Community of Faith

Dear Parents, Students, and Friends,

In a pastoral letter to the people of the Diocese of Parramatta, Bishop Vincent Long spoke of being ‘first and always a community of disciples following our one master, Jesus Christ. We are not the church of one particular leader, be it Pope Francis or Cardinal Pell or any other bishop’. He remarked that ‘we are the living Body of Christ made up of saints and sinners’. Bishop Long called for humility, and a letting go of superiority, privilege, and power.

I have heard Bishop Long speak a number of times and each time I am impressed with his ability in few words to cut through, to say it as it should be said and to say what needs to be said at the time. This has been a dreadful week for the Catholic Church and this week follows a dreadful five years. It is our great sorrow for the victims of child sexual abuse that is at the heart of our dismay. These crimes should never have been committed especially by a church that should have been protecting the young.

Last Friday, I had one of those great positive experiences in life. One I had not been expecting. My whole day was set to listen to four school uniform companies put forward their thoughts on the Kindergarten to Year 12 school uniform for Marist Catholic College North Shore. Not a simple matter in that it included girls and boys, infants, primary, junior and senior secondary, summer, winter, sports, accessories such as bags, scarves and more. I could not have imagined a worse day. Hours of conversation about fabric, fashion, skorts vs culottes.

Our journey with the uniform is only just beginning. Our group on Friday consisted of Bev Coffey, Principal of St Mary’s Catholic Primary and three mothers. I won’t name them for their personal safety at this stage. Two of the mothers have sons at our school and daughters who will be joining us. One of the mothers has children who are much younger and will be making this their school into the future.

After a couple of presentations, I could not believe my personal transformation. I was asking questions of thread count, shades of colours and was very enthused with the experience. I think what happened was that I gained a glimpse of the future with children and young people dressed in this uniform studying at this college. Young adults dressed in these new, smart colours benefitting from our traditions and yet finding new ways of being Marist.

It is early days in the uniform discussions. We are very keen to bring parents, students and teachers along in this process. We have not made big decisions yet but are very interested in the creativity of two of the manufacturing companies. I may have found my calling in life.

Sadly, this week we will farewell our outstanding English Coordinator, Janette Durand. Janette is a great English teacher, coordinator, and member of staff. She has built the English Faculty into being a strong and effective team. Under her leadership, our HSC results have shown outstanding success. Each year HSC English students at the various levels have shown strong growth when compared to their expected performances. This was Janette’s seventh year of coordinating English at Marist. Janette is moving to become the English Coordinator at an independent girls’ school.

Ms. Candice Green will take over from Janette. Candice has a strong record of teaching and leading English and will commence at Marist at the beginning of Term 2.

Tony Duncan
Principal

Mobile phones
The beneficial use of mobile phones at the College has been under review over the last three weeks. Parents, students, and staff have all completed a survey around mobile phone use at the College and at home. We are now setting up a mobile phone staff committee to explore the data obtained and determine how we move forward with the use of mobile phones here at the College. Thank you to all parents who completed the survey, we had an overwhelming response. We will, of course, keep parents and students updated on the way forward in this area.

We are a Catholic School!
The title says it all. We are a Catholic School. Jesus is at the heart of who we are with our actions based on Gospel Values and lived out through a Marist lens. Unfortunately, in recent weeks, I have had many conversations with students about disrespecting various aspects of the faith life of the College. It is, in fact, a condition of enrolment that the Catholic Nature of the College is respected including but limited to Prayer, Religious Education classes, Reflection Days, Retreats and Masses. I understand and appreciate that each student is unique in terms of their faith and spirituality and their personal level of faith will always be respected. We will not force students to believe. What we will never do however is apologise for being Catholic. We would appreciate your help at home to encourage an appropriate level of respect for faith and spirituality at the College.

Mathematics Homework Club is back for 2019!

When: Each Wednesday afternoon (Week 6 - 10)
Where: ARC
Time: 3:20 - 4:20pm

This is back by popular demand and an excellent opportunity to complete homework, prepare for assessment tasks, get extra help with Mathematics, work collaboratively with friends or set up a study group. See you there!

Amanda Conde
Mathematics Leader of Learning

The new school year has only just begun, and with it, a myriad of opportunities for students to further enrich their academic lives here at Marist College North Shore, through the participation in various extracurricular activities. Such activities range from displays of public oratory skills (debating and public speaking) to displays of elite, physical fitness in a vast array of sports. Yet this article isn't about the aforementioned activities, although it very well could be, as such activities are of equal importance and benefit to the student body. Instead, it is about the College Chess Club. To the great benefit of both the college and the student body, the College Chess Club has been around for many years and has become an integral part of the rich culture of extra-curricular activities that the college provides.

If desired, students from Years 7-12 can join chess teams for their year group (4 students per team), and based on their previous experience and ability to play chess, will assign themselves to boards 1 through to 4. With 1 being the player with the most experience and aptitude, and 4 being the player with the least experience. Once these teams have been formed, they will play teams from other schools in the North Shore region in competitive, yet cordial competitions, taking place mainly all in Term 2 (for more precise dates, consult either Mr. Dela Paz or Mrs. Drivilias). These competitions provide students not only with the ability to further enhance their chess skills, but also to consolidate friendships with other students in both their team and ones from other schools.

Now, what if you don’t feel as if joining the chess team is something that takes your fancy? Then don’t fret, as you can still engage yourself and become involved in the well-established and respected culture of chess at the college. This can be done through attending one of the many lunchtimes in Room 19 (on Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays), where students from Years 7-12 come together to play chess. Coming along on one of these days, either to play chess or to just have a look, is very much recommended. As in doing so, you have the chance to connect with and form bonds with other students while simultaneously improving your ability to play chess and contribute to the rich and vibrant culture of Marist spirit that is abundant in the college. For students who are interested in the joining the chess club, please see Mr. Dela Paz or Mrs. Drivilias, or come along to Room 19 on either Monday, Wednesday or Friday at lunch. Hope to see you there!

Dorian Duschlbauer
Year 12, Kelly 4

On Friday, March 8 the Year 12 Studies of Religion ll class travelled

to the Nan Tien Temple in Wollongong as a part of our religious tradition study of Buddhism. As we drove in through the front gates the temple already made an impression with its size and we now understood why it is the biggest temple in the Southern Hemisphere. We began the day by participating in a series of meditation processes which was lead by one of the Buddhist nuns. The purpose of these meditation processes was to cultivate a sense of calm and focus the mind to gain wisdom. This was done through the traditional ways of indoor mediation and environmental meditation but we were also introduced to walking meditation which was a new experience for the whole class.

The meditation ended and we commenced learning about the key beliefs of Buddhism. We learnt how the five precepts are the foundation for all virtuous actions as well as the moral standard for the human race. After a nice vegetarian lunch, our tour guide took us to the Great Hero Hall. Inside the Great Hero Hall, the five Buddha's of Confidence, Longevity, Wisdom, Inner Beauty and Peace looked upon the shrine with 10,000 smaller Buddha's, showing that everyone can achieve Buddhahood. After this, our tour was wrapped up with a visit to the museum where many interesting relics were on display.

Guiliano Parisi
Year 12, Montagne 2

Year 10 Careers Assessment/Profiling
Following the Careers Assessment and profiling session earlier this term, reports will be distributed to the boys on Friday afternoon. Any student who was absent on Friday is asked to collect this from me in the Careers Room. Furthermore, the timetable for optional interviews has been distributed to the students.

Macquarie University School Visit
Last Thursday afternoon, we commenced our series of University and tertiary providers visits to the College with Macquarie University. It was very encouraging to see over 40 boys from Years 11 and 12 choose to participate in this opportunity. As such, the boys engaged in conversations with the student ambassadors around new course options, scholarships, entry pathways, and daily life at MQ.  Moreover, the boys were able to gain a holistic view of what makes MQ a university which is undertaking dynamic change and producing graduates who are well rounded, globally focussed and practice ready. Click below to view Macquarie at a Glance.

By now many parents would be aware through assemblies, information evenings, conversations with their son or reading High Notes that the College has a Vision for Learning - Dare To Be, and four principles that teachers follow that aim to bring the vision to life, that being Challenge, Relational, Engaged and Deep Thinking. Over the following issues of High Notes, I aim to arm you with some language that your son might start using at home. To ensure that we bring the Vision to life, we endeavour to make it part of our everyday conversations.

In this edition, we will look at “Challenge”

On Tuesday 12 March Dr. Prue Salter from Enhanced Learning Educational Services (www.enhanced-learning.net) conducted a study skills session with Year 11. The session focused on helping students identify changes and improvements they could make to their approach to their studies in order to maximise their results in their final years of school.

The main areas covered with Year 11 were:

• Moving into a senior mindset.
• Working effectively at home and dealing with distractions.
• The importance of independent learning.
• Managing workload and planning for assessments.
• Organising resources for school both paper and digital.
• Steps to effective study for assessments.
• Increasing the range of study techniques used.
• How often and how to make study notes.
• Making study notes - practical guide and examples.
  
  

Parents are encouraged to review the handout from the session with students and discuss the main areas identified where changes need to be made. Parents can also find extra study skills tips on the following website: http://studyskillstoptipsparents.com/. 

The Year 11 Study Skills Seminar is in alignment with the student's Goal Setting and the College’s focus on developing a Growth Mindset. The College offers students support with developing strong study habits through Study on Thursday afternoon and in the Academic Resource Centre. Ms. Tracey Dunne, our Academic Resource Leader offers guidance with effective study notes strategies. This support coupled with the seminar strategies presented by Dr. Prue Salter should provide the Year 11 students the opportunity to manage the senior school in terms of both achieving their academic potential and for their wellbeing.

Carolyn O’Brien
Director of Diverse Learning