Emmanuel College Warrnambool eNewsletter

Principal's Message

Dear Emmanuel College Families,

Welcome to term four! The Emmanuel buzz was active again last week with staff and students returning for the final term of the year. Energy and enthusiasm were evident, especially on those days when the sunshine added a spring to everyone’s step. Term four tends to unfold very quickly making it a time for students to focus, if not redouble their efforts with their learning. We will begin to see year levels conclude their 2024 classes very soon starting with year 12 who have their Valedictory Celebrations this Friday, followed by final revision time and four weeks of external assessments. The College wishes them well.
Emmanuel Day
The College traditionally concludes term three by celebrating Emmanuel Day on the last day of term. It was a wonderful day, and the wet weather largely held off until after 2.30. The organisers and the students are to be congratulated for creating a celebratory atmosphere that acknowledges and values our belonging to the Emmanuel family. The fundraising component of the day saw significant contributions for Mercy Works and the Ruben Centre, which the College supports each year. We look forward to announcing the final figure in the next edition of our newsletter.

Japan Trip
At the start of term, we welcomed home staff and students who travelled to Japan at the end of term three and during the holidays. They have had a wonderful experience and despite an absence of some years their visit to our sister school in Tokyo was a huge success, as was their touring taking in Kyoto, Hiroshima, Nara, Osaka, and Miyajima. The College is very grateful to the teachers So Ota and Sawako Suzuki and Assistant Principal, Justin Houlihan, for volunteering their time to make the trip possible. The next languages-based trip will be at the end of term one 2025 and travels to France.

VRQA
The College recently completed its Victorian Regulation & Qualifications Authority (VRQA) Review to maintain its school registration. The review confirmed the College is compliant with all regulatory requirements. Ms Megan Ioannou, Deputy Director of Catholic Education in the Ballarat Diocese, wrote me with the following message:
I am writing to confirm that we have received the relevant documentation from the Reviewer regarding the verification of the Minimum Standards and other Registration Requirements for Emmanuel College, including the Child Safe Standards. I am pleased to inform you that Emmanuel College meets the standards as outlined in the 2024 Victorian Catholic Education Authority (VCEA) Record of Review – Minimum Standards and Requirements for School Registration, as well as other Commonwealth Requirements and Ministerial Order 1359.
I acknowledge the exceptional efforts and the additional work of our Compliance Team in meeting the required standards for continuing registration as a Catholic secondary school.

Online Safety
It was impossible to escape the media focus on social media and its impact on young people the last few days, including various government plans to tackle issues impacting young people. The Victorian government has provided a range of new information sheets on this topic: https://www.vic.gov.au/safe-socials-parents-and-carers-secondary
Parents and carers play an important role in supporting their children to be safe online and on social media. You can help your children safely navigate their digital world and educate them to avoid harmful online experiences. You can explore websites, games, apps and social media together and set some rules and boundaries. Your support and guidance can give your children the knowledge to make sound decisions online and confidence to ask for help when they need it. It is also important to stay informed about online safety. The government is also launching public consultation on age limits for social media. You and your children can share your experiences to inform proposed changes via an online survey, before 5 pm on Friday 1 November 2024.

Sustainable School Shop
Again this year Emmanuel College has paid a subscription for school families to have access to purchase second-hand uniforms and text books through the Sustainable School Shop. The Year 7 2025 booklist will shortly be added to the site. As the other year level booklists are released, they will also be added to the site. Second hand uniforms can also be bought and sold on this site: www.sustainableschoolshop.com.au

Mercy Moments
Each Friday fortnight Emmanuel College staff members join online at 8.30am to announce and celebrate Mercy Moments. Mercy Moments is a time in which the powerful and positive things our staff do, and which make a difference to their colleagues are recognized and celebrated, particularly those things that align with our Mercy school values of Service, Justice, Courage, Hospitality, Respect and Compassion. In the preceding fortnight, staff members identify other staff member’s actions and nominate them according to one or other of the Mercy Values. If you regularly view the Student Messages on PAM you will have seen this form of recognition now extends to students. The Mercy core values form the foundations of this student recognition program, where students and staff members are invited to nominate a student who has displayed a Mercy core value within the school community. Nominated students receive two merit points per nomination with a maximum of six points awarded fortnightly. All students nominated go into the draw to win a canteen voucher to the value of $5.00. You may like to ask your child whether they have been nominated or if they have nominated one of the peers who displays one of the above values and support us to grow this initiative.

Kind regards,
Mr Peter Morgan
Principal

A Message from Mrs Claire Wrigley

Mental Health Month @Emmanuel
October is mental health month. With the purpose to raise awareness throughout the month we encourage our community to talk about mental health, help seeking and support services. Over the month we will share information with our students on caring for their mental health and tips in encorporate good mental health practice.
National Mental Health Helpline: 1300 643 287
Kidshelpline: 1800 551 800

Uniform transition
We continue with a period of an extended transition from winter to summer uniform. Students will be able to choose to wear summer or winter uniforms based on the weather conditions. This transition period will continue until Friday November 1. As of Monday, November 4, all students will be required to be in summer uniform.
Hats will be encouraged in the first two weeks of Term 4 and required after Oct 18 regardless of the uniform a student is wearing. Please ensure that over this week you check to see that your child has a college hat.

Cyber Security Awareness Month 2024 – “Cyber Security is everyone’s business”
Cyber Security Awareness is time for all Australians to improve their cyber security knowledge and take action to protect their information and devices.
The theme for Cyber Security Awareness Month for 2024 is “cyber security is everyone’s business”'. We’re encouraging you to take 4 simple steps to be cyber wise:

There are 4 simple steps you can take to improve your cyber security:

Keep your devices and software up to date.
Use strong and unique passwords, such as a passphrase.
Recognise and report phishing.
Turn on multi-factor authentication.

Even these small steps can make significant improvements to your cyber security. Most cybercriminals exploit knowledge gaps to compromise your devices and information, so becoming more cyber wise, and sharing your knowledge with friends and family, can help us all stay more secure online. Cyber security is everyone’s responsibility. We can all do our bit to be cyber wise.

Mrs Claire Wrigley
Assistant Principal - Students

Student Voice - 9@Rice Canberra Trip

Term 1 2024, three homerooms from Emmanuel College’s 9atRICE program undertook an education tour of the national capital. Students were given the opportunity to participate in a variety of educational programs with a focus on Australia’s history, culture, heritage and democracy. They were given the opportunity to visit Parliament House, the Museum of Australian Democracy, the National Electoral Education Centre and the Australian War Memorial, amongst other activities and attractions. The Australian Government recognises the importance of all young Australians being able to visit the national capital as part of their Civics and Citizenship education and to assist families in meeting the cost of the excursion the Australian Government contributed the funding of $45 per student under the Parliament and Civics Education Rebate program towards those costs. The rebate is paid directly to the school upon completion of the excursion. Emmanuel College is greatly appreciative of this funding.

Student Voice – Sienna Plozza
From Monday the 2nd to Friday the 6th of September, three year nine classes travelled by bus to Australia's capital city, Canberra. Here we spent three days doing various things, including educational tours, fun activities, and free time in a nearby shopping mall, Canberra Centre. Highlights of our first day in Canberra (the second day of the trip) included visiting both the old and new Parliament House, where we learned about Australia's government and the media, going to the National Museum, and seeing the Arboretum, where we engaged in a night-time orienteering activity. On the second day, we went to the AIS (Australian Institute of Sports), played Laser tag, and visited Questacon. At night time, we also went to the Big Issue, where we learnt about their mission, and how they aid in helping homeless people get off the streets. On our third and final day, before we returned to Warrnambool, we walked up Mt Ainslie and visited the National Zoo and the National War Memorial. To top off a great camp, at night time, we went to Bounce trampoline park, where we all had great fun on the climbing walls and trampolines. Overall, the Canberra camp was a great experience, and I'm sure that everyone there had a great time.

Canberra Trip

Student Achievements

2024 International Chemistry Quiz
The International Chemistry Quiz takes place every August, with 2.5 million participants across 21 countries. This year ten students from Emmanuel College’s senior chemistry classes completed the online competition.
We are proud to announce the following awards our students received in 2024:

Year 12
- Robert Morden - High Distinction Final Division - top 10% of their year and region
Year 11
- Mia Hynes - Credit Senior Division - following top 20% of their year and region
- Zara Kelly - Credit Senior Division
- Khang Dang - Credit Senior Division
- Nick Main - Credit Senior Division

Term 4 Food Drive

Term 4 Food Drive for Western District Food Share

Breakfast Cereals, Toppings/Spreads for Toast and Tinned Fruit -

Please consider when you are having breakfast, that not all families in our wider Warrnambool Community have the same options as you do.
At your next shop, please add a breakfast item like cereal, spread, or tinned fruit to your trolley and bring it in to be added to our Term 4 Food Drive for Western District Food Share.

LET'S GO EMMANUEL - EVERY SINGLE ITEM COUNTS

Congratulations on the Term 3 Food Drive - Soup.
We donated 464 cans of soup to Food Share
Final Term 3 House amounts are added to each House's points tally.
Well done to RICE for again being the most giving House.

RICE - 170
EGAN - 151
MAGUIRE - 76
MCAULEY - 67

My New Gallery

Japanese Exchange Students

We are excited to host four Japanese exchange students from Toyo University, who arrived in early September and will be with us until early November. Sponsored by AIIU, they are currently staying with local families in Warrnambool and attending Year 10 at Emmanuel College.
Below, each student shares their thoughts after their first few weeks in Australia, highlighting their experiences and impressions of both Emmanuel and the local culture. Enjoy their insights!

Rin Tamura:
Hi, my name is Rin. I'm from Japan. Two weeks have passed since I arrived in Australia. I'm getting used to life in Australia and Emmanuel. Emmanuel's students and teachers are very kind and friendly. And they always help me. I think different things to compare to Japan is in Australia they do not have to join club activities. In Japan, after school most students have to join some club activities. So we can go home at 5 p.m or 6 p.m. But in Australia, we don't have to join club activities so we can go home early.And we can spend a lot of time with our family. I think it is a good habit. And we have only 6 periods a day at school. That's good for me. Because in Japan I have 7 periods a day at school, so I'm tired everyday. Classes at Emmanuel are hard for me, but I try to do my best. I believe Australia's people are very kind and friendly so I love Australia very much.I want to communicate with many students so please talk to me anytime anywhere. I hope I can make many more memories at Emmanuel. Thank you for reading.

Koki Akiyama:
Hello. My name is Koki. I'm studying English and Australian culture. I arrived two weeks ago, (early September) I have already had various experiences such as Australian school life, music concerts, and other things. I like recess best in school life because Japanese schools don't have recess. So I'm glad not to be hungry. There are many differences between Japan and Australia. For example, students don't move classrooms to take a class in Japan. In most cases, teachers have to move. And most Japanese people don't play chess. I learned how to play chess for the first time after coming to Australia. But now, I have realised the fun of chess. Not only that, I was also surprised that there was a food shop at school. Japanese schools can't buy food. I'm jealous about it. Until now, I have only mentioned the differences, I realised that there are also the same. For example, schools have uniforms and cars drive on the left side. And I ate a birthday cake. But it's too sweet. Lastly, it has only been two weeks since I arrived in Australia, but I have learned many things. And I will continue to try many different things. Thank you for reading.

Aimi Kigawa:
Hi. My name is Aimi. I love birds and I have three parrots in Japan. If you have any parrots or animals, please show me. I wanna see them. I like English and I was good at English when I was in Japan. But after I came here, I didn't have confidence because Aussie and native English is really difficult. However, everyone in Emmanuel is so kind that they help me anytime. So I love Emmanuel College. Australian schools are different from Japanese schools in many ways. For instance, there are a lot of interesting subjects such as master chef, textile, music and so on. In Japan, all we have to do during classes is usually sitting and listening carefully. I'm enjoying taking classes in this school though it's difficult to understand what they said. I'd like to improve my English by talking a lot with everyone in Emmanuel College. I'd like to not struggle to talk to someone more. I'm happy that I could be part of Emmanuel College. Thank you.

Akane Serizawa:
Hello.My name is Akane. I enjoyed school life in Australia.I take some classes that I don't have at my Japanese school.I love taking their classes, especially Media and Visual Communication. I took and made video and started making art. I was surprised that Australian schools have Recess time.I love this time.I can eat snacks with my friends.Also,I can buy many delicious foods at food shop. I always go to school by car for about 10 minutes.In Japan, I went to school by train for about 1 hour,so I am happy to go to school easier than before. Australian people are friendly and kind.When I walk,they always show me smiley faces and say Hi,Hello and so on.They make me feel good. In Japan, it's usual to take classes in the same classroom silently, but In Australia,students always talk and after finishing class, they move to another classroom. I sometimes get lost because there are many classrooms. Australian schools are very different from Japanese schools.I always find new interesting things.

Sports Update

GWR Athletics
On Thursday, October 10th, Emmanuel College was proudly represented by a large number of students at the Greater Western Region (GWR) Athletics in Ballarat. The weather was perfect, setting the scene for our Emmanuel team to perform exceptionally well. With numerous medals won and outstanding efforts from all, the team claimed victory as the GWR Champions - a fantastic achievement!
Many of our athletes will now progress to the State Championships, including three relay teams. While there are too many incredible results to list here, we would like to extend our congratulations to all the students who competed on the day. We look forward to the State Championships on October 21st - bring it on.

Mr Mark Jansz
Health & PE Teacher

VCE VM Literacy

This year is the first time running VCE VM Year 12 Literacy.
The brand new course allowed students to build further literacy skills through relevant real life contexts. In Unit 3, students explored a variety of informational, procedural and organisational texts and looking at each text’s audience (who was the text aimed at), purpose (why was it created), and the text structure and features (the way each text was set out, font styles, colour, bullet points, headings and many other features). Equipping students with these tools to enable them to be more confident in interpreting, creating and presenting information in their respective workplaces in the future.
The first assessment involved a group task where students created an online course guide for an imaginary school, where they developed skills in active listening, speaking, negotiation, and writing. They then were able to showcase their designs at our Emmanuel College Open Night.
Students then explored various texts related to Australian passports, including websites, infographics, and videos, comparing and contrasting these formats before creating a procedural text on how to apply or renew a passport. In small groups, they critiqued each other's texts, discussing strengths and weaknesses.
They also gained insight into travel planning by examining different materials for travel itineraries, like travel agent documentation and itinerary layouts, ultimately preparing an information table with essential details for their dream holiday destinations, which included checklists to boost their confidence in planning real-life trips, such as schoolies.
Additionally, students investigated the often-overlooked details in 'Terms of Use' contracts for social media, analysing their rights and responsibilities as users and creating informative posters aimed at specific audiences to highlight the legal implications of misuse.
In unit 4 students spent time viewing, listening, reading and completing activities around how others present information to a high standard. They then had to apply these skills learned and complete a final project - an oral presentation advocating on a topic of their choice. There were some wonderful high quality presentations including advocating for the Homeless, Live Sheep Export, Anti-Gambling, South West Road Fixtures, Animal Trafficking, Immigration in Australia and more. Our students will take these presentation skills into the real world and we hope they will be very useful in years to come.

Where to from here?
Students are now embarking on their next stage of life equipped with their final boost of literacy skills. What are they planning on doing:
Bella A- After school I’m going to complete a Cert IV in Vet nursing and work in the animal care industry. Eventually I would love to work on a cattle station or feedlot, and maybe do some singing gigs.
Ava C - Next year after school I plan to continue completing Certificate IV in Veterinary nursing.
Amarlie C - Next year after school I plan on completing a cert IV in vet nursing for a year and then I aim to secure a full-time vet nursing job.
Ella G - Next year after school I plan on working at a Cattle Station for a year or two, learning more about the agriculture industry and gaining more experience. I am very excited to see what the future holds.
Brooke M - Next year I plan on doing a photography course to get more experience with photography, and also work on different farms to expand my knowledge.
Charlize W - After leaving school I plan to work at the barbershop I started working at in Yr 11. I will start my apprenticeship and finish when I’m 21 continuing on working there to build up salon experience. Hopefully if all goes to plan I will start my own business. I’m excited and also nervous to see what life looks like without school.

Mrs Chamon Vogels
VCE VM Literacy Teacher

VET Nursing Academy

AAD Cooking

W.S.A (Winter Sports Academy)

Japan Trip 2024

The Japan trip in the September school holidays was an incredible experience for our 20 Emmanuel College students, made even better by the amazing weather throughout the two weeks. In the first week, the students visited our sister school, Obirin High School, in Tokyo, where they participated in various school activities and homestays to immerse themselves in the Japanese culture and lifestyle. The second week,was filled with adventures as the group travelled to Tokyo, Kyoto, and Hiroshima to explore the culture, food, and history of the region. The students will not forget this lifelong experience, which allowed them to expand their view of the world.
Mr So Ota
Japanese Teacher

High Performance Applications 2025

If you are interested in applying for the High Performance Training Program for next year please see the information below, including the application form.

Applications are due on this coming Friday, the 18th of October.

Parents please read all of the details carefully and discuss with your child to ensure you fully understand whether this program is the right fit for your child.

Mr Michael Clements & Mr Shane Smith
High Performance Program

High Performance Application Form

High Performance Presentation

High Performance Introductory Video

Red Earth - Opportunity

If you are interested in a once in a lifetime opportunity to be immersed in the culture and everyday life of First Nations people, in beautiful and remote locations in Central Australia, please read on!
We have limited positions available for current Year 9 or Year 10 students for our 2025 Immersion. We are also inviting current Year 11 students to apply this time. This is a wonderful, once-in-a-lifetime experience, and if you are interested, we encourage students to complete an application form (link below) by Thursday, October 17.
Below is a link to the application form and the information handout, including all details about the trip and costings.
2025 Application Form

2025 Red Earth Immersion - trip details

For further information, please contact:
Claire Wrigley cwrigley@emmanuel.vic.edu.au

Michael Wrigley mwrigley@emmanuel.vic.edu.au

Jacinta Skilbeck jskilbeck@emmanuel.vic.edu.au

Library News

Year 8 Picture Book Award Winners
During the last week of Term 3, at the Year 7 and 8 Assembly, Year 8 English students were presented with their awards and certificates for the picture books they had created. Parents and guardians were invited to the Assembly to celebrate the achievements of the students and to see the forty plus picture books that had been chosen to be on the Shortlist.
We thank the students for their efforts in designing and creating a picture book suitable for a young child. There were stories about friendship, animals that could do amazing things, sad stories and lots of adventure stories. The students were commended for their writing of the story, their illustrations and the overall presentation of the completed book. Thanks to the Year 8 English teachers and the Learning Diversity Staff who helped the students complete the project.

Mrs Margaret Sinnott
Library Coordinator

Year 12s Studying
The first week of Term 4 has seen the Year 12 students continue their good study techniques in the Library for their study periods and before and after school each day. Many of the students use the whiteboards provided in the Meeting Rooms to help them refine their knowledge.

Emmanuel Day Winners
Students participated in many activities in the Library for Emmanuel Day. Here are the winners of two of the competitions:
Tapple Tournament Prize Winners
Tighe Perry
Olivia Lenehan
Serafeim Papaevagelou
Hannah Asenjo
Ten Minute Trivia
Jai Keane
Roy Savage
Oisin Loughran
Stanley Coverdale
Gunjwok Jack

Australia Post Stamps and Books
Australia Post has introduced a collection of stamps based on children’s books or television shows. The stamps include Round The Twist, Skippy, Dot and the Kangaroo, Blinky Bill and Babe.

Australia Post

My New Gallery

Words for Wellbeing

R U OK?
Our team was busy in September with R U OK Day. There was a wonderful positive vibe as students were greeted at every entry point to the school by Wellbeing Staff and student leaders dressed in a splash of yellow. Handing out yellow lollipops was a big hit and despite the frivolity, the important message of checking in with each other in our school community by asking “R U OK?’ is an important and kind act to do.

Emmanuel Day 2024
The Wellbeing Team had the perfect dress idea up for the Emmanuel Day theme “Through the Decades” coming as 80’s icons The Care Bears. We love Emmanuel Day here in Wellbeing and had a ball supervising the Bubble House. Everyone who entered the Bubble House and caught a balloon, won a prize. What fun!

Year 12 Exam Stress
As our VCE Unit 3 & 4 students come to the final exams of their schooling, it can sometimes be a stressful time for families. Follow the link for a SchoolTV video featuring Michael Carr-Gregg about Year 12 exam stress.

SchoolTV

Body Kind
During the last week of Term 3, Emmanuel College celebrated BodyKind Month by inviting students to share uplifting messages created by students, for students, on the mirrors in the female toilets. Affirmations included phrases like “You look great today,” “Beauty comes from within,” “You’re enough,” “You are strong,” “Be yourself because you are amazing,” “You are loved,” “Kindness is free,” “You are unique,” and “Look after yourself.”
These affirmations were a part of BodyKind Month in September, an initiative by the Butterfly Foundation—Australia’s largest effort to promote positive body image and foster body confidence among young Australians. In today’s world, appreciating our bodies can be challenging, but we can all strive to be a little kinder. Being BodyKind means caring for ourselves, using positive language about ourselves and others, and creating a supportive environment both online and offline. We would like to acknowledge the students who participated in this project for their commitment to help create a supportive community where everyone can feel valued and empowered.
Here are some valuable resources for students and parents/carers: