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Through the example of Mary MacKillop,
may we learn to recognise God's will for us
and trust in God's providence.
May her life of service
awaken in us a deep respect for the poor
and a passion for justice.
May we share in her courage,
see with her vision, love with her heart
and live with her simplicity.
Amen
On Monday we celebrate the Feast of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop. Mary was a woman of great faith. In all she did, she promoted the dignity of others and worked tirelessly to help them. She provided comfort, compassion, education and love in our Australian context. Her steadfast commitment to her faith and the service of others is a true inspiration to us all.
School Assembly
At today’s school assembly we recognised a number of students for academic excellence in Semester 1, and others for service to and involvement in the life of the school community. Congratulations to each award recipient. They are people who give 100% in all they do and should be very proud of what they have achieved in Semester 1.
At the assembly, we recognised students with the best results in each class. In the coming week, students in the top 10% of the year level will receive a letter of commendation.
Student led Parent / Teacher / Student conferences
Thank you to families for joining us for the student led conferences. Whilst this type of conference was introduced as a response to COVID, the dynamic of students leading the conference; celebrating their successes and sharing goals for Semester is important in developing student agency for their learning.
I know that for families, finding the time to attend these interviews is not always easy, however, your support and presence is very much appreciated.
A small number of families were unable to attend. Pastoral care teachers or Year Level Leaders will make contact in the next week or so.
On behalf of families, I’d like to thank staff for their time and preparation for these interviews.
School Advisory Council
On Monday the CRC St Albans School Advisory Council (SAC) met for the first time. Among other items, discussion included:
- Understanding the ‘Terms of Reference’ for School Advisory Councils.
- Child Safety and changes to the Child Safe Standards
- Online safety and student wellbeing.
- Information about a possible partnership between Resurrection parish and school, CRC St Albans and Buyaga Parish in Uganda.
Melinda Wejak agreed to act as Chair and Geisel Garcia-Aceiton will represent St Albans on the CRC Federation School Advisory Council. I thank both for their generosity in taking on the additional responsibility.
Farewell
Today, we farewell Mr Tung Phan who is moving to a new school much closer to home. For the past six years, Tung has taught Maths across the school and assisted with translating and interpreting for Vietnamese families. Apart from being a committed, caring and talented Maths teacher, he has contributed much to our community. We will always remember the annual Autumn Moon Festival; the students he trained for the bamboo and dragon dances; all that he taught us about Vietnamese culture; his magic tricks; badminton in the morning; the spring rolls and chicken wings on Feast Day; the tutoring groups he ran, and the sense of fun and generosity he brought to all he did.
Tung’s work day began very early and ended late as he travelled to St Albans from the outer Eastern suburbs of Melbourne; a 90 minute one-way trip. We can only imagine the hours that he sat in traffic on congested freeway carparks. Whilst we are very sad that he is leaving, we wish him all the very best as he continues his teaching at Nazareth College in Noble Park. From all of us, thank you Tung.
Professional Practice Day (Wednesday 10 August)
On this day students are not required at school as staff are involved in a range of professional learning and planning tasks.
Year 10 students taking a VCE or VET class will need to attend classes at CRC Sydenham as normal.
Newsletter
The newsletter is published fortnightly and available online on Day 10 (Friday Week 2).
Newsletter Days for Term 3 2022:
Fridays: 19 August, 02 September, 16 September
Key Dates Term 3 2022
| Tuesday 9 August: |
Year 11 course selection (Year 10 students) Year 10 Social |
| Wed 10 August: | Professional Practice Day (Students not required at school) |
| Monday 29 August: | SACCSS Interschool Athletics Carnival |
| Tuesday 6 September: | Immersion Day (whole school) |
| 12 September – 16 September (WK 10): | Year 10 Work Experience / Blended Learning Week |
| 14 September – 16 September (WK 10): | Year 9 Camp |
Throughout the week students have had the opportunity to explore aspects of Italian and Chinese culture through a wide range of activities organised by Mrs Peng, Ms Lin, Ms Iaria and Mr Zarosinski. During Year 7 Italian and Chinese classes, the students explored culture through film. The Year 8 Chinese classes learnt the art of calligraphy, while the Year 8 Italian students gathered around food to learn the history of pasta in Australia and tried their hands at making tagliatelle. The Year 9 Chinese classes explored Peking Opera and the art behind Chinese masks. Finally, the Year 10 Language group got a chance to learn from Mrs Peng herself how to make some delicious fried wonton from scratch! It was truly a great week for all the year levels to explore language and culture.
All throughout the week, students also had the chance to participate in the Languages Competition on Education Perfect. The competition closes Sunday 7th August. Check out the following link for the latest results: https://app.educationperfect.com/c/#LW2C2
Check out the photos below for an insight to what the students got up to this week:
Why study a language?
In an ever-increasing multicultural society, bilingualism and multilingualism in Australia is becoming the norm. It is said that learning a new language opens your eyes to a new world; a new way of thinking. The science behind language learning and how the brain makes connections shows that language learning has its benefits for all ages. Check out the following articles and videos to explore why it might just be worth your while to keep learning an additional language:
Back in Term 2, on May 6, sixteen students sat the Big Science Competition run by the organisation, the Australian Science Innovations. The Big Science Competition is an international competition where students from across the world complete multiple-choice questions that test science knowledge, critical-thinking and problem-solving skills, in a 50-minute session. Questions were based on real-life contemporary contexts, making them relatable and interesting!
Congratulations to the following students:
Certificate of Distinction:
Roger Louis 9 Deakin
Steven Nguyen 8 Clark
Certificate of Credit:
Evan Barisic 9 Hughes
Aurelius Catayong 8 Clark
Teresa Marsom 7 Yarra
Certificate of Participation:
Laeisha Catayong 10 Chisholm
Claretta Rock 10
Diana Doan 9
Monicka Floresca 9
Antonio Renda 9
Alexia Fiorentino 7 Kiewa
Charlie Ha 7 Kiewa
Robert Hlawnceu 7 Kiewa
Jason Huynh 7 Kiewa
Ayom Nyok 7 Kiewa
Raghd Sami 7 Kiewa
Our Rights and Responsibilities at CRC St Albans
It is important that all members of our school community have the right to learn, teach and work in a safe and orderly environment.
Therefore, we ask all members of our school community to please familiarise themselves with our 'Rights and Responsibilities' document attached (posters also up in each room).
What we collectively hope to achieve:
-
- an understanding of the importance of the staff member and teacher as authority figures in the classroom and around the school.
- to re-establish boundaries around learning and behaviour.
- to use the language of our Rights and Responsibilities to maintain (or establish) order in classrooms.
- for each student to clearly understand their role in ensuring a safe and orderly environment and are 'Ready to Learn'.
We will unpack our rights and responsibilities further in classes over the next few weeks.
Character Strength of the Week
Perspective - Virtue of Wisdom
Definition: A particular attitude towards or way of regarding something; the ability to see the bigger picture in life.
Explanation: I give advice to others by considering different (and relevant) perspectives and using my own experiences and knowledge to clarify the big picture.
Synonyms: Outlook, view, stance, point of view.
Quote: "Life is about perspective and how you look at something... ultimately, you have to zoom out" (Whitney Wolfe Herd).
Further Information: Perspective is about being able to see the forest as well as the trees, to avoid getting wrapped up in the small details when there are bigger issues to consider. While listening to others, perspective helps you to simultaneously think about life lessons, proper conduct, and what's best for the situation being discussed. This ability to look at systems as a whole, or to think in big terms, helps you to offer good advice.
Altruistic August
Remember, kindness brings light and hope in difficult times. So, let's be extra kind to others this month - and remember to extend that same kindness to yourself too.
Parent Corner
Please see TRP Parent/Carer Support which has practical ideas for families to embed gratitude into their daily routines.
COVID Safe Procedures
As we continue to ensure we are creating a safe and orderly environment for learning and teaching to take place, it is important that we maintain our COVID Safe Protocols.
These are simple steps we can all take this winter to reduce the transmission of any communicable disease and ensure our school is a safe and productive learning environment for all.
Face Masks:
- The Victorian Department of Health strongly recommends that face masks are worn in indoor settings. As a result, we are asking all students aged 8 and over and all staff in all schools across Victoria to wear masks when in class (except where removing a mask is necessary for clear communication) from now to the end of winter.
- Masks are not required to be worn outdoors, but can be worn when physical distancing is not possible. This expectation should not constrain student participation in the full range of school activities, including music, sport and performances.
Hand Sanitiser:
- Please ensure that we are practising good hygiene around hand washing and sanitising. This includes as we enter and leave each class.
- Note, only staff members are responsible for handling sanitising bottles.
Yr 11 2023
Rabbit, Soldier, Angel, Thief by Katrina Nannestad
The writer transports us to Russia and the Great Patriotic War and into the life of Sasha, a soldier
at only six years old ... "Wood splinters and Mama screams and the nearest soldier seizes her
roughly by the arms. My sister pokes her bruised face out from beneath the table and shouts,
Run, Sasha! Run! So, I run. I run like a rabbit. It's spring, 1942. The sky is blue, the air is warm
and sweet with the scent of flowers. And then everything is gone. The flowers, the proud geese,
the pretty wooden houses, the friendly neighbours."
alone in war-torn Russia, cannot survive. One small boy without a family cannot survive. One small boy without his home cannot survive. What that small boy needs is an army. From the award-winning author of We Are Wolves comes the story of a young boy who becomes a soldier at six, fighting in the only way he can - with love. But is love ever enough when the world is at war?
A Little Spark by Barry Jonsberg
"I don't tell Mum and Sam anything about my weekends with Dad. It would be giving them tickets
into that world. The world Dad and I have created. And I don't want to do that. It's ours. It's all we
have. It's all we've been allowed since my parents got divorced."
Cate gets to spend every second weekend with her dad, and each time something special and
surprising happens. Something that fires the creative spark that Cate channels into her writing.
And everything is fine until Cate's stepdad, Sam, gets offered his dream job in London and her
mum decides they are going to move to England with him. Cate must decide what she wants for herself. She loves both her parents, but she must choose between them. A warm and funny novel full of unexpected twists and turns, joy and heartbreak.
Dragon ball Z by Akira Toriyama
Dragon Ball Z follows the adventures of Goku who defends the Earth against villains including aliens, androids, and magical creatures.
Reader's Cup Ladder
QUATREFOILS RESTAURANT - CRC SYDENHAM
We have a new American style menu for the next couple of weeks featuring a warming chowder, slow cooked beef brisket, buttermilk fried chicken, bombe Alaska and decadent cheesecake.
We currently have bookings available for this menu on:
- Tuesday 9th of August
- Wednesday 10th of August
- Thursday 11th of August
- Tuesday 16th of August
- Thursday 18th of August
Bookings are also currently available for later this term on:
- Tuesday 13th of September
- Wednesday 14th of September
Each evening will include a 3-course dinner for only $35. Beverages are available for purchase through our fully licensed bar, with mocktail and cocktail specials.
We also have a children's (under 12's) menu available which includes unlimited soft drinks for only $15 each.
Charity Dinners
The end of August leads into our charity dinner series curated by our students as part of their social justice initiatives.
These are special one off events with a custom theme and menu for the night. A portion of the dinner cost will be donated to charity and there will be additional events to raise funds for each charity on the night.
Numbers are strictly limited for each event, with more information to be released in the coming weeks:
- Tuesday 23rd of August: Dunlop charity dinner raising funds for McAuley Community Services for Women.
- Tuesday 30th of August: Mackillop charity dinner raising funds for Ozanam House
- Wednesday 31st of August: Chang charity dinner raising funds for Timor Leste
- Thursday 1st of September: Truganini charity dinner
- Tuesday 6th of September: Bradman charity dinner raising funds for Catholic Care Victoria
Bookings for all dinners and events are available for 6.30pm and can be made by emailing quatrefoils@crcs.vic.edu.au
Please include:
- the date you would like to book
- a contact name
- a contact number or email
- the number of guests
- any dietary requirements
Thank you for supporting our students and the Hospitality programs at Catholic Regional College, Sydenham.
Kind Regards,
Richard McGuire | Quatrefoils Restaurant
Ph: 03 9361 0026
E: Quatrefoils@crcs.vic.edu.au