Dear Parents, Caregivers and Friends of St Clare’s

Welcome to the final term of 2022.

Year 12 students have commenced their HSC examinations.  The students have settled well into a routine for the HSC exams.  Feedback from students has been positive and supervising staff have been pleased with the student attitude to the examination process and their timely arrival in readiness for each exam.

 

The Year 7 2023 Orientation Day was held on Tuesday, 11 October.  The students were treated to a wonderful day of fun and learning.  Feedback about the day from the primary students and their parents has been enthusiastic and we are looking forward to welcoming the students next year. 

Next week our Year 11 students and teachers will attend the Senior Retreat.  The Retreat offers our students an extended period of time to reflect on their personal values, spiritual growth and willingness to be agents of goodness in the world. 

God Bless

Phillip Gibney
Assistant Principal

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, 22 October

4:00 pm – Reconciliation & Rosary at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church Wingham
4:45 pm - Mass at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church Wingham
6:15 pm - Mass at Our Lady of the Rosary Church Taree

Sunday, 23 October
30^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

7:00 am - Old Bar Rosary
7:30 am – SCAE at Our Lady of Fatima Church Old Bar
7:30 am –Mass at Harrington
9:30 am - Mass at Our Lady of the Rosary Church Taree – Taree Youth Mass

Further updates can be viewed on the Taree Parish Website: 

During Week 10 of Term 3 we farewelled our wonderful Year 12 students in style.  On Monday they came to school dressed as a staff member of their choice.

On Tuesday their dress theme was ‘Iconic Duos’.

Tuesday at lunch saw the annual Boys Vs Girls netball game take place, with the girls getting the chocolates in a nail-biting encounter which needed extra time to split the two sides.

Wednesday’s theme was ‘gender bender’ and students ran their graduation assembly for the whole school, followed by an afternoon at Black Head beach.

Friday consisted of the Year 12 Graduation Mass, followed by a morning tea for students and their parents/carers.

Todd Curtis
Year 12 Leader of Wellbeing and Engagement

Today we welcomed the newest members of the St Clare’s community, the Year 7 cohort of 2023, to a day of secondary school orientation.

Students enjoyed high school life by participating in Cooking, PDHPE, Science, Drama and Art.  Many thanks to all the St Clare’s staff, who worked hard to ensure that our visitors enjoyed a great day of learning.  And a special thank you to our outstanding Year 11 leadership team, who made the first day of secondary school a memorable and special day for our newest students.

Callam Howard
Creative Arts Teacher

The library offers a limited number of devices that students can borrow if their own device breaks down.  To borrow a Library device, a student needs to bring in a note from home requesting the use of a device and the length of time that the device is required.  The student can then pick the device up before classes start and they need to return the device at the end of the day before they go home.  If a student forgets to bring their device to school, they need to see me in the library before school to check the availability of library devices, again a borrowed device needs to be returned before the student leaves school for the day.  

Jeremy Hobbes
Librarian

For their assessment task in Science, Year 7 had to build a model of an animal and plant cell.  Their models had to be labelled with the main organelles that carry out a special role in the cell.  The students had to present these models to their Science class.  It was very rewarding to see the creativity and wonderful use of materials by the students to build these models.

Jane Polson
Leader of Learning Science

At the end of Term 3, a group of students were lucky enough to participate in two drawing workshops with local artist Sharon Tudor-Smith.  Sharon’s focus was on expression and creativity and she used a range of activities to help students feel freely creative, including drawing with their eyes closed, drawing with their non-dominant hand, drawing with two hands at once, and drawing without lifting the charcoal from the paper.  Students created a range of still-life and life drawings. 

Students found the workshops helpful in their development as artists.  Some of the things they found most useful were: “learning how to draw the skeleton before drawing the actual body,” “[learning about] body proportions,” and “trying different ways to draw.”

Niko Campbell-Ellis
Gifted Education Mentor

Our lives seem to be more involved with ‘doing things’ and we can forget that not all people have the comfortable life we have.  A group of Year 10 students, Elise Miles, Abbey Vella, Jack Yi, Bryce Young and Mr Masters took time out from their busy schedule to support the marginalised in our community.  The students were amazing, each creating a dish for the nutritious lunch that was served.  Their friendly faces and cheerful greetings were infectious and the people attending the kitchen went away not only with food but with uplifted spirits.  These students were truly the face of Jesus in the community and showed the practical application of their faith.  Well done to all the students and Mr Masters.

Jack Yi, Abbey Vella, Elise Miles & Bryce Young

Nicole Lovern
Year 10 Leader of Wellbeing & Engagement

Hunter Schools Mountain Bike Championships

On the last Friday of Term 3, a team of nine St Clare’s students took part in the Hunter Schools Mountain Bike Enduro XCO Championship.  Conditions were very tough after days of heavy rainfall.  Despite the rain and track conditions, the event went ahead.  St Clare’s had competitors in both the U15 and U17 categories.  The track was a gruelling 5km loop in the Kiwarrak State Forest through some very difficult and rain affected terrain.  The highlight of the day was St Clare’s finishing 2^nd overall against other schools from the Manning and Hunter Regions.  Haylan Simpson finished 2^nd in the U17 Boys with Hayden Nelson finishing 3^rd also in the U17 Boys.  All students performed admirably on the day and did our St Clare’s community proud in very difficult conditions.

Hunter Schools XCO Competitors:

Under 15s
Lachlan Cutajar
Tayte Rutledge
Mitchell Van Kampen

U15 Competitors - Mitchell Van Kampen, Tayte Rutledge & Lachlan Cutajar

Under 17s

Egan Cross
Riley Ford
Hayden Nelson
Brayden Rutledge
Haylan Simpson
Brock Wells

U17 Competitors - Egan Cross, Brayden Rutledge, Haylan Simpson, Tayte Rutledge (U15), Brock Wells, Riley Ford, Lachlan Cutajar (U15) & Mitchell Van Kampen (U15)

Riley Ford, Brock Wells, Haylan Simpson & Hayden Nelson

Mr James Collins
Year 9 Leader of Wellbeing & Engagement

Careers Corner

Welcome back to Term 4 - the final term for the year.  We have all done well to traverse the many obstacles which have popped up along the way so far.  What is that old saying?  “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”.

I would like to start off this edition of Careers Corner by wishing the Year 12 students the very best of luck with their HSC exams which began last Wednesday.  I would also like to encourage the students to think about their post school pathways if they have not already done so.  I am happy to help with anything that I can with regard to this.  Students and/or parents can contact me by phone (6552 3300) or by email (karen.mccann@mn.catholic.edu.au) to arrange a suitable time to meet.

Over the past weeks I have received quite a few emails from employers looking for students to fill positions.  Mid Coast Connect and VERTO send me information about apprenticeships and traineeships in our area.  I have emailed all the information to the students in Years 10, 11 and 12.  So please CHECK YOUR EMAILS.

I also put the information in the relevant Year Group Careers OneNote which all the students should have access to.  There is a newsletter (CL) which is in the Year 10, 11 and 12 Careers OneNote.  This is in the Content Library, in the Apprenticeships and Traineeships section - titled Careers Links.  This has 50 plus pages of apprenticeships, traineeships and vacancies in the Hunter region.

With regard to some of the emailed positions, students need to come and see me for further information.  That is in the email if relevant.

Students are still able to register for UAC if they wish to consider a university pathway next year, however the cost is now $220 to do this.  Most Early Entry pathways are closed, however there are several universities which allow applications direct to the university with no application fee.

We have been given access to several virtual information sessions about many different career pathways and I have emailed all the students with the links for this.

Welcome Back

Your students are invited to join us online on a Wednesday evening for our “Day in the Life “Career Series.

Our first session is next Wednesday, 19 October with our All about Animals session,

Registration via the Eventbrite link below – please share with your students, this is open to all students in any year level

Here is the Eventbrite link:

Dates/session are:

19 October - Amazing Animals - Hear from a Vet Nurse, Wildlife Carer and Zoo Keeper about what their days look like and incredible creatures they work with.

26 October - Boating and Marine Engineering - Hear from a Skipper on the Sydney Ferries, a Boat Builder and a Marine Engineer about all things boating and marine.

2 November - Sport and Recreation and Life Guarding - Hear from The Australian Royal Lifesaving and Sport and Rec staff

9 November - Hospitality - Hear from hospitality professions across the industry, Baristas, Chefs, Bar Staff, Mixologists and more

16 November - Healthcare and Community Services - Learn about the pathways involved in working within Health and Community Services

23 November - Early Education/Teaching - Hear from staff within the education sector from Kindy and OOSH to Primary and Secondary

30 November - Trades and Construction - Want to know more about becoming a tradie?  Join us to hear from a range of tradies across multiple trades/industries

7 December - Station hand/Rural Jobs - Ever dreamed of working on a station, sleeping under the stars and working on the land?  Join us to hear from current station workers about the endless possibilities of working on a station or jobs on the land.

These sessions will be recorded and emailed to the email address you register with so please register even if you are not sure you are able to attend.

These workshops are presented by Regional Industry Education Partnerships.

Erin Lute
Senior Project Officer | Regional Industry Education Partnerships
Training Services NSW | Mid North Coast

Thanks to Erin Lute at RIEP for including us in this.

Thanks also to Erin for arranging some local industry career information visits for the Year 11/12 students.

Year 11 will have the first of many of these today (Friday, 21 October).  Helen Hicran Hildiz from Therapy Dogs, Diva Pets will be speaking to the students about Career Pathways in this industry.  Her assistants will no doubt win the hearts of everyone at her presentation as they did with the Year 12 students earlier this year.

There are a great deal of different career pathways available post school and it is wonderful to be able to get some first-hand information about some of these.

Below is a wealth of information for parents and students regarding numerous post school pathways, courtesy of the Careers Association of Australia.  There are links to many different short courses and Traineeship opportunities as well as university and TAFE information.

Course Changes & New Courses

AIT will launch brand new Diplomas and Bachelor courses for their 2023 intake. Previously, AIT’s creative degrees and diplomas all existed within a Bachelor of Interactive Media with a focus on a chosen study stream. Now, this range of new courses will allow students to study a specialised Diploma or Bachelor of 2D Animation, Film, 3D Animation, or Game Design.

Courses & Workshops for Students

AUSTRALIAN ACADEMY OF BEAUTY DERMAL AND LASER RTO 90094 Start your career in Beauty, Makeup, Laser and Spa Management. Courses commence every January, April, July and September. Courses run full time, part time or through blended learning options. Attend an information session. Contact amy@aabt.com.au PH: 0493 450 900

MEDENTRY UCAT PREP 2 Pieces of the Medical Interview Success Puzzle - Medical Interview Strategy Day. Learn the strategies needed to succeed in a daylong session with Dr Ray, Consultant Gastroenterologist with 20 years’ experience in medical interview training. Dates: 5, 11, 20 Nov, 8 Dec. Tailored Mock Interview: Practice with a full length, university-specific mock interview, and receive feedback.

PRIMARY INDUSTRIES EDUCATION FOUNDATION AUSTRALIA (PIEFA) PIEFA facilitates, coordinates and promotes food and fibre education initiatives to teachers, schools and the broader community.  The PIEFA conference Growing the nextgen of food and fibre will showcase many of these initiatives and is being held on the 1^st and 2^nd May 2023 at the REALM Hotel, Canberra. To register your interest in this event go to:

QUEENSLAND UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY Bachelor of Health Information Management: Offered as an undergraduate course. Career opportunities across Australia. Contact: Sue Walker at s.walker@qut.edu.au for information about on-line and face-to-face options. Information available at

SYDNEY QUANTUM ACADEMY Applications open soon for our Computing Summer Camp. Scholarships are available to dive into this emerging technology during a 1-week virtual summer camp on 16-20 January 2023. Learn about quantum physics, and explore quantum phenomena like superposition and entanglement, and how to code quantum gates and circuits — the building blocks of quantum algorithms. Visit:

TAFE NSW 2023 Degrees Guide now available - TAFE NSW offers a range of degrees that are taught by industry professionals in state-of-the-art facilities. Download the 2023 Degrees Guide to learn more:

TAFE NSW Study online with TAFE Digital. TAFE Digital offers a wide range of nationally recognised, online study options, across a range of modern industries. Your students can study online and enjoy flexible learning with TAFE-delivered Vocational Education and Training (TVET) courses while still at school. Download the TVET Guide to learn more:

THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION Residential Career Experience for School Students (Medicine, Business, Engineering and more). 4 – 14th of January 2023 at the University of Sydney. For students 13 - 18 years of age. All details are found via the following link:

For all enquiries please phone: (02) 4367 0404 or mob. 0412 439 115 Email: enquiries@nie.edu.au

UCAT NIE Attention Years 10 and 11: Head-start or continue UCAT Preparation! Intensive UCAT Preparation Workshop. 18 December 2022 - LIVE ONLINE INTERACTIVE 25 January 2023 - In Sydney (Chatswood). To register:

PH: (02) 4367 0404 / MOB: 0412 439 115 / MOB: 0404 197 178 / enquiries@nie.edu.au

UCAT NIE Medical School Entry Interview Preparation. Attention Year 11-12! Considering a career in Medicine or Dentistry? If so, then you should start your medical interview preparation now. Don't miss! November workshop dates are nearly full.

PH: 1300 974 187 or 0412 439 115

enquiries@nie.edu.au

UCAT NIE UCAT Preparation Workshop (SYDNEY - Chatswood). Attention Year 10-12: Head-start or continue UCAT Preparation! NIE Face-to-face UCAT workshops are back! Sydney - 25 January 2022 - Intensive Training UCAT Workshop (Spots are limited). To register:

PH: (02) 4367 0404 / MOB: 0412 439 115 / MOB: 0404 197 178 / enquiries@nie.edu.au

YOUTHSAFE Risk & Safety school sessions. Youthsafe offers interactive, class-size risk & safety sessions (40-60 mins) or larger group presentations. Areas of focus include safety re transitioning to workplaces and driver/passenger behaviour:

To find out more contact Lynn Hopgood 0491 675 485.

Information Sessions for Students & Parents

AIT AIT’s November Open Day will take place online with optional on-campus tours available to interested students. Hear from graduates who have studied 2D and 3D animation, film, games or mobile app development with AIT. Learn about study paths, internships and career opportunities. Saturday, 19 November 11am – 2pm.

AUSTRALIAN ACADEMY OF BEAUTY DERMAL AND LASER RTO 90094 Weekly Information Evenings held at our 3 Sydney locations on Wednesday evenings at 7pm. Bella Vista, Rockdale and Nth Strathfield. Please register below to come for a tour and to hear all about your career opportunities studying Beauty Therapy Dermal and Laser. Contact amy@aabt.com.au PH: 0493450900.

AUSTRALIAN ACADEMY OF BEAUTY DERMAL AND LASER RTO 90094. Start your career in Beauty, Makeup, Laser and Spa Management. Courses commence every January, April, July and September. Courses run full time, part time or through blended learning options. Attend an Information session. Contact amy@aabt.com.au PH: 0493450900

SEDA COLLEGE NSW Are you looking for something different for Year 11? SEDA College provides an alternative to traditional studies for Year 11 and 12. We offer a non-ATAR HSC focussed on sport, for students of all ability levels. Elite sport performance is NOT required. A few places left for Year 11, 2023. Contact info@sedacollege.nsw.edu.au, 0295184888.

THE HOTEL SCHOOL AUSTRALIA The Hotel School is hosting an Information Evening. We invite your students to join us to explore how they can start an exciting global career within the hospitality, hotel and tourism industry. Tuesday, 8 November, 5:30pm - 7:00pm at The Hotel School Sydney Campus. 60 Phillip Street, Sydney, NSW 2000. RSVP Now:

For more information contact anne.mccrory@scu.edu.au

Jobs & Work Experience for Students

AUSTRALIAN ACADEMY OF BEAUTY DERMAL AND LASER RTO 90094 Work Experience available for all aspiring Beauty Therapists at our 3 Sydney Beauty colleges. Offering students, the opportunity to get hands on and enjoy a week of learning about what it is like being a beauty therapist, makeup artist, laser and dermal specialist. Contact: amy@aabt.com.au PH: 0493450900.

AUSTRALIAN CABINET & FURNITURE ASSOCIATION Cabinet Making Work Experience Opportunities. ACFA is a RTO providing Certificate III in Cabinet Making (MSF31113) to NSW Apprentices with our workplace-based training. Many businesses in the industry are open to hosting work experience so the next generation can get a feel of a career in the cabinet-making industry. Contact us for more information –

(RTO: 90432)

Resources for Students

UCAT NIE Preparation Resources and Services. NIE is Australia’s oldest and most reputable training organisation in our industry. NIE was founded in 1999, with one goal in mind: to provide excellent assistance to medical applicants, students, parents, and teachers. For resources and training services visit:

Scholarships, Early Entry, Alternative Pathways

MACQUARIE UNIVERSITY Students relocating to study at Macquarie University from a regional or remote area may be eligible for the Macquarie University Campus Accommodation Scholarship that will help them feel right at home. Applications are open! Apply now:

MACQUARIE UNIVERSITY The Faculty of Science Sustainability Scholarship aims to support students who have the potential to make a positive impact in support of the UN's Sustainable Develop goals. Applications are open! Apply now:

MACQUARIE UNIVERSITY Women in STEM scholarship aims to fund female-identifying scholars based on excellence and equity to support and encourage them to undertake a career in STEM. Applications are open! Apply now:

WESTERN SYDNEY UNIVERSITY offers a range of alternative ways to get into uni which consider additional factors besides academic results. Find out about Music audition, and Industrial Design and Visual Communications portfolios pathways, and more:

WESTERN SYDNEY UNIVERSITY The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Pathway Program is an alternative entry pathway opportunity for Indigenous people wishing to receive an early offer for study in 2023. The next assessment round is 16 and 17 November. Visit here:

WHITEHOUSE INSTITUTE OF DESIGN Passionate about design? Early Entry applications are now open for Whitehouse! Spark creativity and enhance your learning experience, alongside renowned designers. Apply today and secure your spot for February 2023, so you can focus on your end of year exams. Explore your options at

or send an enquiry to apply@whitehouse-design.edu.au

WILLIAM ANGLISS INSTITUTE William Angliss Institute offers a wide range of scholarships awarded based on academic success or financial hardship, open to all passionate and motivated students. Let us help contribute expenses while you study with us. Scholarships of up to $4,000 are on offer. Visit scholarship page here:

APPLY NOW!

Traineeships, Cadetships, Apprenticeships - Information & Opportunities

MUSHU - IT APPRENTICESHIPS Mushu’s goal is to give great students a chance by connecting them with great companies. It can be hard for high school graduates to get into the workforce (especially IT) when the majority of “entry level” roles require multiple years of experience. It is our goal to connect these graduates with great companies looking for great employees. Find out more at

or email hello@mushu.com.au

OTIS ELEVATOR COMPANY Otis Elevator Company are looking for Electrical and Mechanical Apprentices to commence in Sydney and Newcastle in early 2023. Find out more about Otis and the Apprenticeship Program through our online information sessions on Wed 19th October or Tues 25th October at 6pm. For more information or to register your interest in a webinar please contact Nicola Hilton on 0448 457 334 or nicola.hilton@otis.com 

Other News

WESTERN SYDNEY UNIVERSITY School of Business - The Blueprint Business Idea Competition encourages Year 10 students to pursue a new business idea that solves a customer problem with the chance to win prizes. Registrations close on 21 October. Find out more about the competition and prizes

If anyone is interested in Work Experience, please come and see me to get the paperwork.

If anyone would like to come and talk to me about anything to do with Careers, they can email me or put their names down on the sheets attached to my office door. 

Karen McCann
Careers/VET Adviser

Term 4 2022

Term 1 2023

Pick Up for the Planet

MidCoast Council’s Arts Culture and Environment Team are running their second Pick Up for the Planet on 22 October from 9 am – 11 am.  This event will be supported by Local Land Services and Take 3 for the Sea.

People aged 12-24 years old are invited to take part in the event.

They do not need to register to take part in the clean-up they just need to meet us at the Tuncurry Memorial Hall at 9 am on 22 October.

From 11:30 am – 1 pm Andrew O’Sullivan will be running a creative upcycling workshop at Tuncurry Memorial Hall where he will be teaching people how they can turn waste into items that they can reuse again.  This is the link to the Event:

World Youth Day Pilgrim

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 Tuesday, 20 December 2022 and resume on Friday, 27 January 2023.

Complaints Resolution for Parents and Carers