From the Assistant Principal

Thanks for a great term

Term 2 has been a very busy term. I would like to thank the staff, students and parents for all the great work in Learning, Sport and other activities. It is great to see the college pulling together to ensure the best outcomes for all students and staff.

A big thanks goes out to all the staff and students involved in Debating, Athletics and sports, the Tribe initiative, Unity Day, to name a few. The hard work from staff and the involvement from students has seen all of event becoming a great success.

Please spend the holiday period relaxing and preparing for Term 3. I look forward to another great term of learning and involvement.

Term 3

School resumes on Monday 18th July. All students are expected to be in full College Winter uniforms. All uniform expectations should be evident including hairstyles, jewelry and blazers.

Term 3 is an important term for all students but in particular the Year 11 and 12 who will have the HSC trials and Preliminary examinations as well as the final Year 12 Graduation. It is an important and stressful time for the students and we wish them all the best in these important events.

What’s in the planner?

Growth Mindset is a key idea to focus on this week. There is a solution to every problem. Having the right mindset will help you find the solution and develop resilience. As tasks become harder, we will fail at them about 30% of the time. Remember FAIL means: First Attempt In Learning. A growth mindset will help us work hard, seek feedback and then practice the skills.

We should always aim to be around positive and optimistic people. Being around positive people helps nudge your mindset to be more growth orientated.

A focus for the holidays is to have respectful relationships and do random acts of kindness especially to your family.

Character strengths include Bravery. These are values that we aspire to at the College. 

All the best over the holidays and be safe.

God Bless

Mr Nick Thrum
Assistant Principal - Students

Tell Them From Me (TTFM) Online Survey - Survey Closed

Thank you to everyone who completed this important feedback tool. I will create a summary when the report is available and share it with our community.

Important Data for Every Learner - A Reminder

Thank you to the parents who made contact with me about the graphics below. This is a live document for all St Andrews staff which is regularly updated when new data is available.

Thank you

As another term concludes, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate each and every student for their many successes. Thank you to the staff of St Andrews for their care of each and every individual and their tireless efforts. Thank you also to our wonderful parents and carers for your overwhelming support.

A Reminder …

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

Thank you for your continued support

Patrick Finnerty
Assistant Principal – Systems, Data and Professional Learning

Congratulations on another term in 2022. 

You should all be proud of what you have achieved and should be looking forward to a restful break. Use this time to start a new hobby, catch up with friends, exercise and more importantly relax. We have had a busy term with Athletics Carnival, Reflection Day and Unity Day and for you all to continue to apply yourselves in your classwork and assessments has been a good thing to see. 

Unity day

Congratulations to all students who performed on Unity Day and thanks to everyone who got involved representing their culture. It was great to see the pride and passion you all had and it was great to see how supportive you all were during the day. 

As we look ahead to Term 3, set yourselves some new goals to achieve so you can remain focused and continue to strive for your personal best. 

YEAR 9 REFLECTION DAY 

On Friday 17th of June, Year 9 attended and participated in their Reflection Day. This day was about understanding God and our connection with Jesus in our lives. Students participated in a lot of icebreaker games and sessions in which they had to think about their choices, think about themselves and to reflect on the day. Students watched the YMT group perform dramas with a message which the students were able to understand. 

I am very happy with how everyone had an open mind and engaged in the day. It was really good to see this from each student. I hope everyone enjoyed this day. 

Last Friday, year 9 had gone over to the senior campus in order to engage in our year group's reflection day. The entire day was based on reflecting upon our thoughts and values, and also living on the mission of Jesus. To assist with displaying and helping us understand Jesus’ mission, the YMT group visited our school and brought forth a variety of activities that helped us to understand ourselves and our connection with Jesus. The thing I liked most about the year 9 reflection day was the drama plays that the YMT group had performed. This is because they were able to display such an entertaining performance whilst also showcasing an important message. These messages included being yourself and ways we were able to strengthen our relationship with Jesus. Personally, the key message that I took from the entire reflection day was that everyone is unique and that others around us don’t get to choose our worth and value because, at the end of the day, Jesus loves us all equally. 

Alexandra Marasigan

What the day was about:

On June 17, 2022, the Year 9s took a break from their normal school routine and had the opportunity to reflect on morals and values: two important aspects of life to preserve. Throughout the day, YMT (Youth Mission Team) organised activities for the Year 9s which helped them to reflect on their identity, relationships and spirituality.

What I liked most from the reflection day:

• For me, I personally enjoyed the group or whole cohort activities which were organised by YMT. Some activities included role-playing, while others included running!! These activities helped the Year 9s with their teamwork skills, but also helped the students to get to know their peers better.
• I even enjoyed the drama presentations which could be described in just three words: hilarious, heart-breaking and high-quality! I definitely took in the messages which were conveyed by the team.
• Another thing that was enjoyable was the reflection writing, in small groups. The activity allowed myself to be honest about my “true self” or simply my identity - like what I adore, believe and do.

Messages I learnt about:

• Always be truthful to God. When you become honest in your relationship with God, he can help you through your struggles, so that you can experience the best quality of life possible.
• Be honest in your identity. When you show off your “true self” to people around you, loss of identity is prevented and intimate relationships can be developed.

Ben Reyes

UNIFORM EXPECTATIONS

As always, a reminder of uniform expectations. If you need a reminder of what the uniform expectations are, look in your Learning Planner on pages 15A and 16A.

I wish to remind everyone again that the following needs to be done at all times or a red card will be issued:

• Blazers should be worn into Learning Group until their Learning Advisor sees them
• Blazers should be worn after period 6 and when leaving the College
• Non-St Andrews items such as beanies and hoodies SHOULD NOT be worn to school. 
• If a student cannot wear their sports uniform, they are required to wear their normal school uniform
• School jumpers cannot be worn over sports uniforms. A school sports jacket is required.
• Boys must have their facial hair shaved

I understand with the weather getting a lot colder students may want to keep extra warm. However, you need to comply with the school policy and not bring any hoodies or beanies. A black or navy scarf and gloves can be worn. 

STUDENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Congratulations to all year 9 students who represented the school in sport and any extracurricular activities. 

Next term we have Oztag and Girls Basketball, hopefully we will have a good representation of year 9 students. 

Off-campus/School Events Permission Slip

As reminded on Compass this week, you need to return this note to the office or myself ASAP. If you need another note, please see me in B1

Final Message

Have a good holiday. See you all next term!!

Mr Kharl Carlos
Leader of Wellbeing - Year 9

Thursday sport

Our Soccer and Netball Representative teams will continue their season into Term 3. Congratulations on your efforts and results so far and all the best for the remainder of the season!

All learning groups and cohorts will begin a new rotation for sport next term. 

Theatre Sports is a new activity that began in Term 2, run by Mr Lewandowski and Ms Rujucica which has proven popular with students. This is continuing in Term 3 with all students having the option to already register to participate in this. We are excited about offering this opportunity to improvise in groups and gain confidence in front of an audience through short games and scenes. 

Athletics Carnival Age Champions

I would like to congratulate the following students who were successful as Age Champions at our recent Athletics Carnival. These students will be awarded with a trophy at our College assemblies next term

14 boys- Myles Vadamootoo

15 boys- Isaiah Bob

16 boys- Joel Longy

17 boys- Andre Dera

12 girls- Amelia Farag

14 girls- Zoe Thompson

15 girls-Alexandra Marasigan

16 girls-Esther Peter

17 girls-Hailey Targarona

Congratulations to these students!

The St Andrews aSPIRE program

The "ST ANDEWS aSPIRE PROGRAM" is a new and exciting program run by Mr McGill, with a focus on strength, conditioning, skills and injury prevention training in readiness for Season 3 Rep sports (Boys & girls Oz-Tag and girls Basketball). This program is for students in Years 7-10, boys and girls and a google form was shared with students this week. Registrations close Friday 1st July.

In registering for this program, students are committing to attending and participating every Thursday during Sport in Term 3. Students will also be committed to trialling for the selected team later in Term 3 (this is the aim of this new program). Students who are selected will represent our school in that Sport in Term 4.

This will be a highly rewarding, and somewhat demanding process, aimed at preparing a student’s physical attributes and skill levels before they compete in Representative Sport, whilst also allowing us to develop a sense of community and culture through physical preparation. 

This program is limited to the first 15 students for Oz-Tag and first 10 students in Basketball in each age group (15 for junior boys, 15 for junior girls, 15 for inter girls, 15 for inter boys Oz-Tag and 10 for each girls Basketball team). 

If students are currently doing a Term 2/3 Representative Sport (Soccer or Netball), they should have still completed this form. Students will still be able to trial even if they cannot be a part of the program due to limited numbers and/or if they are already playing a Representative Sport for Term 3 (Soccer or Netball) as this team takes priority and students must still attend this.

PDSSSC Junior boys & girls gala day 

On Friday 17th June, our years 7-9 girls and years 7-10 boys soccer teams competed at the PDSSSC Soccer gala day. Congratulations to the following students who were a part of these teams:

Thank you to Ms Malonzo and Mr Cetinic for your work coaching these teams for this event and also to Mrs Kemal, Mr McLoughlin and Mr Dunaeff for your support. The teams represented our College with such great pride and maturity, demonstrating impeccable sportsmanship and teamwork throughout the day. Please see below for a recap of the day, as written by Ms Malonzo and Mr Cetinic:

On Friday 17th of June, the Year 7-10 boys soccer and 7-9 girls Soccer teams competed at the PDSSSC Gala Day at Jamison Park and what a fantastic day it was. The boys represented St Andrews College outstandingly and played amazing soccer in what was a difficult draw. The team just missed out on qualifying for the grand final - missing out on a corner rule after a 3-way tie for first place which was a big disappointment, but the boys walked away with their heads held high.

The year 7-9 girls experienced a loss in the first game, but the students bounced back with Elizabeth K scoring our first goal to secure our first win of the day against John Paul II. On the ball again, Elizabeth secured our second win 1-0 in the second half with 5 minutes to go. Unfortunately we missed out in qualifying for the finals but would like to thank our amazing junior soccer players for their dedication, strength and game they played on the day. 

Congratulations to both teams for their outstanding effort and representation of the College.

PDSSSC Chess Competition

Jacob Felipe, Aditi Pal and John Girgis (all of year 12) recently competed at the PDSSSC Chess Competition; the first that the Diocese has ever held. The team finished 6th out of 8 schools with John winning 6 out of his 7 games!

Well done John, Aditi and Jacob on representing St Andrews for the first time at this event and we hope to continue to have students represent us at this event in the future!

PDSSSC gala days- Netball and Oztag

We are entering a junior, intermediate and senior team into the PDSSSC Netball gala day on Wednesday 20th July. 

We are also entering junior, intermediate and senior boys and girls Oztag teams into the PDSSSC Oztag gala day on Wednesday 27th July. All the best to these teams and thanks to the coaches; Mrs Xuerub, Ms Goldie, Ms McKechnie, Mr Dowers, Miss Nikitovic, Mr McGill, Miss Riviera, Miss Malonzo and Mr Dunaeff who have and continue to give up so much of their time to train and prepare the teams. We look forward to sharing some more information about each of these days early next term. 

Student sporting successes!

Holly McLaughlin of year 10 recently competed in an Allstar Cheerleading competition called Winterfest. This is the first competition of the cheer season and the biggest one that the studio has ever held.

Holly competed in 3 different levels, 

- Team 1: Senior level 4 team received first place and was the highest scoring small gym routine of the day for this level!

 - Team 2: Level 3 received 1st place and was the 3rd highest scoring small gym routine of this level!

- Team 3:  International level 2 received  2nd place

Congratulations, Holly!

Kayla Brogan
Leader of Learning Sport

SACART WEEK 10

Year 9 Visual Arts

Our Year 9 artists started their new unit of study this term named “Popular Culture”. As a part of this unit, students are learning about the art movement Pop Art and how artists such as Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and Claes Oldenburg changed the artworld. 

Students are taken on a historical journey in order to explore the popular culture of England and USA in the 1950s and 60s. This led to discussions of what is considered a part of our popular culture today and whether society places emphasis on material items rather than quality relationships.

Students analysed the artwork of Richard Hamilton and created their own collages to reflect our society today. It’s interesting to see students’ different perspectives on what they consider popular culture and how our world is consumed by this today.

Vivian Menon 9C9	Bridget Lee 9G10
Jacqueline Calaquian 9C9	Liana Banares 9B11

Year 7 Visual Arts

7VAH recently finalised their Oldenburg inspired food sculptures. Students then studied compositional techniques in photography and created a series of 5 photographs with a focus on close up, wide angle, balancing, leading lines and interesting perspectives. 

Next term Year 7s will begin their new unit of study on “Where the Land Meets the Sea” and we look forward to sharing their artworks with you.

7VAH

Caleb Palafox 7B6	Aishrya Lal 7C7
Saige Prats 7B2	Meera Chand 7F6

7VAC

Year 8 Artist in Residence Visit - Johnny Romeo

Year 8 had the opportunity to participate in an incursion with our artist in residence, Johnny Romeo. Johnny Romeo is no stranger to our SAC Art community, as he has worked closely with our Stage 6 students on their artmaking journey; particularly around the development of their Body of Works. Johnny Romeo is an Australian born artist, whose artworks are exhibited globally. During Johnny’s dynamic presentation, students learnt about his artmaking practice and were invigorated to pursue their own artmaking. It was wonderful to see our Year 8 students engaging and asking insightful questions regarding art as well as questions on how to achieve their goals. Thank you Johnny for visiting our school and providing our students the opportunity to learn more about the way that you “culture jam”. It has given our students a different perspective of viewing our world.

Johnny also very generously provided two of his open edition frame prints, with a second to be awarded next term for the best answer to the question “What does art mean to you?”. 

Congratulations to Hayden Bilbie who won an artwork of his choice from the two prints for his question during the presentation, which was selected as the best question of the afternoon. 

It was the 24th of June: Unity Day. What is Unity Day anyways? Unity Day is a yearly celebration/event for the St Andrew’s College community - which revolves around various cultural performances, food and fashion too! Unity Day aims to break barriers between cultures, but instead, build connections between various cultures. In a culturally-diverse school like SAC, Unity Day helps staff and students to understand the concept: “we are one, but we are many'' - which simply means everyone can still be in unity with each other, despite their cultural differences.

The day started off with a liturgy, which was led by one of the St Andrew’s Parish priests. The morning was so busy, that the Junior Campus hall was packed with staff and students from both junior and senior campuses!

• During the sacred moment, a traditional smoke ceremony was held, as smoke was wafted across the hall to symbolize the removal of sinful nature, so that people can be cleansed spiritually (in the Indigenous-Australian culture).
• The “Our Father” prayer was spoken through a variety of languages from continents like Asia, Africa, Europe and Oceania and a guest speaker challenged the students to accept the unique cultures among the community and live in harmony.
• It wasn’t so much your average liturgy, but a liturgy which concentrated on cultural acceptance: an important value in St Andrew’s College!

At the end of the liturgy, the annual fashion parade commenced!

• All sorts of cultural attire were presented during the parade - like the barong (a traditional long-sleeved shirt of the Philippines) and the sari dress (a traditional dress of India and other East Asian countries)!
• The number of fashion models (aka students) was so high that the judges had such an exhausting time determining the best outfits for Unity Day 2022, but overall, everyone was left applauding for the colorful collection of fashion models!!

Before the first set of music performances commenced, there were a number of activities hosted across the Junior Campus - including tinikling, origami, African dances, grass-weaving, European handball and much more. Students sang in unison, jumped in unison and even played sports in unison - which shows how Unity Day can bring the SAC community into unison!

Three, two and one… the first set of music performances began.

• The performances started off with the national Australian anthem, which was heartfully sung in both English and Indigenous-Australian language!
• Other performances occurred which were based on Lebanese, Sri Lankan, American, French, Nepalese, Vietnamese and Pacific Islander culture.
• Despite the fact the songs were performed in foreign language, the audience was still captivated by musical talent within the performers. Some performers created their own songs, performed traditional dances and formed bands - a “one-of-a-kind” example of how music potential keeps on sparking within Greater Western Sydney’s popular school!

After the first set of performances, lunchtime began. The SAC community quickly stormed out of the hall, while others kept doing their duties to keep Unity Day moving forward and strong - including SAC’s very own media team (photography, video footage + interviews), the VET Hospitality Team (food catering), the VET Entertainment Team (sound checks on-stage) and much more!

Three, two and one… the second set of music performances began.

• And so once again, a colorful row of melodies shot through the campus hall!
• This time, Indian, Middle-Eastern, Irish, Filipino, Italian and African performances occurred. Many favorites were made obvious from the crowd (from the repetitive applauds and the crowd’s very own paparazzi).
• One of the favorites was the Year 9 Filipino band, who sang “Kahit Ayaw Mo Na” (”Even If You Don't Want To” in English). After a Filipino pop-culture reference (via Jollibee costumes) was made on-stage, the crowd went wild and a set of phone flashlights were suddenly raised and waved! What a surprise, yet joy to experience!
• Another favorite was the Middle East dance performance, who created a dance ensemble as wide as the sky! They danced in circles, beat the drums and carried each other up like they never did before! And even though the song was completely in Lebanese, the crowd joined in to applaud the performers and their joyful expressions!

And after the musical trip around the globe, the finale began. Like any other Unity Day, “We Are One” was performed: a classic Australian song that brought Australians into cultural harmony! The students gathered around the stage for the finale. They sang in unison, they swayed in unison and, most importantly, they felt a sense of unison/unity.

Thank you so much to all the staff and students who were involved in the Unity Day! Whether you were attending or helping out during Unity Day, we express our gratitude to you! Hope you enjoyed Unity Day 2022!

Benjamin Reyes (Year 9)
SAC Media Team Photographer and Writer

On Thursday the 23rd of June, I and my fellow Vice College Captain Chegutdit Deng, and SRC member Katelyn Calima, were given the opportunity to attend the LIFTED Leaders Breakfast with the Bishop at Commbank Stadium, coming together in discussion with other school leaders, on the topics of cyberbullying and consent within a contemporary environment. Being able to share our opinions, experiences and perspectives formed the highlight of our day, as well as incorporating values of faith to address them. Special guest Erin Molan, invited by Catholic Youth Parramatta spoke to the group about her experience with cyberbullying as a TV presenter, encouraging us to contemplate ways in which cyberbullying affects the victim and how to ensure sufficient support is provided for all individuals. The conversation surrounding consent acknowledged that although there are many definitions for it, consent education is vital for all and is very relevant to students today. For me, this event put into perspective the actions we can take as student leaders, to ensure equal opportunity and education on topics that aren’t usually addressed, because this is central to ensuring we become better people and instill a love for others.

Joanna Owusu
Vice College Captain

Origami club is held every Wednesday! (lunch time)

Led by Miss Yuen, the origami club meets up every week in G5 to create unique and interesting origami creations. These can vary from beginners to advanced levels however anyone is welcome!

This term, we’ve made:

• Modular cube
• Modular ball
• Kimono girls
• Slices of cake
• Rings

Our first creation, the modular cube, is perfect for beginners, with the modular ball being at a much more difficult level. It went from being made of 6 pieces to 12 pieces, raising the difficulty level a little.

We encourage you to join and have fun making origami with us! Feel free to bring your friends and collaborate on a project, big or small. We can promise you that it’ll be fun. Hopefully we get  to see some new faces

  (ง ͡* ‿‿ ͡*)ง

Micaela Sibucao
Cryztle Espino
Airabelle Quiazon
Year 8

Endeavour Energy Apprenticeships

This is a fantastic opportunity to secure a highly sought-after electrical apprenticeship in a successful company with a track record of safety performance, engineering excellence and innovation. 

It is an exciting time to join Endeavour Energy. The organisation is investing in technology and in their people so they are at the forefront of a rapidly changing energy sector.

Endeavour Energy is committed to a culture where everyone feels safe, motivated, valued, included and respected. Endeavour Energy encourages candidates from all backgrounds to apply.

What’s on offer? 

• Flexible working conditions, attractive pay rates, excellent long-term career opportunities, and the chance to be part of a diverse and talented team. 
• As an Apprentice, you’ll learn new skills, master a trade and be on the path to a rewarding and fulfilling career.
• This Apprenticeship is fully-funded, with all training, uniform, tools and protective equipment provided along with access to some of the industry’s best mentors and training facilities. 

Applications are now open and close on Friday 29 July 2022.

For further information and to apply follow this link: Endeavour Energy Apprenticeships

Defence Force Recruiting Sydney

Year 11 and 12 students are invited to an upcoming Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA) and Royal Military College (RMC) day tour.

This is a great opportunity to learn all about ADFA and RMC and how to apply.

At the Australian Defence Force Academy students have the opportunity to learn and study for a world-class degree, receive Service training, earn a salary while learning, and graduate with a rewarding job. 

Participants will hear from current ADFA/RMC representatives about life and their experience at ADFA/RMC. During the day students will get all their questions answered and learn about the application process. Lunch will be provided in the Academy Cadets’ Mess. 

Defence Force Recruiting will provide bus transport from Sydney Defence Force Recruiting, Homebush Bay Drive, Rhodes early in the morning.

Click here to register for the visit on Wednesday the 13th of July

Cyber Academy

Deloitte, in partnership with the University of Wollongong (UOW), TAFE NSW and Swinburne University, has launched the Cyber Academy. The Cyber Academy aims to increase the nation’s security workforce to meet the growing demands in this area.

The students who are successful in gaining a place in the Cyber Academy will co-enrol in the TAFE NSW ICT50220 Diploma of Information Technology (Cyber Security) and University of Wollongong Bachelor of Computer Science (Cyber Security). In addition, throughout their studies, they will be in paid employment with Deloitte or another industry partner.

Students will graduate from the program at the end of three years with industry-recognised qualifications and experience. 

Students in Year 12, who are interested in a career in Cyber Security and would like to be considered for the program, are encouraged to express their interest by visiting the Cyber Academy website.

JMC Academy

JMC Academy invites students in Years 9 to 12 who are budding songwriters to enter the JMC Academy Songwriting Competition.  Students have the opportunity to win a recording, mixing and mastering session of your original song + a workshop for your class.

The Songwriting Competition invites students to submit a demo of an original song that they have written individually or as a team and submit the lyrics to the song in a word document. The demo can simply be recorded on a mobile phone or device. Students are welcome to record the demo in other ways if you have the means to do so.

The following needs to be submitted:

• Demo of the original song in WAV or MP3 format (maximum 5 minutes in length)
• Lyrics sheet
• Completed submission form

Click here to submit entries and for more information. 

Applications close Monday 31st October 2022 11:59 AEST.

JMC Academy is proud to announce their first ever Remix Competition. The aim of this competition is to encourage students in Years 9 to 12 who have a keen interest in audio and music production to further develop their skills and to push the boundaries on creativity. Students have the opportunity to remix, reinterpret, and rework the original upcoming single, “Hard Truth” by JMC Academy alumni band, Patient Lounge.  

Remix and win a prize pack consisting of a $500 Manny's & Store DJ Gift Voucher, subscription to Sound on Sound and a workshop for your class

Download the track on the competition website  and submit your remix by Monday 31st October 2022 11:59pm AEST.

University of Wollongong School Recommendation Program

University of Wollongong School Recommendation Program is a direct entry to the university.

Applications are now open and can be submitted until the 7th of October.

Courses offered at the Rozelle Campus are:

Bachelor of Nursing

Bachelor of Paramedicine

Click here to begin your application