CBHS Lewisham Highlights

24 May 2024
Principal's Message
Dear Parents, Staff and Students,

Our Lady Help of Christians

We celebrate today (24 May) the Feast of our patroness of Australia, Our Lady Help of Christians. Mr
Valencic accompanied a representative group of Year 6 students to a special Mass held in St Mary’s
Cathedral joining others from the primary schools of the Archdiocese and His Grace, Archbishop
Anthony Fisher OP presided.

Mary Help of Christians, Patroness of Australia

Almighty God, deepen in our hearts

our love of Mary Help of Christians.

Through her prayers and under her protection,

may the light of Christ shine over our land.

May Australia be granted harmony, justice and peace.

Grant wisdom to our leaders and integrity to our citizens.

Bless especially the men and women

of the Australian Defence Force and their families.

We ask this through Christ Our Lord. Amen.

Mary Help of Christians, pray for us.

Years 7-10 Semester 1 Assessments

Assessments for Years 7-10 will commence on Monday, 27 May 2024 and conclude on Thursday, 6 June
2024. All students have been provided with their assessment schedule. This schedule has appeared in
the Student Notices every day this week, and will continue to do so until the end of the assessment
block.

Pupil Free Day

A reminder that Friday, 7 June 2024 is a Pupil Free Day. Teachers will be using this valuable time to work
in the areas of professional development as well as student assessments and marking.

Dr Michael Blowes

Principal

From the Deputy

Primary Open Classrooms & Mass

Wednesday saw the Primary community come together celebrate the year so far. The classrooms where
opened to parents and grandparents – which enabled our boys to show off all their hard work. After the
visits to the classrooms the parents and grandparents made their way to the McDonald Centre to
celebrate as a community. Special thank you to Fr Jack Evans who celebrated the Mass. Thank you to
Mrs Rosanne Errichiello who prepared the Mass and the morning for the Primary community. Thank
you to the teachers who have worked tirelessly this year and finally thank you to our parents and
grandparents who where able to attend the morning.
The next Primary event is the Primary Presentation Night Wednesday, 19 June 2024

Notables Year 5 (McDonald Centre) & Year 6 Presentations (Classrooms) – 6.00 pm

This night will also include Public Speaking competition and Musical Items by our talented Primary
students – more information to be sent home shortly.

Mark Woodbury

Deputy Principal
Da Vinci Decathlon 2024
This year's Da Vinci Decathlon was an exciting and enriching experience for our students from Years 5-10.
The competition, hosted at Knox Grammar School, provided a platform for thousands of young minds
from various schools to showcase their skills across a variety of challenging disciplines.

Despite the early start, spirits were high as the teams made their way to the venue. The competition
kicked off at 7:30 am, with the first session covering subjects like English, Ideation, Science, Code
Breaking, and Creative Producers. The day's activities highlighted the importance of collaboration; as one
student shared "The questions and problems we faced really got us pushing our minds to collectively try
and solve each challenge."

After a well-deserved recess, the second session commenced with Mathematics, Art and Poetry,
Engineering, and Cartography. Despite the occasional moment of distraction from other teams around,
our students managed to complete their tasks with creativity and dedication.
 1 - Years 5-6 Da Vinci Decathlon Team

Lunch offered another opportunity to relax, refuel, and meet with competitors from other schools. The
afternoon session included Legacy, a trivia task focusing on the life and contributions of Leonardo Da
Vinci. This session was particularly engaging, as the entire team came together to share their knowledge
and insights.

2 - Year 7 Da Vinci Decathlon Team

 3 - Year 8 Da Vinci Decathlon Team

The day concluded with musical performances by Knox's various bands, which was enjoyed by all.
Although we are still awaiting the final results, the experience itself was immensely rewarding. As one
student put it "it is an extremely joyful and fun event which allows us to make new friends and build
bonds."

The 2024 Da Vinci Decathlon was not just a test of knowledge but a celebration of teamwork, creativity,
and the joy of learning. As we await the final results, we celebrate and congratulate all participants on
their enthusiam, dedication and resilience.

Ms Szilvia Soter
 4 - Year 9 Da Vinci Decathlon Team

5 - Year 10 Da Vinci Decathlon Team

Atalanta BC win Europa League Final

Congratulations to Atalanta BC who overnight broke their 61-year trophy drought and ended Bayer
Leverkusen's 51-game unbeaten run with a 3-0 win in the Europa League final.

The Atalanta Lewisham Football Affiliation (ALFA) gives our boys exclusive access to the same coaching
techniques and pathways that have made Atalanta a renowned training ground for some of Europe’s
best players. We are more excited than ever to welcome the scouts later this year to pick the two boys in
the ALFA program to travel to Italy for trial.

For more information or to sign up please get in touch with our Director of Football
vince.colagiuri@cbhslewisham.nsw.edu.au
Congratulations Jacob!
We are excited to announce that Jacob Kladis, a talented Year 7 student, has been selected to join the
Football NSW U14 Boys team for the 2024 NAIDOC Cup. The tournament will take place this July at Lake
Macquarie.

Jacob's dedication, skill, and passion for football have led to this remarkable achievement. We extend
our warmest congratulations to him and wish him the very best in the upcoming competition.

Good luck, Jacob! We are all incredibly proud of you!

Year 7 Poetry Incursion

On Thursday, 16 May Year 7 students attended a high-energy, engaging and educational poetry incursion
titled ‘Unlocking the Poetry Code’ written and produced by the Poetry In Action company. This
experience allowed students to explore the way in which composers use language to shape meaning as
well as the vocal elements and musicality of poetry. This incursion has better-equipped students to
understand the various aspects of composing and responding to poetry in a range of contexts which will,
in turn, assist them in their current study of how connections to the Australian landscape are portrayed
in poetry.

Music Camp
In Week 4, the CBHS Music Ensembles visited the Terrigal Workul Koo house, enjoying both the warm
weather and harmonious music. Students were surrounded by like-minded fellow musicians as they
rehearsed a variety of repertoires, benefiting from the invaluable process of refining their musical
artistry through diligent practice and expert guidance. Much like steel sharpens steel, the camaraderie
among musicians significantly facilitated mutual growth, with the exemplary role modelling by our senior
students serving as a particular strength of this camp.
The Vocal Group rehearsed timeless classics such as Frank Sinatra’s "My Way" and "Fly Me to the Moon,"
while the Concert Band engaged with challenging scores from Back to the Future, the Spider-Man movie
soundtrack and a Beatles medley. Additionally, our Liturgy Band prepared for the various liturgical events
and the Music and Arts evening in Term 3 by rehearsing hymns and "In My Head" by Queens of the
Stone Age.
Workul Koo was abuzz with music and learning, yet it was not all work and no play. Our musicians had
the opportunity to enjoy Avalon Lagoon on a splendid Thursday morning, engaging in kayaking and
stand-up paddle-boarding, participating in beach games outside our beachfront accommodation, and
exploring the Terrigal shops.

In conclusion, the Music Camp at Terrigal Workul Koo was an unequivocal success, leaving students
inspired, invigorated, and more united as a musical community. The experiences and memories forged
during this camp will undoubtedly have a lasting impact on their musical journeys in the years to come.
Debating
The CSDA Competition's Round 3 was held on home soil last week with Lewisham debating Rosebank
College. The senior teams argued whether our interaction with social media has changed the way we
understand humanity, while the junior teams considered whether the ban on mobile phones in schools
should be removed, and the Year 9 and 10 teams debated whether social media corrupts human
interaction.

The younger CBHS Lewisham teams had a particularly successful night, with the 7A, 7B, 8B, 9A, 9B, and
10B teams winning their debates. The support of the Old Boys, Year 12 students (Christian Kayrouz,
Lucas Chatto, Harry McCarthy, Ari Sideridis, Mayank Kumar and Daniel Khoury) and parents was highly
appreciated.

The CBHS Lewisham teams will debate All Saints’ Catholic College this week, at home in Round 4.

Mr Paul McCallum

Debating Coordinator

From the Counsellors

This week Year 11 attended a workshop called 'Coming Back Stronger' which was delivered by the
wonderful Roanna Chan, a clinical psychologist from the Kidman Centre at UTS. The session focused on:

- helping students identify challenges and learning how to address these challenges with a growth
mindset: This is a greater predictor of success than IQ!

- highlighting values and setting goals to turn these into direct actions: Did you know that learning
through stress helps us become more flexible in our thinking and better at problem solving?
- Changing and creating habits: Stacking habits is a strategy that reminds us to add a new habit to an
existing habit to make change more effective and sustainable.

The session was highly informative and interactive and we are very pleased with the way the students
were able to engage with the material. Students were introduced to App Block and Stay Focused, apps
that enable greater control over screen time and given a workbook to help them practice the taught
strategies.

We extend our sincere thanks to Roanna for another fantastic presentation. We look forward to
welcoming her back again to deliver The HSC Stress Management workshop at a later date.

If you are interested in more information about the Kidman Centre and the range of excellent workshops
for parents, please use the link below:

https://www.uts.edu.au/research/kidman-centre/what-we-do/workshops-parents-and-teens

From the Counselling Team

Waterford Learning Centre
Premiers’ Reading Challenge
At the Year 7 assembly on Wednesday, Nicholas Rosadi was presented with the NSW Premier’s Reading
Challenge PLATINUM AWARD.

Although our school doesn’t participate in this Challenge, Nicholas has continued his participation by
reading numerous books each year since he was in Year 1. This demonstrates a tremendous effort and
commitment towards improving his reading over this time. In addition, Nicholas has also been
participating in our school’s Accelerated Reader program since Year 5, achieving his Semester Targets on
numerous occasions.

On behalf of the school, I congratulate Nicholas on this achievement. Nicholas intends to participate in
the Challenge until the end of Year 9 where he will be eligible for the Premier’s Reading Challenge Medal.

Mrs Tanya Toohey

Waterford Learning Centre

Careers
SBAT and VET Meeting for Year 10

On Wednesday night CBHS held a very successful meeting for parents whose sons may be considering
undertaking an SBAT or VET subject as part of their program of study in 2025.

The information on the night from Mr Page and myself was highlighted by our guest speakers Susie
Radojcic and her son Nikola (completing a traineeship in Supply Chain Operations) and Guiseppe
Angilletta and his son Dante (completing an apprenticeship in Cabinetmaking). A big thank you to our
guest families for taking time out of their busy week to come along and speak directly to other parents
about the SBAT experience.
All students on the night received an information pack. If you were unable to attend please see Mrs
Stoddart immediately. TAFE will open for 2025 SBAT applications Week 1 in Term 3 and you need to be
ready with the necessary paperwork.

JobJump Careers Newsletter

Please find attached the link to the Jobjump Careers Newsletter.

https://bulletins.jobjump.com.au/ec0c2190-960a-49fe-8699-aad6e2e33c4c/master

The ATAR and applying to university through UAC

If you are in Year 12 UAC has many informative clips on Youtube regarding applying to University.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbMcTP1N6aQ&t=709s

Not sure what to study?

Course Compass will display the top fields of study offered to past applicants with your academic profile.
https://www.uac.edu.au/future-applicants/course-compass

ATAR Calculator

Curious to get an idea of the ATAR you might be able to achieve? To estimate your ATAR, simply follow
the link to ATAR Compass, select your HSC courses and enter the HSC marks you expect to receive from
NESA. ATAR Compass will estimate your ATAR based on those marks. https://www.uac.edu.au/future-
applicants/atar-compass

Mrs Robyn Stoddart

Careers and Pathways Coordinator

Sport

A beautiful sunny afternoon greeted our Sports program this week and we again saw a full available
round of matches played. Rugby League was up against three different schools while Football was
against Randwick for most teams. The results were:

:
Training will continue on Wednesday after school next week with Round 4 of the winter competition
continuing on Thursday. Please see next week’s draw below, however I ask parents to be aware that the
draw, being live, is subject to change at short notice, depending on weather and venue availability.
Families are also reminded that boys must be playing in full playing gear, including official team shorts
and socks, that are available from the uniform shop.

Families are also reminded that as teams travel in pairs to matches, each team is expected to watch their
partner game and both teams will be dismissed at the end of the second game. For all “away” games,
full private coach transport will be provided. A reminder to all families that students are not permitted
to drive independently to any games where school transport is provided and should request the
permission, in writing, from the Principal for consideration, in the case of exceptional circumstances only.

Term 2

A reminder to all families that training and trials occur EVERY WEDNESDAY after school, beginning on 1
May and that training is compulsory for all players. Any student who has difficulty attending must see
Mr Mamo to arrange a solution suitable to both parties, which may include an early finish. Training
focusses on team building and tactical preparation and awareness, so families need not fear about
players leaving tired for their club sessions afterwards.

Training details for Winter Sport are:

Boys not involved in the representative teams will play recreational sports within their year groups on
Thursday afternoon with boys returning to school for dismissal at 2.45 pm. Boys in House Sport may
leave directly from the venue at approximately 2.25 pm with the written permission of parents/carers.

Please note that House Sports venues may change on a weekly basis depending on ground availability, so
families and students should pay close attention to any changes when they become available.

Cross Country

Congratulations to the Lewisham Cross Country team who participated in the All SCS Carnival on 22 May
at Horsley Park on Wednesday. Notable results included Lucien Sawires (3rd U12), Steven Vrouxiou (10th
U13), Callum Bjazevich (12th U17) and Jonathan Nolan (7th U17). These boys now progress to the
NSWCCC Championships.

Athletics Carnival - Friday, 28 June 2024

The CBHS Lewisham Athletics Carnival is fast approaching and will take place on Friday, 28 June at the
Competition Arena at Olympic Park. Nominations for Championships will take place at House meetings
soon, with boys not participating in Championship events participating in a full program of Non
Championship athletics events on the day.

Chess - Tuesday, 11 June 2024

Any boy who wishes to nominate for the CBHS Lewisham Chess Team to compete in the SCS
Championships on Tuesday, 11 June please register your interest on the following Google class code by
Wednesday, 22 May. wph4qj5

CSNSW Sport

In addition to our school based sport, talented sportsmen can also independently apply to the CSNSW
website to trial. Parents/Carers will firstly need to navigate the site and register to receive access. It
should be noted that all trials are AGE SPECIFIC and not all ages are catered for.
NSWCCC Individual sports selection CLOSE DATES for registrations -

Individual Registration and Trials with entry via the CSNSW Portal.

All students must be registered by close date to be considered for selection. The following sports are
individual nominations only - this is the responsibility of parents / carers.

Registrations are completed on the CSNSW.SPORT portal. Parents must create an account and add child.
Attached is the link for HELP.

Rugby Union (Boys U18) 28/05/2024

NO ENTRIES WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER THE CLOSE DATE

With regards to those boys wishing to pursue a pathway to further schoolboy representation for
NSWCCC teams, please follow the links below for information and registration which must be completed
by individual families. Please be mindful that not all age groups are catered for

More information on each sport is available on the csnsw.sport website.

Registration link is shown below. Interested student should apply via the site.

https://csnsw.sport/

Navigate to Various Sections of Newsletter

When you open a Highlights newsletter you will see the navigation button on the bottom right of the
screen.

The navigation menu allows you to explore an overview of the newsletter based on headings alongside
thumbnails of the section images. A screenshot example is shown below - when you have pressed the
"navigation button" simply choose which particular article you would like to read and by clicking on it
you can jump to it easily.

Screenshot Example:
Acknowledgement of Country

Christian Brothers’ High School Lewisham acknowledges the Gadigal and Wangal people both past and
present who are the Traditional Custodians and have sustained the life, spirit and promise of this land on
which our school now stands. We are committed to being in dialogue with Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander peoples to foster a diverse and inclusive community that aims for unity and solidarity. We value
and nurture authentic relationships celebrating rich and unique gifts that we share through our teaching,
learning and schooling experiences to deepen our appreciation and understanding as we journey
towards reconciliation.

CBHS Jersey Artwork by Tylah Mundine