Weekly Reflection


This year, we began a Bible studies club at the Melton Campus, which came about through student interest and has proved very fruitful. Studying the Scriptures is more than just an intellectual pursuit. It provides a real possibility to encounter the living Christ in the Word of God.

The Word of God is not a stagnant word from thousands of years ago. It is living, it is alive, and it has the power to change the lives of all people. The Bible studies group at Melton Campus has proven how powerful reading the scriptures can be and we will look at starting a similar group at Cobblebank Campus in 2024.

Below are the experiences of two students involved in the group. I hope their testimony encourages other students to get involved next year.

"This year at St Francis Catholic College, we have had the absolute privilege of being offered the opportunity to attend Bible Club on Monday lunchtime. Over the year, many new faces have come and gone; all have been welcome and have made a terrific contribution to understanding their Faith and the Word of God. 

Mr Sciberras has kindly given up his lunchtime each week to facilitate rich discussions with a group of staff and students keen to learn and share our Faith on a deeper level. It has been a calm, respectful and meditative space to come closer to Our Lord. 

For over 40 years, our school motto was “In all things let God be glorified”. This year, our College has taken the motto “Faith in Action”. Bible Club was a fantastic opportunity to blend both mottos, as our weekly discussions helped us understand the Gospel and glorify God through a deeper examination of the Word. We truly did glorify God and put our Faith into action each week. 

Our Faith underpins everything that we do as Catholics, and to have deep discussions each week about God is a great way to thank Him. In Domino et Domina, God Bless." Isabella Z - Year 10


"During my time in Bible Study, I’ve learned a lot about Christianity and the Church. I’ve shared many lessons and teachings in the Bible, and I believe it has helped me become a better and stronger Christian. In the Scriptures, we have really gone deep into the Word, which has broadened my knowledge and understanding of the Bible. Hearing stories of real-life people and how their faith helped themselves and others was intriguing. Studying the Bible motivates me to live a life that displays Christ and all the blessings I have in life." Best N – Year 7

Jonathan Antony

Acting Director of Faith and Mission

From the Principal

This week, I will travel to Italy with our staff and students on the College Cultural Exchange. We will visit Milan, Verona, Venice, Lucca, Pisa, Florence, Assisi and Rome.

Along the way, we will also stay in Cividale, east of Venice, to visit our sister school Convitto Nazionale-Paolo Diacono (CNPD).

This will be a wonderful opportunity to experience first-hand the real-life experiences of students in Italy. Students will visit classes and build friendships with CNPD students who will visit Australia in 2025.

The benefits of such a trip are many. Cultural exchanges build empathy and understanding in students and develop their confidence in social situations.

Year 12 Graduation Dinner

Last Friday evening, staff and the 2023 Year 12 cohort gathered for the final time to celebrate the completion of six years of secondary schooling. 

Parents, teachers and students celebrated over dinner and finished the night with jubilant dancing. It is always a joy to see students dressed up in their evening wear, so different from their school uniforms. The Graduation Dinner is an opportunity for staff and parents to celebrate the collaborative partnership that has led to our students' successful completion of Year 12. 

We look forward to hearing about the wonderful endeavours of our students in the future and wish them all the very best.

Jump Start

I appreciate your support of Jump Start this week. It gives our students a solid start to the academic year ahead and is an opportunity to reset standards and set some goals for 2024.

As this will be my last newsletter message for 2023, I take this opportunity to wish all of our parents, guardians and students a restful and safe Christmas. May this Christmas season bring joy and blessings.

Marlene Jorgensen

Principal

Looking Ahead - Melton Campus Students

Dates to remember
Thursday 30 NovemberTerm 4 concludes for all current Year 10 and 11 students
Friday 1 DecemberJunior Awards Ceremony (all current Year 7-9 students)
Term 4 concludes for all current Year 7-9 students at 1.15pm
Wednesday 31 January 2024Term 1 begins at 8.45am for Year 7 and Year 12 students
Thursday 1 February 2024Term 1 begins for Year 8-11 students

Looking Ahead - Cobblebank Campus Students

Dates to remember
Thursday 30 November Junior Awards Ceremony
Friday 1 DecemberTerm 4 concludes at 12.45pm
Wednesday 31 January 2024Term 1 begins at 8.45am for Year 7 students only
Thursday 1 February 2024Term 1 begins at 8.45am for Year 8 students

Carparking Outside Melton Campus

As advised last week, car parking along Bulmans Road outside the Melton Campus is currently unavailable due to roadworks by Melton Council.

The council has constructed a temporary car park north of Sovereign Boulevard along Bulmans Rd near the Happy Feet Early Learning Centre, where you can drop off and pick up your child during the final two weeks of Term 4. Please see the map below that highlights the location of the car park.

A crossing supervisor and one of our staff will be stationed at Sovereign Boulevard to ensure all pedestrians cross safely before and after school.

If you drop off and pick up your child at Cambrian Way Reserve opposite the College, please ensure they use the school crossing directly outside Gate 6.

Car parking outside the College will likely be limited until at least April next year. We will provide further updates before students return in Term 1 2024.

Again, we thank you for your patience and understanding as these works occur and remind you to please abide by all traffic safety signs as you travel through the area.

Pedestrian safety at Cobblebank Campus

Cobblebank Campus families are reminded to take extra care when dropping off and picking up their children on Adelong Boulevard.

The street is busy before and after school as students move to and from vehicles, so please use the parking bays available. Stopping on the road or illegally, allowing your child to step out of the car and onto the road or dart out between cars is dangerous and puts the safety of all pedestrians and motorists at risk.

A reminder to all families that the pedestrian gate at Cobblebank Campus opens at 8am.

From the Deputy Principal Student Wellbeing – Melton Campus


Our Year 9 Melton Campus students participated in various activities facilitated by yLead last week to develop their leadership skills.

The whole year level participated in a one-day workshop that promoted teamwork and cooperation.

The next day, yLead ran a workshop for our peer support leaders, who will work closely with our new Melton Campus Year 7 students to make them feel welcome and get the best possible start to life at SFCC.

yLead work on the three essential pillars of leadership:

  • Leadership Begins Within – Building a strong sense of identity and self-confidence around individual strengths, passions and abilities.
  • Together Has Power – Exploring the power and importance of relationships and team dynamics.
  • Leadership is Action – Developing the skills, tools and attitudes to create positive change at school, within the community and beyond.

Click here for more information about yLead.

I would like to thank the staff involved in the two days, especially at this busy time of the year, particularly our Student Leadership Coordinator Nirasha Pandi for her organisation and Lawrence House Leader Jordan Reithofer's contribution during the workshops.

Cheryl Bullen

Deputy Principal Student Wellbeing - Melton Campus

2023 SACCSS Awards


Congratulations to all students recognised for outstanding sporting achievements during 2023 at last week’s annual SACCSS Awards.

Below is a complete list of SFCC award recipients.

Swimming record breaker

Jack Morrow (Year 10) - Boys 16 year 50m Freestyle, Boys 16 year 50m Backstroke, Boys 16 year 100m Freestyle

AFL Girls Junior Player of the Series

Emily Kakoschke (Year 8) (Division 2)

AFL Boys Senior Player of the Series

Jhett Ramsey (Year 10) (Division 2)

Cricket Boys Senior Player of the Series

Jhett Ramsey (Year 10) (Division 1)

Volleyball Boys Senior Champions Division 1

St Francis Catholic College Volleyball Team

Basketball Boys Senior Champions Division 2

St Francis Catholic College Basketball Team

Basketball Boys Senior Player of the Series

Jok Job (Year 12) (Division 2)

John Landy Sportsperson Award

Jai Rowley - Year 12

Throughout his years at SFCC Melton, Jai has demonstrated excellent sportsmanship, leadership and role modelling at various SACCSS Events.

This year alone, Jai captained the senior volleyball team to a Division 1 championship, was recognised with the Peer Award at the senior volleyball grand final and gave up his lunchtimes to assist the Year 7 volleyball team from Cobblebank with skill development in their first Premier League season.

Jai displays the qualities that create great sportspeople, such as integrity, leadership and dedication to the team, and we congratulate him on receiving the John Landy Award in his final year at St Francis Catholic College.

Lauren Martin - Year 11

Lauren has been a strong and influential sportswoman at SFCC Melton.

She has been a prominent member of the junior and senior netball teams and represented the College in AFL, tennis and hockey.

Lauren has been a fantastic role model, inspiring younger students to participate in sports. She was appointed a student coach for the Year 7 netball team in 2022 (for which she received significant praise for her efforts) and attended this year's SACCSS Athletics Carnival as a student helper.

Lauren has displayed a high standard of leadership and commitment to sport at the College and we congratulate her on receiving the John Landy award this year.


Claudia Alp

Sports Coordinator

Visit to the Victorian Parliament

Earlier this term, our Unit 1 and 2 Legal Studies students visited the Victorian Parliament in Melbourne.

The students participated in a role-play in the Legislative Assembly, where they acted out the passing of the recent law to create safe-injecting rooms.

Students took on the role of various members of parliament, Premier, opposition leader and speaker to voice their opinions and vote on this contentious issue.

They had a great day out, experiencing what it was like to be a politician and finished the day with a tour of one of Victoria’s most historical and important buildings.

We hope to see some of them return to Parliament to represent our electorates in the future.

Shanelle Sertic

Humanities Teacher

Sports Update

Melton Campus Year 8 Premier League semi-finals

Team

Result

SFCC Ladder position

Girls' Basketball

Salesian College 53 d SFCC 21

4

Netball

Salesian College 55 d SFCC 10

4

Girls' Volleyball

Emmanuel College 2 sets d SFCC 1 set

3

Boys' Volleyball

SFCC 2 sets d St Monica’s College 1 set

1

Our Year 8 boys’ volleyball team is excited to play in the grand final against MacKillop College at Cobblebank Stadium this week. We wish them the best of luck!

Emily Cook

Sports Trainee

Community Notices

Have your say on the Western Freeway upgrade

Planning is underway for a potential upgrade of the Western Freeway between Melton and Caroline Springs to improve safety, freeway access and road capacity to help accommodate growing demand.

Options being explored to upgrade the Western Freeway between Harkness Road and Christies Road include:

  • additional road lanes ​
  • new interchanges and overpasses
  • upgrades to existing interchanges
  • upgrades to walking and cycling paths
  • traffic signal and street lighting improvements
  • public transport priority facilities.​

Have your say

Until Sunday 3 December 2023, feedback is being sought to help inform our planning and shape the development of project options.

Come and meet the Big Build Roads team

Drop in to have a chat to the project team, provide your feedback or ask a question about the potential upgrade. They will be in the local area at:

  • Woodgrove Shopping Centre on Thursday 23 November from 11am to 2pm
  • Woodlea Town Centre on Thursday 23 November from 4pm to 7pm
  • CS Square on Saturday 25 November from 9am to 12pm.

You are encouraged to visit bigbuild.vic.gov.au/roads-subscribe and sign up for email and SMS updates, so you can be kept informed of planning progresses.

Bounce Back Melton

Bounce Back Melton is held fortnightly at Western Bace, Cobblebank. 

The next workshops will take place on Friday 1 December, Friday 15 December, Friday 29 December (TBC), Friday 12 January and Friday 26 January.


Soup Van volunteers wanted




Useful Links

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

PAM – Parent Portal

Enrolment

Parent Handbook

SFCC Careers Website

Facebook

Instagram

Policies

Uniform

Library

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