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No. 18 Term 4 Week 8

A Message f rom the Pr inc ipa l

Dear Parents, Staff and Students Over recent weeks our students have worked together to raise $3000 for the Catholic Care Bushfire Appeal, nearly $2000 for the Marist Sisters in the Philippines, as a response to Typhoon Haiyan and $1000 for the Merrylands chapter of the St Vincent de Paul for the Vinnies Christmas Appeal. The combined efforts of staff, students and our parent community in responding to those in need is central to our mission as a Catholic school in the Marist tradition. I would like to congratulate all our students who have worked co-operatively to respond to those in need. Your response highlights our mission as Marists to make a difference in our world. On Monday, Cerdon College welcomed 20 Marist Sisters from Australia, Gambia, Senegal, Philippines, Fiji, Papua and New Guinea, Venezuela, Mexico and Brazil as the visited Marist Sisters schools. Our students had the opportunity to utilise their linguistic skills, socialise and give our visitors a tour of the school. It was an important opportunity to meet Marists from around the world.

I remind parents of dates for 2013. Year 7, 8, 9 and 11 students finish classes on Wednesday 18th December 2013. Classes for Year 7 begin on Wednesday 29th January 2014. Classes for Year 8 to 12 begin on Thursday 30th January 2014. Thursday 30th January is the College Swimming Carnival so complete sports uniform is to be worn by students from Years 7 to 10. As a school community we pray:

Lord, when I am hungry - lead me to feed others. When I am thirsty - give me water to satisfy others’ thirst.

When I am sad - lead me to bring joy to others. When burdens weigh upon me - lay upon my shoulders

the burdens of other people. Lord, when I am greatly in need of tenderness and support -

lead me to help someone in greater need. Amen

Friday 29 November 2013

CERDON COLLEGE

newsletter

God Bless Mrs Patricia BakerMrs Patricia BakerMrs Patricia BakerMrs Patricia Baker PrincipalPrincipalPrincipalPrincipal

P A G E 2

Enrichment @ Cerdon The Year 7 Knowledge Challenge There was lots of excitement in the library a few weeks ago with Year 7 participating in their first Knowledge Challenge. The competition comprised questions from a variety of KLAs, current affairs and sport and competition proved to be quite intense. The teams were very keen to buzz in with their answers and after a few heats the two Colin teams faced each other for the Grand Final. Congratulations to Elise Cribbin, Lucy Tan, Jessica Li and Sara Haider from Colin 2 for making the final and to Nicole Gereige, Tahlia del Principe, Carissa Zajac and Emily Dang from Colin 1

for winning the Year 7 Knowledge Challenge for 2013.

2013 ‘Sculptures by the Sea’ Student Photography Competition To celebrate their partnership with ‘Sculptures by the Sea’, the

organisation What Degree? Which University? invited students to submit photos depicting their experiences of the exhibition. As well as cash prizes, the winning student would have the opportunity to become a

photography intern for the 2014 Sculptures by the Sea. Congratulations Tiffany Huynh who along with Julie Vo and Emma Andrew submitted an outstanding entry. We wish them well in the competition. Winners

will be announced in December. CSIRO Holiday Science Looking for something to do over the holidays? This summer, CSIRO is offering the largest selection of holiday science events ever. For all

information and details please visit www.csiro.au/nswholidays The Somerset Celebration of Literature Writing Competitions If you enjoy writing and dream of producing the next bestseller, these

competitions are for YOU! As part of the Somerset Celebration of Literature, students are invited to participate in 2014 Novella Writing Competition and/or the 2014 Somerset National Poetry prize. The

novella competition requires students to write a novel between 6000-10000 words, on any theme. As well as winning over $2500 worth of prizes, winners will receive personalised advice on their work from

members of the Penguin Group (Australia) Publishing Company. The National Poetry Prize students can submit any unpublished piece of work which is no more than 50 lines on any subject. Winners in each

category will receive a $300 plus flights to attend the Somerset Celebration of Literature festival in Queensland. Further information is available from Mrs Agius or by visiting

www.somerset.qld.edu.au/celebration

Mrs S Agius, Enrichment Co-ordinator

Year 9 History Excursion On the 15th November, Year 9 History went on an excursion to the city

to undertake a site study at The Rocks and Sydney Harbour Bridge. We

were able to look at the history of the Bridge and the Sydney Harbour

Bridge Visitor Centre and then had fun walking part of the way across

the Bridge.

At The Rocks, we saw some of the earliest European landmarks and

buildings in Australia and realised how different life was then!

A thank you to all the teachers who helped make the day a great success.

Ms W Young

Year 7’s Got Talent ‘Year 7’s Got Talent’ Competition was held during lunchtime on the 12th and 13th of November. It was an opportunity for the students to showcase their abilities. There were a variety of very entertaining singing and dancing acts. The following students are to be congratulated on their performances: Tahlia del Principe, Anh Dinh, Christina Dinh, Jessa Planner, Sara Pauls, Isabelle Langan, Dima Ahmad, Tiffany Samarani, Claudia Semaan, Samantha Lindermann, Shontelle Tabet, Rowan Gardoce, Alaina Burge, Hannah Rahimi, Katrina Helou, Aya Ali, Kiranpreet Kohli, Zeina Alammery, Amanda Awad, Amanda Giudice, Joel Khaouli and all of 7E7. There definitely is a lot of talent in Year 7! Mrs Gallina

Remembrance Day Memorials On Remembrance day on the 11th of November, six Year 10 History students - Mona Elbaz, Kelly Seymour, Esmery Canlas, Emma Cohen, Emma Andrew and Catherine Mitchell represented Cerdon College at the Remembrance Day Memorials at both Cabra-Vale Diggers and Merrylands RSL Club. Students were accompanied by Mr Lovadina and Ms Caspe. It was a time to commemorate the services of past war veterans. The ceremony commenced with speeches from officials followed by a wreath laying ceremony. The Year 10 students were able to experience how, as Australians, we commemorate the wars and it gave students an opportunity to mingle with members of the local community.

P A G E 3 N O . 1 8 T E R M 4 W E E K 8

ALC Language Certificates The Assessment of Language Competence Certificates are aimed at second language learners and are designed to celebrate and enhance the learning of Languages in Australia, New Zealand and the Asia Pacific Region. Congratulations to Year 9, 10, 11, and 12 Italian and French students for participating, in particular all the students who achieved Distinction and High Distinctions.

French Certificate 3 - (200-300 Hours Language Learning) Evanna Kamal Distinction Jennifer Zeng Distinction

French Certificate 2 - (100-200 Hours Language Learning) Alexandra Boutoubia Distinction Monique Brunet Distinction Lara El Hussein High Distinction Matina Frelingos Distinction Sarah Rahimi Distinction Adina Tarabiya Distinction Emma Younan Distinction

Italian Certificate 3 - (200-300 Hours Language Learning) Emilia Barker Distinction Emma Cleary Distinction Kylie Cox Distinction Elena Cutri Distinction Martina Gambacorta High Distinction Regie Anne Gardoce Distinction Erika Gavoto High Distinction Rachelle Hyeraci Distinction Simone Ligori Distinction Melissa Orellana High Distinction Victoria Patrizi High Distinction Javiera Silva-Bravo Distinction Sheridan Soo Distinction

Italian Certificate 2 - (100-200 Hours Language Learning) Lilyan Abosh Distinction Andrianna Agathos Distinction Yvonne Aguirre High Distinction Daniela Angeloni Distinction Tayla Belcher Distinction Lucero Calderon Distinction Luisa Campili Distinction Portia Cheung Distinction Elisa Cuciniello Distinction Emily Del Principe Distinction Andrea El Turk Distinction Jamie Lipsham Distinction Rachel Lockhart Distinction Stephanie Manorajan High Distinction Leilani Minici Distinction Elizabeth Orlando Distinction Isabella Reitano Distinction Bianca Semaan Distinction Geena Trimboli Distinction Jaida Walker High Distinction

Auguri e ben fatto ragazze! Félicitations et bien fait à tout le monde!

Showcase 2013 On 25th November, Cerdon College had its first combined Showcase of all areas of the Creative and Performing arts. Showcase 2013 was a fantastic night, which went off smoothly and finished with a roaring round of applause! The amazing work from the hardworking students of Visual Arts, Design and Technology and Textiles and Design, were displayed around the hall before the crowd gathered for an extended evening of Dance, Music and Drama. The evening’s atmosphere was firstly created via the selection of food (being the heart of Cerdon), dessert and drinks available before the show began at seven. Then after an introductory video from the Creative and Performing Arts staff, the show went off with a bang. Numerous energetic dance performances, astounding voices singing a variety of songs and a display of some of the intriguing and theatrical drama videos, all produced a range of ecstatic responses from the audience. Whether the audience were silenced by the astonishing voice of some of the acts or enthused to the point of joining in, the showcase displayed a variety of talent which did not disappoint. Showcase 2013 proved not just the talent of the performers and hard working students of the College, but also the skill of the technical crew and staff who provided an extensive amount of help from the beginning until the end of the show. It also displayed the efforts of the students learning to foster their creativity, self awareness, confidence and ability to work within their specialty area, which was definitely showcased that evening. The evening would not have been possible without the support of the community and family of the College and its students, who came along to enjoy the spectacular night. Their comments proved just what a success it was. Thank you once again to everyone who came along to Showcase 2013 and all the hardworking students and staff. This was truly a night for the College to remember! Gillian Kayrooz Vice Captain (Creative and Performing Arts)

Catholic Education Office News First Social Justice Expo Join the Archdiocese of Sydney for their very first social justice expo, Faith in Action. This is a fantastic opportunity for young people (15-30 years) to learn about social jus-tice programs and initiatives they can get involved with, meet other passionate young people, and be inspired to serve God in the mission for Justice and Peace! It will be held Saturday 30 November from 10am – 4pm, at the University of Notre Dame, Sydney Broadway cam-pus. Don’t miss out – register online at http://faithinaction2013.org/. For more information, phone 9390 5935. Catholic Education Survey on School Communication 18 November - 6 December. Go to http://bit.ly/1fFfjF8 for more information.

Bishop’s Office News Typhoon Haiyan Aid Response Millions of people are now in need of emergency aid in the Philippines. Please give generously to the Caritas Australia Typhoon Haiyan Appeal. Call 1800 024 413, donate online at www.caritas.org.au or send your donation to GPO Box 9830 in your Capital City

AN INVITATION TO FAREWELL MRS CARMEL AGIUS PRINCIPAL ST MARGARET MARY’S

PRIMARY SCHOOL THE PARENTS AND FRIENDS ASSOCIATION WOULD

LIKE TO YOU TO SAY YOUR FAREWELLS TO MRS AGIUS.

WHEN: FRIDAY 13TH DECEMBER 2013 9.00AM MASS IN THE PARISH CHURCH FOLLOWED BY

OUR FAREWELL MORNING TEA IN ST MARGARET MARY’S SCHOOL HALL WE WILL BE PRESENTING MRS AGIUS WITH OUR GIFT FROM THE P&F COMMUNITY AT THIS TIME.

WE WOULD LOVE FOR AS MANY PARENTS AS POSSI-BLE TO COME TO MAKE THIS A GREAT SEND OFF.

(No school children, however, toddlers and babies are welcome).

PLEASE RSVP BY SENDING IN THE FORM BELOW TO ST MARGARET MARY’S SCHOOL OFFICE NO LATER THAN 22ND NOVEMBER (FOR CATERING NUMBERS.)

- - -�- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- PLEASE FORWARD THIS SLIP TO ST MARGARET MARY’S

SCHOOL OFFICE

Mrs Agius Farewell Morning Tea I would like to join the Parents and Friends Association of St Margaret Mary’s for Mrs Agius’ farewell morning tea on Friday 13th December Number of adults attending: _______________

Maltese Seniors Xmas Get Together 11 – 1pm Friday 6th Dec 2013 at Merrylands Maltese

Resource Centre Cnr Franklin & Young Streets Mays Hill in the Headmasters Cottage, behind

Parramatta East Public School.

Inform your senior family/friends. Please bring a plate of food to share. Give a senior a lift to the

Centre. Parking close by. Service provided by Maltese Community Council of NSW to alleviate

loneliness and isolation.

Ongoing Get Togethers every lst Friday of each

month 11-1pm in 2014. No bookings necessary.

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Term 4 Diary Dates Week 10

Monday 9 December Presentation Night 7pm

Tuesday 10—Thursday 12 December Year 10 Alternate Programme Wednesday 11 December Year 7-10 Reports Distributed Thursday 12 December

Year 11 Liturgy and Presentation Assembly Year 9 Peer Support Training

Friday 13 December Year 11 Picnic

Year 10 End of Year Function Year 9 Peer Support Training

Week 11 Monday 16-18 December Year 11 Assessment Period Monday 16 December Year 10 Prefect Training Tuesday 17 December

Year 7-9 Liturgies and Presentation Assemblies Wednesday 18 December

HSC Results Released Year 7-9 Picnics Last Day Term 4

Thursday 19 December Staff Development Day HSC Morning Tea 10:30 am

Friday 20 December Staff Development Day

Last Day 2013 School Year

Co-ordinator’s Awards Julia Achmar 8G25, Jessica Ajaka 9J28, Zeina Alammery 7E5

Trinity Anae-Roberts 9J30, Emma Andrew 10F18, Jayne Angeles 7E8 Daniela Angeloni 9J29, Rachel Antonucci 9I31, Erika Arabit 9J30, Kristen Ayoub 7E8

Julia Beshara 7E8, Abhilasha Bishnoi 9LD2, Amy Burton 9I31 Alycia Chand 8KL6, Alana Cohen 7E7, Elise Cribbin 7G23, Emily Dang 7E9

Daniella Deeb 9I32, Kelly D'Silva 9J30, Nicole El Jammal 8GL3 Raquel Fayad 9J30, Rowan Gardoce 7G23, Saada Georges 12FF2

Christine Ghaleb 8GL3, Catalina Gonzalez 7E7, Monica Gonzalez 8KL6 Emily Grasinger 7E5, Macayla Grube 7E6, Angela Ha'angana 11F12

Sara Haider 7E8, Gabrielle Hani 9I32, Alisha Jimenez 7E9 Annmaree Kenny 8GL3, Amanda Kheir 9J30, Christina Kheir 9LD2

Kiranpreet Kohli 7E8, Jasmine Kramer 7E8, Jessica Li 7G23 Jessica Machin 8KL6, Thy Mai 8GL3, Chelsea McIntyre 8GL3 Sarah Meechan 9J28, Kelly Nguyen 7E8, Mary Nguyen 9I32

Hayley Nolan 9J28, Nicole O'Connor 9J29, Isabella Reitano 9J30 Olivia Resman 7G23, Toni Saba 9J30, Lara Sahyoun 9J30

Tiffany Samarani 7E10, Jessica Schweizer 7E5, Wendy Sclosa 7E6 Shenay Seinor 9J30, Bianca Semaan 9J30, Yasmin Sleiman 9I32

Susie Anna Sukarieh 9I32, Rachael Summers 8KL6, Wei Yee Lucy Tan 7G23 Adina Tarabiya 9J28, Shiarna Tarasenko 7G23, Olivia Townsend 9J28

Mymy Tran 11F14, Janine Udan 7E5, Amelia Vella 9J28, Rachael Vella 9J30 Carissa Zajac 7E10, Joanne Zeaiter 9J28, Olga Zerefos 11F16