Wellbeing 

Dear Parents/Guardians,

As a College, we formally farewelled our Year 12 students with a Graduation Mass on the evening of Thursday 12 October and a Farewell Assembly the following morning. It was fantastic to also be able to welcome approximately 180 parents to the Assembly. Both events are a fitting tribute to the wonderful students the Year 12s have been throughout not only this year but, undoubtedly, the hardest few years of their secondary school lives. They have had to endure remote learning through Year 9 & Year 10 as well as limitations with events and activities that they would normally partake in and in some instances be seen as a rite of passage during those years. But, to their credit, the students rose to the occasion, were rarely despondent or wallowed in self-pity. Instead, they demonstrated maturity, resilience, independence, adaptability, an unwavering support of each other and a level of leadership this year that is going to be very hard to rival. 

I have no doubt that the experience of their Middle years will hold the students in good stead and allow them to handle any hurdles that come their way once beyond life at the Academy. They should be very proud of their approach. 

Educating young women of the future is a community effort.  

For their support and demonstrated shared belief in our Academy graduands, we would like to acknowledge, and thank our sponsors of the awards to the VCE Senior Class of 23, who achieved outstanding results over the year. 

The very best wishes to the Graduating Class of 2023 for their examinations and with whatever direction they decide to embark on in their adult life. As I reminded them in the Assembly, the Academy is ‘their’ school, they will forever be a part of this community, each of their names are in the College Register that is now 166 years old and they are always most welcome to walk back in through the Nicholson Street gates to see how ‘their’ school is travelling.

Wellbeing

Distractions

‘Reach Out’ is an excellent publication that provides many articles on the different issues that young people face in their journey through adolescence. This month’s article provides a number of very useful tips on how young people can manage distractions, especially during a time when exams and final assessments are looming large. I invite all parents to spend a few minutes reading the article and discussing some of the strategies with their daughters. 

The article can be found here:

Turning in to Teens Program

Summer Uniform Changeover 

A reminder to all families that the changeover to Summer Uniform was Monday 16 October. Please note that scarves are not part of the Summer uniform.

Melbourne Central

Over the last few months, there have been some reports in the media about a number of unsafe situations that have occurred at Melbourne Central. Whilst none of these situations have involved our students, some of whom spend time in the shops and food court in this location, I do urge parents to have a discussion with their daughters as to whether Melbourne Central is a desirable location to frequent afterschool and especially on a Friday afternoon.

As always, please never hesitate to get in touch with me if you have any questions or concerns.

Mr Sam Di Camillo

Deputy Principal, Wellbeing & Operations