Term 3 Week 7 - 4th September 2020

HSC ZOOM SHOWCASE- Wednesday, 9th September 2020

This is a busy time for the Creative Arts faculty as they are undergoing practical examinations.

I would like to thank Ms Debbie Kennaugh, Leader of Creative Arts and faculty teachers, Mrs Tracy Pares, Ms Toni Howard, Mrs Renee May and Mrs Leanne Johnson for their commitment to our Year 12 students and for the many hours of guidance in the preparation of their Major Works and performances.

I refer you to the below passage from Ms Kennaugh in regards to the HSC Showcase.

Today, HSC markers attended the College to mark our Drama students on their Major Works and presentations. Visual Arts Major Works will go into lockdown on 14th September and the HSC Music students will be marked by external markers on 17th September.

Usually, at this time of year, the College comes together and celebrates the achievements and talents of Drama, Music and Dance students in an evening that would Showcase their amazing talents and skills. Unfortunately, we are unable to create such an event. This year, however, we will still acknowledge the dedication and hard work these students have put into their final submissions. A Showcase Clip has been created to highlight the amazing work these students have produced. Parents, teachers and students of Year 12 will receive an invitation via email and they will be able to access the presentation via a link. This link will be made available to the College community after the lockdown period expires.

Thank you to our Creative Arts assistant, Julianne Byrne, for collating and producing a wonderful memento to acknowledge our talented Creative Arts students of 2020.

Debbie Kennaugh
Leader of Creative Arts

God Bless

Jim Dempsey
Principal

Staff Changes

This week, we welcome Mrs Heidi O'Reilly into the position of Acting Leader of Pastoral Care- Innes. Heidi is replacing, Mr Chris Kalchbauer, who is a HSC Marker for the TAS-Timber learning area.

Heidi will continue in this role until Friday, 23rd October 2020 and we wish her all the very best during this time.

Demi Takes the Chop to Change Lives

Year 11 student Demi Magnus, recently had her very long hair cut to donate the hair to a program called Hair With Heart https://hairwithheart.variety.org.au/

There were a few rules to make the donation possible including no hair dye, at least 35.5cm in length to donate ....and no grey hair!

Demi's beautiful hair will be donated to make wigs for children with cancer, Alopecia Areata, or those living with a disability, chronic illness or disadvantage.

Demi's reasoning for donating was very simple, she just wanted to be able to help other young people that are going through a tough time. Hopefully, Demi's lovely long hair will bring a smile to someone that really needs it.

For more information go to: https://hairwithheart.variety.org.au/

Year 8 Cybersafety Talk

On Monday, Snr Constable Steve Jeffery (Police Liaison Officer) spoke to Year 8 about Cybersafety. The main themes were Sexting, Digital Footprint and Online Grooming.

Snr Constable Jeffery outlined:

• Sharing pictures of private parts over social media or online is considered to be sexting.
• Sexting, for students, is the production and sharing of child abuse material and is illegal.
• Photographs shared online never go away - even if sent via Snapchat.

My thanks to, Snr Constable Jeffery, for his words of wisdom.

MAD for Manila - Out of Uniform Day with Crazy Socks 

Next Friday, 11th September (week 8) students are able to participate in a 'MAD for Manila' fundraiser. It's an out-of-uniform day with a difference, that will make a difference...... Students are encouraged to also wear their craziest socks. The cost of participation is a GOLD coin.

Also... there will be a Mad for Manila cake sale at recess and lunch on this day.

All monies raised will go towards a school for underprivileged students in the Philippines. They will use the money for printing work booklets for students who are continuing to learn from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Please Note: Students who have Technology or TAS classes timetabled for this day are required to either wear or bring their leather shoes.

Thank you to the Year 10 Religious Education class for organising this event.

Happy Father's Day

A Prayer for Fathers

God our Father, we give you thanks and praise
for fathers young and old.
We pray for young fathers, newly embracing their
vocation – may they find courage and
perseverance to balance work, family and
faith in joy and sacrifice.
We pray for all fathers around the world whose
children are lost or suffering – may they know
that the God of compassion walks with
them in their sorrow.
We pray for men who are not fathers, but
still mentor and guide us with
fatherly love and advice.
We remember fathers, grandfathers and great grandfathers
who are no longer with us, but
who live forever in our memory and nourish
us with their love. Amen.

Tanya Daley
Assistant Principal, Staff & Pastoral Care

Year 9 2021 Elective Choices

Year 8 students will shortly be required to nominate two elective subjects to be studied in Years 9 and 10 in 2021/22. An Elective Handbook will be emailed to parents, while students will be given their Elective Choice sheet. This year, because we could not conduct our normal information night, teachers have produced a short information video on each of the electives offered. Parents will be given the link to these videos, and there will also be a link in the handbook.

I would strongly encourage parents and students to view at least a selection of these videos to gain valuable information about the electives offered. I’m sure you will be impressed by their quality, and they are a real credit to the whole team of staff members involved in their production.

Students should give careful consideration to the electives they choose. They are all two-year courses, and students are expected to study them for the full two years. It is also important that students submit their choice sheets on time (BY MONDAY, 14th SEPTEMBER) to the box in the College Office, as late submissions may not be able to be given any of their top choices.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me at the College should you require further information on the elective choice process.

Year 8 2021 Semester Elective Choices

Early next week, students will be issued with an elective choice sheet for their semester electives next year. In Year 8, students study two electives, one in the first half of the year, and a different one in the second half of the year. The elective choice sheets contain a brief outline of each of the electives on offer, and students are encouraged to ask their teachers should they require any further information. Students should choose their electives solely on interest as none of the subjects are essential background for any further study beyond Year 8.

It is important that students submit their choice sheets on time (BY MONDAY SEPT 14th) to the box in the College Office, as late submissions may not be able to be given any of their top choices.

Traineeships for 2021

Traineeship positions for St Joseph's Regional College can be found on the College Moodle site.

Tim McCosker
Assistant Principal - Curriculum & Administration

Ph: 5525 4100

What is a Prayer Sponsor?

It is someone who prays for another person with a specific intention in mind and at specific times. When someone is sponsored they know that someone else is praying for them at a certain time.

The Scheme

Each year, we invite our Year 12 students who wish to be sponsored in prayer to submit their names and times of their HSC exams to us. We will then allocate their name to a sponsor who has volunteered to pray for a student at this time. Each sponsor will receive information with:

1. the name of the student
2. the prayer offered
3. the times of the student’s HSC exams

A strong aspect of our Catholic Faith is the efficacy of prayer (i.e. prayer does make a difference). At the same time the injection “Pray as if everything depended on God; work; as if everything depended on you” has its own wisdom.

We appeal to parents, family and friends of our Year 12 HSC class to make themselves available as a prayer sponsor. Knowing that someone is praying for you at a difficult time is a source of great strength and consolation.

If you are interested in being a Prayer Sponsor for one or several of our Year 12 students from a St Agnes' Parish Secondary School, please contact the College Office on 5525 4100 with your details.

You will receive the following information (student name, exam times and prayers to be offered) before the commencement of HSC exams on Tuesday, 20th October 2020.

Leaders of Evangelisation
St Agnes' Parish Secondary Schools

Get the Wood Ready!

Year 10 Metal Technology students have designed their fire pits and are now in the process of constructing them. From drawing their design concepts, solving design flaws and now making their final design come to life by using a number of construction techniques such as cutting their metal to size, shaping, welding and filing the weld to finish off. Watch this space in the next few weeks to see the student’s final project.

Mrs Diana Walsh
Assistant Leader of TAS

Prayer through Music

Check out some of the great music featured this week on the SJRC Digital Ministry Blog https://sjrcministry.wixsite.com/digitalministry

Featured Music

Digital Ministry

We invite you to click on the links below to see the great resources on the SJRC Digital Ministry Blog and Instagram Page put together by our Youth Ministry Officers, Chloe Nash and Amelia Stennett.

SJRC Digital Ministry Blog https://sjrcministry.wixsite.com/digitalministry

SJRC Digital Ministry Instagram Page https://www.instagram.com/sjrcdigitalministry/

The Soul

Each week, the Catholic Schools Office, Lismore puts together 'The Soul' e-newsletter; packed full on great information and resources.

We invite you to click on the link below to check out this week's edition:

https://csolismore.schoolzineplus.com/the-daily-soul?nid=148

Timo Gobius
Leader of Evangelisation

In the SJRC Literacy Enrichment Spotlight

• Are you in Year 10 or older and need a creative outlet?
• Then share your story with ABC’s Heywire!
• What Do I Enter?
• Tell a story about an aspect of your life, where you live.
• Tell your story in any format you like.
  

1. It's about you
   Heywire is about giving Australia a window on your life and/or your community. You are unique and the place where you live is unique, and that makes your story fascinating. Personal stories are the most compelling.
2. But not everything about you
   We're not asking you to tell your WHOLE life story. Focus on one important or interesting aspect of your life. It could be one hobby that's important to you, or one issue that you are passionate about, or one challenge you've overcome, or an interesting thing that has happened to you, or one thing that irritates you about where you live, or what makes your town unique.
3. Then do this:
   Visit the Heywire website for further details and inspiration.
   https://www.abc.net.au/heywire/competition/
   Competition closes Wednesday 16 September 2020 

Coming up:

Where Can My Interest in Media and English Take Me?

Another SJRC Literacy Enrichment feature focusing on careers in media and all things literacy will start soon. If you’re interested in careers in animation, film making, advertising and journalism then this feature is for you. We’ll look at what these careers are and how to get there.

Debating 2020 SJRC V MacKillop: Last week’s successful debating competition saw SJRC win 4 of the 6 debates contested.

Apart from the clear success enjoyed here, further success was the collaboration of students and staff evident in the little things and the big things:

• Mrs Bale’s team of helpers setting up the library
• Mr McKee’s PC setting up C11 as the second debating room
• Mrs Eames always at the ready to ‘pap’ the event and capture our students in full flight
• Mrs Marchment’s behind the scenes support of the whole process, starting with a ‘How to Coach Debating’ session through to topic setting and adjudicating

And lastly to our SJRC students who participated and assisted in a spirit of gusto and courage. Win or lose, it is that spirit that defines the day.

What Now? Public speaking!

Please stay tuned for updates on public speaking coaching and competitions that will be published on Schoolworx and here next week.

Indigenous Literacy Day

Each year, on September 13th, the literary world recognises the great storytelling genius that was Roald Dahl.

Generations of humans have been captivated by his books, and still are to this day. On 13th September, keep Roald Dahl in your thoughts, and maybe read a page or two from one of his many books.

Students at SJRC have access to many of his books in the College Library.

Library Spaces

The Library has a few different spaces within its ‘shell’, used for many different purposes. Last week, the Library was the venue for the majority of the annual SJRC v MacKillop College Debating Competition. What better place for critical thinking, research, ideation, positioning and argument?

St Joseph's  Regional College Library

R U OK?

10th September is R U OK Day

Many people are suffering from daily struggles in life.

EVERY DAY should be R U OK.

Help each other and care for each other.

We love catching up with past students and following their journeys since graduating from St Joseph's Regional College. The breadth and variety of career paths and life choices are amazing and make for such interesting reading. Our current students will find inspiration in these stories.

This week's alumni update is Steve Lyons, who was a former School Captain (1990). Steve has recently been a guest caster on the "Regionals" podcast under development for the College archives.

Weekly Lunch Specials

The Canteen opens at 8.00am every school day.

Volunteering in our Canteen

In the current climate, Canteen volunteers will not be required until further notice.

Thank you for your understanding and take care.

Ms Donna Hamlin
Food Services Manager

The St Agnes' Uniform Store is open from:

12.00pm - 5.00pm Monday to Friday

9.00am - 12.00pm on Saturday.