans.com.auor 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.

Newsletter

The newsletter is published fortnightly on Day 10 (Friday Week 2).

Newsletter Days for Term 4 2021:         

Friday 09 December

The newsletter is available on the College website at http://www.crcstalbans.catholic.edu.au

Year 10 Graduation

In preparation for the Year 10 Graduation 202, students reflected on ‘hope in a challenging year’. The Gospel of John was chosen by the students who felt that finding hope was also finding the light. The following is the Gospel included in the graduation celebration:

Here is the message we have heard from God and now tell to you: God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all. So, if we say that we have fellowship with God, but we continue living in darkness, then we do not follow the light and truth. God is in the light. We should live in the light, too. If we live in the light, we share fellowship with each other. And when we live in the light of Christ, God’s Son, gives us life and hope. (1 John 1:5-7)

Our Year 10 Captain Sacreana, unpacked the Graduation theme `Where there is light there is hope’ in her welcome to students. 

“…..Everyone brought their own light and gifts to this school and became a light for others. When we first stepped into this school with fresh eyes and witnessed our first liturgy, we were met with the words ‘This is a place of goodness and light...’ and rightfully so. Wherever there is light there is hope, and our hopes and dreams have not dulled over the years but have continued to shine as bright as the stars. This light embedded within us led us to become the people who ‘built a house where love can dwell.' ……….This chapter will never be forgotten as long as we continue to share the light within ourselves for where there is light, there is hope”.

We wish our Year 10’s well as they move onto Catholic Regional College Sydenham and continue to share their light with others.

As 2021 House Captains, we leave behind our legacy to be continued and developed further by the future leaders of the school. Our hope is that you embrace these mascots and emblems, and live out the qualities that each house represents.

Thank you.

- Aiden, Angela, Boi, Nadeen, Chrisitan, Gabriel, Felix and Chloe

CORBETT House is named after Fr Vin Corbett.

Corbett House is represented by the wolf and lightning bolts. The wolf symbolises a pack of sharp, intelligent, deeply connected individuals with strong instincts. 

Lightning strikes to unite the land and sky. The bolts of lightning will spark teamwork, courage and energy in all we do. Corbett shares a bond that is grounded, strong and inspires each other to be loyal to the pack.

‘We are many parts but work as one to share, inspire and grow’.

GUELEN House is named after Fr Anthony Guelen.

Guelen House is represented by the mighty lion and the element of the blazing sun. The lion is displayed on the Coat of Arms of the Netherlands, which pays homage to Fr Guelen. A Lion symbolises leadership, strength, and bravery. Just like the mighty roar, we speak up for what’s right and just.

The Blazing Sun is the brightness that warms up our darkest days and we share this with other members of our pride.

‘We turn to God for the strength and warmth to be our best’.

O’REILLY House is named after Fr John O’Reilly. 

O’Reilly House is represented by the dragon and mountain. The colour green represents the origins of Father O’Reilly’s country of birth, Ireland, and means life, rebirth and growth. In Chinese tradition the dragon symbolises healing, prosperity and harmony. 

O’Reilly House strives to inspire others to reach the top of the mountain and bring prosperity and harmony to our school community. 

‘One voice, one faith, one mountain to climb to reach our dreams’.

REIS House is named after Fr Con Reis.

Reis House is represented by the red phoenix and the element of fire. It's raging heat projects its will to compete and win against all odds. A phoenix rises from the ashes to obtain new life, solitude and grace. Its flaming wings protrude, manifesting its strength, perseverance and spirituality. 

Reis House members all start as little flames, and as we grow in number, we grow in spirit. 

‘Let the Spirit guide us so our flame burns brightly’.

The last couple of weeks our Year 9 and 10 students have been busy preparing for and completing their Semester Two exams. We would like to congratulate all our students for demonstrating the character strengths of ‘perseverance, self-regulation and hope’, but above all showing they can master new skills and topics by showing a ‘love for learning’.

We thank our families for supporting our students during the exam period and especially our dedicated staff, who always go above and beyond to ensure our students have every opportunity to succeed, feel safe and reach their full potential.

- Mr Dale Marshall

Friendship

Definition: a state of enduring affection, esteem, intimacy, and trust between two people. In all cultures, friendships are important relationships throughout a person's life span.

Example: A good friend:

• is there for you, no matter what.
• doesn't judge you.
• doesn't put you down or deliberately hurt your feelings.
• is kind and respectful to you.
• is someone whose company you enjoy.
• is loyal.
• is trustworthy and willing to tell you the truth, even when it's hard for you to hear.
• laughs with you.

Synonyms: relationship, alliance, bond, union, camaraderie, friendliness, comradeship, companionship.

If you have any questions or require further information about items in our SHAPE Corner, please do not hesitate to contact Mr Dale Marshall (Health and Physical Education Leader) at our school office or via email at dmarshall@crcstalbans.com.au.

William’s Cup update

Below is the current standing for the 2021 William’s Cup. There has been some movement between Houses since the last update. There is still one more activity to take place, which is the Yr 7 Ball Sports day next Thursday. The William’s Cup will be announced and awarded at the opening school assembly at the beginning of 2022.

1.	Guelen	178.5 points
2.	Corbett	153 points
3.	Reis	133 points
4.	O'Reilly	127.5 points

      

 SACCSS Awards Lunch

Yesterday our House Captains, Mr Marshall and myself attended the virtual SACCSS Awards Lunch. Although we couldn’t come together with the other students from the other SACCSS schools, it was nice to come together online. Staff and students enjoyed a lunch together and then watched the awards online. We were able to hear from some past SACCSS students who represented Australia at the Olympics, including Ivo Dos Santos - Judo (London 2012), Luke Mathews - Track (Rio 2016) and Reno Piscopo - Football (Tokyo 2020). Congratulations to Chloe Lefebure and Felix Tejo who received the John Landy Awards for 2021. Thank you to Mr Marshall for his assistance with organising the day.

- Ms Andrea Jurcec

TOGETHER - WE DID IT!

I would like to share some of the reflections from students and staff about our collective experience of 2020/21...

- Although this year might have been a very hard year emotionally and physically, we got through it because we worked together. We can always achieve anything because nothing is ever impossible if we work together as one.

- The positive, caring, committed school community is what ties us together and keeps us going in the right direction.

- This period of time has really allowed us to be able to reflect upon ourselves and really determine what makes us happy and what we are exactly doing. Hopefully from this year, we will be seeing many changes and happy people!

- We looked out for one another.

- You can be isolated but also feel connected at the same time. 

Thank you to all the students and staff who offered up their thoughts and reflections.

- Ms Laura Cioccia

MCAULEY AWARDS GALLERY

MAKING MUD DUMPLINGS

This week, Year 7 EAL students had the opportunity to learn from Hayden the art of making perfectly shaped and polished mud dumplings out of the most humble material in the garden! 

Creating mud dumplings can be very calming and relaxing, which makes it a wonderful mindful activity. Your mind remains engaged in the process of rounding and polishing, but in the meantime you are disconnected from everything else. 

There is a repetitive quality to the work but it is still challenging as the ball of clay changes quickly and often cracks if you don’t pay close attention to it. With that being said, sometimes you make a beautifully polished mud dumpling, sometimes you enjoy the process and learn :)

Scroll through the photos to view the Year 7s' amazing work.

- Ms Lin Lin

YEAR 10 GRADUATION GALLERY