Volume Eight, Friday 3rd June 2022

Greetings,

This year our College theme is ‘include’. That is, to be inclusive in all we do, think and say. I believe an outcome of inclusiveness is an overwhelming feeling of peace and fulfilment because being inclusive brings harmony. This week I was reading from Abbot Rolheiser. He says:

“Peace, as we know, is a whole lot more than the simple absence of war and strife. Peace is constituted by two things: harmony and completeness. To be at peace something has to have an inner consistency so that all of its movements are in harmony with each other, and it must also have a completeness so that it is not still aching for something it is missing. Peace is the opposite of internal discord or of longing for something we lack.”

When we are not at peace, we are lacking harmony and/or completeness in our lives.  When Jesus promises peace as his farewell gift after his resurrection, he identifies it with the Holy Spirit; that is the spirit of charity, joy, peace, patience, goodness, longsuffering, fidelity, mildness, and chastity. As I regularly say to the students be good, be kind, be loving. How? Be willing to include, ie. be inclusive in all we think, do and say. This will bring harmony and an overwhelming feeling of peace and fulfilment.

This Sunday 5th June is Pentecost Sunday in the Roman Catholic tradition – the gift of the holy spirit to each and every one of us.

This coming week, twenty years after the original production, Oakhill College is presenting the most amazing and outstanding performance of the most famous musical Les Miserables. Tickets are available (especially matinees) via Trybooking for all sessions: https://www.trybooking.com/BZGWQ  and for Opening Night Gala Performance: https://www.trybooking.com/BZGWU. 

I encourage staff, students, parents and friends not to miss out, as Oakhill College is renowned for its highly professional musicals.

Finally, thank you all so very much again for your generosity both in terms of time and resources. Thank you for your contribution to Gala Day grossing about $92,000. A wonderful Oakhill College community event. Thank you to our sponsors for Gala Day and for the Oakhill College Sports Lunch. You are all very generous and very much recognised and appreciated. Thank you for your generosity for the Red Shield Appeal, the Women's Sanctuary Appeal, and St Vinnie’s ‘Blankets and Beanies’ Appeal. Thank you in advance for your generosity in sponsoring students participating in the Ration Challenge for refugees and asylum seekers. There are 73 students and five staff registered already this year. Last year, Oakhill College raised $32,000, the second-largest donation in Australia. However, it is advocacy and service that is most important. Presently with the Ukraine war, there are over 85 million refugees in the world needing support.

"Because a thing is difficult for you, do not, therefore, suppose it to be beyond mortal power. On the contrary, if anything is possible and proper for man to do, assume that it must fall within your own capacity." (Marcus Aurelius)

"We do these things not because they are easy but because they are hard, because that will serve to organise and measure the best of our energies and skills." (John F Kennedy, 1962)

Br Steve Hogan fsc
Principal

Pentecost is my favourite time of the year as the Spirit comes to us. We find the Spirit in everything but especially in prayer.

Some words of wisdom from Pope Francis on prayer:

“We are fragile beings, but we know how to pray; this is our greatest dignity and it is also our strength.”
“Each time we join our hands and open our hearts to God, we find ourselves in the company of anonymous saints and recognised saints who pray with us and who intercede for us as older brothers and sisters who have preceded us on this same human adventure.”

We pray for Br Kevin Moloney who passed away peacefully on Wednesday 16th March. His sister Katherine, brother John, sister-in-law Lois and Br Benildus Larkin were with him. Br Kevin taught at Oakhill College from 1964-1965. We pray in thanksgiving for Kevin’s life, for his eternal rest and for the comfort of his family.

Eternal rest grant unto Brother Kevin, O Lord.
And let perpetual light shine upon him.

Every Friday morning at 8.00am in our beautiful College Chapel, the College community gathers for Mass. This is a great way to build community. 

Now that we are able to have families back on site, I would like to extend a very warm invitation to our parents to join us each Friday in the Chapel with your sons/daughters.

It is a great way to end the week and be thankful for our many blessings. I look forward to seeing you there.

Please note: parking is limited, so please park in the visitors spots on the southern end of the College.

Mrs Laurainne Marshall
Prayer & Liturgy Co-ordinator

On a wet Sunday in late May, Oakhill had over 50 Lasallian Youth Leaders hit the streets to raise money for the Salvation Army Red Shield Appeal. Oakhill has been a proud supporter of the Salvation Army and the great work they do for many years. This year we raised almost $3,000.00. 

Mrs Gabby Russo
Marketing & Community Liaison Co-ordinator

Oakhill is collecting for the St Vincent de Paul Winter Appeal again. We are accepting donations for coats, jackets, scarves, blankets, beanies and winter woollies. 

Our Lasallian Youth Leaders will be at the De La Salle and CSC roundabouts every morning until Monday 20th June or you can donate via Student Services.

Your donations will greatly assist people in need to keep warm this winter.

Mrs Gabby Russo
Marketing & Community Liaison Co-ordinator

Last Sunday, Oakhill hosted the NSW Special Olympics Swimming Carnival. Athletes with special needs travelled from as far away as Newcastle and Canberra to participate in this Carnival. The Carnival was organised and facilitated by a significant number of our Year 11 students in roles such as marshalling, timekeeping, record keeping, starting and hospitality (provision of food and drinks).

“What an impressive school you have here” one parent of a special needs child commented to me about our College facilities on her arrival. At the end of the day this same lady went out of her way to find me again to say… “and your students are just wonderful, thank you so much for having us”.

Congratulations and thank you to the Year 11 students who generously gave their time to ensure the Carnival was successful. In addition, I would also like to acknowledge the support of Mr Chris Goodman and Mr John Ross (College Staff).

Mr Robert Munday
Deputy Principal

We congratulate Ms Deborah Gillis (Assistant Principal, Pastoral Care), who was nominated and awarded the 2022 Rotary Club Excellence in Teaching Award.

Ms Gillis is a dedicated, highly respected, and motivated  English Teacher and member of Oakhill's Senior Leadership Team who has worked at the College for over 30 years. She is an esteemed teacher and leader whose passion, expertise, and guidance have led her students to excellent HSC results. As Assistant Principal of Pastoral Care Ms Gillis has successfully restructured Oakhill's pastoral care program with innovative and creative strategies and has applied best practices from contemporary research to ensure every student is known and cared for.
 
Ms Gillis is a very deserved recipient of this award and still hears from Oakhill graduates who thank her for her contribution to their careers.

Mrs Gabby Russo
Marketing & Community Liaison Co-ordinator

In 2002, Oakhill staged its first production of this epic musical. It was an incredible showcase of talent that is still spoken of today by those privileged to be in the audience or involved with the show’s staging.

On this, the 20th Anniversary of that production, Oakhill will welcome back to the College many of the original cast members as our special guests for Opening Night.

Join us for what will surely be a memorable Oakhill event, one we will still speak of 20 years from now perhaps!

Gala Opening Night tickets, which include Champagne and Canapes before the show, are still available.

Opening Night Performances: 

All Other Performances: 

Mrs Donna Findlay
Head of Senior School

Oakhill is proud to announce another exciting line up for our 2022 Sports Lunch - Oakhill parent and one of Australia's most recognised TV and radio journalists, Tim Gilbert as our Master of Ceremonies, an amazing trio of Oakhill Sports stars including NSW Swifts Premiership winning Coach, past player and Oakhill parent Briony Akle, current Swifts player and Oakhill alumni, Tayla Fraser (Class of 2017) together with Head of Oakhill PDHPE and Australian Women's Rugby League legend Tarsha Gale. Wrapping up the afternoon with a few laughs is funny man Mick Meredith, part joke teller and part guitar slinging Australian comedy royalty.

You won't want to miss out on this exciting line up of guest celebrities and entertainment, as well as the opportunity to catch up with Oakhill families and alumni at the beautiful Doltone House in Pyrmont. Limited tickets are still available before the event is sold out. You can purchase tickets: https://www.trybooking.com/888751.

Thanks to all of our Gold, Silver and Bronze sponsors for your support of the Oakhill Sports Lunch. A special welcome to our Gold Sponsors L&M Smash Repairs and Platform Fitness Glenorie.

Mr Andrew Wisemantal
Head of Sports

A reminder that the second instalment for 2022 fees (one third of your annual fees) was due on Sunday 15th May unless you pay in instalments via School Easy Pay. Fee statements were issued prior to the beginning of term.

Could you please organise payment if not already made or contact the Accounts Receivable Office on 9899 2288 if there are any matters relating to your statement that you need to discuss.

On Wednesday 1st June, Oakhill welcomed alumni, senior students, and university partners to our Business, Finance and Property Careers Breakfast.

Our Careers Breakfast is an excellent forum for students to meet and hear from successful alumni and universities as they navigate the decision making process for tertiary education and careers post-Oakhill. Our Panel Guests were: Adam Butler (Class of 2010), Licensed Real Estate Agent at MCY Group; Anthony Ceroli (Class of 2004), National Distribution Business Manager at Hewlitt Packard; Nicholas Russo (Class of 2019), Accountant in Private Business Family Advisory, Pitcher Partners; Carmel Emanuel (Class of 1981), Lecturer Department of Accounting and Corporate Governance, Macquarie University; and Reed Davis (Class of 2012), Senior Consultant - Compliance, Risk, Audit and Legal, Spring Professional. As well as Tristan Tulloch, Recruitment Consultant and Anthony Yap, Student Ambassador from Macquarie University; and Ruby Duncan Student Ambassador, University of Technology Sydney.

These dedicated and successful professionals offered a deep dive insight into tertiary education choices, career paths, personal experiences, practical tips, and the meaningful lessons they learned along their journey. Our panellists discussed the multitude of opportunities available, the benefits of being an Oakhill Graduate, and how to succeed in gaining your ideal career.

Alumni are an essential element of our College. Our alumni are invited to update their details at: https://www.oakhill.nsw.edu.au/community/alumni, and contact us via drive@oakhill.nsw.edu.au with what they have been doing since they 'walked down the drive'.

Our next Careers Breakfast is on Wednesday 17th August.

Mrs Gabby Russo
Marketing & Community Liaison Co-ordinator

The Performing Arts Department requests, if any families have a piano they are able to donate to our Performing Arts theatre. It would also be used by a student for his Year 12 Major Performance. Please contact Mrs Madigan in Performing Arts. Thank you.

Ongoing teacher professional learning is something we are passionate about at Oakhill College. On Monday 23rd May, teachers engaged in a highly interactive series of workshops about a key pillar of our learning framework; Surface, Deep and Transferable Learning Design.

After a plenary about the science of learning and how best we might design learning to aid student's capacity to retain, retrieve and apply knowledge, teachers attended an array of workshops led by their colleagues in Deep and Transferable learning. The last workshop, Playdough Masters, demonstrated the power of student engagement in learning. Teachers were challenged in teams to come up with an analogy for the concepts learned during the day. Following design principles, they ideated, debated and articulated their model before constructing in playdough. Teachers justified their design in writing and presented to the judges. Communication, collaboration, creativity and critical thinking were all on display. Teachers will now continue to reflect on their programs and lessons to maximise deep and transferable learning opportunities. 

Here is a small snippet: Teachers Learning

Mrs Melissa McMahon
Assistant Principal Curriculum

Our goal for this term in Science is to examine different body systems in humans. We are learning about how the different organs work together to form major systems in humans. So far we have looked at the respiratory system and the circulatory system. We also aim to look at the removal of wastes through the digestive system, support and movement through the skeletal system, growth and repair via the muscular system and reproduction.

“Can we live forever?” is one of the greatest topics in Year 8 Science because it is probably one of the most interesting and fun so far. Why? Because we delve deep into the human body and explore all of its systems. But how do we see these various organs and systems? By taking a look at other animal systems in real life! Our Year had the opportunity to look at an animal “Pluck” which is a connected trachea, heart, lungs, and liver. We got to see how the lungs move with each breath in and out. This week we dissected a sheep's heart! It's gross but very cool. So in our opinion, “Can we live forever?” is one of our favourite Year 8 Science topics, so far.

Lachlan Burden and Joshua Zeaiter, Year 8

The Visual Arts faculty at Oakhill College are fortunate to have so many talented young artists in each year group. Students who are talented in various areas, such as painting, drawing, ceramics, sculpture, photography, digital media and animation, the list could go on and on. Each month the Visual Arts staff select a student to be our Artist of the Month. We select the student based on an artwork that they have excelled in for a unit of work completed. Their artwork must reflect a high level of artistic skill as well as a sophisticated conceptual focus: 

February

In Term One, students were studying various techniques of printmaking such as lino, stencil and drypoint etching to complete a series of work. The theme of this unit was ‘Heroes come in all Shapes and Sizes’ to inspire students. Students were challenged to complete a series of three prints using a variety of techniques and methods. The Artist of the Month is awarded to Lucas Karam (Year 9) for his highly resolved, outstanding series of work. 

Lucas is commended for applying an exceptional use of materials, and showing a sophisticated interpretation of his selected heroes.

Ms Nadina Hazon
Visual Arts Teacher

The student selected for the month of March has exceptional creative ability, and has created an outstanding series of work that reflects a highly realistic still life representation of an object significant to her. We would like to congratulate Julia Cochrane (Year 11) on her amazing series of work exploring the Significant Object. 

Julia is an exceptional painter and her strong passion for art was conveyed as soon as she picked up the paintbrush to begin this work. She is a focused, hard-working student who has a natural ability to convey her ideas and vision with paint. Well done on this amazing achievement. 

Ms Nadina Hazon
Visual Arts Teacher

Year 8 Visual Arts have been our focus for Artist of the Month in April. They have created artwork based on a personal journey that they have experienced. The journey could be a physical, emotional or spiritual one. The students all created amazing artworks which symbolically conveyed their journey story. We would like to congratulate the Artist of the Month for April, Kaija Knevitt (Year 8). Kaija created an interesting artwork that shows a great use of pattern, repetition and symbolism inspired by traditional Aboriginal mark making. Well done Kaija on the incredible achievement in Visual Arts.

Ms Nadina Hazon
Visual Arts Teacher

Sydney’s Vivid Light Festival provides an opportunity for the Year 10 Elective Photography Digital Media students to test their manual photography skills under challenging circumstances. This time of the year also aligns with the global Wildlife Photography and World Press Competition. These exhibitions cover numerous issues from all corners of the planet.

‘Death of a Reef’ by David Doubilet (USA) shows coral ‘through the lens of time and climate change’. The D. Dubilet returns to the Great Barrier Reef nine years on from the photograph in hand to find the corals are now dead. Photojournalist Brent Stirton (South Africa) profiles a rehabilitation centre caring for chimpanzees orphaned by the bushmeat trade. ‘The Flower of Time. Guerrero's Red Mountain’ Yael Martínez (Mexican photographer) creates manipulated images of Indigenous spiritual practices of the Mixtecs.

‘The advice and guidance of photographer Christian Wright made Vivid an enjoyable and educational excursion. Seeing the 99-year-old pylons of the bridge with projected posters was amazing’. Ben Wood

Despite a burst of wild winds and rain, the boys stayed relatively dry and had a terrific experience photographing Vivid before the crowds arrived. The advice provided by Christian Wright gave the boys inspiration to record Vivid successfully in innovative ways.

Ms Cecelia Weinert
Visual Arts Teacher

Our Year 12 Music Showcase was a wonderful and celebratory evening for our graduating music cohort, who all performed pieces from their HSC repertoire to parents and friends. 

In addition to giving us a great opportunity to practice our performance technique, we could enjoy our friend’s musical achievements. Between us: five vocalists, four guitarists, three drummers, two bassists, one violinist, and one pianist. 

Thank you to our music teachers and tutors for their unwavering support.

Jack Talty, Music Captain

On Wednesday 25th May, the da Vinci Decathlon took place in the Senior Learning Commons. Our Year 9 and Year 11 teams tried their best, as they tackled problems across various subjects involving Patterns, Mathematics, Engineering, and English. The competition creatively challenged school students and further enriched their abilities. 

Year 9 competed in a team of eight students and collaboratively worked around the clock with intense determination to complete the tasks during the set time. The competition brought on many challenges that tested each individual, and as a result, brought out the best in them. The day was split up into three sessions; in Session 1 we worked on tasks such as English, Science, and cartography. Session 2 consisted of the Engineering, Mathematics and the arts and poetry papers. The final session (called legacy) included us answering questions based on da Vinci’s legacy, as well as other pop culture questions. 

Together, we worked collaboratively to tackle difficult problems and subsequently, learnt the importance of teamwork in the working environment. When we finished our parts, we would instantly help our teammates so that the other tasks could be completed as soon as possible. The experience gave us valuable lessons on the importance of time management and collaboration with others to achieve the best results possible. 

Spencer Collimore and Nicholas Saxby, Year 9

On Wednesday 18th May, Year 11 students attended the Sacred Places Visits excursion. This excursion provides an opportunity for students to engage firsthand in ecumenical dialogue, with our Christian brothers and sisters in other denominations, and interfaith dialogue, with our brothers and sisters of other faith traditions.

Many thanks to the following churches, mosques and synagogue who hosted groups of Oakhill students across the day:

• Wesley Castle Hill Uniting Church, Castle Hill
• St Mary and St Cosman and St Demian Coptic Church, Kellyville
• St Mary and St Merkorious Coptic Orthodox Church, Rhodes
• St John’s Anglican Cathedral, Parramatta
• Gallipoli Mosque, Auburn
• Lakemba Mosque, Lakemba
• Central Synagogue, Bondi Junction

  

Students in the Studies of Religion 1 Unit course visited either Gallipoli Mosque Auburn or Lakemba Mosque and two Christian Churches, a Protestant and a Coptic Orthodox Church. Students in the Studies of Religion 2 Unit course visited Central Synagogue in Bondi Junction and Lakemba Mosque. At the Central Synagogue, the group was delighted to meet the Ambassador of Israel, based here in Australia. Some of the highlights of the day:

• Informative presentations in each place of worship
• We witnessed worshippers praying in the mosques
• In the Coptic Orthodox Church at Rhodes, staff and students witnessed the raising of the morning incense, prior to their morning Mass.
• In the Coptic Orthodox Church at Kellyville, our students were offered hospitality by Oakhill graduate Sarah Tadros (Class of 2021), whose dad is Fr Joshua Tadros, our presenter and Parish Priest
• At the Central Synagogue, the 2 Unit SOR students met the Israeli Ambassador to Australia, who kindly posed for a photo with our students.

We are very grateful to these faith communities for welcoming Oakhill College students and their staff for their presentations on their beliefs, rituals and community activities. Building on Week 4’s Day of Difference, the excursion experiences helped reinforce the value of tolerance and social harmony in our multi-faith and multicultural Australia.

Thank you to Joshua Maisetti for sharing these thoughts on the day:

The Year 11 Studies of Religion excursion was very insightful as it gave students the opportunity to better understand the distinction between the Christian Denominations and Islamic religion by experiencing this first-hand through the lens of a reverend, priest, and Imam.

 I personally enjoyed the opportunity to learn more about each religion, and get an appreciation for the individual places of worship both from a layout and architectural perspective. Exploring the link between respective beliefs and rituals was interesting, especially when considering other denominations and religions different to my own.

It was much easier to engage in learning about the differences and similarities in this practical way.

Joshua Maisetti, Year 11

Mrs Marianne Castor
Academic Head Religious Education

At Oakhill, we have many students who quietly undertake random acts of kindness. They may not realise that it is being noticed, but it is. We celebrated with a morning tea to thank these students for their unseen acts of kindness. We did have a number of absences on the day, and the full list of names is below:

It has been a very exciting opportunity to practice social work at Oakhill College. I have been warmly welcomed back to the College by all students and staff.

Since starting at the College I have had opportunities to participate in Service events with the Mission Team and Year group excursions. I am currently engaging with students between Years 9 to 11. We have been discussing their College experience, identifying individual strengths, setting goals and meeting weekly or fortnight. I have been committed to networking with external organisations so that if any of our students are in need, we can appropriately support a student and/or their family. The role is continuing to evolve and always remains student-centred and works in partnership with parents, staff and students.

Mrs Chloe Princic
College Social Worker

On Tuesday 24th May, Year 9 students participated in a special pastoral care programme, ‘Men of Honour.’  During Periods 1 to 4, Glen Gerreyn (Guest Speaker) facilitated the seminar aimed at inspiring our Year 9 students to successfully transition from boys to men.
 
Glen has been presenting to our Year 9 students for many years. His presentations have always been inspiring and are aimed at providing our Year 9 boys with the information to empower them to take control and make the right decisions.
 
This seminar was then followed by ‘The Heart of the Father’ seminar which commenced at 7.00pm in the Centenary Sports Centre. Both Year 9 students and their fathers, grandfather, uncle, significant male mentor, or mother attended the evening. The aim of the evening seminar was to highlight the importance of the relationship our Year 9 boys have with significant others in their lives and to provide strategies to maximise these relationships. ‘The Heart of a Father’ seminar provided strategies for families to contribute, support and encourage each other.

Student's Reflection:

Glen didn't introduce himself to start off his presentation. He dove straight into his teenage years as a national level sprinter, and how all his hopes and dreams were taken away from him when he was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. Glen was told that he would never work again, let alone run. Today, Glen runs youth centres all across the country, and before COVID, he was visiting over 200 schools a year. 

His story was captivating and motivational, and he kept all of the boys engaged for four hours. Glen didn’t come to tell us what our purpose was, but rather to tell us that we had one, every person has certain strengths (he referred to them as little seeds of greatness) that are ready to be enhanced throughout our lives. Glen provided a platform for us to succeed later on in life, through such concepts as target boards and the steps to fulfilling talents. Topics that are normally awkward for people to discuss were made engaging by Glen, as every boy both laughed whilst learning what it means to be a man. 

It is safe to say that every boy took something away from Glen’s presentation.

Henry Abood and Bryce McDonald, Year 9

Ms Deborah Gillis
Assistant Principal Pastoral Care

The Library will be available the last week of the holidays (Monday 11th - Friday 15th July) from 10am to 4pm for Years 11 and 12 for study.

Many students have set themselves a goal for an ATAR. The Library during the holidays provides an atmosphere to work choose what study area best meets your learning purpose:

• Senior Silent study to get in 'the zone' uninterrupted;
• Create Area to collaborate with some study buddies to consolidate revision notes;
• Explore Area to continue research for major projects;
• Investigate Area to practice past HSC Trial papers and teach each other concepts.

There is hot chocolate and coffee in the cafe when students need a break.

Make the most of your Library to help you reach your ATAR target.

Mrs Lynn Revai
Head of Library

Students have been beavering away with assessments and many have made use of the Library after school to boost their study. Here are ways students have been using Study boost time:

Monday - Reading - Working with Mrs Peacock using Microsoft Teams Progress Reader to improve reading aloud.

Tuesday - Assessment - Working with Mrs Revai on a specific assessment and drilling down to the marking criteria to boost marks.

Wednesday - Maths - Students collaborating by helping each other with Maths problems and asking our senior mentors for assistance.

Thursday - Writing - Working with Ms Visnjic on proofreading before an assessment is submitted.

The Library is open until 5.00pm Monday to Thursday. Come along and 'BOOST' your study.

Mrs Tania Moriarty
Teacher Librarian

The boys had lots of fun this week in Coding Club working on a number of different projects.

Samuel and Krish are attempting to program a Micro-Bit Bot to manoeuvre itself. Jason is programming an Edison robot to individually rotate its wheels utilising a coding engine and physics.

Zander and Julius are utilising an Arduino in order to program individually addressable lights provided by Julius. Nathan, Jonathan and Marko are coding and assisting elsewhere. Ronan is partaking in the activities provided and learning how to program from the other members in the club.

Ilia is coding a robot to drive around.

Kristijan and Kai are working towards making a game online.

On the weekend of 28th and 29th May, eight Year 10 students were fortunate enough to participate in the Model United Nations Assembly (MUNA), held at Kingswood High School. This was the first time that Oakhill College has participated in this event.

MUNA is a great opportunity for senior students to be educated in the structure and functionality of the United Nations organisation. The event simulated a simplified version of how the United Nations meetings are held, with each debate alternating between speakers for and speakers against a resolution from different countries. This event allowed students to develop public speaking skills, whilst debating current international topics such as the situation in the South China Sea, the global impacts of COVID-19 and the humanitarian consequences of the aggression against Ukraine.

The Australian delegation was represented by Rohan H, Logan P, Julian V and Vinet TKa. The New Zealand delegation was represented by Matthew WR, Aryan R, Luka S and Nihaal D. Each team dressed in their country's traditional or national attire to represent their country.

The weekend began with the introduction of the 26 country delegations. This was followed by the debate of multiple resolutions over the remaining day and a half of the event. Each nation had to wholeheartedly debate the topics by putting aside their personal opinions and approaching them from the perspective of their allocated nation.

We would like to thank the Rotary Club of Castle Hill and Norwest Sunrise Rotary Club for sponsoring our teams. Without their generosity, Oakhill College would not have been able to participate in MUNA 2022. We would also like to thank Ms Moriarty and Ms Robertson. This event could not have happened without their time, dedication and support. The Oakhill students are extremely grateful.

Matthew and Rohan, Year 10

The ISA Rugby competition starts this weekend with most of the Oakhill teams heading over the mountains to Orange to take on Kinross. I am sure the boys will enjoy the bus trip and the day of rugby at Kinross.

Oakhill College will host most of the boy's Football teams on Saturday. The highlight for the day will be the 1st XI v St Spyridon at 10.15am. Good luck to all teams playing at home or away this weekend.

Student Achievements:

• NSWCIS Girls Volleyball team - Michaela Kennedy.
• NSWCIS Rugby League – Hasani Bloomfield (U15), Talen Risati (U15), Patrick Spence (U18) and Lachlan Doheny (U18).
• NSWCIS Baseball team - Luke Hayhow, Callum Lambert, Joshua Nati and Edward Noy.
• NSWCIS Touch Football team - Darcy Feltham, James Fitzhenry, Jarvis Hemmings, Samuel Polley and Callum Spooner (all U15 Boys), Cooper Angles-Corke, Liam Bissett, Dylan Bissett, Reilly Canning, Ryan Charlwood, Josaia Delana and Jay Ingleton (all Open Boys), and Amelia Polley (Open Girls).
• Jarvis Hemmings, Isaac Beacroft and Clancy Payne represented CIS at the NSW All Schools Championships early this week. CIS were runners up for the tournament. Jarvis Hemmings was named in the NSW All Schools team. 

Team of the Week – 1st V Basketball

It is unusual to have a basketball team playing for Oakhill at this time of year, but the 1st V Boys Basketball team are still representing our College in a “Champion of Champions” knockout competition. Oakhill College (ISA champions) played St Luke’s Dee Why (AICES champions) last week and won and move to the next round. Oakhill will now meet GPS champions, Newington in the coming weeks.

Oakhill College Sports Lunch – Friday 17th June

Tickets close Monday 6th June. Last weekend to get your tickets.

Friday 17th June at Doltone House, Darling Island Pyrmont. Tickets are on sale at: www.trybooking.com/BYOST

Mr Andrew Wisemantel
Head of Sports

Dear Oakhill staff, parents and students,

We would like to introduce ourselves - Daniel Gonzalez and Liam Milton-White, your Turon House Captains for 2022.

What a year 2022 has been so far, not only for Turon, but the whole school. As COVID regulations have slowly disappeared we’ve been lucky enough to have whole College assemblies, Masses and coming up in Week 9 the Athletics Carnival. We are both very excited for the Athletics Carnival and would love to see everyone get involved and have a good time.

We want to congratulate Turon for their participation in the House Mass in Week 1 of this term. Over 170 students and 25 parents attended. We are proud of our House spirit, and honour our House patrons, the Martyrs of Turon. Eight De La Salle Brothers and a Passionist Priest martyred in Turon in 1934. These Brothers died young and fearless in the face of death, confident that they would find eternal life. Our House Patrons stand for the values of faith, courage and integrity.

A little about us…..

I am Daniel Gonzalez and I have attended Oakhill since the beginning of Year 7. Coming from St Paul's in Winston Hills, I have very much enjoyed my time at Oakhill getting involved in basketball, rugby union, chess and the LYL program. After completing HSC Mathematics in Year 11, I now do Business Studies, Economics, SOR1 and Advanced English. As you can probably tell I am aspiring to study Commerce and Economics at university, hopefully UNSW. I currently have a part time job at Kmart Rouse Hill where I have worked the last two years to make some savings. My favourite memory at Oakhill is definitely the Fiji Rugby Tour in 2019. I would recommend this tour to any of the boys in the younger years as it is not only a great time to strengthen friendships with your teammates, but also a great opportunity to realise how lucky we are. The look on some of the kids' faces when providing them with little gifts was something I definitely will not forget. By the end of the tour most of the boys gave away their jerseys and boots to those kids who really needed them.

I am Liam Milton-White and I joined Oakhill College in Year 10. I attended Samuel Gilbert primary school, and then moved over to Singapore where I started my first three years of high school at the Australian International School. Living overseas was an amazing and unforgettable experience, giving me the opportunity to make new friends, experience different cultures, lots of travelling and overall widened my perspective. Plus the food was amazing! I love a Japanese chicken katsu curry or a black pepper beef noodle. I enjoy playing football and basketball at both Oakhill and club, as well as representing the College in track and field and cross country. Like Daniel, I was an accelerated Mathematics student last year, which was a challenging but rewarding opportunity, as it has allowed us to complete three HSC units already. This has given us more time to study, train and work in Year 12. I also take Chemistry, Economics, Biology and Extension 2 Mathematics, as well as English Advanced and SOR1. In the last two years I have also been part of the LYL (Lasallian Youth Leader) Program, which has opened valuable opportunities for me to give back to the community, such as the Salvation Army Door Knock Appeal, or the Black Dog Institute ‘One Foot Forward’ initiative to raise funds for mental health support. I highly recommend Year 11s participate in the LYL program, even if they are not in it already.

Our main focus for the remainder of this term is the upcoming Athletics Carnival in Week 9. Turon won the House Cup in 2020, and we are determined to win it in 2022. We are a House of athletes, so it is our time to shine. Even if you are not too confident on the specific events, we encourage you to give everything a go, as you will still get House points. With there being three weeks to go, there is plenty of time to start training, go for a run or do some hill sprints and get ready for this carnival. Turon is currently ranked third out of all the Houses, and winning Athletics will give us the edge for the House Cup (and some silverware to go with it)!

On the topic of the House Cup, we would like to give a special shoutout to Kristijan Magdic, who is currently the highest point scorer for Turon, and also to Jacob Tamaro, who has accrued 143 points! Both boys are from Year 9 - congratulations. We would also like to give a special mention to John-Paul Edge-Bennett from Year 11 who has already completed over 30 hours of service and is being awarded Level 2. Monumental effort!

Oakhill’s Musical Les Miserables commences next Thursday 9th June. Buy a ticket and come and support the large number of Turon students who have been rehearsing endlessly for this incredible performance.

Good luck for the remainder of the year ahead!

Daniel Gonzalez and Liam Milton-White, 2022 Turon House Captains

Our excited 1st prize P&F Gala Day raffle winner Robert has taken delivery of his fantastic Hyundai i30 car this week. Our Lasallian connections are strong and far-reaching, as Robert is the grandfather of Lachlan (Year 8) and is an ex De La Salle Bankstown student. He fondly remembers coming to Oakhill in the 1960s for De La Salle Bankstown's Athletic Carnivals. So on Gala Day, Robert was keen to go with Lachlan and his family to reminisce, visit our magnificent College, enjoy our Lasallian hospitality and buy a ticket in our Gala Day raffle.

Lucky for him he came away with more than just happy memories!

Thank you again to Sinclair Hyundai, Eagers Automotive Fleet, and our fabulous P&F committee.

Mrs Gabby Russo
Marketing & Community Liaison Co-ordinator

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The Entertainment Book is now on sale with some of the proceeds going to Oakhill College: https://subscribe.entertainmen...

The organising committee of the Class of 1972 has arranged for its 50th Reunion to be held:

At the Mercantile Hotel Irish Pub, 25 George Street, The Rocks
On Saturday 19th November
Commencing at 5.00pm. 

We invite retired teachers and staff as our guests for the evening. 

RSVPs may be sent to either:
Michael O'Brien - mbdobrien@gmail.com
Conrad Staff - conradgstaff@gmail.com  

by 1 November 2022 for catering purposes.

Kathmandu is pleased to invite Oakhill College staff, students and parents to an exclusive shopping program. They are offering a one-off Community Discount on purchases across the entire range as well as Summit Club Membership. This discount can be redeemed at any Kathmandu store in NSW from Monday 13th June to Monday 27th June.

For more information: Gear Up Event Oakhill College 13 27 June 2022

Mr Jack Rajczyk
Teacher