St Agnes

Catholic High School

March newsletter term 1

The Season of Lent

We commenced Ash Wednesday last week with a liturgy that marked the beginning of the Season of Lent. It is a time of penance, reflection, and fasting that prepares us for Christ's Resurrection on Easter Sunday. Ashes were used at this liturgy and they are a symbol of penance made sacramental by the blessing of the Church. They help us develop a spirit of humility and sacrifice. While the ashes symbolise penance and contrition, they are also a

reminder that God is gracious and merciful to those who call on Him with repentant hearts.

Lent is a time for almsgiving, fasting and prayer. It is also a time when we remember God's great love for us in the person of Jesus Christ. This Lenten season, I encourage you to reflect on “God is love” and how God invites each of us to love.

I would like to thank Mr Madigan and Mr Zucco for organising our Ash Wednesday Liturgy and the students who were involved on the day.

Parent Forum

This year we are introducing one parent forum per term. This is an opportunity for parents to be informed and participate in a range of topics concerning their children. In 2022, 27 parents completed the Tell Them From Me (TTFM) survey, some parents indicating that they would like to be more involved in their child’s education and be informed about the social and emotional development of children. As a result of this feedback, we are having our first forum on Understanding your teenager’s brain and their high school experience.

St Agnes welcomes all parents and carers to this evening. This presentation, by St Agnes' school counsellors, Fay Jelley, and Sonia Betteridge, will provide you with information to help you understand what is happening for your teenager socially, emotionally, and mentally. They will share tips and strategies on how to effectively communicate and connect with the young person in your life as well as share information that will help you help them have a successful school experience.

Date: 20th March 2023

Time: Arrive 5:15pm for 5:30pm start

Duration: 1 Hour

Location: St Agnes Catholic High School

Method of delivery: In person face to face

Cost: Free

We ask parents or carers wishing to attend to send an email confirming attendance and a number of people who will be attending to stagnes@parra.catholic.edu.au to secure your place.

Parents and carers are also invited to send any questions or content that you would like addressed in this session as part of your confirmation email.

We look forward to seeing you later this month and hope that this is the first of many parent forums for years to come

Public Speaking

St Agnes values the ability to stand up in front of an audience and speak confidently on any topic, whether it be to persuade, explain or unpack any topic.

Whether a student’s interest lies in science, maths, the arts or literature, public speaking skills will put them in the best position to make the most of any opportunity.

Topics were divided equally among our participating students for an impromptu speech

Year 7 - Nathaniel Digges-Lagula, Greyson Nio

Year 8 - Alexander Newell, Cassandra Cruz

Year 9 - Chloe Favor, Andrea Plaatjes

Year 10 - Angela Younan, Leah Brooke

Year 11 - Purva Kumar, Aarya Mehta

Year 12 - Favor Gueh, Anish Khadka

Aiden Stevenson also attended as an assistant

Ex-student, Shon Rae, also came to support our school.

Congratulations to Chloe Favor, Year 9, who will progress to the next stage and speak at Emmaus College next week and well done to all students who participated. Thank you to Miss Dunne for organising our teams. Miss Panesar, Mr Fisher, Mrs Walters and I were extremely proud of the way they carried themselves.

Harmony Day

An important community building day at St Agnes is Harmony Day. The students spent many hours practicing their performances in the lead-up to the event. The purpose of the day was to celebrate our diversity. The performances were outstanding and there are so many talented students at the school. I would like to thank the many students who were involved in this community event performing or helping out.

Thank you to the family members who purchased tickets to support the school’s World Youth Day fundraising. The families enjoyed the performances and were proud of their sons and daughters who performed on the night.

A big thank you to the staff who assisted to make this day happen, especially Ms Gale, Mr Hilder, Mrs Karafotias, Mr Mangion, Mr Vellio, Mr Khan, Mr Kemmis and Mr Thompson. A great deal of energy and effort goes on behind the scenes to make the day a success.

Self- Efficacy and Growth Mindset

During our recent senior and junior assemblies I reinforced the importance of student self-efficacy referring to a student's belief in their ability to succeed in specific situations or accomplish specific tasks. This belief has a significant impact on a student's academic and personal life. Student self-efficacy is critical for our students to flourish and reach their potential. Our wellbeing programs as well as the teaching and learning programs have this outcome as a priority.

Self-efficacy requires a growth mindset which leads to better learning outcomes because it allows students to embrace challenges, persist through obstacles, and learn from feedback. When a student believes that their abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work, they put in the effort required to learn and improve. They view mistakes and failures as opportunities to learn, rather than as evidence of their limitations. This leads to greater resilience, motivation, and achievement in the long term.

These images are some of the slides I used at these assemblies.

Year 7 2024 Enrolments

Officially offers of enrolment will not be made until 3rd April, 2023 but we are holding enrolment Interviews for Year 7/2024 on Tuesday 14th March 2023. Thank you to Mr Hilder, Mr Kemmis, Mr Khan, Mr Thompson, Mr Madigan, Mrs Hanratty, Mr Cruicksahnk, Miss Raad, Mrs Azzopardi, Miss Collins, Ms Penna, Ms Gale and Mr Conte for assisting with these.

Should you have a younger son/daughter who you would like to enrol at St Agnes Catholic High School for Year 7 in 2024, please ensure you complete an application form, available from our website, as soon as possible.

Due to the success of school tours this week, we are extending the tours for the next fortnight. Please book your position through the Try-Booking link https://www.trybooking.com/CDYCQ. To avoid the disappointment of missing out on a position in year 7 next year submit your enrolment forms as soon as possible. Siblings of current students are not automatically accepted without submitting an application.

Mrs Jeanette Holland

Principal

CLICK HERE to access our Parent Calendar. Click subscribe at the bottom to connect the school calendar to yours and stay up to date with school events

'Back to St Agnes’ Assembly

Last week, our HSC 2022 ‘Back to St Agnes’ Assembly was an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of a number of our students in the HSC. These students have all commenced university studies at a number of institutions which we, as a school, have established connections with; such as UNSW, Macquarie, ACU, and WSU. Our ATAR Dux, Julia Freeman, spoke to the students about the concepts of commitment and hard work. She reminded all of the students that the HSC is a ‘marathon and not a sprint’. It is important to be committed to your studies throughout high school and use the most valuable resource, the teachers, to assist you along the way. After the assembly, the students spoke to our current Year 12 students about the HSC as a whole.

Naplan

As you may know from the media and previous communications, NAPLAN will be occurring later this month. This is a major change in all Australian schools, where the previous tests always occurred in May of the given year. We welcome this change. This earlier date will mean that results are available to the school and teachers much earlier and this assists us in knowing your child’s needs and areas that we can focus on to support them further in their learning. All students in Years 7 and 9 will sit for NAPLAN Online. The timetable is below:

Regular Study Habits - Please read below for the installment from Prue Salter.

WHY DO STUDENTS NEED TO TURN OFF DEVICES AT LEAST HALF AN HOUR BEFORE SLEEP

Artificial light from electronic and other devices generally emits a blue light (it may not look blue, but that is the underlying light). Blue light is a type of non-visible light at a very short wavelength.

What does blue light do to the human body?

Non-visible light has a lot of energy, and studies show that a lot of exposure to this type of light can impair your sleep cycle. During sleep lots of essential physical processes take place and it is also when learning from the day is consolidated in memory. This means that having enough sleep is vital for students.

Blue light is naturally generated only during the day, from sunlight. When it gets dark, naturally occurring blue light ceases, signalling the body to produce melatonin, the hormone associated with sleep. Using artificial lighting and devices which emit a blue light at night confuses the body-clock (the body’s natural sleep-wake cycle) by stopping the body from producing melatonin. This can result in disrupted sleep patterns, including difficulty in falling asleep, staying asleep and shortened sleep duration.

Those at greatest risk from night-time exposure to blue light are those with existing sleep disorders and adolescents who often experience delayed sleep patterns as a result of biological changes.

What can students do to limit their exposure to blue light at night?

Some suggestions include:

• Be exposed to sunlight during the day to assist in accurately setting your body clock.
• Stop using all electronic devices, preferably an hour before bed.
• Get a red or orange reading lamp, which does not emit blue light.
• Use blue light blocking glasses at night.
• Install a program or app on your computer or device to change the type of light it emits. A variety of programs are available including F.lux, EasyEyez, Night Filter, Zzz iPhone filter, Bluelight, and Twilight.
• Invert the colours on your smartphone or iPad or Kindle, or change the device to the night-time setting.
• Turn the brightness down on your device for a few hours before bed (not perfect, but better than nothing!).

You can learn more about how to optimise your performance as a student at www.studyskillshandbook.com.au. Our school’s access details are:

Username: stagnes

Password: 24success

Mr G Kemmis

Assistant Principal - Learning Transformation

From the Head of Mission

Pace e Bene

Peace and all good to all members of the St Agnes community.

What a busy start to the school year it has been. Since our last newsletter, there have been quite a number of events involving the Mission leaders of the school.

These took the form of WYD23 fundraisers, Lifted Leaders conferences, Shrove Tuesday, Ash Wednesday liturgies, St Vincent de Paul - Vinnies Van training, and the launch of Project Compassion for 2023.

Lifted Leaders 2023

Lifted Leaders gather secondary school leaders from all diocesan schools at the start of each year to gather input and receive inspiration from Bishop Vincent, CEDP leadership and CYP (Catholic Youth Parramatta), and the new Executive Director, Mr Jack de Groot. This program acts as a precursor to the Breakfast with the Bishop - Student Leader Forum that takes place in Term 2. This Lifted event connects young people from across the Diocese, with similar leadership responsibilities and provides an opportunity for formation and group sharing and their team goals and strategies for their school.

St Agnes sent 5 Year 12 leaders, the School captains Annabelle Kayrouz and Anish Khadka, and our Senior SRC Presidents, Favor Gueh and Heleanna Soriano, and Diversity leader Akon Angara. See below some of their key takeaways from their leader's event.

On 23rd February, the School Leaders, SRC, and Cultural Diversity got the opportunity to join other schools from the Diocese at West HQ to share our ideas and plans as Leaders for the school in 2023. We got to sit with other schools and make new friendships and share ideas. Talking to leaders from other schools made me realise how lucky our school is compared to other schools. Some schools get flooded every time it rains and have to shut down for days. After talking to our new friends, there were lots of activities set out for the day which included: sharing their ideas in under one minute in front of everyone and hearing from the new Executive of the Diocese and Bishop Vincent. Everyone enjoyed a live concert from Gen Bryant who was from Melbourne. Lunch was also provided which consisted of delicious Butter Chicken, rice, pasta, and nice chocolate cakes. Overall, it was a great opportunity for us to hear from other leaders and get new ideas.

Anish Khadka

The Lifted Leaders event, held by the Catholic Youth of Parramatta occurred on 23rd February, and was attended by our school’s Year 12 leaders; the School Captains, SRC Presidents, and Cultural Diversity Leader.

The event consisted of activities to get to know other leaders from schools within the Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese but also featured musical performances from the LIFTED Band, and talks from Bishop Vincent and Mr Jack de Groot, the Executive Director of the Diocese.

The day proved to be an invaluable experience for all of our leaders. Alongside our SRC Presidents, I was able to interact with leaders from Penola College and Gilroy College. As we discussed our initiatives and plans for our own schools, we were able to recognise similarities in our goals, aims, and ideas to leave a lasting impression and impact on our communities.

LIFTED Leaders gave me the opportunity to reflect on my own personal journey as a Cultural Diversity Leader, not solely on insights for projects I plan to embark on, but how my faith and spirituality have had a monumental influence on my own motivations as a leader. Bishop Vincent’s emphasis on leading from the heart stood out to me, causing me to contemplate how my own plans for leadership will further improve our community.

Overall, it was an extraordinary day that allowed us to collaborate with other leaders and encouraged us to observe how we as St Agnes leaders can empower our own community.

Akon Angara

Shrove Tuesday

On Tuesday, 21st February we marked Shrove Tuesday by selling pancakes around the school. Students were asked to donate to Caritas in order to receive their pancakes. This donation will go towards a family or community in need, not just here in Australia but globally. Shrove Tuesday is the traditional feast day before the start of Lent on Ash Wednesday. Lent is the 40 days leading up to Easter. This was traditionally a time of fasting and on Shrove Tuesday Christians went to confession and were Shriven (absolved of their sins).

Ash Wednesday

On Wednesday, 22nd February, we as a community came together in Stages for our liturgies. Ash Wednesday is celebrated seven weeks before Easter and the day after Shrove Tuesday. This is a Christian observance that represents the first day of Lent and the starting of approximately 6 weeks of fasting and penance. The ashes that were placed on our forehead are the remnants of the Palms that were burnt from the previous year's Palm Sunday. After many years, we were able to mark our community with the ashes in the shape of the Cross as a mark of who we are as Christians. Teachers whilst distributing the ashes used the following from the Roman Missal and applied it generally by stating ‘Repent, and believe in the Gospel.’ Students and teachers were then invited in quiet reflection to think about their own personal lenten journey and what it will bring.

Mr P. Madigan

Head of Mission

Lifted Leaders

Attending the Lifted Leaders, alongside Annabelle, Anish, Favor, and Akon was an amazing opportunity that all of us were able to take something we could learn from. At the beginning of the event, we were allocated to different tables, at which we met leaders from other schools in the Parramatta Diocese. At first, it was difficult to start a conversation with the other students. However, as we began progressing through the activities, we were able to get an insight into other students’ way of leadership and their school community. In particular, there was an activity where each school nominated one of their peers to give a one-minute presentation about the initiatives that have been implemented in their school. It was really inspiring to hear about the various initiatives that have been made by other schools to really improve the inclusiveness of their community. Another activity I really enjoyed in the Lifted Leaders was when all of us were given the chance to write a question we would want to ask Bishop Vincent. This allowed us to hear more about Bishop Vincent’s story and specifically what influenced him to become a bishop today! We ate excellent food and even had a mini concert that everyone came together and danced! It was all thanks to the fantastic musicians and singers! Lastly, we completed a silent reflection that personally made me feel emotional. We wrote a prayer that included our hopes and our goals for anything, from our school community and leadership path to personal matters, such as our family and friends. All of our prayers were collected and placed in a box, to which we then had to get a prayer written by someone else. The prayer that I got was written by someone that hoped that they would make such a huge difference in their school community, and I hope that I would do the same to our school community!

Heleana Soriano

Year 12 Biology

Museum of Human Disease Excursion

As part of our year 12 Biology studies, we recently had the opportunity to visit the Museum of Human Disease. Located within the University of New South Wales, the museum houses a vast collection of specimens that showcase the complexities of human health and disease.

Our visit to the museum was incredibly insightful and interactive. Our Year 12 Biologists were able to explore the many exhibits that covered everything from infectious diseases such as Mad Cow Disease, Malaria, and Tuberculosis to genetic disorders and Cancer. The specimens on display ranged from preserved organs to body parts affected by different diseases.

Students had the opportunity to listen to Adam Strang, the Museum Team Leader who took them through some valuable information about scientific studies that form the basis of published journal articles. Students will now use these new skills and case studies to write their own scientific journal articles as part of their next assessment task.

The students were not only curious and eager to learn about the specimens in the museum but also showed great respect toward them. They treated every exhibit with dignity, knowing that they were valuable human tissue specimens that each had a story, and a family and were donated to improve outcomes for others.

Our visit to the Museum of Human Disease was an enriching experience that truly brought our Module 7 & 8 content to life. Mr Wilson and I are very proud of the way in which our Biologists represented St Agnes and we are looking forward to reading the articles students will now write for their Depth Study - Assessment.

Mrs Cruickshank

Leader of Learning - Science

Congratulations

A HUGE Congratulations to Eliana Frendo for receiving an unconditional offer into the Bachelor of Education at ACU, and also completing two free University Subjects which will be accredited to her degree at ACU.

We commend you for all the hard work you have done to ensure you were selected for the SUIT program.

Year 12 Music

Vinnies Van

On Tuesday, 28th February from, 2:30pm-3:30pm, 30 students from Year 11 and Year 12 participated in training for the St Vincent De Paul’s Vinnies Van service.

Vinnies Van is a service that visits people in need, those who are homeless or at risk of homelessness - Vinnies Van caters for anyone that may approach. They provide food, drink, and friendship to people on the streets, respecting the dignity of every person that approaches. Those who approach are very appreciative of the service given by the Vinnies Van. St Vincent De Paul’s Vinnies Van services the Parramatta and Mt Druitt communities 364 days of the year.

Mr Mangion

Vinnies Van Coordinator

Year 7 Geography

Year 7 Geography class participating in a cookie excavation activity. Taking the role of archaeologist!

UNSW Academic Summit

The UNSW Academic Summit is a multi-day program that provides opportunities for Year 10 students to develop skills in public speaking, presentations, and planning for their future careers. The program includes sessions at UNSW Kensington, as well as day sessions at our school where students work with current UNSW students and alumni.

On Friday, 24th February, 49 Year 10 Students attended their first session at UNSW Kensington, accompanied by Miss Dunne and Miss Fielding. The students found the day valuable and engaging. Speaking with Angelica Prasad of 10HR6, "The UNSW Gateway Program was full of insight and delight. On the day we got to explore possible career pathways suited to our individual tastes. The alumni at UNSW delved into their personal experiences giving us a first hand perspective of what University life is like; aiding us to shape our vision of life after high school."

The first session of the day invited students to reflect on what qualities are most closely aligned with them. These qualities were narrowed down to critical thinking, empathy, advocacy, interpersonal skills, and creativity. This data was used to determine a range of degrees and qualifications which may be appropriate for each individual student. From here, students worked on an elevator pitch, utilising speaking and presentation skills that they learned in a drama workshop run by NIDA (National Institute of Drama and Art).

We would like to commend the students for the way in which they represented our school community. We are looking forward to participating in the next part of the program where St Agnes will host some of the UNSW current students and Alumni. The Gateway program will be available for 2024 St Agnes Stage 6 students.

Miss Norris & Miss Fielding

ABC Q & A Audience

St Agnes was invited to join the live studio audience of Q and A, hosted by Stan Grant. Students were asked to express their interest in attending and explain how participating as a studio audience member would contribute to their learning. On Monday, 27th February, 12 students, accompanied by Miss Clark, Miss Fielding, and Ms Udovicic traveled to the ABC studios in Ultimo where they watched a panel of experts, including US Senator, Sarah McBride, and His Excellency Vasyl Myroshnychenko, Ambassador of Ukraine to Australia. They answered questions put to them by members of the audience. These students conducted themselves in an exemplary manner and represented St Agnes with pride, both on the journey and on national television. You can access the episode through the link below:

https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/2023-27-02/101990676

Ms Natalie Udovicic

My time in the audience of Q and A was an experience I will never forget. Not only did I gain knowledge on current economic, political, and contemporary issues within our world but I gained an insight into the importance of listening to multiple perspectives and a first-hand understanding of what goes into the production of live television. The panelist that I was most impressed by was US Senator Sarah McBride, the first openly transgender woman in politics. Her contributions to discussion and her experiences in politics broadened my perspectives and contributed to building my social and cultural literacy.

Bronte Norris

Compass is our primary parent communication tool for day-to-day operational matters, upcoming events, notices, and notifications so it is essential that all parents download the app.

It is more important than ever that we are able to communicate effectively, especially when it involves the safety of our children. If you haven't already, we ask that parents download the Compass app onto their devices for either Apple or Android.

• Compass is a web-based system allowing you to access up-to-date and meaningful information about our school and your child’s progress. Compass includes many different features, including the ability to:
  
• Be informed of important updates, events, and reminders
  
• View your child’s timetable
  
• Review your child’s attendance
  
• Provide explanations for periods of absence
  
• Update your contact details
  
• Book Parent/Student/Teacher Conferences.
  

Compass is accessible on any modern web browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, Safari) or by using the Compass iOS or Android apps.

If you have not received notifications via email can you please email the school to check on our contact details for you.

shttps://www.facebook.com/StAgnesCHSRootyHill