Edition #18, Friday 12th November 2021

Principal's Report

Remembrance Day

Remembrance Day was acknowledged at Aquinas this week with a prayer and respectful student reflections conducted in each of our Homerooms. We remember and give thanks to all those who have so bravely given their lives in the service of our country.

麻豆国产AV School Advisory Council

The School Advisory Council will meet for the last time in 2021 next week. I would like to express my thanks to all of the members for their generosity in committing to this valuable advisory group: Fr. Dispin John, Mr Paul Ayton (Chair), Mr Chris Leahy (Deputy Chair), Mr James Burston, Ms Cheryl Kane, Ms Jo White, Ms Angela Jordan, Mr Dave Mutimer, Ms Denise Raven, Mr Dean Scott, and Miss Charlise Smith. We farewell long serving member and Chairperson, Paul Ayton, whose youngest child graduates this year. Paul has been extremely generous in the time has given to the College since joining the Board in 2008 and has also acted as Chair of the Finance and Risk Sub-committee over more recent times. We also farewell Charlise Smith who completes an excellent year as Student Representative.

Year 7 Orientation Day 2021

December 6 is Orientation Day for our new cohort of Year 7 and we are planning that they will be able to attend in person at the College and get a true sense of the physical layout as well as meet some of the key people.

Superannuation back payment for staff

As reported in The Age newspaper today, the College continues to work in good faith to finalise back payments of superannuation payable on the leave loading component of staff annual leave pay for employees between 2009 and 2018. This has been a complex issue arising following clarification of legislative requirements by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) in late 2018 which impacted multiple schools and organisations. Please be assured that the College complies with all legislative requirements and is committed to ensuring staff remuneration entitlements are always met. Most of the back payment entitlements were paid in September 2020. Adjustments to payments for a further group of employees is anticipated to be finalised this month to complete the process.

Celebrate Excellence Evening

The feedback on our Celebrate Excellence Evening at the start of this year was positive and we have decided to continue with this format in 2022 and recognise Years 7 to 11 excellence at the same time as our Opening Assembly for 2022 in the second week of February.

Year 12 Graduation Ceremony

We are pleased to be able to advise that an in-person Graduation Ceremony for the class of 2021 will go ahead on site this Thursday 18th November. In consideration of our CovidSafe guidelines the ceremony will be conducted outdoors and the group will be broken into two 鈥渂ubbles鈥�. The evening will commence with prayer and then the presentation of certificates to the graduates. Once the official ceremonies have occurred, the parents will leave and the students will enjoy dinner and some entertainment together.

Aquinas Wishing Tree

We have launched our annual Christmas Wishing Tree Appeal for 2021. Each year we collect gifts for those in need within our local communities. We work with St Vincent De Paul to distribute these gifts. This year, with the number of people affected by the impacts of Covid-19 there is an even greater need within our local community. Gift tags can be collected from the Christmas Tree in the ARC and gifts should be placed under the tree by November 26. At the end of the term, St Vinnies representatives will come to Aquinas and collect the donations to hand out to those who they are supporting.

Darren Atkinson
Principal

A Note from Nap

Caring for the environment and each other

As we have now fully returned to school, and the concept of 鈥渘ormality鈥� is reimagined, the concerns of COVID-19, despite the large number of infections reported daily for the state, now seem to be part of that normality. There is no doubt that living in a pandemic has taught us a lot about the social element of living in a community and how important human interaction, such as face to face learning, is. Our students have returned to school and the place is alive with their presence, yet again.

The measures in place at the College to protect students remain, and our COVIDSafe plan is continually adjusted to meet, not only the needs of the students but also address the easing and readjusting of restrictions. This is always a demanding process, as it needs consideration of how to enhance safety while students learn in community. The majority of the students have readjusted back to face to face learning in their return, following the safety plans diligently. Mask wearing indoors is a much better practice than it was in previous times. This is helpful, as the emphasis is on learning rather than behaviour management. I ask that you please ask your child to continue to support this, by ensuring that your child has a mask with them at all times and that they understand the importance of the COVIDSafe plan.

Through much creativity from respective Year Level Leaders, Team Leaders and the easing of some restrictions, different year levels will be able to experience many activities, some of which would have not been possible only three weeks ago, in the lead up to their end of school for the year. This is a blessing and I hope that your child appreciates the opportunities that this now presents. Our Year 12 students will celebrate their graduations on the 18th of November, at the conclusion of their VCE exams. In keeping within the restrictions in place for the State of Victoria, the evening has been planned in a way that parents will form part of the graduation ceremony. Our Year 11 students will have their Formal at a reception venue and the Year 10 students will have an evening celebration at school, which will include dance lessons from external ballroom dance teachers. Students in the Middle School will continue with their programs as they transition to the next year level.

Lately, the daily news have focused on the environment, global warming and the call upon us all to support the preservation of our earth. There is much to be said about those responsibilities placed upon our youth, considering that my generation, those that closely followed it, and previous ones dating back to recent and longer term ancestros, have not met their obligations as responsible inhabitants of the earth. It is important that we continue to do our bit as a way to preserve the earth, ensuring that our future generations have the opportunity to live in a safe and prosperous environment.

As Christians, we are called to care for the earth. Christians are stewards of God鈥檚 creations, and the theological paradigm of 鈥渟tewardship鈥� supports this perspective. It implores that humans are responsible for God鈥檚 creations, including the world and everything in it. It is our social and moral responsibility to ensure that our youth understand that their leadership is needed as we readjust our practices so that the environment is preserved. This includes the knowledge and understanding of how the amount of carbon emissions trapped in our atmosphere leads to the impact that global warming is having. Understanding this is important for all young people, and is something that should be discussed at home. It is the little measures that we can take as individuals that can help the motion of change that many world leaders are committing to.

It is important that our students understand their social and moral responsibilities when it comes to preserving the earth not only collectively but also as individuals. It is the responsibility of the College to assist you in supporting this ideal. A way to make a difference in this area is the way that students dispose of their rubbish at the College. The majority of the students make good use of the many bins around the campus. Some students however, leave the school grounds with rubbish over it at the conclusion of their breaks. Although the students who do this are a minority, their impact on the environment is substantial. It means that other people are required to clean the mess and that many animals, particularly birds, are attracted to the campus in search of food. Please discuss with your child how this measure alone can have a great impact on sustainability and the environment.

As our Year 12 students, the Class of 2021 graduate and start the next phase of their lives, I wish them all the very best. I also encourage them to be leaders in the preservation of the earth by living their lives humbly and by example. Their opportunities to make a difference is a blessing and a moral and ethical responsibility. For the rest of the students, it is important that they do their bit in support of what is a collective task for humans committed to preservation.

I hope that in the next two weeks, as the end of the year approaches, your child experiences a successful and rewarding end to what has been a challenging and difficult year. I am confident that each struggle will lead to their resilience and will prepare them for the many obstacles that life presents through the journey.

Dr Napoleon Rodezno
Deputy Principal

Senior Years & Middle Years Report

Senior Years

With the external VCAA examinations in full swing and Year 11s starting to plan for 2022, I am receiving many questions about the Victorian Certificate of Education, scaling, study scores and the ATAR. There have even been some enquiries from parents and Year 10s, keen to understand the lingo and processes.

Firstly, a disclaimer. The nomenclature around final year certificates will change. By 2025, schools will be delivering a fully-integrated senior secondary certificate rather than two: VCE or VCAL.

Until recently, the idea of completing VCE entailed doing internal assessment- SACs or SATs and external examinations. Recently, however, a number of students for myriad reasons are choosing to undertake the internal assessment and attain their satisfactory results for all their subjects but then not sit the external assessment, in which case they do not receive a score. Colloquially this is called an 鈥榰nscored VCE鈥� and it is a legitimate way to complete secondary schooling. Because these students do not receive a score, they do not receive an ATAR.

The ATAR is calculated in Victoria by VTAC (not the VCAA) and as its name suggests - Australian Tertiary Admission Rank - it is one of the main tools that institutions like universities and TAFES use to select candidates. The ATAR is a number between 0.00 and 99.95 that indicates a student鈥檚 position relative to the students in their age group: an ATAR of 80.00 = 20 per cent from the top of the age group, for example. The average ATAR is usually around 70.00. The calculation is: scaled score in any English, then the scaled scores of the next three subjects then 10% of a fifth subject +10% of a sixth if there is one = aggregate which is then converted to the rank.

And what is scaling? That is for another column!

Meredith Greenwood
Head Senior Years

Middle Years

Last week we welcomed Year 9 students back into the Cafe N9ne program. To enable each student an opportunity to engage in the Year 9 Cafe N9ne experience an abridged version of the program has taken place.

Students have welcomed the opportunity to take part in the program albeit in a limited format. Teaching staff in the cafe have been impressed by the students' dedication to their preparation and their rapid development in the practical and soft skills required to run the cafe. Naturally the students have expressed their gratitude that they have been granted a chance to experience. Thank you to the families for their understanding and support of the altered booking system to enable the program to open.

The final student leadership positions were advertised this week to Year 8 students. As part of the Music program at Aquinas in 2022 two Junior Music Captains positions are available. The successful Junior Music Captain appointees will be an integral part of the planning and management of the Music Program in 2022. Students will refer to the email sent to them 4th November for application requirements. Application letters must be handed to Mrs Trish Thompson, Music Secretary by Friday 19th November.

Rachel Crawley
Head Middle Years

Wellbeing Matters

The Way Back to Improved Wellbeing

As we adapt to a 鈥榥ew normal鈥� return to onsite learning, sporting and cultural activities, retail and hospitality opening up, it is worth pausing for a moment to acknowledge just how resilient we are. It is unlikely we will look back on 2020-2021 as the best years of our lives yet we have grown in ways previously not thought possible. Things have been tough and for some the struggle has been a bit harder. A dip in daily mental health and wellbeing has most likely been experienced by all of us at varying stages. However the past eighteen months have also presented us with an opportunity to recognise our inner strength, resilience and ability to show compassion, grit and determination. There is no shortage of these qualities in our extended 麻豆国产AV community!

COVID related challenges will be part of our lives for some time to come. Experts in wellbeing continue to encourage us to adopt a to nourish and rebuild our mental health and wellbeing, easy to say, arguably a bit harder to action. Feeling a degree of uncertainty, even a degree of frustration is a relatively normal and healthy response to the enormity of change we have experienced. Whilst we have had limited control over many things in our lives we can take control over our thoughts, feelings and behaviours. Feelings and thoughts are transitory, how we interpret and act upon these determines our behaviour and ultimately our sense of wellbeing.

offers useful strategies on managing difficult thoughts and feelings. We also need to keep in mind the wellbeing of others and how our actions may impact upon their ability to also navigate opportunities and challenges in their life. We have all experienced a universal level of what some refer to as trauma. The good news is universal experiences can also generate universal responses. A plethora of literature and wellbeing advice has further emerged offering preliminary support for parents, guardians and anyone who works and lives with young people to consider. has useful information and strategies to support rebuilding wellbeing or bouncing back after adversity. Some targeted advice is offered on grief and loss, alcohol and substance use, self harm and anxiety.

Working with Andrew Fuller as part of the Mental Health and Wellbeing project for Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools has enabled us to tap into a plethora of resources, research and his deep thinking about how best to support young people to manage thoughts, feelings, moods and behaviours in times of flux and uncertainty. Building a 鈥淏ridge of Hope鈥� and 鈥淜eeping it simple but real鈥� is sage advice offered by Fuller during times of increased stress. Helping children and young people to learn about tough times in the past can contribute to a sense of relief, hope and optimism. We don't have all the answers but equally we also don't need all the answers! We need to remain curious, kind and optimistic. A century ago, the Spanish influenza virus devastated the world and then it was controlled, the same occurred for smallpox, measles, polio and the same is most likely for COVID. The world has seen great challenges but also great humanity and a growing awareness of the social justice movement has emerged.

Andrew Fuller contends we should maintain the application of CPR at all times as the three big protective factors for wellbeing and developing resilience especially for children and young people.

Connect with people in your life that matter the most, those that bring joy and genuine positivity to life. Negative stress is a super spreader, highly contagious and problematic, but avoidable to a degree. Parenting children during the years of adolescence can require perseverance and dogged determination in those conversations. "How was your day? What are you up to? Who will it be at that gath?" (youth speak for a gathering). Connection is key, even when it is difficult or we learn things we may not find easy to absorb.

Protecting children and young people means so much more than looking after their physical safety. Protecting our privacy in a globally connected world is paramount and increasingly difficult to maintain. Protecting the psychological safety of any individual should also be on top of our To Always Do list!

Respect is a two way street. Ensuring we model respect, empathy and curiosity in the lives and associated opinions of others contributes to harmonious and respectful relationships. Self respect is an invaluable commodity and constant companion throughout the high and low spots in life.

Our lives can be complex, frenetic in pace and at times we feel things could spiral out of control. Building time into our daily routine to take a step back. Finding time to be still as well as being physically active, supported by a balanced diet really does provide a protective armour to help shield to a degree from negative stressors. As the weather improves but also the business of the rapidly approaching festive season, we all need to keep in mind the actions of CPR to support our wellbeing and that of others.

Cheryl Kane
Child Safety & Wellbeing Coordinator

Learning Area: English

Beat the Summer Slide

There is no doubt that after the year that has been, the summer school holidays beckon as a time for relaxation and the much needed recharging of batteries. Rest and revitalisation looks different for everyone, but I encourage you to make reading a part of that picture for your family to mitigate what we refer to in Literacy circles as the 鈥榮ummer slide鈥� - the drop in reading ability that follows a lack of reading over the summer holidays. Studies on the summer slide in Australia are far and few between, but it鈥檚 unlikely that Australian kids are immune to a problem evident in studies performed in the US, the UK and New Zealand. The good news is that the fixes are many, varied, and easy.

Firstly, and to everyone鈥檚 collective relief, reading doesn鈥檛 need to be treated as a learning exercise. I hope I鈥檓 not jinxing us, but it would be nice to think that the days of learning at the kitchen bench are a thing of the past! Enjoyment is key. Like you or I, teens are much more likely to be interested in reading if they are simply reading for enjoyment or entertainment.

Secondly, access is vital. Luckily, we鈥檝e never had greater or more affordable access to literature. Many of the big retailers now carry a wide selection of heavily discounted books. Gifting a book for Christmas is a great way to encourage reading for pleasure. Seek recommendations and have a think about the interests of the young people in your life. Readings Bookstore has a A student in Year 10 recently recommended , which is filled with notes in the margins, postcards, newspaper clippings and letters. They still weren鈥檛 sure they actually liked the writing, but found the interactive nature of it enthralling, and their review alone was enough to add it to my Christmas wish list.

Visit a library! For those who plan ahead, our own wonderfully resourced ARC is open again for borrowing (unfortunately the ARC is restricted to borrowing only due to Covid requirements), and students can borrow up to four books for the summer holidays. Eastern Regional Library has fourteen branches, including one conveniently located just down the road from Aquinas at Ringwood Town Square, Eastland. They also have a , through which you can access their extensive digital selection of books, magazines and audiobooks without even leaving the couch.

If someone in your house is a flag waving member of the 鈥業 Hate Reading鈥� Club, summer can be a great opportunity to explore some less traditional ways of reading. Listen to an audiobook or podcast on a long car ride, take the night off in the kitchen and let your Junior Masterchef choose a recipe to follow to feed the family, or switch off the dubbing and throw on the latest subtitled streaming hit. Reading doesn鈥檛 always have to look like reading.

Finally, talk about reading, and read yourself. Have a chat with your child about what they are reading, and be a reading role model by putting your feet up and losing yourself in a book.

Jackie Patterson
Literacy Coordinator

麻豆国产AV Film Fest 2021

For another year we are taking the Annual Aquinas Film Fest online. But this doesn鈥檛 mean that the films are any less wonderful.

Again we have a group of filmmakers who have had to work under challenging circumstances which makes the work even more impressive.

Most of our Year 12s managed to get the bulk of their films shot and edited just before lockdown. Unfortunately though, they weren鈥檛 given the opportunity to reshoot and refine any of their work. What you see in the Fest are predominantly first drafts so imagine how impressive they would have been otherwise.

Our Year 11 Media students have created some opening title sequences for conceptual TV shows using media codes to construct meaning. See if you can get an idea of the genre of each, and what the show might be about.

Also included in the Fest are some work from our remarkably talented Year 9 Animation students who have not only managed to create stunning drawings, but also to give them life.

Please take the time to enjoy this year鈥檚 Film Fest, and also vote for your favourite for the 2021 People鈥檚 Choice Award. You are welcome to share the links with your close relatives and friends, but we ask that you keep access within the greater Aquinas community.

Password: 麻豆国产AVFF21

Sam Higgs
Teacher

Get ready for summer reading at the ARC

Our College community is fortunate to have the Aquinas Resource Centre (ARC), a hub for community and social interaction offering a safe space to look for information via printed books, electronic texts and online materials. Online Pathfinder Information Packages, where resources on a particular topics are gathered conveniently in one place, have recently been added to the ARC website to assist students when researching assigned tasks.

Studies indicate that readers of printed material are more likely to recall a story鈥檚 chronological order accurately, and that holding a book enhances cognitive processing. Research suggests we process information more effectively when we recruit multiple senses, and multiple brain areas, during task learning — seeing the words, feeling the weight of the pages, and even smelling the paper. Furthermore, reading for pleasure has a high enrichment factor and is one of the most important predictors of test scores at age 16, regardless of background. We encourage students to read for pleasure and expand their horizons, to build knowledge, empathy and understanding.

While the College operates under a current CovidSafe plan, the ARC is open as a learning space during the school day and is available for students to borrow books during recess and at lunch times. In order to maintain "bubbles" and avoid students of different year levels mixing, students can only access the ARC during the following days:

Year 7 - Mondays and Fridays
Year 8 - Tuesdays
Year 9 - Wednesdays
Year 10 - Thursdays

With the end of the school year drawing very close, students are encouraged to borrow books for the holiday period. They are welcome to visit and review our collection which now includes Short Reads and Biography Sections.

As COVID restrictions ease, we welcome the return of students to the ARC and look forward to assisting your child on their reading journey.

David Scott
Director, Aquinas Resource Centre

Congratulations to our Year 9 Science Talent Search winners

Earlier in the year, 20 of our Year 9 Future Sciences students entered the Victorian Science Talent Search (STS) Competition. As part of the competition, students had to research a scientific topic of interest, design and conduct their own experiments/models, analyse their results and complete a detailed Scientific Report. Projects had to be unique and solve a contemporary societal need.

Students submitted experimental research projects and working models on a broad range of scientific topics. Examples included the construction of a prosthetic hand using Lego, an investigation into the sleep behaviour of teenagers (in conjunction with Monash University) and an analysis of adolescent sport injuries.

Major Bursaries were won by Patrick Doherty for his experimental research project on biogas production and Monique Bambery for her experimental research project on removing carbon dioxide from air (in conjunction with the Defence Science and Technology Group).
Distinction Certificates were won by Ben King-Klevercamp, Enzo Santoro, Grace Bettiol, Paige Andrews, Charlotte Green and Lucas Mandaliti.
Merit certificates were won by Riley Nester, Tate Prasad, Riley White, Alex Bakacs, Jayla Pham, Ella Enright, Aleyna Papadopoulos and Lachie O鈥橩eeffe.
Acknowledgement Certificates were won by Ashley Enright, Grace Coll, Lacey Moyle and Tamzin Dennis.

A big congratulations to all the students on their fantastic achievements!

Dr Hulston, Mrs Hawkes and Lynda Schulz
The Science Team

鈥淚 was honoured to have the chance to participate in the Science Talent Search for 2021. This competition enabled me to gain experience in conducting a scientific investigation on removing carbon dioxide from the air with various scrubbing solutions. It was a great opportunity to be able to do an experiment on a topic that interested me with equipment and chemicals that I had never used before. This project has encouraged me to continue with chemistry in the future."
Monique

"My experiment for the science talent search was about biogas and how it can be used as a alternative fuel source and which commonly found organic waste would produce the most amount of gas over a 9 day period. These wastes consisted of food, leaves and grass clippings. I hypothesised that organic food waste would generate the most biogas. During this experiment I had a ton of support from my dad who helped me with setting up the experiment in our shed. The main challenge that I had to face during this experiment was definitely having to restart my experiment and work on it at home during lockdown. The outcome of the experiment was what I hypothesised meaning that food waste is a good energy source for creating biogas for use in alternative energy systems. I hope to continue a career in science and I hope to do an engineering degree in the field in alternative energy production."
Patrick

麻豆国产AV Business Directory

An opportunity for business owners of our Aquinas Community

The Parents and Friends Network are an integral part of the College community and contribute to and support key initiatives for the College. The P&F Network provide an opportunity for all parents to become involved in the community, social and fundraising activities of the College and to support the various programs and events organised by the College.

In consideration of the challenges imposed on the community by Covid-19, especially for small businesses and the limitations to trade they may have experienced, the Network has embarked on creating an 麻豆国产AV Business Directory.

What the Business Directory will provide:

Membership to the Business Directory is specifically for parents/guardians of the College only.
It will offer the broader Aquinas community convenient links and contact information to businesses owned by members of the community so that they can choose to support their fellow parents/guardians.
The 麻豆国产AV Business Directory will be accessed via the 麻豆国产AV website and will be accessible by all members of the community.

All commercial businesses from across the services, industries and trades are welcome. If unsure about the suitability of your business, you are encouraged to submit an email of interest. If the business meets the criteria, then you will be invited to submit an application.

If you wish to be considered for entry into the Aquinas Business Directory, please email pandf@aquinas.vic.edu.au to register your interest. An application form will then be provided.

The Aquinas Parents and Friends Network meet at 7.30pm on the first Monday of each month to discuss initiatives to support the College community in reaching the best outcomes for the students. They welcome new members, please email pandf@aquinas.vic.edu.au if you would like further information.

麻豆国产AV