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Phone: (03) 8099 6000
Email:info@sfcc.vic.edu.au
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This week marks the beginning of Lent, a 40-day journey leading to Easter during which Christians mirror Jesus's time in the desert by fasting and praying.
Commencing with Ash Wednesday, it is a season of reflection, repentance, and renewal.
It serves as a reminder of human mortality with the words, "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return”, as ashes are placed on the forehead in the shape of a cross to symbolise both our humility before God and our commitment to spiritual growth.
Lent is a time for self-examination, sacrifice, and drawing closer to God. Many people observe Lent by fasting, giving up certain luxuries, increasing prayer, or engaging in acts of charity. These practices help cultivate discipline, humility, and a deeper awareness of God’s presence in daily life.
To prepare for this period of fasting, Shrove Tuesday, also known as Pancake Day, marks the final day before the season of Lent begins.
The name Shrove comes from the Old English word shriven, meaning to confess one's sins and receive absolution. In medieval Christian tradition, since Lent was a time of fasting and abstinence, people would use up rich foods like eggs, milk, and butter before the fasting period began. This led to the tradition of making pancakes in many countries.
Shrove Tuesday is both a time of enjoyment and a reminder of the spiritual journey ahead during Lent, encouraging people to reflect, repent, and prepare their hearts for Easter.
As we enter this period, we are invited to consider:
Repentance – Are there areas in our lives where we need to seek forgiveness or change?
Sacrifice – What worldly distractions can we set aside to focus more on God?
Service – How can we better love and serve others during this season?
Lent is an opportunity to realign our hearts with God, leading to the joy of Easter and the hope of resurrection.
It’s been exciting to see our Stage 2 Creativity Hub taking shape at Cobblebank Campus, and our builders have advised that works are on schedule for completion in the second half of this year.
I recently had the pleasure of taking the Federal Member for Hawke, Sam Rae, on a tour of the building under construction, which will become a centre for Art, Woodwork, Food Technology and Hospitality classes.
We are grateful to Sam for his ongoing support of the College and the $6 million grant we received from the Federal Government for the Creativity Hub. He has watched the works at Cobblebank Campus from the first sod turning and we cannot wait to welcome him back when the building is complete.
I would also like to acknowledge the Catholic Development Fund, which has loaned the College funds for the new building.
With the recent warm weather, all students are encouraged to purchase and wear a College hat.
Sunscreen is available at several locations throughout our campuses, and our SunSmart Policy has been developed to encourage both staff and students to take responsibility for protecting themselves against the harmful rays of the Australian sun.
Australia has one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world. About two out of three Australians will be diagnosed with some form of skin cancer during their lifetime.
We encourage our College community to take active steps to avoid damage to their skin in the early years.
We ask parents and guardians to support our efforts to protect and educate our students by purchasing the College cap or bucket hat, available from our uniform shop.
| Dates to remember | |
| Wednesday 5 March | Ash Wednesday |
| Monday 10 March | Labour Day public holiday |
| Wednesday 12 March | NAPLAN begins (Year 7 and Year 9 students) |
| Monday 24 March | Harmony Week begins |
| Tuesday 25 March | SACCSS Swimming Championships |
| Thursday 3 April - Friday 4 April | Year 12 Retreat |
| Friday 4 April | Last day of Term 1 |
| Dates to remember | |
| Wednesday 5 March | Ash Wednesday |
| Monday 10 March | Labour Day public holiday |
| Wednesday 12 March | NAPLAN begins (Year 7 and Year 9 students) |
| Monday 24 March | Harmony Week begins |
| Tuesday 25 March | SACCSS Swimming Championships |
| Friday 28 March | Year 7 Immunisations |
| Friday 4 April | Last day of Term 1 |
This week, I’d like to share with you an example of the value of work experience opportunities and their importance in shaping pathways and career aspirations.
Recently, Year 10 student Alfie took part in the Hockey Victoria Outreach Program.
Over five days, Alfie and the team visited five schools, ran 24 sessions and shared their passion for hockey with 630 students. You can read more about his experience here.
This was a great opportunity for Alfie and highlights just one of the many endeavours students could become involved in during work experience.
Work experience has a strong focus on the skills required in a workplace and allows students to immerse themselves in a career they may be interested in. Year 10 students will have an opportunity to undertake work experience in Term 2.
As students continue their learning in Term 1, below is a guide to how much homework on average your child is expected to complete each day.
Year 7: 45 minutes
Year 8: 60 minutes
Year 9: 75 minutes
Year 10: 90 minutes
Year 11: 120-150 minutes
Year 12: 150-180 minutes
Homework consists of incomplete class work, set homework tasks and revising the work completed in class at home.
When there are upcoming assessments, students must complete the revision provided by their teacher or independent revision.
Recall and application of new and known information is essential for success in learning.
If you have a question regarding the curriculum or your child’s learning in the classroom, please contact the relevant subject or elective teacher.
Other questions regarding wellbeing or our Student Expectation Framework can be directed to your child’s Mentor teacher.
Families are reminded to drive carefully through the drop-off and pick-up zone at Cobblebank Campus.
You can enter from the small section of Bridge Road that can be accessed via Adelong Blvd.
Please follow staff directions when dropping off and collecting students and move through the zone at a walking pace.
Vehicle access opens at 8.10am and closes at 8.40am, then reopens from 3pm to 3.25pm.
Please refer to the attached map for the location of the pick-up and drop-off zone and follow the guidelines below.
Families who have a valid Centrelink Concession card must complete a Camps Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) application form by 30 June 2025.
If you applied for and received CSEF last year at the College your application will be rolled over and there is no need to reapply unless you have a new student enrolled at the College.
To submit your application, please complete the form below and email it, along with a copy of your current concession card, to azammit@sfcc.vic.edu.au
It’s Shrove Tuesday, and our pancake sales at both campuses this morning helped launch our annual campaign to raise funds for Caritas Australia’s Project Compassion.
On behalf of both the Melton and Cobblebank campuses, we would like to sincerely thank our very generous College community for the donation of more than 170 pancake mixes over the past few weeks.
It was busy early this morning with both campuses cooking and serving pancakes to mark the beginning of the Lenten period. Students enjoyed a warm pancake with generous toppings before school and at Big Break.
A very big thank you to the staff who cooked an enormous number of pancakes, our maintenance team and food assistants for all their help, our Social Justice teams for serving the delicious pancakes and all the students who made our first fundraiser for Caritas in 2025 such a success.
A total of $325 was raised at the Melton Campus and $513 at the Cobblebank Campus. Well done to everyone involved!
Our Faith and Mission Team will be running fundraising activities throughout Term 1 so watch this space, Simon Daily Messages and our social media pages for more details about how to get involved.
This Lenten season, we are called to Unite Against Poverty - your generosity will enable Caritas Australia to provide life-changing support to communities facing poverty, food insecurity, lack of education, and water shortages while building resilience against future challenges.
Together, through faith and action, we can bring hope and opportunity to those most in need and answer the Gospels’ call to care for our global family and walk alongside the most vulnerable.
Donations to Project Compassion allow Caritas, the Catholic agency for international aid and development, to work with local communities around the world to end poverty, promote justice and uphold dignity.
Three new Swimming Carnival Champions have risen from the waters of Melton Waves following the annual campus carnivals last week!
Melton students took to the pool on Thursday vying for House points in a series of swim styles and novelty events. Several Houses took the lead at different points of the day, but after tough competition, Bernard House claimed the overall title, followed closely by Lawrence and Dominic.
The final results for the Melton Campus are as follows:
1st place – Bernard House
2nd place – Lawrence House
3rd place – Dominic House
4th place – Bakhita House
5th place – Glowrey House
6th place – MacKillop House
7th place – Anthony House
8th place – Catherine House
Members of the Year 12 cohort ended the day on a high with an interestingly choreographed synchronised swim, featuring participants from all eight Houses combined.
The following day, Cobblebank students battled for the prestigious House Cup by competing in a variety of strokes and novelty events. Catherine House had a solid lead throughout the day, with MacKillop House not far behind them.
In the afternoon, it all came down to the Tube Relay to decide the winner. In an unexpected turn of events, both Catherine House and Mackillop House were on equal points! They took the win together after an incredible display of hard work and competition.
The final results for the Cobblebank Campus are as follows:
1st place: Catherine & MacKillop House
2nd place: Anthony House
3rd place: Dominic House
4th place: Lawrence House
5th place: Bakhita House
6th place: Bernard House
7th place: Glowrey House
House Spirit was at an all-time high. Each House marquee was bursting with colour – students dressed in creative House-themed outfits and decorated their areas with streamers, handmade banners and balloons.
Despite stellar efforts from all Houses, there could only be one House Spirit winner from each campus – congratulations to Lawrence House (Melton campus) and Catherine House (Cobblebank Campus), winners of the 2025 House Spirit Shields.
Thank you to all the staff who worked exceptionally hard to make the carnival a success and to all the students who participated – we look forward to making next year’s event bigger and better!
We are proud to celebrate the amazing efforts of Alfie, a Year 10 student in Bernard House, who recently took part in the Hockey Victoria Outreach Program.
Over five days, Alfie and his team visited five schools, delivered 24 hockey sessions and engaged with 630 students!
Alfie’s enthusiasm, leadership, and passion for the sport made him a standout, and he was a huge hit with the students. His ability to connect with younger players and encourage their participation showcased his dedication and sportsmanship.
This experience not only allowed Alfie to share his love for hockey but also helped him develop valuable leadership and communication skills. We are incredibly proud of him.
Congratulations, Alfie, on this fantastic achievement! We look forward to seeing where your passion for hockey takes you next.
There was plenty of creative energy during lunchtimes at Cobblebank Campus last week as our House Captains and their teams prepared banners for the Swimming Carnival.
The activity fostered house spirit and a sense of community as students excitedly prepared for the competition ahead. Excellent work by all involved!
Bakhita House has already had a busy start to the year, being the first House to participate in Mass to celebrate our saint’s Feast Day.
St Josephine Bakhita is the saint of fortitude, faith, and forgiveness, and throughout the Mass, we reflected on her story.
Cobblebank Bakhita students travelled by bus to join the Bakhita Melton students at St Catherine of Siena Church.
After the Mass, we all had doughnuts to celebrate and spent time together. For some of us, it was a chance to catch up with friends from our other campus.
Last week, Bakhita House also participated enthusiastically in the annual Swimming Carnival, and whilst we did not finish in first place, we had a great day together.
Our House spirit was truly on display, with some stand-out participants who swam in almost every event to contribute points towards our House.
Well done Bakhita House, and we look forward to seeing the same determination at our House Athletics in Term 2!
Keep updated with College events, procedures, resources and information via the links below.
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