Tomorrow morning we gather as a whole school community to celebrate the Feast of the Sacred Heart. This feast celebrates the decision of the Sisters of Mercy to commence Catholic education here in Ballarat 141 years ago. Damascus College builds on the foundations of their first school, Sacred Heart College, and we are fortunate to have such strong foundations. I thank Angela Carr and the Faith team for the preparation of our liturgy. Additionally, tomorrow presents an opportunity for our school community to acknowledge the memory of Mr Jeff Simpson to all students and staff. Jeff will be forever missed and will always part of the strong history of Damascus College.

I sincerely thank and acknowledge leaders who have stepped into Interim positions over the course of this semester and have been a great support to me and a fantastic inclusion on the Leadership team. I thank;

• Mr Ashwin Pillai – Interim Deputy Principal
• Ms Alysoun Smalley – Interim Assistant Principal, Learning and Teaching
• Ms Hannah Keating – Acting Assistant Principal Student Wellbeing
• Mr Daniel Jans – Acting Assistant Principal Student Wellbeing

I also thank and acknowledge;

• Mrs Karen Hocking – Interim House Leader: Xavier
• Mrs Karen Goonan – Interim House Leader: St Martin
• Ms Anna Rowland – Interim Learning Area Leader: Languages

Beginning in Term 3, we will welcome back Andrew Robertson from Long Service Leave. Hannah Keating and Daniel Jans will resume in their House Leader positions, Alysoun Smalley will resume as Learning Area Leader of Languages, Ashwin Pillai will resume as Assistant Principal of Teaching and Learning, and I will resume as Deputy Principal.

Further on staffing news, Mr Matthew Edwards has relinquished his role as Assistant House Leader for Rice, and Mrs Nikki Hexter has now been appointed to the position. Nikki will move over TA to Rice 16, joining Anna Rowland. Nikki previously shared Xavier 12 with Naomi Olthof, and Naomi has now kindly agreed to take up Xavier 12 in a full capacity. I thank Matt Edwards for his extensive contribution to Rice House in the Assistant House Leader position, and I wish Nikki all the best for the remainder of this year.

Mr Liam Downie will be taking six months of leave, returning in 2023, and Mrs Angela Hoban, who has supported us over the last six months in careers, concludes her time with us. I thank and acknowledge Angela for her extensive service to the College and wish Liam well in his travels.

I would also like to acknowledge the amazing resilience, adaptability, and hard work that our Damascus College staff have put into the past nine weeks to provide our students with the very best learning opportunities.

We welcomed past students and specialists in the Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths fields on Monday for the Year 9 STEAM expo. Year 9 students had the opportunity to chat with an expert in a field of interest that will hopefully support them in their career path and journey ahead. I thank Ivanka Saric, Naomi Olthof, Georgia Shillito, Barbara Kelderman and their teams for providing this opportunity to our students.

Our intermediate boys played the St Patricks College Year 10 team in their final game of football for the season on Tuesday afternoon to qualify for the next stage of the Herald Sun Cup. This followed their great success securing the overall BAS Pennant for Boys Intermediate football. Whilst the boys put up a gallant effort, unfortunately, the team from St Pats was too strong for us. Thank you to Shaun O'Loughlin, Hamish Walsh, Ryan Leaney and Pat Dillon for supporting these students this term.

Yesterday we came together as an entire school to celebrate Rice House Day. Brother Edmund Rice was the founder of the Christian Brothers. In Ballarat, the Brothers established their own school for boys and worked in and administered St. Paul's Secondary College on behalf of the Catholic Parishes of Ballarat. St. Paul's was one of the amalgamating schools that in 1995 became Damascus College. The spirit of justice that inspired Edmund and his Christian Brothers calls us still to educate for justice by serving the poor. Our Rice House celebrations yesterday were a wonderful showcase of young people's capabilities and talents. I congratulate Rice House Leader David Myers, the team of Teacher Advisors and other staff who supported them.

This Friday (24th June) will be the last day of term, and we will see a school finish time of 2.17pm. Students have a casual day for the Vinnies Winter Appeal. Students are asked to bring $5, if it is within their family's means, to support the "Vinnies" Winter Appeal to support the homeless and at-need families. If your student has PE, Wood, Metal, Science or Food – please ensure that they wear appropriate clothing, notably closed footwear, for practical classes.

Child safety and wellbeing at Damascus College: information for families and the school community

The Victorian Government has announced new Child Safe Standards scheduled to commence on the 1^st July to further strengthen child safety across organisations, including schools. The new standards recognise the critical importance of families and the broader school community in maintaining and promoting child safety and wellbeing.

Damascus College is in the process of reviewing and updating our child safety policies and procedures to ensure they meet the requirements of the new standards. The updated policies will be available to view at https://www.damascus.vic.edu.au/about-us/child-safety once they have been completed.

We are committed to continuous improvement in our approach to child safety and wellbeing and welcome feedback from families and members of our school community on ways we can further strengthen our child safety policies, procedures and practices.

If you have any suggestions, comments or questions, please contact myself, Chris Grant, as the Child Safety Officer for Damascus College.

Looking ahead, I remind families that Term 3 will commence with regular classes on Monday, 11th July.

Office hours over the holidays will be Monday - Friday, 9:00am – 4:00pm.

Thank you for the privilege of working with the wonderful young people that make up the Damascus community this semester and for your family's support of our College. If you are travelling over the holidays, do so safely.

Until next term…

Chris

This year’s annual performing arts production is Clue on stage, which is a hilarious farce-meets-murder mystery, on 20-23 July in the Valda Ward Auditorium.

Murder and blackmail are on the menu when six mysterious guests assemble at Boddy Manor for a night they’ll never forget. When their host turns up dead, they all become suspects. It is the classic Who did it, WHERE, and with WHAT!

Tickets are available at: https://www.trybooking.com/BZHFR

And now, we wish to introduce our community to these six mysterious guests…the fifth of these being Mrs White, played by Year 10 student Jessica Dechene.

“I got involved in this year’s production because it’s a great opportunity. I wanted to be a part of something for the school and have memories of contribution and joy in the future.

There is a lot of hilarious movements and difficulty keeping straight faces in rehearsals…Megan’s Colonel Mustard is always one for laughs.

The character I play, Mrs White is a very melodramatic and deadpan character and deep down jealous. Murder and death are one of her strong suits. After all she supposedly murdered her previous five husbands....

I personally find it difficult to measure the amount of melodrama and emotion to give her.

The challenge of doing this play is to have the ability to be able to maintain character but speak at fast rates over each-other. By keeping the pace it keeps intensity.

I value this experience because I don’t have much experience when it comes to performing at all, but I want to. In rehearsals you gain inspiration and see others grow along with their character…. it’s a magical sight to see. I also struggle socially, but by doing rehearsals you get to interact with all types of different people across year levels which is really cool!

Performing Arts at Damascus is very high quality but also a very chilled environment. You learn and produce a range of dramatic aspects; the teachers are very talented and you get to work with others on the way. Everyone is in the same boat; everyone is putting themselves out there and everyone supports one and other. Overall, It’s an amazing environment and provides great memories.”

Jessica Dechene, Year 10 student

On Monday Year 9 Damascus College students had the opportunity to take part in the revamped STEAM EXPO, where they learned more about a career in a STEAM career from the experts.

This annual Damascus event promotes careers in Science, Technology, Allied Health, Medicine, Engineering and Maths (STEM), and in 2022 the Visual and Performing Arts learning area joined the event making it a STEAM expo. Damascus believes that art programs are integral to developing students’ higher learning skills and have been proven to increase creativity, improve academic performance, increase motor skills, enhance visual learning, and boost higher decision-making skills. Including the Arts in this STEAM expo showed our students a wider range of future career opportunities which will help them make more informed subject selections in future planning.

Members of the Ballarat community, past students and parents of Damascus College students who are working or studying in STEAM areas were invited back to engage and inspire students about their occupation or field of study.

Students rotated amongst speakers, where they listened, talked, asked questions and completed a worksheet on their experience. Students spent time with six to eight presenters for 10 to 15 minutes each.

This year we welcomed STEAM speakers who are Marketing Directors, Construction Managers, Engineers, Psychologists, Physiotherapists, Research Technicians, Geologists, Midwives, Nurses, Environmental Scientists, Chiropractors, Occupational Therapists and students studying Architecture, Mathematics, Nursing, Biomedical and Mechanical engineering, Forensic Scientists, Sports Science. We thank them all for giving us their valuable time and experience to broaden our student’s understanding of these STEAM fields of study or careers. It is fantastic to see past students return to Damascus to speak to current students about their occupations. The passion and enthusiasm they have for their job is contagious and the students have a greater understanding and appreciation for a breadth of career options.

On Thursday 16^th June the Year 12 VCAL students held a fundraiser for the ‘Wings of Hope’ Foundation. A service dedicated to supporting the victims and families of domestic violence. Co-founder Brooke O’Doherty spoke to the class prior to the event outlining the need for awareness and funds to support confidence-building future retreats. As part of the Certificate II in Active Volunteering course the students are undertaking, they set about to try and make a difference. A big shout out to Rob and the team at Midvale Meats, who kindly donated the delicious sausages sold on the day; a big thanks to Baker’s Delight in Sebastopol for donating the bread. We are pleased to announce that the students were able to raise $495.30 on the day. The students will be presenting this to the Foundation early in term 3.

Thursday the 16^th June also saw our Year 12 VCAL students volunteer their time to read to the Vornda (Foundation) students over at Emmaus Primary School. Students read stories and engaged students in ‘getting to know you’ activities as well as sharing their play space with them. A valuable opportunity for everyone involved.

Friday 17^th June: Year 12 VCAL students completing their certificate II in Active Volunteering had contacted various services in Ballarat to offer assistance for the day. It was lovely to see students visit places including; local primary schools, football clubs, the Salvation Army, St. Vinnie’s and our own maintenance crew here at school! The feedback received from the public was a credit to the students who demonstrated key employability skills!

Monday 20^th/Tuesday 21^st June: Year 11 VCAL students completed their Barista qualification on the Barista Bus through RSA for Schools. Students were put through rigorous training (practical and theoretical components). Year 12 VCAL students completed their RSA (Responsible Service of Alcohol) certification. Well done, all students who participated gained competency in their qualifications. Year 12s also participated in a ‘Race Around Ballarat’ where they independently researched and visited key services in Ballarat that may assist in them in the future (Headspace, WDEA, BGT and the Ballarat Library).

Last weekend a group of Damascus students participated in the Mount Clear Football Club, Shave for a Cure fundraiser.

In between playing football in the Under 13, 15 and Under 17’s age groups, a group of fine young men braved the chilly Ballarat weather and shaved their heads for a worthy cause.

We are pleased to report that Mount Clear Football club raised over $11,464 for the Leukaemia Foundation.

What a fantastic effort by the club, and it was wonderful to see Damascus students giving back to help others in need.

This year’s annual performing arts production is Clue on stage, which is a hilarious farce-meets-murder mystery, on 20-23 July in the Valda Ward Auditorium.

Murder and blackmail are on the menu when six mysterious guests assemble at Boddy Manor for a night they’ll never forget. When their host turns up dead, they all become suspects. It is the classic Who did it, WHERE, and with WHAT!

Tickets are available at: https://www.trybooking.com/BZHFR

And now, we wish to introduce our community to these six mysterious guests…the fourth of these being Mrs Peacock, played by Year 12 student Mikayla Montgomery.

“I got involved in the production as it is my final year at Damascus, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to get involved in Clue! It’s such a ridiculous, exhilarating, fast-paced play, and I wanted something to really push me as a performer- so there couldn’t be a more perfect play!

It was such a wonderful time every rehearsal, whether it was afterschool Monday and Thursday or on Sundays, we were all able to come in and bring our very best to each rehearsal. Our team managed to work effectively while still having a laugh!

I play Mrs. Peacock and she is an interesting character- She’s an old woman prone to… emotional outburst- so she takes a lot of energy to portray. Contrastingly, she can also be rather sly and conniving, so it is interesting to play the duality of the character! I love her to pieces and am so grateful I got to play this wild woman for my last hurrah!

I loved how the way the cast all came together as a big family, it was amazing, as we were all from so many different years and theatre experience! It’s such a lovely environment to be in when everyone is lifting each other’s performances and pushing each other to be their best.

Performing Arts at Damascus will always be a special place to me. I have developed so much self-confidence, made so many friends, and been able to flourish as an individual by the incredible support system within the department.”

On Thursday 16 June, the College celebrated student gifts and talents at the annual Curriculum Showcase. This is a regular program which serves the specific purpose of publicly recognising and applauding the achievements of students within the performing arts department.

Showcases are different from a School Production in that it provides greater opportunity to display a wide range of students and their talents. The work in last night’s presentation comes directly from performance tasks set within the classroom and beyond from this semester, and highlights the variety of curricular performance opportunities available at the College.

This event offers parents and the school community a genuine insight into the innovative curriculum offered at Damascus in both Drama and Music.

Well done to all students and staff involved!

WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING

Movie Fundraiser for Timor-Leste

While Damascus College cannot yet get to Timor Leste, we are still able to support those who are working in the ground.

Since 2013 the Immersion Team has been visiting Klibur Domin, a health facility in the village of Tibar (17km from the capital on the west road.) Klibur Domin means Sharing Love.

In 2016 we welcomed Senior Joachim Soares, the director of Klibur Domin, to Ballarat and to Damascus College. In 2018 he returned to again offer his thanks for the support of that the Immersion process has offered Klibur Domin. Klibur Domin was established in 2000 by Ryder-Cheshire Australia Ryder-Cheshire Australia - for the relief of suffering and is a Timorese NGO providing inpatient care, Tuberculosis (TB) treatment and community-based rehabilitation for those with disabilities.

TB is largely eradicated in Australia but remains endemic in Timor Leste.

The film Movie fundraiser WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING on 24^th July @ 1:40 pm at Regent Cinemas will make a difference.

Tickets can be ordered by contacting the Ryder Cheshire members by phones numbers on the flier

Payment can be arranged by cash or direct debit.

Below are the criteria used to determine a student’s eligibility for the Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF).

Criteria 1 – General eligibility

To be eligible for the fund, a parent or carer of a student attending a registered Government or non-government Victorian primary or secondary school must:

• on the first day of Term one
• on the first day of Term two

For the list of eligible financially-means tested cards refer to the CSEF Policy:

https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/camps-sports-and-excursions-fund/policy

Parents who receive a Carer Allowance on behalf of a child, or any other benefit or allowance not income tested by Centrelink, are not eligible for the CSEF unless they also comply with the above.

Criteria 2 - Be of school age and attend school in Victoria

For the purposes of CSEF, students may be eligible for assistance if they attend a Victorian registered primary or secondary school. CSEF is not payable to students attending pre-scho ol, kindergarten, home schooled, or TAFE.

Special Consideration

A special consideration category exists for

• Families on a bridging visa, temporary protection visa, in community detention or are asylum seeker families
• Student’s in temporary out of home care arrangements, including statutory kinship care

For more information, see https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/camps-sports-and-excursions-fund/guidance/eligibility

Eligibility Date

For concession card holders CSEF eligibility will be subject to the parent/carer concession card being validated successfully with Centrelink on the first day of either term one (31 January 2022) or term two (26 April 2022).

PAYMENT AMOUNTS

CSEF payment amount

The CSEF is an annual payment to the school to be used towards camps, sports and/or excursion expenses for the ben efit of the eligible stud ent.

• Primary school student rate: $125 per year.
• Secondary school student rate: $225 per year.

The CSEF is paid directly to your child’s school and will be allocated by the school towards camps, sports and/or excursion costs for your child.

For ungraded students, the rate payable is determined by the student’s date of birth. For more information, see: www.education.vic.gov.au/about/programs/Pages/csef.aspx

HOW TO COMPLETE THE APPLICATION FORM

NOTE: ALL SECTIONS MUST BE COMPLETED BY PARENT/LEGAL GUARDIAN

1. Complete the PARENT/CARER DETAILS section.

Make sure that the Surname, First Name, and Customer Reference Number (CRN) details match those on your concession card. You will also need to provide your concession card to the school.

If you are claiming as a temporary Foster Parent or a Veteran Affairs Pensioner, you will need to provide a copy of documentation confirming your status as a temporary Foster Parent or provide your Veterans Affairs Pensioner Gold card to the school.

If you are seeking special consideration, mark this in the form and provide a copy of the relevant documentation.

1. Complete the STUDENT/S DETAILS section for students at this school.
2. 3. Sign and date the form and return it to the school office as soon as possible. The CSEF program for 2022 closes on the 24 June 2022. Please submit your application prior to 3.00pm on the 24 June.

Forms are available through the front office or online Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) application form (education.vic.gov.au)

Today the Damascus College John Shannon Centre came to life at lunchtime as students and staff took to the dance floor for the annual Dancing with the Stars competition.

For the last couple of weeks, students have undertaken dancing as part of their Health & Physical Education studies, as well as having a practice session last Friday during lunchtime.

Thank you to Intersport, who ensured the winners took home some great prizes as the sponsor for this competition. Dancers were judged on their performance of the Pride of Erin (the qualifier), and then on how they danced the Heel and Toe. Winners and runners-up were awarded to Senior, Junior and Staff competitors.

Congratulations to everyone who took part, and received a prize for their dance skills. Thank you to Gavan Walsh for again organising this joyous event.

At the end of the event all the dancers and the audience were invited to take to their feet for some toe-tapping line dancers, it was clear that Damascus College has some amazing dancers and an enthusiastic audience who were there to cheer them on.

Today Damascus College students wore their sports uniform topped with a Oodie/Hoodie to raise awareness of the huge number of people who are homeless and/or cold. This activity organised by the Damascus College Justice Action Group, supported by the SRC was part of the annual Winter Fundraising Appeal for the St Vincent de Paul Society.

The annual Winter Fundraising Appeal plays a vital role each year in enabling the good works of the St Vincent de Paul Society and, with our support, they hope to achieve a strong result to sustain the varied programs into the future.

A reminder that our casual day on Friday 24th June, the last day of term, offers a chance to do more. Damascus students and staff are asked to help keep Ballarat’s most needy warm this winter with a donation of the smallest note in Australian currency is $5. It is the lowest amount that is considered significant enough to have as a note in our country. This is the beginning of significance. Please, if you can give a significant donation of $5 on the last day of term for the St Vinnies Winter Appeal.