What a wonderful start to the term with lots happening around the College, it was lovely to see so many students at our Welcome Back assembly on Tuesday 21 July. First days of term are part of our important College events.

Year 11 Leadership Day

On Friday, our Year 11 students gathered in the St Lawrence’s Hall with their House Coordinators, Mr Dwyer and myself to explore the theme of leadership and reflect on the opportunities available to them as leaders over the next 12 months at the College.

The day focused on what it means to be a leader at Red Bend Catholic College and encouraged students to consider the impact they would like to leave as individuals and as a cohort. Students were reminded that leadership in Year 12 extends beyond formal positions and badges, and that every student has the opportunity to lead through their actions, values and example.

Throughout the day, students explored the Marist characteristics and how these provide a lens through which to lead. By embracing these characteristics, students can better recognise who God is calling them to be and how they can positively influence others. The day also included an overview of the nomination process for the College’s Year 12 student leadership positions.

I spoke to the students regarding the change in the 2027 Student Leadership structure.

It was a fantastic day, and I was extremely impressed by the attitude, engagement and maturity displayed by all students. I am confident that many members of this cohort have the potential to be outstanding leaders within our College community, and I look forward to seeing how they embrace the opportunities ahead.

A special thank you to our House Coordinators, Mr Dwyer and our Year 11 students for their contributions in making the day such a success.

Student Leadership nominations will open from Friday 7 August and close at 9:00am on Monday 17 August.

 2027 Student Leadership Change

Thank you to all the students, parents/carers and staff that completed the request for feedback for the proposed change to the Student Leadership structure. We have listened and made the decision to move forward with those changes, with a few adjustments after your feedback. Role descriptions for each role can be found below.

College Captains (2)

Role: To provide overall student leadership, represent the College community, and work closely with staff and students to promote the values and vision of the College.

Boarding Captains (2)

Role: To represent the boarding community, promote academic excellence, assist with liturgies, including nightly prayer and support the wellbeing of boarding students.

Mission Captains (4)

Role: To assist with Masses and Assemblies, to support Game Changers, Vinnies, and House Liturgies and to encourage student engagement in the faith life of the College.

House Captains (2 per house)

Role: To lead and support students within their House, with responsibilities relating to liturgies, promoting academic excellence, participating in all House activities, including carnivals, and student wellbeing.

Assumption Day Mass reminder

Wednesday 19 August we will be celebrating the Assumption Day Mass as a College community. This is an important day in the calendar for the Church as it celebrates the day Mary was assumed into heaven body and soul. As a Catholic school with a Marist and Mercy Tradition, this day is also important to celebrate the College’s Mercy charism and pay tribute to the Sisters of Mercy who have contributed to the success of the College.

All students are to arrive at school in the full College winter uniform. Students will attend Mass at 9.15am. Following Mass students will return to class. This is an important College event that all students are expected to attend.

Year 10 Retreat

Our Year 10 students participated in their two-day Retreat Program at the end of Week 3.  The students were divided into two groups and alternated between a day in the MPH with Sam Clear and a day at the Forbes Town Hall with Director of Mission Mr Eyles and other Red Bend staff.

Sam Clear’s workshops included important lessons on self-leadership and the power of prayer.   Parents can learn more about Sam’s ministry at https://www.walk4one.com/

Our Reflection Day at the Forbes Town Hall centred around a text from Ephesians 3: Let your inner self grow strong.  The activities included small group discussions, journaling and a retreat Mass with College Chaplain, Fr Harry Phillips.

YEAR 12 TRIAL EXAMS, HSC EXAMS AND HSC SHOWCASE

We continue to keep in our thoughts and prayers our Year 12 students as they move to their second week of Trial exams. The Trial exams 

will be held until Monday 17th August - Year 12 Trial Exam timetable

A reminder that unless students have an exam on Monday 17th August, they are to attend their normal classes. 

HSC exams begin in the next few weeks for students who are completing courses with Practical and or Performance Elements, as well as 

Languages. Our Industrial Technology students project is due on the 13th August. As we progress through the next couple of weeks, 

students that study Design and Technology,  Music and Visual Arts will be working towards their HSC submission dates. We also wish 

our students who study Languages all the best for their upcoming oral language exam. 

 Major Works are due on the following dates -

• Industrial Technology - 13 August

• Design and Technology - 27 August

• Visual Arts - 31 August 

• Music 1 (submitted works) - 7 September

HSC Languages Oral Examination

• German Continuers - 13 August

• German Beginners - 10 September

Students completing major works have been encouraged to make good use of the additional time and  support provided by their teachers.

Save the Date: HSC Major Showcase

The annual HSC Major Showcase evening will be held in the Marcellin Library on Thursday 27th August from 6.00 to 7.00pm. It is an 

evening where we celebrate the achievements of our students in Design and Technology, Industrial Technology, Music and Visual Arts. 

Students will be displaying their major works and our Music students will be performing their HSC pieces. 

Our Year 12 students are very proud of their HSC projects and performances and are looking forward to sharing their achievements with 

the Red Bend community, including students, teachers, parents, carers and extended family members.

Study Centre

Study Centre has started again this term. It is great to see such a large number of students taking the opportunity to come to the study centre and use the resources available. 

Times available:

Monday: 3.30 - 5.00pm

Tuesday: 3.30 - 8pm

Wednesday: 3.30 - 8pm

Thursday: 3.30 - 8pm

Transport is provided to Forbes and Parkes each afternoon at 4.30pm on Tuesday and Thursday and 5pm on Monday and Wednesday.

Study Centre takes place in the Marcellin Library and Resource Centre. Students in Years 10, 11 and 12 are encouraged to come along to the extended study (8pm) on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. Dinner is provided to those that stay late. This is particularly important as Yr 12 are completing their Trial exams now and are coming to the end of their schooling with HSC exams just around the corner. Year 11 have Yearly exams which start in Week 9. Consistent study is important in the senior years. You will not achieve your goals when only studying the week (or night) before an exam.

Helping Your Child Succeed!

Please find below an article written by HSC4Me regarding the importance of sleep and its effect on memory and attention. Written for students and parents in Year 12, however, important for all age groups.

SLEEP AND MEMORY:

You might want to tell me that you think your child sleeps too much, particularly during such an intense year – they should be studying, right? Wrong. Sleep is of the utmost importance for our bodies to recover and recharge. Without it, concentration levels decrease and the ability to recall information is negatively impacted. Without sleep, students will also have problems with their energy levels – which, yes, they need in order to study successfully.

Help your child develop a regular sleeping pattern, by reminding them of the following things:

1. Get up at the same time each morning

2. Avoid caffeine (and alcohol, if they are over the age of 18) late in the afternoon

3. Turn off technological devices around 20 minutes before going to bed.

4. Do something relaxing in this 20 minutes – read, draw, meditate, pack their bag, etc.

5. Be active every day, as this will stimulate muscle fatigue and regeneration during sleep

However, whilst ensuring that these strategies are implemented by your child, be aware of letting them oversleep, and encourage them to only sleep-in on weekends no longer than two/three hours past their regular wake time. This will ensure that a satisfactory pattern is kept and that the body can fall into a suitable routine.

It is important to remind your child that appropriate sleep consolidates memory and enhances attention and learning and is essential for any child during their HSC year!

Study Skills Sessions

The Term 3 study skills sessions for Yrs 7 - 11 were completed this week. These sessions focused on reading the Semester 1 reports (again we hope) and identifying strengths as well as areas to improve. These findings are then written into the goals section on SEQTA’. After reflection on the comments in the report, the students then review their Semester 1 goals and set new goals for the rest of the year for each of their subjects. Again, these were written in SEQTA. Goal setting is important for success as it helps set a plan and provides motivation to work hard and achieve success (no matter what the ability or skill level is). Having a positive mindset is also vital.

I encourage all parents to have a look at these goals and have a discussion with your child/ren on how realistic they are, what they can do to improve and build on their successes and how you can support them to achieve or even surpass their goals.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks for your support.

Deborah Wheeldon

It has been great to see such a positive return to school for Term 3, and I trust all our families enjoyed a restful mid-year break.

This year we introduced a term-based winner for our Spirit Cup, recognising student involvement in school life. This takes into account attendance percentages, involvement in extracurricular activities, and positive affirmations, among other measures. O'Connor has led the way again in Term 2, now taking out both Term 1 and Term 2. Students in the winning house are recognised with a special lunch and can wear their house colours to school on the day.

This term we have introduced WELLIO to the whole school. WELLIO is a Social Emotional Learning platform that allows us to teach our students specific wellbeing skills. Students complete their WELLIO lessons on Wednesdays during our dedicated extended PC time, coming together in year groups so we can deliver age-appropriate, targeted wellbeing lessons. WELLIO also allows us to draw on our student wellbeing data from ACER's Social-Emotional Wellbeing survey, transition data, and WELLIO's own wellbeing survey  to target the specific needs our students have identified.

As always, we appreciate your support and feedback. Please reach out to your child's House Coordinator if you have any concerns regarding your child, so we can work with you to support them.

Many thanks,
Mr Currey