Pastoral Care 

• ANZAC Day

• Mother's Day Mass - Attendance / roll marking

• Year 8 Our Futures Anti-Vaping Program

• Founder's Day

• Parent webinars and workshops

ANZAC Day

Manni Costello, Liam Kelly and I, attended the Anzac Day dawn service at Chatswood Garden of Remembrance early Saturday morning at 5:00 am. We laid a wreath at the memorial as an important reminder of those who serve and have served for us especially those from our school community. After the conclusion of the dawn service, we headed over to another commemorative service at Club Willoughby where we laid another wreath and listened to the speakers. I feel that I gained a lot by representing the school at the services and felt a sense of pride for the school.

Year 12 student Jack McSweeney

Mothers Day Mass – Attendance/roll marking

We are looking forward to sharing our annual Mother's Day Mass with the College community, which is to be held on Wednesday May 6, at Oxford Falls.

If you plan on attending the Mass with your son/s, could you please follow these simple instructions to ensure that your son is not marked as absent next Wednesday morning.

Go to the Sentral Parent Portal and mark your son as absent/timed on Wednesday 6 May from 8:35 am - 12:00 pm, as shown below.

The reason for the absence will be ‘Mother's Day Mass'.

This timeframe will allow your son/s to celebrate Mass, attend morning tea and return to school in time to have his name marked off in Period 4.

Thank you for your continued support of the College.

Year 8 Our Futures Anti-Vaping Program

The statistics on vaping in Australia reveal a significant increase in e-cigarette use, particularly among young people. According to the 2022–2023 National Drug Strategy Household Survey, use of e-cigarettes is more common among younger age groups in Australia, with the most common reason for use among people aged 14–17 being curiosity (74%) and because they think vapes are less harmful than normal cigarettes  (16.2%). In response to the prevalence and significance of this issue, the government funded Our Futures Anti-Vaping Program has been included in the Pastoral Program for Year 8 this year.  

Year 8 are using the Waterford Wednesday period this week and in Week 4 to participate in the Our Futures Anti-Vaping Program. The program was developed by researchers at the Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use at the University of Sydney and uses a social influence and harm-minimisation prevention approach across four online lessons to emphasise that remaining vape and smoke free is the safest option.

The program aims to develop students' knowledge, understanding, and skills to prevent e-cigarette (vape) and tobacco cigarette use. Across four lessons, the program provides:

        o evidence-based information about e-cigarettes and tobacco smoking

        o normative education to correct misperceptions about use

        o resistance skills training to equip young people with the skills to say 'no'

The program is being delivered by the Year 8 homeroom teachers. Their commitment to this program and its importance for our young men has been evident in their approach to guiding the students through the videos and workbook activities. This proactive program reinforces the College’s commitment to the wellbeing and development of our students, helping them to navigate contemporary challenges and make positive, informed choices.

Mrs Kim Robertson - Year 8 Pastoral Leader

Founder's Day

Our Founder's Day celebration will be held at Oxford Falls on Friday 8 May.  Students are to wear their sports uniform and will need to bring food and drink for the day. The day will commence with students having their recess before they head to Oxford Falls for Mass and followed by a shared lunch.  After lunch is the much-enjoyed Year 12 performance lip sync and then students return to Chatswood.  Students will be dismissed upon return to Chatswood.

If you wish to pick up your son in Year 7 - 11 from Oxford Falls after the event, please email your son's Pastoral Leader to advise. Parents of Junior School students wishing to collect their son from Oxford Falls should email their son's classroom teacher. These students will receive a wrist band, and all other students will be returned to Chatswood on the bus. Students being collected from Oxford Falls should be collected from approx. 1:50 pm. Buses will commence transporting students back to Chatswood at 2:00 pm.

Free Anxiety treatment for children 7 - 12 years

Webinars empowering parents and carers to support teen mental health

The Black Dog Institute are offering free mental health webinars designed to provide practical tools, strategies and insights to help them support the young people in their lives.

Upcoming dates:

Tuesday 26 May @ 7:00 pm (AEST) Register here

Thursday 25 June @ 7:00 pm (AEST) Register here

Tweens, Teens & Screens Free Webinar

Mr Martin Gillogly - Assistant Principal, Pastoral Care