ST. JOSEPH’S REGIONAL COLLEGE 14th September 2012
“The Truth will set you free”
What’s on Week 10 Term 3 2012
P.O. Box 231 College Drive PORT MACQUARIE 2444 Ph: 02 5525 4100 Fax: 02 5525 4199 www.sapss.nsw.edu.au
SUNDAY 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time Mass Times: St. Agnes’ Port Macquarie Our Lady of Lourdes Wauchope Saturday Vigil – 6.00pm Saturday Vigil – 6.00pm Sunday – 7.30am, 9.00am & 6.00pm Sunday 7.30am Telegraph Point – Thursday Night 6.00pm Beechwood – 9.00am 1st & 3rd Laurieton – Saturday Vigil 5.30pm, Sunday – 7.30am Kendall – 9.00am Mass (1st Saturday month 10.00am Mass Comboyne) Long Flat – 9.00am 2nd & 4th Sunday MONDAY, 17th September (Day 6)
- Year 8 Camp South West Rocks Staff Briefing 8.30am Leadership Team Meeting Period 1 Year 12 PC Lunch SAPSS Jazz band in Performing Arts Centre from 4.00pm – 6.00pm SAPSS Advisory Board Meeting 5.30pm
TUESDAY. 18th September (Day 7)
- Year 8 Camp South West Rocks Sport day for Year 7-10 Volleyball in Hall 7.30am Year 12 Mass & Prizegiving practice SAPSS Leadership Team Meeting period 4 Homework Hub for Seniors till 5.00pm SAPSS Concert Band 4.00pm – 5.00pm
WEDNESDAY. 19th September (Day 8)
- Year 8 Camp South West Rocks Junior Percussion Ensemble 8.00am – 8.45am in PAC College Assembly Senior Percussion Ensemble 1.05pm – 1.45pm in C1 Admin Team Meeting period 6 Dramarama in PAC 3.30pm Year 12 Graduation Mass St Agnes Church 6.30pm
THURSDAY, 20th September (Day 9)
- Seniors Meeting in morning PC Year 12 Graduation and Major Award presentation 9.30am Year 12 Parent and PC morning tea Homework Hub for Seniors till 5.00pm
FRIDAY, 21st September (Day 10)
- Year 9 Volleyball in Hall 7.30am Concert Band in PAC 7.45am – 8.45am Year 7-10 Meetings in morning PC Pastoral Team Meeting period 4 Whole school clean up 3.00pm Boys Volleyball training after school in hall
DATES TO REMEMBER: Monday 8th October Tuesday 9th October Monday 15th October Saturday 17th November
First day Term 4 for Staff First day Term 4 for Students HSC commences Year 12 Graduation Dinner
COORDINATING PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE FUNDING CRISIS Thanks to the efforts of our leaders and backbenchers in the NSW parliament, a proposal by the NSW government to cut $66.7 million per year from recurrent grants to non-government schools, has been reversed. The new proposal is “State Government funding to non-government schools will be capped for four years at the level provided in 2012/13”. In addition, TAFE fess will rise by 9.5 per cent. This will effect senior students who do a TAFE course as part of their HSC program of study. Further money will be saved by reducing support staff in State and Regional offices for our colleagues in the State system. There is a lot of misinformation in the media about the funding of non-government schools. The reality is that every student who enrols in a non-government school saves our State governments money. According to figures quoted by the Weekend Australian journalist, Kevin Donnelly, “on average and under the current funding model, students in government schools receive $14,380 from State and Federal governments, while non-government school students receive only $7,430. The Gonski report into school funding recommended that governments commit an extra $6.5 billion for educating children in government and non-government schools. It is hard to justify cuts in any government’s budget in the light of the Gonski recommendations. Over the years we have fought hard for the right of parents who choose to send a child to a nongovernment school to have a fair share of tax-payer’s dollars. A fair and just funding model is essential for us to continue to deliver a high quality education at an affordable cost. Mr Jim O’Brien Coordinating Principal
PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE YEAR 12 2012 - the journey is drawing to a close! Next week will see our second group of Year 12 students complete their formal secondary education at St Joseph's Regional College. This time will definitely bring mixed emotions for students, staff and their parents. Together we have all looked forward to this time, planned, collaborated and worked hard to ensure every opportunity possible was available to these beautiful young men and women. The majority of these students have been a part of our College for six years and we will cherish many special memories of them forever. I sincerely wish each and every one of them the best as they finish their preparations for their HSC exams. The HSC is a long and difficult road and the journey is rigorous. My hope is that each student is happy with their personal efforts and that they continue to try their very best. Remember it is only for five or six more weeks! Our school prayer tries to capture all that we stand for at St Joseph's Regional College. It speaks of respect, justice, faith, striving for excellence and preparing for the challenges of creating a better tomorrow. It is my opinion that our Year 12 have been great role models and are most certainly men and women we will all be proud of as they have lived these values. Year 12, as you leave St Joseph’s Regional College I hope you take with you all the values which have been taught to you by your parents and the wonderful staff at the College. You have been blessed with all the fruits of the Holy Spirit, kindness, compassion, gentleness and understanding as you have journeyed through the last 6 years. You have blessed each other with the gifts of friendliness and love. Take care.
Bless Year 12 on their Journey God of the journey, as Year 12 set off on their way, Bless them with courage when they do not know what lies ahead; Bless them with good companions when the way becomes lonely; Bless them with keen hearing to hear the stories of fellow travellers; Bless them with humour to lighten the difficult moments; Bless them with humility to learn from those around them ; Bless them with lazy times, to stretch and rest and savour; Bless them with love, given and received; and bless them with your presence. Bless them, lead them, love them, bring them home bearing the gospel of life. Bless each of them on their journey and let your steadfast love shine upon them each day. May all they do and say praise you, so that others know them as your friends, brothers and sisters of your Son, Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen PREPARING FOR EXAMS Exam preparation really begins the day your course begins because your success will depend on your day to day study habits as much as it will depend on the more concentrated periods of study in the weeks leading up to the exam. If you have well-organised and complete notes, and you have regularly revised your work at the end of each topic or section, you are already on the way to success. You will be well prepared to study efficiently and effectively in the weeks before the exam. 1. Organise your time You need to find at least one extra hour a day for each subject. Plan to do no more than six hours of study on one day. Do not plan to study any subject for more than one hour without a break. 2. Organise your space (physical and mental) Tidy your desk so that you can work comfortably. Try to eliminate distractions. Brace yourself for the task ahead and be confident about achieving your goal. Preparing for exams means working longer hours, but for a relatively short period of time. 3. Organise your material Make sure that you have all the relevant material for each topic you must study. 4. Do some research. Find out as much as you can about the exam. Past HSC exam papers can be found on the Board of Studies website. Try to copy at least 3 past papers for each subject. Study the instructions and take note of the types of questions and the topics covered.
5. Make a study plan. Decide how much time you need to spend on each subject. Some subjects will require more work than others because of the level of difficulty, the quantity of the material or the nature of the content. Think about the best time of day for focussing on a particular subject. Early morning is often recommended for subjects or topics which require a lot of memorisation. Study timetables and exam planners are available from the study centre and the website. 6. Revise The sort of revision you do will be determined by the subject you are studying, but it should always involve more than simply reading your text book or your notes. Try to vary how you revise. You could record information and then listen to it while you are out walking. You could use wall posters, cards, mindmaps, mnemonics and other memory aids, or repeat information aloud. Information on using graphic organisers such as mindmaps and Venn diagrams are available from the study centre. Always bring your revision back to writing, as this is what you will be required to do in the exam. 7. Test yourself. Once you feel you have mastered a topic, practise on the past exam papers. This will help to reinforce what you know. It will also help to identify any gaps or weaknesses. If you cannot get your answers checked, or check them yourself, you might find it useful to form a small study group. Answers can be compared and discussed, usually to everyone's benefit. 8. Make your final preparations. Make sure that you know the time and place of the exam. 9. The night before The night before your exam, look over your notes and review what you have done. If you have studied efficiently you have every right to be confident. Make sure you have all the necessary equipment. Try to get a good night's sleep, and give yourself enough time to get to the exam without rushing. IMPORTANT DATES FOR YEAR 12 Graduation Mass at St Agnes’ Parish Church at 6.30pm students to assemble at 6.00pm Wednesday 19th September. Major Prize giving and final Year 12 assembly at 9.30am in the College Hall – morning tea to follow in the College library Thursday 20th September. Students are to be in full school winter uniform for these functions. The Parish Mass at 6.00pm Sunday 14th October will be offered for all students doing their HSC and we encourage families to attend. HSC Examinations commence Monday 15th October. Finally the Graduation dinner at Panthers at 6.00pm on Saturday 17th November.
HSC MUSIC MARKING On Wednesday of this week our Year 12 Music students had their HSC Performances marked by Board of Studies markers. Due to the fact that they have been practising with their teachers so regularly our students performed professionally and did their very best on the day. The previous Wednesday night many of our Year 12 Music students, along with MacKillop students, performed some of their HSC pieces at the Westport Club, as well as performances from the concert and Jazz Bands. It was a fantastic night of entertainment and really highlighted the amazing talent within this group of students. I sincerely congratulate Mrs Leanne Johnson, the Music teacher and Sharon Green our Band Coordinator for all the hours they give to our students in order for their talent to be developed so beautifully. YEAR 11 EXAMS Year 11 students are in the middle of their exams that mark the end of their Preliminary courses. I wish them all the best for these exams. Students have been asked to apply for HSC Extension subjects which commence next term, and many are also making decisions about their pattern of study for the HSC courses. Students are reminded that Board of Studies requirements are that students complete at least 10 HSC units of study. I would also remind students that they are not obliged to discontinue a subject, this is a personal choice, and this decision can be made at any time. If students are undecided about their pattern of study, it is perfectly acceptable to carry 12 or 13 units into Term 4 and make a decision later about whether or not to discontinue a subject. Students should be fully aware of their exam timetable, and all regulations governing the conduct of exams (and assessment tasks), so that any situation resulting in the loss of marks can be avoided. 2013 COLLEGE CAPTAINS At last week’s assembly our College community listened very attentively to 8 wonderful speeches presented by the candidates for College Captain in 2013. These 8 students – Eamon Shannon, James Dick, Sharika Branch, Liam Wright, Ashleigh Hales, Andrew Newbound, Maggie Miller and Samantha Bayly are all more than capable of fulfilling the role of College Captain. Our problem is who to vote for – a tough decision! I congratulate all students on their speech and sincerely thank them for being prepared to put their hand up to be elected knowing that only two will be successful – a mature concept. The Captains will be announced at our Year 12 Major Prizegiving. THE WALKATHON DAY Tomorrow is a very special day for both St Joseph’s Regional College and St Paul’s High School. It is an important event where we get together to raise funds for our school and enjoy a social gathering. It is an opportunity for students to catch up with their friends and spend some time mixing with teachers outside of the classroom environment. Students have been seeking sponsorship for some time and we look forward to a successful result. Our students will be surveyed to gather some ideas on the most beneficial ways to utilise the funds once they have been collected this year. Some students in the past have taken the opportunity of days such as the Walkathon, to give themselves some time off. This is not acceptable and is very disappointing as it is a compulsory school day. St Joseph’s Regional College is a very special community and days, such as tomorrow, provide us with the opportunity to build community spirit. We encourage you to support us in this endeavour. Please take note of the details about the Walkathon which are included in this newsletter
“May the Spirit Spirit of the Lord be with you” Mrs Anne O’Brien Principal
ASSESSMENT TASKS WEEK 10 TERM 3 Year
Tasks this week. IC = in class task; HI = Hand in task
7
Art (HI)
8
Music (IC), Tech Skills (HI), Enterprise (HI), Textiles (HI)
9
Art (HI), Commerce (HI)
10
Nil
11
Preliminary Exams
WEEK 1 TERM 4 Year 7 – 10
Tasks this week. IC = in class task; HI = Hand in task Year 8 Drama (IC)
JOPRIM NEWS Please note that JOPRIM will be CLOSED on Friday 14th September and Saturday morning 15th September 2012 as Lorraine is taking leave.
FROM THE MATHS’ VAULT The following number is the only one of its kind. Can you figure out what is so special about it? 8 549 176 320 Answer for last week Mrs Jones 1 in 3 Apology – the answer put in last week should have been: Length 6 units, breadth 3 units
UNIFORM DONATIONS With Year 12 students leaving after their HSC exams we would like to ask families of Senior students to donate any unwanted uniform items. All donations are greatly appreciated.
PORT MACQUARIE DANCE EISTEDDFOD Good luck to all the girls that are competing in the Port Macquarie Dance Eisteddfod on Thursday 21st September.
NUMERACY AND LITERACY WEEK During this week Mrs Freeman’s and Mr McLachlan’s Year 7 Maths classes came together with a book they were willing to swap for a gold coin. Before this activity went underway the students had to complete a worksheet relating to the books brought in. The money went to the Aboriginal Literacy fund. Well done Year 7.
FROM THE RELIGIOUS EDUCATION COORDINATOR LOVE IN A SHOE BOX Thank you to all the staff, students and families who have contributed to the Love in a Shoe Box program. These boxes will now be passed on to the organisers who will distribute them in Vietnam, Cambodia, New Guinea, Samoa and Fiji. It’s a fabulous program and so many students were excited to contribute. Thank you. YEAR 8 RELIGIOUS EDUCATION TEST 2012 Students in Year 8 across the diocese will be completing a Religious Education Test on Wednesday October 10th. This test consists of 50 multiple choice questions from the Year 7/8 syllabus. They have had some practice in RE classes so that they are familiar with the format. The results are returned to the school and passed onto the students late in November. These results are not a part of the school assessment nor do these grades appear on the final reports
LIBRARY NEWS PARENT LIBRARY Our College Library houses numerous titles which have been purchased or donated for use by parents. The Diocese of Lismore Catholic Schools Parent Assembly has kindly donated many of these, and this week, we present a review of one of them. Please contact Library staff if you would like to borrow this, or indeed any of the forthcoming reviewed titles. “The Butterfly effect” by Dannielle Miller is subtitled “a positive new approach to raising happy, confident teen girls”. Miller is a CEO of Enlighten Education, and uses past experience to offer a practical guide to navigating through the years with your daughter discussing issues as varied as body image, friendships, media, self-esteem, binge-drinking and self-harm. Contact Library staff to arrange to borrow this item. BOOK RETURN As Year 11 sit their Preliminary course examinations, and Year 12 students prepare for their HSC examinations, they have been reminded about their obligations with regard to text-book return. Specifically, each senior student has been issued with a list of their current loans. Year 11 students have been advised which of their textbooks need to be returned, and which can be retained into 2013. They have also been advised that failure to return items will result in being billed for the replacement cost by end of Week 4, term 4. Year 12 students need to have returned all their items by the date of their last exam. They will be billed at the end of the HSC exam period for any unreturned items. BUSY TIMES The Library is a busy and productive place. In period 1 last Friday there were three classes in the Library engaged in reading and research. Here are some pictures from that day.
Stay up to date with what’s happening….“Like” us at St Joseph’s Regional College Library, on FaceBook. Or Follow us on Twitter – @sjrcexchange
Karen Bale Teacher Librarian
CANTEEN ROSTER Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
Anne Stephens Viccy Tickle Julie Lahey Help Please Michelle Cramp
We CAN Creative Arts News DONATIONS The Art department would greatly appreciate donations of old clean towels, magazines, newspapers and old bed sheets for student projects. CONGRATULATIONS A big congratulations to our Year 12 Music students on their HSC performances on Wednesday – Well done to: Chanel Bishop , Lisa Brown, Melody Bader, Jon O'Brien, Jordan Crozier, Tyler Castles, Zachary Murphy, Trent Ford, Daniel Waldow. ABSENCE NOTES Below you will find a proforma for a student Absence Note. This is the preferred method for parents to notify the College of their child’s absences. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------PARENTS / GUARDIANS EXPLANATION FOR PUPIL’S ABSENCE PUPIL’S NAME _______________________________________Year__________ PC ________ DATE(S) OF ABSENCE _________________________________________________________ REASON FOR ABSENCE ________________________________________________________ PARENT / GUARDIAN SIGNATURE ________________________________ DATE _________ *Failure to have an absence explained within 7 days of returning to school MUST, BY LAW, be recorded and reported as UNEXPLAINED ABSENCE.
Tickets available from the College office: $5 single or $10 family
CAREERS ALERT All Year 11 and 12 parents are encouraged to ensure that they have subscribed to their free service as all careers information is distributed this way. Follow the link below and follow the prompts to sign up. www.pmreglism.catholic.edu.au/careers/careers-email-alert MOODLE – CAREERS Always updated with important documents for work experience and university information. Parents can access this information via your child’s login. YEAR 8, 9 and 10 – TAX FILE NUMBERS Tax file number forms are processed by Mrs Tinsey every Friday. New forms are now available from the office. UPCOMING EVENTS 21st September ACU and UTS Early Entry Schemes due. st 21 September Notes for Southern Cross University Senior Schools Day due On-time applications to UAC & VTAC close 28th September th 30 September On-time applications to QTAC close 23rd October Senior Schools Day at Southern Cross University UNI CONNECT A forum to connect regional secondary students with university students across Australia. How to find us: Search Facebook Pages for Uni Connect and ‘like’ the page to start asking questions. How to use the page: • If you have a broad question write it directly onto the wall and someone will get back to you •
If you have a specific question about a university or degree go to the not titled “Meet the Uni Connect Team’ which is pinned to the top of the wall and search for someone currently studying at the university or doing the degree you are interested in, then write the question on the wall starting off with the name of the Uni Connect Team Member you are addressing the question to.
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Keep an eye on the notes section for university tips, interview tips, application tips, FAQ and more.
CAREER TOOLS We are trialling a new Careers communication system called Career Tools. We have sent out some group emails recently and ask that you are patient as we learn to operate this new system. Please open any links contained in the emails in Adobe Reader. Any feedback would be appreciated. If you have a child in Year 10 or 12 and you didn’t receive a careers email please contact Michelle in the office to update your details. SOUTHERN CROSS UNIVERSITY SENIOR SCHOOL’S DAY On October 23rd, Year 11 students will have the opportunity to attend Senior School’s Day at Southern Cross University (Coffs Harbour Campus). This is a day where students can access a lot of information regarding transitioning from school to University, costs, living away from home, along with course specific information. Year 11 have been briefed about this day and we ask that all permission notes be returned by Friday 21st September. The cost of the day is $25.00.
COMMUNITY NOTICES SWIMMING REGISTRATION DATES TSA Swimming Club are holding registration days for the 2012 – 2013 Swimming Season at The Swimming Academy Swim Centre, 3 Jindalee Road, Port Macquarie from 10.00am – 12.00pm on Saturday 15th September and again on 6th and 13th October 2012. All children aged 5 years and up are welcome to join us this season to have fun while learning new skills, maintaining a healthy lifestyle and making great new friends. For more information, contact the Pool on 6581 0422 or visit us in person at the pool. Club representatives are there most afternoons from 4.00pm. WHO WANTS TO BE OUR NEXT OLYMPIAN? Port Macquarie Swimming Club commences Wednesday 19th September at 6.00 pm At the Town PoolSwimmers of all ages and levels welcome to come and try Further details contact Nikki Dures 0439 807 799 or Warren Phillips 0414 781 565 OLYPMIAN PARADE A street parade for our returning London Olympians has been confirmed for Saturday, 15 September in the Port Macquarie CBD. Port Macquarie swim star and silver and bronze medallist James Magnussen and Paralympians Ryley Batt and Janel Manns have all been confirmed to attend the festivities that will celebrate our local athletes and their achievements on the world stage. Locals are encouraged to don the green and gold and line the streets for the parade which is likely to begin around noon. Starting from the corner of William and Horton Streets the athletes will make their way down to Town Green in a cavalcade of cars, supported by local community bands and sporting groups. Further information about the event will be available on Council’s website next week with updates also provided on Council’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/2444. To view the NBN news article please click on the link below. http://www.nbnnews.com.au/index.php/2012/09/10/street-parade-for-local-heroes/ Anyone who has not yet seen the tribute that the real Men Project prepared for our local Olympians may view it on youtube by searching real men project "You are strong We are proud" or following the link : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqoTY5oIdt8 It has been viewed over 1500 times over the Olympic season FOSTER CARE ASSOCIATION NSW The Foster Care Association of NSW welcomes and supports a culturally diverse community of foster carers who come from all different backgrounds and offer a wealth of experience. What unites us, is the common goal we have in raising this next generation to reach their full potential. How to join: Go to our membership application link on our website www.fcansw.org.au or to be posted a membership form contact us on 4987 1847 or email admin@fcansw.org.au
SPORT
TO KEEP UP TO DATE WITH THE LATEST SPORT INFORMATION FROM THE REGIONAL VISIT http://www.pmreglism.catholic.edu.au/sport/sport
REGIONAL COLLEGE SPORTS WRAP
Congratulations to our winning PC Touch Football teams Oxley 5 & Innes 9 Well done!
I9 Mr Plunkett
O5 Mr Morson