As I put this editorial together, the news is breaking about the behaviour of Don Burke towards women whilst he was anchoring the ‘Burke’s Backyard’ series of lifestyle television shows in the 80s and 90s. This  comes after the revelation of Harvey Weinstein and his predatory behaviour towards women over decades in the entertainment industry. As parents of girls who will one day graduate into the world to make their mark based on their talents and abilities, you must be feeling very troubled and concerned. As a College that shares your hopes and dreams,  and invests many resources, at all levels, into the development of your girls into empowered young women, this news is highly disturbing. How can we equip a young vulnerable woman to stand up to a male in a position of greater power without her job, reputation, credibility and future prospects being under threat? Those of us who have not been in this position cannot begin to imagine the bearing such an imbalance of power can have on an individual’s response.

Like all bullying situations, it needs the action of the bystanders and those who are aware of the situation to raise their voice, as well as the person who is being victimised. The target is the one with least power, which necessitates those who are observers to step up and restore the balance of power. In both the Don Burke and Harvey Weinstein situations, there would have been people who had turned a blind eye to what was happening. They allowed the inappropriate behaviour to continue through their indifference to the impact it was having on the targets.

Last Sunday we celebrated the feast of Christ the King.  Through the readings we hear that Christ implores  us to recognise him in each other, to see him in the stranger, to show compassion, sensitivity and see our world with new eyes. If we are indifferent to each other, we can’t follow that command. It is in this way then that we can prepare and equip our young girls and boys to stay safe. To keep an eye out for one another, to be protective of each other and to be sensitive and compassionate to others. Over time our girls may come across others who behave in ways like Don Burke and Harvey Weinstein. My hope is that they are confident to share their experiences and, with the support of those around them, are able to challenge that behaviour and feel less isolated and vulnerable to succumb to the bullying.

At the recent P&F meeting the executive agreed to purchase a laser cutter for the College. Such a device will provide greater scope and choice for the girls in creating and producing their projects in TAS and the Creative Arts. Girls from all year groups will be able to use it with the guidance of their teachers. I extend my thanks to the P&F and, through them, our parents who all contribute via the P&F levy for  this wonderful machinery. We will be able to have it operating in the new year.

Year 10 students received a note this week outlining the Community Service program they will participate in over 2018. This builds on their community service experience in Year 10 and aligns with the charism of the College which asks us to be neighbour to those in need. It will be a valuable opportunity for girls to appreciate the blessings they have and look at ways they can support others.

As we finish this year in a few days, I would like to share with you that Mrs Winarczyk will be retiring at the end of the year.  Mrs Winarczyk has been at the College for 24 years. In that time she has taught Italian and at times English and Religion. I would like to acknowledge the wonderful work she has done and the loyalty and dedication she has brought to her work. We wish her a wonderful retirement. Finishing also after a short time at the College, will be Ms Martin, Mrs Lewis and Mrs Bowman. We thank them also for their hard work whilst at the College.

Wishing you a lovely Christmas. May you have some peaceful time with family and friends. Enjoy the birth of Christ and the joy of the season. We have the awards ceremony and the closing mass on Tuesday 5 December, which I hope you can share with us.

I will leave you with a short reflection on Christmas.

Blessings

Sue Lennox - Principal 

Christmas brings us all back to the crib of life to start over:
aware of what has gone before,
conscious that nothing can last,
but full of hope that this time,
finally, we can learn what it takes to live well,
grow to full stature of soul and spirit, get it right.

There is a child in each of us waiting to be born again.
It is to those looking for life that the figure of the Christ, a child, beckons.
Christmas is not for children.
It is for those who refuse to give up and grow old,
for those to whom life comes newly and with purpose each and every day, 
for those who can let yesterday go so that life can be full of new possibility always,
for those who are agitated with newness whatever their age.
Life is for the living, for those in whom Christmas is a feast without finish,
a celebration of change, a call to begin once more the journey to human joy and holy meaning.

– from In Search of Belief by Joan Chittister (Liguori/Triumph)

SAVE THE DATE - EMERALD DINNER DANCE - 17 MARCH 2018 

We began the day by getting on a train at Campbelltown Station. We caught three trains and eventually ended up at Walker Street, where we walked to the Connections Centre in Rhodes. Upon our arrival, we were greeted by a very pleasing view of the water. We headed to the meeting hall where we were given an introduction of how to refine the Nao robot's dance moves. We then had 40 minutes to refine our dance before submitting our final routines for the competition.

During our very long lunch break, Mrs Matti gave us the opportunity to visit Ikea to explore the innovative furniture designs for our Interior Design Task next year. When we reached Ikea, a few of us were amazed at how big it was. We walked through each area and inspected a range of amazing furniture, shelving units and other utilities that were useful and aesthetically pleasing.

After visiting IKEA, we made our way back to The Connection Rhodes to prepare for the competition to start. A handful of primary and secondary schools arrived, and the competition was soon underway. The competition was split into primary schools and high schools. All the primary school dances were very impressive, with one group composing their own music to accompany their dance. It was then time for the secondary school competition. Every group’s dances were outstanding, and the robot executed all our dance moves perfectly.

The judges conferred with each other and Karly Berghold and Bianca Parker took out 1st place. It was a great way to finish off the day before jumping back on the train to Campbelltown.

This was a very worthwhile and enjoyable experience to be a part of and we recommend it to everyone who gets the chance to participate in future. We would like to give Mrs Matti a massive shout out for this amazing experience and hope the next year to do this has as much fun as we did! 

Imogen M & Erin M – Year 9 Design & Technology Students

This year it was themed as a Cheesy Christmas Special, complete with the Brady Bunch, Mariah Carey’s “All I want for Christmas” and dancing with holiday cheer. The College would like to thank all the performers who shared their gifts with us,  including our technical manager Angela D and the Tech Angels. Hot off the press, we have obtained the top eight names on Santa’s “Nice” list this year for all the work they have done to encourage the Visual Arts, Dance, Drama and Musical talents of our girls: Mr Combes, Mrs Samyia, Miss Randell, Mrs Singles, Mrs Tannous, Mr Stevens, Mr Nash and Miss Glase. From all of us here at CAPA headquarters – we wish you a very happy and safe Christmas season.

Joshua Combes - Creative and Performing Arts Coordinator

I would like to offer thanks to Veteran Affairs NSW for offering this once in a lifetime experience to the students of NSW, to Mrs Lennox, Mr East, Mrs Musico Rullo and Mr Jeff McGill for your support and to the board panel who chose me to represent the school. Your part in this journey has been astonishing and has aided a legacy which will continue, forever.

On 21 September this year, I began a journey, following the footsteps of our brothers who fought, except I knew, unlike them, I was going to come back home. On being offered this trip, it seemed fitting to pay tribute to the soldiers who fought in our local area of Campbelltown. Focusing on their stories and researching their involvement in WWI helped me gain a connection to the journey of those who fought over 100 years ago.

Myself and 21 other students started our journey in London where we visited the Australian War Memorial, where I gave a speech, the HMS Belfast, and the Churchill war rooms. We caught the Eurostar to Lille, where we began our journey in the footsteps of the Anzacs.

On arrival in Lille, we met our tour guide Pete, and what a character he was. We got dressed in our formal uniform and headed off to The Menin Gate memorial, where we walked through the same gate the soldiers did onto the battlefields. The names of the 54,900 soldiers from Britain and Commonwealth countries who were killed in the area but have no known grave are inscribed on the walls of the Menin Gate. That night we were involved in the Menin Gate last post ceremony, which has taken place every day since 1918 except during the German invasion in WW2. I was fortunate enough to represent my group in laying a wreath along with two other students.

The next couple of days were extremely unforgettable, memorable, fun, and emotionally draining. We began by exploring the Australian battlefields in the Salient, places where the Anzacs made history in 1917. We visited the 5th Australian Division Memorial at Polygon Wood and the Buttes New British Cemetery and the battlefield at Broodseinde Ridge, before we got a taste of the devastation caused by four years of continuous artillery fire at the cratered landscape of Hill 60. We then paid our respects to the other side. We visited the German Cemetery at Langemark, where we learnt about the men on the other side of the line. On our drive back to the hotel, we saw the magnificent Canadian Memorial at Langemark, marking the site where poisonous gas was first used in the war.

Day 6 was an early start. We left our hotel at 2am, returning to the Australian battlefields in the Salient to attend the dawn service to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Polygon Wood. We then visited the town of Poperinghe, which was a vital Allied base during the war. Here we visited Talbot House, a famous soldiers’ rest area, which has been converted into a living history museum. We also visited the military cells in the Town Hall, where soldiers were held after being condemned to death for desertion or cowardice, as well as the yard where the sentences were carried out. Our final stop of the day was Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery, which contains the graves of more than 1,100 Australian soldiers.

Day 7, one of my favourite days, was an excursion day in Brugge. We all had free time to check out this amazing town full of beautiful buildings, massive cathedrals, travel on the gorgeous canals that snake through the town and of course, see where the best chocolate and waffles came from.

Day 8 was probably my favourite day, life at the front. We traveled through the Passchendaele battlefield. We all got to dress up in a WW1 uniform to experience a day in the life of a soldier. We started off by eating the authentic bully beef meal, which let me tell you tastes exactly how it looks. We marched the road from Passchendaele to Tyne Cot cemetery, the largest military cemetery of them all. On the road to Passchendaele, we threw mock grenades, did some rifle drills, walked through a real trench (not opened to the public), and I pretended to be shot and was carried on a stretcher. In WW1 an injured man was better than a dead man. A dead man was simply buried or left on the field. However, an injured man needed a stretcher which would have to be carried by at least six men, taking men off the front line. The Germans, with their use of gas and snipers, strategically injured many men as a way to take more men off the front line.

Day 9 was when we made our way to the battlefields of the Somme. On the way, we visited the battlefield of Messines, where 19 huge mines were detonated beneath German defenders in June 1917. We then headed off to Fromelles to visit the museum which tells the tragic story of Australia’s disastrous involvement in the battle. We then visited the Canadian memorial at Vimy Ridge and made our final stop for the day at the battlefield of Bullecourt. Australia lost 10,000 men at Bullecourt. We paid our respects to them at the slouch hat memorial in the centre of the town and the Australian Memorial Park, located on the site of the German front line.

Day 10, and my birthday. We explored the region synonymous with the carnage of the First World War. We visited Adelaide cemetery where the Unknown Soldier from the Australian War Memorial in Canberra laid for 75 years before returning home in 1993. We then travelled to the Australian National Memorial at Villers Bretonneux, the Australian Memorial Park on the battlefield of Hamel, where Sir John Monash orchestrated a great victory. After lunch, we then made our way to the Battlefields of the Somme. We visited Lochnagar Crater, Pozieres and, finally, Thiepval Memorial.

On day 11, we farewell the battlefields of the Somme and make our way to the city of love, Paris. We visited Napoleon's tomb, war museums and hopped on a cruise along the Seine River.

Day 12 is where we began our journey home and our Western Front tour came to an end. Although my journey in the footsteps of our Anzacs has come to an end, the memories and their legacy will last a lifetime.

Amelia A - Year 10 Student

A career in science requires the highest level of educational achievement, innovation, creativity and hard work. To foster and encourage interest in careers in science, the Institute established a school science award to recognise the efforts and achievements of Australian school students.

This year Madeline T, Year 11 student, was the worthy recipient of one of these awards. As part of her award, Madeline has been invited to spend time at the Institute to get first hand knowledge of the work that is carried out there.

Madeline is pictured here with Deputy Mayor of Campbelltown and Dr Joshua Ho (Head of Bioinformatics and Systems Medicine Laboratory) from the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute.

Kate Lefever - Science Coordinator

The College Uniform Shop is open during the holidays from 9am to 1pm on the following days:

Friday 8 December 2017
Monday 11 December 2017
Tuesday 12 December 2017
Wednesday 17 January 2018
Thursday 18 January 2018
Friday 19 January 2018
Monday 22 January 2018
Tuesday 23 January 2018
Wednesday 24 January 2018
Thursday 25 January 2018
Tuesday 30 January 2018

Years 7, 11 and 12 Students will return for Term 1 on Wednesday 31 January 2018, in full summer uniform.
Years 8 , 9 and 10 Students will return for Term 1 on Thursday 1 February 2018, in full summer uniform.

Link to survey

Council is planning for the long term success of our town centres and main streets and we'd like to prioritise what is most important to you in your ideal town centre. To do this, we are working together with PlaceScore to create Campbelltown City Council Care Factor 2017 - a 'place census' which will help us understand what is important to our community.

Tell us what really makes a place special to you

We value your opinion, telling us what is important to you in your local centres will help guide multiple projects across the local government area. It is important that as many people as possible have their say. We are looking for residents, workers, business owners, students and visitors to share their thoughts. 

You can ensure that your voice is heard by participating in a quick five minute survey. To thank you for sharing your thoughts with us, you'll go into the draw to win one of five $100 vouchers!

How does the Care Factor survey help communities?

Care Factor, a unique community values-capture tool acts as a ‘place census’ and allows community members to prioritise what is really important to them. This allows Council to plan investment more effectively and also measure change over time. Like the ABS census, the Care Factor survey can show where different groups care about the same or different things.

1 December - Year 10 Commerce Excursion
4 December - Parent "Thank you" evening
5 December - Awards and Assembly, End of Year Mass, STUDENTS FINISH FOR 2017
31 January - Year 7, 11 & 12 Return for Term 1
1 February - Year 8, 9 & 10 Return for Term 1