SCHOOL OF POSSIBILITIES

We are very excited that Year 10 Formal is only one week away!! Parents have been emailed detailed information about this event, including expectations for student behaviour. 

On Thursday October 24 2024, Year 10 students will participate in a dance rehearsal for the upcoming school Formal. This rehearsal will occur at St Mel's Parish Hall. It is very important that all students participating in the Formal attend, so they are prepared and confident to present their dances. Rehearsals begin at 9am. Students will need to make their own way to the hall - which is located on Hamilton St, Shepparton. Students can be dropped off at the hall (there is a preference for Year 10 students to be dropped off on side streets, so as to not add to the busyness of school drop off) or they can walk from the McGuire bus exchange and head north along Hamilton St to the Hall. Staff will be present from 8:30am. Students will be bused back to school in time for recess. Students not attending formal, for approved reasons, may join us for the rehearsal at St Mel's Hall or may attend school from recess onwards.

The VCE Outdoor Ed students walked to Kialla Lakes on Wednesday this week to participate in the Aussie Bird Count - a citizen science collaboration to track bird populations around Australia. The class then walked to the Broken River and caught up with RiverConnect to remove invasive Magnolia plants that were taking over the area. 

 BUDDING ENTREPENEURS 

The Year 11 Business Class students entered the Shark Tank today – presenting their business proposals to a panel of Sharks.

The topic for their proposals was ‘futuristic’ and the students presented a variety of amazing business ideas that would seamlessly fit in 50 years’ time.

The ideas presented to the Sharks included:

A flying car rental service: these self-driven, solar powered flying cars were marketed towards younger people with a focus on being environmentally-friendly. 

A fingerprint payment method: a app that is free to download with a one-off payment or subscription service for individuals to pay via their fingerprint at selected stores, replacing the need for a card.

A drone delivery service: a fast and reliable delivery service using drones that come straight to your door. 

An augmented reality app where you can try clothes: 'My Mirror' is an app that allows people to try before they buy when purchasing clothing online.

A vertical farming solution: the future of urban farming, targeted at commercial growers, turning urban spaces into a green, food-producing oasis. 

The students were required to come up with a business name, logo and slogan as well as an executive summary including a business mission and vision statement. They also had to explain what their product/service was in detail, develop a customer profile, a marketing plan, customer relation strategies, how technology will be used and what public relations strategies will be used. 

Congratulations to these clever students for their incredible ideas as well as braving the panel of Sharks to present their ideas and answer any questions.

Year 11 students took part in a jam-packed day full of informative guest speakers as well as participating in careers-related virtual reality activities. Thank you to Abbey Monk from GMLLEN who organised and coordinated the day

Students heard from the following guest speakers: 

- Stacey Weeks from GMCU who talked to the students about how to prepare for a job interview, employer expectations and what makes a good and a bad cover letter.

- Lauren Orr from Apprenticeship Support Australia who spoke about what they do, why apprenticeships and traineeships are good pathway options, and how to apply for apprenticeships and traineeships.

-Vanessa and a colleague from Aquamoves to talk about job applications, key selection criteria, and cover letters. 

The students also worked with Matt Dickson from Vic Vice who set up the VR headsets to run virtual industry workplace tours and virtual job interviews.

Wishing the Unit 3&4 students all the very best for their exam period. The Italian students were the first students to take part in an exam with the Oral Exam taking place on Thursday 10 October. The written exam period begins later this month on Tuesday 29 October and it is important all scored students continue to attend classes until Wednesday 23 October when formal classes end. Scored students will have continued access to support from their subject teachers after this date and are welcome to attend classes for support right up until the day of their exam.

The exam period is the culmination of the Unit 3&4 students’ hard work throughout the school year and we wish them good luck during this time.

It is the first time St Anne’s College has had students completing their Unit 3&4 exams as a cohort and we are very excited to see these students close to completing their final year of schooling.

Many of these students were in the very first year levels to start at St Anne’s College in Year 7 back in 2019 and this is another step in the final chapter in their Year 12 journey.

Well done students! And good luck!

Practice Exams

We are very pleased to report on a successful week of Year 12 practice exams. Students were able to test out their knowledge and skills under exam conditions, building confidence and capacity as they head into the formal exam period which begins with the English Exam on Tuesday October 29. We wish all of our students the very best! We ask that students and their families review the exam navigator and prepare required materials the evening before each exam. We also ask students to ensure they check the location of each of their exams, as some exams are held here at St Anne’s College. The majority of exams, however, will take place at Shepparton Harness Racing Club. We ask for notification ASAP if students are not able to organise transport to and from this venue, so that we can assist.

A quick note to inform families that we have almost completed the subject counselling process for 2025 subjects and aim to release 2025 student’s final selections along with the booklist very soon. Thank you for your patience with this process. 

A reminder to all Year 12 students and their families that we have very important celebratory events upcoming! All Year 12 students, both VCE and VCE-VM, are expected to attend the Graduation Mass on Tuesday 22 October during Sessions 4-6 (1.15-2.45pm). Students who have completed their studies (VCE-VM and non-scored VCE) need to ensure they arrive at school prior to buses departing St Anne’s College. Students should arrive for Session 4 (12:10pm). Buses will be departing from 12:30pm onwards. All students are expected to travel by bus to and from the Mass. All Year 12 students are further expected to attend from 8:30am on Wednesday 23 October for a cooked breakfast and farewell events. We expect students to finish these events by the end of recess. After this time, they are free to make their way home. 

Parents/carers are invited to attend the Year 12 Graduation Dinner at the Woolshed Emerald Bank on November 22 from 6pm. We are currently collecting seating preferences from parents/carers as the Year 12 students will be seated together and families will be seated in grouped tables determined by their student's house. We know there are some families who may wish to sit together outside of this arrangement and we are therefore requesting any seating preferences for the evening. Please note, we will do our absolute best to accommodate any special seating requests, however, it cannot be guaranteed. We also kindly ask families to indicate on the form if they do not have a special seating preference. To access the form, visit: https://forms.gle/zoWDWgbWiMyDgqZU7 

A reminder to families to purchase graduation tickets via CDF pay. Tickets are $75 each for a three course meal. We are basing who will attend the graduation ceremony at school on these purchases. If you are not attending the dinner or are experiencing financial hardship please contact one of the school leaders. We look forward to celebrating this special occasion with everyone.

All graduation events include:

Year 12 Farewell Mass (St Mel's Christ the King Church - extended family welcome, the whole school will be in attendance)

Graduation Ceremony (St Anne's College - extended family welcome)

Graduation Dinner (The Woolshed - Students and Parents only)