CAROLINE CHISHOLM TERM 3 WEEK 5 COLLEGE ISSUE 12 NEWSLETTER 10 August 2010 FROM THE PRINCIPAL Caroline Chisholm College 90 - 98 The Lakes Drive Dear Parents, Friends, Staff and Students of Caroline Chisholm College, Glenmore Park As Sunday, 8th August was the feast of Mary MacKillop, we held a NSW 2745 special prayer service in homerooms last Friday to mark the occasion. The College day was also an opportunity for us to contribute some funds to the Sisters of St Joseph to support them as they prepare to celebrate her canonisation. Phone Numbers: Thank you to all who contributed to this appeal which raised $1266. Student Absences The heart of Mary MacKillop’s work was the provision of education for Ph: 4737 5555 those who would otherwise not have received any education. She School Fees recognised that a good education opens the doors to an improved future and this certainly Ph: 4737 5520 continues to be true today. Enrolment The nature of the learning activities has changed dramatically in recent years. This has Enquiries required our teachers to continually develop their skills and reflect on their professional Ph: 4737 5506 practice. Our recent Staff Learning Day was a valuable opportunity for us all to enhance Uniform Shop our technology skills by learning more about collaborative writing and on-line surveys using Googledocs. Our thanks are extended to Mr Michael Stevenson, the Leader of Ph: 4737 5522 Learning Technologies, for his presentations on this day. General Information All teachers are now looking forward to using these skills within their classes in the near Ph: 4737 5500 future! Fax: (02) 4733 1054 Our ability to provide such relevant learning experiences is only possible because of the LOG ON TO OUR WEBSITE amount of technology within our college. These resources include data projectors in every www.carolinechisholm. learning space, a large number of interactive whiteboards, high speed wireless access nsw.edu.au throughout the college and an enormous number of computers. TO VIEW THE It is appropriate that we thank and acknowledge all who have contributed to the provision FOLLOWING ARTICLES: of these resources. INSIDE THIS ISSUE: From the Principal 1 The contribution of our parents through the Technology Levy has enabled us now for From the Principal 2 many years to be among the best equipped schools. The investment by the Parramatta From the Bishops Office 3 Catholic Office in infrastructure has ensured fast access to the internet throughout the college. However the most significant impact in the last two years has certainly come from From the Assistant 4 the investment of the Australian Government through the Computers in Schools Leader of Learning & 4 Program. Through this program we have been provided with more than 500 laptops which are regularly used every day. Teaching LOTE Report 5 This ready access to computers for all students in our college has had an enormous impact on the nature of the learning activities. However to maintain this approach to learning there Food Technology 6 are ongoing costs as laptops need to be replaced on a regular basis and bandwidth needs to TAS 6 be continually increased to cope with greater demands. The provision of ongoing funding CoLe 7 for schools to meet these needs is an issue of vital concern. The Parramatta CEO website HSC Drama 7 www.parra.catholic.edu.au provides information about funding that may be of interest when parents are considering the implications of the education policies of the various English Excursion 7 political parties. Careers News 8 Careers News 9 Blessing and Opening - Mary MacKillop Primary School 2011 VET External 9 Last Friday, I had the pleasure of attending the Blessing and Opening of their new Multi- Courses Purpose Centre (School Hall). Bishop Anthony Fisher blessed the building which was officially opened by Mr Greg Whitby, the Executive Director and Mr David Bradbury Netball News 9 the Federal Member for Lindsay. This building was funded by the Australian Government Study Skills 10 under the BER program and will certainly be a great asset to the local community. All our local Catholic primary schools are very pleased with the projects they are building through The Literacy Spot 10 this program. Notices 11 Diary Dates 11 FROM THE PRINCIPAL CAROLINE CHISHOLM COLLEGE We are certainly looking forward to the completion of Bethany’s BER project within the next few months. This will be a great resource for the Bethany community and the Caroline Chisholm College community which will also be able to use it. Grandparents Day at Holy Family, Luddenham Congratulations to our Food Technology students, Isabella D’Angola, Dianne Li, Lauren McGrath, Kristen McKenzie, Jessie-Leigh O’Connor, Emily Patchell, Keiana Watene-Zelezniak, Bianca Singh and Emma Whitefield who were wonderful ambassadors for our college through the professionalism, friendliness, service and generosity they demonstrated in helping at this function. Thank you very much to Ms Junelle Dunne who coordinated their involvement in the event and supervised the students. Visitors from Japan Recently we had a visit from the Principal of the Tokyo Junshin Girls’ Senior High School with whom we are considering forming a sister school relationship. She was most impressed with all she saw. For the past two weeks, we have also hosted Japanese exchange students from the Taira Commercial High School in Iwaki who have thoroughly enjoyed their time here and gained a great appreciation of Australia. Thank you very much to all the students and their families who hosted these students and provided them with a wonderful experience. Thank you particularly to Ms Searle, the Leader of LOTE Learning who coordinated the visit and to Mr Marc Petit, our Careers Advisor who generously hosted two of the visiting teachers in his home. Captivate - Performing Arts Program The final performances at the Joan Sutherland Centre showcased the wonderful talents of our dancers and drama students and earlier performances had provided opportunities for our music students. The students can be very proud of the quality of their performances and the commitment they showed to an extensive rehearsal schedule involving weekends and holidays as well as after school classes. It was obvious that they had benefitted from the opportunity to work with highly regarded industry professionals. Thank you to Mrs Karen King the Leader of Creative Arts, Mrs Brooke Hughes and Ms Claire O’Brien who spent countless hours at rehearsals and at the performances. H.S.C. Examinations and Major Works Best wishes to all our Year 12 students who will be completing their H.S.C. Dance, Drama and Music practical examinations in the next weeks. Please keep them in your prayers. Many students are also finalising their major works for Society and Culture, English Extension 2, Textiles & Design and Visual Arts. We wish all students well as they balance their time to complete Trial Exams and these other projects. Congratulations Year 11! Last term all Year 11 students attended a Driver Awareness and Safety Training Day. This is an annual excursion which always has a powerful impact on all who attend and often leads to a far more responsible approach to driving. I know that our students behave very well - especially when they are in public. However it is very pleasing when members of the community take the time to comment on this excellent behaviour. Terry Birss, Chairman of RYDA Australia wrote: ‘I have been informed that your students were a credit to your school both in their behaviour and the manner in which they engaged with the presenters and Rotary volunteers. We were impressed with your students’ attentiveness to the potentially life-saving messages which we trust will stand them in good stead for the future.’ I also recently received a congratulatory email about the behaviour of a Year 11 student, Laura Attard, for the way in which she approached a local business for her Business Research Task.. These are two examples of the impact all our students have on all those they meet. Yours sincerely Ms Christine Howe Principal FROM THE BISHOP CAROLINE CHISHOLM COLLEGE Catholic Schools Parent Forum: Wednesday 1 September Learning for Today's World – Q & A panel discussion with the Executive Director of Schools, Greg Whitby, a principal, teacher and parent from the Diocese of Parramatta and educators from outside the Diocese. Everyone is invited. Topics: •What does contemporary learning and teaching look like? •How can personalising student learning cater to the diverse needs of all students? •How does teacher collaboration improve teacher quality? •How does contemporary learning impact on the learning environment? (e.g. need for flexible learning spaces, acoustics, classroom management, etc)? Does the educational research support this approach? To RSVP and submit a question online by 25 August go to: www.parra.catholic.edu.au Venue: Holy Spirit Primary, 7 Todd Row, St Clair; 7pm for 7.30-9pm. From the Bishop’s Office - Bishop Anthony interviewed on Salt & Light Television Bishop Anthony Fisher OP was recently interviewed by Fr Tom Rosica CSB on Salt and Light Television in Canada, reflecting on World Youth Day 2008. Go to “The Bishop’s Interviews” on Bishop Anthony’s page at: www.parra.catholic.org.au What does Mary MacKillop mean to you? The Diocese of Parramatta’s website has a section dedicated to the canonisation of Mary MacKillop. This section includes stories from people across the Diocese whose lives have been touched by Mary. If you have a special connection to Mary that you would like to share, go to “Mary MacKillop Canonisation” on the home page menu at www.parra.catholic.org.au. Schools resources are also available at www.parra.catholic.edu.au/marymackillop Seminar on Ecumenism & Interfaith Dialogue A one-day seminar will be held at the Institute for Mission.