Newsletter | Speaking the Truth in Love

The end of an academic year often brings with it a range of feelings. There is a sense of excitement that warmer weather may be on the horizon, and hopefully we will see some soon. It is also traditionally a time when we look forward to a more relaxed pace in life or time away once work and study commitments have concluded. The end of the year may also be a time when we reflect on the challenges we have experienced throughout the year and give thanks for the support we experienced from family, friends, and teachers to overcome them.

Ultimately, all major events have the capacity to transform our lives in some manner and recent times have proved no different. I am pleased to say that 2022 has slowly allowed us to experience once again the elements of our College which are uniquely Sionian and to do so in a manner that reflected a greater appreciation for who we are and what we cherish.

As this is our final newsletter for the year, we share the many events, milestones, and celebrations we have enjoyed in the last fortnight. It has been a time of celebration and ironically, new beginnings as we all prepare once again for the transition into a new year.

So, I take the opportunity to congratulate …

…. the Class of 2022 who completed their final exams recently and then together with their parents, celebrated the conclusion of their secondary education with a Eucharist and Valedictory Dinner. The evening was filled with joy and gratitude as parents danced with their children and students celebrated their final time together. Once again, we wish the Class of 2022 all the very best as they continue their life journey, and we look forward to hearing from them in the years ahead. I would like to particularly acknowledge those parents who will formally conclude their time at the College. Thank you for your support and I hope you will also continue to feel a very important part of our Sion community.

… our Year 10 and 11 students who also concluded their examinations and Smart Start program to prepare for their senior years. This morning we farewelled them and celebrated their achievements this year with Eucharist and our Awards Assembly.

… our Year 9 students for the way they have come together this year, the first year they have had to really get to know each other and work together face to face. Of note is the way they embraced the Ayin program which will come to its conclusion with the Mind, Body and Soul Day.

… our Year 8 students who equally demonstrated great resilience and camaraderie during their recent camp experience. I hope the skills they have developed will remind them in the coming years, that it is important to challenge oneself and reap the benefits of being out of one’s comfort zone.

… our Year 7 students on their first year of secondary education which was rounded off with a celebration of their music achievements for the year. Families were treated to some wonderful performances at our traditional Year 7 Spring Concert which is one of the highlights of our Term 4 calendar.

… our Sion First Band members who will join us as Year 7 students in 2023. For many students, this was their first experience of learning a musical instrument and they are to be congratulated on the progress they have made. All performances were exceptional and testament to their hard work throughout the year. Next Friday we formally welcome them for their Orientation Day. They will meet their Homeroom Teachers and Peer Support Leaders and experience a taste of secondary school life by participating in a number of learning activities.

… our 2022 Student Leaders for the planning and encouragement they have offered other students to enjoy strong community spirit through the activities they led. They have been great role models for all students.

I thank all students, parents, carers and staff for their contribution to the year. The learning and personal development opportunities our students have been offered cannot happen without your support.

Masterplan Update

Families may remember some time ago I wrote about the upcoming plans for the construction of our STEAMD and Administration Centre that will replace the building currently located near the corner of Dorking and Whitehorse Roads. The portables that have been installed on our oval will provide temporary accommodation and are a necessary staging of the project that will ensure learning continuity during the demolition and construction phases. We hope to begin construction some time in the early part of 2023 and I will keep the community informed as soon as the planning processes are concluded and we are ready to begin.

With every blessing for the remainder of the year.

Tina Apostolopoulos

This coming Sunday in the Catholic Church, an important event will take place – the beginning of Advent. Advent, which begins the Church’s liturgical year, starts on Sunday 27 November. Advent encompasses the four Sundays and weekdays leading up to the celebration of Christmas.

The Advent season is a time of preparation for our hearts and minds for the anniversary of the Lord’s birth on Christmas.

It is a Catholic tradition to celebrate Advent by putting up an Advent Wreath and lighting candles each week.

The wreath and candles are full of symbolism tied to the Christmas season.

The candles also have their own special significance. The four candles represent the four weeks of Advent, and one candle is lit each Sunday. Three of the candles are purple because the colour violet is a liturgical colour that signifies a time of prayer, penance, and sacrifice.

The first candle, which is purple, symbolises hope.

The second candle, also purple, represents faith.

The third candle is pink and symbolises joy.

On the fourth week of Advent, we light the final purple candle to mark the final week of prayer and penance as we wait for the birth of our Saviour.

The white candle is placed in the middle of the wreath and lit on Christmas Eve. This candle is called the “Christ Candle” and represents the life of Christ.

From Monday we shall place a wreath in Reception, a reminder to all that as a Catholic school, we prepare ourselves across the next four weeks for recalling this exciting celebration of the birth of Jesus at Christmas.

Religious Education Curriculum Review

The Acting Director of Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS), Dr Edward Simons has written to Catholic school Principals regarding a review of the Religious Education (RE) Curriculum in Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Melbourne. The Review is being led by Ms Netina Giacco, Professor John Haldane and Professor Gerard O’Shea.

An important part of this review is learning from the perspectives of school parents and carers. To gather that input, parents and carers are warmly encouraged to complete a survey on RE in Catholic schools.

The survey can be accessed and completed via this link.

The survey questions are broad and open-ended, in order to allow you to provide as much or as little input as you feel appropriate. You can complete it with any, and varying, level of detail - as you see fit.

Contribution to the survey will be anonymous, although the survey does request some demographic information to contextualise results.

In acknowledging the challenges and pressures on everyone at this time of year, the deadline for responses has been set to 20 December 2022.

Academic Awards and Night of Excellence

As we approach the end of year, plans are in full swing to recognise the students’ achievements in all aspects of their learning. Families will shortly be invited to attend the Night of Excellence - resuming its rightful place as an evening function - whilst the Year 10 and 11 students will be recognised for their achievements on the final day of their year.

It is important for parents to note that not all tasks that are visible on SEQTA Engage are included in the tally for the awards. The decision is based upon the nature and timing of the tasks as well as equity across classes.

We look forward to seeing everyone at the Night of Excellence as a highlight of the College Calendar. End of Semester Reports will be released to families on Friday 9 December.

2023

Looking forward to 2023, students and families have already been informed of the change to the daily structure. Other changes to the curriculum time allocations include an increase in contact periods for many subjects, meaning that students will have smaller spaces between learning new material and practice applying their skills and knowledge.

Year 11 and 12 students will notice on their 2023 timetables subjects called Shatal, modern Hebrew for ‘to plant’ (Year 11) and Gadal, meaning ‘to grow' (Year 12). These subjects are being introduced to support the student’s growth as their needs change, become more outward focussed, and support the curriculum across their studies. More information will be provided in the new year but we are excited to see the transition from Ayin at Year 9, to L’Chaim at Year 10 and Shatal and Gadal rounding off the sequence.

Another change that we would like to flag with families of our Units 3 and 4 VCE students is the scheduling of the Year 12 Trial exams. These will now be held in the second week of the Term 3 break (25- 28 September) rather than the first week. We have reviewed the timing of the trial exams and the current students overwhelmingly reported; a break was needed to prepare for the trials so that they could perform to their best ability, making the essential feedback more targeted and actionable.

Reward for a Challenging Year

Joy is prayer; joy is strength: joy is love; joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls. Mother Teresa

It would be an understatement to say that 2020 and 2021 brought us challenges but if we are truthful, 2022 brought its own distinct and perhaps unexpected ones. Few of us were ‘match fit’ for the return to a full year of onsite study and as a school community we began the process of healing, re-establishing friendships and connections, and returning to the rigour of academic endeavours.

As we now head to the end of the year it is a time for celebration and experiencing joy.

Joy is a life-giving emotion. It lifts the spirits, triggers positive feelings, fosters connection with others and warms the soul. It should also be noted that we rarely find joy in possessions.

Joy is more often found in moments and interactions rather than belongings. Different things bring joy to each of us. We find it through seeing a loved one, the cool breeze on a summer's day, the enjoyment of time with friends, holding a grandchild, experiencing a funny or heartfelt action or celebrating the success of others. To experience joy, we need to be present in the moment as joy is often simple and unexpected. Part of God’s creation; it costs nothing.

So, as we move into the celebrations of Christmas and the New Year, let’s seek to enjoy the small precious moments and quality time with others. Let’s be present for each other and seek the joy in a slower pace that comes to our community as the school year ends.

My heartfelt thanks goes to our wonderful Pastoral Care team who have worked tirelessly to support students this year. None of us, students, staff or parents, could have travelled the year without the support of this amazing team.

My sincere best wishes to our Sion families over the holiday period.

Our particular thoughts and prayers go to Christina A (8 White) whose grandmother passed away recently.

We remember Christina and her family in a special way 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.

On behalf of all the staff at Our Lady of Sion College, it is time to congratulate and say our final goodbyes to our Year 12 students.

Each and every one of our Year 12 students is to be commended on their commitment to completing their final year of secondary school. It is so rewarding to witness the personal and academic growth of our students, not only in Year 12, but over the six year period they are with us. Observing the calm and focused manner in which our students completed their final exams, highlighted the culmination of hard work and dedication they have put in since Year 7.

To acknowledge and celebrate the achievements of our Year 12 students, the Valedictory Mass and Dinner was held last Friday evening at Marvel Stadium. It was such a lovely evening as it provided the opportunity for students, parents, guardians and staff to gather together for their final time within the Sion community. A fun night was had with music, dancing and many photos being taken as the sun set across the Docklands.

As I said to the students on Friday evening, I wish each end every one of them happiness and success in whatever they choose to do. I hope they choose studies and career paths that they enjoy and are passionate about. In developing new and strengthening existing relationships, I hope they show and receive respect. I hope they remain adaptable to the twists and turns that may present along the journey of life. I also hope they have fun and celebrate the milestones they will encounter.

Although we say farewell, we want our students to remember that they will always be Daughters of Sion and will always be welcome.

What a massive end to 2022: Having finished up with exams in Week 7, continuing with Smart Start for Week 8, we are now referring to the cohort as Year 12s.

During the last day today, we were able to spend time reflecting on the school year.

• We were able to celebrate our successes, as well as recognise our achievements
• Time to recognise highlights from the school year, and what students were able to ‘get’ out of 2022 as a Year 11 student
• I asked the students to consider whether they had exceeded their own expectations they had for themselves as an individual, student, child, sibling, friend etc. How did they develop as a person this year?
• Other highlights for the last day included the Year Level Kris Kringle, and the final assembly - which is always a joyful opportunity to be together as a cohort.

The Year 11s stepped up and into the challenges of being a senior student. After two years of online home learning, these young people approached their studies with resilience and perseverance to do their best. It has been an incredibly exciting and rewarding opportunity working with and alongside your child throughout 2022.

Thank you to the Year 11 Homeroom team, who have been an integral pillar of support for your child’s experience at Year 11. Alongside all teaching staff who have facilitated your child’s learning. Thank you to all families who reached out this year for further guidance, support, and feedback.

Until next week; for the Year 12 (2023) Retreat!

Have a restful, enjoyable break. Stay safe, hydrated, sunscreen-ed and well! We look forward to your return for 2023.

As we journey together, let us celebrate the gift of this day and our hope in the fullness of life. College Prayer

As we reflect on our Year 10 journey throughout 2022, the above line from our College prayer resonates very strongly. It truly has been a journey for our Year 10 cohort. A journey that has seen them, and you as families, return to the first full year of face-to-face study since 2019.

Our Year 10 students were presented with a wide array of opportunities to participate in. These included: Duke Of Edinburgh, Work experience, Ballroom, Year 10 Social, House carnivals and events, careers testing, the Shoah experience, Semester 1 and 2 examination periods, subject selections, Sport, Drama, Music, Art, Debating and Science, peer support and Talk and Tour leaders. Plus I am sure I’ve missed a few along the way.

Each opportunity has allowed our Year 10 cohort to strive to look for their ‘excellence within’ and this has been a theme we have carried all year. We are very proud of what our Year 10’s have achieved this year and the Semester 2 examination period is full testament to this. This has been seen through: the way all students presented each day; with a genuine willingness to do their best; by communicating when things didn’t go quite the way they had intended, so we could make the best next step; and lastly with an appreciation for exploring what works best for them in preparation for and completing their last formal assessment for this year. Each of these steps showed a continued willingness from our Year 10s to explore what is possible, even when sometimes it was hard.

The easy thing to do, when things get hard, is to not show up, not do your best and avoid that uncomfortable situation. Consistently throughout the year, our Year 10s have turned up, have done the work and as a result they have learnt more about who they are.

As humans, we are not meant to be perfect and we are asked on a daily basis to embrace, and journey with, the messy, imperfection that life brings us, and it is here that we learn and grow. And that is exactly what the Year 10s have done.

As the Year 10, 2022 journey comes to an end, each individual of the Year 10 family is invited to reflect on all the success you have achieved, as there is much to give thanks for. This year is a year that has allowed growth and development of self and of those around us. But we must keep moving forward. Looking to what opportunities we can embrace in the future.

On behalf of Mr Paul Whitely, Mrs Tricia Smith, Ms Kim Elliot, Miss Monica Clarke, Mr Nathan Johnstone, Mrs Renae Prendergast, Ms Sarah Parkinson, Ms Jerani Pettikiriarachchi, Mr Ben Kelly and Mr Terry Tan, along with Ms Brooke O’Hara, Ms Nicole Flynn-Jones, our Learning Support, and College Counselling teams, I would like to thank all Year 10 families and students for your ongoing support throughout 2022.

So, until 2023, stay safe and enjoy a well-deserved break with your family and loved ones.

This week in their Pastoral period, the Year 9 students were lucky enough to be joined by the 2023 College Captains and other student leader volunteers to take part in a Friendship Workshop.

This is how the College Captains, Bettina and Ava, reflected on the lesson:

“In preparation for Mind Body Soul Day, 12 of the 2023 captains gave a presentation to the Year 9s describing their friendships, their experiences at Sion and conducted little activities. At the end of the session, everyone was able to make friendship bracelets to be given on the last day of school, but they were also given the option for them to be sent over to Peru to be given to children at an Orphanage and Hospital!

Overall, the 60 minutes that we spent with the Year 9s was very fun and provided an open and inviting space for us to come together and spend some time with each other. Although there were some challenges (with the beads not staying in one place), we all had a really enjoyable time with lots of laughs and the opportunity to further deepen our friendships!

On behalf of the captains, a big thank you to Ms Frood, Ms Bennett and all the Year 9 students for taking the time and for enthusiastically working through our activities!!” Ava S (11 Red) and Bettina Z (11 Silver).

Overall, this was a great opportunity for the Year 9s to connect with senior students and reflect on the importance of Friendship.

I can’t believe that another year has flown by. Our first ‘normal’ year of onsite schooling since 2019 and I couldn’t be prouder of the way the Year 8s have taken on this challenge and grown so much as a result. Through events like our Friendship day, Homeroom dance competition and camp (just to name a few) they have been able to make new connections and push themselves outside of their comfort zones.

On behalf of the Homeroom team and myself, we would like to thank all students for their enthusiasm and involvement in all that Year 8 at Sion has to offer. A special thank you to all students who held leadership positions this year. You have brought great enthusiasm to the role and should be very proud of yourselves. Leaders throughout the year:

SRC
Abbey G (8 Gold) and Samantha O (8 White)

Liturgy
Asmira A (8 Purple) and Sarita T (8 Gold)

Social Justice
Eliza A (8 Blue) and Athena H (8 Purple)

Drama
Ananya D S (8 Silver) and Lorena G (8 Purple)

Environment
Ashley W (8 Silver)

Music
Alexandra B (8 Silver) and Ava B (8 Gold)

Sport
Alexis L (8 White) and Ella S (8 Blue)

Visual Arts
Bani K (8 Purple) and Layla N (8 Gold)

House Representatives

Carmel
Ava M (8 Gold) and Charlotte M (8 Blue)

Fatima

Anria A (8 Purple) and Charlotte K (8 Blue)

Loreto
Lily D (8 Blue) and Coco L (8 White)

Lourdes
Olivia P (8 Gold) and Cilla S (8 Purple)

Class Leaders

Blue
Alice H (8 Blue) and Akosita L (8 Blue)

Gold
Cecilia B (8 Gold) and Alice W (8 Gold)

Purple
Maddy B (8 Purple) and Angelina S (8 Purple)

Red
Amy F (8 Red) and Maeve G (8 Red)

Silver
Isla H (8 Silver) and Diya P (8 Silver)

White
Paige M (8 White) and Sienna T (8 White)

Thank you, Year 8 students for a wonderful two years as your Wellbeing and Growth Leader. It has been a pleasure to work with you all and it is with great sadness that I now need to pass you over to a new Wellbeing and Growth Leader. I will miss you dearly, but please don’t be a stranger…I’ll still be here, and my door is always open to you all. I am so proud of each of you and the progress you have made since last year…it’s been a rollercoaster ride, but I wouldn’t change it for the world!

Finally, I wish you and your families a happy and safe Christmas holidays. Best wishes for 2023!

It has been a true joy to work with each of the Year 7 students in 2022 as they began their first year of secondary school. We have enjoyed many milestones together, from the transition days in February, camp in March, 100 days in July, and Retreat in October. This term, I asked students to reflect on the year and their favourite moments:

I really enjoyed being a part of the GSV swimming team in Term 1 this year. It was a fun experience where I got to practise and improve on my swimming and meet some new friends too. The swim meets against other schools were so much fun and I loved racing and being competitive with my friends and getting to have more practice at competitions. The overall competitions were cool, we got to go to MSAC and swim against all the other GSV schools. I made so many memories with my new friends and got to race in four events and it was very exciting to compete in an Olympic pool. The competitions were the highlights but the whole experience was enjoyable, and I would definitely do it again. Maddy R (7 Purple)

Some of the key moments that I’ve experienced in Year 7 have been going to school camp earlier this year - where I became closer with my friends in class and participated in fun, but challenging activities. Some of the challenges I’ve had to overcome are things like staying on top of all my schoolwork and homework. It has been hard to get it done on time but I’m getting better at it. I also had the challenge of finding a group of good friends, but I overcame that and now have some great friends, even if it took a while. Molly E (7 Red)

My favourite things about this year are all the opportunities that we have gotten. I especially enjoyed all the music events such as the Victorian Music Festival and getting to learn new instruments. The best thing about going to the music festivals was working as a band and being able to perform all the things we have learnt and getting feedback from professional musicians. It was also a great event as an activity with friends from our band and outside of our Homeroom. Sofia L (7 Silver)

For our final Pastoral lesson together, we discussed the meaning of Advent, and looked at the story of Christmas. We concluded together that this is a story of hope and used this as a prompt to start creating our first decorations for the Advent season. These ‘stars of hope’ include personal messages from our Year 7s as they conclude their first year at Sion. On behalf of myself and the Year 7 Pastoral Team, we wish each of our students a joyful and restful break and look forward to seeing them as Year 8s next year!

Sion Writers Club - Short Story Competition

Congratulations to Matilda R (8 White) who is the inaugural winner of the Sion Writer’s Club Short Story Competition. Her story Heat, Evoke, Complex was a dark, psychological piece that featured a dramatic exploration into the mind of a tortured soul. The winner was chosen from the votes of the wider school community (79 in total) who were invited to take their pick from the top four entries in the competition that were shortlisted by the Sion Writer’s Club. Matilda will be awarded a $50 Dymocks voucher and writing journal at a Year level assembly to come.

Special mention goes to the other shortlisted entries:

• The Hive by Amelia C (8 Purple)
• Silence by Megan E (8 Silver)
• Scars by Erin K (11 White)

And a big well done to all of the other students who took the time to write and share their piece in the competition.

Sion Summertime Writing Competition

Are you ready for another writing competition? Submit your entry to the Sion Writer’s Club Google Classroom by Friday 3 February, 2022.

Requirements:

• 500 words in length
• Include the following three words: Joy, Exceptional, Sunlight - make sure these words are highlighted
• The work must be your own
• You may upload multiple story documents in the one upload.

Have fun writing over the holidays!

See you in 2023 for Sion Writer’s Club.

Margaret Lawson and Deanne Benke

Year 9 Geography Field Trip

Students have reflected on their recent field trip to Phillip Island:

Last week we went on an excursion to Phillip Island to take part in experiencing the aspects of tourism. We visited a range of different man made and natural tourist attractions including: San Remo, The Penguin Parade, The Nobbies, Cowes, A Maze'N Things and Rhyll Inlet. The purpose of the trip was to learn about tourism and how tourism affects the environment, as well as how places like San Remo and The Penguin Parade are able to stop tourists from destroying the land. The most interesting part about the trip was walking around San Remo and speaking to shop keepers about their opinions on tourism and how they have affected Phillip island. We interviewed a lady at Sanny Bakehouse and learnt that high rates of tourists help with the economic growth in Phillip island but it means many duplicates of the same type of shops to accompany the tourism. After our day in Phillip Island I have learnt about how to help the environment when being a tourist and I am able to use this knowledge when I’m travelling and want to make sure I’m looking after the environment for the people living there, native animals and their habitats and as well as for other tourists to come. Tiahna T (9 Blue)

The Phillip Island excursion we got to take part in last week was such a fun experience, the purpose of this excursion was to broaden our knowledge of tourism and the different effects on the destination both positive and negative. Throughout the day we visited multiple destinations including San Remo, The Penguin Parade, The Nobbies, Cowes, A Maze'N Things and the Rhyll inlet. My favourite part of the trip was lunch at Cowes where we got to explore the small town and talk to the locals. The experience informed us about the different aspects of tourism and how Phillip Island's community works to improve the management of tourists, protecting the environment, maximising income and growth by applying different strategies. One surprising thing that I learnt on the trip was that one penguin makes approximately $600 a year in tourism income (statistics from before COVID). Erin W (9 Blue)

Last Friday the Geography People and Places class went on a field trip to Phillip Island to learn and experience the life of a tourist. We first stopped off at San Remo and we asked locals about the effects tourism has had on the island within the past years. After learning about the tourism impacts we headed off to The Penguin Parade and we were informed with a presentation about how important the penguins are to Phillip Island’s tourism. We learnt all about the environment of the penguins and other wildlife and how important it is to allow the tourist attractions to be as native and safe for both wildlife and tourists as possible. Our next stop was The Nobbies where we learnt all about the biodiversity of the plants around the seabirds garden. We then walked down the boardwalk to see the blowhole. The atmosphere was incredible! We got a close view to the blowhole as well as being surrounded by nature. We then visited Cowes for lunch, to observe the opportunities that Cowes provides for tourism and how tourism helps the small local businesses. We then visited A Maze'N Things which was a man made tourist attraction that is both fun and family friendly. Overall it was a great experience! Kara T (9 Gold)

Monash Makerfaire

Sunday December 4th is the Monash Makerfaire, the first time it has been held in a number of years. https://monash.makerfaire.com/

If you are interested in making, tinkering, exploring, creating; then this event is for you. With displays showing robotics, programming, 3D Printers, Lasercutters, artificial intelligence and engineering, the day is sure to spark interest in STEAM.

Students at Sion have opportunities to participate in STEM based activities through the 7-10 Discovery program, as part of the Makerspace program in the LRC and also through the Denise O’Hara Science program.

There will be opportunities next year for students to take on leadership roles in STEM. Watch this space!

In Digital Technologies this week students are completing their final task for assessment. Year 9 Digital Publishing students are demonstrating skills using a ‘markup language’ and ‘style sheet’ to design and create webpages.

8 Purple students have completed their Micro:bit project which has allowed students to work through the design process to prototype and solve real-life problems. Students had fun showcasing their work to their peers.

It is hard to believe that we have arrived at the end of Term 4 with students from Years 10 and 11 having completed their Smart Start week and students in Years 7 – 9 having completed their final assessments.

Social justice and its importance in our ever-changing world, has been a particular focus for the Year 7 and 8 students over the past few weeks. The Year 7s have explored the Principles of Catholic Social Teaching especially through the life of the Church, through their study of the concept Church and Community. They have come to understand the significance that a parish plays and ways that members of the faith community are involved to support the poor and vulnerable in the community. Through their concept, Word in Action, the Year 8 students have explored what justice means and how Christians are called to put Jesus’ word into action to bring about justice for all in our world. They have researched the lives of some contemporary Christians who have brought hope to the lives of many through their faith in God and love for humanity.

With the Liturgical Season of Advent commencing this coming Sunday, the students are taking the time to reflect on its true meaning, with its messages of hope, peace, love and joy and its significance for us as a Catholic faith community.

Congratulations to all students for their efforts throughout the year and thank you to all of the Religious Education staff for their continued dedication and passion for Religious Education.

Wishing all families a very happy and safe Christmas.

Over the past few weeks, the Production Team has been releasing hints of what the College musical would be for 2023. After great excitement it was announced that the musical for 2023 will be 'Shrek the Musical'. This week we had many students audition for cast and crew roles in the Miriam Theatre. There was a huge array of talent, and we are very excited to announce the cast and crew in the coming weeks. Congratulations to all students who auditioned. It was warming to see the support the students gave each other and the excitement they brought to each audition. Auditioning is a great experience regardless of the outcome and it was wonderful to see so many take up the challenge.

The Production Team

Australian Mathematics Competition

In Term 3 the Australian Mathematics Competition was held. Over 100 students across Years 7-11 participated. Congratulations to the following students who received a distinction:

• Claire R (7 Red)
• Abbey R (7 Blue)
• Ilia P (7 Blue)
• Alessia D S (8 Purple)
• Marlee D (8 Red)
• Tianna D (10 Silver)

Tianna D also received the ‘Best in school’ certificate.

I encourage all students to get involved in the various mathematics competitions and challenges on offer next year so they can further develop and extend their mathematic skills.

2022 was a fantastic year for the Languages Department at Our Lady of Sion College! Most excitingly, we were able to once again offer our students a range of opportunities to excel and develop in their language studies, most of which had not been possible for some time due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dante Alighieri Original Poetry Competition

Earlier this year, some of our Italian students from Years 9 - 11 participated in the Dante Alighieri Original Poetry Competition. As part of the competition, students were invited to create their own poetic work to be submitted and judged by a panel of academic experts. The Languages Department would like to commend all girls who participated in the competition as well as the wonderful creative and original work they produced.

Of note, we are proud to announce some outstanding results achieved. We congratulate the following three prize winners for their fantastic efforts:

Second Prize Winner

• Ciara D V (11 Purple) – Year 11 Italian Australian section

Third Prize Winners

• Sofia F (11 Red) - Year 11 Non Italian section
• Chiara P (11 Silver) - Year 11 Italian Australian section

Congratulations also to the following students who achieved excellent results:

Honourable Mentions

• Year 11 – Sofia A (11 Gold), Olivia D (11 Purple) and Bettina Z (11 Silver)
• Year 10 – Kiera D S (10 Gold), Sofia M (10 White) and Amelia M (10 White)
• Year 9 - Sienna G (9 Gold)

High Distinctions

• Year 11 – Gabriella B (11 Blue), Gemma C (11 Blue) and Amelia F (11 Red)
• Year 9 – Martina G (9 Red) and Sienna P (9 Gold)

Certificate of Merit

• Year 10 – Annabel K (10 Purple), Sienna L (10 Blue), Tia M (10 White) and Sienna O (10 Purple)

This week, our upcoming VCE students completed their Smart Start Program and are ready to tackle the year ahead. The Years 7 - 9 students have been participating in the Sion Education Perfect Language Competition and are eager to win some wonderful prizes!

We were fortunate to have an Italian Language Assistant, Ms Giorgia Buonamassa, working at our College this year. She joined us in February and has been with us all year. Giorgia’s role was to assist students in improving their language skills as well as exposing them to contemporary Italy. We thank her for her amazing contribution to the Italian language program and we wish her all the best in her future.

We would like to thank our students for their passion in learning languages. In particular, thank you to the VCE students of Chinese, French and Italian for their commitment to their studies this year. Their determination, hard work and commitment for their final exam preparations are wonderful to see and we wish everyone all the best in their future endeavours.

We hope everyone has a very merry Christmas and a happy and safe new year!

Shèngdàn kuàilè! Joyeux Noël! Buon Natale!

Year 7 Spring Concert

The LHC was packed last week as all Year 7 students presented the ‘Spring Concert’ to highlight their amazing work in Music this year. The program consisted of 5 large ensembles and smaller class sectionals, all with the purpose to give the students a platform to demonstrate how far they have come as musicians this year. Considering many of these students only took up an instrument this year, it was an outstanding evening of entertainment. We celebrate all their achievements and hope they continue in one (or more) of our many wonderful music programs offered at Sion. In addition, this concert was supported by the Big Sound Sisters, the Music Representative team and other senior students who are members of College Choir and Intermediate Concert Band.

Victorian Schools Music Festival – Year 7 Junior Concert Band 1 and Junior Concert Band 2 Bands Face Off

Our two Year 7 Concert Bands participated in the Victorian Schools Music Festival held at Hawthorn Arts Centre last week. It was hotly contested to see which band the adjudicators liked more between our Monday morning group and our Tuesday afternoon group. Each group performed their set repertoire, received an on-stage tutorial from one of the expert adjudicators, and got to listen to similar standard groups from Eltham High School, Carey Baptist Grammar School and Mentone Girls Secondary College. Well done to all the students involved.

On Wednesday, the 16th of November, Junior Concert Band 1 (Monday Morning Group) and Junior Concert Band 2 (Tuesday Afternoon Group) went to the Bands Festival. We all had a great time playing our music pieces we’ve been practising. It was cool listening to other schools play. The whole day was super fun and a very good experience to participate in. Lucy P (7 Silver)

It was fun to play our pieces in front of other schools and get feedback from professional music teachers. It was a great experience (and Monday band was way better!) Zara D (7 Purple)

Year 12 Valedictory Mass and Dinner

Congratulations to all the musicians who performed at this significant event last week at Marvel Stadium. Particular acknowledgment needs to be made to the musicians from CVE and Senior Strings, who were not in Year 12, that helped support this event.

Sion First Music Program 2022 Final Concert

The graduating class from the 2022 Sion First Year 6 Music program, performed their final concert last week as a culmination of their amazing years’ work in music. Both the string ensemble and the concert band performed, with a special item from the flute section. We look forward to welcoming them in 2023 as fully fledged Sionians!

Australian Music Examinations Board – External Instrumental Examinations

32 Sion musicians have completed AMEB instrumental music exams over the last month. All grades from Preliminary/Grade 1 through to Certificate of Performance level have been completed, with some outstanding results. This year was a combination of face-to-face exams at the AMEB studios in Hawthorn and some students who prepared video exams. Congratulations to all who have been awarded their certificates.

Instrumental Music 2023 – Register now!

Enrolments are now open and available on-line for Instrumental Music lessons in 2023. All the details including fees, instrument hire charges and conditions are available at the link here. Confirmation of enrolment needs to be completed here. Please note that charges will be applied to your College fees statement in early 2023. Please address any enquiries to the Head of Music at: mmacaulay@sion.catholic.edu.au

It has been a sports filled week, with students taking on GSV Basketball and Cricket finals, as well as trials commencing in preparation for Term 1 2023. Students are encouraged to maintain communication, and are reminded to come speak to Mr Armstrong and myself in the sports office if they are unable to attend a trial.

As this is the last sport newsletter for 2022, I would like to thank all the students, parents and staff who have continually supported the program. Celebrating the achievements of our teams and individual athletes is always important and I could not be more proud of everyone's contribution. In 2023, I hope all the students continue to commit and learn more about what it means to be a member of Sion Sport, including the team attributes, support for one another and community, that is evident in the success of our teams and enjoyment that the students get to experience.

Finals

All four intermediate basketball teams and our Junior B, C and D teams took on finals on Wednesday and Thursday at MSAC this week. Each player demonstrated determination, sportspersonship and teamwork while they represented Sion proudly amongst the other GSV schools.

The Intermediate C team took out the GSV C grade premiership! The Intermediate A team came up against some tough opponents and after going down in their first game, won their second. The Intermediate B and D team had some close matches but unfortunately could not come out on top on the day. The Junior B Team finished as Premiers and the C and D Team had a mixture of wins and losses throughout the day.

The Junior Cricket team followed the Seniors lead from earlier in Term 4, qualifying in a great position leading into finals. In the semi final they took on Sacré Cœur where they progressed to the A grade Runners up Grand Final.

All students who participated in Term 4 Sport, Basketball, Cricket and Strength and Conditioning are congratulated on their commitment.

Trial Calendar

Learning Resource Centre 2.0

It has been a busy few weeks as the Library team moves the LRC into one of the new portables on the oval. In addition to moving our physical library collection, we also have the Makerspace and also all the Library, Audio Visual and Archives offices to move into the portable workroom. The goal is to have things up and running by the first teaching day next year.

Students needing access to Fiction, can place a reserve and if it is on the shelf, we can locate it and deliver the book to the student during class time. Returns are still being accepted at the old LRC even though the space is empty.

Summertime Reading

The “Holiday Borrowing” period has kicked in and any books that have been borrowed will be due at the end of the first week back, Friday 3 February 2023. Students can still access our eBook Collection via Wheelers ePlatform.

As an added incentive for our Sion Readers, if you read five books over the break and explain this to your English teacher or the Teacher Librarian during the first week back, you can earn yourself a Community Spirit point. This challenge might be good for those students who prefer to read during the break, rather than participate in something like the Victorian Premier’s Reading Challenge. Postcards can be collected through the LRC or via your English teacher.

Smart Start

With our senior students being introduced to our VCE program, the LRC have a display up in the foyer of Notre Dame promoting how the LRC can support our Senior Students:

• Assistance with Research skills, citations
• Locating resources and study guides
• Study Skills and Organisational support
• Subscribing to your local library and the State Library of Victoria to get access to further resources

The LRC staff wish our students all the best for the summer break and we look forward to seeing you in our new space at the start of 2023.

Alternative Gift Giving Project

Our annual Alternative Gift Giving Project has started.

The project aims to raise much needed funds for the work that the Sisters of Our Lady of Sion are doing for those in need in the Philippines. Here, the Sisters live alongside the people they serve, supporting the rights of women and working to end discrimination of them through empowerment projects including: self-employment via micro financing, education, housing, and community development. The Sisters also provide legal support and advocacy for those evicted from their land and in villages decimated by the mining companies.

Vouchers can be purchased by students on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of next week at lunchtime in the Piazza for the following items:

• $5 – will provide a shovel for a farmer to help create a sustainable living
• $10 – will provide a family of six rice meals for a week
• $15 – will send a child to primary school for a whole year, giving them the best opportunity to make a great start to life
• $20 – will provide funding for students to continue their high school education and build on their future prospects

All money raised goes directly to the grassroots work that the Sisters are doing for the most vulnerable people in the Philippines. Vouchers make for great gifts for hard-to-buy-for people and those who already have so much in the lead up to the Advent season.

Give the gift that keeps giving–HOPE.

Success isn’t about how much money you make. It’s about the difference you make in people’s lives. Michelle Obama

Students and families can find the fortnightly Careers newsletter here.

In this fortnightly Newsletter there is information relating to:

• Upcoming Events: Year 12 VTAC very late applications, News from ACU; Pathways to ACU Webinar, ACU Essential for Parent’s Webinar, 2023 VCE Summer School Program,
• Things to consider: 2023 Year 10 Victoria Police Force Work experience opportunity, Accessing your results, Year 12 Change of Preference period and 2023 Year 10 Work experience
• Research ideas : 2023 Tuckwell Scholarship.

Congratulations to all students and families on making it to the end of an extremely busy yet fantastic year. As the first full year of face-to-face learning since the COVID-19 pandemic began, many students have understandably found this year to be challenging, exciting, tiring, or even overwhelming at different times. We hope that students and families have an opportunity to relax and refresh over the summer holidays and acknowledge all the hard work and effort that has been made.

If your child needs support over the holidays, there are many organisations and services that families can turn to. These include speaking to your family GP, the Raising Children Network, Parentline, ReachOut, and headspace to name a few – further details of these organisations and services can be found in the previous edition of the Newsletter.

This year, the Counselling Team sadly farewells College Counsellors Janine Crociani and Diana Murphy. The support that Janine and Diana have provided students through counselling and the Pastoral Program over their combined years at the College has been exceptional, and they will be greatly missed by all the staff and students. We wish them all the best as they embark on their new journeys and look forward to welcoming students back in the New Year with new members of the Counselling Team.