The Eagle 21 July 2023
Principal's Report
Dear Members of the Marcellin College Community,
Our students have returned to Semester 2 with positive energy and enthusiasm. We have started our 2024 subject selection process and I have been impressed with the way our boys have taken advantage of our course selection night and sessions. It can be a daunting process for some of our students as they navigate their pathway and career choices. Please encourage your son to ask questions and take advantage of the many staff that can assist them as they plan for 2024.
Over the semester break, I had the privilege of attending the International Boys’ School Coalition Conference in New Zealand. I attended many workshops and heard from several inspirational speakers. Graham Henry was one speaker who left me thinking about our boys and Marcellin College. Graham Henry is celebrated as a rugby coaching legend in New Zealand and internationally, and his achievements have cemented his place in rugby history as one of the sport's most accomplished and respected figures. He was also a former principal and deputy principal of boys’ schools. Graham challenged us to focus on culture in our schools and to have students understand that in all that we do it is about the team and not always about the individual. He asserted that whether it is in rugby or school, it is important to mentor our younger players or students and that we should learn from adversity, while allowing others to see our vulnerability. Importantly, Graham spoke about always being ready for the unexpected while always keeping our sense of humour.
Faith & Mission
Vinnies Winter Sleepout
Marcellin College Game Changer students are gearing up to host the Vinnies Winter Sleepout which will occur from 6pm on the evening of Friday, 11 August until 7am Saturday, 12 August. This event aims to serve as a beacon of compassion, inspiring students to raise awareness about homelessness while also collecting essential funds for Vinnies. This date coincide with National Homelessness Week, the theme of which is “It’s time to end homelessness.”
Throughout the night, participating students and staff will sleep at the school premises and engage in various activities in solidarity with the challenges faced by those experiencing homelessness.
We kindly request your support in sponsoring our students and staff during this event. This year, we are aiming for $5,000.
How to Support this Initiative:
Student sign ups: students wishing to participate in this initiative can email Ms Sarah Carmody or complete the sign-up form.
Your contribution will not only encourage their efforts but also make a meaningful difference in the lives of those in need. Together, we can make a positive impact and work towards a more inclusive and empathetic community.
Geralyn McCarthy
Deputy Principal Faith & Mission
Learning & Teaching
Welcome back to students and families.
As we begin Term 3, it is apparent that the conclusion of 2023 is coming rapidly. Students in many year levels are currently selecting their subjects and programs for 2024, while staff have also begun preparations and planning for the coming year.
For our senior students, the conclusion of their secondary school journey is rapidly approaching. While they still seem some time off, final exams will be upon us in no time and now is the time to begin those preparations. La Trobe and Deakin Universities both provide some very useful strategies for exam preparation that families may find helpful at this time.
Mid-Year Awards Assembly
Today we celebrated the semester 1 achievements of our students at our Mid-Year Awards Assembly. This was a wonderful opportunity for the entire College community to gather and recognise the commitment and dedication of our students who strive for the highest every day; in their learning, in sport, in performing arts and in many other areas.
Students from across all year levels were commended by their teachers for Academic Merit (Years 7-11) and Academic Endeavour (Years 7-12) at the conclusion of last term. From these commendations our Principal selected students from every year level who have demonstrated a positive and diligent work ethic, and who have achieved improved results, across their learning program. Each of these students were presented a Principal’s Award for Academic Achievement.
We congratulated more than 100 students at the ceremony but, they were not all the students who were commended by their teachers. In the coming days, all students who were given a commendation from one or more of their teachers will also be recognised.
Congratulations to all students who received commendations from their teachers.
2024 Subject Selection
A reminder to parents, carers and students of Years 8-11 that Subject Selection for Years 9-12 2024 will close at 5pm on 28 July. Students are required to submit their subject choices through the Edval portal. All students in Year 8 to 11 have been sent individual emails with unique webcodes to access the portal.
It is important that students complete their ‘My Personal Plan’ form prior to submitting their subjects, as once subjects are submitted they will be locked in and can’t be edited. Students are encouraged to speak to their subject teachers to discuss their options and direct any queries or questions about the process to their Pastoral Leader.
Students with a request for acceleration need to wait for confirmation before submitting their preferences. Applications for acceleration have now closed.
2023 Mid-Year Exams
Term 2 ended with the semester 1 exams for students in Years 9-11. Results for Year 9 and 10 students are now available via MyMC.
I recognise that results for Unit 1 (Year 11) exams have been delayed in their arrival. Some are now on MyMC but, in the coming week, families will receive a summary report of all their child’s examination results.
This document will be provided through Compass. Please look out for an announcement when they are available.
Suzanne Farley
Deputy Principal Learning & Teaching
Congratulations to all Recipients
Student Wellbeing
Respectful Relationships Days
Term 3 presents an exciting opportunity for many students in the College as we augment our senior seminar program with year level based Respectful Relationships Days. These days have been carefully planned by our Pastoral Care Team and will address many issues relevant to the lives of our students. Parents and carers will be provided with further information on the topics to be covered at each year level via Consent2Go in the coming weeks.
Promoting the Mental Health of Our Students
Good mental health is about being able to reach one’s full potential and live life in a satisfying way. It includes things like being able to work and study, cope with day-to-day life stresses, feel connected to others and be involved in the community. A young person who has good mental health is more likely to have better emotional and social wellbeing and be able to cope with change and challenges. This article provides some guidance for male role models to use when discussing their topic with other young males. The article contains some great conversation starters to enable you to "check in” with young people in a manner that works for them. A reminder to all parents and carers of our Pastoral and House Leaders and Counsellors who can assist you if you have any concerns or just need some advice about supporting a young person.
Personal Presentation of Students
As we are all aware, the College requires students to present themselves each day in a manner that reflects our Personal Presentation Standards. We continue to seek your support in this area as we endeavour to apply these standards consistently across our community.
Year 12 End of Year Celebrations
The final day of school for our Year 12 students will be Wednesday, 18 October where they will start their end of year celebrations with Year 12 Celebration Day at the College.
Valedictory will take place that evening, details as below. More information will follow in the coming weeks.
- Wednesday, 18 October
- Valedictory Mass: 5.00pm for a 5.30pm commencement at St Patrick’s Cathedral
- Valedictory Dinner: 7.30pm at CENTREPIECE at Melbourne and Olympic Park
- Student dress code: Suit and tie
Rocky Gentile
Deputy Principal Student Wellbeing
From our Learning Areas
Mathematics Subject Selection
It was wonderful to see so many families at the recent Subject Selection Expo. To support students in selecting the most appropriate mathematics pathway for 2024, subject teachers have entered a recommendation on Compass for students currently in Years 9 and 10.
The recommendation can be viewed by students and parents via the ‘dashboard’. In a browser, this can be accessed by clicking on the student initials in the top right-hand-side.
Current Year 9 students should check the 2024 Course Guide for how average Year 9 achievement leads to each Maths course in 2024 (page 9).
Students are encouraged to use this recommendation to inform their choices. Please be aware that subject changes at the end of the year or the start of 2024 are not always possible. Therefore, it is important that students make an appropriate maths selection which allows them to experience both challenge and success in 2024.
Nadia Bonvicino - Learning Leader Mathematics
Music Report
Students arrived at 7am on the first day back for Term 3 to head to Rutherford Park Country Retreat for our Annual Music Camp.
Over the three-day camp students participated in ensemble rehearsals across three streams, including concert bands, jazz bands, strings ensembles, choir and rock band.
Each day was tightly packed with rehearsal after rehearsal, as each ensemble prepares to compete at this years Victorian Schools Music Festival, and prepare for our upcoming Annual Spring Concert, and Jazz Night.
VSMF dates:
- Friday, 28 July: Strings
- Thursday, 3 August: Choir
- Monday, 14 August: Stage Band
- Monday, 14 August: Senior Big Band
- Friday, 25 August: Intermediate Concert Band
- Monday, 28 August: Senior Concert Band
- During the week of Monday 13- 16 November: Junior Concert Band
Spring Concert - Monday, 4 September | Venue: Hawthorn Arts Centre. | Time: 7pm-9pm
Annual Jazz Night - Friday, 13 October from 7pm
One of the things that makes music so special is the fact the our programs create a generational environment where senior students sit along-side junior students (with middle years students in-between) to learn, mentor and create music, together!
We look forward to an exciting Semester 2 of not only excellent music making, but generational community building.
Andrew Short - Head of Music
Beyond the Classroom
Year 9 C Grade debaters fronted this week for another challenging debate against Mercy College, Coburg. The contentious topic was ‘Medical staff should not have the legal right to strike.’
Marcellin College took the negative and carefully debated the rights of workers, the need for quality of working conditions and the importance of acknowledging the role of essential workers in society.
A closely fought battle of words saw Brian Nguyen awarded Speaker of the Debate and all debaters left with a broader viewpoint of the rights and responsibilities of all employers and employees.
Congratulations Year 9 debaters.
Fran Davey, Teacher in Charge Debating
Student Leadership
At the end of last term, myself and the rest of the senior leadership team had the absolute privilege of having former Carlton premiership player and motivational guest speaker Glenn Manton come and share some of his experiences with us.
Not only did Glenn’s message deeply resonate with us, his delivery was unique and profound, as we sat in a tight circle, rather than away from Glenn, in a crowd. This made it feel as if we were having a personal conversation, and it also meant that not only was Glenn heard, but each of us as individuals were heard too. This meant that we were encouraged as a group to share our thoughts and queries, and have a meaningful conversation not only with Glenn, but with each other in a way that has allowed us to become stronger as a team.
Additionally, Glenn’s message of not only perseverance, as he battled through injury early in his football career, but advice about how we can become the type of people we want to become through the development of relationships was something that warranted personal reflection, and I know struck a chord for me.
Whether or not we are fortunate enough to chat with Glenn again in the future, the experience that we shared not only helped us grow as a leadership group, but as Marcellin College men ready to take our first steps into the big wide world.
Connor Whyte, 2023 College Captain
Community News
Year 7 2025 Parent Information Evening
We invite prospective families to attend the College on Wednesday, 2 August for a Year 7 2025 Parent Information Evening. Enrolments for Year 7 2025 are currently open and will close on 18 August this year. If you know any families interested in learning more about Marcellin College, please encourage them to come along. Further details can be found at marcellin.vic.edu.au
Father’s Day Breakfast – Save the date!
The annual Father’s Day Breakfast will be held on Wednesday, 30 August in the Functions Room. Mark your calendars. Tickets will go on sale week of 7 August.
2023 Marcellin Mums Mass & Luncheon
Join us on Friday, 11 August for the annual Marcellin Mums Mass & Luncheon. The event is open to past and present mums. So, grab a group table and come along. Be among old and new friends as we celebrate the wonderful mums of this great College. For more information and to book tickets visit.
Find us on Facebook!
The College has a new Facebook page that will feature news, photos and upcoming events. Be sure to like and follow us to stay up-to-date with all the latest happenings. Click here to access and follow our page.
Parents & Friends Group Wine Tour
Get ready for spring fun! The Parents & Friends Group are excited to announce and invite you to wine tour through the Yarra Valley! Mark your calendars and prepare to create unforgettable memories amongst breathtaking vineyards. More details and booking information will be announced in Term 3.
Host Family Needed
The College is hosting a Chinese language assistant and urgently seeking expressions of interest from families interested in getting involved in this exciting experience. For more information email vanessa.zhang@marcellin.vic.edu.au
College Counsellors
An upcoming online seminar on How to talk to young people about vapping.
Not sure about how to speak to your children about the health implications of vaping, then perhaps this free online seminar maybe a good starting point. For further details and to register please click on the below flyer.
Rosemary Chapple & Chris Lang, College Student Counsellors
Staff Profile
Hello, my name is Tessa Jacobs and I have been a member of the Marcellin College community for almost three years. My role is design technology technician and teacher in charge of volleyball. I love design technology as it is a great opportunity for staff and students to learn new experiences with design and building of a project. I have been the teacher in charge of volleyball for two years and it's amazing. I am a former state and national player and have a true passion for the game. I coach our 1st Volleyball team which competes not only in AGSV but the Victorian State Schools Cup and the Australian Nationals School Volleyball Cup.
I also coach the Under 17s State Women's Team which will be competing in Bendigo in this September. I recently coached the Under 19s Australian Men’s side in the under 21s Asian Championships in Thailand and just arrived back from Canberra running the Under 19s National Development Program at the Australian Institute of Sport Coaching. Over 80 athletes train for a week at high intensity for an opportunity to get a spot on Volleyball Australia Team to represent Australia at the Asian Championships next year. With hopes of training and developing those athletes from all over Australia for our 2032 Olympics. My goal is for a Marcellin College student to reach this opportunity.
Tessa Jacobs, Design Technology Technician
& Teacher In Charge of Volleyball
Student Profile
Hi, my name is Michael and I am in Year 11 and in the VCE Vocational Major program. What I love most about Marcellin College is how inclusive it is. No one is left out, the supportive teachers and peers and the range of academic and sporting programs.
When I am not studying, I enjoy playing sport, in particular footy, and working at Woolies. I’m saving up for my first car which I hope to buy soon. In the future I hope to become a plumber or in a similar field. I enjoy hands on learning and applying myself.
Michael, Year 11 Kenny House
Careers & Pathways News
As we start Term 3, the Careers Team turns its focus to transitions as students prepare for subject selection, university studies, apprenticeships/ traineeships and full-time work.
For Year 12 students interested in pursuing further education next year, we will be running a VTAC assembly explaining how to apply to university / tafe. This session will also cover Special Entry Access Scheme (SEAS) applications and scholarship information.
Our parent information night about VTAC will be running on Wednesday, 9 August at 7pm.
For Year 12 students interested in apprenticeships, MACs will be presenting in period 4 on Thursday, 3 August.
Helpful links:
More information about current events and opportunities can be found on the Marcellin College Careers website. For specific advice and one-on-one career planning, meetings can be booked here with Lara Ingram or Andrew Belli.
Lara Ingram & Andrew Belli, Career Counsellors
Sport Report
Our return to Term 3 has also seen an eager and anticipated return to Winter Sport at the College.
A cold and early start did not deter our boys from representing the College for the seventh round of the Winter AGSV and VSRU fixture. With only two more rounds remaining, we wish all our teams and wonderful coaches all the best.
Our Sport Captain,Will Lorenz, presented his mid-year sport report to the College at this morning's assembly. The main focus of his address was to highlight the wonderful achievements of, not only our schoolboy teams, but also the outstanding individual performances of some of our boys.
Some of these include;
- The 12th Basketball Premiership from the past 13 seasons
- Our 1st Volleyball and 1st Cricket Grand Final appearances
- The AGSV Representative selection of Kristian Ferronato and Harrison Beauchamp (Basketball), Thomas Kenny,Will Waters and Braydon O’Connor (Cricket), Fionn Doyle and Alessio Teoh (Volleyball), Daniel Civitarese and Sean McConville (Swimming) and Evan Vasiliadis (Tennis).
We also acknowledge and congratulate the following boys on their achievements outside the College;
- Matthew D’Amico - selected in the SSV Under 15 State AFL team.
- Fionn Doyle - selected in the Under 19 Victorian Team that participated in the Youth State Volleyball Championships in Sydney.
- Harry Broderick - made his debut for the Richmond VFL team in June.
- Peter Antoniou - selected in the Under 17 Australian Joeys squad which travelled to Thailand for the Asian Cup.
- Harrison Beauchamp – selected in the Australian Under 16 National Basketball Team that played, and won, in the Oceania Championship in Guam. Harrison was also named Basketball Victoria’s Male Junior Athlete of the Year.
