st clare’s high school · srs (school recommendation schemes) applications for 2018 admissions...
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St Clare’s High School Davis Street, Taree 2430
Telephone (02) 6552 3300
Fax (02) 6552 3656
Email [email protected]
NEWSLETTER 13/2017 12 MAY 2017
Dear Parents & Friends of St Clare’s
Ministry Coordinator Denise Ryan and I met with Fr Greg Barker and newly appointed Parish
Worker for Forster/Tuncurry Parish Paul Skippen to discuss ways in which the Parish and
school can work together for the mutual benefit of the people in our parishes and St Clare’s
school community.
Paul has extensive experience in working with groups of people and helping establish
successful relationships between people and organisations. Paul will help facilitate reflection
days and encourage St Clare’s students to be active participants in their local parishes.
This week I reluctantly accepted the resignation of maths teacher Mr Mark O’Connor. Mark
was working in a replacement position while Danielle Smyth is on maternity leave. Mark has
had a long and successful career in Catholic Education and we thank him for his work on behalf
of our students and colleagues at St Clare’s. Mark will be replaced by Jeannie Sainty who will
work in Danielle’s place until the end of term.
Courtney Van Kampen, who has been working part-time as a learning support assistant, will
complete her time with St Clare’s at the end of May. She leaves to join TAFE on a fulltime
basis. We thank Courtney for her great work and wish her every success for the future.
The Compass Steering Committee, under the tutorage of Compass Coordinator Liz Stokes,
completed its first full day of work as we prepare to rollout the new Compass software package
at St Clare’s. Being a pilot school for the diocese-wide project has many benefits, not the least
of which is that we get first look at how the package works and how it can be modified to suit
the needs of our school community. In the next few weeks various staff focus groups will run
the package through its paces and develop a timeline for the introduction of the software’s
applications over the course of the next 18 months.
Our Parents & Friends group met this week. Along with discussion about uniform, the building
project and development of school grounds, the group discussed ways in which it could attract
more support from parents. If you have any ideas on this matter could you contact the P & F
via the school office or email the school.
A few weeks ago I reported that St Clare’s, in partnership with Holy Name Primary school
Forster, had been chosen to participate in a Catholic Schools Office initiative to develop
programs for gifted students. You may recall that staff member Laura Boere had been
appointed our Gifted Education Mentor [GEM]. While a fully coordinated program between
our schools is some time away, we have started to make changes in the way we extend our
students. For more information on the development of the program, please see Laura’s article
further into this newsletter.
The school year passes quickly. This is particularly true for HSC students whose school year
runs from October to October. Given the structure of the year, it is possible for some of our
young people to lose focus and not work as hard as they could in May and June as they “come
down” from the mid-year exams. After speaking with our School Captains this week I am
delighted to report that their assessment is that the Year 12 group is collaborating and working
well together. The Captains were also very complimentary about their teachers who constantly
go above and beyond to ensure their students are given an excellent education.
In closing I wish all our mothers a great Mother’s Day. I hope your
special day is filled with love and attention and that you and those with
whom you celebrate have a wonderful day.
God Bless
Principal
P & F – NEXT MEETING, WEDNESDAY, 7 JUNE 2017
CHAPLAINCY/PASTORAL CARE: A reminder to all that the school has a Chaplain.
Please feel free to contact our Chaplain, Deacon Vince Ryan, through the school office if he
can be of assistance to you or any member of our whole school community.
Mass Times
Our Lady of the Rosary, Taree 75 Albert St, Taree
Saturday Vigil: 6:00 pm
Sunday Mass: 9:30 am
Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Wingham
8 Farquhar Street, Wingham
Sunday: 8:30am
St Bernadette’s, Krambach Bucketts Way, Krambach
1st, 3rd and 5th Sundays of the month – Mass is
celebrated on Saturday evening at 6:30pm
2nd and 4th Sundays of the month – Mass is
celebrated on Sunday morning at 9:00am
Our Lady Star of the Sea, Harrington Pilot St, Harrington
Saturday Vigil: 6:00 pm
St Therese's, Lansdowne Cundle Rd, Lansdowne
Saturday Vigil: 6:00 pm
(2nd and 4th Saturdays of each month)
Our Lady of Fatima, Old Bar 20 Hall St, Old Bar, Sunday Mass: 7:30 am
St Patrick's, Cundletown River St, Cundletown
Sunday Mass: 6:00 pm
Forster-Tuncurry Catholic Parish
Holy Name of Jesus Parish Church, Forster 33 Lake Street, Forster
Saturday Vigil: 6:00 pm
Sunday Mass: 7:00 am
Sunday Mass: 9:00 am
CAREERS CORNER: This week, Careers Corner focuses on students seeking employment,
traineeship or apprenticeship, but, firstly, Year 12 students are informed that:
SRS (School Recommendation Schemes) applications for 2018 admissions will open in
early August 2017. SRS applies to ACU, ANU, CSU, GU, MU, UoC, UNE, UoN, UTS WSU
as well as the National Art School and SAE Creative Media Institute.
Students looking for employment or traineeship/apprenticeship need to address the
following:
What field of employment is sought? e.g. construction – building
Does the student have a vehicle driver’s licence?
If no licence, what is the intended other method of transport? School bus is not applicable
To what geographical area is the student prepared to travel to gain employment? E.g.
Wingham, Taree etc.
Areas must match transport availability
Does the student have current Induction White Card?
Prepare a résumé showing skills from work, school subjects and previous work experience
Establish a list of possible employers by using Yellow Pages of phone book plus builders
that currently have work indicated by signs on building sites – relate area availability to
transport
Search online for positions - building jobs are not usually shown online
Write a cover letter introducing student etc.
Deliver copy of résumé and cover letter – personalise each cover letter to building sites
Follow up with a phone call or visit the following week
Have parent(s)/carer contact the school to approve this possible pathway in seeking a career
Ian Evans, Careers Adviser
CONCERT WITH STEVE ANGRISANO FOR OUR YEAR 7, 8 AND 9 STUDENTS: On
24 May students in Years 7, 8 and 9 have the opportunity to participate in a concert with an
international Catholic musician, Steve Angrisano.
St Clare’s will join with Years 5 and 6 from St Joseph’s, Taree in their Hall. Here is some
information about our guest:
Steve and his family call Coppell, Texas their home.
Also you can find more info at http://www.steveangrisano.com/.
Go Make A Difference - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQJ4TLRy1KI
FROM THE SENIOR SCHOOL: All Year 12 students should now have a NESA (BOSTES)
PIN and have accessed the NESA site to confirm the subjects in which they are currently
enrolled for their Higher School Certificate. If there are any issues with this, you need to see
Mrs Avery or myself as soon as possible.
It was my very great pleasure to accompany 26 Hospitality students (and Mr Gonfond and Mr
Constantine) to Sea World for Year 12 Hospitality Work Placement this week (Sunday –
Wednesday). All VET subjects have a mandatory Work Placement component. Each student
is required to complete 70 hours of Work Placement over the two years of their nominated
course.
The year 12 Hospitality class had the opportunity to experience the many and varied aspects of
the Hospitality industry. It was an interesting and at times tiring experience, which provided
quite an insight into how many different occupations can be involved in the running of a major
resort.
The students were wonderful as usual, and were a pleasure to be with. Their polite and
courteous manner when dealing with other workers and with members of the public was a
credit to them.
Thanks to Mr Gonfond who organised and attended the trip, and to Mr Constantine who gave
up his time to accompany the students.
Year 12 Construction students were back at school this week after a week of Work Placement.
From all reports, the students did a great job and worked well. Hopefully this will lead to
potential employment for some of the students. Well done, boys.
Thanks to Mr Chalmers who went out to visit the students.
Unfortunately, there are quite a few Year 12 students who are leaving their classes early. I need
to remind students that they are NOT to leave class early and must wait for their teacher to
dismiss them before they move away from class. The class is not over until the bell goes!
There are also quite a few “absences” creeping in since the Mid-Course exams. Next week I
will be contacting families where this absence rate is a potential problem. Now more than ever,
it is very important that students come to class so that they don’t miss out on any work. The
“Trials” will be upon us very quickly (the end of July) and students need to maximise their
class time.
Vaccination day for Year 11 & 12 Meningococcal ACWY is
Thursday, 1 June 2017. Please ensure that you return your
consent form for the vaccination prior to 1 June. Forms
were handed out today.
Year 12 reports were also handed out today.
Karen McCann, Year 12 Student Coordinator
Ruby Jones recipient of the “Star Performer” Award Rodney Neal receiving his Participation Award
Ashley Tiedeman unscrewing the drain cover to clean the pool filter
YEAR 7 & 8 EXAM TIMETABLE
Date Morning Session - all examinations
start at 9:10 am (Period1)
Afternoon Session - all examinations
start at 11:40 am (Period 3)
Monday
29 May
Year 8 English 1.5 hrs Year 7 Science 1 hr
Tuesday
30 May
Year 8 Mathematics 1.5hrs Year 7 History/Geography 1 hr
Wednesday
31 May
Year 7 Mathematics 1.5 hrs
Year 8 Religious Literacy 1 hr
Thursday
1 June
Year 8 History/Geography 1 hr Year 8 Science 1 hr
Friday
2 June
Year 7.4 Technology TTC 2 hrs
Year 8 School Diagnostic Testing
Friday
9 June
Year 7 School Diagnostic Testing
YEAR 9 EXAM TIMETABLE
Date Morning Session - all examinations
start at 9:10 am (Period 1)
Afternoon Session - all examinations
start at 11:40 am (Period 3)
Monday
5 June
English 1hr Pass A (MCK) Period 3&4 Practical
Food Tech - 1.5hrs Hall
Tuesday
6 June
Mathematics 1.5hrs
Science - 1hr
Wednesday
7 June
History
Geography 1 hr
Pass B (CL1) Period 3&4 Practical
Commerce 1 Hr 10 mins
Japanese 2 hr Rm 2 (Richard)
Thursday
8 June
Science 1hr
Friday
9 June
Catch Up Exams
GIFTED EDUCATION NEWS: This term St Clare’s has started working in collaboration
with a selection of other schools in the diocese to improve the way in which we identify and
cater for Gifted Students across all Key Learning Areas. The new Gifted Education Mentors at
these schools are in the process of learning more about giftedness and how we can extend our
students further within the classroom and outside of the classroom. Our school is fortunate in
that we are able to pilot the way forward for other schools. St Clare’s has been partnered with
Holy Name Primary School in Forster in order to work on a better collaboration between feeder
schools and our High School. Going forward we will be able to work with all the Catholic
Feeder schools in the Manning Region providing a seamless transition for gifted students
moving from primary to secondary education. It is a challenging endeavour and one which I
am excited about and feel fortunate to have been offered this opportunity.
Build Me A Future Day: On 23 May the 8-1 Mathematics class will attend a fun interactive
day at the University of Newcastle. The students will compete against other schools while they
complete challenges in small teams. There are a mixture of activities from CSI type
investigations, to tower building, robotics and printed circuit board making. The idea is to
inspire the students to take up STEM subjects and careers later on while letting them visit the
great campus down in Newcastle. I can’t wait to hear their stories!
Computer and Algorithmic Thinking Competition: Earlier this year some of our students
entered the CAT Competition run by the Australian Mathematics Trust. It is the first time St
Clare’s has entered this competition and the students had no idea what to expect. Nevertheless,
of the 46 students who took part, 16 of them received Credits, 5 Distinctions and 1 High
Distinction. Congratulations to everyone who had a go. I encourage anyone interested in
computer programming to take part in this next year.
High Distinction Miguel Guthridge Year 10
Distinction - Sidhant Joon Year 12
Luke Strong Year 11
Kade Lewis-Fisher Year 9
Jayden Heng Year 8
Yolanta Guthridge Year 7
Laura Boere, Gifted Education Mentor
Jayden Heng & Kade Lewis-Fisher Sidhant Joon Yolanta Guthridge Luke Strong & Miguel Guthridge
ST CLARE’S MUSIC GROUP: Each Thursday, students from Years 8 and 9 have been
coming together to form a music group. The aim of the ensemble is to make music. Talent
abounds. This group will debut at the Taree and District Eisteddfod on Thursday May 24th. We
will present two items, A Thousand Years and Proud Mary. Despite our limited rehearsal time,
the students are making wonderful progress and participating in the eisteddfod is a credit to
them.
Year 8
WenYuan LimSchneider
Matthew Spencer
Sean Patten
Patrick Guthridge
Jayden Heng
Year 9
Jack Tickle
Senura Senanayake
Rachel Fowle
Ashlyn Horsburgh
Tiana Hood
On that day, our Year 10 Elective Music class and our Senior Years 11 and 12 Music1 Classes
will also compete, as well as the St Clare’s String Group. The competition this year is fierce
with items from many of the secondary schools in the Manning and Great Lakes region. All are
welcome to come and enjoy the array of talent. Best of luck to all competitors.
Viva la Musica,
Mrs Brown
COMMUNITY KITCHEN – 12 MAY 2017
Mr Nicholls, Isabella Reid, Mrs Laura Boere,
Caitlin Eakin, Thomas Cowan, Shae Stace & Mrs Denise Ryan
MATHS WORKSHOP - Mathematics Workshop provides the opportunity for every student to
obtain assistance and support in improving their understanding of mathematics. Four
mathematics teachers are available each week to
explain the concepts you are finding difficult or
give assistance to enable you to complete your
homework, assignments or any work that you
may have missed due to absence from class.
WHEN IS IT ON? Wednesday lunchtime - every week.
Bring your lunch!
WHERE? Room 10
We hope to see you there!
Mrs Julie Rowsell, Mathematics Coordinator
STUDENT ABSENCES: If your child is absent from school, it is important to tell the school
and provide a reason for your child’s absence within 7 school days. After this time the
absence, by law, must remain as unexplained.
To explain an absence parents and carers may:
send a note, fax or email to the school
telephone the school, or
visit the school
LEAVE NOTES & STUDENT MESSAGES: It would be appreciated if parents/guardians
would send in a written note if their child needs to leave early for appointments etc. Notes
should be handed in at the front office in the morning before roll call. If parents/guardians
need to notify their child of a change of afternoon arrangements, it is necessary to phone the
school prior to 2:25 pm (End of Lunch – Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday) or prior to
1:55 pm (End of Lunch – Thursday Sport) as it is often difficult to locate students if their last
lesson is a PE Prac or there has been a room change. Students cannot be collected from the
school during school hours by anyone other than a parent or guardian without written
permission. Thank you.
MONDAY 15/5 Jackie Wiseman
TUESDAY 16/5 Help Urgently Required
WEDNESDAY 17/5 Bec Pereira
THURSDAY 18/5 Sue Lythgoe, Cheryl Dearing
FRIDAY 19/5 Annette Nicholson, Jenny Chippett ½ day
VACANCIES STILL EXIST
MORE VOLUNTEERS NEEDED – MONDAYS & FRIDAYS
IF YOU CAN ASSIST PLEASE CONTACT CHERYL KINGSFORD
AT ST CLARE’S: 6591 2104, HOME: 6552 1857 OR
VIA EMAIL: [email protected]
LATE NOTES: Lateness to school is recorded as a partial absence and must be explained to
the school the same way as other forms of absence. Arriving Late for school requires a
handwritten note from a parent/carer or a phone call from a parent/carer or the absence is
recorded as an unexplained partial absence. Thank you.
SCHOOL CLINIC: Students are reminded that if they are unwell whilst at school they are to
advise their teacher who will then send them to the Front Office. If necessary, the office staff
will contact a parent while the student waits in the Clinic. Students are not to contact parents
on their mobile phones as this leaves teachers and office staff unaware of the situation and is
also in breach of the school policy – use of mobile phones. Thank you.
COMING EVENTS - 2017
Term 2
Week 4 Monday 15/5 ♦ Year 10 & Year 11 Mid-course Assessment Period
Friday 19/5 ♦ Year 7 Immunisation
Week 6 Monday 29/5 ♦ Year 7 and Year 8 Mid-course Assessment Period
Thursday 1/6 ♦ Year 11 and 12 Immunisation
Week 7 Monday 5/6 ♦ Year 9 Mid-course Assessment Period
Wednesday 7/6 ♦ P & F Meeting
Week 8 Monday 12/6 ♦ Queen’s Birthday Public Holiday
Week 9 Thursday 22/6 ♦ Athletics Carnival
Week 10 Friday 30/6 ♦ Term 2 Concludes
Term 3
Week 1 Monday 17/7 ♦ Term 3 Commences
Week 2 Friday 28/7 ♦ Taree Careers Expo - Chatham High School Multi-Purpose
Centre – Year 11 & 12 students. Year 10 students may attend
ONLY if accompanied by a parent/carer who signs a student
out of school
Week 3 Monday 31/7 ♦ HSC Trial Examinations commence
Wednesday 2/8 ♦ P & F Meeting
Week 4 Friday 11/8 ♦ St Clare’s Feast Day
Week 6 Thursday 24/8 ♦ Year 10 & Year 11 Parent/Teacher/Student Interviews
Week 7 Wednesday 30/8 ♦ P & F Meeting
Thursday 31/8 ♦ Years 7, 8 and 9 Parent/Teacher/Student Interviews
Week 8 Monday 4/9 ♦ Year 11 Final Exams
Thursday 7/9 ♦ Year 7 Immunisations
Week 9 Friday 15/9 ♦ Japanese Exchange Program Commences
Japanese Exchange Program Concludes 30/9/17
Week 10 Friday 22/9 ♦ Year 12 Graduation Mass
♦ Term 3 Concludes
Term 4
Week 1 Monday 9/10 ♦ Term 4 Commences
Wednesday 11/10 ♦ Year 11 PDHPE Camp
Friday 13/10 ♦ Year 7 2018 Orientation Day
Week 2 Monday 16/10 ♦ HSC Examinations Commence
Wednesday 18/10 ♦ Senior Retreat
Week 3 Wednesday 25/10 ♦ P & F Meeting
Week 5 Friday 10/11 ♦ HSC Examinations Conclude
Week 6 Friday 17/11 ♦ Year 12 Graduation
Week 7 Wednesday 22/11 ♦ P & F Meeting
Week 10 Thursday 14/12 ♦ HSC results released
Friday 15/12 ♦ ATARs released
RURAL AND REGIONAL SCHOOL TRAVEL: Students who require a bus pass will need
to apply online. Please see the brochure below. If a student loses their bus pass the relevant
bus company will need to be contacted and they will require a fee of $10 to reprint a bus pass.
TAREE GIRL GUIDES is part of a worldwide organization directed at girls aged 5 to 17 years.
We promote leadership, teamwork, self-management skills and develop confidence and skills in an all-girl
environment whilst having Fun, Adventure and developing Friendships that can last a lifetime.
We run our programs on Tuesday afternoons from 4.30 pm,
All girls are welcome to come for two free tryout days. Come meet our girls and our leadership team.
For further details contact: Green Fairy – 0484 916 607/0265005808
Cindee Mason (Hammond) Guide Leader - Green Fairy Taree Girl Guides
M 0484 916 607 E [email protected]