Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome to our final newsletter for Term 3.

College Co-Captains 2024

Over the past four weeks Leonie Rushbrook, Stephanie Farrugia and Lynette Lear have led the Year 11 students through a process to help select the College Co-Captains for next year. Following the conclusion of this process I am pleased to announce on behalf of the Ave community, the 2024 College Co-Captains are:

I am sure that you will join me in congratulating both Sienna and Charlotte wishing them all the best in their new leadership roles. The College will formally recognise both Sienna and Charlotte along with all members of the 2024 Senior Student Leadership team, once all leadership positions are finalised in Term 4.

STEM MAD

Congratulations to Grace Kulyk, Ayla Karlovic, Sienna Inguanti and Ashley Cecil from Year 9 for making the STEM Mad finals for their entry Surf and Safer (SNS).

78th Indonesia Independence Day VILTA Poster Competition

The 17th August is an important date for Indonesia. It commemorates Indonesia’s claim to independence from foreign rule 78 years ago. Our Indonesian student spent some class time in the lead up to this celebration learning about what freedom and independence can mean to people. They compared our own Australia Day celebrations to those held in Indonesia on Independence Day and explored how the community comes together to celebrate.

To celebrate the occasion the Victoria Indonesian Language Teachers Association ran a Poster Competition for Junior Students. This year students were asked to blend the Independence theme with a focus on Indonesia’s spice trade. Students took this opportunity to reflect on our learning and it was interesting to see how each student artistically interpreted what they had learnt via this medium.

Congratulations to Zoe Nguyen and Amelia Romano (Year 7) for placing 1st and 3rd respectively in the ‘Hari Kemerdekaan Indonesia Ke78’ Poster Competition.

Public Holiday Closure Dates

The College will be closed on Friday 29 September during the holiday break due to the Grand Final Public holiday. We will reopen on Monday 2 October for the start of Term 2. Please note that Monday 2 October is a day of scheduled classes for students at all year levels.

Unit 3 and 4 Practice Examinations

It has been a busy year for our Year 12 students who are in the final weeks of their formal studies at Ave. I wish all of our Year 12 students the best for their upcoming practice examinations which are scheduled for the second week of the school holidays. This is an important preparation tool to help ensure our students are ready for their final examinations, which commence in late October.

God our Father,

Pour your Spirit of Wisdom on our students

who are preparing to complete their practice

examinations and formal examinations.

Help them to remain calm,

to attend carefully to the questions asked,

and to express themselves well.

Grant that they may reflect the best

work that they have done,

and the best teaching that they have received.

May your love be upon them, O Lord,

as they place all their trust in you.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

God bless and may we treasure God’s word like Mary as we continue to strive for truth through love.

News Article Author

Ms Tanya Hutton
Principal

Term 3 Progress Reports (Years 7-11):

The Term 3 2023 Progress Reports are now available for families to access via the Parent Access Module (PAM). These aim to provide families with an overview of student growth and development in relation to the Ave Maria College Charter for Education.

The Progress Reports specifically report on student development associated with our Learner Attributes. These reports should be viewed in conjunction with the feedback and assessment marks released by staff, throughout Term 3 2023.

Families with questions or requiring further information associated with the Progress Reports are welcome to contact Subject Teachers and/or the Mentor Teacher.

The publication of Progress Reports aims to complement the various rounds of Parent Teacher Student Conferences that have occurred throughout Term 3 2023.

STEM and Interdisciplinary Learning Days:

Throughout Term 3, students across Years 7-9 have been involved in a range of STEM and Interdisciplinary Learning Programs. These have focused on various themes enabling students to collaborate and work in groups within an authentic context.

The design of the program was based on the principles of inquiry and project based learning, enabling students to investigate and provide solutions to a big picture question and/or scenario. Tasks were strategically designed to enable students to further develop enterprise knowledge, skills and understanding.

Some of the most recent projects that students have successfully completed include ‘Design for a Disability’ and the ‘Lego Masters Challenge’.

Students in Year 9 completed the program as a co-educational learning experience with students from St Bernard’s College.

60th Anniversary Aerial Image:

On Tuesday 5 September 2023, staff and students gathered together on the Outdoor Courts for the final component of the College 60th Anniversary Celebrations. Forming the letters AMC, staff and students celebrated 60 years of Ave Maria College with an aerial photoshoot.

All students and staff are thanked for their participation in this milestone event. A copy of the aerial image will be shared with the community in a future publication.

Commencement of Term 4 2023:

Term 4 2023 will commence for all students on Monday 2 October 2023. Classes will commence on Day 6 of the College Timetable.

Emergency Management Procedure – Thursday 5 October 2023:

As part of the College Emergency Management Plan and our compliance cycle, the College is required to host Emergency Management Exercises/Drills at different times throughout the academic year. These aim to maximise community health and safety, ensuring students and staff have the required knowledge, skills and understanding to respond appropriately in an emergency situation.

Students and staff will participate in the next drill/exercise on Thursday 5 October 2023.

To maximise success and ensure all parties involved in the exercise are well supported, staff and students will be briefed and debriefed as part of the drill.

Learning Program in the Spotlight – Ave Maria College Middle School Elective Program:

As part of our celebration of student learning, each Newsletter will feature a different learning program. This aims to educate the community in relation to our wide range of offerings as well as celebrate the different pathways that students have the opportunity to engage in. This edition of the Newsletter will focus on the Ave Maria College Middle School Elective Program.

To compliment the core and specialist curriculum, Years 9 and 10 students, participate in the Middle School Elective Program. This aims to further develop student knowledge, skill and understanding whilst preparing individuals to pursue their senior pathway of choice.

Students participating in the Middle Years Elective Program are encouraged to reflect on their learning experiences from Years 7 and 8 and pursue electives that link with areas of strength and/or passion. They are also encouraged to start to think about what their next stages of learning may be so that they can use the elective program to lay a solid foundation.

In Year 9, students have the opportunity to pursue electives in the following fields:

• STEM
• Food Studies
• Drama
• Textiles
• Digital Technology
• Multimedia
• Music
• Visual Art
• Visual Communication Design

In Year 10, students have the opportunity to pursue electives in the following fields:

• CHAOS Lab
• Design Thinking
• Digital Technology
• Drama
• Food Studies
• Languages
• Literature
• Media
• Music Performance
• Outdoor Education and Environmental Studies
• STEM
• Art
• Textiles
• Visual Communication Design

To complement the Middle Years Elective Program:

• Students in Years 9 and 10 have the capacity to participate in the College Accelerated Learning Program that enables them to be exposed to learning experiences at a level higher than that of the core year level curriculum.
• Various opportunities exist for STEM and Interdisciplinary Learning.
• The Instrumental Music Program is available and in operation.
• The Liverpool International Academy is available and in operation.

News Article Author

Mr Dane Calleja
Executive Deputy Principal

Year 12 Graduation and Farewell

We are in the process of preparing for our final days of Year 12. A letter will be sent to families with more details about the events in the final days, the Graduation Mass and the Valedictory Dinner.

One Year On

Welcoming back our past students is always a highlight and we look forward to seeing our 2022 graduates for afternoon tea at the One Year On event on Tuesday, 10 October from 5.00pm to 6.00pm. Graduates will be sent an invitation to the event with a link to register. We can’t wait to hear how our graduates are thriving in the next chapter of their lives.

Arts and Technology Festival

The annual Arts and Technology Festival will be held on Tuesday 10 October from 6.00pm to 9.00pm. We welcome the community into the College to experience the creativity and innovation of the Arts, Performing Arts and Technology departments. Throughout the Mary and Helene precincts we will showcase media, sculpture, drawing, painting, technology, textiles, linograph and more. Families and students can then join us in Francis Piazza from 8.00pm for an excerpt from the Year 9 Play, solo and musical performances and the fashion show. This is a wonderful display of the hard work and investment of our students throughout the year. We look forward to seeing you there! 

Year 9 Play

Ave Maria College Year 9 students have been working hard with students from St Bernard’s College on the inaugural Year 9 play: The Curse of Macbeth. This is a high school comedy that is accessible and entertaining for all. We will be welcoming students from our feeder primary schools during the day on Thursday 19 October and we are sure that they will enjoy the theatrics and fun. The play will be open to the public for evening performances in Francis Hall on Thursday 19 October and Friday 20 October. Tickets will be released soon and available for purchase. Our Year 9 performers have been working hard and we are looking forward to supporting them.

RUOK? Day

On Thursday 14 September our Year 11 VET Business class is holding a sausage sizzle to raise awareness of this important cause. The class have identified this as important to them and have been busy promoting the need to ask the important question “RUOK?”. Sausages will be $2 and can be purchased from Francis Piazza at lunchtime.

The theme for this year’s RUOK? Day is “I’m here to hear”. This reminds us of the importance of setting time aside to check in with our young people and to actively listen to what they have to say. Deliberately finding times and opportunities to connect and reflect together can help young people to take a pause in their busy lives.

News Article Author

Ms Natalie Meddis
Acting Assistant Principal (Student Wellbeing & Community)

Multicultural Week: Celebrating our Diversity of Culture

Our Multicultural Week was a wonderful celebration of the cultural diversity we have at Ave. 

On the Monday of Multicultural Week, we recognised that under the concrete and asphalt of Ave Maria College, is land that was and always will be, traditional Aboriginal land, another’s Dreaming. We added to our Indigenous Garden. 

On Tuesday, students enjoyed their Lotus Biscoff biscuits from Belgium. Students were informed that many of our Australian soldiers fought for our freedom in World War 1 as they left through the Menin Gate in Ypres, Belgium. They were also informed that many of their grandparents had to leave their countries due to war and wanting to provide their families with freedom and opportunity in Australia. 

On Wednesday students placed stickers on a giant world map showing where they (or their ancestors) came from. 

On Thursday students were invited to play Bocce, Tombola (developed in Italy) and Giant Jenga (invented in South Africa). The week culminated in all students wearing either their cultural dress or the colours of the flag of their country, where they/their ancestors came from. Students proudly wore cultural dress and colours of their flags. 

The lunchtime dance to cultural music is always a highlight and this year it did not disappoint. Through the Multicultural Week, students grew in their understanding that we are richer for all these cultures contributing to our Ave community. Understanding grows tolerance of all cultures in the wider world in which Ave students move and live.

Student Leadership for 2024

This year we have focused on our patron saint Mary and her bravery as a young woman saying “Yes” to God, to be the mother of Jesus. It is this same bravery that has been demonstrated as we move into the appointment of our College Student Leaders for 2024. The appointment of students to any leadership role is taken very seriously as students need to demonstrate that the values of Ave will be upheld, and that they can work collaboratively to encourage all voices to be heard as they work towards improvements for the Ave Community.

This year the current Year 12 Captains presented in a forum to the Year 11 students regarding their successes and challenges in being in a Captain position, whilst undertaking their final year of studies. The Year 11s who attended found this most beneficial to hear from these experts.

The 2024 Year 12 Student Leadership Team will comprise:

2 College Co-Captains

2 Franciscan Captains

1 Academic Captain

1 Arts Captain

8 House Captains.

Every applicant for the College Co-Captain 2024 position was required to apply, and to present a speech at the Year 10 and 11 Assembly, and then to be interviewed by the Principal, Ms Tanya Hutton and myself. Feedback was then sought from the Year 10 cohort, the Year 11 cohort and staff. Through this process, the character of each applicant has shone through. 

Their bravery in putting themselves forward to lead the College has been evident. This is testimony to the encouragement of the whole community over their years at Ave, and that they have experienced opportunities to lead and to improve the College. The Franciscan Captain, Academic Captain, Arts Captain and House Captain position descriptions will be released on the last day of Term 3. We encourage all Year 11 students to submit an application as we value the diversity in voice and strengths that each of them can bring to the position.

May all students belong and thrive at Ave.

News Article Author

Ms Leonie Rushbrook
Assistant Principal (Students and Engagement)

VCE Trial Examinations Monday, 25 September – Thursday, 29 September

In the second week of the Term break, all scored Unit 3/4 students will be undertaking trial exams in preparation for the end of year VCAA examination period. These exams are compulsory for students and offer an excellent opportunity to practise completing an exam paper in timed conditions. We wish all our 3/4 students well as they begin to prepare for their final assessments and exams.

2024 VET

2024 will see the highest number of students undertaking an internal or external VET subject that we have seen at Ave. I am delighted to see the many and varied interests that students are electing to study courses such as VET Beauty, Allied Health, Sport and Recreation, Acting, Fashion, Dance, Hospitality, Musical Instrument Making and Maintenance, and Animal Studies. Many have very clear pathways in mind, and it is clear, that these courses keep many of our students highly engaged with their pathways and interests.

News Article Author

Ms Deborah Bradshaw
Director of Learning and Pathways

Faith Formation Days

August saw the final Faith Formation days for the year, including events for our Yrs. 8 and 10 Students. The Year 8’s walked to Maribyrnong Park Bowls club where they engaged in a range of engaging and thought-provoking activities that encouraged students to reflect on their gifts and how they might share them with others. Students also discussed how they might recognise and celebrate the gifts in others. Each student created a bracelet for themselves showing one gift they can offer the Ave community.

The Year 10 students attended their Faith Formation Day at the Moonee Ponds Bowling Club, where they engaged in a range of activities that encouraged the students to reflect on the beauty of God’s creation and how our College is working to look after our environment. This included a reflection on the importance of the encyclical, Laudate Si’ from Pope Francis, who reminds all people of their call to be agents of change. One of the activities included students discussing and planning how they would care for our common home.

Each of the Faith Formation Days ended with a liturgy in which the students participated in reflecting on how they can live out our Franciscan charism in how we treat each other and our world.

Uluru Statement from the Heart

Over the next few weeks, we will be seeing and hearing more about the upcoming referendum on the proposed ‘Voice’ to parliament. I had a privilege recently to attend a workshop run by a First Nations person from Jagera country, on how we might discuss this in our schools and with our young people. I learnt that the Uluru statement as ideally meant to be listened to, rather than read. At our recent Staff Faith Formation Day, as part of our prayer to begin the day, we listened to the Uluru statement from the Heart. I have included below links that can be used to do this and find out about the history behind the Uluru statement.

Br. Damian Price, a Christian Brother based in Brisbane has written three thought provoking pieces on his blog that give both a Catholic and personal perspective on the voice. The link to his blog is also placed below. This is a little of what he has written.

On October I will be voting ‘Yes!’

I suppose over forty years of teaching I have learnt something about people. I have certainly learned about my own fragility and feet of clay – my many faults and failings. But if there is one thing I have learnt, especially working with young people, is that people have a voice, and they want it to be heard.

In my professional career I can count probably twenty occasions when the young people I was working with rebelled or carried out a guerilla campaign against the school leadership. I am told that the hardest war to win is the guerilla campaign where the enemy appears out of nowhere, dressed like the ordinary day to day citizens, attack a target and then disappear back into the crowds of smiling passers-by. What I have learned is that almost always there is a root cause for the unease, the rebellion or the need to wage war. Sure, sometimes that root cause is simply the adolescent journey and the need to find their own identity and sometimes it is a herd mentality.

But often the root cause was voicelessness. When the young people felt imposed upon, when their voice was not heard nor respected. There is an old dictum, “Nothing about us without us!”

That dictum is so true. It has so much power within it. One of the principles of Catholic Social Justice teaching is subsidiarity. Subsidiarity simply refers to the practice of decision-making being made at the local level, at the level which directly affects those involved. We all know the powerless (and voiceless) feeling when some unseen person or power in some boardroom or government office makes a decision that directly affects US on the ground.

We all long to be heard - Encounter The Heart

Link to Br Damian Price’s blogs: Blog - Encounter The Heart

Links to listen to The Voice:

Midnight Oil - Uluru Statement from the Heart (Read by First Nations collaborators) - YouTube

Uluru Statement from the Heart Background - Rachel Perkins - YouTube

News Article Author

Mr Patrick Hogan
Director of Catholic Identity and Mission

Early Entry Programs  

Congratulations to our many successful Year 12 students who have been recognised for their community contribution and skills through early entry programs. Many tertiary institutions are using more than ATAR for selection. At La Trobe University, ACU, Swinburne, RMIT and VU, students that demonstrate school or community involvement, employability skills and/or good Year 11 results, can apply for early entry. If successful, students are guaranteed entry with a lower ATAR.    

Tertiary Scholarships  

One Ave Maria College student applying for University of Melbourne in 2024 will receive $5000. Another two Year 12 students, who apply for VU Guaranteed, will be eligible for $2000 each.  Year 11 students also have the opportunity to receive $500 toward their Year 12 studies by applying for the VU Guaranteed scholarship.

September Workshops and University Tours

All the Victorian universities are conducting tours in the September school holidays and there are workshops and seminars in Fashion, Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, Psychology, Social Work and Dietetics. See our newsletter to register.

Newsletter articles available here. 

Topics this week:  

Psychology focus – study pathways and specialisations 

Engineering focus – exciting courses to explore 

Upcoming tours, workshops and events

Getting a job ‘tips’

Compare university courses and institutions 

Year 12 revision lectures 

Tertiary application resources 

News Article Author

Mrs Poppy Ibrahim
Careers Education Leader