The 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time –“…Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will also… (Luke 12:32-48) Dear Parents, Guardians, Care Givers, Grandparents and Students, Last Sunday my family were woken to the terrible news that my father in law had unexpectedly passed away in Canberra. That night he had been watching the Brumbies game on TV with some of his friends. One of my sons had spoken to him just the day before. During the last holidays he and his wife joined us for a few days. His wife had been out to a wedding as a guest. Everything was “normal”. In the early hours of the morning he passed away.Today we join the rest of the family at his funeral. In this Sunday’s parable, Luke tells us that our hour of reckoning will come suddenly and unexpectedly on all of us. It will find the neglectful, careless ones unprepared.How are we preparing for this unexpected time? Are we saying “it won’t happen to me” or similar? Are we striving to live the Gospel values – hope, integrity, justice respect and dignity? Some members of our community say – these are too hard to live by. However they are lived out in many ways, e.g., students striving to show initiative in class with their work, staff giving up their personal time to help students that need that extra attention, parents who work the very long hours in order to provide for their family in many different ways. As I learned last year in hospital – every minute counts and don’t take things for granted. Waking up each morning is a bonus!So as we move through our lives in Term III – in and around our community let’s never forget that each day is a gift – and we must look after each other in light of that gift. As my dad used to tell me – “death for a good Christian – is a graduation – not an examination day!” Congratulations to the following students on achieving a “Milestone” in their Semester One (and previous) Reports: Year 7 – Achieving 2 consecutive Principal’s Award (Gold or Silver) for their reports:Madison Atwood, Jeremy Browne, Tara Chrystal, Amy Cornale, Liam Cryan, Caleb Cull, Dominic Della Franca, Tristan Downey, Sarah Fitzsimmons, Camryn Gower, Deeana Habkouk, Elise Hardy, Aiden Hose, Jessica Knight, Angela Leech, Caitlin Littleton, Georgia Macdonald, Riley Matthews, Aisling McGill, Max McKern, Joshua McLeod, Lauren Mund, Vivien Nguyen, Kate O’Callaghan, Alex Papp, William Perrett, Maisie Punt, Sophie Rawsthorne, Tegan Reed, Hayley Rodda, Kristian Saldanha, Emily Smith, Joshua Staggs, Chelsea Tullia, Simona Vitale, Gabriel Yates Year 8 – Achieving 6 consecutive Principal’s Award (Gold or Silver) for their reports:Georgia Bowden, Janetta Byrne, Caitlin Cameron, Emma Carroll, Olivia Dahdah, Sarah Dever, Molly Farrell, Rebeka Finn, Mason Francis, Kate Fransen, Emily Freeman, Amelia Hiel, Anthony Kelly, Rohan Knight, Jesse Martin, Andre Matkowski, Jemima Moffat, Laura Moran, Emerald Murray-Joseph, Georgia Muxlow, Jenny Nguyen, Reon Rubello, Isabella Rosen, Karla Schwalger, Isaak Smith, Mark Tobin, Liam Tobin, Brittany Wells

Year 9 – Achieving 10 consecutive Principal’s Award (Gold or Silver) for their reports:Celine Badaoui, Lauren Briscoe, Nick Burgess, Petrea Cantrall, Maegan Chin, Danesh Colah, Lachlan Ferry, Ruby Ford, Jessica Funk, Christina Gabonian, Timo Godbold, Brigetta Handayani, Eleanor Henderson, Taylor Herbertson, Daniel Hose, Alexandra Hurden, Charbel Saliba, Nadya Shturman, Arthur Treloar, Rebecca Wilson, Layla Wreyford Year 10 – Achieving 13 consecutive Principal’s Award (Gold or Silver) for their reports:Sam Batchelor, Emma Cryan, Juliette Dahdah, Nicole Deggens, Andrea Dingley, Monica Gonzalez, Lor’ence Gosbee Year 11 – Achieving 13 consecutive Principal’s Award (Gold or Silver) for their reports:Richard Andersen, Nicholas Fransen, Sam Funk, Joseph Jones, Corinne Mack Conor Quinlan, Matthew Slee, Chris Smith, Bona Sulitas, Rebecca Waldron Year 12 – Achieving 13 consecutive Principal’s Award (Gold or Silver) for their reports:Lily Derrig, Hannah Derrig, Alexandra Drum, Jonathan Fornasier, Bethany Halmy, Daniel Salvador, Tobruk Sloane These students are to be congratulated on their approach, consistency and sheer hard work to achieve these consistent results over (in most cases) a number of years. Please join us in celebrating the Feast of the Assumption with Mass in the Light of Christ Centre next Thursday (15th August) at 9.30am. We will be part of the Cathedral Parish with students from OLOR as well as parishioners. Fr Robert Borg will be the celebrant.

Thankyou:I would like to thank the following members of staff who coordinated, attended and participated in our overnight Year 9 Camp last week. Without the good will and generosity of these staff – these important experiences would simply not be able to take place:Year 9 Camp at Morriset -Mr Betty, Mr Heeringa, Mr Gallagher, Mrs Monteiro, Mrs Needs, Mrs Sheldon, Mr Tiglao, Synthetic Drug Forum: On Wednesday 21 August at Hornsby RSL, Hornsby Council will be facilitating an evening about synthetic drugs. I strongly support this initiative by Hornsby Council. Two members of the College Leadership, myself and a number of our families attended the forum conducted by Kuring-gai Council last month – the quality of discussion and information was second to none. Please support this evening. Essential information for parents, carers and professionals on the effects of drugs and alcohol on young people. Not to be missed!Featuring Paul Dillon, keynote speaker and author of best selling book for parents, Teenagers, Alcohol and Drugs released in 2009. Paul is a nationally recognised drug

education specialist with 25 years experience in the field. Paul regularly appears in the media and is regarded as a key social commentator.The night will be hosted by David Citer, Manager of the KYDS Youth Development Service.Q&A panel featuring NSW Police, NSW Health and other industry professionals will provide valuable insight into synthetic drugs and answer your questions.Venue: Hornsby RSL (main showroom)Location: 4 High Street, HornsbyTime: 7.00pm to 9.00pmCost: FreeContact: Paul StuartPhone: 9477 8729Email: pstuart@nsml.com.au Our College Refurbishment: The architect drawings are available on the College website for those parents who wish to see the refurbishment of the current Science Block. The priority for our learning areas and keeping in mind the WHS issues our current College layout presents are the two main factors behind the refurbishment plans. When the Science block is complete (end of 2013) the A & B block classrooms will also be refurbished. This will be done with minimum disruption to our Teaching and Learning.

Mr A F GleesonPrincipalHow good God is to me and how much reason I have to be grateful”(Saint Mary MacKillop –22/02/1899)

St Mary MacKillopThe 8th August was the feast day of St Mary MacKillop. This quiet but strong woman gives us an example of how to live life according to God’s law of love. She saw the potential in everyone but was realistic enough not to be taken in by false promises. She saw education as a way forward for people. She forgave those who had wronged her. Mary

was practical in her advice and service. She was also someone who when something needed to be done would ‘roll up her sleeves’ and do something about the situation. Our students are often called upon to ‘roll up their sleeves’. It can be in doing the right thing by doing their work in class and getting their homework done. It means allowing others in their classes to learn by rolling up their sleeves and cooperating with their teachers. Following God’s Law is best found in doing the constant day-to-day living in the right way. Our prayer asks us to live God’s Law in our Heart. The challenge is to find what this looks like. St Mary MacKillop’s life is one example of what this looks like. Disrespect for Community Property.From time to time College property has been damaged by the actions of some students who graffiti and tag our buildings. This has led to the expense of repainting rooms and repairing lockers. Unfortunately one of the most frequently targeted areas has been the boys’ toilet. These actions have resulted in the toilet blocks being closed on a number of occasions while the graffiti has been removed. One of the frequently occurring tags is ‘turbo” as exampled in our most recent graffiti attack.

We have all seen the negative impact that graffiti has in the wider community. We do not want St Leo’s to be burdened by the same problem. If any member of the community has any details that can assist us with this concern we would request that you contact the school. It is important that this disruption to the right of others be stopped. Duke of EdinburghWe have a number of students involved in their Bronze certificate next week. We wish them well in this endeavour. This program is a wonderful opportunity for our students to develop life skills such as leadership and resilience outside of the normal classroom and school environment. Assumption MassNext Thursday 15th August is the Feast of the Assumption. The College will be participating with the wider community in this celebration. We invite all of our parent community to join with us in the Eucharistic celebration. Mass will take place at 9.30am in LOCC. Year 12 Classes Resume

Year 12 students complete the trials next Monday 12 August and all classes resume on Tuesday. From the 13th August till the end of the term is an important time for Year 12. Some programs of study need to be completed in this time and significant and targeted revision will be taking place. Important feedback from the Trials will occur with both strengths and weaknesses highlighted. It is vital that all of our students attend school over this period. Lesson time needs to be respected by everyone with a focused effort in class. Studies should be for revision. These next 6 weeks are not the time to “kick back”. This is the time when students should be looking at how they can improve their trials marks through a concentrated effort on revision and the further development of skills. This is all for the purpose of setting themselves up for success in their HSC. Year 11 Senior LeadershipOur Year 11 students are currently going through the selection process of determining the Senior Student Leadership of 2014. We wish all students the best as they put themselves forward for this responsibility. Susan White Acting Assistant Principal

DRUGS - COMMUNITY EVENTPlease consider attending the following event: Remember when it comes to Drugs the

message is:TO INFORM AND BE INFORMED

National Self-Detection Program for Scoliosis (NSDP)The online discussion forum at Scoliosis Australia - www.scoliosis-australia.orgSelf-Detection Brochure for ScoliosisGirls in Years 7 & 9 Scoliosis (spinal curvature) is an important health problem for adolescent girls and 25 per thousand are at risk of developing a significant curve. Three girls per thousand require active treatment (spinal brace or surgery). Because in the early stages the condition is most often asymptomatic, screening in the age range 11-13 years is a sound preventative health measure. When school screening for scoliosis was abandoned we introduced the Self-Detection Program as a practical alternative. The website contains comprehensive credible information about scoliosis. Through the forum, girls and their parents can obtain general advice from certified specialists who manage patients with spinal curvature. With over 3,000 posts to date, our forum is a useful resource in providing searchable information posted by its members regarding the different aspects of scoliosis. It offers a strong support base for adolescent patients with scoliosis and their parents. Healthcare professionals and other interested parties can discuss the NSDP in the forum. Mrs Louise FentoullisDirector of Pastoral Care Mrs Louise FentoullisDirector of Pastoral Care

The Trial HSC exams have gone off very smoothly and students are to be congratulated on their behaviour and the manner in which they have approached the exam block. Students are reminded that school recommences on Tuesday 13th August. All students are expected to return on that day in full College uniform prepared for the last few weeks. Classes will continue as per normal with plenty of time for revision and HSC preparation. It is essential that students continue to attend up till 17th September, which is graduation day. Students must also continue to work hard in order to maximise their results. Over the next few weeks students will be hearing advice regarding University entry and how to go about that, as well as valuable information regarding apprenticeship applications. Students must remember that even if their Trial results are not what they were hoping for there is still plenty of time to improve and that their teachers are more than willing to help them. They just need to ask.

Mrs. Todd Yr 12 Coordinator

Year 11 students are now half way through Term 3 and only five more weeks are left before the Preliminary HSC course ends. By now all students would be organising their class notes, folders, files, worksheets, summaries and revising over the course work in preparation for the End of Year Preliminary Exams. Reaching success in the end of Preliminary HSC exams relies on good preparation and healthy regular study habits/techniques. If our young men and women in Year 11 know in their hearts and minds that this being done; it will ultimately develop confidence, self belief and reduce or better manage anxiety. During tutor lessons, students have been engaged in workshops developed by their tutor teachers. The content of these workshops has been on “Body Image & Eating - for health and wellbeing” and “Leadership.” Students in Year 11 also received “role statements” and “self-nomination” forms on Year 12 Senior Student leadership. Applications for these positions have now closed and the College now is in a position to conduct a Year 11 cohort ballot along with a College staff ballot. After these ballots or endorsements, the successful students are notified of an

impending interview with the College staff leadership team. At the conclusion of all interviews, the students are notified along with the College community.

Angelo SolomonidesYear 11 Coordinator

On Monday this week the whole of Year 10 had their Reflection Day. The boys went to Oxford Falls for a presentation called “Men of Honour” and the girls were in the LOCC for a presentation called “Real Talk”. Please talk with your child and discuss what these presentations were about. Thank you for all the parents and students who attended the Year 11 Choices evening on Tuesday 6th August - I hope you found this helpful. Expressions of Interest for Year 11 2014 forms are due in on Friday 9th August. On Friday 9th August Year 10’s will be participating in the annual Vocations Awareness day. This involves members of various religious orders of men and women talking with the students about decision making in their lives.

Peter TrainerYear 10 Coordinator

Year 9 Camp Report On Monday, July 29th, the Year 9 cohort set off to begin their challenging three day camp. As we arrived at Morriset, we all worked together to unload the luggage from the coaches and gather in the meeting hall. We were greeted by our enthusiastic camp leaders who informed us of our sleeping arrangements, daily activities and multiple groups.

Our camp leaders were our role models, they introduced themselves and made us feel as if we were at home. They taught us everything we needed to know about all the activities and supported our decision in whether we chose to participate or observe. To us the camp leaders helped us to overcome man fears, fear of heights, fear of water and fear of falling. Overall our camp leaders accomplished their aim to be our role models and set high goals for us, we were all grateful to be assigned with them and they increased our enjoyment of the camp. Throughout camp we were faced with many challenges to complete all daily activities. These activities consisted of an obstacle course in the freezing cold water and gooey mud of mud world; petrified butterflies in our stomach as we climb the 10 meter leap of faith, face the trembling 12 meter high ropes and feel our stomachs drop from the 15 meter platform of the big drop; high adrenalin rush and painful harness wedgey as we drop from the giant swing; working together as a team to create a strategy to make it to other side of survivor, and drenching ourself sailing and kayaking through the beautiful water of Lake Macquarie. Morriset provided us all with delicious breakfast, morning and afternoon tea, lunch and dinner. Although our food was great, we were all jealous of the teachers perfect, gourmet meals, they looked mouth-watering. After dinner on monday night, we were entertained by an astounding group of Aboriginal dancers. They performed many of their traditional dreamtime dancers and educated us with their cultural traditions. Before bed we were directed towards the group campfire, here we were told a frightening story about what we believed was true. This really helped us sleep safe and sound that night with a few tears. Early Tuesday night a priest joined us to conduct mass and help us connect with God. After this was a challenging yet extremely exciting game where the teachers and leaders joined forces against us in a game of commando in the bush. We all set out in small groups of 7 to try and capture the students being held hostage by the teachers. Unfortunately, only three were captured. Overall this camp was the best by far of all camps we’ve been on, it made us challenge ourselves and face our fears, we loved it and wish it could’ve been longer. By Matilda Witham and Ashleigh Schultz, Year 9

Andrew BettyYr 9 Co-ordinator

Reflection DayYear 8 participated in a lively Reflection Day on Wednesday. Presenter Chris Doyle got students thinking about how their choices and actions have consequences in terms of careers & relationships. He talked and sang about the importance of the ‘baked scone’, offering something of yourself to others. Another great activity had students making choices: e.g. between Fruit Loops and Weetbix, watching TV & homework, being told what to do & telling other people what to do, parties & study… and a great well paid interesting job and a boring job. He pointed out that if you chose the Fruit Loops, TV and parties every time, you’d never get the skills for that interesting

job.

It was also fabulous to see some of our students getting up and singing and playing guitar with Chris as well – and being so supported by their cohort.

Elective choices for Year 9 2014: Year 8 will have presentations from subject co-ordinators next week re elective choices for Year 8. An Information Night for parents will be held on 20th August at 7pm in Berg Hall.

Megan de Kantzow Year 8 Co-ordinator

In my first week as acting Yr 7 Coordinator, we have been focusing intently on expectations of appropriate behaviour and our goal of living out the College values in all that we do.As well as the 'busy' period of the term beginning with regard to assessment tasks, we have also completed another round of immunisations (without too many tears!).Further into the newsletter you will see the invitation to the iPad training evening for parents. R.S.V.P's will close soon so make sure you claim a place before they're all gone.

Mrs. Rose De PomeroyYear 7 Coordinator (Acting)

This term has been a very busy time for Visual Art department, particularly Year 12, who are currently in the middle of Trial HSC exams as well as finishing their HSC Bodies of Work.On behalf of the Visual Arts Department and Year 12, I would like to invite you to the HSC showcase of Visual Arts and Industrial Technology, Timber Major works and Music and Drama performances on Wednesday 28th August in the Light of Christ Centre. Further details can be seen below on the invitation. Juliette Carson Visual Arts Coordinator

Congratulations

Congratulations to Robert Barker (Year 10) who entered the Cambridge Checkpoints Photographic Competition and won first place for his image “Leap Frog” and runners up for “Chemical Crown.”

Robert has won an ipad and his images will be placed on the front covers of Cambridge HSC Study guides. What a wonderful achievement and honour!

What is iCloud? How my child back up their school work on the iPad? What apps will help me monitor iPad use? How do the students submit work on the iPad? These questions and more will be answered in a Parent Information Evening on Wednesday the 14th of August at 7pm. Numbers are strictly limited.Where: The Tech CentreWhen: Wednesday 14th August 7pm - 8.30pm

R.S.V.P. Please fill out the form by clicking here.

Outback Reconciliation Pilgrimage 2013

By Lilli De Kantzow

At 6am on Friday the 21st of June, a group of 18 St Leo’s students and 6 accompanying adults posed next to the bus, which was going to become our home away from home for the next 8 days. We smiled for one last flash of the camera before piling onto the bus for the first 670km of our journey. We arrived at the Cobar just in time to see the sunset over the open cut mines and after our BBQ dinner had our first Yarning Circle around a fire. The Yarning circle, led by David Ella, became a nightly event for us all to share our thoughts on our trip and the highlights of our day, allowing each person the same respect and attention that ultimately made our Outback Pilgrimage so amazing. On our first night, we stayed at St John’s Primary School in Cobar, where we were all very grateful of the new hall’s heating.After a blessing said by Father Paul in the local Catholic Church, we set off nice and early, so we could have breakfast at Mount Grenfell before heading towards White Cliffs, via Wilcannia. Mt Grenfell is a historical site which was once a regular gathering spot for the of Ngiyampaa people, thousands of years before European settlement. Surrounded by the rocky ridge, we saw richly coloured paintings of human and animal figures, representations of the natural environment, and hand stencils which are of ceremonial significance to traditional owners. After the minor hiccup of a tire exploding, we arrived at White Cliffs where, we raced through the underground motel to the roof so we could watch the sun go down. The trip kept getting better and better, staying at the underground motel was an awesome experience, especially the view from the roof at dawn.

On Sunday, we all got up early out of choice, and watched the most phenomenal sunrise of the whole trip. We then quickly ate breakfast and said our fond goodbyes to the motel owner’s puppy before all getting on the bus and starting our drive to Broken Hill. We stopped off at the amazing Mutawintji National Park to soak in the energy of one of the most sacred places in Australia. The view from the top of the mountain we climbed was enough to make even the most vertigo-affected of the group climb to the top. We could have stayed up there forever, however, hunger called and we all climbed back down to the bus so we could drive on to Broken Hill, were we munched on pizza in front of a crackling fire before Mass in the dining hall of our amazing accommodation at Mulberry Vale. On Monday, it was film-makers delight as we set out on a day trip to the wonderful little community of Silverton after a photo op with the giant chair overlooking Broken Hill for photos and a visit to the Miner’s Memorial. Then, we popped over to visit the South Australian border before we all clambered back into the bus for the trip to the Broken Hill Sculpture Park to watch the sunset, before heading back to the fire and the Year 11 prepared dinner of spaghetti.

Tuesday brought its own set of delights and challenges when the community of Lake Menindee rolled out the red carpet for us. We spent the day visiting the Menindee Central School, who had a range of activities prepared for us which included doing bark paintings

and making traditional clapping sticks. A few of us even spoke on the school’s Menindee local radio, but the fun didn’t really start until dinner, which was a feast of traditional dishes and damper. Some of the students from the school then did a performance of one of the community elder’s stories, an amazing experience made more potent by a recording of the woman’s voice and her presence in the audience. After the performance, we wondered out onto the oval to gaze up at the perfectly clear sky and marvel at the stars above us. Exhausted, and full of damper, we fell asleep in the bunk beds of the converted train which formed our accommodation for the night.

Wednesday dawned bright and cold as we all bundled on to the bus again to set off to Lake Mungo, to walk over the sand and be continually surprised that the ocean wasn’t over the next dune. The highlight of Wednesday was mass, on top of the highest sand dune we could find. The amazing beauty and silence which surrounded us made it the perfect may to celebrate the Eucharist. After Eucharist, we all promptly took off our shoes and ran down the sand dunes until the teachers’ cries brought us back to the bus for our journey on to Mildura, in time for the NRL fans to watch the second State of Origin game.

Thursday began the long haul of driving, from Mildura to Leeton, where we stayed the night. None of us will ever forget the hospitality of Ms Beattie’s family, who provided us with an amazing way to spend the last night of our pilgrimage, in front of a bonfire, and surrounded by the family’s dogs.

Friday was a blur although it provided us with one of the highlights of the trip, which was driving back into Sydney singing Bohemian Rhapsody; Boys are Back in Town, and Coming Home. However, now the sing-a-longs and constant supply of junk food that kept us going through the hours of driving were at an end, and as we said goodbye to each other, there was a distinct sense of sadness as we got off the bus and unpacked the trailer for the final time. Pilgrimage was a phenomenal experience which we will all carry with us for the rest of our lives.

A huge thank you to all the supporting staff, Mr Trainer, Ms Beattie, Mrs McCann, Father Paul, David Ella and Paul Nield, without whom the Pilgrimage would not have happened and whose support, organisation, and sense of fun and adventure made the Pilgrimage just that bit more brilliant.

Special thanks to:

• Pam from Mulberry Vale for her hospitality and unique accommodation (mulberryvale@bigpond.com)

• Lake Menindee Central school for their hospitality, performance and amazing day (ARRON.STEVENS@det.nsw.edu.au)

• The Principal Mr. Russell Preece at St John’s Catholic Primary School Cobar for the use of their hall and BBQ

• St Peters for lending us their school minibus• Southern Cross for lending us their trailer and Paul Nield for the week• Broken Bay CSO for allowing David Ella to accompany us. Without his insight,

history, education and his passion for Aboriginal history and traditions the trip would never have been so enlightening.

If you would like any further information regarding the Outback Pilgrimage please feel free to contact:Portia Beattie - St Leo’s Catholic College portia.beattie@dbb.org.auPeter Trainer - St Leo’s Catholic College peter.trainer@dbb.org.au

Careers News

University of New South Wales: Minerals Summer School. Mon 13th to Thu 16th January. Students in Year 10 or 11 who are interested in science or engineering can take part in this 4 day residential summer school. Students will learn about study, careers, lifestyles and opportunities in the Australian minerals industry. Applications close Fri 20th September.http://www.mining.unsw.edu.au/2014_UMSS_Applicationsopen%0 UN Youth Australia: Pacific Project. Applications close Tue 3rd September.A yearlong project for students in years 10, 11 and 12 that culminates in a two week trip to East Timor. Applications are now open for the 2014 project. Trip to East Timor planned for Sat 28th June to Sun 13th July 2014.http://www.unyouth.org.au/international/pacific-project/World Education Program Australia Information Sessions Wed 31st July, Wed 21st August, and Wed 11th September, 7:30pm to 9pm Bowlers Club of NSW, 95-99 York Street, Sydney. World Education Program (WEP) Australia provides student exchange opportunities for students in years 9 to 12.Contact: (03) 9598 4733 or wep@wep.org.au http://wep.org.au/info/information-eveningsCamp America 2014 Information Session Tue 6th August, 6:30pm to 8:30pm. Y Hotel Hyde Park, 5-11 Wentworth Avenue, Sydney. Find out more about Camp America’s 2014 programs from the Camp America team and former Camp America participants.https://www.facebook.com/events/486806108063013/National Computer Science School ChallengeThe National Computer Science School (NCSS) Challenge is a programming competition for secondary students. The five week challenge teaches students how to program throughout the duration of the task with competitors able to compare themselves to their peers. The challenge starts Mon 5th August and finishes Sun 8th September.https://groklearning.com/challenge National History ChallengeThe National History Challenge encourages students to use research and inquiry based learning to discover more about the past. Students may investigate their community and their own families’s past, and explore ideas through history. Students may present their inquiry in a variety of forms. Entries close Fri 30th August.http://historychallenge.org.au/about/closing-date/ Is your child studying for the HSC? Tips to assist you and your children (for the Chinese speaking community) Click on the link below for more information. HSC Study Tips - Chinese community - English version - final

DebatingTwo debating workshops were held recently. Students from Year 9 attended a day at Macquarie University and students from Years 10 and 11 were invited to attend a day at

Sydney University. Both workshops had a high standard of debate and we congratulate our students for their performance on the day. A workshop for Years 7 and 8 will be held at Macquarie University in November. UN Youth Evatt CompetitionTwo Year 11 students, Connor Dare and Tobias Hilton, competed in the first round of this event on Friday 2 August. Evatt places young Australians in the shoes of UN Security Council representatives, making them debate on issues of international security, human rights and current affairs.Students compete in Evatt in teams of two. The competition takes the form of a simulated UN Security Council, where teams debate, amend, and vote on a resolution prepared by facilitators from the perspective of one of the Security Council’s member states. Our students researched and represented the perspective of the United Kingdom. Best wishes for their continuation to the next round. Neryle SheldonDebating & Public Speaking Coordinator

Write4fun Writing CompetitionWrite a story or poem for a chance to win $1000 ($500 for you and $500 for St Leo’s) plus an iPod or XBox One or Playstation 4. All it takes is an AWESOME story or poem. Entry is free. Stories no more than 500 words. Poems no more than 16 lines.www.write4fun.net - Entries close Friday 13 September. Neryle SheldonCompetitions Coordinator The Premier’s Reading Challenge is drawing to a close and we have a number of students in Years 7, 8 and 9 who have completed or nearly completed the challenge. A pizza lunch will be held next Wednesday to celebrate reading achievements. The St Leo’s Reading Challenge continues. This challenge has no rules so students can include a wide range of reading choices. Neryle SheldonTeacher Librarian

Soiree in Spring

The next Soiree for 2013 will be held on Wednesday 4th September at 6pm.The Soiree will be held in the Light of Christ Centre and goes for approximately 1hr. Parents, family and friends are invited to attend and enjoy the variety of performances on show.

Bel Canto, Max 12 (the College vocal groups), and Four Seasons, various solos, duets and small group items from years 7-12 will be performing. If you would like to perform at this Soiree there will be auditions on Friday 23rd August at lunch time in the Music Centre. You will need to bring your backing track to your audition if you are using one. Come and see Mrs Gauci in the Music Centre as soon as possible and arrange an audition time or to discuss what you would like to perform. Hope to see many students and parents supporting this concert. Mrs Olivia Gauci & Ms Carolyn McFarlane

Become a Catholic

Do you have a husband, wife, children other family members or friends who are Catholic, but you’re not?Are you interested in becoming Catholic or learning more about the Catholic faith?If so, the Hornsby Catholic Parish (Our Lady of the Rosary, Waitara and Queen of Peace, Normanhurst) warmly welcomes you.The parish prepares and welcomes new members into the Catholic Church through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA). Through the RCIA, members of the parish community walk with enquirers, sharing their living faith and allowing each enquirer to deepen their own relationship with God in a Catholic context.If you’ve thought of becoming Catholic or simply learning more about the Catholic faith, and would like more information, without any obligation, please contact the parish office on 9483 2300 or Therese on 9481 9226.

Week Without Words (September 2 – 8) is a fundraising campaign to give St Lucy’s children the tools they need to communicate. 95% of our students have a communication disability. We are raising money to give them speech therapy and to help them use devices that “speak” for them - because every child deserves to be heard.For more information click hereStudents of St. Leo's - would you sponsor a teacher here at St. Leo's not to speak for a while?

BROKEN BAY NETBALL GALA DAY On the 23rd of July 2013 selected girls from years 7-11 went to Pennant Hills Park Netball courts to play in the netball gala day. Although it was cold in the morning it turned out to be a fine, sunny day with a slight breeze. The girls all played their best but, unfortunately, no teams made the grand finals. The senior girls team came very close but went down to Mercy College in the semi's. The first games were at 9.15 and all the girls cheered on the years 8's team whilst waiting for their games. As time progressed the scores became closer and closer, but all of the girls kept powering on and encouraging each other. Year 7s won one out of four of their games beating Mercy College in their final game. Year 8s won 2 of their four games. Year 9-10 team were narrowly beaten in their games whilst senior girls made semi finals. All of the girls did a great job both in defence and attack. Thanks to the girls who came and umpired for us as well as Miss Watts, Miss Sandbach, Ms Hasman and Maddie Hogarth for giving up their time to coach us. Overall it was a fun day. ~ Georgia Mcdonald and Tegan Reed. (Yr 7) SPORT POINTS Yr 7MVP - Gabby YatesBest and fairest - Lauren Mund Coaches Award - Tegan Reed Yr 8MVP - Gabby ChanBest and Fairest - Laura MoranCoaches Award - Brittany Wells Yr 9/10MVP - Bethany BaynieBest and Fairest - Rebekah Sharpe

Coaches Award - Lauren Fitsimmons SeniorsMVP - Amelia Richards Best and Fairest - Meg FletcherCoaches Award - Nicole Cesti

High Achiever In Sport On the 19th of July 2013 Bethany Halmy in year 12 of Aquinas House competed at the NSW All-Schools Cross Country Championships in the 18 years 6km event. Bethany had a very successful run and finished 5th place out of a field of 156 girls from around the state. This result led her to being selected to represent NSW at the Schools Sports Australia Cross Country Championships (Nationals), which will be held in Launceston, Tasmania from the 29th of August to the 1st of September. Congratulations Bethany on such a fantastic result. We at St Leo’s look forward to hearing more about your achievements early September upon your arrival back from Tasmania. Good Luck!! IMPORTANT SPORT MESSAGE Can I ask that should any student qualify for an all-schools sporting event or NSWCCC that they inform the front office and the sports coordinator so that they are not marked absent and their sporting achievement does not go unnoticed. HAVE YOU ACCOMPLISHED A GREAT SPORTING ACHIEVEMENT THIS YEAR? If you have accomplished a great sporting achievement we would like to hear about it. Please click on the link below and complete the details that follow:https://docs.google.com/forms/d1XkjuSwbpu1PAbU8tvRAVNZm1HYNlKtn6ZzKE9UyF5ao/viewform

YEAR 7 FAMILY DINNER

You are invited to the Year 7 Family Dinner.A great opportunity to get to know your child’s friends and their parents.

Siblings are also welcome.When: Sunday 25th August from 5pm

Where: Hotel Pennant Hills, 352 Pennant Hills Road, Pennant HillsMenu details: www.hotelpennanthills.com.au/bistro/

Kids’ meals (12 & under) $9, kids’ playgroundPlease RSVP by 19/08/13

Email alhardy@bigpond.com or text 0425 305 950

Hope to see you there!

About the Literacy & Numeracy Support teamWho are they?This is a wonderful group of men & women who volunteer to help the students of St Leo’s. This group is run and organised by a mother of past students who still dedicates her time and energies to develop children. The leader, Sarah Szacsvay, works very closely with the school’s Director of Learning and the Leadership Team.Students of all ages requiring support or assistance in Literacy or Numeracy see their volunteer on a regular basis for guidance and practice of their skills.What could I add?One of the best outcomes of the support for the student is simply the encouragement and safe environment to give their work a go.You do not need any finely developed skills!How will I know what to do?The group leader, Sarah, provides all the help you need and the other volunteers are a great support and a social group amongst themselves. Training is also provided by Tony

Guilliford, the Literacy Coordinator at St Leo’s. You pick up some great tips for your own children as well!How can I join or find out more?If you can spare approximately an hour to assist with reading and spelling, then please contact Sarah Szacsvay, Literacy Program Parent Co-ordinatorPhone: 9875 2843, Mobile: 0413 601 496, Email: sbuttfield@hotmail.com