Newsletter | See as God sees

I would like to thank and congratulate our students for the calm manner in which they gathered their resources and returned home yesterday afternoon. While it is disappointing to find ourselves back in lockdown, it is important that the health and safety of our community is maintained. Parents/guardians and students have received a number of communications from the College in the last 24 hours but if there are further queries, please do not hesitate to contact the appropriate person by email or the College phone number. We look forward to welcoming students and staff back to face-to-face learning as soon as possible.

Valedictory Evening and College Reunion

For many people their school experiences and the connections they make with their peers and their teachers are enduring. Memories are made and often last a lifetime. In the last 93 years since the College was established, past students have continued to reconnect with the College in a myriad of ways. In the last fortnight we have had a number of such occasions, which always brings us great joy, especially as we hear stories of the early years of the College and learn how life has unfolded for our past students following the conclusion of their secondary education. Most importantly, we take pride in knowing how the College has contributed to the lives of so many confident women whose lives have taken such diverse pathways and touched so many aspects of our society.

For our most recent past students, their memories are still quite fresh yet no less important. Two weeks ago, we honoured the Class of 2020 with a Valedictory cocktail party.

Despite the disruptions of last year, students and their parents appreciated the chance to enjoy this final formal connection with the College. We are confident that the students will take with them a part of Sion that we hope will continue to support each of them.

As one parent, who has a long history with the College commented to me, ‘once a Sion mum or girl, always a Sion mum or girl’. We wish the Class of 2020 all the very best as they continue to pursue their goals and ambitions, and we look forward to seeing them at future reunions or one of our past students’ events.

From time to time, I also receive news about the achievements of our past students and it gives me great pleasure to share with you news about Amelia Sloan (Class of 2019). Amelia is now a Health Ambassador for Down Syndrome Australia.

She recently completed a public speaking course online with her co-ambassadors from around Australia. The Health Ambassador program was officially launched in Canberra in March. It was quite an experience for Amelia and her family, meeting MPs, being shown around Parliament House and having morning tea there. She also attended a reception at Government House with the Governor General to celebrate World Down Syndrome Day. Each ambassador worked on a short speech with a core message. Amelia’s message is captured in the image above. We are proud to have been part of Amelia’s life and wish her every success in the future.

Last weekend, we also hosted our annual reunion and welcomed past students from the '0' and ’1' years.

Well in excess of 80 past students shared many memories and experiences which made for a very enjoyable afternoon. Each decade in the last 70 years was represented including one past student who graduated in 1950. It was a pleasure to host the event and witness that, despite the years, the Sion community is alive and well.

And finally, we look forward to welcoming many past students to our upcoming Mentors Breakfast on 18 June. This has now become an annual event where past students share their career paths with our current Year 12 students and offer them advice and experience. Our current Year 12 students will certainly benefit from this opportunity as they consider and finalise their pathway options in Term 3.

Masterplan update

I am pleased to report that the extension to our Louise Humann Centre is progressing well. The weather has been on our side and we hope this continues over the next six weeks when this first stage of our masterplan is due for completion.

It now gives me great pleasure to share with the community that the next stage is ready to be launched. Recently, the Members of the Company and the Board of Directors approved Stage 2, which focuses on the building situated at the front of the College at the corner of Dorking and Whitehorse Roads. As part of the College’s long term masterplanning, the next stage will see the demolition of this building and the construction of a new STEAMD and Administration Centre. We look forward to the centre facilitating opportunities in Science, the Creative Arts and the integration of aspects of technology, engineering, mathematics and design so that all our students have the chance to continue to strengthen their critical and creative thinking skills and their personal and interpersonal skills so that they are inspired and well prepared to access a variety of pathways in the future. Stage 2 is a significant undertaking, which is anticipated to take the next three years. I look forward to sharing with you this exciting planning and construction process as it unfolds.

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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Earlier this week, a group of Year 9 students represented our College by attending a Bicentennial Mass at St Patrick’s Cathedral to recognise 200 years of Catholic education in Australia.

This is actually quite a significant contribution that the Catholic Church and Catholic education has given the Australian society and culture.

In reflecting on this contribution, the Prime Minister of Australia, Scott Morrison, stated:

'Two hundred years ago, Fr John Therry answered the call to educate the youth of Paramatta. From that small beginning of 31 students began a great work that now spans 1,755 schools, 100,000 staff and 777,000 school students. Over 200 years, your schools, preschools and now universities, have transformed Australia through the millions of lives you have influenced. I recognise the contribution of Catholic education to Australian life and join you in celebrating this anniversary.'

Fittingly, our school was represented at this celebration. Our Lady of Sion College has been educating students for 93 of those years here in Box Hill and will hopefully continue to do so for many years to come.

Exams and Assessment Season

As we approach the end of semester, and units of learning come to a conclusion, deadlines for assessment submissions, tests and exams are looming. This can be a busy time for teachers, students can feel under pressure and stressed, and parents can look on not knowing what to expect.

It is important to understand the importance of formal, summative assessments – or exams. For our Year 10 students in particular, the exam process is about the experience. For good or bad, the VCAA exams have a significant bearing on ATAR scores, and for this reason they are important. Assessment familiarity, knowing what to expect and how to respond, is one of the stressful elements of an exam that we can control and have influence over.

While we cannot determine exactly what the examination process will look like, we want to ensure that students experience some aspects of the formal process and that they learn from the experience.

The whole purpose of assessment is indicating knowledge and control over new learning. As always, it is the feedback, be it a score, grade or a comment, that matters. And then of course, what is done with it. At the end of the exam period, Year 10 and 11 students will reflect on their examination experience, consider how well the exam expressed their knowledge and understanding of the topics being assessed, and what they need to do to improve.

In the coming weeks, teachers will provide students with models and strategies of effective study. Offered below is one such strategy for learning and revising written material.

Remember that studying does not have to be a solitary activity, nor should it be passive. Students are reminded that they need to practise recalling information and skills under time pressure, and the key to this is practising the application process.

Students don’t need luck to perform well on assessments and exams, they only need the support of those around them and consistent application. But good luck anyway!

NAPLAN Year 9 Certificate

Well done to the Year 7 and 9 students who completed the NAPLAN assessment last week. As announced last year, the State Government has launched the Year 9 Certificate for those students who show significant growth between their Year 7 and 9 assessments and for those who maintain their very high achievement. We look forward to recognising and celebrating these students.

Seeking Support in Tough Times

Before 2020, there was plenty of concern about the rates of poor mental health in young people but now, in the wake of COVID, we are seeing a significant increase in the need to support students, especially in regards to anxiety and depression.

Our Lady of Sion students are fortunate to have access to a counselling team consisting of three dedicated and experienced staff members. With the increasing demand for counselling services and very long wait times for external psychologists, our counselling team is experiencing high demand for their services. In response to this demand, the College has increased the time allocation but students may still experience a two-week wait to see a member of the team. Naturally, we see students with urgent concerns more quickly and often these students and their families are supported until they can access external support.

If you are concerned about your daughter’s mental health, I encourage you to start by talking with her. Make sure you choose the right time and place, and set aside enough time for a good talk. This is a conversation that should not be rushed, overheard by others or interrupted by siblings.

A good way to start the conversation is to be open and curious about their wellbeing. Perhaps start by saying something to the effect of: 'I could be wrong but I have noticed you have not been yourself lately. You don’t appear to enjoy soccer and seeing your friends as much as you used to. You seem sad a lot of the time. Are things OK for you?' Show interest and understanding in what they have to say and, importantly, ask more questions than give advice. There will be time for that later. Sometimes a young person will initially deny that anything is wrong even though it is obvious that things are not right. It might take a few conversations to get the whole picture but it is important to be gentle and patient.

If your conversations lead you to being concerned about your daughter’s mental health, suggest that together you seek help. Your GP is a great place to start. They can do a risk assessment, and if appropriate, provide your daughter with a Mental Health plan and a referral to a psychologist. Be prepared for significant wait times at the moment and ensure that you attend the appointment even if things appear to have settled. While you wait for the first appointment you might access support for your daughter by:

• contacting a member of the College’s Wellbeing Team for support and advice
• contacting Headspace for access to information and counselling service
• suggesting your daughter speaks to Kids HelpLine (1800 55 1800) – great if something happens on the weekend when you cannot get to the GP
• enquiring to see if your employer’s Employee Assistance Program extends to family members
• asking your GP to make a referral to your local Child & Youth Mental Health Service (CYMHS).

Remember to also look after yourself and, if possible, share the load between parents and guardians. If you look after yourself, you will be better able to keep calm during tough conversations, respond to the situation without negative emotion and support your daughter to seek the help she needs.

Our particular thoughts and prayers go to Mrs Margaret Rooney, our College Teacher of Year 9 White Homeroom, English and Ayin, whose father passed away recently.

We remember Mrs Rooney and her family in a special way at this sad time.

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

Teamwork, opportunities, care, gratitude, drive, positivity, community and so much more has gone into the production of this edition of the Year 12 newsletter report. Each article demonstrates creativity, being audacious enough to think outside the box, to encourage all of us to think and do differently.

We, as a Year 12 community, now have the opportunity to reflect on this courage by hearing from our aspiring leaders of the future. By doing so we can foster a more meaningful life with greater impact that enriches both ourselves and all those around our us.

Year 12 Leaders in focus

This year, myself and other girls in Year 12, have been working together to reach a collective goal, which is our Year 12 Rugby Jumpers. This process has involved a lot of time and effort from everyone involved to be completed.

From the very beginning of this process, I found that working together was much more successful than working alone would ever have been. I discovered that the girls in my year level are ready to support each other and share their personal talents and qualities to benefit the majority.

It was amazing to see the teamwork binding girls in our year level together. Most of the actions taken by the girls were completely unprompted, in fact there was a ripple effect within our cohort. As soon as one girl offered help, another two backed her up and soon enough there was a group of girls creating, refining and aiding in leading throughout the process.

With the help of teamwork, I have found efficiency and a drive in completing this goal as well as actually reconnecting with some of the people I had lost touch with. By introducing a new goal and welcoming support from the entire cohort, it allowed everyone to approach each other and rekindle relationships while also being positively productive as a community.

12 Gold: Athletics Carnival

Unfortunately, the Athletics Carnival has been postponed due to the weather however we still wanted to discuss the Year 12 preparations for this event.

The Carmel girls in Year 12 decided to come to the Athletics Carnival in mustard sauce costumes. This included a boxy mustard suit with a pointy yellow hat to top off the condiment. Our chants include parodies of popular songs like Tik Tok by Ke$ha, Pump It Up by Endor and Dancing Queen by ABBA. A big thanks to the Carmel captains Brielle and Emma for organising the costumes and chants. Another shout out to the amazing Year 12 Carmel girls for all the energy and positivity that they bring to the house. Let’s go Carmel!

The Year 12 Fatima girls decided to dress up as Lightning McQueen from Cars. This involved painting a cardboard box in red paint and sticking the infamous lightning bolt on one side of the box, together with a custom number plate on the back. Then, in order to wear the box, we stuck some black straps on either end of the box which enabled us to hang our car over our shoulders as we stood inside it. We were also able to further personalise our box with headlights, steering wheels and various patterns or designs on the car’s exterior.

Our chants were really creative and fun, taking inspiration from current popular songs. During practice, the team spirit was high and the energy could be felt throughout the entire room. As the Athletics Carnival was cancelled, we were given the chance to perform what we had planned to the rest of the Year 12 cohort. This proved to be a great experience to see all the work the rest of the Houses had put into their cheers and their presentation.

The Loreto girls came together to support our country as Australian Olympians. With our Australian tops, sweatbands, medals and name badges; we are well on our way to win this year's cup. Our Loreto girls joined together; bopping to some new classics What Makes you Beautiful, and some old classics such as Land Down Under. It was an amazing opportunity to come together, have a bit of a giggle, and practise for our House cheering in this year's Athletics Carnival. A special thanks to house captains Rose and Zafira, who organised all the costumes, chants, and kept all of our Loreto girls on track.

This year, Lourdes intended to dress up as frat boys. This included a blue long sleeve button up with a white undershirt with blue solo cups. Our house captains Amelia and Brigitte organised and created our amazing house cheers that have a high energy that will win over the crowd.

12 Blue: Year Level Assembly

Each Homeroom has the opportunity to share with the year level an assembly presentation that allows them to explore scripture that speaks to them as a Homeroom followed by what they, as a Homeroom, deem to be important at that time.

I would like to share the following elements of 12 Blue’s presentation, starting with their scripture:

James 1: 12

Blessed is the one who persevered under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

This piece of scripture highlights the importance of determination through this current period of SACs and hard work. We go back to the scripture to know we need to stay determined.

Which led nicely into the prayer:

Through your grace, allow us to overcome the hardships we face. Help us to keep these all firmly in our minds and hearts as we go through our daily lives. Keep us strong and persistent as we handle the responsibilities and struggles which Year 12 is throwing at us.

Amen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ja-n5qUNRi8

I think you will all agree that 12 Blue has left us with plenty to think about.

Stress, social media and the Butterfly Foundation

As we head into the end of Unit 1 and our Semester 1 examination period, this will inevitably bring on feelings of stress for most of our Year 11 students. This is normal because the exam period is going to be uniquely stressful for everyone. Stress is not something to fear; in fact, stress is a healthy and natural response to stimulus, which should not be feared. In small doses, stress has many benefits and advantages. However, when we are feeling stressed for a long period of time, we know this can have adverse side effects and often the challenges we face come from not knowing how to cope with these feelings.

So, how do we find that happy place where we can optimise our stress without it becoming unmanageable?

Recently I have been exploring The Butterfly Foundation website as a wonderful resource to share knowledge with you.

The Butterfly Foundation has recently released a fantastic resource called #TheWholeMe, which explores the concept of body image, stress and how we use, react and engage with social media. More importantly, they have created a Parents Guide, which provides parents with excellent resources and tips to support young people when experiencing times of stress, especially with regards to how the use of social media perpetuates those feelings. I think it is such a relevant resource to read through and engage with because we know that one of our biggest challenges is switching off from social media when it causes us to feel stressed or distracted from important tasks.

I hope that this can help support positive conversations at home and allow for healthy behaviours on social media.

One of my favourite stories was asking my father to retell how he won a 160 kilometre road race out of Queens Park in Dublin. He told me many times that he and two other riders broke away from the main group in the second part of the race. With ten kilometres to go, he ended up breaking away on his own. He always said that the race then became a solitary race within himself. Could he hold the main group at bay? What might his last ten kilometre time split be? Could he persevere to the end of the race?

If all goes well, our Year 10 students are about to experience their first examination period. It is not designed as a competition among their peers, but an opportunity for them to improve their skills in this type of assessment. They are setting goals, putting study habits in place and will revaluate their results after the examinations, look for new strategies and then try again at the end of the year.

This is not to say that this period is not challenging. Staff can partner with parents and play a significant role in helping students develop persistence through feedback and encouraging students to reflect on their own experiences in order to overcome challenges and succeed. We are fostering in students specific skills such as time management, organisational strategies and goal setting. Our aim is one of academic resilience, a longer term and sustained persistence. This set of examinations is just one part. It is not the grand finale, but a great way to train and improve in this area of assessment to achieve their best over the next two and half years. I hope you received the Student Study Guide via email last week, which details ideas and strategies for improving in many aspects of study and testing.

Last Friday, we returned to our Year 7 sisters to share stories from our respective camps. We had hoped to be back this Friday to discuss homework and time management, especially in the last five weeks of term, but this will need to occur at the next available opportunity.

My father won the race. I found the trophy in a state of disrepair, full of shoe polish brushes. His achievement and his own performance were more important than the cup he received. Nonetheless, I am having it restored.

This week we welcomed a new student, Jessica C, into Year 9. We welcome Jessica and wish her all the best with her transition into our Sion community.

As parents, many would be aware that we have reached the midway point of Term Two, and this means a peak assessment period for the girls. Firstly, I would like to congratulate the girls on their consistent approach to their studies throughout the term.

Secondly, I encourage the girls to be keeping balance across the different aspects of their wellbeing. It is of vital importance and a timely reminder for the girls to be nurturing their mind, body and soul. Amidst the workload I strongly encourage the girls to take time out to do activities they enjoy, find relaxing and provide a mental break for them. Ideally an activity that does not require the use of electronics. To maintain good physical and mental health it is also extremely important for the girls to be eating nutritious food and getting adequate sleep.

If your daughter is finding the workload a challenge, please encourage her to reach out to her Homeroom teacher, or me, so we can help to navigate her way through creating some balance within her busy schedule.

We invited Elise Stevens and Natalie Dymond to our Year 8 Assembly to tell us about their newly registered charity called ‘The Generosity Collective’ which is based in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne.

Their charity collects lightly used and brand-new clothing and creates specialised 'Generosity Crisis Packs' for people facing hardship in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne. They support individuals who may be fleeing domestic violence, in crisis accommodation, those who may be accessing residential and psychiatric support services, young mother and baby programs, youth homelessness and children in out-of-home care. They help bridge the gap between agencies and services currently provided. In doing so, they free up the agency’s valuable time, while supporting a circular economy, and most importantly they create dignity and hopefully a little brightness in someone’s life.

For more details about their charity visit their website or see their Facebook and Instagram pages @thegenerositycollectiveinc

We have decided as a Year 8 Level to support them by raising money for them to purchase new items and backpacks and also donate lightly used and brand new items in our Week 10 mini carnival, alongside raising awareness.

By supporting The Generosity Collective, it presents a powerful social justice opportunity for our students as they become aware and engaged in a community project outside the school gates and homes, and become more mindful of the differing needs of our immediate community.

The image below was taken at our recent Bake Sale event, raising funds and awareness for The Generosity Collective.

Well done to the girls below who will be our Student Leaders for 2021. I am looking forward to working with you all to make this year the best it can be!

I would like to congratulate all of the girls who applied for the positions as there were so many across the year level. I know some will be disappointed they did not receive a role, but I would like to encourage them to have another go next year. Please also remember that across the rest of the year there will be many opportunities to grow and lead within the Sion community, so please take on these opportunities.

Students have access to a variety of competitions in the Visual Art space at the College. For our latest competition students were invited to submit poster designs for this year’s musical: The Wizard of Oz.

The Brief: Something bright and bold in their colour scheme and simple in its heading design. Required Heading: ‘The Wizard of Oz’. Both manual and digital artwork were accepted, however digital works were encouraged.

We received over 40 poster entries for this competition, making the selection of a ‘winning’ entry a difficult task. After quite a deliberation process, the design by Year 9 student Abbey M was chosen. This design will be used for the musical programme as well as the billboard that will advertise the musical. A big congratulations to Abbey!

Abbey has written the following about her artwork:

In my design I wanted to capture some of the iconic and well known features of this play, including the yellow brick road, the emerald city, poppies, the rainbow, and of course the quartet of Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man and Lion. The purpose of this was so viewers could easily identify and understand the poster. I used bright colours and multiple focal points to catch and maintain their attention. I created my entry digitally and ensured I had left areas for additional information that would need to be included in publications.
Abbey M (9P)

Honourable mentions to the following students, whose artworks were shortlisted (see image gallery):

• Lorena G, 7B
• Bani K, 7B
• Maya L, 7B
• Tayla M, 7P
• Olivia B, 8P
• Madeleine M, 8R
• Lily L, 8B
• Meika V, 8R
• Severine C, 9R
• Elaina C, 11G

Thanks to all students who submitted entries; our next competition asks students to consider how the Visual and/or Performing Arts make them feel and to express this within their own creative response.

Creative Arts

Creative Arts offer a series of opportunities to think and work creatively, critically and reflectively to produce innovative products, from performances to paintings, sculptures to scripts and films to building facades. The Creative Arts are incredible because you get to invent things that didn’t exist beyond the parameters of your mind prior to their construction. This competition asks students to express how creating makes them feel. Entries can use any media and can be of any size of the students choosing. We look forward to seeing your interpretation of the topic.

For more information about the Creative Arts courses on offer at the College please visit our website: www.artsatsion.com.

Discovery Learning

On Tuesday, our Year 9 students were treated to a Cultural Diversity Q&A panel discussion as part of the Ayin program. We welcomed four parents, a grandparent and a staff member to share about their cultural identity and heritage.

A very big thanks goes to Cris Amadio, Michael Browne, Daphne Cheah, Lorenz Cherry, Walter Coslovich and Diana Lim for their participation in the panel and their willingness to share their stories. Panellists answered questions about their ancestry, cultural traditions and misconceptions to highlight the diverse experience of Australians within our community.

Their contributions allowed students to hear perspectives from all over the world with their combined cultural identities, including Aboriginal Australian, Chinese, Italian, Irish, Kiwi, Malaysian, Taiwanese, and Yugoslavian. While some unique narratives were shared, students also heard of common cultural elements that unite us as a community; for example, the importance of family and food in celebrations, and a sense of home and belonging. The opportunity to hear these stories, alongside their classroom studies about cultural diversity, has hopefully opened our students’ eyes to the wonderful tapestry of Australian culture and the richness of belonging to and being accepting of this.

VCE Performance Evening

The VCE Performance Evening was held in the Miriam Theatre in Week 4. The Unit 3 Drama students performed ensembles based around the Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster. They were highly physical pieces eclectically inspired by both Epic and Physical Theatre styles. Each group performed with polish and strong focus. These performances were a credit to the students' hard work and dedication to the process. The Unit 1 Drama girls performed their first non-naturalistic solo pieces. These pieces were varied in form and showcased excellent performance energy and confidence. Congratulations to all of our VCE Drama Girls on their fine performance work.

Year 10 Drama

The Year 10 Drama class performed their ensemble pieces based around the theme of Connection. These pieces explored the theme from a variety of perspectives. The performers were focused and passionate with strong messages that the students wanted to convey to the audience. It was wonderful to see our middle years students perform with such commitment.

Ngarngk

La Mama Theatre is an institution in Melbourne and we were thrilled to be able to take a very keen group of Year 10 and 11 students along to see the play Ngarngk. Thank you to Amelia F(10R) and Lily M (11P) for their reflections on the experience.

The production, Ngarngk our class watched on Friday night was heartbreaking yet astonishing. This piece explored the damaging issues in Australia’s welfare system, which have heavily impacted the Aboriginal community over generations. It gave the audience a chance to put ourselves in the characters’ shoes, so we could understand how traumatising the effects have been to innocent people and their families. The three-person performance portrayed key themes including family, violence, separation and a sense of belonging, which were consistently prevalent throughout the show. I absolutely loved it! The three actresses were completely focused for the duration of the show and their overall portrayal of the Aboriginal women over three generations gave me goosebumps. It was a strong performance that was mentally intense at times, but overall, it was magnificent. I would definitely watch it again and I would highly recommend watching it too!
Amelia F (10R)

During Week 4, the Year 10 and Year 11 Drama students were fortunate to watch an Australian-based production, Ngarngk. The performance explored the abominable cruelty Indigenous Australians, especially women, face to protect their family. The narrative follows Missy, her mum Sally, and her Grandma as they manoeuvre through a world that has dismissed them for so long, repulsing against the Australian authorities who have caused a long line of grief. Through the use of clever lighting, and the actors' expressive skills, the production left the audience in awe as we were able to see a raw perspective of intergenerational trauma. As it was closing night, we were able to stay for a Q&A, which was highly informative as we learnt the many ways in which we could help spread awareness to this issue.
Lily M (11P)

It has been a busy few weeks in the Drama domain and there's much more to come for the rest of the term with Drama Week coming up, Theatre Sports starting this week, tickets for our school production The Wizard of Oz going on sale before the end of the term and a Year 9 performance this week ... phew!

On Monday 24 May, 23 girls in Year 10 participated in ‘The Tan’ run, located around the Botanical Gardens, as part of Health and Physical Education elective: Amazing Body.

Throughout the term, they completed a training program, which involved running during class at Bushy Creek Trail and at home to build up endurance and stamina in preparation for ‘The Tan’ run.

On the day, they travelled by train from Box Hill to Richmond Station and walked the rest of the way to our destination. Before completing the run, a warm-up was completed by jogging a short course of the track. During the run, all the girls supported one another, as they passed each other at various points on the iconic track.

Encouraging words including, 'keep on going, you’ve got this!' and 'you can do it!' were all positive affirmations heard along the way. Even though the event was challenging for the students, they all demonstrated motivation and persistence to help get the best achievement for each individual and as a class.

Overall, this experience was something we can say that we’ve completed, all of us being so proud of each other, and proud of the efforts we made on the day.
Annabelle B (10W) and Sofia F (10R)

The Languages department is thrilled to share that Languages Week 2021 was a huge success! All students embraced the week full-heartedly, participating in the many activities that had been organised.

Our Lady of Sion College Education Perfect Language Competition

We are delighted to announce the following Gold, Silver and Bronze Award recipients:

Gold Award (ranked in order of points received)

1st: Hayley B, 9 Orange

2nd: Ananya D S, 7 Purple

3rd: Anaya B, 9 Red

4th: Akosita L, 7 Purple

5th: Anria A, 7 Gold

6th: Olivia W, 9 Orange

7th: Cilla S, 7 Gold

8th: Samantha P, 8 White

Hayley B scored the highest number of points (5,866 points) and will receive a $50 JB HiFi voucher. Those who scored 2nd – 8th place will receive a voucher to Village Cinemas.

Silver Award

Naomi Y, Vailaua L, Aurelia H, Sarah M, Sofia F and Maddison M.

Bronze Award

Annabel K, Isabella M, Sienna S and Keira K.

Silver and bronze recipients will receive a certificate.

Congratulations to all our prize and award winners and thank you to all the students who participated in the competition.

Some of our students have shared their experience of the week with us below:

On Monday 17 June, we kicked off Languages Week with an insightful forum in the Miriam Theatre. The Year 10 Italian, French and Chinese students took part in this event and were joined by none other than the Professor of Art and Linguistics at the University of Melbourne, Professor Matteo Absalom. His seminar gave students an opportunity to better understand the benefits of continuing a language in VCE and throughout tertiary education. Matteo also shared a brief history of his own life and how it led him to become a Linguistics Professor. Matteo’s story was incredibly inspiring. Having grown up in a monolingual family, he always held a passion for Art and History. This ultimately helped him discover the rich culture of other countries and impacted his entire life. Hearing his story was extremely empowering and taught us that life can sometimes lead you down unexpected paths, but for the better. Overall, this forum was incredibly entertaining and it has definitely convinced me to continue a language in the coming years!
Amelia F (10R)

On Thursday afternoon all the Year 7s gathered in the Miriam Theatre to be entertained by Fillipo, who spoke French and Italian. It was a great show with lots of singing and dancing. We learnt about different regions and musical instruments in Italy and France. Everyone got to join in and take part in the fun. All of us enjoyed it as we watched the performance.
Sophie M (7S) and Katie D (7S)

During Languages Week, my friends and I took part in the main activities that Sion had to offer. Over the week, we lined up and ate delicious crepes, gelati and fortune cookies. We also answered questions from the Languages Week quiz in Homeroom every morning. On Friday, my Italian classmates and other Italian students in Years 9 - 12 attended an interactive incursion, presented by Signor Fagiolo (translating to 'Mr Bean’). He provided insight into Italian migration in Australia and the challenges faced by immigrants in the 1950s in their new country. In particular, he shared hilarious stories about the language barriers that occurred between his father, Angelo, and his Australian mate, ‘Gazza‘. In true Italian style, we got up in groups to dance to the traditional Tarantella to end our informative incursion and Languages Week. This week has reminded me to appreciate the diversity that Australia has and to value each and every culture that we are surrounded by daily.
Sophie C (11G)

A big thank you to all of the Languages staff for their assistance in making this week a big success and to all our staff and students for their participation.

Year 10 RE

In Religious Education this semester, the Year 10 students have focused on the concept of Identity and Diversity, studying the monotheistic faiths of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Currently, they are exploring the concept of Humanity, with a particular focus on the Shoah (the Holocaust 1933–1945).

Last week, to enhance and support their learning, the students participated in a Virtual Workshop hosted by the Jewish Holocaust Centre, where they had the opportunity to further understand the terrible plight the Jewish population in Europe experienced during the Holocaust. The students had the privilege of hearing Holocaust Survivor Sarah Saaroni’s incredible story of loss, courage and of hope and they very much appreciated her open and honest responses to their questions.

The students also visited the Jewish Museum of Australia. They participated in a range of activities, including a visit to a synagogue, which allowed them to gain a much greater understanding of Jewish history, faith, customs and beliefs.

Reflecting on the Jewish Holocaust Centre Virtual Workshop and the visit to the Jewish Museum and thinking about elements of our College Mission Statement, the following responses were written and shared by some of the Year 10 students:

We are one race – the human race.

We are called to actively strive for peace and equality in our world.

Even though horrible things happen, there is still hope for humanity.

We are called to use our knowledge to help others.

We can stand up for those who have been treated badly by society and we can treat people with respect and empathy.

We are called to promote reconciliation and justice, through openly speaking about world issues and spreading awareness. We are called to remain open to change and embrace difference. This can be done by listening to one another and by learning about one another.

We can educate others about the Shoah by sharing with people what we have learnt.

As Daughters of Sion we are called to be observant and compassionate members of society. We should be supportive of each other no matter our differences. It is important that we stand up for what is right and that we strive to fix areas of injustice. We can achieve this by taking little actions every day to help bring happiness and hope to someone’s life.

As a College community we pray for peace and justice in our world today.

VCE Music Performance Semester Recital

Congratulations to the Unit 1 and Unit 3 students who prepared and performed their major recital assessment in the Notre Dame Foyer this week.

Sion First Music Program Debut Concert

It was very exciting this week as the Year 6 Sion First String and Band students presented their very first concert in the Miriam Theatre. Both the string group and the concert band performed pieces in the whole ensemble context and even performed some pieces in their smaller instrument sections.

Year 7 Music Representatives announced

Congratulations to Athena H (7B) and Olivia O (7B) who were elected to the portfolio of Year 7 Music Representatives for 2021. They will join a dynamic team that leads the many music programs and activities – congratulations Athena and Olivia!

2021 Ensemble Concert Night

Mark it in your diaries now – Thursday 24 June 2021. The concert will be scheduled in two acts in the Miriam Theatre. Ticketing information will be released very soon.

• Act 1: 5.00 – 6.30 pm. Ensembles involved are: Year 7 Junior Concert Band 1 (Monday morning group), Brass Ensemble, College Choir, Jazz Club, Year 7 Junior Strings, Intermediate Strings, Flute Ensemble and Senior Concert Band.
• Act 2: 7.00 – 8.30 pm. Ensembles involved are: Notre Dame String Quartet, Combined Choir, Year 7 Junior Concert Band 2 (Tuesday afternoon group), Rock Band, Year 7 Junior Choir, Senior Strings, Symphony Orchestra, Percussion Ensemble, Intermediate Concert Band, College Vocal Ensemble (CVE) Senior Jazz Ensemble.

Combined Intermediate and Senior Strings

Congratulations and many thanks to all the students who performed for the Year 3, 4 & 5 Information Evening last Monday. These musicians represented the school so well as prospective parents and students enjoyed an evening of information and entertainment.

The Victorian Premiers' Reading Challenge is in full swing and every Year 7 and 8 English class has had their reading challenge induction by the LRC staff. Students are encouraged to enter in the books that they have read from 5 January to 17 September into the competition website, which has just gone live in the last month.

The competition is hot between Homerooms, who are battling it out for Year Level Prizes for the most read books in each year level Homeroom. Last year 7 Gold won with 264 books, 8 White with 137 and 9 Red with 148 books. Students are encouraged to work as a team and support each other with their reading.

We already have three student who have finished the reading challenge, please congratulate:

• Mietta D-S (8S)
• Anna Si (9G)
• Gabriela G-B (7S)
• Samantha P (8W)

Students should challenge themselves to develop a regular reading habit, at least 15-20 minutes a day. Books included in the challenge include physical books, eBooks, Audiobooks and also graphic novels; but the books need to be age-appropriate. Last year we had two students read 44 books; this year there will be prizes for the student with the most read books in each year level from Years 7–10.

Students are encouraged to add any book that they are thinking of reading to their challenge dashboard, which acts like a doctor's surgery waiting room, holding the books in waiting until they have finished the book. Once students have finished reading the book, a quick 50-word book review needs to be written to authenticate the read and then they can click 'finish' to register their book. Ms Branson from the LRC team will then authenticate each of the books read as she verifies the books.

Good luck to all the students participating in this year's Victorian Premiers' Reading challenge.

Top 5 VPRC Homerooms on 25 May 2021

• 8W – 117 books
• 7S – 113 books
• 7P – 69 books
• 7G – 65 books
• 7R – 60 books.

Sion VPRC Libguide:

https://sionlrc.libguides.com/learningresourcecentre/VPRC.

GSV Cross Country

Well done to all the Our Lady of Sion students who continue to train hard. We have qualified for Division 2 after a strong result at the Preliminary event on Tuesday 18 May.

Ms Monica Clarke, Health and Physical Education Teacher, shares her reflection of the GSV Preliminary event below:

Over 1,000 students across Girls Sport Victoria took on the fast Yarra Bend cross country terrain for the Preliminary C event. Approximately 80 Our Lady of Sion students displayed determination, team camaraderie and passion for the Sion sporting culture. Outstanding performances from Erin M (7S) finishing third out of 170 Junior competitors. Matilda K (10G), Ally C (9R) and Georgie B (9O) led Sion intermediate runners, all finishing in the top 20 – 11th, 12th and 19th respectively. Jorja L (12B) led by example, finishing fifth overall, supported by the other 14 Sion Senior athletes who displayed leadership throughout the day and on the 4 km course.

Hockey Program

Our three GSV Hockey teams (Junior, Intermediate and Senior) have recently finished a four-week training program at Elgar Park as a full squad before school.

An invitation to all Year 7 students encouraging participation and skill acquisition was well received, with a strong presence of students at each morning session. Sessions conducted by Hockey Victoria (and our GSV coaches) focused on skill-based drills and match simulation, targeting both beginners and advanced students. Results from the training have been instant with terrific performances by our teams and ability to implement strategy and structure against strong opposition. We need to keep the momentum going into the final rounds.

GSV Weekly Sport

Please see below our results from the past rounds in GSV. Results of teams can be found at the following link http://www.gsv.vic.edu.au/weekly-sports.

House Athletics

House Athletics has been rescheduled for Wednesday 23 June. Permission forms have been provided to students and parents, please ensure signed forms are returned to Homeroom teachers. Fingers crossed for better weather as it is one of the biggest days in the calendar for community connection and House participation.

Sports Star of the Week

This week, our Star of the Week is Katerina P (12P). Kat has been instrumental in establishing our Senior Hockey team with her behind-the-scenes work and recruitment. Our Hockey program is stronger as a result of her hard work, we are hoping this will set the foundations for future teams from Year 7 to Year 12. Well done Kat!

Believe you can and you’re halfway there.
Theodore Roosevelt

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 – ACU Experience Day on Campus, Monash University Discover Business Day, Monash Science Precinct Tour, RMIT webinars
• Career Industry in the Spotlight – Dermatology
• things to consider – Deakin Explore, Torrens University
• research ideas – ACU new course in Criminology, Box Hill Institute Music degrees.

Exams can provide a fantastic opportunity for learning, developing study and revisions skills and getting used to the assessment process. This period of time can be a whirlwind of emotions, it can be scary, exciting, stressful and rewarding.

Exam stress can result as a negative reaction to pressure, especially if there is concern about performance, feeling underprepared or some underlying anxiety. It is important to note (and for students to understand) that some stress can be helpful – there is such a thing as ‘good stress’. Good stress helps push us along, it can help motivate us and has even been found to help boost brain power and build resilience. Without some level of stress we’d often struggle to get things done. It can be helpful to check in and try to see how your daughter is coping with the pressure and stress of exams.

There are a number of ways you can support your daughter in managing exam stress. Please find some suggestions below:

1. Know their exam timetable. This will help you know what their week is going to look like. It’ll also help when you’re checking in on them and asking what study they’re doing.
2. Be constructive and positive. Encouragements can be really helpful when students are feeling frustrated or overwhelmed.
3. Help them understand their stress – normalise this, and encourage them to try to problem solve.
4. Try to help them keep good routines – this includes good eating habits, maintaining a good sleep routine and ensure a good balance between study and breaks or downtime. It is also important to maintain physical activity during periods of increased stress.
5. Support a positive study environment – this might be encouraging them to study at their desk instead of on their bed or the floor, or it might be suggesting they study in a designated spot in the house – in a study or at the dining table.
6. Have realistic expectations, and try not to put too much pressure on them. A lot of students feel pressure to please others and not disappoint people with their results.
7. Discuss their goals and what they’d like to achieve.
8. Offering to help – is there something you can do to assist with their revision? Offer to help quiz them or read over their work. Some students may not need this kind of support but others may find it very helpful.

If you’re concerned at all about how your daughter is coping, or you’d like to discuss any of this further please feel free to contact your daughters Wellbeing and Growth Leader or a member of the counselling service on 9890 9097 or via counselling@sion.catholic.edu.au.