Celebrating 25 Years of being ‘Enlivened by the Spirit’

Anzac Road Menai NSW 2234 Phone 9543 0188 Facsimile 9541 0398

info@aquinasmenai.catholic.edu.au www.aquinasmenai.catholic.edu.au

FROM THE PRINCIPAL

AQUINAS CATHOLIC COLLEGE MENAI

4th September, 2017 Vol.25.No.25

22nd

Week of Ordinary Time

I would like to acknowledge the tremendous support the entire College Community has offered the Buttling Family over the past fortnight. The celebration of Jean’s life was held last Friday afternoon and was a fitting tribute to her family and her professional life at Blakehurst High School, Heathcote High School and finally Aquinas. A large number of students, ex-students, parents, staff and ex-staff of the College gathered to pay their respects and were able to reflect on the unique teacher and colleague that they had in Mrs Buttling. I would also like to recognise the terrific support of our neighbouring Catholic Schools who have offered their condolences along with Sydney Catholic Schools. The Buttling family also asked that their thanks be passed on as they took great comfort in the words and actions of students and ex-students alike. As we head towards Preliminary HSC exams in Weeks 9 & 10 and HSC Exams, that start in Week 2 of Term 4 we all might heed the words of the poster that Mrs Buttling had on the front wall of Room 13:

Today is a great day to learn something new.

It is with great regret that the three colleges [St Pats, Bosco & Aquinas] involved in the Timor L’Este project have withdrawn from the proposed Immersion for 2017. In recent years, we have had an immersion experience with communities in East Timor. We were gearing up for that until we were recently informed that Catholic Mission could not get a Supervisor / guide to officiate an immersion at the time we desired. Hence, only recently, we were offered an alternate option to the Philippines. Again, we set our sights on taking on that challenge, albeit in a short time frame. Unfortunately, we have just received information that the community host in the Philippines can now not accommodate us in early October this year. Another set of dates were offered; however, these dates are not suitable to the three Colleges. The time frame for preparation was reduced and there was difficulty securing staff from the schools to attend. As such, it has been agreed that these circumstances are not suitable and we have decided to withdraw form the process. We hope to continue our relationship with Timor in 2018. Funds raised for the 2017 Immersion project will be carried over to the 2018 immersion. I would like to thank the Year 10 and Year 11 students who applied for the immersion for their enthusiasm, willingness to be outside of their comfort zones and strong sense of social justice. Their letters of application were noteworthy in their expressed desire to make a difference in our world. The final major project for the HSC Class of 2017 to acknowledge is that of Isabelle Bryce. Isabelle completed the demanding HSC English Extension 2 course, under the tutelage of Ms Millar, that requires the candidates to compete a major work. Isabelle chose to submit a print medium and wrote a short story entitled, Ella, and we congratulate her on completing such a major undertaking and Miss Millar for her guidance. Best wishes also to Lauren Agostino who this week competes for the Acrogym Gymnastics Club in the National Acrobatic Championship in Bendigo, Victoria. Good luck Lauren! James Corcoran Principal

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Assistant Principal

Damien Kerr Assistant Principal

Dear Parents and Caregivers, On Wednesday 13 September, the Sutherland Police Youth Liaison Officer will be coming to Aquinas. The topic of conversation will be Staying Safe Online. Senior Constable Katherine Dodd will be speaking to Years 7, 8 and 9 during the day, and at 6.00pm to any adults in our community who would like some strategies to encourage the responsible use of technology in their children.

Please respond your intended attendance via this link.

This Week

Event Date

Year 9 Commerce - Running a Business (Lunchtime) Monday 4 September

2017 Higher School Certificate Design & Technology Practical Examination Marking Tuesday 5 September

2017 Higher School Certificate Music Practical Examination Marking

HSC Symposium

Aquinas Year 10 Mass - 8.20am Wednesday 6 September

Visual Arts, Design & Technology; IT Timber Showcase 3.30pm to 6.30pm

Aquinas Whole School Assembly Thursday 7 September

Year 12 Drama Showcase - 6:30pm

Archbishop of Sydney Awards for Student Excellence Friday 8 September

Next Week

Event Date

Year 11 - Preliminary Examinations Monday 11 September

Year 11 - Preliminary Examinations Tuesday 12 September

Aquinas Year 9 Mass - 8.20am Wednesday 13 September

Year 11 - Preliminary Examinations

Parent Information Evening - Cyber Safety - Sutherland Police Youth Liaison. 6:00pm MacKillop Learning Centre. Parking available for parents in Staff and Students car parks.

Year 11 - Preliminary Examinations Thursday 14 September

Aquinas Year 12 and Holy Family Year 6 Mass - 9.00am

Year 11 - Preliminary Examinations Friday 15 September

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Learning and Curriculum Matters

This Week's Assessment Tasks

HSC and Preliminary Examinations

Students in Year 11 will sit their Preliminary course examinations in Weeks 9 and 10 and should now be putting the final touches on practice responses to make the most of feedback prior to these exams. Each student should have full sets of study notes to reflect the whole year’s work, as their examinations will assess the year’s content.

When the Year 11 cohort returns from the Term 3 holidays, they will begin the first term of their HSC course work and will sit for the first assessment tasks that contribute to their final HSC results.

HSC (Year 12) students recently heard how it is not too late to considerably lift their academic results and to change their expected ATAR, to maximize the post-school choices that they are able to make.

This involves a very simple formula of working individually to learn their work, but of also sharing all of their resources and forming effective study groups to assist each other now that they are no longer competing for rank order.

Students earn and keep half of the result that they achieve in each subject on the day of their external HSC exams.

They also keep the rank order, but not the mark, of the internal results that they have accumulated. The actual mark that they receive for the internal component of their assessment will be moderated, based on the achievement of all Aquinas students on the day of each HSC examination. This means that if all students work together, and with their teachers, to improve their actual HSC examination results, their internal results will also be moderated to their advantage.

Students end up with a formula that is

50% moderated school assessment result + 50% HSC examination result = final HSC mark.

Ultimately, this means that doing no additional work between now and the HSC could result in a loss of marks, but doing more preparation, study and practice responses and SHARING resources and knowledge, can vastly improve every student’s final result.

Please ensure that students have the best opportunity to achieve, by also ensuring 100% attendance in class in these final weeks of school.

Lisa Mirabello Leader of Teaching and Learning

Year Subject Date

10 Commerce 04.09.17

9 Commerce 04.09.17

9 Food Technology 04/05.09.17

8 Music 04.09.17

9 Geography 05.09.17

9 Commerce 05.09.17

9 Elective History 05.09.17

7 PASS 05.09.17

9 HSIE 06.09.17

8 HSIE 07.09.17

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HSC Drama Showcase 2017 - This Thursday 7th September

In Week 6, the Year 12 Drama class successfully performed in their HSC practical examinations. Now, with this significant milestone accomplished, the Year 12 Drama students are inviting family, friends and

the school community to watch a performance of their major works; both Group and Individual Performances.

Date: This Thursday 7th September

Time: 6.30pm

Where: The Drama room

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Dear Parents, Carers and Students,

"In some ways I believe I epitomise the average New Zealander: I have modest abilities, I combine these

with a good deal of determination, and I rather like to succeed." These typically modest words were

uttered by the most famous living New Zealander – a sporting and adventure hero, who scaled heights

and reached places where no human being had gone before.

Sir Edmund Hillary, along with his Nepalese Sherpa mountaineer

Tenzing Norgay, were the first climbers confirmed to have reached the

summit of Mount Everest on 29 May 1953. As we know, Mt Everest is

the world’s highest peak standing at 29,028 ft. or 8,848 m.

It’s probably a stretch to compare climbing Everest to completing the

HSC, but high performing schools often use different metaphors as

way of motivating students towards common goals. The 1953 British expedition was years in the planning

and involved up to four hundred people, including 362 porters and 20 Sherpa guides.

To reach the highest point a person is capable of, and the deepest connection to self, takes many years

of hard work. There is no silver bullet - no single thing a school can do to ensure high student

performance. At Aquinas we recognise, promote and celebrate individual strengths and build and broaden

the capacity of each person to discover their best self. Students who are flourishing are fully engaged in

learning and achieve positive outcomes throughout their lives.

A typical day for a student to prepare for their summit:

9 hours for sleep

6 hours for school

1 hour for travel time

4 hours study/school work/assessments/daily rituals

4 hours for eating, relaxing, school sport commitments

Getting through the Year 11 Preliminary Course is like making it to base camp. Base camp on Mt Everest

is at an altitude of 17,598 ft. or 5,364 m. Getting there takes teamwork, endurance, planning, resources,

time to acclimatise, support crew, guides and an extreme amount of willpower. Year 12 you are almost at

the summit or the pinnacle of your studies thus far - the HSC.

Remember that Hillary couldn’t do it on his own. It takes a team to tackle the HSC.

Dominic Ritchie Pastoral Care Coordinator

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Unity: After School Coding and Game Development Workshop

Our SECOND lesson is this Wednesday the 6th of September 3:15 - 5:15pm

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Jessica Fraser Librarian (Information and

NEW English Writing Resources:

In preparation for the new Year 11 English Common Module: Reading to Write and HSC English Module C: The Craft of Writing the following texts have been added to our resource collection to assist Aquinas students in responding perceptively to the texts they study class. We hope the texts will support students to develop the skills they need to become thoughtful and knowledgeable writers.

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GREAT CYCLE CHALLENGE

Aquinas Catholic College have entered a team in the Great Cycle Challenge to fight kids' cancer!

Our team is called This is Aquinas! and I am inviting you to join us to ride throughout October, open to both staff and students.

How does Great Cycle Challenge work? You set yourself a ride target and pedal it down over the month, logging your kilometres via a free app which is linked to your personal rider page. Compete against friends, family and even your teachers to see who can ride the furthest.

It's a great excuse to get on your bike!

And it's all for a great cause, to fight kids' cancer.

To join our team, check out our team page below:

https://greatcyclechallenge.com.au/Teams/ThisisAquinas/h

I hope you can join This is Aquinas! and pedal with us this October to end childhood cancer.

Happy trails.

Please email or talk to Mr Buchan if you are interested or have any questions.

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Each week Maths Recall is included in the newsletter to encourage junior students to regularly focus on non calculator skills. Please show your answers to your maths teacher during your next lesson, as it shows interest and excitement about mathematical skills. 1. Evaluate –2 (15 - 6)

2. Evaluate

3. Evaluate 15a x 4b

4. Evaluate 6m ÷ 2

5. Evaluate –5k x –31

Mrs Catherine Fensom, Assistant Mathematics Coordinator

MATHS DEPARTMENT RECALL CORNER

Next week there will be activities to celebrate National Literacy and Numeracy week at Aquinas. For Literacy: Staff vs Student debate in the library at Wednesday lunchtime Pastoral class Literacy challenge in morning Pastoral For Numeracy: Times Tables challenge in the library on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday Poster Competition for a famous mathematician Kate Wilson - Literacy Renee Kelly - Numeracy

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Holy Family Parish Asylum Seekers Collection

Asylum Seekers Centre Annual Collection

Again, we are asking families to support the work of the Asylum Seekers Centre, Newtown – a place of hospitality and welcome. It is an oasis for many people, a safe place for those who have fled situations of great danger. The Centre provides accommodation, legal, medical services, English classes, nutrition education and social support.

It has a “Food Bank”, where asylum seekers may take home a shopping bag of goods weekly. Last month, 1500 such bags were provided to these vulnerable people.

We have moved this annual collection to September, to respond to the urgent needs of the Centre. We are again asking for your generous donations of non-perishable food and toiletries.

The following goods are currently in particular need:

Canned beans (chickpeas, red kidney beans, mixed beans), Cooking oil (vegetable, 1 litre containers) Long life milk (1 litre containers), Tea (chamomile, peppermint, jasmine, green, black), Tinned fish, Nappies (mainly toddlers sizes 10kg+), soap, toothpaste.

Please leave these goods in the church foyer at Masses on 9 and 10 September, or anytime, from Friday September 8 – Friday September 15th.

Many thanks in anticipation of your continued generosity

Holy Family Social Justice Group

YOUTH MINISTRY @ AQUINAS

ACYF YOUTH FORUM @ Revesby "On Thursday 31st August, Michael Monk and myself along with Miss Kilzi attended the ACYF forum for the second time this year. As ambassadors for ACYF, this forum was extremely beneficial for Michael and myself as we were informed about what exactly will be happening at ACYF, the amazing guest speakers that will be attending and we worked on strategies to encourage students at school to get involved. The afternoon consisted of personal stories about taking risks and getting involved, numerous videos to highlight the energy of ACYF and what to expect as well as entertainment by singer songwriters ‘Gus and Iggy’, who will be performing at ACYF. Michael and I had a great experience at the forum meeting new students and embracing the spirit of ACYF, that will occur in December this year". Emily Boesen - Year 11 ACYF Ambassador. Catherine Kilzi Youth Ministry Coordinator

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CANTEEN ROSTER TERM 3

TIME: MONDAY-THURSDAY 10:00-1:35, FRIDAY 10:00-12:45

MONDAY 4/9 ROSEMARY MORRISSEY TUESDAY 5/9 ROBYN GRAHAM WEDNESDAY 6/9 JULIANNE LANE, LEANNE SWALES, KAREN BRADSHAW THURSDAY 7/9 MIN STRAUSS, KIM GLENIE FRIDAY 8/9 KARINA MICHAEL, ARISTEA MARAKAS, TRISH WADE MONDAY 11/9 MONICA SPOONER TUESDAY 12/9 MICHELLE WHEATLEY, AMELIA KATALINIC WEDNESDAY 13/9 STAM FARUGIA, JEANETTE CABRERA THURSDAY 14/9 GEOFF RAYMOND, LISA TUDEHOPE FRIDAY 15/9 KYLIE GARRETTY, SARINA PANTAZIS, SONJA PARKER

Uniform shop will be open on

THURSDAY

7 September

8:00am—9:00am

Please note the Uniform Shop only sells Sports Uniforms and School bags

The Uniform Shop now has Eftpos facilities

The Rosary

‘The Rosary & Prayer

Intentions’ will be held

every Tuesday @ lunch…

Room 25

Answers:

MATHS CHALLENGE

1 1/3

2 -18

3 20ab

4 3m

5 12kl

Maths Department