30 April 2021 - Newsletter (Vol 38 No 6)
- Staff Development Day
- Principal's Message
- Assistant Principal - Mission - Staff and Student Wellbeing
- Assistant Principal - Learning and Teaching
- ANZAC Day Commemorations
- Pastoral Care
- School Evangelisation
- Leader of Pedagogy
- Curriculum Matters
- The Career Path
- Visual Arts
- English Matters
- Literacy Coach
- Youth Ministry Team
- Sports Corner
- Open Boys Football
- Office News
- St Vincent de Paul
- NSW Council of Catholic School Parents (CCSP)
- Understanding Vaping
- Lead Rise - The Way
- Family Faith Retreat
- NCCD - Nationally Consistent Collection of Data
- Ball Against Domestic Violence
- Red Cross Learner Driver Program
School Improvement Plan and College Goals 2021
Each year the College is asked to submit its goals for the academic year and after approval from the Catholic Schools Office, I have included them in this week’s newsletter. Whilst these are aspirational and are driven by our current data, there is room for change as the need arises during the year.
School Improvement Theme: Raising the Bar to build a Culture of Excellence.
The Goals for this year are;
Pastoral Care: Students feel known, cared for and valued at SJPC
Mission: To accompany staff and students on their faith journey
Learning and Teaching: Increase students’ achievement in literacy with a particular focus on writing.
Over the next 3 editions of the College Newsletter I will include an outline of each goal, the intended outcomes and agreed measures of success. Of course much more happens in the daily life of the school however these have a whole school focus.
PASTORAL CARE: Students feel known, cared for and valued at SJPC.
Intended Outcome(s):
- Increase student voice and participation.
- Build a positive relationship with students by knowing student's spiritual, social, academic and emotional need.
- Teachers will access various portals and databases to seek background information about students for the purpose of meeting targeted learning and wellbeing needs.
Agreed Measures of Success:
- Consistency of language used by both staff and students.
- Implementation of additional pastoral care structures resulting from survey data.
- Increase in satisfaction data and improvement in student wellbeing (student surveys/DOLSIS).
- More prominent acknowledgement of positive levels through various avenues including assemblies and award system.
- A more visible presence of student voice and leadership where students take responsibility for implementation and change.
- Changes to pedagogy and programs resulting in a more collaborative approach to student well being.
- Development and implementation of a Reconciliation Action Plan.
I look forward to seeing many of you at the Mother’s day breakfast next week. Thank you for your continued support for all that occurs in the College.
God bless
Michael Carniato
Principal
Over two thousand years ago, God’s Son entered the world – a world of poverty, oppression, injustice and war. It was a place of very little hope. The most important part of Jesus’ mission was, of course, to die for our sins on the cross and, through repentance and faith in him, open the way for us to experience eternal life with the Father. As Romans 5:8 says, “God demonstrated his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us”. Jesus paid the ultimate price for our sins!
Jesus came to earth to give people an understanding of the Kingdom of God and the eternal hope that they had through Him. Jesus spent much of His time among the impoverished, the weak, the hurting and the rejected in society. Jesus not only preached the Good News through His words, but He powerfully demonstrated the Good News through His actions!
Long before Isaac Newton’s third law of motion (i.e that for every action there is an equal or opposite reaction) impacted on the field of mechanics, the gospel author Luke perceived an action and reaction in the event of Jesus’s resurrection. He recognized that the same resurrection power that raised Christ from the dead also propelled Christ’s disciples in a spirited mission to the ends of the earth.
We still live in a world where there is enormous need, poverty, injustice and pain. As God’s people, we are asked to show His compassion to the poor. We are called to be His hands and feet in a hurting world. And this is not optional. It is a responsibility with which we are entrusted and are expected to fulfil.
So what is it that you can do to make a difference? Take time to stop and think and then put it into action.
Until next time:
Remember that....
Assistant Principal - Mission
Staff and Student Wellbeing
Parent Student Teacher Conferences
In line with the CSO COVID requirements, the College will again be hosting ‘face to face’ Parents Students Teacher Conferences. These began with Year 10 and Year 11 PST Conferences in Term 1 and will continue with Year 8 and Year 9 split over two nights in Week 3 this term.
Families are encouraged to consider the following in preparation for each PST Conference:
- How are you feeling about your progress in this subject?
- Have you tried hard to do your best?
- Have you been distracted/distracting?
- What goals do you have to improve your learning habits and effort?
- What strategies do you need to have in place to support your goals?
- Where can you put more effort in?
Study Skills
Learn more this year about how to improve your results and be more efficient and effective with your schoolwork by working through the units on www.studyskillshandbook.com.au. Our College access details are:
Our school’s access details are:
School’s Username – stjohnpaul
School’s password – 89success
In addition, our subscription to Elevate Education may assist in this area.
This online platform contains resources and useful study tips that all SJPC students will find effective. We encourage them to access this Student Portal and try some of the strategies. Students have the password to this site. The password can also be found on the Curriculum Noticeboard.
AMDG
James Furey
Assistant Principal
Learning and Teaching
In the past week the College has been involved in two very moving events to commemorate ANZAC Day. On Wednesday the annual St John Paul College ANZAC Commemorative Assembly took place. This was largely organised by our very capable senior student leaders. The official party was led in by Coffs Harbour local bagpipe player Ray Ellington. Our senior students lead the assembly outlining the sacrifices made by the men and women of Australia and New Zealand that proudly fought for freedom. We were also very fortunate to be addressed by SPJC staff member, Jackson Adams. Jackson shared memories with us of the time he served in the Australian Army. The assembly concluded with the College body reciting The Ode and singing Advance Australia Fair.
On Anzac Day Darcy Hartin and Ailish Barry wrote and eloquently delivered the Commemorative Address at the Dawn Service in Sawtell and laid a wreath on behalf of the College. This was followed by the students and staff being represented at the ANZAC Day March held this year at The CEX International Stadium. Those who attended marched together with returned service people, current serving defence forces, relatives of the fallen, community groups and other local schools. A wreath was laid on behalf of the College by Ailish Barry and Lili-Rose Bataglia. The College was further represented at the Sawtell ANZAC Day March with College students marching, Lili-Rose Bataglia and Grace Hartsyker delivering the address and laying the wreath.
Year 12 students, Calum Reid and Sarah Markwort formed part of the Catafalque Party at both Coffs Harbour and Taylors Arm ceremonies with the Australian Air Force Cadets, 331 Squadron Coffs Harbour.
Year 9 student Flynn Oates laid flowers at Coffs Harbour on behalf of 331 Squadron.
The SPJC College community should be very proud of all our students who were involved and represented the College in such respectful manner.
Our pastoral care program for Term 1 focused on the theme of belonging. As we start a new year it has its challenges for every individual whether it be a new student, year 12 student, staff member, and parents. Belonging makes us feel connected and give us the confidence to face the challenges of each day. It is important that we are known, care and valued. During homeroom and pastoral lessons, staff focused a number of activities on the importance of knowing and looking after everyone in our community. National Action Day against bullying was also a major focused. Understanding what bullying is, the effects of this on individuals, how to get support, and the importance of the role of a bystander in helping those that need support.
During Term 2, we continue to develop the theme of Belonging by focusing on our relationships with each other. Understanding the role that relationships play in our lives and allows our children to build on their connection with their peers, teachers, and you as parents.
Our support for mental health continues to be a focus each term and we work closely with our local community. Headspace has offered a free online session for parents on mental health. The date for the online session is the Wednesday 26 May, 12 - 1pm.
Richard O'Connor
Director of Pastoral Care
Proclaim Lismore Students aims to provide a comprehensive continuum of Intentional Student Discipleship Programs across the Diocese for students from Year 4 to Year 12. These gatherings aim to bring Catholic secondary students together to meet like-minded peers and to celebrate and meet with other young people who practice their faith.
In 2021, six Year 11 students from our school will join students from each of the other parish secondary schools in attending the Street Retreat experience in Brisbane. This experience will form, equip and empower students to return to their parish communities with a passion for social justice and greater sense of the call of Jesus Christ to serve the poor.
Participants in the Street Retreat will spend from Thursday night 17 June to Sunday lunch 20 June working with a range of social justice initiatives in Brisbane. Their participation may make a small contribution to those being served – but the event is first and foremost an exercise in discipleship formation.
Participants will find the activities on the street retreat challenging and possibly confronting. Many activities run either very late at night or very early in the morning. The retreat will culminate in a celebration of Sunday Eucharist. In addition, all participants must commit to a follow up Social Justice activity to be held in their own parish/school community following the Brisbane formation experience. Details of these activities will be made available to students upon their selection.
In discerning which students might participate in this retreat experience, the Diocese has recommended the following selection criteria:
- Catholic students who can demonstrate involvement in their parish.
- Catholic students who have attended previous student discipleship programs.
- Students who exhibit the following attributes:
- a strong sense of social justice
- initiative
- common sense and a mature character
Term 1 Staff Development Day
On the last day of Term 1, staff spent the day collaborating on the importance of Shared Beliefs and Understandings to bring about whole-school sustained school improvement. Highly effective schools are ones where every teacher believes that all students can achieve high standards given the right time and the right support. They are places where high expectations and early intervention are recognised as being essential to improving student achievement.
To support us in our work, our College is involved in a Learning Collaborative which is a 2-year growth, development and research partnership with Catholic Schools Lismore and Dr Lyn Sharratt. Dr Sharratt is a highly accomplished practitioner, researcher, author, and presenter. She holds a BA in Social Work from the University of Waterloo, a BEd from the University of Western Ontario, an MEd from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, a Doctorate in Education from the University of Toronto, and Supervisory Officer qualifications from the Province of Ontario.
Dr Sharrat is an advisor for International School Leadership with the Ontario Principals’ Council; she consults internationally, working with system, school, and teacher leaders at all levels in Australia, Canada, Chile, Denmark, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States. She focuses her time and efforts on increasing each student’s growth and achievement by working alongside leaders and teachers to put FACES on their data, taking intentional action to make equity and excellence a reality for all students.
The focus of this Learning Collaborative will address literacy and specifically, writing at SJPC. As educators we have a moral imperative to improve the literacy levels of all students, and as a result the ability of students to think critically, apply new knowledge and skills, and communicate effectively.
Put simply, it’s about teachers putting FACES to our student data and working together to unpack the data & collaborate on intervention strategies to improve student achievement.
Through this work we aim for every teacher to see him/herself as a leader who is:
- consistent,
- persistent, and
- insistent
about high impact classroom practices.
At SJPC we recognise the need for staff to engage in ongoing opportunities for Professional Development in order for us to bring about effective whole-school improvement. As a College we continue to support staff develop their own understanding and skills around Literacy Instruction across ALL subject areas through staff meetings, workshops and coaching.
Leanne Gennat
Leader of Pedagogy
Year 12
Year 12 students should be very much into the ‘Take Action’ phase of their HSC life! This includes the following;
-
Accessing and using resources provided by the College; - Edrolo, HSC studylab, homework centre, study sessions with staff, online study events etc.
- Have a structured study timetable.
- Submitting work to teachers for feedback.
- Creating a study group with likeminded students as support.
- Speaking with the school counsellors.
There are so many support structures and opportunities for students to take advantage of which will help them fulfil their Dreams and Goals… they just have to
ACT!
Year 11 students are realising that both their workload and the standard of work expected are increasing. To assist them we ran a workshop last Tuesday on ‘How to use Edrolo to maximise their level of achievement’. This is one of many online resources we provide to our senior students. Students should also be increasing the time they are spending on study each day. Term 2 study timetables and Term planners are available on Google Classroom OR they can collect one from the Curriculum Office.
After the Year 11 Parent,Student,Teacher conferences last term, it is timely that students re-evaluate their goals and adjust their approach to school work as a result.
The Elevate and Study Skills Handbook platforms, accessed via Student links on the College website, have plenty of ideas to support parents and students in setting up effective habits and practices.
Year 10
This is a huge term for Year 10 students. They will be asked to think about what they want to do with their life, what they want to study next year and where they see themselves in 2,3 and 4 years’ time. Many are already finding the high expectations of Year 10, and meeting NESA requirements a challenge.
This is why we have supportive structures in place, and why we are continuing with the work we started last term re; Growth mindset, Organisation, Possible selves, Goal setting and Learning Strengths.
To assist your child with the challenges of Year 10 please ensure they;
- Attend class
- Have a daily study plan – with breaks and rewards factored in
- Have a designated place to study
- Hand write notes from readings, videos etc
- Come to school prepared
There is an advantage to setting up good habits in Year 10. If you receive a low achievement grade in a task it is not telling you that you have failed, it is warning you, it is wanting you to act and figure out where the gaps in your knowledge/skills are so that you can improve.
Years 7 – 9
It is the responsibility of all learners to take advantage of the opportunities presented to them.
Claudia Brown
Leader of Curriculum
Year 10 Work Experience in 2021
Work Experience is an integral part of the Career Development Program at St John Paul College. In 2021, the Work Experience Program for Year 10 will take place in Week 8 Term 2 (June 7 – 11 2021). It is expected that all students who are not going on the Year 10 History Trip to Sydney will participate.
Work Experience provides the opportunity for students to gain experience in the workplace through meeting and working with adults who are unfamiliar to them and understanding what is required of them personally in a work situation. Furthermore, students will be able to use this experience to help them make decisions concerning HSC courses, TAFE or work at the end of school. Students will also use the opportunity to assess their interest in and suitability for particular careers.
In the past, local employers have been exceptionally co-operative in allowing St John Paul College students the opportunity for Work Experience. It is anticipated that this co-operation will continue this year. Our students in past years have played a large part in building a reputation with employers as reliable, enthusiastic and well-mannered young people. It is expected that students will behave appropriately in the work place and be good ambassadors for the College.
Students have been provided with the information that they require in order to get organised. Whilst it may seem like there is plenty of time to get organised, it is important to note that some placements in some industries in our Coffs region are limited and therefore students should begin to seek and organise a suitable business to complete their work experience program with sooner rather than later. All completed paperwork needs to be returned to the College office by Term 2 Week 5 Friday 21 May 2021.
ADF Work Experience
The Defence Work Experience Program provides young Australians interested in Defence as a future career, the opportunity to sample life in Defence and learn more about the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and the Australian Public Service (APS).
There are lots of different opportunities, so check out the work experience placements that are on offer.
Contact: Defence Work Experience Program
Find out more - Defence Careers
Coming Events
21 May 2021: Year 10 Work Experience paperwork due to the College Office
7 – 11 June 2021: Year 10 Work Experience block
Paul Corsalini
Careers Adviser
Year 7 Art Neurographica
Last term the Year 7 students were introduced to the elements of art with a focus on line & tone. They created Neurographica drawings where they were able to incorporate these two elements together to create a harmonious artwork.
Neurographica drawings were introduced by Russian psychologist, Pavel Piskarev in 2014. The idea behind Neurographica art is for the person to embrace a meditative process whilst drawing by not speaking to others & being totally immersed in the act of creating. When this occurs, the rational thinking of the mind is bypassed and reaches into the hidden layers of our psyche. As a result, our unconscious, which is usually inaccessible, is opened up & where new neural networks are formed in the brain. This type of art can also be used as a form of art therapy.
Poetry in Action
This week years 7 & 9 were treated to excellent performances from the talented actors from Poetry in Action, an organisation established in Sydney 2006 with a mission to “unlock the power of words for everyone”.
Two very different sessions included animated shenanigans, raps and skilful recitation of iconic poetry, shared in an active, enthusiastic way to show the power and the beauty of poetry.
As Alyssa in Year 7 commented, “...it was different and fun to have a change from learning in the classroom” and it was a “ far more creative way to show the elements of poetry”.
Leader of Learning Assistant Leader of Learning
WRITING MATTERS
Each fortnight at SJPC staff are engaged in a Literacy Writing focus where, across all disciplines, teachers focus on improving a specific writing skill. This fortnight our focus is on the use of correct ending punctuation, correct use of capitals AND putting pen to paper. It is our aim to really focus and reiterate specifics across all learning areas so that writing with accuracy becomes habitual for students.
At home parents can also follow our focus. The following graphics may help.
It’s important for students to be writing every day and parents can help by modeling this.
Below I have listed some helpful tips parents can use to encourage and support struggling or reluctant writers.
Practice, practice practice!
Encourage children to write often and write for different audiences. It may be a funny story for a sibling, a letter to the editor, their reasoning for attending an event or their top ten list of ideas to cheer up a sick friend.
Opportunities to read.
Offer a wide variety of opportunities to read, both educational and entertaining and pass favourite authors song lyrics and magazines to share the joy of reading. Take your teen to the library. We can only ever write as well as we can read.
Examine different styles.
Encourage your teen to examine different styles of writing and reasons for this such as newspaper editorials, website, instructional manuals and fiction. Encourage your teen to pursue forms of writing that are enjoyed, especially poetry, journal and letter writing. Reflective writing is very powerful in developing critical thinking skills, problem solving skills and allowing teens to find personal space and outlet.
Resources and help along the way.
Ensure your child has adequate materials and a quiet place to write and perhaps a special folder for personal writing. It’s incredibly valuable to witness someone returning to a valued piece written months ago and finding joy and pride in their work. Help children brainstorm and clarify what is required from school tasks. Always point out the strengths in your child's writing and understand the value of the process of writing. Ask children to read written tasks aloud.
Respect your teen as a writer and respect and encourage their personal voice. Every opportunity to write is a valuable one.
Interview with Teia Scotford
Questions 1: What is your favourite childhood movie?
My favourite Childhood movie would probably have to be Mary Poppins. I love that movie so much.
Question 2: Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Where I see myself in 10 years is hopefully being married to an amazing man and to have kids and have a stable job and to have travelled a little all over the world.
Question 3: If you could summarise Ignite Summer Camp in three words what would they be? And why did you choose them?
If I had to describe summer camp in three words I would say: life changing, memorable and special. I chose these three words because summer camp is a very special camp that has definitely changed my life forever. It was also one of the most memorable weeks of my life that I will never forget, and it was a very special experience that I got to be a part of.
Question 4: What encourages you to continue to practice your faith?
What encourages me to continue practicing my faith is probably the way i now see things differently and i have the support of my friends encouraging me to explore my faith and to learn other ways to express my love to God.
Diocesan Open Football Championships
In Week 1, our Open Boys and Girls Football teams travelled to Kempsey to play in the Southern Diocese Football Championships. The day was very hot and tiring with both teams performing well despite little rest breaks and rigorous play. Our female team finished 2nd overall, only losing one game. Our boys came away with the win on a count back and now move onto the North/South final to be played on Tuesday 4th May at Cex Stadium. We thank all the staff involved, Mrs Istrate, Mrs Slaviero, Mr Coster and Mr Abbots and wish our boys team the best of luck on Tuesday.
Open Girls Football
CCC Swimming Championships
8 of our students ventured to Sydney towards the end of last term to represent the Lismore Diocese at Swimming. All students were exceptional in both behaviour and performance. A number of Personal Best’s (PB) were achieved as well as some very close finishes nearly putting a number of our students on the podium. Of particular note was Jaxon White (Year 7) who placed 2nd in 13 Boys Freestyle meaning he will go on to represent CCC at the NSW All Schools Championships this term.
CCC Representative Sports
Parents and students are reminded to regularly check the CCC sport website for information regarding trials and selections for CCC teams though individual pathways.
NSWCCC Selections Open Rugby - Under 18s Boys (Born 2003 & 2004)
Tuesday 4 May @ TG Milner Field, Eastwood 9am - 3pm
NSWCCC Selections Under 16 Boys (Born 2005, 2006)
Tuesday 4 May & Wednesday 5 May @ TG Milner Field, Eastwood 9am - 3pm
NSWCCC Selections Girls Rugby 7s Wednesday 5 May (Born 2004, 2005)
Wednesday 5 May @ TG Milner Field, Eastwood 9am - 3pm
Registrations close 5pm Thursday 29 April 2021 (extended)
The web address for CCC sport is - CSNSW Sport
Congratulations
- Alexandra Harrison (Year 12) competed at the Australian Athletics Championships in Sydney during the holidays in High Jump and Heptathlon. She placed 3rd in High Jump with a leap of 1.72m and did 4 PB’s in Hurdles, Shot Put, 200m and 800m events. Congratulations Alexandra!
- Lincoln Henry (Year 7) recently travelled to Sydney on the 28 March to compete in the NSW State Little Athletics Championships where he won a silver medal in the U13 boys Triple Jump with a PB of 10.98m. Lincoln also competed in the 100m, 80m Hurdles and was 5th overall in Long Jump. He also competed in the Australian Track and Field Championships where he came third in his U14 Boys 90m Hurdles heat. In the finals he was placed 5th after a photo finish. This is particularly noteworthy as he improved his PB time by a massive 73 secs in the heat and then again smashed his new PB in the final by another 13.67 secs! Awesome work Lincoln.
Coming up |
| 30 April | Girls League Tag Gala day, Geoff King Oval |
| 4 May | North/South Open Boys Diocesan Football Final, Cex Stadium |
| 7 May | Bill Turner Cup to be played before this date |
| 7 May |
NSW Netball State Cup Carnival, Cofffs Harbour |
| 10 May |
Sport sign up at the Palace open for:
|
| 13 May | Year 9/10 Term 3 Sport choices emailed to families |
| 17 May |
Year 9/10 Sport selections Term 3 open online @ 7am
|
| 19 May |
Year 9/10 Sport selections Term 3 close @ 9am. |
| 21 May |
Diocesan Cross Country, Grafton CRL Open’s Cup, Geoff King Oval Year 9/10 Sport selection Term 3 invoices emailed home |
| 27 May |
Country Rugby League Juniors Cup, Geoff King Oval |
| 31 May |
CCC Tennis, Bathurst |
| 4 June |
Year 9/10 Sport selection Term 3 payments due |
Danielle McAra
Leader of Learning - Sport
Opening the day with a match against Mackillop College, Duncan ‘Captain Courageous’ Couper showed why he believed he could move from his traditional defencive position to striker when no one else did, with a goal in the first two minutes of the match underlying his own self belief. It wasn’t long however before Coach Abbott shuffled the deck and he found himself returning to the backline about ten minutes later. It was here that he developed a ‘water tight’ defensive combination with Jack ‘The’ Horseman throughout the rest of the day, and along with Tom Ylinen, Brody Dalton, Jake ‘Billy Ray’ Hicks and Tyler ‘The Rock’ Kooyman, the defence stood up to only allow a two goals all day.
Suffice to say It was relatively quiet for ‘keeper Lex Weiley(Coyote) in goals, with not too much testing him out over the day. When other teams did manage a shot, ‘Coyote’ was well positioned to snuff out any danger straight away.
The strong performance of the team's defence allowed for the midfield to produce some great football in all of the games. With Taj ‘Messi’ Buck and ‘Iron Mike’ Tyson Vines pulling the strings of a masterful midfield that created, distributed and moved the team all around the park. Charlie Shipperlee, Noah Searle, Rory Green, Weston Bodner and Angus ‘Angry’ Anderson shuffled throughout the midfield and it was definitely one of the best performing groups of the day.
All this means nothing if you don’t have the frontmen to ‘bang em in!’, and on this day we were able to unearth an unpolished diamond in the shape of a converted ‘footy player’, Bennet Bar Reech. He was able to score goals and terrify opposition defences all day with his pace and two metre long legs! Bennet was well supported by the hard working, Ethan Sultana and Noah Hessenberger who ran and ran, and were continually dangerous. Although we may have found a new left back in the shape of Sultana, but considering he was taking free kicks up front when playing left back, the coaches may need to rethink that one?
Results:
1-0 v St Joseph’s Regional High School, Port Macquarie (Couper 2’)
0-0 v MacKillop College Port Macquarie
3-1 v Newman Senior Technical College Port Macquarie (Bar Reech 10’,34’, Buck 20’)
5-1 v St Paul’s High School Kempsey (Bar Reech 3’,21’, Buck 11’,19’, Shipperlee 33’)
The team now moves forward to play the winner from the Northern Zone next week with the winner to take the place as Diocesan representatives in the State Wide Knockout competition. This will no doubt be another tough encounter but with the guile and wisdom of Coach Rodney ‘Panther’ Abbott steering the ship, the team should again do well.
C’mon Boys!
Immunisation - Year 10 Students
Year 10 students will be receiving their Immunisation for Meningococcal ACWY on Friday 7 May. Documentation have been sent home, please return the form prior to this date.
Finance
With the season of Easter just passing, the SJPC chapter of Vinnies were very busy. We launched our annual Easter egg drive in week six, and as always, the response was incredible! In the penultimate week of term one, we were able to hand over several kilograms of chocolates to the local St Vincent de Paul conferences. These eggs were distributed around the area to those seeking assistance, and the College community was able to ensure that Easter was not a bleak time for many children (and adults).
Towards the end of last term, Coffs Harbour and the surrounds experienced a Noachian rain; I hope for the majority of the College community that this was only a minor inconvenience. However, for others, particularly the homeless and rough sleepers, this was horrendous. I received a call from Karen at Hope for the Homeless, a local charity working to ensure that the local homeless in the region have some shelter, warmth and basically human dignity. After the floods, many of the homeless had vanished, and local charities spend a great deal of time trying to find them again.
At the College, we often speak of social justice, but this presented an opportunity to render practical aid. After putting out the call for tarpaulins, blankets, tinned food and toiletries, within a week, the staff and students of the College brought enough in to fill a trailer! The response was so overwhelming that there was enough left over to help others affected by the floods!
An enormous thank you to all the staff, students and those in the wider community that have donated to both of these causes. Vinnies is unfortunately needed more than ever, and we have been able to do some good for the rest of humanity.
Families of Students with Diverse Learning Needs
The NSW Council of Catholic School Parents (CCSP) recognises that families of children with differing abilities require targeted advocacy and support and has developed a valuable resource to assist parents of children with diverse learning needs. Please access this resource via the CCSP website. CCSP - Students with diverse learning needs
From School to Work for Students with Disabilities
Both students with disabilities and their parents are invited to attend free webinars to inspire and support students to develop a vision for employment after the completion of schooling.
Years 9-10
Years 7 - 8
