McAuley Resource Centre

“You don’t have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.”

- Ray Bradbury

R.A.G.E Book Club this term will be focusing on Jane Austen texts. Students have been given a copy of one of her texts and each week we will discuss one of these in detail. Discussion will be led by students reading that text.

We have had some amazing displays in the MRC for Easter and Anzac Day. Be sure to check out the MRC webpage and Dashboards that often have resources for special events and topics. The Librarians have made a special VCE HELP display. In this section our VCE students can find helpful text guides, textbooks and other resources. Encourage your VCE student to see if there are any resources that might be helpful for her studies.

We currently have close to 800 books overdue. We love to see everyone borrowing!

We kindly ask for your support in reminding your daughter to check her library messages daily. There are currently notices regarding overdue books, and staying updated will help ensure these are returned or renewed promptly. Regularly checking these messages will assist in avoiding any further reminders or potential issues with borrowing.

Thank you for your cooperation and support.

Wishing you all a wonderful start to Term 2.

Ms Siobhan Taylor & Ms Cathy Bennett

McAuley Resources Co-Learning Leaders

Student Exchange with Nishiyama High School

From 14 - 26 March, I had the pleasure of hosting an exchange student from our sister school, Nishiyama High school (西山高校) from Kyoto, Japan.

The experience was fun-filled, full of laughter and eye-opening, as we exchanged different cultural practices, and witnessed her be amazed by the Melbourne landscape. The experience was made even better, as I got the opportunity to host the same student who hosted me when I went to Japan last October. Waka, my host sister’s name, is 17 years old, turning 18 in June. We got along like kindred spirits, due to her kind and energetic nature. Throughout the trip, my family took her to see many sights within Victoria, including the Mornington Peninsula beaches, where she got to experience the beach for the first time, having never been before.

Whilst it was a special experience for my host sister, being the first time she has ever left Japan, it was also incredibly fulfilling to witness a non-native appreciate aspects of Australian culture that would otherwise be taken for granted. The Victorian era architecture, in combination with modern high rises within our CBD, is something that I stroll past everyday without a second thought. However, this being an unconventional sight for my sister, led to us stopping to take photos on almost every corner in Melbourne.

Ultimately, I am glad to have had the opportunity to host and be part of a school that has cultivated such a long and distinguished relationship with our sister school. Thus, I thank both the Academy and Nishiyama High School for allowing me to have this experience.

- Chiara P

Ms Natalie Dickson

Languages Learning Leader

DAV Debating

Some rescheduled second rounds of the DAV Debating season took place both on Friday, 20 March for D-Grade and Thursday, 26 March for A-Grade.

The Year 12 A-Grade Team represented by Krysthina Klapp, Kayla Hanley and Freddy Goddard competed valiantly against Melbourne Grammar in their first secret topic of the year, arguing for the negative side that ‘Victoria should introduce a tourist tax to key landmarks such as The Great Ocean Road’. Despite scoring highly as a team, they were defeated by a slightly more practised Melbourne Grammar team on the day.

Also competing against Melbourne Grammar, the Academy of Mary Immaculate D-Grade Team won their debate in a nailbiter – the team is now two from two to start the season! Represented by Deanna Jayawardana, Beth Fisher-Rogers and Agnese Camarda, the team successfully debated for the negative side that ‘It should be compulsory for all young people to complete 50 hours of community service.’ The impressive momentum continues for the Year 9s and well done to Agnese Camarda in claiming 'Best Speaker' for this debate.

We look to next week in which our remaining teams will compete in their second-round fixtures in which we hope more wins are found.

Mr Stefan Odachowski

English Learning Leader

Pi Recital Competiton

"I doubt that in 1900 BCE, the ancient Babylonians and Egyptians could imagine our 21st century Pi competitions. Yet thanks to them, the Academy now celebrates Pi day every year.

Due to the Year 10 Maths Committee efforts, our celebrations this year included the Year 7 Pi recital on Friday, 13 March as well as a bake sale and scavenger hunt on Monday, 16 March.

On Thursday we had a preliminary Pi recital round, where the top two Year 7s from each class got to move forward. On Friday we had the competition, which was so much fun we opened an opportunity for the crowd to give it a try! All up we had 12 competitors, an amazing turn out! Congratulations to everyone who participated, and especially our finalists! The top three all received lolly prizes.

Our podium winners are:

1st place: Jasmine Baker with 138 digits
2nd place: Eleni Vergis with 136 digits
3rd place: Isabella Van Buuren with 126 digits

Maisonya Nguyen's record from 2024 remains with 271 digits!

But the celebrations were not over, as on Monday the baking skills of the Year 10 Maths Committee were put to the test during the Pi Bake Sale. This raised over $170 for Caritas! The sweet treats on offer had a theme of circles! There was also a scavenger hunt around the school. The challenge was to find the circle posters to win a prize!

A big thanks to Mr Chan and the rest of the Maths committee for all their hard work.

- Monika Tudorovic

Year 10 Maths Committee

Earth Day Seed Packets

Earth at Academy, our sustainability club, celebrated Earth Day on Wednesday, 22 April. We gathered to channel our creativity into a special project aimed at welcoming the newest members of our community.

During lunch, the club met in the Kirrip Hub and hand-decorated wildflower seed packets. Each envelope is a unique work of art, designed by students to celebrate the natural world. Inside lies a blend of native seeds chosen specifically to support local pollinators like bees and butterflies.

These packets will be gifted to incoming families joining our school. As these students begin their journey with us, we want to offer them a way to literally put down roots. This Earth Day activity is a symbol of our commitment to both our planet and our peers.

Ms Fiona Tassone & Charlize Herrera

Sustainability Leader & Sustainability Captain 2026

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