8 November 2024

This week, we’ve had the pleasure of watching our Year 1, 2, and 4 students showcase the musical skills they’ve been developing. It’s been inspiring to see them take on the challenge of learning a new instrument—mastering music reading, instrument assembly, and the coordination of hands and mouth positioning to produce a beautiful sound. Rebuilding our music program after the disruptions of COVID in 2020-21 has been a priority, and we’re excited to see your child continue on this musical journey.

As both a musician and singer myself, I know firsthand the value of integrating music alongside other academic and athletic pursuits. Here at RJ, we’re committed to nurturing our instrumental and vocal programs because research shows that consistent music education, over multiple years, greatly benefits children’s cognitive and personal development.

A comprehensive study from June 2019 highlighted that students who study music throughout primary and high school perform significantly better in Maths, Science, and English—equivalent to being nearly a year ahead of peers without musical training. This study, which analysed data from over 112,000 students and controlled for factors like socio-economic status, is getting much attention for its large sample size and detailed findings. Notably, it revealed that both singing and instrumental practice positively impact academic outcomes.

Participation in music fosters skills critical to learning, including Executive Function (planning, attention, strategy, and emotion regulation), Motivation-Related Characteristics (discipline, self-efficacy, mastery-oriented learning), and Social-Personal Development (teamwork and bonding). These qualities are the cornerstones of an engaged, successful learner, making music an invaluable part of your child’s development. Learning an instrument not only ignites creativity and self-discipline but also fosters lifelong expression and emotional well-being.

I encourage you, as parents and carers, to consider supporting your child’s musical journey this year. For students in Years 2 and 4, small group or individual lessons are available for 2025, and we’d love to see them build on the foundation they’ve started. Please reach out to your child’s class teacher, Miss Caitlin Shannon-Duhigg (Junior School Music Leader), or Mrs. Marrable (Director of Fine Arts) for more details. 

Looking ahead, we’re excited to celebrate with our Year 12 (2024) cohort at their Senior Formal next Friday, honouring their achievements and growth over the year. Our Junior School students will continue with their swimming program and our K-2 students are readily preparing for their Week 6 Twilight Nativity event. 

Here’s to a fulfilling and memorable Week 5 for everyone in the College community!

God Bless
Mr Alan Dawson | Principal 

This might be in part because many of us parents/carers went through our schooling without having to consider the digital landscape. For me it was going to a computer lab at school filled with Apple Iic computers to learn typing. Now students have no need to even develop their typing skills as most students have acquired an acceptable level of skill on a keyboard without any formal training. Pensky has described students of this generation as “digital natives” and many of them are being raised by “digital immigrants”. His meaning here is that there is a significant cultural difference between the world our students are growing up in, to the world we grew up in. It is enough to note that when many of us grew up there was not even an online environment to consider. We grew up simply in one world. But our students are growing up in two worlds and need to learn how to navigate them both effectively. Minimising the potential for harm to occur to our students online then is a partnership that requires RJ and families to work together to give consistent messages to our students to ensure that they incorporate equally important life messages into their online worlds.

The College has clear messaging and strong consequences for students who utilise online platforms inappropriately. Students are required to have their phones off and in their locker/Junior School Reception each day, have effective onboarding that limits access to inappropriate content, monitoring software to track student website use and multiple reporting systems to alert staff to any concerns, including supporting student safety. But as many as you may know from experiences you may have had at home, some students will ignore boundaries and restrictions and even when they don’t, they are likely to come into contact with others who will.

So what are we to do as educators and parents when attempting to manage this space? Fortunately the answer lies in similar strategies that we would use to manage a physical environment. The best strategies involve proactive education of our students, ensuring they are equipped with our values and then supporting them to tackle these challenges as they face them on their own.

As hard as it is to accept as parents, our students will navigate longline communities on their own. Equipping them with skills to tackle problematic situations, keeping the dialogue open to ensure our students don’t feel alone and not giving students full autonomy in an online world that has no restrictions (at least that students cannot quickly and easily bypass) are vital components of safeguarding students in unregulated environments. 

Sport and Cultural Medallion Awardees

Following on from the last RJ Review, we present you now with the students that have achieved Sporting or Cultural Medallions for 2024. Students and their families who would like to ask questions about the below information are encouraged to contact the College so that we might be able to resolve your query. Congratulations to our medallion awardees for 2024.

 Sport and Cultural Medallion Recipients

Mr Scott Roby
Deputy Principal

The students enjoyed a yummy BBQ dinner cooked by our amazing parent volunteers, team tabloid games, the traditional slipper parade in The Hive and a movie with popcorn before bedtime. A trip over the road to McDonalds for breakfast completed another successful Pyjamarama event. Special thanks to Mr Reed, Mrs Fiore, Mr TiiTii and Mr Hunt.

Pyjamarama, as well as being a lot of fun for the students, is great preparation for the Year 5 and 6 camps held at Teen Ranch next year. Encouraging your children to be independent, to problem solve and overcome minor fears to do with sleeping away from home, all contribute to the success of these special events that students remember fondly from their Junior school years.

SWIM SCHOOL

Swim school got off to a great start this week for K-2 plus Years 4 and 6 students at nearby Little Fishes indoor pool centre. This will continue for the next 3 weeks. Please think about building on these learn-to-swim lessons by enrolling your child for further instruction over the summer break. Contact your local council-run pool and inquire about swimming lessons for children.                             

BUZZY BOOKS IS BACK!

Our ‘Buzzy Books’ initiative that began in recent years returned this week up in The Hive. This is aimed at our new Kindergarten enrolments for 2025 to promote the love of reading and help our newest students become familiar with their new ‘big school’. It will continue for the next three Tuesdays at 8am.

Fun times at Buzzy Books

JUNIOR SCHOOL LEADERSHIP 2025

Well done to Year 5 students who applied and interviewed for Junior School Leadership positions for 2025. The students did a wonderful job in the interviews and in the running of House games at the recent House Meetings. Captains and House Leaders will be announced at the Year 6 Graduation Assembly on Friday 29 November. Parents of Captains and Leaders will receive notification of their child’s appointment to a leadership position but should keep this to themselves until the official announcement event.  

COURTYARD STRINGS CONCERT & YEAR 4 BAND CONCERT

Our Year 1 and 2 students have made fantastic progress over the course of the year with their violin lessons, along with our Year 4 students at their weekly band tutorials. Both concerts this week were well-attended and a great showcase for our developing and growing instrumental program here at RJ. Well done to our up and coming musicians!

CHRISTMAS TWILIGHT NATIVITY & PICNIC

Everyone is invited to enjoy a BYO picnic on Friday 22 November at 5:00pm in the JS Courtyard.  An ice cream van and a coffee/tea van will be onsite to complement your meal. Please plan to attend, bring a picnic dinner and blanket, and be entertained by our vibrant K-2 students as we celebrate Jesus’ birth together. Gates open at 5:00pm.

TOYS ‘N TUCKER

Thank you so much for already sending in donations for Anglicare’s Toys 'n' Tucker Christmas appeal. There are baskets in each classroom for donations of non-perishable food items and toys in good condition. The Anglicare van will collect our donations in Week 8 of term.

ABSENCES AND LEAVE DURING TERM TIME

A reminder that any leave taken during term time that is not sickness related, must be approved by our Principal, Mr Dawson. Teachers are not required to set work for students who take leave outside of school holiday periods. Please consider carefully  before taking your children out of school as catching up on missed content is not always easy. We also have a number of families with concerning high student absenteeism. School attendance is mandatory in NSW and students who continue to miss school regularly will have parents contacted by our Deputy Principal for medical certificates and/or explanations.

WHAT’S COMING UP?

Ahead in Weeks 5 and 6 we have – 

• Gymnastics (Yrs 3 and 5 Tuesday from week 4) Swimming (Yrs K-2 plus Years 4 and 6 Wednesday from week 4) students wear Sports uniform on these days
• Remembrance Day - Monday 11 November
• Year 7 Orientation Days - Thurs 14 November and 21 November (current Yr 6 students)
• Twilight Nativity Event - Friday 22 November in JS Courtyard  5pm start (picnic dinner)

I love this time of year in Sydney, with the beautiful jacaranda trees coming into bloom.

Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land.               
Song of Songs 2:12

Enjoy your weekend,
Mrs Karen Shannon-Duhigg
Head of Junior School

The next event for our Year 12 students is the "Year 12 Clearance Day" on Wednesday 13 November from 9am, where students will return any College resources, ensure that their locker is empty and 'sign out' of the College for the last time. We look forward to seeing them all at the Year 12 Formal on Friday 15 November.

Guest Speaker at the recent Senior School Assembly

It was a privilege and a great encouragement to have Tim Hodge come and speak to our Senior School students at the recent assembly. He is the current world record holder in the 200m Individual Medley SM9 and has two gold and one silver medal from the recent Paralympic Games in Paris.  He is the current Australian Paralympic Swimmer of the Year and was recently handed the "Keys to the City" by Blacktown Council.

This is an amazing recognition of his achievements over recent years, which he humbly acknowledged while referring to some of RJ's Core Values and elements of our approach to learning as part of the reason for his success. He referred to courage, excellence, and personal attributes of resilience, resourcefulness and relationship, particularly in reference to his mother, his church community and his coach. I hope that students remember what Tim shared with them and also recognise how it aligns with what we are striving for at RJ for them in their learning and life journey.

Student reflection –

“Meeting Paralympian gold medalist Timothy Hodge was an unforgettable privilege. His story touched each of us deeply, as he spoke with honesty and strength about the incredible challenges he’s faced and overcome. Having someone who has conquered so much stand before us was not only inspiring - but a strong reminder that with all adversities in place, we can do a lot. His visit will stay with us for a very long time.”

I look forward to seeing Tim's achievements in future swim meets and hope to have him speak to our students again in the future.  Finally. thank you to Mrs Sarah Key, Visual Arts teacher in the Senior School, for helping the College connect with Tim Hodge.

What has been happening in Senior School

• Catchup exam sessions for students who are yet to complete their end of year assessments in Years 7-10
• Students have stepped up into their leadership roles within their houses during the recent House Meetings
• Year 11 students have engaged in study skills sessions hosted by Elevate.
• Notes for Year 11 2025 Study Camp have been sent home to our current Year 10 cohort
• Year 10 students have been provided information regarding Service Week
• Year 8 students participated in Indonesian Day
• Senior School Students excelled at the Ensembles Concert

What is next in the Senior School

• The 3 v 3 Principal's Cup Basket Ball Competition
• Orientation Days for Year 7 2025
• Visual Arts Exhibition on Monday 18 November
• Year 10 1980's Day - (surely the '80s is not part of the curriculum for History already)
• Year 10 Service Week
• End of Year Swim Day Wednesday 4 December
• Senior School Presentation Assembly Thursday 5 December
• Information regarding the End of Year Swim Day and the Senior School Presentation Assembly will be shared with parents/carers

Student Involvement

It has been a great encouragement to see our students who have taken on official leadership roles within the College start with enthusiasm and courage. Their input into Assemblies, Chapels, House Meetings and also the behind the scenes work in planning and preparation is a great benefit to the Senior School Community. Their understanding of the elements of service and effort that make up leadership is both evident and growing. Well done to the Senior School student leadership team.

Additionally, the support they have received through the involvement and cooperation of their peers has been highly valued. Well done to the students who have been enthusiastic in their involvement in all the activities taking place across the Senior School. I do hope that this continues to be part of who we are for the remainder of Term 4 and beyond.

Reminder:

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 school via main reception to organise an appointment.

With only 19 school days left for this year I will repeat what I shared in the last RJ Review,  I hope that our students take up every opportunity possible to engage in their learning and make positive contributions to the RJ community in all that is taking place at the College. 

Mr Brad Maxwell
Head of Senior School

The schedule for returning textbooks is as follows:

Loans for Summer Reading will begin on 2nd December, once all books are returned.

Summer Reading

As well as borrowing books from The Hub, don’t forget that we have our eBook platform Wheelers, which has eBooks as well as audiobooks.

Enjoy some reading over the Summer holidays, or maybe listen to your favourite book. 

 Find the ePlatform at https://rjas.wheelers.co/ , via the library catalogue (Oliver) link from the RJ Learning tab of the Portals section on the school website, or from the Library course on Canvas.  Log in using your school network username and password.

Watch this short video for some tips on downloading your audiobook using the ePlatform mobile app for offline listening to save your personal data use - https://youtu.be/xaeJadKUTrg

If you need some help or would like a demonstration as to how the eBook platform works, come to The Hub at lunchtime.

Happy reading…

Mrs Shaw
Senior School Librarian

Samaritan’s Purse is a non-profit, Christian organisation providing emergency relief and development assistance to suffering people around the world. Samaritan’s Purse is meeting the physical needs of victims of war, famine, natural disaster, poverty and disease with the aim of demonstrating God’s love and sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ. The aid and assistance are given to all people, regardless of their race, creed, gender, religion, or ethnicity. 

Some of the additional projects that Samaritan’s Purse operates along with Operation Christmas Child are: Water, Sanitation & Hygiene; Health & Nutrition; Education & Vocational Training; People at Risk; Animals & Agriculture Livelihoods and Church Resourcing.

All students in Stage 4 will receive a letter that outlines the Operation Christmas Child Program and will be encouraged to contribute to the program by bringing in, or collecting items for two of the categories each week.   Operation Christmas Child is primarily run in Stage 4, but all students are encouraged to be involved. Special boxes to pack the gifts are available at School from Mr Johnston in the B Block staffroom. These boxes, and a brochure will be sent home with students in Stage 4 soon so that you can start collecting items from the list at the bottom of this note. The boxes are then distributed to children around the world. 

The process for collecting gifts to pack into a shoe box is as follows:

1. Choose whether your box will be for a boy or girl
2. Choose an age group 2-4, 5-9, 10-14
3. Fill the box with new gifts that fit into the following categories. We are asking that students bring in  or collect one item from two categories each week. 

• While donations of whole boxes would be wonderful, you don’t have to fill a whole shoe box if that is not possible. Any donations of new items from the different categories would be greatly appreciated

We will be checking the boxes at School. The boxes will then be delivered to the Samaritan’s Purse warehouse at Kings Park, near Blacktown. Please do not include the following: items that leak e.g. toothpaste, shampoo, bubbles, batteries etc; food or lollies of any kind – including vitamins etc; used or damaged items; breakable items e.g. glass mirrors; items that might scare a child e.g. toy guns, military figures; gambling related items e.g. playing cards, play money and dominoes and religious, racial or political items. 

Along with buying goods to go into the shoebox, any donations towards the cost of distributing the boxes around the world would be gratefully received. Samaritan’s Purse have suggested that $12.50 would help greatly towards distributing one box to a child.

Here is a proposed timetable of items to bring in.

We hope that all students can participate in the Operation Christmas Child project and we will be able to send many shoeboxes to help other children around the world celebrate this special time of the year. 

Mr Liam Johnston
Leader Of Ministry & Service