Your first job always has special significance. I always endeavour to contact students who leave Damascus to take up apprenticeships or employment because of the significance of their first job and as a celebration of them moving into the pathway of their choice. It is important as a community that the product of each young person’s educational pathway beyond Damascus is celebrated, and an apprenticeship or employment is equivalent to a tertiary placement if that is what the young person wants.

My first teaching job was at MacKillop College in Swan Hill. In the 30 years since I started teaching, MacKillop College has become St Mary MacKillop College. For me, it was a privileged and supportive role I found myself in as an educator in a rural community. What I learned of the support I received in that time; I have tried to emulate in my leadership of this community. There was a pervading spirit of energy, mutual care, and value of hard work. Mary MacKillop was a woman who carried out her ministry here in Victoria and SA and supported Australians in need. She provided the support to Australians that Catherine McAuley did in Ireland and that our local Sisters of Mercy continue today. This Sunday, we celebrate the Feast of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop. As we approach that celebration, we remember those who have gone before us and who established the foundations for the faith-based education systems that exist in this country. For us, that is the Sisters of Mercy; for the Swan Hill community, it was Mary MacKillop’s order, the Josephite Sisters. We extend a prayer of gratitude for the religious and laypeople who built up our education, health and social justice systems to advance human care and dignity.

The performing arts have always had a strong presence within education systems, and from tonight and tomorrow, our community brings forth the wonderful work of our drama students in the production of “The 25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee”. I have had a sneak preview of the performance, and it is a wonderfully energetic show reflecting a great team effort. The current restrictions have meant that we have had to limit audiences to current staff and students, but we are taking the opportunity to record the performance for families. I thank staff members Nicole Burness, Maria Russell, and Andrew Seeary for the months of work that have gone into the production, and I congratulate the cast and crew on an outstanding effort under trying circumstances. Best wishes for the coming days.

Families of students undertaking a VCE Unit 3/4 subject will receive correspondence today pertaining to the General Achievement Test (GAT), which will be conducted next Thursday, 12^th August. This is the third scheduling of the GAT for 2021, and we are very hopeful it will eventuate next week. . Information that has been sent to families can be found here.

Last week, 100 Damascus families randomly received an invitation to participate in the school improvement process, seeking feedback on a range of dimensions of school life. This survey feedback is valuable to our continued enhancement of education, wellbeing and faith provision as a College. If you received the survey, we would love you to fill it out by this Friday, 6th August.

BAS interschool sports will recommence from next Monday 9^th August and students have been provided details of their respective programs.

Thank you to all those families who engaged with our TA interviews and subject selection processes last week. Students entered their selections for 2022 in our extended TA lesson yesterday. We will begin the extensive task of building the 2022 timetable to try and accommodate the maximum number of student opportunities. I thank our Learning Area Leader Team, Careers Team, Alysoun Smally, Sarah Mcknight, Ashwin Pillai and Melissa McLachlan for their great work in this space. If your young person was absent yesterday, the opportunity exists for them to enter choices in TA time through to the end of the week.

From 7.00pm tonight, there is a meeting of families of students undertaking rowing in the 2021/22 season. This meeting is taking place virtually and can be accessed here.

This week we farewell our Property and Maintenance Leader, Rob Jans. Rob has been with Damascus College since March 2012 and has been a key contributor to the development of our beautiful site and quality facilities. I extend the appreciation of our community to Rob as he takes up an exciting new opportunity and thank his family, Dom, Nicki, Cam and Amali, for their support of Rob to enable him to undertake this important role so thoroughly. Our facilities and grounds have improved immeasurably under Rob’s leadership, and we wish him well for the future.

Staff member, Michael Bennett and his wife Emma welcomed the newest member of their family, baby Harriet over the weekend. We send our congratulations and blessings to the Bennett family.

We keep in our prayers all those who grieve or struggle from illness and loneliness.

Until next week….

MATT

The Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) is planning to conduct the General Achievement Test (GAT) on the rescheduled date of Thursday August 12, 2021, between 10:00am and 1:15pm. The GAT is compulsory for any student undertaking at least one Unit 3-4 sequence (this includes some students completing a second year VETiS program), even if a Year 12 student doesn’t intend to sit the end of year exam, instead completing school assessed VCE. The GAT will be held at Damascus College in the Damascus Events Centre (DEC).

The GAT falls on a school day where classes will be scheduled. The expectation of students completing the GAT is that they will not attend their classes prior to completing the GAT. They are asked to arrive prior to 9:30am, meeting in the court yard upon their arrival and students will be given entry into the exam hall at approximately 9:45am. At the conclusion of the GAT, students will be given a lunch break until 2pm, having access to the common room and undercroft during this time. Students are then required to attend their period 5 and 6 classes. This is to allow students to optimise face to face class contact time.

Students are also required to follow the current Department of Health advice, specifically adhering to the following;

• Students are required to wear face masks, this includes for the duration of the GAT and whilst on school grounds.
• Before and after the GAT, physical distancing of 1.5 metres between all individuals is to be adhered to.

A reminder on what is the GAT?

The 3 hour GAT, along with an additional 15 minutes reading time, has three components:

• Written communication
• Mathematics, Science and Technology
• Humanities, the Arts and Social Sciences.

Your son or daughter will have received a GAT brochure on Tuesday May 25, which explains in some detail the structure of the GAT and the way it may be used in terms of their assessment. The GAT can be viewed as an insurance policy in that it is used to verify the reliability of a student’s school based work and end of year exams. It is also used for Derived Exams Scores. In these instances, a student may be unable to sit an exam but still require a score for the subject. The GAT brochure can also be viewed through this link. Further information about the GAT can also be found on the VCAA website through this link.

No special study is required for the GAT and students are strongly encouraged to attempt the test to the best of their ability. However, it would help if students familiarise themselves with the style and format of the paper. Samples from past years, with solutions, are available from the VCAA website. GAT Past Papers

Students are required to stay in the exam hall for the duration of the GAT. Therefore, they should utilise the full time the test allows to complete the GAT to the best of their ability.

Rules to be mindful of:

Not Allowed

No electronic devices are permitted in the exam room. (If a phone or smart watch is confiscated, it may be retained for up to 3 months).

Food is not allowed

Allowed

A clear plastic label-free water bottle, no larger than 1.5 litre, is permitted in the exam room.

A printed dictionary is allowed

Students are asked to bring a pen, pencil and eraser. (Multiple choice completed in pencil, 2 written essays to be completed in pen)

A reminder students are expected to wear full school uniform.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call or email.

As we continue to celebrate 140 years of Catholic education at Damascus College, we acknowledge and celebrate the tireless efforts of our passionate staff, both past and present, who have been an integral part of the Damascus community since 1881. Please join us in celebrating this significant milestone with our staff who have reflected in on what 140 years of Catholic education at Damascus means to them, in this video.

Please see following a link to the latest Careers News for Damascus College

Careers Newsletter Term 3 1

Our Damascus students did a wonderful job throughout this round of remote learning, as we heard many stories of creativity and innovation from our students and staff, to enable each other to get through the excess screen time and isolation.

During lockdown 5.0, and as part of the Year 8 Humanities subject, Year 8 student, Kara Johnson created this wonderful replica of her grandmother's London house, that was bombed by air raids during World War II.

What a wonderful story Kara has shared about her grandparents, and a wonderful lesson she learnt as well - to learn from our mistakes.

Well done Kara, the likeness is amazing!

The Bishops Commission for Catholic Education (National Catholic Education Commision – NCEC) has endorsed the Framing Paper: Religious Education in Australian Catholic Schools, prepared by the NCEC Faith Formation and Religious Education Standing Committee. Published in 2018, it is a resource for reflection on and evaluation of curriculum design and practice in the Religious Education learning area.

• DOWNLOAD PDF Version here

The framing paper describes religious Education in the follow terms:

Religious Education in Australian Catholic schools develops students’ knowledge and understandings of Christianity in the light of Jesus and the Gospel, and its unfolding story and diversity within contemporary Australian and global society. It expands students’ spiritual awareness and religious identity, fostering their capacities and skills of discerning, interpreting, thinking critically, seeking truth and making meaning. It challenges and inspires their service to others and engagement in the Church and the world.

In support of the framework a series of videos has been produced. Damascus College students and staff members feature extensively in the video material that was gathered from around the nation. All 5 videos can be accessed from the following link.

Faith Formation & RE - National Catholic Education Commission (NCEC): Australia's Peak Catholic Education Body

The series of professional learning videos are designed to encourage discussion among Catholic educators through the unpacking of the Framing Paper on religious education in Australian Catholic Schools.

National Catholic Education executive director Jacinta Collins said the resources provide a practical understanding of the framework and support for faith formation in the country's 1,755 Catholic schools.

“Faith formation lies at the heart of the work of Catholic schools,” Ms Collins said. “These resources assist teachers and school leaders to reflect and deepen their understanding of the place of Catholic theology in religious education and aim to build professional collaboration among staff.”

FFRE Standing Committee chair Sr Elizabeth Dodds RSC said the videos promote dialogue about the practical considerations for an engaging religious education program.

“These resources support religious education staff to consider the variety of learners in the classroom with their unique life experiences, particular motivations, expectations and aspirations,” Sr Dodds said.

“These videos will enliven and energise staff, building their capacity to provide religious education which is responsive to their local school context and authentic to the Catholic tradition.”