Vol. 52 Issue #6 3 May 2016  

Multicultural Week 2016

FROM THE HEADMASTER

REFLECTION

COLLEGE LIFE

Dear Parents, Students and Friends,

Recently our College Leadership Team has been reflecting on Pope Francis’ book, The Name of God is Mercy. This is a great read and a wonderful introduction to the heart of our Pope. The dust cover of the book introduces the theme by saying ‘Simply and directly, Pope Francis here addresses all humanity in an intimate and personal dialogue. At the centre of this book is the subject closest to his heart – mercy - which has long been the cornerstone of his faith and is now the central teaching of his papacy.’ Francis says ‘Mercy is the first attribute of God. The name of God is mercy. There are no situations we cannot get out of, we are not condemned to sink into quicksand.’ I think offering mercy to the people that we live and work with is a beautiful concept. It is not easy to apologise for something that we have done and to ask another for forgiveness. One must be humbled through the process. I feel that through the experience of giving mercy we are making relationships and life a little better.

I am keen to share the life of the College with parents. The following are four different upcoming experiences where we see the school/home partnership happening:

• Year 7 Study Skills – Tuesday this week, Dr Prue Salter will be working with Year 7 students and their families to help set up and develop good skills in study. Prue has already this year worked with the Year 11 and 12 students.

• Year 12 Parent Teacher interviews will be

held on Wednesday afternoon and evening. This is a good opportunity to revisit the important goals set earlier in the year by our HSC students.

• Mothers’ Day Assembly is on Friday

morning. This is a wonderful tradition at MCNS. We will be also combining this assembly with some Year 12 prize giving.

• Parents and Friends Meeting is on Tuesday week, 17 May.

Paul Dillon is the Director and founder of DARTA and he is passionate about ensuring that the community has access to accurate and up-to-date alcohol and other drug information. On 24 May at 7pm Paul will be speaking with parents (parents only). During that day, Paul will be working with the Year 10, 11 and 12 students. Mr Tony Duncan Headmaster    

Thank you to all Parents and Guardians who contributed to our Multicultural Day Food Stalls. Most of the Food Containers have not been collected and are sitting near Lost Property. Could parents kindly instruct their sons to come and collect these items as storage space is limited.

SECONDARY SCHOOLS CHESS TEAM COMPETITION

Please refer to the College Website for the 2016 Draw: http://www.maristcollege.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/2016-Secondary-Schools-Chess-Comp-Draw.pdf

THE MARIST MAN  

FROM THE DEPUTY HEADMASTER

COLLEGE SECURITY

UNIFORM

COLLEGE PHOTOGRAPHS

NAPLAN  

During the recent school break I had the opportunity to reflect on my first term at Marist North Shore. Without any doubt, everyone within the community has been supportive and welcoming, especially the boys, who I’m sure are still working out my ways. I recall my school days, many years ago, finding my place within a Marist community and growing into manhood with the spirit of Champagnat firmly embedded in my thoughts and actions. Having the privilege of being a member of this College community we are continually challenged not only to be active participants but are charged with the responsibility of continually forming and nourishing the culture of Marist. This extends to our commitment toward our learning and striving to do our best- in support of each other, in celebration and in times of need. We are also challenged to be the face of Marist whenever we wear the College uniform, be it on the train, in a bus or attending a sporting event. I encourage all boys to continue to uphold the great name of the College in action and deed and in every interaction we have.

There has been some changes made to the overall security at the College. During the recent school holidays, a security camera and intercom system were installed at the main gate. The purpose of this system is to ensure clear monitoring of the traffic and visitors to the College. With this system in place, effective immediately, the main gate will remain closed between 9:00am and 3:00pm. Any students arriving late will need to report through the front office. At lunchtime, Year 12 and boys going to St Leonards Park will also enter and exit via the pedestrian gate. The main driveway gate will be opened at 3.00pm for dismissal and remain open until 6.00pm. With this change comes the restriction of limited parking spaces within the College grounds. Parents visiting the school for extended periods of time, ie canteen volunteers, are asked to use the intercom system to gain access to the College. All other

enquiries or visitors are requested to enter via the main office. These changes have been put in place to ensure the safety of all members of the Marist North Shore community. Your support in this change is greatly appreciated.

With Term 2 well in progress it is now the expectation that all boys have and wear the correct winter uniform. I urge parents to please make sure that all measures are in place to have the boys looking their best, in the correct uniform, every day.

A reminder to parents and students that the College will be having our photo today on Friday 20th May. Details will be available shortly. Mr Richard Grech Deputy Headmaster      

The NAPLAN tests for Years Seven and Nine commence on Tuesday 10 May and conclude Thursday 12 May. Please see the timetable on the college website with regards to specific areas of testing. Extra information for parents can be found on the following website: http://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/naplan/info-for-parents.html It is important that all students at our College sit the tests. If a student is away for any reason, please contact the college before 8:30am. Mr Mark Heiss Acting Director of Teaching and Learning: Professional Development and Administration    

Welcome back to Term 2! It is traditionally a very busy term with many academic, social and Faith Formation events taking place. Next week our Year 12 students embark on the Year 12 Retreat, which is a most significant time in the life of the students of Marist College North Shore. In June, we celebrate the Feast Day of the Founder of the Marist Brothers - St Marcellin Champagnat in a week long series of events, commencing with our Champagnat Day Mass on June 6. We also commence preparations for Year 11 Ministry Week, which will take place early in Term 3. I look forward to reporting on these events and occasions in future editions of High Notes. In the final days of the school holidays, three of our students participated in the Marist Forum down in Mittagong. From all accounts, the boys had a wonderful time and one of the students present, Samuel Hodson, shares his experiences with you below. Mr Anthony Munro Director of Faith Formation

On the 22nd of April, Jack Rogers, Jack Clark and myself were sitting at a bus stop outside Granville station. None of us knew exactly what we were going to be doing for the next 3 days in Mittagong. A little while later, we all boarded a bus with about 30 other students from many different schools from NSW and ACT. When we arrived, we dropped off our gear and went up to one of the rooms and had an introduction to the weekend. The theme of the forum was ‘Wake up the World!’. Each day consisted of wake up, breakfast, morning prayer, games then discussion sessions mixed in with meals. In between them, we would spend our time exploring and playing numerous games of pool and table tennis. The nights were filled up with dinner, entertainment, supper, evening prayer and lights out.

We were mixed into small groups and from there, we had little activites and big activites. On the first day, we ate mm’s and talked about something you do well or something you can’t live without. It was lots of fun as it helped us learn about each other and how we are all alike in one way or another. One of the funniest games we played was the Marist race which consisted of us running around the Hermitage, taking pictures of statues and dancing, singing and having one of the Brother’s dogs stealing our sheet and all of us running after it. On Saturday afternoon, we all filled in the Church and had a mass with a few of the Brothers. It was pretty good except when a few of us starting singing Suum Tuum too early. Later that night, we had a talent contest. It was filled with fun and lots of yells of ‘North Shore!’. Finally on Sunday, we had our forum. The forum was great as we talked about very relevant issues which nearly everyone could relate to. After the closing liturgy and lunch, we all filed onto the bus and headed back to Granville station, stopping off at Campbelltown station to drop off some of our new friends. One of the major points I got out of the forum was that we are all in the same boat, all going through stress, anxiety and general fear of the HSC. By talking about these problems, we were able to find some solutions we could all do. Myself and both Jacks thank Mr Munro and all the teachers for inviting us along on the forum.

Samuel Hodson Year 12/MR6    

FROM THE DIRECTOR OF FAITH FORMATION

TEAM TEACHING AT MARIST COLLEGE NORTH SHORE  

TEACHING AND LEARNING

This year the College’s focus is “It’s All About Learning” in order to enable the students to achieve their personal and academic potential. However, the learning process is not only for the students but for the teachers through the Team Teaching initiative. Team teaching is where a group of teachers, work together, plan, conduct, and evaluate the learning activities for a group or groups of students. In practice, team teaching has many different formats but in general it is a means of organising teachers into groups to enhance teaching and learning. In 2015 teachers from the College undertook the Change2 Process. The objective of the Change in our school is: for teachers to value their professional growth. The Change Team vision was: In two years time we will become a progressive community of enthusiastic learners who aspire to excellence. There are many reasons why we as a College are team teaching as it can generate creating new knowledge, fosters greater reflection on teaching practice, encourages innovation, sharing ideas and changing teaching practice. Team teaching recognises and celebrates teacher’s strengths and can assists teachers to improve their skills and integrate 21st century learning practice. It caters for student’s individual needs through differentiation and there is a focus on the use of academic language to improve literacy and team teaching will develop a school wide pedagogy. We endeavour to achieve through team teaching to enable the students to be creative and critical thinkers, to be adaptive learners who are self directed lifelong learners, engage the students through personalised learning, establishing higher expectations for student outcomes, develop stronger collaboration and foster a culture of inquiry at the College.

We have been fortunate to have as a mentor for the College Leadership Team and the Leaders of Learning the New Zealand academic Dr Jan Robertson. Jan has workshopped with the College managers to assist with the rationale for Team Teaching and develop coaching strategies. In Term 1 teachers embarked on team teaching in their subject departments. They have set goals for each department to focus on in team teaching and have mentored their staff to share ideas and skills in lesson preparation, teaching in the classroom and team teaching reflections. Many teachers have embraced the Team Teaching initiative and there is an air of enthusiasm for sharing and recognising teacher’s strengths in their classroom practice. Thus far there has been combined classes where two teachers have taught lessons, there has been cross subject team teaching lessons and across year group lessons. Each term the teachers will teach two team teaching lessons and throughout the year there will be opportunities to measure growth and gauge feedback on the success of the Team Teaching initiative. One Team Teaching lesson as seen in the photograph was a collaborative lesson with Year 9 and Year 11 Visual Arts. Both teachers recognised the value of mentorship as it is fundamental for boy’s educational learning needs and their self esteem. The planned lesson on Modernist Artistic Practice enabled the students to develop their creative and critical thinking coupled with a recognition of their individual artistic strengths. Both Kathleen McGrath and myself were able to spend more time working with each pair of students to extend their concepts and accelerate their skills and understandings. Upon reflection, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. As a teacher as it enabled me to observe different approaches to teaching in the classroom and different perspectives to consider to achieve the best from my students. Year 11 PD/H/PE class students were involved in a Team Teaching experience where a debate saw two teams in the same class pitted against each other with the topic “Health Promotion is of more value than health care”. Mr Hill’s and Mr Heiss’ Team taught the debate lesson in both their classes, resulting in an enjoyable, creative learning experience. Some students were

DRAFT AND ASSESSMENT QUERIES

TEACHING AND LEARNING  

allocated to adjudicate and made very insightful points in giving feedback to the winners of the debate and the runners up. This experience solidified student understanding of the content and required fast critical thinking skills to rebut the opposition claims. By now your son may have experienced a team teaching lesson and it is hoped that the experience has provide him with more engagement in his learning and motivation to learn. You may wish to have a conversation with your son’s Team Teaching experience and how he found the different classroom dynamics and different ways of learning. Ms Carolyn O’Brien Director of Teaching and Learning: Contemporary Curriculum and Diversity

Dear Parents and Caregivers, Welcome back to Term 2. Throughout this semester your son will have an assessment of some form in each of his subjects. Students in junior years will complete these assessments as a continuation of their learning towards mid year reports, giving you a snapshot of how your son is going. For the senior school, assessments at this time will be used to improve their learning as well as gauge rankings in Preliminary and HSC Courses. Many students find it helpful to submit drafts as a tool for revision before submitting a task. Teachers too in their professional generosity and practice are happy to accept drafts as a way of giving guidance to students who seek pre task feedback. All teachers enjoy seeing effort by their students pay off in learning. It is for this reason then that most teachers are happy to look over a student's work and give general feedback to support the concepts that have been taught in class. While each department is responsible for their own management of the way drafts are used, there are some general guidelines below. Most departments will allow one draft per student per task, however your son can ask his classroom teacher other questions around drafts.

Drafts should: • be submitted with plenty of time before

the due date. The earlier the better. Draft types (written or typed) are best discussed with the classroom teacher.

• be a student's work that has had time and effort already invested.

• be open to general feedback that supports the content and learning.

• always remain the student’s work. Drafts should not:

• be submitted within the last 48 hours before a due date. (Remember the earlier the better)

• be used as a tool to gauge against a student's’ final mark or grade.

• become places for specific feedback or a correction tool to make the student response correct. This is a process that should occur in the classroom.

• become the work of the teacher or tutor. After an assessment task is returned, students are encouraged to read through the task and feedback to gain an understanding of their learning and where they still may look to improve. Students are encouraged to discuss feedback with their teacher. Failing that, the Assessment Programme (http://www.maristcollege.com/teaching-learning/assessment-schedule) for each year group has details on the appeals process for assessment tasks. This is an avenue that the student can follow if discussion about an assessment task result cannot be reconciled. The student is integral in this process and it is his responsibility to follow through with the correct procedures. Parents are asked to refrain from contacting teachers or Leaders of Learning regarding assessment task appeals. Yours in learning, Mr Mark Heiss Acting Director of Teaching and Learning: Professional Development and Administration    

   

SACRAMENTAL PROGRAMME  

MULTICULTURAL WEEK  

The College Sacramental Program provides opportunities for our students to deepen their understanding of faith, receive the sacraments and to be fully active in the school and parish community. In 2016 we invite you and your son to participate in this discovery of faith and love through the sacraments. If you or your son express interest to participate in the program, we encourage you to use this opportunity to unravel the richness and relevance of our Catholic community in our world today. It is a school-based program which is designed to allow students from Year 7 to 12 at various stages of their faith journey to explore the beliefs, teachings and practices of the Catholic Church through this process of Christian initiation. With boys at various stages of their sacramental and faith development, some boys will seek either Baptism, First Reconciliation, Eucharist, Confirmation or all. Boys who have been baptised will want only to receive either or both of the remaining sacraments of initiation: Confirmation and Eucharist. The program will build on their current Religious Education and facilitate deeper reflection upon their relationship with God. The College theme for 2016 is ‘Presence’ and what better way to embody this than by understanding how these symbols reveal God’s presence through an encounter with the sacraments . The program will begin mid Term Two and will go until Term Four. You will be advised if there are any changes to the program due to any College events. The program will culminate in a Celebration of Christian Initiation – a special Mass where your son will be formally and sacramentally welcomed into the Catholic Church. It will be an opportunity for you to celebrate with family, friends and the wider community the gift of God’s grace that they will receive through the sacraments. To register your son’s name into the program for 2016 then please download the Sacramental Program Letter from the URL below and have it signed and returned to Mr Dela Cruz in the Staff Room by Friday, 13 May 2016. If you have any further questions, please email the Youth Ministry Coordinator, Michael Dela Cruz at michael.delacruz@syd.catholic.edu.au. Sacramental Program Letter Link: http://goo.gl/0K7pB0 Mr Michael De La Cruz Youth Ministry Coordinator

Multicultural week attracted much excitement and enthusiasm this year. The College community showed resounding support of the weeks activities, particularly the Multicultural Assembly and Lunch. The Assembly was fortunate to have a member of our Marist community, Paul Fenech (father of Giani Fenech) to speak about the diversity he has faced growing up as a Maltese-Australian and how he embraced his culture to enrich and propel his career using these cultural ties and reminding everyone to not only embrace their cultural background but to use it to their advantage. We are immensely grateful of Mr Fenech's generosity in giving his time to enlighten the students and staff through his multicultural journey.

As for many years now, we later celebrated with our Multicultural Lunch. The festivities continued through food stalls from Asia all the way to the Americas and back down under, accompanied by displays and music showing the supportive family spirit within the college community. The boys and their parents went to exceptional effort to provide a wide array of food which raised a total of $3075 with all proceeds being donated to MAPS (Marist Asia Pacific Solidarity). A special thank you to Ms Kathleen McGrath, Ms Milena Vuckovic and all the boys in the Multicultural Committee for organising such a memorable week for the College. Justin Moon 12/Salta 1 Multicultural Committee    

   

   

   

Child & Adolescent Parenting

WHAT’S ON IN TERM 2 – COURSES/WORKSHOPS FOR PARENTS/CARERS

Tuning in to Teens Course Skills to communicate with your teenagers so that you understand each other better & are able to build positive relationships. ! Understanding teenagers today & communication skills ! Emotional intelligence skills ! How to prevent behaviour problems & conflict resolution 5 wks Chatswood 18/5 – 15/6 (7.00-9.30pm) Brookvale 10/5 – 7/6 (6.30-9.00pm)

Dealing with Teen’s Backchat Workshop ! Learn how to restore a respectful & positive relationship with your teenager ! Understand what it is like being a teenager today ! Learn how to talk so that they listen & how to listen so that they talk to you

Chatswood (11/5, 7.00-9.30pm)

Tuning in to Kids Course - Chatswood (9/5 - 6/6)

Triple P Seminars– Chatswood (17/5, 24/5 & 31/5)

Communicating with Kids Workshop (based on PET)-Chatswood (2/6)

WORKSHOPS ON REQUEST FOR PARENTS/CARERS OF TEENS 8877 5152 ! Dealing with Teen’s Back Chat ! Resilient Kids ! Transition to High School ! Triple P Seminar Series (Teens)

OTHER WORKSHOPS ON REQUEST (2-2.5 hours)

! Understanding Your Toddler/Discipline & Tantrums ! Older Sibling – New Baby ! Tucker without Tantrums/Toilet Training ! Transition to School ! Speech & Language Development/Sleep ! Grand Parenting ! Triple P (PPP) Seminar Series (1-12 years) ! Communicating with Kids

Enquiries: Child & Adolescent Parenting 8877 5152 www.nslhd.health.nsw.gov.au/services/CAP

UNIFORM SHOP AND LOST PROPERTY    

CANTEEN    4 May: Robyn Mathôt-Gwozdecky, Peta

Wright, Jane Partridge, Catherine Weinress, Zuelma Skender-Sterling

5 May: Christopher Carpenter, Jenny Winter, Annie Pascoe

6 May: Karen Ferguson, Kim Stone, Lisa James, Kim Walker, Nicola Lewis-Coutis, Suzanne Filippello, Petra Magendanz

9 May: Lisa Brink, Jackie Pickton, Lee Sternberg, Penny Davis, Arlet Shahinian

10 May: Pip Byrne, Lyndal Jenney, Nicola Hart, Chris Saunders, Vivian King

11 May: Leanne Bishop, Ann Catanzariti, Margie Morgan, Samantha McRobert, Melissa Sage-Pickin

12 May: Julie Clear, Michelle Cook, Michaela Bondoc, Irene de la Ferriere, Lisa Hinton

13 May: Karmena Hayden, Susan Mayall, Michelle Mulligan, Alison Cappetta, Donna Hughes

16 May: Annette Bradford, Donalda Brown, Rosalind Elliot, Grace Ooi, Kate Edmonds, Ivonne Henriouez

17 May: Nina Stowers-Kahui, Shelley Hensel, Julia Wright, Melissa Duchenne

UNIFORM SHOP 4 May: Maureen McKee, Eliza Hayes,

Carol Kostano, Josie Spano 11 May: Lorraine Foresto, Melissa Bailey,

Donalda Brown

3 May: Year 7 Parent/Student Evening 4 May: Year 12 Parent Teacher Interviews Solidarity: Matthew Talbot 6 May: CSDA Round 3

MSS Chess Comp Round 1 Mother’s Day Assembly Year 12 Academic Assembly 8-14 May: Year 12 Retreat Year 11 Construction Work

Placement Week 10-12 May: NAPLAN 13 May: CSDA Round 4 MSS Chess Comp Round 2 Solidarity: Street Level Café 16-20 May: Year 11 Hospitatlity Work

Placement 16 May: Solidarity: Night Patrol 18 May: MCNS Music Eisteddfod Year 9 Evangelisation Day Solidarity: Matthew Talbot 20 May: College Photo Day CSDA Round 5 MSS Chess Comp Round 3 23 May: Year 7 Vaccinations Year 12 Hospitality Excursion 24 May: Paul Dillon Drug and Alcohol Talk 25 May: Australian Geography

Competition Summer Sports Assembly 27 May: Pre-Immersion Retreats CSDA Round 6 MSS Chess Comp Round 4 Year 9 English – Taming of the

Shrew

With Many, Many Apologies from the Uniform shop: Blue Sport shorts remain out of stock. (Sizes 77,82 and 87cm) I have now sourced an Australian manufacturer to fill the order, whilst they will be more expensive I hope there will be a lot shorter waiting time. At the present time I am expecting them within 3 – 4 weeks. Extra Large Sport Socks are now available in the Uniform Shop (size 14 – 17). I am also expecting the delivery of the Grey socks in these sizes ready for next summer. A reminder to all parents concerning uniform: PLEASE write your child’s name in his uniform. In most cases if items come to Lost property with a name I can return the item to the student. No name means it sits in the Lost Property box until

someone decides it fits him or after 6 weeks they are resold in the Uniform Shop. Currently residing in Lost Property: 4 Jumpers 2 Track suit tops 2 Sport shorts 1 red house shirt 3 sport bags 2 1/2 pairs of sport shoes 1 pillow Pencil case White cones Basketball Mrs June Mitchell Uniform Shop  

VOLUNTEER ROSTERS LOOKING AHEAD