The Eagle 22 March 2024
Principal's Report
Dear Members of the Marcellin College Community,
This past week has been a solemn one for us at the College as we bid farewell to Connor Whyte, our 2023 College Captain, on Monday. St Marcellin’s Hall, typically filled with lively activities, was instead a space for reflection as we honoured Connor alongside his family and friends. Connor's impact on our community has been profound and his legacy will continue to inspire us. Below, our 2024 College Captains share a brief reflection on his remarkable life.
As student leaders, we were deeply inspired by Connor in his passion for Marcellin College and the Community. Having all worked closely with him during his final year at the College, we appreciated the spirit and insight he shared, particularly his vision for the College, which we proudly carry on into our roles to further develop. His unwavering commitment was seen in all aspects of the College, from leadership, to co-curricular; every student knew Connor, even if they had not worked with him. Connor’s funeral on Monday was an example of the true Marcellin College community. The staff, students and parents of the community came together to celebrate the life of a truly exceptional young man. The guard of honour in particular was a special moment for everyone involved, us included. The silence as hundreds of people stood in honour of Connor was nothing short of amazing. In his passing, just as in his life, Connor managed to bring the community together.
As the Student College Leadership Team, we, together with our peers extend our deepest sympathies and prayers for the Whyte family. We will continue to celebrate and honour a remarkable member of our community who will never be forgotten.
2024 College Captains
In other news, we recently held our annual Open Day, welcoming prospective families to explore our campus, meet our dedicated staff and experience firsthand why we aim to be a leader in boys’ education. I extend my gratitude to our students who guided these families and addressed their inquiries throughout the day with such pride and confidence.
As the AGSV Summer Sport season concluded last weekend, our teams showcased admirable performances in the 1st Basketball and 1st Cricket finals despite facing formidable opponents. While the outcomes may not have been as desired, I am immensely proud of our athletes for their dedication and achievements this season. I also had the honour of attending the AGSV Swimming Carnival last Friday, where our swimmers demonstrated resilience and sportsmanship against fierce competition. To all participants throughout the season, thank you for embodying the spirit of excellence.
As we approach Easter, let us embrace the spirit of renewal and hope that the season brings. In these challenging times filled with conflicts globally and many issues closer to home, let us strive to choose goodness over adversity, hope over despair and righteousness over wrongdoing. May we find fresh energy to pursue our dreams and the courage to face challenges with a renewed sense of purpose to grow, learn and lead.
I trust we all have a safe and rejuvenating break.
God Bless
Marco Di Cesare
Principal
Good and gracious God,
As we greet the signs in nature around us, we give you praise for an even greater sign of new life: the resurrection of your Son, that we especially celebrate at this time. The sadness and despair of his death has given way to the bright promise of immortality.
For the Resurrection is our guarantee that justice will triumph over treason, Light will overcome darkness, and love will conquer death. As we celebrate, we also dare to ask for your grace that we may live the promise given to us by imitating the life of Jesus in reaching out to the poor, the marginalised, the least among us as we strive to be neighbour to all those we meet.
We praise you in this Easter season. Change our lives, change our hearts to be messengers of Easter joy and hope.
We make our prayer through Jesus Christ, our risen Lord forever.
Amen.
Faith & Mission
Next week, the College will gather in what is the holiest week of the Christian calendar. On Holy Thursday, the whole College community will gather in what is the holiest week of the Christian calendar to pause, to pray and to reflect on the suffering journey of Christ through the Stations of the Cross.
The Stations of the Cross – or The Way of the Cross as it is sometimes called - is an ancient prayer that is prayed by millions of Christians throughout the world. It commemorates Christ’s last day on Earth. During each of the stations, we are invited to meditate and pray as we journey with Christ to the foot of the cross.
In this year’s Stations of the Cross, we will focus on what Christ reveals to us about the heart of God. The God of Jesus Christ is not a God who is coercive, threatening, nor the great avenger of evil and sin, but rather the God who is love, light, truth, and beauty.
St Marcellin Champagnat knew the love of this God in Jesus. This is why St. Marcellin continually invited his followers to embrace a “heart spirituality.” Like Mary, who formed and carried the heart of Jesus, he invites us to bring Christ-life to birth through the way in which we live in community and live our love in action through Humility, Excellence, Acceptance, Resilience and Trust. He entrusted his Marist community to this heart of God: when he was dying, he wrote to his brothers saying:
“I leave you in the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. They are such good places!”
As we meditate on Jesus’ journey to Calvary, let’s remember how, in the middle of his own suffering, Jesus loved us even to his death.
Enhancing Catholic School Identity (ECSI) Surveys – Information for Parents
Over the coming month, Marcellin College will embark on a series of Student, Staff and Parent surveys that will assist us in better understanding how our Catholic Identity is expressed in work and practice at the College.
The surveys are designed on sound research developed at the Catholic University in Leuven that helps us to understand our current Catholic identity and where we might see ourselves in the future.
Over the next few weeks, a sample group of parents will be invited to participate in the surveys. If you are part of this sample group, I encourage you to please take the time to complete the survey as this will enable us to plan, grow and continue to flourish in the development of our Catholic Marist identity.
Parents who complete the survey and provide a certificate of completion will go into the draw for a $250 voucher which will be drawn when the survey closes. More information about this will be available in the survey instructions.
Students and College staff will complete their surveys in the first week back in Term 2.
Thank you for your support in this project.
Geralyn McCarthy
Deputy Principal Fatih & Mission
Pastoral Program
International Women’s Day – Friday, March 8
As our Inter-House Swimming Carnival was held on International Women’s Day (IWD), we took the opportunity to celebrate this special occasion on Tuesday, 12 March. As a Catholic Marist school, we look up to Mary, our Good Mother and take great pride in acknowledging the many women within our community who embody her attributes.
The United Nations theme for IWD this year is: Count Her In: Invest in Women. Accelerate Progress. During Pastoral, students were able to listen to the inspiring story of Annie McNamara, Head of Technology, who has sought to accelerate progress in her own life. Notably, she travelled to the United States over the summer to participate in a NASA program and shared the highlights of her experience with the students.
Throughout the week, students were invited to write a few words of appreciation on a piece of paper and place it on our beautiful purple gratitude wall, designed by Mali Robinson and decorated by our senior arts students. It has been a beautiful visual representation of the way in which our young men value the special women in their lives.
A quiz in Pastoral was also held to provide insights into the achievements of the female staff at Marcellin College. We hope those who won enjoyed their prizes for achieving the most accurate responses.
Click here to watch our International Women’s Day video created by our college community.
Christina Cammarano, Student Wellbeing Program Coordinator
From our Learning Areas
Library News
In preparation for our big move to a temporary building, before the renovations of the Placidus Resource Centre (PRC) begin, the Library will be closed for the last week of term. Access to IT and printing will still be available but the rest of the PRC will be off-limits to students.
As always, our ebooks and audiobooks can be accessed 24/7 from the PRC page under School Favourites on Compass through ePlatform for all your holiday reading requirements. This might also be a great time to check out your local council library or even make a day of it by visiting the State Library of Victoria in the city (https://www.slv.vic.gov.au/).
Rebecca Preedy, Information Services Leader
Temporary Library being delivered
Applied Learning
Meet Crystal, an administration assistant at the College from CVGT Employment.
CVGT Employment boasts a diverse workforce dedicated to connecting more people to meaningful work. Their contributions not only impact individuals' lives but also make a difference in our communities. They are actively committed to nurturing a social and collaborative culture.
During our recent Open Day, Crystal provided invaluable support to the Applied Learning Area by handling tasks such as photocopying and laminating photos showcasing the engaging activities available in VCE VM, VPC, and VET studies, as well as highlighting students' achievements.
Crystal's willingness to learn new skills and complete tasks with enthusiasm has been instrumental in saving valuable time for everyone involved. Thank you, Crystal, for your dedication and support!
Fran Davey, Applied Learning and VET Coordinator
Accelerated Learning
My name is Jonathan, I am a current Year 12 student and the 2024 Debating Captain. I am studying Robotics and Data Science at Deakin University, where I get to play with robots! Currently, I am building a mBot Ranger Robot, which I will later program to move around and use its multiple sensors to analyse its surroundings. I am doing this subject as I am interested in engineering, especially the robotics and mechatronic field, so I want to know more about this field before pursuing it in university. In this subject I am hoping to achieve a greater understanding of robots, how they work and the possible purposes they have in the world.
Hi I am Joseph, I am a Year 12 student at Marcellin College and I am currently completing a university subject as one of my five subjects. This is a part of the Aspire Achieve Plus program at La Trobe University. I am studying Human Biosciences and I am completing an online course which involves a two-hour seminar on Tuesday after school and a one-hour seminar on Fridays during my free period. I enjoy attending lectures and learning about the body systems that contribute to the human body in its entirety. My university subject contributes to my ATAR and gives a unique entrance score to university. I am hoping that this subject will give me a pathway into physiotherapy.
My name is Daniel, I am a Year 12 student at Marcellin College. I am currently studying Indonesian at Melbourne University. I attend two two-hour seminars a week on campus and have free periods during school time to complete work. I enjoy attending the lectures and getting the opportunity to speak Indonesian with both my lecturers and the other students in the class. One major difference compared to high school is the amount of learning we do about Indonesian culture in conjunction with the Indonesian language.
My name is Luca, a Year 12 student and the 2024 Science Captain at Marcellin College currently studying Psychology in a University Extension Program at the University of Melbourne. At Melbourne, I study alongside first-year university students, learning about how our brain works and the science behind our thoughts. I chose to undertake this program as once I have finished Year 12, I hope to study at Melbourne University, taking on a Bachelor of Science with a major in Psychology to one day become a forensic psychologist - this extension program assists me by providing valuable experience for life at university and giving me better opportunities to pursue the degree I want to study in the future.
I am Rory, I am a student-athlete studying at Marcellin College and partaking in the Deakin Accelerate program at Deakin University. I swim and play basketball. I am studying Physical Education and Sport Science. I enrolled in this course because I hope to do physiotherapy one day and doing this course this year will help me when applying or transferring into the course. I am also interested in this course as I want to learn more about the human body and its functions and structure. I am most looking forward to the second unit which is functional human anatomy as the first course is about pedagogy and the foundations of sport.
David Bellis, Gifted and Talented Coordinator
Staff Profile
Ciao! My name is John Di Natale and I am the Learning Leader for Languages here at Marcellin College. I have been a member of this great community for more than 26 years. I have seen it all! What I enjoy most about my role is the opportunity to share my love of languages, particularly Italian, with students who then go on to travel and experience cultures that they have studied. I have been very fortunate to experience a number of educational tours during my time at the College, more recently the combined Languages and Visual Arts Educational Immersion Tour to Italy last year.
When I’m not at the College, I can usually be found cooking, exploring Carlton and other parts of my neighbourhood. I love mangiare, vivere, amare la vita e vino rosso!
John Di Natale, Languages Learning Leader
Community News
Year 7 Parents / Carers Social Night
Don’t miss out on this year’s social evening in our Functions Room tomorrow, 23 March from 6pm – 8pm. A BBQ will be cooked by the College Leadership team, along with salads and a welcome drink of your choice (beer, wine and soft drink). Additional drinks will be available to purchase on the night.
It is FREE, to register your attendance click here. Please note, that this is strictly a parents/carers only event. See you there!
Save the Date!
The annual Marcellin College Parents & Friends Group Mother’s Day breakfasts will be held on Thursday, 9 and Friday, 10 May. Bookings will open early in Term 2.
Past Collegians Luncheon
Marcellin College invites past collegians to our annual Past Collegians Luncheon on Thursday, 11 April. Everyone who attended the College is more than welcome and we especially encourage those who attended from 1950 to 1973 to come along. It's a fantastic opportunity to reconnect with your peer group and share memories. You are welcome to get a table of mates together or just turn up alone. Everyone will be friendly.
The day will include a guest speaker and a two-course lunch with drinks. To book a seat and for further information click here.
Open Day
We were blessed with great weather yet again at this year’s Open Day. More than 800 people attended the day, explored our grounds, spoke to students and discovered what makes us a leader in boys’ education.
Easter Egg Raffle
We are pleased to announce that Luka is the lucky winner of our Easter Egg raffle, which was held at our Open Day. Luka and his family were thrilled to receive the basket of wonderful goodies.
We look forward to welcoming Luka into the Marcellin College Community next year when he begins Year 7.
Year 7 2026 Enrolments
Enrolments for Year 7 2026 are now open and will close on Friday, 16 August 2024. To submit an application and secure your place, please visit marcellin.vic.edu.au/enrolments.
If you have a child presently in Grade 6 and have not yet enrolled for Marcellin College in Year 7 2025, please do so using the above link.
Business & Community Network Update
The Marcellin College Business & Community Network is a vast, proactive and empathetic community that’s willing to leverage its skills and connections to broaden the available resources available to anyone in the community. It is experienced, knowledgeable, useful and connected. It provides support, advice, assistance, relationships, work experience, jobs, career assistance guidance and mentoring, and where applicable, business-generating referrals, opportunities and relationships.
Stay tuned for an upcoming breakfast seminar in Term 2.
To get involved or to learn more email businessandcommunity@marcellin.vic.edu.au
Business Profile of the Week
Mark Bouw Group
Mark Bouw Group provides boutique advisory and management services for businesses, family offices and talent. We do so through our consulting, creative, operations and accounting & tax business units. Our core philosophy is that business sustainability is underpinned by a positive organisational culture coupled with robust corporate governance.
For over 20 years, we have worked with Boards and Executives of not-for-profits, private companies, family offices and individuals to deliver ‘top-down’ strategies that help organisations grow with care and confidence. At MBG, we act with empathy and integrity to deliver high-quality outcomes for our clients that move the needle.
- 2000+ clients we have served
- 20 years of expertise
- $2 billion in client growth
Follow us on Facebook & Instagram!
Be sure to like and follow the College’s Facebook and Instagram pages where you can view all things about College life including feature news, photos and upcoming events. Stay in the know with all the latest happenings! Click here to access and follow our page.
Careers News
The Marcellin College Career Website
Did you know the College has its own career website? This is separate from the Marcellin College website.
Why? Because there is so much information now around careers, we want families to be as informed as possible. This can be accessed via Compass under ‘School Favourites’ or by going straight to the following link: https://www.marcellincareers.com.au/
Key Features:
- Record of newsletters– go to the landing page and you will find a copy of previously published career newsletters.
- Contact details - scroll to the bottom of the landing page for email and phone details of Careers staff. Make an appointment if needed via the calendar links on the right-hand side of the page.
- Resume/cover letter and e-portfolio creator: Students can create an account via the login button on the top right-hand corner of the web page. Once set up, there is a whole range of activities that the students can undertake. Students can create digital portfolios of their work and create a hyperlink to send to their potential employer. Give it a try!
- Tabs - Scroll through the drop-down menus of each tab at the top of the page. You will find an amazing amount of information available.
What have we forgotten? Anything missing? Let us know and we will endeavour to add it to the site.
Kevin Kelly & Lara Ingram, Careers & Further Education
Camp, Sports and Excursions
Families holding a valid means-tested concession card or temporary foster parents are eligible to apply. A Special Consideration category also exists. Schools can receive applications from families over terms one and two.
Families can list more than one student on the application form if they are attending the same school.
Please lodge the CSEF application form at the College. Closing date is Friday, 28 June 2024.
Click here to access to application form. For more information about the CSEF visit.
Sport Report
AGSV Representative Team Selections
Congratulations to the following students who have been selected to represent the Associated Grammar Schools (AGSV) against the Associated Public Schools (APS) in the annual summer carnival competition. Students are nominated by coaches at all nine AGSV schools following their summer season. A selection panel of three then sits to determine the final team. Selection in any representative team is a fantastic achievement and highlights a high level of performance over the entire season.
- Basketball – Harrison Beauchamp, Hans Mariner
- Cricket – William Waters, Braydon O’Connor
- Tennis – Evan Vasiliadis
- Volleyball – Jack Lopez Lightfoot
This year’s representative carnival will be hosted by Camberwell Grammar. Full details of the day can be found on the AGSV website.
We wish these students well.
Ben Reynolds, Head of Sport
