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Dear Parents, Students and Friends
All in one week, we have celebrated the Year 12 Formal and the Year 10 ‘Spring Fling’ in absolute style! Firstly, congratulations to our Year 12 students on the completion of their thirteen years of schooling. A wonderful achievement that has them well placed for the future. On behalf of the College, I extend our warmest congratulations!
Year 10 did not disappoint in the fashion stakes!
An impressive display of flair and creativity featured as Year 10 stepped out on Tuesday evening for their special event. Beautiful photos captured both occasions at Moruya Golf Club. We are most grateful for the support of the Club in hosting our functions this year.
New Facilities in the Planning
We are in the process of making initial application for Capital Project funding. The vision for the proposed project is a dedicated and flexible TAS/Science/VET/Maker Space/STEM facility purpose built to enable effective integration, fluid movement and collaboration between faculties for students. STEM initiatives will be prioritised in an environment that allows space for student creativity and innovation. Staff can collaborate between classes and year levels for project work with a flexible learning space that is adaptable for future technological advances.
The project aims to increase student engagement and opportunities in the areas of STEM and applied sciences. Our goal is also to encourage greater uptake of girls into these areas for future employment and training and to address the skills shortage of trades and innovative technologies across the local area.
A new student toilet block is high on our agenda, with this being the first priority. Plans are underway with Architect, Russell McFarland.
We also hope to landscape the central courtyard area of the College to provide a more functional and aesthetically appealing space for students. Additional seating and more shade will be incorporated into the design. Exciting times ahead!
Staffing
As we move into Week 7 next week, staffing is almost finalised for the 2021 school year. We have a very strong team. Latest updates follow for your information.
Following a panel selection process, I am pleased to inform you that Corrinne Dell has gained the permanent position of Pastoral Coordinator. I congratulate Corrinne on her appointment and wish her every success in the role.
In other staffing news, I am very happy to confirm that:
- Amy Dalgleish will be continuing into next year teaching TAS and Religion.
- Erin Smith has been appointed in a full-time temporary teaching capacity for Term 1, 2021 teaching PE, HSIE and English.
- Izabela Rudol from De La Salle Catholic College, Caringbah has gained a temporary position teaching Science and Religion.
- Sean Mulally will be joining the Pastoral team as a second Pastoral Assistant for 2021.
Enjoy a restful weekend.
Yours sincerely
Jacqueline Heffernan
Principal
Assistant Principal Pastoral Care Report
Smart device addiction and cyber safety is an issue brought up many times in conversations between the Pastoral team when working with families and students. We are all concerned about the amount of time that students spend on their devices and families often seek help and advice on what they can do to limit the usage at home and the consequences of ‘device withdrawal’ that students experience as a result of putting limits in place.
The statistics about online behaviours are quite alarming and as a result technology companies are now putting in alerts in devices to let users know about how much time they are spending on their devices and when they should be taking a break.
Author Jean Twenge is one of many authors who have looked into the seriousness of teen usage of devices. In her book “iGen: Why Today’s Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy--and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood--and What That Means for the Rest of Us” she found that teenagers who spent more of their time playing sport, doing schoolwork and most importantly socialising with friends in real life had much better mental health.
Jean found that there is a large problem in teens spending more time looking at other people’s lives online, which are often highly manicured (and misleading), and this is thought to be what is so depressing about social media. "These increases in mental health issues among teens are very alarming,” Twenge said. “Teens are telling us they are struggling, and we need to take that very seriously." Her findings would back up a lot of the conversations that the Pastoral Team have with students daily.
Smartphones and social media can be useful to help us stay in contact with others but there is a danger when it replaces face-to-face interactions and becomes addictive. Smartphone addiction has been linked to:
- Increased loneliness and depression
- Fulled anxiety
- Increased stress
- Exacerbating attention deficit disorders
- Diminished ability to concentrate and think deep
- disturbed sleep; and
- Encouraging self-absorption
(sourced from https://www.helpguide.org/articles/addictions/smartphone-addiction.htm)
There are things that we all can do to help our young people balance their usage of devices. We can model responsible usage to show them that they can use devices and still have positive interactions with those around them. Some useful tips for modelling positive usage are:
- Only using devices in shared family areas.
- Charging devices in common areas and not the bedroom
- Leaving devices overnight in the kitchen or lounge and not the bedroom.
- Not watching TV or dinner with devices in reach.
- Having a ‘device free’ evening once per week.
The Pastoral Team are happy to work with parents to support at home to manage device usage. Some students hand in their devices to the Pastoral Office each day to help them manage their usage. Please contact the Pastoral Office if any additional support is needed so we can work together to support the students in our Carroll Community.
Nathan Mansfield
Assistant Principal - Pastoral Care
Each year the College is proud to support St Vincent de Paul’s Christmas Appeal. This year, due to Covid-19, St Vincent de Paul is asking to be supported financially, rather than through donated gifts.
Carroll College is therefore holding a “Joy of Christmas” gold-coin mufti-day on Monday 14 December. Students are asked to come in traditional Christmas colours or dressed in a Christmas costume. Naturally, families are welcome to donate more than a gold coin; the amount of money you may have ordinarily spent on a gift or donation would be a generous and much appreciated contribution.
Whilst St Vincent de Paul is a well-known name in Australia and beyond, many of us may not know why, or how, they perform these works of care and charity. As Catholics, we are guided by Catholic social teaching principles and are called to participate in works that promote the common good, the dignity of the human person and give preference to the poor. St Vincent de Paul are wholly dedicated to these principles of justice and equality and they are an example of faith in action in our local community as well as nationally and internationally. We hope that by participating in events in support of Vinnies, our students see their key values in action and understand that they too can play a part in improving the lives of others and they can participate in creating a more just and generous world.
I look forward to seeing the students and staff celebrate the “Joy of Christmas” and passing on our donation to Vinnies in Week 10.
Erica Drewsen
Religious Education Coordinator
About the St Vincent de Paul Society
The St Vincent de Paul Society in Australia has more than 60,000 members and volunteers, who work hard to assist people in need and combat social injustice across Australia. Internationally, the Society operates in 153 countries and has over 800,000 members.
Our Mission
The St Vincent de Paul Society is a lay Catholic organisation that aspires to live the gospel message by serving Christ in the poor with love, respect, justice, hope and joy, and by working to shape a more just and compassionate society.
Our Vision
The Society aspires to be recognised as a caring Catholic charity offering “a hand up” to people in need. We do this by respecting their dignity, sharing our hope, and encouraging them to take control of their own destiny.
Our Aspiration
An Australia transformed by compassion and built on justice. The Society advocates on several pressing social justice issues such as homelessness, poverty and asylum seekers. To read more about the Society’s work is these areas and others please visit the Our Impact section of this website.
Our Key Values
We have identified seven key values to which we are aligned and they include commitment, compassion, respect, integrity, empathy, advocacy and courage. We are proud of the key values for which we stand and invite you to find out more on the Get Involved section of this website.
Commitment – Loyalty in service to our mission, vision and values.
Compassion – Welcoming and serving all with understanding and without Judgement.
Respect – Service to all regardless of creed, ethnic or social background, health, gender or political opinions.
Integrity – promoting, maintaining and adhering to our mission, vision and values.
Empathy – Establishing relationships based on respect, trust, friendship and perception.
Advocacy – Working to transform the causes of poverty and challenging the causes of human injustice.
Courage – Encouraging spiritual growth, welcoming innovation and giving hope for the future.
Please keep the following family in your prayers, Skye Wildman (Yr 8) on the passing of her Grandfather.
Congratulations to Damia O'Loughlin (Yr 11) who is the recipient of the 2020 Reuben F. Scarf award for Year 11 Spanish Beginners. Damia was also featured in the NSW School of Languages Newsletter.
It has been a busy couple of weeks for the Hospitality department which has been fun! Firstly, we had a staff 'cook up' making Christmas cakes and Rum truffle ganache balls. The cakes turned out really well and after a couple of weeks feeding a nip of brandy each week to our cakes, they should be delicious. This year, we made a boiled fruit cake which was my Aunty Roma’s cake and always our preferred cake rather than mums. Mum's was great but we loved Aunty Roma’s. Let’s hope all the staff and their families will enjoy this year’s version of Christmas cake.
Our year 12s finally finished their exams and looked fabulous dressed up ready to celebrate the end of their schooling years. Emma and I will miss them terribly and we wish them all the very best for their future.
Year 11 students set off to Bendalong for a two-night camp during Week 5. This was in place of Senior Retreat which has been postponed to 2021 and Year 7/11 peer-support camp which unfortunately, under COVID rules, could not include Year 11 students. The camp came together in just over two weeks and proved to be a great time away together as a cohort for our senior students.
Thursday evening entertainment included Origin Game 2 on the big screen in the media room and some hilarious games of charades between staff and students. As students made their way to tents at about 10.30pm, the rain began. It then proceeded to rain and rain and rain for the next 30 plus hours with virtually no break. Did this dampen Year 11 spirits? Absolutely not! Some were flooded out and had to move tents but all showed great resilience and just got on with things with a smile.
Most of our planned activities had to be cancelled in the face of wind and rain, so instead we went bowling in Ulladulla. Students and staff alike laughed at each other's successes and failures on the alley.
One activity that the rain actually helped with was the beach “slip n slide” kindly organised by Meg Phillips. Students constructed a 50m slide down the beach with black builder’s polythene and then attacked it in style on body-boards. Despite the consistent rain, many also enjoyed a swim.
After a hearty meal to warm everyone up, a talent show and Mr Mulally’s silent disco proved most entertaining.
Friday dawned to sunshine at last! We enjoyed a beautiful beach walk followed by swimming and surfing. All too soon it was time to break camp and head home.
Well done to all the Year 11 students for rising to the challenge of a very wet camp and also big thanks to the staff team of Jon Brady, Sean Mulally, Hailee Nugent, Cassie Johnston, Deb Enfield, Nathan Mansfield and Jane Garland. A good time was had by all!
Tim Hodges
Wellbeing Coordinator
Term 4 fee statements were emailed on Monday 26th October with a due date of Friday 20th November. Thank you to families who have made payments. Any recent payments will be receipted shortly.
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.
2020
Given the challenges that 2020 has presented, there are many avenues for support. These are listed below to provide some assistance.
Bushfire Support
The National Bushfire Recovery Agency is able to provide assistance to individuals and families, businesses, not for profits, primary producers – everyone in our community. Their website address is: https://www.bushfirerecovery.gov.au/
Information for individuals and families:
https://www.bushfirerecovery.gov.au/
For support – relating to Bushfires, drought, flood and/or Covid-19 for individuals and families:
https://www.bushfirerecovery.gov.au/recovery-assistance/combined-individuals-and-families
For small business and not for profits support relating to Bushfires, drought, flood and/or Covid-19:
https://www.bushfirerecovery.gov.au/recovery-assistance/combined-small-business
For well-being and mental health support:
https://www.bushfirerecovery.gov.au/recovery-assistance/families-individuals/mental-health
Bushfire Specific Assistance
Type |
Website |
Closes |
Useful Contacts |
https://www.bushfirerecovery.gov.au/key-contacts
|
|
Recovery Support Officer |
https://www.bushfirerecovery.gov.au/find-recovery-support-officer or email |
Ongoing |
Property Cleanup |
https://www.service.nsw.gov.au/transaction/register-opt-nsw-bushfire-clean |
Ongoing |
Primary Producer |
https://www.bushfirerecovery.gov.au/recovery-assistance/small-business/primary-producer-factsheet |
Ongoing |
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/
Recent changes to Jobkeeper can be found at:
https://www.ato.gov.au/general/jobkeeper-payment/
Information on Jobseeker can be found at:
https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/individuals/services/centrelink/jobseeker-payment
Changes to Government Assistance:
https://ndh.org.au/debt-solutions/covid-19-changes-government-assistance/
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/deferrals.
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
ING Bank
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
Please choose the correct excursion for your child’s Year Group and also the correct child attending that event to avoid the consent note being completed in the wrong child’s name.
Qkr! is our preferred payment option. If you need assistance with using Qkr, please contact the Office.