IONA 18

VCAA Exams Underway

Our Year 12 students sitting exams have been remarkable in the way they have approached this exam period in a calm, rational and organised manner. I am certainly hearing that students feel they have prepared well, and were ready to take on this challenge. We continue to hold them in our prayers as they look forward to what life has next in store for them.

VCAL Graduation

It was a pleasure to celebrate with the Year 12 VCAL Students as they marked their graduation and final few days of secondary school. There was a wonderful sense of gratitude for the staff members that had travelled the VCAL journey with them. These staff members have held high expectations for the students, supported them to ensure their program suited their learning requirements, and challenged the students to achieve the best possible outcomes. All of this work has contributed to one of the strongest VCAL programs within my experience. I look forward to the best elements of this program underpinning the new VCE Vocational Major which commences in 2023.

Year 7 – 11 Students

Transition for Year 7 to 11 students commences on Tuesday 22 November, where we will begin our 2023 program. In the intervening few weeks, students will have exams and assessments to be completing for their 2022 units of study. Visitors to the College comment on the engaged and settled learning environment they experience as they walk around the school. We commend all students on their attention to their studies, and on following through on expectations to ensure that they are achieving their best possible outcomes.

On Monday the 24th of October, the emerging student executive team for 2023 were able to begin to initiate their roles within the school community through their participation in the yLead leadership day. By participating in team work activities, such as a 16-legged race and multiple dance offs, we learnt about what it is to be a leader and how we can implement a positive change and impact within the college. It gave us all an opportunity to bond, and have a memorable experience! Whilst enjoying our time together, this leadership day gave everyone the ability to reflect on the traditions and values of the college, how we can reflect on these in the upcoming year and also start our own traditions which will be remembered for years to come. Furthermore, all members of the student executive team were provided with an insight into our character strengths and how, even though we may not be great at expressing each individual trait, working in a team allows for everyone with different strengths and abilities to collaborate effectively and openly communicate their ideas to create a powerful dynamic team. We believe that this is essential and an extremely important quality that this team possesses and cannot wait to express in the impending year. 

As the College captains for 2023, we are extremely excited to serve and work with and in the community to help create a loving, inclusive environment for each and every student at St Columba’s College. In the footsteps of the Sisters of Charity, we hope we can embody the nature of a servant leader and encourage all students within our school community to reach the margins. Additionally, as advocates for the student body, our goal is to inspire and motivate all to ensure that everyone’s voices are heard and appreciated within the College. Wishing luck to everyone in the coming year and a big congratulations to the Student Executive team and Student Engagement Team for 2023!

On Thursday the 27th of October, the Year 12 VCAL class held a Farewell lunch to mark the end of their time at the College. 

The students and their teachers spent the afternoon laughing and reminiscing about the great times they shared during their two year journey in the program. 

It was a special moment that highlighted the close knit nature of the class, and the long lasting friendships that have been made. 

This event also marked the end of an era and the start of new beginnings with the VCAL certificate being phased out at the end of this year at St Columba’s College. 

After 20 years the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning will be replaced with the VCE Vocational Major Certificate. All senior students with their many talents and attributes will come together under one umbrella, to study the VCE. 

In recognition of their time in the program, the VCAL students held a ceremony in the VCAL room where the VCAL neon sign was turned off for the final time.

“ This light has been a beacon of inspiration and support for those who flourish in an Applied Learning setting. As we turn off this light, we turn off an era at St Columba’s College. This program and its connections with the community was the embodiment of going to the margins and what a way to close out our 125th anniversary at the College. 

As we extinguish the VCAL light the spirit of its soul will continue to echo into the St Columba’s tradition moving forward. We are the final VCAL cohort and we will carry this legacy into the community for the rest of our lives”. 

Congratulations to our Year 12 VCAL students – we wish them all the best in their future careers.

This term our Year 9 students were fortunate to participate in a Future Directions Seminar Day, where they were able to hear first hand from Industry experts and attend various Universities and TAFEs. 

Students had the opportunity to listen to guest speaker, Yolanda Finch, Chief Operating Officer of Melbourne Fashion Festival. Yolanda discussed her career journey, what qualities and attributes enabled her to achieve success and overcome setbacks and the many pivots she took to get to where she is now. 

Below are some snippets from student learnings: 

 “I learnt about the importance of seizing opportunities and everything that comes your way. Yolanda Finch emphasises the mindset to “say YES to everything” reminding us that some chances are a one-in-a-lifetime experience that may never occur again”.

“Yolanda originally did not know what she wanted to do. She was one of the first to try to enforce diversity in the fashion industry in Australia, which is amazing to hear.  She said you should say yes to every opportunity. Yolanda says to push yourself, step out of your comfort zone and see where those decisions can lead. “

I learned that you should always say yes to opportunities as you will always learn new things. I also learnt that your career path can stray and change and that is ok. Volunteering is something you should commit to and try to do often as it creates many new opportunities for your career and for meeting new people and giving back the community

To promote and deepen their understanding of post secondary pathways, students then spent the day visiting various Universities and TAFES from the list below. 

• RMIT
• The University of Melbourne
• Australian Catholic Unversity
• Latrobe University
• Carlton College in partnership with La Trobe University
• Essendon Footbal Club in partnership with RMIT
• Elly Lukas Beauty Therapy College
• Victorian University and Victorian University Polytechnic
• Deakin University and Deakin College
• Swinburne University of Technology

Here they were able to immerse themselves in life post secondary school, exploring campuses and participating in various hands on activities such as sitting in on a mock court case, performing CPR on dummy patients, cooking and preparing for hospitality events, running sporting drills with members of the AFLW league, and creating special effects using makeup and wigs for television and film. 

These were only a handful of the many activities students were fortunate to participate in on the day.

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