Principal's Post

Applications for Year 7, 2025 close Friday, 18th August.

Respectful Relationships Parent Forum

SMASH is an exciting and dynamic collaboration between the student leaders of Salesian, Mazenod, Avila and Sacred Heart Catholic Secondary Colleges. Designed to promote community connections, student wellbeing and respectful relationships, students plan a range of events, including musical performances and sport competitions.

It was terrific to witness students plan and deliver seminars and workshops to parents on the topics that matter most to them at Avila College on Tuesday 8th August. The students had collaborated throughout the year to provide a great insight for parents on topics such as - Parental Guidance through the subject selection process, Bullying, Social Media, Challenging Stereotypes, Gender Identity, Pressures faced by young people that impact on Mental Health, Anxiety and Coping Strategies. Congratulations to Jamie Wilton, Joshua Wilton, Daniel Brodie, Seth Weerasinghe, Antonio Tarallo, Stan Simanto and James Allous that represented the College as part of the Respectful Relationships Student Team. Thank you to Avila College for hosting the event and thankyou to the Mazenod Parents that attended and supported the evening.

National Day of Action Against Bullying and Violence

On Friday 18 August 2023, Mazenod is supporting the National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence (NDA). The NDA is Australia’s key bullying prevention initiative for schools, connecting schools and communities to implement workable solutions to prevent bullying. 

Planning for a safe and supportive school community requires a whole-school community approach. Whole-school responses to bullying prevention builds positive and supportive school environments by incorporating strategies for intervention at all levels, inclusive of students, teachers, parents and carers. Three key characteristics outlined in the national definition of bullying distinguish bullying behaviours from other negative behaviours which are not bullying.

The key characteristics of bullying include:

1. power imbalance
2. deliberate intent to cause harm, and
3. ongoing and repeated behaviour.

While the following behaviours are not bullying, they may still be serious and require intervention at home and at school:

• arguments and disagreements (where there is no power imbalance)
• single acts of social rejection or unkind behaviour, or
• isolated incidents of aggression, intimidation or violence.

It is important for our whole-school community, including our staff, parents, carers and students to have a clear understanding of the definition of bullying to be able to correctly identify and respond to incidents of bullying. The full national definition can be found on the Bullying. No Way! website.

If you have concerns that your son is being bullied, please contact the Year Level Coordinator. If you believe the behaviour constitutes a crime, or is a serious incident of cyberbullying, please refer to the Bullying. No Way! website for information on how to report to other authorities and gaining further help. 

You can read the Mazenod College Anti-bullying policy (including Cyberbullying) policy here to learn more about our school’s process for preventing and responding to incidents of bullying.

Presentations and Standards

As we reach the middle of Term 3 planning for 2024 is underway. For the students it is discerning subjects, pathways and courses. Enrolment interviews for Year 7 2025 take place in the coming weeks and online re-enrolment forms were emailed to current families to assist with organisation for next year. It is terrific to see the students strive to uphold the high expectations that we all have of them in regard to presentation. This is just a timely reminder for students with the support of parents and carers to be aware of the presentation expectations, to book that haircut in if required, to wear correct uniform items including the College blazer to and from school and to be respectful and courteous when travelling on public transport and interacting in the wider community. 

All the best, 

Dr Paul Shannon

Principal