3rd December, 2013 Reflection Christ in All I arise today, through the strength of heaven; Light of the sun, splendor of fire, speed of lightning, swiftness of the wind, depth of the sea, stability of the earth, firmness of the rock. I arise today through God’s strength to pilot me; God’s might to uphold me, God’s wisdom to guide me, God’s eye to look before me, God’s ear to hear me, God’s word to speak for me, God’s hand to guard me, God’s way to lie before me, God’s shield to protect me … Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me, Christ in the eye that sees me, Christ in the ear that hears me. I arise today through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity, through a belief in the Threeness, through a confession of the Oneness Of the Creator of creation. Attributed to St Patrick
Awards Night We have had a great response from families who plan to attend Awards Night tomorrow night. Some 500 people which will be a great audience for our deserving students. I look forward to seeing you there. Mark Sheehan Principal End of Year Arrangements Year 10 students finished their Jumpstart program today but will have VCE tasks to complete over the break. This will ensure they get off to a great start in their 2014 VCE studies. Wednesday December 4 will be the final day at CRC for Year 9 students before they go on the Melbourne Experience in the final two days of the school year. They will be dismissed from the city on Friday 6 December. The final day for Year 7 & 8 students on Friday December 6 will be celebrating the last day of the school year here at CRC. It is a normal school day therefore students are required to attend.
The students will celebrate with a Year Level Mass, Year Level Assembly to recognise student achievements, Homeroom assemblies and finish with a BBQ. Lunch will be provided for the students. The students will be permitted to wear their PE uniform and will be dismissed at 1.30pm. For those students not able to get picked up or make their way home because of bus travelling arrangements the school will be providing supervision until the end of the school day. Buses will be operating on the normal school times. Robert Blackley Deputy Principal (Students) 2013 Reports As per mid-year, Semester 2 reports will not be mailed home this year but will be available through our Parent Access Module (PAM). A final information pack will be sent out from us outlining again the process to access these, however all families will need to have their access code. If you do not have your PAM access code then please contact the College next week. Also included in this mail out will be student certificates and the final newsletter. John Christie Deputy Principal (Staff)
Awards Night
Xavier Rabottini - 8 Catherine
The annual Academic and Achievement Awards Night will be held this Wednesday 4 December at 7.00pm. This is a very formal occasion where we recognise student academic excellence and achievement for 2013 for our Year 7-11 students. Letters were mailed to all award winners with the relevant information re attendance, time and uniform requirements. It is an expectation of the College that award winners attend this important evening. An invitation is also extended to the wider school community to attend the evening.
Xavier is a polite and diligent worker who possesses a great work ethic. He sets a great example for other students in his homeroom, by wearing the uniform correctly and setting very high standards for behaviour. Xavier has demonstrated the ability to work cooperatively with teachers and classmates.
School Spirit Awards
Bethany Rogers - 9 Anthony
The final School Spirit Awards were presented at the school assembly last week. Congratulations to the following students.
Bethany is a conscientious student who works hard to achieve results that she can be proud of! She is a positive and helpful member of her homeroom and cares for her fellow classmates. Bethany is proud to be part of this school and this is reflected in the way she wears her uniform and completes her schoolwork. She is a positive and friendly member of the CRC Melton Community and is well respected and liked by her peers.
Year 7 Olivia Rabottini - 7 Mackillop Olivia is an active and well-liked member of the Year 7 community. She participated in the successful school Production as one of the lost boys. Olivia is a helpful, diligent worker, always organised and able to meet deadlines even when she has been absent. She is friendly, polite and kind to others. Luke Spiteri - 7 Mackillop Luke is a highly capable student who consistently tries his best with his work. He is diligent and takes a great interest in whatever topic is being discussed. He is well respected by staff and students and a personable member of our Year 7 cohort. Year 8 Hannah Pace - 8 Dominic Hannah is enthusiastic, displays excellent manners and appreciates the assistance given to her by teachers. She is very thorough in her preparation for tests, exams and assignments. Hannah is considerate of the feelings of other students and can be relied upon to consistently do the right thing.
Year 9
Corey Vella - 9 Dominic Corey is an exceptional and mature role model. He is consistently conscientious, polite, well mannered, inquisitive and dedicated across all his subject areas. He is a much loved member of his MASP group and is able to prioritise his school commitments among his extra-curricular interests. Robert Blackley Deputy Principal (Students)
Social Media-Police Presentation
What do I do if I find explicit images of my child?
One of the major concerns for parents nowadays centers on their child’s use of the internet and mobile phones.
Social media is a very powerful and very wide reaching means of communication for schools, students and parents. It is very challenging to stay ahead of the growing traffic of communication between young people. For many young people they are oblivious and naive of the consequences that can and do emerge if they use the different forms of social media to engage in activities that are offensive and inappropriate.
'Sexting' means sending sexually explicit photos or videos electronically (eg by mobile phone, app, chat, social networking or email). With modern technology this can be done instantly, but it can have serious and lasting consequences. It is a criminal offence to take, possess, or transmit a naked image of a person under the age of 18 years. It doesn’t matter if your child took their own photo and willingly sent or published it. You cannot ‘give someone permission’ to break the law. Penalties for these offences are serious and can result in your child being placed on the sex offenders’ register. Last Tuesday Senior Constable Joanne Mutsaerts from the Proactive Policing Unit of Victoria Police addressed all Year 8 and 9 students of the dangers, effects and implications of engaging in such activities through all social media networks. The students were divided into two groups according to gender, thus allowing for Joanne to address matters particularly relevant to the girls and to the boys. Her presentation was timely because it followed White Ribbon Day. It is important that you regularly talk to your child about their experiences with communications technology. Often the students are engaging in these activities outside school hours in the privacy of their home and the school is dealing with the fallout. As a school we will continue to utilise people like Joanne and remind students of the dangers. Make sure that you continually reinforce that your child should come to you if they have any problems, if they see something that they know is wrong or anything that upsets them.
Don’t yell, scream or panic. Try to remain calm. It is really important to be able to speak rationally to your child about this issue. Talk to them about your concerns or suspicions and allow them time to respond. Try to work out how/where this has happened and who else may be involved. Where are the images now? Who may have them? Make an appointment to speak to someone at the school such as a counsellor, teacher, or principal, and let them know what has occurred. Be aware that in some instances, police may need to be involved and schools have certain obligations in relation to the reporting of incidents. Please do not withhold information from the school because you are concerned about police involvement. Police are very well placed to deal with these issues and have tools to minimise the impact. They have the ability to retrieve data and trace electronic communication. The important thing is to act as soon as you are aware. If you believe that the ‘sexting’ is a result of your child being the victim of an online sexual predator rather than adolescent naivety, please notify the police immediately.
Robert Blackley Deputy Principal (Students) Notice to Year 7 Parents/Guardians - Year 8 Camp 2014 The annual Year 8 camp will take place in Week 4 of Term 1, 2014 (week beginning Monday 24th February). It involves an overnight stay and two days of activities. The cost of the camp will be $180. This will cover transport, dinner, breakfast and snacks as well as the cost of the camp activities. No student will be excluded from this camp due to cost. If you have any concerns about financing please contact the College as soon as possible to arrange a suitable payment plan. More specific information about the camp will be distributed in early 2014. Please feel free to contact me regarding any issues you may have. Dean Henneman Year 8 Coordinator
Uniform
Calendar 2013
2013
December
Term 4
4th 5th 6th 10th
College Awards Night - 7.00pm Year 9 City Experience Year 9 City Experience Students finish at 1.30pm Year 7 2014 Orientation day
Canteen 2013
Wednesday 4th
6.30pm - 7.30pm
D. Shalders
S. Woods
Tuesday 10th
Orientation Day
10.00am - 12.00pm D. Taylor
Term 4
L. Muscat
Karen Vella
T. Davine
Lisa Vella
12.00pm - 2.00pm S. Theuma
December Wednesday 4th
December
Maria Zaharogiannis
University of Ballarat Federation University Australia will be offering Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care and Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care. For further information see below.