IONA 17

Year 12 Graduation

It was with great delight that we were able to celebrate graduation in person with everyone present – the first time since 2019.  Students have celebrated their time at the College with joy, fun and passion, and we congratulate them on the level of respect they have shown each other, the College, their families, and most importantly themselves.  The close of their formal relationship with the College has been a positive one, which we hope has blessed them with great memories for many years to come.

We wish the Year 12 students sitting VCCA exams from next Wednesday all the very best.  Many students have already undertaken their performance solo exams and oral language exams.  A nervous time for all, but from my experience our students have been very well prepared, through their own endeavours, ably supported and encouraged by their teachers.

Community Consultation

Thank you to the parents who nominated to be a part of the Consultation Workshops.  Interest was limited so we shared the consultation questions with interested families directly and asked for their feedback.  We understand the ‘busyness’ of family life at the moment, and I thank the families who have provided constructive feedback.

Feedback has also just come in this week through the MACSSIS Surveys (students, staff and families) and through the Year 12 Exit Surveys (students and families).  Thank you to everyone who took the time to provide feedback. We will review the data for patterns and trends which supports us to reflect on our communication, processes and procedures at the College.

‘Heart of Columba’ Opening

The opening of our heritage centre ‘Heart of Columba’ was a wonderful event, coinciding with the reunion for all the students finishing the College in a year ending in “2”.  It was a privilege to listen to the stories of women over decades who hold the College in a very special place in their hearts.  The ‘Heart of Columba’ stands as a testament to the work of the Sisters of Charity, and their colleagues over time, who recognised the power of education to transform the world.

MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS

FOR WORLD MISSION DAY 2022

“You shall be my witnesses” (Acts 1:8)

The title of the message refers to the Risen Jesus’ last conversation with his disciples, before ascending to Heaven 

This is the central point, the heart of Jesus’ teaching to the disciples, in view of their being sent forth into the world. The disciples are to be witnesses of Jesus, thanks to the grace of the Holy Spirit that they will receive. Wherever they go and in whatever place they find themselves. The Church, the community of Christ’s disciples, has no other mission than that of bringing the Gospel to the entire world by bearing witness to Christ.

We pray that every member of the Church may be witnesses of Christ by word and deed, wherever they find themselves. May the Spirit inspire each of us to offer the right word, at the right time and in the right way. 

We pray to the Lord. Lord, hear our prayer. 

We pray that local faith communities around the world may persevere in the face of war and violence, poverty and persecution. May our prayers and support embrace them in faith and hope. 

We pray to the Lord. Lord, hear our prayer 

Lord, hear our prayers and know that our head, heart and hands do you work here at St Columba’s College.

Amen 

In September 2022, Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools has changed its policies about parents giving the school the authority to administer medication which has been supplied by a parent. The old policy stated that a parent could provide consent via the Medication Authority Form. The new policy states that all medication, including paracetamol, Ventolin and antihistamine, now needs to be on a Medication Authority Form which must now be signed by both a parent and a Medical Practitioner. We are aiming to have all Medication Authority Forms, for current and new medications, updated with a Medical Practitioner signature by January 2023. This applies for school camps as well; we will require a Medical Practitioner to sign the Medication Authority Form specifically for camp for any medication including regular medication taken by a student.

Also in September 2022, Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools introduced Student Health Support Plans. A Student Health Support Plan is a document that outlines how a student’s health will be managed at school, on excursions or on school camps, as well as any educational adjustments that are required due to the health condition and are developed in collaboration with parents and staff from the College.  The Student Health Support Plan details how school staff will provide the required support (who will provide the support, where the medication will be stored, process for informing emergency teachers and what will happen on excursions/camps). Any student with a medical diagnosis of Asthma, Epilepsy, Diabetes, Migraines, an Eating Disorder, Anxiety, Depression, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Asperger’s Syndrome will require a Student Health Support Plan. The development of Student Health Support Plans are significant and will take time to develop for each individual student. We are aiming to have all our Student Health Support Plans completed by April 2023.

Students diagnosed with Anaphylaxis and Allergies do not require a Student Health Support Plan however, they now require a Risk Minimisation Form. These risk minimisation forms are only for Anaphylaxis and Allergies. Once completed, these need to be uploaded onto Consent2o with the Anaphylaxis or Allergy plan.

Parents will receive the new updated Medication Authority Form, Risk Minimisation Form and Student Health Support Plan via email from the College Nurse, Rachel Rotondo. The Medication Authority Form and Risk Minimisation Form will be sent out in November this year. The student Health Support Plans will be sent out via email in January next year.  The Medication Authority Forms and Risk Minimisation Forms for Anaphylaxis and Allergies need to be uploaded onto Consent2Go once completed.

• 1.8GHZ dual-core Intel i5 Processor or M1/8GB Memory/256GB Solid State Drive
• Mac OS or Windows Operating System
• Please note: Chromebooks will not meet minimum requirements

The Royal Melbourne Show returned to Flemington this September, and it put the smiles back on many Victorians including that of St Columba’s student Jemma Moschini (Year 9). Jemma entered her artwork in two separate categories:

• Painting (Year 9 & 10 students) Art/Secondary
• Ceramics Glazed (Year 9 & 10 students) Ceramics/Secondary

I am happy to announce that Jemma won ‘First’ place in both categories. But wait, there’s more… this is not the first time Jemma has won a prize for her art at the show. In fact, she has won ‘First’ place seven years running.

Congratulations Jemma. We are so proud of your artistic talents and your love and enthusiasm for the visual arts. You are a wonderful role model for our students.

This year, students in year levels 10 and 11 with a strong interest in STEM subjects were invited to participate in the STEM Mentoring Program at the Bionics Institute. The Bionics Institute is an internationally-recognised independent medical research institute that solves medical challenges with technology. They are leading the world in the research and development of innovative medical devices and therapies that improve human health. The multidisciplinary research team of leading scientists, engineers and clinicians focuses on transforming the lives of people with difficult to treat conditions including hearing impairment, vision loss, Crohn’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, stroke and diabetes.  

Sarah Truccolo, Riley Firman, Emma Sheridan, Jaz Davis, Alexia Kyriacou and Cailey Finlayson had the unique opportunity to be mentored by the institute’s leading female research scientists over a 6 month period. The mentoring program culminated in the Junior Science Awards of Excellence Ceremony. The ceremony was held at Melbourne Museum Treetops Room on the 11th of October where Bionics Institute CEO Mr Robert Klupacs welcomed the participants and led guest speakers The Hon. Tien Kieu (MP), Dr Amanda Caples, (Victoria’s Lead Scientist), Dr Pip Karoly (Seer Medical) and Dr. Marguerite Evans-Galea (ATSE) in congratulating the students for the extraordinary efforts shown in undertaking research alongside their mentors. 

The ceremony coincided with the International Day of the Girl and Ada Lovelace Day. A day which involves the international celebration of the achievements of women in science, technology, engineering and maths. Our future in STEM is never fixed, it is constantly changing and that is what is so exciting about studying these disciplines. Industry, academia and government are all working together to make a difference in the field of STEM and programs such as this mentoring program, which aims to boost the engagement of female students in STEM are of the utmost importance for our students. The mentoring program is a positive step towards achieving gender equality through the advancement of women and girls in STEM fields. 

A huge congratulations to Sarah, Riley, Emma, Jaz, Alexia and Cailey on their wonderful achievements and hard work throughout the year, well done!

In Term 1, as part of making community connections, the VCAL Year 11 & 12 students visited Embracia Aged Care and spent time with the elderly residents endeavouring to build friendships with those in our local community. We spent an afternoon with them over a period of 5 weeks, sharing our stories and listening to their experiences and stories about their lives. With the help of the VCE Italian studies students, it was also a great time for us to practise our Italian language skills.  

We played games such as Bingo and Scopa, made bracelets and shared a special afternoon tea with them. We enjoyed their company, their kindness and the joy they showed in spending time with us. We loved hearing about their journeys in life, their families and their experiences at Embracia.

On our last day, we spent the morning chatting and spending time with the residents who had become our friends,  as well as presenting gifts that we had made for them. In our speech, we talked about the values that had come to mean so much to us, our desire to follow in the footsteps of Mary Aikenhead, to go out to the margins, to show compassion, connect with those less privileged and bring hope and love into others lives.

Our idea for making reusable coasters and a special tablecloth emerged from our work in the Precious Plastics Program. We created coasters with messages of love for the residents so they could remember us and our time together. We also created cake stands using acrylic boards and the laser cutter in the STEAM lab. We compiled a book with our reflections and photo memories. Still, we felt that the book wasn’t enough so we decided to create a tablecloth and table runner that featured our reflections and pictures that captured our time with the residents. To print everything out onto the material, we used the fabric machine in the Art department and with  Keira’s help we created a stunning tablecloth for the residents to enjoy. The residents were very happy and grateful for the gifts and the time that we had spent with them. 

We hope that in the future St Columba’s students continue this precious connection with Embracia.

This year the College has implemented the Precious Plastics Program and the school community has been busy collecting plastic lids/caps. Once collected, the lids go through a process of sorting, granulating, melting, forming and usage, where they are transformed into other products. 

Throughout this year students across learning areas and year levels have participated in Precious Plastic Program workshops held in the STEAM Lab. An invitation was extended to Student Leaders of our local feeder primary schools to participate in one of these workshops. The workshop held on Thursday 13th October in the STEAM lab was hosted by Jennifer Tran, STEAM Lab Assistant, Melissa D’Amico, STEAM Leader and Julianne Cabanayan, Environment Captain. The primary school students were given the opportunity to learn all about the different types of plastics and sorted plastic lids/caps according to the PlasGran guide. Students then used the granulator to shred the plastic lids/caps into granules and learnt how to create a sheet of plastic using the sheet press. Following this, the students used a sheet of plastic to make bookmarks, earrings and keyrings. 

We hope that the workshop inspires Student Leaders from local primary schools to start an action group at their school to raise awareness about the Precious Plastics Program at St. Columba’s College and contributes to the College becoming a plastic lids/caps collection point for the local community. 

Plastic lids/caps can be dropped off at the College in one of the many collection points around the school. If you would like further information about the program or would like to collect plastic on behalf of the College, please contact Jennifer Tran or Melissa D’Amico.

The 2022 Mango Drive is wrapping up, be sure to get your orders in by Sunday 23 October and support the work of Bahay Tuluyan. Click here to purchase.

As part of Year 12 VCAL WRS, students are required to complete a community based project. I have chosen to work with  Melbourne City Mission on this project as homelessness is an extremely prevalent issue in society. It is estimated that on any given night approximately 116,000 people are sleeping rough. Melbourne City Mission provides support services to people experiencing homelessness and they aim to break the cycle. Melbourne City Mission helps the homeless by providing then with every opportunity to live the life they aspire to, their way and build a future they choose.

How can you help? October 13th – October 24th

Donate the below items to student reception.

What Melbourne City Mission needs:

• Undies and socks
• Travel size body soap
• Travel size shampoo & conditioner
• Toothbrushes
• Hair brushes

Michelle Mitchell presents: Handling tricky friendship days
Wednesday 2 November 2022
8:00pm – 9:00pm AEDT
Bestselling author and professional speaker

Friendships can be complex, intense and filled with unpredictable ups and downs. Even though we might wish that our kids could “just get on with it”, most need our active guidance to problem solve daily challenges. In this webinar, Michelle Mitchell offers a set of practical guiding principles to help empower children to handle tricky friendship days.

Key learning and discussion points include:

• A trusted adult’s role in social-emotional education
• The importance of the tiny voice
• Six guiding principles to help tweens navigate tricky friendship days
• How parents can help children with the gaps in their development
• Tips for supporting extra sensitive kids

Click here for more information.