Newsletter Edition 17 / 2024, November 11

Dear Emmanuel College families

Following the recent announcement that Principal Peter Morgan will conclude his role at the end of Term 1, 2025, the governing body of Emmanuel College, Mercy Education Ltd., has commenced the recruitment process to appoint a new Principal of Emmanuel College, to begin in 2025. An important part of this process is consultation with the Emmanuel College community. This will include an invitation for Emmanuel College families to contribute to the consultation process by completing a survey that will be distributed via Operoo this week. If you have any questions around the process, please email: info@emmanuel.vic.edu.au

A Message from Mrs Claire Wrigley

Bus Travellers 
The bus coordinator has asked us to remind families/students that only students that are registered to travel on specific country buses can use this service; the service is not to be used for sports training/work/social purposes. Parents/Carers are to make their own arrangements in this regard. We appreciate your support with this.
Uniform Expectations 
Pride in school uniform is important as it reflects upon the whole school community and is a presentation of those who have come before us and those who will come after us at Emmanuel College.  We have been and will continue to target the key areas below:

1.  All students must be wearing a blazer to and from school, regardless if you are dropped off in the car by parents.
2. White polo shirts are not to be worn for PE classes and with PE shorts.
3. Length of dresses - hem of dress should be just above the knee, (several students need to address the length of their dress)
4. Hats need to be worn in open spaces and on ovals during recess and lunchtime.
5. Jewellery - 2 earrings ONLY permitted per ear and Nose rings/studs are NOT permitted, students will be asked to remove them while at school.

Should students continue uniform breaches, contact will be made with parents. We ask for parents' assistance with ensuring your child is in the correct and expected standard of uniform each day.

School TV - SPECIAL REPORT: Navigating AI Relationships
Despite governments globally moving towards raising the minimum age for social media access due to mounting concerns about the negative effects on youth mental health and wellbeing, there's now an even newer challenge on the horizon - the rise of romantic and companion AI bots. These virtual companions are becoming increasingly popular with young people, raising serious questions about privacy, ethics, and the future of relationships in the digital age.
The rise of AI-powered relationships is offering a new frontier in human interaction. Initially emerging in the gaming world, AI companionship has evolved into mainstream culture, with apps providing personalised experiences that range from platonic friendships to romantic encounters. These interactions can blur the boundaries between real and virtual relationships, creating confusion and potential psychological harm.
Criminologists warn that children as young as 12 are accessing dating apps, often bypassing age restrictions, exposing them to sexual content and predatory behaviour. Researchers have also found that many adolescents are turning to virtual partners for validation, risking unhealthy emotional attachments that can affect real-life relationships.
As AI reshapes social dynamics, it's crucial to stay informed and engaged. While AI can enhance education and creativity, it also presents challenges around privacy, mental health, and misinformation. This Special Report below, will help you foster an open dialogue and balanced approach to help young people navigate this evolving digital landscape.

Mrs Claire Wrigley
Assistant Principal - Students 

Navigating AI Relationships

Respect Cup 2024

On Friday, October 15, Emmanuel College along with Mercy Regional College Camperdown, and Trinity College Colac, came together for the 2024 Respect Cup. Here is a reflection from Year 9 Emmanuel student Oliver Rae.

On Friday the 25th of October, a select group of Year 9 students from the Emmanuel Rice Campus met with Trinity College and Mercy Regional at the Terang Recreational Reserve. There we indulged in a range of activities with a focus on  Domestic Violence and Equality. We started the day off by listening to a former Adelaide Crows and Gold Coast Suns AFLW player, Sally Riley. Sally is the current Ballarat Rebels Women's coach and spoke about her experience in footy. A positive example that she used was the time that some of the AFL men's team at Gold Coast buying a coffee for her and inviting the women into the life at Gold coast Suns. She was quite grateful and didn’t expect it after years of neglect for women in footy. This was quite early in the stages of AFLW and something like this was rare to come across. After Sally’s speech, students proposed solutions to problems including Domestic Violence and Men’s Mental Health. Jack Hogan and Ella McLaren were among these people and their movement was to raise more awareness about Men’s Mental Health in the school by means of a guest speaker and introducing Majak Daw’s story. Other ideas on the day included a drop box and CHECK IN cards. All the ideas were rated by three experts that dedicated their time for the event. After the speakers and morning tea, Mixed netball followed. This was a round-robin event with six teams of ten participating. Emmanuel just missed out on the final which led to Trinity College taking home the cup defeating Mercy Regional in the final. Overall, the day was a great learning experience and social event for everyone there to take away. 

Sports News

GWR Basketball
Last Thursday we had three teams travel to the Selkirk Stadium in Ballarat to compete in the Greater Western Regional finals for Basketball.
The Year 7 Boys were off to a flying start against Monivae in the opening game. After some adjustment , Monivae increased their  defensive effort to narrow the lead and make it a very close encounter. The boys rallied and came home strong to win 63-49. They continued this form into game 3 against Timboon where they dominated the game winning 53-20. In the grand final they were up against a very competitive Warracknabeal team. In an exciting contest Emmanuel did not lead until the final seconds to win the game 32-30. Thanks to trainee Oscar Pollock and Coach Mr James Byrne for leading the way.
TEAM: Archie Shiells, Buddy MacDonald, Ollie Marris, Oscar Stewart, Ethan Alexander, Oisin Loughran, Ryan Wilke, Lenny Buckle, Jay Moloney-Smith.

The Year 8 Girls played some excellent basketball throughout the day. They narrowly went down to Ballarat HS in game 1 - 33-23 in a terrific encounter. They bounced back strongly in game 2 defeating Trinity College 63-33. This led them to the playoff for position 3 and 4. In the final game the girls played a free flowing game which led to them winning the match against Horsham College 67-45. Congratulations to the amazing effort by the girls and trainee Kate Noseda for her words of wisdom as coach.
TEAM : Charlotte Smedts, Dusty Robertson, Edie Batt, Gemma Dance, Harper McInerney, Lena Watty, Lucy Howland, Poppy Monk, Sophie Brown and Zoe Dobson 

The Year 8 boys played some excellent basketball also on the day. Game 1 against Ballarat HS was a very tough encounter. After leading most of the game, Ballarat rallied late to take the lead late in the game. After some excellent team defence the boys bounced back to win the game 37-36. In game 2 the team showed great poise to hold out Monivae College 66-29. In the Grand Final the boys were matched against a very strong Horsham team. The boys were able to  get off to a great start, and with great depth in personnel were able to hold on for the win 67-45.
TEAM: Archie Thomas, Billy Schrama, Blake Wood, Damon Warburton, Fergus Reaburn, Frankie Wolff, Gano Akoch, Isaiah Dawson, Jamieson Nelson and Kobe Steel.
Congratulations to all students for their efforts, and team spirit. The Year 7 and 8 Boys are now off to the State Finals next Monday.
Thanks to our Coaches Mr Byrne & Mr Smith, trainees Oscar and Kate for helping and supporting the students on the day, and Year 9 and 10 Students Mali, Julian, Connor, Zac and Ollie that came to help out with refereeing and scoring.
Mr Shane Smith,
Director of McAuley

Library News

UNO Competition Term 4
17 students participated in the UNO competition held in the Library Reading Room for Term 4 with Sophie Ierodiaconou being the winner for the Term 4 competition.  Jess Kelly and Dahlia Manytuil were equal second place.
Year 12s Exam Study
The Year 12s have been using their laptops and books and the whiteboards in the Meeting Rooms of the Library for their exam preparation each day.  The students are to be commended on the way that they have studied, finding the best way to study and the most suitable study space in the Library.  The whiteboards have proven useful to demonstrate the knowledge they have already and to work out what other topics they need to look over.

Musical 2025
Ms Davies has placed posters of possible musical productions that could be put on by Emmanuel College in 2025.  Students last week had the opportunity to enter the competition to see if they can nominate the chosen musical.
International School Library Month
Students from Ms Brisbane’s Year 7 English classes have visited the Library recently to make bookmarks that we will send to Portugal and Canada as part of the Bookmark Exchange program for this year.  In return, we will receive bookmarks from these two countries.

  Thanks to the Year 7s for helping out with the creation of the bookmarks, featuring images of Warrnambool, Emmanuel College and Australia.
Year 7 Students Borrowing and Reading
Ms Gibbons and her Year 7 English class have been visiting the Library to borrow and do quiet reading during last week, making use of the Library Tiered Seating Area.

Mrs Margaret Sinnott
Library Coordinator

UNO Competition

Year 12s Exam Study

2025 Musical

Year 7 Borrowing & Reading

Performance Arts News

VCE Drama
This week has been busy in Drama with preparation for the VCE Drama Performance SAC.
Unit 2 students were required to devise, script and perform a 7-minute performance using a prescribed structure. The structures suggest theatre styles, dramatic elements, theatre conventions, production areas and expressive skills to use. The class are commended for their performances which displayed a wide range of interpretations.

Music
On Friday we were lucky enough to have a visit from Dr Jo Heaton from Yamaha Outreach Education. Jo specialises in band and orchestra conducting and presented workshops for our music staff as well as curriculum development. Jo is the Director of Music at Haileybury College Melbourne.

Megan Davies,
Head of Performing Arts & Instrumental Music Coordinator

Social Justice - St Vinnies Christmas Appeal

This year for the Vinnies Christmas Appeal our Junior School, and Year 9 classes, are organising a donation drive throughout November to make Christmas a bit brighter for those in need within our community.
We are asking each homeroom in Year 7,8 & 9 to put together a hamper/gift bag that will be donated to St. Vincent de Paul in Warrnambool at the start of December. These hampers/gift bags will be distributed to local families who could use a little extra support during the holiday season.
Each homeroom will collect items, and each student is asked to bring in one item.
We hope that this is a cause that our students can connect with and as homeroom groups take ownership of their specific contributions.
Please only participate at the level that you feel comfortable donating. 

Donation items could include:

• Christmas food items
• Non-perishable food items
• Christmas decorations
• Toiletries
• Small gifts (doesn’t have to be for children specifically)

This initiative is part of Emmanuel’s ongoing Social Justice program and will include discussions in class about the meaning of Christmas, the work St. Vincent de Paul does for our community, and how even small contributions from each of us can make a big difference when combined.

You can read more about the Vinnies Christmas Appeal here:
https://www.vinnies.org.au/vic/get-involved/fundraising/appeals/christmas-appeal 
We thank you for your support and look forward to together being able to support St Vincent de Paul and make a positive impact this holiday season! 

Natasha Cummings,
Social Justice Coordinator

Words for Wellbeing

Year 9 DARE Program
Gabbi from Brophy’s DARE program attended RICE in Week 4 to speak to Year 9’s about Substance Use and Harm Reduction. DARE offers education to groups and also provides ongoing 1 on 1 support with individuals who are going through challenges with substance use. 

Throughout the session, Gabbi touched on the following topics:

• Ways to reduce the harm caused by substance use 
• Ways to improve ability to form meaningful relationships 
• Ways to build coping strategies and alternatives to substance use 
• Ways to ensure current drug and alcohol use by young people does not escalate 
• Ways to access to appropriate services and help seeking where required
• Different types of drugs 
• Signs of drug and alcohol dependence, and the cycle of regular alcohol and drug taking
• Vaping laws 

Students, parents and teachers are encouraged to utilise the support of the Wellbeing team, who are here to offer support and resources around substance use, as well as referrals to the DARE Program at Brophy.
DARE Referral Form:
https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=soAu4fIhF0ygJbol_DHZkf7HgSQJ5oRHlKrSN02zx0FUQjhUODBCTjFMVEc5UjJBMk9PVVBXSlpWQi4u

Upcoming Events

Monday 11 November
Remembrance Day
VCE Exams continue
Sports Gala Day - Tennis, Volleyball, Hockey

Tuesday 12 November
Grade 5's Experience Emmanuel week

Friday 15 November
Leadership Investiture Ceremony
Year 11 Final Assembly

Monday 18 November
VCE Exams continue
Year 11 Unit 1/2 Exams commence
Year 7 Band Showcase

Thursday 21 November
Netball Academy Excursion
Year 12 Graduation

Monday 25 November
2025 Year 7 Parent Information Night

This Girl Can Week
This Girl Can Week is all about celebrating and supporting everyday women to get active in ways that suit them. This week the Warrnambool City Council has teamed up with locals to put together a calendar of over 20 free events.  Check them all out with the link below

Rotary Youth Exchange (RYE) Australia provides the opportunity of a lifetime for Australian high school students to live and study abroad. Students spend approximately 12 months living in their host country where they attend school and stay with local host families. In the host country, students will experience different foods, study different subjects, enjoy a new culture, and most likely learn a new language.

Who can apply

• Be in Year 9, 10 or 11 in 2025
• Be born between 01/07/2008 and 31/12/2010
• Be out-going, self confident, friendly, adaptable, adventurous, willing to learn a foreign language and have above average school grades.
• You do not have to be studying a language currently

Please see the attached information if you are interested. This program is not associated with Emmanuel College’s language program. For more information please contact:

chairye9780@gmail.com from RYE

Our Diocesan Community Newsletter
Please find below the link to the November 2024 Edition of “Our Diocesan Community’ sharing good news stories of our schools, parishes and agencies across the diocese.

Child Safety