Around the College 

- NAZARETH HOUSE SWIMMING CARNIVAL -       A Day of Energy, Colour and House Spirit! 

On Friday 20 March, Noble Park Aquatic Centre came alive with excitement as we held our annual House Swimming Carnival – and what a fantastic day it was!

The event was a brilliant opportunity for students to dive in, challenge themselves in the pool, and proudly represent their Houses. A highlight of the day was, as always, the Year 12 dress-ups, which brought plenty of laughs and colour to the carnival. From superheroes like Superman, to Buzz and Woody from Toy Story, the iconic Soulja Boys, a caveman, Bunnings workers, Dr Seuss-inspired characters and many more creative costumes – the pool deck was just as entertaining as the races themselves!

We kicked off the day with a Points Swim, giving students the chance to warm up, get comfortable in the water, and earn valuable points for their Houses by completing laps. From there, the competition ramped up with 25m and 50m events, showcasing some impressive effort, determination and talent across all year levels.

The carnival concluded with the always thrilling Year Level Relays, where House pride was on full display. These races were fiercely contested, with students giving it their all while teammates cheered loudly from the sidelines, creating an electric atmosphere.

A special mention goes to our Year Level Champions, who were awarded to the students in each age group who accumulated the most points across their events – a fantastic achievement recognising both performance and consistency throughout the day.

Final House Results:

1st Place – MacKillop

2nd Place – Mannix

3rd Place – McCormack

4th Place – Chisholm

5th Place – Knox

6th Place – McAuley

Congratulations to all students who got involved and contributed to such a fun, energetic and spirited day!

With the swimming carnival wrapped up, we now look ahead to the Athletics Carnival in early Term 2 – another exciting opportunity for students to get involved, compete, and show their House pride once again.

Mr Brendan Newcomb

Sports Coordinator & Teacher

Shibuya Exchange

Nazareth College recently welcomed 15 students from Shibuya, Japan, who arrived on 10 March for a two-week exchange program that provided a rich and immersive Australian experience.

During their stay, the visiting students were fully integrated into school life, participating in a range of classes and activities designed to showcase both the academic and cultural aspects of Australia. 

In Food Studies, students developed hands-on skills making scones and sausage rolls.

In Physical Education classes gave them the opportunity to engage in sport and experience the Australian approach to health and fitness.

A highlight of the program was learning Australian slang, which proved both entertaining and insightful as students explored the unique language and expressions that are part of everyday life. Beyond the classroom, the group gained a deeper understanding of Australian culture through their homestay experience, living with Nazareth families and taking part in daily routines, meals, and family activities.

The exchange program not only strengthened global connections but also fostered meaningful friendships between students from both countries. It was a valuable opportunity for cultural exchange, broadening perspectives and creating lasting memories.

Nazareth College extends its sincere thanks to the host families who generously opened their homes and supported the students throughout their stay. Their involvement plays a vital role in the success of the program.

As the international program continues to grow, new host families are warmly encouraged to get involved in the 2027 intake and be part of this rewarding cultural experience.

Mr Chuck Chan

International Student Coordinator & Teacher

Yr 9 Mathematics - Trigonometry in the Yard

A common question students ask in a math class is “where will I use SOH-CAH-TOA in the real world?”  Well, some of our year 9 students were challenged to use trigonometry to find the height of buildings and objects around the College with the help of an old trundle wheel and a clinometer. Some of the buildings they had to measure was the D-building, the Chapel and even the footy goals. 

Using problem solving skills and endless drawings of right-angle triangles, students were able to use their mathematical thinking skills out into the real world to discover some fascinating heights around the school. Have a read of how some students found the task below. Student results may vary slightly.

Jasmine Dy-Suppa 

Teacher

At the start of the lesson, most of my classmates, were thinking that using SOH-CAH-TOA was just another thing we had to memorise, and then eventually forget. This activity showed us that was not the case, and we actually could apply this in real life. 

We went around the school trying to find the height of different buildings like the D-building, the Chapel and the statue in front of the Viscom room. We used a trundle wheel and a clinometer to work out all of the measurements. 

Afterwards we used trigonometry and a lot of right-angled triangles to do the working out. We discovered that the length from the D-building to the Northern Gardens was roughly 13m and the angle was sitting at 35 degrees. To add on to that, we started from the statue in front of the VisCom room and walked a few steps. We stopped at around 5m and figured out that it had an angle of 10 degrees. After doing all the working out we eventually got to the end result -  that the D-building was 10.65m tall and the statue was 2.43m tall. Overall, it was pretty cool realising that we could measure a height of a building without climbing it and it made trigonometry feel more useful and more interesting.

-Lily Katakouzinos & Andrea Miljanic (Year 9 students)

Art Making and Exhibiting – Gallery Exploration and Top Arts Excursion

VCE and Year 10 Art Making and Exhibiting students had the privilege of attending an excursion into the city to explore several art galleries, including the NGV at Federation Square. 

Years 10 and 11 students were given a guided tour of the Australian Art collection and received important information about the curatorial role and responsibilities for presenting the collection. These included the process of selecting artworks, the linking of artworks via specific themes, the various presentation and display methods used throughout the gallery including the information offered to the public via informative didactic boxes. 

All students had the privilege of attending a folio viewing of the students detailed folios whose artwork was on display in the Top Arts exhibition which they also got to visit. 

Year 12students visited a range of smaller independent galleries around Melbourne.

It was a wonderful day to view a number of galleries and exhibitions and contribute greatly to the students knowledge and skills in Art Making and Exhibiting.

Ms Mary Green

Teacher

Yr 10 Food Studies - Cake Decorating🎂

The Year 10 Food Studies students showcased their incredible creativity and technical skills as part of their design brief assessment. From concept development to final presentation, each student demonstrated thoughtful planning, attention to detail, and impressive decorating techniques.

It’s fantastic to see their hard work come to life in such a colourful and creative display. Well done and thankyou to all involved — a great example of design thinking, practical skills, and creativity in action! 👏

Ms Goodwin, Miss Hastings 

and Mrs Reynolds

Yr 12 Media Excursion to "Top Screens - Meet the Film Makers"

On Thursday 26 March, the Year 12 Media class travelled into Federation Square and ACMI Cinema to view the ‘Top Screens- Meet the Film Makers’ showcase as part of the VCE Season of Excellence.

This was a special event for Nazareth College, as one of our Year 12, 2025 VCE Media Students was selected for her outstanding SAT production and folio. 

Tori Kammel’s music film clip for the Will Wood song “Black Box Warrior’ gained a spot in the VCAA Top Screens showcase and was only one of the 15 selected from over 350 applicants from across Victoria. Tori’s production folio will also be on show at the Melbourne Museum.

During the showcase students watched a selection of student work including a range of short films, animations, documentaries, music film clips and claymation from a wide range of different genres. 

After the showcase, Tori alongside two of the other film makers spoke about the production process and answered student questions. 

Year 11 VCE Media classes will head into ACMI next term, but the Top Screens showcase is open to the public throughout the school holidays. The Showcase will also travel to Geelong as part of the two month program. So if you are interested in media, go check it out. 

Ms Janine Stockdale

Teacher

MACS Creative Arts Exhibition

Nazareth College was privileged to present five student pieces from Art Making and Exhibiting and Media at the 2026 MACS (Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools) Creative Arts Exhibition this year. 

This event demonstrated many of the best creative works from students who attend MACS schools from Prep to Year 12. 

It was great to see our students’ pieces stand proudly with the other school’s pieces on display in this exhibition. 

Congratulations to Victoria Kammel (Year 12, Class of 2025), Mikayla Opasinis (Year 12, MacKillop 3), Luisa Nicolaci (Year 12, McAuley 2), Jelena Romulo (Year 8, McAuley 6), and Ryan Chan (Year 8, Knox 5), for having their works nominated and selected for this year’s exhibition. 

Thank-you to Ms. Green, Ms. O’Brien, Mrs Stockdale, and Ms. Bessie Murphy for nominating, coordinating, and organising the pieces that were entered. 

Please take a look at the students’ great outcomes at the exhibition.

Victoria Kammel (Class of 2025)

Mikayla Opasinis MK3

Luisa Nicolaci MA2

Jelena Romula MA6

Ryan Chan KN5

Mr Rosario Ripper

Instructional Leader Visual Arts

Yr 7 Bush Camp – Coonawarra 🌞

The Year 7 Camp at Coonawarra was an awesome experience, full of fun, challenges, and great memories. The Flying Fox and Giant Swings were definitely the highlights, with lots of students pushing themselves to give it a go, even if they were a bit nervous at first. It was great to see everyone encouraging each other and building confidence along the way. Pool time was also a favourite, giving everyone a chance to relax, have a laugh, and spend time with friends.

Trivia Night with Mr Newcomb was a big hit, with plenty of laughs, a bit of healthy competition, and some surprisingly good (and not so good) answers. It was a really fun way for everyone to come together and enjoy the night.

The final days walk through Mitchell River National Park to the Den of Nargun was a great way to finish the camp. The scenery was amazing, and it was a really valuable experience learning about the cultural importance of the site. It gave everyone a chance to slow down, reflect, and appreciate where we were.

One of the standout parts of the camp was the amazing behaviour of the students. They represented the school incredibly well, showing respect, enthusiasm, and a real willingness to get involved in everything. It was also fantastic to see the strong connections that formed throughout the camp, not just between students, but between students and staff as well. Being outside of the classroom gave staff a great opportunity to connect with students in a different way, building positive relationships that will carry back into school.

To celebrate the outstanding effort, teamwork, and positive attitude shown across the three days, each activity group presented a Group Award to one student who consistently demonstrated our camp values. Congratulations to the following students: Monica Martin, Sophie Dimovski, Aarush Sharma, Lisa Seong-Reth, Patrick Feleppa, Arianna Lopez, Jerome Gnanasuresh, Lux Matheson, Olivia Wang, Olivia Maroky, Agatha B’Tandi, Brayden Cheah.

A massive thank you must also go to our incredible staff team: Caitlin Trustum, Tenille Kirk, Gill Coyle, Antigone Kappas, Joanna Marletta, Lisa Douglas, Brendan Hermon, Tatiana Vega, Michelina Tancredi, Romy Bilu, Catherine High, Eliza Hastings, Roland Khayat, John Brenton, Linda Smith, Mitchel Berryman, Brendan Newcomb, Jake Charman, Jimmy Carlyle, Alessandra Pop, Juliet McKenzie.

Overall, it was a fantastic camp with a great mix of adventure, fun, and meaningful experiences that students will remember for a long time.

Well done Year 7s on a brilliant camp at Coonawarra!

Mr Adam Cooper

Teacher & Camps Coordinator

Yr 11 Tertiary Taster Day at Deakin University

The Tertiary Taster Day at Deakin University was absolutely amazing!  Witnessing Deakin’s modern and advanced facilities that accompany their wide variety of courses available to high school students was such an inspiring moment for me during this excursion. 

Our panel discussion with current students highlighted the endless amounts of opportunities for high school students such as Deakin Accelerate as well as learning how graduates can  pursue their dream career. 

I personally love how Deakin is a very student based university that focuses on the person as a whole,  and how there are so many benefits from studying there, such as studying double degrees. 

With Deakin being #1 in the world for Sport Science, and being an avid sports person, I was extremely optimistic and thrilled after seeing their sport science facilities and hearing more about sport at Deakin!  

-Arielle Punsalan (Year 11 student)