An Afternoon With the Bishop of Broken Bay On 25 November our Prefect Group spent an afternoon online with other Year 12 students from the diocese. They listened to guest speakers from each College and discussed these speeches before supplying replies online to the meeting. Our College Captain Michael Holmes and Vice Captains Owen Bradstreet and Luke Richards, made contributions on behalf of St Edward’s to the gathering. The Bishop of Broken Bay took some time to explain the 'Road to Emmaus' gospel story and encouraged students to make a big effort to reconnect after this lockdown period. The afternoon was a great way to understand the diversity of schools in the Broken Bay Diocese. Mr Tony Beacroft Director of Mission  

Thank you to the students and staff who signed up and supported this year’s Movember campaign.  The St Eddie’s Team raised $3,693 and the team activity reached 472 kilometres! The Movember website lists the final results under our team page Click Here Their fundraising and activity efforts should be congratulated and celebrated!  You have made a difference to the men in your lives by creating conversations and helping to raise awareness for men’s health and wellbeing. Thank you to participants and supporters: Participants Ronan Grattan - Year 11 Luke Richards - Year 11 Wilheim Hieber - Year 11 Thomas Perham - Year 7 Aiden Blackman - Year 11 Louis Whyatt - Year 11 Mr Frank Samyia - College Staff Marcus Missio-Spiteri - College Staff Mr Lachlan Butt – College Staff Mr Gav Hannelly – College Staff Mr Paul Sullivan – College Staff Mrs Kylie Beynon – College Staff Supporters Christian Rose - Year 11 Owen Bradstreet -  Year 11 Cooper Lord - Year 11 Will Hodder - Year 10 Ryan Collings - Year 11 Mitchell Brooks - Past Student Oliver Chippendale - Past Student Mr Michael Gentle – College Staff Mr Mark Reynolds – College Staff Mrs Vanessa Henderson – College Staff Thank you to the parents, carers and staff who made donations to the St Edward's College Team.    

The Visual Arts department is extremely proud to announce that HSC student Jaden Beard has been selected for ARTEXPRESS 2021. ARTEXPRESS is an annual series of exhibitions of exemplary artworks created by New South Wales Visual Arts students for the Higher School Certificate examination. Jaden received extremely high marks for his Body of Work that was contemporary and thought provoking.  Despite the challenges of completing the majority of the work during lockdown, Jaden displayed immense initiative and determination to not only complete the work, but to an extremely high standard.  We wish Jaden a huge congratulations and wish him all the best. Sacré Jaden Beard 2021 Sacré is an immersive installation that explores my experience and personal response to the ocean.  The film, soundscape and lightboxes represent my thoughts and feelings as I move weightlessly below the surface.  The audience is called to reflect on their experience of the natural world as they are drawn into the ‘sacred’ space created.  The ocean becomes a place of worship, which I aim to imitate for my audience.

A big thank you to all involved in last Friday’s Liturgy and Assembly. The opportunity to bless and farewell all our Year 12’s, to recognise our academic, cultural and sporting leaders and to do so in the company of parents and carers was very special, given the circumstances. The presentations and informal conversations reflected a culmination of genuine relationships with our Year 12’s, who are to be congratulated on their collective achievements. A big congratulations to our combined Dux recipients, Samuel Schweinheim and Lennox Taylor. A special thank you to all the parents and carers in attendance and your support throughout your son's schooling at St Edward’s. Thank you to Mr Beacroft for preparing the Liturgy, Mr Jackson English for coordinating the evening, Mr Toole and Mrs Emmett for coordinating the music, Mr Olbromski our IT specialist, to Mrs Donnelly, Mrs Armstrong, Mrs Francis, Mrs Beynon and Mrs Williams, thank you for all your work behind the scenes organising the Portfolio’s and Mrs Ginsburg for organising the College gifts the boys received. Thank you to our MC’s Mrs Connors and Mr Summerhayes for running a seamless evening, Mr Marks for his help with the award presentations and staff in attendance. Good luck Year 12, Class of 2021, you have been here longer than any other cohort and will be missed. Mr Eamonn McCauley Year 12 Pastoral Leader   Clink Here to View the Recording of the Live Stream   Presentation and Award Recipients   Images from the Liturgy and Awards Assembly [smallgallery fooid="34565"]   Images from the Graduation  [smallgallery fooid="34768"]

Due to COVID, we once again have not been able to conduct our annual Christmas Liturgy with the College community. This liturgy on the last day is normally a joyous celebration that includes communal singing of Christmas carols. In its place this year, we included prayers and some other visual items at the beginning of our Academic Awards Ceremony for Years 7-11. These prayers were led by the newly elected Prefects and they were well received by the College community. Following the Liturgy, our Academic Awards Ceremony took place.  We would like to congratulate our award recipients for their dedication to their studies during 2021. Special mention must go to the students who received our special and memorial awards for their outstanding community, academic and sporting achievements throughout the year.  A list of all recipients is below. Award Recipients   Click Here for the Recording of the Live Stream to the Years 7 to 9 Assembly   Click Here for the Recording of the Live Stream to the Years 10 and 11 Assembly   Images from the Years 7 to 9 Liturgy and Assembly [smallgallery fooid="34643"]   Images from the Years 10 and 11 Liturgy and Assembly [smallgallery fooid="34713"]

Reflection As our lives seem distant and disjointed, we remember that God is always close and in this divine closeness we are one no matter where we sit. We are living through a period of deep disruption, chaos and anxiety. The things and people we hold most dear have been separated from us and the normal order of life has been utterly upended. The prophet Elijah was in a similar place. Rejected by his people, chased by his government, he was the last prophet in the land of Israel. Lonely and afraid, disconnected and heartbroken, Elijah waits for God. God does not arrive in wind. God does not arrive in an earthquake. God does not arrive in a fire. The creator of all that is and was and is to come, is present in the gentle whisper. God is in the gentle whisper. Though the wind rages, the earth shakes and fire scorches all we see, God will be there, close enough to whisper peace to our weary hearts. As we navigate this pandemic, may we remember the absolute tenderness and perpetual closeness of God. In all the chaos and fear, God is always close enough that we can hear the divine whisper in our hearts. God of silence and stillness, we trust you are with us in this time of noise and chaos. We pray for an end to this pandemic. Whisper your words of comfort, encouragement and hope to all during this Christmas season. Poem by Kitty O'Meara - Relevant to Today's Times And people stayed home and read books and listened and rested and exercised and made art and played and learned new ways of being and stopped and listened deeper someone meditated someone prayed someone danced someone met their shadow and people began to think differently and people healed and in the absence of people who lived in ignorant ways, dangerous, meaningless and heartless, even the earth began to heal and when the danger ended and people found each other grieved for the dead people and they made new choices and dreamed of new visions and created new ways of life and healed the earth completely just as they were healed themselves. A reading from the first book of Kings. "And the word of the LORD came to [Elijah]: 'What are you doing here, Elijah?' He replied, 'I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.' The LORD said, 'Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.' Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, 'What are you doing here, Elijah?'" (1 Kings 19, NIV).

The New South Wales Education Standards Authority (NESA) has developed the Disability Provisions program to assist students completing the HSC examinations, who have a special examination need. This may be related to a physical condition, mental health issue, visual impairment, hearing loss or difficulty in reading and/or writing. The Authority aims to offer practical support to students with higher needs by providing provisions, such as separate supervision, extra time to rest/read/write, writers and/or readers. On behalf of these students the College makes an application online to NESA submitting specific supporting documentation. When a final decision has been made, NESA will send both the College and student written notification of the approved and/or declined provisions. Please be aware that if you have been granted the use of special examination provisions by the College for internal examinations and assessments, this does not automatically deem that you will be eligible for the same provisions in the HSC examinations. In completing the application process, evidence of the special examination need must be included, such as, medical evidence, timed essay samples, reading test results, in addition to relevant subject teacher comments. Please note that these applications should be submitted online to NESA by the end of Term 1, 2022, but can also be applied for up to the day prior to the commencement of the formal, external HSC exams. If your son wishes to apply for these special examination provisions for the HSC exams, you should contact me, Leader of Learning - Diverse Learning, Ms Kiekebosch, before the end of this term. If you have any queries regarding the above, please do not hesitate to contact me, either by phone or email at the College. Ms B Kiekebosch Leader of Learning Diverse Learning bkiekebosch@stedwards.nsw.edu.au  

Representative Sport Updates Information for Representative Sport 2022 can now be found from the one central website – CSNSW Sport https://csnsw.sport/   Broken Bay BBSSSA Sport On the homepage, scroll down to Diocese/Associations and click on Broken Bay (Secondary). This website will give you access to all the current information for each Broken Bay Sport including dates, venues, information regarding teams and an up-to-date calendar. Broken Bay Representative Sports (Pathway – via a College team) Touch Football Under 15 and Opens Swimming Rugby League Under 15 and Opens Soccer Opens Cross Country Athletics   (CCC) CSNSW Sport On the homepage, scroll down to Sport Search. Step 1:  Click on CCC and Step 2: Select the Sport. This website will give you access to all the current information for each Broken Bay Sport including dates, venues, information regarding teams and an up-to-date calendar. It is also the central location that you can register your son for pathway and non-pathway sports. CSNSW Representative Sports (Non-pathway – registration only) Softball Opens Cricket Opens Tennis Opens Baseball Opens Volleyball Opens Waterpolo Opens Golf Opens Rugby Union Under 16 and Opens Basketball Opens AFL Years 8-10 Soccer/Football Under 16’s Hockey Under 16 and Opens   NSW All Schools (Non-pathway – registration only) Triathlon – Individual and Teams (Jun, Inter, Opens) Sailing Volleyball Under 15’s Canoeing 2022 BBSSSA Calendar     NSWCCC Draft 2022 Calendar    

A reminder that ATARs will be released at 9 am on Thursday 20 January 2022 to give students as much time as possible to finalise their preferences by midnight on Friday 21 January for January Round 2.   January Round 2, on Wednesday 26 January, is the first offer round for Year 12 students based on ATAR and IB results. How? Log in via UAC's website. Students will need their NESA Year 12 student number and UAC PIN to log in. When students view their ATAR, remind them to download their official ATAR Advice Notice. It's free until Monday 28 March 2022: after this date they’ll need to buy it from the UAC Shop at a cost of $60. 2021 ACT Year 12 students The ACT Board of Senior Secondary Studies (ACTBSSS) issues the ACT Senior Secondary Certificate and Tertiary Entrance Statement (including ATAR). Students can collect them from your college. The date they will be available is still to be confirmed by ACTBSSS. ACT Year 12 students can also access their ATAR by logging in to UAC's website from 9am on Thursday 20 January 2022. They will need their Year 12 student number and UAC PIN. Information about the calculation of the ACT ATAR is available from the ACT Board of Senior Secondary Studies. ATAR Enquiry Centre The ATAR Enquiry Centre will be open for students who have queries about the calculation of their ATAR from 8.30am on the following days : Thursday 20 January Friday 21 January Monday 24 January Tuesday 25 January Wednesday 26 January. Call 1300 MY ATAR (1300 692 827) or (02) 9119 5012. UAC PIN reminder Every year one of the biggest issues for students at ATAR release is their login details, so remind students to have their NESA student number and UAC PIN ready on the day. If they’ve lost their Year 12 student number, call NESA on 1300 13 83 23. If they’ve lost their UAC PIN, call UAC on (02) 9752 0200. Students who have applied through UAC can reset their UAC PIN using the 'Forgotten your PIN?' link on the application login page. If students are having problems logging in to the UAC application, the quickest and easiest way for them to get help is to call UAC Customer Service on (02) 9752 0200, 8.30am to 4.30pm Monday to Friday. We don't reply to email requests for login details as we need to identify the sender before giving out this information.   For More Information Click Here

Timber Merchandising, Sales or Warehousing Trainee – Certificate III in Timber Building Products Supply This qualification reflects the role of people who undertake activities related to timber warehousing, transport and distribution and customer sales in the timber wholesales, hardware and timber supply and/or timber manufacturing sectors. Click for More Information Regarding the Traineeship - Timber Building Product Supply     Trainee Manager  Freight Specialists Pty Ltd Gosford & Central Coast Manufacturing, Transport & Logistics Warehousing, Storage & Distribution $55,000 - $69,999 + superannuation Full time Trainee Manager - Click for More Information         Federal Government 2022 Scholarship Scheme The Scheme is still with the Government being approved for 2022, so we have no exact dates or funding figures yet, but I have attached the 2021 information fact sheet to give you a bit of an idea. In short – You will be applying for funding to help cover your V.E.T course fees or you can use the funding for eligible expenses (fact sheet attached). The application process is simple. We just need your details. There are no questions to answer. The criteria is based on the course you are doing, and where you live. You could receive up to $13,000 for a full time 2 year course This does not apply to University Degrees or Traineeships or Apprenticeships, it only applies to anyone completing at Cert 111, Cert 1V, Diploma or Advanced Diploma. To apply you must live in the Gosford Region – I have attached a list of applicable suburbs, it is a very broad area. Please send your expressions of interest to: Regional Scholarship Co-ordinator Zoe Goddard Via – email – zoe.goddard@busyatwork.com.au Please note your: Name Address Phone Number Course details (you don’t have to be enrolled in the course yet – please just note the course you are considering applying for). Click for More Information: CSYP Fact Sheet   Business Administration/Reception Traineeship We’ve got a super versatile opportunity for someone that’s motivated, friendly and ready to learn. We’re on the lookout for a new Business Trainee to man our front desk and be a reception rockstar! Click Here For More Information   Clink the link for the latest from the Job Board JOB BOARD       CTQ Enrolment Form 2.10     Year 12 graduate with skills in social media and IT Local Artists looking for help promoting their not for profit educational project. Details below: Migration heritage educational project called The Migration as Art Museum. See film for more information. https://vimeo.com/555951008  Link to apps for the future Museum  https://izi.travel/en/ea5c-migration-as-art-museum/e All collaboration can be done online. Great for your resume for future employment Send resume or any questions to: Stephen Copland migrationasartmuseum@gmail.com  

Parents are known for putting their children’s needs ahead of their own. With the mantra of ‘be involved’ in your child’s life a dominant parenting message, it’s now common for parents to neglect their own social and wellbeing to give their children the best possible start in life. This selfless approach is commendable, but questionable if it means you are constantly stretched, stressed and tired. Parenting is draining. Kids by their very nature take more than they give. Even the most loving, affectionate child will exhaust you at times so it’s important to replenish, refresh and reinvigorate yourself. Parenting author Maggie Dent says, “If we don’t care for ourselves, not only do we run the risk of parenting less effectively and compassionately, but we are not modelling self-care for our children.” Taking time for yourself seems obvious, however, the reality for many parents is that they are hard-wired to prioritise the wellbeing of others. Start by giving yourself permission. Setting strict boundaries around key self-care activities help to make sure self-care happens. Turning occasional self-care into an ongoing habit is a great way to make sure you look after yourself. First, you need to give yourself permission to prioritise mental health and wellbeing, at least some of the time. So, what self-care activities should you be prioritising? Get Physical Exercise is great for both mind and body. It releases endorphins, the feel-good hormone that enhances mood and helps put you in a positive state of mind. Exercise releases cortisol, the stress hormone, which builds up gradually over time, leading to anxiety and depression if not managed. You don’t need to go to the gym to get the benefits of exercise. A brisk daily walk is an excellent self-care strategy for busy parents. It’s affordable, accessible and has the bonus of taking you outside, which has added wellbeing benefits. Stay Social Alfred Adler, the father of individual psychology, maintained that the people who lived the most content lives paid close attention to their social lives. When children come along, a parents’ social life can easily play second fiddle to that of their children. Alternatively, social media becomes the main mode for staying in touch with friends, which is a poor replacement for face-to-face contact. One way of staying social is to schedule activities such as playing sport, joining a book club or sharing a coffee that keeps you connected to other adults. Be Mindful Staying in the present moment, even for just a minute or two, can help you better manage parenting stresses. Engaging your senses is a good way to relax and find some inner peace. Enjoying the present moment, or mindfulness, can be practised by taking a walk, listening to music, or a taking a five minute meditation. Breathing exercises help reduce stress, so incorporate deep breathing into your daily routine to help stay fresh and alert. Seek Out Play If you think that play is just for kids, then think again. Everyone needs activities in their lives that sustain them and bring them joy. It’s important to expand the definition of play to include hobbies and interests such as music, collecting things, making, tinkering and performing. Playful activities that contribute to parent self care are freely chosen, fun and create a state of flow so that you become lost in the activity. Playful activities boost your mood and help you manage the challenges and enjoy the pleasures of family life. Decide to Savour If you feel that you’re always in rush, the chances are that you don’t have the opportunity to savour anything. Whether it’s the first cup of coffee in the morning, snuggling up to your child at bedtime or reading a favourite book before bed, commit to savouring something and make it a daily habit. In Closing Taking care of your physical, psychological and social needs helps you be the best parent you can be. Set aside time for self-care even when you feel like you don’t have a single second to devote to yourself. Experiment with different self-care activities to figure out which strategies work best for you, your family and your lifestyle.