Lent

God of mystery,

we journey with Jesus during this Lenten Season

with the certain hope that you will re-create our world

so that all people will live in peace and justice.

Call us our of the wilderness of apathy

and help us to reach out to those who do not know hope or love.

Hear the longings of our hearts

and the cries of those who yearn to live in peace and harmony.

Let Easter burst into a world waiting to be re-created.

Amen

Lent is a journey. As we pass the half-way mark it is timely to check in and to see how we’re going with the commitment we made on Ash Wednesday. Have we given up and gone back to our old ways or are we on track with the change we are trying to make in or lives? Will this season of Lent make a difference?

Thank You

As this is the last newsletter for Term 1, I would like to thank students, staff and families on a terrific term. Your energy, support and commitment has been very much appreciated and there is a long list of highlights: Family Nights, Harmony Week, Interhouse Athletics, Clubs, Immersion Day, Year 7 Camp, Auditions for the School Musical, the Piano Recital, Assemblies, Opening Mass, and many enjoyable and challenging learning experiences. Thank you to the students and staff involved in organising and leading the many different activities.

I’d especially like to congratulate our Year 7 students on a great start to their secondary education. We have all been impressed with your enthusiasm, willingness to be involved and commitment to your learning. Well done.

This year Easter falls at the end of the holidays. Easter brings many good things; holidays, time with family, hot cross buns and all things chocolate. However, it’s important that we also set aside some time to walk with Jesus to the cross and to truly celebrate his Resurrection. I encourage all families to join their parish communities in the Easter ceremonies. We’ve included the schedule for Holy Week ceremonies in our parishes in the newsletter.

I hope that the holidays are restful and enjoyable for everyone. May the blessings of Holy Week and the joys of Easter be God’s gifts to each of you over the coming weeks.

Harmony Week

Last week we celebrated Harmony Week. The focus of the week is inclusion, mutual respect and belonging for all Australians, regardless of cultural or linguistic background. We are a community where people come from many different places, therefore, cultural diversity is something we know and celebrate. The key messages of Harmony Week are that everyone is welcome and everyone belongs. This is something that we believe deeply as a school community and try to live out in all that we do, in fact, the ‘Welcome Wall’ in our yard says just that. This wall was created by students and an ‘Artist in Residence’. It depicts the word WELCOME in many different languages, and includes flora and fauna from cultures connected to those in our community at the time.

Harmony Week is a reminder and an affirmation of our shared humanity; that what we have in common is far greater than our differences, and that we are one human family.

The different cultures in our community were celebrated through food, films, games, music and a traditional clothing day. It was great to see so many students getting involved, wearing traditional clothing and just having fun. It was a great week.

Thank you to Mr Mizzi, the Student Leaders and the Social Justice Team who organised all the activities. Your hard work was very much appreciated.

Year 7 Camp

During this week our Year 7 students enjoyed their camp at Dromana. Highlights included sea kayaking and a visit to the Enchanted Adventure park at Arthur’s seat. Congratulations to all the students for the care and support they gave to each other, for their readiness to be involved in challenging activities, and for their openness in getting to know each other. A very big thank you to all the staff who attended camp. Apart from being away from their own families, taking on responsibility for students on an overnight experience is a big task. I am sure that families are very appreciative of all they have done.

Reading for Fun

Like meditation, yoga, journaling, drawing and many other mindfulness practices, reading for pleasure is very good for us. Research would say that reading as a leisure activity would make us happier, healthier and more empathetic, as well as leading to greater academic achievement and employment opportunities. Despite this, recent research shows that about one in three Australian teens are not engaging with reading in their free time.

Time we previously spent reading is now often taken up with either gaming or endless scrolling on social media. Time online is very much the world of people today, however, like all things, it needs to be kept in balance and proportion to other activities!

Hopefully, all students will set aside some time to enjoy a book or two. This is the chance to read, not what you have to but what you choose to, a chance to visit a completely different world.

At the end of the newsletter, we have included some tips for families to assist young people in reading for fun.

Free Student Broadband Offer

A number of families benefited from this initiative in 2024. The Australian Government has announced additional funding to extend the offer to 30 June 2028.

The extension will allow the free service to continue for new and existing families, with up to 30,000 places available in the program.

No action is required by families who have already connected to the program. Their free SSBI with their internet provider is expected to be extended automatically.

To apply, families not on the program but who are eligible, are encouraged to contact the National Referral Centre run by Anglicare Victoria on 1800 954 610 (10am – 6pm, Monday to Friday) or visit www.anglicare.org.au/student-internet.

Final day of Term 1: Friday 04 April 2025

We remind families that this is a normal school day, beginning at 8.40am and concluding at 3.10pm. All students are expected to attend.

Start of Term 2

Term 2 will begin on Tuesday 22 April 2025. This will be Day 2 of the timetable.

There will be a new timetable for Term 2.  This will be published on SIMON in the second week of the holidays. We ask students to check their timetable before returning to school.

School Advisory Council

There are currently two vacant positions on the School Advisory Council (SAC). We encourage parents / guardians to express interest in filling these roles. The members of the SAC provide input to the Principal on matters such as the following:

• strategic direction of the school
• Religious Education program
• curriculum
• enrolments and enrolment policy
• school resources
• improvements in the school
• Annual Report to the School Community
• family partnerships

If you would like more information about MACS School Advisory Councils, please refer to https://www.macs.vic.edu.au/Our-Schools/School-Advisory-Councils.aspx.

The Terms of Reference for the Catholic Regional College St Albans School Advisory Council are attached.

Expressions of interest have been extended to Wednesday 02 April 2025.

Uniform

From the beginning of Term 2 all students will need to be in full winter uniform. This includes wearing the blazer to homeroom each morning, and the wearing of the school tie for both boys and girls. The uniform policy and requirements are in the Student Diary.

The holidays provide a good opportunity for families to check uniform items, to buy school shoes if these are needed, to let down hems if the kilt is too short, to mend PE uniforms that have been worn etc… There’s really no reason for students not to be in full uniform at the beginning of term. I ask the support of families in this matter.

Newsletter

The newsletter is published fortnightly and distributed on Day 10 (Friday Week 2). Students will have a chance to read it before placing it in their diary to be taken home to parents that evening.

Newsletter Days for Term 2 2017:            

Fridays:  02 May,     16 May,     30 May,     11 June,     25 June                            

The newsletter can also be accessed on Friday morning (Day 10) on the College website at http://www.crcstalbans.catholic.edu.au

As part of Catholic Education Week, the Mass of St. Patrick for Schools was held on Friday 21st March at St Patrick’s Cathedral. The Mass provided the religious centrepiece for the week’s events. Student representatives, including the school captains, vice captains, and social justice captains were invited to join Archbishop Peter Comensoli for a celebration of the Eucharist. Led by Celtic pipers and a procession of school banners, the Mass recognised the charism of the Catholic education community in a ceremony that honoured the commitment to our shared tradition.

Thursday 1st May and Friday 2nd May

Interim Reports will be accessible through the Parent Access Module (PAM) on Tuesday 22nd April.

Student/Parent/Teacher interviews will take place in the hall on Thursday 1^st May from 3:30 – 8:00pm and on Friday 2^nd May from 8:30 am – 3:00 pm. 

Interim reports will indicate whether an interview with subject teachers is requested. The college will endeavour to accommodate interviews that are requested.

Families are asked to book sessions with their children’s subject teachers through the Parent Access Module by Monday 28^th April. The booking system is available through the college website or the SIMON Everywhere App. 

Early Dismissal

Students will be dismissed at 3pm on Thursday 1^st May and there will be no classes on Friday 2^nd May as all teachers will be involved in the interviews.

We look forward to meeting with families and students to discuss their academic progress, achievement and goals.

This year, Year 10 students were given challenging maths questions to solve in their free time with solutions of successful participants posted underneath each solved question. At the end of the first term, we had a total of 5 questions solved. One student triumphed over any other participant by solving all questions correctly, and was awarded a certificate, as well as a $10 canteen voucher for her efforts. Congratulations to Stella Mom from the Mathematics Faculty!

On Tuesday 18^th March we had our inaugural Piano Recital Night. It was a wonderful evening filled with many talented pianists. We welcomed and announced the name of our new Grand Piano.

Cecilia (The Grand Piano) has joined our Music room this year and has already brought so much joy to our students and staff.

The name comes from St Cecilia who is the Patron Saint of music and musicians.

We had a variety of modern and classical pieces on the night and students from Years 8-10, staff, past students and a parent all performed on the night.

A huge thank you to our performers (in order of appearance), Subin Doan, Theresa Nguyen, Jade Nguyen, Mrs Triccia Celestial, Alexander Veloso, Benjamin Lemus Ramirez, Mr Peter Nguyen, Jordan Tran, Teresa Marsom, Jason Huynh and Caleb Tapuala Unasa. Thank you, for sharing the gift of music with us all.

We look forward to many more recital nights in the future.

Mr Marshall
Arts Leader

Students wore their colours with pride during Harmony Week celebrations.

Year 7 Camp.

A reminder that only approved uniform items are to be worn. Non-uniform items, such as visible long-sleeve tops worn under shirts or PE polos or scarves that are not part of the school uniform, are not permitted. Any breaches of the uniform policy will require students to remove the item and hand it into the front office for collection by a family member.

For uniform options, including Winter Uniform requirements, please refer to our uniform policy attached and the link to Our Uniform Expectations: 

Thank you for your support in maintaining our school’s high standards.

Mr Dale Marshall

Deputy Principal Pastoral Care

If you require any assistance over the school holidays while the school is unattended, please contact:

000 Emergency Assistance

Emergency Police, Fire, Ambulance Ph:000

Kids Helpline

Phone: 1800551800, https://kidshelpline.com.au/Free 24 hours/7 days a week advice and support for children and young people 5-25 years old.

Parent Helpline

Phone: 1300 301 300 https://parentline.com.au/Free 24 hours/7 days a week advice and support for parents, guardians and carers.

Lifeline

Phone:13 4357 https://www.lifeline.org.au/Free 24 hours/7 days a week crisis support and suicide prevention.

Beyond Blue

https://www.beyondblue.org.au/ Ph: 1300 22 4636 Free mental health support and assistance for depression and anxiety.

Suicide Call Back Service

www.suicidecallbackservice.org.au Ph: 1300 659 467

Head to Help - headtohelp.org.au Ph 1800 595 212

Your local doctor or medical centre.