E-News 17 May 2022
Welcome to Week 4
College Values
As you would be aware, the College has been working through the Vision, Mission and Values development process over the past few months, despite the challenges of the COVID environment. We are very grateful for the input from a broad range of College community members.
As a Catholic school, our values underpin all that we do. Building on the excellent community input from last year, along with the additional depth of understanding provided by parents, staff and students this year, we have been focussing on making Jesus real in our community though the development of our College values.
The AvŠŌ°® Christi is the Body of Christ. We are one school, one community, one body in Christ. We therefore look to Jesus as our ultimate role model. In exploring how we make him real in our community, we strive to mirror his actions through being courageous, compassionate and committed. We want our values to be genuinely lived out in our school and to positively shape the culture of our K-12 College community.
Our values are what we stand for and what we hold ourselves accountable to. In belonging to our community, we all have the important responsibility of upholding our values. In being courageous we are encouraged to step outside of our comfort zone to discover and learn. We have all been given gifts and talents which often take courage to discover and develop as we continue to look forward to grow ourselves as whole persons.
Like Jesus modelled, it takes courage to stand up for what is right and to actively contribute to the type of community that he envisaged. We have a multitude of opportunities each day to mirror the Good Samaritan and reach out to those around us. Whilst is often easier to walk past situations that we know may not fit with our beliefs and ideals, we encourage all within our community to have the courage to step forward and make a difference.
Seeing the needs of others in the first place of course requires us to be compassionate. In feeling a genuine empathy for others, we see them for who they are and the challenges that they may be facing. We walk with them on their journey and reach out to them in service and support.
Pope Francis in describing compassion says that it āis not simply feeling pity; itās more! It means to suffer with, in other words to empathize with the suffering of another, to the point of taking it upon oneself. Jesus is like this: he suffers together with us, he suffers with us, he suffers for usā
In being present for others in a genuine way, we have compassion for them and are deeply respectful of them as unique individuals. An understanding of their suffering, situation and circumstance shapes the way that we can support them through our words and actions.
Jesus committed his life to us though courage and compassion. He was committed to justice and mercy for all. Jesus made many sacrifices in his life in service of others and challenges us to do the same. In living out our values we are encouraged to show our commitment to our beliefs through positive action and being present for others.
In being gifted unique talents we also make a personal commitment to be our best selves. AvŠŌ°® Christi is a school of opportunity with a multitude of different pathways for us all to grow our individualised skills and talents. We encourage our students to commit to becoming fully involved in the life of the school, despite the sacrifices, and to strive for success in their chosen field or endeavour. We want our students to commit to shining their light from the rooftop for all to see and to give of their best effort always.
As an inclusive K-12 community, we all commit to the values that we espouse. We look forward to continuing to explore how we can live out these values out in our community and continue to grow the wonderful culture that exists at our school as we strive to always be āoutstanding for othersā.
Friends of AvŠŌ°®
Thank you to those parents, caregivers and alumni who have RSVPād to our invitation to attend our inaugural Friends of AvŠŌ°® workshop.
As previously mentioned, the aim of the workshop is to design a process that provides genuine engagement opportunities for parents and caregivers to support their involvement in the educational lives of their children across our K-12 community.
The planning session is scheduled for this Wednesday 18 May commencing at 4.30pm in the Sadler Centre located on the secondary campus. We will also be giving families present the opportunity to provide further strategic input into the Vision, Mission and Values setting process.
If you would like to attend, please register your interest via:
COVID ā Baseline Settings
Whilst current COVID-19 settings are set at a baseline level, we are strongly encouraging all members of our community to continue to maintain high health and hygiene practices given the continued high number of positive cases presenting daily.
WA Government supplied RATS have been distributed this week to support families navigating the current environment. A reminder that if your child becomes symptomatic, they should stay home and be tested for COVID-19. Any positive COVID-19 result should be reported on the schoolās and positive COVID-19 RAT results must also be reported on the , as is required by the WA Government.
Please continue to refer to healthywa.wa.gov.au for information on close contact definition, testing and isolation requirements.
We are continually evaluating the viability events and activities given the current climate to support the safety of our community and appreciate your excellent support as always at this very dynamic time. We also are remaining proactive in supporting the educational continuity of students away due to COVID-19.
Our prayers continue to be with all of those impacted by COVID-19. We ask the Lord to protect and bless those who are unwell or who may be suffering though anxiety and associated stresses due to the pandemic.
Best wishes and every blessing
Jeff Allen
Principal
News (all years)
Gilbertās Support Our Schools Program
We're now part of Gilbert's Fresh Market SOS Program!
Gilbertās Support Our Schools (SOS) Program donates 1% of the money spent by shoppers to their nominated school. So the next time you're in-store, let your cashier know you wish to support AvŠŌ°® Christi College.
Withdrawing from the College Information
A reminder to parents, if you are withdrawing your child from the College you are required to give a Term's notice in writing. Failure to give adequate notice will result in a Term's fees being charged as per the terms and conditions of enrolment.
To notify of your intent to withdraw, please submit the online form available here: www.corpus.wa.edu.au/withdraw
Sibling Enrolments
We gently remind our community to submit an Application for Enrolment for a new sibling as early as possible.
We encourage applications from birth to avoid disappointment as places cannot be guaranteed, even for siblings, if enrolments are already full.
Please note: a copy of the Birth Certificate is required to accompany the application.
For more information visit:
Student Success
Oliver Norris (Year 12)
Congratulations to Oliver Norris who has achieved his Silver Duke of Ed Award.
A huge congratulations to Oliver Norris who is the first student at AvŠŌ°® Christi to achieve the Silver Duke of Edinburgh Award. Oliver showed determination and commitment to fulfil the challenging requirements of the Silver Award through just as challenging times.
The benefits of the Award will travel with Oliver for many year to come. Congratulations Oliver!
Seraphina Andrew (Year 11)
Congratulations to Seraphina Andrew for being selected in the 2022 School Sport Western Australia Inc State Team for the 16s Girls Hockey Team.
An incredible achievement, well done!
ā Share Your Story ā
We love celebrating student success, so if you have a story to share please send details and a photo to:
Events
Primary Library Secondhand Book Sale
Monday 30 and Tuesday 31 May 2022, before and after school.
Location: Primary AvŠŌ°®us - Undercover area.
Friends of AvŠŌ°®
We welcome families to attend a planning session scheduled for Wednesday 18 May at 4.30pm in the Sadler Centre located on the Secondary campus (
We will be giving families present the opportunity to provide further strategic input into the Vision and Mission setting process.
We hope you can join us at our planning session.
RSVP:
Primary Portrait Day Rescheduled
The Primary Portraits have been rescheduled to Monday 30 May and Thursday 9 June.
Family photos will be scheduled on both mornings, prior to school commencing.
Please note this in your diary and you will receive further information from the photographers as to the ordering procedures and requirements.
The Portrait Day will be spread over two days:
Monday 30 May: Kindy, Pre Primary, Year 1, Year 2, Year 6 (winter uniform)
Thursday 9 June: Pre-Kindergarten, Year 3, Year 4, Year 5, Year 6 (Leavers/ Graduating Primary shirts)
If your child is unwell and cannot attend the above nominated day, a catch-up session will be communicated to you in due course.
Learn to Swim
The Learn to Swim program has a range of options for all swimming abilities, with bookings now open for Term 2!
Available to primary students, the program will be run on Mondays in Term 2 for an 7-week program.
Be sure to get in quick as spots are limited!
All families who have already booked for this term do not need to re-book, you will receive confirmation of the new lesson time and swimming level via email.
For more information, visit: www.corpus.wa.edu.au/learn-to-swim
Premierās Reading Challenge
Primary students are encouraged to log 12 or more book titles from May to 9 September 2022 and by recording the books students have read, they will go into the running for some fantastic prizes.
As we have some incredibly enthusiastic readers in our school, it would be great to support this event.
Motherās Day Primary School Assembly
On Friday 6 May, the Primary School were delighted to host a special Motherās Day assembly.
Featured at this assembly, was a video created by some talented Year 6 junior journalists, to view this video click here.
The College is celebrating National Careers Week during Week 4. You will notice new Bullseye Charts in the classroom pinboards and other notice boards in the secondary campus. They provide the careers available in subject areas.
Students are encouraged to come to the lunchtime Career Expo on Wednesday 18 May 2022 outside the Mater Christi Centre.
We have information and resources from the range of universities, TAFE and other training organisations including Defence Force Recruiting and WA Police Force. There will be handouts for School Based Traineeships while in school, as well as full time apprenticeships and gap year options for Year 12s.
Senior School (Years 10-12)
Year 11 Dinner Dance - Save the Date
Time/Date: 10 June 2022: 6.30pm - 10.30pm
Location: Optus Stadium
Tickets: ticketing details to be released shortly.
RSVP: By Thursday 2 June 2022
Dress: Semi-Formal
Please note we are a conservative Catholic College. Gentlemen no jeans or shorts and you must wear a business shirt and tie with appropriate pants. Jackets are optional. Womenās dresses must not be extremely short, have an extremely low cut front or back, have any excessively high cut slits, have overly revealing midriffs, or be inappropriately revealing ā giving the illusion of nudity. We appreciate your support in following our dress guidelines.
Wellbeing
Encouraging students to look at life optimistically and search for what is good and right about what they are doing generates positive emotions in them to build their wellbeing to thrive and flourish. Happy people enjoy better health, are more likely to achieve what they set out to do and welcome challenges.
When we teach students about the amazing benefits of adopting an optimistic outlook in their lives and introduce them to the little positive actions they can do often, they shine. Their preparedness to adopt growth mindsets to learn and try new and more difficult approaches will ensure their continued personal and academic growth.
The alternative is to look at life pessimistically and search for what is wrong with things. And guess what, people who adopt this negative way of thinking find plenty of things they perceive to be not right, because that is all they are on the lookout for. Itās a pity they miss out on the great things that are happening and could happen. As such, they seldom have those warm feelings of gratitude and appreciation. The zest of optimistic thinkers is contagious and rubs off on those around them. Unfortunately, this is also true for negative thinkers.
Optimistic Perspectives on page 36 of the College Diary is a great place for your child to start. Having such an outlook enables them to be optimistic and hopeful that they can influence their own futures. Share that feeling that they have a sense of control in their lives generates positive emotions and can-do attitudes. Encourage that using positive āI canā and āI willā self-talk will also add another layer of strength for them to immediately contest negative thinking to change it to positive mind chatter.
Read and discuss the following questions and ask your child to journal their thoughts about them in their diaries.
When is a time you approached a problem optimistically and created a pathway to solve it?
What are the possible consequences for those who choose to view setbacks and failures as temporary parts of life which will pass and then those who see them as permanent issues?
What resilience skill could help you with Optimistic Perspectives (see pages 6&7)?
Discuss the importance of giving of themselves to do the little things such as smiling, saying thank you, saying sorry or forgiving someone, and ask students to journal their thoughts in their planners about:
When are times you felt you had an attitude of giving?
Encourage your child to use positive self-talk.
POSITIVE SELF-TALK ā āI CAN AND I WILLā
Effort
Stay focused on maintaining my efforts till I accomplish what I set out to do
Keep pushing through, even when Iām struggling
Prepare well to give myself positive opportunities to strive, thrive and flourish
Never give up, never, never, never Ā» Put my head down at home to make myself do my homework
Ask for help when I donāt understand something
Read the question several times to work out how to best answer it
Persist with growth mindsets to overcome challenges
Accept and see mistakes as positive things to learn from
Communicate clearly to explain myself
Push hard in my thinking to be flexible in how I approach challenges
See setbacks as learning opportunities to grow from
Not accept ājust good enoughā efforts from myself
Live by mindset that the harder things become, the harder I try
Initiative
Try new approaches when my usual ones donāt work
Apply what I have learned to new situations
Make it difficult for me do the things which distract me
Organise my time by designing a Personal Timetable
Aim to do several acts of kindness for others every week
Create five self-calming strategies when I am upset
Write down three good things that happened and Iām happy about every night
Look for what is right in what I look at
Use assertive language when in difficult situations
Create ten positive coping strategies when I feel stressed
Thrive on coming up with new ways to improve myself
Create ten different ways to ask for help at school, at home and in the community
Seek to understand the consequences of my thoughts, words and action
Damian Scali
Deputy Principal, Senior School
Faith in Action
Have you thought about what opportunities are available to you at the College for service?
Below are some opportunities that begun last week. They range from being creative to being outdoors to fighting for justice in the community. If interested, please come to the Upper Room to sign up for them or speak to the relevant person. Grab a friend or two and have some fun while completing your service.
Parents, please have a conversation with your child about what they will be doing for their FIA this year. More information about what it is, is in the Diary on page A29 and A30.
Students in Year 10 need a total of 15 hours and are due by Term 4 Week 2.
Students in Year 11 need a combined total of 30 hours and are due Term 3 Week 5.
VIBE Youth ā NEW OPPORTUNITY
Do you like playing board games? If so, this opportunity is for you and a friend!
VIBE Youth are seeking 2 students to help each week with the following:
promotion (inviting a friend to join in - the games nights are FREE)
setting up tables & chairs
setting up the snacks
welcoming and supporting the other young people
joining in the fun!
packing up
Each shift would be from 5:30pm to 8:45pm, worth 3 and half hours. Dates are:
21 May 2022
25 June 2022
16 July 2022
20 August 2022
17 September 2022
15 October 2022
19 November 2022
Some of the board games that we'll play include Ticket to Ride, Forbidden Island, Catlan, 7 Wonders among others.
Please see Ms Thomas to sign up.
The Council for Catholic Women Perth - Events
The Council for Catholic Women Perth warmly invite you to hear Dr Mary Coloe PVBM at two free events in Perth. Mary is a Presentation sister and a professor of New Testament Studies at Yarra Theological Union. Her primary focus in teaching and writing is the Gospel of John. An inspiring and informative speaker, Mary explores John's positive message that affirms life and speaks to the heart of human desire.
RSVP by Thursday 9 June to Kerry at kerrymacfarlane2@gmail.com/ 0400 886 835. All welcome.
The Passion Gospel of John - Friday 10 June 6-8.30pm at James Nestor Hall Catholic Education Office 50 Ruislip St West Leederville,WA. Gather at 5.30pm for light refreshments.
Understanding The Woman at the Well Story - Saturday 11 June 9.30am -12 noon at Treacey Hall, Iona Presentation College Junior School AvŠŌ°®us. Enter from 43 Victoria Street, Mosman Park (Next to Playing Courts and opposite Cafe).
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