From the Principal

Dear Parents and Carers, Welcome

to our second newsletter for Term 1.

I invite you to read this edition of our newsletter to hear about what is happening around the College, in particular a show case of the following recently held events:

• House Swimming Carnival

• Student Leadership Seminar

• Year 11 Wellbeing Day

In my article for this edition, I would like to draw to your attention to the following:

• Lenten Message

• Catholic Education Week

• Opening School Mass

• Senior Awards Ceremony

• School Advisory Council – Call for Nominations.

Lenten Message

During Lent, Pope Francis encourages us to listen to what Jesus wants to tell us through the Scriptures and through others. Pope Francis tells us that one of the ways Jesus speaks to us is through the Word of God, which we can hear at Mass. He also speaks to us through others, through our encounters with the people that we meet, especially in the faces and stories of those who are in need.

Through this year’s College theme, ‘Maywe treasure God’swordlikeMary’ , Mary exemplifies the words of Pope Francis. Mary’s faith was nurtured through prayer and reading the scriptures. She did so all her life which enabled her to say ‘yes’ to God at the Annunciation. Her faith gave her the strength to continue as she watched Jesus suffer and die.

Pope Francis’ second suggestion for Lent is to confront the difficulties of ordinary life remembering that Lent is a period that leads to Easter. He reminds us that, the light of Jesus showed to the disciples, is an anticipation of Easter glory. It is therefore Lent that leads to Easter. Through lent we are being prepared to experience the Lord’s passion and cross with faith, hope and love so that we arrive at the resurrection.

Pope Francis’ Lenten message calls us to commit to our faith and to follow Jesus on the way of the cross.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253673/pope-francis-message-for-lent-2023we-need-to-listen-to-jesus

Catholic Education Week

This year, Catholic Education Week will be celebrated across the Archdiocese of Melbourne from Sunday 12 March to Sunday 19 March, 2023

The week is an opportunity for our College to join all 334 Catholic schools in the Archdiocese to celebrate our distinctive Catholic identity, our achievements, and the role our school plays within our parish and local communities.

The theme for this year’s celebrations is ‘Forminglivesoffaith,hopeandloveinthelightof Christ’.

Catholic Education seeks to provide students with a high-quality education that is inspired by the example of Jesus Christ and fosters the development of the whole person, forming individuals with more than just skills, but with the virtues to live life as transformative agents in our communities.

As part of these celebrations, we will be taking a group of Ave students to attend the Mass of St Patrick for schools, held on Friday 17 March, celebrated by Archbishop Peter Comensoli.

The Creative Arts Exhibition, which showcases the wonderful artwork of students in the Archdiocese of Melbourne, will run from Tuesday 14 March to Saturday 18 March and is open to the general public. The details regarding the exhibition have been included below:

Catholic Leadership Centre

576 Victoria Parade, East Melbourne. Tuesday 14th – Friday 17th March from 9am – 4pm Saturday 18th March 12pm – 4pm

I am pleased to announce that Alexis Stephanou currently Year 9 has had her two-colour lino print created in Year 8 Visual Art 2022 selected for exhibition I am also pleased to announce that Bronte Basil, Year 12 2022, has had her lino print also selected for exhibition. This is a wonderful achievement for both Alexis and Bronte, and we extend our warmest congratulations to both young people for this achievement.

Liturgical Celebrations – Opening School Mass

Our Opening Whole School Mass was held on Thursday 16 February led by Fr. Tony Doran. In the Gospel reading from Mark 8:27-33, You are the Christ. The Son of Man must suffer many things, Jesus asks his disciples, ‘Who do you say I am?’ This is an incredibly powerful question for which the way we each answer says something about our faith and who we are as people. It challenges every member of the Ave community to continue developing a deep relationship with God and ensure our actions are a reflection of our beliefs and values. This year we have been working with students to set themselves high expectations and ensure that their actions reflect our College values in all that they do.

At the conclusion of Mass, student leaders were presented with their leadership badges following a blessing and then offered a pledge of service to the community. Our Year 7 students were officially welcomed and presented with a Tau Cross as were new staff to the College.

Senior Awards Ceremony

On Wednesday, 15 March the College held the Senior Awards Assembly. This assembly is an integral part of College life, where as a community we both recognise and celebrate the achievements of our senior students completing a Unit 3 or 4 subject During this assembly we acknowledged the highest performing students from the cohort including the top performing student for each Unit 3/4 subject; students with 40+ scores; and students with a 90+ ATAR. It was wonderful to see so many students return to the College to acknowledge their achievements The College was also pleased to host the parents and grandparents of this group of wonderful young women.

During the assembly, Kate Stephens, the 2022 College Dux, delivered an inspiring speech to our students. Kate shared her tips for success in study which included:

• Believing in yourself

• Studying efficiently

• Finding balance

• Focusing on the areas that you need to grow and develop in

• Choosing subjects that you are passionate about

• Experimenting with different study techniques until you find the one or two that work for you; and

• Not being afraid of failure. A poor mark in an assessment can be disheartening but it can also be the fuel that helps you to improve and grow.

Again, well done to the Class of 2022 as we congratulate them for their achievements and wish them every future success and happiness.

School Advisory Council – Call for Nominations

2023 marks the second year of the Ave Maria School Advisory Council. The Council has a mixed membership including parents, the Custodian of Mission (which is a local parish priest) and the College Principal. The School Advisory Council provides a forum for discussion and discernment, where parent voice and community perspectives are available to inform and support the decisions made by the college for the good of our students, with a view that student learning, wellbeing and outcomes are central to these decisions.

As part of the School Advisory Council’s role, there are also two sub-committees which support the work of the College. These include the Policy and Curriculum Committee and the Finance and Property Committee. The Policy and Curriculum Committee was established to assist in the development and implementation of key policies and curriculum initiatives. The Finance and Property Committee was established to assist in the development of the school budget; capital resource planning and maintenance; and school master planning.

There are two vacancies on the School Advisory Council. While the two sub-committees, which are relatively new, have up to four additional spots for parents to join.

Meetings for each occur six times a year, so the commitment is minimal. This is a great opportunity to help plan future direction and development of the College. If interested, you can email Amy Chapman via PrincipalsEA@avemaria.vic.edu.au for more information.

Conclusion and Prayer

In closing I would like to share the following prayer with you.

The Spirit of God

The Spirit of God tells us that we should fast, because it will awaken us to our own poverty and to the many millions of people who do not have enough to eat.

The Spirit of God calls us in the season of Lent, to renew our baptismal promise to live a Christian life of faith, hope and love.

The Spirit of God reminds us, that we are responsible for everyone, everywhere, until the end of time.

The Spirit of God challenges us, to live a life of forgiveness, for this is the only way to be set free from the overwhelming power of sin.

The Spirit of God whispers in our hearts, that wealth and appearance, background and prestige are not important –everyone is worthwhile, lovable and to be cherished simply because they are alive.

The Spirit of God embraces the sick and the handicapped, for people who are deeply aware of their limitations are often the people who are most alive.

The Spirit of God believes that the great spirit of life, is not quenched in death, but is transformed into a new and deeper life.

Amen

God bless and in the words of this year’s theme, may we treasure God’s word like Mary.