Dear Parents, Students and Friends 

A picture is worth a thousand words! Last week, Year 12 families celebrated in style at the Year 12 Graduation Dinner at Bay Pavilions. Families delighted in formally celebrating with their children (or rather, young adults as they are now), as they stepped out to enjoy a beautiful evening to mark the end of thirteen years of schooling. A momentous occasion! All photos have been uploaded to our Carroll College Facebook page. Congratulations to all Year 12 students and their families. A bright future awaits!

High Expectations in Practice was one area explored in depth throughout the training. Some of the insights gained can also be applied when parenting to raise expectations and extend your child’s thinking as they discuss matters of importance with you.
Let me give you an example.

High Expectations in Practice requires the design and delivery of the following elements:

Congratulations to Isaac Slockee who has been accepted to attend the Indigenous Australian Engineering Summer School (IAES) at the University of Sydney in the January School Holidays!

The Indigenous Australian Engineering School is an annual event established by Engineering Aid Australia. 25 students are accepted into the six-day live in school that gives students a taste of engineering as a university course and career. Well done, Isaac!

Year 7 Koori Program – “Walawaani of Our Life at Carroll College"
A new program for our Year 7 Aboriginal male students has commenced at Carroll College to support the wellbeing of our young men. Students actively engage and contribute to activities presented to them in a safe and cultural manner. Areas for discussion include anger management, respect, cyberbullying and where we are located on Country.

The program overview is as follows:

Week 1 - Tania Chalker – Healthy Choices (Anger Management and Resilience).
Week 2 - Koori Mentor – Craig Mashman, Acting Inspector of Fire And Rescue and his team from Batemans Bay.
Week 3 – Loretta Parsley/Catherine Davis - 8 Way Learning Pedagogy.
Week 4 – Loretta - Art Therapy (The story of Broulee).

Thank you to Loretta Parsley, Tania Chalker, Michelle Katuke, Catherine Davis and Trish Ellis for their support of the program.

Staffing Update

I am sad to inform you that Ms Naomi Gill is leaving us at the end of the year. For personal reasons, Ms Gill has accepted a position a St Francis Xavier College in Canberra. Ms Gill has been outstanding in her role as VET Coordinator/Careers (initial appointment), and this year as full Careers Coordinator working between Trinity Catholic College Goulburn and Carroll College. Ms Gill has brought a rich dimension to our Careers’ focus at Carroll and has worked passionately to bring about positive changes in the Careers space. We thank her sincerely for her efforts. I wish Ms Gill every success and happiness as she pursues her career in Canberra.

Following a panel selection process, I am pleased to announce that Ms Kerryn Hopkins has been successful in gaining the position of Careers Advisor for the college. Ms Hopkins will be outstanding in this role. Mrs Amy Dalgleish will also share this position with Ms Hopkins, having a high level of industry experience and expertise. Next year, Ms Hopkins will be working four days p/week, and Mrs Dalgleish will be the point of contact for students on the day Ms Hopkins isn’t working.

This is an excellent outcome as VET continues to grow and the profile of Careers is strengthened. I congratulate both Ms Hopkins and Mrs Dalgleish on their appointments and wish them well.

Pastoral Assistant (Acting)

Currently, Miss Lauren Herbert is replacing Mrs Danielle Ciuffetelli as Pastoral Assistant this term. Next year, Mrs Erin Smith will step into this role until Mrs Ciuffetelli returns from leave, as Miss Herbert moves onto her new position at St Anne’s in Temora. I thank both Miss Herbert and Mrs Smith for expressing an interest in this position. They are both highly committed to the care of our students.

Student Welfare Officer

Mrs Tania Chalker plans on taking leave for all of Term 1, 2023 to support her family. She has another grandchild on the way which is very special. I am certain she will cherish this time.

Mrs Marg Croese will be joining the Carroll team next term while Mrs Chalker is on leave. Mrs Croese will be well known to many of you. She is the former Religious Education Coordinator at St Mary’s Primary School, Moruya and has dedicated her life to Catholic education. Her care of students is supreme. We warmly welcome Marg Croese to this role.

Orientation Day for Year 7 Students 2023

A reminder that our next year’s Year 7 students will be visiting the college next week on Friday 25 November for their orientation day. This will be an exciting day as students familiarise themselves with their new school and make new friends. Families are still enrolling for 2023. Please be in touch if you would like enrolment details or know of a family wishing to make application to Carroll College. Families can email Nadine Cooper at
E: Nadine.cooper@cg.catholic.edu.au

NSW Term Dates

We have enjoyed somewhat of a diverse week with standardised testing occurring for Years 7-9 with PAT Reading and Maths assessments, leadership development for our Student Leadership Team (SLT), Formation Day for Year 10, Community Council meeting, and staff professional learning to highlight just some of the activities.

Today, Mrs Louise Ibbett and I are in Sydney at the 2022 Learning Environments Australasia Regional Day Out, Connecting People and Place. We are exploring the design of spaces that are contemporary and inclusive of all learners.

“Through the lens of inclusive education, we will explore historical challenges for our first nations people in obtaining a high-quality education in a supportive and supported learning environment. To do this we must engage in Kanyini – the principle of connectedness and responsibility that underpins aboriginal life. Through our expert panel, we will explore pedagogy that supports learning and is true to our history and heritage. We will unpack the Aboriginal pedagogy framework in a hands-on workshop led by students. Likewise, we will explore elements of design that incorporate indigenous thinking into design.

Further to our Theme: we will explore the culture of schools though our range of inspiring and diverse site visits. We will witness how contemporary learning spaces and pedagogy connect people and place. The recent phenomenon of remote learning and hybrid classrooms provide us with opportunities for growth while being mindful of the challenges: especially for peoples at the margins. Exploration of this is imperative as we move forward.

Across a single day, this event will offer deep insights into current and future best practice thinking about engagement of communities in educational design - direction and practice, with a focus on providing a sense of belonging. Without connection there is no learning”. 

We pray for residents in Central NSW as the flood crisis continues.

Enjoy a nice weekend.

Jacqueline Heffernan
Principal

In Week 2 of this term, I wrote about beginning the process of creating a common template for assessment tasks from Years 7-10 and Years 11-12. There have been a number of curriculum team meetings this term and our familiarity with using a new, uniform template is increasing and we have been refining the final product.

From 2023, when your child receives a major assessment task (a summative assessment task) they will be provided with a common template that outlines all the elements of the task. Let me explain what the students will receive: 

As well as this detailed Assessment Notification, students will receive Marking Guidelines which will be used by the teacher to assess how well a student met Marking Criteria. Marking Guidelines across all KLAs in Year 7-10 will look like this:   

NOTE: This Marking Guidelines table is not complete as descriptors of achievement have not been written – this is a work in progress. Please note that the Marking Criteria on the Guidelines is the exact same wording as above in the Notification. This is to achieve consistency between what the student is being asked to do, and then how they are being assessed.

I am sure all students and parents will appreciate a more uniform approach to the setting out and language used for assessment tasks across the College. Please look out for these new templates for assessment tasks next year.

Summative assessment is only one form of assessment.  Summative assessment is used to evaluate student learning at the end of a unit. Examples of summative assessments include a final, end of term or semester task or exam. This is one way of assessing leaning. Other ways that are just as, if not more, effective are formative assessments. Formative assessment is used to monitor student learning and provide ongoing feedback that can be used by teachers to improve their teaching and by students to improve their learning. These are small, in-class tasks that demonstrate to the teacher and the student how well they are attaining a concept, knowledge or a skill. Feedback on these tasks is often immediate and verbal and provide students with the information they require to improve. Many Curriculum areas at Carroll College, especially in Year 7, 8 and 9, are making more use of this effective form of assessment. For subjects using formative assessment, students will not be receiving the notifications as they appear above. These will only be provided for end point, summative assessment tasks. Feedback for formative tasks will appear in workbooks, on brief Marking Guidelines that cover one Marking Criteria and verbal feedback to students. In these cases, it is important for there to be clear communication between the student, parents and teachers regarding progress.

There is more work to do in the space of feedback regardless of whether the task is summative or formative. We are investigating ways of providing more effective, timely feedback to students. It is exciting to be always seeking out best practice and improved methods of student and parent feedback is very much in our immediate plans.

Erica Drewsen

Assistant Principal, Learning and Innovation 

Year 10 Formation Day

On Wednesday 16 November, Year 10 were able to finally attend their first Formation Day since Year 7! We were very lucky with the weather holding off for most of the day. Students were placed in small groups to discuss topics such as the qualities they see in others and in themselves, who are the people in their lives that provide them support and security and how they in turn provide love, care and support to others. They thought about who they are listening to in their lives as well as the need for silent reflection to hear the voice of God in their busy, noisy days.

The afternoon session was all about team building and working with others. Mrs Rudol planned a fantastic Amazing Race Around Broulee with a variety of fun challenges to conquer.  Congratulations to Mrs Smart’s small group who won the inaugural Amazing Race Around Broulee!

Thanks must go to Mrs Belle Barling for her exceptional work in preparing and facilitating the day. Thank you to the staff who attended. Days like this are not possible without your support and energy: Mrs Rita Cremerius, Mr Paul Graziani, Mr Paul Hamer, Miss Lauren Herbert, Mr Sean Mulally, Mrs Izabela Rudol and Mrs Anna Smart.  

St Vincent de Paul Christmas Appeal

The work from the Social Justice Captains, Heidi Manning, Claire Mass and Autumn Rankin continues with the girls running weekly events to raise awareness and money for the Vinnies Christmas Appeal. This Friday they are selling homemade goods in a bake sale.  Thank you to the members of the Senior Leadership Team for making these goodies for the community. Please continue to send in your donations of gifts or Christmas food. For those who wish to make a financial contribution, as of next week, a donation for the appeal will be available on Qkr! Please see below for donation ideas. Thank you to those who have supported the appeal so far.

Erica Drewsen

Religious Education Coordinator

Please keep the following families in your prayers, Emily King (Year 10) on the passing of her Grandmother and Lily Mahony (Year 7) on the passing of her Grandfather.

Remembrance Day

Every year on 11 November at 11am we pause to remember those men and women who have served and those who have died in all wars and peacekeeping operations. This year four of our Student Leadership Team represented the college at this important community event in Batemans Bay.  After reading the names of the fallen during the ceremony our leaders laid a wreath at the Honour Stone. Thank you to William, Ruby, Zac and Tara.

Student Leadership Team (SLT) training day

Our new Student Leadership Team participated in the LEAD Student Formation Day facilitated by the Catholic Student Youth Ministry Team from CE Canberra. During the session delivered by Nathan, Luke and Tommy students delved deeper into the concept of leadership, the role model of Jesus as a leader and their own leadership in a catholic setting.

The second part of the SLT training saw our leaders spend a planning day together at Moruya Race Club. Taking time to get to know each other through some challenging activities and conversations helped to bond the team. Valuable time was devoted to planning a range of activities and events for the college in 2023. It is hoped that these events benefit not only House and school spirit but the wider community. Thank you to our leaders for creating a wonderful sacred space and opening prayer. Thank you to Mr Mullaly for his organisation of the day and to Mrs Heffernan for joining the group to share her insights on leadership.

2022 Year 12 Graduation Dinner

Words like glamorous, elegant and sharp help to describe our Year 12 students when they attended the 2022 Graduation dinner held on Tuesday 8 November at the new Bay Pavilions in the Yuin Theatre. Our College was the first to hold a large event of this kind at this venue and the night was a wonderful success. Many people worked behind the scenes to bring this event to life and all efforts are greatly appreciated.

How to have a difficult conversation

Having conversations with our children can often be difficult. Our college Counsellor Naomi Bee has offered the information below as support to our parents.

At times, we all find ourselves in a position where we feel upset by something a friend has said or done, a family member may have very different views from us, and we might feel misunderstood, or realise that a relationship needs to end. It’s natural to want to avoid these conversations because they are difficult, and they bring up uncomfortable feelings for us and the people we care about. It’s normal to feel nervous and stressed at the thought of bringing things up in conversation, and it might even feel like it’s impossible to do.

The thing is, avoiding the problem usually doesn’t help and it can lead to feelings of resentment toward the other person and cause further damage to the relationship. It can also leave the other person feeling confused if they realise that you are avoiding them, and they don’t know what they have done to upset you. By tackling difficult issues right away by bringing them up in conversation, it can help the other person understand your point of view and can improve your relationships. Each time you practice a difficult conversation, you will get better at doing it. So, how do we have a difficult conversation? There are some things that you can do to make sure that the conversation goes as smoothly as possible:

1. Active listening 

Try to really listen to what the other person is saying, and to understand their point of view. You can ask them questions such as ‘tell me more about that’ or ‘how does that make you feel?’. Try not to start thinking of your response while the other person is talking, so that you can make sure to take in what they are saying.

2. Be clear about how you feel and what you want

Take some time before the conversation to plan what you want to say and what you want out of the conversation – an apology? Different behaviour in the future? State your feelings clearly, and use ‘I’ statements – this means avoiding saying things like ‘you always/never ___’ . Instead, try to use statements like ‘I feel upset when__’ or ‘I want___’.

3. Put yourself in their shoes

It can be easy to get caught up in how you feel, especially if you’ve been hurt or are feeling awkward about something. Before you jump to any conclusions, though, try to put yourself in the other person’s shoes and see the situation from their perspective.

4. It’s ok to take a break

If emotions are running high and the conversation isn’t going well, it’s ok to press pause and try again another time. Remember that you can only control your responses. The other person might not be ready to have a constructive conversation with you.

5. Agree to disagree

Not all conversations like this are going to have a happy ending. There will be some people, situations or behaviours that you just can’t talk through – and that’s ok. Agreeing to disagree doesn’t mean you agree with their perspective. You’re just protecting yourself by choosing which battles to fight.

6. Look after yourself

Having difficult conversations can bring up some feelings that are hard to sit with. It’s important that you take care of yourself as a priority. You don’t need to stay in a conversation that isn’t going well or if you are feeling too overwhelmed. Make sure you do some nice things for yourself before and after the conversation and reach out for support if you need it.

More information: https://au.reachout.com/ have some great resources for navigating relationships of all kinds and taking care of your well-being.

Kind regards

Louise Ibbett

Assistant Principal - Pastoral Care

Atomi

This term, Carroll College has been trailing a new online senior resource, ‘Atomi’. Atomi provides students with targeted learning videos and practice exams to assist them in their learning and preparing for assessment tasks. Atomi has thousands of ready-made syllabus specific lessons that are simple, fun and easy to watch. The interactive lessons focus on the practical and theoretical knowledge. Almost 50% of course time is dedicated to exploring how content is applied in assessments, what makes a great answer and how to turn knowledge into marks. Atomi helps increase flexibility by enabling both class-paced and self-paced learning. Students that missed a lesson or have fallen behind have the opportunity to get back on track and achieve their full potential through Atomi.

After using Atomi for 5 weeks, our students have:

• Viewed 7027 videos
• Answered 7471 questions

Well done to our students!

I encourage our senior students to log into Atomi and as they prepare for their first HSC assessment tasks. If any students have any feedback on the resource, please see Mrs Harris.

School Photos – Save the Date

School photos will be held on Tuesday 7 February. Photo envelopes will be distributed to each student during Homeroom early next year. Below is a copy of the envelope front page displaying the different packages available.

This week’s reminders…

• Year 9 Formation Day will be held on Tuesday 22 November.
• Year 9 and 10 Visual Arts and Design and Technology students will visit Sydney on Wednesday 23 and Thursday 24 November.
• On Wednesday 23 November, Year 8 students will be dressed in French colours, Red, White and Blue, for their French film festival.
• We welcome Year 7 2023 students to the College on Friday 25 November for their Orientation Day.
• Year 7 Formation Day will be held on Tuesday 29 November.
• Year 10 students will participate in Peer Support training on Thursday 1 December.
• On Friday 2 December, Year 10 students are taking part in the Tree Top Adventure excursion in Nowra.

Sandra Harris

Assistant Principal Learning and Improvement

It was a privilege as the Pastoral Leaders at Carroll College to attend the recent Positive Schools Conference held in Sydney. Over the two days we heard from several keynote speakers on a range of topics and issues pertaining to young people, parents, carers and educators.

Of note is the ever increasing risk of social media and its real and potential negative impacts on teenagers. Whilst we are aware of the many benefits associated with social media, in particular maintaining contact with our family and friends, there are also many pitfalls. Susan Mclean, a cyber safety expert spoke about the present issues she sees daily, negatively impacting young people. Susan’s talk highlighted that we know much less about what many teenagers are viewing and accessing online. Of greater concern is the increasing rate of young people, particularly young men being exploited. 

It was a clear reminder to us all, both as educators, parents, and carers that we must continue to monitor and be ever vigilant of how our young people are engaging online. 

Peer pressure, and who young people associate with was also discussed. Dr Michael Carr-Gregg, one of Australia's highest profile psychologists, spoke about the significant impact, and influence peer groups have on the decisions of young people. This was evident when he spoke in support of the rules in NSW surrounding the numbers of passengers allowed in the vehicles of P plate licence holders. Evidence indicates that the risk of car accidents increases significantly with an increase in passenger numbers. Adding to this, is that the minds of young people, given they are yet to fully grow and develop, are often pressured, and influenced to make irrational, and ill informed decisions. The consequences of such can be fatal. 

The overwhelming message from the conference is that the wellbeing of a community, where positive relationships are formed, and people feel supported, is linked directly to the wellbeing of the individuals within that community. As such, as parents, carers, and educators we must be ever mindful of our own wellbeing, both physical and mental, and its impact on the wellbeing of the young people in our care. 

With the knowledge and information provided at the Positive Schools Conference, the Pastoral Team and staff at Carroll College will continue to build an environment where positive relationships form and strengthen our thriving school community. We will continue to be engaged, informed, and inspired to provide the most up to date care to support our students.

Pastoral Leaders

Mrs Corrinne Dell    Mr Greg McAteer    Mrs Karen Lyttle 

It’s time to get your Christmas cakes and puddings done!

On Wednesday 9 November, Amy Dagleish and I got together with some of the Carroll College teaching staff to make our annual Christmas cakes.

We love seeing the finished products every year. This year we made my Aunty Roma’s cake, and the fruit was soaked in brandy. Every week they will be unwrapped, and a cap full of brandy will be poured over them to help them get ready for eating in late December. 

We wish everyone the best for the festive season.

Jane Garland

Term 4 fee statements were emailed on 19 October with a due date of Friday 4 November.  Thank you to families who are up to date with their account. All families are emailed a fee statement including those who make regular payments. This provides information on where your account and fees are up to at the dates indicated and provides the opportunity to check your account.

Any families who have submitted a recent Fee Concession Application, your application has been assessed and you should have been notified of the outcome. Anyone who is in need of fee assistance for 2022 and who has not submitted an Application for Fee Concession as yet should contact the finance office for the Application form or for assistance.

Families who have not submitted a Fee Concession Application or who’s Application was not successful are expected to pay their fees by the due dates unless alternate arrangements have been agreed to. Where families demonstrate an unwillingness to pay fees, the College will recover fees and this may involve referral to a debt collection agency. Additional costs incurred in the collection of fees are the responsibility of the debtor/parent/guardian.

Managing your Fees

The College recommends a regular payment approach to managing your school fees and to reduce the financial burden that delaying fee payments may cause. For example, a regular weekly or fortnightly payment through Direct Debit, BPay or Qkr! can assist in managing your school fees. The 2022 Fee Schedule is available on the Carroll College website – Enrolment/Fees. In this section of the website, there is also a Fee Calculator to assist families in determining fee payment amounts in managing their school fee payments. If you are unable to pay off your school fees in full by the end of the year, you will need to setup a Fee Agreement with the College. A fee agreement assists both the College and families in managing school fees. Please contact our finance team via finance.ccb@cg.catholic.edu.au to obtain Fee Agreement Form.

Fee Assistance – Concession Application

Currently enrolled families facing significant financial difficulty are able to apply for fee assistance. Fee assistance is income based and requires supporting documentation. You may be asked to meet to discuss aspects of your application and will be required to provide supporting documentation. Fee assistance can include:

• a payment plan (extends the payment period to 12 months and commits families to make ongoing payments to pay off school fees by the end of the school year)
• an extended payment plan (extends the payment period to greater than 12 months and commits families to make ongoing payments to pay off school fees over an approved, extended period of time)
• Fee Concession – partial reduction of fees and payment plan
• Fee Concession – full reduction of fees

Fee assistance is an annual application process based on your circumstances. In some situations, any reductions may be reviewed on a term by term basis, which would then require separate applications including supporting documentation at the start of each term. Where your circumstances improve during the school year, the College relies on families to get in touch, so that your fee assistance can be adjusted accordingly and the College is able to provide support to other families requiring assistance.

Government grants provide part of the funding required to operate the College. The balance of operating costs are funded through school fees. The ongoing operations of the College are dependent on parents paying the required level of fees. Every effort will be made by the College to recover fees from parents who are deemed to have the capacity to pay fees, or who ignore outstanding fees without payment or contact with the College.

Change in Circumstances – Request for Split Billing

Where there has been a change to your family circumstances and you require split billing, this creates a variation to your school fee obligations from initial enrolment. Please request the Split Billing Request Form which needs to be signed and dated by both parents/guardians to take effect. Separate forms can be provided to each parent. This form requires parents to indicate the percentage split for fees and acknowledges your obligations relating to fees, levies and charges incurred while your child is enrolled at the College. Please contact our finance team via finance.ccb@cg.catholic.edu.au to obtain a Split Billing Request Form.

All information is treated and maintained confidentially.

If you require fee assistance, please contact Chris Pymont, Business Manager by email at chris.pymont@cg.catholic.edu.au

Chris Pymont

Business Manager