Merciful God,

We pray to you for all the men, women and children who have died after leaving their homelands in search of a better life. 

Though many of their graves bear no name, to you each one is known, loved and cherished. 

May we never forget them, but honour their sacrifice with deeds more than words. We entrust to you all those who have made this journey, enduring fear, uncertainty and humiliation, in order to reach a place of safety and hope.

Just as you never abandoned your Son as he was brought to a safe place by Mary and Joseph, so now be close to these, your sons and daughters, through our tenderness and protection.

In caring for them may we seek a world where none are forced to leave their home and where all can live in freedom, dignity and peace.

Merciful God and Father of all, wake us from the slumber of indifference, open our eyes to their suffering, and free us from the insensitivity born of worldly comfort and self-centredness.

Inspire us, as nations, communities and individuals, to see that those who come to our shores are our brothers and sisters.

May we share with them the blessings we have received from your hand, and recognize that together, as one human family, we are all migrants, journeying in hope to you, our true home, where every tear will be wiped away, where we will be at peace and safe in your embrace.

(Pope Francis)

This week marks Refugee Week. Every day many people across the world embark on dangerous journeys to find safety and freedom. Only days ago, 78 people drowned as a refugee boat sank off the coast of Greece and countless others are missing. These people, like refugees everywhere, are looking to find freedom: a life free from war, persecution and inequality; a life where basic human rights are upheld.

Refugee Week is an opportunity to listen to the stories of those who have been forced to leave their homes to build a new life in a ‘foreign’ land. These are stories that are well known in our school community, either directly or as the stories of our parents and grandparents. The week we celebrate the strength, courage and resilience of refugees and reflect on how well we, as individuals, as local and parish communities and as a nation, welcome strangers. Do we open the door when they knock? Do we stand in solidarity or run in fear? Do we recognise Christ in the strangers we meet?

Thank You

As we draw to the end of what has been a very busy term, I would like to thank everyone: students, staff and families for your hard work and support over the last 9 weeks.  The end of semester is a particularly challenging time for everyone. Just in the last three weeks, we have had exams, final assessment tasks, reports, Year 9 mock job interviews, Premier League finals and Immersion Day. Without a doubt, we are looking forward to the break.

I wish all students, families and staff an enjoyable and relaxing holiday.

Year 7 Premier League

During Term 2 Year 7 students have been participating in Premier League. Congratulations to all teams on the terrific school spirit and fine sportsmanship they have shown. Each team can boast that they did their absolute best and that they continually improved throughout the season.

Two teams made the finals, with the Girls Volleyball going down to Penola in a very close and competitive final, and the Boys Football (Soccer) heading to the grand final on Wednesday. Well done to all involved. Thank you to Mr Boudahar (Sports Leader), Mr Fernando (Sports Assistant) and all the coaches and staff for their support of the teams.

Years 9 and 10 Exams

We would like to congratulate all students in Years 9 and 10 on their excellent approach to the recent exams. They followed instructions, were well prepared and managed themselves in a mature and responsible manner throughout the week.

Thank you to families for all your support during exam week, by being there for your son / daughter, in ensuring that they have the time and space for study but also in dealing with the changed arrangements for the school day.

Start of Term 3

Term 3 will commence on Monday 10 July 2023. Please note this will be Day 1 of the Semester 2 timetable.

Semester 2 Timetable

There will be a new timetable for Semester 2. This will be finalised during the holidays and will be available to students and families through the SIMON Learning Management System by the last Friday of the holidays, Friday 07 July 2023. 

Friday 21 July 2023:  Staff Formation Day

Each year, staff have a day where they have the opportunity to explore and deepen their understanding of the Catholic faith. This day will take place on Friday 21 July 2023.  Staff from across the Federation of Catholic Regional College will gather at CRC North Keilor to work with Professor John Warhurst (Emeritus Professor of Political Science ANU). Professor Warhurst will present on the recent Plenary Council, the Church in Australia and Synodality in the world-wide Church. The day will conclude with the annual intercampus mass led by Fr. Kevin Lenehan, Master of Catholic Theological College.

Students will not be required at school on this day. 

Newsletter

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

Newsletter Days for Term 3 2023:           

Fridays:  21 July,     4 August,     18 August,     01 September,     15 September

Key Dates Term 2 2023

Friday 23 June:  Report preparation day (students not required at school)

Year 8 Sign Symbol and Sacrament

This term the Year 8’s have explored how to find God in the four sources of revelation. We have God in creation, God in scripture, God in human experiences and God in tradition. In there assessment the Year 8 students were challenged to consider how Catholic Symbols could be used to address justice issues in the world today. The following examples are from Year 8 Hollows:

This Christian symbol addresses modern issues such as discrimination. People should not be judged on their skin color or difference in appearance. Women should have equal rights as men, in education and in pay. This poster is to remind us that God is always with us and has suffered hardships as well.

Hands are often used in Catholic Sacraments, in our confirmation there is a laying on hands. This poster with a hand with a heart on top is a symbol of love and spreading kindness. It is meant for those people that are struggling to get by, and as a reminder to everyone to be kind and spread positivity whenever possible because it can really benefit society and the environment around us. The modern day issue that is being brought up is discrimination and hate towards others.

The modern day issue is global warming. Global warming is a very serious issue in our current day because the earth is changing for the worse. The light in this photo represents God as he is the light of our world.

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On Thursday 8th June, a group of Year 9 Italian students had the opportunity to attend the Dante Alighieri Poetry Recital competition held at the University of Melbourne. Although nerves were high, the students performed wonderfully in front of the judge and really demonstrated their character strengths of bravery, perseverance and a love of learning.

It was a great day out with the students impressing the judges. After the competition we wandered over to Lygon Street and the students had the opportunity to experience some of Italy’s influence on the food culture in Australia. Students indulged themselves with treats from Brunetti’s as a reward for stepping out of their comfort zone. 

We look forward to finding out the competition results. In bocca al lupo! (that’s good luck in Italian). Here are what two of our fantastic poets had to say about their experience:

The competition runs every year and is open to any student who is learning Italian at years 9, 10, 11 or 12. Each year different poems are selected and are different for each year level too. These are the poems that were chosen for the Year 9 participants this year: http://www.dantealighierimelbourne.com/poems.html

- Mr Zarosinski, Language Area Leader

Joyful June

In this bustling month of June, as we navigate through various challenges, let us remember that it's the little things that truly make life extraordinary. Even on the most difficult days, we have the power to create small moments of everyday joy.

Please see the Joyful June calendar with delightful activities designed to foster positive emotions. By sharing this calendar with others, we can spread the joy and uplift those around us.

Let us embark on a mission to seek out and share more of these precious moments throughout the month. By appreciating the simple pleasures in life, we not only strengthen our own resilience but also bring happiness to others.

Together, let's make June a month filled with boundless joy and shared experiences that will leave a lasting impact on our school community.

Jun_2023.pdf

The Push-Up Challenge

Our school has been actively participating in The Push-Up Challenge this June. Every recess on our school stage we have allocated a Push-Up Station where our students have the opportunity to bank some exercise for building awareness of the importance of staying active and looking after our Mental Health.

This year, as a school community we have set a target to complete 10,000 push-ups during the initiative and are well and truly on track to meet this goal.

Thank you to all staff, students and families that have supported the challenge.

To check out our team page click on this link: https://www.thepushupchallenge.com.au/fundraisers/crcstalbans

Catholic Regional College - Collaborating School

This year Catholic Regional College is proudly collaborating with the Cyber Safety Project to facilitate cyber safety education with parents and guardians. By uncovering the risks of learning, connecting and playing online, parents and guardians will be empowered to support their child(ren) with important conversations to navigate the online world safely.

Our Year 7 and 8 educators are equipped with a sequenced cyber safety curriculum mapped to the Victorian framework, which underpins key values for a strong foundation for online safety and digital wellbeing.

The Cyber Safety Project is endorsed by the eSafety Commissioner as a Trusted eSafety Provider. To further support cyber safety education at home, you can find helpful online home safety guides, conversation checklists and resources for creating a safe digital environment at home via cybersafetyproject.com.au

Additional online safety support resources: 

• Report online harms including cyber bullying, image-based abuse or illegal and harmful content - eSafety.gov.au 
• Report child exploitation material to the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation - accce.gov.au
• If your child is immediate danger call 000.

 

Emergency and Mental Health Support Information and contact phone numbers

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 hour/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 hour/7 days a week advice and support for parents, guardians and carers.

• Lifeline

Phone:13 4357 https://www.lifeline.org.au/Free 24 hour/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.