From the Principal

Benvenuto - Welcome

This week our year 8 cohort have been on camp at Mt Feathertop chalet, Harrietville. By all accounts it was a fantastic fun filled camp with lots of high energy activities and opportunities for students and staff to connect as a learning community. Year 9 and 10 will soon follow suit for their camps coming up later in the term. Year 9 will be off to the beach at Waratah Bay and Year 10 students will embark to the Melbourne urbane camp to explore the use of public transport, universities and TAFEs and what they can offer as pathways for the future. 

Following the implementation of the Catholic Education Multi-Enterprise Agreement 2022, the number of student free days will increase from 12 to 14 in 2024. Under the policy Primary schools are allowed 9 student free days, Secondary schools and P-12 settings, 14 days. This is in line with the CES Ltd “School Term and Pupil Free Day Policy” and “School Term and Pupil Free Day Procedure”

We continue to focus on two main frameworks at the college – our College Expectations and our Learner Assets. These frameworks are for our whole community. Staff, students and parents all have a role to play in modelling and living our expectations and our assets. 

Just a reminder they are:

College Expectations:

Respect everyone and everything

Be your best

Help others succeed

Learner Assets:

I am a thinker

I am a researcher

I am a collaborator

I am a communicator

I am a self-manager

Last week was a huge week of achievement for the college as we presented our production: Matilda Jr. the Musical. There was so much buzz and excitement in the lead up and over the 4 nights of performance. The cast and crew did an amazing job and they were so wonderfully supported by a broader support team. These events are a great opportunity for building community and celebrating the great talents present among our staff and students. 

Another first for the college at the end of this month as we host the unit 3/4 Psychology, Business Management and VET Engineering exams as a registered exam centre with the VCAA. There are stringent requirements and procedures required to ensure that we are administering the exams in line with the VCAA guidelines to ensure equity and fairness across the entire Victorian cohort. The organisation of this event takes an enormous amount of preparation and support for the students in the lead up to this event. We are very grateful for the dedicated staff and the focussed students who we know will give it their very best and we wish our students all the very best with their exams. 

We have been busily preparing submission for the next round of Victorian State Government building grants to continue the building from our masterplan. With a change in process, we are required to apply for the grants we seek over the next four years. This is an extensive process and we have been working with our Architect, Dr Ken Woodman to complete the submissions. These submissions have now gone to the Smarty Grants portal and we await the outcome, this is usually in about June next year. A very big thank you to our Business Manager, David Villani, who has worked tirelessly to ensure this process has been delivered on time and to a high standard, giving us the best chance of success!

Following on from previous information from the parish, St Mel’s Parish leadership change will occur on November 4, with Fr Peter moving to take up the leadership of the Rutherglen/Chiltern Parish. The Religious order of Rogationist Priests will take up parish and pastoral ministry for the parishes of St Mel’s and St Joseph’s Nagambie. Fr Rene Rameriz RCJ will be the new Parish priest and will be supported by Fr Ruel Desamparado (RCJ)

Prayer for Israel and Palestine

God of mercy and compassion, of grace and reconciliation,

pour your power upon all your children in the Middle East: Jews, Muslims and Christians, Palestinians and Israelis. Let hatred be turned into love, fear to trust, despair to hope, oppression to freedom, occupation to liberation, that violent encounters may be replaced by loving embraces, and peace and justice could be experienced by all.

Amen

Susan Carroll

Principal

Thanks to the following businesses for supporting St Anne's College:

 Adornato's

for landscaping supplies 

 Intercontinental Spares

for the 40ft shipping container

 ConX Hire

for the VMS display board