Term 3, Week 9 - Monday 16th September, 2024

What's On This Week

Principal

Dear Parents and Carers, 

Week 9 brings us to an exciting part of Term 3. It is a time when our Year 12 students are experiencing their final 13 years of schooling. It is a time of nerves for the unknown and for the impending HSC examinations, as well as excitement for finally finishing school. We are very proud of our Year 12 cohort, who espouse the school values of strength and gentleness. We look forward to their farewell next week, where we will celebrate their achievements and wish them every success in their upcoming examinations. 

It is important to remember that Year 12 students need to support each other in every class, before their examinations. Every student is important in lifting the results for every class. Consistent practice, questions and discussion will support each student to continue to improve. 

Last week our first applicants for the year long exchange program at Seikei High School in Tokyo took place. It was a rigorous interview process and proved extremely difficult for the Seikei Committee to select the first Japanese Exchange student for St Raphael’s in 2025: Emma Haslam. Emma is thrilled, as are her parents. We will hear about Emma’s experience during 2025, which will be filled with significant learning experiences. 

Again we applaud the many efforts of our students in a variety of sporting endeavours. In particular we applaud the number of Gold Duke of Edinburgh recipients. This is an enormous accolade and well deserved for the perseverance and commitment of the students. 

This week we have the privilege of welcoming our new Kindy students. The following Kindy Start sessions are a fantastic opportunity for teachers and students to get to know each other, as well as become familiar with aspects of school. It is an enormous learning milestone for our young students. We are excited to meet them. 

In 2 weeks we are taking another cohort of students to Japan. There is an enormous amount of work involved in preparation for an excursion such as this, so we give enormous thanks to Ms Tamatha Olbourne for her tireless effort. The students will have an extremely memorable time with enormous learning opportunities in many aspects of Japan, culture and the wonderful Japanese people. 

St Raphael’s a thriving community, whereby a Catholic school education enables every student to develop the whole person; be challenged, be curious and be yourself!

God Bless, 

Michelle Deschamps - Principal

From the Assistant Principal

The end of Term 3 is fast approaching and this will be the last newsletter for the term and I would like to take this opportunity to wish Year 12 all the best and thank them for the year and their leadership.

At the Secondary Assembly last week I spoke to the student body about the importance of leaving a legacy, and whilst this was targeted to Year 12, it was a message I feel was relevant to all students. The idea of a legacy is what we leave behind, what lasting effects or impressions we have on people and the community once we are gone. It is easy to build a memorial, a building, plant a tree and so on but my message is that the legacy we should leave is how we have treated each other in our time at St Raphael's. What will people say about us when they remember our time at a certain place and time? Surely we want our legacy to be that at St Raphael's there were young people who cared about each other, were respectful, kind and were decent human beings who gave as much as they took. If this is a legacy that we leave behind, if this is our goal as staff and students then our legacy will continue to shine for many years after we have left.

Year 12 will be having their Farewell Assembly on Friday 27th September from 9.30am at St Raphael’s church. All parents and families are welcome to attend and celebrate with our students their time at St Raphael’s. This will be followed by a brief morning tea and a final guard of honour for our departing students. A school culture is built upon its traditions and customs and these need to be celebrated and there is nothing greater to celebrate than watching young men and women embark upon the next stage of their lives.

David Wickham - Assistant Principal

Faith, Mission & Learning

Religious Education in Today's Climate

In the words of Pope Francis: “Today’s vast and rapid cultural changes demand that we constantly seek ways of expressing unchanging truths in a language which brings out their abiding newness.”

Religious Education in Australian Catholic schools develops students’ knowledge and understandings of Christianity in the light of Jesus and the Gospel, and its unfolding story and diversity within contemporary Australian and global society. It expands students’ spiritual awareness and religious identity, fostering their capacities and skills of discerning, interpreting, thinking critically, seeking truth and meaning making. It challenges and inspires their service to others and engagement in the Church and the world (National Catholic Education Commission (2018).

Students in Catholic schools are influenced by their families, cultures, peers, social and traditional media, the technological revolution and wider society including its consumer culture. They are as diverse as are the influences that make up our communities and come with a variety of life experiences, motivations, expectations and aspirations. Students live in a variety of ‘worlds’ which influence growth and provide context for interpreting life experiences, developing new concepts and shaping values and identity. This provides an opportunity as well as challenges. 

Take some time to consider and reflect:

What exactly are the challenges and opportunities?

How is our school currently responding to these?

How does St Raphael's help young people grow in faith?

How can our Catholic community benefit from rapid culture changes?

Learning Engagement & Wellbeing

Late Arrival of Secondary Students

Families are reminded of the process around late arrival of Secondary Students.  Secondary Students are not permitted to sign themselves in using the Compass Kiosk.  Any Secondary Student arriving late to school (i.e. after 9:10am) will be signed in at the School Office. Their late arrival will be marked as unexplained until an attendance note to explain the reason for their absence is added by their parent on Compass, or a phone call/email placed to the school to justify their child's late arrival.

Attendance Matters

Regular attendance enables your child to participate in extracurricular activities, collaborate with peers, and engage in classroom discussions, all of which contribute to their sense of belonging and overall wellbeing.

Regular attendance:

• fosters a positive and enriching school experience for students.
• ensures that students have the opportunity to participate in extracurricular activities, such as sports, clubs, arts, and other enrichment programs. 
• provides for consistent participation in class activities that can help students build connections with teachers and peers.
• helps establish positive habits early in life. These habits, including punctuality and a commitment to participation, are valuable not only in school but also in future personal and professional endeavours.

If your child is avoiding participating in the opportunities provided by the school, seek to understand why. 

Primary Learning & Enrichment

Bronze and Level 7 Award Recipients

Congratulations to the following Primary students who have reached Bronze, Level 7, Silver and Level 9 on the Behaviour Management Plan.

BRONZE AWARD

Jade-Lily Moriarty * Aditya Manuraj Nair * Andrea Thomas

LEVEL 7

Lachlan Hong * Matilda Laing * Franky Morgan * Angus Robson * Ruben Fitzsimmons * Gabrielle Bryant * Grace Kelly-Shepherd * Bobby Broad * Gaella Gaju

SILVER AWARD

Harrison Chalker * Vivienne Graham * Grace Langfield * Sarah Langfield * Hazel Mullins * Benjamin Overman * Phoebe Porter * Charlie Sims * Archie Stanford * Levi Thompson * Gerry Yappas * Vallie Bodiam * Digby Delaney * Azkhuu Ereegen * Hank Hubber * Ashley Kang * Aiva Poole * Jack Thompson * Rosemary Bennett * Eleanor Duguid *  Willow Harris * Samuel Launders * Jacob Graham * Harry Raynolds * Archie Frazer * Lucy James * Mason Kirwan * Olivia Finn * Ben Pearce

LEVEL 9

Harriet McColl * Melanie Davies * Liam Doolan * Archie Frazer

Library News

Learning Logistics & Pathways

Careers Corner

Students, parents & carers are encouraged to check out the latest updates on our school's career pathways website: https://straphaelscowra.careertools.com.au/

Any questions, please contact Mr Lette, thank you.

David Lette - Leader of Learning Logistics and Pathways

Parents & Friends Association

Primary Sport

PSSA Golf

David Kang from Year 6 has ventured to the Hunter Valley this week to compete for Polding as part of the PSSA Golf Championship. Having qualified from his trial in Blackheath earlier this term, David now gets the opportunity to play against the best in the State for his age group. Best wishes, David.

Polding Athletics

Last Friday, Lexie and Will travelled to Newcastle representing the Bathurst Diocese in Athletics. Tough competition throughout the day across the six diocese sees children now progress to Sydney. Lexie competed strongly in the 100m event, finishing 5th. Will was a busy boy again, competing in multiple events. 4th in High Jump, 8th in 100m sprint were fantastic results, but it was a 1st in the Long Jump that will see him move onto Olympic Park in Sydney. Congratulations, Will.

Polding Cricket 

This week, Mr. Statham travels to Lismore to select his Polding Cricket team that he will take to Armidale in Week 1 of next term. A week long tournament in Armidale is the culmination of school trials leading into Diocesan trials, leading into Polding trials, with finally, the PSSA Championships. Whilst St Raphael's don't have any students reaching this trial, it is always great to see our teachers stepping up to these higher roles of Polding coach/manager positions. "Spin To Win."

New High Jump Mats

Last Tuesday, the school took ownership of three, brand spanking new, high jump mats and cover. Special thanks to Mr. Cooley for allowing the use of his large flat-bed trailer to pick up the mats from Sydney. Bring on Athletics training next year for our kids!

Stage 2 Tennis

Last Monday 10 Stage 2 students headed to the Cowra tennis courts for the next stage of the Todd Woodbridge Cup. Digby, Levi, Angus, Sebastian, Azkhuu, Ashley, Sarah, Grace, Phoebe and Vivienne performed well throughout the day and ended up in 4th place against some strong competition. Congratulations on your achievements. Thank you also to the Year 10 students who were court monitors for the day. Your efforts were appreciated by everyone attending. 

Sport Choices - Weeks 6-10

We have just two weeks left of our Primary Sport Choices. Could all students participating in either Golf ($5 per week) and Tennis ($3 per week) ensure that you have fully paid up for the five weeks of lessons by the end of this week please.

Grahame Statham - Primary Sports Coordinator

Secondary Sport

Netball NSW Region Final - Stage 4 & 5 (Orange)

Congratulations to our Stage 4 (Year 7 & 8) netball team for placing 3rd at the Netball NSW Schools Cup (Region Final) in Orange. The girls played well all day and had wins against Nyngan High School, Kelso High School, Cowra High School, Broken Hill High School and Condobolin High School.

Donna Lane Shield

Congratulations to Aiden, Conner and Aiden for representing St Raphael's Catholic School at the Donna Lane Shield squash tournament in Parkes.

Upcoming dates 

NSWCCC Athletics Championships (SOPAC) - Monday 16th September 

Year 9 Camp (Lake Burrendong Sport & Recreation Centre) - Wednesday 23rd to Friday 25th October

Year 10 Camp (Borambola Sport & Recreation Centre) - Wednesday 27th to Friday 29th November 

Andrew Phelan - Secondary Sports Coordinator

Duke of Edinburgh

Duke of Edinburgh Award Report

We have another Gold Awardee! Congratulations to Lucy who has been awarded with her Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award.

To earn this award, Lucy completed the following: 

• 52 hours of Community Service (Aged Care at Bilyara + Assistant Duke of Edinburgh Award Leader)
• 52 hours of Physical Activity (Cowra Netball Association + Running)
• 52 hours of Learning a New Skill (Reading & Writing in Mandarin)
• 2 four-day Adventurous Journeys (Kosciuszko National Park & Blue Mountains National Park)
• 1 five-day Residential Project (Future Doctors Australia Program)

Lucy will be invited to Government House later in the year to receive her award from the Governor of NSW. Congratulations on an amazing achievement Lucy!

Upcoming dates

Kiama Coast Walk (Bronze, Silver & Gold) - Friday 1st November to Sunday 3rd November

Andrew Phelan - Duke of Edinburgh Award Coordinator

Administration

No students on school grounds before 8:20am

Families are reminded that there is to be no general student access to school grounds before 8:20am. 

There is no staff supervision until this time, and therefore students arriving on school grounds prior to 8:20am are out of bounds.  Please assist your school with the wellbeing and safety of all students by ensuring that your child is not on school grounds prior to 8:20am.

Maintaining Respectful Relationship with our Neighbours

Students and families are reminded of acceptable conduct when it comes to maintaining respectful relationships between our school and our residential neighbours.

• Poignand Avenue, off Liverpool Street, is not a suitable drop off and pick up point for your children. Parking here blocks access to residential driveways, damages nature strips and restricts through traffic. Please avoid Poignand Avenue when dropping off, and picking up your children.
• Cutting through neighbours garden beds is clearly disrespectful behaviour and children doing so should be reprimanded by parents, staff and residents.  Please send a clear message to your children that walking and running through other people's property is not accepted, and to stick to the footpaths when walking in to school grounds, or leaving at the end of the day.

Canteen

Online Canteen Ordering is now available via the Flexischools App!

Thankyou to those families who have already signed up to Flexischools to manage their children's recess and lunch canteen orders!  We've been overwhelmed with the positive response, and are so excited to be providing a convenient and cashless ordering system to meet the needs of students and families. 

If you haven't already done so, we encourage you to download the Flexischools app from the Apple or Google store and follow the prompts to create an account. You can download the App and find registration and online ordering instructions here.

Community Connections