Welcome back to Term 3. 

I would like to thank the students for the positive way they have started the term.

There are a lot of demands in Term 3. It is essential that all students are focused on their studies and look after their wellbeing. Being organized, getting sleep and keeping on top of all their work and home commitments is essential.

Students are never alone. Please see your Leaders of Learning KLA, Leaders of Wellbeing and your 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 it's 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 them with positive thoughts.

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?

The key character strength to focus on this week is Honesty.  Honesty is essential in developing respectful relationships. 

Meaning and purpose

Use honesty to open your hearts to forgive others when they hurt or upset you. It is normal to have problems with others, but strength and honesty can help take the burden off your shoulders.

You can use honesty to have assertive conversations. Say what is concerning you, how it is making you feel and what you would like to happen. Be calm and strong and make sure your opinion is heard.

God Bless

Mr. Nicholas Thrum

Assistant Principal

Principal’s Awards 

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

House Cup Points Update

Just a reminder that the 2024 House Cup Competition closes the last day of Term 3. The current totals in the House Cup Competition are:

Bennelong: 65, 617

Chang: 56, 162

Frances: 53, 081

Gould: 57, 535

Mrs Sue Cooper

Leader of Wellbeing and Learning

scooper@parra.catholic.edu.au

Year 12 Trial Exams

Term 3 is an extremely busy one for Year 12, as it culminates at the end with Graduation and the Yr 12 Formal. Next week (Week 3 and 4) will see the start of the Trial HSC period. Year 12 students have been very busy revising for these exams and they also serve as the final assessment task for most subjects. Assessment timetables have been communicated with each student and these exams will serve as a great indicator of how each student is going in each of their subjects.

While students are only required to be at school for their exams, the Learning Centre will be available for any student who wishes to come to school and study. Students are encouraged to also seek last-minute help and clarifications from their teachers during this time. There will be a sign-on sheet in the front office for students to indicate that they are present.

We wish our Year 12 students all the very best in their Trial Exams.

Mr Andrew Houseman

Leader of Wellbeing - Year 12

Dear Parents, Guardians, and Students of Year 9,

Welcome back to Term 3! I hope you all had a restful and enjoyable break. As we start the second semester, I want to share some important information and messages to help guide our journey forward.

During Term 2, we had our parent-student-teacher conferences where we discussed your goals. Now is a great time to reflect on those goals and see how we can adjust them to achieve even more during the second semester. In the next few weeks I will be sharing these goals with you and your parents, to help open up conversations about learning at home.

To assist parents in starting these conversations, here is a simple framework:

• Ask your child about their goals: “Can you remind me what your goals were from last term?”
• Discuss progress: “What do you think has been going well? Where do you think there’s room for improvement?”
• Set new action steps: “What small steps can we take to help you improve further?”
• Offer support: “How can I support you in achieving these goals?”

By engaging in these discussions, we can help students stay focused and motivated throughout the semester. Staying motivated during the second semester is important as Year 9 is a crucial time for forming effective learning habits and contributing positively to our College community. There are two quotes I’d like you to keep in mind this semester:

• “The true test of a person's character is what they do when no one is watching.” Remember this as you work hard and put in extra effort, even when it seems like no one is noticing. This dedication will help you succeed.
• “Whether you think you can, or you think you can't – you're right.” Believing in yourself is crucial. If you think you can improve this semester, you will. Focus on the small things: ask questions in class, complete extra practice questions, seek feedback from your teachers, form study groups with your friends, and attend the Learning Centre each Tuesday and Wednesday. These small steps, often considered the 1 percenters, will boost your confidence and learning ability.

On a personal note, thank you to everyone who asked about my recent attempt to complete the 100 km Elephant Trail Race. This challenging mountain race, held annually in Port Macquarie, has been the focus of my consistent training for almost two years. My goal this year was to complete 100 km and return with a finishers medal. Despite training with an injury and having many valid reasons to reconsider, I’m pleased to share that I achieved my goal, placing 10th overall and 2nd in my age group. I hope this accomplishment inspires you to believe in yourselves and demonstrates that the messages I often share with you are more than just words; they are mindsets which are real and achievable, and they can lead to great success.

Thank you, parents, for your continued support, and thank you to our fantastic students for returning to school this term with such enthusiasm. Let’s make Term 3 a great one!

With warm regards,

Mr. Nathan Weaver
Acting Year 9 Leader of Wellbeing

Welcome back to another fantastic term at St Andrews! 

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

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 19A and 20A.

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.

The Love of Reading:

In our last Year Group Meeting, we touched upon a subject that I hold dear: the love of reading. Today, I want to delve deeper into why reading is not just a pastime but a lifelong skill that can profoundly impact our lives.

Reading is more than just decoding words on a page. It is a gateway to new worlds, diverse perspectives, and endless knowledge. When you immerse yourself in a book, you engage your imagination, improve your vocabulary, and enhance your understanding of complex ideas. These benefits are not confined to the classroom; they extend into every aspect of your life.

For students, reading builds critical thinking skills. It allows you to analyse texts, understand different viewpoints, and develop your own opinions. These skills are crucial for academic success across all subjects. Moreover, reading for pleasure can reduce stress, improve concentration, and boost overall mental well-being.

For parents, fostering a love of reading in your children is one of the greatest gifts you can give. Encourage them to explore different genres and authors. Share books and discuss them together. Your involvement and enthusiasm can significantly influence their attitude towards reading.

Reading is a lifelong skill that grows with you. It can provide comfort in difficult times, offer companionship when you feel alone, and continually expand your horizons. Whether it's fiction, non-fiction, poetry, or graphic novels, there is a book out there for everyone.

Let's cultivate a community of readers in Year 7. Together, we can unlock the limitless potential that a love of reading brings.

Jarryd Leaves 

Leader of Wellbeing - Year 7

Last Friday saw the semi final round of the CSDA debating season for 2024. Our 10B team achieved a well-deserved win against St Ursula’s College, and the girls should be incredibly proud of themselves. A special thank you to Ashriya Lal from the 9A team for stepping up in the absence of Ana Donjerkovic, the usual 10B second speaker. A big thank you also goes out to the Year 9 and 10 debaters who haven't made it through to this stage of the competition, but have continued to support our speakers throughout the semi and upcoming grand final. 

I’m proud to say that our College has a wonderful community around Debating and Public Speaking. It truly speaks volumes about the College and our community to see the debate room filled to the brim with St Andrews supporters listening intently during the debate, and in some cases, taking notes to provide additional feedback to the 10B team. 

The Grand Final will be held on Friday, 2nd August, at ACU Strathfield. The teams are excited to watch and participate in a debate at a real university, the birthplace of debating. We invite the entire St Andrews Community to join us in supporting the Year 10 team in their grand final against St Patrick's Strathfield.

Good luck to Year 10! Regardless of the result, we are incredibly proud of your achievement in reaching the Grand Final and of all our debaters for the wonderful season we've had this year!

Miss Mickaella Douglas

Leader of the Debating and Public Speaking

The GKR Karate International World Cup will take place next weekend at Sydney Olympic Park. St Andrews College has three members of our College competing in this prestigious tournament which spans three days of intensive competition.

In the Green Belt division, we have Matthew Lemura of year 7 competing in his first ever World Cup. Matthew has been studying karate for a few years but is quite new to the world of competition. He will compete in the 12 year boys division in both Kata and Kumite.

Year 8 student, Isabella Fernance will compete in the 12-14 year girls Brown Belt division. She will contest both the Kata and Kumite disciplines. Isabella has been studying Karate since she was 5 with a State Championship at age 8 spurring her on to excel in her sport. Although this is her first World Cup, Isabella is confident in her abilities, training three times a week to ensure she is fully prepared. Her strength lies in the Kata discipline so she is looking forward to great results there.

In the Black Belt division, staff member Sophie Britton will be competing in both individual and team (NSW Team) Kata and Kumite. In the last 12 months, Ms Britton has won gold in two regional tournaments, at the Australian Martial Arts Championships, and at Australian National Championships. She is one of Australia’s best chances for a medal.

St Andrews College wishes all three athletes the very best as they compete in the GKR Karate World Cup. We look forward to hearing about their efforts and will publish results in a future newsletter.

During the Holidays, Year 9 Design & Technology were tasked with a House Design Challenge.

To best prepare them for their upcoming Architectural Assessment Task based on Interior design, students learnt about the software SketchUp at the end of Term 2 where they were provided with mini in class design challenges where they created products. 

After learning the basic skills in sketchup, students were then provided with video tutorials to create a simple house. Their Holiday homework consisted of choosing one of the following challenges to complete in 1 hour:

Challenge 1: Create the house (demonstrated in the video tutorial) in sketchup but add some interesting features 

Challenge 2: Create your dream house based off skills learnt from the tutorials provided 

Challenge 3: Recreate your own house based off skills learnt from the tutorials provided. 

The end result? Amazing architectural designs from each challenge. Students exceeded the teacher’s (mine) expectations by most students completing either challenge 2 or 3. I can proudly say that Year 9 are well equipped with the tools and skills to exceed in their upcoming Assessment Task. 

Please take a moment to have a look at some of their amazing designs and applaud their skills and commitment to design. 

Keep an eye out in the next newsletter for their architectural progress!

Warm regards, 

Ms Valdivia (TAS Teacher)

In Year 8 Food Technology, students embarked on an exciting culinary challenge: to revamp a basic scone recipe originally composed of just self-raising flour, milk, plain flour, and butter. The objective was to enhance both nutritional value and flavour. Armed with research, students explored various ingredient modifications, considering options like fruits, natural sweeteners and savoury ingredients. On Thursday, they brought their selected ingredients to class, eager to transform the traditional scone into something uniquely their own. 

During the cooking practical lesson, creativity flourished as students integrated their chosen ingredients, resulting in a diverse array of nutritious and flavourful scones. Some added banana, strawberries, caramel, while others incorporated blueberries or dark chocolate for a sweet twist. This hands-on project not only enriched their culinary skills but also highlighted the importance of healthy eating and adding flavour. The revamped scones demonstrated students’ understanding of nutrition, making for a rewarding and delicious lesson. 

A thank you to all the parents of the class who supported the students in bringing ingredients from home to make such beautiful creations. It was a very engaging, creative and successful lesson. 

Have a look at some of their creations below!

Ms Valdivia (a very proud TAS Teacher)

Opal card data gathered by tapping on and tapping off is used to determine demand for bus services. If students don’t tap on and tap off every time, then bus services will appear underutilised. Without accurate data, the need for additional services to match demand will most likely be overlooked. 

It is a requirement of bus travel that your child has a valid Student Opal card and that they tap on and off each time they use the school bus or route bus service. This is outlined in the TfNSW Code of Conduct as follows: 

“It is a condition of the School Pass Terms and the Student Codes of Conduct when travelling that students in possession of the School Opal card must tap on and tap off every time when using public transport to travel to and from school. Per section 3.2 of the Opal Privacy Policy, Transport for NSW collects information from taps on and tap offs to support coordination, planning and policy development for transport, transport services and transport infrastructure.”

It’s been noted that students from our school using the bus service have not been tapping on or off.  In Term 4, there will be a strong focus on getting students back into good habits of tapping on and tapping off with their student Opal card.

We’re requesting your help to restore the tap on and tap off numbers to match the school bus travelling numbers to benefit the students, parents, school, and bus operator.

Thank you in advance. 

College Leadership Team

Leaders of Learning - Wellbeing

College Leaders of Learning - KLA

College Leaders of Learning