Newsletter | See as God sees

Last week we could have felt like the narrator and little mouse in Robert Burn’s poem To a Mouse, from which comes the famous line 'the best laid plans of mice and men, often go awry'. What should have been a normal third week of school at the beginning of the year with onsite classes, co-curricular activities and liturgies was suddenly turned around because of the reimposed restrictions and the brief return to Online Home Learning. Feedback received from students, parents and guardians, and staff suggests we were well prepared and responded appropriately so that effective learning could continue. I thank our staff for the manner in which this transition was so well managed at such short notice. I also congratulate our students for the calm manner in which they gathered their resources on the Friday of the lockdown. While I am sure some may have felt disappointed, they all took it in the stride; their confidence in the process and what was required of them was admirable. I also thank our College Student Leadership Team for the way they quickly produced Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday videos and prayer services to replace what are time-honoured events and ceremonies in our school.

At the same time, we were very uncertain whether our Swimming Carnival could proceed and upon receiving a positive response late Wednesday, staff such as our House and Student Leadership Coordinator, Francis Nguyen; Head of Sport, Katrina Gurciullo; Sport Assistant, Liam Cox; and Director of Organisation, Bernadette Anderson, swung into action to ensure all would be ready for Friday. I sincerely thank them, the members of our Leadership Team and all staff for their role in ensuring students and staff could enjoy the day. I also thank our Sports Captain Jorja L and House Captains, Brielle S, Emma M, Ciara M, Georgia W, Zafira T, Amelia S and Brigitte C-H for their contributions to the day.

Finally thank you to all our students for their participation. The image of them all dancing the Macarena at the beginning of the carnival was a sight to behold. Finally, congratulations to all competitors and, in particular, Carmel House for once again taking out the House Swimming Cup, Loreto for winning the Novelty events and Carmel and Loreto for sharing first place in the Volleyball competition.

This week we also formally welcomed our Year 7 families to Our Lady of Sion College and we rounded off our information evenings with the Year 10 & Camp Information Evening on Wednesday. This year, we made a conscious decision to host these evenings face-to-face rather than online and we hope that they have been a positive way for parents and guardians to reconnect or establish a good relationship with the key staff in their daughters' lives and other parents and guardians in their daughter's Homeroom.

This week we also welcomed prospective families and students into the College with our first Talk & Tour for the year. Next month we will host our Open Day (subject to restrictions). I know many prospective families who missed out in 2020 are very keen to visit the College in person. If current parents and guardians are aware of families who are interested in enrolling their daughter in the school, your support in making them aware that they are now able to attend these events in person would be appreciated. Our website provides them with booking details.

Finally, I thank our Parents’ Association, and in particular the many parents who joined us on Monday evening for the first meeting in 12 months. It was a great opportunity to plan events that are centred on welcoming new families, strengthening the sense of community that is a hallmark of our College and ultimately supporting our students. I sincerely thank Ms Vesna Wirth (President), Ms Vicky Burgio (Vice President), Mrs Caroline Athy (Secretary) and Mrs Melanie Hosie (Treasurer) for once again taking on these leadership roles and for their ongoing commitment to our College.

With every blessing for the fortnight ahead.

Tina Apostolopoulos

Applications for Year 7, 2024 are closing soon

Families already enrolled at the College still need to submit an Application of Enrolment Form for each additional child wishing to attend Our Lady of Sion College. If you have a daughter in Year 5, please ensure you submit her Application for Enrolment by Friday 19 August 2022.

For all enquiries, please contact Ms Robyn McCann, College Registrar, on 9890 9097 or registrar@sion.catholic.edu.au.

Isn’t it great to have things almost returning to some sort of ‘normal’? We can go for walks without a mask, have a few friends visit us in our homes, etc. Let’s hope things continue to improve as we fight this COVID-19 pandemic.

Speaking of ‘normal’, our Chapel sessions have now begun back here at school. Led by our Liturgy Captain, Imogen V-R, and the Liturgy Representatives, each level gathers once a fortnight in the chapel for prayer.

The first of our chapel sessions has seen the Liturgy Representatives be joined by the Social Justice Representatives, and the theme of their prayer has focussed on World Social Justice Day which was recognised on Saturday 20 February.

Below is the Scripture reading that was chosen by the girls and a copy of their final prayer:

A reading from Deuteronomy 15:7-11

If there is among you anyone in need, a member of your community in any of your towns within the land that the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hard-hearted or tight-fisted toward your needy neighbour. You should rather open your hand, willingly lending enough to meet the need, whatever it may be. Be careful that you do not entertain a mean thought, thinking, "The seventh year, the year of remission, is near," and therefore view your needy neighbour with hostility and give nothing; your neighbour might cry to the Lord against you, and you would incur guilt. Give liberally and be ungrudging when you do so, for on this account the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake. Since there will never cease to be some in need on the earth, I, therefore, command you, "Open your hand to the poor and needy neighbour in your land."

Get involved in Learning at Sion

There are lots of opportunities for students to become involved in co-curricular learning at Sion, that complement formal curriculum skills. Some of these are already in action and others will be communicated to students in the near future.

• Writer’s Club - hosted in the Learning Resource Centre, students brainstorm good writing ideas, practise particular features or share each other's work.
• Maths Assist - this after school club supports numeracy skills across the curriculum levels. Supported by the Maths teachers, students can take particular areas of concern to the teachers who will assist them with the underlying maths concepts.
• STEAM Club - to be hosted in our new Makerspace, this club will commence with the 3D printers, and afterwards will be student driven, focussing on their interests. The girls will be involved in competitions and their achievements will be promoted throughout the College.

Busting Fake News and Myths

Recently, the news made news when the Australian Government expected social media platforms to pay Australian news outlets for their content. Yet, I am also mindful that our young people obtain most of their news from social media and not all of it is factual or reliable; at times, it can be harmful.

Fake news has the power to normalise prejudices, to foster an ‘us-versus-them’ attitude and even, in extreme cases, to justify and encourage discrimination or violence.

It would be useful to have your daughter question who wrote the post, could the post be biased and why, how old is the information it contains, and has any information been left out. To help them navigate the ‘fake news mindfield’, it is useful for parents/guardians to start the conversation by sharing a current issue that has a lot of conflicting views.

What an amazing start to the school year our Year 12 students and families have had. First day of Year 12, school photos, Opening College Mass, Top Achiever's Assembly, Parent Information Evening, Year 12 Retreat, a return to Online Home Learning and to round us out, our College House Swimming Carnival.

On behalf of Ms Anna Gionfriddo (12 Blue), Ms Cara Callum (12 Gold), Ms Tricia Smith (12 Purple) Ms Ellie Van Der Westhuizen (12 Red), Mr Michael Hein (12 Silver) and Mr Rob Steward (12 White) along with Mrs Dale Hunter (Senior Learning Leader) and Mrs Brooke O’Hara (Careers and Pathways) we can honestly say that the Year 12 students have not missed a beat. Their energy, enthusiasm and willingness to find a way has been outstanding.

Congratulations to the following students who were elected as our Year 11 Class Leaders for 2021:

11 Purple: Jasmine T and Tahlia P

11 Blue: Lily S and Hayley S

11 Gold: Tahlia F and Maddison G

11 Silver: Jasmine F and Winnie W

11 Red: Maya M and Ella B

11 White: Chloe L and Jaimee M

I look forward to working closely with these young women, alongside the SRC and Portfolio Leaders, to create a fun, positive and inclusive environment.

Another fortnight has ended and many more exciting events have taken place.

The Swimming Carnival (especially after our ‘snap lockdown’) created a great opportunity for the Year 8s to socialise with their peers outside the classroom and to also feel part of a team when competing for their House.

The students have also participated in their Humanities excursion, which was another fantastic avenue for learning and growth in the subject.

This week the Year 8s had the opportunity to apply for the position of Class Leader Representative, with Homeroom speeches being held this coming Monday and Tuesday. The leaders will be announced in Homerooms late next week and at assembly. I would like to congratulate everyone who put their name forward and applied for the role, as it takes courage and strength to apply for positions such as these.

Mathematics

We hope your daughter has settled in at school and enjoying her Mathematics classes this year. There will be a range of opportunities available to students in the coming months including Pi Day activities (Year 8) and enrichment competitions such as the Maths Olympiad. Students should keep a close eye on the student bulletin for the announcement of these opportunities.

Lunchtime Support: Maths Assist

For students in need of some additional support outside of the classroom, ‘Maths Assist’ runs every Monday and Thursday at lunchtime in EC2.6 where a Maths teacher is present. All students are welcome to bring their Maths homework (and their lunch!) and receive assistance with concepts or individual problems that are challenging them.

It does not matter how slowly you go, as long as you do not stop.
Confucius

Students and families can find the fortnightly Careers newsletter at https://olsccareers.com/newsletter.

In this fortnight's newsletter there is information relating to:

• Career Industry in the Spotlight – Journalism.
• Things to Consider – Year 12 Careers Meetings, Year 10 work experience, Year 12 UCAT, The Hansen Scholarship 2022, ANU applications for 2022.
• Research ideas – Health Fact sheets, Monash University – Biomedical Engineering specialisation.
  

A huge hello and welcome to 2021, a year packed with great Arts events and opportunities for all students to get involved in the Creative Arts.

One of the ways for students to get involved and receive Arts points is to prepare work for our Visual Arts Competitions.

In 2021 we will be offering a variety of competitions that ask students to interact with different mediums.

Please note:

• Students can submit multiple entries per competition however only one (1) set of points will be awarded per competition.
• All work entered must respond to the competition's particular brief and reflect the time spent, and should take a considered amount of planning and creating.
• The artwork must be a new piece of work and entirely created by the student for each competition.

Please find below an overview of the competitions we will be offering for 2021.

More information for each competition will be available via the student bulletin and posters distributed in Homerooms by the Arts representatives closer to the release date of each competition. We look forward to seeing all the entries!

Music 2021 Ensemble Rehearsals

It’s fantastic to hear so much live music being played around the school. Students are reminded to please bring back their permission forms for all year-long ensemble rehearsals.

Year 7 Music Program

All Year 7 musicians have eagerly received their instruments for the year and have started learning their first notes – the program is definitely operating at ‘full steam ahead’. Please note the starting dates for the compulsory ensemble rehearsals:

• Junior Concert Band 1: flute, clarinet, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, trumpet, French horn, trombone, euphonium and percussion (Monday mornings 7.25 – 8.30 am). The first rehearsal is Monday 15 March
• Junior Concert Band 2: flute, clarinet, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, trumpet, French horn, trombone, euphonium and percussion (Tuesday afternoons 3.25 – 4.25 pm). The first rehearsal is Tuesday 9 March
• Junior Strings: violin, viola, cello and double bass (Wednesday afternoons 3.25 – 4.25 pm). The first rehearsal is Wednesday 17 March
• Junior Choir: all voice students/singers (Tuesday afternoons 3.25 – 4.25 pm). The Year 7 Junior Choir already started on Tuesday 23 February!

House Swimming

What a fantastic day for the House Swimming Carnival!

Lockdown 3.0 cast some doubt over the day but once we got the all clear to proceed, the support from students, staff and the community was expectational. Although the day looked a little bit different with a reduced program of events due to heat, the enthusiasm and excitement of the day remained the same.

Following the opening ceremony, the four Houses unified as one with a full school Macarena, setting the tone and energy early. In the end, Carmel took home the cup for a staggering 22^nd year in a row!

2021 House Swimming Carnival Results

• Carmel: 1387
• Fatima: 1140
  
• Loreto: 910
  
• Lourdes: 818

We congratulate our Year Level Champions and Runners Up – these students will be recognised at their individual Year Level assemblies shortly:

Well done to all students who participated, in particular the Year 12 House Leaders and Sport Captains for their leadership of the day. We look forward to the House Athletics Carnival in Term 2.

Upcoming Events

Our Swim and Dive squad have been preparing for the GSV Preliminary and Championship events at MSAC. Training numbers have been strong on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings. Congratulations to all students who represented the College at the Preliminary event this morning at MSAC.

The GSV Triathlon is fast approaching on Sunday 21 March at Altona. Over 40 students have signed up for the event. If you are interested in participating please come down to the Sport Office.

Aerobics

Over 80 students attend Aerobic try-outs for the 2021 squad. We are now in call back stage with lunchtime try-outs. Thank you to all students and coaches for assisting with the program. The standard at the try-outs has been fantastic, it is already shaping up to be another terrific year!

Sports Star of the Week

This week, Mia A is our Sport Star of the week.

Mia performed exceptionally at the House Carnival, she was crowned the winner of the 50m Freestyle Champions race against the fastest swimmers at the College and awarded Year 9 Champion. We look forward to Mia continuing her form at the GSV Swimming carnivals.

Well done Mia!

GSV Weekly Sport

Weekly GSV Sport is back! Team try-outs for Indoor Cricket, Softball and Tennis began last year with teams announced in Week 2. We had terrific turnout for the try-outs especially for Junior teams. Congratulations to all students who participated in the try-outs and for those students successful in making a team. Results from the first round are below:

Our first Feast Day of 2021 was kick started by Lourdes House. An incredible display of House spirit by all Lourdes students made for a very enjoyable and fun-filled day, full of student-led activities and initiatives. The morning started with a screening of a video organised by our Year 12 Lourdes representatives in Homeroom, which displayed the history and significance of Lourdes, along with what being a part of Lourdes House meant for our Year 8-12 representatives.

The festive House spirit continued right into lunchtime, with our Lourdes House representatives organising and facilitating activities, including a dodgeball competition, a basketball shootout, photo booth, totem tennis, BBQ and student-picnic area on the oval.

I want to thank all House representatives and staff who supported and were involved in the day. I look forward to celebrating the upcoming House events in the year. Happy Lourdes Feast Day!

Street Library

Elaina Clark (11 Gold) and Chloe Newman (11 Purple) have been busy on Friday afternoons painting our Street Library. The goal is to have the Street Library fully painted by the end of term so that we can have our grand opening.

In the meantime, we have been using the Street Library as a way of encouraging students to bring in books that they no longer need, so that other students can read them.

Once the Street Library has been painted up, it will roam around the school giving students access to books and resources that need a home.

Check out the Street Library website to see if there are any in your local community – https://streetlibrary.org.au/.

Library Lovers' Day

Due to the recent lockdown, Library Lovers Day was postponed to Wednesday 24 February 2021.

During lunchtime, students were encouraged to borrow a 'blind date' book, to take a chance with a new book. In addition, students were encouraged to reflect on their favourite books or activities that take place in the Learning Resource Centre. Over the span of the lunchtime over 80 books were borrowed by excited students.

Just like a real date, students are encouraged to find some time to unwrap their book and give the book a chance. Turn off your mobile, switch off the television and prepare to sit and read for 20 minutes to see if you’ll like the book.

The past fortnight has shown us how quickly circumstances can change. Fortunately, our Year 12 students were able to attend their final Retreat at the College. Each Homeroom had the opportunity to live out the College vision statement by showing compassion, donating toiletries, and creating care packs for the homeless men and women of Ozanam House. These packs will be donated to Ozanam House throughout the coming year.

Project Compassion

Our Year 10 and 11 Social Justice representatives participated in the launch of Project Compassion, an online event hosted by St Joseph’s College, Ferntree Gully, and attended by Archbishop Peter A Comensoli.

The presenters highlighted that our commitment to social justice is grounded in our faith. The importance of Caritas Australia in Asia and the hope that our donations bring to those communities supported by Caritas was emphasised.

On Thursday this week, we held our first fundraising initiative for Project Compassion by holding a BBQ. Thank you to all the staff and students who helped make this initiative such an amazing success.

We raised $870 which will construct a water point to provide clean, reliable water for a community in Tanzania, and provide one family with materials to build their own toilet in Indonesia. Our school community showed they can ‘be more’ by taking action to help the various communities Caritas Australia supports throughout the world.

I hope your daughters have started to settle back into school life and are returning to routine.

I wanted to draw your attention to the Student Wellbeing Hub, which is an online Google Classroom that students have access to. I spoke about this at the Parent Information Evening and thought I would share it for those who weren’t there. We started the Hub during Online Home Learning last year, as a way to reach out and provide support to the students. The Student Wellbeing Hub is full of great information and resources on a range of different topics.

Last week, the students were reminded of the Hub and how to access it via their Google Homerooms. You may like to ask them to sit down and show you what’s on there. Or, if you’re noticing your daughter is struggling with organisation, sleep, motivation, etc., you may suggest you pop on there together and have a read of some of the information. Unfortunately, only the students are able to access it so you won’t be able to look without their assistance.