Term 2 Week 10 - 25th June 2021

Last Friday we acknowledged and celebrated the academic success of students in Year 7-10. 

I would like to extend my sincere thanks, particularly, to the following people or groups who assisted with bringing the award ceremony together.

• Mrs Daley and Mr McCosker for facilitating the report and award process.
• Our College Secretaries for their work in bringing today’s ceremony together; ensuring all award certificates are professionally completed and all staff are supported in every possible way.
• Mr Sprague, Mr Hollis and our team of Teachers Assistants for coordinating the setup of the hall.
• Blake Steep and Samuel Fox, who led us in the Acknowledgement of Country
• Year 10 stage helpers, Riley Bates and Jessica Watts.

As with the Year 11 awards. this year, there have been an extraordinary amount of Application Awards (Blue) achieved. And I commend students who received an Application Award by receiving  ‘Consistently’ in any five of the six 'Approach to Learning Outcomes’.

Congratulations to the following Outstanding Application, Outstanding Achievement  and Community Service recipients:

Outstanding Achievement Award

To receive an Outstanding Achievement Award, also known as our prestigious gold award, students in:

• Year 7 & 8 receive an Excellence and Application Award in six or more subjects.
• Year 9 & 10 receive an Excellence and Application Award in five or more subjects.

Congratulations to:

Outstanding Application Award

To receive an Outstanding Application Award, also known as a green award, students in: 

• Year 7 & 8 received eight or more Application Awards.
• Year 9 & 10 received seven or more Application Awards.

Congratulations to:

Community Service Awards

Community Service Awards will also be presented. To receive this award, students must have completed 10 or more hours of community service.

In closing, I wish all students and staff a restful winter break and look forward to students returning to Term 3, recharged and ready for learning.

God bless
Mr Jim Dempsey
Principal

Year 11 2022 Enrolment

The Year 11 2022 enrolment process has now begun. Our current Year 10 students have received their Senior Enrolment Handbook detailing course outlines from both St Joseph's Regional College and Newman Senior Technical College. I encourage all families to have a discussion with their child as to their best option for Years 11/12, and subject selections.

The start of next term is a busy one for Year 10 students and I would encourage all families to note the important dates in the enrolment process as outlined in the timeline recently emailed to all families.

Year 11 2022 Enrolment Timeline

Uniform Changes 2022

Our second-hand uniform shop is in need of Winter uniform items. If your child has outgrown their winter uniform, please consider donating it to the College.

Mr Tim McCosker
Assistant Principal - Curriculum & Administration

Thank you to our Leader of Catechesis, Mr Sean Jennings and Youth Ministry Officer, Emily Burg for accompanying our Year 11 students to the recent Street Retreat held in Brisbane. I refer you to the below report, prepared by Mr Jennings and also highlighting the experiences of those students that attended.

Street Retreat - 2021

Street Retreat is the Proclaim Lismore Students event that is aimed at Year 11 Students focusing on Mission Work. This year, 58 Year 11 students from across the 12 Diocese of Lismore High Schools reached out to those in need when they spent a long weekend in Brisbane (Thursday 17 - Sunday 20 June) working on a range of social justice programs in this year's event.

Students were challenged physically, emotionally and spiritually as they gave back to the community through a range of ministry placements working within disability, aged care, rehabilitation and social activism such as helping the homeless. The four SJRC students found the experience incredibly rewarding and life-changing, and have returned to school with a passion and greater sense of the call of Jesus Christ to serve the poor and disadvantaged in our area.

The focus for the Street Retreat was through the New Testament Scripture - James 2:18
18 But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds. Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds".

As a team, we all gained a deeper awareness of the presence of God in our own and others' lives. Past students have already committed to following up on social justice activity in their own parish and school communities through things such as service at local soup kitchens and fundraising raffles for the needy.

Here are some reflections from the four students that attended:

Joshua Bartlett
During Street Retreat, I went to two places that impacted my life and my view of those less fortunate. On Friday morning, the first place I went to was called Emmanuel City Mission, or ECM for short. There I helped serve food and drinks and then had a chat with a few of the "clients" there. The first guy I had a conversation with was a man named Scotty. The thing about Scotty that really affected me was how excited he was about getting a new shirt on sale, something that I'd never even think twice about. Another man I had a chat with was a man named Jason. Jason and Scotty were best friends for over 45 years. They claimed to have never had a disagreement in all the years they've been friends. Still, the thing that got me the most was that Scotty also bought Jason a shirt, the exact same one he got before, and in return, Jason saved up his money for a whole month just to buy him and Scotty movie tickets to the new Fast and Furious movie. Even Though they both have very little money, they were happy with their lives and are proud of their friendship. The final man I talked to at ECM was an artist named Clayton. He had these beautiful drawings of cars and weapons that he would draw and sometimes sell for money or even food. Unfortunately, he wasn't will to sell the artworks he had on him, and they were of sentimental value. So instead, we had a chat about aliens; he believes that aliens are real and had all these fascinating, wild theories about them. Then it somehow changed into a conversation about how his dream is to become the world's best medium and offer his services for free, which he wants to achieve.

On Saturday around Midday, I went to St. Andrew's Church to help out the volunteers there. When we got there, they gave us each a job to do, and I was put into the "shop," which wasn't really a shop more of a free supply store. Working in the shop was a good experience as I got to see how grateful people were for things as small as a pen. We gave out clothes, blankets, toothbrushes, toothpaste, razors, pens, and even hand sanitiser to different people and the gratuitous looks on their faces made my day. It affected me big time by seeing how small things we take for granted each and every day means the absolute world to these people, but my favourite part about working in the shop was seeing Clayton again. He had a meal inside the church and walked past the shop window, so I called out to him. When he saw me, his face lit up like a Christmas tree, he came over, and we had a chat where I gave him a few different coloured pens, which he was so grateful for because now he could add colour to a few of his artworks and then he said bye and walked away. The look on his face, that look of pure joy has inspired me to go out of my way to help more people who are less fortunate than I am and find something or someone who fills my life with the same pure joy I saw on Clayton's face.

Don Bittu
Streat retreat was an amazing and fulfilling experience that I had the privilege to go on. It really helped me experience a new type of faith and encouraged me to be even more grateful for the things I have. Streat retreat was mainly helping homeless and disabled people by either serving food or just engaging in a chat as just having a conversation impacts their lives. Most people did three ministries at their time at Street Retreat, and I participated at Rosies, Vinnies Warehouse and St Andrew Church. Rosies was on the first night; we packed instant noodle into vans and arrived at a big park with other organisations such as the Orange Sky Laundry. We served hot drinks and noodles to many people and had a small conversation that really affected them and us. The second ministry was the Vinnies warehouse.

A group went to the warehouse and helped the usual volunteers in packing their donations such as books, linen and toys. By the end of the ministry, we had done approximately two weeks worth of work in three hours and it really opened our eyes to how important and clear how these volunteers go almost every day to support the needs of other people. My final Ministry was serving food at St Andrew's Anglican Church. There were two main groups that morning, one cooked all the food, and my group served everyone and helped pack up. To my surprise, there were many people that I had met at Rosies that came to the church with provided me with a deeper understanding of the seriousness of homelessness. On our final day of Street Retreat, we participated in the Refugee Walk, which stood for the right to let refugees in. By going to Street Retreat, I didn't just have the pleasure of helping people in our society but also made many lifelong friends. I recommend to everyone to be a part of our community by just volunteering as it will not just help others but will give you a sense of good.

Bella Buckridge
At this year's Street Retreat I took part in two fulfilling ministries/missions across the four days I spent in Brisbane. I was partnered up with Josh as we made our journey to St Andrews Uniting Church and Emmanuel City Mission. This is where we spent our time serving, talking and helping out the homeless or less fortunate, in conjunction with a renaissance walk, ignite live worship and a 3km Refugee Walk with a final debrief with all 58 students. It was a fantastic and enriching experience that has further impacted my thoughts and acts towards the homeless and less fortunate persons. Personally, Emmanuel City Mission (ECM) was a serious highlight for my trip and will stick with me for hopefully a very long time. It gave me the opportunity to talk to some of the people living on the streets and find out some information about their lives. Even though some did not wish to share their stories, the majority were up to just having a small chat, which I found out had a bigger impact on their lives than it did mine. After helping serve breakfast and make lunch, a lot of us went around and looked at all the activities ECM had to offer for these people, like photography competitions, painting and art and even a pool table, which was the real showstopper. In total, we had played about three separate people and about eight different pool games. Although getting beaten by all of them was a real downer, it was a fun, happy and building experience for all of us there. You could really see the happiness and friendship of the regulars of ECM while we were playing and eating or serving, which was really rewarding to see and feel in that space. Although talking about serious issues and hard times, especially with people I do not know, is not usually in my comfort zone, I was relieved and happy to come out of this experience knowing I did push myself in that area to understand and have some impact on the lives of the people I met and talked to. The entirety of the street retreat was one of the best encounters I have ever been on and will impact my life greatly in the future. I met some amazing people and made some long time friends. I will never forget and cherish this event for a long time.

Lara Harrington
At Street Retreat this year, I participated in three ministry events across Brisbane: Rosie's, Vinnies Warehouse & Sorting and St Andrew's Uniting Church. Throughout the four days spent in Brisbane, I was confronted with new experiences and given new opportunities that were out of my comfort zone. These opportunities were able to help the homeless and others in unfortunate situations. On the first night, participating in Rosie's was an amazing experience and a great way to start the retreat off! I was challenged with pushing myself to invite the homeless (and others that came by Rosie's) into a warm conversation with a cup of tea and warm noodles. For my partner (Don) and I, Rosie's was one of the best experiences on the retreat and allowed us to understand the challenges people in less fortunate situations face, it also allowed us to create an understanding of what we were going to experience on this retreat first hand. On the following day, I spent most of the morning packing books, linen and toys away into boxes at the Vinnie's Warehouse. These opportunities brought a new comprehension of what volunteers do on a daily basis, which helps people going through a rough time to afford likeable items. I also learnt that the least good time to donate clothes to Vinnie's is during the Christmas season! Also, that night my partner and I, along with the other two SJRC participants, joined other Brisbane youths at the Emmanuel City Mission for a night of worship and prayer.

For me personally, Ignite Live was such an inspiring experience and a great way to end a long day. On Saturday, the four Regional participants travelled together to St Andrew's Uniting Church to help serve and set up dining and takeaway meals for the homeless. Another great and confronting experience at St Andrew's was, I personally was assigned to help a lovely elderly lady Terri to help package and hand out takeaway meals for the homeless. I spent a lovely couple of hours chatting to Terri about the work they do at St Andrew's and how much the takeaway shop they had recently set up, helped their ministry work further after COVID. On the last day, all participants of Street Retreat participated in a Refugee Charity walk. This was a motivating ministry and fun last experience of Street Retreat. The final ending of Street Retreat was our final debrief, which had each of our 58 students share a highlight and challenge of their trip and something they would bring back to their communities. Personally, a highlight of the retreat was the hands-on experience of helping the homeless first-hand and really understanding their experiences and obstacles they encounter. A challenge I faced was stepping out of my comfort zone and beginning conversations with others during our Ministries. Something I am taking from Brisbane back to Port Macquarie is the open-mind perspective I now have achieved and applying that to everything I do and every ministry I participate in.

On behalf of the four students, I would like to say thank you to Kate Nestor and Matt De Dassell from the CSO for the organisation and facilitation of this life-changing Proclaim Lismore Students retreat.

Mr Sean Jennings
Leader of Catechesis

Uniform Reminder

A reminder, that over the holidays we ask that families check their child's uniform, particularly, the length of girls skirts, which should be worn to the knee. The Code of Presentation can be found on pages 10, 11 & 12 of the College Diary.

Wishing all families a warm and restful break. We look forward to seeing all students return for Term 3.

Mrs Tanya Daley
Assistant Principal- Mission

Year 12 Food for Thought

Last Wednesday, Year 12 students were treated to the final "Food for Thought - Breakfast Edition" for this term. Students were instructed regarding unpacking questions, planning and using formulas to compose introductions and body paragraphs in essays. More opportunities for extension will be offered next term. Thank you to those students who have attended and been enthusiastic about the process.

Ms Marchment
Leader of English

CAFS IMMERSION 2021

Year 12 CAFS students have recently returned home from an Immersion Trip to Sydney. The three-day trip provided students with the opportunity to interact with individuals from a variety of groups they are studying. Our first day involved visiting Pass It On clothing, an organisation that delivers clothing packages to People experiencing homelessness, we then attended TwentyTen where students were taught the importance of inclusivity, acceptance and the use of positive terminology for the LGBTIQA+ community. Students then finished a busy day off by visiting Martin Place to observe food distribution services and to interact with people experiencing homelessness. These discussions enabled students to hear the range of stories that have resulted in people living on the street and relying on services provided by the community.

Tuesday saw an early start with students being a part of the Sydney Vinnies Special Works Awareness Program (SWAP). Here students were provided with an insight into the Vinnie's Story, and a tour of the Vinnies distribution centre warehouse and they were also involved in packing snack packs for delivery to people in need. After this, we headed to Our big Kitchen where students spent several hours preparing meals for the Vinnies Corporate Sleepout that was occurring on the same night. George, the manager of this service, was extremely appreciative of our students' help and was very impressed with their positive attitude and work ethic.

Our final day was spent at Ozanam Industries, a special works program of Vinnies that provides employment opportunities for individuals with intellectual disabilities. Here students learnt the importance of being employed for people's sense of identity and the positive effect this has on their well-being. Students worked side by side with the supported workers in packing COVID testing kits. Our students were naturals in this domain and instantly connected with the clients.

I would like to finish by thanking Mr Johnston and Mr Berger for joining us on the trip and helping with creating such a positive, safe and supportive atmosphere for our students to enjoy and grow in. I would also like to commend our students on their behaviour and willingness to participate in all activities regardless of their nature. As their teacher, I was so proud of them and feel that I could not have asked for anything more. They should be so proud of the growth they demonstrated on the immersion and I hope they take this experience with them into their future lives.

To sum up, the immersion here are some responses from the student's reflection on the trip,

• Informative, eye-opener.
• Amazing, enlightening, once in a lifetime.
• Great to experience how lucky we are and take real-life experiences into the HSC exam room.
• Eye-opening experience where we are involved in the work we do for our studies.
• Rewarding to help people in such an important way.
• Immersed, inspired, grateful.
• Beneficial and rewarding.

Ms Kylie Wallis
CAFS Teacher

WorldSkills 

It was great to have Dru Woolnough from Drury lane Restaurant in Port Macquarie come to the College on Thursday morning for a 2 hour workshop with Molly Hutcheon who will be competing in the National VETIS (Vocational Education & Training in Schools) Worldskills Commercial Cookery Competition in Perth in August.

Dru is a great supporter of young people in the Hastings area that have an interest in the hospitality industry and jumped at the chance to help in Molly’s preparations. Dru went through the three-day competition menu with Molly offering menu ideas, plating up options and ideas and showed some food preparation skills that will help Molly during the competition.

If you are interested to find out more information relating to the VETIS Worldskills Cooking Competition please follow this link.

https://www.worldskills.org.au/skills/vetis-commercial-cookery/

Year 9 Textiles students have been learning how to read a commercial skirt pattern as well as learning a number of techniques such as constructing a waistband and inserting an invisible zip into their skirt. As seen in the photos, some quality skirts have been produced.

Year 10 Textiles students are learning the art of patchwork and whilst some students are still finalising their quilts, some have finished. More photos will be shared next term.

Mrs Diana Walsh
Assistant Leader of TAS

Sydney Dance Company: Impermanence

On Tuesday, 15th June, Year 11 Dance students had the opportunity to participate in a dance workshop and view a sneak peek of Sydney Dance Company’s latest work, Impermanence at the Glasshouse. The workshop was led by two company members.

Hannah Jennings, Dylan Lambert, Katie Bell and Charlotte Shrader participated in a contemporary dance warm-up and compositional activities based on the work Impermanence.

Sneak Peak - Sydney Dance Company

On Wednesday, 16th June, Year 9, 10 and 11 Dance students went to the Glasshouse to see the sneak peek of the rehearsal of the work by Sydney Dance Company. This was an amazing experience for students to see Australia’s leading contemporary Dance company in person.

Mrs Sophie Woods
Dance Teacher

Former students Courtney Fyffe and Gabrielle Coles acted as ambassadors for Macquarie University's Dunmore Lang College and gave a very interesting presentation to our senior students. We are very proud of both of these young women and how they have successfully moved into their future pathways - a doctor and chiropractor in the making. Well done girls.

Mrs Leanne Tinsey
Leader of Careers and University Transition

Term 2 Wrap Up in 25 words or less:

Bell Shakespeare presented to Year 10, debating tryouts commenced and Year 7 completed interactive learning sessions in the library with Mrs Lawler and Mrs Bale.

But one more thing:

Literacy enrichment doesn't need to end when the term ends. Here’s how to keep your literacy needs enriched while on holidays:

• Read.
• Enter a competition: there’s always an opportunity to develop and pitch your writing skills up against like-minded peers. Check out SJRC’s own Literacy Enrichment website.
• Plan: If you’re contemplating life in a literacy/arts-related field after school (eg journalism, film, writing) check out what’s on offer during the holidays. Students as young as Year 9 can benefit greatly from exploring any career options that might interest them. And some companies in the arts field offer work experience, immersion opportunities and specialised holiday workshops. Just a peek at their websites can set you on a course of action that can change your life!

Eg:
Sydney Theatre Company
Bell Shakespeare
Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS)
National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA)
Australian Theatre for Young People (ATYP)

Coming up in Term 3:

SJRC vs Mackillop Debating Competition Thursday, 19 August Week 6 

NIDA:

And if you’re stuck for reading tips, check out:

Readings Australia

Don’t forget to check out the SJRC Literacy Enrichment page.

See you next week!

The SJRC Literacy Enrichment Team

Maggie Dent's book "From boys to men" empowers parents with insights, tips and a common-sense approach to help all boys – and their families – thrive as they progress through adolescence, offering hope for a future of adventure, stability, engagement and connection.

Word of the Week: School Holidays

Meaning: Also referred to as vacations, breaks, and recess. They are periods during which schools are closed or no classes or other mandatory activities are held.

Enjoy your break, stay safe and have fun. Come back in Term 3 refreshed and relaxed.

The SJRC Athletics Carnival to be held on Tuesday the 13th of July is definitely going ahead.  The only change is unfortunateluy no spectatros are allowed on site. 

Traditionally this is an excellent day of competition, participation and fingers crossed – great weather.   Students compete in Houses for the coveted CC Adams Shield.

Students may wear house colours to and from the College on Athletics Carnival Day.

The day starts immediately after PC with a rotation of six events.  Students will move through this rotation in their age groups (age they turn this year).  The events are 100m, shot putt, discus, long jump, javelin and 200m.  Lunch will be held around 12:45pm.  One of the highlights – the 100m finals and relays conclude the competition.  Presentation of Age Champions and runners-up as well as Champion House will complete the carnival. 

A fundraising sausage sizzle and drink stand will operate all day and is part of the 100m rotation.  Students have option to purchase a sausage sandwich ($2) and/or drink ($2) after their 100m race.

The top two competitors in each event will be named in the SJRC Athletics Squad to compete at the Diocesan Carnival on Thursday 12th of August 2021.  This carnival is also a selection trial for the Diocesan Athletics Squad to attend the CCC Carnival on Friday the 3rd of September which completes the school pathway.

2021 SJRC Athletics Carnival Program

This is a compulsory day for all students.  Jobs will be allocated on the day for sick or injured students – please send a note of explanation in to Mr. Cannon on Tuesday.  They earn house points for helping.

If it is raining the morning of the carnival please check our Facebook Page, Twitter feed and website for postponements.  Normal day 2 if wet.

Events to be completed before the carnival – 1500m, 800m, 400m, Triple Jump and High Jump for all ages.  Please click the link below for an updated house points score and age champion race spreadsheets following our pre-carnival events.

2021 SJRC Pre-Carnival Events, House & Age Champion Tally

Good luck to all students – participation is key to win this House Competition.

Mr. Michael Cannon
Leader of Sport

15th June 2021

The pre-canival athletics events got underway last week. 

• 1500m - complete
• 800m - complete
• 400m - complete
• Triple Jump - complete
• High Jump - complete

For an updated tally of events please see the table below and for age champion tally and house points please click the links below.

10th June: Congratulations to Keira Donovan (Yr 7) who broke the SJRC 13 Girls 1500m record with a time of 5min 35.67s.  The old record was held by Madi Roberts (5min 36.76s) and has stood since 2007. 

22nd June: Congratulations to Grace Smith (Yr 8) who broke the SJRC 13 Girls High Jump record today clearing a height of 1.45m.  The old record was held by Eliza Smith (Grace's sister 1.44m) and has stood since 2019.

House Points Update:

Results Sheets:

2021 Girls Age Champion Race & House Points

2021 Boys Age Champion Race & House Points

Michael Cannon
Leader of Sport

15th June 2021

The Country Cup Regional finals were held in Port Macquarie on June 17th. It brought together the winners from the Taree, Port Macquarie, Kempsey and Coffs Harbour competitions. As expected the standard of football was of the highest quality. SJRC was represented in the U/13’s and U/15’s which is an incredible achievement.

SJRC 15s Rugby League Team

The U’15’s played their first game against Great Lakes College from Forster. It was a tightly fought contest with limited scoring opportunities. Both sides had some strong players but it was the support play from the whole team that gave SJRC the edge. A Jalin Downey intercept on half time meant we went in 2 tries up. Some fundamental mistakes that gave away possession kept the scores close but a win to SJRC gave the opportunity to play the final against Camden Haven High.

A great start in the final was threatened when captain and play maker Jack Alchin was injured. Once again, the strong running and committed try line defense meant that our U/15 had ascendancy but when they couldn’t convert that to points it meant the game remained hard and close until the siren. The team should be proud of the team effort that resulted in the 12 -0 victory. Kayden  Jones-Moore was judged the best player for his committed defense and incisive running. Other players that played a significant role were Eli Davies, Jalin Downey, Tom Baker, Brock Trappet-Byrnes.

The U/15 are in the final 8 teams of the State which is an outstanding achievement. They will play the Northern Semi final against the winners of Hunter, North West and Far North Coast on Wednesday the 28th of July in Coffs Harbour (Term 3 Week 3).

Mr Gerard Toohey & Mr John Sprague
15s Rugby League Coaches

25th June 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 on 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 will be CLOSED

from Monday 28th June to Saturday, 3rd July 2021 for stocktaking.

There will be no online pickups or posting during this week.

We will resume our normal trading hours on Monday, 5th July 2021

Normal Trading Hours

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

 6 Boronia Street, Port Macquarie

Items in short supply at the St Agnes' Parish Uniform Store

We have been informed that the SAPPS sports socks are in low supply at the Uniform Store.

If your child requires new socks and you are unable to purchase them, please write a note in your child's diary explaining this. Plain white sports socks can be worn in the interim.

FREE EVENT

The University of New England (UNE) is hosting a Winter Festival on Wednesday, 7th July 2021, with internationally acclaimed rapper Baker Boy, local favourites Terra Firma and a Student Fair as part of this year’s NAIDOC Week celebrations.

The Tjawanpa, UNE Winter Festival is a free community event (alcohol-free) and booking is essential.

The Winter Festival is especially relevant to Year 11 and 12 students as we will be offering residential college tours for future students and a Student Fair.