11 February 2008 - St Bernard's College

SBC NEWS
The newsletter of St Bernard’s College, Essendon is published the 2 nd & 4 th week of each month
Friday,
February 8,
2008
From The College Leadership Team
Ou r ye ar b eg an o n a s ad no te whe n we le ar n t of th e de at h
of Fre d Issa – a stud e nt from S t C h risto phe r’s who wa s
due t o st ar t Ye ar 7 at S BC this ye ar . Alo n g with his t wi n
br oth er C la ud e wh o h as be gu n the ye a r with us , w e of fe r
ou r c on dol en ces t o his p a re nts Yass ah an d M ah a a n d th e
Issa fa mi ly o n thei r gre at l oss.
We welcome all those new to our College in 2008, including
students, families and staff. New staff at The Strand Campus:
Anna Walker [graduate]; Katherine Barresi [graduate]; David
Selva [graduate]; Nick Smith [Parade]; Shelley Beecham
[Maternity Leave]. At the Clairvaux Campus: Lauren Bicknell
[graduate]; Amy Crawford [Mercy]; Bronwyn Glenny [Caroline
Chisholm]; Scott Lucas [Private Enterprise]; Melanie Hunter
[graduate]; Michael Mance [Eltham College]; Louie Pittas
[Northcote SC]; Emma Colbert [Marcellin]; Kate Torpy
[Stathmore SC]; [Joan Judd [UK]; Andrew Italia [UK]. Support
Staff: Benn Sutcliffe [Music]; Chris Smith [Music]; Jacqui
Vassallo [Student Support]; Rita Krouskos [Lab tech]; Adrian
McSweeney [Gap - Santa Monica]; Nick Fitzpatrick [Gap - Sport];
Adam Grima [Gap - Arts].
We add to our farewells Rob Mercer who has lately accepted a
position at Swinburne Tech and Nick Smith [Clairvaux Lab Tech]
who has commenced teacher training at ACU.
Our Year 12 Results were pleasing, and we see once again over
10% receiving study scores over 40 and just on 15% with
EnTers over 90. Very few boys’ Colleges consistently get these
results across the state, and they also compare very well with
other Catholic schools in the local area.
We look forward to seeing you at the Information Nights for the
various year levels over the coming weeks.
Finally, we rejoice in the news of the safe arrival of a baby son
for Claudine Michail and daughter for John Soler.
Frank FitzGerald, John McKenna, Nick Scully, Caroline Sheehan,
Bruce Wallace, Brendan Douglas
Please visit our website on a daily basis for important announcements; event
calendar; student resources etc. www.sbc.melb.catholic.edu.au. ALSO, please
keep College updated with any change of address including email address
Please remember in your prayers
Robert Prosia '88, passed away late December, uncle of Phillip '05, Martin 12D and Jordan 9G
Warren Prest ’49 passed away after a 20-year battle with Parkinson’s disease. He was the
brother of Fr John Prest ’58.
Thelma Madden mother of past students Paul ’73, Simon ‘75 and Justin ‘78 and grandmother
of Josh ‘02 and current students Isaac 10B, Joel 8E; sister of Carl Vanthoff ’47
Muriel Kellerman, mother of staff member Mike Kellerman and
grandfather of Adrian Schiavello 9A
May They Rest in Peace
Edmund Rice Network News/Justice Issues
A new parent to St. Bernard’s might wonder what an ‘Edmund Rice
Network’ is and why St. Bernard’s College is involved. Our school is
a Christian Brothers’ school, begun in 1940 in Moonee Ponds. This
order of Brothers was founded by a man named Edmund Rice back in
the early 19 th century. Edmund Rice opened his first school in Ireland
in 1802 and since then a network of
schools and institutions has grown
worldwide, dedicated to continuing his
vision in our modern world. The Web
site edmundrice.org.au is an
excellent collection of articles and
photos about the work of the network.
It includes sites on ‘volunteer’
possibilities, Edmund Rice Camps for
the underprivileged, the Edmund Rice
story as well as social justice initiatives
here and in other parts of the world.
As part of this network, St. Bernard’s
supports the work of our local Victorian
Christian Brothers in East Africa. On
our own web site, a quick link to ‘Project Africa’ explains how our
school supports their great work among the poor in Kenya and
Uganda. This is one of many justice works that this school is involved
in and over the year, students will be invited to be part of this work.
Worth reading on the edmundrice.org web site is a letter from Br.
Russell Peters who has visited St. Bernard’s in the past and has
addressed the whole school on the Brothers’ work in Kenya. He is
there at present in Kenya and writes of the situation in the country
and their efforts to help the people, especially refugees from the
violence. The Br. Beausang School that we support through student
sponsorship and fund raising has not been affected as yet by the
violence. School started in January and new buildings are being
constructed. Old boy of our school, Br. Laurie Collins, who is Principal
there, is looking forward to our continued support during 2008.
Our local network of Edmund Rice schools in Victoria are also working
in 2008 on a common theme titled ‘Close the Gap’. It is a
recognition of the wide difference in general living standards and life
expectancy of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders compared to
the general population in Australia. At our ‘Opening of the School
Year’ Mass last Wednesday, Ash Wednesday, ‘old boy’ of the college,
Fr. Joe Giacobbi linked the observance of Ash Wednesday and the
beginning of lent to our ‘Close the Gap’ theme by explaining both as a
time to remember the past and our failings, repent and work on
changing our world for the better. He emphasized that we need to
start with ourselves and our attitudes before anything else will
change.
Last weekend, Edmund Rice Education Australia (EREA) a new
national entity that is comprised of all of the institutions that were
owned by the Christian Brothers, was formally launched. More
information about this body and the national launch can be found on
the edmundrice.org web site.
Parent & Board News
College Board
Having regard to the excellent academic record of our students over
recent years and similar achievements in other areas of school life,
the College Board is keen to recognise those students who have
excelled and so have instituted a series of Awards of Excellence. In
an era when there is increasing evidence of “poaching” of talented
students by some independent educational institutions, these awards
acknowledge students who have shown loyalty to our college. We
therefore congratulate those students who have received scholarships
for the 2008 year in the following categories:
Academic [Full Scholarship]
– Joel Greaney [Year 11 Dux, 2007];
– Andrew Pichner [Year 10 Dux, 2007];
– Anthony Pasinati [Year 9 Dux, 2007];
– Patrick Grech [Year 8 Dux, 2007];
– Ben Borrelli [Year 7 Dux, 2007]
Left: The College Captains from the Edmund Rice
schools in Australia gathered for the launch of EREA
last weekend.
Right: Scott Darlow provided the music to assist with
Indigenous theme for our Opening Mass
Sport [Full Scholarship]
– John Raynor [Medalist at recent Aust National Athletic Titles]
Arts [Part Scholarship]
– Sam Dariol [Contribution to Public Speaking, Dance, Music and Singing at SBC].
Parents and Friends Association
The next meeting will be held on Monday,
February 11, 2008 at 7:30pm in the Board
Room.
Ladies and Friends Auxiliary
The next meeting will be held on Wednesday,
March 5, 2008 in the Pavilion. Everyone is
welcome!!
Men’s Association Activities
Our Annual Father and Son Games night will
be held on Thursday, February 28. Each
boy will be given a letter this week about the
night and it will be mentioned at Information
nights. Dads please keep this night free.

The first meeting of the Association will be after this, on
Wednesday, March 5 in the College Board Room. New fathers most
welcome to attend.
General News
Year 7 students: Good luck to our Year 7 students as they begin
their six year journey at St. Bernard’s. They will all attend an
Orientation camp in a week or so.
EMA: HOLDERS of current (i.e. January 29, 2008) Healthcare/
Pensioner Cards, EMA applications forms must be lodged at the
College by February 29, 2008.
Books and Material from 'Academic & General Bookshops'
If any student has not received a text book or any other items that
they ordered from Academic and General it is strongly advised that
they get in contact with Academic and General direct.
General number is 9372 8033 and Pre Pack number is 9372 8044.
Hold ups usually occur when a text book has to be reprinted. If any
of the items are delivered to St Bernard's in the next few days they
will be passed onto to the particular student.
Apologies for any inconvenience that this may bring.
John Nocci, Deputy Registrar
Curriculum
Testing of Year 7 with PAT-R Comprehension and PAT-Maths
instruments will be happening over the next few weeks. We see this
as a valuable way to get some objective perspective on some of the
skills that are important for secondary students that would also
support the observations of teachers.
TORCH Testing of Year 10 students will happen in the next few
weeks. This testing will assist teacher’s in their assessment of
students’ reading comprehension skills.
Acceleration policy which is relevant to students in Year 9 and 10
wanting to accelerate in 2009 is available on the school website for
download. It is advisable for parents and students to read this policy
as first semester reports are an important part of the eligibility criteria
for acceleration.
Ms Caroline Sheehan, Director of Learning
Year 12 VCE Parent Information Night
All parents of VCE Year 12 students are encouraged to attend this
meeting in the Auditorium at 7:30pm to 9:00pm next Thursday,
February 14 followed by light refreshments in O’Brien Hall, where
you will have the opportunity to meet with Year Level Coordinators
and homeroom teachers. Students are not required to attend. Further
details are contained in a letter that Year 12 students will receive
shortly.
Geoff Caulfield and Matthew Hurley (YLC’s)
Year 12 – Careers
This is a vital year for year 12s in terms of their planning for 2009.
Students have been reminded of the importance in making an
appointment with myself to discuss post secondary options.
I am also eager to speak with parents. Please note I do not see
students during class hours. My earliest appointment time is 7:30am
and my last appointment time is 4:00pm.
Hope to hear from you soon!
Work Experience - Year 10, 2008 June 23 – 27, 2008
So far I have been very pleased with the large number of students
who have met me - outside of class hours, to discuss work experience
options. This process started in June of last year.
In many cases students have been provided with a lead and have
secured a successful placement. However, as students and parents
have been previously informed, it is not the school’s responsibility to
place students. If a student sees me outside class hours and
expresses an interest in a particular area, I can, in some cases,
provide a lead.
However, ultimately the responsibility lies with the student to
organise his own placement.
The Work Experience Information Kit is still available on the school
website in ‘Student Resources’ (see Careers and Pathways). Please
speak to your son about work experience. If he has not organised a
placement, then he should make an appointment to see me – quickly!
If a student has sent the paperwork to an employer and is unsure
whether it has been returned to the school, he should see me
immediately in the careers office.
David Rosel, Careers Advisor
on 9289 1159 or drosel@sbc.melb.catholic.edu.au
ACC Swimming
The ACC Swimming squad is back in training, gearing up for the
carnival at MSAC. The team will be ably led by its appointed leaders
for 2008, Captain Andrew Van Meel and Vice-Captain Michael Angel,
both of whom have represented the College with distinction for 6
years. Their dedication to not only the glamour of competition but to
the mundane rigour of training over hours and hours of early morning
swims, and their assistance, as senior students, with our younger
swimmers sets a fine example to anyone with aspirations to lead.
Congratulations Andrew and Michael.
Important dates:
Training: Tuesday/Thursday 6:30am–8:00am at SBC pool until
12/02/08, then at Queens Park; Sunday 6:15pm–7:45pm, SBC pool.
Pool & Surf Camp 8/2/08 (Years 8 – 12); Queens Park Carnival
12/2/08; MSAC Training 18/2/08; ACC Carnival 22/2/08.
Further details are in the handout distributed to swimmers.
Carol Iannazzo on 9289 1124
Music News
The year has started well for the music program. We particularly
welcome new students to the college who have jumped at the chance
to be involved with music. We also welcome new staff members Benn
Sutcliffe and Chris Smith who will be active in the areas of Ensemble
Direction, Year 7 instrumental tutorial and private lesson teaching.
Furthermore, we welcome new casual instrumental teachers for 2008
in Evelyn Bergman, Janelle Phillips and Michael Mills.
Private Music Lessons: All private music lessons have commenced.
All music students who did not forward a letter of termination to the
music department at the end of 2007 have automatically been reenrolled
for lessons in 2008. New students are always welcome with
application forms available from the Music office or on the College
website. Private music students are asked to regularly check the
Music Department notice board for weekly lesson times and to be
prompt and prepared for all lessons.
Bands and Ensembles: All Bands, vocal groups and ensembles will
commence from February 11. Our weekly rehearsal schedule is:
Junior Stage Band: Monday after school 3:00pm – 4:00pm
'Shout' (Sen. Vocal) Monday after school 3:00pm – 4:00pm
Senior Concert Band: Tuesday before school 7:30am
Vocal Ensemble:
Wednesday before school 8:15am
Intermediate Concert Band: Thursday before school 7:30am
Senior Big Band:
Thursday after school 3:00pm - 4:30pm
Guitar Ensemble:
Thursday after school 3:00pm – 4:00pm
Intermediate Stage Band: Friday before school 7:30am
Friends of Music: Members of the Friends of Music Committee will
meet on Tuesday, March 11 at 7:30pm in the music department
room 302. All are welcome to participate in the development of our
program.
Athletics News
ACC Athletic training started with a bang last week with over eighty
boys attending training on both Tuesday and Thursday mornings.
Training continues this week at Aberfeldie athletic track from 6.50 am
until 8.00 am and any student, no matter what standard, is welcome
to attend training. The students are transported back to the college
by bus after training where breakfast is provided for the team.
Parents of athletes should take note of the dates of the two athletic
squad night carnivals on Tuesdays February 26 and March 4. Full
details will be published in the first edition of the Aths News which
will be given out at training on Thursday morning.
Help Close the Gap! - The Opening School Mass was significant
in many ways. For the full story and many other stories on the
College - please check our website :
www.sbc.melb.catholic.edu.au