IONA 17

Graduation Celebrations

Our Graduation Celebrations on Monday evening were a fitting tribute and farewell to the class of 2019. Families have been delighted with the way we were able to acknowledge the formal end to their daughters’ schooling. The Eucharist was once again beautifully celebrated by Fr John Hannon, and wonderfully conceived by Mr Shane Taylor, whose talent for liturgy continues to bless our community. It was a pleasure to welcome approximately 1000 guests to the Graduation Mass. Our ability to host this on site added a very special touch to Graduation – families have remarked that it felt like “home” being able to attend the graduation mass at the College. I would like to thank Mrs Brigitte McDonald and Mrs Claire Thompson for their oversight of planning, and Mrs Sam Monk, Mrs Mara Luciani and the Administration Team for the extraordinary work in organising, setting up and executing the graduation dinner at Hyatt Place, with many small elements of thoughtfulness adding a very special touch to the dinner. This part of the evening can simply be described as joyful! Students celebrating with each other, their families and staff members, the relationships that have marked their six years at St Columba’s College. We wish them well on the next steps of their journeys.

Art Exhibition and STEM Showcase

Congratulations to Ms Sandra Boicos and the Visual Arts staff, Ms Hilary Breman, Ms Michelle Grant, Mr Scott Wiseman, Mr Seth Seiderman and Ms Emma Ferguson, for their organisation of the Art Exhibition and official opening on Thursday evening. It is an exhibition that highlights the talent of both our students and staff. In particular, I have been impressed by the thinking that emerges as part of the design process, and our students’ capacity to reflect on the world around them and the narrative they have to share about that, expressed through their art pieces. Great art work is truly evocative and invites us in to reflect on our own experiences and understanding, and to connect with what is in our own hearts. Many of our students’ pieces have done just that.

Our inaugural STEM showcase highlighted the cross-curricula nature of STEM and its impact across all areas of life and learning. Thanks to Ms Melissa D’Amico for her vision and initiative in bringing this to life, and to all of the staff who have embraced STEM or dipped their toes into the STEM waters to continue to extend and expand the horizon of our students’ learning.

The Parents’ Association has long been a supporter of this event and I would like to acknowledge Ms Nicole Purcell and her team of volunteers who hosted the sausage sizzle on the evening.

God of Love and blessing,

Bless all creative people, especially our own students and staff,

who by their gifts make the world a more joyful and beautiful realm.

Through their labours, they teach us to see more clearly the truth around us.

In their inspiration, they call forth wonder and awe in our own living.

In their hope and vision, they remind us that life is holy.

Bless all who create in your image, O God of creation.

Pour your Spirit upon them that their hearts may sing and their works are fulfilling. Amen.

YOU ARE INVITED TO A PARENT WORKSHOP

PARENTING IN THE DIGITAL WORLD, STRATEGIES TO HELP!

Parents are invited to a workshop being presented by the Alannah and Madeline Foundation on Parenting in the Digital World, Strategies to Help!

This workshop will take place on Wednesday, 13 November from 6.30 to 7.30 pm in the Theatrette (Nicholson Building). Insight into the online worlds of young people including the latest trends, risks and research, and social media use will be the focus of this workshop. Advice for parents will be provided to help manage a child’s life online.

Outcomes:

• Parents/carers will develop an understanding of the appeal of social media and how to support young people to stay safe
• Parents/carers will know where and how to report inappropriate content and how best to support young people who are experiencing harm
• Parents/carers will be equipped with the latest research regarding online behaviours

We still have places available for this event but please note that it is limited to 100 guests. To register for this event please complete this booking form.

We look forward to seeing you on this night.

Dear St Columba’s Community,

This week’s newsletter includes information on the following topics:

·                Dates for your diary

·                Victoria Police Force careers

·                Train to become a flight attendant

·                Study food systems and gastronomy at William Angliss

·                Have you considered studying eye diseases and how to treat them?

·                Where can a social work degree take you?

·                Engineering exhibitions at RMIT and Monash University

·                FlickerUp Film Competition

·                Interested in architecture and the built environment?

·                Updates from Victoria University (Year 11 VU Guaranteed and new Speech Pathology course)

·                Focus article on VET pathways (traineeships, apprenticeships, TAFE etc.)

·                Free TAFE for priority courses – Victoria

·                Endota Wellness Centre Open Day (Beauty Therapy, Remedial Massage)

·                Soar Aviation Open Day

·                Flight Centre Academy Open Day

Please find links below to the newsletter and documents containing information on Medical courses in Victoria, NSW & ACT and South Australia.

Thank You.

Careers Newsletter

Medicine Courses Victoria

Medicine Courses NSW and ACT

Medicine Courses South Australia

On the 15th of October Astrophysics students embarked on a journey into outer space at the Planetarium at Scienceworks. At the end of the experience, students like Evianna Lazzaro felt the experience “gave us a new perspective on the world around us showing us the real world connections, not just in science but history and belief systems.” Students also realised how little we are compared to the vastness of the universe.

Students also had the opportunity to view an art meets science installation called Beyond Perception. Evianna Lazzaro commented “the Beyond Perception area integrated the concepts studied in class, connecting them with easily identifiable references and ideas to improve our understanding.” Students were able to learn about gravitational waves, how light can be used to detect distant objects and about waves and energy.

It was a clear night on the 22nd of October at Clarinda Park. As the students and parents arrived they saw telescopes directed above the tree line and members of the Astronomy Association of Victoria staring into the eyepieces. “What are you looking at?” one student asked.

“Jupiter” said the man.

“Oh, but the Sun hasn’t even set yet!”

This event showed our students how remarkable our universe is. When asked to reflect on the evening, students commented on how amazing it was that we could look at the planets during daylight hours (and we saw four of them!). Another was amazed at how beautiful Saturn and its rings were. One comment summed up the evening stating how incredible it was to zoom into a smudge or dot in the sky and see so many differently coloured stars or even a whole galaxy.

Astrophysics is an elective subject offered at Year 10. Students learn about how technology and scientific observations of the stars have changed our thinking about the world around us.

Personally, when looking at Jupiter and seeing its four Galilean moons, I often wonder what it would have been like to be the first person to see them, and what else might be out there that we just haven’t ‘seen’ yet.

I am blessed to have been given the role of Bruton House Captain for 2019! Throughout the entirety of this year Bruton has excelled in many events and activities, especially in Athletics and Swimming Carnivals. Here, the girls of Bruton House demonstrated high levels of participation, determination and companionship for one another. This alone made me extremely proud to have led such an outstanding group of girls.

Furthermore, Bruton’s determination did not waver after the Swimming and Athletics carnival successes. Throughout the year, the girls of Bruton House collectively organised fundraisers such as ‘The Bruton raffle’ and ‘The Bruton Bake Off’ to raise money and awareness for our House Charity, the Good Samaritan Inn. We, as a Bruton community, are extremely proud to be supporting such a deserving charity like the Inn.

We are truly thankful for Mr. Morris’ constant support and motivation throughout the year, we could not have achieved what we have without him! It has been an honour and privilege to have been able to work alongside him. Additionally, I would like to thank the incredible House Representatives; Genevieve Onori, Alisha Maslac, Isabella Scaringi, Amelia Glenk, Quynh Pham and Maya Riquelme-Gerbino for their constant enthusiasm and support — it has assisted me majorly throughout this year.

Finally, I wish all the best of luck to Ella Cashin in her endeavours as Bruton House Captain in 2020. I have no doubt she’ll achieve greatness in her role.

A recent study by Aer Lingus found that female representation in aviation, namely the pilot profession, is severely lacking. While Forbes reported last year that just over five percent of pilots worldwide are female. To put this into perspective, out of twenty flights only one will have been flown by a female pilot. So, it is wonderful to see that one of our students has been inspired to fly a plane! In this article, Year 10 student Antonia Crea shares her story about what led her to take to the controls:

“During the September holidays this year, I was given the opportunity to fly a plane. My Dad surprised me with an introductory flying lesson in a Diamond DA40, which is a four seat light aircraft. It was an incredible opportunity and could possibly be the start of a pathway for me in an aviation field. Growing up, my Dad had a huge influence on me as he also has a passion for planes and with his career as an engineer, he has been able to work with many airlines and professional pilots for their training. I’ve always loved going to the airport as a kid with my Dad to watch the planes fly over our heads, and being able to sit in the captains seat, steering a plane 1000ft above sea level was something I’d never thought I would do at the age of 16. In my Year 10 STEM class, our aviation unit earlier in the semester inspired me even more so and added to my pre-existing interest in planes. I was able to use the flight principles we learnt in class during my lesson including pitch, yaw and roll, as well as understanding Bernoulli’s principle and how this lifts a plane into the air. By having this background knowledge I was able to make connections during my flying lesson which allowed me to learn even more up in the sky. This was truly an unforgettable experience, and I can’t wait to hop back into the pilot’s seat again.”

Antonia Crea – Year 10 OBNS3