Wellbeing

As Term 3 draws to a close, a growing sense of anticipation is evident among our Year 12 students as they near the end of their time at the College. Across the school, students have been engaged in subject selections and making plans for their future pathways, while our incoming Year 7 cohort has recently completed their placement testing in preparation for the year ahead. It’s hard to believe how quickly time has passed—it feels like only yesterday we welcomed our current Year 7 students. Increasingly, the planning and momentum for the coming year are beginning even before the current one has concluded.

Throughout the term, we’ve seen a vibrant array of student involvement in the Performing Arts, with many representing the College at eisteddfods and other events with great success. On the sports front, our students have proudly competed in traditional winter sports such as Australian Rules Football and Netball. At the House level, students recently participated in both Founders’ Day celebrations and the Performing Arts Festival.

Our Founders’ Day celebration, marked by our liturgy, served as a powerful tribute to our College’s heritage. It was an opportunity for our students to reflect on the vision and dedication of those who laid the foundations of our community. The enduring relevance of Marist values—such as Family Spirit, a love of work, and simplicity—was highlighted, along with the Sion Sisters’ charism, which inspires openness, compassion, courage, and the willingness to cross boundaries in pursuit of justice and understanding. We hope that those who took part gained a deeper appreciation of the immense challenges faced by the pioneering Marist Brothers and Sion Sisters who journeyed across the world to educate young people in Gippsland. Their legacy remains a guiding light for us today—and for that, we are truly thankful.

Founders’ Day and the House Performing Arts competition are wonderful events on the College’s calendar. Many students and staff commented that it was their favourite day of the year! Overall, active participation in school activities helps to strengthen relationships, enhance collaboration, and build a more connected and supportive community. School events and activities often serve as the glue that holds a community together. When students choose not to participate, it can weaken these ties and make it harder to build a cohesive and supportive environment. Happily, there was a large turnout for the event, which was punctuated by many smiling and laughing faces. Please continue to help us support your child’s personal growth by encouraging involvement in school activities. It takes a village to raise a child, as the saying goes—we are all in this together.

Civic Behaviours – Uniform Change

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank families and students for their support of our uniform policy. We understand that it can be challenging to meet the daily pressures of life; however, we feel that the maintenance of our uniform standards and keeping to routine will assist in guiding our young people to success. This also helps in maintaining the reputation of the College, which benefits everyone.

To that end, we would also ask that we all have conversations around other behaviours that are impacting the learning and growth of our young people. The use of mobile phones, content accessed online, and social media are ongoing concerns that can cause our young people harm. We endeavour to guide students through education and policy, and once again thank families for their support in this area.

Uniform Term 4

Term 4 sees a change in uniform. Students will be required to wear their full summer uniform to school. Please see below for clarification. 

Live4Life

The Wellington Shire Live4Life community continues to thrive, and the College is looking to roll out our Teen Mental Health First Aid training to Year 10s next term. Jacquie May, one of our College Wellbeing Support Officers, and Rod Curtis have given up valuable time to deliver the program. The program aims to educate our young people on ways to assist each other in seeking help when they or their peers are experiencing mental health issues.

Student Leadership

As our Year 12 students focus on their studies and final exams over the coming months, the College has been pleased to provide Year 11 students with the opportunity to apply for positions of leadership within the Student Leadership Team. The College has appreciated the way the 2025 College Captains, House Captains and Student Voice Cabinet members have served our community and embraced their roles within the College.

We would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Jemma Fisher and Abdulaleem Hanafi on being selected as our School Captains for 2026. The group of students who applied for the role were outstanding young people and the decision was very difficult. Their performance in presenting to the school community and the interview process was mature and insightful. I look forward to working with many of them in our leadership team.

House Captain speeches and interviews have also taken place, and it gives the College great pleasure to announce the following appointments:

Allman: Jase Roads and Eva Corcoran

Champagnat:  Lucas Lenne and Eloise Schultz

Daly:  William Moore and Zanelle van de Vyver

Paulinus: Ella Nicol and Lachlan Powney

Raphaela:  Mia Ballinger and James Arnup

Theodore: Finn Wilson and Tarla Stewart

Liturgy Captain:  Willow Goode

Social Justice Captain: Jasmine Lazzaro

Environment: Eve Crouch

Mental Health: Lucy Hannah

Our College community gathered for the Passing of the Flame Liturgy, where our 2025 College Captains officially handed over their roles to the newly appointed 2026 Captains. 

This tradition provides an opportunity to thank our outgoing 2025 student leaders for their energy, service, and commitment to CCS, while formally welcoming our 2026 College Captains and House Captains into their new roles.

National Child Protection Week and R U OK? Day

The week of the 8th to the 12th of September was National Child Protection Week—the theme was Every Child in Every Community Needs a Fair Go – Every Conversation Matters; Moving Conversation to Action.

Rosemary Sinclair and Christine Stewart founded NAPCAN on 2 August 1987, and NAPCAN began coordinating National Child Protection Week (NCPW) across Australia to engage and educate all Australians to understand they have a part to play in keeping our children and young people safe.

For over 30 years, NAPCAN has provided support to communities to act on the core message, “Protecting children is everyone’s business.”

NCPW aims to engage, educate and empower Australians to understand the complexity of child abuse and neglect and work together to prevent it, for the betterment of children and young people in our shared community.

As part of Child Protection Week, we also celebrated R U OK? Day on Thursday the 11th of September. Students and staff shared a “bickie” with a mate and asked—Are you OK? The notion of supporting each other and regular conversations and check-ins was also discussed in our SEED lesson that week. Students received a biscuit with the charity’s logo in support of R U OK? Day, and there were reminders everywhere on our screens and in our classrooms to look out for each other.

Finally, as our Year 12 students rush toward the end of their time at secondary school and the College, we wish them well in preparing for upcoming assessments and exams. This is a time of stress for some, as the reality of the significant change they face to their structured world looms large. We urge them to seek support in working with each other as a collective, but also to seek the counsel of trusted adults in their world and the Wellbeing and Careers teams here at the College.

Anthony Robbins

Assistant Principal Learning and Wellbeing