From the Principal - Mr Chris Caldow Vol 6

Dear Members of the Penola Catholic College community,

We celebrated ANZAC Day last Monday, where we commemorate the landing of members of the 1st Australian Imperial Force (AIF) on the shores of the Gallipoli peninsula in Turkey on 25 April 1915. For Australians the day carries enormous and solemn significance because it is the day on which we remember and pray for all those who have died in the service of our country, and we remember also those who served in the defence forces in the very many conflicts and peace-keeping missions in which our country has been involved. We acknowledged ANZAC Day at our respective Campus Assemblies on Tuesday 26 April, 2022. We pray for the honoured dead whose sacrifice and memory remain so dear to us.

The Gallipoli campaign was but one chapter in a terrible war that cost millions of lives and was dubbed at its conclusion as “the war to end all wars”. We know it today as the First World War, and we are also well aware that many wars and conflicts have since followed. Those who have been to war know full well of its horrors, and upon their return speak mostly of the sacrifices of their comrades and the cause of peace. As we pray for the dead, and all those who were injured or whose lives were deeply affected by war, let us pray also for peace in our world. Let us give thanks for the great privilege of living in land that is relatively peaceful and let us do all that we can to ensure that all people are able to live in freedom and peace.

Student Free Days - Thursday Afternoon 12 May and All-day Friday 13 May
An upgrade is required to update Synergetic the College (Administration Software package) and availability for the upgrade will take place Thursday 12 May at 1.00pm. As a result, both Synergetic and MyPenola will be unavailable from 1.00pm. We have decided to make the afternoon Student Free to allow two different things to take place.

  • Leadership staff to have a professional learning session with Matthew Willie from Education 360 regarding our Data Dashboards.
  • Teaching staff will have an opportunity to meet in their CPT groups to work on the next Rapid Action Plan on researching explicit teaching approaches of key skills and knowledge and determining how this will be evaluated.

Bell times for Thursday, 12 May

Homeroom

8.40am – 8.50 am

Period 1

8.52am – 9.41am

Period 2

9.43am -10.32am

Recess

10.32am – 10.52am

Period 3

10. 53am – 11.32am

Period 4

11.34am – 12.23am

Lunch

12.23pm – 12.58pm


Staff Changes for Term 2
Welcome to the following staff who have been appointed in the past fortnight.

  • Welcome to Julie Armstrong who joins us from University High
  • Mrs Adriana MacKinnon has reduced her fraction to 0.4FTE and will be working on Mondays and Tuesdays only to allow herself more time to care for her parents. Adriana will teach her Year 10RE class period 2 on Mondays and her Year 9RE class period 5 on Wednesdays. Ms Olympia Kangalis will pick up her other Years 9 & 10 RE classes and Ms Soula Argyropoulos will take over Adriana’s Year 11 Business Management classes. My thanks to both Olympia and Soula for agreeing to these changes.
  • Welcome back to Ms Tuyet Ta after taking Long Service Leave for Term 1.
  • Welcome back also to Ms Di Farah who also returns after taking Long Service Leave for Term 1.
  • Welcome back to Ms Gen Leaney who resumes with us 2 days a week. Welcome back to Maryann Darmenia and Julie Lyons who return after time off in Term One.

Mother’s Day Friday 6 May
This term we will again mark Mother’s Day with Mass at 7.15am in St Joseph’s Chapel at the Broadmeadows campus followed by breakfast in the Assembly and Sports Hall (ASH) from 7.45am. I encourage you to come along, particularly our mothers, as we acknowledge the special contribution that you make to your son or daughter’s life. The early morning start has never been a barrier to high levels of engagement and joy from our families. We will be running a bus from the Broadmeadows campus to Glenroy at the conclusion of the activities.

We will also livestream the Mass so that all members of the community, especially mothers and grandmothers, can join in from home, if this is more convenient for them. The link to the Mass will be sent out prior to the Mass later next week.

Best wishes to all mothers, grandmothers, and great-grandmothers for a wonderful Mother’s Day on Sunday.

NAPLAN Testing
Next week students in years 7 & 9 will participate in the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy. This program is conducted by the Australian Government through its agency, ACARA, the Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority. The tests provide useful information to students, parents and schools in terms of student capabilities and areas for improvement. Parents who have any queries in relation to the tests are invited to contact Mrs Sandra Warren at the Glenroy campus, or Mrs Vera Treloar at the Broadmeadows campus. The schedule is shown below.

Parent/Teacher/Student Interviews
Our next round of Parent/Teacher/Student interviews take place on Thursday 26 May from 3.00pm – 8.30pm with a dinner break in this time as well. This will take place via Teams which enables both staff and families to enjoy the interviews within the comfort of their own homes as the winter weather kicks in. I have been heartened by the numbers of parents who have been attending our interviews and taking an active role in the learning of their children. Research indicates that parents who take an active role in their child’s education results in significantly better outcomes for these students. Your son or daughter notices whether you attend these interviews, whether you are taking an interest in what they are doing and whether you think learning is important. Parents act as role models in so many areas of a child’s life and their beliefs about education and the importance of learning are vital.

Best wishes to all students, staff, and families for a successful second term.

All-loving God, we give you thanks and praise for mothers young and old.

We pray for young mothers, who give life and count toes and tend to our every need.

May they be blessed with patience and tenderness to care for their families and themselves with great joy.

We pray for our own mothers who have nurtured and cared for us.

May they continue to guide us in strong and gentle ways.

We remember mothers who are separated from their children because of war, poverty, or conflict.

May they feel the loving embrace of our God who wipes every tear away.

We pray for women who are not mothers but still love and shape us with motherly care and compassion.

We remember mothers. grandmothers, and great-grandmothers who are no longer with us but who live forever in our memory and nourish us with their love.

Amen.

God Bless,
Chris Caldow
Principal

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