The College Founder's Day Mass was once again a special day for St Edward's. The students were reverent, respectful and prayerful throughout the ceremony. Mass was presided over by Father Greg the Parish Priest of East Gosford. Congratulations must go to all our brilliant musicians who performed at Mass.  Students in the band were thoroughly prepared by Mr Toole, Mrs Emmett and Mr Drozdzewski. Their performances added so much to the prayerful atmosphere of the mass. The tradition of recognising long serving staff continued at the conclusion of Mass, with fifteen staff receiving awards for their long years of service to the College. Mr Bonnici made special mention of Mr Drozdzewski for his wonderful 40 years of service at the College. Thanks to all the parents and friends of the College who were able to attend on the day. A big thank you to all that contributed to this wonderful community celebration. Mr Beacroft Director of Mission and Identity   [smallgallery fooid="18957"]   [embed]https://youtu.be/Qg_zZLCjlfU[/embed]  

The tradition of sharing our Holy Week celebration with St Joseph’s to remember the significance of Easter continued this year. Once again the ERC was packed with students, staff and parents from both Colleges. This was a solemn ceremony of prayer, song, and drama. The Passion of Christ is followed by witnessing the Stations of the Cross. Our Year 10 students were outstanding in presenting the final days of Jesus. The students from St Joseph’s performed a liturgical dance which was reverent and performed to the highest standard. The musicians on the day, under the guidance of the music staffs from both Colleges produced brilliant performances and created a great atmosphere in the ERC. Congratulations to all the students who prepared so thoroughly for this wonderful community event. For the first time a student delivered a personal testimony of their faith. Ashley Palupe’s spoken word piece was outstanding and had a profound impact on the gathered audience. A final thank you to all who contributed to the most important liturgical event on the Christian calendar especially Mrs Green who did such a wonderful job coordinating the liturgy. Mr Beacroft Director of Mission and Identity   [smallgallery fooid="18875"]   Musical Performances from St Edward's Students [embed]https://youtu.be/7WbaEgg9NOM[/embed]   Ashleigh Palupe - His Name is Jesus [embed]https://youtu.be/LLNISCna6Rs[/embed]

Waterford Project It is pleasing to see that many boys have made positive progress with this compulsory program for all students between Years 8 to 11. Thank you to students who gave up some of their holiday time to patrol our beaches, serve at Coast Shelter and a range of other church and community actions. Parents are asked again to check their son’s progress and to help us ensure that the hours of service for others is completed by the end of Term 3. Please contact me on 4321 6439 if you have questions about Waterford. Opportunities for Term 2 Homeless Sleepout (Week 4) Coast Shelter   Pat Dell Leader of Learning - Social Justice

‘Thirsty? Choose Water!’ Students can choose CHILLED water! Last year, in PDHPE, our current Year 8 boys took part in this NSW Health campaign to encourage people to drink water over sweetened drinks. As a reward for participating in this health promotion initiative, NSW Health have installed a chilled water station on the concourse level at school. Thank you to Wendy Weir and her team for liaising with Justine Gowland at NSW Health in order to install this. All students and staff are encouraged to bring their own refillable drink bottle and use the station regularly.  

Congratulations to the following music students for making it into YIPA 2019! Youth In Performing Arts provides an opportunity for Central Coast youth with outstanding talent, to perform in a professional venue (Laycock St Theatre), promoting and fostering their development in performing arts. An inclusive program encouraging all forms of live entertainment in a non-competitive environment, YIPA helps young people develop confidence in themselves and their ability to contribute to being part of a team, as the production team regard each performer as a talented artist in their own right. Special thanks to Mrs Jo Emmett for organising auditions at the College. Below are the students who were successful for 2019: Noah Boesen in Year 8 Joshua Zaia in Year 10 Zachary Boyce in Year 12 Riley Lovell Band (Riley Lovell, Alex Waite, Daniel Baez-Cornejo and Grant Offner) in Year 12 YIPA runs from Wednesday 22 May to Saturday 25 May. The nights our students are performing are: Thursday 23 May Josh Zaia Riley’s band Friday 24 May Zach Boyce Saturday 25 May Riley Lovell Noah Boesen  

The Year 7 Camp was filled with lots of high-flying fun and adventure. The focus of the camp was for everyone to belong and encourage each other, and this was on display throughout our time away. Boys revelled in the challenges of abseiling, flying fox, raft building, archery, bushwalking and even got the chance to try fencing. Fears were conquered and friendships were formed, so all-in-all it was a successful camp. Thank you to the students for their behaviour and to the teachers for their time and service. [smallgallery fooid="18622"]

Great Aussie Bush Camp, Tea Gardens A wet but a defining experience for the Year 8 boys, it was evident within this group that a number of students missed the comforts of home, however, credit to them for seeing the three days through and I believe growing in the process. Food was abundant and activities varied, there were high ropes, orienteering, the crate climb, canoeing, abseiling, kayaking, Lost Island and raft building for the boys to hone their skills on. A great three days where Year 8 had the opportunity to step outside their comfort zone.   [smallgallery fooid="18355"]

On Wednesday we left around 9.00 to travel to a new camp:  Nepean Adventure Centre at Douglas Park. The boys were extremely excited and praying for fine weather which came to fruition and all activities went ahead.  Some of activities included the giant swing, kayaking down the Nepean River, zorb balls and challenge nights in the evenings. The students were exceptional in their behaviour and attitude and it was a pleasure to spend the three days watching them respond so well to the challenges they faced both individually and as a team.  I would like to thank the teachers who assisted me on camp giving up time with their families to participate in helping these boys have such a positive experience. Wendy Taylor Year 9 Pastoral Leader   [smallgallery fooid="18521"]

NAPLAN assesses literacy and numeracy – important skills that each child needs to succeed in school and life. The NAPLAN tests are designed to help us make sure students are on track with their literacy and numeracy development. Students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 participate in NAPLAN tests for reading, writing, conventions of language (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and numeracy. NAPLAN is just one of many instruments that teachers use to gauge student learning and you can reassure your son that NAPLAN results are just one way that teachers work out students’ areas of strength and challenge. Between Tuesday 14th May and Friday 24th May , our school will participate in NAPLAN Online and testing will take place in classroom learning spaces during the school day. If your son is away for a test he will have ample opportunity to undertake the test upon his return, during the two week testing window. St Edward’s students in years 7 and 9 will be provided with a NAPLAN timetable in the coming week. Students do not need to be computer experts to take the NAPLAN test online and students in years 7 and 9 participated in a NAPLAN practice test during term 1 that has familiarized them with the test format. To see the types of questions and interactive features of NAPLAN Online, visit the public demonstration site. If you have any questions about NAPLAN Online, please contact your child’s teacher. For more info: How to support your child during NAPLAN information for parents and carers Watch a video that explains NAPLAN Online Subscribe to ACARA’s monthly parent newsletter, Parent Update   NAPLAN Online Information Brochure for Parents and Carers  

Year 12 Students attended a Brent Sanders seminar: “Secret Bloke’s Business” On Thursday, 11th April, all Year 12 students attended the seminar: “Secret Bloke’s Business”. The speaker, Brent Sanders was engaging and thought provoking. Brent shared his own experiences of growing up in New Zealand, his sense of loss when his mother left and how he made bad and dangerous choices which landed him in strife. Students were encouraged to make the right choices and always own their actions. Brent told the story of Muhammad Ali’s fight against George Foreman and how everyone at the time thought Ali couldn’t win. His retelling was entertaining and reflective as he shared his favourite Ali quote: “The only limitations one has are the ones they place on themselves.” The seminar finished with a discussion about what is consent, the legal age of consent and what is sexual assault. Quote from student: “We found that participating in this workshop allowed us to relate to the various struggles of being a young man and to reflect upon what it means to be a man in today’s contemporary society.”

Francophonie Week In Term 1, to celebrate Francophonie week, our Year 10 French students created a video on the environment to enter a competition organised by the ACELF (Association Canadienne d’Education de la Langue Française). In this video, students explained the various actions taken at St Edward's to protect our environment.   [embed]https://youtu.be/8p5pQe2D_tM[/embed]

Year 9 French students have been working on an assignment about the regions of France. They choose one of the 18 regions and their task is to do a presentation of this region and cook a traditional dish from this region. Monsieur Michel Papeix, a French chef, came into the Year 9 French class and judged the dishes produced. He was astounded by the effort of the students and the quality of the cooking! We all enjoyed the fruits of their labours as well! Félicitations Year 9 French students. [smallgallery fooid="18314"]

Under 13's BBSSSA Touch Football The St Edward's Under 13’s Touch Football team played on Thursday 28 March in the Broken Bay Championship. The Team was student led, captained by Sean Bullen and made stronger by experienced players Byron Marks, Mathew Humphries, Zachary Straker and Harley Dimech. All players worked together on the day to put together five matches where they scored multiple tries, without  conceding any. In the finals the referees introduced a rule that hadn’t been enforced previously during the day where 7 players had to be on the field instead of the normal 6. This interfered with the St Edward's team interchange and led to players being on the field who were tired. Although St Edward's scored first with Tom Roth racing away in the first few minutes, St Augustin’s, the opposing team, came back with two tries to take out the final. The boys took it hard but left with their heads held high having represented the College with pride. Sean Bullen was the deserving winner of the ‘player of the final’. I am sure that they will return next year with more experience and energy to take out the final!  

On Friday 5 April, the St Edward’s Swim Team competed for Broken Bay in the NSW Combined Catholic Colleges Carnival (NSWCCC). The team competed individually and in team events for Broken Bay. At this level, the competition is high, and the “Eddies” boys met the challenge with enthusiasm and spirit. We would like to acknowledge the efforts of all the swimmers involved on the day, especially those who travelled just to swim one event. Daniel McLoughlin was successful in his races and now progresses to the NSW All Schools Carnival. Here, Daniel will meet the elite swimmers from both, public and private schools. Team members of the Broken Bay team included: Jacob Curcio, Riley Marotta, Beau Newlands, Kyle Graham, Joseph Bonham, Ryan Green, Kyle Holliday, Jack Vaughan, Jayden Redfern and Daniel McLoughlin. Thank you to Mr Bell for stepping in as a Broken Bay Manager as well as driving the bus down to Homebush on the day. And lastly a big thank you to the parents who came down to support their sons.  

NSWCCC Representatives Swimming Congratulations to Daniel McLoughlin on qualifying for the NSW All Schools Swimming Carnival. Daniel has qualified to swim in the 50, 100 and 200 m Butterfly events at the carnival on Monday 13 May. We wish him well. Touch Football Congratulations to the following boys on making the NSWCCC Touch Football extended squads. They will now attend training and selection days before the final team is announced. Under 15's -  Ben Dufficy, Joel Sherub, Toby Paterson, Kieran Diamond Opens - Sandon Smith, Josh Woutersz, Owen Flaherty This Week in Sport Week Event Venue Date Week 2, Term 2 BBSSSA Cross Country St Ives Showground Tuesday 7 May Week 2, Term 2 Year 9 and 10 All School Touch Football Adcock Park Wednesday 8 May Week 2, Term 2 Under 14 Futsal Niagara Park Thursday 9 May Week 2, Term 2 Central Coast Regional Surfing (Juniors and Opens) Soldiers Beach Friday 10 May Week 3, Term 2 NSW All Schools Swimming SOPAC Homebush Monday 13 May Week 3, Term 2 Central Coast Under 16 Rugby League Berkeley Vale Oval Thursday 16 May   NSWCCC Dates - Term 2 Event Closing Date Selection Date AFL North 3 May (Week 1) 8 May (Week 2) Rugby Union 3 May (Week 1) 6-7 May (Week 2) Basketball Under 19 (Year 10-12) 13 May (Week 3) 20 May (Week 4) Football Under 16 21 May (Week 4) 29 May (Week 5)  

In Week 1, 65 Year 12 students attended a Macquarie University presentation about university life through the eyes of two of their student ambassadors. Students were also given their latest undergraduate course booklet and information on Macquarie University's Leaders and Achievers Early Entry Program. Coming up: Year 12 TAFE presentation,  9 May 2019 Newcastle University presentation, 23 May 2019 Apprenticeships,  30 May 2019 Economics presentation by Lecturer Dr Ha Vu (Macquarie University),  20 June 2019 Business presentation by Dr Troy Sarina (Macquarie University),  6 June 2019 Year 11 HSC and Careers Expo, 31 May 2019 Year 10 UAC presentation, 24 May 2019 Western Sydney Careers Expo,  28 June 2019 Year 9 Commerce Class Mr Miller’s class is participating in the $20 Boss Program this term.  Developed by Foundation for Young Australians, this program will develop students' enterprise skills; skills that are crucial for preparing students for the future of work.  The program gives students $20 of start-up capital to create, launch and operate their own venture over the course of Term 2.  Students will learn key elements of entrepreneurship and are taught how to make money and create social good.  Watch this space as we share with you their journey.  

Undergraduate applications through UAC are now open! This is very exciting as all HSC students are able to choose from over 2000 courses at 27 universities and colleges for 2020.  Please see the link below for the video on how to apply. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hZapVNXwDw&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR3Xi6u-TYEYecEqvkishEhhj8zNuf0KfhqnPXy9zadaztLVwon2fBVi7Sk[/embed]    

Expressions of Interest Seasons for Growth Program 2019 Commencing end of Term 2 for 13-18 year olds The Seasons for Growth Program aims to strengthen the social and emotional wellbeing of young people who are dealing with significant life changes.  It is an 8 week program. Who is the Program for? Any student who has experienced one or more of the following: The death of a loved one A serious illness of a loved one or close friend Separation or divorce of parents Unexpected change or loss in life circumstances If you are interested in your child attending the Seasons for Growth Program please contact Terase Killin, School Counsellor on 4321 6411, or send an email to tkillin@stedwards.nsw.edu.au