Diocesan Leadership Day The Captains and Vice Captains from all Diocesan schools gathered at the Catholic Schools Office Pennant Hills to explore the importance of leadership. Leaders from the Catholic Schools Office led the students through a range of activities which the students enjoyed. Our outstanding representatives on the day were Will Shaddock, Noah Nakagawa, Tom Conroy and Rayden Gomez. Mr Beacroft Director of Mission    

What a fantastic way to finish up Movember with students and staff raising awareness for men’s health! Congratulations on an amazing effort – the final amount raised by the St Edward's College team was $1,795 and a total of 168 km in activities were completed.  We hope you have had the opportunity to have a conversation with a dad or father figure, brother or mate about men's health issues, such as prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and men's suicide. Vulnerability. Strength. Survival.  Mo stories shared by men not only motivate and inspire us, they are the very reason Movember exists. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lNyB_XqEMM[/embed]    

Our Annual Christmas Hamper Appeal Please ensure your sons donate items for our annual Christmas Hamper Appeal, for families and individuals, via Coast Shelter and Vinnies. Each student has been assigned particular items to donate. See flyer below. The College reaches our target of more than 100 hampers each year and we expect 2022 will deliver same. Thank you to our parents for all your support with this so far and in previous years too. 2023 As I complete my time in my role as Leader of Learning Social Justice, after 20 years I feel so privileged and blessed to have had the opportunity provided by the College. In the context of Touchstones, I personally thank the  parents over those years who have supported their sons, me and the College in our Social Justice ventures, you are highly valued and appreciated for your support. Thank you Mr Pat Dell  

Jindabyne was the setting for our camp and it was certainly one that we won’t forget any time soon. The weather was extreme: snow, wind, rain, sun and everything in between! Some of our students walked up one of the highest peaks in Australia with minimal visibility - due to the blizzard-like conditions - and after conquering this 15 km hike they were buzzing with energy. Their adversity was on show and even the staff had to overcome numerous obstacles, with two members ending up in Canberra Hospital due to injuries (they survived). The cycling activity was another test of character as it combined a skills component mixed with long rides through the mountains. Abseiling, raft building, fire building, cooking and myriad other activities provided each boy with opportunities to grow and develop the resilience that comes from an experience such as this.   [smallgallery fooid="41127"]   [smallgallery fooid="41459"]

Well boys, we made it through three tough days of camp. I would like to commend all for coming, and for most of you this was your first camp since Year 5. It was an early start on the Wednesday but all boys arrived on time, and were eager to make their way to Killalea State Park. Thank you to all the parents for the early drop off. Day 1 entailed the boys arriving around 9:00am to be broken up into 10 different groups. They had to construct their own tent, and for some this was a challenge. All boys showed resilience and perseverance to get the job done in a strong wind. Some tents went flying, but we all eventually got there! Then it was time to sunscreen up and hit our first lot of activities. There were five activities on offer: Surfing, Beach Sports, Bush Walk, Mega Paddle plus Kayaking, and Archery Tag. It was quite a walk to each activity (and extremely hot) so I am proud of the boys for keeping up their fluids and showing a willingness to participate. Black Diamond definitely looked after us in regards to food, we received bacon and eggs for breakfast, ham and salad sandwiches for lunch, and burgers plus burritos for dinner. Day 2 had the boys rise early to get stuck into three lots of activities. There were a few burnt and tired souls come Thursday afternoon, with most of the boys falling asleep while watching a movie before bed. Once all boys entered their tent, they crashed. We were blessed with the weather as there was not a cloud in the sky for the entire trip. As a school, we are thankful for Black Diamond for going above and beyond to provide our boys with an experience that they will not forget. Mr Marks Year 8 Pastoral Leader   [smallgallery fooid="41624"]

Uniform and College Bag Donations Required Uniform malfunctions often occur with splits, rips and food/drink spillage very common. Some families are also struggling financially and require help with supply of some parts of the uniform, the College is therefore seeking donations of second-hand, clean uniforms including sports uniforms, summer/winter uniforms, ties, jumpers, blazers and College bags.  All sizes are required but we are very short on larger sizes. If you can help, please donate all washed items to Pastoral Care in the Wellbeing Centre.  We appreciate your assistance in helping us keep our boys well presented.  

Year 7 Technology Mandatory In our TAS subject area, we often see the senior HSC Major Projects receiving the most praise and admiration for their hard work and dedication. This often overshadows the achievements of our junior Technology Mandatory students and the guidance from our staff that nurture these young men to be able to achieve the results we all celebrate.   Today we are recognising the diversity of our Year 7 students and the vast range of opportunities they experience, engaging themselves in authentic project-based learning activities.   Digital Technology has been embraced through Minecraft: Education Edition in-game coding tasks. Students are guided through the virtual environment and block-based mechanics to make it an ideal workspace for students to learn coding principles and test their ideas in an environment that they have experience in and enjoy.  Within the Food and Agriculture learning space, students are introduced to the Food Technology kitchen space and learn to prepare ingredients to create nutritious meals. This is supported by the availability of our Agriculture learning space to teach students propagation techniques and growth of sustainable food development.   [foogallery id="41444"]

Celebrating International Day of People with Disability International Day of People with Disability (idpwd.com.au)  Every year on 3 December, people around the world take part in International Day of People with Disability. It is a day to celebrate the contributions and achievements of people with disability and promote awareness, understanding and acceptance in our community. Every event helps to make positive changes to the lives of 4.4 million Australians. This year, St Edward's College has had a focus on the predominate disabilities within our own College community.   By talking about disabilities, we hope to raise awareness, understanding and break down stigma. Disabilities are often counted as “invisible” or “hidden”.  Some common ones in our community include; Specific Learning Disabilities in reading, writing and numeracy (commonly known as Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, Dyscalculia), Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and mental health disabilities such as anxiety and depression. Students with disabilities account for 22% of our school community.  This data is consistent with NSW Catholic schools. With Neurodiversity comes creativity, ability to think outside the box and persistence to find a way to achieve.  We are blessed to have so many neurodiverse students in our community.  Untreated learning and mental health disabilities can cause lifetime impairment, however, with proper diagnosis, understanding, and evidence-based treatment and in school adjustments, students with differences can embrace their strengths and interests, learn to manage their challenges and live full and rewarding lives.  Students facing these challenges should feel confidence in their abilities. Lets work together to create a more inclusive community for everyone.  St Edward's Diverse Learning Team are proud to partner with St Edward's Pastoral care team and teachers to support and advocate for our Neurodiverse students.    

Around 30 students from Years 9 and 10 attended the Central Coast English Teachers’ Associations immersion day last Friday at The University of Newcastle, Ourimbah Campus, accompanied by Mrs Titheradge and Mr Kent. Students pre-selected their activities for the day from a range of workshops, all designed to be hands on where they created and imagined while producing their own pieces of work. The day was designed for students to enrich their English skills and understanding in dynamic workshops. Creative writing with Will Kostakis was popular after he delivered an entertaining keynote address, inspiring students to write and embrace a love of literature. The performance poetry workshop with Caitlyn "Skilla" Saunders also proved to be a favourite, with students sharing their work at the end of the day about heaven and what it means to them. The Story Factory's Tony Britton lead students for some Deadly Lyrics workshops, and St Edward’s English teacher Mr Le Page skilled students in stop motion filming. Stage fighting and performing Shakespeare with ‘Fights, Camera, Action’ made for very entertaining and convincing fight sequences fit for a Hollywood movie. Podcasting with The Skill Engineer allowed the students to learn how to create a podcast which will be streamed on Spotify over the next couple of weeks. We will post a link to the two podcasts created. One podcast focussed on The World Cup and the other was a Christmas Special keeping in line with the time of the year. The Central Coast English Teacher’s Association is led by St Edward’s own Ms Nowalinski and Mrs McDonald who both said that they day was a huge success and something they are looking forward to continuing into 2023.

Mrs Titheradge's Nutella Overnight Oats from Breakfast With Books   After the recent success of the English faculty’s new reading club ‘Breakfast With Books’, many students have requested the recipe for Mrs Titheradge’s Nutella Overnight Oats. These oats are easily prepared days in advance and are a quick and easy start to the day. You can even eat them on the run – in the car on the way to school or weekend sport! If you want to leave out the sugar, you can sweeten with a natural sweetener like Stevia, sugar-free maple syrup, or even dates! This recipe is for a serving of 12 small mason jars. If you want to serve a smaller crowd, simply divide the recipe by the number of serves you need. These are best made 2 days in advance. Mrs Titheradge’s Nutella Overnight Oats. Utensils Large mixing bowl, 12 small mason jars, spoons, a sharp knife, measuring cups. Ingredients 7 cups of rolled oats 1 cup of unsweetened Cacao ½ cup sugar (or a natural sweetener – Stevia/Monkfruit/maple Syrup/Dates) 1 litre of milk (any variety is fine) 12 heaped teaspoons of Nutella 12 tablespoons of vanilla yoghurt (use YoPro for a protein hit) Strawberries. Method In a large mixing bowl combine oats, cacao and sugar. Mix well to combine. Add the milk and stir well. Allow to sit for 10 minutes. To each mason jar, scoop ½ cup of the oat mixture. Top each with one heaped teaspoon of Nutella and one tablespoon of vanilla yoghurt. Screw the mason jars lids on. Refrigerate at least overnight. Immediately before serving, slice a strawberry in half and place on top of the yoghurt. Enjoy!  

In Term 4 we travelled to St Brigid’s Catholic College to battle other Central Coast Schools in the Josie Mitchell Debating Competition. After our Year 10 debating team had to step down from this event due to a conflict with camp, Year 9 eagerly took on the challenge. Our team put in a lot of work preparing for the big day and it paid off early with a convincing win against Green Point Christian College. The boys then carried this momentum into their second debate and came away with another big win against St Peter's Catholic College which ensured their entry into the final. In the final debate, our team were given an hour to prepare for their topic and after a close back and forth with Green Point Christian College they were named runners up. Congratulations to William Lynch, William Conners, Lawrence Ure, Max Bayss, and Matthew Kirkland on their ability to think critically about a range of difficult topics and articulate their ideas in a mature and sophisticated manner.  

On a sunny Tuesday 29 November, the Year 11 Sports, Lifestyle and Recreation students travelled to Manly Beach to contest the Broken Bay Championships. The morning started well, with calm conditions making for competitive games. The team got off to a great start, breezing past St Brigid’s Catholic College, winning two sets to nil. They then encountered a more competitive Mater Maria Catholic College team who pushed the boys early in the first set. We again won comfortably, three sets to nil. By mid-morning, the southerly had whipped up and made conditions very tricky playing into the wind. Our toughest game of the day would be against St Paul’s Catholic College. The boys had some luck, winning the toss and playing with the wind. They got a great start, skipping to an early lead, but St Paul’s hung in there and we won a close first set. In the second, St Paul’s used the wind to their advantage and comfortably won the second set. The boys regrouped, and started the third and final set strongly, using the wind to dominate the opening points. St Paul’s struggled and at the change of ends, could not fight back. The boys winning a close game, two sets to one. In our final game, we played St Leo’s Catholic College. The team was aware that a win would clinch them the title but started slowly, with Leo’s winning some easy points. However, the team kicked into gear and cruised to win convincingly, two sets to nil. In what could be the last ever Broken Bay Beach Volleyball Championships – our boys came out on top. The team consisted of: Sione Ofahengaue, Tom Lawton, Jesse Brazier, Flynn Cosgrove, Blaine McIntosh, Harry Mitchell, Tobias Nolan, Riki Smith, Alex Vitoros and Tahj Werner.    

NSWCCC Blue's Award On Monday night, Parker Robinson in Year 12 and Sebastian Plaister in Year 12, were awarded the prestigious NSWCCC Blue’s Award at a presentation ceremony at MacKillop Catholic College, Warnervale. Parker was recognised for achievements this year in Baseball, culminating in his selection in the All-Australian Baseball team. Sebastian was recognised for his achievements in Touch Football at the National Youth Championships. It was great to see their parents attend the ceremony to accept their awards on behalf of the boys who are celebrating their end-of-school festivities. Well done to both of you on a tremendous achievement. [caption id="attachment_41767" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Luke Parker and Sebastian Plaister Recipients of the NSWCCC Blue's Award[/caption]   Coming Up in Sport - Early 2023 Term 1 Week Event Venue Date 1 College Swimming Carnival Information to be emailed to parents and students in coming weeks.  Registration for competitive races will be via link sent in email PLC Woy Woy Friday 3 February 2023 3 NSWCCC Opens Softball Selections Stanhope Gardens Tuesday 14 February 2023 3 BBSSSA Opens Touch Football Doyalson Tuesday 14 February 2023 4 NSWCCC Opens Cricket Selections Riverwood Tuesday 21 and Wednesday 22 February 2023 4 BBSSSA Under 15's Touch Football Northern Beaches Tuesday 21 February 2023 4 NSW All Schools Triathlon Penrith Regatta Centre Individual and Teams - Thursday 23 and Friday 24 February 2023 5 NSWCCC Opens Tennis Selection Parramatta Monday 27 February 2023 6 NSWCCC Opens Baseball Selections Castle Glen Tuesday 7 March 2023   * For all NSWCCC Selections and NSW All Schools Triathlon (Individual) events, students are required to register via the CSNSW website. You will need to ‘create account,’ if you do not have one OR ‘login’ using your existing account (NSWCCC or Polding). Once logged in, click on ‘register my child’ and follow the directions to register your son. Please be aware that these initial sports have closing dates to register. ** For the above Broken Bay (BBSSSA) events, College teams will attend. Information regarding these teams will be in the Daily Notices in Week 1 & 2 next year.

See the links below for the latest in Traineeships, Apprenticeships and Job Opportunities. Administration Trainee-Cert III Business Administration The Skill Engineer Ltd is seeking a recent Year 12 school leaver to join our team for a Full Time Traineeship commencing in January 2023 Certificate III Business Administration Fantastic opportunity to earn while you learn Gain qualifications and skills for a pathway to a future admin career Fast paced busy office environment Positive and energetic team culture Office located in Gosford   Send resume to Debbie Thompson Work Placement Manager debbie.thompson@theskillengineer.com.au 0490 513 317   First Year Apprentice - Air conditioning and Refrigeration Access Engineering Systems has the role for one 1st year apprentice available within our company. The role is for the Cert 111 certificate in Air conditioning and refrigeration which is done in 4 years with 3 years at TAFE and 1 year on the job in your 4th year. TAFE is offered at either Ultimo or Newcastle and you attend once a week for the first three years. You are paid above award wages with our company. We are looking for someone with a drivers license (or in the process of getting it), need to be reliable, prompt, take directions & follow directions, good listener, and be very positive about working within a team environment. Even though the work is mainly on the Central Coast, there will always be the chance of having to go to Newcastle or Sydney for work, which would normally be with another technician from on the Central Coast. Starting in the first week in January. Uniforms and basic safety gear are provided by the company. Any queries please contact me direct on either my email or phone Email – tim.l@accessengineering.systems Phone - 0450601696   Apprenticeships available at Crossmuller:  Sheetmetal Light Fabrication, Truck Body Building, CNC Machinist, Boilermaker, Fitter, Electrician   Click for More Information for Above Apprenticeships       Electrical Apprenticeships at Transgrid Transgrid Apprenticeship Brochure 2024 Intake with EOI       Roof Plumbing Apprenticeships Arc Metal Roofing have positions available for 2 Roof Plumbing Apprentices. Work is on the Central Coast and Northern Beaches Sydney. Please call for more information 0407905684 Brent ARC Metal Roofing     2 Apprentice Butcher Positions   Singletons Butchery are looking to employ 2 x Butcher Apprentices in 2023. Singos Meats as we are known, is a Family owned and operated business trading for over 56 years on the Central Coast. We offer a wide variety of experience in the trade with a solid reliable business history. Successful candidates are to be employed under the Meat Industry Award of 2020 for reference. The apprentices will work from our Erina site, 1/155 Central Coast Highway Erina. Anyone interested in this opportunity should apply in writing via email:  Attention Steve Twitchin General Manager steve@singos.com.au Phone: 0425362444   Hard Yards Landscapes 1st Year Apprenticeship in Horticulture Suited to students in Years 10,11 or 12 1st Year Apprentice job opportunity: Parks & Gardens (Horticulture) Central Coast area Duties include all aspects of garden design, gardening, lawn care and property maintenance, landscaping, including but not limited too: mowing, brush cutting, hedging, blowing, mulching, planting, turf install and rubbish removal. This position requires someone who values a high standard of workmanship and loyalty, has a strong work ethic and a positive attitude. Experience not necessary but is a bonus, preferably holds a current drivers license and must be willing to have a Police check & NDIS check as some of our sites require this to be able to attend job site. Must have white card. Wages negotiated on experience Monthly bonus Great working conditions Please email resume and cover letter to hardyardsgardens@hotmail.com PH: 0434 579 159   Avoca Beach Butchery - Apprenticeship Do you have an interest in cooking and eating food?  Well this apprenticeship could be for you. Avoca Beach Butchery is offering a 3 year Butchery Apprenticeship.  All costs associated with the apprenticeship are covered by the employer Onsite hands on learning. Hours 7.30 am-6.00 pm Monday to Friday, 7.00 am-1.00 pm Saturday, but are flexible. If you would like to give it go call Adam today for a work trial to see if it's for you. Ph: 43810643  Mobile: 0406622040  

Welcome to our new St Edward's College fathering project 'Male Connect’. This group is essentially the same as our previous ‘Fathering Project’ group, but with a different name. Every new year in first term, we will run an event for our new Year 7 cohort, next one February 2023! This will involve all Year 7 students and their fathers, father figures and significant male role models to join us for a fun night of activity. 2023 will see us try our engineering skills in making paper planes while enjoying a slice of pizza (I hear the pizza grease can help). There will be a small talk from a guest speaker and then crowning glory for the longest flight of a paper plane. We also want to continue this connection with our Year 8 and Year 9 students through a possible camp activity. We are still working on this, but keep your eyes and ears open for upcoming information on that. We look forward to 2023 and the new endeavours that will ensue. Until next time, here is some great information that will continue to help us grow and be better carers of the children we love: An excerpt from an article by: Graeme Stuart - Lecturer (Family Action Centre, Newcastle Uni), blogger (Sustaining Community), Alternatives to Violence Project facilitator, environmentalist, father. Passionate about families, community development, peace, sustainability. Authoritative Parenting Authoritative parents are high on control and demandingness, and also high on responsiveness and warmth. They set clear standards for their children but accept “a reciprocal responsibility to be as responsive as possible to their children’s reasonable demands and points of views” [3, p. 46]. The authoritative style of parenting can be described as democratic with parents being willing to discuss options and to negotiate rules and expectations. When children fail to meet these expectations, the parents respond in a nurturing and forgiving way rather than simply imposing punishment (About Education). Baumrind[2] suggests that authoritative parent Monitor and impart clear standards for their children’s conduct. They are assertive, but not intrusive and restrictive. Their disciplinary methods are supportive, rather than punitive. They want their children to be assertive as well as socially responsible, and self-regulated as well as cooperative (p. 62). According to About Education authoritative parents: Listen to their children Encourage independence Place limits, consequences and expectations on their children’s behavior Express warmth and nurturance Allow children to express opinions Encourage children to discuss options Administer fair and consistent discipline. The authoritative parenting style is often associated with positive outcomes for children such as social competence, psychological flexibility and success at school [2, 7, 11-13]. Maccoby [14] suggests that the positive outcomes associated with authoritative parenting is related to parents focusing on the best interests of the child (even if it means setting aside some of their own interests) while also insisting the child takes responsibility (increasing as they grow) for responding to the needs of other family members. (In the next post I will discuss some of the criticisms of these parenting styles and the importance of recognising other influences on outcomes for children.) Webinar Opportunity for Parents    

Please see below all correspondence emailed home in Term 4 2022, including COVID information and STUDENT POSITIVE RESULT reporting link.   Please notify the College of a positive student test result via the following link: FORM: Report Positive Student Covid-19 Test   COVID-19 Update and Continued COVID-smart Measures As advised by NSW Health, COVID smart measures continue to be in place and are vital in allowing us to keep our school operational while prioritising student and staff wellbeing. These measures include: Staying home if unwell and/or showing any symptoms Mask-wearing strongly encouraged, particularly when indoors and/or when physical distancing is not possible, and on public transport Using rapid antigen tests (RATs) when showing symptoms or exposed to COVID19 NSW Health are also encouraging everyone in the community to continue to register positive RATS with Service NSW to ensure they receive timely support and advice, including access to Antivirals for those eligible.     Correspondence Sent Home Semester 2 Reports - Sent 14 December 2022 2023 Fee Schedule = Sent 13 December 2022 Year 10 Mock Interviews - Sent 28 November 2022 Year 10 Minimum Standards Testing - Sent 21 November 2022 Year 10 Future Ready Program - Sent 10 November 2022 RAP Parent Letter - Sent 17 November 2022 Year 10 2022 Laptop Advice - Sent 10 November 2022 Year 11 2022 Laptop Advice - Sent 10 November 2022 Year 12 2023 Letter to Parents - Sent 9 November 2022 2022 Year 8 Camp Packing List and Information - Sent 9 November 2022 Year 8 Camp Consent Form - Sent 27 October 2022 Work Experience - Year 10 Minimum Standards - Sent 25 October 2022 Year 12 2023, eBook Elevate Education - Sent 20 October 2022 Uniform Compliance - Sent 19 October 2022 Vaccination Letter to Parents - Sent 19 October 2022 Parent Consultation Meetings - Sent 18 October 2022 Year 12 (2023) Parent Information Evening Information - Sent 17 October 2022 Parent COVID Update Term 4 2022 - Sent 17 October 2022 Year 10 Camp Information and Consent Form - Sent 14 October 2022 Student Led Conferences Years 7 to 11 - Sent 11 October 2022