Newsletter Term 4, Week 6 2022

Dear SJC Families and Friends

In the past two weeks since our last newsletter was published, a lot has occurred within the SJC community.  First and foremost, we were privileged to host our Year 12 students and their families at our College Formal on November 8.  It was lovely to witness these young men and women from their acceptance into the College in 2017, my first year, until their 'rite of passage' last Tuesday evening.  Their successes and growth must be attributed to all who have been part of this journey to this next point in their lives.  I would like to acknowledge the work of all St Joeys staff, the primary teachers in the area and of course their loving and caring families. 

The path to adulthood is never an easy one.  Those reading this would attest to that.  Each day must be viewed as one of learning and opportunity.  Challenges will be faced in daily life and our abilities to not just cope with, but thrive in the face of these inevitable challenges is incredibly important.  Throughout this year at SJC, we have been attempting to ensure that students understand the importance of being challenged in the many facets of life they are part of.  In the learning environment this year, students have often been placed in the 'challenge pit' where the process of trying to find an answer independently is actually more important than attaining the correct answer.

To ensure that we are continuing on our goal of making students assessment capable learners, we see the implementation of Yearly Examinations for the first time in a number of years for our Year 7-9 students.  Ultimately, nearly all of our students will be required to sit examinations of some type.  A number of our students from Years 10 and 11 this year have commenced apprenticeships, all of which come with the TAFE component that will be assessed.  The rigour of going through an examination block will put our students in a very good position to ensure they do not fear these 'challenges', but rather, feel well-equipped to tackle the challenge head-on. 

Please ensure that you are supporting your child during this time and encouraging them to maintain a structured and ordered study routine.  For tips on what good studying looks like, please visit the College website.

SchoolTV St Joseph's College

Many would know that the College has subscribed to SchoolTV.me for a number of years.  There are many well-researched and engaging articles on the site that cross a large array of topics relevant to raising a teenager.  I would encourage all families to engage with the site. You can find the website here or through the Parent Hub. 

Prayers Requested

Please keep in your prayers valued St Joseph's parishioner Carmen Bottfield as she continues to battle cancer.  I have mentioned Carmen before who has been a great supporter of St Joseph's College and St James Primary School for many years.  

Kind regards

Mr Scott Thomson
Principal

St Joseph's Parish Administration, 11-13 Frances Street, Tweed Heads NSW 2485, Ph: 07 5536 7522

Remembrance Day – Commemorating the Fallen

St Joseph’s College has a strong tradition of commemorating Australia’s Defence Force Personnel.  The theme for this year’s Remembrance Day address was ‘The history of the ‘Unknown Soldier’.

Currently our Year 9 History students are researching the life and service of World War 1 soldiers who are commemorated on our local war memorials.

On Remembrance Day, Mr Coverdale’s Year 9 History class, laid poppies at our school war memorial in honour of those Service Personnel who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.

Pictured: Year 9 students Caleb Matheson and Kiara Davis, lay a poppy at the St Joseph’s College War Memorial

Mr Bryson Coverdale
History Teacher

Vaping: Information & Awareness

Vaping is on the rise in Australia and has become popular amongst teenagers and young adults.  Alarmingly, a recent study has also shown that there is an increase in the number of primary school-aged children who are experimenting with vapes.  There are many misconceptions about vapes being fairly harmless and that vapes in Australia do not contain nicotine.

Our school is committed to the health and wellbeing of our students and will be including a series of informative resources for our parent community over the next three editions of our newsletter.  We hope parents and carers use these helpful resources to:

• learn the facts about e-cigarettes and vaping,
• recognise what a vape looks like,
• understand why vaping is attractive to young people and
• engage in positive conversations at home.

By working in partnership, we hope to support our young people to make healthy choices.

Please watch this informative 2 minute video (below) which provides some key information about vaping and e-cigarettes.

Key Information:

• Vaping is the act of smoking e-cigarettes or ‘vapes’ that can look like metallic pens, USBs and other hand-held systems.
• Vapes use cartridges filled with liquids, which typically contain nicotine, artificial flavouring, and various chemicals.  These can be harmful to the developing body.
• Research shows that 1 in 5 young people have vaped and nearly 80% of young people say it is easy to get a vape illegally at a shop or online.
• Nicotine is especially addictive for young brains.  It can cause long-lasting negative effects on brain development and can include impaired attention, learning, memory and changes in mood.
• You can find out more about vaping from NSW Health.

Conversation Starters at Home

Start conversations about vaping with your child early.  You could consider the following questions or conversation starters:

1. Are a lot of kids vaping at your school?  Are your friends vaping?  Be sure you don’t react, just listen.
2. What do you think about vaping? You may hear your child say that vaping is harmless.  It’s important to share some good information with your child about the impacts of vaping.
3. Do you know what is in vapes? Share with them that they’ve tested vapes and they do not contain only water vapor and flavouring.  Vapes can contain very high levels of nicotine and other toxic chemicals that damage lungs.

There is also further information available to our families via either (or both) of the following parent webinars:

• Tonight's Teen Vaping: An update for parents Webinar, from 7:00 to 8:30pm, (Cost: $25 plus GST).  This event will be live-streamed but, for those unable to attend live, a recording of the event will also be made available for a period following the event's conclusion.  To register for the event please use the following link.
• The free Webinar this coming Thursday, 17 November, Vaping - 'Short and Sweet' presented by Paul Dillon - Drug and Alcohol Research Training Australia (DARTA) and we encourage you to sign up using the link provided in this flyer.

Mr Eamon Brown
Assistant Principal - Mission

A group of Year 8 students from SJC took on the opportunity to attend Festa Christi retreat at the end of week 4.  Students were a little nervous about meeting new people and taking on the outdoor challenges but by the end of the two-day retreat they were really glad they came and had a great time.  

Festa Christi is offered each year for Year 8 students who are interested in exploring the place of God in their lives, as well as experiencing outdoor challenges and meeting people from Year 8 Catholic schools in the north of our Diocese.  All students who participated were exceptional representatives of the College.  They would highly recommend this opportunity for any future Year 8 students.

Mrs Hannah Ardrey
Leader of School Evangelisation

Homework Hub (Mon-Thurs- 3:15-5:00pm – College Library)

This may be a good opportunity for any student who wishes to use this time in the library to study for their upcoming exams, take study notes, or revise their lesson content.  All new students to the College are welcome.  No booking required.

Mrs Fin & Mrs Williams

Lowes has advised the College that their next 20% off sale event is to be held this week on Thursday 17 November and Friday 18 November.

During those two days, purchases can be made online or in the Lowes On-Campus Uniform Shop at the College, however, please note ‘click and collect’ will not be available at that time.  Note: Zero & Rewards card holders you must use your card at checkout!  You can sign up via this link if you haven't already done so!

Please also be aware that there will be extended trading hours for the Lowes On-campus Uniform Shop:

• Thursday from 7:00am to 4:00pm and
• Friday from 8:00am to 12:00noon.

Alternatively, parents and carers can telephone the shop (Ph: 07 5523 9300) during the times stated above, or they can make an online purchase using the following link.