As we turn to the season of Autumn here in Australia, we also turn to the liturgical season of Lent, beginning with Ash Wednesday. During this time we are offered the opportunity to be still, to reflect and to be more attentive to God’s presence in the ordinariness of our everyday lives. Lent is an invitation to reflect on our daily lives and come to know God through a heart of love.
The readings of Ash Wednesday call us to be the head, heart and hands of Christ in our world today. Through the prophet Joel, we are invited to turn back to God:
‘Now, now – it is the Lord who speaks – come back to me with all your heart’ (Joel 2: 12).
In the reading from Matthew’s Gospel we encounter Jesus, who models for us how to live as faithful disciples through the practices of almsgiving, prayer and fasting. We can reflect on these practices through the lens of head, heart and hands.
Throughout the journey of Lent to Easter, we turn our head, heart and hands towards God as we renew our relationship with God and with others. And we experience a new life through our Easter joy in the risen Christ.
During the forthcoming school holidays, I will have the privilege of attending the The Five Schools Cultural Exchange in Nagoya, Japan, along with five of our Year 11 students; Izaac Chatfield, Rick & Nikita Daicos, Michelle Grover and Hannah Thorne.
The five schools involved are all Sister Schools of Toho Senior High School, Japan. They are:
The original exchanges started at Toho High School in Japan in 1997. This has been followed by:
This 12th Exchange Meeting is being hosted by Toho High School. The 2-week event will finish with students developing ideas from their various research projects that they can act upon in their own countries and schools.
This program has both a cultural and educational component to it. Students will be involved in research and presentation of their findings. The theme for the exchange is “Reducing man-made waste and pollution”. During the 2 weeks’ students will also learn about and participate in the various cultural activities from each of the different countries.
The purposes of the program are:
This event is, I believe, unique in that students from four different countries are meeting to develop international understanding and friendship. The exchange begins on Monday 15 April and will conclude on Friday 26 April.
Next Tuesday 2 April, our staff will be engaged in a wide range of Professional Learning activities designed to support their work with our students. Some of these activities will include:
We appreciate the support given to us by parents on these days, especially to those who need to organize alternative care arrangements at home.
The first edition of Catholic Education Today for 2019 will be distributed to students in the last week of Term 1. The edition features an article on the recent World Youth Day events in Panama, stories promoting the new campus of St Paul’s College and a student voice initiative involving four of our schools, as well as a photographic tribute to our successful Catholic Education Week. This issue also contains the regular sections highlighting Educators in Profile and Around the Archdiocese. If you wish to read it from your device, the online version is also available
And finally….
As this is the final newsletter for Term 1, may I wish everyone a Blessed Easter. We look forward to everyone returning safely on Tuesday 23 April.
Salesian College Sunbury is a large community of students, staff and parents, both past and present. Please keep the following in your prayers:
An update from our College Principal, Mr Mark Brockhus
Last Wednesday we joyfully welcomed over 300 visitors to the College to view our amazing resources and see our school day in action. At the conclusion of their tour of the grounds with our wonderful student guides, I briefly spoke about our vision for the College and what makes us unique. I thought I would share it with you:
Good Morning/Afternoon Everyone and welcome to Salesian College for our Open Day Program, the highlight no doubt is the Principal’s address!
Salesian College began humbly way back in 1927 as an orphanage with just 15 students. It was founded on the teaching principles of St John Bosco, whose theory of education, the preventive system, was about educating the whole person - body and soul united. He believed that Christ’s love for us, and our faith in that love, should pervade everything we do— be it work, study, play…..everything. This style of education, which belongs equally in the home as it does in the classroom, can best be described through Bosco’s methods of relating to adolescent children:
Our school is one where Faith and Community live in complete harmony with one another, and our actions to support and encourage one another are motivated by our firm belief that we see God in each and every person who enters our lives. Hopefully you gained a sense of that today in your interactions with our students.
Our school is indeed a busy one, where Learning and Excellence form a strong foundation for students to Strive in Life. Our classrooms are places of engagement where we connect students with the changing world around them. Our deep commitment is to develop vibrant young people who desire to make a difference in the world. Hopefully this too was evident on your walk through our many and varied learning spaces.
Our school is a place of great joy and happiness, just as Bosco dreamt it would be. It is there in our interactions with one another throughout the year and something we hope that every young person in our care learns to share with others when they leave.
Our promise to you, should you choose a Salesian education, is that your children will not only graduate with 21st Century learning skills, but will be nurtured with a 19th Century philosophy of respect, love and understanding. Here at Salesian College, we aim is to imbue four key traits into the DNA of every graduate – Community, Learning, Excellence & Faith.
Applications for Year 7 2021 close on August 23.
The Salesian Society (Vic) Inc, also known as Salesians of Don Bosco, was declared as a participating non-government institution in the National Redress Scheme by the Minister for Families and Social Services on 16 May 2019. The National Redress Scheme was created in response to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Australia.
This is a positive step forward for the Salesians and is very much welcomed by the College. It means that individuals who were abused in the care of the Salesians can apply to the Scheme for redress. It can provide three things:
People are now encouraged to apply through the National Redress Website or to call the National Redress Scheme line on 1800 737 377.
As a College community, we continually offer our prayerful support for all survivors of abuse and their families.
Salesian College Sunbury is a large community of students, staff and parents, both past and present. Please keep the following in your prayers:
Tender God of heaven and earth,
You are the Holy One on our midst.
Your justice is our peace; Your peace is our hope;
Your presence, our delight!
Make our hands your hands;
Our hearts, your heart; Our lives, your life!
Give us this day, and always, a bread of freedom to share,
A cup of hope to pour upon the earth.
Forgive us our hatreds and walls.
Teach us to forgive the walls of others as well.
Do not permit us tests beyond our strength.
And deliver us from evil’s death-grip.
For everything above us and under us,
Everything within us and without us,
Must bend the knee to the glory of your freedom,
The everlasting victory of your justice and peace.
Last Wednesday 15 May, we held our College Open Day. The number of people who came out to see our College blew us away. We had hundreds of families tour the College grounds with our helpful students as their guides. Our guests also had the opportunity to hear from Mr Brockhus, as well as speak with faculty leaders as part of our "Education Expo"
The closing date for Year 7 2021 enrolments is Friday 23 August 2019 so be sure to submit your application. The online application form can be found on our College website.
If you attended the day we would love to hear your thoughts. Click here to complete a short survey.
Thank you to all the families who came out to see us, we hope you felt we truly are a 'Home that Welcomes'.
Oscar Wilde’s beloved masterpiece is widely considered one of the funniest plays in the English language. The delightful repartee and hilarious piercing of hypocrisy and pomposity has had theatregoers rolling in the aisles for over a century.
When Algernon discovers that his friend, Ernest, has created a fictional brother for whenever he needs a reason to escape dull country life, Algernon poses as the brother, resulting in ever-increasing confusion.
Enjoy an evening in the College Ballroom watching this clever and hilarious comedy in the perfect setting - A Victorian Mansion. The show will begin with nibbles and drinks in the Mansion Dining Room, whilst our college band provides entertainment. This promises to be a wonderful night for all involved. Shows will run on Wednesday 26 and Thursday 27 June at 7pm. Seats are limited so book now to avoid disappointment. Click here for tickets.
The College is upgrading the Lakeside Stadium car park and clubroom area with a bitumen surface as part of its Capital Improvement Plan. This project aims to enhance the safety of Students, Staff and Visitors who utilize the area.
As a result of the works, the stadium car park will be closed from Thursday 16 May to Friday 20 June to facilitate the completion of the resurfacing works.
To ensure the safety of students and staff, and to assist with the flow of traffic in the driveway and drop-off area, we ask that you use an alternate drop off point for students, rather than adding more pressure on the already overused drop-off point near the bus bays .Alternative drop-off areas include the Gatehouse car park, Sunbury Square car park, Macedon Street, Evans Street or Racecourse Road.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, if you have any questions on this matter, please contact the College on 9744 0000.
A huge thank you to our Year 7 and 9 students and families for your promptness and participation in our recent NAPLAN testing. We see NAPLAN as another way to track student literacy and numeracy outcomes and encourage all to participate. We were extremely happy with the way that most students conducted themselves during this period, especially our Year 7s as it can be daunting doing exams in such a large space. Thank you also to the staff involved, especially Ben Moss-Holland for his exceptional organisation.
The General Achievement Test (GAT) for all students studying a Unit 3 and 4 subject (Year 12) is on Wednesday 12 June 2019, 10.00am – 1.15pm. This is an important test and we encourage all of our students to take it seriously and try their best. Please help us ensure they have the following equipment; an English and/or bilingual printed dictionary (a thesaurus or a combined thesaurus-dictionary is not permitted), pens, pencils, sharpener and an eraser. These things should be carried in a clear zip-lock bag. No pencil cases or calculators are permitted.
For more information on the GAT please use the link below.
https://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/Pages/vce/exams/gat/stepbystep.aspx
Past GAT papers for practice can be found here.
https://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/Pages/vce/exams/gat/gat.aspx
Our end of semester exams are fast approaching and timetables will be available shortly. In terms of helping your child to prepare for the exams here are some tips.
How to study
Where to study
We have decided to open the Bosco subject changes this week, to give Year 10 and 11 students extra time to make changes before their exams. Your child will receive an email about this process and changes will be made on a first in, first served basis. Subjects can become full quickly, so we encourage you to get on to this asap. This process will open for all other year levels on Monday 27 May.
Read an update from our Director of Faith and Mission, Mr Stephen Connelly
This week the Archdiocese of Melbourne recognises and celebrates Family Week. The theme for Family Week is The Spirit of Hope. Catholic Care, the Archdiocesan organisation charged with promoting Family Week, has stated that “Hope and trust are essential ingredients in family relationships and in communities, and this forms the basis of the 2019 Family Week theme; Building Connections in the Spirit of Hope.” In real terms, we recognise that family life is diverse, subject to complexities and has its own unique narrative that is at once profoundly personal and yet universally recognisable.
Only a few years ago when Rome hosted two Synods on the family, Pope Francis, a man known for his deep compassion for people, especially those who are disadvantaged or suffering, spoke at length about the need to be profoundly aware of the challenges and complexities of family life in a contemporary, pluralistic society.
Pope Francis’ awareness that human life has an incompleteness, a brokenness, extended to his reflection that he sees families more as works in progress rather than settled realities. He says, “No family drops down from heaven perfectly formed; families need constantly to grow and mature in the ability to love”. He knows well that families and family life have a rich complexity inasmuch as that they experience many sufferings as well as many joys.
He speaks of the many and varied situations of families. He calls the family a “multifaceted gem”. He is aware that families are shaped by diverse cultural situations. There is not just one model for the way families operate.
Pope Francis astutely knows the human situations of the world we live in today. Yet he is positive and encouraging. He wants the Church to be amongst people in the realities of their lives. He wants the Church to reflect Christ who “never failed to show compassion and closeness to the frailty of individuals.”
On issues like the family, he speaks about the desire of the Church to come close to people and accompany them with “pastoral mercy”. He wants the Church to listen to people and encourage those whose situation is complex and diverse.
He has stated quite strongly in terms that re-affirm that love is the sustaining force to family life. Love within the family context takes on many shapes and expressions. Family is, in fact, a “dynamic process”, “one which advances gradually with the progressive integration of the gifts of God”.
In this week of Family Week, we pray to the Holy Family for all families within our college community. We pray that the Holy Family watches over them especially in times of need.
Our fantastic Music in the Mansion concert was held in the Ballroom last Thursday 16 May. The Year 7 and 8 Music classes performed as a concert band. Many of these students had never played an instrument before electing Music class, and yet in just over a term they have worked hard to be able to perform a range of Concert band songs, including We Will Rock You and March of the Romans. Parents were delighted to see their students perform. The VCE and VET Music students performed to a very high standard, including a fabulous mix of music such as Hotel California, Take On Me and Shallow. Thanks to the students who worked so hard to prepare, and congratulations to their teachers Heidi Woodruff, Dennis Berto, and instrumental tutors Sarah Holden, Donna Cicero and Shane Ryall. Thanks to Mackenzie Rose Anderson for her assistance.
After being welcomed by the Museum mascot, students had a tour of the galleries, answering questions about the exhibition design, audience experience and the role a range of specialist designers would play in putting together the displays. They then heard from a VCAA assessor about the requirements of their SAT and listened to a presentation from designer Rebecca Naughtin about the field of architecture. Students then had a viewing of folio and final presentations from last year’s A and A+ folios to inspire them for their own design journey.
All of our dance classes are working to put on a display on Thursday 30 May at 6:30pm in the Ballroom. We encourage all Parents and friends to attend and see just how talented our students are. Thanks to Mary-Lou Bond for her hard work preparing the students for the performance.
The VCE Drama class will perform ensemble items they have been preparing this semester in the Pacroom at 6:30pm on Thursday 30 May.
Students from Years 7 to 12 are invited to write a one-act play responding to the theme of ‘a time for giving’. There will be creative writing workshops taking place at lunch over Term 2 to help students in their projects and for the teachers to offer feedback and assistance.
The winners of the competition will have their plays brought to life on stage as part of our annual Christmas production, where they can stay involved with casting and directing their pieces. Students can write individually, in pairs or in small groups. So don’t be afraid to start collaborating! Plays will be due for submission in the last week of this term. In addition to their plays being staged, the selected playwrights will also win a prize to see a professional theatre production!
All students having Instrumental Lessons will perform at a recital on Thursday 20 June. Students will perform solos, duets or small ensemble pieces. Guitar Ensemble will also perform. We look forward to a wonderful evening of music. Stay tuned for further details to come.
Congratulations to all of our students who participated in the SACCSS Cross Country. Our students put their hard work to the test on Tuesday 7 May, and as always they displayed great determination.
On the day had some fantastic results, including:
We also had a great outcome in the team events. This year we won:
A massive effort from all involved.
All Year 10s will have begun their appointments with a Career Adviser this term to develop a personal Career Action Plan. This will include a list of career areas of interest, related tertiary courses, Year 11 subjects & pathways. Parents are welcome to attend.
Work Experience requests for Term 3 must be submitted by Friday 24 May. Current exciting placements have included a city law firm, CLH Lawyers, and Gisborne Vet Clinic.
This weeks’s Career News topics found here: https://schoolbox.scr.vic.edu.au/homepage/2634
Dates for your diary
MAY
JUNE
There is still time to get your tickets for the Twilight School's budgeting course, as well as the upcoming Kokadama making course
Salesian College Sunbury is proud to have financial experts from SAGE Business Group in Sunbury run our next Twilight School event on 29 May at 5pm.
If you have trouble saving, or want to learn tips and techniques on how to design a budget then set aside a couple of hours and attend the Budgeting course held later this month. Click here to book your place now. Tickets are limited and cost $19 per person (including light refreshments).
This session is designed for:
Have you heard about Kokadamas? The Twilight School is also hosting a Kokadama making course on Tuesday 4 June.
Kokedama is a style of Japanese bonsai, where a plant's root system is simply wrapped in sphagnum moss and bound with string, transforming it into a sculptural art form. Loosely translated, 'koke' means moss and 'dama' means ball. In this course learn how to make one of these for your household.
It will run on Tuesday 4 June at 6pm. Cost for the course is $40, which includes all materials and supper. To book you place click here.
Last Friday field experts Trent Oats, Matthew FitzGerald and Ricky Ferris visited our Agriculture students to assist in developing their skills.
Our students learnt how to shear, draft and judge sheep. They worked with Trent Oats, a past student who now has his own sheep stud and Matthew FitzGerald. Matthew is the previous Farm Manager at the College, who is now managing a large commercial farm.
The horticulture team did a tour of the property to search for native plants and make a plan to propagate them down on the farm. They also worked on the patch, by planting basil and lettuce.
Ricky Ferris taught the students the basics of showing beef cattle. This included learning how to correctly put on a halter, as well as how to wash, brush and dry the cattle. Ricky finished up with allowing the students to take part in leading practice.
As you can see from the images below, all our students involved had a great time and will no doubt put all their new skills to good use.
An update from our College Principal, Mr Mark Brockhus
Term 2 is now well underway. We hope that the holidays were both relaxing and an opportunity to enjoy family and friends. From a faith perspective, we have begun Term 2 with the Easter season and the remaining four weeks provide us with a continuing focus on what it means to live as Easter people – to live in the love and joy, and the hope, of Christ’s resurrection. May we remember each day to be loving, joyous and hopeful people.
Assembly
I used the opportunity of the Whole School Assembly last Friday to reflect with the students on our use of the internet for ‘social’ purposes. Here’s an extract from my address:
We’ve all used expressions like “just a second” or “in a minute” as ways of delaying work, usually when we’re doing something online like checking Snapchat or watching funny YouTube clips, but have you ever stopped to think about how much the world actually does in a minute online?
Check out the graphic on the screen? A million dollars spent every minute online, a million facebook logins, 2.1 million Snapchats created, 18 million text messages!!. You would think that with all that social interaction online that we would be the most connected, the most knowledgeable, the most friendly, the most happy people at any point in the worlds history.
Oh, but only if this were true. Yes, I have no doubt the vast majority of us use the internet for positive and fun stuff. Stuff that makes us laugh and stay friends with people throughout Australia and across the world. When we stay true to our Christian virtues of:
….the internet is a powerful tool for making the world a better place in which to live. I’m sure that was the hope of Robert Khan, the man who invented the internet back in 1972. But what would he have thought about the live-streaming of the massacre of over 50 Muslims in Christchurch using YouTube, or the online radicalisation of terrorists who co-ordinated bomb attacks on Christian Churches in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday. Or the online bullying that many people are subjected to on a daily basis.
I’ve just returned from the 5 Schools Exchange in Japan where we focussed on preserving our planet by reducing man-made waste and pollution. Yes, preserving our planet is vital, but I would argue that in a world divided by extreme beliefs of identity and religion and that there are more important things to preserve in our world, things like unreserved respect for others, being generous with our time for others, being grateful for things we have, not jealous for things we don’t, showing sincere appreciation for the smallest of gifts, being prepared to walk in the shoes of those less fortunate than ourselves, not holding onto grudges and being willing to say ‘sorry”, and never ever taking tomorrow for granted.
Preserving Christian traditions like these may sound old-fashioned, but I sincerely believe that if we pass these on to those that follow us, we will indeed have a world worth preserving into the future. Not just a connected world, but a truly socially connected world. Think about that next time your online for your internet minute.
Students of the Term
The Term 1 Student of the Term Awards were presented at our Whole School Assembly last Friday. I wish to publically congratulate each of the following students for their achievements:
Year 7 Perry Mantakis (Colliton)
Year 8 Rose Avenell Thompson (Mannix)
Year 9 Shanequa Faria (Bunjil)
Year 10 Alyssa Kenny (MacKillop)
Year 11 Victoria Flynn (Naughton) & Joshua Poulton (O’Grady)
Year 12 Alex Dyer (Mahoney) & James Dillon (O’Grady)
School Funding and the Federal Election
One of the many factors to take into account when voting next weekend will be the level of funding being promised for Catholic Education here in Victoria. To assist, the NCEC (National Catholic Education Commission) and Catholic School Parents Australia have provided some easy to read information sheets for parents about funding of Catholic schools along with an outline of what the Coalition, Labor and Greens parties have pledged related to three key issues for Catholic education:
Please find below links to important information on each of these areas.
2019 NCEC FAQs
2019 NCEC Facts on School Funding
2019 NCEC Election Party Responses
We are praying for
Salesian College Sunbury is a large community of students, staff and parents, both past and present. Please keep the following in your prayers:
Mr Mark Brockhus, Principal
A MOTHERS DAY PRAYER
I thank you, Creator of us all, for my mother.
I thank you that she gave me life and nurtured me all those years. She gave me my faith, helping me to know you and to know Jesus and his ways. She taught me how to love and how to sacrifice for others. She taught me that it was okay to cry and that I should always tell the truth.
Bless her with the graces she needs and which you want to give her today. Help her to feel precious in your eyes today and to know that I love her. Give her strength and courage, compassion and peace.
Bless her this day with your love.
Click here to find out what is taking place on our Open Day, including tour times and how you can be involved.
Our Discovery Open day on 15 May is set to be a memorable one. It is designed to be informative, interactive and entertaining. The day will peak the interest of both young children and parents. There will be student led tours, a Principal’s address and an EXPO of curriculum and student services. There will also be a range of activities taking place in the classrooms and around the College.
We are really excited a few hundred people have already registered to attend our College to see what makes us different. Make sure you save your place to see and learn about our facilities and curriculum. You will see for yourself how our teachers deliver engaging programs meeting the needs of your children and your family.
To book, please click on one of the links below. Bookings essential.
9am Tour
11am Tour
1.45pm Tour
This past weekend saw the 11th gathering of OzBosco, this year held at Don Bosco Camp Safety Beach.
OzBosco 2019
The 11th gathering of OzBosco was held at Don Bosco Camp Safety Beach. Twelve students represented our College with Mr Stephen Connelly and Mr Dino Martiniello.
They were joined by over 130 young people from other Salesian schools, parishes, youth groups and young leaders. They gathered for a weekend to celebrate our Salesian charism, with a special focus this year on the Salesian strenna for 2019 - “You too can be Holy”.
Our students engaged in workshops, heard from a key note speaker, spent time getting to know others is small group discussions, and reflected on their faith through prayer moments and the celebration of the Eucharist. An inspiring weekend was had by all, new friendships made and quality time spent reflecting on our call to live as saints in our own context.
Both Mr Martiniello and Mr Connelly would like to express their gratitude to the students who attended - Ruby Taylor, Chloe Faulkner, Michaela Morris, Olivia Floreani, Sofia Barham (all Year 10), Nikita Daicos and Rick Daicos (Year 11) and Alex Dyer, Kristina Matesevac, Michaela Mancuso, Sarah Earl and Eliza Taranto (all Year 12).
We now look forward to OzBosco 2020!
Our College Athletics Carnival was such a wonderful event. We were blessed with nice weather last Tuesday and our own College grounds were just perfect.
It was great to see so many students representing their Houses. There was a variety of events on offer. Whether it was running in a track event, throwing, jumping in a field event or pulling their House over the line on the tug-of-war rope. Students were happy to get involved.
Congratulations to O’Grady House, who under the leadership of House Captains, Bayley Moore and Lucy Dillon, ran out eventual winners on the day. O’Grady managed to just get over the line of last year’s Athletics winners, Naughton House, who seemed to be out of the count but had a few amazing relay races to bump them up to second. Below are the final standings from the Athletics Carnival:
1st – O’Grady - 1018
2nd – Naughton- 1008
3rd – Mackillop- 972
4th – Mannix – 919
5th – Colliton - 892
6th – Mahoney - 885
7th – Maiocco - 739
8th – Bunjil - 731
Congratulations to the following students who were awarded Age Champion medals on the day.
13 Years Male – Riley Coughlan (Bunjil) Female – Chloe Ali (Mannix)
14 Years Male – Cooper Steenbuck (Mannix) Female – Isabella Jordan (Mannix)
15 Years Male – Fraser Phelan-Smith (Mackillop) Female – Stephanie Jones (Naughton)
16 Years Male – Emmanuel Paulo (Naughton) Female – Grace Krstev (Mackillop)
17 Years Male –Matthew Bruce (O’Grady) Female – DRAW
Matilda Gavaghan (Mackillop)
Demi Young (Colliton)
Open Male – Sean Merrett (Mahoney) Female – Eloise Disher (Maiocco)
A special mention must go to Cooper Steenbuck and Emmanuel Paulo who won the Peter Godden and Fred Rogers Awards respectively.
ANZAC Day representation
Our College Captains Michaela Frantz and Joshua De Jonge represented our College at the Sunbury RSL Commemortation Service and Wreath Laying Ceremony on ANZAC Day. Joshua and Michaela also presented the key note address on the day. We congratulate them on their speech and thank them for representing the College with such reverence.
Mother's Day
Students again played a significant role in our Mother's Day event held on Friday, 3 May. We congratulate all those involved and hope all parents, guardians, friends and families in attendance enjoyed themselves.
Mobile phones
A reminder that students are not allowed to have their mobile phone on them at school, they must be in the locker between 8.40am- 3.20pm. If a mobile phone is confiscated, an SMS will be sent to a parent/guardian as soon as practicable. The phone can be collected by a parent/guardian/ designated adult from the Mansion any time between 8am- 5pm. If families have concerns with this policy, they can contact Ms Elaine Dugdale-Walker. A big thankyou to the families that have been supportive of this initiative.
More detailed information is on the Parent Portal of Schoolbox
Want to set yourself a budget? Come to a Twilight School event and within a couple of hours learn some tips to set you on your way.
Salesian College Sunbury is proud to have financial experts from SAGE Business Group in Sunbury run our next Twilight School event on 29 May at 5pm.
If you have trouble saving, or want to learn tips and techniques on how to design a budget then set aside a couple of hours and attend the Budgeting course held later this month. Click here to book your place now. Tickets are limited and cost $19 per person (including light refreshments).
This session is designed for:
We have been impressed with how our students have commenced Term 2. Read an update from Mrs Jodie FitzGerald.
We have been impressed with how our students have commenced Term 2 and encourage them to continue to make their studies a high priority. The partnership between school and home, and ongoing communication, can help our young people with focus, organisation and persistence when things get tough.
We strongly encourage everyone to check Schoolbox regularly to see what your child/children are learning about in class, check their homework, upcoming assessments and teacher feedback. Please also feel free to communicate with us, especially if there is something preventing your child from learning or achieving their best.
Student Academic Tracking
In the next few weeks we launch our student academic tracking process. This means that your child may have a conversation with their Homeroom Leader or House Co-ordinator to discuss their learning progress.
You might also receive a phone call from a member of the Learning and Teaching team or one of our Directors to discuss a learning plan. The focus of these conversations will be to plan interventions if your child is not showing the expected level of growth. This is a really positive step in tracking progress and the purpose behind this process is to:
• give us a proactive, consistent, accurate and efficient way of measure student growth and track student progress.
• recognise and celebrate student achievement.
• intervene when a student is not showing the expected level of growth and develop a plan to support them moving forward.
The great thing about this process is that it takes the student’s starting point into account. It focuses on growth, rather than academic achievement. We look forward to this being a really positive step forward for learning and teaching at the College and thank everyone who has been involved in the planning, development and feedback process.
Project Based Learning
Project Based Learning continues to be a focus and this week many of our teachers have engaged in professional learning and planning time for our Year 9 program. The New Tech Network have worked with staff from our English, Humanities, Science, Technology and Arts departments to assist them to develop new projects that will be launched in the new year. There will be some changes to our Year 9 program in 2020, with students having more choice in what they study and a term-based retreat program. We are in the final planning stages of planning and more information about Year 9 2020 will be available soon.
Skills and habits
Last year, as part of our commitment to continual school improvement we worked as a staff to identify the skills and habits that were important to us. The following habits were identified and fit perfectly with the work we had been doing with Claxton’s Building Learning Power, our Victorian Curriculum capabilities and our Salesian approach and ethos.
• Ethical and Global Understanding
• Critical, Creative and Reflective Thinking
• Resilience and Resourcefulness
• Relationships and Empathy
Learning Areas have taken responsibility for each of these areas and you will probably see them written into assessment tasks and developmental rubrics. These are the learning habits that we want to see our Salesian College graduates take with them into their future.e will continue to discuss, model, coach and provide opportunities where these habits can be practiced in our learning programs. We will also work to unpack what these things look like in action and share what they look like in our context.
Our students are on the lookout for toothpaste bottles and boxes. Why you ask? They are undertaking an oral Hygiene Waste Recycling Drive.
Over 30 million toothbrushes alone are thrown out by Australians each year, amounting to approximately 1000 tonnes of landfill each year! We can help reduce that number with your help, all you need to do is bring any brand of used toothpaste tubes or bottles and caps, toothbrushes, floss containers, and toothbrush and toothpaste tube packaging to school. But you can’t bring electric toothbrushes or parts for them.
Oral hygiene waste like this is something that can’t normally be recycled, and usually just ends up in landfill. Our College however is collecting them and sending them to a company called TerraCycle to be up-cycled into new things like pencil cases or wrapper board which can be used to make products like picture frames and pin boards. They also turning plastic waste into pellets which is used to create new sustainable plastic products.
Help us make a difference. Collections are taking place from 13 May.
Read an update from our Director of Faith and Mission, Mr Stephen Connelly
We proclaim with joy the Risen Christ! This simple, yet most profound statement is a message I have been imparting to students over these last two weeks. It is a bold, strong and a most affirming testament to our faith. Our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the incarnate word of God, who came and dwelt amongst us, who suffered, died on the Cross and rose again, to be seated at the right of the Father, and who is the source of our salvation and redemption and the glorious manifestation of eternal life, is the Christ of our faith.
But what does Easter mean? I have been challenging my students to think about this question. More than any other seasonal celebrations in our liturgical calendar, Easter calls us to be reflective and to make the Easter narrative a deeply personal one. The resurrection must resonate in our lives.
Jesus helps us to see the daily resurrections that can transform our world and ourselves. This Easter we can catch a glimpse of the Risen Christ and our “risen selves” by even the simplest of gestures. . . helping to transform another's hurt into forgiveness, transforming our fragile planet into a world of beauty, freeing ourselves from anything which might hold us back from entering into a full relationship with our God.
The resurrection is about allowing ourselves and others to live “alleluias” (Praise the Lord!) every day of our lives. It is believing we are all one, united in our Lord. It is about hope and being set free. And, yes, it is about celebrating joyously our faith.
Click here to find out more information about our Careers Department and the activities undertaken recently by our students.
Did you know we had eighteen Year 10 students undertake work experience recently?. They worked in trades, hospitals, airsport aviation fitness, education, fashion design and teaching. Requests for placements in Term 3 are open until 24 May.
Our Year 11 students had the opportunity to visit the Caulfield VCE and Careers Expo. This had over 130 exhibitors and opportunities for students to sit in career or VCE subject seminars on Thursday 2th May to further research their pathway plans for 2019.
Community Achievers Program at Australian Catholic University (ACU) is now open. This is a year 12 early entry program that takes into account community service, leadership, and school participation etc.
If you are successful, you will be guaranteed entry with a minimum ATAR, providing you meet prerequisites. 70: Law and dual Law degrees
70: Physiotherapy
65: Occupational Therapy and Speech Pathology
58.5: all other degrees.
Applications close Tuesday 31 July. Click here for more details.
For more information pertaining to Careers, visit Schoolbox.
The Art and English faculties are excited to announce a new competition for all our budding creative writers at Salesian.
Playwriting competition
The Art and English faculties are excited to announce a new competition for all our budding creative writers at Salesian. Students from Years 7 to 12 are invited to write a one-act play responding to the theme of ‘a time for giving’. There will be creative writing workshops taking place at lunch over Term 2 to help students in their projects and for the teachers to offer feedback and assistance.
The winners of the competition will have their plays brought to life on stage as part of our annual Christmas production, where they can stay involved with casting and directing their pieces. Students can write individually, in pairs or in small groups. So don’t be afraid to start collaborating! Plays will be due for submission in the last week of this term.
In addition to their plays being staged, the selected playwrights will also win a prize to see a professional theatre production! Our Christmas Play will once again be raising money for the St Vincent’s Christmas Appeal, and this year will also include the annual Salesian Art Competition.
VCE Music and Dance Excursion
The VCE Music and Dance classes travelled into the city recently to see an amazing production of West Side Story at the State Theatre. This production was staged by Opera Australia and featured world class singers and dancers. The students were enthralled by the timeless love story and dazzled by the spectacular dancing and singing. West Side Story is studied in both VCE Music and Dance with a score by Leonard Bernstein.
Band Performance
Our fantastic concert band have been rehearsing every week and have grown rapidly in skill and size. They performed a fun rendition of the classic “Funky Town” at the Whole School Assembly on 3 May. The students are eagerly rehearsing Bohemian Rhapsody and Havana among other pieces to perform at the end of term Play.
Just a gentle reminder to families about our uniform expectations for students.Â
Just a gentle reminder to families about the uniform expectations for students.
More detailed information is on the Parent Portal of Schoolbox. Current students and parents can click here for more information.Thank you for your support with the uniform expectations.
An update from our College Principal, Mr Mark Brockhus
Welcome back for the commencement of Term 2! I hope you all had a blessed Easter amongst family and friends. In particular, a special welcome to our new students and staff who commence this week.
As we return to school, renewed by the joy of Easter and the Resurrection, let us be reminded of Jesus’ example of compassion towards others and the behaviours of a compassionate community – tolerance, acceptance, empathy, forgiveness, honesty. We have the unique opportunity here at Salesian College Sunbury to practice these values every day and to be true disciples of Jesus.
I am currently in Nagoya, Japan, with our five students who were selected to represent our College at the ‘Five School’s Exchange’. So far we have been welcomed at a school assembly, completed a Scavenger Hunt around Nagoya designed to help with team-building, visited the ancient city of Kyoto for an insight into Japanese culture, and commenced our presentations around the theme of “Recycling”. The students will give a full report of their experience at the Whole School Assembly on 3 May.
The first of our Open Days is approaching and we are excited to be welcoming existing and prospective parents to the College. A wide range of activities and student-led College tours have been arranged to showcase the unique educational opportunities on offer here. A recent survey undertaken by Independent Schools Queensland (ISQ) quizzed 3638 parents at 115 schools about how they made their choice of school. Interestingly enough, academic performance was not one of their top reasons. In fact it didn’t even make it into their top 10! In order of priority, school selection was based on:
Choosing a school that best suits your child requires careful discernment. I encourage parents to take some time out on 15 May to see our College in action. Ask lots of questions of staff, students and other parents. The closing date for 2021 Year 7 enrolments is 23 August.
As we approach the wetter months of winter, more and more parents are inclined to drive their students to school. The increase in traffic on our internal roadway leads to massive congestion, with many parents unable to leave the property until after 9am!
In order to ease congestion in the mornings along our driveway, I encourage all parents to consider one of the following alternatives:
As you can appreciate, a large number of cars driving into the school zone cause a great deal of traffic chaos when congested already with buses and staff carparks. Your assistance in this matter is greatly appreciated.
Salesian College Sunbury is a large community of students, staff and parents, both past and present. Please keep the following in your prayers:
On Thursday, 25 April, our Nation will once again stop to recognise ANZAC Day and to commemorate the actions of all those women and men who have made, and continue to make, sacrifices for the wider cause of peace and stability throughout the world. ANZAC Day does not glorify war but rather acknowledges and give thanks to those who are committed to peace and harmony to their fellow humans. The struggle continues today. Let us also remember family members and loved ones, past and present, who have suffered so much in support of our military forces.
Today our College honoured the ANZACs in a special ceremony. As always our students displayed great respect during this time, and we hope they take something away from their experience.
Late last term, our Year 11 students participated in the College’s Annual Presentation ball. With 63 couples, two routines to prepare and only effectively six weeks to practice, the quality of the performance on the evening of Saturday 30 March was a wonderful triumph.
From the outset all students were aware that this was an endeavor that would challenge them in unexpected ways. They were truly commendable in their commitment to stepping out of their comfort zone, learning things that were new and not easy, sharing this experience collaboratively and acting in a way that befits young adults. I have no doubt the guests who attended the evening were as impressed and proud as I was in the manner in which they presented themselves. Truly an excellent example of reward for effort.
Finally, I wish to express my sincere thanks for the energy and enthusiasm of our presentation team. The event could never have been as wonderful a spectacle without the tireless efforts of our choreographer and instructor Ms Sarah Mott, her assistant Ms Daisy Shoebridge, the coordination efforts of Ms Dunn, Ms Portelli, the masterful administration of Ms Carabott and all the staff who contributed throughout rehearsals and on the day.
Our first Open Day is almost here! On Wednesday 15 May we will open our doors to show what life at Salesian College Sunbury is really like.
Our student led tours will give you a first hand insight into what happens in our classes, and what it means to be part of our Salesian family.
Our Open day is a great way to see the students in action and showcase what makes us different. There will be presentations by key staff around Curriculum and Programs. You also have the opportunity to attend Q&A sessions to enable a deeper understanding and meet the College Principal, Mr Mark Brockhus.
To book in your tour please click on one of the links below. Bookings essential.
On the first day of the week, at early dawn, the women who had come with Jesus from Galilee came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in, they did not find the body. While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in, dazzling clothes stood beside them. The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.” Then they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. (Luke 24:1-10)
Easter invites us to also be present to - “remember how he told you”. We are called to personalise the events of Easter to our own lives. What does the death and resurrection of Christ mean for me?
After Good Friday there is a pause and a stillness. The not knowing what to hope for was very much the experience of the disciples on that morning. They had been so confident until the events of the previous days. Then they find themselves in a very personal situation. They encounter their feelings towards the death of their beloved friend, master, teacher and Lord and all the emotions that entail.
There was no rushing towards Easter Sunday, but on that dawn there was a reminder of a different reality for the disciples. They began to remember what Jesus had told them. Good Friday will not be the end -for the Son of God will rise again.
Remembering his life, his words and the experience of being in his presence enabled the disciples to cope with their fear and to bring the message of his Resurrection to the others. This is Easter.
When we remember, we find reminders that Easter surrounds us in everyday circumstances of life.
Easter does not change our reality, but it is an invitation to awareness of another kind of reality and way of living. Life experiences can rock us back and forth between faith and doubt, despair and hope, and between joy and sadness. The invitation of Easter is to remember that Jesus is Risen in each of those experiences.
These Easter days are a time to remember all that “He has told us” in our own life stories. Easter and the joyous resurrection of Christ our Saviour, gives us hope and allows us to encounter the risen Lord in our day to day lives through our faith and through all that we do to live out the Gospel values.
As a supporter to the Victorian Respectful Relationships Initiative, our College is working hard to promote and model respect and equality- and to teach our students how to build healthy relationships, resilience and confidence. The Royal Commission into Family Violence identified the critical role that schools can have in creating a culture of of respect to change the story of family violence for future generations. Late last term all students participated in the first of the sessions, these are year level specific and are targeted specifically at age appropriate content.
Salesian’s RR program is based on the following topics:
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Year 7 Topics |
Year 8 Topics |
Year 9 Topics |
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Emotional Literacy Positive Coping Skills Importance of Friendship Problem Solving
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Stress Management Help Seeking Gender & Identity Positive Gender Relations |
Emotional Literacy Personal Strengths Problem Solving Positive coping Skills |
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Year 10 Topics |
Year 11 Topics |
Year 12 Topics |
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Help Seeking Conflict Resolution Gender & Identity Positive Gender Relations |
Personal Strengths Positive Coping Skills Stress Management |
Safer Socialising Help Seeking Gender & Identity Positive Gender Relations |
Student Management Guidelines
Please find attached to this Newsletter a graphical display of the College Student Management Guidelines. We hope that students/ families find the poster easy to see the processes of Student Management at the College. A poster has been placed in each homeroom.
Winter Uniform
A reminder all students need to be winter uniform. This includes Navy trousers for all boys in Years 7-9, as well as boys in Years 10-12 with the new uniform. A new long sleeve HPE polo top is available to students for the winter months. Please note that is does get cold in Sunbury over winter so we suggest layering with a long sleeve tee shirt or thermal under the winter shirts. For HPE we suggest purchasing the new long sleeve top. Long sleeve tee shirts under the PE top is not allowed.
There are only a few places left in the 'Tuning in to Teens course' for Term 2.
The course is aimed at giving parents new skills to:
The course runs for six weeks on the following dates at the College:
Please contact Laura Spencer if you are interested in attending: lspencer@scr.vic.edu.au
Before the end of Term, it was a busy two weeks of sport at Salesian College Sunbury. We had our Year 10 Premier League Grand finals, Senior Netball and Cricket Grand finals and our SACCSS Swimming Carnival.
Our Year 10 boys’ basketball team came up against St Monica’s but, unfortunately went down 40-36. Boys netball versed Mackillop and again couldn’t get a win going down 37-11, but it was a great effort from both teams to make the Grand Final.
Our Senior girls also played Mackillop in the netball grand final but again, Mackillop were too strong on the day resulting in a 17-34 loss.
Senior Cricket was a success, managing to get over the top of St Monica’s by 31 runs. SACCSS Swimming was another successful day with the juniors winning the overall aggregate. It was great to see around 50 students representing the College. Congratulations to Alec McGregor, Tiannah Brne and Will Vavallo who won the age champion for their divisions.
