2026 Timetable Update

• All Year 8 have received their Year 9 2026 Elective Confirmations, and almost all Year 10 have received their Year 11 2026 Course Confirmations (just 6 students to go)! Year 8 and Year 10 have done an amazing job! Congratulations.
• Thank you also to our Year 8 and Year 10 parents/carers for your outstanding support.
• An important reminder regarding Year 7-10 2026 Core Classes.

Year 7 will have two Enrichment Classes which will be created based on ALLWELL Testing. Year 8 will have two Enrichment Classes which will be created based on their performance in 2025. Years 9 and 10 will have one Enrichment Class (each) created based on their performance in 2025. In Years 8-10 (2025) classwork/assessment that your child completes everyday in 2025 has a significant impact in determining who is selected for Enrichment Classes.

A Reminder …

I would like to take this opportunity to invite you to contact me by email pfinnerty@parra.catholic.edu.au if you have any questions or feedback regarding the information above which relates to my specific role as Assistant Principal – Systems, Data, and Professional Learning.

Thank you for your continued support

Mr Patrick Finnerty

From the Assistant Principal – Systems, Data and Professional Learning

Why is Critical Thinking Essential for Your Child’s Success?

How easy is it to just ask ChatGPT to provide the answer for you? This time-saving strategy outsources your thinking, bypassing the deep learning skills required for true success and learning growth. Students offload their thinking when they obtain these quick answers from an AI chatbot. If a student is not engaging in their learning materials, then how are they learning?A continued reliance on AI doing the thinking for us hinders our ability to develop our problem-solving and analytical skills. Students become more focused on interacting with the Chat Bot than the content they need to be learning, and this has a significant impact on their motivation to engage in learning.

When AI does the heavy lifting for our thinking processes, we no longer develop our understanding of complex issues, we struggle to make informed decisions and our capacity for independent critical thinking is diminished. These skills that we are offloading to AI are essential for our success at school, university and in the workplace. In an ever-increasing competitive world, we need to develop our critical thinking as a habit of "genuine analysis—evaluating sources, comparing perspectives, and questioning assumptions.

Parents need to join teachers in encouraging our children to dig deeper and actively challenge, accepting superficial information. We need to ask probing questions such as:  Why is this true? What evidence supports this? Are there alternative viewpoints? We need to support our children in developing the habit of learning that focuses on cultivating consistent analysis rather than simply seeking quick answers.

When we review our child’s results in these upcoming reporting periods, perhaps question your child on their reliance on AI and how it helped or hindered them in their classwork and assessment tasks.

The College’s Strategic Learning Goal for 2025 is focused on Critical Thinking and ensuring our students have the key skills to become thinkers of the future. We will continue to pursue these skills throughout their learning and assessment tasks, to ensure that our students achieve learning gain throughout their time at St Andrews College.

Mrs Josilin Kalifa

Assistant Principal - Teaching and Learning

School TV

The Diocese has enabled the College to have access to a resource called School TV. This resource is a wellbeing platform which helps parents, students and Teachers in getting reliable information about challenging topics for young people. The resources are developed by top people in their field and are a reliable source of information.

The school will provide links to topics for parents and students to view, and anyone can access a large list of topics on the platform. The resources are in a number of languages, and some of the videos are translated for you as well. 

I have attached some videos in this article for you to have a look at and explore School TV. Links to videos and information can be sent to families who wish to explore areas. The link sent will allow you to look at different areas. Please have a look.

Negative Online Behaviour

Social media is part of our society and is very accessible. Sometimes people use social media to bully and harass other students.

Recently we have seen several negative posts/stories go up on a number of different platforms. They have targeted students and teachers, and other students have followed and liked the stories. Any type of harassment and bullying is unacceptable at the College.

St Andrews College will not accept negative online behaviour. If you set up a post or story that is negative and targets members of the community, there will be severe consequences.  The College will also not accept any student who follows or likes negative posts and stories. Students who are involved in negative online behaviour breach our code of expectations.

To prevent online bullying and harassment, we need to work as a community. If you see negative online behaviour, you need to report it as soon as possible to a teacher. It is everyone’s responsibility to keep safe online.

The School TV link to Internet addiction is:

https://standrewscmarayong.catholic.schooltv.me/newsletter/internet-addiction

Making a difference to student wellbeing

There are many factors that influence a young person’s wellbeing but the two that have the biggest impact are the parents and the teachers. These two groups are the ones that spend the most time with the young person and are the ones that develop learning in each young person. 

Having positive relationships with teachers is essential for their development and learning. A positive relationship with their teachers will help give the students a sense of belonging, which can lead to happier students, which promotes positive learning. Negative relationships can create anxiety and destroy a student’s confidence.

Parents play a vital role the development of the students. Spending time and setting boundaries with your children can increase the levels of life satisfaction in young people. Parents can help a young person manage anxiety and motivate them to do well in life. 

It is essential that parents and schools work in partnership for the benefit of the child. If the home and school are working together in a common direction, the child will have a greater chance of success at school and in life. 

Please feel free to contact the College and any of the staff to develop a positive partnership between home and school.

School TV link to respectful relationships:

https://standrewscmarayong.catholic.schooltv.me/newsletter/respectful-relationships 

What is in the planner?

Developing research skills in research is essential in learning. Having a structured process helps you to think more intelligently and will help create new brain pathways. 

An effective process involved” Defining, Locating, Selecting, Organizing, Presenting and Evaluating. 

Assertive language is important when we want to get out point of view across in a non-aggressive way. You need to be prepared to speak clearly and articulate what your message is. Tell them how you feel and what you want to happen. 

Key character strength to focus on this week is Kindness. 

God bless

Mr. Nick Thrum

Assistant Principal - Students

Courage Week

It’s been a busy couple of weeks for our Leaders as they ran activities for Courage Week and RUOK? Day - including chalk art, photo booths and a presentation during the Senior Assembly. Congratulations to our Leaders and also to the students who participated in the various activities in Learning Group and at recess and lunch.

Year 12 Leadership Team 2026

Thank you to the Year 11 students who were involved in the Leadership Process to choose our Year 12 Leaders for 2026. There were excellent candidates, and it was wonderful to see the passion and commitment from our students. Our Leaders have now been chosen, and we wish them well as they embark on their Leadership Retreat on September 18/19 at Kiah Ridge. At the Retreat, they will work out their portfolios and plan for the rest of the year and for 2026. Here are the successful Student Leaders for 2026:

Principal’s Awards

Congratulations to the following students who have received Principal’s Award:

Congratulations to the following students who have received the second Principal’s Award:

Final House Cup Points Update

This is the final House Cup Points Update before our House Cup competition finishes at the end of the term. Good luck to all the Houses!

Bennelong: 66, 595

Chang: 69, 565

Frances: 61, 545

Gould: 64, 400

Mrs Sue Cooper

Leader of Wellbeing and Learning

scooper@parra.catholic.edu.au

Celebrating Excellence: Bishop’s Award Presented to Anthony Pilayre

We are proud to congratulate Anthony Pilayre (Year 12) on receiving the prestigious Bishop’s Award for Student Excellence, presented by Bishop Vincent last Thursday evening at St Patrick’s Cathedral, Parramatta.

Anthony was a truly deserving recipient, recognised for his unwavering faith, integrity, and leadership throughout his time at St Andrews. His commitment to the Catholic tradition has been evident in his service as an Altar Server, Eucharistic Minister, and Youth Ministry Leader, where he has consistently demonstrated humility and a deep sense of vocation.

Beyond liturgical service, Anthony has shown a strong dedication to Social Justice, actively contributing to the Social Justice Society, Vinnies Van, Project Compassion, and the Catholic Mission Conference. His passion for justice and compassion has made a meaningful impact on both our school and the wider community.

Academically, Anthony has excelled across his studies, reflecting a genuine love for learning and a commitment to personal growth. His ability to balance academic achievement with spiritual and social leadership makes him an outstanding role model for his peers.

We celebrate Anthony not only for this honour, but for the example he sets in living out the values of our faith with purpose and grace.

Congratulations, Anthony, on this well-earned recognition. Your journey continues to inspire us all.

R U Ok? Day: A reminder to check in on your friends

On Thursday, the 12th of September, the junior campus recognised R U OK? Day, a national initiative that highlights the importance of checking in on each other’s well-being. It serves as a reminder that asking a simple question like “Are you okay?” can make a real difference to someone who may be struggling. 

This year, the Year 10 SRC team supported the cause by running a photo booth on the junior campus. Students took part in the initiative by spreading awareness and showing support for each other’s mental health, showcasing the strong community spirit within the college.

R U OK? A day is not just about one date in the calendar. It encourages us to continue checking in with friends, classmates and teachers throughout the year. By starting conversations and listening without judgment, we can create a positive school culture built on kindness, care, and connection. 

We encourage everyone to keep the message alive by taking a moment to ask the question “R U OK?” and really listen to those who need support. 

Together, we can be stronger when we look out for each other. 

• Year 10 SRC

Year 12 HSC Visual Arts Exhibition

This is a wonderful time of the year, where, after many months of developing their Body of Works, our Year 12 students work tirelessly to refine and resolve their artworks for the last time in order to submit their Body of Works for HSC marking. After the official NESA due date on 1st September, we celebrated the success of our students with our annual HSC Visual Arts Exhibition. It was lovely to see family, friends, and mentors attend the evening and immerse themselves in the variety of artworks on display. 

In the lead-up to this day, our Year 12 artists spent countless hours in the Art Room, finalising feedback provided to them about their work. As their teacher, I am immensely proud of the work that they have put in. They have pushed themselves through various challenges in order to complete a Body of Work that encapsulates their varied conceptual and material practice. 

We wish the Year 12 Visual Arts students all the best as they continue their studies over their study break and into the HSC. This week we have focused on exam strategies in class, and no doubt, students will continue to push for their personal best in the upcoming exams. 

Well done, Year 12!

Mrs Claudia Harris

Leader of Learning Visual Arts

Year 7 Claes Oldenberg Food Sculptures

Year 7 have begun the creation of their Claes Oldenberg-inspired food sculptures. Students were very eager and excited to work in their small groups to construct a large paper-mache artwork. This is a great task for students to utilise problem-solving skills and work within a team towards a goal. A shoutout to my class, 7VISA-E, who have worked fabulously this term. I look forward to seeing how our sculptures turn out at the end of this term.

Year 8 Reg Mombassa Artworks

Year 8 are in the process of creating their triptych artworks inspired by the artmaking of Reg Mombassa. Students have been working on their draft drawings and soon to be transferring this onto artist paper. This is a fantastic task for Year 8’s to use their imagination implemented into an artwork with an existing element. We look forward to seeing their final artworks at the end of this term.

Year 9 Collaborative SAC Landscape Artworks

Year 9 students have ventured around the College as part of their new unit, Poetic Landscapes. We walked around different areas and experienced the environment using our senses. Students were required to write down what they saw, felt, smelt, heard and overall, witnessed in each part of the school. Upon returning to class, in small groups, students utilised their sensory worksheet as inspiration for creating an artwork inspired by SAC using a range of mixed media. This task has proved to be a valuable experience for students to utilise their everyday surrounding environment as inspiration and working together with their peers.

Year 10 Fine Diner Cultural Dish Peer Review and Banquet

Year 10 have finished their second unit for the year, Fine Diner. We concluded our unit with a self and peer review of their ceramic fine diner sets inspired by a culture of their choice. In our last lesson, students brought various dishes representing the culture of their fine diner ceramics set. Amelia K brought in Otai representing Tonga, Jasmine F brought Koki’s and String Hoppers representing Sri Lanka and Jacinta E brought in Empanadas representing Spanish culture. 

Mrs Harris and I look forward to our final unit with Year 10 Visual Arts, Self Directed, where students explore various themes/concepts/ideas/issues within their personal world and the global community to serve as the conceptual aspect of their Collection of Work that they will produce in the upcoming weeks. For some students, this is their last opportunity to create a Visual Arts artwork and we anticipate that this will be a memorable experience for them to end their Junior Visual Arts course.

Have a wonderful rest of Term 3, St. Andrews Community.

Miss Leezah Rivera

Visual Arts & HSIE Teacher

It’s finally here! Tickets for the 2025 College Production - Once Upon a Crime - are now on sale via the QKR app! 

In the land of Slightly Far Away, crime runs rampant and the Gingerbread Man has gone missing. As a great catastrophe looms, it is up to the local police agency to find out what is going on, and how to stop it. Yet, not is all that it seems, and not every fairy tale is guaranteed a happy ending.

Join us for a night filled with high spirits, laughs and a little bit of mystery on the 25th of September. If you enjoyed parodies such as Shrek, you are guaranteed to love this performance! At $7 per person and $20 for a family of 4, it is a bargain for a night of entertainment. Further details can be found on the poster attached.

Any queries may be directed to Mr Nick Lewandowski via email: nlewandowski@parra.catholic.edu.au

We hope to see you there!

Artwork by Lauren Hipolito.

Happy Australian Arts Lesson Time!

Over the past two weeks, our special visitors from Isahaya Commercial High School enjoyed a variety of Australian culture lessons at the College. One of the highlights was an Australian Arts lesson, kindly offered by our fantastic Visual Arts teachers, Mrs Psaila and Mrs Sanders.

As their own school does not offer visual arts, the students were especially excited to experience something new. They eagerly learnt different art techniques they had never tried before and spent the full 100 minutes deeply engaged in creating their own Australian beach artworks.

Mrs Psaila and Mrs Sanders were very impressed with the students’ focus and behaviour throughout the lesson. By the end, everyone proudly completed their artwork and was able to take it back to Japan as a wonderful memory of their time here. 

A big thank you to Mrs Psaila and Mrs Sanders for making this such a memorable and inspiring experience for our visitors!

Mrs Mariko Suzuki

Leader of Learning - Languages

Year 9 & 10 Japanese - Intercultural Exchange with Isahaya Commercial High School

As part of our sister school program, students from Isahaya Commercial High School in Nagasaki joined our Year 9 and 10 Japanese courses for intercultural lessons filled with learning, laughter, and cultural sharing.

Year 10 Intercultural Lesson – Wednesday 20 August (P5–6)

The Year 10 session began with our Japanese visitors introducing their school life, the famous foods of their city, and the dialects spoken in their region. Afterwards, our students rotated through five activities prepared by the Japanese students:

• Picture Reading – reading Japanese picture books and translating them into English.
  
  
• Kendama – learning tricks with the traditional Japanese cup-and-ball game.
  
  
• Shodo (Japanese Calligraphy) – experiencing the art of brush writing.
  
  
• Hyakunin Isshu – exploring a classical anthology of 100 poems by 100 poets.
  
  
• Sado (Japanese Tea Ceremony) – a graceful demonstration by students from the tea ceremony club.
  
  

The highlight of the day was trying authentic matcha green tea. Many students found the bitter taste challenging, but they respectfully finished every cup with a heartfelt arigatou gozaimasu (Thank you very much).

Year 9 Intercultural Lesson – Thursday 21 August (P3–4)

The following day, Year 9 students hosted their own cultural exchange, preparing four activities for the Japanese students:

• Aussie Slang with Kahoot – teaching various phrases and testing them in a fun quiz.
  
  
• Drawing Board – creating colourful artworks together.
  
  
• Dance Session – learning iconic Aussie moves like the Nutbush and the Macarena.
  
  
• Physical Activities – running lively games such as Duck Duck Goose and Musical Chairs.
  
  

Despite the rain, the session was a huge success, filled with energy, laughter, and new friendships.

Student Voices

To capture the spirit of these exchanges, here are reflections from our students:

“Hello, this is Saumya from Miss Matsufuji’s Year 9 Japanese Class speaking on behalf of my fellow students about the Intercultural Lesson we had with the Isahaya Commercial High School students. On August 21st, we had a lot of fun showing Australian culture to the Japanese students… It is an understatement to say that we all bonded and connected well during this cross-cultural experience, as this exchange highlighted the importance of such events in breaking down barriers.” – Saumya Punj, Year 9 Japanese

“The intercultural lesson was amazing as it helped me to improve my Japanese skills. I had lots of fun teaching the Japanese students: they were super nice and polite. I would definitely do this intercultural lesson again.” – Dharshini Mahesh, Year 9 Japanese

“I greatly enjoyed talking about Australia and all of its funny quirks, and from what I could tell they enjoyed it as well. If I were to have a similar opportunity, I would without hesitation take it. This lesson allowed both the Japanese students and us to share and talk about our two cultures.” – Aidan Harvey, Year 9 Japanese

“The intercultural lesson was not only really fun to create and form, through the brainstorms and the onset realisation that Australian slang was exceedingly weird, it was also really fun to share our unique culture with another which is so vastly different. It was definitely a memorable experience to be teaching very sophisticated and mature Japanese students the word crikey or bogan and hearing them repeat it in a confused but enthusiastic manner.” – Dawson Jia, Year 9 Japanese

These two intercultural lessons were a wonderful opportunity for our students and the visiting Isahaya students to share, learn, and connect. Through language, games, traditions, and laughter, both groups gained a deeper appreciation of each other’s cultures and built friendships that will be remembered long after the exchange. Experiences like these highlight the true value of our sister school partnership and the importance of intercultural understanding in today’s world.

And of course, there are always more exciting and fun experiences ahead in our Japanese courses, so stay tuned!

Miss Miho Matsufuji 

Japanese Teacher

On Tuesday, 3rd September, our college proudly participated in the PDSSSC Athletics Carnival in Sydney

Olympic Park Athletics Centre showcases outstanding talent, determination, and school spirit. Our students

competed with excellence across a range of events, achieving some fantastic results.

We would like to congratulate the following students on their achievements:

Emily Atwon – 2nd place- 200m

Julio Tatupu – 2nd place- Shot Put and 3rd place- Discus

Daniil Jerdeski – 1st place- 1500m and 2nd place- 800m

Kushal Mariguddi – 2nd place- Long Jump, Triple Jump- 2nd place,

Matthew Lukudu – 2nd place- High Jump

Amelia Farag – 3rd place- 100m

These achievements are a reflection of the students’ hard work, commitment, and dedication to their sport. We are very proud of their efforts in representing our college so positively.

The following students have progressed through to CSNSW Athletics on Monday, 15th September.

Emily Atwon, Julio Tatupu, Daniil Jerdeski, Kushal Mariguddi

I look forward to sharing the results with you all.

Congratulations once again to all of our athletes!

Kind regards,

Ms Ivana Nikitovic

Leader of Learning – Sport

On the 5th of September, our Year 12 Physics class visited the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) at Lucas Heights. The excursion was one we had all been looking forward to, and it definitely did not disappoint.

Our tour began at the Discovery Centre, which had an array of displays, such as a to-scale replica of the reactor core. My favourite piece in this section was the Wilson cloud chamber, which allowed us to see radiation using alcohol vapour (which caused each particle to leave a distinct signature trail).

Following this was a presentation covering our Module 8 (From the Universe to the Atom) content that would be relevant to the excursion. This was both engaging and informative, especially with the demonstrations such as using scintillation counters to determine the nature of different radioactive sources.

Then, we visited the Centre for Accelerator Science, where we saw two different particle accelerators. Our tour guide highlighted the uses of these machines in climate research and materials science. She represented how particle accelerators had been used in the past to debunk false claims by companies regarding the sustainability of their products and packaging.

After, we stopped by the Australian Centre for Neutron Scattering, which housed several machines used for rigorous testing on both a national and international level. We were informed of some Australian-foreign research relationships and how the machines evolved over time to be as advanced and vast as they are today.

Finally, we visited OPAL — Australia's only nuclear reactor. We were refreshed on the components of a fission reactor and how each of these is vital for its function. This reactor is not used to produce energy but instead produces massive amounts of neutrons used for medical, industrial and research applications. Seeing live camera footage of the reactor was definitely a highlight for me.

On behalf of the Year 12 Physics cohort, I'd like to thank Mr Jayaratna, ANSTO and anybody else who was involved in the planning and execution of the excursion. We left ANSTO with a renewed understanding of the function and application of the role of science in medicine, technology and research, so it was a great learning opportunity.

• Joey Ghattas

Our Year 7 Technology students have been hard at work designing and building CO2 dragsters, combining creativity with scientific principles. This hands-on project allowed students to explore concepts such as friction, mass, energy, aerodynamics, and thrust, applying these ideas to develop high-performance designs.

Students completed detailed engineering reports, documenting their design process, analysing performance, and justifying their choices. These reports included thorough research, time management, sketches, and evaluations of how each factor influenced their car's speed and efficiency.

The project not only enhanced their technical skills but also encouraged innovation and deep class discussions, culminating in an exciting race day to test their creations! Have a look at some of the awesome C02 car photos!

Student reflections below:

At St Andrews, during our second semester of Technology, we worked on CO2 car projects. We designed and built our cars using tools such as coping saws, rasps, flat files, and sandpaper. The coping saw helped us cut out the basic shape, while the rasp was used to roughen and refine it. We then used the flat file to smooth the surface before sanding the edges to make them neat. Once the shaping was complete, we held a test race outside in the Gould area, setting up the track along the pathway. Each car was powered by a CO2 canister attached at the back, which propelled it toward the finish line. If a car flipped over or failed to record a time, we re-ran the race to give everyone a fair chance. After the test run, we returned to the workshop to finish sanding and start painting and designing our cars. When our designs were complete, we held the official race, where everyone’s hard work came to life.

-Nouriel Naeim

At St Andrews, for our technology semester two we made Co2 cars. We started off the subject by learning about things like aerodynamics, drag, friction and Newton's laws of motion. 

After researching things that assisted us on our cars we started planning on making them, we started by doing some sketches to get a rough idea of what we wanted our car to look like. Then we went to the workshop where we took our pieces of wood and slowly started carving out the shapes of our car by using the coping saw to shape it and files and sandpaper to smoothen down the car, finally we painted and raced the cars.

Overall researching, developing and testing the Co2 cars was a very exciting experience where we were able to do things we had never done before, like use the machines in the workshop or carve wood into our cars.

• Edward Zhang

Congratulations to all students for their outstanding efforts, and a special shout out to our Top 3 Fastest Cars across the year group during this rotation:

• 1st Place: Chloe Looker — 1.123 seconds

• 2nd Place: Julian Reyes — 1.224 seconds

• 3rd Place:  Jeremiah Pelayo — 1.284

Ms Catalina Valdivia

Technology Teacher

In Mathematics, Year 7 students have been busy exploring angle relationships. 7.3 recently investigated angles formed by intersecting lines. Using colourful tape, students constructed two non-parallel lines and a transversal - this created eight angles for them to examine. They carefully measured and recorded each angle, before repeating the task with parallel lines.

Through this investigation, 7.3 learned to identify and compare corresponding, alternate and co-interior angles. They noticed the consistent patterns that appear when the lines are parallel. Students were excited to uncover these key geometric relationships for themselves, and were able to link their findings directly to the formal rules they have been learning in class.

Ms Christina Nguyen

Mathematics Teacher

College Leadership Team

Leaders of Learning - Wellbeing

College Leaders of Learning - KLA

College Leaders of Learning and Other Leaders