A message from the School of Entrepreneurs Head of School

Celebrating Excellence: 12th Annual VET Rotary Awards

On Tuesday, 25 August 2026, the 12th Annual VET Rotary Awards were held at Northmead Performing Arts High School. These prestigious awards celebrate excellence in Vocational Education and Training (VET), honoring outstanding students across Western Sydney. Embodying Rotary's core ideal of "Service Above Self," the evening highlighted the dedication of young people building practical skills, strong ethics, and clear pathways for their futures.

St Luke’s Catholic College was proudly represented by two exceptional students recognised for their vocational achievements:

Miguel Manalili Year 10 (Hospitality): Honoured for his outstanding diligence across both theoretical and practical coursework. Miguel has shown remarkable growth over the two-year course, approaches every challenge with a positive, can-do attitude, and consistently takes initiative without needing to be asked.

Kija Piirlaid Year 12 (Skills for Work & Vocational Pathways & Business Services Nomination): Congratulated for her exceptional work ethic across multiple vocational fields. In Skills for Work, Kija continuously applies herself to complete detailed, thoughtful work while using her personal experiences to enrich the learning of her peers. She was also named a standout nominee for Business Services Certificate III overcoming timetabling constraints to manage much of her study independently while applying real-world insight from operating her own small business. Demonstrating extraordinary breadth, Kija is also undertaking Certificate III Fitness at St Luke's and a Statement of Attainment toward Certificate III Early Childhood Education and Care externally at CathWest.

These awards validate the hard work, passion and initiative all our students bring to their Vocational studies every day. Congratulations to Miguel and Kija for representing St Luke’s with such distinction. We are very proud of your commitment to your studies.

Exam Jitters - School TV

With the HSC examinations approaching quickly and the Preliminary examinations commencing in Week 7 this term, students can be overwhelmed by the pressure that exams bring and the turnaround between one exam and the next. Every year, more and more emphasis is placed on achieving good results in exams causing many students to feel extraordinary pressure and having unrealistic expectations. This month on SchoolTV, parents will find advice on how to help students cope with the pressure and how students can work smarter to achieve the results they desire.

Exams are like a game. Once you know how to play the game, your chances of achieving great results rapidly increase. Parents can learn how to assist their kids to maintain perspective and keep their sanity intact during exam time.

Diet, exercise and sleep all play an important part in helping a student balance a busy schedule and study smarter. Keeping stress levels to a minimum and reducing anxiety can be easily achieved through careful planning and having a supportive environment.

We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this edition of SchoolTV and we welcome your feedback. If you have any concerns about your child, please contact the school for support or seek medical or professional help.

Here is the link to the Exam Jitters edition of SchoolTV for your perusal.https://stlukesmarsdenpark.catholic.schooltv.me/newsletter/exam-jitters

Ms Jacqui Genovese - Head of School, School of Entrepreneurs

Wellbeing Update

From the Year 9 Wellbeing Coordinator

As we reach just past the halfway mark of Term 3, Year 9 students are continuing to work steadily. Students are currently completing a range of assessment tasks across their subjects, providing opportunities to demonstrate their learning and continue developing their organisation, time management and study skills. We encourage students to make use of teacher feedback and seek support where needed as they work towards completing their assessments.

As part of their Life Design unit, students are also preparing for and undertaking their volunteering experiences. This is a valuable opportunity for students to contribute to their community while developing important skills such as communication, responsibility, initiative and empathy.

We were particularly excited to see our Year 9 students get involved in the Book Week Dress-Up Day and embracing the opportunity to celebrate reading and literature. Students also participated in activities such as “Blind Date with a Book”, providing a fun way to discover something new to read.

Thank you to our Year 9 families for your continued support. We look forward to a positive and engaging few weeks ahead as students continue to learn and make the most of the opportunities available to them.

Mrs Jesse Moritz - Acting Year 9 Wellbeing Coordinator

From the Year 10 Wellbeing Coordinator

Year 10 BStreetSmart Road Safety Forum

On Wednesday, 12th August, our Year 10 students attended the BStreetSmart Road Safety Forum at Qudos Bank Arena. This high-impact event aims to reduce road trauma among young drivers and passengers by providing realistic hazard awareness, detailing the real-world consequences of crashes, and empowering youth to make safe choices.

Throughout the interactive simulation and presentations, our students gained a sober, practical understanding of driver responsibility, peer pressure on the road, and emergency response. We commend Year 10 for their exemplary behaviour, active engagement, and the high level of maturity they demonstrated throughout the day as representatives of our school community.

Year 10 Student Development Day: Navigating Relationships & Online Safety

On Thursday 20th August, Year 10 participated in a dedicated Student Development Day focused on interpersonal dynamics and online safety. The central purpose of the day was to equip students with clear, actionable skills to navigate complex social situations both in person and in digital environments.

Through interactive workshops, students explored the distinct boundaries between active bullying, general conflict, casual banter, and one-off instances of unkindness. They practiced safe upstander and bystander strategies to intervene and de-escalate harm effectively without putting themselves or others at risk. Additionally, the sessions mapped out clear reporting pathways, identified trusted adults within and outside the school, and outlined immediate steps for addressing online harm and cyberbullying.

Mr Dean Zaccaria - Year 10 Wellbeing Coordinator

From the Year 11 Wellbeing Coordinator

The Year 11 Preliminary Examination block begins on Monday and will run throughout Weeks 7-8 inclusive. During this time, students are reminded that they only need to attend school on the days that they have an examination, and are to use the surrounding time at home to study.

Study is not a passive activity but a verb and requires students to do something with their learning in order to transfer new knowledge and concepts into their long term memory. Earlier in the term the following tips were shared:

Make and revise dedicated study notes
Review the syllabus for key words, concepts, and content that you can be assessed on
Complete practice questions under timed conditions to test your readiness
Proactively seek teacher feedback so you can prepare to do your best work
Practice your handwriting so it is easy for your teachers to read and mark

I hope that everyone can prepare for the exams to the best of their ability so that regardless of the result, everyone in Year 11 knows that they tried their best and can be proud of themselves.

As exams bring unfamiliar environments and challenges, they can also create stress and apprehension. A certain level of stress is normal: it means that you care and realise that this is important. However, prolonged stress can have a real impact on our physical and mental health, so if you notice that you/your child is becoming more anxious as these exams approach, please take the time to look after yourself. Talk about any worries with our trusted staff to seek solutions. We are all here to support you to do and be your best! For any support, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Miss Breana Wick - Year 11 Wellbeing Coordinator

From the Year 12 Wellbeing Coordinator

As we move into the final phase of Year 12, there are now only four weeks of classroom learning remaining before students commence their HSC examinations. This period is incredibly important, and success will be achieved through a strong partnership between students, families and staff.

Attendance at every lesson is vital. Each class provides valuable opportunities for revision, clarification, feedback and preparation. Collectively, we all want our students to achieve their very best results, and maximising attendance and engagement during these final weeks will play a significant role in supporting this goal.

A special congratulations to our HSC Music students on their outstanding Performance Showcase held on 20 August. The talent, dedication and commitment displayed throughout the evening were exceptional. Each student should be proud of the progress they have made and the professionalism they demonstrated. They are in a strong position as they undertake their final preparations for the HSC Performance examinations.

As graduation approaches, families are asked to begin preparing their child's formal school uniform for the occasion. Please ensure that blazers, shirts, ties, skirts and trousers are clean and in excellent condition. In particular, we ask families to check that:

Buttons are securely attached.
Ties are clean and presented appropriately.
Skirts are at the required knee length.

Please also note that make-up, artificial nails and additional piercings will not be permitted at the Graduation Ceremony. As this is a formal College event, all students are expected to present in full school uniform and adhere to College expectations.

A reminder that the Year 12 Graduation Ceremony will be held on Tuesday, 23rd September in the Performance Hall at St Luke’s Catholic College. The schedule for the evening is as follows:

4:30pm – Canapés
5:30pm – Graduation Liturgy
6:30pm – Graduation Ceremony

This is a significant and formal occasion celebrating the achievements of the graduating class. Each student will be allocated four guest tickets. Seating reservations will open online for families on 1st September, with further details to be communicated via Compass to parent email accounts in the coming weeks.

Finally, thank you for your continued support of your child throughout this demanding period. Encouraging students to remain focused, maintain effective study routines and prioritise their learning will be invaluable as they prepare for the HSC. Now is the time for students to reflect on the lessons learned from their Trial HSC examinations, identify areas for improvement and implement strategies that will help them perform at their best. Together, we can ensure that every student is as prepared and confident as possible for the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

We look forward to celebrating with our Year 12 students and families as they complete this important chapter of their educational journey.

Mrs Sharon Eldridge - Acting Year 12 Wellbeing Coordinator

What’s been happening Across the Curriculum . . .

PDHPE

Year 10

Year 10 thoroughly enjoyed their time at the BStreet Smart Excursion, they showed high levels of maturity, engagement and respect throughout the day, they represented the school excellently.

Students are continuing to move through their Term 3 unit ‘Better Safe than Sorry’ and it has been incredible to watch them be so engaged and intrigued by the content. In the coming weeks, Year 10 students will begin to work on their assessment task, due in Week 8. This assessment task provides students with an opportunity to work collaboratively with their peers to form a multimedia health campaign, targeted towards young people that aims to spread awareness of one of the risk taking behaviours explored within the unit.

Students have shown high levels of creativity in the early planning stages of this task and have provided teachers with a range of creative ideas they wish to implement. Some of the risk taking behaviours students are choosing to focus on are drinking alcohol, drug use, partying, driving under the influence and inappropriate use of social media. Students have the opportunity to present their campaign in a variety of ways.

We look forward to continuing to work with Year 10 to develop this task and are excited to see the outcome. It has been great to see the kids get so passionate about their work within this task.

Year 10 are also fitting in some PE time, where they are playing team/ invasion games. Their latest sport they are enjoying is ultimate frisbee.

Pathways and Partnerships

Over the past couple of weeks, our focus has been on individual Year 12 pathway planning as students prepare for life beyond school.

We have been meeting one-on-one with students who have not yet had a meeting to check where they are up to, answer questions and make sure they have the information and support they need for their next steps. These conversations are tailored to each student and may include university, TAFE, apprenticeships, traineeships, employment, gap year options or simply working through a student’s ideas when they are still unsure.

After meeting with students, we develop an individualised pathway plan, including their preferred option, alternative pathways and backup plans, so that every student has a clear idea of what they can do next and what to do if Plan A changes. Our main priority is making sure students don’t leave Year 12 wondering, “What am I supposed to do now?”

Where appropriate, students are also provided with activities to help them work out whether a career actually suits them. This can include our Realities of the Job activity, where students compare careers by rating how much they would enjoy the typical tasks involved and how comfortable they would be with some of the realities of the work. This gives them a score for each career and another way to compare the options they are considering.

We also include Job Simulations, Virtual Work Experience and other career exploration opportunities where available, as well as useful links, resources and suggested next steps.

The aim is for students to leave Year 12 not just knowing what they are considering, but understanding what the career involves, the different ways they can get there, and what they can start doing now.

We often start these plans when students are in Year 10, and add to them as they continue to explore and narrow down their options. This is a sample Pathways Plan. Students usually have multiple career tabs depending on the options they are exploring. For this example, the detailed pathway pages for one career have been included to demonstrate the level of information provided.

Applications are now open for the University of Southern Queensland’s Head Start Program, which allows high-achieving students in Years 10 and 11 to complete a first-year university subject for free.

Students can choose from a range of study areas, including Law, Science, Engineering, Health, Psychology and Business. We already have several students who have expressed an interest in the program, and we look forward to supporting them as they experience university study alongside their school commitments.

We are also offering some workshops that will be run at school in Term 4. These include a Trades Day for students interested in pursuing a trade career, Allied Health workshops run by Notre Dame University, a University 101 Presentation for students in year 10 run by Western Sydney University, and some interactive financial literacy workshops run by the Ecstra Foundation.

Learning Showcase

Year 9 Service and Active Volunteering

Term 3 brings a range of opportunities for our Year 9 students to ‘Serve and Volunteer’. We started with two guest speakers, from Jessuit Social Services and St Vincent De Paul, igniting some ideas for our students to help those in our local communities.

Students have been placed in Strength based groups, developing a group initiative as well as participating in individual Volunteer activities, at school and elsewhere. The benefits of our students giving their time and expertise has been received well in School of Foundation classroom spaces, during recess and lunchtime sporting events, reading and drawing classes.

We look forward to seeing our students continue to actively volunteer until the end of term and reflect on their own personal growth as a ‘contributor to society’.

Roydon from St Vincent de Paul

Clare from Jesuit Social Services

Japanese

Konnichi wa!

We are studying classroom and school language, such as stationary and subjects, in order to be ready and able to communicate with a Japanese student or adult if they come to our school. Year 7 is ready and willing! Timetables, subjects, stationary, no problems!

We are still practicing our hiragana and some, their kanji on the mats. Students are honing their skills so much so, we can see some very authentic calligraphy being formed.

Students also practiced sitting in SEIZA position, which is sitting on your knees. This is very difficult to do for longer than a few minutes. This position is used during tea ceremonies and for meditating. It is also often used at gatherings and formal ceremonies. Students decided to make it into a competition. Our winner was Elouise from 7 White, who was able to go for over 30 minutes!

Students were a little shocked to learn that many Japanese students their own age, come home of an evening as late as 10pm. This is due to the fact that they attend cram schools, or coaching colleges as we know them here. Students have seen a few videos allowing them to glimpse school life in Japan and compare it to that of St Luke’s.

To help in both understanding as well as articulating the language, students have also been exposed to songs, some of which have been received better than others! There are some which just make you want to get up and dance! It’s lovely to see happiness in our classrooms/kyoushitsu!

Mata ne!

Technology and Applied Studies

Stage 4 Technology students have had an exciting year of designing, creating and problem solving across a range of practical projects.

In Year 7, students explored Digital and Communication Technologies through Micro:bit Solutions, who coded their own solution to a real world problem. In Materials Technology, through Wearable Jewellery, students learnt about various metals, designed various pendant solutions and cut, filed, sanded and polished their final pendant designs. Students also investigated Engineering and Systems Technologies through the Downforce Racers project, where they applied engineering concepts and problem solving skills to create their own downforce racers. These projects encouraged students to think creatively, experiment with ideas and use the design process to develop and improve their solutions.

Digital and Communication Technologies: Micro:Bit Solutions -

Design idea of a working step counter.

Digital and Communication Technologies: Micro:Bit Solutions -

Segments of students Make Code with their explanation for a working step counter.

Materials Technology: Wearable Jewellery -

Final design drawings and their completed copper pendant.

Engineering and Systems Technologies: Downforce Racers -

Final designs digitally drawn on Adobe Illustrator to be laser cut (only the flank of their downforce racers are displayed).

In Year 8, students continued to build their technological knowledge and practical skills through a variety of engaging projects. In Food and Agriculture, the Farm & Feast unit introduced students to the journey of food from production to consumption. Students investigated the life cycle of a primary food source and participated in practical cooking experiences, developing an understanding of food production, sustainability and preparation. In Materials Technology, students explored the properties of timber and learnt basic woodworking skills such as sawing, sanding and filing along with laser cutting their own intricate, hand drawn designs in the construction of their own mobile phone holder.

Food Technology: Feast -

Students working together to roll out their delicious protein balls.

Materials Technology: Timber -

Sawing the back panel to size, engraving hand drawn design, using the laser cutter and final sanded and engraved panel.

Notices

Messages and dates for the calendar

Staff Development Days

Parent ‘Need to Knows’ Archives