From the Principal

Reflection and More

Dear Parents, Students and Friends

Reflection

Recently, the Church celebrated the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ. Some years ago this was referred to as Corpus Christi Sunday. One of St Ignatius’ favourite prayers was the Anima Christi or Soul of Christ.



In Kevin O’Brien’s excellent The Ignatian Adventure, he cites the late great David Fleming’s contemporary translation of the Anima Christi.

Jesus, may all that is you flow into me.
May your body and blood be my food and drink.
May your passion and death be my strength and life.
Jesus, with you by my side, enough has been given.
May the shelter I seek be the shadow your cross.
Let me not run from the love which you offer,
But hold me safe from the forces of evil.
On each my dyings shed your light and your love.
Keep calling to me until that day comes, when, with your saints,
I may praise you forever. Amen.

Gonski 2.0

There has been a battle fought out in recent weeks on behalf of our low-fee paying Catholic schools against some of the implications of the Government’s education funding plans. The Senate passed these plans last week.

There were two concessions to our system of schools. The first was that there was an inclusion in the legislation that allowed our system of schools to allocate resources where required to best meet student needs. Sydney Catholic Schools has indicated that there will be no increases in school fees beyond our standard ‘cost of living’ adjustments of between 2% and 5% for the next three years.

The second concession is that Catholic schools’ funding remains unchanged for the next year allowing a review of the Socio-Economic Status (SES) model which is used as the basis for funding decisions.

Ultimately, our Catholic schools look like being financially disadvantaged to the tune of $4.6 billion over the next decade.
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    From the Assistant Principal

    Road Safety and more

    Road Safety

    At MCNS we frequently remind the boys about the need to ensure that they take caution when coming and going from school each day. Please remind your boys that being aware of their surroundings is an important part of road safety. In particular, major roads such as Miller Street and the Pacific Highway carry a large amount of traffic during peak hour.

    Unfortunately in recent times I have received reports of boys crossing these main roads in locations other than the lights and boys have been leaning out onto the road to look for buses. Boys should be aware that even when crossing at the lights, they should look both ways and watch for vehicles. Wearing headphones also presents a challenge with concentration being taken away from the surroundings and simply not hearing traffic or signals.
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      Creative and Performing Arts

      It's a Wrap

      Are you what they say you are?
      This year Marist College North Shore staged Andrew Lloyd Webber’s and Tim Rice’s powerhouse rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar. Exploring a fictional account of the last few days of Jesus’ life, the narrative twists the original tale with Jesus getting caught up in his growing reputation, dating Mary Magdalene and Judas interestingly serving as the voice of reason. 

      This production has been a joy to work on since day one, where the masterful and unfathomably energetic Mr Tony McDonnell led the cast in learning 22 musical numbers. From the very first rehearsal Mr McDonnell and I left grinning from ear to ear due to the instant commitment, energy and sense of joy which the cast had brought. By the end of Term 1, all of the songs had been learned off by heart, and we were ready to bring them to life on the stage.

      A personal challenge for myself, was the opportunity to teach the choreography for each musical number in blocking the songs onstage. A few bemused and potentially shocked teachers happened across myself practicing some of the moves in the gym before rehearsals - one such number belonging to the ‘Temple Women’ made one teacher decide to use the gym at another time. This brings me to the female cast who generously lent their time and expertise to the musical. Our Mary, Tara Black, soothed both Jesus and the audience with her dulcet and powerful voice. Jonathan Amirzaian, dynamically traversed the stage bringing Judas’ torment to life with great physical intensity. Felix Powling, dealt with Jesus’ struggle with sensitivity and great courage and Koen Brown startled audiences with his fierce, yet insightful and tender Pontius Pilate.

      A great strength of Marist musicals and productions is the opportunity for students to showcase their artistic abilities on stage. Some notable examples were Oliver Boyd and Oliver Manning, both of whom normally have been crew in past productions, this year in the roles of Simon Zealot and Caiphus, each delighting audiences with their energy, commitment and considerable vocal talent. Will Byrne, another such example, usually is member of the band, but this year he graced the stage, almost stealing the show with his flamboyant Jekyll and Hyde portrayal of the Mad King Herod. 



      However, it truly was the ensemble members of the cast who stole the show, playing multiple roles, learning numerous dance and movement sequences and manipulating both their physicality and vocal delivery with great detail and finesse to build the world of JCS.



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        HSIE

        Battle of the Coral Sea

        Why should Marist Men remember this battle?

        2017 marks the 75th Anniversary of “The Battle of the Coral Sea”, a naval battle which was fought off the Northeast coast of Australia from 4-8 May 1942. The Australian Prime Minister at the time, John Curtin, called it “The battle that saved Australia”.

        In this battle the Australian and American Navies joined together to prevent the Japanese from cutting off Australia’s supply routes, which would make it easier for them to isolate and then invade Australia. As part of a propaganda campaign the Japanese government printed and dropped from planes money for use after they invaded, and announced that Australians should hold on to this money, as they would be able to use it when Japan had taken over Australia.

        There were two big ‘firsts’ in this battle: it was the first time Japan had been defeated in a naval engagement, and it was also the first battle in history where the two sides did not see each other, as the battle was fought by fighter planes launched from aircraft carriers.

        Although the battle resulted in huge losses for both sides, it prevented the Japanese gaining their objective of controlling the air and sea around Port Moresby and the Solomon Islands.

        The legacy of this joint naval engagement has been a military friendship between Australia and the USA which has lasted to this day.

        9 History 4

          Year 12 Economics


          On Friday, 16 June, the Year 12 Economics class attended a conference held at the Wesley Conference Centre in the CBD. The students were given the opportunity to listen to some leading experts in the field of Economics including Dr Michael Plumb from the Reserve Bank of Australia, Craig James, Chief Economist from Commsec (many will be familiar with Craig's regular appearances on television providing commentary on the Australian economy and finance updates) and Tim Riley, author of a number of Economics textbooks.
          Each presenter provided economic insights into and provided an analysis of contemporary economic issues and trends allowing the students supplementary learning to their experiences at school. In particular, the students were able to deepen their knowledge and understanding of the 2017-18 federal budget, global and domestic economic conditions, free trade and external stability. They also gave insights into HSC examination and questioning techniques.
          The boys were very engaged in the presentations and are to be commended on the way they conducted themselves both at the the conference and whilst in the public domain.
          Michael Latham
          HSIE Leader of Learning

            Co-Curricular

            Chess Report

            For the past two months, each Friday, four Year 10 Marist Boys have given it their all as we battled it out on the Chess Board. With four tough away games, and three very welcoming home games thanks to the generous food provided by the canteen ladies, 2017 was set to be another great year of Chess. 

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              Solidarity

              Footy Boots

              Over the last 12 years, MCNS has offered our senior students the opportunity to participate in an immersion experience to the Northern Territory.

              An immersion experience occurs when a person is exposed to a situation where the normal pattern of their existence is disrupted by a new set of circumstances. The new circumstances are normally characterised by some form of poverty or injustice. It is a journey that draws on each person’s intellectual, emotional, physical, spiritual and social temperaments.

              This immersion is based in the Aboriginal community of Wadeye, which is located 400km south west of Darwin. The community is made up of 22 Aboriginal clan groups, whose land and dreamtime stories are located around this area.

              The community faces many challenges, including health and education issues. One activity that keeps the community together is their love of AFL (Australian Football League). 

              We have decided this year that we want to donate second hand football boots as many of the children play the game bare feet. Our College community has responded generously with a large donation of boots that will be distributed to the young members of the Wadeye community through the sport and Recreation program there.

              Greg Angelou
              NT Immersion Coordinator

                Careers

                Career Opportunities

                Student opportunities Careers Term 2 week 10

                Universities

                Macquarie University Cooperative Education Program
                Bachelor of Actuarial Studies with the degree of Bachelor of Professional Practice - combine study with relevant industry experience and be supported with a scholarship.
                This highly competitive course will see you alternate between classroom studies and workplace experience in the form of three vocational placements of three to six months each throughout your degree. You’ll develop professional skills and networks across different workplace settings, and use your practical experiences in the classroom, while also receiving a scholarship for the duration of the course.
                http://www.mq.edu.au/study/why-study-here/employability/cooperative-education-program
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                  Events

                  Spanish Latin American Mass

                    School Notices

                    Uniform Shop

                    A reminderto parents that the Uniform Shop does not take orders or payments via credit cards over the phone. Students should have all credit card details available before approaching the register.

                    There is an Order Form on the school website or a quick email with items required and your credit card details included is sufficient. All emails are deleted once the order has been filled.

                    Uniform Shop emails can be sent via the school email or direct to june.mitchell@syd.catholic.edu.au

                    From the beginning of Term 4 the Uniform Shop will also be opening on Tuesday each week. Tuesday opening times will be 8.00 – 12.00.

                    During Term 3, I will be sending out a letter asking for volunteers for the Tuesday shop hours. If you would like to help the school out and volunteer for Uniform Shop on a Tuesday please respond on the above email or wait for the list in Term 3.

                    As from Term 1 2018 the Uniform Shop will have differing hours per term.

                    Term 1 and 4 the shop will open Tuesday and Wednesday.

                    Term 2 it will open 8 -2 for the first four weeks of term, then resume 10 – 2pm.

                    Term 3 will have no changes.

                    June Mitchell
                    Uniform Shop Coordinator

                      Other

                      UAC ATAR Information Evening

                      A reminder that a subject selection evening for Year 11 2018 is being held on Tuesday 18 July (5-6.30pm) followed by a an ATAR presentation by UAC (7-8pm). 

                      All Leaders of Learning (Subject Coordinators) will be available, with support of other subject teachers, to answer any questions you or your son may have about certain Year 11 and 12 subjects and their demands and requirements.

                      Ann McGovern
                      Director of Teaching and Learning

                        Year 7-10 Parent Teacher Interviews

                        Year 7 - 10 Parent Teacher interviews will be occurring during the evenings of Wednesday 19 July and Tuesday 25 July. These are valuable evenings where teachers, parents and students can strengthen their partnership in order to achieve the best result possible for the student. 

                        Please feel free to discuss any goals that your son may have set for a particular subject to see if these need to be adjusted or revised - you may even find that our son has already achieved some of the goals he set for the year!

                        Ann McGovern
                        Director of Teaching and Learning

                          National Gymnastics Competition



                          Vittorio Arellano represented NSW at the 2017 Australian Gymnastics Championships on Friday 2 June 2017 at Hisense Arena in Melbourne. Vittorio and his partner competed in the Mixed Pairs Acrobatic competition they achieved first place.

                            Junior Rugby



                            Thomas Sage-Pickin and Charlie McCoubrey were both selected to Represent Gordon Junior Rugby for Under 13’s at the State Rugby Union Junior Championship held over the June long weekend at Menai. It was a honour for the boys to represent Gordon but also their club, Chatswood. They were selected from the 8 Clubs that make up Gordon Village. They played 5 games overall with Gordon coming 7th out of 17 teams from across the state.

                            Congratulations to Thomas and Charlie.

                              Mystery Books



                              How do you judge a book when you can’t see its cover?

                              Here at Marist College North Shore we are trying to challenge our boys to read, though often choosing a book is the hardest part. So what to do?

                              We thought: everyone loves a present!

                              So we bought some brown paper, wrapped up our new fiction books, put them on display and suddenly created an interest. We then added the genre of each book as well as a few words to describe the story inside.

                              Seven boys volunteered to become part of our ‘Book Review Competition’ and the chance to win a $20 iTunes voucher. They each got to choose a wrapped book, read it and then write a book review.

                              As each boy unwrapped their book they were pleasantly surprised and not disappointed in their choices.

                              The competition was tough and I was forced to add another $20 iTunes voucher as I was unable to make one clear choice. So I would like to announce that the winners are Ethan Hrnjak (Year 8) and Seb Tan (Year 7). Though I would like to congratulate all the boys who participated in this competition and hope they will continue to read and not judge a book by its cover.

                              Below are the two winning book reviews

                              Tracey Dunne
                              Academic Resource Leader
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                                Clickview and Overview

                                For today’s students, school-based learning is no longer confined to the classroom or to school hours. 

                                Over the last few weeks I have had the opportunity to visit all Year 7 Design and Technology classes and introduce the Oliver and Clickview systems. In today’s educational setting, school libraries are adapting and our own Academic Resource Centre is at the centre of this new and exciting way of learning. Part of this change involves new practices and preferences by extending digital services and resources, while maintaining our physical presence. Our focus is helping our younger students develop skills in making discerning choices and building on their foundations of information literacy. 
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                                  A and B Grade Soccer

                                  This season has seen an unprecedented level of success so far for the senior teams at the College. 
                                  At the time of writing, A Grade are currently unbeaten with a 100% record with two rounds of the competition to go, whilst B Grade are in second place having experienced defeat just once. After both teams reached their respective finals last year, hopes are high for them to go one better and bring home a soccer premiership to North Shore for the first time for many years.

                                  Jon Watts
                                  Soccer Coach

                                    Golf - Aidan Powter

                                    In the biggest JNJG Junior Masters event of the season, The Macarthur Masters held over 36 holes at Campelltown Golf Club in which over 200 competitors played, Aidan Powter (Year 10 Kelly 4) took out the Age title with rounds of 73-70 in challenging conditions to win by 5 strokes. In the Open he secured a top-5 finish also.

                                    The win qualifies him for the Bonville International, a R&A World Ranking event in December.
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