1 July 2022 - Newsletter (Vol 39 No 10)

NAIDOC WEEK ASSEMBLY to finish the Term

Earlier this week, the College recognised and celebrated Naidoc week with a visit from our local elders. It is always a privilege to have them here, seeking their advice, listening to their stories and having them as part of the SJPC community.

The NAIDOC 2022 theme - Get Up! Stand Up! - calls for all of us, whether it’s seeking proper environmental, cultural and heritage protections, Constitutional change, a comprehensive process of truth-telling, working towards treaties, or calling out racism—to do it together.

At SJPC we continue to work on implementing our Reconciliation Plan (which came to a halt during the last 18 months thanks to COVID) and as part of that,  plans are afoot for a yarning circle to be developed at the front of the school. We have much to be thankful for because of the way the local Gumbaynggir nation have taken care of our region for tens of thousands of years.

Our prayer for the assembly can be found below;

God of all wonder,

We pause in the busyness of our days to listen deeply to the wisdom of this land and those who belong to it. May our minds be open to dialogue,

May our hearts be open to transformation and May our hands do the work of reconciliation.

We ask that the Spirit accompany us on our journey of healing on these lands, seas and waterways;

We also ask the Spirit of peace be with all those who are living a life of fear, dispossession and distress.

We make this prayer in the name of Jesus our brother and friend.

Amen.

Thank you all for a wonderful first semester and I hope this upcoming break affords you all a time of rest and relaxation, ready for another busy Term 3.

God bless

Michael Carniato
Principal

The move to Compass, our new communication and management system has begun. For this transition to run smoothly we need parents/carers to do the following:

1. Ensure that you have signed and returned the Events Authorisation Agreement for Parents which was given to students last week. 
2. Ensure that you have actioned the email sent on Wednesday with your unique username and password to login to Compass.
3. Follow the directions on the email sent on Thursday with a subject heading of SJPC Adding a credit-debit card to your Compass account. This document is also attached to the newsletter.

Please contact the school if you need another copy of the Events Authorisation Agreement for Parents.
If you haven’t received any email correspondence please check your spam folder and if it still can’t be located contact the college. 

The Compass platform includes many different features and you’ll have the ability to:

• Receive notifications about school events, news and information
• Enter an explanation for absence 
• Communicate with your child’s teachers
• Update your family contact details (mobile phone & email)
• View your child’s timetable and the school calendar
• Download and view your child’s academic reports
• Book parent-teacher interviews
• Pay and provide digital consent for events (no more permission slips)
• Pay school fees

SMARTPHONE ACCESS

1. Download the Compass School Manager App (Google Playstore OR Apple Store).
2. Open the app on your device. If you are already a member of a Primary School you will still have to complete items 5-8 below and create an account at the College.
3. Search for our school by searching for “Coffs Harbour” and then scroll to the bottom of the list where you will find “St John Paul College - Coffs Harbour”
4. Use the unique username and log in sent to you by email. 
5. You will be prompted to confirm your mobile phone number and email address, and create a personal password.

DESKTOP ACCESS

If you wish to use the desktop version of the platform please note the following;

1. Once you receive your unique username and log in, open a new tab on your preferred browser, and navigate to https://cofhslism-nsw.compass.education/
2. Use your unique username and password to log into the platform
3. You will be prompted to confirm your mobile phone number and email address, and create a personal password.

NOTE: Your unique username and password can be used to access the app and the desktop. For more information you can visit Compass for Parents. For further assistance, email the school at sharon.brennan@lism.catholic.edu.au

Sharon Brennan
Teacher Librarian
Leader Learning Technology

Teamwork can be defined as: the activity of working together in a group with other people, especially when this is successful (Cambridge Dictionary)

Teamwork is not confined to the sporting field or court. But rather, is an integral to the smooth workings of many groups of individuals e.g families, friendship groups or school communities, just to name a few. The key elements to successful teamwork are trust, communication, relationships, communication and effective leadership.

Teamwork is an essential part of accomplishing our responsibilities and goals. Truthfully, nothing would ever get done without teamwork. When we work together, we can get things done faster and more accurately. It’s an important life skill that parents can teach their children from a young age to help them succeed. Every child has different strengths and skills, and allowing children to practice teamwork gives them a chance to develop and appreciate their special talents. I firmly believe the best way to demonstrate teamwork to our children is to be a good example of a team member for example:

• Committed team members give their time and energy to someone or something they believe in.
• We can’t always predict when changes are going to happen, much less prepare for them. That’s why flexibility is so important. When a team member is flexible, they typically are also versatile, resilient, and responsive to change.
• You are only an effective team member if you respectfully consider the viewpoints and ideas of other people as well. We need to be mindful of what our children hear us say about others.

However, effective communication is the most important part of teamwork and involves consistently updating each person and never assuming that everyone has the same information. Being a good communicator also means being a good listener. By listening to your ‘team’ you show them respect, which is an essential trust-building method.

Family teams form the first interaction for our children, and the skills learned in the family team setting will help to lead to success in the other teams encountered in life.

Year 7-10 Semester 1 Reports

This week will see the publication of all Year 7-10 Semester 1 Reports on Sentral. Parents will receive an email from the College with links on how to access these reports. Should there be any concerns please do not hesitate to contact the College for assistance.

The Year 7-10 Academic Reports include reporting on a student’s knowledge, understanding and skills based on the NESA Common Grade Scale. In addition teachers will be reporting on Learning Behaviours in classes and Recommended Strategies for Improvement. 

I would encourage parents to read over these records of academic achievement and discuss the results as a family. A key focus should be acknowledging areas of successes and then looking for challenges and setting goals so as to improve academcially next semester. 

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:

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

This photo was taken in Brisbane. If you look closely, you will see a rough sleeper whose ingenuity created a makeship home, using shopping trolleys. 

It may have been the home of an incredible chef who volunteers full time at one of the ministries we visited. He’s homeless. 

This ‘home’ has probably been moved on now by Council. It’s near a walking path and people don’t like to look at it on their morning walks. 

The incredible school excursion, called “Street Retreat” involves Year 11 students from across the Lismore Diocese from Port Macquarie to Banora Point, and including Coffs Harbour, Kempsey, Lismore, Casino and Murwillumbah. 

Our students worked with many different ministries across Brisbane, providing the basics for people who are suffering hard times. “Suffering” being the key word. 

It was an eye opener.

Our kids were challenged.

Our kids saw kids just like them who were homeless.

Our kids worked their butts off, cooking, cleaning, sorting, talking and just being present.

Our kids are now advocates for social justice.

The face of the homeless is too often stereotyped by a wizened, weather-beaten dude wearing dirty clothes and sleeping rough in the local park. Well, that guy represents only 7% of the homeless population, the rest are young people, families and individuals. People living in cars. People couch surfing from place to place. People living in grossly overcrowded accommodation. Mums escaping domestic violence who cannot access emergency accommodation.

Our incredible young people acted with care, compassion and empathy, showing resilience and an incredible work ethic.  To Taj, Jude, Cooper, Claire, Maria and Cassidy, and our YMOs, Gabi and Darcy: you are our heroes. 

Emmanuel City Mission
Romero Centre- Mercy Community
Rosie’s Streetery
L’ Arche
Vinnies Youth
Conservation Volunteers Australia
Local Vinnies
Coffs Uniting Church Soup Kitchen           

Janine Sawtell
Leader of School Evangelisation

Sushi Day

This week the Year 8 students as well as some of our elective students were introduced to the most famous and traditional dish of Japan, sushi. We were lucky enough to have Yukari Miyachi, from Miyachi Sushi, as well as Maki (her assistant) come in to show the students how to make a sushi roll and to teach them all about its history. 

Students learnt about how sushi making began, all the way back in the Edo Period (1600s) and how it has evolved over many centuries to the various forms it can take today. 

Yukari and Maki explained to the students about all the ingredients and the role they play in making the best sushi roll and then showed the students the technique. 

Students were then able to enjoy their own sushi rolls.  

Year 9’s Zoom chat with Japan

Students in the Year 9 Japanese class had the opportunity to put their Japanese skills into practice when they zoomed with students from one of our sister schools in Japan - Seiwa Joshi Gakuin High School. Seiwa is an all-girls Catholic High School in the southern island of Kyushu and is located in the town of Sasebo, which has been sister cities with Coffs Harbour since 1988.

Students were able to introduce themselves and find out a little about each other such as what their favourite subjects are. We plan to continue developing cross-cultural connections with students from Seiwa through the rest of the year utilising the wonders of technology.

After the zoom, our Year 9 students did some online research to learn more about Sasebo. Some interesting facts they discovered include:

• Sasebo is famous for their hamburgers
• There is an American Naval Base in Sasebo
• It's known for Huis Ten Bosch, an amusement park that replicates a Dutch town, with canals and windmills
• It has the world’s first hotel to be run almost entirely by robots
• It is a beautiful coastal town (much like Coffs Harbour) and has over 200 islands off its coastline

Kirsten Binnie
Leader of Learning - Languages

DUKE OF EDINBURGH - ADVENTUROUS JOURNEY

On Thursday 23 and Friday 24 June, our Duke of Edinburgh participants took up the challenge of their first adventurous journey in Yuraygir National Park, Wooli.

Thursday saw them paddle the Wooli River in perfect conditions, learning to maneuver Canadian canoes and to finally race them as a single paddler. This is quite the skill, and all participants did very well to run to their canoes, paddle a 300m course and then run back to the finishing line through muddy conditions.

Finally they paddled around 8km, enjoying wildlife, beautiful scenery and finally a thrilling roller coaster ride down steep sand dunes.

They finished their day huddled around a warm campfire with freshly cooked smores before spending the cool night rugged up in their tents ready for an early start the next day.

Friday was hiking day and once again all participants rose to the challenge, hiking the famous Yuraygir Coastal walk along beaches and rugged headlands. They looked out for whales, climbed trees and finished with some great food and a well deserved rest.

Congratulations to all of our participants. Duke of Edinburgh Video

Lex Carruthers
Teacher

It takes spirit and confidence to be brave. It takes a willingness to defy the odds to stand up for what you believe. And it takes a willingness to go beyond the limits to achieve something great.

And that is just what our Junior Public Speaking team has done in the recent school competition.

Five Year 7 and 8 students put up their hand to speak out about a topic that moves them. The Year 7 students were inspiring in their prepared speeches. Robbbie Haig discussed  “Bravery: Do we need it?”, Jett Nichols spoke about the world’s favourite billionaire “Elon Musk” and Jacob Chappell talked about “The problem with School.” Not to be outdone, the Year 8 students showed their style when Katelyn Davidson delivered an uplifting speech about “Drama!” and Tully Gennat gave the group food for thought with his speech titled “VR: The game that can save lives.”

A special thank you to Claire Pike who was our MC and timekeeper for the day and to Katelyn Davidson who filled in for another speaker at the last minute and dazzled the adjudicators with her passion.

Congratulations to our two school winners, Tully and Robbie who were both outstanding on the day and have progressed into the second round of regional competition which will be held over Zoom in Term 3.

Thank you to Siobhan McCosker and Cherie O’Brien who adjudicated the prepared and impromptu speeches respectively. 

The Junior Public Speaking team were (from left): Tully Gennat, Jacob Chappell, Robbie Haig, Claire Pike (Year 10 assistant), Jett Nichols and Katelyn Davidson.

Linda Gleeson
Teacher - Public Speaking Facilitator

The students had a rich experience in learning about food and animal production.  Interwoven throughout the unit were concepts around the collection and analysis of measurable data.  

Crop Production

Each student was given 10 seedlings in total consisting of green and red lettuce, shallots, coriander and parsley.   

At St John Paul College we were lucky enough to have these excellent facilities for teaching Agriculture. As a result, to enrich the students’ experiences of producing food, each student planted 5 plants in the hydroponics setup and 5 plants in the raised garden beds.

Using the growth of the seedlings as an opportunity to collect and work with data,  variables such as plant height and width were collected, sorted, analysed before the data was presented in graphical form over an 8 week time frame.

In contrast, the plants in the ‘hydro’ have received a constant supply of water and nutrients, as well as protection from the elements under the ‘hoop houses’.  A noticeable difference in the growth of these plants was the enormous size of our lettuce, however the red lettuce wasn’t as red as those grown in the garden beds.

Animal Production

At the beginning of this term we were able to secure 24 fertilised eggs with 15 beautiful little chicks hatching at the end of Week 5.  

Using measurable data such as weight, the students were able to collect,analyse and track the growth of their chickens over a period of 4 weeks.  Out of the 15 chicks, ‘Noodles’ has topped the charts weighing in at 359 grams in a short 4 week period.

The students loved learning about the growth and care of chickens!  Students worked in pairs, caring for their chickens as well as weighing and recording their physical changes as they grew over a 4 week period.  When the chicks were a couple of weeks old, the students let the chickens forage through the garden beds, looking for insects and learning to scratch and peck, whilst fertilising the soil.

At the conclusion of this unit, the students indicated that they thoroughly enjoyed learning ‘by doing’ through a project-based learning approach to plant and animal production. From an ethics perspective, we have since found homes for the chickens to ensure that they continue to live happily in a suitable environment.  A few students captured their learning journey through the following comments:

“I learned about the anatomy of chickens and different ways that plants grow and thrive. I learnt about behaviour and expectations with both the plants and chickens.” Ella McCarthy

“I liked how we got to take care of chickens and watch them grow in and out of the egg. I liked that we got to actually care and interact with the chickens other than just theory work.” Tyla Fitzpatrick 

“I liked the mixture between plants and livestock rather than just studying one or the other.” Lani Robinsen  

It was certainly a pleasure teaching these lovely students as they arrived at each lesson ‘bright-eyed’ and keen to start each lesson.  I look forward to teaching this unit again later in the year.

FAST 5

Congratulations to our awesome senior fast netballers. Our teams travelled to Port Macquarie to play in the NSW Netball Mid-North coast Fast5 gala day. With 14 teams in contention, our teams were outstanding. The Year 12 team only had one loss on the day and finished 3rd overall, while our Year 11 team dominated the day, being crowned undefeated Champions going through the day and winning the Grand Final comfortably. Well done to both teams and coaches.

Bill Turner Football

Our Bill Turner Cup boys had an outstanding win against McAuley 4-1 in Round 3 of the Bill Turner Cup. Our thanks to Woolgoogla High school who allowed us to play our home game on their oval while ours are out of action with building works. The boys are now set to play Coffs High School in Round 4 on Monday 25 July at Leisure Park.

Like our boys, the girls team had an outstanding win against Grafton High in Round 3 of the Bill Turner Trophy defeating them 4 - 0 on the new synthetic field at the Leisure park complex. The girls move into Round 4 where they will face BDC at home on Firday 22 July.

We wish both our team the best tof luck for round 4.

Junior Boys Football

Our Junior Boys football team represented the Lismore Diocese in the cross over game against McCarthy College from the Armidale Diocese. Our team was relentless in defense and spectacular in attack, defeating McCarthy 5 - 1. The boys now play St Pius from the Newcastle Diocese in the Quater Final in Coffs Harbour. The game is scheduled to be played Monday 1 August on the Synthetic field at Leisure Park. Should our boys prove successful, they will head to the semi and finals in Sydney in August. We wish our boys all the best!

Cochrane Cup

Our Cochrane Cup 14’s League team is scheduled to play in the Northern Regional final on Wednesday 20 July at Geof King Oval. The boys take on Xavier Catholic College at 10.30am. Should they win, they will play in the final at 12.45pm to then move through to the State final. We wish the boys the best of luck!

Sporting Success

• Joseph Clarke (Year 12) made the record books this week being the first ever U18 to win back to back Australian Lawn Bowls Championships. His fellow Year 12’s were able to once again watch his historic win on the big screen. To say we are proud of him is an understatement. Congratulations Joey!

• Congratulations also to Lachlan Mifsud who was recently selected in the U18 Malta Rugby League team who took on the Lebanon recently. Lachlan was also names Captain - Congratulations Lachlan on this significant achievement!
• Congratulations to Charlotte Bunny (Year 7) and Anthony Omtha (Year 9) who were selected for the National Youth Championships in Football!

College Athetics Carnvial

The College Carnival is scheduled for Thursday 21 July at the Cex Stadium. As in past years, students need to meet at the College before 8.55am to assemble and walk over to the stadium.

The program and further information for the day is attached.

Coming Up

Danielle McAra
Sport Co-ordinator

We have thoroughly enjoyed being a part of this magnificent fundraiser, raising funds for Lifeline in support of mental health and suicide preventation.

Lifeline Australia: Every 30 seconds, a person reaches out to Lifeline for help. Through phone, text and online chat, Lifeline is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to listen without judgement to any person in Australia who is feeling overwhelmed, experiencing crisis or longs to be heard.