海角大神

Welcome back to Term 2

I trust that you had an enjoyable Easter with an opportunity to spend time together with family and friends, or perhaps you finally had a long awaited chance to travel. While this first week has been abbreviated due to parent teacher interviews and the public holiday, it has been pleasing to see smiling faces as students return to school and we look forward to a productive term ahead. 

As we move into the colder months it is important to remember that both COVID-19 and other influenza-like viruses will become more prevalent. Our COVID-19 advice of 3 February remains unchanged. Please assist in reducing transmission at school by keeping students at home when they are showing symptoms and encouraging good hygiene practices.

ANZAC Day

Thank you to our College Captains, Chloe and Matt, and College Vice-Captain, Brooke, who represented us at the Dawn Service in Ringwood on Tuesday and laid a wreath. It was a very moving ceremony and a large crowd were in attendance to witness the tributes to our fallen soldiers and to those who returned from service forever changed. Thanks also to our Year 12 Leaders for supporting our students as they represented our community. 

Our ANZAC Day celebration at the College occurred on Wednesday morning. Once again, our student body responded as appropriate and showed genuine respect in their silence for those who have sacrificed so much in the arenas of war and as peacekeepers. Thanks to our College Ambassadors, Lucy and Jay, who led our liturgy, and Isidore and Shaelee who played the last post and sang the national anthem, and in doing so, added so much to this solemn occasion.

Parent Teacher Meetings 

Parent Teacher Meetings concluded this week. Thank you to those who were able to take advantage of this opportunity to discuss the progress of their children. I wish to extend my thanks to the teaching and support staff for their continued efforts to provide meaningful feedback to you on your child鈥檚 progress.

Advance Notice - Family Mass

The next of our family masses is on Tuesday, May 9 commencing at 7.30pm in the College Chapel. The focus of this mass is Mother鈥檚 Day and to gather to offer thanks to our mothers and to those who nurture others.

Welcome to visitors from our French sister school

We welcome 16 students and two teachers from our partner school  who have arrived from France. Our long standing sister school partnership gives students the opportunity to visit another country and participate in a rich cultural exchange. The visiting students are from the culinary school and study areas such as Service, Cookery, Bakery, Patisserie and Hospitality Management. Thank you to all families who are assisting by hosting students while they are here. Thanks also to Mr Owen Stott, Director of the Wurundjeri Trade Training Centre, for coordinating this visit.

Uniform Changeover

We have a two week transition period in which winter or summer uniforms can be worn and from Monday, May 8, all students must be in full winter uniform. Students have received an email emphasising the importance of wearing the correct uniform to school. Details of the College winter uniform can be found here:

Enrolment for Year 7 2025 - current 海角大神 families

Families are reminded that we do not presume that you require a place in Year 7 unless we are made aware by the completion of an application form and, with very high demand on places, there is the risk of no vacancy if you miss the deadline. Applications are now open for Year 7 2025 (current Grade 5) and close on August 19.

Please contact Ms Maddy Kalla on 9259 3008 or registrar@aquinas.vic.edu.au should you require an application form or have any questions.

Darren Atkinson

Principal

Welcome back to families for Term 2. While Term 1 is the start of a new year and brings with it the enthusiasm of a fresh start, Term 2 involves a workload that includes semester assessments, and in many cases, exams. With Easter falling later this year, Term 2 is nine weeks, with the last being Activities Week at 海角大神. So, there is a great deal to do in a relatively short time. Now is the time for students to focus on the right approach to getting everything done and ensuring that they can reach their potential. No matter what year level a student is in, here are two key ideas that can assist in being their best.

Habits are more important than motivation. In order to achieve anything that we value, it requires effort and effort is not always the default for human beings. We can tend to choose the couch over a walk, the TV over a book, take away over cooking. There is nothing inherently wrong with any of these choices, but if we want to improve our fitness, our reading or our culinary skills, they will not help. Successful students are able to substitute habits, 鈥渢his is what I do at this time鈥� for motivation when, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 really feel like doing anything鈥�. It provides a framework for success that takes away the emotion, so a student can work as soon as they get home from school and get everything done or maximise period seven on a Friday, regardless of how they feel. Some good ways to think about habit building is:

1. Start small, making a small change that can ensure continuation.
2. Habits require consistency, so make changes that are possible to stick to.
3. If the habit has a fun or game element, that can help.
4. Tracking progress can ensure the habit can be built.
5. Allowing parents or friends to support the habit building can mean that the student does not feel isolated.
6. This brings me to my other idea. Think about progress as the key to success.

While achievement can seem all important at school, progress is the key. In a world where we are constantly invited to compare ourselves with others, a stronger force for improvement is to compare our efforts with earlier efforts, that is to compare our current efforts with past performances. This is how we really know if we are getting better. We need to think about how we have mastered things we could not do before rather than worry about who is better than us or who we are  better than. This helps every student, because even if you excel at a skill, getting better at it can be very rewarding.

As Term 2 begins, there are challenges in workload and assessment. Developing habits and monitoring progress are two important ways to help us be our best.

Michael Box
Deputy Principal Learning

Welcome back

I hope that your child had a fantastic time of rest during the holidays and that the Easter celebrations were a time for reflection and gratitude for the wonders of living in our beautiful country. The College welcomed the students with a liturgy in acknowledgement of the ANZACS and their sacrifices. The students were very respectful and reverent in what was a very well organised event by key students and staff.

The College also welcomes students from France, for the first time since 2020. Mr Owen Stott, our Director of the Wurundjeri Training Centre, has led the organisation which sees a group of 16 students and two teachers from our partner school Lyc茅e Notre Dame du Roc visiting the College. They will be here until Friday, May 12 and will be taking part in classes and engaging with our students. Special thanks to all the families who have volunteered in hosting students. 

A huge problem that has gained much attention in recent years is cyberbullying. It is a growing concern for schools as it can affect students in their development and wellbeing. Addressing the impact of cyberbullying is a collective responsibility of communities, and at 海角大神, we have clear expectations of the students in relation to their treatment of each other. Our respectful relationships curriculum is supported by clear policies on the responsible use of technology, behavioural and discipline expectations and our collective responsibility to maintain child safety. However, at times, students engage online in ways that can be disruptive, hurtful to others and misrepresent our College values. Here is some advice that can help you prevent and address cyberbullying:

• Teach your child about cyberbullying and its effects. Encourage them to speak up if they ever face any kind of harassment online.
• Keep track of your child's online activity. Be aware of the websites, apps, and social media platforms they use, and review their messages, comments, and friend requests.
• Establish rules for your child's online behaviour, such as not sharing personal information, not engaging in cyberbullying or posting negative comments, and not interacting with strangers online.
• Create an open and safe environment for your child to talk about their online experiences. Encourage them to come to you if they are being bullied or if they witness someone else being bullied.
• If your child is being cyberbullied, take immediate action. Document the evidence, report the incident to the relevant authorities, and contact the school if necessary. Also, consider limiting your child's online access or temporarily taking away their devices to ensure their safety.

The provides very good advice and support for parents when addressing online issues and concerns. The internet is a great resource for education and social engagement, but children are children and need to be educated at home on the responsibilities that the use of technology requires from each user. 

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at the College.

All the best for the term ahead.

Nap Rodezno

Deputy Principal

ANZAC Spirit and Catholic Faith

This week, the school took a moment to commemorate ANZAC Day. The liturgy, held with the whole school in the forum, was a respectful acknowledgement of those who have served or are serving. It was also a time for us to pray for peace and unity. 

Pope Francis has stated clearly that there is no such thing as a 鈥渏ust war鈥� only 鈥渏ust peace." As such, people may wonder how our faith can reconcile with the concept of war. Below is the introduction from our liturgy on Wednesday.

What does the 鈥榮pirit鈥� of ANZAC mean? Over the years, we have heard many expressions of this 鈥榮pirit鈥� summed up as nation building and the Australian identity. Anzac certainly exemplifies for many people the positive Australian traits, such as self-giving, resilience, courage, generosity, resourcefulness and determination in the face of overwhelming odds, which has been demonstrated time and time again since the Anzac event through other wars, in dealing with natural disasters and in tragedies faced by Australians over many years.

The meaning and spirit of ANZAC can be described as sacred because human life is sacred. Each human being is precious in God鈥檚 eyes. The life and fate of each soldier who died at Gallipoli matters to God. The nobility, courage, heroism, selfless acts and mateship of each person matters to God. The immense grief of loved ones matters, God grieves with them. The communal mourning of a nation who lost so many young lives, this matters to God. This Anzac Day, citizens will march with both pride and honour. This will be seen on their faces, both young and old, gathered in unity of purpose. This matters and is sacred to God. The sacredness of each human life compelled God to send his Son so that through his Death all may have life.

As an 海角大神 community, we pause this morning to reflect with gratitude upon those from Australia and New Zealand who have served and continue to serve our countries with distinction and honour. We especially remember our First Nations ANZACS who served to protect our home, yet were not given the same opportunities or recognition as other ANZACS.

Most of all, we encourage all of you to pray for peace.

Especially in a world torn by conflict, we pray that the love of God is a force more powerful than hate.

Tania Grace

Assistant Principal Mission

Senior Years Report

This week, senior students involved in the General Achievement Test (GAT) have started receiving information about the assessment. Over the past two years, the format of the test as well as the students involved has changed. As a result, students and families must be aware of who completes the GAT, what will be required, and the importance of completing the test. 

Students across Years 10 to 12 will participate in the GAT on Thursday, June 15. The subjects students are enrolled in determines who is required to take the test. All students studying one or more Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) Unit 3鈭�4 sequence, Year 12 VCE VM or VCE VET scored Unit 3鈭�4 sequence are enrolled to participate. Students studying a Unit 3-4 VCE subject and who completed the GAT in prior years must sit the test again.

GAT introductory sessions started this week and will conclude on Monday. Students absent from sessions will have access to the presentation and should review this. Towards the end of May, more detailed parent information will be emailed home. 

The GAT assesses general knowledge and skills and consists of written tasks and multiple-choice questions. While students can not prepare for the exam's content, we will be running practice papers leading up to it to assist students in preparing for the format. Written practice tasks will be marked externally by an experienced assessor. Feedback will be returned via English and Literacy teachers. Multiple-choice example questions will be shared directly with students via a Google Form two weeks prior to the test.

Although GAT results do not count directly toward final results, they are reported in the VCE and VCE VM Statement of Results. More importantly, GAT scores are used to check the reliability of all the other VCE assessments and are used in the calculation of the Derived Examination Score (DES). DES is a process applied to calculate external assessments when a student has an exam result impacted by personal circumstances. 

We ask now that students know their requirements to sit the GAT, are present for practice tasks, and that they save the date to ensure attendance on the day. Any questions about the GAT may be directed to your child's Team Leader or myself.

Rachel Crawley

Head Senior Years

Middle Years Report

What the world just really needs is another acronym to inspire us all. I鈥檓 pretty sure that is what you are all thinking! So to appease you, we have conspired to come up with one to remind students what we want to really focus on for this term (and beyond!)

Four key areas that students and teachers decided needed to be focused on are Engagement, Respect, Uniform and Punctuality. Using our best Wordle skills (I am fully aware that there are five letters in Wordle) we rearranged the first letters of those words to make the word PURE. We emailed all students and staff the same message earlier this week about aiming to keep it PURE at 海角大神 this term. Below is the message the students were sent:

Punctuality: By being on time, you are telling your teacher and your peers that you value their time and also value what that teacher has prepared for you. You start the period in the right mindset and don't miss anything.

Uniform: There is a two-week transition period from summer uniform to winter uniform. Start practicing doing up those ties! We all know the correct uniform and items like nose piercings, black/white skins being worn under the PE uniform, and black runners instead of black leathered school shoes, aren't OK. Others doing it doesn't give you permission to. There are lots of students on two strikes and they aren't wiped until the end of the semester.

Respect: Valuing yourself, the great resources you have, your peers, and your teachers is something that, if we all strive for, 海角大神 becomes a much better place for every single person.

Engagement: We all should be aiming to make the most of every period, whether it's our favourite subject or one that doesn't grab our attention as much. It is super important to engage yourself early in the term and make 100 per cent engagement a focus from day one. If you start with the positive attitude of 'how can I make the most of this period', that will be a habit that you won't want to break and it will help you down the track.

One reason we share this information with you is of course to keep you informed as to what we are up to. But equally important is that we know we need your help with this. Our policy among other things states that 鈥榓s parents, you act as one of the most influential role models in your child鈥檚 life. We, therefore, seek your support in promoting and upholding core values of the College community.鈥� 

We know it doesn't take a whole village to help our students do up an 海角大神 tie, but we do know that the more of us (teachers included of course) that aim to focus on being PURE this term, the better the outcomes are for everyone in this village.

Phil Box
Head Middle Years

Household Energy

It is a great time of year to review your household鈥檚 energy use. Reducing the amount of energy you use at home will save money and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Heating your home and your water makes up around 53 per cent of your household energy needs (Sustainability Victoria). 

There are some easy ways to improve the heating needs of your household. Draught stoppers and window coverings can keep heat from escaping your home. Ensure your heating system has clean filters and outlets. Set reasonable room temperatures. In living areas, set your thermostat between 18掳C and 20掳C. Every degree higher can increase your heating costs by around 15 per cent.

You could also consider upgrading to an electric reverse cycle split system as it is the most energy efficient, lowest cost heating option available that generates the lowest greenhouse emissions. If you have both gas heating and a reverse cycle air conditioner, simply opting to use the air conditioner instead of your gas option will result in immediate savings with no extra costs.

Karyn Myers

Environment & Sustainability Coordinator

Welcome back to Term 2, we hope you had a refreshing break and that you are ready to start this term by working hard. Over the break we celebrated Easter. This is an important event in the Catholic calendar and is a time that brings people together and offers a chance to spend time with family. 

The school holidays are always a great time to reset and refocus on the term ahead. Term 2 is always a challenging one in terms of balancing workloads and managing time effectively. Due to the short term, the amount of work may seem difficult at times, however, it is important to remember that if you stick to good study habits and maintain focus in classes, then the workload won鈥檛 be as difficult to manage. 

We all have a lot to look forward to with school events, such as The Long Walk, Generations in Jazz, a return to EISM, Year 8 Global Green and Year 12 dress-up days, along with many more throughout the College.

Brooke Tudor and Thomas Scutt

College Vice Captains

In the last week of Term 1, Rice attended Camp Coolamatong in East Gippsland for four days. We all had such a great time throughout the camp, in particular going on expeditions which included hiking, bike riding and kayaking to a separate campsite. We were able to set up a tent for the night and cook our own food, as well as bonding with friends and making new ones. Staff and student leaders were so kind and helped us feel comfortable, as well as making sure we still gave everything a go to leave with no regrets.

We learnt lots about many different skills and tips when it comes to being out in nature and how to make do with what you have. This is also useful in everyday life. The facilities we had to maintain a fun environment for everyone were amazing and we are so grateful to have had the opportunity to attend a camp like this. Other activities included archery, team building, raft building, stand up paddle boarding, and tubing. All of these activities were an amazing way to test ourselves and get out of our comfort zones. At times when we thought it was going to be difficult, we all used teamwork and supported one another the whole time. 

There was a lot of perseverance involved whilst doing the expeditions, as they were a really challenging task, not just physically, but also mentally. You needed to have belief in yourself to keep going and push through to reach the end.

We also found this camp to be more challenging than Year 8 camp because of the expeditions. A lot of people found the hiking, biking and kayaking challenging due to the bush camp weather. We would be kayaking for a day to a campsite overnight, or would have to carry all of our food and cooking tools while hiking, or travel kilometre after kilometre on the bikes. In all three challenges, it was based around tent camping. Assembling the tent was a challenge in itself.

Overall, the expeditions were a great experience, but were also very challenging. It was a great way to develop social skills and learn new things about other people that you didn鈥檛 know before. This was a great experience and camp to be a part of and we thank all staff and leaders for the opportunities that were given to all of the students who participated in this camp.

Campbell Eastwood and Aria Conway

Year 9 Leaders

With the beginning of the new school year, the Science team has focused on the relationship between students鈥� literacy skills and their learning within and beyond the science classroom. The rigorous nature of learning in Science requires students to be able to access complex ideas through strong reading comprehension skills and demonstrate their learning through strong written skills. The deliberate and explicit teaching of scientific vocabulary is one evidence-based method of increasing a student鈥檚 access to and understanding of scientific concepts and language.  

This process begins in Year 7 when students are introduced to the notion of what it means to 鈥榖e a scientist鈥� and develops through the middle years' curriculum where key knowledge and science skills are interconnected throughout all units of work. As students progress into Science electives in the Senior Years, they continue to build on the primary and middle years foundations and acquire an increasing vocabulary as part of the toolkit for success. 

Tier two words are high-frequency words that can be used across a number of domains (or subject areas). They include 鈥榗ommand terms鈥�. Tier three words are those terms that are specific to each subject. Generally, there is a wide range of vocabulary required for all Science subjects, including a high degree of Tier three words. Success in these subjects requires students to understand the relationships between words and how their use may differ in various contexts (even within the study of science). Consequently, teachers have had a renewed and explicit focus on these terms in the curriculum.

Currently, the Science teachers are working closely alongside Mrs Isabel Fernando, Language Support Coordinator, to undertake a Specific Vocabulary Visual Project. The project is a collaboration to develop visuals that serve as language prompts across the learning spaces within the school. Within Science, this will include unit-specific key terminology and those terms that are skills-based, and thus extend across various units of work. The aims of the project are to build confidence and understanding in students in relation to frequently used terms and specialist vocabulary. 

In the Senior Years, we have had a focus on VCAA command terms and their use in each of the VCE Science subjects (Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Science, Physics and Psychology). This initiative has been led by Ms Pam Ryan, Curriculum Coordinator, with input from Senior Year鈥檚 teachers. Students will shortly receive a word bank of command words with specific references to their individual VCE subjects. These provide a focus on high-frequency command words and reference the context for them within the subject. 

As a parent or guardian of a secondary student, you can support these initiatives in a number of ways. Encouraging students to talk about their work and understanding is a helpful way of ensuring that they use the spoken language to build confidence and thus understanding. Students are encouraged to teach others about what they understand, using key terms to make meaning. Study groups can assist to facilitate this process. The use of graphic organisers and word lists are helpful in documenting key terminology and understanding how key terms apply to various units of work. Students are also encouraged to identify different forms of a word and use them in context through both their written and oral language. 

In addition, students should critically examine subject-specific resources (such as their textbook or Edrolo program) to ensure that they are leveraging the features of these resources to develop a more comprehensive understanding of key terminology. It is through an understanding of the vocabulary that students can then confidently apply their understanding to new scenarios (one of the more challenging aspects of higher-order thinking). 

Mrs Lynda Schulz

Science Learning Area Leader