Welcome to Term 4.

At the heart of our community lies a shared journey – one that honours both beginnings and endings, each step offering new learning, connection and growth. This past week, we have been privileged to witness the many stages of this journey as it unfolds in the lives of our students, staff, families and wider community.

Last Tuesday evening, we welcomed over four hundred guests to our Year 7, 2026 Information Night. It was a joy to open our doors to so many faces and future families. We, as a College community are humbled by the trust placed in us as we prepare to walk alongside these young people as they begin their secondary school journey – a path that will see them grow from childhood into adulthood. It is a responsibility we hold with deep respect and gratitude.

Monday morning began with farewells – to students and staff embarking on a transformative journey to Lake Mungo. This important experience offers our young people a chance to step into the stories of one of the world’s oldest living cultures. Their time on Country is not just an exploration of ancient civilisations, but a commitment to understanding, reconciliation, and peace. We wish them safe travels and rich learning.

While some set off on their journeys, we also welcomed others. Residents from Mercy Health joined our Year 10 students as part of our intergenerational partnership. These visits remind us of the value of shared stories and mutual respect, enriching both our students and our guests through connection and compassion. I was delighted to see our young people engage with the residents sharing stories and reconnecting. I was particularly moved by the two Billy’s who came back to visit the residents whom they had worked with in Semester 1. The connection with our current students and those from Semester 1 was palpable – there was genuine excitement to see one another.

This week also marked the opening of the VCE Art and Technology Exhibition – a celebration of creative journeying. Our students, supported by dedicated staff have worked with skill and determination to bring their ideas to life. The exhibition is a testament to what can be achieved when we work together to create, explore and express. Last night I was delighted to attend the opening of our annual VCE student art exhibition, celebrating the incredible talent and creativity of our students. The exhibition showcases a diverse range of work, reflecting the unique perspectives, skills and dedication of our young artists. Each piece tells a story and highlights the power of artistic expression. I encourage you to visit the exhibition, support our students' efforts and be inspired by the amazing work on display.

And as we honour beginnings, we also gently acknowledge an ending. Our Year 12 students step into their final week of classes – a time of mixed emotions, reflection, and anticipation. We are proud of each of them. As they prepare to leave this part of their journey behind, we stand beside them, offering support, encouragement and heartfelt best wishes for the road ahead.

In every farewell, there is the seed of a new beginning. As a learning community, we are privileged to be part of these journeys – to guide, to support, and to celebrate, every step of the way.

This week we farewell Wendy Jordan-Peltz. Wendy leaves us in search of warmer weather, commencing a new role on the Sunshine Coast.

We welcome Christine Gawne back to the College for Term 4. Christine has generously stepped in to cover Wendy’s classes.

We were also delighted to welcome Hamish McCrum back to the College. He returns refreshed and inspired after a term filled with adventure and exploration.

This is a reminder to our school community that morning supervision of our young people does not commence until 8.35am each day. Staff are assigned to yard duty areas at this time and students are actively supervised from this time. Can l please remind parents that students, unless involved in a before school activity, should not be on the College grounds before 8.35am. Thanks for your continued support.

With every blessing

The lead-up to the Year 12 final day is always a time filled with mixed emotions – excitement, pride, and a touch of anticipation. As we approach this Friday, we look forward to celebrating our Year 12 students and marking the end of their secondary school journey.

These final days are an opportunity for our Year 12 students to reflect on their time at the College and to finish well – with the same respect, gratitude, and sense of community they have displayed throughout their schooling. We are incredibly proud of how they have carried themselves in the lead-up to this significant milestone, and we are confident that their final day will be one of joy, unity, and celebration.

To all students completing their time with us this Friday – whether through the VCE, VCE VM, or other pathways – we wish you every success in the next stage of your journey. For those preparing for the VCE exams, we remind you that your teachers remain available to support you right through the examination period.

A heartfelt thank you also goes to the parents and carers of our Year 12 students. Your partnership, encouragement, and support over the years have played an important role in helping your young person reach this point. Whether this is your first child to graduate or the last of your family to complete their schooling with us, we are deeply grateful for the trust you have placed in the College.

We look forward to celebrating with all Year 12 students and their families at the upcoming Graduation Ceremony in November, as we formally acknowledge their achievements and their contributions to our community.

I congratulate our senior Arts and Technology students on the outstanding exhibition displayed last week in the Damascus Events Centre. The creativity, innovation, and craftsmanship evident across all areas — Art, Media Studies, Visual Communication, Photography, and Technology — were truly impressive. Each piece reflected not only the individual talent of our students but also the depth of learning, perseverance, and critical thinking that have been developed throughout their studies.

It was wonderful to see families, staff, and students engaging with the displays and celebrating the diverse range of skills and interests within the cohort. Events such as this showcase the vibrant learning culture at Damascus and the opportunities our students have to express themselves in meaningful and authentic ways.

Congratulations and sincere thanks to the dedicated Arts and Technology teaching teams for their guidance, encouragement, and the significant time and effort invested in bringing this exhibition to life. Your work continues to inspire creativity and excellence across the College.

We keep in our prayers our graduating students and their families.

Welcome back to Term 4! I hope everyone from the Damascus College community enjoyed a restful break and are ready for what promises to be an exciting and busy term ahead.

This week is a significant one for our community as our Year 12 students complete their final classes. It has been a privilege to watch them grow throughout the year, and I want to take this opportunity to congratulate them on their commitment, resilience, and hard work.

VCE Preparation and Trial Exams

Over the holidays, our VCE students completed trial exams to help prepare for their final assessments. These exams play an important role in identifying areas for refinement and in building confidence under exam conditions. I commend our students for their focus and dedication during this period.

Although formal classes are now finishing, our teachers remain available to meet with students, go over practice exams, provide feedback, and continue offering guidance in the lead-up to the final exams. Many subjects are also holding revision sessions, and I encourage all students to make the most of these opportunities.

VCE Visual Arts & Technology Exhibition

This week, we also celebrated the opening of the VCE Visual Arts & Technology Exhibition on Tuesday evening. It was wonderful to see so many students, parents, carers, families, and staff come together to celebrate the incredible talent within our community.

The exhibition is the culmination of a year’s dedication, creativity, and perseverance. It provides our Visual Arts and Technology students with a valuable opportunity to showcase their work in a public space and to share their artistic journeys with others. Each piece on display represents not only skill but also imagination and growth, and our students should be immensely proud of their achievements.

The exhibition is being held in the DEC and will remain open until Monday, 20 October. I encourage all to visit and experience the outstanding work of our students firsthand.

Looking Ahead

I’d like to take this opportunity to wish all our senior students the very best, whether they are preparing for exams, moving into employment, beginning apprenticeships, or taking a gap year. Each of these paths represents an exciting new chapter, and we are so proud of the way our students are approaching their futures with courage and purpose.

Finally, I want to thank our teachers, parents/carers and the wider Damascus community for the ongoing support and encouragement they continue to provide each and every day.

I extend a warm welcome back to everyone as we begin the new term following the Term 3 break. After my own period of extended leave, it’s been heartening to walk around the campus and witness the many changes that have taken place in such a short time. The energy and enthusiasm of our students and staff are a testament to the vibrant learning community we continue to build together. I thank Gavin Webb for his work supporting our students as Assistant Principal of Student Wellbeing during Term 2 in my absence.

Supporting Our Year 12 Students

At this time of year, my thoughts are especially with our Year 12 students as they navigate their final weeks of secondary schooling. This is a significant milestone, and from my role in Student Wellbeing, my priority is to ensure that every student leaves Damascus College in a healthy frame of mind, carrying with them a wealth of positive memories and experiences.

As we prepare for the upcoming farewell assembly, I’m looking forward to welcoming many parents, carers and special guests on campus to celebrate this occasion. Your presence means so much to our students, and it reinforces the strong partnership between home and school that underpins their success.

Empowering Year 9s Through the SSMART ASSK Program

Recently, I had the privilege of working alongside our Year 9 students as part of the SSMART ASSK Program—a party-safe, harm minimisation initiative aimed at reducing risk-taking behaviours. This program addresses the potential dangers associated with alcohol, drugs, and vaping, including accidents, injuries, sexual assault, and violence.

While I firmly believe that parents/carers are the primary educators in guiding their students through these complex issues, programs like SSMART ASSK complement those vital conversations at home. They empower students to make safer choices, look out for their friends, and seek help when needed.

Teen Mental Health First Aid for Year 8 and 10 Students

In addition to this, I want to acknowledge the work of Hannah Keating (Leader of Students) and Claudia Murphy (College Counsellor Coordinator), who are leading our Year 8 and 10 students through their Teen Mental Health First Aid qualifications. This City of Ballarat initiative ensures that every student in these year levels across the district is equipped with the skills to support their peers when mental health concerns arise. It’s a powerful step forward in fostering a culture of care and resilience among our young people.

Community Survey: Gambling and Young People in Ballarat

Ballarat Community Health has invited our school community to participate in an important local survey exploring gambling and gambling-related harm. The survey seeks insights from parents, carers, staff, and students to better understand how gambling affects young people and families in our region.

With increasing exposure to gambling-like features in video games, sports betting advertisements, and the normalisation of gambling in sport, your voice is crucial. The survey takes around 10 minutes to complete, is anonymous, and will help shape future education programs and support strategies. The survey is found here : Ballarat Community Attitudes to Gambling | MySay Ballarat

Student Supervision and Safety Before School

At Damascus College, the safety and wellbeing of our students are always at the heart of what we do. As we begin the new term, we would like to kindly remind parents and carers that active staff supervision begins at 8:35am each morning.

We understand that this may not always be feasible, however, we ask that where possible, students arrive after supervision has commenced. Your support helps us ensure that every student begins their day safely and positively.

Thank you for your continued support and engagement.

On the last Wednesday of Term 3, the Damascus College community came together to celebrate all that makes Damascus College so special with Damascus Day. A day of fun and festivities and a day that we can come together in prayer and thanks to God for all the gifts that we have been provided here.

The theme of the mass was derived from a verse in The Parable of the Sower from Matthew’s Gospel, “The seed that fell on the good soil brought forth grain, some a hundredfold!” (Matthew 13:8). The motif of “the seed” reoccurred throughout the mass, which brought to mind that even the most smallest of actions can be life giving. As Paul Kelly sings, “From little things, big things grow”.

Last week, Pope Leo XIV shared his Apostolic Exhortation, Dilexi Te – I have loved you. Throughout the document, Pope Leo continually provides examples of Christ’s love for the poor and reminds us that He will always be one with them. One line that has stood out in an initial reading is from paragraph 78, “When the Church bends down to care for the poor, she assumes her highest posture”. The care for others is the duty of all Christians, and it is wonderful to see the work that Damascus College does in this space.

Over the winter, Damascus College has worked to care for those in need, both within our community and in the wider Ballarat area. To keep our college community warm, there were Free Soup Days. To keep those on the margins fed, meals have been made and donated to the Ballarat Soup Bus. To keep the most senior members of Ballarat in our hearts, the iGen class continues to foster positive relationships with the residents of Mercy Place. There is always more to do and as we head towards the end of the year, we will be looking to support St Vincent De Paul’s Christmas Appeal to bring joy to young people and their families in their time of need.

This week a number of staff and students have travelled to Mungo National Park for a period of Aboriginal Spirituality immersion. This has been made possible through Red Earth who facilitate cultural immersion retreats around the country. We look forward to hearing all about their experience when they return.

Finally, it has come time to farewell our Year 12s from their classes as they prepare for their end of year exams. The end of anything is always filled with a mixture of emotions and we pray that our Year 12s will know that they will always be a part of Damascus College, that we are always with them and that they are always welcome here. May they go forth and reap a harvest of a hundredfold!

An Irish Blessing for our Year 12s

May the road rise to meet you,

May the wind be always at your back,

May the sun shine warm upon your face,

May the rain fall soft upon your fields,

And until we meet again,

May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

Recently, our year 12 Drama students celebrated their final performance showcase for the year. The last time this class had been on stage was earlier this year as a collective in their VCE Drama ensemble ‘It’s About Time’. This three night season which premiered in late May was a credit to the talents of the students undertaking the study of senior drama this year.

Last Thursday some of these same students took to the stage to unveil their solo performances created for their upcoming performance exam. This event helped provide an important preview and rehearsal to the main event last Sunday.

The solo performance is one of the most active and challenging of exams. On direct show is the individual themselves. Such is the nature of performance and why nights such as this are so important to our student’s development. The task requires students to create an original performance based on prescribed characters and stimulus. This is assessed in a live performance by a panel of external examiners using set criteria. Through extensive research, improvisation, scriptwriting and rehearsal the finished product is formed.

The evening comprised of a range of characters including Three Disney Villains, two Marie Antoinettes, a character from the ‘Tin Tin comics and a Japanese Ghost.

As they took to the stage for the last time it was fitting to recognize how much this extraordinary group of young people have contributed to the artistic and cultural life of our College over the past six years. They will be greatly missed.

ANDREW SEEARY -Performing Arts Coordinator—Drama

Damascus College Year 10–12 Legal Studies students recently took part in the Victoria Law Foundation’s Regional Law Talks in Ballarat, an outstanding learning opportunity beyond the classroom.

The day began with a Q&A at the Ballarat Courts with a judge, before moving to the Mechanics Institute for lectures on workplace rights, Legal Aid, the role of the Ombudsman, the Juries Commissioner and more. A highlight was hearing directly from the Ombudsman, giving students real insight into how the law impacts everyday life.

Experiences like this not only enrich classroom learning but also help our students see future career pathways in the legal profession.

On Tuesday 9 September, Matt Taylor and I had the pleasure of taking our two Year 9 Art classes from Damascus College Ballarat on an excursion to the National Gallery of Victoria to experience the French Impressionist exhibition. This special outing provided a rare opportunity for our students to engage firsthand with iconic works by artists such as Monet, Renoir, Degas, and Pissarro. The exhibition offered a rich and immersive insight into the Impressionist movement, perfectly complementing our semester’s focus on this pivotal period in art history.

Seeing the brushwork, colour palettes, and compositional techniques up close sparked valuable discussions and deepened students' understanding of the artistic principles we've been studying in class. The day was not only educational but also inspiring, allowing students to connect their classroom learning with the real-world context of these masterpieces. We are incredibly grateful to the NGV for hosting such an exceptional collection and to our students for their enthusiasm and thoughtful engagement throughout the day.

Instrumental tuition is available for a wide range of musical instruments through the Damascus College Instrumental Music Program. Private lessons are provided by visiting instrumental specialist tutors on a weekly rotational basis during the school day. Any student at the college can take advantage of this program depending on available instrumental tutors and enrolment numbers for the year. The instrumental program is in addition to music undertaken as a curriculum subject. Please see attached brochure or contact the music department at music@damascus.vic.edu.au for more information.

Instrumental Music Program

Damascus College is delighted to announce Sadie Jones and Harvey Wilson as the 2026 College Captains.

Principal Steven Mifsud recently reflected on leadership as an act of courage — the courage to serve others, to stand with conviction, and to lead with compassion. At Damascus, leadership is understood not as privilege but as service, a commitment to bringing the Light of Christ’s mercy to our school and beyond.

Our new Vision reminds us that Damascus College is a dynamic Christ-centred learning community that values relationships, faith and action for a better world. Our Mission calls us to inspire and support one another to be learners of strength and kindness, grounded in the life and teachings of Jesus Christ and the legacy of Catherine McAuley.

Sadie and Harvey have consistently shown humility, integrity and care for those around them. They lead with quiet confidence, a generous spirit, and a deep sense of belonging to our Mercy community.

Mr Mifsud expressed his sincere thanks to the 2025 College Captains Milan and Joachim for their leadership and example. He also invited the entire Damascus community to keep Sadie and Harvey in their prayers and to join him in offering support and encouragement as they step into this important role with faith, hope and courage.

As we commence Term 4, we wish to remind families of the process for addressing academic concerns or new diagnosis for your student.

If you have concerns about your student’s learning, please reach out to their Teacher Advisor. The Teacher Advisor can assist with in-class strategies and, if needed, students will be referred to the Student Growth and Engagement Team. This may lead to diagnostic screening and tailored interventions being implemented. Where appropriate, referrals to Catholic Education Ballarat may be made for further support.

The Student Growth and Engagement team also recommend ensuring that your student’s vision and hearing is not impeding their ability to learn. If these haven’t been tested in the last 12 months, we would encourage you to do so. There are several optometrists in Ballarat who Bulk Bill, and a referral from your GP can reduce the cost of a hearing test with an audiologist. These reports are required before any further assessments by our team.

If your student has received a new diagnosis throughout Term 3 or over the break, please contact the relevant Coordinator promptly to establish a Personal Learning Plan (PLP) for your student. Early communication ensures we can provide proactive and effective support. The College is currently actively addressing social-emotional concerns, such as anxiety.

For students already supported under the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD), resources will continue to be allocated under the NCCD. Damascus College will continue to make reasonable adjustments, where needed, to assist students with a disability in accessing and participating in education free from discrimination and on the same basis as other students in line with the Disability Discrimination Act 1992. For more information, please refer to the attached NCCD information sheet for Parents and Carers.

The Student Growth and Engagement team looks forward to working with you, your student, their teachers and Learning Support Officers (LSOs) to ensure the appropriate supports are in place for their learning and wellbeing.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact the relevant Student Growth and Engagement Coordinator.

• Laura Kimm (Transition and Year 7) – l.kimm@damascus.vic.edu.au
• Sarah Lofts (Year 8) – s.lofts@damascus.vic.edu.au
• Patricia Brown (Year 9) – p.brown@damascus.vic.edu.au
• Catherine Richardson (Year 10) – c.richardson@damascus.vic.edu.au
• Rachel Wallbank (Year 11-12) – r.wallbank@damascus.vic.edu.au

Matthew Hallowell (Student Growth & Engagement Team Leader) – m.hallowell@damascus.vic.edu.au

We’ve been advised that Dobsons are currently out of stock of the Damascus branded approved PE track pants and will not have new stock available until the end of the year.

If your student requires new PE track pants before then, please visit Noone's in Armstrong St, who currently have stock available.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact the school office