Term 3, Week 7, Newsletter - Thursday 7 September 2017

Written on the 6 September 2017 by Leadership

 

From the Principal

Mr Damian Messer
Principal

New Principal Visit

Further to my earlier communication with you, Mr Brian Schumacher was able to make his first visit to the College on Monday 28 August.  He was introduced to all the staff and I took the opportunity to take him on a tour of our wonderful facilities.  We also took the opportunity to start our transition discussions and I am pleased to say they were very productive.  I look forward to re-engaging with Brian following his return from leave in Term 4.

Developments

Although out of sight, it is pleasing to see the continuing re-development of our tennis courts which will hopefully become operational early in Term 4.  This is of course dependant on our wonderful Spring weather.  It is a similar story for the final touches on our long jump run-ups which were partially completed before the onset of this steady rain.  Fortunately, the weather has not affected the progress of our sustainability project and we have started on the installation of new lighting.  Plans are in place to complete most of our sustainability initiative changes during the next break.

Events

Our annual Book Parade was a huge success once again and I thank all the boys and staff for getting into the spirit of the event.  Thanks must of course also go to those on the home front for the time and effort needed in creating the wonderful costumes. 

That spirit was certainly on show the same day at the Middle & Senior Years Athletics Carnival where the boys engaged with much enthusiasm across a full day of events.  We hope that our Junior Years Athletics Carnival on Friday will not be disturbed by our current weather. 

Although I was unable to be present, it was reported to me that a very successful Father's Day breakfast was held and I hope that all our Dads had a nice day on Sunday past.

Subject Selection

Our Middle & Senior Years are well and truly into the final phases of our subject selection with our Year 10 and 11 processes for 2018 now completed.  The College has started work on the preparation of our subject grid for next year.  Our current Year 8 and 9 students have paperwork due and I encourage all students to get this in as soon as possible which will help us greatly to meet our timelines in preparation for 2018. 

Board Of Management

The Board of Management monthly meeting was held last week and the Board reported on its normal processes of Stewardship, PR & Marketing and Risk Management.  Other discussions focused on the preparation for the 2019 and beyond Strategic Plan.  More information regarding this process will be provided to the community towards the end of this year.

Walkathon

The weather held off long enough on Tuesday of this week for the boys to finally complete their Marian Day Walkathon.  I encourage all the boys to get their sponsorship donations in so that we can invite a representative from each of our charities to receive the funds raised and get the money doing good work within our community.  I would like to thank the boys for the way in which they participated on the day and for the effort they have put into the fundraising.  A reminder that tomorrow (Friday 08 September 2017) is the return date for the donations. 

Yours in Edmund
Damian Messer
Principal


From Leadership

Mr Frank Ranaldo
Deputy Principal 

Stress & Anxiety

As we approach the end of Term 3 many Year 12 students will be feeling the pressure of finalisng major assessment tasks for moderation. If your son is in Year 12 and not experiencing any stress at the moment, take this as a warning signal. There will be times in all students' schooling where they experience stress and anxiety, no matter the year level. It is essential for us as parents to be tuned in to our children to recognise early warning signals so that we can provide the required support.

To nurture self-managing and self-correcting habits in students, it is important to raise their self-awareness of their personal warning signs for the onset of stress. Discussions need to occur both at home and at school to ensure all students are empowered to act when they recognise stress warning signs.

These tense feelings may originate from a number of situations such as:

  • heavy study and learning workload;
  • overly high expectations of themselves or expectations of others;
  • striving to be too perfect and obsessed with detail;
  • lack of organisation and not coping;
  • peer group problems and pressure.

It is perfectly natural for these to occur as they are a part of adolescence. The key is how to control these feelings before they have too much of an adverse effect on students' self-esteem, health and wellbeing.

A proactive approach is for students to identify and list their main sources of stress/anxiety and their individual warning signals. When they first start to see these signals, they should be encouraged to seek support. From a College perspective, students are encouraged to speak with their subject teachers and Pastoral Care teacher or make an appointment to see our Counsellor, Adrian Terminello, or Psychologist, Karolina Pasierbek.

We can help our children to deal with stress and anxiety by promoting independence from an early age. This is not always easy because our natural instinct as parents is to care for and nurture them. Nevertheless, we should not wait until our children are ready to leave home before we give them responsibility. Training for independence needs to start from a young age and continue into the teenage years.

Some useful ideas include:

  • Encourage your children to do routine household and family activities, e.g. tidying their bedroom before school, clearing away dishes, preparing after-school snacks.
  • Encourage your children to take responsibility for their own homework tasks. Put young children in charge of their reading and get them to remind you that it is reading time.
  • Children can do quite difficult tasks if we show them how.
  • When children can tell the time, teach them how to use an alarm clock so they can get themselves up and regulate their own morning routine.
  • Be alert to your child's readiness and willingness to do for himself then consider allowing him to take over. Ask yourself: "Is my child capable of doing "?
  • Encourage your children to prepare their own breakfast and pack their own lunch in the schoolbag.
  • Show older children how to operate the washing machine and microwave. These are two essential time-savers for busy working parents.

It can be a common pitfall for busy parents to do things for children that they are capable of doing themselves. Though it may actually take more time initially for parents to support children to independently undertake age-appropriate tasks, your child's self-confidence and independence will grow as a result.

Encouraging independence in children is not just good training for adulthood; it is one of the best ways to promote self-confidence. When we teach children to do jobs for themselves, we demonstrate our faith in them and send a powerful message that they are capable. Our actions definitely speak louder than words.

God bless.
Frank Ranaldo
Deputy Principal 


Junior Years

Mr Geoff Aufderheide
Director - Junior Campus

Year 3 Sacrament of Reconciliation

 

On Wednesday evening this week a group of our Year 3 and 4 boys attended Mass at St Joseph's Church, Tranmere, to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Over the past few months, Mr Adam Pipe has been busy preparing them for this event to receive one of the seven Sacraments of the Catholic Church. Led by Father Anthoni Adamai, the boys sought absolution for the sins they have committed since their Baptism and are therefore reconciled with the community of the Church. This prepares them for the Sacraments of Confirmation and First Holy Communion that they then receive in Year 4 or 5 here at Rostrevor College.

We congratulate our young men on this important step in their own formation in the Church;

  • Harry Binns
  • Alec Cavuoto
  • Christian Disciscio
  • Alessio Fantasia
  • Luca Fantasia
  • Alexander Iasiello
  • Alessio Maiorano
  • Matteo Maiorano
  • Kalan Marzullo
  • Finn McNamara
  • Stefan Musolino
  • Spencer Nybo
  • Edward Pipe
  • Armani Rahme

Father's Day

We enjoyed a fantastic breakfast on Friday of last week to acknowledge the role of fathers, grandfathers and significant male role models in our lives. Our thanks go to Mr Rob Costanzo, President of the Parents and Friends Association, and Mr Kym Jones for their assistance in cooking the BBQ steaks, bacon and eggs for the assembled masses. Thanks also to Mr Elias Degeorge for organising a wonderful community event and our House Leaders for serving their peers and our Dads!

After a hearty breakfast the boys were then, once again, treated to a shopping opportunity in the Music Suite where a number of our parents supported our annual Father's Day stall. This stall, supported by the P&F, allows our boys to purchase a gift for their Dad's/Grandfathers/significant role models at an affordable cost and provides them a chance to develop their independence.

Our sincerest thanks go to Mrs Nikki Zorzi for her work in sourcing affordable gifts and arranging for them to be wrapped and ready to go on Friday. I'm mindful also that a number of our parents/caregivers helped us out by taking boxes of gifts home for them to be wrapped too many to name but we thank you all sincerely. Thanks also to Jo Babic, Pauline Hawes, Josie Malatesta and Eni Marzullo for their assistance on the day - the boys were very thankful (and we hope they used their manners!).

 

School Arrival Time - Why is it important to arrive on time each morning?

As a parent, I accept that sometimes things don't go as planned (particularly in the mornings!). The best laid plans for an efficient school drop off or even a pick up in the afternoon are often 'derailed' by a forgotten musical instrument or a homework task that was left on the kitchen bench! On the odd occasion, we accept that these things can and will happen, yet we see it as critically important that we teach our boys the benefits of timeliness and punctuality.

Prompt arrival at school (at the designated arrival time of 8:15am and before 8:30am) teaches young men about the importance of routine and structure: two things that young men seek out so they feel 'secure'. Timely arrival to school each day enables boys to feel good about themselves and the links between successful outcomes at school and attendance are many.

The benefits your son will gain from arriving on time include:

  • ensuring your son doesn't miss out on the important learning activities that happen early in the school day when they are most alert;
  • early morning learning activity is often reading or writing and by arriving late, your son can lose many opportunities to learn these critical life skills (5 minutes each day doesn't seem much, but if you add it up over the course of a school term or year...);
  • helps your son learn about the importance of routines and commitments;
  • gives your son time to greet their peers before class and this can reduce the possibility of disruptions in the classroom (disruptions impact the learning of other boys in the classroom);
  • arriving on time every day makes boys feel good about themselves.

If getting your son to school in a timely manner each day is a challenge, I would invite you to discuss this with his teacher in the first instance or with either myself or Mr Elias Degeorge.

 

Kind regards,
Geoff Aufderheide
Director, Junior Campus

 


 

 

 

 


Author:Leadership

A CATHOLIC BOYS' DAY AND BOARDING COLLEGE IN THE EDMUND RICE TRADITION RECEPTION TO YEAR 12

Glen Stuart Rd Woodforde Sa 5072 Australia