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Celebrating 25 Years
Dear Parents, Students and Friends
Despite the unsettling year we are experiencing, 2020 marks 25 years since the opening of Carroll College in 1995. This is certainly reason to celebrate and give thanks for the incredible foresight of those who shared a vision of establishing a Catholic College on the South Coast.
Obviously, our celebratory plans are currently on hold but we have a new date for our Gala Evening. I will advise once tickets are available to purchase. This will be a formal evening at the College to pay tribute to those who have been part of our journey. This is an adult only function so I encourage families to consider gathering friends and family together to make up a table. Tables will seat 10. Claim the date!
A number of Year 11 students have been fitted for a senior blazer this week. Feedback from the students has been positive. A new order has been placed today as some sizes are sold out. The blazer certainly adds to the senior uniform and is appropriate for College life and representation.
Entrustment of Australia to Our Lady Help of Christians
Australian Bishops have entrusted Australia during the pandemic to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, under the title, Our Lady Help of Christians. Archbishop Christopher Prowse has asked that the Prayer of Entrustment be prayed throughout Australia on Sunday, 24 and Monday, 25 May 2020. Mary Help of Christians has been the official patroness of Australia since 1844. Her feast day is celebrated on May 24, which this year coincides with the Feast of the Ascension. The entrustment of Australia to Mary Help of Christians can therefore take place on 24 or 25 May.
Year 12 HSC Access Information
Our Year 12 students are priority at this time as we transition back to normal routine and continue to prepare them for their Higher School Certificate. Students have received a lot of information recently to support them with further education options. I draw your attention to the following links. In the first link below, I encourage parents to click on Read More under each category. Every Year 12 student is advised to apply for Schools Recommendation Schemes (SRS) if making application to university. Institutions use Schools Recommendation Schemes to make early uni offers to Year 12 students, using criteria other than, or in addition to, the ATAR. Educational Access Schemes (EAS) help students who have experienced long-term educational disadvantage gain admission to tertiary study.
https://www.uac.edu.au/future-applicants/scholarships-and-schemes
The second link allows students to make application to university through UAC. Students can access various portals from the drop down menu options.
A new College Careers Facebook page is being introduced on Monday, which will be an easy access point to the abovementioned links, along with details relevant to senior students.
I look forward to all students returning on Monday.
Enjoy a nice weekend.
Jacqueline Heffernan
Principal
Assistant Principal's Pastoral Care Report
The College is looking forward to welcoming back all students on Monday after such a long period of disruption. It is a test of our resilience when we must cope with changing schedules and dealing with unknown outcomes. We rely on past experiences and our ethics to guide our actions and decisions, however, this is hard when going through it for the first time.
The return to school full time will be a relief to some students and others will require some extra support. Below are ways to help cope with stress, anxiety and other coping mechanisms to aid the transition back to full-time schooling.
Give yourself a break.
Do not feel bad about setting aside time in your life to do things that you enjoy and that make you happy, whether or not they seem “productive”. You should feel good about taking breaks—it’s an essential part of taking care of yourself. All of us need time to rest and refuel.
What you should do on your breaks depends entirely on you. Some people find that quiet activities like reading a book or watching TV are the best way to relax. Others prefer more active breaks spent working on personal projects, exercising, or spending time outdoors. Only you can say which activities work best for letting you unwind.
Whatever activity you choose, it should be something distinctly different from your schoolwork or whatever else is causing your stress in the first place. Getting distracted from your stressors, even if it’s just for a little while, is a great thing.
Stay organised and create a good workspace.
Cleaning your room takes some time to keep things neat but can pay off later in terms of stress relief.
Keeping a clean workspace makes for a more pleasant working experience, and more importantly, it ensures that you’re able to access what you need quickly and easily—no more frantically digging through stacks of paper for the one document that you need. While it can’t prevent every stressful situation, and unexpected things do happen, it does help eliminate one particular source of stress.
You may not be able to create the perfect study bubble for yourself, but as much as you can, adjust your surroundings and your work habits to help yourself get things done more smoothly. Staying organised may not come easily to you, but you’ll be thankful for having done it when it makes your daily activities less stressful.
Try some stereotypical relaxation activities.
Lighting a candle, having a cup of tea, or taking a bath may seem like clichéd approaches to managing stress, but there’s a reason why these activities are so popular. First, they engage your senses, potentially providing a potent distraction from your worries. Second, they are just plain enjoyable, making them particularly pleasant ways to take a break.
The warmth of a long soak in the bath can physically help to ease muscle tension or soreness that you may have accumulated due to stress. Simply taking some time to lay down and rest, away from schoolwork and electronics and perhaps with a good book or some music, can be very relaxing and rejuvenating.
Check out meditative activities.
While some people feel that they get a lot from formal meditation practices, not everyone is interested in or enjoys pursuing that kind of practice. However, many activities have a meditative quality that can help to ease your mind.
Colouring has become particularly popular as a meditative stress-relief activity. Art supply stores and bookstores now stock plenty of colouring books oriented toward teens and adults, which are far more detailed and interesting than those you might have used as a child.
Many other activities can have a meditative quality. Some people find that spending time outside fills this need. Others find a sense of peace in everything from writing to gardening to religious observations. The range of possibilities is broad, and ultimately, only you can say what feels right for you.
Get outside and get moving
Getting outside, exercising, or participating in some other kind of physical activity can be a great distraction from stressful thoughts and tasks. Tiring yourself out physically can also help you to sleep better, and as we’ll discuss in greater detail below, quality sleep is a valuable thing.
For some people, exercise feels good on a physical level, whether from endorphins or from the satisfaction of meeting a tough physical challenge. Others may find that physical activity helps ease the tension and other physical symptoms that can occur when they’re stressed.
Develop better sleep habits.
Maintaining good sleep hygiene is hard. As a high school student, you do not have a lot of control over your schedule— school starts at a certain time, extracurricular and part-time jobs may dominate your after-school hours, and then there’s homework, a social life, and family obligations to juggle.
However, it’s well worth the effort to prioritise your sleep and maintain a consistent sleep schedule. A good night’s sleep provides your body and mind with a solid foundation from which to approach the next day’s tasks. As a teenager especially, you’re still growing and developing, and your body needs sleep to do this optimally.
Finally, your electronic habits may be affecting your sleep. It is a good idea to step away from your screens well before going to bed. This includes your phone, no matter how strong the habit of checking for new notifications. Turning off your phone at night can help; for extra effectiveness, hide it from yourself in a drawer or another room.
source: https://blog.collegevine.com/6-techniques-for-dealing-with-stress-in-high-school/
What if I feel overwhelmed by stress?
Remember the Pastoral Team, Counsellor and Homeroom teachers are here to offer support to families and students. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you need extra support or help. We are happy you are all back.
Nathan Mansfield
Assistant Principal - Pastoral Care
This coming Sunday, 24 May marks two important events in the Catholic Church. Firstly, it is the solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord. The Ascension of the Lord celebrates the day Christ ascended, in the presence of his Disciples into Heaven, forty days after the Resurrection, “as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight” (Acts 1:9). At first, the Ascension seems like a sad day for Jesus’ followers, as Christ in his human form was leaving the world. However, the contrary is true. The Gospel of Luke tells us that after the Ascension, the disciples returned to Jerusalem “with great joy”. This event so inspired the Apostles, that thereafter they began their witness with missionary zeal, preaching and proclaiming.
Secondly, this Sunday it will be exactly five years since Pope Francis, on 24 May, 2015 signed his landmark encyclical, “Laudato Si’: On the Care for Our Common Home”. This papal letter has been a point of reference not only for the Church and Christians but also for governments, politicians, world bodies including the United Nations as well as environmental groups worldwide.
Addressing his viewers and listeners during midday prayer on Sunday, May 17, Pope Francis announced the start of “Laudato Sì” Week across the world that will conclude on the anniversary day. During the same address Pope Francis said, “In these times of the pandemic, in which we are more aware of the importance of care for our common home,” he said, “I hope that all the common reflection and commitment may help to create and strengthen constructive attitudes for the care of creation.”
During the week, 16-24 May, Catholics worldwide are uniting in solidarity for a more just and sustainable future. “Laudato Sì” is a letter addressed to all of us, to “every person living on this planet", it teaches us that everything is connected. Similar to the Apostles after the Ascension of Jesus, this extraordinary moment in time, calls for us to unite, to reflect, to pray and to prepare for a better future.
Father Joshtrom Kureethadam, the Coordinator of the Sector on Ecology and Creation, states “… these crises can be an opportunity, a moment of grace to begin anew and build a world together, responding to the invitation of Pope Francis.” The Salesian priest asks us to reflect on what the “The Holy Father asks, “What kind of world do we want to leave those who come after us, to children who are now growing up?”
In this “Laudato Sì” week and as we head towards the Ascension of the Lord, perhaps it is the perfect time to stop and take stock of our own lives.
For more information
Fr Francis Carroll … Pray for Us
Live Jesus in our Hearts … Forever
Mrs Charlotte Nicoletti
Coordinator of Religious Education and Faith Formation
Please keep the following family in your prayers, Liv ( Year 10 ) and Pheonix (Year 7 ) Anderson on the passing of their Grandmother.
Thank God For The Difficult Child
As a teacher of our Year 7 students, let me say that I am enjoying the experience immensely. I will continue to write regular articles on mental health, adolescent literacy and gender education in the College newsletter. I do hope you find the discussions useful. The teenage years can be stressful for parents. Some time ago, I found this article and it provides some gems:
The difficult teen will do things their own way, in their own time, regardless of your wishes or schedule.
The good teen will do what you ask, when you ask, even though they may complain a little.
It's easy to love a good child.
The difficult teen will try your patience and understanding every day. They will challenge the depths of your love, the core of your soul numerous times throughout each day, until you wonder if you have any strength left.
The good teen will try your patience and understaning from time to time. They will challenge your ability to see just how many extracurricular activities you can cram into each day, until you wonder if you have any energy left.
It's easy to love a good child.
The difficult teen will skip school, even when you drop them off out front and watch them walk inside. No matter how hard a parent tries to help or force a child, the difficult teen may not graduate. The difficult teen won't be going on to HSC studies.
The good teen might consider skipping a class or two, but doesn't want to get caught. A parent doesn't have to make an effort to keep a good kid in school. The good teen ponders which college they should attend.
It's easy to love a good child.
The difficult teen is often withdrawn from family. They don't smile alot, they don't get real enthusiastic about much. A parent's heart breaks a little more every day.
The good teen is often tells family about things that happened during their day. They smile and laugh alot, and are enthusiastic about alot of things. A parent's heart soars a little more every day.
It's easy to love a good child.
So many people give up on the difficult teen. Write them off as being unworthy of their efforts. Distrust, because they don't understand. Give up because it's the easiest thing to do.
So many people cheer for the good teen. Try to help them in any way they can. Trust them, because it's not hard to do so. Encourage them to succeed because they seem to want to.
It's easy to love a good child.
It's easy to love the good teen. The parent's of them, thank God their life is going as planned. That they have good children to love. Sure, a parent loves their good teen unconditionally. But they haven't really had to put that to the test. They haven't had to test the limits of their understanding and forgiveness. Their souls and faith are intact because they haven't been shattered. Do they realise that the most important things in life are the little things? The path of the good teen may not be exactly what a parent would have chosen, but they know that everything will turn out all right.
I thank God that you have a good child.
It's not easy to love the difficult teen. But I thank God for them, for without the difficult teens, how can we possibly understand what unconditional love really is? How would we know just how deeply we can love, and how easily we can forgive? How would we otherwise test the endurance of our souls, the depths of our faith? How else would we realize just how strong we really are? How else would we know what is TRULY important in life.
I welcome your feedback and ideas for future articles.
Paul Cullen
paul.cullen@cg.catholic.edu.au
Term 2 fee statements have been emailed today with a due date of Friday 3 July 2020 (end of Term 2).
If you have been impacted by COVID-19, please contact Rhonda Forner, Business Manager by email at Rhonda.Forner@cg.catholic.edu.au to request a COVID-19 Fee Assistance Request Form.
If you require financial assistance due to any other hardship not related to COVID-19, please contact Rhonda Forner, Business Manager by email at Rhonda.Forner@cg.catholic.edu.au
All information is treated and maintained confidentially.
COVID 19 Financial Survival Guide
Please be aware that you are not alone and there are resources available to assist you and your family at this time. Listed below are some of those resources for information.
https://ndh.org.au/debt-problems/covid19/
Financial Institution Support during Covid19
Financial Institutions are also offering a range of assistance to account holders, homeowners and businesses. Please enquire with your financial institution to access financial support such as:
- Suspending payments on credit cards and personal loans
- Reduce interest rates on home loans/suspending or deferring home loan repayments/loan variations/reducing loan interest rates
- Loans and support for small business
- Loan extensions and other options.
Westpac
https://www.westpac.com.au/help/disaster-relief/coronavirus/?pid=iwc:sr:support_2003:covid:
NAB
https://www.nab.com.au/personal/customer-support/covid19-help?own_cid=MH20012
St George
ME Bank
https://www.mebank.com.au/support/coronavirus-information/
ANZ
https://www.anz.com.au/promo/covid-19/
Commonwealth Bank
https://www.commbank.com.au/latest/support-for-home-loan-customers.html?ei=pers_HL
Teachers Mutual Bank
https://www.tmbank.com.au/about/member-news/2020/coronavirus?icn=corona2020&icd=hpnews2
Scams during Coronavirus
Please be aware that there are some financial scams relating to Coronavirus. These may be in the form of text messages, emails or phone calls. The best approach is to not provide any of your financial information. If you suspect you have been contacted as part of a scam, you can report it to scamwatch – scamwatch.com.au/report-a-scam and the police.
For additional support, other services available include:
Beyond Blue
Life Line