Filter Content
Dear Parents/Guardians/Staff and Students,I know it has been a couple of weeks since the last College Newsletter but there has been so little to report on, and our letters and messages through Compass have met our needs. But I hope that you are all well and coping with remote learning.
I am a fan of the TV show called The Voice. It started when a friend of my daughter was on a few years ago, and a Mount Carmel Ex-student (Alfie Acuri) made the finals. I love seeing people perform and excel in an area that I am so bad at. But in particular for people breaking the norm - the typical good looking, tall or sexy performer. Brilliant performers like "Tones and I" come to mind.
Sunday’s show had the bald, red bearded lawn mowing man singing with an angel's voice. He is not supposed to be able to do that. He is a mowing man. He has his life type cast. BUT HE DOES. AND HE DOES IT SO WELL WITH HIS GIFT OF A VOICE.
And that relates in part to my passion for educating students, particularly those who feel they are not as good as others – because of postcode or income or numerous other reasons. This man is seen as not ‘right’ to be able to sing. Rubbish. Hair or no hair, red beard or not, he has a wonderful voice and a significant future with it.
I have spent my career in schools encouraging students to believe that they are as good as any. For those who listen and back themselves the road is not any easier but it is achievable. For me, John Therry students ARE as good as any others in the state – they just don’t believe that and back themselves to prove it. Hard work and belief defeats all sorts of self-doubt.
At this time of remote learning I encourage all to do their best – for you never know how much your best will achieve.
Below is a short letter that was posted on Compass earlier this week.
Stay safe and God bless,
Sincerely, Wayne
An earlier note from Wayne posted on Compass:
Well hello,
It seems so long ago that we last had a College Assembly and I could talk to you all. A lot has happened with my Long Service Leave and then the remote learning and lockdown.
I know that the focus in the media has been on our HSC students, their Trial HSC exams and their safety and vaccination. And that is so important. But I would like all to know that we, the Staff, have not forgotten you. Those in Years 7 - 11, students who are engaging in their learning and staying on task. It is not easy. As a school we are managing this time as best we can and we know that you are also.
From our data we can see that most students are completing work and continuing their progress. (Letters were sent out to communicate this to parents last week). For some students there are difficulties and disengagement that makes the learning harder. For those students I ask that you contact your class teacher and explain the situation so we can work together.
I also remind you that there is a fitness class on zoom each Tuesday at 1.00pm and Year Meetings on Thursdays from 9.10am. These can be times to connect with your friends.
I urge all to engage with the class zoom lessons so content can be explained to you from your class teacher. We know that people learn in different ways and this direct instruction might help you. You may already have seen the video below. If you have it is better the second time. Have a look, please - it is not a prayer but it is powerful.
I am at the College on most days, and check emails regularly. Please feel free to contact me if we can help with anything during these difficult times. marshallw01@dow.catholic.edu.au
This week is set aside by the Catholic Church to recognise and celebrate the vital role that families play in forming our values and wellbeing, Family Week will be held from 8 August – 14 August 2021 and is an opportunity for Catholic school communities to celebrate the important role of families in Catholic education in Australia.
As we all work together to face the challenges we are currently experiencing, a focus on family is even more important. We acknowledge and are thankful for the role all families play in the foundations of Catholic Schools and our society.
This week recognises the significant contribution of families, and coincides with the Feast Day of Australia’s First Saint, Mary MacKillop, who was a passionate educator and advocate for children and families. Sunday the 8th August was Mary Mackillop’s feast day. Below are just five ways families contribute to each member and the greater community, and from our families to yours we pray that you continue to have the strength and courage it takes to raise and nurture a family during difficult times, the faith to know that even though it’s tough it’s worth it and the wisdom to seek advice or help when you need it.
#1. Families set the stage for future relationships
The very first relationships a child has is with their parents and any siblings. These relationships provide a model for what future relationships will look like. It’s often not a conscious decision, but for better or worse, people often choose partners and friends based on how similar they are to their family. Family dynamics repeat themselves and reinforce beliefs about relationships and self.
#2. During challenging times, people need a family they can rely on
When life gets hard, people need support. This can be emotional and/or financial support. Someone going through rough times will turn to their family if they trust them to provide encouragement and love. Feeling accepted and understood during a personal crisis is a basic need for people. Families – whether traditional or chosen – can provide that.
#3. Families can be an essential source of affection and encouragement
In good or bad times, families can provide the affection and encouragement a person needs to be content. It can be difficult to find friends or purpose in adulthood. If a person has a strong family, they’ll always be able to find the love and support they need. With their family behind them, a person will find the motivation and courage for success.
#4. Families foster a sense of belonging to something greater than oneself
Families are hubs of tradition. Many families carry on traditions through the years by sharing stories from the past. This creates connections with family members that aren’t around anymore. A person who grows up in this type of family feels like they belong to something bigger than themselves. They’ll pride in being a member of a community that’s gone through hardships and triumphs.
#5. Healthy families form the backbone of a healthy society
When families are strong, communities are strong. That naturally leads to a strong society. Society is deeply invested in the strength of families because there’s a domino effect. If families aren’t doing well, a nation will suffer. If families are happy and healthy, the nation benefits.
We had almost 200 parents complete our Remote Learning Parent Survey that provided some great feedback to us about how things are working for our families. We understand how difficult this has been for students and families, and we greatly appreciate how supportive and understanding our parents and students have been as we do our best to teach and support students remotely.
As you can imagine, different approaches work for different situations. A common issue we face for example is that some families want more zoom meetings, some want less, some families do not have access to the zoom and we as a school need to find a balance for all. There are some classes that may require more regular zoom meetings than others due to students needs, and so a whole school blanket policy is not effective. Teachers are also seeing quite a drop off in the number of students attending and engaging in zoom meetings, and we hear this is similar across other schools - "Zoom fatigue".
We are adapting our approaches to remote learning, based on parent feedback and how our students are engaging to try and find the right balance for each class. We are also trying to provide options such as 'drop in' zoom lessons, where we provide help for the individuals or small groups that need assistance, while other continue working independently. We will keep learning and adapting here as best we can.
To help keep you as parents updated on how your child is coping, we plan to email you how much work your child has completed in each course next Friday. We are also going to 'reset' the tasks we require students to complete as of week 7 so all students get a fresh start to get back on top of things. We are hearing that many students feel overwhelmed and once they fall too far behind, they are giving up as they feel they can never catch-up. Week 7 gives us a fresh start for the last 4 weeks of term to try and re-engage and make some progress with their learning. We will continue to prioritise the wellbeing of our students in our decision making as we navigate these unpredicatable and challenging times.
Whilst we are all isolated at home and unable to engage with family and friends in the usual ways it is very important to look after our mental health and wellbeing. It must be acknowledged that during this time we may have feelings of loneliness, confusion and despair and it is important to recognise that these feelings are very normal.If you, or someone close to you are struggling, there are many services available to offer support and direction.
Please reach out as appropriate:
- Year Coordinators and members of the Pastoral team are always available as an initial point of contact should you have any concerns. Year Coordinators are also conducting regular year group zoom meetings where support structures are regularly discussed.
|
Year 7: mcgrathm03@dow.catholic.edu.au Year 8: monahanV01@dow.catholic.edu.au |
Year 10: bartont01@dow.catholic.edu.au Year 11: holmesd02@dow.catholic.edu.au Year 12: pellegrinor01@dow.catholic.edu.au |
- Our Catholic Care School Counsellors (Bree & Therese) are still working and are available for both “one off” and ongoing support. This service is available to all John Therry students and can be accessed by contacting your Year Coordinator.
- There are many external services available. Some key services with a brief description shown here:
- Eheadspace provides free online and telephone support and counselling to young people 12 - 25 and their families and friends: https://headspace.org.au/eheadspace/
- Reach Out is the most accessed online mental health service for young people and their parents in Australia. The following is a link to a giant list of interactive wellbeing activities that can be tried at home: https://forums.au.reachout.com/t5/Weekly-wellbeing/Weekly-Wellbeing-Activities-Updated-Masterlist/m-p/349156/highlight/true#M30112
- Kids Helpline is a free (even from a mobile), confidential 24/7 online and phone counselling service for young people aged 5 to 25. Qualified counsellors are available by webchat, phone or email at any time for any reason. https://kidshelpline.com.au/teens
Please continue to remain in contact with the College should you have any further concerns, questions or comments.
Mr Brad Humbles
Pastoral Care Coordinator
humblesb01@dow.catholic.edu.au
So, dust off your favourite book in preparation for the Book Week shenanigans that are planned for Week 7. Even though we are in remote learning, Book Week will be a celebration of all literary wonders and the power of books to feed our imagination. Be on the lookout for some fun activities that have been planned by your English teachers (or as I like to call them...the WORD NERDS).
Rumour has it that our old mate William Shakespeare will make an appearance!
This year the theme for Science Week 2021 is food - different by design. At JTCC, we always celebrate Science week and even though we’re in lockdown, this year will be no different. This year we are celebrating with an escape room, a hackathon and a paper plane competition.
The escape room was completed remotely on STILE and the students had to work through 7 challenges. A $25 voucher was up for grabs for the fastest person in each junior year group.
JTCC has a team competing in the ANSTO HACKATHON for Science Week. A hackathon is an event in which a large number of people meet to engage in collaborative computer programming. Students will be competing for $3000 worth of prizes.
JTCC will be holding its 3rd annual paper plane competition. This year we will have 2 categories: best design and longest air time. Students will be competing for a $25 voucher in each category.
In their Science classes, year 7 students are doing some citizen science making observations of Cockatoo scavenger behaviours and year 9 students are seeing what happens to basil seeds that have been in space.
Happy Science Week everyone.
It’s been tough for our year 12 Biology students during lockdown. Not only are they having to learn on their own, but their Biology excursion to the Human Disease Museum was changed to a virtual experience.
In week 1, year 12 Biology students were lucky enough to participate in a virtual tour of the Human Disease Museum, at the University of New South Wales.
The museum has over 2,500 diseased human tissue specimens and the objective of the museum is to provide a space that enables students to make educated decisions about their health and lifestyle choices.
Students observed many specimens, including a liver with cirrhosis and arteries clogged with cholesterol.
The virtual excursion was a great way for students to use their knowledge from the modules Hereditary and Genetic Change. The students completed a 25 minute presentation that covered the fundamentals of genetics, including nomenclature, transcription, translation and the nature of inheritance.
Students then participated in a 45 minute presentation for modules Infectious and Non-Infectious Disease. The presentation covered three key disease processes, cirrhosis (alcohol and viral hepatitis induced cirrhosis), atherosclerosis (smoking, poor diet and lack of exercise induced and tuberculosis (bacterial infection).
This Challenge is a State-wide competition and any school can enter a team. Students must identify a Transport need in their community and design a solution while considering possible emerging technologies. It’s quite an involved process as students not only have to present their idea, but create a professional executive summary and be prepared to answer questions from judges, shark tank style.
The John Therry team of WISE Club girls has focussed on the needs of the Campbelltown community and how to improve access to transport where there is a lack of readily available public buses and trains. We will be seeking community feedback on our solution via the John Therry Facebook page, so keep an eye out for that.
We will spend the next few weeks developing and refining our idea and then creating a pitch and presentation that we hope will wow the judges. During Term 3 our students have used zoom meetings to work on their project and keep in contact. It’s not easy, and certainly not as we expected when we signed up for the Challenge. We’re very proud of our students for their determination to complete the Challenge while learning remotely.
Check out this book in the bible, read a passage, does it speak to you?