FROM THE PRINCIPAL - Penola Catholic College
Transcription
FROM THE PRINCIPAL - Penola Catholic College
Volume 2 26th February 2015 FROM THE PRINCIPAL Dear Members of the Penola Catholic College Community, Year 7 Enrolments 2016 A reminder to all of our existing families that Year 7 enrolments for next year (2016) close on Friday, February 27. A number of families applied after the close of enrolment last year and it makes it very difficult to accurately plan for the following year so I ask that you submit your enrolment on time. Often families assume that we know that there is a younger sibling but I would be very disappointed if one of our existing families missed out on an enrolment due to not submitting their enrolment on time. Beginning of the Year It is hard to believe that that the students have only been back three weeks. In this time we have had a range of activities including our Beginning of Year Mass, Year 7 and Years 9-12 Information Evenings, School photographs, Swimming Carnival, Parents and Friends meeting and a Board Meeting. This week we have our PSC Leadership Camp in Alexandra as well as our Year 8 Information Evening and on Friday night we will have our Year 7 Welcome Dinner with approximately 400 people attending. At our first College Assembly we acknowledged our VCE high achievers from the Class of 2014 (more information contained later in this newsletter) and presented College pins to all of our new students. Buildings Update Last Tuesday February 17 we signed the contract for the new Trades Skills Centre. The plumbers began work on Thursday so we will begin to see progress with this exciting development. As many of you are aware, the Trade Skills Centre will be situated between the current Technology Centre and the new Year 9 McCormack Centre. This centre will house specialist facilities for VET Engineering, VET Electrotechnology and VET Hairdressing. Plans are currently being finalized for the new Gymnasium on the Glenroy campus with tenders hopefully being called for in May, subject to Council approval for planning and building permits. All going well we should see construction commence towards the end of term two. As with all building programs it is often said that it is short term pain for long term gain! Planning and Coaching Teams As part of our focus upon Literacy this year, we have developed Planning and Coaching teams in each subject area at each year level. In practical terms this means that all Year 7 English teachers meet together at least twice per term to plan, develop resources, discuss pedagogy, assessment tasks and determine the focus for the term. In some cases the focus may be upon curriculum documentation, developing literacy rich assessment tasks, scaffolding these tasks or joint construction of writing tasks. Every staff member that teaches Year 7 English has a chance to contribute to this team and it allows them to moderate their assessment to ensure consistency in the marking of assessment tasks. Lent in the school community The following is part of an extract from Joe Doolan who writes for the Melbourne Catholic Education Office. Lent is a time to renew and restore our relationship with Christ. In what ways can this be enabled and supported in the school community? Each gospel concerns an encounter with Christ that challenged people to open themselves to God, to faith, to truth, to life. Catholic schools provide opportunities for such encounters throughout the year, but Lent demands a special effort. These opportunities might include: • providing regular prayer and meditation sessions (daily or weekly, for individuals and groups) www.penola.vic.edu.au • reflecting on the Lenten readings • using images of the face of Christ for prayer and meditation • ensuring every classroom, gathering space and public space contains an image or symbol that is not only a reminder of Catholic identity but an invitation to be open to Christ’s presence • encouraging participation in Project Compassion, not just in donating or raising money but in opening our eyes to the suffering around us and making a compassionate response. Lent is a chance to encounter Jesus, to remember again his invitation to chat, to come and see who he really is. It is a rich season for schools to look into the face of Jesus, not merely in our chapels and classrooms with crucifixes and other images. Every encounter we have with a student, colleague or staff member can lead to a more profound realisation about our lives in Christ. A Prayer for Lent Merciful God, You called us from the dust of earth; You claimed us for Christ in the waters of baptism. Look upon us as we enter these forty days bearing the mark of ashes. Bless us as we journey through the desert of Lent to the font of rebirth. May our fasting be hunger for justice; Our alms, a making of peace; our prayer, the chant of humble and grateful hearts. All that we do and pray is in the name of Jesus, For in his cross you proclaim your love now and forever. Amen. Adapted from Catholic Household Blessings and Prayers Chris Caldow Principal From the Deputy Principal, Head of Campus - Broadmeadows Ernie Pisani Parent Information Night A big thank you to the parents and students who ventured out to the school last Thursday to attend the Parent Information Night. As mentioned on the night the success of the educative process is dependent on the strength of the working relationship between the students, parents and school. It was inspiring to see so many parents there on the night who took the opportunity to be informed about various school issues and meet the respective Homeroom teachers and Year Level Coordinators. Camps and Retreats In the next few weeks there are a number of opportunities for students to extend their educational experience through the various camps and retreats that will take place. Besides the Year 11/12 Outdoor Education Camps, the Penola Student Council will travel to Alexandra on Friday for a 3 day camp to sharpen their leadership skills. The Year 9 students will venture out to the Kinglake Wilderness Park next week on their annual Year 9 camp. In three weeks’ time the Year 12 students will head out to various venues for their yearly retreat. The importance of these camps and retreats cannot be underestimated as they provide students with opportunities to challenge themselves, establish leadership traits, set goals for the year and learn some things about their own levels of resilience. They also give staff and students an opportunity to get to know one another. We wish them all the very best for these outings. We also take the opportunity to thank the many staff who will attend to provide supervision and assist in the learning experiences. Homework Process A newly established homework process has recently been put in place to encourage students to get into better habits of fulfilling out-of-class work requirements. Through this process parents will be informed of on-going homework problems and may be asked to meet the relevant teacher or Year Level Coordinator to discuss the matter. To complement the redemption of any homework issue, the Senior Campus will commence a Homework Support Club which will take place every Tuesday. Any student is free to attend. These sessions will commence at 3:40 and finish at 4:40 in the ERC. www.penola.vic.edu.au 2 From the Deputy Principal Faith and Mission Nicole Allan Ph. 9301 2790 Hello to all members of our Penola Community! Our 20 th year has begun with a rush. Already we are four weeks into our eight week term and there is lot’s happening in Faith and Mission! JJAMM Conference Last Saturday our College Captains, Sarah McKernan and Peter Anastasopoulos, along with Mr. John Paul, flew to Sydney for the annual JJAMM Conference for AJASS College leaders. JJAMM stands for Joseph, Julian and Mary MacKillop and is an opportunity for our College Captains to meet with and plan their year of leadership, immersed in the Josephite Charism. During the 5 day experience they visited the Mary MacKillop Museum, prayed at the tomb of our first Saint and had an opportunity to share ideas with College Leaders from around Australia. Look for Sarah and Peter’s report in the newsletter. Opening and Ash Wednesday Mass Last Wednesday we celebrated our Opening Mass for 2015 and also marked the beginning of Lent, Ash Wednesday. Fr. Tony Cox lead our celebration which focussed on our theme for 2015, ‘God has done wonders for us’ and also led us into the season of Lent. During this time we should focus on fasting, prayer and almsgiving as a way of preparing well to Celebrate Easter. Remar Recruitment Last Friday every Year 10 student attended Remar Recruitment to hear a little bit about this amazing Youth Ministry program offered at Year 10, 11 and 12. Those who are interested in finding out more about Remar were invited to attend Embarkation Camp from Friday the 6th of March to Sunday the 8th March. Anyone who missed out on a note can get one from Miss. Allan’s office (MHO105). Celebration of Our 20th Anniversary As you would know by now, this year Penola Catholic College celebrates 20 years as a College. There are a number of Celebrations being planned to mark this important milestone and we want everyone to be involved! The events are: 1) Staff Pilgrimage to Penola, SA From the 12th to the 14th of April the staff will travel as a group to Penola, SA, to follow in the footsteps of our patron St. Mary of the Cross MacKillop. 2) Mary MacKillop Feast Day Our Feast Day, this year celebrated on the 7th August, will focus on all we have achieved over the last 20 years. The opportunity for families and visitors from our local Primary Schools to come after school to continue to enjoy the festival, will once again be offered. 3) 20th Anniversary Fete October the 16th this year marks the 5th Anniversary of the Canonisation of St. Mary of the Cross MacKillop. On Saturday the 17th of October our community will celebrate this important occasion by holding a 20 th Anniversary Fete. In the history of our site the St. Joseph’s Babies Home was renowned for its annual fete, so it is hoped that our 20 th Anniversary fete will be even more of a drawcard for our local community. To do this, we need your help! If you know of any companies or individuals who would be generous enough to assist us with www.penola.vic.edu.au 3 donations of goods for the day please contact me (nallan@penola.vic.edu.au) to let me know the details so I can be in touch. Some of the items we need assistance with are as follows: Donations for our raffles on the day Donations from businesses or individuals of food for the day eg. Sausages for the sausage sizzle, bread or anything else you think would assist Any donations from companies you own or work for that you think might help us to achieve all we can on the day In return for any assistance we can offer businesses advertising space in our fortnightly newsletter. 4) Penola Catholic College 20 Year Reunion Our final, and potentially biggest event celebrating our 20 years is our College Reunion taking place on the 28 th of November. On this day Mass will be celebrated at 3:30pm, followed by an opportunity to look through displays prepared for each of our 20 years. At 6:00pm a Reunion Dinner will take place. More information about how to purchase tickets for the dinner will be published soon, but in the meantime save the date! Events to Watch Out for this Term Year 7 Parents Welcome Dinner - 27th February Year 7 Retreats begin on 2nd March Gideon’s visiting Year 7 students - 6th March Remar Embarkation Camp from 6th – 8th March College Captains Dinner - 10th March Year 12 Retreat ,18th – 20th March Stations of the Cross at each Campus - 27th March News from the Deputy Principal, Head of Campus - Glenroy Stuart Harrison Last week we celebrated Ash Wednesday Mass together as an entire school and as always the students are to be commended as they were reverent during this sacred time. This mass was particularly special for our Year 7 students who for the first time were able to celebrate this special occasion as part of the Penola community. Our annual swimming carnival was also conducted last Thursday and was a warm and fun day held by all. We congratulate Geoghegan house for being the overall winners on the day. Our Year 8 Parent Information evening was held on Tuesday 24th February and was an opportunity for parents to meet their child’s homeroom teacher for 2015. There was important information provided on the night including the user names and passwords for parents to access the parent portal on myPenola. As outlined during Year 8 Information evening, myPenola is an invaluable tool for parents to be an active part of their child’s education, which allows parents to access their child’s various subject pages to assist them with the curriculum, homework and assignments they may have. I encourage any parent or guardian that was unable to attend this evening, to contact their child’s homeroom teacher for these access codes and other relevant information that was imparted. Can I please remind all parents of Year 7 students that the first of our three year 7 camps departs on Monday, 2nd of March. Our students will be attending Camp Manyung which will also mark 20 years of Year 7’s attending the camp site. I am sure that the camps will be a great opportunity for students to bond with their peers and teachers, as well as being involved in all the activities that Camp Manyung has to offer. This Friday, February 27th our annual Year 7 Welcome Dinner will be held at the senior campus. We look forward to welcoming all Year 7 students and their parents. It is a fantastic time to engage with staff and other parents and students. Finally, I would like to draw your attention to an article that appeared in The Age newspaper three weeks ago, which I believe supports what we are trying to achieve at Penola, that students need to develop a love of learning both in the school setting and equally as important in the home. The article written by Brian Steer entitled ‘Build your kids' character, don't just give them stuff’ argues that as parents we need to be active in developing our children in various facets of life. Steer writes that “one of the greatest gifts we can give youngsters is the love of learning in and of itself”. Please find the following link to the article: http://m.theage.com.au/comment/build-your-kids-character-dont-just-give-them-stuff-20150204-135p2v.html I hope you all agree that Steer's message is one of profound meaning. As always if you have any concerns or queries please don’t hesitate to contact me at the College. www.penola.vic.edu.au 4 2015 Junior and Senior Productions This year for the first time we are presenting a Junior Musical ‘Shakespeare Rocks’ open to all students from Year 7 and 8. As well as a Senior Production- ROMEO AND JULIET, open to all Year 9-12 students. Auditions were held this week and congratulations to all students involved. Final cast lists for ROMEO and JULIET will be put on the Broadmeadows notice board on Monday. This is a fantastic opportunity for students involved to display their performance skills in a professional atmosphere. Rehearsals will be held on Wednesday and Thursday after school until 5:30pm, in the Performing Arts Centre at the Broadmeadows Campus and the Drama Room at Glenroy. PERFORMANCE DATES: ‘SHAKESPEARE ROCKS’ - Junior Musical Production Thur. 25th June: 2.00pm matinee and 7.30pm evening performance ROMEO and JULIET – Senior Production July 29th: Primary School performance 12:00pm (midday) July 30th & 31st: 7:30 pm August 1st: 2:00pm matinee and 7:30pm evening Most students will only be required for 1 after school rehearsal each week. Attendance at rehearsals is essential . All songs and scripts will be available online to take home and learn. At times there will be a need for weekend and/or holiday rehearsals. 2015 Junior and Senior Music As a part of the instrumental music program at Penola Catholic College, students are encouraged to participate in the various college ensembles. Rehearsal times are as follows for each ensemble: Senior Stage Band: Tuesday 3:45 – 5:00pm (Broadmeadows) Band Room 1 and PAC 002 Staff: Mr Linton and Ms Newman Junior Concert Band: Tuesday 3:45 – 5:00pm (Glenroy) Band Room Staff: Mr Cosgrove and Mr Greatwood String Ensemble: (TBC depending on student enrolment) All private vocal students are required to attend the College Voices rehearsals. Junior Voices: Senior Voices: Monday Lunch (Glenroy) and one other time TBC Band Room Staff: Ms Barlow and Ms Strati Monday 3:45 – 5:15pm (30 minutes earlier on an Early Leave Day - day 6) (Broadmeadows) Auditorium and PAC 002 Staff: Ms Barlow and Ms Newman Students involved in the Contemporary Band Program will need to schedule rehearsals with Mr Hanley or Mr Stivala that do not clash with the College programs above. We look forward to a wonderful year and hope all students benefit from this generous opportunity. A reminder that performing Arts Camp this year will be from 22nd – 24th May This year we say goodbye to our long time Guitar tutor Dave Sutton. All the staff in the Performing Arts Department have appreciated his contribution in providing opportunities for our students to play and perform over the last 18 years. Dave has also mentored many VCE guitar students through the complexities of Year 12 guitar performances, with several of these same students’ now qualified teachers. We are pleased to announce that Michael Hanley will be joining us at Penola as Guitar/ Bass and contemporary band tutor commencing Wednesday, February 25 th. We know Dave Sutton leaves a large legacy and have taken the time to select a teacher who brings experience in both teaching and performance that best fits the needs of both the College and our students. Michael is a multi-instrumentalist playing in several bands as well as a fully qualified classroom music teacher. We are confident he will inspire our next generation and continue to develop their love of music into creative performances for our community to share, as well as prepare our current VCE students for their examinations. James Maddocks Head of Performing Arts www.penola.vic.edu.au 5 From the Head of Languages Anna Favrin Introducing our 2015 Language Assistants: We welcome to Penola our new Italian and French language assistants for 2015. Both Ilaria and Niels are native speakers of their language and are here to assist students to excel in their language studies. We wish them a successful stay at Penola! Cari genitori e tutori, Il mio nome è Ilaria e sarò una delle assistenti di lingua italiana durante tutto l’anno 2015. Ho una laurea in Lingue e Letterature Straniere e una specializzazione in Inglese. Amo il cinema, la letteratura e le lingue straniere. Mi piace tantissimo conoscere culture, stili di vita e cucine sempre nuove e diverse. Vengo da Pesaro, una piccola città sulla costa centro-est dell’Italia, nella regione Marche, ma ho vissuto anche a Bologna e a Venezia, due città splendide. Mi sono trasferita in Australia un anno fa e mi piace tantissimo. Ho già lavorato come assistente linguistico e non vedo l’ora di ripetere questa esperienza. Farò del mio meglio per aiutare i ragazzi a perfezionare la lingua italiana, la quarta lingua più studiata al mondo! In bocca al lupo per questo 2015! Dear Parents and Guardians, My name is Ilaria Manna and I will be one of the Italian Language Assistants throughout 2015. I have a BA in Foreign Languages and Literature and a MA in English. I love cinema, literature and foreign languages. I deeply enjoy getting to know new and diverse cultures, life-styles and cuisines. I come from Pesaro, a small town on the central east coast of Italy, in the Marche region, but I have also lived in Bologna and Venice, two marvellous cities. I moved to Australia a year ago and I like it very much. I have already worked as a language assistant and I am very happy to repeat this experience this year. I will do my best to help the students to improve their Italian, the fourth most studied language in the world! Good luck for this 2015! Bonjour, Je m’appelle Niels, je viens de Lyon, en France. Je suis étudiant en pharmacie (j’entre en troisième année l’an prochain). Je viens en Australie pour être assistant des professeurs pendant cinq mois. J’aiderais les élèves pendant les cours et j’animerais des groupes de discussions. J’espère aussi améliorer mon anglais en le pratiquant au quotidien. Cette expérience me permet aussi de découvrir un pays que je n’ai jamais visité : L’Australie. Vu d’Europe, c’est l’autre bout du monde ! Hello, I’m Niels, I’m from Lyon, in France. I study pharmacy (next year, I will be in third year). I have come to Australia to be a teacher assistant for five months. I will help the students during class and I will lead some discussion groups. I hope also to improve my English by using it in daily life. This experience will also allow me to discover a country that I have never visited : Australia. From Europe, it’s the other side of the world ! FREE STUDENT EXCHANGE INFORMATION EVENING IN MELBOURNE Our Lady’s Parish Debutant Ball Any girls in Year 11 or Year 12 wishing to make their debut with Our Lady’s Parish Craigieburn Hear from returned students, find out more about discounts and scholarships available and ask questions. are asked to contact Mrs Bretag on 93017844. Wednesday, 4th March - 7.30pm Radisson on Flagstaff Gardens 380 William Street, Melbourne Also you can contact Jeanette O’Neill on 9308 1592. Visit www.studentexchange.org.au or call 1300 135 331 for more information. at PCC Broadmeadows canteen asap. The Deb Ball will be held in July at Melrose Reception, Tullamarine. www.penola.vic.edu.au 6 From the Head of Sport Brett Dickinson INFORMATION ABOUT JOINING THE YEAR 10 PREMIER LEAGUE Year 10 Premier League is up and running for Term 1 with the following sports on offer. Please see below for coaches and training times. There is a heap of sport available to get involved in during Term 1 so get out of your comfort zone and test yourself against other schools in the SACCS organisation. Be sure to keep an eye on the bulletin each morning and for any questions, see Mr Dickinson in the Sports Office. Y10 PL COACH TRAINING DAY & TIME CRICKET Mr Glenn Widdicombe Wed after school BOYS SOCCER Mr Devraj Kumar Mon 715am & Wed after school GIRLS SOCCER Ms Ann-Maree Dellorso & Mr Pat Solano Wed after school BOYS VOLLEYBALL Mr Brendan Smith Wed lunch GIRLS VOLLEYABLL Ms Francesca Pascalis Wed lunch BOYS BASKETBALL Mr Adam Hipwell Wed morning 7:15am GIRLS BASKETBALL Mr Ashley Mills Wed morning 7:15am NETBALL Ms Taylah Da Riva Wed after school SENIOR SPORT COACH TRAINING DAY & TIME CRICKET Mark Johnstone Wed after school SENIOR SUMMER SPORTS DAY COACH TRAINING DAY & TIME BOYS VOLLEYBALL Mr Brendan Smith Wed after school GIRLS VOLLEYABLL Ms Francesca Pascalis & Mrs Kate MurrayFawcett Wed after school BOYS BASKETBALL Mr Adam Hipwell Wed morning 7:15am GIRLS BASKETBALL Mr Ashley Mills Wed morning 7:15am TENNIS Mr Bernie Brown Wed after school ALL COACH TRAINING DAY & TIME SWIMMING Mr Dickinson & Ms Gillard Wed after school www.penola.vic.edu.au 7 JJAMM CONFERENCE From the 14th of February to the 18th of February the annual JJAMM leadership conference was held in Sydney, where 20 of the 26 Josephite secondary schools from both Australia and New Zealand gathered. This year, Mr John Paul along with us, the 2015 College Captains, attended the event on behalf of Penola Catholic College. During the 5 day event, the leaders engaged in various activities where the central focus was to embrace leadership in the spirit of Saint Joseph, Julian Tenson Woods and Mary MacKillop, as well as to help the student leaders to appreciate the core values of the Josephite tradition and to assist young people in coming to recognise Mary MacKillop as a role model for living Gospel values. The camp was full of memorable experiences including the Mass on Saturday night where each school had a role to play was given the opportunity to define what a Josephite school is in front of Josephite Sisters including Sister Rita (who works at Penola). The leaders visited St. Mary of the Cross MacKillop's tomb in North Sydney, this was also a special moment where some of the leaders prayed to St. Mary of the Cross. On the second part of our journey, we stayed at Kincumber where Mary MacKillop opened her first boy's home, here the boys learnt the skills needed to live in the country. Kincumber was a beautiful town, where we as a group of around 40 student leaders were able to form friendship and find common interest across the Josephine schools we all represented. It is with these new friendships formed that we were able to spend our evenings by participating in JJAMM jingles where current songs were transformed so they have a new Josephite meaning as well as an evening of JJAMMers Got Talent where those of us with a particular talent could perform it to the group. Another important session we had at Kincumber was discussing social justice issues in our community and what each Josephite school could do in response to these injustices being served and ways we as a College could promote awareness of issues like human trafficking and caring for our environment. It is through discussing what other schools do to promote social justice issues in their schools that we are full of new ideas which we hope to explore at Penola. JJAMM was an amazing experience where we feel that we have grown and developed as both students and leaders. We were honoured to be a part of this event and privileged to get the opportunity to represent Penola interstate as a Josephite school. We would also like to thank Mr Paul who accompanied us and look forward to passing our wisdom from JJAMM onto future leaders and students alike at Penola Catholic College. By Sarah McKernan and Peter Anastasopoulos www.penola.vic.edu.au 8 TSFX - The School For Excellence The School For Excellence (TSFX) is an education organisation that works with students to maximise their Year 11 & Year 12 scores. Enrolments for our weekly tuition classes are filling up fast! Don't miss out on your opportunity to join the classes. Applications close Monday 2 March 2015. Visit our website http://www.tsfx.com.au/ww.tsfx.com.au/… or give the office a call on 03 9663 3311 for further information. www.penola.vic.edu.au 9 PENOLA CATHOLIC COLLEGE Second Hand Uniform Sales Fortnightly: TUESDAYS At Broadmeadows Campus from 8.45am till 10.30am Term 1: 3rd March, 17th March Term 2: 21st April, 5th May, 19th May, 2nd June, 16th June Term 3: 14th July, 28th July, 11th August, 25th August, 8th September, 29th September Term 4: 6th October, 20th October, 10th November, 24th November Anybody who wishes to sell their freshly dry cleaned second hand uniform items, can do so by leaving them at Reception. All items must show they have been dry cleaned by having dry cleaning tag attached. A small fee will be charged for postage and handling. Please Note: Discontinued items will no longer be accepted or available for sale by the Second Hand Uniform Shop. Academy Uniforms Academy Uniforms : 238 Wolseley Place, Thomastown Ph: 9460 8011 Academy Uniforms also run a school shop service at Broadmeadows Campus in the current second hand uniform area in the Mannes building on: Wednesday mornings Thursday afternoons from 8:00 - 9:30am from 2:30 - 4:00pm. The shop is set up and work alongside the second hand uniform volunteers. Penola Catholic College Skoolbag The College is now using the Skoolbag App to send out information to parents and students. School notices, alerts and newsletters are communicated directly to smart phones through the Skoolbag App. The App can be downloaded from the App Store by searching for Penola Catholic College. LIGHTS OF CULTURE – HUME MULTICULTURAL FESTIVAL Hume City Council proudly presents Lights of Culture – Hume’s Multicultural Festival – at the Broadmeadows Town Park between 12pm and 9pm on Saturday 21 March 2015. Lights of Culture is a family-friendly event, accessible for people of all ages and abilities, and offers the opportunity for people to celebrate their heritage and explore different cultures. The event will be packed with fun cultural activities and experiences including food, music and dance. During the evening, we'll be lighting up the park with traditional lanterns representing our richly diverse community. www.penola.vic.edu.au 10