Year 11 Newsletter –
Term 1, Week 2
QUOTE
“Hold yourself responsible for a higher standard than anybody else expects of you. Never excuse yourself. Be a hard master to yourself – and be lenient to everybody else!”
Dear Year 11 Parents & Carers,
Your sons have spent their first two weeks of getting back into the swing of school. The joy of February in Sydney with its humidity has tested the boys particularly wearing ties, long pants and 
shoes but has not totally killed them with our boys just getting on with it. I was extremely proud of how well the boys behaved at the Prize Giving and Family Mass. Our boys are quickly learning all the structures of life as a Senior at Joeys.
The Academic Prize Giving Night for 2010 was held on Friday evening at the end of Week One. In addition to the HSC high achievers, the College welcomed special guest speaker, Mr. Peter Thompson, well known broadcaster and long running presenter of the Radio National Breakfast Program and the current affairs program AM, on ABC Radio. Mr. Thompson is an Old Boy of the College and spoke enthusiastically to the students and their families. The night certainly highlighted the success that our boys achieved in their final results and particularly in the School Certificate State exam.
Our Congratulations go to the following twenty-two young men whose outstanding efforts in 2010 were fittingly acknowledged.
Oliver Coorey: – 1st place in Science, Visual Arts and an Academic Excellence Award.
Edmund Dwyer: – 1st place in French and an Academic Excellence Award.
Hamish Elliot: – 1st place in Industrial Technology – Timber and an Academic Excellence Award.
Matthew Hall: – An Academic Excellence Award
Maxwell Hall: – 1st place in Religious Education, 1st place in Industrial Technology – Metal, 1st place in Music and an Academic Excellence Award.
Michael Lawler: – An Academic Excellence Award and a Consistent Study Effort Award.
Henry Maher: – 1st place in English; 1st in Australian Geography; 1st in Australian History;
1st in Commerce, 1st in Thinkquest, an Academic Excellence Award and a Consistent Study Effort Award.
Cameron Haddad: – 1st place in Agricultural Technology.
Daniel Picone: – 1st place in Latin.
Alexander Rainnie:- 1st place in Graphics Technology
Michael Thompson:-1st place in Drama.
Timothy Litherland: – 1st place in Elective History.
Magnus Heywood:- 1st place in Information and software Technology.
Brian Chung Hin Li:- 1st place in Japanese.
Max Westacott:- 1st place in Mathematics Course 5.1.
James Christie:- 1st place in Mathematics Course 5.2.
William McManus:-1st place in Mathematics Course 5.3.
Alex Newsome:- 1st place in Personal Development/Health/Physical Education.
Clancy Pattinson:- 1st place in Physical Activity and Sport Studies and a Consistent Study Effort Award.
Ben Carolan:-. A Consistent Study Effort Award
Max Honner:- A Consistent Study Effort Award.
Thomas Laban:- A Consistent Study Effort Award.
Sean Quigley:- A Consistent Study Effort Award.
From the School Certificate results the top performing students in each test were:
- English – literacy – Maxwell Hall [98%];
- Mathematics – Jonathon Canturi [97%]
- Mathematics Accelerated – Jack Cullen and Paul Fortuin [96%]
- Science – Henry Maher [97%]
- Australian History Civics and Citizenship – Henry Maher [97%]
- Australian Geography Civics and Citizenship – Maxwell Hall [98%]
- Computing Skills – Maxwell Hall [98%]
Special congratulations goes to Maxwell Hall and Henry Maher who achieved a Band 6 result in the English – literacy, Mathematics, Science, Australian History Civics and Citizenship, Australian Geography Civics and Citizenship tests.
Well done boys, certainly laying a great foundation for their HSC studies.
The Family Mass on our first Sunday marked the beginning of our Year with close to 2,000 people in attendance. A packed Hall enjoyed the celebration of the Joeys Family, led by our College Chaplain, Father Andrew Nee, marking the beginning of 2011 with our Family Mass of Dedication. Our boys sung with great gusto and spirit to make these Masses always a wonderful celebration never to be missed.
From Sunday afternoon until Tuesday afternoon, of last week, twenty-four of our boys: James Allan, Joe Callaughan, Ben Carolan, Ben Chaplin, Joe Duffy, James Dressler-Smith, Hamish Elliot, Harrison Gould, Max Hall, James Harrison, Magnus Heywood, Max Honner, Josh Kay, Tom Laban, Charlie Landers, Michael Lawler, Tim Palmer, Harry Maher, Tom Murphy, Alex Newsome, Daniel Picone, James Quinn, David Ryan and Ned Tipping were chosen to go to Colo for a Leadership Camp. The boys partook in a series of problem solving tasks that required leadership and team work to solve. The boys discussed the virtues, skills and roles of leadership. The boys will put their leadership skills to work when they return to Colo throughout the year to assist the Colo Staff in the running of the Year 7 & 8 Colo Camps. This is a truly wonderful experience for these twenty-three young men to put their leadership skills into practice.
At The Headmaster’s Assembly this week, Mr. Ross Tarlinton congratulated our boys complimenting them on a great start marked by their behaviour at the Prize Giving Night and Family Mass particularly under hot conditions. Ross then highlighted to our boys the importance of the respect we must show to our neighbours and our local community stressing the need for all our boys to be good neighbours. Ross’s words provided our boys great encouragement based on a fine start that we look forward to continuing in all the boys classes and studies as well.
Assembly also saw the presentations of our AAGPS Firsts Teams in Swimming and Tennis. Congratulations to our Year 11 representatives in:
Senior Swimming Team: Elliott Blues, Ben Carolan, Harrison Holgate, Jackson Pittorino and David Ryan. Maurice De Costa was presented for being selected in our 1st Tennis team. Best of luck to these boys and in fact to all boys, as they continue or commence their respective competitions this Saturday.
Darren Frost and I were very happy to compliment our boys with a particular fine start in their studies, their general behaviour and co-operation in the dorms. Many teachers have made positive comments so we are off to a very good start. The first two weeks has seen your sons with information overload but they have handled it all very well.
I spoke to the boys about the strength of routine, particularly with Study. I stressed that Dinner Leaves, should be only for exceptional reasons, particularly on Friday night. Otherwise, our boys could go from Thursday night to Monday night without having completed any Study. The same applies for Saturday and Sunday evenings. The boys who remain at the College do a session of Study and attend Mass before they enjoy a pizza in front of a movie, the footy or a game of touch or basketball with their mates.
Thank you so far for the diligence of the Full Boarders Parents with your request for Overnights. May I please receive ALL requests by last communications Thursday evening (10.30pm). The Weekly Boarders obviously do not have to request Overnights or inform me of their Weekend Movements as the understanding is that they all go home with their families after their sporting commitments on Saturday during summer.
May I strongly urge, that all parents need to apply sensible restrictions to our boys movements on the weekends. The onus is now more than ever on the parents to educate their son’s about the frequency of going to parties, outings of where to go and not to go, setting curfews and then policing them. I’m sure you will hear from your son “Everyone else is going!” Be assured this is nothing further from the truth. Our boys are good, fair, developing young men who can indeed accept, NO! as an answer. Work out with your son how many outings are permissible each term. It would be disappointing if some of our boys developed a culture of not doing any work over a weekend as well as not having quality family time. I encourage you all as we work together to help educate our boys in this always uneasy topic about sensible expectations and most importantly a safe and balanced social life.
Yesterday I had quite a harrowing experience of attending the funeral of a young man from St Ignatius College Riverview, Joe Welch, 2009, he was 19 years of age. Joe was a much celebrated SIC student, whose love of sport , especially Rugby, where he was in the 1st XV for three years, a significant achievement especially considering he was a prop forward. He captained their Premiership winning team in 2009 and was subsequently chosen for the Australian Schoolboys side to tour the United Kingdom. Joe’s life was tragically cut short whilst he was participating in the Full Moon Festival with many of his mates, some of them ex St Joseph’s students. I have never been to a funeral where the Priest’s opening words were;
“There is nothing good about this today”.
I have never been to a funeral where the Priest openly wept whilst giving the coffin the final blessing, before two younger brothers (current SIC Yr 11 students), a sister and a few more close mates, were waiting tearfully, to carry it out of the church. Fr Kelly did a magnificent job.
As I stood and reflected on numerous things, whilst standing with a group of SJC 2009 students, I thought how brave and sensible Joe’s parents were, when in their eulogy they said that Joe had made an error of judgement whilst being on the holiday and that alcohol and drugs combined can lead to decisions, which can change lives forever. And whilst they deeply loved their son and were tremendously proud of who and what he had become in his short life, Joe’s parents were still strong and wise enough to leave such a strong message for all people, especially the young, and it was one which I shared with our boys when I returned at lunch. It would be good to take some time to reflect on this with your son, if you can, and hopefully they will take something positive from this tragic loss of an outstanding young man.
In early January, you should have received an invitation to the Year 11 Dinner to be held on Friday, evening, 4th March. Being at the end of Week 5 of Term One, it allows for our boys to have settled in as well as mark the very significant beginning of their HSC studies. If you have not received your Invitation please contact Mrs. Rose Unwin at runwin@joeys.org for your Invitation.
I look forward to seeing you around the College. Take care and enjoy the weekend with your families.
Regards,
Jeremy Ticehurst
Yr 11. Boarding Coordinator