Dear Parents and Carers,

Recently, I accepted the invitation to attend a gathering of Secondary Principals at the University of Wollongong. I am delighted to convey the high praise from the Vice-Chancellor of UOW, Professor Patricia Davidson, regarding the exemplary performance of ERC students who attend UOW. The Vice-Chancellor praised the academic prowess, the commitment to learning and the respectful leadership that ERC students consistently demonstrate. Such recognition is a testament to our students, the hard work of our teachers, and the support of parents and carers.

While we await the HSC results in mid-December, for the second consecutive year, 100% of Year 12 students who applied for Tertiary studies have secured early-entry university offers. This remarkable achievement underscores our College’s role in preparing students for the next phase of their educational journey. It is also indicative of the increasing number of ERC students who choose to enrol in the optional UOW Summer Masterclasses.

In addition to this, I also highlight the success of twenty-five of our senior students in securing apprenticeships so far this year. The growing number of students entering apprenticeship programs clearly shows the diverse pathways ERC offers. It is pleasing that our students are excelling academically and thriving in vocational pursuits.

On behalf of the College community, I congratulate the following students on their very recent and outstanding achievements:

• Henry Hofman, Luca Piacentin, Ethan Tobin and Kieran Wardle have had their HSC Visual Arts Bodies of Work nominated for possible inclusion in Art Express 2024.
• At the recent Vocational Education and Training Workplace Learning Annual Awards Presentation for Illawarra Schools, Josh Hayes was announced as the VET Student of the Year in Construction and the overall Award winner as the Outstanding VET Student of the Year. Josh, Omar Hadaya and Rocco Roncoto also achieved Certificates of Excellence in their respective VET courses.
• Mitchell Blackbourn was recently announced as The Bishop Mascord Most Outstanding Male Sportsman winner at the CDF Sports Awards for the second consecutive year.
• Earlier this week, Samuel Hall was presented to the College as The Illawarra Principal’s Recommendation Scholarship, which the University of Wollongong provides.
• Henry Jones has been selected for the Australian Under 17 Hockey Team for the upcoming Tour of Kuala Lumpur for the International Mirnawan Cup.
• Izak McMurtrie and Baxter Roper have both been presented with Deadly Awards from the Northern Illawarra Aboriginal Education Consultative Group (AECG) for their community leadership in working towards reconciliation.
• The 110 students who were recognised for their sustained and diligent commitment to their studies through achieving a Principal’s Award at this week’s assembly.
• The 36 student recipients who were awarded Distinctions in the Grok Cyber Competition
• The 19 Secondary CDF Sports Medallion recipients.
• The 8 Secondary Sports ‘Blue’ recipients.

(The complete list of student names is provided further in the newsletter)

***

As the saying goes, success breeds success. However, at this time, when students across the College are sitting and submitting an array of formal assessment tasks, parents and teachers are encouraged to support our young people in responding positively to the eventual assessment feedback they will receive. As parents and carers can vouch, when enrolling students into ERC, we look to their record of effort and application. Sometimes, we may need to reframe our understanding of student learning and that it isn’t simply a matter of not achieving a desired goal or outcome right now – but rather a matter of not achieving it yet!

Best wishes,
Stephen Gough

At this week’s College assembly students from Years 7-10 were recognised for their sustained and diligent commitment to their studies.

Principal’s Award Recipients

SEMESTER TWO – ACADEMIC AWARDS AND THANKSGIVING ASSEMBLY

Last Newsletter, a save the date was issued for our Semester 2 Academic Awards and Thanksgiving Assembly which will be held on the last day of Term 4, Wednesday 6 December. This assembly will combine our Semester 2 Academic Awards (usually held the following year) with our Thanksgiving Ceremony to conclude the term. The Assembly will commence after Recess, parents, careers and friends are most welcome to join us in celebration of their son’s achievements. Award recipients will be informed later in the term after assessments have been completed and further details will be provided as the date approaches.

INTERNATIONAL MEN’S DAY 2023

International Men’s Day takes place on 19 November (this Sunday), where groups, individuals and organisations celebrate mateship in a variety of ways. As young men of the College, in this often stressful and anxious period of time with new courses, assessments and the academic year fast coming to an end, it is important that you look out for your mate. Recognise and appreciate what it means to be a good mate, because it doesn’t take a lot of effort, time or thought to make someone else feel good about themselves and others.

2024 PREPARATIONS

As you would imagine, preparations for 2024 are well underway. A variety of people are working diligently in the background; planning events, excursions/ incursions, outdoor education experiences, social days, reflection days, cultural experiences, Parents and Friends / Advisory Council meetings not to mention the sporting calendars which are provided for consideration when generating our own 2024 College Calendar. Thank you to everyone involved in planning for 2024, to date. For their ongoing care and willingness to provide unique learning and holistic opportunities for all members of the community.

Mr Walsh
College Deputy Principal

St Vincent dePaul Christmas Appeal

Thank you to all the families who have already made a contribution to the Christmas appeal for St Vincent dePaul. We understand that this is an opportunity for each of us to do something good for the world, displaying our gospel values.

Years 7 – 9: Please donate food items, outlined in the poster. Any cash donations can be given to the teacher in your Pastoral Care class or through the electronic payments system on the College website.

Years 10 & 12: We are creating dignity bags for young women but you are equally allowed to create a bag for a young man if you choose to do that. Both are accepted.

For all students, you can donate any amount of money, but we suggest $5 each. In Years 10 & 12, you may choose to create a whole bag yourself or you can contribute to your class collection of items. In Years 7 – 9, besides money, we ask you to contribute food items to fill the Vinnies pantry. You can donate money online or at school: https://www.bpoint.com.au/pay/edmundschoolfees

Mrs Hurley
Director of Identity

Recently the Northern Illawarra Aboriginal Education Consultative Group (AECG) held their annual Deadly Awards to recognise and reward First Nations students from primary school, high school and University within the Illawarra who have demonstrated a commitment to improve. The awards range over a number of mediums including attendance, community involvement, academic achievement, and entertainment. This year Izak McMurtrie from Year 10 and Baxter Roper from Year 8 both received awards. Well done to both these students and to all others who were in the running to receive an award. ERC would like to thank the team at the Northern Illawarra Aboriginal Education Consultative Group (AECG) for acknowledging our students achievement and their continuous commitment to our community and for Anthony Smith Media for the photos.

Ms Neal
First Nations Coordinator

ARTEXPRESS

Congratulations to Henry Hofman- Photomedia, Luca Piacentin- Painting, Ethan Tobin- Photomedia and Kieran Wardle – Photomedia who have had their HSC Visual Arts Bodies of Work nominated for possible inclusion in ArtExpress 2024. This is a wonderful achievement. ArtExpress is an annual series of exhibitions of exemplary artworks created by New South Wales Visual Arts students for the Higher School Certificate examination.

Ms Costello
Head of Creative Arts

Last June all Years 7-10 participated in a Grok Cyber Competition, an online competition which Ms Ndaira organised for our College to specifically assess students’ cyber security skills. Students had a 45-minute window to complete the competition once the timer started. The competition challenged our knowledge about how to stay safe online.

After taking part in the Grok Cyber Comp we
● gained a greater understanding of why it is important to protect their personal information
● learnt how to create stronger passwords
● learnt to evaluate emails and text messages to reduce the risk of falling victim to scams.

So much of our lives involves online activities, and we need to grow ever more vigilant about the risks associated with social media, shopping and learning online.

Impressively, many of our students achieved a Distinction in the competition. However only one student achieved a High Distinction. – Isaac Oldfield from Year 8.

The others by year group who received awards include:

Year 7: Oliver Camarda, Isaac Campbell, Jia Li, Farbod Ghafarnezhad, Ike Minns, Charlie Ockenden, Jack Thompson, Liam Tweedie

Year 8: Xavier Forlano, James Petrovic, Levi Siskoski, Beshr Alchami, Leo Halios-Lewis, Domenico Jaque, Xavier Jaque, Samuel Lockyer, Mitchell Lynam, Austin McCallum, Logan Paloff, William Papandreas, Abdullah Saad, Bowen Saunders, Austin Skarpona

Year 9: Luke Davis, Liam Hall, Benjamin Zaharis, Dante Hernandez, Jethro Lewin, Koen Minett, Alexander Zachristos

Year 10: William Campbell, William Ecroyd, Alexander Bowhay, Thomas King, Alexander Levy

The next round of Cyber Competitions will be open for 2 weeks from November 27th, and again all Years 7 – 10 will participate during Pastoral Care lessons in Week 8.

As well as this competition, we are running a 3D printing competition open to all students. The theme is voxel art, which is just 3D pixel art. Students must base their designs off of their own school house, which means incorporating aspects of their houses themes or colours. You can submit your designs in the 3D printing Google classroom, which also includes information about how to download the software. Designs are due on the 8th of February, and once again, the competition is open to all students.

Frank Sirianni
Director of Information Technologies & Innovation

Year 10 students continued their examinations, and 7 to 9 students commenced their Yearly examinations this week. Families are encouraged to explore the Study Skills Module titled ‘Test Taking Techniques’ to acquire valuable strategies for supporting their son(s) during this period. The following is a summary of measures students can undertake in the days preceding an examination:

Study Samurai Library

All families have access to the Study Samurai Library. The Study Samurai Library includes the Study Skills Module website which provides advice and resources on developing essential skills for academic success. To access the Study Samurai Library website, go to www.studysamurailibrary.com and login with these details:

Username: edmundrice
Password: 13achieve

Take time as a family on the Test Taking Techniques module in the Study Skills Handbook. Click here to access the resources.

Dr Sozio
Director of Learning & Teaching

This year, Samuel Hall has been announced as the distinguished recipient of the University of Wollongong Principal’s Recommendation Scholarship. Samuel’s dedication to his studies is evident, marked by his outstanding proficiency in academic readiness, unwavering motivation and passion, effective communication and collaboration and remarkable planning and persistence.

In recognition of his achievements, Samuel was presented with the Scholarship Certificate during the recent College assembly. The citation that follows serves as a testament to this commendable accomplishment:

The Illawarra Principal’s Recommendation Scholarship is provided by the University of Wollongong. The Scholarship aims to support and encourage students who attend secondary school in local government areas to pursue undergraduate study at the University of Wollongong in 2024. The UOW Key Indicators of Success for the recipient include:

Academic Readiness – where the student possesses strong study strategies when preparing for an assessment and demonstrates excellent time management skills.

Motivation and Passion – where the student is motivated and passionate about his future endeavours and demonstrates the ability to prioritise tasks and manage multiple deadlines to fit in the things they love around their studies.

Communication and Collaboration – where the student demonstrates the skills to work with different backgrounds on a shared project and ensures that everyone’s ideas were voiced and the work was completed on time.

Planning and Persistence – where the student is able to work hard to achieved goals they set, including demonstrating resilience to overcome challenges along the way.

This year, following a consultative and rigorous process where a number of Year 12 students were considered, the recipient of the 2023 Illawarra Principal’s Recommendation Scholarship in recognition of a student’s commitment to their studies and demonstrated strengths across the Key Indicators of Success is SAMUEL HALL.

It has been a very busy couple of weeks for Year 7 – 10 students who have been completing their Semester 2 Examinations. Students are to be commended for their conscientious approach to this aspect of their studies. A reminder to parents that teacher assistance and an opportunity for independent or group study is available at the Homework Club held every afternoon from 2:05 – 3:00pm in the Narandha Learning Centre.

All My Own Work

Year 10 students will complete the NESA All My Own Work Modules during their upcoming Transition week. HSC: All My Own Work program is designed to help HSC students follow the principles and practices of good scholarship. This includes understanding, valuing and using ethical practices when locating and using information as part of their HSC studies.

Students who have completed the program will also know about penalties for cheating and how to avoid malpractice when preparing their work for assessment.

To be eligible for the HSC, students must complete HSC: All My Own Work before they submit any work for Preliminary (Year 11) or HSC (Year 12) courses.

The course will involve quizzes on which students needs to score 85% to pass the HSC: All my Own Work Modules.

Students Online – Accessing your Son’s Record of School Achievement (ROSA)

All Year 10 and 11 students have been advised earlier this year to activate their NESA Students Online Account. There are quite a few students who are yet to do this.

Each student’s NESA Students Online Account is where students, parents and carers are provided access to view, download and print your son’s Record of School Achievement (ROSA) when required.

Please speak to your sons to ensure they have activated this important avenue to acquire important information including their secondary school ROSA and or Higher School Certificate qualification/s as applicable.

Students should email or see me if they need support to activate their Students Online account.

Mrs Bell
Director of Studies

At the Vocational Education and Training Workplace Learning Annual Awards Presentation for Illawarra Schools, the College achieved some outstanding awards and recognition.

The awards included:

Josh Hayes, Omar Hadaya, and Rocco Roncoto achieved Certificates of Excellence in their respective VET courses. Rocco was also presented with the Highly Commended Award for VET Hospitality.

In the Student of the Year category, Josh Hayes was announced as the VET Student of the Year in Construction and the winner of the overall prestigious Award as the Outstanding VET Student of the Year – which is a first for the College.

In congratulating these students, the College acknowledges the expertise and guidance of their teachers: Mr Daniel Breeze (Construction), Mr Donovan Pierro (Hospitality), and Mrs Diane Schodde (Business Services), under the guidance of Mr Andrew Brooks.

William Wigan – Wellbeing Prefect

Mrs Hughes
Director of Pastoral Care & Wellbeing

On the 7th November, Year 9 were fortunate to welcome the local Police Liaison Officer to discuss the topics of bullying and harassment. This event provided an invaluable opportunity for students to gain insight into the laws around these critical issues, explore ways to prevent bullying and harassment, as well as protect those around them to ultimately create an inclusive and compassionate environment.

Throughout the presentation the Liaison Officer provided a comprehensive understanding of bullying and harassment, covering the various forms, from physical acts to verbal abuse, exclusion, and cyberbullying. Students were encouraged to be proactive bystanders, speaking up if they witness bullying or harassment, and supporting those affected. Importantly, information was shared about available resources and reporting mechanisms, ensuring students know where to seek additional assistance if required.

This visit marked the beginning of an ongoing conversation about bullying and harassment at Edmund Rice College. The school is committed to providing students with the tools to create a safe and respectful environment. Follow-up activities and workshops will reinforce these essential messages, empowering students to be agents of positive change in their community.

Mr Belsito
Assistant Year 9 Pastoral Care Coordinator

Congratulations to the following Year 7 students on attaining Commendation Level.

This is an outstanding achievement from Year 7, 120 students have achieved this result in their first year of high school. I encourage all the students that this can be achieved with hard work, effort and dedication across all facets of College life. There is time to achieve this before the term finishes so hang in there and give it your best shot.

Jacob Masi, Lewis Andrews, Tobin Binoy, Patrick Blaney, Thomas Candy, William Chenery, Riley Cooper, William Edwards, Liam Faddy, Ben Hegyi, Aiden Masi, Ike Minns, Axl Mollan, Flynn Shrimpton, Liam Tweedie, Finbar Virgona, Noah Conkey, Jacob Norris, Gus Tunbridge, Alex Wiaczek.

Congratulations to our Year 7 students who were presented with their Principal’s Award this week at our College assembly.

This is an award for dedication, consistency, academic, cultural, social, sport and going beyond the normal expectations of being a student. Receiving this award you have accomplished 25 or more merits across more that four subjects and been an exemplary student in the process. Well done to the following students.

Luke Socratous, Christian Da Silva, Seth Momorovski, Stefan Anagnostopoulos, Preston Apps, Fabian Gaudiosi, Orlando Hunt, Bede O’Donnell, Jadsyn Sellick-Fleuren, Lincoln Woods

Mr Bates
Pastoral Care Coordinator

Congratulations to the following students who were recognised this week at the 2023 CDF Sports Awards.

CDF Sports Awards Recipients

The College is excited to announce that Year 10 Student, Henry Jones has been selected in the Under 17 Australian Hockey Team. Henry’s selection will see him compete in the Mirnawan Cup in Malaysia from the 18th – 26th November. Henry’s Australian team will come up against England, Japan, Malaysia and South Africa. Congratulations on your selection Henry, it is a true testament to your hard work and dedication!

Mr Timpano
Sports Coordinator

The St George Illawarra Dragons Medal is awarded to a student who has performed exceptionally well in Rugby League during the school year at Edmund Rice College. 2023’s Dragons Medal winner is Tom Kirk. Tom played a significant role in the College’s Open’s Rugby League Team in 2023. Tom’s exceptional performances saw him selected in the NSWCCC Rugby League Team which competed at the Australian All School Titles, where he narrowly missed out on Australian Schools Selection. Congratulations on your 2023 achievements Tom!

Mr Timpano
Sports Coordinator

The College Open day consisting of both Try Year 7 for a Day and the College Expo will be help on Tuesday 27th February 2024.

Year 5 & 6 boys from all primary schools are invited to join us for a real experience of high school at Edmund Rice College for a day. Students will participate in a range of activities from subjects they will actually do in Year 7 such as Technology and Applied Studies, PDHPE, Science, Visual Arts, Music and Food Technology. It’s fun and it’s free.

After Try Year 7 for a Day, families are welcome to enjoy the College Expo and find out what makes ERC unique. Check out the learning spaces, performances and demonstrations on show and take a guided tour with one of our senior students.

The College Expo gives you insight into the variety of experiences available at ERC, designed to support boy-centred learning, while providing you with the opportunity to ask questions from our dedicated staff and students.

Guided tours can be booked below and operate at 3.30pm, 3.45pm, 4.00pm, 4.15pm, 4.30pm, 4.45pm and 5.00pm.

REGISTER NOW

Please access the Careers Website: which provides the latest information to help students make decisions about their future careers and life beyond school.

• Go to erccareers.com
• Then to important information
• Click on to School Careers newsletter

Mr Cajar
Careers Advisor

Change in Student/Family Circumstances/Contact Information/Medical Conditions

If any change has occurred/occurs in your family – separation, divorce, serious illness, the College should be notified as soon as possible. The College seeks to be supportive of families in such circumstances and such events always have a bearing on a child’s education. Likewise, a change of address, email or phone number (work, home or mobile) or emergency contact should be advised immediately.

If your son suffers from a medical condition it is vital that you inform the office of his condition and what treatment is required in an emergency. An emergency management plan must be developed for any students with serious conditions.

Please verify all information via the TASS Parent Lounge.

UNIFORM SHOP CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY OPENING HOURS