Monday 27 March
Year 7 Camp (Monday 27 March – Wednesday 29 March)
Wednesday 29 March
Year 9 Days for Girls
Friday 31 March
Year 7 Parents – Meet, Eat & Mingle Evening
Thursday 6 April
Last day of Term 1. Early dismissal at 1.30 pm.
Important elements of the learning process are the development of application skills and the acceptance that challenge is a normal part of learning growth. Students can memorise the theory or the facts but unless they apply this knowledge to real life situations, they will miss the opportunity to truly strengthen their understanding, or develop critical and creative thinking, problem-solving and collaboration skills.
In the last fortnight Year 9 students have undertaken experiential learning as part of their AYIN program. A week spent in the City of Melbourne offered them the chance to apply their learning by pursuing an investigation question, gathering evidence, reflecting and formulating a response which they then presented to their parents and carers on Wednesday evening. Last week also saw our Year 10 students conclude the final element of their Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award during the Adventurous Journey Camp within the Lake Eildon National Park. Once again, they were challenged to strengthen their problem solving and collaboration skills. Next week our Year 7 students will undertake their camp at The Summit in Trafalgar. Students often tell me it is a highlight of their first year at Our Lady of Sion because of the personal satisfaction they gain from achieving things they thought were beyond them. All these experiences are designed to strengthen understanding and develop persistence, resilience and commitment; skills which I hope students will now apply to the rest of their studies in the coming years. I encourage families to discuss these important attributes with their children especially when they are challenged and need support to complete their learning tasks. Ongoing growth can only occur through challenge. If it is not challenging, then genuine learning is impossible.
I take this opportunity to thank all our wonderful students, staff and members of the Parents’ Association for their commitment and contribution to a very successful Open Day last Tuesday. The day represents an important celebration of what our school programs offer to both current and prospective students. The late rain, while unfortunate, certainly did not dampen attendance numbers or the enthusiasm with which our school community engaged with prospective families. As well as attending their normal classes, many students were involved in leadership roles; greeting and guiding visitors around the school as well as engaging the families through the various activities they hosted. Thank you to our tour guides and all students who prepared for and led our special activities. We received many compliments for what the school offers, and it is with a great sense of pride that I continue to marvel at how our students respond so positively to such opportunities.
Thank you also to Year 7 families for their attendance at our recent Year 7 Family Eucharist. Each Year 7 Homeroom prepared an element of this Eucharist which included a re-enactment of the Sion story as well as an audio-visual reflection from the students on their initial days at the College. The Year 7 students were then presented with their House badges by our Year 12 House Leaders and families enjoyed a supper hosted by the Parents' Association in our piazza. We often speak about our school as a community with a family spirit. I hope our Year 7 students and their families experienced another element of this welcome to Our Lady of Sion College on this evening and I look forward to enjoying another opportunity to engage with families at the upcoming Year 7 Meet, Eat & Mingle evening on Friday 31 March.
This week we have seen the final demolition of the former Arts/LRC wing of the College. In the coming month or so, ground and civil works should be completed before preparation for the construction phase begins. We have been documenting this process and hope you enjoy some of the drone footage here.
Finally, I hope our students, staff and families enjoy a positive conclusion to Term 1. It has certainly gone very quickly and much has been achieved.
With every blessing for the fortnight ahead.
Tina Apostolopoulos
Last week saw the recognition and celebration of Catholic Education Week here in the Archdiocese of Melbourne. It was 183 years ago that Catholic education began here in Melbourne. Sometimes, we may take Catholic schools for granted – but we shouldn’t.
We play such a significant role in the life of our culture, family lives and society.
Catholic schools use the Bible as their reference point – it’s called, 'The Good News'.
It is our role, as a Catholic school, to spread the Good News. Isn’t this what we all do in our daily lives – spread good news? Someone gets engaged or married – don’t we want to tell friends and family? Someone has a baby; someone wins a sporting event; someone gets a new job. I could go on.
In fact, I have a bit of good news to share with you all:
Ten of our Year 8 students, last Friday, went to St Patrick’s Cathedral to join with students and staff from Catholic schools all over Melbourne, to celebrate Mass together.
Below is a reflection from one of our students who attended. (You may call it a reflection – I call it – good news!)
Last Friday 10 Year 8 students represented the College at the St Patrick’s Day Mass at St Patrick’s Cathedral in the city. The mass was complemented by a bagpipe performance as well as live music throughout the ceremony. Following the mass, we visited an art gallery with masterpieces created by both primary and secondary students from Catholic schools in Melbourne. To conclude the day, we attended lunch at the Catholic Leadership Centre and listened to Father Rob Galea talk about how his faith helped him turn around his life from desperation to hope and a rather unexpected performance of Driver’s Licence by Olivia Rodrigo performed by Fr Rob himself. It was amazing to have such an opportunity. Claire R (8 Silver)
As much as Open Day is about promoting the College for prospective families and students, it is also an opportunity to focus on what the core elements of learning and teaching at Sion are, and recognising the work of the staff and students.
Below is a diagram articulating the sequence of learning outside of the mainstream curriculum, particularly focussed on the general capabilities and educating for the whole person. If you have a student in Years 9 - 12, perhaps ask them what they think their key learnings from these programs are, how they have shaped how they see themselves, others and what they will take with them into the future.
Also as part of Open Day, we have prepared short clips that celebrate the learning within the different Learning Areas. Please enjoy just a sample!
State-wide, schools are seeing an increase in the number of students diagnosed with ADHD (Attention-Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder). ADHD is a persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that interferes with functioning or development. It exists as a spectrum and some students may display mild traits while others may be severely affected.
In the classroom, students with ADHD can be inattentive, distracted, impulsive or hyperactive. As educators we often see excessive fidgeting and poor organisational skills, as well as frustration when the young person cannot meet expected performance standards. Sometimes the young person blurts out answers before a question is completed or has trouble staying in their seat.
The challenge for parents can be coaching their child with ADHD through bouts of frustration, defiance and even emotional outbursts that often present before good intervention is in place. The management of friendships and social situations can also make a child with ADHD sad, isolated and frustrated.
If you feel that your daughter may have ADHD, a good place to start is having a talk to your GP. If your daughter has had a recent diagnosis, it is important to work with a paediatrician, psychologist and the College’s Learning Support and Pastoral Care teams so that a holistic approach is taken.
This week we provided parents with the opportunity to listen to Dr Justin Coulson present his "Parenting ADHD" via a live webinar. His has a strong message that investing in parenting skills is one of the best ways to effectively support children with ADHD. If you missed the opportunity to attend the webinar, a recording is available to Our Lady of Sion parents for another week. I strongly encourage you to set aside an hour to watch it, even if your child doesn't have ADHD.
To watch the Parenting ADHD seminar with Dr Justin Coulson please find the link to the recording here. (Please ignore all the technical checks as this is a recording of the live presentation.)
Later in the year, the College will be running Tuning into Teen onsite. This parenting program helps parents and carers develop emotional intelligence and will cover topics such as:
I hope that by offering parents and carers access to seminars, webinars and workshops, we are providing you with resources to build your skills and have better outcomes for your family.
As young people, they continue to navigate growing independence and understanding themselves as a person. As mentioned during the Parent Information Evening on Thursday 9 February, we hope that our young people ‘step up’ to the challenges that come their way, to focus on:
To ‘step up’ students will inevitably need to take ownership and accountability for themselves. I would encourage your child to take risks, reach out and ask for help. Whether that is directed towards their Homeroom teacher, subject teacher, or a trusted adult within the school community.
This week's Pastoral lesson explored the following:
Whether your child is participating in VCE or VCE VM - there are a lot of new processes, routines, questions to be asked. Please if you need some support and guidance, here are some important people you might need to contact:
As a team, we work together to monitor and support your child - from an academic and pastoral perspective. Please continue to reach out if you have questions regarding processes and support for VCE and VCE VM programs.
The Duke of Edinburgh Adventurous Journey camp was a great experience that allowed Year 10 students to explore outside our comfort zone. We arrived at Lake Eildon after a long bus ride and started the first challenging activity led by our Bindaree camp leader. The activities included bike riding, hiking and canoeing and proved to be very physically and mentally challenging.
Although the bags were extremely heavy, there were many more great activities that overruled the challenges, such as hiking with our heavy bags. Through perseverance and teamwork, we were able to complete each activity successfully. We learnt the skills of cooking on a trangia, setting up and sleeping in a tent and carrying our backpacks on the hikes. The canoeing was a fun activity that allowed us to get to know more people while having a lot of fun playing games and enhancing skills.
Bike riding was an activity I thought would be extremely difficult and have a lot of uphill riding. However, in reality, bike riding was my favourite activity as it was relaxing and allowed me to take in the surroundings. The lake and forest surrounding it was so beautiful and it was nice to enjoy the outdoors while hiking.
Another favourite time of the camp was night time. This included cooking and eating with my friends, playing games in our tents, and participating in an activity with my group called ‘circle time.’ Circle time allowed us to share our highs and lows of the day and enabled us to call on someone for something they did that positively impacted your day. Overall, this camp was very enjoyable and allowed me to make many new memories with my friends and with those in my group as well. Camp was so much fun and many new friendships were created! Aleisha D M, Lia C and Natalie A (10 Purple)
It has been another busy fortnight in Year 9 with City Experience, Class Leader Applications, Open Day, Pastoral Programs, just to name a few. It has been nice to see the students embracing these experiences and getting involved.
I would firstly like to congratulate the following students on their appointment as Homeroom Leader for 2023:
9 Blue – Siena F and Sarita T
9 Gold – Zara T and Elana V
9 Purple – Georgia D and Olivia M
9 Red – Maya J and Amelia W
9 Silver – Alyssia R and Charlotte K
9 White – Gemma P and Cilla S
These students should all be very proud of themselves as it is an honour to be selected by their classmates to fulfil a position such as this. For all those who applied but were not successful, this too takes great courage and commitment and this is recognised with a Community Spirit Point. It is a great experience to apply for leadership regardless of the outcome. We encourage all students to lead in their own way and often voice to the students that ‘you don’t need a badge to lead’.
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Rebecca Bennett for all the hard work in putting the City Experience together for the cohort. City Experience is an incredible learning opportunity for all students and takes many months to organise so, thank you to Rebecca for making this all possible.
Finally, we look forward to our upcoming Pastoral lesson next week on minimising procrastination, enhancing study skills and increasing organisation.
Last Tuesday during our Pastoral lesson, we continued to build on addressing the harmful nature of gossiping and rumours. We emphasised that if the answer to any of the following questions is no, what they’re going to say must be stopped and not shared; Is it true? Is it nice? Is it helpful?
In small groups, they were presented with a variety of different scenarios that may occur in their day-to-day lives and given the opportunity to discuss the best way to respond to information about somebody else that a friend might have passed on to them. ‘Stopping the chain of transmission’ is a crucial aspect of reducing this harmful practice and the students were guided through ways to respond to the situations presented. In most cases, the correct response was to not spread the information and keep it to themselves or to speak with a trusted adult depending on the seriousness of the information.
This lesson also provided the opportunity for reflection on their current friendships and whether gossiping and talking negatively about other people was a significant part of their conversations. If this is the case, it is worth considering whether that friendship can continue in its current form to have a positive influence on their life rather than a negative and harmful one.
Finally, I would like to ask all parents and carers to refrain from communicating with your daughters via their mobile phones during school hours. They are not permitted to use these for any reason during these times as outlined in the College Expectations in their planners. Should you need to contact your daughter urgently, please contact the College and we can facilitate this. If your daughter needs to urgently contact you, she can go to student reception to call you.
Please encourage your daughters to approach their Homeroom teacher or myself if they would like any further support with any of the above. Your support with maintaining consistent messages about what has been covered is greatly appreciated.
Recently the Year 8 Geography students visited the Dandenong Ranges National Park to learn about forests. Here are some of their reflections from their time in the forest.
We learnt about the flora and fauna in these wet and dry forests and about the contributions these forest environments make to our environment. Kaelyn F (8 Blue)
The focus of this excursion was to let us see what we are learning about in class. We have been learning about landscapes and landforms in class and it was great to see real life examples of these. Visiting places gives us a better understanding of what we are learning about rather than just reading information. Sana C (8 Blue)
On this excursion we learnt about the rainforest and talked about the humidity, the size of the trees, the canopy cover and the aspect that different forest parts were facing. This made the difference between wet and dry forests. Jiajia D (8 Blue)
The excursion was definitely interesting and fun. We learnt about the rainforest and at the same time we were able to look at the beautiful scenery. Sophie F (8 Blue)
One of the new things we learnt was that a native species called Mountain Ash grows in the Dandenong Ranges National Park and even more surprising, it is the tallest plant in Australia and second tallest in the world. One of the great things we learnt from our excursion was an awareness of what we can do to help our rainforests thrive and survive for generations to come. Claire R and Violet D (8 Silver)
On Tuesday 21 March our GSV Swimming and Diving teams headed into MSAC to compete at the Division 3 Championship Carnival. Despite the early start the energy was high as students embraced the opportunity to represent Sion with pride. With many excellent swims and some spectacular dives, all students involved are to be congratulated on their efforts. We look forward to seeing if our students qualify for the Finals Night on Tuesday 4 April.
With only two rounds left of the season, our GSV weekly sport teams are continuing to produce some fantastic performances! See below the results from last week. With multiple teams towards the top of the ladder, finals berths are still possible for many of our teams!
With teams selected and training commenced, our aerobics teams are working hard in preparation for their competition next term. We look forward to showcasing their hard work to the school community soon!
Students can now nominate their peers or themselves for Athlete of the Week!
Do you know a student who has achieved something great in sport? Nominate them below for Athlete of the Week! It could be their selection in a team, a result at a competition or being awarded a leadership role. If you hear of something worth celebrating, then nominate using this google form now!
Look out in future newsletter editions to see what great sporting moments our students achieve!
In their Religious Education classes, over the past few weeks, the Year 7 students have been learning about the history of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Sion, the stories of their founder Theodore Ratisbonne, his brother Alphonse and how the Sisters came to open the school here in Box Hill.
To support them in their learning, the students had the opportunity to hear a very informative presentation about the history of Our Lady of Sion College Box Hill from our College Archivist, Mr Matthew Roberts.
Clare N (7 Blue) reflects:
When our class walked into the LRC all of our eyes drew to the uniforms across the room. We were very interested in what the past students of Sion wore. Once we sat down and the presentation started we were shown pictures from when the Sisters first came over to Australia, something we had learnt about in class. Afterwards, we saw the original school building with the original uniforms. We were surprised that it was a co-ed school when it first opened. Throughout the whole presentation connections were made about the school grounds. After the presentation had finished we got to try on some of the old blazers, hats, crosses and sashes from both the original uniform and the red uniforms. We had so much fun talking about the old uniforms, school buildings, subjects and students. It was a great RE lesson!
It is wonderful to see how well the Year 7 students have settled into the College and how they are quickly coming to understand what it means to be a Daughter of Sion.
2023 has been off to a great start in the Visual Arts, we have moved and are now located in the Olive Grove. We have a large offering of co-curricular opportunities including competitions and the return of Creating Club Starting in Term 2 Week 10 at lunchtime. Please find below words of welcome from our 2023 Visual Arts Captain, Chloe L (12 White).
Since the beginning of this school year, the Visual Art department has been working hard to introduce new competitions to run alongside annual offerings.
We are excited to announce all of the competitions being held this year, as seen on the the Visual Arts Competitions Timeline below. This year’s competitions will encompass; the Musical Poster and Billboard Competition, Zart Art Student Prize and the ATOM 1-minute film competition.
We have also spent time this term as Visual Arts Reps creating an Artboard depicting the work of Visual Communication Design Student Chantelle B (12 Purple). The Art reps have worked tirelessly to get this board planned for, sketched out and painted. It turned out beautifully and ready for Wednesday 8 March for our International Women's Day celebrations. Chloe L (12 White)
We are really looking forward to all things creative to come in 2023!
We are thrilled to announce that our language department has been buzzing with excitement and energy lately, thanks to the recent Education Perfect Global Languages Championships 2023. Our students have been working hard and it has definitely paid off as many of them have emerged as winners and have brought glory to our school.
For those who may not be aware, the Language Perfect Global Languages Championship is an annual event that tests students’ language skills in various categories such as vocabulary, grammar, reading and listening. Our students participated in the competition with enthusiasm and dedication showcasing their linguistic abilities and love for their chosen language.
We are proud to share that many of our students have won prizes, surpassing thousands of participants from all over the world. They have shown exceptional skills and knowledge, and we couldn’t be more thrilled with their achievements.
The prize-winners are as follows:
We hope that these achievements will inspire our students to continue pursuing their passion for languages and to strive for excellence in all their endeavours.
Once again, congratulations to all our winners and all the students who participated in this competition and we look forward to seeing our students achieve even greater heights in the future.
NAPLAN: All Year 7 and Year 9 students completed the last of their NAPLAN tests this week. Throughout the past fortnight, students completed four online tests where reading, writing and maths skills were assessed. Congratulations and well done to all students for being prepared and attentive throughout this period. Results are expected to be released in July with students’ results sent home to parents.
Pamela Ioannidis and Joshua Larkins
Student Reflection:
From March 7-10, Year 9 students spent four days in the city for our City Experience inquiry task. I think we speak for everyone when we say that we had a great four days in the city and learnt how to be more independent.
How the four days were spent:
In conclusion the Year 9s had an amazing, jam-packed week filled with lots of learning, team building and a massive boost of confidence. On behalf of our year level, we would like to say a big thank you to Ms Bennett for organising this event for us. We know that none of this would have been possible without the hard work that she put into it and we are so grateful for this experience. Year 9 Student Representative Council members Diya P (9 Gold) and Cecilia B (9 White)
The cohort is to be congratulated for their display of organisation, enthusiasm, initiative and communication across the week as they navigated themselves around the CBD and through different activities. Commendations came from members of the public, facilitators on tours and from staff members leading student groups. To conclude the unit of study, we were thrilled to welcome our Year 9 families to the Ayin City Experience Presentation Night on Wednesday evening where students presented the results of their inquiry project. We thank the families for their show of support.
Next week our Ayin focus turns to a new unit of study – The World of Work. The focus of this unit is to prepare our students to enter the workforce through the preparation of a professional portfolio containing a resume, cover letter and work samples. This culminates in student participation in mock job interviews led by parent volunteers on Friday 5 May. These are an opportunity for students to participate in a low-risk practice to help them to build confidence to enter an interview for their first part-time jobs. I take this opportunity to call for Year 9 parent volunteers who can assist in running the interviews and providing constructive feedback to students. If you are willing to help, please send an email to rbennett@sion.catholic.edu.au
Year 10 Cyber Forensic students are exploring the topic on cybersecurity and how to protect systems, and programs from digital attacks. Using their analytical skills as cryptographers to break codes and understand the many different types of threats and risks of the digital world.
Students use their creative skills to design their own hacker hat and made the decision to be a black hat, grey hat or white hat hacker.
Congratulations to our newest performance group, the Year 7 Choir who performed alongside CVE at the Year 7 Family Mass last week. They performed the College Song ‘Veritas in Caritate’ and, in keeping with the 2023 College theme, ‘Give Thanks With a Grateful Heart’ with a special sibling verse shared by sisters Jasmine T (7 White) and Anabelle T (12 Gold).
Even though we only had a couple of rehearsal sessions, and it was a bit intimidating to sing in front of such a large crowd, it was a lot of fun. CVE are a really good choir! Clare N (7 Blue)
Congratulations to all the soloists and small groups that performed last Monday evening at the Term 1 Autumn Soiree. A particular mention of the Year 7 students who performed in a Sion uniform for the very first time. There were many outstanding moments from all the performers, and it was terrific to have support from a very appreciative audience. A special mention to Sophie A (12 Blue) who had the whole audience singing ‘Edelweiss’ along with her.
Music filled the air as Our Lady of Sion College hosted the annual Open Day earlier this week. Our ensembles and soloists performed all day in various venues: the Miriam Theatre, the Chessboard outside under the big oak tree, and at the cherry red gates at the entry to the College. A special thanks must be extended to the Music Staff and Music Representatives who supported the girls throughout the day.
We welcomed 32 Year 6 students, who will be fully-fledged Sionians in 2024, as they start their musical journey as part of the innovative Sion First Music Program. Each Wednesday afternoon, students take instrumental lessons on strings, brass, woodwind and percussion, learning how to read music, make a great sound and play in an ensemble. The best part is that the students get to know other students from our feeder primary schools, who will be their classmates in Year 7 next year!
FIRE Carriers attended the FIRE Carrier Forum at Siena College. FIRE Carrier stands for Friends Igniting Reconciliation through Education. FIRE carriers are students and teachers who share a passion for learning about Aboriginal culture and history and are committed to sharing this knowledge and promoting reconciliation within and beyond the school community. The day started with an Acknowledgement of Country and prayer and new FIRE Carrier schools and students were commissioned. Students then participated in workshops ranging from updating our Covenant and the barriers faced when completing Covenant actions. They also discussed fundraising ideas to help support Opening the Doors Foundation who are an Aboriginal-led community organisation supporting educational opportunities for Aboriginal children who attend Catholic schools in Victoria.
The FIRE carrier forum gave me a new insight to the importance of the role. I really enjoyed being able to talk with like-minded people about how to share awareness and encourage action on Indigenous Issues. Maddie S (11 White)
We held our inaugural meeting where we welcomed Tracey, Youth Engagement Officer at St Vincent De Paul. She spoke to the group on the impact that our group will have on the community and the prevalence of homelessness within our community and how we can help those affected. Early in Term 2 we will have a commissioning ceremony for all group members.
During Open Day we had a display showcasing and promoting all our work throughout the year. Our FIRE Carriers, along with our Social Justice leaders, did an amazing job promoting our initiatives and answering questions from parents. Prospective families were also given the opportunity to purchase tickets for our Easter raffle.
Over the past two weeks, the Social Justice team has been very busy fundraising for Project Compassion. A few highlights include:
On Wednesday 15 March it was the Year 8 and Year 11 students' turn to participate in their House Spirit Day. These days are designed by the Year 12 House Captains and provide an opportunity for students from different year levels to get to know others in their House. Students began by matching up with other year levels and getting to know each other through random questions. We then competed in a Heads Up challenge. Carmel were the victors, with Lourdes coming in a very close second.
The House team would also like to thank the Year 7 students for their enthusiasm in applying to be Year 7 House Representatives. The calibre of applications was amazing and we look forward to continuing to provide opportunities for the newest members of our Sionian Family to connect with others in their House.
The ability to learn is the most important quality a leader can have. Padmasree Warrior (CEO & Founder, Fable)
Students and families can find the Fortnightly Careers newsletter here.
In this fortnight's newsletter there is information relating to:
Last Friday was World Sleep Day, with the theme 'Sleep is Essential for Health'. I think we all know how important sleep is for our mental, emotional and physical wellbeing. Unfortunately, a lot of students don’t get enough quality sleep. It is recommended that teenagers (aged 14-17 years) get 8-10 hours of sleep per night, but many students across the country are not reaching this.
When students are not getting enough sleep, it can be difficult to learn or concentrate in class, their mood can worsen, and their anxiety levels can increase.
Below are a few key tips for students to keep in mind. Improved sleep will not happen as soon as changes are made, but if good sleep habits are maintained, sleep will certainly get better.
Here are a couple of links that students might like to try:
If your child would like some additional support for sleep, please reach out to the Counsellors for more support on 9890 9097 or counselling@sion.catholic.edu.au.
