Carroll College Broulee eNewsletter

Principal's Letter

A Prayer for Catholic Schools Week

God, thank you, for the blessing of Catholic Schools.
Help our school to grow in Faith, Hope and Love.
Jesus, thank you, for the blessing of all those who work in Catholic Schools.
Help our school staff to always be your face to those they encounter.
Holy Spirit, thank you for the blessing of the families, children and parents
who are part of Catholic Schools.
Help our school families, children and parents to grow in understanding of the world
and grant them the strength to make right choices
when the world challenges what is right. Amen.

Dear Families, Students and Friends

Welcome to Term 2!

I trust you enjoyed a lovely Easter break. I hope you found time to relax with family and friends. Term 2 is off to a great start with the students settling very quickly to their routines and school commitments.

This week marks Catholic Schools Week (CSW). This aligns with the commencement of our enrolment period. Our theme this year, ‘Engaging Faith, Minds and Community’, best describes the Catholic school experience. It illustrates our holistic approach to educating children to become adults who personify Catholic values and serve their communities. You would be aware of the various activities occurring across this week with our K-12 Pathway schools. CSW provides a wonderful opportunity for our primary and secondary students to work together to enhance learning experiences.

Our term began for College staff with two days of input from the Berry Street Childhood Institute, Melbourne. These days form part of the four day program being delivered over 2019/2020. All staff from the College, along with colleagues from St Mary’s, St Bernard’s, St Bede’s Braidwood, St Patrick’s Bega, St Francis Calwell, St Patrick’s Cooma, and Lumen Christi Pambula were involved. Together, there were approximately 150 educators engaged in learning about the Berry Street Education Model. Essentially, learning skills to support best classroom practice to enhance student learning

“Berry Street believes all children should have a good childhood. The Berry Street Childhood Institute contributes to this vision by collaboratively building & sharing knowledge, encouraging public dialogue and mobilising leadership”. https://www.childhoodinstitute.org.au/

Year 7 2020 Parent Information Evening

On Monday, we hosted an information evening for families wishing to enrol their children at the College in Year 7 for 2020. It was a very successful evening with strong attendance. The atmosphere was energetic, and Year 6 students and their families enjoyed the curriculum displays and interactive nature of activities. There was plenty of opportunity for families to meet staff and other families new to the College. A presentation followed the expo with performances from the College Concert Band, along with musicians entertaining our guests and showcasing the exceptional talent we have at the College.

I think as parents, we look for a few key elements when considering school selection. Obviously for Catholic families, a Catholic Education is extremely important, where Christian values are modelled and are integral to a school’s culture and tradition. Regardless of a family’s faith or religious beliefs, Carroll College is a Catholic school that welcomes everybody who wishes to contribute to our community. Outside our academic rigour, our real point of difference is our philosophy on inclusion, respect for difference, and celebration of diversity. We have a very strong Learning Support Team and our pastoral care is of the highest quality. Parents want to be certain that their children will be safe, feel secure, and will make an easy transition into a trusting learning community for their secondary education. We expect that students will be engaged to strive for excellence, and be supported to do so with confidence; well connected with their peers and teachers.

Enrolling Now!
This year our enrolment process has an online option. Families will be able to lodge enrolment forms online which will include the option to upload all supporting documents. Enrolment interviews will be held during May and June with myself. As soon as Enrolment Forms are lodged with the College, Mrs Nadine Cooper will be in contact with families to organise a convenient time to meet. If you have any questions at all regarding the enrolment process, please contact Nadine Cooper at the College on 44715 600. Also, if you know of family or friends who were unable to attend the Parent Information evening this week, please let them know that the enrolment period has commenced. Please encourage them to contact the College at their earliest convenience.

The Year 7 2020 Orientation Day is scheduled for Friday 29 November. Parents will be invited to join our Executive staff and our Senior Leadership Team for morning tea and tours of the College. These tours will include the opportunity to view our new classrooms which are due to be opened in Term 3 this year.

Staffing Appointment
I am pleased to announce that our recently advertised Senior Technology and Applied Studies (TAS) position has been filled. Mr Jason Szkwarek has been successful in gaining this role and will be joining the Carroll College team from the start of Term 4. Mr Szkwarek comes to us from Lavalla Catholic College Traralgon, Victoria. Mr Szkwarek currently holds the position of Product Design and Technology/VET Building Teacher/Victorian Certified of Applied Learning (VCAL) Learning Leader/Trades Skills Centre Manager.

Mr Szkwarek is a highly motivated and passionate educator with a proven ability to foster strong relationships with students and parents. He has extensive knowledge and experience in Inquiry-based, Project-based Learning and an understanding of UbD methodology, and Product Design and Technology Method. He has industry skills in Building and Construction, Cabinet and Furniture Making and Manufacturing, and advanced skills in Information Communications Technology.

I congratulate Mr Szkwarek on his appointment to Carroll College and look forward to his arrival in October.

Community Council Open Meeting – Claim the Date!
The Community Council will be holding an “open meeting” this term. This will take place on Wednesday 5 June 2019 at 5.30pm in the HUB. The time has been moved back by half an hour to allow working parents to attend. We will have a guest speaker presenting from Catholic Education on the subject of Parent Engagement. Performance and Improvement Leader, Mr Tim Smith from Catholic Education is a founding member of Catholic School Parents Australia and has presented at national conferences on Parent Engagement. More details will follow in the coming fortnight, outlining the agenda for this meeting. All parents are welcome to attend.

NAPLAN ONLINE ASSESSMENT
A reminder that next week, students in Years 7 and 9 will be undertaking NAPLAN Online testing between Tuesday 14 May and Thursday 16 May. Students do not need to be computer experts to take the NAPLAN test online. Making sure students have computer skills is part of our school curriculum, and our teachers will ensure your child is familiar with the online format. To see the types of questions and interactive features of NAPLAN Online, visit the public demonstration site.

For more information:

Mr McAteer returns to the College next week, after taking some additional leave following the holiday period. I’m sure he has enjoyed the break with his family. I take this opportunity to thank Mr Sean Mulally who has been MacKillop Pastoral Coordinator for the past two weeks in Mr McAteer’s absence.

Enjoy the weekend ahead. Happy Mother's Day!

Kind regards

Jacqui Heffernan
Principal