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Dear St Aloysius Catholic College Community,
Welcome to the 2024 school year. Although this is our first newsletter, there already have been many events that have occurred. The Primary students have run their Swimming Carnival and Secondary Students have held their Athletics Carnivals. It was a big ask to run these days so close to the start of the year and the staff did a terrific job and the students participated with enthusiasm. We have also held an information evening for the Middle Campus with a barbeque run by the Parents and Friends Association.
Lent this year began quite early and we have held our Ash Wednesday services across the three campuses. Father Mike was very generous with his time to be able to come to most of our services. Students are reminded that there are three main focuses of Lent; Prayer, Fasting and Alms Giving. While we usually think of fasting as going without something, Pope Francis has suggested it can also be us intentionally changing our behaviour to act more Christ-like. He suggests;
- Fast from hurting words and say kind words.
- Fast from sadness and be filled with gratitude.
- Fast from anger and be filled with patience.
- Fast from pessimism and be filled with hope.
- Fast from worries and have trust in God.
- Fast from complaints and contemplate simplicity.
- Fast from pressures and be prayerful.
- Fast from bitterness and fill your hearts with joy.
- Fast from selfishness and be compassionate to others.
- Fast from grudges and be reconciled.
- Fast from words and be silent so you can listen.
In my first letter to parents and first discussions with students, I referred to the four B’s of the College and these suggestions certainly fit in with Be Kind and Be Respectful. I have spoken to many students on all three campuses and have seen these B’s in action.
In 2024 we have three intertwined goals;
- Insight – Catholic Education Tasmania wide focus on the Science of Learning to ensure that we are educating our students to the highest standards.
- Pastoral Care – Embedding the change from vertical House Leaders to Horizontal Year Coordinators and ensuring a consistent approach that produces a safe environment conducive to learning.
- Strategic Plan Review – Review the progress of the 2022 - 2025 strategic plan.
At various times throughout the year, we will be seeking your input in assisting us in achieving our goals. I encourage you to participate in these activities.
I look forward to engaging with the community throughout the year.
God Bless and Be the Good,
Mr Paul Reidy – College Principal
The academic year at the Junior Campus is off to a fantastic start, with staff and students hitting the ground running. Students were keen to demonstrate the school values at our recent Primary Swimming Carnival. The grit and determination shown on the day was impressive to witness. Thank you to Nicole White and her support team for organising an excellent experience for our students.
Next week, our valued family community will have the opportunity to meet with the Junior Campus teaching staff at our Term 1 Goal setting meetings. These sessions will be held on Monday, 26th February and Wednesday, 28th February. These appointments will allow guardians and teachers to frame goals and understand the strengths and interests of our students. We strongly recommend that you make an appointment with your child's teacher(s). Further information and Instructions for booking goal-setting conversations have been released via Compass. Bookings for Parent/Teacher Conversations will close at 2.00 pm on Friday, 23rd February. Following this deadline, further bookings cannot be made. We do apologise for the immediacy of this request. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Junior Campus Office.
Thank you for setting your child up for success to ensure they are ready for the rigours of a new school year. I look forward to working with you throughout the year.
Yours faithfully
Mr Samuel Morey – Deputy Principal: Junior Campus
‘Wisdom is not the answer. Wisdom is a question’.
Billy Connolly
‘Feedback must be feed-forward’
John Hattie
The season of Lent marks not only a significant time in the Church’s year, but provides us an opportunity to reflect on our practice and what we do. It is not a period of the year where we must give something up or go without to cause ourselves discomfort, but it is a time where we need to ask questions of ourselves in order to become better people. While the season of Lent is one of prayer, fasting and almsgiving, we need to make connections with these activities to our everyday life in order to bring about sustained change and take time to ask ourselves the challenging questions in order to become better at what we do and who we are.
One means of doing this is through questioning. In the teaching and learning process, one key ingredient that separates good teaching from great teaching is the art of questioning. I am often envious of those teachers who ask the most engaging and inquiring questions that move passive learning to discussion and discovery. These questions cannot be rehearsed as they move with student conversation and are targeted at an entry point that all students can access and contribute to. The questioning is explicit and succinct. It leads to further discussion and discovery, and helps student learning move through dependence, independence and reach interdependence. Put simply it enriches student learning through transferring meaning making with real life connections.
All learning is about inquiring, problem solving, investigating, discovering, interactive learning, discussing and questioning. If learning is interesting, students will be interested. If you are inquiring, students will discover. If you are questioning, students will wonder, be curious and make connections.
Year 5 and 6 Goal Setting Conversations – Monday 26th and Wednesday 28th February
The first Parent/Teacher for 2024 is on Monday 26th February and Wednesday 28th February commencing at 3:30pm. Further details have been communicated to book a ten-minute interview online for this evening. The purpose of the Goal Setting Conversation is to discuss how your child has settled into the school year, expectations and goal setting. This is held early in Term 1 to create a more timely conversation on the year ahead. To support and maximise the short amount of time at each conversation, we have provided the following three questions to assist our conversation. By no means are these exhaustive, but are designed to shape the conversation in assisting us reach the highest possible outcomes for each child.
- What are your child’s strengths?
- What areas would you like your child to further develop?
- For 2024 to be successful, what would you like your child to achieve?
If you are experiencing any difficulty making a booking, please contact the Office. We thank all parents for their time in supporting us in developing this partnership through our Parent/Teacher Conversation. Year 7-12 Parent/Teacher Conversations are held later in Term 1.
Year 5 Camp – Hagley Farm School
Our Year 5 Camp is coming up from Monday, 4th March. Camps provide wonderful learning opportunities for all students. Whilst there are curriculum based learning experiences linked to the camp program, the greatest growth and development from students on camps are social and emotional. Self-awareness is the gateway to emotional intelligence and through reflective practice, students identify growth moments about themselves as they experience new activities and further enhance their relationships with their peers. Camps are sequential at the College and build upon one another each year. We understand that camps can be challenging for some students but we encourage parents and families to work with your child’s class teacher to help build strategies to overcome these challenges so that they can experience the full benefits camps provide for all students.
If you have any questions, concerns or queries please do not hesitate to contact us.
Mr Clynton Scharvi – Deputy Principal: Middle Campus
Welcome to a brand new year and a brand new campus. It was an absolute pleasure to be able to welcome all of our Senior Students to the Senior Campus on Wednesday, 7th February. There has been a lot of time and planning that has gone in to get the campus up and running, and now with students walking through the corridors, it has all come to life. We look forward to the exciting times ahead at the Senior Campus and everything that 2024 will bring.
Cross Campus Transport
As I mentioned in a letter to all Senior Campus families, students will be transported
to and from the Middle Campus if they have electives there. Students must arrive at designated pick-up locations on both campuses promptly to catch the bus services provided so that they make it to their class on time.
Pick Up and Drop Off
Last Friday we sent a notification to say that pick up and drop off for bus services and parents have changed. We appreciate the willingness of Roberts Coaches and Wisby’s Buses to work with us so that our students will no longer need to walk between campuses at the start and end of the day. Parents are also now able to drop off and pick up students within the campus. I do ask that when exiting the campus, you turn left. There will be no right turn at the beginning and end of the day. This is to help with a safe and smooth flow of traffic on Huntingfield Avenue.
Due to the changes with bus pick up at the end of the day, students will finish classes at 3.05 pm, and Roberts Coaches students will finish at 3.00 pm.
Uniform and Personal Appearance
It was great to see our students wearing formal uniform over the first two weeks of the school year. For the remainder of the term, students have the choice to wear either formal or sports uniform. Students are reminded to always wear these correctly. I also ask that students please abide by the standards and expectations regarding personal appearance. Please refer to the guidelines here:
Open Day
All are invited to Senior Campus Open Day on Saturday, 2nd March. This will be a great chance for families and members of the community to tour through our great new facility and all it has to offer. You will also have a chance to talk to current students and staff about the Campus and the exciting opportunities that are presented to our students. The day will run from 10:00am to 12:00 noon, with tours and information available regarding senior years at St Aloysius Catholic College. I look forward to being able to show people through our new facility.
Athletics Carnival
On 13th and 14th February, the College held its Secondary Athletics Carnival. This year it was split in two, with our Year 7-9 students participating on Tuesday, 13th and our Year 10-12 students on Wednesday, 14th. Both days were fantastic, which demonstrated great school spirit by our students. I would like to thank Simone Skinner and all the HPE staff for helping to organise the event and all of our staff for helping and getting involved in the days. Most of all though, I would like to thank our Senior Students for making the days such a wonderful experience for all.
Mr Bradley Canning – Deputy Principal: Senior Campus
Making Jesus Real
Magic Marty Ogle has been back to visit our Year 3, 5 and 6 students as part of our Spirit of Jesus and Making Jesus Real pastoral programs. Hopefully there has been an increase of ‘saying yes with a smile’ at home as we are reminded to follow the MJR way in how we Greet, Treat and Speak to each other!
After being asked to reflect on where we see the Spirit of Jesus, our Year 6 students wanted to acknowledge the fabulous work of our front office and admin staff and so were encouraged by Marty to go down and actually tell them what a great job they’re doing! There were smiles all round as students also gave them a prized, glow in the dark ‘Don’t just see, but BE the Spirit of Jesus’ sticker!
Thank you Front Office and Admin Staff!
A word from Marty:
What a privilege it was to recently work with staff and students from both the Junior Campus and the Middle Campus. sharing ideas about ‘Making Someone’s Day’, striving to bring JOY to those around us and making good choices. Sadly, many of the students shared that they back chat or talk back at home. We discussed how this can become a habit that creates hardship for parents and carers – AND I reminded them that parenting is a hard job!
We also spoke to the upper primaries about ‘Choices’ and that everyone has choices and we must get into the habit of making GOOD decisions based on the values Jesus constantly taught and spoke about. A few teachers stated that they are striving to ensure that this habit will NOT creep into the classroom as well. On Friday, many of the Year 3 children would have come home with ‘OK’ written on their hands – this is to remind them that when they are asked to help with a chore, stop gaming, going to bed etc that by getting into the habit of saying ‘Ok’ (with a smile), it can create a positive atmosphere at home. This is a much more desired response rather than answering back or saying ‘No!’ The three Year three classes were absolutely awesome in how they listened and participated.
We spoke about ‘Spirit of Jesus’ moments that occur all around us – there are so many, we just have to look for them and name them up. Please ask your children about ‘THE MAGIC’ they can create because we had many magic moments during the two days.
Finally, as a visitor, I must say how impressed I was with the listening and interaction of all the students and St Aloysius certainly has amazing staff that strive to bring out the best in your children.
God Bless
Marty Ogle
Year 7 Reflection Days
Marty has also been part of our Yr 7 Reflection Day ‘Sacred’ (he’s a busy guy!). Recently each Year 7 class had a day of workshops relating to Sacred Space, Sacred in the World and the Sacred in Us. This day was designed to set the tone and culture as a Catholic College and encourage cohesion within classes in the Year 7 cohort, particularly with a large intake of new students joining the College, many of whom have not had the experience of attending a Catholic school before.
One of the activities enjoyed by the students was to create their own little plasticine person showing how unique and individual we all are.
The Feast Before the Fast
Our Feast before the Fast day of pancakes was a great way to kickstart our Lenten fundraising with just over $300 raised for Project Compassion. That is enough money to supply a school latrine to support students’ sanitation and safety in Malawi!
Thank you to the Year 8 and Year 11 students who volunteered to prepare, cook and serve pancakes at both the Middle and Senior Campuses.
Ash Wednesday and Lent
Lent is the six week period leading up to Easter. It’s one of the most important times of the year for many Christians around the world, particularly those within the Anglican, Catholic and Orthodox traditions, held at a similar level of importance to Advent – the build up to Christmas.
While Advent is a celebration and a time of great anticipation, Lent is more frequently seen as a time of solemn observance and preparation for the celebration of the death and resurrection of Jesus at Easter. From its start on Ash Wednesday until its conclusion on Easter Sunday, Lent has been a traditional time for fasting or abstinence, prayer and almsgiving. Just as we carefully prepare for events in our personal lives, such as a wedding, or birthday; Lent invites us to make our minds and hearts ready for remembering Jesus’ life, death and resurrection.
Ash Wednesday comes from the ancient Jewish tradition of penance and fasting. The practice includes the wearing of ashes on the head which are an outward sign of the changes we are making within. The ashes also symbolise the dust from which God made us.
On Ash Wednesday, students in Year 1-12 attended Ash Wednesday Liturgies across 3 campuses, with Leanne Prichard from the Catholic Education Office visiting Prep and Kinder to distribute ashes and share the importance of this season with the youngest students.
Caritas’ Project Compassion Launch
On Shrove Tuesday, 13th February, Principal Paul Reidy, Director of Mission, Polly Marriott and Parish Associate, Maggie Sandric accompanied 10 student representatives to St Mary’s Cathedral for the Launch of Project Compassion. After the Official launch, presided by the Archbishop, they were lucky enough to be part of a Q&A session with Richard Landels from Caritas Australia and hear, first hand, of the fabulous work of Project Compassion.
Nativity 2023 – Call the Midwife
Our very first open air nativity was a great success with a dedicated Yr 4 cast who rehearsed their socks off to put on an incredible show! Every year group from Kinder up contributed to the event and there were numerous comments and compliments from the audience about how it really got us in the Christmas spirit! A special thanks has to go out to the incredibly dedicated Middle Campus students who, in spite of already having started their holidays, gave assistance with stage construction, stage management, audio, costumes, face paint, and crowd control with all those cheeky sheep and camels!
Calling all Host Families!
The Students of the World international High School students are young people aged between 14 and 18 years. They are each seeking an experience to develop their independence, self-confidence and maturity, develop new friendships, improve their English language skills and develop an understanding of another culture. This April there will be French students arriving in Australia whose exchange lengths vary from 8 weeks to 5 months.
If you are interested in hosting a French international student, please contact the Languages teacher, Sophie Bird, on sophie.bird@catholic.tas.edu.au or via the College Office on 6229 0100.
Career Development Program
Yr 9 -12
Maritime Career in Engineering, Government, Shipbuilding, Logistics, Seafaring and Global Shipping. The Australian Maritime College (in Launceston) is hosting a Career Expo on the 13th March. Please send your expression of interest to Mrs Ottaway (marcelle.ottaway@catholic.
Year 10 -12
Expressions of interest are being taken for any students in Year 10-12 that may be interested in attending a 3 day work experience program in the Forestry Industry (8th April – 10th April, 2024). Careers include: Forest Growing and Management, Silviculture, Harvest and Haulage, Sawmilling and Processing or Mechanical/workshop.Breakfast Club
The St Aloysius Catholic College Breakfast Club is returning for its third year, this time across all three campuses!
The Junior Campus Breakfast Club runs on Thursday from 8:00 am and offers free toast and juices. The Middle Campus Breakfast Club runs every Friday from 8:00am to 8:40am. It offers a free BBQ with bacon and egg rolls, feeding up to one hundred students. The Senior Campus will also begin offering its own Friday breakfast BBQ to ensure students are enjoying this fantastic opportunity across all three campuses.
The Club has been enormously successful and it has been fantastic to see so many students showing up, grabbing something to eat and contributing to a fun and relaxed atmosphere.
The goal of the Club is to encourage students to eat breakfast and to start the day in a positive way. The Club would not be possible without the generosity of teachers and student volunteers.
If you would like to donate food items, such as bread, spreads, fresh fruit, juices, milk or eggs to the Club, this would be greatly appreciated and would help ensure the program can continue to support our students.
Please call 6229 0100, drop in to the office, or email joshua.leach@catholic.tas.edu.au or will.jacobson@catholic.tas.edu.au if you are interested in offering some support. Thank you!
Yr 11 Religion – On Country
As an introduction to their Level 3 TASC subject about Judaism and Christianity, a small group of Year 11 students were welcomed onto the traditional lands of the palawa people of Lutruwita/Tasmania. Thoughtful conversations were led by Aboriginal Elder, Uncle Rodney Dillon as students were guided on a walk into nearby Peter Murrell Reserve.
Uncle Rodney described the societal structures that supported traditional Aboriginal belief systems prior to the era of colonisation. He made the important point that many Indigenous cultures believe in the interconnectedness of all living things. Uncle Rodney highlighted the similarities between Aboriginal spiritual beliefs and Christianity, namely caring for others and respecting the dignity of all individuals.
Uncle Rodney’s daughter Bron Dillon described the ways she connects to Country and explained the concept of spiritual custodianship of the land, seas, skies and waterways. Bron gave each student an abalone shell and gumnut to hold as they practised Dadirri/deep listening by the running water.
Welcome BBQ 2024
Each year St Aloysius Catholic College hosts a Welcome BBQ for First Nation students and their families. It is an opportunity for us to welcome new families and meet some of the palawa knowledge holders who work with our staff and students throughout the year in the delivery of cross curriculum priorities. The event is open to ALL students and families who are interested in Aboriginal Education. You do not need to be Indigenous to attend.
This year we are hosting the BBQ at our brand new Senior Campus, with the possibility of a tour for interested families. Please RSVP your interest in attending to annemarie.mcwatters@catholic.tas.edu.au for the purposes of catering and accommodation of dietary needs.
We hope everyone can make it along!
9/10 Senior Art
It is wonderful to have moved into the Senior art rooms at our new campus. Year 9/10 Visual Art students have been working in their journals introducing themselves as an artist. Their journal work will showcase who they are as an artist, the type of art they like, where their inspiration comes from as well as including sketches and printed images of artworks.
Students have been discussing how to make the room feel more creative. Ideas like visiting artists exhibiting their work as well as their own artwork on display with the possibility of a resident artist mural. Lots of ideas were shared.
I would also like to take this opportunity to introduce our new Arts Technician, Eden Spinks. Eden comes with a Visual Arts background completing a Bachelor of Fine Arts with Honours, Majoring in Studio Practices. Eden will support The Arts department across Music, Drama, Art, Ceramics & Sculpture and Photography & Digital Media.
Primary Swimming Carnival
On Friday, 9th February, the College held the Year 3-6 Swimming Carnival at the Clarence Aquatic Centre. For our Year 3 students, this was their first taste of a swimming carnival in which they did an incredible job! The day ran as two mini carnivals, with the Year 5/6 students having their carnival in the morning, and the Year 3/4 students following that afternoon. We love this format, with students constantly on the move and not having to sit in the hot environment for the entire day.
Students should be very proud of their efforts, we were so pleased to see so many giving it a go, regardless of their swimming level, this is what it is all about!
Thank you to all the parents who came to support their child and peers.
Congratulations to Gonzaga who came out on top of the house points leaderboard!
| 1st |
Gonzaga |
603 points |
| 2nd |
Charity |
552 points |
| 3rd |
Galilee |
502 points |
| 4th |
Fides |
456 points |
| 5th |
Aikenhead |
348 points |
7-12 Athletics Carnival
What a terrific couple of days we had at the athletics track!
On Tuesday, 13th February it was our Year 7-9 students who took to the track first. With a jammed packed program, the day was busy and students were constantly on the go. Students are to be congratulated in the way they participated and contributed to their house points, whether you are a serious athlete or one just giving it a go, it was enjoyable to watch.
Day 2 was the Year 10-12 students turn and I have to say, this was one of the most enjoyable carnivals I have been to. With the student numbers a little smaller than the previous day, it allowed the events to run to time in a more relaxed environment. We even had some time for a little bit of fun with tug of war and the water balloon toss.
I would like to thank all the staff and parent volunteers who helped run events. Athletics carnivals are the busiest and hardest to organise, with so many events running at once, and without your assistance these events could not go ahead.
A shout out to Kingborough Little Athletics who provided the timing gates and staff, to ensure our track events ran smoothly (which they did) with accurate results. It is always a pleasure working with community clubs and building those connections.
With the condensed programs, there are still a number of events to catch up on. Results and records will be announced once these events have taken place and results have been recorded.
If your child would like to compete in any of the missed events, please register through links below. These links were emailed to students earlier this week.
SATIS Volleyball
The SATIS rosters have started, with the girls volleyball having their first game this week.
Year 7/8 Girls Volleyball
Round 1 19/2/24
Sacred Heart College 8 v SACC – SHC wins 2-1 42/37
Round 2 19/2/24
Sacred Heart College 7 v SACC – SACC wins 2-0 15/30
Year 9 Girls Volleyball
Round 1 19/2/24
MCC v SACC - MCC win 2-0 52/45
Round 2
SACC - BYE
St Aloysius Soccer Club
The SASC (St Aloysius Soccer Club) provides the opportunity for any student in Kindergarten – Year 6 (Under 5 – Under 12) to play soccer – both boys and girls! Our club has a proud history of offering our young players a fun and fair opportunity to play soccer during the winter soccer season. Our club aligns with the Central Region Junior Football Association (CRJFA), who fall under the umbrella of Football Federation Tasmania (FFT).
Games are played on a Saturday morning, with the roster commencing on 6th April, 2024.
If your child would like to play soccer this year, please make sure your registration has been completed prior to COB Friday, 23rd February.
For further information, please visit Compass Events or email simone.skinner@catholic.tas.edu.au
We are now inviting Expressions of Interest for 2025. You can complete an expression of interest form on the College website HERE and you will be contacted by our Enrolment Officer.
- Enrolments for Year 7, 2025 are due on Thursday, 21st March, 2024
- Enrolments for Kindergarten, 2025 are due on Friday, 10th May, 2024
- Enrolments for Year 11 are welcome at anytime.
Please do not hesitate to contact our Enrolment Officer, Melissa Dance, should you have any questions regarding enrolment, via email sacc.enrol@catholic.tas.edu.au or phone 6229 0108.
Key Dates for February/March
*please refer to the College Calendar for full details
| Friday, 23rd February |
Photo Day – Junior Campus Family photos from 8:00am |
|
Monday, 26th February and Wednesday 28th February |
K-6 Goal Setting evening |
| Thursday, 29th February |
Commencement Mass – Year 4-12 (5-12 students please wear FULL FORMAL UNIFORM) |
| Saturday, 2nd March |
Open Day – Senior Campus All welcome! |
| Monday, 11th March |
PUBLIC HOLIDAY |
| Tuesday, 12th March |
Year 7-12 Southern SATIS Athletics – selected students |
| Monday, 18th March | Year 7-12 Parent/Student/Teacher Conversations |
| Tuesday, 19th March |
First Nations Welcome BBQ – Senior Campus |
| Tuesday, 19th March |
Empowered Kids – Raising resilient children – Parent Information Session |
| Wednesday, 20th March | Year 7-12 Parent/Student/Teacher Conversations |
| Friday, 22nd March |
Year 7-12 SATIS Athletics – selected students |
| Tuesday, 26th March |
Huon and Channel Swimming Carnival (Year 3-6) – selected students |
| Thursday, 28th March |
TASC Moderation Day – Student Free Day for all Year 7-12 students |
| Friday, 29th March |
Good Friday |
| Wednesday, 3rd April |
Students return from Easter break |
Notice of Student Withdrawals
2023 Yearbooks
We are hoping to have our Yearbooks ready for collection next week! We will send out notifications via Compass when they have arrived.
