St Benedict's Catholic College

This week we welcomed our Year 7 2024 students and their parents and families to our College. We were so excited to see the happy and excited Year 7 faces as they came together in our COLA to meet each other for the first time. Year 7 2024 have made a wonderful start to secondary school demonstrating great respect and hospitality to each other and our staff during their orientation day. Year 7 2024 is the largest group the College has enrolled and we are looking forward to watching them learn and grow throughout their time with us.

Last week a number of students represented our College at significant events:

The Blueprint Business Idea Competition is a Western Sydney University initiative which engages high school students from Sydney and Greater Western Sydney Region. The aim of the business idea is to solve a customer problem and students are required to conceptualise, build and market a business. The competition involves the creation, submission and presentation of original content that highlights the business idea. This year our students reached the final in this most prestigious competition. Congratulations to Milen Augustine, Chloe Ceravolo, Alyssa Destacamento, Aaron Josh Joy, Fenet Tadesse. Special thanks to Marc Ghignone, Vince Ripepi, Gareth Reavell and Tracee Brown for supporting all students who entered this competition.

The Wollongong Diocese Sports Council Sports Awards were held on Friday 10 November at St Mary’s Star of the Sea College Wollongong. The awards showcase the most outstanding athletes in the Wollongong Diocese, for both primary and secondary students. This year our college was well represented at these awards. Both Mr Simon Zahra and I were very proud to see our students accepting awards. The following students were awarded Sports Council Medallions for being selected in a NSWCCC team in 2023:

• Ethan Clugston
• Ted Collins
• Saige Tautalafua
• Lincoln Judge
• Jude Hamilton

Lachlan Hort was awarded a prestigious Blue Sports Council Medallion. Lachlan was unable to attend the awards ceremony as he is currently representing Australia at the Softball World Cup in Mexico.

A significant number of students each day arrive after the start of the school day. Being late for school has a negative impact on your child’s learning as well as the learning of other students in classes where students arrive after the start of the lesson.

Being just 10 minutes late every day adds up to an hour a week of lost learning. Over a year this adds up to one week of school missed in a year. Also being late for class often means important instructions are missed and the time taken for the teacher to attend to the late student is time off others learning. A time management expert also reports that being chronically late to school or class could set children up for a lifetime of lateness, and reminds parents “the younger we can set up good habits the better”.

Warm regards

Mrs Kerrie Piatek

Principal

As we head into the busy period of Term 4 it is a good time to remind all parents and students of the important role the STRIVE Coach plays in the setting of achievable learning and wellbeing goals. The STRIVE Coach should be the first point of contact if there are any issues that you would like the College to be aware of.

It has been pleasing to see the level of engagement that students have shown throughout the early part of Term 4, and the support they have given Year 12 throughout the HSC Examinations. I would like to congratulate all students for their active engagement in activities currently being conducted at school.

Michael Turner

Assistant Principal

There are not enough words to describe the SENIOR RETREAT - Year 11 had the most wonderful time away at Deer Park and Rathane - we were so blessed with the wonderful weather too. The conversations, connections and ‘breaking bread’ together were some of the highlights for me.

I had the privilege of leading the team at Rathane.

A massive thank you and gratitude is extended to the teachers and staff who supported the retreat:

Rathane - Mrs Castelli, Ms Hatton, Mr Flannery, Mr Ripepi, Mr Arcuri and Ms Oldfield

Deer Park - Mr Kasunic, Mr Bulfon, Mrs Koryzma, Ms Robino, Mr Agoo and Mrs Downes

Thank You also the Peter Morris (Year 11 Coordinator) for his unwavering support and involvement at retreat.

My piece for the newsletter are reflections from the students themselves:

Senior Retreat 2023 was an amazing experience that not only allowed me to learn things about my peers but about myself as well. Through the workshops run by staff, students could share their own individual stories and listen to those of the collective. In particular a session ran on the second day where students shared their opinions regarding if they agreed or disagreed with a statement. This particular activity was really eye-opening for me as I reflected on myself and learned a lot about how my peers feel about themselves and others. These workshops were broken up by sessions such as the amazing race and trivia which were both really enjoyable experiences that allowed people to get closer to one another. My personal favourite experiences were the cricket matches run each day with Mr Acuri and Mr Ripepi, as they allowed the students who were playing to bond with one another as well as build a bond with members of the staff. Overall retreat was a really enjoyable experience that allowed me to learn things about others and myself and create bonds with my peers and members of the staff.

Patrick Manny

Senior retreat was unquestionably one of the highlights of my schooling career and was full of unforgettable experiences with friends and teachers that will stay with me even beyond graduation. The retreat involved numerous engaging and useful activities that encouraged us to reflect on our life experiences both within and well beyond the school gates. The entire retreat was based around connectivity and collaboration and allowed us to work with and form new relationships with those we had not previously had a chance to engage with. Each day held a wonderful set of activities that were both fun and informative, resulting in much laughter, listening, conversations and even some tears. The final activity where we received and read the affirmations from our peers and teachers was undoubtedly a highlight of the retreat and allowed us to all realise what a pivotal part of the school community we truly are. The site itself was also beautiful and full of nature and wildlife with the sunrise definitely being a standout for me. The entire experience was extremely fun and engaging but also left us with some incredibly important lessons as we begin to navigate our year 12 journey. On behalf of the year 12 cohort, a huge thank you to Mrs Logue, Mr Morris and all teachers who gave up their time to attend the retreat, it was a truly incredible experience and we appreciate all your efforts in organising and running the three days.

Grace Clarke

The senior retreat was an absolute blast, and I can't express enough gratitude to all the teachers who played a pivotal role in organising this incredible experience for us. A special shoutout goes to Mrs. Logue, whose dedication ensured that everyone at Rathane had a pleasant and enjoyable time. As a new student, the sense of community and care exhibited not only by the teachers but also by fellow students truly amazed me. The highlight of my retreat was creating connections and building relationships with my cohort. The activities, such as trivia night and the lively walk back from Deer Park with Taylor Swift blasting, added an extra layer of joy to the experience. However, the most memorable part for me was the affirmation boxes. Designing, writing and receiving heartfelt affirmations and appreciation messages from our teachers, friends but also from peers whom we might not be close with, definitely had a profound effect on how I value and appreciate others, making the entire retreat an unforgettable chapter in my senior year.

Mischa Vijendran

Retreat was an eye opening experience for me. It allowed time to think and reflect on myself without external distractions and away from our regular school setting. As a collective it was wonderful to see everyone working together and encouraging others to open up and share something about themselves. The collaboration from everyone was the highlight of my time at retreat, it was truly amazing to see the companionship between all of the students. Through prayer, liturgy, activities and great discussions we came to understand that where our heart is, is where our ‘treasure is’ and our call to 'BE A LIGHT.’

Emily Webb

Director of Mission and Vision,

Religious Education Coordinator

TERM 4

• Tuesday 21 November - Years 10 & 11 Careers Excursion
• Wednesday 22 November - Year 9 Fast Forward Program
• Friday 24 November - Year 11 Sydney Jewish Museum
• Wednesday 29 November - Years 10 & 11 Careers Excursion
• Wednesday 29 November - Year 10 Food Technology Excursion

• 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 / Parent Teacher Interviews Years 7 to 10 (12.00pm - 2.30pm via zoom)
• Friday 15 December - Parent Teacher Interviews via zoom 7 to 10 (8am - 12.30pm)

TERM 1 - 2024

• Wednesday 31 January - Year 12 ONLY first day (Sports Uniform)
• Thursday 1 February - Year 7 & 11 ONLY first day (Summer Uniform)
• Friday 2 February - Years 8, 9 & 10 first day (Summer Uniform)

Our students are lucky enough to be able to follow the progress of the construction of this fish trap, made by Andrew Oldfield, an Aboriginal Education Assistant (AEA) employed by CEDoW. It's the first time students have the opportunity to see first-hand how traditional items of cultural importance are created in a tangible way. A special part of the native grass fish trap construction is its connection to the context of environmental sustainability. Andrew explains to the students that, even though the fish trap may be laden with fish, Aboriginal people only take what they need and released the surplus fish back into the water.

If you are yet to see Andrew make the fish trap, make sure you get over to the Library every Tuesday or Thursday.

This year we had a number of entrants in the Young Scientists Award, a prestigious competition which is run by the Science Teachers Association of NSW.

A mandatory component of the Stage 5 Science Curriculum is the Student Research Project. For this, every student in year 10 was required to independently select a scientific problem, design an experiment and carry out the investigation to obtain meaningful results. Following on from this, some of the best projects were selected and submitted to the Young Scientists competition.

I am pleased to announce that the following students have been recognised for their excellent working scientifically skills and an ability to analyse and interpret experimental data. Congratulations to the following students:

Commendation Awards:

• Rhys Dwyer
• Samantha Essex
• Alessia Priestley
• Rhianna Versola

Distinction Awards:

• Alyssa Destacamento
• Jada Halls
• Cameron McCarthy
• Claire Small

Receiving accolades of this nature lays a solid foundation for obtaining future rewards, such as early entry to university and various scholarships.

An excellent achievement. Well done!

.

In science, Year 8 has been studying how we could one day grow food in space. Recently we ran an experiment to study the germination of 3 different crops (beans, sunflower, and barley). One of our groups had great success with their beans, and our conclusion from our 8 trials was that beans would be best in our limited growth conditions.

.

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, 20th 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.

To register your interest please RSVP via this link: https://www.trybooking.com/CNFRW

We look forward to seeing you on the night.

.

.

Throughout Semester 2, two Year 10 Commerce groups participated in the Western Sydney University Blueprint Business Ideas Competition. The competition is designed to help students pursue new business ideas. It also empowers students through business education and enrichment opportunities and provides first-hand experience in entrepreneurship.

The aim of the business idea is to solve a customer problem and students are required to conceptualise, build and market a business. The competition involves the creation, submission and presentation of original content that highlights the business idea. Our students were fortunate enough to be mentored by lecturers from WSU.

Team 1, consisting of Antonia Brajuha, Ted Collins, Cameron McCarthy, Rhianna Versola and Riley Wickham, designed an app called Inter-MATE which aimed to assist international students settle into Australian life and even teach them Aussie slang!

Team 2, consisting of Milen Augustine, Chloe Ceravolo, Alyssa Destacamento, Aaron Josh Joy and Fenet Tadesse, designed an app/website called Clemency that aimed to provide ex-convicts with services to assist them settling back into society.

The Clemency team progressed through to the Finals of the competition, held at WSU’s Parramatta Campus. The team was one of five selected out of over fifty entries from a number of schools. Their final business idea pitch, delivered live to a team of judges including lecturers, business owners and politicians was given very positive feedback and awarded a $500 prize.

Thank you to Mrs Brown, Mr Reavell and Mr Ripepi for their assistance in mentoring these students.

What a great accomplishment for all students involved!

.

Some digital works from Year 10 Photography as they investigated experimental photography.

Students focused on colour theory to create an abstract design using oil pastel and watercolour. These are displayed on J3 classroom windows.

.

.

Financial mathematics, often referred to as financial maths, is a vital subject for high school students. While it might sound daunting, it's actually a set of mathematical concepts and skills that can help make informed decisions about money, investments, and budgeting.

One of the most fundamental concepts in financial maths is the time value of money. It's the idea that a dollar today is worth more than a dollar in the future. Why? Because money can be invested, earning interest or returns. The sooner you invest, the more time your money has to grow. For example, let's say you have $1000 to invest. If you invest it in a savings account with a 5% annual interest rate, you'll earn $50 in interest the first year. But if you leave it in the account for 5 years, you'll earn interest not only on your initial $1000 but also on the $50 interest from the previous year. This compounding effect can significantly boost your savings over time!

Financial maths is the key to creating and maintaining a budget. A budget is a plan for your income and expenses. To create a budget, you need to understand your sources of income and all your expenses. Financial maths helps you calculate your net income (income - expenses) and make decisions about how to allocate your money. This skill is invaluable in managing your personal finances.

Interest is a significant component of financial maths. Whether you're saving money in a bank account, investing in the stock market, or borrowing money for a car or home, you'll encounter interest. It's important to understand how it works. For savings and investments, you'll want to know how to calculate compound interest, as mentioned earlier. When borrowing money, you need to understand the interest rate, how it's calculated, and how it affects your monthly payments. This knowledge can help you avoid high-interest debt and make smart financial decisions.

Financial maths is not just for bankers and economists; it's for everyone who wants to make sound financial decisions. In high school, you're at an ideal age to start learning and applying these principles. From budgeting and saving for the things you want to investing for your future, financial maths will be your invaluable tool. The skills you acquire now will serve you well throughout your life, helping you make informed decisions about your money, manage debt, and build wealth!

.

Christmas is finally here! For the remainder of Term 4, the Social Justice team are asking for the school community to help support St Vincent de Paul, Camden and Catholic Care through our Christmas appeal. Christmas is a time for family to spend time together and we so often do this over a beautiful meal. With this in mind, the Social Justice team has allocated a food hamper to each STRIVE group. Each member of the STRIVE group can decide on which food item they would like to donate. Items can be brought to school Monday, Wednesday and Friday in Week 8, and Monday, Wednesday and Thursday in Week 9.

Year 11 are supporting St Vincent de Paul through their Santa photo booth in the Library on December 1 at recess and lunch. If you would like to be part of this then bring a gold coin donation along and step into Santa’s workshop.

To further celebrate Christmas at school, all STRIVE groups are taking part in a Christmas Door decorating competition with the winning group enjoying a pizza lunch.

If you would like to be part of the Social Justice team, then please see Mrs Castelli or come along to one of our meetings.

.

Lachlan Hort, a current Year 12 student of the College, is currently in Mexico representing Australia in the WBSC 2023 Men's U-18 Softball World Cup. To keep up to date with how the team progress, please refer to this website: https://www.wbsc.org/en/events/2023-u18-mens-softball-world-cup/home

The College is so proud of Lachlan's achievements.

.

There are local employment vacancies available, please click on the above link to see the Careers website or Mrs Brown for more information.

.

Any parent requesting leave for their child for 10 or more consecutive days is required to complete an Application for Extended Leave Form. These are available from the school office or can be downloaded from Compass. To ensure approval is granted before the leave takes place, we require the completed form to be lodged at the school office a minimum of 2 weeks before the leave commences. Please complete one application per student.

We have a number of items that have no names on them. If you have lost anything at school please go the the administration office to collect your items. Items include:

• Glasses
• Water bottles
• Jewellery
  
• Sports jackets

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 2023 - 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.