Pastoral Academic Care (PAC) 

Junior: SAVOURING GOOD TIMES

Senior: SAVOURING EXPERIENCES

Wellbeing Element: Positive Emotion + gratitude

Character Strength: Prudence

Parent Wellbeing: a great strategy to put yourself in a positive frame of mind every morning, is to spend five minutes over a cuppa or a coffee, to think about and then write down what you are looking forward to most for the day ahead. They don’t have to be big things. It’s funny how looking forward to something lifts your spirits and raises your self–awareness to be on the lookout for little positives. Remember, from little things, big things grow. What are you looking forward to today? 

Benilde

As we move through Term 3, it’s a great time to celebrate the many achievements of our students.

Congratulations to our new House Captains Nick Miller and Anna McClelland! These wonderful humans have demonstrated commitment, enthusiasm and a willingness to serve their peers. Benilde is also lucky enough to have the new OCC Sports Captain Paige Patterson and one half of the school captains Madeline Cowley within our great house. I look forward to the positive influence they will have within Benilde and across the school community not only working within a leadership team but also as the Year 12 2026 cohort.

This week also marks the end of our Trial Exams. Well done to all year 12 and accelerated year 11 students for their hard work and dedication during this important assessment period. Taking the time to prepare and engage in exams builds resilience, responsibility, and valuable learning skills. We are excited for them to return to normal classes for their last four weeks of high school. Make sure you ask questions and feedback from trials to allow you to move your knowledge forward before the official exams next term. 

Looking ahead, next Tuesday Benilde will welcome its next year group of youngsters into the college. Our year 7 class of 2026 will be attending their first full day of school here at O’Connor, on behalf of Benilde, our captains and myself. We are so excited to meet you and welcome you to the best blue house! Please bring a polite attitude and a willingness to participate on the day to get the most from this experience. 

We are also excited for Book Week, with our annual Book Week Dress-Up Day on Thursday. I can’t wait to see students and staff come dressed as their favourite book characters, celebrating the joy of reading in a fun and creative way. This is always a fun day with plenty of prizes and awards for best individual dressed, group dressed and our new award which is all focused around reading. I hope you’ve been paying attention to the four book clues from the past 12 months to have a chance. 

A friendly reminder about uniform: all students are expected to wear their full school uniform each day, including correct shoes and accessories. NO SPORT UNIFORM is to be worn on Wednesdays as this is our formal uniform day. If this is an issue or concern please contact myself or the school office. 

Finally, I encourage all students to continue engaging in their learning and complete all learning tasks on time. Staying organised and focused will ensure ongoing academic progress and personal growth as we approach the final weeks of Term 3. 

Thank you to our students and families for your ongoing support in creating a positive, productive, and vibrant learning community within Benilde. 

Miss Elizabeth Plane

House Leader - Benilde

La Salle

We are thrilled to announce and congratulate Caitlin Montague and Evie Howlett as our newly elected House Captains for 2026. Both students showed outstanding leadership and a deep commitment to our house values throughout the application, interview, and speech process. As well-respected members of the La Salle community, we are confident their passion and vision will lead us to great success.

Caitlin and Evie are eager to build on the foundation laid by our current captain, Saloan. Their focus is on strengthening our sense of community, increasing participation in house activities, and fostering an inclusive and encouraging environment for all students. We can't wait to see their plans come to life!

The theme for this year's 'Bullying. No Way!' week was 'Be Bold, Be Kind, and Speak Up.' A big thank you to everyone who contributed to the commitment chain, a powerful pledge to work towards stopping bullying and its harmful effects. Your participation shows our collective commitment to making La Salle and OCC a safe and respectful place for all.

Next week, we look forward to celebrating Book Week! We encourage you to bring your favorite book to life by coming dressed as a character. It's a wonderful opportunity to celebrate reading and share the stories that inspire you.

Our Year 12 students continue to work hard, tackling their Trial Exams with great perseverance and dedication. All students are building their academic skills and stamina. We encourage everyone to reflect on areas for improvement and find the strength to continue studying to reach their full potential in the final HSC exams.

The Year 11 Retreat was a great success, with the cohort enjoying a range of activities that challenged them and stretched their comfort zones. They enhanced their leadership skills, emphasised the importance of teamwork, examined their faith, and also built stronger bonds and friendships. A huge thank you to the staff who made this memorable and impactful retreat possible.

This term has offered multiple opportunities to participate in the college's sporting life, and we've seen fantastic effort and teamwork across all sports. As a sports lover, I know firsthand the benefits of such involvement.

As always, we remind our students of their responsibility to wear their full school uniform. Our uniform unites us as a college. By wearing it with pride, you represent our community and demonstrate our shared values and respect for one another.

Mrs Kathryn Czinner

House Leader - La Salle                                 

Merici

It has been a busy and productive few weeks at O’Connor, and I’d like to take a moment to acknowledge the efforts of our students.

Firstly, well done to our Year 12 students who have just completed their Trial HSC Exams. This is always a challenging time, and our seniors approached it with focus and determination. As they return to class next week, we wish them well for their final four weeks of official schooling — an exciting and important milestone.

I’d also like to congratulate our new Merici House Leaders for 2026, Rhiannon Heagney and Regan Nugent. Both students have already shown great commitment to Merici, and we look forward to the energy, leadership, and ideas they will bring to their roles.

Next week is Book Week, and on Thursday we will celebrate with a mufti/fancy dress day. Students (and staff!) are encouraged to come dressed as their favourite book characters. It’s always a fun event and a great way to showcase creativity and imagination within our College.

Finally, a quick reminder about uniform. It’s important that students continue to take pride in wearing the correct OCC uniform on all regular school days. This reflects respect for ourselves and our school community.

As always, thank you to our Merici families for your support. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any concerns or questions

Warm regards, 

Shane McCann

House Leader - Merici