Volume 2, 2024

Another jewel in the College crown, Year 12 McLaughlin student Isabelle Campion, addressed a group of our guests in her capacity as Diverse Learning Leader. Isabelle spoke off the cuff and from the heart, with poise and confidence about her personal learning journey. I felt immensely proud to listen to her speak. It is moments like these, when our students step up and shine, that I truly understand what we mean when we say, ‘This is Rosebank’.  

Year 7 Camp and Parent Social

Chatting to the students as they waited to board the buses to the Year 7 Camp, I could feel both the nervous and excited energy emanating from the small groups huddled around floppy pillows and overstuffed bags. While this first high school adventure away from home can sometimes feel a little overwhelming (for mum and dad too), I am never in any doubt that each new group of young learners will reappear victorious in three days – Veni, Vidi, Vici! No doubt there will be many a story to tell and we look forward to catching up with our Year 7 parents at the Parent Social on Friday, 8 March.  

College Assembly - International Women’s Day #InspireInclusion

NSW Women’s Week runs from 4-10 March and culminates in International Women’s Day on Friday, 8 March. The global theme of ‘Inspire Inclusion’ will be at the core of our College Assembly on that day and will challenge us all to reflect on our own growth as a community and as individuals as we consider:

‘A world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination. A world that's diverse, equitable, and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated.’

Rosebank is proud to promote and inspire inclusion across all facets of our learning, pastoral and sporting endeavours and we look forward to this event relaunching our commitment to this practice. 

Reminder: Monday, 4 March – Staff PD Day / Pupil Free Day

We as a Benedictine community come together to ‘come and see’ the ‘business’ of the College and celebrate its successes. This was seen at the Swimming Carnival, Opening College Mass and most recently at Ash Wednesday. Miss Azzi addressed the College community as we commenced our Lenten journey and challenged each person to ‘ponder’ what they can give up or take up, in order to deepen their relationship with God.

On Ash Wednesday we are told to ‘turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel’ as we received our ashes. This statement has profound meaning in our Catholic tradition. Firstly we need to identify the sin in our lives, areas that can be improved as Benedict states ‘the wiser course’. The question we can all ask ourselves is simple; ‘Does how I live glorify God in all things?’ Secondly we are to be faithful to the Gospel, we are to believe that it is true, we are to believe that it is life and we are to believe that in it – in knowing the Gospel – we meet Christ and in meeting him we see the love of God.

'I am a ‘runner’, not a very good one, but a runner none the less. To be a better runner, firstly I need to run and make running part of my routine each week. I need to set aside time to stretch, to run and to recover. If I am consistent at these things, the hope is that I will become a better runner. If I enter a race, I will make a large commitment, maybe I need to wake up earlier to get a morning run in, change my diet – no take away – to better fuel my body, and take up extra training if I want to achieve a PB. In order to reach my goal I need to change my focus, I have to change.

In the same way during Lent, our goal isn’t to ‘give up things’ in order to have a deeper faith. Our goal is to have a deeper faith and to humbly make the necessary changes to allow that relationship to deepen. To make reading the bible a daily priority, to pray each morning for others, to act with love and charity, to ask, ‘who is my neighbour?’ and ‘how may I serve?’

This Lent, our College community has the opportunity to serve others through a number of projects. The annual Caritas Project Compassion Lenten appeal was launch at Ash Wednesday with each Homeroom receiving a collection box for students to donate to, and soon a link will be available through the parent portal. We are thankful to local businesses Café 49 and Black Poison who have set up a collection point.

Other activities at the College include, daily chapel prayer at 8am, Wednesday Rosary during Break 2, Thursday morning bible study at 8am and Luminos discussion groups at Break 2 every Friday.

In Chapter 49 of the Rule, Benedict encourages us in our Lenten observance to ‘look forward to Holy Easter with joy and spiritual longing’. We are to keep our gaze fixed on the cross of Christ, where he gave the ultimate sacrifice in order for us to deepen our relationship with God.

Representative Sport Underway

Our Term 1 weekly Representative Sports teams have kicked off their campaigns in the Sydney Catholic Schools (SCS) Conference 2 competition in Basketball, Touch Football and Water Polo. Our teams have got off to a strong start with all teams recording at least one win or draw within the first two rounds. It has been so wonderful to see the excellent teamwork and camaraderie among the teams, getting around and supporting each other at training and games. With a continued commitment to training throughout the term, we look forward to seeing what our Representative Sports teams can achieve this term.

NSW All Schools Triathalon

On Wednesday, 21 February, six students represented Rosebank at the NSW All Schools Triathlon Championships Individual Event at Penrith International Regatta Centre. Congratulations to the following students for representing Rosebank so well against tough competition: Joshua Bartle, Lily Germain, Olivia Rogerson, Alexander Rogerson, Nate ToelleAtkinson, and Jasper Richards. On the next day, Thursday, 22 February, 18 students braved the heat to compete in the Team Event. This year saw our largest Representative Triathlon team compete and achieve some amazing results. A special mention to our Boys Junior Team 1, with Tyson, Harvey and Marcello finishing in 9th place overall and 3rd place from all of the NSW Combined Catholic Colleges (NSWCCC), a phenomenal achievement. Well done to all students involved on their excellent teamwork, determination and school spirit. 

• Boys Junior Team 1: Tyson Hickey, Harvey Challinor, Marcello Furnari 
• Boys Junior Team 2: Nicolas Kolomyjec, Ethan Fung, Joshua Bartle  
• Boys Intermediate Team: Vedant Mahto, Harrison Hammond, Daniel Korompay  
• Girls Intermediate Team: Charlotte Gan, Olivia Locke, Sienna Roach  
• Boys Senior Team 1: Aaron Coleman, Winston Parry, Xavier Gibbs  
• Boys Senior Team 2: Nate ToelleAtkinson, Ahron Espinoza, Scott Wrigley

New Representative Sport Uniforms

We have introduced new Representative Sport Uniforms this year. The sleek design and quality materials will not only enhance the comfort and performance of our students but also contribute to an overall sense of unity and identity among our teams. The distinctive look of the uniforms and attention to detail will ensure that our Representative Sports students not only feel confident in their attire but also project an image of professionalism and commitment to their sport.

NSW All Schools Cricket

Jack Clark (Year 12 Delaney) represented NSW Combined Catholic Colleges (NSWCCC) at the NSW All Schools Cricket Championships from Tuesday, 20 February - Thursday, 22 February in Maitland. Being selected in this team is a huge achievement and everyone at Rosebank is incredibly proud of Jack.  
 

Premier’s Reading Challenge

The 2024 Premier's Reading Challenge begins today! Students from years 7-10 can NOW begin to log their reads from September last year into their Student Reading Record on the Premier's Reading Challenge website. Year 7 students will receive their new Rosebank logins via email shortly and are advised to email srsc@rosebank.nsw.edu.au the name of their primary school so their accounts can be merged. Other years can also request their PRC passwords if they have misplaced them. Only 20 books are required in order to complete the Challenge and 10 of those can be personal choice books! You can also include five books from the same series Every student who completes the Challenge earns points for their House and a participation certificate. If you have completed the Challenge every year from Kindy to Year 9, you will receive a medal and a letter from the Premier.

Look for books in the SRSC with our new yellow PRC sticker that clearly identifies Premier’s Reading Challenge list books