New HSC Syllabus

There are lots of exciting things happening in the English Department in 2019. This year marks the first Year 12 cohort to undertake the new HSC syllabus for English across all courses, including Standard, Advanced and Extension 1. The new syllabus has a strong focus on building our students' skills as both writers and readers through a reduction in the number of assessment tasks and more flexibility around the types of tasks students complete. These changes mean the course of study planned for Year 12 English students at OLMC is both rigorous and intensive but also designed so that students learn to adapt their knowledge and understanding and be flexible in their thinking about the concepts and text studied so that they can approach any examination question with confidence. By reducing the number of assessments and texts, the new course structure has enabled teachers and students to incorporate important time towards the development of the students’ skills as writers.

Literature Circles

The English Department will be implementing a new wide reading program known as Literature Circles. The first two weeks of Term 1 were devoted to pre-testing our students and introducing all classes to this reading program. The program is designed to encourage and expose the students to the reading of quality literature, with the objective of extending our students' reading skills. In addition, the program teaches students to place their personal response to the text as a beginning point in their exploration of a text and the way it shapes meaning. Therefore, students will keep and maintain a logbook enabling them to hold an interactive conversation with the text. Literature Circles then enable a collaborative discussion, where students form small groups and talk about their impressions, reactions and reflections on the novel. This key feature of the program is designed to reshape and extend their understanding because it allows members to share, discuss, argue, defend and change their perceptions as they interact with others who have read the same text. These discussions are highly structured and students are provided with specific roles, guiding their reading and their conversations. Finally, Literature Circles enable the students to interpret the text through a dynamic, co-operative process that involves the students reading, writing and talking about literature, culminating in a range of both critical and creative responses which will be assessed by themselves, their peers and their teacher.

Writer in Residence

In addition, the English Department has employed Dr Felicity Castagna who will be our Writer in Residence and facilitate a writing program with targeted students in Years 8-11. The Writer in Residence program is designed to enhance the writing skills of these targeted students. Dr Felicity Castagna is a former High School teacher and currently teaches writing at The University of Western Sydney. She holds a PhD in creative writing and Australian Literature and directs the Western Sydney women’s mentoring scheme, The Finishing School. She was the National Ambassador for Literacy in 2015 and 2016 and has served on the Board of Directors of WestWords, an organisation dedicated to teaching literacy and creative writing in Western Sydney. The Writer in Residence program requires students to participate in an all-day workshop once a term every term for 2019, focusing on the key strategies that writers use in order to convey a powerful sense of voice, learn to turn the things they see every day into powerful vignettes by focussing on imagery and consider the techniques used by writers to convey ‘a sense of place’ and learn how to apply these to their own writing. 

Students who have been invited to participate in the program will enhance their skills and understanding in accordance with the English syllabus through a range of learning experiences and the program aligns with the course content students are studying in their English classes. This includes learning how to compose imaginative texts for pleasure by effectively using a widening range of writing processes, skills, strategies.

Years 7-10 Assessment Tasks

In 2019, all students in Years 7-10 will complete three assessment tasks in English. This reflects the changes to assessment in Stage 6 as mandated by NESA. While learning how to write essays will still be a valuable skill in the English classroom, students will also be provided with significant learning and assessment opportunities to develop skills in creative and reflective writing, multimedia, presentation and collaborative learning. We have also reviewed our scope and sequence and added some new texts, including digital texts which reflects the need for the curriculum to be responsive to the rapidly changing nature of the modern world.

Mrs Leanne Portelli
Leader of Learning English

Rotary Club of Parramatta

On Monday April 8, talented Year 9 student Virginia Hechme will represent OLMC at the Parramatta Rotary Clift Public Speaking Competition. One student per school is permitted in this competition and as always, the standard of students involved is very high. Virginia’s topic is “Social media creates warped views of reality”. It is certainly a topical issue! Good luck to Virginia in her preparation.

Mr Christopher Ostrowski
Public Speaking Co-ordinator

Saturday Netball

Netball begins on Saturday April 6. All team lists, grades and game times have been emailed to students. Saturday Netball is played in the ERNA Competition at Meadowbank Park (end of Adelaide St, Meadowbank). Parking can be very difficult so please arrive with plenty of time.

You can view the draw and other information on the ERNA website – http://erna.nsw.netball.com.au

Wet weather information will be passed on through OLMC Sport Twitter.

Mr Stuart Guthrie
Sports Co-ordinator

4-6 Ross Street (corner of Trott Street)
Parramatta
Ph  8838 1275
Emailuniformshop@olmc.nsw.edu.au
Trading timesMonday and Friday (school days) 8.00am - 9.30am

Uniforms can be ordered via email or by phoning the Uniform Shop.

Winter Uniforms

The Uniform Shop will be open on the following days:

For the above opening hours, an Appointment is required. Please note, if you do not have an appointment, we will not be able to assist you as it disrupts our schedule.

Sale on Old Winter Uniforms

Limited stock of the old winter uniforms are available for sale at half price! Please email the Uniform Shop prior to coming to confirm availability of the sizes required.

The use of social media and technology is unavoidable in this era, and simply trying to stop your child from using these platforms may not be achievable. Talking with your child about safe social media usage is more likely to help ensure that they are equipped for any negativity they may encounter whilst they are online.

Click here for articles from Teen Breathe magazine (Issue 8) on useful starting points for a conversation about their social media use and being kind online.

Ms Sandra Portela
Senior College Counsellor

In response to the terrorist events in Christchurch, the OLMC community prayed the following prayer in the Ailsa Mackinnon Community Centre:

Our prayers and deepest sympathies are with the Al Noor Mosque and the Linwood Islamic Centre communities in Christchurch, New Zealand, as well as the Muslim community around the world, in the wake of the tragic shootings that took 50 lives and left at least 20 other people critically injured.

Creator God, unite our hearts and guide us in the path of peace.

We pray for all the victims and their families.

May You comfort them, at this sad time.

Liberate us from darkness, by Your light,

Bless us our ears, eyes, hearts and hands,

So that people feel Your Spirit, as we reach out to others to care and console.

Guided by Your love, may we always be people of hope and service.

Amen.

Mary Mother of Mercy,

Pray for us!

Venerable Catherine McAuley,

Pray for us!

The power of kindness!

At last week’s Mercy Futures we heard from Michael Lloyd-White from the World Kindness Project about why he is passionate about kindness and his journey to becoming CEO of World Kindness USA.

The next Mercy Futures will be held on Wednesday 5 June.

Mrs Claire Thomas
Director of Mission

Your daughter may wear either her full Summer Uniform or her full Winter Uniform in Week 1 of Term 2. No combinations of the two uniforms are allowed.

Your daughter will be expected to wear her Winter Uniform from Week 2, Monday 6 May.

I would ask for your assistance in ensuring that your daughter’s Winter Uniform complies with the College Dress Code. In particular, the tunic or senior skirt is to be worn at the correct length (at least 2 cm below the bottom of the knee cap).

The College Blazer is to be worn as the outer garment to and from school in Terms 2 and 3. The jumper/cardigan is not to be worn to or from school unless under the blazer.

Please also note that blazers are to be worn to House Assemblies and College Assemblies in Terms 2 and 3.

Full length pantyhose are to be worn with the winter uniform.

Thank you for your support in ensuring that your daughter wears the correct uniform. When I speak to the girls about uniform, I emphasise the respect factor. When the girls wear the uniform with pride, they show respect for themselves and for the College. I appreciate the financial commitment you, as parents, make to purchasing all items of the uniform. It is for this reason that I ask that all items of the uniform are labelled with the student’s name so lost property can be returned to your daughter.

For details on additional opening hours for purchasing the winter uniform, see the Uniform Shop section below.

Mrs Anne-Maree Donnelly
Director of Pastoral Care

This year we celebrate Hope, as our Project Compassion theme.

As our climate changes, the effects of this change are being felt across the globe. Pope Francis reminds us that "We need to see that what is at stake is our own dignity. Leaving an uninhabitable planet to future generations is, first and foremost, up to us. (Laudato Si' #160)" We are all part of the solution to this problem.

This week, the Caritas focus is on The Solomon Islands where, surrounded by water, it is proving increasingly difficult to obtain clean drinking water for the local community. Groundwater sources are drying up and rainfall is too unpredictable to rely on. Water in wells and boreholes often made people sick and time spent walking to collect water has a ripple effect of decreased school attendance.

Water is something that people living in Sydney might take for granted. We often complain when it rains, and then expect to have water available when we turn our taps on. Maybe this week we can all be mindful of the amount of water we use and try to donate money to Project Compassion to allow all people of the world to have access to clean and safe drinking water.

On March 20, Year 9 students went to the Edmund Rice Retreat and Reflection Centre in Mulgoa where Mr Chris Doyle facilitated a day full of meaningful lessons and messages intertwined with music, song, activity and laughter.

The day looked at the idea of relationships and ways that we can value, appreciate and respect ourselves, others and our God.

The students are to be congratulated for the spirit with which they entered the day. They were engaged and participated willingly with reverence and respect during our afternoon Mass with Fr Walter.

Reflection by Sarah Maroun:

Reflection Day was a blast. One of my favourites so far! We arrived at Mulgoa to be greeted by the enthusiastic staff and Chris Doyle. We were seated in the hall accompanied by some music which we all sang along to as some of the songs were our favourites. Chris performed on his acoustic guitar and was accompanied by his talented daughter, Gabby. They were the perfect duo and the energy between them was amazing. We were all in awe when they started singing. The spirit came alive and it was in all of us.

Chris talked us through the primary values of the Church and what it was like being raised in his family as a practising Catholic. He made me really think about how grateful we should be for what we have. He told us about the importance of Catholicism in an enjoyable way which we will never forget.

At lunch, we played some fun games and great conversations happened. After lunch was Mass, conducted by Fr Walter. The Mass was truly beautiful and the Gospel touched the hearts of all of us as it was about what a Mercy upbringing looks like. It described the primary values of our school, particularly those values of service and compassion. The Year 9 Reflection Day was something not to be missed, it was truly extraordinary!

Mrs Gabby Scanlon
Retreat & Liturgy Co-ordinator