Newsletter Edition 14 / 2024, September 16

Principal's Message

Dear Emmanuel College Families,

For the first time since 2019 twenty Emmanuel students with their three teachers departed yesterday for Japan.  Arriving in Tokyo late yesterday they will spend the next week attending Oberlin High School and experience learning alongside their host sisters and brothers.  The relationship with Oberlin High School is a long-standing one and has withstood the global pandemic.  It is a wonderful experience for a young person to travel to another country, experience the cultural differences and learn not only the language, but much about themself.  Leading the group are teachers So Ota and Sawako Suzuki and Assistant Principal, Justin Houlihan, who are volunteering their time to make the trip and the experience possible.  Thank you to So, Sawako and Justin, and to Julia Smith, the Head of Languages.  With the hiatus that’s occurred since the last Japan trip much has changed from a compliance and child safety perspective, and Julia has completed extensive risk assessments and paperwork to enable this trip to proceed.  At the same time, the College is host to five students from Toyo High School in Tokyo.  Emmanuel College has seen a growing interest in the number of students from Toyo High School requesting to spend a term at Emmanuel as part of the internation language course they complete at their school.  They are most welcome as I know our students will be when they arrive at Oberlin today.
2025 Leadership
Among the many things happening in the last fortnight interviews for the 2025 Student Leadership Team, including the College Captains, have been underway.  Each year I am impressed by the calibre of young people attending the College and who put their hands up to lead the student body and the College community.  The selection process is rigorous comprising applications, speeches, in-house training, interviews and voting which all contribute to the final selection.  Thank you to Student Leadership Coordinator, Julian Claridge who completed this year’s process resulting in the following students being announced today as the 2025 College Captains and Student Leadership Team.

Congratulations to the 2025 College Captains:
Hannah Van De Camp
Flynn El Hage
Evie McCosh
Charlie McKinnon

House Leaders:

There is a strong record of student leadership at Emmanuel College and with the 2025 Captains and House Leaders announced this morning this is set to continue.  Sincere thanks also go to the many young people who put themselves forward for these positions.  We understand the disappointment of not being included in the final selection.
This Friday the College is celebrating Emmanuel Day “through the decades” with everyone encouraged to get into the spirit and dress according to their allocated decade from the 70s to the 2000s.
Most schools have some form of annual celebration day that’s unique to each school and its culture. Schools variously call their day Founders Day, Mercy Day, Feast Day and so on.  Emmanuel Day has its own special and unique feel with twin emphasis on fun and fund raising for Mercy Works and the Edmund Rice Foundation, representing the ongoing charitable works of the Sisters of Mercy and the Christian Brothers. The day takes loads of organising and I thank Assistant Principal Claire Wrigley for her great organisation and attention to detail.  Thank you, Claire, without your oversight the day would not be the success it promises to be.
The term will conclude at 2.30pm at the end of Emmanuel Day on Friday and term four will resume on Monday 7 October.  I wish staff members and students a restful break and a chance to recharge their batteries ahead of term four.  Best wishes to our Year 12 students who are completing their final, internal assessments this week, with many undertaking trial exams during the holidays.
Please note the hours of the College Office are reduced to 8am – 3:30pm during the first week of the holidays, Monday to Thursday, with Friday being a public holiday, our office is closed during the second week of the term break.  See you in term four!

Mr Peter Morgan
Principal

A Message from Mrs Claire Wrigley

Homeroom/Mentor group Planning for 2025
The year level teams will  begin preparing homerooms and mentor groups for 2025. The year level team invests a great deal of time and discernment in developing homeroom groups for a new school year.
We are aware that moving into a new school year creates for some students a level of anxiety, however it is important to understand that we are dealing with a number of variables that influence the makeup of homeroom and mentor groups. Such variables include elective choices, students with individual learning plans, teacher observation and feedback and classroom dynamic, and in the senior school the student’s house group. Year 9 students entering senior school are to remain in their house group.
As students transition through the school, we also encourage them to work with other students and become less reliant on being with their friends, and as such build resilience to become independent learners.
In the senior school students will be in a vertical homeroom structure with students from their house group from Year 10 to 12, whilst all academic classes are entirely dependent upon their subject selection. Students currently in Year 9 will not be moved out of their current house for senior school. Generally speaking we do not put siblings into the same mentor group however, if you would like to request siblings to be together, please email the Year 9 coordinator.
If you have any concerns about your child’s 2025 homeroom/mentor group, please communicate with their current Year Level Coordinator in writing by Friday 20 September, via email so we can keep your concerns on record. 
This way we can hopefully address these concerns before homeroom/mentor group lists are published, as after publication, changes become very difficult to accommodate. Changes will not be made unless there are extenuating circumstances and a process for review would be followed by senior college leadership. Requests for specific teachers cannot be accommodated in fairness to all students. 

Year level coordinators:
Year 7 - Karen Hetherington -  KHetherington@emmanuel.vic.edu.au
Year 8 - Annabelle Morton - amorton@emmanuel.vic.edu.au
Year 9 - Ben Brisbane - bbrisbane@emmanuel.vic.edu.au

Child safety - Ardlie Street School Crossing 
We please ask that parents collecting their children from Ardlie Street are mindful not to park near the crossing. “No parking” is signed in this area and this car free zone allows for clear visual access for the crossing supervisor and therefore ensures safe access for students as they cross the road at the crossing. This is happening in the afternoons only and we have been informed that if it continues it may be reported to relevant authorities and fines issued.
We remind parents that there is onsite access to collect your child at The Stage and the student pick zone off Botanic Road on the Goold driveway We appreciate your support with this matter.

Emmanuel Day Friday Sept 20 
Thanks to all the families who have purchased wristbands through your wonderful support of Emmanuel Day.  To ensure the smooth running of the day, students are required to purchase a wristband enabling access to over 20 activities. Wristbands are $15 (+50c Trybooking fee  + EFT processing fee). There will be prizes to be won at some of the activities, and for best dressed students, the day will conclude with the much anticipated ‘Emmanuel’s Got Talent’.
Tickets on sale please access via try-booking link - 

https://www.trybooking.com/CULNZ

Please note term 3 concludes at 2.25pm and buses will run as normal coming to collect students at the earlier finishing time.

Mrs Claire Wrigley
Assistant Principal - Students 

VCE History

The National Gallery of Victoria (NGV)
Between June to October, the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) is hosting the exhibition, ‘Pharaoh’. This is a once-in-a-generation exhibition that is being shown in conjunction with the British Museum, who have donated a huge number of Ancient Egyptian artefacts to display. The artefacts - ranging from jewellery, reliefs, coffins, stelas and statues - come from all of the major periods of ancient Egyptian history including the Old, Middle and New Kingdoms.
Setting off in the wee hours on a wet, windy August morning, the Year 11 and Year 12 Ancient History students attended this exhibition, and saw up-close-and-personal, the Egyptian artefacts on display. Amazingly, many of these artefacts are ones that have been analysed in class, so having the opportunity to see them in person was marvellous. Many of the household names of Egyptian pharaonic history were represented, from Ramesses II to Tutankhamun. The extraordinary level of craftsmanship of many of the items - especially the rings, necklaces and statues, was incredible - especially when considering that many of the pieces were made more than 4,500 years ago.
A big thanks to all of the students and their parents who had to get to Emmanuel so early that morning, as well as Pat for driving and fellow VCE History teacher, Mr Lee, for attending.

Mr Peter Morton
Humanities Co-ordinator

NGV

Arts News

The Young Portrait Prize
Emmanuel College students have made a big impact at The Young Portrait Prize, an event dedicated to celebrating both the creativity and originality of young artists. This competition offers a platform for young people to showcase their artwork and honour special individuals in their lives.
Among the impressive collection of over 1500 pieces displayed at the WAG – Warrnambool Art Gallery, which will be on display until October 20, 12 artworks have been selected for inclusion in the 2025 Young Portrait Prize Calendar.
We proudly announce that two of these selected works come from Emmanuel College artists! Current Year 7 student Francesca Di Cesare and former student Lucy McLaren.
Congratulations to both Francesca and Lucy for this outstanding achievement in such a large competitive field. Your creativity and talent surely have a big future.

Music News

Exciting news from Warrnambool’s music scene! This past Saturday’s Triple J outdoor ‘One Night Stand’ was an absolute hit, with a lot of pride to be had for Heidi Gass, myself and the entire VET Music department with some familiar faces gracing the stage.
We’re especially proud of Flynn Gurry, former VET Music student, dominating the stage and wowing the audience. On the back of winning this year’s Triple J Unearthed, and touring internationally, Flynn flew in from Scotland just for this event before heading back to continue recording his new material. Surrounded by this management team, it’s incredible to think it was only a few years ago we had Flynn in VET Music class, amazing to see how far he’s come since this VET Music days!
Another past VET student strutting the stage and getting the crowd revved up in a big way was no other than our very own Grace Kenny….aka GK!!! Grace brought her usual high energy to the stage, captivating a local audience, her love of music and performing and growing presence in the industry is a testament to her passion and talent.
We’re thrilled to see our former students achieving such success the very positive reflection these guys are giving in their industry/media correspondence relating to performance skills and industry preparedness developed from their time in VET Music.

Mr Ian Leonard
Music and VET Music Teacher

Generative AI Update

Dear Parents and Guardians,
We are writing to inform you of an important update regarding the use of Generative AI (GenAI) technology within our school. For some time now, we have restricted access to GenAI tools on all school devices during school hours. This decision was made in the best interests of fostering independent learning and critical thinking skills in our students.
Recently, we have extended this restriction to include use of these laptops when not on school grounds. This means that while your child is using an Emmanuel device, they will not be able to access or use GenAI technologies.
Our main concern stems from the potential misuse of this technology in completing assignments. We want to ensure that students are learning, analysing, and engaging with their educational material in meaningful ways. GenAI can provide assistance, but it also poses a risk to the development of essential skills if used improperly.
Please be assured that we are not dismissing the potential benefits of this emerging technology. We are currently in the process of developing comprehensive policies for the future use of GenAI in our classrooms. However, before fully integrating it into the learning environment, we must carefully consider the ethical implications and how it aligns with our commitment to academic integrity and the holistic development of your child.
We appreciate your support as we continue to navigate the impact of new technologies in education, and we will keep you updated as our policies evolve.

Kind regards,
Ms Simone Rolfe

Seeds of Justice

Anglesea – September 5^th & 6^th
Recently we had the privilege of attending the Seeds of Justice event in Anglesea which is run by Mercy Education. The event involved coming together with many other Mercy schools to discuss important social justice issues in our communities.
The conversations were led by two inspirational speakers, Haley Marriot and Sophie Rowan.
Hayley shared with us her role in the support and advocacy of family violence victims and homeless mothers and children. Started by the Sisters of Mercy, McAuley Social Services for Women was created to provide a safe environment for women and children with various locations including North Melbourne and Footscray and Ballarat. They provide safe and affordable permanent housing and short stay apartments with support services.
Hayley shed light on how prevalent these issues are in our communities and how crucial it is that we keep meeting the demands to support victims, whether that be more housing, psychological support, guidance or education. We were educated on some root causes that lead to family violence and reflected on how some simple actions and mindsets that may seem insignificant now can in fact lead to more serious things.
The Mercy philosophy is to never accept the status quo if it is not fair and just and it was amazing to see how that same mindset is still consistently forefront in the minds of these organisations.
Domestic Violence hotline: 1800RESPECT
Our second speaker Sophie was a past student of Mercy Regional College, Camperdown, who is extremely passionate about social justice and showed us how it can be implemented in future job and career paths. From the amazing places she has visited like Cambodia and Micronesia she encouraged us to seize whatever opportunities come before us and how escaping your comfort zone can lead to building confidence for the future. Her constant open-minded outlook led her to many new adventures and opportunities, including her current job working as a Health Advisor for the United Nations in Micronesia.
During her period living in Micronesia, she completely immersed herself in their culture and traditions so that she could form connections and have a deeper knowledge of the way they go about their lives. This helped her when it came to working as a Health Advisor as she was able to advocate for their needs because she had taken the time to really understand the issues they faced. Immersing ourselves was a major theme of her talk, she challenged us to see where we can implement that sort of mindset into our lives. She also placed a big emphasis on forming connections and networking, which she describes as not only a business term but also a more casual way of asking questions and talking to people because you never know where it could lead you to.
This is very applicable to us as we start to enter into the next phase of our lives whether that be university, the workplace or something completely different.
This was an amazing opportunity to gather with the like minded people and learn and discuss Social Justice as more than just a concept. We look forward to bringing these understandings back to Emmanuel and growing and sharing how we can all make a difference when we are more aware.
Evie McCosh, Hilary Hannagan, Oscar Cooke – Yr 11 Leaders.

Sports Update

Clay Target State Titles
In the recent Clay Target State Titles held in Echuca, we had two exceptional competitors from our college -  Year 8 student Kayla Foley and Year 10 student Bridie Mason. Despite challenging windy conditions, Kayla hit 11 out of 30 targets, securing a commendable 6^th place in the state! Bridie, competing alongside another student, achieved an impressive 23 out of 30 targets, ultimately earning her 3^rd place in the state! As bottom age Senior Girls, we look forward to future success in the years to come.
Mrs Cathy Brown

Year 8 Netball State Finals
Last Thursday afternoon the Year 8 girls travelled to Melbourne to participate at the Waverley Netball Centre to compete in the State Netball Finals on Friday. The girls played three pool games, winning 2 out of 3 to qualify for the semi-final. In the semi they played brilliantly and were stiff to lose by 2 goals in double overtime!
Pool games –
Emmanuel 19 def St Helena 6
Emmanuel 26 def Mornington 5
Emmanuel 15 def by Catherine McAuley College 28
Semi Final–
Emmanuel 24 def by Western Heights 26
All of the girls represented the college in a fantastic manner, displaying a great level of skill and sportsmanship. A huge thanks to Coach Mrs Liz Byrne and Mrs Kate Foster for being the bus driver and co-coach, a huge effort!

Mrs Liz Byrne
Netball Coach

Library News

Year 8 Picture Book Unit
The Year 8 English students have created a picture book as part of their learning.  Students drafted the story and prepared illustrations, both suitable for a younger student (from about aged 5-7 years).  The students are to be commended on their work in the design and completion of the picture books.
Each English teacher submitted the top picture books for the Shortlist.
On Thursday 19 September at the Year 7 and 8 Assembly, the students who have had their book put on the Shortlist will be acknowledged and some Awards given to the highest standard books.
The Shortlist books – their cover and blurb pages – are now on display on the Library TVs for everyone to view.  These can also be seen here:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1l_kvF1ZaiVDNEdsf7cWdkZTLEo1pt-dE/view?usp=sharing

Student Book Club
The Emmanuel College Student Book Club were pleased to welcome the Mercy Regional College ‘Library Gang’ to the Reading Room on Thursday September 12.
Mercy students were experiencing a day trip to Warrnambool to visit the Warrnambool Library, Collins Booksellers, One Day Studios and to meet the Emmanuel Student Book Club.
Nikolas Keramaris welcomed the group to our school. We looked at the CBCA Shadow Judging Creative Responses and then combined to play games of Tapple – a game of fast word fun, followed by a tour of our Library.
We thank the Mercy Regional College staff Jean Christie – Library and Tim - teacher, for organising this visit and the Emmanuel students for welcoming the Mercy students to our school.

Mrs Margaret Sinnott
Library Coordinator

Student Book Club

Words for Wellbeing

RUOK? Day
On Thursday 12 September Emmanuel College celebrated RU OK Day.  There was a festive vibe as students were greeted at each of our entry points by student leaders and Wellbeing staff handing out yellow lollipops.  Students and staff dressed in a splash of yellow and the school was decked out in predominantly yellow bunting made by students in our bunting competition.  The winners of the bunting competition were :   Lena Watty of Year 8 and Harrison Reeves of Year 7.

RUOK? Messages and a chatterbox making activity were enjoyed in homeroom. As a special treat students who pre-ordered received a regular sized KFC chips as a recess snack. There was a mindful colouring activity in the Library. Headspace provided some giveaways distributed at lunchtime in the Senior hub, whilst enjoying some tunes.

RUOK? Day

Careers News

Year 10 Mock Job Interviews
This week we were again fortunate to welcome members of our local employment community into school to participate in our Year 10 Economics/Business Mock Interview sessions. Over the previous weeks, our three Year 10 classes have been preparing resumes and cover letters to apply for jobs currently advertised in the Warrnambool area. This culminated in mock interviews, where one participant was rewarded for their interview skills and the production of their cover letter/resumes, to be awarded each job.
A huge thank you to Jacob Rhodes, Anthony Smith, Jason Bidmade (Westvic) Shirley Errey (Emmanuel College), Brendan Donahoo (Jobs and Skills Centre), Lauren Westhorpe, Catherine Grist (LLEN) and Dave Ryan (Apprenticeship Support Australia) for generously giving up their time to interview each group, it is always greatly appreciated. 
SWTAFE 2025 VETDSS Orientation dates/times
The VET DSS team at SWTAFE issued Orientation Session invites to students from Wednesday morning (11/9), this is a compulsory part of the application process into VET 2025, failure to attend could result in not obtaining an offer, invites were sent via the email address on the enrolment forms

Session times are - 
Sherwood Park Campus 19th of September from 5.00 pm
Warrnambool Campus 19th of September from 4.30 pm
Please note - all 1^st year Ag students will not be invited they will be interviewed by their program teacher separately.

Items on the Emmanuel College Careers site - 

https://www.emmanuelcollegecareers.com/

Dates to Diarise in Term 4

• Reminder: VTAC 2025 Upcoming Key Dates
• New Diploma of Radiation Science at RMIT
• New Majors in the Bachelor of Biomedicine at La Trobe
• News from Monash University
  • New Courses and/or Majors/Minors in 2025
  • Pathways into the Bachelor of Education
• Bachelor of Educational Studies at ACU
• Diploma in General Studies (DiGS) at the University of Melbourne
• Cetacean Sisters - Inspiring Future Female Scientists through Cetacean Science Workshops
• Yarra Ranges Apprenticeship and Career Night
• Media, Communication & Journalism Degrees in Victoria in 2024
• Snapshot of the University of Tasmania (UTAS) in 2024 

Mr David Gladman
Student Pathways & Careers Leader

Whooping Cough

The incidence of Whooping cough cases is continuing to increase across Victoria, particularly among school-aged children.
Whooping cough is a very contagious infection, mostly spread through coughing or sneezing. 
Symptoms include:

• blocked or runny nose
• tiredness
• mild fever
• severe bouts of coughing, often followed by a ‘whooping’ sound on breathing.

Whooping cough can lead to life-threatening infections in babies.
If your child is unwell, they should not attend school. Please see a doctor if you or your child develops whooping cough symptoms. Early diagnosis and treatment will help reduce the spread of the infection.
To reduce the spread of infection and to protect others within the school community, students diagnosed with whooping cough are recommended not to attend school for 21 days after their cough was first present, or until they have taken a full course of antibiotics prescribed by a doctor (usually a 5-day course).
If your child is diagnosed with whooping cough, please contact the school to let us know.
I hope we can work together to protect the whole school community by following the recommended advice.
For more information about whooping cough, refer to Whooping cough on the Better Health Channel.
Vaccination is the best way to reduce the risk of whooping cough. The Department of Health recommends staying up to date with immunisations, including booster doses. A free booster dose of the pertussis vaccine is covered under the national immunisation program for students aged 12 to 13. If you are unsure about your child’s vaccination status for whooping cough, please discuss with an immunisation provider, such as your doctor.

Upcoming Events

Tuesday 17 September
Year 12 VM Numeracy Excursion - Sovereign Hill

Thursday 19 September
Year 8 Picture Book Awards Presentations

Friday 20 September
Emmanuel Day - Through the Decades
Term 3 ends - 2:25pm

Monday 7 October
Term 4 commences
Summer uniform change
VCE Languages - Oral exams

Wednesday 9 October
VCE English Practice Exam

Thursday 10 October
GWR Athletics
Year 11 Consent Education Session

Community Announcements

MacKillop Family Services - Foster Carers

MacKillop Family Services is calling on communities of the South-West to understand the need for local foster carers and highlighting the positive impact foster carers make to children’s lives.
8-14 September is Foster Care Week, when MacKillop celebrates the work foster carers do for children temporarily unable to live at home.
People like Rachael and Matthew Buck, who have provided respite and emergency care to over 100 children and young people.  See their story here: https://www.mackillop.org.au/theirstory

For more info: https://www.mackillop.org.au/get-involved/become-a-foster-carer

Child Safety