From the Principal

Last Friday (27 October) we celebrated World Teachers Day. It was an opportunity to say thank you to all the teachers who work so hard each day to nurture, inspire and teach the students in our care.

Teachers do so much more than teach subject and content knowledge. They take time to listen to young people, spend hours creating engaging lessons and take seriously the need to provide constructive feedback on student progress.

They are committed to developing students' content knowledge but also contributing to their emotional and social growth.

This gives us all reason to celebrate. It is a wonderful opportunity to recognise all staff and teachers for the important role they play in our community and to acknowledge the positive impact they have on the lives of young people.

Teachers aim to inspire a lifelong love of learning and to produce inquisitive and empathetic individuals who will one day leave school and make a difference in our world.

Thank you to all our dedicated staff at St Francis Catholic College – both teachers and those who support their work. We are grateful for your efforts and appreciate your skills and talents.

All Souls Day

On Thursday, staff will once again gather to remember those with whom we have worked who have passed away.

Our memorial garden at the Melton Campus reminds us of the significant contribution that previous staff have made to the College. We remember them and their families and give thanks for the legacy they have left.

Looking Ahead - Melton Campus Students

Looking Ahead - Cobblebank Campus Students

Lumination Learning Lab Launch

Last Friday the College held an official launch of its new Lumination Learning Lab at the Melton Campus.

A former IT laboratory has been converted into a state-of-the-art virtual immersive and augmented reality space for learning.

There were a number of special guests who attended the opening including State Member for Melton, Mr Steve McGhie MP, the Federal Member for Hawke Mr Sam Rae MP, City of Melton Mayor Cr Lara Carli, Mr John Mills and Mr Craig Holmes from Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools, Melton Parish Priest Father Michael Moody, principals from our local parish feeder primary schools, members of the School Advisory Council and Parents and Friends Association.

With the help of our staff Lab Champions, guests tried out the new technology, choosing to visit the Sistine Chapel, repair a spaceship, experience an earthquake or perform the latest dance moves.

Classes in the Lumination Lab will align with lessons and units of work from years 7 to 12 in our curriculum.

With access to both Lumination’s extensive library and a dedicated education officer to co-write targeted and specific lessons and units, students will experience learning on a completely new level.

This virtual reality technology will provide skills beyond the classroom as many industries including medical, mining, design and sport already use immersive technologies in the workplace.

From the Deputy Principal Student Wellbeing – Melton Campus

The eSafety Commissioner has many useful resources to help parents and guardians help their children access and understand different social media platforms.

Finding the balance between allowing your child to communicate with their peers, being exposed to content that is age-appropriate and maintaining positive relationships online can be challenging.

The eSafety Commissioner is at the forefront of creating awareness and building resources for parents and guardians and our young people.

Below are free eSafety webinars scheduled for Term 4.

You may also find the App Checklist below from the eSafety Commissioner useful. It provides tools and resources to ensure children have safe and positive online experiences.

eSafety Commissioner App Checklist for Parents

Celebrating our Faith in Action

Our Faith and Mission team presented their 2023 highlights at the St Vincent de Paul School Conference Networking Event hosted at Caroline Chisholm Catholic College last week.

The event gave our students and teams from Caroline Chisholm and Mount St Joseph’s Girl College the chance to celebrate their achievements and connect, collaborate and generate new ideas for social justice activities in 2024.

You can read more about the day from our Deputy Faith and Mission Captain Diana below.

“At the conference, SFCC Faith and Mission representatives presented an overview of our successful Homelessness Campaign and Winter Sleepout including what was achieved and how it benefited the Melton community.

“Each school took turns presenting their ideas about the good works they accomplished and how they had helped.

“The conference was a very positive experience for all who attended and inspired new ideas about how to successfully incorporate Vinnies’ seven values of commitment, compassion, respect, integrity, empathy, advocacy, and courage.

“This experience was eye-opening and enabled us to feel for those who have struggled in the past and better understand the decisions they had to make to survive. I look forward to being a part of the conference in the future and developing new ideas for next year and beyond.”

Members of the Faith and Mission team presented Principal Marlene Jorgensen with a Certificate of Appreciation they received at the conference that recognised the College’s connection to Vinnies and the Good Works Program.

SACCSS Junior Tennis

History was made at SACCSS Junior Tennis as Melton and Cobblebank students stepped on opposite sides of the net making St Francis Catholic College the first school to ever field teams from two campuses to compete against each other.

Year 7 students Noah and Kritika from Cobblebank Campus took to the court to play against Year 8 Melton Campus students Shreeya and Josh.

Cobblebank emerged the victors winning the match with four games to Melton's two.

Congratulations also to Melton’s Sophie Donachie for placing second in the Girl's Singles category and Prabal Bhumbla and Alvin Hundal from Cobblebank who placed third in Boy's Doubles.

Year 10 Elite Sports Academy Excursion

Last Thursday our Year 10 Elite Sports Academy students visited ProPhysio Plus in Hoppers Crossing to learn more about taping and strapping techniques and how to effectively warm up and perform a deadlift and squat movement for their specific sports.

Over the last week, students have been learning different taping techniques for the ankle, knee, elbow, wrist and thumb. They were able to demonstrate their skills, under guidance from the physiotherapists at ProPhysio Plus, while learning how to effectively support different joints in preparation for exercise to help reduce the risk of injury.

Students then learned about two fundamental movements to help them build strength to bolster their sporting performance.

Deadlifting and squatting movement patterns will help to form each student's individualised program being developed during their Elite Sports Academy journey.

The physiotherapists were able to help modify each movement for every student as needed to help them maximise the effectiveness of their training.

Sports Update

Year 8 Premier League - Melton Campus - Round 2 results

Community Notices

Soup Van volunteers wanted

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Keep updated with College events, procedures, resources and information via the links below.

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