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School Reception: Monday-Friday, 8am-4pm
Phone: (03) 8099 6000
Email:info@sfcc.vic.edu.au
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Today, 8 February, is the feast day of St Josephine Bakhita. St Josephine was born around 1869 in Sudan, in the region of Darfur, in the city of Olgossa. She died on 8 February 1947 in Italy.
St Josephine was beatified on 17 May 1992 and canonised on 1 October 2000. She is the only saint originally from Sudan and the patron saint of the country, victims of slavery and trafficked persons.
At the age of nine, she was kidnapped and sold into slavery, where a series of owners humiliated, tortured and mutilated her. She was often beaten and kicked and whipped. Her trauma was so great that she forgot her birth name, and her kidnappers gave her the name Bakhita which means fortunate.
After years serving people who were cruel to her, she was sold to an Italian family who treated her with kindness and respect. They brought her to Italy to work as a maid and carer for their baby. Bakhita first heard the gospel through the Canossian sisters and believed that it was God’s will that she be free. Slavery was illegal in Italy, so Bakhita could leave her Italian owners and follow God’s calling for her.
Bakhita was baptised in January 1890 and took the name Josephine. She later joined the religious order, taking her vows on 8 December 1896 at 27. The next 50 years of her life were marked by simplicity, witnessing God’s love through cooking, sewing, embroidery and attending to the door. She used to tell the teachers in the community, “You teach catechism,I will stay in the chapel and pray for you that you may teach well”.
As she grew older, she experienced long, painful years of sickness, but she persevered in hope, constantly choosing the good. When visited and asked how she was, she would respond, “As the Master desires”.
Surrounded by the sisters, she died aged 78.
Many members of our community are of Sudanese origin and hold St Josephine close to their heart, with them today we pray:
Loving God, rewarder of the humble,
You blessed St. Josephine Bakhita
with charity and patience.
May her prayers help us,
and her example inspire us to carry our cross
and to love You always.
Pour upon us the spirit of wisdom and love
with which You filled St. Josephine.
By serving You as she did,
may we please You by our faith and our actions.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ,
Your Son, who lives and reigns with You
and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
It was wonderful to see the Year 7 students start at the College last week. Their uniforms were immaculate, and they all seemed so confident and eager to start secondary school. All students seemed to make a positive beginning, including many new students who have joined us in 2022.
Thank you for your patience with the delivery of the rapid antigen tests. They have now been given to all students. If your child is yet to receive theirs, they should collect their box of five from Student Reception as soon as possible.
While twice-weekly testing is voluntary, I strongly urge all parents to assist in this surveillance testing strategy.
The aim is to keep the school open, avoid a large outbreak and ensure that we do not need to return to Distance Learning Mode.
Please continue to report any positive cases by phoning the College on 8099 6000 or email principal@sfcc.vic.edu.au if you are reporting the case outside of office hours.
Thank you to Father Michael for our Opening Mass last week. (see photos below) While it is disappointing that we were not able to gather in one space, we could at least start the year with a celebration of the Eucharist. We look forward to gathering and celebrating at a later date.
| Dates to remember | |
| Thursday 10 February | Year 7 2022 Information Evening - online via Teams |
| Wednesday 16 February | Year 12 Information Evening - online via Teams |
| Tuesday 22 February | 2021 Senior Awards Ceremony |
| Wednesday 23 February | Parents and Friends meeting |
Last Wednesday, the Year 9 Gadal Information Evening was held online for students and families via Teams.
Year 9 students participate in the Gadal and Rite Journey programs, focusing on personal development and growth. Students are also introduced to Project Based Learning (PBL) modules for Humanities, Science and English.
The extension to our Gadal building will provide more opportunities for students to explore Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) concepts and ideas, increasing engagement in learning and fostering skills such as teamwork, innovation and creative design.
We thank the Year 9 families for attending the information session that highlighted key dates and events in the Gadal program.
In 2022, the government will continue funding a Year 7 to 10 Tutor Program. The College has employed a range of tutors including pre-service and fully qualified. Students who have not met the benchmarks for their expected level will be supported in the classroom by tutors in English and Mathematics classes.
This support will include targeted strategies to improve literacy and numeracy. Parents will be notified during the week if their child will receive extra support in the classroom. Our tutors will help with Homework Club, providing extra support in these learning spaces.
The Year 10 students have begun 2022 with their new College laptops. These devices provide access and equity for all students, are linked to our security and licensing systems and support the various learning platforms used within the College for senior learning. Our IT Team offer support to students if there are issues with their device.
If your child is experiencing difficulties with learning in the classroom, remember to contact the subject teacher. The Parent Access Module (PAM) provides real-time feedback on completed assessment tasks.
It has been a wonderful start to Term 1. We have enjoyed having our students back on-site for face-to-face learning in their new classes.
It is evident from the laughter and happy conversation between our students just how much we all need and value interaction with others and that it just isn’t the same being online.
This term there will be many opportunities to communicate and develop friendships through the co-curricular activities on offer, including the Swimming Carnival and Multisports Carnival on Tuesday 8 March.
Last year, the Wellbeing team introduced the whole school’s core wellbeing values of Community, Empathy and Endeavour. These values explicitly articulate the key concepts expected of every member of the CRC Melton community.
Coupled with the Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools eXcel Wellbeing for Learning guidelines and in partnership with parents and guardians, we aim to develop and guide our students to be optimistic, resilient young people of faith.
We aim to ensure they become effective members of our College and the wider community and have the skills to contribute to and enrich the world around them.
In the coming weeks, Community, Empathy and Endeavour will be discussed further with our students, so they have a clear understanding of the fundamental meaning of each core wellbeing value and can link it to their everyday lives.
In 2019 the Victorian Government reviewed Victoria’s current Child Safe Standards to recognise any adjustments needed to align with the Royal Commission’s recommended national child safe standards.
As a result, there were 15 recommendations in the final report, including amending the Victorian Child Safe Standards to align with the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations.
As Catholic educators, we actively promote the safety and wellbeing of every student in our care. In 2021 it was announced that 11 new Child Safe Standards would replace the seven standards we abide by, and the new principles will come into effect on 1 July 2022.
Additional information will be provided to keep you informed of the new standards during the coming months.
CRC Melton will celebrate Harmony Day from 15-18 March.
Harmony Day is about inclusiveness, respect and a sense of belonging for all Australians regardless of cultural or linguistic backgrounds.
The Social Justice and Student Leadership teams are seeking expressions of interest from parents and guardians who could run cooking and/or craft demonstrations for small groups of students at lunchtime during Harmony Day celebrations. It’s your chance to share your knowledge of a dish, cuisine or craft from your cultural background.
Please remember that all visitors will need to provide proof of vaccination upon arrival at the College.
If you would like to take part, please email tgriffin@sfcc.vic.edu.au by Tuesday 8 March.
Craft and food supplies will be organised for your demonstration.
Send us your favourite family recipe from your country of origin for our CRC Melton Harmony Day 2022 Recipe Book. The book will recognise the diverse cultural backgrounds in our College community and how we are all connected through food.
If you would like to be a part of this initiative, please fill out the form below and email the Word document to tgriffin@sfcc.vic.edu.au with the subject Harmony Day Recipes by Friday 18 March.
Families are welcome and encouraged to become involved in the College community through the Parents and Friends Association.
The Association provides an opportunity to meet other families, hear about what is going on at the College and have a say in new initiatives. Each meeting includes a short presentation from a College staff member.
Our first meeting for 2022 will be held on Wednesday 23 February at 7pm. More information about whether the meeting will be held on-site or online will be provided closer to the date.
To express interest in joining the meeting, please email arowley@sfcc.vic.edu.au.
We are off to a flying start in VCAL and Vincit this year. Our first event will be our Makers Market early in Term 2, right before Mother’s Day. Classes have begun planning and this year we are broadening our scope of sale items to also include some for the significant men in our students’ lives.
All items at the Makers Market will be hand made by our students and sold to our student body. Stay tuned for more information!
A few reminders for VCAL students:
VCAL students must wear their academic uniform for their VCAL classes unless they are notified of a change. Students should not wear PE uniforms in VCAL.
Work Placement for 2022 will commence the week of Monday 14 February. The expectation is that all Year 10, 11 and 12 VCAL students will have returned their work placement forms and be on-site at their work placement on their designated day for the first time during that week.
Students were encouraged during Jumpstart last year to begin sourcing a work placement, which is a compulsory part of the VCAL program. Students know that to achieve a VCAL Certificate, they must successfully participate in all aspects of the VCAL Program, including work placement.
Students should see their Work Related Skills teacher or Mrs Bianca Mifsud if they need extra support sourcing a work placement.
A reminder that VET achievement is also part of the successful completion of the VCAL Certificate.
Students have been enrolled in VET courses of their choice and the expectation is that they attend weekly and complete all the units of competencies as required. Failure to attend or complete the units may result in the student not having enough units to achieve a VCAL Certificate.
Students have received emails with the details of their VET course, including start dates. Please ensure your child has accessed this information and is attending as required.
If your child is sick on their VET day, they must notify their trainer and Mrs Mifsud. A medical certificate must also support an absence unless the student has COVID-19 or is isolating because they are a household contact.
Keep up to date with College events, procedures, resources and information via the links below.
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