Dear Parents/Carers and Community Members

My first week in the role as Acting Principal has been a busy one for the school with many students participating in extracurricular activities, students are in full swing with their learning and working tirelessly to complete assessment tasks, staff are continuing to undertake professional development in Newcastle and online and are busy preparing learning opportunities to ensure students stay engaged in their learning as we head towards the Easter holidays.

One area I wish to focus on is a current issue in the community and that all schools are dealing with and that is vaping.

Right across NSW there has been a huge increase in young people taking up vaping.  The use of vapes are highest amongst persons aged between 16 and 24 years old, with an estimated use of 18.1%.  Unfortunately, the data is also indicating that children as young as 13 are also starting to engage in vaping.  This is the result of manufacturers combining nicotine with bubble gum and other fruity flavours.  The NSW Police are involved in a number of measures to curb this.

Vaping is similar to cigarette use - It is an offence to sell vapes to minors, for minors to smoke them etc.  However, from October 2021, people will need a doctor’s prescription to obtain liquid nicotine.  This is designed to stop young people from taking up vaping.

The school has been working with the local agencies to get some links on information regarding vaping and young people which covers legislation and health.  Please have a look through this information and begin the discussions at home with your children to keep them safe.  Some of the information regards health facts, whilst the other information provides support for conversations between parents and children.

These links to information are found below:

Please continue to contact the school or Crime Stoppers (1800 333 000) with information about who/what/where/how young people are obtaining vapes to stop the harm being done to our children.  The school is here to support the healthy development and care of our students.  Though it must be made clear that any student caught with, supplying, or using vaping material will result in serious consequences, this includes vaping out of school in the school uniform.

If any family needs further support regarding this serious health issue, please contact us at the school so that we may put in place measures to ensure that all of our students are kept safe and healthy.

Regards

Phillip Gibney
Acting Principal

It would be appreciated if parents/guardians would phone the office or send in a written note if their child needs to leave early for appointments etc.  Notes should be handed in at the front office in the morning so a leave note can be issued to students.  If parents/guardians need to notify their child of a change of afternoon arrangements, it is necessary to phone the school prior to 2:20 pm (End of Lunch – Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday) or prior to 2:05 pm (End of Lunch – Thursday Sport) as it is often difficult to locate students if their last lesson is a PE Prac or there has been a room change.  Students cannot be collected from the school during school hours by anyone other than a parent or guardian without phone or written permission.

Lateness to school is recorded as a partial absence and must be explained to the school the same way as other forms of absence.  Arriving Late for school requires a handwritten note from a parent/carer or a phone call from a parent/carer or the absence is recorded as an unexplained partial absence. 

Students are reminded that if they are unwell whilst at school they are to advise their teacher who will then send them to the Front Office.  If necessary, the office staff will contact a parent while the student waits in the Clinic.  Students are not to contact parents on their mobile phones as this leaves teachers and office staff unaware of the situation and is also in breach of the school policy – use of mobile phones.

Mass Times

Forster-Tuncurry Catholic Parish

Holy Name Church current Mass times are:

Saturday – 5 pm
Sunday – 8 am, 10 am and 12 noon

Due to current restrictions regarding the number of attendees we can have at Mass, attendance is by registration only.  To register, phone 6554 6401 or email forster-tuncurry.parish@mn.catholic.org.au before Friday close of business.  Please provide name, phone or email and preferred Mass time.

To watch the 8 am Sunday Mass live stream please send us your email address to receive the link. 

The Holy Name Church is open from 9 am- 3 pm Monday - Friday for private prayer.

You are strongly encouraged to use the QR code linked to the Service NSW app to check in and out of the church.

Further updates can be viewed on the Forster-Tuncurry Parish Website: 

Taree Catholic Parish

Our Lady of the Rosary Church Taree current Mass times are:

Saturday - 6 pm
Sunday – 9:30 am

Saturday, 20 March

6:00 pm Taree Mass
6:00 pm Harrington SCAE

Sunday, 21 March
5^th Sunday of Lent

7:30 am Old Bar Mass
7:30 am Wingham SCAE
9:30 am Taree Mass

COVID-19 Mass Attendance Regulations:

1. Please kindly scan the QR code before entering and show the confirmation details to our volunteers at the door. People who are unable to sign in using QR codes may do it manually.  Our volunteers are willing to assist.
2. The volunteers at the church door can tick your name if attending the following weeks service.
3. If you are unable to attend you will need to rebook via the office. Please leave a message on the phone if the Parish Office is unattended.
4. Please do not attend the SCAE or Mass service if you are not feeling well.

Youth Mass

Sunday, 14 March was a Youth Mass at Our Lady of the Rosary Taree.  Students often ask me “What is a Youth Mass anyway Miss?”  It is just a normal mass.  This week was the 4^th Sunday of Lent and we were privileged to be able to celebrate mass with the parishioners who look forward to the children’s contributions once a month.

The students contribute by undertaking all the different duties that parishioners normally do during a mass.  They play instruments and sing in the choir and always leave us a bit teary-eyed with their beautiful music.  Mrs Carmel Brown chooses the music and ensures all the students and teachers are well prepared and rehearsed.  Mr David Hutchison, Mrs Karen McCann and Mrs Jenny McKendry are wonderful contributing musicians who love to get together at Youth Mass once a month.  Our student musicians this month were Lauryn Brown (Year 8), Cornell Estibeiro (Year 7), Zoe Hutchison (Year 8 - MVAC), Amalin Baijush (Year 6 – Joeys), Makayla Boere (Year 10), Edna Johnston (Year 11 – Taree High), and WenYuan LimSchneider (Year 12) on piano.

We were a little short of readers this week as a few regulars were away for various reasons, however many thanks to Zoe Hutchison and Rufus Rowe (MVAC), Emily Boere (Mitchell’s Island PS) and Amalin Baijush for their excellent reading.  I hope the parishioners complimented them as they were so impressed with their confidence this week.

Father George has asked the student choir to provide the music for our Easter Sunday service at 9:30am, 4 April.  I hope you can join us to celebrate the most joyful mass of the year, the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Due to COVID restrictions, please contact Lorrie or Jenny at the Parish Office on 6552 1084 to register your attendance.  Alternatively, you can email them at: administration@tareeparish.org.

I have included some photos here of the day.  Also a couple of photos of our wonderful parishioner helpers, the familiar faces you see when you come to Taree Church.  I’m there with Susie Ploder, and the other photo includes Nonabel Estibeiro, Lynette Matheson, Jenny Hutchison and Edith Geroche Sweeney who will greet you at the door and escort you to a seat.  Always smiling and helpful!

Hope you can join us for Easter or future Youth Masses.

Laura Boere

Last week in 7-1 Geography, we finished our topic on Place and Liveability with an assessment.  Our task looked specifically at what makes a place really pleasant to live in and what makes a place not so good to live in.  Students investigated one of the top ten most liveable cities and compared it to one of the bottom ten liveable cities.  Some great work was evident through their production of AVDs (Annotated Visual Displays).

This week, we begin the second topic, Landscapes and Landforms.  Already we have discussed some of Australia’s amazing landforms including Uluru, The Pinnacles, Wave Rock, Jenolan Caves and The Twelve Apostles.  As we continue, we will look more broadly at landscapes that are familiar to the students with an emphasis on river and coastal landscapes.

Bruce Bielby
HSIE/LOTE Coordinator

On Wednesday, 10 March, 100 eager Year 7 students and nine extremely generous staff headed off on their camp to Toukley.  There were many friends made and many challenges faced… for me this was an amazing experience exemplified by the support the students provided for each other when they could see one of their peers was struggling to jump in the leap of faith… to go to the top on the giant swing… or climb the ladder and tackle the high ropes.  This is what makes a fantastic year group… what sets them aside from others… their ability to look after each other.  It was very moving and I am truly honoured to be responsible for caring for such a wonderful group of young men and women.

Thank you so much to Lyndall Laurie, Bernadette Boere, Penny Wood, Matt Collier, Tim Masters, Wayne McDougall, Jeremy Hobbes and Simon Basile for taking time away from their families to be with us.

Marian Parvin
Year 7 Student Coordinator

After months of dreading the possibility of never going on another Visual Arts excursion due to the enduring pandemic, we were all met with the astonishing news of a day out to Newcastle to explore the best artworks on display.  It was an opportunity too good not to take.  So, that’s exactly what we did.

We started the day at 7:30 am at Taree, hopping onto the bus and getting comfortable for the next two hours of driving until we arrived at Maitland Regional Art Gallery.  The gallery welcomed us as soon as we entered, guiding us around the exhibitions, in particular last year’s Year 12 students that were fortunate enough to be displayed in “Art Express”.  We were in awe of the raw talent presented to us, stepping into the minds of some of the greatest artists within our greater region.  The favourite from the gallery seemed to be the Virtual Reality artwork “Terminus” by Jess Johnson and Simon Ward.  The artwork allowed for the viewer to be transported into an alternate reality that presented many interesting ideas and concepts to consider.  After viewing the gallery, most of us sat down at the café and grabbed a coffee before hitting the road again.

We then journeyed to the other side of Newcastle, enjoying a bumpy bus ride until we finally arrived at our second venue:  The Museum of Art and Culture, Lake Macquarie.  We were greeted with a warm welcome and were shown around the gallery, once again showcasing the previous senior students that excelled in their HSC Body of Work last year.  We saw some familiar faces, works that convey both powerful and important messages, and ideas that inspired us greatly.  We all walked out with our minds tingling and swirling with possibilities, considering our own artmaking and that of those that we admired.  

The bus ride home was a quiet one, everyone tired from a long day out.  With no one getting lost or abandoned and of course returning home safely, I can confidently say it was a very successful day exploring the Newcastle/Maitland art scene.  A big thank you to our wonderful art teachers Lyndall Laurie and Jason Koenig, and to our bus driver Dru for making this wonderful experience possible to us!

Rickardd Weiley
Year 12 Visual Arts

Each year our local member, The Hon Stephen Bromhead visits the school to acknowledge our young people and the contributions they are making as young leaders in our region.  In welcoming Stephen, our Year 12 cohort were offered words of wisdom and advice about the importance of standing up and standing out for the right reasons.  Stephen was generous with his time with our students and he spoke to many at an individual level – showing the importance of partnerships across generations.

While our four leaders were acknowledged formally; as a school we acknowledge our entire leadership team, and the positive influences Year 12 have as a whole across the school community.

Tim Masters
Year 12 Student Coordinator

St Clare’s students enjoyed an unforgettable talk by motivational speaker John Coutis on Monday, 15 March.

John’s story and experience inspires students to treat others the way they wish to be treated.  His message about anti-bullying and goal setting was powerful and there was lots of laughter in the room.

Thank you to all our students for being such wonderful representatives for our school.

Check out John Coutis’ Instagram Page to see student responses to the event.

Mrs Thomas
HSIE Teacher

Careers Corner

I would like to start off this chapter of Careers Corner with a plea to students to check their emails.  I have been made aware of many different post school opportunities (and SBAT information), especially to do with apprenticeships and traineeships and have emailed this information to students.  Unfortunately, there has been no response to many of these emails.  There are many opportunities available and it seems such a pity that many of these get ignored.  This is especially so when students often say to me that “I just want to get a job” or “School is not the place for me”.

TAFE Taster YES Program

This year we are once again invited to take part in the TAFE Taster “YES” program.  YES stands for Youth Engagement Strategy and involves Year 10 students who might be considering a TAFE pathway (either fulltime or TVET) in 2022.  It is open to Year 10 students and involves attending TAFE one day a week in Term 2 and school the other four days.  There is no cost for the student.

We are quite restricted this year and can only have one student per course per school.  Taree Campus are running Auto, Hair & Beauty and Bush Kindy (Childcare).  Forster are running Social Media & Marketing and Beauty.

I sent an email to Year 10 a couple of weeks ago and we have our student for Auto. All registrations are due today Friday, 19 March.  Hopefully there will be more interest if the program runs in Term 4.

Explore Charles Sturt University Day

On Wednesday, 10 March, a group of 20 Year 11 and Year 12 students travelled by bus to Port Macquarie to attend the Explore Charles Sturt University day.

We departed at 9 am and arrived at Charles Sturt University Port Macquarie campus at 10 am.  We all went through the COVID Safe check-in and attended various sessions throughout the day.  The students had to pre-register and there was a limit of 20 students per session to comply with COVID-Safe regulations.

The students were able to choose sessions from the following:

• Criminal Justice;
• Policing & Law;
• Physiotherapy;
• Psychology;
• Environmental Science and Management;
• Paramedicine;
• Nursing;
• Occupational Therapy;
• Social Work;
• Computer Science and Information;
• Exercise & Sports Sciences;
• Campus Tour; and
• “All Things Charles Sturt”

From all reports, the students thought that the day was very informative and well worth the trip.  Many of the students feel that they have a bit more focus for their studies now which is excellent.

Some of the comments on the day were:

“The Open Day was great and allowed us to see what courses consist of” - Jade

“I liked how the day talked about the courses specifically and not just about Uni life” - Mikayla

“The day was excellent!!  I was able to experience what University life is like at CSU and ask questions to further my knowledge on my chosen subjects as well as take a look at the lovely accommodation that is available…” - Cooper

“I really enjoyed the Charles Sturt explore day.  It made me realise what degree I want to specialise in and what degree I might not enjoy so much” - Hannah

“I think that the visit to Charles Sturt was very fun and informative” - Luca

It was a pleasure to be with our students on the day and they were wonderful ambassadors for St Clare’s.  The CSU staff there were really impressed with the students coming through and commented on how polite and cheerful they all were.

Manning Regional Health Education Centre

On Tuesday, 16 March, a group of 16 Year 11 and Year 12 students travelled to the Manning Regional Health Education Centre to gain an insight into what is involved in several different Health Careers.

Normally we would take 30-40 students, however, COVID has severely restricted our numbers.  The session was run quite differently to past years and the students rotated around three different sessions:

• Lab 1 involved a look at the ED department and the many different health personnel involved in this. 

• Lab 2 involved a paediatric case study with 4-year-old Basil. The Paediatric Nursing staff, Occupational Therapist, Speech Pathologist, Physio and Nutritionist all played a part in his care. 

• Lab 3 was an “education” session and information about the various pathways into health careers and gave the students a look at their many options post school.

The staff were very impressed with our students and I received many comments about how polite and enthusiastic they all were.  Congratulations to all of you and hopefully you will have more information to help with your post-school options.

The latest information from CAA is as follows:

Course Changes, Updates and New Courses/Providers

RIGHT SKILLS, RIGHT NOW. FEE-FREE* JOBTRAINER SHORT COURSES For Year 11 students who are over 17 years, JobTrainer can provide them with fee-free* short courses, all targeted at sectors identified as growth areas. New courses are being added all the time. Find out more:

*Eligibility criteria applies

Courses, Workshops and Information Sessions for Students

From Science Fiction to Science Fact Year 9-10 students will hear from real STEM researchers on transforming science fiction technology into reality. They then brainstorm, create a prototype and pitch their own entrepreneurial creations to their peers and STEM experts for a chance to win cash prizes! The program is virtual and discounts for 30+ groups.

Infinite Pathways - Maths Careers Inspire your students to consider mathematics as a part of their future study and career pathways. Year 9 & 10 students will get to hear from top, current mathematicians about how they got to where they are today and their hottest research work. Virtual days on 8 March and 12 May, $100 per school.

UAC

I am including a section on UAC for Year 12 as UAC opens on 1 April.  I will also email this information to the students in the coming days.

UAC is the Universities Administration Centre and any student wishing to attend university post-school should register with UAC which opens on 1 April 2020.  This costs $70 if you register before 30 September and $200 if you register after 30 September.

UAC PIN and Applying

Year 12 students will receive their UAC PIN via email when applications open on 1 April.  Although we are expecting more courses than last year to be available from April for students to list on their application, some institutions will be waiting until later in the year.  Students would then make changes to their preference list later in the year once their chosen courses become available.

Students must use their Year 12 student number (NESA Number) and UAC PIN to apply so that they can be identified as a Year 12 student.  If students don’t use their student number when applying they will not appear on the school’s data spreadsheet available on “School Hub”.

I will be talking to the students about this in the coming weeks before the end of Term.

Work Experience

Please do not forget that if you are interested in doing Work Experience you need to come and see me to collect the paperwork.  Year 11 and Year 12 can do this at any time provided it does not clash with exams etc.  Years 9 and 10 have to complete this during school terms.

Karen McCann
Careers/VET Adviser

NSW Schools Netball Cup Gala Day

On Thursday, 11 March, St Clare's Junior and Intermediate Netball sides took part in the NSW Schools Netball Cup Gala day at Manning Valley Netball Association.  After missing last year’s competition due to COVID restrictions, our students were extremely keen to get back on the court and represent St Clare’s. 

This was our Junior squads first carnival which was made up exclusively of Year 8 students (due to clash with Year 7 camp).  The girls showed much enthusiasm and progressively improved in each of their games throughout the day.

Our Intermediate side went through the day undefeated with some great wins that included:

Great Lakes Forster (Pink) 22 - 5
Wingham High School 27 - 4
Taree Christian College 21 - 2
Great Lakes Tuncurry 18 -9
Great Lakes Forster (Green) 21 - 1

Our Intermediates will progress to the next stage of the NSW Schools Netball Cup, which will be held in Port Macquarie (date to be confirmed).

A big thank you goes to our umpires to Akala Bungie and Ellie Stace - they did an amazing job in keeping the games fair and just.

Juniors

Sophie Pratten
Megan Eddelbuttel
Ashlee Brabant
Rosie Miller
Charlotte Anderson
Claire Downie
Manuela Stewart
Emily Lawless
Poppy Yates
Ruby Hillyard
Jessica Foley

Intermediates

Ashleigh Burkill
Josephine Stewart
Macy Bramble
Isabelle Martin
Andrea Flores Cabrejos
Ruby-Scarlet Wilson 
Madison Paine
Sienna Agnew
Sophie Drury
Savannah Murray
Mariah Radburn

Mrs Nicole Lovern and Mrs Amanda Brooks

Dio Swimming Carnival

Congratulations to all participants.  You all did your best and well done.  All students were amazing, respecting all COVID guidelines and helping to pack up at the end of the day.

Thank you to Andrew Osborn and Roxanne Dunn for your invaluable help on the day.

Special mention to:

• Harrison Tancred winning the 50m Butterfly, Freestyle, Backstroke, and Breaststroke and 100m Freestyle
• Hannah Carmichael winning the 50m Back and 50m Breaststroke and finishing 2^nd in the 50m Freestyle
• Emily Rowell winning 50m Back, 200m Free 100m Free, 50m Free and 100m Back

Congratulations and good luck on competing at State Level at Homebush next term.  Well done!

Mr Laurent
Representative Sports Coordinator

Mathematics Workshop provides the opportunity for every student to obtain assistance and support in improving their understanding of Mathematics.  In the lead up to topic tests, assignments and general homework, a number of Mathematics Teachers are available each week.  There is no need to stay the whole of lunch, come and go as you see fit.  We mark a roll for parents and you may eat your lunch during your time in Room 10.

WHEN IS IT ON?  Wednesday lunchtime
WHERE?   Room 10
Bring your lunch!

We hope to see you there!

Mr Mark Fletcher
Mathematics Coordinator

Term 1 2021

Term 2 2021

Cybersafety Presentation

A presentation by Cybersafety expert Brett Lee will be held on 30 March at 6:30 pm.

April Holiday Program – MidCoast Library

Join us across MidCoast Libraries for a fun and engaging holiday program jammed packed with activities for all interests.  From drama workshops, craft, kid’s bingo, Make A Mural workshops with world renowned illustrator and author Stephen Michael King and the team at Manning Regional Art Gallery, movie screenings and lots more - there’s something for kids of all ages.

All events are free, but bookings are essential. To book tickets and to check out the full program visit: