Wellbeing 

As we near the end of Term 3 we approach a number of milestones in the journey of our young people here at the College.

Obviously, this is the last full term for our Year 12’s as they complete unit four work and head toward the end of their time at the College. We encourage them to make the most of every opportunity in their endeavours, whether they be on a further education or employment pathway. This time of year, can be critical to shared success and the realisation of the achievement of goals long set. The rite of passage of passing into the ‘Real World’ is an exciting period for our Year 12 cohort and their families. The emotions of joy, trepidation and maybe even loss bubble away for all involved. I encourage all to show grace and gratitude for the journey that has been undertaken and the one ahead. It is a time for reflection and vision, and we are privileged to continue to share this experience with each other.

At this time, there are often increases in stress levels and our wellbeing team would like to offer our families and our Senior Students our support should this time become overwhelming, or unusually difficult. Please do not hesitate to reach out to a Wellbeing team member for this support. 

Whilst talking pathways, our Year 9 – 11 students have chosen subjects and begun their journey on a pathway that will hopefully see them each strive for their excellence and goal post their formal education. We also wish them every success as they navigate their futures.

School TV 

I would like to draw your attention to two opportunities offered through our SchoolTV subscription. Firstly, a webinar next week helping us to understand Anxiety and Depression. This is the third instalment and the first two can be viewed on the SchoolTV platform. You can access SchoolTV through your PAM account, under ‘Parent Links’. 

WEBINAR: Understanding Anxiety and Depression to Foster Resilience (Part III)

DATE: Wednesday, 2 September 2026

TIME: 7:30 pm

This presentation forms part of a broader webinar series designed to strengthen mental health literacy across school communities.

Join international experts Dr Emma Woodward and Dr Joe Stammeijer as they share valuable insights into recognising early signs of concern and practical approaches to supporting the wellbeing of young people.

Topics in this session will include:

• Building Resilience Foundations
• Everyday Habits for Wellbeing
• Strength-Based Resilience for Neurodivergent Children

The second opportunity is a Special Report on Shaping Healthy Masculinity. I have had recent conversations with concerned staff and students around this topic. Please take the opportunity to access this report and begin or continue conversations with your young people about respectful behaviour and relationships. Helping them to understand where to access answers to the many questions they have around relationships is a starting point. We also need to help them navigate the information that permeates many lives from the manosphere.

Child Safeguarding

The Child Safeguarding Committee meets regularly to review our current policies and procedures and to discuss any child safety issues. The child safeguarding officers listed below are available to assist members of the College community in addressing any concerns they may have for the safety of our young people. The students are aware of the role of these people in conjunction with all staff. Policies and procedures help shape the actions of our community. The College values the input of our community and encourages feedback on all policies. We welcome your contributions to help shape and strengthen our practices through the ongoing review process. 

Student Leadership

As the Year 12 cohort near the end of their time here at the College, they will look to hand over their leadership roles to the 2027 senior year level. The process for selection of next year’s College Captains, House Captains and Student Voice Cabinet Members has begun, and applicants for College Captain delivered their speeches to the College Community on Tuesday.  The next part of the process involves interviews with the College executive team. This is a wonderful opportunity for students to extend themselves and realise their leadership potential. 

Fire Carriers

The dream of the FIRE Carrier program is to promote respect, fairness, and inclusion for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in education. FIRE Carriers support reconciliation through the sharing of culture, history, spirituality, and understanding within Victorian Catholic schools.

Earlier this term, students were invited to design a logo for the Catholic College Sale FIRE Carrier program. At the Student Assembly in Term 3, the winner of the CCS FIRE Carrier Logo Competition was announced.

Congratulations to Millie Bayliss (Year 7), whose outstanding design was selected as the winning entry. Millie's logo successfully incorporated all of the required elements and will serve as the foundation for the stylised version that will be used to represent the College's FIRE Carrier program moving forward. In recognition of her achievement, Millie was presented with a certificate and prize at the assembly.

The competition attracted several creative and thoughtful entries, showcasing our students' understanding and appreciation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. Thank you to all students who participated.

As the FIRE Carrier program continues to grow at Catholic College Sale, students and families will begin to see more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture embedded in school events, learning experiences, and community initiatives. We look forward to continuing this important journey of reconciliation and cultural understanding together.

Civic Reminders

As we continue through Term 3, I would like to thank you for your continued support in helping our students take pride in representing Catholic College Sale.

A reminder that students must wear the full winter uniform throughout Term 3 and the full summer uniform in Term 4. PE uniforms may be worn only for practical PE lessons or approved excursions. Students with a Period 1 PE practical lesson may arrive in PE uniform but are expected to change back into their College uniform afterwards.

We also ask families to support our expectations regarding student presentation, including neat hairstyles and hair colour that appears natural. Students who have recently coloured their hair will be asked to allow the colour to grow out and not undertake further colouring. Any future hair colouring will need to be returned to its natural state before the student returns to school.

If a student arrives in the incorrect uniform, they will be referred to Student Services, where we will work with families to resolve the issue. As has been our policy for some time, students who arrive at school wearing incorrect uniform, including students who have a note from home, will be required to report to Student Services. Parents/carers will then be contacted, and the student will be supported to rectify the uniform issue. This may involve borrowing uniform items, arranging for the correct uniform to be brought to school, or, where necessary, returning home until the matter is resolved.

We understand that genuine circumstances can occasionally make it difficult to meet uniform requirements. In such situations, we encourage families to contact Student Services so we can work together to find an appropriate solution.

Thank you for your support in maintaining the high standards, sense of belonging, and pride that are important features of our College community.

Phone Pouches

We would like to take this opportunity to thank our senior cohort who have undertaken the Phone Pouch trial over the course of the year. We have invited them to provide us with feedback, via a survey, so we can gauge the effectiveness of the program. This has been undertaken as we search for a process that will assist our young people to navigate the challenges around the use of technology and social media. We appreciate the continued support of families and students around our phone policy.

Founders Day

Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to promote our Founder’s Day and performing Arts Festival to take place next Wednesday, the 2nd of September. This is a wonderful opportunity for our students to come together as a community and as part of their house families. We will be holding a liturgy in the morning, followed by our house performances and the celebration of the talents of many individuals in our school in the afternoon. Recently, we held our peace Mass here, which was a beautiful celebration with a wonderful theme. Our Primary Schools joined us to champion our motto, Peace among Nations. We were joined by our Bishops, who spread a wonderful message of the importance of being kind to one another. Sadly, a number of families and students opted out of this whole-school event. 

I would like to stress that some of the best memories from our schooling days are those built from community events, camps, sporting days and whole school gatherings. These are essential to building belonging, connectedness and a sense of purpose and meaning. Our presence at these events does this not only for ourselves but for others. We look forward to seeing all our students involved next Wednesday.