‘Enlivened by the Spirit’

Anzac Road Menai NSW 2234 Phone 9543 0188 Facsimile 9541 0398

info@aquinasmenai.catholic.edu.au www.aquinasmenai.catholic.edu.au

FROM THE PRINCIPAL

AQUINAS CATHOLIC COLLEGE MENAI

29th August, 2016 The Year of Mercy Vol.24.No.25

I recently had the opportunity to reflect on the Jubilee of Mercy that the universal Catholic Church is currently celebrating at the SCS, Southern Region Primary & Secondary Principals’ Retreat under the spiritual direction of Father Paul Monkerud, Parish Priest of All Saints Liverpool & Episcopal Vicar for Evangelisation & Western Region. In his presentations he focussed on a number of excerpts from scripture and Papal writings that underpin Pope Francis’ reasoning for focussing on mercy in a world that sorely needs some. In the Bull of Indiction of the extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, Misericordiae Vultus, Pope Francis links the presence of God in the world with Mercy and the amazing gift that it is, quoting Thomas Aquinas on the topic as an introduction;

“It is proper to God to exercise mercy, and he manifests his omnipotence particularly in this way”.[5] Saint Thomas Aquinas’ words show that God’s mercy, rather than a sign of weakness, is the mark of his omnipotence. For this reason the liturgy, in one of its most ancient collects, has us pray: “O God, who reveal your power above all in your mercy and forgiveness …”[6] Throughout the history of humanity, God will always be the One who is present, close, provident, holy, and merciful [MV 5 - 6].

“In the parables devoted to mercy, Jesus reveals the nature of God as that of a Father who never gives up until he has forgiven the wrong and overcome rejection with compassion and mercy. We know these parables well, three in particular: the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the father with two sons (cf. Lk 15: 1-32). In these parables, God is always presented as full of joy, especially when he pardons. In them we find the core of the Gospel and of our faith, because mercy is presented as a force that overcomes everything, filling the heart with love and bringing consolation through pardon” [MV 9].

Rembrandt’s Prodigal Son Lost Sheep Icon Good Samaritan Icon

“As we can see in Sacred Scripture, mercy is a key word that indicates God’s action towards us. He does not limit himself merely to affirming his love, but makes it visible and tangible. Love, after all, can never be just an abstraction. By its very nature, it indicates something concrete: intentions, attitudes, and behaviours that are shown in daily living. The mercy of God is his loving concern for each one of us. He feels responsible; that is, he desires our wellbeing and he wants to see us happy, full of joy, and peaceful. This is the path which the merciful love of Christians must also travel. As the Father loves, so do his children. Just as he is merciful, so we are called to be merciful to each other” [MV 9].

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In essence, the Mercy of God is a gift that we can in turn show in exercising mercy to others; an intersection of the human and the divine that is one gift that I think the young people of the Aquinas community share readily with each other and the broader community. Whether it be in Lenten fund raising, in pilgrimaging to Krakow, Poland, giving blood @ Miranda or be immersed in Maliana, Timor Léste all of these actions build the kingdom of God that Jesus preached and was executed for daring to challenge the status quo of his time. All of our social justice activities are underpinned by the Gospels and long tradition of church, they are not just niceties that we observe; they have a direct link to example that Jesus and scripture give. As Pope Francis said at the mass for new Cardinals on February 15

th 2015;

“The Church’s way, from the time of the Council of Jerusalem, has always been the way of Jesus, the way of mercy and reinstatement. This does not mean underestimating the dangers of letting wolves into the fold, but welcoming the repentant prodigal son; healing the wounds of sin with courage and determination; rolling up our sleeves and not standing by and watching passively the suffering of the world. The way of the Church is not to condemn anyone for eternity; to pour out the balm of God’s mercy on all those who ask for it with a sincere heart. The way of the Church is precisely to leave her four walls behind and to go out in search of those who are distant, those essentially on the “outskirts” of life. It is to adopt fully God’s own approach, to follow the Master who said: “Those who are well have no need of the physician, but those who are sick; I have come to call, not the righteous but sinners” (Lk 5:31-32).” I trust that through their time here at Aquinas our students will develop that sense of social conscience that will see them develop into active, committed Christians, with their sleeves rolled and with developed wisdom in mercy, especially for those who are marginalised in our community. Whilst school reports and credentials will not show that on paper, the very essence of us as Christians will indicate that in the living of our lives, particularly if we are open to being “Enlivened by the Spirit.”

Congratulations to our chess team who have made it through to the grand finals of their competition to be held on 16th September at the Latvian Club, Strathfield. Well done in particular to Michael Parsons [Year 9] who finished fourth individually and our school team finished second overall on the day. Team members: Jacob Harb, Jay Beaton, Tony Hollmann, Michael Parsons and Benjamin Capovilla.

Please keep Mrs Julia Howison [Support Staff Member] and her family in your thoughts and prayers as her father passed away recently. Also in our thoughts and prayers are with Fr Phil Zadro and his family as the celebration for the life of Fr Phil’s brother, Julian, was last Friday.

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

James Corcoran Principal

Assistant Principal

Key Dates Week 7 (B) Term 3

Monday 29th August Year 11 Assessment free week

Literacy & Numeracy week

Tuesday 30thAugust “AWE’ writing program for Year 7-10 during Pastoral class

Year 12 lunchtime talk-Western Sydney University

Wednesday 31st August Year 7 Parish Mass today at 8.20am

Eucharistic Minister training day

Year 9-2017 Electives Information Night in the JPII Hall from 7pm to 8pm

Timor Lester pre-immersion gathering in MLC from 4.30pm to 6.30pm

Thursday 1st September Swap of day on timetable-today will be Thursday A lessons to accommodate an Envirowalk award giving assembly next Thursday Week 8

Numeracy during Pastoral in morning session

Aquinas Music night from 7pm

Friday 2nd September HSC Preparation seminars during sport

Year 11 U Turn the Wheel Program

Senior Blood Bank visit

Sport trials

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Robert Nastasi Assistant Principal

Week 8(A) Term 3

Monday 5th

September Year 11 Assessment free week

Student leadership 2017 interviews all day

Year 9 Commerce small business stalls running today

Follow up HSC Symposium in MLC-3.15pm to 5.30pm in MLC

Tuesday 6th September “AWE’ writing program for Year 7-10 during Pastoral class

Asylum seeker visit

Year 7 Vaccinations- visit No. 3

Wednesday 7th September Year 8 Parish Mass today at 8.20am

Aquinas Family Fitness day-7am workout and breakfast at the College Fitness Centre-all welcome

Year 10 Geography field trip excursion to Cronulla

Year 12 Design & Technology BOSTES HSC major work marking day

Year 12 BOSTES HSC Music practical exam today

Timor Lester pre-immersion gathering in MLC from 4.30pm to 6.30pm

Thursday 8th September Swap of day on timetable-today will be Thursday B lessons

Archbishops Awards for student excellence in Year 12 at St Mary’s Cathedral, Sydney

Numeracy during Pastoral in morning session

College Assembly Period 4 in the JPII Hall

Opens RL CCC plate gala day at St Mary's

HSC Design & Technology/Industrial Technology/Visual Arts showcase night of major works from in TAS/Art area from 3.30pm to 6.00pm

Friday 9th September HSC Preparation seminars during sport

Sport trials

Student use of mobile phones whilst driving

It has been brought to my attention that several of our senior student drivers have

been seen using their mobile phones whilst driving too and from school. This is not

only dangerous to the driver, passengers, other drivers and pedestrians but is

governed by the following laws in NSW:

Mobile phone road rules

Learner and provisional P1 (red Ps) drivers and motorcyclists.

Learners and provisional P1 licence holders are not permitted to use a mobile phone at all while driving or riding. This includes

when waiting at traffic lights or stuck in traffic. You must be parked out of the line of traffic to use your phone in any way.

These laws encourage learner and P1 drivers and riders to concentrate on developing their vehicle control and hazard-perception

skills. Mobile phone use can distract novice drivers and riders from the driving task.

From 22 January 2016, learner and P1 drivers and riders penalised for illegally using a mobile phone (four demerit points) will

exceed their demerit point threshold and face a three-month licence suspension.

Changes to help keep L and P plate drivers safer

From 1 December 2016, P2 licence holders will no longer be permitted to use a mobile phone at all while driving or riding. P2

licence holders will have the same restrictions as learner and P1 licence holders.

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Recent Events

Mass at Saint Charles – Ryde with Father Daniel.

Last Sunday, the World Youth Day Pilgrims from

Bus 14 trekked to Ryde to celebrate Mass with our

Bus Chaplain. All the students met together after

two long weeks and had dinner before being

reunited with Fr Dan for a Mass at St Charles

Borromeo. He also ran Adoration and Benediction,

which allowed us all to reflect on our past experiences. We were also joined by Miss Kilzi and

Miss Flegg who experienced World Youth Day with us. We can't wait to go back down to Ryde

again and stay in contact with our bus group.

By Abby Catalano

BUS 14 PILGRIMS

WITH

FATHER DANIEL

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Episcopal Ordination @ Saint Mary’s Cathedral. Tuesday 24th August. On Wednesday 24th August, myself and fourteen other students were lucky enough to be a part of the Ordination of Tony Randazzo and Richard Umbers at St Mary's Cathedral. Led by Mr O'Connor and Miss Kilzi we made our way by train into the city, filled our stomach with pizza and pasta and headed to the Cathedral for the mass at 7pm. It was a beautiful ceremony, and it was clear the spirit of God was among us. I felt very blessed to be part of this Mass. Of course we couldn't leave without seeing the World Youth Day students' Bus Chaplain Fr Dan and getting a photo right in front of the altar! By Abby Catalano

Photo: Year 11 students, Steve O’Connor (REC), Father Daniel (Aquinas WYD bus

chaplain), Catherine Kilzi (YMC)

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GRACEFEST WYD16 REUNION CONCERT

On Friday the 26th August, Bus 14 had their first official reunion with the rest of Sydney diocese. All the teachers and students joined together at Aquinas for an early dinner and catch up before heading to Liverpool for Gracefest! We heard numerous guest speakers and sung and danced with Fr Rob Galea, and also had the pleasure of being present for Bishop Umbers first official address as Bishop. Gracefest was a great time for all WYD groups to catch up with each other. By Abby Catalano

The Rosary

‘The Rosary & Prayer

Intentions’ on every

Tuesday @ lunch…

Room 44. PROCLAIM: High School

Aged Youth Group @ Holy Family Parish

every fortnight Next gathering:

Sunday 11th of August at 6PM

Check out the “Holy Family Youth

Movement” Facebook page.

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Learning and Curriculum Matters This Week's Assessment Tasks

Year 9 2017 Electives Information Evening Current Year 8 students and their parents are reminded that there is a compulsory Information Evening regarding the selection of Elective Courses for 2017 from 7pm until 8pm in the John Paul ll Hall on Wednesday 31 th August. The evening will include a subject market where students can ask specific questions of the teachers and see a selection of the work from each subject. Each elective course runs for TWO years and students will not be permitted to change their electives mid-course, so careful consideration is essential.

YEAR 11 PRELIMINARY EXAMINATIONS 2016 (All examinations are in the Hall unless otherwise stated)

Year Subject Date

12 Visual Art (submission) 29.08.16

10 Elective History 29.08.16

8 Mathematics 29.08.16

11 Hospitality 30.08.16

7 Mathematics 30.08.16

11 Hospitality 31.08.16

9 Science This week

7 Italian 31.08.16

First Week

Morning Session Starts at 8.50am

Afternoon Session Starts at 12.50pm

Monday 12 Sept ‘16

English (ADVANCED) 1.5 hours English (STANDARD) 1.5 hours

Hospitality 1.5 hours

Tuesday 13 Sept ‘16

English (ADVANCED) 1 h 25 mins English (STANDARD) 1 h 25 mins

ITW 1.5 hours Business Services 1 hour

Wednesday 14 Sept ‘16

Senior Science 2 hours CAFS 2 hours

Thursday 15 Sept ‘16

PDHPE 2 hours Chemistry 2 hours Economics 2 hours Ancient History 2 hours Retail 1 hour IPT 2 hours Construction 1.5 hours

Friday 16 Sept ‘16

Biology 2 hours

Music (MR2) 1 hour

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Students should arrive at school at least 20 minutes prior to the scheduled examination starting time. Lisa Mirabello Leader of Teaching and Learning

Second Week Morning Session Starts at 8.50am

Afternoon Session Starts at 12.20pm

Monday 19 Sept ‘16

Mathematics 2 hours Maths General 2 hours

Modern History 2 hours

Tuesday 20 Sept ‘16

Business Studies 2 hours Physics 2 hours Legal Studies 2 hours Visual Art 1.5 hours Drama 1.5 hours

Wednesday 21 Sept ‘16

S.O.R (2U) 10:50am-1:00pm 2 hrs

S.O.R (1U) 11:20am-1:00pm 1.5hrs

Cath. Studies 11:50am-1:00pm 1 hr (Rooms TBA)

NO EXAMINATION YEAR 12 FINAL ASSEMBLY

Compulsory Attendance

Thursday 22 Sept ‘16

Geography 2 hours D and T 1.5 hours Maths Ext 1 2 hours

(Rooms TBA)

English Ext 1 2 hours

(Rooms TBA)

Friday 23 Sept ‘16

STAFF DEVELOPMENT DAY

Do you want to know more about how to support your sons and daughter’s writing? What is the AWE program and how is it enriching your son or daughter’s writing?

Parents/Carers of students in Years 7 -10 are invited to

attend an interactive evening focused on the:

Academic Writing Excellence program (AWE) This is a highly recommended night for parents/carers along with their sons/daughters to learn more about the writing program in place at Aquinas Catholic College, Menai introduced in 2016. Date: Wednesday September 14th

Time: 6:30pm – 8.00pm

Where: MacKillop Learning Common The evening will consist of an overview of the writing strategies being implemented at Aquinas Catholic College and will be followed by writing workshops for parents and students to attend. Please RSVP via email to info@aquinasmenai.catholic.edu.au no later than Friday September 9

th.

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This week we celebrate National Literacy and Numeracy Week at Aquinas Catholic College. There will be numerous activities throughout the week in which staff and students can participate. Numeracy will be holding a Times Tables Challenge and running a poster competition. Literacy will see word activities completed, a staff vs student debate, and the finals of the Year 7 Spelling Bee.

Kate Wilson Renee Kelly Literacy Teacher Numeracy Teacher

Each week Maths Recall is included in the newsletter to encourage junior students to regularly focus on non calculator skills. Please show your answers to your maths teacher during your next lesson, as it shows interest and excitement about mathematical skills. 1. What are the next 3 numbers in the pattern 12, 14, 16, .. ?

2. What is the formula or rule for the sequence of above numbers?

3. What are the first 3 numbers for the rule y = 3x - 1

4. What are the next 3 numbers in the pattern 1, 4, 9, …..

5. What is the formula or rule for the sequence of above numbers?

Mrs Catherine Fensom Assistant Mathematics Coordinator

MATHS DEPARTMENT RECALL CORNER

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Last Wednesday five of our Year 8 and 9 boys: Jacob Harb, Jay Beaton, Tony Hollmann, Michael Parsons and Benjamin Capovilla attended the semi-final of the Interschool Chess Challenge at the French School of Sydney at Maroubra. The students battled it out against high schools from all over Sydney in a 7 round “Swiss” competition. They played seven games and the winning school was determined by adding the four highest scorers from each school. All the students played well, coming up against some very strong competition. I am pleased to announce that Michael Parsons finished in fourth place while our team finished in second place. Congratulations to the boys who have now qualified for the grand final which will take place on Friday 16th September at the Sydney Latvian Society at Strathfield. The boys will be practising their skills at lunch in the library in the weeks leading up to grand final so if you would like to come and have a game with them please pop into the library and test your skills against “the best of the best” and you will be helping them refine their skills for the big day!

Mrs Cathy Capovilla

INTERSCHOOL CHESS CHALLENGE

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eLe@rning

Every student should be using the full capabilities of their devices using:

SEQTA Learn (access via the College website www.aquinasmenai.catholic.edu.au)

Jacaranda Textbook (www.jacplus.com.au)

Education Perfect (www.educationperfect.com)

The College has provided all students with a student login and password for the above mentioned websites. Any student who has

challenges with their device must see the ICT support staff in the library as soon as possible (recess and lunchtime so no

classtime is missed).

Students are asked to consult with the ICT staff before a new version of software is installed so all necessary security certificates

match our network.

Congratulations to all the students who have achieved great results and engaged learning through the recent Science

Championships that concluded last week.

In one week of science learning

245,286 Questions were answered online

2502 hours of online science learning took place

57 student achieved Awards

Aquinas Catholic College Global ranking was 10th out of 1015 schools globally

Aquinas Catholic College ranked 7th in NSW

Aquinas Catholic College ranked 2nd in Catholic Schools

Congratulations to all students who entered and to all the dedicated Science faculty members who supported this outstanding

online educational activity. We look forward to announcing all winners at an upcoming assembly.

Devices in 2017

The Technology link will be updated with any new specifications for BYOD devices for 2017. Please check the College website

for any updates.

Mr Hulme

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On Wednesday, Year 7 went to their first RE Reflection Day. Our guest presenter was Chris Doyle from Karis Ministries - he was a funny, relatable and genuine person. In the first half of the day we did some really fun activities such as building objects out of our body parts, walking down the catwalk, singing and Chris even opened up about his life. We enjoyed watching our teachers ‘strut their stuff’ down the catwalk and singing their hearts out. We also saw some very talented Year 7 students sing along with Chris to songs such as ‘Stitches’ and ‘Over the Rainbow’. After recess we were pumped to get back in and continue on where we left off. We started off by singing some more songs (we even got some of the teachers involved). We then spoke about the different types of meanings for love and how you can be selfish about them and selfless about them. Afterwords Chris shared definitions from little kids aged 4-10 about their thoughts on love and it was amazing how simple yet accurate they were. Every definition melted our hearts. After lunch we came in while Chris started playing songs from Disney movies, as we all got settled. He talked to us for a while about the importance of giving and sharing ‘peace’ in our lives and in our world. It was a really great moment for us sharing the sign of peace with all members of our grade. Our final challenge was to get into a circle and everyone had to do the running man - it was a challenge that I honestly I think we nailed! Even though we had a great day with Chris it had to come to an end... all of Year 7 had a ball and we were sad to say goodbye to Chris. We knew as a year group that we had become closer and it was great spending the day laughing and growing in faith with our friends and teachers.

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On Saturday the 20th of August, eight Year 9 students travelled to Bundeena for the qualifying journey for Duke of Ed. Our teachers claimed the boys 'Legends' as they carried our bags twice, in times when the terrain got the better of us. Special thanks to Miss Doran and Mr Connor for accompanying us on this amazing yet exhausting hiking experience. We also developed a new appreciation for water and electric blankets! We hope that you consider the Duke of Edinburgh program as part of your challenges in 2017.

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AQUINAS FAMILY FUN & FITNESS MORNING

We all know that exercise is an important component of a healthy lifestyle but did you know that taking part in daily fitness activities as a family has numerous benefits as well? **There will be a session to cater for a variety of fitness levels**

EXERCISING WITH FAMILY WILL HELP TO:

Establish lifelong goals

Provide extra motivation and encouragement

Allow for some meaningful family bonding

Here at Aquinas Catholic College we value our students and their families’ well-being so we have devised a programme called “FITNESS AND FUEL”. Students, along with their parents are invited to try out one of our morning exercise sessions, followed by breakfast.

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED OR WOULD LIKE MORE INFORMATION

PLEASE CONTACT/ RSVP TO MRS KATRIB OR MR BURKE AT:

nicole.katrib@syd.catholic.edu.au peter.burke@syd.catholic.edu.au

When: Wednesday 7th September Time: 7:15 – 8:15am Where: Aquinas Wellbeing Centre

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UNIFORM SHOP

Thursday 1 September

8:00am—9:00am

Please note the Uniform Shop only sells Sports Uniforms and School bags

The Uniform Shop does not accept Eftpos or

Credit cards

CANTEEN ROSTER

TIME: MONDAY-THURSDAY 10:00-1:35, FRIDAY 9:30-12:45

MONDAY 29/8 BERNADETTE COLEMAN, KEVIN HUFF, TUESDAY 30/8 ROBYN GRAHAM, MARIA TINNING, KATE KARPENKO, REBECCA MAZZORE WEDNESDAY 31/8 SARAH RAYMOND, CATHY PRATT, CAROLYN RAMSAY THURSDAY 1/9 MARGARET MOUSSA, SALLY DONOVAN FRIDAY 2/9 MARIA SKARENTZOS, LISA ALLEN, MARIE BERROA MONDAY 5/9 MONICA SPOONER, TONY SHELDON, ROSEMARY MORRISSEY TUESDAY 6/9 MARY-ELLEN ROONEY WEDNESDAY 7/9 BELINDA SELBY, VERONIQUE ROCA THURSDAY 8/9 JO FINN, ANN-MARIE WALKER, SIEN SMITH FRIDAYT 9/9 LEANNE BROWNE, ARISTEA MARAKAS, FIONA GEORGAKOPOULOS LITSA XIROS

MATHS CHALLENGE ANSWERS

Maths Department

1. 18, 20, 22

2. y = 2x + 10 or Twice the number plus 10

3. 2, 5, 8

4. 16, 25, 36

5. y = x2

From Week 2 as a trial a range of freshly made soups will be added to the Canteen Menu.

We will be offering

A variety of soups with a slice of bread

$3:00

St Vincent De Paul Winter Appeal

The Social Justice committee will be selling Hot

Chocolates each Monday and Thursday at RECESS

for $2 (with a marshmallow) to raise funds for St

Vincent De Paul. Get warm and support Vinnies at the

same time.