Newsletter Edition 12 / 2023, August 16

Principal's Message

Dear Emmanuel College Families,

Evening of Inspiration
The recent ‘Evening of Inspiration’ was once again a memorable occasion recognising the achievements of former Emmanuel, St. Ann’s, and CBC alumni, and showcasing the inspiring work and achievements of current Emmanuel students. At the event I commented on how social media has given rise to previously unknown roles and opportunities. One example is the influencer. That is, a promoter of various cultural, commercial or fashion trends, with those who attract sufficient followers making a living from their promotion of products and ideas, by influencing others to purchase and/or consume them. I went on to say, that long before social media operated, we had influencers of an altogether different type; the people who shape society, excel in fields and roles that improve the lives of others and create tangible improvements benefitting humankind.

It is the recognition of influencers of this calibre that caused the Wyton Theatre to fill for the 2023 ‘Evening of Inspiration’. This year we celebrated and inducted inspiring alumni Eric Howard, Prof. Anna Ryan, Fr. Kevin Lenehan, Brigid Delaney, Eleanor Britton and Andrea Vallance whose influence in their fields has impacted locally, nationally and internationally. We also inducted Rachael Houlihan, Alex McLaren, Jonathan Gleeson, Nicole Gleeson, Isaac Jones and Brody Couch into the Young Alumni Achievers. We thank each inductee for accepting this honour and for the ways in which their achievements may inspire present and future generations of Emmanuel students. Involving current students in the event highlights that Emmanuel College continues to be a dynamic place of learning equipping young people to become the influencers of the future. Individually and collectively, the inductees affirm an Emmanuel education enables individuals to excel in whichever pathway they choose.  We congratulate our growing list of Inspiring Alumni and Young Alumni Achievers.

Staff Professional Development Day
I trust the students enjoyed and appreciated their mid-term break coming as it did at a time when the impact of winter illnesses was at its peak. On Tuesday the College staff undertook professional training with a focus on shared practice and embracing technology. Coordinated by Assistant Principal Justin Houlihan and Director of Learning, Simone Rolfe, the day explored our strategic plan for learning and innovation, ways to improve our use of the SIMON Learning Management System and Microsoft Teams, and Literacy, as well as practical strategies to utilise artificial intelligence application, ChatGPT. Leon Furze, a PhD student, teacher, and educational writer was our keynote speaker and instructor assisting us to extend our knowledge and use of generative technologies such as ChatGPT.  I also thank staff members Catherine Ryan and Peter Sassmanshausen for the sessions they organised and ran.

Edmund Rice Centre
Less than two years ago the College announced plans to consolidate its current two campuses onto one site in Botanic Road. We have been busy since then designing a new year nine learning centre and gaining approval to commence construction. The week ahead promises to be a landmark time with the first sod being turned to enable construction of the exciting new Edmund Rice Centre to get underway. I will keep you updated over the next 15 months as works progress and the current year seven students prepare to be the first students to begin their 9@RICE program in the Edmund Rice Centre in 2025.

Enrichment Leave
The College Governors have endorsed my request to undertake enrichment leave from next week through to September 22. I originally sougth approval in 2019 to join a Principal’s Study Tour in 2020, but the global pandemic prevented travel. From next Friday 25 August I will be travelling to the United States and join a group of Victorian Catholic school principals completing the Christian Holiness and Social Action pilgrimage. The pilgrimage focuses on the relationship between holiness and the social struggle for justice as shaped and witnessed through the lives of Martin Luther King, Dorothy Day, Thomas Merton and Flannery O’Connor, whose lives and spirituality profoundly influenced their fellow human beings. For the duration of my absence, Deputy Principal Michael Wrigley has been appointed Acting Principal until the start of term four.

In closing, I share with you a reflection included in the Ballarat Diocese Update last week. 

On 6th August 1945, an atomic bomb was dropped on the city of Hiroshima in Japan, followed by the second on the city of Nagasaki on 9th August. It is time for humanity to reflect upon how we can create peace and harmony for all creation. At the conclusion of the recent World Youth Day in Lisbon, Pope Francis said:

"Dear friends, allow me, this old man, to share with you young people a dream that I carry within me; it is the dream of peace, the dream of young people praying for peace, living in peace and building a peaceful future”. Pope Francis said: "As you return home, please continue to pray for peace. What is more, you are a sign of peace for the world, showing how different nationalities, languages and histories can unite instead of divide. You are the hope of a different world,” he said.

This invitation speaks to us in Catholic Education. Our work, every day, with colleagues, families and students is about creating a world inspired by the dream of Jesus Christ. We strive to continually create justice and peace in all we do. Using the building blocks of dialogue, encounter, and dignity for all. Our “peace making” is about touching hearts. The effects of our work in the long term, may contribute to situations like Hiroshima, Nagasaki, or the devastation in Ukraine for example, never happening again. Pope Francis’s dream is the sacred work we do every day!

Creator God, God of Love, 
You created us and you call us to live as one family. 
Give us the strength daily to be instruments of peace; 
Enable us to see everyone who crosses our path as our brother, sister, friend.
Make us sensitive to the plea of our citizens who entreat us to turn our weapons of war into implements of peace.

Our trepidation into confident trust, and our quarrelling into forgiveness.
Renew our hearts and minds, so that the word which always brings us together,
will always be that of: Shalom, Peace!

St. Joseph: Pray for us.  May the spirit of Catherine McAuley and
Edmund Rice guide us in all we do.  Amen.
(Adapted from the work of Pope Francis.)

Mr Peter Morgan
Principal

A Message from Mrs Claire Wrigley

House Athletics Carnival
Thursday Aug 24 @ Brauander Athletics Track
We look forward to our house Athletics carnival next week. This is a compulsory school house spirit event and students are expected to attend. Students will travel by bus to and from the track. Students are to bring their lunch and our canteen will operate with some items available for purchase at the track, no lunch orders available this day. There will also be a BBQ coordinated by our VM students and staff, along with a Young Vinnies cake stall. Student are encouraged to bring along a few dollars if they would like a sausage or yummy treat! 

Students in Year 7 -11 are required to wear their PE uniform and are encouraged to bring a waterproof coat for extra warmth. Hoodie tops worn under the PE uniform are not permitted and students will be asked to remove them. Correct PE uniform is expected, Year 12 students are permitted to wear house colour dress ups. The carnival starts at approximately 9:20am and should conclude at approximately 2:45pm. Parents are welcome to come along to watch from the embankment on Caramut road end of track.  

Fit4life Parent Series - Greg Mitchell 
Tuesday August 29 @7pm in to Wyton Theatre 
All parents in our school community are invited to a wonderful presentation from Educational consultant Greg Mitchell who has over 40 years experience as a teacher and deputy principal and educational consultant. Greg will be presenting on insights in the teenagers emotional world. This is a community event so friends with students in Warrnambool primary schools or secondary schools are welcome to attend. It is likely this will be very popular so parents will need to register via try booking to attend. See the flyer and scan the code if you wish to attend.

Embracing a Proactive Stance Towards Vaping 
At Emmanuel College, we are acutely aware of the growing media coverage surrounding the worrisome trend of teenage vaping. We look to  take a forward-looking and educational approach to tackle this issue head-on with our student body.

Recently, our Year 9 students benefited from a comprehensive presentation that delved into the potential health risks associated with vaping, as well as the cunning marketing tactics that attempt to lure young individuals into this habit. Our commitment to comprehensive education extends beyond this singular event, as health classes explore the health implications of not only vaping but also drugs and alcohol.

In line with our dedication to disseminating pertinent information, all senior school students last year were exposed to a dedicated presentation focused on vaping. Moreover, we ensure a continuous flow of relevant resources on vaping for both students and parents through our newsletters and SIMON student messages.

Should a student be found vaping on school premises, our approach aligns with our behaviour management policy. The repercussions entail a day dedicated to introspection through an in-school reflection or, in certain instances, the student may be required to stay at home. During this period, the student is encouraged to research the effects of vaping, while our dedicated staff invest time in providing personalised support and further education around risk taking behaviour.

In a bid to proactively discourage vaping within the school environment, we have recently incorporated  tracking within our behaviour management framework. This newly introduced element in our approach recognizes that multiple students caught congregating in toilet cubicles may trigger an after-school reflection session. This measure underscores our belief that there should be no reason for students to be congregating in toilet cubicles together.

Mrs Claire Wrigley
Assistant Principal - Students 

2024 Scholarship Opportunities

The Emmanuel College Foundation was formed in 2018 with two goals. First, to fund student scholarships, and second, to assist the College to plan and construct major new facilities. From this year, additional new scholarships will be available following a recent successful campaign to attract Foundation funding. The College Scholarships Program assists young people already attending Emmanuel College to continue their education. Scholarship information will be shared with families via Operoo or can be accessed via the College website.
The closing date for 2024 scholarship applications is Friday 15 September.

See flyer below for more information.

Any queries about Scholarship Opportunities, please contact College Registrar Jo Nelson 5560 0888 or jnelson@emmanuel.vic.edu.au

"Empowering Parents: A Guide to Supporting Your Child's Learning" Series: Understanding NAPLAN 2023 Results

Parents of students in year 7 and 9 should have received their child’s NAPLAN results via mail. We are anticipating that teachers will have electronic access to this information in the coming weeks.

This year there have been several changes to the NAPLAN reports to parents. These reports are showing higher national standards that were agreed by all education ministers earlier this year. This will help parents, carers, and teachers ensure that children are getting the best out of their schooling and learning the skills they need to succeed at school and beyond.

The new reports have 4 levels of proficiency: 

Exceeding: The student’s result exceeds expectations at the time of testing.
Strong: The student’s result meets challenging but reasonable expectations at the time of testing.
Developing: The student’s result indicates that they are working towards expectations at the time of testing.
Needs additional support: The student’s result indicates that they are not achieving the learning outcomes expected at the time of testing. They are likely to need additional support to progress satisfactorily.

Please take note that a majority of students at Emmanuel were categorized as having achieved the strong level of proficiency. Also, bear in mind that NAPLAN tests are a point in time assessment and only one aspect of each school’s assessment and reporting process. As they are held once every 2 years for each student, they cannot replace the extensive, ongoing assessments made by our teachers about student performance.

The changes to NAPLAN this year means these NAPLAN results cannot be directly compared to the results from previous years, such as NAPLAN bands and National Minimum Standards. Reporting on NAPLAN changes over time will restart this year, building upon the 2023 results. For more detailed information, please visit the NAPLAN website: https://www.nap.edu.au/

We encourage you to review your child’s NAPLAN results alongside their semester 1 report. In the coming weeks, you will receive a mid semester report for semester 2. This will be followed by the opportunity to participate in parent-student-teacher conferences during which you can seek clarification about your child’s learning progress. While teachers currently do not have immediate access to this year’s NAPLAN data, this issue is expected to be resolved shortly.

Lastly, remember that Study Hall is available in the McAuley library to support students after school. This runs from 3:30 pm to 4:30 pm. On Mondays, there are tutors to support students in year 7 and 8. On Wednesdays, Maths teachers volunteer to help students from year 7 - 12. Students can attend as often as they choose.

Ms Simone Rolfe
Director of Learning

Student Voice - Junior School Mock Election

Lottie McCosh, Year 8
The Year 8 year level ran a mock election during Term 3, which taught us all about voting and how politics work. With learning about politics in Humanities and how it runs, we got told we would get to do a mock election. 

Each homeroom voted on a representative, and some policies that we wanted and thought people would like. I got voted to be the 8C class representative and started writing up my speech. 

The day came and all the representatives did their speeches which were filmed and shown to the Year 7’s to vote on. The voting day came and we had to go up at recess and lunch and use voting cards. They announced who won the election and the class and I won. It was a great experience and taught us about the real world.

Student Voice - Year 8 Camp

Luke Robson, Year 8   
Hi, my name is Luke and I was apart of the Year 8 Experience camp to Melbourne. Being the first group and camp to stay at the Miami Hotel was fantastic. We were away for three days on a camp that proved everything we needed to feel at home. 

Monday 7th of August
The first day was jam packed with excitement. We were to arrive at the Emmanuel Center at 7:15 in the morning. Hard for some, not for others. We hit the road around 8:00am in Jaffa’s bus and a Coles Coach’s bus. We arrived at the Miami Hotel at 12:30pm. The staff there greeted us and told us about the rules we had to follow. After this, we found our group leaders that were taking us around to do the different planned activities. Our first activity was to go around Melbourne either on foot or by tram and have a group photo taken outside a designated place like Flagstaff Gardens, Queen Victoria Market, The Block Arcade and many more. Each group got a list and had eight places to find before we scheduled to go on a tour at the Old Melbourne Gaol. We found out some interesting facts and stories about the Gaol. We got to see cells, masks of peoples faces and even Ned Kelly’s armour. After our visit to the Gaol, we had another eight places to find and have a group photo at. There were even some bonus ones. They were having the MCG in the background of a photo, having the Eureka Skydeck in the background of a photo and a photo outside 7eleven with slushies!!! That evening, we received our key cards to our rooms. After settling in, we walked down to King Pin at Crown and played Ten Pin Bowling and Arcade games. 

Tuesday 8th of August
The second day in Melbourne was just like the first, but better. We had breakfast at split times, boys from 7:00 to 7:30am and girls from 7:30 to 8:00am. We had planned to meet our group leaders at 8:30 to start walking down to ACMI (The Australian Center for the Moving Image). This was a very cool place where you could play games, learn new things and interact with things. We also got a disc that we could scan on a part to get a screenshot image of the information. Lots of people were getting lots of information on their disc’s. After finishing there, we had a bit of time to go and explore around the Bourke Street Mall, have lunch and then proceed over to the MCG for a tour. We were taken to places where regular people couldn’t if they were at the footy. We got to learn a bit about the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) and the Melbourne Cricket Club (MCC). We went all the way up to the top in the forth deck, went into the MCC members area, down to the interchange benches and all the way down to the player rooms. We also got to go into the Sport’s Museum and play some games and learn about things. After finishing there, we took the tram back to the Miami Hotel and saw a couple of groups from Camp 2 walking back too. Later that evening, we proceeded down to Universal pizza in Lygon Street. After dinner, we walked to Hoyts in Melbourne Central to see Spider Man, Across the Spider Verse. 

Wednesday 9th of August
After breakfast, we went down to Docklands to O’Briens Ice Rink. We were going to have a half an hour lesson to learn how to ice skate and then had free time to go around on the ice. There were lots of falls from everyone and skills shown off by people who knew how to. We had a Subway lunch before heading back home to Warrnambool. The Melbourne experience camp was the best, everything planned was to suit everyone and hope that the next lot of Year 8’s enjoy it too.

Warrnambool Eisteddfod Debating Competition

After the debates were finished the prize winners have been announced, with some fantastic results for Emmanuel College:

Year 7 and 8 debates
Champion debating team: Emmanuel College Year 7 team came 3rd, (Sophie Wallace, Christian Wyse, Lena Watty) 
Best debate: was awarded to the debate between Year 7 Emmanuel College Vs Warrnambool College,
Year 8 Kings College vs Emmanuel College came 4th, (Stella Marris, Milla Gleeson, Lottie McCosh)
Champion debater: Lena Watty in Year 7 came 4th.
There were more than 20 debates in this category, so really fantastic results.

Year 9 and 10 debates
Champion Debater: was awarded to Belle Plozza in Year 9. What a fantastic result - congratulations Belle.
Champion Debating team: Emmanuel College Year 9 team came 2nd, (Amelia Foard, Belle Plozza, Lucas Milich)

Years 11 and 12
Honorable mention for Champion debater went to Ally Rowbottom and Layla Thom from Year 11.

Again, well done to all involved.

Ms Catherine Ryan
Literacy, English & Publish Speaking Coordinator

Ballarat Diocese Chess Competition

On the 10^th of August, Emmanuel College participated in the annual chess competition held at St. Pats in Ballarat. There were four schools who participated in the competition with over 50 participants. Our 16 players represented our school with pride and played enthusiastically really enjoying the day of face-to-face chess competition. St Pats were clearly the dominators of the competition from the start and secured their win at the end by 9 points. The other three schools battled it out to the end, neck n’ neck. At the end of the 7^th round, Emmanuel College was placed second. A wonderful achievement after a nail bitting finish. Well done and congratulations to all our players who all contributed to a successful and enjoyable competition.

The combined results and individual scores of our players are listed in the tables below:

We all look forward to our next chess competition.

Mr Andrew McKenzie
Chess Coordinator

Learning Diversity

The Learning Diversity team works with teachers, Learning Diversity Assistants and closely with the Wellbeing department to ensure that every student is supported, and has an equitable opportunity to reach their full potential. It takes a whole-team approach.

With the semesterly class changes many of the teachers are getting to know each of their students and how to adapt teaching and learning to accommodate diverse needs. By week 7, students on Personal Learning Plans (PLPs) will have learning goals set by each teacher for each diverse learner.  The PLP is then sent out to families for approval and is in place for semester two. 

If families would like to contact learning diversity, please call the College on 03 5560 0888, and ask for the learning diversity team.  Alternatively, you can email us as follows:

Faith & Mission Update

Staff Professional Development - 'Mercy in Action'
Staff began the semester with a professional development day. With a theme of ‘Mercy in action’, staff explored what it means to be a school in the tradition of the Sisters of Mercy, delved a little deeper into the life, words and actions of their founder, Catherine McAuley, and looked at ways to explore social justice in various ways, but in particular, through digital inclusion. It was also an opportunity to look back at our history and traditions, and rather than leaving them behind us in the past, look for ways to carry those values and actions into the future. 

Justin Houlihan and I provided a different perspective on ‘Mercy in action’. Firstly, I presented some excerpts from my recent Masters research project, linking social justice, design and the Mercy values (courage, compassion, justice, hospitality, respect and service). Justin gave staff an insight into his recent Mercy immersion to Dublin and revealed some very interesting facts about Catherine’s life and how we can enact the Mercy values at Emmanuel. 

The majority of the day was facilitated by two guest speakers, who made the sessions very enjoyable with their sense of humour and expertise. 
Sister Karon Donnellon rsm has broad experience working with a range of Mercy ministries to support them in understanding the Mercy story, ethos and values. Karon’s key message was ‘Mercy as a culture of encounter’ and she helped us explore the myriad ways we already do this, and ways we could include this in our interactions with one another. 
Brendan Fitzgerald is an Emmanuel College alumnus (C.B.C. 1978). Brendan’s career began as a librarian, with many years working on programs at the State Library, including Infoxchange, GoDigi and Ask Izzy, which is an app developed with and for vulnerable people. His key focus is digital and social inclusion and its ability to reduce social isolation and loneliness in the community, and he is currently the Director of 641DI.

We finished the day with a reflective walk and an ancient meditative prayer method - The Examen. 
Below are three key messages we hope to continue to explore as the year unfolds:

1. There’s no point in what we do unless we are Catherine McAuley today, being Faith, Hope and Love to the students we encounter.
2. Mercy is a culture of encounter; we need to be a staff who create a culture of encounter in our school.
3. As leaders we cast either light or shadow and this can have a positive or negative impact. 

“The simplest and most practical lesson I know…is to resolve to be good today, but better tomorrow. Let us take one day only in our hands at a time, merely making a resolve for tomorrow, thus we may hope to get on taking short, careful steps, not great strides.” - Catherine McAuley.

Year 7 & 8 Faith Formation Days
As a Catholic school, we value giving students the opportunity to engage in the development of their Catholic faith and the Mercy Values of compassion, courage, hospitality, justice, service, and respect.  Recently Year 7 & 8 students participated in Faith and Formation workshops that provided them with an opportunity to pause, reflect and participate in activities that are tied to both Catholic Social Teachings and the Mercy Values.

Year 7 students explored the theme of ‘Relationships and belonging’, while Year 8 students looked at ‘Social justice’ from a range of perspectives. In particular, taking what is unique about each one of us, and applying those qualities to social justice and creating positive change. Students were asked to reflect on our call to social justice, not only as supporting those less fortunate, but also by respecting those around us and firstly, respect for ourselves. 
The events are facilitated by Youth Mission Team (YMT) from Melbourne, supported by Emmanuel staff, including some of their RE teachers.                                     
The Faith Formation days are a great opportunity for our students to explore, respond & reflect on relevant themes linked with our RE curriculum, in ways that we can’t always facilitate in the classroom. 

Well done to all the staff and students involved for their enthusiasm and willingness to listen to each other. 

Ms Jacinta Skilbeck
Director of Faith & Mission
Social Justice & Service Coordinator

Sports Update

Intermediate Girls Football State Quarter Final
Year 9 and 10 students travelled to Ballarat on the 8^th of August for their state football quarter final against Northcote High School. Ballarat treated us to a lovely sunny day which provided perfect playing conditions. Northcote were far too strong and ran away convincing winners after piling on 5 unanswered goals in the first quarter. It was an impressive achievement from the Emmanuel girls beating 5 teams to make it to the quarter final. Better players for Emmanuel on the day were:
Lila Evans, Shelby O’Sullivan, Sadie Arndell, Lexie Moncrieff, Scarlett O’Donnell, and Anna Wilkinson.

Intermediate Basketball - Greater Western Regional Finals
Intermediate Girls
On Thursday, August 3 the intermediate Girls basketball team travelled to Ballarat to compete in the Greater Western Region finals.
In the round robin games, the team was successful each time winning 25 to 14 against Horsham College, 24 to 22 against Mercy Regional College and 33 to 22 against Ballarat High School to top the pool. This then led to the final of each pool winner which was convincingly won 31 to 13 against Monivae College.
The team consisted of Eve Covey, Olivia Lenehan, Lucy McLaren. Molly McLaren, Poppy Myers, Hannah O’Keefe, Shelby O’Sullivan, Indigo Sewell and Lila Wilkinson. Cigi Lual and Matilda Sewell coached the team. Next stop is the state finals in Melbourne in November!

Intermediate Boys
The Intermediate Boys team took part in the Region Finals also on August 3rd. After being successful in the pool games the boys found themselves in a final vs Horsham College. Unfortunately they were just beaten, ending their progression.

Thanks to Mr Shane Smith and Ms Colleen Pope for their Coaching on the day and best of luck to the Intermediate Girls at the State Finals in November.

Mr Alastair Templeton
Sports & Lunchtime Activities Coordinator

Library News

Library and Information Week Wrap Up
The Library acknowledged and celebrated Library and Information Week with some competition and a number of activities. Activities included:
Teachers sent in their ideas for helping students do research and find information
Where’s The Source bookmarks
Find A Word – find the sources of information
Sources and Sauces – matching the three food items with the best sauce to have with them and name a food related book that is on display in the Library and the place where it was published
Classes watching the Real Research movie that shows the information research process and how to document information sources
Where’s The Source? clip being shown on the Library televisions.

Thank you to everyone for participating.

The winners of the Library and Information Week competitions are:
Source/Sauce Competition: Year 7s: Logan O, Thomas P, Jameson N, Sam B
Word Search: Year 7s: Mia H, Rebecca H, Archie M
Food Sources/Sauces: Year 7s: Madison K, Gin L, Dusty R.  Year 12: Ailsa G

The Library also received a package of books from the Languages and Multicultural Education Resource Centre in Carlton for students to use. These books are written in different languages such as Arabic and Vietnamese.

Year 8 Picture Book Presentation
This event will celebrate the work of Year 8 English students and their teachers in creating and completing a picture book.  The event will take place on Thursday September 7, 5.00-6.30pm in The Stage and the Library. Author, Andrea Rowe, will be presenting the prizes to the winning Year 8 picture books.

Book Week – 19-25 August
The College Library will celebrate Book Week with the theme of Read, Grow, Inspire.  Each year since 1945 the Children’s Book Council has brought children and books together during Book Week. Many of you will fondly remember preparing Book Week costumes or displays. Students are asked to look out on the Student Messages for what is happening in the Library. Each year authors and illustrators submit their books to be judged by the Children’s Book Council judges.

Announcement of winners will take place:

Winners and Honours: Friday, 18 August 2023, 12.00 PM (noon)

Shadowers' Choice Awards: Friday, 25 August 2023, 12.00 PM (noon).  Emmanuel College students from the College Book Club have been working throughout the Term on choosing the book they like the best in the Early Childhood category of six books.  The book they chose was Market Day by Carrie Gallasch and Hannah Sommerville. The story of Market Day: When a girl is given a coin to spend at the market, she thinks carefully about what to buy. She is tempted by the towering stacks of fruit, spinning rides and glass jars filled with sweets. But it isn’t until a stranger gives something to her, without expecting anything in return, that she knows exactly what to do with her coin.

Australian School Library Day
Australian School Library Day will be celebrated during Book Week on Wednesday August 23. Last year was the first year that a special day for school libraries was introduced. We look forward to celebrating Libraries again this year.

Mrs Margaret Sinnott
Library Coordinator

Our Diocesan Community - July 2023

Health Discovery Day

Callout for Carers

Could you make a difference to a young life?
Could this be what you are looking for? 
Foster carers come from all walks of life. They can be working, not working or retired; married or single; in same-sex relationships; and can own or rent their home. The most essential criteria are that they care, can provide a safe and nurturing home, and have room in their home to support a vulnerable child or sibling group.

If you would like to know more call MacKillop Family Services on 1300 791 677, visit our website, or ring Alana in our Warrnambool office on 5500 2000. 

Youth Awards - Nominate a young person today!

The Moyne & Warrnambool Youth Awards is an annual event coordinated by the youth teams at Moyne Shire and the Warrnambool City Council, with help from our Youth Ambassadors (previous award recipients). They are a unique opportunity to recognise and celebrate our regions young people. The awards are open to young people aged between 12 and 25 who live, work, volunteer or study in the Moyne and Warrnambool municipalities.

• Cooperation
• Resilience
• Responsibility
• Kindness
• Passion

Upcoming Events

Wednesday August 16
Year 10 Social 

Thursday August 17
Complete Works Performance - Year 12 English

Friday August 18
Budj Bim Excursion - Year 11 Literature

Monday August 21
Book Week (all week)
Sports Gala Day

Tuesday August 22
 Making and Exhibiting Gallery Excursion - Unit 4 Art

Thursday August 24
House Athletics Carnival
SW Regional Clay Target Shooting Championships
Mercy Frayne Festival

Friday August 25
Mercy Frayne Festival
Whole School Achievement Assembly

Monday August 28
Third Year 9 Immersion Week (all week)

Tuesday August 29
Fit4life Parent Series - Greg Mitchell