St Joseph’s College Geelong
News & Events Thursday 20 Movember 2014 - Issue No 19
135 Aphrasia Street Newtown Victoria 3220 Ph: 03 5226 8100 Ph Westcourt: 03 5247 7000 Email: sjcoffice@sjc.vic.edu.au Web: www.sjc.vic.edu.au
The Bread Clip competitition - one of many activities happening here at SJC
Principal’s Report Dear Parents, Students and Friends of the College, Last Sunday’s Gospel from Matthew was The Parable of the Talents. The main message of the parable is for us to use the gifts God has given us for the betterment of others. Throughout the last two weeks I have had the privilege of attending a Combined Board dinner, a Canteen Volunteers dinner and a Foundation Committee dinner where we celebrated the enormous contribution made by those who generously donate their time and talents to our College. At the same time we have had our Year 11 and 12 students sitting their final exams and I have witnessed the dedication of both students and staff in preparing for these important assessments. Our Identity Team also ran a Toucan Appeal for Geelong Food Relief which resulted in over 1 tonne of non-perishable food being donated to help those less fortunate. All of these events, which are only a snap shot of a multitude of activities that take place here, truly illustrate St Matthew’s parable in action; so many people giving of their talents to help others. St Joseph’s is blessed with the amount of involvement it has from members of the parent and wider community. On behalf of Paul Tobias who is currently on Enrichment Leave undertaking a religious immersion walking in the footsteps of St Paul in Malta and Greece, I would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank all our generous volunteers for another year of dedicated service. Whether the assistance has been in the form of a single day at the TriUMPH festival or 14 years in the canteen, whether you have helped set up for an assembly with the Men’s Association or provided expert financial advice on the Finance and Planning Committee, your help is truly appreciated and you help make our College the place it is. Paul Clohesy - Acting Principal
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SJC Movember Registration forms can be obtained from the Student Leader Coordinators, Angela Baker and Chris Lynch.
Calendar of Events Movember 24 Year 12 2015 orientation begins - 24-28 November 28 Year 7-10 Awards and Music Showcase
December 1 5 5 9 19 25
Years 8-10 Exams - 1-5 December Final day of classes Years 7-10 Westcourt Transition Day Year 7 2015 Orientation Day College Office closes for Christmas break Christmas
News from the Deputies November is an interesting month as it usually marks a period of transition for many students, particularly Year 11 and 12 students, while at the same time, it’s business as usual for everyone else. “Business as usual” means busy. VCE EXAMINATION PERIOD The final VCE exam for 2014 was on Wednesday 19 November which meant we had a number of boys engaged in study and preparation from the first exam (English) to the last (Chinese). This is quite a contrast to those who were finished their exams by Melbourne Cup Day. YEAR 12 GRADUATION DINNER The post-exam period can bring both an overwhelming sense of relief and joy, but also an immediate feeling of disconnection given the absence of routine. It’s therefore important that your son becomes productive as soon as possible. We look forward to the Year 12s coming together as a group for the last time on Wednesday 26 November at the Graduation Dinner and celebrating with families and staff.A reminder that this Sunday’s dance rehearsals begin at 1.00pm. The day after Graduation seven boys will leave for a three week trip to Uganda, working mainly with children in schools in Mannya and surrounding outreach villages. We wish them a safe and happy journey. YEAR 11 PROGRAM FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE YEAR The Year 11 exam period is also coming to a close this Friday. The following week, most of the cohort will begin Orientation Week which provides an opportunity for boys to get a head start in their Year 12 VCE and VCAL subjects for 2015. Often this involves completing a portion of the first unit or topic as well as getting an overview of the courses and requirements. All subjects will have homework over the holidays in preparation for 2015. Orientation Week is considered ‘normal’ and attendance is compulsory. The final day for Year 11 is Friday 28 November, a Renewal Day where the boys will rotate through three sessions based
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around study skills, mental health and spirituality, again, in preparation for the tough year ahead. We will also farewell many boys who have taken up opportunities elsewhere, such as the ADF, GTECH, SEDA, apprenticeships or employment. YEARS 7-10 AWARDS AND MUSIC SHOWCASE Friday 28 November is also the Year 7-10 Awards Night at Costa Hall. This is always an amazing night showcasing, not only student achievement in a wide range of areas, but also a broad array of musical talent of which we are very proud. We encourage as many parents as possible to attend. Along with the Award winners from Year 7 to 10, all Year 7s are required to attend as there is whole Year level performance as part of the finale. A number of senior boys will also be receiving Music and Drama awards. It is a wonderful evening and we hope as many parents, grandparents and friends of the College will join us in this night of celebration. YEAR 8-10 EXAMS By now, all students from Years 8-10 should be in study mode at home in preparation for exams. It’s important that the boys work hard to achieve to the best of their ability in exams. Boys who perform poorly in an exam in the judgment of their teacher will be required to re-sit another exam in the week beginning 8 December when all other students will have broken up for the Christmas holidays. OTHER EVENTS THIS MONTH... MARKING REMEMBRANCE DAY ‘Business as usual’ in an environment like St Joseph’s can be multi-faceted, but it always encompasses an outward looking approach committed to justice and solidarity within an inclusive community. Recently we commemorated Remembrance Day, with a respectful service in the quadrangle lead by the Year 7 Class Captains.You could have heard a pin drop during the Last Post (played by Waadhi Conole,Year 10), the minutes silence and the Rouse (played by Oscar Senftleben, Year 10) as the boys watched the flag lowering and raising. It was a credit to them. YEAR 8 LOTE EXCURSION Year 8 students recently went to Lygon Street and Chinatown as part of the LOTE program.The excursion was enjoyed by all and student behavior was reported as exemplary. COMMUNITY SERVICE FOR YEAR 9S Year 9s have been doing community service at Primary schools around Geelong. SUSTAINABILITY AWARENESS CONTINUES… The sustainability group promoted and ran another “Cut the Wrap’ day as an awareness raiser. Our next Newsletter will be the last for 2014. Please tune in! Claire Brown - Deputy Principal & Ric Brodrick - Acting Deputy Principal
Curriculum News BOOKLISTS – GENERAL INFORMATION Booklists have been posted to all families. Textbooks and stationery can be ordered online or booklists can be dropped into SJC reception by Tuesday 9 December. To place an online order go to the Campion website www.campion.com.au . The passcode for St Joseph’s College is YV28. Please note that orders placed online must be paid for at that time. Booklist orders dropped into SJC reception can be paid for at the time of collection on Wednesday 28 January. Any late orders for books/texts can be made online using the home delivery option. Electronic textbooks ordered online are delivered via a code sent to an email address. It is best to enter the student’s email address for delivery. Parents/Carers do not need to activate the code. Students will work with teachers to learn how to download these texts. The access codes will be in the email given when placing the order. SECOND HAND BOOKS With the increasing use of electronic texts and access codes, the purchase of second hand textbooks is not as straight forward as it has been in the past. As a general rule, electronic texts (electronic only texts) last for one year and therefore cannot be purchased from another student. Other textbooks that are a combination hard copy textbook with an electronic access code can be purchased second hand as they have a licence that runs over a number of years. We generally use three publishers, Oxford, Cambridge and Jacaranda. Oxford textbooks can be purchased second hand and students can reactivate codes. Cambridge Maths textbooks can be purchased second hand but a Hot Maths licence/code must be purchased new. These can be purchased online. Jacaranda English textbooks can be purchased second hand, however, the electronic version of the text is a pdf. This is still suitable to use. BOOKLIST ORDERS FOR SJC STUDENTS STUDYING AT SACRED HEART COLLEGE IN 2015 Sacred Heart College is using Campion for book supplies for next year. For students studying a VCE subject at SHC in 2015, orders can be placed through the Campion website www.campion.com.au using the SHC school code “BU7B”. Copies of the SHC booklist are also available from SJC reception. NB. If the textbooks are the same for SHC as SJC, orders can just be made on the SJC booklist order. BOOKLIST ORDERS FOR SJC STUDENTS STUDYING AT CLONARD COLLEGE IN 2015 Compassion Innovation Integrity
For students studying a VCE subject at Clonard College in 2015, orders can be placed through the SJC booklist as texts used on these subjects at both schools are the same. BOOKLIST ORDERS FOR SHC AND CLONARD STUDENTS STUDYING AT ST JOSEPH’S IN 2015 Books and stationery can be ordered at www.campion.com.au. The passcode is YV28. Alternatively, students can pick up a booklist at SJC reception and submit it at the front office by Tuesday 9 December 2014. Any electronic textbooks can only be ordered online. SJC AWARDS AND MUSIC SHOWCASE Our annual SJC Award and Music Showcase will be held on Friday 28 November. All Year 7 students and a number of students in Years 8-12 will perform on the evening. Students in Year 7-10 will be acknowledged for academic excellence and endeavour in all subject areas across the curriculum. Tickets for the event are available ($7 per person) from Holly McIntosh, our Fee Officer, at SJC reception. Tickets are limited to 3 per family. Award recipients and performers are not required to purchase a ticket. Any unsold tickets will be available to purchase through the Fees Office on Wednesday 26 November from 9am-4pm. Letters to award recipients will be sent out shortly. YEAR 8-10 EXAMINATIONS Year 8-10 exams are held in the first week of December. The dates for each year level is below Year 8 – Tuesday 2 December – Thursday 4 December Year 9 – Wednesday 3 December – Thursday 4 December Year 10 – Tuesday 2 December – Friday 5 December EXAM ADVICE It is important for students to revise for their exams over a period of time. A study timetable can help students spread the load rather than cram for a number of exams. One of the most effective ways to prepare is to complete short tests and practice exams.This is usually more beneficial than reading over notes and text books. Youth Central is the Victorian Government’s website for young people aged 12-25. It offers advice on study and exam preparation as well as practical advice such as tips for stress free study and on-line study resources. For study tips visit: http://www.youthcentral.vic.gov.au/Studying+%26+Training/ Studying+Tips+%26+Resources/Top+ten+exam+tips/ PARENT ACCESS MODULE AND SEMESTER REPORTS Semester reports will be available through PAM from Friday 12 December. These reports are a summary of results including percentage results from assessment tasks, an indication of achievement against the AusVELS standard and work habits and behaviour. Comments that have appeared on PAM will also be transferred onto the summary report. Current information on all assessment is available through Learning Areas on the Parent Access Module. Michelle Brodrick - Director of Curriculum
Collecting 2015 VCE English Texts
November - the month of Holy Souls For many of us, the church calendar has become an unfamiliar way to experience the year. We are more likely to be guided by imperatives such as winter, summer and spring stocktake sales, end of financial year taxation, sporting seasons of football, golf, tennis and cricket. However, through this calendar we come to be reminded of the really important things in life. For instance, November is the month for Holy Souls. Wrapped up in a not always accurate understanding of purgatory, praying for the dead seems a bit embarrassing in that it suggests that our loved ones weren’t perfect and are in some terrible place of punishment. However, due to being human and making mistakes, Catholic belief is that most people (only Jesus and Mary are believed to be completely free from sin) will experience some time in purgatory. An understanding of purgatory that makes sense to me is when we consider our relationship with God to be the deciding factor in life and in death. When we plan to meet a person whom we love we like to put on our best clothes, tidy up our houses, present our best faces. Given our humanity, we’ve all made mistakes in life and therefore we are not as “clean” as we’d like to be when, through death, we come to meet the one who loves us most. Therefore, we need some time of separation from God to prepare and cleanse ourselves. This time of separation is purgatory – a difficult time as separation is painful, however, a time with a purpose – to get us ready to enter heaven and be with God in eternal life. During November, we pray for those in purgatory, asking God to grant them eternal rest. We do this for our closest loved ones and all souls as an act of salvation for others – it is an expression of love, of charity, for others. Each newsletter we acknowledge and remember those who have passed away, most recently the much loved and respected, Monsignor Murray. And so, for all of those in our College community and beyond who have departed this life, we pray: Eternal rest grant to them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen. Jo Hart - Director of Identity
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Students who ordered 2015 VCE English texts from Campion will be able to collect these at school on Monday 24 November. Students are expected to read these texts during the holidays to be ready to study the texts from Term 1. There are additional English workbooks that students will also need listed on the general booklist that comes out shortly. Margot Davies
2015 VET Students need a USI Attention all 2015 VET Students - you require a Unique Student Identifier (USI). As of 1 January 2015 any person undertaking nationally recognised training delivered by a registered training organisation will need to have a Unique Student Identifier (USI). If you are undertaking VET studies in 2015 you fall into the above category. Please visit our College website for an information sheet detailing how to apply for a USI . http://www.sjc.vic.edu.au/_literature_180110/USI_Application_2015 Please complete the USI application and send your number via email to jarrod.gore@sjc.vic.edu.au . If you have any further questions please don’t hesitate to contact Jarrod Gore (VET Coordinator) on 5226 8118. Jarrod Gore - VET Coordinator
Congratulations To Year 10 student Rhys Hegyesi who has won one of the ‘Kwong Lee Dow Young Scholarships’ awarded by the University of Melbourne!! This is an academic enrichment program designed to support high achieving secondary school students in VIC NSW and SA. Well done Rhys!
week is offered, students are encouraged to utilise school holiday time where possible so their schooling isn’t disrupted. If a student attends work experience at another time, they cannot attend school during Activities Week as staff will not be available to supervise students. WORK EXPERIENCE PREPARATION If work experience is sought interstate, I must be notified - YEAR 9, READY FOR YEAR 10 2015 as soon as possible as different paperwork will need to be On Wednesday 12 November, I delivered a presentation to arranged. Work Experience is not permitted overseas as all Year 9 students about the work experience program in the school’s public liability insurance will not cover students Year 10. Work Experience occurs during Activities Week outside of Australia. and is compulsory for all Year 10 students. In 2015, Activities Please note that if your son has a medical condition or Week is 4 – 8 May. The presentation provided students special needs, the employer must be informed to ensure the with information about the work experience program, student’s safety and welfare is maintained. safety at work, and the process for organising placements. If your son is told by the employer that they only organise Students are required to find their own work experience placements through an organisation called GRVEC, please placement. They have been given a Work Experience tell him to notify me as soon as possible. I will attempt to Preparation Book which includes a list of employers who secure a position through GRVEC, however, this cannot be have previously hosted students for work experience, as guaranteed as the School is provided with an allocation of well as guidance on how to call an employer and what to say. positions each year and must share positions with other Students have been asked to find their placements now. All schools in the Geelong region. students are expected to have organised their placement by Further information can be found on work experience via no later than 28 February 2015. the Careers Blog, at this address: When student finds a work experience placement, they need to fill in the details of the placement on a Yellow Work http://blogs.sjcgeelong.catholic.edu.au/careers/category/work-exp/ Experience Return Slip (form). They have been given this For further information, please contact me (Karen Shum) at form. If your son loses his form, additional forms can be the Careers Office on 5226 8143 or kshum@sjc.vic.edu.au . found on the Careers Blog. Please click on the link below. Karen Shum - Careers Coordinator http://blogs.sjcgeelong.catholic.edu.au/careers/category/work-exp/ Once the Careers Office receives the student’s yellow form, he is then given a work experience arrangement form. This is a computer generated form which can be easily replaced if lost. This is then given to the student who must sign the form himself. Your son must also obtain a parent/guardian signature as well as that of the employer. He should then return the form to the Careers Office. Students have also been working on the Occupational Health and Safety requirements for Work Experience. Students meet these requirements by completing Safe At Work Modules. All students complete the Safe At Work CAN AND CEREAL APPEAL FOR THE General Module in Year 9 and in 2015 will need to complete GEELONG FOOD RELIEF CENTRE an Industry Specific module relevant to where they are On Friday 14 November the whole school participated in a doing work experience. casual dress day to support and raise awareness of the need Students undertaking work experience on a construction by many people in our local community for food relief. The site will also be required to complete Construction Year 8 boys along with help from their RE teachers led the Induction Card Trainings. This is organised by the school campaign this year to raise food items for Geelong food and will be conducted in 2015. Please note there is a cost relief centre. The goal was to achieve a higher amount of involved with this training which is approx. $55. This cost donated items of food this year compared to 2013. Last will be confirmed in 2015. year the College raised just under a tonne of food. This Students working in an environment where animals are year I am pleased to announce that the SJC community present will have to complete a Working With Animals raised 1124kg’s of food for Geelong food relief centre. The Questionnaire. This can be obtained from the Careers response from the boys and the St Joseph’s community was Office. amazing and we thank all families for their donated food If your son is likely to need to travel in the employer’s car, items. This is a substantial donation to the Geelong food they will also need to fill in an additional form with their relief centre and one which they look forward to each year. work experience arrangement form to ensure they are The donations received from St Joseph’s is timely for the centre leading into one of their most demanding times of covered by the school’s public liability insurance. Most students will undertake their work experience during the year for food. Well done to the Year 8 boys for leading Activities Week, however, exceptions are made where this appeal. another week is offered by the employer. If an alternative Mrs Claire Wrigley - Community Service Coordinator Compassion Innovation Integrity
Sustainability Matters NATIONAL RECYCLING WEEK Participating in National Recycling week provided our junior students the opportunity to take action and celebrate their achievements regarding recycling. I would like to thank families for your support in fostering a more sustainable approach to your daily practices.
RECYCLING WORKSHOPS AT FYANS PARK PRIMARY SCHOOL Last Monday 10 November, four Year 7 & 8 Sustainability leaders from St Joseph’s College, came to Fyans Park to talk to the grade 3/4 students about recycling. They told us the difference between Recycling and REDcycling. We learnt that you can’t put soft plastic (that you can scrunch up) in the normal recycling bin, however it can be recycled at Coles supermarkets through the REDcycle program. The students gave us four red bins to start REDcycling and we did three activities to help reinforce which items go into each bin. We would like to thank Angus, Gabe, Joseph and Mitchell for coming in to teach us and help us start the program. Jediah Salmon, Grade 3 – Fyans Park Primary School
CUT THE WRAP It has been encouraging to see the number of families adopting the Cut The Wrap approach to lunches steadily increase over the year. Over 400 participants were counted last week, in comparison to 240 during Enviroweek last term. 7D continued to uphold their outstanding achievement in sustainable practice with 100% participation on the official Cut The Wrap day and 71 displayed the greatest ongoing commitment, with a total of 89 participants throughout the week. Cut the Wrap Participants for Recycling Week CLASS
Class Participants % of students Wednesday participating
Overall participants for entire week
7A 7B 7C 7D 7E 7F
22/28 14/27 10/25 27/27 23/28 13/26
22 14 20 27 71 38
79 52 40 100 82 50
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7G 7H 7I 7J 7K 8B 8C 8I 8J 9I
5/23 25/28 14/27 26/28 4/25 11/27 27/28 9/24 4/26 18/27
22 89 52 93 16 41 96 38 15 67
9 25 89 27 4 11 27 18 4 18
REDCYCLE COMPETITION RESULTS The REDcycling competition proved once again to be a success, with almost 6kg of soft plastics being collected and diverted from landfill, by recycling at Coles Geelong West. We would like to acknowledge 7D as the winners of the REDcycling competition! Class 7B 7C 7D 7E 7G 7H 7I 8J
TOTAL MASS (g) 1019 120 1609 858 440 558 718 621
BREAD CLIP COMPETITION The Bread Clip competition, initiated by Year 7 Sustainability leader, Oskar Mazaraki, proved to be an absolute hit and a great deal of fun with the Year 7 students. Collecting a total of 1973 bread clips, the Recycle logos designed by each class were very creative. We are thrilled to announce 7G as class that collected the greatest amount of clips (weighing 258g) and 7C as the winners of the “Recycle Logo” competition. In addition to bread clips, students collected 590 corks and over 10kg of batteries for recycling. All bread clips and corks will be donated to the Belmont Community Centre for redistribution and our batteries are recycled through Battery World. I would like to thank students and their families once again for their tremendous efforts in recycling last week and look look forward to our continued journey in improving sustainable pracitice at St Joseph’s. Kelly Jenkins - Sustainability Coordinator
Year 10 ACC Cricket
Athletics Congratulations Congratulations to Year 7 student Jonathan Burns who competed for St Joseph’s in Pole Vault on Saturday 8 November at the Athletics Victoria All Schools competition. He jumped really well and got a new pb of 2.40 metres. There were a few other Joeys boys competing in various events. Jack Hockley Samon also got a PB and a national qualifier for the 3k event. Well done boys!
Congratulations
In Sympathy Mr Rino Di Santo of Italy, brother of Antonio Di Santo, uncle of Sandro Di Santo (staff member) and Enza Hughes. To all the extended Di Santo family we send our deepest sympathy. Mr Robert Timms (75 years) father / father in law of Susan and Christopher Kelly Old Collegian (1983), grandfather of Max Kelly (Year 9) and Old Collegian Thomas Kelly (2012). Our thoughts and prayers are with all the extended family during this difficult time.
Congratulations to Dan Hale (staff member) and wife Bec on the birth of their beautiful baby girl Sophie, a little sister for Joseph. Congratulations also to Damian Harrington (staff member) and his wife Fiona on the birth of their beautiful baby girl Neave Marietta.
Our hearts go out to you all as we pray “That God will welcome these faithfully departed into His loving arms. And that precious memories will be of comfort to those left behind, knowing that their love will live on in their hearts forever.”
Year 7 in 2015 Music Opportunity If there are any new Year 7 boys in 2015 who already play an instrument or who are vocalists , they may want to consider being part of the tour to New Zealand next year at the end of term one. If a boy has been learning an instrument or has been singing in a choir for a year, then it is likely that they would join the Intermediate Band or Vocal Ensemble in 2015.If a boy is around grade 3 or 4 then it is likely that they would join the Senior Band. Please contact me via email if this is a possibility for your son next year and I will provide you with further information. Email: david.gallaher@sjc.vic.edu.au David Gallaher - Director of Music Performance
SUNDAY 23RD NOVEMBER 2014
of every registration goes straight to the redevelopment of the Special Care Nursery at Geelong Hospital. JOIN OUR TEAM! RUN WITH ST JOSEPH’S COLLEGE GEELONG! GET INVOLVED TODAY AT
RUNAUSTRALIA.COM.AU
www.sjc.vic.edu.au
LET’S TALK ABOUT TOMORROW….
A Koorie Parent Program
Geelong Regional Vocational Education Council [GRVEC], Geelong Koorie Engagement Support Officers [KESOs] and Barwon Health invite you to attend a tour of University Hospital (formerly Geelong Hospital) and participate in a “yarning circle” to talk about the job opportunities available for your Koorie child at Barwon Health. Barwon Health is the largest employer in the Geelong region, employing over 6,500 people. They are able to offer job and career opportunities, with a broad range of work in primary & acute care, mental health, aged care, rehabilitation, oral care and administration. Barwon Health has a Koorie Employment Strategy. This forum is a great opportunity to see what is available, and to the find the pathway your Koorie child needs to take to enable them to pursue a fulfilling job or a great career in the health related field. WHEN: 4.30pm-6.30pm Thursday 27th November WHERE: University Hospital, Level 2, Board Room (directly opposite the central lifts) RSVP to Sharelle McGuirk on 42150532 Refreshments will be available This initiative is funded by the Australian Government
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