E-News 20 July 2022

Welcome to Term 3

Welcome to the start of an exciting new term at Av�԰� Christi College. As always, I hope that you enjoyed spending quality time together with family and friends over the break.

New members of the College community

We have over 20 new students joining us this term! I want to warmly welcome each student and their families to Av�԰� Christi College.

We also have a number of new staff, who we are excited to have on board:

Veronica Carter, Executive Assistant to the Principal
Rhianna Hall, Head of Humanities
Kim Tran, Digital Technologies
Thomas Svicarovich, English
Chella Godber, Pre-Primary
Jo Lyon, Year 4
Alea Go, Library and ICT Assistant (new role)

It was wonderful to have these staff with us for our professional developments days earlier this week.

Staff Professional Development Day - care packages for Vinnies and the LifeLink ShopFront agency.

Setting Goals

This time of year presents a very good opportunity for students to review their past performance and to set new and achievable goals for Term 3. Following review of the Semester 1 Report, students will have a clear understanding how they are tracking in their key areas of learning. The reports are not just designed to provide a snapshot of academic progress but also act as a conversation starter around where potential areas of improvement might lie.

In having these rich and open conversations with their children, parents and caregivers engage in the learning process which, as we know, strongly impacts student growth and development. As a school we want to partner with our families in these conversations to support improved educational outcomes.

In reflecting on their reports, we want our students to own the outcomes and seek out genuine ways to improve. Having an open mind set to ongoing learning is critical for future success, as is developing the self-regulation and motivation skills to reach out to teachers when they discover gaps in learning.

Whilst the reports provide a very good summary of the progress of students over the semester, we would encourage families to continually access to monitor the ongoing progress of their child. The formalised College reports should not come as a surprise but rather a confirmation of learning to date. We want to encourage conversations around learning every day rather than them only occurring at the end of each term or semester. These ongoing conversations allow us to continue to shape up the support and advice we can provide to our students to support their continued development.

Of course, conversations of this type are not just limited to the academic progress of our students. We want our student to feel safe at school, to be well, to feel a genuine sense of connection and belonging and to develop lasting and quality relationships with others. Supporting these needs of the child will support the learning process. It will allow them to be creative and confident individuals willing to stretch their thinking and step outside of their comfort zone to learn and grow.

In setting their goals, students take more ownership of their learning. The goals they set should be SMART.

Working through this simple but effective goal setting exercise on a regular basis with inbuilt review and goal renewal procedures will promote student metacognition and ongoing improvement.

It also provides students with the opportunity to reflect on their efforts and celebrate their successes. It provides a sense of focus, regularity and routine to learning and assists in tracking progress as goals are achieved and new ones set.

Learning Anywhere Anytime

As a College we have the firm belief that learning happens anywhere and anytime. We therefore ensure that we promote a broad range of curricular and extra-curricular events and activities in support of the many and varied skills and interests of our students. This makes for a very vibrant and energised College community which was very much in evidence in Week 10 of last term.

Despite the COVID challenges of the term, the week highlighted the culmination of many months work of hard work and dedication from a broad range of staff and students with the running of a series of signature events. The first of these, held on the Tuesday was the College’s Music Recital evening which showcased the terrific work of our dedicated music students. It takes great courage to perform in front of an audience and we therefore acknowledge all of our students who rose to the occasion and provided us with a very entertaining evening. We are very grateful to College staff Director of Music Charles Pinkham, Music Teacher Tristan Wills, Arts Administrator Officer Donna McCrystal, Theatre Manager Chris Hastie and all of our Music Tutors for their wonderful efforts in supporting our Music students.

The second key event in a busy week was held on the Wednesday night in the form of our Public Speaking Competition Night. Held in the Sadler Centre this annual event celebrated the culmination of many months of commitment from the students. There was a genuine sense of camaraderie and joy present throughout the evening as students seized the opportunity to present their ideas and opinions on a board range of topics. We congratulate them on their efforts. We also acknowledge our very dedicated staff led by English teacher Melanie Bird and supported throughout the term by Reno Sinagra, Tess Schembri, Melissa Kelly, Andrew Ward, Megan Henry and Leonie Southwell. Our Year 12 Public Speaking leaders in Thomas Augustine, Molly Dawkins, Trinita Kardia and Erika Machado also deserve commendation for their excellent contribution on the night and throughout the semester, as do the adjudicators for their ongoing support.

To close the week the College held its Dance Gala on both Thursday and Friday Night. The two outstanding performances highlighted the excellent levels of effort and application from students over many months to ensure all was in readiness for the highly professional shows. The students epitomised our College values of courage, commitment and compassion as they worked together despite the challenges of the semester to bring the shows to fruition. We acknowledge our Dance Teachers Caroline Stevenson and Emma Blundell for their terrific support of our students and for their capacity to build such a positive culture around Dance. We also thank Arts Administrator Officer Donna McCrystal and Theatre Manager Chris Hastie for their continued support of the Arts.

In the Primary years, the final week was also filled with an array of exciting activities including our participation in the Catholic Association of Primary School Sports Cross Country Carnival on the Tuesday. The College, thanks to the incredible efforts of our students, were named Carnival Champions for 2022. This is a significant achievement given the calibre of competition and speaks volumes for the dedication of our students and Health and Physical Education teacher Rob Debowski.

It was wonderful to see our Primary students getting involved with such enthusiasm and energy in a myriad of events across the term both inside and outside of the classroom. We thank our Primary team for their work in ensuring students have access to these terrific learning opportunities.

It is easy to see that Av�԰� Christi is a school of opportunity. We encourage our students to seek out areas of interest in support of their growth as whole persons. As the Av�԰� Christi (body of Christ) we are one body with many parts – all special and unique. We therefore continue to strive to create a multitude of different and varied learning opportunities to support the individuality of each of our students.

Best wishes and every blessing.

Jeff Allen
Principal

News (all years)

Limited places available in 2022:

Year 1 and Year 8 - 10 cohorts for a Term 3 or 4 commencement

There is nothing like a recommendation built on personal experience, that is why it pleases us to hear so often that our College has been recommended to prospective families by our current students, families and alumni.

Should you know of a family who are looking to enrol their child at Av�԰� Christi College for the above-mentioned cohorts, please encourage them to visit our website for more information:

www.corpus.wa.edu.au/enrolments

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

Latest Covid-19 Update

Please click the to view.

We remind families that all updates can be found via www.corpus.wa.edu.au/covid-19

Cafeteria Volunteers

For those who have time to volunteer regularly, you may wish to support the Cafeteria. Please fill in our digital form if you would be happy to be contacted to volunteer your assistance:

Events

The latest events can also be found by visiting: www.corpus.wa.edu.au/events

K-12 Assembly Online (live stream)

The K-12 Awards Assembly will be held this Friday at 8.50am.

To access the live stream, please visit:

Year 6 Parent Workshop for the Sacrament of Confirmation

St Thomas More Parish invites Year 6 Parents and Caregivers to attend the Parent Workshop scheduled for Tuesday 26 July 2022.

The parent workshop is an opportunity for families to learn more about the Sacrament of Confirmation and will be held in the Sadler Centre. A map for information on the Sadler Centre location is available here:

We ask that families register their attendance by Monday 25 July 2022.

There will be two session times available to choose from:

6.00 pm
7.30 pm

To RSVP, visit:

It is such a wonderful and important time for our Year 6 students and we look forward to supporting them during this time.

Grease (Week 2)

Our 2022 musical production Grease premieres next week!

With limited tickets available, we recommend booking now to avoid disappointment:

www.corpus.wa.edu.au/grease

To learn more about the talented students in the roles of our Pink Ladies and T-Birds, visit:

www.corpus.wa.edu.au/news-blog/grease-cast

Primary Spelling Bee

Av�԰� Christi College Competition (Years 3-6): Tuesday 30 August 2022

Event times will be communicated closer to the competition date.

This year, Year 3 students are encouraged to participate at the Av�԰� Christi College competition level. Although Year 3 are not included in the Inter-school competition, it is a wonderful way for students to become involved and begin to develop the skills needed for a successful representation at future inter-school competitions.

The Av�԰� Christi College Spelling Bee will determine our representatives at this year’s Regional Inter-school Competition.

Inter-school Competition (selected representatives): Tuesday 6 September 2022

Event times will be communicated closer to the competition date.

The 2022 Inter-school Spelling Bee will take place this year at Av�԰� Christi College. All inter-school representatives will attend two 1 hour workshops with Mrs Paparella to enhance their spelling prowess and skills prior to the September competition.

Sign-up

If you would like to represent our College against participating primary schools, please fill out the commitment form here by Monday 1 August 2022.

Once you have made the commitment, list words for your particular year level will be given out for you to learn.

We look forward to many participants in our competition this year!

Music Bursary 2023

Interested in learning an instrument next year?

We are offering students a number of bursaries for the study of a musical instrument in 2023, with each bursary offering an approximate annual value of $2000.

Applications are open to current students as well as students joining us in 2023 who are interested in beginning or continuing on their path of learning one of the available instruments.

Apply online by 4.00pm September 30, 2022:

Primary Updates

Playgroup Partners

Our wonderful playgroup - held each Tuesday from 9.00am to 11.00am - will recommence in Week 2. Please join us with your little ones and enjoy a coffee, a chat with other parents and offer an opportunity for your child to socialise.

Make a Move Dance Program

The Make a Move Dance program will be happening each Wednesday and Thursday.

There is a fun theme and great music for this year’s program. The performance day will be Wednesday 14 September 2022, with further information to be released in due course.

Rosemary Paparella
Head of Primary

Secondary Groups and Clubs

Sign-ups for Term 3 groups and clubs for Year 7-12 are now available for registration!

With over 60 extra-curricular options offered throughout the year, students can participate in a range of activities, from the following areas:

Academic
Arts
Hobbies
Ministry
Sports
Stewardship

To register for groups and clubs please visit:

Library Update

We are excited to announce that Homework Club will be relaunching this term. Starting from Week 2, Homework Club will be on in the Robert McCormack library from 3:30pm to 4:30pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays. There will be an opportunity seek help with teachers who will be available for subject specific questions. More information will be provided to students and parents via SEQTA notices, so keep an eye out!

The Robert McCormack library is open from 7:30am to 4:30pm, Monday to Friday. For more information, please visit

Senior School (Years 10-12)

Revising for Growth

Students create patterns for their brains to remember by revising what they learn for five minutes every night.

Extending students’ learning beyond the classroom, builds their independence, brain pathways and growth mindsets, and one of these learning environments is at home. Having an area predominantly for study will build patterns for their brains that associate that place with study, thus creating habits and reducing barriers to getting started.

Desirable conditions include well lit, quiet, warm and comfortable, a copy of their Personal Timetable on the wall, well resourced, away from distractions, especially TV and loud music and mobiles on flight mode. Students need to revisit what they learn in each of their subjects every night for five minutes, or their brains will “forget”.

Facts relating to how much the brain retains:

should notes not be reviewed within 24 hours, 60% to 80% of is forgotten.
after a month with no reviews, only 3% to 4% is remembered.
the brain pathways which were created wither and die.
when 50 minutes of learning is not reviewed regularly, it takes 30 to 40 minutes to relearn it; why learn it in the first place?

Renowned Polish pianist, Ignace Paderewski, once said, “If I miss one day’s practice, I notice it. If I miss two day’s practice, the critics notice. If I miss three days practice, the audience notices it.”

Acknowledgement: Wade & Walsh

Term Three Goal Setting

After completing the first semester and reflecting on their achievements, the beginning of a new term is a great opportunity to set new goals for our students. Using page 61 of the Secondary College Diary, you can encourage your children to set goals for Semester Two.

Students should journal about three strengths that they share with several their friends. Their goals should be self-determined, they need to set one goal for building their learning and thinking skills, one for connecting with others and one of their choices.

Abraham Lincoln once said, “if I had nine hours to chop down a tree, I’d spend six hours sharpening my axe.” Setting goals is how to Focus to start sharpening, seeking Feedback when working towards their goals makes the axe sharper, and finally Fix it by learning new more intelligent approaches to fix their mistakes is chopping down the tree. Setting goals initiates the learning process.

With you child, discuss the following questions for each of their three goals and ask students to journal their thoughts.

1. What do I want to achieve?

2. How will I know that I am making progress?

3. What approaches will I adopt to achieve my targets and goals?

4. What are possible distractions and problems that I may encounter on my journey?

5. What do I need to learn to overcome my obstacles and fix my mistakes?

6. Circle where I think I am on achieving this goal: 1 2 3 4 5.

7. At end of Term circle where I think I can reach on this goal: 1 2 3 4 5.

8. What resilience skill could help you with Term Three Goals (see pages 6&7)?

Damian Scali
Deputy Principal Senior School

Vinnies Winter Appeal – K to 12 students

Donations are due this Friday 22 July 2022 (Week 1)

All students are reminded to participate in the Vinnies Winter Appeal. Each year group has an allocated focus and will work towards their Faith in Action. Our primary students are participating in their annual the blanket appeal.

Please support this appeal generously as there are people in our community who are suffering.

Tuning in to Kids

Emotionally Intelligent Parenting: An interactive six-session parenting program for parents and carers of children aged 3 – 10

Would you like to learn how to:

be better at talking with your child?
be better at understanding your child?
help your child learn to manage their emotions?
help to prevent behaviour problems in your child?
teach your child to deal with conflict?

Tuning in to Kids shows you how to help your child develop emotional intelligence. Children with higher emotional intelligence:

have greater success with making and keeping friends
have better concentration at school
are more able to calm down when upset or angry
tend to have fewer childhood illnesses

Emotional intelligence may be a better predictor of academic and career success than IQ!

Facilitators: Psychologists Luisa Rossi and Jo Wiese

Where: Online via Zoom

When: Tuesday 7pm – 9pm, 16th August – 20th September 2022

Cost: $275 per individual or $500 per couple (includes manual)

To register, contact: jo@flourishingschoolsandfamilies.com.au

Limited to 12 participants – please register early to avoid disappointment.

A certificate of completion will be provided at the end of the program.

The Council for Catholic Women Perth

Promoting the Participation of Women in the Catholic Church

The Committee for the Council for Catholic Women Perth warmly invites you to 3 talks by Dr Cristina Lledo Gomez at James Nestor Hall Catholic Education Office 60 Ruislip St West Leederville. Cristina is the Presentation Sisters Lecturer at BBI-The Australian Institute of Theological Education where she promotes women’s spiritualities, feminist theologies, and eco-theologies. Married with 2 children Cristina is proud of her Filipina heritage.

Friday 5 August: 5.30pm - 8.30pm (Light refreshments served 5.30pm - 6pm) Colonisation, Church and the Migrant Australian.
Saturday 6 August: 10.00am -12.00pm -Integral Ecology and Our Shared Existence (light lunch provided)
Saturday 6 August: 1.00pm-3.00pm - Reclaiming Mary: Empowered versus Patriarchal Motherhood.

RSVP Wednesday 3 August by email kerrymacfarlane2@hotmail.com or mobile 0400 886 835.

All welcome.

Student Success

Lily Duckworth (Year 7)

Congratulations to Lily who made the School Sport WA hockey team. We wish her all the best next month when she travels to Canberra to represent our state.

Zac Mellor (Year 9)

Zac was recently invited to feature on Sport FM to talk about his Year 9 personal project – a documentary on sailing in Perth. Well done Zac! To listen to the podcast, visit:

⭐ Share Your Story ⭐

We love celebrating student success, so if you have a story to share please send details and a photo to:

marketing@corpus.wa.edu.au