7 April 2022 - Newsletter (Vol 39 No 5)
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Principal's Message
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Easter Mass Times
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Assistant Principal - Mission
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Assistant Principal - Pastoral Care
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Assistant Principal - Learning and Teaching
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Office News
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Curriculum Matters
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English Matters
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Literacy Matters
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Public Speaking
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Tournament of Minds (TOM)
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Languages
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Music
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Textiles Success
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Sports Corner
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Year 12 Fundraising - Trivia Night
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ANZAC Day
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Mother's Day Breakfast
The Easter Message
“Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for He is risen, as He said. Come and see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead…” (Matt. 28:5-7)
Holy week is the final week of Lent and begins with Palm Sunday. It concludes with Easter Sunday, celebrating the most important event in the Church’s calendar. Not the death of Christ, but his Resurrection. It is a time when we as Christians celebrate the triumph of good over evil, a time for new possibilities and restoring parts of our lives that have been ‘broken’.
HOLY WEEK:
Palm Sunday
Holy Thursday – Washing of the Feet and the Last Supper
Good Friday – The Crucifixion
Holy Saturday – The Easter Vigil
Easter Sunday – The Resurrection
We commemorate the Passion of Christ and remember his sacrifice for all of us. Jesus challenged!! He challenged the authorities at the time and he challenged the status quo. He advocated a different way of life and this was a threat to those in power, those who had most to lose. If only he did not ‘rock the boat’, if only he sat silent, if only………
We are called as Disciples of Christ to also challenge, not authorities necessarily, but ourselves, our thinking, our actions and our relationships.
Even to his last breath, Jesus cared, Jesus loved, Jesus forgave.
As we reflect on the Easter story, let us take the time to appreciate and give thanks to God:
“For God loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
Thank you for a wonderful Term 1 and I look forward to seeing you refreshed and ready for Term 2.
God bless
Michael Carniato
Principal
If I had a choice
So often our world invites us to make choices and to see what opportunity we can seize next. Unfortunately, for many in our communities choices have been difficult as a result of Covid, flooding and family pressures. The day to day life of our students is filled with excitement, anxiety but also with choices. Sometimes, knowing which choice to make or knowing that we can only make one is not a simple task. During this final week of Lent we all have choices to make. Finding a way of being discerning and reflective can make a difference for us all.
We can influence our destiny by the choices we make. How you think about it, can change how you act on it, and how you act on it can change how you feel. And when you change how you feel, think, and act, you can change your physiological well-being for the better.
How you choose to act can also have a long lasting impact on the lives of those around you. This applies not only to your family and friends but to the broader community. If you had a choice, would you choose love and kindness? Would you choose generosity?
Small deliberate positive choices every day help to build strength in a community. Telling someone you love them, thanking someone for their help, being kind to others for no reason other than it is the right thing to do, and donating generously what you have to those who are in need.
Our drive to support those in the Lismore floods continues and we thank everyone for their generosity. Our Year 10 students recently returned from a retreat on stewardship and spent time caring for each other and for our local environment through Dune care. A number of students in Year 12 have just finished the Kairos retreat which helped them to reflect and focus on choices they will make on their journey. All of these are great signs of choices at St John Paul College. As Lent comes to an end, what choices have you made as a family or individually? How can we help the young people in our care to take responsibility for their choices and to do so with love?
Understanding how to make choices is a process which has three key parts, being attentive, being reflective, and being loving. It results in the kind of good decision-making that Ignatius called "discernment." The goal is to support everyone so that discernment becomes a habit.
I pray that each of us may make the choice to exercise discernment as we make our choices over Easter, and to celebrate the freedom we have to be able to make choices everyday.
I hope that you have a peaceful, safe and blessed Easter.
Yours in Christ
Assistant Principal - Mission
We have endured yet another difficult term that has seen constant cases of Covid and the impact of devastating floods together with the usual demands in Term 1 of each year. The result of this in many cases has been extended absences from the classroom. As much as we may feel this is fostering our resilience it is also very draining on our health and wellbeing. We all need to take a break over Easter and the school holidays for some well earned rest and relaxation.
Rest is vital for better mental health, increased concentration and memory, a healthier immune system, reduced stress, improved mood and even a better metabolism.
It can be difficult to define rest because it can look different for everyone. Rest is any behaviour aimed at increasing physical or mental well-being. It can be active, such as going for a walk outside, or passive, such as taking 10 minutes to sit down and breathe deeply.
With work, school, homework, after school activities, friends and more, there are countless activities that compete for time on the family calendar. Holiday breaks can also provide a break from our heavy schedules. Family time can serve as an escape from the demands and deadlines of daily life, and is paramount in building strong relationships.
Please do all you can to have a break with the family this holiday season and take the time to remember what Jesus did for us all over 2,000 years ago.
As the holidays draw to a close, please make every effort to support the College on Anzac Day by marching at one of the local venues (in full College academic uniform). An email highlighting the different times will appear at home soon (if it has not already made its way there). We look forward to all returning for what I am sure will be a busy Term 2.
Until next time:
“When your soul is resting, your emotions are ok, your mind is ok and your will is at peace with God, not resisting what he is doing.” Joyce Meyer
Assistant Principal - Pastoral Care
End of Term & Managing Perfectionism in a healthy way
At this time of year following a variety of assessments and Parent Student Teacher Conferences, academically focussed students find themselves questioning what they need to do to be perfect. The following may be of interest to those who want to be ‘perfect’ in their schooling.
Perfectionism may not sound like too much of a problem in a school atmosphere - after all, parents and teachers want children to develop strong work ethics, sound study habits and achieve their best results.
The problem is, perfectionism can lead students away from these healthy developments and can add to students’ stress levels. When a student becomes upset over a score of 98 out of 100, or can't handle coming in 2nd out of a class of 30, etc., schoolwork will often suffer as a result. Perfectionism of this degree usually results from a fear of failure, rejection or disapproval, or insecurity about meeting a given standard. Students feeling these pressures quickly fall into obsessive and extended work patterns.
So - how can such patterns and thought processes be avoided? Here are a few specific suggestions for coping with perfectionism.
Separate Work From Personal Feelings - This is a huge hurdle for many students. For them, an evaluation of their work often feels like an evaluation of them personally, and the pressure of making that evaluation positive can lead to perfectionism. Students need to be reminded to treat work feedback as evaluation for a specific assignment and nothing more.
Set Incremental Goals - Many students tend to set unattainable, or at least extremely difficult, goals. Instead, students should focus on setting goals based on past achievements. If a student gets an 85 on an exam, the goal for the next one should not be a 100 - it should be an 87. Incremental goals are more reasonable, and most long-term improvement occurs gradually.
Recognise Stress - This can be easier said than done, but it's crucial in battling perfectionism. Students need to become more aware when they're stressing over a project (spending unnecessary extra hours, re-writing pages exhaustively, etc.). Learning to recognize stress can help students to reevaluate work methods.
Explore Efficient Work Methods - Often, newer or easier work methods can assist in efficiency. Students shouldn't get lazy but should allow certain technologies to make work easier. That might mean using Notion for note-making, or it may mean working collaboratively in Google Docs with another student to study for a test - whatever the case, perfectionists can often find their workloads lessened by these steps.
Put Things In Perspective - It's crucial for students to have a proper perspective on schoolwork. Being able to stop and think about the worst-case scenario can help students to realize that an individual assignment - while important - should not be a source of unnecessary stress or excessive workload.
Ask For Guidelines – Encourage students to ask teachers how long they should spend on a homework task or an assignment, so they have an idea whether it is a 2 hour or 22 hour task!
Record Time Taken – Have students record for a week or two what they do every day in their home learning and how long it took. This can help parents and teachers identify bottlenecks in subjects or types of tasks.
Ultimately, dealing with perfectionism can be a long and tricky process. But implementing these habits and thought processes can help students to develop a healthier approach to schoolwork.
Study Skills
Learn more this year about how to improve your results and be more efficient and effective with your schoolwork by working through the units on www.studyskillshandbook.com.au. Our College access details are:
School’s Username – stjohnpaul
School’s password – 89success
In addition, our subscription to Elevate Education may assist in this area.
This online platform contains resources and useful study tips that all SJPC students will find effective. We encourage them to access this Student Portal and try some of the strategies. Students have the password to this site. The password can also be found on the Curriculum Noticeboard.
AMDG
James Furey
Assistant Principal - Learning and Teaching
Office
Feeling Sick
If a student is feeling sick at school, the class teacher must be advised, and the student reports directly to the College Office Sick Bay. A First Aid Officer will attend to the student and will call the Parent/Carer or Emergency Contact. Students are only permitted to stay in Sick Bay for 30mins. Students must not contact the Parent/Carer prior to attendng Sick Bay.
Absence from the College
If a student is absent without reason, parents will receive a text message.
The College must be notified within 7 days of the date of absence by one of the following methods:
- Phone the College Office on the day of absence on 02 6653 3155
- Email the College on sjpccoffs@lism.catholic.edu.au
- Send a note on the student’s return to school
All notes should include student’s full name, year, homeroom, date of absence and a detailed explanation of the absence. If no explanation is received within 7 days an unexplained absence will appear on the student’s record.
Late to School - Late Pass
Students are required to sign in at the College Office if they arrive late (after 8.55am). A note or email from home is required, either on the day or the next school day. A Late Arrival Slip will be issued by the College Office to present to the Classroom Teacher.
(A note is not required if a student is late due to a school bus delay).
Permission to Leave School during the Day – Early Leaver Exit Pass
Students must have a written note from their Parent/Carer, giving an explanation and requesting permission to leave the College at a specific time. Students must take the note to College Office before school, during recess or lunch, where they will be issued with an Early Leaver Exit Pass. At the commencement of the period, the Pass is to be shown to the classroom teacher. If students return to school later in the day they are required to sign in at the College Office.
For urgent appointments or request to leave the College early we ask Parents/Carers to give adequate time to process the Early Leaver Exit Pass to prevent delays retrieving students and interrupting the classroom.
Vaccinations - Year 10
Term 2 Return Dates
As you know from previous newsletters, our teaching and learning goal at the College is to increase students’ engagement in their learning. This requires us to give students the opportunity to show their level of understanding and skill development via different forms of assessment. The main thing to remember is that assessment is a learning tool, an opportunity!
The multi-faceted nature of assessments means that we as educators can gain valuable information about our students in order to help them improve. What all assessments have in common is that they provide a snapshot of student understanding at a particular time in the learning process. Assessments help the teacher determine what to teach, how to teach, how effectively they taught it and the level at which students have achieved particular outcomes.
Parent, Student, Teacher (PST) Conferences are a vital part of this learning process. Term 1 PST Conferences gave us opportunities to discuss with students and their families, their approach to learning. These conversations help guide students in the re-evaluation of their learning goals, identifying areas for improvement, and putting into action strategies to help them improve. Teachers at SJPC believe each student can improve if given the right support, and we are all keen to work with families to help their children achieve their learning goals.
Each day, in every lesson, students have opportunities to develop as learners, deepening their understanding of the world and showing their teachers, and themselves, how they have improved and what they know and can do.
Over this Easter break, we encourage families to;
- take time to discuss their children’s learning goals for Term 2
- access and explore the Elevate and Study Skills Handbook online platforms via the Student links page of the College website. Both have plenty of ideas to support parents and students in setting up effective learning habits and practices ready for Term 2
Claudia Brown
Leader of Curriculum
Reading in focus
As part of our school improvement goal a group of staff are engaged in a professional learning team focused on improving student engagement with reading. To better inform our work in this team, we recently surveyed years 7-10 to determine their reading habits and attitudes. With over 525 responses we have a considerable amount of data to sort through and develop an approach that will help SJPC to become a community of readers!
We know that reading has lots of benefits including improved vocabulary, stress relief, building empathy, improving your memory and building writing skills. However, the survey shows us that our students are not reading as often as we would like:
When we asked students about their attitudes towards reading 18% claimed they only read when they were forced. However, 46.5% indicated that they are open to reading more often. When we asked students to identify what stops them from reading more often we got the following results:
- I get distracted easily- 62.8%
- I would rather watch something than read- 48.6%
- I find it boring to read- 44.2%
- I don’t have time to read- 41.4%
Interestingly we had 164 students (31%) state that their eyes get sore and 91 students (17.2%) identify that the writing gets wobbly.
There is limited information available to parents of adolescents wishing to support their children’s reading. Considering the value of this practice for literacy outcomes, making parents aware of the important role they can play is of considerable social importance. Small changes may have substantial positive results and a Parent's encouragement and interest can do much to support their children’s reading.These findings in the articles included provide insight into how this encouragement might be best structured in order to be successful.
Parent's role in promoting reading habits among children: An Empirical Examination
Exploring the role of parents in supporting recreational book reading beyond primary school
ALL THINGS LITERACY, BECAUSE LITERACY MATTERS IN ALL THINGS
THE POWER OF READING
Reading is learning. Learning is education. Education is knowledge. Knowledge is power. Power is influence. And influence is the ability to change the world.
Reading is not just important because it leads to higher achievement in education.
Reading helps strengthen the brain. Just like exercise strengthens the body, reading is one workout that strengthens the mind. Reading involves a complex network of circuits and signals in the brain. As your reading ability matures those networks also get stronger and more sophisticated. Frequent brain exercise helops reduce the decline in mental ability that comes with ageing.
Reading improves mental health. Escaping to the world of books helps us escape worries and stress, promotes better sleep and higher self-esteem. Individuals who read fiction are better able to understand others’ mental states, beliefs, desires, differing thoughts and this leads to improved social, communication and relationship skills.
Reading improves vocabulary and knowledge. The more you read, the more words to which you are exposed. There is a strong correlation between word-reading skills and vocabulary acquisition and opportunities in life.
Reading improves memory and focus. As your brain learns to remember all the aspects of a fictional novel your memory becomes better. This helps create new brain pathways and strengthen existing ones. Immersing oneself in the world of literature requires focus. The more we read the more our brains are able to link cause and effect.
Reading makes us better writers. The two are so strongly connected.
Reading enhances imagination and empathy. Literary fiction has the power to help readers understand what others are thinking and feeling. Empathy is crucial for interconnectivity.
Reading strengthens analytical thinking skills. Reading requires us to ask questions and seek answers.
Teenager TED talk on: The Power of Reading
Word of the Week 10
Ostentatious adjective
DEFINITION - seeking to attract attention, admiration or envy through excessive display; being pretentious
ORIGIN - Latin verb, ostentere, meaning to display and show.
IN A SENTENCE - It doesn't have to be a big ostentatious display, just something small and simple to show how much their efforts are appreciated.
In Week 10 we are holding a WORD OF THE WEEK challenge. It’s open to all students with some great prizes. Winner will be announced Thursday 7 April. Details will be announced to students in Week 9.
One of the greatest joys as a teacher is to see students who are willing to stretch themselves and develop and refine their skills across the school curriculum. While that is fantastic in a classroom, it is even more amazing to see students who voluntarily choose to stretch themselves in a demanding extracurricular activity.
For the first time we had four students compete in the senior Public Speaking competition. Despite their busy schedule, Koko Nichols, Sirit Pannu and Grace Cuthbertson from Year 10 and Lilly Gleeson from Year 11 contested the senior division with several students pulling out in the final weeks due to school commitments. Claire Pike also assisted on the day as a timekeeper and MC.
Students attempted speeches on quite profound subjects including “What is the truth?” and “The Importance of Individuality” and also important social criticism including “An Independent Media” and “Teenage Eating Disorders.”
Koko and Lilly progressed into the second round of regional competition. Due to sickness and Year 10 retreats, the girls were moved into the Greater Sydney regional competition which they entered on a Zoom link. They presented their newly polished speeches and were competitive on the day but were unable to move into the next round of competition.
Thank you to Louise Maybury for her help on the day.
Back Row (from left): Lilly Gleeson, Koko Nichols and Claire Pike
Front Row (from left): Grace Cuthbertson and Sirit Pannu
Linda Gleeson
Teacher - Public Speaking Facilitator
Tournament of Minds (TOM) has kicked off for the year with the returning students showing their great problem solving skills and out of the box thinking while our new students are showing their dedication and emerging confidence.
We have had two meetings which have been overflowing with energy, there are many Year 7 and Year 10 participants and a smattering of Year 9s. We are looking forward to entering the team formation part of the challenge and are hoping to have more Year 8 students enter the teams to round out our student participation.
TOM provides students in Stage 4 and 5 the opportunity to solve authentic, open-ended challenges that foster creative, divergent thinking whilst developing collaborative enterprise, excellence and teamwork.
It is a great place to have a lot of fun while exploring a variety of talents, develop a sense of humour and take creative risks.
Students meet every second Friday and will also begin meeting out of school hours during Term 2 in the lead up to the release of the challenge in Term 3.
For more information about TOM, visit their website at https://tom.edu.au/
Linda Gleeson
Teacher - TOM Facilitator
Online Exchange with Toyama Chubu High School in Japan
Last week, the Year 10 students had the opportunity to communicate in Japanese with Toyama Chubu High School. In previous years, students from Toyama have visited SJPC for a week in March. This year, obviously due to the restrictions on travel, they were unable to come, so the exchange was conducted online.
Our students spent time introducing themselves and Coffs Harbour to the Japanese students through Zoom. They talked about their interests, daily routine, the many places you can visit here and the different activities you can do. The Toyama students then introduced themselves, their own school and city.
The SJPC students spoke in Japanese while the Toyama students spoke in English. There were lots of smiles and laughs as the groups interacted and shared lots about their lives.
Despite not being able to travel to Japan, the Year 10 students had a great time getting to know students on the other side of the world and even in such a short time, have made some new friends.
Kirsten Binnie
Leader of Learning - Languages
Year 9 and 10 Music Concert
Last Monday evening, our very talented Year 9 and 10 music students put on a concert that wowed an audience of about 250 people in the College theatre. The students performed music based on the topics Soul, Folk and Country music, which they have studied over the Term. The Year 9 performances were absolutely brilliant and for some, this was their first time performing. They are to be commended on their dedication, time and effort to preparing for this concert. The Year 10 students took to the stage with a huge amount of encouragement from the audience as they were treated to a variety of folk and country classics.
We would like to thank all of the family, friends and staff who came along to the evening to support our talented students. We look forward to seeing you all at the next concert.
Year 11 Textiles Technologies
Welcome to preliminary Textiles Technology. Students have commenced the year by learning about the Elements, Principles, Functional and Aesthetic aspects of design and how they are employed by designers to bring about successful design.
Their practical work focuses on sampling and experimentation of manufacturing and decoration techniques that show application of these Elements and Principles. This leads on to the first design project, a Laptop case, where students design and make a project based on the Textile Art or Non-Apparel Focus areas.
Here are some wonderful in progress pictures of the students' and their work.
Kiara Mikkelsen (front) and Julia Cregan (back)
Brodhi Francis
Year 9/10 sport credit
Due to the unprecedented wet weather that was Term 1, the finance department is working with us to credit those involved in Stand-up paddle boarding. We appreciate your patience as we work through the process once sport concludes for the term.
Term 2 Sport
Rosters and sport allocations will be available to students via the Sport Classroom and their Sentral timetable from the end of the holidays. Year 7 and 8 parents are asked to note that as we do not do aquatics as part of the PDHPE curriculum, the aquatics based activities undertaken in Year 7 and 8 sport are vital to fulfil the requirements of the Stage 4 PDHPE syllabus. It is not an optional component.
College Cross Country
We will try once again to run the College Cross Country carnival on Wednesday 27 April during periods 5 and 6. Only the students in Years 9 to 12 who have signed up will be withdrawn from class to compete in the event. It is a compulsory event for all of Years 7 and 8.
The top six finishers in each division will be given the opportunity to represent the College at the Diocese Cross Country Championship in Grafton on 20 May. It is from this competition that our Cross Country Age Champions will be determined.
Diocesan Open Football Championships
On 22 March our Open male and female Football teams took to the paddock in Kempsey to contest the Southern Diocese Football Championships. The day was long and tough and even required some students to be diverted from retreat for the day. Congratulations to both teams who worked excessively hard and despite a narrow loss, both finished second overall.
Thank you to coaches Ms Victorina Istrate, Mrs Tanya Slaviero, Mr Rod Abbott and Mr Mark Coster who dedicated much time to juggle wet weather, closed grounds and to train outside school hours to equip our teams for the event.
CCC Touch Football
Recently, 4 of our students represented Lismore Diocese at the NSW Combined Catholic Colleges Touch football trials. Jaxon White and Cooper Moore represented well and narrowly missed out. Poppi Flanders and Ruby Flanders were both successful and now attend the NSW All Schools Touch Championships as part of the NSWCCC 15 years Touch Football Team. Congratulations to Ruby and Poppi!
Northern Country League Trials
Congratulations to Logan Lacey (Year 10) and Lachlan Mifsud (Year 11) who were both chosen in the Open Northern Country League team. Selection at this level allows the boys to trial for a position in the NSWCCC Open League team. Well done and good luck!
Coming Up
27 April |
College Cross Carnival, period 5 and 6 |
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Diocesan Open Football Trials, Coffs Harbour |
28 April |
Diocesan Tennis Championships, Tweed Heads |
17 May |
Open CCC League, TBC |
19 May |
Docesan Open Basketball Championships, Coffs Harbour |
20 May |
Diocesan Cross Country Championships, Grafton |
23 May |
Union 10’s, Coffs Harbour (TBC) |
1 June |
NSW CRL Cup (Open, 15, 13’s), Coffs Harbour |
9 June |
Cochrane Cup League (14’s), Port Macquarie |
21 June |
Katrina Fanning Cup (Girls League), Coffs Harbour |
22 June |
Fast 5 Netball, Port Macquarie |
25 August |
NSW Netball Cup Regional Finals, Port Macquarie |
Danielle McAra
Sport Co-ordinator
Trivia Tickets are now on SALE!
Year 12 are excited to host the annual Trivia Night on Friday 27 May 2022 at SJPC College Hall. The theme is When I Grow UP... "Occupations"
Please visit the College Office to secure and pay for your table. $15 per person.
If you would like to make any donations of prizes, vouchers, silent auction items please contact me via email at mark.sultana@lism.catholic.edu.au.
St John Paul College has a proud history of supporting the various ANZAC Day Services in the area. Please encourage your children to join our Student Leadership Team and represent the College as a sign of respect for the sacrifices made by all current and ex-servicemen and women at the following times and locations -
- Coffs Harbour March, please assemble at 8.30am at Park Avenue with Mr Stubbs
- Sawtell March, please assemble at the Sawtell RSL Club 10.30am with Mr Furey
- Woolgoolga March, please assemble at the Post Office 10.30am with Mr Coster
Student’s marching should wear full college uniform.
Thanking you in anticipation of your support