Edition #7, Friday 14th May 2021

Principal's Report

CIS Accreditation

We received confirmation this week that our application for re-accreditation with the Council of International Schools (CIS) has been successful. This is an excellent achievement and comes as a result of the dedicated commitment of the staff, College Advisory Council, many students and parents

who contributed in various ways to both the report and the Team Evaluation visit in March. CIS Accreditation is rigorous and benchmarked against international standards of school excellence. It demonstrates a commitment to continuous improvement and the recommendations from the review team of international educators will help shape our next 5 year School Improvement Plan. Special thanks to Mrs Janet Blackwell who coordinated our application for accreditation.

NAPLAN

Students in both Year 7 and Year 9 have commenced NAPLAN tests this week. We see NAPLAN providing another avenue of feedback to supplement the various sources of assessment undertaken at the College by the classroom teacher which, combined, help to build a picture to measure progress for each student. These tests also play a role at the systems level of education as there are benchmarks set for performance in various aspects of Literacy and Numeracy and governments value these measures to assess the effectiveness of our education systems. There is, of course, continued public debate and diversity of opinion in the educational community about the value of NAPLAN. Some see these tests as an unnecessary additional stress on young people and, while some performance anxiety is actually healthy, we endeavour to reassure those who seem worried that there is little to fear. Thanks to Mrs Rachel Crawley, Head Middle Years, and the middle years鈥� teachers for ensuring that the NAPLAN tests have been administered as smoothly as possible. I also congratulate the students for participating conscientiously and giving their best effort.

All State Jazz Championships

Generations in Jazz in Mt Gambier was cancelled for the second year straight amid CovidSafe guidelines and it was a real pleasure to see an event for Victorian schools offered instead at St Leonard鈥檚 College over recent weekends. Aquinas students from Senior Harmony, Harmony Tribes, Senior Stage Band, and the Intermediate Stage Band represented the College with pride and performed very well. Some great results were achieved as you will see in this edition of The Lighthouse. A special mention needs to go to Mrs Lisa Sully who led both choirs and was awarded the inaugural 鈥淎ll State Jazz Vocal Director Award鈥�. Our Harmony Tribes choir was invited to perform in a showcase of talent on Saturday night amidst the outstanding musicians from the competing schools and a cast of professional performers.

EISM Athletics Champions Carnival

On Monday afternoon a group of athletes represented 麻豆国产AV at Lakeside Stadium as part of the EISM Champions Carnival. This carnival provides an opportunity for individuals to test themselves against the top performers in our association and I congratulate all of the competitors for taking on this challenge. Thanks to Mr Bernie Brummel and Ms Jess Lane for supporting the participants on this occasion.

Restaurant Night

Last week I had the great pleasure of attending a Restaurant Night in the Wurundjeri Trade Training Centre and must commend the students on the high standards of food preparation and service. It is clear that there are high expectations from their teachers and the students strive to meet or exceed these professional standards. I highly recommend that you book in via the College website to partake in this excellent opportunity.

Re-accreditation as a Registered Training Organisation

On the topic of our Wurundjeri Trade Training Centre, I am pleased to announce that we have been formally re-accredited as an RTO for the next five years by the Victorian Registrations and Qualifications Authority (VRQA). Thank you to Mrs Judy Zuccon, Mr Owen Stott and Mrs Heather Neil who put together the information in response to our audit to demonstrate that we meet or exceed all of the required standards.

Year 8 Camps

Year 8 Camps have now finished and the feedback has been very positive. The students appear to have risen to the challenges that were presented with great enthusiasm and an appreciation of the opportunity to test themselves. I want to acknowledge the dedicated staff who make this experience possible by generously giving of their time and expertise. Reports from the camp leaders have been glowing in their praise for the students. Camps often bring special challenges and we are blessed at Aquinas to have outstanding professionals who are able to make sure that the students have a rewarding and safe experience.

School Closure Day - Advance Notice

Wednesday, June 9 is a whole school closure day and there will not be any scheduled classes conducted. All students undertaking a VCE Unit 3/4 subject will be required to undertake the General Achievement Test (GAT) on this date and this is a major logistical exercise at the College. Teachers will have an opportunity on this day to work in an area of their choosing around planning, assessment, reporting, or other professional development. Thank you for your continued support.

Darren Atkinson
Principal

Learning @ Aquinas

Parent Teacher Night Feedback

This week is a report from the Parent Teacher Night Survey. The survey is still open and you can still respond, but I thought you might appreciate knowing some of the findings while the event is still fresh in our minds. At the time of writing 275 responses had been tabled. This represents around a 22% response rate for the community. (Inside these parentheses will be a brief discussion on response rates and margins of error which you can skip if you just want to get to the information. On a survey which is sent out a response rate of between 5-30% is usual, above 50% is an excellent response. Statisticians then determine a margin or error based on the responses versus the total population, so for results such as ours the margin of error is about +/-5%. What this means is that if we have a preference of 80% in agreement, we can be confident that that number is somewhere between 75 and 85%. If you want to know more about this you can read and ).

So here is what the survey responses said.

In a choice between in person and online interviews, more than 80% of respondents preferred online Parent Teacher Interviews

When asked to rate three statements where 1 represented very difficult and 5 very straightforward, respondents rated signing up, getting timeslots and connecting to the PTIs in the following ways

Respondents were asked to rate ten statements as to which were the four most important. This was to help us to focus on what was most important for teachers to cover in an 8 minute interview. The table below shows how many respondents rated the statement in the first four (% total header) and in the second column how many rated it as most important (%MI).

From this example you can see that 79% of all respondents included 鈥淚 want to know about academic progress鈥� in their top four and 41.8% rated this as most important. While 鈥淚 want to know how well the teacher knows my child as a person鈥� was included in 32% of all responses, many parents felt it was the most important feature.

Some of the many comments made included:

鈥淎ll my important questions were addressed鈥�

鈥淎ll the teachers we met were well organised with work to discuss.鈥�

鈥淐onversations were good but short. I asked to find out what could be done to improve performance.鈥�

鈥淚 find that the systems you use enable me to stay pretty much up to date with my kids' work progress and results, so I have not prioritised that here, although I do very much value having access to this information. I do value getting a chance to meet their teachers鈥�

鈥淯nable to book slots with some teachers. Slots exhausted.鈥�

鈥淚 was keen to see how my child had settled into class this year. It is another way I can show my child I am supportive of his learning. It helped me understand teachers' expectations more.鈥�

鈥淭hey were impersonal and lacked structure and content that I have previously experienced with face to face PTIs.鈥�

鈥淭he main focus to me is how my child is going and suggested strategies for improvement.鈥�

鈥淟oved it being online. Felt we got the same experience but better than being face to face鈥�

鈥淰ery well run and I loved the ease of being at home, however, I did miss the social connection with other staff, leadership and other parents that the school based interviews provides, but that said, this is also a great opportunity for all to be online and in comfort.鈥�

鈥淚f it is decided that face to face interviews will run in the future, it would be great to have a mixture with an option for online interviews as well.鈥�

As you would expect not all comments were positive. We understand that some people had difficulty signing up, some people had issues with connectivity, some felt that more detail about who should attend would have helped and some felt that the meetings were not as personal or developed as in person. Some felt they should have been earlier in the year. These are all views that we will take into account when making future decisions.

In Term 3 we will run Senior School PTIs and progress meetings as part of Subject Selection for the Years 7 to 10. We will use this information to contribute to how the meetings should be conducted.

The form will close on Friday May 14th (today).

Michael Box
Deputy Principal Learning

A Note from Nap

On happiness…

There is no doubt that we are a very fortunate society and for most people living in it, the prevalence of opportunities that exist to make a difference illustrates the gifts that we share in our lucky country. There is a call upon each one of us to make the most of those blessings in order to give to those less fortunate, and to be thankful and responsible in the use of our gifts as we do our part in making our society a better place for all. Over the last year, this ideal was challenged by the impact that 2020 had on the mental health of most people, and the extent that COVID-19 continues to pose as a threat to our idealistic world. As a society, we have always had a clear goal when seeking happiness. However, this goal seems to be an obsession to many people who continue to repair the impact that 2020 may have had on their wellness, and in being obsessed with seeking happiness, may be restricting achieving it in the first place.

Seeking happiness is something that we all do in our daily lives. Society as a whole sends a strong message about the importance of happiness, and each person aims to ensure to achieve their happiness by working hard so that the happiness is not, ever compromised. Religions, both ancient and modern, have provided us with ways to seek happiness, even in challenging situations. The offset of the experiences of 2020, although a distant memory for many now, may have links to the way that many people in our society continue to be challenged both mentally as well as physically in their return to what is now the norm. Not having the ability to simply get up and go out, spend adequate time outside, catching up with friends and family, playing sport, going on holidays, etc, had its toll on many people. We are, after all, social beings, and degrees of isolation have negatively impacted on the ability of some students to return to the necessary routines required for engaging in school.

Research carried out by health authorities during the major lockdowns of 2020 revealed that many young people lived with increased levels of anxiety, feeling overwhelmed by remote learning, confusion, sadness, boredom, and feelings of helplessness, just to name a few of the outcomes. The government enhanced the support available to address mental health by facilitating extra mental health sessions with accredited practitioners with the use of the Medicare system. This action reflects the notion that the impact of the lockdowns could have delayed progress and development amongst young people, and that repairing this should be prioritised. Professor Brock Bastian from Melbourne University suggests that 鈥淗appiness itself isn鈥檛 overrated. I think happiness is great and I like being happy as much as possible, but sometimes what we don鈥檛 realise is the psychology behind happiness鈥�. In a recent podcast, he explains further that 鈥渨e know from psychology that the human mind often works in fairly ironic ways, so when you鈥檝e focused on something too much, or try not to experience something, it actually produces the opposite. A good example is pink elephants, where you ask people not to think about pink elephants... (but then) they tend to think about them more鈥�.

Professor Bastian explains that many of us have a mistaken idea that we can continually build happiness and become ever happier. In trying to protect our young ones, we may be guilty of painting a picture of happiness that is unrealistic and unattainable. I recall being a young person seeking happiness, not as an end result, but as the goal and the process in the lead up to it. This is simply impossible to achieve. Winning a game of sport or achieving a good result in school takes effort and preparation. Not all training sessions or practices to improve a skill are necessarily happy moments, nor may be studying content that is challenging. Yet, we feel happy when rewarded and acknowledged for our efforts. The point that I try to emphasize here is that happiness is not always possible to be achieved the way that we try to bring it to the lives of our children. Facing the challenges of life is what brings happiness when the person is able to find ways to achieve and rejoice the experiences at hand.

As professor Bastian explains, "no matter what we do in life, we do tend to come back to somewhat of a resting baseline around happiness and this can be slightly different for different people鈥�. He continued in his podcast to say that 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 fair to say that it鈥檚 very hard to really experience any happiness in life if we don鈥檛 also have its opposite. That means sometimes leaning into, I suppose fearlessly in some way, those experiences which can seem difficult, challenging, hard, even painful. It鈥檚 actually through that process that we achieve happiness鈥�.

Unfortunately for our society, there has been an increase in diagnosis as ways to treat depression, anxiety and related psychological states. More and more, children find themselves under the microscope and wrongful approaches to treating any diagnosed disorder could in fact be damaging in the long term. It is for these reasons that the best way to ensure that children find happiness in their lives, is for them to have access to you as parents unconditionally. Finding a sense of happiness is only possible after being challenged. Not winning a game of sport or getting a poor result at school should be a great learning experience, and motivation to do better at the next opportunity. It should not be a reason for unhappiness.

If your child seems to be challenged by the return to school and is behind in his/her progression, you have a great role to play in supporting them. Maintaining open communication with the teachers and pastoral leaders is essential. Establishing a strong partnership with the school is highly relevant as a way to maintain open communication. Where most students have been able to return to school and achieve within the parameters set out for them at Aquinas, some haven鈥檛. Delays in progression may lead to students feeling overwhelmed and continually under pressure. It is for this reason that addressing their happiness, as a goal that is oriented on development and positive reinforcement is crucial. If your child needs assistance, please reach out. The College has excellent support systems in place to support you in this process. I urge you to make contact with your child鈥檚 pastoral leaders or the Youth and Family Centre (yfc@aquinas.vic.edu.au).

True happiness is the result of overcoming the adversities attached to life, even in our wonderful rich and blessed society. The ability to embrace the challenges, discomforts and realities of life is key to our continued need to develop resilience. Struggling to complete a degree at university, an apprenticeship at the hands of a tough boss, being cut from a sporting team, feeling pain as we complete a marathon or losing out on a job will all lead to happiness, eventually. Feeling overwhelmed in the process may be upsetting but crucial to our resilience. If you have any questions regarding this article, please contact me at the College.

You may find Professor Bastian鈥檚 podcast and my source for some of the script

Dr Napoleon Rodezno
Deputy Principal

Staff News

Last week I had the pleasure of attending the Annual VCSSDPA Women In Leadership dinner with members of our 麻豆国产AV staff. Due to COVID, the evening was postponed but we were fortunate to listen to Nicole Livingstone, who was booked for 2019, as our keynote speaker.

Nicole began her swimming career at the age of 13 when she joined the Australian swimming team, going on to be one of Australia鈥檚 most successful swimmers. Nicole then transitioned into media commentary before really making her mark as a leader. Nicole is now the AFL鈥檚 Head of Women鈥檚 Football, a board member of Swimming Australia, the Australian Olympic Committee and is the Deputy Chair of VicHealth. Along with her sister, Karen Livingstone, Nicole founded Ovarian Cancer Australia, after their mother sadly passed away from the disease. She is now patron of the organisation.

Nicole spoke of heroes and role models in her life, especially her Primary school teacher who encouraged her that she could do anything she set her mind to. This was where her love of swimming and dream to represent Australian at the Olympics began. (An interesting note: Linley Frame was Nicole's classmate and fellow Olympic team member!) The fact that her teacher had such a huge impact in her life stuck with Nicole, and she was so grateful that her teacher saw the potential in her ability.

I reflected back on the teachers who made an impact on my life; my Grade 4 teacher who decorated our classroom and immersed us in everything Moscow Olympics for the whole year (coincidently, Nicole recalls the same memory at her Primary school in the very next suburb!); my Year 7 Music teach (Sr Margaret Mary) who taught us Chiquitita on the recorder (we thought that was very cool!); a Year 11 teacher who supported me and my family through some tough times. I also remember the teachers who encouraged me to step outside of my comfort zone, (particularly my Year 12 Drama teacher) to eventually follow my passion for the Performing and Visual Arts, and like them, become a teacher.

Nicole also spoke of the pioneering women who were the first female Olympic swimmers for Australia, and the first female AFL footballers who began playing in the 1920鈥檚. These women also overcame adversity in male- dominated sports to earn the right to complete and represent their teams and country with outstanding results. Their stories, like Nicole's, were awe-inspiring and a testament to their will and determination to achieve - no matter what obstacles came their way. Nicole also shared her experience in leadership as well as balancing that with being a wife and mother of three children.

As educators, we are mindful of the influence we have on our students and encourage them and celebrate their talents regularly. At Aquinas, our teaching and non-teaching staff work together to empower our students to use their gifts and talents to build relationships with others, share experiences, strengthen their resilience in this ever changing world, and to prepare them to become the young men and women they can be for the future. I thank all of our staff who work actively everyday to bring out the best in our students - maybe they will be the 鈥渉ero鈥� that will inspire our students to achieve their dreams in the future.

Gina Goss
Assistant Principal - Staff

Ms Gina Goss, Ms Natalie Zuccon, Ms Jacqui Street, Ms Mary-Jo Chard, Mrs Rachel Crawley, Ms Alicia Feeney, Ms Alyce Cudmore and Ms Madeleine Kalla at the 2021 VCSSDPA Women In Leadership Dinner

Senior Years & Middle Years Report

Senior Years

A famous quotation attributed to author Gretchen Rubin is 鈥榯he days are long, but the years are short.鈥� No doubt Senior Years鈥� students, especially Year 12s are acutely aware of just how accurate that aphorism is.

Given that the direct instruction of content for Unit 3/4 subjects is completed by September, this makes May and June essentially the half way mark. Now, therefore is a key time for assessment. It seems to many students, especially now the days are indeed shorter as winter approaches, that their school days are full and long and that so much of their life is currently spent studying and revising, practising and remembering. It may not seem like it but in a few short months it will be November.

A number of staff are currently undertaking some professional online learning with Harvard academic, Ron Ritchhart, focusing on creating a culture of thinking. His work centres on how to make thinking valued, valuable and visible. As teachers undertaking this learning, we are exploring ways to move away from tasks that only encourage students to rote learn facts or recall information, to ones where they develop their understanding and deep knowledge. The deeper understanding should be apparent when students are assessed but also later when they encounter any new information, because they have developed metacognition and transferable skills. These are abilities that they will have long after Year 12 has come to an end.

Every school day can be exhilarating, sometimes repetitive and possibly exhausting. The lessons can seem content heavy and assessments can seem relentless and never ending. Long days indeed. Then it is over. When formal school is complete so is formal assessment. An enquiring and creative mind is for a lifetime, which is why it is so important to teach students to think.

Meredith Greenwood
Head Senior Years

Middle Years

We welcome back Year 8s from The Summit camp. There have been many stories shared describing the many exhilarating activities. From what I have heard so far the favourites seem to be the monster challenge, involving plenty of mud, and the heart pumping, leap of faith. I would like to acknowledge the efforts by parents and staff for the planning and preparation to enable students to attend. A special thank you to the staff who were present at the camp. Your time away from your own families and usual commitments is very much appreciated.

Students in Year 9 have now completed their NAPLAN tests. Catch up tests started today. Year 9 students were advised prior to the tests that NAPLAN Certificates of Achievement are being introduced for Year 9 students in 2021. The certificates will recognise Victorian Year 9 students who significantly improve on their Year 7 results, as well as those who achieve a result in reading and/or numeracy that places them in the very top band of NAPLAN.

The certificates will be awarded for two categories of achievement:

Category one: the achievement of excellence through getting a result in the top band for reading or numeracy, or both.

Category two: the achievement of outstanding learning growth through improvement by two or more bands between the NAPLAN Year 7 and Year 9 tests for reading or numeracy, or both.

The new certificates celebrate those who achieve the highest level and those who have excelled by making exceptional progress, irrespective of where they start.

Year 7 students have completed the Writing test and will have their final three tests early next week. Catch up tests will continue to run for Years 7 and 9 up until Friday 21st May.

Year 8s have also placed their preferences for Global Green projects. Global Green is a very rich and diverse learning experience for students and draws heavily on the year level鈥檚 Core Value of sustainability as well as a focus on social justice on a local, national and international level. It is a program designed to encourage students to enquire, create and learn through challenge based projects. Students will work alongside their peers from across the whole year level to explore and understand current world issues and ultimately create their own solutions. The project will involve an out of hours presentation that all students will be required to attend and parents are invited to. Please watch for communication home regarding the presentation afternoon/evening from Ms Emma Lynch. This will be sent through The Registrar.

If you are interested in knowing more about the focus for pastoral programs across the Middle Years this term then I would like to draw your attention to Cheryl Kane鈥檚 article in this publication.

Rachel Crawley
Head Middle Years

Wellbeing Matters

Are you old enough?

If you鈥檙e immediate reaction to the title was the sing the next line of Dragons song (a band in the 80s) you are probably not a parent who had social media, smart phones and online gaming as key features of your childhood.

There are few things in our lives not dependent on some form of digital technologies. In fact it is difficult to think of anything not connected (pun intended). Rapid advancements in technology have enabled us to achieve amazing things. Healthcare, Research, Neural Engineering (neuroscience and the way neurological diseases and disorders will be treated in the future) to name but a few. Technology has positively enhanced lives because of monumental advancements. However when we consider human use of technology, it may be prudent to also consider potential less desirable aspects.

This term Wellbeing Matters and our Child Safety and Wellbeing program focuses predominately on digital dramas commonly faced by families, children and young people. There is no shortage of material offering varied perspectives on what young people need to know and do growing up in a digitally dominated landscape. Holistic learning experiences provide young people with opportunities to gain knowledge and insight, and become empowered, confident navigators of challenges in daily life. Staff spend considerable time developing and adapting curriculum materials to suit our Aquinas community. On occasion it can be difficult for families to navigate the plethora of content marketed to families on raising young people in the digital age. To make this a little easier we have included a couple of links to credible sources of information we think most useful.

Check out school TV interviews with Dr Michael Carr Gregg and Susan McLean:

There are a few common elements research literature suggests provide children and young people with opportunities, resources and a safe and nurturing environment where they can thrive. Safeguarding all students remains one of the most important priorities we share with our families and the wider community. Knowledge is an important ingredient yet only one piece of the puzzle. Working alongside children and young people in respectful partnerships to develop critical health and wellbeing literacy is another valuable piece. Whilst many safety messages remain the same the timing, context and source of information can change. We seek multiple ways to engage, educate and encourage the capacity building of our students knowing that appropriate repetition and variety of pedagogy and voice support learning.

Brainstorm Productions (Years 7 and 8) and the Victoria Police in School Program (Years 7 to 10) are long-time partners utilised to explore key safety and wellbeing messages for our students. We are excited to reconnect with the Police in Schools Program reoffered to Victorian schools last month by the Victorian Government. 麻豆国产AV has built a positive connect with local Youth Resource Officers in our eastern region and welcome their return. The Think You Know Program reinforces the importance of being safe and respectful in all aspects of our digital lives. Whilst we appreciate neuroplasticity changes cognitive function in an adolescent brain, we also acknowledge behaviours firmly aligned with a strong moral compass can support the development and acceptance of pro social behaviours. The age recommendations placed on various sites are a guide for parents and users. While young people mature at different rates and in different ways the guidelines offered are worthy of closer consideration. Robyn Treyvaud discusses the age of access for social media

Social media platforms can be spaces where health and wellbeing can be enhanced or damaged. It is the responsibility of each and every user to harness the potential for these platforms to be constructive and avoid destructive and harmful communication. We all have a role to play with each post we chose to share, comment we leave and content we decide show support for. Sometimes the comment we don鈥檛 make actually makes the most obvious statement.

I encourage every family to visit the E Safety commission website and peruse the valuable content on an array of topics.

Cheryl Kane
Child Safety and Wellbeing Coordinator

Music Notes

麻豆国产AV achieved some great recognition and awards at the Victoria All-State Jazz Competition last weekend. This event has been run in place of the Generations in Jazz festival.

The Harmony Tribes Choir achieved first place in "A Division Choir" category; and a Stagecraft Award. While the Senior Harmony group achieved second place in the Premier Small Group category and were also recognised with a Stagecraft Award. Soloist, Charlotte Braat was also recognised for her incredible talent at an Outstanding Soloist Award.

In addition to the success of the Vocal Groups two of our band students have also received awards. The selection for an All-Star Big Band is representative of the best player of that instrument on the day, an outstanding achievement for Angelina Graham (All-Star Big Band B Division (section 2) Alto Saxophone) and Isobel Mugamu (All-Star Big Band C Division (section 2) Alto Saxophone)

Outstandingly Lisa Sully who lead both choirs was awarded the inaugural - All State Jazz Vocal Director Award 2021 - acknowledging her for consistently achieving high results with choirs she puts forward with a great degree of musicianship passion, the enjoyment that students demonstrate in performance, at GIJ and other festivals. Also noting in their presentation Lisa is a director who goes beyond the music to the deeper interpretation of the text, expressing the themes and story of the music.

Harmony Tribe is a large auditioned group who rehearse in the very 鈥渘on muso friendly鈥� time of Tuesday mornings at 7:45am. This group was lucky enough to be awarded first place in the A Division Choirs section with two pieces "Java Jive" and "Feeling Good". Java Jive is a celebration of coffee and tea, the lifeblood of the Aquinas music department. It featured solos by a number of our choir members including a scat solo by Charlise Smith and verses by Reuben Steen, Abbey Walsh, Shaelee Donahue and Seb Perello. The second piece was an A Cappella arrangement of the iconic "Feeling Good". The group departed from the usual jazz form and included Seb Perello on Vocal Percussion working in with Levi Mugamu on vocal bass. The group moved about the stage with groove and attitude, and the adjudicators recognised the stagecraft and high level of performance with a second Stagecraft Award.

Senior Harmony is a group of Year 11 and 12 students who have been working together since February this year. For the inaugural "All State Jazz" Festival this year, they performed two pieces. The first was "Shiny Stockings" - an A Cappella arrangement of a light hearted Jazz Standard with Reuben Steen on a walking bass line. The second was "Birdland" as performed by Manhattan Transfer - a tribute to the iconic Jazz Venue "Birdland" in New York - a place that Aquinas was to visit in 2020 before COVID19 took hold and shut down all live music.

Jared Campbell
Music Program Coordinator

College Calendar

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Mon 17th May - Cafe N9ne - 9 Gold Gp 2; NAPLAN; Yr 10 Great Ryrie Homework Group	Tues 18th May - Yr 8 EISM - Dominic	Wed 19th May - NAPLAN; Senior EISM; Restaurant Night	Thurs 20th May - NAPLAN; Yr 9 EISM Grand Final; Spotlight on Dance;	Fri 21st May - NAPLAN catch up	Sat 22nd May	Sun 28th May
Mon 24th May - Cafe N9ne 9 Red Gp 1; Pentecost Liturgy; Building Bridges; Yr 10 Great Ryrie Homework Group	Tues 25th May - Casual Dress Day; AGiLE P5; Yr 8 Rise EISM; Yr 7 Maths Pathways Information Night for 7 Aqua, Blue, Maroon & Red	Wed 26th May - Restaurant Night; Senior EISM; Yr 7 Maths Pathways Information Night for 7 Green, Navy, Orange & White	Thurs 27th May - Restaurant Night; Senior School Ethics Olympiad; Yr 9 EISM; Yr 7 Maths Pathways Information Night for 7 Gold, Purple, Silver & Yellow	Fri 28th May - Yr 9 Science VSSEC excursion;	Sat 29th May	Sun 30th May

Year 8 Camps

The Year 8 students have now all returned from camp over the past fortnight. By all reports the students rose to the challenges that they were presented with and had an incredible time. The photos and feedback capture just some of the essence of their experiences.

"I enjoyed it because I got to get better relationships with all my friends and worked as a team to complete each activity."

"Monster course was good because it got everyone working as a team."

"I enjoyed the class bonding and how everyone's teamwork improved as camp went on."

"Activities because there where all fun to do and everyone encourages you doing it."

"I really liked how everybody cheered on everyone else, the sky bridge, the monster course and our team leader."

"I enjoyed abseiling, sky bridge and leap of faith because I got to get out of my comfort zone."

"I loved the abseiling I thought it was a good way to get over my fear of heights."

"I really liked the people in my group and the activities and how encouraging the summit people and the leaders were the monster course was fun."

"I liked the monster course and how a lot of the activities were based around team work. The food wasn鈥檛 bad And the activities were pretty good in general."

"I heard a lot of people wanted to do the Swing and the Flying Fox. The experience was so incredible and looking back, I have been so lucky to do the activities."

"I think the Year 8s next year should have a chance to do the monster course it was so much fun and it was a moment I probably wont forget!"

A Taste of Restaurant Nights

On the first floor of the 鈥淚鈥� building at 麻豆国产AV, with great views of the oval and hills beyond, is the Wurundjeri Trade Training Centre which is sometimes called the 鈥淐afe鈥�. What you may not have seen is that some nights it turns into a fine dining restaurant.

As part of the VCE VET Hospitality and Kitchen Operation courses student鈥檚 put what they are learning into practice by running a fully licenced, candlelit restaurant, serving gourmet three course dinners.

These real Restaurant Nights are open to all and are attended by families, teachers, the wider community and the general public. All guests arrive at 6.30pm and the students run the whole evening including managing payments by cash and card.

Under the special provisions of our Liquor Licence students serve from a fully licenced bar under the supervision of their teachers. During Restaurant Night you may be enjoying the cocktail of the day such as a Warm Rhubarb Pink Gin or a Cookies & Cream Martini or you might select from our wine selection from Oakridge winery.

Each year 麻豆国产AV seeks input from industry to ensure that Restaurant Nights are providing a real environment for students to learn including modern equipment and techniques, locally sourced ingredients and up to date drink trends. Previously we have had very generous input for industry representatives from the Novotel Melbourne South Wharf, Coombe Yarra Valley and Yarra Valley Estate.

This vital part of the program means that at the end of a student鈥檚 two years of training, at 麻豆国产AV, they are job ready for industry.

Restaurant nights are scheduled throughout the year and bookings are essential /events/restaurant-night-2021 and we would love to see you there!

Owen Stott
Director, Wurundjeri Trade Training Centre

Sports News - EISM Athletics Carnival

Earlier this month the 麻豆国产AV Athletics squad has been involved in the EISM Athletics carnivals. On Tuesday 4th May, we participated in the EISM Division 1 Carnival at Lakeside Stadium Albert Park against Luther, Emmaus, Mt Lilydale, Donvale Christian College, Kilvington and Huntingtower, on a cold windy day that threaten to rain - but thankfully didn鈥檛.

At the end of the day we finished a credible 3rd.

Congratulations to all the students who competed or came along as reserves and also to students who competed in older age groups making sure we had competitors in every event

We had some very good results on the day.

U13 Girls
Alex Oldaker - 2nd Long Jump 200m(B) Triple Jump
Relay Team - Aerin Donohoe, Alex Oldaker, Emer Hefferan, Aleisha Harmer - 3rd

U13 Boys
Callum Settle - 1st 800m & 1500m
Chase Stone - 1st Shot Put
Gallagher Robertson - 3rd 100m (C)
Chris Galea - 1st Long Jump

U14 Girls
Catherine Vail - 3rd (U13) Discus
Bianca Le - 3rd Hurdles
Rachael Johnson - 2nd High Jump
Jemimah Lees - 2nd Shot Put
Tegan Moore - 3rd 100m (A) 200m(A)
Relay Team - Teagen Moore, Bianca Le, Zoe Vozzo, Georgia Kavanagh - 3rd

U14 Boys
Chris Galea - 3rd (U13) Hurdles
Josh Crachi - 3rd High Jump
Owen Prior - 3rd 100m (B)
Eden Smith - 1st 100m(C) Shot Put & Discus; 2nd 200m(A)
Luke Wilkinson - 1st Long Jump
Relay Team - Owen Prior, Emmanuel Bettiol, Eden Smith, Jack Matthews - 3rd

U15 Girls
Stella Smirk - 2nd 100m(C)
Emily Anderson - 3rd 200m(A)

U15 Boys
Isaac Ghosn - 3rd 1500m, 2nd 800m
Kaiden Watson - 2nd High Jump
Will Tait - 3rd 200m(B)
Tom Vardy - 3rd 800m

U16 Girls
Emma Stevens - 1st Triple Jump, 3rd 100m(B)
Isabella Kight - 3rd 100m(C)
Elise Keeghan - 3rd Hurdles, 1st Shot Put & Discus, 2nd High Jump
Jacinta Hose - 3rd Long Jump

U16 Boys
Anthony Jordan - 3rd Long Jump, 2nd 200m(A)
Tom Matthews - 3rd Hurdles
Aidan Peluso - 2nd Discus
Relay Team - Anthony Jordan, Nathan O鈥橞rien, Nathan Allis, James Barber - 3rd

Open Girls
Sophie Stokes - 3rd 400m & 1500m, 2nd 800m
Isabella Flack - 2nd Hurdles
Sophie Triandifillou - 3rd Long Jump
Mackenzie Oracz - 1st High Jump

Open Boys
Seb Barnes - 2nd High Jump
Pat Lavemai - 1st Shot Put
Jesse Meikle - 3rd Long Jump
Goerge Sajive - 3rd 100m(B)
Michael Barics - 1st 100m(C), 2nd 200m(B)

On Monday 10th May afternoon was the Champions Carnival at Lakeside Stadium in which the top competitors from all three divisions of the EISM are invited to compete. It was another carnival held in cold, wet conditions. We had a number of students who were unable to attend. In the end we had 15 students compete. Congratulations to them. These are their events from the evening and congratulations to those who placed in their event

Alex Oldaker - U13 Long Jump, Triple Jump, 200m & Relay
Emer Heffernan - U13 Relay
Zoe Guerin - U13 1500m 800m & Relay
Aleisha Harmer - U13 200m 3rd , 400m & Relay
Callum Settle - U13 1500m 2nd & 800m
Tom Vardy - U15 800m 3rd & 1500m
Chase Stone - U13 Shot Put (1st)
Rachael Johnson - U14 High Jump (3rd)
Maeve Wilkinson - U15 800m & 1500m
Amelie O鈥橞rien - U15 High Jump
Kaeden Watson - U15 High Jump
Anthony Jordan - U16 200m 3rd & Long Jump
Aidan Peluso - U16 Discus
Elise Keeghan - U16, Shot Put (1st), Discus 1st & High Jump (2nd)
Seb Barnes - Open High Jump (3rd)
Heath Disney - Open 800m

A special congratulations to Elise Keeghan who broke the EISM record in both the Shot Put and Discus. A superb effort by her

Congratulations to the Aquinas Athletics Captains for 2021 - Christina Doan and Jack Catalano. They both have been involved with the athletics program for their 6 years at Aquinas. They have shown great leadership by always being willing to have a go.

The other members of the Athletics squad are: Matt Azzopardi, Edward Barclay, Max Beckett, Kate Bourke, Emily Box, Griffin Box, Lachie Buyck, Ava Campbell, Noah Chivers, James Dempsey, Emma Dowling, Janis D鈥橲ouza, Nathan Gagliardone, Ned Gidley, Alovi Gomes, Ella Grigg, Georgia Gulano, Grace Higgins, Oscar Hipfel, Lucy Jordan, Tom King, Maggie Kinsman, Natasha Langsdon, Alannah Leech, Sophie Lorruso, Mia McCann, Indigo Meikle, Livia Mondoaca, Jacob Nasso, Nathan Reid,Jack Steward, Hannah Stuart, Caitlyn Sultana, Ethan Todaro, Tiana Tosti-Guerra, Claire Vaihu, Dan White, Olivia Williams Kayden Yeung Sik Yuen, and James Zerella.

A huge thank you to all the staff who assisted with the training of the squad over the past 4 school weeks and to the staff who attended the carnival. Without their support, these events would not be possible.

Bernie Brummell
Sports Coordinator

Sports Report - Year 9 Round 6 & 7

Sport	Opposition	Score	Comments from the Coach
GIRLS BASKETBALL A	Tintern	Won 59 - 29	The girls played a competitive and cooperative game. Tintern had 2 strong players which the girls were able to identify and work together to try and reduce their impact on the game.
GIRLS BASKETBALL B	Tintern	Won 88 - 8	Despite there being very little competition the girls continued to play with commitment and enthusiasm. In the end they challenged themselves by deciding the only goal attempts had to be 3 point shots. They are looking forward to playing Luther next week and hoping they will face a little more competition.
GIRLS TOUCH FOOTBALL	Tintern	Lost 2 - 4	Despite the loss this week, the girls played well. Looking forward to next week's game.
BOYS SOFTBALL BLACK TEAM	Tintern	Won 7 - 0	Unfortunately Tintern went to the wrong ground and had to forfeit the game. This win puts us now in 4th spot heading into the last round.
BOYS BASKETBALL A TEAM	Tintern	Won 73 - 23	Another great win today. The boys played brilliantly as a team, maintaining a steady lead throughout the game.
BOYS BASKETBALL B TEAM	Tintern	Won 82 - 32	The boys put up a fantastic game today, brilliant defence and shooting led them to victory! Well done boys.
BOYS INDOOR SOCCER	Tintern	Won 17 - 2	After a stinging loss last week, the boys brought their A game against Tintern. They were clinical with their passing and shooting. Even when numbers were reduced to even up the contest, they continued to work hard offensively, and more impressively, defensively. A comprehensive team performance.
BOYS TOUCH FOOTBALL	Tintern	Won 10 - 3	Tintern went into this game undefeated, as did we. The boys were pretty pumped from the beginning and came out of the blocks quickly, scoring twice inside 2 minutes. From that point we dominated play, defending in the most disciplined way so far this season. Tintern had chances however we managed to push back many promising attacks. Our own offence centered around rapid switches and our wingers sucking in defenders constantly, opening up scoring lanes.

Sport	Opposition	Score	Comments from the Coach
GIRLS BASKETBALL A	Luther	Lost 20 - 32	A team had a few tall girls out this week so we were reliant on our pace and agility against class opposition. We were able to stay with them until half time with 16 a piece. The girls put up a great fight but unfortunately Luther was too strong.
GIRLS BASKETBALL B	Luther	Won 68 - 12	I was very proud of the girls today who played with their usual enthusiasm and commitment despite a less than committed effort from the opposing team. The girls deserve their undefeated status and are playing beautifully as a team. I am looking forward to their final鈥檚 campaign.
GIRLS SOFTBALL	Mt Scopus	Won 14 - 9	The team has finished the season undefeated with a good win today. Special mention to Lenora for her great hit getting 3 runs home and Zoe for a Grand Slam hit and excellent innings of pitching. Can鈥檛 wait to see what they can do in the finals!
GIRLS INDOOR SOCCER	Mt Scopus	Drew 4 - 4	It was a nail biter to the end. We were down at half time but the girls came on desperate for a win for the second half with fire in their belly to fight back. We were 1 goal down with 40 seconds to when Lillee scored the goal to draw...the cheers and screams from the sideline were an indication of the invested emotion and dedication of the team!
GIRLS TOUCH FOOTBALL	Tintern	Lost 9 - 0	Despite this week's loss the girls put up a good game.
GIRLS TENNIS	Mt Scopus	Lost 0,6 - 2,16	This week was the rematch of our very first round playing against Mt Scopus. Although our opponent emerged as the victor once again, our girls played with increased confidence and skill, winning more games than ever before. They served with consistency, volleyed with speed, hit some winners down the line and communicated well on court. Fantastic effort, girls.
BOYS SOFTBALL BLACK TEAM	Luther	Lost 11 - 13	This week's game against Luther was a close one. Unfortunately Luther was too strong. Fantastic effort by the boys.
BOYS TENNIS	Mt Scopus	Won 3-1, 22-14	Mt Scopus has been the only team to offer us some competition. Excellent rallies were observed throughout the sets, however, Aquinas were just too strong once again.
BOYS SOFTBALL RED TEAM	Mt Lilydale	Lost 4 - 13	An unfortunate loss today against Mt Lilydale. Regardless, the boys put up a great fight.
BOYS BASKETBALL A TEAM	Luther	Won 59 - 55	A great performance by the boys today, Isaac Ghosn out for this week, confidently led the team through a nail biting game where Riley White shot an impressive 41 points to bring the team a win. Excellent job today boys, looking forward to next week's semi final.
BOYS BASKETBALL B TEAM	Luther	Won 22- 14	The boys put together a great performance in a shortened game, we didn't shoot the ball excellently but created great looks and defended the ball really well. Looking forward to the semi final next week.
BOYS INDOOR SOCCER	Luther	Won 12 - 1	A fantastic game today! The boys consistently played hard to bring home a well deserved win. Looking forward to next week's semi final!
BOYS TOUCH FOOTBALL	Luther Blue	Won 9 - 6	This was always going to be our biggest test of the season so far. Both teams went into the game undefeated and we knew that Luther had some high quality players. It was a great game to watch, with a really well drilled Luther team not being able to match the skills and running patterns of the Aquinas boys. Lachy Quinn consistently made strong lateral moves which broke up the Luther defence, leading to multiple scores. Archie Flynn consistently caused panic in the Luther defence, sucking in players with his agility which led to big gaps opening up in their line. A very satisfying win.

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