College Theme for 2019 “Growing Young in Christ”

Prayer Dear God, I am awe-struck as your glory fills the earth and I want to follow you in caring for others. Grant me the grace to see how you shine your light on the world. Amen

College Vision Thomas Carr College is a dynamic Catholic learning community, guided by the Gospel.

Excellence and opportunities to develop are pursued.

Through our hope and service to others we shine our light into the world.

Volume 23 Issue 15: October 11 2019

From the Principal Mr Holmes

“They Will Shine” Welcome to the Advent Term, one that is blessed by spring and the final celebration of the Birth of Christ at Christmas. The Advent journey is an important time to make time to reflect on the year that has been, and the very busy time we find ourselves in at the conclusion of the academic year. We keep our Year 12 students in our thoughts and prayers as they prepare for the conclusion of their VCE studies and the VCAL students who are now transitioning into employment or further training. An important discussion paper titled Beyond ATAR: A Proposal For Change, was published recently. The paper is an Australian Learning Lecture Position Paper on transforming the transition from school to higher education, life and work. It was written in September 2019, by Megan O’Connell, Sandra Milligan and Tom Bentley. It starts by raising the following points: Supporting All Young People to Thrive

Australia is in a transition. An era of universal tertiary education is emerging, whereby young people will need to engage in post-school education and learn and relearn throughout their lives. Our education system must be re-configured to support this.

We need to help young people develop human skills capabilities including creativity and interpersonal skills- so that they are prepared for a lifetime of learning, adaptation and the future economy.

We need to optimise the talent of all our young people. Each young person needs to be supported to develop their unique skills and talents, and to pursue pathways in which they can personally excel. We have a world class education system in many respects – with over half of our 25-34-year-olds holding a tertiary education we rank amongst the OECD’s highest. Many young people are employed or in education compared to our OECD counterparts, however Australia still has nearly twelve percent of its young people who are not engaged in employment or education. We have an opportunity to lift outcomes for all young people.

Young people who have developed and can explicitly demonstrate skills such as communication and problem solving, and who have significant workplace experience, make the transition to work quicker than others.

As we review and prepare a new curriculum with new opportunities for our students,

we are ever mindful that we must prepare our students for this important transition

beyond secondary school.

Coming Events

October 11: Year 10 Reflection Day October 11: Westport House Celebration Day October 11: St Francis Liturgy and Feast Day Mass October 11: Fashion Awards Australia October 17: A Night to Shine; Fr Tobin Gymnasium 7.00pm October 18: St James Parish Mass October 18: Year 12 luncheon October 19: St James Parish Fete October 21: Whole school assembly to farewell Year 12s October 21: Year 12 Graduation Rehearsal October 21: Year 12 Student and Staff Breakfast October 21: Graduation Mass; St Mary Star of the Sea 7.00pm October 23: Year 7 Immunisations (Round 2) October 25: World Teachers Day

With the introduction of VCE Industry and Enterprise as a subject that all Year 10 students will undertake, along with their work experience, we are preparing them for this important journey. We are conscious of developing the ‘team building’, problem solving and communication skills that will be a necessary capability for Thomas Carr students to have to equip them for their future.

From the Deputy Principal Ms Angelico Advent Term Welcome back to the final Term for 2019. There is much to look forward to this Term with the many celebrations of success at Thomas Carr College. Next Thursday, we will hold the annual A Night to Shine awards evening. The highlight in week three will be farewelling our Year 12 Class of 2019 at the College Assembly, the Year 12 Breakfast and the Graduation Mass at St Mary Star of the Sea, West Melbourne.

This is the Term where maximum effort is required. In the coming weeks, determination, persistence, resilience and hard work will ensure that each student can perform to the best of his/her ability in the final assessments and examinations. I trust that all enjoyed the holiday break and that the Year 11 and Year 12 students took advantage of the time to revise and undertake practice examinations. VCE students should be completing at least 8 practice exams, per subject, as a key part of their revision regime.

University of Melbourne Principals’ Scholarship 2020 Congratulations to Christopher Moran of Year 12 who has been awarded the University of Melbourne - 2020 Melbourne Principals' Scholarship. The scholarship is awarded to Chris in recognition of his academic achievements and contribution to Thomas Carr College and the wider community. Chris will be presented his award at the whole school assembly on the Monday October 21. A Night to Shine – Thursday October 17 at 7.00pm in the Fr Tobin Gymnasium Next Thursday night we celebrate our students for their academic achievements during 2019. This year, A Night to Shine will be held at the College in the gymnasium. All recipients of awards will have received an invitation by now. We look forward to a wonderful evening and to hearing from a past student from the class of 2007, Matthew King, who is about to complete his PhD at LaTrobe University in Physiotherapy and Biomechanics.

Thomas Carr Community Open Day – Sunday October 27 At our annual Thomas Carr College Open Day, we look forward to showcasing the many wonderful opportunities on offer to our students and staff at the College. We will be holding the Annual Arts Exhibition and the renowned TCC Fashion Parade which will take place at 3.00pm in the Performing Arts Centre.

Summer Uniform All students are expected to have the correct College Summer uniform or the Advent Term. Students who are wearing incorrect uniform or items that are not part of the summer or sports uniform will be required to go home and change.

Parents are reminded that students not permitted for students to wear “skins”, leggings or tracksuit pants that are not part of the College sports uniform. As ACS has concluded for Year 11 and 12 students, no students in these year levels should be wearing sports uniform.

We appreciate your support in ensuring that hair longer than shoulder length is tied up, completely off the face and that the length of the girls’ dresses reaches the top of the knee. The College blazer is to be kept in good condition and worn as the outer garment to and from school. Nail polish, eye makeup and excess jewellery are not part of the uniform. Boys are expected to be clean shaven at all times.

Cyberhound and Clearview Welfare Reports As mentioned in the last edition of The Beacon, the College has invested in Cyberhound. This solution monitors all traffic on all devices that are connected to the College network. The Cyberhound ClearView platform acts as a catalyst to enable

enhanced protection for students. ClearView technology provides detection of behavioural risks across the College Network including bullying, self-harm and radicalisation. The Actionable Intelligence provided by Cyberhound gives schools the ability to see risks for students before they escalate. The ClearView Welfare reports will be automatically generated on a weekly basis so that any areas of concern can be captured and responded to as soon as possible.

From the Director of Operations Mr Jilbert Upcoming Events

Date Time/ Periods

Year Event Location Staff

Oct 11 All Day Yr 11 Geography Geography Excursion Southbank NLE, JSE

Oct 11 Lunch Westport Students Westport Day CFE

Oct 11 All Day All Year 10s Yr 10 Reflection Day FT GYM MUD, SDA, KKI, CPI, JPA, LMI, JBA, MMI

Oct 11 9am-11pm Selected Students Fashion Awards Australia Hoppers Cross JGR, ETA, ASP

Oct 22 2pm – 9pm TCC Choir Graduation Mass St Mary StarSea MMO, GWE

Oct 23 All Day Yr 11 Textiles Bendigo Art Gallery Tour Bendigo JGR, LKO

Oct 29 P3&4 Yr 10 Commerce Victoria Police Presentation C1 CHA, EMC

Nov 8 All Day All Year 7s Water Safety Day Altona JLE + more

Nov 13 1:30-2:30 All Year 7s Parent Concert Yr 7 Band FM PAC MMO & P5 staff

*Incursions are in italics

From the Head of Middle School Mrs Sheridan School holidays are always a wonderful opportunity to recharge. The break between Term 3 and Term 4 is also a great time to prepare. The Advent Term will see our Middle School students fully engaged in the performing arts, sport, academic pursuits, debating, finishing up products they have been developing, careers and pathways sessions and even in water safety. We will finish the Term with the Headstart Program, where we look towards the next stage of our learning. With so much ahead of us, it is important that we stop and appreciate the here and now. On Tuesday our Middle School students returned to the College for the Advent Term. After the two week break the students came back with a positive attitude and the mindset to do their best. This is what we – the parents, teachers and students – classify as a “good day”. Any time we can say we have given our all to achieve our best, brings us satisfaction and pride. Every day at school brings a renewal of this opportunity. Even when we did not achieve this goal, there is another choice and another chance to achieve this tomorrow. As Tina Fey said “there are no mistakes, only opportunities”. Middle School is a space for growth and development, to constantly strive and learn. The Term ahead looks full and the opportunities ahead are waiting. Year 9 City Experience Year 9 City Experience allows students to study the cultural, historical and sporting aspects of the City of Melbourne. The program recognises students’ increasing independence and requires them to develop their own transport plans in order to complete the set activities for each day. A City Experience ‘passport’ has questions, facts, maps and information on key locations that they will visit individually, with their small group and as a class. Click here for information on dates

Year 9 Country Experience 9 Red undertook a number of “firsts” at the Good Samaritan Campus. They piloted the new leadership group initiative whereby two students on rotation lead various tasks at the Campus. 9 Red also presented the first set of final Friday lessons to the students of our neighboring St Brendan’s Primary School. Five teams presented 15 minute self-chosen lessons to groups of 10 primary students. The activities were Zumba, origami, make a chatterbox, the rock/scissors/paper game and “the Cup” song. The 17 students of 9 Red discovered the importance of keeping learners engaged, and also that a solid plan enables the instructor to adjust the activity to the needs of the learners. Finally, 9 Red were the first group to celebrate their end of program Mass with Fr Michael. 9 Red are a great group of students and should be very proud of their performance at the Good Samaritan Campus.

The iD9 curriculum aims to develop students who are independent, confident and inquisitive about their world, work co-operatively, are socially aware and connected to others. The Country Experience aims to provide all students with an exciting and challenging program in an environment that is safe, caring, structured and engaging. The emphasis throughout the three-week experience at our Good Samaritan Campus, is on learning through doing. Activities and project work are based around the local Coragulac and Otway’s environments of lake, coast and forest. Complementing experiential learning in each of these environments will be a further focus on community living centered on day-to-day life at the Campus. Click here for information on dates

From the Head of Senior School Margaret Knurek Term 4 is a relatively short term for Senior School students. All students should now be focusing on their academic studies and on a regular study program at home that includes revision and set homework. Parents can support study at home by discussing effective habits which include:

Punctuality to class and to morning Homeroom

Regular revision of work in class

Having a quiet work area free from interruption

Setting goals (short term, medium term and long term)

Organisation of time

If there are large amounts of work to learn, break it up into chunks of information and use highlighters for each section to help them stand out

Completion of set work by the due date

Organisation of materials, books, equipment and uniform the night before

Leadership The College continues to provide opportunities for students to develop leadership skills and to participate in leadership activities. This remains a focus with our Year 11 students as they undergo the selection process for House Captains and Vice Captains in 2020. The process involves completing an application form and undergoing an interview with the respective House Leaders and Senior Staff members. Contribution to the various Co-curricular and House activities offered by the College is also taken into account. Self-discipline, the ability to work effectively in teams and to contribute to the wider College Community are skills that will assist students throughout their life journey. Other Leadership opportunities this term include Music Captains, Peer Support Leaders and College Ambassadors. Year 12 Scholarships for Melbourne University and Newman College Newman College has several Scholarships and bursaries available to enable students from Catholic Schools to study at Melbourne University and to be resident at Newman College. These range from $2000 to $10, 000 and are awarded annually on the basis of financial need. There is also a separate scholarship of $4000 to $10,000 available for the Dux of a Catholic school studying at Melbourne University and Newman College which is awarded annually. Please contact Newman College for further information. Year 12 students Year 12 students will be involved in a number of formal and informal celebratory activities in October and November. Please note that Friday October 18 will be the last day for Year 12 VCE classes. On Monday October 21 there will be a final school assembly to farewell the Year 12 students. Dismissal on this day is approximately 11.00am. On Tuesday October 22 we will host the Year 12 staff and student BBQ Breakfast from 8.00am - 10.15am. Students are not permitted to enter the College grounds prior to 8.00am and are not to remain on the College grounds beyond this time. After the conclusion of formal classes, we understand students will need to meet with teachers. Due to OH&S standards, it is important that all students sign in at the Front Administration Office to advise that they will be on the College grounds for a period of time. This will not apply when students are attending their scheduled examinations. Graduation Mass on Tuesday October 22 On Tuesday October 22 7.00pm, we will celebrate with the Graduation of our Year 12 students with a Mass at St Mary Star of the Sea Church, 33 Howard Street, West Melbourne. Students are expected to arrive by 6.20pm to collect their graduation gowns. Students are expected to wear their full winter uniform complete with the College tie and blazer. Boys are expected to be clean shaven and all students are expected to be well groomed and following the College expectations. Students will be sent home if not dressed and groomed appropriately for this occasion. Students who do not attend the Graduation Mass will not be permitted to attend the Graduation Dinner. Year 11 Unit 3&4 Students studying a Unit 3&4 subject this year have received their timetable specifying the date and time of their Unit 3&4 VCAA Examination. Please be advised that they will not be required to attend classes on the day of the exam and they will also receive the day before the exam off to aid with preparation.

From the Director of International Programs Mr Bridges New School Year Commences for VCE Students in China September marks the beginning of the new school year in China for the 250 students enrolled in our VCE in China program. This is also the time when we welcome the new intake of students and it was my pleasure to attend an Enrolment Ceremony at each offshore school to officially welcome and meet with students and staff.

The VCE is an internationally recognised high school curriculum that opens up a world of opportunities for students in China to follow their dreams.

In an increasingly global world where national borders are less relevant, the connections students between countries can make through this program provides a platform for students to learn from each other as they study, travel and one day possibly work with each other.

We wish our students in China every success as they commence the new school year and continue their VCE studies and in particular, those in Year 12 preparing for their final VCAA examinations.

From the Health Centre Mrs King National Allergy Strategy Camp for Teens with Severe Food Allergy in Victoria The National Allergy Strategy (NAS) has received some funding to engage with teens and young adults living with severe allergy and we are excited to have the opportunity to invite you to the NAS 250K Youth Camp. The camp will be held from 22-24 November, 2019 at Merricks Lodge, Mornington VIC. Campers would need make their own way to Merricks Lodge on Friday afternoon (4.00pm) and then be collected from the Lodge on Sunday afternoon (2.00pm). There is no cost to participate in the camp as we have been fortunate to receive a subsidy. If your child is aged 11-15 and has a severe food allergy, they are invited to participate in the camp. A number of National Allergy Strategy/Allergy and Anaphylaxis Australia staff will be attending the camp along with allergists, allergy nurses, dietitians experienced in complex food allergy and the CEO of Australian Camps Association, who will be joining in with the activities. If you would like to participate, please let email barbara.king@thomascarr.vic.edu.edu by Monday 14th October 2019 as places are limited. Year 7 Immunisations – Wednesday October 23

All Year 7 students will receive their second and final immunisations for 2019 on Wednesday October 23. All immunisation consent cards were returned and processed in February, so no action is required by parents/guardians.

Immunisation is a simple, safe and highly effective way of protecting children and adults from harmful diseases before they come into contact with them. It is estimated that vaccinations currently save up to three million lives worldwide each year. Immunisation uses the body’s natural defence mechanism – the immune response – to build resistance to specific viral infections. When a person is vaccinated, their body produces an immune response in the same way their body would after exposure to a disease, but without the person suffering symptoms of the disease. When a person comes in contact with that disease in the future, their immune system will respond fast enough to prevent the person developing the disease. Immunisation protects more than just one child’s health. Vaccinating a child will reduce the opportunity for that child to pass that disease on to another – especially young babies who cannot yet been fully immunised. When levels of immunisation in a community are sufficiently high, the risk of specific diseases can fall so low that even those who are too young or too sick to be given a vaccine will not be exposed to it. This communal or ‘herd immunity’ can save countless lives. For further information please refer to the following website: http://immunehero.health.vic.gov.au/

From the Director of the Middle School Production Mr Pomasan This year, Thomas Carr College is putting on a Middle School Production of Walt Disney’s Aristocats. The shows will include a matinee on Wednesday October 30,

followed by two evening shows on Thursday October 31 and Friday November 1. After an overwhelming response to auditions, a cast of 22 students has been selected and rehearsals are well underway. A big thank you to all staff that have volunteered to help. In particular, Mr Stephen Broome and Ms Louie Curtis who have already made amazing progress with the creation of set and props, as well as Mr Kieran Kiely who has assisted with some weekend rehearsals. The students are both capable and hardworking which should make for an enjoyable show. Please support them by coming to see the show. Tickets will be available from Try Booking at the cost of $5.

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