Term 1 Week 2 - 10th February 2023

Inaugural Mass - Wednesday 15th February

We are truly blessed to live in a country where we can express our faith without fear of persecution. This is a privilege that many in our world are not afforded.

Next Wednesday, 15th February, we will gather in our College Hall which will be transformed into a sacred space for our prayerful celebration of our College's Inaugural Mass. In all Catholic Schools, the year is typically opened with a Mass. For students and their families who are new to a Catholic School, Mass is considered the high point of worship and prayer in our Catholic tradition. It is a ritual celebration where we listen to the Word of God through Scripture and celebrate the Eucharist (Jesus sacrificing himself for the sins of all humankind). This is also a time when we ask for God’s blessing over our community for the year ahead.

We have a great track record for our reverence during our College Masses, and I am sure that any guests we have, will be impressed with how our whole community participates in Mass.

This is a compulsory school day like any other; the normal timetable will continue from Period 2 on that day. We ask parents and guardians to please ensure students are here for our Inaugural Mass. We also warmly invite parents and guardians to attend Mass to celebrate the beginning of the school year with us. Mass will commence after PC at about 9:05 am on Wednesday morning.

Shove Tuesday

Shrove Tuesday, is the traditional feast day before the start of Lent on Ash Wednesday. Lent – the 40 days leading up to Easter. 

Why do we eat pancakes on Shrove Tuesday?

Traditionally, it was the last chance for a spot of indulgence before 40 days of fasting, and also an opportunity to use up food that couldn't be eaten during Lent. This included eggs, fat and milk, which were made into pancakes and eaten on that day.

The name Shrove Tuesday derives from the practice of Anglo-Saxon Christians going into confession the day before Lent, and being ‘shriven’ (absolved of their sins). A bell would be rung to call people to confession, which became known as the ‘Pancake Bell’ and is still rung today.

Impact Uganda Raffle

Thank you to all those students who have already purchased tickets in our Raffle to raise money to send children in Uganda to school. We extend a special thanks to Ned McRae in Year 12 who generously donated a large sum to support this cause. Our Student Leaders of Mission will continue to sell tickets next week. We hope to send at least two Ugandan students to school and we can do this if everyone in our College spent only $1 in this raffle. For more information about this cause, please visit: https://www.emmanuelcommunity.com.au/impact-uganda

Thank you Hastings Co-Op IGA Sovereign Place IGA for a generous donation of five two-kilogram blocks of Cadbury Chocolate to give away.

Tickets are on sale at lunch near the canteen area.
$1 each or 3 for $2.

Dates for the Calendar:

21st Feb: Shrove Tuesday - pancakes for sale from the canteen before school. Money raised goes to Project Compassion

22nd Feb: Ash Wednesday Liturgy in the Hall at 9:05am - parents and guardians welcome to join us.

Swimming Carnival

Over the Christmas school holidays, our Indigenous students have been selected to be involved in some wonderful opportunities. We could not be more proud of their achievements.

Esther Cummins Australian Engineering School (IAES) 

We would like to congratulate Esther Cummins in Year 10 on being one of only 25 students Australia-wide selected to be a part of the University of Sydney Indigenous Australian Engineering School (IAES), run from the 15 - 22 January 2023.

The Indigenous Australian Engineering School is an annual event, established and funded by Engineering Aid Australia. The IAES is conducted in Sydney by the University of Sydney’s Faculty of Engineering on behalf of Engineering Aid Australia.

The week-long program involved hands-on experiences with the engineering faculty, site visits to key Engineering companies in various Sydney locations, curriculum exercises, and participation in cultural activities.

Whilst on the camp Esther was awarded ‘The Hon RJL (Bob) Hawke Capacity for Leadership Award’ In recognition to the January 2023 IAEC hosted by The University of Sydney and to your community.

Esther gave a speech at Admiralty House in front of a number of dignitaries including the Governor General, David Hurley and his wife.

Also, as part of this fantastic opportunity, Esther has qualified for an Engineering Aid Australia Continuing School scholarship to help with education expenses in Years 10, 11 & 12. Also, if Esther completes Year 12, applies and receives a place at any university in Australia to study Engineering or a related course, Esther will be eligible for an Engineering Aid Austalia Tertiary Education scholarship.

Esther continues to be a strong young Aboriginal leader and is well-deserving of this opportunity.

We thank, Esther, for preparing the below report about her experience at the camp

On the first day, we did some sessions learning about the different streams of engineering, an activity where we designed a floating house in teams using limited materials, a session on the different support services available at TAFE and different ways to study at TAFE, a rocketry session where we learnt about USyd's world champion student rocketry group and their rocket that reached 30,000 ft and a session where we toured and learnt about the University of Sydney's Gadigal Centre and the amazing scholarships and support that First Nations students can access through it such as accommodation scholarships that reduce accommodation to $50 a week, a reduction in minimum atar requirements for some courses and free tutoring for two hours per week per subject, just to name a few. We then finished the day with Thai, an escape room and gelato.

On Tuesday, we went to the Opera House to learn about Honeywell and the roles that the company plays in managing the Opera House's Business Management System - temperature, humidity, water use and energy consumption using sensors, code and software. We were also given a tour of the Opera House where we learnt about the history of the building and the technologies and strategic design of the different theatres to produce the best sound for the style of the performances. 

After the Opera House, we then did a Tribal Warrior Harbour Cruise where we went to Clark Island and had a bush tucker and island history tour by Aunties. We then went to the Google Office, where we did a tour of their facilities which include an arcade, movie theatre, music room, recording studio, restaurants, kitchens with chefs, libraries and silent study rooms, just to name a few. To finish the day we went to the National Centre of Indigenous Excellence for a swim and to have dinner which was cooked by an elder who shared her fascinating story and life advice with us, she was amazing.

On Wednesday, we had a tour of the facilities at BOC, a major gas company, where we saw the world's only robotic systems that organise and sort thousands of gas bottles and check them for defects, we toured the construction site of the new Western Sydney Airport, toured a crash lab and learnt about the technologies that are used there and then we had a few sessions at the university. We finished the evening with a careers fair where we got to speak and network with engineers and industry partners. I met the Director of Environment and Sustainability, Regions of Transport for NSW who said that she will contact the Port Macquarie office and help me to organise work experience with them which will be really good because Transport combines both STEM and politics.

On Thursday, we went for a swim at a new aquatic centre and learnt about the specific engineering factors that were used in its design and had two sessions at the uni - biomedical and chemical engineering sessions. I was asked by my houseparents on Wednesday night if I wanted to give a speech at Admiralty House and of course, I said yes so they helped me to write it. We then went to Admiralty House because the Governor General is Engineering Aid's patron. We listened to the Governor General and Mrs Hurley speak, alongside some other people who work with Engineering Aid Australia and then I gave mine. Afterwards, we took photos and then we got to talk with many engineers and people from major companies and walk around the grounds of Admiralty House.

On Friday, we toured Arup, a big engineering company, and did an activity where we designed a new tourist attraction for Goat Island on Sydney Harbour, climbed the Sydney Harbour Bridge which in total was 1002 stairs and then we had our formal graduation dinner. At the dinner, we listened to an IAES Alumni's speech, the CEO of Engineering Aid Australia's speech and many others. We were then presented with our certificates and another student called Ethan and I were both presented with the Bob Hawke Capacity for Leadership Award.

I learnt so much at this camp and got to meet so many people and learn from their experiences in their various fields of engineering. All 25 of the other students were so nice and we are all still talking to each other over social media.

Once again, thank you for helping me to apply for this camp, it could not have been better,
Esther

Macquarie University Walanga Muru 2023 CAMP ASPIRE

In January Year 12 students, Molly Cicak and Teiki Bower, along with Ceceailia Ducker from Year 11 attended the 2023 Macquarie Uni Walanga Muru Camp Aspire. The students flew to Sydney and stayed on campus in university accommodation; experiencing areas of the university, based on their interests.

By attending the camp the students were able to gain knowledge and experiences that will help them to make decisions on what tertiary study options are available to them once they finish high school.

The first two days of the camp involved in engaging activities run by various faculties to allow a taste of the degree areas the uni has to offer. Day 3 were activities led by the Walanga Muru centre and focused on available opportunities at the university, pathways into university, scholarships, accommodation options, and opportunities to speak to external stakeholders about job opportunities as well as Cultural activities.

ALUMNI - Luke Banks, Class of 2022

Also in January, Luke Banks, who graduated in 2022, commenced his ADF Gap year. Luke will now commence his training in the area of Air Force Security in Wagga. Once he has completed his training he will transfer to Victoria classified as an Aircraftman for the remainder of the year. Once Luke has completed his training he has the option to continue in the ADF or leave and commence University studies.

Well done, Luke, we wish you all the best.

Carly Taylor
Indigenous Education Team

In Week 3, on Monday 13th February, our Year 7 and 9 students will undertake a whole cohort "cold writing" task during their timetabled English lesson. Cold writing involves students writing without preparation or coaching to reveal writing skills and assess student abilities. The purpose of this task is to acquire some student writing data, which will be used to create a literacy focus for these year groups and will then result in explicit strategies targeting literacy improvement.

Following this, in Week 4, Year 7 students will undertake internal ACER PAT Assessments in nominated English, Mathematics and rounds classes. These are a series of online digital tests that the students will complete on their device for; Reading, Mathematics and Science.

Lastly, the National Literacy and Numeracy Assessment (NAPLAN) will take place in Week 7 and Week 8 for our Year 7 and 9 students; in order to observe student progression against national standards. These will begin with the Writing test on Thursday 16th March.

Why do we complete PAT assessments?

PAT results give your child’s teachers the evidence to help them to grow and succeed in their subject. It provides them with crucial learning data, which they use to adjust lesson content or learning activities so that students are able to participate and learn to the best of their ability. PAT measures what your child knows, understands and is capable of and how to best support their progress.

Why is PAT important?

Individual student data is vital for teachers to monitor their student progress and to identify any areas in which they might need more support. It aids them in pinpointing their learning journey and provides an accurate picture of their knowledge, skills and understanding in their subject area. Learning data is essential for student progression and may also be used to determine the need for adjustments within or between classes.

What does this mean for your child?

This means it is important for your child to try their best in your PAT tests, in order to give their teachers, the most accurate and relevant data.
When discussing the upcoming Cold Write, PAT and NAPLAN assessments with your child, please encourage them to; listen carefully to the teacher instructions, read the questions of the tests carefully and most importantly take their time and answer the questions as accurately as possible. We encourage all students to make the most of their designated test times, and to respond concisely and accurately.

We thank you for your ongoing support of our literacy initiatives.

If you have any concerns at all, please contact Sarah McLeod, Literacy Coach.

Sarah McLeod
Literacy Coach

Regional University Roadshow

This week, all Year 12 students attended the Regional University Roadshow. This annual event comprises representatives from some of our 'smaller' regional universities visiting the College to amplify their own programs, schemes and opportunities, along with imparting valuable generic information about life at university, application processes and timelines, financial considerations, and more. We are very grateful to the University of Newcastle, the University of New England, Charles Sturt University and Southern Cross University for their ongoing support for our school leavers.

Mrs Leanne Tinsey
Teacher and Leader of Future Pathways

This week's Alumni is.... Ryan McMahon, Class of 2012

Ryan graduated from St Joseph's Regional College in only the second Year 12 cohort at the College, back in 2012. His path to Medicine is so very interesting and strategic as he uses his built-upon credentials to achieve his goal.

Great to hear from you Ryan!

Mrs Leanne Tinsey
Careers Pathway

Volunteers Wanted

We cannot run the canteen without you; as the saying goes:

"Many Hands Make Light Work".

If you are able to spare an hour or so of your time, we would
love for you to join us.

Please contact Breeanna Stone through the College Office on 5525 4100.

The Canteen opens at 8.00 am every school day.

CLICK HERE for the Canteen's everyday menu.

Breeanna Stone
Food Services Manager

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