Now 9th Feb 2015 - Aquinas Catholic College

AQUINAS CATHOLIC COLLEGE MENAI
9th February, 2015
Vol.23.No.2
FROM THE PRINCIPAL
Last Thursday saw the Aquinas Community gather for our touchstone event of the year; our Opening College
Mass. Mr Craig Kelly, Federal Member for Hughes, Mr Michael Blowes Southern Region Secondary
Consultant, Mrs Julia Zuza of the Parents’ Representative Group, many parents and parishioners were able to
join us in a beautiful liturgy that sets our course for the 2015 academic year. I would like to acknowledge the
terrific work of a number of staff in preparing students and organisational matters that allowed for such a
meaningful liturgical celebration. Thanks to; Mrs Monk our Assistant Religious Education Coordinator,
Mr Smith for his technical work, Mrs Bosi, Mr Broady for their ministry in Music, the Support Staff for the myriad
of details they look after so capably for us, Fr Phil Zadro our Parish Priest for his leadership of our mass and
ongoing support and lastly, and by no means leastly, Mr O’Connor, our Religious Education Coordinator, for
bringing all of these elements together in such a thoughtful way.
A key element of our liturgy sees our Year 11 & 12 Student Leaders commissioned along with new staff and
the candle for our seventh stream class in Year Eight, 8 Yellow. Congratulations to those student leaders who
as part of their commissioning undertook to lead with empathy and with a sense of wholeness, hope, justice
and revelation. We look forward to the gifts this group of senior students will bring to the College throughout
2015.
College Captains
Adrienne Bogard
Joshua Bradstock
College Vice Captains
James Carroll
Isabella Krstanovski
La Salle House Captains
Michael Bonnici
Sophie Maxwell
MacKillop House Captains
Mia Pimentel
Zachary Ramsay
Nagle House Captains
Nathan Roumanos
Claire Serwa
Rice House Captains
Nicholas Dillon
Louise Spratt
Cassandra Bruce
Michael O’Brien
Year 11 Leaders
Nathan Costa
Dylan Foskett
Miah-Rose Lake
Stephanie Sargeant
Jenna Lennon
Joshua Swan
At the mass we were also able to explore our theme for 2015,
“Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God.” (Matt 5:8)
Anzac Road Menai NSW 2234
[email protected]
Phone 9543 0188 Facsimile 9541 0398
www.aquinasmenai.catholic.edu.au
‘Enlivened by the Spirit’
I mentioned to students that this purity in heart was a deeply internal connection with their soul, their very
essence. It is practically the way, in which we are all, gifted by God, the capacity to be the unique individuals
that we are and yet to be. It is also our responsibility to be blameless in who we are; Being who WE can be. It
is not just a term for saints like St Agatha [who’s Feast Day it was on February 5] or the newly announced
martyr, Archbishop Oscar Romero, it is in fact a purity for all of us.
It is the hope of the entire staff here @ Aquinas that all of our students will, throughout 2015, make inroads in
their journey to achieving all that they can in this year; educationally and as young people approaching
adulthood. This will not be a smooth course … but these challenges and dealing with them will develop
resilience that is key in becoming a more mature person.
“Justice is a certain rectitude of mind
whereby a person does what they ought
to do in the circumstances confronting
them.”
Thomas Aquinas’ view on this was a challenge I set the student body for 2015 in a simple way, “Do what you
ought.” The staff @ Aquinas are looking forward to witnessing the way in which the young people of this
College wrestle with this challenge throughout the course of the year.
More practically, the CEO, Sydney has a number of policies and practices in place to meet many of the realities
of the operational requirements of running of a school. One such procedure is the ‘Delegated Responsibility for
Senior School Leaders’ to act in the absence of both Mr Nastasi and myself. This would only happen in unique
circumstances where on a day the Principal and Assistant Principal were not at the College Campus. I am
pleased to again announce that after consultation with Fr Phil Zadro, Parish Priest, and the CEO Regional
Office that Mr Hulme, our eLe@rning Coordinator has been given this delegated responsibility. We are indeed
lucky to have a senior staff member who has the requisite experience as ‘Acting Assistant Principal’ on the staff
here at Aquinas.
I would also like to draw parents’ attention to the existence of the Council Of Catholic School Parents NSW /
ACT, a peak body that represents parents in all Catholic Schools in our state.
The link to their website is:
http://www.ccsp.catholic.edu.au/dbpage.php?pg=home&_navlink=1
and to their latest newsletter & bulletins is:
http://www.ccsp.catholic.edu.au/newsletters
I would encourage parents to stay informed of matters across the sector by periodically utilising the resources
of the council.
James Corcoran
Principal
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Assistant Principal
Reminder- Staff Development/Pupil Free day Tuesday 10th February
Just a reminder that Tuesday 10th February 2015 (Week 3, Term 1) is a Staff Development /Pupil free day, where our staff will
be undertaking some training in the area of Gifted Education.
Key Dates
Week 3 (A) Term 1
Monday 9th February

Year 7 Peer Support program Period 3
Tuesday 10th February

Staff Development Day/Pupil Free
Wednesday 11 February


Year 7 Parish Mass at 8.20am
Aquinas Assembly at 11.00am in the JPII hall
Thursday 12th February

Year 12 Drama excursion to Onstage
Friday 13th February





Census day
Roses Day
House meetings during pastoral for swimming carnival preparations
SSCCC Tennis
Sport
Monday 16th February

College Swimming carnival at Sutherland Pool
Tuesday 17th February


SSCCC RL U/15's and Opens East trial at Aquinas Catholic College
Year 7 Peer Support program period 5
Wednesday 18th February



Ash Wednesday
Year 8 Parish Mass at 8.20am
Ash Wednesday liturgies in Year groups during Period 6
Thursday 19th February

Pastoral lesson during Period 4
Friday 20th February


Sport
Senior Blood Bank visit
th
Week 4 (B) Term 1
Robert Nastasi
Assistant Principal
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‘Enlivened by the Spirit’
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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION AT AQUINAS
So how do you spot a pure heart? I reflected on our 2015 theme
“Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God,” (Matt 6:8)
before the beginning of our Opening Mass last week. Jesus tells us
later in the Gospel that what comes out of our mouths is an indicator
to the quality of our hearts. Let us all be mindful of not only what we
say but how we say it. Be careful with your words. Once they are
said they can only be forgiven, not forgotten.
THE GOOD NEWS:
5th Sunday in Ordinary Time Mark 1:29-39
An excerpt from “A preaching tour in Galilee” Mark 1:37:38
37
When they found him, they said to him, “Everyone is searching for you.”
38
He answered, “Let us go on
to the neighbouring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to
do.”
MR O’CONNOR SAYS…
Jesus already had a group of people that had committed to following him. He had already called the first disciples
(1:16-17) and it is them that He addresses when He says, “Let us go on.” Jesus recognised that he needed help in
completing the task that he had set. We all have our part to play in proclaiming the message but our challenge is to
go to “the neighbouring towns!” It is easy to proclaim the message in our homes and in our RE classrooms. Our
challenge is to take the message to our sporting fields and supermarkets so that Jesus’ message of love infiltrates
all aspects of our lives.
Steve O’Connor
Religious Education Coordinator
‘Enlivened by the Spirit’
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Duke of Ed News
Silver
On Friday a group of Year 11 and 12 students travelled to Glenworth Valley to complete
Aquinas’ first Silver Duke of Ed expedition. The students were challenged from the very
beginning, using maps and compasses to prepare grid references and waypoints for the trip
ahead.
The three days consisted of kayaking, hiking and mountain bike riding; forcing the
students to challenge themselves and each other. They self navigated a total distance of 35km through narrow and wide river
channels, steep cliffs and swampy overgrown terrain, whilst battling the high temperatures thrown at them. In addition they were
confronted by angry cows, intrigued horses, nasty mosquitoes, huge leeches, biting fire ants and stinging wasps! However, they
all pulled together to overcome these challenges and supported each other through the difficulties.
The students did have a lot of fun though; as most of these challenges were outweighed by the hidden waterholes, cool creeks,
the bad jokes, crackling camp fires, starry nights, a late night visit to an eerie grave (and the story that went with it!), and
Miss Flegg’s giant marshmallows!
Congratulations to these dukes for completing their
practice expedition in such great style, and we look
forward to them completing the first Silver Award at
Aquinas Catholic College!
(YR11) James Black, Anna Ciacchi, Nathan Costa,
Charlie Edgar, John Englezos, Corey Hall, Jacob
Moussa, Clinton Murphy, Sarah Ramsay, Ethan Rix,
Georgina Skinner, Barron Si and Lachlan Tax
(YR12) Mikaela Dunn and Louise Spratt.
Bronze
This weekend also saw the first group of Year 10
students for 2015, complete their practice hike at
the Heathcote-Waterfall Loop. This was their first
experience of hiking with the Duke of Ed, and by
all accounts was very successful. So much that
they arrived at the finishing point nearly an hour
early! They began to learn orienteering skills with
reading maps and using compasses, and having to
navigate various destinations. Although they
experienced very hot weather, they were able to
cool themselves off at Kingfisher Springs, which
was conveniently located at their campsite!
Congratulations on your first Duke of Ed
experience!
A big thankyou to the guides at Sydney Coast Walks, Miss Van Eijk and
Miss Cooper for their support and guidance over the two days!
Also a big congratulations to Brielle Gatenby (10P) who was selected in the winning prizes for
WetlandCare Australia 2015 Photography Competition! Brielle chose photography as her skill
for the Bronze Duke of Ed and has certainly been improving in that area! Well done Brielle!
‘Enlivened by the Spirit’
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ROSES DAY
Every year the Aquinas Community has raised money for Project Compassion by holding "Roses Day"
around the time of Valentines Day, a well known celebration of friendship and love.
Aquinas staff and students will have the opportunity to order roses for those they care about which
will be delivered to pastoral classes on Friday 13th February.
All money raised will go to Project Compassion. This is the major fundraising initiative run by Caritas
Australia, a Catholic agency for overseas aid and development.
Year 12 students will be visiting pastoral classes to collect orders and payments from students. All
orders and payments must be made by 9am on Thursday 12th February.
1 rose $3
6 roses $18
12 roses $35
Any questions please see Mrs Monk
MATHS DEPARTMENT RECALL
CORNER
Each week Maths Recall is included in the newsletter
to encourage junior students to regularly focus on non
calculator skills. Please show your answers to your
maths teacher during your next lesson, as it shows
interest and excitement about mathematical skills.
1. The sum of two numbers is 21 and the difference
is 5. Find the two numbers.
2. Find the quotient of 48 and 6.
3. Write 63451 in expanded form.
4. Find the factors of 18.
5. Evaluate
Mrs Catherine Fensom
Assistant Mathematics Coordinator
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eLe@rningNewsletter
2015 USER AGREEMENTS
All students have been given a copy of the 2015 User agreement to take home and be signed by a parent/carer. Could I ask all
parents/carers to discuss the importance of this agreement. This form must be returned as soon as possible. Students who do not
have this form returned signed will have access on the College network restricted.
CeNET Usernames
At the end of last week we received a large number of student usernames that were provisioned. We anticipate the remaining
usernames to arrive early this week. We thank both parents and students for your understanding with this enormous take. During
the week we were informed that over 22, 000 usernames needed to be created.
TEXTBOOKS
All students in Year 8-10 should have access to their textbooks online. Could all parents please check their child has access and
inform the Pastoral teacher if access is not successful. The Religion textbook has been emailed via a link to all the students.
Could they all check their school email address and download the RE textbook.
Care for New Devices
A large number of parents have organised Apple branded products for their child. Could we remind parents to consider the
Apple Care Protection Plan to cover the device. Unfortunately repairs to these devices are very costly, and protection that this
plan offers could be a valuable investment for the future. Please contact your retailer or Apple online as this can be purchased
for a set time after the initial purchase.
Student ID Cards
All students are required to carry their student ID card with them at all times. New cards will be issued to students in Years 7, 9
and 11. Students who are new to the College will also receive a Student ID card.
Safer Internet Day (SID) is organised by Insafe in February of each year to promote safer and more
responsible use of online technology and mobile phones, especially among children and young people
across the world. Could all parents and carers please discuss this with their child.
Unfortunately this day fall on our Pupil Free Day. All students are asked to consider their own personal
internet usage on this day.
http://www.saferinternetday.org/
Fone Free February (Phone Free February)
This month students are asked to consider the correct etiquette in
using their mobile phone. Whilst the theme for the month aims to
raise money for selected charities, it is worth considering the amount
of time students are using their devices. Family time is the most
important time in the household, and discussion of the day is
important for praise, affirmation or to assist in building resilience.
I have attached a reference from the website:
The 2015 campaign is focused on taking back dinnertime and we are
calling on individuals across Australia to host Fone Free dinners for
their family, friends and colleagues, who make a donation for a seat
at the table. Each dinner will raise money to help make a specific
charity dream come true. One dinner free of distractions is all it
takes, to be present in the moment and enjoy a meal with people closest to us.
http://www.fonefreefeb.com/
Over the coming weeks we will be sending information ragrding parent access through Coneqt-p our parent portal.
Mr Hulme
eLe@rning Coordinator
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SPORT - NSWCCC
The Registration process for trials for CCC teams have changed. To nominate for consideration the
following process needs to be followed.
REGISTRATION PROCESS ON WEBSITE
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
8.
9.
10.
11.
Go to www.csss.nsw.edu.au website
On top right hand side of page, click LOGIN. If you don’t have a login or you have forgotten your
login, go to the HELP button (located on the top right hand side written in Blue)
Once you are logged in, go to the NSWCCC Home Page.
Click on (Individual Sport you wish to trial for)
Click on Register
Please complete the registration process.
Click on “Register for this Sport” at the bottom of the page.
An email will be sent to your Sport Coordinator for approval and consent.
You will also be required to pay online for individual sports which must be done before the
event. Please allow 7-10 days for administration to process. (this is not done automatically)
You can login to your account at any time to view sport coordinator approval
NSWCCC Entry into individual Sports and Team Sports
TEAM SPORT ENTRIES
Southern Sydney Combined Catholic Colleges is
the pathway for our students to progress to the
NSWCCC
Championships
and
NSWCCC
selection.
SSCCC run trials for the following teams:
Baseball
U/15 and Open Rugby League
Swimming
Soccer
Rugby Union
Cross Country
U/15 and Open Touch
Athletics
If students wish to trial for the SSCCC teams there
is a school trial first, before they progress. When
students are successful in making the school team
they will be asked to register on the NSWCCC
website to progress to the SSCCC selection.
Individual Entries
NSWCCC selection trials are run for the following
sports which are either individual sports or sports
which do not have a selection championship.
AFL
Cricket
Diving
Golf
Hockey
Netball
Softball
Tennis
Triathlon
Volleyball
Waterpolo
These Sport trials are for those students who
perform at an elite level rather than just having a
go. Therefore students are only progressed to the
trials if they demonstrate the necessary skills in
that sport for the NSWCCC standard. Sport
experience is offered during Friday afternoon
sport, weekday afternoon and weekend sport. As
you can imagine with over 150 Catholic High
schools, if every school sent a bunch of kids to
have a go, the trial would soon blow out to a gala
day and the NSWCCC selection trial would not
serve it purpose of progressing the correct
students to NSW All Schools and National level.
If you are interested in finding out more information
on NSWCCC trials and events please look at the
website,
or
email
me
at
[email protected].
Mark Barnes
Sports Coordinator
‘Enlivened by the Spirit’
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PARENT INFORMATION EVENING
GUEST SPEAKER PAUL DILLON - DRUG & ALCOHOL EDUCATION
WEDNESDAY 11TH MARCH
ST JOHN BOSCO COLLEGE HALL
7.00pm - 8.30pm
Paul Dillon has been working in the area of drug education for the past 25
years. Through his own business, Drug and Alcohol Research and Training
Australia (DARTA) he has been contracted by many agencies and organisations
across the country to give regular updates on current drug trends within the
community. He continues to work with many school communities across the
country to ensure that they have access to good quality information and best
practice drug education.
In recent years, he has worked extensively with a range of sporting organisations
including the Australian Cricketers Association, the Rugby Union Players
Association and the Football Federation of Australia to provide training workshops
to elite athletes on a range of alcohol and other drug issues. In 2009 his best-selling
book for parents was released titled ‘Teenagers, Alcohol and Drugs‘. With a broad
knowledge of a range of content areas, Paul regularly provides media comment and
is regarded as a key social commentator in Australia, appearing on a wide range of television programs including
Sunrise, TODAY and The Project discussing topical issues. Paul also had a regular spot on a national radio
program on Triple J for seven years where he dealt with current youth drug issues. Paul also has a blog where he
discusses topical issues of the day, as well as addressing some of the questions and queries he is regularly asked by
those attending his presentations.
‘Enlivened by the Spirit’
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MATHS CHALLENGE
Answers:
SCHOOL PHOTOS
To order school photos online, please go to:
1. 13 and 8
www.advancedlife.com.au
2. 8
Code: 5LY E1Y 9WZ
3. 6 x 10000 + 3 x 1000 + 4 x 100 + 5 x 10 + 1
4. 1, 2, 3, 6, 9, 18
5. 9
Maths Department
UNIFORM SHOP
THURSDAY 12 February
8:00am—9:00am
Please note the Uniform Shop only sells
Sports Uniforms and School bags
The Uniform Shop does not accept Eftpos or
Credit cards
There will be a
SECOND HAND UNIFORM
sale
THURSDAY 12 FEBRUARY
8:00am-8:30am
Outside College Office
If you have any donations, please hand them in to the office
College caps and sports socks can be
purchased from the College Office
Thank you
Most items are $5
CANTEEN ROSTER TERM 1
TIME: MONDAY-THURSDAY 10:00-1:35, FRIDAY 9:30-12:45
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
9/2
10/2
11/2
12/2
13/2
CHRISTINE KLEIN
PUPIL FREE DAY
PETA BOURKE, SUSAN GAYDON, MICHELLE WHEATLEY
ANTOINETTE KERLE, ROSE HENDERSON
CATHY CARUCCIO, JOANNE STORTENBEKER, BERNADETTE AHERN
LIZ GARCORZ, CAROLYN BARLOW
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
16/2
17/2
18/2
19/2
20/2
SWIMMING CARNIVAL
JO O’HARA, KARINA MICHAEL
JACKIE TORO, LIBBY YIP, JOANNE ASHE
ZEFFY DELHAS, SARAH RAYMOND, ANN-MARIE WALKER
FIONA EDGAR, KAREN WILLSON, KATE BELL, NICOLE DENOBREGA
THEODORA KONTOGIORGIS
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