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“Be not afraid.”
These three words, spoken by Pope John Paul ll during his papal installation Mass on October 22, 1978, have become synonymous with the man who was canonised 36 years later as St Pope John Paul the Great and whose feast day we now celebrate on October 22.
In his 27 years of papal ministry, John Paul II wrote 14 encyclicals and five books, canonized 482 saints and beatified 1,338 people. In the last years of his life, he suffered from Parkinson’s disease and was forced to cut back on some of his activities.
Pope John Paul II was all about the importance of human interaction, affection, and building relationships. He travelled tirelessly to reach Catholics throughout the world who had never experienced the joy of a visit from their Pope. He extended his arms physically and spiritually to young people, families and the elderly and invited back into the fold any of the flock who had strayed. Though - or perhaps because - he had personally witnessed the devastating effects of communism and Nazism, he never let fear hold him back from bringing the presence of Christ to the world. Neither should we let fear overwhelm our faith.
NEWS
A warm welcome back to Term four. This term is usually one filled with much busyness and, before we know it, it will be the end of the year! We thank you for the support you have offered as we have taken on the responsibilities of Acting Co-Principals for the remainder of Term 4. In the meantime, our office doors are always open and we hope you know how welcome you are to contact either of us to share both positive news and any issues of concern.
We wanted to take this opportunity to acknowledge the extraordinary energy, commitment and expertise of Joe Sandric, who left us at short notice last week to take up the position of Acting Principal at St James Catholic College in Cygnet. Joe’s warm and welcoming presence at the College will be greatly missed by students, staff, parents and the wider College community. Joe embodied the ethos of our College community through his kindness, generosity and compassion, as well as his unerring optimism. Joe has most capably led the College through a period of significant change and substantial growth. We wish him well in his new position and know that he is already missed at St Aloysius.
VALIDATION
On Monday and Tuesday this week, the College community has been involved in the process of Validation. A panel, consisting of Damian Brennan (Chair, based in Queensland), Cameron Brown (Director: South), and Martin Tobin (Director: Catholic Identity and Evangelisation) and Elizabeth McDougall (peer Principal from Sacred Heart College) met with the College leadership team and various panels of students, staff, parents, board members and Fr Chris Hope.
Validation is a point-in-time opportunity to explore the College’s current achievements and goals in its process of on going school improvement for learning.
Validation provides system assurance about:
- The College’s progress in responding to the Archbishop’s Charter
- The involvement of the College community in on going improvement for learning &
- How the College is meeting the Tasmanian non-Government Schools Registration Board Standards.
We are appreciative of all the participants in this process and thank them for their wisdom, honesty and involvement. The recommendations and feedback from the panel will inform our School Improvement Plan and our strategic directions in the years ahead.
SENIOR COLLEGE PROJECT
Last Thursday, a small staff team met with Principal Elect, Eamonn Pollard and Adam Mulcahy from CET to discuss some of the next steps in the very exciting Senior College Project. The Planning for Implementation Team (PIT) will become the Steering Committee for the project as we move forward. At this stage, we are providing advice to CET in relation to the internal fit out of our new campus so that we are able to provide an inviting, appropriate and contemporary learning environment for our students as they enter their senior years of education. We meet again on Tuesday, 3rd November and will keep you updated on our progress.
We will also be forming four subcommittees in the very near future which will make recommendations to the PIT - 9-12 Curriculum; Catholic Ethos and Mission; 9-12 Pastoral Care and Building and Grounds. These committees, which will be meeting regularly, will be working closely with Catholic Education Tasmania and our partner Colleges in the Greater Hobart Review - St Virgils and MacKillop.
DEPUTY PRINCIPAL ANNOUNCEMENT
Brad Canning has been appointed to the position of Deputy Principal Middle School Grade 5 - 8 commencing 1st January 2021. Brad is currently Assistant Deputy Principal at St Virgil's College (2016 - current). During this time Brad has held the position of Acting Deputy Principal (Terms 2 & 3, 2018 and Terms 2 & 3 2019).
We look forward to welcoming Brad to the College next year.
GRADE 10 FORMAL
Last night the Grade 10 students headed to Peppermint Bay to celebrate the end of their High School education. Thank you to Mrs Natasha Harris for her patience, wonderful organisation skills and flexibility as she has repeatedly had to modify plans due to the gradual easing of COVID restrictions. We extend our thanks to Wisby buses who have kindly donated the buses to transport the students to the venue.
STAFFING
We welcome the following staff to the College:
- Julie Hoddy - Teacher Assistant: Arts & Technologies. Julie had been acting in this role on a temporary basis. We now welcome Julie to staff on a permanent basis.
- Emma Callanan - Prep Blue teacher. Emma is replacing Mrs Nat Brook who is taking maternity leave
- Allison Twining - Grade 1 White teacher. Allison is replacing Mrs Jules Park who is taking maternity leave. Allison was working in the College each Friday providing our graduate teachers with additional release.
- Allison Jackson - Graduate teacher release time at Kingston Campus
2021 TERM DATES
START |
FINISH |
|
Term 1 |
Monday 1 February - Grade 5 and Grade 7 |
Thursday 1 April |
|
Tuesday 2nd February - Remainder of Students |
|
Term 2 |
Monday 26 April |
Friday 2 July |
Term 3 |
Monday 19 July |
Friday 24 September |
Term 4 |
Monday 11 October |
Thursday 16 December |
CONGRATULATIONS
A big welcome to the newest additions to the College community. Rio Tasman Molann was born on 23rd September to Belinda and Jason and Hugo (Hughie) William Brook arrived on 10th October to Nat and Bruce.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR PARENTS
All parents/guardians are asked to click on the links below for important information regarding the update of the terms and conditions of enrolment at St Aloysius Catholic College:
OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD
This year, Grade 4 students have set a goal to send 50 Christmas boxes to children in need around the world. This is a major project as part of their "Serving Others" unit of work in Religious Education. We are asking all students to bring in an item by Wednesday 28th October for the Christmas boxes to help us meet our goal. There is a collection box located in each classroom.
Thank you to all the families who have already donated items. Please see the attached information for items to donate and please make note of prohibited items.
STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTS
Kingborough Tigers Football
Congratulations to Grade 7 students Josie Rose, Mia Atherton and Ebony McShane who were members of the Premiership winning under 13 girls football team. Held at the North Hobart Oval on Sunday, 4th October the team defeated the North Hobart Demons 41 to 13. The team finished the series on top of the ladder only losing once throughout the whole season.
Special mention to Josie who won the Tigers Best and Fairest and was the leading team goal kicker. Josie was also awarded the Runner-Up Beakley Medal which is awarded for the Best and Fairest in the whole competition for her age group. Josie also finished runner-up goal kicker in her age group.
Kingston Blues Netball
Congratulations to Grade 9 students Abbey Glover and Sophie Cassidy who were members of the team who won the U15 Division 1 STNA Grand Final playing for the Kingston Blues Netball Club.
If you have photos or information you wish to share you can email saccnewscontribution@gmail.com
BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Grade 9/10 boys and girls College basketball teams competed in the Southern Regional Secondary Basketball Championships over the weekend. Both teams represented the College exceptionally well and they both made it to their respective Grand Finals.
The boys' team finished runners up on the day being defeated by Hutchins.
The girls had their grand final match against Rose Bay and came away with the win after only losing one game all weekend. Thank you to the coaching and management team comprising of Andrea Ross, Kristy Nash and Nicky Bawle who were very proud of the girls and their wonderful display of sportsmanship.
SPORT ELECTIVES
Duke of Edinburgh Bronze students have completed their final walk along the organ pipes with correct shoes and weighted packs as their actual adventure is within a month. Students completed the task in good spirits and ready for the next challenge. The 35 km hike around the hazards begins on 2nd November.
DUKE OF EDINBURGH SILVER CAMP
During the first week of Term four, the Duke of Edinburgh Silver class embarked on an adventurous journey, a four-night camp in the north of the state.
The majority of the first day was spent on the bus travelling up to Cradle Mountain where they would stay for the first two nights. After arriving at Cradle Mountain, students settled into their rooms before heading out for an afternoon bushwalk. The evening was spent cooking dinners followed by some very competitive Uno and Pictionary games.
Tuesday was the first full day of activities; the day was spent canyoning through Machinery Creek and abseiling down waterfalls of various heights. It was safe to say that students (and staff) were well and truly exhausted after the long day and were happy to spend the night winding down and packing up ready for another bus trip in the morning.
Wednesday was another day of travelling; the students were up early packing the bus ready to head towards Launceston to go to the Hollybank Wilderness Adventures where they completed high ropes courses of different heights and abilities before it was time to board the bus yet again to head to Derby. The afternoon was spent setting up tents followed by an evening bike ride with Mr Hickey for those who wished.
After having sunshine and good weather for the first three days it started to rain on Thursday where we had planned for a full day of riding. Despite the weather, the students were all keen and eager to continue on and spent the day riding on different trails. Even though students returned to camp drenched in rain and covered in mud, everyone enjoyed their day and were happy to head to the Dorset Hotel for a meal.
SATIS GRADE 7/8 AUSSIE RULES FOOTBALL
Congratulations to the Grade 7/8 Aussie Rules team who won their first game of the season defeating Collegiate 30 - 22. Despite being down at half time, the girls took advantage of the breeze and were able to take the lead. It was a great start to the competition and a fantastic team effort from the girls with many never playing football before.
PREP
In HASS (Humanities and Social Sciences) students are currently exploring how stories from the past can be communicated through photographs, artefacts, book and oral histories. Ms McWatters (Aboriginal Student Success Teacher) spent time with the students teaching them Aboriginal Dreaming stories. Students learnt that Dreaming stories were not written in books but handed down as oral history. Aboriginal people use stories to explain how the land came to be. The students listened to the creation story of Tasmania and had lots of fun pretending to be in the ice age. They also learnt the Dreaming story about taraba (the Tasmanian devil) and were amazed when Ms McWatters brought one in from the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery. The students favourite story was 'How the birds got their colours'. Most Dreaming stories have morals which explain how to behave in Aboriginal culture. The students thought the moral of the story about how the birds got their colours, is 'good deeds will be rewarded'.
CYBER SAFETY PRESENTATION
In week 1 of Term 4, Constable Simon Jones met with all students from grades 5 to 8. Simon is an early intervention Police Officer and spends a great deal of his time following up inappropriate online behaviour directed at teenagers. Given that the students will have this information fresh in their minds, we encourage parents to discuss the presentation with them in relation to their online safety.
Some of the key points raised in the presentation:
- Simon told all Grades 5 and 6 students that their parents should have their
passwords for all online accounts - In relation to youtube, Simon told the Grade 5s and 6s that they should either be using kids youtube or their parents should change the settings to restrict content. Unlike other streaming apps, youtube does not have ratings on their videos, making it hard for young people to know if the video they are about to watch has explicit content.
- Simon discussed safe passwords and usernames. He suggested that passwords
should actually be short phrases. For example ‘RichmondPremiers2019’ is much
safer than a password of ‘Richmond’. Usernames should not have full names or
personal details. For example, ‘JaneSmith09’ is a dangerous username as it shares both first and last name as well as the year of birth, a safer alternative would be ‘JaneS’. - Simon explained why all online accounts should be set to private.
- Simon discussed gaming, stressing how important it is not to talk to people you don’t know. Simon explained how many young people on games like fortnite or Roblox are befriending people they have only met online.
- Where possible, we encourage all parents to ensure that whatever devices your
young people are using, it happens in a family space or with the bedroom door open. - Students were encouraged to research with their parents ‘the dangers of tic toc’ on google.
- The Grade 7 and 8 students were given examples of other young people being asked for inappropriate images. Simon explained that boyfriends or girlfriends often nag for these images and once a young person sends an image, they are often threatened that if they do not take photos showing more, the first image will be shared on social media. Simon encouraged all students to contact the police as soon as that threat is made. It is much harder to intervene after an image has been shared. He also strongly advised students not to ask for or send inappropriate images as doing so may be a criminal offence.
- Parents are encouraged to check the setting on their children’s snapchat accounts. Many young people have their ‘snapmap’ set to public so that any of their followers can see where they are at any time. It is possible to restrict this map so that only selected people can see where they are.
We hope that this cybersafety information provides you and your children with important advice which is designed to ensure that your children are safe in an online environment.
For further information and support in relation to online safety please access the safety website at www.esafety.gov.au
Joanna Orchard
College Counsellor
GRADE 7 RELIGION
This term in Religion, Grade 7 students are studying Judaism. The unit on Judaism recognises the important, close relationship between Judaism and Christianity through our common heritage of the prophets. Jesus Christ himself was an exemplary Jew, and the study of his religion allows us to better understand the context in which he taught and thus gain a stronger understanding of the scripture.
Students will gain knowledge of who the Jewish are and where they live in the world and in Australia. They will understand the core beliefs and practices of Judaism and be able to identify similarities and differences in Jewish life.
In the pictures, you can see some of the materials the Grade 7's will be examining as part of this unit. For example, pictured is a blue skullcap known as a Kippah, which is worn as a sign of respect for God. Also pictured is a Shofar made from Ram's horn, that is blown like a trumpet and used on important Jewish religious occasions. It should be a great Term for our Grade 7 students in Religious Education.
GRADE 7 PHOTOGRAPHY
In term 4 students are learning about the process of creating stop motion animations. They have explored the techniques of some famous animators and are beginning to create their own animation using the techniques they have learned
GRADE 8 ART
GRADE 9/10 EXTENDED SCIENCE
Students in Grade 9/10 Extended Science have started the term by investigating the physics behind bows and arrows. Students competed in a stem challenge which required them to construct a bow and arrow out of limited equipment. They were then judged on the accuracy and distance their arrow would travel.
Congratulations and thank you to the following students who created artwork to enter into this year's Youth Speakout.
Bridey McLean created a photo montage of herself, Charlize Hincks and Lucy Baille. It is titled 'Stronger Together'. Alikee Oates and Sophia Appleby worked together painting a wallaby skin. They named their artwork: 'Country makes us ALL stronger'. Alikee Oates also submitted a painted canvas with a kangaroo silhouette and traditional Tasmanian motifs. Her piece is entitled: 'Standing Alone but Surrounded by My Ancestors'. All three artworks will be on exhibit at the University of Makers Gallery in Burnie.
Parrabah - Whale Drawing Competition
Entries are now open for Aboriginal students aged 11 - 15. Further information can be found in the attached documents.
Winners will be supported to illustrate parrabah the whale, for an Aboriginal children's book, of the same name. Organised by SETAC (South East Tasmanian Aboriginal Corporation) and sponsored by Sealink, prizes include 2 nights accommodation on Bruny Island. Entry deadline: Monday, 30th November at 5:00 pm.
FOOTY COLOURS DAY
For Footy Colours Day on the last day of Term 3, the College got dressed up and displayed their team colours with pride. At HC, the Year 10 House Captains led activities such as bin ball, longest kick, and handball and goal scoring competitions. Then at lunch, an excellent game of football was held on the oval between Grades 9 and 10. The game was fun, fast and fierce with some excellent umpiring from Mr Hickey. Please see below a totally unbiased (ahem) account from Grade 9. Grade 10s were sadly unavailable for comment, too busy celebrating!
In simple terms, the Grade 9 vs Grade 10 football match was not fair and it was impossible for the Grade 9’s to win. There are various reasons as to why this was the case, first of all, grade 10's had double the number of people that Grade 9’s had. This made it almost impossible for the Grade 9’s to move the ball with being intercepted or cleaned up by the year 10’s unfair gameplay. The Grade 9’s were also faced up against the umpires with Mr Hickey clearly showing signs of fixing the match and after the match students have reported having seen Mr Hickey receiving money from the Grade 10’s. A rematch has been agreed upon by the Grade 9's to make the match fair. Clearly, the Grade 9’s were too skilful and strong for Grade 10’s which result in the Grade 10’s need to cheat to win.
Riley Monaghan, Grade 9 White
Best of luck to all the Tigers and Cats fans for this weekend. May the best team win!
SOCK IT TO POVERTY
On Thursday, 29th October the College is holding a Crazy Sock Day as part of Catholic Missions Campaign to ‘sock it to poverty’ this Socktober. Students can wear any combination of mismatched or favourite socks with their sports uniform for a gold coin donation to this very worthy cause. The focus country this year is Cambodia, where the Church seeks to provide shelter, food, education, and life fulfilling opportunities for children in need, especially those with disabilities.
At the Kingston Campus a ‘socker’ challenge will be held at recess for an additional gold coin donation giving the students a chance to try a penalty shootout against staff and special guest, our very own community cop, Constable Stephen Bomford.
At Huntingfield prizes will be given out at assembly for the best dressed (creative use of socks welcomed).
SACRAMENTAL PROGRAM
Sacramental preparation is well underway in the Parish with 37 students from Grades 2 to 8 preparing to make their First Reconciliation. A family information night has been held and the next family preparation session will be held on Saturday 7th November at 4:00 pm followed by Mass and then a sausage sizzle. In the meantime, all Sacramental students are welcome to wear their purple stoles at weekend Masses and join Fr Chris on the altar at the beginning of Mass for the Penitential Rite.
Tasmanian Bridge Association (TBA)
The Tasmanian Bridge Association (TBA) is seeking to encourage our youth to take up Contract Bridge as a hobby. Tasmania does not currently have a Youth Team to send to the Annual National Championships and they are seeking to remedy this.
Bridge is an intellectual team sport and may appeal to those students not attracted to traditional sports. Playing at a competent level involves mathematics, information theory, memory, logical thinking and problem solving. Playing bridge provides an opportunity for social connection with other like minded teens.
For more information contact the Tasmanian Bridge Association tba@tasbridge.com.au or 0400 492 327