St Bede's Catholic College Newsletter 7 - 19th May 2023

PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE – JOHN MURPHY

PRAYER 

God of the journey, 
We ask You to bless all students in Catholic schools. 
May they remain constantly curious 
in their pursuit of knowledge and truth. 
May they use their gifts and talents 
to spread Your light and love throughout the earth, 
and may all of their learning 
ultimately draw them closer to an encounter with Your Son. 
We make this prayer in Your Holy name. 
Amen 

St Bede… Pray for us

ST BEDE’S FEAST DAY 

Next Thursday, the 25^th of May, is St Bede’s Feast Day. With our college named after St Bede, this is an important day in our calendar. A program of prayer, reflection, and fund-raising activities will be included in the day’s celebrations. Please click below for a short summary of the story of St Bede which is located on our College website. 

PARKING 

Year 12 students are now allowed to park in an allocated area of our newly extended carpark. The rationale behind this decision is the safety of the students and to ease the parking issues in our local area. Students have been inducted on the conditions of using the carpark and the requirements to submit the required application.  

COVID 

Please click on the link below for information from the NSW Government on advice for people exposed to COVID. While COVID-19 remains an unpredictable virus, NSW Health advises that it continues to present a health risk to the community. Accordingly, we request the following protocols be followed by students: 

• Stay home and get tested if unwell, and only attend school when symptom-free.  
• Use of rapid antigen testing when displaying COVID symptoms and when exposed to COVID-19. 
• Students are to go to Student Services if they display symptoms of COVID so that arrangements can be made for them to be collected. Rapid antigen tests can be provided to the student for home use.  
• Consider COVID-19 vaccinations, including a booster shot when eligible.  
• Maintain good hygiene practices, including regular hand washing with soap and warm water and/or use of hand sanitiser. Hand sanitisers are readily available around the school and additional bathrooms are now available to students. 

Please note that these and other protocols have been made clear to our staff. We would request that parents/carers and visitors do not come on-site if they are not feeling well or have come in close contact with someone with COVID-19 until the risk of spreading the infection has passed. 

PARENT FORUM 

The Term 2 Parent Forum will be held next Tuesday the 22^nd of May. The meeting will commence in the College Library at 6.00pm and will finish shortly after 7.00pm. Access to the library has changed with new areas of construction, so we ask parents to arrive through the front office where staff will assist you in locating the library. 

The agenda will include the implementation of our new College Vision Statement for 2024. The external consultant who is assisting us in this process, Mark Spencer, will be the facilitator of this session. We deeply value the input of parents and carers in this process and cordially invite you to attend.

No registration is required to attend so simply turn up if you would like to join us.  

UPCOMING EVENTS

Assistant Principal Report – Brett Donohoe and Emma South

Child Protection 

With the College’s number one priority being the protection of our students, please read the information below regarding the important role parents/carers have in keeping all our students safe. Please refer to the ‘Our Commitment’ Statement on our website, link below:

As a parent sending your child to a Diocesan school, you are expected to be an active participant in safeguarding your child’s wellbeing. To do so, it is important that you have the best information available to you. The Office of Safeguarding website offers comprehensive details of the Diocese’s approach to safeguarding children. You are also encouraged to be an active participant in the life of your school.

As a parent of a diocesan school student, if you are concerned for:

• the safety, welfare or wellbeing of one or more children in the school
• the conduct of a member of staff, a volunteer, contractor or other adult associated with the school

… you are able to:

• discuss your concerns with a teacher, Assistant Principal or Principal
• talk to an investigator at the Office of Safeguarding (Ph. 4979 1390, during office hours)
• report your concerns to the Department of Communities and Justice’s (DCJ) Child Protection Helpline (Ph. 132 111, 24 hrs/7 days) if your concerns constitute a risk of significant harm
• report to NSW Police if you believe a crime has been committed.

Preparing for a Busy Assessment Period 

As we approach the middle of Term 2, students can find the demands of assessment overwhelming. Assessment due dates are available for our families to view in Compass, with Year level-specific calendars included. We encourage our families to support students by keeping themselves aware of upcoming tasks.

Here are ten tips to help our students with time management, motivation and getting a strong start.

• Start early - No matter what the task is, it is always a good idea to start early. Leaving your work until the last minute can leave you feeling stressed - so start early and do small sections of work every few days. This will make it much easier and relieve the pressure of the last-minute rush with a deadline (or due date) looming.
• Remove distractions - Turn off the tv and put down your phone. Whilst Netflix and Snapchat can be part of your downtime, they are the ultimate distraction to studying or completing assignments. If you are getting too absorbed in what you are watching or looking at, you are no longer concentrating on your work.
• Plan ahead - As soon as you know when the deadline or exam date is, make a list of everything you need to do in preparation. If you have several deadlines or exams around the same time get some coloured pens and highlighters and write out every assignment/exam title, when the deadline is and everything you need to do for it. This could be writing a plan for an essay, doing a practice, or making a list of topics you will need to revise beforehand.
• Organise your study space - Before starting your work make sure the study space you are working in is tidy and will give you a lot of room to spread out your work. You’re not going to be able to focus on your work if your study space is covered in magazines, books, and all sorts of random items
• Work with a study-buddy - Studying with friends always makes revision seem a little less daunting. With other people around you, it puts you in the right frame of mind to begin tackling your work. They are also there to help if you are struggling with a particular topic. Just make sure you complete and submit your own work - your teachers want your authentic work.
• Take regular breaks - When studying, it’s important to concentrate and get a lot done but you also need to manage breaks in your study session. Your brain can get fatigued and after a while, it needs a rest. During your break make sure you relax and even stretch your legs if you feel like you’ve been still for too long.
• Don’t be afraid to ask for help - Don’t be afraid to ask for help! It is never anything to be embarrassed about, as we all need help now and then. It is best to go to your teacher or Leader of Learning if you are really struggling as they will be able to give you the guidance you need.
• Eat well and drink water! - Make sure you eat a balanced diet and keep some healthy snacks handy to keep you going. Water is a must-have when studying too! Staying hydrated will help keep you feeling energised and more awake too!

Catholic Formation and Mission – Andrew Slater

Catholic Schools Week 

This week, we have celebrated Catholic Schools Week, an annual event that recognises and acknowledges the sacred work of our schools and how they seek to journey with every student. Each moment of that journey presents opportunities to encounter the Mystery and all-embracing love of God: through our relationships, our learnings, and our liturgical celebrations. As our Church engages in a process of synodality, which literally translates to ‘journeying together,’ we accompany our young people in a process that listens, discerns, and responds. By walking together in faith and love, we are inspired by the Holy Spirit to live more fully and resonantly in the freedom of God.

This year our Catholic Schools Week theme is “Encounter: Journeying Together,” which reminds us that we are called to be Easter people – those who are committed to building joy-filled communities who are constantly seeking unity and belonging. Such times call for us to accompany others along the road, meeting them where they are at, hearing the things that set their hearts on fire, and those who express their disappointments and anger. Like the two disciples heading towards Emmaus (Lk 24:13:35), Jesus does not tell them to turn back, rather He walks alongside them and listens deeply. He doesn’t just talk to them at a distance, He meets them and encounters them. Our mission is to live within the tension between the convictions of the Church and the questions of the world. As we accompany one another, we become Christ for one another, opening up together to the mysteries of life and faith. This is at the heart of our theme this year. During this significant week, may we strive to live in active service of Jesus and His mission as we celebrate together during Catholic Schools Week and always. 

St Bede’s Feast Day Charity  

On Thursday 25^th May, we will be celebrating St Bede’s Feast Day. An important part of this day is supporting the work of a charity. This year, we will again be supporting the work of the Holy Child Program in Bethlehem. This school provides alternative education for children who suffer from untreated complex mental health issues and exposure to intergenerational trauma. The Holy Child Program does not charge fees, and relies entirely on donations, mostly from overseas, to continue its work.  

On St Bede’s Feast Day, there will be a variety of market stalls, which will be operated by Homerooms. All of the money raised on this day will be donated to the Holy Child Program. 

Catholics are called to build the Kingdom of God on Earth. This Kingdom is a Kingdom ruled by love, peace and justice. To bring about the Kingdom, we need to work to bring about justice where there is injustice. Our support for the Holy Child Program is grounded in Catholic social teachings. We are called to work for the common good of all people, as human dignity can only be realised and protected in relationships with others. We are called to stand in solidarity with those in need; to stand in unity with the disadvantaged. We are called to ensure there is a preferential option for the poor and vulnerable, as a healthy community can only be achieved if its members give special attention to those on the margins of society. 

Year 8 Reflection Day 

Year 8 participated in their Reflection Day on Monday 1^st May. The day had the theme ‘Do not seek your own advantage, but that of the other’ (1 Corinthians 10:24). Students learnt about a range of issues impacting people around the world.  

St Bede’s Youth Group 

LEARNING DOMAIN

Year 8 Leader of Wellbeing & Engagement – Kelly Pearson       

Year 8 have had another wonderful start to the term, they were most excited to move into their new Homeroom and learning spaces with the opening of the new building. It has been a challenging process being flexible with temporary Homeroom spaces, and we thank Year 8 for their maturity and generosity in waiting for the new learning areas to be available. Space is tight at the College as our building program continues, and Year 8 are to be congratulated on showing kindness and community building as they have adapted to limited outdoor play opportunities and not a great deal of room to move. The opening of the Yarning Circle has been a fantastic way to mitigate some of these limitations, and during breaks Year 8 have been spending time enjoying the sunshine in this beautiful area. 

There has continued to be an enthusiastic level of participation for Year 8 students in all of the extra-curricular activities the College has to offer. The Year music ensemble continues to meet throughout the term, performing at College liturgical celebrations with pride. Our talented Music students in Year 8 are also preparing for DioSounds, and I encourage our College families to come along for a great evening of entertainment as students from around the Diocese showcase their talents, supported by the incredible music teachers in our schools, notably of course, the Music teachers at our College.

In Visual Arts, students have completed their self-portraits admirably. I have visited a few classrooms and been most impressed with the quality of this artwork, and the effort and application to this task was wonderful to see. Year 8 will now move on to painting their houses after the style of Howard Arkley, we look forward to seeing the results of this next project.

Year 8 also had the pleasure of attending a Reflection Day earlier in the term, learning about the experiences of others around the world who are less fortunate than themselves. We thank Mr Slater for organising this highly valuable day for us, and Mrs South for her impressive skills in cooking the barbeque! 

Year 8 students have continued to represent the College with pride in rugby league, touch football, swimming and cross country. I look forward to seeing this participation continue as the year wears on. We are fortunate to be able to support a number of sporting opportunities in the Diocese and encourage all students with interest to step forward for these. 

I have had some terrific feedback from teachers of Year 8 who have noticed how well they are applying themselves and rising to the challenge of caring for themselves, and each other. As they move through the journey of high school, they are becoming more active, involved and committed community members, and we look forward to celebrating their ongoing achievements. 

In wellbeing lessons this term, Year 8 have been focusing on the 5 Ways to Wellbeing areas of ‘Keep Learning’, ‘Give’ and ‘Connect’. Students explored various study techniques and identified their own effective strategies to independently learn. Additionally, students spent time learning about Project Compassion and the Holy Child Program to develop their understanding of how the College supports members of the wider Church community, with a particular focus on where our funds from St Bede’s Feast Day are going.

If there are any issues related to uniform or organisation please contact your child’s Homeroom teacher or Miss Abby O’Connor on abby.oconnor1@mn.catholic.edu.au

If you have any concerns or questions about your child’s wellbeing, please don’t hesitate to contact me on 4088 8222 or at kelly.pearson@mn.catholic.edu.au

Creative and Performing Arts – Michelle Burgess

Adam Miller – Stage 6 Masterclass  

This term our Stage 6 students attended a masterclass with Adam Miller – an international and professional guitarist. This is Adam’s second year at St Bede’s sharing his experience and knowledge with our students to assist them in their HSC performance programme.  

Four of our HSC students performed for the group and Adam allowing them to apply this advice to improve their overall performances. Thanks to our students for performing 

• Daisy Hungerford - “Notion” by Tash Sultana
• Marcus Legaspi - “Tenderly” by Walter Gross and Jack Lawrence
• Mya Grant - "Tattoo" by Sade
• Jake Porter - "OddLoop" by Frederic

Peripatetic Programme 2023 

This year we welcome a new vocal tutor to our team Ms Teasha Jackson. Teasha is a local performer and vocal teacher across various schools.  

Our other peripatetic staff include 

• Brett Naylor – Guitar
• Alex Brollo – Drums and Bass
• Eden Dennis – Vocals and Woodwind (year 12 only)
• Dedire Ditton - Piano
  

Students can seek information from their class music teacher if they are interested in learning an instrument with our peripatetic staff. 

DioSounds 2023 – Walk Together 

Once again, we return to the Civic Theatre to perform alongside other schools within our diocese. This annual production allows each college to showcase the gifts and talents of students within our college community.

This year St Bede’s will be performing 3 pieces:

• 1000 Miles Away by Hoodoo Gurus
• Passenger by Powderfinger
• Let Me Entertain You by Robbie Williams

Our performance will be open to the public Thursday 8^th June @6.00pm and tickets can be purchased through Ticketek or The Civic Theatre box office.  

We look forward to seeing you there to support our students. 

ASPIRE 

This year St Bede’s students from Years 8 and 9 were fortunate to receive a final place in the songwriting competition. 

Harriett Price, Noah Baus, Liam Bowling and Mathew Winkleman all attended the workshop for finalists at St Pius X The Factory.  

This ensemble then performed their original work for a panel of judges and was awarded 3^rd prize in their category.  

Congratulations Harriet and Liam for your composition and for Noah and Mathew for performing with them.

English – Tamara Powell  

In Week 1, Year 7 attended an energetic, fun and hilarious performance by Poetry in Action to complement their learning in Humanities. The students watched the characters from Poet Town battle it out through rap and embark on a journey to learn about the elements of poetry. Year 7 were our most enthusiastic participants yet in this annual experience; they laughed, they clapped, and they cheered the performers and several students volunteered to be a part of the show! Feedback from the students reinforced how funny and entertaining it was and many students were interested to learn that rap songs have similar structures and features to poetry. 

Since last term Year 7 have been telling stories through writing in Humanities. Recently, they composed an original poem about a landscape as part of a portfolio of learning tasks. We are very proud to share some of our students’ beautiful poetry with you. 

We encourage our students to enter their original poems in Poetry in Action’s Poetry Challenge. There are some fantastic rewards if their poem is selected. Please click on the link below to enter the Poetry Challenge.

Sport – Belinda Watts

Diocesan Cross Country Report 

On Thursday 4^th May St Bede’s had 33 of our finest athletes compete in the Diocese Cross Country Carnival at Glenbawn Dam. With the sun shining, students had fantastic running conditions to contest an honest and traditional course which included a mix of grass, trail and road across a range of undulating obstacles. With several great running performances off the back of our school cross country carnival, St Bede’s students competed individually with the top 6 students gaining selection to contest the CCC State Championships. Students also competed in the team’s competition where the first 4 students in each age group scored points.  

Highlights of the day included: 

• The run of the day went to Lilly Sutton who won Gold in the U/14 Girls 
• Phoenix Borja from U/12 Boys, Zach Thomson U/14 Boys & Coen Morgan U/16 Boys all won Silver in their races 
• Lilly Vella and Oliver Gorton both won Bronze in the U/13 Girls and Boys Cross Country 
• Lachlan Jones U/14 Boys, Brooklyn Darcy U/15 Boys and Gabriel Borja U/16 Boys all placed in the top 6 and progress to NSWCCC 
• Our U/13 Boys Team of Oliver Gorton, Lachie Winkelman, Braith Punton, Isaac Ross, Ashton Ross & Oscar Hungerford won team gold 
• Our U/14 Boys Team of Zachary Thomson, Lachlan Jones, Philip Kipfer, Jackson Ward, Zane Edwards, Jye Thompson & Caiden Burgess won team silver 
• 9 out of 33 students qualified to compete at the State Championships 
• 15 of 33 students placed in the top ten in each age group with almost two-thirds of our cross-country squad finishing in the top half of the race 
• 7 out of the 9 age groups that were represented by St Bede’s at the diocese carnival had a student progress to the state CCC championships. 
• Some very strong efforts in some very competitive age groups to Sienna Dilley, Hallei Chedwidden-McGregor, Lachlie Winkelman, Theo Law & Tommy Mella 

Congratulations to all students who demonstrated exceptional sportsmanship and commitment representing the school with great pride. We wish our 9 St Bede’s students competing at the NSW CCC State Championships the best of luck (Lily Sutton, Phoenix Borja, Zachary Thomson, Coen Morgan, Oliver Gorton, Lilly Vella, Lachlan Jones, Brooklyn Darcy, Gabriel Borja) 

As we turn our attention towards next season, we hope to build on the success of this year and look forward to sending a larger squad with full teams for all age groups. 

Touch Football

On the 29^th April, the 2023 NSW Junior Regional tournament was held at Tuggerah. Kale White and Harry Lidbury represented in the Under 16’s Hunter Western Hornets team and played teams from across the state. The boys were grand finalists, however, went down in the grand final. Congratulations to Kale who was named in the NSW Merit Team selected from the tournament over the weekend.

Diocesan Football Carnival (Girls)

On Tuesday the 2^nd May, the girls football team represented the school by participating in a diocesan gala day at Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility. The girls played 4 games throughout the day against different schools in our diocese, which included 1 win and 1 draw. All girls involved gave their all in each of the games and demonstrated good sportsmanship throughout the day.

Diocesan Tennis Competition

On the 9^th May Lily Sutton and Riley Cudmore competed at the Diocesan Tennis Championships in Singleton. Both students represented SBCC well, with Lily placing 4^th in her age group. Congratulations on your positive attitude and participation on the day. We encourage other students to nominate themselves next year and enjoy an event that was well-organised and enjoyable.

15’s Country Cup (Rugby League)

On Tuesday 9^th May the Under 15’s Boys represented SBCC in the Country Cup at Lakeside Sporting Complex. SBCC played against Toronto HS, Medowie and Irrawang HS on the day. Congratulations to Jye Thompson who scored a great try on the day and to our “Players Players”; Charlie Burey and Will Brouwer. The team consisted of mostly soccer and union players, and it was great to see them put their hand up and have a go on the day.

Bill Turner Cup (BOYS) - Football

Round 1: The U15 Boys Bill Turner Team got their cup run underway with a dominant 4-0 win against St Joseph’s Aberdeen. Koby Warland opened the scoring, with Theo Law and Zachary Thomson adding to the scoreline in quick succession to go into the half leading 3-0. A strikers finish from Caiden Burgess sent the scoreline out to 4-0 which sealed the deal for St Bede’s. Thank you to Graham Law for assisting Mr Dalton and Mr Menzies and congratulations to Bailey Hunter who was awarded players player after a brilliant performance at centre back. Well done boys!!!

Round 2: On the 11^th May, the U15’s Bill Turner Cup team faced St Philip’s Christian College, Cessnock in Round 2 of the Cup. Caiden Burgess opened the scoring, with Bowen Hine doubling the scoreline from a routine header from a corner. Early in the second half, super-sub, Harry Lidbury found the back of the net and not long after, Zach Thomson scored from close range, closing out the game at 4-0. 4-0 stayed the scoreline until the final whistle. All students involved are to be commended on their effort and unity as a team and we look forward to versing St Joseph’s Lochinvar in the 3rd Round.

HORSE SPORTS

On the 5^th May, Gracie Clements (Year 7) represented SBCC at the Scone & District Horse Sports competition. She competed against a large group of students from other schools across the Hunter and District Region. Congratulations on achieving the following results on the day:

• 1st Place Hack Class
• 1st Place Utility Pattern
• 2nd Place Rider Class
• 2nd Place Western Pole Bend Race
• 4th Place Bending Race
• AND received overall Reserve Age Champion

Upcoming Sporting Events: Term 2

SERVICE & GOVERNANCE DOMAIN

School Fees – Kylie Murray  

If you indicated that you are paying your school fees in full, this payment is required prior to the end of June 2023. If you are making regular payments towards your annual fees, these payments should have commenced by the 31^st March with all fees to be completed by the end of November.  

For those families that have not commenced a payment plan or reached out for an appointment, you are currently outside of a payment term, and you are reminded that this is a requirement of enrolment. The Finance team are reaching out to these families individually, if you need assistance in calculating a payment plan, please contact Finance. 

For any queries please don’t hesitate to contact the Finance team. 
finance@chisholmsb.catholic.edu.au 

Other News

Aspire 2023

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: