28 May 2021 - Newsletter (Vol 38 No 8)

Pentecost

Last weekend the Church celebrated the feast of Pentecost, a time when the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles, a time when Jesus’ words from the cross were fulfiled;

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counsellor to be with you forever — the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.   John 14:16–18

The Holy Spirit gave the apostles gifts and skills necessary to fulfil the great commissioning role they were to undertake, to go forth and spread the Good News. It is also considered to be the birth of the Church, Peter the first Pope preaches for the first time and converts many non-believers.

Two thousand years later we as Catholic educators are commissioned with the same task. In our College we are called to ‘enable students to achieve the fullness of life’. Living a Christian life today and making others aware of our beliefs and values takes courage and strength. It almost always is counter cultural and often we are made to feel like our beliefs and values are irrelevant. From its very inception, the Church was ‘always up against it’ and for two thousand years, Christians have responded to the great commissioning to go out and spread the good news.

God bless

Michael Carniato
Principal

A community is a social unit with commonality such as norms, religion, values, customs or identity. A community is different from an institution as a genuine care for one another exists.

There are, broadly speaking, five different types of communities. You can classify every type of community by the purpose that brings them together.

1. Interest - Communities of people who share the same interest or passion.
2. Action - Communities of people trying to bring about change.
3. Place - Communities of people brought together by geographic boundaries.
4. Practice - Communities of people in the same profession or undertake the same activities.
5. Circumstance - Communities of people brought together by external events/situations.

“The word “community” has a strange power to it. It conveys a sense of togetherness and positivity. It speaks both of solidarity and homeliness.”  Toby Lowe Professor of Public Management at the Centre for Public Impact.

A growing body of research confirms the benefits of building a sense of community in school. Students in schools with a strong sense of community are more likely to be academically motivated (Solomon, Battistich, Watson, Schaps, & Lewis, 2000); to act ethically and altruistically (Schaps, Battistich, & Solomon, 1997); to develop social and emotional competencies (Solomon et al., 2000); and to avoid a number of problem behaviors, including drug use and violence (Resnick et al., 1997).  Eric Schaps: Creating a school Community

In recent weeks at SJPC, we have experienced many examples of a school community in the shape of our Mother’s Day Breakfast, P&F meeting and the Social to name a few. The students have also been involved in activities in our wider community. Our Child Studies students and Yr 9 SRC students are helping in various classes at St Augustine’s. Senior SRC students also visited The Coffs Soup Kitchen where they shared their time speaking with many of their clients.

The shared Christian vocation of witness is possible only through the power of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit transforms individuals and communities in ways that result in the sharing of the fruits of human labour—especially power, resources, and influence—with the community and the surrounding culture. The community witnesses when the strong aid the weak. The community witnesses when its members use their resources to benefit the wider culture. The community witnesses when those around see that working in the ways of justice, goodness, and beauty leads to fuller life.

Until next time:

A community needs a soul if it is to become a true home for human beings. You.. the people must give it this soul.  Saint Pope John Paul II

Year 7-10 Semester Reports changes

In our last newsletter I made mention of changes the College will be trialing in regards to our Year 7-10 Semester Reports. Since this time I have explained these changes at this month's Parents and Friends Meeting and also sought our ‘student voice’ at the last Student Representative Council Meeting. 

For those parents and carers who missed the last newsletter, I have included the main reasons for the changes and the process of seeking feedback next term. 

In recent years our teaching staff have identified our Academic Reports as an area for review. As such a Working Party was established in 2020 to not only review our reports but to make recommendations to our Leaders of Learning. The aim has been to create a reporting system that offers a more effective and efficient way of reporting student progress inline with best practices. 

As a result, parents will see several changes to our Semester Reports. These changes will include reporting on a student’s knowledge, understanding and skills based on the NESA Common Grade Scale. In addition teachers will be reporting on Learning Behaviours in class and Recommended Strategies for Improvement. These will essentially replace written comments and be more precise in student achievement and where improvements can be made for the next reporting period. 

These changes will come into effect for our Year 7-10 Semester Reports published toward the end of Term 2. A process of feedback will be sought from not only staff but from parents and students through a variety of forums and online surveys. 

Study Skills - Looking ahead for the remainder of Term 2

Are you riding a rollercoaster at school? Rollercoaster study is where you stay up late doing last minute assignments, then you take it easy for a while and do very little, then panic again when something is due and have to spend huge amounts of time at the end completing the work.  If you plan ahead and are prepared, you will find school much less stressful and more rewarding. 

Here are the top tips for thinking ahead for the remainder of the term:

1. STUDY NOTES: If you know that you have a test at the end of each topic or examinations approaching, then on the nights you do not have much homework start working on your study notes and summaries. File them in folders at home so they are ready to go when you need them.
   
   
2. ASSIGNMENTS: Always start the assignment the day it is given to you, even if it is just a little bit. Make sure you understand the requirements and if you don’t ask your teacher straight away the next day. Brainstorm the steps the first night and do a rough plan of when you will do each step.
   
   
3. ASK FOR HELP EARLY: There is nothing more frustrating than a student who says ‘I haven’t understood anything we did in the last 3 weeks’. Ask for help as soon as you have a problem. Keep a list of questions for your teacher on a post-it in your textbook or sticky notes on your computer or a list in your phone. Don’t let problems or issues build up, ask for help early and often.
   
   
4. THINK ABOUT WHO YOU SIT NEXT TO: Choose wisely who you will sit with in class. This can make a world of difference to your results. If you sit with someone where it is a productive relationship, you encourage and help each other and stay on task in the classroom you will understand your work better and have less to do at home.
   
   
5. CONSIDER YOUR WEEK: Plan ahead for busy times. If you know you have nights where you can’t do much work or a busy weekend, plan ahead and get things done early. Always look ahead for possible times where you could be caught short of time and make plans to avoid problems.

Study Skills 

Learn more this year about how to improve your results and be more efficient and effective with your schoolwork by working through the units on www.studyskillshandbook.com.au. Our College access details are:

Our school’s access details are:

School’s Username – stjohnpaul

School’s password – 89success

In addition, our subscription to Elevate Education may assist in this area.

This online platform contains resources and useful study tips that all SJPC students will find effective. We encourage them to access this Student Portal and try some of the strategies. Students have the password to this site. The password can also be found on the Curriculum Noticeboard.

AMDG

James Furey
Assistant Principal
Learning and Teaching

Interview with Pamela Adams - Teacher

The Australian Curriculum Review

Education is continually changing and adapting in response to new research findings,  evidence and the needs of a rapidly changing world. 

ACARA is the body that is tasked with refining, updating and decluttering the Australian Curriculum, in consultation with all stakeholders. ACARA is now interested in feedback from the public.

If you are interested in reading more about the proposed changes and giving feedback, access the link below, watch the video, read about the changes and complete the survey.

Australian Curriculum Review

Year 12 

The Trial examination timetable will be released in Term 2 Week 7 to enable students to plan their study regime well in advance. All students should be focussing on what they want to achieve and be putting into place strategies to succeed. This may mean speaking with employers regarding changes to work hours to enable more time to implement their study plan.

REMEMBER, in addition to texts, and staff expertise, the College provides access to the following resources; Edrolo, Elevate, Study Skills Handbook, and links via the HSC Curriculum Matters Google Classroom.

Year 11

All students are practising the skills required in Year 12 via their compressed Religion courses. The focus, literacy and metacognitive skills required in these courses highlights the need for all Year 11 students to implement a comprehensive study regime and a proactive approach to learning.

Students are reminded that they are on the HSC pathway. This is the highest academic qualification that an individual can acquire in NSW. Such a qualification not only requires commitment, hard work and an organised approach, but a supportive environment in which to grow. We at SJPC are committed to supporting students and are experienced in helping students take on this responsibility as learners. Use resources we provide and ask for help when needed!

Claudia Brown
Leader of Curriculum

Year 8 Geography

Last Friday, our Year 8 Geography students participated in field work at Karangi Dam and on the Gumgali Track at Sealy Lookout.

Students got to focus on the connections people have to places across a range of scales. They examined what shapes people’s perceptions of places and how this influences their connections to places. They were even lucky enough to experience first hand the indigenous connection to our land through local dreaming stories presented by fellow classmate Arjay Robinson and staff member Aunty Vicki Filewood.

Students’ put their geography skills into action as Mr Carruthers led them down the Gumgali track to Korora lookout, including bearing work using compasses, map reading, field sketches and precis maps. 

After viewing the Coffs Coast from above students’ then proceeded out to Karangi Dam where they were greeted by Mr Podesta who told them all about the dam's history and the vital role it plays for our local community. While there, students discussed the nature of water scarcity and the important need for sustainable water management.

Matt Hiddlestone
Leader of Learning - HSIE

Learning a new language makes you more conscious of the nuts and bolts of your own language. This was certainly true this week when our Year 10 students compared aspects of English language with Japanese through examining common verbs. We discovered that some Japanese verbs are way more specific than English! 

For example, the verb ‘to wear’ in English can be used as, "I wear a hat," "I wear gloves," "I wear glasses" and so on. However, in Japanese there are different verbs depending on which part of the body the clothing will be worn on.

If you put something on your head like a hat you say ‘kaburimasu’. Clothing worn on your torso would use the verb ‘kimasu’. And putting on shoes, pants or skirts would require the verb ‘hakimasu’, just to name a few!

Learning this certainly helped us appreciate the simplicity of the English word ‘wear’!

Our Year 10 students also learnt this week how to describe people in Japanese. This includes learning the Japanese characters (kanji) for parts of the body. 

Participating in engaging hands-on activities is a great way to help students remember kanji, so we had fun in class making kanji using play dough. This was further reinforced with funny mnemonics to assist with recall. 

Kirsten Binnie
Leader of Learning - Languages

Year 11 SLR & 11PDHPE Outdoor Education Excursion

Last week over 50 students travelled to Sealy Lookout in Coffs Harbour for their annual Outdoor Education experience. TreeTops Adventure Park aims to maximise the potential for excitement in a natural setting whilst having a minimum impact on the environment. The facilities offer a unique combination of adventurous fun for all ages and abilities.  Students were given a safety and technique briefing, provided with their equipment and were quickly in the trees. They were then free to explore their limits and work together to overcome the many different challenges at their disposal. The variety of courses involved a mixture of climbing, zip lining and swinging through the tree tops. The weather was fantastic and the student’s attitude and involvement was excellent throughout the day.

Kurt Marle
Leader of Learning - PDHPE

SJPC Representative Teams sporting success

SJPC sporting teams continue to impress. Our results within the Diocesan and regional pathway competitions have been outstanding and in large part due to the dedication and commitment to training of both athletes and coaches. Our most recent results are in the Diocese Open Basketball championships held in Coffs Harbour on 19 May.

Open girls basketball – Diocesan champions!

The girls competed in the Division 1 competition going through their round games undefeated. Meeting Regional Catholic College from Port Macquarie in the finals, the girls came away champions winning 31 - 20. The girls now move onto the CCC carnival in Sydney in June.

Open boys basketball – Diocesan champions!

The boys competed in a tough Division 1 competition experiencing some tight tussles against Trinity and McKillop in particular in the rounds. While the boys defeated Trinity, they went down to McKillop 40 to 39. The boys rectified this in the finals when they came up against McKillop again, accounting for them 49 - 36. Like the girls, the boys will now progress to CCC in Sydney next month.

Congratulations

Logan Lacey recently attended the CCC Rugby League State Trials. He was successful in earning a place in the 15 years Country Development Tour team. We are proud of Lachlan and wish him well with the upcoming tour.

Diocesan Cross Country 

Our 39 strong Cross Country team travelled to Grafton on 21 May to compete in the Diocesan Cross Country Championships. The track was a tough one around farming country and contained a number of heartbreaking hills. There were many outstanding performances and personal best runs on the day by our students. Of particular note are Riley Woods (14 years boys), Finn Klinkers (16 years boys) and Harrison Colyer (17 years boys)  who were named Diocesan Age Champion Runner Up in their divisions.

All of our students handled themselves very well and were tough competitors on a very hot day. Congratulations to the following students who have earned their place as Diocesan Representatives by placing in the top 6 of their divisions:

SJPC Cross Country Age Champions

Our College Cross Country Age champions are determined by the results achieved at the Diocesan Cross Country event held in Grafton. Congratulations to the follow students:

SJPC Athletics Carnival - High Jump

Every year, students are able to nominate to compete in High Jump as it is not traditionally held during the carnival. Those students who would like to be considered need to sign up at the Palace and collect a note which describes the take off positions that are allowed. Those students who wish to perform the Fosbury Flop technique, must collect a note from the Palace to gain parental approval. High jump sign up will close at the end of Week 9.

Olympic Change Maker Award

This year we are opening the award to Year 12 students who demonstrate leadership, sportsmanship and a commitment to positive relationships through sport. If you are interested in being considered for this prestigious award, please collect information about it from the Palace between now and 28 May. Our application process will close on Friday 4 June.

Year 9/10 Sport Selections Term 3

Students have now selected their term three sports and invoices have been sent out via email to parents. If you have not received an invoice for a paid sport, please first check your junk mail folder. If you still cannot locate the invoice, please contact the office on 66533155 or the finance department on cofhs-finance@lism.catholic.edu.au  Please note, if your child has chosen a free sport, no invoice will be sent.

* Every term students and parents make contact after the due date to change sport or pay late. This causes a great deal of complications for many people, not in the least messes with bus and venue bookings as well as staff allocation to sport. For this reason, please understand that once a sport has been selected and an invoice sent out, it may not be possible to change sporting selections. Once the close date passes, students who have not made their payment will be moved to an on-campus sport that has vacancies. 

Danielle McAra
Leader of Learning - Sport

Charles Boshier
Year 10 Coordinator

Pamela Adams
Teacher