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Dear Parents, Students and Friends
During this week’s Academic Care lesson, I had the privilege of speaking with Year 11 students about leadership. As they begin considering whether they would like to nominate for a formal leadership position as part of the Student Leadership Team (SLT) 2024/2025, we discussed qualities of an effective leader and how these qualities transfer into actions, reflecting integrity and vision.
SLT nominations and selection process timeline is as follows:
Term 2, Week 8 - Launch
Term 3, Week 1 - All written applications are due via google form submission
Week 2 - Applications shortlisted Weeks 3 and 4 - Interviews and speeches conducted
Week 5 - Year 12 and Staff online preferencing
Week 6 - Announcement of successful applicants
Week 8 - Commissioning Monday 9 September
Week 10 - Handover to new SLT.
Carroll College School Community Council
In 2023, the Archbishop of Canberra and Goulburn approved the establishment of School Community Councils as a contemporary way to facilitate parent, carer and community participation in the life of Catholic systemic schools and to support and advise the Principal in the ministry and strategic leadership of each school.
The Carroll College School Community Council (Council) in accordance with the authority entrusted to it by the Archbishop is to assist Carroll College to fulfil its mission in a manner that is consistent with the Code of Canon Law, Archdiocesan directives and guidelines and policies of the Catholic Education Commission and the Catholic Education Office.
The Council is governed by the terms of the School Community Council Charter.
School Community Councils are one of the ways that parents can become involved in the life of the School.
Members of the Council Executive contribute to the School through their interest, expertise, advice and commitment to the development of the School. While all Parents are automatically members of the broader Council, the Council Executive is the key body responsible for leading Council activities and providing advice and support to the Principal and school leadership team.
Under the terms of the Charter, schools are able to nominate the number of Council Executive members beyond the Principal, Parish Priest, Chair, Secretary and Treasurer. At Carroll College, the Council Executive is comprised of the following:
· Principal (ex-officio) – Jacqueline Heffernan
· Parish Priest/s (ex-officio) – Fr George Azhakath / Fr Luis Viovicente
· Chair – Jeni McCarthy
· Secretary – Elise Paull
· Treasurer – Dalys Whipp
· Deputy Chair – Russell Allen
· Community members of Council – Judy Toman, Maree Croese, Jennifer Hornby and Gary Bruce.
· Staff members – Andrew Kenneally, Louise Ibbett, Emma Mullins.
· Current Year 12 College Captains (appointed) – Macy Follett and Liam Walsh (in their absence, Vice Captains Alyssa Harajli and Michael Aitkin.
PLUS
· A representative of the Catholic Education Office (when requested by the Council Executive or the Director of the Catholic Education Canberra and Goulburn)
· Depending on local circumstances and with the authorisation of the Director of Catholic Education Canberra and Goulburn a representation larger than any of the above may be permitted.
Mobile Phones
Removing student mobile phones from the playground during AM and PM breaks this year has proven highly beneficial for student wellbeing. A greater level of social interaction is evident and a sense of calm offers students’ new opportunities to engage in lunchtime clubs, conversation, and active play in more meaningful ways. We have been gathering data on the number of times students have had their phones confiscated when using these outside of the Phone Zone. The results show positive gains in student behaviour as they begin to appreciate the benefits of this change. I commend all students on their maturity and level of compliance. Great work!
Enjoy a relaxing weekend. Please be mindful that Friday 5 July is a Pupil Free Day. Students’ last day for Term 2 is Thursday 4 July. We will publish one more college newsletter for the term in Week 10.
With respect and encouragement to you.
Jacqueline Heffernan
Principal
Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life’ (John 8:12)
The College Calander is very full at the moment with activities ranging from learning programs, sporting opportunities, as well as the Arts.
On Thursday 31 May, Year 10 students participated in their Pastoral Day. The day was supported by the whole pastoral team and staff from a variety of KLA's. Students participated in a group workshop focusing on positive mental health, which allowed students to explore the variety of supports and networks available to them
The students then broke into two groups with the male students completing workshops designed to develop their confidence and efficacy in managing their feelings and emotions as they develop into young men. The female students participated in a body image workshop where they watched the documentary "Embrace" and then discussed ways to maintain a healthy and positive body image.
In the afternoon the students then chose workshops with a variety of different focuses; Therapy Art, Yoga and Meditation, Physical Fitness, Affirmation Cards, Painting Kindness Rocks and journaling. It was a fantastic day and the Year 10 students are to be commended on their mature participation.
On 3 June, the College began our Reconciliation Week activities. Our Aboriginal students participated in the Gurubangamba-ga Mentoring and Transition day, as well as celebrating as a whole college with an assembly and Dhurja language lessons; delivered by Ms Trish Ellis.
As the weather is very cold at the moment, a reminder to all families that now is the time for our students to be wearing their winter uniform. If your child has grown since last winter, please feel free to reach out to the uniform shop to arrange cold-weather clothing.
As part of the college uniform policy, I would like to remind families that excessive jewellery, lash extensions, heavy make-up, acrylic nails and mullet haircuts are not allowed. Please encourage your child to adhere to these expectations.
Coming up in Week 10 on 4 July we will celebrate Chisholm Day with the whole college involved in activities.
It has been a pleasure to be working in the pastoral space while Mrs Louise Ibbett has been on LSL. Mrs Ibbett returns next Monday.
Mrs Linda Dwyer
Assistant Principal, Pastoral Care (Acting)
Dear Families,
We recently concluded our Subject Selection Evenings here at Carroll College, and it was a meaningful opportunity for students to chart their academic journey for the upcoming year. These evenings provided valuable insights into subjects available and allowed students to make informed decisions that align with both their interests and academic strengths.
Choosing subjects can sometimes feel like navigating a maze, but it is crucial for each student to select courses that resonate with their passions and capabilities. Whether you are drawn to the sciences, arts, languages, or humanities, there's a pathway waiting to be explored that suits your pattern of study.
We would like to extend our thanks to all the parents, staff and guardians who attended these evenings. Your support and guidance are invaluable in helping students make well-informed decisions about their academic futures. Your presence and involvement truly make a difference in their journey through education.
As we move forward, we encourage every student to reflect on their aspirations and strengths. If you have any further questions or need additional guidance regarding subject choices, please don't hesitate to reach out to our Career’s Advisor (Mrs Dalgleish) or myself. Finally, Students will receive their elective selections early term 3.
This week’s learning and teaching article focuses on helping students develop effective study skills (Top 10 Tips for Parents).
1. HOME STUDY ENVIRONMENT
· Ensure your child has a well-set up and organised space to work in.
· Consider if their chair and the lighting in their room need to be upgraded.
· Provide storage space and a noticeboard.
· You may like to have the internet-capable computer in the main part of the house,
· Students can collect their research onto a memory stick and then use this to work on assignments on a cheap notebook computer (not connected to the Internet) in their room.
2. ORGANISATION AND FILING
· Discuss with your child whether they use exercise books or folders and how well this is working for them. How do they manage loose sheets of paper?
· It is a great idea to set up a folder for each subject that stays at home – somewhere to file away past tests, assignments, and completed topics to keep everything together.
3. TIME MANAGEMENT SKILLS
· Clarify with your child that in secondary school students are expected to do a set amount of schoolwork each night (as opposed to just getting the homework done as quickly as possible).
· Juniors should be spending around 1 hour per night on schoolwork, seniors from 1.5 up to 3 hours per night.
· Students should work on homework first, then assignments or test preparation. After this students need to look for other things they can do to enhance their understanding of their subjects, such as making study notes, doing extra questions, and revising earlier topics.
· It is best to either have a timetable with slots allocated to schoolwork or else have students do a certain number of half-hour blocks each night.
4. MANAGING WORKLOAD
· Students should have a term planner visible in their room that shows due dates for tests and assignments.
· Check that students are using a diary as a planner by breaking down larger pieces of work and scheduling when they will do each step (this can be done in pencil so it can be changed as needed).
· Some students may need help in chunking down tasks and putting together a plan to complete each step.
· Check how students keep track of the work they have completed and check that uncompleted work is moved forward in the diary to the current day.
· If students are feeling overwhelmed, help them list everything they need to do and prioritise the tasks.
5. DEALING WITH DISTRACTIONS
· The best way to deal with distractions is to work in half-hour blocks with no distractions during this time. This means during the half-hour blocks allocated to schoolwork, no Facebook, TV etc – not for the whole night, just for those half-hour blocks.
· The general rule with music is that if students are doing easy work it is ok, but for anything that requires concentration, particularly if there is memorisation involved, students should either switch off the music or have baroque classical music playing softly.
· Many families have an internet-capable computer in the main living area where students can research and save information onto a zip drive, and small cheap notebooks not connected to the internet for students to use in their room.
6. IMPROVING CLASSROOM SKILLS
· Check with teachers at parent/teacher night who your student sits with in class and how well they work together. If it is not an effective partnership, request they be moved to a different seat for future lessons.
· Have students keep a list of questions they need to ask their teacher about and encourage them to ask about these in class or else make an appointment to see their teacher outside of lesson time.
7. SUMMARISING
· One of the biggest mistakes students make is leaving their study notes until just before their exams. One of the best habits students can get into is preparing their study notes throughout the year – at the end of each topic is a good time to do this. Whenever students don’t have much homework, they should be working on study notes.
· Another mistake is writing too much and not breaking the content down into short key points in their own words. Have a look at the sorts of notes your students make and see if you can provide suggestions for improvement.
· Suggest your child take any study notes they make to school and ask their teacher to have a quick look to check they are on track and see if there is any way they could improve the notes they are making.
· Students with handwriting issues may like to visit www.ringpen.com to find out about a pen that could be useful!
8. ACTIVE STUDYING
· When studying, students should be using a wide range of study techniques.
· One of the biggest mistakes students make is just to read their notes over and over and hope it sticks in their head instead of testing themselves on the content like they should be doing.
· In addition to retaining the content, students need to practise applying the skills of the subject, doing as many revision questions and past exam papers as possible.
· You may like to look at purchasing an additional textbook in a different brand so that students have more questions to use as revision.
· If students struggle in an exam situation, they need to do more practice under exam conditions (i.e. under time limits and not looking at any notes or answers as they do the practice exam).
9. LIFESTYLE AND BALANCE
· The best-achieving students are those with a healthy lifestyle and good balance in their lives.
· Think about the types of food your child eats, whether they drink enough water, if they exercise regularly and most importantly if they are getting enough sleep (the amount needed varies but the average is around 8 hours).
· It is also important that students have time to do the things they enjoy, spend time with family and friends and also have ‘down time’ just to relax.
10. PERSONAL BEST
· Rather than having students competing with others, stress the concept of ‘personal best’, the idea that while not everyone can be at the top of the class, everyone is able to work towards achieving the best results of which they are capable.
· A great read for all parents: 'How to Motivate Your Child for School and Beyond' by Andrew Martin.
Yours sincerely
Andrew Kenneally
Assistant Principal (Learning, Curriculum, and Innovation)
Last Sunday’s Gospel reading was about the parable of the mustard seed. This well known parable was explained by Father Loi, who spoke of the meaning of the parable, and the key concept of growth that it is connected to. In this parable, Jesus teaches that although the Kingdom of God started small, with Jesus and the disciples, it would grow and spread across the world to unlimited numbers of followers.
On Friday 28 June, twenty one students are participating in the Winter Sleepout. This initiative aims to raise much needed funds for the homeless in our area, but importantly, it develops empathy for those who do not have the privilege of a warm home and/or place to sleep. To date, we have raised almost $4000. I am so incredibly proud of the students and staff involved in this, and consider it to be ‘planting a seed’. Just as the mustard seed is small but grows into a large tree, small actions taken to help the homeless can lead to significant changes. Individual efforts, no matter how minor they seem, can contribute to a broader impact over time. Additionally, the parable of the mustard seed emphasises faith in the growth of God's kingdom from small beginnings. Similarly, raising awareness of the homeless requires faith and hope that initial efforts will grow into broader societal change. Believing in the potential for change encourages sustained efforts and resilience in advocacy, and I am confident each student supporting the Sleepout carries these qualities in abundance.
Thank you so much for all your support in this event. We hope to continue to grow this initiative each year, along with our donation targets! Any contributions are greatly appreciated and welcomed. Please, if you are able to, click on the link below to donate.
https://shoutforgood.com/fundraisers/svdpcg-sleepout-carrollcollege
Confirmation Retreat
Last Wednesday, students from the College Youth Ministry Group led the Confirmation Retreat Day in the College Hall. These Year 9 and 10 students led a range of activities that were connected to the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit. Year 6 students were able to participate in physical activities, craft, drama games and moments of reflection in order to prepare for the sacrament of Confirmation. Thank you as always to Belle Barling for facilitating this retreat, along with the partnership of the Religious Education Coordinators (Jennifer Smith and Jessica Afflick) at St Bernard’s and St Mary’s Primary schools.
Anna Smart
Religious Education Coordinator
Student Absences
As we approach the end of the term, I would like to remind parents about completing your child's absence reasons. Years 7 to 10 reports will be distributed at the end of Term 2 and explained absences ensures your child’s attendance records are accurate and reported correctly.
To complete your child's absence reports:
1. Log in to your Sentral Parent Portal.
2. Navigate to the Absences section.
3. Review your unexplained absences and provide a brief explanation for each.
Parents can review their child’s attendance records by selecting their child's profile and navigating to Attendance.
Year 10 Minimum Standards Tests
The HSC minimum standard is a way of supporting and ensuring students have a functional level of literacy and numeracy. To achieve a HSC, students must sit the HSC minimum standards online tests in reading, writing and numeracy. Each of the three tests is 45 minutes in duration.
Minimum Standard Reading Test
· 45 multiple-choice questions.
· Adaptive — meaning it tailors to a student's ability. Questions become harder or easier depending on whether a student is answering questions correctly or incorrectly.
Minimum Standard Numeracy Test
· 45 multiple-choice questions.
· Adaptive — meaning it tailors to a student's ability. Questions become harder or easier depending on whether a student is answering questions correctly or incorrectly.
· An on-screen calculator will be provided for some questions.
Minimum Standard Writing Test
· One question based on a visual or text prompt.
· Response of up to 500 words to be provided in the on-screen text box.
· Marked by trained markers according to the achievement level descriptions, relevance of writing to the topic, structure and sequence of ideas and control of language.
Sample tests can viewed on NESA following the link https://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/11-12/hsc/hsc-minimum-standard/online-tests
Year 10 students will complete the minimum standards test in Term 3, Week 3.
Monday 5 August – Reading
Tuesday 6 August – Writing
Wednesday 7 August - Numeracy
This week's reminders….
· Week 9 is Year 10 Work Experience week
· On Tuesday 25 June the Eurobodalla Kezie Apps League Tag competition is being held in Batemans Bay.
· The Year 11 Drama class is attending the Bay Theatre Player’s performance.
· We will be having a mufti day “Winter Woolies” on Friday 28 June. Students need to bring a gold coin donation to raise money for the Winter Sleepout.
· Year 11 and 12 students are taking part in Winter Sleepout.
· On Monday 1 July at AM break, Year 12 has a UOW Early Entry Information session in E2.
· The Variety Concert is being held on Wednesday 3 July from 6.00pm in the College Hall.
· We will celebrate Chisholm Day on Thursday 4 July. It is a mufti day “Footy Colours” and students are asked to bring a gold coin donation. There will be a sausage sizzle and staff v student games.
· Thursday 4 July is the last day of Term 2.
· Friday 5 July is a pupil-free day.
Sandra Harris
Administration Coordinator
Fee assistance is available for families in need of any financial support during the year. Should you require any assistance, please contact me via email finance.ccb@cg.catholic.edu.au
Rugby Union
Carroll College had another successful day at the Brumbies Rugby High School 7s gala day.
Our Under 16s team, although short on numbers, had an incredible day, winning all of their matches and being crowned tournament champions.
Our Under 14s squad were also undefeated all day, but unfortunately went down to a strong Eden High School team in the grand final.
All of our players were exceptional ambassadors for our school, playing with sportsmanship and pride throughout the tournament. These teams, along with our Opens squad have all qualified for the regional finals to be held in Canberra on 6 August.
On 5June our Open Rugby League Team travelled to Ulladulla to participate in the South Coast Regional Final of the NRL Country Cup. They earned qualification in this tournament by winning the Eurobodalla Country Cup in Term 1. Three teams were in the draw for the finals. Carroll College, Kiama High School and Edmund Rice College.
Carroll College played Kiama in their first game. It was a close first half with Kiama scoring twice and Carroll College scoring just before half time to take the score to 6-10. Back to back tries to Kiama near either side of half time allowed them to stretch their lead out and the final score was 6-26. They were an excellent opposition and the Carroll College team should be proud of their efforts. Kiama was the eventual winner on the day.
The second game was against Edmund Rice. Fatigue and some tactical errors allowed Edmund Rice to out an early three-try lead. The Carroll boys regrouped at half time and started well, retrieving the kick-off and scoring three tackles later. Edmund Rice were able to use their sizable forward pack to regain advantage and took the game 6-42.
It was a very good effort from our team. All players in the team were from Year 10 and 11, so will be able to return next year, a year older and wiser and really give the competition a shake.
On Wednesday three teams travelled to freezing Canberra to compete in the annual Canberra Goulburn Diocesan Football Championships.
We arrived at a temperature of minus 1, frost-covered fields and an altered draw! The sun was shining however and our Jnr boys team were the first to play. With Coach Kenneally unavailable to be there, Coach Szkwarek stepped up to guide the boys to a very close game going down 1-nil in the last few minutes to Lumen Christi College. Enthusiasm was still obvious and the boys kept their heads high and came away with a nil-all draw against a very competitive side from St Pats. In their last match of the day against Hennessy, the boys hit the ground running and didn’t stop, coming away with a 3-nil victory. A special thanks to Cameron Paull who was unable to play due to injury but made the trip to support his teammates and assistant Mr Szkwarek. Goals on the day were scored by Ashton Gill, Sam Harris and James Collins.
The Open Boys team were next to take the field against Hennessy. It was a shaky start with part of the field still covered in frost but the boys quickly warmed up and won the game 2-nil.
By their second game, the field was frost-free but very slippery and whilst the boys sometimes struggled to stay on their feet they played a very controlled game to win against Trinity 3-nil. Their third and final game against Lumen proved to be the hardest but the boys settled their game and came away with a 2-1 win.
Coach McAteer was impressed with the boys' determination and skill in his first game as coach. Goals were scored by Josh Smart x 2, Michael Aitken, Tyler Cooper x 3 and Max Colbourne. The Open boys were crowned champions for the second year in a row and will now travel to Young in late July to take on the winners of the Bathurst and Wagga Diocesan gala days.
Our third team saw our Jnr girls combine into one team due to player withdrawals and illness. The team played some great football under Coach Rudol and came away unbeaten in all four games with no goals scored against them.
In their first game against St Pat’s the girls dominated the field with lots of ball movement and came away with the 5-nil win. Their second and third games against Sacred Heart and Hennessy respectively, saw the girls slow the pace to come away with 1-nil wins. In their fourth and final game of the day, they came up against close rivals Trinity. The girls were able to score their one and only goal in the first half with Trinity trying their utmost best to even the score but our defensive line held tight and the girls came away with another 1-nil victory.
The girls were crowned Jnr Girl Champions for the day! Goals were scored by Charlotte Welsh x 5, Lily McLeod, Torah Blewitt and Allira Grieve.
All in all, it was a very successful day in very cold conditions.
Special thanks to all the parents for the early drop off and the later than expected pick up! Good luck to the Open Boys in Young!
Canberra Goulburn Diocesan Football Championships
On Wednesday three teams travelled to freezing Canberra to complete in the annual Canberra Goulburn Diocesan Football Championships.
We arrived to a temperature of minus 1, frost covered fields and an altered draw! The sun was shining however and our Jnr boys team were the first to play. With Coach Kenneally unavailable to be there, Coach Szkwarek stepped up to guide the boys to very close game going down 1 nil in the last few minutes to Lumen A. Enthusiasm was still obvious and the boys kept their heads high and came away with a nil all draw against a very competitive side from St Pats. In their last match of the day against Hennessy B the boys hit the ground running and didn’t stop coming away with a 3 nil victory. A special thanks to Cameron Paull who was unable to play due to injury but made the trip to support his teammates and assistant Mr Szkwarek. Goals on the day were scored by Ashton Gill, Sam Harris and James Collins.
The Open boys team were next to take the field against Hennessy. It was a shaky start with part of the field still covered in frost but the boys quickly warmed up and won the game 2 nil. By their second game, the field was frost free but very slippery and whilst the boys sometimes struggled to stay ok their feet they played a very controlled game to win against Trinity 3 nil. Their third and final game against Lumen proved to be the hardest but the boys settled their game and came away with a 2-1 win.
Coach McAteer was impressed with the boys determination and skill in his first game as coach. Goals were scored by Josh Smart x 2, Michael Aitken, Tyler Cooper x 3 and Max Colbourne. The Open boys were crowned champions for the second year in a row and will now travel to Young in late July to take on the winners of the Bathurst and Wagga Diocesan gala days.
Our third team saw our Jnr girls combine into one team due to player withdrawals and illness. The team played some great football under Coach Rudol and came away unbeaten in all four games with no goals scored against them.
In their first game against St Pat’s the girls dominated the field with lots of ball movement and came away with the 5 nil win. Their second and third games against Sacred Heart and Hennessy respectively saw the girls slow the pace to come away with 1 nil wins. In their fourth and final game of the day they came up against close rivals Trinity. The girls were able to score their one and only goal in the first half with Trinity trying their utmost best to even the score but our defensive line held tight and the girls came away with another 1 nil victory. The girls were crowned Jnr girl champions for the day! Goals were scored by Charlotte Welsh x 5, Lily McLeod, Torah Blewitt and Allira Grieve.
All in all, it was a very successful day in very cold conditions.
Special thanks to all the parents for the early drop off and the later than expected pick up! Good luck to the Open Boys in Young!
Carroll College Athletics Carnival
Age Champions
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Harper Lasscock 12 Year Girls |
Koby Pike 12 Year Boys |
Molly Ward 13 Year Girls |
George Stephan 13 Year Boys |
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|
Sahara Kaushal 14 Year Girls |
Jacob Borg 14 Year Boys |
Kaylee Lloyd 15 Year Girls |
Luke Drewsen 15 Year Boys |
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|
Charlotte Welsh 16 Year Girls |
Georg Gilbo 16 Year Boys |
Erin Drewsen 17+ Year Girls |
Luke Gallen 17+ Year Boys |
House results –
1st - Chisholm - 1294 points
2nd - Xavier - 1292 points
3rd - Mackillop - 1098 points
Congratulations to all the above-named students and also to the students who competed on the day. Students who came 1st or 2nd in any event are eligible to compete in the Archdiocesan Athletics Carnival which will be held on 27 August (Week 6) in Canberra. Please register ASAP via the www.csnsw.sport website and pay for the bus on Compass.
Mr Charlton Forgarty
Sports Coordinator
