Volume Ten, Friday 23rd July 2021

From Br Steve fsc

As we conclude Week Two of remote learning/homeschooling I must express my sincere thanks and appreciation to parents who have picked up an extra duty often managing three to four different schooling contexts. My thoughts and prayers, worries and concerns, about how you are coping, are with you and for you.

Thank you also to our teachers who are going about their teaching and learning with explicit teaching and guided instruction as usual. We are all truly grateful and appreciative.

Finally, I must thank our amazing students (your sons and daughters) who trust us and the process and are wanting to do the right thing and keep their learning going. I am seeing some amazing things being done by our teachers and students. This is not the situation in all parts of Sydney and we are blessed to have the wonderful students we have.

Not knowing. For most of us not knowing what July 30 will bring is harder than the lockdown itself. And there is nothing we can do. Feeling helpless is something we are not use to, as educated people in a modern, stable society such as Australia. If we knew the guidelines going forward, we could plan and manage our teaching and learning, assessments, Trials and Major works. We could plan and mage or work and our homes. Knowing brings comfort and security.

Therefore, we must reach inward and find comfort and security in what truly matters: love and kindness, home and family, health, and wellbeing. And we must then live each moment of every day in confidence knowing what matters has not changed and that the tomorrow we seek, will come.

I will conclude with the words of the video-clip I shared with you last Friday, 鈥榊ou Raise Me Up鈥�, by Josh Groban first made famous by Westlife in 2005. In particular, take comfort knowing, we are raised up, to walk on stormy seas.

When I am down and, oh my soul, so weary
When troubles come and my heart burdened be
Then, I am still and wait here in the silence
Until You come and sit awhile with me.
You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders
You raise me up to more than I can be
You raise me up to more than I can be
[source Musixmatch]

God鈥檚 blessing
Br Steve Hogan fsc

ICT Services - Parent Advice on Cyberbullying

With the current lockdown and higher use of the internet, here is a timely guide to online bullying for parents and carers.

Online bullying can have a devastating impact on young people, whose online life is a key part of their identity and how they interact socially.

Cyberbullying behaviour takes many forms, such as sending abusive messages, hurtful images or videos, nasty online gossip, excluding or humiliating others, or creating fake accounts in someone鈥檚 name to trick or humiliate them.

I think my Child is being Bullied

Your child may not tell you if they are experiencing bullying behaviour online because of a fear it might make things worse for them or they may lose access to their devices and the internet.

Signs to watch for:

being upset after using the internet or their mobile phone
changes in personality, such as becoming more withdrawn
anxious, sad or angry
appearing more lonely or distressed
unexpected changes in friendship groups
a decline in their school work
changes in their sleep patterns
avoidance of school or clubs
a decline in their physical health
becoming secretive about their online activities and mobile phone use.

Advice for Young People aged 13-17

Talk about cyberbullying before it happens and discuss strategies that you are both comfortable with, so they know what to expect if they do report concerns to you.

Encourage them to use privacy settings on social networking sites and restrict online information to viewing by friends only, and to be careful about who they accept as friends.

Recommend that they avoid responding to negative messages and actively block and report abusive people to social media services or website administrators. Encourage them to tell you, or another trusted adult, about such incidents and to take screenshots of negative messages for reporting. Hold the saved messages for them so they don鈥檛 have to view them again.

Make sure they are aware of the advice about cyberbullying particularly targeted at

More Information

For more information, and help on what to do if your child is being cyberbullied, please visit

For more detailed information and instructions on how to report online abuse, please visit

Mr Peter Morrissey
Infrastructure Technical Lead

College Leaders - Reflecting on the Current Situation

Our College Leaders have been reflecting on what is happening in our community at present and wanted to offer some words of encouragement and support to our 黑料社区 students, staff and families. Here they share their thoughts and a little of what they find inspiring right now:

These times are tough, but we will all be okay - we have gotten through this before. At this time it is important to stay motivated. Set small goals to achieve each day to keep yourself going. Remember that, even though you can鈥檛 see everyone face to face, there are always friends and family willing to talk to you. Help is never far away.

Liam (Drama Captain)

Although we are all so far apart, it's times like these where I see people coming together the most. Over the past couple of weeks, I have often seen people reaching out a helping hand to one another and I encourage you all to continue these kind acts.

Elliott (Lasallian Captain)

In these difficult times, it is quite easy to forget to look after yourself. Don鈥檛 forget to stay connected with your family, friends and get outside when you can!

Sophie (Turon Captain)

What is inspiring me at the moment is being able to get up early, head down to the local park with my family and get in a boot camp session before I start online learning. I am grateful for my supportive family and for being healthy during his time. My message for the community is to stay motivated and positive during and to reach out to your family and friends if you are struggling and need someone to talk to.

Cooper (Mutien Captain)

During times like this, we tend to focus on the negatives and what we can't do. I would just like to say to focus on the positives, we may only have another week of lockdown so make the most of it, have some fun with your families, go for some walks and Year 12 use this extra time as an advantage. Be grateful and happy for this time with family and friends, even though it may be through a virtual platform. We look forward to seeing you guys back at school.

Jye (Solomon Captain)

Please remember that we are all here for each other, we are all in this together. Take this time to reflect, refocus, and remember that better days are ahead of us. Our perseverance and endurance in this time will make us stronger and more resilient in the future.

Alex (Mutien Captain)

I understand the hard times we are going through at the moment, some more than others, however, we all need to remember that we're in this together. In fact, we all have something in common and that's the Lasallian courage we have, the Lasallian support we all possess, knowing that when times get rough, we have each other as family. If anything, in this dark time we should be searching for the light, always. Whether it's spending more time with the family, working on yourself, for the Year 12s having the chance to kick in more study time for our Trials and so much more. We just need to search for the positives. So don't forget, we are all in this together, searching for the light.

Jonathan (Lasallian Captain)

When we find ourselves struggling, look around and count three things you are grateful for. We are so blessed to live in a beautiful country with many people around us who all care so deeply. If you are struggling, please contact someone who you feel comfortable with and remember, we will get through this!

Poppy (Miguel Captain)

Despite these difficult times, we鈥檝e been given the opportunity to spend more time with our families which we don鈥檛 usually have the chance to do amidst the usual hustle of pre-lockdown life. Make sure you show your loved ones how grateful you are for them and all the unconditional love and support they continue to show.

Genevieve (Solomon Captain)

As 2021 Australian Women鈥檚 Wimbledon Tennis Singles Champion, Ashleigh Barty, said "There鈥檚 no need to look too far into the future or the past. Enjoy the moment". We encourage you to enjoy the moments at home in these uncertain times. We encourage you to have a stretch, learn a new skill, read a new book or get creative, it's important that you take a break from your technological devices.

Elizabeth (College Vice-Captain)

I know the uncertainty of the current circumstances may be overwhelming or frightening, but always remember that you鈥檙e not alone and we鈥檙e all in this together and here to support you.

Adam (College Captain)

I鈥檓 sure we鈥檙e missing sport as much as you guys are. We hope that everyone is making the most of the unfortunate circumstances that we have been put in right now. We want to encourage everybody to stay healthy, happy and active. If anybody needs assistance with this, Mr Wisemantel has posted some fitness programs on Oaklife that you can all access at any time. If any student needs extra assistance during these times please don't hesitate to contact an older student, family or staff member if you need to chat. We are praying the Winter Sport season can resume as soon as possible.

Holly and Sam (Sport Captains)

Keep your heads up guys, this lockdown will be done sooner or later and we can live our normal lives in no time. Make sure you stay on top of your work and get outside for fitness as much as you can. Also keep in touch with your friends every day because they will make this experience a little bit better.

Adam (Turon Captain)

In these trying times, I like to use my creative outlets which really help in pushing away all the anxieties of lockdown. I just wanted to remind you all to indulge in some creative time to encourage the good spirits, I hope you are all staying safe!

Gabriella (Music Captain)

I hope that everyone is doing well and staying mentally and physically healthy during this lockdown. I know that this is a difficult time for everyone, but I hope that you have found something that keeps you occupied and happy during the lockdown, whether that be a good book, a new hobby, or even a pet who needs love. Just remember to reach out whenever you need help and that there is always someone to talk to, including teachers, parents, and even us leaders. Anyways, I hope everyone is well and staying safe.

Marco (Benildus Captain)

Hopefully you're all coping with the lockdown restrictions as best you can. As there is a great difference from walking between classes all day and being able to attend them all from the same chair at home, make sure to keep moving about, as exercise is incredibly important yet easy to forget to maintain in lockdown.

Thomas (Benildus Captain)

Stay strong during these uncertain times. We're all going through this together so let's lift each other up the best we can.

James (College Vice Captain)

As uncertain as these times may be, I encourage each of you to stay in touch with what you enjoy doing. Whether that be kicking a ball in the backyard or reading your favourite book, try not to be caught up on your screens for too long. I have learnt to become extra grateful for my family, and look forward to a break from studies to watch our favourite show together or play a boardgame. I hope and pray you are all safe and well.

Elia (College Captain)

Accessibility Options to Enhance Online Learning

As we come to the end of the second week of remote learning, I wanted to share with you some accessibility options that might make your online experience more enjoyable.

Switch on live captions:

To get an instant text version of what the teacher or another speaker is saying, you can switch on a feature of Teams called Live Captions. Teams can detect what is being said in a meeting and present real-time captions at the bottom of your screen.

Instructions

After you have joined the meeting, find the three dots at the top of the screen … which is the More actions button
Click on the More actions button and look down the list till you find Turn on live captions
After a short while the captions will appear at the bottom of the Teams meeting window

Click to explain more.

Ask the Teacher for Help

During a meeting, you can raise your hand virtually to let people know you want to contribute or ask the teacher for assistance, without interrupting the conversation.

Instructions

Select Show reactions in the meeting controls, and then choose Raise your hand. Everyone in the meeting will see that you've got your hand up.

Click to explain more (at 55 seconds.)

Get chat messages and other text read out loud

Hear posts, chat messages and assignments read aloud using Immersive Reader in Teams. Immersive Reader also includes grammar tools such as Parts of Speech and Picture Dictionary.

Instructions

You can launch Immersive Reader from a message in the chat function in a channel or even from the chat function in a meeting
Hover your mouse over the message until a selection of reactions and a three dot … icon appears (More options)
Click on the More options button and look down the list till you find Immersive Reader
A large white window will appear on your screen. You can then use the green Play button at the bottom of the window to have the message read out loud to you or select individual words to be read
Explore the Grammar Options and the Reading Preferences settings at the top right-hand corner of the window; there is even a Picture Dictionary which will present you with a graphic to represent the meaning of unknown words when you click on them inside the Immersive Reader window.

Click to explain more.

I hope these tips prove useful for you and assist in some way with your engagement with our remote learning platform.

Please do not hesitate to contact me on mwatts@oakhill.nsw.edu.au if I can be of any assistance in helping you access the teaching and learning activities happening on Teams.

Mrs Monica Watts
Academic Head of Learning Support

7 Stages of Grieving

Throughout Term 2, Year 10 Drama students have studied lighting. Specifically, we related this topic to an important play, The 7 Stages of Grieving, originally published in 1996, by Wesley Enoch and Deborah Mailman. This episodic play calls on important subjects such as racism and prejudice shown towards Indigenous Australian peoples. Not only is this piece a play, but also a call to action, and us, as Year 10 Drama students, have the opportunity to be the change because we are the men of the future.

On Wednesday 16th June, we were fortunate enough to go to the Wharf Theatre, to view the Sydney Theatre Company鈥檚 production of 'The 7 Stages of Grieving'. After meeting up early at the Castle Towers Metro with the other Year 10 Drama students and teachers, we caught a bus to the city, and from there we took a twenty-minute scenic walk to the theatre. We were lucky enough to have unforgettable views of the harbour. Walking in the city with many friends is always something extremely fun, and it was one of the highlights of many students that went on this trip.

Upon arrival, we had the opportunity to attend a pre-show talk by the director about the show, where she mentioned that the play was written in 鈥渉ope and healing鈥�, and that 鈥渆veryone tells stories differently鈥�, and this is just one interpretation of the Indigenous Australian experience.

After this small discussion, we had a small recess, where the students and teachers had the incredible opportunity to sit on a private balcony, with another beautiful view. Here, we all discussed what the play was about, and how we predicted the director might have adapted it to contemporary issues in our society today.

The production commenced shortly after, and we were lucky enough to be seated in the front rows to enjoy the incredible performances. The play was written intelligently, to ingeniously and seamlessly merge hard-hitting topics with comedic relief, and the actress performed this incredibly well. The use of lighting, set, sound, voice projection and movement all went hand in hand to convey an incredibly strong message. The episodic nature of this play meant that every scene brought a new perspective to the performance, for example, there would be scenes where the character being played is a six year old girl, and then are quickly juxtaposed by scenes where the character being played is a sixty year old woman. There were many adaptations to this play that added relatability as well as comedy, such as a completely new dance break, that created a sense of hope at the end of the production. Most importantly though, at the end, there was a direct call to action. 鈥淟eave with hope and action. You are the future. Use your power. Continue the conversation.鈥�

As Year 10 Drama students, we felt privileged to attend this historical play, and we left with an immense amount of knowledge and awareness. There was a clear sense of action exerted by the performance, and every single person that attended left with the most important words imprinted in their minds. 鈥淲e can鈥檛 go back now. What may seem like small things, will create change鈥�.

Andreas Juarez-Mendoza, Year 10

Theatresports

On Sunday 13th June, our Intermediate and Senior Theatresports Teams both took the stage at the Enmore Theatre for the Grand Final of the NSW Theatresports Schools Challenge. Out of over 50 schools in each division, to make the final eight is an huge achievement. Faced with some incredibly strong competition, the boys entertained a crowd of over one thousand people packed into the historic venue. Some memorable scenes included an improvised song titled 鈥淕host Toast鈥� from our Intermediates, as well as an impromptu Opera from our Seniors about a court battle. Although they couldn鈥檛 get the win, our Year 9 and 10 boys, Marcus George, Kieran McMurrich, Pat McMurrich, Logan Penfold, and Joel Woodhead managed 4th Place, which is an outstanding result in their debut year competing.

Our Seniors, unfortunately, couldn鈥檛 get off on the right foot and managed 5th Place. Year 11 students, Aidan Grace, Phil Joseph, James Ransome-Haberley, and Jack Talty will carry this incredible experience forward and hopefully reach the Enmore next year. Sadly we have to farewell our graduating Year 12, Cooper Abood who complimented the team beautifully in his first year of Improv. Thank you to all who came and supported and we are excited for 黑料社区 Theatresports going forward!

Mr Chris Wadih, Class of 2019

Credit: SRG Photos

Sport - Around the Grounds

Welcome back to Term 3 and sport at home. I hope you are keeping safe and well. It is not the start to the term we were anticipating but we encourage everyone to make the most of your time with family and use each other as your training partners. Sport in the form of exercise is one of the things that we can do regularly, so enjoy each other鈥檚 company and make the most of the opportunity to be active.

In line with recent statements from the NSW Premier and in accordance with advice from ISA, AHPP, NSW Health, CSNSW and AIS, 黑料社区 will not participate in any Sport activity while we are in current restrictions. This means:

No organised sports activity (training or games) of any kind at 黑料社区 will resume up until Monday 2nd August. This will continue until current restrictions are lifted.
ISA and CIS have suspended all sport until Monday 2nd August. (No representative trials, training, games or tournaments during this time).
ISA Heads of Sport will continue to meet and discuss opportunities and possibilities of re-starting the current postponed ISA winter sport competitions.

I will continue to update everyone as more detail become known. In the meantime, we encourage all students to continue personal training while at home. As soon as 黑料社区 has permission for our students to train as teams again, we will. For this reason, stay fit and make sure all players are ready to start up again as soon as we get the all clear to do so. Let鈥檚 hope we are back on court and the field soon.

Some Programs for our Students:

Senior (Years 10, 11, 12) found on Oaklife -
Junior (Year 7, 8, 9) found on Oaklife -
Speed and Power program -

Student Achievements

Good luck to our two 黑料社区 Olympians that are currently in Tokyo preparing for their events. Alumni Dominic Clarke, Gymnastics (Class of 2014) and Lachlan Anderson, Rugby 7鈥檚 (Class of 2015) have been named in their respective Olympic Teams for the Tokyo Olympics and we wish them good luck and congratulations on this tremendous achievement. You can watch at home with Dominic competing on Saturday 31st July at 2.00pm and Lachlan on Monday 26th July at 11.30am.

Congratulations to Jordan Thompson (Class of 2012) who made it through to the third round of Wimbledon. Prior to Wimbledon, Jordan's ATP Tour single's ranking was 78th and after this tremendous result, he is now ranked 63rd.

Congratulations to Lachlan Coady (Year 8) for his selection in the NSW Orienteering All Schools team to compete at the 2021 Australian Schools Championships in Tasmania in September. Let鈥檚 hope things go according to plan so Lachlan can represent himself and 黑料社区 at these National championships. Well done and good luck.

Well done to Mikeeli Lake (Year 11) and Charlise Cleary (Year 11) who played in the NSW Rugby 7鈥檚 championships at the end of last term. Both girls were part of the NSWCIS 2 team.

Congratulations to Indigo Kelly (Year 12) and Charlise Cleary (Year 11) for their selection in the ISA Netball team for 2021.

Summer Sport Registration

Summer Sport registration is now open for students wanting to play Basketball, Touch Football (boys and girls this season) or Cricket throughout the summer season. These sports are in the Saturday ISA competition playing for 黑料社区 and will run in Term 4, 2021 and Term 1, 2022.

The ISA have introduced Boys Touch Football this season. The boys will play as Juniors (Year 7-9) or Seniors (Year 10-11). Games will be played on Saturdays alongside the other ISA sports:

Basketball 鈥�
Touch Football 鈥�

Cricket

Seniors only (those playing 1st XI and 2nd XI and are over 16 years old) -
Juniors (U13 鈥� U16 cricket) - ().

Mr Andrew Wisemantel
Head of Sport

黑料社区