College Newsletter | Term 4 - Week 8 | 2 December 2022

A Final Message from the College Principal

Mr Matthew Brennan - College Principal (K-12)

Dear members of the Greg’s family,

Welcome to the final newsletter for 2022 – where has the year gone ?……..

I would like to thank you for your continued support of St Greg’s throughout 2022. Despite a year of much upheaval and change, as a community we have finished the year strongly. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the community for the overwhelming welcome I have received since arriving in August. The year has gone very quickly and has been very rewarding and enjoyable. This is in no small part to the interactions I have had with so many of you in this Marist community.

I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the staff and girls and boys of the community. It is fantastic to feel the joy and buzz around both the junior and senior schools.

There have been many wonderful events occur in recent weeks, many of them will be featured in this edition. These include the Student Leaders Gathering in Mittagong, the Year 6 Graduation, the Association of St Marcellin Champagnat gathering, the Principal’s Thank you reception, the Boarding community’s final Mass, Awards and Christmas Feast and the Final College Liturgy for 2022, including the presentation to the local St Vincent De Paul Society of the generous offerings from the St Greg’s community for their Christmas Appeal.

As we move into the holiday, I am including an infographic and an article that I hope you find useful. Whilst the infographic speaks for itself, the article focuses on the importance of allowing boys the opportunity to express their emotions. Whilst we strive at St Greg’s to instil a confidence and acceptance of each individual, there are some wonderful reminders and tips for all adults to consider. One key message is that just because adolescent boys may not communicate, it does not mean they are not feeling a powerful emotion. I would encourage those with young men to open and read the link below.

https://medium.com/family-matters-2/stop-telling-boys-they-shouldnt-cry-9ad2bb6fd954

A challenge I have for all parents is to try and tick off at least 8 of the 10 opportunities below during this Christmas break.

Finally, as this is the last newsletter for 2022, I wish you all the very best over the coming weeks and hope your children enjoy a well-deserved break. To our graduating Year 6 students who are leaving us, please know that you will always have a special home at St Greg’s and will always be a part of the St Greg’s family. If you are travelling over the Christmas break, please do so safely and enjoy. I wish all our community a happy, Holy and safe festive season and look forward to welcoming everyone back in January 2023.

May Mary our Good Mother and St Marcellin Champagnat continue to watch over our families.

Mr Matthew Brennan

College Principal

2022 Wrap Up

Mr Joel Weekes - Assistant Principal

Dear Parents and Carers of the St Gregory’s College family,

Wow . . . where did the year go! The year has passed in the blink of an eye and it’s hard to believe that I am sitting down to write my final newsletter article for 2022. So much has happened this year and I want to personally thank the St Greg's community for your support of me in my transition from the Head of Junior School to the Assistant Principal / Head of Senior School. I very much look forward to continuing to serve the College over the coming years and I am really looking forward to 2023!

It has been an absolute privilege to move into this vital role and I have a strong sense that our College has ‘grown’ considerably during the past twelve months as we continue to develop and foster a great culture based on trust and mutual respect.

Over the past few week’s we have introduced to our community three new members of staff prior to 2023. There new staff are:

Eryn Lonergan- Leader of Learning – Learning Enrichment (K-12)
James Dalton – Farm Manager
Shaun Humphries – First Nations Liaison Officer

Eryn has started in the role of Leader of Learning – Learning Enrichment (K-12) and will be joined by Leisa Grant in 2023 as they both lead our Learning Enrichment Department.

Staffing for 2023

At the end of the school year we farewell a number of staff members who have provided dedicated service to the College, many over an extended period of time. The following staff leave us this year: -

Mrs Julianne Ball
Mr Robert Kawa
Mrs Julie Anne Bankowski
Ms Jennifer Wheeler
Mrs Maria Santos
Mr Sam Corkhill
Ms Marisa Bevington

The following staff members will take leave in 2023:

Mrs Polly Quirk – 12 months
Mr Greg Serone – 12 months
Miss Loren Keir – 12 months

The following new staff members join the College in 2023:

Mr Mitchell Tyler – Leader of Sport and Co-Curricular (7-12)
Mrs Leisa Grant – Leader of Learning – Learning Enrichment (7-12)
Mr Shaun Gaspi – English Teacher
Miss Emily Wilson – Agriculture Teacher
Mr Chris Evans – PDHPE Teacher
Mrs Brigette Khan – Learning Support Teacher
Mrs Dominique Goode – Kindergarten Teacher
Mr Kieran Wakeling – Year 10 Leader / PDHPE Teacher
Mr Troy Nuske – Mathematics Teacher
Miss Emily Walker – Junior School Graduate Intern

The following staff members take up new leadership roles at the College in 2023: -

Mrs Diana Ivancic – Head of Junior School
Dr James Gersbach – Director of Administration (Term 1)
Mr Mitchell Tyler – Leader of Sport and Co-Curricular (7-12)
Mrs Kristy Scott – Leader of Learning – Learning Enrichment (K-6)
Mr Tevita Halaifonua - Assistant Leader of Learning – Religious Education (7-12)
Mr Andy Andrews – Assistant Leader of Learning - Science
Mrs Rachel Newell – Stage 4 Academic Care Leader
Mr Glenn Duggan – Stage 5 Academic Care Leader
Mrs Alicia Price – Year 7 Leader
Mr Kieran Wakeling – Year 10 Leader
Mr Nicholas Bestulic - Debating and Public Speaking Coordinator

We are in the process of finalising our last few roles for 2023 and can announce this very soon for:

Assistant Head of Junior School/PYPC
Years 3-6 Coordinator
College Counsellor

On behalf of the College community, I thank all our departing staff members for their contributions to St Gregory’s and for helping make our school a special place. I wish them every success in their new ventures and assure them our prayers are with them as they continue their journey beyond St Gregory’s.

I conclude by wishing each of you God’s blessings for a joyous Christmas and a wonderful start to 2023. Take time to celebrate the Holy Season and to enjoy the company of your family. Be safe over the holiday period and I look forward to communicating with you all in the new year as we lead into the new academic year in 2023.

Mr Joel Weekes

Acting Deputy Principal

Junior School 2022 Reflections

This week, we celebrated the conclusion of the journey of our Year 6 students with a beautiful Mass followed by dinner with their parents. The primary years are those formative years that begin the love of learning, create friendships and learn how to read and write.

I share my speech from the year 6 Graduation and wish all our graduands of 2022 the very best as they begin the next part of their journey into high school.

I recently read a prayer that spoke about being grateful for all the teachers in our lives, because each one of them helped make up the person I am today. And this really made me think about the influence all our educators have on us.

When I think back to my seven years of primary school, I can identify the little part of me that each teacher contributed.

I remember Miss Halgren in Kindy, teaching me to spell words by colour;

In Year 1 Miss King loved to cook with us. We made toffee apples and mini pizzas - it was so much fun;

In Year 2 Mrs Ingham always insisted on being organised;

In Year 3 Mrs Noonan inspired me to be a teacher when she pulled out a model of a rocket and taught us about space;

In Year 4 Mr Berchtold is the teacher I am grateful to, for demanding perfect handwriting;

In Year 5 Mrs Heckenberg taught me how to play the guitar and present my work neatly and creatively. She cemented in my mind, my desire to become a teacher;

In Year 6 Miss O’Callaghan read to us, every day, and I still remember sitting on the floor listening to her read “The Dark Is Rising”. She is the reason I fell in love with books and poetry.

I could name many teachers throughout high school too, who have each contributed to the person I am today. However, most recently, someone who has inspired me to be the leader that I am, is St Marcellin. The image (or statue) of St Marcellin that is in the chapel, shows St Marcellin with his sleeves rolled up. St Marcellin was not afraid to get his hands dirty; he displayed a love of work. This is one of our Marist characteristics. I love my job and sometimes it’s not easy, but I keep trying hard. I love to serve and help others.

Throughout your life, different teachers, coaches, dance teachers and instructors, will all contribute a little piece to the person you will finally become. Over the years, you will use each of those, skills, talents, bits of wisdom to make your mark in the world. What do you want people to remember you for?

Behind every plumber, secretary, doctor, artist, scientist, accountant, pilot, chef – there were other teachers and experiences that created that person. It’s up to you to take all of the best experiences from your days at school to make you the person you want to be. I am so proud to have been a part of your journey at St Gregory’s and I thank each of you for contributing a little piece to the person I am today.

Ex Students visit St Greg’s

Eight ex-students of St Greg’s Junior School came back to visit our Year 6 students this week, to share their experiences and reflections of their first(girls) and second (boys) years at high school. The Year 6 students had the opportunity to ask questions.

Two main points all the students mentioned were:

Be responsible for yourself and your actions

Don’t be too hard on yourself in your first few weeks – it will get easier

The students were very excited about seeing the new facilities that have been developed in the Junior School since they left.

Classes for 2023

Teachers have been allocated to the following classes for 2023.

KB - Miss Dominique Goode
KM - Mrs Robyn Bowen
1B - Mrs Louise Limbrey
1M - Miss Jorgia Cecil
2B - Miss Olivia Cefai
2M - Miss Jodie Owen
3B - Mrs Amanda Morgan / Miss Shanae Slattery
3M - Mr Bradley Kearns
4B - Mr Simon Edwards
4M - TBA
5B - Mrs Erin Burton
5M - Mr James Hayes
6B - Mr Benjamin Fuser
6M - Mrs Gabrielle Borg / Mrs Ashley Mazzo

The students had the opportunity to meet with their new teacher/s and classmates at the Move Up Day on Thursday December 1. I know the teachers and students will be very excited about their classes for 2023.

Teachers leaving the Junior School

It is with sadness that we farewell the following teachers from the Junior School at the end of 2022.

Mr Joel Weekes is not leaving the College but has relocated in his new role as Deputy Principal of the College. Mr Weekes is still a part of our school, even if he is not physically with us in the Junior School. I would like to thank Mr Weekes, on behalf of our school community for being our first Head of Junior School. His vision and legacy are still alive throughout the programs and culture of the school, especially the PYP. We will miss you Mr Weekes and thank you for all you have done for us.

Miss Jennifer Wheeler leaves the Junior School after five years of service as a classroom teacher and Team Leader. Miss Wheeler was one of the foundation staff members when the Junior School opened. We wish Miss Wheeler many blessings as she embarks on a new journey in her role as classroom teacher at Tudor House. Her love of literature, plants and poetry will be remembered. Good luck Miss Wheeler.

Mrs Julieanne Ball retires at the end of this year, after a year of leave from the Junior School. I know that Mrs Ball has had a wonderful opportunity to travel and spend time with her family this year and looks forward to many more adventures. We thank Mrs Ball for the contribution to made in our junior classes through her passion for reading and writing. May you have many adventurous and exciting years ahead Mrs Ball.

Miss Julie Anne Bankowski leaves St Greg’s to take up a new position as a literacy specialist at Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Mt Pritchard. Miss Bankowski has been instrumental in developing our Learning Enrichment student plans and systems and we thank her for all her work over the past year.

Mrs Kylie Clark has taken on the role of Teacher Librarian this year whilst Mrs Cosentino has been Acting Head of Junior School. Mrs Clarke has worked so hard to support in the organisation of the library, Book Fairs, Book Week, day to day lessons and book borrowing and returning. We thank her for her hard work and commitment to this role over the past year.

Each of these wonderful staff members have contributed to the St Greg’s Junior School family and will leave a piece of themselves behind in the tapestry of our history.

As we come to the end of our 2022 school year, I would like to thank all the staff who have worked tirelessly to love and care and educate our students.

Thank you to the parents and carers, for your support and openness to our school programs and experiences.

Thank you to the students for every smile I receive each morning, your energy, enthusiasm and love for learning. It makes me smile every day.

May all our staff and families stay healthy, safe and enjoy a Blessed Christmas and restful holiday. I look forward to the amazing things we can achieve together in 2023.

Mrs Diana Ivancic

Head of Junor School

Look back at the year in reflection

For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 2:10

As we approach the end of the school year and anticipate the holidays, we also look back at the year in reflection. Our theme of Known and Loved – dignity for all is the message at the heart of the Gospel.

In the year when we celebrated the Sesquicentenary of the Marist Brothers in Australia, we fittingly celebrated our Marist mission of making Jesus Christ known and loved. As we now approach Christmas and ponder the significance of the birth of Christ in our world, we recall that he came to us not as a powerful King, but a baby born to a village girl in Nazareth. This serves to us a reminder that every human being, no matter who they are or where they come from, possess dignity because they are created in the image of God.

“Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those that prepare for it today”

As we approach the end of another academic year, we need to reflect upon the achievements of students as well as the commitment and dedication of the teaching and support staff. We have witnessed many events that have highlighted the success of our students and we have acknowledged students for their involvement in and achievements for a range of academic and co-curricular activities.

Students in Year 7-10 have been completing their final assessments, whilst our senior students, the graduating HSC class of 2023, have been completing their first HSC assessment tasks in many of their courses.

The Year 12 2023 HSC Information evening was held last week in a virtual setting, providing the context for students and parents regrading the HSC, the requirements of Stage 6, and what the next few months will look like for Year 12 students. One of the points I spoke about was the reference to the St Gregory’s Agile Graduate Model. You would have heard many of us speak about the St Greg’s Agile Graduate, and perhaps wondering why we keep referring to this term “Agile”. We know that agility refers to the capacity to respond to change and challenges, with action, vigour, flexibility and optimism. We certainly experienced this last year in remote learning. “Agile Graduates” will possess the skills and attributes needed for success in Year 12. At St Greg’s we recognise that successful learners are Relational, Resilient, Resourceful, Reflective, and Responsible.

It is important for students to recognise that success is never accidental! Success is a product of hard work, commitment, and dedication to goals. Every student will have a “different success story” – and every student must make sure they are proud of theirs.

Whilst we are all looking forward to finishing next week, and spending Christmas with our loved ones, we are also still busy planning for the year ahead. The College’s vision for 2023 and beyond is to ensure all students have the opportunity to learn, to be the best version of themselves possible, to be known and loved, and above all, feel like they belong. The St Greg’s community is a special one, and one that continues to support and develop students that are strong in mind, yet gentle in heart.

Wishing you and your families are very blessed Christmas and a wonderful new year.

Ms Judith Tolomeo

Director of Teaching and Learning

2022 - A Year of Growth

Dear College community, as we complete yet another schooling year, I would like to take the opportunity to acknowledge all our students and staff.

Schools are amazing places filled with many moving parts, the College could not run as it does without the ongoing commitment of so many people who quietly work behind the scenes to give our students the best opportunities to flourish and grow as young people.

Over the year, we have seen amazing growth from all our students, as they continue to mature and develop socially and emotionally, we only hope they also understand how lucky they are to be a member of this special community.

Exams and ICAS

Upcoming events

Friday 2 December - Year 7 – 10 Classes Conclude

Wednesday 7 December - Year 11 Classes Conclude

Thursday 8 December - Year 7 – 10 Exams Returned

Thursday 15 December - HSC Results Published

Years 7 – 10 Exam Collection

There will be an opportunity for Exams to be collected on Thursday 8 December in the Marian Centre during these sessions:

Session 1: 8.30am - 10.30am
Session 2: 11.00am - 12.30am
Session 3: 1.30pm - 3.30pm

If you intend on picking up your son’s exam, please use the following Google Form to register so that we can prepare your son’s exams for collection. This register will close at 9.00am on Wednesday 7 December.

Exam Collection Registration form

Please be aware that exams will only be available for collection at the times listed and, apart from our remote Boarders, no other students will have papers emailed or posted home.

All other exams will be returned to students on the first day back next year.

If you are collecting your son’s exams:

Please park in the carpark adjacent to the farm
You will only be able to pick up your son’s exams if you have registered on the Google Form above
You will not be able to pick up exam papers for other students
There will not be the opportunity for teachers to provide feedback
If you have any questions about the marks/grade provided on a task, please contact the relevant Leader of Learning via email before Monday afternoon (12 December)
Some of your son’s papers will be returned before the end of the term and some subjects have completed practical assessments instead of exams

HSC Celebration Breakfast

HSC Results will be available on Thursday 15 December. At 9.30am the College will also host an HSC Celebration Breakfast for all our HSC students. This will be a good chance for them to get together and celebrate their achievements with their mates and their teachers. All HSC students are welcome and the event will be held in the undercroft of the Marian centre.

ICAS

Congratulations to the following students who received ICAS awards:

Year	First Name	Surname	Subject	Certificate
3	EMILIA	BALAN	Mathematics	Participation
3	ARABELLA	GREEN	English	Distinction
3	AVA	HADDAD	English	Participation
3	ZACHARY	LUSZCZYNSKI	Mathematics	Distinction
3	EMILY	SCOTT-GLASSOCK	English	Credit
3	EMILY	SCOTT-GLASSOCK	Mathematics	Credit
3	Emily	Scott-Glassock	Writing	Participation
3	CHLOE	SEWELL	Digital Technology	Credit
3	CHLOE	SEWELL	Mathematics	Credit
3	CHLOE	SEWELL	English	Participation
4	SIENA	AUSTIN	Mathematics	Participation
4	SAMUEL	BROWN	English	Merit
4	SAMUEL	BROWN	Digital Technology	Participation
4	SAMUEL	BROWN	Mathematics	Participation
4	WILLIAM	MUMFORD	Digital Technology	Credit
4	WILLIAM	MUMFORD	Mathematics	Merit
4	WILLIAM	MUMFORD	English	Participation
4	SASHA	PEREIRA	Digital Technology	Credit
4	SASHA	PEREIRA	English	Credit
4	SASHA	PEREIRA	Mathematics	Credit
4	Sasha	Pereira	Writing	Merit
4	EVIE	SIMPSON	Digital Technology	Merit
4	Evie	Simpson	Writing	Merit
4	EVIE	SIMPSON	English	Participation
4	EVIE	SIMPSON	Mathematics	Participation
4	MICHELANGELO	TORCASO	English	Participation
4	MICHELANGELO	TORCASO	Mathematics	Participation
5	NUALA	FASHOYIN	English	Credit
5	Nuala	Fashoyin	Writing	Merit
5	NUALA	FASHOYIN	Mathematics	Participation
5	BRAYDEN	LUNNY	Digital Technology	Participation
5	BRAYDEN	LUNNY	Mathematics	Participation
5	CHRISTOPHER	MAUMILL	Digital Technology	Participation
5	ISABELLA	TOLOMEO	Digital Technology	Participation
5	ISABELLA	TOLOMEO	English	Participation
5	Isabella	Tolomeo	Writing	Participation
5	ISABELLA	TOLOMEO	Mathematics	Participation
6	ISAAC	HADDAD	Mathematics	Merit
6	ISAAC	HADDAD	English	Participation
6	RUBY	ISBISTER	English	Credit
6	Ruby	Isbister	Writing	Credit
6	RUBY	ISBISTER	Mathematics	Participation
6	LENNY	URSINO	English	Participation
6	LENNY	URSINO	Mathematics	Participation
6	Lenny	Ursino	Writing	Participation
7	MARSHALL	ANDERSON	English	Participation
7	MARSHALL	ANDERSON	Mathematics	Participation
7	MARSHALL	ANDERSON	Science	Participation
7	LUKAS	BROWN	Digital Technology	Merit
7	HAMISH	CROMPTON	Mathematics	Credit
7	FRANCIS	DAGAMI	Digital Technology	Merit
7	FRANCIS	DAGAMI	English	Participation
7	FRANCIS	DAGAMI	Mathematics	Participation
7	FRANCIS	DAGAMI	Science	Participation
7	Francis	Dagami	Writing	Participation
7	THOMAS	DEVINE	English	Participation
7	THOMAS	DEVINE	Mathematics	Participation
7	JOEL	FRASER	English	Participation
7	JOEL	FRASER	Mathematics	Participation
7	ALVIN	MAMALA	Mathematics	Credit
7	ALVIN	MAMALA	English	Merit
7	ALVIN	MAMALA	Science	Participation
7	ROCKY	RUSSO	Mathematics	Participation
7	LACHLAN	SELBY	Mathematics	Distinction
7	LACHLAN	SELBY	Digital Technology	Participation
8	KALEB	BELAK	Mathematics	Distinction
8	KALEB	BELAK	English	Participation
8	HARRY	MORELL	Mathematics	Merit
8	THOMAS	SCOTT-GLASSOCK	English	Participation
9	DECLAN	DEVINE	Science	Credit
9	DECLAN	DEVINE	Mathematics	Distinction
9	DECLAN	DEVINE	Digital Technology	Participation
9	DECLAN	DEVINE	English	Participation
9	NICHOLAS	LARSEN	Digital Technology	Participation
9	NICHOLAS	LARSEN	English	Participation
9	NICHOLAS	LARSEN	Mathematics	Participation
9	NICHOLAS	LARSEN	Science	Participation
10	DANIEL	CANELLIS	Mathematics	Credit
10	DANIEL	CANELLIS	Science	Credit

Boarding Wrap Up

Dear Parents and Guardians,

The final two weeks of the Academic Year have been filled with activities and events that have kept your sons focused as we moved towards the end of the year. With end of year assessments and exams, a final school outing to Raging Waters Theme Park, House Christmas parties, Altar Servers Dinners, Christmas light spotting, boarding awards and a both a school and boarders Christmas mass, your son will be in much need of a rest as he heads home this festive season.

Boarding Awards for 2022

The focus of our celebration was recognising those students who, through their hard work and commitment this year, were successful in winning awards. Congratulations to the following students who were successful this year in winning major awards:

Director of Boarding Award for Service to the Boarding Community - Benjamin Lang
Director of Boarding Award for Spiritual contribution to the Boarding Community - Peter Reardon

Year 11 Academic Achievement

1st Place – Peter Reardon
2nd Place – Jude McCormack
3rd Place – Sam Batten

Senan House Award - Angus Liddle

Alfred House Award - Peter Reardon

Edgar House Award

Luke Cannon
Fingal House Award
Jackson O’Herir

Valens House Award - Jimmy Smith

Raging Waters

Our annual end of year celebration to Raging Waters theme park occurred last weekend. We were blessed with fine weather and the boys took full advantage of the rides throughout the day.

ISA Sport

The ISA Basketball, Touch Football and Cricket competitions are in full swing, and we have lots of teams well placed as we head into the summer holiday break. Current placings are as follows:

Team	Placing
U/13A	3rd
U/13B	6th
U/14A	5th
U/14B	1st
U/15A	1st
U/15B	3rd
U/17A	4th
U/17B	5th
1st V	1st
1st XI Cricket	5th
Senior Touch	5th place
Junior Touch	5th place

Our ISA sports competitions will commence on the first weekend in Term 1 2022. Training will recommence in Week 1 in the lead up to the first games.

Staff

As we sign off the year, I would like to say a huge thank you to all of the staff that have contributed to the care of your sons this year. Our live-in supervisors Ms Santa-Maria, Mr Brennan, Mr Hackett, Mr Dalisay, Mr Singh, Mr Kmet, Mr Hastie, Mr Munro and Mr Fox have done an amazing job. Mr Vetrano, Ms Burke, Mr Duggan, and Ms Keith have also provided invaluable support to our Boarding Program.

I would like to thank both Mr Kripal and Mr Halaifonua for their contributions this year. These men do wonders with your boys and managing their daily care. They are tremendously talented and passionate men who make our boarding program better each day. To Ms Sherd, thanks for all the management of the administrative side of boarding, her support and friendship, is truly invaluable in my role, and finally to Ms Croker for everything she does to support the medical care of your sons, she is a wonderful addition to our community. We are so lucky to have someone of your calibre working with our families and staff to provide exceptional care for our Boarding students.

2023

All families will be sent communication in relation to the beginning of the 2023 Academic Year. Please note that all students are expected to be back in boarding on Monday 30 January. More details will be sent in relation to this.

All the best

Mr Luke Morrissey

Director of Boarding

2002 Sports Wrap Up

Sport has concluded this year and the boys were able to finish the year extremely well. Last week we had four out of the five basketball squads contesting the Grand Finals, with our Yr 10 team playing off for third place. Each of the games were great contests, with the Yr 8 and B Grade squads winning their respective games, being crowned PDS Champions for 2022.

The PDS Cricket competition continues on in 2023 with many of the teams placed quite well going into the Christmas break. Mrs Sligar and the Berg Shield cricket team scored convincing victories against Patrician Brothers Fairfield and Marist College Kogarah. They have progressed to the Quarter Finals of the competition and will play their match this Thursday against St Dominic’s from Penrith.

Mr Morrisey and the Downie Shield team have also been dominant in their matches so far in the Downie Shield competition. Totalling big scores against Bede Polding and Patrician Brothers Blacktown. They are awaiting results from other matches to find out their opponents for their Quarter Final match. Special mention to Yr 8 Student Giles Consunji who made his First XI debut in the Downie Shield match against Bede Polding. We wish this same group of young men the best of luck as they travel to Canberra to represent the College at the Marist Cricket Carnival.

Thank you to all that have been involved in sport for 2022. From the staff who put their hand up to coach and manage, to the boys and your endless energy and pursuit of success and of course parents and carers for your continued support and encouragement.

PDS Sport Reports

Round 3- Grand Final

PDS Basketball Rd 3

Year 10

Mrs Giles

Win 46-28

After running a full court press drill at training in the bye week, this team was on fire. The pressure that they mounted on defense stunned Blacktown and meant that they could not find any momentum. We worked extremely well as a team, and made some very mature decision about plays on offense. Great win for a team that was winless in the last season.

MVP- Deklin Jarrett

B Grade

Mr Perna

Draw 35-35

Much tougher opposition this round. As usual with Bkacktown a very physical game. St Gregory’s didn't play to their potential however still a good enough display to come away with a draw. Need to be much stronger in the rebound department in offence and defence to ensure future wins.

MVP- Victor Simon

A Grade

Mrs Giles

Win 46-41

We were very flat in the first half, with the Year 11 students returning from 3 days of Retreat and the Year 9/10 students having played 5 games of basketball on the Monday and Tuesday. This meant that we went into the second half 5 points down. After a pep talk with the captain, Jake Wright, things started to improve with some intense defense, managing to put stop to Blacktown's big men in the key and using better options on offense. Typical St Greg's spirit by playing to the last second of the game saw us win by 5 points.

MVP- Jake Wright

PDS Basketball Rd 4-

Year 8

Mr Ivancic

Loss 44-36

Hard fought game against Doms as always. We started and finished in the same fashion...with no real urgency and energy to win. Our starting 5 put us in a position in the 1st quarter to only be behind by 8 points. Some great dribbling by Azor and passing by Hudson saw us competitive. Nile and Oskar were fantastic in the air trying their hardest to gain control of rebounds. Down by 10 at half time and knowing we needed to get back to basics, spread out on the court, make our passes count and increase the intensity. We went out an brought the score back to an 8 point difference. Saxon and Kai made important impacts off the bench. However Doms wanted it more than us and ran home with a convincing win.

MVP- Hudson Prenter

Year 9

Mr Limbrey

Win 63-43

This was a much-anticipated game for the boys. While we have won well against St Dominic's in the past, they always give us a good run for our money. We came out of the blocks at breakneck speed and built a twenty-point lead in the first 10 minutes of the game. St Dom's fought back well and shot the ball well from behind the perimeter in the second half. Despite Dom's stronger play as the game progressed, we took a confidence boost from a 63-43 win. This is the team we will likely meet in the finals, so we need to maintain the strong performances in a few weeks.

MVP- Ethan Matthews

Year 10

Mrs Giles

Loss 29-45

This week was always going to be tough. St Dominic's have some very talented players that play together for both their school and Penrith Reps. We played very well despite this but our timing on offence was a little off. Passes just not making it and shots just falling shirt. Proud of the overall performance and I am sure we will be even better next time we meet.

MVP- Noah Puse

B Grade

Mr Perna

Loss 35-36

Poor shooting was our downfall. St Gregory’s was a far better side but the low shooting percentage and the number of free throws Dom's were able to score allowed them to run out winners by a single point. We had many opportunities to win the game but failed to convert.

MVP- Wilson Laurendet

A Grade

Mrs Giles

Loss 47-65

We were very shell shocked at the start of the game and allowed Dom's to take a big lead quickly. But then we started settling in and managed to peg it back. Unfortunately our shots were just not dropping and a few dodgy calls prevented us from getting any real momentum going. The margin in the final score does not really represent the game at all.

MVP- Hamish Bevan

PDS Basketball Round 5

Year 8

Mr Ivancic

Win 54-20

Coming off a disappointing loss last week, the boys were ready to improve on their passes and commitment in this game. From the get go the boys came out all guns blazing with quick buckets taking the score to 12 nil in the space of 8 minutes. Azor, Hudson and Nile were fantastic leading the charge in the offensive attacks and Oskar, Tom and Kai played a great defensive game. The bench was utlised heavily in the game with Saxson and Noah playing strong games in offensive attacks and forming great Ds. Hudson and Nile also played great games by both scoring buckets and gaining our advantage in the air. Well done gents.

MVP- Azor Ruiz

Year 9

Mr Limbrey

Win 57-30

Another great performance by the boys in the team. Everyone got an opportunity to play good minutes as we established a strong lead and kept up the momentum as the game progressed. Greystanes started to shoot the ball more efficiently in the second half, as did St Dom's in our game last week. We will be looking to tighten up our perimeter defence and contest all shots next week in the Grand Final. Another opportunity presents itself to this excellent squad of players and hopefully they can get the job done again.

MVP- Kyan Wilton

Year 10

Mrs Giles

Win 74-35

The team was keen to get our second win of the season and came out really strong. They were challenged to ensure that they had their heads up of offense and looking for the quick transition up the court and they smashed it. St Paul's tried to keep up in the game with 3 pointers but our good defense and passing on offense mean that we would keep forging ahead on the scoreboard.

MVP- Ethan Antala

B Grade

Mr Perna

Win 48-17

Very convincing win from the team this week. Improved their rebounding and ball security which allowed us to run a free flowing fast break. Much better shooting percentage as well.

MVP- Marcus Mizzi and Victor Simon

A Grade

Mrs Giles

Win 89-39

After the disappointing game last week we were determined to get a good win under our belts. Even though the opposition were not strong, it was important to get the little things right on both offense and defense to ensure that we remained focused. Great to see the team work together making excellent choices with our passing and shot selection. This group has bonded well and they all seem to know the role that they play in the team, as well as being able to have fun!

MVP- Isaac Puse

PDS Basketball Grand Finals

Year 8

Mr Ivancic

Loss 34-27

Hard fought game that was back and forth for most of the game. With less than 10 minutes to go were able to be within two points, unfortunately going on to lose 34-27

Really well led by Azor Ruiz and Nile Bushby throughout the contest

MVP- Azor Ruiz

Year 9

Mr Limbrey

Win 54-40

continued their great form this year flying out of the blocks and opening up a double-digit lead very early in the contest. This group of young men have been incredibly hard to beat this year and yet again they are champions in another competition. Winning 54-40 however the Parramatta hit a few late 3 pointers to close the gap when the game was well and truly over.

PDS Champions 2022

MVP- Kyan Wilton

Year 10

Mrs Giles

Win 47-23

The boys won the game convincingly which demonstrated how unlucky they were not to make the grand final. Deklin Jarrett was very strong in the paint with many rebounds and points from under the basket, which were heavily contested. Ethan was very good up the top, controlling the pace of the game well and his decision making was on point the entire time. Great effort gentlemen, the improvement that I witnessed each, and every week has been fantastic

MVP- Ethan Antala

B Grade

Mr Perna

Win 48-17

In a thrilling contest that had coach Mr Perna out of his chair the whole game the young men of the b grade side were resilient throughout the entire contest. Victor Simon was great in transition all game and when a clutch basket was needed, Justin Blums drove hard to basket scored and drawed the foul which proved to be the pivotal moment in the game. Winning 27-25

PDS Champions 2022

MVP- Justin Blums and Victor Simon

A Grade

Mrs Giles

Loss 51-73

Once again, St Dominic's came out really quickly getting a good lead early. Then, our captain, Jake Wright, went down with a significant knee injury which made the challenge even greater. Even though the final margin was large, this was only due to the first 5 minutes of the game. After that we started to play our game and matched Dom's in skill and physicality. It was nice to welcome back Angus Ryan, who worked hard with Hamish Bevan in the key and Kohan Prenter making some great passes inside. Mason Hunter drained a few three pointers in the second half that kept Dom's on their toes. Keep your heads up gents, you have worked hard this year and the Marist Carnival is just around the corner.

MVP- Hamish Bevan

Round 3- 6

PDS Cricket Round 3

Year 8

Mr Bingham

Win

Gregs 0/19

Blacktown 5/18

The game was played at Cunningham Park, Gregory Hills. The Patrician Brothers bus arrived 1:35pm and by the time the game started close to 2pm, our umpire made the call to limit the game to 15 overs. Patrician Brothers won the toss and elected to bat. The Patrician Brothers coach requested that we bowl gently citing their 12-run total made the previous week. St Greg's agreed to reverse bowl. St Greg's gave 8 extras and Patrician Brothers scored 10 runs for a total of 18 runs off 15 overs. In reply, St Greg's scored 19 runs off 9 balls.

MVP- Noah Fordham

Year 9

Mr Newell

Loss

Gregs 3/90

Doms 4/155

Following a 30 minute delayed start, which resulted in a reduction in overs (16 for each team), I was really proud of the effort of our boys who came up against a very strong St Dominic's team. St Dom's won the toss and elected to bat first and 'flew out of the box' scoring 0-61 off the first five overs. Unfortunately, a few dropped catches didn't assist our cause, and the boys fought well to restrict them to 155. Khai Hughes 1-21 and Byron Luyten 2-20 were the pick of our bowlers. Our batsmen knew it was going to take something special to chase down that score and St Dom's first 6 overs were amazing and really didn't give the boys any opportunity to take control. Jack Jobson (37) and Giles Consunji (32n.o.) toiled away and ensured that the game was played out to the end. All boys are looking forward to playing our Year 10 team next week.

MVP- Byron Luyten

Year 10

Mrs Sligar

Win

Gregs 7/89

Doms 6/83

St Greg's won the toss and decided to make the most of the lovely afternoon and take up the bat. Top scorers were Ashton Haycock (48) and Harvey Clissold (11) who contributed significantly to the total of 7/89. St Dom's started slowly but managed to also settle in with the bat and certainly gave us a run for our money. Excellent work in the field including 'classic catches' from Matthew Fitzgerald and Lucas Metcalfe saw us take a narrow win from St Dominics who achieved 6/83. Best bowlers were Ashton Haycock (2/9), Jacob Malvern (1/11) and Nathan Salter (2/26)

MVP- Ashton Haycock

3rd Grade

Mr Kripal

Washout

1st Grade

Mr Morrisey

Win

Gregs 2/68

Doms 8/63

Our Captain kept up his record of losing tosses. Blacktown tried hard to protect their wickets and in doing so, the runs were a bit slow coming. Our bowlers kept consistent line and length and the fielding was dramatically improved on last week. Greg's managed to keep Blacktown to 8/63 off 20 overs. Notable bowling efforts from Isaac Gasson 2/9 off 4 overs and Tom Dzevlin 2/7 off 3. The run chase was on for an early departure\, with Tim Saunders top scoring on 27 and Riley Kingsell on 21. Greg's reached to total in the 10th over. Special shout out to the bus driver who was nearly run over trying to catch Riley Kingsell's massive six.

Tim Saunders

Round 4

Year 8

Mr Bingham

Win

Gregs 2/78

Doms 9/74

The game was played at Cunningham Park, Gregory Hills. St Dom's bus arrived 1:20 pm and then due to the late start, our umpire made the call to limit the game to 17 overs. St Dom's won the toss and elected to bat scoring a respectable 74 runs off 17.3 overs. In reply, St Greg's scored 78 runs off 12.2 overs. Bowling stats: Kynan Eagles (4 for 4 off 3); Avanindra Sikarwar (2 for 6 off 4); Ethan Handunneththi (1 for 5 off 3); Noah Fordham (1 for 18 off 3); Jonathan Khandharixay (0 for 19 off 2.3); Lachlan Selby (0 for 20 off 2). Batting stats: Kynan Eagles (44 N.O.); Avanindra Sikarwar (17 Caught); Noah Fordham (5 R.O.); Jonathan Khandharixay (3 N.O.). Fielding highlights: Connor Harrison (catch); Ethan Handunneththi (R.O. and catch); Dustin Nott (caught behind); Kynan Eagles (catch); Jonathan Khandharixay (catch); Avanindra Sikarwar (catch).

MVP- Kynan Eagles

Year 9

Mr Newell

Loss

Gregs 6/103

Gregs (1) 2/105

Another tough match for these young blokes against our older colleagues. Our boys won the toss and batted first reaching 6/105 off our allotted 20 overs. Jack Jobson starred once again with 60 not out and was well accompanied by Giles Consunji (21). An improved effort in the field this week, made our opposition work hard for their runs who passed our total in the 14th over. Some big hitting from their physically bigger bodies proved to be invaluable. Congratulations to Mrs Sligar's team, but I'm sure our boys learnt a great deal from the experience.

MVP- Jack Jobson

Year 10

Mrs Sligar

Win

Gregs 6/103

Gregs (1) 2/105

The most glorious afternoon for Cricket was the setting for the long-anticipated clash between the Year 8 and the Year 9 Cricket teams. Year 8s won the toss and decided to bat first. The Year 8 team batted strongly and set the bar high with 103 runs in the 20 overs. Top scorers were Jack Jobson (60 not out) and Giles Consunji (21). Bowling highlights were Zach Moroney (2/15), Jacob Malvern (1/12), Nathan Salter (1/13) and Jackson Mills (1/7) With the knowledge that they had a lot of work to do with the bat, Year 9s got straight to work in the second innings, finding the boundary on numerous occasions. The required runs were reached in the 14th over with Ashton Haycock (39), Archie Gay (29), Matthew Fitzgerald (23 not out) and Jacob Malvern (6 not out).

MVP- Zach Moroney

2nd Grade

Mr Gilheaney

Win

Gregs 6/80

Blacktown 10/76

Started very well having Patrician Brothers 4/21 with the opening bowlers sharing the wickets. Spin bowling combination of Lachlan Good, Ben Gregory and Aiden Ellis then entered the attack, controlling the middle part of our bowling innings. Lachlan in particularly, bowled tremendously well taking figures of 4/11 including a Hatrick. The boys rallied well and took their chances, bowling Patrician Brothers out for 76, 48 of these runs coming from one of their batsmen. A main highlight of the innings was being able to have all 12 players get to have a bowl and 7 out of the 12 players taking a wicket. Ashton Susnajara, who had never bowled a ball before, took the prized wicket of their best batsmen with his very FIRST BALL to wrap up the innings. Our batting innings got off to a shaky start, losing a few early wickets making our way to 5/40. The calm heads of Jai Garvin and Josh Ryan steering us past Patrician Brothers score of 76 with 4 wickets in hand. A highlight of our batting inning was the timing and power of Ryan White who really looked to put the pressure on the bowlers.

MVP- Lachlan Good

1st Grade

Mr Morrisey

Win

Gregs 1/76

Doms 10/73

With Mr Morrissey out on School Business, Ms Tansey took the reigns as coach. With an appalling coaching record against Dom's of 0 wins from 2 games, the pressure was on. Dom's are definitely missing their previous superstars, and only one batsman really presented with a sense of danger. Commendable bowling from Tom Dzevlin 1/12 for breaking up a handy partnership. Jack Spragg performed well, with 3/14 and Riley Kingsell cleaned up the late order with 2/1. Ryan Polson and Blake Truman wasted no time in showing Dom's who was boss. Polson scored a quickfire 26, Truman finished 28 not out and and Coby Holland 15 not out. A solid win, just a warm up for Downie Shield and Marist Carnival. Bring it on!

MVP- Jack Spragg

Round 5

Year 8

Mr Bingham

Win

Gregs 1/121

Greystanes 10/75

Round 5 - St Greg’s Year 8 Cricket (1/121) defeated St Dom’s (10/75) The game was played at Cunningham Park, Gregory Hills. Again, our umpire made the call to limit the game to 17 overs as St Paul’s had requested an early 3:30 pm finish as they needed to return to school early. St Greg's won the toss and elected to bat scoring an awesome 121 runs off 17 overs. In reply, St Paul's were all out for 75 runs off 16 overs. Bowling stats: Kynan Eagles (4 for 10 off 4); Avanindra Sikarwar (2 for 10 off 4); Jonathan Khandharixay (2 for 17 off 3); Connor Harrison (1 for 10 off 2); Noah Fordham (0 for 3 off 2); Ethan Handunneththi (0 for 13 off 2). Batting stats: Noah Fordham (58 N.O.); Avanindra Sikarwar (28 N.O.); Kynan Eagles (22 LBW). Fielding highlights: Dustin Nott (caught two behind); Avanindra Sikarwar (catch and R.O.); Rhys Barrington (catch).

MVP- Noah Fordham

Year 9

Mr Newell

Win

Gregs 5/109

Blacktown 10/90

A really solid win by the boys. Sent into bat after losing the toss, we started soundly without being spectacular. Another unbeaten knock of 49 by Jack Jobson saw us reach 5 for 109 off our 20 overs. Apart from a few too many wides, the bowling and fielding made the win a possibility, resulting in us bowling them all out for 90 on the final ball of the match. Our bowling efforts were outstanding. Whilst they didn't get a bundle of wickets, the bowling of Cohen Kvackovski and Byron Luyten had a major impact on the outcome. Each of these boys bowled 16 'dot balls' in their 4 overs and placed so much scoring pressure on the Pat's batsmen that it allowed Giles Consunji (3 wickets for 5) along with Jack Jobson and Toby Cox (2 wickets each) to clean up the innings. So proud of the team effort today

MVP- Jack Jobson

Year 10

Mrs Sligar

Loss

Gregs 8/78

Parra 4/132

Unfortunately, we had our first loss of the season today. Parramatta Marist won the toss and chose to bat first. Parramatta were very comfortable at the crease and scored a strong 132 runs. Best bowlers were Archie Gay (2/5) and Michael Fitzgerald (2/14). The run chase proved too much for us today as we reached a respectable 78 runs. Best batsmen were Jacob Malvern (33) and Ashton Haycock (18)

MVP- Jacob Malvern

3rd Grade

Mr Kripal

Loss

Gregs 10/40

Gregs (1) 10/43

The game began with SGC 2 batting first with SGC 3 losing yet another toss. The bowling from SGC 3 was solid with Kaylan Prince-Peckham on 2-10 from 3 overs and Rory Mcgrath on 5-13 from 4 overs. SGC 2 scored 43 runs from the first innings with SGC 3 left to chase. Unfortunately, SGC 3 scored a total of 40 runs all out and lost the game. A good game with some laughter!

MVP- Rory McGrath

1st Grade

Mr Morrisey

Win

Gregs 0/36

Doms 10/35

The afternoon started well, with First Grade travelling in luxury on the brand new Coach - it's maiden voyage! Arriving in style, we immediately dominated on the field. Coby Holland, our usual wicket keeper turned into our opening bowler and secured 2/5 off 4 overs. Riley Kingsell also notched up 2/3 off 3 overs and Jack Spragg 2/1 off 2 overs. Chasing 36 for the win, Ryan Polsen made it clear he was keen to get back on the fancy bus, hitting two sixes in the first over. Tom Dzelvin continued his run of luck with sixes too, send one far down the ground and over the boundary. It was all over by the 13th ball, with Polsen finishing on 26 and Dzevlin on 10.

MVP- Coby Holland

Round 6

Year 8

Mr Bingham

Win

Gregs 1/156

Parra 6/57

Round 6 - St Greg’s Year 8 Cricket (2/156) defeated Parramatta (6/57) The game was played at Jones Park, Parramatta. Our umpire made the call to limit the game to 15 overs as Parramatta Marist could only field 8 players. St Greg's won the toss and elected to bat scoring an impressive 156 runs off 15 overs. In reply, Parramatta Marist were 6 for 56 runs off 15 overs. Avanindra Sikarwar made a superb Vice Captain, leading from the front in the absence of our Captain Kynan Eagles. We wish Kynan a speedy recovery from a broken a bone in his hand sustained in a game on the weekend. Bowling stats: Noah Fordham (4 for 17 off 4); Jonathan Khandharixay (1 for 9 off 3); Lachlan Selby (1 for 9 off 1); Ethan Handunneththi (0 for 6 off 3); Avanindra Sikarwar (0 for 11 off 4). Batting highlights: Avanindra Sikarwar made an inspiring 118 n.o., a feat rarely seen in Junior Cricket. Fielding highlights: Dustin Nott (stumping); Lachlan Selby (caught and bowled). Man of the Match: Avanindra Sikarwar (118 n.o.)

MVP- Avanindra Sikarwar

Year 9

Mr Newell

Loss

Gregs 3/88

Parra 2/90

Tough day against the Parramatta Marist side. We won the toss and batted first reaching 3/88, courtesy of 40 not out to Giles Consunji and a solid 24 to Ryan Burfitt. Tom Geale picked up a wicket in the first over but two very strong batsmen got them home with half of their overs remaining. Full credit for the effort from the boys, but our opponents were simply too good on the day.

MVP- Giles Consunji

3rd Grade

Mr Kripal

Loss

Gregs 10/52

Parra 1/54

The team played Parramatta Marist (1st Grade). The boys began well playing some clever shots but crumbled after some miscommunication by the openning batsman. Our middle order came in and managed to get some runs on the board but the bowling from Parramatta Marist proved to be too good getting all of SGC 3 out for 52 runs. Parammatta Marist chased the runs fairly quickly within 7 overs. A special mention to Nicholas Platts who scored multiple 4s and a 6.

MVP- Nicholas Platts

1st Grade

Mr Morrisey

Win

Gregs 2/70

Blacktown 9/66

A replay of the Downie Shield. Very little changed in three days. Blacktown's opening batsman scored a handy 27, however that's about the only highlight for them. Riley Kingsell and Tom Dzevlin both bagged 2/16 off 4 overs, Isaac Gasson finished with 2/2 off his over. Chasing 66, Lachlan Stanley was on the receiving end of a unpleasant run out. The Greg's boys reached the target in the 10th over, with Spragg not out on 27 and Gasson not out on 19.

MVP- Jack Spragg

Latest Sport Information – 2023 NSW CCC calendar dates

To ensure you remain up to date with the latest sport news, please use the following link to access the Catholic Schools NSW Sport website. They are also on Facebook – might be worth following.

Trial dates for several sports are already confirmed for 2023 and I would recommend you investigate the dates and venues for your respective sports.

Student registrations for some events are closing shortly. Please act now.

CSNSW website - https://csnsw.sport/

PDSSSC website- https://www.secondarysportparra.catholic.edu.au/

Yours in Sport,

Mr Matt Coffey

Leader of Representative Sport

mcoffey@stgregs.nsw.edu.au

Community Service Supporting the Campbelltown Domestic Violence Committee

On the Thursday 17 November Ms. Ridler, Joseph Jose, Samuel Martyn, Anthony Zappia, Denzel Tarabay, Matthew Parkin, and I (Oliver Kendall) volunteered to assist the Campbelltown Domestic Violence Committee in launching their 16 days of activism campaign into gender-based domestic violence.

At this event, it was revealed to us that the Campbelltown local government area has the highest rate of domestic violence incidents in the state. The Campbelltown Domestic Violence Committee has recognised that as a community, we need to turn this around.

Year 10 Boys supporting the Christmas Appeal

I would like to share what our Year 10 boys have been doing in support of the Year 10 Christmas Appeal.

I’m proud of the leadership our boys have shown in wanting to contribute in a way they feel will help to raise funds for the Santa Teresa Community. The Boys have raised more than $500 for the Signed Indigenous All Stars football.

They then continued to raise funds and have continued to work with the Wests Tigers to have a number of items donated which were raffled off this week at line-up which saw young Jackson Mills take home the items and brought about a big smile.

The boys pivoted in their approach and decided to move to a silent auction for the NRL donated Māori All Stars signed jersey and the silent auction saw Cooper Clarke donate $100 to the cause to claim the jersey.

Lastly, the boys have moved to the big guns in one final push to raise some funds before the end of the year and have shared through the Old Boys Facebook page, two very special items donated by the Cronulla Sharks and the Canberra Raiders. Bids are starting to climb, and I would like to thank everyone for their support with this.

To see the boys push themselves out of their comfort zones and extend themselves to speaking at line up, is a personal moment I’m very proud of, and for me, a platform for the boys to continue to develop their leadership qualities as they transition into the leaders of the future for the College.

Mr Shaun Humpheries

First Nations Liaison Officer

Visual Arts in the Senior School

During this semester, the Stage 4 Visual Arts students have worked diligently to produce some outstanding artworks.

They have persevered in learning to draw self-portraits, animal portraits and produce their all-time favourite; the ceramics Crazy Critter. This critter is the design of plant, human and animal all rolled into one.

I congratulate the boys for their excitement and enthusiasm in the Art Room as they made something that wasn’t there before!

Enjoy these images and help us celebrate the dedicated work of Stage 4 Visual Arts students.

Kind regards,

Jane Keily

Acting Visual Arts Coordinator

School Fee Reminder

A friendly reminder to all families that fees are to be finalised by the 30/11/22.

Sundry invoices are not incorporated into the Annual Fee Invoice and need to be paid separately.

Please check your Sentral Pay portal for any outstanding invoices.

We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

The Finance Office

Sports & Co-Curricular Photos can now be ordered!

Mater Dei Visit to St Greg's

On Thursday 24 November, we were privileged to have a group of staff and students join us from Mater Dei.

The students joined in with our opens rugby league TFP squad for a training session. The training session involved some catch and pass drills and finished with a modified game of footy.

The Mater Dei students scored some fantastic tries and the St Greg’s boys really rallied around them. The Mater Dei students were presented with a St Greg’s rugby league jersey at the end of the training session. Thank you to all staff and students that were involved in making this possible.

Around the Farm!

The last few weeks of term around the farm have seen the arrival of Mr James Dalton, Farm Manager. The boys and teaching staff warmly welcome him.

We have seen the arrival of a new Shorthorn heifer and bull, from the Moombi Dispersal sale. We kindly thank Mr Steve Mann and Miss Skye Bater for making the long trip out to Yeoval to get them.

Mrs Deb Monte and Miss Hayley Mahoney took a small group of show team students to a RAS Farm day. The students were involved in various workshops. This included Dairy, Wool, Poultry and Honey production. The students had a great day!

Miss Hayley Mahoney

Leader of Learning - Agriculture

ICAS Results - Junior School

The International Competitions and Assessments for Schools, or ICAS for short, is an independent, skills-based assessment program that recognises and rewards student achievement in areas such as English, maths, science, spelling, writing and digital technologies. It comprises of a series of tests that are designed to match and test skills that are learned in the school classroom.

Students in over 20 countries including Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa and the United States participate in ICAS each year. St Greg’s offers these tests for optional participation each year and they are conducted under normal examination conditions via a portal run by the external provider, ICAS.

In the Junior School we had nineteen students who participated across the range of tests offered:

Emilia Balan (Year 3) - Mathematics
Arabela Green (Year 3) - English
Ava Haddad (Year 3) - English
Zachary Luszczynski (Year 3) - Mathematics
Emily Scott-Glassock (Year 3) - English; Mathematics; Writing
Chloe Sewell (Year 3) - Digital Technologies; English; Mathematics
Siena Austin (Year 3) - Mathematics
Samuel Brown (Year 4) - Digital Technologies; English; Mathematics
William Mumford (Year 4) - Digital Technologies; English; Mathematics
Sasha Pereira (Year 4) - Digital Technologies; Writing; English; Mathematics
Evie Simpson (Year 4) - Digital Technologies; Writing; English; Mathematics
Michelangelo Torcaso (Year 4) - English; Mathematics
Nuala Fashoyin (Year 5) - English; Mathematics
Brayden Lunny (Year 5) - Digital Technologies; Mathematics
Christopher Maumill (Year 5) - Digital Technologies; Mathematics
Isabella Tolomeo (Year 5) - Digital Technologies; Writing; English; Mathematics
Isaac Haddad (Year 6) - English
Ruby Isbister (Year 6) - Writing; English; Mathematics
Lenny Ursino (Year 6) - Writing; English; English; Mathematics

Students who undertake the ICAS test are ranked based on their percentile in each year level across every participating state (Australia) and country:

Top 1% of students receive a High Distinction
The next 10% of students receive a Distinction

Congratulations to Zachary Luszczynski who received a Distinction in Mathematics; Arabella Green who received a Distinction in English

The following 25% of students received a Credit;

Congratulations to Chloe Sewell, William Mumford, and Sasha Pereira, who received a Credit in Digital Technologies; Emily Scott-Glassock, Sasha Pereira, Nuala Fashoyin and Ruby Isbister who received a Credit in English; Emily Scott-Glassock, Chloe Sewell, Sasha Periera who received a Credit in Mathematics; and Ruby Isbister who received a Credit in Writing.

The next 10% of students received a Merit Certificate;

Congratulations to Evie Simpson who received a Merit in Digital Technologies; Samuel Brown who received a Merit in English; William Mumford and Isaac Haddad who received a Merit in Mathematics; Sasha Periera, Evie Simpson and Nuala Fashoyin who received a Merit in Writing.

All other students received a Participation Certificate

Mrs Rachael Cosentino

Acting Assistant Head of Junior School

Stage 3 Camps - Year 4

Year 4

On 19 November, Year 4 also headed off to their first camp. This was a little farther afield, at the Broken Bay Sport and Recreation Centre in Brooklyn. Surrounded by water and glorious bushland, Year 4 caught the ferry from Brooklyn wharf across to Broken Bay to unpack and get settled.

Stage 2 Camps - Year 3

Year 3

This Term has been a busy one for camps, with both our Year 3 and Year 4 students following our Year 5 students, off to camp.

Grandparent's buy lot's of books!

It’s no surprise that our Grandparents love to spoil our students and this year’s Book Fair was no different. Our end of year Book Fair ran for a full week, concluding on Grandparent’s Day - Friday 4th November - and our Grandparents were very generous in their support of the Book Fair and our school Library.

Religious Education in the Junior School

What an extremely busy and exciting term we have had in the Junior School. There have been many special liturgical celebrations.

GRANDPARENTS DAY

Grandparents’ day was a great success! We welcomed up to 400 grandparents and special friends to the College to join us for a beautiful liturgy led by the Student Representative Council. We then spent time in the classrooms where students were able to celebrate their great learning with their grandparents. The day finished with a lunch on the lawn where grandparents were treated to a morning tea and many wonderful photos were taken. Many precious moments were had with the students at the Junior School and their most treasured family members.

MATER DEI

This term the students of Mater Dei visited the Junior School to participate in activities that were organised and lead by our Year 5 and 6 students. The students of the college demonstrated generosity of spirit, compassion, patience, inclusiveness and adaptability to ensure that all the Mater Dei students were able to participate in their activities.

The opportunity to work with the students and teachers of Mater Dei has been extremely rewarding for all involved. We look forward to continuing the wonderful relationship we have built with Mater Dei next year.

ST VINCENT DE PAUL APPEAL

Once again we have been overwhelmed with the wonderful donations from the families of the Junior School. Each grade was allocated an item to bring in to be used to create hampers to be given to families less fortunate than our own. The hamper items will be brought forward during our Christmas Mass and then passed on to the St Vincent de Paul Society. A very big thank you to all families for the generosity and kindness demonstrated.

YEAR 6 GRADUATION

On Monday 28 November we celebrated the Year 6 Graduation and Thanksgiving Mass in the school Chapel and Brother Luke Hall. The families of the students joined us in recognising the end of their child’s primary school journey. The mass was a thoughtful reflection on the Gospel of Matthew – ‘You are the light of the world.’ The students explored the ways they have grown through their primary years at the college, influenced by the Marist qualities of Simplicity, Presence, Family Spirit, Love of Work and In the Way of Mary. The evening continued with the sharing of a delicious meal with their families and peers and our year 6 teachers composing and delivering a poem that was Pulitzer prize worthy.

A special thank you to all who were involved in preparing the students, the choir, the mass, the dinner and the graduation packs. You all contributed to make the night the success it was.

Mrs Robyn Bowen

School Fee Reminder

A friendly reminder to all families that fees are to be finalised by the 30/11/22.

Sundry invoices are not incorporated into the Annual Fee Invoice and need to be paid separately.

Please check your Sentral Pay portal for any outstanding invoices.

We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

The Finance Office

STEM Challenge for Girls at St Patrick's College

On Friday 25 November, eight of our Year 5 and 6 girls, accompanied by Mrs Burton, represented St Gregory's at the STEM Challenge Day for girls at St Patrick's College, Campbelltown. This initiative promotes the uptake of STEM for girls and provides an opportunity for them to work in teams with like-minded girls.

IPSSO and Swimming Carnival

Independent Primary Schools Sporting Organisation (IPSSO)

Congratulations to all our Senior IPSSO Teams finishing their games for the year with impressive wins.

A reminder for all IPSSO 2022 team members, please return your playing uniforms to the office by Monday, 5 December.

All of our 2023 Summer IPSSO Trials will continue into Term 1 2023. Good luck to students and coaches during the final stages of these trials.

Please ensure your child brings the appropriate equipment required for the trials. If your child is not participating in a trial, they will be doing regular grade sport.

2023 NAIDOC Theme

It is with great pleasure that I share with you that the NAIDOC theme for 2023 has been chosen. Follow the link to hear how the 2023 theme “For our Elders” will be acknowledged https://www.naidoc.org.au/awards/current-theme

“For our Elders” is a theme we will be asked to reflect on the important role our Elders have had in shaping the world we share today. NAIDOC is more than a weeklong celebration from 2nd -9th July, it is a reflection that should be continued throughout the year.

Our Elders are our cultural knowledge holders, the advocates and voice for our First Nations people. They continue to guide us, direct our course when needed as well as lifting and celebrating us to acknowledge our excellence.

I have asked our students to reflect on ways they can celebrate and acknowledge the year “For our Elders” and how they feel we as a College can best do this.

In 2023, I will ask you to think of how you are going the celebrate and acknowledge the year “For our Elders” how will you support those who have guided and led our First Nations peoples to have a voice that can be shared across all our communities.