Newsletter | See as God Sees

Happy Easter to all staff, students and families and a very warm welcome back to what I hope will be a wonderful Term 2. It may seem strange to be greeting you with an Easter welcome but in the Catholic tradition we are fortunate to enjoy the season of Easter for 50 days, concluding with the Feast of Pentecost, which this year falls on 23 May. On Easter Sunday, as part of the homily, I heard the following message: Easter reminds us that life is worth living.

What a challenging message during a time when many within our world continue to face significant suffering. On the one hand, the message gives us hope but on the other hand it challenges our understanding of what we see unfolding overseas. In many ways we can only control that which is in our power, but even this can leave us feeling helpless and wondering what actions we may take. When we feel that there is nothing we can do, reaching out to others is one way that may help us to overcome this sense of inadequacy. Prayer is also another way of remaining hopeful in the face of adversity.

One aspect of our school that always gives me hope, is the way that our students enter respectfully and authentically into our whole-school celebrations. They are outward-looking and respond so well to the opportunity to contribute. We saw this at our Lenten Liturgy at the end of Term 1, with senior students who had attended the Australian Catholic Youth Festival in 2019 creating and leading a prayerful re-enactment of the passion and crucifixion of Christ.

We saw it once again on the first day of Term 2, when our Liturgy Captains led the whole school in an Easter Liturgy on our oval. And we saw it again last Friday when student leaders led a very moving ANZAC Day ceremony.

I congratulate our Social Justice Co-ordinators, Mrs Lucy Miotello and Ms Alice Dawes, and our Social Justice Captains led by Jordin R for leading our Project Compassion awareness raising and fundraising this year. Through their efforts and those of our staff and students, the College raised $4,149.60 for Caritas. Thank you to Lucy, Alice, staff and the students who also volunteered at last weekend’s Bunnings BBQ to raise money for the San Luis Lumad school in the Philippines which we support.

Over recent years we have worked to increase student voice, leadership and active engagement to help our young people develop awareness, confidence and agency. They are the hope for our future and together, as parents, guardians and staff, we work to prepare them for life: its challenges and its opportunities.

Our Term 2 Staff Day this year focused on Child Safety and Student Wellbeing. Each year, all staff complete the online mandatory reporting module expected of all schools. In addition to this requirement, all staff engaged in sessions designed to unpack the requirements and ensure that we continue to place student safety at the forefront of all that we do. Please note that this term, Christine Kralj and other leaders and counsellors are preparing to host the Your Safety Matters forums developed by Christine and Year 10 students in recent years. The College has recently been notified of its successful application to be part of the Respectful Relationships program. We are now working to consider how we may enhance what the College already has in place within its curricular and pastoral programs to support the safety and wellbeing of our students.

Certainly 2020 added another layer to our responsibility and to this end I encourage all staff, students and families to remember that we are not yet out of the woods. The College has replenished supplies of disinfectant and hand sanitiser and, as families would now be aware, we have implemented QR codes and strengthened sign-in processes for all events involving parents, guardians and external visitors. Recent weeks have illustrated the importance of these measures in maintaining a lid on the coronavirus within our country. The tragedy that continues to unfold in various countries is sobering and we must do our part within our own community to keep each other safe and well. I thank you for your ongoing support.

I also thank families for their attendance at our recent Student Progress Meetings. Whether face-to-face or online, these meetings represent an ongoing and important way that we continue to ensure our students are supported to achieve their best.

Thank you to Mr Chris Wilkes, our Year 7 Wellbeing and Growth Leader and the many staff who supported our Year 7 students at the end of term to enjoy their first camp experience at Sion, and best wishes also to our Year 10 students as they head off for their Adventurous Journey Camp as part of their Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award next Tuesday. I hope this opportunity also helps them to enjoy personal satisfaction with what they can achieve.

This term we are pleased to welcome Ms Nicole Flynn-Jones to our College. Nicole takes up the role of Learning Enhancement Leader. We also welcome the return of Maths teacher, Mrs Rena McKenzie.

Finally, I ask that you keep in your thoughts and prayers the Findlay family. Sadly, just after Easter, after a long illness, Brittany Findlay, a past student of the College, passed away. We keep the Findlay family and the Weinberg family to whom she is related and who have also had daughters at the College, in our thoughts and prayers.

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.

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Welcome back to Term 2

On Tuesday morning last week, our first day of Term 2, these were the first words that were said as our whole school community gathered on the oval for our Easter prayer celebration.

Our Liturgy Captain, Imogen V-R led our celebration and shared these thoughts:

How good is it to be alive!? Easter reminds us that it is good to be alive. To be able to wake up to beautiful sunrises, walk through rainforests, surf on ocean waves and live a life of dreams and adventure. During the celebration of Easter, I am constantly drawn back to the amazing things in our lives which give us meaning, satisfaction and happiness, and when we really think about it, it was ultimately through Jesus’ victory over death that we will now be able to experience complete happiness. The joy we have is because of the resurrection.

It was such an uplifting prayer to begin our day, week and term.

Strangely, we ended our week in a similar manner – back on the oval on Friday morning. However, this was a much different occasion – the commemoration of ANZAC Day.

Anzac Day is a day when Australians and New Zealanders give thanks for their free and peaceful country. We remember and honour those who fought and gave their lives for others. It is an important day for us to stop and pray for peace – peace in our world, peace among people in our own country, peace in our families, and peace in our own hearts.

In the words of John’s Gospel: 'No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.' Jn 15:13

Student Progress Feedback

The only thing that matters is what the student does with the feedback. William, 2016

Thank you to all the students and families who attended the recent Student Progress Meetings. As always, we will seek feedback from families, students and staff around how they experienced the combination of online and face-to-face sessions and work towards improving the experience for everyone, because that is how we learn. We try something, we express our knowledge and skills, we seek feedback and we make changes as a result of the feedback.

Effective feedback:

• is timely, specific and directly related to learning intentions
• highlights students' achievement and reinforces strengths
• is constructive (not praise) that includes actionable steps for the students to take
• focuses on the activity and corrects misunderstandings
• provides scaffolds and strategies for students to self-reflect and make their own decisions on what they can do to move forward in learning
• lets the teacher know what they need to do to close gaps in learning or to move students forward.

We hope that the addition of formative feedback on SEQTA, the already-published summative assessment and the Student Progress Meetings assists families in understanding their daughter’s learning journey and assists families to see themselves as crucial in this process.

Having the Challenging Conversations; the ones that matter

It would be remiss of me, as a person working in the area of adolescent wellbeing, not to write about consent and what is currently being discussed in the community regarding the need for clear and open education on the topic.

In 2017, the College introduced a pastoral care lesson called, ‘Your Safety Matters’ and its inclusion in the program continues. The presentation covers the areas of safety in school, at home, in relationships, with self and in the community. We take the time to outline the laws around the age of consent and why they are in place for the protection of all involved. The presentation also allows students to ask a panel of Sion-based ‘experts’ including myself and members of the counselling team, questions about safety across many areas of a student’s life. Our younger students are concerned about strangers and parties, while our older students are asking questions about consent and harassment in the workplace.

At the time of developing this resource, I felt that the presentation did a good job of covering consent, at least the legal nuts and bolts. As parents and educators we now find ourselves in a time where the legal nuts and bolts are not enough and our young people need us to discuss relationships and consent in a way that recognises that it is a complex but important discussion to have (and keep on having.)

Education around consent must be age and stage appropriate, but it needs to start early. I recognise the vital role parents play in this process; after all, you are the primary educators of your children. However, I also want to be realistic and acknowledge that for many parents broaching the topics of sex and consent may not be a comfortable nor easy conversation. There is emerging research that suggests young people rely significantly on peers and media (including pornography) to get information about sex that goes beyond the basic biological workings taught in Science or Physical Education and Health classes. If we do nothing out of embarrassment, I feel that we will let the young people in our lives down.

The College has enrolled in the Respectful Relationships program through the Department of Education and Training and staff training will begin in Term 3. In the meantime, we will enhance the ‘Your Safety Matters’ presentation and continue to enter into supportive conversations with our students in matters of consent.

Our particular thoughts and prayers are with Brittany Findlay, a past student of the College, who passed away recently after a long illness. We remember Brittany and her family at this sad time.

Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord, and may your perpetual light shine upon her. May her soul and the souls of the faithful departed rest in peace, Amen.

Term 2 has started with a great rhythm of life with the Year 12 students embracing all the opportunities and challenges placed before them. As we returned, we did so by gathering to celebrate new beginnings, new hope with our Easter Liturgy. Later in the week we then gathered as a school to say 'thank you' to all past and present members of our defence forces who allow us as a nation to live the way we do. Anzac Day continues to be a very important day for both young and old and the way in which the Year 12 students paid their respects was a credit to all families.

Year 11 can be a highly emotional and pressured environment. As such, we hope to help build and strengthen our students own social-emotional capacities so that they can positively manage adverse situations in their lives. Recently, we shared the concept of sensory modulation with Year 11 students.

Do you know what we mean when we use the analogy 'make sure you are continuously filling up your cup; you can't pour from an empty cup'?

For most of us, we use sensory modulation without realising! We all have sensory preferences and a different threshold for filling our cup. Being aware of how to fill your sensory cup is a great way of managing stress. It is a way to self-soothe and self-regulate your behaviour and emotions.

Welcome back to Term 2, which promises to be a very busy but rewarding term. Over the last two weeks, we have finalised the Duke of Edinburgh's Bronze Award Adventurous Journey activities, tent groups, cooking groups, shopping lists and many other areas which needed to be finalised. At our assembly this week, packing instructions and all facets of the experience were covered in readiness for next week.

The girls are really excited for the camp and I am sure they will be challenged and come back tired, perhaps not as clean as when they left, but much better for the experience. I look forward to reporting back on the camp and I hope your dinner table is full of stories from our four days away.

The year level is also looking forward to the Shoah excursion to the Holocaust Museum and the online component. This is one of the key experiences as part of our Year 10 Religious Education program, but also links directly to the charism of the school and is often a highlight for our students during the year.

Please contact me if there are any last minute concerns with camp or anything else that arises with other aspects of our program.

Days for Girls is an international non-profit organisation that prepares and distributes sustainable menstrual health solutions to girls who would otherwise miss school during their monthly periods due to lack of access to products and toilets. At Year 9, in line with our Sion charism, we try to educate the girls about our call to action and reaching out to others who do not have the same opportunities we do.

Next Wednesday we will have four volunteers from the Balwyn North Chapter of Days for Girls come and speak about the organisation and the issues they are trying to help alleviate. In support of the organisation we will host a ‘Packing Day’ each term whereby Year 9 students can volunteer to help prepare hygiene packs that can be distributed by Days for Girls. We are also hoping to organise some fundraising events to raise money for this worthy cause.

On Tuesday 27 April, the Year 8s participated in an incursion hosted by Brainstorm Productions. The incursion was called ‘Cyberia’ and the show covered the following areas:

• Cyber bullying
• Social media
• Cyber safety (linking to social media)
• Rumours
• Bystanders
• Exclusion/ Alienation
• Resilience.

The program provides an opportunity for students to see how our words and actions can have a negative impact on other people's lives. The show broke down the who, what, why, where and how of cyber bullying and linked to the focus areas mentioned above. The performers also took the time to discuss the show with the students and provided them with resources they could go to if they needed further support or if they wanted to learn more about the show. The incursion encouraged peer discussion on friendships and how we need to be supportive of people's differences and ensure that our actions, especially on social media, don’t negatively impact others. It also showed the Year 8s that they need to be true to themselves within their friendships and own who they are.

Student testimonies:

It was relevant to us and the message behind the play was really important.

It was engaging and informative.

I would like to encourage the Year 8 parents and guardians to talk with their daughters about their friendships and ensure that they are comfortable with how they act and portray themselves in these friendships. Are they being true to themselves?

Year 7 Camp was incredible and filled with lots of amazing experiences. The Summit allowed students to discover the ability to challenge their own self-belief and tackle hurdles they never thought possible. It was wonderful to see students making new friendships and supporting girls not only in their Homerooms but across the year level.

The camp was buzzing with energy and the Year 7s were so enthusiastic. They were up for all of the challenges thrown at them. The language of camp is one that we will continue to use in Year 7 and across Sion life: Target, Stretch and Super Stretch is a way of outlining goals and challenges and seeing success in them.

The success criteria below is at the heart of achieving the students’ goals and can allow us to use the criteria at school and in the classroom:

• Have fun
• Make lots of mistakes
• Play all in
• Get comfortable being uncomfortable
• Don’t go home wondering 'what if'.

What an incredible start to the year in the Arts department! Term 1 has seen a number of performance evenings, large scale collaborative paintings, workshops, competitions and growth for our students with plenty more in store for the term ahead.

Mock Job Interviews

Congratulations to our Year 9 students who today partook in mock job interviews as part of their Ayin World of Work unit. These interviews were the culmination of a number of weeks writing cover letters and resumes, discussing career and job aspirations and workplace skills and safety, and practising interview skills in class.

Students came to school dressed in appropriate interview attire and undertook the ten-minute interviews with a great sense of professionalism. Students should be proud of their efforts and it is hoped that they will take this experience and the feedback they receive to confidently enter a professional interview in the future.

This wonderful opportunity could not have occurred without the generous donation of time from the following Year 9 parents, to whom we extend our thanks:

Build your own dreams, or someone else will hire you to build theirs.
Farrah Gray (Businessman)

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

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

• upcoming events – VCE and Careers Expo, Year 10 Morrisby Careers Assessment Information Evening, Meet Melbourne online
• Career Industry in the Spotlight – Agriculture
• things to consider – Victorian Police information seminar, Deakin University webinars
• research ideas – ACU virtual tours, Victoria university new course Cyber Security.
  

The Wizard of Oz rehearsals are in full stride with our cast meeting regularly throughout the week. Ticket sales will open later in the term for our Term 3 production week. Our cast are excited to bring you back into the theatre and transport you over the rainbow to the magical world of Oz. Look out for more updates in the newsletter as the term progresses.

This week the Year 11s and 12s viewed the VCAA play-listed performance of Man Up at Fab Nobs Theatre in Bayswater as part of the requirements for VCE Drama outcomes. The play centred around explorations of masculinity in the modern age. The verbatim-styled piece of theatre was innovative, challenging and thought-provoking.

After missing so many opportunities to perform last year, our Drama realm is ramping up on theatrical events. We have more exciting excursions and incursions to come throughout the year. With performance evenings for VCE and middle years students, Tuesday A lunchtime workshops with Year 9 and 10 Drama students leading the charge, and Tuesday B lunchtime workshops with a whole-school focus on anything from musical theatre appreciation, to production area design and implementation, improvisation, scripting and monologue work, we have an exciting workshop program to come. We are pleased to say that over the years we have built and are fostering our own Drama students to run many of these workshops with the assistance of facilitators to offer keen Drama girls the opportunity to lead and share their talents and love of drama with the community.

Active April Update

Congratulations to the students, families and staff who got on board the Premiers Active April Campaign 2021. With April drawing to a close, make sure you log your active minutes. As a team we completed and logged 326 hours of exercise in the month, 38mins per day average, that is quite an achievement.

A big congratulations to Kiera D-S who completed 52hr and 1min of activity over 27days of the 30-day month. Will she be over taken over the next 3 days? Who knows?

I hope that we can all continue being active as we move into the month of May and the rest of the year. Please log in your hours as winners will be awarded next week.

National Schools Constitutional Convention

Student Reflection

Thank you to Zafira T (12S) for her reflection on the recent National Schools Constitutional Convention.

On 24 and 25 March I had the pleasure of participating in the National Schools Constitutional Convention. The convention brought together 25 Victorian delegates from Years 11 and 12, who worked alongside students from other states via Zoom. Each day we met at the Windsor Hotel and heard from guest speakers, participated in soap boxes, debated key issues and ideas, visited the Victorian parliament and held a mock Vote.

Year 7 and 9 NAPLAN Online

Year 7 and 9 students will be completing the NAPLAN online assessment between 12 and 21 May. Public demonstration tests are available for parents and students to familiarise themselves with the type of questions and related functionalities available in the NAPLAN online assessment. Please use the link below to access the practice tests:

https://www.nap.edu.au/online-assessment/public-demonstration-site

NAPLAN test results provide a snapshot of your daughter’s performance in the areas of literacy and numeracy. This data, along with PAT data and teacher observations, is used to support improvements in learning and teaching.

Below is an outline of the school’s NAPLAN Online test schedule:

All-State Jazz Competition – this weekend!

Three ensembles have been working very hard in recent weeks in preparation for the All-State Jazz Championships to be held this weekend (1–2 May) at St Leonard’s College in East Brighton. This event is a fantastic substitute for the annual ‘Generations in Jazz’ competition, usually held at this time in Mount Gambier, but postponed again due to COVID restrictions.

Members of the College Vocal Ensemble, the Senior Jazz Ensemble and Junior Jazz Club have been practising and even coming to school on two weekends to refine their craft. Watch this space for results in the next edition of the Newsletter. There is no charge for parents and guardians to attend, but they must sign in or register with the QR code at St Leonard’s College. Unfortunately, this event is not being live-streamed.

• CVE: Saturday 1 May, performance time 11.10 am @ The Leonardian Centre
• Senior Jazz Ensemble: Sunday 2 May, performance time 2.00 pm @ Kevin Wood Centre
• Jazz Club: Sunday 2 May, performance time 3.45 pm @ Marjorie Menzies Hall.

Upcoming Dates

Monday 10 May: Term 2 Soiree – 5.00 pm Miriam Theatre

Monday 17 May: Year 7 Concert Band 1 Open Rehearsal – 7.30 am Miriam Theatre

Tuesday 18 May: Year 7 Concert Band 2 Open Rehearsal – 3.30 pm Miriam Theatre

Tuesday 18 May: Year 7 Junior Choir Open Rehearsal – 3.30 pm Chapel

Wednesday 19 May: Year 7 Junior Strings Open Rehearsal – 3.30 pm Miriam Theatre

Monday 24 May: VCE Music Performance class recital – 5.00 pm Notre Dame Foyer

Monday 31 May: Senior/Intermediate Strings Victorian Schools Strings Festival 9.00 am – 1.00 pm, St Leonard’s College Brighton

Monday 21 June – Friday 25 June: Music Week @ OLSC

Thursday 24 June: Ensembles Concert 5.00 – 6.30 pm & 7.00 – 8.30 pm Miriam Theatre

Year 9 Wider Reading

The Year 9 English classes visited us last week to get advice and choose books for their 'Book Gig' task, where they have to read an age-appropriate book and report back on it.

Year 9 is a great age for reading, as students leave behind the types of books that they read in primary school and start to explore books with meatier and more mature topics and storylines. As students shared with each other what they had chosen, there was a lot of discussion about what constitutes a 'good read'.

Project Compassion Thank You

We would like to extend a big ‘thank you’ to the College community for its support of the 2021 Project Compassion fundraising initiative. We are proud to announce that Our Lady of Sion College raised $4,149.60 throughout the Lenten period.

This is an amazing effort and your generosity will continue the work of Caritas Australia to support and work for the freedom of those living in poverty, challenge unjust structures, and empower people to work for a sustainable way of life. The money that we have raised is enough to support the projects outlined in the ‘What your dollars can do’ poster.

Congratulations to the Social Justice captain and representatives for a number of successful fundraisers, including the annual Voices for Change concert, a recess ‘fudge-raiser’, sausage sizzles and more. Finally, let us take time to remember the life and teachings of Saint Oscar Romero. His many lessons include: live a simple life, commit to bringing peace to the world, speak the truth and of course aspire not to have more, but to be more.

Term 2 GSV Weekly Sport

After a month of try-outs we have finally commenced Term 2 weekly sport! We would like to thank all students who participated in the try-outs, whether successful in making a team or not. Teams have been announced and fixtures are now available in the LHC. We wish all students and coaches the very best for the season ahead!

GSV Cross Country

There have been fantastic numbers in the GSV Cross Country sessions on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings before school. Let’s keep up the consistency and build from the House Cross Country, which took place on Thursday afternoon.

Our first training meet is on Tuesday 4 May at Fairfield Park after school. Details have been shared with the Cross Country squad and on the Google classroom.

Aerobics

Our three Aerobics teams are ready to perform on Friday 30 April at the State Qualifiers. The girls and coaches have been training consistently (including during the term break) and will represent the College proudly. Good luck girls!

Term 1 GSV Weekly Sport

Well done to the following teams on their finals campaign in the final week of Term 1!

• Junior Indoor Cricket A (Zone Winner & Overall Runner Up)
• Junior Indoor Cricket B (Zone Winner & Overall Runner Up)
• Junior Softball A (4th Overall)
• Junior Softball C (Overall Runner Up)
• Inter Indoor Cricket B (Zone Winner)
• Senior Indoor Cricket (4th Overall)

House Cross Country

On Thursday 29 April, the College hosted the 2021 House Cross Country competition. A fantastic display of athleticism, sportsmanship and House spirit was shown by all competitors. I want to thank all staff members and Year 12 House Representatives without whom this event would not have been possible.

Congratulations to the following students who were their year level champions and took out first place for their respective year level race:

• Year 7: Erin M
• Year 8: Katia T
• Year 9: Georgie B
• Year 10: Grace O
• Year 11: Tahlia P
• Year 12: Jorja L

Our overall House winner for the day was Fatima House! Congratulations to Fatima House and to all year level race winners.

We look forward to seeing all our students at the upcoming House Athletics Carnival on Tuesday 11 May.

Whitehorse City Council is launching its May Parenting Information Forum Tweens & their Screens presented by group facilitator, parent counsellor, and parent coach, Sharon Muir from ParentZone.

• Would you like to learn how to help your tween better balance screen time and real life?
• Find strategies to help them switch off and re-engage in the world?
• Navigate online safety, rules and consequences?

Date: Wednesday 5 May, 2021

Times: 7:00 pm – 8.30 pm via Zoom

Cost: Free

Further information is provided in the flyer below.

Registering your attendance is essential. Please book online on Council’s website www.whitehorse.vic.gov.au/events/tweens-their-screens.