Newsletter Edition 14, September 13, 2021

Principal's Message

Dear Emmanuel College Families,   
Year 12 returns onsite       
It is wonderful to have Year 12 students learning onsite again.  They returned last Friday with smiling faces indicating how pleased they were to be reunited with their peers and back at school.  Although there can be no Emmanuel Day this Friday, we will nevertheless celebrate in safety an “Emmanuel moment” with the Year 12s before they depart for their break. 

Term 4 
While this is the final newsletter for term three, should there be a lifting of restrictions enabling year 7-11 students to return to school at the start of term four, a brief message will be sent to parents and guardians at the end of the holidays confirming this.  The advice will be followed with more detailed information on the first day of term four.  Please be reminded classes conclude at 1pm this Friday and when students do return in term four, they will do so in summer uniform. 

Departing Staff
As we finish the term, we share our best wishes with Amanda McCarten who is taking a position at South West TAFE where she will be developing curriculum for new TAFE courses.  Amanda is taking leave from the College until the end of 2022 when we will welcome her back to Emmanuel.  We also farewell and thank Ashlea Moorehead who replaced Paul Abeline whilst he and his family took long service leave during term three.

Mercy Education Gift
Acknowledging Emmanuel’s transition to Mercy Education earlier this year the College received a beautiful gift of an altar cloth from our colleagues at Santa Maria College in Perth.  The cloth takes pride of place on the altar in our St. Ann’s Chapel.  A gift from the retiring Emmanuel College governors recognising the transition can be seen in the following photo.  At the recent AGM the Governors formally handed their responsibility for the school’s governance to Mercy Education, and they gifted the College a new chalice and patten to be used in school masses.  The gift is both beautiful and practical replacing an eclectic mix of pieces from various generations.  The chalice and the patten are two essential items for the celebration of mass in the school and going forward we will always use our former governor’s gift.  The base of each item will be engraved with the words: “Gifted to Emmanuel College on the occasion of the transfer of governance to Mercy Education, January 2021, by retiring College Governors Sr. Eileen Ann Daffy, Sr. Marie Davey, Fr. John Fitzgerald, Fr. Lawrence O’Toole.”, ensuring the story of both items is passed on to future generations.

Warnibald Exhibiiton
The 2021 “Warrnibald” portraiture exhibition at the Warrnambool Art Gallery saw many entries, including those recognized for awards, created by Emmanuel College alumni.  Congratulations to alumni Anne Wines (1972), Kathryn Ryan (1983), Sean Kenny (1994) and Liam Barling (2010) for their superb portraits.  We especially congratulate Liam Barling who took out this year’s “Archibool” People’s Choice Award with his portrait, created entirely in blue biro, of fellow artist Joe Gardiner.  I encourage you to see the Emmanuel Facebook page for a longer story about art and alumni.

Opportunities for students continue
Despite the ongoing series of lockdowns, it’s amazing how many opportunities College staff have kept alive for students to enjoy.  Recently, these include:

• the Annual Arts Hall of Fame art award for a painting with the winning entry acquired by the college
• the weekly House Challenge; last week invited students to submit a photo collage in the same colour as their House
• the Moyne Next Gen workshops helping young singers to develop their voices
• the Victorian Premiers Reading Challenge
• access to audio and ebooks from the library
• 2022 diary design competition; congratulations to Cailtin Williams in Year 10
• Australian Science Olympiad: congratulations to the 13 students who participated online and to Jace Nepean who achieved a High Distinction and Darcy O’Keefe, Reilly Lumsden, Zack Houlihan, Jamieson Mueglitz and Tyson James who achieved credits.

Words for Wellbeing
In addition, I congratulate our senior students who worked with Dr Jodie Fleming to produce last week’s RUOK? Day Words for Wellbeing, a fortnightly publication of the College Wellbeing Team focusing on how to care for ourselves physically, mentally and spiritually so we can be Fit4Life.  Link to Words for Wellbeing: https://emmanuelcw.schoolzineplus.com/enews?nid=32

The College Wellbeing Team recently launched You Can! Ask That, a new way for students to access information and answers to the questions they're not sure how or who to ask. The Wellbeing Team is inviting community experts to answer the questions and provide video and text responses in each edition of Words for Wellbeing. The team has been really busy supporting students learning remotely which includes the launch of a Wellbeing Instagram page.  Please support their work and follow them: @ecwwords4wellbeing

Lifes Teachable Moments
It’s difficult to escape the questions that arise from the recent events in Afghanistan, especially as they occurred so close to the 20^th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States.  The images of the twin towers of the World Trade Centre in New York burning and collapsing is one of those moments we not only remember, but we recall exactly where we were when we heard the news.   My wife and I were working in Singapore at the time and having just climbed into a taxi to travel home the taxi driver drew our attention to the radio and the unfolding tragic events of 9/11.  A year or so later and back in Australia, I remember the lively discussion that played out in a year 11 RE class I was teaching.  The students were debating whether Australia should go to war in Iraq and Afghanistan; both sides of the argument outlined compelling points.  But as I watched the recent images of the Taliban re-taking control in Afghanistan, I found myself asking the question what was achieved by the foreign presence in Afghanistan and is the world any better for it?  Sadly, I cannot answer these questions with certainty.  Like many teachers, I often search for the “teachable moment” in the events and the experiences that unfold around us.  What are the teachable moments of these events; the Taliban re-taking control of their country and the 20^th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on New York?  Struggling to answer these questions I turn to another approaching event, the Feast of Our Lady of Mercy on September 24. 

Feast Day of Our Lady of Mercy
Emmanuel College re-joined the Mercy family this year and among the many opportunities it provides is the opportunity to rediscover the meaning of mercy and to acknowledge the deep need for mercy in our world today.  The College will be on holidays on September 24 and so I conclude term three with this prayer to Mary, the mother of Mercy:

Mary, Mother of Mercy,
Across the ages you stretch out your protective mantle to those most vulnerable
and whose need cries out for justice and mercy.  Show us, in these our times,
How to empty ourselves to receive God’s mercy as you did,So that we too can shelter and enable those without voice or power.
We pray this in Jesus’ name.
St. Joseph: Pray for us. 
May the spirit of Catherine McAuley and Edmund Rice guide us in all that we do. 
Amen.

Kind regards,
Mr Peter Morgan
Principal 

A Message from Mrs Claire Wrigley

Homeroom/Mentor group Planning for 2022
In 2022 we will see our “reimagined Emmanuel College '' come to fruition. Year 7 and 8 students will be located at the Goold Campus, the Year 9@RICE program will begin, and the Year 10-12 students will be based at McAuley Campus and will shift into a senior school house mentor structure.
The year level teams will shortly begin preparing homerooms and mentor groups for 2022. For some students this can create 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 house group a student belongs to.
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.
If you have any concerns about your child, please communicate with their current Year Level Coordinator in writing by Friday 17 September, 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. Requests for specific teachers cannot be accommodated in fairness to all students.

Year Level Coordinators:
Year 7 - Annabelle Morton amorton@emmanuel.vic.edu.au
Year 8 - Justin Marris jmarris@emmanuel.vic.edu.au
Year 9 - Glen Martin gmartin@emmanuel.vic.edu.au
Year 10 - Ben Woonton bwoonton@emmanuel.vic.edu.au
Year 11 - Ben Nelson bnelson@emmanuel.vic.edu.au

Term 4 – School Uniform
Students are reminded that when we return to school in term 4, we transition to summer school uniform. Students are expected to wear navy socks for boys and plain white socks for girls. The socks are to be clearly above the ankle, short sports socks are not acceptable.  Students are also required to wear the college blazer to and from school at all times. If the temperature in the afternoon is over 25 degrees students will not be required to wear their blazer home.
Mrs Claire Wrigley,
Assistant Principal - Students

Year 7 Art in Remote Learning

Scumbling and scribbling - trying a new drawing technique
This week in Ms Floyd’s Art classes, Years 7 C, D and E have been exploring a new drawing technique, called scumbling or scribbling.  Serious scribblers know that creating artwork with this technique takes time, patience and often results in cramp! But the final effect is worth it!  With practise, the density of the scribbles can be regulated to create varying tones and with that, the illusion of 3d form and depth.
Here’s what a few students shared when reflecting in their learning:

What did you like or dislike about trying a new technique?
I really liked the diversity of it. You could draw in circles, lines or literally anything!
I liked trying this technique because it was something I had never done before and it was relaxing.
I liked the scribble technique and being able to be a bit messy while also making it look good. 
I liked trying this technique because it is creative and interesting.
I liked that it was hand free and it didn’t matter if you mucked up or went outside of the lines because it all made sense.
I liked trying this technique because it was something I had never done before and it was relaxing. I disliked that it took a lot of time and patience to get right.

What was challenging?
No, it wasn’t too difficult. Quite an easy technique to master.
Getting the shape and using the scribbles is good.
I found it harder to include colours and shading when you have to scribble at the same time.
It was difficult when I wanted to draw a line but I had to use tiny squiggles to do it.

What do you think about your finished drawing?
I really liked how my drawings came out in the end.
The different colours merged really well between the lines
I like my finished drawings and I thought they were pretty good.
I think it is pretty good for my first time doing it but next time I could make some improvements.
I really like my finished design and I am really happy with them both.

Would you use this technique in your art again?
Yes, most definitely.
I would. I liked using this technique and I would use it again in art.
I would definitely try and use this technique in my art pieces again.

Great exploring and experimenting, Year 7 Art students!

Ms Jacqui Floyd,
Teaching Staff

Cubism

This week in Art, students in Year 7C, D and E experimented with the cubist style of the famous Pablo Picasso. Cubism was a highly influential visual arts style of the 20th century that was created principally by the artists Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque in Paris, where the objects are analyzed, broken up and reassembled in an abstracted form, possibly with more than one viewpoint. Our young artists have created some wonderful and interesting portraits of friends, family and pets.

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Diary Cover Design Competition

And the winner is. . .
Over 200 students from Yr 7 and 8 voted for their favourite diary cover designs for 2022, from a shortlist of four designs (created by Darcy Barker, Zoe Palmer, Avie Wanliss & Caitlin Williams).
Congratulations to Caitlin Williams (Year 10) on creating the winning diary cover design!
Through her design, Caitlin has created a vision for what the future could be at Emmanuel College. Enclosed within a crystal ball, her design includes futuristic architecture, symbolising our care for the planet by creating details such as plants growing on buildings. The design also highlights elements of our College history as represented by the convent building, and a shamrock to incorporate the Irish Catholic history of our school.  
Caitlin created her design using Adobe Illustrator, using layers of shapes and colours, and including observations of existing buildings gathered while on a class ‘site visit’ in the research stage of the process.
A significant focus of Visual Communication Design is designing for an audience, client and purpose within the constraints of a design brief. This project is a great opportunity for students to have their work published and for other students to have a say and be inspired by the creative work of their peers.
Well done to all students in the Yr 11 Visual Communication Design class on their creative efforts!
Mrs Jacinta Skilbeck,
VCE Visual Communication Design Teacher

VET Music Performance SAC

Our VET Music Performance SAC3 was able to go ahead on site at school under strict Covid requirements and conditions.   We look forward to getting through the other half of the second year students next week.  What a pleasure to have live music being played, despite no audience.   
Mr Ian Leonard,
Performing Arts Coordinator.

End of an Era at the Melbourne Show

For more than 15 years now, we here at Emmanuel College have had a group of students commit their time, effort and undivided attention to the Beef Showing at the Royal Melbourne Show. Each year, they spend around 6 months preparing their cattle for the show with twice feeds daily, weekend work and then commitment during their own holidays in rain, hail or shine. Even though the students are aware that the competition is not just the parading of the animal, but that the quality of meat is judged as part of the process, they nurture these cattle with the utmost responsibility and maturity.
There has been an incredible amount of uncertainty over the last 18 months with 2020 preventing the students from even getting cattle onsite due to Covid and with the announcement of the cancellation of the show. With 2021 looking slightly brighter, myself and the students organised cattle to be onsite as quickly as we could. The 3 head of cattle arrived late April consisting of Humphrey, Sharpay and Motley and it was full steam ahead with feeding, haltering and the general care for them.
The showing team for 2021 consisted of 11 students ranging from Year 8 to Year 12 and those students were; Ross Surkitt, Renee Mugavin, Mary Collins, Thalia Ubergang, Sophie Walsh, Amarli McKenna, Gretta Gleeson, Jessie Williams, Lily Goode, Josephine Collins and Sam Smith. I commend these students on the way they have dealt with the ongoing uncertainty of the show season. When the announcement cane that the show was cancelled for a consecutive year the students came to me with solutions including the possibility of competing at other shows, but unfortunately, we were only left with the only option being to sell the cattle. So, on Sunday the 5^th of September we had John Mahony come and collect the cattle and take them to Mortlake to be sold at auction on Monday the 6^th. The students were able to view the cattle being auctioned via an online platform, which is the way of the world of the moment, and the Market Report for these cattle stated “bidding was keen for these Emmanuel College steers & heifers, with Elders Kerr & Co selling the Black Baldy steer for the market top of 5.96c/kg.” This is all a credit to the students working so hard with their dedication to keep them fed and healthy. 
Thank you to the William’s family who also allowed us to utilise their steer ‘Remington’ but once we knew that the cattle were going he went back to the farm. Lastly, I personally would like to thank everyone who has supported the Ag department throughout the years with the Beef showing – of whom there are so many. I would like to thank all of the students for all of their hard work and dedication and their parents who have supported them through their journey.
Thank you,
Penny Ryan,
Agriculture Teacher.  

Library News

Pets Take Up Reading
During our Book Week celebrations this year, while remote learning was happening, we relied on our pets to help us read and celebrate all things books.  Students were asked to invite their pet to read one of the Term 3 English texts and take a photo.  We had some great responses.  Thanks to the students for participating:
Harriet and Bessie the dog reading Fog A Dox by Bruce Pascoe (Harriet – Year 7)
Rocco reading Pennies For Hitler by Jackie French (Jamieson – Year 8)
Ruby likes the online version of Pennies For Hitler by Jackie French (Gemma – Year 8)
Buddy reading Fog A Dox by Bruce Pascoe (Bridie – Year 7)
Barney reading Pennies For Hitler by Jackie French (Harry – Year 8)

Book Week
Before Book Week we were able to capture some of the staff and students reading in the Library.Thanks to Ella and Brooke from Year 7 for participating.
Year 7 and 8 students also read the Early Childhood and Picture Books that were shortlisted in the Children’s Book Council Awards and voted for which ones they thought had good qualities.  Grace Corbett (7A) and Brooke Cahill-Walker (7A) were successful in choosing the books that won the Early Childhood section.  The winning book in that section is No! Never! By Libby Hathorn and Lisa Hathorn-Jarman and illustrated by Mel Pearce.

YABBA Voting
Students can vote for their favourite books in the Young Australians Best Book Awards (YABBA).  Voting closes on Friday 17 September.  You will need to enter your school, your first name, your year level and then choose your favourite book from the nominated ones.  You can see each of the covers of the nominated ones. Go to this link to vote:  http://yabba.org.au/vote-online/

Australia Reads
Australia Reads is on a mission to get more people reading more books, more often.  They would like to champion reading as a healthy daily habit to help improve outcomes for all Australians.  They would like people to put down their phones, turn off the TV, pick up a book and read for 10 minutes a day.  They have given us some recommendations:
https://australia reads.org.au/recommended-reads/
You may like to join in an Australia Reads event: https://australiareads.org.au/events/ or just do some reading on Tuesday 14 September to celebrate the joy of reading!  Let’s see if we can participate.

VPRC Reminder
Students participating in the Victorian Premiers’ Reading Challenge this year are asked to record the books read this year on the VPRC site by the end of Monday 13 September.  If you have any questions about this, please email msinnott@emmanuel.vic.edu.au

Returning Library Books
When school opens up again for every body, students can return any Library books or items.  Some students have items from Term 2 and 3 that are on loan still.  We encourage you to bring these items back when school opens up again.  Further information about the loans can be found on the student Daily Messages.  If you have any questions, please email msinnott@emmanuel.vic.edu.au
Thanks for your help with this.

Reading Online
Students may like to read on our digital reading platforms over the holidays: Sora, Wheelers and Bolinda.  To get access to this students visit the Library home page found on SIMON and can then browse the online books to read or listen to.

Mrs Margaret Sinnott,
Librarian.

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Career News

Youth Allowance – Unravelling the Mystery
Youth Allowance for students can be a complex area, with parental income having a significant impact on entitlements. In some cases, students (typically gap year students) can be assessed by Centrelink as being Independent for Youth Allowance. This does not necessarily mean that they are independent of the Parental Income Test and much care is needed when forward planning for gap year students. On Tuesday September 14^th from 6.00, Jon Peglar from Sinclair and Wilson will be presenting via zoom on this very complex subject.  Please see the link below : 
Students and Youth Allowance – Unravelling the Mystery
Tuesday September 14th on Zoom
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89768555608?pwd=WmFhRmNFQUVQRzIxN0J2blpGZGhBQT09
Meeting ID: 897 6855 5608
Passcode: 5gm5fy

Weekly Career News
Topics in this week's Careers Newsletter:

• Emerging occupations – very interesting report
• Careers resources – National Careers Institute
• Get informed about VET in schools
• Updates from RMIT University
• Year 12 – key tertiary dates
• Upcoming events
• Year 12 – university scholarships
• Humanitarian STEM jobs
  For more Information go to https://www.emmanuelcollegecareers.com/

VTAC
Important dates and fees for the 2022 course application cycle. Make sure you submit your applications, payment and required documentation on time to be eligible for course offers as timely applications close on September 30^th.
For further information about upcoming dates, please use the following link
https://www.vtac.edu.au/dates.html

Mr David Gladman,
Head of Pathways.

Mental Health and Adolescents Presentation

Mercy Regional College together with Regional Parent Service of the Greater City of Geelong present Dr Michael Carr Gregg - Author, Psychologist and specialist in children and adolescent meantal health.  Online seminar Tuesday 14th September, 2021 at 7pm.   See flyer for details.  

Warrnambool Lawn Tennis Club

Port Fairy Marathon and Community Running Festival

Australian Poetry Slam Competition

The Warrnambool Library has been selected as one of only three regional libraries in Victoria to host a State heat for the 2021 Australian Poetry Slam competition.  Performers will compete for a prize to the value of $100 as well as the opportunity to compete in the State final later this year. 

Kerrie Nicholson, 
Warrnambool Library 

Upcoming Events

Monday September 13
Week B
6pm Close Bookings for Year 7 - 9 PST Conferences

Tuesday September 14
4pm Year 7 -9 PST Conferences
6pm Youth Allowance Unravelling the Mystery Zoom Meeting
7pm Michael Carr Gregg Online Seminar 
Friday September 17
1.00pm Term 3 Finishes

Friday September 24
Feast Day of our Lady of Mercy