Newsletter 13 - August 20

Principal's Message

Galatians 5:22-23
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control”

Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Sunday 22 August marks this wonderful feast day and how relevant it is to us now under the current plight of COVID-19. As Catholics we devote many hours in prayer to our Lady. Pope Francis has frequently said that his favorite image for the Church is her motherhood.

“The Church is feminine,” Pope Francis says. “She is a mother.” Of course, Mary is the model, the inspiration for the Church’s motherhood and for all that is holy, compassionate and loving in the Church’s life and ministry. When Mary’s influence is missing or weak, the Church no longer acts as a loving mother.

That’s why we should turn to Mary in both good times and troubled times. As Mother of Perpetual Help, she is always ready to assist us, always there for us, constantly prepared to seek her Son’s guidance and support for all her children. Especially in times of grave danger, such as the current pandemic, Mary offers hope, healing and comfort to all who are in need of her maternal care.

Year 12 Trial Exams - Online success
The tribulations of HSC Trial Exams can be worrying at the best of times. However, under the strain of COVID-19, our young people have risen to the challenge and taken it head-on. Each year when sitting in a College hall, like our own Magis Centre, there are generally innumerable issues with exams, timing, support, anxiety, and so on. Pleasingly, those issues have been less than what would normally be expected due in no small part to the efforts of our Teaching and Learning staff headed by Mrs Falvey.

Thank you to families during COVID
I want to offer my sincere thanks to the families of our young people for the kind and generous words of encouragement offered over the last 2 weeks. This is challenging for us all. I know the struggles you have trying to work from home and be a teacher to your children at the same time. What I am so pleased to note is that so many seem to be very conscious of the impact on our teaching staff who are also parents trying to teach online their regular classes and fit in time to do this with their own children. Parents - your understanding here is really appreciated and your generous nature in just getting on with it without complaining really makes things easier for our staff to support your children as best they can.

Extension of Lockdown
The NSW Premier has announced that lockdown and restrictions in Regional NSW will be extended until 12.01am Saturday, 28 August 2021. This means schools will continue to deliver education to students through Blended Learning for another week.

Attendance at school continues to be limited to vulnerable students and those students where all parents/caregivers must attend their place of work and cannot work from home leaving their children unsupervised. Please understand that should students attend school who do not meet this criteria, the school and the student are then in breach of the NSW Health Stay at Home Order. NSW Police are visiting schools to assess breaches to the NSW Health Stay at Home Order.

Thank you.
Go gently and love each other.

God Bless,
Mr Kevin Lewis
College Principal
kevin.lewis@lism.catholic.edu.au

Assistant Principal - Staff and Students

Online Learning…..again!
Our students are once again demonstrating their resilience and persistence as they navigate the unexpected, and as parents/guardians, you are once again doing an amazing job in supporting your children to make the best of difficult circumstances. You have certainly lived the experience of parents in partnership with the College throughout this pandemic and we are grateful for your support. All of our staff are making every effort to deliver the best blended learning experiences they can for your children while responding to ever changing directives and circumstances; currently we have the first ever online HSC Trial Exams!

Below are some successful online learning strategies adapted from The HopeFULL Institute’s Glen Gerreyn (a motivational speaker) and advice that is invaluable at this time:

Wake up an hour before you have to be online
We need to take the time to mentally prepare for the day so don’t roll out of bed in your pyjamas for your first Zoom of the day. Wake up at least an hour before you need to be at your desk. Have a quick shower, eat a nutritious breakfast and get dressed.

Make your bed
Doing this is a daily ritual which can steady your psychology. Control what can be controlled before you face the uncertainty of the day. Completing the chore of making your bed in the morning gives you a sense of accomplishment. Accomplishments can lift us up, fortify our spirit and empower us to be greater. Each accomplishment, no matter how small, requires skill and determination to see it through to completion. This alone builds self-worth and boosts wellbeing.

Spend time exercising before you start your day
“Exercise boosts brain power.” - Our mind is most alert after exercise and getting moving early will light up your nervous system.

Be early
Be at your desk 10 minutes before you have to start. Being early will give you the opportunity to check you have everything you need and get in the zone for a productive day of learning. By building a routine, you’ll minimise stress and anxiety and put yourself in a great mood.

Keep your room clean and tidy
Mess creates stress. When our rooms are in disarray, it assaults our minds with excessive stimuli, causing our senses to work strenuously on things that are unimportant.

Declutter your room and only keep the essentials necessary to learning on your desk. Be minimal in your approach; you’ll find it’s a successful online learning strategy.

Create a pleasant environment
Adequate lighting and appropriate temperature of your workspace should be taken into consideration. An indoor plant which you take the time to water and care for will freshen up your space. An updated vision board with motivating quotes, visions and goals for future ambitions aids in keeping your purpose alive.

Be fully present
When you are online in class on Zoom, be present. Don’t fiddle, look out the window or allow yourself to be distracted with the plethora of items in your room. Train yourself to focus. Become calm, cancel out all the noise and listen for the salient point which will amplify your learning. Too often, we miss the big idea because we allow ourselves to be side-tracked. Make a promise to yourself to stay focused: you’ll find it to be another successful online learning strategy.

Go outside for morning recess and lunch breaks
A break is not a break unless you are doing something different. If you were sitting down inside studying on a laptop, a break is not sitting down inside on social media. A break means walking around outside device-free. As humans, fresh air is fundamental to our vitality. Without it, we become fatigued, drowsy and our mind will become dull. 

So get outside, recharge on energy from the sun and boost your vitamin D levels.

This situation continues to force everyone to adapt and create new habits. The problem is, the only way to create new habits is through deliberate practice. Being told overnight you cannot attend school and instead have to learn online means nobody has had the chance to build up their skills, however, engaging with these new online study platforms will sometimes require you to grit your teeth and carry on. Students, you are stronger than you think and capable of more than you can imagine. I hope the tips above inspire you to create some healthy habits and PLEASE remember to keep the lines of communication open with your friends, teachers, parents/caregivers and trusted adults in your life.

Mr Peter Fear
Assistant Principal - Staff and Students

Catechesis and Evangelisation

Digital Prayer Group
Due to the current circumstances we have been unable to have our usual lunch prayer in the Chapel. In order to provide a constant prayer experience within the community we are offering a digital alternative. Every Monday to Friday, the YMOs and Mr Eyles are hosting an Instagram Live streaming of the daily prayer at 1:20pm. Using the Sacred Space prayer books created by the Irish Jesuits, we read the Scripture reading and some points of reflection, whilst also contemplating the weekly topic.

If you are unable to join us live, don’t worry because the videos are posted to both our Instagram and Facebook pages.

https://www.instagram.com/xcc_ministry/

https://www.facebook.com/XCCMinistry/

Senior Retreat 2021 postponed
Each year in Term 4 at the beginning of their HSC journey, our incoming senior leaders go on retreat. The Senior Retreat for the HSC Class of 2022 was to be in October this year - but those dates were looking increasingly untenable due to border closures, restrictions on excursions, cancellations of guest speakers from Sydney and Melbourne etc.

This retreat has now been postponed to Week 4 of Term 1 next year.

We look forward to the Year 12 Retreat from Wednesday 16 February to Friday 18 February 2022.  Students and families are asked to make a note of these important dates.

Mr David Eyles & Mrs Mary Howard

Wellbeing

Self Compassion and Deepest Desires
[Character Strength and Jesuit Value]

Student Leadership for 2021/22

Congratulations to our College Captains for 2021/22
Cheyenne Acret, Zach Sullivan, Jayda Thompson and Brodie Viel

Next Friday 27 August 2021 each House will host a Zoom meeting and the Year 11 students who have nominated for House Captains and House Academic, Culture, Mission and Sport Captains will address their House and put themselves forward as Captains. Electronic Voting will take place on Friday. House Captain will close at 10am and the other electoral rolls will open at 11am and close at 1pm.

Normally this is done face to face in a physical House Assembly, but needs must.

Home Learning in the time of Covid
4 apps to help you study at home

Home schooling can be really tough for some folks and a delight for others. While it’s impossible to eliminate study stress completely, there are some study apps that can help make it all a little more manageable.

1. Flora
   Is your teen you finding it difficult to focus? Distracted by the phone? It sounds like they might need a little Flora in your life. Flora is a free app that helps students to manage your screen time via a virtual garden.
2. Atmosphere: Relaxing Sounds
   While some people love the sound of silence while studying, others crave the chaos of the outside world. If your child needs a little background chatter to focus, then Atmosphere is the app for them.
3. HabitBull
   One of the hardest things to do when learning from home is getting into a good study routine. It’s just so easy to get distracted by the internet, friends, your phone or games. After all, you’ve got stacks of time! This app allows your child to track their good habits and notice any poor behaviour patterns.
4. 7 Minute Workout: Fitness App
   One of the best ways to send stress packing is by getting your sweat on. This free app offers your child daily workouts that are designed to get their heart rate up and clear the mind.

For more information go to: 

https://au.reachout.com/articles/5-apps-to-help-You-study-at-home

House News

Pastoral Care Zooms
Just for some fun during Pastoral Care Zooms today all students and teachers dressed in their house colours.

Campion House

Faber House

Ignatius House

MacKillop House

McAuley House

College News

Year 7B Class Zoom

Year 7 students were able to show off their pets at the end of a Zoom last week. It has been a great way to continue to feel connected and to get to know a little bit more about everyone, and to enjoy things that maybe we wouldn’t have been able to do face-to-face at school .

Here are some highlights and some of the pets we saw.

Canteen News – Term 3 2021

Mrs Denise Barnard – Canteen Supervisor

Canteen is a great opportunity to meet other parents and to be involved in your child/childrens school life

• Arrive at school by 8:45am and park on the street (or you will get locked in the bottom carpark!)
• Go to the Office to sign in and receive your Visitor Badge.
• Head over to the Canteen where you can start preparing for the day’s lunch orders.
• Volunteers receive lunch and their children receive a $5 canteen voucher.
• Finish time is approximately 1:30-2:00pm, depending how busy the day is.
• If you are unable to make your rostered day please email Denise at xcccanteen@lism.catholic.edu.au or phone the College beforehand on 6618 0180.
• Text message reminders are sent on Wednesdays the week before your rostered day.

Flexischools app is unavailable until further notice

Community News

Respectful Relationships Parent/Carer Survey

Thank you to the 168 parents/carers who completed the Respectful Relationships Survey in
Term 2 of this year. Parents/carers were asked two questions:

1. Respectful relationships and consent education are being taught in school. How can
   our Catholic schools better support our children and young people in this area?
2. Our children and young people need both their families and schools to help support
   them in their understanding of consent and respectful relationships. How can our
   families and Catholic schools work together to better develop their understanding in
   this area?
   

The key themes to emerge from survey responses included:

• The need for explicit teaching across the curriculum and a whole school approach
  that focused on developing a culture of respect within the school community.
• Improved communication with parents about consent and relationship education
  curriculum content to allow parents to effectively support children’s learning and
  development at home.
• The use of high-quality external providers for students and parents.
  

Key actions that the Lismore Catholic Schools Office will undertake include:

• Developing a set of guiding principles that will provide an effective and consistent
  framework for consent and respectful relationships education in the Diocese of
  Lismore. This will include the importance of student and parent voice.
• To improve communication to parents and carers and explore parent and community
  respectful relationship and consent education opportunities.
• To investigate priority areas for curriculum resource development and teacher
  education.