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Newsletter Edition 16 / 2023, October 23

Principal's Message

Dear Emmanuel College Families,

Year 12 Valedictory
As this newsletter goes to print, the Year 12 students are preparing for the English exam tomorrow. Their recent Valedictory day saw smiles and tears, excitement and hesitation as the huge awakening that is the end of secondary school becomes more fully apparent. College staff and students and lots of family members gathered in the Emmanuel Centre to farewell the Year 12 students, sending them on their way with encouragement and promise for the future. During the Valedictory Assembly I said to the class of 2023:

In 2023, our Captains and the Student Leadership Team gave us one of the most inspiring college themes of the last ten years based on one of the six Mercy values: Courage to Climb. Courage is not to be confused with or mistaken for strength, or power. The world is full of powerful people who lack courage. On the other hand, even the frailest of individuals can display extraordinary courage.

Courage empowers us to develop and exploit our personal potential. Courage enables us to do what’s right, rather than following the crowd. Courage helps us make a difference, to right the wrongs we inevitably experience in our lives. As you finish today, it takes courage to step away from this school you’ve known so well and into the next stage of life. Finishing your last class and celebrating the end of secondary school is not a guarantee you know what comes next. In fact, some of you who I’ve spoken to this week have described this time as bittersweet; a time you’ve been looking forward to with great excitement, but now it has arrived, there’s also a sadness in leaving the place that’s been a second home and the people who have been your second family for six years.

Regardless of whether you know what comes next or how confident you feel about the future, each of you has received an excellent foundation through your Emmanuel education on which to build your future. Six years of Emmanuel experiences, friendships and values is significant and into the future they will influence the way you think and the decisions you make. These experiences, the friendships, and the values, combined with the love and support of your families, equip you to take the next steps with confidence and courage.

I trust, from time to time, you will remember the joy of having been a member of the Emmanuel family, and the meaning of the word Emmanuel; that God is with us. Yes, there is a loving God who helps us find meaning in our world where meaning can be hard to find. Regardless of which journey you take, today is a day to celebrate the promise of the future, following in the footsteps of the thousands of Emmanuel students who also made their journey through this school and proudly call themselves Emmanuel alumni.

As principal I acknowledge and thank your teachers, coordinators and support staff who have worked with you this year. I also thank the many teachers and staff who helped lay the foundation for this final year. I trust you will reflect upon those who inspired you and guided you and even those you didn’t agree with because they all worked for your good. In the fullness of time, I encourage you to thank them for the part they played in your Emmanuel education. To the parents and guardians, thank you for entrusting your children to Emmanuel College. I hope we have honoured your expectations to provide a balanced and well-rounded Catholic foundation for your children.

At your graduation in a few weeks’ time, you too will become Alumni of this College. We will always be interested in where your courage takes you, so, make us proud, and remember you are a member of the Emmanuel family, now and forever. Year 12, the class of 2023, congratulations, best wishes and, may God bless you.

2024 Year 12 Leaders
As one chapter concludes another unfolds with the announcement of the 2024 College Captains and Student Leadership Team. I extend my appreciation to Student Leadership Coordinator Leah Kermeen for the extensive and rigorous process that’s being completed to identify the next group, the 2024, student leadership team. This year saw the largest number of students we’ve ever seen vie for leadership positions; a reflection of the College’s efforts to grow and develop student leadership at the College over the last seven or eight years.

Congratulations to 2024 College Captains, Emma Hannagan, Mathew Gome, Mia Cook, Eamon Dempsey, and to the following House Captains:

Maguire House: Mathew Gome, Abby Titmus, Luke Mills, Harry Titmus.
McAuley House: Ted Kelly, Sophie Howland, Grace Kelly, Anna Dickson.
Rice House: Mia Cook, Eamon Dempsey, Matilda Sewell, Bethany Ferguson.
Egan House: Emma Hannagan, Xavier Gercovich, Serafeim Papaevagelou, Satwika Sivasankar.

In addition, I congratulate Sithum Kumarapperuma, Layla Thom, Keiara Perera, Georgia Ragg, Jessica Keast, Frankie Bant, and Nicholas Unwin who will be leaders of the Student Voice Committee.

The above students will all be in Year 12 next year. The process of leadership selection continues across the other year levels this week.

In closing we pray for peace in our world given so much turmoil and upheaval at this time. We pray too for staff member Sharon Lewis whose dear mother died in Western Australia last weekend following a long illness. We extend our heartfelt support to Sharon as she and her family prepare for their mother’s funeral, and we look forward to Sharon’s safe return home.

God of peace, hear our prayer.
Guide our steps in the way of peace.
Instil in our hearts the courage to take determined steps
to achieve harmony in our lives.
You call us to live as brothers and sisters.
Give us the strength each day to be instruments of peace;
enable us to see everyone who crosses our path as our brother or sister.

St. Joseph: Pray for us. May the spirit of Catherine McAuley and
Edmund Rice guide us in all we do. Amen.

Mr Peter Morgan
Principal

A Message from Mrs Claire Wrigley

Understanding your Child’s ADHD
Early in the year we had a Fit4life parent night about ADHD presented by Tania Rowan.

At the parent night Tania mentioned that she would be facilitating an online course for parents. Tania has kindly offered our parents and guardians a special rate to join the online course. If you cannot make all the sessions it will be recorded.

If interested you can register using the QR code from the flyer below or the link. Be sure to use the special offer code to get the discounted price.

EMMANUEL COLLEGE OFFER: USE CODE VGPARENTPASS
If a students' parents live at different addresses, both parents can join the sessions at no extra cost.

This is the link to read more information and register -
https://vanguardcoaching.mykajabi.com/understanding-your-childs-adhd

Understanding_Your_Childs_ADHD_Program.pdf

Uniform
We have enjoyed some lovely warm weather and it is now time for all students to have a hat on when outside at recess and lunchtime and during other outside activities. Can we please ask that parents ensure their child has a college hat. The college hat is available from the uniform shop for $18.50.

As we draw towards the end of our trial transition period of winter uniform to summer, all families are reminded that students must be in full summer uniform by Monday Oct 30.

2024 Red Earth Senior School Immersion
We are offering all current Year 9 and Year 10 the opportunity to apply for a position on the 2024 Red earth immersion to Central Australia. All Year 9 students and interested Year 10 students will hear a presentation about the Red Earth Immersion on Tuesday Oct 24. The immersion is an amazing experience for the students which is 9 nights to Central Australia, with the unique opportunity to camp on country and spend time with local elders learning about Aboriginal customs, art and bush hunting and bush tucker.

There will be an online parent information night on Wednesday Nov 1 at 6.30pm. All parents/guardians of a student in year 9 & 10 will receive an email with registration details for the information night. If your child is interested in attending please ensure you register for the information session and are in attendance online.

Comments from Students who went on 2023 immersion:

My red earth experience was worth more than what money can buy you when coming to a place like Central Australia. It's a once in a lifetime experience, between the traditional owners, the kids and the landscape. Red earth is a place and time I will never forget and always have a space of love for.

It truly is a once in a lifetime experience and something that I would do again in a heartbeat.

It was unexpected in the best way possible, a once in a lifetime experience worth every cent.

Mrs Claire Wrigley
Assistant Principal - Students

Performing Arts News

This week has been a very busy one. The Year 10 and VCE Unit 2 Drama classes went to the Lighthouse Theatre to see Damian Callinan’s show “Double Feature” for two reasons. 1. Damian Callinan is a brilliant Australian comic and playwright, so who would want to miss the opportunity, and 2. The students used the show for an analysis assessment which drama students need to complete to acquire skills to meet outcomes. Damian generously organised a Q and A for our students so they could ask questions about his acting and writing process. Kate McNeil of Year 10 starred in the show for a short while as Damian loves to include his audience in his performance.

On Mon 16^th October, Unit 4 VCE Drama students performed their Solo Exam at the Lighthouse Theatre in front of three VCAA examiners. Each year the performance exam is released with 8 stimulus students can choose from in order to produce a 7 min performance. Students must show expressive skills, dramatic elements, theatre conventions and theatre styles according to the stimulus they chose. Kiri Hawkes and Abbey Fidge chose the stimulus of Scrooge from Charles’ Dickens A Christmas Carol, and Joshua Hales chose Dennis Denuto from the film The Castle. The students can develop other characters to include, in line with the points specified. Abbey chose Donald Trump and had a lot of fun experimenting with voice, mannerisms, and orange face paint. Kiri included Jeff Bezos and puppetry to signify the Tiny Tim character. Joshua had fun watching The Castle and delving into the world of ineffectual lawyers such as Dennis as well as developing the character of ‘Martha’ and elderly women who loves lawn bowls. All students exited the exam confident and although nervous they enjoyed the experience. We wish them well for their written exam in November.

Ms Megan Davies
VCE Drama Teacher

Year 7 Melbourne Symphony Orchestra excursion
All of the Year 7's and the Year 8 music class were very lucky to experience the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Concert.

The event started with a special musical Welcome to Country played by the Melbourne Symphony, written by Debrorah Cheetham, who is a proud Yorta Yorta woman and acclaimed soprano, composer and educator.

Karen Kiriakou introduced the instrumental families of the orchestra, and it was great to see the sea of hands go up when students were asked ‘who plays a woodwind or brass instrument’? We were guided through the structure of the most famous and recognisable symphonies, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5, with Karen Kirakou asking the audience to sing some of the famous themse while the orchestra played them. We also got to know Beethoven’s other well-known works, the Moonlight Sonata, Fur Elise, and Ode To Joy from Beethoven’s 9^th Symphony.

A reminder that Emmanuel Singers will now have practice on Wednesdays in the Wyton Theatre at 3.45pm.

Ms Maria Carras- Kerr
Music Teacher

Taste the World Food Studies Class

The Year 10 Taste the World class are preparing a range of sweet and savory dishes from around the world. Today’s recipe was a fusion of Spanish and Central American cuisine ‘Churros Spiral Bread’. Students made a yeast dough, enriched with layers of butter, sugar and cinnamon. The final product looked and smelled delicious, especially when served with a special Spanish chocolate sauce!

Well done Year 10s!

Ms Ruth Walker
Food Studies Teacher

VPC Work Related Skills Class

Mosswood Wildlife project by the VPC Work Related Skills Class
Throughout Term 3 the VPC Work-related Skills class worked on planning a small scale project that they had to complete as a group. They brainstormed and came up with many brilliant ideas but the final decision was to work alongside ‘Mosswood Wildlife’ and make possum boxes. Mosswood Wildlife is a non forprofit organisation based in Koroit. They rescue, rehabilitate and release animals back where they belong in their natural habitat, and their goal is the preservation of Australia’s wildlife and natural environment. The class assisting with making possum boxes was greatly appreciated by Tracey, the leader at Mosswood. The students thought that having a link with a local organisation was a great way to connect with the community, and giving back to the community was another factor that they liked.

Skills that the student used within the project were - teamwork, communication, organisation, problem solving and many more that they can take and use outside of the school setting in their workplaces. After deciding on what their project would be, the class then had to work out all of the materials, costing and how long this project was expected to take. This project was able to be integrated with their numeracy class. Ms Smith, their teacher, was able to assist the students on measurements, what was the best template to use and how much material had to be purchased. There was a lot of research finding out the best template and then also various trips to Bunnings to do the costing and research of the best material to use, which was extremely important so that the possum boxes endure the elements. The students worked extremely well together, and when presenting Tracey with the 5 completed possum boxes they saw how much this meant to the organisation. Tracey and her team will place these around the area so that they can provide a safe home and nesting place for the local possums.

Niamh, Sawyer, Luke, Ryleigh and Campbell who make up the class would like to thank Mr Ben McKenzie and Jacki down in the Industrial Skills Centre for their assistance throughout this project. Without their assistance the project would have taken so much longer to complete. Also Ms Rosina Gannon supported the idea and gave us connections with Tracey.

“I really enjoyed making this project for Mosswood Wildlife. It was lots of fun going out there and seeing what they do. We learnt lots of different skills from making these boxes.” - Niamh

“When making the possum boxes I enjoyed learning the process and the end result of our goals”

Ms Penny Maher
Teaching Staff

CREATIVE 23

The CREATIVE 23 Exhibition was held in the J Wing Exhibition Spaces Wed 11^th -Fri 13^th October. This exhibition celebrates the CREATIVE students at Emmanuel who have undertaken Unit 3 & 4 in Art (ART Creative Practice), Drama, Media, Photography (ART Making & Exhibiting), Textiles (Product Design) and Visual Communication & Design. Students were able to show not only their final pieces but also the extensive developmental work that goes into the production of final outcomes. This exhibition was also a fantastic opportunity for other students to see what the study of a CREATIVE subject looks like at Year 12 level. Many year levels visited the exhibition spaces whilst the exhibition was open.

We congratulate all exhibiting students on both the standard of work presented and the commitment you have shown to your CREATIVE studies throughout not only your Unit 3 & 4 studies but also your entire 6 years at Emmanuel College.

Ms Natasha Cummings
Creative Arts Coordinator

Student Voice - Protect the Planet Pledge

Zane Lockland, Year 7
My Name is Zane Lockland and I am a part of the Green Group @Emmanuel (GG) and I am in Year 7. This November, we (the GG) are asking students and teachers to take part in our ‘Protect the Planet Pledge’ initiative. The aim is to encourage responsible environmental practices to reduce our carbon footprint, save energy and resources, and promote sustainability. This program has prizes sponsored by Wannon Water’s- Rippple Effect sponsorship. Thanks Wannon Water!

You can choose a pledge from the list or create one of your own, and write it on the board in the LRC or on this google form. Ideas: “For the month of November I pledge to”:

Pick up 10 pieces of rubbish every day (300 in total)
Bring no single use plastic to school for lunch box
Buy no new clothes.
Ride or walk to school every day
Bring my keep cup and reusable containers for takeaway
Use the bin systems at school and at home correctly
Or make your own up!

Though we may feel small, our actions have a significant effect on the planet and our local environment. By promoting positive behaviours towards environmental conservation, our simple acts will contribute to creating a cleaner and greener planet for us and generations to come. Join us the Green Group @Emmanuel in making the world a healthier place, by making a pledge today!

See poster below made by Eve Ryan, fellow Year 7 student.

Protect_our_Planet_Flyer.pdf

Gift to the College

Last week, we received a gift from Gunditjmara Elder Rob Lowe.

It was his way of thanking the college for allowing him to pass on traditional aboriginal stories to Emmanuel College students, through the 9@RICE Program.

The story of the paining - The square dots at the top represents Emmanuel College, with the circle dots representing places of indigenous significance and the places Rob took the students. They were (from closest to furthest away) Swan Reserve, Community Garden, Cemetery, Moyjil/Point Ritchie, Pickering Point and Levies. There is a dotted line around all these places representing they/we are all connected and the darker lines around the outside representing the year of growth and learning/education.

Once completed, we hope to find a place for this in the Edmund Rice Centre, surrounded by some of the students’ indigenous paintings from the past two years.

Thank you Rob Lowe for this incredible gift!

Mr Paul Aberline
9@RICE Community Leader

Sports Update

State Athletics
On Thursday October 5th, the College was represented by 26 students attending the State Athletics held at Lakeside Arena, Melbourne. On a cold and blustery day, our students had some terrific results including:

Grace Kelly- 1st, 17 Year Old Girls 100m
Chloe Mutton- 2nd, 17 Year old Girls High Jump & Hurdles, 3rd in Triple Jump
Will Callaghan- 3rd in Triple Jump
Amelia Bussell, Nina Quill, Hannah McMeel and Mia Robinson - 1st, 14 Year Old Girls 4x100m Relay
Grace Kelly, Chloe Mutton, Cigi Lual and Mia Hetherington - 2nd, 17 Year Old Girls 4x100m Relay

Congratulations to all student who made it to this level of Competition, a full list of results from the day can be found at the link here - 2023 State Athletics Results

WD Junior Summer Sports
Basketball- With multiple teams representing the school in all age groups our Junior School Basketballers competed against Warrnambool College and Brauer for spots in the regional finals. Both our Year 7 Boys and Girls were successful and will now play in Ballarat on October 31st, with our Year 7-8 Girls and Boys teams also joining them for the trip to Regions. Congratulations and good luck to all sides involved.

Cricket
With no other teams entered, our Year 7 Boys moved straight to the regional finals. They will be joined by our Year 8 boys who beat Warrnambool College and Brauer in the Round Robin format held at Mack Oval. Our Girls Year 7-8 side has also progressed after a 30 run win in their game against Warrnambool College.

Mr Alastair Templeton
Sports & Lunchtime Activities Coordinator

Junior Boys Football
On Thursday September 14^th, Emmanuel College’s Year 7 & 8 boys competed against St Joseph’s Geelong in the second game of the Jonathon Brown/Cameron Ling Cup. After both Emmanuel teams won their first games in Warrnambool, it was our turn to reciprocate the journey and travel to Geelong to try and bring home the cup!

Year 7
After an early start, we arrived in Geelong with perfect weather for footy; 25 degrees, clear blue skies, and gentle breeze to one end of the ground. Even after a strong performance in game 1, we knew we’d have to bring our best to face a proud St. Josephs outfit on their home ground and in front of a crowd of passionate student supporters. With Isaiah Dawson leading the team for game 2, we won the toss and kicked with the slight breeze.
Our boys got off to a red-hot start, dominating possession and getting plenty of repeat entries into our forward line early. Unfortunately, our inaccuracy hurt us and proved costly as Joeys were able to transition the ball quickly into their forward 50 and convert their chances, bringing them back into the game.
The second quarter was much more free flowing, with the nerves having settled and both sides starting to get into a bit of a rhythm with cleaner and faster ball movement. It was a real arm wrestle for 20mins, with every goal Emmanuel kicking, Joeys being able to counter and keep themselves in the contest, keeping the margin to 5 points at half time.
After the long break, fatigue started to kick in for the home side with the heat of the contest and the day beginning to take its toll. Emmanuel’s defence stood tall and kept Joeys forwards quiet, while we were able to stretch out a bit of a lead.
It wasn’t until the last quarter where our boys were able to kick away and really get a stranglehold on the game, kicking 5 goals to Joeys 1 and put the game to bed. The only sour note to the day occurred in the final minute of the game, with Kain Parsons breaking both bones in his forearm. He was tough as nails, chucking his arm in a sling and ensuring he stayed around to celebrate with the team and mingle with the Joeys players with a soft drink after the game. We were also very fortunate to have Cameron Ling present the cup to the Emmanuel team and stay around to pose for a few photos!
It was a thoroughly enjoyable day, not only because we were successful in winning the Jonathon Brown/Cameron Ling Cup, but because all players were fantastic over the course of the day, including the journey up and back, and were commended for their brilliant behaviour. St Joseph’s coach said after the game that they are keen to redeem themselves in 2024 and have already got plans to field a stronger side to try and win the cup back!

Emmanuel 13.16.94
St Joseph’s 7.10.52
Best players: Monty Darcy, Casey Carlin, Kain Parsons, Billy Schrama, Kaelen Perera, Jameson Nelson

Year 8
After winning comprehensively in Game one, our Year 8 Football team ventured down to Geelong on a warm day to tackle St. Joseph's College for Game two. Expecting a much tougher opponent this time around, it wasn’t the case with the Emmanuel team playing far superior football to win by a huge margin. Both performances speak volumes of our Year 8 Football side and the talent they possess. All players contributed really well on the day and played the game in the right spirit. The win, along with the contribution from our Year 7 team, meant that Emmanuel had secured the Johnathon Brown/Cameron Ling trophy in 2023. Cameron Ling arrived for the presentations and spoke to all players and gave his time for our boys to have photos, which the boys really enjoyed. A great day was had in what was an ideal way to lead into Emmanuel Day and the term 3 holidays.

Goal Kickers

Finn Parkinson - 4 Goals
Paddy Sell - 3 Goals
Harry Miller - 2 Goals
Oilier Turner - 2 Goals
Charlie Jellie, Max Hogan, Connor Brisbane, Toby Hellessey, Jake Denaro, Charlie Murray, Aiden Dwyer & Zach Smith - 1 Goal each

Mr Daniel Weymouth
Year 7 Community Leader

Library News

Victorian Premiers’ Reading Challenge
Nineteen students from Years 7-10 have successfully completed the Victorian Premiers’ Reading Challenge. To successfully complete the Challenge, students must read 15 books during the year up until the September finishing date. Later in the year each of the students will receive a certificate from the Premier. Merit points will also be allocated for the students.

International School Library Month
Emmanuel College Library is celebrating International School Library Month with a number of activities. There will be a UNO card competition in the Library at lunchtime on Thursday 26 October. Students are welcome to join in the competition.

Pop Up Book Sale
Members of the College Student Book Club conducted a sale of new books that were kindly donated by Campion Education, Warrnambool last Thursday. The money raised from the Book Sale will be given to the Ruben Centre in Kenya. There will be another sale coming up on this Thursday 26 October. Students are invited to come and browse the books and purchase – payments can be made with cash or card.

World Book Online
Students have access to World Book Online, a digital version of the encyclopedia for researching topics. The link for World Book Online can be found on the Library home page via SIMON. The information found on the World Book Online site is easy to read with some features that students can use to help with their learning. They can make the text speak the words to help in understanding, the font can be changed from the default font to Open Dyslexic font where the letters are more heavily based and some students find it easier to read. At the bottom of articles being used, students can find how to reference the article in the Harvard format to include in their bibliography.

Referencing and Creating Bibliographies
At Emmanuel we use the Harvard system of referencing. If students are using resources from the Emmanuel Library they can drag the image of the cover of the book that they have used in their research, to My List on the Library home page. They can then click on My List and click Options and choose Harvard.
Students using World Book Online from our Library home page can easily cite a reference. At the bottom of each article is the Cite reference button which allows the reference to be copied and placed in a bibliography.
Students can also use a couple of websites to generate a record of research for their assignment:
https://www.mybib.com/tools/harvard-referencing-generator
https://www.citethisforme.com/

These resources help students record where they found their information and to generate a bibliography.

Year 12s Studying In The Library
In preparation for the upcoming VCAA exams, students have been using the Library to study. They are asked to sign in when they arrive in the Library and sign out when they leave for the day. The quiet spaces that have been available during the year continue to be available – the annexe and the booth area. Meeting Rooms 1 and 2 of the Library may be available for students to do timed practice/trial exams. Studens can see the Library staff to arrange this – there is not a set time – if the room is available they are able to start the trial exam and time themselves. The Library has a number of timers available if students wish to use them.

Past Library Staff Visits
Work continues on the St Ann’s, CBC and Emmanuel Libraries Timeline history project. Recently some of the Library Staff who worked in these Libraries came to visit the Emmanuel Library to view the draft copy of the timeline. Once completed this timeline will be displayed in the Library.

Overdue Library Items
Students are reminded to return any items that they may have had on loan since Term 3. Reminder emails have been sent out asking for the items to be returned. Your cooperation in returning items helps us have them available for other students to borrow.

Mrs Margaret Sinnott
Library Coordinator

Career News

The latest Career Newsletter can be read here -
https://www.emmanuelcollegecareers.com/
and includes information on the following:

Year 9 Students

Indigenous Australian Engineering School 2024
Santos Science Experience – Agriculture program

Year 10 Students

United World Colleges – applications now open
Indigenous Australian Engineering School 2024
Santos Science Experience – Agriculture program
Monash University Peninsular Campus Experience Day

Year 11 Students

University of Melbourne – VCE Summer School
Indigenous Australian Engineering School 2024
Monash University Peninsular Campus Experience Day
Medicine and Dentistry UCAT webinar

Year 12 Students

Important tertiary reminders
Early entry programs still open
Scholarships closing soon
Australian Catholic University – scholarships information webinar
Alternative Schoolies
Tertiary dates
ADF Gap Year – applications still open
Richmond Institute of Sport Leadership

All Students

Exciting STEM Job Kits
Music Careers Guide
Victoria Police Careers Guide
Careers working with people with eye disorders
Summer jobs
Train to become a flight attendant
Study climate change
Explore outdoor education and outdoor recreation courses
Interested in forensic science courses?
Summer schools
Upcoming career events and programs.

Current Vacancies
Over the last few weeks the school has been contacted by a number of employers regarding employment opportunities, these range from casual, part time and full time positions, if you are looking to enter into the workforce in these areas, all vacancies have been posted on “Daily Messages” for students to apply.

Mr David Gladman
Student Pathways & Careers Leader