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During this week, we celebrate All Saints Day on Sunday, 1st November and All Souls Day on Monday, 2nd November.
All Saints' Day is a solemn holy day of the Catholic Church celebrated annually on 1st November. The day is dedicated to the saints of the Church, those known and unknown. All Souls Day, which is observed on 2nd November, is dedicated to those who have died.
The Christian celebration of All Saints Day and All Souls Day stems from a belief that there is a powerful spiritual bond between those in heaven and the living. All Saints Day was formally started by Pope Boniface IV, who consecrated the Pantheon at Rome to the Virgin Mary and all the Martyrs on 13th May in 609AD. Boniface IV also established All Souls Day, which is on the following day.
During this week we encourage you to take some time to pray for those in your family that have entered eternal life.
Grade 3 - 6 Athletics Carnival
Last Tuesday we held our Grade 3 - 6 Athletics Carnival at the Domain. It was a wonderful day, blessed with beautiful weather, high levels of participation from the students and much enjoyment. Our thanks to Nicole White and the HPE team for their excellent organisation and smooth running of the day. Our Grade 9 student helpers were exemplary - supporting our students and helping run events. Finally, thank you to all students for your participation and enthusiasm on the day. Based on the events held on Friday, a team has been selected and we wish them well as they represent the College on Friday, 6th November at the Catholic Athletics Carnival, also at the Domain.
Kindergarten Orientation
It has been a pleasure to welcome many new families to the College over the last week as we commence Kindergarten orientation sessions. We thank those families who have placed their trust in us to nurture and educate their children. It is a very exciting time as they commence their educational journey.
Book Fair
Thank you to our families for the support given to the Book Fair at the Kingston Campus last week. We appreciate all the organisation undertaken by Mrs Laura Lane and Ms Janey Ryan to organise, set up and run this throughout the week. From the commission raised, we have been able to purchase a range of books for the library as well as further items through Scholastic Rewards.
Congratulations
On Wednesday, 21st October, the 2020 Catholic Education Commission Tasmania Awards Presentations were held at the Don Bosco Creative Arts Centre at Guilford Young College, Glenorchy. St Aloysius was very well represented on the evening with the following staff being commended as follows:
25 Years of Service
Samantha Wilton
Carmel Sills
Mylinda Fletcher
Recognition Awards
Donna Duggan - Outstanding Service as an Employee within Catholic Education
Fr Chris Hope - Outstanding Contribution as a Friend in Catholic Schools
We congratulate them for their commitment to Catholic Education and the College. We very much appreciate the contributions they have made.
Senior College Project
A team of staff from SACC and CET met on Tuesday to continue the process of planning the internal and external design of our new Senior College Campus. Discussions centred around our pedagogical vision and the academic, social and emotional needs of the students. We are working collaboratively to design an inviting contemporary learning space which will be responsive to the needs of senior students as they progress to Grades 11 and 12. Our next meeting is planned to take place on 18th November. Updates will follow that meeting.
Duke of Edinburgh Camps
This week, some of our Grade 9 students participated in the Duke of Edinburgh Camps at Freycinet. Accompanied by Peter Kay, Nickie Birchall, Ben Hibbert, Marcelle Ottaway and James Hickey, the students hiked through the national park and spent two nights camping on the gorgeous beaches surrounding the peninsula. We are particularly grateful to Ben Hibbert who, at very short notice, attended the first camp. Photos and student accounts will follow in our next newsletter.
Book Week
This year we have had an amazing response to the Book Week parades and Book Fair. The students have enjoyed reading the books that have gone with the theme Curious Creatures, Wild Minds and dressing up in it favourite costumes. We have also had an amazing response to the Kingston Campus book fair with hundreds of books being sold, which will enable us to purchase additional resources for our library.
There are many benefits to reading each day for 10 minutes. These include exposing students more than 600,000 words in one year, encouraging creativity, developing confidence in reading aloud and learning to relax by reading for enjoyment.
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Look through Book Club catalogues with your child and talk about the books you would like to read together. Discuss what you think the books might be about.
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Be a reading role model and let your child see you reading— for enjoyment, for news and for information in cookbooks, magazines, online etc. This way they see that reading is important for many reasons.
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Assign a place in your home for your family’s books to show your child that books are special and deserve an organised storage space. Fill your home with lots of reading materials.
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If space allows, create a special area for your child to dedicate to reading. Make sure your child puts aside phones, tablets and any other devices that may form a distraction.
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Tie books and TV/movies together. For example, read about sea life after watching a nature documentary on the ocean. Or, connect books and experiences together. For example, after a school excursion to the zoo, read books about animals.
Congratulations
Congratulations to Mrs Jules Park (Grade 1 White) and her husband Jayden on the birth of their first child on Tuesday, 3rd November. Welcome to the world Leo Nathaniel Park.
Make-A-Wish Foundation
Since last year, Grade 9 student Eloise Paine has been receiving chemo treatment for four Glioneuronal tumours located in her spinal cord. These tumours cannot be removed as they are bonded with the nerves that control her body and would leave Eloise paralysed. This diagnosis has not stopped Eloise from participating in all her favourite activities including playing soccer for the Kingborough Lions United Football Club in which she has represented the state in numerous championships.
Eloise recently learnt that she will be the recipient of a Make-A-Wish Foundation wish, an all expenses paid training experience with the Matilda's. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the date is yet to be confirmed but we look forward to hearing all about this amazing experience.
Cricket Tasmania Visit
Students from Grade 3 and 4 enjoyed cricket sessions run by John Lee from Cricket Tasmania. The student participated in a variety of activities focusing on the full range of cricket skills.
Grade 3 - 6 Athletics Carnival
The Grade 3 - 6 Primary Athletics Carnival was held on 27th October at the Domain Athletics Centre. It was wonderful to see so many students participating in a range of track and field events and displaying such great house spirit for their team.
Thank you to the Grade 9 students who assisted with the running of the carnival. The students and staff appreciated your expert assistance.
1st - Aikenhead
2nd - Charity
3rd - Aloysius
4th - Fides
Little Athletics Tasmania
Prior to our College Primary Athletics Carnival, our Grade 3 - 6 classes enjoyed a visit from Zane Patmor from Little Athletics Tasmania. Zane's sessions centred on preparation for the events of throws and jumps.
Mud Run
On Friday, 30th October the Grade 7 and 8 HIIT fitness classes along with the Grade 7 and 8 Fitness for Girls classes made the trip up to Nugent to complete the Redbanks Mud Run.
The students were challenged to complete every obstacle on the course this year. They were faced with over 30 obstacles on the day including tunnels, cargo nets, water slides, floating barrels, a 12-foot wall they had to climb over and many more.
All four of the classes completed every obstacle and should be very proud of their efforts!
Thank you to all that made the day possible.
Grade 2 Excursion
On Monday, 2nd November the three Grade 2 classes went on a local history excursion to Richmond. We left on the bus at 9:00 am and arrived at 10:00 am. We then had recess and split into two groups. One group went to the Old Hobart Town model village, while the other walked over to the bridge to sketch it. We then returned for a barbecue lunch before breaking off into our groups again to complete the other activity. It was a very sunny day and we were glad to be back on the bus at 1:30 pm to return to school. Thank you to all the parents who came along to help out, you helped make the day a special one!
Grade 3
In Grade 3 HASS, students have been studying Tasmanian Aboriginal culture, their connection to country, the importance of ochre in ceremonies and the different types of artwork. In response to our research and investigations into Tasmanian Aboriginal artwork, students have created their own.
Kinder Excursion
Over the last couple of weeks, all three kinder classes have visited the Marine Discovery Centre at Woodbridge. This excursion provided a wonderful 'hands on' learning experience for the students as they learnt about many different sea creatures and how they can play their part in looking after these creatures and the ocean. Students got to view a range of different sea creatures in the large aquarium and in the swimming tank within the Centre from rock lobsters to flathead, sharks, pufferfish, seahorses and giant starfish.
Students were able to touch, explore and learn about the various sea creatures within the touch tanks including hermit crabs, starfish, sea cucumbers, a baby shark and sea anemone. They completed a range of related learning experiences: sea creature, creating badges and using a drawing and an iPad app to create a 3D underwater scene.
Students were given the opportunity to feed the fish in the large tank and some even patted the shark. They also watched some footage from an underwater camera that had been baited and placed under the jetty at the beginning of the day and was amazed at what hides below the ocean this close to the shore. This excursion was an amazing learning experience and one the students will certainly remember.
Dr Drasko Dizdar
Dr Drasko Dizdar is a theologian with the Tasmanian Catholic Education Office. Drasko has lectured on theology throughout the world and he is an amazing communicator with a vast depth of knowledge. He recently came and spoke to students in 7 Red and 7 Blue as part of their study on Judaism. Drasko was able to explain the history of the Jewish faith and people. He spoke about the similarities between Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Drasko talked about the Holocaust and said that the Jewish people call this event shoah, which means complete and utter destruction. Drasko explained how Jesus Christ was a practising Jew and that around 25% of the Nobel Peace Prize winners have been Jewish. It was a fantastic learning opportunity for our students. We are very grateful for Drasko for visiting us.
Grade 10 Dinner
On Wednesday, 21st October the Grade 10 students came together to celebrate the end of their schooling at the College with their formal dinner. Students and their families met at the Huntingfield Campus for photos, then travelled to the Peppermint Bay Restaurant for dinner and presentations.
This year has been a challenging year for students, staff and their families and the evening was a wonderful opportunity for the students to celebrate all they have achieved.
We send our blessings to our Grade 10 students and wish them all the best for their last weeks at the College and their upcoming exams.
Lost Property
We have a large collection of lost property at the office. Students and parents are encouraged to come and check for any missing items.
Muso's Corner
In Muso’s Corner, we will be featuring the work of some of our Music students.
This week, two of our Grade 10 students, Axl Dumagat and Darcy Willis have contributed contrasting compositions. As part of the topic, Perfect Harmony, they were required to create a short piece based on a simple and repetitive chord pattern. Darcy chose a lo-fi approach to his recording, which is representative of the genre. Axl chose the recording studio as the place to create his smooth contribution. You can read about and hear their pieces below.
This piece takes a lot of inspiration from the pop-punk genre and specifically bands like Green Day and Blink-182. The song uses a simple four chord structure, those chords being B5, G5, D5 and A5. These are all played for two beats of a bar is 4/4 time with a tempo of 200 bpm.
Axl
This song is slow and features Latin percussion in the background. I got my inspiration from jazz music I had heard whilst surfing the web. The chords began as simple 3 note triads which I enriched by adding a few notes to the end of each giving them a much fuller and exciting sound.
NAIDOC Week 2020
This year, NAIDOC Week is being celebrated 8 - 15th November. It is usually celebrated in July, but celebrations were postponed this year due to COVID-19.
NAIDOC stands for National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee. This committee was once responsible for organising national activities during NAIDOC Week and its acronym has since become the name of the week itself. For many years, the Australian Government has supported national NAIDOC celebrations. Events are held across Australia each year to celebrate the history culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
NAIDOC is celebrated not only in Indigenous communities but by Australians from all walks fo life. This year's theme for NAIDOC Week 'Always Was, Always Will Be' encourages all Australians to celebrate and be proud of the continuity of Aboriginal histories, cultural knowledge and practices.
First Nations people have occupied this continent for over 65 000 years. They developed expertise in astronomy, sustainability, caring for Country and a myriad of other areas. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were Australia's first explorers, first scientists, first navigators, first engineers, first farmers, first bakers, first diplomats and first artists.
The College is commemorating NAIDOC Week this year with a number of learning activities and special guests. Students from all grade levels will be learning about the significance of NAIDOC and reflecting on the wealth of cultures and knowledge that existed prior to Captain Cook's arrival in Australia and continue to thrive to this day.
To find out more about NAIDOC Week click on the link below
Sock it to Poverty
Last week, ‘Sock it to Poverty’ was held on both Campuses with a bright and colourful crazy sock day raising $792.40 for Catholic Mission. The Huntingfield assembly and Kingston Mass both had a focus on Catholic Mission and the work they are doing to support people in need in Cambodia, particularly children and young adults with disabilities.
The Parish Youth Group and Huntingfield Vinnies group had prepared for the event by making recycled sock balls from old clothes, socks, polystyrene, plastic bags and string. Mrs Duggan spoke to us in assembly about her experience witnessing children playing with these kinds of recycled balls when she visited Ethiopia. She told of the joy of one child who received a brand-new soccer ball as a gift from her family and how uplifting and life changing that gift was for him and his community. The recycled sock balls were passed around the Huntingfield assembly before being taken to Kingston and used as part of a soccer penalty shoot out with students, staff and celebrity goalie Constable Stephen Bomford. The Kingston students experienced firsthand the difference between their own manufactured soccer balls and the homemade ones. “That was sooooo hard to kick!”, “It’s too tricky!”, and “That’s dodgy!” were some of their responses reminding us how lucky we are to have access to such equipment. May we never take the small things in our life for granted.
Operation Christmas Child
Thank you to all for the wonderful response to this appeal. We were blown away by the support and were able to pack 75 Christmas shoeboxes for children overseas who have never received such a gift in their lives. It was amazing to see the thought and care that the Grade 4 students put into packing each shoebox. As they chose their items, the students considered the age and gender of each recipient and comments like “My little brother would love this one”, “I think this would be a good gift”, and “I wonder what would they like the best?” were shared. Trying to fit everything they wanted to give in to one shoebox was a tricky exercise for some, but the boxes were certainly filled with lots of love.
As we start to get consumed by the commercialism and pressures of Christmas in the western world, it may be useful to pause and consider those who have very different experiences to us. Why not consider a charity gift card such as education or supplies for someone in need (Salvation Army, Care and Oxfam provide some examples), support local by visiting craft fairs or looking to local suppliers and family owned stores or, if you have the time and creativity, consider making your own Christmas gifts this year.
Sacramental Program
A reminder that this weekend is the family Reconciliation Preparation Session for children and parents. This will run from 4:00-6:00pm in the Church of Christ the Priest followed by Mass. There will then be a sausage sizzle held for all parishioners and anyone from the College community is warmly invited.
Youth Group
The Kingston-Channel Parish Youth Group is back up and running with the group enjoying finding out about the ‘Saintly side’ of Halloween and then enjoying some traditional Halloween party games. It’s not easy to eat a donut on a string without licking your lips!
We have also been doing more baking for Loui’s Van and next week will be taking part in a ‘Camino de Kingston’, walking a route around the local area based on the world-famous pilgrimage, Camino de Santiago. The Youth Group meets every Wednesday term time in the Sisters of Charity Centre on the Kingston Campus from 4:00-5:30pm. Students, Grade 5 and above, from any school are welcome to attend. Contact pauline.marriott@catholic.tas.edu.au for more information.
The College is happy to share some relevant parenting topics in each newsletter for parents and families to watch or read and reflect.