Wellbeing 

Dear Parents/Guardians,

As we come to the end of a very busy term, it is important for us pause and reflect on the importance of this Lenten season and the hope that it can generate for all.

Often people see this time of year to be a time of sadness with the death of Jesus, but in reality, it is a time of hope and renewal. It’s a time of year where we are all offered a chance to reflect on how we can not only be better Christians, but better people in all that we say and all that we do. 

Over the holiday period I would encourage you to talk to your daughter about how they can continue to contribute in positive ways to the College and challenge them to consider ways they can constantly help to make the lives of others better not only within the Academy community but also beyond.

To that end, I encourage you to take the time to attend the Easter services at your local parishes with your daughter as an opportunity to share with your families this reflective and contemplative space; a space where we can encounter Christ not only as individuals, but also as a community.

With the holidays approaching, I thought it was timely to remind parents and guardians of the E-Safety Commissioner website. It is a wonderful resource for parents, students and teachers focusing on how to keep teenagers safe online. Unfortunately, statistics indicate that one in five young Australians aged 8 to 17 years have been socially excluded, threatened or abused online. I do encourage all members of the Academy community to regularly visit this website for valuable information, resources and webinars.

Women’s Wellbeing Week

Took place the week commencing Monday 4 March. It was a wonderful week of celebration, recognition and praise for all women around the world. Ms Tanya Vajda, supported by Ms Jodie Muller, Ms Melinda Sachanandani, Mr Aeneas Gallivan, the Senior Student Leadership Team and the Justice Group organised initiatives, activities and guest speakers for staff and students. Two highlights of the week were:

‘March for Women’ – where all Academy students and staff walked around the Carlton Gardens. Each Mentor Group carried a full bucket of water in recognition of those many women in villages around the world who need to travel a number of kilometres each day just to have access to clean water for their families;

International Women’s Day Breakfast – where 140 girls and a ‘significant’ woman in their lives gathered in the Dillon Centre for some hospitality and were addressed by our own Clare Martin who gave a very inspiring presentation about her journey and a strong message about resilience, overcoming obstacles and achieving the very best you can. We were also blessed with the VCE Music Class playing some background music throughout the course of the morning 

It really was a wonderful week of celebration that was essentially borne from Year 12 Arts Captain Lucy Diggerson winning a ‘Period Pride’ competition in 2023 and some money being allocated to the school as prizemoney. Feedback from all in the community was that it was a huge success and it may now become a regular fixture of the College calendar going forward.

College Swimming Carnival

A very big congratulations and well done to all students for their attendance and participation at the House Swimming Carnival on Tuesday 5 March. We had record numbers of students swimming, and it really was fantastic to see so many students represent their Houses not only in the pool but also with their House Spirit. All members of the community were reminded that the Swimming Carnival was a compulsory school day and all students were expected to attend. Days such as this, amongst many other things, provide that important sense of belonging to students and also play an integral role in the positive wellbeing of all members of the Academy community. As such we had over 600 students in attendance.

Thank you to Mr. Aeneas Gallivan and all staff for all their hard work in the lead up to the day and also on the day itself.

Student-Parent-Teacher Conferences

As per the College Calendar, Student-Parent-Teacher Conferences will be available for all year levels on Wednesday April 24 (4:00pm – 8:30pm) and Tuesday April 30 (8:30am – 4:00pm). Parents/guardians will be able to participate in a conference with a subject teacher via the online Google Meets platform. Students are strongly encouraged to be part of these conferences wherever possible. Parents/guardians will be able to make bookings through the Compass Learning Management System. Bookings will open at 3:00pm on Monday April 15 and they will close at 9:00am on Monday April 22. They will also re-open in between the two conference days. Parents/guardians are strongly encouraged to make a booking as soon as the portal opens.

The procedure to make a booking and to participate in a conference will be outlined in an email sent to all families next week. In the event that you have any trouble making bookings or experience difficulties accessing the conferences, please do not hesitate to contact our IT Helpdesk. The feedback that we have received from families has been an overwhelming desire to continue with online conferences. This has meant more families booking conferences than ever before. Unfortunately, this does sometimes mean that families cannot book to see a teacher who is already fully booked. If this is the case, please do not hesitate to email the relevant teacher for an update as to your daughter’s progress.

Tuesday April 30 is a student free day whilst teachers conduct the conferences. On Wednesday April 24, we will be running six shortened lessons with classes concluding at 1.35pm and conferences commencing at 4:00pm. 

Please note that Thursday April 25 is the ANZAC Day Public Holiday with Friday April 26 being a ‘Time in Lieu’ day for staff for the conferences. There are no classes on this day.

Changeover to winter uniform

A remind to parents/guardians of the uniform requirements for Term 2.

Due to the variable weather conditions, students may wear either the summer or winter uniform in the first TWO weeks of Term 2. However, the winter uniform is compulsory for all students from Monday 29 April. Navy tights have now been part of the winter uniform for those students wearing a skirt for the last 2 years. Students do have the option of wearing navy pants instead. We ask that all students be respectful of the College expectations around this and wear their uniform correctly but also with pride. 

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all parents for your continued support throughout this term and for the support you offer the College and to your daughters. I hope and pray that the Easter period is a safe and happy time for all your families and friends and I look forward to continue working in partnership with you in Term 2.

Mr Sam Di Camillo

Deputy Principal, Wellbeing & Operations