from the principal - De La Salle Catholic College, Cronulla

De La Salle Catholic College
Cronulla
Deo Duce - With God as Leader
coming events
from the principal
Newsletter Term 1 Week 6
Reflection…
11 Mar
Eastern Shire Maths
Day
19 Mar
Southern Sydney
Football Knockout Bosco
Mark 9:2-10 The Transfiguration
The Transfiguration is quite a unique event in the life of Jesus. One
evening Jesus took three disciples up a mountain to pray – probably not
the first time Jesus had done this. They thought they knew what they
were in for – when suddenly they were knocked to the ground by a blinding light. Jesus was transformed, his face and clothes dazzling like the
sun – something of the divinity of Jesus had broken through.
20 Mar
Southern Sydney
Swimming Carnival
23 Mar
to 2 Apr
Yr12 Half Yearly
Exmas
2 Apr
Last day - Term 1
21 Apr
First Day - Term 2
SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT – 1 March
There is a parallel in our own lives. Long humdrum days can be pierced
by a momentary insight of eternity. We realise with a new certainty that
we are loved by God, that we have an eternal destiny, and that life is of
immense value.
This is true for every human being. Hence arises our duty to show respect for others and to support
them in securing the basic needs of life.
What will we do this week of Lent to help others?
What will I encourage, inspire my students to do this week of Lent for others?
St John Baptist De La Salle . . .
Live Jesus in your hearts . .
Up and running!... It has been a somewhat frenetic start to our College year, with staff and
students very busily engaged in various works and projects that are now seen as normal
school life. While we may at times complain about the “things we have to do”, we are also
reminded of the blessing we have to be given the privilege and the opportunities our College
life provides. We are also reminded in the reflection above that we are encouraged to look
beyond our own needs and wants, and to do something for others. This is our strong focus as
a Catholic school community in this season of Lent. Parents, what are you doing to encourage your son/daughter to “do something for others”?
Student progress… My congr atulations ar e extended to our Year 12 students who have
quickly embraced the challenges (and joy?) of there last year of secondary schooling. We
enjoyed a very good parent teacher evening last week, and I am very happy with the large
majority of students who are focused and working well. To those stragglers, rest assured you
have the full support of our wonderful teachers, so make the decision now to get involved in
your work.
Similarly, our Year 11 students are making good progress in adjusting to life in a large
“senior” coeducational school environment. Your son/daughters may have explained to you
that we are taking considerable time to focus on their social behaviour; in the way they conduct themselves in classes and around the College. I believe it is a very significant and vital
part of their education, and that it is our responsibility to ensure all students act in ways that
positively contributes to a safe, caring, and welcoming community. Treating each other with
respect and dignity will be modeled every day.
2 Cross Road
Cronulla NSW 2230
Phone: 8522 1500 Fax: 8522 1555
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from the principal cont.
from the assistant principal
Lasallian Leadership:… I r ecently attended a Confer ence
for Lasallian Leaders. School Principals and Leaders across
various Lasallian works from our “District” - Australia, New
Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and Pakistan attended. It was
quite inspiring to hear about what is happening in these places
to ensure the great ministry of our Founder, St. John Baptist de
La Salle lives on. De La Salle Cronulla is called to play a part
in this and one of the many College opportunities for students
that bring this to life is our Year 11 Lasallian Leadership training. This program provides individual and group leadership
development and I congratulate the 36 Year 11 students who
self-nominated to participate in the program. I also thank our
Lasallian Youth Leader, Ruby Crowe (Year 12 – 2011) and Mr
Chris Pocock, the College Youth Ministry Coordinator, for
leading this program.
Thank you... for all the positive feedback ar ound the Year 12
Parent/Teacher Interview evening. It was great to see so many
parents exchanging information with staff concerning how to
support their sons/daughters through their studies this year and
more immediately what they could do to help them prepare for
the Half Yearly exams which will commence Monday 23rd
March through to Thursday 2nd April.
May I remind all students and Parents that the College prides
itself on providing a safe, friendly and inviting environment for
students and staff to enjoy. To this end we continue to ask for
your support in encouraging your son’s and daughters to follow
our rules and policies around:
Student wellbeing:… I would like to br ing to the attention
of all parents and students that the College has a strong focus
on student wellbeing and in providing a safe and caring community. This is not to be mistaken with eliminating
“challenges”; overcoming hurdles and managing stress are
significant, useful, and necessary skills for our young men and
women. Please take note of the following members of staff
who play key roles in supporting your son/daughter:
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Year 12 Pastoral Coordinators: Peter Geaney and
Danielle Fuller (Assistant)
Year 11 Pastoral Coordinators: Josie Raftery and Paul
Buchanan (Assistant)
Transition Coordinator: Yvette Kennedy
College Counselor: Sarah Clay
Careers Guidance: Cheryl Brown
Please note: our first Parent Forum will be held on Wednesday
18 March, from 6.30 – 7.30 pm. The purpose of this evening
is to provide an opportunity for parents to discuss issues; positive actions, share ideas and/or concerns. The focus for our
discussion will be “Connecting with the school and our
sons/daughters in Senior Study” and is aimed par ticular ly
for new Year 11 parents. The conversation takes place in the
College Library and after a brief presentation for stimulus, we
provide an opportunity for the College Leadership team to listen to what parents have to say.
College security and student safety:… The College has invested heavily in teaching and learning resources in recent
years. As a way of keeping these secure, and also to ensure
safe and appropriate conduct of students who are working in
practical areas with machinery, I have installed a number of
video surveillance systems throughout the College. Please see
the attached link to the policy and procedures: http://
www.dlscronulla.catholic.edu.au/Documents/Document%
20Library/Policies/Video%20Surveillance%20Policy%
20and%20Procedure%202015.pdf
Parents of student participating in these practical
courses will also receive a hard copy by mail.
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Wearing the uniform correctly while travelling to and
from school as well as during the school day. This includes tucking shirts in and wearing belts for the boys and
correct length of skirt and white socks worn by the girls as
well as all adhering to the correct footwear and appropriate jewelry (check school diary if unsure).
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Students are not allowed to be using their mobile phones
during class or they will be confiscated and to encourage
appropriate social behaviour we are extending this to recess and lunch (except where necessary) but more especially not putting ear phones in or texting rather than
speaking with their friends in the playground.
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We are still very concerned about the volume of traffic
with the large number of P platers we now have travelling
to and from schools. Parking around the school is congested and care needs to be taken not to park incorrectly. Students need to be extremely careful particularly driving in
the afternoons with large numbers of students crossing
roads and parents in the local area picking up Primary
school children nearby. Courtesy and driving well within
the speed limit is a must. Please discuss with your son/
daughter having other young people in the car as this is
often an added distraction and pressure to young, inexperienced drivers who are the one responsible if any mishap
occurs.
Staff Professional Development… Staff from our cluster of
schools including De La sale catholic College Cronulla, De La
Salle Catholic College Caringbah and Our Lady of Mercy College Burraneer have been offered the opportunity to work with
Jon Bergmann, one of the leading proponents of "Flipped Learning". Jon will be leading a workshop exclusively for our threeschools our KLA Coordinators, Leaders of Learning, and those
involved in the Teacher Partnerships Project.
This will take place on - Tuesday 10th March from 1.00 - 4.00
pm in our Brother Celestine Gavin Library at De La Salle
Catholic College, Cronulla
For those interested to know more here is a couple of links to
some of Jon Bergmann's and his colleague Aaron Sams' work on
the Flip Classroom:
What is A Flip Classroom
Is the Flip Classroom for everyone?
Phil Gane
Principal
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Michelle Morrison
Assistant Principal
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from curriculum coordinator
from the re coordinator
Congratulations… to the 36 Year 11 students who worked together this week training to be Lasallian Youth Leaders with Mr
Pocock, Ruby Crowe and our ex-student Phebe Dutton. The enthusiasm shared by all was evident and I commend each of the
students for taking this opportunity to contribute to our Lasallian
Community. Next Monday these students will work together facilitating the Year 6 Spirituality Days at De La Salle Caringbah
and De La Salle Cronulla. The students will be officially recognised, receiving a badge at a future College Assembly.
YEAR 12… May I take the oppor tunity to thank par ents
for your attendance at the Year 11 and 12 Information Nights,
and the Year 12 parent/teacher interviews in recent weeks.
Year 12 Half Yearly Examinations commence in Week 9 on
Monday 23rd March and conclude in Week 10 on Thursday
2nd April. Term 1 concludes on Thursday 2nd April. Term 2
begins on Tuesday 21st April. This first week of term is extremely important for Year 12 students as they will be provided with constructive feedback from their examinations as an
essential part of their effective learning. This feedback helps
students understand the course being studied and gives them
clear guidance on how to improve their learning.
In the lead up to the examinations, students need to ensure that
they are well aware of the rules governing examinations as
outlined in the HSC 2015 Assessment Handbook. A full version can be found on the college website. All students have
also been emailed a copy.
If a student is absent during the examination period it is their
responsibility to:
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Congratulations... for Jack Johnson in Year 12 as he is commissioned as a Eucharistic Minister this week, recognizing his
commitment to Our Lady of Fatima parish and our College.
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Phone the College on the day of the task on 8522 1500
and leave a message for the Curriculum Coordinator –
Mr Tony Ginestra (this is essential).
In cases of illness a medical certificate must be submitted with an Assessment Absence form on the day you
return to school. These forms are available from the
College website.
In cases of misadventure, appropriate documentation
must be submitted with an Assessment Absence form
on the day the student returns to school.
FAILURE TO COMPLY WILL RESULT IN A ZERO
FOR THAT TASK.
During this season of Lent our College Community is using the
organization http://www.40acts.org.uk/ and the theme DO
LENT GENEROUSLY: 40 days of giving back, doing good
and living generously. The website is interactive and inspirational,
providing ways we can help others on a number of levels. We
have also launched our Caritas Appeal through Pastoral groups.
Please encourage your sons and daughters to be generous in donating to the less fortunate on a global scale and one another within our community.
On Sunday Father Tom, Parish Priest from St Aloysius announced
that Father Sam Lynch has been appointed administrator of the
Summer Hill Parish. We wish Father Sam well and thank him for
his contribution to our school over the past four years. Father
Andrew Kim has been appointed to St Aloysius and we look forward to meeting and working with him.
Students should already be revising work from Term 4, 2014
as well as consolidating their knowledge and understanding of
the topics currently being studied.
Students should continue to adopt any strategies (for example,
from the study skills day as well as advice from parent/teacher
interviews) that that they feel will assist them in preparation
for their examinations.
YEAR 11… Year 11 subject changes have now been finalised and all students should be well settled and aware of the
expectations and requirements of each of their courses. It is
the responsibility of each student who has changed subjects to
ensure that any work missed is completed.
Year 11 formal assessment tasks are well and truly under way
in most courses. Students need to be aware of the rules and
procedures governing Assessment, as outlined in the Preliminary 2015 Assessment Handbook. A student version of this
handbook was emailed to all Year 11 students earlier this
term. A full version can be found on the college website.
Maree Cullen
RE Coordinator
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from the curriculum coordinator
from the year 11 coordinator
Year 11 formal assessment tasks are well and truly under way in
most courses. Students need to be aware of the rules and procedures governing Assessment, as outlined in the Preliminary 2015
Assessment Handbook. A student version of this handbook was
emailed to all Year 11 students earlier this term. A full version
can be found on the college website.
Our Year 11 students… have settled very nicely into senior
life. As we approach the end of Week 6 we have noticed that our
boys and girls are working collaboratively in their classes and
much peer tutoring is taking place.
Any issues relating to Assessment tasks need to be addressed
with the class teacher and KLA Coordinator in the first instance.
Good luck to Year 11 Construction and Hospitality students who
will undertake their first work placement in Week 8 from Monday 16th March to Friday 20th March or Week 9 from Monday
23rd to Friday 27th March. Work Placement is a compulsory
component of all VET courses. Absence from work placement
will require students to provide the college with documentation
to explain their absence. Alternative arrangements may be required to make up the hours lost due to absence. This may involve making up time in the in the school holidays. It is the responsibility of each student on work placement to ensure that
any school work missed is completed.
Tony Ginestra
Curriculum Coordinator
from the year 12 coordinator
The recent Parent / Student/ Teacher evening… was a huge
success judging by the numbers in attendance. I am sure the
feedback you received from our experienced staff will put them
in good stead for the remainder of the year. Balance is the key
for those struggling to deal with a part-time job, sport and studies. We strongly suggest study should be about 3 hours each
night. A study timetable is essential at this time of year with the
Half-Yearly Exams only weeks away. Remember, I a'm more
than happy to assist in creating a workable timetable.
Teachers are also commenting on the energy in their classes and
are impressed by the positive contributions made by their students.
Our physical environment is certainly very beautiful and there
has been a marked improvement in the cleanliness of the playground.
There are still a few uniform issues that need to be addressed.
Some boys are still arriving to school without a belt. Boys also
need to ensure that their shirts are tucked in. With regard to girls,
we need to remind them that only one earring per ear is to be
worn. Skirts need to be of knee length.
Students will need to familiarise themselves with their individual
assessment schedules as a number of Assessment Task Notifications across a number of KLAs have already been given out.
Should parents have any questions or concerns at any time please
don't hesitate to contact us.
Josie Raftery
Year 11 Co-ordinator
and
Paul Buchanan
Assistant Year 11 Co-ordinator
The Half-Yearly Exams will start on March 23rd which is in
Week 9. The exam timetable will be released very shortly so
please read this carefully as miss-reading the exam is no excuse. If your son /daughter misses an exam due to illness, you
must ring the College and also get a doctor's certificate.
On February 11th, school leaders from Our Lady of Mercy
College and De La Salle Caringbah met our College Leaders
and we organised a series of activities for them. I would like to
thank Mrs Fuller for her creativity and enthusiasm to keep all
the leaders entertained for the afternoon. I was very proud of
the maturity of our students and the younger leaders certainly
looked up to them.
Do not hesitate to call if you need to discuss any of the above.
Peter Geaney
Year 12 Co-ordinator
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from the capa department
from the tas/vet department
Art Express Success… Two Students in Prestigious
Exhibition
Year 12 Food Technology… enhanced their classroom learning
with an authentic experience at Brasserie Bread on Tuesday the
17th February 2015.
De La Salle Cronulla is well represented in this year’s
exhibition of excellence for N.S.W. art students.
Photographer, Zoe Izzard and painter, Heloise Hurst are
on display at the Hazelhurst Gallery alongside the rest of
the best from the 2014 H.S.C. exam.
Both girls are graduates of Our Lady of Mercy and the
artistic formation for their achievement was established
in the art department of the College..
The students gained valuable insight for the unit they are currently studying, Food Manufacture. They were hands on in creating a
bread plait and then used an authentic sourdough as the base for
individual pizzas, which they were then able to take home.
After a tour of the bakery facilities students were able to ask
questions of the bakers to assist in completing their assessment
task, including production methods, raw materials and HACCP
ecifications.
Zoe has produced a series
of photographs
of her sister
posed in a variety of landscapes from the
local area.
“I wanted to
show the similarities between the shapes and textures of the human
body and those of the natural world,” she said. “I am a
acrobatic gymnast, so I spend a lot of time looking at the
human body in motion and adopting different positions.
My work explores the different emotions produced when
the body twists like a tree or curls up in a rock hollow.”
Heloise painted a double portrait representing Ruben and Corrado, two gardeners
who work keeping
Wendy Whiteley’s Secret Garden at Lavender Bay in good order.
“When I met the
“secret gardeners” I
was struck by how
down to earth they
were,” she said. “ They
supply the muscle that
makes Wendy Whiteley’s vision a reality.
By painting the garden,
which is on government land which may be sold off for development, I
hoped to highlight the fragility of the environment.”
Specialisation Hospitality… After an outstanding morning tea
for our 2015 opening mass catered for by the Year 12 specialisation hospitality class they have embarked on a journey to learn
the art of desserts.
Their first creation was a challenge. Over two lessons students
individually created a croquembouche. Congratulations to the
students in this class for their continued application to the art of
commercial cookery.
Michelle Chidzey
Teacher
Our student works are on exhibition at Hazelhurst Gallery Gymea until the 22 of March.
Byron Husrst
Capa Coordinator
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from the pdhpe department
Congratulations....
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To James Arnold who has been selected in the
CCC Cricket team who will play in Tamworth
from the 9th -13th of March
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To Shannon Keevers who has been selected in the
CCC Softball team who will attend the PSG selection trials on March 10 in Blacktown
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To Nic Hamilton, Bailey Pengilly, Luke Chivers,
Matt Powers, Kyle Flanagan and Nathan Anthony
who have been selected in the SSCCC East team
who will play the SSCCC West team on Wed 4th
March.
Teams Tennis…
For the first time in many years DLS was able to field a
girls Tennis team. Shannon Keevers, Charlotte Startari,
Shannon Hathier and Lily Drury formed a great team,
who with limited experience played well against Bosco.
The girls drew 4 games all, but lost on a countback of
games. The games were enjoyed by all, and I would like
to thank the girls for their participation.
The boys tennis team, comprising of Jeremy Hall, Brad
Slee, James and Kai (DLS Caringbah) had success in
their first round defeating Bosco 6 games to nil. They
now advance to the second round where they will meet
Aquinas. We wish the boys luck.
Upcoming Closing Dates…
A reminder that all individual sport entries are to be completed via online registrations. Entries must be made by
the closing date and please remember to change your
school on the online login to DLS Cronulla.
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CCC Hockey 12th March
CCC AFL Boys 20th April
CCC AFL Girls 23rd April
CCC Volleyball 24th April
CCC Netball 29th May
CCC Rugby 7th May
from the transition/vet coordinator
TRANSITION AND VOCATIONAL EDUCATION
As the newly appointed Transition and VET Coordinator
at our College, I have had a busy start to this term with
all of our students. One area that we are expanding upon
is in School Based Apprentices and Trainees (SBAT’s).
SBAT’s are students who are on a dual program of study
that involves starting an apprenticeship or traineeship
with industry, whilst completing a HSC. This is combined with formal training at TAFE or school to achieve
a Certificate II or Certificate III AQF Qualification. Our
students enrolled in this program are working towards a
qualification in Automotive, Beauty, Construction, Property Services and Hospitality. Together with the students,
we are developing good relationships with industry and
the students are gaining valuable qualifications.
I would like to mention the following industries who are
currently supporting this program:
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ABODE Property, Caringbah
EIR Building & Maintenance
Leo Royan Automotive
Tamarind Spa & Beauty, Cronulla
Rydges, Cronulla
Peppertree Café, Gymea
Zim Zala Café
Last week, some of our Year 12 students completed their
final work placements in Business Services, Hospitality
and Construction. It was encouraging to visit these students and see their skills being applied in the workplace.
Well done to all of you. We look forward to Year 11
VET students completing their work placements in
weeks 8 & 9.
The website is www.csss.nsw.edu.au
The SSCCC soccer trials will form part of the gala day
on Thursday the 19th March at Woronora Fields
The SSCCC swimming carnival will be held on the Friday the 20th March at Caringbah pool.
Sarah Fox
PDHPE Coordinator
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Yvette Kennedy
Transition/VET Coordinator
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from the careers advisor
Welcome to new Yr. 11 students… just to let you
know our Careers Room is located in the Library. There
are two Noticeboards and also a variety of Course
Guides and various hard copy information for you to
browse, e.g., about TAFE, Apprenticeships, new courses
updates etc. I am available to discuss possible study/
career pathways with both students and also parents if
they wish, most days.
Reminder to all Yr. 12 students, the availability of
Course Guides, etc., on the racks outside the Careers
Room in the Library for you to look at. Updated as they
arrive, these will give interested students a good idea of
the variety of courses and the sort of expectations and
options available and or, required so that you can begin
your own post HSC Course/Career research. It’s never to
early to begin, there are lots of very good options out
there, start looking now, this is the time to begin your
enquiries. Working out a possible post HSC pathway
now can give ‘purpose’ to your 2015 studies and the effort they will require -- it all makes sense if you have a
goal to aim for. Careers Interviews are underway for
students, Yr.12 in particular. See me in the Library to
make an appointment time to discuss possible Study and
Career pathways for you.
ACAP (Austr alian College of Applied Psychology) - Information Evening 18/3/15 6pm www.acap.edu.au/futurestudents/info-sessions/.
Sydney Design School (a pr ivate college) Infor mation Session, 26/3/15 6pm. St. Leonards
www.sydneydesignschool.com.au
‘Meet the Business Leader’ - 20/5/15 hosted annually by
Chartered Accountants Australia an opportunity for interested
students to connect with both Universities and many top employers. More info email
[email protected]
New resources about SURVEYING Careers available at
www.alifewithoutlimits.com.au interested students can also
register their interest in in work exp. in Land Surveying.
‘Get Ready for Study and Work: Workbook for students
with disability’ - a free new resource containing info.to help
students with disability make a successful transition from
school into tertiary study, work or post school programs.
www.uws.edu.au/ndco/getreadytotips .
Cheryl Brown
Careers Advisor
Important Changes to Tax File Number Application
process:… From January 2015, the pr evious ATO
School’s Program ceased and application for a TFN will
no longer be available through the School.
Students will now need to apply online through the ATO
(follow instructions at the ATO website to the correct
Form), then have a follow-up interview at a participating Post Office branch.
NEWS JUST TO HAND
ACU - New 2016 Cour se Guide has just ar r ived. I
have one hard copy to hand so far, but this information
will all be on the ACU website too.
WEP Student Exchange - 2015 Information Session
17/3/15 - www.wep.org.au
(a not-for-profit student exch. organisation registered
with Department of Education.)
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Dear Parents/Carers
Demand for places in our Catholic schools has never been greater, and it is not hard to see why.
Our schools continue to provide outstanding opportunities for students in an environment where the gospel
values are lived out each day.
In order to meet this demand, the Catholic Education Office Sydney is growing existing schools and planning
new ones; however, if it is going to be able to meet demand, more schools will need to be built in the years
ahead, particularly in the inner-west and south-west regions of Sydney.
To do this, we need the help of the State Government.
With the NSW state election just around the corner, please keep in mind this critical issue. We are seeking a
clear statement from all political parties about what support they are prepared to provide to help meet the capital
cost of building new schools.
I will provide more information about this issue in the coming weeks.
Dr Dan White
Executive Director of Catholic Schools
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