Awaken me, Lord

To your light,

Open my eyes

To your presence.

Awaken me, Lord

To your love,

Open my heart

To your indwelling.

Awaken me, Lord

To your life,

Open my mind

To your abiding.

Awaken me, Lord

To your purpose,

Open my will

To your guiding.

(David Adam, Tides and Seasons – Modern Prayers in the Celtic Tradition)

Welcome Back

Welcome back to Term 4. I hope that everyone had a good break and returns well rested, re-charged and ready for a big final term.

The next few weeks look very busy as we prepare for Image 2022, our annual Arts and Technology Exhibition and the Inter-house Athletics Carnival, both in Week 4.

As we move into the fourth quarter, I encourage students to remain focussed on their studies. It is important to keep on top of things and in the words of football coaches to do the ‘one percenters’ well: use your diary, use class time well, ask questions, set up a study group with friends, complete homework, don’t leave things to the last minute, organise your locker and your study space at home, start exam revision today, meet deadlines, come to class prepared………If we do all this, there will be no regrets at the end of the year.

Year 9 Camp

It is always a great sign when students and staff come back from a camp with broad smiles on their faces. This was certainly the case on the last day of Term 3 when the Year 9 students returned from camp in the Grampians. Everyone had a great time.

On behalf of the Year 9 students I’d like to thank Ms Roberts and all the staff who planned and attended the camp. It was a terrific experience for everyone. Families will recognise that it is a huge responsibility taking away over 130 adolescents. I thank staff for their willingness to be part of challenging activities such as this, and students who were engaged, positive, mature and responsible in their approach to the camp. I know that the benefits of learning opportunities such as this are immeasurable.

Inter house Athletics Carnival: Friday 28 October

Preparations are under way as Houses get ready for the Athletics Carnival in two weeks. We hope for a fine day but should it be raining the normal Day 10 program will run.

Families are very welcome to join us for part, or all of the day. The carnival will be held at:

Moonee Valley Athletics Centre

Corio Street

Moonee Ponds 3039

Term 4 Uniform

From Wednesday 02 November all students will need to be in full summer uniform.

Sun Smart

The College Sun Smart policy is available on the website.

As we are now well into spring, forecasts of UV levels are predicted to reach three or higher during the period from now to the end of April. UV radiation is a major cause of skin cancer, and UV damage accumulated during childhood and adolescence is strongly associated with the risk of skin cancer later in life. We encourage families to speak with their child about ensuring they are Sun Smart during this time, including:

• wearing appropriate clothing
• wearing a broad brimmed, bucket or legionnaire hat while outside
• applying SPF30 or higher broad spectrum water resistant sunscreen approximately 20 minutes prior to going outside and re-applying every two hours while outside, or immediately after physical activity and swimming
• remaining in the shade during times when you are not involved in a specific outdoor activity, or if you are unable to follow the above recommendations.

We also encourage all adults, including parents/carers, to adopt a SunSmart approach for themselves, not only to protect themselves from the dangers of UV radiation, but to also act as role models for our students.

For more information on sun protection, please go to the SunSmart website:  https://www.sunsmart.com.au/

Cup Weekend

Families are reminded that there are no classes on Monday 31 October or Tuesday 01 November due to the Cup weekend. 

The break provides students with the opportunity to prepare for the final weeks of Term 4. It is a good time to catch up on work and hopefully time for families to have a break. Whilst we will still have restrictions, it is the first holiday in a while where we will not be in complete lockdown.

Changes to COVID-19 Isolation Requirements

You may be aware that the Victorian Government has announced changes to the COVID-19 isolation requirements.

This means that the mandatory orders around isolation for people with COVID-19 have ended and instead we move to health advice and recommendations for people with COVID-19 or COVID-19-like symptoms.

Our school will continue to adhere to the Department of Health’s recommendations to ensure that our school remains a safe environment for our staff and students.

The Department of Health strongly recommends that students and school staff:

• who test positive to COVID-19 stay home and isolate for 5 days and do not attend school after 5 days if they are still symptomatic
• who are symptomatic but have not tested positive, not attend school. This does not include students with pre-existing conditions such as hay fever.

If your child tests positive for COVID-19, please let us know. You should also continue to notify the Department of Health via their webform or by calling 1800 675 398.

However, we will no longer report positive cases to the school community. This means that families will no longer receive the email alert and letter when there is a positive case in the school.

Please continue to remain vigilant about preventing COVID-19 transmission. Any student who is unwell should continue to remain at home. This helps to keep staff and students healthy and well in our school and reduces the spread of both COVID-19 and other respiratory diseases. 

Parents and carers will be contacted if their child shows symptoms while at school.

Students who wish to wear a mask should continue to do so.

Enrolment for 2023

Enrolment at the College continues automatically from year to year. However, if a student in Years 7, 8 or 9 is not returning in 2023, we ask that families notify 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.

Newsletter

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

Newsletter Days for Term 4 2022:   

Fridays:               28 October,    11 November,     25 November,     16 December

“Learn about the past and make a commitment to the future.”

• He challenged all Australians to ensure the preservation of Indigenous cultures and to keep working for an inclusive multicultural Australia.
• He called us to seek and explore the points of agreement between Indigenous traditions and those of Jesus and all his people.
• He praised the way the Indigenous peoples had cared for the land and then challenged us to learn together how to preserve our fragile environment.
• Finally, by naming past hurts and continuing injustices, John Paul II confronted us as a nation with the need to move towards true reconciliation.

Through the Aboriginal spirituality unit taught at Year 9, students learnt about the link the aboriginals had and have with the earth, and how this link was not acknowledged by the early white settlers.

As part of the Year 9 Camp, students participated in a Welcome to Country Smoking Ceremony and made a commitment to “Learn about the past and make a commitment to the future". Students were then invited to seal their commitment by writing their  name onto the cross that had been designed by an Aboriginal Woman from the Santa Monica Community, Alice Springs. It is our way of preserving the Indigenous culture and moving towards true Reconciliation.The following prayer was shared at the ceremony.

Father God,

Mother Country,

Giver of Life and Love.

Bless us all as we return to our communities.

Help us to see each other as we are:

with our own dreamings,

our diversity,

our histories,

our visions.

We are the past

We are the future

We are here today.

Lord, please provide your guidance

to lead us in our understandings of our rich

and diverse cultures and languages.

Help us to see all people as they are:

Happy, Proud and Wise peoples.

We make this prayer through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Year 8 Hollows 'Renaissance Explorers Research Poster Task'- Students are exploring famous people and the legacies from the historical period. The Renaissance, an era of human discovery and creativity. 

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Junior Girls Futsal 

On Tuesday 12 October we had the opportunity to represent CRC St Albans at the SACCS Junior Futsal. For me it was a memorable day because I have never ever had more fun playing futsal than this experience. So many funny things happened during the day too!

At first when I signed up to play, I thought to myself that if I made the slightest mistake the team would be furious at me. However, as our team continued to work together through each match, we all made mistakes and we weren’t perfect. We didn’t get mad at each other for making mistakes, we laughed through them as a team. We had a lot of fun, although we still had competitive energy and spirit. It didn’t matter if we won or lost. What mattered most is that we had fun playing futsal together as a team!

- Teresa Marsom, Yr 7 Yarra

Current Year 9 Families

Year 11 2024 Enrolment & VET Information Night

CRC Sydenham

Monday 21st November

Wellbeing For Learning

CLEARING THE AIR 

Vaping Online Presentation

As there has been an increase in young people across Australia partaking in unhealthy behaviours around vaping, we have organised a presentation for families and members of our school community to get further information about vaping and its impacts on our health and wellbeing. Please see the additional topics covered below and details on how to connect.

Date: Thursday 20 October 2022

Time: 6:00 PM

Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85770191344

Meeting ID: 857 7019 1344

Passcode: 360353

The following will be covered in the presentation:

• What is vaping?
• Vaping & E-Cigarettes - Fact or Fiction?
• Vape & E-Cigarettes Anatomy
• Nicotine
• Peer Pressure or Social Norms
• What attracts young people to vaping?
• Vape & E-cigarette Marketing
• Vaping & E-cigarette Lung Diseases
• School policy, advocacy & the law
• What can you do about the Vape & E-Cigarette Problem?
• A Good Reason to Quit
• Social Triggers when Quitting
• How To Quit Vaping

If you have any questions or require further information about the online presentation, please contact the front office on 9366 2544 or Dale Marshall on dmarshall@crcstalbans.com.au

Peer Support Leaders 2023

For almost 50 years, Peer Support Australia has provided essential support to Australian schools to positively impact the wellbeing of children and young people. Healthier relationships, positive school culture and improved student wellbeing can be cultivated by:

• providing students with social and emotional knowledge and skills
• partnering with parents to develop a shared language for guiding students through emotional responses and interactions with others
• supporting teachers to value student’s voices; involving students in decisions about their school and learning.

We are looking for 10-15 current Year 9 students to be Peer Support Leaders in 2023.

Students will be involved in leading activities with our Year 7 students and Homeroom in 2023 and will build a school community that is welcoming for the new members of our school.

If you want to develop your leadership skills and build a greater connection with students in our school community. Please use the google link to fill out the Peer Support Expression of Interest Form.

Mr Dale Marshall will meet with interested students next week and provide further information and critical training dates.

Optimistic October

Experiencing positive emotions helps us be more resilient. By choosing to stay optimistic, we can cope better with difficulties and get more out of life.

Please see our Optimistic October calendar full of actions to help you to stay optimistic in the face of challenges. Please share it with your loved ones too.

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Mental Health Month

October is Mental Health Month which is a reminder to look after our mental health and highlights the importance of knowing how to support others.

Check out the link to Mental Health Australia's tips for daily mental health actions for you or someone you're supporting.

Activity: Rate where you are for each of the ten tips and what you need to do to maintain and/or improve your own mental health.

Our Positive School Wide Behaviours (PSWB) at CRC St Albans

As we welcome our school community back for Term 4, it is important that we re-visit and re-establish our 'Consistent Predictable Routines' in classes, around our school and in our community.

This will help us all support our wellbeing and build our capacity to engage and learn.

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Wellbeing for Learning

Across the Year Levels

Year 7:

Last term’s RESPECT response challenge was highly successful and it was fantastic to see students treating each other in a way that made them feel included and valued. A big congratulations to 7 Yarra for winning the competition again and every class should be commended for their efforts in building a supportive community. The challenge is to maintain the momentum as we enter our final term for the Year. 

In this light, we are asking students to consider the “Positive School Wide Behaviours” that focus on our community. How can we include others every day or every week? In relation to building a sense of community, the Movie Club and Nintendo Club are still taking place, and we are also examining a regular time for an Indoor Soccer Club at lunch. 

It is now also time to start considering Year 8 homerooms for 2023. The students have been sent a Google Form and asked who they would like in their homeroom next year. We will do our best to include one of the people; however, of course, the top priority is to create homerooms that are harmonious and maximise class learning.

Mr Andrew Bain-King, Yr 7 Leader

Year 9:

It is now Term 4 and we are already flying through the Term. Year 9 Camp was a huge success, with students returning from Halls Gap exhausted but with broad smiles on their faces. We have begun looking at ‘Sleep’ in Pastoral Care and its impacts on themselves and encouraging them to complete a sleep diary for the next 2 weeks. In Trinity, we are continuing our ‘Positive Relationships Unit’, exploring identity and the gender stereotypes placed on men and women in society. In the coming weeks, we will begin exploring ‘Make A Difference, where students will be focusing on an issue in the community that students want to shed light on and inform others about. 

Overall, it is an exciting time for Year 9s and we look forward to continuing to prosper until the end of the Term.

Ms Christie Roberts, Yr 9 Leader