I would like to start with the positive news that 2020 started off perfectly for our sporting students. We had fantastic numbers across all sports, with most sports reaching capacity. In fact, across the whole CaSSSA system sport in general is soaring as we see more and students participating for both competition and social pursuits.

In numbers we have:

Volleyball: 85 students
Touch Rugby: 64 students
Futsal: 45 students
AFL: 44 students
Indoor Cricket: 25 students
Tennis: 22 students.

When we couple this with well above average numbers attending both swimming and running training, we have nearly 340 (39%) active participants for Term 1. This number only reflects college sport and we know of so many more students participating in club sport outside of the College.

It is important to keep this exercise up while you are young, to become that lifetime 'athlete' where fitness is integrated into your life right through adult life. This will see you able to respond better to stress, maintain a healthy body, and most importantly have fun while doing this.

With all the current news on the COVID-19 and the cancellation of most organised sport both at college and club level, it is important to remember that 'social distancing' does not mean you have to stay inside on the couch watching the media updates. In fact, most countries are promoting continued fitness to maintain not just physical health but just as importantly mental health. If you are symptom-free, why not go for a walk or run, or perhaps head to nature this weekend and discover a waterfall after the recent rains. There are so many options still available if you are in small groups or not in enclosed spaces. Make the most of the situation, and by all means send the Sport Department your photos to show how resilient we are.

COVID-19 and School Sport

It is hoped we will be starting Trimester 2 sport as scheduled in late May. The sports on offer will be

Netball – Years 9,10,11, and 12
Volleyball – Years 7 and 8
Football (Soccer) – All students
Hockey – All students

Sign-up information and grading dates will be released once we receive permission to continue.

Multi-Sport Camp

CaSSSA Swimming Carnival

Our Swimming team had a fantastic preparation this year, starting right back in Term 4 last year. We held many qualification events and had numbers around 60 for most of these. It has been excellent to have swimmers competing for position in the team and this showed in our results last week. We came ever so close to an upset and a fifth place; however a few costly points were lost with technical disqualifications in the relays, which hurt our overall position. What is promising, apart from the change in culture from the swimmers, is that the points are spread a lot more even across the the day. This makes for an exciting carnival where we know we can be competitive against in the large schools competition.

We introduced the new togs made by Engine Swimwear this year and this, coupled with the team shirt, made us look the best team by a long way. What is more important is the swimmers felt good, and this lifted the spirit of the team. It is a shame that we could not have our Year 8 cohort and Spirit Squad out there to really make the day.

We earned a pennant for third place school in our 12-year-old group - we had a large amount of swimmers this year in 12 years. The group was spearheaded by Kaitlyn Di Francesco who earned herself multiple wins, helping the College's result in a big way.

Our swimmers in all the other grades also went well, with our 14 and 16 year cohorts in fifth place. At the end of the day we finished:

All Age Result Fifth Place
Percentage Cup Sixth Place
Aggregate Cup Seventh Place

Mount Alvernia College Swimmer of the Meet: Kaitlyn Di Francesco (Year 7)

A big thank you to Abbie and Kirk and the United Swim Club for preparing our swimmers, and to all the staff and parents who gave time at trials, meets, and the carnival.

College App

All Teenage Girl Group Training

Carla Di Fabio is a past student of Mount Alvernia and a current parent at the College. She has also done some work with our students to help bring out the best possible versions of themselves. Carla has a deep passion for helping girls love their bodies and treat each other with respect, and she believes that it all starts with the girls learning self-love. It's a known fact that when you train your body you feel good and when you feel good on the inside then your outside world radiates that! Carla is currently taking books for Term 2. As these classes are kept small to ensure all girls get the attention they need there are limited spots!

Josh White

Cultural Corner

Arts Captains Announced