St Bede's Catholic College Newsletter 15 - 22 September 2023

PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE – JOHN MURPHY

PRAYER  

Loving God, 
We ask you to watch over our Year 12 students  
as they complete their time at St Bede’s. 
Send them your gifts of wisdom and knowledge. 
Give them calm hearts and quiet confidence 
 in the knowledge that you hold them  
in the palm of your hand. 
We ask this through Christ our Lord.  
Amen

Our Lady of Mercy… Pray for us

YEAR 12 GRADUATION 

Congratulations to our Year 12 students who graduated today. The Graduation Assembly this morning and the Graduation Ceremony to be attended by parents, guests, staff, and students later tonight are historical events in the history of the College. The Graduation Class of 2023 are our Foundation Students who commenced in Year 7 in 2018.  They have been an amazing group of students who have made an invaluable contribution to the culture of St Bede’s. A feature of their growth as a cohort has been their positive relationships with each other and with their teachers. We wish all these students the best as they prepare for the upcoming HSC exams.  

Thank you to the parents and carers for working in partnership with the College. Thank you to our staff, past and present, for their diligence, and expertise and for their care for these students over the past six years.  

A full report of these graduation events, including the award winners, will be in the first newsletter of next term. 

STAFF NEWS 

It is with great pleasure that I announce the following appointments to St Bede’s from the start of next year: 

Ms. Sally-Anne Waters - Permanent Technologies & Applied Studies (TAS) Teacher. Included in Ms. Waters’ qualifications are a Bachelor of Architecture, a Bachelor of Science, and a Master of Teaching (Secondary) with Distinction. In addition to working as an architect for a few years, Ms. Waters did casual teaching with us in 2022 and has been teaching at St Pius X High School, Adamstown throughout 2023.  

Name: Sally-Ann Waters

Family background:  

I grew up in Newcastle and after time spent travelling and living in Melbourne, I now live locally with my husband, two young daughters and our new (and very cheeky) puppy Rosie. 

My hopes and dreams in coming to St Bede’s:  

I am thrilled to be a part of the St Bede’s community. I am looking forward to sharing my passion for design and technologies and hope to nurture and inspire students to take an active role in shaping their own futures. 

Teaching Qualifications:  

• Master of Teaching (Secondary) with Distinction. 
• Bachelor of Architecture. 
• Bachelor of Science (Architecture)

Teaching experience:  

I started my teaching career in the Maitland -Newcastle Diocese working at St Pius X in 2022. I spent the second half of 2022 working casually in schools across the Diocese including at St Bede’s. 

I have had experience teaching across a range of Technologies subjects including Technology Mandatory Food and Agriculture, Textiles, Digital, and Timber. I am currently teaching Technologies at St Pius X and am now very excited and feel extremely fortunate to be joining the team at St Bede’s Catholic College in 2024. 

Personal Interests/Passions:  

Outside of teaching I enjoy bushwalking, going to the beach, and camping with family and friends. 

I also enjoy discovering new artists, designers, and makers who are shaping our world for a more sustainable future.  

Advice to Students:  

Learning should be adventurous and experimental, don’t be afraid to take risks or make mistakes along the way. Be curious, and persistent, and always ask loads of questions.

Mr. Jason Heffernan – Permanent Languages Teacher. Mr. Heffernan has experience teaching translation and linguistics courses at The University of New South Wales (UNSW) while also working simultaneously as a freelance Chinese translator and a Research Assistant. He has made the switch to secondary teaching, specialising in Chinese and French and has had significant success teaching these subjects in a range of educational environments.  

Name: Jason Heffernan 

Family background:  

I come from an agricultural and working-class background. My grandparents owned fruit orchards and livestock farms in the Tamworth and Gunnedah area, which is where I also grew up. My siblings and I were all educated at McCarthy Catholic College, Tamworth.  

My hopes and dreams in coming to St Bede’s:  

I look forward to getting to know each of my students as learners and I hope to work with them to meet their individual learning needs. I aspire to nurture within the students an interest in languages, a broader cultural understanding, and a curiosity towards not only the global community but also our immensely diverse local communities within Australia. 

Teaching Qualifications:  

• Master of Teaching (Secondary) With Excellence, UNSW 
• Master of Translation and Interpreting (Chinese), UNSW 
• Bachelor of Languages (Chinese and French), UNE 

Teaching experience:  

I taught Chinese translation and linguistics courses at UNSW from 2016 until 2020. In 2020, I decided to switch to teaching in high school and completed a Masters in secondary teaching. Since then, I taught French at St Edward’s College East Gosford in 2022 and Chinese at Lakes Grammar Anglican School Warnervale in 2023. I have also worked as a casual teacher at schools around the Hunter region, including St Bede’s, St Catherine’s Singleton, and St Pius X Adamstown.  

Personal Interests/Passions:  

I have a passion for languages, learning about the world around us, and finding out more about different cultures and perspectives.

Advice to Students:  

Whether it be in the language classroom or any other subject, keep an open mind and take advantage of the opportunities provided to you to step outside your comfort zone.  

We look forward to these new appointments joining our staff at the start of next year. 

HAPPY HOLIDAYS 

Thank you to our staff, students, and parents/carers for an excellent Term 3. Student learning and faith life have continued to underpin our college identity, with many celebrated successes and events. Best wishes to the entire College community for a relaxing holiday. We look forward to students returning well-groomed, rested, and ready for a great Term 4 on Monday 9 October. 

UPCOMING EVENTS

Assistant Principal Report – Brett Donohoe

Year 12 Final Week

This message carries mixed emotions as our year 12 students have just completed their final week of schooling. We celebrated with a wonderful liturgy and whole school clap out today. This year group have been instrumental in developing the culture we currently experience at St Bede’s. They are a warm and caring cohort who embody the values that Jesus taught us. They have embraced their learning, and we trust that the values and skills they have will be used in society for the betterment of others.

Please visit the link below for the 2023 HSC timetable and note that the examinations begin with English for all students on the first Wednesday when we return next term. The HSC Presiding Officer has stipulated that all students need to arrive early for their exams and allow ample time for traffic hold ups. All students are asked to be at school by 9.00am on the first exam day.

Year 12 recently completed an exit survey to capture important information that enables the school to improve across important domains such as Teaching and Learning, Faith Formation, Wellbeing and Transition into the future beyond schooling.

Year 11 Retreat

Last week I thoroughly enjoyed the Year 11 Retreat at CRU in Lake Macquarie. Students commented how nice it was to get away with their peers and staff and under the theme of Journey, they reflected on where they are now, what obstacles and challenges they may experience and where they are moving on their life journey. Thank you to Mr. Andrew Slater and Ms. Rebecca Dawber for their tremendous efforts in providing this wonderful experience for all.

I wish you all a wonderful holiday with your children and look forward to seeing all students return to school on Monday 9 October. A reminder that students may transition into summer uniform from now until the end of Week 2. We expect all students to be in summer uniform by Monday 23 October.

Attendance – Arriving Late/Leaving Early Procedures

The school has a duty of care to ensure that any students leaving the school grounds are with an authorised person, have permission to leave, and that parents/carers are aware of who their child is with at all times.

We have had several incidences recently where other family members have arrived to collect students early from school, other than pre-arranged sick bay collections, with no prior written permission from parents.  This is time-consuming for staff in Student Services who then need to contact parents to confirm that this is ok.  Students have also been contacting other family members directly asking them to come and collect them.  If students are unwell, they are asked to report to Student Services and parents will be contacted by staff.

The school procedures are outlined below:

Students are reminded that if they arrive late to school they must sign in at Student Services before going to class.  Parents may contact the College to advise they will be late or send their child in with a note so that they are marked as an Explained absence.

Students leaving early from school must be signed out at on the Compass Kiosk in reception by a legal guardian before leaving school grounds.  Under no circumstances is a student permitted to leave without prior written or emailed permission from a parent/carer.  This can be in the form of a written note, or an email to admin@chisholmsb.catholic.edu.au. 

We appreciate your co-operation in this very important matter.

Assistant Principal Report – Emma South

School TV @ St Bede’s  

From the beginning of Term 4, all schools in the Maitland-Newcastle Diocese will be launching school-specific SchoolTV. SchoolTV is a wellbeing resource that can support you, our parents, and carers, in the challenges relating to modern-day parenting. 

This award-winning resource helps build relationships, foster connections, enable understanding and break down barriers to navigate a pathway towards better mental health and wellbeing for young people. It can assist in starting conversations on topics that are sometimes awkward or difficult to tackle. Keep an eye out for Compass notifications and newsletters for more information to come.  

Walking in the Footsteps of Jesus 

As you receive this edition of our newsletter, Mrs. Jo West and I will be beginning our journey through Israel and Jordan as part of the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle Holy Land Pilgrimage.

Walking in the footsteps of Jesus we will set out on pilgrimage to retrace the progressive stages of the life of Jesus, from his Nativity in Bethlehem to his Passion in Calvary. We will spend time in Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Jericho, Masada, Bethany, the Sea of Galilee, Nazareth, Cana and the Dead Sea. 

We feel very fortunate to be able to participate in this spiritual journey and look forward to sharing our experience with our school community on our return.

Best wishes to our Year 12 students 

As I will be on Pilgrimage, I will not be able to attend the Graduation this evening but wanted to take the opportunity to again congratulate our Year 12 students on the completion of their schooling and wish them all the best in their upcoming HSC exams.  

As you embark on this exciting journey of exams, may you tap into your strengths to illuminate your path to success. Embrace your courage to face challenges, your wisdom to make sound decisions, your perseverance to overcome obstacles, and your creativity to find innovative solutions. Let your kindness shine in supporting one another and let your love for learning be your guiding light. With your leadership, teamwork, and zest for life, you are destined for greatness. Here's to each of you achieving your fullest potential and excelling in your exams. May your unique strengths lead you to achieve your personal best! 

Wishing all in our community a safe and restful break. 

Catholic Formation and Mission – Andrew Slater

Year 11 Retreat 

Year 11 recently participated in their retreat at CRU Lake Mac. The theme for the retreat was ‘Journey’. It provided students with the opportunity to step away from their busy lives and reflect on where they have been on their journey of life, and the mystery of what lies ahead on their journey. Students participated in large-group and small-group activities. On the second night, there was a liturgy that called students to be salt and light for the world. Both evenings ended with fun activities: trivia (won by Brooklyn Marriott, Will Scanes, Issy Dunning, Emily Smith, Kiera Hickey, Shamarnie Gounden, Max Brummell, Connor Dodd and Mr Slater) and a Mr Squiggle competition (won by Wil Panton).

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HSC Mass 

The inaugural Mass for the intentions of HSC students in the Chisholm region was held on Sunday 17 September at East Maitland. The Mass was well attended by staff and students from St Bede’s, All Saints’, and St Joseph’s. Fr Camillus presided and offered a blessing on those HSC students who were present. We continue to hold our Year 12 students in our prayers as head towards their HSC examinations.  

Year 12 Farewell Liturgy 

Today, we farewelled Year 12 from the College with a liturgy. The liturgy incorporated the CSO theme for 2023, ‘Encounter: Journeying Together’. The readings reminded us of the journeying and encountering of the tribe of Dan and Jesus’ apostles, and the reflection linked these experiences with those of Year 12 during their time at St Bede’s. Each student was presented with a candle, a reminder to continue shining with Christ’s glory in their post-school life. The liturgy also incorporated a hymn, ‘The Reflection’, written especially for the occasion by Mr Thornton.  

Pet Blessing 

There will be a special pet blessing at St Joseph's Church, East Maitland on Tuesday 17th October from 4:30pm. Everyone is welcome to bring along their furry, feathered or finned pets, both large and small, for a blessing. Please see the attached flyer for further details. 

LEARNING DOMAIN

Year 10 Leader of Wellbeing & Engagement – Jasmine Simmons     

As this year flies by – I can’t believe we’re at the end of Term 3 already - Year 10 has worked hard to successfully complete all their assessment tasks and get involved in all the community events that St Bede’s has to offer. We farewelled Ms. Dawber as she moved into the acting Year 11 LOWE role and welcomed Ms. Hillier as the new Year 10 Assistant LOWE. We also farewelled one of our Homeroom teachers, Ms. Young and welcomed Mr. Lumley in her place. Students are shifting their mindset now to focus on 2024 and their senior studies or work choices. It has been wonderful to have so many great conversations about their plans for their future and to see them focus on their pathways moving forward. They have spent their Wellbeing sessions being future-focused, thinking about how they can care for their mental health with the demands of senior study or working life and setting goals for where they want to see themselves at the end of 2023, 2024 and 2025.

These discussions have linked nicely with our focus question for this year, which is ‘Who is future me?’ where students were asked to consider how their choices impact upon the young adult they want to be. Choices about attendance, behaviour, study, wellbeing, and work/life balance become habits that apply to every aspect of their lives and form the foundation for their future successes. It has been encouraging to hear from many of our Year 10 parents and carers who have challenged their young people to think about how their choices feed into the adults they want to be.

Our Year assemblies continue to focus on student successes in academic, sporting, and cultural pursuits. In last week’s ‘On the Couch’ segment, we were joined by Nate Ballenden and Jeremy McGrath to share what they are doing in their electives with the year group. They shared what they have been doing this year in Industrial Technology – Timber. Their passion for the subject was inspiring and their thoughts and insights were well-received by the Year 10 cohort. We had a record number of students receiving Leader of Wellbeing and Engagement Awards, which is the cumulation of five merits given by class teachers for everything from thoughtful engagement with class discussions to active engagement in community days. We, as a college, are so grateful to see a Year 10 cohort that are such magnificent role models for our younger students. 

We are very blessed to have such a brilliant team who put so much of themselves into caring for our Year 10 students. I want to take this opportunity to thank the Year 10 Homeroom teachers for their care and support. Mr. Lumley, Mr. Steinbeck, Ms. O’Connor and Mr. Copas – you are amazing! 

Aboriginal Education – Karen Chapman

On Monday 18 September, parents, community members and CSO staff were welcomed to the official opening of Ngarramalingiil, our new Yarning Circle space. This special area of our school which has been almost two years in the making, is a collaboration between the local Aboriginal community and Aboriginal staff and students. It is now a unique space within St Bede’s which embraces traditional Aboriginal ways of learning, in an outdoor learning space for all students. It’s name, Ngarramalingiil, means teaching space, in the local Wonnarua language.

Yarning Circles are a tradition that is millennia old, for many years Aboriginal people have gathered around a circle to tell stories, to listen and learn from their Elders, to share meals and important ceremonies. They are a harmonious and collaborative way of communicating, which will have enormous benefit for our whole school. A timeless way of learning, a yarning Circle fosters listening and speaking and a way to pass on knowledge. Our students will have the opportunity to enrich their learning experiences, offer wisdom and build respectful relationships here.

At the ceremony, our Aboriginal students proudly greeted guests with a traditional Aboriginal welcome dance, didgeridoo playing, songs in Awabakal language and an introduction to our story-poles, using the traditional Wonnarua word for each of our four pillars. Guests were treated to a cleansing smoking ceremony by local Elder, Uncle Leon, and Father Camillus facilitated our water blessing ceremony. A tasty afternoon tea was enjoyed by all after the ceremony.

I would like to include here our Principal John Murphy’s speech on the day, which embodies our visions and intentions with the Yarning Circle space.

Today is a significant moment in the history of St Bede’s, as we officially open this yarning circle.

Gathering within sacred areas, such as yarning circles, have been built into the richness of the Aboriginal culture. These spaces would be and still are where Aboriginal people would come together to listen to the wisdom of the elders. By listening, the younger ones came to understand and respect their culture and became the custodians of the land.

The telling of stories and celebrating events through dance, symbolism, and art are all dimensions of yarning circles that preserve and enrich Aboriginal culture. Some of these symbols are built into the design of this magnificent yarning circle through the totem poles, the circular structure of the sandstone blocks, the natural earth-like surface, and the magnificent wedgetail eagle that faces our Peregrine Trail which connects our four buildings. The Wedgetail Eagle is the Wonnarua totem, called Kawal. When a wedgetail eagle is seen in the sky, the Wonnarua people believe he is guiding and protecting them. Within the Peregrine Trail directly behind us where the Eagle faces is the stunning Aboriginal artwork that was painted and gifted to us by our first-ever Aboriginal Teacher at St Bede’s, Nina Ross who is one of our special guests today. We thank her for her gift. In building St Bede’s that commenced at the start of 2017, it was important for us to ensure that the rightful owners of this land, the Wonnarua People, would become part of the St Bede’s story. We did not want to pay adlib service as an act of political protocol in the way that we would embed a yarning circle into the Campus. Rather, we wanted a yarning circle that would unite us as a community with Indigenous and non-Indigenous community members growing together in a spirit of reconciliation and cultural understanding and growth.

This yarning circle will symbolise the past, present, and future. It will be a place to represent what we stand for as a community, where racism and ignorance are not accepted and where multiculturalism and respect for our founders become part of the fabric of who we are as a school community. The yarning circle will become a place where our core values of love, truth, justice, and compassion are authentically understood within a multicultural context.

The yarning circle will embrace the concept of Dadirri. Dadirri is a spiritual practice from the Aboriginal people of the Daley River in the Northern Territory. Dadirri is about inner deep listening, quiet awareness, and waiting. The concept of Dadirri is built into our senior student retreat program and in our staff development program. We will aim for Dadirri to become part of our practice in using this area. We look forward to our college community building our capacity to listen and to learn from the Aboriginal stories and customs that in turn will better enrich our lives as we realise the true value of life and purpose. In celebrating the opening of the St Bede’s Yarning Circle, I would like to thank and acknowledge all those who have collectively contributed to the design and building of our yarning circle. Thank you to our Aboriginal elders and to our Aboriginal school community members. Included here: Is our College Captain Eaden Dawson who fittingly is a proud Aboriginal student. Ms Karen Chapman, our Aboriginal Education Teacher, and Ms Monique Crick, our Aboriginal Support Officer, who have worked and liaised with all stakeholders to make this yarning circle a reality. Our two Aboriginal Education Officers, Louise Campbell, and Craig Duncan. Thank you to the Diocese for their funding and input into this process which includes our Aboriginal Education Officers, and members of our building and facilities and finance teams. Thank you to our architects, SHAC, and our builders, Richard Crooks Construction. Thank you to all those who worked so hard in celebrating this event.

For further information about Ngarramalingiil, visit the Aboriginal Education section of the St Bede’s website.

Tech Girls – Rebecca Haines

St Bede’s was fortunate enough to participate in the annual TechGirls competition. This creates a platform for girls to confidently lead in STEM entrepreneurship and contribute to their community and the economy. The TechGirls Foundation aims to support girls, using hands-on learning to transform their future and encourage equity in the technology industry by getting excited and connected with technology, in a way that is meaningful and life-changing. 

The two teams that competed in this national program were both from the Year 9 cohort. Both teams identified a global issue and created an app prototype to solve their identified problem.  

• E-Pantry aimed to solve issues surrounding poverty by creating an app to bridge the poverty gap and provide essential daily items for people experiencing poverty. 
• Hydr8 group constructed an app that campaigned through local government areas and utilised the Google Maps platform to provide hydration stations in walking trails, bringing people into contact with free water, saving on single-use plastic with an emphasis on fitness.

Through the support of a real-world mentor and Mrs. Haines as Coach, these two dedicated teams entered their ideas to be judged. The hours of dedication and amazing teamwork that these groups demonstrated were outstanding and the girls are to be commended for the quality of their business plans and amazing ideas.

Congratulations to the Hydr8 group for being crowned NSW Winners! 

Sport – Belinda Watts

Regional Netball Carnival 

On the 15 September, our Year 7/8 and 9/10 Netball Team qualified to play in the Regional Netball Carnival at Maitland. It was a fantastic day that showcased some of the best netball teams from all schools in the region. All the girls are congratulated on their skill level, teamwork, sportsmanship and determination which was on display throughout the carnival.  

The Year 9/10 team were competitive in their pool, however, they were up against some well-established teams in the region. The girls played six games in total on the day and won two games convincingly against Mount View and Scone Grammar with two very close losses. The girls are to be commended for their effort and resilience throughout the day.  

The Year 7/8 Competition involved over 20 teams (4 pools) from the region. St Bede’s were undefeated against Tuggerah, St Pius Adamstown and Lochinvar, ensuring that they won their division. They then played in the cross-over round against Gosford HS and won convincingly. This placed them in the top 4 schools on the day, and they progressed to the Finals. Unfortunately, Hunter Sport HS were too strong on the day. We then played in the minor finals to decide 3^rd or 4^th placing on the day. We again, played Hunter Sports HS (second Team) and were unsuccessful despite a very determined St Bede’s team. Overall, the girls placed 4^th in the Region. This is an outstanding effort, and the girls are congratulated on their monumental effort. 

A special mention to our two amazing umpires on the day, Imogen Brownlee and Taneisha Twitchin. The girls were professional in their calls and showcased some amazing leadership skills. Thank you for taking your time to represent the school with pride!  

Miss. O’Connor and Mrs. Watts would like to take this opportunity to thank these teams for a wonderful year of school Netball. We look forward to doing it all again next year!

Upcoming Events: Term 4 

SERVICE & GOVERNANCE DOMAIN

School Fees – Kylie Murray  

As term 3 concludes there is only 10 weeks remaining for all accounts to be finalised by the 30 November as a condition of enrolment.  

If you need assistance in recalculating your payment plan to extinguish your account by this date, please contact finance immediately. 

We encourage families experiencing any financial hardship to please contact Finance as soon as possible to arrange a confidential meeting. 

For any queries regarding your account please call 02 4088 8222 or email finance@chisholmsb.catholic.edu.au 

Please note if you have a nil balance, you will not receive a statement. 

Other News

Canteen Helpers Needed

Immunisations – NSW Health

School Student Travel May 2023

Volunteer Registration Link

Williamson International – Uniform Queries

All uniform queries are to be directed to Williamson International.
Williamson International Contact Details:
Phone: 1800 815 571
Email: greg@williamson.com.au

Online Uniform Orders: