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Lord,
the resurrection of your Son
has given us new life and renewed hope.
Help us to live as new people
in pursuit of the Christian ideal.
Grant us wisdom to know what we must do,
the will to want to do it,
the courage to undertake it,
the perseverance to continue to do it,
and the strength to complete it.
Amen.
Welcome back for Term 2. I trust that you had a good break, are well rested and enjoyed time with family and friends.
Term 2 is relatively short and shaping up to be quite busy. Apart from the academic program, rehearsals have started for the school production, planning is underway for Feast Day in Week 5, Year 10 Outdoor Education students are preparing for camp, Year 7’s have started Premier League, students are preparing for various interschool events such as badminton, cross country and futsal, and the after school and lunchtime activities are back in full swing.
I know that Years 9 and 10 students have an eye on their exams in Week 8, and that they understand that good exam preparation doesn’t happen the night before an exam but is continuous over the semester.
Between study, out of school commitments and involvement in co-curricular activities, students have many things to juggle. To assist all students with preparation and planning, we will have a strong focus on diary use throughout the school. The effective use of a diary assists with planning, organisation, goal setting, focus and reflection. The College diary is also an invaluable source of information about wellbeing and learning strategies based on the Berry Street Education Model (BSEM). We encourage families to support students in using their diary by checking it regularly.
I wish students and families a fruitful and fulfilling Term 2.
Inviting all Families
In the coming fortnight, you are invited to two very important events for families. Firstly, the Cybersafety Family Education Night on Wednesday 10 May. Supporting young people to be safe online and to operate as responsible digital citizens is a concern for many families. It has been the number one topic in our community conversations over recent years. Technology provides incredible opportunities, both for learning and to engage with others, however, if misused, it can negatively impact both wellbeing and learning.
Secondly, we will have our annual Mother’s Day Breakfast on Monday 15 May. This is an opportunity to celebrate our mums, grandmothers and the special mother figures in our lives whilst enjoying a delicious breakfast and a slower start to the day.
Information about both is included later in the newsletter and has been communicated via other mediums. Much preparation has gone into both events – I encourage families to attend and look forward to seeing you at one or both.
Enhancing Catholic School Identity (ECSI) surveys
Thank you to all families who completed the ECSI survey late last term. Your time and input is very much appreciated. I recognise that it was no simple task to complete the four surveys. Responses from students, families and staff are now being processed by KU Leuven and a report will be forwarded to the school in early October. The information will be important for our school review in 2024.
Thank You
Thank you to all families for your participation of the Student / Parent / Teacher interviews at the end of Term 1. Your interest is very much appreciated and is of great support to your son / daughter. I hope that you and your child found the time spent at the College to be valuable.
The mid-term reports and interviews provide students with the opportunity to celebrate what they’ve achieved, to reflect on their learning and to set goals for the rest of the semester.
Uniform
All students should now be in full winter uniform. This includes wearing the blazer to homeroom each morning, and the wearing of the school tie for both boys and girls. The uniform policy and requirements are in the Student Diary.
Key Dates Term 2 2023
|
Wednesday 10 May |
Cybersafety Family Education Night |
|
Monday 15 May |
Mother's Day Breakfast SACCSS Interschool Badminton |
|
Thursday 18 May |
Year 10 RE Excursion |
|
Monday 22 May |
SACCSS Interschool Intermediate Futsal |
| Friday 26 May | Feast Day |
| Monday 12 June | King's Birthday (holiday) |
| Tuesday 13 June - Monday 19 June | Years 9 & 10 Exams |
| Thursday 22 June |
Final day Term 2 – students Year 8 Reflection Day Year 10 University / TAFE Taster Day |
| Friday 23 June | Report Preparation Day – Final day Term 2 - staff |
Through the Gospels we are trying to find deeper meaning in our theme To be Known and Loved. In our Term 2 Assembly on Thursday morning, the student leaders shared John's Gospel The Woman at the Well. This Gospel tells us of a time when Jesus met with a woman as she collected water from a well. The woman was from Samaria - a region between Jerusalem in the south and Galilee in the north. Conflict and hostility between Samaritans and Jews was common. Each thought the other had betrayed their faith, breaking the rules which bound them to God. This alone should have kept the woman and Jesus apart - but it did not.
It is through engaging with the other that the women at the well grows in faith.
Students then lead a prayer which challenged all students to move outside their comfort zone and engage with new people and grow through that experience.
Lord, help us to connect with those around us. Make us attentive to those we do not know well and open to sharing our lives with them. Help us to honour our diversity. In finding our differences we learn more about ourselves and about you, our Creator. Amen.
REMINDER: Permission Forms - Year 10 Excursion
A reminder to parents/guardians that permission forms for the upcoming Year 10 RE excursion need to be signed. This excursion, One God, Three Religions provides a valuable opportunity to visit the Islamic and Jewish museums, which will support the students as they learn about other religions.
S.H.A.P.E News
(Sports, Health And Physical Education)
SACCSS Swimming Carnival:
Year 7 Premier League:
SACCSS Cross Country:
Wellbeing for Learning
Pastoral Care Program
Catholic Regional College Pastoral Care program provides a sequenced curriculum from years 7 to 10 using a multimodal approach designed to develop the achievement and wellbeing of the whole person (spiritually, intellectually, morally, physically, socially and emotionally).
Our Pastoral Care program centres around the social-emotional learning (SEL) model, a school-based organisational framework through which students learn to become lifelong learners who recognise, reflect and manage their emotions and empathise with others.
Our Pastoral Care program fosters the development of positive relationships. It provides opportunities for students to grow from challenging experiences to contribute positively to their community and flourish as responsible global citizens.
Term 2 Concepts and Themes
Year 7 – Building Community: Sharing
Year 8 – Respectful Relationships and Teamwork
Year 9 – Courage – Bravery
Year 10 – Careers and Pathways
Meaningful May
Feeling part of something bigger is great for our wellbeing. So, this month, let's focus on the things that really matter and make life more meaningful.
Please see attached our Meaningful May calendar, full of great ideas to bring more fulfilment to your daily
life.
Remember, when we take care of ourselves, we're better placed to care for others around us too.
Weekly Wellbeing Pulse Checks
We hold the care, safety and wellbeing of young people as a central and fundamental responsibility of our school. We, as a college, are fully committed to the safety and wellbeing of all students, and we understand that every student has the right to feel safe. We strive to do this by ensuring that all staff are able to proactively ensure the safety of students at all times. Therefore, we have introduced our Weekly Wellbeing Pulse Checks for our Year 7 and 10 students, to check in with the mental, social and physical wellbeing.
Weekly Wellbeing Pulse Checks makes it safe and easy for students to ask for help. Teachers get a clearer understanding of how individual students are feeling so they know who needs their help most. It provides deep insight into wellbeing and sentiment data to improve the whole school experience.
For further information, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s Year Level Leader or Mr. Dale Marshall (Wellbeing for Learning Leader).
Extra-curricular Activities at CRC St Albans
Participating in extracurricular activities in secondary schools is important for students to grow both academically and personally. These activities offer students the opportunity to develop a range of skills, including leadership, teamwork, time management, and communication, which are essential for success in the future.
Extracurricular activities also provide students with a sense of belonging and the chance to pursue their passions and interests outside of the classroom. These experiences can lead to meaningful relationships, new perspectives, and opportunities for personal growth. Extracurricular activities are a central aspect of CRC St Albans education that provides students with a well-rounded experience, helping them to develop their full potential and achieve their goals.
We have a vast range of activities for students to participate in during lunch-time or after-school. If you would like further information, please do not hesitate to speak to the supervising teacher identified below or check our daily bulletin for further information.
- when gaming can be beneficial and strategies to promote better in-game experiences
- how to keep children safe online – using safety and privacy settings in games and platforms
- strategies to promote more balanced gaming and how to create smoother transitions from game-play to other activities.
Careers
Year 9
In Year 9 many students become more interested in finding part-time jobs. Though this is encouraged and provides great learning about the world of work, it is important to ensure that the hours of work students complete each week are limited and well balanced with other aspects of adolescent life such as academic studies, extra-curricular activities and family time.
In Term 2, Year 9 students complete the ‘World of Work’ unit. This occurs each week during their Trinity lessons. As part of this process students have signed up to a Morrisby Aspirations career account. Morrisby is an online platform where students have the opportunity to fill in questionnaires related to their aspirations, study interests and priorities. The Morrisby online platform will then use this information to suggest possible career pathways that they may enjoy and be most suited to.
During this term, students will have the opportunity to complete a number of career education related lessons and explore different pathways. This will assist students in further developing their skills in locating and using career information effectively, allowing them to make informed career decisions as they move through their secondary education.
This unit will also include lessons to guide students through the process of how to get a job. They will learn how to read a job advertisement, write a job application letter and resume and then will sit a mock interview as part of their assessment in term 2.
For more information about Morrisby please watch the following clip:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wksDbF5qXCs
Year 10
In term 1, year 10 students completed their Morrisby Aptitudes profiling. Students have started the process of unpacking the data from this by completing a review of their reports and preparing for a one to one interview with the career counsellors at our school. During term 2, students will have the opportunity to meet with a school career counsellor to discuss their options in detail, develop a subject selection course plan in preparation for subject selection day (term 3) and get assistance with organising an appropriate work experience placement (term 3) aligned with one of their chosen pathways.
Last weekend year 10 students had their first encounter with CRC Sydenham as they completed their academic testing. The data from this testing is one piece of data that we use to assist students in making informed decisions about their subject selection for year 11. In a few more weeks, members of the CRC Sydenham transition team will come out to our school and run an information session for students outlining details about CRC Sydenham, their expectations, the subject selection process and the steps students need to take between now and the end of the year to ensure a smooth transition into year 11.
CRC Sydenham Enrolment (Year 11 2024)
There are still a number of students at year 10 who are yet to enrol for year 11 at CRC Sydenham. Enrolments are now open and should be completed as soon as possible. Enrolments can be completed online by clicking the following link. https://crcs.vic.edu.au/join-our-community/apply-now/
WHAT’S COMING UP ….
THURSDAY 25 MAY
Sydenham Subject & Pathway Information session
11:25 -12:25pm (PC Period 3 Lesson) at CRC St Albans.
THURSDAY 22 JUNE
University Taster Excursion
CONVERSATION STARTER
What things make us think about the things in our life that make us happy? We want our future goals and career to align in some way with the things that make us happy. Thinking about these things is an exercise in gratitude – we should be thankful for the good things in our life. If you don’t think about the things that make you happy, you might be taking them for granted.
In helping young people reflect on the things that make them happy, we encourage families over the next two weeks, to find a time and space to ponder the following question:
CAREER SPOTLIGHT
WHAT IS IT LIKE TO WORK IN A COURTHOUSE?
Courthouses are places where legal matters are heard, disputed, and ultimately resolved. The main focus of courthouses is to punish offenders and compensate victims. For more information on how you might fit into working in a courthouse, check out the link below:
https://studyworkgrow.com.au/2023/04/27/what-is-it-like-to-work-in-a-courthouse/
WHAT KIND OF CAREER DO YOU WANT?
Here we introduce “clusters” which are groups of people doing different tasks to make up a workplace. There are six Career Clusters that group people based on their key tasks, core technical and transferrable skills, and common outcomes. You’ll find people from each cluster within each industry.
Watch the videos below - the job you are thinking about might be found in a different industry to what you were expecting and this information may make your choices a little easier.
1 Introduction – Career Clusters:
2 How different types of people work together to make up a workplace:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otDXCgqnWpk
3 Where do you fit?
Mother's Day Breakfast
Catholic Regional College St Albans, warmly invites you to our Mother's Day Breakfast on Monday 15 May at 8:00am in the College Hall.
8:00am - Arrival
8:20am - Guest Speaker, entertainment and student planned activities
Babies and littlies welcome.
Please RSVP by Friday 12 May here: https://forms.gle/a1GUL7AppBrsg6hV7
or
Call the office: 9366 2544
or
Email: lcioccia@crcstalbans.com.au
School Fees
We have a few families paying directly into the School Bank Account but are not using the debtor account as reference and hence delay in crediting the account until we investigate further. We request you to please refer to the explanation below:
School Fees can be paid directly into our School Bank Account:
Catholic Regional College St Albans
BSB: 083-347
Account Number: 6909 17667
along with your Account Code as Reference (for example: 123456-Citizen) Bottom right-hand side of your statement.
Please contact Ms. Anne Ross on 93650221 - Mobile: 0427 036 925 if you have any queries or concerns.
