Mission

On our Professional Development Day on Monday 22nd February, members of the College School Improvement Team gave consideration to our ongoing Mission at St Joseph’s Regional College. Our collective understanding of Mission is central to our overall future planning and vision for our students.

For me, it is “Mission” that underpins, informs, and empowers our purpose for our students to achieve the fullness of life in realising their potential. At the heart of this experience is our desire for our young people to feel the love of Christ with the knowledge that they are not alone and they are accompanied through the various aspects of their lives. For us, that invariably translates into our students’ academic, pastoral, social, and spiritual lives. We also share an understanding that not one of these aspects exists in isolation, nor are independent of one another. Hence, as staff and parents, we continually need to be reflective and discerning as to how our Mission manifests itself in everything we do here at the College.

Another vital aspect of imparting our Mission to our young people is accepting that it is their right to question their own Spirituality and Faith. They must have the freedom and sense of wonder to dream, appreciate the beauty of nature, the power of engaging, learning, and empathising with their fellow humans so they can freely make decisions about their own formation and journey into adulthood.

It is in this vein that I believe we need to establish spaces that culturally allow for this freedom while communicating the love that Christ has for them. As a staff and parent body, we all know that we flourish as a Faith Community when we collaborate and be patient with one another; and when we respect, listen, and are empathetic to each other’s hopes and dreams. It is my desire that our Mission equally draws upon the power of collaboration for the students for whom we have stewardship.

God Bless

Mr Jim Dempsey
Principal

Please see important information below regarding the collection of student data by the Australian Government.

'Elevate Education' Parent Seminar
Tuesday 9th March 2021
6.00pm - 7.00pm

Year 11 & 12 Seminars

On Tuesday 9th and Wednesday 10th March, Year 12 (Tuesday) and Year 11 (Wednesday) will attend Study Skills seminars, conducted by Elevate Education. These seminars have proved to be extremely useful over the years and are a great opportunity for Year 11 students to pick up skills that will help them handle the increased workload of senior school and assist Year 12 students in preparing for their major exams at the end of the year.

FREE Parent Seminar

Parents are also offered a seminar on Tuesday evening (9th March), commencing at 6.00pm in the PAC to be conducted by the same presenter. These sessions are valuable in assisting parents, not only to understand what their daughters and sons will hear during their seminars but to also get their questions answered on how they can best assist their children to develop good study habits. This one-hour seminar is useful for all parents, not just those of senior students and is presented free of charge.

Mr Tim McCosker
Assistant Principal - Curriculum & Administration

Year 7, Year 11 & Year 12 Parent Meet & Greet Interviews
Monday, 8th March 2021
in the College Hall from 4.00pm – 7.30pm

Bookings are NOW OPEN and will CLOSE at 8.00am on Monday, 8th March.

On Monday, 8th March we will hold Meet & Greet interviews for parents of Year 7 students, and subject interviews for parents of Year 11 and 12 students. Interviews will commence at 4.00pm and will be held in the College Hall. All parents attending will be required to sign in via a QR code, so please arrive in time to be able to do this before your first interview time. Also, due to current spacing restrictions, we would ask that a maximum of 2 persons per family attend the interviews (ie. 1 parent with the student or 2 parents without the student). In the interest of the health and safety of parents, students and staff, all parents attending are asked to adhere to current social distancing recommendations.

As our usual Year 7 night was cancelled last year, we will also be providing school tours for parents of Year 7 students. These will depart from outside the Hall every half hour from 4.30pm and a link to book these tours will be emailed to you next week.

Please find below details of the booking procedure for these interviews and the code required.

Year 7 - This night provides parents/guardians of Year 7 students with the opportunity to have a 5 minute meeting with each of their child's teachers (not PC Teachers as you met with them on the 29th January 2021).  Students are encouraged to attend the evening with their parents.

Year 7 students have been given a note today, outlining the process on how to book an interview time with each of your child's teachers. To assist you with your booking, your child's teachers and subjects are printed on the back of the note.

Year 11 & 12 - These interviews provide an opportunity to discuss your child’s progress in either their Preliminary or HSC Courses.

In order to book your interviews (5 minutes per teacher) please visit the following website: http://www.schoolinterviews.com.au/book

You will need a copy of your child’s timetable with subjects and teachers' names for each subject.

Enter the School Event Code from the box below
and then follow steps 1, 2 and 3.

When you click finish, your interview timetable will be emailed to you automatically – check your junk mail folder if you do not receive your email immediately.
You can return to the site at any time and change your interviews – until bookings close.

Please REMEMBER to bring the confirmation email

with your interview times on it to the evening.

Parents who do not have access to the internet at home, at work, at a friend’s house or on their phones, may send a note in with the approximate times they require or phone the College on 5525 4100.

We look forward to meeting with you.

Mr Tim McCosker
Assistant Principal - Curriculum & Administration

Students will have their 2021 College photos taken on Monday, 1st March.

All students are required to wear their formal College uniform. If a student has a sport or practical lesson on that day, they should bring their sport uniform to get changed into after their photograph.

All students should have received their photo envelope, however, there are spares available in the office if required. Envelopes must be completed and handed directly to the photographer on the day.

A 'Sibling package' and 'Friends photo' are also available to purchase. Students should collect an additional envelope from the College Office.

If a student is absent on photo day, a catch-up day has been arranged for Friday, 5th March 2021.

Mrs Tanya Daley
Assistant Principal - Mission

Caritas Australia is Hope in Action

The season of Lent begins with Ash Wednesday, which also marks the beginning of the annual Caritas Australia Project Compassion Appeal. Donations to Project Compassion allows Caritas Australia, the Catholic Agency for International Aid and Development, to work with local communities around the world to alleviate poverty, hunger, oppression and injustice. With hope, support and compassion at the core of what Caritas does, they work towards a world where all people may thrive.

We encourage you to put your compassion into action this Lent through your prayer, fasting and almsgiving by supporting Project Compassion. Families wishing to donate can do so online via the Caritas Australia website lent.caritas.org.au

Saint Oscar Romero is our inspiration for Project Compassion 2021, so in his words let’s “Aspire not to have more, but to be more.”

Second Week of Lent - Solomon Islands

This week through Project Compassion we learn about 39-year-old Margret, a teacher at a vocational school for deaf students in the Solomon Islands. She was born deaf, so she knows the challenges it poses to education and employment. Apart from the difficulties the students all have, the school also faced water shortages, with not enough to supply staff and students with safe water for drinking, cooking, washing and growing vegetables.

Then Tropical Cyclone Harold damaged the school and its vegetable garden, amidst the threat of COVID-19. Staff and students rely on the vegetable garden to provide food for their meals.

With Caritas Australia’s support, the school installed water tanks, provided cyclone-proof building materials and helped to implement COVID-19 prevention measures. Margret’s school now has enough water for its students and the capacity to cater for more, with plans to boost food security, through increased agricultural production.

• Around 60% of people in rural areas in the Solomon Islands don’t have access to piped water, while about 80% don’t have access to latrines or toilets (UNICEF, 2019).

Watch a short film about Margret’s story.

“Aspire not to have more, but to be more.”

Please support Project Compassion: lent.caritas.org.au

Working together for justice and dignity. Walking together in hope. Building together a thriving future for all.

Walk with us towards a world of hope.

Mr Timo Gobius
Leader of Evangelisation

Business Studies Site Visits

Our College’s future entrepreneurs had the opportunity to explore two local, established businesses on Friday, 19th February. The Year 11 Business Studies students visited the facilities of Expressway Spares and Cassegrain Wines, learning about their operation processes, supply chain, marketing strategies and how each company responds to the many and varied influences in the dynamic business environment. Our hosts were impressed by the students’ engagement in discussion and insightful questions, demonstrating their eagerness to learn. Visits to industry are invaluable experiences for learners as they are able to see their classroom learning in real-world action. The students are to be commended on their representation of the College.

Mrs Amanda Cassegrain and Mr Jeremy Buckley
Teachers of Business Studies

Year 12 English Study Seminars

Year 12 gathered again in F05 on Tuesday morning this week to hear a seminar run by Clare Hayes, Leader of English at MacKillop College. This was the third of four sessions. We were very pleased with attendance, considering the day before was pupil free, being a Staff Development Day.

All students of Standard and Advanced English are asked to take advantage of the last session, to be run this Tuesday 2nd March at 8.00 am in F05.

Ms Anne Marchment
Leader of English

On the Literacy Enrichment radar this week:

Little Stories.Big Ideas - a Flash Fiction Competition for all students Years 7-12

Little Stories.Big Ideas is a flash fiction competition for 12 to 18-year-olds.
We hope to inspire and encourage the next generation of storytellers.
The competition runs four times per year and is free to enter.
Each quarterly competition will have a theme. Entries must be 100 words or less and incorporate the current theme. How the theme is included is up to the imagination of the writer.
Any literary style is welcome – short-story form, poem, haiku, limerick, song – but entries must be in English.
Visit: https://littlestoriesbigideas.com.au/

Year 10 & 11 students interested in pursuing a career in media:

Publishers of Australian Catholics are offering a chance for Year 10 and 11 students across Australia to apply for their media internship program in 2021. This is an exciting opportunity for students interested in a career in journalism, communications, media or publishing.

This year's program will take place online from 10th to 15th May. Students will get an understanding of all the elements that bring together a publication.

The deadline for applications for this year's program is Monday 15th March.

If you have any further questions about the program, or if you require more detailed information, please feel free to contact our staff at:  editor@australiancatholics.com.au

And there’s more!

Young Writer's Community

Are you a secondary student or university student aged 15 to 25? Are you interested in writing?

We’ve started a young writer’s community at Australian Catholics, with opportunities to have your work featured in our magazine.

The community is open to young writers, as well as parents and teachers of young writers.

CLICK HERE for the online form to have your name added to the list so you can stay informed about upcoming editions and other opportunities.

Please note: It is a requirement from the Australian Jesuit Province that we copy in parents on any email to people under the age of 18. Those in this age group must provide parent contact details, and the parent will also be sent the emails.

Previous Weeks:

Kids Lit Quiz (KLQ)
This was conducted for the first time last year with great success, and we’re thrilled to be organising teams to participate in it again this year. 

What Matters? Writing Competition (Closes May 14)
WHAT MATTERS? is an online writing competition open to students in years 5-12. What Matters? is a 'catalyst for young thinkers and young writers to develop a perspective, a point of view, on where we're heading as a society'. 

What Matters? is an exciting way for our students to have a say, challenge themselves and develop their writing skills. 

Coming Up:

1. Week 9 - Thursday, 25th March 9.00am
2. Year 10 English Incursion: Bell Shakespeare presents ‘Macbeth in Rehearsal’
3. What Matters? Writing competition closes 14th May
4. Kids Lit Quiz

How You Can Participate in Literacy Enrichment: It’s easy!

1. Visit the SJRC Literacy Enrichment website
2. Check daily notices on Schoolworx
3. Read the SJRC Newsletter.

See you next week!

The SJRC Literacy Enrichment Team

Like us on Facebook – St Joseph’s Regional College Library

Follow us on Twitter – @sjrcexchange

Follow us on Instagram - @sjrcexchange

Mrs Karen Bale (Monday-Thursday)
Mrs Michelle Lawler (Friday)
Teacher Librarians

#WomenInScience

The National Youth Science Forum (NYSF) by Abigail Gammon 2021 (attendee)

The National Youth Science Forum (NYSF) is an entertaining and informative program for students going into Year 12 who have an interest in science, technology, engineering or maths. It is held in the January school holidays and usually is a 10-day residential program, however, due to the circumstances this year, the majority of the program was run online. Zoom meetings involved hearing from universities and current university students, specialist lectures from Nobel Prize winners, talks from STEM companies and fun Q&A sessions with Dr Karl!

The whole thing is staffed by students who attended the program previously, making them all very easy to get along with. We also get placed into Interest Groups with about 15 like-minded students. Together we’re free to discuss the NYSF, ask any un-related science questions, play fun activities and just get to know one another!

The best three days, in my opinion, were the days we got to physically go places and meet people face-to-face (which is how it usually is for the full 10 days). We are able to choose our own events, so I attended a tour of the physics buildings at ANU, an inside session at the Australian Signals Directorate, fun practicals, a coding workshop and talks from people in STEM careers. My favourite was the tour of the Physics Buildings at ANU. I got to see amazing facilities, such as the Heavy Ion Accelerator and talk to enthusiastic researchers on their progress in quantum computing. Being able to hang out with the other NYSF attendees was also super fun! We went out to lunches and dinners together and built friendships that will certainly last longer than the program. I am now an NYSF Alumni, a part of an awesome science community and I will be for the rest of my life.

I highly recommend this experience for anyone who has an interest in science, technology, engineering or maths!

Insights from Mrs Tinsey
On 11th February, the world celebrated The International Day of Women and Girls in Science……….I’m sure most of you missed it!

Over the past 15 years, the global community has made a lot of effort in inspiring

and engaging women and girls in science. Yet women and girls continue to be excluded from participating fully in science. At present, less than 30 percent of researchers worldwide are women. According to UNESCO data (2014 - 2016), only around 30 per cent of all female students select STEM-related fields in higher education. Globally, female students’ enrolment is particularly low in ICT (3 percent), natural science, mathematics and statistics (5 percent) and in engineering, manufacturing and construction (8 per cent). Science and gender equality are both vital for the achievement of the internationally agreed development goals, including Sustainable Development (https://www.un.org/en/observances/women-and-girls-in-science-day).

Thank you to Abigail for taking part in the NYSF initiative and keep a lookout for Abigail’s name in the future as an up and coming young scientist who will be leading the way for #WomenInScience

Mrs Leanne Tinsey
Teacher and Leader of Careers and University Transition

Former student Tim Bleasdale has a fast-paced career ahead in rocketry and space engineering. A 2013 graduate of SJRC, Tim has interned overseas and been a member of successful University teams working in the sector.

#alumni #aHSC4opportunity #SJRC

St Joseph's Regional College

Weekly Lunch Specials

The Canteen opens at 8.00am every school day.

Ms Donna Hamlin
Food Services Manager

The Lismore Diocesan Touch Trials to be held in Coffs Harbour are POSTPONED until 17th March.  Coffs has received 340mm of rain in the last two weeks and all council grounds are closed for at least the next week. 

The new venue is Rugby Park, Rex Hardaker Lane, Sawtell

Michael Cannon
SJRC Leader of Sport

2nd March 2021

Congratulations to the following students who were successfull with their application to attend The Diocesan Winter Sport Trials in Lismore on 9th March 2021.  Parents will be emailed further details and the excursion form link later this week.

Open Girls Soccer
Sophie Batchelor
Tenay Bonney
Sarah Garrett
Jessica Watts

Open Boys Soccer
Hunter Croft
Matthew Gleeson
Connor Hallum
Luke Squire
Chester Wade
Darcy Wade
Jye Wilcox

15 Boys Rugby League
Jack Alchin
Riley Bugden
Kayden Jones-Moore
Harrison Nevins
Ayden Rae
Jackson Roberts
Sam Watts

Open Boys Rugby League
Ty-Jesse Brabant
Bill Butlin
Elijah Coles
Aiden Grove
Joe Lewis
Gianluca Polacci-Byrnes
Michael Rudd

Thank you to students who didn't make the trial for applying.

Michael Cannon
SJRC Leader of Sport

24th February 2021

Following is a list students who were successful with their application to attend the Diocesan Touch Football Trials in Coffs Harbour on Tuesday 17th March.

Parents will recieve further information and excursion form link later this week.

Congratulations to the following students:

15 Girls:
Summa Clare
Jasmyn Barbuto
Ava Basanovic
Sienna Gill
Ava Glassie
Sharni Graham
Talia Marsh
Milla Seale
Rhiannon Slater
Eliza Smith
Grace Smith
Emma Wheeler

15 Boys:
Jack Alchin
Reef Chapman
Jalin Downey
Kayden Jones-Moore
Dexter Maher
Aydin Rae
Sam Watts

Open Girls:
Hannah Abi-Saab
Nicola Abi-Saab
Ainsleigh Baker
Tennay Bonney
Chloe Eichmann
Elka Gibson
Bianca Green
Hannah Freeman
Tahlia Hopkins
Lillian Sadler

Open Boys:
Bill Butlin
Aidan Grove
Billy Sprague
Jye Wilcox

Thanks to students who put there name forawrd but were unsuccessful.

Michael Cannon
SJRC Leader of Sport

21st February 2021

The St Agnes' Uniform Store is open from:

Monday to Friday - 12 noon-5.00pm
Saturday - 9.00am-12 noon

 6 Boronia Street, Port Macquarie

Bus Safety Week is 22nd - 28th February

Our school bus operator Busways is reminding all road users, parents, and students to ‘be bus aware’ as part of the Transport for NSW’s Bus Safety Week campaign, running from 22nd - 28th February.

Bus Safety Week, is part of the ‘Be Bus Aware’ campaign, which sees Governments, bus operators and emergency services raise awareness about the importance of being safe in and around buses and spread the message to ‘Be Bus Aware’.

The initiative provides a timely reminder to parents to have a talk with their children about bus safety; to motorists when giving way to buses; to pedestrians to make sure they are alert of their surroundings, and to cyclists to ensure they can see where buses are. We all have a part to play in bus safety.

Busways website: busways.com.au

More Road Safety tips can be found at: https://roadsafety.transport.nsw.gov.au/downloads/keeping-our-kids-safe-around-schools.pdf

The Port Macquarie-Hastings Council has launched a new initiative called 'Big Battery Blitz' in which our College is participating in. Families and staff are encouraged to bring in their spent batteries and drop them into the tube provided in the College Office where they will be collected by a council representative.