2018 School Captains Announced

All Saints and All Souls
The celebrations of All Saints Day (this Wednesday) and All Souls Day (this Thursday) call us to remember all those who have been faithful to the Gospel and have inspired us to live a faith-filled life. And October 31 (Tuesday) is the pagan festival, Halloween, which is celebrated with growing enthusiasm in Australia. Interestingly, ‘hallow’ is an Old English word and literally means holy and can be used to describe saints. Halloween then actually means All Hallows Eve - or the day before All Saints Day.

These saints and these souls; these people, have gone before us and responded to the invitations of their time with an imagination, creativity and courage. In honouring their journey, we also commit ourselves to evolving our vibrant faith tradition in a way that honours the past, with excitement for the future, and confidence in a life beyond what we know.       

Rainbow Disco
Last Friday night, 130 Junior School students turned out in support of the Rainbow Disco. This was a great event with heaps of games, prizes and dancing. The ACYF group would like to thank everyone who attended and helped them raise $516.00 to support their trip to the Australian Catholic Youth Festival in Sydney this coming December. Please 'read more' to see photos from the night.

Vinnies Badge Day
Thank you to all staff and students who assisted with the Badge Day for Vinnies. $1,065.90 was raised to support the St Vincent DePaul Society and the local organisation has passed on their thanks to the College for our support.

During the parent-teacher interviews this Thursday night the 2 November, there will be a booth located in the Pam Ronan Centre administration area that will have members from Grangeburn IT and the school’s ICT department to assist with any questions.

More information about the Bring Your Own Device purchase portal can also be found in the ‘BYOD Information’ section of the Portal@TWC website.

Colin Langford | ICT Manager

Coping with Exams
Exam stress can be very real no matter how people approach it. Below are some ways you can help your child manage their stress and prepare well for their coming examinations.

• Minimise the clutter around workspaces. For each study period, plan what you want to cover. Use mind maps and other aids to assist memory and organise thoughts. Take regular five-minute breaks to refresh. List issues you are unsure about and ask for help at school
   
• Come up with a healthy relaxation habit that recharges and replenishes his or her batteries but importantly allows them to take a break from the pressure and grind of work. It’s never too late to encourage your young person to exercise each day, relax to music or even practise meditation and mindfulness to clear their mind of mental clutter

On Tuesday 31 October, former student and current Essendon footballer Mason Redman returned to the College to spend time with HPSP and IGNITE students. Mason conducted two sessions for the students, focusing on skills and competitive drills. The students thoroughly enjoyed their time asking Mason questions about his journey, as he shared his AFL experience with them. We thank Mason for giving his time and look forward to him visiting again.

Kate Exelby | HPSP Student Welfare Manager

Click here to enlarge

• Tuesday 8.00am - 12.00pm
• Thursday 1.00pm - 5.00pm

Monday - TBC
Tuesday - TBC
Wednesday - Karen Gray
Thursday - Renee Szopory
Friday - Kate Robson
 

Follow the USA Titans Tour here!

Thursday 2 November

• All Souls' Day
• R-11 Parent Teacher Interviews, 4.00pm, PRC

Friday 3 November

• Junior School Assembly, 2.15pm, Barrie Holmes Stadium
• Junior Poplars Penola excursion

Monday 6 November

• 2018 Term 1 Reception Information Evening, 7.00pm, Staffroom
• Year 7 Canberra Camp departs
• Reception swimming lessons (until Friday)
• Year 12 Exams (until 22 November)

Tuesday 7 November 

• Year 6/7 Enviro's Leaders Expo, Mt Burr Shearing Shed

Wednesday 8 November

• Year 6 Grampians Camp (until Friday)

Thursday 9 November

• Year 5 Noora-Yo-Long Camp (until Friday)

Saturday 11 November

• The Venerable Catherine McAuley Feast Day

Sunday 12 November

• Youth Mass, 11.00am, Saint Paul's Church
• Year 7 Canberra Camp returns

A reminder that the Term 4 Parent/ Teacher/ Student Progress Reviews and Request Interviews will be held on Thursday 2 November (Week 3) in the Pam Ronan Centre.

For those who have requested an interview, please make sure you attend at your scheduled time.

If you haven't already, please go online to download your interview schedule. If you have any questions regarding the event, please arrange a time to meet with me on the night.

Scott Dickson | Director of Learning

The Tenison Woods College Rock Bands have had an exciting two terms. During term 3, 17 Rock Band students went on a 3-day tour to Melbourne. The tour included a performance at Portland North Primary School, a full day workshop at the Australian Institute of Music; workshopping with industry experts such as Paul Gildea from Icehouse and having a great time exploring the city.

Last week the students participated in a 2-hour workshop at the College with Phil Stack. Mr Stack is the bass player from Australian band Thirsty Merc – maybe best known for their 2004 hit, ‘In The Summertime’. During the workshop Stack spoke to the students about life as a professional musician, what it is like being signed to a major music label and then students were able to perform in their bands to the special guest.

The Rock Band’s final performance for the year will be at Jen’s Hotel on Sunday 19 November.

Rebecca Hudson | Musical Futures Rock Band Director

Congratulations to Year 6 student Fletcher Lawson, who through the month of October took part in “The Great Cycle Challenge”. The challenge, asks participants to ride their bikes in order to raise money for children living with cancer. Fletcher decided to participate after hearing about the challenge on social media and soon involved his family and friends. Over the month, Fletcher achieved his targets and rode a distance of 161.1km and was able to raise a total of $1,100!

Donations can still be made to Fletcher’s fundraising here

On 7 and 8 October, HPSP cyclists Tess Wight (year 8), Amy Wight (year 9) and Jack Opperman (year 9) all competed in Round 1 of the 2017-18 National Junior Track Series in Melbourne at the ‘DISC’ Velodrome. After round 1, all of the students were happy with their performance in such a competitive field with Tess performing well, Jack placing 8th, and Amy 22nd in their age groups. We wish them the best of luck for the next round in Sydney this weekend, as well as the next two rounds in Brisbane in December, and Adelaide in January. 

I remind families that we are asking each Senior School student to commence 2018 with their own laptop device. This means that there will not be loan devices in the PRC. There will however be a small number of day loan devices in the Library/resource hub to accommodate only temporary student ICT needs and issues. This small pool of loan devices will not be available for long-term use. 

In the Middle School from 2018, the current situation with devices in classrooms will continue, with students in years 8 and 9 being invited to participate in the BYOD program.

In the Middle School from 2019 we are asking each year 8 and 9 student to commence 2019 with their own laptop device.

For more information about the BYOD program, obtaining free Microsoft Office software and device options, please visit the Portal@TWC help site. It is a wonderful resource prepared and curated by our committed ICT Support Team.

David Mezinec | Principal

Tenison Woods College Mount Gambier encourages the community to get behind these great initiatives!

Fund My Neighbourhood gives you the opportunity to decide what projects are funded in our area.

Two projects of interest to the College community are "Solar Powered College Community" - where a student-lead team want to install solar panels at local churches, while the other titled "Community Fitness Track" would like to see a bike and walking path that navigates the perimeter of the College, complemented by solar lighting, outdoor exercise stations and drinking facilities.

To register, vote, or find out more, click on the links below. Voting closes 5.00pm, Monday 20 November.

Solar Powered College Community: Click Here

Community Fitness Track: Click here

Tenison Woods College
Shepherdson Road (PO Box 965)
Mount Gambier South Australia 5290

t: (08) 8725 5455 (Main Office)
f: (08) 8724 9303
t: (08) 8724 4650 (Senior School)
Absentee Line: (08) 8724 4659
OSHC Line: (08) 8724 4633

e: news@tenison.catholic.edu.au
w: www.tenison.catholic.edu.au