SFX students awarded Commissioner’s highest honour

Elijah Arranz narrowly survived a horrific skydiving accident at 14 sending shockwaves through the St Francis Xavier school community. His courage and passionate determination in recovery and the faith, commitment and selflessness of his mates took centre stage at the Children’s Week Awards when Commissioner Jodie Griffiths-Cook presented Elijah and year ten friends Ben Mitchell, Charlie Mellick, Marley Thomas and Joe Bishop with the 2017 Commissioner’s Award.

The love and faith-filled community of SFX College gave Elijah a rock star reception when he returned to school after nearly 12 months in hospital undergoing intensive rehabilitation, relearning to speak, eat, and to use his hands. Not knowing whether he was going to survive, his anxious friends refused to sit idle. They hosted record breaking fundraisers, made photo boards for his hospital room, and hosted 24-hour basketball meets, arranging 400 pairs of shoes in the words “Pray for Eli”.

On his return to school, his mates now known as Team Elijah made sure that Elijah could transition with peace of mind both for him and his family. While there are many other year 10 students at SFX who assist when needed, these four caring teens provide a constant source of friendship and support for Elijah, encouraging his independence and doing everything they can to normalise his school experience, making sure he doesn’t miss out on the things that will shape his memories of his school years.

In an interview with the Canberra Times Team Elijah recalled “Charlie pushing Elijah through a relay at the College athletics carnival so quickly onlookers weren’t sure they’d be able to stop”.

“It’s just what you do for a mate,” Charlie said humbly on ABC radio about receiving the Award. Elijah said he was grateful to his friends for “supporting me with the laughs… and staying with me, not ditching me”. But his friends wouldn’t have it any other way.

Elijah pushes the limits every day on his incredible journey of recovery and in pursuit of his dream to run the Boston Marathon. Team Elijah won’t be far from his side.

The Commissioner said “the St Francis Xavier young people set an example for us all - the values of faith, bravery, compassion, and selflessness shine through their actions and show us the true meaning of friendship”.

“It was impossible to go past a particular group of young people who together epitomise the values of tenacity, courage and true friendship even in the face of personal challenges,” she said.

Catholic Education looks forward seeing Elijah carry the Commonwealth Games baton through Canberra next year.

Aspiring Olympian at St Vincent’s

Mia Kelly, a year three student at St Vincent’s Primary School in Aranda, is an example of the extraordinary talent and dedication within Catholic schools in Canberra Goulburn.

Mia is a gymnast. She took her first class when she was just four years old, and now trains four days a week, for four hours at a time- that’s 16 hours a week. Her commitment has secured her top honours at recent state titles and first place in floor, vault and bars, and second overall champion at national level. It’s not surprising she aspires to be an Olympian.

St Michael’s - Miss Jordan’s Garden Tribute

St Michael’s Primary has been awarded the Woolworths Inspiring Schools Award 2017 for the ACT. The cash prize will contribute to building a special tribute to much loved year three student Jordan Jade Taylor who passed away from a brain tumour in term two.

The St Michael's school community was devastated and deeply saddened by Jordon’s passing and will join her family in constructing a greenhouse in her honour. Jordan loved science and had started to identify her causes and how she planned to make this world a better place. The Greenhouse Project will be called Miss Jordan’s Garden and aims to promote sustainability for our world and for our children’s future. Appreciation is extended to Woolworths and other local businesses for their ongoing support.

Lumen Clothes the Philippines

Lumen Christi students have rallied to collect a truckload of clothes for the Pontevedran community in the Philippines. In January, eight Year 11 students will spend two weeks living with Sister Rei and the Franciscan Sisters of St Anthony. The bond between the two communities continues to strengthen as everyone prepares for this third immersion in Filipino culture.

As well as the clothes, students donated gold coins, raising more than $500 to support the work of local community nuns. Last year the school supported Disaster Aid International and Balay Mindanao to install a Sky-hydrant to improve the quality of the water supply. Next year's group hopes to support the local fire station.

Anyone able to offer assistance with the provision of basic safety equipment is encouraged to contact Mrs Woods at Lumen on 64958888.

Teacher Eileen Reckord with students Chloe Williams, Rain Flavell, Maddy Ferris & Emma Reyneke, proudly displaying clothing collected for the Pontevedran community in the Philippines.

St Vincent’s - NARA Peace Bell

In recognition of their Peace Bell fundraising efforts, School Principal Lina Vigliotta and students Daisy and Olivia from St Vincent’s were invited to attend the turning of the first ‘sod’ at the construction site of the Canberra Rotary World Peace Bell at Nara Peace Park in Canberra.

The pavilion for the bell, which is at the Australian War Memorial, is well under construction at steel works in Canberra. The sod turning event marked the culmination of more than 12 months of fund-raising and planning by the Rotary Club of Canberra Burley Griffin. The Official opening of the bell will take place in February 2018 where St Vincent’s Vinnie’s Voices (choir) will take centre stage at this official opening.

St Patricks Bega - Mini Vinnies

St Patrick’s Primary in Bega has formed a Mini Vinnies Team joining Eden, Narooma, Moruya and Bateman’s Bay to help support St Vincent de Paul on the Far South Coast. The members of Bega’s St Vincent de Paul were overwhelmed by the generosity expressed by everyone who contributed to the very successful Souper-heroes day that collected hundreds of cans of soup for the Winter Appeal.

Students and staff at Lumen Christi Catholic College have launched a campaign to become PLASTIC FREE and eliminate the use of disposable plastics.

It is an ambitious goal that kicked off several months ago, with the aim of being plastic free by the start of November 2017. The slogan for the campaign is NOvember, NO Plastic, NO Problems!

The first step of the campaign involved staff and students conducting a plastic audit to evaluate just how much disposable plastic the College produces. From the audit students and staff developed, implemented and monitored solutions to reduce their plastic usage. To help spread the PLASTIC FREE message the College will also be conducting Flash “Trash” mob performances and offering incentives and prizes for staff and students who succeed at becoming plastic free.

College Principal, Steve Centra, said he is hoping that the campaign will take off within the wider community and has put a call out to each and every one of us to do our bit to make our local region plastic free.

If you would like to join or assist with the campaign, or would like more information, please contact teacher and campaign coordinator, Martin McGee, at the College.

Merici College - Top Ranking for Sustainability

Merici College has ranked in Australia’s top 40 schools for innovation – in recognition of the integration of sustainability throughout their curriculum and daily practice. From their kitchen garden, to their healthy canteen programs, Merici girls are learning to walk the talk when it comes to sustainable living. It’s not unusual to see the girls lined up to the bicycle recharge stations – where the girls pedal away madly to recharge their mobile phones.

Congratulations to Merici Sustainability Captain Julie Heather who has been presented with the Conservation Council’s Senior Sustainability Award for the ACT region. Julie has demonstrated outstanding environmental leadership introducing a soft plastics recycling program and significantly growing the sustainability team through recruitment of younger students.

I Speak for the Trees

Students from years 3-6 at St Michael’s Primary School presented a wonderful performance of the musical “I Speak for the Trees”, an adaptation of ‘The Lorax’ by Dr Seuss. The children took centre-stage in the school hall and in the theatre at St Francis Xavier Secondary College in Florey. There were countless hours of preparation and rehearsals, and support from parents, relatives and staff to get props, costumes and hair and makeup ready to hit the spotlight. It is truly a community effort to create an experience that these children will never forget.

Parents in Pyjamas

St Thomas More’s Library opened its doors at twilight for a ‘Snuggle Up and Read’ initiative. It was a wonderful evening for families to come together to share the joy of reading with their children. The warm glow from lanterns and excitedly held torches, hot chocolate and marshmallows, blankets, bean bags and leisurely pyjamas created a very special story time.

St Benedict's Primary School Takes Out International Coding Challenge

When it comes to winning international computer skills competitions, students at St Benedict’s Primary School have cracked the code.

The year 3 and 4 students at the Narrabundah school came first in the National Computer Science School Competition 2017, beating 20,000 students from around the world.

The competition, which saw students use their coding skills to solve various challenges, took place over five weeks, with St Benedict’s achieving a perfect score.

Teacher Melanie Stratford said it’s the first time the school has taken part in the competition.

The school has been running an after school coding club for 30 students this year, learning skills that Ms Stratford said could be applied to many other subjects in the classroom. “It has a whole lot to do with mathematics and there’s a lot to do with angles as well,” she said.

As part of the challenges, students taking part solved problems using a coding language called Python. “I sometimes go home and code games,” year 4 student Riley Wilson said. “I also do some on iPad and code games as well,” fellow year 3 student Sarah Daunt said. Year 3 student Emily Stratford said the whole class was excited by the school’s win. "We all felt very proud,” she said.

Extract from The Queanbeyan Age, 22 Sep 2017 Article and Photo

Trinity College STEM Camp

DAY ZERO was a supercharged 3-day STEM camp of 100 year 5-7 children from schools throughout the Archdiocese held over the school holidays at Trinity Catholic College in Goulburn.

St Mary’s Young - The Science Of Food Production

St Mary’s Primary school students were up to their elbows in mud during a hands-on science- sustainability initiative. Mrs Erin Rumble, the Curriculum Coordinator said the students investigate different ways to make a kitchen garden sustainable and flourish paying particular attention to pest free solutions. They investigate how to create good soil for best results, and best times to plant and harvest. The children introduced new flowering plants to attract pollinators.

Educational Leadership honoured

The ACEL Australian Council for Educational Leaders ACT will present the branch Fellowship Award to Merici College Principal Loretta Wholley at an annual presentation dinner this month. The Award is a major achievement that salutes educational leaders who have made a significant contribution to education, educational leadership and the improvement of student and organisational outcomes. Congratulations Loretta.

Fred Hollows Humanity Award

Students Maggie Hotston from St Michael’s Primary, and Grace Brady from Rosary Primary School have been presented with the 2017 Fred Hollows Schools Award in recognition for their outstanding leadership in caring for others. Gabi Hollows, pictured with the girls, explained that the Awards recognise people who go out of their way for others, show compassion, respect and kindness towards their fellow human.

Congratulations to …

• Jessica Lauc, Merici College Year 12 student, for winning the National CPA Business Plan Competition in Melbourne for her "LEADZ" dog band enterprise concept.
• Clare Molony, Merici College Year 11, for winning the 2017 National History Challenge State Award for the category of Women's History.
• Kate Connolly, Merici Year 11 student, for being accepted into the Young Women Speak Out project.

ANZAC Day Schools’ Award

The ACT Secondary School Anzac Day Secondary Schools Award was presented to Merici College, the judges impressed by the high degree of learning demonstrated through a great range of activities, and excellent school wide and community engagement.

With the guidance of Mrs Alison Marks and Mrs Philippa Brotchie, the students in Year 4 from Rosary Primary School, Watson, were commended with ACT Runner-up ANZAC Day Schools’ Award for 2017 in the primary school category.

‘Pens Against Poverty’ Schools Writing Competition Winners- 2017

Students from our Archdiocesan schools have been awarded six of the 16 awards presented at the Anti- Poverty Week event, sponsored by Marymead and Anglicare.

• Callum Webb- Holy Spirit, Nicholls. Special Award: “Promising Young Novelist” award and equal first winner in his category, 5/6 story.
• Mrs Louise Martingale/ Year 10, Merci: “Standout Class”.
• Nick Curtis- St Bede’s Primary School, Red Hill. 3/4 “Winner” (Story)
• Jess Kowalski- St Bede’s Primary School, Red Hill. 3/4 “Highly Commended” (Story)
• Sea Cela- St Thomas Aquinas, West Belconnen. 3/4 “Winner” (Poem)
• Tamara Brammall- St John Vianney’s, Waramanga. 5/6 “Highly Commended” (Poem)
• Shabnam Mohamad Shafiq, Merici College Year 10

What Has Kids Running To Read At St Bernard’s, Batehaven?

Meet Pickles O’Brien, the newest member of the St Bernard’s school community at Bateman’s Bay. Pickles is a Story Dog. That’s right, a real-life pooch who supports children with their reading. The idea is that the children read to Pickles, explain what is happening in the story, and what the pictures tell us on each page. The non-judgmental, attentive and loving nature of dogs provide the magic that helps children to relax, open up, try harder and have fun reading.

Pickles is particularly gifted in connecting with people and comes with glowing references from the local retirement village where he is trained in this special work. Pickles’ owner Mrs Deb O’Brien is the School Officer and Classroom Support Assistant. She ensures that Pickles is where he needs to be at any given lesson.

With anxiety levels amongst young children increasing Principal Mrs Jacqui Heffernan says that education leaders need to think differently about the ways in which children learn, and how they interact and access their learning in the school environment.

A Team Effort at St Monica’s Evatt

St Monica’s Kindergarten, year one and two classes wowed their audience with a stunning performance of the musical ‘Tattybogle’- a heartwarming story of a supremely optimistic scarecrow that is stripped by strong Autumn winds leaving only one stick standing. His optimism is rewarded by Spring when his stick blossoms into a tree. The young children melted hearts and captivated the audience with their acting, singing and dancing. It was a moment these families will remember always.

Boorowa Carnival Biggest And Best

The Boorowa Touch Football/Netball Carnival co-hosted by St Joseph’s and Boorowa Central Schools continues to be the biggest carnival on the NSW Primary school calendar. A total of 444 teams were nominated, 250 touch teams and 194 netball teams, making a total of 52 participating schools – the biggest yet! Needless to say the Carnival Committee was overwhelmed by the response.

This year’s event, attracted schools from the surrounding towns of Young, Murrumburrah, Temora, Crookwell, Goulburn, Queanbeyan, Yass, Braidwood, Cootamundra, Bombala and many primary schools from the ACT.

Thirty of the schools participating come from the Canberra Goulburn Archdiocese Catholic school system. Along with these schools come their teachers, their families and a wonderful contingent of senior students from schools such as Hennessy College Young, Trinity College Goulburn, Sacred Heart Cootamundra, and St. Anne’s Temora. It is wonderful to see these senior students assisting with coaching and refereeing their primary school peers.

This year the carnival hosted high profile visitors including, Mr Ricky Sturt, Coach of the Canberra Raiders, Member for Goulburn Prue Goward, the Hilltops Mayor Brian Ingram, many Hilltops councillors, and numerous dignitaries from the town and region, for a turning of the soil for the new facilities to be built on the grounds in 2017-18.

The carnival would not be possible without the support and assistance from many community members who assist with bus and car parking, canteens, line marking and first aid. An enormous thankn you is extended to NSW Touch Association and NSW Netball, the Hilltops Council, the Boorowa Community Bank, and especially the school communities of Boorowa Central School and St Joseph’s School Boorowa who jointly run the carnival.

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