jaderamirezsydcatholiceduau | Sydney Catholic Schools - Part 3

About jaderamirezsydcatholiceduau

This author has not yet filled in any details.
So far jaderamirezsydcatholiceduau has created 122 blog entries.

Documentary unearths ANZAC history

St Clare’s College Waverley students have launched a new Fromelles documentary honouring soldiers whose remains were found in an unmarked mass grave at Pheasant Wood, France.

The Lost Diggers of Fromelles is based on video profiles Year 12 students created in their Year 9 History class. These feature Australian soldiers whose identities were recovered in a DNA matching program at the mass grave site.

“The girls were able to contribute to a history that is still being written.” – Kerrie McDiarmid

The students collaborated with Fromelles book author and broadcast personality, Patrick Lindsay, to create a film that tells the story of the battle of Fromelles through the eyes of young women today.

The July 1916 battle remains the largest loss of life within 24 hours in Australia’s military history.

FAMILY FOCUS

The students interviewed the soldiers’ descendants in the film. Kate O’Sullivan accessed public records and personal letters to build a profile of fallen soldier and pioneering rugby league player, Herbert ‘Nutsy’ Bolt.

“From first being given a soldier’s name and number, we now have a personal connection with these courageous men,” Ms O’Sullivan said.

St Clare’s principal Kerrie McDiarmid said the project reflected the school’s commitment to give students opportunities to collaborate with the broader community and make a difference in their world. More school news

jaderamirezsydcatholiceduauApril 30, 2021|

Transport app promotes disability access

Bethlehem College Ashfield students have been named the winners of the 2020 NRMA Future of Transport Challenge for an app giving people with a disability better access to trains.

The Transport 2 U app they developed allows users to request real-time assistance at stations along the Leppington line. Wheelchair users can book a ramp, reducing the time they wait to board a train.

Bethlehem College year 10 students embraced the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) challenge.

They were Georgia Alexakis, Shania Pedavoli, Naomi Huie, Sophia Trovato and Alexandra Ventura.

Students fielded five minutes of unseen questions from a panel of transport industry judges after presenting their work.

“Throughout the project we gathered invaluable STEM skills, like coding, app development and teamwork” – Alexandra

Judges praised the app’s usefulness and ability to be rolled out for other types of public transport. The students said the experience was valuable.

“We were challenged to think like an entrepreneur,” Alexandra said.

Holy Cross College Ryde was also a finalist in the competition. Their PTG (Post COVID Transport Gear) vending machines stocked personal magnetic and suction-powered handles. These were designed to keep Sydney train commuters germ free by avoiding high-touch surfaces.

jaderamirezsydcatholiceduauApril 26, 2021|

Students light up learning for PNG peers with STEM

An amped-up focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematics is breathing new life into the curriculum at McAuley Catholic Primary School Rose Bay.

Dedicated STEM teacher Odette Esber was appointed this year to hone students problem-solving, coding, touch-typing, digital music composition, filming and video-editing skills.

Teachers are also adding to their skills in the field as part of an integrated approach to STEM that Principal Nicole Jones says will give new meaning to students’ learning across the curriculum.

“With STEM you build confident children who love learning,” she said.

“It develops a set of thinking, reasoning, teamwork, investigative, and creative skills that students can use in all areas of their lives. When they walk away from school they can go into the workplace well-equipped for the things that are going to come their way.

With STEM you build confident children who love learning.

– Nicole Jones

“STEM is not a separate class. We are building students ICT skills in different areas so that when we are integrating STEM into our lessons, it’s a seamless transition.

“For example, for students to get a Sphero to follow a maze they need to code the angle that the robot needs to follow. It’s a seamless way to bring in a maths lesson.”

Students began the year with a cyber safety talk with an officer from Rose Bay Local Area Command, and revisited their school’s acceptable use of technology agreements before diving into technologies including green screen, new tablets and robotics.

“They are not afraid to take risks which is crucial to their learning,” Ms Jones said. “Most importantly, they love it – and when they love learning they learn more.”

STEM to light up learning

McAuley students will also …

jaderamirezsydcatholiceduauApril 20, 2020|

Family in focus at Clancy Prize

A vivid portrait of a migrant family, visual reflections on the wisdom and resilience of generations and an exploration of Pablo Picasso’s personal life have taken four major awards at the 21st Clancy Prize for Student Religious Art.

The Clancy Prize is open to student in Years 7 to 12 at schools within the Archdiocese of Sydney.

Students from Sydney Catholic schools drew inspiration from those closest to them to present more than 70 evocative artworks that answered the Pope Francis-inspired theme ‘Family love: a vocation and a path to holiness’ at the Australian Catholic University’s McGlade Gallery in March.

Rule of three

De La Salle Catholic College Cronulla students, and teacher, swept three prizes at the awards.

Year 12 student Laurah Tapas received the $2000 Clancy Prize for The Family, a portrait of her parents and brother, who migrated with her to Australia from Papua New Guinea in 2003. Laurah painted the acrylic-on-hessian portrait in just two weeks.

“Christianity and family are really important in our culture and I wanted to capture that,” she said.

“It is always refreshing but also a startling contrast when we go and visit our extended family members in their villages in Lae and Manus. In the village the Church is the centre of community life and the glue that binds us.”

Year 12 graduate Jessica Gledhill, also from De La Salle, received the Brian Jordan Award for Dora Maar, a commentary on Pablo Picasso’s treatment of two of the women in his life.

The oil on canvas painting of Marr and Francoise Gilot, both well-regarded artists in their own right, references Picasso’s Vollard suite with the minotaur of Greek mythology a recurring motif.

Jessica plans to become an art teacher. Her family were on hand to collect her award while she completes a gap year …

jaderamirezsydcatholiceduauMarch 17, 2020|

First SCS language Centre of Excellence a success

More than 2,500 students at Sydney Catholic schools have embraced the Japanese language in the virtual world, and their learning journey continues in a real space.

It has been a year since Sydney Catholic Schools’ Japanese Centre of Excellence was established at Casimir Catholic College and St Brigid’s Catholic Primary School Marrickville to give students the opportunity to develop their skills in the language from Kindergarten through to Year 12.

The centre offers a continuity that is missing from many school language programs and, though still in its infancy, is creating plenty of buzz among parents and students who see the advantage and fun in mastering an Asian language.

The best thing about learning Japanese is that you actually know how to communicate in someone else’s language.

– Oliver Jaffer

“Ultimately the centre hopes to provide a place for students from all of Sydney Catholic Schools’ 150 primary and secondary schools to learn Japanese if they wish, regardless of whether or not they have a Japanese teacher at their school,” said the centre’s co-ordinator Andrew Finch.

“This opportunity will be supported by a team of experienced teachers and the use of the latest technology. Students who want to challenge themselves by learning a new and exciting language can enjoy that learning throughout their whole school journey, all the way through to the HSC.”

The Centre of Excellence follows a successful pilot and rollout of the Japanese Online course created by Sydney Catholic Schools for students in Years 5 and 6.

The digital lessons use friendly avatars and bright animations to introduce students to Japanese language and culture. LearnX Live! recently awarded the program three gold and two silver awards across categories including Best e-Learning Design …

jaderamirezsydcatholiceduauMarch 3, 2020|

Principal power: New faces lead with heart

Catholic Schools Week is a time to celebrate the skills and qualities our dedicated staff bring to their school communities to ensure students grow and thrive in their learning and in life.

While administration comes with the territory for new principals in 2020, at Sydney Catholic Schools they are supported to focus on the education they deliver best.

At an induction day for the organisation’s new principals, Assistant Director of Teaching and Learning at Sydney Catholic Schools, Iris Nastasi, said principals should be recognised and celebrated for the capacity they have to make a difference to the lives of others, including teachers and students.

“We spoke about leading from the head and the heart,” she said. “It’s about a big picture and vision, being confident and courageous.

“These are people who are putting their hand up to lead vibrant Catholic communities at a time of great change.”

It’s about a big picture and vision, being confident and courageous.

– Iris Nastasi

Stephen Gough, who looks after leadership development at Sydney Catholic Schools, said while principals were faced with various compliance and administrative tasks, there was a genuine push to move away from the transactional to the transformative.

“There is no other job where you get that same connection with the community,” he said. “The legislative and compliance matters can be challenges, however our principals know that they are well supported, so the core business of the principal is about quality Catholic education.”

Sydney Catholic Schools’ newest principals reflect on the possibilities inherent in a year of leading change, and how they ensure excellence in teaching and learning and vibrant communities anchored by a shared Catholic faith.

Primary

Geoff Carey, St Michael’s Catholic Primary School Daceyville

After spending the past three years as Head of Innovation at Sydney Catholic Schools, Geoff Carey is ready to open doors for the students at …

jaderamirezsydcatholiceduauMarch 3, 2020|

Catholic Schools Week 2020: faith and learning take centre stage

On the eve of Catholic Schools Week, Executive Director of Sydney Catholic Schools Tony Farley shares why families may choose to embrace and be part of the thriving communities and classrooms that are Sydney Catholic schools.

So why send your child to a Sydney Catholic school?

It’s a question parents ask every year as they navigate the seemingly endless education options that exist across the city of Sydney.

Even faithful practicing Catholics find themselves weighing up the options of public education, independent schools and sometimes home schooling for a small but growing number of families.

The mission of Sydney Catholic Schools is to know and love Christ through learning. Quite simply, Sydney Catholic schools are places where tradition meets the future with optimism and creativity and where our vast network of schools provide educational opportunities that are second to none.

Our vision is for thriving Catholic communities through excellent teaching and learning. Communities that hold fast to the teachings and beliefs of the Church while being places of love and safety for students and families who reflect the diversity of a society that is constantly changing.

Our schools are led by professionals who are … passionately committed to the success and growth of each and every student.

Excellence in learning is both concrete and real. Our students can expect to be high achievers in NAPLAN and the HSC while also having the capacity to critically and analytically think in a way that helps them thrive in the world of work they will enter. Regardless of the educational path they pursue, students are challenged to be the best version of themselves. Sydney Catholic schools are unapologetic about striving for excellence in all the opportunities offered.

Students … confidently live and share their faith with others.

Sydney Catholic Schools is about to celebrate 200 years of Catholic education in Australia, …

jaderamirezsydcatholiceduauMarch 2, 2020|

New confidence: Reading Recovery writes early script for literacy success

Reading Recovery is part of an approach to literacy at SCS that is based on a deep understanding that acquiring it is a complex process.

jaderamirezsydcatholiceduauFebruary 14, 2020|

History-making cricketer leads sports at OLR

With a long appreciation of the opportunities sport provides – for structure, friendship, resilience and life lessons – to stoke his commitment on and off the pitch, Rob Aitken has made first-grade cricket history.

The Year 5 teacher and sports coordinator at Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Primary School Fairfield has surpassed the record of NSW premier cricket matches played in the competition’s 125-year lifespan, achieving more than 11,000 runs and 600 wickets across 473 matches.

While Mr Aitken is humble about his success in the game, students at the school are often bowled over by the sporting opportunities he supports them to take.

Teams and sports provide that important social connection.

– Rob Aitken

Access to Catholic and all-school regional, NSW and national representative sport pathways, soccer, netball and touch football gala days, and a famed school handball competition are regular offerings at OLR.

This year, they are joined by specialist six-week cricket and AFL clinics aimed to get more girls participating in sport, and swimming program for refugee students.

“I love being able to give children opportunities to participate in sport because the opportunities that I’ve received have helped to shape the person I am,” Mr Aitken said.

“Teams and sports provide that important social connection that is nice to have through adolescence. I know many of my friends through sport, and it has provided a bit of a structure and framework through which to live my life.”

There are those children in class who are just living for that moment they can get out and play sport.

– Rob Aitken

Mr Aitken currently plays first-grade cricket with the UTS North Sydney Bears and is happy to juggle filing end of year school reports with a hectic weekend playing schedule and additional training. “You get out of it what you put into it, just …

jaderamirezsydcatholiceduauFebruary 14, 2020|

Relics reveal kindness in Menai community

Holy Family Catholic Primary School and Aquinas Catholic College Menai students seized the opportunity to be in the presence of three saints when the relics of St Therese of Lisieux and her parents visited their parish as part of a four-month pilgrimage.

The relics, venerated at a mass at Holy Family parish on 3 February, gave Year 6 and Year 11 students from the schools an opportunity to reflect on the power of everyday gestures of kindness. Community members were also able to witness the relics during their five-hour stop at the church.

She showed that you can always help people, even if it is by doing the smallest thing.

– Cayde Herbert

Religious Education coordinator Renee Taylor said the opportunity to host the relics was a privilege, and that St Therese’s example was a lesson in perseverance.

“It was an opportunity, I think, to realise that everybody has their own battles and challenges on a daily basis and to reflect on how we can build our resilience in 2020,” she said.

“When students are facing a challenge or hardship, whether it be in Year 6 with friendships, or moving into high school, they can ask ‘what can we take from her life and apply to ours?’”

It was an opportunity to … reflect on how we can build our resilience in 2020.

– Renee Taylor

Holy Family Year 6 students Ashley Makdessi and Cayde Herbert were among more than 100 of their peers who touched the relics and prayed before them. Before the liturgy, they had learnt about the life of the young Carmelite novice known as the ‘little flower’. Therese died at age 24 and was canonised as a saint in 1925 after a life of helping others, while never realising her wish to …

jaderamirezsydcatholiceduauFebruary 7, 2020|

Kindy teachers on double duty as twins start ‘big school’

Catering for the educational needs of not one, but four, sets of twins is an exciting prospect for the Kindergarten teachers at St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School Mortlake.

The students were among the 62 Kindergarten starters who met their first day of primary school with a smile alongside their parents and new teachers.

Sara and Alfredo La Cava’s sons Alexander and Antonio were among the twin influx. Mrs La Cava became familiar with the school when working there as a casual teacher.

“I’ve got to know the staff a bit and they’re wonderful people,” she said. “The school has a great community spirit so that’s why we thought it was a good school for the boys to be at.

“They were excited, nervous – a mixed bag of feelings. Now that we are here they’re relaxed and looking forward to a good day.”

They both love reading and learning and exploring.

– Alfredo La Cava

Mr La Cava said that although they had different interests, it was helpful that Alexander and Antonio had each other for support in the early days of school life.

“Especially for those first days until they create new friendships, I think it makes it easier that they have each other,” he said. “One is more creative, the other is more sporty, but they both love reading and learning and exploring.”

Caroline and Bou Souvannavong’s twins Joshua and Oliver are happy to study and play independently, and will learn in separate classrooms this year.

“I wanted them to have their own stories to tell me when they came home from school, and I didn’t want them to be compared with each other by their peers or educators in the classroom,” Mrs Souvannavong said.

“I know the teachers make an overt effort not to compare, but thought it would be easier if they …

jaderamirezsydcatholiceduauFebruary 3, 2020|

McAuley’s new principal shines at old school

Nicole Jones has become a leader at McAuley Catholic Primary School Rose Bay for the second time in her life, close to 30 years after graduating from its Year 6 class as school captain.

As the school’s new principal, Ms Jones has found that while education has changed dramatically in that time the sense of welcome at McAuley has not.

“It’s like coming full circle,” she said. “Things have been beautifully renovated but you can still see that the structure and the bones are the same. That welcoming feeling has never left and I think that is going to be exciting for me to bring to the school that history, but a freshness as well.”

Ms Jones has vivid memories of her time in primary school – from lessons and finding treats at the tuck shop to lunchtimes spent in what was a special playground area for Year 6 students – and remains friends with many of her former classmates.

It is an exciting time in education for both the students and the teachers.

– Nicole Jones

She comes to the principal role at McAuley after four years as an assistant principal and another 16 as a teacher at Holy Cross Catholic Primary School Woollahra.

“I’ve been very lucky to go from one school to another where the community spirit is so strong,” she said.

“Getting to know the parents, teachers and students and having those relationships from the very beginning is something that is important to me. It always comes back to the students, and having high expectations of and for them. Children will always rise to your standard if you believe in them.”

Ms Jones said technology had changed education dramatically, and had a positive role to play in making learning real and relevant for students.

“Children have the learning at their fingertips – that is different to …

jaderamirezsydcatholiceduauJanuary 29, 2020|

Wellbeing program empowers student leaders

Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School Miranda’s 2020 Year 6 class will hit the ground running as their school’s new leaders, after championing a program that models and rewards positive behavior in their classrooms and playground.

Their values of safety, respect and responsibility are part of the School Wide Positive Behaviour for Learning (SWPBL) program. What students learn from this is supported by a dedicated wellbeing week each term where students consider everything from kindness, physical fitness and healthy eating to mindfulness and care for the environment.

Year 5 students hone their leadership skills when they help communicate the school’s expectations of student behavior to their younger peers with slideshow presentations.

Our focuses are respect, responsibility and safety.

– Kate Henniker

Year 5 SWPBL student coordinators Kate Henniker and Christian Di Noia said their school rewards positive behavior with things including bronze, silver, and gold awards, ice blocks, pizza, and being able to sit on the silver seats at school pick up and assembly.

Kate said a star system rewards a class and student who best demonstrate respect, responsibility and safety each week.

“It depends on what is relevant to the week,” she said. “We cover respect for adults, each other, our surroundings and the environment.

“At assembly we have the focus of the week and see if a class deserves a star for being good. On Friday we have the class of the week – the class with the most stars.

“We also have a star student that teachers and others have seen be good around the school. If we are going on an excursion, it might be about respecting our surroundings and being responsible for ourselves and our belongings.”

With their peers explaining things to them and rewarding them, they really listen.

– Matilda Raper

Christian said the program …

jaderamirezsydcatholiceduauDecember 23, 2019|

Sydney Catholic Schools celebrate top HSC achievements

Sydney Catholic Schools have achieved their best HSC results in five years, with their highest number of students among the state’s course-toppers and all-round achievers.

jaderamirezsydcatholiceduauDecember 19, 2019|

HSC First in Course 2019: Lessons and success beyond school

Three students from Sydney Catholic Schools have proved that a balanced approach to the HSC is best after receiving First in Course awards while pursuing the things they love.

The awards place them among NSW’s top achievers from the 75,000 students who sat one or more HSC courses this year, and were presented by Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Education Minister Sarah Mitchell at The University of NSW today.

Patrician Brothers’ College Fairfield graduate Robert Ciccarelli competed at the 2018 Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires during the first month of Year 12, then put his top 20-ranked fencing career on hold to focus on study.

I found training for the games much easier than preparing for the HSC.

– Robert Ciccarelli

Working with his father to maintain a classic muscle car – a 1965 Plymouth Barracuda – from childhood also helped him to top the state in Automotive Examination, turning a hobby into academic success. Robert studied the subject at the St Joseph’s Trade Training Centre at Good Samaritan Catholic College Hinchinbrook and said he felt grateful that one of his exams aligned with a hobby.

“It was strange truly prioritising my education over anything else for the first time to the same extent as fencing,” he said. “It was a bit of a dynamic shift trying to focus on that just once a week rather than every day for three to five hours.

“I found training for the games much easier than preparing for the HSC. I really enjoy being busy. In the moment, it’s stressful, but I enjoy a challenge.”

Robert said he was ecstatic to receive a First in Course award. He plans to complete a project management degree and fence competitively once more at the 2024 Olympic Games.

“It’s an achievable goal,” he said. “Now it just becomes a question of managing uni, finances, …

jaderamirezsydcatholiceduauDecember 18, 2019|

Paralympian inspires young sports stars to dream big

Young athletes saw how far the representative sport pathways offered at Sydney Catholic Schools and a determined attitude could take them when St John Bosco College Engadine graduate and paralympian Sarah Walsh spoke at the 19^th annual Sydney Archdiocesan Primary Sports Awards.

Sarah broke the Oceania record in the T44 long jump and competed in the Rio Paralympic Games three weeks before sitting her HSC in 2016.

She received three consecutive Primary Sports Awards herself while in the early stages of an athletics career that saw her win Bronze at the 2019 World Para Athletics Championships in Dubai and qualify for her second Paralympic games in 2020.

Through the sporting system here I’ve been able to realise my full potential.

– Sarah Walsh

Sarah was born with fibula hemimelia, a condition where the calf bone is either shortened or missing, and had her right leg amputated at 18 months old. It was a decision she thanks her parents for and one that set her running towards Paralympic glory.

Sarah said she “played every sport under the sun” including swimming, netball, basketball, and gymnastics before she discovered athletics in Year 3.

“I’ve learnt to grab every opportunity. At the time I couldn’t run 100 metres, could barely hold a shot put and could not do long jump for the life of me but I still got out there and gave it a go,” she said.

“Through the sporting system here I’ve been able to realise my full potential. If it wasn’t for the primary school teacher who believed in me and encouraged me to try athletics, I wouldn’t be here as a Paralympian today.

“The opportunity sport gave me to show the world that despite having only one leg, I am just as strong and capable as anyone else out there has been amazing.” …

jaderamirezsydcatholiceduauDecember 5, 2019|

Community at heart of Pope Francis Awards

Year 6 students from Sydney Catholic primary schools have collectively spent more than 17,800 hours this year helping their school and parish communities as part of the Pope Francis Awards.

The effort is the equivalent of 106 weeks, or more than two full years, of volunteering and almost triple the 6,367 hours students collectively spent to qualify for their awards in 2018.

The students have visited nursing homes, assisted with technology and music at mass, and led playground cleanup initiatives and school fundraising drives in their own time to receive the award, which asks students to do at least 20 hours of volunteer service split between their parish and school.

They realise the best gift you can give someone is your time.

– Cheryl Fernandez

Cheryl Fernandez, a youth ministry leader at Sydney Catholic Schools, said participation in the program had more than tripled since the program pilot in 2017 that involved 220 students from 17 schools. This year, 696 students have taken part in the award from 63 schools.

“It started with students from Years 5 and 6, then in 2018 it became for Year 6 students only because we found it tied in better with their leadership programs,” Ms Fernandez said.

“It was a way to acknowledge the volunteer hours many students already do, establish a link between them and their parish and help them to know what voluntary service is all about.

“Once they start doing the voluntary work they develop a love for it and the people involved, so a lot of students keep going. I think also that they realise the best gift you can give someone is your time. That becomes a real focus for them.”

Good Shepherd Catholic Primary School Hoxton Park Year 6 student Damien Nakhla led the charge, completing 403 hours of service. He is …

jaderamirezsydcatholiceduauNovember 27, 2019|

Peer learning boosts popularity of indigenous performance

The students in Sydney Catholic Schools Performing Arts’ (CaSPA) indigenous ensemble drew on a rich tradition of caring for the earth to give their primary school peers a lesson in Aboriginal culture that is relevant today.

The 2019 Murrawadeen Goodjarga ‘Growing in Culture’ tour visited 12 primary schools in four days, with 15 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in Years 7 to 12 at Sydney Catholic high schools using storytelling and dance to highlight sources of environmental damage and ways for people to reduce their impact on the land.

The 25-minute narrated performance and Q&A drew audiences’ attention to the 4 billion plastic bags Australians use annually, a source of microplastics that pollute waterways. They spoke of how the ensemble’s props were made of natural materials, including emu feathers and ochre that would not have a negative impact on the land.

Students also learnt that 80 per cent of clothing goes to landfill each year, and e-waste accounts for 70 per cent of the toxic chemicals in landfill.

There’s something real about students delivering the learning.

– Elizabeth Mullane

Bethlehem College Randwick Year 10 students Taryn Little and Allira Johnson were among the ensemble’s performers and are of the Yuin and Kamilaroi nations.

Taryn said teaching the younger students about culture – including a traditional welcome dance – was fulfilling.

“You get a different feeling,” she said. “When you are taught it, you feel ancestors coming around you and supporting you, and when you’re teaching it you feel them going and giving support. It’s a special feeling to know that people are going to absorb this.

“The students ask if they’re allowed to do this stuff, because a lot of children who aren’t indigenous think they can’t do traditional stuff when they can. They all live in …

jaderamirezsydcatholiceduauNovember 21, 2019|

‘Marathon runners of voice’: Teachers develop vocal skills

Talking for eight hours a day presented few problems for Reyabel Villanueva as a young teaching graduate but after taking on a different grade four years into her career, she began to feel the strain on her voice.

“Being in a Kindergarten classroom for the first time this year, I just felt strained and exhausted talking to students all the time,” she said.

“I tend to not take any sick days because I always want to be there for the students, but a lot of my colleagues have said that I also need to be aware of my own wellbeing.”

Reyabel, who teaches at St Michael’s Catholic Primary School Stanmore, now uses a multi-sound doorbell to gain her class’ attention between activities to save her voice. She is one of eight who gave up a portion of their school holidays to attend Sydney Catholic Schools’ (SCS) first advanced voice care workshop.

Combining the expertise of speech pathologist Cecilia Pemberton and the Sydney Theatre Company’s voice coach Charmian Gradwell, the workshop gave teachers advanced techniques to project their voice safely and avoid injury.

Talking with an injured voice is like running on an injured knee.

– Cecilia Pemberton

Though they each see the voice through a different professional lense, both stress importance of teachers being aware of vocal exhaustion.

“Teachers are the marathon runners of voice use along with actors, and very often they don’t take care of themselves in that respect,” Ms Gradwell said.

“Voice is one of the main tools of their trade, so to be aware of vocal hygiene, longevity and variety is important so that they have vibrant communicative voices at all times. We all talk well from birth, but when you are using your voice eight hours a day for something you need to be mindful of different acoustics.”

jaderamirezsydcatholiceduauNovember 10, 2019|

Drama ensemble leads in theatre for change

Drama has given students from Sydney Catholic schools in this year’s Senior Theatre Works production an outlet for their inner activist.

Seven students performed Revolution Society, a comedy by British playwright Sarah Power about students keen to make a difference where they feel government is failing, for their peers at eight Catholic high schools across Sydney in four days.

The students had six weeks from auditions to learn and rehearse the material, with professional opera and theatre director Goldele Rayment as their industry mentor.

The students never cease to amaze me in their knowledge of political and social of realities.

– Elizabeth Mullane

Like in industry, the students may not know each other before the production starts. This gives them an authentic way to grow the confidence and social skills needed to tackle any professional production and many other challenges.

“It’s the classic collaboration setting,” said Sydney Catholic Schools Performing Arts (CaSPA) Secondary Coordinator Elizabeth Mullane.

“We rely on the cast as a whole for the success of the production, and they learn that very quickly. This is a chance for the students who are really perfecting their drama skills to perform a fully-staged live play.”

Ms Mullane said the script offered timely and accessible themes, which students must consider as they develop their character.

“The students never cease to amaze me in their knowledge of political and social of realities,” she said.

“They have really sophisticated thoughts and opinions about current issues and they learn even more from a process like this because they have to internalize their character. That’s even trickier if that character is the antithesis of what they personally believe.”

Casimir Catholic College Marrickville Year 10 student Gabriel Hannan-Moon plays philosophy student Leo in the production, testing theories including socialism and empiricism as the play develops.

“In order …

jaderamirezsydcatholiceduauNovember 8, 2019|

First STEM symposium inspires innovation

Sydney Catholic Schools’ first STEM Symposium and Competition has inspired the creation of more than 100 exciting student projects, including a glove that speaks Australian sign language, a robot turtle designed to prevent pollution, and a search engine for those who can’t yet read.

Fifteen finalist teams received awards at the first SCS STEM Symposium in November, where parents and STEM educators gathered to see their innovative designs. Each solved problems from the ground up using a range of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths skills, reflecting the key tenets of SCS Statement on STEM learning launched earlier this year.

The People’s Choice Award and Award for Animal Welfare went to the Paraspinomatic 3000 – a hand-held device designed by students from St Ambrose Catholic Primary School Concord West that was successfully trialled at a local agricultural high school.

“We focused on parasites on cattle which are very dangerous and could affect our food chain. Our device uses oil to kill them,” said Louis De Lorenzo, who worked with Year 5 classmates Anikan Nguyen and Daniel Nikopoulos.

Many projects shared this focus on improving the world, a result of the way STEM is thought about and taught at Sydney Catholic Schools.

“STEM is not an add on, it’s an essential part of a 21st century learner’s toolkit.”

– Roslyn Mahrous

Bethlehem College Ashfield’s project was more difficult to test in the field. Elizabeth Praum, Winnie Wang and Jessica Chan’s ‘Solar Wind Sails’ device is designed to convert solar and wind energy to electricity which can be sent to earth using microwaves.

“The device is designed to be launched 500km above the earth’s surface on the edge of the Thermosphere, where it will be exposed to …

jaderamirezsydcatholiceduauNovember 8, 2019|

Brigidine students drive change with electric vehicles

Brigidine College Randwick students have hit the accelerator on an environmental sustainability initiative that brings the number of electric vehicle charging stations in their part of the suburb from zero to two.

Information, Digital Media & Technology (IDMT) students in Years 11 and 12 researched the concept before putting the plan to tender, working closely with Sydney Catholic Schools, Randwick City Council – who supplied a $5,000 grant for the project – and industry to install two charging stations in the St Pauls Street public carpark near their school.

Drivers of both electric and hybrid vehicles can use the compact chargers, which are a similar size to an A5 sheet of paper and are compatible with the cables supplied for different vehicle makes.

The project will make electric and hybrid vehicles a viable option for apartment-dwelling residents with limited access to outdoor power points. It also allowed students to gain skills in project management, information design, technology, marketing and economics. Future students will consider data from the systems to potentially install solar panels to help power the charging stations and lower the price per kilowatt-hour of the facilities’ use.

It’s amazing that we get to take this out to the community.

– Izabella Deep-Jones

“The beauty of this project is that it shows the students they are able to not only create change, but have a real impact,” said IDMT teacher Richard Hainsworth.

Year 12 students Izabella Deep-Jones and Taylor-Maree Raffoul said the project aimed to increase the profile of electric vehicles as a way of reducing CO₂ emissions and tackling climate change.

“It was an interesting experience to have in high school, where you get to create something real and tangible, rather than hypothetical,” Izabella said. “It’s amazing that …

jaderamirezsydcatholiceduauOctober 25, 2019|