Filter Content
Dear parents, friends, staff and students,
“Let the little children come to me; do not stop them, for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs”. Mark 10: 2–16.
Over the last few weeks, I have continued to come onto the College site on a roster with our Leadership Team to ensure that learning and teaching continues to be given the support it requires during lockdown. I had also sent a few videos to the students over the last six weeks to show them how much they are missed. The quote above which comes from the Gospel on October 3, reminds us that we should be like children if we are to share in the benefits of the Kingdom. When we spend a great deal of time with our children, or anyone for that matter, it is often easy to focus on the things that they do that upset or frustrate us. As educators, this may be their reluctance to participate or to engage with their learning and our frustration lies in the fact that we can see potential that is being underutilised. When there is an absence however, as we are experiencing onsite, the beauty of the interactions and the value of the person is highlighted. The idea that we need to be like children to fulfil our role in a Christian community is not about acting or thinking simplistically but is about accepting that there are realities we cannot change. We are required to work within these realities or aim to influence those things that we can improve. When parents go to the shops, we often see their small children following without any real understanding of where they are going or why. It is this faith in their parents to care for them and their futures that God is asking of each one of us with Him. We trust that God will care and look after us but that includes our responsibility to care for and look after ourselves and each other.
As you are aware due to the impacts of COVID, there have been a number of events that have been cancelled or postponed until the new year. Our finance office has been working to apply credits to fees for these. On your next fee instalment, there will be a number of credits applied for these events and also for the sport and bus contributions that have not been accessed during term 3. During term 4, we will also apply credits for events that will be cancelled during term 4. These amounts will vary between year groups and students depending on what you had been charged for and what has been cancelled. Please feel free to contact the office should you have any questions.
The Western Sydney University has published some short facts sheets on literacy and numeracy assistance, wellbeing, and support suggestions for HSC students. This is part of their Education Knowledge Network (EKN). I have included the link here and suggest it is well worth referring to:
https://www.westernsydney.edu.au/schools/soed/ekn/ekn_home_school
As we head into the Term 3 holidays, I encourage our students to take a break from their studies but to look to see how you can also give your parents and families some assistance so they too can stop and ‘breathe’. This may be to take over a few more responsibilities or chores at home or simply to offer to help out when needed. The two weeks is a great opportunity to reconnect without the pressures of schoolwork. I wish you all a relaxing break.
As always, a very big thank you to the staff, students and parents for your flexibility and ongoing support during remote learning.
Ite in VeritateMr Steve Lo Cascio
Principal
First and foremost this week, I take the opportunity to thank the students, parents and staff of the College for all the work that has taken place amidst such a challenging health and education backdrop over the past term. Little did we know as we concluded Term 2, that for most members of our College community, we wouldn’t be returning for a number of months. I congratulate the students for the resilience and adaptability that they have continued to demonstrate in responding to remote learning at short notice, and for such a sustained period of time. I thank the parents who have balanced their own work and domestic responsibilities alongside their support of online learning. And finally, I thank the teaching and support staff of the College for their ongoing work in supporting the academic and pastoral needs of our students throughout such an unprecedented experience.
In recent weeks, we have widely publicised the return to school plans for each of our year groups. To the best of our knowledge, this roadmap is still likely to shape our gradual return to school once the new term is underway. In saying that, we are also likely to receive further information in the coming weeks regarding the COVID-safe requirements for our safe return to face to face learning. As we’ve done previously, we will of course prioritise communicating this to all members of our community.
Finally, I thank the many members of our community who have been so proactive in supporting our COVID19 recording procedures over the past term in particular. These processes go a long way in helping us maintain a safe environment for all members of our College community. While we are not required to monitor COVID testing details during the upcoming holiday period, I do request that the following reporting procedures are resumed once the term recommences from Tuesday 5 October:
- Informing the school immediately if your child is self-isolating or undergoing testing, and informing us of the result as soon as possible.
- Following sickness with flu-like symptoms, ensuring your child is free of symptoms and can present a negative COVID-19 test, before attending the College site for any reason.
All the best for the two weeks of well deserved rest ahead.
David Cloran
Assistant Principal
First Reading Wis 2:12, 17 - 20 The wicked put God to the test.
Second Reading Jas 3:16 - 4:3 Wisdom versus jealousy and strife.
Gospel Mk 9:30 - 37 Jesus teaches that to rank first, disciples must serve all.
26th Sunday of Ordinary Time 26 September
First Reading Nm 11:25 - 29 The Lord bestows his spirit on seventy elders.
Second Reading Jas 5:1-6 Harsh words for those who exploit others.
Gospel Mk 9:38-43, 45, 47-48 If they are not against us, they are for us.
27th Sunday of Ordinary Time 3 October
First Reading Gen 2:1-24 The Lord God creates woman.
Second Reading Heb 2:9-11 Jesus was made low to taste death for all people.
Gospel Mk 10:2-6 ‘Let the children come to me.’
September is the month for Care for Creation.
A time to reflect on these vital parts of the planet.
19 September Sky Sunday - a focus on the atmosphere, the air, the wind, and the clouds
26 September Mountain Sunday - a focus on the lithosphere - the land, soil, hills and the valleys
Saint days in this time include:
21 September St Matthew
22 September Excommunication of Mary Mackillop
27 September St Vincent de Paul
29 September St Michael, Gabriel, Raphael- the Archangels
1 October St Therese of Liseux
2 October Guardian Angels
4 October St Francis of Assisi
9 October St John Henry Newman
Year 7-10 Tracking Reports - Term 3
These are available via Compass today. As Term 3 has been completed in a remote learning environment, some slight amendments to the way we communicate student progress in a Tracking report have been implemented. In some circumstances, the Achievement grade may be excluded for one or more subjects. This would be as a result of the teacher not being able to make a judgement on progress as the student has attempted limited course work during the term. The Effort grade descriptors have also been tailored to accommodate aspects of the remote learning environment. It is important that students continue to develop their skills and knowledge in this challenging period. I congratulate those students who have maintained their effort and approach to their school work during remote learning.
NESA COVID Advice and HSC Exam Timetable Updates
The advice from NESA is frequently updated on their website: https://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/covid-19/coronavirus-advice
Ms Chardy Miller
Acting Curriculum Coordinator
Good afternoon everyone,
As we head into a much deserved break, after what has been a whirlwind 12 weeks of lockdown, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all students and carers for their support over the past term.
Hopefully Years 7, 8 and 9 have received their wellbeing packs from their Pastoral teams as a small recognition of their efforts during lockdown. Earlier today interim reports for Years 7-10 were also released and I encourage all students to look carefully at these as being a useful tool to initiate conversations with their teachers and Pastoral Advisors early next term as a means of reflecting and establishing some tangible learning goals for the final push through to the end of the year.
As a final note, I wish you all a restful break.
Mr Simon Huntly
Pastoral Care and Wellbeing Coordinator
The English Extension 2 course, which begins in Term 4 of Year 11 and is completed by the August of Year 12, enables students who have an interest in reading and writing to craft language and refine their personal voice in critical and creative ways. The course involves the composition of an extended piece of text – usually in written form and approximately 6000 words in length – that stems from a particular personal interest or passion the student may have. The course involves a number of stages. These include the investigation and research stage, the drafting stage, the revising stage, and finally the editing for publication stage. Students currently in Years 7-10 could be thinking very seriously about the idea of undertaking this very special English course and preparing by reading a wide range of good quality literature.
Over the years, students have created Major Works composed in a variety of forms. These have included short stories, essays, poetry anthologies and play scripts. One student decided to create a film which was a very clever satire on schools. I recall that this film scored very highly with a mark of 49/50 and the composer went on to become a film director of note. Another student had her play performed by Sydney’s Riverside Theatre and I was privileged to be in attendance on the opening night. Another, who was particularly interested in nineteenth century literature, wrote a wonderful short story in the style and authorial context of the Brontë sisters. She achieved full marks for her outstanding composition. Another student who loved the novel The Great Gatsby, felt strongly about F. Scott Fitzgerald’s depiction of one of the book’s characters - Daisy Buchanan. The student’s Major Work consisted of a collection of letters written by the fictional character Daisy challenging her unsympathetic portrayal. Yet another student who was enthusiastic about the writings of Oscar Wilde wrote a powerful essay entitled Will the Real Oscar Wilde Please Stand? She painstakingly researched the different biographical accounts of Wilde’s life – spanning one hundred and thirty years of literary criticism – and managed to capture her own version of this larger-than-life Irish writer.
Some English Extension 2 Major Works have focused on world events and explored insights into the human condition associated with such significant incidents. These have included the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster, the 1991 volcanic eruption of Mt Pinatubo in the Philippines, and the 2015 execution of two young Australians in Indonesia for drug smuggling. This last piece of work, which focused on the deaths of Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, achieved for Rainier Reyes the award of third place in the State and a perfect score of 50/50. Other projects have dealt with subjects such as dementia, identity, the impact of industrialisation, and artistic creativity. One of my favourite Extension 2 projects concerned the life of the German theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who was executed by the Nazis in 1945 for participating in a plot to kill Adolf Hitler. Pierre Lingat wrote a short story from the point of view of Bonhoeffer’s prison guard some fifty years after his execution. This fictional account left me in absolute awe of the incredible power of storytelling.
This brings me to Emma Jones’ 2020 composition Hidden. As I stated last week, this creative nonfiction piece was selected by NESA for inclusion in the anthology of outstanding works from the 2020 cohort of Extension 2 submissions. I have included below the anthology’s ‘Notes from the Author’.
‘The opportunity to compose a six-thousand-word piece could not arise at a more apt time in a young person’s life, a time when students are negotiating the difficult border between adolescence and adulthood. In hindsight, I firmly believe that English Extension 2 has enabled me to confidently cross this border by inciting deep personal reflection, something seldom found in a world where self-actualisation and self-absorption are erroneously portrayed as bound together.
As a non-linear, often erratic creative process, the English Extension 2 course demanded of me a certain kind of discipline, in which I not only needed to concentrate for extended periods, but was also forced to stretch the imagination to its empathic limits. To produce original writing of quality, alongside reading widely and sourcing worthy material, I have learnt that there needs to be a deep attunement to the world around and within you. This means giving credence to the ‘life’ of unexpected things – animals, objects, nature, vague feelings or half- understood thoughts – and embedding these voices into the world you create. Creative writing is thus a simultaneously inward and outward-looking process, prompting us to recognise the interweaved nature of individual lives and those of other people and landscapes.
Personally experiencing the surrender that is brought about by artistic composition guided me to my work’s central concept. To write well, we require empathy. Therefore, to better understand ourselves through creative writing is to listen and learn about other people and things. Consequently, my title Hidden has come to represent the self-forgetfulness paradoxically inherent in realising the shape of one’s own life. Writing enables us to effectively grapple with this paradox by illuminating our world while recognising the inexhaustible meaning of our condition.
Undertaking the Extension 2 course, by allowing me to experience the everlasting potential of language, has provided me with a unique means through which I can examine notions of identity and come to a graceful acceptance of my own inherent opacity. The completion of the course has thus urged me to more greatly value simplicity, humility and empathy.’
Emma Jones
English Coordinator and Literacy Instructional Coach
Get Active at Home
The Office of Sport has compiled resources to help you find suitable ways to safely exercise in and around your home during the COVID-19 outbreak. The following page will be updated regularly with new information to keep you and your family active: https://www.sport.nsw.gov.au/sector-covid-19-resources-library/get-active-at-home
Tuesday Recreational Sport - Reminder
During remote learning, students are reminded to ensure that they access the Sport Memo that is posted to Compass each Tuesday morning. This will include a range of physical activity options that will be important in supporting student wellbeing during this time.
TERM 4 SPORT CANCELLATIONS
Due to the impact of COVID-19 across New South Wales, the School Sport Unit and CSNSW Sport has regrettably made the decision to cancel all NSWCCC, MacKillop, Polding, NSWPSSA, and NSW All Schools events on the revised term four calendar.
CANCELLED
- NSW All Schools Secondary Triathlon on Monday 25 October at Penrith
- NSWCPS Golf 18 Hole & 9 Hole Tournaments @ Blackheath
POSTPONED
NSWCCC Girls Cricket 2022 Selections Wednesday 24 November @ Riverwood
Diocesan Sport - Postponed and Cancelled Events
All cancellations and postponements are announcements on the following site https://www.dow.catholic.edu.au/sport/diocesan-sport-news/
NSWCCC Sport - Postponed and Cancelled Events
All cancellations and postponements are announcements on the following site https://csnsw.sport/covid-19/21-sport-cancellations-update
Due to the extended lockdown and the ever changing COVID-19 situation further events will continue to be monitored and updates will be provided via the College Newsletter.
NSWCCC Sport Registrations A reminder that students and their parents are responsible for monitoring the closing dates of NSWCCC Sport Registrations. Information regarding upcoming events can be accessed via https://csnsw.sport/events
NSWCCC is a pathway suitable for students playing a representative level of their sport outside of school. For instructions on how to register go to - https://csnsw.sport/help/help-guide-for-parents
NSWCCC Sport Registrations 2021:
- Individual Registrations for the following sports to attend a NSWCCC Selection - AFL, Baseball, Basketball, Cricket, Diving, Golf, Hockey, Netball, Rugby, Softball, Tennis, Triathlon, Volleyball, Water Polo
- Registrations for the following sports is through a Diocesan/Association Selection - Athletics, Cross Country, Football, Swimming, Touch, Rugby League
Representative Pathways
- MISA Website https://www.misaonline.org.au/
- Diocesan Sport News - Updates and news on Wollongong Diocese sport events and trials can be viewed at https://www.dow.catholic.edu.au/sport/diocesan-sport-news/?ref=quicklinks
- NSWCCC/CSNSW Sport News - Higher level MacKillop and CCC trials and events status can be monitored at https://csnsw.sport/news
- SCHOOL SPORT AUSTRALIA SPORT NEWS
Ms Sarah Bowen
Acting Sports Coordinator
bowens01@dow.catholic.edu.au
Following the current NSW Health guidelines and compliance to COVID-19 rules and restrictions, the school uniform shop will remain closed until further notice.
Our priority has been and will remain, the health and wellbeing of the students, parents and our employees. Hence, we are unable to provide personal fittings at this time.
During these challenging times, parents can shop safely with us online. We recommend that parents rely on the sizing guides for each garment and for additional guidance, they can watch the body measurement guide videos (www.ranier.com.au/measure). For any incorrect sizes, parents can rest assured that all uniform orders are entitled to free size exchanges.
It is important to note that all online orders will be processed and despatched when the uniform shop can resume operations. Personal fittings will also resume when conditions permit.
Amidst the lockdown, our office is still operating, so should parents require any assistance they can contact our customer service team at custservice@ranier.com.au.
Ranier will follow the latest government health advice and we are here to support the school, parents and students in any way we can. We thank our schools and parents for their understanding.