Welcome to Term 4

Dear Parents, Students and Friends

Welcome to Term 4! I hope you have enjoyed a much-needed break after adjusting to remote learning again last term. Another truly extraordinary year has unfolded, and I commend all our students, parents and staff for the courageous way you have faced the challenges of 2021. The good news is that there’s some light on the horizon as stay at home orders are lifted and a new level of normality resumes. Again, this change in restrictions will present new demands on College life, but I am confident we will expertly meet these challenges together.

COVID-19 UPDATE

At this stage, the plan is for students to return to face-to-face learning with NSW Health approved COVID-safe settings on the following dates:

• From 18 October – Year 12
• From 25 October – Years 7, 8, 9, 10 & 11

ENROLMENTS FOR 2022

Enrolments are very strong for Year 7, 2022. If you have family or friends still considering enrolling their child at Carroll College, please encourage them to contact Mrs Nadine Cooper at
E: Nadine.cooper@cg.catholic.edu.au at their earliest convenience. A family interview will then follow with myself and a member of the pastoral team. It is always a pleasure to welcome new families to the College. Parents are always welcome to make an appointment to meet with myself even if a final decision on secondary schooling is not yet made.   

CELEBRATING YEAR 12…

Year 12 Visual Arts students have been very successful in completing their Body of Work artworks. Despite the impact of COVID lockdown, our students have achieved fantastic results. Year 12 should be very proud of their amazing artworks which show insightful and thoughtful ideas, and outstanding skills in painting, drawing and printmaking. Congratulations to Alana Enright, Amelia Berry, Emma Lassau, Madeleine Forner, Maeve Hatton, and Mrs Miriam Shilling as Year 12 Visual Arts teacher this year. Creativity at its best! A photo gallery of artworks can be found below. 

CARROLL COLLEGE STRATEGIC PLAN 2022-2024

Term 4 is the time we begin developing our Annual Improvement Plan for the new school year. Our 3-year Strategic Plan informs our College’s Annual Improvement Plan. This year sees the end of the current 3-year plan. Last Tuesday at our Staff Planning Day, we began by reviewing our Vision and Mission statements. We have come a long way since these documents were first developed – new culture, new staff, new times for Carroll… but to achieve this end result, it was important to honour the past and have a shared understanding for what we stand for as a Catholic school. Why do we do what we do at Carroll? The purpose of this input with staff last week was to workshop this question and explore some of the rich history of the College. The session was most enlightening. We are going to take this process slowly to ensure we develop a Vision and Mission statement reflective of what we truly value at Carroll.

Carroll College Vision & Mission reimagined

In 1989, Father Henry Byrne Parish Priest of Batemans Bay visited parishioners Noel and Maureen Cook and framed a crucial question, “What do you think of the possibility of a Catholic High School”? The idea was planted and from there the planning and establishment of Carroll College began.

Carroll College is named after Archbishop Francis Carroll. Now aged 91, he says, “Most schools are named after saints but this one is named after a sinner.”

During our session, we explored the charisms across our region that have impacted the culture of Carroll College as a Catholic learning community. You may ask, what does Charism mean?

Charism - The gifts of the Holy Spirit. The gifts from God that allow a person or group to live out the Gospel in relation to the world around them. 

The Sisters of St Joseph, Batemans Bay and the Sisters of The Good Samaritan, Moruya were instrumental in shaping Catholic education in our region. Their mission lives on today in our schools as we continue to be inspired by their efforts to sustain and nurture communities in the Catholic tradition.

STAFFING UPDATE
A new position has been created within the College and will be introduced next year. This is the position of Inclusive Education Coordinator. Following an interview process last week, I am very pleased to announce that Mr Wayne Foster is our new coordinator for Inclusive Education. On behalf of our community, I congratulate Mr Foster on his successful appointment to this significant role. The position of Science Coordinator has now been advertised.

A new position for the Archdiocese is being piloted in 2022 in the area of Careers/Pathways across two of our NSW Colleges. Ms Naomi Gill who is currently our VET/Careers Coordinator will be taking on this role, overseeing Pathways at Carroll College and Trinity Catholic College, Goulburn. Ms Gill will be working three days p/week solely on Careers/Pathways education at Carroll College and two days p/week at Trinity College in Goulburn. The position of Vocational Education and Training Coordinator (VET) is currently being advertised internally at Carroll College. I congratulate Ms Gill on this secondment and wish her every success in the role. We are blessed to have her level of passion and expertise at the College.

A number of our long-standing staff members have moved from temporary to permanent status. Congratulations to Mr Niall McPherson, Mrs Krys Wise and Mrs Catriona Colalillo.

Mrs Catherine Davis has retrained as a teacher and graduated earlier this year. Following an interview process last term, Mrs Davis will move from her permanent support role as Aboriginal Education Assistant to Aboriginal Contact Teacher, sharing the role with Mrs Michelle Katuke. This is a wonderful outcome for the College and I congratulate Mrs Davis on this achievement.

I am sad to inform you that Mr Rob Wales will be leaving us next year. For family reasons, Mr Wales is joining his wife at St Peter’s. I know this has been a very difficult decision for him and I wish him all the very best for this next chapter of his career. Our loss is certainly St Peter’s gain. I sincerely thank Mr Wales for his commitment to Carroll College and to the many students with which he has instilled a love of maths.

We welcome Dr Greg Czaban back this term. Dr Czaban will be teaching Extension 2 Mathematics and Investigating Science remotely with a small cohort of Year 12 students. ‘Teams’ has certainly enabled opportunities that didn’t exist previously. A win win solution!

Congratulations to Mr Daryl Hanson on moving to higher duties. A great deal of work has been undertaken throughout the College grounds during lockdown. The gardens are looking superb!

Mr Jeremy Harding has completed his Certificate IV in Education Support. Mr Harding will be continuing in the same capacity this term as part of our Learning Support team. Congratulations Mr Harding!

CATHOLIC SCHOOL PARENTS AUSTRALIA (CSPA) - PARENT ENGAGEMENT

As Term 4 commences, it is important to consider what effect the transition into a new school year may have on students and their families. CSPA has developed a toolkit, 'Gearing Up for Parent Engagement in Student Learning', to assist families and schools to help make the transition into Primary and Secondary school a great experience for children and young people. The toolkit includes a module on transitions, Nurturing Your Child Through Transition, for Primary and Secondary students. These modules provide practical and concrete advice to assist students and parents to navigate the anxiety that can sometimes happen with change.

WORLD TEACHERS’ DAY

To mark World Teachers' Day and the Bicentenary of Catholic Education in Australia, the National Catholic Education Commission (NCEC) will hold a virtual symposium on Wednesday, 27 October from 3.00pm to 4.15pm. The event will feature a keynote presentation from author, researcher and practitioner, Dr Lyn Sharratt followed by a panel discussion moderated by Australian broadcaster, Geraldine Doogue AO. The symposium is a free ticketed event for educators and leaders in Catholic schools, education offices and universities. Online registration for the symposium is essential.

​The staff and I look forward to welcoming back all students to face-to-face learning from Monday 25 October. We are delighted that Year 12 students will be back onsite every day from next week. I will be communicating with Year 12 students over the coming days with a few updates.

Best wishes as we come out of lockdown and adjust to a ‘new’ normal. Please know the College will be working closely with students and families to ensure the wellbeing of all. Catholic Education Canberra Goulburn has extended fee remissions into Term 4. Please refer to the finance section of this newsletter for specific details.

Warm regards

Jacqui Heffernan
Principal

 Hope opens new horizons making us capable of dreaming

what is not even imaginable. - Pope Francis