Newsletter Term 4, Week 4 2021

Dear SJC Families and Friends

I trust this finds you well.  I would like to start by thanking all families again for being so understanding, patient and adaptable during the last few months.  There has been a lot of information shared by the College as the landscape changes due to COVID but each of the changes has been accompanied by grace and understanding and for that, we at the College are truly appreciative.  As updates are provided to the College related to any changes in restrictions, these will be communicated with all families.

Please keep our Year 12 students in your prayers and thoughts as they approach the commencement of their delayed HSC examinations.  These commence on November 9 (they were originally planned to have been completed by November 12).  It has been a tough year for all people in Australia but one must feel for our Year 12 students everywhere.

They have missed a lot of what would normally constitute their final year of school and only last Wednesday, it was announced that no graduation ceremonies could occur until after the final HSC exam had concluded.  This was a sad blow for our students and delivering the news to them in class was not an easy task.  In saying that, we look forward to supporting them through their exams and then being able to celebrate their graduation (date to be confirmed) and formal (December 5). 

I look forward to sharing with you in the next newsletter our staffing announcements for 2022.  We have a number of positions to finalise this week. 

Communication with the College

At SJC, we welcome communication from the families of our students.  This occurs on a daily basis and is managed with courtesy and professionalism by our College Office staff.  Please understand that our office staff are often the conduit between home and a specific staff member who may hold the key to your enquiry.  All they need is a brief summary of the point you need to discuss and who you think may be able to help you (if you know).  If not, our office staff will attempt to offer a solution or provide you with the chance to talk with someone who will. 

Whilst the majority of phone calls to the College are pleasant and result in a favourable outcome, of late, there have been a number of interactions between members of the wider SJC community and our office staff where our office staff have been left feeling upset.  No person, in completing their role at work, should ever be made to feel this way.  I ask that all members of our SJC community take a moment to read this document relating to effective conversations.  Below, you will find a graphic outlining the communication channels that need to occur at the College. 

Year 6 Orientation

On November 3, our College will welcome our 168 new students that will join us in 2022.  We are blessed to be able to conduct this day given so many things have been cancelled due to COVID.  There are fairly strict parameters in place, particularly relating to parental presence on school grounds (this still cannot occur) so please ensure that if this involves you or your child, you understand what is required. 

With regards to the Year 6 into Year 7 2022 parent information evening, as parents are unable to come onsite, an invitation will sent this week via email to parents for a zoom meeting.

Digital Devices

Last week the College shared with families and students the new expectations relating to digital devices that will commence from Week 8.  There has been an overwhelmingly positive reaction from families to this change that falls into line with all secondary schools in the Lismore Diocese and is a response to a number of investigations conducted by prominent academics relating to the detrimental effect of having access to phones whilst at school has on young people.  It will also ensure that the chance of cyber-bullying, which this year has increased during school hours, is minimised. 

A very small number of parents have voiced concern about not being able to contact their children during school hours.  Our College Office staff will happily pass on any messages that need to get to students during the school day and students will be able to access their phones at the conclusion of the final period. 

Learning Changes for 2022

I would like to take this opportunity to communicate with families some of the major changes that are occurring from the commencement of next year.  Over the last couple of years, the school has collected data from staff, students and families, that relate to the running of the College, how students learn, how we can better cater for the wellbeing of our students and how we can best use the time we have together.  The culmination of this will see our timetable and wellbeing structure change so that our students are provided with even better opportunities.  The major changes are listed below:

• There will be five, sixty-minute periods in the day (there is currently six, fifty-minute periods).
• Homerooms will be vertically aligned based on house groups (Year 7-12 students in each group).
• Two staff members will be assigned to each group called Academic and Wellbeing Care (AWC). This will run for 24 minutes per day.
• The wellbeing needs of Year 7-10 students will be taken care of by Leaders of Wellbeing (House), whilst Year 11 and 12 students will have a Leader of Wellbeing (Year Group) for 2022 only. In 2022 we will decide if we move to a six house system or remain at four houses. 
• Parents and carers in Year 7-10 will contact the child's House Leader when issues arise whilst those in Year 11 & 12 will contact the Year Group Leader. 
• Lunch and recess will be slightly shortened (recess to 20 minutes and lunch to 40 minutes). 
• The school day will start slightly later and finish slightly later (3:15pm). 

All of these changes will be presented to families in a document over the coming weeks. 

Kind regards

Mr Scott Thomson
Principal

The term continues to move at a rapid pace as we move into Week 4.  I would like to take this opportunity to wish the Year 12 students all the best as they begin the next phase of preparation for their HSC examinations moving into STUVAC.  It has been an extremely tough year for our Year 12 students and we pray for them that this next phase can bring some needed closure on Year 12.  We look forward to celebrating with our students the Graduation Ceremony and the Formal at the conclusion of the HSC Examination period.  Thank you to the parents/caregivers of these students, as each would have ridden the wave that was Year 12 during 2021.

Last term, students in Years 8 and 10 selected their elective subjects/pattern of study for the 2022 school year.  This week we will be releasing for Year 10 students the subjects they have been successful in selecting for next year.  Students will have the opportunity to meet with Mr Hall or myself to alter their pattern of study if required due to how the lines have fallen.  The same process will follow for Year 8 students next week as we finalise our timetable for the 2022 school year.  If you have any questions or your child requires further support in this process, please do not hesitate to make contact for an appointment as we work to have students be successful in their learning moving into next year.

Finally, as students move through their learning for this term, students are encouraged to continue to revise their work and do their best with all learning experiences and assessments as we move towards the end of the school year.  We hope that all families are safe and doing well at this time.

Mr Ryan Campbell
Assistant Principal – Learning and Teaching

Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA) & Responsible Conduct of Gaming (RCG) Training

Year 12 students recently completed RSA & RCG training with the very experienced and entertaining trainer Patty White from Zealifi Pty Ltd.  The students enjoyed the two days of training and learnt a great deal about working in the hospitality, club and bar industries through the many real-life stories that Patty shares to illustrate her training content.

We would like to thank Twin Towns Services Club for generously providing the training venue free of charge when we were unable to hold the training at school due to COVID restrictions.  Over the two days, students were visited by Personal Manager, Annie Walsh who spoke to the students about recruitment procedures and upcoming employment opportunities and the Staff and Customer Care Ambassador, Marty Thompson, who spoke about the protective practices and care for patrons and staff that the club provides to support them and combat problems with alcohol and gambling.

Thanks to the Tweed Liquor Accord who provide funding for the RSA training of Year 12 school leavers.

Ms Frances Stegeman
Leader of Careers/EVET 

Year 12 students with Zealifi trainer, Patty White, and Twin Towns Staff & Customer Care Ambassador, Marty Thompson, at the RCG training day held at Twin Towns Services Club.

Congratulations to Evelyn Elias in Year 7 who won the Education Perfect Science Lismore Diocese Competition during Science Week.  She achieved a staggering 9278 points, easily placing at the top of the competition.  Evelyn has won a $50 voucher which she can use to purchase a range of fun Science related items from the Mad About Science website.  Well done!

Mrs Ana Chevalier
Acting Leader of Learning - Science

Concrete Pour

This year's concrete pour with the Year 12 Construction class was a little different than previous years.  Rather than a delivery of concrete via truck, students used a mixer to mix the blend and laid it in two slightly smaller sites.  With the legendary Mr Hamers helping lead the task, all went smoothly.  The weather tried to dampen the experience with rain, lightning and thunder but once the lightning disappeared nothing could stop the concreting team momentum – that is until they decided it was lunchtime at 2pm.

After lunch and the mandatory clean-up process all was done.  Students headed home and of course the rain fell, affecting the finish on the second pour site due to it still being a little too green.  Another good day concreting had by all.  Seeing Caleb laying cables on the way to work the next morning was good to see also.  Thanks to Mrs Busbridge for taking the pics of the action and Mrs Camp for shopping for our lunch.

Mr Brad Watson
TAS/VET Teacher

Year 9 Marine Studies

Bonjour à tous

Les Directions

This term the Year 8 classes have applied their knowledge of French directions and have interpreted French instructions, navigating themselves through an orienteering course around the school.

Les Loisirs

Students have also collaborated with their peers through grammar and vocab rotations, with small groups completing the following activities: constructing French sentences, recalling French vocab relating to free time and constructing verb conjugation with the use of pronouns.

Merci beaucoup

Mrs Joanne Scotcher
Teacher of French

Last Friday, we celebrated Year 12 study period students’ final library session.  It’s simultaneously poignant and joyous watching this next crop of fine young people poised to take their places in a bigger world beyond school.  It was also disconcerting to realise that their playlist was the music of my adolescence, rendering me unofficially vintage… My own kids have asked me if it really was like that in the eighties – so much brighter, better music, more fun.  I’ve told them my recollection is one of: really bad pastel fashion, floppy fringes that impeded vision, shoulder pads and terrible hair.  But yeah, there were no mobile phones to catch embarrassing moments and the synthesised music was pretty catchy.

So what goes around comes around and, shared music aside, what a privilege it is to accompany younger generations for part of their path.  More than one person has pointed out: it’s not a human race, it’s a journey: one in which we reach out our hands to help others forward, and to be helped along as well.  In my relatively brief time with this cohort of Year 12 students, it has been a privilege to witness so much camaraderie, humour, and a fundamental decency and kindness which makes me hopeful for how our young people might steer the future.

We’ve had another finishing up here too, with our SJC Student2Student mentoring students sharing their final sessions with their buddies yesterday.  We can be justly proud of our students for sticking with a two-term distance, sharing a weekly call in their own time to support their less privileged buddies.  Participating in a school-based program is one thing, but having students ranging from Year 7-11 volunteering on a weekly basis in personal time is impressive and inspiring and my hope is that we can resume with the program next year and have more SJC students come on board!

Ms Melaina Faranda
Acting Teacher-Librarian

Tackling Mosquitoes Together

This is a community-driven pilot program – a collaboration between the seven Northern Rivers councils and the North Coast Public Health Unit – to reduce the risks and nuisance of mosquitoes in homes and local communities in the Northern Rivers.

Did you know that there over 300 species of mosquitoes in Australia?  The Northern Rivers is home to many of these species and while some people may only see them as a nuisance, mosquitoes can spread human disease-causing pathogens including Ross River Virus and Barmah Forrest Virus.  These diseases aren’t fatal but can cause serious illness and have long-term health impacts.

If we all do our bit in our own backyard, together we will protect our community.  So why not join the SMS program for tips and reminders to reduce mosquitoes around your home?  Sign up now at tacklingmosquitoestogether.com.au.

Read the information booklet here: Tackling Mosquitoes Together

Nextwave Film Competition

Announcing a final call for entries for the Nextwave Youth Short Film Competition!

If you’re a young person between the ages of 10-25 living anywhere in Australia, the Nextwave team wants to see what you can do.

Make a film under 5 minutes, include this year’s signature item (a pineapple), and enter your film before the EXTENDED submission deadline of 12 NOVEMBER 2021 for your chance to win some amazing awards and prizes, as well as have your film premiere at the Screenwave International Film Festival on the beautiful Coffs Coast next April!

For full terms and conditions, head to the Nextwave website: http://www.nextwavefilm.com.au