Volume 14

Principal's Message

There’s not much left to be said about the Matildas and how they took a whole nation with them in a breathless leap into the unprecedented. The Fifa Women’s World Cup upturned so many preconceptions and cliches society has about sport, women and the essence of good competition.

In my day at school (see eye rolling teenagers), we were frequently challenged to debate that ‘Women’s sport should be televised’. You knew you were on to a beating if you had the affirmative. The answers were obvious, no; because nobody in their right mind would watch it. No; because no business would sponsor it. And of course, no; because women can’t play!

Seeing is believing. For so long, we have been challenging the language around women's sport. “Play like a girl” formally a slur cast upon some poor unfortunate who has dropped the ball, missed the ball or not even responded to the ball, has now been hijacked by proactive women and men to inspire and challenge. Watching women compete and excite as the Matildas have done, reinforces so much about change, perceptions, the importance of questioning minds and critical thinking. It also hammers the point home, that only with equal opportunity will we really see the true potential.

It is a privilege as a woman to lead this coeducational community. When I see our boys cheer on and support the girls and vice versa, I know we are setting them up for a better future and a world where we can and will debunk old perceptions.

It was wonderful to have so many dads join us on Friday. Rosebank hosted a breakfast and liturgy for more than 300 ‘Men Who Matter’ in the lives of our students. I was particularly moved by the words of our guest speaker and father of three Rosebank students, Mr Woods, as he encouraged our young people to consider a different perspective on parenting, one where there is no pressure to conform to stereotypes, opening up possibilities of flexible work for both parents and negotiating time and presence for their children. A heartfelt sentiment and beautiful words.

“I want you to take me for granted, I am here for you.”

Perhaps these words sent by email from another Rosebank father who could not attend sums it all up.

“As a proud father, I am genuinely thrilled to see the value placed on celebrating the role of important male figures in our children's lives. I wholeheartedly believe in the power of a loving, guiding and supportive fatherly influence, and it brings me immense joy to witness schools like Rosebank acknowledging this significance.”

I hope the fathers in our community had a wonderful Father’s Day and felt the love from all. You really do matter. Never underestimate the difference you make, even just by your presence and offering a listening ear.

Finally, last week, we were reminded of why we are deliberate in our rigid student dismissal routines. Rosebank’s safety routines are above any I have ever witnessed at a school. We supervise bus stops and pedestrian crossings and dismiss our students in small groups, dependent on modes of transport. I believe we have been very effective in keeping our community safe. Outside of these measures, we appeal to our students and parents to be mindful and follow road safety expectations and guidelines. I thank every parent who supports us here.

Ms Iris Nastasi

Principal

📷 From the Assistant Principal

Since writing last time to the community, we experienced a magnificent Social Justice Day. Our Benedictine values such as ‘care for others’ is a guiding principle that shapes our interactions with all we encounter. We believe that every student, teacher, staff member, and family member deserve to be treated with respect, dignity, and fairness. Our commitment to social justice forms the foundation of an inclusive and harmonious environment where everyone has an equal opportunity to thrive.

In our halls and classrooms, we celebrate diversity and embrace the richness of our varied backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives. We recognise that each individual brings unique experiences that enrich our collective learning journey. By fostering an atmosphere of mutual understanding and open dialogue, we create spaces where every voice is heard and valued.

Through initiatives and experiences like Social Justice Day, we empower our community to become informed and engaged citizens who can address social inequalities. Days like this encourage critical thinking about societal issues and the systems that perpetuate injustice. By nurturing empathy and compassion, we challenge all to take action, whether through volunteer work, advocacy, or community projects, to make positive changes in the world.

Social justice is an ongoing journey, and we are challenged to continually seek to educate ourselves and evolve as a community. Engage in conversations that challenge biases and broaden perspectives, fostering an environment where growth is synonymous with understanding. By addressing issues of prejudice and discrimination head-on, we create an atmosphere that stands against all forms of injustice.

Our students and staff entered into the day with and openness of heart and mind. I thank all those involved in preparing and delivering this program, in particular Mr Hansford for his lead role. While this day is a focus once a year – let’s make social justice a focus all year round.

Our most recent Wellbeing Wednesday, Paws and Reflect Day, included over a dozen staff dogs joining us for the day. With a pet parade and teachers bringing their dogs with them to some classes, we saw lots of smiles during the day and have received overwhelming positive feedback from students and staff alike.

This Wednesday evening, we have our Term 3 Parents & Friends meeting. The meeting will commence with a guest speaker Louise Poulson from Bully Zero, to present ‘Understanding Bullying for Parents’, which will be available to live stream if you are not able to attend in person. The session recognises the importance of the whole school community working together on this issue, provides an understanding of bullying behaviours, how to identify it and how to manage it.

Date: Wednesday, 7 September 2023
Time: 6:30pm – 7:30pm (followed by Q&A)
Venue: Onsite (SRSC/Library) or online
RSVP via this link by 12pm on Tuesday, 5 September 2023

I hope that all fathers and father figures enjoyed yesterday. While it is nice to be recognised and given an extra hug on the day, it is a time to reflect on what to be grateful for. The unconditional love that a parent has for their child is a force like no other!

Mr Paul Hardwick

Assistant Principal

From the Dean of Ministry

A Voice to Parliament

On Wednesday, 30 August 2023, the Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, announced the date for the referendum on The Voice to Parliament was to be Saturday, 14 October 2023. Referenda are rare occasions in Australia. The last one was held in 1999 on the subject of whether Australia should keep the monarchy or embrace a republic. The referendum proposal was defeated. Arguably, the 2023 referendum is the most significant moment in Australia’s history for a generation. At my parish, the welcome offered to all present for Mass begins with an acknowledgement of country couched in the language from the Uluru Statement from the Heart (2017). We pray that we might be people of listening and justice seeking hearts, minds and bodies.

On Thursday, 31 August 2023, Dr Amanda Sapienza, an expert in Australian Constitutional Law, and Rosebank parent, gave a presentation to our Year 11 and 12 students. When I look at the print literature, social media and the nightly news bulletins, I can easily imagine how difficult it could be for people to understand what a referendum is and does. Dr Sapienza’s presentation took us through a background in Australian Constitutional history, a bit dry perhaps, but necessary in order to understand how our democracy works and what part the Constitution plays. From this background information we moved into looking at what a referendum is and then what this referendum is proposing.

Many of our Year 12 students will be of voting age by October. They were encouraged to enroll to vote if they had not already done so. Year 11 students were encouraged to be active in following the debates, to be engaged and to contact local members, ask questions and do what young people so often do well, to quote Pope Francis, “make a mess”! As Benedict reminds us, the Spirit, who is well-known for making a mess of our best laid plans, often speaks most clearly through the voices of the young.

In summary, the Voice is precisely that - a voice to be given to Australia’s First Nation people. It is a voice that could be formally enshrined in the Constitution. The voice is not a “solve all” solution, but a way of letting Indigenous Australians speak on the matters that concern them. If passed, it would mean parliament had the option to listen but with no compulsion to act. However, all Benedictines, and indeed all Christians and people of faith know that listening forms the most important part of any process of consultation and discernment, change and discovery.

Men Who Matter

To close the week, Rosebank gathered on Friday to honour our fathers, grandfathers and all men who matter in the lives of our young people. Mr Andrew Woods, father of Xavier, Sasha and Leila, spoke of his joy in his children, a joy that has marked his fatherhood. It was an address that came from the heart, that honoured the role that he sees as complimenting that of mothers. And in a gentle way he challenged all of us to work together to ensure that all parenting is shared, celebrated and valued. A belated happy Father’s Day!

Dr Paul O'Shea

Dean of Ministry

Vale Valery Brooks

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Rosebank received the sad news of the passing of Valery Brooks, a former English Coordinator. Some of our long-serving staff members remember Val as follows:

Val's passion for literature was unparalleled, and her wisdom made her an extraordinary mentor. Val's leadership was marked by stoicism and discipline, and she never hesitated to support her staff and foster collaboration.

In reflecting on her vocation, Val once shared these profound words with the English Department:

Teaching English is 'intrinsically' rewarding. It offers us the privilege to truly know our students, to grasp their worlds, and to guide them through life's complexities. We are drawn to this subject because we love to read, write, and converse. Success comes in conveying that love to our students.

Val's professional relationship with former Principal, John Hawley, and her commitment to excellence were notable aspects of her career. Her retirement led her to Goulburn with her husband, a university lecturer, but she remained connected to Rosebank, attending the 150th celebration dinner.

The news of Val's passing has deeply saddened us all. She leaves behind a legacy of respect and admiration among staff, past students, and anyone fortunate enough to have known her.

May she rest in peace.

Ms Iris Nastasi

Principal

World Youth Day

Ms Lines and I were privileged to lead the Rosebank World Youth Day Pilgrimage in Lisbon, Portugal. World Youth Day is a gathering of the young Catholics of the world with the Pope, to unite us in faith and to be encouraged to go out as missionaries to bring Christ to the world. An estimated 1.5 million people attended the final Mass with Pope Francis!

Our nine students who attended were Eve Court, Anna Concannon, Cayla Long, Veronica Gallo, Natalia Buzo, Matthew Newton (Year 11), Clara Ayoub, Lauren Goldsmith and Ned Jones (Year 10). Each of them have detailed the experience we had both at the WYD, as well as our Italian pilgrimage preceding the event.

Mr Colm McCaughan
Assistant Dean of Ministry

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Italy: Rome, Cascia, Assisi, Siena

Our first destination was Rome. We set off to Piazza Venezia to begin our visit to the Roman Forum. After exploring the streets of Rome and having a nice lunch out, we went to the world's most visited attraction, the Colosseum. Walking through the Colosseum and seeing the history was incredible, an experience we’ll never forget. Then later that afternoon we got to have our first mass at the beautiful Basilica of St Paul. The heat may have been an issue but we all got through it. The next day we headed off to Vatican City where we got to have our own private mass at St Peter's Basilica, the largest Church in the world and then we visited the beautiful Trevi fountain. After two spectacular days in Rome we set off to Assisi via Cascia. As we arrived in Cascia, we visited the shrine of St Rita, patron saint of impossible cases. Cascia is the home to the shrine of St Rita, patron saint of impossible cases and we got to end our visit here with a mass at the magnificent Basilica of St Rita.

Eve Court and Veronica Gallo
Year 11

Italy: Florence, Bologna, Padua, Venice

We began our trip in Florence with a Mass at the Church of Santa Croce and continued our day with a walking tour of the city. We were surrounded by many tourists and saw beautiful works such as ‘The Statue of David’ by Michelangelo. We were also able to explore and experience the leather markets. Our next stop in Italy was Bologna, home to Italy’s oldest university. We spent the day enjoying the city and exploring and then continued on to then spend the night at Padua. After we arrived in Padua we headed straight for the Basilica of St Anthony having a Mass and a guided tour of the tombs. The next day we then traveled to Venice ‘The Floating City’. This was a great experience as the only way in and out of the city was to catch a boat. We began our journey in Venice stopping at St Mark’s Basilica for a Mass. We were able to see St Mark’s Square and its famous monuments, crossing over stunning bridges and walking down narrow passageways. We were also so grateful to have the experience of a Gondola ride taking in the beautiful city from the water. After a long day we made our way back to Padua where we headed to Scrovegni Chapel letting everyone have some time for quiet prayer. After a long day we made our way back to the hotel getting ready to head to Lisbon to start a new journey.

Anna Concannon and Cayla Long
Year 11

World Youth Day: Tuesday - Thursday

Tuesday was definitely a day to remember, we attended the Australian gathering. Here we got to experience music, talks from pilgrims and unforgettable speeches from Archbishops Comensoli and Fisher. This was another opportunity for us as Rosebank students to connect as well as connect with Aussies from other schools and dioceses too. We also partook as pilgrims in the Opening Mass where we were able to meet many people of so many ethnic groups. On Wednesday we experienced a talk from Catholic speaker Christopher West about the Theology of the Body which was extremely interesting and eye-opening. Thursday was the Papal Arrival of Pope Francis. Pilgrims worldwide came in droves to see Pope Francis officially arrive in Lisbon. Being his first time in Lisbon, this was the most highly anticipated event of the week and it did not disappoint. Our days went late at the youth concerts where we saw well known priest Fr. Rob Galea perform in Lisbon as well as French group Les Guetteurs. It was a great experience coming together with like minded people, even meeting some Aussies on the way, and meeting so many welcoming people of different nationalities.

Matthew Newton and Ned Jones
Year 11 and Year 10

WYD: Friday - Sunday

Out of the all the days of the pilgrimage, the Friday to Sunday would have to be the most memorable and that can be credited to the sleepout on Saturday night. On Friday we had Stations of the Cross with Pope Francis, but the highlight of that day was how close we were to him when he drove by. Our pilgrimage group had gotten there extremely early to ensure a spot at the barricade and I can safely say that it was 100% worth it, to be that close to the head of the Catholic Church was surreal. On the Saturday we began our trek to the overnight sleepout, where 1.5 million pilgrims would join us along with Pope Francis. It was a hot day, but once it cooled and adoration began it was silent, you could hear a pin drop. Sunday morning everyone was woken up by a DJ priest before a morning mass with the Pope and the busy commute back to the hotel for some recuperation.

Clara Ayoub and Lauren Goldsmith
Year 10

The overall bus group experience

For this pilgrimage we were in bus group accompanied by 5 other schools. St Patricks College, Santa Sabina, Domremy College, Casimir Catholic College and St Vincent's College. Our bus group leader was Mr Christopher Neaves, our bus Chaplin was Fr Lewi and our seminarian was Cronan. Our bus group experience was better than anyone could have expected, we were always praising our teachers (especially Mr Neaves), playing music, praying together and for each other. The best thing about our group was the comradery. Everyone would always be there for each other through heatstroke, homesickness, breakdowns, the whole lot. Everyone uplifted each other and no one would ever want to see another feeling blue. This pilgrimage would not have been the same without the amazing friendships we made and without our teachers.

Natalia Buzo
Year 11

From the Dean of Learning

The 2023 NAPLAN results have been released and this year the scale used to report NAPLAN results has changed. As of 2023, the NAPLAN proficiency standards include four proficiency levels for each assessment area at each year level:

Exceeding: the student’s result exceeds expectations at the time of testing.
Strong: the student’s result meets challenging but reasonable expectations at the time of testing.
Developing: the student’s result indicates that they are working towards expectations at the time of testing.
Needs additional support: the student’s result indicates that they are not achieving the learning outcomes expected at the time of testing. They are likely to need additional support to progress satisfactorily.

Rosebank College is extremely proud of its proportion of students that sit in each band and will continue to work with all students, especially those who need additional support. The College also awaits growth data from ACARA that gives the College an indication of how much these students have grown in each of the testing domains since 2021.

The results for 2023 in the testing domains of Reading, Writing and Numeracy are summarised below.

Mr Greg Georgiou

Dean of Learning

Pastoral Care News

Year 9 Injection of Character Day

On 22 August, Year 9 participated in their first ever “Injection of Character” Day. The purpose of this Pastoral day was to give the students the opportunity to learn more about important gender-specific issues relevant to their age and stage of life. We engaged with The Man Cave to work with our boys and Enlighten Education to work with our girls. The day was a huge success with both staff and students remarking on the relevance and importance of addressing these issues for the students. All presenters were warm, relatable and engaging and facilitated the day spectacularly. Here are some sentiments from our students.

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Girls - Enlighten Education

At first, we all felt very skeptical about the day. None of us had ever attended one before and we were worried that it would just be full of lectures and cautionary tales, but it turned out to be a joyful and very understanding experience that most students could probably relate to. Enlighten Education inspired each of the Year 9 girls with an amazing experience that changed their perspective on how they pictured certain topics.
During the first session, our presenter for the day, Dannielle Miller, introduced herself. We laughed, cried and listened intently to her stories. She had a wonderful way of making us feel safe and relaxed. After she spoke, we got into circles with our friends and got to share the things we loved about each other in a booklet we could take home. It felt very heartwarming to receive these sweet messages. After a few hugs and smiles, we got into the more intense subjects of consent, respectful relationships and abuse.
In our last lesson, our sole focus was gratitude. Dannielle engaged us with many activities to show what gratitude really meant, and gave all of us the task to write a letter to someone who inspires us the most and then read them that letter we wrote.
At the end of the sessions I know that all of the girls in Year 9 definitely took something out of our Injection of Character Day and we all had an amazing time with Dannielle. At the end of the session, everyone lined up for a hug from her. She left us feeling happy with ourselves and more confident, and we would highly recommend a session with Dannielle to other girls.
Sophia Maniaci, Callista Demiralay and Erica Carbone
Year 9

Boys - The Man Cave

On 22 August, the Year 9 boys had an incursion from an organisation called The Man Cave, helping young men to open up, express themselves and significantly improve their wellbeing. The presenters for each group offered amazing games and tools to help us improve our self wellbeing as it was a great opportunity to open up and discuss the value of relationships as young men. It displayed how close all of the Year 9 boys actually are to each other without even knowing it, as before this day, no one really spoke about anything in their personal life, only showing the “tip of the iceberg” as funny and happy people at school.
The presenters showed us what healthy masculinity was and that it's ok to show emotion and be yourself. The experience we got from The Man Cave significantly impacted almost everyone, not feeling like just another slideshow presentation about mental health, but a real connection between us and the presenters. It effectively converted between fun and real talk, helping to make a place where anyone could talk about anything, sharing the stories, experiences and thoughts of people that we wouldn’t expect to speak out.
Another great part of the whole experience was that everyone actively supported each other, both in the games and when people opened up about their mental health, building trust in one another. Overall, we really enjoyed the incursion due to the presenters actually trying to listen and strive to improve our mental wellbeing, which people may never open up about; showing that it’s okay to be your true self, not just wearing a mask of silence all the time.
Ignatius Larkin, Joon Kim and Alexander Ventouris
Year 9

Ms Amy Neylan

Assistant Dean of Pastoral Care (Middle School)

RE News

Year 9 Mary MacKillop Incursion

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Pictured from left to right: Jeet Dawson, Luke Dunn, Olivia Starrs, Glen Starrs, Georgia Karch and Irene Kostopoulos

On Tuesday, 17 August, Year 9 got the privilege to watch a captivating play centred around the life of Mary MacKillop. The actors, Glen and Olivia, really involved the students in the performance, which made it more entertaining and funny. They had a couple of us participate in some scenes and even interact with the characters. It was hilarious at times, with lots of funny moments. We also got to sad moments where we learned about Mary's struggles and the challenges she faced.

Overall, it was an emotional rollercoaster, with a touch of humor and heartwarming moments. We are now inspired and grateful for Mary's incredible journey. It was definitely an unforgettable experience!

Georgia Karch
Year 9


Gru on Trial

Throughout Week 5, Ms Peters and 8G Religion participated in the trial of Gru from Despicable Me for the crime of being evil as part of the topic ‘Striving for Goodness’.

After multiple lessons of preparation for both the prosecution and defense teams, the trial commenced. Our classroom was redesigned to reflect a court room to suit the need of this event. Arguments were presented to the judge and jury. The debate was heated and the passion of both sides could be heard from surrounding classrooms, reported by an anonymous student after the court case. The case was strenuous and lasted an entire two lessons. The judge and jury heard from four lawyers, four witnesses and the accused. The examinations were emotional, the cross examinations were ruthless and the jury was overwhelmed with facts of Gru's guilt. In the end, Gru was found guilty of being evil… but he’s working on it!

“It was a clear win” - Juror

Abby Challinor and Kodi Kavanagh
Lawyers for the prosecution
Year 8

ConnectED News

For the start of our new unit, Ancient Egypt, we did an activity where we had to write facts or questions about Ancient Egypt. We wrote these facts onto sticky notes and then stuck them onto an A3 piece of paper. Our group had three columns for different types of facts: questions, general facts, and geographical information. This was overall pretty fun and interesting because we got to learn facts and perspectives from different people.

Lachlan Maiden
Year 7

To kick off our new topic on Ancient Egypt, a topic that never fails to capture the imagination of Year 7s, we completed an activity which asked the students to draw on their prior knowledge of this topic and to attempt to organise their collective wisdom. It is always a delight to watch my young students enjoy their learning, and to watch then learn from one another.

Ms Annalicia Latham
Business Studies, Commerce, Geography and ConnectED Teacher

📷 CAPA News

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HSC Showcase Evening

On Wednesday, 23 August, the TAS and CAPA faculties combined to present HSC major works from the subjects of Visual Arts, Industrial Technology, Design and Technology, Music 1, Music 2 and Music Extension. The major works presented in the Benedict Auditorium showcased the variety of skill and creativity of our class of 2023 HSC students. Following the major works exhibition, guests were invited to the music studio for an evening of performance, featuring musical styles from rock to jazz to classical.

Congratulations to all students who presented their works on this evening. A further round of applause to the Visual Arts, Industrial Technology and Design and Technology students who have completed the practical components of their HSC course. We wish good luck to our Music students who submit compositions and written works to NESA on Monday, 4 September and perform their HSC programs to markers on Wednesday, 6 and Friday, 8 September.

Elective Music Excursion

An exciting opportunity was given to all Elective Music students on Wednesday, 30 August. This was the chance to go to the Sydney Opera House and see the world-renowned Jazz at the Lincoln Centre Orchestra and take part in a workshop. The orchestra, led by Wynton Marsalis (composer and jazz trumpet player) performed works composed and arranged by many of the band members. Students witnessed the art of improvisation, including the ways that the musicians could make their instruments talk with the use of mutes and varied expressive techniques. At the end of the performance, students were given the chance to ask the band questions and find more about their musical development and influences.

Mrs Amanda Hill
CAPA Coordinator

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Bringing Creativity and Faith Together

In a powerful blend of artistic expression and spiritual introspection, Rosebank College has entered into the 2023 Clancy Religious Art Prize and Exhibition. Centered around the theme "Pilgrimage: The Inner and Outer Journey to Seek Transformation," the event provides a platform for students to seamlessly merge creativity with faith. Through three captivating ceramic sculptural works by Martina Montefusco, Angelica Amodio and Chiara Biviano, our students brilliantly captured the essence of transformation on both personal and spiritual levels. The event is set to be held on 15 September 2023, at the Australian Catholic University's McGlade Gallery. The participation reinforces Rosebank College's dedication to nurturing creativity while fostering spiritual growth. Congratulations students on your entry!

Ms Aimee Leal
Visual Arts & Photography and Digital Media Teacher

Stage 5 Food Technology has been studying how we use food when we celebrate special occasions. To finish off the unit they were able to participate in a class BBQ and learnt new skills and techniques with cooking on a BBQ.

Mrs Melissa Gal
TAS Coordinator

Year 11 Textiles Corsets – Traditional to Contemporary

Students adapted the traditional corset pattern to create their individual style for this timeless fashion item. Experimentation with pattern alteration, advanced construction skills and fabric decoration techniques helped to foster creativity and each student worked hard to produce their masterpiece. The design and construction skills developed this year provide the foundation for the Major Textiles Project, the design of which will commence next term. These are exciting times for our soon to be Year 12 Textiles and Design students.

Mrs Angela Pavicic
Pathways and Partnerships Coordinator

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Port Kembla Steelworks Excursion

The Year 12 engineering studies class recently took an enlightening trip to the steelworks at Port Kembla. Students observed the intricate workings of blast furnaces, witnessed the precision of automated machinery, and gained insights into the rigorous quality control measures in place. This enriching experience served to deepen their understanding of engineering principles, bridging the gap between textbook knowledge and real-world applications.

Mr Dimitrios Stivaktas
Engineering Studies Teacher

EnrichED News

With three weeks to go, the busyness of Term 3 is not slowing down. Over the previous two weeks, Year 7 and 8 students have attended a day of philosophical discussion with students from across NSW, held at the Newington College Centre for Critical Thinking and Ethics. On Saturday, 19 August, students from Years 7 to 9 participated in the first round of CyberTaipan and will complete Round 2 on 9 September. Many thanks to Mr Dominic Wan and the IT department for their support of this initiative. Last week eight Year 7 and 8 students competed in the NSW Junior RoboCup. Student reflections on these events are below.

College Colloquy

As part of the colloquy program of evening events, a small group of students from Years 8 - 11 attended an evening lecture on AI, the Universe and Everything. Presented by A/Prof Suzie Sheehy and Prof Toby Walsh Chief Scientist at UNSW, this discussion was wide ranging and significant, focusing on how developments using Artificial Intelligence breakthroughs and the principles of Quantum Mechanics, particularly as applied to Medical Science, will change our world significantly, for the better.

Other College Colloquy events this term include a public lecture by Director of Studies for Philosophy at the University of Oxford, Dr Stephen Hall, titled Thinking Critically About Weird Things. This will be held at Newington College on the evening of Wednesday 13 September, and is open to the public. Dr Hall’s lecture will look at how we should apply critical thinking to discern between conspiracy theories and real-world issues. The following week on Monday 18 September there is an opportunity to attend the filming of Q&A. The ABC Studios in Ultimo are providing a free bus service to and from Rosebank College, this bus will also be offered to other people attending the event. I invite any members of the Rosebank community interested in attending to register on the Q&A website for your chance to join us.

As numbers must be finalised by Tuesday, students interested in attending either of these events should contact Ms McArthur immediately, via the email below.

Robo Cup Competition

On Tuesday, 29 August seven students and I went with Mr Stivaktas to Holy Cross College Ryde, for the Robo Cup challenge. The competition preparation involved us working in pairs to build and code robots, this process started in PACE time Term 2. We worked with the Lego EV3 Bricks, slowly building, and coding them until they met the requirements for the competition. This required a lot of work adjusting both the physical structure and code of the robot to follow the black lines that marked a route and knock over a can. When we arrived, they briefed us about the rules of our competition. We all competed in the Riley Robot Rescue Division; this is the entry level of all the different competitions as is our first time entering a robotics competition. It involved us following lines, getting over small ramps and knocking over a can. When we were there, we were told that our robots needed to drive around a bottle, something that we had not prepared for. We spent the day adjusting our code to make the robot move around the bottle. Unfortunately, my team couldn’t get the code to work.

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Pictured from left to right: Tallen Palma, Valentino Napoliello, Lachlan Maiden, Lincoln Tediwijaya, (Riley Rover Secondary School’s Line Challenge 3rd place) Peter Gianonne and Liam James, and (Riley Rover Secondary School’s Line Challenge 1st place) Luca Hall and Oliver Marchingo.

Despite this we were very happy at placing 3rd in our division. The best outcome was one of the Rosebank teams coming first, which was amazing, and I commend Luca Hall and Oliver Marchingo (Year 7) for their hard work. Other teams in the competition were Lachlan Maiden, Valentino Napiliello, Tallen Palma and Lincolin Tediwijaya, all from Year 7. Being there and seeing the other robots was amazing, it really showed who put a lot of effort into it as the better robots were outstanding. The other divisions available were Secondary Rescue, Open Rescue and Robo Cup (Soccer playing robots). In our division there were many tracks that required the robots to go over ramps, around bottles and even drive over spaghetti, these obstacles made it hard for the robots to get to the end. I will consider participating in one of the other divisions that requires more complex robots and code to get through the harder tracks next year. I thank Mr Stivaktas for his guidance throughout the preparation and competition day. Overall, it was a great learning experience.

Peter Giannone
Year 8

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Meeting of Minds Day

On Friday, 18 August, a group of 10 Year 7 and 8 students went to Newington College to participate in the Meeting of Minds Day. This year's theme was Virtue Ethics and Aristotle's 'Golden Mean'. During the day we were challenged by concept games and philosophical thinking questions related to this topic. We worked in groups that consisted of students from different schools. We started by learning about courage and its wide range. As part of this activity, we ranked a list of acts from the least to the most courageous to try and define what contributes to courage. We explored different ideas and engaged in philosophical discussions that challenged our views of courageous acts.

In the afternoon, we watched a video on Aristotle's virtues and why using the golden mean between two opposing characteristics to find each of these virtues is important. Afterwards, we worked in groups again, created skits about why following Aristotle's virtues is crucial, and demonstrating the golden mean as the best option. We then presented these to the larger groups. In the end, two groups got elected to show their skits to all Meeting of the Minds students and teachers.

We enjoyed the creative discussions and working with students from other schools.

Monty Lynch and Lucas Roch
Year 7

CyberTaipan Australian Youth Cyber Defence Competition Update

Every Thursday during PACE, our CyberTaipan group meets in O Block to prepare for the two competition rounds. We have mentors from UTS, several of whom are ex Rosebank College students. They have taught us all about how important cyber security is and what we can do to avoid phishing emails and other cyber-attacks. To train we work on VM’s (which is short for virtual machines) and complete some practice questions with our group to prepare for the competition. As we trained, everyone opened up to one another and learned to work as a team. Throughout the process we all learned important skills to help us with the competition. I am in a team with another Year 7 girl, and three boys from Year 8 and 9.

On the day of the first competition round, all teams in the SRSC met early in the morning. We broke out into different places in the area to work in our own teams. Everyone worked hard to complete the assigned tasks which included: ensuring users had appropriate access rights and finding or removing dangerous software. Once the time limit ran out, our teams got a final score out of 200. All five of the Rosebank teams in this competition round were successful, and our hard work was rewarded with the best score for Rosebank College, and some chocolate and pizza. The competition was more fun than I expected, and I am looking forward to working with my team to improve our score in Round 2. I recommend everyone to sign up for CyberTaipan in the future.

Maya Valente
Year 7
CyberTaipan is a competition in two rounds held in Term 3 every year. The competition involves students from Years 7 to 12 solving problems to ensure that a computer system is as secure as possible. We prepared for the competitions during PACE time, with a few coaches who helped us prepare using ‘virtual machines’ which are simulated computers, similar to the ones we would be using in the actual competition. These PACE lessons were extremely useful but also fun. When it came to the actual competition, our team used some experience from last year and what we learnt during PACE to solve a wide range of problems. Some problems took us a few minutes to solve, and some took us the entire four hours allowed for the competition round. Overall, CyberTaipan is an amazing experience in both the preparation and the actual competition. My team and I look forward to taking on the over 200 teams competing nationally, in the next round.

Nicholas Iskra
Year 8
CyberTaipan is a great experience that is teaching me much about cyber security, and operating systems that I am not accustomed to but are common features of organisations in the real world. For example, I have learned about running commands in a Linux terminal to create groups or find files. Last year the competition was on more familiar Windows’ systems, so this year is all very new.

CyberTaipan has also had my teammates and I working together as a collaborative team, which has taught us that we as a team, not only need to play to our strengths but also share our knowledge to tackle multistep problems. The first round of the competition was a four-hour competition on strengthening the security on two VMs (virtual machines) using our knowledge of cyber security to find weaknesses in the machine, such as insecure passwords or unauthorised users. The two machines were both versions of Linux which most people are not accustomed to, so we had to use our training from Thursday afternoon PACE. During PACE this term, we have had a group of five cybersecurity professionals training us in various aspects of managing general online security for any organisations. They are teaching us to carry out commands and solve problems such as creating groups for users or finding a mp3 file in a file; these are the sorts of problems that we are facing in the competition.

Overall, the first round of the competition was great, and I have learnt so much so far, from participating in CyberTaipan. It is a great experience and fun to be using my skills and passion to work towards a goal. I’m looking forward to testing my skills again in Round 2 on Saturday, September 9.

Louis De Lorenzo
Year 9

Ms Cheryl McArthur
Gifted Education and iThink Teacher, EnrichED Program Facilitator
cmcarthur@rosebank.nsw.edu.au

📷 PACE News

Click here to view full Rep and Club Sport results (Term 3)

Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award

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Congratulations to Caitlin Davar, Hugo Rochlitz and Amelia Schneider (Year 12) who recently completed their Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award. The Gold Award is the highest level of the Duke of Ed Award and requires participants to complete 52 hours of a Physical Recreation, Skills and Voluntary Service activity as well as an Adventurous Journey and Residential Project over multiple days and nights. Well done on this fantastic achievement!

Congratulations to Lola McKenzie and Lola Tesoriero who recently completed their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award.

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Club Netball Grand Finals

There was a sea of navy and gold at Cintra Park on Saturday, 2 September with six Rosebank Club Netball teams playing in the Grand Final of their respective age and division of the Inner West Netball Association (IWNA) winter competition. It was a great day with some amazing and skillful Netball being played in high pressure situations.

The U15 Flamingos got Grand Final day off to a high energy start in goal for goal battle, just falling short to Leichhardt Wanderers. The U15 Roosters were up next in a tough and physical battle and continued their winning streak from Round 2 of the season. The Senior Falcons came from behind in the first quarter to secure a two goal win against Burwood United. The Cadet Firetails displayed great teamwork and tenacity to beat the first placed team on the ladder. The Senior Alumni Navy team put up a great fight against a much taller and older opposition with some great ball speed getting the defenders heads turning. The Cadet Mixed Cranes rounded out Grand Final day as the sun set, playing some of the best netball they have all season showing great resilience and determination against an older and more experienced team. Well done and congratulations to all teams on a fantastic season! A special thanks to all of the players, parents and supporters who came to watch and cheer on the teams.

U15 Roosters: Premiers
Cadet Firetails: Premiers
Senior Falcons: Premiers
U15 Flamingos: Runners Up
Cadet Mixed Cranes: Runners Up
Senior Alumni Navy: Runners Up

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The games would not be possible without our umpires and they have all done a fantastic job this season. Congratulations to Mahira Sharma (Year 10) who was awarded the Debbie Talty Umpires Encouragement Award. This award recognises a junior (17 & Under) umpire across all of the association who has displayed outstanding effort and commitment to becoming an umpire.

Congratulations to Matilda Ryan (Year 9) who was also nominated for this award. A special mention to Alessandra Bertuccio, Vanessa Giardina and Tess McEvoy (Alumni) who were selected to umpire Grand Finals as Rosebank representatives.

In some very exciting news, Rosebank Netball Club also won IWNA Senior Club Champions, which is a credit to all of the Cadet and Senior teams and their results this season.

Congratulations to all teams on a fantastic season and we’re looking forward to competing in the upcoming summer competition.

Miss Maryanne Di Bella
PACE Coordinator (Cultural and Diverse Activities)

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Representative Sport Finals

Rosebank Representative Sport teams have been dominating the field and court with a number of our Rugby 7s, AFL and Tennis teams all qualifying for the SCS Conference 2 Finals. Our first ever Girls Rugby 7s team finished their pool in 2nd place, drawing a tough cross over game with All Saints College, Liverpool. A physical encounter saw our girls go down in a close battle. They demonstrated their resilience by bouncing back against Mount St Joseph’s College, Milperra, getting off to a flying start scoring off the first play of the game. In a game that ebbed and flowed it was hard to pick who would win. Unfortunately we went down in a narrow loss but congratulations to the students in this team for being pioneers for girls playing Rugby 7s at Rosebank. The Boys Junior and Intermediate AFL teams demonstrated why we are one of the strongest schools at AFL in our Conference. The Boys Junior team didn’t let anyone get in their way, kicking and weaving their way to a 109-6 victory over Holy Spirit. Our Intermediate team then replicated such dominance against Marist Eastwood using the wind to their advantage to come away with a 68-34 win.

Tennis saw our Girls Junior A and Girls Junior B teams both battle it out for a spot in the grand final. The Girls Junior A hit their way into the Grand Final with multiple convincing 8-0 wins against St Vincent’s College, Ashfield. The Girls Junior B team dug deep to beat Domremy who had been a front runner all season. This will now see a Rosebank vs Rosebank Grand Final!

Well done to all of the Representative Sport students for representing Rosebank so well this term. We wish the students competing in their final this week all the best of luck.

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Rosebank Dominates at the SCS Conference 2 Athletics Championships

On Tuesday, 22 August, our largest ever Athletics team of 83 students represented Rosebank at the Sydney Catholic Schools (SCS) Conference 2 Athletics Championships. Rosebank dominated the day, with numerous students placing first in their events. Our senior girls placed 1st overall in point score, helping Rosebank finish 2nd overall in girls and 2nd overall in boys . It was an outstanding team performance and it was great to see all of the students supporting and encouraging each other throughout the day. A special mention to the following students for their standout results and accumulation of points which saw them place in the Age Champions:

Clancy Norris - 12 Girls 2nd
Lucas Massey - 12 Boys 4th
Marcello Furnari - 12 Boys 5th
Amelie Wardle - 13 Girls 1st (Age Champion)
Elyse Lapi - 13 Girls 3rd
Jude Kalotheos - 13 Boys 4th
Raquel Boswell - 14 Girls 1st (Age Champion)
Kate Le Roux - 14 Girls 2nd
Hugo Macri - 14 Boys 2nd
Bianka Pavela - 15 Girls 1st (Age Champion)
Dakota Hammond - 15 Girls 5th
William Wendt - 15 Boys 2nd
Bentley Newcombe - 15 Boys 5th
Kristen Tannous - 16 Girls 1st (Age Champion)
Lee Howlett - 16 Boys 1st (Age Champion)
Marisa Pavela - 17 Girls 4th
Lukas Schepers - 18 Boys 2nd

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Age Champions pictured from left to right: Amelie Wardle - 13 Girls Age Champion; Bianka Pavela - 15 Girls Age Champion; Kristen Tannous - 16 Girls Age Champion; Lee Howlett - 16 Boys Age Champion; Raquel Boswell - 14 Girls Age Champion

SCS Sydney Athletics Championships

From the SCS Conference 2 Athletics Championships, 46 Rosebank students progressed to the SCS Sydney Athletics Championships held on Friday, 1 September at Homebush. This day saw some fast and furious racing and events, with the competition definitely heating up. Congratulations to all of the Rosebank students who competed!

Adriano Sorrentino School Sport Australia Swimming Championships

Congratulations to Adriano Sorrentino (Year 9, Adamson) who was selected into the NSW All Schools Swimming Team. As part of this team, Adriano recently competed in the School Sport Australia Swimming Championships at Homebush. Congratulations Adriano on this wonderful achievement!

Miss Annalisa Di Bella
PACE Coordinator (Representative Sport)

O'Connor House Update

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O'Connor House is very proud to announce that Sam Cassaniti (Year 7, O’Connor) and Elyse Lapi (Year 8, O’Connor) both recently competed at the 2023 National Australian Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Championships in Melbourne.

Despite being in our silver House, both Sam and Elyse came home with GOLD from their respective divisions. They are both now national champions!

Congratulations to both of you. This achievement is a reflection of your hard work and dedication. Well done!

Ms Linda Busetto

O'Connor Assistant House Coordinator

Delaney House Update

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On Friday, 4 August, another successful Delaney pizza fundraiser was held for our House charity, Santa Teresa. Santa Teresa is a community in the Northern Territory with a population of 550, and the Good Samaritan Foundation works with women in this community of all ages with financial aid, helping build relationships and skills (such as creative skills) and simply engaging in meaningful and purposeful activity. The women create artworks to sell - some of which we have in the Delaney office and other areas of the school, and selling these artworks is a very important part of their income.

Our fundraising enables the Good Samaritan Foundation to bring refuge, education and hope to those in need, especially the most vulnerable women and children. We as a community are helping these women and attempting to help support their financial situation in such a rural town.

Thank you to all those who donated and helped out on the day; we could not have done it without you. See you all next year!

Lola Tesoriero

Year 11

McLaughlin House Update

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Good Samaritan Kindergarten Fundraiser

McLaughlin House successfully raised over $1100 for our House Charity, the Good Samaritan Kindergarten in Bacolod, The Philippines.

A big thank you to Year 12 MCL who ran the sausage sizzle fundraiser at lunchtime on Social Justice Day!

McLaughlin House has supported the Good Samaritan Kindergarten for eight years now and we are proud of our connection with them. On Social Justice Day, our Year 7 and 8 students participated in a “virtual immersion” via ZOOM with the Principal of the kindergarten, Ms Lagrito. Ms Lagrito showed us around the school and introduced us to some of her students and staff.

Our students were able to ask questions during the ZOOM immersion and we discovered that the kindergarten would very much appreciate some books for their children. These books would be used in their school library as well as being given as gifts to their students for Christmas.

If anyone in the Rosebank community is interested in contributing to a book collection for the kindergarten, please have your children drop your donations off in the McLaughlin office in Palm Court. Ideally, the books should be new or in very good condition and aimed at children aged six and under. We hope to be able to ship a box of donated books over to Bacolod in early December. Many thanks in advance to those who wish to contribute!

Archie Marshall (Year 8)

Archie was recently part of the Drummoyne / St. Pats team that won the Sydney Junior Rugby Under 14s competition. They beat Forrest 24 - 12 in a tough game. Forrest beat them by 30 points earlier on the season so it’s fair to say it was an upset! Congratulations to Archie!

Mia Mullan (Year 8)

Mia assisted with the “Kids Giving Back” program between February – July 2023. As part of this program, Mia assisted with producing hot meals, salads, fruit kebabs, breakfast boxes, snack packs and care packs with empathetic, positive messages, which were distributed to 15 charities around Sydney.

Andi Smith from “Kids Giving Back” had this to say about Mia and the other young people who participated in this program… “Their exceptional leadership qualities, compassion, and strong sense of civic responsibility are truly inspiring and a testament to the values that your school instils in them.” We commend Mia for her contribution to her local community!

Mr Mark Zilich

McLaughlin House Cooordinator

Aluminate Video Series

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We are excited to release new videos to our Rosebank Aluminate video series!

Check out our latest episodes featuring alumni Alessandro Trimboli, Sofia Mifsud, Brendan Murphy and Alessia Ng. Each episode tells different career stories of recent Rosebank alumni, at various stages of their journey, connecting current students with our alumni community.
They talk about career development, career journeys, creating opportunity awareness, time at Rosebank College and the best advice for our students.

If you would like to participate or would like to nominate a recent Rosebank Alumni, click this link! Please note we are looking for alumni who graduated within the last 10 years.

Mrs Tina Carbone
Community Engagement Liaison

Career Pathways

Electrical Apprenticeships

Neca is currently recruiting for 140 x 1st year apprentice positions for a Jan 2024 start.
Please see below links to Neca’s Expression of Interest form and a sample maths aptitude test which gives an idea of the maths requirements.

Applicants will be invited to book an aptitude test held at Neca’s training college at Chullora and if they pass they progress to an interview.

Other information about Neca Electrical apprenticeships:

https://www.necatraining.com.au/electrical-apprentices/

https://www.necatraining.com.au/electrical-training-courses/neca-college/

The Good Universities Guide Advice for Year 12 Students

With at least one in four first year students changing courses or leaving university, it pays to spend time comparing courses carefully.

Mrs Angela Pavicic

Pathways and Partnerships Coordinator

🔗 Community Links

Volume 14

4.9.2023

Principal's Message

📷 From the Assistant Principal

From the Dean of Ministry

Vale Valery Brooks

World Youth Day

📷 Paws and Reflect Day

From the Dean of Learning

Pastoral Care News

RE News

ConnectED News

📷 CAPA News

📷 TAS News

EnrichED News

📷 PACE News

O'Connor House Update

Delaney House Update

McLaughlin House Update

Aluminate Video Series

Career Pathways

🔗 Community Links

Principal's Message

📷 From the Assistant Principal

From the Dean of Ministry

Vale Valery Brooks

World Youth Day

📷 Paws and Reflect Day

From the Dean of Learning

Pastoral Care News

RE News

ConnectED News

📷 CAPA News

📷 TAS News

EnrichED News

📷 PACE News

O'Connor House Update

Delaney House Update

McLaughlin House Update

Aluminate Video Series

Career Pathways

🔗 Community Links