Principal's Message

Sr Mary Moloney rsm

Dear Members of the Academy Community,

Welcome to the 2024 school year! I extend a particular welcome to our new Year 7 students and other new students and their families - welcome to the Academy of Mary Immaculate. I hope you will all soon come to appreciate the joy of belonging to this strong, united and caring Mercy community.

Last Monday we gathered together for our Beginning of Year Eucharist once again celebrated by our College Chaplain, Fr Peter Varengo. The gathering also included two key events - the acknowledgment of our VCE High Achievers and the investiture of the new Senior Student Leadership Team for 2024. It was wonderful to see so many parents of both groups present to join in the acknowledgement of academic excellence and recognition of leadership.

High Achievers 2023

We congratulate the Class of 2023 on their outstanding results. Detailed information can be found here

Krissy Francis, DUX of 2023, speech can be found here

Investiture of Student leaders 2024

At the Academy there is a special Investiture ceremony where the Little Sisters of our senior leaders play a prominent part. Their duty is to assist their Big Sisters in putting on their blazers which signify their new position. This is a duty they performed to perfection.

Later, after the Investiture ceremony, our Co Captains and Co Justice Captains addressed the Assembly. I quote from the speeches of Harriet and Hannah, our Co Justice Captains as they challenged the students to involve themselves in improving the lives of others.

Their speech can be read here

We are looking forward to two other important events for Year 7 students and their families - the beginning of year Mass and BBQ which will take place on Thursday 15 February at 5.30pm. Last year this event was accompanied by torrential rain. We are hoping for better weather in 2024!

Our second event is the Year 7 camp scheduled for Monday 19 February to Wednesday 21 February. This is always a time for our Year 7s to meet new friends and bond together.

There is much for all of us to look forward to this term and I highlight a few of the key events:

Caritas launch

Academy has been chosen as the venue for the launch of Caritas - Project Compassion. This event will take place next Tuesday, 13 February and we will be welcoming teachers and students from many Primary and Secondary schools around Melbourne as well as a number of key guests from MACS (Melbourne Archdiocese of Catholic Schools), Mercy Health and other key institutions. In particular we are privileged that the Archbishop of Melbourne, Most Reverend Peter Comensoli, will be with us as well to launch the Project Compassion campaign.

Overseas study tours

We are very much looking forward to welcoming the staff and students from our sister school in Japan, Nishiyama High school. We have a 25 year relationship with this school and it is truly a mutually rewarding experience. Thank you to our host families who have volunteered to support this visit.

Plans are well in place for our Italy study tour in September and arrangements are starting to evolve for our 2025 study tour to France. Exciting times ahead.

Top Awards

We celebrate with the following students.

Top Class Drama 2024

Rahel Abraham

Congratulations to Rahel Abraham, who has been selected to perform their Drama solo Moana and/or Maui at Top Class Drama 2024 at Melbourne Recital Centre. Read more in The Arts

Top Designs 2024

Kieran Ford

Congratulations to Kieran Ford, who has been selected to exhibit their VCE VET Creative and Digital Media work in Top Designs 2024 at Melbourne Museum. Read more in STEM

2024 - Year of Prayer

Pope Francis has declared 2024 to be The Year of Prayer. A year dedicated to ”rediscovering the great value and absolute need for prayer, prayer in personal life, in the life of the Church, prayer in the world. This Year of Prayer is a forerunner of the Jubilee Year of 2024 which will have the theme ”Pilgrims of Hope”.

2024 - A leap year

Academy students have been challenged to make Thursday February 29 a day of particular significance. It is an additional day in our lives this year and should not go unheralded. What can we do on this day to make the world a better place?

I hope to share with you in the next newsletter how students have acknowledged this day.

We look forward to living our theme 'Stronger Together' throughout the 2024 year and I ask you all to join with us in this endeavour.

Next edition of the newsletter will be sent on Friday 1 March 2024

Every blessing,

Sr Mary Moloney rsm

Principal

Academy College Prayer

Loving God,

We give thanks for the unique gifts you have bestowed on each of us and are grateful for the rich learning opportunities you offer to us each day.

Jesus, we thank you for calling us to be people of hope and welcome, united in our service of others. Remind us that our simple everyday gestures are what shape a better world
and , as we go forth today, we pray that our mercy values are lived in all our actions.

May we continue to follow in the footsteps of our foundress’:

Catherine McAuley: Lead us
Ursula Frayne: Inspire us
So we live every day, in Mercy

Child Safe School

At the Academy of Mary Immaculate, we are committed to being a nurturing, child-safe school where our students are respected, their voices are heard and where they are safe and feel safe. Our commitment and responsibility to child safety is driven by Jesus Christ’s message of hope, love and care for all.

The important area of Child Safety is highlighted to staff at the beginning of the year and throughout the year. We have several strategies currently in place in our school designed to keep students safe and to affect positive student learning, for example:

Regular review of Child Safety Code of Conduct
Regular review of Child Safety Policy
Regular review of Child Safety Reporting Obligations
Annual presentation to students on Child Safety Procedures

As a school we will continue to reflect, review and approve our Child Safety strategies. Wellbeing and Child Safety is everyone’s responsibility. As always, we welcome your comments and would be happy to discuss any ideas or concerns you may have regarding the matter of student safety.