Enews - 25 May 2022

He speaks of his people’s spiritual and historical connection to the land and describes the sophisticated farming and irrigation practices that sustained them over 45,000 years. In one activity, he gets the boys to stand and take one giant step away from the camp fire, thus representing 230 years since British colonisation of Australia. They then march off into the darkness of the bush. After about 200 steps, they stop and look back at the distant campfire light, and this distance is a symbolic timeline of the first arrival of his people in the Kosciuszko National Park. It is a powerful message, to acknowledge we live on lands that have for a very long time been meaningful to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

It is an important message, to honour and appreciate the deep feelings of attachment and relationship of First Nations peoples to Country. Our First Nations peoples are the traditional owners and custodians of Australia, caring for country, respecting it in ways we can honour.

Given current social commentary, including debate around ‘toxic masculinity’, the College recently commissioned a Respectful Relationships research paper, conducted by Dr Sheridan Kerr from the ACU and psychologist Alasdair Roy. The report gathered significant data through surveys and focus groups, involving parents, teachers and both current and past students. The report provides insight into the strengths and opportunities for ensuring the seeding of respectful relationships as our boys grow into adulthood.

The issues around respectful relationships extend way beyond the school gates. Schools do not exist in a vacuum and they are inextricably linked to behaviour that may be accepted as ‘normal’ in wider society. We have recently lived through an extraordinary period of exposing what we now call ‘hidden’ or ‘silent’ sexism - though it was not all hidden or silent to many women.

We do not want our boys to grow up ‘shamed’ of their maleness or being collectively accused of being misogynistic. While some issues are complex, nuanced and sensitive; others are not and are at crisis point, like the dehumanising of women often seen in readily accessible pornography. Genuine respect for others is straightforward and is what we are all called to do. It goes to the very centre of what being a Good Christian and, indeed, what being a good human person is all about.

Throughout the year, in this newsletter, I intend to share some reflections on some new directions in positive masculinity for boys and young men. 

Our Junior School clubs provide a range of interest groups throughout the week. Boys can register their interest by speaking to the contact teacher listed for each group at school or by turning up to the classrooms listed below.

Whilst our lunch time clubs normally involve students across our Year 4-6 levels, cohorting requirements have hampered these groups during Semester One.

Reading Café: 

• Years 4-6
• Daily 8am – 8.30am, ELS Building
• Mrs Croker

Junior School Debating Club

• Year 6
• Monday Lunch time, Junior School Hall 
• Mrs Hogan and Mr Pezzella

 Junior School Chess Club

• Tuesday lunchtime, 6R Classroom
• Mrs Rolfe

Junior School Defence Club 

• Years 4, 5 and 6
• Tuesday recess and lunch time, Junior School Art Room
• Our Defence boys who may also invite a friend
• Mrs Pfieffer

Junior School Japanese Club

• Year 5 (Year 4 to join in Term 3)
• Wednesday Lunch time, Junior School Japanese Classroom
• Mrs Burch

Junior School Mini Vinnies

• Semester 1 – Year 6; Semester 2 – Year 5 and 6
• Thursday lunchtime, 6W Classroom
• Miss Williams

Junior School Coding Club

• Year 6 odd weeks; Year 5 even weeks
• Friday lunch time, 5M Classroom
• Mr McGrath

Junior School Novel Bunch

• Year 4 odd weeks; Year 5 even weeks
• Friday lunchtime starting at 1.00pm, Library – Junior School section
• Mrs Simpson

Junior School Touch Competition

• Currently running with students from Years 4-6
• Lunchtimes on Jubilee Oval
• Mr Galvin

Junior School Homework Help Club

• Tuesday after school, 3.05pm - 4.30pm
• Students are selected for this program
• Mrs Bell 

Our Marist sporting clubs provide a wonderful opportunity for our boys to proudly play alongside their school mates in the ‘blue and blue’. Team sports offer the individual student the chance to broaden their friendship group, develop their skills, and to learn to work as a team. Registration for our College sports are completed through the individual Club pages, accessible through the College website:

• Australian Rules Football
• Basketball
• Cricket
• Football (Soccer)
• Hockey
• Judo
• Rowing
• Rugby

Year 4 Band

• Premiers
• Weekly, during school time
• Ms Roberts, Performing Arts Assistant 

Year 6 Band

• All Stars
• Weekly, during school time
• Ms Roberts, Performing Arts Assistant

Year 5 Music Immersion Program

• During school time
• Semester 1 - selected students; Semester 2 – All Year 5 students
• Mr Schindler 

Year 4 Singing Program

• 3 days per week, during school time
• All Year 4 students
• Mrs Fraser   
  

Individual Music Tuition

• Available for all students Years 4-12
• Lesson times are arranged with each family
• Ms Roberts, Performing Arts Assistant 

Junior School Choir

• Years 4,5 and 6 from Week 15 onwards
• Friday after school, 3.05pm - 4.15pm, Junior School Performing Arts classroom
• Mrs Fraser 

College Performance

• Years 4–10
• Auditions took place in February
• Rehearsals are currently underway for The Crimson Firefly Circus production, involving boys from Year 4 -10
• Director: Ms Johnson 

Congratulations to our Year 6 students and their teachers for such a successful camp at Sydney Sports Academy in Narrabeen last week. The boys enjoyed a variety of activities including orienteering, archery, canoeing, stand-up paddle boarding, escape rooms, kayaking, bushwalking with a damper cook, raft building and billycart building.

At night, the boys were entertained by a trivia night, a tabloid sports evening, and a games night.

Servo Fidem

Kirsty Bell
Head of Junior School

Congratulations to the following boys who have recently completed their challenge. What an amazing effort!

George Smyth (Year 4) (Completed the extra hard ‘Challenge Yourself’ section)

Pascal Bell (Year 5)

James Gill (Year 5)

Harry Tilyard (Year 5)

Karen Collins
Head of Library and Information Services

Brumbies Clinics

Over the last three weeks, all boys from Years 4-6 have participated in a rugby clinic run by the Brumbies. While rugby was the focus, skills taught were transferable across a range of sports as well as teamwork and communication. The feedback about the boys’ energy and enthusiasm was very pleasing. 

South Weston Cross Country

Congratulations to these boys who will represent the College at the South Weston Cross Country on Wednesday 1 June:

• Yevin Bandara
• Ben Callaway
• Harry Dawn
• Lachlan Edwards
• Lachlan Field
• Finlay Gilfillan
• Lucas Golack
• Xavier Honan
• Flynn Hurley
• Hadi Jomaa
• Kalindu Karunaratne
• Benny Lawson
• Indie Mackay
• Cyrano Mangos
• Hayden Mules
• Will O'Brien
• Arjun Patil
• Bowie Polsen
• Iggie Wolnicki 
• Harrison Wright
  

Athletics

Last Friday, boys competed in the 100m, 200m and novelty events as part of the postponed Athletics Carnival from Term One. Results will be used to select a Junior School Athletics squad for the South Weston Region Athletics next Term. Results for field events from PE lessons will determine placings and squad selections.

The 800m finals for interested boys will be run this Friday from 12 noon on Lindwall Oval. Boys are asked to wear their PE Uniform with House coloured shirts. Parents are welcome to spectate and support.

Matt Giteau Cup

Boys from across Years 4-6 will travel to Queanbeyan on Thursday to compete in the Southside Matt Giteau Cup. This day is always highly anticipated by the boys and we wish them well. Thank you to Mr McMahon and Mr Henry for their organising and supervision on the day. Parent assistance with teams will be appreciated.

Touch at lunchtime

With a few wet days, the lunchtime Touch Competition continues. The top two teams in each year level will play off in a final in Week 9.

Ged Galvin
Junior School Sport

Students require a robust music education to optimally achieve their physical, emotional and cognitive potential as holistic learners who are sensitive to the needs of others.

Therefore, students at our College have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument through our Private Instrumental and Vocal lesson program.

People who study music:

• work hard together as a team to perfect their rehearsals and performances
• learn to become more comfortable with being openly expressive, and
• communicate across languages and cultures through shared practical experiences. 

Our aim is to encourage maximum participation in our community for children at all levels of ability, and to instil a culture of growth, attention to detail, focus and self-discipline.

Enrolments for students are now open for Semester Two.

Jarrod Schindler
Head of Performing Arts

Our talented Year 9 Drama class has been invited to take part in the annual ACTup Student Fringe Festival at the Canberra Theatre on Wednesday 1 June at 8.00pm.

The students have been exploring serious themes and expressing these through the medium of physical theatre. They have been working for many weeks with local practitioners to develop and refine their piece.

This is a great experience for them as they perform on a professional stage with full lighting, sound and front-of-house.

Tickets are on sale now and we hope to see you in the foyers beforehand!

Jarrod Schindler
Head of Performing Arts

The NCCD process requires schools to identify information already available in the school about supports provided to students with disability. These relate to legislative requirements under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and the Disability Standards for Education 2005, in line with the NCCD guidelines (2019).

Information provided about students to the Australian Government for the NCCD includes:

• year of schooling
• category of disability: physical, cognitive, sensory or social/emotional
• level of adjustment provided: support provided within quality differentiated teaching practice, supplementary, substantial or extensive.

This information assists schools to:

• formally recognise the supports and adjustments provided to students with disability in schools
• consider how they can strengthen the support of students with disability in schools
• develop shared practices so they can review their learning programs to improve educational outcomes for students with disability.

The NCCD provides state and federal governments with the information they need to plan more broadly for the support of students with disability.

The NCCD will have no direct impact on your child and your child will not be involved in any testing process. The College will provide data to the Australian Government in such a way that no individual student will be able to be identified. The privacy and confidentiality of all students is ensured. All information is protected by privacy laws that regulate the collection, storage, and disclosure of personal information. To find out more about these matters, please refer to the Australian Government’s Privacy Policy.

Further information about the NCCD can be found on the NCCD Portal.

If you have any questions about the NCCD, please contact the College.

Bronwyn Westcott
Enrichment and Learning Support

Applications are being accepted from current families who may be considering enrolling any sons not already at the College into Years 4 – 12.

A reminder that applications for Years 4, 5, 6 and 7 need to be received no later than this Friday, 27 May 2022 to be considered for enrolment starting in 2023.

Please note: the College will be contacting families in Term Two if a family interview is requested by the Headmaster. 

We encourage current families to let any friends who may be interested in enrolment know that they can apply online.

Important reminder for Year 6 and Year 10 families

A reminder that families with sons currently in Years 6 and 10 at the College do not need to re-enrol their son into Year 7 or Year 11.

Our expectation is that once a student is enrolled at the College, their enrolment will continue until the completion of their studies in Year 12.

The Village Centre at the National Arboretum was transformed into a Wild West wonderland. The three course menu was outstanding, the drinks were flowing, and the dancefloor was packed with guests dancing to the live entertainment provided by the Baker Boys.

It was a fantastic community event, and a huge thanks to all involved. 

Congratulations to all our lucky door and Gin Bar raffle prize winners! All prizes were donated, with huge thanks to everyone who contributed and to Mel Braid for sourcing the wonderful array of prizes on offer. Thanks also to Show Pony for supporting the delivery of this much-loved annual event. 

Meet the Team

By now, many of you will have had the pleasure of meeting the Uniform Shop staff. Michele, Mel, and Emma are really enjoying working here with us at the College. We are so grateful for their knowledge, collective years of school uniform shop experience, and the great customer service they provide during every interaction with our students and parents.

Online Ordering

If you can’t make it onsite to shop, please keep in mind that you can shop online at your convenience with both home delivery or click and collect available. A guide to setting up your online account is available here. The Alinta shop website is full of useful information and sizing guides, but the Shop staff are also available during opening hours to assist you over the phone as needed.

Transition to Alinta manufactured items

Since the beginning of the partnership with Alinta, the Uniform Shop has had a combination of new Alinta made products as well as existing stock of our previous supplier’s products. Alinta have worked very closely with the College’s Leadership Team to design or recreate products that best represent the College’s uniform. We are now seeing more of our academic and sports teamwear moving to being Alinta manufactured products.

While there are differences in manufacturing techniques, some of the newer items may appear or feel different to the previous supplier’s products. Both the College and Alinta are committed to ensuring the highest level of quality is supplied to the College community through the Uniform Shop. 

The New Blazer – Product in Focus

Our first shipment of Alinta-produced College Blazers recently arrived. Thank you to the many parents who have collected their back orders. If you are yet to collect yours, a friendly reminder to do so soon please.

Noting that a few parents have asked about the specifications of the new blazers, we thought a comparison snapshot with the previous blazer would be useful. The following is exactly the same across the new Alinta blazer and previous supplier:

• Wool blend (45% wool and 55% poly) 
• 260gsm in weight 
• Lining fabric (nylon)  

There is a difference in the interfacing applied to the fabric during manufacturing, with the previous blazer appearing thicker, however the composition and weight as noted above is identical.

Refunds and Returns

Despite Alinta’s extremely high manufacturing standards and in-house quality control, we acknowledge there will be occasions where a product or garment is sold to the College community that has a manufacturing fault and will need to be exchanged or replaced. We have recently experienced this with our grey school shorts where a line of pocket stitching was missed during manufacturing. Please be assured that the Uniform Shop has always, and will continue to offer, a full 12-month warranty on all our garments and products.

We welcome feedback from our community and thank you for your support as we continue our transition. Please do not hesitate to contact the Uniform Shop or the College directly if you would like any further information.

Ellen Acheson
Head of Risk and Operations