麻豆APP

NAPLAN

Students in both Years 7 and Year 9 have commenced NAPLAN tests this week. We see NAPLAN providing another avenue of feedback to supplement the various sources of assessment undertaken at the College by the classroom teacher which, combined, help to build a picture to measure progress for each student. These tests also play a role at the systems level of education as there are benchmarks set for performance in various aspects of Literacy and Numeracy and governments value these measures to assess the effectiveness of our education systems. There is, of course, continued public debate and diversity of opinion in the educational community about the value of NAPLAN.  Some see these tests as an unnecessary additional stress on young people and, while some performance anxiety is actually healthy, we endeavour to reassure those who seem worried that there is little to fear.  Thanks to Mr Phil Box, Head Middle Years, and the middle years鈥� teachers for ensuring that the NAPLAN tests have been administered as smoothly as possible.  I also congratulate the students for participating conscientiously and giving their best effort.

All State Jazz Championships

Aquinas students will be representing the College at the All State Jazz Championships this weekend at St Leonard鈥檚 College and we wish our musicians every success.  Thanks to Mr Jared Campbell and the music staff for their work to prepare the students to showcase their talents.

Leaders Forum

I had the pleasure of joining our student leaders this week as they conducted their Student Leadership Council. It is so encouraging to witness these enthusiastic young leaders seek ways to make a difference in our school community and tackle important issues like sustainability, interconnectedness and academic readiness. The council will now break into working parties to develop action plans around topics of specific interest.

EISM Division 1 Athletics Carnival

Last Thursday a large group of athletes represented 麻豆APP at Lakeside Stadium as part of the EISM Division 1 Athletics Carnival. The students performed really well and we were the winner of four age divisions and finished third overall. Thanks to Mr Bernie Brummell and all of the coaches for supporting our athletes in helping them to prepare for this event.

Family Mass

Thank you to those who were able to accept the invitation to join us this week for the first of our Family Masses. We look forward to offering another opportunity to gather as a community to worship later in the year.

Welcome

We welcome new members to our community in senior non-teaching roles. Mr Matt Cincotta has joined the College as Property Manager and Mr Jeffrey Peach as IT Manager. Both bring great expertise with them as they undertake important responsibilities ensuring that we continue to offer first class learning environments for our students and staff.

Darren Atkinson
Principal

A thought on the need for leadership through empathy, compassion and understanding of the gifts we find in building positive relationships with others.

Last night, I was fortunate to attend an event dedicated to leadership. The event was the Women in Leadership Dinner, an annual event hosted by the Victorian Catholic Secondary Schools Deputy Principal Association at the Sofitel Hotel, Melbourne. As an event, the Women in Leadership Dinner always provides a great opportunity for educators to hear of the perspectives and conclusions shared by many leaders across a number of sectors, whose journeys serve as fine examples of leadership in action. Last night was again a thought provoking and insightful experience. I had the delight to hear from Kate Roffey, the current President of the Melbourne Football Club. Although her speech was inspiring across many facets of leadership, nothing resonated more with me than when she stated that we must dream and be ready to take the opportunity that opens up, when we happen to be there, at the right time to take on the opportunity as it stands. Often, we ask our children to plan and formulate their pathways so that they may reach the professional, vocational and personal goals that have been set out. However, leadership is something that must be developed along the way, as it is not the title held or the position within a community that determines the impact one can make but rather the stance that can be taken during the challenging times, the testing times and when adversity closes doors we seek to open. We need our young people to lead through their compassion and empathy, through the positive impact they can have in the lives of others. 

Over the last two years, many of our students have faced adversity. In fact, the challenges that COVID-19 presented to our lives has had a significant impact in the way that most of us have responded and have opted to continue to live post-Covid-19 lockdowns and subsequent restrictions. It was terrific for me to catch up with so many peers last night, and it was great to hear of the positive achievements that 2022 has already witnessed across the educational landscape. It was refreshing to hear that face to face learning has positively impacted many in our communities. Yet the elephant in the room continues to be the impact that remote learning has had on many students who have struggled to return to school in the way that allows them to achieve their best.  

It has been mentioned by many educational leaders in my deputy principal network that some students have struggled to return to school to resume their face to face learning for a number of reasons across many schools in Metropolitan Melbourne. Despite the restrictions of remote learning now a thing of the past for Victorian schools, it is commonly reported that social aspects of learning may be challenging for some students who have found the return to school difficult. During the last week, Adam Voigt, a renown educator with much experience in the secondary sector, wrote an article in The Age Newspaper, which was shared amongst some of the leaders of the College for consideration. You can read the article .

Not surprisingly, the key messages presented in the article alerts us to some key considerations to be made when addressing the challenges that many students face. Firstly, it is important that students learn to take responsibility for their actions. It is also important that in doing so, they recognise the impact that their actions may have on others. It is also essential that they can respond and articulate when they may be affected by others鈥� choices, behaviours or actions. Restorative Practices, when applied within the paradigm of relationship building, is a successful way for students to grow and engage with each other in ways that respects and values the dignity of each individual. In order to understand the restorative practices approach to developing respectful relationships, please refer to , developed by the NSW Department of Education. Our College policies, and provide important information about Aquinas鈥� commitment to supporting all students achieve their full potential in inclusive and welcoming environments. Restorative practices is our approach to upholding positive, respectful and inclusive relationships. 

Restorative practices are not concerned with punishment (and the subsequent humiliation of the person), a method which was often used in the past to address behaviour and conflict. What Restorative Practices offer is the opportunity for young people to come to terms with an understanding of their responsibilities, identifying their contributions to positive and negative outcomes for others. It emphasises that in all interactions, humans have degrees of responsibility to uphold goodness. Inviting students to appreciate how their decisions and actions impact other people is the main goal, not the fulfilment of a consequence for the poor choice made. It would be irresponsible to believe that conflict would completely disappear from human interactions under restorative practices. However, by ensuring that the young person becomes responsible for their actions, that young person is able to control how they would then respond to minimise the impact that they may have on others. 

Considering that Restorative Practices is the context under which we expect students to contribute to the community, I encourage you to become familiar with the concept of restorative justice and practices as a way to encourage your child to take control and learn from the obstacles that may emerge from within their relationships with others. Leadership is often built upon the ability we have to overcome the adversity and challenges that appear along our journeys, and being in a position to recognise our impact on others, learn to deal with the negative impact that others may have on us and appreciating that in building relationships based on trust, compassion and empathy, we live our lives positively, make us the leaders that our world needs us to be. 

Please encourage your child to be the leader along the way that they ought to be so that  the dream of a safe, caring world is the right that future generations will experience. Every person has the ability to do good and to make an impact. Building good relationships will enhance the young person鈥檚 ability to make that impact positive. Being concerned with punishment rather than learning to address consequences only teaches young people that poor actions are acceptable as being punished makes it all ok. As we all know, in life, this formula does not bring the best in us.

If you wish to learn more about restorative justice or practices at 麻豆APP, please ask your child and/or the respective Homeroom Teacher/Learning Mentor. Alternatively, you may direct questions to your child鈥檚 Team or Year Level Leaders. 

Nap Rodezno
Deputy Principal

Last week I asked a single question about Parent Teacher Interviews in the Lighthouse and followed up by email. The question asked people to select an option based on the prompt 鈥淚 prefer Parent Teacher Interviews in person or online.鈥� There were 259 responses.

Three out of four respondents were in favour of online meetings. We will take this into consideration when organising PTIs. We also understand that there are circumstances, such as the Subject Selection Expo, where being on site allows for exploration and unanticipated questions but also that online interviews can help busy families connect with the teachers.

Thanks to all those who completed the form.

Michael Box
Deputy Principal Learning

Please find another Professional Learning report below from some of our teaching staff. Another wonderful example of our teachers' participation in PL, assisting with the delivery and development of curriculum for our students.

Natalie Zuccon, Alisha Ward and Nadine Callaghan - Psychology teachers

Natalie Zuccon, Alisha Ward and Nadine Callaghan attended the annual CDES Psychology Conference which was conducted  online. A variety of sessions were offered including the Chief Assessors鈥� review of the 2021 Psychology Exam.

Nadine attended workshops focusing on: building literacy in the psychology classroom, activities and tips for teaching Year 10 Psychology with her final workshop looking at  developing strategies to enhance learner outcomes and promote higher order thinking.

Alisha attended workshops focussing on: classroom activities for U3-4  psychology, Research Methods in psychology and the 2021 examiners report. The session for U3-4 classroom activities was inspiring and will be implemented into the annual plan for 2023.

Natalie attended workshops focusing on: building literacy in the psychology classroom, classroom activities and resources for U1-4, using data to build and boost scores in U3&4, and the 2021 examination review. 

The day was beneficial, providing  invaluable resources for the Senior Years鈥� Psychology team, particularly due to the timing of the implementation of the new study design for 2023. In addition, the full collection of resources from each of the 22 workshops remains available for access over the year for all of the Psychology staff at the College.

VCSSDPA Women in Leadership Dinner - 25th Anniversary

Last night a number of Aquinas staff attended the annual VCSSDPA Women in Leadership dinner. The purpose for the dinner is to encourage and highlight achievements of women in Leadership in Catholic Education. It also gives participants the opportunity to network with staff from other Catholic schools and share their experiences in leadership. The keynote speaker was Kate Roffrey, the President of the Melbourne Football Club. Kate shared her leadership journey and some 鈥減earls of wisdom鈥� for current and up and coming leaders.

Here are some reflections from some of the Aquinas staff:

"It was such a great opportunity as an early career leader to be surrounded by so many experienced and accomplished female leaders. Guest speaker Kate Roffey gave so much insight into trusting the process and taking opportunities when they arise. A great night!"
Dani Wilson - Learning Enhancement Coordinator

"Something that really resonated with me was that Kate encouraged leaders to focus on the impact that they/we have on people, rather than the impact that others have on them/us." 
Lara Messom - Human Resources

"The Women in Leadership Dinner provided an opportunity to reflect on our individual and collective journeys in educational leadership.  Kate Roffey spoke of her many experiences and perspectives of what it means to be a leader. Kate was both inspiring and thought-provoking, encouraging us to explore various avenues in our careers and reflect on what leadership means to us both, personally and professionally."
Lynda Schulz - Science Learning Area Leader

"What a joy it was to be part of my first Women in Leadership dinner. Not only did we hear from keynote speaker Kate Roffey who was so inspirational, but then to realise the founder of the evening was my Year 11 English teacher and Deputy Principal back in high school - Mrs Susan Danckert. It was an honour that she recognised me from all those years ago."
Elisa Bettiol  - Year 7&8 Leader (Rice)

Gina Goss
Assistant Principal - Staff

Family

Approximately 15 years ago, I was being taken on a tour of Padua College having just completed an interview for a vacant position. The gentleman who was walking me around talked about how much he liked the school as a place to work. He said 鈥渨e are a family here鈥�. That statement has stayed with me throughout the 10 years I worked at Padua and has continued with my Aquinas family. 

The understanding and meaning of the word family has developed over the years. From the 鈥渢raditional鈥� white picket fence to the 鈥淏rady Bunch鈥� blend, families today come in all shapes and sizes. Like my experience at Padua, we often identify our work, sport/club, or social group as family. It is not so much the technical definition of family that we identify with but more the concept or qualities of family: Love, Compassion, Caring, Support, Humour, Friendship and so much more.

Yesterday evening we celebrated our inaugural Family Mass in our College chapel. We had about 60 people in attendance and it was wonderful to celebrate as a community. The gospel story was about Jesus as a child staying behind at the temple. When Mary and Joseph realised he was not with any of the families travelling home together, they rushed back to search for him. Three days later when they found him, the first words out of Mary鈥檚 mouth were, 鈥淪on, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been very worried and we have been searching for you!鈥�. If you are like me, there is a smile on your face either because you have heard someone say it to you or, you have said it to a young person - maybe even both. Families can have hardships; we scare each other, frustrate one another and sometimes we get angry with each other. However it is through our caring that we worry, our love that we are frustrated and our desire to support that we can be angry - we are all human and can not always express ourselves well.

In line with our theme last night, I wanted today鈥檚 piece to focus on the wonders of family. Maybe take a moment to think about your family - in whatever form it takes. Have you let them know recently how much you appreciate them? Is there someone you have not spoken to in a while, and you can reach out, reconnect? Like Mary and Joseph, you might be worried about someone and just need to check in and ask how they are going? Let鈥檚 pray that we all express our gratitude to those we call our family and not simply take them for granted.

Tania Grace
Assistant Principal - Mission

Senior Years Report

Aquinas delivers a diverse and holistic wellbeing plan. The whole school approach is essential for the delivery of all the elements encompassed in the sequenced activities. At Aquinas, wellbeing focuses on three dimensions: good health, learning excellence and life success.  A snapshot of what has been taking place supporting the wellbeing of students via their year levels assemblies and pastoral sessions throughout the past few weeks.

Central to good health is ensuring a sense of safety; social and emotional health; and an appreciation of meaning and purpose in life. Social and emotional health and learning is explicitly addressed in Health lessons and supported by themes in year level assemblies and Mentor sessions. Year 11 assembly and Mentor sessions have been focusing on community connections and developing positive social relationships. Mingle Mentors will occur over the next few pastoral sessions. This is an initiative developed by the Year 11 student leaders in response to the needs of their peers. Pastoral time is normally held as a fixed single class groups. Over the next few weeks Mingle Mentor will allow for the mixing of student groups where they will be engaged in inclusive and fun ways, promoting positive engagement. I鈥檇 like to acknowledge the efforts of the student leaders to create and promote positive environments.

Faith is central to the health and wellbeing of our students through the development of a sense of meaning and purpose. Joining together in Masses to celebrate the word of the gospel is an important ritual. Patrons' Mass was celebrated in the first week of May. Students were invited to reflect on the message and life work of our Patron Saints - Thomas Aquinas, Dominic de Guzman, Edmund Rice and Mary Mackillop.  Many students with their families were also able to join and celebrate our first Family Mass held last night.

Wellbeing for learning excellence is addressed through explicit teaching and practice of learning skills such as organisation, stress management, goal setting, healthy study habits. Senior VCAL students undertake Personal Development units specifically designed to develop students' wellbeing. Content for VCE students is delivered through assemblies and Mentor sessions. Assemblies and Mentor sessions are currently asking students' to reflect on their lifestyle choices and the impact these have on their academic performance; particularly sleep, nutrition and physical activity. Parents have received a letter from Year 12 Level Leaders, Crystal Delosa and Scott Buchanan, outlining changes to the arrangements for Mentor on 19th May to encourage and support students undertaking self-care practices.

Promoting life success is through understanding learning pathways, global responsibilities and taking action. Over the past few weeks, Year 10 Mentor time has been dedicated to thinking about and exploring their interests, strengths, personal likes and dislikes to begin understanding how these factors impact on future career goals. Led by Fran Jennings, Careers Counsellor and Anne McLaughlin, Pathways Coordinator, the Year 10 Career Voyage program builds on the career conversations in Year 9 SEB Starts with Me and lays foundation for conversations regarding Year 11 subject selection in Term 3. 

Rachel Crawley
Head Senior Years

Middle Years Report

None of us are born experts. When you see Tiger Woods hit a ball it's hard to believe that he was ever a beginner or that at some point Einstein couldn't read and didn't know his times tables (probably!). They are extreme examples of well known elite performers in their field but it is true for all of us. I recently listened to the life story of a big wave surfer and he didn't start out as an expert being able to ride 70-80 foot waves (that's about a 9-10 storey building!!!!). He progressed over time and each step took a while to master before he was prepared to take on the next 'storey.' And the next stage was never easy. 

He casually talked of having to be able to hold his breath for five minutes in massive surf so that the big waves moved over him and he didn't come up to the surface and get crushed. Five minutes submerged in turbulent waters! But he emphasised that this took a great deal of time and practice of both his physical and mental capabilities. He didn鈥檛 just wake up one day and be able to do it. He also said that through practice and perseverance he actually began to feel a calmness in these dangerous situations. He spoke of being patient at each stage and experience taught him that his mind and body were capable of the next stage.

Students are continually confronted with the next stage of development whether it be with their schooling or their outside-of-school passion. Perseverance and patience are required to help them reach their potential. 

They are also confronted with many opportunities to try new things and we need to remind them that patience, practice, experience, and perseverance is required to reach higher levels of performance. 

Perseverance is the Core Value that is focussed on with Year 9 students, and over the upcoming editions of the Lighthouse, we will meet some students that have shown these qualities in abundance. Students that didn't start out as experts but are showing that through patience, practice, experience, and perseverance they can be the best version of themselves.

I hope you enjoy reading their stories in the upcoming editions as much as I have enjoyed learning about them.

Phil Box
Head Middle Years

At the start of Term 2, our Year 7/8 Team Leaders excitedly announced the College's new Year 7 Leaders. The nomination process for our Year 7 leaders is often quite inspirational as the newest members of our school grow from nervous starters to enthusiastic leaders, ready to represent their cohort. Congratulations to Brodie Talia and Charlotte Jones on being successfully nominated as our Year 7 Leaders for 2022.

Charlotte Jones
"Being a Year 7 Leader is obviously a big responsibility, and some do it just to have a badge, but I鈥檓 doing it because it gives me a chance to help everyone in Year 7 as much as possible. Coming from a small school with only one other person with me, it was really nerve racking. Aquinas teachers and most of all the students helped each other to transition easily, they helped me to transition easily into the school. Being Year 7 Captain gives me the chance to give back to the school and students as much as possible, so it鈥檚 a great opportunity."

Brodie Talia
"I applied for the role because I believed that I was a good leader and I wanted to be there to help my peers. So far it has been great, speaking at assembly, going to a student leader meeting as well as helping the Year 7s in any way possible. I am really happy that I got to be Year 7 Captain and I can鈥檛 wait to continue helping my peers throughout the year."

As a College we are incredibly honoured to have a wealth of musically talented students. Organised by our Music Captains, Music Friday can feature a breadth of music genres and instruments from singing to piano to electric guitar. It gives students the opportunity to showcase their skills, try something out in front of an audience, or simply another opportunity to hone their talents before they compete.

The student body enthusiastically cheers in support of their friends and peers, and it brings the student community together. It is a great way to finish each week.

Best of luck to all of our students who are competing in the All State Jazz Championships this weekend. I look forward to sharing the outcomes in the next edition of Lighthouse.

And a shameless plug...don't miss out on tickets for Not Just Jazz on Friday 20th May. .

Jared Campbell
Music Programs Coordinator

Student centred learning in LOTE

Second language acquisition is developed through activities in and out of the classroom not only through the traditional skills of listening, reading, speaking, writing and viewing, but through repetition, competition and sustaining language. Further to this, strategic thinking, problem-solving, strengthening memory capacity and social connections are valuable skills that can be transferred to other aspects in life. 

Here are some student-centred activities: 

TPR = Total Physical Response - Using hands, legs, and even whole body movement accompanied by changing pitches in the voice to reinforce vocabulary.  Here are the Year 7s learning numbers and being aggressive with their hands.

Beat the Bomb - Students are listening to others say a phrase, and then they must say a different phrase under pressure before the bomb explodes in their hand.

Running Dictation - Who thinks dictation is boring? Year 12s combine running, reading as much as possible,

retaining the content, dictating it to their group members and having them write it correctly to encourage punctuation, grammar and clarity of vocabulary.

Dice game - Problem-solving with the dice. The Year 10s are spinning the dice, matching the pronouns with the verb and creating a sentence for the group using different tenses.

Pictionary - Revising key unit vocabulary and phrases through drawing.

Online Forums - Reading and responding to opinions of others on a topic to help developing ideas and grammatical structures and have it looked over by others.

Nathalie Walshe
LOTELearning Area Leader

For a number of reasons, there are students in Years 9, 10 or 11 who need to change a subject or indeed their course mid-year. The process for making application to change has been explained to these year levels and is reproduced below (Please note: the process for changing Maths stream is slightly different and students changing their Maths stream and their parents will be contacted directly by the Maths teacher. Similarly, students changing from VCE to VCAL will liaise directly with Mr O'Halloran, the VCAL Coordinator) :

1. Student discusses their desire to change with relevant people which should include parent/guardian and the Learning Area Leader or subject teacher of the subject into which they plan to change. In the case of changes out of a VCE Unit1 subject, students are encouraged to discuss their decision with their current subject teacher. Other staff who may assist are the Mentor and the Year level Leader
2. Any student or indeed parent/guardian with any concerns or questions is also encouraged to discuss their decision with Ms Meredith Greenwood: Student Programs Coordinator - via email (greenwoodmj@aquinas.vic.edu.au) or by telephone (03) 9259 3271.
3. Student then downloads and completes the Subject Change Application Form available on SIMON then submits either a hard or electronic copy to me by 3.30pm on Friday 30th May. This step also needs to be completed for students changing their Maths stream
4. Students for whom there are concerns about their subject choice will be notified.

Students and parents do however need to be aware that the success of an application depends on subject availability, but also on the extent to which the change is important in enabling a student to follow a revised pathway from the one anticipated at the beginning of 2022. 

Students in Year 8 Art created these ceramic pot heads during their unit on Identity. The Identity unit looks at who they are and explores their individuality through the use of 2D and 3D mediums. Students developed their 3D clay building skills and finishing techniques. 

The inclusion of the plants and propagating succulents lead nicely into their next unit which is on Stewardship and Sustainability. Students enjoyed planting their pots especially in time for Mothers day. We hope the influential females in their lives enjoyed receiving these gifts and hopefully keep the plant alive. 

Kathy Thompson
Teacher

"The excursion to Mount Rothwell and Werribee Open Range Zoo allowed us to implement the knowledge we learned throughout our first area of study about maintaining biodiversity. Mt Rothwell is the largest feral predator-free ecosystem in Victoria where you can see some of Australia鈥檚 most threatened fauna, including the Eastern Barred Bandicoot, Southern Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby and Eastern Quoll. It focuses on an in-situ conservation method, which is protecting species within their natural environment. Our trip to Mount Rothwell involved setting traps, exploring the surrounding property and its wildlife and then checking the traps as part of the capture and release method. We encountered an Eastern Barred Bandicoot, in which we completed a research project about as part of our SAC. Being able to see the Eastern Barred Bandicoot in person after reading about it was an incredible experience as we got the opportunity to pat it and understand just how small it really is. Many of the traps set were successful meaning we were able to see the trapping methods and we learned about in class in action."
Vanessa Linton

"The Year 12 Environmental Science excursion was such a hands-on and real life experience for us students to see what life would be like out on the field as conservationists. On the day, we travelled to Werribee Zoo and went on the open-range bus tour where we saw many animals from Rhinos to Giraffes, hippos and Buffaloes. Later, we then travelled to Mt Rothwell Conservation Centre.  These animals ranged from bandicoots to quolls and rock wallabies. We went on a night walk where we walked around the property and saw many animals roaming around the area. The best part was we managed to see the different Australian marsupials that are endangered in the wild and helped conservationists capture some animals using traps, finding the microchip number, weighing the animal and looking at its physical appearance."
Sam Armstrong

"This exhilarating excursion took us to the peaks of Rothwells mountain as well as the depths of Werribees zoo where there was a concerningly low amount of Grizzly Bears. As the night went on two brave environmentalists Sam Moulden and Alek Siddans set out on a mission to capture the elusive southern-something-bandicoot. The top quality students were entirely successful in using soggy McDonalds chips to lure the bandicoot into their trap. With zero support and belief from their teacher Mr Donnahs, the students faced adversity and negligence to come out on top and be the first successful students to capture any animal of importance. The daily trip to Werribee Zoo allowed our brains to expand to the point of animal learning excellence. The trip was a complete success for our heroes who triumphed over the ever doubting haters who rose as underdogs to prove the entire class wrong. Also there was a McDonalds and Coles shopping stop along the way."
Sam Moulden

"Year 12 environmental science had planned to make the journey across to the wild west to explore Werribee zoo and Mt Rothwell conservation reserve. The zoo was full of other students from other schools but not many other people. Gotta love the safari bus in an open range zoo, giraffes, camels, zebras, rhinos. After an overstayed McDonalds stop on the way to Mt Rothwell the country roads took us to a small hill covered in native grass, trees and a few dingoes to greet us at the door. Cheryl accompanied us through the gate as well as a group of very handsome young kelpies. She gave us a quick introduction and we began making bait balls for the cages using oats, honey, peanut butter and some excellent smelling sardines. We set the traps in the grassland to check later as the target species being quolls and bandicoots are both nocturnal. Dinner was a bit of a throw together with many cups of 2 minute noodles and as the temperature cooled to what felt like 5 below we roamed the reserve which spans a total of 453 hectares, spotting cheeky betongs, bandicoots, critically endangered rock wallabies and some beautiful owls. When we returned we checked the traps one by one revealing some very cute creatures indeed, Cheryl was hoping that we could get a male quoll for their captive breeding program beginning soon. Really enjoyed the experience and I know a lot of my mates were rightfully jealous."
William Watts

The Year 9 Dance students have had their first taste of dance at Aquinas this Semester and are working toward the showcase on the 31st May 7.00pm - Mahon Theatre. Aquinas dance classes are a balance of dance movement and theory, building on the skills necessary to not only be a good dancer but a good performer. 

The Aquinas Dance Showcase - "Let's Dance" will be an evening for the Year 9 dancers to perform their group learnt work and small group dances alongside the VCE dance class. VCE dance students will perform their Skills-Based Solo in preparation for their end of year exam and a Learnt Group dance work.

Students have flourished with the opportunity to choreograph their own dances and are especially excited to showcase this in the evening. 

We recommend you bring a mask with you to be worn where the opportunity to socially distance may be difficult.

STRICTLY ONLINE BOOKINGS, NO TICKETS WILL BE SOLD AT THE VENUE.

Lauren Bourke and Gina Goss
Dance teachers

On Thursday 5th May, our Year 9 AGiLE students participated in the da Vinci Decathlon. This is an academic competition designed to challenge and stimulate the minds of school students. Students compete in teams of eight across 10 disciplines: engineering, mathematics and chess, code breaking, art and poetry, science, English, ideation, creative producers, cartography and legacy.

Year 9 student, Lucy Jordan, shares her experience of the say "the Da Vinci Decathlon was so vastly different from any other activity that I鈥檝e done. It was challenging, as one would expect from tackling 10 different subject areas, but it was also memorable and fun. To start off, each of us chose an area that we were best at, and then we would help out someone else if there were some questions that we were unsure about. Our final paper was legacy…at the end of the day too. It would be common to see a few…unusual names written down on our paper, but we gave it our all. The event was conducted over zoom - over 50 schools participated, but I believe the Mentone girls stole the spotlight as they were having a disco during the lunch break! "

After 2 years of altered or restricted audience experience, it is exciting to return to public performances!

The VCE Drama Units 1/2 and 3/4 students will be presenting their devised ensemble works for assessment on the evening of
May 30th at 7:30 in the Mahon Theatre.

This event is free to the public and we warmly invite parents, family and friends to attend and support the students!

They have developed their narratives and characters over a 10 week period, and following a prescribed set of requirements will demonstrate their understanding of dramatic form, narrative, performance and expressive  skills through eclectic performances. 

It should be an interesting and entertaining evening of drama and we look forward to welcoming you.

Paola Unger
Teacher

Last week we gathered to celebrate our Patrons Mass. We acknowledged our core values, inspired by our Patrons - St Dominic, St Mary of the Cross MacKillop and Blessed Edmund Rice; reflected on poignant Bible readings; and listened to the vocal gifts of our talented choir; followed by a rousing rendition of the Aquinas school song, 'Illuminare et Ardere'.

There are so many opportunities this term for our incredibly talented students to showcase their skills to our community...don't miss out, get your tickets and put the dates in your diary!

Also...

Monday 30th May @ 7pm - VCE Drama Ensemble - in the Mahon Theatre; free & tickets not required

Tuesday 1st June @ 6pm - Year 12 Music Performance Night - in the O'Driscoll Room; free & tickets not required

Tuesday 7th June @ 7.30pm - Bands Concert - watch out for more information soon

Wednesday 8th June @ 7.30pm - Rock Concert - watch out for more information soon

Thursday 16th & Friday 17th June - Musical - watch out for more information soon

Last Thursday, the Aquinas Athletics team competed in the EISM Division 1 Athletics carnival at Lakeside Stadium in Albert Park.On a day that had a forecast at one stage of rain, wind, hail, storms and in the end we had students and staff wanting sunscreen, it turned out to be a wonderful day to compete.

We started well at the beginning of carnival and were leading halfway through the day but we were unable to hold on to the lead and in the end we slipped back to finish 3rd behind Emmaus, who won the carnival for the first time in a long time and Luther. In the boys' section we finished 3rd and in the girls' section we finished a very close 2nd.

In the different age groups, Aquinas did the best of all the schools winning 4 out of the 10 - U13 Boys, Under 13 Girls, Under 15 Girls and Senior Girls. A great effort!

A huge thank you to the following students who competed in older age groups to fill in when we had injuries and illnesses on the day - Max Lorkin (U13) - Open Boys 800m; Will Kennealy (U13) - U16 boys 200m; Kate Bourke (U14) - U16 Girls Shot Put and she finished 2nd; Amy Powell (U14) - U16 Girls Triple Jump; Jarrah Hammersley (U15) - U16 Girls 400m and Long Jump; Eden Smith (U15) - U16 Shot put and Discus and won both events; Georgia Kavanagh (U15) - Under 16 girls 200m and she finished in 3rd place.

Well done to these following students who finished top 3 in their events:

Under 13 girls

• Gemma Settle - 2nd 1500m, 200mA & 800m
• Gabby Hooper - 3rd 1500m
• Mikayla Robinson - 2nd 400m & 100mB, 
• Kaylee Speirs - 2nd 100mA, 3rd High Jump
• Kiah Singh -  1st 200mB  3rd 100mC
• Tayah McKay - 2nd Triple Jump 
• Relay team - 2nd

Under 13 boys

• Fraser Brown -  1st 1500m & Long Jump, 2nd 200mB 800m & Relay, 3rd Triple Jump
• Kingston Clarke - 2nd 1500m & Relay
• Noah Woods - 1st  100mA, 200mA & 400m, 2nd Relay
• James Warr - 2nd 100mB  High Jump & Relay
• Nicholas Tanurahardja - 2nd 100mC & Relay

Under 14 girls

• Alex Oldaker - 3rd 200mB

Under 14 boys

• Tom King - 1st Hurdles
• Callum Settle - 2nd 1500m & 800m
• Chase Stone - 1st Shot Put
• Max Pinchbeck - 2nd Discus
• Gallagher Robertson - 3rd Long Jump

Under 15 girls

• Maddie Payne - 1st Hurdles & Relay, 2nd 200mB, 3rd Shot Put
• Tegan Moore - 1st 100mA, 200mA & Relay
• Gabby Linton - 1st 100mB & Relay
• Emma Fabre - 1st Relay, 2nd 100mC & Discus

Under 15 boys 

• Charlie Psaila - 1st Shot Put
• Luke Wilkinson - 3rd Long Jump
• Raphael McLean - 2nd 400m & 100mC
• Owen Prior - 3rd 100mA & 200mB
• Emmanuel Bettiol - 2nd 100mB & 200mB

Under 16 girls

• Maeve Wilkinson - 3rd 800m

Under 16 boys

• Kaiden Watson - 3rd High Jump
• Isaac Ghosn - 2nd 800m
• Tom Vardy - 3rd 800m

Open girls

• Sophie Stokes - 1st 800m & 1500m, 2nd 200mA & 400m, 3rd 100mA
• Elise Keeghan - 1st Shot Put & Discus, 3rd High Jump
• Bella Flack - 2nd Hurdes & Long Jump

Open boys

• Aidan Peluso - 2nd Discus
• Anthony Jordan - 3rd 100mA

Congratulations to these students who were also part of the team on the day:

Under 13 - Chelsea Payne, Mia George, Ben Hines, Michael O鈥橞rien, Josh Smith

Under 14 - Aleisha Harmer, Emer Hefferenan, Zoe Guerin, Aerin Donohoe, Amelia Beaumont, Olivia Haun, Catherine Vail, Lucy Maxwell, Ryan Smirk,Ned Gidley, James Papadopoulos, Oscar Hipfel, Paul Gangemi, Lachlan Ghosn, Kayden Yeung Sik Yeun, Edward Barclay.

Under 15 - Alovi Gomes, Shonae Barker, Sienna Smith, Tilly Van Neuren, Rachael Johnson, Bianca Le, Lachie Buyck, Brody Denson, Max Beach, Luke Wilkinson.

Under 16 - Amelie O鈥橞rien, Sophie Lorusso, Georgia Scheer, Indigo Meikle, Stella Smirk, Sasha Barrueto, Tom Nedza, Aidan Campbell, Will Tait.

Open - Tom Heffernan Jordy Moran, Ava Campbell, Tyson Langsdon, 

A huge thank you to all the staff who assisted with training over the past 5 school weeks with the 4 different sessions per week available to the squad. Well done to the Year 12 students who competed in their final EISM Division 1 carnival - Ella Grigg, Jesse Meikle, Sophie Triandafillou, Grace Higgins, Bella Flack, Linesse Cesari, Joel Andrews - and especially to Sophie Stokes and Seb Barnes (Team Captains) for their involvement over the past 6 years with their support of the Aquinas Athletics program.

The EISM Champions Carnival for the best Athletes in all 3 divisions of the EISM pn the afternoon of Tuesday 24th May at Lakeside Stadium  Aquinas will be told soon which students have qualified, depending on results at the other two carnivals.

Bernie Brummell
Sports Coordinator

A very long season in competitive robotics was wrapped up earlier this month at Hume Anglican Grammar in Mickleham. The Aquinas Robotics Team had four teams participating, two senior teams and two junior teams. All teams have had an outstanding season, qualifying for the Australian championships in Adelaide earlier in the year but were unable to attend due to travel restrictions.

At the tournament the junior teams focus on consistency and professionalism paid off again, as they took home the Teamwork Award for the highest scoring robot run as well as the Excellence awards for their journal and public speaking skills. As a result the Junior team secured their first Blue Banner as State Champions for the 2021 Season

The senior team also completed an excellent season, with the two teams finishing 5th and 7th overall. The teams are excited to begin the new season in only a week's time and start to design and build new robots for the 2022-3 season challenge.

The robotics team is always keen to welcome new members and if you are interested the team meets at recess and Lunch time each day in the Robotics room. Students who are interested can email Mr Russell to learn more.

Andrew Russell
Technology Learning Area Leader

The Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) provides payments for eligible students to attend activities like:

• school camps or trips
• swimming and school-organised sports programs
• outdoor education programs
• excursions and incursions.

Key Assets Victoria is a not-for-profit foster care agency operating in the East, South & West of Melbourne.

There is currently a great need for new foster families. If you have thought about foster care, please get in touch and ask the questions you have always wanted to.

Ring: Key Assets 1800 932 237 or 1800 WE CARE
Email: info@keyassets.org.au
Web:  or