St Joseph's Regional College Port Macquarie eNewsletter

Principal's Message

Welcome to Week 3! While the 'SJRC News in Brief' newsletter typically provides only an overview of upcoming events, I believe that the past week's events deserve special attention.

It has been a week filled with meaningful Liturgical celebrations, beginning with Shrove Tuesday, followed by Ash Wednesday and the commencement of Project Compassion. I extend my sincere gratitude to Assistant Principal-Mission, Mr Matthew Bushe, and Leader of Evangelisation, Mr Shane Hyland, as well as the numerous staff and students whose dedication made these events possible. Further information about these events can be found in this week's newsletter.

This week, had a group of senior Visual Arts and Drama students attend a three-day cultural immersion excursion in Sydney. A full report will be in next week's newsletter.

Special mention and well done to Year 7 students, who I'm delighted to say have mostly adapted to the new routines of secondary schooling.

Bravissimo

This week, I had the pleasure of attending the 2024 Bravissimo HSC Music Concert held at the Glasshouse. Bravissimo Concert first began its annual concert in 2012, quickly becoming established as the premiere HSC musical event for our wide region. In 2024 our performers have travelled from Gloucester in the south, spanning out to Aberdeen, Tamworth, Armidale & Inverell in the west, and as far north as Coffs Harbour & Woolgoolga in the north, showcasing the excellence achieved in schools by our outstanding music students.

We welcomed back and thank Mrs Leanne Johnson, who directed the concert and organised our students.

"Bravissimo gives outstanding HSC music students the opportunity to publicly celebrate their outstanding musical achievement before an audience comprising mostly up-and-coming high school musicians also doing Music as an elective, so it's about providing that opportunity for the audience to see what a Band 6 looks like . A number of these musicians do go on to make music their career; all of the performers confirm that they have a life-long passion they will take with them through life." Leanne Johnson - Bravissimo Director

We are very proud of all six of our nominees. While all six were invited to perform, due to other commitments, only two SJRC students were available to perform at the concert.

Congratulations to Year 12 2023 nominated students:

Lorena Dionigi Result: 98 1st place in Diocese
Performance- (Drums) - Patrick McGahon Result: 97
Performance- (Alto Saxophone) - McKinley Halls Result: 97
Giordano Dionigi Result: 95
Tomas Bush Result: 94
Rory Bush Result: 92

Well done to these fine young musicians. We have such great talent here at St Joseph's Regional College.

To conclude, I also congratulate our Co-curricular Music Trainee, Callum Pender, for his Percussion (Concert Snare Drum) performance and inclusion in the concert.

ArtExpress 2024

This week, Year 12 2023 HSC student Lorena Dionigi's Visual Art "Body of Work' was displayed in the ArtExpress 2024 exhibition at the Hazelhurst Arts Centre.

Lorena's work is one of 52 talented exhibiting artists who have brought their unique perspectives to life. This year's exhibition is a celebration of diverse artistic expressions and forms. Lorena attended the opening and shared insights into her outstanding body of work; her passion and creativity truly shone through.

The ArtExpress 2024 exhibition is showing until April 7 2024, if you would like to immerse yourself in this inspiring showcase.

Congratulations, Lorena. We look forward to seeing more of your fabulous works of art in galleries in the future.

Warm regards,

Tanya Daley
Principal

Principal's Message Awards

Assistant Principal- Mission

Shrove Tuesday

Shrove Tuesday was celebrated at the College as we embraced the historical significance of this tradition. Rooted in the Christian calendar, Shrove Tuesday marks the day before Ash Wednesday. On this day, families traditionally use up rich foods like eggs and milk before the fasting period of Lent begins.

Our school community gathered to enjoy pancakes together before PC, recognising the importance of humility and self-discipline as we enter this solemn season. Thank you to senior Hospitality students and our Student Leaders of Mission team for preparing and selling pancake stacks as our first fundraiser for Project Compassion.

Ash Wednesday and a New Liturgical Season - Lent

Next Wednesday marks the end of Ordinary Time in the Liturgical Cycle of the Church. A new season begins, called Lent. The colours in the church go from green to purple. Purple symbolises a period of waiting and expectation. The mood of Lent is one of repentance. It is a time to turn from ways that do not line up with the teachings of Jesus and draw nearer to God’s will for our lives.

During the liturgy on Ash Wednesday, Mr Hyland challenged us all to embrace the three anchors of Lent, all of which will help us become closer to God.

Prayer - spending time in God’s presence in formal and informal ways.
Fasting - going without something as a way of joining with Jesus in the human struggle of his trial and death.
Almsgiving - sacrificing some of our finances to support causes such as Caritas’ Project Compassion (see below)

Ash Wednesday’s name comes from the fact that a particular rite is always celebrated on this Wednesday in which the faithful have ashes put on their foreheads. The ashes come from the leftover palms from Palm Sunday the previous year. They are a ‘throwback’ from early times in Christianity where, as a sign of penitence, the faithful would put ashes on themselves to symbolise their remorse for their sins.

Over the next 40 days, the Scripture readings during Masses address key points during Jesus’ earthly ministry, from his temptation in the desert through to his triumphant entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday before he endures his Passion during Holy Week (the last week of Lent before Easter).

To learn more about Ash Wednesday, enjoy this video from Busted Halo: https://goo.gl/MYUxYo

Project Compassion

Project Compassion is Caritas Australia’s main annual fundraising campaign. It mobilises Australians to raise much-needed funds to help alleviate poverty, promote justice and uphold dignity in the world's most vulnerable and marginalised communities.

Held during Lent, the six-week period before Easter, Catholic schools, Parishes, and the wider Australian public participate in various fundraising activities and events to support Caritas Australia’s programs both overseas and here with our First Australian partners.

Project Compassion is an extraordinary demonstration of the faith, empathy and generosity of our supporters. It is the lifeblood of Caritas Australia; without it, we could not do the vital work that we do.

We have already commenced fundraising for this with our Shrove Tuesday pancake sale. Students will have a range of opportunities to support this cause, including the Easter Egg raffle.

This week, at our Ash Wednesday Liturgy, students were shown the following YouTube clip about Ronita and how Caritas Australia has helped her follow her dreams and provide a pathway out of poverty.

Ronita's Story

22-year-old Ronita lives in a Barangay (native Filipino term for a local district), in Quezon City, the Philippines. She lives with her husband, Lean, and their two children, Egzy Grey, three years old, and Clark, five years old. After the birth of her children, 22-year-old Ronita was at risk of having to leave school permanently. But with the support of Caritas Australia’s partners in the Philippines, she resumed her studies and now has a job to support her family.

The short YouTube clip below tells of Ronita's journey and how Caritas Australia has helped her.

Matthew Bushe
Assistant Principal - Mission

Assistant Principal - Mission

Creative Arts Nest - A4ART

The Creative Arts Nest, along with St Agnes’ Education, is thrilled to announce the return of A4Art for its third year! The 2024 A4Art Prize aims to ignite creativity among young artists and staff across our six St Agnes’ Parish Schools.

Finalists' artworks will be featured in a travelling exhibition, providing emerging artists with the opportunity to showcase their work. You all will once again have the opportunity to vote for your favourite artworks when the exhibition comes to our school.

With a prize pool of over $5000, including support from new sponsors such as Port Macquarie Surf School, Twotriplefour and Antonjia Gross Studios, along with returning sponsors such as Seed Creative, Drawn to Art, The Wauchope Creative Hub, Innervision Surf and Skate, Sunset Gallery, Alice in Paperland, Belle Property (Luminosity), Wildnets, and Stoney Aqua Park, artists have the chance to win some fantastic prizes.

Open to all students from Kindergarten to Year 12 along with staff, A4Art challenges participants to unleash their creativity on a single A4 piece of paper. Judges will strictly adhere to the listed conditions on the website, emphasising no cardboard backing, framing, or additional materials like clay—just pure creativity with that one piece of paper.

The A4ART Prize is officially open. Find more details on categories, prizes, and terms and conditions at artsnest.com.au. The countdown to creativity begins now!

A4Art_FLYER_2024_v1.0.pdf

A4Art_FLYER_2024_v1 _0 _pdf 558.44 KB

You will need to download the flyer to access the clickable links.

Website - artsnest.com.au

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/creativeartsnest

St Agnes' Parish News Creative Arts NEST

Encounter Youth

The Encounter Youth Program kicks off for 2024 this Sunday. Come along and join in the fun.

Week 3: Summer Splash 18th February 2024

Summer is coming to an end, but our year is just beginning

Come along to Encounter Youth this Sunday for a bit of a summer splash to kick off the year

Make sure you wear some clothes you don’t mind getting wet, a spare pair of clothes to get changed into, $5 for dinner, and a few mates.

- Sunday 18th of Feb
- 6:00 - 8:00pm @ The Youth Hub
- $5 for dinner

Week 4: Seasons 25th February 2024

Hot chocolate in summer? Cold showers in winter?

Some things are meant for one season. Come along to Encounter this week to hear about the seasons of the Church.

- Sunday 25th of Feb
- 6:00 - 8:00pm @ The Youth Hub
- $5 for dinner

St Agnes' Parish News Evangelisation

Canteen News

Weekly Lunch Specials

Term 1 Week 4 Lunch Specials $6.00
Monday	Fried Rice (Gluten Free)
Tuesday	Swimming Carnival - no canteen
Wednesday	Roast Vege Salad (Gluten Free)
Thursday	Gourmet Sausage dogs
Friday	Chicken Pita Pocket