22 September 2023 - Newsletter (Vol 40 No 15)

Year 12 Prayer Service and Graduation

This week we celebrated Graduation in all its former glory with the entire College community including all students and parents and extended family. I am so proud of all the Graduation class has achieved. My message to the class of 2023 is to remember; that when you know better, then do better!

Year 12 2023 Graduation & Awards

Jessica Harrison 1st in Year Academic Excellence

Claire Plummer 2nd in Year Academic Excellence

Abby Pocock 3rd in Year Academic Excellence

Jack Guidera 3rd in Year Academic Excellence

Hayley Little 3rd in Year Academic Excellence

Billie Andrews ADF Future Innovators Award	Lily Hallawell ADF Long Tan Youth Leadership and Teamwork
Lily Betland Ampol Best All Rounder	Zara Temesi Australian Olympic Change-Maker
Cally Dawson Citizenship Award	Lily Betland College Leadership Award
Claire Plummer Emmaus Award	Maria Casey Emmaus Award
Cassidy Ferrett Fr Colin Reinhard Service to the Community	Zara Temesi Principal's Award for International Sporting Excellence
Rory Green David Goswell Memorial Award	Jasmine Tibbett Mick Bryant Award
Finn Klinkers Year 12 Sportsman of the Year Award	Diaz Voglsinger Year 12 Sportswoman of the Year Award
Ella Robinson VET Work Placement Award Coastal Wardrobes & Kitchens	Dylan Nicol College Sport Blue-Bar for Hockey
Finn Klinkers College Sport Blue for Cross Country	Rhys Mulholland College Sport Blue for Cross Country

Claire Plummer University of New England Vice Chancellors Scholarship	Cassidy Ferrett University of Newcastle Vice Chancellors Scholarship
Abby Pocock Southern Cross University Chancellors Scholarship	Riley Dagger Southern Cross University Chancellors Scholarship

End of Term Prayer

We thank you Lord, for this term.

For the challenges, the successes and the mistakes from which we have learnt.

Be with us as we spend our time with family and friends.

Give us strength and courage to do what is right: to be witnesses of our faith.

Help us to be a practical Christian these holidays, to appreciate what others do for us, to give time and effort to help others.

To be peacemakers in our family.

Keep us safe in our activities; give us good rest and good fun.

Bring us back refreshed and ready for a new term.

We thank you for our friends, teachers and parents

And a community that cares for us.

May we always be conscious of your love in our lives.

Amen

 

Once again I wish to thank all staff, students and parents for another extraordinary term. Enjoy a well deserved break and I look forward to seeing you all in Term 4.

Michael Carniato
Principal

Celebrating 40 Years - Save the Date!

Leanne Gennat
Assistant Principal - Mission

Week 10 of Term 3 always comes with mixed emotions. It has been a busy term with Kalawazi Month, St John Paul Day and Student/Parent/Teacher meetings just to name a few for our general school body. The holidays will come as a welcome opportunity to rest and recharge.

This week we also celebrate the achievements of our Year 12 class of 2023 and farewell them as they approach their HSC exams. This can be a difficult time for students as well as parents. Leading up to these exams can be a time of uncertainty, stress, fear, helplessness, disappointment, negative thoughts (rumination about past poor performances, consequences of failure, feeling inadequate, helpless), mind going blank, and racing thoughts. It isn’t all doom and gloom there are also feelings of being well prepared and ready to embrace the next chapter in their lives. As parents it’s very difficult to navigate through these emotions with your child even if this isn’t your first time. Personally, as a parent, I have had four very different experiences.

Your child may feel an enormous amount of pressure about the HSC. As a parent or carer you play an important role in giving them the confidence, support and stability to cope with their final exams. Here are some ideas for supporting them:

Tips to support your kids

You should always encourage your child to study and work to the best of their ability but also balance their lives with friends, family, health and rest.

A good diet and healthy routine helps maintain concentration and energy levels. This should include:

• plenty of protein and complex carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables
• lots of drinking water
• moderated caffeine - if your child must have a coffee, try to limit it to one per day and don't drink coffee after midday
• plenty of sleep - teenagers don't always realise how much sleep they need; at least eight to ten hours a night is recommended
• exercise and time to switch off and relax each day.

Prudence Greene, Leader, Secondary Education at NSW Department of Education, says it's understandable students and parents want to achieve the best results in the HSC:

"But in the determination to succeed students should not forget that a balanced life is key to success," she says. "Too much of a focus on one area can be counter-productive."

There’s no question that most HSC students are feeling the pressure. In fact, a University of NSW study found that 40% of HSC students displayed symptoms of depression, high stress or anxiety.

By helping to create a calm home environment, you can reduce their anxiety. You could also consider changes to their bedroom, so it is a space where they feel comfortable and relaxed to work.

Meditation is another good way to overcome stress. There are plenty of options to choose from too, such as Headspace or Insight Timer.

As a parent or carer, you need to look after your own wellbeing too. As a family unit, you are part of the HSC journey. 

Our young people are very fortunate that there are many ways for them to achieve success after the HSC. Career paths may go in the direction of tertiary education, internships, apprenticeships, etc. Whether they are searching for a job for the first time or are interested in a particular career, it’s important for them to understand what their options are. 

After listening to Dr.Michael Carr-Gregg (a psychologist specialising in adolescent mental health and parenting adolescents) on many occasions I often find myself looking to his writings for some practical advice.

“If in life if you can’t change something, change the way you think about it”.

This means when your students are dealing with self-doubt and anxiety around their progress they should try to change their mind set from “I need to achieve a high ATAR or I won’t succeed in life” to the exams being “a great opportunity to show the examiners what I know”.

Michael also believes it is always best to take an individual approach with students. Everyone develops at their own pace, and some Year 12 students are simply still trying to figure out who they are and what they want to do in life. A great way to support those students is to remind them that there are many options available, such as:

• Bridging courses – great pathways to get into their preferred course
• Second round offers
• Gap years – this will give them the opportunity to really consider their options and what they want to do.

We need to remind our young people to try their best and exam results do not define us as a person.

Year 12 Graduation 2023 student acknowledgements

This week saw the conclusion of formal lessons for our Year 12 students, culminating in their Prayer Service and Graduation ceremony in the presence of Fr Joe D’Souza from our St Augustine’s parish. 

This was a significant event as it marked the culmination of 13 years of Catholic Education beginning as Kindergarten students in our feeder primary schools and concluding as Year 12 Graduates at our College. The Graduation ceremony was a chance for our Year 12 students to be acknowledged for their academic achievements and talents before their parents, families and our entire College staff and student body. 

This year’s ceremony saw keynote speaker, Ms Bonnie Hancock (Year 12 2007) address the College and share her journey as a professional Inronwoman on the Nutri Grain Ironwoman Circuit and then take the challenge to circumnavigate Australia by paddle in 2022. 

Whilst the College’s Major Award recipients will be acknowledged elsewhere in this newsletter, I would like to make special mention of our Year 12 performers this week, namely:

Oreoluwa Olutayo, Lily Hallawell, Vincent Emery, Violet Livingstone, Scarlett Grebert, and Rocco Siviour for their Music performance of “Fix You” by Coldplay

Lilly Hallawell for her own composition, titled “Give Me Back”

Somerley Bramall for her rendition of the National Anthem

Study Skills

Learn more about the ‘managing stress’ resources through the units on www.studyskillshandbook.com.au . Our College 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

Year 7

What a busy term it was for Year 7 where they enjoyed a number of firsts. They participated in their first Athletics Carnival and had fun on SJPC Day. They also experienced their first Year 12 Graduation and completed their task of spraying the Year 12 graduates with streamers with loads of enthusiasm. Congratulations to our newly elected SRC members for 2023 - 2024. I’m sure they will lead our year group well and represent us with enthusiasm.

Jasper Harris 2024 SRC

Rhyse Ward 2024 SRC

Tazmyn White 2024 SRC

Layla Woodcock 2024 SRC

Well done to Max Corsalini who won the Footy Tipping Comp with a huge effort in the final round of tipping. At the time of writing Max is due to face Lucas Sultana in the Grand Final of the handball Competition. Our girls final is between Layla Woodcock and Mia Henry. So good luck to both groups of Year 7 students! We will be cheering you on! 

Year 7 has been busy this year earning class awards with over 3000 class awards given so far. To all the kids who earned themselves a pizza lunch for receiving the most class awards each term I say congratulations to you. Congratulations also to those students who won the Best All Rounder award each week this term.

Have a wonderful holiday break Year 7 and we look forward to seeing you bright eyed and bushy tailed ready for some more learning in our final term of the year!

Year 11

Term 3 has been action packed for Year 11, with the Athletics Carnival and our house Captains leading the charge, work placements, excursions, hosting the first SJPC Short Film festival, Shine, Rep Sporting, music nights and examinations. As we wrap up Term 3 it is hard to believe how fast this year has gone. For Year 11, the end of Term 3 marks an important milestone on their academic journey with the completion of the preliminary course work and the realisation that the last year for high school is about to begin. This is the perfect opportunity for both students and teachers to reflect on the incredible progress that Year 11 students have made over the past 9 months. It has been a time of growth both academically and personally; as they have faced challenges head on, tackled complex subjects and honed their skills in preparation for the final stretch of their high school experience. 

I would like to thank our fantastic and very capable 2023 Leadership Team for their service to the SJPC community:

2023 Student Representative Council

Riley Andrews Year 11 SRC

Rylan Jones Year 11 SRC

Koko Nichols Year 11 SRC

Flynn Oates Year 11 SRC

2023 House Captains

Jesse Crick Casey House Captain	Riley Andrews Casey House Captain	Riley Carniato Casey House Captain	Mikaela Flick Casey House Captain
William Nulty Kelly House Captain	Charlize Morrison Kelly House Captain	Cooper Marle Kelly House Captain	Darcy O'Rorke Kelly House Captain
Archie Wright McAuley House Captain	Tulli Scott McAuley House Captain	Bryce Wallace McAuley House Captain	Stephanie Rose McAuley House Captain
Max Hicks Hargraves House Captain	Payton Lawler Hargraves House Captain	Nockdy Nfor-Kongnuh Hargraves House Captain	Paige Dunn Hargraves House Captain

I would like to welcome Riley Andrews, Flynn Oates, Koko Nichols, William Nulty, Lana Wirth and Rylan Jones as our Student Leadership Team moving into Year 12. 

2024 Student Leadership Team

Flynn Oates 2024 Captain

Riley Andrews 2024 Captain

Koko Nichols 2024 Vice Captain

William Nulty 2024 Vice Captain

Rylan Jones 2024 SRC

Lana Wirth 2024 SRC

Next term we begin the HSC Course, and the countdown to the completion of High School. In the first few weeks of Term 4, we will be focusing on selecting our Charity for our fundraising, and planning for Senior Retreat. Whilst Year 12 will bring its own set of challenges, I am confident that our Year 11 students are well prepared to face them head on. I encourage all students to continue setting goals and seeking the support they need to succeed. 

I look forward to seeing all of the Year 11 students and their families at the Year 12 Information Evening held in the Theatre at 6pm on Tuesday 17 October 2023.

Year 12 Graduation 2023

It is with great joy and pride that I reflect on the recent Year 12 Graduation Ceremony held on Wednesday, 20 September 2023. This special event marked the culmination of years of hard work, dedication, and personal growth for our graduating students, and it was a day filled with emotions, successes and heartfelt farewells.

The many addresses of the day shared the common theme, emphasising the significance of this milestone and the promising future that awaits our graduates. As the students proudly entered the ceremony wearing their school uniform with pride for one of the last times, there was an undeniable sense of accomplishment in the air.

One of the highlights of the evening was the inspiring valedictory speech delivered by College Captains, Lily Hallawell and Julian Na. Their eloquent speech encapsulated the essence of their Catholic educational journey, gratitude towards their teachers and parents, and excitement for what lies ahead. It was evident that they had grown not only academically but also as confident and compassionate individuals. 

The distribution of the awards was met with resounding applause from the audience. Our Year 12 students have exhibited outstanding academic achievements, creativity, and leadership throughout their time at St John Paul College, and I am confident that they will continue to excel in their future endeavours. 

The ceremony concluded with the teacher guard of honour, a special moment where students shared heartfelt goodbyes with their teachers, creating an atmosphere of unity, connection and nostalgia, leaving all involved with a lasting memory of this special day. 

As our Year 12 students embark on new adventures, whether it be in higher education, the workforce, or other pursuits, I am certain that they will continue to make us proud. I extend our heartfelt congratulations to the class of 2023, and I look forward to hearing about their future successes and accomplishments.

I’d like to express my gratitude to all involved in this wonderful journey - to the parents, teachers, and staff members who played a pivotal role in shaping these remarkable young individuals, thank you. Together, we have fostered an environment where dreams are nurtured, and potential is realised. 

In closing, let us remember that graduation is not the end, but the beginning of an exciting journey. I wish our Year 12 graduates all the best as they step into the world, armed with faith, knowledge, and determination.

Alana Johnson
Year 12 Leader of Student Wellbeing

Laila McLaughlin - SRC - Year 9 Student

Why did you choose to be a leader?

I chose to be a leader because I wanted to challenge myself at SJPC as well as that I wanted to help my year group with the issues they had and try my best to help fix them. 

Year 12

This is the last newsletter item for 2023 cohort!

The College Library will be open for Year 12 students during the Spring Holidays during the following times.

Check with your teachers regarding when they may be holding study sessions during these times and ensure you sign in and out of study centre each day.

Remember to;

• Check Students Online for your HSC examination timetable.
• Check your Google classrooms for updates and access to free online lectures on specific subjects.
• Access the study resources on Student Links page of College website.
• Eat well, get enough sleep and take time to exercise.
• Maintain your school routine during the holidays to ensure you are alert and ready for your examinations. 

Year 11

Year 11 students should be setting specific goals for Term 4 – their first HSC term - based on the feedback from teachers. They have 12 months to improve and hone their skills. 

Students should use part of the spring break to plan their approach to their courses and organise their study space, materials and routines ready to begin their HSC courses. 

Year 10

On Tuesday 10 October those Year 10 students who have indicated they are returning will receive a letter confirming which courses they are enrolled in as well as the appointment time for the round table conferences which will take place on Wednesday 18 October.  

Again, we encourage any student, whose intentions have changed for 2024, to inform the Curriculum Office as soon as possible. Thank you to those who have already done so.

A reminder

If you have any questions about Curriculum, NESA requirements or College Assessment Policies please feel free to contact the Curriculum Office.

Claudia Brown
Leader of Curriculum

All things Literacy, because Literacy matters in all things

Let's celebrate National Punctuation Day - Sunday 24 September

Accurate punctuation is crucial for writing success. Learning to use the available forms of punctuation allows students to communicate and express ideas and arguments effectively.

The use of the oxford comma is a very widely debated topic. In a sentence with a list of three or more items, the Oxford comma is the comma you place right before the coordinating conjunctions on the last item in the list. The Oxford comma is considered grammatically optional. 

Mrs McKelvie
Literacy Coach

Doing History

In these final weeks of term, a number of classes have had the opportunity to put into action some of the theoretical skills of history by actually doing history. As history is constantly being written and revisited, it’s important for students to see the ways in which they can enact history or present it in thoughtful and engaging ways.

Mummify Me!

Some Year 7 students explored the more ‘hands-on’ elements of Ancient Egypt. This included mummification, where students researched the steps for preserving a body before acting out the steps. The most exciting part for the students was the wrapping of a classmate in toilet paper (clean, of course) with the goal of fully wrapping them without accidentally breaking the paper. Some groups displayed an impressive attention to detail and care in wrapping their ‘corpses’ - budding ancient Egyptian embalmers!

Choiceless Choices

Year 9 have spent most of this term learning about the Holocaust, examining the motives and actions involved to carry out a genocide. They have looked closely at the sources from the time of the Holocaust for the clues they reveal about what was happening at the time. This culminated in a museum display for their main assessment. They were to choose an event or place and find primary sources that revealed something about the choices presented and made by the different types of people involved.

Through persistent and impressive research, each student produced a display on the boards in the Library of items they believed would be put in a museum display with accompanying analysis.

These students are displaying the growing empathetic qualities we hope to see developed through Humanities studies - they should be proud of their efforts.

 Year 11 Visual Arts, Modernism

Year 11 students have completed their final unit delving deep into the captivating world of Modernism. They embarked on an exploration of Modernist art movements such as Cubism, Abstract Expressionism, Surrealism, Futurism and Fauvism. Students investigated the roles and relationships between artists, their artworks, and the world around them, as a means of developing their own visual language. Students experimented with Photoshop to design an artwork using a combination of imagery from three Modernist paintings. Individual brushstroke techniques were studied and emulated to produce the composition on canvas. 

We look forward to their artistic journey continuing into Year 12 and the creativity that lies ahead for each of them.

Vicki Foggiato
Leader of Learning - Visual Arts

Vaccinations - Catch up

The catch up vaccinations will be held Term 4, Week 1, Thursday 12 October 2023.
 
If you have not already done so, please complete the online consent for your child’s vaccinations by visiting: https://nswhealth.service-now.com/school
 
Please note, COVID-19 vaccinations will not be administered during this vaccination program.
 
Students need to have had something to eat prior to being vaccinated.
 
If your child has since received their vaccination with your GP, please send an email to sjpccoffs@lism.catholic.edu.au or telephone 02 6653 3155.

SJPC Communication - Facebook

Do you follow SJPC's Facebook page? This is where you will find reminders of upcoming social events, sporting updates, transport delays, job advertisements and photos of SJPC students participating in everyday life at the College.

To start following St John Paul College, Coffs Harbour please click on this link

Lost Property

Please encourage your child to visit the Office if they have lost any school items. Please mark your child's name on all school items, including airpods, pencil cases, drink bottles, sport bags and all items of school uniform. 

Uniform Shop

Hours: Tuesday & Thursday 7:30am - 9:00am

Homework Centre

Hours: Monday - Thursday 3:20pm - 5:00pm

Arriving Late or Returning from an Appointment

Students MUST sign in at the College Office if they are arriving late to school or if students are returning to school after an appointment.

Finance

For fee related enquiries and payment plan assistance, please contact the Catholic Schools Office by email: cofhs-fees@lism.catholic.edu.au

The Catholic Schools Office Fee Enquiry

Ph: 6653 1655 - Mell and Tess

Office Hours: 8:30am to 4:00pm
Email: cofhs-fees@lism.catholic.edu.au

Compass - Attendance and Permission to Leave School during the Day - Early Departure

Compass - Permission to Leave from SPORT - Early Departure

Students must bring a written note from their parents/carers to the College Office before they depart for sport. Early departure from Sport cannot be submitted via the Compass App only a written note will be accepted. Only full day absences can be submitted using the attendance note via the Compass App.

NSW Schools Rugby 7s State Finals

On Wednesday 13 September our Rugby 7s 15s team competed in the NSW State Finals in Sydney. The boys were dominant in all their round games against schools such as Hunter Sports High, Newcastle, Davidson High School, Frenchs Forrest, St John's College, Woodlawn and Edmund Rice College, Wollongong. Despite the calibre of the competition our boys moved into the finals against Pius X from Newcastle, undefeated. 

The grand final started as a close encounter, however the tenacity, creativity and dynamic team work with lashings of individual brilliance saw our boys race away to win 43 - 24. Congratulations to our State Champions and to coach Mr Kris Kent and team manager Mr Will Gregson on an outstanding result.

NSW All Schools Basketball

Our girls basketball team headed to Castle Hill on Wednesday 13 September to compete in the NSW All Schools Basketball tournament. The quad series, made up of the Champion school from CCC, CIS and the top two CHS schools met to determine the premier school system in the state. Disappointment was felt by our young team, who despite not having a Year 12 amongst them played some excellent Basketball against a superior Year 12 filled Westfield Sports High from Fairfield. The experience was a positive one for our girls who grew and showed great resilience in the face of an outstanding opponent. Thank you also to Ms Jessi Reeves who stepped in to coach the girls.

NSWCCC Athletics

Disappointment rained down in Sydney on 11 September because the NSWCCC Athletics Carnival was called off unexpectedly at the last moment. The CSNSW sport oganisaiton has issued a number of statements including an invitation to our athletes to nominate and compete at the NSW All Schools event. We wish any athlete who takes up this offer well at the upcoming event from 23 - 25 September (16 - 18 year olds) and 6 - 8 October (12 - 15 year olds).

Year 8 Internal Sport Term 4

Students are reminded to check the Sport Classroom for details of their upcoming sports in Term 4. The activities are a compulsory part of the sporting curriculum but require a parent to sign off due to new requirements from the CSO. Sport will start Week 1 for all age groups and any student who does not have permission to go off campus will be placed in non-sport until this has been addressed.

Term 4 OSSA

Year 8 boys and families are reminded that due to a Lifeguard shortage on the mid north coast, OSSA will not run as normal next term. All boys will still be required to participate in the timed swim for the first week of sport, but only those who qualify and who wish to gain their OSSA qualification will participate in the one day event at the end of term. OSSA enables the students to select water based sports in Year 9 and 10 Sport. An alternative sports program has been created for the boys.

Term 4 2023

Danielle McAra
Leader of Sport

Three Year 11 boys are challenging themselves in the holidays by doing a trek to raise awareness for Lift the Load Challenge for Top Blokes Foundation.

This challenge is a fundraising event for young men's mental health. The Challenge is to wear a 10kg weighted vest across 50km throughout October (Mental Health Month) while raising funds. 

We have decided to kick the challenge off strong with a 30km hike into the mountains right behind our own houses. We will be starting off in Boambee and hiking all day to the summit of Tuckers Nob. While we hike over the 1600 metres of elevation across the tough terrain, we will be carrying well over the recommended 10Kg of water and all the essentials on our backs. 

All funds raised will support Top Blokes Foundation’s group mentoring programs that help boys and young men improve their mental health and wellbeing. Qualified youth workers run these programs directly in schools and communities. Over several months, the mentors work with boys to build the skills they need to seek help, prevent poor mental health, and help reduce suicides.

We are already on a roll with $125 raised in our first few days of fundraising. So donate today and help us raise awareness for this great cause via this link! 

https://www.lifttheload.org.au/coffs-boys 

Flynn Oates, Sam Melinz & Ty Stephenson
Year 11 Students