Principal’s Welcome

Most certainly the Mater Christi College community has demonstrated a commitment above and beyond our theme 'Let your light shine for others'. When coronavirus first featured in news reports in January, little did any of us realise just what its terrible impact would be, globally and locally. Here in Victoria, the efforts required to control its spread affected every fabric of our daily lives and while at year’s end we are recording a return to controllable case numbers (including many days at zero new cases), we remain ever alert to its potential to break out again, especially until an effective vaccine is available.

Within weeks only of commencing the school year and with friendships and secondary school processes barely secured, Year 7 students were required to stay home and continue their learning via an online program. Once over the shock of a COVID interruption to face-to-face program delivery, Year 12 students responded positively to working from home, using emails, Zoom and phones to communicate with teachers and friends alike. Other year levels experienced similar disruptions and yet, students as a whole demonstrated outstanding levels of adaptability, resilience and creativity.

Teachers and parents (many with other children or work commitments to attend to at home) accepted the challenges of this lockdown period and rose to new levels of engagement and participation, providing and supporting our remote learning programs. Regular and targeted communication strategies most truly kept our community #togetherapart. Students returned in Term 4 and delighted immediately in the refurbished Science Labs, funded largely through the Victorian State Government Capital Grants program. Improved lighting, ventilation, air conditioning were appreciated in addition to new classroom furniture and storage options. Earlier in the year, modern lockers replaced older units and new floor coverings brightened up several common areas.

While we have each had new insights into our own capacity and levels of endurance, and may have had moments when we found ourselves wanting, as College leader it has been an awesome experience to witness so much good will, generous support and brilliant teamwork. Teachers overnight reframed operations, support staff stepped up without question as new tasks were required, parents beamed into classrooms and saw their daughter as learner in action and students stayed the course, especially those in Years 8, 9 and 10 who were offsite for the longest time.

Only some of this year can be captured within this Yearbook, and yet it is with immense gratitude and pride that I acknowledge the perseverance and innovative work of the Mater Christi College Community - its leadership team, its teachers and support staff, its parents/carers and families….and above all, its students over this challenging year. We all appreciated the support from the College Board and Good Samaritan Education. My thanks to Jacinta Crocker as editor, and Simonne Licciardi for designing this publication.

For everyone, it has been an intensely challenging year. I could not be prouder in this my final year as College Principal, nor more excited about the future of the College. I am confident that it will continue to be a community which “listens with the ear of the heart”. As I sign off for this twentieth and final time on a College Yearbook, I pray that Mater Christi College will continue to be an ‘informed, compassionate, creative’ school community “where the strong have something to strive for and the weak have nothing to fear” (Rule of St Benedict).

Mary Fitz-Gerald Principal

Let your Light Shine for Others

College

1 Principal’s Welcome 3 Board of Governance 4 Deputy Principal 5 College Captains 6 Mary Fitz-Gerald Tribute 8 College Leaders 11 Awards

Senior School

14 Class of 2019 15 Year 12 16 Year 12 Photos 24 Year 11 25 Year 10

Middle School

27 Year 9 28 Year 8 29 Year 7

Curriculum

31 Domain - Arts 32 Art Gallery 34 Domain - English 35 Domain - HPE 36 Domain - Humanities 37 Domain - LOTE 38 Domain - Mathematics 39 Domain - Religious Education 40 Domain - Science 41 Domain - STEM 42 Domain - Sport 44 Domain - Technology 46 SoJuSt - Social Justice and Stewardship 47 International Program 48 Careers 49 Learning Commons 51 House Activities

College Photos

54 SRC 54 Middle School Leaders 55 Year 11 Student Council 55 Year 10 Student Council 56 Year 7 58 Year 8 61 Year 9 64 Year 10 67 Year 11 70 College Building and Facilities 72 College Staff