Ave Maria College Newsletter Volume 100 No 2 – Tuesday, 15 March 2022
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Prayer Loving God, thank you for reminding us we can all make a difference in the lives of others each day. We make this prayer in Jesus’ name. Amen.
From the Principal Dear Ave Maria Community, Lenten Message Lent is the period before Easter in which we ask ourselves what really sustains us in our lives. It is a time for simple living, fasting or self-denial, reconciliation with God and others, and a focus on the basics of our lives. It is a period for taking stock of what is important, what it means to do good and how we look for traces of God in the ordinary moments of our lives. In doing so, Lent calls us to place our faith and hope in the Lord. In his Lenten message for 2022, Pope Francis refers to a passage from St Paul’s letter to the Galatians, “Let us not grow tired of doing good, for in due time we shall reap our harvest, if we do not give up. So then, while we have the opportunity, let us do good to all” Galatians 6: 9-10 Pope Francis is inviting us to sow the seeds of goodness so that we might reap the harvest of salvation. But what does this really mean? Firstly, he is inviting us to a change of mindset, so that life’s truth and beauty may be found not so much in the receiving but in the giving and in the sharing. During lent we are called to respond to God’s gift by listening to His word and the message of the Gospels. Secondly, he is inviting us to do good. By doing good for the benefit of others it frees us of self-interest and helps us to be more gracious, and, our actions to be more purposeful and self-less. It requires the gift of persistence.
Thirdly and finally, he is inviting us to engage in prayer, fasting and the act of charity, giving to those that are less fortunate. Pope Francis reminds us that the goodness I have described earlier, does not just occur on our own nor does it occur only once. This goodness occurs through relationship with God and each other. It occurs when we live the Christian values of love, justice, compassion and solidarity. This goodness occurs when we live these values as a community. So, as we commence this season of Lent, I have challenged all students to think about how they will live simply over the coming weeks, look for ways to do genuine good in the Ave community and deepen their relationship with God and each other. Excerpts taken from HERE
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VCE Awards Ceremony On Tuesday 1 March the College held the VCE Awards Assembly. This assembly is an integral part of College life, where as a community we both recognise and celebrate the achievements of our VCE students. 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 of this group of students marking the first time this year we have had families attend an onsite event. During the assembly Louise Garagozlo, the 2021 College Dux, delivered an inspiring speech to our students. Louise shared with our students her tips for success. These tips included the importance of: •
Having a strong work ethic
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Being kind to yourself and having balance
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Believing in yourself
When speaking about her formula for success in Year 12, Louise highlighted the following, “If you put in the effort, be kind to yourself and believe in your abilities, you’ll truly be able to achieve anything that you want to achieve. So, if you don’t take anything else from this speech, I hope you take away the fact that if you put your mind to it, you really can achieve your goals.” Again, well done to the class of 2021 as we congratulate them for their achievements and wish them future success and happiness.
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Catholic Education Week This year, all Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Melbourne will celebrate Catholic Education Week 2022 from 13 to 20 March. The theme for Catholic Education Week 2022 is ‘The Way of the Gospel’. This theme is based on Archbishop Peter A Comensoli’s 2021 Pastoral Letter. ‘The Way of the Gospel’ challenges us to find the living Christ in our midst and to respond and adapt to the questions that are asked in each generation. •
Where do we find the living Christ in the midst of these questions?
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How might our Catholic school communities continue to bring to life the way of the gospel today and in the future?
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How might we continue to invite our students, our families and our staff into the fullness of the way of the gospel? Included in this newsletter is an overview of the activities the College will be running for Catholic Education Week. Please see the Director of Catholic Identity and Mission, Mr Patrick Jurd’s article for more information.
Catholic Education Melbourne Creative Arts Exhibition Congratulations to Gina Heard, Alanah Grcic-Tenner, Kimberley Cu whose artwork from 2021 has been selected as part of the Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools Creative Arts Exhibition. Between them they are exhibiting in the drawing and water colour painting categories. Well done on this magnificent achievement and please see below samples of their wonderful work that is being exhibited.
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The exhibition will be open on the following dates and times to schools and families: Tuesday, 15 March – Friday, 19 March from 9am – 4pm Wednesday, 16 March (Extended hours) from 9am – 7pm Saturday, 20 March 12pm – 4pm The exhibition will be held at the Catholic Leadership Centre, 576 Victoria Parade, East Melbourne, Victoria, 3002. In order to attend the exhibition schools and families are required to make prior bookings and follow the Covid guidelines in place which include wearing a mask at all times, sanitising hands upon entry to the gallery and refraining from touching any of the artworks. Anyone with COVID symptoms is reminded not to attend. Nobody will be allowed access to the gallery without a prior booking. Bookings can be made using this link and are free. Please note there will be no additional times added so I strongly advise you to book in now ahead of time in order to secure the time slot you would like. In concluding I would like to share the following prayer for lent with you. God of love, lead me to renew our relationships with you and with each other, and to make a positive change to our world, so that all may flourish. Amen. God bless and as a community may we continue to strive for truth through love.
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Student Leaders SCSA Leaders Breakfast On the 15th of February the House Leaders, Ms Rushbrook and Mr Whicker were all lucky enough to be able to attend the SCSA Leaders Breakfast at MSAC and listen to the former elite tennis player and current commentator Jelena Dokic. Jelena was a top 10 tennis player who had a challenging upbringing which started from a young age and lasted through most of her tennis career, however, she used these experiences to be able to become a stronger person. She strongly encouraged all of us to be able to learn through tough experiences, particularly by being resilient, to always try our best and to never give up. Jelena also told us to always be kind to others, as you don’t know what someone might be going through. The breakfast was a great opportunity for all the House leaders to be together for one of the first times in 2022 and start the year off hearing Jelena’s inspiring life story. All of us House Leaders cannot wait to be working with our Houses throughout 2022!
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Deputy Principal Progress Reports and Parent/Teacher/Student Conferences in Term 1 In Term 1, parents/carers will receive Progress Reports designed to provide an indication of how each student has commenced her learning in 2022. Progress Reports and End of Semester Reports are designed to complement continuous reporting at Ave Maria College. Timely feedback on formative and summative assessment tasks are provided for parents/carers via Ave Learning throughout the year. Our Ave Charter for Education speaks to the Learner Attributes. If we are to instil these attributes in our students, then we need to ensure they are an integral part of the language we use and the feedback we provide to students.
Accordingly, we report on Learner Attributes in the following way: Respect: we support and help each other; we uphold high expectations of ourselves and our peers she works collaboratively she works in a way that has allowed others to contribute she is ‘on-task’, i.e., not a distraction to herself and others she behaves in a community-minded manner Confidence: we speak in the positive, we encourage others, we believe in our capacity to improve she speaks in the positive her language reflects an upward approach to learning: "I can improve here by..." her efforts and willingness to learn reflect a growth mindset she uses this same language and effort when working with others
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Critical Thinking:
we question, we challenge, we verify, we reflect she contributes to class discussions she asks questions and seeks further clarification she offers ideas and strategies to improve her learning, either in writing or verbal she reflects and acts on feedback
Independence:
we own our responsibilities; we go beyond the minimum requirements she owns her responsibilities she brings all the required resources to class home study, set activities/tasks and assessment tasks are completed and ready for class she meets and/or negotiates deadlines before tasks are due she completes all tasks beyond the minimum standard
Curiosity:
we take on harder problems, we challenge ourselves, we try new things she attempts problems and tasks that are beyond her current level of understanding she asks "What if…" questions she looks to improve her knowledge regardless of her starting point she explores real-world applications for her learning
Resilience:
we ask for help, we access the available resources, we work hard, we keep trying she works hard she proactively seeks assistance she demonstrates evidence of looking for other resources she acts on suggested areas for improvement she looks to improve her skill level regardless of her starting point
Please note the key dates for Term 1: Friday, 18 March VCE Progress Reports published on PAM Thursday, 7 April 7-10 Progress Reports published on PAM VCE Parent/Teacher/Student Interviews VCE P/T/S interviews will take place on Tuesday, 5 April online via MS Teams. More details will be posted to families closer to the event.
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Assistant Principal (Community and Growth) The College is pleased to announce our 2022 Back to Ave Day Following two years of postponement, this year will be a bumper event where we welcome back students who graduated in a year ending in 0, 1 or 2 as well as those who graduated in 2015, 2016 and 2017. This is a great opportunity to reconnect with classmates from your year level, as well as tour the College to see how it has changed since you graduated. Light refreshments will be served with a formal presentation taking place between 11:30am and 12:00pm. More details are outlined below: WHEN: Sunday, 3 April 2022 11.00am - 1.00pm WHO: any former Ave student who finished in a year ending in '0', '1', '2' as well as students from 2015, 2016, 2017 Please note that in order for this event to go ahead, attendees will need to be able to show their Covid-19 Vaccination certificate (two doses, as per the MACS operational guide requirements for visitors, effective 25/2/22, however this is subject to change). Wearing of masks will be optional but is recommended (unless DH / Vic Gov indicate otherwise). RSVP: by 4pm Monday 28 March via https://forms.office.com/r/jssRibrgc9 Please direct any questions to events@avemaria.vic.edu.au
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Assistant Principal (Students and Engagement) What a delight it has been seeing all students in Years 7-12 return to being onsite after the summer break. The enthusiasm as students reacquainted with their friends and teachers showed the strength of what it means to belong at Ave Maria College. Our newest members in Year 7 were warmly welcomed by our Senior Leadership Team, Staff, Mentor teachers and the Year 11 Peer Support Leaders. We also warmly welcomed a number of new students beginning in other year levels. We welcome all new families to our Ave family; we welcome back our current families and will work in partnership with you all to support the educational and well-being growth of all students. Senior Student Leadership Team International Women’s Day 2022 theme: #BreakTheBias This week we have celebrated women and the need for society to work together for gender equality. The Australian Minister for Women has stated: “Gender equality transforms economies and is a human right. In the shadow of the impact of the pandemic, active and sustained leadership on gender equality is more important than ever.” - Senator the Hon Marise Payne, Minister for Women The Year 12 Student Leadership Captains have conducted interviews with leading women to bring them to the attention of the students of Ave. The words of wisdom that these women have provided include, being yourself, trying your best and persevering (often in male dominated areas) without second guessing that you are able to do the task. The College Co-Captains Alexandra Evans and Majella Portelli interviewed Kathryn Gulifa, Chief Data and Analytics Officer at Worksafe Victoria. The College Academic Co-Captains Alex Priestley and Hannah Masters presented Lord Major of Melbourne Sally Capp after attending a Women’s Day breakfast with her. The College Franciscan Captains Simona Mussie Brhane and Ella-Grace Arnold interviewed Moira Kelly and the internationally renowned work she has done to provide children with life-saving operations. The Arts Captain Caitlin Grech interviewed staff member Katie Houghton regarding her leadership in the arts Community.
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The House Captains: Amelia Panaia, Sienna Zocalli, Emily Bock, Olivia Grande, Charley Hinton, Emily Sawaya, Ella Hill, Chiara Liberatore attended the SCSA Sports Captains breakfast where they listened to Jelena Dokic and her journey to be understood as she battled people’s opinions who were unaware she was suffering domestic violence. This year’s theme is based on breaking the bias. Through a concerted effort around language and capacity, all women need to receive support to achieve their goals. Judgement needs to be removed and in particular the high level of anxiety that students experience when they compare themselves on social media platforms. Parents can help this by informing young people that they are enough just as they are.
Parking Pick up and Drop off: Please do not park in No Standing Areas Most parents are now aware that when standing in a No Standing area for pick-up that they are putting the safety of not only their own young person in jeopardy but possibly also another one or more of Ave’s students. Please keep moving if cars are in the pick-up zone. Please encourage your young person to walk a block further for safe pick up, as we do not wish to have any accidents near the school crossing with any student, staff or crossing supervisor.
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Director of Catholic Identity and Mission Ash Wednesday Ash Wednesday is the beginning of the six-week journey of Lent. Lent is a time where we try to become more like the best version of ourselves which is what we are called to at Easter. The College marked Ash Wednesday with a liturgy that was streamed as a Live Event on MS Teams. Students and staff were asked to reflect upon how they could each live our 2022 College theme, ‘For it is in giving that we receive’. I am grateful to the Year 12 Leaders who either helped run the liturgy or, with staff support, distributed ashes to each of the Mentor groups in the College. During ‘Stillpoint’ students were asked to consider What am I going to choose to do so that I show 'for it is in giving that we receive’?
Catholic Education Week Catholic Education Week (13-20 March) will be marked at the College by the use of MACS resources in Years 7-10 RE classes. There will also be videos shared in Mentor time about the History of Clydebank, Stillpoint, a Vox pop compilation ‘what Ave means to me’ as well as a Kahoot. Deputy Principal, Mrs Robertson and the College Co-Captains, Alexandra Evans and Majella Portelli, will represent the College at the Mass of St Patrick for Schools which will be held at St Patrick’s Cathedral on Thursday 17 March.
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Director of Learning and Pathways VCE Assessment Calendars Unit 1 and Unit 3 Assessment Calendars for students in VCE are now available. VCE students have access to these calendars via the School Links on Ave Learning. Please consider assessment calendars if planning absences from school as VCE regulations must be followed when it comes to presenting documentation for rescheduling. Studiosity
Students across all year levels have access to Studiosity, the online study help platform designed to complement the work of your teachers. As part of this platform provided by the College, students have access to the Writing Feedback and Connect Live services. •
Writing Feedback provides students with feedback about their writing structure, as well as grammar, spelling and punctuation.
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Connect Live allows students to seek assistance from subject specialists in English, Maths, Science, and general study skills.
Students can access Studiosity via Ave Learning >> Learning Areas >> Student Resources >> Studiosity. Students can access this service on demand at any time outside of school hours (subject to some limitations). Response times on the platform are indicated to students prior to submitting work for feedback or asking questions so that you are not waiting aimlessly for a response from the study specialists.
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Director of Student Wellbeing Social Emotional Learning Social Emotional Learning is a part of the learning experience for our students in the classroom, in their social interactions and in the way they navigate the challenges of their lives. We teach them implicitly and explicitly to develop the skills to successfully navigate their worlds. Guiding our approach to developing these skills is the SEARCH framework from Visible Wellbeing. In Mentor Period this week we began to engage with the framework by focusing on our character strengths. The key message is that focusing on strengths allows us to more successfully compensate for our lesser strengths and to engage joyfully in our activities. Our strengths help carry us through the challenging times. Parents and carers can extend this by asking about strengths and having discussions about their own strengths. We reminded students that they often focus on what they need to improve rather than what they do well. This focus can lead to hopelessness and low confidence. By focussing on what we have done well and using that to improve our areas of challenge we have a different perspective that is more realistic and hopeful. Year 9 Wellbeing Day Our Wellbeing Day will extend on the work that we have done in Mentor Period. The focus for the day is developing a Growth Mindset to help us deal with both the challenges of camp and the challenges of 2022! The day will feature activities that focus on developing strengths, taking a solution-focused approach and working to develop healthy relationships that support our growth and thriving. Our day will involve talking about safe risks, a “progress, not perfection” approach, the beauty of failure and neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity emphasises the power of practice and taking a “not yet” approach. Students are empowered to set their own goals and to determine both their own comfort zones and their own learning zones. We are looking forward to seeing our students stretch themselves, on camp and in other areas of their lives.
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Year 7 Student Reflection It was our very first- official- day at Ave, after spending years looking through the windows from our primary school OLN. Our wish came true as our first day finally arrived. The orientation program was fantastic, providing new opportunities for us to explore and experience. Everything was so different and exciting, from having our own lockers to getting a new laptop. The most exciting thing has been meeting new friends and teachers. It is all brand new to us. During our orientation program we got a taste of learning at Ave through the science and math rotations we completed. We dressed up in our science lab coats which was fun. We also participated in a scavenger hunt to help us navigate our way around the school. These activities have provided a wonderful opportunity for us to learn new things and feel a sense of belonging to our new school community.
The classes at Ave have taught us so much in the past few weeks. There has been so much to do and enjoy. We have especially loved English, Food Technology and Mathematics classes. Doing our very first science practical was a fun hands-on task, yet another highlight of our time here. We’ve found ourselves learning all these new things which are helping us to grow as students and little scientists! We are looking forward to what lies ahead of us at Ave Maria College and to immersing ourselves in everything the college has to offer.
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Around the College
To see more of daily life at the College, follow us on: Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn
Careers Education Leader Careers Team The Ave Maria Careers team includes Mrs Tyana Viti and myself. We look forward to working with you and your daughters to plan their future pathways. We aim to provide a hope-filled, strengths based and future focused approach. We are located in the Helene Library and provide student resources, programs, events, classes and careers counselling.
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Year 12 future planning Year 12 Future Planning appointments have started and parents are welcome to attend by emailing careers@avemaria.vic.edu.au. These meetings are important to discuss plans and to research options for 2023. Morrisby Online Profile On Tuesday 15 March, all Year 10 students will be undertaking the Morrisby Online Profile vocational testing. This provides students with a valuable tool to determine a variety of suitable careers. Students will use their profile to select and research careers of interest, VCE subjects and relevant tertiary courses. The career suggestions are based on individual strengths, interests and personality. Follow up 1:1 appointments with a Career Advisor will occur in Term 2, to develop an individual Career Action Plan to assist with subject selection and pathways. Parents are welcome to these meetings. Ave Maria Careers website Our Ave Maria Careers website can be easily accessed, via our main website links or click here. It is a wonderful tool for students and families to explore important career information and resources. Events and News To view our Career Newsletter articles, click here. Topics this week include: Year 12 students • Australia National University – Tuckwell Scholarship applications now open • ADF Gap Year Program – opening soon • Medicine and Dentistry – registrations for the UCAT ANZ are now open • Applications for the following universities are now open: Australian National University, University of New England and Charles Sturt University. • La Trobe University: webinar for their Aspire Early Entry Program All students • University campus tours – running during the term break • Career events for creative students • VCE Careers Expo
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Business Manager School Fees School Fees for the current year were issued to all families in December 2021. By now all families should of commenced the payment of these fees. If you are experiencing financial difficulty, please contact myself by email BusinessManager@avemaria.vic.edu.au or by telephone so that we can discuss the situation. Camps Sports Excursion Fund The College has now received the first round of the CSEF funding. This will be applied to your fee account by mid-March. If you have a valid Health Care Card and have not yet applied for the CSEF, please contact the Finance Office on 03 9331 9307. Access to the College – Gates To further improve Child Safety at the College, our gates are now closed from 8.45am to 3.15pm each day, (Day 8 from 2.30pm). If you need to gain access to the College between these hours, please use the intercom mounted on the gate post of Gate 2 to contact our Reception Team.
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QUICK LINKS Parent Access Module (PAM) Click here to access the College Parent Access Module (PAM) SkoolBag The SkoolBag App is the easiest way to keep up with school events, last minute notices, newsletters and all school communications. CDF Pay CDFpay is an online payment platform families can use to pay for school services from your mobile, tablet or computer at any time. Families can: • place student online lunch orders. • add funds to student accounts to be used for over the counter canteen purchases. • add funds to student accounts to be used for Printing Credit.
College Calendar Please refer to the College Calendar for all Upcoming Events and Dates of Importance. Click on the heading to take you to the Calendar. 2022 Positions of Leadership Click the above link for the full College leadership structure for 2022. Community Announcement – School Drop off / Pick up Drop off / pick up times are always busy. Please remember that road laws need to be always obeyed. Moonee Valley Council Officers regular patrol the area around the College and will issue fines if they observe any breaches of the laws. Do not park on or near a school crossing. Do not double park and let your child out on the road. You cannot stay in the drop off / pick up zone for longer than two minutes. Your child needs to be waiting in the zone before you arrive. Fines for offences are; • • • • • • •
Stopping in a “No Stopping” area - $165.00 Stopped in a Bus Zone - $99.00 Parked for a period longer than indicated - $83.00 Stopping on or near a children’s crossing - $165.00 Stopped on a footpath - $99.00 Stopped on or across a driveway or other way of access - $99.00 Parked / stopped on a nature strip - $99.00
The College values being part of the local community and asks you to respect our neighbors by always obeying the road rules. Page 20 of 25
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