4 September 2024

It is now less than a week when our Junior School presents their vibrant production of Finding Nemo Jnr., where the stage comes alive with the adventures of Nemo, Marlin and their underwater friends. This production is more than just a display of talent; it’s a testament to the incredible journey our Junior School students have undertaken throughout the rehearsal process.

In bringing this story to life, our young performers have drawn on their Building Learning Power muscles in remarkable ways. The resilience they've shown in mastering their roles, the resourcefulness in solving creative challenges, the relationships they've built within their teams, and the reciprocity they've demonstrated in supporting each other are all evidence of the deep learning and personal growth that have occurred.

As you watch this performance, you'll also see the embodiment of our College's values of Courage and Excellence. It takes immense courage to step onto the stage and the pursuit of excellence is clear in every scene, song and dance number. Over three nights, these values shine brightly, as our students give their all to deliver a performance that they, and we, can be truly proud of.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to all Junior School staff who have contributed their time, effort, and energy to make this production a success. A special mention goes to Miss Caitlin Shannon-Duhigg, Miss Kate Ross and Mrs Karen Shannon-Duhigg, whose leadership has been instrumental in guiding our students and bringing this wonderful show to fruition.

If you haven’t yet purchased your tickets, then there is still time. Hop on over to the Finding Nemo ad in this edition of the newsletter and click on the link to get your tickets.

Enjoy the show!

God Bless
Mr Alan Dawson | Principal 

Auction Hamper Preparation - Preparation of hampers and donations (Friday, 20 Sept from 9:00am)

Auction Item Security - General supervision of hampers and items/vouchers so they don’t go missing (9:00am to 1:00pm – one hour slots)

Auction Closure – Assist with payment processing, distribution of items/hampers (1:00pm close, 1:15pm announcement of winners)

Children’s Field Activities – Supervision of Giant Jenga, Giant Connect 4 and Table Tennis activities to ensure safe play and that items do not go missing (9:00am to 2:00pm – one hour slots)

Children’s Craft Activities – Setup and supervision – Activities likely to be sandart, origami, colouring in (TBC) (8:00am to 2:00pm – one hour slots)

Cake Stall – Setup and sales (Friday from 3:00pm, Saturday 8:00am to 2:00pm – one hour slots)

Setting Up (8:00am to 9:00am), Pack Down/Clean Up (2:00pm to 3:00pm)

As per policy, volunteers will be required to have a current Volunteer WWCC.

Register availability and interest area -  https://bit.ly/4fw3KnT

Special Roles – Could this be you?

We need a capable person to facilitate the bump-in of our stallholders from 7:00am. Sites have been allocated and stallholders advised of where to go beforehand. However, oversight is required. 

We also need a volunteer to coordinate the children’s craft activities for the day e.g. origami, colouring in, sand art. Activities can be changed to suit the co-ordinator. 

Please let Mrs Stephanie Ghali know if you can assist in the above two roles as soon as possible. For more information or if you would like to contribute in another way please email [email protected].

Our student leaders have a wonderful opportunity to be a voice for students and to advocate for things that are important to the student body. They also have the more challenging responsibility of being a representative of the College to the students. This responsibility of being a dual ambassador for staff and students is challenging, as students learn how to navigate “two worlds” and hold themselves to high standards as others will scrutinise how they go about their schooling. Nonetheless, formal leadership roles present wonderful opportunities to learn and grow for our students and we wish them every success as they commence their new responsibilities in Term 4.

At the same time, we have students who have missed out on a leadership role. It is important to acknowledge their disappointment and support them in setting new goals for their HSC year. Not only will they have more opportunity to focus on other aspects of their schooling, but they also have the capacity to serve in a number of areas in the College without a formal responsibility. Over the years a number of students have championed aspects of College life with initiatives and fresh ideas to make a difference. Perhaps your student could pioneer a new club, drive a kindness initiative or support other student initiatives.

Of course the experience of disappointment is not unique to students. Many of us have experienced missing out on a job we were keenly interested in, secretly hoping on the perfect present as a child or even seeing an examination or performance result that didn’t live up to our expectations. Working through disappointment is a key part of growing as a person. Devastating as it can be in the initial phases, we learn to accept and come to terms with the loss, aiming to learn from it and grow from it. Externalising our frustrations is an understandable response, but it’s not until we accept the loss and seek to either improve upon it (where possible) or to learn from it and grow out of it that we really start reaping the benefits of the setback. And yes that language is intentional. We often hear football commentators talking about “the loss the team had to have before the finals” or the many knock backs that an actor received before landing an important part. Examining how we can improve and resolving to work on aspects of ourselves that can be developed can be a painful process, but we are reminded by Roosevelt that “Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty…”

Let’s work with our students to help them learn, and remind ourselves, that there is opportunity on the other side of loss. Let’s also take time to celebrate the special moments that occur for our students too. Even acknowledging the small growth moments can be very significant for our students to feel “seen”.

 Mr Scott Roby
Deputy Principal

FATHER’S DAY BBQ BREAKFAST

Over 200 Dads joined us for our Father’s Day BBQ breakfast last Friday. It was a great morning with lots of smiles, yummy sausages, tests of skill in the Courtyard, some terrible ‘Dad’ jokes and a fun general knowledge Kahoot quiz! 

DOES YOUR CHILD HAVE LUNCH EACH DAY?

We are getting an increasing number of students coming to school with no packed lunch or canteen order. Please make sure your child has sufficient food for the day – it has a big effect on concentration and energy levels. If children present with no lunch, a basic sandwich will be supplied (no hot food) from the canteen and charged to your Munch Monitor account. Three or more missed days will result in communication from the College.

EMERGENCY CONTACTS

A request from the Junior School Reception team – if you could please check the Edumate emergency contact details for your children, it would be very much appreciated. Ideally, aim to have someone who could get to school in around half an hour or less, so if your child is unwell or needs medical attention, they are not left in sickbay for an extended period of time.

YOUNG LEADERS PROGRAM

As part of our ongoing commitment to service at RJ over the next few weeks, students in Year 5 are being challenged to take part in service opportunities. Many of these activities have been occurring at school and parents of Year 5 students would have received communication regarding this from the teachers. Please encourage your child to participate as this is a great opportunity to serve. This program is also a prerequisite for College leadership in 2025 and will conclude at the end of this term. 

JUNIOR SCHOOL MUSICAL NEXT WEEK!

It’s almost time! Finding Nemo makes a splash next week with performances on 11, 12 and 13 September. The cast and crew are ready to bring you a fabulous evening’s entertainment – don’t miss it!  

Tickets on Sale Here: https://www.trybooking.com/CUAEK

HOUSE MEETINGS WEEK

House meetings coming up next Friday 13 September – students wear their House shirts that day.

Enjoy your weekend,

Mrs Karen Shannon-Duhigg

Head of Junior School

Join us for an unforgettable performance as our Junior School presents Finding Nemo JR. the musical. Dive into the fun and experience the vibrant RJ community spirit up close! 

Tickets on Sale Now!

TryBooking – https://www.trybooking.com/CUAEK

Performance Dates

Wednesday 11 September 7pm

Thursday 12 September 7pm

Friday 13 September 7pm

These daily revision sessions are an essential part of the support offered by the College as they continue to prepare for the HSC examinations that start early in Term 4. The Year 12 Reflection Day is taking place on Friday 20 September. Families of our Year 12 cohort have the opportunity to book up to four seats for the Year 12 Graduation Assembly on Friday 27 September. Please use the RJ App to access the Trybooking link.

Our Year 11 cohort will be commencing their yearly exams in Week 8, which will conclude on Wednesday 25 September, with students returning to normal classes the following day. Please be praying for our Year 11 students during this time.

Spring 

As we move into spring students are encouraged to wear the RJ sports cap whenever they are outside. While hats are compulsory next term students do not need to wait until then to start wearing one. A reminder that students are to only wear the RJ sports cap.

Students are permitted to wear the College summer uniform, which means students in Years 7-10 no longer need to wear their blazer or the College Tie/Scarf. Students in Year 11 and 12 are to continue to wear their ties/scarves. The winter RJ scarf and beanie are no longer to be worn to the College as it is part of the winter uniform. 

Why RJ?

Earlier this week during a twilight tour of the College I was greatly encouraged to meet families who want to become part of the RJ Community. During a conversation, one parent was asked "Why RJ?", and without hesitation they replied "My friends already send their children here. The College sounds like a great place".  My hope and prayer is that RJ will continue to be such a positive community as staff, students and families partner together striving to make our College one that continues to be place to belong, serve and succeed. 

Thank you

Thank you to the staff and students involved in recent events both at the College and off campus.

Some of the events are:

• CSSA E-Sports Rocket League Competition, in which a team of RJ students place third overall.

• TAS Exhibition evening

• Year 10 Excursion to the Jewish Museum in Sydney

• World Vision 40 Hour Famine 40km walk

• CSSA State Athletics Carnival

• Shine event for girls in the Senior School

• Crime Investigation Day

• Inter House European Handball Competition 

As well as our weekly events such as Ignite and a wide range of co-curricular groups.

I hope that our students continue to take up the opportunity to engage in the activities that are available to them at RJ. Being involved is a big step in helping students feel connected, strengthening their sense of belonging and making a positive contribution to the College community.

Respect and Care

It has been disappointing to have to close a toilet block due to damage. While I did speak with girls in Year 7 and 8 about the reason for their toilets being closed, I reminded them that they do not need to be accepting of this type of behaviour from their peers.  It was also made clear that students who show disrespect to the College and a lack of care towards their peers in this type of way are placing their enrolment at the College at risk.  The girls were encouraged to speak with a staff member if they see inappropriate behaviour, in order to prevent the closure of College facilities and reduce the use of College resources used in repairing the damage. They were reminded that the online "RJ Cares" reporting system may be of use to them in this type of circumstance.

Reminders:

Year 11 students need to complete their orders for their Year 12 2025 Jersey as soon as possible. As soon as all orders and payments are complete the order can placed with the company that supplies the jerseys to the College.

Year 12 students need to purchase their ticket for the Year 12 Formal, closing date is Friday 27 September.

Families of our Year 12 students need to 'book' their seats for the Year 12 Graduation Ceremony by Friday 20 September.

Links and relevant QR codes have been sent to students / parents and carers via Broadcast and email. 

Parents and carers are reminded that if you have any questions about upcoming events or concerns in relation to your child's wellbeing or a question about a specific subject area, please reach out to their Home Group teacher as first point of contact. Parents wishing to meet with a staff member please contact the College via main reception to organise an appointment.

Mr Brad Maxwell
Head of Senior School

It was pleasing to see that almost every student improved on their performance from the zone carnival. Several of our students performed extremely well and will go on to the CIS (Combined Independent Schools) Championships where they will compete against all the independent schools across the state at Sydney Olympic Park today. Well done to Elijah G and Kai G for qualifying for individual events for this as well as our relay team consisting of Elijah, Kai, Levi M and David B. We wish these boys all the best as they compete in the next phase of competition.  

Todd Woodbridge Cup

Our Stage 2 and Stage 3 Todd Woodbridge Cup teams went to Blacktown Tennis Centre to compete in the Blacktown Zone Gala Day. All the students played well and represented RJ well. Our Stage 2 team came sixth and our Stage 3 team came third overall. Miss Ross was extremely proud of the way our students showed great sportsmanship throughout the day.

Mr Gavin Mitchell
Junior School Sports Leader

What is your favourite food?

Seafood - prawns and lobster in particular.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

Singing, gardening and doing things with my family.

What are you looking forward to in your new role at RJ?

Being part of team of people who really care about student wellbeing.

Describe a wonderful experience you’ve had in your life.

I always wanted to see the Sistine Chapel and I had the opportunity to go to Rome some years ago. I can never forget Michelangelo's amazing artwork and I was in awe of his ability to paint the ceiling with such incredible perspective.    

Share something about your Christian journey.

I was the first person in my family to become a Christian. The seeds were actually sown by the local minister who was my scripture teacher at the local public school. He would bring what he called, his squeeze box and sing 'Jesus wants me for a sunbeam'. What he said about Jesus dying for my sin really stayed with me until I made my own salvation decision at age 14. 

What is your favourite Bible verse and why?

Jeremiah 29:11 because God has a plan and purpose for my life. He has always been faithful in providing for me in every circumstance of my life.  

What is something you want to achieve (at work or personal)?

I am a lifelong learner and would eventually love to do doctorate studies to gain a PHD.

If you could meet any person in the world, who would it be and why?

Martin Luther King Jnr. He overcame so much adversity and fought for equal rights while maintaining his Christian values, dignity and respect for all.