The Eagle 18 August 2023

Principal's Report

Dear Members of the Marcellin College Community,

I write my newsletter this week from the Catholic Leadership Centre in Melbourne. All principals of Marist schools from Australia have gathered to work on a common school improvement process for our schools. As many of you would know, Marcellin College worked with the Australian Council of Educational Research (ACER) this year through their School Improvement Tool. Marist Schools Australia (MSA) has chosen to adopt this model and it is something that will enhance our schools now and into the future.

On Wednesday night we were also united as we gathered after our meeting to cheer on the Matildas. It did not matter where you were this week, as a nation, we were all cheering them on and there was a lot of talk about their potential and what they could do. They did us proud on the world stage and demonstrated what it means to strive for the highest. Along with the years of planning and preparation and the overwhelming success of the team, there were injuries, elation, pressure, anticipation, the longest penalty shoot-out in Women’s FIFA World Cup history and heartache as the Matilda’s World Cup dream ended. In the weeks to come, we will look back and see a successful team that represented the dreams of our nation on the world stage.

Our Year 12 students may be feeling many of the same emotions in the lead-up to their exams. Like the Matildas, planning and preparation will be key to their success. They are in the home stretch of the marathon that is Year 12 and it will be important for them to stay focussed. We will soon say farewell to the Class of 2023 and I wish to remind them that that the path they walked thus far is just the beginning of their story. They have taken steps, faced challenges, overcome hurdles, and grown in ways that many of us never imagined.

Taking inspiration from the Matilda’s and with a spirit of celebration I close off today with our Marist litany:

Mary, our Good Mother,  Pray for us
Saint Marcellin Champagnat,  Pray for us
Saint Mary of the Cross,  Pray for us
And let us always remember to,  Pray for one another.

God bless.

Marco Di Cesare
Principal

Class of 2023

Faith & Mission

St Vinnies Winter Sleepout

The Faith and Mission team would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to College staff and family and friends of the Game Changer students who participated in last Friday’s Vinnies Winter Sleepout. Your contributions have not only encouraged those students who braved the cold conditions but will also provide much-needed support to the homeless community, helping them find comfort and hope during these challenging times. The funds raised through your contributions will go a long way in providing shelter, nourishment, and essential services to individuals and families who are struggling to find their way. Thomas  from Year 12 writes:

We have successfully raised $5500 for Vinnies, surpassing our goal of $5000, and collected numerous items for Share the Dignity to assist with period poverty. Thank you to everyone who generously donated and thank you to the boys who gave up their warm beds in solidarity with the homeless. 

The night started with setting up our sleeping bags outside on cardboard mats, then we had dinner - thank you to Natalie Carter and Silvana Guzzardi for providing warm soups for us to enjoy. Following dinner, Brother Harry and Max from the Exodus Community in West Heidelberg spoke to us about the realities of homelessness. Max was homeless from the age of 12. She came to Melbourne after leaving a foster home in Adelaide and had nowhere to go and nothing to her name. She slept under bridges and in alleyways, unable to stay in one place. We appreciate Max sharing her personal experience with us and for the work Brother Harry and others do for our neighbours in the West Heidelberg community. 

Over 30,000 people are homeless tonight, this does not just mean sleeping on the street but includes anyone who does not have a secure and stable place to stay, couch-surfing and sleeping inside cars. The homeless often cannot access Centrelink or other benefits as they don’t have a permanent address to give or don’t have someone to help with the paperwork. We as a privileged community forget how lucky we are to have a warm, comfortable, and secure place to call home. 

Thomas B, Augustine House Captain

Australian Bishops’ Annual Social Justice Statement

The Australian bishops’ decades-long tradition of publishing an annual Social Justice Statement continues this week, with the launch of Listen, Learn, Love: A New Engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples yesterday. 

The Social Justice Statement considers First Nations peoples in Australian society today. It was prepared in partnership with the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Council. This statement draws attention to the challenges faced by Indigenous communities, including issues related to health, education, employment, and social wellbeing and the hopes shared by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples for the future.

Each year’s Social Justice Statement is an opportunity for Australia’s bishops to share teachings on a contemporary social issue and to offer guidance on how the Catholic faith can inform people’s actions and attitudes in responding to these issues.

The statement was released ahead of Social Justice Sunday, which is marked on the final Sunday in August, this year being  27 August.

Geralyn McCarthy
Deputy Principal Faith & Mission

Student Wellbeing

Respectful Relationships
With term 3 rapidly vanishing before our eyes, it has been terrific this week to stop, take a breath and reflect on the wonderful things that are going on at Marcellin College. These have included our Year 7 and 8 students have partaken in Respectful Relationships days with their House Leaders. Students have learnt about a range of wellbeing related issues during these days that have been designed specifically by our Pastoral Care Team to meet the needs of our students. It is our hope that these events will provide our students with an opportunity to enhance their socio-emotional development and also some time away from their usual classes to connect with their peers and House Leaders. We look forward to our Year 7-9 students partaking in their own specific days in the coming weeks.

Year 12 Students
Term 3 can also be a stressful time for our Year 12 students. As our senior students complete their internal assessments during this term, they also begin preparation for examinations. I would like to take this opportunity to remind students and families that students can and should seek the support of their Pastoral or House Leader or one of our counsellors if they feel they need it. These people are equipped with a range of skills to help them navigate this period successfully and will be checking in with them throughout this period. However, we also encourage you to have a conversation with your son about seeking support if he needs it.

Student Safety
With road works increasing on Bulleen Road, we have seen an increase in the number of families dropping their sons off at Sandra Street. In the interest of student safety, we remind all parents/carers of the 40km speed limit in this area. We would also request that parents/carers ensure that students exit the family car quickly and on the curb side of the road. Additionally, any conversations at home that remind students to use the pedestrian crossing and dedicated pathways rather than roads would complement our work at school and help us to enable our students to create safe habits.

Public Transport
I have been pleased to receive a number of extremely positive emails about the conduct of our students on trains and buses. These have included our boys helping elderly people onto buses and trains and giving up their seats for those who need them. Please continue to support our work at school with regular conversations with your son about using public transport safely and respectfully. This is especially important in reiterating what is said to students at school about safely boarding trains and buses and ensuing that they wait for these services in the appropriately designated areas. We have also been reminding students that the blazer is required at all times when travelling to and from school.

Rocky Gentile
Deputy Principal Student Wellbeing

Year 8 Reflection Day
On Wednesday, 9 August the remaining for Year 8 core groups had the chance to experience a day of fun and reflection as part of the Religious Education program. An enthusiastic group of youth ministry leaders from YMT enlightened the students to the importance of social justice in life, and embodying Jesus' compassion for others. A fantastic experience for all involved.

Christina Cammarano, Student Wellbeing Program Coordinator

From our Learning Areas

Read, Grow, Inspire

Next week is Book Week – with this year’s theme being Read, Grow, Inspire. Whilst we will be saving our Book Week activities until later in the year, we have been using this theme throughout 2023 to underpin the Reading Program we are running with our Year 7 and 8 students. Each session we sit down with the students and have a conversation about what they have been reading and we ask them to set a goal based around their reading that they will work on achieving before the next session. This goal is student-driven but is often around a certain number of pages or how long they will dedicate to reading each day.

This is where we need the help of parents and carers. Many of the students say they have no time to read and often fall short of the goal they have set. What the Teacher-Librarians and English teachers would really appreciate is your support in helping your son make time to read. The benefits of reading for pleasure are well documented: Research has shown that students who enjoy reading for pleasure are more likely to gain greater skills, which in turn provides better scaffolding for further learning in all subjects and areas. (Russell, D. 2023). The full article can be found here.

Making reading part of a student’s daily routine is just the start.

Rebecca Preedy, Information Service Leader

Australian Mathematics Competition

On Thursday, 3 August approximately 130 students from Year 7 to 10 participated in the Australian Mathematics Competition. Hosted by the Australian Maths Trust, this competition has been running since 1978 and we are proud to offer this opportunity to students each year at the College. Students completed 30 multiple choice questions ordered in increasing difficulty. Question topics included basic arithmetic, fractions, algebra, statistics and probability.

All students will receive a participation certificate, and we hope to award certificates in the categories of proficiency, credit, and distinction. Well done to all students who accepted this enrichment opportunity!

Homework Club

We continue to see excellent attendance at homework club, particularly for students seeking extra support with their maths learning. I take this opportunity to update students and families on the support on offer at homework club. Students in all year levels are welcome for general study Tuesday and Thursday from 3:30–5:00pm in the Placidus Research Centre. For maths support, students from Year 7 to VCE can receive support on a Tuesday afternoon from our Maths staff and tutors. Students in Year 7 – 9 may also receive maths support on a Thursday afternoon.

Lastly, I would like to acknowledge and thank our maths staff who are consistently giving of their free time to help students in morning sessions or at Homework Club.

Nadia Bonvicino, Mathematics Learning Leader

Congratulations to both our Intermediate and Senior Jazz Ensembles

A huge congratulations to both Mr Webster and the Intermediate Stage Band and to Mr McCusker and the Senior Big Band who competed at the Victorian School Music Festival on Monday this week. From last year’s inaugural performances, both ensembles moved up into a higher division in 2023, pushing every player to new levels of individual and ensemble performance, and making their achievements even more outstanding!

Some words from Mr Webster: 
After weeks of practice and lots of early mornings, the boys came home with a Silver Award. This is a huge achievement, as the whole band is playing up a division from last year. The boys conducted themselves with respect and represented our College well; the adjudicators marked them Outstanding for their presentation (posture, discipline, appearance).  A big congratulations to all performers in the Stage Band!

Some words from Mr McCusker: 
I’m thrilled to say that after several years of building culture, learning notes and rhythms and committing hundreds of hours to rehearsals and practice, our Senior Big Band has made history by achieving not only a gold award in their most recent competition efforts, but doing so in the highest competitive level a Marcellin ensemble has even been involved with. This is something many of the boys in the band have been working towards for almost four years of their time at Marcellin College, and it’s so wonderful to see their work paying off.  Well done boys! 

Thank you to their families, teachers and friends as well. Your support has helped the band reach new heights. Here’s to next year, and pushing ever forward and aiming even higher!
 
Thank you to Mr Webster and Mr McCusker for your many hours of rehearsing, your expertise, and for your relentless pursuit of the highest of standards as both performing musicians, and ensemble directors. 

Andrew Short, Head of Music

Science Week 2023

“Innovation is the ability to see change as an opportunity- not a threat.” Steve Jobs
The theme for this year’s National Science Week was Innovation: Powering Future Industries. The National Science Week was celebrated at Marcellin College from 14 - 18 August and various science activities were organised by the Science learning area for students from all year levels to participate in. The high level of excitement reflected the opportunities provided during the week and while many prizes were won by students in various competitions, the Science Week activities certainly generated awareness of the vital role of Science in our lives. I would like to sincerely thank all students and teachers who planned and participated in the Science Week activities.

Rajnesh Ram, Learning Leader Science

This week has been National Science Week and to celebrate this, the Science Department at Marcellin College has organised various activities aimed to spread awareness for the field and promote further engagement for students in the sciences.

It was terrific to see that students across the College have enjoyed these activities, showing their passion, interest, and enthusiasm towards the sciences.

To start the week off, we were treated to an amazing and fascinating presentation from Ms Zahra Makki, a Fingerprints Examiner from Victoria Police Forensic Science Group. She explained the different units within Forensic Science and described the interesting and valuable work being done there.

Throughout the week, Year 7 students competed in an Amazing Race challenge. Year 8 students participated in the Taste of Psych, a taste test challenging their ability to interpret different flavours. Year 9 and 10 students did a Science Escape Room, and Year 11 students were invited to take part in a balloon race while Year 12 students were invited to take part in a titration challenge. Additionally, we had a Tik Tok Science Competition open to all year levels where students gave their best and most interesting science fact in a 14 second reel-style video. Winners of each of these challenges were rewarded with canteen or movie vouchers.

This has been a great step to improve participation and engagement in the sciences at the College and I hope that the excitement towards it, only increases from here.

Cayleb Wilson, Science Captain

Science Week Activities

Street Artist Opportunity

We have an amazing opportunity for students to work with a professional street artist over two days during the Art & Technology Festival in Term 4. If you would like to apply, please download, complete and return the attached application form to Ms Sipos no later than Friday, 25 August. Further details can be found on the form below.

Marina Sipos, The Arts Learning Leader

Health Centre News

Anaphylaxis & Asthma

Anaphylaxis is a disease that many of our students have been diagnosed with, you may have friends or family who have this condition. It can make it difficult for them and their families to dine out. 
Allergy & Anaphylaxis Australia have some good articles that may help to make dinning out a little easier.

The College also have many students that suffer from Asthma. The World Health Organization have an article from May 2023 that is worth a read to refresh your Asthma care and knowledge.

Gaye Viney, College Nurse

Community News

Father’s Day Breakfast 
The annual Marcellin College Parents & Friends Group Father’s Day Breakfast will be held on Wednesday, 30 August in the Functions Room. Tickets are selling fast. To book tickets click here.

Winery Tour – tickets now on sale! 

The Marcellin College Parents & Friends Group is all about building connections and creating community. And what better way to connect with other parents than by sharing experiences over great food, wine and company. We invite you to a special winery tour through the Yarra Valley. Visit award-winning wineries, taste a number of select wines, enjoy a two-course lunch, explore the Yarra Valley Chocolaterie and more… 

• For more information and to book a ticket click here. 
• Places are limited. Tickets available until sold out. For all enquiries, please email parentsandfriends@marcellin.vic.edu.au 

Marcellin Mums Mass & Luncheon 

Last Friday, 11 August, we welcomed more than 90 past and present mums to our annual Marcellin Mums Mass & Luncheon. The day commenced with a Mass in the Champagnat Chapel to celebrate the Feast of the Assumption, an important day on the Marist calendar when Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, having completed her earthly life is reunited with her son into heavenly glory. A luncheon followed where our very special mums gathered to strengthen their connection to this great College. 

Soaring to New Musical Heights 

We congratulate Sean Millis, Class of 2018 graduate, who successfully turned two chairs last Sunday night on The Voice Australia and will be part of Team Jess. Sean has overcome tremendous obstacles and through his music here at the College and beyond he has been able to strive for his highest, the College’s motto. We wish him all the best on his journey. You can view his audition in the video below.

Well done to Mitch Cocchiara, Christian Dakis, Marcus Bogovic, Zac Rodezno and Solomon Britton from the graduating Class of 2019 who make up the Strawbz, an indie band who recently played at Hotel Esplande in St Kilda. The group has been gaining popularity since having their song Ego on the new Netflix series Heartbreak High. To learn more and follow their rise visit.

Marcellin Old Collegians Football Club (MOCFC) – Pride Round 
Congratulations to the MOCFC for being the first club born from a boys’ catholic college to celebrate pride round in both their men’s and women’s teams. Players put together this message of thanks to the community. 

Follow us on Facebook! 

The College’s new Facebook page is where families can visit to view all things about College life including news, photos and upcoming events. Be sure to like and follow us to stay in the know with all the latest happenings.  Click here to access and follow our page.

Marcellin College Rugby Support Group

The Marcellin College Rugby Support Group is pleased to announce a new fundraising opportunity provided by Andrew’s Choice (of PSG Kiosk Kransky fame). They have put together an exclusive Father's Day Gift Pack which can be purchased through the PSG online store that includes a great contribution for Marcellin Rugby built in and 10% off the RRP as well. The 1kg pots of honey are also back in stock and selling fast. Get on board and support our Rugby teams.

North East Link Project (NELP) Want to Hear From You
Victoria’s biggest road project, the North East Link, is seeking community feedback on the engagement you’ve experienced so far. Click on the link to access the engagement survey that will take 5 - 7 mins to complete and help improve future interactions.

College Counsellors

On Wednesday, 6 September at 7pm, inconjunction with Our Lady of Mercy (OLMC), the College with host a special presentation It's Time We Talked with guest speaker Maree Crabbe in the Functions Room.

This presentation will explore:

• What parents need to understand about pornography and its influence on young people’s sexual understandings and expectations 
• How parents can support their children’s healthy social and sexual development in an age of pornography. 

To register your attendance, click here. For further details please view the below flyer.

Rosemary Chapple & Chris Lang, College Student Counsellors

Staff Profile

Hello, my name is Chong Hin Law. I have been a member of the Marcellin College community for 13 Years. My role is teacher of Chinese Mandarin. What I enjoy most about the College is working with all the staff of Marcellin to support all our student’s wellbeing and academic needs.

When I’m not at the College, I enjoy cooking, and exploring cultural cuisines. I also look forward  to returning to the College to work with the staff and students and hearing what they have been up to.

Chong Hin Law, Chinese Language Teacher

Student Profile

Hi, my name is Roy and I’m in Year 7. What I love most about Marcellin College is the feeling of community – whether it is through spending time with my school mates, seeing friendly faces at the start of the day in my Pastoral Group, being supported by my teachers or playing sport for the Eagles on a Saturday morning. I also love the great facilities we have access to (in particular, having a kick on the Bray).
 
When I’m not studying, I enjoy my sport – particularly footy and basketball. I’m often watching sports on TV or playing with my local team. I also like spending time with family and friends, and playing with our two-year old groodle Reggie. In my spare time, I love to go to the MCG and watch my team, Carlton, in action. In the future, I hope to find a job where I’m happy, where I can spend time outside and where I can contribute to my community.

Roy, Year 7 Marlhes House

Careers & Pathways News

VTAC Applications Open

Over the past two weeks, we have run a Year 12 VTAC Assembly, VTAC Parent Information Night and an apprenticeship / traineeship session with Mas National. We hope that these presentations have provided our Year 12 students with some clarity on their options once they leave school. Slides from these presentations and additional helpful links can be found on Compass and on the Year 12 Careers page on MyMC.

Students are encouraged to get their applications and preferences in this month.

This is a reminder that payment for timely applications for VTAC close on Thursday, 28 September. Please submit your application on time as late fees apply. Course preferences can still be changed after payment and will remain open until Wednesday, 13 December.

SEAS and Scholarship applications need to be submitted by Friday, 15 September will receive a guaranteed document review. SEAS is an important process to recognise any circumstances outside of a student’s control that may have impacted their VCE studies.

For specific advice and one-on-one career planning, meetings can be booked here with Lara Ingram or Andrew Belli. Students are also welcome to drop into the CLC or email if they have questions or concerns. Please continue to check the Careers website, MyMC Careers pages and Compass for up-to-date career information, events, and opportunities.

Lara Ingram & Andrew Belli, Career Counsellors

Sport Report

AGSV Winter Representative Team

Congratulations to the following boys who represented the AGSV last Saturday against the APS in the annual winter representative carnival. Boys are selected by coaches at all nine AGSV schools following their successful winter season.

• Cross Country – Lockhart Brownlie, Loki Fangmeier,  Marc Lewis-Akther
• Hockey – Logan Wells
• Football – Will Lorenz (Co-Captain), Adam Galgano, Kristian Ferronato
• Soccer – Matthew Suleman (Captain), Giacomo Luna, Julian Ene

Selection in any representative team is a fantastic achievement and highlights a high level of performance. Full details of the day including results can be found on the AGSV website.

Winter Representative Carnival