From the Principal

Last Sunday was the last in Ordinary Time, ending the longest season of the liturgical year. I cannot believe how fast the year has gone despite how radically different the days have been.

The readings on Sunday that celebrated the Feast of Christ the King speak loud and clear about our obligation to look out for those in the shadows.

“In truth I tell you, in so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me.” Matthew 25:40

I thank Ms Clare Hume and her Social Justice Team who have worked tirelessly all year to provide for those less fortunate than ourselves. As we approach the Season of Advent, I encourage all to contribute to our Wishing Tree initiative through donations in homerooms. The baskets that are assembled are distributed to families in need.

This small self-sacrifice puts our faith into action and is an opportunity for us all to be grateful for our daily blessings.

Upcoming activities for Year 7 to 9 students

Next week our Year 7 and 9 students will finally be able to enjoy camps that were postponed earlier this year.

Year 7 students will travel to Weekaway Recreational Camp in Benloch, one hour north of Melbourne. Our young women in Year 9 will travel to Grantville Lodge in Grantville (along the coast of Western Port Bay) and our young men to Roses Gap Recreation Centre, Roses Gap in the Grampians National Park.

For Year 7 students, the camp will be an opportunity to get to know their peers and teachers after such a long time learning from home.

For our Year 9 students, the camp will mark the end of their Rite Journey program. The Rite Journey helps students transition from children to young adults as they prepare for the higher demands of Year 10 study and grapple with the changes of adolescence.

I want to thank our teachers, who will accompany our students. It has been a huge year. Their willingness to spend time away from their own families to be with our students is very much appreciated. We wish all our students well and hope that they enjoy the camp experience.

I look forward to joining students throughout the camp week.

Next week will also see a dedicated sports day for both our Year 8 and 9 students. We hope this fun physical day will see students end the year on a positive note.

Looking Ahead

From the Deputy Principal Learning and Teaching

Year 11 and 12 2021 Jumpstart classes have progressed well with good attendance at this valuable time for learning in both senior pathways - VCE and VCAL.

Students are introduced to the topics taught, revise key skills and begin the 2021 content for Term 1.

A reminder to parents and guardians that if your child is unwell, they should remain at home. Please contact the College so the absence can be recorded. Jumpstart classes contribute the overall attendance for VCE and VCAL.

Semester 2 reports

College reports will be released via the Parent Access Module (PAM) on Wednesday 9 December. Students in Year 7 to 9 are completing final assessment tasks and teachers will mark these over the next few weeks.

The results of the assessment tasks will be available to students through SIMON and to parents and guardians through PAM. Before students leave for their Year 7 or Year 9 camp, all assessment tasks should be submitted to teachers so they can be marked and feedback given to students.

Reflecting on learning in 2020

As we near the end of the year it is a good time to help your child re-assess their progress in 2020. A few good starting questions are:

• Have you settled into the classroom learning environment?
• Do you have any concerns with your learning progress?
• What has been a challenge this term?
• What has been a highlight for you for this term?
• What new learning strategies did you learn in Distance Learning Mode? What methods will you keep using?

I would like to congratulate our students for trying their best during this very challenging year. I thank parents and guardians for supporting their children and the College as we all worked towards achieving positive outcomes in learning and wellbeing.

From the Deputy Principal Staff

2021 VCE subject selections

Year 11 and 12 subjects need to be finalised by the end of the Jumpstart period this Friday 27 November to ensure students have access to the holiday work that needs to be completed before classes start next year.

Term 4 key dates

VCE/VCAL 2021 Jumpstart runs until Friday 27 November. Our Farewell Mass takes place at 12.15pm Students will be dismissed after its completion.

Year 7, 8 and 9 finish dates

Year 7 to 9 students will also take part in our Farewell Mass on Friday 27 November.

Year 7 students will attend a one night camp from either Monday 30 November to Tuesday 1 December or Tuesday 1 December to Wednesday, 2 December. They will then be involved in a special program until their final day on Friday 4 December, when they will be dismissed at 12.30pm.

Year 8 students will finish classes on Wednesday 2 December and participate in a Sports and Activity Day on Thursday 3 December. Their final day on Friday 4 December will conclude at 12.30pm.

Year 9 students finish classes on Monday 30 November and will take part in their Sports and Activity Day on Tuesday 1 December. Gadal RITE Journey Camps will run from Wednesday 2 December to Friday 4 December.

2021 start dates

Our new Year 7 students will begin the year on Friday 29 January. All Year 7 to 12 classes will commence on Monday 1 February.

Canteen Lunch Orders

A new lunch order pickup process was introduced at the College Canteen last week.

The first 10 minutes of each lunchtime is exclusively for lunch order pickups. Students who would like to purchase items should line up outside and wait.

Year 7 and 8 students can collect their lunch order from the side window while Year 9 to 11 students can collect their orders from inside the canteen.

All social distancing guidelines remain in place with a limited number of students permitted inside the canteen at one time. Masks should be worn inside the canteen and while lining up outside if social distancing cannot be maintained.

After the first 10 minutes of lunchtime, students will be allowed to enter the canteen and make their purchases. Students who are late to pick up a lunch order should do so using the side window.

VCE 2020 Folio Exhibition

Our VCE 2020 Folio Exhibition has gone virtual and is now live on our website for all to enjoy.

While the presentation of artwork looks a little different this year, I promise you the experience and quality of work will not disappoint. This year presented our students with some challenges but also with some great success.

One of the most significant difficulties our students faced this year was not being able to access equipment, materials or their teachers on site for a large part of the school year. Impressively our students showed resilience, resourcefulness and became much more independent. These are qualities that we hope to instill in our students every year, but we don’t always get to see it first-hand.

This year, our students relied on their families more than they usually would. I thank parents and guardians for supporting their child in their creative journey.

The work produced this year is everything I hoped it would be and in some cases, more than I could have expected. Students commented on the positive aspects of studying from home, like being able to work on their folios without having to stop or pack up at the end of a lesson. They were able to spend many more hours after school being creative as they did not have other obligations to pull them away.

Creativity has been a winner during distance learning and I encourage all our Year 12 students to pursue this into adulthood no matter what career path they choose to follow.

Congratulations to all our exhibiting students, you have done yourself, your teachers and Catholic Regional College Melton proud. Good luck in your future endeavours.

Sports and Activity Day

Next week our Year 8 and 9 students will participate in a COVID-safe Sports and Activity Day at the College.

Tuesday 1 December – Year 9 students

Thursday 3 December – Year 8 students

The event will enable students to enjoy their last day of classes by completing an activity of their choice.

Activities include basketball, volleyball, soccer, AFL, chess, board games and e-sports.

We are pleased to provide these opportunities to students in the final week of term, given the pandemic prevented so many activities from occurring this year.

If your child is yet to make a selection for the day, please encourage them to email Jonah Grech our Sports Assistant at jgrech@sfcc.vic.edu.au.

If you have any other queries about the day, please contact me on dhenneman@sfcc.vic.edu.au

Below is reflection on the experience from Year 8 students Apajok.

“On Wednesday 27 November all Year 8 students participated in the Project Rockit program. The program teaches young students to allow positive change within the community. We were all given booklets and discussed amongst ourselves and together as a class common issues such as bullying through social media. We also wrote about our own experiences in different types of situations. We learnt so much about consequences, how to deal with them and also how to stand up for ourselves. We also learnt that instead of spreading negativity in the community to spread positivity instead.

“We listened to webinars that covered respect, empathy, how to stand up when someone is being bullied and how one word can change someone’s life for the better or worse. There were great discussions in our classrooms with students participating eagerly on this important topic. Overall the day was informative and engaging on a subject that needs to be addressed more.”

Wood Students Overcome Challenges

Our Year 10 Design and Technology Wood students worked incredibly hard this semester to create a range of high-quality products in just 11 lessons.

During Distance Learning Mode, the students designed a small piece of furniture using only square or rectangular shapes. They researched the safe use of portable power tools and wrote production plans.

Upon return to on-site classes and with very little time in the workshop, all students produced high quality, functional products. Planning, motivation, and independent thinking were the key to their success. 

Languages in Term 4

What a great feeling it is to be back at school and see all our students. Being back in the Languages classroom has never felt so fantastic and we certainly missed the joy, cheer and laughter.

I want to share a quote that resonates with our feelings about this topsy turvy year – “If everything was perfect, you would never learn and you would never grow”.

Our Year 7 cohort are pleased to see their friends once again and are extremely busy creating their Guess Who? Chi e’? PowerPoint presentations on famous people or their family members in Italian. These are currently being presented to their class.

Our Year 8 students are enjoying the study of hobbies, sport and leisure activities. They have created Kahoots and played Quizlets in class to consolidate their learning before their Listening and Reading Test on the educational online app Education Perfect.

Year 9 and 10 languages students have lived up to the saying “Rise above the storm and you will find the sunshine”.

It was a challenge for students to complete assessment tasks online but they did so successfully. They have returned to class enthusiastically to complete their two final tasks: A Personal Correspondence, both reading and responding to a blog about travelling to Italy/Indonesia, and also writing an email regarding their positive experience as exchange students.

A sincere thank you to Mrs Jorgensen, our College Principal, who visited my Year 9 Italian class and spoke about the value of learning a new language. Mrs Jorgensen also recalled her funny experiences as a Year 8 student studying French and the importance of being bilingual when travelling. Describing her experience in Pompei, Mrs Jorgensen said this was a highlight of her Italian adventure and she looked forward to visiting again in the future. Evviva Italia!

Our senior Italian students have completed their classes and are currently sitting their final exams. The Year 10 and 12 Italian students have appreciated the dedication their teachers have placed in preparing them for VCE and the world beyond our College gates.

Their acquired oral language skills will undoubtedly be used in their careers and beyond.

Both Ms Montalti and I are proud of the Year 10 Italian students who have attained their Certificate II in Applied Language and of the VCE Italian students who have acquired their Certificate III in Applied Language.

It is a wonderful accomplishment to have earned a nationally recognised certificate. We congratulate the students and wish them the best in their future endeavours.

I wish all of our students and their families a joyful Christmas and a prosperous New Year.

Virtual Talent Show winners

The winners of our 2020 Virtual Talent Show have been decided!

We want to thank all the students who submitted a video showcasing their various talents and to the rest of the school community for casting their vote.

Year 10 student Cooper Brown won first place for his outstanding vocal performance.

Year 10 student, Joel Grech came second with his amazing blindfolded instrumental performance.

Year 12 student Briannah Mungcal took out third place with her brilliant vocal performance.

Community Business Directory

There are still plenty of spaces to promote your business in our Community Business Directory.

To make sure your business is included in the final edition for 2020, please fill out the Expression of Interest Form below and email it to src@sfcc.vic.edu.au

We look forward to hearing from you and continuing to promote your business to our CRC Melton community.

Community Notices

Supporting children's wellbeing

The Family Wellbeing Support Service is a child-focused support service to help families better deal with life’s transitions and challenges. It provides free, flexible support to enhance resilience, health and wellbeing for families.

By working with children and families, the service identifies risk factors or issues that may lead to poor mental health outcomes later in life. Addressing these issues early can build resilience and reduce the likelihood of mental health issues in the future.

More information is available below.

Vinnies No Interest Loans

The Vinnies No Interest Loans (NILs) initiative can help struggling families cover the cost of essential school items. A NILs loan has no interest, no fees, no charges, ever.

Every year, Vinnies helps parents and carers on low incomes (in particular those on Centrelink) to apply for a NILs loan of up to $1500 to cover the cost of essential school items such as uniforms, books, laptops, stationery, school camps, and musical instruments.

Loans are also available for other essentials such as washing machines, fridges, car repairs, medical and dental expenses.

A NILs loan is a safe, affordable alternative to high-interest payday loans or rent-to-buy leases. It is not a payday loan or a bank loan but a form of circular community credit. This means when a borrower makes a repayment to NILs, the funds are released to someone else in the community.

NILs is supported by not-for-profit Good Shepherd Australia New Zealand, with funding from the Australian Government in partnership with NAB.

To find out more call 5229 8829 or visit www.vinniesnils.org.au