Around the College 

Swimming Star

Congratulation to Andrew Dinh (Year 8 MK5) who recently competed in the Special Olympics National Games in Launceston.  Andrew swam personal bests in his events, which is not easy to do at a national meet.

Andrew's results were:

- 200m Individual Medley: 2nd place

- 100m Freestyle: 3rd place

- 100m Breaststroke: 3rd place

- 4x50m Medley Relay: 2nd place

It was Andrew's first time swimming for Team Vic and, with great results like these, it shouldn't be his last.

LEAP & VCAL

This semester Year 10 LEAP students and Unit 2 VCAL student have undertaken a unit of Walkability by Victorian Walks Unit as part of their Personal Development Skills. The students have been researching the importance of walkability spaces within Victorian suburbs. Last Tuesday they explored Tirhatuan Park in North Dandenong and conducted research on this very unique, inspiring space of nature within our suburbs. Students had to document the location, layout, accessibility and amenities within this public space. 

They enjoyed cooking a BBQ lunch, eating in a sheltered, clean gathering space, and having fun on exercise and play equipment. Then we went on walking tracks to record the range of animals we could see in the diverse ecosystem within the park/wetlands as well as the native flora and fauna. Much to my delight we even discovered an art installation by a local indigenous artist, Ian Harrison. Students will be presenting their research in class and coming to a conclusion about the importance of walkability and natural environments within suburbia and how vital they are for our physical and mental wellbeing.

Ms Mary Green

Teacher

Vinnies News

Assist A Student Fundraiser

The Vinnies' final fundraiser for 2022 took place on Thursday, 20 October. A massive thank you to the broader Nazareth community for supporting the annual 'Assist A Student Appeal', which supports children's education in less developed communities in S.E Asia. Casual clothes, along with hot jam donuts at recess and a sausage sizzle at lunchtime, enabled us to raise $1800.00, which equates to educating 18 children for a year—what a fantastic use of money. 

We extend a special mention to Ms Caitlin Mackay, Mrs Barbara Murphy, and the VCAL classes for their continued support in organizing and preparing the sausage sizzle and donut sales. They did a magnificent job with the Vinnies, who served the crowds, made advertising posters, cleaned up and were on hand to do any required job.

In summary, 2022 has been a big year for the Vinnies Team, and it was terrific to respond to the community's needs as required. The students who commit themselves to Vinnie's social outreach initiatives, working as a team to achieve their goals, are both dedicated and selfless, and I extend my thanks to each of them. As we farewell our Year 12 students, we look forward to embracing some new Year 7s in 2023.

Christmas Giving Tree

Located in the Resource Centre, the Christmas Giving Tree is slowly building up with donations from students and staff. It is lovely to see such generosity, knowing that children who may have otherwise not received a gift at Christmas will now have a smile on their faces. We hope that staff and families embrace this initiative and send a gift to school to place under the tree. Some ideas include toys, puzzles, colouring books, pencils, board games, cards, books, etc. It does not need to be expensive, but something that will brighten a child's day. This appeal will run until the end of the school year.

Year 7 English

Ms Douglass' Knowledge class has recently completed their visual response after viewing the documentary Waste Land. Set in Brazil, the documentary follows the lives of several garbage pickers, known as catadores, who make their meagre living by recycling items thrown away by households. Guided by a famous photographer, Vik Muniz, these people's lives are changed when they create self-portraits from the very material that they recycle. 

Students come away feeling very thankful for their comfortable lives but also develop an awareness of what it means to be more sustainable. 

Their task was to identify an issue they wanted to highlight and create their own piece of art by recycling household waste. Some of the submissions have blown me away! These art pieces are currently on display in the Resource Centre so that staff and students can lodge their votes for the winning entry. Anyone is welcome to pop over and check them out.

Ms Lisa Douglass

Vinnies Coordinator

English Teacher

Japanese Exchange Students 2023

Thank you to those families who have offered to host a student for the Japanese exchange

We need a few more families and the good news is there will be monetary support to cover costs.

The visit is for only one week in 2023 but the week will be filled with fun, adventures and new friendships.

The students arrive Tuesday 14 March and will leave Tuesday 21 March. 

Please consider hosting a student for this week. Australian culture and your unique families have so much to offer that is different to Japanese culture and these students are so keen to learn about you, Australia and Nazareth College. Lifelong friendships may be initiated.  

Pleased read the flyer below.

Ms Angela Beilby

International Student Coordinator