Dear Parents, Students and Staff

As we progress through the liturgical season of Lent, we are asked to prepare ourselves for the most significant celebration in the Church calendar.  We are well into our preparations for Easter and celebrate Palm Sunday on 24 March.  On Palm Sunday we celebrate Our Lord’s triumphant entrance into Jerusalem, where he was welcomed by crowds worshipping Him and laying down palm leaves before Him.  The importance of the celebration comes of course with our belief that on Easter Sunday Jesus rose from the dead, signifying our ultimate salvation.  This is a great sign of the love of God and a message of hope for us. 

We pray for all our families at St Clare’s that this Easter heralds a bright and hopeful future; a time when we are at peace within our families and our community.  We also pray for peace throughout the world.  We will mark the Easter season with a special Liturgy at St Clare’s on Holy Thursday. 

School Mass 

We were privileged to have both Fr Kevin Corrigan and Deacon Vince Ryan lead our school community in the celebration of Eucharist on Monday of this week.  The mass was to celebrate the new school year and to bring staff and students together in worship and prayer.  It was a wonderful celebration, with the behaviour, reverence and participation of students being of a very high quality.  Special acknowledgements go to our choir, musicians, and readers who played significant roles in the Mass.  Congratulations also go to our newly elected SRC members who were inducted into their new roles during our celebration. 

NAPLAN Testing 

A very big congratulations to all students in Years 7 and 9 on their commitment and application to their NAPLAN tests, which began this week and continue into Week 8.  As you would be aware, these tests are now held earlier in the year to capture information on progress and to identify strengths and potential weaknesses in student performance so that schools are able to better direct learning to support student growth.  We are expecting the results from these tests to be returned in early Term 2. 

God bless and best wishes for the fortnight ahead.

 

Tony McCudden
Principal

Mass Times 

Forster-Tuncurry Catholic Parish 

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

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

Taree Catholic Parish 

Saturday

4:00 pm Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Wingham:  Reconciliation & Rosary
4:45 pm Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Wingham:  Mass
6:15 pm Our Lady of the Rosary, Taree:  Mass

Sunday

9:30 am Our Lady of the Rosary, Taree:  Mass
7:30 am every 1^st and 3^rd Sunday of the month Our Lady of Fatima, Old Bar:  Mass
7:30 am every 2^nd Sunday of the month St Therese, Lansdowne:  Mass
7:30 am every 4^th and 5^th Sunday of the month Star of the Sea, Harrington:  Mass

Further updates can be viewed on the Taree Parish Website:

Opening School Mass

On Monday were fortunate to have Fr Kevin Corrigan and Deacon Vince celebrate our Opening School Mass and also induct our new Year 7 – 10 SRC members.  This was a wonderful whole school celebration made special with the help of our senior leaders, our choir and musicians and active participation of all students.

Congratulations to our new SRC leaders:  Year 7- Amiel Camphius, Kristian Voetterl, Jacob Clark, Taiman Wallis, Jackson Bogacz and Milla Thompson; Year 8 – Adele Whitehouse-Miotto, Ryan Lees, Angus Moore, Jaylah Koenig and Sophie Pickford; Year 9 – Kristy-Lee Merrick and Leonel Sensen and Year 10 Evie Solomon, Hayley Ainley and Amelia Johnson.

Thank you to Fr Kevin and Deacon Vince, Mrs Amanda Brooks for organising all the music, Harley Bunyan and Jed Hanley for photography, Mrs Nicole Lovern and Mrs Bronwen Davidson for collating the SRC, and Eucharistic Ministers Mrs Lyndall Laurie, Mrs Karen McCann and Mrs Denise Ryan. 

Jason Koenig
Ministry Coordinator

High School is an exciting time for young people moving into Year 7, and it is a time often characterised by additional privileges and responsibilities.  One of these new freedoms is a young person’s first mobile phone and additional access to online gaming.  This is the starting point for a conversation that Year 7 Pastoral Care teachers are having with their roll call classes as we work through the eSafety Commissioner’s video series #GameOn.  In roll call the videos are prompting conversations about the amount of time we’re spending on screens outside of school and with consideration of how our screens are impacting the quality of sleep we’re receiving.  We also discuss cyberbullying, engaging with strangers and risks around giving out personal information including password sharing.  These are key concerns for our Year 7 students as over 30% of the cohort identified that they spend, outside of school, four hours or more on a screen each day, and 40% of the grade have identified that they have lost sleep as a consequence of being on a screen.

Through the sessions we borrowed the phrase from one of the videos that online safety is about ‘being smart’; and that while our actions online might not ‘be wrong’, they also may not ‘be clever’.  This is certainly something that attracted conversation in our sessions as it seemed that what was ‘smart’ or acceptable in an online context varied from student to student.  As our young people continue to grow up and mature, there is likely going to be a need for continued education in this space and parents play a key role in this wider conversation. 

If you’re hoping to talk to your young person, but not sure where to start, the eSafety Commissioner has a hub where you can access resources, join webinars, and find tips on how to start hard-to-have conversations.

Tim Masters
On behalf of Year 7 Pastoral Care Teachers

60 students from five high schools across the region put their problem-solving skills to the test at MidCoast Council’s Youth Hackathon for Sustainability on Thursday 22 February. 

The unique event invited students to work together in teams to develop solutions to one of three sustainability-related challenges facing the MidCoast.

St Clare's had two teams enter the hackathon made up of Year 11 Chemistry students who represented our school very well.  Students addressed the issue of storm water contamination in our region and came up with some very creative and scientific solutions. 

The students were required to present their ideas to a panel of judges in front of the crowd of both students and experts in the field.  The students were a credit to our school community and are to be congratulated for their outstanding efforts:

George Andrawes
Shamayah Bliss
Jonathan Botros
Rory Byrne
River Colliar
Thalia Harmston-Howard
Lily Mitchell
Xavier Morris
Taran Phirangi
Rufus Rowe
Taniya Shijo Jose
Daniel Yan
Elise Zammit

MidCoast Council Youth Hackathon

James Collins
Year 11 Leader of Wellbeing & Engagement

Last week 30 Year 10 students from the ASPIRE Science class and from the STEM class went to MidCoast Christian College to partake in the annual Science and Engineering Challenge.  Throughout the day the students were asked to put their thinking caps on and solve a variety of problems like building a bridge to hold the most weight, paper rockets to see which one went the furthest, or building a bionic hand to grab many different objects.  Overall, the kids had a great day out and can’t wait to do it again next year.

Matthew Hanlon
Year 10 Leader of Wellbeing & Engagement

Year 10-2 Geography prepared PowerPoint presentations on 10 Geographical Issues.  After we viewed all the PowerPoints, we organised the issues from worse to least concerning.  Air pollution was first, then threatened marine environments, deforestation, oil blow outs, acid rain, Costa Rica McDonald’s v’s national parks, deforestation of palm oil, gorillas in the mist, threatened wetlands and mining disasters.  This was a successful group effort and we learnt that many of the issues were found in other issues.

Lyn Tilbrook
Geography Teacher

It has been a busy few weeks in the TAS Faculty in Hospitality and Food Technology. 

Year 10 and 11 Hospitality students have been practicing their cutting skills with fruit salad and tempura vegetables.  Tempura vegetables also taught them to make and use a simple batter including the use of the deep fryer. 

Year 10 Food Technology students have been looking at current food trends and healthy recipes making no nut protein balls, chia puddings and healthy butter chicken. 

Year 9 Food Technology students have been looking at food safety and how the body absorbs and processes food.  They have enjoyed making chicken rice paper rolls, ham and pineapple pin wheels and a demonstration on how to make sauerkraut, increasing good probiotics into the diet for the gut microbiome.

Year 7 and 8 students have been developing basic cooking skills with recipes such as mixed berry muffins, fried rice, chicken fajitas and ricotta demonstrations.

What was your child’s favourite recipe?  Please contact the TAS Faculty if you have any suggestions. 

Danya Gillard
TAS Assistant

Mathematics Workshop and Homework Support takes place on Tuesdays at lunchtime in Room 10.  Students have the opportunity to have support for homework or be in a space with a mathematics teacher present to complete more challenging work or preparing for tasks.  This is available to all year groups. 

Michael Morson
Leader of Learning, Mathematics

Pope Francis said “Faith and witness are indissoluble.  A faith without works, a faith that doesn't get you involved, isn't faith.  It's words and nothing more than words."  In this age of consumerism and the desire to accumulate goods Pope Francis challenges us to review the way we live our faith.  A group of Year 10 students, Lucas Monks, Max Lawson, Ella Allman, Mia Lee and Mrs Ryan showed what living their faith really means.  These students and Mrs Ryan volunteered at the Taree Community Kitchen preparing, serving and interacting with the clients.  The students’ happy smiles and friendly chatting with the clients meant that everyone left the kitchen with a nutritious lunch, a feeling that people care and of course a chocolate Easter egg.  The students served 166 meals and were still smiling after all the washing up and cleaning was completed.  The Principal, Mr McCudden visited the kitchen to see first-hand the excellent manner in which the Year 10 students represent the school.  Thank you, Mr McCudden, for supporting such a valuable community program.

Diocesan Swimming Championships 2024

The Diocesan Swimming Championships were held on Wednesday, 6 March at The Forum Aquatic Centre in the grounds of The University of Newcastle. 

The students that attended showed great effort to compete and do their best in each event in which they participated.  Thank you to all the parents that attended to support the St Clare’s students and thank you to Mr McCann and Mr Koenig for their assistance at the event.  There were several placegetters on the day and an Age Champion. 

Piper Bamford, Year 9:
1^st 15 girls 50m Backstroke

Yasmin Cassidy, Year 8:
1^st 14 girls 50m Freestyle

Sophie Scislo, Year 9:
1^st 15 girls 100m Freestyle
1^st 15 girls 50m Freestyle
1^st 15 girls 50m Butterfly
15 girls Age Champion

The St Clare’s swim team on the day consisted of the following 18 students: 

Carter Cox, Lachlan Grady, Finn Gregory, Samuel Mitchell, William Perry, Eva Sansom, Lachlan Stephens, Milla Thompson, Yasmin Cassidy, Hudson Duckett, Jaylah Koenig, Jakayla Minns, Adele Whitehouse-Miotto, Piper Bamford, Sophie Scislo, Samual Stephens, Samuel Jackman and Rufus Rowe. 

Lastly, congratulations to the following students who gained selection to represent the Maitland/Newcastle Diocese at the NSWCCC event to be held in Week 10 on Thursday, 4 April: 

Piper Bamford, Yasmin Cassidy and Sophie Scislo 

Sophie, Yasmin & Piper 

Luke Rowe
School & Representative Sport Coordinator

Australian MTB Interschools event at Thredbo 

From 3 March to 8 March five St Clare's students and their families ventured down to Thredbo.  The students competed at the Interschools MTB event and all students performed well by all reports.  The school placed 59^th overall out of the 285 schools entered with a combined point score of 412. Well done to the St Clare's team:  Haylan Simpson, Hamish Kemp, Ethan Kemp, Thomas Riding and Jackson Riding.

Ethan Kemp on Flow, Hamish on Cannonball

Luke Rowe
School & Representative Sport Coordinator

Diocesan Sport Website Guide

Careers Corner

On Wednesday, 3 April all Year 12 students should receive an email from UAC (The Universities Admissions Centre) with a PIN and login information on how to access and register with UAC.  This is the main pathway into university from school.  If any student does not receive this email, then it is important that they email or contact me so that I can help with access.  Obviously, if a student is definitely NOT interested in a university pathway, they do not need to register.  It costs $80 to register before 30 September and $200 to register after this date.  There is quite a bit of time to decide on preferences etc. 

I will be going through this with the students in our Careers sessions on Fridays. 

UAC PIN and Applying 

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”. 

Each student can put down five preferences.  It is worth noting that not all university courses are available at this stage and more will become available as the year progresses. 

If the students do NOT get an email, they need to contact UAC in one of the following ways. 

UAC Contact Numbers 

Livechat and email through the website continue to be available.

From a landline:  1300 275 822
From a mobile:  (02) 9752 0200 

If they are still having difficulty, then please contact me preferably via email so that I can assist.  I will be checking my emails at various times during the holidays. 

It is imperative that ALL STUDENTS have access to their NESA information and records.  This is where they can access their HSC timetables etc. 

All Year 12 students have been emailed with relevant information regarding UAC.  The information has also been placed in the Careers OneNote. 

UCAT (University Clinical Aptitude Test) 

Students in Year 12 who might be considering careers in medicine or dentistry post school need to register for the “UCAT” (University Clinical Aptitude Test ANZ). 

If you are interested in a Career in medicine or dentistry post school, you will more than likely need to sit the UCAT ANZ (University Clinical Aptitude Test for Australia and New Zealand).  You should visit the UCAT website:

for information. 

A reminder regarding important UCAT ANZ 2024 dates 

UCAT 2024 Registration is Now Open 

Candidates taking the UCAT ANZ in 2024 for entry to universities in Australia and New Zealand in 2025 should note the following key dates. 

UCAT ANZ 2024 Key Dates  

PLEASE NOTE: UCAT registration is only via the UCAT ANZ website -

Universities and the UCAT Requirements

UCAT Format

Who is eligible to sit the UCAT? 

The UCAT ANZ test is only available to a candidate whose educational level at the time of sitting the test is that they are undertaking or have completed the final year of secondary schooling, or higher.  For example, candidates registering for UCAT ANZ 2024 should have completed, or plan to complete their final year of secondary schooling in 2024, that is, Year 12 in Australia or Year 13 in New Zealand. 

Candidates are eligible to sit UCAT ANZ if they have commenced or completed an undergraduate degree. 

It is noted, however, that not all undergraduate degree programs for which UCAT ANZ is a prerequisite will offer places for non-school leavers.  Candidates are advised to check the UCAT ANZ Consortium university websites for further information. 

Only a limited number of UCAT ANZ Consortium universities require international students to sit UCAT ANZ and, if so, it will only be required in specific circumstances. Candidates are advised to check the UCAT ANZ Consortium university websites for further information.                            (Reference: Pearson VUE, 2024)

Newcastle University Open Day and Webinars 

I have been contacted by Newcastle University regarding an Open Day for our students to be held later in the year on Thursday, 4 July.  The details are being finalised and I will email information as soon as I receive confirmation. 

UoN has also sent links to register for upcoming free information webinars.  They are as follows: 

Webinars – Students and Parents/Carers
HSC Support Webinar – Setting up for HSC Success
Date:  27 March 2024
Time:  7:00pm 

Register Here  

University of Newcastle is partnering with InspirationED to deliver a HSC Support Webinar. Embark on your HSC journey with confidence through our "Strategies for HSC Success" webinar, tailored for Year 11 and 12 students.  Led by a Senior HSC Marker, this session delves into effective study techniques, exam hacks, and strategies for excelling in HSC assessment tasks.  

2025 Joint Medical Program Info Session Webinar
Date: 8 May 2024
Time: 6:30pm  

Register Here  

The Bachelor of Medical Science and Doctor of Medicine (The JMP) is an innovative five-year degree delivered jointly with the University of New England and supported by Hunter New England Local Health District and Central Coast Local Health District.  Join us for an info session to hear from Joint Medical Program academics and current students about the program, admission requirements and much more. 

TAFE to Uni Webinar
Date: 22 May 2024 
Time: 5:00pm

 
Register Here 

Interested in taking your studies to the next level?  Join us online to learn why TAFE and vocational qualifications are an excellent and popular pathway into the University of Newcastle. Tune in to meet our admissions staff and student ambassadors. You will learn about what it’s like studying at our University, TAFE and other vocational qualifications entry pathways, how to apply, scholarships, jobs on campus, support and services and more!  

Y10 Subject Selection Webinar – Parents and Students
Date: 29 May 2024
Time: 6:00pm 

Register Here 

Our student ambassadors will share key subject selection information and share their stories and experiences with subject selection and transition to University studies.  

Mid-Year Info Session
Date: 5 June 2024
Time: 5:00pm 

Register Here  

If you have questions about studying an undergraduate with us from Semester 2, we're here to help! We're hosting an online info session and invite you to join us.  If you've recently had a gap year, completed TAFE or similar or have been working and are looking to retrain or make a career change, this session provides you with a number of opportunities to learn more about studying at the University of Newcastle.  

Central Coast and Newcastle Parent and Carers Info Sessions  

We invite parents and carers of Year 12 students to join us this year for our face-to-face Central Coast and Newcastle Parents and Carers Info Sessions. 

Parents and Carers will have the opportunity to hear from knowledgeable university staff and current students, covering a range of different topics to assist you in supporting your child through their transition from high school to university including entry schemes and pathways to university including our Early Entry Program. 

You’ll also have the chance to hear from current University of Newcastle Student Ambassadors about their first-hand experience transitioning from school to university, student life, support services and much more.  

Please see below dates, locations and registration links. 

Early Entry for Year 12 

I will be giving out information about the various early entry pathways in the next couple of weeks.  Each university website has information about this. 

I would also like to remind the Year 12 students to keep working on their resumes and to make an appointment to have a meeting with me.  Students can email me or write their names in a white space on the Timetable attached to my office door, and we can organise a time to do this.  To date I have had several meetings with students.  I am more than happy to talk to any student who would like some help with a resume or anything else relating to Careers. 

As information comes to hand, I will email the relevant students and I will also be putting all information in their Careers OneNote.  This will relate to apprenticeships, traineeships, job vacancies, university information and open days, TAFE information and scholarships.  There is a tab in the Careers section titled Job Jump which has a great deal of up-to-date information.  All the students in Years 10, 11 and 12 have, or will have, access to this. 

On Friday, 8 March we had a visit from Anna Godfrey from The Switcher.  She had a great deal of information and encouragement for the students re post school pathways.  Her story is fascinating, and she runs an international company from Taree.  Many thanks to Anna for this! 

The latest information from CAA is as follows:

CAA News 

Courses & Workshops for Students

School of Education | Bachelor of Education (Secondary) Western's School of Education is offering a new undergraduate program, Bachelor of Education (Secondary), commencing in Spring semester. Students can study two Secondary Education Majors in a range of areas. Visit the webpage to discover more:

Information Sessions for Students & Parents

University of Newcastle | Free HSC Webinar for Students and Parents Wednesday 27 March, 7pm-8:30pm. Strategies for HSC success will be shared. Led by a Senior HSC Marker, it's a deep dive into effective study skills, exam hacks, and strategies for excelling in tasks. Brought to all by the University of Newcastle, it’s free to all participants. Registration is essential:

ADCO 'Girls Who Build' | Construction Careers Session for Years 10-12 | 21 March 2024, 5pm-7pm Build A Career in Construction. Come and hear from a community of empowered women who are paving the way for future generations of female construction professionals. Connect with some Women of ADCO dedicated to promoting gender diversity and inclusion in the industry. Register online at:

or call Naomi 0477716561.

Torrens University Australia | Explore Virtual Open Day Explore our Virtual Open Day on demand for detailed insights into campuses, courses, career and support services, internships, scholarships, entry pathways, vibrant student life and more. Find answers about all Torrens University educational offerings online.

The University of Sydney | Year 10 Subject Selection Evening Learn everything there is to know about HSC subject selection, university applications and admissions with The University of Sydney's Year 10 subject selection evening. On-campus, have the opportunity to visit advice booths to have any questions answered by expert staff, current University of Sydney students and a UAC representative, and participate in a Q&A. Register:

Webinars On-demand The Western ‘What Can I Study?’ Webinars have kicked off in February and will continue through to April. Don’t worry if missed, previous webinars are available to watch on-demand. Visit the Discover Western Webinar webpage:

The University of Sydney Information Nights Info Night is a chance for students in Years 10 – 12 to learn about admission requirements, entry schemes, pathways, fees, scholarships, financial assistance and support services from staff and UAC representatives around Sydney.

The University of Sydney | Environmental Engineering Year 12 Event Encourage Year 12 students to discover the future of sustainable solutions at The University of Sydney Environmental Engineering Evening on 4 April, 4-6 pm, J03 Engineering Precinct. Students will get hands-on lab experience, meet leading environmental engineers, and learn about ground breaking degree program starting in 2025.

Fairfield Connect Western Sydney University launches innovative Study Hub, Fairfield Connect, enhancing accessibility to higher education. Visit the Western news centre to find out more:

CQUniversity | Online Chat Session - Thursday, 11 April 3pm (AEST) Are students starting to think about post-school study options, like TAFE or university and have questions? Direct their attention to CQUniversity’s upcoming Online Chat Session where the team will be available in real-time and ready to help with course specific information, pathway and entry options, and more. Visit

Scholarships, Early Entry, Alternative Pathways

1300apprentice is a Specialist GTO in NSW & ACT An apprenticeship is both a job and a training program at the same time. An apprenticeship doesn't require an ATAR score and has a high employment rate on completion. At 1300apprentice, you can search FAQs and access wage and enrolment information. 

Locations from Newcastle to Illawarra, Southern highlands and Canberra. 

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

Term 1 2024