Term 3, Week 3 - 6 August - 2020
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From the Principal
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Assistant Principal
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COVID 19 INFORMATION (SAFETY, EVACUATION PLAN, ACTIVITIES WE CAN & CAN'T DO)
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Student Attendance
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Careers
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PDHPE
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Calendar Update
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Student Leadership News
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End of Term Concert
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Athletics Carnival - Photo Gallery
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Celebrating 30 Years
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Meet our Student Leaders
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Wellbeing Information
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Parish News
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Recipes by Cheryl
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Food for Thought / Stories as Told by Mr Ogg
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Birthdays
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Photo Gallery
Dear Parents and Carers
Last Friday was our Athletics Carnival and what a great day it was! The weather was perfect, attendance was healthy and there was a positive feel across the park. I was very proud of the student participation and the support and encouragement students gave each other. It was one of the few events we have been able to hold and even though a lot more work was involved to hold this carnival in terms of COVID 19 safety, it was definitely worth it and I think it was needed as a community. I was able to wander the park, chat to students and watch so many try their hardest, participate to earn a point for their house, enjoy themselves, as well see outstanding performances that broke records. Unfortunately, due to COVID 19 restrictions, we were unable to have parents present. The Age Champions and the Champion House will be announced next week.
Parent Teacher Interviews
Thank you to the parents who participated in the Parent - Teacher interviews via Zoom. It was a successful first attempt at such an event and shows how adaptive we all can be - as well as brave, as many parents had not experienced Zoom in this way. If you were unable to participate in the interviews and would still like to discuss your child’s progress with staff, please contact the College to make arrangements for a phone conversation.
DOLSIS Survey
120 families were randomly chosen to participate in the annual School Improvement Survey, conducted by Lismore Diocese. I encourage these families to use this opportunity to complete the survey either online or on the supplied hard copy, by 7th August. The data is used to improve the College for the benefit of our students.
McAuley Book Week
The Library Team, led by Mr Bellamy, have organised activities for homerooms to complete each day. Book week highlights the importance of reading, promotes our fantastic library and encourages students to rediscover books. The week will culminate in a Dress Up day on Friday - 7th August. Students and staff are encouraged to come to school as a character from a book.
Year 12 Information for the Term
Term 3 is a “big” term for our Year 12 students. They are currently preparing for their Trial HSC exams which will be held at the College between the 17th August & 28th August. We are constantly thinking about our Year 12 students and their progress and wellbeing, in terms of the impact of COVID 19 on their schooling, but also on the “traditions” of leaving school. Year 12 and parents have been very patient but I fully understand you would like to know what the end of term will look like as well as the end of year Formal Graduation. We are working our way through the various possibilities that are still available and trying to be creative in our approach to end of term formalities for the Awards and Graduation Presentation. We need to work closely with the CSO and the advice they receive from NSW Health, as well as abiding by the restrictions that are in place due to COVID 19. As we know more we will keep you informed. Mrs Robinson has an information letter going out to Year 12 students and parents this week.
COVID 19 Information
I have included a section on this newsletter on COVID 19. Here you will find information on our current safety procedures, lists of what we can and can’t do at this stage, in terms of activities, and an abbreviated plan for the College if we have a positive case of COVID 19 in our community. Please read through this so you are aware of the procedure that we have developed, based on information from Lismore CSO and NSW Health.
Please note that if your child is unwell please keep them at home. If your child becomes unwell while they are at school you will be asked to collect him/her and take them home. If you or your child has a test for COVID 19, please stay at home while waiting for the result.
Enrolments 2021
Enrolments for Year 7 2021 are still open. We have sent out additional offers this week and now have approximately 25 places left for next year. If you or someone you know are intending to come to McAuley in 2021 please submit an application in the next 2 weeks so enrolments can be finalised by the end of this term.
We have also had numerous applications for enrolment into our other year groups for 2021, which is very pleasing. We currently have a waiting list for Year 8 2021. Our numbers for 2021 overall are looking healthy. Thank you to our parents who promote McAuley in the community as a positive, encouraging and caring learning environment.
Mufti Day
This Friday - 7th August will be a mufti day for those not dressing as a book character. Students are to bring a gold coin donation for the privilege of wearing casual clothes. There is still a standard of dress that is to be maintained on this day which is outlined in the Assistant Principal section of the newsletter.
Teaching Gratitude
During the holidays I read The Resilience Project by Hugh van Cuylenburg. Many of you may have also read this book and if not I encourage you to have a look at it. It is an easy read but with some great messages, especially for our young people today and very applicable in the current climate of change that we find ourselves in. A message that resonated with me throughout the book was the importance of GRATITUDE. I spoke to this briefly at our Tuesday Assembly in week 1. I asked our students to think about what they are grateful for and encouraged them to record 2 - 3 things they are grateful for each day. It is so easy to bypass gratitude and always be looking for what we don’t have, or simply searching for more. Perhaps being grateful and writing this down each day is a practice we as adults can also adopt.
Take care
Yours sincerely
Kate
Kate Thomson
Principal
“We should be shining lamps, giving light to all around us.” Catherine McAuley
Postscript - NAIDOC DAY
Due to illness in the Admin staff we were not able to publish this newsletter on Monday. However, this has given me the opportunity to add here that we acknowledged NAIDOC this week. As many of you know , the official NAIDOC celebrations have been moved to November due to COVID 19. We decided in early term 2 that we would acknowledge NAIDOC in term 3 then again in November. Rachel Johnson had done a lot of the planning for this event, so as a College we celebrated NAIDOC yesterday out of respect for Rachel. At the end of the NAIDOC Assembly the whole College community gathered around the poles in the courtyard, to acknowledge Rachel and her work in the College. The poles in the courtyard have gradually been painted in Aboriginal art and symbols of community, which was started last year at NAIDOC time. In the courtyard we listened to a rendition of Amazing Grace performed by Gurrumul and Paul Kelly, and then sat in silence. It was a powerful and moving few minutes, full of respect and sadness, and again I felt immensely proud of our community.
This week we have been celebrating Book Week and we have organised a mufti day and dress up for Friday 7th August. The theme for this year is “Curious Creatures & Wild Minds”. Students are asked to dress as their favourite book character which falls under this theme or wear mufti. Students are to bring a gold coin donation for the privilege of wearing mufti. The proceeds of the day will be directed to the Indigenous Literacy Foundation.
Students are to ensure they are dressed appropriately, as it is a school day - covered shoes, no singlet tops, no offensive attire or language, symbols etc. Students who are deemed to be inappropriate in their attire will be asked to change and parents will be contacted.
Kathy Warby
Assistant Principal
Safety Measures in place
- Good hygiene and social distancing between adults are the best personal actions to prevent possible transmission of COVID-19. Therefore we need to continue to socially distance (adults), students are to socially distance from staff,
- Desks are to be wiped down at the start of each lesson, hand sanitiser used regularly and everyone is to follow appropriate hand washing and coughing etiquette.
- Cold & flu symptoms: If a staff member or student displays any cold or flu symptoms, even mild symptoms, they must stay at home. Staff & students are encouraged to undergo a COVID19 test in such a situation to expedite their return to school
- Parents and visitors are to avoid attending school premises unless under extraordinary circumstances as deemed appropriate by the school principal
- Visitors to the site must sign in and complete an External Visitor Declaration Form as required by CSNSW & Lismore CSO
- Students should continue to bring water bottles from home to fill at bubblers and not drink directly from them.
Procedure if a Positive Case of COVID 19 is reported at the College (This is an abbreviated form of the College Procedure)
1. Notification of Positive COVID 19 case OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL HOURS
- The College will advise all staff, parents and students of the short term school closure effective immediately and that further information will follow.
- This will be communicated via Email & SMS text. Facebook will be used to notify families to check email and text messages..
- Staff, Parents & students are requested not to discuss the issue with media
- The school is expected to be closed for 1 - 3 days.
2. Notification of Positive COVID 19 case DURING SCHOOL HOURS
When the school receives a notification of a positive case of COVID 19 during school hours the following will happen:
- The school will be placed in Amber lockdown. This means staff and students stay where they are, classes continue, no-one leaves or enters school.
- A Marshall will be placed at the front of the school to stop entry into the school
- At this time the required notifications will be made.
- Staff, parents and students will be advised of the situation, of the short term school closure effective immediately, that the school is in lockdown and that further information will follow, including when students can be collected.
- Once evacuation is ready to be implemented, a follow up message will be sent to all parents to advise that students can be collected from school.
- Communication is to be via Email, SMS text. Facebook will be used to notify families to check email and text messages.
- Students will collect their bags and move to the front of the school in an orderly manner. Students will be assembled in the areas described below for orderly parent / carer pick up.
- Students with surname A- M assemble at the front of the school on the grass area near the carpark (Area 1). Students are to sit quietly and be socially distanced. Parents / Carers will pick up on the left hand side of the roundabout. As Parents / Cares arrive students will be marked off on lists provided.
- Students with surname N - Z assemble at the front of the school on the grass area on the Science Block side of the entrance (Area 2). Students are to sit quietly and be socially distanced. They will depart from the bus bay area using the front gate and the gate at the end of the path . As students leave they will be marked off on lists provided.
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- Senior students driving themselves meet the Year Coordinators on the grass area between the Mercy Garden and carpark (Area 3). They may transport siblings as per the driving to school paperwork. Students must drive directly to their place of residence.
E. If masks are available they will be allocated to staff and students as they move to the front of the school
F. Students will be taking their bags home. It is recommended that all items be wiped down with an appropriate cleaning solution.
G. In this situation a school is expected to close between one (1) to three (3) days. Online learning is not required.
H. The CSO will organise a forensic disinfection and cleaning of the school, which will be expected to commence within 24 hours of notification.
I. The school is expected to be closed for 1 - 3 days.
J. Communication with families will continue via email and text message with notifications on Facebook to check these communication modes.
What we can and can’t do as a College community due to COVID 19 restrictions
Activities allowed - some with restrictions
- School sport: All school sport and activities including competitions aligned with current health advice
- Inter school student events and competitions (choirs, sport, debating, public speaking, performing arts, sports trials etc).
- Masses and Liturgies.
- Incursions not already permitted involving external adult providers maintaining distancing and hygiene aligned with the health advice of the day (e.g. school banking talks, sport promotions etc. – not directly curriculum related).
- P&F meetings – strong preference for on-line where possible.
- Parent/teacher meetings – strong preference for on-line where possible.
- Parent/carer school pick up and drop off – Parents/carers should not be on school grounds or at school events without principal’s permission.
- Official visitors and dignitaries (consistent with current protocols).
- Work experience for students.
- Practicum teaching for tertiary education students.
- VET work placements for all students can proceed subject to the availability of placement and appropriate risk assessments.
- School based apprenticeships and traineeships can recommence once the relevant workplaces are back in operation.
- Year 11 & 12 students attending classes/ activities relating to subjects only available on other campuses including TAFE.
- Choirs and performing arts.
ACTIVITIES ON HOLD:
- School camps.
- Excursions (other than local field trips).
- Parent attendance at assemblies and other school events
- Parent volunteers – e.g. parent reading helpers (note: canteen and uniform shop volunteers are permitted).
- Interstate excursions.
- School based activities that involve large gatherings of adults are not permitted at this time. These include parent/community gatherings such as parent functions, working bees, fundraisers, school
- BBQs, large parent information evenings, and large on-site cultural events. These large gatherings and the following activities will continue to be reviewed and assessed based on AHPPC and NSW Health advice and may be permitted at a later date.
- Certain large scale arts events and sports tournaments may be cancelled at the principal’s discretion.
ATTENDANCE
Hello everyone, welcome back to Term 3. I hope everyone had a well-deserved rest during the holidays. It felt like I hadn’t had a break all year so the two weeks off was welcomed at my house!
During the holidays I had the job of reviewing the attendance of every student in the school. It took a little longer than I thought but provided some interesting reading. I now have to take action on those students whose attendance is a concern.
Attendance concern means the following:
- Less than 95% attendance or;
- 3 consecutive days of unapproved leave; or
- Any 5 days of unapproved leave or any other pattern observed (such as regular Mondays and Fridays away or habitual partial non-attendance).
The NSW Education Act (1990) and the Catholic Schools Office Lismore require Parents/Carers to ensure that children of compulsory age attend school on each day that the school is open for instruction. If children are absent from school, Parents/Carers are required to provide the school with an acceptable explanation, in writing, within seven days of the absence.
Medical certificates are also required to explain periods of illness.
The law requires us to inform parents of concerns around attendance and keep records of discussions regarding attendance. This may come in the form of an email or a phone call from Year Coordinators or, a letter from myself or the Principal. If attendance is particularly poor, we may require a meeting to discuss the attendance situation and plan improvement.
What can you do to help? Communicate!!! As a parent, good communication is vital to help monitor attendance and provide for the best educational outcome for your child. If your child is sick or absent for any reason, we want to know. If your child is bullied or worried about something and avoiding school, we want to know. If you need help getting your child to school, we want to help!!! Building positive relationships between parents and our school will transfer to a better educational experience for your child.
Attendance letters will be sent out in the next few weeks to those families whose children’s attendance is a concern. If you receive a letter and would like to discuss any issues, please give me a call during school hours.
Thanks for your time,
Rob Imeson
Leader of Pastoral Care
Southern Cross University understands that during these challenging times, as a Year 12 student, you may be feeling uncertain about the path to your future study options. Our STAR Early Offer program removes some of the pressure by providing a pathway directly into university study that is not based solely on your year 12 results.
To assist you on your university journey, students who apply through the STAR Early Offer program and commence their study in Session 1 2021 will be eligible for a $200 STAR Bursary. Apply now at www.scu.edu.au/star
To discover more about Southern Cross University join us for our virtual open event launching 17 August.
To register, visit www.scu.edu.au/discover
Careers Adviser
Here is a summary of our Calendar dates for the next few weeks. We have included events - both changed and unchanged. (We should be used to coping with change these days!)
Week 3
August 7 - DOLSIS survey closes
7 - Book Week Dress up / Mufti Day
Week 4
August 10 - 14 VET Workplacement Week 1
11 - Defence Force Recruiting visit to College
11 - Presentation of Semester 1 Certificates
10 & 11 - Dio Jnr Basketball - CANCELLED
13 - Yr 10 Reflection Day with Michael Fitzpatrick - CANCELLED
14 - SCU Future Students seminar
Week 5
August 17 to 21 - HSC Trial exams
17 to 21 - Yr 11 VET Work Placement Week 2
18 - Yr 6 Orientation Day - CANCELLED
19 to 21 - Yr 11 Retreat - CANCELLED
20 TO 21 - SHINE - CANCELLED
Week 6
August 24 to 28 - HSC Trial Exams
24 & 25 - Staff Development Days - Berry St Education Model - POSTPONED
Term 3 has started off with a running start, events are coming through at the College and more are in store for the coming weeks. The student leadership team has decided to continue the Thursday lunchtime sport, with a variety of sports being offered, ranging from dodgeball, touch football to volleyball. The first week presented great enthusiasm from the students with touch football on the oval. All students are welcome to play and watch in the coming weeks. Week 3 sport will be dodgeball located in the hall.
Last week the College held their annual Athletics Carnival. Considering the current COVID events, the students were respectful of the rules and many comments were made about the great day the students were having. The Year 12 students committed to their costumes this year with a theme of Sporting Icons and there were numerous famous people in attendance, such as Roger Federer, Brett Lee and even The Honey Badger himself was seen on the field.
In the coming weeks the student leadership team plans to continue with their efforts in keeping the school community in high spirits. Next week there is a concert with the year 9 and 10 students showing off their musical talents to the school.
Year 11 Band
Please find attached the latest Parish Bulletin from Clarence Valley Parish
As oranges are in season, all sweet & juicy, here is a sweet, sticky, yummy and best of all easy Chicken in Orange Sauce Recipe
INGREDIENTS
FOOD FOR THOUGHT 8
In the midst of a long list of genealogies of “begats” is this cameo:
Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, “I gave birth to him in pain.”
Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted his request.
Not very nice having a name that means “(a) pain”. (Although I must adnit a few people do spring to mind – then again that’s probably just me).
What would it look like to you if God “would bless you indeed, and enlarge your territory”?
What would it look like to you if Gods’ hand was upon you, apart from keeping you from harm and free of pain?
Sometimes I suspect we can be a real pain to God yet He continues to love us, bless us, and seek a living relationship through His Son, Jesus, with us. Now.
Not only after we die and be with Him in Heaven.
Now that is a blessing indeed! (David Ogg)
Bella Groth, Zachary Polsen, Cooper Crouch, Jessie Jenkins, Noah Gallagher, Eliza Hughes, Olivia Morfett, Ruby Barnier, Samuel Ellem, Martin Girdler, Bodie Cherry, Koby Culling, Elizabeth Graham, Laura Graham, Laura Harley, Mikayla Mauler, Cooper Daley-Hadi, Cameron Swadling, Lara Spears, Luke Summerell, Ewan Whitty, Jara'na Dutton, Imogen Lee, Koran McPherson.