INSPIRING STUDENTS TO EXCEL IN LIFE  

BEYOND SCHOOL

Dear Parents, Students and Friends

Each week across our Archdiocese, Principals meet in small groups via Teams for a professional conversation in what is known as PLT meetings. PLT stands for Principal Leadership Teams. A different provocation is presented each session to stimulate discussion and depth knowledge and understandings around issues relating to leadership and development. This week focused on School Culture. The provocation for this week’s meeting is outlined below.

School Culture

School culture is the way things are done in the school (the personality of a school), the underlying norms and values that shape patterns of behaviour, attitudes and expectations between stakeholders in the school.

How would you describe your school’s culture? What are you doing about it?

Is your staff a cohesive group?

Do you welcome questions, creativity, originality, and new ideas from your staff?

Would staff, parents and students know the values that are important to the school?

Is your community aware of acceptable behaviours and expectations in your school?

How could you continue to develop the culture of the school in the future?

I find school culture fascinating. In fact, it is what motivates me daily in my work as I lead and support colleagues and students. I can confidently answer the questions posed above as every aspect of our college culture engages the way we think, act, and interact as a Catholic community. As I reflect on the courage of our first responders last week; the way the entire staff supported one another, and the mature student response, I feel immensely proud to be part of Carroll College where our values are lived every day. We continue to keep the Haynes family in our prayers.

NAPLAN Proficiency Standards

Changes in NAPLAN reporting are being introduced this year. From 2023, proficiency standards replace the previous numerical NAPLAN reporting bands and national minimum standards. Education ministers agreed 2023 was the right time to introduce this change alongside moving NAPLAN to March.

Proficiency standards provide simple and clear information on student achievement. They are set at a challenging but reasonable level expected for the child at the time of NAPLAN testing, based mainly on what has been taught in previous years of schooling. Please refer to the ACARA parent information overview that follows. (ACARA, 2023)

Educonsulting – Graham Wright
Mr Graham Wright visited the college last week to meet with Years 10-12 students, college executives, and curriculum leaders to discuss all aspects of the Higher School Certificate. His input was excellent. Have you ever wondered how the ATAR is calculated in NSW? What subjects your child should be selecting? What scaling is all about? How universities work? Graham unpacked the myths and highlighted the facts! I’m sure our students benefitted greatly from his messaging.

One very important takeaway was that the more our Year 12 students work together in supporting each other to learn, the greater the outcome for all their cohort within a given subject. They are not in competition with each other. It is our college as a whole that is competing for great results against other schools.

We are hoping to engage Graham for a parent information session via Teams early next term. This session would be ideal for parents of Years 10-12 students. More information will follow in the coming weeks.

Year 11, 2024 Subject Selection
Parent and Student Information Evening
The Subject Selection Information Evening for Year 11 students 2024 will be held next Monday evening, 19 June at 6.00pm in the Carroll College Hall. Attendance at this evening is compulsory as it will be the best opportunity for you and your child to hear about the specific requirements for Stage Six (Years 11 and 12) and the Higher School Certificate (HSC).

The night will consist of a presentation by members of the college leadership team on the process for selecting subjects and demands of Stage Six study, followed by time for you to meet with Key Learning Area Coordinators in their workspaces who will present an overview of faculty-specific subjects/electives for consideration. Time will be provided for families to ask questions about particular areas of study and what these involve. This is important information to ensure your child is selecting subjects suitable to their interests and future aspirations. Getting this selection process correct goes a long way toward your child’s engagement at school and application to their studies.

We are purposely hosting this Parent/Student Information session as a stand-alone evening to provide a focused look at curriculum offerings in Stage 6. Often parents are not adequately equipped with the level of detail of subject requirements and expectations of learners moving into Stage 6. We hope this will provide the time and depth of information that will help our students make informed decisions about their senior studies moving forward. I look forward to welcoming families on Monday evening.

Annual Improvement Plan
Our ongoing focus on the improvement of Teaching and Learning practices across curriculum areas is producing great gains. The following three goals are being met and are evidenced through improved achievement and student engagement.

Goal 1: Improve student achievement in Literacy through the implementation of explicit teaching using evidence-based practices.

Goal 2: Promote Teacher Efficacy using High Impact Teaching Practices.

Goal 3: Increase Student Engagement in and Parent Education of Religious Education.

We pray for all those in our community needing our prayers at this time.

Jacqueline Heffernan
Principal

Year 6 Confirmation Retreat

On Friday 9 June the Year 10 Youth Ministry class, led by their teacher Ms Elle Boller, facilitated the Year 6 Confirmation Retreat at the College. Year 6 students from St Bernard’s, St Mary’s and St Peter’s were taken through an engaging program that explored the gifts of the Holy Spirit, who are the best role models, finding inspiration from scripture, praying with scripture and painting large Confirmation banners that will be used in the churches to celebrate this important sacrament. Fr Anthony joined the children to talk about Confirmation. The Year 6 students were responsible for prayer, playing games, running all the sessions and keeping students involved in all the activities. They did a wonderful job and were a testament to the College and the RE Department in particular. 

In reflection of the day, Ms Boller asked the students three questions: What was your contribution to the day? What was the purpose of the day? What do you think the Year 6 students took away from the day? Below are three replies to these questions. As you can see from the students’ responses, these days are an excellent example of the value of peer ministry for all involved and they provide our students with a wonderful opportunity to develop their leadership skills. 

What was your contribution to the day?

Will - Card Making. I talked to the kids about their school and Confirmation, and how they were going while they made cards for their friends making their Confirmation. I got to interact and reflect more on primary school life and how things have changed.

Ryley - Banner Making. (This involved helping the students to paint large banners that will go in the church).

Reis - My contributions included reading sections of the selected prayer, helping with generating ideas, maintaining a respectful and fair workshop environment with positive social interactions and the even distribution of resources, and finally, ensuring that the Year Six kids had an enjoyable and creative experience.

What was the purpose of the day? 

Will - The purpose was to get closer to the Year 6 kids who will soon become our Year 7 peer support groups. I was able to learn about each of them and understand their connections to the Confirmation sacrament.

Ryley - The purpose of the day was to lead and assist the kids in fun activities to help them gain a better understanding of their Confirmation.

Reis - The purpose of the day to me was to engage and form connections with the Year Six kids who will soon be the future Year 7 students of Carroll College. Furthermore, it was a fun day that allowed me to tap into my creative skills and improve my leadership abilities.

What do you think the Year 6 students took away from the day?

Will - The purpose of the day was to relate to and gain a better understanding of Confirmation and what it means to be confirmed into the Catholic Church. They were able to have some fun through activities while gaining information about the sacrament and learning about each other.

Ryley - I think that the Year 6 students were able to gain a better understanding of their Confirmation and learn the importance of it in relation to their Catholic journey.

Reis - I believe that the Year Six students were able to take away a range of skills and experiences from their Confirmation Retreat. These include expanding their knowledge of prayer and religion, making meaningful social connections, and being provided with the chance to develop their creativity and become accustomed to the Carroll College environment and students.

St Vincent de Paul Winter Appeal

At today’s College Assembly, our wonderful Social Justice Captains were very proud to hand over to Mr Graham Maynard from St Vincent De Paul a huge collection of donations of winter clothing, blankets, beanies, scarves, gloves and tinned food. We also have a cash donation to pass on. Mr Maynard spoke to the whole school today and explained that these donations are needed now more than ever and that much of the warm clothing and winter items would be going to families in need today or over the weekend. I thank Mr Maynard for taking the time to speak to the students and staff today and for his work with Vinnies. Together, we have made a difference in our community. 

Erica Drewsen

REC Coordinator

Please keep the following families in your prayers, Dusty (Year 7), Bridie (Year 9) and Billy Irving (Year 5 St Mary's) on the passing of their Grandfather and Mitchell Zutt (Year 8) on the passing of his Great Grandmother.

YLead leaders for life; ‘leadership is more than a badge, it’s about the action that makes the world I touch a better place’.

From the beginning of the year our Year 11 students have been referred to as members of our ‘senior’ group of students. With this title comes the responsibility to lead the junior students and set the best example for them to follow. To assist our students to ‘step up’ to these responsibilities all our Year 11 students were invited to participate in the yLead program on Monday 5 June. The yLead program was a positive and inclusive experience for our students allowing them to develop their confidence, their tool kit and their connections outside of their existing network.

After exploring the concept of leadership our Year 11 students will now have the opportunity to nominate themselves to be considered for a leadership position in the Student Leadership Team for 2023/2024. Time will be devoted in the coming weeks to outline the process that will be followed and the positions that are available. We encourage all Year 11 students to consider this opportunity and we wish them well.

Our Year 11 students were very impressive throughout the day. They participated fully in every activity and expressed their appreciation of the opportunity to work with the yLead team. Senior leadership at Carroll College is looking very strong.

Academic Care

The Academic Care period in Term 2 Week 8 for Years 7 to 11 continued with the focus on study skills by exploring the opening four topics in the ‘Working better at home’ units from the study skills handbook site. At this time of the year, we begin the happy task of writing the college references for our Year 12 students. In the Academic Care period, Year 12 began the process of reflecting on their years at the college, their achievements across all aspects of college life, and their contribution to their Homerooms, our college community, and the wider community. With their Trial Examinations approaching, Year 12 also had the opportunity to explore the ‘Improving how you study’ units in the study skills handbook, looking for useful tips and strategies.

Year 10 Urban Challenge

The organisation of this new, challenging initiative is gathering pace. Our students have had several meetings with the most recent one identifying the other students in their team and time to work on not only their team name but their team uniform and the key roles each member will assume during the Sydney challenge in early August, Term 3. In the coming weeks as more information is shared students and parents are encouraged to watch for emails so they know what is happening and required.

Assistant Principals' Network Meeting and Child Safe Advocate Meeting

Over the last two weeks, I have attended both of these meetings in Canberra. Firstly, the Assistant Principals' Network Meeting is a wonderful opportunity to share and discuss the issues facing schools and the strategies that reflect best practices. (Normally Mr Kenneally also attends this meeting but in this instance, he was focused on delivering an excellent subject selection information evening for our Stage 5 students). A significant focus of the meeting was on data in action with an engaging presentation delivered by Chris De Britt, Senior Teaching and Learning Officer from Education Performance and Improvement, CECG.

In our schools gathering and interpreting data is vital to ensure that we have an accurate picture of our students as learners. Other topics covered looked at schools and the law, what we can and are doing to recruit the best teachers into our system and how CE is developing the capacity of the leaders within our schools. Whilst it is challenging to be away from the college attending these meetings is vital in keeping Carroll College engaged and well-connected.

Child Safe Advocate is a position held in each school across the Archdiocese. Child Safety continues to be a priority at Carroll College as we work to ensure that child-safe practices are a critical element of our care for each student. The Child Safe Advocate role focuses on developing a consistent and coherent approach to ensuring safe practices are a feature of our learning environment and that we are compliant with best practices. At this latest term meeting, a wide range of topics were covered with guest speakers from Police, Child Protection Services, and the CE Child and Family Services Team speaking about the latest trends and issues including information from the office of the Children’s Guardian. All of this input informs the practices that we follow here at the College.

College staff are all focused on the well-being of our students. All our students are encouraged to speak with staff about any issues that are impacting their achievement and/or well-being. As parents, if you become aware of a concern, please reach out to the college as early as possible, and we will work together to resolve the issue.

Louise Ibbett

Assistant Principal – Pastoral Care

Year 11 2024 Subject Selection Information Evening (Monday 19 June, 6pm)

The Subject Selection Information Evening for Year Eleven students 2024 will be held on Monday evening, 19 June at 6.00 pm, in the Carroll College Hall. Attendance at this evening is compulsory as it will be the best opportunity for you and your child to hear about the specific requirements for Stage Six and the Higher School Certificate.  

The night will consist of a presentation by members of the school Leadership Team on the process for selecting subjects and demands of Stage Six study, followed by Leaders of each Key Learning Area and course teachers about their subjects, with an opportunity for parents and students to ask questions about each subject.  The evening will also include information about the requirements for the HSC and ATAR.  This is a valuable night for you to access information needed for your child to make an informed choice. 

Students, Parents and Carers will be emailed the 2024 Stage Six Course Information Booklet prior to the information evening. All parents and carers are advised to read the booklet carefully as it contains comprehensive course descriptions and detailed explanations of the School and NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) requirements for your child’s “Pattern of Study” in the Preliminary Year. Please find below the key dates and actions required for the 2024 Year 11 Subject Selection Process. All this information will be unpacked and discussed at the Subject Selection evening on Monday 19 June (6 pm).

Key Dates for Year 11 2024 Parents and Students

Students will select their subjects online and will be emailed an access code as per the key dates above. When completing the web preferences of subjects, students will need to take into consideration the following: 

• Their interests – what they enjoy learning
• Recommendations from Key Learning Area and Learning Advisors
• Information from the Subject Selection evening
• Their academic ability, based on their performance in previous years
• Future career pathways 

Finally, please take the time to work slowly through the information and resources pertaining to the subject selection process. Below is an outline of the subject seminars to assist in your planning for the night.

You can also access the resources on the links below

Year 11 2024 Subject Information Flyer

Year 11 2024 Subject Information Booklet

If you have any concerns or questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at the College. I am looking forward to working in partnership with you and your child during the subject selection process.

This week’s feature article focuses on strategies that can help students develop effective study skills. Can I encourage you to read this article with your child.

Helping Students Develop Effective Study Skills (Top 10 Tips for Parents)

1. HOME STUDY ENVIRONMENT

• Ensure your child has a well-set up and organised space to work in.
• Consider if their chair and the lighting in their room need to be upgraded.
• Provide storage space and a noticeboard.
• You may like to have an Internet capable computer in the main part of the house.
• Students can collect their research onto a memory stick and then use this to work on assignments on a cheap notebook computer (not connected to the Internet) in their room.

2. ORGANISATION AND FILING

• Discuss with your child whether they use exercise books or folders and how well this is working for them. How do they manage loose sheets of paper?
• It is a great idea to set up a folder for each subject that stays at home – somewhere to file away past tests, assignments, completed topics and to keep everything together.

3. TIME MANAGEMENT SKILLS

• Clarify with your child the concept that in secondary school students are expected to do a set amount of schoolwork each night (as opposed to just getting the homework done as quickly as possible).
• Juniors should be spending around 1 hour per night on schoolwork, seniors from 1.5 up to 3 hours per night.
• Students should work on homework first, then assignments or test preparation. After this students need to look for other things they can do to enhance their understanding of their subjects, such as making study notes, doing extra questions, and revising earlier topics.
• It is best to either have a timetable with slots allocated to schoolwork or else have students do a certain number of half-hour blocks each night.

4. MANAGING WORKLOAD

• Students should have a term planner visible in their room that shows due dates for tests and assignments.
• Check that students are using their diary as a planner by breaking down larger pieces of work and schedule when they will do each step (this can be done in pencil so it can be changed as needed).
• Some students may need help in chunking down tasks and putting together a plan to complete each step.
• Check how students keep track of the work they have completed and check that uncompleted work is moved forward in the diary to the current day.
• If students are feeling overwhelmed, help them list everything they need to do and prioritise the tasks.

5. DEALING WITH DISTRACTIONS

• The best way to deal with distractions is to work in half-hour blocks with no distractions during this time. This means during the half-hour blocks allocated to schoolwork, no Facebook, TV etc – not for the whole night, just for those half-hour blocks.
• The general rule with music is that if students are doing easy work it is ok, but for anything that requires concentration, particularly if there is memorisation involved, students should either switch off the music or have baroque classical music playing softly.
• Many families have an Internet-capable computer in the main living area where students can research and save information onto a zip drive, and small cheap notebooks not connected to the Internet for students to use in their room.

6. IMPROVING CLASSROOM SKILLS

• Check with teachers at parent/teacher night who your child sits with in class and how well they work together. If it is not an effective partnership, request they be moved to a different seat for future lessons.
• Have students keep a list of questions they need to ask their teacher and encourage them to ask about these in class or else make an appointment to see their teacher outside of lesson time.

7. SUMMARISING

• One of the biggest mistakes students make is leaving their study notes until just before their exams. One of the best habits students can get into is doing their study notes throughout the year – at the end of each topic is a good time to do this. Whenever students don’t have much homework, they should be working on study notes.
• Another mistake is writing too much and not breaking the content down into short key points in their own words. Have a look at the sorts of notes your children make and see if you can provide suggestions for improvement.
• Suggest your child takes any study notes they make to school and ask their teacher to have a quick look to check they are on track and see if there is any way they could improve the notes they are making.
• Students with handwriting issues may like to visit www.ringpen.com to find out about a pen that could be useful!

8. ACTIVE STUDYING

• When studying, students should be using a wide range of study techniques.
• One of the biggest mistakes students make is just reading their notes over and over and hoping it sticks in their heads instead of testing themselves on the content like they should be doing.
• In addition to retaining the content, students need to practice applying the skills of the subject, doing as many revision questions and past exam papers as possible.
• You may like to look at purchasing an additional textbook in a different brand so that students have more questions to use as revision.
• If students struggle in an exam situation, they need to do more practice under exam conditions (i.e. under time limits and not looking at any notes or answers as they do the practice exam).

9. LIFESTYLE AND BALANCE

• The best students are those with a healthy lifestyle and good balance in their lives.
• Think about the types of food your child eats, whether they drink enough water, if they exercise regularly, and most importantly if they are getting enough sleep (amount needed varies, but the average is around 8 hours).
• It is also important that students have time to do the things they enjoy, spend time with family and friends, and also have ‘down time’ just to relax.

10. PERSONAL BEST

• Rather than having students competing with others, stress the concept of ‘personal best’, the idea that while not everyone can be at the top of the class, everyone is able to work towards achieving the best results they are capable of.
• A great read for all parents: 'How to Motivate Your Child for School and Beyond' by Andrew Martin.

Andrew Kenneally

Assistant Principal - Learning, Curriculum, and Innovation

NSW School Vaccination Program

The Year 7 vaccinations are scheduled for 16 August 2023.

NSW Health has changed the consent form process. Parents/carers will need to consent to their child's vaccination online through the Service NSW site - 'online consent portal'. The portal in Service NSW is now open for Carroll College. If you cannot access the portal, students can collect a paper consent from the front office.

If you have questions regarding the school immunisation program, please contact the Public Health Unit.

Tell Them From Me Parent and Student Survey

In our last newsletter, Mrs Sandra Harris discussed the Tell Them From Me Parent and Student Survey. These surveys hold significant value in our school evaluation and planning procedures. Your feedback is highly valued and greatly appreciated. Rest assured that the survey is completely anonymous, and it should take approximately 20 minutes to complete. We sincerely thank you for your time and interest in contributing to this process. The survey closes tonight Friday 16 June.

Year 12 Trial HSC Examinations

Year 12 Trial HSC Examinations will take place from Thursday, August 3rd to Friday, August 18th. A copy of the trial examination timetable is below. I encourage students to revise coursework and complete past HSC papers and other study materials provided by their class teachers to adequately prepare for their examinations.

Wishing you the best of luck with your preparations, Year 12!

This week’s reminders …

• On Monday 19 June the Senior Ancient History Students are off to Canberra for their excursion.
• Year 11 2024 Information evening will be held in the College Hall from 6 pm on Monday 19 June. All current Year 10 students and parents are asked to attend this important information session. Course counselling meetings will then occur with senior staff members.
• Tuesday 20 June Year 10 students are off to Bega for the Careers Expo.
• Sports coaching students are assisting with the Eurobodalla Secondary Netball Cup on Tuesday 20 June.
• Athletics long jump events will be held at the College on Wednesday 21 June
• Thursday 22 June is the College Athletics Carnival at Captain Oldrey Park. This is a compulsory school day and we look forward to encouraging student participation in all events.
• The school Musical “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” is fast approaching. Tickets are on sale for the evening performances Tuesday 27 June, Wednesday 28 June and Thursday 29 June. We hope families are able to join and support the wonderful talent within our College community.
• Good luck to our sporting teams competing during Week 10: Girls Rugby Union 7s at Broulee on Wednesday 28 June, Girls Bill Turner Soccer at Broulee on Thursday 29 June.
• Chisholm House Day will be held on the last day of Term 2, Friday, 30 June. Mrs Corrinne Dell will provide specific details in the coming week.

Kym Millikin

Administration Coordinator (Acting)

Tickets can be purchased by following this link https://www.trybooking.com/CIEKU

I Can Network 

The Catholic Education Inclusive Practices team are promoting the I Can Network for Autistic students.

“We offer Autistic-led online group mentoring programs for 8 – 22-year-old Autistic people. Our program builds confidence and social connection in a safe, positive environment. Autistic young people are able to be themselves, share their interests and common experiences with peers and benefit from I CAN Mentors as role models.”

 Please click on the link for more information: https://icannetwork.online/online/#

yLead experience (Year 11)

Year 11 were absolutely fantastic on June 5 at the yLead conference held in the College hall. Students were involved in a program ran by ylead (a company based out of Brisbane) that enabled students to think about and create their legacy throughout their senior years. The main goals of the day were:

• Empower students with the understanding that leadership is not defined by a badge, but by the actions that create their legacy.
• Motivate students to want to contribute to the leadership of their school.
• Encourage students to explore their passions and strengths and use them to influence others.
• Develop a strong sense of unity between students and explore the theme ‘together has power’.
• Discuss and affirm their strengths, whilst recognising areas of improvement, that will unlock their potential as individuals and as a year group.

All students participated in every aspect of the day and it was wonderful to see them step out of their comfort zones. It is exciting to see the leadership qualities they will bring as 2024 role models for the College.

Elle Boller

Well-being Coordinator

Agriculture news

What a difference a frost or two can make! Out citrus are fruiting and some are becoming ripe enough to pick, while the pumpkin vine is almost dead and the pumpkins will be ready to pick.

Industrial Technology Timber

Year 9-10 Industrial Technology Timber students have been busy this semester designing and creating some stunning serving boards. Students were given the freedom to choose from a variety of Australian hardwood timbers, varying in colour, to create their boards. Once they finalised their timber layout they were able to glue the boards together using a widening joint and waterproof glue. Boards were then put through the thicknesser to remove dried glue and uneven surfaces. Each student created a scaled, cardboard template that they then transferred to their boards which allowed them to accurately cut out the shape they desired. Many periods of sanding later they were able to laser etch a design of their choice onto the boards. The final step was to seal the boards which they did using an all-natural, food-grade oil. The results are outstanding, each unique and something that the students can be proud of and hopefully cherish for years to come. I want to personally congratulate this class on their diligence and passion for the course as it has been a pleasure teaching them this semester.  

Meet the Cast

What has been your favourite part about playing Grandpa Joe, Charlie and Wonka and participating in the school musical so far?

Sarah

My favourite part about playing Grandpa Joe would have to be his fun-loving and imaginative mindset. 

Erin

My favourite part of playing Charlie in the upcoming school musical has been recreating the iconic character played before in the films. I have enjoyed capturing Charlie's youthful, kind and thoughtful spirit and hope to continue that atmosphere into the production.

Raph

What I've loved most about playing Wonka is; he's such a fun character. He has range, at the beginning he's quite serious then towards the end he becomes this quirky and weird man. I love those sorts of characters because you get to really explore them, both emotionally and physically. My favourite part about doing the musical is being able to explore such a diverse character like Wonka. Also obviously to connect with other students who I don't generally talk to during school. It's also been really nice to see how the other actors explore their characters. 

Sarah

Despite being very old and mad, Grandpa Joe is always enthusiastic and the first to accept a challenge. Grandpa Joe is very optimistic and protective of his grandson Charlie, which I find very sweet.

Erin

I play the character Charlie Bucket in the musical who wins the golden ticket to the Wonka factory after finding a dollar on the floor of the Candyman's shop. Charlie lives in the Bucket shack with his mother and four grandparents one of which is his favourite, Grandpa Jo. Charlie dreams of becoming a chocolatier but unfortunately, his family doesn't have the money to support his dream. However, that all seems to change when Charlie is given the opportunity of an incredible factory tour held by Willy Wonka himself.

To put it lightly, Wonka is a bit of a psychopath! He sits alone in his factory and makes chocolate, to him that's the dream. Like I said he's a psychopath, so he's quite energetic and bubbly. He's incredibly eccentric and always loves being the centre of attention, by doing outrageous things such as mix and match clothing. He doesn't like to be questioned and is always bragging constantly about his creations and his success. No one seems to know where they stand with him. One day out of the blue, after the factory has been closed for ages he decides he wants to open up his factory for a tour to five lucky golden ticket winners. To no surprise bad things happen, and much to the horror of the golden ticket winners...he enjoys it.

Year 10 Future Finder Day - UOW Eurobodalla Campus and NSW TAFE Connected Learning Centre

On Wednesday 14 June, 36 Year 10 students enjoyed an informative and fun day out at the UOW Eurobodalla Campus and TAFE Connected Learning Centre at Hanging Rock, Batemans Bay. Students were involved in a range of taster sessions to learn about future study and career pathways including Health, Criminology, Hospitality and Hairdressing. The Future Finder Day is a valuable opportunity to investigate post-school pathways in both vocational and tertiary education, and also discover what training and study opportunities are on offer in the local area. All in all, a worthwhile day out! 

ACU Canberra Campus School Holidays Guided Visits

Australian Catholic University (ACU) Canberra Campus is offering new discipline-specific guided visits in 2023. These visits are more than campus tours – students will have the opportunity to sit down with academic staff and current students from their discipline of interest to learn more about these fields and get their questions answered. Students considering nursing and paramedicine will also get hands-on experience in ACU labs. 

Capacity is limited so students should register early. These tours will run on the following dates: 

Nursing and paramedicine guided visit – Tuesday 4 July, 10am – 1pm 

Teaching guided visit – Thursday 12 July, 12 – 2pm

Social work guided visit – Wednesday 12 July, 11am – 1pm

See the link below for more information: 

https://acufuturestudents.swoogo.com/tours-canberra?

Australian Catholic University Guarantee applications open 24 July

The ACU early entry program, ACU Guarantee, offers eligible Year 12 students a place at ACU based on their Year 11 results. Applications for ACU Guarantee will open on 24 July and close on 18 September. Students can receive up to 10 adjustment factors to help boost their selection rank by submitting optional personal statements as part of their ACU Guarantee applications. Learn more about ACU Guarantee using the link below:

https://www.acu.edu.au/study-at-acu/admission-pathways/acu-guarantee?

Macquarie University Webinar Series for Year 12 Students starting in May 

The Year 12 series provides students with everything they need to know about studying at Macquarie University – from exploring courses, entry programs, and how to apply, to reducing Year 12 study stress and leaving home.  

7 June - Early Entry Info Session 

14 June - Study Without Stress 

19 July - Relocating to Macquarie

All sessions are from 6:00 - 7:00 pm. All registrants are provided with a link to the recording of the session after the webinar.

Visit the link below to find out more: 

https://page.mq.edu.au/FS-UG-WEB-2023-05-1689--Year12WebinarSeries.html

ADF Gap Year

Rugby Union

On Wednesday, four Boys teams competed in the ACT Brumbies South Coast High School 7s. The tournament included six schools from the Eurobodalla and Bega regions. It was an amazing effort by all teams. Both our A teams were tournament champions, and our amazing B teams won against other schools' A teams! 

Our two teams will now compete in the regional finals in August. 

Thank you also to our Sport Coaching students, who were also a great asset in helping the Brumbies and our teams with a range of tasks.

Entries for the annual Mayor's Writing Competition are now open!

Once again, it is that time of year for budding young writers of the Eurobodalla to pull out their pen and paper, keyboard, or tablet and enter the 2023 Mayor’s Writing Competition.

Held for the past 14 years, the competition has celebrated and encouraged the literary talents of our community's young people aged between 5 and 18. The categories are Kindergarten, Years 1-2, Years 3-4, Years 5-6, Years 7-8, Years 9-10, and Years 11-12.

Once again:

• Finalists will win great prizes such as Family passes or an individual child pass to Mogo Zoo or book gift vouchers from Moruya Books and have their work published in the annual Mayor’s Writing Competition Anthology
• The overall winner will be presented with The Syd Hayes Creative Writing Award and will receive a beautiful, handcrafted pen by local artist, Richard Turvey.
• The winner of the Syd Hayes Creative Writing Award will also be presented with the MWC Perpetual Shield, to be displayed at their school for a year!

The theme for 2023, as selected by Mayor, Mathew Hatcher, is “CHANGE”.  All written submissions must incorporate the theme ‘change’.

Broulee Public School Year 5 student Zara McCarthy, who won her category in 2022 with her story Street Magic, said the competition offered opportunities for creativity and recognition.

"What I like about the Mayor's Writing Competition is that you get to let your imagination run wild. I love dreaming up characters and places and seeing my stories come to life,” she said.

"I was really proud to have Street Magic in the Mayor's Writing Competition anthology - it's amazing to see my story and many other wonderful stories as part of a book available in the library!"

The competition is open to children and youth who live or go to school in the Eurobodalla. Entries can be any style of creative writing. Finalists will be chosen by an expert panel of judges.

Entries close at 5pm on Friday 25 August. For more information, or to enter, visit the Mayor's Writing Competition webpage or call in to one of the Shire’s libraries.

We look forward to receiving your entries!

The Mayor’s Writing Competition is proudly sponsored by

Term 2 2023 fee payments were due on 2 June 2023.

Thank you to families who have already made payments. 

Payments can be made through BPay, Direct Debit, Qkr!, EFTPOS or Cash. 

Should you have any queries or are experiencing any financial difficulties please contact our Business Manager Dalys Whipp at finance.ccb@cg.catholic.edu.au or 44715600.

Handy Hints

When finalising payments on Qkr, please make sure to finalise anything that is in the cart on the top right-hand corner. If the cart is not empty and you do not have a receipt, this means the payment and consent has not been finalised. This includes any events or excursions that only require permission (eg. swimming consent notes). Once you have signed the permission note you will still need to ‘checkout’ at the end of the process to ensure the permission note is finalised. Thank you!

Qkr! is our preferred payment option. If you need help using this app, please contact the Office on 44 715600.