From the Principal - Ave Maria College

Volume 93 No 11• 10 August 2016
Prayer
Loving God, may each member of the College community feel at home here. May we then share this
love and support with others by being messengers of peace. We make this prayer in Jesus’ name.
Amen
From the Principal
Franciscan Reflections
Student Achievement
People are moved not so much by ideas as by the witness of
exemplary persons. Their meaning and message transcends
the historic period in which they lived. They speak to all the
ages. One of these figures is surely St Francis of Assisi, and
over the coming fortnight we honour another, Helene de
Chappotin, Foundress of the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary.
Helene was inspired by Francis; both were inspired by Jesus
Christ, each was an exemplary person of faith, witness and
humanity. Helene lived a life of uncertainty, she endured
hostility and oppression, she suffered setbacks. At the same
time, she was steadfast in her life’s central work, being Christ
to a suffering world. In this work she was resolute, she placed
no borders on her endeavours, she led and inspired many
women to join her in working under the inspiration of Francis
and Mary to live as Christ lived – extending justice, peace, truth
and love to all. Both Francis and Helene were drawn into God’s
plan for a better world, a world of communion or universal
kinship, where all are brothers and sisters, where all the gifts of
creation are honoured and shared.
We congratulate Abby Port who continues her great success in
Equestrian competition, most recently at State Level. On
Sunday, 7 August 2016 the Grand Final of the VEIS Series
(Victorian Equestrian Inter School) was held at the National
Equestrian Centre in Werribee. Abby completed her two
dressage tests and was able to successfully hold her position
and was awarded fifth overall in Preliminary Intermediate for
the state of Victoria. Abby competed against a number of
schools with large teams and a strong history in Equestrian
competition. Representing Ave Maria College as a sole
competitor makes Abby, and her result, all the more
commendable. We thank Abby for representing the College so
admirably and wish her continued success, congratulations
Abby.
Elizabeth Hanney
Principal
On Monday, 15 August we will be delighted to unveil and bless
the sculpture of Helene de Chappotin at the front of the
College as we celebrate Ave Maria Day. Helene’s spirit will be a
greeting and a call to each of us to continue bringing Christ to
our world in peace, justice, truth and love.
World Youth Day
It has been wonderful to learn of the great joy experienced by
our two College World Youth Day pilgrims, Katie Earnshaw
and Clare Shu. The students have experienced a unique
opportunity to join young Catholics from across the world in a
spirit of solidarity, friendship and prayer. They were also
privileged to see and hear Pope Francis as he led mass and
addressed them so personally. We trust this experience has
been profound for Katie and Clare and look forward to their
sharing of its impact with students over the coming weeks.
I invite you to read the Pope’s homily at the Closing Mass, it
contains a wonderful message to young people.
Abby Port
Term
Dates
2016
Term 1 - Monday, 1 February - Thursday, 24 March
Term 2 –Monday, 11 April - Friday, 24 June
Term 3 - Monday, 11 July - Friday, 16 September
Term 4 - Monday, 3 October - Thursday, 8 December
Deputy Principal
Leadership & Learning
Parent Portal Change
The College has embarked upon a change to its student and
administration database over the past couple of months. This
change sees us move to the Synergetic Management System
for all student records including contacts and associated
details, wellbeing, attendance records, assessment and
reporting. This change brings with it a new parent portal
called SynWeb, where parents can view all information,
including assessment, pertaining to their daughter. The
SynWeb portal replaces the current parent portal from
Monday, 29 August 2016 and parents can access the portal in
the same way as they do currently. A ‘How-to’ guide will be
made available on the College website by the time the portal
becomes active.
This change was brought about by both the need to upgrade
our database to a better system and to align with the
Integrated Catholic Online Network (ICON) Project. This
system will allow for a more complete centralisation of all
student data. As part of this upgrade, in 2017 the College is
looking to move to a more continuous form of reporting
where assessment results are posted online throughout the
term for parents to access. In our efforts to make this a
one-stop-shop we will, also in 2017, look to utilise the Parent
Teacher Interview functionality for parent bookings.
At this point in time our staff are working diligently behind
the scenes undertaking the work of transferring our current
database records into the new system. This is a massive
undertaking and we will be requiring parents to be patient
with us as we move across and ask for your assistance in
checking your daughter’s details both prior to and after the
migration.
Heads of School
Student Leadership 2017
This week marks the beginning of the 2017 Senior Student
Leadership process. Students in Year 11 have been invited to
apply for a position on the 2017 Senior Student Leadership
Team made up of College Co-Captains, Faith and Social
Justice Leaders, an Academic Captain, and two House Leaders
from each of our four Houses.
Student leadership plays a vital role in the life of the College
with members of the Leadership Team being the voice of the
entire student body. The College has a long tradition of
electing strong and confident women to these positions, all of
whom have done a wonderful job in advocating for the
students, and the College more broadly. Students in Year 11
who are interested in applying are encouraged to read the
position descriptions and application process details on the
Student Leadership page of AveSpace > Learning > student
leadership. Please note, applications close this Friday, 12
August 2016.
The process of electing senior student leaders involves all staff
and students of the College. Following a review of
applications and interviews, short listed candidates will be
required to address the College community on Friday, 9
September 2016. A democratic preferential voting system is
then conducted to elect the new leaders. Confirmation of
leaders occurs at the final assembly for Year 12 students on
Tuesday, 18 October 2016. We wish all candidates every
success in their pursuit of representing their peers in these
important positions.
NAPLAN 2016
The parent portal will be inaccessible for two weeks while the
transfer is taking place and we ask you to make note of the
following key dates:
The preliminary results of the 2016 NAPLAN tests were
announced by ACARA last week. Please note this is just the
overview of the national and state data. Individual student
results are not available for several weeks, at which time the
College will post them home. Notification of this will occur via
SkoolBag.
Current Parent Portal Closes: Monday, 15 August 2016
Subject Selection
New Parent Portal Opens: Monday, 29 August 2016
A reminder that the Subject Selection portal is now open until
11.59pm Sunday, 14 August 2016. All students in Years
7-11 should have their login details. 2017 Subject Selection
Handbooks are available via the College website or via
AveSpace>Learning>academic resources>subject selection
Interim reports for Term 3 will be available via the new portal
SynWeb prior to PTS Interviews. Please note that for the
upcoming round of PTS Interviews for Year 7 to 10 students,
we are still using PTO for booking interview times.
Please contact the College if you have any questions.
Phillip Tascone
Deputy Principal Leadership and Learning
Head of School Years 7-9
Head of School Years 10-12
Jo Hammer
Matt Smith
Important Dates
Monday, 15 August
Wednesday, 17 August
Thursday, 18 August
Friday, 19 August
Monday, 22 August
Tuesday, 23 August
Ave Maria Day
Family Maths and Science Night
SCSA Volleyball
Year 8 and Year 9 2016 Parent Social Evening
Learning and Teaching Day - Student Free Day
SCSA Outdoor Soccer
Year 7 Immunisations
Teaching and Learning
Leader
Faith and Religious
Education
Learning Beyond the Classroom
This week Year 10 students undertook their
Faith In Action Today (FIAT) community service placement.
Linked with their Religious Education unit of Social Justice, FIAT
is an opportunity to act for those in need and live out the
principles of Catholic Social Teaching such as the dignity of the
human person and the preferential option for the poor. To help
them to integrate their experience, students will reflect upon
their experience as part of the RE curriculum.
There have been a number of opportunities over the past few
weeks for students to extend their learning outside of the
classroom. These students have shown great initiative and
dedication by going above and beyond expectations. My
congratulations to the students who participated in the
Education Perfect Mathematics competition. There were a
number of students awarded certificates for their
achievements. I would also like to acknowledge the very hard
work of Year 9 students , Antonia Kerrison, Lauren Sponza,
Madeline Saxton, Katelyn Le Toille and Sarah Guiffre-Fittipaldi,
for their entries in the Wool4School competition. Asked to
design a uniform for an Olympic team, these students
researched fabric types, developed a design concept and then
drew and annotated their design and submitted this, along
with their creative statements to be externally adjudicated.
The standard of work produced was incredible and I wish the
girls all the best in the competition. My thanks also to Emily
Raffaele, their textiles teacher for her support of the girls as
they sought to extend their knowledge and skill.
University of Melbourne Network of Schools
This year the College was accepted into Melbourne University’s
Network of Schools (UMNOS), with Scott Fraser recently being
appointed to the position of Success Coordinator. This three
year programme seeks to collectively impact on improving the
outcomes and experience for students using evidence-based
research. Our College has elected to focus on improving
numeracy through the use of proven literacy strategies. There
is a focus on Year 7 for the remainder of the year, with the view
to expand this programme in 2017 and beyond. Ultimately,
through a research and data driven approach our aim is to see
continued growth in the numeracy and literacy outcomes of
our students.
Careers Talks
Thank you to those parents who have contacted me offering to
come and talk to the students about your careers. On
Thursday, 25 August 2016 our Year 9 students will be hearing
from a number of parents in Communities and Careers . If you
are available and would like to come along please contact me
at jessica.hall@avemaria.vic.edu.au
Jessica Hall
Teaching and Learning Leader
Excitement is building in the lead-up to Ave Maria Day. It is a
day where we celebrate the Ave Maria community. It is made
even richer this year as we look forward to the unveiling and
blessing of the Helene sculpture.
The next Parent-Daughter spirituality evening will be held on
Monday, 29 August 2016. The theme is “My dream for the
future”. To help facilitate discussion, I urge parents who are
attending to write a letter to their daughter outlining their
dreams for her future. You would then give the letter to your
daughter on the evening and discuss its contents and related
matters. If you would like to attend, please email
brooke.poynton@avemaria.vic.edu.au
I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt,
out of the house of slavery; you shall have no other gods before
me. (Ex 20:2-3)
In a world of money and technology, it is easy to think we control
our own destiny and we don’t need God. It is easy to keep this
illusion up, until reality bites! Whether our focus is money, power,
addiction or just control, our lives are not as they should be. This is
not for God’s sake – this is for us. If my focus is money, power,
addiction or control then the world begins and ends with me. My
relationships are more like transactions, skewed towards me. We
are made for relationships and despite the barriers we put up, our
hearts will continue to yearn for them. We can burrow deeper into
our ‘idols’ but they will not stop the ache. We are each made to be
with and for others. This is the path of wholeness, holiness…and
sanity.
Patrick Jurd
Director of Faith and Religious Education
Student Counsellor
Pathways News
Social Media and Online Communications
At this time in the year most tertiary institutions conduct open
days for interested students. Following on from the subject
selection process families of current and incoming VCE students are advised of the following open days and encouraged
to investigate the pathways offered by these various
institutions.
Teenagers are challenged by a complex world of social media
and it dominates the life of many teens. The Australian
Psychological Society’s Stress and Wellbeing in Australia
Survey 2015 showed that one in two teenagers (57%) finds it
difficult to sleep or relax after spending time on social
networking sites, and 60% feel brain ‘burnout’ from constant
connectivity on social media. The study found that 56 % of
Australian teens are heavy social media users (five or more
times per day), with 25 % of Australian teens being connected
to social media constantly.
Teens who are heavy users of social media are significantly
more likely to develop Fear of Missing Out (FoMo). FoMO is a
new phenomenon that is characterised by worry that others
may be having rewarding experiences that they are not part of.
It can lead to a compulsive concern they might miss an
opportunity for social interaction.
Lately I have seen several students who are feeling the
negative effects of too much time on social media (mostly
Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook). I ask them “Is your mood
better or worse after spending time on social media?” If the
answer is “Worse,” I suggest it is time for a break. Or at the
very least, cutting back. By reducing the amount of time on the
sites these students are less likely to feel they are missing out,
they are less likely to be concerned about what others are
doing, and they are less likely to feel bad about themselves if
people don’t like their social media posts
It is important to remember that social networking sites are a
big part of teenagers’ social lives and that there are many
positive aspects. Social media plays a role in teenagers’
identity formation and their search for a sense of self. It helps
teenagers connect with peers, seek help, set goals and feel
part of a global community.
I recommend students switch off social media by
8.00pm – 9.00pm and spend time doing something relaxing,
for example, spending time with family, doing a hobby,
reading or listening to music.
Susanne Hall
Student Counsellor
Australian Catholic University
Melbourne Campus Sunday, 14 August 10.ooam – 4.oopm
Ballarat Campus Sunday, 28 August 10.00am – 3.00pm
Deakin University & Deakin College
Warrnambool Campus Sunday, 7 August 9.00am—3.00pm
Geelong Campus (Waurn Ponds & Waterfront)
Sunday, 21 August 9.00am—3.00pm
Melbourne (Burwood) Campus Sunday, 28 August 9.00am – 4.00pm
Federation University of Australia
Mount Helen Campus; SMB Sunday, 28 August 10.00am – 3.00pm
La Trobe University & La Trobe Melbourne
Shepparton Campus Friday, 5 August 4.00pm—7.00pm
Melbourne (Bundoora) Campus Sunday, 7 August 3.30pm—7.30pm
Bendigo Campus Sunday, 14 August 10.00am—3.00pm
Mildura Campus Sunday , 17 August 10.00am—4.00pm
Monash University
Peninsula Campus Saturday, 6 August 10.00am—3.00pm
Clayton & Caulfield Campuses Sunday, 7 August 10.00am-4.00pm
Parkville Campus (Pharmacy Focus)
Sunday, 21 August 10.00am—3.00pm
RMIT
City, Bundoora & Brunswick Campuses Sunday, 14 August
10.00am – 4.oopm
University of Melbourne
Parkville & Southbank Campuses
Sunday, 21 August 9.00am – 4.00pm
Victoria University
Footscray Park Campus Sunday, 28 August 10.00am – 3.00pm
Helen Aliaga
Pathways Co-ordinator
Hall Mass
Below is a Reflection piece by Brian Doyle who is a writer of
poetry, author of novels such as Chicago and editor of
Portland, the magazine of the University of Portland.
By chance I was on campus late at night recently, and
realized that I could savor Mass in one of the residence halls;
there are ten such halls on my campus, with ten small
humble unadorned honest chapels, and there are nights
when there are small motley friendly shaggy late Masses in
all of them at once, gentle Masses with none of the pomp
and gravitas of Mass in church, let alone the operatic
bravura of Mass in basilica or cathedral; so I wandered into a
residence hall, and proved who I was to the cheerful student
at the desk, and ambled into the chapel, and waited for the
congregation to arrive.
The congregation first was a very tall thin boy wearing
pyjama pants and a sweatshirt so voluminous that you could
have used it for a spinnaker. He was followed by two
yawning girls and then one sleepy girl and a girl being
carried on a boy’s back, the two of them giggling so
infectiously that the five of us in the chapel could not help
but laugh. The celebrant then arrived, followed by a dog
whom I thought was
unaccompanied until two girls walked in arm in arm and one
of the girls made a sound with her tongue against her teeth
and the dog curled up at her feet, next to her white stick.
Then five or six boys came in at once, the last one closing
the chapel door behind him at a signal from the celebrant.
But one more girl slipped in just before the door sighed all
the way shut, and then Mass began.
I will assume here that you have savored Mass before, and
know the rhythm and character and structure and pacing of
Mass, and, that you, like me, enjoy the bony simplicity of
the act, an hour in which stories and eating and drinking and
miracle are conjoined in a ritual so ancient that we forget
how ancient it is, and forget too the even more ancient
rituals it echoes, the sacrifices and smoke and chants on
stone tables on high hills all over the world, in deserts and
forests and dolmen and temples now long crumbled to dust;
so that when I say that the Mass in the chapel flowed quietly
and gently you know that I mean that the readings from Old
and New Testimonies were spoken clearly and slowly, and
that intercessions were chanted, and that the celebrant
presided over a miracle with a patent and admirable
attentiveness to the incredible magic of the moment, and
that we stood and reached for each other and held hands
and prayed, and then shuffled up to the altar, several of us
barefoot, to accept the wafer of bread. Something about
the ways the lights were arranged in the chapel made it
seem that the wafers were small circles of light.
The girl who offered sips from the chalice of wine, I noticed, had spectacles with lenses exactly the same size and
brilliance of the wafers of bread.
A moment later Mass was over and the boy who had
carried the girl in carried her out again, and the dog led his
or her girl out of the chapel, and everyone else left, the tall
boy and the celebrant last, but I stayed where I was in the
corner, and thought about the Mass, and how when I was a
college student I went to hall Mass sometimes when I was
hungry for something I could not name. I still cannot name
what it is I hunger for, more by the year now, but I find that
I don’t care about its namelessness anymore; I only care
that it is everywhere available, and everywhere refreshing,
and everywhere generous, and everywhere quite possibly
exactly what you need just exactly when you need it, no
matter the venue or the celebrant or the motley of the
congregation. I think it is itself miraculous, in ways that we
cannot explain or understand; and that every time you
avail yourself of it, you can, if you attend closely, hear
something like the voice that sang the stars into being,
long ago and far away and right here and right now.
Year 9 Indonesian excursion – CERES
On Monday, 20 June 2016 the Year 9 Indonesian cohort
travelled to CERES to learn about Indonesian traditional
dance and music. Students learned a dance from Sulawesi,
learned how to play an Angklung properly and tried their
hand at a shadow puppetry performance! Their hard work
was rewarded with an Indonesian lunch. A good learning
experience was had by all.
Richard Cosway
Domain Team Leader LOTE
I Plan a Business Competition (iPAB) 2016
I am pleased to announce Semester 1 2016 Year 10 Business
Economics students , Molly Farrell and Gemma MacGregor,
with the title Global Café, Maddison Cottle, with the title
DriveThru Chemist, and Mikayla Harris-Grey and Melissa
Marinelli with the title Santa's Special Deliveries, Keely Clark
and Scout Else, with the title KeyFetch and Year 11 student
Isabelle El Hage are all finalists in the Business Plan Victoria
University I Plan a Business (iPAB) 2016.
We wish the students all the very best at the award ceremony
on Tuesday, 16 August 2016 at the City Convention Centre.
Good luck.
Mrs Carmel Rumoro
Teacher
Change of Date for Enrolments for Year 7 in 2018
Enrolment Applications for Year 7, 2018 are currently being
accepted by the College and must be submitted by Friday, 16
September 2016.
Placement offers will be posted on Friday, 14 October 2016.
All families, including families with another daughter currently
enrolled at the College, must submit an Application for Enrolment.
To organise a copy of the College Prospectus or to book a College
Tour, please contact the Registrar, Ms Carmel Brewster on
9331 9308 or visit our website at www.avemaria.vic.edu.au.
AVE MARIA COLLEGE TIMOR-LESTE BENEFIT BALL 2016
The 2016 Timor-leste Benefit Ball was held on Saturday, 18
June at Lakeside Events, Albert Park. The chilly winter night
didn’t deter nearly 150 staff, students, parents and members
of the wider Ave Maria College community from enjoying a
fabulous night of entertainment and delicious food. The
celebrations included the raffle and silent auction, which
collectively raised almost $5000 for the St Maria Mazzarello
school in Timor-leste. The College thanks all of our prize
sponsors who made this possible. A full list of these donors,
including links to their businesses, can be found on the
College website.
The focus of the event was to raise awareness and generate
support for St Maria Mazzarello school, so it was an absolute
delight to have the Principal, Sr Virgilia and the Directress, Sr
Floriana, as our guests of honour. Students from the 2016
immersion trip spoke about their upcoming pilgrimage to
Venilale, identifying what they were looking forward to, and
what they hoped they would be able to achieve whilst there.
The joy and happiness that our support and friendship brings
to the staff and students of St Maria Mazzarello school
emphasized the importance of the Ball and the fundraising
effort. An event such as this is not possible without the hard
work and commitment of a wonderful group of people. The
Benefit ball committee, comprised of staff, year 11 and 12
students and parents worked tirelessly to plan and prepare
the event.
Jo Hammer
Head of School Years 7-9
Year 11 table
Elizabeth Hanney, Sr Heather Weedon FMM chatting with Sr Virgilia
Sr Virgilia and Sr Floriana with Tanya Willmott
Senior Student Leaders
2017 Immersion participants
AVE MARIA COLLEGE TIMOR-LESTE BENEFIT BALL SPONSORS 2016
Thank you also to the following businesses, families and staff for their donations:
Chai Hairdressing, Essendon l Jayson Atkins Pharmacy, Niddrie l Driscoll Family l Kennedy Family l OLN Netball Club l Xpression Hair l Appearance Beauty Clinic
Thanks to the Timor-leste Benefit Ball committee 2016
Ann Contini | Brooke Poynton | Kayla Sims | Debra Cone | Jessica Hall | Carmel Rumoro | Melanie Zahra | Kathleen McCord | Sue Cawthray | Ciara Davis | Sarina Raiti | Isabella
Marazita | Madeline Campbell | Ciara Browne | Jo Hammer | Chelsea Gregory | Pamela Wiseman | Danielle Zarafa