Delagram - 24th February, 2023
From the Principal
During any strenuous mountain trek, we must keep our eyes firmly fixed on the path; yet the panorama that opens up at the end amazes us and rewards us by its grandeur.
Pope Francis, 2023
As Week four concludes at La Salle Academy, we are set to embark on a new journey. A Lenten journey. On Wednesday, 22nd March our community embraced an Ash Wednesday liturgy that was beautifully prepared by Ms Belinda Redden, our Youth ministers, Charlotte and Harry and accompanied with music conducted by Mr Pearce. Pope Francis asks us to remain committed, overcome any lack in faith, take the hard road, listen to our brothers and sisters so that we can be witness to the wonderous life that is around us. Whilst this message is firmly related to our Lenten journey leading up to Easter, this message also relates to our concurrent journey at La Salle Academy.
Our students have settled into their classes and have set up good practices and routines. This has been helped by the fact that we are now fully staffed, having welcomed our newest staff member onto our team on Monday, Ms Lalitha Plumb. From the outset, we have reinforced our desire to create a school and classroom environment that is settled, focused and safe. In achieving this, we are now challenging our students to ‘remain committed’, ‘take the hard road’, engage is positive interactions with their teachers and friends. If our students take ownership of their learning and the application to their studies, the opportunities for them at La Salle Academy and beyond will be wonderous.
One of the key messages communicated by Pope Francis was our attendance at Mass. Father Garry would welcome everyone with open arms at masses every weekend, and whilst this might not be possible, I am hoping that our families will decide to join us on Sunday March 26 at 10am where we hope to have our first La Salle Academy community mass. It would be fantastic to see a massive turnout from our parents/guardians and students.
Throughout the first month at the school, I have been delighted with the way in which our staff are engaging with our student population and how focused they are on their welfare and academic progress. Your child’s progress at La Salle Academy is our number one priority and collectively our staff have been working collaboratively to ensure that all supports and opportunities are provided to our students. The maintenance of positive and productive partnerships with our parents/guardians is critical in ensuring we maintain the best outcomes for all of our students, and I encourage everyone to contact the school if you have any questions, comments or even if you feel some positive reflections are warranted.
I look forward to meeting our families at various events throughout the year and, at our first Parents/Guardians Engagement Evening that will be advertised shortly in Mid-March. Stay in touch with the school and events by engaging with our Facebook page and our fortnightly newsletters that will now be on our website.
God Bless
Glenn Carpenter
From the Assistant Principal
It has been a busy start to the year with students adjusting to many new things. New timetables, classes, teachers and routines. We have welcomed new students and staff members and begun to focus on reinforcing the wonderful school spirit that is at La Salle.
Students have now begun to work hard in classrooms and should be starting to see some success in their learning. As we move into the second half of the term it is important to remember for ALL of us that our key work here is to learn. Learning to grow in the classroom, as young people and most importantly as members of our community. Students who have difficulties meeting these goals and who are experiencing challenges in learning and behaviour have a great deal of support here at La Salle. I encourage parents and students to make use of that support and work hard together to build on what has been a great start!
Uniform Reminder
We have begun the school year with a reminder about the requirement that all students must be in full and correct La Salle school uniform each day. The guidelines are clearly outlined in the School Diary and it is the expectation that every student adhere to these guidelines.
Students who have not complied with the regulations have attended a Friday Uniform Detention which began last week. Continued non-compliance with uniform regulations will result in further detentions both at lunch and after school if required. Please contact your Pastoral Care Coordinator if you have any questions about your son/daughters’ uniform.
NAPLAN 2023
The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) will take place from Wednesday 15 March to Monday 27 March, 2023.
NAPLAN tests are just one part of our school learning assessment program and questions are primarily based on knowledge, understanding and skills gained from the prior year of schooling.
In preparation for NAPLAN 2023, our school will undertake activities to help students to become familiar with the format and functionality of the online tests. These activities are not an assessment of student ability and will not be marked.
Students and parents can access the public demonstration site(https://www.nap.edu.au/online-assessment/public-demonstration-site) to familiarise themselves with NAPLAN and the types of questions and tools available. Excessive preparation for NAPLAN is not required nor recommended.
If you have any questions about NAPLAN, please contact the school.
Elevate Education
On Monday and Tuesday next week Years 9-12 will be attending a series of special study/note taking/work seminars from the team at Elevate Education. Resources and workbooks are provided to all students. Please take some time to talk to your child about what they learnt from the sessions. There are many simple and practical tips that can make a big difference in learning.
Elevate Education Parent Portal
Year 7 Parent Evening
It was wonderful to meet with so many Year 7 parents and carers who attended our Year 7 Parent Evening on Thursday, February 23rd. It can be challenging navigating the transition into high school and the more contact we have with parents the more successful our student outcomes will be. We really appreciate those who could attend taking some time out to join us in what was a very informative presentation. A special thank you to Mrs Wilsmore-Smith for the organisation of the evening and for her continued commitment to supporting the Year 7 students in her role as Pastoral Coordinator 7-9. Thanks also go to the Year 12 leaders who attended and to Mrs Sheather in the canteen for all her work in preparing a lovely supper for the night.
Have a wonderful week!
Katie Bennett
From the REC
Dear brothers and sisters, may the Holy Spirit inspire and sustain us this Lent in our ascent with Jesus, so that we may experience his divine splendour and thus, confirmed in faith, persevere in our journey together with him, glory of his people and light of the nations.
Pope Francis
Shrove Tuesday
This week we have celebrated Shrove Tuesday with pancakes being available for a gold coin donation to Project Compassion. Many thanks to Mrs Hicks, Mrs Sheather, Harry, Nina, Max, Jorden, Will and Grace for all of their assistance. In total we raised $90. Some examples of how this money may be used are:
- To allow students in Nepal access to supplies for drawing and art.
- Can provide specialised rehabilitation devices for people living with disabilities in Vietnam.
- Can buy chickens for families to rear in Zimbabwe.
Ash Wednesday
Our Ash Wednesday Liturgy of the Word was held in the hall. Students are to be commended for the reverence they displayed on this occasion. A highlight was the choir and the musicians whose performance was outstanding. Many thanks to Mr Pearce for his hard work in preparing the music.
Ms Belinda Redden
REC Co-ordinator
Years 10 - 12 Pastoral Welfare Coordinator
As we approach the halfway point of the term, I want to say how well the students of Years 10, 11 and 12 have settled into their studies. Mr Carpenter challenged the student body at Assembly by asking them, “Are you working?” I’m confident in saying that the majority of the students would have given an affirmative response to the question.
The Year 12s realise they have a little over six months before their days at school finish. This has given them a bit of a wake-up call and as such, they are using their study periods productively. Some are already asking about the process of making early entry applications to universities. Over the next few months they will have opportunities to attend tertiary information days at CSU, Bathurst and possibly in Sydney as well. More information will be made available soon.
Congratulations to three Year 12 students who received an honour Award at this week’s Assembly. They were Grace Dean, Jasmin Pyne and Nina Sheather.
Year 11 completed a “Welcome to Stage 6” Day with me last week. We looked at creating a home-study environment, study skills and time management. La Salle’s Counsellor, Mrs Tegan Kiely, spoke of the need to take care of themselves physically and mentally. NESA requirements for Preliminary and HSC were covered, particularly with regard to Assessments. The students received the Year 11 Assessment booklet, which I encourage all parents to read over with their son or daughter. Year 11 students have only one study period in the library per fortnight, so it is necessary for them to be spending at a minimum 1 – 2 hours per evening studying. This time could be spent preparing revision notes, completing homework, working on assessment tasks or simply reading their novels for English. No student in Years 11 or 12 should ever be telling parents that they have nothing to do at home!!
Some of the Year 10 students are currently involved in the Peer Support Program with Year 10. At Assembly this week, they received their Peer Support Leaders’ badge, which were blessed by Father Garry at our opening school Mass recently. The Peer Support Leaders for 2023 are Cailin Houlison-Case, Liam O'Regan, Emily Dean, Amira Kathir, Annika DellaBosca, Nate Blackman, Holly Simmons, Macey Goldspink, Noah Green, Jai Simcoe, Emma Rushworth, Alexis McNamara, Jake Maranda and Jarah Café.
The Year 12 students have been busy promoting the Swimming Carnival and to get into the spirit of the event, paraded their House loyalty by donning House Colours for our Assembly this week. Mr Carroll showed where his allegiances lie, by sporting a red lei, for Solomon.
With regard to Work Experience for Year 10, the dates have been set. Students of Year 10 will participate in the Work Experience Program for the final two weeks of Term 2, ie, back to back placements at two different sites. The dates are 19th – 30th June, 2023. Students will receive information about the program before the end of term so that they can start planning and applying to attend sites.
Please support the school’s uniform policy by checking that your son or daughter is wearing the correct items of clothing. Thursdays require that all students are wearing the formal uniform, so no young person should be wearing a sports uniform. “Mariettas” in Bathurst, our uniform supplier assures us that all items are in stock, including the LSA sports shorts. Detentions will be issued for those who choose to disregard our uniform policy. The student diary clearly defines what is acceptable with regard to jewellery as well. There are to be no nose rings or studs. Mr Carpenter has agreed to clear nose studs. Nothing else is acceptable.
Regarding attendance, a reminder to parents to be sure to send in notes or make a Compass entry to explain all student absences. The roll is a legal document and therefore must reflect explanations for absences. It is also imperative that your son or daughter is present for roll call during Admin. If they are absent, this is recorded on their daily attendance record. If absent form Admin, they are missing out on important announcements. If being dropped off at school by parents, please ensure punctuality.
If you have any concerns regarding your son or daughter in Year 10, 11 or 12, please do not hesitate to contact me by phone or by email. (b.hicks@bth.catholic.edu.au)
Mrs Bernadette Hicks
Pastoral Welfare Coordinator Years 10 - 12
Year 7-9 Pastoral Welfare Coordinator
Welcome to Week 4. This has been a jam-packed week with some really special events taking place. This week we have had our School photos, Ash Wednesday Liturgy, Whole School Assembly, Year 7 Parent/Carers Evening and Annual Swimming Carnival.
It has been so amazing to see the connectedness and engagement of our students during these events.
We have started the year off with a heightened sense of pride for not just our school, but ourselves as well. Can I please remind students that it is extremely important that we not only wear the correct school uniform but we simply ‘show up’ and do our very best. Please also remember to label all items of uniform so they can be returned to the owner.
At our Whole School Assembly on Thursday we had 23 students from Year 7-12 achieving Achievement Awards (5 Merits) and 3 Year 11 students receiving Honour Awards (25 Merits).
Achievement Awards
Year 8
Sianna Aiaga Jasmin Cole Vann Cutler
Lauren Tackle Claire Taylor Lily Wallace
Addisen Welsh Landan Michalski Rebecca Martignago
Year 9
Kaiden Beckett James Hadley Joshua McManus
Caitlin Swart
Year 10
Annika Della Bosca Isolde Samundsett Xyla Towner
Year 11
Liam Aarts Harry Osborne Gabrielle Dray
Year 12
Imogen Della Bosca Will Drengenberg Sophie Lane
Audrey Papadatos Nina Sheather
Honour Awards
Grace Dean Jasmine Pyne Nina Sheather
Year 7 Parent/Carer Evening
On Thursday evening we welcomed many parents, families and students to the ‘Year 7 Parent/Carers Evening’ in our Bishop Dougherty Hall. Our Year 7 students did an amazing job running the evening. A special thanks to:
Samara Kirkland Noah Fitzpatrick
Chloe DeLosa Laila Oliver
Indiana Lee Beau Hughan
Ben Adam Baysa Milla Collins
Blake Griffiths Mia Eckford
Ruby Moss
Year 7 Camp
As stated in last fortnights Delegram, our Year 7 students have their annual Yarramundi 3 day camp in Week 9 from Wednesday, 29th March to Friday ,31st March, 2023. Permission notes were handed out this week on Tuesday if your child did not receive one or has misplaced theirs, there are spare copies in the front office. Can I please ask that the permission note and Medical consent notes be handed in no later than Wednesday, 22nd March or earlier if possible.
NAPLAN
NAPLAN will be conducted online from Wednesday 15th March till Monday 20th March for both Year 7 and Year 9 students. Best of luck to all our student that will be sitting these tests, this is about doing the best you can.
Have an amazing Fortnight.
Please remember that if you have any concerns regarding the welfare of your child, please reach out and contact me at La Salle Academy on 02 63545100 or email me at a.wilsmoresmith@bth.catholic.edu.au
Positive reinforcement changes behaviour for the better, while criticism stabilises negative behaviours and blocks change.
Virginia H. Pearce
Mrs Wilsmore-Smith
Year 7-9 Pastoral Welfare Coordinator
From the Bursar
2023 School Fees
Fee Statements will be emailed to families on the 3rd March, 2023. Any family that does NOT receive their School Fee Statement via email is asked to contact the school office to ensure that the correct email address is listed in our system.
2023 Billing Dates
Term 1 billing date 03/03/2023 and instalment due date 17/03/2023
Term 2 billing date 05/05/2023 and instalment due date 19/05/2023
Term 3 billing date 28/07/2023 and instalment due date 11/08/2023
Please note that school fees are charged over the first three terms, therefore no school fee charge in Term 4.
Payment Arrangements
Families wishing to arrange a payment arrangement, can contact the school office. Payment arrangements can be paid via BPAY or Direct Debit. Payment plans of up to 52 weeks are available. Please to obtain a copy of the Direct Debit Authority Form to set up a direct debit payment.
For your information:
Payments can be made by the following payment options:
Account balances can be accessed on Compass and payments can be made via the Compass app.
BPAY Payment references are printed on the statements.
Direct Debit Forms are available from the school office.
EFTPOS is available in the school office and can be used for payments over the telephone.
Centrepay Forms are available from the CentreLink Office
Please do not hesitate to contact Mary Cassar, School Finance Officer, if you would like assistance with any matters in relation to school fees.
Mariettas Uniform
Marietta’s Uniforms
233 George St - Bathurst
6331 1078
Dear Parents of La Salle,
For the past twelve months we have been progressively supplying more and more of your uniform and now we are basically supplying everything except boys ties, caps/hats.
Your previous supplier Focus had and unusual sizing system which is causing some confusion. For those who have had LWR in Primary the new items are mainly from them and you will probably understand the sizing. We are getting better in converting as we introduce each item.
For those of you who haven’t actually come to our shop, we are near the Cinema in George St (turn left at KFC) and just before the 4th roundabout on the right hand – funny pinkish building.
We open 9 to 5.30 weekdays and 9 to 1 Saturday.
Of course we take Back to School Vouchers. If a wanted item is not in stock, we will send it to school if paid for. We also do phone or email orders if you know sizes. Payment for such orders can be credit card or bank transfer.
We can do alterations like hems and shortening blazer sleeves or edge stitching pleats.
Our philosophy is to provide quality uniform at an affordable price. We would like to buy Australian made but we regret it is simply unaffordable. We do get our skirts made in Sydney and all our embroidery is done locally – for logistical reasons in Bathurst.
For MacKillop and Stannies here we have built up a comprehensive data base of families so we can send reminders about ordering dates or any looming problems. We would like to do the same with La Salle families so if you haven’t ever had an email from us, could you email me at the address below giving your name and the names of your children and their years (and if not absolutely obvious) whether they are a boy or girl. I will then email you an order form.
We look forward to meeting many more of you and assisting with your children’s uniform which we hope they will wear with pride.
Regards
Marilyn W, Ellen and Marilyn P
mjp@activ8.net.au
Year 7 & 10 Vaccination Information
Please refer to the below flyer in regards to the 2023 School Vaccination Program. Information for Year 7 and Year 10 Parents has been sent out through the Compass Parent Portal. This year parents will be able to give consent online and all information is provided for parents through the NSW Health Website.
