The past fortnight has provided an opportunity for many young people to embrace the fullness of life, live in community, and be beacons of respectful relationships. As Ballarat's only Catholic Co-educational College, we have modelled how young people can work together, collaborate, learn, play and challenge one another to grow in their individuality and self. As a co-educational community, we provide experiences and learning opportunities for young people to simply 'be', grow in themselves, and live by the light of Christ.

Our House Swimming Carnival allowed our students to participate, compete and enjoy belonging to their House. Our Year 12 students led House spirit with wild and energised chants, synchronised swimming and a commitment to creating connections and lifelong friendships. I thank Hamish Walsh and the many teachers who supported the day through the planning, organisation and execution of the day. Young people swam, played water sports, cheered and cajoled one another together and recognised each person's talents at the event. We congratulate those students who were the recipients of their age championship.

McAuley House embraced the Sarah Blazko song, We Won't Run, by winning the House Swimming Carnival this year. Congratulations to McAuley House Captains: Abby Harrington, Felix Moore, Gemma Read and Sienna Cooke and House Leaders Karen Goonan and Mitch Jolly, who worked collectively to bring the cup home. Well done!

The Final Hours has been an integral part of our College community for many years. This is a re-enactment of the Passion. Our students have worked tirelessly under the direction of Mr Andrew Seeary; the cast, crew and Andrew have bought a College tradition to life. The Final Hours is a beautiful expression of our faith and connects with our students and families in a deeper and more profound manner. These opportunities model to our students how to find their place in the world and to find their 'tribe' in a creative and safe manner.

Last week the College community celebrated International Women's Day – staff attended a breakfast with Audrey Brown, former Director of Catholic Education Ballarat. Audrey spoke to us about trusting oneself, ignoring the voice of doubt whispering in our ear, and surrounding ourselves with people who will challenge, accept and embrace who we are as people. At lunchtime, our students participated in a student-led forum hosted by Jessica Hodge and Kaitlyn Handreck from Year 12. Our special guest was former student Hannah Cashmore, class of 2018, a café owner and entrepreneur. Hannah shared her story, her fears and her success. I was incredibly proud of our students who had to pre-order their tickets through Trybooking. This event was a testament to the joys of co-education as the Audi was a full house with students keen to hear the success of their Alumni; young men and women keen to learn from one another.

Last week we had our first School Advisory Council meeting led by Tim O'Farell, Secondary Educational Consultant from Catholic Education Ballarat. Tim worked with our team to understand the role of the School Advisory Council and how the team can support me as College Principal and the College in its growth. The College SAC members are:

• Emily Clarke
• Fr Marcello Colsante
• Sr Marie Davey
• Brett Holloway
• Cassie Lindsey
• Samara Mcleaod
• Lisa Mitchell
• Lucy O'Beirne
• Marcus Probert

Over the past fortnight, members of the College Leadership Team and different leaders within the community interviewed over 280 Year 6 students seeking a place at Damascus College in 2024. It was affirming to hear the hopes, dreams and aspirations of our young people, who were oozing with excitement at the prospect of being part of our faith-filled learning community. I thank Erin Marshall, our College Registrar, who orchestrated the three days with professionalism and pride. Our student ambassadors, Alice Lepair, Luke Jans, Anna Hodge, Lucy Gravell, Luke Eddy, Archie Staley, Lucas Wells, Nellie Tolliday, Helena Debrincat and Emily Meade, represented our College with pride and enthusiasm. Thank you to the many staff who supported the College in this important process – we demonstrated that we are a community built on partnerships.

It was great to formally launch the 2023 school year last Friday with our Opening School Mass. It was a celebration of who we are as a community. Students were both reverent, joy-filled and respectful, and they celebrated Eucharist.  I also thank the parents, grandparents, School Advisory Council members and Sisters of Mercy who were able to be with us on Friday.   I want to particularly thank Bishop Paul Bird for celebrating our Mass and taking the time to be with us. I thank our Catholic Culture Team, Angela Carr, Sharon Lehtonen, and Sally Murphy.

In this fortnight's newsletter, Mr Ashwin Pillai will inform the community of a trial of our TA Interviews in Term 2. Many of you may remember last year, l interviewed all staff in groups of five, student leaders and conducted a Q&A with our parents. A common thread throughout the consultations was our community's desire to trial a combination of TA Interviews and Subject Teacher meetings. Next term, we are trialling a different model of TA and subject interviews. On the two afternoons, Tuesday 9^th May and Thursday 11^th May, however, on the full day, Wednesday 10^th May, families will be able to meet with specific subject teachers. Our Teacher Advisor Program is an integral component to our Damascus community; however, all stakeholders believed an opportunity to meet with subject teachers would enhance our learning culture and provide important feedback to our learners and their families. I wish to restate that this is a trial.

With every blessing

This Friday is St Patrick’s Day, a day within the Catholic tradition full of fun, friendship and lots of Irish music, dance, literature, drama, food and more.

The following little Irish blessing marks the day and celebrates the humble gratitude of the Irish this St. Patrick’s Day.

May there always be work for your hands to do, May your purse always hold a coin or two. May the sun always shine warm on your windowpane, May a rainbow be certain to follow each rain. May the hand of a friend always be near you, And may God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.

Next Tuesday, we will move to the Llanberris Reserve for our annual House Athletics carnival. The athletics carnival is a great opportunity for our young people to team together in their Houses to compete. As with any school day, this is a compulsory school day for all students. There are a broad range of events to engage students of different abilities. Please make sure students have suitable sun protection and food and water for the day. We look forward to welcoming our families to the carnival as spectators, and please ask that you sign in and out at the entrance gate.

NAPLAN testing for Years 7 and 9 students will take place from today and continue through to Friday 27th March. NAPLAN is a national common assessment tool, and families are encouraged to explain to students that while it gives an indication of student progression, it is a single assessment on a single day and not to overemphasise its importance. At Damascus, we encourage all students to undertake the suite of NAPLAN tests; however, if you have specific concerns, please contact the College. Similar to 2022, all tests will be completed online, allowing us flexibility during the timeframe mentioned above on when each test is conducted.

The dates of each test for each year level are listed below.

Writing (42 minutes) – Headphones Allowed

Wednesday March 15th

• P1 – Year 9
• P3 – Year 7

Reading (65 minutes) – NO Headphones Allowed

Thursday March 16th

• P1/2 – Year 7
• P3/4 – Year 9

Conventions of Language (45 minutes) – Headphones Allowed

Monday March 20th

• P1 – Year 7
• P3 – Year 9

Numeracy (65 minutes) – Headphones Allowed

Wednesday March 22nd

• P1/2 – Year 9
• P3/4 – Year 7

Catch Up’s for missed NAPLAN tests will be between March 15 and March 27th

We pray for all those who need our prayer at this time.

Chris

2023 Teacher Advisor (TA) and Subject Interviews (Term 2)

Dates:

Tuesday, May 9^th (TA Interviews)

Wednesday, May 10^th (Subject Interviews)

Thursday, May 11^th (TA Interviews)

Through feedback from community, staff, and student voices, the College believes there is a place for both the Teacher Advisor and Subject Interviews. These interviews explicitly enhance the partnership between parents, students and educators in ensuring students strive to achieve their best. Which, when coupled with robust teaching practices and feedback, will set high academic expectations and support our students to succeed academically and socially and emotionally, personally and spiritually through a well-rounded and comprehensive education.

We understand that academic success is essential for personal growth and future success, so we prioritise the partnership between teachers, students, and parents in promoting academic excellence. One way we do this is through subject and teacher advisor interviews.

These interviews allow teachers to give targeted feedback and set high expectations for our students. By working together with parents and students, we can create a personalised approach to learning that helps our students achieve their full potential. Additionally, we recognise the importance of social and emotional learning (SEL) skills for academic success and personal growth.

Through subject and teacher advisor interviews, we can prioritise acquiring critical skills such as organisation, resilience, perseverance, confidence and engaging in relationships. By providing guidance and support in these areas, we can equip our students with the skills they need to thrive academically and personally.

At Damascus College, we are committed to promoting academic excellence and nurturing the whole student to flourish and subject and teacher advisor interviews are an essential part of achieving this goal.

What are TA and Subject Interviews:

TA interviews: A Teacher Advisor (TA) is responsible for providing students with academic, spiritual and personal support. They act as a mentor and guides helping students navigate their academic, personal and wellbeing goals and providing assistance when needed. TAs are an essential part of a student's support system, and it's important to ensure that they are qualified, competent, and able to work effectively with students. TA interviews can help identify individuals with the necessary skills and qualities to excel in this role.

Subject Teacher interviews: Subject Teachers are responsible for teaching students specific subject matter. They play a critical role in shaping students’ academic experience and providing them with the skills and knowledge needed to succeed. Subject Teacher interviews can help identify teachers who are knowledgeable about their subject matter and can engage students and create a positive learning environment. This is particularly critical in supporting students’ acquisition of Social Emotional Learning competencies, which can vary between subjects. By assessing the teaching skills, content knowledge, and instructional strategies of Subject Teachers, Damascus College can ensure that students are receiving a high-quality education in all subject areas.

Communication:

The process of booking TA and Subject Interviews will commence two weeks prior to the interviews. Parents/Carers will be notified via newsletter and email. All interviews will be conducted online using Microsoft Teams.

This year Damascus College lifted the lid on International Women’s Day. The day was an opportunity to have conversations around gender equity and inclusion.

Research shows that diversity makes a difference in education. This can be seen in learning outcomes, decision- making, pedagogy, pastoral care, workload and collaboration.

We recognise that inequality continues to exist in our world. So there is great benefit in students being aware that there is still work to do. Together we want our students to celebrate women's achievements and be able to call out inequality – not just on International Women’s Day but wherever and whenever it may arise.

The theme this year was Embrace Equity. We were invited to consider a different world:

‘Imagine a gender equal world. A world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination. A world that’s diverse, equitable and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated. Together we can forge women’s equality. Collectively we can all #EmbraceEquity.’

As a school we embraced the theme and provided several activities to raise the profile of gender equity and inclusion. These included:

• Staff breakfast and guest speaker - Audrey Brown
• Former Director of Catholic Education Ballarat, Principal of Catholic College Wodonga to share her experiences and wisdom as a leader and woman.
  Staff wore purple and green - purple was a colour that denoted justice and dignity, and now it is used to represent women. Green is a symbol of hope.
• Students were offered a purple pin to wear
• Students - lunchtime speaker – Hannah Cashmore.
• Hannah is a business owner and former student. This took the form of a Q&A.
• Activity cards were provided to each TA to engage students in conversation or write a story about a significant female in their lives, or in history
• Strike a pose for #EmbraceEquity - staff and students had the opportunity to have a photo taken in front of posters that had been created for the day in the embrace equity pose as promoted via the website.

Thinking Globally

Some thoughts from Sr Joan Chittister who has written many texts on women’s rights and contemporary feminist spirituality:

A fearless advocate for women’s rights, she has consistently confronted the patriarchal church on its sin of sexism and championed equality for women in all of society. A strong feminist, she has insisted that feminism is necessary to ensure the healthy spiritual development of both men and women. A visionary leader, she has shown the connections between justice for women, for world peace, and for the environment. As co-chair of the Global Initiative for Women, Sister Joan has traveled the globe to weaken reactionary forces and campaign tirelessly for increased religious access for women in all religions.

As theologian Chung Hyun Kyung noted, “Joan Chittister showed us how a woman with integrity could reconcile faith and feminism and thrive in one’s own religious tradition no matter how oppressive it is. She taught us how to own our power and act from that power for greater justice, peace, and democracy."

Student Wellbeing Report.

Last week I had the opportunity to watch our year 7 girls basketball side compete in the BAS after school competition. The girls had a might victory against Ballarat Grammar yet it wasn’t necessarily the score line that impressed me. Here were 8 students that some 6 weeks ago did not know one and other, had not commenced their education at Damascus yet were happily enjoying each other’s company under the umbrella of school sports. Undoubtedly the girls were determined to beat the opposition yet the real joy was the interactions that they were having with each other and their coach. The link between mental health and physical activity has been promoted widely over the last 15 years. In fact physical activity is said to be more effective in supporting students mental health than prescribed medication. According to the Blackdog Institute ‘16 weeks of regular exercise has been found to be equally as effective as antidepressant medication in treatment of mild to moderate depression’.

In order to support mental health and physical wellbeing The Australian Physical and Sedentary have made the following daily recommendations.

1. Accumulate 60 minutes or more moderate to vigorous physical activity, for example brisk walking, skipping, jogging, or any activity that has the result of ‘huff and puff’.
2. Have 8-10 hours of sleep per night for those aged 14-17. Up to 11 hours for those aged 5-13.
3. Limit sedentary recreational screen time to no more than 2 hours per day.
4. Avoid screen time 2 hours before bed and make bedrooms a screen free zone.

Further information regarding these guidelines and tips on how you can support your son/daughter in achieving these is available on the link below.

Why kids need to get their move on | Victorian Government (www.vic.gov.au)

The school’s athletics carnival will be held next Tuesday is a reminder of the holistic approach to your student’s education at Damascus. It is expected that all students attend this event and be engaged in the activities throughout the day. Sports is a pivotal part of school’s program where participation is key to students engagement. Students that choose not to attend are compromising their participation in future events of the College. All absences for the day should be supported by a medical certificate or statutory declaration. We ask that parents/carers support us in student attendance for the day.

Andrew Robertson

Assistant Principal Student Wellbeing.

The academic year is well underway. Year 7 English students are working on descriptive writing pieces in response to Blueback, while Year 12s have recently completed their first creative writing SAC. Our Year 8s are learning the conventions of formal text response writing, while their Year 9 counterparts enjoy a little more freedom as they experiment with different writing forms. The Year 10s are preparing for their assessment on The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time and VCE English Language students are busily studying metalanguage to help them write critical analyses. Year 11 Literature students have been concentrating on reading through different lenses as the Year 12s focus on close passage analysis of Northanger Abbey. As a teacher, it is satisfying to reach these assessment milestones in Term One.

As we approach these important assessments in English, we hope students are being organised in planning and preparing drafts. Parents and carers, please offer your assistance by asking about students’ learning in English and perhaps helping to proof-read and edit written responses. While students write drafts in class under the guidance of their teacher, good writers will always benefit from ongoing encouragement and positive reinforcement at home.

As we all know, reading is a vital life skill. We love when class discussion is informed by students’ independent reading and we ask guardians to continue to support their children in this endeavour. We encourage all English students to form the habit of reading for 15-20 minutes a night. The library staff in the St Martins Resource Centre have been testing students in Year 7 and 8 with the Renaissance Reading program to recommend reading-age-appropriate texts that pique students’ interests. And there is plenty on offer in our well-resourced library!

Recently Damascus College students were invited to an International Women’s Day (IWD) lunchtime conversation with Hannah Cashmore, Class of 2018

The Valda Ward Auditorium was packed to capacity with Damascus students who had reserved their seats to participate in this event.

Hannah owns and operates her own business, 3350 Coffee Bar located on Mair Street. Hannah took time out of her busy schedule to share with us some of her experiences and insights as a small business owner here in Ballarat. The conversation with Hannah was led by Student Representative Council President Jessica Hodge and Year 12 student Kaitlyn Handreck before Hannah answered questions from the assembled audience.

As we celebrate IWD 2023 it was important that our students understood that being included, and having a sense of belonging, feels right. When we embrace equity, we embrace diversity, and we embrace inclusion. We embrace equity to forge harmony and unity, and to help drive success for all.

Thank you Hannah for joining us for this wonderful lunchtime event.

#DamascusCollege #DamascusPride #BeMyBest #ImSupported #EmbraceEquity

Hello Damascus Community.

It has been a very busy few weeks in the Humanities Learning Area. Our senior students have by now all completed a School Assessed Coursework (SAC). There were some very encouraging signs in Business Management. There are 37 students across two classes with Michelle Bodey and myself, and the high standard was very encouraging. In History Revolutions there are 19 students and they are completing their first SAC with Jen Casey as I type. In Legal Studies another 18 students in with Hannah Muirhead. Hannah says there are some very encouraging signs in the class with regards to the work. Finally, we have another Geography class at Year 12 after 3 years. This class is mixing the theory work with Fieldwork visits at the same time. This week we ventured across to Lucas, Ballymanus and Winter Valley to see the expansion of our Ballarat urban growth zone. So, all in all the Senior VCE students are off to a good start to the year.

Our students from Year 7 through to Year 11 are all completing one of their first tasks around about now. The Year 11 students should have completed their first SAC for VCE. This is always telling because the style of assessment can be very different from the lower levels. So hopefully they know what to expect and put their best foot forward from here. An interesting aside here, Chris Grant takes Year 11 Business Management and in the class is his son, Kalan. I hope there is no special treatment when it comes to the SACs, Chris. I’ll finish the Year 11 area with a good luck to Brendan Bawden and the Modern History class. 28 students, wow, but I’m sure Brendan will have them eating out of his hand with his knowledge and expertise.

Year 10 students will have completed their Careers folio and are working on the Geography of well-being. The Year 9 students are heading to Sovereign Hill as you read. Half on Tuesday 14^th and the other half Wednesday 15^th. I should have some good pictures for the next newsletter. Year 8 will have completed a task on Urbanisation and Megacities. While our Year 7 students are completing a Values/Identity task in Civics and Citizenship.

Thanks, and remember history otherwise you are doomed to repeat it.

This morning Damascus College principal Steven Mifsud invited staff to a breakfast to mark International Women’s Day (IWD).

Joined by special guest Audrey Brown, former Director of Catholic Education, Chief Executive Officer and Company Secretary and currently the Executive Officer and Company Secretary for Catholic Religious Institute and Ministerial Public Juridic Person Victorian Schools Limited (CRMV Ltd). Audrey is an experienced NFP Company Director, CEO, Company Secretary and Trustee of a Ministerial PJP. She provides Professional Supervision for leaders in Ministry and Education. Audrey has extensive experience in education policy, governance, professional standards and child protection and is a skilled facilitator of staff training and formation, conferences, selection panels, meeting process, and leadership reviews.

Audrey was invited to have a Question and Answer session, with Sharon Lehtonen the Assistant Principal for Catholic School Culture to share her experience and advice on being a woman in Catholic Education, a woman leading Catholic Education, and a woman of Catholic faith.

As Damascus celebrates IWD we learned that forging gender equity isn't limited to women solely fighting the good fight. Allies are incredibly important for the social, economic, cultural, and political advancement of women.

Thank you for joining us for the IWD Breakfast Audrey, you have inspired us. We can all challenge gender stereotypes, call out discrimination, draw attention to bias, and seek out inclusion. We can all truly embrace equity. It's not just something we say. It's not just something we write about. It's something we need to think about, know, value and embrace.

#DamascusCollege #DamascusPride #BeMyBest #ImPartOfSomethingGreater #EmbraceEquity

On Thursday 16th February Madison Upton, Damascus College Class of 2022 was presented with the ‘Dura-Wear Non-Apprentice Cookery Program Award 2022’ through Federation University.

While a Damascus College VCAL student, Madison also completed her first year of Certificate III in Kitchen Operations. Her exemplary skills and determination toward this qualification have seen her be recognised as a dedicated and capable student in her field.

We are so proud of Madison and look forward to hearing about the next chapter in her working life.

#DamascusCollege #DamascusPride #BeMyBest #ImSupported

They're creepy and they're kooky

Mysterious and spooky

They're all together ooky

The Addams family…

And Damascus College students are invited to Audition.

Auditions will be held after school Friday, March 10^th, Wednesday, March 15^th and Thursday, March 16^th from 3:30pm. Everyone who wishes to join the cast…..must audition!

If you missed the information session on Friday, and you are interested in being part of the cast or crew please contact Alexandra Crowe, the Performing Arts Support Officer to receive your audition pack with all you need to know.

Don’t miss your opportunity to be part of our spectacular 2023 production!

#DamascusCollege #DamascusPride #BeMyBest #ImReadyToTakeOnAnything

It is with great pleasure that we welcome you to the 2023 school year. We hope that you have all have a lovely and restful Christmas and new year period as we progress into the school year.

Firstly, please let us introduce ourselves as the new House Leading team for McAuley House .

As your McAuley House Leader, I’m Karen Goonan and have been a staff member of the College for 15 years. Previously to this year, I have been a part of the St Martin House working in the House Leading team. I teach in the Health and Physical Education and the mathematics domain I have a keen interest in netball and am a member of the Ballarat Swans Football Netball Club in which I hold a netball coaching position.

As the Assistant House Leader I’m Mitchell Jolly and am looking forward to being in the role of Assistant House Leader. I am involved in the community with the Beaufort Football and Netball Club and am a keen cricketer with the Sebastopol Napoleons Cricket Club.

We look forward to working with you and your student(s) in our roles of the House Leading Team. Please remember to always make contact with your teacher advisors as they are your first point of call and can assist you with concerns or questions. We have a wonderful team in the McAuley House who enjoy working with students. The teacher advisor is there to assist and be a support person for your child during their years at Damascus. By making contact, either via phone or email and providing information to us will allow us to better support your student and of course this information will be held with upmost respect. It is from here, where necessary that your teacher advisor may request the assistance of us as House Leaders to support and implement processes of support.

We have the honour of working with your student(s) as a valuable time in their lives where guidance and boundaries are important. As a College, we ask that you invite us into their lives, to assist with creating and making some dreams as well as allowing us to support them and yourselves through harder times. We hope that we can empower them to reach their goals by implementing strategies that are beneficial to them.

As our House Name, Catherine McAuley, we will hold true our values that Catherine lived by. Justice, Strength, Wisdom, Compassion and Faith. We, together will ensure that those students and their families who are a part of the McAuley house feel these values in the way in which we conduct ourselves as your House leaders.

We wish you all the best for the coming year.

Karen Goonan and Mitchell Jolly

What has Sovereign Hill got to do with Health?

This was the question the Damascus College VET Allied Health students were asked prior to heading to the open-air museum in Golden Point for a different learning opportunity. What better way to understand infection control and prevention strategies than stepping into the past, in all its dirty, smelly glory?

Our VET Allied Health students investigated the various ways people in the past managed (or didn’t manage) their individual health and the health of their community. By now, we as a population, are very used to infection control techniques (sanitising stations, hand washing methods, social distancing etc) and preventing the spread of illness and disease methods but 170 years ago, all this was a foreign concept.

One thing is for sure, we can be collectively grateful for modern sewage systems and toilets.

#DamascusCollege #DamascusPride #BeMyBest #ImSupported

Prayer for Women

(Written by Ann Rennie)

We give thanks today for the women in our lives; mothers, daughters, sisters, wives and partners, teachers, mentors, artists, scientists, retailers, and carers; women who are poor and struggling and those who share their wealth and time and expertise; brave women rebuilding their lives and the lives of their loved ones in Ukraine; all those women who do the best they can every day with what they have. Behind the busyness and hard work there is dignity. Today let us acknowledge the gifts of womanhood in all its guises and know that women continue, as the saying goes, to hold up half the sky.

Please see following information from the East Point Drags Female Football Club: -

Please see following information to assist families on low incomes: -

Please see following information from the Buninyong Aboard Skate Clinic: -