No. 9 22 June 2018

“Joy and Freedom of the Spirit” The Clarion

St Clare's College Waverley 41-51 Carrington Road, Waverley 2024 02 8305 7100 www.stclares.nsw.edu.au

From the Principal

Dear Parents, Carers, Students and Staff,

This week my focus is on the importance of family and family relationships. Pope Francis’ wisdom and tenacity for understanding the challenges that we may experience on a daily basis is astounding. He has been able to touch the hearts of so many believers and non-believers. This week I happen to be reading one of his homilies about families and felt quite strongly about sharing it with you all. As our world is somewhat troubled, to me, this further highlights the importance of the role family, family unity and family resilience. As a united family and faith filled people, we can teach our children the significance of love, forgiveness, hope and joy.

Forgiveness in the Family

by Pope Francis

The family is a great training ground for the mutual giving and forgiving without which no love can last for long….

In the prayer that he himself taught us—namely the Our Father—Jesus makes us ask the Father: Forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And at the end he states: for if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your heavenly Father forgive your trespasses (Mt 6:12, 14-15).

One cannot live without seeking forgiveness, or at least, one cannot live at peace, especially in the family.

We wrong one another every day. We must take into account these mistakes, due to our frailty and our selfishness.

OPEN MORNINGWednesday 25 July 9.00am-10.30am

See what Pope Francis has beautifullywritten about the family

FAMILY, PLACE OF FORGIVENESS ...There is no perfect family.

We do not have perfect parents, we are not perfect, we do not marry a perfect person or

we do not have perfect children.

We have complaints from each other.We are constantly disappointed.

There is no healthy marriage or healthy family without the exercise of forgiveness.

Forgiveness is vital to our emotional health and spiritual survival.

Without forgiveness, the family becomes an arena of conflict and a fortress of evil.

Without forgiveness, the family becomes sick.

Forgiveness is the asepsis of the soul, the purification of the spirit and the liberation of the heart.

The one who does not forgive does not have peace in the soul nor communion with God.

Evil is a poison that intoxicates and kills.

Keeping heartache in your heart is a self-destructive gesture.

It’s autophagy.

Those who do not forgive are physically, emotionally and spiritually ill.

For this reason, the family must be a place of life and not a place of death;

a place of paradise and not a place of hell;A healing territory and not a disease;

an internship of forgiveness and not guilt.Forgiveness brings joy where sorrow has brought

sadness; of theHealing where sorrow has caused the disease.

Pope Francis This could help extinguish some family battles!

St Clare and St Francis pray for us.

However, what we are asked to do is to promptly heal the wounds that we cause, to immediately reweave the bonds that break within the family. If we wait too long, everything becomes more difficult.

There is a simple secret to healing wounds and avoiding recriminations. It is this: do not let the day end without apologizing, without making peace between husband and wife, between parents and children, between brothers and sisters, between daughters and mother-in-law.

If we learn to apologize promptly and to give each other mutual forgiveness, the wounds heal, the marriage grows stronger, and the family becomes an increasingly stronger home, which withstands the shocks of our smaller or greater misdeeds.

This is why there is no need for a long speech, as a caress is enough: one caress and everything is over and one can start afresh. But do not end the day at war!

If we learnt to live this way in the family, we can also do so outside, wherever we may be.

It is easy to be sceptical about this. Many people—even Christians—think it is an exaggeration. It is said: yes, they are fine words, but it is impossible to put them into practice.

But thanks be to God, this is not so.

Indeed it is precisely in receiving forgiveness from God that we in turn become capable of forgiving others.

This is why Jesus has us repeat these words each time we recite the Our Father prayer, that is, every day.

And it is crucial that, in a sometimes pitiless society, there be places such as the family, in which to learn to forgive one another….

Practicing forgiveness not only saves families from divisiveness, but makes them capable of helping society to be less heartless and less cruel.

Yes, each act of forgiveness fixes the cracks in the house and strengthens its walls. The Church, dear families, is always beside you to help you build your house on the rock that Jesus spoke of….

I assure you, dear families, that if you are capable of walking ever more firmly on the path of the Beatitudes, learning and teaching to forgive each other, the capacity to bear witness to the renewing power of God’s forgiveness will grow in the whole of the great family of the Church.

Truly Christian families can do a great deal for today’s society, and also for the Church. Let us pray that families may be ever more capable of experiencing and building practical paths of reconciliation, where no one feels debts.

Excerpted from a general audience at St. Peter’s Square, November 4, 2015

Academic Award Assembly and Parent Teacher Interviews

The end of Semester 1 Academic Awards Assembly will take place on Thursday, 5 July at 9:45am. As you will soon access your daughter’s end of Semester 1 Reports, it is timely to celebrate and congratulate students who have achieved academic excellence and sustained effort in their studies. Parents, carers and families are most welcome to join us.

Parent Student Teacher Interviews will take place on Thursday, 5 July from 2.00pm to 7.00pm and on Friday, 6 July from 8.30am to 12.30pm. These interviews will provide an excellent opportunity to follow up on conversations taken place with your daughter’s teachers earlier this term. I would like to thank all the staff for their unswerving commitment in assisting and motivating the girls to continue to strive for their personal best.

Expressions of Interest - Marketing / Promotions Team

I am seeking expressions of interest from interested and qualified persons to assist in marketing and promoting the College to the wider community. We hope to form a sub-committee of four or five people to work with me on how we can further enhance St Clare’s profile. This will involve attending two to three meetings a term at a time suitable to all members. Please contact my EA, Virginia Black on virginia.black@syd.catholic.edu for further details.

And finally …

Thank you to all staff for their dedication and hard work in providing so many opportunities for the young women in our care. Let us always remember to keep all members of our community in our prayers. I thank you for your continued cooperation and support.

Blessings on you and your families,

Mrs Antoinette McGahan

Dear Parents, Carers, Students and Staff,

Religion is good for you? You can believe that!

Throughout the course of a student’s time at St Clare’s College, they study various themes across the Religious Education program from Year 7 to 12. Many of the topics covered approach the concept of wellbeing both directly and indirectly throughout the study of the unit. At the moment Year 7 are studying Human Dignity, Year 9 have just started looking at the Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes, Year 10 are looking at Ecumenism and relationships between Christian Churches in promoting peace while our Year 12 Studies of Religion 2 class has explored Inner Peace.

All these topics allow for students to reflect on religious teachings and practices in their own life as they study the effects of these interactive relationships at both the local and global level.

From the Director of Religious Education

Recently a survey was released that suggests that people who believe in a higher power may live for longer. According to researcher Laura Wallace, ‘Religious affiliation had nearly as strong as effect on longevity as gender does’. Most of the study came back to increased lifespan due to an active participation in many social and volunteer programs. Religion is also successful in promoting stress relief such as prayer or meditation and even through the constant practice of gratitude. The values promoted at St Clare’s such as respect, compassion, harmony and humility would also go a great way in ensuring longevity.

A nice way to summarise this study is to perhaps not simply reflect on what it is we believe in but how we participate in the expression of these beliefs. As Soren Kierkegaard the Danish theologian once said: Prayer does not change God, but it changes he who prays.

Mark McCoy

From the Director of Learning and Teaching

Dear Parents, Carers and Students,

Semester 1 Academic Assembly and Academic Awards

All parents are invited to our Semester One Academic Awards for Years 7 to 11 which will be held on Thursday 5 July at 9:45am in the San Damiano Hall.

This year we will be changing the way in which we recognise student academic achievement. This is in response to a decrease in the number of formal summative assessment tasks being carried out in a number of courses and how this is then used to determine the students being recognised.

For example, in some cases, courses have not completed a task or completed only one task before the Semester One Academic Awards - so in effect, students are not necessarily “First in Course” but are first in a task. With further reductions and changes to the number of assessment tasks being mandated by the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) being implemented this year,

First in Course will be recognised at the end of the year in our new Presentation Evening in December. These will now be whole year awards. Dux for Years 7 to 11 is determined by the number of First in Course awards received by an individual student.

For the upcoming Semester 1 Academic Assembly we are presenting certificates in two categories:

1. ConsistentAcademicCommitment- nominated by the teacher in each class and presented to the student

that has diligently applied themselves to their work consistently throughout the semester.

2. AcademicGrowth - nominated by the teacher in each class and presented to the student that has demonstrated the most growth in formative and/or summative assessment.

These two awards will also be awarded at the end of year in addition to the First in Course Awards. Do not hesitate to contact me at the College if you are unclear about our awards structure.

Year 10 Subject-Selection

Year 10 have now engaged with their taster sessions. These have been an excellent opportunity for students to gather relevant information as the undertake their subject selections for 2019 and beyond.

Reminder of key dates and events for Year 10:

1. Careers Market - Wednesday 27 June 3:15pm-5:30pm - Library Mezzanine

2. Subject Selection Evening - Wednesday 27 June 6pm-7:30pm - College Hall. This event is COMPULSORY for all Year 10 Students.

3. Subject Selection Interviews - Term 3 Week 4 - Details available for this event early next term.

Thank you for your continued support of learning at St Clare’s.

Christopher Maoudis

Important DatesWednesday 27 June St Clare’s College Careers Expo 2018 3pm-6pm

Wednesday 27 June St Clare’s/Waverley College Year 7 Dance

Wednesday 27 June Year 11, 2019 Subject Selection Information Evening 6pm

Thursday 28 June Vaccinations - Visit 2

Thursday 5 July Last day of Classes

Thursday 5 July Semester 1 Academic Award Assembly 9.45am

Thursday 5 July Years 7-10 Parent Teacher Students Meetings 2pm-7pmFriday 6 July Years 7-10 Parent Teacher Students Meetings 8.30am-12.30pm

No lessons. End of TermMonday 23 July Staff Professional Learning Day - Pupil Free Day

Tuesday 24 July Students return for Term 3

Wednesday 25 July Open Morning 9am-10.30am

SCHOOL INFORMATION FOR PARENTS ON LOVE BITES The LOVE BiTES sexual assault and domestic and family violence prevention program is going to be run for Year 10 students at St Clare’s College, on Wednesday 1 August. Outlined below is some information for you on the program. If you have any further questions about the program please contact the school.

What is LOVE BiTES? ● LOVE BiTES’ is a school-based sexual assault and domestic and family

violence prevention program.● LOVE BiTES is based on best practice standards for education programs as

recommended by the Federal Government funded Australian Domestic and Family Violence Clearing House and other leading academics in the area of violence against women.

● Over 100,000 high school students throughout Australia have participated in this interactive and innovative program aimed at Year 10 students and older. Over 4000 workers and teachers have been trained in NSW.

LOVE BiTES promotes an integrated partnership approach to prevention and generates local ownership of the program. Local service providers facilitate the Love Bites program. Professionals such as sexual assault workers, domestic violence workers, youth workers and police facilitate the program. Male and female facilitators present the program as a team and LOVE BiTES consistently models respectful relationships between male and female students, teachers and workers.

The LOVE BiTES program consists of two interactive workshops on Sex and Relationships and Relationship Violence, consolidating information learnt in the PDHPE syllabus. In the afternoon two workshops support the information learnt by developing resources around the prevention of Violence Against Women for their community.

Statistics tell us that young people are impacted by relationship violence. LOVE BiTES advocates that young people can make different choices, resolve issues in non-violent ways and can develop respectful relationships.

Please contact Director of Wellbeing Louise Armstrong if you need more information on 8305 7100.

Our Yearly Planting Guide at St Clare’s

WinterHERBS: chamomile, comfrey, coriander, dill, feverfew, garlic bulbs, lavender, lemon balm, marjoram, mint, oregano, parsley, sage and thyme.

FRUIT and VEGETABLES: Chinese greens (for example Pak choi).

Spring HERBS: basil, chives, coriander, dill, mint, oregano, parsley, sage and thyme.

FRUIT and VEGETABLES: beans, beetroot, broccoli, Chinese cabbage, capsicum, cucumber, eggplant, endive, lettuce, melons, okra, onion, parsnip, potato, pumpkin, radish, rhubarb, rosella, silver beet, spring onion, squash, sweet corn, sweet potato, tomato and zucchini.

Summer HERBS: basil, chives, coriander, fennel, gotu kola, heliotrope, lovage, mint, parsley and tarragon.

FRUIT and VEGETABLES: beans (dwarf and climbing), beetroot, broccoli, cabbage, capsicum, carrot, cauliflower, celery, chicory, chilli, Chinese cabbage, cucumber, eggplant, endive, kohlrabi, leek, lettuce, okra, parsnip, potato (tubers), radish, rhubarb (crowns), shallots, silver beet, spring onion, sweet corn, sweet potato and zucchini.

AutumnHERBS: coriander, garlic bulbs, marjoram, oregano, parsley, thyme and winter tarragon.

FRUIT and VEGETABLES: broad beans, English spinach, green beans and peas.

Source: various publications from: www.aboutthegarden.com.au

Phillip Baldock

Learning Support Teacher

Worm Farms

Our Winter Garden

Debating News

With the first six rounds of the CSDA Debating competition over, it is now heading into the finals.

Round 6 - 15 June was held at OLSH College. Unfortunately, we only won one debate during this round. A massive congratulations to all of the St Clare’s College debaters!! They have done exceptionally well this year and have shown true dedication and passion!

Congratulations to the Year 10 Team: Maggie Carr, Anais Bouchier, Angela Vassllo, Ella Schrijvers, and Eliza Abdul, who won their debate and won the most debates out of the St Clare’s College teams.

Whilst we have not made it into the finals, you may still like to attend the final debates. Please see the CSDA website for information on locations and times: https://sites.google.com/csda.nsw.edu.au/welcome

Elimination Final Week 8, Friday 22 June

Quarter Final Week 9, Friday 29 June

Semi Final Friday 27 July

Grand Final Friday 3 August

From Term 3 onwards, there will be a Debating Club with sessions once a fortnight for any student wishing to build their orator and debating skills. More information about this will be available via the Sentral noticeboard and the Clarion Newsletter at the end of this term.

Please contact Ms Bronkhorst for more information: s.bronkhorst@syd.catholic.edu.au

Shannon Bronkhorst.

English and Religion Teacher

Year 10 Team

From top, left to right:

Maggie Carr, Anais Bouchier,

Angela Vassllo, Ella Schrijvers,

Eliza Abdul

Privacy Policy - Standard Collection Notice

Parents/guardians are reminded that from time to time we are required to provide student details and background data that has been provided on the school Enrolment form to government agencies.

Parents/guardians are able to access the SCS Privacy Policy - Standard Collection Notice on the SCS public website http://www.ceosyd.catholic.edu.au/About/Documents/privacy-collection-notice-standard.pdf

Privacy Policy

Cyber Safety Tips for Parents

Waverley Council is facilitating a free event for parenting tweens and teenagers:

Cyber Safety Tips for Parents - practical and effective tips for managing your tween child or teenager’s online behaviour

Thursday 2 August 2018 at 6.30pm–8:00pm

Waverley Public School, Waverley

The Presenters include:

• ySafe Social Media and Cyber Safety Experts – Yasmin London has been a specialist Youth Liaison Officer with NSW Police. With extensive experience

CYBER SAFETY TIPS FOR PARENTS Thursday 2 August, 6.30 – 8pm Waverley Public School, 155 Bronte Road, Waverley

waverley.nsw.gov.auFollow us

Presented by ySafe Social Media and Cyber Safety Experts and Community Engagement Team, Eastern Suburbs Police Area Command.

Gain up to date information on

• social media platforms children/ teens are using, current cyber safety risks• how to set up a cyber safe home and manage online behaviour• strategies for managing cyber bullying and legislation guiding intervention

Bookings at Eventbrite or call 9083 8936 for more information.

Practical and effective tips for managing your child’s online behaviour and cyber bullying.

Proudly supported by:

in the legalities of the technology terrain and youth in crisis, Yasmin regularly advises and consults for government, schools, parents and youth advocacy agencies on cyber safety education and response.

• Eastern Suburbs Police Area Command – the Community Engagement Team promote and education on safety strategies in the community. They will provide an overview of current legislation and process for addressing cyber-bullying.

For further information you can contact me by phone on 9083 8936

Register on Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/cyber-safety-tips-for-parents-tickets-46871977346

FUN FOR ALL!! PRIZES FOR SOME!!!

Do you have a desperate desire to dispose of dreary dialect?

Is there an imperceptible itch isolated inside your imagination?

Can you create captivating conundrums with your cranium?

If you answered yes to any of the above you should enter one or more of the many external creative writing competitions available. Crack open your mind and allow the creative juices to flow, seep, and ooze all over the page!

There are competitions for poems and/or short stories. They include: the Saeta Spring Poetry Festival, the Dorothea Mackellar poetry competition, the Write the World competition, and the Future Leaders Writing Prize.

Some prizes include: $1,000, $700, Fitbit Ionic, Apple iPad 32GB, Xbox One X, PlayStation 4, $250, $150.

See Ms Bronkhorst for more information and entry forms (please bring a mop to clean up ooze).

"Words are, in my not-so-humble opinion,

our most inexhaustible source of magic"

- Albus Dumbledore.

Creative Writing Competitions!