VISIT FROM THE BISHOP TO YEAR 12

Yesterday, Bishop Brian Mascord met with our Year 12 students. This initiative has occurred (in different iterations) in recent years, and it was a wonderful chance for our entire Year 12 cohort and then our 16 Year 12 Student Leaders in Portfolio positions to hear from the Bishop and receive his good wishes as the year unfolds.  

Bishop Mascord was incredibly generous and brave in his presentation. He opened up to them about his life and allowed them to ask whatever questions they wanted. Various answers covered his life experiences, family relationships, his time as an educator, and the nature of hope and future aspirations. Year 12 asked some excellent questions and was thankful for his honest and personable approach. The Bishop also prayed for our Year 12s, who are so close to commencing their HSC Trial Examinations.

Following the whole cohort talk, the Bishop learned more about our Year 12 Leaders' study, career, and life aspirations. Good questions continued to be asked, and it was great for our Leaders to have such a great example presented to them.

Our Year 12 cohort's behavior during the visit was exemplary. They demonstrated their respect and appreciation for the opportunity. They fully engaged in the gathering, which is commendable. Please find the photographs of the event included here.

Friends of Francis

Thank you to all parents and carers who attended Monday night's Friends of Francis meeting. It was a good opportunity to explore the new structures and get updates about the Group and the College.

The first facilitators for the Friends of Francis have now been appointed, and I thank them for their efforts moving forward:

• Mrs Kate Acosta (Friends of Francis Facilitator)
• Ms Antonija Barisic (Friends of Francis Fundraising Facilitator)
• Mrs Maria Spiros (Friends of Francis Social/Community Facilitator)

Details about the College’s new buildings and opportunities for questions and answers were provided.

The Draft Constitution of the Friend of Francis was discussed briefly, and there was discussion around possible future fundraising and/or social activities.

I am very excited about what this group can achieve moving forward.

Year 5 Catholic Care Puberty Information Evening

Thank you to the students, parents, and carers of Year 5. Anneliese Alexander, Relationship Educator from CatholicCare, presented very informative information. She did so from a place of Biology but also respectful relationships and the Catholic lens.

Opportunities for questions and answers were provided in a safe forum, and much was achieved throughout the night.

Confirmation

Congratulations to all our students who received the sacrament of Confirmation on the weekend.

Two beautiful masses were conducted by Bishop Mascord, Father Bosco and Father Joseph (in the second mass) at our Mary Mother of the Church Parish Church on Saturday

It was wonderful for our young people to commit to their faith and do so with their beloved friends and family.

I would like to thank our staff who attended the Confirmation Masses on Saturday: Miss Meli, Mrs M Vella, Mrs Agostino, Mr Robinson, Mrs Khoury, Mrs Crescini, Mrs Ghignone

Additionally, I thank all staff involved in training confirmation candidates (Mrs Khoury, Mrs Crescini, Mrs Ghignone, Miss Meli, Ms Mosca and Mrs Brites).

MOVING DAYS - PUPIL FREE DAYS

Please remember that only Year 12 (i.e., no students from K-11) will be at school on the last day of this term (Friday, July 5th), and no students (K-12) will be at school on Monday, July 22nd.

The College is very excited about our new buildings.

Please note that NORMAL kiss-and-drop arrangements will exist for the first 3 -4 weeks of Term 3. Our new car park and kiss and drop areas will not be accessible until Stage 7 (Library, internal roads and landscaping) is complete.

PRAYER

The beauty of the Psalms always strikes me. Sometimes, when we look for a prayer, we may overcomplicate things - yet the Psalms have it all - gratitude, recognition of God’s love, and his glory. Psalm 95 is no exception:

PSALM 95

Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD;

cry out to the rock of our salvation.

Let us come before Him with a song of praise,

joyfully sing out our psalms.

For the LORD is the great God,

the great king over all gods,

Whose hand holds the depths of the earth;

who owns the tops of the mountains.

The sea and dry land belong to God,

who made them, formed them by hand.

Enter, let us bow down in worship;

let us kneel before the LORD who made us.

For He is our God,

we are the people he shepherds,

the sheep in His hands.

On Friday 7th June, our year 11 SLR class went on an excursion to Ninja Parc located in South Granville, which is an indoor obstacle course. The obstacle course itself was a thrilling mix of physical challenges that tested our strength, agility, and endurance. One of the highlights was the warped wall, a towering structure that seemed almost impossible to conquer. At the end of the day, everyone was resilient, gave their best try in attempting it, and participated in all the events. Overall, many students including myself enjoyed the day there. It was the perfect blend of fun, fitness, and learning.

On Thursday the 13th of June, Year 8 participated in an intriguing First Aid incursion aimed at fostering our sense of collaboration and critical thinking. With sessions hosted by the Royal Life Saving Society (NSW), students in Year 8 got a glimpse into the true significance of first aid, and how it can be utilised in order to save the lives around them. Taking further depth into the works of life saving manoeuvres such as CPR has truly reminded students that their presence in emergency situations such as these are pivotal. In alignment with syllabus components, the day taught students how to maintain resilience in challenging situations, and appropriately handle times of stress. Students were given the opportunity to put these practices to work, truly altering and shaping the skills they had learnt. Additionally, the day was filled with exciting activities such as netball and basketball, ways in which students were given the opportunity to improve physical health and seek all-round enjoyment. It’s safe to say that the incursion was filled with a large number of opportunities to work on student wellbeing and skill, deepening a commitment to the 7 Pedagogies for Deep Learning and enabling individuals to seek out and embrace new experiences. The day was truly significant for Year 8 students, building our sense of character and challenging the ways in which we continue to think.

Our Year 6 students recently embarked on an unforgettable camp to Canberra, packed with excitement, learning, and adventure, which linked to the student's HSIE unit this term. 

Throughout the camp, our students deeply engaged with the 7’Cs of Deep Learning, ensuring a rich and meaningful experience. Visiting the Australian War Memorial and Old Parliament House instilled a sense of character, fostering respect and appreciation for our nation's history and the sacrifices made for our freedom. Touring Parliament House and meeting Ann Stanley - our local MP inspired a deeper understanding of citizenship, highlighting the importance of participating in our democracy. 

From group activities at Questacon, students worked together, showcasing the power of collaboration and shared problem-solving. The role-play at Parliament House honed their public speaking and debating skills, essential for effective communication. Questacon ignited their curiosity and innovation, encouraging them to think creatively about science and technology, thus nurturing their creativity especially when using Lego to create ducks!  Analysing exhibits at the Museum of Australian Democracy challenged students to think critically about political systems and their role in shaping society, promoting critical thinking.

The adventure continued with a tour of international embassies, broadening their global perspective, and a visit to the breathtaking Mt Ainslie lookout as well as the Australian Mint. The teachers could not commend Year 6 more for their outstanding behaviour across the two days and were impressed with the enthusiasm demonstrated at all venues with the questions that were asked and active listening that was observed by staff at the venues and also the teachers. 

This trip was more than just an educational experience; it was a time to foster new friendships and support students' personal growth, especially for those experiencing their first stay away from home.

A camp like this doesn’t happen without the support of amazing staff, a massive thank you to Ms Kolar, Mrs Sanchez, Mrs Weaver, Mrs Vega, Mrs Cox, Mrs Teuma, Mr McKendry and Miss Borzycki for taking time away from their families and supporting our students on this trip. It wouldn’t have been possible without you. 

Some students wrote short articles about their time in Canberra, sharing their experiences and what they learned from the trip. Let's see what they have to say! 

Miss Daniella Sultana
Stage 3 Pastoral Coordinator

Nathanial: 

Our experience at the Year 6 camp was truly amazing! We engaged in a wide variety of enjoyable and educational activities. My favourite parts of the Year 6 camp was going to Questacon and Parliament House. The tours of all the places we visited were so great and fascinating. We also went to other places such as the Museum of Australian Democracy (Old Parliament House), the War Memorial, The Electoral Education Centre and The Royal Australian Mint. The staff at all these places were so knowledgeable. Canberra is such a beautiful and well-planned city. Overall, we had an enjoyable time at camp with a lot of activities packed into two days.

Emma: 

Camp was an amazing experience for Year 6 as we had so much fun doing the activities and seeing different sights. It was about a 3 hour drive to get to Canberra but it was worth it in the end. First Year 6 went to the Parliament House to see what we have been learning about in HSIE. We got to have a look in the Senate and House of Representatives. We got to meet Anne Stanley personally (Anne Stanley is a representative of the House of Parliament who represents the Werriwa electorate). Year 6 even got to see people debating in the House of Representatives! We then went to the War Memorial right next to the parliament and got to see real clothing they wore and bombs that were used. We saw real planes and boats that they used during that time and were told how they survived during the tough times. This was a very interesting adventure for Year 6 as most of us had never seen or heard most of these things in the war memorial. Next we went to Mount Ainslie which had a great view of Canberra. After this we went to the cabins, had dinner then made our way to Questacon. We had so much fun at Questacon with the different games but my favourite was the free fall slide. We went into different rooms that had different activities and themes which was so cool! We got back to the cabins and went to sleep. The next day we went to Old Parliament House and learnt how to vote so we are prepared for when they are older. We also got to sit in the seats that politicians used to sit on and learned some of the things in there that were over 100 years old! We went to the mint and learned all about coins. We learnt that the 1 and 2 cent coins are now being used for 3rd place Olympic medals. We then got back on the bus and headed back to school where there were parents were waiting for us in the bus bay with smiles on their faces.

The Australian Government recognises the importance of all young Australians being able to visit the national capital as part of their Civics and Citizenship education. To assist families in meeting the cost of the excursion the Australian Government contributed the amount of $30 per student under the Parliament and Civics Education Rebate program towards those costs. 

Jayden K, Ella D