‘Enlivened by the Spirit’

Anzac Road Menai NSW 2234 Phone 9543 0188 Facsimile 9541 0398 info@aquinasmenai.catholic.edu.au www.aquinasmenai.catholic.edu.au

FROM THE PRINCIPAL

AQUINAS CATHOLIC COLLEGE MENAI

3rd March, 2014 Vol.22.No.5

This week sees the end of ‘Ordinary’ Time and the beginning of the 2014 Lenten season. It is a time of reflection, preparation and penance in the tradition of the Catholic Church. At Aquinas that means a multitude of things and activities including: Shrove Tuesday pancake making Ash Wednesday liturgies Project Compassion collections for Caritas [The organisation celebrates its 50 anniversary this year] St Patrick’s Day stall Sacred spaces turning purple Daily prayers reflecting Lenten themes I hope that as the Aquinas community journeys through this Lenten season of 2014 it is one that the variety of acts of penance like; financial generosity, quiet reflective time, fasting, service and a focus on prayer and ministry that we can develop a fuller appreciation of ourselves and our faith. Cardinal Pell writes of Lenten penance also including prayer; Mass attendance, family prayer; visiting a church or chapel; reading the bible and praying the rosary. He also outlines that self denial, whilst commonly associated with abstinence from meat on Fridays, can also include not eating sweets or dessert; giving up entertainment to spend quality family time, and limiting food and drink so as to give to be able to give to the poor. Helping others is another Lenten activity, whether they be sick, poor elderly or overburdened.

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Assistant Principal

Key Dates

Monday 3rd March SSCCC Rugby League U/15 and Open trials at Liverpool Catholic Club

Tuesday 4th March Shrove Tuesday - pancakes sold at school morning and recess for charity NSWCCC Baseball at Kelso Pk Panania

Wednesday 5th March Ash Wednesday-Liturgy during Period 6 Year 7 Peer Support program Period 3

Thursday 6th March Student leaders Pentecostal consultation with the Archbishop at CEO Leichhardt

College Assembly Period 4 SSCCC Netball Gala day at Liverpool Year 11 Geography excursion - field trip

Friday 7th March Public Speaking Final Seniors Blood bank visit during sport Sydney Alliance training for Year 11 Year 12 Ancient History excursion Sport

Robert Nastasi Assistant Principal

Week 6(B) Term 1

Monday 10th March Catholic Schools Week

Tuesday 11th March Catholic Schools Week Year 7 Peer Support program Period 5 Drive to survive Road Safety forum at Kirrawee Tynan Motors

Wednesday 12th March Catholic Schools Week Year 12 Mass Year 9 English incursion Romeo & Juliet College Open Evening 7.30pm to 9.30pm

Thursday 13th March Catholic Schools Week Enrolment packages available from College office Year 8 Pastoral Excursion-"Tough Beauty" Year 12 Standard English Theatre evening performance

Friday 14th March Catholic Schools Week Sport

Week 7(A) Term 1

Congratulations to Nicole Miro [Year 9] who was recently announced as a featured athlete of the "Believe" campaign leading up to the Paralympics in 2016. Nicole is an elite para athlete and part of the "Road to Rio” high performance squad. Well done Nicole! James Corcoran Principal Nicole signing autographs at the 2014 NSW Open

Swimming Championships held last weekend.

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PUBLICSPEAKINGNEWSThe second round of the CSDA competition was held on Friday evening atStScholastica’sCollegeonceagain.Inthefaceofsomechallengingcompetitionitwasagreatresulttogettwoofour ivespeakersthroughtothe inal–BenjaminCapovillaofYear7andMiah‐RoseLakeofYear10. Congratulations toboth these speakerswhowillbecompetinginthisFriday’sGrandFinal.Wewishyoutheverybest.OnceagainIwouldalso liketocongratulatetheotherstudents formaking it to thesecondroundwhichisnotaneasyfeatinitself.ThevenueforthisFridaywillbeMarcellinCollegeRandwickwhichislocatedat195AlisonRdwitha6.30pmregistrationtime.

MissCurisPublicSpeakingandDebatingCoordinator

Year 10 - Free Road Safety Forum Year 10 students and their parents/carers have been invited to attend a Free Road Safety Forum hosted by Tynans Motors at Kirrawee. An information flyer has been sent home as well as emailed to the nominated parent. When: Tuesday 11th March 2014 Where: Tynan’s Motors Hyundai – 519 Old Princess Hwy Kirrawee Time: 7 – 8pm

Numbers are strictly limited, and we ask interested parents to contact Suzi at Ian Luff Motivation on 96225424 to make a booking at this life saving event. Year 10 parents are asked to call the College office if you have not received an information flyer. Mr Hulme

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Religious Education at Aquinas This Wednesday is Ash Wednesday, marking the beginning of the season of Lent. Students will gather in their year groups to celebrate this significant liturgical event, where our annual Project Compassion appeal, raising much needed funds for Caritas Australia, will also be launched. On Good Friday, Aquinas students have been invited to be involved in the Holy Family Parish celebrations. I invite any students who would like to participate by reading at the Good Friday Celebration of the Passion of the Lord to see me during the week. As you would be aware, Pope Francis has appointed our Archbishop, Cardinal Pell, as the Prefect of the new Secretariat for the Economy. Bishop Peter Comensoli, Auxiliary Bishop of Sydney, has been appointed as Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese of Sydney, and will be responsible for the day to day running of our Archdiocese while the position of Archbishop of Sydney is vacant. May we keep Cardinal Pell, Bishop Comensoli, and our whole Church community in our prayers. Mrs Catherine Nolan Religious Education Coordinator

Reflection on the Gospel

In Sunday’s Gospel (Matthew 6:24-34) Jesus tells his disciples to “not worry about tomorrow”. In this section of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus impresses upon his disciples the importance of having complete trust and confidence in the Father’s loving provision for all their needs. In this passage Jesus tells his disciples to not worry about things like food and clothing. While we need to take reasonable care of ourselves, and of those for whom we are responsible, followers of Jesus are called to make the kingdom of God, and the life that it calls for, their priority. Another way of looking at this passage is to put emphasis on not worrying about ourselves, but to worry about others. We are called to be counter-cultural and direct our energies to the needs of others.

Adapted from a reflections by Fr Michael Tate and Brendan Byrne SJ

PANCAKES FOR COMPASSION SHROVE TUESDAY 4TH MARCH

All money raise goes to Project Compassion.

Pancakes are being cooked by Year 12 from 7.30am in the Nagle paved. $2 for 2 pancakes.

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NUMERACY AND NAPLAN Numeracy is regarded as “the capacity to bridge the gap between ‘mathematics’ and the ‘real world’ to use in-school mathematics out-of-school.” People are considered numerate based on “how well they choose and use the mathematical skills they have in the service of things other than mathematics” (Willis, 1998). There is no escaping that maths is a part of the everyday life of students, from simple things like time and measurement to calculating discounts and using spreadsheets. The NAPLAN numeracy paper examines a student’s ability to use and apply their knowledge, understanding and skills. It is not a test of content. The minimum standards for numeracy describe some of the skills and understanding students are generally expected to demonstrate at their particular year of schooling. The standards do not describe the full range of what students are taught or what they may achieve. In preparation for NAPLAN 2014, Year 7 and Year 9 students will be using some of the time during morning pastoral to complete a series of NAPLAN style questions. The purpose of this preparation is to make the students familiar with the type and style of questions they can expect to see in the test. This is particularly important as the questions do not necessarily reflect the work students are currently studying in their Mathematics classes. In the coming weeks sample questions will also be published in the newsletter each week. I will be available every Tuesday at lunch to provide support and assistance for students with numeracy preparation for NAPLAN. Renee Kelly Numeracy Teacher

Calculator allowed:

1.

2.

Non-Calculator:

3.

4.

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Please ask your sons and daughters for the HSC High Achievers brochure that will go to every student this week. We are very proud of our 2013 HSC cohort and wish them every success as they begin their TAFE, university and working lives over the coming weeks.

All students should now have their assessment handbooks. As assessment rules for students in Years 10 - 12 are different to those for students in Years 7 - 9, I encourage all parents to read the senior handbooks and discuss both the rules and an effective approach to homework, assignment and study programs with your sons and daughters.

STUDY SKILLS TIP FOR MARCH – 5 REASONS NOT TO PUT OFF STARTING ASSIGNMENTS

Here are 5 reasons why you should start working on your assignment immediately.

1. GET YOUR BRAIN THINKING ABOUT THE TOPIC:

Even if your assignment isn’t due for weeks, start thinking about it immediately. At the very least, answer the key starter questions (below) on the day you get your assignment. Even if you are not thinking about it directly, your subconscious will be hard at work.

2. FIND LIBRARY RESOURCES:

Although the school or local library will probably not be your main source of reference, you should drop in soon after receiving the assignment. Your teacher will probably have alerted the school librarian to the assignment and reference books, magazines etc may well be displayed. These will disappear quickly if the whole class has the same assignment. Books, periodicals, magazines can sometimes be a useful general overview for an assignment and they help to clarify a direction as you begin to immerse yourself into the assignment topic. It is not a good idea to only use Google!

3. DISCOVER OTHER RESOURCES:

You could also ask your local librarian for any additional direction on where to look for resource material for your assignment. Librarians are often your best source of information. They know how to help people access relevant and appropriate information, in books, the Internet or computer based references. One of the challenging aspects of Internet based searches for school students is the complexity, language and purpose of websites, not to mention bias and reliability.

4. STARTING EARLY MEANS MORE TIME TO EXPLORE & ASK FOR HELP IF NEEDED:

If you do some initial research on the assignment points you’ve identified through the library, references your teacher may have given you, school textbooks, and general internet search engines, you could find yourself having more direction in your research. For example: Perhaps there isn’t enough information, or perhaps you find you don’t understand important concepts, or perhaps you need to speak to your teacher to get further clarity. If you find this out early, you will still have plenty of time to plan, research, write and present your assignment. Imagine if you didn’t start your assignment for a week or so, and then discovered you needed more guidance. You could easily run out of time.

5. CREATE A SAFETY NET:

Starting your assignment immediately will give you a safety net in case you get sick, or something unexpected happens. Assignments are usually given because they require more time; students must plan a strategy or schedule to ensure they are completed. You should always have a schedule that allows for the unexpected.

So get started today!

Learn more this year about how to improve your results and be more efficient and effective with your schoolwork by working through the units on www.studyskillshandbook.com.au- our school’s access details are:

Username: Aquinas Password: 10success

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LOST PROPERTY

We have a number of items in Lost Property.

If you are missing any items please come to the office to check Lost Property

Maths Recall is included in the newsletter each week and is designed for Stage 4 and 5 or junior students. The questions may focus on Working Mathematically problems and all are intended to be done without a calculator. 1 Convert 2.3cm to mm

2 Convert 41km = m

3 Calculate the area of a rectangle of length 7cm and

width 5cm

4 Write 2035 in Roman Numerals

5 Convert CCCLIX to Hindu Arabic Numbers (our

numbers)

Mrs Catherine Fensom Maths Teacher

MATHS DEPARTMENT RECALL CORNER

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Vinnies Kids Camp Volunteering Opportunity

Are you looking to do something different? Are you looking to help those less fortunate then yourselves? Do you love working with kids and having fun? Vinnies Kids Camps are a great place to do all of this.

What are they? A week long program run in the school holidays, aimed at helping young disadvantaged children have a holiday/break away from their normal life. The kids that attend usually range from 7-12 years old. You must be at least 16 Years Old to be involved. Where are they? The program is based in the Broken Bay Diocese and often camps are run in the Central Coast or similar areas. When are they? Camps are held MOST school holidays So what now? If you would like to attend these camps you first need to attend a training weekend to learn and develop the skills needed on camps. The training weekend is coming up on March 7th to 9th at Challenge Ranch, Somersby (on the Central Coast). If you would like to know more please email bbayyouth@vinnies.org.au and indicate your desire to learn more about Vinnies Kids Camps. If you have any issues or Questions please see Mr Strudwick.

The Parenting Teenagers Course is for any parents, step-parents, or carers of children aged 11 – 18 years.

http://www.relationshipcentral.org/parenting-teenagers-course/parenting-book-extracts

Why do the course?

Parenting teenagers is harder than ever for most parents today. No role we undertake in life is more important than parenting.

We are the main influence on our teenagers’ future.

Discovering we are not alone in the challenges we face and picking up new ideas can make a huge difference.

Meeting our teenagers’ deepest needs, setting healthy boundaries, helping to develop their emotional health and teaching

them how to make good choices takes skill and dedication.

Taking time to reflect on our end goal can help us to build our relationship with our teenagers now.

The Parenting Teenagers Course will commence Tuesday March 11, 2014 for 7 consecutive Tuesday nights 7.30pm – 9.30 pm.

Facilitated by the Parish Alpha team, there will be a light supper, followed by a DVD and group discussion.

The course is based on Christian principles but non active or non-Christians will find the course equally valuable.

Cost will be $30 per family for one or 2 attendees. Limited spaces available so register early

To register your Interest or request more information –

contact Joy Morgan at the Parish Office on 95432677 or menaihfp@bigpond.net.au and we will be in contact.

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Answers:

MATHS CHALLENGE

Maths Department

1. 23mm

2. 41000cm

3. 35cm2

4. MMXXXV

5. 369

CANTEEN ROSTER TERM 1

TIME: MONDAY-THURSDAY 10:00-1:35, FRIDAY 9:30-12:45

MONDAY 3/3 MICHELLE TURNER, SYLVIA KERMECI, MARIA SKARENTZOS, KEVIN HUFF TUESDAY 4/3 MICHELLE MCNABB, MELISSA TOWNSEND-CRYER WEDNESDAY 5/3 MICHELLE ANDERSON, PENNII CASTLE THURSDAY 6/3 MELINDA HUMPHRY, LEANNE CARPENTER FRIDAY 7/3 JENNY KNOKE, VERONIQUE THIBAULT, SONIA BOGARD, JULIE BELLE MONDAY 10/3 CRISTY COTTER, TONY SHELDON, JACKIE HARB , ELLEN HINES TUESDAY 11/3 KARINA MICHAEL, ANNA SEPOKAS WEDNESDAY 12/3 VERONIQUE ROCA, SONIA NIELSEN, ANICK BRADSTOCK, KRISTEN KASPARIAN THURSDAY 13/3 ISOBEL BAYOT, KIM GLENIE FRIDAY 14/3 BEATRIZ DAVIS, DASHA MCGEE, CLAIRE KOLIC, CATHY CARUCCIO

UNIFORM SHOP

THURSDAY 6 March 8:00am—9:00am

Please note the Uniform Shop only sells

Sports Uniforms and School bags

The Uniform Shop does not accept Eftpos or Credit cards

College caps and sports socks can be purchased from the College Office

CANTEEN NEWS

No meat or chicken products available on

Ash Wednesday (5 March) or

Fridays during LENT Hash Browns $1.00 Mini Spring Rolls pkt 3 with sweet & sour sauce $2.00 Cheese & Tomato pizza slabs will be available $3.00 Cheese & Spinach Triangles $3.50 Small ricotta & Spinach Rolls $2.00 Greek Salad & Garden Salad $3.50 Salad Sandwiches / rolls Tuna / Salmon / Egg / Cheese also available

Cheese & Bacon rolls will be replaced

by Cheese rolls on Fridays during Lent &

Ash Wednesday

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