Term 2 Week 2 - 30th April 2021

Year 12 Semester One Academic Awards

On Wednesday, Year 12 came together to celebrate their academic achievements for Semester One of the HSC course. I commend all award recipients for their dedication and determination as they work towards their HSC Trial exams and then the final HSC exams commencing in October. I encourage all students, especially at this crucial time of their schooling, to continue working calmly and consistently towards their goals and to know the importance and value of good study habits and collaborating with one another.

Thank you to the many parents who were able to join us for this ceremony. Your guidance and support are very much appreciated and valued.

Outstanding Achievement
To receive an Outstanding Achievement in Year 12 a student must have received an Excellence and Application award in 3 or more subjects.

Outstanding Application
To receive an Outstanding Application in Year 12 a student must have received an Application award in 5 or more subjects.

Community Service Awards
Awarded to students who have participated in 10 or more hours of community service.

PC Groups- All award recipients

Statement of Intent: Our Shared Commitment

Last week, I included our Statement of Intent for our ongoing attentiveness to responding to sexual assault and sexual violence among young people. Be assured of our continued support. As mentioned we have a number of planned presentations for students. One upcoming presentation will be held on Tuesday, 11th May where our Year 8 and Year 10, students will participate in a REAL TALK presentation. 

The voice of parents/carers is valuable as the first and continuing educators of their children. We encourage families to complete a survey to support our future direction in driving cultural change around respectful relationships.

The survey is open until Friday, 7th May, the link to access the survey is located below.

If you have any questions please email the College at sjrhport@lism.catholic.edu.au and a College leadership member will contact you.

God bless

Mr Jim Dempsey
Principal

Thank you to Mr Jason Warneken and Ms Cheryl Hyde for the organisation of our ANZAC Day service held last Wednesday morning. It was a very fitting ceremony of remembrance for our service personnel past and present. Thank you to our special guest Mr Jason Gill from the Port Macquarie Sub-branch of the Returned and Services League whose address was particularly relevant and well delivered. Mr Gill said,

"The ANZAC spirit exists in each one of us, so therefore, let us be guided by that spirit when facing the national and personal challenges ahead, and let us strive to be worthy of the memory of those we honour here today".

Thank you to our College Captains, Ella Handley and Joseph Lewis along with Vice-Captains, Mia Watts and Luka Marshall who respectfully read throughout the service.

Luka told the story of the Flanders poppy.

The Flanders poppy has long been a part of Remembrance Day, the ritual that marks the Armistice of 11 November 1918, and is also increasingly used as part of Anzac Day observances. During the First World War, red poppies were among the first plants to spring up in the devastated battlefields of northern France and Belgium. In soldiers' folklore, the vivid red of the poppy came from the blood of their comrades soaking the ground. The sight of poppies on the battlefield at Ypres in 1915 moved Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae to write the poem In Flanders fields. In English literature of the nineteenth century, poppies had symbolised sleep or a state of oblivion; in the literature of the First World War a new, more powerful symbolism was attached to the poppy – the sacrifice of shed blood.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
between the crosses, row on row
that mark our place; and in the sky
the larks, still bravely singing, fly
scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the dead. Short days ago
we lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields
Take up our quarrel with the foe;
to you, from failing hands, we throw
the torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
we shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders field.

During the service, students viewed the following moving video.

Port Macquarie ANZAC Day March

Many students from our College traditionally attend the ANZAC Day march in Port Macquarie, however, due to current restrictions, they were not able to march this year. I would like to acknowledge students who were able to attend the march as spectators at either the Port Macquarie, Wauchope or Laurieton services.

I thank College Captains, Ella Handley and Joseph Lewis who represented our College at the Port Macquarie ANZAC Day march, laying a wreath at the cenotaph on our behalf. 

God Bless

Mr Jim Dempsey
Principal

Year 7 2022 

The enrolment process for Year 7 2022 has now commenced. Last Monday evening the College welcomed approximately 500 visitors who attended guided tours and an information session about enroling into Year 7 at St Joseph's Regional College in 2022.

The evening was a great opportunity for prospective parents and students to not only inspect the physical surrounds, but also experienced many static and active displays highlighting the vast array of subjects and extra-curricular activities on offer here at the College.

During the information session, Year 7 students Savannah Beard and Elijah Koivu addressed our guests. Savannah and Elijah spoke about their experiences starting Year 7 and gave our potential students a lot of encouragement. Thank you for your contribution, Savannah and Elijah, and for showing a great sense of pride in your school. 

I would like to thank all our staff, who not only attended the night but went to considerable effort with displays and talks for tour groups. A special thank you to the approximately 90 students who volunteered to be tour guides on the night. These students did a fantastic job and elicited many very positive comments from parents who were so impressed by the caliber of our student tour guides. We are very proud of your generous spirit. 

We also enjoyed the delightful tunes of our College Jazz band as our guests arrived. On returning to the hall after the tours, guests were entertained by Jorjia-Rose Styles, Lily Cooper and Jonah Garven Thank you to Mrs Sharon Green for preparing our musicians.

To Mrs Michelle Reynolds, Principal's Assistant-Student Services for the many hours of preparation to ensure the evening was a success. 

It's not too late to apply!

If you are aware of friends or siblings wishing to enrol for 2022, please ask them to either contact our Enrolment Officer, Mrs Michelle Reynolds or visit our website for information about how to enrol at St Joseph's Regional College.

Enrolment Welcome Pack

Prospective families are invited to collect an Enrolment Welcome Pack from our College Office or alternatively view our Welcome Pack on our College website. The pack contains important information about the enrolment process.

Online Enrolment Application

Our College has moved to Online Enrolment Application and access to the application is via our College website:  https://www.pmreglism.catholic.edu.au/how-to-enrol

Mr Jim Dempsey
Principal

Lachlan Leighton - Winner of Battery Blitz!

Congratulations to Year 12 student Lachlan Leighton who has been announced as the lucky winner of the Port Macquarie Hastings Council Battery Blitz competition. Thank you to Jenna O'Connell who presented Lachlan with a $50 JB HiFi voucher for his efforts. Originally, the prize was a battery charger but unfortunately, due to supply issues, it was decided that a voucher would be given in its place.

I encourage all families to continue to bring in their spent batteries. A container is available in the College Office to dispose of them responsibly.

Vaping

Vaping continues to be prominent amongst teenagers. The following flyer created by the Lismore Diocese Parent Assembly will assist parents to understand some facts about vaping to enable them to have conversations with their children at home regarding these dangers.

If you have any concerns please contact me at the College Office.

Busways - Planned Service Changes

We have been advised that Busways has a number of changes to their regular routes. Changes can be viewed via the following link.

Busway- Planned Service Changes https://www.busways.com.au/nsw/planned-service-changes

Nationally Consistent Collection of Data (NCCD)

The College is currently going through the NCCD process. I invite you to view the below images which explain a little more about the collection of data. 

For further information and to learn more about the NCCD, visit the Portal: www.nccd.edu.au

Mrs Tanya Daley
Assistant Principal - Mission

Year 8, 9 & 10 Parent-Teacher Interviews
Monday, 10th May 2021
4.00pm- 7.30pm
Bookings are now open and will close on Monday, 10th May at 10.00am

Parent-Teacher interviews provide an opportunity to discuss your child’s progress since the issuing of their Interim Report.

Year 7, 11 & 12 Parents have recently had interviews, however, if there is anything you wish to discuss with your child’s class teacher/s, please contact the College. There will be another opportunity for parents of students in Year 7-12 to meet with teachers again on 16th August 2021. 

How do I book a Parent & Teacher Interview?

Interviews are 5 minutes in duration. To book please visit the following website https://www.schoolinterviews.com.au/

You will need to have a copy of your child’s timetable (in their diary) with subjects and teachers names for each subject.

Enter the School Event Code from the box below and then follow steps 1, 2 and 3.

When you click finish, your interview timetable will be emailed to you automatically – check your junk mail folder if you do not receive your email immediately.
You can return to the site at any time, and change your interviews – until bookings close.

Please REMEMBER to bring the email with times on it to the evening as this will be the only way of knowing your interview times.

Mr Tim McCosker
Assistant Principal - Curriculum & Administration

The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is a point in time assessment of literacy and numeracy skills that are essential for every child to progress through school and life. Students in Years 7 and 9 participate in the annual NAPLAN tests in writing, reading, conventions of language (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and numeracy.

Our school will be participating in NAPLAN Online on:

• 11th May – Reading  Years 7 and 9
• 13th May – Writing   Years 7 and 9
• 18th May – Conventions of Language   Years 7 and 9
• 20th May – Numeracy   Years 7 and 9

Catch up NAPLAN assessments will also be completed during this period.

In preparation for NAPLAN Online, our College has already participated in practice tests. The practice test is a trial-run and key preparation activity for NAPLAN Online in May. It is not an assessment of student ability and the tests will not be marked.

Excessive preparation for NAPLAN Online is not recommended. Students can use the public demonstration site https://www.nap.edu.au/online-assessment/public-demonstration-site to familiarise themselves with the types of questions and tools available in the NAPLAN Online tests.

Please ensure that your child has a fully charged device, with the NAPLAN lockdown browser installed, and headphones throughout the                NAPLAN assessment period.

If you have any questions about NAPLAN Online, please contact the College’s NAPLAN coordinators: Ian Lutton, Lisa Freeman or Jessica Lewis.

Information for Students

Child Protection Policy for Staff, Volunteers and Tutors

Our College's Child Protection Policy is located on the College Website; hover over the 'Parent' tab and select the option 'Policies and Procedures'. https://www.pmreglism.catholic.edu.au/policies-procedures

Please be assured that all tutors, volunteers and staff members hold a current Working with Children’s Check and are regularly in-serviced regarding Duty of Care and Mandatory Reporting requirements.

All employees of St Joseph’s Regional College under The Care and Protection Act (1998) are mandatory Reporters. We are mandated to provide the following for students in our care: to provide an environment for them that is free of violence and exploitation and provide services that foster their health, development needs, spirituality, self-respect and dignity.

Mr Jim Dempsey
Principal

On Monday, 26th and Tuesday, 27th April, 88 students (48 students from Years 9, 10 and 11 and 40 students from Years 7 and 8) represented St Joseph's Regional College at the Mid North Coast Regional da Vinci Decathlon competition.

Throughout the day, students worked collaboratively, to solve various challenges across a range of academic disciplines, including; Science, Creative Producers, English, Ideation, Mathematics, Engineering, Art and Poetry, Cartography, Code Breaking and Legacy.

Thirty-two teams, from schools across the Mid North Coast, were in attendance on the days and our students performed admirably. St Joseph's Regional College obtained the following outstanding results:

• Year 11 first in the Mathematics
• Year 11 first in Legacy challenges and our
• Year 10 scored highly in Art and Poetry and Code-breaking.
• Year 7   second in Engineering
• Year 7   third in English
• Year 7   third in Art and Poetry.
• Year 8   second in Art and Poetry
• Year 8   third in Creative Producers.

Well done to all of our teams!

All of our students displayed exemplary behaviour and represented our College community with distinction. Congratulations to:

Ethan Begley, Dane Bittu, Isabella Campbell, Maya Curtis, Isla Dalton, Jack Duff, Samuel Duff, Matilda Ewart, Davis Graham, Paige Hudson,Adam Jennings, Summer Kelly,Elijah Koivu, Oliver Koivu, Erin Little, Jhed Monckton, Amelia Riley, Charlie Smith, Tahlia Van Den Boom, Cooper Watts, Mia Williamson, Darcy Balderston, Issaq Byrne-Amin, Ashton Cooper, Kieran Copeland, Esther Cummins, Tiana Daly, Charlotte Hollingsworth, Grace Keena, Lauren Kelly, Joshua Kobelke, Dominic Matheson, Matthew Nicola, Anna Reynolds, Khussh Sachan, Alannah Steele, Hriday Thakrani, Max Troth, Cody Burg, Zoe Copeland, Ziggy Ewart, Ethan Gibson, Arin Godbole, Lauren Johnston, Grace Kruk, Jack McManus, Cora Puttick, Maisy Taylor, Harry Turnbull, Aryan Vaishnav, Jett Willows, Calum Aldridge, Giordano Dionigi, Lorena Dionigi, Emily Edmed, Dakota Fitzgerald, Zoe Gray, Mckinley Halls, Heo Ryan Ignacio, Jeffrey Keena, Chelsea Lewis, Findlay Marshall, Briella Meyers, Monica Murphy, Kohan Pepper, Liam Ross, Josie Yardley, Joshua Bartlett, Alvin Benny, James Eggert, Harrison Freudenstein, Jonah Garven, Leo Hunt, Samuel Kobelke, Will McCoubrie, Sea McManus, Olivia Montgomery, Kobe Roser, Charlotte Schrader, Makayla Steele, Liam Toomey and Joel Walker.

A special mention to Mrs Pares, Mr McLaughlin, Mr Kobelke and Mrs Goldie who assisted the teams on the day.

In the words of some of our participants, highlights of the day included:

“Having the chance to work with new people, a chance to challenge yourself” - Year 8 student

“Working as a team, excelling in certain subjects and having fun” - Year 9 student

“Cooperating as a team, eating the food and learning new skills to solve the challenges” - Year 9 student

“We were able to take our own approach to the problems. The activities were fun and challenged us” - Year 8 student

“The time to work with friends and to be able to work to your abilities. The experience was great” - Year 7 student

“Cartography and legacy papers and working with other like-minded people” - Year 11 student

“I would recommend it to anyone, honestly a really good day” - Year 10 student

Amanda Cassegrain
Leader of High Potential Learners

Home Grown Hamburgers

Year 8 Technology – Food and Agriculture students completed their unit of work with a practical assessment task where they had to design, cook and serve their “designer burger”. Students used lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and herbs, which they grew in the hydroponics and vegetable gardens on their burgers. Some very creative and tasty burgers were produced. Well done, Year 7.

Mrs Diana Walsh
Assistant Leader of TAS

Last Wednesday, 21st April,  Jonah Garvin and Jorjia-Rose Styles represented the College by entertaining over a hundred guests at the Sovereign Hills Town Centre who hosted the Chamber of Commerce Business Awards launch.

The night was another fantastic opportunity to showcase the wonderful musical program at St Joseph's Regional College. With many comments and praise for our talented young musicians. Congratulations, Jorjia-Rose and Jonah!

Sharon Green
Leader of Co-Curricular Music

Reading for Literacy

Did you know that those who read regularly have a vocabulary about four times the size of those who read rarely or never?

We know just how important reading is, and so like all junior English classes, Miss Lewis' Year 9 English class begins every lesson with reading time. During this time, each student has the opportunity to read aloud from a class novel - no one has backed down from the challenge yet!

The members of this awesome group always listen respectfully to one another and help out with any new or unfamiliar words. Everyone also enjoys predicting what's going to happen next in the story or identifying language devices used by the author, like similes and onomatopoeia.

Alex Rider: Stormbreaker, by Anthony Horowitz, is the current book on the menu. The class recommends it as a great read.

Miss Lewis, Leader of LIteracy.

See you next week!
The SJRC Literacy Enrichment Team

#aHSC4opportunity #wherearetheynow

Mrs Karen Bale - Teacher Librarian (Monday-Thursday)
Mrs Michelle Lawler - Teacher Librarian (Friday)

Page Turners Book Club

Last week, the Page Turners Book Club gathered in the Library to recommend books and discuss readings. It's very heartening to see the enthusiasm students hold for reading and sharing ideas, and the variety of their recommendations and diversity of subject matter and themes can be seen from the books discussed. 

Book Turners Recommendations

Book Bento

Students in Year 7 English classes are currently making Book Bentos this fortnight during their scheduled Library lesson. A Book Bento is a novel and creative approach to Reader Response, and is proving to be a fun activity utilising Information Technology to promote and value reading and books. Some examples of student work are shown here. (photos attached).

Puzzle Friday

Commencing on Friday next week (Week 3), at lunchtime in the Library, students will be able to access and use various puzzles, games, lego blocks, and engage in colouring-in activities. This was a very popular pastime pre-COVID, and we are very excited to be engaging in this again.

AudioBook Sync

Over the next few weeks, various audiobooks will be made available for free download and lifetime ownership. See the attached flyers for more detail.. See below for FAQ about getting set up for downloading your free audiobooks.

Frequently Asked Questions about SYNC

Can I use Libby or the OverDrive app for the SYNC program instead of the Sora app?

The SYNC program will only work with Sora, the student reading app from OverDrive. You don’t need to be affiliated with a school to use Sora with the SYNC program.

First register for SYNC 2021. Then set up Sora.

How do I set up Sora?

1. Download Sora from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, or go to soraapp.com in your browser.
2. In Sora, tap I have a setup code (at the bottom of the screen).
3. Enter this setup code: audiobooksync.
4. Enter the email address you used to sign up for SYNC.
5. Tap Explore (at the bottom of the screen) to see the week’s featured titles [SYNC 2021 starts April 29]

I already use Sora for school. How do I add SYNC titles?

If you already use Sora, you’ll need to add the SYNC program’s library. Here are the steps:

1. In Sora, open the menu (in the top-right corner).
2. Select Add a library.
3. Search for audiobooksync and select the library from the results.
4. Enter the email address you used to sign up for SYNC.

When does each SYNC week start?

New titles will be available each Thursday at midnight Eastern time (ie, 12:01am ET). You can access the titles for 7 days, until the next Wednesday at 11:59pm.

How long is each audiobook available in Sora?

To keep each audiobook, you must tap Borrow. Each audiobook is available to borrow for one week. Once you’ve borrowed an audiobook, it stays on your Shelf in Sora indefinitely.

I missed last week's audiobooks. Can I still get them?

No, our agreement with publishers is that the audiobooks are only available during their featured week.

If you miss an audiobook, we suggest borrowing it from your local library or visiting the title’s page on the SYNC website for purchasing options.

I have students/patrons who love audiobooks. May I give them copies of my audiobook in class or reading/listening group?

SYNC audiobooks are for your personal use only and may not be distributed to others. Please encourage students/patrons to sign up for the SYNC program and download their own copies.

Can I delete the titles from my device?

Yes, you can delete the downloaded audiobook files in Sora if you need to free up space on your device. If you delete the files, the title will stay on your Shelf, and you’ll be able to download and access it again.

To delete a downloaded audiobook’s files, tap the checkmark next to the title on your Shelf, Stream (when online), then select Yes, delete download.

PLEASE NOTE: If you RETURN an audiobook, it will be completely removed from your account in Sora and you’ll lose access to it once its SYNC availability period is over. We don’t recommend doing this!

Can I access the audiobook’s MP3 files?

No, you need to download and listen to the audiobooks entirely in the Sora app. There’s no option to download separate MP3 files.

Karen Bale Teacher Librarian (Monday-Thursday)
Michelle Lawler, Teacher Librarian (Friday)

Word of the Week: LAUGHTER

Meaning: A physical reaction in humans consisting of rhythmical, often audible contractions of the diaphragm and other parts of the respiratory system.

Laughter can lighten your load mentally and actually induces physical changes to your body. It enhances your intake of oxygen-rich air, stimulates your heart, lungs, and muscles, increases endorphins that are released by your brain.

"Laughter is best medicine"

For all things Sport please visit the SJRC Sport Website.

Pages include:

• Upcoming events
• Links
• Sport News
• Representative Sport
• Sport Program
• Sport Records
• Sport Awards
• Jim O'Brien Cup

Michael Cannon
SJRC Leader of Sport

Congratulations to Phoebe Bentley (Yr 12) who last weekend qualified for The Australian Olympic Swimming Trials.  She did so at The Australian Open Age Swimming Championships with personal bests in the 200m and 50m Freestyle. What a year Phoebe is having in the pool.

NBN News Article

Port News Article

SJRC Swimming Records

Congratulations to SJRC Senior Football (Soccer) Teams who traveled to Kempsey today.  Both teams were vying for a place in the Lismore Diocesan Finals.  Results follow:

SJRC Senior Boys

SJRC Senior Girls
Went through the day undefeated to claim the title of 2021 Southern Lismore Diocesan Champions.

All squad members contributed strongly in wins over:

Game 1 v MacKillop 3-0 win
Game 2 v John Paul College 5-2 win
Game 3 v St Paul's Kempsey 2-0 win
Game 4 v Newman 10-1 win.

The girls team now go on to play the Northern Diocesan winners for the title of Diocesan Champions on Tuesday 4th May in Coffs Harbour.

Thanks to coaches Mr Matt Cato (boys) and Mr Evan Berger (girls).  Also to Mr Cam Hunt (PE/Sport Trainee) who assisted teams on the day.

JOB Cup Tally

Michael Cannon
SJRC Leader of Sport

21st April 2021

In the first term school holidays Ziggy Ewart (Yr 9) & Riley Armstrong (Yr 9) competed in the NSW All Schools Sailing Championships on Lake Macquarie at Belmont NSW.  If you would like to read a story about perseverance and patience please read on.  Thanks for sharing boys.

"We only just stepped up into a new class of boat. (12 foot skiff) About two weeks before we went to Belmont we were struggling to keep the skiff upright for more then 10 minutes.

The first day was really light and the race had been postponed until the wind filled in. When we launched we tipped three times in the 200 meters to get to the start line. After we got all the water out of the boat we got going again and didnt tip once throughout the rest of the race.

The second day the wind was a little stronger but still pretty light. The first race wasn't too bad. The second race we had a terrible start, but because we were behind we went to the other side of the course while we were zig-zaging into the wind (as sailboats can't sail directly into the wind) in hope that the wind would shift and would allow us to point more towards the bouy. Sure enough the wind shifted 90° and we had the boat going straight towards the mark. We went around the 1st mark in second place as the wind shift was a disadvantage to everyone else. We put our big green sail up and started cruising towards the next mark. We went around the next mark still in second but as we approached the third mark we had to pull our green sail down to start working our way back into the wind. As I came back into the boat we had a tiny stuff up with the steering which caused us to go for the first swim of the day. All the boats went past us as we struggled to right the boat as we are about 70Kg underweight. Once we got going again we were in last. We worked our way back up the ladder and finished around mid fleet.

The third day was not too bad. We had a couple rigging issues with our green sail which led to some interesting rides. That afternoon we took our mast down as we were thinking we might be using a smaller rig because of high winds forcasted for the next day.

When we arrived on the last day it wasn't to strong but there was a nice breeze. We decided to put the big rig us as it would allow us to go faster and we thought we could handle it. All the other skiffs decided to go the smaller rig.  (good move) Just before we launched we decided to swap out our green sail for a slightly smaller one as that only took 5 minutes to change. When we got out on the water we instantly realised we were way over powered. It takes about 2 hours to change to a smaller rig and the race started in 5 minutes. So we started and had the boat going fast. When we got to the first mark we were only just behind the other boats. (Our class of boat is slow when it goes into the wind compared to other boats. But it is a lot faster when it is going with the wind).  We wasn't too worried as we knew we would catch them. Only took a couple minutes and we had caught them and still had a bit to go till the next mark. As we came around the mark we were near 5th. But we put it in the drink again pulling our sail down. So we were at the back again. We had things break for the next couple laps and didn't place very good in that race. We felt the wind dropping so we quickly went back to the beach to put our bigger green sail on again.

The last race of the series was our best as all the other boats had smaller rigs on. The way the handicap works means our boat scores really well in strong winds but not as well in light winds. Due to the whole event being light wind all the fast boats got pushed back places and the slower boats ended up winning.

Anyone wanting to try sailing can turn up to queens lake sailing club on saturdays between September and Anzac day."

Ziggy Ewart & Riley Armstrong

25th April 2021

Our College canteen is in need of volunteers. If you are able to spare an hour or so of your time, we would love for you to join us. Please contact Donna Hamlin through the College Office 5525 4100 to arrange.

Weekly Lunch Specials

The Canteen opens at 8.00am every school day.

Ms Donna Hamlin
Food Services Manager

The St Agnes' Uniform Store is open from:

Monday to Friday - 12 noon-5.00pm
Saturday - 9.00am-12 noon

 6 Boronia Street, Port Macquarie