Term 4, Week 1 - 8 October - 2021

Dear Parents & Carers,

Welcome to Term 4! It has been a positive return to school for students and staff, and it has been great to see the school full of students ready to engage in their learning and of course meet up with their friends! In terms of COVID regulations, we have returned to term 4 as we finished term 3, at level 3 restrictions. I have outlined in the COVID 19 section of this newsletter what this means for students, staff, parents and other visitors, at this point in time. According to the information we have received from the Catholic Schools Office, schools will be operating under level 3 restrictions until the 1st of December. However, as we know, this space can change quickly. We will continue to keep you informed of any changes if and when they arise as the State of NSW transitions out of lockdown.  

Taylah Anderson

In the last week of term 3, we received the very sad news that Taylah Anderson, one of our students from the class of 2019, died tragically in a car accident. A group of staff and former students attended Taylah’s funeral, which was held at the Chapel on Chatsworth Island. A beautiful ceremony celebrated Taylah’s short life of almost 20 years. Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with Taylah’s family and friends at this sad time.  

College Captains 2022

It gives me great pleasure to announce our College Captains for 2021 - 2022. Congratulations to: 

Matilda Sheehan and Taylor Powell - College Captains

Layla Cramb and Jonathan Leung - College Vice Captains

Jack Bailey - Ministry Captain

I look forward to working with our new leaders over the next 4 terms. A badge presentation and hand-over will be organised in the near future. House Captain nominations are being accepted and I encourage students in Year 11 to embrace the leadership opportunities that are offered at the College. Servant leadership is what we promote at McAuley and is an important way to not only give back to the College but to also leave a legacy for those just starting their journey here.

Yr 11 Business Studies Awards

Congratulations to the Year 11 Business Studies class on their great achievements in the University of Newcastle Business Plan Challenge 2021. Please read the good news story in this newsletter.

Uniform

Some uniform issues that have appeared on our return to school this term include nose rings and wearing PE uniform on incorrect days. Students are to remove all nose rings and replace them with a clear spacer, as per our rules. This term we are trialling a new approach to wearing PE uniform to reduce the need for changing in and out of uniforms during the day. Mrs Warby has explained this in her section of the newsletter. 

Enrolments for 2022

Year 7 enrolments have been very positive over the last 3 terms and we have now had to implement a waiting list for 2022. I ask that families who need to confirm their enrolment do this as soon as possible.

Please continue to check our College calendar to keep up to date with what is happening here. We know it has been difficult for parents and the wider community to engage with the school; however, we continue to find ways to keep you informed and involved. We look forward to the time when we can invite you back to the school and engage in person.

Yours sincerely

Kate

Kate Thomson

Principal

“We should be shining lamps, giving light to all around us.” Catherine McAuley

Parent Feedback - Blended Learning

Thank you for your feedback on the way that the school implemented blended learning during weeks 6-9 of term three. It is important that we as a school gather the voice of all those affected by the Government mandate so that we can learn from the experience and ensure that we are able to meet the needs of our community should the need arise again. 

Over seventy parents completed the survey and from their feedback, the message was overwhelmingly positive. Many of the responses were individualised and focusing on the academic and wellbeing support that was provided to their child. Below is a de-identified summary of the responses drawing out areas with a common thread.

Positives

• Communication – regular, well-paced, well-structured, blended learning plan, homeroom, 8 a.m. posts for the organization of the day, Positive feedback when work was completed, weekly zooms to check-in.
• Curriculum - Good mix of practical and theory activities across classes. Importance of manageable chunks with flexibility. The workload and coordination seemed better this time

Suggestions for Improvement 

• Consistent message/time of work being posted by all staff. 
• Schedule lesson due date for some time later in the week not straight after the lesson so that the child has time to complete, 
• If possible, reduce the email notifications
• Ensure the staff who schedule the zooms are on time – perhaps start them 10 min into the lesson so that the teacher can move from one zoom to the next without delay.

As always if you have any questions or concerns about the blended learning experience or any part of your child’s education we would be interested in your feedback.

Study Groups

Considering we are now back at school and face to face learning has resumed, I thought it may be worth including in this weeks newsletter some information on Study Groups and Learning. This information is pertinent no matter what year group a student might be in.

The following is from an online Study Skills Handbook:  

Learning with other students can be a very powerful way to improve your learning outcomes. You might be sitting next to each other discussing what you are learning, or working together in a group online and sharing your screens, or giving a friend feedback about an assignment. There are many benefits to learning to work with other students.

MOTIVATION: Studying together can be much more motivating than studying on your own. Setting targets and working towards them together can help keep you focused on completing assignments. Often study done together is more active and engaging than studying on your own and this is much better for retention.

DEEPEN UNDERSTANDING: Discussing with a friend, being able to bounce ideas off each other, ask each other questions – all of these activities will help strengthen your neural networks and deepen your understanding of what you are learning. This can help to develop our higher-order thinking skills.

DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES: Sometimes we don’t realise that we are only looking at things in one particular way and there are different and diverse viewpoints to ours. Learning with a friend can help you see things in a different light and broaden your perspective. This can help develop our critical thinking skills. 

BUILD TEAMWORK SKILLS: Learning to cooperate, negotiate and problem solve with other people is a great skill to have in later life. By learning with other students you will have opportunities to learn to be a more active participant in group work and also develop communication and leadership skills.

Drop Everything and Read (DEAR).

Students from Year 7 to 10 drop everything for the first 15 minutes of Period 3 each school day (excluding Thursday) and read.  

There are so many benefits associated with independent reading. The table below indicates how the amount of reading we do contributes to academic success and it’s literally just a few minutes a day that can make all the difference.

How can you support your students so they can reap the benefits of the DEAR program and reading in general?  Here are some suggestions:

• Putting aside time to read together at home and chatting with your teen about what they are reading.  Many teens miss reading aloud to their parents/carers once they reach high school age.
• Visiting the local library together. Help your teen to find a book related to their interests.
• Being a role model - reading in front of your teen rather than always waiting for that quiet time after everyone has gone to bed!
• Limiting access to electronic devices (for that designated reading time).
• Reminding your teen to take their novel to school (because we know what the teenage memory can be like!)
  

HSC information

Year 12 will be completing some practice exams in weeks 2 and 3 of the term these exams will take place in N4/N7 within their normal scheduled lessons for the day. Students will need to get names marked off in HR prior to making their way to the examination rooms.

COVID SAFE EXAMS

McAuley College will be following NESA HSC COVID safe protocols for the HSC written exams.

NESA Advice  at 8/10/2021

• HSC students are strongly encouraged to be fully vaccinated in time for their Examinations. 
• Students who are 18 years and over can make an AstraZeneca booking via the COVID-19 Vaccine Eligibility Checker - link below. 
• Students with underlying medical conditions can make a Pfizer booking via the COVID-19 Vaccine Eligibility Checker:  health.gov.au/resources/apps-and-tools/covid-19-vaccine-clinic-finder

NESA Requirements

Before exams start

Students with a known illness, like hay fever, that have similar symptoms to the flu must:

• get a medical certificate from their doctor
• give their school a copy of the certificate.

This allows students with existing conditions to meet exam day protocols without requiring a negative COVID test.

Students must not attend an exam if they have:

• any cold or flu-like symptoms (fever, cough, sore/scratchy throat, shortness of breath, loss of taste or sense of smell).
• been tested for COVID-19 and have not yet received their test result
• been directed by NSW health to self-isolate
• recently tested positive for COVID-19 and are still required to self-isolate
• someone in their household with symptoms of COVID-19 or are a close contact. When the household member receives a negative test result, the student can return to school.
• Students who are required to self-isolate will be covered by the illness and misadventure process for that period. A medical certificate or other evidence will be required.

Schools are required to screen students prior to them entering the examination room

On exam day

Masks

Masks are mandatory

If a student cannot wear a face mask because of a disability, physical or mental health illness or condition, they must provide their principal with and carry either:

• a medical certificate or letter signed by a registered health practitioner (eg a doctor) or a registered NDIS provider
  OR
• a statutory declaration.

Students who refuse to wear a mask without a valid reason will not be allowed to enter the exam room and will be referred to the principal.

The school will be communicating further with year 12 students and parents leading into the exam period.

Di McGowan

Assistant Principal, Learning & Teaching

In its 18th year, the University of Newcastle Year 11 Business Plan Challenge has again been a great success with over 500 student entries from across the state. All of the Year 11 Business Studies students entered their business plans. A great deal of time and energy goes into this task from idea conception through to forecasting costs and calculating probable breakeven figures. 

Congratulations to all 2021 Year 11 Business Studies students with many achieving encouraging accolades from the judges. Three McAuley students received High Distinctions in this year’s challenge. These well-deserving recipients were Mia Pitt (Clarence Coffee App) Anna Gillies (Lines and Designs) and Madison Newman (P.O.D. 72). Many other students received Outstanding Achievement Awards. This competition has great merit in making the connection between theory and practice. Congratulations to our future entrepreneurs. 

Leanne McLennan
Year 11 Business Studies Teacher

Last term Year 7 Art did a printmaking task based on local architecture. An array of landmarks were represented including the cinema, the council building and even the McDonalds drive-through. 

On Friday, 8th October Year 12 Students had a loud/crazy shirt day for a bit of fun and to keep up the morale in these difficult weeks. We had a sausage sizzle and a lovely chocolate cake from Ms Thomson. We are going to do a series of fun activities over the next fortnight in the lead up to Year 12’s last week of formal schooling in Week 4.

Over the next two weeks, Year 12 will be doing practise exams during their double lessons for all of their HSC subjects. Please keep Year 12 in your prayers as they travel through this extraordinary period of the last few weeks of schooling and the much delayed HSC Examinations.

Mark Bellamy
Year 12 Coordinator

Vinnies Cook-up for local families

In the final week of Term 3, Mr Coggan’s Year 7 Technology class in their practical lesson, along with the Year 11 Catholic Faith in Action class prepared 10 meals for local families.

This is a continuation of our student’s willingness to prepare and cook meals for local families who are struggling. It is a wonderful example of the community service work found in our College community.

LEVEL 3 RESTRICTIONS
The current NSW Government Roadmap for easing COVID-19 Restrictions indicated that schools will remain under Level 3 restrictions until at least Wednesday, 1 December. This is dependent upon vaccination rates and the review by the new State leadership.

STUDENT VACCINATION
NSW Health strongly urges all students aged 12 - 15 years to receive two doses of either Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines as soon as possible.

NON - ESSENTIAL VISITORS
Under Level 3 restrictions means that parents are not permitted to visit classrooms or attend sporting events or assemblies. All group gatherings have been cancelled including parent-teacher interviews, however, enrolment interviews (with one parent only in attendance) are permitted to proceed.

MASKS

• Masks are required to be worn by staff in both indoors and outdoors settings.
• Masks are required to be worn by secondary students in indoor settings
• Masks are recommended to be worn by secondary students in outdoor settings (unless exercising or eating)

Staff and students are asked to supply their own masks. The NSW Minister for Education has stated that it is expected that teachers and secondary students will be required to wear masks in indoor settings for the duration of the term.

SCHOOL SPORT
School Sport is not permitted at Level 3. Prac PDHPE classes are permitted.

HSC
We are working with the CSO, Lismore to develop detailed and comprehensive plans to ensure our HSC exams are conducted with COVID procedures. We will communicate these with students and parents in the near future

GRADUATION

An exemption to the ‘no assembly’ rule has been granted to allow Graduations to take place in Term 4, Week 4. Our Graduation will be held on Wednesday 27th October at 9.30am

FORMALS
It is envisaged that formals will be permitted (with some restrictions) at the end of the term.

Please find attached the latest Parish Bulletins from Clarence Valley Parish.