Newsletter Edition 7 / 2024, May 20

Principal's Message

Dear Emmanuel College Families, 

The Sound of Music
The original “Sound of Music” is one of my all-time favourite films. It just makes you feel good, and the last week saw the youth version of this all-time favourite performed in Emmanuel’s Wyton Theatre to sell out audiences. Congratulations to the cast and crew who worked so hard to create the musical and perform six shows over three days, including one for local primary school students and residents from Mercy Place. Musical productions are open to all students at Emmanuel College regardless of their prior experience which means lots of new faces were seen on stage alongside those with several productions under their belt. When local media outlets asked me to comment about the College’s production of the “Sound of Music”, I said: Life is so much better with music and theatre. Being in the audience yesterday affirmed my belief that school theatre productions provide a welcoming, liberating space for young people to discover themselves and find their tribe. An audience member emailed me after the show to say:

I sat with a smile on my face from start to finish.  To see the joy on the students faces as they performed and particularly as they mingled with the crowd at the end of the show was heart-warming. This was their grand final, their winning experience!! As we know, if your talents lie in the arts your moments to shine are few and far between and so thank you for providing the opportunity within the school community for these talented students to have their moment. 

 It takes a lot of planning and effort to mount a musical production with rehearsals occurring weekly over several months before the final show reveals itself. I give my sincere thanks to the following staff and volunteers who made all of the magic possible; thank you!  

Producer: Megan Davies 
Director: Cindy Lee Morgan 
Musical Director: Dean Mulholland 
Vocal Director: Maria Carras Kerr 
Stage Manager: Jacki Caruthers 
Sets/Props: Candice Hampstead, Tina Jenkins, Hamish Alsop, Jacki Caruthers 
Costumes: Kathy McDonald, Megan Davies, Claire Murrihy, Sarah El-Hage 
Choreography: Natalie Turner, Layla Kermond 
Lighting & Sound: Tom Ward, Rianna Kelly, Cindy Lee Morgan, Logan Kelly 
Makeup & Hair: Natalie Elliot Jackson, Jo Wollerman, Chloe Mutton, Satwika Sivasankar 
Photography: Glen Watson 
Program & Marketing: Montanna McDonald, Melissa Crothers 

Message Stick
The important contribution Catholic education makes to our community was the focus of the recent Catholic Education Week. Its alignment with the 150th anniversary of the formation of the Ballarat diocese made this year’s celebration even more significant. In my previous report I referred to an Aboriginal message stick, one of five travelling across our diocese, one of which Emmanuel has been hosting and will today pass on to the Catholic school community of Camperdown. Four of these Message Sticks will be carried from school to school to remind us of the interconnectedness of all our school communities - from the Murray to the Sea. 

In Aboriginal culture, Message Sticks were passed between different clans and language groups to establish information and transmit messages.  They were often used to invite neighbouring groups to corroborees, initiation ceremonies, right of entry to country and invitation to religious rituals. To mark the 150th anniversary of the birth of the Catholic Diocese of Ballarat, five Aboriginal message sticks were gifted to carry the message to “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” (Romans 12:12) 

The story of the message stick:  From the Murray to the Sea the Creator Spirit spoke to the Ancestors thousands of years before Abraham and Moses.  The Creator Spirit touched the sacredness of country and all that had been created, gifting the ancestors with the law to care for country, the waterways, the animals and to co-exist with all that had been created. 

The symbols on the message stick: The journey track represents the 1000’s of students, and school staff and the many great gifts shared along the journey. 
The Southern Cross guides you as you travel in the four directions. 
The four U designs represent the leaders in the regions gathering to share stories, ideas and support each other. 
The two circles represent the river and the ocean waters. 

The right to disconnect 
You may be aware the Fair Work Act 2009 was recently updated to include provisions to give employees a workplace right to disconnect from communication received outside of their designated working hours. The new provision will take effect from August 26, 2024. In schools this includes communication from parents, students, colleagues, or others within the school community.  The College has been mindful of the right of employees to switch off for some time and has run the following message at the base of its emails:  
Emmanuel College staff access their work emails normally between 8:00am - 5:00pm and will endeavour to respond to emails within 24-48 hours.  
​However, staff are not expected to respond in this time frame during weekends, and public holidays and, for teaching staff, during term breaks and individual work hours for part-time staff. 

I ask all members of the school community to be aware of the new provision and to restrict communication with school staff to school work hours. If you communicate outside of these hours, please be aware the College does not expect its staff to respond until their next workday. 

State Budget Announcement  
Recently the Allan Labor Government announced a $400 School Saving Bonus for all school students in government schools regardless of income, but only for Health Care Card holders in Catholic schools. This is deeply unfair. We believe the payment should be means tested for all students or apply to all students. It should not be based on which school you attend.  

This policy punishes families for choosing to send their children to a Catholic school. 

This school, the Diocese and the peak body, the Victorian Catholic Education Authority, are working hard to oppose this policy and we need your help. We need to show the Victorian Government that punishing families who choose a Catholic school is unacceptable. Please consider contacting your local Member of Parliament to express your concern. 

Year 10 Camp
Finally, I send my best wishes to the staff and students taking part in the two Year 10 Camps running this week. They will travel to Melbourne and recognizing that students in Year 10 face some important decisions in the next few years with regards to employment and/or further study, the camp provides opportunities to visit and experience universities, residential colleges and the like to encourage them to begin exploring their future pathway in more detail. A very big thank you to the Emmanuel staff who will be away from their homes this week to provide the Year 10's with these experiences. 

Mercy Values
The Mercy values are a vital component of what makes our school a school in the Mercy tradition, and wonderful values to express in our daily life.

May I face each day with courage,
May I express hospitality when I greet others and make them feel welcome.
Help me to feel compassion for all those in need of love and kindness,
Give me the strength to fight for justice, even when others do not.

Help me to use the best of myself to be of service to others.
May I respect everyone I meet and the world in which we live, and may the same respect be returned to me.

Saint Joseph, pray for us.
May the spirit of Catherine McAuley and Edmund Rice guide us in all we do.
Amen.

Kind regards,

Mr Peter Morgan
Principal

A Message from Mrs Claire Wrigley

Ctrl Your Scroll
Last week Mick Slockwitch, Class of 2018, and Xavier from Ctrl Your Scroll, presented to Year 8 students about developing positive relationships with their phones. Below is a reflection  on the presentation by Rebecca in 8D:

As a year level, the Year 8’s watched the ‘Ctrl Your Scroll’ presentation on Tuesday the 7th of May. The presentation was in the Wyton Theatre. The purpose of the presentation was to educate teenagers about the effects of overusing their mobile phones and how to limit the amount of time spent on one's device. The takeaway message was to show teens how the overuse of devices and screen time can negatively affect them. I learnt multiple easy ways to reduce my screen time, and how large amounts of time on a phone is a negative for us all. The presentation also made me realize that the more time I spend on a screen, the less time I get to spend with my friends and on interests.

Safety crossing roads 
We encourage parents to have a conversation with your child about safe travel to and from school, in particular students who walk towards South Warrnambool. Residents have reported seeing Emmanuel College students crossing the highway in an unsafe manner rather than using the crossing.  For student safety we encourage students to use traffic lights or the school crossings when moving across the highway.

Snapchat 
It has come to our attention that students are joining large snap chat groups with some as large as 80 students involved. Emmanuel college has no affiliation with any snap chat groups and discourages students joining large snap chat groups. In our experience these groups can include students from other schools or people they don’t know and often the larger the group the more exposure to inappropriate material and conversations. Please speak with your child about any snapchat groups they may be a part of and we suggest that groups are kept to close friends only, made private and limited in numbers.

Mrs Claire Wrigley
Assistant Principal - Students 

Student Voice - Anh Do, The Happiest Refugee

Year 10 English Elective Students and Mrs Helen Hodson, 
The Year 10 English Elective class journeyed to the Lighthouse Theatre on Wednesday evening to watch Anh Do’s ‘The Happiest Refugee’. The evening started with a group dinner at Bojangles, which filled our bellies with delicious food and hearts with great conversation. We then ventured across to the theatre where we were met with Anh’s energy and passion as he shared his family’s story. Filled with emotional highs and lows. Anh’s show traverses the tribulations of fleeing pirates and nearly dying from thirst and starvation, to safely arriving in Australia, not Austria, where Anh and his family were greeted with hospitality and the opportunities that have seen himself and his siblings all lead successful lives.  

As a class we would like to thank the teachers, Mrs Helen Hodson and Ms Rebecca Thompson, for taking the time to organise the evening. To the staff at Bojangles for a great meal and for making us feel so welcome. Thanks also goes to the staff at the Lighthouse Theatre for providing us with the opportunity to see performers such as Anh Do, without having to travel far from home. 

Faith & Mission - Catholic Identity

Last week we welcomed the arrival of one of five message sticks which will travel around the Ballarat Diocese as part of their 150th anniversary celebrations. 

Two of our Year 7 classes, accompanied by Mrs Brigid Foard and Mr Sean Fitzgibbon, participated in a liturgy facilitated by Mrs Jacinta Skilbeck. We are very grateful for all those who read so well and participated in the liturgy. Students were told of the importance of the message stick, with the following excerpt written by Vicki Clarke OAM.

In Aboriginal culture, Message Sticks were passed between different clans and language groups to establish information and transmit messages. They were often used to invite neighbouring groups to corroborees, initiation ceremonies, right of entry to country and invitation to religious rituals.

To mark the 150th anniversary of the birth of the Ballarat Diocese, five Message Sticks were gifted to carry the message to: Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer (Romans 12:12).

From the Murray to the Sea the Creator Spirit spoke to the Ancestors thousands of years before Abraham and Moses. The Creator Spirit touched the sacredness of country and all that had been created, gifting the Ancestors with the Law to care for country, the water ways, care for the animals and co-exist with all that has been created.

When a Message Stick is handed to you from another person, you are the custodian of an Aboriginal artefact and it should only be passed to another worthy custodian.  - Vicki Clarke OAM

The scripture reading chosen, was originally written by St Paul to the early Roman Christian community, and could be just as relevant to us today. (Romans 12: 9-13)

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervour, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

We concluded the liturgy with the following prayer, and a reflection song about reconciliation by Yirrmal & Jordie Lane ‘For Everyone’ - https://youtu.be/bhXDCXEVixI?feature=shared

Loving God,
We give thanks for the imagination and courage of those who have gone before us.
We are grateful for the inspiring efforts and dedication of our founders and those who followed in their footsteps, who helped to create a lifelong journey of learning for generations of students.
In the words of Catherine McAuley "We should be shining lamps, giving light to all around us".
May we continue to shine a light on this journey for each other, and for future generations. 
May we walk together towards reconciliation.
May we find joy in every day and in our hopes for the future.
May we be patient with others as well as ourselves.
May we be open to a prayerful journey centred on faith.
May we walk as people of hope, live as people of faith, and grow as people of love.
Saint Joseph, pray for us.
May the spirit of Catherine McAuley and Edmund Rice guide us in all we do. Amen.

Mrs Jacinta Skilbeck
Director of Faith & Mission

2024 Yearbook Order

This year the College has updated the way in which the Yearbook is ordered (previously purchased via student booklists.)

This year we have sent out an Operoo to parents with an attached Jotform, to order and purchase your Yearbook. Click the button below if you wish to order a 2024 Yearbook. 

Expected delivery time for the Yearbook is Term 1, 2025.
This form closes Friday 31st May 2024.

Inter-school Chess Competition

On the 8th of May, Emmanuel College hosted the first Inter-School Chess tournament of the year. There were five different schools that participated in the tournament. After a great day of chess, Emmanuel College managed to convincingly win the competition with Team A and Team B taking the first two positions. Even though Emmanuel players from Teams A and B played against each other in the tournament, this proved to be a great experience for our players. The overall points scored by the School teams were as follows. 

Emmanuel College has qualified to send two teams of players to the States competition held in Melbourne towards the end of the year.  Listed below are the first ten positions of our players from the tournament.

I would like to congratulate all of our players on a very successful day of chess. It always takes a team to win a competition. Each and every player’s contribution in the competition, directly and indirectly determines the final outcome at the end of seven rounds of chess. We look forward to the next competition.

Mr Andrew McKenzie
Chess Club Coordinator

Sports Update

Gala Days
In week 4 the College held two Gal Days for Year 9 - 12 students on Tuesday the 7th of May and Year 7 & 8 on Friday the 10th. The intermediates and senior students participated in Basketball for the Boys and a combination of Netball and Basketball for the Girls, while the Junior school had the choice of Soccer, Netball or Football. The idea for the day is maximum participation while also allowing coaches of the school's representative teams to see all the players involved and selected squads. Over the two days, we had around 650 students take part. Well done and congratulations to all involved, winners of the competitions can be found below.

• Year 7 Football- Egan
• Year 8 Football- McAuley
• Year 7 Netball- Maguire
• Year 8 Netball- Maguire
• Year 7-8 Soccer- Egan
• Intermediate/Senior Boys Basketball- Maguire
• Intermediate/Senior Girls Netball- Rice
• Intermediate/Senior Girls Basketball- McAuley/Rice

Senior Girls Premier Footy
The Senior Girls Premier Football team made the trip to Melbourne on Wednesday the 8th of May for their Pool match against last year's Champions SEDA. Playing at Kevin Bartlett reserve, our team struggled with the strong SEDA team losing 131-7. Scarlett O’Donnell was best on for the College team also kicking a goal. Other best included Layla Nicolson, Marnie Beks, Anna Dickson and Lila Evans. 

WD Girls Football 
On Monday the 13th of May the College was represented by over 100 girls in Year 7&8 and 9&10 Girls Football. Playing Warrnambool College and Brauer, our students showed great skill and determination. The Intermediate Girls Team won through undefeated, as did the Junior Girls team. They now both progress to the Region finals with the intermediates taking part on Tuesday the 21st of May in Hamilton and Juniors competing on the 13th of June in Warrnambool. 

WD Cross Country 
Last Tuesday the 14th of May the school was represented by around 70 athletes at WD Cross Country. Winding around the Woodford area our students posted some exceptional times, also managing to win the school championship. Unfortunately, there has been an error with the document containing the Girl's results for the day which we are waiting to be finalised, however, we have been sent the Boy's results which can be seen below. Good luck to those who finished in the top 12 and now progress to the GWR Finals held at Albert Park on Monday the 27th of May. 
Boys Cross Country Results 

Mr Alastair Templeton
Sports & Lunchtime Activities Coordinator

Equestrian Results

The PETStock 2024 Victorian Interschools Equestrian State Championships were held at Werribee Park National Equestrian Centre 6-10 April. Emmanuel College had a team of 6 riders competing across several disciplines over the duration of the competition.

Saturday saw Ella Gapes and Doc Holliday compete in the senior 65cm secondary combined training, Bree Holcher on Lockdown Jack in the secondary 80cm combined training, Bethany Dyson on Arthur of Sir Falkirk in the secondary 80cm combined training. Ellie O’Conell and Mookatomique in the 65cm secondary combined training and Tilly Gapes and Dhary Glenlyon in the secondary 80cm combined training.

Sunday was the sport horse classes, Tilly taking out 4^th overall in the junior secondary also the first of 3 days of jumping. Ella competing in senior 70cm on Doc Holliday placing 8^th overall, Bethany Dyson on Say Something 90cm jumping placing 7^th overall, Niamh McGoldrick and Garnet Bram in the secondary 70cm  jumping, Tilly Gapes on Dhary Glenlyon intermediate secondary 80cm placing 15^th overall.

I would like to congratulate the team on their team spirit and support they showed not only to their own school team members but also extended to competitors from other schools. In addition to the day competition, there were evening activities everyday and the team represented the school outstandingly in these also. A highlight for me was watching Ella in the hobbyhorse championship. It was a pleasure to watch all the teams. Emmanuel College placed 18^th out of 161 schools across the state. It was great to see some former Emmanuel students and Equestrian team members there as well. Charlotte and Hannah Dyson were there both working and supporting the team.

- Morven Reilly

Library News

Melbourne Writers Festival Excursion
The Student Book Club attended the Melbourne Writers Festival Secondary Schools Program on Tuesday May 7 at the State Library of Victoria. Across the four sessions of the day, award winning authors and illustrators engaged the students in a broad range of topics. 

The presenters were:
Biffy James, author of Completely Normal (and other lies).  Biffy spoke about growing up, heartbreak, happiness and why there’s more to life than just feeling ‘fine’.

Mike Lucas, author of What We All Saw.  Mike spoke about scary stories, about ghosts, goosebumps and monsters and why some things scare us. Mike taught the group about the mechanisms of horror, the themes, the tropes and the words used.

Steve Mushin, author and illustrator of Ultrawild : an audacious plan for rewilding every city on Earth.  Steve creatively spoke about the science and ludicrous ideas that are successfully reimagining the future – helping the environment and making our world a better place to live.

Astrid Scholte, author of Four Dead Queens. Astrid spoke about her journey to becoming a published author and working on some films such as James Cameron’s Avatar and Steven Spielberg’s The Adventures of Tintin.

There was time to meet the presenters and browse the bookshop.

National Simultaneous Story Time
On Wednesday May 22 students across Australia will read the book Bowerbird Blues by Aura Parker. Here at Emmanuel College we will also be participating in the event with many classes taking the opportunity to participate.

VPRC
Students in Years 7-10 are reminded that they can participate in the Victorian Premiers’ Reading Challenge. Please see Mrs Sinnott for your log in details. On the VPRC site students can then record the books that they have read.

International School Library Month
Last year for International School Library Month (October) we were paired with a school in Tamil Nadu, India. At the end of last year we mailed to India the 200 hand made bookmarks. We have just received our 200 hand made bookmarks from India in the last week. They are proudly displayed in the Library with some information about the project and Tamil Nadu. Students and staff are welcome to choose a bookmark to take and use.

CBCA Shadow Judging
The Student Book Club has begun the task of judging each of the six picture books in the Children’s Book Council Picture Book category. The students will read each of the books, discuss the books and make a creative response. After the six books have been read over a period of months, students will then decide as a group which book they think should win that category. Students will complete a Reading Journal to help record their thoughts on each book. Thanks to the students involved in this worthwhile program.

Sora Sweet Reads
On one of our digital reading platforms, Sora, students and staff can access over 160 books – all at the one time.  Groups of friends can decide to read the same book – there is no waiting around for someone else to return it. Students use their school computer log in and password to gain access. Have a look at: https://soraapp.com/library/emmanuelau

The Standard 
Each student can gain access to The Standard newspaper through being an Emmanuel student. If they haven’t logged in as yet they will need to create an account. Once their school details are logged they will be able to read the newspaper and get an update by email each evening at 6pm to know the news of the day.  Please ask Mrs Sinnott if there are any issues with logging in.

Mrs Margaret Sinnott
Library Coordinator

Words for Wellbeing

Cyber safety 
Emmanuel College recently hosted Victoria Police Members Brooke Pollock and John Keats who prepared the below report for us and have provided some tips on how to report cyber bullying.

Celebration of IDAHOBIT Day at Emmanuel 
Schools play a crucial role in educating students about creating a world that is filled with inclusion and acceptance and free from discrimination. 

See the attached School TV link for education and information about IDAHOBIT Day -
https://emmanuel.vic.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/special-report-celebrating-idahobit-au

Visit our Facebook page to watch the Year 8 students form their own rainbow -
https://fb.watch/sanyu9eXxR/

Diversity Month 
Activities continue across the school to celebrate Diversity month in May. One of these activities was making diversity bracelets in the library at lunchtime, which turned out to be very popular! A range of sensory materials were provided for the students to make colourful wristbands and for three days the reading room was packed with avid beaders. All of the materials for this project were donated by staff and students who may have had left overs from recent Taylor Swift mania! We thank them for their generosity. 

Another activity ran by the Wellbring Team was a poster making competition celebrating Neurodiversity.  Poster competition winners are: 
1st Place  - Dakota Symons, Year 7 
2nd Place - Isabella Dillon, Year 9 
Equal 3rd Place - Mia Hetherington, Year 10 
Grace McConnell, Year 7
Vani Singh, Year 7

Congratulations to everyone who entered the competition! As you can see below, the end results of the posters are fantastic. 

Strong Girls
Each Wednesday a group of Year 9 girls get together in The Chapel at the RICE campus to get to know each other and have some fun. So far this term we have done lots of getting to know each other ice breaker activities, looking at our character strengths, a Just Dance session and everyone’s favourite a Lolly Salad!

Click here to watch the girls make their Lolly Salad -
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1B4IeTL3j7DurAxxzxu9gXAfvl3qy8Jov/view?usp=sharing 

Drive Coach

Zine Making Workshop with Sticky Institute

Zine Making Workshop with Sticky Institute at the Port Fairy Library in partnership with Port Fairy Winter Weekends. Tickets to this workshop are FREE.

Click here for more information and to reserve your spot -
https://www.cmlibraries.com.au/WhatsOn/PortFairyZineMakingWorkshop 

Warrnambool and Moyne Youth Strategy Co-Design Panel

Warrnambool Repair Cafe

Upcoming Events

Monday May 20
Year 10 Camp (all week)

Tuesday May 21
GWR Intermediate Girls Football

Friday May 24
Try a Career Day - Year 9
AGAT Tesing - Year 9

Monday May 27
Year 9 Immersion Week 2 (all week)
GWR Cross Country

Wednesday May 29
Senior Boys Premier League Football

Thursday May 30
Whole School Assembly - Reconciliation Week - 9AM

Monday June 3
Intermediate Boys Football
Intermediate & Senior Girls Netball

Tuesday June 4
Japan Trip Information Meeting - 6PM

Child Safety