College Newsletter | Term 1 - Week 5

From the College Principal

Mr Matthew Brennan - College Principal (K-12)

Dear members of the St Greg's family,

On Wednesday 22 February we celebrated Ash Wednesday. Lent is the season that will last up to Easter. It is a time when we are conscious that we are not perfect, and we try to make ourselves better people. During the forty days of Lent, we are invited to reflect on our relationship with God and with others. We do this in three ways: Prayer, Fasting, Almsgiving and Good Works.

Prayer is what we do daily as a community. During Lent the students can also spend time in the Chapel; praying alone, or joining community prayer times like Marist Prayer, Student Led Prayer and Friday Mass. They can fast from foods such as chocolate or meat, or you can fast from selfishness and feast on sharing hope and compassion. During Lent, we will be asked to donate towards those less fortunate through Marist Solidarity, our MAPS Appeal. This is our almsgiving; however, we can also give of ourselves in our families and local communities. During Lent we should reflect on God’s love for us by being people of action and showing love for others.

I encourage you as a family to reflect what this season means to you as a family and things you might do together. I remember vividly as a child during this season, we would save our lollies till Easter, say a decade of the rosary each night and attend mass on Tuesday and Thursday morning before school. Certainly, as one of five children, Easter Sunday was always a day of great joy.

OPEN DAY

It was an outstanding day weatherwise on Sunday to showcase the College. With visitors arriving in big numbers, both the Junior and Senior school were looking forward to giving people the opportunity to see what makes St Greg’s so special.

Several things stood out for me.

The students of the College who gave their time freely to be heavily involved throughout the morning.

The facilities. Many thanks to Maintenance Team and the Cleaning Team for having the College looking so great.

The staff. The staff were enthusiastic and professional, making the experience very positive for visitors. Particular mention to Ms Watts and Miss Suraci for their overall coordination of the day.

Old Boys. This was a new and welcomed addition to the day and one that had a great impact.

The parents. It was wonderful and more than a little humbling to see so many parents giving up their Sunday morning to espouse the things they love most about St Greg’s and all it has to offer.

I received an email from a family that you can read below:

Good afternoon, Mr Brennan
I am writing to congratulate you and your team on the fantastic Open Day today. My youngest son, Charlie and I attended this event, and we loved it.
We were greeted by an old boy which was lovely, and every staff member, volunteer and student were a pleasure to interact with. I wanted to make special mention of one young man though, with whom my son got chatting in the woodwork room. I overheard his conversation with my son as I stood a little way away from them. They spoke of the work first, with the student explaining the lathe and what he was doing. After that, he said to my son; "Let me give you some advice..." He went on to tell him that he needs to practice reading, writing and Math. He told a story of how much he had struggled when he first started and how important these skills are in every other subject. He gave him tips on what to do and the time to spend.
As a Lead Specialist for Literacy in primary schools, I cannot tell you how pleased I was to hear this advice from a secondary student. When I asked my son what they had been talking about as we left the room, he repeated everything with such clarity, and he was clearly full of respect for this young man. He said he hoped he was not in Year 12 as he would like him to be there when he started in Year 7 next year. I know you are proud of all your students and staff, but I just wanted to highlight this one display of kindness and support.
Thanks again for a wonderful event at St Gregory's College.
The experience, from my perspective, reminded me of how lucky I am to be part of such a special community.

PARENT ARTICLE

Please take the time to read the article below. It is mainly for our Senior School parents, but some good information for all parents in our community.

Teen brains need sleep

Below are a few tips are focused on inspiring and equipping dads with their children.

The older children get, the busier they become and the harder it can be to find moments to connect. Here are a few tools you might use to find a few extra minutes with your teenager.

Make the most of time in the car - drive them to and from friends' houses or outings and spend the travel catching-up.
Encourage them to help you cook meals in the kitchen or on the barbecue.
Watch sport together – either at the game or on TV.
Exercise together – go to the gym, for a run or sign up for a social team sport together.
Plan and then take a holiday together.

International Women’s Day – March 8

Equality versus Equity: What's the difference as we #EmbraceEquity for IWD 2023 and beyond?

The words equity and equality are often used interchangeably.

Etymologically, the root word they share is aequus, meaning “even” or “fair” or “equal” - which led to equity being from the Latin aequitas, and equality from aequalitas. Yet, despite these similarities, equity and equality are inherently different concepts, and the IWD 2023 #EmbraceEquity campaign theme seeks to help forge worldwide conversation about this important issue and its impact.

So, what's the difference between 'equity' and 'equality' - and why is it important to understand, acknowledge and value this?

The IWD 2023 #EmbraceEquity campaign theme seeks to get the world talking about why "equal opportunities are no longer enough" - and can in fact be exclusionary, rather than inclusive.

A great video for all the family to watch can be found below, explaining the important difference between equity and equality. I encourage you to watch it as a family.

Equity v Equality

Further information about this year’s theme can be found on the link below:

Equality versus Equity: What's the difference as we #EmbraceEquity for IWD 2023 and beyond? (internationalwomensday.com)

I would encourage all of us to reach out to a significant lady in our lives on March 8 and make that call we have been meaning to make and wish them well!

In our Prayers

Please keep Hayden Brown (Year 12) and his family in your thoughts and prayers. Hayden sustained a spinal injury whilst training for the Trampolining National Championships and is currently in Prince of Wales Hospital.

Enjoy reading the many wonderful things that have occurred in recent weeks, in both our Junior and Senior schools. It has been a time of great positivity and many new connections have been made and significant learnings achieved. There have also been many opportunities for parent and family involvement, and I invite the families to attend as many things as you can in the coming weeks.

May St Gregory, St Marcellin and Mary Our Good Mother, continue to watch over and care for our community.

Mr Matthew Brennan

College Principal (K-12)

"We are too good not to be better!"

Mr Joel Weekes - Assistant Principal

Dear Members of the St Gregory’s College Community, 

Welcome to the end of Week 5 – its hard to believe that we are already halfway through Term 1!

It has been a really settled start for our students and as we set up our routines, expectations and processes in the school. I want to thank the staff for the hours that the staff have contributed to the start of the year to ensure that the student experience is one of comfort, challenge and enjoyment.

From Good to Great . . .

Good schools like St Gregory’s College are always looking for ways to be even better. As a College that is growing, developing, refining and challenging what a good education looks like we keep he following motto in our vision . . .

‘We are too good not to be better!’

A great deal of research has gone into identifying the major factors in improving student learning outcomes. Work by Professor John Hattie, as many of us know is pre-eminent in this area. Hattie developed a way of ranking various influences in different meta-analyses according to their “effect sizes”. In his ground-breaking study “Visible Learning” he ranked those influences which are related to learning outcomes from very positive effects to very negative effects on student achievement. Hattie found that the average effect size of all the interventions he studied was 0.40. Therefore, he decided to judge the success of influences relative to this ‘hinge point’, in order to find an answer to the question “What works best in education?”

Hattie studied six areas that contribute to learning: the student, the home, the school, the curricula, the teacher, and teaching and learning approaches and it is quite clear that the quality of teaching is foremost among these factors.

If we apply that research to St Gregory’s College, it means that one way of improving our student learning outcomes is to improve the quality of teaching. This is our bread and butter, this is what makes coming to St Gregory’s College great. Our staff professionalism, dedication and understanding that we all need to continue to focus on improving student learning!

Our aim across the College is to develop a culture of professional improvement, feedback and growth. Within that culture, learning conversations between peers, based on lesson observation or student work samples, is one of the most effective ways of developing strong classroom practice. Having a staff that are open to other teachers observing practice is one of key strategies that we are employing this year to ensure that we are continually improving for the benefit of the students. Each day I am so thankful that I work in such a positive and supportive environment – we look forward to continuing to do the best for each child in our care!

Events on the Horizon

Monday 6 March
- Boarders Weekend/Pupil Free Day
Wednesday 8 March
- International Women’s Day
- Junior School Cross Country
Thursday 9 March
- PDS Sport
- Junior School Lunch on the Lawn 10:30am
Friday 10 March
- ISA Rugby 1st XV Clinic
- PDS Swimming Championships – SOPAC
- Y7-9 Dance at St Patrick's College
- CSDA Public Speaking – Zone Finals
Saturday 11 March
- Robertson Show
- ISA Grand Finals

Have a lovely weekend and we look forward to seeing you all back for Tuesday Week 6! 

As you St Gregory’s College motto states ‘You will reap what you sow’.

Mr Joel Weekes

Assistant Principal/Head of Senior School

Every Minute Counts!

Mrs Diana Ivancic - Head of Junior School

How long is a minute?

Sometimes a minute can take forever, like when you are waiting for the kettle to boil, or you are on hold with an operator. At other times, a minute can fly by in the blink of an eye, like when you are running late for a bus or enjoying some time to yourself.

When we speak about a minute at school, every precious minute counts.

AGILE Graduate and Achievements

There have been many opportunities already this term to discuss the importance of learning and to highlight the success of many of our students from 2022. The HSC High Achievers Assembly recognised those Year 12 students who obtained a Band 6 (a mark over 90) for a course that they studied, as well as recognising those students who achieved an ATAR of 90+. Both wonderful achievements, demonstrating a commitment to learning, a commitment to study, and overall dedication to achieving personal best.

It is important to recognise and highlight success, as well as acknowledging that success is not a given, it is obtained through hard work and commitment. To be successful you need to be resilient. What does this look like for the students at St Greg’s? Students will keep trying their best even when things seem hard, they will ask for help, set SMART goals, value the process of learning rather than focusing on the outcome, and exercise self-control even when they may be feeling frustrated.

The St Gregory’s Agile Graduate Model encompasses and reflects the values and mission of the College. It is aspirational and certainly reflects the domains of the whole person. We often talk about students needing to be agile learners and this is certainly reflected in this model.

We know that agility refers to the capacity to respond to change and challenges, with action, vigour, flexibility and optimism. We certainly experienced this throughout the last two years. “Agile Graduates” will possess the skills and attributes needed for success. At St Greg’s we recognise that successful learners are Relational, Resilient, Resourceful, Reflective, and Responsible.

All staff continue to engage in Professional Learning opportunities this term, supporting the College’s commitment to developing the capacity of all staff and ensuring the students at St Greg’s have highly experienced and expert teachers. Professional Learning Groups have been completing online learning, focusing on “Universal Design for Learning” which reflects the College’s Strategic Focus for 2023 – “Know your students – a differentiated approach to Learning”. Additionally, several teachers from both the Senior and Junior school have enrolled to complete a Mini COGE (Certificate of Gifted Education) through UNSW. This course will help identify gifted, high potential and talented students; differentiate the curriculum for high potential students; implement ability grouping or acceleration; understand gifted education research and best practices; and develop an existing (or create a new) unit of work to best suit the needs of the differentiated classroom and gifted students.

The staff Professional Learning days this term include a spirituality day as well as mandatory CPR/Anaphylaxis/Asthma training. All staff from the Junior School will be attending a workshop facilitated by SPELD. SPELD NSW offers professional learning and consulting services for schools, teachers and professionals who work with students with specific learning difficulties or who are interested in evidence-based literacy and numeracy instruction. All Senior School teachers will be engaging in KLA specific PD, with Curriculum Reform being a major focus for 2023 and beyond.

Ms Judith Tolomeo

Director of Teaching and Learning

Student Wellbeing and Events

Dear College community,

There has been so many exciting events happening around the College over the last 5 weeks, it has been a very busy time for students.

In Year 7 students were finally given their laptops and completed their bootcamp IT orientation. Year 7 also had their first gathering. The Year 7 Twilight Dance with St Patrick's College was met with enthusiasm and excitement. The evening was filled with ‘dance off’s’ and games, and by the end of the evening a large number of students felt comfortable and grateful to have attended such a wonderful event. A special thank you to the Year 7 homeroom team and Mrs Buckley and her team of parent helpers for organising the event.

Year 9 The Rite Journey begins

In week 4, students and parents in Year 9 were invited to start their Rite Journey program. After weeks of preparation, the program launch was nothing short then wonderful.

Parents and mentors were given an insight on the program and why the College feels that such a program is needed to support our young men of Year 9.

Students and Parents then came together to share personal moments, while being guided by TRJ team. There were many emotional parents and students who made the evening a special one.

Students entered The Calling, while parents and mentors became part of The Departure.

College Open Day 2023

A special thank you to all the students who gave up their Sunday last week to support the College Open Day. Our students were impeccable! They helped in several areas of the College; from running the BBQ to assisting in different facilities across the College.

The College had hundreds of families visit classrooms and witness the magic that makes St Greg’s such a special place.

College Swimming Carnival

In Week 3 we were blessed to have warm and sunny weather for our annual swimming carnival. It has been three years since the College can together as a whole. Students were very excited to be in the grandstands supporting their house representatives. The day was filled with chanting, encouragement, and great sportsmanship.

Keeping safe on social media article

The article below is written by Gigi, a young Sydney woman in her first year of University. Gigi makes a strong reference to how social media platforms in our society are influencing young men.

How social media gives the loudest microphone to the most dangerous people.
The success and influence of social media platforms lies within the framework of their algorithms to appeal to specific the interests and needs of their users. We have accepted the idea that the collection of our data and information is not overly concerning as it is rather a useful resource in serving us more content of what we love. Social media algorithms are built around the core objective: to promote content that will maximise user engagement. However, it has become noticeable that social media posts further tap into and play to our need for stimulus, on our anxieties, into negative, primal emotions in which our disdain and hate ironically keep us clicking and engaging with the posts; profiting these platforms.

You see, under the rhythms of capitalism, enforcing dominant and oppressive forces are essential to its flourishment. Social media essentially weaponises these rhythms, as it not only condones but it often promotes these harmful behaviours and ideas that fortify harmful hegemonic discourses to tap into the vulnerability of young minds that in turn maximise their user engagement and profits.

This becomes highly evident within recent social dilemmas surrounding Andrew Tate’s prevalent presence on social media. Even though his content radically violates social media guidelines, platforms appear to do little to limit his spread or ban his account. Instead, it has propelled him into the mainstream, allowing clips of him to proliferate, and actively promoting them to young users. Videos of him expressing extreme misogynistic, hyper-masculine regressive ideas have been viewed 11.6 billion times on TikTok alone.

Many of these violate community guidelines, but why aren’t they being taken down? Because views generate profit for TikTok, so they continue pushing these videos onto the feeds of young men, regardless of the real-world consequences that online misogyny can have.
We know what happens when violent internet misogyny goes unchecked; we saw it with Hunter Moore, who popularised revenge porn in 2012. We see it with incel forums, which have been churning out mass shooters at an alarming rate.

These videos not only encourage the engagement of young boys and shockingly adult men, but it feeds off the intervention of female viewers that respond to his pernicious content, further inflating his position on social media platforms to maximise views and engagement.

This algorithm further becomes apparent in emphasising socially prescribed gender roles, western beauty standards and internalised misogyny through campaigns and content that trap girls into a vicious cycle that tells them their worth is in what others think about their bodies. Although these may not be explicit, they are transferred invisibly and subconsciously internalised. Such harmful narratives, which reward extreme and dangerous ideologies, are boosted and amplified through algorithms that enable their content to reach greater visibility and engagement, creating a fertile breeding ground for serving companies’ capitalist interests at the expense of reinforcing oppressive hegemonies.

Ultimately, social media platforms covertly popularise controversial and problematic ideals in their content to perniciously gain further engagement and interaction by users, in turn translating to profit, regardless of its harmful influences and consequences on individuals' beliefs, attitudes and perspectives.

We need to hold social media platforms accountable for giving the loudest microphones to the most dangerous people.

Years 7-9 Middle School Dance @ St Patrick's

Homework, Study and NAPLAN

Upcoming events

Tuesday 28 February Learning Enrichment IP Meetings begin
Tuesday 14 March Year 7 Study Skills Evening (Br. Luke Hall 6.30pm)
Wednesday 15 March NAPLAN Begins (Year 3, 5, 7, 9)
Tuesday 21 March Year 8 Study Skills Evening (Br. Luke Hall 6.30pm)
Monday 27 March Year 12 Assessment Block
Thursday 30 March HSC Minimum Standards Year 10 (and catch-up for Year 11/12)

Homework Help Club

Homework Help Club has begun for 2023. This is an opportunity for students to engage in structured study and homework completion and is supervised by teachers. All students are welcome.

This year, because of staff meetings, Homework Help Club will only occur on the following Mondays:

Term 1

Term 2

Term 3

Term 4

Week 2 (06.02)

Week 3 (13.02)

Week 5 (27.02)

Week 7 (13.03)

Week 8 (20.03)

Week 10 (03.04)

Week 2 (01.05)

Week 5 (22.05)

Week 6 (29.05)

Week 7 (05.06)

Week 2 (24.07)

Week 3 (31.07)

Week 4 (07.08)

Week 6 (21.08)

Week 7 (28.08)

Week 8 (04.09)

Week 10 (18.09)

Week 2 (16.10)

Week 3 (23.10)

Week 5 (06.11)

Week 6 (13.11)

Week 7 (20.11)

Year 7 and Year 8 Study Skills Evenings

Dr. Prue Salter’s Study Skills Evenings have become an institution at the College. Students and parents share the evening considering good study habits. In Year 7, Prue considers the basics and then develops on these during the Year 8 session.

Our Year 7 session will begin at 6.30pm on Tuesday 14 March in the Br. Luke Hall. Our Year 8 session will take place one week later.

Year 10 Information Evening – Cancelled

Because of the other events such as The Rite Journey and Stage 6 Course Selection, we have decided to cancel our Year 10 Information Evening this year.

NAPLAN Tests

The following timetable outlines when each group will attempt their tests:

Test

Year 3

Year 5

Year 7

Year 9

Wednesday 15 March

Writing Test

(Morning)

40 minutes

Writing Test

(Morning)

42 minutes

Writing Test

8.45am – 10.00am

(PC – Period 1)

42 minutes

Writing Test

10.50am – 12.00pm

(Period 3 – 4)

42 minutes

Thursday

16 March

Reading Test

(Morning)

45 minutes

Reading Test

(Morning)

50 minutes

Reading Test

8.45am – 10.15am

(Period 1 - 2)

65 minutes

Catch-up Tests

Friday

17 March

Catch-up tests

Catch-up Tests

Reading Test

8.45am – 10.15am

(PC – Period 1)

65 minutes

Monday

20 March

Conventions of Language Test

(Morning)

45 minutes

Conventions of Language Test

(Morning)

45 minutes

Conventions of Language Test

8.45am – 10.00am

(Period 1 – 2)

45 minutes

Conventions of Language Test

11.20am – 12.45pm

(Period 3 – 4)

45 minutes

Tuesday

21 March

Numeracy Test

(Morning)

45 minutes

Numeracy Test

(Morning)

45 minutes

Catch-up tests

Numeracy Test

8.45am – 10.15am

(Period 1 – 2)

65 minutes

Wednesday

22 March

Catch-up tests

Numeracy Test

8.45am – 10.15am

(Period 3)

65 minutes

Catch-up tests

Thursday

23 March

Catch-up tests

Staff will conduct catch-up tests on the day that students return to school where possible.

If your child will be absent from a NAPLAN test, please call the College on the morning of the task.

Equipment required for NAPLAN Tests

Students in Year 7 and Year 9 will need to bring their laptop fully charged. Students should check that their laptop is charging the night before each test. For Year 3 and Year 5 students, laptops are already stored at school.

Students must bring a pair of earphones that connect to their laptop. For Year 3 and Year 5 students, these should be corded headphones. Year 7 and Year 9 students should test to make sure their headphones are able to connect with their laptop.

Learning Support

Students who are already provided with Learning Support for assessments and who qualify for Disability Provisions will be granted support similar to the assistance they are normally provided. The Learning Enrichment team will email parents/carers a consent form that must be returned to the Learning Enrichment team by 24 February.

NAPLAN Tests

The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is a point in time assessment of literacy and numeracy skills that are essential for every child to progress through school and life. Students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 participate in the annual NAPLAN tests in writing, reading, conventions of language (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and numeracy. All NSW schools will sit NAPLAN online in 2023.

The NSW Educational Standards Authority recommends that:

Excessive preparation for NAPLAN is not recommended.

Students do not need to be able to touch type to complete NAPLAN as the tests are not about keyboard skills (just as the paper test is not about handwriting skills).

Students can use the public demonstration site to familiarise themselves with the types of questions and tools available in NAPLAN.

Additional resources:

Public demonstration site	NESA NAPLAN website
NAP parent/carer support page	Watch a video that explains tailored testing

BR@G Reading Program

Each Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday our students engage in the BR@G (Boys Read at Gregs) Reading Program. In this program students from Year 7 – 10 drop everything and read for 10 – 15 minutes during a nominated period each day. The goal is to improve students’ reading skills and to model reading across the school in Stages 4 and 5.

This Week Mrs Hackett’s Year 8 Mathematics class took advantage of our ‘Rent-a-Librarian’ during their BR@G session and had Mrs Quinn, the Senior School Library Assistant, visit to read to them. Their book was ‘Curious & Curiouser’ by Dr Karl Kruszelnicki, which had the class enthralled as they listened to the chapter entitled Lightning Never Strikes Twice? Through their BR@G reading Year 8 learned: the history of lightning; our understanding of how it works; how it has affected people and their attempts to thwart its power and deadliness; if indeed it can strike twice?

Connecting their current unit of learning on ‘Time’ to their reading, Year 8 created a timeline of the information, from the earliest mentions of lightning in 600BC all the way to the near present. They will be using the incredible history of Roy C. Sullivan, the Guinness World Record holder for being struck by lightning the most times to further explore scaled timelines.

This was a wonderful expression of the interconnectedness of reading and literacy in all of our subject areas, and a wonderful learning experience for our Year 8 students.

NOTE: For those that are curious, lightning can indeed strike twice, in fact it is MORE likely to strike the same place, given that same weather patterns are likely to repeat themselves in the same geographical landscape.

Boarding News

Dear Parents and Friends,

Our encouraging and positive start to the year has continued with all boys settling into our boarding routine, processes and structure fantastically well over the first part of the term. As the boys head home this weekend for a well-earned break with family I can’t thank them enough for the way they have managed themselves at the beginning of this term. We have kept them busy and this weekend is fantastic timing for a break. So, what have we been doing?

NEW PROGRAMS

This year we have commenced a partnership with Youth Solutions and are running the DAIR Program – Drug and Alcohol Information and Resilience Program. Over the course of Term 1 and 2 our Year 10 to 12 students will be undertaking information sessions and activities looking at areas such as Alcohol and Drug Information, Safety and Support, and Youth Mental Illness. A massive thanks to Mr Kripal for coordinating the introduction of this program.

Our Year 8 boarders are completing the Game Changers Program coordinated by Mr Halaifonua. This is a Marist Schools Australia Formation program being run throughout all Marist Schools in Australia and will be undertaken throughout the year.

These programs form a part of our evolving Wellbeing and Beyond Boarding Programs that we have started to build in recent years.

BOARDING LEADERS’ AFTERNOON TEA

On Monday 20 February our 6 Boarding Leaders travelled to Loreto Normanhurst for a student leaders conference. There were 8 schools from around Sydney where they discussed ideas around activities and general leadership initiatives. They were able to network with other boarding school leaders, particularly around social activities that they want to employ.

ISA SPORT

The Saturday Basketball, Touch Football and Cricket Season regular rounds finished last weekend. Congratulations to our 1st V, 15A, and 14B teams for finishing 1st in their competitions. They have progressed straight through to the Grand Final on the 11 March. Our 13A will play a semi-final this weekend in the hope they too qualify for the grand final. Our Cricket Team head to Bathurst for a semi-final this weekend and we wish them well also.

ACTIVITIES

The start of the year is always a great time for activities with lots for the boys to do. We have had excursions to the Waratah’s v Brumbies Game, the NRL Season Opener between the Eels and Storm, and next week head to the 3rd game of the Sydney Kings Basketball Grand Final Series. Our Year 7 boys had their first twilight dance with St Patrick’s College, our local All Girls School, and there is a 7 to 9 Dance next Friday night also.

THE RITE JOURNEY

Last week saw the commencement of our Year 9 Boys to Men program, The Rite Journey. Our Year 9 boarders participated in the initial ceremony – “The Calling”. There was some wonderful feedback from both students and parents. Thanks to all of our Boarding Families that could be in attendance on the evening.

CONGRATULATIONS

To Charlie Fuller (Nowra) and Billy Corkhill (Boorowa) who both placed first in the Gordan Fetterplace Public Speaking Competition held at the school a few weeks ago. This is a tremendous achievement in very competitive divisions of our public speaking program.

To Sam Batten (Ramsgate), Angus Pursehouse (Mirrool), and Thomas Andersen (Yass) for qualifying for the Sydney Royal Easter Show in various events through the College’s Show Team and their performances at Rural Shows in the first weeks of the year.

To Harrison Quinn (Dubbo) and Blake Truman (Gregory Hills) for being a part of the champion 1st XI cricket team, who have now won the National Marist Cricket Carnival, Combined Catholic Colleges Downie Shield Knockout, and the Thursday PDS Competition. These boys will now compete in the All Schools State Championship in August against the winners of the GPS, CAS, and CHS competitions to see who the strongest school team in NSW is.

COMMUNICATION AND SOCIAL MEDIA

The Australian Boarding Schools Association produce a quarterly magazine called ‘Lights Out’. It is a wonderful resource that has lots of interesting stories relative to Boarding. The e-version of this resource can be accessed on the ABSA website https://www.boarding.org.au/our-community/lights-out-journal-1 You can also sign up to the website to receive notifications. It is a wonderful resource, and I would encourage all of our boarding families to make use of it.

A reminder about our Facebook and Instagram accounts. These sites are live so please make sure you get onto them if you have accounts. If it is your first foray into social media, (I do not blame you) perhaps your sons can assist you!

The wonderful boarding coordinators have also set up blogs you can follow showcasing what your son is up to while in boarding. These blogs can be accessed here:

Year 10 to 12 – https://pkripal.wixsite.com/senioryearsboarding

Year 7 to 9 - https://thalaifonua.wixsite.com/juniorboarding2022

When the boys return we will head into a busy assessment period, as subjects start to have their first assessments due for the year. This can sometimes lead to stress and anxiety, particularly amongst our new students. Please ensure you reach out if you are worried about your son at this time. We have lots of options to provide assistance and support to your son at these busy and often stressful times.

Ad Jesus Per Mariam

Mr Luke Morrissey

Director of Boarding

Nationally Consistent Collection of Data (NCCD) Update

Term One aligns with the Planning Phase of the annual Nationally Consistent Collection of Data (NCCD). St Gregory’s College has already commenced Personalised Planning Meetings for students with disability in Term 1, 2023. This process will continue throughout Term 1 and perhaps into Term 2.

Gordon Fetterplace Public Speaking Competition - Junior School – 2023

Congratulations to all the students listed below who entered the Gordon Fetterplace Public Speaking Competition on Friday 10th February. St Gregory’s College has a long and excellent history promoting the art of Public Speaking and it was truly inspiring to witness some of our younger students continuing with this.

Who We Are - Year 2

Year 2 have settled into their new classes and routines well. In Spelling, we have been reviewing our r-controlled vowels and expanding on what we know with the ‘Little Learners’ Literacy program. In Mathematics, we have been looking at the importance of Place Value when reading, writing and representing numbers.

How the World Works - Year 6

In Year Six, we have kicked off the year with looking at How the World Works, focusing in on the planets within our Solar System. Students have unpacked and have begun to make connections with our central idea, “Our existence is strengthened through our understanding of causal relationships.”

What will we do without chairs?

In Year 3, lots of learning is taking place. We have all settled in quite well and adjusted to the new routines of our classrooms. To kick start our Unit of Inquiry: Sharing the Planet, the teachers decided to take away all the chairs from both classrooms as a provocation to get the students motivated and interested for the rest of the unit. What this did was help us focus on how important it is to adapt to new situations.

Junior School Lunch on the Lawn

Little Learners Love Literacy

It’s been an incredibly busy start to the year for our Year 1 students. They have continued to thrive with the ‘Little Learners Love Literacy’ program and have been making big connections with mathematical concepts.

Sport in the Junior School

SPORT IN THE JUNIOR SCHOOL

Wollongong Diocesan Trials

Congratulations to Finn Dumesny for his selection in the Wollongong Boys AFL.

We wish the students attending Wollongong trials for Soccer, Rugby League, Netball and Hockey all the best in the coming weeks. We look forward to hearing how you went.

NSWPSSA Trials

Good Luck to Lucas Spragg as he represents MacKillop at the NSWPSSA Cricket Trial in Ballina on 6-9 March 2023.

Horse Showing

Year 6 student Ava Langham represented the College at Canberra Royal with her pony Rosebrook Rhythmn N Rendition. This is a popular competition that riders have to qualify for. Over the three days of competition, she qualified for 7 classes. Ava placed 3rd in the Arabian Derivative class and 5th in the Riding pony class.

Well done Ava!!!

Independent Primary Schools Sporting Organisation

Thank you to Gerard Fetterplace and his team for preparing the College grounds for our IPSSO games, and thank you also to our Gap Students and Senior School students for officiating our home games.

IPSSO Results Week 4

On Wednesday, 22 February 2023, our teams competed against Macarthur Anglican College.

Junior Basketball

Score SGC 16 - 9 MAS

Special Mention

Zac Bruce for his outstanding efforts defensively and in attack
Estelle Paki for her accurate shooting and effective passes
William Simpson for his excellent defensive pressure that led to turnovers

Junior Oztag

Score SGC 11 - 9 MAS

Special Mention

Jake Stephens - for a fantastic tagging game and always being there to support his teammates in both attack and defence
Cleo Lane - Making some fantastic runs, scoring points and making some try-saving tags.
Noah Jardine - For never giving up the chase in defence and some fantastic runs and tries

Junior Cricket

Score SGC 70 - 61 MAS

Special Mention

Patrick Ursino - For an outstanding wicket and batting.
Jude Lane - For his excellent teamwork and positive attitude to all aspects of the game.
Alphonse Phillips - For his exceptional efforts on the pitch.

Junior Girls Soccer

Score SGC 2 - 0 MAS

Special Mention

Alessia Sircusa - showed great energy and commitment throughout the game. He was like the energiser bunny and scored the first goal
Amelia Vella – Non-stop running on the field. Some significant breaks and passes were made. Scored our second goal.
Isabella Iuliano - a real hustler on the field. She showed no hesitation in making a tackle or running onto the ball.

Senior Basketball

Score SGC 42 - 65 MAS

Special Mention

Audrey Oldfield for her efforts when rebounding
Coby Ornowski for his impressive baskets
Joshua Suffell for his decision-making and defensive efforts

Senior Oztag

Score SGC 14 - 4 MAS

Special Mention

Finn Dumesny for his excellent vision, communication to the team and leadership skills.
Lila Richards for her “never give up” attitude when chasing down the opposition resulting in some outstanding tags!
Piper Lane for her agility on the field and impressive try.

Senior Cricket

Score SGC 0/59 - MAS 7/32

Special Mention

Lucas Spragg for his powerful hitting display.
Cooper Hayes for his great effort in the field.
Humza Khan for his safe hands in the field.

Senior Girls Soccer

Score SGC 4 - 0 MAS

Special Mention

Indiana Vaccaro for her outstanding effort throughout the game. Your determination on the field has been inspiring.
Eva Luximon for her fantastic efforts in defence. Well done!
Mikayla Faro for her sensational goals. Your communication with the team has been fantastic to see.

IPSSO Results Week 5

On Wednesday, 1 March 2023, our teams competed against St Peter’s Anglican.

Junior Basketball

Score SGC 14 -16 SPAS

Special Mention

Jessica Ruksens - For her outstanding efforts in shooting
Lincoln Watling - For scoring back-to-back baskets.
Benjamin Devlin - For his all-round efforts and dominance on the court.

Junior Oztag

Score SGC 12 - 2 SPAS

Special Mention

Mia Stevens - Scored two tries and was a tagging machine!
Jake Stephens - was a solid wall of defence as always and covered his teammates brilliantly.
Stella Jensen - made a line break and ran nearly the length of the field to score a try.

Junior Cricket

Score SGC 2/68 - SPAS 2/48

Special Mention

Patrick Ursino for hitting 3 huge boundaries (two 6s and a 4) to start our innings off!
Lucas Hayes for his 2 handy run-outs in the field
Marcello Torcaso for hitting his first runs in Junior Cricket!

Junior Girls Soccer

Score SGC 2 - 1 SPAS

Special Mention

Alessia Siracusa for scoring our first goal and just missing on two other shots. The energiser bunny. She was everywhere, both defence and attack.
Amelie Vella scored the winning goal and hustled all game.
Amelia Gillard for her determination and perseverance. She got the ball out of the danger zone several times when SPAS looked likely to score.

Senior Basketball

Score SGC 30 - 4 SPAS

Special Mention

Stella Herbert - For her outstanding defensive skills.
Hudson Buckley - For his skilful dribbling skills up and down the court.
Dylan Sheil - For his composure on the court and for his accurate shots.

Senior Oztag

Score SGC 19 - 3 SPAS

Special Mention

Taylah Kenney for her superb attacking performance and scoring 4 impressive tries.
Braxton Woolford for his “fancy footwork” down the sideline and scoring a “Triple Treat!”
Charlize Potts for her electric speed and scoring a “Double Whammy!”

Senior Cricket

Score SGC 2/57 - SPAS 8/29

Special Mention

Archie Putland for a great effort opening the batting
Cooper Hayes for a great over of pace bowling.
Humza Khan for his great effort with bat and ball.

Senior Girls Soccer

Score SGC 6 - 0 SPAS

Special Mention

Cara Jones for her ball skills and for scoring the match’s first goal.
Evangeline Palumbo for her talent in the second half, securing another goal for St Greg’s.
Indiana Vaccaro for her amazing effort today. Her determination was outstanding, scoring three out of six of our goals.

Winter IPSSO Trials

In Weeks 8,9, and 10, we will start trials for our winter IPSSO sports. These trials will be happening during lunch breaks and, if required, be held after school. The sports that Years 3-6 students will be able to trial for are:

AFL – mixed
Boys Soccer
Girls Netball
Newcomb Ball for Years 3 and 4
Volleyball for Years 5 and 6

Further information on these trials will be sent out shortly.

Junior School Cross Country

Our Junior School Cross Country will be held on Wednesday, March 8, Week 6. The K-2 students will run approximately 500m, and Year 3-6 students will run 2kms.

I encourage students who wish to compete in the 2km race to continue training. The first three placegetters in each category for the 2km race will represent the College at the Wollongong Diocesan Cross Country Carnival in Term 2.

The categories for the 2km event are:

8/9 year boys
8/9-year girls
10 year boys
10 year girls
11 year boys
11 year girls
12/13 year boys
12/13 year girls

The categories for the K-2 event are:

Kindergarten boys
Kindergarten girls
Year 1 boys
Year 1 girls
Year 2 boys
Year 2 girls

Mr Darryl Howe

PDHPE Teacher/Sports Coordinator

2023 Junior School Western Region Swimming Team

We would like to recognise and congratulate the following students who represented the College at the Western Region Swimming Carnival on Wednesday, 1 March 2023;