St Benedict's Catholic College

I would like to acknowledge Mr Michael Turner, Acting Principal and the college leadership team who led our school during my absence last term. Together, they ensured the smooth running of our school. Their combined dedication and effective teamwork were evident in the great finish that all students had at the end of Term 3, particularly our Year 12 graduating class.

Recently a family from our community reminded me of the great privilege in having St Benedict’s Rule as our school charism and that the rule begins with “Hear”. A favourite line of mine is to “listen with the ear of your heart” from Benedict's Rule is timeless wisdom that transcends its origins and remains profoundly relevant in our modern lives. In our fast-paced and interconnected world, this phrase holds valuable insights for how we can navigate and enrich our experiences, our workplace and our families. Benedict’s rule that underpins our college mission and vision is a guide to how we can enrich our relationships, promote understanding, and foster a culture of empathy and compassion.

I would ask that you continue to keep our Year 12 students, their teachers and families in your prayers and thoughts as they continue completing their HSC examinations. Year 12’s resilience and determination is truly commendable, and we are excited to witness the remarkable achievements that await them. Along with written examinations students also presented major works for some HSC subjects. The major works of HSC students encompass a wide array of disciplines, from visual art and design to technology and innovation, reflecting the diverse talents and interests present within the HSC class of 2023.

This week we received notice regarding the nomination of our students for the HSC SHAPE Exhibition 2023. The selection to showcase one's major work is a significant accomplishment and a validation of the countless hours of hard work put into each project.

Congratulations to the following students;

• Amity Archer – Design and Technology
• Kayla Dosen – Industrial Technology Timber
• Harrison Downes - Industrial Technology Timber
• Lachlan Hort - Industrial Technology Timber
• Cooper Najjar - Industrial Technology Timber

I would also like to acknowledge teachers, Mr Matthew Andruschko (Design and Technology) and Mr Brad Gavin. (Industrial Technology Timber)

Warm regards

Mrs Kerrie Piatek

Principal

The fruit of silence is prayer;

the fruit of prayer is faith;

the fruit of faith is love;

the fruit of love is service;

the fruit of service is peace.

I had the wonderful opportunity to go to Dubbo last week for the Religious Education Symposium. A time to not only network and meet other Catholic Educators but also to hear great speakers and participate in various workshops.

Emeritus Bishop Eugene Hurley from Darwin spoke about the role of Catholic Education and the importance of ‘STORY’. “If we can’t use the language, then we can’t tell the stories, if we can’t tell the stories then we forget who we are”. The aim for leaders in Catholic education is to be deeply immersed in the life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ and committed to loving like he did

Fr Rob Galea shared his story of faith in following the way of Jesus and having encountered a relationship with Jesus. His favourite scripture passage is from Acts 1:8 “You will be my witnesses”. It was also wonderful to hear him perform. Fr Rob will be performing in December at the MACFEST.

The HSC Studies of Religion I and II examinations will take place next Thursday 26 October 2023. The classes have worked and have been prepared well by their class teachers. A lot of study has also happened at home and local libraries. We wish them all the best.

• Youth Ministry Formation Day (25 October 2023)

• The formation day includes Catholic leadership skill development, formation in their roles and time for personal spiritual development.

• It is hoped that the retreat will help form a Diocesan network that enables and supports students as they continue to undertake this important leadership role.

• Senior Retreat (1 - 3 November 2023)

• Year 11 are getting excited and prepared for their retreat to the beautiful Port Hacking.

• The purpose of the Senior Retreat is to provide an opportunity for each student to reflect, share and learn about themselves, their relationship with others (especially their family), and their relationship with God. This process will take place through a number of planned activities and a Retreat Liturgy/Mass.

• Interfaith Encounter for Year 11 Students

• 20 students from Year 11 will be participating in this wonderful initiative into 2024.

• Our first sessions will be on Tuesday 7 November.

• The main goals of this program are to provide an opportunity to meet one another with respect and appreciation as human beings with the fullness of each other’s dignity and explore the diversity of experience and understanding of faith and culture within communities. This initiative has been facilitated by Catholic Mission with the community at Unity Grammar. Catholic Mission has arranged a variety of initiatives for both schools to come together to foster the goals identified above

• MACFEST (Friday 8 December 2023)

• As Bearers of Christ’s Love in the Diocese of Wollongong and Bishop Brian Mascord’s passion for Catholic student leadership in his system of schools, we are delighted to outline details of MACFEST to held at Magdalene Catholic College on December 8th to be headlined by Fr Rob Galea.

• Each of the 5 Macarthur Secondary Schools are invited to bring 100 students from their Years 10/11 cohorts to be immersed in a festive experience of mission and ministry.

• Students in Years 10 and 11 who are interested in attending please see Mr Bulfon or Mrs Logue

Director of Mission and Vision,

Religious Education Coordinator

On Monday, November 6, the College will hold Parent/Teacher/Student Meetings for all Year 11 students. These meetings will be on Zoom between 3:30 pm - 8:00 pm. The purpose of this evening will be to enable students and their parents/carers to discuss the Year 11 Final Report and hear about the recently commenced HSC courses with their child’s class teachers. Bookings will open on Monday, October 30 at 9:00 am through Compass Conferences. Booking will close on Friday, November 3 at 2:30pm.

Zoom conference links will be emailed to parents on Friday, November 3.

These exams will occur in a timetabled exam block with two exams occurring each day. The other lessons will be used for study time. PAT testing will occur in week 5.

Year 9 will have a specific lesson allocated for each assessment during this week.

All tasks will follow the assessment schedule and occur in subject class time.

During Weeks 3 & 5 of Term 4 all students from Years 7 - 10 will participate in Progressive Achievement Tests (PAT) in Mathematics, Reading Comprehension and Science. PAT tests are designed to assess each student’s current capability against the appropriate standard for their age.

The tests are online, multiple-choice and each test will take 40 - 45 minutes.

Why do we use PAT?

At St Benedict’s, PAT helps in measuring a student’s knowledge, skills and understanding in a subject, which in turn helps pinpoint where they are in their learning journey – and what they need to progress.

Staff use a multitude of data including PAT and NAPLAN to help determine how to best differentiate the learning within their classrooms. It is essential, therefore, that students approach these tests seriously, allowing them to be a genuine reflection of their ability.

St Benedict’s, staff use a powerful and intuitive data package called Literatu, which sorts and presents data on each student in each class. Literatu highlights to teaching staff what specific skill areas need development, allowing them to cater the learning to the different learners in the class.

Below is a sample view of the data ‘Ledger’ that staff have for each class:

Test durations:

Reading - 45 minutes

Maths - 40 minutes

Science - 40 minutes

All students will receive their login in details closer to the tests.

Student Instructions (these details will be provided to students)

• For the Maths test, calculators may be used by students. They will need their physical calculator with them.

• Students are encouraged to use a pencil and paper to assist with working out in all tests.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me via ghignonem01@dow.catholic.edu.au

Marc Ghignone

Marc Ghignone
Pedagogy and Innovation and High Performance

TERM 4

• Monday 23 October - Year 11 reports released
• Tuesday 24 October - Year 11 Presentation of Awards
• Wednesday 1-3 November - Senior Retreat
  
  
• Tuesday 12 December - Last day for Years 10 & 11
• Wednesday 13 December - Students Activity Day
• Thursday 14 December - Last day for Years 7, 8 & 9
• Friday 15 December - Parent Teacher Interviews Years 7 to 10 (8am - 12.30pm)

On Monday 16 October, the 2024 Student College Leadership group travelled to the Emmaus centre in Campbelltown for a range of learning and planning activities. These activities were intended to enhance their understanding of what leadership at St. Benedict’s Catholic should look like and how their efforts can help to make the experiences of all students at the College more positive.

The day began with a presentation from Mrs Piatek that examined the leadership style of St. Benedict himself and how this version of servant leadership should give the students a strong foundation from which they can build their own leadership style on.

Mr Bulfon led the team in some fantastic character strengths related activities that was aimed at opening the teams minds to a whole range of different approaches to leadership. These activities will help the students look for ways to not only use their own strengths but the strengths of others within the College to help forge a more positive future.

Special mention to both Mr Wheeler and Mr Ripepi who shared their own experience of leadership within their lives and how this has shaped their own identity and leadership styles.

The leadership team spent a great deal of time planning for the upcoming year and this was done with great enthusiasm, maturity and creativity. I very much look forward to working closely with this group of exceptional young men and women.

Mr. Morris

We are delighted to inform you that we have received much interest in the NASA High Trek Space Tour planned for St Benedict’s in 2024. This means we can now move to the next stage of planning.

We will be holding a parent information evening for any interested Year 9 and 10 parents on Monday, 20 November in the school library at 6 pm.

During this session, a member from Latitude Group Travel will present information including the details on the itinerary, activities, costing and airfare. Ms Vargas and Ms de Lima will explain the learning outcomes for the trip, as well as the criteria that we will use to select the students who will attend. There will also be time to answer any of your queries.

Please ensure you register your interest by booking your seat/s via this link:

We look forward to seeing you on the night.

We are thrilled to share an exciting opportunity that St. Benedict's is planning for the upcoming year. The Mathematics and Science faculties are organising a STEM-based experience (High Tech Trek) at the NASA Space Center in Orlando, Florida, which promises to be a remarkable experience for students with a strong interest in Maths and Science. This 10-day tour offers students a chance to engage in a wide range of exhilarating activities, from meeting astronauts to touring exhibits and participating in hands-on workshops.

Latitude Group Travel, an established company specialising in high school international trips, is organising this extraordinary venture. For more detailed information, please see the attached flyer.

The trip is expected to take place between September and October 2024 and the approximate cost for the 10-day tour is anticipated to be $3600 + airfare. This covers travel, accommodation, activities, some meals and air-fares.

We are currently in the early stages of gauging interest from students who will be in Year 10 and Year 11 in 2024 to determine the feasibility of this trip. It will be limited to 30 students. If your child is excited about this unique opportunity and would like to be part of St. Benedict's inaugural trip to the NASA Space Center, we kindly request that you click on the link to express your interest by 17 November (https://forms.gle/fugRDUK594vUerLM7). There is no obligation if you change your mind later.

With enough interest, we will proceed to plan a parent information night to provide you with more in-depth information. We hope you will consider this opportunity for your child.

Yours sincerely,

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The Barista course at Mount Annan MyTech was not only a fun exploration but also a profound learning experience. It instilled in me the practical skills of coffee-making. This Barista course taught us about Using Hygienic Practices for Food Safety, and how to Prepare and Serve Espresso Coffee. This course was an educational journey for Years 10 & 11 students that could assist us with the future, particularly if I wanted to travel and get employment. We all were very excited about crafting espresso shots and discovering how to make a different variety of coffees. Learning about the Barista trade was an adventure in itself, and I highly recommend others to attend.

Aryan Naidu

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UPDATE: Art Enrichment workshop will not be running WEEK 4 due to staff participating in HSC Marking. Week 5 will be running as normal and we finish in Week 9. Thank you for your understanding.

Congratulations to Christopher F in Year 11 Photography and Digital Imaging who recently entered into a Photography competition run by Wollongong Art Gallery exploring reflections. Christopher's photograph featured below, "Pondering" was awarded with “commended” in the competition.

Well done Christopher, the CAPA faculty is very proud of you!

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The Library will be implementing Technology Free Friday for the remainder of the year at the Recess and Lunch break. This will provide our students the opportunity to either:-

• Read a book

• Play Chess

• Play Games

• Ask for direction

Relax - this will not apply to Senior Students !

Happy reading

The Library Team

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“Christmas is a ray of light for all, because it reveals to us God’s love and makes us feel the presence of Jesus with everyone, especially with those who are suffering.”

Pope John Paul 2nd, 1978

Throughout Term 4, the Social Justice team and Ingham House will run a range of initiatives that will help support St Vincent de Paul and Catholic Care. Students of the Ingham House have the following events that will be run until Week 5:

• Monday Mindful Colouring

• House Sporting Tournament

• STRIVE Christmas Decorating Competition

In addition to this, the Social Justice team is in the process of preparing for our Christmas appeal where we work with Catholic Care and St Vincent de Paul to collect food for hampers as well as Christmas gifts. Lists of items will be shared in the coming weeks to each STRIVE group. We would appreciate any donations towards this.

Santa will also be returning to visit St Benedict’s this year so please keep a lookout for details in the next few weeks.

A huge thank you to everyone who has donated to the Sporting and Stationery Drive over the last few weeks. We will continue to collect items throughout Week 3. The collection point will be open during STRIVE on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

There is always room for new members to join our team, so please contact Mrs Castelli or attend one of our meetings.

Mrs Sara-Jane Castelli

Social Justice Coordinator

Earlier this week, 9 MacKillop were amazing during Tuesday Sport! Especially without a coach, they were very keen to have a go.

There are local employment vacancies available, please see the Careers website or Mrs Brown for more information.

• 03 Nov 2023 – 11.59pm SRS course preference deadline
• 10 Nov 2023 – 07.30am November Round 1 offers released
• 16 Nov 2023 – 11.59pm November Round 2 course preference deadline
• 23 Nov 2023 – 11.59pm EAS application (including documents) deadline. How to apply
• 23 Nov 2023 – 07.30am November Round 2 offers released
  

How to edit your personal details in your UAC application

How to manage your UAC application

How to apply for an Equity Scholarship

How to log back into your UAC application

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Students who need a new or replacement School Opal card or travel pass for 2024 can apply now. A new application will need to be submitted if they are applying for the first time, or if they are requesting an additional travel entitlement because of a new shared parental arrangement (e.g. joint custody).

Please refer to the below attached '2023 Term 4_parentinformation_newsletter.' This provides you with the steps required to apply for a new card or replacement School Opal Card.

It has come to the attention of Executive staff that a number of students are turning up to school late without their Compass card. This card is compulsory for all students attending the College. If your child/s has lost their Compass card, please follow the steps below via Compass to order a new one.

1. Log onto Compass under the parent

2. On the right hand side you will see a 'clog' symbol.

3. Click on this 'clog' symbol and select 'CompassIdentity Card'

4. At the top you will see a 'Order new card'. Click on the highlighted blue text

5. Follow the steps to order a new card, including payment.

6. Once ordered the school will received the new Compass card and we will advise the student when its available for collection. This can take up to 2 weeks to arrive.

7. When the Compass Card arrives, make sure you log back into Flexischools to update the number to your child/s card. FlexiSchools services at St. Benedict's Catholic College is utilising the full 10-digit number on the Compass Card. To be able to continue using the Cashless Canteen at the College you will be required to update your students card to 10-digits. Instructions below.

College P & F Uniform Pool orders

P & F Uniform Pool order form - click here

The P & F preloved Uniform Pool has reopened, please complete the order form and send to the P & F by email at: uniforms@sbccdow.catholic.edu.au Our wonderful P&F volunteer Tracey will contact you.

Items can be paid for and collected from the SBCC College Office. We do not return, exchange or refund on 2nd hand clothing as these are donated by families.

Donations of items in good condition can be left at the College Office.

2024 price list has now being finalised. Please see attached the price list.