Dear Parents & Friends of St Clare’s

Welcome to our first newsletter for 2022.  I hope that you and your family are fit and safe.

Year 7 2022

It has been wonderful to welcome students to the new school year.  We were particularly delighted to welcome our Year 7 cohort to the school grounds and to introduce them to the many opportunities that secondary education provides.  My thanks to Year 7 Leader of Wellbeing and Engagement Lisa Mumford, Assistant Principals Theresa Avery & Phillip Gibney, Coordinator of Digital Innovation and Learning (DIAL) Phill Carney and the many teachers who, aside from their usual duties, led the Year 7 cohort through a comprehensive orientation program designed to welcome and introduce our newest students to the St Clare’s community.

Dux Assembly

The changes to the HSC timetable due to the pandemic continues to have a significant impact on the St Clare’s community’s ability to celebrate the achievements of the 2021 HSC student group.  On Tuesday we held “a limited access” annual Dux Assembly to acknowledge the students who had achieved outstanding results and to thank the year level for their significant contribution to St Clare’s culture.  We were excited to host the presentation of the Diocesan First in Course, Outstanding Academic Achievement Awards and Year 10 RoSA Awards.

We are also delighted to acknowledge the following students for their outstanding results:

WenYuan LimSchneider is not only our School Dux, but also the 2021 Diocesan Dux!

HSC 2021 Outstanding Academic Achievement - Diocesan Dux

HSC Performance:
Diocesan First in Course – Chemistry, Mathematics Extension 1 and Mathematics Extension 2
ATAR:  99.25

WenYuan will be attending the University of NSW in 2022 to study a Bachelor of Engineering and Advanced Science.

WenYuan LimSchneider

Morgan Gao – Equal First in the Diocese Drama

Finlay O’Connell - Equal First in the Diocese Japanese Continuers

Patrick Guthridge and Nathan Smith - ATARs of 90 plus.  

Patrick Guthridge & Morgan Gao 

Finlay O'Connell & Nathan Smith

A special mention also to Makayla Boere in Year 10 2021 for achieving 7 or more Grade A results as listed on her Record of School Achievement.

Makayla Boere

An outstanding achievement from all our students!

The Dux Assembly, held with the 2022 HSC cohort in the audience gave our current senior students an opportunity to reflect on their personal commitment and motivation and was a great segway for the group as they spend time together this week on the Senior Retreat.

RAT Kits

My thanks to parents who have organised the “pick up” of RAT kits for their family.  The distribution of the tests has been a major project and I would like to thank the St Clare’s support staff:  Anne Havard, Cecilia Harvey, Priscilla McIntosh, Maryann Hammond, Barbara Singh, Danya Gillard and Kooper Hunt for the wonderful commitment and sense of purpose they have brought to the distribution process.  They have shown outstanding service to our community over the past weeks.

Cowper Street Roadworks

The roadworks around the school have impacted strongly on the bussing, drop off and pick up of St Clare’s students.  I am pleased to report that with the help of the contractor and the council, we have been allocated a “lollipop” person to help with traffic flow and ensure students can cross Oxley Street safely.  My thanks to Tom McDermott of Goldspring and MidCoast Council for their assistance in resolving the matter.

I will be on leave from Thursday, 17 February until the end of term.

Phillip Gibney will serve as Principal in my absence.  Marian Parvin will serve as Assistant Principal, Wellbeing.  Rebecca Huett will serve as Leader of Learning Creative Arts for 2022.

God bless

Mass Times

Forster-Tuncurry Catholic Parish

Our current Mass times are Saturday 5 pm, Sunday 8 am and 10 am.

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

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

Taree Catholic Parish

Saturday, 12 February
6:00 pm - Mass at Our Lady of the Rosary Church Taree
6:00 pm - SCAE at Star of the Sea Harrington

Sunday, 13 February
6^th Sunday in Ordinary Time
7:00 am - Old Bar Rosary
7:30 am – Mass at Our Lady of Fatima Church Old Bar
6:50 am - Wingham Rosary
7:30 am - SCAE at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church Wingham
9:30 am - Mass at Our Lady of the Rosary Church Taree
11:00 am - Taree Baptism

COVID-19 MASS ATTENDANCE

Rules and 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 the QR codes may do it manually.
2. Please do not attend the Mass if you are unwell, displaying COVID - 19 symptoms or have been in contact with a COVID - 19 affected person.
3. The congregation is not permitted to sing.
4. Maintain physical distancing. Please wait for the volunteer/usher to take you to your seat.
5. Please wear face mask. Anyone under the age of 12 years are exempted.

Further updates can be viewed on the Taree Parish Website: 

Youth Mass

Youth Mass 30 January 2022 marked the end of Youth Masses for now for one of our long serving students WenYuan LimSchneider who has been playing the piano for the Youth Mass for a number of years.  Wen will be missed and we thank him for his contributions to the music at Our Lady of the Rosary Church Taree on a monthly basis.

Thank-you also to all the youth and their families for being a part of this Mass.  Thank-you to our readers, Ailey, Emily and Nicholas Boere and Amalin Baijush (who alter served and read on the previous Youth Mass during the holidays), our Singers Makayla Boere and Cornell Estibeiro (also our violinist) and Wen LimSchneider on the keyboard.  Thank-you to the wonderful adult team supporting our musicians- Carmel Brown, Jenny McKendry and Karen McCann.

We welcome everyone to join the Taree Parish Community at any Sunday mass, but especially the next Youth Mass, the First Sunday of the Month so the next will be 6 March at 9:30 am Our Lady of the Rosary Church, Albert Street Taree.

Bernadette Boere

On Wednesday, 2 February I had the pleasure of inducting the 2022 Year 11 Leadership Team.

The House Captains for 2022 are:

Kendall – Darcy Eady-Muxlow and Harry Miller
Patterson – Adelaide Pullin and Connor Clarke
Lawson – Josephine Stewart and Mariah Radburn
Gordon – Georgia Capes and Morrison Gray

Adelaide Pullin, Mariah Radburn, Harry Miller, Morrison Gray, Darcy Eady-Muxlow and Connor Clarke

Georgia Capes & Josephine Stewart

Information and nominations for Years 7, 8, 9 and 10 Student Representatives will be available soon.

Mr Hobbes
SRC Coordinator

St Clare’s is excited to be rolling out a new Wellbeing program this year.  This program will be in place for Years 7, 8, 9, and 10.  The purpose of this program is to provide lessons and activities to develop a healthy state of wellbeing in students.  Following are brief explanations of activities and lessons used to achieve this purpose.

• Healthy Wellbeing- feeling optimism and hope for their futures, because they know they are working towards becoming their best selves.
• PERMAH+ there are six elements which are rotated through in order each week.

• Wellbeing Activities- one of these is explored each week to support PERMAH+- Mindfulness Time, Character Strength Weeks, Respectful Relationships, Wellbeing@School, Mindful Colouring in, Resilient Me:  I am enough, Resourceful Me:  I adapt, Attitudes of Life and Respectful Me: I share.
• PERMAH+ Wellbeing Learning Intention- explaining what students are about to explore to connect with what they already know.
• Character Strengths - one is introduced to be explored each week.
• Parent Wellbeing- a weekly strategy to support parents to actively focus on their wellbeing.

The intention is for parents to actively participate in encouraging the use of the journal to support teachers to make a positive difference to both individual and collective wellbeing.  Please find the first instalment included below:

Marian Parvin
Year 8 Leader of Wellbeing & Engagement

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

Careers Corner

Welcome to 2022 and our first edition of Careers Corner for the year.

Hopefully everyone is well and will cope with the challenges which await us this year.

Country University Roadshow

Unfortunately, this year the St Clare’s students will not get the opportunity to participate in the Country University Roadshow due to the senior retreat being on at the same time.

I would like to reassure everyone that the students will still receive this information in the coming weeks, as the various universities have assured me that they will make time to come to St Clare’s to give the students this valuable information.  Stay tuned for more details.

Careers Day

On the same day as the School Swimming Carnival, Friday 18 February 2022, Year 12 students will be having their first and only full Careers Day at school.  The purpose of this Careers Day is to enable students to embrace the complexities of Year 12 and to develop a timeline in order to avoid excessive stress levels and think about their post school possibilities.  The program will address issues such as:

• Goal setting
• Personal Strengths and skills
• Apprenticeship and Traineeship pathways
• Industry pathways
• What is an ATAR?
• What is UAC?
• What is EAS?
• Checking NESA information and details
• Scholarships
• Subject adjustment factors
• Flexible/Alternative Entries
• Early entrance
• School references
• Résumés
• Study timetables
• Student Careers Profile

There will be several guest speakers including various industry personnel.  The venue will be the Josephite Learning Centre (Room 106).

Health Careers Forum

Within the next month (Tuesday 8 March - time to be decided) any Year 11 and Year 12 students who are interested in a Health Careers pathway post school will have the opportunity to attend the University of Newcastle Health Learning Centre in High Street, Taree.  I will be asking for expressions of interest to attend this excellent presentation.  Please see the attached flyer.  There is a limit of 25 so it will be first in best dressed.  Information will be on hand regarding nursing, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, dietetics, speech therapy, radiography and medicine.  To be able to access this information in Taree is wonderful.  A bus will be provided for those students interested.

White Card

Within the next few weeks, there will be an opportunity for Year 10, 11 and 12 students who do not have their White Card, to complete this.  Stay tuned for more details.  Anyone who is considering either working or doing Work Experience in the Construction Industry must have a valid White Card in order to enter a building site.  They must complete a course in a “face to face” environment for the card to be valid in NSW.

Year 12 2021

It has been very exciting to hear that several of our 2021 Year 12 students have been successful in gaining full time apprenticeships, places at university and other fulltime work.

Congratulations to the Class of 2021 for their successful navigation of very challenging two years.

Work Experience

Work Experience (W/E) in 2022 at St Clare’s will be available as targeted work experience.

W/E will be for the following students:

• Transition to work students identified by Learning Support
• Students in Year 10 interested in leaving school to find employment at the end of 2022
• Students in Year 11 and 12 who need W/E as part of applications for courses, scholarships and employment.

W/E can be done in the following forms:

• One day a week – transition to work programs for Work Studies students
• One day/week for five weeks or one week organised in conjunction with the school calendar for students looking to leave school
• During holidays for Year 11 and Year 12 students. Year 10 students - ONLY if two supporting St Clare’s teachers are available as monitors

Work Placement (W/P) for VET students will continue as normal in designated weeks.

Process for W/E

• Students in Year 10 wishing to be involved in a work experience program in 2022 will need to collect and fill in an application form (See Mrs McCann).
• Each application will require an interview with the Careers Adviser and a written reason for wanting to be part of the program supported by parents.
• All students will need to complete a “Work Ready” booklet which is in the W/E pack
• All students will need to complete “Go2Workplacement”
• Year 11 and 12 students need to contact the Careers Adviser if they wish to participate in work experience
• An annual insurance fee applies to all students involved in W/E or W/P programs.

School Photo Day - Wednesday, 16 February 2022

Individual photos for Year 12 students are appended to NESA registration for validation of HSC Examination identity- it is ESSENTIAL that students attend school on this day.

Please check the Careers section of the St Clare’s School website as there will be news about apprenticeships, traineeships, jobs as they come to hand and of course other important Careers information.  This information will also be available in each Year Groups Career Team OneNote.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you would like to discuss anything related to careers or Vocational Education.

Karen McCann
Careers/VET Adviser

As part of the Forster Nippers and Surf Sports team, I had the privilege of witnessing Dylan Kinkade’s (Year 9) achievements at the 2022 Oakberry Acai Country Championships.  This competition which was held at Cape Hawke SLSC this year included around 1500 competitors, 200 officials and around 4000 spectators.  A massive event.  Dylan competed for Forster SLSC.  He achieved Gold/1st place in both the Under 14 Flags and Under 14 Beach sprints!!  It was absolutely thrilling to watch.  He was just outstanding and so fierce!

Amanda Brooks
Music Teacher

Term 1 2022

Term 2 2022

School Zones

A reminder to all our parents that school zones remain in place for the safety of our children and families.  School zones operate on all gazetted school days, which are all days the school is open, even pupil free days.  School zones for our school will end on Friday, 8 April and resume on Tuesday, 26 April 2022.

Complaints Resolution for Parents and Carers

https://www.mn.catholic.edu.au/media/48598/complaints-resolution-for-parents-and-carers-brochure.pdf

Taree Wildcats Registration