On Wednesday morning, students and staff marked the start of Lent with prayer and the distribution of ashes during morning homeroom.

It is sometimes thought that the name of Lent stems from a Latin expression meaning ‘to lengthen and to slow’. Lent is indeed a time for making space in our lives, even if only for a few minutes a day, to reflect more deeply on our relationships with ourselves, others and God.

Often in Lent we choose simple actions that help us to become more prayerful, to live more simply, and to share what we have with those who are in need. Our opening prayer offers ideas on what we might like to take up or leave behind. I wish you all a prayerful Lenten journey.

Opening Mass and Induction of Student Leaders

Yesterday we gathered for our opening mass and to induct our 2023 school leaders. On behalf of the school community I would like to thank Fr. Maurie Cooney (Sacred Heart - Emmaus) for celebrating our opening mass.  Thank you also to the students and staff who planned, prepared and led the very prayerful and thoughtful liturgy.

Thank you and congratulations to all the students who have accepted formal leadership roles for 2023. They will serve our community in a number of roles, as School Captains, House Captains, SRC and Social Justice Captains.

Whilst we are only four weeks into the year, our leaders have already been very busy. Shrove Tuesday pancakes; a fundraiser to support those impacted by the Turkish / Syrian earthquake; the launch of Project Compassion; Inter-house lunchtime dodgeball, planning for Family Nights and preparing for next week’s Inter-house Swimming Carnival are just some of the activities they have initiated and led.

Inter-House Swimming

The Inter-house Swimming carnival will be held on Thursday 02 March at Brimbank Aquatic and Wellness Centre. There will be a range of events for both swimmers and non-swimmers. We are very lucky to have this wonderful new community facility to use for our carnival.

Families will have received detailed information through the Parent Access Module (PAM) and need to give permission through PAM.

Changes to PAM (Parent Access Module)

The developers of our Learning Management System SIMON have over January, changed the process for accessing the Parent Access Module.

Previously passwords were school generated and given to families, now families need to create their own password. This can only be done via a link sent to the parent / carer’s email address.

The change has been made to improve the security of SIMON. Unfortunately, the emails sent in January have been missed by some families or have gone to an email address no longer used.

To find out how to set up your PAM account, please follow this link to our website. 

Families who are having difficulties please contact the College on 9366 3544, we are very happy to step you through the process.

Updating Medical Information on PAM

With the start of a new school year, it is important that all families check that the medical information we have on PAM is up to date. This is our first point of reference, both onsite and offsite in caring for your child.

Year 8 Family Night

Thank you to all the families who joined us for the Year 8 Family Night yesterday. It was a great opportunity for families to meet the Ms Alexopoulos and the Pastoral Care teachers, to hear about the priorities for Year 8, particularly the pastoral care program and the upcoming Year 8 camp.

Ms Alexopoulos had a terrific motto for Year 8: Be your best. Do your best. We hope that every Year 8 student takes this on board and lives it out fully for the year.

Thank you also to Connie LaMacchia (Admin Staff) for organising an amazing supper for families.

Uniform Change

In response to a request from students, there is a minor change to the summer uniform for girls.

Girls can now wear the slacks with the short-sleeved blouse for the summer uniform. Summer uniform for girls is the summer dress, the College shorts and summer blouse or the trousers and the summer blouse.

This change aligns with the uniform requirements for boys who can wear either shorts or trousers in summer.

New Shade Sails

We have included photos of new shade sails installed in the Year 7 area. The sails assist in creating an additional outdoor learning and recreation space for students. They were funded through the Victorian Government School Shade Sail program and we acknowledge the support of the State Government in making this space possible.

School ‘drop off’ and ‘pick up’

As is the case with most schools, the streets around the College and Sacred Heart primary school are congested at these times. Our first concern is always everyone’s safety and we ask families to take care when you are collecting or dropping off students.

Please ensure that your child uses the school crossings and that you do not double park or park in no standing places. Council officers regularly blitz the area around the school. At times parents parked on the west side of Theodore Street call their children to just cross the road, even though a teacher is directing them to the crossing. This is unsafe.

Staying safe from mosquitoes

Recent wet and warm weather has increased mosquito breeding. Mosquitoes can carry diseases that may be passed on to people through mosquito bites. A range of mosquito-borne diseases have recently been detected in mosquitoes in northern Victoria.  Mosquito-borne diseases can cause serious illness, including infections of the brain, with children particularly at risk.

The best way to prevent mosquito-borne diseases is to avoid mosquito bites.

In line with community health advice, families can protect against mosquito bites by:

• using insect repellent that contains picaridin or DEET on all exposed skin if outdoors when mosquitoes are observed, from October to March
• wearing long, loose-fitting clothing outdoors if possible if mosquitoes are around and covering exposed skin as much as possible. Summer school uniforms, including polos and shorts, can continue to be worn, but students should use insect repellent on exposed skin if mosquitoes are active
• limiting outdoor activity when mosquitoes are active.

Further information

• A handy guide to help protect you and your family from mosquito-borne disease
• Better Health Channel information about preventing mosquito-borne diseases.