Inspiration from Pope Francis regarding Lent

 

 

St Joseph’s Day Mass – Tuesday 19th March – 9.40am – 11.40am

We invite any parents who wish to attend our St Joseph’s Day Mass on Tuesday 19th March starting at 9.40am.  There will be a morning tea served after the Mass, to celebrate a very important day in our College’s tradition.

 

 

Important Road Safety Messages

School Road Safety Reminder

The speed limit inside the College is 10km/h. Please use the roundabout carefully and be considerate of others when deciding where to drop off students. Be mindful of students walking into the school and also those getting off buses or out of cars. Students should not be getting out of a car from the driver’s side of the vehicle as this means that they are stepping out onto the roadway. Students must always leave the car from the passenger side.  Drivers are reminded that before moving, please look over your shoulder for other cars driving past you. There is no excuse for anyone to be driving dangerously or speeding past 10 km/h within College grounds.

School 40 km per hour zones

In 2001 the NSW government introduced 40 km per hour zones around NSW schools.

Today the 40km/h school zones are still in place and are working towards their aim of a reduction in road trauma for school-aged children. The zones are applicable from 8.00am-9.30am and 2.30pm-4.00pm on school days and speeding penalties apply.

If you do speed you can expect a fine and the loss of demerit points. Please take care when driving around our school and observe the 40km/h limit for the safety of all children.

Double Parking

Double parking is, unfortunately, a problem that places the lives of our students at unnecessary risk. Double-parked vehicles are visual obstructions for young children trying to cross to the other side of the road. They also place children getting in or out of the car at risk, as they must venture to the middle of the road to do so. Please refrain from double parking around our school and use the other safer parking options available to you.

 

 

School Bus Service Update

Over the last few weeks I have been in constant contact with Transit Systems Bus Services.  Here are a few important updates regarding our school bus services:

• A number of services have been running late, particularly in the afternoon, these have slowly been improving.
• Some bus services in the morning are not picking up students as they are full. I have been advised that the NSW Government, no longer provides exclusive bus services for any school. This means that students from other schools are now permitted to catch buses that are designated for our school causing this overcrowding.  I have instructed the Bus Company to request to the NSW Government to look at this issue as we have a number of students who are affected by this. As a temporary measure, students who are left at the bus stop can catch the 804 service and use their student OPAL card to travel on the public bus run. This is a temporary measure until we can get a more definitive solution to this issue.
• It has been reported that some students are not allowing passengers to sit next to them or are blocking seats.  Members of the College Leadership team and myself have spoken to students and sent a clear message that all empty seats must be accessible for the use of other passengers.  We also reminded students of the importance of allowing adults to sit when they are catching a public bus.
• Please ensure your daughter is tapping on and off with her OPAL card. If she does not do this, we run the risk of losing bus services as the Government uses the tapping on and off statistics to determine school bus services. Low numbers of students tapping their OPAL cards can translate into services being cut.

I encourage parents to contact the College if they have any concerns regarding any of the school bus services provided by Transit Systems NSW and also calling them directly on 8118 7102.

 

 

Staff Professional Learning Day – Student Study Days  

There will be two Staff Professional Learning Days on the following dates:

Friday 29 March 2019 (Term 1 Week 9)

Monday 29 April 2019 (Term 2 Week 1)

As a result there will be NO formal classes on these days and students will NOT be required to attend school.

It is an expectation of the College that students use these days for study/assessment preparation.  The following are expectations for students in each year group:

• Year 12 – Ongoing revision and preparation for assessment tasks
• Year 11 – Working on assessment tasks, revising class notes.
• Years 7-10 – Students have several assessment tasks during Weeks 10 and 11 of Term 1 and Week 1 of Term 2. These days should be used to continue working on these tasks to ensure that all students submit tasks on time that are completed to their personal best.

We request parents/carers support the College in ensuring your daughters are meaningfully engaged in their learning at home during these days.

Please note that the first day of classes for Term 2 will be Tuesday 30 April (Day 2).

If you have any questions or concerns, or require supervision for your daughter, please contact the College on 9725-4322.

 

 

eSafety Tip

Screen Time for Your Daughters – Seven Tips (Adapted from: https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents)

There is a lot of conflicting advice and emerging research around screen time. But, the right amount of screen time can depend on a range of factors like your daughter’s age and maturity, the kind of content they are consuming, their learning needs and your family routine. It can be easy to focus only on the clock and how long your daughter is spending in front of the screen, but the quality and nature of what they are doing online, and your involvement are just as important.

1. Be involved Sharing screen time and online activities like gaming with your daughter helps you gauge the appropriateness of what they are doing and manage potential risks. It’s also a great way to start conversations with your child about their online experiences.

2. Work with your daughter to set boundaries for screen use If you decide that setting screen time limits is right for you and your daughter, discuss these new rules with your child. Older children are more likely to cooperate if they have been part of the decision making process. Colourful pictures or charts of daily limits and other important activities is a fun way to get younger children on board.

3. Be clear about the consequences of not switching off.  Part of our role as parents is to set clear limitations and boundaries. The same applies to technology limitations so, being clear and consistent about the consequences for your child if they do not stick to these rules is paramount. The Raising Children Network provides some useful tools and advice.

4. Set device-free zones and times at home Device-free zones can help you manage your family’s digital use. Here are some ideas for setting digital boundaries within your home:

• no devices in the bedroom
• all screens off at least one hour before planned bedtime
• all family members switch off at dinner time
• charge devices overnight in a place your daughter cannot access

5. Ask your daughter to explain their screen use.  Get your daughter in the habit of explaining why they want to be in front of a screen or online. It’s a great way to get them thinking about their own digital habits and balancing screen time with other activities.

6. Use tech tools to help manage access There are robust products and device functions which allow you to see which apps are being used in your home and for how long. But try not to use these tools to secretly monitor your daughter. Instead, be open about the process and check the whole family’s usage, including your own. Start with Google Family Link for Android devices or parental controls and Screen Time for iPhone/iPad.

7. Lead by example Your behaviour is one of the most effective ways to help your daughter develop a positive digital mindset. Show your child you can put down your device too.

Motivational Quote in the Spirit of our 2019 Theme – “She Can.  She Will.”