Dear members of the MLMC community

Welcome back.

Welcome back, indeed. Welcome back to Term 4 and, for our most senior students, welcome back to on-campus learning in this, your final weeks of school as you prepare to transition from your last year of formal secondary education. I am sure I have said it before but our campus is simply not the same without students, for it is our students that bring it to life and provide the soul that make it more than a well-maintained set of buildings and grounds.

Having said that, I am aware that for this group of students who are looking at graduating in the very near future, it has been an extraordinary couple of years. Hopefully we will never see times like these again. A lot has been asked of our senior students with the loss of formal assemblies, special birthday parties, dances and senior events and all the while asking them to lead our student body, while over half their senior years have been spent in remote learning.

Now is a time that we ask more of them. Now, in these final weeks of school, we ask them to consolidate their 13 years of schooling, to consolidate these past two years of VCE or VCAL and to prepare for final assessment. We ask them to ready themselves to leave us, whether that be straight to the world of work or to prepare for VCE exams. It is our VCE students that I am particularly thinking of at this time, for they must consolidate two years of remote learning in final exams.

Our Year 12 students and our Year 12 VCE students, in particular, are in need of our support. Soon I will write to each of them encouraging them to use this time wisely in preparation for exams, but to also find the time for daily prayer as I have guaranteed them that they will all be in my prayers. I pray that each of them remains in good health and finds the strength and commitment they need to consolidate their learning to produce their best in the upcoming exams. I pray that they remain focused. I pray that they will be granted serenity and peace of mind and that they will always feel the presence of God in their life. I pray that each will find an authentic vocation and will have the strength to fulfil it. I pray that the world will benefit from their talents and that many people will benefit from their gifts and from their love. I wish them every blessing as they prepare for their final exams and ask you to join me in prayer in support of our most senior students.

I am very proud of the extensive process by which we select student leadership here at MLMC as it involves an application process, staff and student voice, staff and student vote and an extensive interview process. I am most pleased about the number of students who apply and choose to lead and serve our community.

Being very proud the College Prefects during 2021, the process for selection of leaders for 2022 is now concluded with the following students being appointed.

We do not know how or when we will induct our 2022 Prefects, but will do so as soon as regulations and opportunity allow it. For now, we announce and thank the following students and wish them every blessing in the leadership and service of and to our College in 2022.

In the Spirit of Catherine, may God bless and keep you.

Philip A Morison
Principal

Earlier this week, the Catholic Church celebrated the Feast of St Francis of Assisi (4 October). In one of his homilies Pope Francis said “The peace of Saint Francis is the peace of Christ, and it is found by those who 'take up' their 'yoke', namely, Christ's commandment: Love one another as I have loved you (cf. John 13:34; 15:12). This yoke cannot be borne with arrogance, presumption or pride, but only with meekness and humbleness of heart."

We turn to you, Francis, and we ask you: Teach us to be 'instruments of peace', of that peace which has its source in God, the peace which Jesus has brought us.

Franciscan Prayer of Blessing

May God bless us with discomfort at easy answers,
half-truths and superficial relationships,
so that we will live deeply in our hearts.

May God bless us with anger at injustice, oppression
and exploitation of people and the earth,
so that we will work for justice, equity and peace.

May God bless us with tears to shed for those who suffer,
so that we will reach out our hands
to comfort them and change their pain to joy.

And may God bless us with the foolishness to think that
we can make a difference in our world,
so that we will do the things which others say cannot be done.

Amen

(1) Important dates

• Monday 11 October – Parent forum ‘Mental health in young people’ (further details below)
• Monday 18 October – Final day of classes for Year 12 students 
• Tuesday 19 October – Year 12 Celebration Day 
• Friday 22 October – Visual Arts Exhibition online launch

(2) Anderson St school crossing closed

Mr Louis Papadimitriou
Deputy Principal — Organisation

The College has been informed by Yarra Ranges Council that they will recommence school crossing operations in Anderson St on Monday 18 October, in line with primary school-aged students returning to classroom learning. Until this date, students are advised not to use the school crossing on Anderson St but instead use the crossing at the traffic lights at the corner of Gardiner and Anderson streets for their safety.

(3) Upcoming parent forum

Mrs Tina Tasiopoulos
School Wellbeing Coordinator

The College's Counselling team is hosting an online forum on Monday 11 October to discuss issues such as anxiety, self-harm and depression. View the flyer below for further details.

(4) Virtual Homework Club

Mrs Beata Clark
Teacher Librarian

Virtual Homework Club is available to students Mondays and Wednesdays, 3.30-4.30pm. Assistance can be provided for English (Years 7-12), Humanities (Years 7-10), Maths (Years 7-8) and essay writing. Students can join the Virtual Homework Club via Google Meet by visiting: https://meet.google.com/qyi-mbmw-gzd

Please email any inquiries to: bclark@mlmc.vic.edu.au

(5) A guide to surviving online learning

Mrs Tina Tasiopoulos
School Wellbeing Coordinator

We understand that online learning can sometimes be challenging for everyone.

To help our young people manage their wellbeing during times of lockdown and remote learning, please read the resources available by visiting Reachout.com. This website offers valuable information and resources for parents/guardians, students and teachers.

Please also remember that the College Counsellors are also available to provide you and your children with emotional support and assistance. Contact us via our College email address: counsellingwellbeingteam@mlmc.vic.edu.au

(6) Level crossing removal update

Mr Louis Papadimitriou
Deputy Principal — Organisation

Parents and guardians are reminded that works are continuing on the Maroondah Highway level crossing removal project in Lilydale. The project site has now reopened and transitioned back into 24/7 works. Buses continue to replace trains between Ringwood and Lilydale until further notice.

Please see the flyer attached below for the latest information, or click HERE.

The winners of this year’s MLMC Visual Arts competition, run in conjunction with the Religous Education faculty, have been announced and we congratulate and thank everyone who entered. The theme for this year’s competition was a 'reflection of school life at the College or at home’.

The entries could be drawings, sculptures, photos, paintings or any medium. A number of outstanding entries were received and it made judging by Visual Arts Faculty Learning Leader Miss Emma Thornhill, Religious Education and Faith Development Faculty Learning Leader Mr Matthew Burow and myself very difficult.

We are pleased to announce that the winners are:

Junior winner Teiya Sisson (Year 9 Blue) said her digital portrait of MLMC Principal Mr Philip Morison (above) was “a big thank you to Mr Morison for all that you've done for making MLMC great and supporting us through lockdown”. 

"The topic for this art competition was a 'reflection of something connected to school life here at MLMC' so who better to draw than our school's Principal?"

Below you can view a time lapse video of Teiya Sisson’s entry.

Chloe Morris (Year 9 Jade) said of her entry (below): “I took this picture because it shows that not everything we learn in school is from a book or a computer but we also learn how to do other things like socialise with people, make friends, do sport and much more.”

Thomas Hobley (Year 10 Gold) took an amazing photo at the College one morning (below) and it won him the Senior section. “As I was about to walk into the Chapel for morning Mass I couldn't help but notice how the wonderful sunrise shone through the fog and lit up one of the many gorgeous gums we have at school. This morning in May was among the foggiest I have experienced — a fantastic opportunity for photos. I quickly snapped several pictures as my sister and I stood back in awe. I remember thinking how grand it was to be able to see the sun rise above the fog and I am ever so glad I captured that magic moment on camera.”

Throughout the world Mercy Day is celebrated on 24 September — the Feast of Our Lady of Mercy. It is the anniversary of the opening of the first 'House of Mercy' in 1827 in Dublin, Ireland. Catherine McAuley, founder of the Sisters of Mercy, devoted her life to the poor, sick and uneducated, and today we continue her legacy of caring and compassion in the name of Mercy.

Traditionally, we celebrate Mercy Day at the end of Term 3 and despite being in lockdown we were able to recognise this important event on Friday 17 September. The day began with students gathering in their Homeroom groups to participate in an online liturgy prepared by the Year 12 CSYMA class and an address by the Principal, Mr Philip Morison. The liturgy, based on the theme 'We are people of Mercy', reflected not only on the story and legacy of Catherine but also on the ways in which we, as a community have lived Mercy throughout the year. Year levels and Homeroom groups were also given the opportunity to 'get into the spirit of the event' by dressing up according to various themes such as, footy colours, Homeroom colours and fancy dress. Some of our Year 12 Homerooms are pictured.

It is usual that we support Mercy Works through fundraising at this time so a website was set up for those who were able to donate. Through the generosity of students, staff and families we have raised just over $4000. Mercy Works will put this money to good use as they support projects in Papua New Guinea, Timor Leste, the Philippines and Australia. Their key areas of expenditure are health, education, social welfare and community development.

Thank you all for your generous donations.

Tournament of Minds promotes itself as ‘an international educational program challenging the world to develop problem solving skills’ and it has certainly challenged the participating students of MLMC to be creative, flexible and resilient this year.

Four teams of students started working together face to face after school at the beginning of Term 2. At that stage, the plan was for the competition to return to live presentations at Deakin University and the teams and facilitators were enjoying the feeling of working together as well as the spontaneity that comes from bouncing ideas off others.

After connecting digitally during the first lockdown, the organisers announced that the presentations would be filmed at schools and submitted for judging, so again teams adapted, planned and extended their flexible thinking.

With plans in place for an afternoon of filming at the College, the Arts team brainstormed ways to inspire students to value Arts education in the challenge ‘Tools for the Future’, while our Social Sciences teams tried to imagine the views of famous people of history about the United Nations sustainability goals in the challenge ‘Times are a changin‘ and the STEM designers worked on devices to communicate with the International Space Station and the universe in ‘Hello?’.

But it was back to Google Meets and Zoom to film the final presentations and our students were challenged to make props and backgrounds in their own homes with few resources. All students involved are to be congratulated on their persistence and their support of their teammates.

When judging was completed, the College’s Social Sciences team of Carissa Manger, Madii Weir, Stephen Cameron, Sophia Neilsen, Abigail Mendez and Amelia MacDonald received Honours, as did the MLMC Arts team, who were also invited to compete at the State Final where they were required to show their teamwork online by solving a spontaneous challenge in front of a judging panel. Their outstanding commitment is a credit to the College.

ToM offers teams of primary and secondary school students the opportunity to solve authentic, open-ended challenges that foster creative, divergent thinking while developing collaborative enterprise, excellence and teamwork.

A big thank you goes to teachers Ms Natalie Hamment, Ms Christeen Fernando, Mr Tim Mannix, Mr Thomas Warren, Ms Emma Thornhill and Mr Stuart Thornhill for working with the teams as facilitators this year.

2021 MLMC Tournament of Minds teams:

1 Arts: Olive Kercher (8 Purple), Paige Prescott (8 Orange), Anika Lill (8 Green), Schemaiah Perera (10 Silver), Lissette Lopez Garza (8 Purple) and Summer Hathaway (8 Purple)

2 Social Sciences: Thomas Hobley (10 Gold), Aksa Manoj (9 Silver), Amy Langcake (9 Orange), Blake Schelfhout (7 Purple), Denisse Lopez Garza (9 Orange), Lucy Hobley (9 Jade), Mitchell Mazzarella (10 Jade)

3 Social Sciences: Carissa Manger (10 Blue), Madii Weir (7 Silver), Stephen Cameron (10 Bronze), Sophia Neilsen (8 White), Abigail Mendez (7 Red) and Amelia MacDonald (8 White)

4 STEM: Alannah Rudan (9 Silver), Lilka Faulkner (7 Bronze), Mia Story (9 Gold), Monique Ross (8 Green), Rachael Roper (8 Purple), Zacc Prentice (9 Jade)

Senior team members: Chloe Ross (11 Orange), Marisa Lopez Garza (11 Purple), Teagan McConachy (11 Blue)

Some of our House Prefects have celebrated the history of their Houses with a Celebration Day via Google Meet.

On Friday 10 September Daniel Ryan hosted the Terry Dunn House event, while Emily Wicks had her father, teacher Richard Wicks, and three siblings joined the Carr House celebration she hosted on Wednesday 6 October. Today (Friday 8 October) at lunchtime, it was the turn of O’Neill House Prefect Laura Fitzgerald.

While Maguire House was able to host its Celebration Day on campus early in the year with a barbecue lunch put on by the Parents and Friends’ Association volunteers, the other Prefects have had their events continually postponed due to COVID-19 lockdowns. Our House Prefects have, however, led their Houses through the College’s swimming and athletics carnivals in Term 1 and we will soon learn which House will win this year’s House Cup competition.

Well done to everyone who has earned points for their House this year and helped to continue lifting team spirits.

Here are some reflections from our House Prefects:

Terry Dunn House

On Friday 10 September I undertook Terry Dunn's House Celebration Day over a Google Meet. It was definitely different to how I imagined it being but it was still great nonetheless. I was definitely nervous but it made it easier to know that the few that joined had enjoyed themselves and had a good time with the Kahoot. Thanks to those of you that attended meet and took the time to learn more about this great House that is Terry Dunn. GO TERRY DUNN!
— Daniel Ryan (Terry Dunn House Prefect)

Carr House

Today (Wednesday 6 October) I had the pleasure of celebrating the beloved Carr House and all its glory. I was so thrilled as the Carr House Prefect to give something back to the wonderful community members who are a part of the House as their hard work and participation are what has brought victories, friendships and enjoyment. Although it is not the normal celebration setting, it ended with a fun Kahoot all about Carr House and the Olympics to enjoy what has been a somewhat normal but unpredictable year.
— Emily Wicks (Carr House Prefect)

Auditions for the MLMC 2022 Instrumental Music Scholarships will look a little different this year. In the past we have held face-to-face auditions in the Music department, however, due to COVID-19 restrictions Performing Arts Faculty Learning Leader Ms Emily Cerra has devised a new plan.

Should students be interested in applying for a 2022 Instrumental Music Scholarship, they are asked to please send an email to me at sflint@mlmc.vic.edu.au to receive a shared Google Form. Students are asked to fill in this online form, attach a video of two pre-recorded contrast music pieces and upload it by 4.00pm on Wednesday 24 November 2021.

The Music department wishes all students the best of luck.

We are very pleased to congratulate Year 11 students Weston Tabone (11 Gold) and Baxter Lill (11 Blue) on being successful in their applications to be part of the 2022 National Youth Science Forum (NYSF).

The forum is an Australia-wide STEM immersion program for students about to enter their final year of secondary schooling. The program runs during January school holidays and provides participants with the opportunity to learn about the work done by a range of Australian science organisations as well as connect with other STEM-minded students.

To be accepted students go through a thorough application and interview process.

NOTE: After the newsletter was published, the College was notified that Year 11 student Teagan McConachy was also accepted into next year's NYSF. We warmly congratulate Teagan on this achievement and wish her all the best.

Year 9 students have continued their COMPASS program during the remote learning period with many of them enjoying the opportunity to work on their Passion Projects at home. They have been developing their skills and welcoming the opportunity to spend time on active pursuits such as improving their fitness for a particular sport, cake decorating techniques, new styles of art, investigating the working of motorcycle engines or planning future activities such as a trip around Australia, redesigning their rooms or investigating whether expensive paint is worth the cost.

Megan Schelfhout is pictured above with her masterpiece before she shared it with her family, while several more projects are featured in the gallery below.

Students began their projects by brainstorming areas of interest, pastimes, future goals and topics of strong opinion. Once they decided on a topic they learned the skills behind writing questions that require different levels of thinking. For instance ‘what, where and when’ questions require recalling information while ‘comparing, categorising and specifying’ require the students to analyse and they develop their higher-order thinking skills.

When it comes to answering their questions the students use the BIG 6 research model and create new ideas, stretching themselves beyond their prior knowledge or skill level. During remote learning students have shown adaptability using a range of techniques to show their learning including filmed clips, slideshows with voiceover recordings, time lapse videos and image collages.

We still hope it may be possible to hold the Passion Project showcase for parents to see the wonderful work our Year 9 students have put into their projects. There is no substitute for hearing the students talk about their passions themselves. We admire the way they have adapted and persisted in the remote learning environment and hope the creative and hands-on nature of many of their projects have helped to sustain them during lockdown.

Year 9 students took part in a photo challenge over the last two weeks of Term 3 with the following simple directions: “Please upload a photo of anything that you have found to be a source of support, comfort or happiness for you over this lockdown period.”

Students were directed to include a short blurb explaining why they chose their particular photo to enter. The challenge was held to provide the students the opportunity to show gratitude, to create a positive mindset and because it spreads joy. There were 65 spectacular entries, with a winner chosen from each Homeroom and a final top three finalists announced. Chloe I Morris from 9 Jade was voted the winner for her image of a beautiful Yarra Valley sunrise (above).

Winners were voted by Year 9 Homeroom teachers, a selection of McAuley Campus leaders and staff and the Deputy Principals. All entrants receive a College Commendation while Homeroom winners receive a canteen voucher. The top three finalists received prizes from Yarra Valley Chocolaterie.

We congratulate all of the students who entered the challenge for sharing joy and happiness with their peers in difficult times. It is greatly appreciated. The students also showed gratitude for what they have and that is invaluable. They exemplify what it means to be a member of our College community.

The finalists were:

• 1st – Chloe I Morris (9 Jade)
• 2nd – Harry Halkidis (9 Blue)
• 3rd – Ben Hendriks (9 Red)

These September holidays we normally would have seen a number of our students travel to Central Australia. In 1967, the College went on its first Central Australia trip and this became an annual tradition until recently. We hope that 2022 will see the resumption of our Central Australia trip.

As part of our 125th anniversary celebrations, we take a look back at some of the history of the College's annual Central Australia trip.

1967 - CENTRAL AUSTRALIA

In 1967 Sister Eileen Casey began to make plans to take a group of students on an extended excursion in May the following year to Central Australia, an area of interest to her. She later wrote: "Little did I realise we were establishing a tradition."

The first of many MLMC expeditions to the heart of the country involved 48 students and four teachers, including Sister Eileen Casey and Sister Gabrielle Jennings. They would travel by bus and camp along the way, except for two nights in a motel. Sr Gabrielle recorded in her diary the morning they left: "What a crowd! Mothers, fathers, brothers, sons, sisters and Sisters — all filled with excitement and suspense."

Sr Eileen remembered: "We were delayed by the very slow speed at which the buses were able to travel on what were then unmade roads from Port Augusta all the way up to Alice Springs and out to Ayers Rock (Uluru) and back again. The trip was made even more exciting by the fact that we fell upon some floods on the way and were stranded in the middle of a flooded river at one stage."

Although the Second Vatican Council had recently allowed nuns to modernise their dress and they did not have to wear their traditional habits, Sr Eileen later recalled: "Officially we wore the habit, in fact we climbed Ayers Rock in our habit and became a spectacle!"

One of our own Year 8 students, Monique Ross, raised money for a great cause in September, along with her sister Chloe (Year 11).

The Ross sisters joined the fight against Neurofibromatosis (NF) by fundraising in support of the Children's Tumour Foundation of Australia (CTF) and they have raised more than $2000, which is well above the $500 they had set as a goal. Their seven-year-old sister was recently diagnosed with NF.

“We love our sister so much and we want to do absolutely anything that we can to support her through her journey along with other families that are experiencing this.”

Monique and Chloe had set an aim of walking 5km every day for a month to raise money. 

NF is a genetic disorder that causes tumours to grow on nerves, including the brain and spine. It is progressive, unpredictable and there is no cure. You can read more about the sister’s fundraiser HERE.

Like many events in Term 3, due to lockdown the Humanities faculty was forced to move Humanities Week (6 to 11 September) online with a Virtual Humanities Week website.

Students were asked to jump online to complete activities they found interesting and enjoyable. This year we asked students to participate in historical dress-ups and clean up your neighbourhood activities.

Thank you to those students who were involved. Congratulations to Year 12 Blue student Shae Preston (Year 12 Blue) (pictured above dressed as Marie Antoinette) and Year 8 Silver student Katherine Hobson (pictured below), who will each receive a $50 gift voucher for winning the historical dress-up and the clean up your neighbourhood competitions. Prizes can be collected on the return to the campus.