Editorial Archives - Ģ��Ƶ

Principal’s Blog

Angela Battaglia — Fri, 05 May 2023 00:29:24 +0000

‘Joy is what happens to us when we allow ourselves to recognize how good things really are.’

This quote by Marianne Williamson resonated with me as I sat down to reflect on the things to share with our community in this week’s newsletter.

The joy of the Easter season…
In our school we do not mark Easter with just one Sunday, rather the Easter season lasts for six weeks. Over that six weeks the gospels of each Sunday bring to us the message of the life giving presence of the risen Jesus.
Sr Marilyn Lacey in a blog titled ‘What difference does Easter make?’ reminds us that
‘the first Easter transformed a motley band of fearful, confused disciples into joyful witnesses to the risen Jesus. Their experience of Jesus as the Christ changed them into fearless proclaimers of the Good News in the face of persecution and to the ends of the known world.’
It is this same experience that inspires Kildare Ministries to be a transformative presence in our world. Easter provides us with a sense of hope for all humanity. The values that we espouse as a Kildare Ministries school come alive through the stories of Easter Sunday and the events that took place in the days and weeks that followed, including Jesus appearing to a doubting Thomas, the road to Emmaus, the Good Shepherd parable and so on. Whilst we might usually only focus on Easter Sunday, Sr Marilyn suggests ‘the Easter stories in scripture are giddy with surprises and delirious joy.’
You might wish to read more in her blog

The joy of learning…
This week I was delighted to visit our Year 7 classes and I was particularly impressed by the speaking and gesturing of our students in their French class reciting to me the story of the Three Little Pigs. From this they were then able to construct other sentences in French scaffolded by the gesture strategy. This year our Year 7 classes have daily language instruction to support their fluency and engagement with language.

The joy of student voice…
Each morning this week I have met with a group of students from different year levels using a community circle conversation. We have chatted about a number of different things in connection with some of the areas we have identified in our annual action plan. Our senior students reflected on some of the benefits they are finding with our new timetable including the reintroduction of double periods and the start to each day with their wellbeing class. I shared our instructional model with our Year 7-9 students. This outlines the evidence based high impact teaching practices we have identified and agreed to for the different phases of a lesson. The students were then able to share with me what they were noticing their teachers were doing in their classes and how this helped them with their learning. Our Year 7 students were extra courageous in their sharing. I asked them for one word to describe their first few months at Ģ��Ƶ and they shared the words connection, exciting, safe and vulnerable. I was curious about the word vulnerable and on further inquiry the student shared this was in relation to being able to have so many opportunities presented.

The joy of Year 12 Retreat…
The slow, dark and wet drive to Daylesford on Wednesday night was worth every minute as it meant I was able to share the evening with our Year 12 students and the staff who had accompanied them on retreat. When they returned to school on Thursday evening, when I checked in with the staff they shared how this group had been outstanding and quite exceptional in the way they had engaged in the program and more importantly how they were together as a group. My time with them captured some of the intangible essence of Ģ��Ƶ. The respectful and prayerful joining together in Liturgy as a community grounded in the story of Jesus expressed in our Kildare Ministries values came alive as 150 candles joined together in our central prayer focus. Following liturgy there was the annual fun and celebration of the Year 12 Retreat talent quest…..the bar was certainly set high this year!! The way in which the students participated, encouraged and included each other and didn’t take themselves too seriously was who we are in action. A huge thank you to the staff who prepared the retreat and supported the students through the experience.

The joy of rekindling our connection with Viqueque, Timor Leste…
‘We are so glad we have not been forgotten!’
This was the sentiment expressed by our friends in Viqueque when myself, Carmel Brown and Michael McCallum recently visited. This was the first visit since the pandemic. Whilst we only had two days in Viqueque it was wonderful to visit Uaimori school where we support the Library, Librarian and English program. The library was alive with books and pictures and the names of the previous Ģ��Ƶ students who have visited. There have been 92 students who have gone through the English program and at Viqueque 01 Secondary school, Year 7 students proudly read their English to us. The Geelong Viqueque Friendship Schools partnership began in 2006. The mission of the partnership is:

The focus of our activities is to improve educational opportunities for the over 4,000 students living in the district of Viqueque, Timor-Leste (East Timor). In Timor-Leste, we help Viqueque District students to have a better education by assisting with the provision of school resources and teacher training. In Geelong, we help Geelong students to have a greater understanding of the conditions and challenges of a developing country though school activities and visits to Timor-Leste and education.

Further information about the partnership can be found on their website

Last year our TriUMPH funds went towards the training of teachers through the Baucau Teachers College. We met with Br Paul from the College who shared some of the work they are doing. At the Good Crocodile, health clinic, another organisation who has been a friend of Ģ��Ƶ we met health educators who have completed their training through the College and now teach health education in schools.

The joy of welcoming new families to our community…
Applications for enrolment in Year 7 2024 close today. It has been wonderful to start to get to know prospective families. We have introduced a new online enrolment system this year and we have been grateful for the way families have embraced this process whilst seeking out clarification or support where needed. If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact our Registrar Marianne Casanelia.

The joy of welcoming new staff to our community…
We would like to welcome our new staff to Ģ��Ƶ this term, David Tripodi (Maths), Melinda Fearby (Art), Vince Lo Grasso (Facilities and Maintenance), Kim O’Brien (LSO) and Penta De Bauza (Indonesian Assistant).

There is much to be thankful for as we commence our term. Our Mothers’ Day event next week has been sold out and we look forward to connecting with many of our families.

Perhaps you can ask your daughter sometime in the next fortnight what is good, what is bringing them joy. Joy and all that is good that reminds us of the message of Jesus: ‘I have come that all may have life and have it abundantly’ John 10:10. This is a message of hope, the hope of the Easter season.

Blessings

Luci

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Principal, Luci Quinn Honoured with 2022 ACEL Fellowship Award

Teresa Soutter — Fri, 24 Mar 2023 00:00:46 +0000

On Monday 20 March, Ģ��Ƶ Principal, Luci Quinn was honoured with the ACEL (Australian Council for Educational Leaders) Fellowship Award at a formal ceremony held in Melbourne.

Luci was one of only ten educational leaders in Victorian to receive the Award for 2022.

ACEL Fellowship is a special category of membership awarded annually to members who have made an outstanding contribution over a period of time to the improvement of student and organisational outcomes.��

Luci’s Bio:

Learning and leadership have always been at the heart of Luci’s 27 years in senior leadership in Catholic education. Her leadership journey has been shaped by experiences as Principal in three diverse school settings across Victoria and time spent in system leadership. She has held governance roles in education and health and lectured in Religious Education. She is a member of the PAVCSS Executive and Faith and Enrichment Committee, supporting the work of her colleagues in Catholic secondary schools.

Luci has completed post graduate studies and credentialling to extend her interest and expertise in building capacity through coaching and instructional leadership practices. Luci is a trained coach with GCI. She has a strong commitment to school improvement and finding systems that harness the collective energy of all within the College community. She is curious about new leadership practices such as leading learning ecosystems and leading with presence.

Luci and the team at Ģ��Ƶ are part of the New Metrics for Success partnership with the University of Melbourne working with schools around Australia developing new metrics to assess, credential and measure student, school and system success. Luci strongly values collegial networks and is especially passionate and committed to supporting and mentoring aspiring and early career leaders.

Congratulations Luci.

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Summer Intensive at ACU Sydney

Teresa Soutter — Mon, 20 Mar 2023 05:59:21 +0000

We had a chat recently with Year 12 student, Bridget D, asking her what it was like attending a summer intensive at ACU Sydney over the Christmas break.

You attended the ACU Western Civilization program over the summer holidays. Tell us about what attracted you to the program.

I was attracted to the program because I had never heard of Western Civilisation, and it sounded like an interesting subject to check out.

Who led the program and where were some of the students from ?

Professors from ACU ran the seminars and some students who were currently studying the western civilisation course at ACU came along. Some of the students that participated in the program were from Sydney itself, but others came from Queensland and Victoria.

What content covered was memorable for you? What sorts of subjects were explored by the academics?

Some memorable content was about Shakespeare and his writing of a Midsummer Night’s Dream. The seminars about Plato and his book Phaedrus which talks about love and friendship. Some subjects that were explored by academics were things like love and how it physically affects people, different types of madness, and the struggle between being a lover or a friend.

Were there any good study tips that you gained by attending this program?

Yes, some good study tips that I gained were: take notes because it will save you time and brainpower when having conversations, so you don’t have to remember what was said before. Another tip was to read the books, not just once though. The first read should be to comprehend the book, and the second read should be where you start to analyse the content and pick it apart.

Would you recommend this program to other students? Why?

Yes, I would recommend this program to any students interested in philosophy, English, or history. It’s a great opportunity not just to see Sydney, but to also meet other kids who are interested in what you are as well and to gain an experience of what university classes are like.

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Principal’s Blog

Teresa Soutter — Fri, 10 Mar 2023 01:08:12 +0000

I pray that she knows she:��

Is protected (Isaiah 52:12)��

Is the head and not the tail (Deuteronomy 28:13)��

Does not have to fight her own battles (Exodus 14:14)��

Does not have to have all the answers (Zechariah 4:6)��

Is fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14)��

Is more valuable than rubies (Proverbs 3:15)��

Has a powerful voice (Esther 4:14)��

Has the ability to slay giants (1 Samuel 17:49)��

Is loved deeply (Romans 8:39)��

And has amazing plans ahead of her (Jeremiah 29:11)��

This prayer was shared at the end of a Women in Leadership Symposium that I attended this week, one of many activities held to mark International Women’s Day. At Ģ��Ƶ, our College Leaders have curated a wonderful week of activities to raise awareness and draw attention to the gifts that women bring to the world and the ongoing need to work together towards equality and equity. This week sharpens our awareness not just toward the statistics that show gaps in areas such as pay or representation in leadership roles but ways in which subtle sexism and stereotypes still exist. We need to ensure that we call these instances out every week and not just in the days surrounding 8 March.��

On Wednesday morning we hosted our annual IWD Breakfast where we were joined by Bri Pengarte Apma Hayes from the class of 2020. Bri spoke passionately about her pride in her cultural heritage and her new role with the First People’s Assembly of Victoria. Bri is also an artist and shared that her art is being used on the AusKick bags this year – look out for this if you have a little person taking part in this program. When we asked Bri about some of the challenges especially for First Nations women, she reminded us about the intergenerational trauma that is still experienced today following the impact of colonisation and the Stolen Generation. Despite this, Bri spoke about the hope she draws from her people for a positive future and reminded those of us in the room who support young people to give them the space to make mistakes. In a year where we are thinking about courage, Bri was the embodiment of a young person who is leading with courage. We were grateful for the support of many from our own community and the other Geelong Catholic secondary schools in sending along student leaders and staff to this event. We trust that all who attended left feeling inspired and challenged.��

The Women in Leadership Symposium hosted by MACS grew out of a conversation I had with the General Manager for Leadership Louisa Rennie back in 2020. Yesterday we engaged in a masterclass around the five new signposts for leadership with Valerie Hannon a renowned international thought leader in education. Valerie’s work is underpinning much of the thinking we are doing about redesigning, reshaping and re purposing education. Her book Thrive is available from our College library. We listened to a panel of women who are leaders in fields outside of education including Professor Catherine Bennett who became very familiar to us during the pandemic. It was interesting to hear her speak about the numerous times when she encountered the impact of stereotypes or the notion of ‘you don’t look like a professor’. The day culminated with the launch of a research project to look at the enablers and challenges for women in educational leadership. In Catholic education the workforce is approximately 75% female and yet only 50% of leadership positions are held by women. The research hopes to create further supports and opportunities for women to lead.��

Earlier in the week I was able to attend the Year 7 camp. It is one of the highlights of my year as I watch our new students stretch themselves in making connections with new friends and classmates. Many of them stepped out of their comfort zone in trying things for the first time such as raft building, paddle boarding or the flying fox. A special thank you to the staff who attended with the students led by Lance Houlihan our Year 7 Wellbeing and Community Leader. The care our staff show for our students when they are away from home is second to none.��

This week families will have received a letter about their daughter’s attendance. Thank you to those families who provided feedback in relation to the letter or made contact to seek support. We acknowledge and congratulate the students who have shown a strong commitment to attendance. The practice of ensuring families are noting attendance regularly is to ensure longer term patterns of non attendance are proactively addressed. Last year the College presented an evening with Joanne Garfi around the importance of attendance and strategies families might use if this was becoming a challenge. Tania Anticev School Improvement Leader: Wellbeing is our key leader in this area and can be contacted for further support or information.��

Next week we commence our Open Days. It is always an exciting time for the College meeting prospective students and their families. We look forward to sharing with them some of the thinking we are doing around redesigning learning and our partnerships with Deep Learning and New Metrics for Success. This year our enrolment application process has gone online thanks to work by our Registrar and IT Department. We have had a number of enrolments already and ask our current families to ensure they complete an application for siblings who may be starting with us in 2024. ��

Today I am in Melbourne gathering with Principals and Managers of the Kildare Ministries Community works from around Australia. Together we will be exploring ‘Courage in the Christian Life‘ with Dr Jim Nickoloff inspired by our 2023 value of courage. I look forward to sharing insights from the session in my next blog.��

With the long weekend upon us, it is a good time to take a reset and catch up before the second half of the term.��

Blessings��

Luci��

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Principal’s Blog

Teresa Soutter — Fri, 10 Feb 2023 03:01:25 +0000

Welcome back to 2023!��

We especially welcome our new Year 7 students, new students across Years 8-11, our exchange students from Tokyo, Japan and our new College staff.��

This year we are taking the Kildare Ministries value of ‘Courage – speaking and acting with integrity’ as our source of inspiration for all we do.��

In the early 90s motivational posters were a thing – in workplaces, waiting rooms, bedroom walls. You might remember them. I didn’t realise that penguins were the poster animal of courage but when you google ‘inspirational posters of the early 90s and you type in courage – up come the penguins leaping from icebergs!��

We will all have an experience of courage. The act of being human and all that it takes to live fully into our humanity in a day, week, month, indeed a lifetime requires courage. We know that it is easy to identify the heroic, big acts of courage. We know that the small everyday acts of courage are just as powerful. It’s not always about the leaping off the iceberg!��

How would you define courage?��

Some definitions explain courage as:��

Feeling fear yet choosing to act��
Following your heart��
Persevering in the face of adversity��
Standing up for what is right��
Expanding your horizons and letting go of the familiar��
Facing suffering (difficulty/challenge) with dignity or faith��

I admire the work of Brene Brown who write a lot about courage and vulnerability. She says:��

“Courage is a heart word. The root of the word courage is ‘cor’ – the Latin word for heart. In one of its earliest forms, the word courage meant “To speak one’s mind by telling all one’s heart.” Over time, this definition has changed, and today, we typically associate courage with heroic and brave deeds. But in my opinion, this definition fails to recognize the inner strength and level of commitment required for us to actually speak honestly and openly about who we are and about our experiences — good and bad. Speaking from our hearts is what I think of as “ordinary courage.”��

Whilst Brene doesn’t use the word integrity here I believe this is what she is referring to when she speaks about the ‘heart’ of courage.��

Whist there is a secular understanding of ‘courage’ we also draw on our faith tradition.��

The Hebrew word for courage often used in the scriptures meant ‘to show oneself strong’. I’m sure this was not just in terms of physical strength.��

In our faith context the basis of what shapes our courage is a belief in God’s abiding presence.��

Do not be afraid, I am with you is a frequent phrase in scripture. This promise of a steadfast God is written through both old and new testaments.�� Some google searches suggest that fear not or be not afraid occurs 365 times in scripture. But whether its 365, 109 or 80 the message is that the God is constantly reminding us that we are never alone.��

It is intentional then that this phrase forms part of our College theme for 2023.��

We have the person of Jesus as a model of courage. Jesus lived in pretty scary times. Nazareth, Galilee, Jerusalem 2000 years ago were no Herne Hill!! Jesus faced physical, mental, emotional, ethical and spiritual challenges throughout his entire life that required a courageous response. From the temptation in the desert, the calming of the storm, the lack of belief, denial and even betrayal from his closest friends, responding with dignity to the challenges of the pharisees, meeting, accepting and healing the most outcast – lepers, women, gentiles to finally accepting a facing death willingly. Through his life Jesus gave us greatest model of how to be a person of courage – speaking and acting with integrity. He taught and modelled how to have the courage:��

To forgive��
To express belief��
To be open to the other��
To seek peace��
To seek justice��
To have hope��
To trust God
To pray��

And for us at Ģ��Ƶ, we have the lives of St Brigid, Nano Nagle, Bishop Daniel Delany and then the countless women who served in their name who walked and still walk in the footsteps of Jesus living lives of courage in the context of their times.��

This is why we must keep telling their stories as a constant source of courage.��

So our College theme for 2023:��

Be not afraid – let’s remember God is with us and we are with each other.��

Take courage – courage is found in all of us, head heart and hands, inspired by our values and beliefs.��

Arise – may our courage make a difference in the service of others

There are a number of articles in this first newsletter that provide important information for parents and families. I draw your attention to these and ask that you note:��

Blessings��

Luci��

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Principal’s Blog

Teresa Soutter — Fri, 09 Dec 2022 06:31:01 +0000

What a wonderful day of celebration yesterday to conclude our College year. The activities of our final day allowed our school spirit to shine through as we celebrated all that is good with joy and gratitude. This followed our previous eight days of early commencement where all students are to be commended on the manner in which they embraced the opportunity to learn the new routines of our new timetable, meet their new classes and teachers and be prepared to commence learning from Period 1 Day 1 in 2023. I was privileged to attend all the year level final assemblies held on Wednesday where year levels reflected on their year together, acknowledged student achievements and expressed gratitude to the staff who had worked with them most closely throughout the year. This week our students took home their copy of the 2022 Reflections magazine. We trust you will take the time over the summer holidays to enjoy looking back over the year and the wonderful ways our students have embraced all that Ģ��Ƶ offers.��

Yesterday we also farewelled staff and students who are leaving us this year. In particular I wish to acknowledge and thank the contribution of the staff who will be leaving us. Their time with us extends from 27 years to six months. All will have made a difference to our story during their time at Ģ��Ƶ. We wish them every blessing in the next chapter of their journey.��

We farewell:��

Linda Bentley, Ben Hughson, Gab Mahon, Kim Turnley Jack Hockley-Salmon and Dean Hackwill.��

We also thank Kymberley Peace and Sarah Rothwell who are concluding their contract positions and Mahni Beasley who has finished her traineeship.��

We also send our blessings to the staff who have recently commenced maternity leave including Ashlee Milne, Olivia Pearce and Laura Griffiths.��

As is the cycle of life, next Monday we welcome our new staff for 2023 and then on Tuesday we will meet our 2023 Year 7 students. We look forward to the energy and gifts these new members of our community will bring.��

Next week many of our Year 12 students will receive their results. We trust that they will see these as a reflection of the efforts they gave their studies throughout the year. We remind all our students that our staff are here for them, in particular Gab Mahon our Careers Practitioner, supported by our Year 12 Wellbeing Community Leaders. This information has been shared with students and families. We remind students that our experience tells us that no matter what the result, multiple pathways and options can be found to create a pathway forward.��

Before I share my final Advent reflection from our Mass yesterday, I wanted to acknowledge the amazing team of staff that I have the honour of working with every day. Their passion, professionalism, care, commitment and dedication to this community is something that I appreciate every day. So often much of this goes unnoticed so I wanted to make sure they received an extra ‘shout out’ as we come to the close of the year.��

So now we turn our minds towards the great feast of Christmas with only 16 days to go. For us as a Catholic faith community this time of the year is so much more than tinsel and candy canes and this was what we reflected on yesterday……��

So often in Advent we focus on preparing for Jesus’ coming among us at Christmas. Today’s gospel reminds us that this great feast in the Christian tradition needed the extraordinary courage of a young woman about your age. What a great story!��

I know I do not spend enough time contemplating the role of Mary in the Advent season so this year I have tried to put that right. Imagine the young teenage Mary going about her daily life when she was faced with the appearance of an angel. I wonder what she was doing when the angel appeared. Had she been doing chores? Had she just returned from collecting water at the well? Had she been preparing a meal with her mother? I wonder what time of the day it was. I wonder how she felt – was she terrified or confused or maybe even excited. I wonder what she told her friends. Maybe you know that feeling when you have been presented with an opportunity or chosen for something that you had no idea was coming or you didn’t think you deserved. Often these times happen because someone sees something in us that we may not see ourselves. What was it that God saw in Mary? Why her?��

In Mary’s moment of saying ‘yes’ to the invitation of the angel she embodied perhaps the greatest expression of hospitality, an openness to welcome God, quite literally, to carry and then give birth to the baby Jesus, enabling God to step into the fullness of humanity. There could be no invitation more joyful and more daunting than the invitation of the angel to Mary in that moment. Inspired by the courage and hospitality of Mary we are challenged to consider what we will say ‘yes’ to this Christmas that will make the love of God present to others. Our first reading gives us some hints as to what this might look like – maybe it is a time for healing, a time to bring laughter to others, a time to gather, a time to throw away that which weighs us down, a time for silence and renewal, a time for love, or a time for peace and forgiveness.��

In the moments after the angel shared with Mary what was being asked of her, Mary had to make a choice. In the poem ‘Annunciation’ the poet Denise Levertov captures this moment when the universe held its breath. She writes��

‘This was the moment no one speaks of,��

When she could still refuse.��

A breath unbreathed,��

Spirit,��

Suspended,��

Waiting��

God waited.��

She was free to accept or to refuse, ��

Choice integral to humanness.’��

My favourite line in this stanza is ‘God waited’. In Advent we have been taught about waiting for the coming of God at Christmas but what if we turned this around and thought about Advent as a time where God waits for us, waits for us to wrestle with doubt and belief, fear and comfort, just like Mary, and waits for us to discover God’s presence in unexpected places. The God of our faith tradition is an invitational patient God who has waited for us since the birth of time and continues to wait.�� This God knows that wrestling is part of our human condition, Mary experienced this as did Jesus in his time among us. The encounter with the angel reminds us that in our struggles and fears we can come to know the perfect love of God, ‘The Lord is with you, do not be afraid’. This is not an absent, external God, but a God ‘with us and within us’. Now whilst we may not have angels with wings visit us each day, we will find God waiting for us in the presence of others this Christmas ready to say ‘I am with you’ if like Mary we are open to this joy filled invitation.��

The gift and mystery of Christmas that brings forth the fruits of the meeting between Mary and the angel Gabriel is the light and love of God born into the baby in the manger. As we celebrate another Christmas let us rejoice in the hospitality, courage and faith of Mary whose selfless choice to overcome fear and doubt through her unwavering faith in God is a symbol of hope and inspiration for us all. She was remembered, just like one of you, one of us, as an ordinary young woman who changed the course of human history because of the most profound ‘yes’.��

I wish all students, staff, families and our wonderful community the most blessed and holy Christmas and a joyous and hope filled New Year.��

Peace��

Luci

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Principal’s Blog

Teresa Soutter — Thu, 24 Nov 2022 06:28:54 +0000

Dear world leaders,��

Your people, the world’s young people and future generations are calling on you to act with vision and purpose.��

A new vision for education in the 21st century is taking shape.��

Above all, quality education must support the development of the individual learner throughout his or her life.��

It must help people learn how to learn, with a focus on problem-solving and collaboration.��

It must provide the foundations for learning, from reading, writing and mathematics to scientific, digital, social and emotional skills.��

It must also develop students’ capacity to adapt to the rapidly changing world of work.��

It must be accessible to all from the earliest stages and throughout their lives.��

And it must help us learn to live and work together, and to understand ourselves and our responsibilities to each other and to our planet.��

At a time of rampant misinformation, climate denial and attacks on human rights, we need education systems that distinguish fact from conspiracy, instill respect for science, and celebrate humanity in all its diversity. António Guterres, 19 September 2022��

These remarks by the UN Secretary General at the Transforming Education Summit this year framed the two days of the New Metrics for Success Conference hosted by the University of Melbourne last week. The two days saw the coming together of the 36 partner schools from around Australia to celebrate the work we have undertaken thus far and to hear from educational thinkers from Australia and internationally who are seeking to build an education system that responds to this plea. And whilst the steps are small and steady in some places, others are taking radical leaps. There is momentum and growing call for change.��

Rachael Congues, on behalf of Ģ��Ƶ presented our work to the conference. This work which has been focused on trialling new learning design and assessment with our Year 7s has been an intentional and strategic process to position us in creating a new narrative for learning commencing with our new Year 7 cohort starting in 2023. We shared these ideas with the incoming parents at our recent Information Evening and welcomed the positive feedback. Working with the University we have assisted in the development of metrics for complex competencies with agency and character being our focus. The full suite of metrics are now gaining interest from various tertiary sectors with conversations being framed about the notion of matching competencies and future pathways as a complement to the traditional ATAR system. We are deeply privileged to be undertaking this work and are excited to have signed on for another two years of the partnership.��

Next Monday we start our early commencement program which gives all students Years 7-11 an opportunity to have a head start and a glimpse into their learning program for 2023. There is an enormous amount of planning and organisation that takes place in readiness for this program and I thank Jo Ryan and her team for their leadership in this space. We will be commencing our new timetable with the 18 minute Wellbeing sessions at the start of each day and then our six by 47 minutes periods with the shorter breaks in between. This change was communicated to families earlier this year. We know changes can be challenging for some of our students and we see this as a time to practice the skills and behaviours of resilience that are outlined in our Positive Behaviour for Learning matrix. Resilience was the expectation that was added due to family feedback when we were developing this matrix. 2022 year levels will hold final assemblies on Tuesday 7 December followed by our end of year celebrations on Wednesday 8 December. We thank the families who have responded to our invitation to join us for our final mass for the year and look forward to seeing you.��

This week we held our annual Celebration of Achievement. For our awardees this year has been the opportunity to shine in their achievements and endeavours in various areas of academic, sporting, musical, faith and community life. The students we recognized are role models for us all and offer inspiration for what is possible. We trust that the reward of knowing that they achieved something, conquered a goal, developed their resilience or served others and their community is something they will treasure. Over these final weeks of the year, we encourage all our students to reflect on where they have grown and what they have achieved.��

This Sunday we begin the new Church year with the first Sunday of Advent. Advent is a time of hopeful waiting. I always think of the irony that this season of the Church comes at what is always the most frantic time. The more I think about it the more it reflects how Jesus came to turn everything that was known, upside down and challenged us to a new way of living. As humans we can be slow learners and so as the first Sunday of Advent arrives each year it is yet another chance to stop and consider if I am really making time for God in my life at this moment. That is at the heart of the Advent message – preparing, waiting in hope. Fr Richard Rohr says that this waiting is not just for the Christ Child, rather we are ‘welcoming the universal Christ, the cosmic Christ, the Christ that is forever being born in the human soul and into history’. To be open to this extraordinary mystery we need to make time and space and in today’s world that is the challenge and gift of Advent.��

Cosmic Christ,��

Christ of the light and the darkness, send your Holy Spirit upon our waiting time.��

Help us seek quiet spaces to hear your voice each day,��

Help heavy hearts seek the joy of your presence.��

We are your people, walking in darkness, yet seeking the light.��

Give us the courage to listen to your voice.��

Give us the freedom to open our hearts to the graces and mystery you bring.��

To you we say, ‘Maranatha – Come Lord Jesus!’��

Blessings��

Luci��

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Principal’s Blog

Teresa Soutter — Fri, 11 Nov 2022 05:01:16 +0000

Today many of us will don our red poppies and pause at 11.00am to remember those who served our country to defend the freedoms and values that mark our democracy. Our College led by our students gathered to ensure their sacrifice was not forgotten.��

Remember with clear eyes the uncountable cost of war.��
Remember with deep sorrow those who killed and were killed.��
Remember with grief the blood-stained battlefields.��
Remember with horror the destroyed neighbourhoods.��
Remember with tears the trail of people fleeing their homeland.��
Remember with compassion the bereaved and the wounded.��
Remember with reverence those who risked their lives for peace.��
Remember with tenderness the children’s longing for freedom.��
Remember with gratefulness all who found a way to forgive their enemies.��
Remember with hope the kingdom that is planted with small seeds.��
Remember with confidence that faith, hope and love abide.��
Remember with joy that our Saviour is the Prince of Peace.��

Carol Penner��

Yesterday I met with our incoming College Co Captains and I was asking them how they felt after their first experience of VCE exams. I was interested, and pleased, to hear them say how they realized they knew more than they thought. Many of our students have shared similar feelings as we check in with them when they conclude their various exams each day.��

As we come to the end of our academic year and our Year 10 and 11 students prepare for exam week starting Monday 21 November, I thought it might be useful to share with families some thinking around supporting our students through this period of time.��

It is helpful to remind our students that a level of stress can be helpful. In fact, I listened intently as our Psychology students talked about ‘eustress’, the healthy stress, before their exam. We don’t come to school to stay as we are, to not move forward. We come to school to be challenged and to learn. A little like going to the gym to get fit. If our muscles don’t hurt a little then we haven’t shifted our level of fitness. Learning should make us feel a little uncomfortable and then as we move through this we become more capable and stronger in our learning. Look at what our young people have already achieved to get to this point. It is something we need to remind them of when they doubt themselves.��

Further to thinking about good stress I have been interested in the concept of academic buoyancy (Martin and Marsh, 2009).��

Academic buoyancy is developed as a construct reflecting everyday academic resilience within a positive psychology context and is defined as students’ ability to successfully deal with academic setbacks and challenges that are typical of the ordinary course of school life (e.g., poor grades, competing deadlines, exam pressure, difficult schoolwork).��

There is a yellow buoy on the ocean side of the Barwon Heads bridge that has taken a pounding over the last few weeks with the increased flow of the river yet it stays firmly in place. Even when it is not dealing with the floodwaters it copes with the changing tide flows and weather patterns, not to mention the impact of boats passing by it day after day. It stays buoyant for many reasons, including its solid anchor. This might be a metaphor that you can use to share with your daughters about how they might get through this next period of time. A further concept from positive psychology that supports the notion of academic buoyancy is to broaden and build theory. This connects to the positive emotions (P) domain of the PERMAH model that we use at Ģ��Ƶ.��

In the blog post by The Emotional Learner titled ‘From adversity to buoyancy’ Marc Smith writes:��

The broaden-and-build framework would suggest an emphasis on building on strengths that nurture proactive rather than reactive approaches to setbacks and challenges, which could go some way to explaining why those students who experience positive emotions during daily setbacks are able to benefit from these broadened mindsets and regulate negative emotional experiences as well as view failure in more positive terms. Certain individuals are able to draw on positive emotions in times of stress and are consequently able to cope better with daily setbacks through the effective use of such emotions. Buoyant individuals are, therefore, better equipped to deal with the low-level hassles and negative experiences encountered on a daily basis within a school setting through a kind of positive academic-psychological capital. ��

As further resource that might be helpful for you is one from the Alliance of Girls Schools Australasia which has a particular emphasis on the education of young women. It has some helpful tips on supporting teenagers through times of stress and meltdowns. I share the link with you for your reference.��

��

Last night we welcomed our Year 7 families for 2023 to an Information Evening. We have 122 new families joining us in this cohort. Many of them have already shown a wonderful commitment to partnering with us having attended previous evenings on New Metrics for Success, our project with the University of Melbourne, Deep Learning, our learning design approach based on the work of Professor Michael Fullan and the introduction of Positive Behaviour for Learning. Last night Assistant Principal Jo Ryan shared our dreaming for a reimagined educational experience for students at Ģ��Ƶ that will commence with this cohort in 2023. This will include a new timetable with daily RE, Languages and Mathematics, new units of work designs using the Deep Learning framework, specifically designed interdisciplinary units of work, assessment in the New Metrics competencies and the introduction of ‘Growth Days’. This was well received by our families who shared their excitement about the opportunities this will present for their daughters moving forward.��

Finally, I would like to extend an invitation to families to join us for our end of year celebration. This year we would like to welcome families to join us for our end of year Mass, followed by the running of the Tullow Gift and House Choir competition. Mass will commence at 9.15am followed by the Tullow Gift (foot race) and then House Choir concluding approximately 11.30am.�� To support us with organisational matters we ask that you RSVP to this event. An Operoo invitation will be sent to families next week. Please look out for this. Community and celebration are an important part of who we are and we are delighted to be able to offer this opportunity to our families.��

Blessings��

Luci��

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Principal’s Blog

Teresa Soutter — Fri, 14 Oct 2022 06:38:45 +0000

Thresholds are connected to the Celtic and Brigidine tradition. It is said that St Brigid was born on the threshold and so it has a rich symbolism for us in our community. It is important to recognise and celebrate these crossing moments.�� The rituals of the next week will do just that for our Year 12 students as they begin their leaving from this place, their leaving from secondary education into their next step in the world. We commenced with the Transfer of Leadership Liturgy on Tuesday which was slightly different in format this year to reflect the collaborative style of leadership that our College Co Captains have created with the Year 12 Leadership group. There was great joy as we gathered for the first time in a long time, with families, for a whole school assembly.

We had the fun of our Class of 2022 stepping into the shoes of teachers, quite literally, as students came dressed as various members of staff. It’s a little disconcerting to see what they notice! Through this fun they also fundraised for the Brigidine Education Fund. On Monday evening we will celebrate their graduation at St Mary of the Angels Basilica followed by the Celebration Morning on Tuesday which will conclude with a whole school assembly where the Year 12 students will reminisce, give thanks, and be acknowledged for their contribution over the last six years.

We are so proud of these young women and the people they have become. They have brought energy, joy and great school spirit to all they have done this year. We wish them all every blessing for the coming weeks as they either undertake exams or prepare to move into the workforce, apprenticeship, or further training. We trust that they will give their endeavours their best, an effort worthy of who they are, the belief that others have in them and the education they have received.��

Inspired by the words of Daniel O’Leary, one of my favourite spiritual writers, we pray:

Though your destination may not yet be clear

Trust the promise of this opening

Awaken your spirit to adventure

Hold nothing back for your soul senses that the world awaits you

And may God hold you in the palm of God’s hand

Amen

Along with being a place of learning for our students, our staff have been undertaking some significant learning this year as part of our School Improvement Agenda. Our Learning Design Team who will work with our Year 7 students in 2023 have been learning how to bring to life a learning experience that will foster deep learning based on our Learning Charter and enable our students to learn and demonstrate complex capabilities that will be measured by the New Metrics for Success tools being developed in our partnership with the university of Melbourne. This is an exciting initiative, and we are grateful to the leadership of Jo Ryan in this space. The team worked for a full day this week to explore curriculum design in light of these principles. Our Ģ��Ƶ team also had a full day of learning working with Dr Rina Madden. We explored ten characteristics of prayer in a recontextualizing dialogue school, the key elements of belief and then an understanding of spirituality and how this might relate to the staff and student experience.

This week I draw your attention to some items of interest and information. Some of you may have viewed the documentary by Todd Sampson earlier this week on social media. He referenced the eSafety Commissioner and the resources on this website. We have also used these tools and I commend them to families

This week saw further changes to the COVID-19 isolation requirements. Information about the latest updates have been sent to all families today via our internal communications systems. In essence whilst the isolation period for COVID is no longer mandatory it is highly recommended for the ongoing safety and wellbeing of the community especially if someone has symptoms. And finally, the Catholic Education Commission of Victoria has released information for families in relation to the State election in November. This letter outlines what our system of school is seeking from Victorian government support including the ongoing capital development of our schools. This letter can be found here.

As we end this week we pray also for the communities in Victoria who are facing the uncertainty that the recent rains and flooding have brought. May they experience compassion and hold on to hope in the days ahead.

Blessings

��

Luci

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Principal’s Blog

Teresa Soutter — Fri, 14 Oct 2022 02:24:33 +0000

The best thing about being a teacher is that it matters. The hardest thing about being a teacher is that it matters every day!

Today in Australia we celebrate World Teachers Day. It is a day to reflect with gratitude on the dedication, commitment and tireless work of our teachers. We asked some of our students what they wanted to acknowledge and they shared the following:

Thank you so much for your hard work, we love how you have time to have fun with us.

Thank you for coming to school each day with a smile on your face.

I’m grateful for how the teachers help us when we need extra help and how they are just always there.

We appreciate the hard work teachers put in for us and for how they guide us through our learning.

I’m thankful for our teachers because our teachers know what they are doing.

The teachers at Ģ��Ƶ are really inclusive and they really try and help you.

The teachers always try to make the lessons fun and not boring.

Thank you teachers for caring about our health and wellbeing.

Thank you teachers for always supporting us with our learning even when we find it challenging.

Thank you for making Year 7 so special.

Thank you for being so patient with us and putting us before yourselves by being there for us.

Thanks for always being available.

The role of teacher is to shape the future. Teachers in a Catholic school do this through the lens of the gospel. It is a task with enormous responsibility and yet so often it is undervalued. To be a great teacher is not just about having content knowledge, it is about building relationships, crafting learning design to meet the diverse range of learners, holding young people in safe spaces as they grow and mature. Our teachers do this with professional, passion and great heart, and for that we are grateful.

VCE exams commenced this week with a very calm start to the English exam and very positive feedback from students at the conclusion, sharing how they felt prepared and able to put their best efforts forward. Exams continue now until 16 November and will be followed by the Year 12 Celebration Evening on 18 November. We encourage our Year 12 students to continue to access the expertise of their teachers as they prepare for upcoming exams.

We continue to hold the flood effected communities of Victoria in our prayers, especially their Year 12 students as they navigate this most difficult time. We have been in regular contact with one of our Kildare Education Ministries schools, St Joseph’s College in Echuca, offering our support.

The extended weekend will come at a welcome time for many as an opportunity for a reset as we head towards the final half of Term 4. Monday is a pupil free day and is taken in lieu of a range of online compliance tasks that are required to be completed as part of our regulatory requirements. These training tasks include Mandatory Reporting and Child Safety, Asthma and Anaphylaxis training, OH&S, Privacy, Cybersecurity, Student Duty of Care and Modern Slavery.

There are a number of opportunities for our families to connect with the College over the coming weeks. I strongly encourage you to consider where you might be able to join us to connect with our community and learn about some of our initiatives. These include:

Wednesday 2 November 6.30pm: The Positive Behaviour for Learning Parent Night
Thursday 3 and Tuesday 22 November 5.00pm: Student Music Performances
Thursday 10 November 6.30pm: Our Year 7 2023 Information Night for families and students
Thursday 24 November 6.30pm: Celebration of Achievement Awards Evening:
Thursday 8 December 9.30am: End of Year Mass/Tullow Gift and House Choir

Please keep your eye out for the relevant information around these specific events. We look forward to joining you at these occasions.

As we start to look ahead to 2023 we draw energy from Pope Francis’ invitation to young people around the world ahead of World Youth Day in Lisbon. He is reminding us of the example of Mary who was one who always looked outwards and went to serve others. He says to our youth

‘Dear young people, now is the time to set out in haste towards concrete encounters, towards genuine acceptance of those different from ourselves. This was the case with the young Mary and the elderly Elizabeth. ��Only thus will we bridge distances – between generations, social classes, ethnic and other groups – and even put an end to wars. Young people always represent the hope for new unity within our fragmented and divided human family.’

What a wonderful reminder of the power of our young people as agents of hope in our world.

Blessings

Luci

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