Year 6 STEM Enrichment – Rocketman

Year 6 students from St Bernard’s and St Mary’s Primary schools have been engaging in a STEM enrichment program this term at Carroll College. “Rocketman” Bottle Rocket project has been developed by the college to provide an insight into Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. 

The STEM enrichment initiative is a great way to demonstrate the different aspects of the STEM process leading to the development of an innovative solution to a aerodynamics problem. Students engaged in three lessons that focused on Design, Construct and Test.

Today was the culmination of three days (test day) of enrichment and as a result, the students were to successfully launch their rocket designs at Carroll College. Congratulations to all our students for their amazing rocket designs. This program will continue next term with a new group of students from both the primary schools.

Maximising Your Study Efficiency: The 80-20 Rule

Are you tired of spending countless hours on assignments only to realise that much of that time was wasted on unnecessary tasks? It's time to work smarter, not harder, and the key lies in understanding the 80-20 rule.

The 80-20 rule, also known as the Pareto Principle, suggests that 80% of results come from just 20% of efforts. How can you apply this principle to your studies? Let's break it down.

1. Choose the Right Goal: Before diving into any task, it's crucial to identify your goal. Ask yourself: What do I want to achieve with this assignment? Focus on the 20% of goals that will yield 80% of the desired results. For instance, if your goal is to write a persuasive essay, identify the key points or arguments that will make the most impact.
2. Choose the Right Task: Not all tasks are created equal. Some tasks contribute significantly more to your goals than others. Prioritise tasks based on their importance and relevance to your objectives. If research is consuming too much of your time, consider focusing on the essential sources and information that directly support your main arguments.
3. Choose the Right Action or Strategy: Once you've established your goals and tasks, it's time to determine the most effective actions or strategies to achieve them. Break down your tasks into actionable steps and concentrate on the 20% of actions that will generate 80% of your desired outcomes. For example, if you're studying for an exam, identify the key concepts or topics that are likely to appear and allocate more time to mastering them.

Remember, every task consists of three components: the destination (goal), the route (plan), and the action (steps). By focusing on the critical 20% of each component, you can optimise your study approach for maximum efficiency and results.

In your academic journey, prioritise activities that align with your goals and contribute the most to your success. By adopting the 80-20 mindset, you'll not only save time but also achieve better outcomes with less effort.

So, the next time you embark on a study session or tackle an assignment, think about the 80-20 method of working smarter, not harder. Identify the tasks and actions that truly matter, and focus on these.

Year 12 Reports

Year 12 Reports have been released this week for both parents and students. Can I please encourage students to reflect on their results and consider the feedback for each subject. Students are encouraged to reflect on their learning goals and take stock of their achievements this term. Congratulations on making it halfway through the final year.

Andrew Kenneally
Assistant Principal 

Assistant Principal’s Network meeting

Last Friday I attended the first Assistant Principal’s Network meeting for 2024 held in Canberra. Having the opportunity to meet with colleagues from schools across the Archdiocese and to hear presentations of highly relevant material is always important.

For this meeting the focus areas included;

• Spiritus opportunity - Sharing the highlights of participants' journey in 2023.
• Leadership updates and information from Dr Tony Bracken, Deputy Director.
• Microsoft in my school- a demonstration and showcase of how our top-tier Microsoft Education license can be used effectively to support and enhance teaching and learning.
• Child Safety and the role of the Child Safe Advocate in your schools.
• NESA Audits – NSW schools.
• Leadership development for Assistant Principals.

Week 10 College Assembly

During our assembly this week, the focus of my address was entitled ‘Child Safety at Carroll College’. The information shared focused on Carroll College as a school that embraces a strong commitment to child safety for all our students and the role everyone plays in this. Students were encouraged to think about what they would do if they ever felt unsafe and to clearly identify the staff they could reach out to for help. Student voice is a feature of our college and through the commissioning of the new Student Representative Council which occurred during this assembly, we now have year-level representatives that can help to voice the ideas, needs, and wants of the entire student body. Congratulations to these new SRC members.

Anzac Day 25^th April 2024

Carroll College proudly supports the commemoration events for Anzac Day held across the region, both Dawn services and Marches. Our staff, students, and families are encouraged to attend these local events. When attending students are encouraged to wear their college uniform and either stand together or march together as the Carroll College community.

Local Services

• Batemans Bay - Dawn Service 5.45am at the Honour Stone and the March 10.00 am from Orient St with the main service at 10.50 am
• Moruya -Dawn service 5.20am for 5.30 am start at the RSL Hall on Page St and the March meeting at 10.45 am at the carpark behind the Adelaide Hotel for an 11.00 am start. Dusk service to be held at 5.15pm at the bunker (at the RAAF near the Moruya Airport)
• Nelligen - Cenotaph at 11.00 am
• Tuross - Dawn Service 5.30am at Memorial Park. For the March meet at 10.45 am at the Birdwood Circle.
• Tomakin - March and Service 6.30 am from the Rivermouth Café
• Narooma - March 10.45 am from the Visitors Centre with the Service at 11.00 am at the Club Narooma

Uniform

As Term One is ending the holidays are a good time to start thinking about locating, lengthening, or buying the winter uniform. During Term Two, students will be required to change over to their winter uniform which will be needed as the days get cooler and shorter. We usually make this transition to winter uniform around Week 4 of Term 2. This date will be communicated well ahead of time. Students are reminded that hoodies and long-sleeved skivvies under shirts and dresses are not part of the College uniform. If an extra layer of warmth is needed, then students can wear the college jersey or jumper. For more warmth the black college jacket is available, as well as the more formal college blazer. Uniform items are available from the College uniform shop, Lowes, and Stitches at Batemans Bay.

To assist students and parents you can find our uniform expectations in the link below

This week the following topics were covered across the Year groups:

Year 7 - SWOT – unleashing your potential and goal setting for academic success

Year 8 - Wellio – Evaluating eating habits

Year 9- Wellio – Many forms of relationships

Year 10- Wellio – Vaping crackdown

Year 11- Wellio - Setting Goals that Drive 

Year 12 – Wellio - “Moving towards your ideal self” 

Eurobodalla Youth Week

Good luck to our students who are competing in the Currents Music Festival.  It would be great to get along and support them.

Congratulations to all our students on completing a successful Term 1. I wish everyone a restful holiday to recharge ready to return for Term 2.

Kind regards,

Mrs Louise Ibbett
Assistant Principal- Pastoral Care

Last week marked the end of the College’s Project Compassion fundraising appeal. Thank you so much for the many generous donations and contributions you have made. As a College, we managed to raise well over one thousand dollars for Caritas. This will go directly towards ending poverty, promoting justice, and upholding the dignity of thousands of individuals and communities across the world. Once we are aware of the full amount raised, we will post this on the College’s Facebook page.

On Holy Thursday, the school community was able to participate in an Easter Reflection, led by our Youth Ministry Group and Social Justice Captains. Students were invited to reflect on the Easter themes of despair and hope, love and hate, despair and betrayal, and endings and new beginnings through a contemporary TikTok style presentation. These Easter themes were explored through current affairs and popular culture. 

The issues raised included the conflict in Gaza, the Russian occupation of Ukraine, the rift and reconciliation between Taylor Swift and Katy Perry, and the ball tampering cricket scandal involving Steve Smith and his eventual comeback. The Youth Ministry Group thought it would be important to include relevant popular culture identities to make this reflection relevant to them. TikTok clips and images were then surrounded by “comments” which students read out from backstage. 

The comments acted as a dialogue discussing and debating these themes. They were then linked to Jesus’ teachings, and modelled hope, forgiveness, love and new beginnings. To bring it all together, a written reflection on each theme was read by one of our Social Justice Captains.

Thank you so much to Mrs Barling for creating this concept and to the Youth Ministry Group and the Social Justice Captains for bringing it to life.

I hope you all had a joyful Easter break. I particularly hope that you were able to find the time to relax with your family and friends, as those times are becoming so rare in our busy lives!

Anna Smart
Religious Education Coordinator (Acting)

Sentral App for Parents

Have you downloaded the Sentral for Parents App? The Sentral App provides a convenient gateway to the Sentral Parent Portal. It simplifies access to important information like student timetables, daily notices, and school reports. The newsfeed is a feature the College has recently started to use. Additionally, parents can now effortlessly submit absence notes directly to the school via the app. 

Download the app today!

Once you have downloaded the app, search for Carroll College and log in using your Sentral username and password.

We hope you find it an easy way to access your portal information.

Helpful links

Getting started with the Sentral for Parents App

Frequently asked questions

Are your details up-to-date?

Parents can now update their details in their Compass App. To ensure your information is up to date, open the Compass App and click on “Open in Browser” in the “more” section. Then, navigate to the settings toggle to find “Update My Details”. The College will be notified when changes are made to ensure our records are accurate.

Mother’s Day Breakfast

We will hold our annual Mother’s Day Breakfast on Thursday 11 May from 7.30 am to 8.30 am in the College Hub. Please see below the Mother’s Day Breakfast invitation. We hope you can join us for this special celebration.

Progressive Achievement Tests (PAT)

During Weeks 2 and 3 next term, all students in Years 7 to 10 will be involved in completing the online Progressive Achievement Tests (PAT).

Students will be completing the following two tests:

• PAT-R (Reading)
• PAT-M (Mathematics)

The PAT assessments provide objective, norm-referenced information to teachers about their students’ skills and understandings in a range of key areas. Each PAT has its own proficiency scale with descriptors outlining the content and skills students are consolidating at any given point on that scale. Each PAT assessment provides data on student performance, making PAT ideal for understanding students’ current strengths and weaknesses, informing teaching and learning, and monitoring progress over time. The tests are online, multiple-choice and each test will take approximately 40 minutes.

A copy of the test schedule is attached below and will be available in Sentral daily notices. We encourage all students to do their best during these tests as the data will be used by their class teachers throughout the year.

PAT Reading will take place in Week 2

Tuesday 7 May – Year 8

Wednesday 8 May – Year 10 and Year 7

Thursday 9 May – Year 9

PAT Maths will take place in Week 3

Monday 13 May – Year 7

Tuesday 14 May – Year 8

Wednesday 15 May – Year 10

Thursday 16 May – Year 9 

 

Weekly Reminders …

• Good luck to our netball teams competing in Canberra on Monday 8 April.
• The Year 7 Pastoral day will be held on Tuesday 9 April.
• On Wednesday 10 April, our College Surfing Championships take place.
• Year 11 students are attending the RYDA Young Drivers Awareness program on Thursday 11 April.
• Term 1 ends on Friday 12 April
• We will celebrate Xavier day on Friday 12 April.

 Term 2 Weekly Reminders …

• Term 2 resumes on Tuesday 30 April, timetabled Day 2.
• We will hold a College assembly on Thursday 2 May.
• The College Cross Country will be held on Friday 3 May.
• Years 7 - 10 students will complete their PAT Reading and PAT Maths tests in Week 2 and 3.
• On Wednesday 8 May the AFL Secondary Schools Cup will be held in Batemans Bay.
• Year 7 Hums classes will be involved in their Archaeological dig on 8 and 9 May.
• Our annual Mother’s Day breakfast will be held on Thursday 9 May from 7.30 am in the College Hub.
• On Friday 10 May we will celebrate Carroll Day.

Sandra Harris
Administration Coordinator

On 14  March, Year 7 Maths classes enjoyed the annual Pi day activities. In class, they measured diameters and circumferences to ‘discover’ the relationship Pi has to circle calculations.

Students recited as many digits of Pi as they could. The overall winner this year was Parker Whiteman with 53 correct digits. Runners-up were Lucy Jeffress, Darcy Fitzpatrick and Ella Scales. Students also enjoyed a pie snack.

Karen Ashby
Mathematics Coordinator (Acting)

NSW VET Trainer/Teacher of the Year – Illawarra and South Coast nominee.

We would like to recognise Amy and her recent nomination as the NSW VET Teacher of the Year.

Amy is an invaluable member of our RTO and an outstanding teacher, and has been nominated by our RTO, lead by Karen Ruppert.

Here is an excerpt from Amy’s application.  We wish Amy all the best and look forward to hearing about her experience.

Amy is an outstanding teacher who demonstrates passion for her subject area of hospitality, a thirst for knowledge and a strong commitment to her students. She is a committed lifelong learner with a range of qualifications that have supported her career development. Her latest qualification, Graduate Certificate of Education in Career Development is a testament to Amy’s dedication to her studies and to the commitment she makes to her students, to provide them with professional advice to make informed decisions. 

Amy possesses a deep understanding of the industry's demands and nuances. Her passion for culinary arts is unparalleled, evident in her commitment to excellence and innovation. She has worked in a variety of roles across the hospitality industry and has cooked in exclusive 1 and 2 hatted restaurants.

Amy had her own business, The Gundary Kitchen prior to moving into a teaching role. This has resulted in a vast network of industry contacts that Amy is able to draw upon. Amy continues to be part of the hospitality industry through her engagement with her network and employers are always eager to hire one of Amy’s students, as they are aware of the high standard of training and the range of experiences, they bring with them. 

Amy has a natural ability to inspire others and educate. It is this unique blend of expertise, creativity, and professionalism that Amy brings to any task she undertakes. While she may be quiet and shy, Amy's work speaks volumes. She is exceptionally efficient, often finding creative solutions to complex problems. As a result of her innate drive to build student's knowledge and skill with her own passion and experience, the rapport and respectful relationships forged with students come from a mutual desire to develop the whole student in preparation for life beyond school. 

Amy's approach to her work is understated yet impactful. She consistently delivers results beyond expectations, demonstrating a deep commitment to excellence. Her quiet demeanour belies a passion for her craft and a dedication to continuous improvement. She is an early adopter of technology and new techniques, both in the kitchen and in her teaching and she has led the implementation of our online learning and assessment software. She has provided feedback to our RTO team for the betterment of all students.