28 MAY 2018 / NO. 14

FROM THE PRINCIPAL 8

th Week of Ordinary Time

May, the Month of Mary, Mother of God

‘The Madonna’ by Richard Campbell

The following prayer was offered before a recent Leadership Team meeting and I felt that despite its 18th Century pedigree [credited to the French philosopher, Voltaire, or a devotee], it was, and is, an eloquent cry for tolerance that is as necessary in 2018 as it was in circa 1763;

“O! Thou God of all beings, of all worlds, and of all times,

We pray, that the little differences in our clothes,

in our inadequate languages,

in our ridiculous customs,

in our imperfect laws,

in our illogical opinions,

in our ranks and conditions which

are so disproportionately important to us

and so meaningless to you,

that these small variations

that distinguish those atoms that we call men [and women],

one from another,

may not be signals of hatred and persecution!”

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As the term unfolds all students at the College are deeply engaged in the Semester One assessment cycle. Years 11 and 12 are in the process of acting on their exam results and feedback, with reporting and interviews having being completed by students, parents and staff. Years 7 - 10 complete their assessment period in Weeks 5 & 6. The assessment and reporting cycle then continues and culminates in the Student / Parent / Teacher interviews that follow for Years 7 - 10 in Week 10. As we approach the midpoint in the year our students should be well and truly in the cadence of learning and teaching and preparing for their assessments with an obligation to hard work. It is my hope that all students reflect on their endeavours and are resolute in learning from their experiences. In appraising results in a mid-year context it can be worthwhile to reflect on this with your daughters and sons using ‘verbal prods’ like:

What mark did you expect? What mark did you get?

Why the difference? [whether it be a positive or a negative], and crucially, What are you going to do about it?

These ‘verbal prods’ can provide a framework to grow reflective skills. These abilities ensure that lessons are absorbed and fully comprehended and with this the students realise a sense of resilience when dealing with the difficulties that life will eventually throw at them. The ability to ‘bounce back’ from hardship or disillusionment is an imperative ability that will hold our students in good stead for the rest of their lives. Revisiting goal setting exercises that all students undertook in their Pastoral Classes under the tutelage of the Year 12s would be wise and changing expectations and dealing with change is normal and balanced, especially when we remember our challenge for 2018

“Be not afraid, Mary, because you have found favour with God.” To help support our HSC students in their final year of school, we will be running Year 12 classes as normal across the Year 7 – 10 Student / Parent / Teacher Interviews on Thursday and Friday of Week 10. We are continually looking for ways to ensure we fully maximise their learning opportunities. Students are expected to be in class as usual on those days and in full winter uniform on the Thursday [July 5

th] and either full winter uniform or sport uniform

on the Friday. Year 12 classes for Term 2 will cease after their last scheduled lesson on Friday July 6th.

With educated and faith filled adolescents who can be great models of zeal in our community we can look towards a bright future that the wider Aquinas and Holy Family community [and the staff at Menai] imagined for the young people entrusted to their care.

JAMES CORCORAN PRINCIPAL

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FROM THE ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

DAMIEN KERR ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

The following events are mirrored in the Aquinas Catholic College publicly available calendar.

Week 5 Monday 28 May 2018

Years 7-10 Assessment Free Period (Theory Subjects)

Tuesday 29 May 2018

Years 7-10 Assessment Free Period (Theory Subjects)

Year 11 Excursion - Drama

Year 12 Excursion - Drama

Year 12 Excursion - Geography Wednesday 30 May 2018

Celebrate Youth - The Life You’re Living (Jesse Manibusan)

Regional Catholic Schools Debating Competition - Finals

Sharks All Schools RL - 13’s, 15’s and 16’s Thursday 31 May 2018

Year 7, 8, 9 and 10 Assessment Period Friday 1 June 2018

Year 7, 8, 9 and 10 Assessment Period

SSCCC East Winter Competition Round 4

Week 6 Monday 4 June 2018

Year 7, 8, 9 and 10 Assessment Period Tuesday 5 June 2018

Year 7, 8, 9 and 10 Assessment Period

Year 12 Excursion - Food Tech

Year 12 Excursion - Physics (pm) Wednesday 6 June 2018

Year 7, 8, 9 and 10 Assessment Period

Year 12 Excursion - Physics (pm) Thursday 7 June 2018

Aquinas Day Friday 8 June 2018

Aquinas Staff Development Day - No Scheduled Classes

Educational Testing Day - Year 7 2019

Week 7 Monday 11 June 2018

Queen’s Birthday Holiday Tuesday 12 June 2018

Normal Classes - All Years

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PASTORAL CARE

DOMINIC RITCHIE PASTORAL CARE COORDINATOR

Dear Parents, Carers and Students,

This year during National Reconciliation Week (27 May – 3 Jun), Reconciliation Australia invites all

Australians to learn more about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and histories, to share that

knowledge and help us grow as a nation.

These dates Commemorate two significant milestones in the reconciliation journey - the successful 1967

Referendum, and the 1992 High Court Mabo decision respectively.

National Reconciliation Week (NRW) is a time for all

Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and

achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute

to achieving reconciliation in Australia.

Reconciliation must live in the hearts, minds and actions of all

Australians as we move forward, creating a nation

strengthened by respectful relationships between the wider

Australian community, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait

Islander peoples.

A reflection song for National Reconciliation Week: Follow The Sun

UNIFORM SHOP

THURSDAY 31 May

8:00am - 9:00am

Please note the Uniform Shop only sells Sports Uniforms and School bags

(There are second hand Blazers available, various sizes. Please contact the office for more

information)

The Uniform Shop now has Eftpos facilities

Rosary & Prayer Group

Held weekly every TUESDAY

at RECESS in ROOM 5.

Everyone is welcome.

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LEARNING AND CURRICULUM MATTERS

LISA MIRABELLO LEADER OF TEACHING AND LEARNING

This Week's Assessment Tasks This Week's Assessment Tasks (Year 7 – 10 assessment schedules can be found on Compass in School Documentation)

Year 7 – 10 Assessment Week 5-6 Year 7, 9 and 10 Assessment Week begins this Thursday, with Year 8 assessments being conducted on Monday 4th and Tuesday 5th June. All assessment schedules can be found on Compass in School Documentation. Students should also take note of the daily room changes as there may be some changes to the rooming for examinations. Any students or parents who have not yet read the assessment rules, for each year level, should do so, particularly students in Year 10, where assessment rules have changed from those which applied in Years 7-9. Parents are reminded that assessments are a compulsory part of the school program and any appointments

should be made so that they do not conflict with the assessment schedule.

Year Subject Date

11 SLR This week

11 Modern History This week - during class

10 Industrial Technology Timber 28.05.18

11 Hospitality 29.05.18

10 Graphics Technology 29.05.18

11 Industrial Technology Timber 30.05.18

12 English Advanced 30.05.18

12 English Standard 31.05.18

11 Economics 31.05.18

12 Visual Arts 01.06.18

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Replacing Compass ID Cards

Every student and staff member at Aquinas Catholic College

has been issued a Compass ID Card

Compass ID cards are currently used for the following:

● Arriving and Departing via the Compass Kiosks outside of normal school hours

● Library Borrowing

Students are expected to have their ID cards on them (or in their school bag) at all times.

The cards cost $10 to replace; parents are able to order replacement cards via their Compass Parent Portal.

To order a replacement ID Card open Tools and select My CompassIdentity Card.

Complete the order process as

shown here:

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DANIELLE COOPER PUBLIC SPEAKING & DEBATING TEACHER

Last Wednesday four of the Aquinas Debating teams competed in the Semi-Final round of the Regional

Catholic Schools Debating competition. This is an incredible achievement to make it to the Semi-Final

round and the level of competition was impressive. All students who competed in the Semi-Final round are

to be commended on the maturity and dedication they bring to the competition and for the outstanding

manner in which they represent the College.

Year 7: Arabella Harper, Reuben Netto, Ryley Veigel and Abby Wijesekera

Year 8: Jennah Bradstock, Ariana Halar, Emily Maguire and Tamara Talevski

Year 10: Joel Johnson, Emily Lane, Jessica Sewell (Year 9) and Laura Cole (Year 9)

Senior: Benjamin Capovilla, Benjamin Ferraro, Samantha Kerle and Charlotte Knoke

The topics for the Semi-Final round were as follows:

Year 7 & 8: That our parents know better.

Year 9 & 10: That technology has dehumanised us.

Senior: That we are headed in the right direction.

Congratulations to the Year 8 and 10 teams who won their debates, making it through to the Final round

this Wednesday at MSJ, Milperra. Students should aim to be at MSJ by 4pm for prep time, with Debates

starting around 5pm. Good luck to our Year 8 and 10 teams!

DEBATING 2018

PUBLIC SPEAKING

Well done to both Benjamin Capovilla and Joshua Lane who represented the College in the Plain English

Public Speaking Competition last Tuesday. The boys both presented their prepared speeches in an

engaging manner and took on the challenge posed by the impromptu speech section. Congratulations to

Benjamin who made it through to the next round. Benjamin also competed that evening in the Rostrum

Voice of Youth Public Speaking Regional Final at St Gregory’s College, Campbelltown. The calibre of this

competition was exceptional and Benjamin was awarded Runner-Up overall which is a fantastic

achievement.

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Social Justice meetings are held every Tuesday Week A in TR1. Please come along and join us.

SOCIAL JUSTICE

DENISE MARTIN SOCIAL JUSTICE COORDINATOR

CANTEEN ROSTER TERM 2

TIME: MONDAY-THURSDAY 10:30-14:00, FRIDAY 10.00-12:30

MONDAY 28/5 LISA SHAW TUESDAY 29/5 PETA BOURKE, MARY-ELLEN ROONEY WEDNESDAY 30/5 KATHERINE PEACOCK, JEANETTE CABRERA THURSDAY 31/5 LISA TUDEHOPE FRIDAY 1/6 CATHY FULTON, TRACEY HERBERT, MEGAN SOUTHALL MONDAY 4/6 TONY SHELDON, NICOLE RIEDE TUESDAY 5/6 DANIELLE BROWN, PATRICIA SADLER WEDNESDAY 6/6 SIMONE ASSEN-LEITE, CELINE KEHOE THURSDAY 7/6 MELINDA HUMPHRY, LEANNE CARPENTER FRIDAY 8/6 JENNY KNOKE, LOUISE BRYANT, REBECCA HARRIS, MICHELLE TURNER, EVELYN IOAKIM

On Thursday the 7th June 2018 (Week 6), our school community will be holding their annual Aquinas Day, which celebrates our patron saint, St Thomas Aquinas.

The day will be divided into three sessions. Firstly, students will attend a whole school mass in the JPII Hall. Parents are more than welcome to join in with this celebration.

During the middle of the day, students will have the opportunity to enjoy themselves by running and participating in stalls and activities. The stall and activities encompass a wide range indoor and outdoor things to do as well as sweet & savoury treats to eat. Each house has been asked to organise a certain type of activity and these are as follows:

LASALLE will be responsible for organising hot foods

MACKILLOP will be responsible for outdoor activities

NAGLE will be responsible for drinks and treats

RICE will be responsible for organising indoor activities

This part of the day hopes to raise funds for the Timor Leste Immersion programme that the College participates in. Students are encouraged to bring some money to spend but also to enjoy themselves.

The day will conclude with the annual Aquinas Talent Quest, where not only will many Aquinas students have an opportunity to showcase their marvellous talents, but once again, the Year 12 students will do their best to defeat the staff with their singing, dancing and acting skills.

Students are expected to wear full school sports uniform on Aquinas Day. The canteen will be open before school but will be closed during the day.

Aquinas Day 2018

THURSDAY WEEK 6 - 07/06/18

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