With this newsletter we welcome spring and longer days. This winter have been tough going, not only with COVID but also other lingering colds and flus. We look forward to warmer weather.

Spring is a good time to clear all the clutter from our lives, to open the windows and let the fresh air in. This is sometimes called spring cleaning. To do this we need to think about what is cluttering our lives, what is stopping us from being the person, the learner, the teacher, the parent or the friend we could be. Our ‘clutter’ could well be a relationship that needs to be sorted or a bad habit that we need to ditch. As we head into whatever it might be – this is the time to sort it, clear it out, to let go and to start again.

As the days get longer and the weather becomes milder we have a sense of hope; a sense that the old can indeed be left behind and that change is possible.

As well as being the first day of spring, the first day of September also marks the start of the Season of Creation. The Season of Creation is the annual Christian celebration of prayer and action for the care of our common home. Together, the ecumenical family around the world unites to pray, protect and advocate for God’s creation.

The College Social Justice Team has planned a range of activities to mark the Season of Creation during September / October. Highlights include: 

• Student Leaders meeting with the Mayor of Brimbank, Jasmine Nguyen on 12 September to learn about Brimbank’s goal to be carbon neutral by 2040.
• The inaugural meeting of the Catholic Earthcare Committee on 4 October.
• A Family Tree Planting Day on the 09 October.

Thank you to the Social Justice Team for their leadership in these initiatives.

Father’s Day

We wish all the dads and father figures in our school community a very happy Father’s Day for Sunday. We remember also the dads who are no longer with us. May all dads know that their unconditional love, support and all that they do for us are very much appreciated, even though we may not say and show this nearly enough.

SACCSS Interschool Athletics

Whilst it rained nearly all day, nothing could dampen the enthusiasm, competitive spirit and joy of the students who represented the College at the SACCSS Athletics Carnival on Monday. The first athletics carnival in three years. Congratulations to all involved. Your spirit, sportsmanship and willingness to give 100% were evident in the way you competed and supported each other.

There were many outstanding individual performances with a number of students posting a personal best and / or attaining a place.

Congratulations to Dylan Nguyen (9 Deakin) who was the individual champion for his age group. This is a remarkable achievement by a very talented athlete. Well done Dylan.

MACSSIS School Improvement Surveys

Survey links have been forwarded to families by email. The survey period concludes at the end of term on the 16 September. Surveys can be completed in a range of languages. The input of families is very much appreciated.

National eSmart Week

There are many days and weeks dedicated to raising awareness of a range of social and cultural issues. Whilst we cannot attend to them all – these weeks are often a good conversation starter.

Next week (5 – 11 September) is National eSmart Week. Promoted by the Alana and Madeline Foundation, this is a week where communities come together to encourage everyone to be smart, safe and responsible when using digital technology. It creates the opportunity for families, classes and community groups to discuss issues of cyber safety, bullying and wellbeing online, and offline.

National eSmart Week provides an opportunity to re-visit some of the protocols and strategies we have in places, as a school, as a family and as a community to ensure everyone is safe.

The Office of the eSafety Commissioner provides education around online safety and supports families and young people with information about what to do should an issue arise.

We remind students and families that if you have come across illegal content, wish to report Cyberbullying or are just looking for strategies to assist you in managing digital devices the website of the eSafety Commissioner at https://www.esafety.gov.au/ is a very good place to start.

Looking Ahead

The final two weeks of Term 3 will be quite busy. On Tuesday all year levels will be involved in an Immersion Day.

Year 7:  STEM Day

Year 8:   Kryal Castle as part of their Humanities studies

Year 9:   Trinity Day

Year 10: Reflection Day

In the last week, Year 10 students will participate in Work Experience or a Blended Learning Week at school, and Year 9 head off on camp.

Newsletter

The newsletter is published fortnightly and available online on Day 10 (Friday Week 2).

Newsletter Days for Term 3 2022:   

Fridays:  16 September