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Phone: (03) 8099 6000
Email:info@sfcc.vic.edu.au
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Yesterday, 1 May, was the Feast of St Joseph the Worker.
In his Apostolic Letter Patris corde (With a Father’s Heart), Pope Francis describes Joseph’s fatherhood of Jesus as, “the earthly shadow of the heavenly Father”.
“Fathers are not born, but made,” says Pope Francis. “A man does not become a father simply by bringing a child into the world, but by taking up the responsibility to care for that child.”
In today’s society, children “often seem orphans, lacking fathers” who are able to introduce them “to life and reality”.
Pope Francis says of Joseph that he, “knew how to love with extraordinary freedom. He never made himself the centre of things. He did not think of himself but focused instead on the lives of Mary and Jesus”.
Happiness for Joseph involved a true gift of self: “In him, we never see frustration, but only trust,” writes Pope Francis. “His patient silence was the prelude to concrete expressions of trust.”
Joseph stands out, therefore, as an exemplary figure for our time, in a world that “needs fathers” and not “tyrants”; a society that “rejects those who confuse authority with authoritarianism, service with servility, discussion with oppression, charity with a welfare mentality, power with destruction”.
In this sense, says Pope Francis, a father realises that “he is most a father and an educator at the point when he becomes ‘useless,’ when he sees that his child has become independent and can walk the paths of life unaccompanied”.
Being a father, the Pope emphasises, “has nothing to do with possession, but is rather a ‘sign’ pointing to a greater fatherhood”: that of the “heavenly Father”.
In his letter, Pope Francis notes how, “Every day, for over forty years, following morning prayer” he has “recited a prayer to Saint Joseph taken from a nineteenth-century French prayer book of the Congregation of the Sisters of Jesus and Mary”. This prayer, he says, “expresses devotion and trust, and even poses a certain challenge to Saint Joseph,” on account of its closing words:
“My beloved father, all my trust is in you. Let it not be said that I invoked you in vain, and since you can do everything with Jesus and Mary, show me that your goodness is as great as your power.”
At the conclusion of his Letter, he adds another prayer to St Joseph, which he encourages all of us to pray together:
Hail, Guardian of the Redeemer, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
To you God entrusted his only Son; in you Mary placed her trust;
with you Christ became man.
Blessed Joseph, to us too, show yourself a father and guide us in the path of life.
Obtain for us grace, mercy, and courage, and defend us from every evil.
Amen.
Welcome back! I trust that our students and families enjoyed the Easter break and are fresh and energised for Term 2 studies.
Last week staff and students from both campuses participated in our ANZAC Day service. As always, our students were incredibly respectful and listened in silence to the commemoration.
We are blessed to have a vigorous Lone Pine growing on our school grounds. As it grows each year it reminds us of the courage and sacrifice of past generations that has allowed us to live peaceful and productive lives.
As we celebrate the 108th anniversary of the Gallipoli landings, it is sad to think that humankind has still not recognised the futility of war. While the death of so many New Zealand and Australian troops at Gallipoli generated the spirit of the ANZAC, it is disturbing that in 2023 we are still confronted daily with violence and war across the world.
When we raised the Ukrainian flag at the College over 12 months ago to show our solidarity with the people of Ukraine, we did not expect to still be flying this flag in 2023. Our news media over the holidays streamed pictures of violence in Sudan and Israel.
As we commence Term 2, may our students embrace the positive qualities of the ANZACs - their camaraderie, enterprise and resourcefulness. And at the same time let us all pray fervently for a peaceful solution to the many conflicts that currently impact our fellow human beings around the globe.
Melton and Cobblebank Campus students represented the College at last week's annual commemorative ANZAC Day Service at the Melton Cenotaph.
Cobblebank students Gurajeet Brar and Noah Navascues and Melton students Thinh Nguyen and College Captain Jess Hodge were accompanied by Deputy Principal - Head of Cobblebank Campus Kerrie-Ann Matthews at the service.
Year 11 student Thinh said it was an honour and a privilege to attend.
"It's always great to see how the spirit of a few men sent off to Turkey 100 years ago lives on and inspires the community today, reflected by the large crowd that was pulled in on a sunny morning. It was a great service and it offered a special chance for a solemn and deep reflection for those in attendance."
| Dates to remember | |
| Thursday 4 May | Parent/Guardian webinar - The Resilience Project - 6.30pm. Click here for more details. |
Wednesday 10 May | Parents and Friends Meeting (online) - 7pm. Click here for more details. |
| Thursday 11 May | Mother's Day Liturgy and Breakfast - 8am. Click here for more details. |
| Monday 15 May | Cyber Safety Parent/Guardian Presentation - 7pm. Click here for more details. |
| Thursday 18 May | College Athletics Carnival |
| Dates to remember | |
| Thursday 4 May | Parent/Guardian webinar - The Resilience Project - 6.30pm. Click here for more details. |
Wednesday 10 May | Parents and Friends Meeting (online) - 7pm. Click here for more details. |
| Thursday 11 May | Mother's Day Liturgy and Breakfast - 8am. Click here for more details. |
| Monday 15 May | Cyber Safety Parent/Guardian Presentation - 7pm. Click here for more details. |
| Thursday 18 May | College Athletics Carnival |
Our students have returned from their break eager to catch up with friends and ready for the term ahead. The beginning of the term is the time for organising themselves and preparing for the demands of each of their different subjects.
Last term, we introduced the Yondr pouch to ensure students are not distracted by their mobile phones, concentrate throughout each lesson, and connect with their peers during recess and lunchtime. Limiting access to phones at school gives students time away from their devices. While this has been challenging, this system has many benefits.
As we are all aware, social media and the many different platforms are part of our everyday life and can be a way of positively communicating with others overseas or with friends at different schools. There is, unfortunately, other unpleasant and harmful ways social media can be used against others.
Our young people are at the forefront of technology, with new platforms constantly bombarding them with different content. At the College, we educate our students about cyber safety and safe online practices, so they can recognise and be aware of potentially harmful situations.
To help parents and guardians navigate and understand young people's online behaviour, we have organised well-known cyber safety expert and former Victoria Police officer Susan McLean to host a special presentation at the College on Monday 15 May.
Click here to find out more and register your place.
The eSafety Commissioner also offers advice and tips for parents and guardians to assist with online safety for children. Click here to read more.
Each term, students are recognised for consistently displaying our Core Wellbeing Values of Empathy, Community and Endeavour.
The Term 1 awards were presented at our end-of-term assembly.
The students who received this award have earned it by supporting people, encouraging their peers, taking steps to check on and improve the wellbeing of others, actively considering the feelings of those around them, and generally being positive and upstanding members of our community.
The Term 1 recipients are Julian Camilleri, Erin Navarro and Ridley Turner.
Community is at the core of all we do at St Francis Catholic College, with one of our overarching goals being to ensure that young people feel they are an important part of the bigger picture. The students who received this award in Term 1 have earned it by taking an active role in different facets of school life.
Many of them volunteered to support various activities, took part in numerous Swimming Carnival events to help their house, offered their assistance to teachers whenever they saw an opportunity, and were generally the first to get involved in programs in and out of the classroom.
The Term 1 recipients are Shriyan Peacheri, Kanwar Sidhu and Rihanna Ethidge Silva.
We celebrate academic achievements on many occasions throughout the school year, but the Endeavour Award is a little different. This award does not always consider the highest grades; instead, students are nominated for their effort, improvement, and tenacity.
The recipients were nominated by their teachers and peers for their consistently strong and positive approach to continual improvement. They may already be at the top of their class but still push themselves, or perhaps there has been a clear change in attitude or achievement throughout the term.
The Term 1 recipients are Allexis Bautista, Nathan Pascual and Lizzy Watts.
The Resilience Project will present a parent webinar this Thursday 4 May from 6.30pm to 7.30pm for Melton and Cobblebank families.
The workshop aims to inspire our parents and families with new ideas and simple strategies to extend Gratitude, Empathy and Mindfulness practice from the classroom into the family home.
If you would like to attend the webinar please click here to register.
The next Parents and Friends Association meeting will be held on Wednesday 10 May online via Teams from 7pm. New members are always welcome.
Please contact me via email arowley@sfcc.vic.edu.au for the Teams link.
The College will host a special Mother’s Day liturgy and breakfast on Thursday 11 May from 8am in the Performing Arts Centre to celebrate and recognise all the motherly figures in our students’ lives.
Students and their mothers, grandmothers, aunties or a significant adult in their lives are invited to join us for a liturgy, followed by breakfast for those who would like to stay. Siblings are welcome to attend, as is anyone who would like to come along and say a prayer for mothers past and present.
All Melton and Cobblebank campus families are welcome to attend.
Monday 15 May 2023, 7pm
St Francis Catholic College Performing Arts Centre
Susan is Australia's foremost expert in the area of cyber safety and was a member of the Victoria Police for 27 years. Widely known as the 'cyber-cop' she was the first Victoria Police officer appointed to a position involving cyber safety and young people.
Join us for an informative and entertaining session for parents and guardians delivered with Susan’s famous ‘no-nonsense‘ approach. It will cover the positive benefits of technology and what parents need to be aware of.
You will hear about:
Parents and guardians will also have the opportunity to ask questions at the end of Susan's presentation.
"Don ’t be afraid of technology. Learn about it and embrace it as your children do. Accept that they will access content that might upset them, often not because they went looking for it and make sure that they are comfortable coming to you when this happens. Spend time online with them. Cyberspace can be a lot of fun." Susan McLean
Click here to register for this event. All Melton and Cobblebank parents and guardians are welcome to attend.
Congratulations to our small but incredible team of swimmers who represented the College at the SACCSS Swimming Championships at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre on 4 April.
Between them, the 13 students from our Melton and Cobblebank campuses competed in 49 individual and relay events and were placed in the top 3 in 39 of the races!
Year 10 student Jack Morrow broke three records, notched up two new personal best times and was awarded Age Champion. Xavier Warne (Year 7 Cobblebank), Oliver Dreaver (Year 9 Melton) and Cooper Byham (Year 9 Melton) were also age champions.
Overall, our junior boys and girls combined placed 5th, intermediate boys won, intermediate boys and girls combined placed 4th, the senior boys placed 3rd and the senior boys and girls combined placed 4th.
An amazing effort and a huge thanks to our wonderful staff who made sure the swimmers were well prepared and supported them on the day.
We are proud to announce that six of our students have successfully joined the Hawke Youth Advisory Committee recently launched by Federal Member for Hawke, Sam Rae.
Year 10 Melton students Nellie, Karina and Tray My and Year 11 Melton students Mary, Anna and Thinh applied for a position on the committee following Sam’s visit to the College last term.
The group’s first monthly meeting was held in April where key issues were identified including mental health (particularly following COVID), education, local infrastructure (Melton Hospital, Western Highway etc), employment opportunities for young people and sustainability.
They also nominated activities for later in the year including volunteering at the Sunbury Neighbourhood Kitchen and investigating the Federal Budget which is due to be handed down this month.
The aim of the forum is to give voice to young people in the Hawke electorate, which includes Melton, Bacchus Marsh, Ballan and Sunbury.
Students from all year levels at the Melton Campus who would like to become FIRE Carriers are invited to attend an information session in the library at lunchtime on Monday 8 May.
St Francis Catholic College is a FIRE Carrier school (Friends Igniting Reconciliation through Education). This means we promote respect, fairness and inclusion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People.
Each year, the College appoints staff and student FIRE Carriers who hold an important leadership role in the school community. FIRE Carriers are committed to learning about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and history, sharing this knowledge, and promoting the journey of Reconciliation.
Before 2023, the FIRE Carrier Project was run by the Catholic Aboriginal Ministry but is now administered by the Opening The Doors Foundation.
Following the information session next Monday, students will be asked to apply and if successful, they will be inducted as FIRE Carriers during our Reconciliation Week activities at the end of May.
In Term 3, we will also seek applications from Cobblebank Campus students. More details will be available closer to the time.
Any students who have questions are welcome to see me at school or email dharrington@sfcc.vic.edu.au
Last Friday, Melton Campus Year 12 Media students attended the Top Screen exhibition at ACMI in Melbourne CBD. We watched the top 15 films made by 2022 Year 12 students across Victoria (chosen from over 300 entries) and heard from three of these filmmakers regarding their experiences.
They offered valuable insight, tips, and tricks to manage a folio-based subject while tackling VCE. This session gave our students a wealth of ideas and the tram ride to lunch was filled with discussion of different options.
Students then attended the Story of the Moving Image. This permanent exhibition at ACMI explores the history of moving image-based media, from early animation to film, video games, and beyond.
Our students were impressed by how far technology has come and enjoyed the interactive nature of the exhibition. We highly recommend visiting ACMI for anyone interested in media and technology!
Dominic House Leader
Late last term, Year 11 and 12 Art Making and Exhibiting classes visited the National Gallery of Victoria to see the Top Arts 2022
exhibition, which included artwork by former Year 12 Studio Arts student Amy Seymour.
Students also visited the Australian Impressionist exhibition, viewing works by Frederick McCubbin.
Our Humanities Domain is encouraging students to enter the 2023 Parliament Prize.
Each year, the Parliament of Victoria asks students across the state, from Grade 5 to Year 12, to share what they would say to Parliament if they were an MP. It is a chance for students to talk about the issues that are important to them and their community.
To enter, students record a 90-second Member’s Statement video on any topic or issue they consider important. They might talk about the achievements of people or organisations in their area, challenges being faced in their local community, or perhaps broader state or national issues.
To find out more click here. Students who would like help with the application process can contact Mrs Daniela Harrington, dharrington@sfcc.vic.edu.au or Ms Shanelle Sertic ssertic@sfcc.vic.edu.au.
A band of friendly pirates will take over the College library during lunchtime on Friday 19 May to raise vital funds for childhood brain cancer research.
While staff will dress as pirates, Melton Campus students are invited to come along and take part in activities for a gold coin donation.
Of all childhood cancers, brain cancer is currently the least treatable, with some types being considered incurable.
That’s why, during brain cancer awareness month each May, generous pirates dust off their swash-buckling best and gather as much treasure as they can for a great cause.
Since 2015, Pirate Day has raised more than $630,000 thanks to schools, community groups and businesses across the country. This helps The Kids’ Cancer Project provide funding for scientific researchers, who are busy making waves in the lab to turn the tide on childhood brain cancer.
Let’s all join in and make this a fantastic day for a great cause.
Our Senior Boys Volleyball team took on Penola Catholic College and won three sets to claim victory in Round 4. Shout out to Jedi Anyayhan who stood up in his setting during the game. Amy Rowley - Coach
| Team | Results | Ladder position |
| Boys Volleyball | SFCC 3 sets d Penola College 1 set | 1 |
| Girls Volleyball | SFCC 3 sets d MacKillop College 1 set | 4 |
Our Year 7 Cobblebank students enjoyed their first round of SACCSS Premier League competition last week.
The Boys Basketball team played an excellent first game with victory over Penola Catholic College. The boys demonstrated excellent sportsmanship and teamwork. Their efforts working together paid off and they have done Cobblebank proud. Congratulations to Ken Clapano for being most valuable player on the day. Mollie Daphne - Coach
| Team | Results | Ladder position |
| Boys Basketball | SFCC 26 d Penola College 19 | 2 |
| Girls Baksetball | Penola College 68 d SFCC 42 | 4 |
| Netball | Penola College 15 d SFCC 4 | 3 |
| Boys Soccer | SFCC drew with Penola College | 4 |
| Girls Soccer | Penola College 12 d SFCC 1 | 7 |
| Boys Volleyball | SFCC 3 sets d Penola College 0 sets | 1 |
| Girls Volleyball | Penola College 3 sets d SFCC 0 sets | 7 |
Keep up to date with College events, procedures, resources and information via the links below.
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