Newsletter | Speaking the Truth in Love

Sion Day Celebrations

The highlight for the month of August was undoubtedly our Sion Day celebration (Friday 12 August). Fr Mark Reynolds celebrated the first whole school Eucharist held in the LHC in three years and we were also grateful for the presence of the Sisters of Our Lady of Sion, especially to introduce them to our Years 7, 8 and 9 students for the first time. After Eucharist, students and staff enjoyed our Carnival and House activities which House and Student Leaders Co-ordinator, Ms Tilley and the Student Leaders planned and hosted. Students purchased food and drinks, and participated in a range of competitions, games and activities. The second-hand shop did a roaring trade with many students picking up a real bargain. The money raised by students will be announced in the coming weeks. After the dismissal of our students, staff enjoyed an afternoon tea where we presented service awards and held our traditional Staff Silent Auction which raised $7,188.50, a record amount that is testament to the generosity of staff and the competitive bidding enjoyed by all.

Families may wonder why we have Sion Day. At the conclusion of our Eucharist, I outlined that Sion Day celebrates what it means to be a member of the Our Lady of Sion College community. It always occurs around the Feast of the Assumption of Our Lady (15 August).

It is important to also remember our school name includes her for a reason. We are not just Sion College. We are Our Lady of Sion College - so the mother of Jesus is pivotal to our identity and provides inspiration for how to live our lives.

In scripture Our Lady is referred to as a Daughter of Sion. If students have been at the College since Year 7, they may remember that in Religious Education classes they learned that Sion is another name for Jerusalem and means the City of Peace. And this is what we are working towards.

We use the expression Daughter of Sion often at our school and whether we are a student or member of staff, as a member of this school we are called to follow Our Lady’s example. What does it actually mean to be a person of Sion?

If Our Lady is an example, it means standing up for justice, being a voice for the voiceless, supporting those who have little or nothing, working towards ensuring all can live a good life, and ultimately having hope and faith in God.

And why do we do this?

• because we are trying to create a more humane world
• because we see the needs of others around us
• because we are called to be people who have a heart and are called to respond

Thank you to all who helped to plan and create the day. Through everyone’s participation, we will have raised much needed funds for the indigenous students at the San Luis Lumad Community High School in the Philippines for whom we have worked and who deserve the same opportunities we enjoy. Thank you for opening your hearts so we can create a more humane and compassionate world.

Whole School Review and feedback

Yesterday the College completed its cyclical review which occurs every four years and addresses compliance, child safety and school improvement. The review involves the College submitting evidence as well as the reviewers visiting the College to speak with some of our staff, students, parents, College Board members and the Sisters of Our Lady of Sion. I would like to thank the staff for the preparation undertaken in advance of our review and all involved in the school visit. I look forward to sharing the outcome of the review when we formally receive feedback. At the end of August, we will also undertake our annual Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools School Improvement Survey (MACSSIS). All students, staff and parents and carers will be invited to complete a feedback survey. The College uses this feedback to inform ongoing school improvement in the priorities that are identified. Once again I thank all involved in advance for providing this valuable feedback.

Indigenous Immersion Update

As we continue our weekly Formation sessions with staff and students who will participate in this year’s immersion next month, we welcome the reflection of Year 11 student Ella, on why are we going on an Indigenous Immersion.

I believe that Our Lady of Sion College offers an Indigenous Immersion program to deepen our understanding as to why, as a nation, we must commit to reconciliation and justice for Indigenous Australians. We are going to experience the Indigenous culture, to foster a deeper understanding between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. Something that made me want to take the opportunity to go on this experience is that I want to learn outside of the classroom in an unfamiliar environment. I hope to learn about some of the similarities and differences between Aboriginal spirituality and Catholic spirituality. We are going to participate in a range of authentic cultural experiences, that we would not have otherwise had the opportunity to experience, at Our Lady of Sion College.

With every blessing for the fortnight ahead.

Tina Apostolopoulos

When the College's Voice Music Teacher, Mrs Janine Jones, suggested the song “We are the World!” for our Sion Day song, I wondered how many students would be familiar with this as it was originally recorded in 1985. The song raised around $50 million dollars in donations for African famine relief and received a Grammy for Song of the Year.

When I heard the lyrics after all these years, I realised how relevant and appropriate it was for us as a school community. Sion Day, this year and in previous years, created a very important fund-raising opportunity for the San Luis Lumad Community High School in the Philippines. The chorus of the song is as follows:

We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day, so let's start giving
Oh, there's a choice we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we'll make a better day, just you and me.

On Sion Day we too have raised a significant amount and the song chosen reminds us of what we are, what we can do for others by giving and how we can create opportunities for bright futures for the students in the Philippines.

So, thank you to Mrs Jones for putting such thought into choosing this song and thank you to all the students, staff and parents who donated goods and offered their assistance and time to making Sion Day so successful, memorable and this world a better place.

Families will be noticing the release of formative and summative learning tasks on SEQTA as we pass the halfway point of Term 3 and students demonstrate their new knowledge and skills. The Student Progress Meetings are a great opportunity for parents to raise any concerns they have, communicate any background information that may assist in learning and to celebrate student learning growth.

Finishing with the Year 8 Languages selections, the subject selection process is about to be completed and the students are to be commended for the manner in which they have entered into this, especially in the senior years as pathways planning becomes more important.

This week, the students have celebrated Science week, with lots of hands-on and House activities, as well as some cheeky competitions in Homerooms. Next week the Learning Resource Centre will host a series of events to celebrate Book Week, and we look forward to the inventive ways that the students and staff explore their favourite reads.

Child Safe Standards Nine, Ten and Eleven

In this article I will unpack the last three of the new Child Safe standards. If you have queries about the Standards, please contact me at the College.

Standard Nine: Expects that the College’s physical and online environments promote safety and wellbeing while minimising the opportunity for children and young people to be harmed.

Examples of enacting this standard:

• Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy
• Code of Conduct/Code of Belonging
• Student Use of Technology Guidelines (in the planner)
• Pastoral Care Lessons - Bully Busters/Your Safety Matters
• Anti-Bullying - including cyber bullying policy
• iPad Audits
• Duty of Care Guidelines
• College Firewall
• Risk Management Plans
• Obtaining and Filing Risk Documentation and Child Safe Policies from Third Parties
• Out of Bounds posters
• Yard Duty roster.

Standard Ten: Expects that the College will regularly review and improve our implementation of the Child Safe Standards

Examples of enacting this Standard:

• Fortnightly meeting of the Policy team
• Board review and approval of policies
• Leadership Team agenda items - review of case management
• Professional Learning giving Pastoral Care team access to best practice
• OHS audits and feedback cycle.

Standard Eleven: Asks the College to have policies and procedures documented on how the organisation is safe for children and young people

Examples of enacting this Standard:

• Child Safe and Wellbeing Policy
• Mandatory Reporting Guidelines
• Code of Belonging for parents/carers
• Sexual Harassment Policy
• Guest Presenters Policy
• Drug Issues in Schools Policy
• First Aid Policy
• Smoking Policy
• UV Sun Smart Policy (including UV Sun Smart College Procedures)
• Risk Management Policy
• Excursion and Incursion Policy
• International Student Visits to the College Policy.

It was so lovely to see Year 12 students enjoy their last Sion Day at the College last Friday. A big congratulations to our leaders and all students who contributed to the spirit of the day through their participation and leadership in Liturgy, Social Justice and House competitions.

This week in our Pastoral lesson one of our Year 12 Homeroom teachers, Rob Steward, led the students in a session that was titled Broken Windows. The Broken Windows Theory was published by James Wilson and George Kelling in 1982 and is based on an experiment conducted by an American psychologist, Philip Zimbardo.

In the school context the idea is that if we neglect to take care of the small things then there is the possibility that bigger issues may emerge. We therefore gave the students an hour to attend to some of the little things that they needed to attend to in the hope that they could reduce their to do list and feel a little more organised and on top of things. We will be encouraging the students to continue applying this theory as we move through the remaining weeks of term.

A reminder that Student Progress Meetings are taking place next Wednesday 24 and Thursday 25 August. This is the perfect opportunity for students, accompanied by their parents or carers, to receive feedback before their final SACs.

As we continue to get through Term 3, there has been a lot happening in the school community, that has prompted the Year 11 students to be looking towards their final year at Sion!

Leadership position applications

Leadership applications, speeches and interviews are well underway. Portfolio Representations and House Leader applicants presented to their peers during Pastoral this week. With the final selection of the student leaders for 2023 to be finalised in the coming weeks, they will be stepping into this leadership position for Term 4.

Subject Selections

Web Preferences for Subject Selection were due in Week 4. Subject selection can be a big decision for senior students. Students have been able to feel reassured in their decisions and the focus it has provided them. Students might see this as an opportunity to evaluate what they might want to get out of their final weeks of content, assessments, and working with their teachers in their Year 11 subjects. Whilst some students may feel more confident than others, we are here to support students if there are potential changes/amendments.

Over the past few weeks Mrs O’Hara has been an invaluable support for the Year 11 students. As students have had more questions about their subject selection, they have also been curious to find out more about the potential careers pathways they might want to pursue. Students have been encouraged to book an appointment with Mrs O’Hara via the OLSC Careers website (link), should they have any questions. Parents/carers can also attend meetings by request.

We still have plenty of time here in Year 11, but the processes in place have put this reminder of time into perspective!

Earlier this week we commenced the process of applying for leadership positions for 2023 for our Year 10 students. Mrs Jennifer Tilley spent time with students to outline the process. Following on from this, we then looked at our personal strength profile.

We then looked at what a growth mindset can look like for all students. When we are faced with a challenge, how do we navigate our way through that challenge? How can we use a growth mindset approach?

Finally, we looked at a few scenarios that may happen to the students and how they respond to that scenario. We continue to focus on friendships, creating new opportunities to connect with the year level and community at large.

Student Reflections

Ballroom

Over the course of Term 3, Year 10 students had the opportunity to participate in ballroom dancing. This experience gave the girls a chance to expand their dancing expertise whilst socialising and making new connections with students from Whitefriars College. The girls look forward to sharing their dances with family and friends at the presentation evening at Box Hill Town Hall on Monday 5 September. 10 Silver Homeroom

Work Experience

During the first week of Term 3, Year 10 students attended their work experience placements from July 11-15. We all had different placements in a variety of workplaces and were visited or called by a teacher on one of these days to check in and ask us about our work so far. Overall, it was a very rewarding experience, and a great opportunity to help others at kindergartens, schools, aged cares and other businesses. We were able to learn more about a particular field we may be interested in pursuing. We believe everyone gained skills and developed qualities such as customer service, organisation, independence, cooperation and confidence to implement into part time jobs and daily life. A few weeks later, all Year 10 students completed a Work Experience Reflection. This gave us a moment to look back at our time and reflect on what we gained from the whole experience. As a year level we are all very grateful to the L’Chaim teachers and our individual supervisors at our placements, as well as Mrs O’Hara who made the whole experience possible. 10 Silver Homeroom

Sion Day

On Friday 12 August, the College celebrated Sion Day. This day was filled with lots of fun and excitement. This event was a great way to raise money for San Luis Lumad Community High School in the Philippines, which is in support of the work of the Sisters of Sion. The day was split into two carnivals. Carnival one consisted of food stores and activities and the second carnival consisted of a sausage sizzle and drinks. Some of the stores open in carnival one were clothing stores, food stores which had ice cream, cakes, donuts and hot drinks. Highlights of the event included the raffle and the House spirit competition. 10 Silver Homeroom

This week in Pastoral, Year 9 students worked alongside some Year 12 volunteers to discuss study skills and strategies as mentioned in my previous newsletter.

The feedback from Year 9 students was fantastic and they gained so much from these conversations with senior students.

Some main points that were covered were:

• Strategies on how to stay organised
• Tips on how to study
• To-do lists
• Work/life balance
• Dealing with stressful assessment periods
• Prioritisation

Year 9 students also had the opportunity to ask questions directed to what they wanted to know.

I have also attached some documents that Year 12 students created for Year 9 students to assist in their studies.

It would be great to see some conversations like this happening at home around the dinner table.

Student feedback:

• The Year 12 students taught us about different tools that they use to time manage. They mentioned apps and strategies that can make ‘work’ time more productive. Carla V (9 Blue)
• The ways the Year 12 students broke down what they do in Year 12 and what’s helpful to them was very insightful. They made VCE seem a lot more realistic and taught us skills to manage workload and social life too. It’s important to have a balance but also have priorities. Emma H (9 White)
• They taught us that it can be helpful to separate home and work life. Studying in the library before or after school instead of at home or ensuring if you work at home that you don’t work in your bedroom so this can be a place to really switch off is important. You need to give your mind a break but when working, you also need to stay away from possible distractions. Sophie T (9 Blue)

We look forward to seeing these strategies and tips implemented by Year 9 students in the final term and a half of the year. Thank you Year 12 students for their time and we wish them the best with their upcoming exams.

It was wonderful to be able to celebrate Sion Day as we are used to and the Year 8 students truly got into the spirit of the day. I commend every student for their generosity and willingness to get involved with different activities. As a year level, we ran the Milk Bar and Slide & Win stalls which were a huge success. I would like to particularly thank those who made donations or helped staff on the day to run these activities to raise as much money as we could for the San Luis Lumad Community High School in the Philippines.

In addition to this, on Tuesday our Pastoral session was based on being BodyKind, an initiative from the Butterfly Foundation. This session started with a year level presentation by one of our counsellors, Mrs Janine Crociani, followed by a return to their Homerooms for some discussion as a class and an activity to show who they are beyond their appearance.

Key messages revolved around the idea of being body kind towards others and themselves, nourishing their bodies in a way that makes it feel good and moving their bodies to increase their energy and improve their general wellbeing. They were also provided with a challenge to reduce the number of appearance-based comments they make about themselves or others, and rather to highlight personal qualities and strengths.

As mentioned in my letter to parents/carers last week, the home is also an important place to foster positive attitudes and behaviours around body, appearance, eating and exercise. We are encouraging you to work in partnership with us and have these important conversations at home. Help is available through our College Counselling Service (counselling@sion.catholic.edu.au), their Homeroom teachers and myself, as well as the Butterfly Foundation that has a variety of resources for families. Fact sheets, digital clips and family activities can be accessed here.

As always Year 7 students have had a busy two weeks. There have been music incursions, lunchtime competitions, GSV sports to play and opportunities to embrace. Sion Day was an incredible highlight for students (and staff!), and as promised there were many ways to get involved in an incredible tradition here at Our Lady of Sion College. It was wonderful to have a day together to laugh, play games and find our House spirit while fundraising for the work of the Sisters of Our Lady of Sion.

Week 6 of Term 3 brings challenges in the sense of increased levels of assessment and making choices for languages to study in Year 8. There has been a noticeable increase in the number of students seeking advice around their worries and stress levels which prompted a Pastoral lesson this week. Managing stress, worries and anxiety is a necessary skill and included in this is the idea of what is a ‘real’ problem we’re experiencing now, a ‘maybe’ problem and an 'imagined' problem. A lot of our concerns do not happen in reality, but we certainly dedicate ourselves to thinking about them!

The Pastoral lesson sought to discuss what worries us and look at what we can and cannot control. I invite families and friends to continue this discussion at home, talking about our worries and putting our concerns into perspective is a powerful tool. Students have had the opportunity to reflect on what is a worry for them, as well as the skill of identifying whether this is a concern that they are able to let go of as it is out of their control. These skills will need to be revisited over the years in order to develop resilience and positive coping strategies during challenging times. All resources can be accessed through the year level Google Classroom using student iPads.

There are plenty of things going on in the wonderful world of VCE Visual Communication Design at the College.

Year 11 students have just made models for their industrial design task where they were designing a piece of furniture inspired by the Bauhaus movement to be stocked in IKEA. They have since completed instruction drawings that depict the assembly process and completed technical drawings of their designs using Adobe Illustrator.

Year 12 VCD have presented their design pitch, showcasing their top two solutions for their Unit 4 bodies of work. This pitch presents students with an opportunity to showcase their design process to their peers and Design teachers before selecting their best piece via a feedback process.

In addition to the above we are also very proud to have offered our VCE students an opportunity to gain insights from our past students who came to the College to talk about their University application process and portfolio requirements for University entry in the areas of Visual Arts. We were joined by the following past students:

• Julia Tingate, Bachelor of Arts majoring in Art History (class of 2021 and Visual Arts Captain 2021)
• Georgia Drake, Bachelor of Communication Design, Swinburne (class of 2019)
• Bec Franzoni, Masters in Teaching, Monash, and Bachelor of Arts with a major in Communication Studies (class of 2018)
• Monique Pulverenti, Bachelor of Design (Communication Design) at RMIT (class of 2021)
• Lana Gallagher, Associate Degree in Fashion and Textiles Merchandising and Bachelor of Fashion Enterprise (class of 2019)
• Emily Chim, Bachelor of Graphic Design at RMIT and Visual Arts Captain (class of 2017)

Zart Art National Student Art Prize

We are pleased to announce that as part of our annual Visual Art Competitions we provided students the opportunity to enter the Zart Art National Student Art Prize. Inspired by the theme of Environment, 62 of our students produced entries in an array of media.

This week we received the fantastic news that four of our students' entries have been shortlisted as finalists from all competition entries across Australia! We are very pleased to congratulate Sienna D (7 Purple), Valentina F (7 Silver), Maya L (8 Purple) and Chloe K (10 Gold) for this achievement. These students will be receiving a prize pack of art and craft supplies to the value of $100 each from Zart.

All entries will be displayed at the College in the coming weeks. Congratulations again to all involved.

Students undertaking Unit 3 and 4 Chemistry, this week, completed their Unit 4 Area of Study 1 studies by competing in the annual Titration competition. The task required our budding chemists to titrate a known concentration of 0.05 M sodium carbonate against the ‘unknown’ concentration of 0.0125 M hydrochloric acid.

Students competed with relentless determination in the hope of making their mark on the prestigious Titration Champions Shield.

Well done to all students for their participation and for showing accurate practical investigation techniques and calculations. Congratulations to both Sacha d H (12 Purple) and Winnie W (12 Purple) for determining the most accurate concentration of hydrochloric acid with a value of 0.0138 M.

Last week, we held our first business meeting for our new Entrepreneurial Club for interested students in any year level. We are working on a name with a bit more of an edge, but for now, we meet as an Entrepreneurial Club. We had seven students attend our first two meetings. The ethos behind the club is to establish entrepreneurial skills in developing prototypes of possible products, design and marketing and the capacity to fail and adapt quickly to data that can be applied to the next situation.

We were fortunate to have Zoe B (11 Gold) detail her story of Shrinky Dink Jewellery, a business she developed in Year 9. Zoe was able to explain the process she used in developing her products and has agreed to stay with the group.

We will be looking for other mentors as we progress, so if you are interested in supporting us, we would love to hear from you. At this stage, we are planning to target some events, such as the Significant Men's Day Breakfast on Friday 2 September. Not much lead time for this one, but we have some ideas in the pipeline.

Sion ensembles claim a haul of Silver awards at the Victorian Schools Music Festival

After a two-year hiatus, it was great to be back on the performance stage again! Congratulations to Our Lady of Sion Jazz Musicians who performed last week at the Victorian Schools Music Festival held at the Hawthorn Town Hall. It’s been a haul of silver awards, with Jazz Club and the Senior Jazz Ensemble receiving this performance standard. Congratulations students! Earlier this week, 46 members of the Intermediate Concert Band, under the direction of Mr Dullard, added another silver award after their fantastic performance of their repertoire ‘Cataclysm of the Cosmos’, ’With Thine Eyes’ and ‘Between the Hills’. There is one more ensemble performing next week – Senior Concert Band – as the schedule moves into the Concert Band section. Good luck to Mr Parks and all our Senior Concert Band performers.

String faculty Masterclass with Rob John

On Tuesday this week, students studying violin, viola and cello were treated to a wonderful Masterclass with renowned violinist Mr Rob John. Rob was formally the Concertmaster and principal violin of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and has performed all over Australia (and the world) in symphony orchestras, professional musical theatre orchestras (Wicked, Chicago, The Producers, The Lion King, Les Misérables) and on the soundtracks of many movies. The girls gained valuable experience and new perspectives on how to get the best out of their instrument. A huge thanks to Mrs Tinsley who facilitated this incursion.

It was a very rich and rewarding experience and he gave us a sense on ensemble, moving with and listening to each. Sara D (11 Red)

Mr John is a phenomenal player, and I learned a lot of new approaches to my bowing and how get a better sound out of my instrument. Valentina J (9 Blue)

Music was alive during Sion Day

Congratulations to the CVE, Senior musicians and Open Mic participants who really captured the essence of Sion Day last Friday. These performers made meaningful and skilled musical contributions to the Sion Day Eucharist and other events throughout the day.

Australian Music Examinations Board – Practical Music Exams

26 musicians from Our Lady of Sion have enrolled in the final round of AMEB instrumental performance examinations for 2022. We have a range of instrumentalists and singers enrolling in assessments from Grade 1 to Grade 7. These committed girls prepare specialised repertoire from prescribed lists and will polish them into shape over the next couple of months. Congratulations to all those who have entered.

Term 3 Winter Soirée – Monday 29 August

The Music Department is looking forward to the Term 3 Winter Soirée, which will be held on Monday 29 August at 5.00 pm in the Miriam Theatre. All are welcome. Any student who wishes to present an item to be included in the Soirée is encouraged to get in touch Mr Macaulay for more details: mmacaulay@sion.catholic.edu.au

Upcoming Dates

• Senior Concert Band at Victorian Schools Music Festival: Tuesday 23 August 12.30 pm – 4.30 pm, Hawthorn Town Hall
• Senior Concert Band: Saturday rehearsal on-site at Our Lady of Sion College, Saturday 27 August, 9.30 am – 12.30 pm
• Term 3 Winter Soiree: Monday 29 August, 5.00 pm, Miriam Theatre
• CVE Performance at the NCEC Conference Mass: St Patrick’s Cathedral, Tuesday 6 September, 9.00 am
• VCE Music Performance Unit 4 Recitals: Monday 12 September, 5.00 pm, Notre Dame Foyer
• Celtic Fiddle Workshop with Coral Reid: Tuesday 13 September
• Senior/Intermediate Band Commissioning Concert with University of Melbourne Brass Group: Wednesday 14 September, 9.30 am – 12.30 pm
• Intermediate Strings Performance: Saturday 8 October, 11.00 am, Holy Spirit Primary School Fete (Ringwood East)

Sion Day – House Competitions

Friday 12 August saw us celebrate Sion Day – an important day within the life of the College and one of particular significance for the House Program. The House Captain team ran a College wide Kahoot competition which saw students from across the school play in their Homeroom House teams to win an 85 question trivia competition.

In the afternoon the College gathered in their Houses to participate in a new challenge: the House Spirit Competition. This was a multi round competition which called on students to show their music knowledge, dancing abilities, knowing staff members in their House and was conducted in the spirit of enthusiasm and participation. It was great to see students so eagerly participating in the various rounds and enjoying the opportunity to come together to celebrate House spirit.

Success is a journey not a destination. Arthur Ashe

Students and families can find the Fortnightly Careers newsletter here.

In this fortnights newsletter there is information relating to:

• Upcoming Events: 2022 Tertiary Open days, Box Hill Winter Discovery Nights, ACU Allied Health and Youth Industry Seminars, AFDA Virtual Open Day
• Career in the Spotlight: Dietitian
• Things to consider: Guaranteed study pathways with University of Melbourne. Monash University entry schemes
• Research ideas : Fine Arts and Music Degrees, Professional Degrees at Swinburne, New degree in Arts/Masters Education at ACU.

What a wonderful start to the term we have had on the Debating and Public Speaking front!

Our Year 9 Team (represented by Zoe D, Nakita N, Sara K and Jasmine C – all from 9 Purple) has placed first on the ladder for the Ringwood Region, thereby securing a spot in the Debating Association of Victoria’s Finals Series, where they will go head-to-head with finalists from other schools across the state. Please wish them luck in their upcoming debates!

Our Year 10 Debating Representatives Hannah D (10 Purple) and Tianna D (10 Silver) organised, promoted, and presented a Public Speaking Workshop on Monday 8 August during lunchtime. This was a huge success, with students from all levels attending to hear from our experienced debaters about how they too can develop essential, argumentative skills for their own orals and essays.

Last Friday was Sion Day, which also meant The Great Debate! Our Staff versus Student Debate had a massive turn-out – a full-house! Over 300 students eagerly listened to the arguments presented for and against students receiving homework. Our adjudicators (Year 11 Representative Laura D, 11 Silver, Year 9 Representative Zoe D, 9 Purple, Ms Fisher and Ms Tomy) had their work cut out for them, however only one team could be victorious. After a close debate, the Staff Team claimed the win. A huge congratulations to our very talented students (Debating Captain Jaimee McA, 12 Red and Year 10 Representatives Hannah D, 10 Purple, and Tianna D, 10 Silver) and staff (Ms Beale, Mr Whitely and Mrs Kralj).

Sport this term has already had many outstanding things to celebrate. I am also proud to announce that Sion’s Track and Field squad has achieved their best result ever qualifying for Division 2. It is an honour to watch the students train under the guidance of coaches and put their hard work into practice last week. The support from the squad who competed and supported at the Preliminary Carnival enabled this historical result. Weekly sport continues to thrive with all teams demonstrating resilience, perseverance and teamwork. We also wish our three Aerobics teams and coaches the best of luck this weekend at the National School Aerobics Championships in the Gold Coast.

Farewell Mr Liam Cox – Sports Administrator

Today we farewell Mr Liam Cox who has supported the Sport Program at Sion for the last two and a half years. He has been an asset to the College through his active involvement in sport, House carnivals and Sion activities. His passion and expertise in sport were enjoyed by students during Friday morning strength and conditioning sessions. His coaching support for the Australian Football teams and mentoring in sport leadership meetings will continue to shine through our students. We wish Mr Cox all the best with his future endeavours and know he will be greatly missed by the Sion Community.

Track and Field

It’s been a very exciting start to this year’s athletics season with our Preliminary Carnival held last Tuesday 9 August. It’s been great to see fantastic training numbers at early morning sessions and after school training meets which have greatly paid off in our results on Tuesday. Everyone performed very well both on and off the track with students assisting with various jobs on the day as well. It’s exciting that we have qualified into Division 2 for Track and Field for the first time in Sion history! That also means that we are now in Division 2 across all our carnival sports for the first time ever. We hope to continue with our great efforts in our Championship Carnival coming up on Thursday 25 August. A big well done to all the girls for their great effort and performance so far this season. Track and Field Captain - Ciara D (11 Purple)

Badminton

The Junior, Intermediate and Senior teams have been demonstrating a variety of success in the badminton season so far. The Junior and Intermediate team has an A and B team allowing both new and experienced players to enjoy our loved sport. The teams have faced competitive opponents and continue to try their best and play hard. Intermediate Badminton Players - Keelia Y (9 Purple) and Jasmin C (9 Purple)

Coming up

• GSV Track and Field Championships: Thursday 25 August
• SCSA Lacrosse - Trials: Monday 22 and Monday 29 August (lunchtime). Competition: Friday 2 September
• HPE and Sport Week: Monday 12 - Friday 16 September
• Sports Awards Night: Monday 12 September

Athletes of the Week

When it comes to access support for a young person’s mental health or wellbeing, a very common question is ‘Where do I start?’ If you have never had experience with mental health services before, it can be daunting or overwhelming and so a good place to start is to explore local options. Your family doctor/local GP or community health centre can connect you with local services and guide you through the initial process of exploring options for your child. There are also numerous not-for-profit and private services that you can research online and get in contact with directly.

Before choosing which service of mental health professional you would like to engage, some things to consider include:

• Have I asked my child/young person if they have a preference or opinion about who they want to see? Involving your child in this process can give them a sense of empowerment and responsibility about their own mental health.
• Do I have a preference around the service/professional’s cultural background/gender/languages spoken/etc.? There are mental health services specifically available to and which support cultural and linguistically diverse people.
• Am I prepared to invest the necessary time and resources required to find the right service? You may not find what you are looking for right away but it is important to keep trying and take things one step at a time, as our mental health journeys take time and there may be roadblocks along the way.

Ultimately, the best mental health service for your child will be the one they feel most comfortable with and suits your family’s needs best, as the best outcomes only come with a strong and trusting relationship with their health professional.

If you have any concerns about your child’s wellbeing that you would like to discuss, please do not hesitate to get in touch with your child’s Homeroom teacher, their Wellbeing and Growth Leader, or a member of the Counselling Team (counselling@sion.catholic.edu.au).