Filter Content
Loving God,
we give you thanks for the life and ministry of Pope Francis.
In him you gave us a man of humility,
one who valued listening to the voices of the voiceless,
compassion for the undervalued,
mercy for sinners and justice for the oppressed.
You gave us a pastor
who led through the example of his love
for your people and your creation,
who was not ashamed to smell like his sheep.
Comfort all who mourn his passing,
and may the angels now lead him to paradise with you
to rest in your peace for eternity.
May your Spirit guide the future successor to your servant Francis
to continue the work you have begun through him,
for the good of the Church and the world.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Happy Easter and welcome back for Term 2. I trust that you have had a good break and are looking forward to the term.
Pope Francis
Like many people across the world, we mourn the death of Pope Francis on Easter Monday. Throughout his life, Pope Francis worked towards making our world a safer, fairer and healthier place. His was a voice for the poor, for the displaced and the marginalised; always calling us to love others as Jesus loved us. He continually urged us to be merciful, to live joyfully and to build peace.
As we mourn his death and celebrate his life, we find comfort and hope in the words of his final Easter homily:
“The light quietly shines forth, even though we are in darkness; the promise of new life and a world finally set free awaits us; and a new beginning, however impossible it might seem, can take us by surprise, for Christ has triumphed over death”
We give thanks for the life of Pope Francis: for his witness, his compassion and his genuine love of the People of God. May God welcome Pope Francis to eternal life, and may we continue his legacy by being people who are merciful, welcoming and close to those on the margins.
Year 8 Camp
Year 8 students and staff had a great start to the term, enjoying time together whilst on camp on the Mornington Peninsula. Congratulations to all students on the very positive way that you participated in activities, and the care and support you showed for each other and staff. It was great to see everyone return, having had a great time. On behalf of students and families, I would like to thank all staff who attended camp. Your readiness to take time away from your own families to provide this very important experience for students is very much appreciated. Thank you to Ms Emma Baldacchino (Year 8 Associate Level Leader) and Ms Georgina Hart (Year Level Leader), and the Year 8 Team for all their work in planning and preparing for the camp.
ANZAC Day Remembrance Ceremony
On Thursday, we gathered as a school community to commemorate ANZAC Day. In a moving and solemn service, students and staff remembered those, past and present, who have been impacted by war and conflict, and all who served and continue to serve Australia and New Zealand in the armed services. We honour their courage, sacrifice and enduring spirit.
Thank you to Mr Ray Mizzi and the Student Leaders for preparing and leading the service.
Mothers’ Day Breakfast
We look forward to mums and mother figures in our school community joining us for our annual Mother’s Day Breakfast on Monday 12 May 2025. This is an opportunity to celebrate our mums, grandmothers and the special mother figures in our lives whilst enjoying a delicious breakfast and a more relaxed start to the day.
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 2025:
Fridays: 16 May, 30 May, 11 June, 25 June
The newsletter can also be accessed on Friday afternoon (Day 10) on the College website at http://www.crcstalbans.catholic.edu.au
| Tuesday 06 May | SACCSS Interschool Cross Country |
| Monday 12 May | Mother's Day Breakfast |
| Thursday 15 May | Year 10 Religious Education excursion |
| Wednesday 21 May | Professional Practice Day (no classes) |
| Monday 26 May | School Advisory Council Meeting |
| Friday 30 May | Feast Day |
| Monday 09 June | King’s Birthday Holiday (no classes) |
| Mon 19/6 – 23/6 | Years 9 and 10 exams |
| Thursday 03 July | Immersion Day / Final Day Term 2 |
Walking With Christ: CRC St Albans Holy Week Pilgrimage Reflection
In the final week of term, our students participated in a meaningful Holy Week pilgrimage, themed "Who Do You Say I Am?" This reflective journey invited students to walk alongside Jesus through the key moments of His final days, encouraging them to see themselves as His disciples, challenged personally by His timeless question.
At each station, from the jubilant entrance into Jerusalem to the solemn moments in Gethsemane, students paused to hear Scripture, reflect and pray. They explored the joy of Palm Sunday in the Jubilee Garden, the unity of The Last Supper at our school stage and the anguish of The Garden of Gethsemane among the olive trees. They stood in the shadow of The Crown of Thorns, reminded of Christ’s sacrificial love, before completing their pilgrimage at the Walk to Emmaus art installation, reflecting on Christ’s enduring companionship.
Through prayer, Scripture and reflection, the pilgrimage deepened students' understanding of Holy Week and strengthened their connection to Christ’s journey. It was a beautiful reminder of the faith that unites our community and prepares our hearts for the joy of Easter.
Student thoughts on Year 8 Reflection Day.
Year 8 Reflection Day was successful in showing each student how to forgive and let go of past regrets. An activity that the majority of the students enjoyed, was the activity where we drew a road showing experiences you've had growing up until the present. At the end we all made the piece of paper into a suitcase where no one could see inside since it was stapled. An activity where we had to be creative, was when we re-enacted the story of the Prodigal Son.
Personally, the activity I found most enjoyable was the acting of the Prodigal Son story. I felt like this activity brought out everyone's acting skills in ways they could be creative. After all, all of the activities had their own purpose of teaching us, making the day so much more enjoyable.
Christina Le
During the Year 8 Reflection Day, I had a meaningful experience that enriched my understanding of personal growth and relationships. One of the activities involved discussing and re-enacting the Parable of the Prodigal Son, which sparked thoughtful conversations about forgiveness and acceptance. Another engaging task was creating a map of our life journeys, which we then folded into a bag, symbolizing how we carry our experiences with us as we move forward. What I enjoyed the most was the delicious meal we shared. It was a great opportunity to relax, hang out with our friends, and to enjoy the food altogether as a year level.
Caitlyn Nguyen
Port Phillip Bay Snorkelling Adventure
Throughout Term 1, Year 10 Outdoor Education students have been learning about marine environments and attending regular excursions to the pool in preparation for an ocean snorkelling adventure.
At the pool, students refined their swimming abilities and learned a variety of new skills to support involvement in snorkelling as a recreational activity. This included learning how to regulate their breath so they could breathe comfortably through a snorkel, adjusting their snorkelling masks to ensure no leaks hindered visibility, and engaging in games designed to build their confidence and comfortability in a body of water.
Before long, the big day arrived! With a mixture of excitement and anticipation, students boarded the bus for a long drive to the beautiful coastline of the Bellarine Peninsula. The first stop was the Queenscliff Marine Discovery Centre which allowed students to familiarise themselves with the flora and fauna found in the Port Phillip Heads Marine National Park. The highlight of the centre was the touch tank where students immersed themselves in tactile interactions with a variety of marine life. Such interactions included touching the sharp spikes of a sea urchin, feeling the slimy skin of the incredibly weird elephant snail and observing an abalone slowly emerging from under its seaweed coated shell to suction onto any hand in close enough proximity! Students were even given the opportunity to taste seaweed picked fresh from the ocean. They learned about some of the issues affecting Port Phillip Bay and the management strategies in place to maintain the health of our beautiful marine environment. Before heading off to the snorkelling tour, the group ate a quick picnic lunch on the grass overlooking Swan Bay.
At Scubabo we donned wetsuits, flippers, masks and snorkels and jumped straight into the pool for a final swimming refresher before heading to the big blue. In the pool, students tested out the buoyancy of their wetsuits and faced their fears of swimming in water that was too deep to stand in. When everyone was feeling comfortable and looking the part, we boarded the Scubabo boat, and headed to Pope’s Eye and Chinaman’s Hat, two renowned snorkelling locations in Port Phillip Heads Marine National Park. On arrival at the first snorkelling location, there was no mucking around, and with masks and snorkels strapped tightly to eager faces, students literally jumped off the back of a boat and into the crystal cool water of Port Phillip Bay.
Many people head to warmer tropical waters to find beautiful marine life unaware that our very own Port Phillip Bay is brimming with colourful seagrass forests, vibrant fish and giant flocks of migratory birds. While snorkeling at Pope’s eye and Chinaman's Hat, students had countless close up encounters with colourful Leatherjackets, Australian Fur Seals, and Australasian Gannets and their fresh fluffy chicks! One of the groups was lucky enough to swim alongside a startlingly large Eastern Shovelnose Stingaree - a highlight of the trip!
I have rarely witnessed the courage, bravery and support demonstrated by Year 10 Outdoor Education students as they plunged into the bottomless depths of the salty ocean. It was an absolute delight.
Ms Emily Nancarrow
Year 10 Science
In Year 10 science, we are learning about chemistry, specifically chemical patterns and bonding. We carried out an experiment to compare the reactivity of various metals: Magnesium, Aluminum, Copper and Zinc. This was done by adding the metals to different test tubes with 2cm of hydrochloric acid and 3 drops of detergent. We concluded the experiment by recording observations and increase of foam in each solution.
- Rita Youssif and Lena Istaifo 10 McAuley
In Year 10 Science we are learning about chemistry and in this unit we are learning more about the periodic table such as the groups, periods, trends, reactivity, metals, non-metal and metalloids. In today's experiment our focus was on the reactivity of metals when they interact with hydrochloric acid and the metals we used were magnesium, aluminium, zinc and copper. Through our findings we found that some metals are more reactive than others, for example magnesium is more reactive than aluminum, zinc and copper having more bubbles.
- Nicholas Lay, 10 McAuley
Year 8 Camp
The Year 8s attended their first camp at The Ranch Mornington last week! The goal of their camp was to build a sense of self-esteem as well as develop resilience and their team-work skills. So many students pushed through their fear of heights as they were raised into the sky and swung high on the giant swing. Students got to have their first go at the unique sport of mountain boarding; strapped up on a skateboard riding down different levels of a hill. They also partook in mini challenges that saw them developing their abilities to communicate and cooperate with their peers. To round their night off, they got to go on a night walk; venturing up and around the hills and looking up at the beautiful stars in the sky. Overall, it was a wonderful experience and it enabled the Year 8 homeroom teachers to see students thrive in a different environment. It was an important learning experience that will be expanded on further through the Year 8 Pastoral Care curriculum this term.
- Ms Emma Baldacchino, Year 8 Assistant Leader
ANZAC Day Memorial
Great turnout for our first Chess Club for 2025
Mother's Day Breakfast
Mother's Day Dinner at Quatrefoils
We are excited to announce that Quatrefoils Restaurant at CRC Sydenham will be opening in the next couple of weeks. We will be sending out information about more upcoming events soon, and we are currently taking bookings for group events throughout the year.
We will be beginning the year with a special mothers day dinner on Tuesday the 6th of May at 6.30pm. This is an opportunity for us all to show our Mums how much we adore them by treating them to a special 4 course dinner at Quatrefoils.
The set menu below for the evening is only $40pp including a glass of bubbles for mum.
Starter
Creamy pumpkin soup with garlic toast
Entree
Caesar salad of romaine lettuce, garlic croutons, bacon, shaved parmesan
and a poached egg topped with anchovies
Main
Lemon and thyme rubbed chicken breast, green pea and spinach risotto,
pine nuts, marinated feta
Dessert
Sticky date pudding, butterscotch sauce, blackberry and apple compote,
housemade vanilla ice cream
Kids are more than welcome, and we have a kids menu available for the little ones.
To RSVP for this event please email quatrefoils@crcs.vic.edu.au with:
- Your name
- The event date you are booking for
- Phone number
- Number of guests who are attending
- Any dietary requirements
Thank you for your support and we look forward to seeing you in the restaurant as our students build their skills and experience in the hospitality industry.
Kind Regards,
Richard McGuire | Quatrefoils Restaurant
For restaurant enquiries and bookings please email Quatrefoils@crcs.vic.edu.au
What's on at Brimbank Libraries
|
Services Australia Drop-in Sessions |
Dungeons & Dragons One Shot |
My People, My Story, My Art |
Volunteer Info Session |
|
Get help with study payments, rental assistance, ATO, Medicare and Centrelink forms.
Staff from Services Australia are on hand to help. |
Calling all Bards and Wizards, the dices are ready for our Library D&D nights!
Whether you’re a seasoned adventurer or a first-time player, these one-shot adventures are perfect for everyone. |
Join Aunty Jeanie, an Indigenous artist of the Barkindji people from Wilcannia, as she guides you through a creative journey of Storytelling and traditional art forms.
Learn how to develop your own style through a series of beginner techniques. |
Discover the joys of volunteering at Brimbank Libraries with our Sydenham Library info session.
Learn how you can give back to your community through volunteering with Brimbank Libraries. Be a part of our Home Library Service, Reading Buddies, or Street Library. |
|
Open to all. |
Open to ages: 15+ years |
Open to ages: 15+ years |
Open to ages: 17+ years |
|
Deer Park Library Wed, 28 May 10-12noon
Keilor Library Wed, 14 May, 11am-1pm
St Albans Library Every Thurs, 10-12noon
Sunshine Library Every Tues, 1-3pm Thu 8&15 May, 10-12noon
Sydenham Library Fri, 16 May, 11am-1pm
|
Sat, 17 May, 1:00pm
Sat, 31 May, 1:00pm |
Mon, 26 May, 3:00pm
|
Sat, 17 May, 10:30am
|
|
|
|||