Dear Parents

Yesterday I received notification from Canberra that we were able to employ another Classroom Teacher for the Primary Campus. Therefore, our class configuration and expected numbers for the Primary classes in 2020 will be, Kindergarten x 1= 23, Year 1 X1 = 24, Year 2 x 1 = 27, Year 3/4 x 3 = 21, Year 5 x 2 = 19, Year 6 x 1 = 22.

If you know of any Primary teachers looking for a job, please direct them to the Catholic Education Canberra Goulburn site, employment. We are also looking for an Agriculture teacher and HSIE teacher.

Thank you to the School Community Council who sponsored a community farewell on Tuesday evening at the Tumut Brewery. It was a happy and relaxed affair and I appreciated that a number of families brought their children along. I was presented with a beautiful picture of the Historic Junction Bridge as a memory of our time in Tumut.

Rod Little. 

This Sunday, we begin the Liturgical Season of Advent. During this time we prepare for the commemoration of Christ’s first coming to us. It is a season of joyful anticipation.

Advent is our time to become more involved, more caught up in the meaning and the possibilities of life as a Christian community. Advent presents an opportunity for us to reflect on Jesus’ presence in our lives, to seek renewal as people of faith, and to take up the challenge of living as true followers of Jesus.

As we begin our Advent Season, let’s ‘stay awake’, take notice of what is happening around us and respond, trusting in the guidance of God, present with us.

PRAYER: Lord God, we open our hearts to listen to Your Word. Help us to prepare to celebrate Christmas by the way we love others. Help us to make Christmas a happy time for all people. Amen. 

The use of the wreath and candles during Advent are a longstanding Catholic tradition that was originally adopted by Christians in the Middle-Ages as part of their spiritual preparation for Christmas.

The wreath and candles are full of symbolism tied to the Christmas season. The wreath itself signifies continuous life. The circle of the wreath, which has no beginning or end, symbolises the eternity of God, the immortality of the soul, and the everlasting life we find in Christ.

The candles also have their own special significance. The four candles represent the four weeks of Advent, and one candle is lit each week. Three of the candles are purple because the colour violet is a liturgical colour that signifies a time of prayer, penance, and sacrifice.

The first candle, which is lit this weekend is purple and it symbolises hope. It is sometimes called the “Prophecy Candle” in remembrance of the prophets, especially Isaiah, who foretold the birth of Christ. It represents the expectation felt in anticipation of the coming Messiah.

The second candle, also purple, represents faith. It is called the “Bethlehem Candle” as a reminder of Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem.

The third candle is pink and symbolises joy. It is called the “Shepherd’s Candle,” and is pink because rose is a liturgical colour for joy.

The third Sunday of Advent is 'Gaudete Sunday' and is meant to remind us of the joy that the world experienced at the birth of Jesus, as well as the joy that the faithful have reached the midpoint of Advent.

On the fourth week of Advent, we light the final purple candle to mark the final week of prayer and penance as we wait for the birth of our Saviour. This final candle, the “Angel’s Candle,” symbolises peace. It reminds us of the message of the angels: “Peace on Earth, Good Will Towards Men.”

The white candle is placed in the middle of the wreath and lit on Christmas Eve. This candle is called the “Christ Candle” and represents the life of Christ. The colour white is for purity—because Christ is our sinless, pure Saviour.

Celebrating Advent is an excellent way to prepare your mind and heart for Christmas.

We are looking forward to hearing speeches from current Year 5 and Year 9 students, who will be nominating for leadership rolls in 2020. 

Peers and teachers will vote, with election results announced at our Awards Night on Monday 16th December. 

Some great activities and knowledge were gained last Friday when we all celebrated the life and works of Father John Therry, Patron of Therry House. 

Thank you everyone for wearing your crazy socks and crazy hair. It's really wonderful to see all students embracing the 'spirit' of our House Days. 

Kindergarten have been busy investigating different materials and structures this term. The students have been creating structures this week from newspaper. We hope you enjoy our photo gallery. 

Student lockers will need to be emptied by FRIDAY 6TH DECEMBER. Lockers will be refurbished and ready for use again in 2020.

If your locker contents are not emptied by next Friday, the locker will be opened and contents will be removed by staff.

Thank you for your support. 

Each year, Year 9 students attend a three day camp at the South Coast of NSW, which is a highlight of the year for both the students and staff. The students left for Pambula yesterday and will return on Friday. Mr Ellison, Mr Turnbull and Ms Wyse were the lucky teachers who will supervise the students

The camp is run by Coastlife Adventures, which is a privately owned Outdoor Education and Recreational Business - established to provide safe, quality experiences to a wide range of groups. Activities will include a surf lifesaving program, stand up paddle boarding, kayaking, learn to surf lessons and many more camp activities. The program is well supervised and structured for all areas of expertise. The evenings are filled with lots of activities to develop peer relationships and self-confidence. This is a wonderful opportunity for our students and has always been a great success.

Mobile phones are not permitted on Coastlife camps as they believe this technology distracts from the reasons for socialising in the traditional way with your group. The students have all agreed to life without social media while in Pambula, which they must be congratulated on as it is very difficult for most teenagers to be without their phone. 

We look forward to catching up on their fun through Facebook.

Students have given a short talk in class about the improvements made with devices or technology, over time. Great effort everyone - a wonderful variety of interesting items, displayed and discussed. 

Making history this week, was Ella Lindley from Year 9!

Ella was selected in the first ever Canberra Goulburn Girls Rugby League team. The team, who played against a tough ACT schoolgirl's team, was made up of girls from Pambula, Young, Cooma, Goulburn and Broulee. Ella and the girls played really well and they all showed some great, up and coming talent. The sport of girl's and women's rugby league is growing rapidly and we are sure this will only be the start....

Congratulations Ella on your selection to this team! 

Our Community Council has volunteered our services at the annual Campdraft Canteen on Saturday 7th December from 2pm to 6pm.

We need volunteers during this time. Please let the school know if you can assist. Remember we are fundraising for our school. 

Thanks for your support. 

The lucky winners from the Year 10 fundraising are as follows:

Weekend at Talbingo (kindly donated by the Smith family) was drawn by Abby Skein and won by Mac Walker

Hamper and a gift-card (kindly donated by Tumut Coles) was drawn by Jordan Sanbrook and won by Teagan Smith

$100 club was drawn by Jack Beavan and won by May Roche

Year 10 like to thank the people who supported their fundraising. 

Kerry Croft, Yr 10 Coordinator. 

In English we have been trialling a program called 'Education Perfect'. The students have loved the English tasks in it. We had a competition between Year 9 and Year 10. Year 9 won with a staggering 7,073 points. Congratulations to those students who earned certificates with their individual scores.

The students spent an extra 66 hrs on English topics last Thursday and Friday, again well done to Year 9.

Some comments students made about Education Perfect: Jordan Sanbrook: "It was very constructive, and I believe that the small writing sections are best because they allow you to exercise what you just learned". Jess Kelly: "It is an interesting way to learn". Gabrielle Dalisay: "It was very informative". Jack Beavan: "This activity was also really good and very helpful".

All students will receive their Semester 2 reports on Thursday 12th December. If a parent requires a second copy of a report, for any reason, please contact either school office by emailing below or a quick phone call. 

The McAuley Annual Awards Presentation Evening will be held in the school hall at 6pm on Monday 16th December. 

We sincerely thank the following business houses who have provided sponsorship for this evening (as of yesterday's date). 

Snowy Valleys Council, Australian Catholic University, Caltex Australia, Rueben F Scarf Foundation, Australian Defence Force, Snowy Mountains Hydro, Club Tumut, Tumut Newsagency, Mitre 10, Tumut Rotary Club, Goodes Coaches, Fulla Fresh Meats, Tumut Building Supplies, Pie in the Sky, Panorama Accounting and Advisory, Snowy Smash Repairs, CWA Evening Branch, Tumut Veterinary Clinic, Tumut Lions Club and Dr Joe McGirr MP.

Our intensive swimming program commences next week. We have had a wonderful response to this optional program - thank you for promptly returning your notes and payment.

Remember all children will need to wear a rashie or a T-shirt while participating in this program.

Please also remember no refunds will be given - even if your child cannot attend all the lessons. We thank Narelle Buckingham, Pool Manager, Snowy Valleys Shire, for her support with this program. 

The following information has been provided by Simon, our IT Consultant. It may assist parents with their choice of device for next year....

"Chromebooks seem to be the best fit at the moment for BYOD. There isn't too much difference between Chromebooks, but there is no need to go for a high end one. If you decide to use a Windows based laptop I would avoid anything the 32 or 64gb eMMC storage and aim for 250Gb + hard drive space. Also Windows 10 S has proven to be a pain as you can't install Chrome and lots of actions are blocked without parent approval. Provided you are aware of this it may still be suitable - however we do suggest the device can run Google Chrome as the browser".

As the year is drawing to a close, there is sadly a large number of secondary students currently wearing incorrect school uniform.

PLAIN white socks to be worn, no stripes, logos or pictures. Tumut Rep Netball socks or CCC logo socks are not part of our uniform. CCC clothing is available for students representing our Archdiocese in sport to purchase but is not part of our school uniform. These items are to be worn outside of school. BLACK socks are not permitted.

Plain navy sports shorts with MCCS embroidery or navy Canterbury brand stitching are to be worn. NO white or coloured stitching or Archdiocesan CCC shorts. Sports uniform is to be worn on sports days only, NOT every day.

The school has spare uniforms and socks in the office that students may be asked to change into if in incorrect uniform.

Correct school uniform should be worn each day as per our uniform policy. This is also a safety issue as students need black leather shoes for practical classes. Joggers are not suitable for these classes.

Students require a pair of joggers for sports days as these shoes are designed to support the foot and ankle during physical activities. Black van shoes are not suitable.

We ask for your assistance please in ensuring your child is in correct uniform. Less time spent on monitoring uniforms means more time spent on teaching/interacting with your child.

Thank you ladies:

Friday 29th November - Jenny Parry and Catherine Kelly, Monday 2nd December - Wendy Fardell, Wednesday 4th December - Tiffany Casey, Friday 6th December - Mel Pearce and Anna Mather.