St Benedict's Catholic College

If you missed our Information Evening, the application package is now available from the College office, or by downloading from the College website (www.sbccdow.catholic.edu.au), under the Enrolment tab.

School tours may be arranged through the College Office. Tours are held during school hours for prospective parents and students to see a working school and to get a true sense of the Benedictine culture.

Applications close: Friday 12 April

Dear Parents and Caregivers

In our recent “Parenting Teens” seminars run on Tuesday nights, parents and staff discussed a number of ‘trends in parenting’ that have taken hold over the last 10 years – that is, in your ‘parenting lifetime’. I think it is worthwhile to distil those and share them with everyone and see if they resonate in your house. We will run these over the next few newsletters.

Conversations that influence.

A decade ago the British did something simple yet profound. Realising that parents needed to converse with their kids if they were to influence their behaviour and thinking, they conducted a nation-wide campaign to encourage parents to regularly share meal times with their children. So successful was this campaign that it saw a significant increase in shared mealtimes and has been attributed to giving back to parents the ability to have influence, which was previously considered to be lost, over their children’s behaviour.

In Australia, parent-child conversations have been promoted as relationship-builders, rather than ways to impact on children’s and young people’s behaviour and thinking. As our world is becoming increasingly chaotic and fast changing, parents are once more seeing the benefits of two-way exchanges with children about a range of issues. The meal-table, something so central to traditional Australian parenting, and in later years somewhat neglected, is now making a comeback. And we’re thrilled about that.

Unearthing children’s strengths

The Positive Psychology movement has been a strong influence on school wellbeing practices for many years, but it’s struggled to have cut-through with parents – until now. The huge success of Professor Lea Waters’ book ‘The Strength Switch’ has seen parents start to embrace the strength-based approach with their families.

The holistic nature of this approach appeals to parents who are able to use knowledge of their children’s strengths to motivate, boost confidence and better manage their behaviour. We’re thrilled to have the P&F and the Catholic Education Office as sponsors to present Prof. Lea Waters at St Benedict’s later in the year to support the College’s push on Positive Education and Positive Parenting practices. More next week including using digital devices, understanding the body clock and balancing extra curricula activities!

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With our building programme now complete, work will begin shortly on the Benedictine Prayer Garden and labyrinth situated near the Hollows Drive entrance. It would be our hope that the area will be ready this year and additional passive landscaped and turfed recreation area “The Green” would also be available to the students before Term 4. Did you know that in 2020 St Benedict’s will be celebrating its 10th year? Me neither! (“Where did that time go?” I hear you say). There will be lots on next year including the Blessing and Opening of Stages 4-6 and “Back to Bennies” for all our ex students and families.

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As is usual at this time of year, there are lots of things happening that our students are involved in and reported elsewhere but I particularly want to thank the staff, led by Miss Tabitha Brown, who organised the Live Festival at the College last week. Nearly 100 students were in attendance including, amidst all their assessments, our Seniors. Bravo to them and to the Youth Ministry team. It was a fantastic evening of song, prayer, reflection, sharing and community.

Warm regards

Michael Hanratty

Principal

Term 1 continues to provide many opportunities for students and families here at St Benedict’s. Below are just some of the key events over the last 2 weeks.

Parenting Seminars

Last week saw the second of the Parenting seminars run by our Catholic Care Counsellor Gloria Melham. These are fantastic nights and it is always pleasing to see families asking a lot of questions and gaining support in the early teen years. Thank you to Gloria for running such a great program.

Year 12 English Excursion

Our Year 12 students enjoyed an English Excursion to see the Crucible. This is a valuable experience to see a live performance and it helps the students to further understand the text they are studying and to appreciate live performance.

Live

We also have held our first ‘Live’ event for the year. More details to follow in our REC's report.

This year the College entered the Mock Trial competition for the first time. Students were busy in planning for the first trial and fortunately we were able to win in what was a close result.

Year 11 Geography Excursion

Our Year 11 Geography class experienced their first field trip – to Minnamurra Rainforest. This is an important opportunity for students to test the skills they have been learning and to consolidate their understanding of Geographical concepts.

Year 12 Assessment Block

Year 12 are very busy as they begin their first assessment block for the HSC. With many tasks due to be completed in the next week or so, we keep Year 12 in our prayers and our best wishes are with them during this important time.

Busy Assessment Time

Speaking of busy assessment times, most students are now entering a time where they will have many assessment tasks due. Good luck to all students as they strive to do their best in each of these tasks. If you should have any questions about the assessments that your child is undertaking, please contact your child’s teacher.

UNITE Festival

The UNITE festival is being held this afternoon. This is always a great opportunity for young people to connect with their faith and to form relationships with others in our communities. There are many special guests joining us today and we are very grateful for their contributions.

Mr David Costin

Assistant Principal

Friday 5 April - Year 7 Vaccinations

Wednesday 10 April - Year 7 Transition Reports issued

Friday 12 April - Last day of Term 1

Monday 29 April - First day of Term 2 (Week B)

Tuesday 30 April - ANZAC Day Ceremony

Just a reminder that school fees are due on Friday 29 March 2019 in full unless you have filled out a 2019 School Fee Payer Arrangement Form.

Please contact finance if you have any questions on finance@sbccdow.catholic.edu.au,

Thank you

Finance Team

Lent is in full swing at the College. The Gospel story of the forgiving father is perhaps one of the most familiar stories of the New Testament. It is the ultimate explanation of God's persistent love and compassion no matter the faults and failings of humanity. God's mercy is continuously available. St Benedict’s students and staff have been so generous in donating and raising funds for Project Compassion

Prayer

When I hold anger in my heart, forgiving God,

help me to let it go and to forgive others as you have forgiven me.

May I open my heart to others, especially those who have hurt me,

and may I forgive as unconditionally as the father of the prodigal son.

In a word, may I forgive as you forgive. Amen.

LIVE@ SBCC THURSDAY 21ST MARCH 2019

The College hosted the first LIVE event of the year last week, led by Joel Duval, Seth Harsh and the NET Team. Live kicked off at Lunch time with a concert in the COLA.

After school over 100 students and staff stayed back to participate in LIVE. The College’s Youth Ministry Leaders led afternoon activities which included a game of Hop SPR. Our leaders also facilitated small group discussions with younger students. The Theme of LIVE#1 was WHO AM I?

Thank you to Tabitha Brown for her coordination of the event at the College. Also thank you to the following Staff members who remained back in the afternoon and actively involved themselves in the various activities; Ms Ferguson, Ms Grego, Ms Wojcik, Mr Hayden, Mr Bulfon, Mr Costin, and Mr Hanratty.

GIDEONS VISIT ST BENEDICT’s

Members of the Macarthur Gideons visited the College on Thursday 28 March 2019 and presented our Year 7 students with their own copy of the New Testament.

The Gideons International in Australia often reaches people who have no contact with churches and who otherwise might not have been reached for the Lord Jesus Christ. They have distributed close to 16 million Bibles and New Testaments since the establishment of The Gideons International in Australia in 1956. Their members personally witness and provide New Testaments to people they come across in their daily lives. They also distribute Bibles and New Testaments to Year 7 Students, Tertiary Students, police, fire brigade, medical and military personnel.

Why do the Gideons do what they do?

Having God’s Word can lead people to faith in Christ, and new Christians can grow by studying the Word and even use it to share their faith with others.

Distributing copies of God's Word:

• Plants powerful seeds that God can use in His timing. (I Corinthians 3:6)

• Allows people to read the truth for themselves. (John 8:32)

• Provides a continuing witness when the Gideon is no longer present. (Hebrews 4:12)

• Makes it easier for the people we reach to, in turn, reach others with the truth about Jesus. (II Timothy 2:2)

• Makes it possible for new Christians to learn and grow through personal Bible study. (II Timothy 2:15)

IN THE RELIGIOUS EDUCATION CLASSROOM

Year 9s have created picture books on the Sacraments of Healing (Reconciliation and Anointing of the Sick. Year 11SOR2U have finished their presentations on Religions of Ancient Origin - they are to be commended on their outstanding research, preparation and presentation of their assessment

Year 10 have been studying the unit “The Gospels: Who do your say that I am”. In this unit students have examined the Gospels as the accounts of Jesus’ life and teaching and as testimonies to the faith of the early Church in Jesus as the Christ as well as their significance in the lives of Christians today. The Evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, wrote these accounts from their own perspectives, taking into account the oral tradition, the historical, social and political contexts of the communities to which they belonged as well as the needs of their communities.

Students have developed an understanding of the Biblical tradition of exegesis to identify the person of Jesus as presented by the Gospel writers, as well as points of comparison and contrast between the different Gospel accounts. As part of their assessment Year 10 students each created a ‘Portrait of Jesus” using passages from the Gospel of Luke as inspiration and guidance. Samples of work created are in this newsletter and will also be on display in the College Office and Library.

The gathering is an opportunity for people from around the Diocese to reflect on the issues raised in the plenary process in our diocese, hear the experiences of a selection of Local Animators, and discuss the next steps in the process of listening and discernment.

Deputy national director of Catholic Mission and member of the Plenary 2020 national facilitation team, Mr Peter Gates, will discuss what has been learnt from the listening process and how the next phase of Plenary 2020 will progress. Members of the Diocese of Wollongong steering committee will present a summary of responses originating from our diocese.

Bishop Brian Mascord will offer some reflections on what he has heard, and we will, as a Church, spend some time in prayer— seeking God’s guidance and blessing as we enter the phase of feedback and discernment.

I have been invited by Bishop Mascord and the Plenary 2020 Steering Committee for the Diocese of Wollongong to speak at this Diocesan Gathering. I will be sharing my insights on the discerning and listening process, the hopes, expectations and thoughts I have had about the process as well the next steps.

Regards

Mrs Kimberley Logue

Director of Mission and Vision

Disability provisions for the Higher School Certificate are designed to assist students who couldn't otherwise make a fair attempt to show what they know in an exam room.

A formal application has to be made to apply for provisions, which will be determined by NESA. Provisions are granted solely by how the students exam performance is affected.

Students who think they may be eligible are encouraged to click on the link below for more information. Students will also need to contact Mrs Keedle as soon as possible, as formal applications need to be submitted by the end of Term 1.

https://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/11-12/hsc/disability-provisions

Year 9 Child Studies students began the year developing knowledge and understanding about the preparation that is needed to embark on the parenting journey.

Over the past 8 weeks this term, students have contributed to a range of activities inside and outside of class that allowed the opportunity to explore the issues surrounding becoming a parent as well as the physical, emotional, social and financial preparations necessary when expecting a baby.

This week, the learning intention was to recognise the importance of creating a supportive environment when raising a child. This included identifying both internal and external support networks that ranged from friends and family as well as practitioners and prenatal educators. The idea of ‘nesting’ was presented to students. With the aim of contributing to positive growth and development as well as wellbeing of parents and children, students worked diligently to plan and create their very own baby nursery incorporating a range of baby needs necessary in a nursery for a child in the first year of life.

I am proud to present the Year 9 Child Studies baby nurseries compiled of a range of unique materials collected and designed by our students. The nurseries are designed from a birds-eye view.

For three weeks, students from Year 6 in St. Justin's Catholic Primary School have attended our school to experience what it would be like as a high school student. These students were introduced to the world of artmaking.

Students explored Wassily Kandinsky, a Russian Abstract artist and discovered that his works and colour choice was often influenced by the moods he had when listening to music. Students were also quizzed and given a crash course on what are primary and secondary colours as well as the five elements of art (line, shape, tone, texture and colour).

From here, Year 6 went on to produce their own Kandinsky inspired 'Circles' artwork, using only the primary and secondary colours and some of the elements of art if they decided. This was a challenge but one that Year 6 enjoyed and completed extremely well. Thank you for your enthusiastic approach to Art Year 6!

Mrs S Castelli

Art Teacher

On the 20 of March, all English Standard and Advanced students from year 12 travelled to Bella Vista Farm to attend a theatre performance of the play “The Crucible”, a text which is studied for our HSC. By viewing the play it provided a visual of the characters individual traits and qualities as well as the context and plot line. The actors did a fantastic job with the aid of sound and lighting effects and costumes to engage the audience, allowing us to experience the reality of what it was like to live within 17th century Salem. By holding the performance in the Packing Shed on Bella Vista Farm it also helped create the atmosphere and deepen our understanding of the context of the play.

All students thoroughly enjoyed the play and we are very thankful to our English teachers for giving us this opportunity as we found it consolidated our knowledge of the play.

By Skye Slattery and Claude Abdallah

Soccer:

Giana Friscic, Christopher Foti

UFC:

Jessica Graydon, Blake Straub

Netball:

Aydin Maiolo

AFL:

Isaac Orton

Kickboxing:

Emilie Selakovic, Ava Maher, Kristina Stipicic

Bowling B:

Orlando Font

Gym:

Joel Shipley, Chanelle Rehayem

Skating:

Charlize Zuvela

Beach Sports:

Anthony Jalalaty

Gym:

Michael Bautovich, Michael Baxter

Golf:

Jonty Stead

Mixed Sports:

Sebastian Grana, Isabella Melodia

MISA Sport

Our MISA teams had their last week of games:

Year 7-9 Boys Volleyball Loss

MVP: Damon Fuller

Year 10-11 Boys Basketball Loss

MVP: Lachlan Parker, Damon Siutz

Year 7-9 Boys Softball Win

MVP: Fynn Bannura

Yours in Sport

Miss Liska

Sport Coordinator

On Thursday 14 March, a number of students travelled to Corrimal to represent our College at the Diocesan Swimming Carnival. It was a fun day full of music, team spirit and of course, some fabulous swims. The weather was unpredictable as always - raining one minute and sunny the next. Despite this and the tiring nature of the day, everyone swam to their best ability within the intense conditions and should be applauded for doing so.

On the day we had a number of students who swam in multiple events and besides the exhaustion of continuously swimming, we had a few students coming in 1st, 2nd, 3rd or 4th in the respective events. Overall, St Benedict's had some outstanding performances at the Diocesan carnival. Special mention must go to Isabella Ravino and Andre Ravino who swam exceptionally well and as a result will be representing the Diocese at the CCC Swimming Carnival in April.

Isabella Ravino and Miss Liska

On Thursday 21 March, St Benedict’s working with the Catholic Education Office in Wollongong, ran our first LIVE event for the year. The event began with a concert at lunch time in the COLA. This was open to all students and saw a great turn out of students singing and dancing along. The rest of the event continued after school.

The after school component allowed for students to form friendships and explore their faith in a safe and supportive environment. The focus of this was on “Who am I?” The students listened to a guest speaker who inspired them to be themselves and encouraged them to go after their goal with the support of family, friends and teachers.

LIVE is open to all students and the next one will occur in Term 2.

A massive thank you needs to be extended to the staff who stayed back.

Miss Tabitha Brown

We ask that parents and students understand that whilst mobile phones are an important safety tool for children, there is an expectation that they are turned off AT ALL TIMES whilst they are at school. All mobile phones should be kept secured and out of sight. The College can take no responsibility for lost, stolen or damaged phones.

If a staff member sees a student with a mobile phone or a class is interrupted by a mobile phone it will be confiscated. On the first occasion, this will be returned to the student at the end of the day and the incident will be recorded in the student’s diary. On the second and subsequent occasions during a term, the phone will be retained at the School Administration office until collected by a parent. If there is an urgent need to contact your child during the day, we ask that you make contact through our front office so that we can ensure your child may get any support that they may need.

Parents are asked to email teachers between 7:40am and 6:00pm if requesting appointments or needing information; please allow teachers 48 hours to reply. The school office is open from 7:30am until 3:30pm. If calling for a teacher please allow them 24 hours to return your call.

Parents are asked to remember that teachers are in class during the day and have meetings after school hours.

Parents are asked to call the office before 2.00pm if needing to send messages to students. This allows our office helper time to deliver the message before end of school.

On Tuesdays, you are asked to contact the office before 12pm with any messages as most students go off site for sport.

Parents are reminded that students should go to the office if feeling unwell. The office will call parents if student needs to go home. Students should not text or email parents first.

The clothing pool is run by appointment only. You can contact Mel on 0410 486 083. Please try and keep calls, texts and messages between the hours of 9-5 Monday to Friday. Cash sales only.

If you make an appointment please be on time and, if unable to keep an appointment, please let Mel know.

We would also welcome any donations of uniforms, school bags, lap top bags etc. as stocks are running low.