In the Church calendar, the fourth Sunday of Easter is known as Good Shepard Sunday, and this occurred last Sunday (which coincidently fell on the same day as ANZAC day). The Gospel reading for the Mass was taken from John 10:11-18. There was a particular synergy between Sunday’s readings and our commemoration of ANZAC day.

Jesus is the Good Shepard and says that He will lay down His life for His sheep. We do not mind being likened to sheep in this context. The word sheep in this text is not disparaging or belittling. In fact, it is quite the opposite, as it goes to the core of our very human need to be loved and to feel safe, sheltered and protected in that love, just like the innocent lambs that Jesus the Good Shepard shields and protects. The image of Christ as our Good Shepherd has always appealed to me. One of the earliest paintings of Christ in the Roman catacombs represents Him as carrying an injured sheep on His shoulders. In Jesus we have a Shepherd who understands us, one whose patience and love are infinite. He is always ready to go after us when we stray too far; His voice is constantly reaching out to us in missions, retreats, sicknesses, and we all have our own crosses to bear. With Jesus as our protector, we can confidently continue through life’s trials and tribulations.

The sermon preached by the Good Shepard two thousand years ago is still echoing and reverberating around the world, calling on us His faithful flock to do all in our power to help those other children of God who are still outside the fold, or lost from the flock.

ANZAC Day

ANZAC Day is always a special day on the Australian calendar and occurred on Sunday, 25 April. We remember all who lost their lives through Australia’s involvement in wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations. On ANZAC Day we especially remember the courageous actions undertaken by the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps during the First World War.

On this national day of commemoration, we pray for the airmen, sailors and soldiers who died in battle sacrificing their lives while on duty. We commemorate their bravery and pray for the families who lost loved ones.

As we strive for peace in our country and world, help us to become instruments of peace.

We give thanks for all who have served in the defence of this country and for their great sacrifices in conflict and in captivity - for the cause of peace and freedom. In our nation of wealth, prosperity and comfort, let us not forget the cost of these privileges which we now enjoy. We pray for peace and ask that leaders of nations and governments will pursue freedom, justice and the welfare of all peoples. And finally, we pray for ourselves. In the midst of worldly turmoil and strife, make us yearn for peace - not only with each other - but peace with you through our crucified and risen Saviour.

Staffing News

We wish Natalie DeBono all the best on the impeding birth of her first child, as she commences her Maternity leave.

We thank her for her outstanding contribution to the College and wish her all the best in the future.

New Staff

It is with great pleasure that I welcome the following staff member to the CRCCS school community:

Carolyn Sarnecka (Materials Technology Teacher)

As always, when a new staff member begins, they bring a diverse range of knowledge, gifts and talents to share with our school community. We wish all Carolyn all the best as they begin their journey at Catholic Regional College Caroline Springs.

CRC Caroline Springs Parents & Friends Association

This year we are looking to further develop our Parents & Friends Association as we see this as a very important support group for our College. Unfortunately, last year due to COVID-19 restrictions we were unable to meet regularly and hold our usual social events. Meetings are open to and attended by interested parents/carers, friends of the College, teachers and administrative staff as well as the Principal, or one of the Deputy Principals.

Everyone is welcome to come and meet other parents, to learn more about our wonderful College as well as participate and share in general discussion often relating to significant issues about school events.

Below are the dates for the Parents and Friends association meetings, to be held in the College Library:

Wednesday 5 May 7:00pm

Wednesday 28 July 7:00pm

Wednesday 20 October 7:00pm

We would like for interested parents to please email the College at: principal@crccs.vic.edu.au

Aquinas Building

The College, as part of its vision and mission, aims to provide excellence in learning. This will be supported by ongoing development and upgrading of College buildings, grounds and facilities.

Some exciting news is that work is now completed on the new Year 9 Building named the Aquinas building. The Aquinas building will be a great inclusion for our community and students will reap the rewards of this state-of-the-art facility. This building will host eight homerooms, as well as two large collaborative learning spaces and numerous staff offices. The locker bay and surrounding landscaping is also complete and ready for student use. The building and other new facilities recently opened at the College provide a rich and stimulating learning environment for all our students to flourish and reach their full potential. The Aquinas building will be officially opened and blessed with special guests and dignitaries at a later date.

I would like to welcome back all our students, staff and parents to Term 2. I hope that over the Easter period you had the opportunity to spend some quality time together as a family and that the spirit of hope that Easter brings inspired renewed energy, new goals and a strengthened resolve to live the Christian life in the footsteps of Jesus.

A Prayer to Jesus, the Good Shepherd

Faithful Shepherd,
You are not a hireling who runs away at the sight of danger,

but Your fidelity was tested
and proven on the wood of the Cross.

Accept the gift of our gratitude
for Your marvellous care.
Help us to hear and follow Your voice.

Watchful Shepherd,
who protects the flock
and searches tirelessly
for those who wander from the fold,
retrieve the lost and bring them home.
Tend and heal their wounds.

Good Shepherd,
who lays down His Life for His sheep,
nourish Your people with the Bread of Life,
that we may reflect Your likeness
and enjoy the spring of Living Water that never ends.

Amen.

Good Shepherd Sunday

Last Sunday (The Fourth Sunday of Easter), we celebrated Good Shepherd Sunday. The Gospel reading for the day (John 10:11-14) is taken from the Gospel of John where Jesus declares ‘I am the good shepherd.’

The context of the Gospel derives from what is commonly known as ‘The Good Shepherd Discourse.’ In the same chapter in verse 10:10 (one verse prior to the beginning of Sunday’s Gospel) Jesus states, ‘I have come so that they may have life and have it abundantly’. This is where the first part of our College motto Live Fully originates from.

What does it mean to Live Fully (have abundantly)? It goes far beyond the philosophy of embracing everything that life has to offer, or ‘abundance’ in the sense of wealth, social status and intelligence. For Christ Himself tells us that we should not be too concerned with the physical circumstances of our life, ^“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’. For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed, your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:31-34).

To Live Fully is to know Jesus Christ and the Truth as revealed by Christ and His Church. It is only through Him that we are able to experience the ‘abundance of life.’ That is why in verse 16 of Sunday’s Gospel Jesus states, “^I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.” It is from these passages that we get the beautiful image of ‘Jesus the Good Shepherd.’ The image portrays our Lord carrying a lamb over His shoulder. Its symbolism is rich in that it reveals to us God in the person of Jesus Christ as one who watches over us (the sheep), who protects us, loves us and is willing to lay down His life for His sheep.

Good Shepherd Sunday is also traditionally the day we pray for vocations within the Church. We are asked to pray for, or to consider a vocation to the priesthood or consecrated life. We thank God for the gift of our priests, in particular Fr Richard, Fr Simeon, Fr Maurie and Fr Gerard who serve our community. Let us pray to the Holy Spirit to continue to give courage and wisdom to our ‘shepherds’ so they may continue to tend to their ‘flock.’ Let us also pray for our seminarians who are discerning the priesthood and that many of our youth will answer the call to be ‘fishers of men.’

2021 Corpus Christi College Seminarians

Ablaze Youth - St Catherine of Siena Youth Group

Ablaze Youth Group launch!

Date: Friday 30 April

Time: 7:00 – 8:30pm.

Where: Catholic Regional College Caroline Springs

Contact: stcatherineyg@gmail.com

All students are invited to attend. There will be live music (rap) and food. It will be an awesome event.

Please click here to view the Ablaze flyer

8:00am Mass

8:00am Mass will commence every Friday this Term at St Catherine of Siena, Parish Church. All students and their families are welcome to attend. It is a wonderful opportunity to begin the day with the most powerful prayer, the Holy Mass.

The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) for Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 students is held in May each year. NAPLAN tests assess student knowledge and skills in writing, reading, conventions of language (spelling, grammar, and punctuation) and numeracy. The results of the tests provide information for students, parents, teachers and principals, which can be used to improve student learning and achievement.  

NAPLAN tests continue to transition from a paper-based test to an online assessment. Students complete the tests utilising a computer. It is anticipated that from 2022, all schools in Australia will deliver the tests online. NAPLAN Online delivers numerous benefits including:  

• a ‘tailored test’ design that adapts to correct and incorrect student responses, providing a more precise understanding of student achievement.  

• innovative use of technology, including a more engaging test design and a wider range of item types.  

• the extension of the ‘test window’ to two weeks (9 days), allowing schools greater opportunity to schedule the tests at times that suit them best while also increasing student participation.  

Catholic Regional College Caroline Springs transitioned to NAPLAN Online in 2019 and will be continuing with this platform in 2021. To support students with NAPLAN Online, we facilitated a NAPLAN Online practice test window, aiding students’ familiarisation with the NAPLAN Online platform and protocols. If students were absent during their Year Level’s practice test/s, they are encouraged to familiarise themselves via the NAPLAN Online Public Demonstrations Tests accessible at https://www.nap.edu.au/online-assessment/public-demonstration-site  or via the NAP app on their MacBook.

Official NAPLAN Online testing runs from Week 4-5 of this term. The NAPLAN Online timetable features below:

Information about the four NAPLAN Online tests are below:

Support can be arranged for students with disabilities if the student regularly uses similar support for classroom assessment tasks. Please contact Learning Diversity for further information.

Please note that students will require a fully charged MacBook and headphones for the tests. Students should bring their own headphones, as spare headphones are not in line with the College COVID Safe policy.    

Schools generally receive students’ NAPLAN reports from mid-August to mid-September. We will notify you when the reports are being sent to your home. The same report format is used for every student in Australia.

For more information about NAPLAN Online, please visit the NAP website at www.nap.edu.au/online-assessment  or view the below supporting documents.

NAPLAN Online Information Brochure

NAPLAN Online Test Window

On Thursday 6 May 2021, a Summative Review of Mr Jamie Madigan in his role as Principal of Catholic Regional College Caroline Springs will take place. The purpose of the review is in accordance with the contract under which Mr Madigan is employed, which states in Clause 8.6.1 that, “In the penultimate year of the Principal’s contract, a summative appraisal of the Principal’s performance will be conducted. The particular focus of this appraisal will be on the provision of advice to the Church Authority in the matter of a further contract for the Principal” (Clause 8.6.1).

The five spheres that are the focus of the review are:

• Leading the Catholic faith dimension of the college
• Leadership of Learning and Teaching
• Leadership of Student Wellbeing
• Leadership and Management
• Engaging with the School community

THE REVIEW PANEL

The panel that will conduct the Formative Review comprises:

• Fr Richard Rosse (nominee of the Canonical Administrators)
• Mrs Marlene Jorgensen (nominee of the Principal, principal of CRC Melton)
• Ms Vicki Myers (nominee of the Executive Director of Catholic Education & Panel Chair)

As part of the review process feedback from staff will be sought via interviews and an online survey.

Parents may also provide feedback to the Review Panel by

1. requesting an interview on Thursday 6 May after 3:30pm. This can be done by contacting Mr Madigan’s office at the College
2. by sending an email to the Panel Chair, Ms Vicki Myers vmyers@macs.vic.edu.au prior to 1 May 2021.

2021 School Fees

School fees payment arrangements for 2021 are still available. Please download a direct debit form from the link below. Hard copies are also available from the College office.

Direct Debit Form

If you have any concerns with school fees, please contact the Finance Department to discuss.

School Fee Statements

Please note that school fee statements are now being sent out by email. If you require a hard copy, please contact the Finance Department.

CSEF

CSEF applications remain open for 2021.

Please complete the application form below and return the completed signed form along with a copy of your current health care card to the College office as soon as possible.

https://www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/about/programs/health/CSEF-Application-Form-2020.pdf

Year 8 Camp

Year 8 camp invoices have been sent home with your child and were also emailed to all families. Payment of $360 is due in full by Friday 4 June 2021.

Cultural Immersion

Cultural immersion invoices have been issued with payment dates due accordingly.

If you have any questions, please contact the Finance Department. Thank you.

In the last week of Term 1, a group of 40 students represented Catholic Regional College Caroline Springs at the annual SACCSS Swimming Carnival. This was a welcomed return for all involved, as all SACCSS sport was cancelled in 2020 due to Covid.

Our team showed some strong performances across the day with a number of students winning their races and plenty of places as well. This was particularly encouraging as we were competing in division 1 again in 2021 against some schools with twice the enrolments of our College.

The students encouraged and cheered all day and were incredibly proud with the results in the end. We not only managed to continue in division 1, but finished as runners up in both girls and boys intermediate divisions and the overall result for the day.

Our best individual performers on the day were Chloe Burke, 7 Coranderrk and Scarlet Valori, 9 Bunjil, who were runners up in their respective age groups. Both these girls, along with Cooper Prato, 9 Kulin, have been selected to represent SACCSS at the All Schools Championships on May 10 at MSAC. We wish them all the best at this event.

Thank you to all the students that participated in the Swimming Carnival and contributed to our strong performance in 2021.

Throughout Term 1, VCE Biology has been an intriguing and engaging introduction to the VCE structure that is to come in the coming years.

Our first unit started off with cell size, structure and function, where we learnt about the different types of cells and the functions of organelles contained within them. It was fascinating to visualise how such a minuscule thing is responsible for the makeup of all living things. We then moved onto focusing on the plasma membrane of a cell, this topic was accompanied by a few practicals that focused on cell permeability, such as the agar surface area to volume ratio practical or the dialysis tubing practical which was linked to our first sac. We proceeded to focus on energy transformations; how cells use cellular respiration and plants use photosynthesis to produce energy. Finally, we focused on how many organisms, such as mammals, have systems such as the circulatory and excretory system from which we participated in a kidney dissection practical. We then partook in a rat dissection, which further expanded our understanding of body systems and how different organs work together to form a functioning body. The rat dissection was an exciting experience as we had the opportunity to delve into a hands-on approach based on the theoretical topic.

In the Term 1 newsletter I presented images of Year 8 hand-built pottery animal head plaques, when they had just been completed and were ready to glaze and be fired in the kiln.

Students have now glazed these, and they have been fired. The images here show the hard work in the planning and detailed glazing skills that these students have completed for the first time.

Welcome back to Term 2! Math Support sessions have resumed and are still held on most Tuesdays and Thursdays in room MM2 from 3:20pm to 4:15pm. Please refer to the attached timetable for the Term 2 sessions dates. Students can either attend part of, or stay for the duration of the session.

During these sessions, a Maths teacher will be available to help and assist students with completing Maths work, to discuss difficulties and revise or study for a Maths assessment or the upcoming Semester 1 exams.

Term 2 Maths Support Sessions Timetable

We will be hosting our Mother’s Day Mass and High Tea on Friday 7 May. This will be a celebration of mothers, grandmothers and significant women in the lives of our students. All students are invited to honour these women by attending alongside them. The event is to be held at St Catherine of Siena, Parish Church at 8:00-8:30am. Following on from the Mass, all guests are invited to attend a morning tea in the College Cafeteria until 9:00am.

Registration for this event is essential. Please register your attendance by Tuesday 4 May using the link below.

Mother's Day Mass & Morning Tea Registration Link

During Term 2 the Social justice team’s focus will be on raising funds for Uganda. Our first event was hosted on the Athletics Day, where the team organised a sausage sizzle lunch for the school community. It was a great success, raising a total of $2010.

Thanks to all who contributed and supported… together we will make a difference.

The Prace Cert III in Education Support (Teacher's Aide) course is starting again at Deer Park Primary School Community Hub. This course is scheduled to start on Thursday, 29 April. However, enrolments will still be open until 13 May 2021.

Please click here to download the course flyer

PRACE is an established not-for-profit community education provider.

Mother’s Day at Catholic Regional College Sydenham

Family Tours at Catholic Regional College Sydenham