VCE
Year 12 Mass and Graduation Presentation Evening:
On the evening of Monday the 20th of October, we had the great privilege of hosting a Year 12 Graduation Mass and Graduation Evening at St Mary’s College for the first time in 38 years!
36 very excited and proud graduating students were presented to their families, friends, teachers and school community, participating in a beautiful mass, then being individually presented to the gathered crowd, after receiving their Graduation Stoll and gift. Students were recognised for their contributions to our school, some of them for all 13 years of the Primary and Secondary schooling!
We celebrated their achievements, challenges and impact at our school and it was amazing to see how far they have come, from little people in Grade Prep (Foundation) through to the young men and women they are today. We also watched a movie which celebrated all of these things and more through a collection of photographs from over the years.
The hall was decorated in our school colours of navy and gold and we were very lucky to have received donations of glorious plants and flowers from local florist Miss Wildflower and Seymour Bunnings, which added to the atmosphere on the night.
Every student played a role in the mass, from reading to presenting symbols or carrying the Offertory Procession. Following mass, we heard beautiful Parent and Student reflections from Jolene and Zac Brown and later school captains Sophie and Cooper gave their Captains speeches and presented Mr Smith and the school with a stunning Catherine McAuley rose, a gift from the Year 12 cohort to the college to remember them by.
Once the formalities were done it was time for us to celebrate the students as they walked out for the final time and we then shared a light supper together.
A huge thanks must go to everyone who attended and especially to the staff who helped put the night together, in particular Mrs Gough for her help with the mass booklet, Mrs Evans and her excellent mass set up, Mrs Garner and Mrs Kneebone for all of their help behind the scenes and Mrs Webster and Mrs Neilson for their beautiful photography and help in the lead up to and on the night.
It was a very special occasion, one that we will not forget in a hurry!
Year 12 Farewell Breakfast:
The morning after the Graduation Evening the Year 12s bid their final farewells to the school with a BBQ breakfast and dress up morning. Buoyed from the celebrations the night before, students came dressed as famous characters, while the teachers took the opportunity to revisit their youth and came dressed as St Mary’s students!
While there were some shenanigans taking place around the school (a lot of glad wrapping and silly string) the fun was all good natured and the Year 12’s made the most of their time, saying goodbye to younger students and celebrating their finish together.
There were student awards given out to all who were there and a lucky dip draw, which was then followed by messages from teachers past and present, wishing them well for the exams and beyond. By the time it was time to go, everyone was well fed and ready to head off for a day of more celebrating, before studying for the exams would begin in earnest.
Thank you again to all of those teachers and staff who helped with he set up and smooth running of the breakfast and all of the end of Year 12 activities!
Exams:
This week sees the start of the VCAA exam period, with English the first exam on Tuesday 28th October. Our students will have exams right through until the afternoon of Monday 17th November and once everyone is done, students, parents and teachers will be celebrating with a formal dinner at Flowerdale Estate on Thursday 29th November.
The exam timetable can be found using the following link: https://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/administration/key-dates/vce-examination-timetable
We wish all of our Year 12’s the very best!
Good luck with exams and to those who are starting out in the workforce, all the very best to you too!
Simone McLaughlin
VCE Coordinator