Due to remote learning and COVID-19, this year’s Blue and Gold was reliant on remote contributions from students, staff and the De La Salle community. Contributions included copy, poems, iPhone photos and articles. Thank you to Monique Wasa for supporting the Marketing Manager with the initial planning stages of the 2020 Year Book and Sarah Pudelko for her diligence in editing the content throughout the production of the Blue and Gold
Front Cover: The Tiverton Chapel
Photography by James McPherson Photography
Publication and Design Dee Houlihan
De La Salle Marketing and Communications Manager
Production and Sarah Pudelko
Editing Assistant
Photography
Design and Layout
De La Salle Communications Support Officer
James McPherson
Photography
Jonathan Hewett
Warren Bardsley
Sarah Pudelko
Natalie Leys www.jumpropedesign.com.au
Printing Ellikon www.ellikon.com.au
Leadership
From the Principal
Dear Members of the De La Salle Community,
As we returned to school for the beginning of 2020, all of us at the College were confident of another terrific year ahead. So much had been achieved in 2019 and staff, students and parents had worked closely together, as always, to ensure all was in place for a repeat this year. While the devastating impact of COVID-19 on our education system is of course well documented, what I would like to focus on in my 2020 Blue and Gold report is the amazing work of so many in the school community under trying circumstances. The way we adapted and coped, supported each other and dealt with the myriad challenges brought many positives. While COVID-19 has sadly been the dominant feature of 2020, De La Salle has continued to innovate and educate, developing fine young men, as we have for 108 years.
I have been tremendously proud of the manner in which everyone in our community responded to the demands of school closures and remote learning. The situation certainly brought its challenges but also its triumphs, as the difficulties galvanised so many key members of the school to step up and ensure our students’ learning and wellbeing would not suffer. Virtually overnight, teachers had to transform their skillsets and their pedagogical approach – not to mention their plans for the two week Easter holidays, which very quickly evaporated as all our attention and efforts were devoted to ensuring the transition to remote learning was ready for the beginning of Term 2.
The next eight months were highlighted by a tremendous Lasallian spirit, visibly demonstrated though the core principles of quality education, inclusivity and respect for all persons. I must make special mention of the extraordinary work of the whole staff body, which did so much to support students and each other in true De La Salle fashion. This was the critical feature, the central highlight of 2020 – the manner in which all in the community stepped up to move well and truly out of their comfort zone and adapt to the new normal as required.
The capacity of people to respond to adversity, commit to embracing challenges and meet them head-on quickly became the dominant feature of remote learning and “Covid-coping.”
All teachers, Learning Support Officers and Education Support staff were forced to recalibrate their thinking and adjust the approach to all we were used to doing. Planning shifted into overdrive as students of all levels of ability, motivation and engagement demanded attention and interventions. Levels of student and staff wellbeing, anxiety and mental health fluctuated as the months wore on and the newly-formed OH & S Extended Covid Committee was kept very busy managing the required planning and adjustments.
The return to onsite learning, short-lived as it was, saw a wonderful welcome back for the students. It was a terrific couple of mornings, standing at the gates and greeting the various Year Levels in their staggered return. I’ve never seen so many teenage boys so glad to get to school! In speaking to many classes across the school some key messages emerged. Many students embraced the opportunity to improve their skills in time management and organisation, welcoming the freedom and flexibility to work more at their own pace. Others struggled with the disconnection from classmates, teachers and routines and were supported by staff in keeping them on track.
With most of our school routines forcibly abandoned, many positive examples of innovation emerged from these difficulties. Ironically, many of these numerous new strategies forced upon us resulted in improved outcomes and improved practices, many of which will remain as the preferred options beyond this COVID-19 period. Microsoft Teams went from a niche tool, rarely utilised in the school, to literally universal adoption almost overnight. Parent/Teacher Interviews moved online via Teams, as did all classes, all staff meetings, briefings and gatherings, wellbeing check-ins, psychologists’ counselling, job interviews, interstate and international Lasallian gatherings, student leadership speeches, assemblies and concerts. The Year 12 Class of 2020 will celebrate their graduation via a Virtual Valedictory; all of these and many other novel and successful events and processes were rolled out this year, all unthought-of just a few months earlier!
Peter Houlihan
Keeping our community united, informed, positive and safe has been the dominant theme throughout 2020. Communication has been critical; keeping staff, students and families aware with what they wanted and needed to know. Keeping things in perspective, developing trust and confidence, building meaning from potential chaos, mitigating risk and displaying plenty of empathy have all assisted in supporting our College through the uncertainties of 2020. Our Lasallian traditions of leadership and education were wonderful tools to rely on in 2020. At our annual Lasallian Leaders Gathering in February, we were reminded that Lasallian leaders walk in front to show the path during times of challenge. We also walk behind to make sure nobody is forsaken and our leadership focus is at all times relational, never giving up on those entrusted to our care. I believe all in our College demonstrated these qualities in 2020. I have been exceptionally proud of the care and efforts of our staff and students and all they have achieved in 2020 under such difficult circumstances.
I must also thank the College Board Chair, Tony Morwood, and the Directors for their vision, governance and leadership this year and acknowledge their ongoing support and direction. I am thrilled that all Directors have agreed to stay on for three more years.
The College Executive, supported as ever by Sandy Wreford, PA to the Principal, has been required to step up as never before and lead by example in turbulent times. Moving well beyond their normal stations, each has given so much and made many sacrifices to steer the College so ably and efficiently through the myriad demands of 2020. We are in their debt.
I wish all in our Lasallian community a safe, happy and holy Christmas and a calmer 2021.
I have been tremendously proud of the manner in which everyone in our community responded to the demands of school closures and remote learning.
Peter Houlihan – Principal
From the Board Chair
MEMBERS OF THE BOARD
Tony Morwood (Chair)
Richard Mullaly (Deputy Chair)
Paul Shannon (Chair of Finance Committee)
Richard Halasa (Chair of Building Sub Committee)
Mark Parker
Allison Shannon
Sr Br Patrick Lynch
Libby Barnes
As I write this update, I reflect on how the world we once knew has changed and planning for the future is treated with trepidation as well as optimism.
What we have witnessed over the past eight months is incredible resilience and adaptability from everyone involved at De La Salle College, the Executive Team led by Principal Peter Houlihan, our wonderful teaching and administration staff and most importantly, the students!
The Board’s role is to oversee the governance of the College, set strategy and ensure the College is financially secure to implement future planning. The College is in a very good position financially, which has provided us the opportunity to support College families who are all experiencing the impact of COVID-19. In addition to responding to individual requests for financial assistance, the decision to return to families their fees paid in advance provided welcome relief.
Board Directors have significant experience across a broad range of industries, including business management, finance, marketing, legal, construction and education. We are delighted to welcome a new member to the Board in 2020, Libby Barnes. Libby brings a wealth of experience across 30 years working in education, specialising in Student Wellbeing.
We are all passionate about De La Salle, its past, present, and future.
The Board is working closely with Peter Houlihan in engaging input from key stakeholders as we finalise what the De La Salle College education model will look like, assisting us as we crystallise the Master Plan. We hope to present a draft of the College Master Plan to the community very soon.
Congratulations and thank you to our Principal, Peter Houlihan, his Executive Team and staff, for your outstanding contribution as leaders of De La Salle College.
To the De La Salle community, as a collective we will get through this pandemic together, please stay safe.
Tony Morwood – Board Chair
The College Executive
The College Executive Team has been challenged like never before in 2020 and I have been very proud of each of them. The strategic, innovative, professional and caring manner in which they have embraced these challenges and set in place so many measures to support students, parents and staff has been exemplary.
Jess Alger, Deputy Principal: Students has led her Wellbeing Team in sterling fashion. In the many lonely weeks of remote learning a good number of students were at risk of disengagement, falling behind or mental health issues. A caring, contemporary and Lasallian approach ensured a good outcome and strong levels of support for the students.
Mark Gustincic, Deputy Principal: Learning and Teaching shouldered the lion’s share of ensuring our remote learning experience was developed and implemented as effectively as it was. High level systematic organisation, support and coordination resulted in an ongoing beneficial and effective delivery of remote learning.
Tom Ryan, Deputy Principal: Staff and Operations took responsibility for staff pastoral support and wellbeing, finding replacement teachers, working with the OH & S Committee in updating and implementing CovidSafe plans and protocols.
In a year when access to the onsite, personal and face-to-face traditional liturgical and prayer life of the College was largely removed, Rana Brogan, Deputy Principal: Faith and Mission did a wonderful job maintaining our spirituality. Through innovative adoption of digital resources and presence, Rana was able to share and inspire through Lasallian reflections, services and prayers.
In a challenging year for the College financially, Sharon O’Neill, Director of Finance and Administration was a model of empathy and strategy. Sharon’s vast experience in similar roles in Catholic education guided us through, supported many families and kept our budget/finances in shape.
I am indebted to the team for their service in 2020’s remarkable circumstances.
Peter Houlihan – Principal
Tony Morwood
College Captain’s Report
This was not what I had in mind for my graduation year. Whilst reflecting, it’s very easy to focus on the downs; spending more time learning at home than onsite or not being able to go out and see our friends. However, we owe it to ourselves and to each other to highlight the fact that we’ve got to the end and at such a high standard.
2020 has been the most challenging year I’ve personally gone through, yet the way the De La Salle College community has adapted to this situation has been inspiring. From Year 5 to 12, teachers to families, everyone has been outstanding. We as students have all done an amazing job but it takes a village, and the wider community ensures that if we are falling short, we push towards the end with their never-ending support.
Throughout the year, my priorities have shifted. Navigating through this pandemic and attempting to control things that at times, I couldn’t, made it obvious to me that prioritising mental health should be at the forefront of everyone’s mind. Struggling with mental health is normal especially during this stressful COVID-19 period. We as males are programed to suppress our emotions and follow the stereotype of a ‘strong’ man, yet the strongest thing that anyone can do is talk about their own battles and be vulnerable. Vulnerability is the lifeblood of forming connections and showing it reduces the stigma around mental health one bit at a time. It is the duty of all the young men at the College to understand the fundamental idea that mental health isn’t alien and it doesn’t change how people perceive you. Removing the stigma allows others to seek help, this is our responsibility.
This year has truly shown us what is important and what is not.
This year has truly shown us what is important and what is not. Our mild case of cabin fever has possibly been a blessing in disguise. It prompted us to implement a mindset of controlling only the things that we can control and allowed us to have a deepened sense of resilience. It ensures that the future challenges we face seem subpar in comparison to the year we have had, allowing us to be stronger. The cliché of ‘character building’ can represent the year we’ve had, a year that we are all better for, and a year that allows us to look forward to things in our lives. Personally, I am mostly looking forward to seeing and reconnecting with my family, friends and those I hold closest. The regular Zoom has been an okay substitution, but nothing can replace being with others in person. Just doing that, something that I took for granted and did every weekend, seems like almost a lifetime ago whilst being in isolation.
When people look back on 2020, it won’t be remembered as the year we survived COVID-19, instead through the collective efforts of all those who don the Blue and Gold, it will be the year that we thrived through COVID-19. A year where everything was thrown at us and we not only kept our heads above water, but rose to the occasion and kept moving forward with faith even when the road ahead was dark. Years like this make me proud to be College Captain and even prouder to be a part of the Blue and Gold.
Andrew McGaw – College Captain
Andrew McGaw
College Vice Captain’s Reports
Like many years, this year was a series of peaks and troughs. Although this year, the peaks were quite high and the troughs were very low. It allowed us to appreciate the small things in life that we would normally take for granted, whether it was coming to school to see mates or being able to participate in ACC Sports.
The period of time we had at school was no doubt enjoyable, filled with the Swimming Carnival, planning for Mission Action Day and training for Term 2 ACC Sports. It was an exciting time with plenty of uncertainty about what the future may hold.
At first, remote learning was a bit daunting for everyone. Using Microsoft Teams and OLLIE was a different experience to the normal classroom environment, however it didn’t take long for both teachers and students to adapt. The idea of remote learning was a bit of a novelty that not many people would have experienced. It was quite different to the normal school routine, however it gave everyone a sense of freedom and control over their own studies.
It has been an irregular but incredible year, it may not have seemed fun for everyone but it was at least different and very memorable. It showed all of us the importance of adapting quickly and making the best out of any situation.
Aaron May – College Vice Captain
Well here we are, at the end of a year of tumult, anti-climax, uncertainty and (very sparingly) excitement. I cannot possibly describe just how proud I am of each and every member of our community. Whether you were supporting a student or studying your little heart out like us Year 12s, this year has been a mountainous uphill battle and we’ve made it over the hump – together.
I think that as the prospect of the first lockdown dawned, an unspoken agreement was forged between us all; one along the lines of “we’re all in this together,” as so eloquently put by the writers of the 2006 cinematic masterpiece that is High School Musical. I really do believe that this has resulted in a collective debt that we owe to each other, because this rough social contract has undoubtedly dragged so very many of us out of the mud – myself very much included.
Coincidentally, one of the texts I kept coming back to in the deepest troughs of this year shares a name with that sentiment. What We Owe to Each Other by T.M Scanlon is not only the philosophical backbone of The Good Place, one of my favourite TV shows ever, but I think its content is what we’ve subconsciously been living by this year – I think our base standard to live by has been to get each other through this year in one piece.
Well done everybody and good luck next year, we’ll miss you.
Oliver O’Brien – College Vice Captain
Aaron May
It has been an irregular but incredible year, it may not have seemed fun for everyone but it was at least different and very memorable.
I
think our base standard to live by has been to get each other through this year in one piece.
Oliver O’Brien
Faith and Mission
Deputy Principal
– FAITH AND MISSION
In this COVID-19 affected year, as I attempt to reflect over all that has occurred in the area of Faith and Mission in 2020, I can honestly say that the year has been extraordinary. De La Salle College is a place where in the face of adversity, we have all continued to strive to follow in the footsteps of our founder, St John Baptist de La Salle and to value our Five Core Lasallian Principles in the hope of bringing alive and putting into practice the Lasallian mission and message, as best as we could, through all of our virtual and remote faith experiences.
The year began in our usual tradition as we celebrated and welcomed our new Year 5 and 7 students to the College and officially recognised our Year 12 Leaders at the Opening and Welcome Mass at St Patrick’s Cathedral. As always, celebrating Mass at St Patrick’s Cathedral for such a special occasion is an opportunity to gather in a special setting, to welcome those beginning their journey with us at De La Salle College.
Fortunately, the Year 12 Retreat was early enough in the year that it was not yet affected by COVID-19. The Retreat provides an opportunity for the Year 12 students to spend three days away to reflect, to share and to wonder in an environment that is open and honest; very still and trusting. Working in small groups with key Year 12 teachers and Old Collegians, they work together to foster a closer relationship with God, time for personal searching in an environment of challenge and reflection. The time away allows for sharing and greater relationships to develop between students, their peers and staff. It is a time to nurture a greater understanding of what it means to be a man in today’s society, to be Christian in today’s world and what it means to be Lasallian.
Each day I witness how we are inspired by our founder, St John Baptist de La Salle to build a relationship with Jesus and with those around us, especially those in need...
Due to so many restrictions being placed on us as the year continued, we found ourselves reimagining our liturgies and service events to ensure that the mission and message of St John Baptist de La Salle remained very much alive. To ensure the message of each day was a key feature and focus in the hearts of our students and staff, key Masses and services such as Founder’s Day Mass, Anzac Day, Social Justice Mass, National Day of Sorrow Liturgy, Remembrance Day Service, End of Year Mass etc... were celebrated as online, live events to ensure that our faith and commitment to prayer was still central to our Catholic, Lasallian identity at De La Salle College.
Finally, I am always proud to belong to this Lasallian community. Each day I witness how we are inspired by our founder, St John Baptist de La Salle to build a relationship with Jesus and with those around us, especially those in need. The way we as a community have supported one another this year, encouraged our students along, and taken each day as it has come, ensures that we have done the very best we can to look after our students and our staff. With a strong commitment to faith, social justice and Religious Education in our College, I am confident that our Lasallian Principles and Catholic values will continue to grow daily and evidently to enrich our growing Lasallian family.
Rana Brogan – Deputy Principal, Faith and Mission
Rana Brogan
Welcome Mass
COLLEGE OPENING AND WELCOME MASS AT ST PATRICK’S CATHEDRAL
On Thursday 5 March, all new students to the College in Years 5 and 7, were welcomed into De La Salle with a special gift of induction to formally mark their entry into our community. As well as this, all newly appointed 2020 College Leaders (Year 12 College Leaders, Holy Eucharist Captains, Tiverton Captains and Primary Captains), were formally inducted into their respective roles. The Mass is always a true reflection of how lucky and blessed we are at De La Salle to belong to a community that that is spirited in touching the hearts and minds of the students in our care and the inspiration that we can find when we have faith in God. There is great love at the heart of who we are as a Lasallian family. May we always embrace the Lasallian tradition that has been passed on to us by our Founder, St John Baptist de La Salle by continually supporting, encouraging and loving one another as family. Fired with a passion for Jesus, may He live in our hearts forever!
Rana Brogan – Deputy Principal, Faith and Mission
The Mass is always a true reflection of how lucky and blessed we are at De La Salle to belong to a community that that is spirited in touching the hearts and minds of the students in our care.
Being Lasallian
2020 has been another busy year for the Lasallian Youth Ministers and we have enjoyed the challenges and joys that this year has brought. We are extremely grateful for all the support we have received from our passionate classroom teachers, and for the mentoring received from Rana Brogan, Deputy Principal, Faith and Mission.
Faith service and community is at the heart of our role, and we advocate for social justice outreach programs, working closely with Year 10-11 students through a Social Justice Committee. This committee has emulated the values of our school by selling fundraiser chocolates, writing letters to isolated individuals and by showing a continued dedication to service.
As Lasallian Youth Ministers, we provide students with unique opportunities to develop leadership skills, to grow in faith and to give insight into the post De La Salle possibilities.
A highlight for this year was being involved in facilitating groups on the Year 12 Retreat and Junior Leadership Reflection Day. We assisted in building a sense of community and helped to develop student’s leadership qualities.
With the challenges of remote schooling, we were able to adapt and create a series of fun videos looking at our Five Core Lasallian Principles. The videos explored the meaning of what sets us apart as Lasallians.
We can’t do the work we do without the support of our fantastic community and we are so blessed to work here at De La Salle College.
James Biviano and Luca Almiento –Lasallian Youth Ministers
2020 has been a year full of ups and downs. When we began this year, the prospect of us completing all school work remotely would be considered profound. Fast forward a few months, and we have had to entirely adjust to this major change.
We began remote learning with mixed emotions; many of us excited to be studying in a new location, where we could gain more self-discipline, and others very disappointed to have to adapt our lifestyle.
Throughout this period, we have relied heavily on our faith and staying connected to keep us motivated and remain optimistic. Thanks to our Lasallian Youth Ministers who put together reflective videos for students on our Five Core Lasallian Principles. This allowed us to stay connected to our Core Principles and provided entertainment while doing so.
We look forward to re-connecting with our peers again.
Jordan Genovese, Year 8 Roland –Tiverton Lasallian Leader
2020 has been nothing short of a hard and eventful year for many in our community, however we, as a community, have managed to stay as strong as ever throughout this year. We should commend ourselves for this, especially to the teachers, students and parents who have found themselves on the forefront of adapting to an ever-changing environment. It is also important to note that such a year has equipped many of the senior students with the abilities needed for life beyond our College, and that for the younger students, many have grown closer to their families and friends through adversity.
Patrick Landy – St Austin’s Lasallian Captain
This year has been one like no other. It has been challenging and unexpected, but rewarding in many ways. In my role as St Edwin’s House Lasallian Captain, I was involved in coordinating St Edwin’s House’s virtual assemblies with Ms Stevenson where I aimed to keep the Edwin’s community united in prayer despite the lack of physical contact. It was an unexpected time, however engaging in and promoting House activities was a highlight.
Although I was not able to fully experience life as a Year 12 student and leader of the College this year, it has been a unique experience. It has taught me the importance of maintaining connections with others and being prepared for the unexpected – skills that I will take with me upon the conclusion of my education.
Antony Valcanas – St Edwin’s Lasallian Captain
Although in isolation, I never once felt truly alone thanks to the fine young men in my cohort and my teachers. Our sense of belonging and connection, as well as the love from my dogs who sat at my feet when I studied, each gave me the strength and motivation to continue my studies during adversity. I will forever be thankful for the boys and teachers for helping me getting through this.
Chris Menara – St Leo’s Lasallian Captain
The year of the global pandemic, but also the year which has proven just how we should never take our lives for granted. It forced us to grow in both independence and initiative, courage and creativity and has fostered a group of young Lasallian men who are as resilient as ever. This year, the COVID-19 year, has stressed just how well we, as a community, are able to adapt to whatever climate we are faced with.
Thriving off our theme of justice, we were able to despite our rapidly changing environment, continue to support those who needed it the most by collecting an entourage of clothing for our fellow brothers over in Balgo, which we should commend ourselves for. We’ve learnt to dance in the rain and embrace any challenge which may cross our path, which is a testament to our character at De La Salle College.
Flynn Bulman – St Mark’s Lasallian Captain
Social Justice
YEAR 12 PAPUA NEW GUINEA IMMERSION – 2019
As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another. (1 Peter 4:10)
As Lasallians, mission is central to who we are. Service to the “least, the last and the lost” is what we identify with. Our hope is to always expose our students to different cultures, where there is great need and to continue to grow their understanding of the concept of “Lasallians Without Borders”.
As many members of our College community know, last year the “Yaluwo” Immersion to Sri Lanka was postponed due to the sad and unfortunate Easter Bombings. And given that security warnings from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), the Australian High Commission in Colombo, Smart Traveller and the College travel insurers, the College, at the time, felt that it was in the best interest of student safety that the Immersion to Sri Lanka was put on hold for 2019.
However, as an alternative, were fortunate enough to have been able to make contact with the De La Salle Brothers in Papua New Guinea and establish an alternative arrangement for the Year 12 group to travel to De La Salle Secondary School, in Bomana.
It was wonderful to travel to with a group of 16 students who were committed to making a difference to the community at Bomana and to the staff who committed their time and support to our students and the community at Bomana.
Travelling with a large group of students and staff with their hearts in the right place is always important. If there is anything to take away from such an experience it is that whilst we can’t always do everything, we can do something, and we can do it well.
The group worked tirelessly day in and day out re-building the old Chapel on the school grounds. A complete team effort support by four local Papua New Guinean tradesmen that supported us onsite each day. Our work also included sanding down and re-painting three classrooms.
The people of Papua New Guinea, and especially the De La Salle Brothers and the community at Bomana must be thanked for their warmth, hospitality and generosity of spirit. St John Baptist de La Salle reminds us to “often ask God for the Grace to touch hearts, ” but it was us who left with our hearts touched and moved by the staff and students at De La Salle, Bomana.
Enough can’t be said for the way each of us were challenged to aspire to be more than we are. Our evening reflections were moments of personal encounter with one another and God, and as a group, kindled the Lasallian spirit within us. Our hearts were touched immensely with the honesty and depth of sharing.
I wish to thank and acknowledge the following young men for choosing to participate in the Immersion at the end of their Year 12 studies, and for taking up the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of the community at De La Salle Secondary School, Bomana; Oliver Barr, Nathan Barrow, Ben Gibson, Matthew Damches, Liam Jenkins, Tom Kelly, Joel May, Wes Mendes, Morgan Morffew, Ben Nason, Michael O’Dwyer, Kristoff Soliven, Patrick Stanhope, Eli Te Moni, Joseph Ward and Tom Williamson. Also, the following staff for their commitment and time to our students and for the way they supported the students and the Immersion experience the entire time we were away; Georgina Dwyer, Lucy Russell, and Chas Thompson. Their constant support, collegiality and care for the students is a demonstration of what it means to have a true Lasallian heart.
Rana Brogan – Deputy Principal, Faith and Mission
Wellbeing Developmentand
Deputy Principal – STUDENTS
As we look back on 2020, I am sure we can all acknowledge what an exceptional year it has been! Whilst reflecting on the past twelve months, I am sure that it is easy to bring challenges to mind – the newness of learning from home, of using Microsoft Teams, of working out how to create a learning environment within places that are usually kept aside for leisure and recreation (and gaming and sleep!). However, what is more satisfying, is to consider all the ways in which De La Salle College proved itself a true community, with the wellbeing of students at its heart.
Firstly, I would like to thank the students, staff and families of the College for embracing the connections we have as a community, in as many remote means as we could. The abundance of emails, Teams meetings, live assemblies, phone conversations and messages to and fro from Year 5 to Year 12 show the care, warmth, compassion and bonds that exist at De La Salle College, which not even a pandemic can break.
Parents of De La Salle College, I know that this has been a year unlike any other. Thank you for trusting us with your son’s education and wellbeing, when life has been uncertain, and schooling has been far from ‘normal’. You have truly been partners with us, and have shown kindness, calm and grit, even when having to ensure your sons are out of bed and online with us for the 100th day in a row!
I would also like to acknowledge the work done by Classroom Teachers, Mentor Teachers, Year Level and House Coordinators, Health Centre Staff, Psychologists, Directors of Students and Heads of Campus to ensure that the students and families in their care were acknowledged, kept informed, supported and celebrated. The Wellbeing Team at the College has gone above and beyond to ensure that each student has been monitored, assisted and checked in on – not an easy task when a laptop is your only tool – but one that has been achieved commendably. Secondly, I would like to recognise the students of De La Salle College. As my role calls for me to work particularly with students, it has been my privilege to witness the way they have conducted themselves with patience, persistence, respect and maturity despite having all their usual routines, outlets, friendships and hobbies disrupted. I know that the young men of the College will go on to achieve wonderful things in the world, as they are resilient, resourceful and above all else, kind.
Lastly, I would like to celebrate the amazing things that took place during the period of remote learning across the College. Students worked to complete wellbeing fitness challenges such as the ‘Bite Back’ challenge run by the Black Dog Institute, as well as taking part in online yoga, personal training, meditation and mindfulness. Students took part in House competitions that ranged from planking to photography and beyond. They worked on Passion Projects, goal setting, time management and virtual fun runs, as well as mentor challenges and quizzes. We have held assemblies and live events celebrating key events, and even elected the College’s 2020 Captains and Leadership Team, all remotely.
As Deputy Principal – Students, I am dedicated to ensuring that the students of De La Salle College are able to achieve success in all facets of life. The experience of 2020 has proven beyond all doubt that these young men are capable of anything and everything!
Jessica Alger – Deputy Principal, Students
Thank you for trusting us with your son’s education and wellbeing, when life has been uncertain, and schooling has been far from ‘normal’.
Jessica Alger
The Wellbeing Team
During the pandemic we strongly emphasised the importance of ensuring our school community keeps emotionally and socially connected even though we have been at times physically distant. We enjoyed being able to adapt to working online and continuing our relationships with students via Microsoft Teams whilst being introduced to additional members of students families including pets, parents and siblings.
Relationships have always been a key aspect of a Lasallian Comm unity. Our founder St John Baptist de La Salle, understood the value of close relationships where teachers were not only brotherly to each other, but brothers to the students they taught. We know that one of the biggest protective factors for poor mental health is warm, supportive and protective relationships and this year we have found new ways to connect our school community. On the Kinnoull Campus, Anthony Freeman started a series based on the AFL’s podcast ‘The Last Time I Cried.’ The purpose of this podcast was to encourage men in our school community, both students and teachers, to acknowledge difficult emotions and not judge themselves for crying or having feelings of sadness, worry, fear and guilt. If men are able to openly discuss their emotions, we know that it tends to lead to improvements in mental health.
On the Holy Eucharist Campus, Karina Dubroja ran a short podcast interviewing staff on their ‘5 Ways to Wellbeing’ based on research from the Royal Melbourne and Northwestern Hospitals. This research showed that individuals who are connected to others, are physically active, continue to learn and have a mindfulness practice, will help others have higher levels of happiness and tend to cope better with stress. On the Tiverton Campus, a Friday lunchtime trivia competition built a sense of community between staff and students who had fun testing their knowledge of pop culture, music, general knowledge and video games.
During the pandemic, we wanted students to know how to protect their mental health and what they could do to help them feel better. This includes both acknowledging when things aren’t OK and knowing how to keep good mental health.
Anthony Freeman and Karina Dubroja – College Psychologists
If men are able to openly discuss their emotions, we know that it tends to lead to improvements in mental health.
Anthony Freeman
Karina Dubroja
LearningTeachingand
Deputy Principal
– LEARNING AND TEACHING
Through what has been a challenging and unusual year, one of the stand-out achievements of 2020 for the College, without doubt, has been the online delivery of learning and teaching.
Remote learning may not have been to everyone’s taste. For some, it was a chance to flourish in an environment free of distraction. Others appreciated crawling out of bed seconds before the first class of the day and not battling other commuters on public transport to get to school. Some have become closer to family having spent so much time together. Others have had their patience stretched beyond all normal limits. As most change often does, our time in remote learning this year has had both benefits and downsides.
Talking with my dentist during the small window of time between the first and second lockdowns, he was intrigued to hear about the various impacts of the COVID-19-related restrictions on the normal functioning of a secondary school. As I explained to him all the events, activities, trips, excursions etc. that we wouldn’t be able to provide for our students, I found his response was a little unexpected.
Now a very successful professional, he told me that he’d come from humble beginnings, attending a school with modest facilities and a narrow range of experiences on offer for students beyond the classroom and yard. The central focus for himself and his classmates was academic learning. He went on to explain his interest in the return this year to the simplicity of school that he recalls as a student himself – where for a brief COVID-19-coloured time, the dominating focus of school became classroom, albeit virtual classroom, learning.
He said all this whilst speaking with gushing praise for the teachers that he had witnessed in action with his own children. By being an observer of the interactions between students and teachers via remote learning, it has given him a much deeper respect for the work and quality of his children’s teachers. This insight has been commonly communicated to me throughout this year, particularly by parents of De La Salle College students. What a gift that through forced isolation, we have been given unprecedented access to observe other’s homes, family dynamics, casual attire – the intimacies that reveal aspects of people not normally seen.
Perhaps in time we will look back at the remote learning experience as something that we would prefer to forget. Teachers preparing online resources, ‘Closure Files’ on the learning management system OLLIE, Microsoft Teams meetings for classes, Teams ‘Live Events’ for assemblies and online Parent/Teacher Interviews are all examples of the ways we continued to provide a quality education in a purely virtual space. The lack of face-to-face interaction was certainly a frustration at times, however, the fact remains that a continuity of education and connection to the College community was admirably maintained for most students throughout remote learning. This was due, in my view, to a great deal of ingenuity, commitment and capacity to rise in the face of difficulty on the part of staff, the resilience and trust of students and parents, and a prevailing sense that we would get through it together.
There were moments I won’t forget through the time of remote learning this year. The camaraderie and collective effort of staff to maintain a buoyancy of spirit and extraordinary level of service to students and families. The responsiveness of our Year 12 students to the shifting demands and requirements of their studies, with onsite assessment schedules, altered annual calendar and different forums for interaction and socialisation. The depth of gratitude from parents in writing supportive emails, often arriving when affirmation was most needed. The expansion of knowledge and understanding by teachers about how technology can best support teaching and learning.
These are all things that I think we will carry with us into the future as markers of growth and strength and I feel confident that there is much that we will have gained from this experience and be grateful for in years to come.
Mark Gustincic – Deputy Principal, Learning and Teaching
As most change often does, our time in remote learning this year has had both benefits and downsides.
Mark Gustincic
Curricular Reporting
We came into 2020 after having conducted a Curriculum Audit and Report Review in 2019; in turn, 2020 was to be a year of action. In Term 1, learning areas were ready to implement their Curriculum Audit Action Plans to update documentation, and we were ready as a College, to execute Phase 1 of the Report Review Recommendations. Curriculum Audit Action Plans aimed to improve consistency in the delivery and expectations of curriculum and assessment across classes and learning areas.
The intention of Phase 1 Report Review Recommendations worked to consolidate assessment and reporting practices across the College in order to ensure that they are consistent, delivered digitally via OLLIE, and that information distributed to students and parents is accurate, informative and regular, with an increasing focus on striving for personalisation. Then COVID-19 struck…
The advent of remote learning, impinged on the extent that teachers were able to make inroads into the aforementioned initiatives. The short term focus shifted to more immediate adjustment of curriculum and assessment that would benefit students now faced with a completely different learning environment than the classroom. As a result, the intention for collective action diminished as different priorities for learning and teaching arose.
Nonetheless, significant progress was achieved in raising the position of OLLIE as the College’s main method of reporting student progress, which improved our capacity to truly provide a continuous/real-time reporting experience for students and parents. In 2020, key achievements include:
• More student assessment data (both formative and summative) and teacher feedback was recorded on OLLIE than since the learning management system had been introduced;
• Semester Work Habits were reported to parents with greater timelines via OLLIE, rather than on end of semester reports;
• End of semester reports went digital - now accessible as a PDF via OLLIE;
• Student engagement with OLLIE increased approximately 25% for Secondary students and approximately 70% for Primary students from February 2019 to August 2020;
• Parent engagement with OLLIE increased approximately 50% from February 2019 to August 2020.
Greater consistency in teacher use of OLLIE as a primary reporting system, which is complimented by our Academic Achievement and Progression Pastoral Notification system, has meant that parents are more informed regarding the progress of their son than ever before. The days of waiting for Parent/Student/Teacher Interviews and the end of semester report to see how your son is going academically or pastorally are over!
Olivia Wenczel – Director of Learning and Development – Curricular Programs
Curriculum Audit Action Plans aimed to improve consistency in the delivery and expectations of curriculum and assessment across classes and learning areas.
Science
Students and staff alike have shown their incredible ability to adapt to change, as we know this year is no exception. In the Science Learning Area, we have stayed strong and true to our course outlines with incredible use of ICT including Stile, Edrolo, Microsoft Teams, OneNote and OLLIE.
Teachers have worked tirelessly, both with subject groups and individuals, going above and beyond to achieve high quality lessons and assessments of the young men at De La Salle College. Staff and students both found themselves in an unfamiliar environment and have risen to the challenge of communication, organisation and regular review. Whilst the Science Department did take a huge hit with practical activities being unavailable onsite, staff rose to the challenge of developing new inquiry ideas and even adapting existing experimental procedures which could be done safely at home. The Science Department hosted an incredible Science Week event remotely; this was a huge success with College-wide involvement. Our staff worked tirelessly in the background to update existing content to put the Science Learning Area in a great position in 2021.
As Science LATL, I am extremely proud and honoured to work with my colleagues and our students during this time as they have all persevered and supported one another whilst also adapting to change.
Justin
Bourke – Learning Area Team Leader – Science
Science Week
This year the National Science Week Theme was Deep Blue: innovations for the future of our oceans. This year was challenging, as it was entirely remote however, our science enthusiasts made a triumphant turn around to this wonderful week. Staff and students alike awed and wondered about the wonderful world of science which we live in. From the beauty of natural flora and fauna to the ground-breaking equations of E=mc².
This year’s Science Week had loads of activities, including:
• Daily Science Trivia
• Science @ Home Photo Competitions
• Staff Challenges
• Escape Rooms
• Wildlife Art Competition
• Science News
• De La Salle College Sustainability with our own Solar Panels
As all weekly themes go, our House Competition was a complete s uccess with incredible buy in from all students. St Mark’s House came out triumphant in 2020’s Science Week and earned some great points to the House Cup. An immense amount of behind the scenes work was done by Shardul Kaneria and assisted by Justin Bourke to make this all possible. Looking forward to 2021 Science Week!
Justin Bourke – Learning Area Team Leader – Science
Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change.
– Stephen Hawking
Languages
De La Salle’s Languages Department had an amazing year in 2020. It showed both staff and students how much can be achieved online and it highlighted the resilience and creativity of everyone involved. The students enthusiastically maintained their Language studies, no matter the hurdles presented.
Our Primary Italian students have been exploring Italian cultural celebrations and have researched their Saint name and its importance in Italian culture. They have also learnt household item vocabulary and have spent many hours annoying their families by taking photos of each item and labelling it in Italian. A lot of fun was had, I’m sure!
Our Year 7 students have been busy presenting live role-plays over Teams, in both French and Italian classes. It has been amazing to hear about how students have used technology to practise their role-plays outside of class time! They were able to deliver excellent role-plays with their partner and it showed great commitment to their studies.
The Year 8 Language students have been learning all about schools in France and Italy and have created their own school timetable written entirely in the language they are studying. They have also enjoyed many interactive learning games to help build vocabulary. Earlier in the year, while onsite, they also enjoyed playing Bocce/Petanque with their classmates at Tiverton and Holy Eucharist Campuses…they gave the teachers a run for their money!
Students in French and Italian Conversation classes from the Holy Eucharist Campus have been busy with Kahoot competitions and creating one-minute ads on the Italian school system. They have also used their inquiry skills and in groups taught grammar to the class. The best way to remember something for life is to teach others about it.
French Conversation students have also been crazy about sentence builders and made many sentences describing the activities they are doing outside class time or before lockdown!
Our VCE students have continued their excellent progress in the language and have successfully completed online SACs. The Senior French students were able to participate in the Alliance Française Oral Exam, live over the internet! What a great accomplishment! Great news! We have 4 finalists (out of 6 students) in Year 12 for the oral assessment. This is the best result we have ever had!
Being in lockdown has also brought out the best in everyone involved in the Department. It was great to see staff help each other out and there has been a lot of collaboration between the Languages Staff. Marjorie Bon, our Conversation teacher at Holy Eucharist, joined in with the VCE French class to help with Oral practice – what a great opportunity for the students - two teachers! Kath Marino has also dedicated her Wednesday afternoons to her VCE Italian class, conducting much appreciated oral language practice and revision for SACs.
Overall, the Languages Department has successfully kept Languages alive at De La Salle during remote learning. I would like to thank the hard-working and versatile Languages Staff for their constant ability to be creative and passionate about Language study at the College.
Grace Giudice – Learning Area Team Leader – Languages
Being
in lockdown has also brought out the best in everyone involved in the Department. It was great to see staff help each other out and there has been a lot of collaboration between the Languages Staff.
Humanities
The vision of the Humanities Learning Area includes providing a quality curriculum which will allow our young men to become successful learners, confident and creative individuals who are both active and informed citizens. In conjunction with this, it is hoped that as educators, we create a sense of belonging and a culture of learning together within the Civics, History, Geography, Legal Studies and Politics classrooms.
The 2020 school year with the mix of both onsite and remote learning has been challenging and yet at the same time provided many opportunities for staff to work to achieve our vision.
The various Humanities Teams regularly communicated, exchanged ideas and strategies, and adjusted timelines, content, tasks and rubrics where necessary. Below are examples of the tasks in each subject Years 7-12 that addressed the necessary 21st century skills of research, managing data, independent and critical thinking, working individually and in teams, planning and time management.
CIVICS
An election campaign – development of a political platform and election campaign consisting of both individual and group components.
GEOGRAPHY
Virtual fieldwork reports, geographical skill reviews, analysis of geographical data tasks and local sustainability investigations.
HISTORY
Historical skill reviews, document analysis and extended response tasks. A virtual tour of the Jewish Holocaust Centre and reflection on the nature of the Holocaust. Research tasks at all levels presented in a variety of creative ways.
LEGAL STUDIES
People and the Constitution Review and Law Reform Investigation.
POLITICAL STUDIES
Political ethical issues and debates and global crises reviews.
Moving the focus from the teacher to the student with more inquiry tasks in all subjects has allowed the students to develop skills of independent planning, research and decision making. Feedback to students has followed the traditional forms as at school in conjunction with student-teacher meetings on Teams.
I would like to thank the Humanities Staff for their enthusiasm, collegiality and determination to make the daily lessons and tasks innovative and enjoyable for the students. To the young men in our classes, thank you as well for your willingness to adapt to the remote learning environment and in so doing, continue to develop your knowledge and skills.
Christine Thompson – Learning Area Team Leader – Humanities
Moving the focus from the teacher to the student with more inquiry tasks in all subjects has allowed the students to develop skills of independent planning, research and decision making.
Religious Education
2020 presented wonderful opportunities in the Religious Education Department due to our robust and focussed staff.
We warmly welcomed our new Year 7 students to the De La Salle College community with an introduction to their first RE unit defining the significance and unique flavour of Religion and Community at the College. This allowed students from different primary school backgrounds to become grounded here. Looking at Prayer, Eucharist and Community, their immersion culminated in their welcome at the Cathedral Mass. During remote learning, units were adjusted to feature aspects of nature communities around their homes. We were fortunate to have Brother Guy Consolmagno, the Director of the Vatican Observatory in Rome, supply a video stream explaining the unity of the scientific and biblical origins of the universe and a vast array of stellar moments he has captured through the Arizona telescope! How lucky is that!
Year 8 students investigated key themes of Social Justice in Term 1 with colorful in-class presentations of their refugee friend or their homeless friend. We were fortunate to explore excellent resources featuring multi-faiths such as the Thai Rescue Mission documentary and other short videos on our Term 2 theme Courage. Students compared and contrasted rites of passage of an Indigenous boy their age, and a boy being Confirmed in the Catholic faith in Term 3. Working with our wonderful librarians we created resource articles and videos for students to access on the library page.
Fascinating themes tackled by the Year 9 Encounter students included a balanced look at the purpose of material goods, critiquing media images of men and since climate change is a looming debate, students addressed this theme from sustainability and Christian responsibility angles. Students unpacked Luadato si’, Pope Francis’ encyclical on Caring for God’s Creation.
The
seeds planted in our
RE lessons this year, will certainly be remembered and appreciated, with fruits for many years to come.
On the Senior Campus, Year 10 students enjoyed their three elective Units on Jesus, Church History and Religious Expressions in Art and Music. They adapted well to online lessons through colourful art exploration, documentaries and lively debate. The Year 11 Unit 2 Ethics students thrived on independent learning through primary and secondary source material as well as lively class discussions on ethical issues, exploring Catholic and multiple worldviews.
In Term 1 Unit 1 Religion and Society, students tackled the meaning and purpose of religion in people’s lives and society. In Term 2, students created an array of creative pictorial posters on religion in prehistory. In Term 3, we watched the Rabbit Proof Fence movie and explored the symbols, totems and customs of Aboriginal Spirituality.
Our first Seminar presenter Sam Clear, came from Tasmania to inspire and speak about his Walk for Unity. Sam kindly sent the Class of 2020 a follow up lockdown video ‘Faith in Adversity’. David Kobler (another of our lined-up Seminar speakers), sent a livestream video with a blessing and a focus of inter-dependence at this time. Brother John Cantwell, Director Emeritus of Formation for Lasallian Mission Services, provided a message on encouragement. Brother Guy Consolmagno, the Director of the Vatican Observatory in Rome who works for Pope Francis – sent a video he made for the students on ‘Choices.’ An apt theme as they approach their end of school life.
The seeds planted in our RE lessons this year, will certainly be remembered and appreciated, with fruits for many years to come.
Kathryn Holewa – Learning Area Team Leader – Religious Education
Rabbit Proof Fence
Year 7D Religious Education
Sam Clear
David Kobler
Experiential Learning
At De La Salle College, Experiential Learning encompasses Physical Education, Drama, Music, Technology, the Arts, VET and VCAL. Subjects within these areas provide our students with the opportunity to learn through an experience or, more simply, a chance to engage in “hands-on” learning.
There are widely documented benefits of Experiential Learning but the two greatest from our perspective would be the ability for students to immediately apply their knowledge and the opportunity for students to gain real-time feedback. This approach to learning allows students who have a flair for the “doing” to excel in their area of interest.
2020 has been a year like no other and this has had a major impact on Experiential Learning. Learning from home has meant students haven’t been able to access art rooms, technology workshops, media equipment and the specialised face-to-face instruction crucial to many of these subjects, but I can proudly say that our teachers have gone above and beyond to ensure that the remote learning experiences still allowed the students to apply their knowledge and gain that all important real-time feedback. Students in the Arts contributed to the “COVID Art Book” which attracted media attention. Our Music students participated in virtual recordings of a range of musical pieces including our very own College Hymn, while the Building and Construction and Systems Engineering students relished the opportunity to access on-site facilities during the second lockdown to complete their VCE projects.
All in all, while 2020 has presented significant challenges for Experiential Learning, our students have had many wonderful learning experiences but are certainly looking forward to 2021!
Jodie McLaren – Director of Learning and Development – Experiential Learning
Gifted and Talented Education Program
2020 marked the fifth year of our Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) Program. More than 100 students across the College greatly benefitted from opportunities that allowed them to strain their brains and open their minds to develop new skills or showcase existing talents. Even though multiple events/competitions known to cater for our talented students were cancelled this year, we still managed to pursue events such as the International Mathematical Modelling Challenge (IM2C), Academy Learning Online Conferences and ASX Stock Market Game.
Year 7-9 students participated in the IM2C Challenge, where they worked in teams to solve a complex challenge within five days. The ASX Stock Market Game was extremely popular, with over 75 students across Years 7-11 participating in this challenge. A few Year 10 students also opted to pursue a two-month online course with Academy Learning where they worked with world renowned educators to develop their capacities to identify and comment on complex philosophical scenarios. A highlight of this course was developing an ability to answer complex open-ended questions often asked in interviews at Oxford and Cambridge Universities. Year 7 students also attended the Ignite Incursion introducing the confluence of Neuroscience, Philosophy and Religion.
As the GATE Program Coordinator, it has been a pleasure working with this group of talented students and receiving support from so many staff. I am already looking forward to expanding this program to support students across all Year Levels in 2021 and beyond. A special thank you to all the teachers who have supported all these activities through either active supervision and guidance or background assistance with excursion and incursion preparations.
Shardul Kaneria – Gifted and Talented Education Coordinator
2020 certainly was a different year that threw many curve balls our way. One thing that remained the same however, was the support provided to students by the Education Support Team. While we had to adapt and modify the support offered to students remotely, the Education Support Teachers and Learning Support Officers worked in collaboration with teaching staff to assist students with additional learning needs throughout the year.
This support included assisting students in class, working with teachers to modify learning tasks, creating remote learning strategies for students, joining classes on Microsoft Teams and in OneNote, providing individual check-ins with students, and, assisting with special provisions for assessments both online and onsite. The Education Support Team also worked collaboratively with staff and parents to achieve the best outcomes for all our students.
This year, 278 students were identified as receiving support and included in the College’s Nationally Consistent Collection of Data (NCCD) list. Some of these students had Personalised Learning Plans, while many were provided with the newly introduced Student Adjustment Plans, both of which support students with accessing the curriculum. These Plans serve to identify a student’s needs and outline adjustments and supports to be implemented in the classroom. Regular Program Support Group (PSG) meetings also occurred for many students, where academic planning and pastoral care were discussed with parents, teachers and students themselves. Furthermore, numerous referrals and consultation with the College Psychologists occurred to ensure current, effective strategies were being implemented to assist students with their learning.
I wish to thank my team for their flexibility, perseverance and professionalism and the lengths they have gone to in order to support students with their education.
Georgie
Skinner – Education Support Coordinator
Education Support Health and Physical Education
2020 started with a bang! The PE students were out swimming, running, playing cricket and even trampolining. The Health and Human Development students were learning about health and wellbeing issues. Little did we know, come Term 2, this would change dramatically!
The introduction of remote learning presented us all with unique challenges but even more so for the HPE Learning Area. The HPE teachers found creative ways to get students away from their computer and being active. During remote learning, students participated in online personal training and fitness sessions with NJ Fitness, individual and group skills and fitness challenges, and the ‘Corona Olympics’.
Here’s what our students had to say about learning during 2020:
‘Despite the unprecedented circumstances of 2020, Physical Education has been a great experience. Our online classes usually consisted of a Microsoft Teams call, followed by set work on OneNote which was completed in small groups allowing us to engage with our class mates. Mr Bonnici even created a lunchtime HIIT session for us to complete as a group to develop a greater understanding of this training method.’ Jack Forer – Year 12, Physical Education
‘An activity I really enjoyed during remote learning were the pre-recorded workouts Mr Edgar organised with personal trainer Nate. It was great as some exercises were challenging and tough to complete but it was something I looked forward to every Friday.’
Joey Valcanas – Year 8, Physical Education
‘Year 10 Health covered a range of different and interesting health topics about the human body, nutrition and the five key dimensions of health. From activities on OneNote and Teams to pracs like making smoothies, this course was very fun, interesting and enjoyable.’
Tom Martin – Year 10, Health and Human Development
Digital Learning
This year has been a year like no other. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella stated earlier this year, “We’ve seen two years’ worth of digital transformation in two months”.
This has been no more evident than in the education sector, where all classrooms were quickly transformed to a digital platform for remote learning. Fortunately, with our College 1:1 notebook program setup, we had the technological ability to adjust to new ways to deliver Learning and Teaching, Wellbeing and even House activities. It was comforting knowing that all students had the appropriate tools in front of them to be able to connect to their class and peers.
This year we have seen, classes, whole school, House, tours and Year Level assemblies become virtual events run via Microsoft Teams. Whilst this has proved successful, it is important to acknowledge that, face to face physical interaction is the best way to learn, communicate, and retain memories. It has been pleasing that throughout this adversity, staff and students alike, have looked at ways to remain connected and supported throughout the year.
Our Learning Management System “ OLLIE ” has been continually populated with student assessment feedback for parents and students to keep up to date. As well as being a resource of information for subject selection and classroom activities, the ever popular, weekly Principal Communication video has kept the community informed with the latest information.
Rob Bonnici – Director of Learning and Development – Digital Learning
Technology
All Technology subjects had some interruption to their practical work due to restrictions put in place by the State Government. Fortunately, Year 12 students in Product Design and Technology and Systems Engineering could attend the College on set days to continue with their practical work. With careful planning and preparation, students embraced the opportunity to build their designs to various stages of completion.
Year 10 STEM students built a model aircraft that gave them the opportunity to research and understand flight. The challenge was to modify the plane in various aspects of flight and then evaluate their findings.
Year 9 Technology were relocated from Tiverton to Holy Eucharist this year. This meant that students did not need to travel to Tiverton to complete their Technology studies. A systems based approach influenced the project based on solar energy that reflected the Year 9 curriculum focus.
All Technology students could access 3D printing and laser cutting technology including various CAD programs that have been introduced into the Technology Department over the last few years. This allowed Year 7-10 students to continue with their folio of work and complete the tasks of investigating, generating, planning and managing and then completed if time permitted a revised Producing and Evaluating task.
The immersion subjects at Year 7/8 Game Development and Year 9 Real Life Robotics were once again well supported by students who explored the challengers to learn basic coding that enabled them to develop an understanding of the process for new games and programs at Year 7/8 and building and testing a robotic arm at Year 9.
It has been a challenging year and I would like to thank the Technology Staff for their input and professionalism and the students for their patience and engagement.
Warren Walker – Learning Area Team Leader – Technology
English
“What is a man, if the chief good and market of his time be but to sleep and feed? A beast, no more!” The words of the Prince of Denmark, Hamlet, are an apt emblem for the English Department’s active engagement with all things literary this year, as we rejected ennui and refused to “lose the name of action”.
Our Year 8 students enjoyed an entertaining and enlightening online discussion with author Robert Newton, whose text ‘Runner’ is a favourite staple at that Year Level. Newton spoke to the students about authorship, the creative process and provided a window into better understanding his text.
Some of De La Salle’s Year 10 students participated in online debating in the ACC competition, performing excellently and achieving the highest team score in a single debate that day. They were admirable ambassadors for the College.
A plethora of students across all Year Levels submitted creative writing in the form of poetry and prose for this year’s Shared Stories publication. The theme for their writing was ‘Respect’. Emotive and poignant, the writing demonstrated a mature understanding of the importance of giving respect, again echoing Hamlet’s words: “Use (people) after your own honour and dignity. The less they deserve, the more merit is in your bounty”. Judging from their writing, our students know that respect does not have to be earned, but rather freely given, befitting their character of generosity and kindness.
Our Year 7 students were lucky enough to have their Literary Circles novels posted to them this year so that they can access great works of fiction for discussion in small groups during Term 4. Receiving literature in the mail is always a welcome delivery!
VCE English students have been performing admirably this year, demonstrating tenacity and independence: qualities that will be of great advantage to them in their future lives, whichever path they take. I offer my congratulations to them on their continued improvement and development, as well as their ability to craft excellent pieces of writing.
Students who undertake English across the years at De La Salle have been blessed with a broad reading experience, with texts dating from 5th century BC Athens with Euripides’ ‘The Women of Troy’ (415 BC) through to Tristan Bancks’ Australian novel ‘Two Wolves’ (2014). The year 2020 has reminded us of the power and true worth of the texts that we read and study at school: some old, some new, some strange, and some that challenge our values and perceptions. All contribute to building the personality, dignity and character of the young men of De La Salle College, so that, like Hamlet says, they will not “lose the name of action”.
Ben Williamson – Learning Area Team Leader – English
Judging from their writing, our students know that respect does not have to be earned, but rather freely given, befitting their character of generosity and kindness.
Mathematics
2020 was a year like no other. The Mathematics Learning Area was able to adapt to the difficult and demanding challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Teachers and students alike were able to work together in new innovative ways to connect, implementing new teaching protocols and a new remote learning environment.
Terms 2 and 3 saw more reliance on technology than ever before and became our foundation for remote learning. While some students had difficulties adjusting to the new learning experience, we were able to work through this and many were able to thrive and excel.
With the use of Microsoft Teams, Cambridge Go, Maths Pathways, OneNote and PowerPoint, teachers were able to continue to present their teaching and interacted with their students in virtual face-to-face contact. I would like to applaud our students in their persistence to continue their learning experience during the hardship of this year. They were able to submit all necessary assessments and continued to stay engaged with the subject.
Cambridge Go provided our students instant feedback and corrections when answering questions in real time. The software provided our teachers explicit reports and class results.
Students also had access to Hot Maths which reviewed their knowledge from previous years, walkthrough examples and starter quizzes. For each new topic, video examples and other engagement tools such as Scorcher, have helped our students to be more engaged in their learning.
I would encourage our parents/guardians to engage with their sons through the program provided by Cambridge Go to further assist, improve and develop their understanding of Mathematics.
Lastly, I encourage all students to take up this opportunity and I thank all the teachers involved in running these sessions.
Thomas Le – Learning Area Teacher Leader – Mathematics
I would like to applaud our students in their persistence to continue their learning experience during the hardship of this year.
Tiverton Campus
Director of Students
– MIDDLE YEARS
It has been an interesting year at the Tiverton Campus with all Year 5-8 students only spending a small amount of time on the physical Campus itself. It was pleasing to see the Year 5 and 6 students enter their new purpose-built Primary classrooms, and all the Year 8 students enter the newly-refurbished Tower Building at the beginning of the year. We also welcomed two sets of synthetic grass laid down at the front of the Duffy Building for our Year 7 students, and at the De La Dome for our Primary School students for their competitive four square and downball games. The new grass has definitely made a huge visual impact on the Campus for students, staff and parents alike.
Most of the Year 5-8 students have done amazing work in 2020 as they continued to work hard throughout the year under difficult circumstances. They have set up normal routines, logged onto their set classes, set up break times for physical exercise, and focused on their wellbeing on the Tiverton Wellbeing Day in Term 2 and Wellbeing Wednesdays in Term 3. The students have successfully navigated the Black Dog Institute Bite Back Program over a six-week period, and all Year 7 and 8 students are also investigating their emotional and thinking parts of the brain with the Braingrow program.
The students have also embraced a range of online opportunities throughout the year including weekly House challenges, such as Run Club in Terms 2 and 3, the Library Reading Bingo challenge, Friday lunchtime Quiz Time, Super Mario Kart challenges, and Chess Club. One highlight of the year was students being given two separate opportunities to undertake a Passion Project.
It was amazing to see so many students reading, cooking, painting, gardening and playing musical instruments and different sports to showcase their talents.
Passion Projects, encourage individuals to ask questions, pursue personal interests, research and create something to showcase their new knowledge. Passion Projects are sometimes called Genius Hour in the business world. The students uploaded their projects to Flipgrid and reflected on how they each progressed with their different activities, skills and knowledge as a Year Level. It was amazing to see so many students reading, cooking, painting, gardening and playing musical instruments and different sports to showcase their talents. We look forward to making this a regular curriculum and wellbeing activity moving forward into the 2021 school year.
Many thanks to all students and parents for all their support of the Year 5-8 staff throughout 2020. The staff have worked extremely hard to drive curriculum standards, positive wellbeing and a sense of strong community. Special thank you to our Year 5 and 6 teachers, Year 7 and 8 class mentors, and the amazing Melissa Walsh and Susan Kiernan for leading the Year 7 and 8 Year Levels with such class, energy and distinction. We look forward to bigger and better things at the Tiverton Campus in 2021 and beyond!
Martin Gibbs – Director of Students, (Middle Years)
Martin Gibbs
Tiverton Leaders
YEAR 5 AND 6 REFLECTIONS
Coronavirus and lockdown has been a strange time for everyone, especially in the De La Salle Primary School. Online school has been a great experience for everyone in the class due to the great work from Mr Kearns and Mr Atkins. Even though we have been in lockdown, we have still talked and played with our friends online, which really does keep the boredom down and the happiness up. Doing school at home is very different, things like wearing casual clothes every day, having the flexibility to do our literacy and numeracy when we want, and waking up just a little bit later are some of the things that have changed for our class.
Outside of school it has been a whole lot different as well with all sport, including my favourite sport soccer, being cancelled. When I heard that my soccer was probably going to be cancelled for the rest of the year I was devastated but I was really happy that the school created Wellbeing Wednesdays so I could focus on my Passion Project, do amazing wellbeing activities and generally look after myself. Thanks Mr Gibbs for creating this as this kept me happier in lockdown and now I am so pleased we are back at school as I can play with my friends and hear more of Mr Atkins’ terrible jokes.
Charlie Welling – Primary School Captain, Year 6
2020 WHERE DO WE BEGIN?
Starting this year, I was pumped and ready to make new connections. Through lunchtime games and after school activities, Term 1 gave me new friendships and many opportunities to share my ideas with others. Then COVID-19 came crashing down on us. In the beginning, it was hard to get used to this new style of learning, but after a few weeks we thought we were ready to face the entirety of this challenge. The few weeks back at school were the greatest part of this year, as everyone was cheerful and excited to see each other after such a long break. Then the second wave hit. This time everyone started sluggish, but quickly got back into the groove of things as there were many activities happening like, chess tournaments, presenting at assemblies, Wellbeing Wednesdays, and keeping in touch with our mates. The overall thing that helped us students continue was the consistent support from the teachers during this tough time. Cannot wait for what 2021 holds.
Jonah Biviano
– Tiverton Captain, Year 8
2020 HIGGINS MEDAL
The De La Salle College Year 6 nominee for the 2020 Higgins Medal is Cian O’Flynn.
Cian has worked extremely hard over the remote learning journey in 2020 and, as a result, was chosen by the Primary School staff for this award. Cian is held in very high regard as he sets realistic and attainable learning goals for himself and makes sure he tries his best to regularly achieve them. Upon reflection he states, “I make sure I get out as much as possible from every experience”. Throughout isolation he has continued to practice his soccer skills and has begun some long distance running to get a good balance of learning and wellbeing at such a young age.
Cian is also a great communicator, and this was demonstrated when he represented the school in the Debating Association of Victoria online public speaking competition in which he developed new skills, confidence, and received some important feedback. Cian was only three points off being accepted as one of the 13 finalists of over 100 entries in the competition. He continues to show maturity and positivity towards his peers, and we look forward to continuing his leadership potential on the Tiverton Year 5-8 Campus at De La Salle College in 2021 and beyond.
Cian is a most worthy recipient of this award.
Time & Space Program
With all the curve balls that 2020 has thrown our way, we had to revise the delivery of most of our Personal Development programs. Fortunately, most of our providers created digital platforms for us to be able to share with Year Levels via Teams and a meaningful program was delivered.
Time & Space is a regular feature in the De La Salle College calendar, with events offered annually for Year 7 mothers and sons and Year 8 fathers and sons. This year saw the exciting addition of two other events; Year 12 mentors and sons and the Year 9-11 mentors and sons.
Time & Space programs are designed to strengthen and grow relationships, especially during times of change and transition. It offers a chance for parents and teens to listen to and learn from each other in a supportive environment. These sessions are normally facilitated onsite, however, this year saw the introduction of a digital model. The online sessions followed a similar format from the comfort of our spaces.
Feedback was extremely positive from both from parents and students:
It was nice to find time to talk to Dad and ask him questions that I wouldn’t normally ask.
– Year 8 student
This is a great initiative. A fabulous way to connect on a deeper level with my son. – Year 8 father
Was great to have an open and focused conversation. – Year 7 father
Liz Phibbs – Personal Development Coordinator
Virtual Library
A few years ago a library was a “room of books”. Fortunately, De La Salle was innovative in their thinking and have developed a hub of eResources. When the pandemic closed the physical school library this year, the eBooks, the electronic encyclopaedia, the Research Guides, a Clickview video library and the eJournals all came to the fore in the world of online learning. Essentially the library went home with the students!
This was the year that we loaned out books about pandemics, we moved Chess into the corridors, we quarantined book returns, and we read on our eReaders. Our eAudio collection came online during lockdown. We read eJournals and researched using databases.
The pandemic did not stop the library from creating virtual author events. We started with Robert Newton, an Old Collegian and author of the Year 8 novel, Runner. The virtual event took place in the homes of our students and for a change parents were able to attend.
In Term 2, the Blokes and Books Breakfast went online. In this virtual version, students cooked breakfast for their fathers and took screen selfies with the author Tristan Bancks.
In Term 3, the eBook lending waned when students had experienced too much screen time. This is when the school posted books to Year 7s for their Lit Circles. Students appreciated a real book!
After returning to school, Tiverton Library ran a socially distanced Book Week with the theme “Oh the places you’ll go” focussing on places that books can take you to, even when you can’t travel. Students were encouraged to explore the world of Zines. A workshop for the Year 5 and 6 students demonstrated to them how to make a Zine which they could share in the Zine Vending Machine.
Adversity is the mother of invention and in 2020 the library refused to be kept down by a pandemic. Read on!
Catherine Ryan – Library Team Leader
Time & Space programs are designed to strengthen and grow relationships, especially during times of change and transition.
Data and Student Progression
The use of student data is a powerful tool and helps teachers get to know students. It highlights students within their class who may need extra support in their learning or need to be challenged. It also identifies students who may be progressing exceptionally well or where there appears to be some issues hindering their learning.
At De La Salle, we use several sources of information to help get to know our students;
• Academic Assessment Services Data (Allwell Data) based on testing done in Year 5, 6, 8 and 10 as well as NAPLAN data provides some baseline data
• The analysis of student reports provides us with data on how well the students are tracking in their learning and we use this in conjunction with their baseline data
• The analysis of students’ work habits (effort, behaviour, homework and participation) and this year their remote learning work habits (engagement in learning, timeliness of completion of work)
• Wellbeing data by monitoring pastoral care notifications and attendance data
These all help to provide us with a well-rounded view of each individual student and can lead to Zeal Awards of Achievement and Recognition for quality education or intervention where necessary by mentors, teachers and the Wellbeing Team.
In 2020, the move to remote learning in Term 3 led to the Year 10 Semester Two teachers getting to know their classes in a remote environment. To help teachers support their students, we created an interactive student information sheet. This sheet had the most up to date information regarding how students fared in Semester 1 especially in relation to remote learning, including statements made by the students about their remote learning experience.
Lucy Russell – Director of Learning and Development – Data and Student Progression
Holy Eucharist Campus
Head of Year 9
– HOLY EUCHARIST CAMPUS
“When the winds of change blow, some people build walls and others build windmills.” Consider for a second what this Chinese proverb means.
Essentially, the type of people who build walls isolate themselves and bunker down from the reality of change. These people generally have quite a fixed mindset. Those that choose to build windmills have a tendency to capitalise on change. They make the most of an adjusted circumstance and are able to generate energy. They adopt a growth mindset.
Amongst the unprecedented change that 2020 presented did you build a wall or a windmill?
We will all reminisce on 2020 for the epic impact it had on our lives. For many of us, it will be remembered as a year of survival. But I’d like it to be viewed as more than just weathering a crisis. I would like 2020 to be viewed as a year of improvement. At every turn, the Year 9 cohort were encouraged to be agile. To adapt, to grow and to think differently. The students most responsive to this change were able to leverage advantage from long periods of uncertainty. Some Year 9 students reported that amidst the adversity their resilience, organisation and independence had even been seriously fast-tracked.
Throughout 2020 students saw their meta-cognition challenged like never before. How is it that I learn best? What toolkit of strategies do I possess to optimise remote learning? What do I need to do to learn independently? These were just a few questions confronting students across the globe. The good news is, the Year 9 cohort is right in the hitting zone of their educational journey to benefit from making the requisite improvements.
Amidst all the chaos came some order. A large volume of Year 9 students were able to successfully complete their Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award. Completing a demanding beachside expedition and volunteering for community service before restrictions were imposed. Year 9 were also privy to Rites of Passage workshops where they openly discussed the transition from adolescence to becoming young men. The restrictions did not dampen the Year 9 spirits. It is remarkable how upbeat they remained.
On behalf of all the students in our care, I would like to give a heartfelt thank you to all the parents. We all know the partnership between students, teachers and parents is critical for effective learning. During these extraordinary times the importance of this partnership was certainly elevated. Who would have thought that a Year 9 student’s first formal examination experience would be sat at the kitchen bench, supervised by a patrolling parent? I hope you were all able to find that delicate balance between supporting your son and maintaining a healthy, functioning relationship in your home.
Finally, it would be remiss of me to not thank the high-performing team of Year 9 specialist teachers and educational support staff. Together we pride ourselves on knowing your son as well as what you do. The level of expertise, passion and care delivered across the Year 9 cohort continues to be a real trademark of the Holy Eucharist Campus.
In this changing world that we live, we must all encourage a changing mindset. Let’s continue to inspire our students to build windmills.
David Alexander – Head of Year 9 – Holy Eucharist Campus
We all know the partnership between students, teachers and parents is critical for effective learning. During these extraordinary times the importance of this partnership was certainly elevated.
David Alexander
Holy Eucharist Leaders
Despite an interrupted year, the Holy Eucharist Team were able to meet the challenges of 2020 head on and continued to create a dynamic curriculum in only our second year as a unique Year 9 Campus.
After a successful Headstart program that familiarised students and parents with the expectations and the cross-curricular program at the end of 2019, students came back ready to take on the diverse nature of the Year 9 program. Our Term 1 theme of identity culminated in students undertaking an overnight hike as part of the Duke of Edinburgh program where students were challenged to develop independence and resilience.
Certainly remote learning for substantial periods of the school year continued to develop the resilience of both teachers and students, but this was also an opportunity to learn new ways to collaborate, consider how each student learns differently and adapt curriculum to this new delivery method. It was a steep learning curve for everyone and students showed impressive perseverance and independent learning skills in an environment that was new to everyone.
Collaboration was the core focus during Problem Based Learning Week, held on Campus at the end of Term 2. Students worked in small groups on an area of interest to them, developing an inquiry question and looking at potential solutions or answers. The chance to spend substantial time working on student-driven topics such as ‘what is the best angle for AFL goal kicking success’ and ‘will humans become a multi-planet species’ allowed for deep thinking with interesting results and teachers relished the opportunity to support student learning in areas outside the traditional curriculum.
Whilst some of our programs had to be reconsidered for a COVID-19 world, there was many learnings to be taken from this year that will continue to influence our teaching and learning for years to come.
Lauren Anderson – Year 9 Learning and Teaching Leader
2020 has been a year of ups, downs and new experiences. We were enjoying a relatively normal first Term and then were thrown into a world of uncertainty and learning thanks to COVID-19.
For me personally, there was quite a learning curve when it came to implementing a routine for school and homework and trying to overcome what can only be called chronic procrastination. In regards to the Year 9 cohort, I believe everybody was in a relatively similar boat with their work ethic and motivation at home. However, even through the mind-numbing days that all seemed to merge into one long cycle of eat, work, sleep and repeat, we as a cohort stayed strong and connected through online quizzes, competitions and weekly check-ins. Many people say that 2020 has been a terrible year, but I believe it has been one of the best, as it has been one of learning and self-improvement.
Ben Torcasio – Holy Eucharist Captain
2020 HIGGINS MEDAL
The De La Salle College Year 9 nominee for the 2020 Higgins Medal is Harry McGindle.
At the end of 2019 Harry was elected by his cohort as ViceCaptain of the Year 9 Holy Eucharist Campus. Today, Harry is held in very high regard by not only myself – but by all staff at our Year 9 Campus.
Harry has thrived as a leader in what has become an agile space. He has been proactive in establishing platforms to support his peers. In particular, the development of a podcast about prioritising wellbeing amidst uncertainty.
Prior to restrictions, Harry was proactive in establishing social justice initiatives and running fundraising BBQ’s to raise money for Mission Action Day. Harry had also organised a Dunks Day fundraiser that unfortunately had to be postponed due to COVID-19.
As a member of the student wellbeing team he is a great communicator. Harry always demonstrates maturity and empathy towards his peers and will often go out of his way to support others.
Harry is a most worthy recipient of this award.
Careers and Subject Support Program
The Choices Curriculum is an umbrella name for the Programs that are part of our Careers and Subject Support Program from Year 9 through to Year 12 at De La Salle College. Each Year Level has an appropriate and exciting focus for the program content.
During Year 9 and 10, students are entering a pivotal stage of their careers education. This is when the opportunity for Choices in their curriculum becomes both strength and interest focused. The Pathways Team support students in making well informed decisions along the way.
• The Year 9 Futures workshops aim to have Year 9s become more aware of their passions and to discover the different opportunities these passions can take them in their future employment pathways.
• The Year 10 Program encourages students to dream big and to honour their principles about how they best want to contribute to their world in the future. The Morrisby Program and the Shape Your Destiny Workshops play a pivotal role in assisting students to recognise these ideals.
• The Year 11 focus is to support students to transition into understanding the implications of selecting subjects that are part of their two-year VCE Program. An emphasis is based around students understanding the requirements that will allow them to fulfil and prepare for their futures post-secondary education.
• The Year 12 focus is on consolidating their subjects, so that these subjects will allow them to pursue their post-secondary aspirations for their futures.
Not matter what stage students are in during The Choices Programs, the Guiding Principles they are asked to reflect on when making curriculum choices are:
ENJOYMENT
STRENGTHS
GOALS
PREREQUISITES
STUDY PROGRAM VARIETY
In 2020, the program was delivered remotely. Year 10 students and parents joined a live event to learn about Year 11 pathways accompanied by online Q & A Sessions. Thank you to the following staff who took part in these; Jon Edgar, Tim Hogan and Lucy Russell. A special thank you to the following Year 12 students; Flynn Bulman, Patrick Burrows, Marcel Davey, Joel King, Chris Menara, Oscar Schwab, Oliver O’Brien, Luke Shelley, Antony Valcanas and Luca Waterstone. Year 9 students took part in online sessions led by Andrew Wozencroft, Lucy Russell and myself discussing WIRL and Character Strengths. The Year 10 program included the Chattle run by our Learning Area Team Leaders (LATL).
The Choices Program OLLIE page was developed, which included video clips by the LATL providing useful information to help students choose their subjects. Thank you to the LATL and students Alex Carter, Keegan Eardley, Aaron May, Alex Martello, Andrew McGaw, Matthew Papaleo, James Pavlou, and Jacob Nikitas for organising the Year 12 videos. It was great to see our students demonstrate the many skills required in our future such as communication, critical thinking, initiative and innovation, flexibility, organisation and planning in preparing for their future.
Caroline Fitzpatrick – Careers Advisor
Kinnoull Campus
Director of Students
– SENIOR YEARS
With great expectations, the start of the 2020 school year began in February with the Year 12’s making their annual pilgrimage to the Year 12 Retreat at Rawson. Over three glorious days in the Gippsland Mountains, the students immersed themselves in a range of sessions designed to challenge and deepen their faith. Undoubtedly, the highlight for many students occurred on the last evening upon receiving their letter of affirmation from their parents. The students gained so much from their time away together, enabling them to reflect on their personal journey, time at De La Salle and their year ahead.
Another highlight to take place during Term 1 was the Year 10 Dance Program with the girls from Star of The Sea. The Dance Program established new friendships with the girls whilst learning how to dance in a fun and entertaining environment. Although the Finale was unable to take place this year due to COVID-19, the students gained new found confidence in their social wellbeing and dancing skills.
The College Personal Development Program enables the personal growth and development of each student. Underpinning the program are the College Five Core Lasallian Principles of which Respect is the College’s 2020 theme. During Term 1 Personal Development periods, the Year 11 students were allocated a Year 7 ‘Buddy’ from their respective House. During this time, students shared a range of personal information which enabled the foundations for positive and respectful relationships to be established. The connections made during these sessions have been fundamental to the overall positive student to student climate across the College this year.
Building on the strong House rivalry at Kinnoull, the lunch time House activities featured prominently in 2020. From the longest kick to the tug of war competitions, many Friday lunch times during Terms 1 and 2 were spent on the front grass at Kinnoull supporting these events. In conjunction with the College major carnivals held throughout the year, the lunch time activities continue to contribute to the highly competitive House system and the crowning of the overall Champion House at the end of the year.
I would like to acknowledge and commend all of the students at Kinnoull this year for demonstrating incredible resilience throughout 2020. In what has been a year like no other, each student should be very proud of the way in which they have navigated their personal growth and learning. Mother Theresa once said, “It’s not always about the destination, rather the journey that we take that helps us better understand ourselves and the world around us.” Each student has shown tremendous growth in their capabilities and will no doubt reflect on this year as a pivotal year for their personal growth and development.
Finally, to all of the staff who have worked tirelessly in supporting the students at Kinnoull this year – thank you. Whilst juggling their own realities, staff have served the students with an unbridled zeal and commitment throughout the entire year.
Wishing everyone within the community a very safe and relaxing Christmas holidays.
Shane Mackintosh – Director of Students, (Senior Years)
In what has been a year like no other, each student should be very proud of the way in which they have navigated their personal growth and learning.
Shane Mackintosh
VCE
Everyone tells you that Year 12 is the hardest year of your life. What no one told the Class of 2020 was that 2020 was going to be the strangest year that many of us have ever known and one of the hardest that not only VCE students would endure, but also the one that their parents, sisters, brothers and hopefully their own children will endure. However, we at De La Salle College are so proud of our VCE students who on many occasions have demonstrated the traits that many claim young people don’t possess. Ever since the end of Term 1, which finished early, our VCE students have proven to be resilient, adaptable, positive in the face of adversity and not only have taken whatever is thrown their way in their stride but have risen above the challenge. On their return in Term 2, students were faced with a backlog of SACs at the end of the Term and dealt with Study Design changes. Then another disaster hit when some of us literally saw our new and beloved VCE Coordinator, Fiona Sayner, break her leg!
Just as life was getting back to normal at the start of Term 3, we were back at school for a couple of weeks when suddenly cases increased and we had 24 hours before we closed again. On Sunday 2 August, students were told that the Year 12 English SAC was brought forward to the following day before school closed again. Students left school on 3 August with a packet of jelly beans and a pen, not knowing when they would be back or what the future held.
Over the next few weeks, students and their teachers were becoming increasingly concerned about the number of SACs that were piling up and we thank Christine Thompson who made history by running the first ever remote SAC followed by several other SACs in other subjects. Typically, just as plans were under way to run remote SACs, James Merlino let students back onsite to sit SACs and complete some practical lessons. Who knew that students would have been so excited to come to school in Week 7 for their Further Maths and Psychology SACs!
These SACS were held in very different conditions as all students followed military style social distance procedures, funnelling through the Murdoch Building for temperature testing and hand sanitising, then lining up 1.5 metres apart before the SAC and being let out in waves.
Throughout all the different situations this year, our VCE students have benefited from the dedication and expertise of their teachers who have worked tirelessly to ensure that they have not been disadvantaged whilst working remotely.
I would like to thank all the staff, students and parents for remaining positive and seeing 2020 through and making sure that our Year 12s can say they didn’t just survive Year 12 2020 but they were given the best opportunities possible.
Lucy Russell – Acting VCE Coordinator Semester 2
We are so proud of our VCE students who on many occasions have demonstrated the traits that many claim young people don’t possess.
Commerce
This year, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, we saw our vision come to fruition as we were forced to implement strategies to support students to self-reflect, become independent and also self-critical. Our lessons, teaching and learning activities and assessments were all shaped by our core vision of “self-reflective and critical students”. The use of Microsoft Teams and OneNote were the key drivers for this dynamic change and with the dedicated Commerce Team we have been successful at maintaining a high-quality curriculum at the Year 10 level as well as at the VCE level.
As a Commerce Faculty at De La Salle College, one of our core visions is for the students in our care to be more ‘independent, self-reflective and critical thinkers’. Since the inception of the Commerce Strategic Plan 2017-2021, the Commerce Team have been challenging the traditional role of the teacher and the student. We have devised a more fluid teacher-student relationship to support students to grow and be more critical and independent and seek the guidance from the teacher relating to the specific components of the curriculum that they found to be problematic.
Our team has been focused on delivering rich curriculum that takes advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, in Year 11 Business Management we have applied the pandemic to ‘Unit 1 Area of Study 3 – Internal Environment’ as students put to work their innovative flare to create an innovative product for the COVID-19 pandemic and develop a marketing plan. Furthermore, in ‘Unit 2, Area of Study 2 – Marketing a business’ students were required to complete a marketing plan in relation to the 7P’s of marketing to their innovative COVID-19 good or service. In Year 12 Business Management, many businesses were forced to change the way they operate as a result of the lockdown laws imposed by the Victorian Government.
Where possible, we applied “real life” contemporary business examples to assist our Business Management students to understand how the change management theory applied to these businesses who were forced to change the way they operate in ‘Unit 4 – Transforming a business’. Who would have thought that 13CABS would have been delivering parcels and rivaling Australia Post and other parcel delivery businesses? This is one example of how COVID-19 has forced businesses to transform and remain competitive as a result of the crippling effect of this virus.
Furthermore, in both Year 11 and Year 12 Economics, this year has simply been an exciting year to learn about this discipline. The consequences of COVID-19 on both a national and international scale has been catastrophic. Australia has seen the worst slump in GDP growth (down by 7%) which was worse than the decline in 1974 (which was a 2% decline in GDP growth!) Our Economics teachers effectively utilised the events of COVID-19 to apply to Budgetary Policy, Monetary Policy, Microeconomic markets such as the lobster market and international economics to name a few. We have continued to provide our Economics students with a rich and diverse curriculum that challenges them to apply the economic theory to real life economic events.
During the 2020 academic year, I am very proud to have led such a dedicated, hard-working, creative and knowledgeable team. We have had to learn many new processes, implement new technology swiftly and with a high level of precision and quality. The team never lost focus of our core goal – ‘to provide our students with a high-quality curriculum’ that bridges their learning from Year 10 into Year 11, Year 11 into Year 12 and to support our Year 12 students to build the knowledge and skill to become ‘exam-ready’ on 16 November 2020.
I can say with confidence that the vision of our faculty along with the team-based approach, open-communication and dedication has ensured that we have continued with a ‘business as usual’ mentality to provide the students in 2020 a curriculum that closely resembles the learning experience they would have received had COVID-19 not occurred.
Ashleigh Hoogendoorn – Learning Area Team Leader – Commerce
VET
The practical nature of VET subjects made the completion of these subjects very difficult in 2020. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, many courses had to be modified in order to meet the practical requirements and allow students to complete the course by the end of the school year. Fortunately most students were able to continue their learning online and successful outcomes were met.
This year De La Salle College had over 75 students undertake a wide variety of courses spanning across several training providers. We had four Year 11 students undertake the first year of a Certificate in Aeronautics which included some hours navigating towards private pilot’s licences. Some students were involved in the Arts undertaking further study in acting and music performance, whilst we have seen a growing trend of students undertaking qualifications in very modern industries such as Screen and Media and Game Design.
Many of our students are also enrolling in traditional vocational subjects which will see the next group of young De La Salle College men progress into the construction industry in areas such as plumbing, carpentry and electrical. Overall in what can only be described as a difficult year in the Vocational Training Area, we have still managed to provide many of our students with a great taste for life in the wider community and workforce.
Jon Edgar – VET Coordinator
VCAL
What an incredible effort from our VCAL students, they have been an inspiration and complement the Five Core Lasallian Principles. The challenges faced and conquered were like no other VCAL class before, preparing themselves for their working life and further education.
Students continued with their School Based Apprenticeships through the year, guaranteeing ongoing employment in 2021. Others attended Structured Workplace Learning (until they were forced to stop) pressing their case for an apprenticeship or traineeship in their imminent departure from the College.
Our students are developing many life skills including hospitality, planning and development of an outdoor study area, emotional awareness and self defence training, personalised fitness and gym tuition, along with a number of applied learning skills. They were also awarded a $12,000 government grant for a garden refurbishment on the Kinnoull Campus.
Although this year was quite unique, we are looking forward to expanding our VCAL social justice program, including the Year 12 ten-day camp to Wilcannia NSW, assisting the indigenous community in providing restoration and maintenance to St Therese’s Primary School.
The combined Year 11 and 12 camp to the King Valley, camping at Whitfield, will introduce students to the “country life”, helping to improve the community’s facilities and forging a bond with this country community.
De La Salle College is proud of the VCAL program. We have been fortunate to receive great support from all students and staff to achieve a rewarding, dedicated and productive 2020 VCAL program.
Tim Hogan – VCAL Coordinator
Legal Studies
The Year 12 Legal Studies students have adapted to the challenging year presented to them by working consistently and positively throughout 2020. They have continued to seek feedback on their written responses, and excelled in providing detail with contemporary examples and case studies in the areas of Criminal and Civil Law, the Australian Constitution, Precedent and Statutory Interpretation, and Law Reform by both Parliament and the Courts.
A visit, early in the year by the Victorian Law Reform Commission in February was a highlight of first semester, and some quality debates around topics including, Black Lives Matter, global warming demonstrations, gay marriage and medicinal cannabis legislation changes, kept the Microsoft Teams chats relevant and in perspective.
The Year 12 Legal students deserve every success in their examination period due to their hard working attitude, attention to detail with their written answers and their ability to continue to grow, no matter what the circumstances are. Well done Legal Studies students in 2020.
Martin Gibbs – Legal Studies Teacher
DAV Debating
The 2020 Debaters Association of Victoria (DAV) season for De La Salle College was unfortunately truncated because of COVID-19, but the small part that proceeded was undoubtedly an enjoyable experience. After a successful 2019 debating season that saw the Year 10 team finish 4th in Victoria, 2020 managed to attract over 25 De La Salle College students to partake in the superb debating program here at the College; creating one Year 12 and three Year 11 teams.
We were luckily able to participate in Round One in early 2020 and the formidable Year 12 team debated the particularly opportune topic ‘That we regret the rise of streaming platforms (such as Netflix and Disney+)’, coming out with a solid win. The three Year 11 teams also did extremely well in debating the head-achingly complicated topic ‘That we should ban climate change denial’. These two topics perfectly epitomise the utter beauty of debating. We, as a team, are given complex yet relevant topics that are undeniably contentious, encouraging us to indulge in intellectual contemplation and discussion.
Anyone who is interested in developing critical thinking, empathy and important public speaking skills vital in today’s competitive economy ought to turn to debating. The skills, fun and friends that debating furnishes are invaluable. Hopefully, the 2021 DAV season will revert to normality so that De La Salle College can continue to enthusiastically strive for success and enjoyment. We would like to express our appreciation and thanks to Georgina Dwyer, Christine Thompson and Olivia Wenczel for their support and time.
Tom Seddon – Year 11, St Mark’s House
Staff
Deputy Principal –
STAFF AND OPERATIONS
As I reflect on my eighth year at De La Salle and nearly 40 years of teaching, it truly has been a year like no other. Every year of course has it’s issues and even though many of the challenges this year due to COVID-19 stifled so many plans, perhaps unexpectedly there were many rewards as well.
The rewards of remote teaching and learning have been surprising. From an administrative perspective, our College staff united in a wonderful display of professionalism and collaboration. A great strength of the College has always been the teamwork shown by staff. Suddenly on 23 March this year, this strength would be tested in new ways. In a really short time frame we had to adapt our teaching to an online platform, we needed to reorganise and restructure the school calendar and create new approaches for communicating between each other and our students and families……all from our homes.
Perhaps it is not surprising that staff embraced this challenge. Recent years of professional learning in the application of an array of digital tools took on a new and immediate sense of urgency. Staff simply “jumped in” and “rolled up their sleeves” to make remote teaching work. Microsoft Teams quickly became the tool of choice for communication, collaboration and remote teaching.
In a strange way the outcome was newfound freedom. We discovered the joys of a flexible work routine. We were able to meet at any suitable time across the work day (and beyond). We could be efficient in our conversations. We could experiment with and embed a variety of online media into our lessons allowing them to become “fresher” and more relevant and there were still opportunities for fun and lighter moments. We also learnt that not everything in the digital world always goes to plan….”You are on mute” became a regular saying. We embraced the idea of online Parent/Teacher Interviews. Not only were they un-thought of before this year, they were an outstanding success. For the first time the interviews offered a new level of flexibility, comfort and efficiency and the lessons learnt I’m sure will feature prominently in future planning.
From a teaching perspective, it is clear remote learning didn’t suit every student and there is no doubt it will never replace the power of face to face teaching and learning and the social dimension of school. But, remote teaching also provided many students with new opportunities to focus and learn and in a way they had never done before. Thanks to the skill of the teachers, the goodwill of the students and the supportive, commitment of the parents, most students were able to maintain a strong work ethic and achieve sound results across the various learning areas.
For those students that struggled, the College’s dedicated Wellbeing Team were there to console and encourage students experiencing difficulty adopt a positive mind-set. For students all sorts of “never attempted before” physical, creative and fun activities and challenges emerged. Even though sport, music, art, assemblies and personal development activities were conducted from home, it did not mean being disconnected. While these great initiatives will never replace our cherished and extensive co-curricular program, they offer new possibilities for the future.
Most of all, remote teaching and learning highlighted key elements of “Lasallian Spirit” such as resilience, perseverance and concern for others. This year has shown that educating remotely provides a new option in a school’s “tool kit”, the benefits of which will be able to be adapted to assist students into the future. I know for most of us, 2020 is a year we want to put behind us as soon as possible, but I am also confident that we will emerge a stronger, better equipped and more capable community of staff, students and parents.
Tom Ryan – Deputy Principal, Staff and Operations
Most of all remote teaching and learning highlighted key elements of “Lasallian Spirit” such as resilience, perseverance and concern for others.
Tom Ryan
De La Salle College Staff 2020
Principal Peter Houlihan
Deputy Principal –
Staff and Operations Tom Ryan
Deputy Principal –Students Jessica Alger
Deputy Principal –Learning and Teaching Mark Gustincic
Deputy Principal –Faith and Mission Rana Brogan
Director of Finance and Administration Sharon O’Neill
Director of Students –
Middle Years Martin Gibbs
Director of Students –
Senior Years Shane Mackintosh
DLD Experiential Learning Jodie McLaren
DLD Data and Student Progression Lucy Russell
DLD Curricular Programs Olivia Wenczel
DLD Digital Learning Rob Bonnici
LATL English Ben Williamson
LATL Commerce Ashleigh Hoogendoorn
LATL Health and Physical Education Jodie McLaren
LATL Humanities Christine Thompson
LATL Languages Grace Giudice
LATL Mathematics Thomas Le
LATL Religious Education Kathryn Holewa
LATL Technology Warren Walker
LATL Science Justin Bourke
LATL Visual Arts Ryan Hayward
KINNOULL CAMPUS
St Austin’s House Coordinator Angela Runci
St Edwin’s House Coordinator Jessica Stevenson
St Leo’s House Coordinator Michael Watty
St Mark’s House Coordinator Andrew Wozencroft
HOUSE MENTORS
St Austin’s
Thomas Le
Elizabeth O’Connell
Halid Takimoglu
Jamie Walles
Marta Webster
Ben Williamson
St Edwin’s
Justin Bourke
Peppe Di Ciccio
Georgina Dwyer
Clare Kennedy-Curtis
Eliza Meallin / Jamie Walles
Ken Stokes
St Leo’s
Emma Fairclough
Tim Hogan
Graeme Lawler
Kath Marino
Nicholas Nicolaou
Christine Thompson
St Mark’s
Andy Devlin
David Ellul
Janet Holden
Ashleigh Hoogendorn
Catherine Loft
Warren Walker
Kinnoull Teaching Staff
Marty Lyons (Term 3-4)
Jonathan Pertile (Term 3-4)
Mark Sweeney
Careers Advisor Caroline Fitzpatrick
College Organiser James Gigacz
College Timetabler Marty Rhoden
Reporting Coordinator Rob Bonnici
Gifted and Talented
Education Coordinator Shardul Kaneria
MAD Coordinator Chris Martin
Personal Development
Coordinator Liz Phibbs
ACC Sports Coordinator Peter Larsen
House Sports Coordinator Peter Larsen
Drama Coordinator Andrew Murrell
Progression Coordinator Emma D’Angelo
VCE Coordinator Fiona Saynor / Lucy Russell
VET Coordinator Jon Edgar
VCAL Coordinator Tim Hogan
School Psychologist
Kinnoull Anthony Freeman
School Psychologist
Tiverton Karina Dubroja
HOLY EUCHARIST CAMPUS
Holy Eucharist
Head of Campus David Alexander
Year 9 Learning and Teaching Leader Lauren Anderson
Holy Eucharist Teaching Staff
Warren Bardsley
Jen Bonnici
Michael Chippendale
Chris Church
David Happ
Matthew Jones
Nicola Mairs
Vanessa Marolda
Chris Martin
Ryan McDonough
Judith Noonan (Term 3-4)
TIVERTON CAMPUS
Year 7 Coordinator Melissa Walsh
Year 8 Coordinator Susan Kiernan
Primary Teachers
Year 5 Annette Phillips
Year 6 Terry Atkins / Andrew Kearns
Class Mentors
7 Benilde Patrizia Ferrara
7 Dunstan Kathryn Holewa
7 Hegarty Catherine Ryan
7 Jerome Shardul Kaneria
7 Roland Andrew Clements
7 Solomon Andrew Clements
7 Vincent Jennifer Spence / Matthew Whitty
8 Benilde Thomas Chalkley
8 Dunstan Joanne Graham
8 Hegarty Sue Gabron
8 Jerome Lachlan O’Connell
8 Roland Shaun Buckley
8 Solomon Gerard Barns
8 Vincent Jo Green
Tiverton Teaching Staff
Gerard Barns
Peter Crellin
Chris Fleming
Steve Grace (Term 3-4)
Joanne Graham
Lachlan O’Connell
Mark Roath (Term 3-4)
Liliana Russo
Jacinta Ryan
Michael Ryan
House Assistants
St Austin’s Sharon Richards
St Edwin’s Clare Kennedy-Curtis
St Leo’s Emma D’Angelo
St Mark’s Andy Devlin
EDUCATION SUPPORT
Education
Support Coordinator Georgie Skinner
Education
Support Teacher Sue Gabron / Jo Green
Learning Support Officers
Thomas Edwards
Carolyn Green
Melanie Livera
Eve McLennan
Sharon Richards
Jarrod Shelly
Josh Smith
Muriel West
Carly Wills
Library Team Leader Catherine Ryan
Library Resources Clare
Kennedy-Curtis Letitia Mandile
Diane Saugy
April Tate
Lasallian Youth Minister James Biviano / Luca Almiento
MUSIC DEPARTMENT
Music Coordinator Luke Serrano
Ensemble Coordinator Jaymee Lee
Music Teachers
Claire Block
Lucas Clayton
Paul Coyle
Frank Fabris
Rick Freeman
Penny Karahalios
Matthew Lewin
Jarrod McCluskey
David Reichman
ADMINISTRATION
Personal Assistant to the Principal Sandy Wreford
Human Resources
Coordinator Nicole Paino-Green
Finance Manager Lorraine Parisi
Finance Officer (Family Accounts) Ellenor Harris
Finance Officer (Accounts Payable) Lilly Wu
Finance Officer (Payroll) Kay Zhang
Administration
Services Manager Mary Georges
Exec Support S and O Angela Carlino (Term 1-3)
Exec Support L and T Tahlia Ernst (Term 1-3) / Madalaine Jaskiewicz (Term 4)
David Alexander Jessica Alger Luca Almiento Lauren Anderson
Terence Atkins Warren Bardsley
Gerard Barns Christine Bassili James Biviano
Claire Block Michael Bohan Marjorie Bon Roberto Bonnici Jennifer Bonnici
Justin Bourke Rana Brogan Steven Broughill
Shaun Buckley
Thomas Chalkley Michael Chippendale
Christopher Church
Tanya Claudius Andrew Clements
Paul Coyle Peter Crellin Emma D’Angelo
Patricia D’Arcy
Andrew Devlin Joseph Di Ciccio Joanna Dickson Joelene Dight-Smith
Ebony Doherty Karina Dubroja Georgina Dwyer
Jonathan Edgar Thomas Edwards
David Ellul Emma Fairclough
Patrizia Ferrara Caroline Fitzpatrick Chris Fleming Prince Fonseka Anthony Freeman Rick Freeman Sue Gabron
Mary Georges Martin Gibbs James Gigacz Grace Giudice Joanne Graham
Jo Green
Carolyn Green
Mark Gustincic David Happ
Rachael Harmer Peter Harrington Clinton Harris Ellenor Harris Ryan Hayward Jonathan Hewett
Tim Hogan Janet Holden Kathryn Holewa
Ashleigh Hoogendoorn
Dee Houlihan Peter Houlihan Clinton Hutchinson
Madalaine Jaskiewicz
Matthew Jones Susan Jost Shardul Kaneria
Penny Karahalios
Andrew Kearns Jeremy Kemp Luke Kenealy Clare Kennedy-Curtis
Susan Kiernan Graeme Lawler Thomas Le Jaymee Lee Pam Leeding
Melanie Livera Catherine Loft Shane Mackintosh
Nicola Mairs Kathy Marino Vanessa Marolda
Christopher Martin Kerry Martin Ryan McDonough
Catherine McIlroy Jodie McLaren Eve McLellan Eliza Meallin Thierry Moran Christine Mundy
David Murray Andrew Murrell Kim Nguyen
Nicholas Nicolaou Lachlan O’Connell
Elizabeth O’Connell
Robert Oldershaw Danuta Orlowski
Nicole Paino-Green
Lorraine Parisi
Elizabeth Phibbs Anette Phillips Sarah Pudelko Kevin Reid Marty Rhoden Sharon Richards
Angela Runci Lucy Russell Lil Russo
Catherine Ryan Jacinta Ryan Michael Ryan
Thomas Ryan Dianne Saugy Fiona Sayner Luke Serrano Jarrod Shelley Georgina Skinner
Josh Smith Jessica Stevenson Kenneth Stokes
Mark Sweeney Halid Takimoglu April Tate
Charles Thompson
Christine Thompson
Kylie Upton
Warren Walker Jamie Walles
Melissa Walsh Monique Wasa Michael Watty Marta Webster Olivia Wenczel Muriel West
Peter Whittenbury
Benjamin Williamson
Carly Wills Andrew Wozencroft
Sandra Wreford
Kay Zhang Ian Zhou
Alex Zolkover ABSENT: Travis MacDonald Letitia Mandile
Stefan Wadds
Sharon O’Neill
Lilly Wu Matthew Whitty
Jonathan Pertile
Community
Parent Network
The De La Salle College Parent Network’s aim is to encourage a sense of community throughout the College by providing regular opportunities for parents to socialise, connect and participate in College activities. Although 2020 provided only a few chances to achieve this aim, the Parent Network has continued to meet regularly and bring together parents from across Year Levels, along with representatives of the College Executive.
The first day of school provided an opportunity for the Parent Network to welcome new families to the College and welcome back returning families at the First Day Morning Tea. The gym was a buzz with the excited voices of the 2020 Year 7 cohort as they waved to their parents on the way to class for the first time.
A few weeks later the Year 7 Welcome Evening brought together over 120 Year 7 parents, along with Year 7 teaching and other College staff, for an enjoyable evening at The Peppercorn Café. This annual event has become a very successful way of introducing the Year 7 community to each other at the commencement of the school year.
Term 1 also saw over 70 Primary parents, students and teachers enjoy a great evening of games, BBQ food and lots of socialising on the Kinnoull Oval to start the school year. A few days later Year 9 students and families were treated to a BBQ in the sunshine after celebrating Mass with the Holy Eucharist community. The event was very well attended with the shady areas of the Holy Eucharist Campus providing the perfect place for people to gather and share a sausage or two.
Since April, these meetings moved from the Tiverton Boardroom to Zoom but continued to be well attended. They have ensured that the College community has stayed connected, bringing together parents from across the Year Levels as well as representatives from the College Executive. They have provided a forum for parents to communicate directly with the College on a regular basis, particularly in the context of the ever-changing online learning landscape. In addition, these meetings have allowed parents to support each other and provided the chance to plan for a full calendar of exciting activities in 2021.
The Parent Network Annual General Meeting was held in Term 4, with new Committee members joining for 2021. Thank you to retiring member Mrs Mary Martin for her dedication and hard work with the Parent Network over the past 10 years.
Thank you to everyone who helped make the 2020 Parent Network events run smoothly: the 2020 Parent Network Committee, the Year Level Representatives, all parent volunteers and staff from across the College. Your efforts and enthusiasm have helped the Parent Network to continue to build a sense of community.
Meagan Selkirk – President, De La Salle College Parent Network
Thank you to everyone who helped make the 2020 Parent Network events run smoothly.
Alumni – Old Collegians
This year was like no other for the Old Collegians Association. With scheduled reunions, lunches, football and College functions cancelled due to COVID-19, the usual avenues for Old Collegians to stay connected were off the agenda, however, as always Roll Call kept our Old Collegians in touch. The May and September issues of the alumni magazine were brimming with Old Coll’s stories, keeping the spirit of the Blue and Gold alive. More than ever the bi-annual alumni magazine was testimony to the strength and generosity of our Old Collegians.
When the difficult decision to cancel Old Collegians reunions was made, I reached out to the alumni for contributions to the magazine.
The response was overwhelming. In the absence of reunions, I knew it would be a challenge to connect with alumni to share their stories for Roll Call, but all I had to do was reach out to several alumnus and the leads just poured in. The two 2020 issues of Roll Call featured more profiles of Old Collegians than ever before, helping them stay in touch.
As life at the College slowly gets back to normal, plans are already underway for a bumper year of reunions in 2021 to make up for those missed this year.
Plans have also commenced to launch a new Old Collegians Association which aims to broaden the reach and involvement of past students.
With Year 12 final exams over, the Class of 2020 qualify for Old Collegian status. In less than a year from now we will welcome them back for their first reunion. No doubt they will have many stories to share about their most unusual Year 12 experience at the College.
Kerry Martin – Roll Call Editor
Plans have also commenced to launch a new Old Collegians Association which aims to broaden the reach and involvement of past students.
Old Coll’s Splash and Dash
The House System
St Austin’s House
It’s been such an honour to lead St Austin’s House this year as House Coordinator. While the year certainly has not gone to plan, there has been much to celebrate in our House.
Way back in March, the Swimming Carnival was a glorious sea of yellow, cheering proud St Austin’s students full of enthusiasm and House spirit. You might think football and jazz don’t blend, but our St Austin’s students would beg to differ. We were lucky to be onsite and able to hold our Charity Week at the end of Term 2; a casual clothes day with footy themed activities and our very own St Austin’s Jazz Quartet playing on the Kinnoull Oval on a sunny winter afternoon. This was certainly a real highlight for St Austin’s this year. Not to mention the very generous funds raised by everyone who supported our House Charity, the Melbourne Catholic Refugee and Asylum Seeker Office.
Our weekly inter-mentor House competition, brainchild of Brad Higgins, had us flying paper aeroplanes and throwing tennis balls into bins earlier in the year but shifted virtually to Kahoot quizzes as we went into remote learning. This competition became even more important during long periods of remote learning as a source of fun and connection. While the winning mentor group is yet to receive their prize (at the time of writing), the participation in each mentor group has certainly strengthened the bonds between the students, that is so valued in our House system here at Kinnoull.
Many of these events and activities would not have happened without the support of our super mentors and the hard work of our dedicated House Leaders. Brad Higgins put his heart and soul into his role as St Austin’s House Captain as did Luke Shelley, who entered every single House Challenge as Sports Captain. Both these passionate St Austin’s Leaders really championed the rest of the House this year and encouraged participation. Thanks to Patrick Landy as Lasallian Captain who led us in prayer and championed our House Charity, Alex Martello who performed so beautifully at many functions and to Ned Carrick as Vice-Captain. Thank you to Year 10 and 11 Leaders –Dylan Carver, Jack Forer, Will Richards and Olly Williams.
Big thanks also to Andy McGaw, who as well as his duties as College Captain, wholly supported the House Captains and I in House assemblies, mentor time and House activities as an honorary House Leader. A very big thank you to all the St Austin’s students from Primary to Year 12, who stacked cups, ate cookies and counted kilometres, steps and burpees in House Challenges. Your participation was very much appreciated.
It’s been a challenging year for everyone and I’m very proud of each and every one of our St Austin’s students for the way they managed the ups and downs of 2020. I look forward to another year, hopefully less eventful but just as fun in St Austin’s House.
Angela Runci – St Austin’s House Coordinator
St Austin’s House and the College community had an unforgettable year and created incredible memories.
The Term 1 Swimming Carnival saw House spirit be the real winner on the day – at least from St Austin’s House perspective! However, no moment was more rewarding than our House charity week. Through our casual clothes day, Kinnoull activities and our BBQ, St Austin’s House raised well over $1,000 for the Melbourne Catholic Migrant and Refugee Office. The week was topped off with student led bands performing for the Campus, creating an extraordinarily vibrant atmosphere.
Throughout the lockdown and away from school, the weekly House challenges, homeroom competitions and House footy tipping showed the immense way this community can adapt, demonstrate love and support for each other, and prosper in adversity. This is a true credit to the character of every person within the blue and gold family that I couldn’t be prouder to be a part of.
Brad Higgins – St Austin’s House Captain
St Edwin’s House
This year has been a year like no other. We started 2020 refreshed and ready to go – we welcomed our enthusiastic new Year 10 students and our Year 11 and 12s, now familiar with the House system, were as keen as ever, having secured half of the overall House Cup in 2019. We were determined to make 2020 our best year yet. We brought our A Game to each Friday House Sports Competition in Term 1, cementing our spot at the top of the ladder, which was sealed with an outstanding victory in the House Swimming Carnival. It really felt like maybe this was our year.
And then lockdown began. Once we moved into remote learning and begun to adjust to our new normal, it was time to approach things differently. Week after week, the Edwinners rose to the occasion, getting involved in every single Remote House Challenge that was thrown their way. It has been so fantastic to see so many students across St Edwin’s House getting involved in a variety of different activities across the year – allowing us to keep connected, active and engaged when we were unable to do so in our usual way. While for most of the year our circumstances have changed, it is the St Edwin’s spirit that has continued to thrive, and I could not be prouder of what our House has achieved in a year that has been so unexpected.
To the Edwinners – thank you for everything that you do to make our House a family. It is such a joy to be a part of a House that really do care for one another the way that you do.
To the incredible St Edwin’s Mentor Team – Georgina Dwyer, Ken Stokes, Justin Bourke, Eliza Meallin, Jonathan Pertile, Clare Kennedy-Curtis, Caroline Fitzpatrick and Peppe Di Ciccio – thank you for the amazing work that you do to ensure that each and every student in St Edwin’s is cared for day in and day out. Thank you for making our St Edwin’s family such an incredible place for the students to grow and learn.
Jess Stevenson – St Edwin’s House Coordinator
Although 2020 was not exactly what any of us anticipated, there were elements to this year that we would not have experienced otherwise.
I had the honour of working alongside a confident and motivated leadership team at the start of this year, in which the direction of our work very well would have led to great things for the school and wider community. However, due to the events occurring this year that no one anticipated, we had to shift our focus while staying intuitive. It was tough at times for all, but as the great Kobe Bryant once said “Everything negative – pressure, challenges, being stuck at home on Zoom all day – is all an opportunity for me to rise”.
Many things did not happen this year the way we wanted, but I think mostly we were able to gain more than we lost.
Joel King – St Edwin’s House Captain
St Leo’s House
What a year 2020 has been! Whilst it hasn’t been a typical year, there have still been many opportunities for the young men of St Leo’s House to learn and grow. Remote learning threw up a lot of challenges but it was fantastic to see the way the students adapted and got on with it.
The Leaders did an exceptional job presenting at the weekly House assemblies from their bedrooms and lounge rooms. It provided an opportunity for the rest of the students in the House to connect to their peers and challenge their housemates in the weekly Kahoot.
It was also great to see the students in the House get involved in the weekly House Challenges. Whilst this year we couldn’t compete in the regular House carnivals, it was wonderful to see the students still contribute to the House by doing push ups, burpees or taking photos on their daily walks. The House Mentors also did an amazing job running online morning mentor time and creating an opportunity for the students to check in with their mentor and each other.
2020 has been a challenging year but it has been an opportunity for the St Leo’s students to really live the House motto of ‘Strength & Honour’. It takes a lot of strength to stay motivated and committed to your studies during remote learning and I commend the students on doing this. I’m sure you have all learnt a lot about yourselves and will be able to apply it moving forward.
Michael Watty – St Leo’s House Coordinator
Obviously, as House Captains, and as a leadership team, we have not had the year that we wanted or planned for. Many of the key events that we have shown great strength in have not been able to go ahead, like the Athletics Carnival and cross-country.
Although these days have not taken place, it has been positive to see the culture that the St Leo’s House has built over the previous years present through the past Terms. We have seen new ways that St Leo’s boys have thrived and adapted, with the House challenges that occur most Fridays. We saw the great effort shown by our senior boys as we came first in the longest kick competition, with Jacob MacKinnon taking out the furthest kick.
This year has allowed all St Leo’s boys to grow, and I am sure that 2021 will be a great year for our House.
Jack Lawless – St Leo’s House Captain
St Mark’s House
As a history teacher I have always believed our future is written in the pages of our history. Perhaps this year has been a perfect example of that, 100 years since the last pandemic. The challenges we have all faced have forced us to reconsider how we live our lives and even more importantly, it has really shown us the value of connection with our fellow community members.
It has been great to see an improved culture in St Mark’s House and increased participation in House challenges which sees us currently sitting in second position and competing for first place. I am very thankful to the current group of St Mark’s Leaders who have worked hard to try and find ways to engage with the House during this time. There is simply no substitute for enthusiasm and my thanks goes to each of these students; Jonty Wiseman (House Captain), Oscar Schwab (Vice House Captain), Jacob Nikitas (Arts Captain), Flynn Bulman (Lasallian Captain) and Patrick Burrows (Sports Captain). I also pay tribute to the St Mark’s House Mentors whom have been the backbone of support for all students in St Mark’s House this year.
The most we can ask of anyone is to do the best they can in the circumstances they face, and I have been very impressed to see the way all students in St Mark’s House have embraced the challenges and put their best foot forward.
Be The Change.
Andrew Wozencroft – St Mark’s House Coordinator
In a year full of everchanging obstacles, the St Mark’s House spirit has sung true from homes all across Melbourne. With an inability to hold a physical presence amongst the House in 2020, my mission to ‘be the change’ and build upon the House legacy was arduous however, I found that the innate sense of brotherhood behind a House striving for a united goal was as strong as ever.
In the absence of key House events, the St Mark’s spirit was evident every week as boys got involved in challenges that allowed us to secure numerous wins across the year. Acting as a second home, the St Mark’s House has provided support to all students and it has been great to see a connection build whilst remote learning between the senior and junior students in a buddy program.
In summary, 2020 presented a challenge that saw Marksmen thrive and grow, and I’m excited to see what the future holds for this group.
Jonty Wiseman – St Mark’s House Captain
Remote Learning and COVID-19
LEARNING AND TEACHING IN LOCKDOWN
The Government decision in late March that education would be delivered remotely was something of a shock. It was not something that we had done before. We suddenly needed to re-think how school works, calling into question all of the many certainties about what we do – the routines, habits, structures and systems, that we had come to rely upon and perhaps took for granted.
We decided to stick with the existing timetable. Students regularly checking in with teachers and classmates, maintaining a known, established routine was important. Remote classes commenced first on our online learning system, OLLIE. This was expanded, once we were confident that all technical issues had been accounted for, with the use of Microsoft Teams, which enabled online video conferencing.
Students’ experiences varied. Some thrived in remote learning. One student’s father happily conveyed his son’s sentiment “best pandemic ever!” For other students, the isolation made learning extremely challenging. The missing element, faceto-face contact with peers and teachers, is something that appears to be a crucial part of education for those students.
When it comes time to look back at this period, I would guess that it will be, for most people in education, with a variety of emotions. There is no doubt that we will see things done differently in learning and teaching, going forward. Parents regularly contacted the College over the closure period expressing gratitude, something that buoyed the spirits of the staff immeasurably. It has for me, been simply another confirmation of the quality of the exceptional De La Salle staff and the wonderful students in our care. We have emerged through the experience intact, ready to push into another
HELP DESK TO THE RESCUE
When the government announced in March that students would be learning from home, the College’s Information Technology Team were faced with an unprecedented predicament. How to transfer the College’s entire operations into a virtual operation, and, as is the way of the Help Desk, in less than three weeks they had set up a virtual school.
After a few late nights and a lot of meetings, the IT team set up systems to deliver platforms that would remotely deliver 500 timetabled classes online, enable administrative staff to provide support services for students and parents and up-skill teachers for the most radical change to pedagogical practices in decades
The Information Technology Manager, Alex Zolkover, said the rollout, while requiring some very late nights, had been an absolute success and in some ways a catalyst for positive change.
“We had to ensure our staff, teaching and non-teaching were well equipped with the skills in a very short time, and a lot of work went into training staff for Office 365 and Teams.”
“This is a fantastic opportunity to explore how teachers and schools might transform their approach to teaching and learning. Let’s be bold, think differently, explore what is possible and challenge the status quo.”
As the old proverb goes, necessity is the mother of invention, and COVID-19 restrictions have necessitated new ways of doing things. When the 35-hour work experience component of Year 10 Industry and Enterprise was cancelled this year due to Lockdown 2.0, the College designed a home-based work experience program for students to complete a range of workplace tasks under the supervision of a parent or guardian in place of an employer. The program was a winner, with parents welcoming the chance to offload some domestic tasks like cooking, gardening and cleaning to their sons – all in the name of education. In fact, one parent said it was the best thing to come out of lockdown.
And no one was more pleased with the program than Marcus Anthony’s family, who not only enjoyed Marcus’ efficiency and skills inside the home but were pleasantly surprised to see him go way beyond the brief and undertake some major building projects. After completing the required tasks, Marcus refurbished his grandmother’s garden shed and converted the family garage into a teenage retreat. With the advice of his parents and some help from YouTube videos he taught himself carpentry, carpet laying, plastering and construction skills.
His mother said that the family was quite shocked by Marcus’ newfound talents. He basically taught himself what to do with a bit of help from YouTube. “He would YouTube the task to get an idea visually and each step just came naturally to him, considering this was his first attempt at anything like this we were shocked by the results.” Mrs Anthony said. “If something didn’t work out the way he wanted he would persist and try another way until it worked, we were so impressed by his determination and dedication.”
Well done Marcus, a tremendous Lockdown effort.
Kerry Martin – Roll Call Editor
On Sunday 22 March 2020, we received the news we had been anticipating. All schools across Victoria would close and commence preparations for a move to remote learning, and that a further announcement would be made regarding Term 2 after the school holidays.
The College Health Centre was well prepared. However, there was still work to be done to ensure we were ready for future Government announcements. Victoria was fighting a deadly virus, a virus that we couldn’t see, smell, taste or hear and De La Salle needed to be ready. Procedures were written, learning rooms were set up, isolation rooms established, (just in case) and entry/exit processes determined.
We will see this through and come out the other side. At the end of “Class Iso 2020”, I want them all to look back fondly on our surreal days spent together and know that De La Salle College and the Health Centre cared about them and went to great lengths to keep them safe whilst in our care, as their parents worked to keep all of Victoria safe. The College Executive and numerous staff members continue to support the Health Centre during these times and I thank each and every one of you.
Congratulations “Class Iso 2020”, you will all graduate with “Distinctions in Resilience” Awards.
Kylie Upton – First Aid Officer
Kylie Upton
POEMS
March 2020 lockdown begun
Waiting for this horrible event to be done
The miserable feelings rush through yourself
Frustration, about being stuck in the house
Angry, no friends to be seen, no sports to be played
Sad, there is no new friendships to be made
Happy, when the restrictions got eased
But we still must be careful when we sneeze
The return of footy has me jumping with joy
And that gives me something to enjoy
There are many changes about remote learning
Mum’s grocery bill is very concerning
There are no sandwiches to be seen
We are eating like a king and a queen
No trips to the barber or ties to be worn
We don’t need to get up at the break of dawn
No public transport to be caught
Reading a book
Playing sport
Watching TV
Having a little snore
Eating an apple to its core
No sport is played
No friends to be seen
Not even allowed to create a drama scene
No events to attend
Not even any trends
This is what lockdown has become
A miserable place with no things to be done
And this is lockdown 2020
By Ollie Pietsch, 7 Solomon
The unknown enemy of all,
Is he big or is he small?
Some say he is round and spikiest of them all,
I also hear he is the deadliest of them all.
He is here, he is there,
Travelling time to time in the air.
Young, old or small,
He doesn’t care at all.
He has made the roads clear, For now, he is our greatest fear.
The birds are free,
Chirping on the wonderful tree.
The whales are swimming, the deer, galloping, Wondering where the humans are who tried to destroy us all.
But I do believe our faith in God, Who is the mightiest of all, Will help us conquer this fear once in for all, I hope a wonderful better tomorrow is near for us all.
By Dashiel Todd, 7 Solomon
Life in lockdown, oh what a shocker
To make things fun, we played family soccer.
Staying inside, we had no rights
To kill the time, we had movie nights. There’s nothing in the fridge, I’m starting to feel thinner
Time to buy food to make my crew dinner.
Staying in contact with friends to remember their names
I hooked them up online to play video games. The time is passing so slowly, it’s football I’m yearning
The only thing keeping me engaged is remote learning.
I am worried about this virus, it’s creating a commotion
Feeling sad, tired and lonely, a strain on my emotion.
As the days drag on and become week after week
I’m feeling more angry as things are still bleak.
I’m feeling all annoyed, this virus has me scared
Coughing and sneezing in public if you dared. Upset and overwhelmed, this really makes me stressed
This COVID-19 has got us all hard pressed.
No hugs, no kisses and no family interaction
The government says the rules are lifting just a fraction.
No football and no friends
This could drag on until the virus ends.
But it’s not all bad news with this situation
Rolling out of bed, no travel to the station. No uniform to wear and snacks all day
Video games with mates, on breaks we play.
By Sam Zappulla, 7 Solomon
Things are going to be different now.
The government said no to everything.
No more parties, sleep overs or anything. Everyone is stocking up on food thinking where going into lockdown forever.
Bored, bored and bored.
Everyone’s bored, no one knows what to do. The Netflix bingers, gaming players, the walkers and the hordes.
No one has anything to do.
They stopped all sports but there coming back.
But it’s not going to be the same.
No physical contact can’t be within 1.5 meters of each other and training in small groups.
But it’s all for the health and wellbeing of us.
Remote learning may be difficult.
But if we stop seeing each other, it saves lives. Where coming to the end of it now.
Soon everything will go back to normal.
Thanks to all the essential services workers. All though these times are harder.
Children, countries, COVID-19, closure, cough, challenges and conferences
Lifting restrictions
Obey the rules
Closure of school
Know the risks
Deaths and dying
Outdoors not allowed
Working from home
Never see your friends
Detection
Injections
Supplies
Emergency evacuation
Accurate analysis
Social distancing
Exacerbation
By Isaac Brown, 7 Solomon
TIVERTON MARIO KART COMPETITION
With limited access to physical competitions in 2020, Tiverton staff wanted to find a way for some fun competition during our scheduled inter-school competition time. Thus, the Super-Mario Kart Thursday afternoon tournament was born.
Rather than just playing, students met on Teams and had live discussions. This encouraged a friendly banter in the background while Toadettes and Mini-Marios drifted around the course hurling bananas at each other and rocket charging their progress. As the day wore on the banter heated up on the video chat but all heads down as some serious racing took place.
Scores were recorded and there were trophies for both the top individual racer and the best Home Room (these scores will be available in week 2).
The competition was limited to Year 5 to Year 8 students and was a great respite from their regular class groups. The main aim was to have chat, a laugh and get in some hard-core racing.
It was a great chance to stay connected and have some fun each week.
Some played on switch, some on their phone or iPad. Teachers joined in including Melissa Walsh, Catherine Ryan, Melanie Livera, Jarrod Shelly and Thomas Edwards. One week even Mr Houlihan showed up. He was mystified by the chat but I don’t believe he played.
All agree that this was something to look forward to each week. One mother said her son had not been so noisy and happy in the whole of lockdown as when Super Mario Karts was on each week.
Thomas Edwards – SMK Captain
STUDENT RESPONSE TO COVID-19
Terms 2 and 3 at the College have been like no other. With the world coming to terms with the unfolding health disaster of COVID-19, students around the country started their first day of Term at home. No classes, no sport, no school formals, no school plays, no gatherings, nothing except isolation at home.
Isolation or ‘iso’, as it became known, was the new way of life. Banned from outdoor activity and social gatherings we all looked to ways to spend physical, mental and creative energy within the confines of the ‘lockdown.” The new-look school happened online with Microsoft Teams and OLLIE delivering classes to our homes. But as the isolation continued, amazing things started to happen; art galleries and museums opened their collections online, The Rolling Stones entertained us from the comfort of their lounge rooms and we learned to adapt, even thrive in isolation.
Kerry Martin – Roll Call Editor
THE COVID-COHORT
Thomas Simpson (Tom), who is currently in Year 12, is one of seven students who started Term 2 on Campus. With both parents working in essential industries, Tom and his two brothers James (Year 10) and Alex (Year 7) were unable to remain at home, so they spent the best part of the Term as part of the COVID-19 cohort, the smallest on Campus class in the history of the College.
The students quickly adapted to their new conditions and by the end of the first week they had settled into a new routine of learning in isolation on Campus. During recess and lunch, the group had the luxury of the entire school grounds to play ball games and exercise. They even elected their own temporary College Captain. As the senior of the group, Tom Simpson got the gig and was presented with a Leader’s Badge by Jessica Alger, Deputy Principal, Students.
Now back on Campus, Tom reflected on his Term 2 experience.
“Life at school was certainly better than working from home because at school there was a more social aspect and a sense of belonging.”
“I certainly missed my friends, but the College’s online learning program helped us stay connected through video chats and other social media services. To an extent this has helped my learning but I couldn’t help feeling like something was missing, it’s just not the same.”
“One of the advantages I have found of doing my online learning on Campus is the routine and structured environment of school.”
“It took some time to adjust, but I found that being at school helped me to make the transition from regular school life to online learning.”
Kerry Martin – Roll Call Editor
KEEPING THE MUSIC ALIVE IN LOCKDOWN
During the COVID-19 lockdown, the College’s Music Department responded quickly to the challenges of adapting to a remote model of education. Both the junior band program classes and private instrumental lessons were conducted via Microsoft Teams and despite the change in format, students made excellent progress, culminating in some excellent band performances and individual recitals when classes resumed at the end of May.
Lockdown had given rise to many opportunities. Staff and students embraced new online music education technologies, audio/video recording programs and equipment making the closure period a time of growth for the College’s music community, which will no doubt lead to many positive educational outcomes in the years to come.
One exciting opportunity is the Department’s decision to release an album, Music of De La Salle 2020, showcasing the talents of the music students and staff.
The Music Department wishes to thank the families of all music students for their support and forbearance during the school closure period; we understand that a honking saxophone or a piercing trumpet was perhaps not the ideal sonic accompaniment to life in lockdown.
Luke Serrano – Music Coordinator
Sport
House Sports
In 2020, House Sports Competitions looked completely different than previous years.
This year our Swimming Carnival was held at GESAC on an overcast day in March. St Edwin’s took out the Swimming Championship to reclaim the title from 2019 winner St Leo’s House, with a comfortable victory that would pave the way for things to come for St Edwin’s House. Congratulations to Jess, Clare and all the St Edwins staff and students on a wonderful victory.
Once the first lockdown was upon us, all staff and students needed to be innovative and maintain a steady competition. The implementation of ‘House Sport Challenges’ which were based from home, led to a fair and gruelling battle for the famous House Cup. With the challenges being set for all kinds of skill levels and abilities, it has allowed the House Competition to be a much tighter race coming close to the end of the year. All four Houses have done an incredible job in submitting videos and data from the set challenges during their time at home, getting equally involved as they would whilst being onsite. Some memorable House Challenges include the “Face The Cookie Challenge”, the “Burpee Challenge” which was won by Marks House Assistant Andy Devlin, and there were some really creative and amazing photos submitted for the “House Photo Challenge”. Congratulations to Dillon Monopoli for winning the House Photo Challenge this year.
Unfortunately the De La Salle House Sports Program was unable to run in the way we expected and wanted due to the Pandemic. This forced the cancellation of our annual House Athletics and Cross Country Carnivals. However, we were fortunate enough when the boys were able to be back on site for a short period of time, to get the annual house Tug Of War, and a few new additions including House Lawn Bowls, in the later weeks of Term 2, before being thrown back into a second stage of lockdown.
Ultimately De La Salle House Sports Competition has been different but overall still an enjoyable and fair competition and we give full credit to the students for making such a conscious effort to stay involved whilst being at home and maintaining a strong competitive spirit and culture. Also, special thanks must go to Angela Runci, Jess Stevenson, Michael Watty and Andrew Wozencroft and all the House staff for their efforts in promoting and involvement in the House Sport program this year. Here’s to a huge 2021!
Peter Harrington – ACC Coordinator & House Sports Coordinator
The implementation of ‘House Sport Challenges’ which were based from home, lead to a fair and gruelling battle for the famous House Cup.
ACC Sport
De La Salle’s ACC Sport program was unfortunately cut short this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however before this occured, we were lucky enough to play the majority of the senior sports early in Term 1 and complete the annual ACC Swimming Carnival at MSAC.
Beginning with the Senior Cricket Sides, both teams played a high standard in the 35 over format as well as the 20/20 format. Unfortunately, both sides just missed out on a semi-final appearance however, we showed strong performances and progression as the season went on. Both Peter Harrington and Mark Sweeney were impressed with the boy’s attitude towards all trainings and matches.
Our ACC Volleyball Teams saw both ends of the scale with our A side not performing to the level that we hoped for, but we had incredible depth flowing into our B side, who ended the season on top of the ladder and going undefeated. Unfortunately, our season ended in the Semi-Final, recording our first loss of the year. Head Coach of both sides, Peter Crellin, was impressed with each player’s performance every week and was impressed with the students’ efforts throughout all fixtures.
Peppe Di Ciccio’s Tennis Team fought hard all season, finishing the year with three wins, one loss and one draw, which granted them an opportunity to compete in the Semi-Finals. Unfortunately, they could not get over the line against top seeded side Whitefriars. Peppe said Whitefriars were a ‘high quality opposition’ and would have taken something special for De La Salle to get over the top of them. The De La Salle Senior Tennis Squad should be very proud of the effort they put in over the duration of the season.
ACC Swimming this year was a great success for De La Salle, finishing second in the overall championship. Despite that De La Salle were not coming home empty handed, winning the Junior Cup as well as seeing records being broken within individual events. Ryo Hayashi broke the ACC swim records in both the Under 14, 50 metre Butterfly as well as the Under 14, 50 metre Backstroke. This is a wonderful achievement and a special congratulations should go to Ryo.
A special thankyou to Head Coaches, Angus McLean and Guy Eylon, for putting in so much time and effort to prepare our swimmers for this year’s competition.
Overall, we are disappointed that COVID-19 has stopped us from partaking in our ACC competition this year, but strongly encourage all students get involved again and move forward into a strong 2021 ACC Sport year.
I would also like to thank, not only all the students for their hard work in training and preparation for competition this year, but also, all the coaches for their time, hard work and dedication shown to ACC Sport this year.
Peter Harrington – ACC Coordinator & House Sports Coordinator
ACC Chess / Chess Club
At De La Salle we are blessed with some fine sportsmen in our Chess Club, showing constant practice and enjoyment every Monday and Friday Lunchtime.
It all started on the Chessboard at the beginning of this year with students grouping together in Chess rooms and Library all over the school Campuses. As the year progressed, we found ourselves transitioning from the physical chessboard to the virtual remote experience, using Tornello Tournaments (provided by Kids Unlimited).
We were able to keep our traditions going, and due to limitless availability of boards, we actually grew as a club. Our College Chess Captain Lachlan Wong (2nd year in a row) has shown great initiative to support all Chess enthusiasts to be able to get involved and show off their passion much like himself. Thomas Edwards and Justin Bourke are the coaches behind the scene, ensuring inclusiveness and fun are the key to this game.
This year we are fortunate to have been involved in some online ACC Tournaments including the Open, Junior and Intermediate events. De La Salle had a great success in ACC Open Chess Tournament where 127 students competed against each other. Highlights of this included:
• We qualified for State and National Championships in all Secondary age brackets.
• Our Team of 10 Chess enthusiasts competed remotely, against 21 schools that qualified for states (Top 155 students in the state) and our De La Salle Team came 2nd in the state.
• All students are in the Top 100 in the state.
• William Nguyen is in the Top 6 in the state.
The Chess students at De La Salle have shown so much determination during this lockdown period and I believe their success has been due to their perseverance.
Justin Bourke – Chess Coordinator
Placing 4th Division 1
Placing 5th Division 1
Placing 1st Division 2
INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
William Nguyen 6th
Nicolas Trusler 15th
James Hill 21st
Lachlan Wong 24th
Prince Thomas 37th
Cooper Johnstone 64th
Joshua Salmon 70th
Noah Wooldridge 74th
Joshua Stacey 81st
Cooper Ryan 94th
“Nobody ever won a chess game by resigning.”
– Savielly Tartakower
DE LA SALLE “A TEAM” BRINGING HOME 2ND IN DIVISION 1
James Hill
Prince Thomas
William Nguyen
eSports
De La Salle has recently taken on the opportunity of developing an eSports Club. In 2019 we had our Alpha trial with a very small group of students, which resulted in some promising opportunities.
This year, 2020 has been an ultimate Beta year. Firstly, to explain what eSports is; put simply, eSport is competition based tournaments on an electronic platform, most commonly video games. This Worldwide phenomena, has become immensely popular, supported by many sporting industries including the AFL and currently under review for Olympic possibilities! The reason this is such a strongly supported avenue in the sporting sector, is because the skills students obtain:
• Community – eSports are great for building friendships between students in different classes and Year Levels, and even schools.
• Teamwork – To succeed in eSports, students must learn to work together, and learn to put aside personal benefit and do what is best for their colleagues.
• Skill Development – Students will practice their reflexes, problem solving, navigation, and teamwork.
• Engagement – The positive experiences students have in eSports will help build self-esteem and enthusiasm.
• Focus – Students will develop their ability to remain focused on tasks, with competitive play requiring students to remain focused on a task for extended periods of time.
• Achievement – eSports gives students who are not generally high-achievers in other sports or school activities an opportunity to succeed and to represent their school in the wider community.
This year, the De La Salle College eSport Team were led by Stephen Brick and Justin Bourke. Students competed in two major tournaments hosted by META High School eSports:
A huge congratulations to our eSports Team “De La Knights”, in winning the League of Legends Division 2 META High School eSports Tournament against 24 Schools.
Justin Bourke – eSports Coordinator
Andrew Andaloro St Austin’s (Most Valuable Player)
Jack Orrell St Edwin’s
James Pascal-Therios St Mark’s
James Semaan St Mark’s
Christopher Semaan St Mark’s
Swimming Carnival
The 2020 De La Salle Swimming Carnival held on 6 March was a very successful day for St Edwin’s House as we took out the House Championship! With the late change of venue to GESAC, a shift from the traditional events held was necessary. This shift saw the inclusion of a 16 man team body board relay and 10 heats for the 50m freestyle and backstroke.
The day got off to a great start with the Year 7, 8 and 9 body board relay teams dominating the other Houses in the pool. This set the tone for the rest of the day with the senior students following suit in their relays.
Later in the day some incredible efforts by swimmers in the freestyle, backstroke and breaststroke put St Edwin’s House in good stead for the trophy to finally reclaim it from St Leo’s! A score check from Luke Kenealy later in the events revealed St Edwin’s was in the lead by 30 points with only the team 50m freestyle relays remaining. All that was left was to fill every single event with two teams. Perhaps the defining quality that put St Edwin’s aside from the other Houses was the willingness from students at all Year Levels to get involved. Finding numbers for one final push was easy with swimmers lining up to join relay teams to bring us home.
St Edwin’s House showed not only their strength in the pool but also the great team spirit. Inspired by Antony’s soccer chants, the entire group got behind him ensuring that we were the loudest House of all!
Some special mentions go to a few of the senior students: Sean Kelliher, Seb Hadaway and Jeremy Grigg for their amazing work in their individual races. As well as a few of the younger students: Lucas Exell and Alexander Hadaway for their contributions in their individual races and team relays. There were many St Edwin’s champions on the day.
Thanks to teachers Peppe Di Ciccio and Clare Kennedy-Curtis for their tremendous efforts preparing for the event as well as their hard work on the day.
We are the St Edwin’s Army!
Keagan Hillemacher – St Edwin’s House Sport Captain
The Arts
Music
The story of 2020 I wish to share with the De La Salle community is a varied and complex one. The emotions we have felt as one by one our carefully planned showcase events – the Autumn and Winter Concerts, the première performances of our home-grown musical, The Curious Career of Typhoid Mary, the Music Tour, Soirée and in-school performances at assemblies and ceremonies – have been postponed and ultimately cancelled, have left our hearts heavy with sadness.
I particularly wish to express my commiserations to the Year 12 Class of 2020: Jacob Nikitas (2020 Music Captain), Alex Martello and Dylan Clarke, who along with other strong contributors to the Music Department such as James Pavlou, Sam Martin, Tom Quin, and Keegan Eardley have not enjoyed a crowning year of musical activities in their final year at the College. Nonetheless, the Music Staff thank you for your contributions to countless events over your years at De La Salle, and for being such fine ambassadors for Music.
The hard-working Music Staff have endeavoured throughout 2020 to keep the spirit strong with our ensembles, and through regular online band meetings and weekly band homework, we have endeavoured to make progress towards a first album of Music of De La Salle
A similar resourcefulness and flexibility has been demonstrated by both staff and students in 2020 with private instrumental lessons being delivered via Microsoft Teams during the periods of remote learning. The community of De La Salle families are to be congratulated and thanked for their immense support in this difficult time. In Term 4, we were able to present the students’ work in a series of online concerts which replaced the annual showcase event, the Soirée.
One event that did occur this year was the annual Battle of the Bands, with The Leftovers emerging as the finest student-run band of 2020.
2020 has also been a year of embracing a range of next generation music educational software programs which will enhance the way our young musicians practice at home, develop their aural and theory knowledge, record their own performances and compositions, and interact with each other in ensembles in the years to come.
De La Salle is blessed with a fine group of dedicated and talented Music education professionals who work closely as a cohesive and highly effective team. In 2020 the Music Staff were Luke Serrano, Jaymee Lee, Penny Karahalios, Paul Coyle, Rick Freeman, Claire Block, David Reichman, Matt Lewin, Lucas Clayton, Jarrod McCluskey, Frank Fabris, Andrew Murrell and Susan Jost. Together, we thank the College community for their support of the Music program.
A personal connection to music is at the heart of an individual’s mental, emotional, and spiritual health. The ability to share the joy of music making with others elevates it to one of the highest and most wholesome joys we can experience. As Music Staff, the desire to share our common joy, and to encourage the young men of De La Salle is what motivates us, and what will continue to inspire us into 2021 and beyond. To happier times, to times spent together in music.
Luke Serrano – Music Coordinator
2020 MUSIC REFLECTION
To quote the electric bass teacher, Mr Lee, “Musicians are used to being locked away by themselves; we call it practice.” So while the musicians of De La Salle have never been faced with such a unique challenge as 2020 has presented us, the resourcefulness of the staff and the determination of the many students ensured this year did not go to waste.
We saw creative methods overcome the isolation periods and capitalise on remote learning, including private lessons and ensembles run through Microsoft Teams. Our endeavours are particularly evident in the production of the Bee Gees classic “You Should Be Dancing” by the VCE Music Class, done through independent recordings assembled into one fantastic tune.
The bi-annual Soirée was delivered remotely, giving the students a chance to showcase their exceptional talents, made only more impressive considering the adversity faced throughout the year.
Jacob Nikitas – Music Captain / St Mark’s House Art’s Captain
Battle of the Bands
The 2020 Battle of the Bands was held on Thursday 25 June on Kinnoull Oval with four bands vying for the chance to represent De La Salle at the ACC Rock Band “Battle of the Bands” later this year. The socially-distanced audience was treated to a feast of classic covers from the 1960s to the present day, including some original music too. The bands The Remedy, Heliogabalus, Elephant Talks and The Leftovers all performed well under pressure in their brief 10 minutes of stage time, showcasing the superb skill and depth of talent of our rock musicians.
Thank you to all of the bands who entered the contest: you brought your all, played proudly with passion, and provided a wonderful afternoon of entertainment enjoyed by many.
Congratulations Benjamin Selkirk (Year 10), Harry Podeu (Year 10), Abraham Pearce (Year 10), Peter Orlando (Year 10), Kai Teohaere (Year 10) and Thomas Andrewartha (Year 11) on your stellar performance of This Love by Maroon 5 and More Than a Feeling by Boston.
Harry held the crowd in awe with his amazing vocal range and stage presence, supported with backing vocals and harmonies from guitarists Peter and Abraham; uber-talented guys for doing two things at once! The driving rhythm section of Kai and Tom had people bopping along from the balconies to the grassy flat and Ben, known for playing clarinet and sax, surprised everyone with his on-point lead guitar skills.
Well done The Leftovers – great to see a well-rehearsed band tackling some challenging repertoire with so many of you singing! The Music Department looks forward to working closely with you to prepare for the ACC Battle of the Bands.
Also, I’d like to say a big thank you to our judges – Luke Serrano, Jess Stevenson and Shane Mackintosh (who filled in for Jess Alger at the last minute) for giving their time to decide the winner of the hotly-contested event.
The 2021 Battle of the Bands will be held next year on Founder’s Day. Will The Leftovers dominate and be crowned back-to-back winners? Will the absent Winter Street (2nd place –2019 ACC Battle of the Bands) throw their MIA hat into the ring? Or will the newly-formed band down the road at Holy Eucharist rise and conquer all?
No-one knows for sure, but I’ve got More Than a Feeling that next year’s contest is going to be truly epic.
Jaymee Lee – Music Ensemble Coordinator
RESULTS
1ST PLACE The Leftovers
2ND PLACE The Remedy
3RD PLACE Elephant Talks
4TH PLACE Heliogabalus
Drama
After a typical first Term of great drama work from all our students, we found ourselves having to teach an active, experiential subject online. A careful but quick redesign of the curriculum saw us teaching the making of and performing with puppets, creation of Greek theatre monologues, and even interactive scenes in groups online. While not ideal, this has allowed our students and staff to stay on the Drama learning journey.
Our Year 12 students have produced some wonderful work in ensembles and solos. They even fulfilled their analytical requirements by watching plays performed online. The large Year 11 class fared just as well as they come to grips with the knowledge and creativity needed to go on to Year 12. Year 10s, again a large class, produced some excellent renditions of famous scenes from TV and film, full of characterisation in the Method style and great storytelling. Year 9s also produced some fine comedy skits and monologues with all students learning how to create work independently, film it, edit it and submit it to their teachers for assessment. Years 7 and 8 appeared to enjoy the active sessions we gave them.
A careful but quick redesign of the curriculum saw us teaching the making of and performing with puppets, creation of Greek theatre monologues, and even interactive scenes in groups online.
Sadly, all our wonderful plans for student co-curricular performances were cancelled as has been the case with all theatre and music everywhere. The Curious Career of Typhoid Mary , a brand new musical, was nearly ready to go and will be back next year, we hope, bigger and better than ever. Keep your eyes peeled for it! We also hope our partnerships with OLSH and Sacre Coeur will continue in 2021 and the Junior Production and Senior Plays will be back along with Mary.
I would like to take a few lines to thank my Drama Teaching Staff for their dedication, creativity and perseverance this year. It is wonderful to work with such people and to know that all obstacles will be overcome without fuss and so professionally. We’ll be back in 2021 with new skills and more shows!
Andrew Murrell – Drama Coordinator
Media
MEDIA – YEAR 12
The Year 12 Media cohort have done a tremendous job despite extraordinary adversity. Victoria’s COVID-19 restrictions meant that students needed to be creative and responsive to changes.
Resilience is an important part of being a media practitioner and the Year 12 Media students have embodied this quality with aplomb. Students have shown great initiative and a willingness to adapt to the arising challenging circumstances. This has been inspiring to witness as students explored many different media products. Media is such a diverse and dynamic subject and the quality of work students have produced is to be commended. They should all be very proud of their efforts.
Jonathan Pertile – Classroom Teacher
MEDIA – HOLY EUCHARIST
During Term 3, Miss Noonan and our class had the great opportunity to meet an Australian move director, Stuart McDonald, who is based in Hollywood.
He is the director of the movie Oddball and the TV series Angry Boys and Crazy EX-Girlfriend.
We asked him what course we should follow to work in the movie industry and we also heard about how he came up with the idea of becoming a movie director.
Stuart McDonald explained that to become a movie director you must give it a try and not wait. For example, we should start doing small short video films with friends and then one of these videos could get you noticed in a short movie contest.
He also gave us this advice to never wait for having the right equipment because this would mean you will never be a movie director. Just small basic ideas could be enough for you to be recognised as a movie director even in a week. You also need to be able to come up with many ideas and write stories as a form of script.
Overall, we had a great time listening to Stuart McDonald and interacting with him. It was a really amazing experience.
Hugo Tran – Year 9, St Leo’s House
2020 MEDIA AWARDS
2020 has been a turbulent year throwing many curveballs to the Year 12 Media students who have responded with tremendous resilience and creativity. With most of Semester 2 spent in lockdown, Year 12 Media students managed to complete their School Assessed Tasks (SATs) against incredible odds. Once again, the creativity and ingenuity of our students resulted in some engaging media products across a range of mediums.
Congratulations go to the following students on their 2020 Media Awards:
• Best Editing and/or Visual Effects – Dillon Monopoli
Awarded for Dillon’s short action/adventure film, An Odyssey for Retribution Dillon’s exceptional editing skills brought his action genre to life.
• Best Original Concept and/or Story –Luca Waterstone
Awarded for Luca’s creation of a youth culture magazine entitled yute magazine Luca appealed to his target audience connecting to youth and in doing so produced a brilliant magazine.
• Best Use of Music and/ or Sound – James Pavlou
Awarded for James’ music video, Reflection. James’ original composition was accompanied by a beautiful music video.
• Best Cinematography –Sean Kelliher
Awarded for Sean’s short mystery/crime film, The Accused. Sean’s diverse and quality camera shot selection was outstanding highlighting the suspense portrayed within his short film.
Jonathan Pertile – Classroom Teacher
Arts Report
This year has been like no other for the Art Department and College community as a whole. Teaching remotely came with a raft of challenges that emerged as the year progressed. The Art Department had to rise to the occasion and redesign our teaching and learning programs from scratch. How do we teach art remotely? What materials should students have access to? How do we keep our students engaged?
Working as a team we redesigned our learning activities to cater for remote learning. Our Junior students worked on a whole range of art activities. We explored the French artist Jean Dubuffet, who was known for his unique drawing style, which heavily utilised the art elements of line and colour (primarily black, blue and red). We thought that at the very least, students would have access to a red, blue and black pen. The abstract drawings the students created were vibrant and exciting.
We created a photography ‘alphabet’ assignment where students were challenged to go on a scavenger hunt around their houses to take photos of objects that represented each letter of the alphabet. Students also recreated masterpieces from the past by choosing a famous historical artwork and using objects, props and costumes from home, they recreated these artworks with inventiveness and humour. These activities among many others were a huge success.
Our Senior students reflected on isolation in a deeper way by examining what it meant to be living during the COVID-19 pandemic. Photographing and documenting their daily lives for ‘corona-cam’. Our Media, Studio Arts and Visual Communication and Design Students continued on their folios and final artworks and films from home. Changes needed to be made to original ideas. The students displayed resourcefulness and creativity in the way that they adapted to the new way of life.
The Arts helped our students through this pandemic. It has given them a break from their computer screens and allowed them to express these new emotions and perspectives through their art. They have learnt to adapt and use creative thinking in a completely new way.
Our Arts Team featured in several national newspapers, discussing how art has helped students through the crisis. I would like to take the opportunity to thank our dedicated arts team; Christine Bassili, Emma D’Angelo, Mark Gustincic, Jonathan Hewett, Kerry Martin, David Happ, Eliza Meallin, Warren Bardsely, Lauren Anderson, Jonathan Pertile and Travis McDonald.
Ryan Hayward – Learning Area Team Leader – Visual Arts
The students displayed resourcefulness and creativity in the way that they adapted to the new way of life.
COVID-19 Artbook
To view the complete COVID-19 Artbook go to: https://issuu.com/delasalle/ docs/covid_art_book_2020
Art and Visual Communications
College Roll
YEAR 5 Tiverton
Jackson Bednarz Luca Dalal
Rupert Dooley Harrison Fryar Jack Hamilton
Charlie Hill Billy House
Jorge Kalliontzis
Benjamin Marchesani Diesel Murphy
Matthew Oh Jack Pearson
Julian Perri
Benjamin Sandow William Taylor
Harry Van Echteld
Anette Phillips
ABSENT: Tadhg Hogan
YEAR 6 Tiverton
ABSENT:
Jaxon Best
Patrick Ferrier
Anthony Borradale Evan Chen
Thomas Clemow
Andrew Cotton Thomas Dinh
Max Dorey
Franklin Dunn Henry Dwyer
Benjamin Easton James Harris
Thomas Harrison Archie Hassett Lincoln Higginbotham
Thomas James Timothy Kalapoutis
Carter Kessling Cian O’Flynn Zac Penkar
Adam Sagiadellis Finn Sebire
Jeremy Thai
Charlie Welling Christopher Wilson
Terence Akins
Andrew Kearns
Cooper Attana Alexander Bekos
Zachary Berton
YEAR 7 DUNSTAN
Oliver Anthony Noah Armenio William Carrick Nicholas Cifone Benjamin Coutts Oliver Cowen
Thomas Hegan Oliver Hillemacher Alexander Iacono Bailey Logan Oliver Marshall Royston Martin Reuben Miller
Hugh Moscardo Oliver Murphy Tyler Nicholas Rocco Panzera Antony Persi Lachlan Pope Miles Ristevski
Daniel Scillio Harrison Thompson Geordie Tsirigotis Patrick Walsh
Patrizia Ferrara
Daniel Affinita Struan Buick Archer Cannington Indie Chrystie Xavier Edmonds Angus Emons Sebastian Fong
Ike Gustincic Fredric Howard Oliver Jurac Nicholas Karavangelis Evan McVey Craig Monopoli Sean Park
Abishal Sam Henry Sewell Caleb Sexton Harrison Shaw Aidan Stewart Victor Sweeney Jackson Voce
Justin Wall Rui En Wang Christo Ziourkos
Kathryn Holewa
Samuel Colebatch
YEAR 7 HEGARTY
YEAR 7 JEROME
Mark Bosnich Jack Bucci Callum Cain Luca Carcelli Luca D’Angelo Ethan Gullifer Jacob Hong-Dunnett
Joshua Latimer Sam Lowe Will Malota Simon Moon Mitchell Morley Archie Philpot Jamie Pierides
Alexander Roach Charlie Robinson Marcus Santilli Anthony Sidiropoulos Tom Skaro
