Tell Them From Me (TTFM) Online Survey - Results

Thank you to everyone who completed this important feedback tool. Our results were very positive and certainly improved on our results in 2021. Please see some of the results in the graphics below. These images also compare our school against TTFM Norms, which are based on the results from all students who participated in the TTFM survey at the year levels found at St Andrews.

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

From the Assistant Principal

Welcome back to Term 3. This term is very busy with assements, HSC Trial Examinations, Year 11 End of Course Examinations, End of Year 12 celebrations and leadership training. 

It is essential that all students are focused on their studies and look after their wellbeing. Being organize, getting sleep and keeping on top of all their work and home commitments is essential.

Please see teachers for support if you are concerned at any time.

Safety on the road.

Everyone is reminded about crossing busy roads. I have seen students crossing the road dangerously. Please use crossings and give yourself time to go the extra few steps safely rather than cross a road dangerously.

Three steps to better habits

It is very easy for us to develop bad habits and its difficult at times to break these habits. It is important to be able to identify the bad habits and make plans to change them into positive habits. The following is a 3 step way that you can change your habits.

1. Identify what is holding you back. What is causing the problem, e.g. procrastination, fear, laziness etc.
2. Law of replacement. Choose a habit you want to change and replace it with a new one.
3. Cancel, Cancel. Cancel out negative thoughts and replace it with a positive thought.

Once you start using a new behaviour you will find it easy to make this a new habit. Remember to stick with it at the start and it will become second nature.

What is in the Planner?

We have Kindness week coming up and thanks to the students that have worked to develop activities for this week. Kindness can make a huge difference in a person’s life. It helps grow relationships and can make others feel good about what they do for others.

Key Character Strengths to focus on are Humility. Use this to focus on feedback, empathy and forgiveness.

God Bless

Mr Nick Thrum
Assistant Principal - Students

Year 12 Trial Examinations 1 August to 16 August

This week brings with it the start of the HSC Trial examinations. This is the final school based assessment for our year 12 students and the final chance for them to change their ranks and overall assessment mark.

Student study patterns will have a great impact on student success and many students experience great gains in their ranks and marks through their hardwork and dedication to their preparation at this time of their schooling journey.

Students should ensure they are at school at least 15 minutes before the start of their examination. Any student who is running late or sick must ring the office and have a Doctor’s certificate for any examinations missed. 

Exams test the abilities, strength, and self-management of those who undertake them and students need to give themselves the best chance to be ready to meet this challenge. They need to ensure that their study time is balanced, that they ask their teachers about what is the best way to study for each subject and hand in their practice responses for feedback.

For Year 12, this is the final school-based assessment for the HSC. This is their chance to improve their final rank and final assessment mark. This should make them feel a little stressed, stress is good. It alerts us to something important that is happening and we need to be prepared to meet these challenges head on. A good study plan, the right food and enough sleep will greatly improve students chances of staying focused and ready during the examination period. Prue Salter has various study tips and planners on her site and Mrs Bradford in the library can also offer assistance to any student who is struggling with how to study.

Year 10 into Year 11 Subject Selection Interviews

These will take place on Tuesday the 2nd and Wednesday 3rd of August for all our students in Year 10. A reminder of your interview time will be sent out to parents via their personal email. These interviews are an important part of finalising subject choices for your child and will provide an opportunity to discuss any questions or concerns that you may have. We are looking forward to seeing you all again next week.

Ms Josilin Kalifa
Assistant Principal Teaching, Learning and Wellbeing

Welcome back Year 9, 

It is great to see everyone have a good start to the term. Each day in term 3 I want everyone to keep in mind our theme; LEADERSHIP. If you are having aspirations to have a student leadership role next year, School Captain, SRC, Peer Support. You need to continually show the characteristics of a leader: proactive, attentive, sociable, diligent, dedicated learner, creative, inspiring, confident, humble and supportive. You need to also showcase yourself in the SPIRE framework: Spiritual, Physical, Intellectual, Relational and Emotional. 

Everyone in year 9 can strive to be a student leader even if you do not hold the badge, each of you should aim to be a respectable role model for others at St Andrews. I am eager to see what this term brings from year 9. 

UNIFORM EXPECTATIONS (BAGS)

Students should not be bringing a non St Andrews school bag. All students must have the St Andrews Backpack or Duffle Bag. If you need to purchase a new bag, you can pay by card at the office or pay through your Qkr app. Backpack - $65, Duffle Bag - $45.

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
• Hair must be above the collar
• No nail polish or eyelash extensions. 

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 our year 9 students on winning the age champion award at the athletics Carnival:

• Zoe Thompson 
• Alexandra Marisigan
• Isaiah Bob

Congratulations to all student who received a Principal's Award:

• Lana Barrameda
• Lily Bayrich
• Makoi Malual
• Priscilla Kubik 
• Irish Raymundo 
• Luke Smith
• Youssef Tannous 
• Sylvia Unaeze

Congratulations to Youssef Tannous on his award for the Writing Competition 

Congratulations to our Learning Group Leaders for Semester 2

B5 - Lorraine Layug & Tanvi Kumar

B11 - Lily Bayrich & Isa Sarmed

C8 - Lana Barrameda & Youssef Tannous

C9 - Priyana Sahai & Avani Shrestha

F3 - Levi Goncalves & Aiyesha Susi

F5 - Angelina Khalil & Tewodros Worku

G10 - Maxine Gesilva & Tanisha Devi

G11 - Daniel Burchmore & Madelin La

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

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

I am very proud and happy to see year 9 students achieving these great things at our college. I hope everyone can continue to work hard and achieve the goals they set for themselves. Continue to achieve your personal best. 

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

Mr Kharl Carlos
Leader of Wellbeing - Year 9

I would like to welcome all of our Year 8 students back to Term 3. I hope that you all had a wonderful break and are ready for an exciting term ahead.

This term, our Wellbeing focus is positive emotions. We can use positive emotions in kindness to others, perseverance, connecting with others and feeling positive. Our Wellbeing lessons will have this focus and provide students with skills and strategies to use positive emotions within our everyday lives. 

Year 9 2023 Subject Selection

I would like to congratulate Year 8 on a successful Subject Selection Evening. This took place on Tuesday July 19th, 2022. This was a wonderful evening where students heard from Dr Kennaugh, Ms Kalifa and Ms May. Students also had the opportunity to talk and ask questions to the Leaders of Learning KLA and teachers who teach the elective subjects. 

I would like to thank Dr Kennaugh, the College staff, the Year 8 students and parents/carers for a wonderful and successful evening. 

I would like to remind Year 8, that the Subject Selection Note is due to be returned by Monday 2nd August, 2022. 

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.

We 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
• Hair must be above the collar
• No nail polish or eyelash extensions. 

We 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. 

Wishing everyone a successful term 3. I would like to encourage students to continue to work hard, try their best in every lesson and get involved in the many extra curricular activities that we have on offer here at St Andrews College. Remember you have many people at the College who are here to support you. Your teachers, Learning Advisors and I are here to support you and help you to reach your personal best.  

Ms Alicia Harwood 
Leader of Wellbeing Year 8  

Welcome back to another fantastic term at St Andrews! 

Year 7 have started another term here at St Andrews is great fashion. They have now settled in well and have acclimatised to high school life. 

Year 7 Reflection Day

Last Friday, Year 7 students got to experience their first St Andrews College Reflection Day. They  learnt many things and participated in many activities and got to celebrate as a group all of the wonderful things that makes our college the fantastic place that it is.

Students were involved in a series of different and interesting activities including learning the school song and its meaning, getting to work together in groups and appreciating the importance of team work and having a behinds the scenes tour of the St Andrews church with Father Kevin. 

The day concluded with Father Kevin leading us in mass and students reflecting on their time so far at the college and looking forward to what is to come. They have all written letters to their future self that they will receive when they undertake the Year 12 Reflection Day in 2027!

Debating:

The debating season is now into the finals and I wanted to congratulate all of the students that were involved from Year 7.  You have all done a wonderful job and should be very proud of the way you have represented the college this year!

A special congratulations to our Year 7A Debating Team (Aishriya, Nina and Georgia)  who won their quarter-final debate against Blacktown Patrician Brothers at last Friday night. 

They will have their semi-final is this today (Friday) and we look forward to hearing about their results. Good Luck!

Uniform:

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.

We 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
• Hair must be above the collar
• No nail polish or eyelash extensions. 

We 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. 

Jarryd Leaves 
Leader of Wellbeing - Year 7

Thursday Representative Sport

Our Season 2 representative sports continue this term (Soccer & girls Netball). Unfortunately Week 1 & 2 of this term dealt us another 2 washout rounds (Netball did get to play in Week 2), however we wish these teams all the very best for the remaining games of the season. Just a reminder that training after school is compulsory until 4pm for students in these teams and failing to attend training may jeopardise a student's place in the team.

Later this term, trials for Season 3 representative sports will take place for Cricket (pending student interest), Oztag and girls Basketball.

PDSSSC Oztag Gala Day

Congratulations to all students who were selected for the Oztag gala day. This event has been postponed due to the weather. The new date is Wednesday 7th September (Week 8).  All teams (including seniors) will need to arrive at the junior campus no later than 7am on this day.

Compulsory training for this event will resume from Week 5 on Wednesday 17th, 24th and 31st August from 2.45-4pm. Parents/guardians will need to provide consent via the compass event.

PDSSSC Netball Gala Day

Our junior, intermediate and senior girls recently competed at the PDSSSC Netball Gala Day at Jamison Park, Penrith.

From Mrs Xuerub, the junior girls coach;

The Junior Girls Netball Team did an amazing job in their heat winning 5 games out of 7 games. This is an outstanding performance as they lost to teams who play together competitively. 

The girls were impressive in the way they supported one another and the positive attitude they had during the game not only with their teammates but also their competitors. 

It's extremely important to mention our team manager, Banee who organised our team by ensuring the girls were where they were supposed to be at the correct time, scored for the team and held everyone's jumpers and jackets each game because it was such a wet day.

I am abundantly proud of them all

From Ms Goldie, the intermediate girls coach:

Congratulations to the girls for putting in a valiant effort in a tough draw. They never gave up and played any position asked of them, for the betterment of our team. It was a great day in wet and cold conditions.

From Mrs McKechnie, the senior girls coach:

With Trials held only 6 weeks prior to the Gala Day, a team of quality players were chosen.  They trained hard with several of the team taking leads at training and using their skills taking us through drills.  As Seniors, they faced the challenge of work, study and family balance but they managed it well.

Most girls in the squad play competition netball for several teams however on the day we came up against teams that play for their school each week, giving them that little bit of an advantage.  The Senior Squad worked together and were extremely competitive against these teams.

On the day, they did not give up.  They fought hard to move to the finals, at times in pouring rain,  but they made it through to the Semi Finals unfortunately they were defeated in this round.

I congratulate the girls on their efforts and was extremely proud to work with such a fine group of players.

Well done to the students below for your efforts on the day:

Thank you to Mrs Xuerub (junior coach), Mrs Goldie (intermediate coach) and Mrs McKechnie (senior coach) for your work and dedication training and preparing the teams for the event.

PDSSSC Dance Competition

93 students competed at the PDSSSC Dance Competition on Monday of Week 2. This was the largest group that we have EVER had. Students competed in the Jazz, Hip Hop, Contemporary, Junior Solo (Lily Bayrich & Raphaella Thimiopoulous- Wilson), Senior Solo (Tijana Sammut & Caitlyn Dela Cruz) and Cultural sections.

Though we did not place in any of the categories, it was a fabulous day, with students performing each of their routines so well and being so encouraging and supportive of one another.

Thank you so much to Mrs Weaver, who gave up countless recesses, lunches and after school time for rehearsals as well as coming in during the holidays. Thank you to Miss Bade and Mrs Parker for their work with the cultural groups. We are all very proud of your efforts and look forward to bigger and better Dance routines in 2023!

aSPIRE program

Mr McGill has begun a new program during Sport time called aSPIRE. This program focuses 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. This will be a highly rewarding, and somewhat demanding process, aimed at preparing your physical attributes and skill levels before you compete in Representative Sport, whilst also allowing us to develop a sense of community and culture through physical preparation. Students currently playing a representative sport who wish to trial for a Season 3 representative sport (Cricket, Oztag and girls Basketball) will be given the opportunity to join this program once their season concludes. 

PDSSSC Athletics

This carnival is coming up very soon on Tuesday 9th August. All students must have permission to attend via the Compass event. 

We wish our St Andrews Athletics team all the very best for this event and look forward to sharing our successes!

Congratulations to Bianca Infante (of year 11)

You would have read about Bianca’s many successes in Volleyball! To add to her already long list of achievements, Bianca was recently selected to represent NSW at the 2022 Australian Youth Volleyball National Championship (AYVC)!

Bianca was nominated by her coach as one of the top 10 athletes in her age group which is a fantastic achievement! With this announcement comes a new phase of camps and play days which Bianca and her team will use to build towards the peak moment of their season at AYVC in Bendigo, Victoria 24th – 29th September. Best of luck to you and your team, Bianca and congratulations once again!

Kayla Brogan
Leader of Learning Sport

SACART WEEK 2

Year 7 ‘Fruit Portraits’ & ‘Fruit Bowls’

Students were introduced to artist Giuseppe Archimboldo, this artist was well known for using objects such as fruits and vegetables to create his portraits. Students practised a range of oil pastel techniques as well as practised drawing selected fruits/vegetables of their own seasonal birth fruit/vegetables. Students then gathered all oil pastel and portrait skills in order to construct their own fruit/vegetable portrait inspired by Archimboldo’s work. They were then challenged with a task where they had to draw a fruit bowl following technical instructions of layering/oil building and mixing hues to create tonal variation and texture within their work. I am impressed by their results.

Zara Astillo	Misha Trinidad	Pwoj Majok	Rebecca Shaker
Angelina Chamoun	Emma Jaghori	Franzuel Azuruoleh	Layla Welsh
Ellie Sibir	Jacinta Estrada	Layla Welsh	Mikaela Hooper
Mikaela Hooper	Ruby Scicluna	Aarya Jani	Siana Sanchez

Year 8 ‘Surrealist Creatures’

Students continue to learn about the art movement Surrealism. Surrealism is a style of art which includes Bizarre assemblages of ordinary objects, dream-like scenes and in ways allows the unconscious mind to express itself. Students were asked to develop and explore a range of ideas to create a Surreal Fantasy Creature of their own using a surrealist technique called ‘Metamorphosis’. This process included brainstorming various animals, the practise of watercolour techniques, investigating their selected animals, morphing animals to create their own unique surreal creature, creating a creature profile and much more. Here are some examples of student’s works.

Althea Marasigan	Alexandra Iskander	Allistaire Reyes	Alyssa Sinbandhit
Catherina Purwadi	Clariz Dela Rosa	Angus Kershaw	Kyle Lo
Ondre Farag	Raysean Raj	Nikki Gasendo	Nikki Gasendo

Year 10 Ceramics 

Artists have been learning about the role of ceramics in Fine Dining experiences, specifically focusing on elements of the Structural Frame and Postmodern Appropriation as well as ceramic form and function. Students planned, researched,  designed and then proposed their concept/idea, receiving individual timely feedback before beginning their construction process (slab, pinch, coil). After the first firing, students were excited to begin their underglazing (painting) of their ceramic pieces, applying their design onto their ceramic constructions. Students have now glazed (gloss finish) their pieces and are waiting for the completion of their second fire. We cannot wait to showcase our ‘Fine Diner’ pieces later in the year. 

Mrs Shandel Kemal
Visual Arts Teacher

On Monday the 27th of June 2022, students and staff at the St Andrews College Senior Campus came together in support of the Cancer Council, feasting on delicious cupcakes, brownies, donuts and many more treats at the SAC Biggest Morning Tea fundraiser! 

The year 11 SRC hosted a Biggest Morning Tea bake sale that successfully raised funds and awareness for the work of the Cancer Council. The Cancer Council is a non-profit charity organisation that combats the fatal disease of cancer. Currently, there are 1 million Australians who currently have or have recovered from cancer and undergone a period where they had feelings of social isolation, broken social relationships, poor wellbeing, and not to mention the distraught of relatives and friends, all because of the horrendous disease. All the money raised in the bake sale funds world-class cancer research, providing support services to those affected, and promoting and providing resources for prevention. 

Our wonderful community at St Andrews cleared our tables until no crumb was left, helping us raise an astonishing amount for this worthy cause. We also received a generous amount of donations from many, and the sum of these donations with the Morning Tea funds brings us to a total of $1804! This incredible amount took us by surprise as we raised triple the amount of our initial fundraising goal of $600. 

Thanks to the tremendous efforts of our community, these funds helped provide:

1127 kids with a sunsmart education, promoting the prevention of skin cancer. This is equivalent to providing 27 calls to trained cancer professionals for those in need of support, or 15 days of a PhD student’s world-class cancer research to help treat cancer. 

The SRC along with the Cancer Council are incredibly grateful for all the effort and generosity placed in this fundraiser from everyone in our community. We are especially thankful for Mrs Welch, the College Business Manager, who helped coordinate the fundraiser along with the SRC. We deeply appreciate everyone’s support and hope that this success carries on for years to come!

2022 Year 11 SRC

On Thursday the 21st of July the College hosted its inaugural Careers Market. The Market was held in the St Andrews Parish Hall from 1.30pm until 4pm.

Year 10 students attended during their sport time and Year 11 and Year 12 students attended after school.

The purpose of the event was to give students an opportunity to gain information on career options and tertiary study.

The event was a great success, mainly due to the wonderful engagement by students with the exhibitors. Many exhibitors commented on the excellent questions and behaviour of the students.

The event would not have been as successful without the help from many staff who assisted me and to them I send a big thank you. I would also especially like to thank the six Year 10 students who helped me greet the exhibitors and assist them unload their vehicles with the many boxes of career resources. The students were: Kevin Ambasha,  Joshua Attard, Joel Longy, Jonathan Longy, Jeremiah Stone and Matthew Xerri.

Therese May
Careers Counsellor

What's cooking in Year 10 Food Technology?

Year 10 Food Technology Students are continuing their unit Food Service and Catering this term. Year 10 Students were challenged with making Chocolate Eclairs. This involved making the choux pastry and filling from scratch which can be quite challenging and needs a lot of patience and attention. 

What’s Cooking in Year 11 Hospitality

Year 11 Hospitality are continuing their unit Kitchen Skills this term. It is great to see Year 11 continue to develop and improve their cooking skills, techniques, and time management. This week students have made a Roasted Vegetable Salad. Keep up the great work Year 11.

Mrs Cassandra Carlos
Assistant Leader of Learning Technological and Applied Studies

Year 8 students have been learning textiles skills as part of their Technology Mandatory course. As part of the textiles unit, students are able to learn about a range of sewing techniques such as using sewing machines, fabric dyeing techniques, pattern construction and utilising diverse hand sewing stitches for both decorative and practical purposes. 

For this lesson, students were introduced to the sewing machines and had the opportunity to learn how to set them up, thread them and practice sewing. The class was challenged with having to sew straight but also needing to sew curves, zig zags and other difficult shapes. 

In future lessons, students will be learning hand sewing techniques and fabric dyeing techniques which will be used for their pyjama shorts project later in the term. 

8TASC are “dyeing” to continue learning new skills and techniques which are incredibly valuable for everyday use! 

Shanai Mifsud
Technologies Teacher

Over the course of 12 weeks, Year 10 iSTEM have been learning about CAD (Computer-Aided Design) and CAM (Computer-Aided Manufacturing) by developing a practical project through the use of various tools and software such as the laser cutter and Adobe Illustrator. 

iSTEM allows students to respond to a range of real life problems and gives them the opportunity to research and develop a solution whilst building a variety of skills in the manufacturing of prototypes. For this project, the class was given a design problem about the impact of heat stress on the city of Blacktown. Year 10 were required to develop a series of inquiry questions in order to guide their research on the topic and consider possible solutions to reduce the impact of heat stress on Blacktown. 

After weeks of research and planning, the class was able to build dioramas showcasing the improvements that they would implement in Blacktown in order to solve the given problem. Students were required to do this in groups and were given the challenge to effectively communicate and delegate throughout the duration of the  task. 

Year 10 iSTEM produced really creative ideas which they were able to present through these dioramas whilst working with a range of limitations such as needing to utilise mostly recyclable materials, needing to incorporate CAD and CAM within their designs and more. 

Well done Year 10 iSTEM! 

Shanai Mifsud
Technologies Teacher

Language and Literacy Improvement

A recent article published in The Conversation, authored by Sue Ollerhead of Macquarie University has highlighted the importance of making improved student literacy a whole-of-school priority. In the April article, titled “All teachers need to teach language and literacy, not just English teachers”, the learning and mastery of higher-order language and literacy skills is not seen as a generic skill, but rather, has subject-specific terminology and interpretation included as important factors contributing to students’ depth of understanding. 

The teaching of literacy is a whole-school priority, with each Department and subject taking responsibility for including literacy development as a key feature of the instructional program.

This issue is of particular interest at the moment as significant NSW curriculum reform is nearing its intended implementation target of 2024. Several NSW curriculum areas will have updated syllabus documents, which will include guidelines for the inclusion of specific literacy skills. We are well placed here at St Andrews for the adoption of the updated curriculum and the included literacy requirements, having Ms Linda Hicks working as a CRTENs CEDP representative, through which we are able to access the most up-to-date progress relating to the development of the emerging syllabus documents.

We are well advanced here at St Andrews with our whole-of-school literacy improvement guidelines operational across all Key Learning Areas, with all teachers actively making improved student literacy a priority for their own practice, regardless of which area of content is being investigated at any particular time. The College’s Professional Learning day reaffirmed the importance of continuing to apply the whole-of-school approach to improved language and literacy skills for all students and highlighted the excellent work being carried out by St Andrews teachers in making this a success at our school.

One way that parents and families can support their own children in developing higher-order literacy skills is to create regular, dedicated time for their child to read and write at home. It can be as little as 20 to 30 minutes per day that can make a major difference in the child’s overall language skill development, especially if that time is uninterrupted and not affected by the distractions of any digital devices, screens, music or social media. Establishing regular reading and writing time at home has a cumulative effect and adds enormously to the student’s ability to interact with the higher levels of language and learning.

If you are interested in hearing more about how to establish a positive reading and writing routine at home for your child or children, please email Mr Haras, pharas@parr.catholic.edu.au

Positive Learning Environments and Classroom Expectations

Maintaining positive learning environments involves caring for our physical spaces, including our classrooms. The College has the highest level of expectation in terms of how the physical learning environment is presented each and every lesson. Having learning spaces that are well presented assists students focus on what is most important when they are at school - their learning and the learning of those around them. The College teaching team takes great pride in ensuring every learning space is maintained at an inviting standard and will be reinforcing these expectations on our students throughout the remainder of 2022. In this way, all of our students will be able to engage in the learning process without any unnecessary distractions. All of our students are expected to assist in maintaining our learning spaces at the highest standard by following the College’s rules covering conduct in the classroom.

HSC Minimum Standards Tests and Academic Compensation

As part of our ongoing commitment to support all of the students here at St Andrews College, we have introduced an Academic Compensation program designed to assist those students who may require some additional time to successfully complete their learning needs. Every student in NSW is required to complete a series of three (3) HSC Minimum Standards tests in order to be eligible for the award of the HSC. If a student in Year 11 is yet to complete these tests they will be invited to attend an allocated Academic Compensation session in order for them to complete these tests.

Mr Paul Haras
Leader of Pedagogy and Practice 

• Tickets will be available to purchase for $10.00 on Monday of Week 4 via the QKR app. No tickets will be sold at the door. Wristbands to be collected from the office of either campus during week 6. ( This is your paid ticket which you must wear to and at CAN )

• Auditions for all students will be held on the senior campus after school on Tuesday of Week 5.
  No sign up, just turn up.

• CAN 2022 will be held on the junior campus oval on August 30th. ( Tuesday, Week 7 ) 

        Performances will start from 5.30pm.

• Professional outdoor stage and lighting, cameras, screens, special guests, staff acts, food trucks and fireworks to conclude.

University Open Days

Macquarie University 13 August Click here to register

The University of Notre Dame 27 August Click here to register

The University of Sydney 27 August Click here to register

University of NSW 3 September Click here to register

University of Technology Sydney 27 August Click here to register

University of Wollongong 6 August Click here to register

UOW Liverpool Campus 30 July

Western Sydney University 14 August Click here to register

The Hotel School - Industry Insights Day

Students are invited to experience The Hotel School - InterContinental Sydney through the eyes of a hospitality professional. Students will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the behind the scenes operations of one of Sydney’s luxury 5-star hotels. Participants will find out what it is like to work in this dynamic hospitality environment.

During this fully interactive experience students will meet professionals of key hotel departments and have an opportunity to understand their roles. This event is perfect for those wanting a better understanding of the complexities and depth of hospitality careers.

The Hotel School Industry Insights Day will be held at the InterContinental Sydney, 117 Macquarie Street Sydney on Saturday the 27th of August commencing at 9.30am and concluding at 2.30pm.

Interested students need to click here to register.

Academy of Interactive Entertainment Open Day

Students interested in a career in games, film, animation or visual effects are invited to attend the Academy of Interactive Entertainment (AIE) Open Day which will be held on Sunday the 14th of August. To reserve your place visit https://aie.edu.au/open 

The Open Day will be an opportunity to witness presentations from AIE industry-experienced teachers about their courses and career pathways. As well as an opportunity to play the games and watch the films created by students and explore the AIE Campus.

CEDP IT Traineeship Program 2023

The CEDP is seeking Year 12 students wishing to participate in the 2023 ICT Traineeship Program. This Traineeship program provides on-the-job training and qualifications in ICT (Information Communication Technology). It has been designed to support ICT activities in the workplace and achieve self-sufficiency as an advanced ICT user.

The traineeship provides a unique opportunity for students to attain a nationally accredited Certificate III and VI in Information Technology along with two years of industry experience.  

To learn more about this program, students must register their interest at, bit.ly/3eQPebK, to attend one of the Information Sessions. Parents are very welcome to attend the information session.

Date & time:

16th or 17th August 2022, 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm

Location:

Aengus Kavanagh Centre

59 Railway Street Mt Druitt

Endeavour Energy Apprentice Program

The Endeavour Energy apprentice program provides the highest quality development and specialised industry training, payment of all educational fees and expenses along with paid leave to attend TAFE. All tools and equipment are supplied.

Apprentices will enjoy a nine day working fortnight and opportunities to work flexibly whilst receiving a competitive salary and four weeks annual leave.

Successful candidates will also gain experience through job rotation in areas such as Transmission, Field Service Centres and System Operations.

Click here for more information about the program. Click here to apply for the 2023 apprenticeship program.

NSW Government Teacher Education Scholarships

Year 12 students who are considering studying a teacher education degree to become a secondary teacher or an inclusive/special education K-12 teacher may be eligible for the NSW Government Teacher Education Scholarship.

The Teacher Education Scholarship provides financial support of up to $7,500 per year whilst studying full-time and a permanent teaching position in a high-demand subject area following successful completion of studies, plus a $6,000 appointment allowance.

Interested students are encouraged to click here for more information about the scholarship and the online application form.