I hope that you and your families are keeping safe and well in this difficult time.

During the month of August, one of the significant feasts in the Catholic Church’s calendar is the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which occurs next Saturday 15 August. Mary being taken up into heaven, body, and soul, after her death is a statement which defies all human scientific reasoning. As we move towards the realm of faith, when I abandon what my intellect tells me ‘is impossible’ and come to accept the deeper meaning of this declaration and its implication on our lives, it becomes easier to accept.

Who is Mary and what made her so special? In chapter one of Luke’s gospel, we read how Jesus came to be conceived by Mary consenting to God’s invitation to give birth to Jesus, the second person of the Trinity. It was very courageous of Mary to say ‘yes’ to this enormous request and to put her complete trust in God as life unfolded. Her ‘Song of Praise’ in Lk 1:46-55 reflects her relationship with a God who has loved her from all eternity, her humble acknowledgement and acceptance of God looking kindly upon her and her gratitude for what was to come. Mary embodies the qualities of faithfulness, sensitivity, acceptance of hardships in order to protect her son, confusion in the adolescent Jesus who got lost in Jerusalem and was on a mission doing His Father’s will. Mary seeks understanding by pondering all these things in her heart.

Many mothers can identify with Mary in their role of motherhood. They are not alone in their struggles in nurturing and educating their children, in the daily sacrifices they make in giving of their best to the children they love, in the hope their children would reciprocate. Children look to their parents for guidance and protection.

On Saturday 8 August, we celebrate the feast of Australia’s first saint, St Mary of the Cross MacKillop. With Mary MacKillop we have a model of untiring service to the Church and to the underprivileged and poor in Australia. With the Assumption we are reminded of Mary’s profound faith and her absolute commitment to her God. Both women are models for us of faith and discipleship and challenge us to reflect on our own lives and our relationship with God. May God continue to bless and strengthen you in your efforts to be good role models for your children.

Stage 4 Restrictions

Recently, the Victorian Government announced that, on the advice of the Victorian Chief Health Officer, Metropolitan Melbourne will move to Stage 4 restrictions to slow the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).

These requirements apply to all schools in Metropolitan Melbourne and these changes came into effect from Wednesday 5 August, and are likely to apply until the end of Term 3.

There are implications for our school, and for families in our school community. A summary of what the changes mean for schools in Metropolitan Melbourne is below.

PREP TO YEAR 10

• Prep to Year 10 students will continue with remote and flexible learning.
• The criteria for students that can attend on-site has changed as follows:

• children whose parents are permitted workers. The Victorian Government will provide further advice about this over the coming days

• vulnerable children in out of home care, children known to child protection and other agencies and children the school identifies as vulnerable
• children with a disability who also fit one of the above two categories.

• If your circumstances fit the criteria above and you wish to apply for onsite learning for your child, please contact Mr Richard Brodrick or Ms Anne Crockford to discuss.

SENIOR SECONDARY YEAR 11 AND 12 (VCE AND VCAL)

• All Year 11 and 12 provision for both VCE and VCAL will move to remote and flexible learning.

• The GAT will be rescheduled from Wednesday 9 September to Wednesday 7 October.
• The schedule for the VCE examinations and release of results will remain as previously advised.
• Further information about consideration of disadvantage and coronavirus (COVID-19) will be provided shortly.

The College office and reception area will remain open throughout this remote learning period from 8:30am to 3:30pm each day. However, strict guidelines pertaining to parents only being on-site for pre-approved meetings in extenuating circumstances are in place, including adherence to strict health and safety guidelines.

As a College community, we are fully committed to working to provide our students with the best possible learning opportunities during these challenging times. The systems and procedures that we have already put in place at the College will continue to ensure that productive and effective learning will still take place remotely for students this term.

If you would like further information from the Department of Health and Human services, you can visit www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/coronavirus.

Once again, I thank you for your patience, support and understanding in these very unique circumstances. I assure you that all staff at Catholic Regional College Caroline Springs are doing their utmost to support your child and we will continue to provide the best possible learning outcomes for all.

May God bless you and your family.

Ever generous God,
You inspired Saint Mary MacKillop
To live her life faithful to the Gospel of Jesus Christ
and constant in bringing hope and encouragement
to those who were disheartened, lonely or needy.
With confidence in your generous providence
and through the intercession of Saint Mary MacKillop
We ask that you grant our request...
We ask that our faith and hope be fired afresh by the Holy Spirit
so that we too, like Mary MacKillop, may live with courage, trust and openness.
Ever generous God hear our prayer.
We ask this through Jesus Christ. Amen.

St Mary of the Cross Mackillop pray for us.

Tomorrow, August 8, we celebrate the Feast of St Mary of the Cross Mackillop. We have many saints in our Catholic Tradition but unfortunately we tend to forget the great example of holiness lived by Australia’s first Saint. Mary MacKillop was an advocate for the poor, the sick and vulnerable in our society.

The Covid-19 Pandemic has exacerbated the plight of the marginalised within our society. We have witnessed the lack of care for our elderly, many have lost their jobs, business have had to close down and we have seen extreme examples of greed as we fight over groceries.

St Mary Mackillop’s love for Christ was so strong that she sought Him out in the poor, sick and suffering. There are many examples in St Mary Mackillop’s life where she put aside her own needs in order to serve the sick, lonely and disadvantaged. We need to take the example of St Mary Mackillop and constantly be aware of the dignity of others, especially during this pandemic. Are there people that would appreciate a phone/video call? Are there elderly that are in need of caregiving? Are there people that have lost their jobs in need of assistance with the purchasing of essential items? In March 1900 Mary Mackillop wrote to the sisters:

“If choice be given, seek the most neglected places to which He (Christ) calls us. Let us never forget that, in the spirit of our Rule, it is to those we should desire to go... Let us be true to the beautiful spirit of our Institute... Let St Joseph’s true children remember their mission and seek first the poorest, most neglected parts of God’s vineyard.”

Let us pray that we too will ‘seek first the poorest.’ St Mary of the Cross Mackillop, Pray for us.

Prayer Resources

Below are some great resources to support students and their families in nurturing their prayer and spiritual life in the home. I highly encourage you to access these resources.

Click here to view Faith and Spirituality in the home 

Click here to view Prayer in the Family home

Sunday Gospel Focus

Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A

Matthew 14:22-33

A Significant Week

This week we witnessed powerful images and audio from the tragic bombing in Lebanon. It was horrific, frightening and deeply saddening. The scenes of confusion, destruction, enormous dust clouds and injured and bleeding victims brought back vivid memories of New York nearly twenty years ago. But for many whose recall stretches further back into history, the images from Lebanon-the mushroom cloud and subsequent sonic boom, coincided with the 75th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima.

Albert Einstein, a devoutly religious man, whose scientific work was instrumental in the development of nuclear technology, ‘was horrified by the way in which science could lead to such destruction’.

Einstein, when reflecting on his own spirituality, was inspired by a deep sense of wonder. He said, “The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious…For those to whom the emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, are as good as dead: their eyes are closed…To know that what is impenetrable to us really exists, manifesting itself as the highest wisdom and the most radiant beauty,…this knowledge, this feeling, is the centre of all religiousness.

It is no wonder that he was horrified on 6 August, 1945. Just as we were all horrified in 2001, and should be horrified again by the yesterday’s events. Personally, it served to shock me out of a complacent state-of-mind where COVID had been all-encompassing and everyone was united in circumstance, plight and struggle.

The Beirut crisis has touched many of our CRCCS families directly, particularly those in the Iraqi community, many of whom spent years in Lebanon struggling as refugees before arriving in Australia. Sadly, some have relatives still there, waiting for the opportunity to also reach a safe-haven.

Parent support

The link below contains advice and support for parents regarding how best to help your young people during remote learning. Please access it and keep open lines of communication while discussing the material.

However, if I were to offer one piece of parenting advice, avoid adding pressure to complete work set would be my main message. Work alongside your child, not against them. Talk to them about what they think they can achieve throughout that day or week. This period of remote learning has a long way to go, and houses are only going to get smaller during lockdown, so stay positive with them and celebrate the small wins.

Please contact homeroom teachers, subject teachers and Year Level Leaders if you need support.

Supporting Student Wellbeing in Remote Learning - A Guide for Parents

Thursday 13 August a letter was sent to parents via direqt message and email, with instructions to book the Year 10 into 11 Subject Selection via the PTO booking system.

Attached are the forms required by CRC Sydenham to be completed for subject selection and payment information.

Click here to view the class of 2022 page on the CRC Sydenham website
Click here to view the link for the 2021 Course Handbook for our students

CRCS Sydenham 2021 Subject Levies

CRCS Sydenham 2021 Summary of Levies

CRCS Sydenham 2021 Year 11 Subject Levy Form

CRCS Sydenham 2021 Brochure Information

CRCS Sydenham 2021 College Fees

For any further information please contact Mr Adam Ray.

Please note that due to the new Stage 4 Restrictions, we will no longer be accepting cash payments at the College, until further notice.  We will however, still be taking fee payments over the phone and you can still direct deposit fees into the school bank account, as per the details on your school fee statement. When making a direct debit payment, please ensure you use the reference on the bottom of your statement to ensure we can identify who the payment is for.

Should you have any queries with regards to this matter, or any other fee related matters, please call the College finance department to discuss.

Currently in Year 7 English classes, students are studying the novel “Wonder” by R.J.Palacio. “Wonder” is a moving fictional story that traces the daily life of August (“Auggie") Pullman, a ten-year-old boy born with a facial deformity that has made it difficult for him to make friends. The story is told from several characters’ perspectives, and recently, students completed a task in which they were required to write poem about one of these characters.

The Mathematics teachers have once again been busy planning and writing online lessons for our students, recording tutorials and meeting up with their classes on Microsoft Teams. Seems like this time round though, we all know what to do and felt a little bit easier to fall back into the Remote Learning routine. We now have our dedicated Maths Skills sessions for Year 7s being held on Microsoft Teams. I commend all the Mathematics teachers for supporting one another and for their dedication, time and effort they all put in to continue to have the best possible learning outcomes for our students.

Have a look at a few snapshots taken by some Mathematics teachers during their Microsoft Teams meeting with their class. Quite a few smiley faces and some interesting backgrounds too!

All Year 9 students should have by now submitted their subject preferences for 2021. The Mathematics teachers will be looking at the subjects that have been selected. Teachers may need to request a discussion to happen with the student and parent about the choice they have made. This is to make sure students have made an informed decision about their Year 10 Mathematics pathway. It is important to remind all students that all Mathematics subjects offered are year-long subjects and that they cannot swap pathways during the year.

So far, in Biology Unit 2 Outcome 1, I have been learning about asexual reproduction in plants and how several strategies can be used to produce regrowth in plants. From this, I have taken away life skills that I can share with my family, friends and use in my garden at home. What better way to enjoy remote learning than to create your own experiment with a rosemary cutting. My mum being a garden person, was just about to pull our rosemary plant out of the garden and buy a new one when she decided to cultivate a small stem to see if this plant can regrow without having to spend more money and leave the house.

After teaching her some tricks of the trade, from our textbook she kept this stem indoors with water and sun for about a week. In stable conditions of course. Now shoots have begun to sprout out of the stem. Once the shoots have fully matured, and multiply even more more, this stem can be replanted and eventually these shoots will grow into genetically identical forms of the parent stem and new rosemary plant. A great way to spend some time in the garden, whilst making your own fun and enjoying the little things!

This year we celebrated Virtual Languages week at Catholic Regional College Carline Springs.

Congratulations to the following winners of the Japanese Manga Drawing Competition. Please see the winning artwork below.

1st Caitlin DB - 10 Marin-Kurrang

2nd Jayden C - 7 Marin-Kurrang

3rd Ella H - 7 Marin- Kurrang

On Friday 31 July, students in 7 Kororoit had the opportunity to bring their pets to homeroom. Some of our pets were too shy to attend our MS Teams homeroom but those pets who did visit really brightened our day.

Our pets are great company and provide much entertainment during Remote Learning.

Here is an insight into how Year 9 Digital Technology is being delivered remotely. Students this semester are learning to program using the Python programming language and that is challenging in the classroom, but even more so during remote learning.

The image below shows the student’s SEQTA for Week 1 of Semester 2.

The following information is provided to create a platform for student success during remote learning:

• Topic for the Week
• Student Learning Intentions
• Work To Be Completed
• Links & Other Useful Information
• Videos

Students have a clear understanding of what work needs to be completed each week and that is further enhanced through the use of MS Teams meetings at the start of each lesson.

Worksheets, reference cards and videos all combine to provide as much instruction as possible. The videos provided are both teacher created and from additional sources.

When students are working they find that splitting their screen allows them to watch their Python videos and use their Python programming platform at the same time.

I hope this provides an insight into digital technology and remote learning.

Hi everyone, my name is Trista Zerafa and I am one of the Deputy College Captains at CRCCS.

The first time going into remote learning was a massive shock, and something no one has ever experienced before. We were all uneducated on the topic, and how to use certain online resources. Going back for a second round, it wasn’t so much of a shock. I was more prepared this time, as I have developed strategies on how to keep myself going with hobbies and activities at home (and I am quite happy about being able to sleep in a little longer).

I know that for a lot of students, it’s been a very complex task staying focused or motivated during online learning. It is difficult being stuck at home all day doing work and not being at school with friends and teachers. So, a great strategy I have used to help me stay motivated during this time is just simply sitting outside for at least two periods of the day doing my work, enjoying the fresh air and sun on my skin. Even on a snack or lunch break, sitting outside just to catch some fresh air is a nice way of keeping calm and happy, through a day packed with work. I also love changing up my vicinity every day or so. It’s not so enjoyable being isolated in my room all day so even just sitting at the kitchen bench or lounge room, somewhere where you can still stay focused but have a nice change of learning environment. Lastly, a strategy really helping me out is making sure my desk is set out neatly with all my subject books and equipment needed, so they are easily accessible and right in front of me, ready to use every day.

During this rare and difficult time keeping our school community connected can be a difficult thing to do. Everyone may feel distanced from each other and the school but in the end, everyone is trying their hardest to get through this challenge. Over the past few weeks the leadership team have been working as a collective to conduct an idea to help our school have some fun in activities and challenges at home. So, after a lot of discussion and thinking we came up with the idea of running ‘Remote Olympics.’ Which is accessible to every student who can sign up on SEQTA notices and involve themselves in the activity created at the time. The first event that our team came up with was called the “Bottle flipping challenge”, which was run by Trinity and Madelyn (O'Reilly House Captains). This challenge was to film yourself for 60 seconds, seeing how many times you can flip the bottle onto any surface. Students submited their videos through email to Mr Pisani or Ms Seymour to judge the competition. Then once assessed points will be awarded:

• Winner receives 20 points.
• Second place receives 15 points. 
• Third place receives 10 points. 
• Any other submission or entry receives 5 points. 

We would like to give a massive thankyou to everyone who got involved with this fun activity! We as a team love working together, trying to come up with fun and creative ideas keeping the fun going during this time.

As much as I love going to school and having fun with all my peers, we all just have to keep a positive mindset and remember how lucky we all are to be safe at home. Always be grateful for what you have, not what you don’t have, because we have A LOT and tend to forget what truly matters in our amazing lives.

God bless you all, and stay safe!

Ivanka P (8 Barak) inherently lives out the virtue of love through service and is a member of the Social Justice Team here at the College.

In her time within the team, Ivanka has led and advocated numerous campaigns, such as Caritas Project Compassion, St. Vincent de Paul Winter Appeal and the Food Bank appeal.

Ivanka’s concern for the common good has continued even through these unprecedented times. The ABC’s Behind the News segment has recently published an interview recorded by Ivanka and her mother (a worker at a COVID-19 testing clinic) on ‘What happens at a COVID-19 Testing Clinic?’

Ivanka also entered a 90-second video on ‘Homelessness in Australia’ to The Parliament Prize 2020, speaking on an issue that she was concerned that is affecting her community.

Ivanka, lives out our motto to Live Fully, Act Justly, by always putting the love she has been graced with by God into action, humbly serving others.

To view Ivanka’s ABC, Behind the News Segment

Click here to view Ivanka’s Parliament Prize 2020 entry

Mrs Laura Mason

Social Justice and Community Service Coordinator and Teacher of Religion and Drama

Current CRCCS families please follow the person icon on the top right hand side of our college website to view important links to our internal portal pages such as SEQTA, PTO, CareMonkey (Operoo) etc.

This is a quick note to inform you that our digital forms and school operations platform provider, CareMonkey, will be rebranding as ‘Operoo’: School processes, without the paperwork.

Operoo’s mission is to help schools eliminate operational inefficiencies so that every dollar and every minute possible can be spent on a students’ education.

The name change will occur the week beginning Monday August 3rd. How you use the service, as well as the ownership and operation of the company, will remain unchanged.

You can continue using the system, and its mobile application, as usual. Just be aware that, after Monday August 3rd, emails and notifications sent from the system will start appearing under the new name ‘Operoo’. You will also be automatically diverted to the new Operoo website if you go to the old CareMonkey website.

We look forward to continuing to digitise, streamline and automate our processes for you with Operoo.

School Fees

Payment plans for school fees are still available. Please download a direct debit form and return it to Reception at your earliest convenience.

Direct Debit Form

Please note that school fee statements are now being sent out by email. If you do however require a paper copy, please contact the finance department.

Year 9 & 10 MacBook Program

Year 9 & 10 MacBook program payment of $490.00 is now overdue If you have not paid for your child’s 2020 MacBook please contact the College Finance department to arrange payment as soon as possible.

2021 Year 7 MacBook Program

MacBook program direct debits have commenced for Grade 6 students that have been accepted into Catholic Regional College Caroline Springs for 2021. If you are having any problems with your direct debit or would still like to set up a payment plan please contact our Finance department.

The 2021 MacBook Program payment of $1977 is due in full on 29 November 2020.