Last week the College community celebrated and acknowledged National Reconciliation Week (NRW) with a number of activities organised by our Student Leaders and Faith Team. An acknowledgement of NRW and the need for our community to discuss the place of the Voice vote is crucial.

As a country, we are a people who need to seek healing, understanding and to develop a deeper awareness of our cultural and historical narrative and its impact on all people – past, present and future. It has been argued that Australia will become more racially inclusive and tolerant, when we have the maturity to acknowledge the wrongs of the past. As a society we must recognise the injustice and disrespect experienced by our First Nations people.

Our Indigenous students gathered for lunch on Friday with representatives from BADAC. I was impressed to see our students listen to one another and to make suggestions and to use their voice to empower others. Our Indigenous students are excited to work with one of our primary schools to raise Aboriginal cultural awareness.

Our students gathered in the Damascus Event Centre and were in deep conversation with Chris Saunders, a proud Gunditjamara man and alumni of St Patrick’s College. I was so impressed by our student’s desire to seek understanding, listen with an open ear and a willingness to understand without judgment. Our students thoughtfully reflected on their experiences here at the College, and how we too, need to be more open to the other. Students spoke of their desire to challenge and to be the voice for injustice and to challenge prejudice and racism. Our students need the skills to call out any form of racism or injustice. At Damascus we continue to empower our young people to be the agents of social change through voice and participation in social justice activities.

On Monday morning the College reconvened the Child Safety Working Team facilitated by Simon Davies from Safegurading Services. The team is made up of the following parent representatives: Jodie Downey, Anni Jennings, Scott Angove and Lucy O’Beirne, student representatives: Haileigh Buttigieg, Billy Gravell, Luke Eddy and Ryan McNaulty and staff representatives Hannah Keating, Andy Robertson, Chris Grant, Katrina McGearey, Stacey Myers, Emma Baldwin and Lynda Calistro. I am grateful for all who generously gave of their time and willingness to reflect and challenge our practice. Our purpose was to explore the 11 Child Safe Standards and to critically assess how we have embedded these into our community. I was in awe of our students ability to speak their truth and to respectfully demonstrate how we can improve the child safety culture within our co-educational learning community. Its affirming to see all members of our community engage in an open and trusting partnership. In the afternoon, our staff further explored critical aspects of new standards.

The next couple of weeks are critical in the learning and teaching cycle and l urge our families to support our students during this busy and challenging time. Now is a poignant time to revisit the social and emotional learning presented and reinforced at the College. We need to model perseverance, grit and resilience.

Thank you to parents who attended the recent subject teacher interviews, we appreciate your support. This is an ongoing dialogue about learning and our partnership about challenging all learners to be their best. We would love to hear your feedback. Please click this link to access a short survey on how we can continue to improve this important partnership into the future.

This week we welcome Russel Dyer who will teach in Science and eSTEM, Russel has worked in a number of secondary colleges in Melbourne and we look forward to his contribution and challenge to our community.

With every blessing

Steven Mifsud

Our College is certainly feeling the effects of COVID-19 and Influenza on our students and staff. Our ability to cover classes is tight, and we continue to do our best to provide onsite learning each day to all students. Can I encourage families that if your young person is not well, please keep your student/students home until they are symptom-free – COVID or the flu - for everyone's safety.

Next Friday evening, 16 June 2023, the Middle School Formal will take place from 7:00pm to 10:00pm. This is a social opportunity Damascus College facilitates for our Year 9 and 10 students. It has always been a very positive event on our calendar, but it is important that I reiterate that normal school rules apply. It is an alcohol, drug and smoke-free event; any student who is suspected of having consumed alcohol will not be permitted to attend. There are no pass-outs through the evening. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the evening, please contact your House Leader. It is a social activity, and hair and make-up appointments are not more important than school on Friday. Any student who is away on Friday will not be able to attend the formal. I must reinforce my encouragement that parents support one another by not condoning after parties. If you say no to requests from your child, you're actually supporting other Damascus parents who are going to receive the same pressure from their student. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the evening, please contact your House Leader. Students are encouraged to bring a plate of food to share.

I wish our Year 8 to 11 students well over the coming week as they undertake exams. All students will continue classes as normal after their examinations up until the final day of term on Friday 23 June 2023, with the exception being Year 11 students who will begin their Unit 2 classes on Friday 16 June 2023. Any students wishing to make a change to their electives or Unit 2 classes are encouraged to follow the Change of Preference Process as advised in instructions sent to their student email.

Thursday 15 June 2023 is GAT Day and a Teaching Staff Professional Practice Day. This will be a non-teaching day for students who are not sitting the GAT and will enable staff to continue to provide feedback on end of Semester assessments and reports.

We pray for all those who grieve.

Chris

Year 12 Study Sessions and Student Drivers (from Friday 16 June 2023)

We would like to share some important updates regarding Year 12 study sessions and Year 12 students driving at Damascus College. Please take note of the following information:

Year 12 Study Sessions

As we reach the midpoint of the academic year, we want to remind students about the significance of self-directed learning and social-emotional skills in achieving success. We are pleased to announce a new option for Year 12 students during study sessions, starting from Friday 16 June 2023. This option allows students to have greater flexibility in managing their study time and focusing on areas that need extra attention. Please note that this option is only applicable to students with either the first two periods of study (Periods 1 and 2) or the last two periods of the day as study sessions (Periods 5 and 6).

Here are important instructions regarding study sessions:

• Students with the first two periods of study can arrive at school by recess.
• Students with the last two periods of the day as study sessions may leave the College grounds at lunch.
• Students must check in and out with Student Reception during these times.
• Movement in and out of the College is restricted to recess and lunchtime.
• Students are responsible for marking their own roll for all study sessions through SIMON.

• An SMS will be sent to families if a student fails to mark their roll.
• The designated room for Study Sessions is 2102, but students can also access the St Martin Resource Centre if they check into the Library Kiosk.
• Students can choose to remain on campus for all study sessions if they prefer and are not required to leave during the proposed morning (Periods 1 and 2) and afternoon (Periods 5 and 6) sessions.
• It is assumed that students will stay up to date with their work/assessments. Failure to do so will result in mandatory on-campus attendance for all study sessions, with individual exceptions considered.

We encourage all Year 12 students to take advantage of this new option, which offers greater flexibility in managing their study time and addressing individual needs. By giving students autonomy and flexibility in choosing when and where they study, they can focus better on their unique requirements and seek assistance from teachers and peers as needed.

Year 12 Student Drivers

We acknowledge the responsibility and maturity of our Year 12 students with valid driver’s licenses. To ensure the safety and security of our College community, we have implemented a new Year 12 Driver Registration Procedure, effective from Friday 16 June 2023.

To comply with this procedure, we kindly request all Year 12 students with a valid driver's license to follow these steps:

1. Obtain the Damascus College Driver Registration Form from the Front Office.
2. Fill out the form accurately and legibly, providing all necessary details, including full name, vehicle make and model, license plate number, contact information, and parent/carer signature.
3. If students bring siblings to school, parents/carers must complete a subsequent form (included in the pack).
4. Return the completed Driver Registration Form to the Front Office for review and processing.
5. Upon approval, students will receive a Vehicle Pass to be displayed on their vehicle's front dashboard and passenger side. This pass confirms authorisation to park on College grounds.
6. Approved student drivers can park only in the bottom section of the Jones Avenue car park, opposite the front entrance of the SRT Shed.
7. Unregistered vehicles without a valid Vehicle Pass are not permitted to drive and park on College grounds.

We appreciate your understanding and cooperation in adhering to these guidelines. The safety of our students, staff, and visitors is our top priority and by following these procedures, we can ensure a secure and well-organized campus environment.

We also want to emphasise the importance of collaboration between students, families, and teachers. By working together, we can create a supportive community that empowers our Year 12 students to succeed. As they work towards their final outcomes in 2024, we encourage our Year 12 students to take on leadership roles and set positive examples for their peers.

Thank you for your partnership and support in assisting our Year 12 students. Together, we can create an environment that promotes growth and success

It has been pleasing to see a healthy number of students participate in our after school sports program. Last week I had the privilege of supporting the Junior Boys Football Team in their game against St Patrick’s College. It was pleasing to see (not that I am competitive) our Damascus boys defeat our long-term nemesis in St Pat’s. In addition to this I reflected on the respect and encouragement our young lads were able to show each other under the realms of good sportsmanship. I was thrilled with the endeavour and camaraderie displayed by the boys under the guidance of our coaching staff, who praise effort ahead of results.

The demeanour of our student clearly reflected some of the benefits of playing a team sport. Vic Health outlines the broad benefits of playing team sports. Their research shows that team sport contributes to ‘improved social skills, improved personal skills such as cooperation and leadership, improved sleep and a greater ability to physically relax’. Furthermore, students feel a sense of pride in our College where there is a common aim to ‘Be the best I can be’. All students were wearing their full footy uniform with pride.

Damascus College offers over 70 after school sports throughout the year. I would encourage student participation in at least one of these throughout the semester. This is an awesome way for students to expand their friendship groups and meet like minded individuals without the awkwardness that some students feel in getting to know each other. Go DMAC.

See below Coach, Gerard Macklin, and Team Manager, Ryan Leaney, barking tactics and game plans last week. Damascus defeated St Patrick’s College at home.

Makarrata

Last week was National Reconciliation Week.

We asked our students why should we care? What does reconciliation mean to you? They were able to articulate a number of reasons in response to this question. Above all, as Christian people, it came back to healing.

The works from the Makarrata Commission encapsulate the sentiment of healing:

‘ ….it means two parties coming together after a struggle, to heal the wounds of the past, and live in peace. The word’s core message is to acknowledge that something wrong has been done and seek to make tings right. The word captures the aspirations for a fair, truthful and reconciled relationship between First Nations and the people of Australia, and for a better future for First Nations’ children based on justice and self-determination.’

Makarrata is a word from the language of the Yolngu people in Arnhem Land

Guest Speakers

The College was joined by two guest speakers during Reconciliation Week. Through their lived experience, they were able to share insights and learnings to help us all on the journey to reconciliation.

Emma Leehane is proud Yorta Yorta woman and Aboriginal Hospital Liaison Officer for Grampians Health.  She provided insights to students about the impacts of colonialism and unjust government policies on her family and people.

Chris Saunders is a proud Gunditjmara man. He has been studying at Deakin and working as a leader in his community to advocate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices. He has recently taken on a role at St Pat’s new ‘Clontarf Academy’, a space and program designed to improve outcomes for indigenous students.

On Thursday 25 May we welcomed some new additions to the Damascus College campus.

Two new Urban Pods have been installed at the College with the support of the State Government, through the Victorian Schools Shade Sail Program.

The program was introduced for schools to provide additional outdoor learning opportunities for students. These two new sheltered spaces will also provide further options for students and staff to enjoy our beautiful bushland surrounds all year round.

It’s finally back! Café DMAC opened for business today at recess and customers couldn’t have been happier to secure a delicious, hot drink on such a cold and wet day.

The Damascus College VCE VM students have been working hard to hone their skills and get the van in tip-top condition for the 2023 launch. Today is the first chance for these hard-working students to show off their barista skills.

The products being served have been quality tested. A huge thank you to those who tried one yesterday and provided feedback, you helped ensure the best products are being made and served. Café DMAC offers customers a choice of Full Cream, Light, Soy and Oat milk, and a 25% discount is offered when you bring your own mug.

Congratulations to all of the students and staff involved.

Cheers!

#DamascusCollege #DamascusPride #BeMyBest #ImReadyToTakeOnAnything

YEAR 9 STEAM EXPO

On Thursday 25 May, 2023 Year 9 students had the opportunity, at the 12^th Annual STEAM Expo, to talk to a variety of the 35 STEAM Gurus present who are working or studying in the areas of in Science, Technology, Allied Health, Medicine, Engineering, Maths and the Visual and Performing Arts. Students rotated amongst speakers, where they listened, talked, interacted with visuals, asked questions and completed a worksheet on their experience.

This event provided Year 9 students with an opportunity to learn more about the career opportunities available when students study STEAM subjects in high school and enable them to consider these disciplines when choosing electives and VCE subjects when heading into Year 10 and their senior years.

It is fantastic to see past students and members of the Damascus College, Ballarat and Deakin communities come to Damascus to speak to current students about their occupations and studies. Their passion and enthusiasm for their job are contagious, and the students walked away with a greater understanding and appreciation for the breadth of career options available to them.

STEAM Gurus this year included Nurses, Midwives, Environmental Scientists, Forensic Scientist, Occupational Therapists, Speech Pathologists, Mechanical engineers, Physiotherapists, Psychotherapist, Exercise and Sport Science, Construction Managers, Program Managers, STEM Educators, Technical Consultant, Software Engineers, Graphic Designers, Cyber security, Shearer and Pilot, Pharmacists, Prosthetics and Orthotics, and current university students studying Psychology, Medicine, Architecture, Environmental Engineering.

Reflection on Expo from Year 9 student, Archie Staley:

I enjoyed the STEAM expo because of the people and what was on offer. There were so many people with loads of advice, and the variety of areas I gathered knowledge on was extensive.

A few people I spoke to included:

• Holly Brettle, Prosthetics/Orthodontics
• Alanah Orr, Medical Student
• Jamal Thaheem, Construction Management

All of these people and more offered great advice, including:

• Get to know your tastes in what you want to do
• Pick subjects at school that you enjoy doing
• While uni education is good, you need to know where you want to go

RACI ICQ (Royal Australian Chemical Institute International Chemistry Quiz).

Students have the opportunity to show off their Chemistry knowledge in the RACI ICQ (Royal Australian Chemical Institute International Chemistry Quiz). The quiz comprises of 30 multiple choice questions.

Year 11 and 12 Chemistry students are automatically entered in the Quiz due to their enrolment in semester 2 Chemistry. Students. Year 7-10 students are encouraged to participate. The quiz for them costs $5, refundable when they do the quiz. Students are asked to give their $5 to their Science teacher before the end of term.

YEAR 7 SCIENCE

As part of their assessment, Year 7 students have been designing and conducting an experiment to separate a mixture of marbles, iron filing, nails, sand, sawdust and salt using a variety of separation techniques and skills that they have learnt and are developing a spart of their Year 7 Chemistry unit.

Please see below information regarding the SMRC Reading Challenge: -

VCE Drama Ensemble Season

Last week was a big week for our seniors as they presented their Unit 3 ensemble, a performance that they have been collaborating on since the later part of last year. On a simplistic level, this complicated task is a group devised performance based on a given structure.

The style of the performance was eclectic, borrowing from a number of theatre styles the students have been studying and was a highly original vehicle to display a range of acting and play building abilities.

The ensemble task, I still concede, is one of the most difficult tasks in the VCE. Unlike most of their senior educational experiences this year their success and or failure within the task is set within the context of a group working both within and for a team. It is a project that suddenly requires a mature sense of management. It requires students between 17 and 18 years of age to become playwrights and performers of their own material.

A key concept within this year’s performance was the suspension of disbelief and our willingness as a society to dispel logic and truth to believe in something surreal or fabricated. What is ‘real’ anyway? How much of reality is matter of perspective? Conspiracy theories, Propaganda, Reality TV, the internet, virtual reality and many nods to popular culture, literature, film and theatre all featured within the bizarre and disjointed plot of the performance.

This task from conception to the final season of performances was a long road travelled and tested the student’s concepts of hard work, commitment, professionalism and humour in the face of adversity. The audiences last week witnessed the rewards of this journey.

I congratulate Liana Canfield, Jack Coats, Asha Dickson, Karla Gallagher, Elarin Johnson, Katelyn Ritchie and Ava Skilbeck. The performance was a credit to your talents and skills as performers.

Andrew Seeary

Performing Arts Coordinator- Drama

Please find following a document in relation to NCCD Information: -

NCCD Information Sheet parents

Year 10 Electronics classes were fortunate enough to recently attend the Game of Drones program at the Ballarat Tech School.

This was a fantastic experience for the students to further expand their learning through design, problem solving and testing in electronics. The students were introduced to the basic components of a drone, which included assembly of a prototype, before moving on to wiring up the drone test rigs, testing, and coding these to fly like a commercial drone, without the assistance of a flight management system.

The students then had some ‘free flying’ time with the Tello drones, before the final challenge of programming the Tello’s to navigate through an obstacle course.

We would like to thank the Ballarat Tech School for an amazing program and look forward to many future visits.

Today Damascus College Year 9 students had the opportunity to take part in the expanded STEAM EXPO, where they got to learn more about a STEAM career from the experts.

This annual Damascus event promotes careers in Science, Technology, Allied Health, Medicine, Engineering, Maths and the Visual and Performing Arts learning areas.

Each student got to spend time with a selection of presenters for 10 to 15 minutes each. Students rotated amongst speakers, where they listened, talked, asked questions and completed a worksheet on their experience.

This event provides students with an opportunity to learn more about the career opportunities available when students study STEAM subjects in high school. It is a great opportunity to introduce these disciplines to students in Year 9 so that they consider these subjects when heading into Year 10 and their senior years. It is fantastic to see past students return to Damascus to speak to current students about their occupations. Their passion and enthusiasm for their job are contagious, and the students walked away with a greater understanding and appreciation for the breadth of career options available to them.

STEAM speakers this year included Nurses, Midwives, Environmental Scientists, Chiropractors, Occupational Therapists, Speech Pathologists, Mechanical engineers, Psychologists, Physiotherapists, Construction Managers, Program Managers, STEM Educators, Graphic Designers, Aviators, Shearers, Pharmacists and current university students studying Psychology, Medicine, Architecture, Environmental Engineering.

#DamascusCollege #DamascusPride #BeMyBest #ImSupported

We are excited to spend five minutes with Year 12 student Maddison Milikins, to hear her aspirations for university after high school.

“I would love to go to university next year, however, I am still open to taking a gap year or even starting mid-term. I want to go to university as I want to get a further education beyond high school to allow me to achieve other things.

Currently, my goal is to do direct entry into the undergraduate degree in Medicine at Monash University, however, if I don't get in, I would instead like do either a Bachelor of Physiotherapy or Biomedical Science at Monash and then go on to do the post-graduate degree of Medicine.

Studying medicine appeals to me as I want to help people, make a difference in the community and it will mean that my job will have a purpose to making others happier. As well as this, my favourite subjects are maths methods, physical education and chemistry which all lead into Medicine, so I think I would enjoy studying it.

I am definitely looking forward to making new friends and living on campus and having new life experiences outside of Ballarat.

At the moment I am wanting to pursue Pediatrics oncology and work at the Royal Children's Hospital, however I am definitely open to other fields and excited to see where it all leads.”

Thanks for your time, Maddison, and good luck with achieving your goal of becoming a mecical doctor.

Prayer for Reconciliation

Let us pray

Creator Spirit,
All creation once declared your glory,
Your laws were honoured and trusted,
Forgive us our neglect as our country approaches
the most critical moment in its history.
Listen to our prayer as we turn to you,
Hear the cry of our land and its people,
Just as you heard the cry of Jesus,
your Son, on the Cross.
Help us to replace our national shame
With true national pride by restoring the
dignity of our First People whose antiquity is
unsurpassed.
May our faith and trust in you increase.
Only then will our nation grow strong and be
a worthy place for all who wish to make their home in our land.

Amen.

© Elizabeth Pike, September 1997
Aboriginal Catholic Ministry, Melbourne.

Youth Mental Health Community Survey 2023

headspace Ballarat’s Youth Reference Group (YRG) is a group of young leaders in the community who are passionate about improving mental health outcomes for young people in Ballarat and surrounding areas.

A core function or our work is to conduct a needs analysis with our community. This allows us to adhere to co-design practices, enabling us to meet the needs and themes most relevant to our community.

The results of this survey will inform our key project for 2023 and allow us to continue delivering future projects that are focused on the health outcomes of young people.

We encourage people from all backgrounds to respond and recognise the importance of intersectionality in conversations surrounding mental health.

Complete your survey here!

Please find following information in relation to the Successful Secondary Years Sessions: -

Successful Secondary Years Info Poster