9-12 Community News

Welcome back! 

As the dust settles on the first few weeks of term, we would like to take the opportunity to reflect on how well the students of the 9-12 Community have settled into the new school year.  

Students have begun their classes enthusiastically, worn their uniform proudly and correctly and have established a fantastic environment in their learning and recreation spaces around the College. The students have adapted smoothly to their new routines and the classes have been buzzing with energy and activity.

The 9-12 students returned full of excitement and enthusiasm. There were many happy faces as students greeted their friends and teachers. Along with many familiar faces, we also welcomed a number of new students (and staff) and it was pleasing to see how well the new students were accepted and welcomed into the community as we began the year with the whole school Opening Mass, led by our new parish priest, Father Uday. The Mass also served as the opportunity to recognise and induct our new student leaders into their roles. The new 9-12 leaders, and all of the students of the 9-12 Community, carried themselves with maturity and pride as they returned to school. To be able to begin with the opportunity for the entire school community to come together was a happy and affirming way to start the 2024 school year. 

The student leaders from across the three communities moved smoothly into their roles when they assisted staff in cooking and sharing hundreds of pancakes to students and families on Shrove Tuesday, Pancake Day, supporting Caritas. The ways in which the leaders conducted themselves, leading by example and working together for the benefit of others was a great way for them to begin their year of service and leadership.

2024 sees the continuation of the use of the College Diary, which is provided to students from Years 7-12 to assist with organisation, planning and time management. We ask parents and caregivers to encourage students in the use of their diaries as a valuable organisational tool. Ask your child/ren to show you their diary and check out the lessons at the back relating to The Resilience Project. Once again, we are excited to be one of 800 partnership schools across Australia. As we have done in previous years, this will be part of our daily TA program.

During their 20 minute TA lesson every day, students will continue to work with the curriculum developed by ‘The Resilience Project’ to further enhance the learning relating to Gratitude, Empathy, Mindfulness (GEM) and Emotional Literacy. 

The Resilience Project curriculum delivers emotionally engaging programs to students, providing practical, evidence-based mental health strategies to build resilience and happiness. Through a variety of digital presentations, age and stage appropriate curriculum and our Student Workbooks/Diary Planners, we will continue to teach and share the benefits of Gratitude, Empathy and Mindfulness and easy ways for our students to practise these in everyday life. We will also incorporate Emotional Literacy, Connection and Physical Health education and activities into our program, as they are foundational contributors to positive mental health. Last year saw the College initiate the Resilience Project Parent Night and we look forward to continuing to share the Resilience Project with all members of the College community in 2024.

With the continued development of our Teacher Advisor/TA system and the introduction of new staff members and roles, we have a number of new TA teachers across the year levels. Again, the students and staff have moved into these new arrangements positively.

For all families, the TAs for the 9-12 Community are:

Year 9 TA Teachers: Nicole James, Jeff Lewis, Samantha Norris, Kirsten McIntosh/Jessie Mallon and Ciaran Hubble  

Year 10 TA Teachers: David Chapman, Kelly Grieve, Bianca Moore and Brenton Thorpe

Year 11 TA Teachers: Elise Clarke, Claire Mawley, Graeme Miller, Damian McIntyre, Dilshan  Fernando and Loretta Shannon

Year 12 TA Teachers:  Amanda Clohosey, Danny Dmytriw, Katelyn McIntyre and Brendon Lane

Staff in 9-12 Leadership/Responsibility roles are:

VPC/VM Learning Leader - Peter Fawcett

VCE Coordinator - Sharon Darling

VET Coordinator - Selga Langley

Careers Practitioner - Cath Anderson

9-12 Community Leader: Community and Wellbeing - Michelle Downie

9-12 Community Leader: Student Learning and Professional Practise - Brad Downie

An important part of the education journey for St Augustine’s students is the Year 12 Retreat. This year, the Retreat was held at Palotti College, a beautiful venue nestled in the foothills of Mt Donna Buang, overlooking the valley and surrounding mountains, in a peaceful rural environment. Retreat is a chance for the students to put aside their studies for a few days to allow them to reflect upon their lives to this point and the experiences and journeys that lay ahead of them. The purpose of a retreat is to afford students the time and space to stop and reflect on their lives so far, in addition to looking toward their future.

Retreat activities were designed to open students to the spiritual dimension of their lives as well as fostering a sense of community and a heightened awareness of their own giftedness and that of others. Using the metaphor of ‘Harvest’, the students progressed through a range of activities, from ‘preparing the soil’, ‘planting and watering the seeds’ and ‘keeping the pests out’ as a way to explore the ways in which they can navigate the challenges of life and this year, as they nurture themselves and each other. The cohesion and support that the students showed towards each other was truly gratifying.

Some observations from the students indicate how impactful the Retreat experience was for the students:

A  valuable experience was the distribution of the Augustinian Badge. We were able to choose someone to give this badge to and were given the opportunity to share some words of good luck for our last year of school……A treasured moment we will all cherish were the affirmation bags we were able to personalise and share with others. Our cohort all wrote notes to one another to place inside these bags which were then gathered at the end of our trip to read on the last day. Every person received compliments and meaningful words from fellow classmates. These bags are something every person will keep to remember our last year together…. my favourite part was the sit down talks we all had in a random group of peers….These talks involved laughter and giggles when we shared our funny moments, some that we forgot we had and some tears as we read a surprise letter from our parents about special memories and words they had to say to their beloved children. Retreat was all about getting to know each other better and becoming closer within the group and I can confidently say that coming out of that experience we surprised ourselves and each other with how much we became closer and the short period of time that it happened in.

While on Retreat, the students also had the opportunity to participate in a seminar, ran by Elevate Education, aimed at arming them with the study skills and strategies to help them maximise their lessons and study times. This session was very beneficial, providing students with excellent advice on the importance of maintaining a healthy balance between study and leisure.

5-12 Swimming Sports will be held next Friday, 23rd February. This is a day at which we expect all students from Years 5-12 in attendance. Students are reminded to sign up for events early to avoid the disappointment of missing out. Students and families are also reminded of the dress code for the day, ensuring they are sun smart. Students are encouraged to wear their house colours. 

Michelle Downie                         Brad Downie

9-12 Community Leader           9-12 Community Leader

Wellbeing and Community      Student Learning and Professional Practice