Red Bend Catholic College will be using Flexischools for parents to place lunch orders and make over-the-counter purchases at our school from Term 1, 2025. Australia's #1 school ordering solution, Flexischools, operates in more than 1700 schools across Australia, enabling parents and students to order and pay for school lunches, uniform shop items, and school community events online or via the Flexischools app.

Flexischools App 

Parents simply download the Flexischools app from the Apple or Google store and follow the prompts to create an account. You can download the App and find registration and online ordering instructions here.

Parents can set daily spend limits and keep an eye on what they’re buying via your Flexischools app. Additionally, you can also add access for your child to use the App, enabling them to place online orders themselves - great for growing independence.

If you already have a Flexischools account for another family member then just select the Profile icon on the app and +Add New Student. 

Student Cards 

Students will be able to make over-the-counter canteen purchases with their existing student ID card by linking their card to their profile in the Flexischools App. This feature will be available from Term 2, 2025.

Here’s how to link your child’s student card to your Flexischools account for cash-free spending at school. 

·         Register a Flexischools account and create a student 

·         Select Red Bend Catholic College from drop down list 

·         Under Settings, enter the Student ID number located on the front of your student card

Congratulations to our newly ordained, Father Alex Wambua Thomas. He was ordained on Thursday 21 November at Holy Family Parish Church. Special thanks to Marshall Munn and Ethan Ray who altar served. 

He then celebrated his first mass on Friday 22 November with our very own Red Bend Catholic College Choir led by Ms Cairney, Ms Bailey-Hough and Bonnie Wythes. Special thanks to the choir made up of Lillian Kealley-Smith, Mase Mogorosi, Kadence Cain, Chloe Pryor, Gabriella Pereira, Ruby Hodges, Katie Corke, Anya Garton, and Georgia Baird. 

On Friday 15 November, Year 11 student leaders attended the iRise Leadership Development Day in Wellington with all other student leaders from Catholic secondary schools in the Bathurst Diocese. Students learnt about topics such as Wiradjuri culture, Social Justice, Music with Fr Rob Galea, Our Common Home and the Catholic Social Teaching Principles. Many thanks to Kirsty Cairney and Caleb Hanrahan for supervising. Below are reflections from some of our new student leaders:

“iRise gave us an opportunity to meet with various schools from the Bathurst diocese and discuss our role as leaders at catholic schools. We all participated in a reflection on a bible passage about Jesus’ leadership, as well as our own individual workshops, one of which being on Laudato Si’s approach towards climate change.” - Lara Smith 

“The iRise Leadership Day was fantastic as we had the opportunity to network with captains from other schools, ones that we will work over the next year, and ones that we learnt great skills from. It was also spectacular to hear comments from many renowned Church leaders, such as Fr Rob Galea and Bishop Michael McKenna, about the skills of leadership, and how we can use them for the betterment of our school.” - Immy Ousby

“The iRise day was an amazing experience, as we met fantastic leaders and got an insight into their journey as a leader and the challenges, responsibilities, and experiences they faced. They were able to give us tips and tricks on how to become a better leader.” - Camille Murru

“The iRise Leadership day was a great opportunity to meet other leaders and share and exchange ideas for our schools. We were all split into different groups and experienced different talks/activities which were all interesting and inspiring. The group I was in was based on social justice with an interactive talk from Phil Glendenning AM whose job was to monitor the safety of rejected asylum seekers in more than 22 countries. Before that, he was president of the Refugee Council of Australia. The talk was eye-opening and inspiring and we learnt a lot about the realities of the lives of refugees and asylum seekers.” - Cooper Holloway

“iRise allowed us to gather student leaders from across the Bathurst diocese to reflect and grow as Christian leaders. We learnt valuable skills relating to attitudes, speaking and connecting with others, their stories and scripture. I was grateful to attend the presentation by Fr Rob Galea along with the group workshop with Bishop Michael. Fr Rob Galea taught us the importance of leading our own lives before others through finding and maintaining peace and balance.” - Ru Little

“The iRise leadership day gave us the amazing opportunity to meet and interact with new leaders from various other Catholic schools across the diocese. Together, we explored the importance of leadership, learned about topics such as social justice and considered how Christianity can act as a guiding foundation for leadership. Throughout the day not only did we gain valuable insight and skills surrounding leadership from renowned Church leaders, such as Fr Rob Galea and Bishop Michael McKenna, but also learned how we can put this knowledge into practice in our daily lives, while also creating new friendships along the way.”- Holly Purcival

“The iRise leadership day” gave me a more of an understanding on what leadership really means in a Marist community. I was honoured to have experienced this along with my fellow leaders and other leaders from other schools. I enjoyed making new friendship with other students, and listening to Fr Rob sing, and  tell us a bit about himself, and what leadership means to him, and how we can show leadership towards others. Bishop Micheal, gave us an insight on the bible, and how Jesus showed leadership. Overall, this day was really fun, and it is a day I will never forget. - Clare Gorton

Led by Dinnawan Connections, Red Bend Catholic College Aboriginal students learnt how to scar a tree, along with the importance of scaring and what this means for Aboriginal people. 

Scaring can mean many different things, such as being a sign for water, food, or other nations. The tree that our students marked was a Coolamon, and the resulting product can be used for food gathering and smoking ceremonies.

This week saw the Gallagher Animal Performance technical crew come to Red Bend to in-service Agriculture staff on how to more effectively use the Bluetooth weigh bars, screen and tag wand as an animal management tool.

Students then were treated to the same experience in the classroom, learning how valuable this technology is and how it can be implemented in a practical sense on farms.

Thanks Mrs Earl, Miss Gruessing and Mr Hawthorn for showing our students this technology!

CAPA has a busy schedule lined up as we head towards the end of the year. It began in Week 5 with Music, and Drumline performing for the new Year 7s on Orientation Day.

Visual Arts have amazed us with the Showcase of 7-10 Artwork displayed in the Library. Please drop in and have a look at the outstanding work on display. It will be there until the end of Week 6. Students have voted on the artwork and prizes will be awarded at assembly.

Year 10 Photography students are scaring the pants off of each other with their Alfred Hitchcock film trailers and the Year 9s have just completed their short animations.

Year 9 and 10 Drama students are creating socially aware short plays to explore and establish a greater understanding of health literacy, and last week our School Choir performed at the first Mass of Reverend Alex Wambua at the Holy Family Catholic Church in Parkes.

Week 7 will be busy for all of us with reports, but in Week 8 the Music Team will be pooling the amazing talent at Red Bend for House Carnival Day. We will be starting off with the Drumline team, a selection of students and staff performing and even the audience participating in a bit of karaoke. And last but not least we then go into preparation and rehearsals for the Student and Staff masses at the end of the Year.

This term the Maths department ran study preparation sessions with all classes in Years 7-10.

These sessions were run to reinforce to students how to study for Mathematics exams. The sessions included tips, strategies and techniques on how to answer questions, how to establish a study plan, how to manage time during a Maths exam, how to use the marking criteria to help answer questions and what working out is required to maximise potential marks.

The strategies given to students included:

1. Allowing approximately 1.5 minutes per mark to complete questions.

2. Set a timer when completing study to ensure you are completing questions inside a given time frame.

3. Read the question carefully to ensure you are leaving your answer how the question has asked, for example 1 decimal place, nearest whole number, fraction. If the question does not state how to leave the answer then fraction or exact answer is best option.

4. Highlight the question to ensure you have understand all vital information, including how to leave your answer.

5. Plan your study time. This includes deciding which topics will be completed on which days, how many questions and time limit. 

6. Have the exam/assessment notification next to your book and each time you complete a practice exam question correctly tick off the dot point that it corresponds with on the notification. Once you have a tick next to every dot point then begin the process again. 

7. Mistakes book - this is an exercise book where each time you complete a question you note down the errors that were made and have this next to you when completing revision to avoid making the same mistakes again. For example, rounding a number incorrectly, multiplying instead of dividing, wrong units.

8. Catch up on work missed when absent. Use google classroom and see your teacher upon return to ensure you fully understand content that was missed.
9. Pay attention to the sign This means being careful when using negative signs in questions.

10. MOST IMPORTANTLY - Ask questions. Seek guidance from a Maths teacher, ask for additional practice papers, complete all revision, check when unsure.

In Year 8 Science, students dive into the fascinating world of chemical reactions through an exciting hands-on experiment. Mixing different substances, they observe remarkable transformations like colour changes, bubbling or fizzing from gas production, temperature shifts, and the formation of a precipitate—a solid appearing in a solution.

These visual and tactile experiences help students identify the tell-tale signs of a chemical reaction and understand that new substances with unique properties are created during the process. Safety is a priority, with students donning protective gear and carefully following guidelines to handle chemicals responsibly.

This engaging activity brings chemistry to life, sparking curiosity and building a solid foundation for understanding how reactions shape the world around us.

In a fun and interactive lesson, some of our Year 10 Science students brought the structure of DNA to life—using lollies! By creating edible models of the DNA double helix, students got hands-on experience with molecular biology.

Using colourful sweets to represent the four nitrogen bases—adenine, thymine, guanine, and cytosine—students carefully paired them according to base-pairing rules. They then used cord lollies as the sugar-phosphate backbone, connecting everything with cocktail sticks. The final step? Twisting the model to form the iconic double helix!

Year 10 students recently took on the challenge of modelling DNA replication with a creative twist—using playdough! This practical activity brought the intricate process of copying genetic material to life, making it both interactive and fun.

Students began by crafting a colourful "double helix," with different shades representing the two DNA strands and nitrogen bases: adenine, thymine, cytosine, and guanine. They then "unzipped" their model, mimicking the enzyme helicase as it separates the strands. To complete the process, new complementary bases were added to each original strand, demonstrating how two identical DNA molecules are formed.

This hands-on investigation allowed students to explore key concepts such as base-pairing and the semi-conservative nature of DNA replication in an engaging way.

Our Year 9 Design and Technology students are diving into the world of jewellery design, where they explore the art and skill behind creating unique, wearable pieces. As part of their learning, students have selected and researched a jewellery designer who inspires them, studying their techniques, styles, and contributions to the field. 

Students are now applying what they’ve learned by designing and crafting their own pieces, using resin pour techniques to create custom jewellery items. This hands-on project allows students to explore their creativity while developing technical skills in jewellery making. We look forward to seeing the beautiful and unique pieces they’ll produce! 

Students in Years 9 and 10 Textiles are currently exploring the fascinating world of natural dyes and surface decoration techniques. This term, they are learning how to create vibrant, eco-friendly colours using natural materials, discovering how dyes from plants and other sources can produce stunning, lasting results. 

Each student is using their knowledge to design and produce textile items that showcase various surface decoration techniques. This unit encourages students to appreciate sustainable practices in textile production while allowing them to create beautiful, one-of-a-kind items. 

In Year 10 Metal Work, students have been putting their skills to the test by designing and building their own rocket stoves. This project challenges students to think critically about design and functionality, applying their knowledge of metalworking techniques to create a compact, efficient stove. 

From drafting initial designs to welding and assembling their final products, students have developed hands-on skills in fabrication and problem-solving. The completed rocket stoves are both practical and innovative, showcasing the students’ craftsmanship and engineering skills in action.