Parent participation in our College continues to be an enormous part of our school’s culture and success. Whether as a coach, manager, canteen or uniform shop volunteer, P&F member, Foundation Companion or ‘uber’ driver, the purpose is to create an environment within our College where families are welcomed, accepted, supported and have the opportunity to be involved. Having attended the winter season Coaches and Managers’ Dinner last night, I was able to acknowledge the modelling of community commitment and its benefits of the time and energy that parents give that has a tangible value and the even more important intangible sense of belonging to a community that has a foundational understanding of giving back.  

At a variety of parent information nights over the last few months, I have opened the idea of an old school ‘working bee’.  Many of us would have grown up in school communities where two or three times a year the family packed a car full of tools and we went to our school to help. For many schools, the challenge of WH&S saw community events like these diminish over time. In writing this week, I loosely googled working bees and was struck by their re-emergence into primary schools. They are so much more than a means of ticking jobs off a ‘To Do’ list. They are opportunities for families to connect with each other and work together to support the school. There is time for conversation over a coffee and in our Augustinian community way we would share a meal together. Your son is welcome too, and often he will love the chance to spend time with friends outside the context of the school routine.  

Discovering care suggests that we first have to discover what people care about enough to act on. We know how many of our families care enough to offer the valuable commodity of time and effort and our College is replete with examples.  This term break we would like to expand the circle of care. This is a powerful vehicle to connect with other families with shared purpose. We have put together a list of tasks that with the help of the community will allow the College to save significant sums of money, for example, we have purchased a number of small storage units, and the company has advised it will erect these at a cost of $3000 each, however if you are a builder, carpenter or tradesman and are willing to provide two days of labour to the College, your time and effort has a direct cost benefit for us. We are inviting the community to support us to complete our ‘wedding register’ of tasks which can be accessed by following the link below. We appreciate as little or as much time as you can spare in the coming holidays. Our community days will be structured to be fun and very social in nature, providing a great opportunity to socialise with other Saints families.  

CLICK HERE  

To our Year 12 boys and families we look forward to celebrating a wonderful graduation with you all next week.

Jonathan Byrne
Principal

Joa Aitken - College Captain

For Year 12s, our time as St Augustine’s boys is coming to an end. But as the curtains begin to draw on the past six years of our time here, something that many of us may have overlooked has been the importance of our parents during our years at the College. The role of the parent is unbelievably diverse and powerful, acting as part time councillors, cleaners, caterers, and even as part time teachers. Often, in the stress of senior school life, particularly amid the workload of Year 12, we forget to take a moment to acknowledge our parents and give thanks for everything they do for us.  

Without their moral support and encouragement, our Year 12 journey over the past year would have been treacherous, and at times, seemingly impossible. However, it is the tireless care, ranging from washing our clothes to chauffeuring us around to sports trainings and music rehearsals, that has allowed us as students to persist and to conquer the mission of Year 12.  

I would like to take the opportunity to thank the endless support, encouragement and love of my parents across my years at the College and extend this vote of thanks to all parents within our Augustinian community. Although during the stress of academic life, all the things you do for us may go unnoticed at times, upon completing our Year 12 journey, we can all look back now and say we are nothing but truly grateful for everything you have done for us during our time at Saints.  

Thank you to all the parents within our Augustinian community from Year 5 to Year 12.

This week, as part of the College’s Positive Education Wellbeing Program, we celebrated ‘R U OK?’ week. During the week all boys in the Primary School will nominate a boy who has been a star and a comfort to them. They also had to explain why they nominated this person and then place their recommendation in the NOMI-MATE box located in the Primary School. Over the remainder of this term we will read out these nominations during our Monday and Friday morning assemblies as well as publish them in the Tolle Lege.

Signs that a friend may not be OK

‘R U OK?’ seeks to create a world where we’re all connected. We’re never too young to look out for one another and meaningfully connect. Many factors can contribute to someone feeling low. It isn’t always easy to know whether someone is OK, particularly if they haven’t talked about it or children have yet to recognise the importance of changes in behaviour. However, there are signs children can become familiar with which could indicate that a friend may not be OK.

What causes struggles?

A range of circumstances can lead to a child feeling low, including:

Big life changes like moving to a new house or school, experiencing grief or loss, being around people going through tough times, arguing with someone, problems with school work, having a medical condition or chronic illness, not sleeping well, not exercising enough, hormonal changes

It’s a good idea to check in with a friend and ask, ‘Are you OK?’ if:

They’ve been showing signs of being upset or angry for some time, their mood is having an impact on others, they’re not enjoying school or life in general, you’re worried about their safety, they start to miss school, or don’t want to play with others or take part in their favourite activities

How can children help?

Children cannot be expected to fix someone’s problems, nor know the best way to help and support. However, they can be encouraged to listen to what their friend is saying, let them know they care and tell a teacher, school counsellor or trusted adult if they are worried about their friend. By promoting an environment of positive peer support and accessing support channels via an adult, children can learn that asking, ‘Are you OK?’, is a key life skill.

Music Showcase

Last Friday night we had a group of very talented musicians from the Primary School take part in the Showcase Concert. Well done to all boys for sharing their talents with the school community. I was amazed at the prowess and high level of technical performance on show and immensely proud that we had an impressive representation from Years 5 and 6. What a great night!

2019 New Parent Information Evening

This Parent Information Evening, on 25 September, is for new parents of students commencing at the College in Years 5 and Year 7, 2019 only; not for parents of the current Year 6 boys.

Professional Learning

There is much research to confirm the importance of teachers involved in ongoing Professional Learning to improve student outcomes. In fact, the link between professional conversations and student engagement and academic improvement is agreed practice.

In the Primary School we have teachers who consistently seek out opportunities to improve their practice. In so doing they are modelling to the boys that they are life-long learners, always seeking ways to make learning fun, engaging and meaningful. Not only are our Primary School teachers experienced, they actively seek out opportunities to improve on past performances through further studies.

Spotlight on the Primary Staff

James Kirkwood and Andrew Clyne have just completed a two-day conference on Digital Technologies – the new strand which has been included in the Science and Technology syllabus. Andrew is also completing further studies in Religious Education and will soon complete his Certificate in Religious Education. Andrew is also U/11 Rugby Coach and James is TIC of Tennis.

Mark Catanzariti recently completed a two-day conference with RE teachers from the Diocese of Broken Bay on incorporating Gospel Values through story telling in Religious Education lessons. He recently attended a course on SEQTA, the College’s LMS (Learning Management System) with a view to improve the way we record data to inform teaching practice. Mark also runs a weekly after school homework group as well as coaching a College basketball team.

Rose Papalia completed professional learning last term on assessment in English and has a special interest in using feedback and feedforward to improve engagement. Rose is also manager of a senior soccer team and is a spectator at most of her classes sporting events on weekends and after school.

John O’Brien, as well as being the Assistant Head of Primary and author in residence, is also the Talented Writer’s group facilitator, the Science Enrichment facilitator, Primary School Debating Co-ordinator and Science Laboratory Program Co-ordinator. John recently spent a day working with Sarah Humpreys, consultant for UDL (Universal Design in Learning) on ways to further differentiate assessment tasks and learning opportunities for learners of all abilities.

Liz Armenio is the Primary Coding Co-ordinator as well as the Primary ELF (e-Learning Facilitator). Liz was invited to speak at the recent International Boy’s conference at the prestigious TSS school in Queensland over the Term 2 holidays. Liz spoke about ‘gamification’ and game-based learning, using platforms such as Minecraft to promote ideas of sustainability. Liz is about to complete a two-day course on using technology to develop STEM units of work.

We are very fortunate to have teachers of the calibre as the ones we have at St Augustine’s. Not only are they well informed by nature of their ongoing studies, they are genuinely concerned about the wellbeing of your sons. Together with you, their parents and with your support, we present a consistent approach to the holistic education of your sons.

Grooming

Thank you for your support in meeting College expectations regarding grooming. I realise that arranging appointments at hairdressers or barbers can be difficult and your support is very much appreciated in this area. I commented today at the morning assembly how smart all the boys looked. Having a sense of pride in your appearance says a lot about your sense of wellbeing and it also paints a wonderful picture when we present ourselves in this manner to the public. First appearances do count, forming an impression that we care about ourselves and the College’s reputation.

Thank you for your support in this area.

Awards

'Street Art' Workshop

Year 10 Visual Arts participated in a 'Street Art' Workshop run by Northern Beaches Council. 

Street Artist, Cam, taught the boys a range of spray can techniques and the class made a banner for our 2018 theme: Love.

This week, Year 12 attended a study skills session titled ‘The HSC Countdown’  with Dr Prue Salter from Enhanced Learning Educational Services. The aim was to help Year 12 put together a plan of attack for between now and their final exams. The session focused firstly on what students need to do before the end of term. It is essential that study notes are completed, students work through their returned Trial HSC exam papers thoroughly (using the checklist provided), pinpoint areas of weakness and seek help on these, and endeavour to do as much practise of essay writing and past examination papers as they can before the end of term, so they can obtain feedback from teachers. Year 12 also reviewed the study techniques they are using and looked at ways to improve and avoid common study mistakes using research about the brain.  Each Year 12 student also filled out a grid with their HSC exam timetable, planning the best way to allocate their study time over the weeks prior and during the HSC exams using the guidelines that Dr Salter explained. Having a plan in place can take away a lot of exam anxiety, as students know what they need to do to move forward and can see the steps they need to take to make the most of the last few months of their final year of school.  

All students at our school also have access to a great study skills website to help students develop their skills. Go to www.studyskillshandbook.com.au and enter the username: staugustines and the password: 146results and start improving your results today!

Broken Bay Golf

Congratulations to Tom Hunt, Zac Telfer and Will Crisp for winning the Broken Bay Golf Tournament held at Shelly Beach Golf Course, Central Coast. Tom was the overall stroke winner and Zac was runner up. A fantastic achievement for the College who has never won this competition.

Left to right: Zac Telfer, Tom Hunt, Will Crisp

Sailing

Daniel Links represented Australia at the Optimist World Sailing Championships in Cyprus. Daniel finished 39th overall out of 260 boats and 60 countries. This is a great result in the largest junior sailing class in the World for 15 year olds and under.

Daniel, fourth from the left holding the boxing Kangaroo mascot.

BASKETBALL

Due to Year 8 and 9 camps next week there will be no scheduled basketball games for All Year 8 Teams on Wednesday September 19 and All Year 9 Teams on Thursday September 20.   

A reminder that ALL players should be attending scheduled basketball training sessions unless you are actually away at camp.  Please check with your team’s manager if you have a question relating to training days/times.

SENIOR RUGBY PRESENTATION NIGHT

The Senior Rugby Presentation Night (3^rd-1^st XV teams) will be held on Thursday 27^th September also in the Brimson Centre.  Details and invitations will be sent out this week to all players and parents.  

James Scholtens
TIC of Rugby

The 2018/19 cricket season commenced last Saturday morning under grey skies – much different to the recent warm weather we have been experiencing!  Well done to all teams that took the field and played their games in the right spirit.  

CRICKET UNIFORM
The College Uniform Shop has all cricket uniform items in stock, including white cricket pants that are a new addition and look very impressive with our logo embroidered on the front.
UNIFORM SHOP HOURS:
Wednesdays - 8:00am to 12:15pm and 1:00pm to 4:00pm
Fridays - 8:00am to 12:00pm  

All St Augustine's College players must wear a College hat when in the field – a few boys were  

CRICKET TRIVIA NIGHT
Coming up on Friday 28 September, the St Augustine's College Cricket Club will be hosting its annual Trivia Night here in the Brimson Centre from 7:00pm.  All teams are encouraged to get a table together for this fun filled night.  Not all the trivia will be about cricket!  Check out the flyer in this edition of the Tolle Lege.  We will also be drawing our 50/50 raffle on the night.  

CRICKET SCORING AND UMPIRING INFORMATION SESSIONS COMING UP
THE MWJCA is offering a beginner course for cricket umpiring on the Northern Beaches for Junior Competitions.  Claire Polosak (Umpire Educator from CNSW) is available to host the 2 x two-hour
Cricket Australia Umpiring Course on the following dates at the Weldon Oval Clubhouse  

Thursday 13 September 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Thursday 20 September 7:00pm – 9:00pm.  

If any parents of players that are interested in attending, please RSVP to me via email ASAP Jamieson.A@saintaug.nsw.edu.au  

The course - Cricket Australia Community Officiating - is the first step in the Cricket Australia Officiating accreditation program. There are two components;

•   An online part that takes around an hour to complete
•   2 x 2-hour workshop 
• The most relevant laws are covered (19 out of 42 laws) in the first session.
• Umpiring technique, match management, concentration tips are covered in the second session
• Suitable for beginners who may not have much knowledge of cricket, and are planning on umpiring junior and school cricket  

CRICKETER OF THE WEEK
Well done to U15 White player Jimmy Brown who took a Hat-trick on Saturday down at Nolans Reserve in a nail biter win over Harbord.  Jimmy took the last three wickets of the match – bowled, bowled and a big nick behind to the ‘keeper – that sealed the win.  Well done Jimmy and well done to the 15 Whites!  

Andrew Jamieson
Teacher in Charge of Cricket
Jamieson.A@saintaug.nsw.edu.au

ALL WELCOME!

The St Augustine's College Cricket Club would like to extend this invitation to the whole College community.

Click here for more information

OPENS FOOTBALL PRESENTATION DINNER

All St Augustine's College U18 Football teams will be acknowledged for their efforts this season at the first Opens Football Presentation Dinner, to be held here in the Brimson Centre on Wednesday 26^th September, commencing at 6:30pm.  Team managers will receive the official invitation this week and will pass on to all U18 players and parents.  

James Scholtens
TiC Football (Soccer)
jscholtens@saintaug.nsw.edu.au

P&F Assn Mother & Son Pink Breakfast – Term 4, 2018

Due to a clash with some HSC exams being held in the Brimson Centre this year, we have moved the Pink Breakfast from Thursday October 25^th to Friday 26^th October.   More details and the invitation to follow soon.

Upcoming P&F Assn and Parent Activities Events