St Bede's Catholic College Newsletter 16 - 20 October 2023

PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE – JOHN MURPHY

PRAYER  

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy. 

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive; 
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. 

Amen. 

St Bede … Pray for us. 

STAFF NEWS 

As per the Compass notification sent at the end of last term, our Foundation Assistant Principal Mr Brett Donohoe has been appointed to the principal’s position at St Mary’s Gateshead commencing at the start of next year. Please see below the announcement of Mr Donohoe’s appointment. 

Mr Donohoe commenced his duties in Term 4 2017 and worked closely with other appointed staff in preparing for the opening of St Bede’s at the start of 2018. During his 6+ years as Foundation Assistant Principal at St Bede’s, he has been instrumental in driving many of the processes that have set our college up for sustainable success. Mr Donohoe’s work ethic, expertise, commitment, and care have been second to none. He is highly respected and valued by the Diocese and our College community and should be proud of his enormous achievements. Mr Donohoe will leave a legacy at St Bede’s and will take the learnings and experiences with him in leading his new school at St Mary’s Gateshead. We congratulate Mr Donohoe on his appointment and wish him all the best in his promotional role as Principal. 

YEAR 12 GRADUATION 

Congratulations to our Year 12 students who graduated on the last day of Term 3, Friday 22^nd September. This historical and memorable day began with a morning Graduation Assembly attended by staff and students and concluded with the evening Graduation Ceremony attended by parents, guests, staff, and students. Thank you to all those who attended and who contributed to the success of these two events. Congratulations to all students on their graduation and to the award winners listed below. 

Given the historical importance of these graduation events for our foundation cohort, I have included below copies of both my principal’s address and the College Captain’s (Eaden Dawson) address. The address by Eaden Dawson typifies the qualities she has displayed in her time as our inaugural College Captain. 

The Class of 2023 will always have a special place in our hearts with most of these students having commenced at the start of 2018. They have been a delight and have set the benchmark for a college culture of inclusivity, friendship, and striving for personal excellence. Just as they are proud of their college, we are equally proud of how they have grown into young adults and grateful for their contribution to our school community.  

Thank you to the two Leaders of Wellbeing & Engagement, Ms. Jasmine Simmons (2018 – 2020) and Mr. Nicholas Marsh (2021 – 2023) who so successfully led this year group over the last six years. Thank you to our Student Leadership Team (Eaden Dawson - Captain, Caitlin Price – Vice Captain, Sharlotte Mate, Ricky Curley, Leila Kelly, Bellas Sepos, Blaze Brockman, and Mackayla Jones). They were outstanding ambassadors and leaders of the College.  

Students successfully commenced their HSC exams last Wednesday and are focused on performing to the best of their abilities. The final exam will be on the 2^nd November. We wish them well for the remainder of the exams.  

NEW STUDENT LEADERSHIP TEAMS 

Our new College Student Leaders commenced their duties at the start of this term, with some having already attended special events. Our new College Captain, Thomas Bendeich, has addressed all student year groups. Included in his address was the message on the importance of collaboration, studying hard, teamwork, and taking pride in the college. We wish our new student leaders all the best for their tenure which will conclude at the end of Term 3 next year. Below are the names and photos of our new College Student Leaders. 

SAFE AND RESPECTFUL PEER RELATIONSHIPS 

The Kids Helpline website has some great resources that are teenage-friendly to help support safe and respectful relationships. Topics on the website include respect, being assertive and setting boundaries, peer pressure and fitting in, ways to deal with conflict, coping with a breakup, what is consent, dating, and sexting. 

I recommend this excellent resource for your reference and use.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Assistant Principal Report – Emma South

Walking the Footsteps of Jesus Pilgrimage 

Joanne West, our Senior Administrator, and I were very fortunate to attend a diocesan pilgrimage to the Holy Land from Thursday 21^st September until Saturday 7^th October. This was a spiritually enriching journey that held profound significance for us both. Pilgrimage offers a unique and transformative experience that can be particularly beneficial for school staff. There are various benefits of a Catholic pilgrimage to the Holy Land for school staff. 

• Spiritual Renewal: A pilgrimage to the Holy Land provides the opportunity to deepen faith and experience spiritual renewal. Visiting the very places where Jesus walked, preached, and performed miracles is a deeply moving and transformative experience, leading to a stronger connection with religious beliefs. This renewal provides an even greater sense of purpose and inspiration to our work. 

• Educational Insights: As educators, a pilgrimage to the Holy Land can be an invaluable educational experience. It provided a deeper understanding of the historical and religious context of the Bible, enabling us to bring a richer perspective to our work. We look forward to providing students with first-hand accounts and insights that textbooks simply cannot match.

• Cultural Understanding: We were privileged with the unique opportunity to explore the diverse cultures and peoples of the region. By immersing ourselves in the local customs, traditions, and history, we were able to foster a greater appreciation for cultural diversity and, based on this experience, will work to promote tolerance and respect within our school community. 

• Encouraging a Culture of Faith: By sharing our experiences and insights gained from pilgrimage, we will continue to create a culture of faith within our school community. This can inspire both students and colleagues to explore their faith and spiritual journey, fostering a more inclusive and supportive environment. 

Our pilgrimage to the Holy Land was an enriching and transformative experience. There is no doubt that this experience of pilgrimage has had a significant impact on the way we live our faith and view our world and will make us both more empathetic and compassionate leaders within the school community.  

I ask that all continue to pray for those in the region who are affected by the escalating conflict. In the words of Pope Francis… 

"Let the attacks and weapons cease, please, because it must be understood that terrorism and war bring no solutions, but only to the death and suffering of many innocent lives. War is a defeat, every war is a defeat. Let us pray for peace in Israel and Palestine" 

8 October 2023 

SchoolTV launching at St Bede’s!  

Raising confident and happy children in a modern world can be hard work! Often one of the biggest challenges can be sourcing relevant and reliable information that you can draw on to support their wellbeing.   

As such, St Bede’s Catholic College is excited to announce that we have recently added an award-winning resource to our school website. The resource, SchoolTV, includes evidenced-based information and practical strategies to build parent, carer and educator knowledge and confidence across a range of mental health and wellbeing topics.  

The Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle supported St Bede’s Catholic College to add SchoolTV to our website in response to feedback received from parents and carers who said they are seeking greater support in understanding the challenges their children are experiencing, as well as practical strategies for ways they can assist them.    

SchoolTV features interviews with leading wellbeing experts and researchers from around the world, on topics including:

• Mental Health - encompassing grief and loss, suicide and self-harm, drug and alcohol use, anxiety, trauma and depression.

• Healthy Bodies - including mindfulness, body image, sleep, eating disorders, diet and nutrition, physical activity and exercise. 

• Cyber Safety - encompassing cyberbullying, digital reputation, internet addiction, online gambling, sexting and managing screen time. 

• Positive Parenting -including friendship and belonging, blended families, resilience, positive parenting and understanding adolescence. 

• School Survival - encompassing school refusal, school transitions and exam jitters.  

• Diversity and Inclusion - including multiculturalism, neurodiversity, respectful relationships, gender diversity and supporting children with a disability.  

These topics are presented in a variety of ways including videos, factsheets, podcasts and SchoolTV also includes recommendations for additional resources including books, apps and other websites.   

While we will continue as a school to share relevant information via a range of platforms, one of the many benefits of SchoolTV is that you can watch it pre-emptively or as the need arises, from the convenience of your own home, either by yourself or, as a family.   

From time to time, we may also promote key topics contained in SchoolTV for families either through Compass or our newsletter, when they coincide with student learning and/or matters arising in our school community.   

Importantly, SchoolTV complements initiatives already underway in our school including our Student Wellbeing and Pastoral Care Policy and the “Wellbeing Together” Student Learning and Wellbeing Framework.  

Our staff are familiar with SchoolTV, and as such, I am confident that this shared knowledge between staff and parents will assist us all in partnering together to better support children and young people’s learning, safety, mental health and wellbeing.   

If you have any questions about SchoolTV, or the topics contained within the site, please get in touch with the staff listed on the site or, me directly.   

Assistant Principal Awards 

As part of the college student merit process, students may receive an Assistant Principal’s Award. This certificate is awarded to students who receive 15 Merit Awards for various actions or deeds that contribute to the life of the college. Students who then go to receive a further 15 Merit Awards, will be awarded a Principal’s Award. 

The following students have recently received an Assistant Principal’s Award. These students’ efforts and outstanding achievement will be acknowledged at our next formal gathering of students and staff. We congratulate them on their achievements and the positive contributions they make to the life of the college. 

Elijah Antcliff
Ava Atkins
Tiana Black
Toby Burg
Benjamin Burgess
Lara Campbell
Riley Cudmore
Theo Dawber
Harry Dunn
Eli Flanagan
Keely Fogarty
Oliver Gorton
Jillian  Jackson
Dylan Jones
Ava Le Breton
Levi Lee
Amelia Locking
William  McCulloch
Harrison Oldmeadow
Confidence Olie
Harriet Price
Sophie Rees
Hayley Read
Lucy Richardson
Olivia Taylor
Zachary Thomson

Odin Brown
Nash Bernardine
Ashton Clack
Leonard Hungerford
Zahlie Kuliesa
Dyon Lindberg
Kurt Quinlan

Keira-Leigh Fraser-Mesic
Mackenna Sutton

Stage 5 Examination Block 

An examination roster will shortly be distributed to all students for the upcoming Examination block. Students in Year 10 will sit their examinations in Week 4, commencing Monday 30^th October. Students in Year 9 will sit their examinations in Week 5, commencing Monday 6^th November. In cases where the students do not have any assessments, they will resume classes as normal. All students will be required to wear their full school uniform unless they are directed otherwise. 

Assistant Principal Report – Brett Donohoe

HSC Examinations  

HSC Exams are well and truly underway. The 2023 HSC Timetable is available on the link below. Collectively, our students have been very mature, diligent, and enthusiastic in their approach to their studies. Now begins a process of additionally supporting our new Year 12 cohort in the HSC rules and procedures. The link provided below provides access to the 2024 HSC Rules and Procedures guide for all students. Year 12 will be given a copy of this handbook and explained specific details. 

Year 11 Parent, Teacher, Student (PTS) Interviews 

Year 11 End of Course reports are now released on Compass through the Parent and Student Portal. Parents may also schedule PTS Interviews via the Compass booking system. These interviews will be face to face and go ahead on Tuesday 24^th October 3.30 – 7.30pm. 

Awards Ceremony 

Thursday 7^th December the College will be holding its annual Awards Ceremony for Years 7-11 at the college for award recipients and their families. Years 7 and 8 will be held from 4.00pm to 5.30pm and Years 10 and 11 will be held from 6.30pm – 7.30pm. Award recipients and their families will be notified closer to the date. 

Assistant Principal Awards 

As part of the college student merit process, students may receive an Assistant Principal’s Award. This certificate is awarded to students who receive 15 Merit Awards for various actions or deeds that contribute to the life of the college. Students who then go to receive a further 15 Merit Awards, will be awarded a Principal’s Award. 

The following students have recently received an Assistant Principal’s Award. These students’ efforts and outstanding achievement will be acknowledged at our next formal gathering of students and staff. We congratulate them on their achievements and the positive contributions they make to the life of the college.

Sai Yavanika Amarnath
Samuel Berry
Sushant  Bhanwala
Ruby Bradford
Charlotte Burke
Gracie Clements
Hamish  Dibley
Lucas Fernandes Sweeney
Shelby  Griffis
Charlotte Gruber
Zoe Haase
Caleb Lines
Makala Malone
Ahrna O'Neill
Kimberley Peters
Indigo Picken-Baldwin
Noah Rathborne
Nathaniel Robinson
Isaac Ross
Zara Rushford
Oliver Skelton
Riley Wall
Rose Whiteley

Catholic Formation and Mission – Andrew Slater

Mass at OLOL Beresfield 

Students from St Bede’s will be undertaking the various ministries at Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church at Beresfield on Saturday 25^th November at 6:00pm. We would love to see our students and parents there, celebrating with the Parish community.  

Mass Celebrating Diverse Learning 

The 24^th annual Mass Celebrating Diverse Learning will be held at 2.00pm on Sunday, 29^th October at St Mary’s Catholic Church, Warners Bay. Mass will be followed by afternoon tea. No RSVP is required. This Mass is an opportunity for the Diocesan community to come together in celebration of the diverse gifts and talents of each and every student. Everyone is welcome to attend, and the celebration is intended to be inclusive of all in our community.  

LEARNING DOMAIN

Year 11 Leader of Wellbeing & Engagement – Rebecca Dawber     

This is my first newsletter since taking over for Mrs Amber Pyne while she is on maternity leave. I have been in contact with Mrs Pyne who has been very keen to get regular updates on the cohort whilst at home with her adorable new little bundle, Foxx.  

Term 3 was a very busy term as Year 11 underwent the leadership process, completed their final year 11 exams, and went away on retreat, all with such grace.  

We had 15 outstanding applications for leadership from our Year 11 group this year. The process was very rigorous, and I was so proud of the quality of the applications presented and the maturity with which these students approached the process. This made the final selection of our 8 leaders very difficult. I would like to congratulate all the students who applied and acknowledge our successful leaders, who I know will represent our school very well over the coming year: Thomas Bendeich (Captain), Veronica Parra Mariaca (Vice- Captain), Ebony Antcliff, Clancy Oldfield, Wil Panton, William Scanes, Aqua Smith and Cobi Young. 

During weeks 7 and 8, students sat their first official exam block for each of their subjects. This provided students with an opportunity to take on feedback and develop goals in moving forward based on their results and reflect on what they need to do to achieve them. Parents will be able to discuss their child’s results, progress, and goals with the teachers on the Parent/Teacher Evening on Wednesday 24^th October.  

Finally, I was very blessed to go on retreat to CRU Lake Macquarie in week 9 last term. Thank you to Mr Slater for putting together such a wonderful program and to the other staff who came away and supported the students in their small groups. It was beautiful to see so many happy and relaxed students enjoying both each other's company and their surroundings and reflecting on their journeys.  

So, we are now starting the beginning of the HSC year as students embark on the year 12 course. I encourage the students to use the lessons learnt along the way to make this term, this year, the best yet. As I have said to them, “What you put in, is what you get out!”  

Digital Innovation and Learning – Sandra

2024 Device Ordering Update

During Term 2 and 3, a Device Consultation Team reviewed the devices for 2024. It has been recommended by this team that students should continue with the same BYOSD program. The Lenovo 500W device has been selected for the Year 7 2023 cohort and the Lenovo 13W Yoga has been selected for the Year 10 2023 cohort. It is an expectation of enrolment that students purchase and use the school device for learning.

Below are the details regarding the device and the program, along with instructions on how to access the Purchasing Portal.

The ordering process has been broken into two steps:

1. Device orders are due by Wednesday the 1st of November 2023. Note: you do not need to pay for your order when placing this. Any orders placed after this time cannot be assured delivery in time for the start of 2024.
2. Make payments for the device by the due date. The payment is not due till Friday the 1st of December 2023 for Year 10 devices & Friday the 5th of January 2024 for Year 7 devices. Devices will not be issued to students unless full payment has been made. A range of payment options are available in the Portal.

If you require any further information regarding the device program, please contact Sandra Hampshire (Leader of Digital Innovation and Learning) at the school or via sandra.kinloch@mn.catholic.edu.au

Sport – Belinda Watts

Athletics 

During the school holidays, Athletics NSW held the 2023 NSW All School Championships. Four students from St Bede’s competed in various events and we congratulate them all for their efforts and obvious ability to be competitive at this elite level.  

Phoenix Borja

12 years boys: 100m (5^th), 200m (6^th) and Long Jump (6^th) 

Aloysia Edwards

13 years girls: High Jump 

Zac Thomson

14 years boys: 1500m (11^th), 800m (7^th), 3km (8^th) Personal Best in all 3 events! 

Zane Edwards

14 years boys: 100m, 200m, 100m Hurdles (6^th), 200m Hurdles (3^rd)

Futsal 

Janali Haynes (Year 10 student) has been selected for the Under 15’s Australian Futsal Team and will be travelling to Greece for the Australian 15 Girls Futsal Team Tour from Tuesday 17^th October until Wednesday 1^st November where they will receive specialised training and play against Regional Representative teams. We congratulate Janali on this achievement and wish her all the best. 

Rugby League- Under 13’s NRL 9’s 

On Friday 13^th October, the Under 13 boys 9’s team competed in the NRL 9’s tournament at Hunter Barnett Oval, Windale. This was an extremely competitive competition with some high-level rugby league on display. The boys worked extremely hard all day and put on a valiant effort in the 4 games they played. They represented themselves, their school, and their local community to the highest level and should be congratulated on the way they conducted themselves throughout the day.  

Players: Banjo Rose, Max Ferris, William Roeth, Cohen Hayman, Dexter Richards-White, Charlie Robins, Dempsey Sexton, Liam Fletcher, Axle Haggath, Chase Beeching, Max Wells, Nate Sainty. 

SERVICE & GOVERNANCE DOMAIN

School Fees – Kylie Murray  

Welcome to Term 4 there is only 6 weeks remaining for all accounts to be finalised by the 30^th 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

Road Safety

School Student Travel 2024

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: