St Benedict's Catholic College

Welcome back to the new school year. Over the past week we welcomed back our students, who returned with smiles on their faces, glad to reconnect with their friends and keen to start the new school year. We also welcomed our biggest ever Year 7 cohort and many new families to our College. I have looked on with pride in the way our staff and students have supported Year 7 and made them feel welcome.

Year 7 had a very smooth transition to high school last week, and this week spent three days at Camp in Tea Gardens. The rain didn’t dampen the spirits of our Year 7 students or the staff. The early Camp experience was the perfect opportunity for our Year 7 students to meet other students across their year group and build a Year Group identity that will support them in their first high school year. A special thank you to all staff that attended the Camp.

Mr Michael Turner and Mrs Kimberley Logue have been selected to represent the Wollongong Diocese at the 2024 Los Angeles Religious Congress. They will both travel to the USA during next week. The Congress is the largest annual gathering of its kind with over 40,000 people attending each year. This is a wonderful honour for our College to have two members of staff attending this event.

I would also like to welcome our new staff for 2024. These staff members are:

• Mrs Bulger - PDHPE
• Mrs Byron - HSIE
• Mrs Elias - HSIE
• Mrs Keith - Mathematics
• Ms Reddie - SSO Food Technology
• Ms Troung - Mathematics
• Mrs Williams - RE/English

Our Parents and Friends’ Committee has made a significant contribution in establishing the identity and reputation since the College’s foundation in 2011. When you choose to send your child to St Benedict’s you are joining a community of teachers, staff, students and families. There are many benefits to playing a role in our school life through active participation and engagement. Being part of the Parents and Friends’ Committee provides you with the opportunity to meet other parents and speak with school executive to obtain a more informed understanding of school life. Your involvement also supports the school in meeting it’s aims and objectives.

A big thank you to the P&F who have once again offered to support our 2024 Mountain Bike Team at Thredbo in March.

Our first meeting for 2024 is on Tuesday 27 February commencing at 6pm in our College Library.

Parents and carers are responsible for their child's safety on the way to and from St Benedict’s.

Here are some points you can discuss with your child about how to get to and from school safely and also reassure yourself about their welfare.

• Taking responsibility and learning how to manage personal safety as well as looking out for others
• Waiting in the College COLA until your bus is called
• Focusing on what is happening around you when travelling to and from school
• Removing earplugs and putting phones away when crossing the road or walking through the college car park
• Using the pedestrian crossing on Hollows Drive if entering or exiting the College via the back gate
• Looking out for vehicles before stepping out onto roads
• Watching out for vehicles entering or leaving driveways and cars reversing in car parks

On 13 February 2008, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd offered a formal apology to Australia’s Stolen Generations, those Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who had been removed as children from their families and their culture. On this date each year we remember the apology that was made to all those whose lives who continue to be impacted and deeply traumatised by past government policies of forced child removal and assimilation. Although the apology could not take away the pain of the past, many felt that it was a necessary first step in the healing process.

Many Elders did not believe this apology would ever happen in their life time and so for those who witness this historical event it was an acknowledgement of truth telling. That finally people would believe them and their stories of pain and suffering that have continued to be passed down from generation to generation. That it really did happen to them and their families.

‘We apologise for the laws and policies of successive Parliaments and governments that have inflicted profound grief, suffering and loss on these our fellow Australians. We apologise especially for the removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families, their communities and their country.’

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, 13 February 2008

We are all invited to join in walking with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people on this journey of healing. Let us as the people of God, Bishops and people together, listen with humility and love to what they have to say to us. In "Fratelli Tutti" Pope Francis reflects on the parable of the Good Samaritan and urges us “to be Good Samaritans who bear the pain of other people’s troubles rather than fomenting greater hatred and resentment."

This is our calling in Australia today.

Kind regards,

Mrs Kerrie Piatek

Welcome back to the new school year. For the next few weeks I am the Acting Assistant Principal, as Mr Turner is attending the Los Angeles Religion Congress and will be back in Week 4.

It has been great to see the return of students and staff and I especially welcome our Year 7 and new students to St Benedict’s. I would like to congratulate all students for the way that they have embraced the return to school and thank all parents and carers for their support of the College. There has been a consistent message throughout all year meetings that we must maintain high standards and expectations in everything that we do.

Our College theme centres around our Motto “Be My Light”. This theme encourages and supports students to “Be My Light” in our community, ensuring a sense of belonging. To “Be My Light” in learning, appropriately being challenged in all subjects, and “Be My Light” in the world, by doing their best to live each day with purpose and in a way, that's pleasing to God.

Please be aware of the following Staff Learning Days this year:

• Friday 23 February –Term 1, Week 4
• Thursday 28 March – Term 1, Week 9
• Friday 5 July – Term 2, Week 10
• Friday 23 August – Term 3, Week 6

Kind regards,

Wendy Fawbert

A welcome to you all to the new school year - 2024.

It was wonderful seeing staff and students return through the gates. A special welcome is extended to Year 7 students and the many new families joining the St Benedict’s community.

Lent begins next week with the start of Ash Wednesday, and therefore we will enter a CHANGE OF LITURGICAL SEASON. To commemorate this change of season, our staff and students will attend HOUSE liturgies. As part of these liturgies, staff and students will receive ashes on their foreheads.

The infographic below from Catholic Link provides some information regarding why we use ashes.

On Monday I fly out as part of the CEDoW delegation attending the Religious Education Congress in Anaheim in February 2024. As well as attending the Congress, we will visit a Catholic primary and secondary school, HomeBoy Industries, Our Lady of the Angels Cathedral, the new Christ Cathedral (Crystal Cathedral) and a number of other educational, religious and tourist highlights.

I look forward to sharing my insights with the College on my return.

Session#2 of the Interfaith Encounter between our College and Unity Grammar took place on Wednesday. We had the opportunity to visit and spend the day at Unity College in Austral. The hospitality and welcome by the community of Unity was wonderful. This session focused on Dignity and Diversity.

Year 12 found common ground with one another, explored the role of stereotypes and unconscious biases in our interactions and developed an understanding of dignity and the importance of embracing diversity.

Thank You to Mr Ghignone who joined Year 12 students and myself on this encounter.

I have included below reflections from students about their experiences.

Apart from spilling sparking water on myself it was lots of fun talking with the unity grammar girls. Chloe, Jada and I had a really interesting conversation about judgement day and the differences between Islam and Christianity in terms of that and the notion of prophets. Really made me want to go off and research the theories of judgement day from different faiths.

Listening to the scripture being read in person was such an interesting experience even more so learning that it was written in a way to be read like that (apparently the writers of the Quran loved being poetic!).

Even from a non interfaith perspective being shown around a different school and meeting new people was a really fun time. Especially being treated with El Jannah! The school was very welcoming and squashed any nerves I had about meeting new people.

10/10 would recommend!

Natalie Smith

The day at Unity Grammar was an eye opening experience as we were able to come together with this school and learn about the similarities and differences in our faiths. We made new friends and were also to see how their school operated and just really see how different it was to our school. When speaking to the students, I learnt a lot about their culture and religion but also how they are still very similar to us in some aspects of their faith. Overall that day was incredibly insightful and I was grateful to have been able to participate in that day.

Aleesha Lay

The interfaith encounter yesterday was greatly enjoyable from meeting new people, creating new friendships and gaining insight into Islam and perspectives of life in general. I cannot wait for the next few interfaith encounters coming up this year. All the people were sociable, respectful and very interested in what we all had to say.

Christopher Foti

The Interfaith Encounters program was a very insightful and fun day, in which we communicated openly and shared our understandings of Islam and Christianity. I feel that I have an increased understanding of Islam and the considerations to be made for adherents and those of other faiths as we go out into the world. I have a new perspective on inter-religious relations and its vitality in all groups and communities. It was very interesting to hear 'stereotypes' that are widely used around Christianity and Islam and break down these walls as one. It was also extremely moving to see both schools talk about their religion and its importance to them, in such a passionate and enthusiastic manner, and also the respect and attentiveness of both schools as we delved into different worldviews. Overall it was a great day filled with interesting conversations, fun games and most importantly acknowledging our diversity and celebrating it!

Favour Anoiske

Kind regards,

Kimberley Logue

Welcome to 2024! I hope that the start of the new year has been positive and productive for our students. As Mrs Fawbert is Acting Assistant Principal until 21 February, there have been some changes to leadership in Learning and Teaching at the College for this time. I am Acting Director of Learning and Teaching and Ms Sarina Trimarchi is Acting Leader of Pedagogy and Innovation.

I am writing to you to communicate our shared collective vision for teaching and learning in 2024.

Firstly, I would like to congratulate the HSC group of 2023. Yet again, the College achieved excellent HSC results. The cohort achieved 33 Band 6 / E4 results. 16 courses above the State mean, and 6 student nominations for Shape, 2023 showcase. There were 16 students who achieved one or more Band 6 in a course, which is a mark above 90. These students are regarded by NESA to be “Distinguished Achievers” in their respective courses. We have an opportunity to celebrate their achievements as a College on Monday 12 February at our annual High Achievers Awards and we will communicate more after this event.

Staff in 2024 are further building on our College data focus from 2023. The College has developed a school-wide Data Plan that informs continual improvement in learning and teaching. Additionally, each Key Learning Area has developed a discipline-specific Data Plan that staff will bring to fruition through our Professional Learning Community (PLC) structure. This will be achieved through tracking student data in a particular stage/course and focusing on areas for growth using High Impact Teaching Strategies (HITS).

CEDoW Critical Thinking Immersion Days

Over the last two days four students have been fortunate to be involved in the CEDoW Critical Thinking Immersion Days at Wollongong University. Thank you to Ms Smith for accompanying the students on this exciting initiative. Here’s what they had to say about their experience:

Along with students from 5 other schools in the Diocese, we expanded our knowledge on various topics in the area of Conspiracy Theories. Students got the chance to mix with and learn from like minded peers to delve into aspects of conspiracy theories. They discussed that Conspiracy Theories have variety but all follow the same structure and trends. Students explored the psychological aspects of conspiracy theories, using Flat Earthers as a case study. We were very interested at how the Flat Earthers were all searching for meaning. We then broke into teams to create a group project with the objective of informing teenagers about how to spot a conspiracy theory. We would like to thank Mr Ghignone for this fantastic opportunity to be involved with the Critical Thinking Elective and Ms Smith for being our mentor. We can’t wait for what the rest of this course entails.

Year 11 Information Evening

A reminder that parents, carers and students of Year 11 are requested to attend the Information Zoom scheduled for 6:30 pm on Thursday 15 February. Important information about senior studies at the College will be presented at this event. Please refer to the Compass post for more information.

Year 7 High Performance Project Class Information Evening

There will be an information evening in the College Library at 6pm on Wednesday 21 February for students in the 7P class, our identified Gifted & Talented / Highly Capable class. Parents/carers and students who are new to the program in Years 8-10 are also welcome to attend. Please refer to the Compass post for more information.

Kind regards,

Marc Ghignone

• Monday 12 February - High Achievers Assembly
• Monday 12 February - Year 11 Drama Onstage Excursion
• Tuesday 13 February - Pancakes at recess (Shrove Tuesday)
• Thursday 15 February - Opening School Mass, Youth Ministry & Social Justice Leader Induction
• Thursday 15 February - Year 11 Information Evening - 6.30pm (Zoom)
• Friday 16 February - Year 7 Parents & Carers Breakfast to Meet and Greet their child's STRIVE coach - 7.30am to 8.10am
• Friday 23 February –Staff Development Day (No students on site)
• Tuesday 27 February - P&F Meeting - 6.00pm in the Library
• Thursday 28 March - Staff Development Day (No students on site)

For all things related to the College BYODD program, please visit the College BYODD Site. Here you will find all information relating to the BYODD program including device requirements, Apple Care + and how to configure your device for use at the College.

For questions relating to BYODD, please contact the College or email:

https://sites.google.com/dow.catholic.edu.au/byoddsbcc/it-support

Mrs Franks, our dedicated SSO and myself are thrilled to share with you an exciting and immersive learning experience that took place in our Year 9 English class this week. Under the theme of understanding life in Shakespeare's time, our students embarked on a differentiated class task aimed at exploring the intricacies of the 16th century. This hands-on activity not only deepened their understanding of historical contexts but also fostered collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity.

To achieve this, students worked in pairs and rotated through six stations, each focusing on a different aspect of Elizabethan life, including clothing, entertainment, food, education, social hierarchy, and theatre.

In each pair, one student assumed the role of the detective, tasked with gathering information from the provided resources at the stations. The other student took on the role of the reporter, responsible for documenting the key findings.

After gathering information from the stations, pairs collaborated to create visually appealing posters highlighting their assigned aspect of Elizabethan life. These posters served as a medium for students to synthesise their findings and present them in a concise and informative manner.

Once the posters were completed, students shared their findings with the class, allowing everyone to gain insights into various facets of Shakespearean life. Additionally, around the room, there was supplementary information provided about Shakespeare's audience, enriching the students' understanding of the context in which his plays were performed.

This differentiated class task had a profound impact on our students:

• Engagement: Students were actively engaged in the task, demonstrating curiosity and enthusiasm as they delved into different aspects of Elizabethan life.

• Collaboration: Pair work encouraged collaboration and communication skills as students worked together to gather information and create posters.

• Critical Thinking: Analysing historical sources and synthesising key information honed students' critical thinking skills.

• Creativity: Designing posters allowed students to express their creativity while effectively communicating their findings.

This differentiated class task provided our Year 9 English students with a rich and immersive learning experience. By exploring life in Shakespeare's time through interactive stations, collaborative poster creation, and information sharing, students not only deepened their understanding of history but also developed essential skills for academic and personal growth.

We look forward to more engaging and impactful learning experiences for our students in the future.

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The Library is celebrating Library Lover's Day with a Blind Date with a Book promotion. The idea is to take a chance and 'date a book'. Here are the rules:-

All art students will have received their Art Kits by the end of Week 2. Please keep all equipment safe. If anything is misplaced, students will need to replace this themselves.

Design and Technology students in Year 9 were given a fun design challenge to do in their first lesson this year.

The challenge is called the "Marshmallow Challenge" and requires students in teams of four to design and build the tallest, freestanding tower made from 20 strands of spaghetti, 1 metre of tape and 1 marshmallow (but in today's lesson we used a paper tissue instead).

Students had to collaborate to design the freestanding structure and only had 18 minutes to do it!

Whether the team's solution passed or failed, students learnt about problem solving, evaluating and collaborating.

Well done to the teams that answered the brief. It was a fun exercise to be a part of.

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The way that the St Benedict’s College uniform is worn is a reflection of the respect that our students hold toward themselves and the College Community. For this reason, it is expected that students will wear the uniform in a correct and appropriate manner at all times. Students should be dressed in the correct uniform from the time they leave home in the morning until the moment they arrive home in the afternoon. If students are not travelling directly home after school, they would be expected to wear their uniform correctly or change completely out of their uniform into other clothing. We aim to set a standard that we can all be proud of, and which brings credit to students, parents and the school. Our uniform clearly identifies who we are and what we stand for and, as a result, the uniform code will be strictly enforced. Some aspects of the student uniform code are necessary to comply with Work, Health & Safety regulations and to ensure students’ safety in specialty areas. Items that are worn or damaged are to be replaced. All items of clothing need to be clearly marked with the student’s name.

For a comprehensive list of St. Benedict’s Catholic College Uniform Guidelines, please click here.

Just a few important notes in relation to our canteen:

1. No cash or credit card payments are accepted

2. Only Compass Cards allow for purchase of items

3. Year 7 are yet to receive their Compass Card. In the meantime you can download the canteen's App, FlexiSchools, and place your orders online. https://flexischools.com.au/

Happy New Year! I would like to welcome back all our members of the Social Justice team and welcome any new members to the team. This year we have a full calendar of various events that will be held throughout the year. To stay informed, please keep an eye out for our regular articles in the College newsletter, on our socials and Compass.

At the beginning of this week, Social Justice came together to listen to nominees discuss why they would like to be considered for the role of President and Secretary for 2024. We had a number of students present to the Social Justice team, Mrs Logue and Mrs Piatek. It was a very hard decision as all students presented themselves well, showing their dedication, passion and commitment to representing and leading our team. In the end, we decided to create a new role of Junior Secretary and Senior Secretary and it is with great pleasure that I announce Elizabeth Robertson in Year 8 as Junior Secretary and Kirsty Fernandes in Year 11 being selected as Senior Secretary. The role of the President for the team is a significant one with Claire Small in Year 11 being chosen by her peers. Claire was the Secretary in 2023 and has been an active member of the team since Year 7 thus I believe she is going to continue to lead our team with determination and enthusiasm. With this change, I would like to thank Grace Clarke (President 2023) and Claire Small (Secretary 2023) for their wonderful efforts in leading the team. They have shown maturity, enthusiasm and commitment to helping the team achieve their goals throughout 2023.

Term 1 will start with the College supporting Caritas Australia with Project Compassion as we enter the Lenten period of the calendar. To support this cause, there are a number of initiatives taking place:

1. Each STRIVE will be given a box for coin donations - if everyone adds $1 then we can reach $1000.

2. Pancakes will be sold on Tuesday at recess in D Block (1 for 50 cents or 3 for $1), there is a limited amount being sold, so please be quick!

3. St Valentine's Day is on Wednesday. Year 12 has some fun ideas for you all to take part in, like selling lollies and roses.

4. Norcia will be selling Zooper Doopers after sport again on Tuesdays from Week 5.

5. BBQ at lunch on Thursday Week 5.

6. Harmony Day is coming up this term in Week 8 with Friday of that week being Cultural Day where we can celebrate the diverse range of cultures we have here in Bennies. You can wear your cultural dress or a jersey to help us celebrate. But everyone HAS to take part.

7. And finally, we will have Easter! Grace and Tahlia in Year 12, as always will hold our annual Easter raffle. So we are asking for donations of Easter Eggs to make this happen.

This year, we are CALLING ALL PARENTS to get involved with Project Compassion!

As we embrace the season of Lent, a time of reflection, sacrifice and giving, we invite you to join us in this special initiative that aligns with the spirit of the season. This year, we are reaching out to you, our wonderful parents, to get actively involved with Project Compassion!

We believe that your participation as a parent is instrumental in fostering a spirit of compassion and unity within our school community. As Easter approaches, we encourage you to get involved by taking part in Give it up for Lent – whether you forgo your daily coffee, or indulge in a little less screen time, or give up your car during Lent – get sponsored for your efforts and contribute to brighter futures, for all generations.

Let's make this season of giving truly special by coming together as one supportive and compassionate school family. Let's stand together, create awareness and actively contribute to making the world a better place.

Thank you for your continued support of Social Justice and I look forward to another year supporting others who need it most.

Mrs Sara-Jane Castelli

Social Justice Coordinator

Welcome back everyone to St Benedict's Catholic College! 2024 is bound to be a year filled with academic learning, student growth and of course - challenges! But it is up to each and every individual of how they rise to these challenges - some of which will be presented this year to your children by me - the Numeracy Coach.

A small reminder of my role here at the school - to be an instructional coach for Numeracy in order to develop our teaching strategies and student understanding of numerical concepts. We want to focus on areas where students are presenting weaknesses, develop these areas and implement these improvement strategies moving forward within our teaching practices.

During Term 1 in 2024, I will be working with Stage 6 teachers and students in an effort to focus on those Numeracy and Graphicacy based questions that are found in the Preliminary examinations and the Higher School Certificate. By exposing students to these types of questions early, we are preparing them for what is to come towards the end of the year. This will give students time to practise, ask questions and seek clarification on areas that still require attention. It will give them an opportunity to see how to break down those numeracy or graphicacy based questions - which is essential for their HSC considering that a large proportion of HSC papers are graphicacy based.

Keep your eye out for Benny’s Bites challenges - these will come up every fortnight online. We want to gauge students with numeracy - whether it is through games, challenges or riddles. I will be putting some out there for students to complete in their own time - but I would encourage parents to complete some of these too with their children as dinner time conversations perhaps.

For new parents to the college community and for those who have been here a while, we need to remember that Numeracy is important for the following reasons;

• Problem Solving: It is essential for effective problem-solving. It enables individuals to analyse situations, identify patterns, and make informed decisions. Whether in the workplace, at home, or in other settings, the ability to work with numbers allows for more efficient and logical problem-solving.

• Financial Literacy: It is a fundamental skill for managing personal finances. Understanding concepts such as budgeting, saving, investing, and calculating interest rates helps individuals make informed financial decisions and navigate the complexities of the modern economy.

• Career Opportunities: Many professions require a level of numeracy. Whether you're working in science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM) fields, finance, healthcare, or even in roles that involve data analysis and interpretation, a strong foundation in numeracy is often a prerequisite for success.

• Critical Thinking: It encourages critical thinking by fostering the ability to analyse information, assess its reliability, and draw logical conclusions. It promotes a structured approach to problem-solving and helps individuals make well-reasoned judgments based on evidence.

• Everyday Tasks: A fundamental skill in everyday tasks such as cooking, shopping, home improvement, and travel. From measuring ingredients in a recipe to calculating discounts during a sale, numeracy skills are applied in various daily activities.

• Scientific and Technological Advancements: Advancements in science and technology are often driven by numerical analysis and mathematical modelling. Numeracy is crucial for understanding and contributing to innovations in fields such as physics, engineering, computer science, and more.

• Data Interpretation: In today's data-driven world, numeracy is vital for interpreting and making sense of information. Individuals need to understand numerical data, charts, and graphs to make informed decisions, whether it's in business, research, or public policy.

• Global Citizenship: Numeracy contributes to global citizenship by enabling individuals to understand and engage with issues related to economics, health, environment, and more. It empowers people to interpret statistical information and assess the impact of policies on a local and global scale.

• Lifelong Learning: Numeracy is a skill that continues to be valuable throughout one's life. It supports ongoing learning, adaptability, and the ability to acquire new skills, especially in a rapidly changing world.

Numeracy is not just about manipulating numbers; it's a foundational skill that empowers individuals to navigate the complexities of the modern world, make informed decisions, and contribute meaningfully to society.

Suzanne Seychell

Numeracy Instructional Coach

seychells01@dow.catholic.edu.au

Tuesday Sport

At St Benedict’s Tuesday sport is compulsory for all students in Year 7 - 10. For students to attend sport, consent needs to be given through Compass. Thank you to all parents and carers who have already given permission for their child to participate in our Tuesday sport program. For any students still outstanding in regards to consent this needs to be completed by Monday 12th February.

As we commence our sport program next Tuesday students should be wearing their College hats and bringing a water bottle when participating in their activities.

This year the College Swimming Carnival will be held at Camden Memorial Pools on Monday 26 February. This event will be held for competitors ONLY.

The Championship events run on the day include

• 50m Freestyle

• 50m Breaststroke

• 50m Butterfly

• 50m Backstroke

• 100m Freestyle

• 100m Breaststroke

• 100m Backstroke

• 100m Butterfly

• 200m Freestyle

• 200m Individual Medley

Students wishing to compete on the day need to fill in the google form that can be found on their news feed on Compass or the Sport Google Classroom page (code: 56s4k2r)

NSWCCC Pathway Events

The following NSWCCC Pathway events are now open for registration.

These Pathway events are for students who represent at a higher or elite level outside of school. All registrations need to be completed through the CSNSW Sport website https://csnsw.sport/

Earlier in the year some of our Year 11 students applied to be a part of the ACU Step Up into Teaching Scholarship Program which was funded by the CEDoW.

This offered the students the opportunity to attend on-campus sessions for a week in both the September and the Christmas holidays and if they complete these sessions they will receive automatic entry into any Education degree and will be exempt from two units in the first year of their degree, so it is an extraordinary jump-start into a teaching career.

Dakota Lewis has successfully completed one unit of the Bachelor of Education Degree during the September school holidays in 2023.

Congratulations Dakota on achieving this milestone in your career Journey.

Chelsea Simac has also been accepted into the 2024 ACU Step Up into Teaching Scholarship Program. We wish her the best for her journey this year.

The panel was overwhelmed by stories from the applicants of the teachers that motivated and inspired them to become teachers. Hearing these stories only emphasises the important role teachers have in the lives of their students, we have endeavoured to make contact with those teachers named in these interviews so they are aware of the impact they have had.

Please ensure you have actioned the '2024 Acceptance Use of Technology Agreement' and the '2024 Consent for the use of students image and/or work' via Insights in your Compass parent portal. (Tip sheet attached)

The Australian Federal Police have issued a warning to parents of young school aged children about not posting information online that allows their child’s personal information to be shared on public sites. Some parents and carers do this inadvertently and may not be aware of some of the potential serious consequences.

In 2024 as with all other years, NSW Health is providing a free vaccination clinic to students at the College. This is not compulsory. In 2024 the following vaccinations will be available:

• Year 7 - 9 August 2024 diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (dTpa) and human papillomavirus (HPV)

• Year 10 - 25 May 2024 meningococcal ACWY vaccine

Parents can provide consent online for their child’s routine school vaccinations. Vaccination will only be provided at school if consent has been received. To provide consent for vaccination online, parents/carers will need:

• Their Service NSW log-in details, or to create an account with Service NSW if they don’t already have one

• Medicare details for parents/carers and their child

Benefits of online consent for parents/carers:

• SMS notifications when vaccinations are given

• Easy updating of their child’s details online

• Faster upload of their child’s vaccination records to the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR)

Printed consent materials are also available where parents/carers cannot provide online consent, including for parents/carers or students who do not have a Medicare card or internet access (A small number of these are available from the College office and will need to be handed back to the front office ONE week prior to the vaccination date)

Missed vaccinations

Students who miss vaccination due to absence on the day of the school vaccination clinic may be offered catch-up vaccination on 24 October. Where this is not possible, parents will be advised that free catch-up vaccine is available at their local GP or pharmacist immuniser.

Parents who choose to wait for their child to be older before consenting to vaccination will be required to arrange for vaccination at their GP or pharmacist. This may incur a consultation fee.

A helpful video about the NSW School Vaccination Program and how to provide consent is available for parents on the NSW Health webpage please visit:

https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/immunisation/Pages/schoolvaccination.aspx

School fees for 2024 have now been invoiced and statements will be issued by the end of Week 1 with annual or first instalment payments due on 28 February 2024. You may also view your school fee account in the Compass Parent Portal. Please note that if you have instalments, they will only be visible on your school fee statement and not in the Parent Portal.

Phttps://www.dow.catholic.edu.au/for-parents/school-fees/

▪ The invoicing of school fees and the distribution of school fee statements each month, is now a function carried out by the Catholic Education Office.

▪ Payment of fees, whether as an annual payment or payment by instalments is due on the date/s provided on your school fee statement.

▪If an amendment is made to your school fee account eg your child changes subjects in a secondary school, etc. you will be emailed a statement which will provide a new schedule of payments and due dates. Please review this schedule to make any changes to your payments that are necessary.

EVET COURSES – SECONDARY SCHOOLS ONLY

If your child is studying an EVET Course (External VET Course), the costs will not be known until mid- February. At that time an EVENT will be published via email which will advise the amount required and a due date. These payments are made via the Parent Portal as a separate amount to your school fees.

REMINDERS FOR LATE PAYMENTS

SMS and email reminders are automatically generated by our accounting software based on the number of days a payment is overdue and are distributed by the Catholic Education Office. For those families that may have difficulty in paying their school fees, these reminders may cause some distress. This is not our intention. Our intention is to support the collection of school fee accounts centrally and in so doing, alleviate some of the administrative work of our schools.

SCHOOL FEE ACCOUNT ENQUIRIES

Please note, despite the centralisation of various functions, your school/s will always be your point of contact for matters pertaining to fees. If you wish to discuss your school fee account, please contact your school office. The role of the Catholic Education Office is to action centralised tasks on behalf of schools.

IF YOU WISH TO PAY BY INSTALMENTS

Many families have already elected to pay their school fees by instalments. If you wish to avail yourself of this option please complete a Request to Pay by Instalment Form which is available at your school’s office. On completion of the request either email it to instalments@dow.catholic.edu.au or submit at your school’s office. Following receipt of the request, instalments will be generated on your account and a schedule of payments and due dates will be provided on your next school fee statement. Please note it is only necessary to complete this form once during the period of child/children’s enrolment unless you wish to amend your payment frequency.

DIFFICULTY WITH PAYMENT

If you are experiencing financial difficulty, we encourage you to contact the school in which your child/children are enrolled to discuss an arrangement that will assist you meet your commitments. This may include the completion of a Diocesan Application for Fee Concession which is available from the administration office of each school. Be reassured that your situation will be treated with strict confidentiality and respect for your circumstances. If you wish to submit an application, please do so at your child’s school. Please note, if you have children in more than one school, it will only be necessary to submit one application.

For those families that received a Fee Concession in 2023, you will receive an email prior to your annual review date attaching a further Application for Fee Concession. You may also initiate an earlier review if you wish to do so by contacting your school office.

For further information regarding school fees, please access the Diocesan School Fee Management Policy and Frequently Asked Questions which is available here. https://www.dow.catholic.edu.au/for-parents/school-fees/

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.

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

RANIER has advised that there may be significant delays with the college uniform. This delay is due to COVID lockdowns in China.

Orders placed for home delivery are despatched twice a week from the Uniform Shop. Orders placed for collection from college office will be available Mondays after 2:30pm, orders placed prior to 9am Monday will qualify.

TRADING HOURS DURING COLLEGE TERMS:

Monday 9am – 5pm

Tuesday 9am – 5pm

Wednesday 9am – 5pm

Thursday 9am – 5pm

Saturday 9am – 12pm

Collection from shop | Collection from College | Home Delivery

CONTACT:

Ranier Schoolwear Unit 5/6-8 Porrende Street Narellan 2567

Online purchasing and appointments visit: shop.ranier.com.au

Email: stbenedict@ranier.com.au

Phone: 02 4647 8942

Responses will be provided during opening hours

For more immediate assistance, Head Office details are

Online: ranier.com.au/contact

Email: custservice@ranier.com.au