Pastoral Academic Care (PAC) 

Pastoral Academic Care (PAC) Focus -Connected, Protected and Respected 

Wellbeing Element - Relationships + empathy

Character Strength - Leadership

Parent Wellbeing:  The gold standard way to feel uplifting positive emotions is sharing time with other people and feeling a strong sense of belonging. You need to keep your evolutionary tribal needs satisfied to experience the wonderful natural highs you experience from the powerful brain chemicals, serotonin and oxytocin. Choosing to be socially connected is a great choice. What groups do you feel a sense of belonging in? Acknowledgement: Ryan & Deci

Year 7

Mrs Kath Czinner

Our Year 7 Camp went really well. I was very impressed with how well the group worked together. The students participated wholeheartedly, were very cooperative and willing to give the variety of challenges a go. Students mingled and got to know others, building many positive relationships.

A special thanks to our talented staff who shared their master skills and helped the event go very smoothly with plenty of hilarious moments along the way. 

Thank you Mr Roff, Mr Mc Cann, Mrs Healy, Miss Clydsdale, Mrs Osborne and Georgia for your commitment.

Here is a very well composed reflection of our camp written by Annabel Westwood. What a talented writer she is!

Camp Highlights For Newsletter 

An exuberant crowd of eager year sevens set out on an ephemeral bus trip in the early hours of Tuesday the 11th, of October. Alarms were set to roar for a timely transition to O’Connor Catholic College, and students piled out of their homes with bulky suitcases and hefty backpacks in tow. The sunny morning was tinged with upbeat chatter and joyful laughter as the students hauled their luggage into the storage compartment of the school bus. Once roll call had commenced, everybody fled into their assigned buses, scrambling for their desired seats. The trip was, in truth, quite short, but it felt as though time progressed agonisingly slow. 

Once the buses had arrived at Lake Keepit, students were sorted into cabins and given a generous amount of time to unpack and settle before they were treated to a delicious lunch. The cafeteria was filled with energetic students who greedily devoured the food they had been provided with. Afterwards, the children were split into their activity groups and led by good-natured (and funny) guides towards their allocated activity. After many hours of fun, the students were allowed to rest, shower, and prepare themselves for a scrumptious dinner. Another quick break was provided before students were directed to the campsite’s basketball and tennis courts for some social games. Sleep was a welcome change from the jam-packed day and students eventually settled down to obtain some much-needed rest.

The next day was a repeat of the previous day’s schedule, except it included the addition of breakfast and two more activities. The sun beat down upon the students, casting warm beams of light against their skin as they soaked up vitamin D. Kids were able to complete various engaging activities such as kayaking, canoeing, archery, mountain biking and raft building. These activities let students make new friends and increase their sociability, and by the end of camp, many people had either created new relationships with their fellow classmates or reestablished old friendships. That night students huddled around a crackling campfire to give thanks and enjoy some quality time with their friends, which was a pleasant experience that involved eating - you guessed it - marshmallows.

The final day was bittersweet; students were sad that their time at camp was coming to an end but were happy that they had these fresh memories to reminisce about later. They completed one more activity with their awesome guides before being given one final meal, and with heavy hearts, they collected their luggage and trudged over to the buses to stack their belongings. The bus trip home was filled with tired (yet satisfied) students who were excited to tell their parents about their wonderful camping trip.

Honourable Mentions:

-The scary Scotsman, Stuart.

-Our guides/instructors

-Our wonderful teachers

-The cooks (for keeping our stomachs full of warm, delicious food)

Thank you Father Roel for leading our Year 7 group in Mass this week. 7 PAC 3 contributed to the planning of the Mass and participated in sharing the readings and prayers of the faithful. This participation was particularly special as we were able to share our faith with newcomers to our faith-filled community. I appreciate Mr May’s input and his thorough overview of how special our chapel is and the reverence and respect that we expect and appreciate when participating in Mass.

Mrs Czinner (On behalf of the entire Year 7 PAC Team).

Year 9

Mr Mark Fulloon

Welcome back to Year 9 students going into the second half of Semester 2, Term 4. I have recently spoken to all of Year 9 wishing them a great last term of 2022 and what it will potentially look like as the term unfolds. Term 4 traditionally is a very busy term and the time will fly by, but within that concept of time getting away from us quickly, it is also an important time for all of our students. Specifically, Year 9 has a lot to consider, starting this Friday with a Religious Education retreat at the CSO being run by special guest presenters from the  Lasallian Youth Ministry Sydney. Students will participate in a range of activities and work alongside one another during this day in a non-traditional classroom setting. 

Students have also been made aware that it is also a term to continue with their studies and classroom work in preparation for their final year academic reports. I have made it clear that it is a great way to finish the school year by building on the range of skills they have developed so far to demonstrate how they have progressed in Semester 2 with their learning and academic confidence since Semester 1 reports. I hope to see each and every Year 9 student working to their full potential and being rewarded for all of their hard work and taking on any opportunity offered to them.

Mr Mark Fulloon (On behalf of the entire Year 9 PAC Team).

Year 11

Ms Amanda Bell and Mr Frank Patricks

Well, the time is now. The HSC year has begun for the class of 2023, and it is off to a roaring start!

The Year 11 PAC team would like to take the opportunity to publicly acknowledge and congratulate our Student Leaders for 2023:

College Captains - Lily Moore and Caleb Dubois-Bender

College Vice Captains - Paige Latham and Ben Harris

College Sports Captain - Amelia Roberts

House Captain Ursula - Bradley Lidgard

House Captain  Benilde - Jorja Wilson

House Captain LaSalle - Isabelle Kelly

House Captain Merici - Charlotte Killen

Faith and Service Captain - Imogen Hislop

Arts Co-Captains - Sofia Martin and Isabelle Murphy

We would also like to thank all students who nominated themselves for leadership positions, putting themselves out of their comfort zones, the positive feedback received about ALL candidates has been wonderful to her.

Students have jumped straight into their HSC studies, beginning year 12 content for all subjects. We are aware that there are many students who are interested in altering their pattern of student and would invite students and parents/carers to join us on Monday 24th of October for our end of Year 11 Parent/Student/Teacher interviews and HSC information evening. Changes to patterns of study will begin to be processed following these conversations. 

We would like to finish with a note of encouragement for our students to attend our Senior Retreat to Collaroy in week 9 of this term. This will be a fabulous opportunity for our students to bond and strengthen their ties ahead of their final few terms at school. There will be more information about this retreat released in the coming weeks. 

Amanda Bell and Frank Patricks, on behalf of the Year 11 PAC team.