INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY

International Women’s Day is a day where we can all pause, reflect and celebrate what women have achieved. It is a day to celebrate the women who have paved our way, the women who are creating our future now and the women growing up who will make the future we create a reality. It is also a day to remind ourselves to continue to actively support and motivate one another. Let’s all celebrate this year’s theme of ‘Break the Bias’!

Members from our Justice Group were busy during lunchtime assembling purple lapel ribbons to mark the celebration for International Women’s Day. The girls had fun making them and the room was buzzing with their excitement. These ribbons will be handed out in the morning as students enter the front gates on Monday 7 March. Wearing these ribbons will represent that we are a part of this movement and it will connect us, Together in Mercy.

Imagine a gender equal world.

A world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination.

A world that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive.

A world where difference is valued and celebrated.

Together we can forge women's equality.

Collectively we can all #BreakTheBias.

Explore: www.internationalwomensday.com/Theme

Yasmin Pitisano

Academy Justice Captain

McAULEY RESOURCE CENTRE

We had some great entries in our “Library Lovers Day” competition. Girls could either submit their favourite romance book, love quote or write about why they love the library. And the winners are:

Brianna Stedman 9 Bryce ... “A Dog’s Journey” by Cameron Bruce. It’s such a good book as it goes through so many emotions. Though this story had me in tears, I would definitely recommend it if you like wholesome stories. I love reading because I can enter a different world, reading helps me escape.

Alisa Sanelli 9 Monash ... I love the library because it is a place to escape all of my worries, entering the wonderful world of books.

Anna Boult 9 Monash … Sometimes life isn’t all that good to you but when you read a book you love, your imagination takes over, goes to another world and you feel free.

Thank you to all the girls who entered, we loved reading your quotes, recommendations and thoughts.

Overdues

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International Women’s Day

Visit the MRC for wonderful resources of books and magazines inspired by this event and see the thought provoking display, well worth a look. Happy Reading!

Ms Anne Chowne & Ms Cathy Bennett

Co-learning Leaders

JUSTICE GROUP

YEAR 12 STUDENT LEADERS' JUSTICE AFTERNOON

Our 2022 Student Leadership team gathered to discuss how they can support justice and justice initiatives at Academy this year. They discussed how we can work together in mercy supporting our own community and the community in our local neighbourhood. They showed great compassion for each other and for those in our extended community.

CARITAS PROJECT COMPASSION

This week Caritas hosted their annual Project Compassion Launch. Students from across the school participated online in our Fiction Library, joining students from around Victoria.

Academy Mentor groups will now begin fundraising and awareness-raising for the work of Caritas and we look forward to all our families participating.

Explore more: www.caritas.org.au/project-compassion/

Student Reflections

The Caritas Project Compassion Launch was an interesting experience with the theme of ‘For all future generations’ which really struck me. I wasn't aware how much our donations can make a big change to so many people's lives. Amelia Callea Year 12

Today, Mercy schools gathered to learn more about the Caritas Project Compassion Launch. Anatercia is a 12-year-old Mozambican girl who stepped up to take on serious duties after her father died and her mother became ill. After she, her mother, and her brother moved in with their grandparents, they started to have issues. Neglect, unpredictably rainy weather, droughts, and floods all contributed to their crops drying out. They couldn't sustain themselves, and the family went hungry on a regular basis… It was a truly humbling experience being able to learn about her story and exactly how strong she is. Her persistence was incredibly inspiring, especially being one of the main providers of the family. Hannah Cullen Year 10

Caritas Project Compassion Launch was informative and surprisingly more schools were involved than I had realized. Lots of different schools attended, proving that Caritas’ impact reaches out far. My love of books led me to know about how hard it is for many, many people who struggle, but I didn’t know how a simple donation can trigger a chain reaction for the better of the people. Just hearing a child talk about how she had to walk five hours a day and care for the farm and her mother at the age of twelve.

Sophie Nikolarakos Year 7

We learnt about the country of Mozambique, and the story of Anatercia who is a 12 year old girl living in a small community in Mozambique. In her community, there was no electricity, secondary school or hospital, which made it very hard for her family to grow basic crops. As the nearest water supply was far away, she had to spend around 5 hours each day collecting water for her family and her community. This was changed through the donations of Caritas Australia, as they were able to install irrigation in their farms, so they could grow more crops and even have enough to sell. Alyssa Cabral Year 11

They also told us that they were helping the world for the Future Generation. I learned that one of the schools was helping the Caritas Project Compassion by building a school. Mikayla Pandjaitan Year 7

I learnt a lot about how Caritas is heavily involved in the justice issues of today. I learnt that in Mozambique, rural areas (Aneatercia’s community) there are no hospitals, secondary schools, electricity or grocery stores. Mozambique exports more products than in Australia. Ananda Guarnuccio Year 8

This was an incredibly educational and enlightening experience. One thing I learned was the power of giving a family or village a good water system. Our guest speaker, Lulu Mitshabu said, ‘The good that we do today will extend and impact the lives of generations to come.’ Harriet Berman Year 10

Contacts