Late in Term 2, I had the pleasure of joining Mr Gentle and six of our Year 10 and 11 students; Brayden Hickey, Jagger Allen, Harry Martin, Will Drennan, Sam Beatson and Kai Wheelock, in an online student-led Sustainability Conference.   St Edward’s was amongst twelve other NSW public and private schools to come together and share what each of their schools are currently doing to promote a more ecological and sustainable school environment. Students from each school were given the opportunity to present throughout the day on what environmental initiatives were working at their schools and areas that needed improvement.  It was a collaborative and informative conference and a great opportunity for our students to engage with other schools. A highlight was a talk given by Costa Georgiadis - he gave a passionate presentation inspiring the boys to continue to care for their environment in their schools as future custodians of the planet. Costa suggested we engage with our community - we have specialists in our community, our parents, carers, aunts, uncles, grandparents etc. We have an opportunity to brainstorm and learn from our peers.  An active community = a supportive community. Our students reflected on the day and came up with an action plan to be achieved by 2025.  The main goal of this action plan is to change the culture within the school so that most students support the environmental initiatives that are in place, with Trash Free Tuesday being one of these initiatives. We look forward to discussing and sharing these ideas at our next portfolio meeting and introducing other initiatives at the College.  We seek to create an awareness that will follow students beyond school life and into their households.  If there are parents or carers who have any ideas or feedback that they would like to share with the portfolio, please email Mr Gentle mgentle@stedwards.nsw.edu.au Mrs Kylie Beynon Environment, Sport and Wellbeing Committee Member Trash Free Tuesday - Mufti Day Students are encouraged to wear mufti (casual) clothes in conjunction with Trash Free Tuesday on Tuesday 4 August,  but to do so students must bring a trash free lunch.  If students do not have a trash free lunch on the day but are wearing mufti, they are asked to make a gold coin donation or alternatively be given a clean up slip.  Money collected will be used to go towards purchasing another filtered water station for the College. Trash Free Tuesday’s main message is to reduce single use plastics and to encourage healthy lunchbox options.  

Last semester, Year 9 Elective Music students were asked to present a song or instrumental as part of a small ensemble (a group of 4-5 players). Students were able to choose a simple 3-4 chord song to work on in practice rooms and collaborate on how to interpret the song and create a structure for the arrangement. The boys should be very proud of their efforts. [embed]https://youtu.be/Z-poWJ7nIm0[/embed]    

In the last week of Term 2, a select group of 50 students across all seven Year 8 French classes were invited to attend a special French brunch, served at recess by Mademoiselle Ribal and Madame Maloney as a reward for their outstanding effort and enthusiasm during the first semester. The classroom was reconfigured and decorated to resemble a French café, with French music playing to enhance the ambience. On the menu were croissants, brioche et crêpes au chocolat, fraises et raisins (strawberries and grapes), and delicacies including macarons and home-made tartes aux pommes (French apple tarts), all washed down with jus d'orange (orange juice). Mr Sutton and Mr Sullivan also attended, and there was plenty to go around, it was thoroughly enjoyed by all! The boys worked hard to earn this treat by accumulating 'effort and enthusiasm' points, which they will continue to do during Terms 3 and 4. Mme Maloney and Mlle Ribal look forward to hosting this event again (hopefully at the end of each term) and seeing some new faces in their café to say 'merci' and 'félicitations' and wish them 'bon appétit'!   [smallgallery fooid="25747"]

Sport in Term 3 College Athletics Carnival We unfortunately had to postpone our College Athletics Carnival until Tuesday 22 September (Week 10). Fingers crossed this will give our Year 12 boys an opportunity to compete at their last College carnival. Representative Sport Term 3 At the moment we are following information and guidelines from Broken Bay (BBSSSA) and NSWCCC (CSNSW) in regards to representative sport: BBSSSA (www.brokenbaysport.org.au) Cancelled: Under 13 Rugby League Gala Day Junior/Intermediate Basketball Athletics The following events are currently planned to go ahead this term and early next term: Golf Surfing (Term 4) Waterpolo (Term 4) Tennis (Term 4) Beach Volleyball (Term 4) Surf Lifesaving (Term 4) CSNSW (https://csnsw.sport/) All representative sporting events for Terms 3 and 4 have been cancelled. These include: Hockey Teams Athletics Junior/Intermediate Basketball NSW All Schools Athletics (click here for more information) Currently this event is still going ahead (Thurs 20 – Sun 24 Sept) This is not a school based event, students must register themselves and notify the College if they are going to be absent from school. We do not receive notification of student entries from NSW Athletics.

Macquarie University - Early Entry Scheme If you’re thinking about studying at Macquarie, have already been performing well at school in Year 11 and can demonstrate initiative and commitment through leadership, community, sport, or casual work activities, you can apply directly to Macquarie through the Leaders and Achievers Early Entry Scheme.   For more information see the link below. Macquarie University - Early Entry Scheme     TAFE are running a course on Introduction in Individual Support that will pathway to traineeships with Aged & Disability industry partners, also take a look at the TAFE NSW Student Resource guide. Click here for the TAFE link   TAFE NSW Student Resource Guide     Newcastle University Degree Webinars We have over 40 webinars covering a wide variety of degrees and study areas, as well as sessions on careers, enabling pathways, accommodation and scholarships. Students will have the opportunity to hear from University of Newcastle academics and current students who will be sharing key information such as degree overviews, work integrated learning opportunities, career outcomes and time for Q&A. To view and register, please visit www.newcastle.edu.au/degree-webinar-series   Apprenticeship Opportunities – Join Sydney Trains in 2021!  Are you looking to start a new career where you can combine hands on practical learning with theoretical technical training that will develop your skills and set you up with a well paid job and rewarding career for life? Then becoming a Sydney Trains apprentice could be just for you. 2021 Apprenticeship Opportunities   Lots of parents don't realise that students can study a vocational course at school, still get an ATAR and go to university, that they can start an apprenticeship at school, or that VET graduates start on higher wages than most univeristy graduates. In fact a lot of parents don't really know what VET is, full stop. The Australian Parents Council is determined to try and help change this, so that parents can help their kids make smart choices about their future. And with everything that young people are facing at the moment as they venture into an uncertain world, there's never been a better time to help parents understand the full range of options available to kids in school and beyond. So we are pleased to invite parents to be part of our free VET Myth busters webinar on Thursday August 27 7.30-9.30pm AEST. The session is designed to answer parent questions about what vocational education and training is, and aims to provide up to date, relevant information so parents can help guide their kids into a rewarding career. We'll explore the choices available to students, alternative career paths, apprenticeships and work placements, support for trainees, and the flexible options to help kids upskill and get ready for work. Our panel of industry experts, training providers and careers advisors will be ready to answers everyone's questions. You can submit questions to the panel ahead of time via media@austparents.edu.au. The webinar is open to all parents and students across Australia. Simply register via https://austparents.edu.au/event/vet-mythbusters-a-parents-guide-to-vocational-education-and-training/  

2021 Admissions A reminder that following the announcement by NESA that HSC results will be released at 6am Friday 18 December, some of UAC’s key dates for Year 12's have change.  See the link below for more information.   UAC Latest News

The College Canteen operates five days a week for recess and lunch. It is operated by Fresh Food Fast Catering and run by owner Jackie Stansfield. Special Dietary Requirements If your child has a Gluten Free diet, a selection of meals are available to order on Flexischools.  These items are clearly marked as Gluten Free on the Flexischool website, and incur an additional $1 charge. Term 3 Menu Click the links below to see the latest menus. General Menu Semester 2   Specials Semester 2    

Six nightmare habits that are ruining teenagers' sleep Many teenagers today are sleep deprived. They should be getting between nine and 10 hours sleep each night, yet most get only seven or eight hours. Some get less. Sleep deprivation is akin to jet lag. It causes young people not to function at their optimum. It can be the cause of poor behaviour, mental health problems and low functioning in the classroom. Sleep maximises the brain growth that occurs during adolescence. It also consolidates learning. Sleep research has shown that when a young person is asleep, the brain practises what it has learned during the day. So sufficient sleep consolidates past learning as well as keeping a young person fresh to maximise their future learning. Sleep experts stress that while adults may not have control over biology we can assist young people to establish good sleep patterns. The first step is to eradicate some of their bad habits, starting with the following: 1. Being glued to a digital screen The digital devices a young person uses to roam through cyberspace are as addictive as cocaine, with similar arousal effects as well. The blue light emitted by mobile devices stimulates the brain into keeping kids awake well into the night. Tip: Get your kids away from digital devices at least 90 minutes before bedtime. 2. Doing homework in bed The brain associates activity with location. When young people are at their desks in school it’s easy to get into study mode. They associate learning and productive activity with their classroom and its furnishings. The same principle applies at home. If they fire up their laptops and work while on their beds, it is hard for them to mentally switch off from their schoolwork when the light finally goes out. Tip: Keep homework out of bedrooms. If they must work in their rooms, confine study to a desk. 3. Spending all day indoors Moping around the house is a huge part of the adolescent experience. However, spending all day away from natural light is shown to lead to anxiety and depression, which are both causes and symptoms of lack of sleep. Put a cap on moping about and encourage them to go outside – take a walk, meet a mate, do an errand. Tip: A minimum of hour outside a day helps keep insomnia at bay. 4. Sleeping in late on weekends The sleep–wake cycle for teenagers is delayed by up to two hours. That is, they get sleepy later and wake later than when they were children. In most teens, melatonin – which makes them sleepy – is secreted around 11 pm. Cortisol, the chemical that wakes them up, is secreted at 8.15 am for many. So the adolescent brain wants to be asleep just when most them need to be waking up to go to school. Many teenagers catch up on this lost sleep on the weekend. However, if your teen is sleeping in until midday on weekends then his whole sleep cycle is being thrown out of whack. Tip: Keep sleep-ins to no more than an hour longer than normal to keep the sleep clock operating on a regular basis. 5. Talking on their mobile phones A mobile is an extension of the person for most teens. Unfortunately, there’s no getting away from the fact that mobile phones may be harming our health. One study (https://www.emf-portal.org/en/article/15274) found that radiation thrown off by mobile phones can seriously throw off sleep in heavy phone users. The study found that regular mobile phone users reported more headaches, took longer to fall asleep and had difficulty experiencing a deep sleep. Tip: Encourage young people to limit the length of their calls and place a moratorium on mobile use 90 minutes before bedtime. 6. Consuming caffeine and other stimulants It’s a familiar story. It’s seven o’clock in the evening and your teenager hasn’t started a big assignment that’s due the next day. Needing to stay awake for the big job ahead, she drinks a coffee or a caffeinated soft drink or two to keep her adrenaline high. Consuming caffeine in any form after dinner is like throwing a wrecking ball through regular sleep patterns. The brain needs to calm down rather than be artificially stimulated if sleep is to occur. Tip: Confine caffeinated drinks to mornings to minimise their impact on sleep. According to beyondblue, one in seven teenagers experiences a mental health disorder. Many experts agree that if they were to choose only one strategy to improve young people’s wellbeing it would be to increase the quality and quantity of sleep that teenagers have. That’s how important sleep is to a young person’s wellbeing.

Nationally Consistent Collection of Data of School Students with Disability. All schools must complete the NCCD.  Legislation requires that every year, each school must collect information for each student receiving an adjustment due to disability.

2020 Non-Government School Census Collection Notice The Australian Government provides funding to Australian schools under the Australian Education Act 2013 (AE Act). The AE Act and the associated Australian Education Regulation 2013 (the AE Regulation) require that a school authority provides the Australian Government with certain information about the school, its staff, and student body to ensure the school’s funding is properly calculated and appropriately managed. See the link below for more information 2020 Census Privacy Notice