Delagram 22nd March 2024

From the Principal

Holy Week

It is rather strange to be preparing for Easter and yet have three more weeks of the term to go.  However, as we enter Week 9 of Term One, we are reminded that this is holy week.  A time where we reflect on the events in Jesus’ life leading up to his death and Resurrection.  The life and teaching, and the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ put together, are a lesson on the efficacy of humility, service, self-sacrifice, and true love.  As Catholics, we live in hope, not fear and with God’s mercy and love, can overcome anything life throws at us.   In an era where it is at times hard to see through the doom and gloom, this is a time to be hopeful, and to draw on what is important to us and reflect the common good that we wish to see in all aspects of our lives.  We reflected on these messages last Thursday during assembly, when our Youth Minister, Imogen Della Bosca and our senior leaders delivered a poignant and thoughtful presentation of the Stations of the Cross.  And we will again be reflecting on this message of hope as we welcome Father Reynold to the school on Thursday for our Easter liturgy. 

That hope and desire to do good is evidenced in our daily lives at La Salle Academy.  Especially at this time of year where our students and their families give so generously for our fundraising campaigns for Project Compassion.  Project compassion is the major fundraiser for Caritas Australia as they look to provide practical supports for those around the world who are less fortunate than ourselves.  I congratulate Ms Wilsmore-Smith (Religious Education Coordinator), Imogen Della Bosca (Youth Minister) and our Senior leaders for the fantastic total of $1300 raised so far. 

2025 Enrolments

Whilst our Year 7 students are still settling into their new lives as secondary school students, we have already started our 2025 Year 7 enrolment campaign.   Our enrolment applications for 2025 close on Friday 12^th April and I would encourage anyone who is interested in applying to do so as soon as possible.  Application packages can be sourced from our office in person, or by calling 02 6354 5100.  Both year 7 and year 8 are at capacity and have waitlists, so hurry – don’t miss out. 

Parent Engagement Evening

For those new families to La Salle Academy, you may notice that we do not have a Parents and Friends Association.  And if your child is not very forward about telling you what is happening, you may feel left in the dark with the operations and directions of the school.  That is why last year, we introduced Parent Engagement sessions once per term.   Don’t worry, there are no committee’s, no elections and no jobs distributed.  This is an opportunity for you to hear what is happening at the school, with an extended Q&A session at the end of the presentation to address any concerns that you might have.  The first Parent Engagement evening this year will be on Thursday 11^th April.  Venue to be confirmed – please keep an eye on facebook for more information. 

Attendance

Could I please remind all families that as per our enrolment policies, each family agreed to maintain the integrity of school terms by booking holidays during holiday periods and making appointments outside of school hours – whilst this is not always possible, it is important to realise the impact that these absences are having on your child’s learning and ability to keep up.  Our goal at school is to have students attending school at least 90% of the time.  Even this equates to 5 days off per term and 20 days off per years.  When you consider this, you can understand the significant effects that 4 weeks of school would have on a child’s learning.  These are our attendance statistics last week:

Year 7:  92% (Well Done Year 7!)

Year 8:  88%

Year 9:  89%

Year 10:  87%

Year 11:  85%

Year 12:  79% (potentially 40 days absent whilst preparing for the HSC?)

Your assistance in ensuring that your son/daughter is at school every day will greatly assist the outcomes that you child will experience.  We look forward to your support in getting our students to school each and every day. 

Have a fantastic Easter weekend and I hope that you will all find time to visit one of our parish services in Lithgow, Wallerawang or Portland over the coming week. 

God Bless

Mr Glenn Carpenter

Assistant Principal

Welcome to Week 9 and the final three weeks of Term 1. We begin Holy Week this week which finishes with Good Friday and the traditions of Easter and the season of Lent. Again we have all been busy working towards finishing assessment tasks as teachers begin the process of Progress Report writing for all students in Year 7 to 11 and a semester report for Year 12. These reports will be available to students and parents through Compass at the end of the term. A notification will be sent when these reports are ready.
Lithgow Show
Well done to our Agriculture students who worked tirelessly in the Animal Nursery at the Lithgow Show recently. We were very fortunate with the rain but did not escape the fickle weather that all Lithgowites have come to know when a cool change passed through and had everyone reaching for their jackets. There were a number of staff also assisting in the setting up of the show in the week and without their support, our students could not participate in events such as these.
Congratulations also to our Year 9 and 10 Food Technology students and the fantastic results in the cooking competition. In particular, Maci Coombs 1 st place in the Chocolate Cake, Fletcher Impey, 2 nd place in the Chocolate Cake, Emma Durnford, 1 st Place in the 6 small, decorated
cakes, Savannah Green, 2 nd Place in the 6 small, decorated cakes and Zoe Gee, 3 rd Place in the 6
small decorated cakes.

NAPLAN over for another year
Well done to Year 7 and 9 student for completing NAPLAN for another
year. Results for these tests will be sent out later in 2024. Thank you to everyone involved in this process.
Mrs Jenny Holgate
Assistant Principal

From the Religious Education Coordinator

As we draw closer to the celebration of Easter, it is with gratitude and reflection that we gather to commemorate the solemn occasion of the Stations of the Cross. Today, I extend my thanks to Imogen Della Bosca (Youth Minister) for her dedication in facilitating and leading our school liturgy this Thursday, March 21st. It was a beautiful and deeply moving experience, one that I believe resonated with the spirit of our school community.
The Stations of the Cross invite us to journey alongside Jesus as he walks the path of suffering, sacrifice, and ultimately, redemption. In today's fast-paced world, the message of the Stations of the Cross remains heartly relevant. It serves as a reminder of the universal human experience of struggle and the enduring hope found in Christ's resurrection.

As we prepare to celebrate the joy of Easter,  Pope Francis reminds us to remember that, "Easter is not just a temporal celebration, but rather the victory of the Resurrection of Christ, a victory that has the power to transform our lives and the world." Our school will celebrate Easter Mass with Father Reynold guiding us in prayer and reflection on Thursday 28th March.

We extend a warm invitation to all parents, parish members, and community friends to join us for the St. John Baptist de La Salle Feast Day Mass at 9:45 am on Monday, April 8th, at St. Patrick's Church. As a Lasallian school, the life and teachings of John Baptist de La Salle hold special significance for us. His dedication to education and service continues to inspire our mission of nurturing young minds and hearts.

In the spirit of service and community, our Year 11 House Captains have organised a series of events and activities over the coming weeks to raise funds for Project Compassion. From "Caps for Caritas" to a "Chocolate Toss" and a "Jersey Day," there is something for everyone to participate in and support this worthy cause. Stay tuned for further details on dates and times for these events, as well as our Easter Egg Raffle and Chocolate guessing competition.

Friday, the 15th of March, marked a spirited celebration of St. Patrick's Day within our community. Amidst the festivities, our collective efforts at the St. Patrick’s Day stall proved successful, as we raised a sum of $433 in support of Project Compassion's invaluable mission. Our Project Compassion total is currently sitting at over $1300 which is amazing! 

Finally, as we enter into the Easter weekend, I wish to extend warm wishes to everyone for a happy and safe Easter. 

With warm regards,
Mrs Wilsmore-Smith
Religious Education Coordinator

LaSalle's 2024 Youth Minister

This week I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to run my first Liturgy which was ‘The Stations of the Cross’. I am very proud of all the Year 10, 11 and 12’s students who gave up their time to help make the liturgy run smoothly. They all did a great job and I am very proud of all their efforts! 

I am also excited to be travelling to Carcoar tomorrow to spend the weekend at Risen with students from not just our school but from all across our Diocese. Risen is a youth festival for students in Year 10-12. It is a great opportunity for students to develop their own faith and leadership skills while also meeting new people and having fun.  

Have a great fortnight.

Imogen Della Bosca
La Salle Youth Minister

Leader of Teaching and Learning

“The capacity to learn is a gift, the ability to learn is a skill, the willingness to learn is a choice” Brian Herbert

As I walk around the school, visiting classrooms and talking to students in breaks, it’s clear to me that we have students at our school who have a wide range of interests and abilities. Our teachers try to harness those interests in the classroom in ways that are linked to the formal curriculum we deliver.
They do this with the intent to help every student to use their capacity to learn as a gift, to develop their learning skills and to motivate them to embrace opportunities.
To complement this work, we are happy to announce the launch of a new initiative at our school:
Evolve-ED. This program is designed to support students in their learning journey, both within and
beyond the school walls. Evolve-ED aims to empower students to improve academically, develop a
passion for learning, and take ownership of their educational growth.
What is Evolve-ED?
Located in the library, Evolve-ED is a learning hub staffed by teachers who are passionate about
fostering student interest and success. The program operates on a flexible basis, allowing students to
participate voluntarily based on their interests and needs.
Evolve-ED offers drop-in sessions where students can seek additional help, or work on homework in
a supportive environment. These drop-in sessions will be available at various times before school,
after school and in breaks. Moreover, the program incorporates extension activities such as CSIRO
Generation STEM, providing students with opportunities to delve deeper into their interests.
Getting Involved:
The availability of Evolve-ED will be communicated to students through COMPASS and the school
newsletter, from the beginning of Term 2. A calendar will be posted so students are aware of drop-in
session times.
Some extension activities have already commenced, and future programs will be communicated to
students as they arise.
All students are encouraged to participate actively and will be reminded of the opportunity.
We are very excited about the potential of Evolve-ED as a program that enables students to explore
their interests and learning potential.
Together, we aim to support all our students on this journey of growth, exploration, and excellence.

Dr Donna Mitchell
Leader of Teaching and Learning

Year 7-9 Pastoral Care Co-ordinator

When your teenager arrives home from school and you ask them about their day, it’s quite common to be met with the same response every day without getting any information on how their day actually was. Sometimes it's because they're caught up in their own world, juggling school work, friendships, and extracurricular activities. Other times, they might simply want a bit of space to unwind and decompress. Regardless, our fortnightly newsletter is key in obtaining information about your child’s school experience each fortnight.

Last Tuesday, students in years 7-10 attended Police talks, conducted by Senior Constable Jane Heffernan, on the topics of friendships, social media use and relationships. Due to our standard “school was good today” response we often get from our children, I wanted to reinforce some key points Jane made in her discussion with our students, particularly around responsible social media use. 

• Majority of social media issues, such as bullying and exposure to inappropriate material, occur when young people are unsupervised, often in their bedroom with their door closed.

• Young people should share their passwords with their parents so parents can monitor their safety and interactions online.

• Young people should not accept people as friends or followers online who they do not know face to face, even if they have mutual friends.

• Young people should only have ONE account on social media sites. 

• Parents should set clear boundaries for their children about social media and use of technology that promote online safety and healthy screen time habits. 

One piece of advice I have for parents is to encourage open communication with your children about online activities. Encourage them to talk to you if they encounter anything that makes them uncomfortable or if they have concerns about their online interactions. By fostering a supportive environment and providing guidance, we can empower our students to make informed choices and develop positive digital habits that will serve them well both now and in the future.

If you have any questions or concerns about your child’s social media use, please do not hesitate to contact me. 

Ms Tahni Isedsale
Year 7-9 Pastoral Welfare Coordinator

Pastoral Welfare Co-ordinator Years 10 - 12

It is assessment time! One very difficult juggle is assessments and ensuring that there is some degree of balance so that our students do not have an influx due on the same day. No doubt, it is very difficult and they are all going to be due in and around weeks 7, 8, 9 and 10. Teachers are therefore under a timeline to have content delivered and students have to have time to synthesise the information and be able to apply it in whatever context.  

How can this best happen and what can the students do to be prepared? Whatever the answer is, it does involve hard work. Not too many successful people are lazy or can attribute their success to doing ok and putting in some effort when they felt like it. Doing your best is hard work and requires constant effort and constant evaluation and change. This takes discipline and should be sitting alongside some goals. Goals that are measurable and when it comes to assessments, well they are easily measured. Students can gauge their success through their results. 

I often hear “did I pass sir?” My answer is “what is a pass?” The most common answer is 50%. 50%................ Is that good enough? Do you think that if you only know half of what has been taught that could be a good thing. The thinking here is that it is ok and then there is no need to improve for next time because you got the pass. 

Tips: 

1. Build some goals and make them specific
2. Write them down, tell people so that you are accountable
3. Spend some time each night creating revision notes and or do some extra reading on the topic studied in class
4. Start early on assessments. Break the task into chunks and then try to complete chunks at a time 
5. Share your drafts or work with the teacher before the due date so you can get feedback
6. Get outside when you can and walk, cycle run. Go to the gym or take the dog for a walk. Exercise is great for stress and more so if you do it outside 
7. Be prepared to look at your results and then work out how you could improve for the next task

Mr Stephen Carroll
Year 10-12 Coordinator.

Library News

Library Activities
Modern libraries are no longer considered just places to store books. They are vibrant spaces where curiosity is encouraged and opportunities for collaboration and creativity abound. Our library at La Salle is certainly no different! We offer students a range of activities which enable them to engage in their interests and connect with students from all year groups. These activities include: chess, board games, jigsaw puzzles, lego, card games and mindful colouring. 

CEDB Spelling Bee 2024
 The CEDB is once again running their fantastic annual Spelling Bee for primary and secondary students. The secondary finals will take place at St Mary’s Catholic School Wellington on 29th May, 2024. Students from Years 7 - 10 are encouraged to participate in the competition and use this opportunity to develop their spelling skills to help enhance their overall literacy. There are spelling lists available for students to use as practice for the competition. Please come to the library to register your interest.

New Paper Recycling Bin
Thanks to our wonderful maintenance officer, Edward Sheere and Albert and the team at TFX - Timberflex, we now have a paper recycling bin in the library. This donation is helping to support the sustainability initiative of recycling the paper waste that accumulates in the library from photocopying, drafting and editing, sketching and colouring in.

Library Displays
Throughout the term, we have aimed to create a variety of displays that not only showcase the resources we have on offer, but also connect to a distinct theme or event to encourage engagement from our students. Some of the displays we have created this year include: Lunar New Year, Valentine’s Day, CBCA Notables list and St Patrick’s Day. We look forward to creating many more throughout the year and are also open to any suggestions for displays. 

Best wishes
Mrs Melissa Devine 
Teacher Librarian

Prev

Showing images 1 - 8 of 9

Next

School Holiday Local Library Activities

Lithgow Show Success

LSA had some fantastic success at the Show this year! 
Our students were successful in receiving place ribbons in the Decorated Cake section, Chocolate Cake section, and staff members received several place ribbons with their plum jams, raspberry jam, coconut butter & chilli sauce.
Our Agriculture students had success winning the 'Young Farmers Challenge'. Congratulations to Steph, Sophie, Gabby and Ashlee. 
Congratulations to Sophie, Macy & Briea on their success at winning the 'Merino Wool Judging'. 
Congratulations also to Gabby Dray who received the Youth Contribution Ribbon from the ASC (Agricultural Societies Council) for her contributions to the show. The ASC of NSW Next Generation is the youthful extension of the Agricultural Societies Council, dedicated to facilitating the engagement of youth for the positive progression of NSW agricultural shows. Gabby has been entering and assisting in the Show since she was in Year 7 and has been a huge help in the running of the LSA Animal Nursery.
La Salle Academy were very proud of all our students who participated in various aspects of the Show. And to the many students and staff who helped with setting up and supervising the Animal Nursery. It is an enormous task, and our staff received many compliments on how helpful and polite the students were to many of the Lithgow Show Committee members.

LSA proud!!!

Prev

Showing images 1 - 8 of 27

Next

PCYC Safer Driver Course

****SAFER DRIVER COURSE****

17^th April March 2024.

Did you know you could be eligible for the Safer Drivers Course (upon successful completion they will receive 20 hours of logbook credit!).

To be suitable for the course you must meet the following measures:

have a valid NSW learner license.

Be below the age of 25.

Have accomplished a minimum of 50 hours of actual on-road driving (any credit hours gained under the Structured Professional Lesson (3 for 1) scheme must be excluded)

Theory - Friday 22nd March- 4:00-7:00pm 

Practical - Saturday 23rd.

Cost: $140

***** DINNER INCLUDED ON FRIDAY*****

To book, call the club on (02) 6351 2510 or visit https://www.pcycdrivereducation.org.au/book-a-course

Wallerwang Soccor Team Registrations

Netball Players Needed

Out of Touch (OOT) Netball Club are on the hunt for a few more young people who are interested in playing netball this winter in Bathurst. We have had an outstanding number of players register already and with over 30 teams we have some spots we need to fill to ensure everyone gets to play.  We are especially looking for players born in 2014 & 2015 to join in the last few spots available with some of our junior teams. 
Kindest regards,
OOT Commitee.

LINC Activity - Trading Games

LINC in Lithgow is start a new activity for both children and older people in two different sessions. One for young people 10-17 and a later one for 18+.
We are starting a Trading Card Game (TCG) afternoon at LINC on Friday afternoons for children and young people. It is for playing the TCG games such as Pokemon and Yugioh etc. 
We will be providing some Pokemon playable desks for children without cards to come and play or learn to play and are hoping to grow that number as we go along.

Basic Student Stationary Pack

Canteen- Flexischools App

We have the flexischools app for your convenience order online - See the flyers below with instructions on how to order

School Zones Reminder

A reminder to all our parents that school zones remain in place for the safety of our children and families. School zones operate on all gazetted school days, which are all the days the school is open, even pupil free days.