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Dear parents/ Guardians,

A REFLECTION ON KINDNESS

Below is a very interesting article about a worldwide initiative to brighten peoples lives. 

Recently over 80 countries participated in “Pay It Forward Day.” The purpose of this event is described as:

A global initiative that exists to make a difference by creating a huge ripple of kindness felt across the world. Of course, our hope is that people pay kindness forward every day and make each day that little bit brighter. We believe that small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can literally change the world for the better.

This day reminds us to consider how acts of kindness, without the need for direct reciprocation, can become the example and inspiration for another. A lived learning that teaches us to take the love and kindness that has been forwarded to us and extend it to others. In doing so, creating a wave of kindness.

Such a wave or ripple effect is captured in the sentiment of Mother Teresa who once said our actions and words can be small and easy to speak, “but their echoes are truly endless”. How profound it is to pause and ponder the power of a simple act of kindness. Like a tender mustard seed, one simple act of kindness can have a transformative power equivalent to water and sunshine that will allow its growth into a life-giving tree.

Science has revealed that the benefits of kindness are as much for the giver as they are for the receiver. Practising kindness nurtures the human quality of empathy and compassion - essential for creating social connection and a sense of belonging. Studies have even shown that it is an act twice blessed. Just one act of kindness a day has the power to reduce stress, anxiety and depression, in both you and the person you have helped. The feel-good hormones released in the body - serotonin, oxytocin, and endorphins - help the body and mind to heal, relax, feel loved and encourage love for others. Even an onlooker witnessing an act of kindness can have these same positive effects, meanwhile nurturing one’s faith and hope in humanity.

As Christian people inspired by the love of Jesus, our faith is guided by a ‘Pay It Forward’ kind of missiology. Summed up simply in John’s Gospel:

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34-35

In other words, take the love and kindness I have given to you, and pass it onto others. In doing this the discipleship of love and kindness will spread among everyone.

This year, as Pay It Forward Day comes and goes, we are reminded of our call to discipleship – our call to goodness and kindness. Inspired yet again by the words of Mother Teresa:

“Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God's kindness: kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile.”

ANZAC DAY – 2022 AT JOHN THERRY

On ANZAC Day we had a large number of Staff and students gather for the Campbelltown ceremony. Despite the drizzle the enthusiasm was not dampened and I thank all who attended. Below are some accounts from students and photos of the event. 

Each year, one student, from one school, in the Campbelltown council area gets to address the crowd. This year Jayden Cook had the privilege and his address was well received by the crowd. His speech is below and I urge all to spend a few minutes and read it. 

"I was really happy to have attended the ANZAC Day ceremony and be a part of the commemoration of those who have died in war and those who have returned. While most of the original ANZAC’s who returned from service have since passed away, it is important to reflect upon and remember the sacrifice such soldiers made during war and the impacts their service continues to have on Australia. This year, it seemed an even more important occasion than it already is due to ceremony cancellations in previous years regarding COVID-19 concerns and lockdown closures. 

It was an honour to attend the ANZAC Day ceremony, of which I will again next year, and strongly encourage students to take part in such a meaningful event."
VIVIENNE DOS SANTOS (YEAR 10)

"It was 8:30am when I arrived at the ANZAC day March. I was greeted by Mr Martyn who signed me in (so Murray could gain house points). Queen street was a familiar place, but today it was filled with people who had all come together for a single purpose. To respect those who sacrificed their lives for the safety of our nation. People of all backgrounds, schools, ages were present to pay respect. The wet climate stayed consistent throughout the morning, easing off and then returning, but it didn’t keep people away. Luckily we had umbrellas. 

We reached Mawson park and gathered to commemorate the ANZACs. Our school laid a wreath at the epitaph. Words describing the bravery of the ANZACS were consistent, with every speech sparking emotion and empathy for a fallen soldier who may go unnamed. It was a privilege to be involved in a community gathering where the community was united with a common purpose without disagreement to commemorate the ANZACs."
XAVIER MARTIN (YEAR 11)

On Thursday 7th April our Year 12 cohort hosted a BBQ to welcome our new Year 7 students into our College community. As part of the 2022 Marist Theme “to be known and loved” we wanted to make our Year 7 students feel welcome and provide them an opportunity to connect with our seniors.

Our REC Mrs Abigail Fennesy organised a wonderful Easter Liturgy of which our Year 12 leaders led confidently. This was also the first college liturgy the Year 7 cohort experienced - and we hope that they will be able to be joined by the rest of the college in the near future. Upon the concussion of our Easter Liturgy, both cohorts moved to the shelter shed for a sausage sizzle breakfast and to undertake the famous ‘volleyball squares’ games that is synonymous with JTCC!

As part of our Marist family spirit the House Captains served the Year 7s their sausage sizzle. A big thank you to their efforts today. Sports Captain Jayden Cook organised a competitive game of volleyball squares and was assisted by Year 7 Pastoral Coordinator, Mr. Matthew Tran who I’d also like to thank for his efforts to help coordinate the morning.

I’m thankful to the Year 12 senior students who attended breakfast and engaged so well with the juniors to provide Year 7 an opportunity to foster meaningful relationships with our seniors.

I hope all students had a restful break and I look forward to witnessing our Year 12 leaders continue their mentorship with the Year 7 cohort.

TERM 1

Year 7 studied a unit called “Working as a Scientist”.  Students were introduced to working safely in a laboratory and conducting experiments.  Moving into this term, Year 7 will use their new skills and knowledge to learn about the science behind their favourite sport.

Year 8 spent Term 1 investigating and designing a sustainable house.  Students conducted their own investigations using the STELR house kits which allows students to build models of a house and test the different aspects of building materials and how these materials add to the sustainability and energy efficiency of a house.  As Year 8 progress into Term 2 and their scientific knowledge improves, they will learn about the solar system and the structure of the Earth.

Year 9 studied the immune system this term and wrote a persuasive text on the question “Do vaccines do more harm than good?”. As Year 9 eagerly advances through to Term 2, they will be introduced to the world of chemistry.  Discovering the structure of the atom and chemical reactions.

Year 10 were introduced to advanced Chemistry in Term 1 in preparation for Year 11.  Term 2 sees Year 10 discovering the world of kinematics through designing and building a car made from everyday materials.  This car will be used to investigate the effects of design on the speed of the vehicle and the distance it travels.  The study of kinematics is a great lead into studying Physics in senior years.

EXTENSION SCIENCE

Year 12 students, Thomas Augustine and Leyla Boustani are completing research in Science Extension.  

Thomas is researching thermal paste conductivity.  Thomas is hoping to prove that thermal paste will improve a computer's ability to cool, leading to better performance of computers. 

Leyla is researching mushrooms.  Leyla is experimenting with growing mushrooms under different LED light regimes.   Mushrooms are being grown under green, red and blue LED lights.  Leyla is hoping to prove that mushrooms fruit more efficiently under blue light.

STAFF NEWS

The start of 2022 has been busy for the Science teachers at JTCC.  We love a good competition and this year is no different.  All the staff have been participating in the STILE Super Teacher Challenge.  This challenge helps teachers develop skills in planning; formative assessment; blended learning and using student data.

Completing these challenges ignites Science teachers' super powers and gives us the opportunity to win prizes for the school and our students, such as the Van Der Graaf generator we won in a competition run over term 1. 

Mr Damian Hatton has been invited to participate in a research project undertaken by NESA to support the Higher School Certificate Standards Setting process.  The research will involve small groups of highly experienced teachers using their knowledge, understanding and professional judgement to simulate the standards setting process that is carried out as part of the HSC marking operation.  Knowledge gained from this experience can be used to enhance Damians teaching, learning and assessment practices.

We want to hear what YOU think

 As part of our focus on school effectiveness, John Therry Catholic College will be participating in an online survey for students, staff and parents – Tell Them From Me (TTFM) is a suite of surveys for measuring student engagement and wellbeing. The surveys aim to capture student, parent and teacher voices, providing reliable evidence for schools to use in identifying strengths and areas for improvement.

 The Survey is open from

26th April - 20th May.

Staff and students will be completing this survey at school. All parents and caregivers are encouraged to complete the survey available through the compass portal or by going to https://tellthemfromme.com/survey/splash/jtcc22

The surveys aim to measure student engagement in a variety of areas of school life.

The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is a point in time assessment of literacy and numeracy skills. Students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 participate in the annual tests in writing, reading, conventions of language (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and numeracy. All NSW schools will sit NAPLAN online in 2022.

Our school will be participating in NAPLAN between 10 and 20 May 2022 (11/5/2022, 12/5/2022, 13/5/2022 & 18/5/2022)

Excessive preparation for NAPLAN is not recommended. Students can use the public demonstration site (https://www.nap.edu.au/online-assessment/public-demonstration-site) to familiarise themselves with the types of questions and tools available in NAPLAN. Students will also do some practice in their English and Mathematics classes leading up to the event.

Each student will receive a letter with details about each test (a schedule is below for your reference). Students will be reminded of the following:

1. Students must be present on the days of the test 
2. Students must arrive well in time for the tests
3. Students must have a fully charged device with them
4. Students must have their ear/headphones with them.

 If you have any questions about NAPLAN, please contact the College.

Regards,

Mrs Ramchandra

Leader of Learning- Curriculum

The following is the schedule for the NAPLAN test. All tests will be run in C block and A6.

NAPLAN 2022

Year 7

NAPLAN 2022

Year 9

If a student misses the test, we will have them complete a catch-up test the next day.

JTCC SPORT UPDATE - Week 1

Welcome back to Term 2. We have hit the ground running returning on a Tuesday with sport in the afternoon and our rescheduled cross country carnival on the Wednesday. Thank you for a smooth return to Sport. 

A few general reminders:

• Students who missed out on MISA, there are many future opportunities to represent JTCC, keep an eye out on the Compass Newsfeed. 
• Any students that would like to request to change groups for 9/10 REC - you need to see Mrs. Roberts at her desk. You must do this prior to Tuesday lunch time. 
•  A reminder that consent for all sporting events must be given via the Parent Portal on Compass. Please ring the school if you have issues logging in or accessing Events. 
• A number of Diocesan events have been postponed or modified - please see the updates below.
  

BILL TURNER CUP

JTCC 0 - 4 SG

After a month of rain and multiple delays finally we managed to get round 1 of the Bill Turner Cup played. Going into the game with very little time together as a team we were up against a tough side. Game started tense but St Gregory's College managed to control the tempo of the game. The boys managed to stay tight at the back and only gave Saint Gregs three chances and they took two of them. 

Going into the second half needing three goals was always going to be a tough but the boys started the second half better. Two close chances to Cohan and Ryan gave us hope in the game but sadly they ran away with it, adding two goals on the break to finish the game. Diego managed to save an embarrassing scoreline by saving a penalty in the final minutes of the match. An uphill battle ending in disappointment but I have no doubt that they will be back bigger and better in future football opportunities.

Mr Webb

CROSS COUNTRY

After having our Carnival postponed due to wet weather in term 1, we were on a tight turn around to complete our school carnival before the Diocesan carnival. It was overcast and the grounds were very damp, but students were in good spirits as they made their way down to Thomas Acres to compete in the Competitors only Cross Country. Many of our students had completed the course in 2021, but with a number of wet sections all runners walked the modified track before racing. 

Great runs from our new year 7 recruits, with a whopping 20 runners in the 13 years boys division. With very muddy shoes and mud-splattered legs our students returned to school just as the rain was starting. 

The 4 Houses were fairly well represented across all Age Groups, but certain Year Groups were rather light on from certain Houses. Participation is always a key factor in the overall House points with many points going unclaimed due to lack of female competitors and numbers in the older age group. 

Thank you to all the SLR and Pass students who assisted on the day. 

Below are the Age Champions for the event.

CONGRATULATIONS CHELSEA BLANKENSTEIN

Chelsea Blankenstein (Year 11) attend the NSWCCC selections for girls Rugby 7’s. She was successfully selected in the B team to attend the NSWCCC Rugby 7’s Camp and compete in NSW All Schools Rugby  CCC v CHS on Sunday 15th May.

UPCOMING DATES

Our Diocesan calendar has been heavily impacted by wet weather, seeing cancellations and postponements for a number of diocesan events. An individual selection trial will be held for Diocesan touch instead for the nominated boys, whilst the girls selection will be a ‘paper trial’ only.  Team meetings, trials and training will be held soon, students are encouraged to read the Compass Newsfeed. Students who have been selected in teams already for Tennis and Boys Touch Football should have received their permission notes on Compass. No permission = no participation.

NSWCCC Teams

*There have been a lot of NSWCCC Event postponements - please go to the website to keep up to date with these. 

Remember that there is a new way to nominate individual sports for NSWCCC. This information, including registration closing dates can be found on the website:

https://csnsw.sport/

Please note that some sports are selected by individual trials, and these can be held throughout NSW. Individual nominations require students to make their own way to and from selections. 

Selection in the following sports: Swimming, Cross Country, Athletics, Touch Football, AFL (Boys) and Football are done through the Wollongong Diocese carnivals by way of representing John Therry at these respective carnivals.

Selection in the following sports: AFL (Girls), Baseball, Basketball, Cricket – Girls,  Golf, Hockey, Netball, Rugby League, Rugby, Softball, Tennis, Triathlon, Volleyball will need to be done via individual nomination and selections.

If your child has had an outstanding high level  sporting achievement outside of school, we would love to hear from you. Please email me so we can celebrate  their achievements with the JTCC community. 

Yours in Sport,

Mrs. Georgia Roberts 

(RobertsG03@dow.catholic.edu.au)

Please find below a link to the latest parish bulletin