No. 1 10 February 2017

“A place at the table, a place for all” The ClarionSt Clare's College Waverley 41-51 Carrington Road, Waverley 2024 02 8305 7100 www.stclares.nsw.edu.au

Dear Parents, Carers, Students and Staff,

It is with a great deal of enthusiasm that the staff and I welcome you all back, I hope you and your families have had a relaxing, restful and rejuvenating holiday filled with enjoyment and valuable family time. I trust that the girls are all ready for another exciting academic year at St Clare’s, I want each girl to make 2017 her academic year – striving for excellence in all that she does and in who she is or aspires to be. She can do this by setting and reaching attainable goals, working harder and smarter to take her individual level of achievement to the next level of greatness and excellence.

As a staff, we are here to support all students, to ensure every student reaches her full academic potential. We look forward to working with all of you and I am sure each girl can look forward to encountering highly intensive and challenging academic rigour that will hopefully push her to work beyond her limits. I am confident that the girls all have the capacity and ability to meet these expectations and the demands of their new classes and teachers. We want them to become critical thinkers, active problem solvers, inquisitive readers, diligent researchers and prolific writers. This is to prepare them for the demands of the real world so ‘they can be all that they should be, to set the world on fire’.

From the Principal A Back to School Prayer

Loving God,Our creator, our saviour, our companion,Bless this journey of a new school year

as we return in 2017.

Refresh our soulsand renew our spirits

as we embrace the beautiful ministry you have called us to.

We welcome those who are new to this community

and ask that you strengthen themto share the wonderful gifts

you have given them.

Lord, make our hearts joyousas our students return to our College,

and may you guide them to arrive with open hearts and minds eager to learn. We ask this in Your name,

Amen.

St Clare and St Francis pray for us.

Our community stands for welcome and hospitality and so it is only fitting that I especially make welcome all the new members and families to our community - especially our new Year 7 students – the class of 2022. We also welcome a number of new students in other years – welcome to our vibrant St Clare’s community!

College Leadership Team

Leadership at St Clare’s is a team approach that is founded on collaboration and service. The College Leadership (CLT) for 2017 is as follows:

Principal Antoinette McGahan

Deputy Principal Kerrie McDiarmid

Director of Religious Education Sue Farrugia

Director of Learning & Teaching Christopher Maoudis

Director of Wellbeing Belinda Dixon

Administration Coordinator Michael Peck

Appointments from within the College

We congratulate the following staff on their appointment to the following positions for 2017:

Chris Maoudis Director of Learning & Teaching

Belinda Dixon Director of Wellbeing

Michael Peck Administration Coordinator

Andrew D’Archy House Dean Deakin

Monica Ribeiro Youth Ministry Coordinator

Lauren Batman Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander Support Teacher

Virginia Black Principal’s Executive Assistant

New Staff for 2017

I also take this opportunity to warmly welcome our new staff. It is always quite energising to have new people join our community as each will bring with them new ideas and a wealth of expertise and experience.

Michael Burden Leader of Information Literacy & Innovation

Lianna Gibson Learning Support Teacher

Christopher Pocock Head of Maths

Taryn Smith Head of TAS/VET

Jessica Ruan SCI/RE

Karen Crowe HSIE/LST/BST

Toni Rivers English/HSIE (Term 1 possibly longer)

Fr Bernie Thomas ofm

We welcome Fr Bernie Thomas ofm as the new Parish Priest of Mary Immaculate Waverley. We have already established a great relationship which I am certain will be filled with much joy and fulfilment for everyone in our community. We look forward to working with Fr Bernie.

Opening College Mass

Parents, carers and friends are warmly welcome to join us at our Opening College Mass to be held at Mary Immaculate Church, Waverley on Wednesday 15 February at 10.30am. The Mass will be celebrated by our new Parish Priest Fr Bernie Thomas ofm. There will be light refreshments at the College following the Mass.

Our theme for 2017, adapted from Pope Francis is “A place at the table, a place for all”. We believe that this theme fits in well with who we are as a Franciscan community. St Clare and St Francis sought to bring all to the table especially those who were the poorest of the poor – whether it was poor financially or spiritually. So as the year unfolds we will as a community unpack what this means and how we can be people of action.

Students in the Garden

HSC High Achievers’ Assembly

Last week we had the privilege of holding the HSC High Achievers Assembly for our students, HSC class of 2016. It is always exciting to celebrate the wonderful achievements of our students.

Overall of the 24 courses studied 71% of subjects were about State average. Eleanor Finch earned the highest ATAR in our College, 95.65 - an outstanding achievement - hence I am proud to formally declare that Eleanor is the Dux of the College for 2016. From our small cohort of 65 students, 4 girls were ranked at 90 or higher, Band 6s were achieved in 14 of the 24 courses. 20 of our students made the Distinguished Achievers List.

2016 HSC High Achievers Assembly

The College Dux Eleanor Finch

Last week I also had the privilege and honour of attending the Annual ArtExpress exhibition at the NSW Art Gallery to view the work of one of our students - Jasmine Loke-Jeffery. Imagine having your artwork hanging in the same building where the works of many other famous artists’ works hang like Khalo, Rembrandt, Picasso, Matisse - just to name a few. In essence, this is one of the most dynamic and popular exhibitions at the Gallery that features a selection of outstanding student artworks developed as part of the artmaking component of the HSC examination in Visual Arts.

ARTEXPRESS 2017 provides insight into students’ creativity and the issues important to them. From the 9330 students who studied Visual Arts last year, only 38 works are displayed from students across NSW. This is an outstanding achievement not only for our student - Jasmine, and also for our Visual Arts teachers and our College.

In short, these are great results. The key to the success of our students and our College experiences is from sheer hard work and collaboration – by teachers, by students and by parents.

Parents’ Association Meeting & AGM

The Parents’ Association Meeting & AGM is scheduled to take place on Tuesday 14 February, 2016 in the College Hall at 6 pm. This Association meets once per term. I would love to see as many parents as possible attend these meetings. These are great opportunities to learn about all the awesome things that are happening. All parents are welcome to come along.

Meeting Date Time Location

Parents' Association AGM

14 February 6.00-8.00PM San Damiano Hall

Parents' Association 9 May 6.00-7.30PM San Damiano Hall

Parents' Association 1 August 6.00-7.30PM San Damiano Hall

Parents' Association 24 October 6.00-7.30PM San Damiano Hall

Parents’ Welcome Cocktail Evening

You are warmly welcome to attend our 2017 Cocktail Evening to be held at the College on Friday 24 February from 6.30pm – 9.30pm. It will be a wonderful gathering and I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible. Please see attached invitation. RSVP for catering purposes to virginia.black@syd.catholic.edu.au

Principal’s Advisory Council

The purpose of the Principal’s Advisory Council is to give us feedback on various aspects of the College. It also allows us to inform the group on various College matters such as curriculum, facilities and finance. We meet once a term and the members are as follows - Principal, Deputy Principal, Sr Louise Hume, Parish Priest – Fr Bernie Thomas ofm, Regional Secondary Consultant – Mr Phil Gane, an ex- student – Ms Alex Rivett and 3 Parent Representatives – Christine Stanoevski, Ian Gilroy and Libby Watson.

Meeting Date Time Location

Principal's Advisory Council

22 March 6.00-7.30PM Canticle Room

Principal's Advisory Council

14 June 6.00-7.30PM Canticle Room

Principal's Advisory Council

6 September 6.00-7.30PM Canticle Room

Principal's Advisory Council

29 November 6.00-7.30PM Canticle Room

Our College Chapel - Our Lady of the Angels

Our College Chapel, Our Lady of the Angels, celebrates its Centenary this year. This milestone will be marked in a number of ways, beginning with an Ex-Students’ Mass on Sunday 5 March 2017 at 11am in the College Chapel. A luncheon will follow in the San Damiano Hall. Please see the attached flyer for further details.

Application for Exemption from Attendance at School

If your daughter is going to be absent (other than due to illness) for more than 10 days, either of the following forms should be downloaded from the College website and must be approved by the Principal. Absences less than 10 days should be advised in writing to your daughter's Homeroom Teacher - it is not necessary to complete one of these forms.

Form A-1: applies to those that apply for leave because of holidays which means they are not exempt (10 days or over).

Form A-2: applies to students who are applying for exemption based on exceptional circumstances, elite sports, entertainment industry.

We ask that parents are diligent in advising all absences by telephoning the Student Office on 8305 7112 before 8.30am and leaving a clear message with your daughter's name, homeroom and reason for absence.

Communication with the College and staff

School life is very busy and there are things that will assist in ensuring that communication is always clear, transparent and reasonable. Consequently, to ensure clarity around communication whether it is by phone or by email, families and students are reminded that teachers are not on call 24/7. Any communication with teachers should be done between 8.00am and 5.00pm. Communication outside these times is done at the generosity and discretion of the staff, and is not an expectation.

As such we ask you to be understanding and patient when contacting staff especially during school hours. When phoning individual staff or emailing, we ask that you are aware that a teacher’s first call of duty is teaching and attending to the students in their care. This may mean at times staff are teaching all day, assisting students or in meetings. Hence, there should be no expectation to receive an immediate response. Teachers will endeavour to respond to you between 8.00am and 5.00pm and within 1-3 days.

Skool Bag App

A reminder for our new parents and existing parents - St Clare’s is on Skoolbag. We have received many positive comments from those parents already using the Skoolbag app. So if you haven’t already installed it, we strongly recommend that you do. It’s a great way to remind you of upcoming events and to notify parents of last minute changes.

St Clare’s College

-------------------------------------------------------- St Clare’s College --------------------------------------------------------- ABN 82 780 246 140 41-51 Carrington Road Waverley NSW 2024 Tel: (02) 8305 7100 Fax: (02) 9389 3503 Po Box 145 Waverley NSW 2024 email admin@stclares.nsw.edu.au www.stclares.nsw.edu.au

I N V I T A T I O N

Mrs Antoinette McGahan, Principal

together with

St Clare's College Parents' & Friends' Association

Cordially invite Parents & Carers to our

Welcome Cocktail Party

St Clare's College 41 - 51 Carrington Road, Waverley

(entry via Convent Gate) 6.30pm to 9.00pm

Friday, 24 February 2017 Dress: Smart Casual

RSVP 17 February to virginia.black@syd.catholic.edu.au

Finger food will be served.

Refreshments will be available for purchase.

To install it, just search for our school name, St Clare's College Waverley, in either the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. For Windows users search for Skoolbag in the Windows Store and install the app and then find your school. Please note it must be a Windows 8.1 or 10 device. The app is entirely free and may be installed on your phone or tablet device. Please visit the SkoolBag Website for more information go to http://www.skoolbag.com.au/app/admin/ parentinstructions.pdf.

On a final note…

We have had a number of College events already which

has allowed us to reconnect with existing families and welcome our new families. I am truly looking forward to the many opportunities to work and engage with you during the year.

I would ask all parents and carers to actively seek ways to become involved in the education of their daughters and the life of the College.

Blessings on you and your families.

Antoinette McGahan

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Dear Parents, Carers, Students and Staff,

Welcome back to another exciting year at St Clare’s. There are a number of exciting initiatives that will be implemented in 2017 to further support and develop the whole person. An outline of these follows:

From the Deputy Principal

At St Clare’s wellbeing is understood as a sustainable state characterised by positive relationships at school, positive attitudes, resilience, being able to maximise strengths and high levels of satisfaction with learning experiences (e.g. Noble and Wyatt, 2008). Wellbeing is best promoted in a safe and supportive school:

In a safe and supportive school, the risk from all types of harm is minimised, diversity is valued and all members of the school community feel respected and included and can be confident that they will receive support in the face of any threats to their safety or wellbeing.

(National Safe Schools Framework (NSSF), p.2)

The research is clear that those students who feel a strong sense of belonging and connection at school are able to perform better academically (Michael Greg-Carr, 2010). However the social realities that face our young people are confronting and as a College community we want to ensure that we are providing them with the best possible environment in which they can flourish. The new Pastoral Care Program aims to develop in our students the 3 core principles of:

RESPECT RESILIENCE RESPONSIBILITY

This Program is delivered to students once a cycle and is facilitated by all staff members. It is in adopting this whole school approach and language for the development of our girls emotional literacy that we aim to ensure they are better equipped to navigate the challenges of study and their world.

Director Of Wellbeing

We are very pleased to announce that Mrs Belinda Dixon (formerly Dean of Deakin) has been appointed to the position of Director of Wellbeing. This position is a significant addition to the College Leadership Team and reflects our commitment to ensuring the wellbeing of students and staff are at the forefront of what we do at St Clare’s. Mrs Dixon will oversee our new Pastoral Program and will lead the Deans in continuing our focus on a strong pastoral and House system. We look forward to hearing from her in upcoming editions of the Clarion.

Naplan And The HSC: Changes 2017

There have been some changes introduced in relation to students eligibility for the attainment of a HSC. The following provides an overview of these new requirements:

Students will be required to reach a minimum literacy and numeracy standard before they are eligible for the award of the Higher School Certificate (HSC). The minimum standard is set at a functional level of literacy and numeracy required for everyday life. The standard is not representative of the skills required for academic study but at the minimum level students will

need to function after they leave school. Students can meet the standard by achieving:

• a Band 8 in each of their Year 9 NAPLAN reading, writing and numeracy tests; or

• a pass in the online literacy and numeracy tests in Years 10, 11 or 12.

While this is a NSW State Government initiative the College already has in place a whole school approach to Literacy and Numeracy development for our students. Data is analysed regularly and students who may be experiencing difficulty are targeted for intervention. In 2017 the following new initiatives will be implemented:

Further information in relation to these changes can be found at the following link:

https://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/policy-research/pdf_doc/stronger-hsc-std-current-state-future-state.pdf

Senior Studies

An exciting new initiative that is unique to our College is the introduction of the Senior Studies course for 2017. This is a St Clare’s developed program that aims to provide our senior students with the skills and knowledge that will equip them for success in the senior years. It is a compulsory lesson that runs for 3 periods a cycle.

The course develops skills in:

• goal setting and drawing upon strengths

• the development of a positive mindset

• coping with stress

• understanding learning styles

• the development of academic language and writing skills

• study skills and study habits

• thinking skills

• note taking

We are very hopeful that the provision of the time and space to enhance these skills will ensure that students are able to build a better sense of self-efficacy and have the knowledge and confidence to achieve their personal best.

Thank you for your support and co-operation.

Kerrie McDiarmid

Dear Parents, Carers, Students and Staff,

Year 7 Belonging Day

Year 7 were welcomed to the Catholic life of St Clare’s at their ‘Belonging Day’ on 2 February as part of their orientation program in their first week at the College. The aim of the day was to introduce Year 7 to the charism of St Clare’s and its Catholic life so that they could join in with the Catholic practices here at St Clare’s as soon as possible.

During the day they shared story time with Sr Louise Hume to learn more about the life of St Clare, St Francis and the history of the Poor Clare Sisters here in Waverley as Sr Louise took them on a tour of the significant photographs, signs and symbols of the College’s charism around the school.

The celebration of the Eucharist (Mass) with Fr Bernie Thomas ofm, the new Parish Priest of Mary Immaculate Church Waverley, was the highlight of the day as Year 7, along with Mrs McGahan, Mr Johnson (IT Support Officer), Ms Galettis, Ms Sonego and Mrs Oliveira (RE teachers) came together as ‘One Body of Christ’ around the altar during the afternoon.

Year 9 Belonging Day 2016

At the recent Year 9 Reflection Day (December 2016), held in the Parish hall at Mary Immaculate Church, Chris Hopkins (facilitator) inspired us to look at our relationship with God and others through games, challenges , stories, and prayer.

It was a most enjoyable day with times for fun, team-work and personal reflection as Year 9 had a chance to think about what is important in their relationships with God and others.

Photographs over the page.

Susan Farrugia

From the Religious Education Coordinator

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Dear Parents, Carers and Students of the St Clare’s Community.

Welcome back for the 2017 academic year.

On Friday 3 February, the College community gathered in the San Damiano Hall for one of the most important assemblies of the year - The Academic HSC High Achievers Assembly. These academic awards set a

From the Director of Learning and Teaching

2016 College Dux SpeechGood morning Mrs McGahan, teachers, family, students and of course the high achievers of 2016.

It is an absolute privilege to be representing such an intelligent and articulate group of young women and after watching numerous duxes such as Tiernay and Michaela I never expected to be here myself. To be honest it feels strange not being hidden behind the piano! I guess I realise what Ellie and Bella felt in their HSC performances. So in saying that, I’ll keep this quick and cheerful so each and every one of you can get some message out of it.

It goes without saying that I am extremely thankful to the numerous teachers of St Clare’s who guided not only myself, but the rest of our year to the HSC. I could not have survived the HSC without the commitment you showed and the care you took to ensure we could chase our educational dreams. Secondly, to my parents I really did appreciate your relaxed and easy going attitude last year, not feeling any pressure from you really did make all the difference. Speaking of family, Deakin 3, thanks for maintaining my sanity especially with Mr D’archy’s happy fridays and colouring in.

Ok, moving into the business end. My first draft of this ended up around 10 minutes long, so here are my top… essential points which helped me during the HSC and therefore you hopefully.

To the current Year 12s. There is no way to sugarcoat this, the HSC is massive and to be frank pretty scary. You can conquer this if you become a turtle. I know this sounds strange but stick with me, for your HSC, slow and steady really does win the race. Start writing your notes and revising them as soon as you can, work through them and edit when necessary.

Please don’t leave it until a week or even a month before any exams, especially your trials, to sort out notes, by then it's too late, you should be doing example questions.

In this way, I need to point out that practice papers should become your best friends. By the time I got to the HSC I must have done at least 30 papers for each subject. Use them as a guide for the sort of questions you might be up against. Also, figure out topics you don’t understand completely and focus on them. Do 100s of binomial problems if that's what it takes. Oh and if any of you do chemistry, do as many 7 markers as you can, as both as a present to yourself and of course Ms Murphy.

Thirdly, clarify everything. I could not have made it without badgering my teachers until every last detail about every topic made sense. Ask everything and anything you need to. Ms Galettis will always find an example to prove what polyrhythms are and Mrs Grey-Weale will be happy to explain the inner workings of Weldon’s houses of imagination over and over again as she needed to for me. Although I am really sorry Miss, I never actually finished reading Pride and Prejudice.

Leaving the most important to last, don’t forget to balance your life. I can’t lie and say that you won’t have to make sacrifices, but for me, studying hard while also maintaining sport and musical commitments and making time for friends really made the difference. Try and drag yourself away from that pile of notes and books, mine was 73 cm high when I measured, and have some fun. It’s your last year of high school, so make it worthwhile, the HSC doesn’t mean a stop to your life.

Some things to take into consideration for the other years. Work out the study method which works for you and stick to

it, whether you read, listen or watch HSC hub videos there's always something that will help you reach your goals. For me that meant that by the time of the HSC I had read over 500 essays and sets of notes about Trotsky, Vietnam or Austen. Using other resources apart from your teachers notes means that you have an edge because you will sound unique and ultimately that is what you want. In saying that, unique does not mean adding in as many thesaurus similes as you can, please, also when you are in Year 7s and 8, but the HSC especially, keep your essays simple to understand! You can get better marks if your teachers aren’t having to research what random words mean.

Finally, do what you love and have a dream. Be creative if that’s your passion. Choosing subjects you love rather than those you are told to will ultimately make you want to strive to reach your potential. I know music helped me massively because its study consisted of sitting at the piano playing Debussy or Satie, a pretty perfect way to de-stress and get ready to sit for an hour trying to do an Extension 1 Maths problem Ms Oliveira set.

Finally, to my fellow 2016 peeps. Go out into that world and just be amazing. To quote a famous headmaster, Dumbledore, "It matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be." and look at what we have grown into. Academically excellent, mature and world-ready young women. We came into St Clare’s as timid little Year 7s with dresses down past our knees and homework up past our ears and look at where we are, high achievers who should be extremely proud of each of your fabulous results set for uni, vocations, travel and ultimately to just carpe diem. So to sum up with one of the most liveable quotes from Doctor Who "We’re all stories, in the end… just make it a good one, eh?”. Thank you.

Eleanor Finch, DUX

benchmark for the students at the College for their academic endeavours for this year. It was wonderful to see many of the Class of 2016 return to their alma mater to be acknowledged in such a significant way.

Eleanor Finch with an ATAR of 95.65 was announced as the 2016 College Dux. A truly outstanding effort. Special thank you to Eleanor who spoke on behalf of the 2016 HSC students. Her speech reinforced the need for independent study, listening to teachers and receiving quality feedback to ensure academic success. I wish Eleanor and all of the 2016 cohort all the best with their future endeavours. Eleanor’s speech was truly memorable and has been reproduced as follows:

St Clare’s College Waverley - Year 12 Distinguished Achievers 2016

STUDENT BAND 6 PERFORMANCEBooth, Ariel Aboriginal Studies

Personal Development, Health and Physical Education

Causer, Sophie Ancient HistoryEnglish (Advanced)English Extension 1Society and CultureStudies of Religion I

Diblasi, Sarah Visual ArtsFinch, Eleanor English (Advanced)

MathematicsMusic 1

Goddard, Belinda Personal Development, Health and Physical Education

Harding, Amy English (Standard)Harding, Lily Food TechnologyJevtic, Shania Visual ArtsKerameas, Emily English Extension 1

Studies of Religion IKranz, Charlotte Business StudiesLoke-Jeffery, Jasmin Visual ArtsMaragoudakis, Maree English (Standard)Melnykova, Olena Visual ArtsNaylor, Ellie English (Standard)

Music 1Roper, Jemma Food Technology

Mathematics General 2Siddiqui, Jemima English (Advanced)

MathematicsStudies of Religion I

Swinburn, Emily Mathematics General 2Travers, Anna Society and CultureVan Dam, Madeleine English (Standard)

Visual ArtsWilliams, Hannah-Georgia Studies of Religion I

Curriculum Evenings

It has been so pleasing to see many parents joining us at the Curriculum Evenings that have been held early this year. During these meetings we have been able to explain the assessment program and reinforce the key tenets for academic excellence. I have been reinforcing to students as well as our broader parental community the importance of attendance and feedback. Educational research overwhelmingly supports that academic excellence is derived from high patterns of attendance at school and from students receiving continual feedback on both their formative and summative tasks. We encourage parents to

work in partnership with the College to ensure your daughter achieves her academic potential.

The assessment schedules for 2017 were distributed to parents and students on the Curriculum Evenings. These will be posted on the College website very soon.

I look forward to working with both staff, students and parents throughout 2017.

Best wishes and prayers.

Chris Maoudis

Dear Parents, Carers, Students and Staff,

The start of a new school year brings many hopes, dreams and plans for students to achieve their personal best with many making New Year’s resolutions. A survey of 1000 Australians found 69 per cent of us intend to make at least one New Year's resolution with less than a quarter achieving our goals. If you are struggling to keep your New Year’s resolutions or do not know where to start, our good friend Pope Francis, has a list to help:

From the Youth Ministry Coordinator

God bless you and your families.

Monica Ribeiro

Technology at SCC

It has been a whirlwind start to 2017 for the Year 7 students at the College. For the majority of Orientation Week the girls were immersed in a myriad of technologies as they navigated their way through a week of activities. Each activity was designed to help them become comfortable with their new Macs as well as the Cloudshare platform that is used across the Sydney Catholic Schools network.

The transition to a ‘one child, one device’ model can be quite challenging for many students and parents. To help overcome these challenges we will be continually working with the Year 7 students to build their skill level, ensuring they are able to get the most out of their device. We will also provide information to parents to assist you in dealing with the challenges this model of learning can present.

For the remainder of the College it has been about ensuring all students have access to the correct online texts as well as having active CEnet accounts. CEnet accounts enable students to access Cloudshare which uses Google apps as the foundation for sharing across the Sydney Catholic Schools (SCS) network. All students should now have full access to their Jacaranda texts through the JacPlus portal. Should there be any issues with textbooks please email me directly.

We currently have a number of students waiting for SCS to reset passwords which is quite frustrating for both students and staff. SCS control all student accounts and as such any problems can only be resolved through them. Hopefully they will be able to clear the backlog of requests this week.

A handful of students have had issues with their Mac and these have been attended to by staff in the Library. Our ISO, Mr Ben Johnson and our Librarian, Mrs Lucy Kassiou have both been terrific in helping students get back online. Mr

From the Leader of Innovation and Information Literacy

Johnson has spent many hours getting the replacement devices ready for student use. The College provides iPads to students who have a minor issue with their device, while a limited number of laptops are available if a student’s device is in for repair. The loan time for these devices is a maximum of two weeks due to the demand on this service.

We have recently implemented a new process for students to follow when they need a replacement and this has been communicated to them via the Student Portal. This process will be streamlined in the weeks ahead.

This week SCS opened their Adobe Portal for schools to staff and student access to Adobe’s Creative Cloud Suite. This facility has been set up to support the BYODD program across the SCS network. This will allow students undertaking subjects requiring this type of digital media access to some great resources. The College has requested access for those students who undertake subjects involving high end multimedia. More information about this initiative will follow in future newsletters.

The process for reimagining the Library space has begun and we will share some of the thoughts and ideas we have in the next few newsletters. This is an exciting time for the College as we look to transform the space into something quite amazing.

Finally, we are looking to increase the profile of the College through social media. Over the coming weeks you will see the College start to emerge on some of the more popular platforms. By communicating through these platforms we hope to be able to showcase the great learning experiences provided to the students at St Clare’s.

Michael Burden

Important Dates 2017

Tuesday 14 February Parents' Association Meeting and AGM 6pm

Wednesday 15 February Opening College Mass 10.30am

Friday 17 February College Photo Day (full summer uniform)

Monday 20 February Years 8 & 9 Ballroom Dancing Lessons

Tuesday 21 February Years 8 & 9 Ballroom Dancing Lessons

Wednesday 22 February Years 8 & 9 Ballroom Dancing Lessons

Friday 24 February Parents' Welcome Cocktail Party 6.30pm

Important Dates

Photograph DayFriday 17 February

School photographs are scheduled to be taken by AdvancedLife Photography on Friday 17 February (Week 3). Students are required to wear full school uniform for their photographs (blazers not required).

Photograph Order Envelopes and flyers are being distributed via homeroom, but if possible, it is our preference that you order any photos that you wish to purchase from the AdvancedLife Photography website to reduce administration and potential security issues related to the return of cash and envelopes on photo day.

Orders for packages and sibling photographs can be placed securely online at www.advancedlife.com.au using our school’s unique 9 digit Online Order Code (A8C T2X E6H) which can also be found on the photograph order envelopes. Portrait and group package orders are due by photograph day.

Should you wish to purchase a sibling photograph online, the order must be placed no later than the day before photograph day. Sibling photographs will only be taken if an order has been placed. Should you have any queries concerning school photographs or online ordering, please direct them via email to enquiries@advancedlife.com.au.

Michael Pack

Administration Coordinator

From the Uniform Shop

Opening hours Term 1 2017:

Tuesdays - 8.00am-10.00am

Thursdays - 2.00pm-4.00pm

2nd Hand Uniforms For Sale:

Blazer Size 10 $120, Reid Sports Polo Size Medium $25, Netball Dress Size14 $50. Only used for 1 term NEAR NEW. Contact Mara McDonald 0411 441 104

3x Summer Tunic Size 4 and 1x Size 8 $55.00 each, Winter Tunic Size 4 $70.00. Contact Anne 0416 147 002

Cultural Diversity atSt Clare's

We have many students from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds at St Clare's College. Some of the languages spoken by our students at home include: Thai, Italian, Tagalog, Indonesian, Russian, Mandarin, Aboriginal languages, Croatian, French, Urdu, Spanish, Cantonese, Arabic and Gujarati. There are so many languages that they cannot all be listed!

Our students' wide variety of experiences enrich the life of the College and help foster learning for all students. In my role as the EAL/D (English as an Additional Language or Dialect) Teacher, I help support students as they develop their literacy and English language skills across all subjects.

Assistance in reading, writing, vocabulary, grammar and academic literacies is available. Parents and students are welcome to contact the college or email me directly to access this additional support: melanie.davies@syd.catholic.edu.au

Melanie Davies

EAL/D & Literacy Support Teacher

From the Music Department

Learn An Instrument

If your daughter is interested in learning an instrument, we offer lessons in voice; piano; oboe; flute; guitar; cello and drums. The lessons are half an hour in length, in or out of school hours upon preference, $40 for half an hour and timetabled on a rotational basis.

If you are interested, please obtain a copy of the Private Music Tuition Brochure for 2017 either from the front office; from one of the music teachers or from the school website. This brochure includes a permission note which must be returned to Ms Galettis, preferably before the start of a new term.

Join A Music Ensemble

All girls are encouraged to participate in one or more of our

music ensembles. Four new ensembles were added to the college in 2016: Piano Trio; String ensemble; A Capella group and Stage 5 Rock Band.

For all Music elective students, it is compulsory to be a member of at least one ensemble at St Clare’s. All ensembles are free of charge and rehearse on a weekly basis. Please note that some of our rehearsals take place in the PAC (Performing Arts Centre) at Waverley College, while others take place in our music room (A15).

Any student who is interested please see one of the music teachers.

Helene Galettis

CAPA Teacher