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School Reception: Monday-Friday, 8am-4pm
Phone: (03) 8099 6000
Email:info@sfcc.vic.edu.au
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This week, we introduce you to the sixth of our eight houses in 2023 – Catherine named after St Catherine of Siena.
St Catherine (Caterina Benincasa) was born during the outbreak of the plague in Siena, Italy on 25 March 1347. She was the 25th child born to her mother, although half of her brothers and sisters did not survive childhood. Catherine herself was a twin, but her sister did not survive infancy. Her mother was 40 when she was born. Her father was a cloth dyer.
Catherine’s parents were keen for her to marry her deceased sister’s widowed husband, but she refused. Her fasting and her devotion to her family convinced them to relent and allow her to live as she pleased. Catherine once explained that she regarded her father as a representation of Jesus and her mother as Our Lady, and her brothers as the apostles, which helped her to serve them with humility.
Despite Catherine’s religious nature, she did not choose to enter a convent and instead joined the Third Order of St Dominic, which allowed her to associate with a religious society while living at home.
Catherine died on 29 April 1380 in Rome and she was canonised in 1461. Her feast day is 29 April and she is one of the patron saints of Italy. Catherine was declared a doctor of the church in 1970 and a patron saint of Europe in 1999.
In St Catherine's words:
“Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.”
“Proclaim the truth and do not be silent through fear.”
“Nothing great is ever achieved without much enduring.”
Prayer of St Catherine
Holy Spirit, come into my heart;
draw it to Thee by Thy power, O my God,
and grant me charity with filial fear.
Preserve me, O beautiful love, from every evil thought; warm me, inflame me with Thy dear love, and every pain will seem light to me.
My Father, my sweet Lord, help me in all my actions.
Jesus, love, Jesus, love. Amen.
Click below to read more about our other new house names.
The current campaign for the Cancer Council, which reminds us that one in two people will be affected by cancer by age 80, is very sobering.
A number of our staff, students and parents have tragically been affected by cancer. Last week staff decided to channel the spirit of the Melbourne Cup Racing Carnival and raise money for much-needed research into the prevention and cure of this insidious disease.
Staff were treated to an all-things-pink morning tea and raised $825, which will be donated to the Cancer Council.
Last Friday saw the College explode with colour and energy as we celebrated the diversity of our community through our first Intercultural Expo.
Our Alexandria Resource Centre was transformed with food on offer from around the globe and presentations from staff and students about their cultural heritage.
We danced to the rhythms of Wendy Nedd, and Isabella treated us to a stirring rendition of I Am Australian. It was exciting to taste the different foods being shared and see our community appreciate the traditions and customs of the many cultures represented at the College.
Click here to view our photo gallery.
The College is mourning the loss of highly respected Maths teacher Ingrid McRae who passed away on 31 October.
Ingrid joined our community in 2013 and resigned in 2020 due to ill health. During her time at the College, she was the Domain Leader Mathematics and a great friend to many.
We keep her family in our prayers and hope they are comforted in their grief. May Ingrid now rest in peace, free from pain and in the company of our Lord.
Ingrid’s funeral will be held tomorrow, Wednesday 9 November, at Gardenia Funerals, 29 Reserve Rd, Melton.
| Dates to remember | |
| Wednesday 9 November | Year 9 exams (English and Maths) |
| Year 10 and 11 exams begin | |
| Wednesday 16 November | Year 10 and 11 exams conclude |
| Friday 18 November | Student Work from Home Day |
| Monday 21 November | Jump Start program begins |
| Thursday 1 December | Term 4 concludes for Year 10 and 11 students |
| Friday 2 December | Junior Awards Ceremony |
| Term 4 concludes for Year 7-9 students |
Our students will hit the airwaves this Thursday (10 November) with a broadcast on Live FM.
Students have pre-recorded their segments including interviews with staff, students and special guests. There will be panel discussions on topics ranging from music, basketball, theatre and the environment to mental health, body image, unpopular opinions and being a teenager.
So spread the word and don’t forget to tune in either via www.livefm.online or via the Live FM app.
Click here to watch a short promotional video created for the radio show.
Last week we held our first house assemblies during which students met their peers, house teachers, and new House Leader.
House mentor groups (currently known as homerooms) will be confirmed at the beginning of next year.
Each assembly focused on the House structure and provided students with information about their house name and house prayer. The students were also introduced to their recently appointed student house leaders who will play an important role in the development of house spirit in 2023.
We were pleased to see the students embrace their new house and begin to develop connections with students in their own and other year levels.
Thank you to all parents who completed the mobile phone survey last week. We are currently reviewing and re-developing our mobile phone policy and all feedback will contribute to those discussions.
Results show that 74% of parents strongly agree that policies and procedures are needed to ensure our young people are safe using mobile phones. A large majority also believe their child would not benefit from being able to use their mobile phone during the day.
The results also indicated that enabling students to contact their parents (and vice versa) to let them know they have travelled to and from school safely was important to families, as well as being able to use them for medical alerts.
Some of the comments from parents and guardians were:
“They spend enough time on phones at home and weekends. School should be where they spend time together talking and taking an interest in classmates’ issues and discussions not glued to a screen all recess and lunchtime. I feel they have enough opportunity for mobile phone use outside school hours and sometimes there needs to be phone-free time to just relate to one another.”
“Study time is (for) study.”
“The only reason I would want my child to use the phone is to contact me, or (to listen to) music. I think anything else would be too much of a distraction.”
“My son has to call me when he gets to the bus stop at the end of the school day so I can come and pick him up.”
“Mobile phones only when travelling to school and to home. Should be put away during class times.”
The majority of parents and guardians who completed the survey agreed that students do not need their mobile phones during the day at school.
More than 80 per cent of parents and guardians also believe there are negative consequences associated with mobile phone use in school. The top three consequences selected were distraction and reduced engagement, cyberbullying and reduced socialisation and communication skills.
Parents and guardians also agreed that social media platforms on mobile phones increased the incidence of cyberbullying and harassment.
The survey also showed that most parents and guardians who responded believe physical activity levels are significantly reduced due to the impact of using mobile phones and consequently harm their interpersonal skills.
The results from the staff and student surveys will also be analysed and all will contribute to the work underway on the mobile phone policy.
Our students do a fantastic job volunteering at the Melton Reading Club Program after school.
They help primary students from various cultural backgrounds learn to read and have mentored and formed wonderful friendships with the children throughout the program.
Alanis (Year 9) said students had built a strong bond with their primary school buddies and fellow student volunteers.
“We participate in various games and activities such as charades, arts and crafts, spelling and of course, reading! These activities have helped develop confidence, communication and leadership skills in the student volunteers and our primary school buddies.
“We also created posters for Science Week, had a go at running story time in the group and worked on setting goals for our buddies.
“The Melton Reading Club is an amazing way to build connections and engage with our wider community.”
A huge thanks to our Social Justice Coordinator Trish Griffin for accompanying the students each week and to maintenance team member Andy Bissell for transporting the group to the Melton Central Community Centre every Wednesday.
We hope that students will be offered more opportunities to participate next year.
Flooring is being laid, storage built, and learning spaces fitted out while work also begins to shape the landscaped cloister in the centre of our new Cobblebank Campus.
Surrounded by buildings and pathways, the cloister will provide shelter from the elements and a place for students and staff to meet, talk, learn and gather.
The construction of new netball and basketball courts is also underway.
Our first Intercultural Expo was a great success and a chance to learn more about the traditions, foods and music in countries both near and far.
Thank you to everyone who took up the invitation to learn, share and connect at what we hope will become an annual event on the College calendar.
Our Armed Forces Visual Story was launched last week to acknowledge family members among our College community who have served or are currently serving in the armed forces in Australia or internationally.
Created by Humanities teacher Ashlee Hughes from stories and photos provided by students and staff, the display highlights the brave and selfless efforts of men and women who have served their country.
A fitting end to History Month activities and a timely lead into our Remembrance Day service this week.
On 29 and 30 October, Year 10 student Jackson and Year 8 student Shameka represented the College at the All Schools Track and Field Championships.
Shameka entered the Under 14 Triple Jump and put in a fantastic effort on the day. We also recgonise the enthusiasm she has shown toward sports this year.
Well done to Jackson who participated in the 1500m and came seventh. Jackson returned to the track last weekend to compete in the 800m final.
A small team of students participated in a one-day SACCSS Junior Tennis Tournament on Friday 21 October.
We were so proud of the students, some of whom played tennis outside of school and others who played for the first time on the day.
Students Martina and Yai played mixed doubles and made a great team. Martina is involved in tennis outside of school, so she guided Yai her doubles partner, who had never played. She encouraged him and showed great patience throughout the day, making it a fantastic experience for Yai.
Another stand-out was Sophie who lost only one of her singles matches. Our extra on the day was Romy who enjoyed playing doubles with other additional students from various schools.
Carolyn Howard and Maria Krajina – Tennis coaches
On Thursday 3 November, our Year 8 premier league teams played their last game of the season against Emmanuel Catholic College at four different locations.
We congratulate all students who participated in the SACCSS Competition and thank the teachers for giving up their time to coach and accompany players to their games.
We wish the four teams playing semifinals next week the best of luck.
On Thursday our girls basketball team and boys soccer team will play Marymede Catholic College, while our girls volleyball team and netall teamwill play MacKillop Catholic College.
The results of Round 7 are as follows:
Boys Basketball: EMC (Emmanuel Catholic College) def CRC 61-38
Girls Basketball: CRC def EMC 46-19
Boys Volleyball: EMC def CRC 3-2
Girls Volleyball: CRC def EMC 3-0
Boys Soccer: CRC def EMC 5-1
Girls Soccer: EMC def CRC 10-2
Cricket: EMC def CRC 10/72, 3/105
Girls Netball: EMC def CRC 21-26
The results of Round 6 were:
Girls Basketball: CRC def SMC (St Monica’s Catholic College) 41 – 59
Boys Basketball: SMC def CRC 46 – 39
Girls Volleyball: CRC def SMC 3-1
Boys Volleyball: SMC def CRC 3-1
Cricket: Draw
Girls Soccer: SMC def CRC 18-0
Boys Soccer: SMC def CRC 7-0
Girls Netball: CRC def SMC 27-22
Year 10 student Lucy completed the Zoos Victoria Youth Leadership Program last term.
This week she shares her thoughts on the program.
From April to September, I participated in the Zoos Victoria Youth Leadership Program with year 9 and 10 students from across Victoria.
I learned important leadership skills and gained knowledge on how to protect our environment. By the end of the program, we had to propose an idea to the zoo about ways to prevent plastic from going into waterways and ending up in the ocean.
Our two main ideas were introducing environmental science studies into the general science curriculum or bringing in a plastic tax.
Introducing environmental science studies was the most favoured suggestion because it is easy to place into the curriculum and benefits the environment and schools.
We also had to construct a plan and explain how we would implement our idea.
Overall, the experience was very enjoyable and allowed me to make many like-minded friends.
14 October 2022
With less than 50 days until the Victorian State Election, help us continue to spread the word that our students deserve equal access to the funding and opportunities they need to learn, grow and flourish.
I’m pleased to share that the Liberals and Nationals Party have committed $175 million per annum over four years towards non-government schools for capital infrastructure, if elected in November.
This multi-year investment will go a long way to ensuring that our students have access to school infrastructure that meets all the needs of a modern and evolving curriculum.
While this is a significant step forward, we’re only halfway there.
We are hopeful that the Victorian Labor Party will make a similar announcement in the coming weeks and call on all our parents and carers, family and friends of our students to show their support for our plan by advocating to their local Labor MP.
Visit cecv.catholic.edu.au/funding to find out more about our plan to address increasing demand for a Catholic education and ensure that our schools have the right funding and support into the future.
Catholic Education Commission of Victoria
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