Newsletter 24 October 2023

Principal's Welcome

Dear parents and carers,

Outstanding Fundraising by our College!

Many thanks for your support during our Term 3 fundraising towards the school building project in the village of Kulugia, Timor-Leste. The fundraising across the term, including the Trivia Night ($9335), Coffee Van efforts, online donations ($8988) and House fundraising on Assumption Day (notably McAuley House with $2238.79) garnered a tremendous total of $37,209 which ensures the project to rebuild the school buildings in Kulugia are off to a strong start. As usual, we will continue with our commitment to this school community over several years (at least three), as we work with other Marist Schools to see the project brough to competition. We are thrilled with this result which smashed our $25,000 target. The work of rebuilding the school simply could not happen without your generosity and compassion. Special mention goes to our latest Timor-Leste Ambassadors, our Year 11 immersion students who lead our fundraising with energy and enthusiasm.

Child Safeguarding Officers

Twice a term the College Child-Safeguarding Committee meets. Made up of staff, students and parents, it’s an opportunity to review the Victorian Child-Safeguarding Standards and to ensure that we are exceeding in our compliance. This meeting we had the pleasure of approving fifty-five staff as ‘Child Safeguarding Officers’. Each year, staff are invited to undertake extra training so that they can support our students and staff in responding to matters of concern. This is the largest group we have ever had complete the additional training and it’s a strong example of the College’s commitment to this important area of our lives and school. Child Safeguarding Officers can be identified by their lanyards, which are different to the regular College one (this one has yellow on it to stand out). The CSO’s report to the three Senior Child-Safeguarding Officers – Kate Fogarty (Principal), Peter Augustin (Deputy Principal, Wellbeing) and Leonie Farrugia (Wellbeing Leader). Thank you to each of the staff for taking this important commitment so seriously.

Year 12 Graduation & Exams

Congratulations to our Year 12 students for the exemplary way that they finished their schooling with us last Wednesday. We enjoyed the day so much with them and they certainly made us all feel proud of the six years we have shared together The Graduation Liturgy and Celebration on Thursday was a lovely experience and a wonderful opportunity for us all to gather for one final time. We wish the Year 12s who are sitting exams all the very best for the weeks ahead. We also wish their families a quiet and stress-free few weeks as they provide ‘optimal study time’ for their loved one!

Vinnies Christmas Appeal (and a marathon!)

If you haven’t already, you’re going to start getting reminders to help out with our annual Vinnies Christmas Appeal. St Vincent de Paul in our local region relies heavily on our efforts to support families in need in our community this Christmas. Please give generously and encourage others to do the same via the link in this promotional video (made by our amazing students): https://youtu.be/CYgJHrgKREc?feature=shared. All the very best to our running team who will be training hard to help provide a focus for our fundraiser. We’re so very proud of them all.

Prayer for cohesion and peace

There are many things that have brought division and turmoil to our country and our world during this past fortnight, and so we pause, and pray:

Almighty God, who is mother and father to us all,
Look upon your planet Earth divided.
Help us to know that we are all your children,
That all peoples, all nations belong to one great family,
And that all of our religions lead to you.

Multiply our prayers in every land
Until the whole Earth becomes your congregation,
United in your love.
Sustain our vision of a peaceful future
And give us strength to work unceasingly
To make that vision real.

(Helen Weaver)

Key Dates

Below are some key dates for the rest of the term and early next term. For full calendared events please see PAM. 

24 October VCE Drama Evening

1 November Duke of Ed Silver Camp

1 November Australia to 1900 Sovereign Hill Excursion

2 December VCE Dance & Music Night 

6 November Student Free Day

7 November Melbourne Cup Public Holiday

15 November Year 7, 2024 Parent Information Night

20 November MyStart Commences

29 November College Awards Night

1 December House Carnival

4 December Marist Cricket Carnival

6 December Last day of Term 4 

Student Leaders Announced

The Student Leadership team for 2024 has hit the ground running!

Having officially completed their handover from the 2023 leaders just last week, they’ve already been present and engaged in a number of events.

The student leaders were there to help host the opening of Shandon House and the Drusilla building. Many volunteered to run the democracy BBQ and help raise money for St Vincent’s Christmas Appeal. Along with meeting and greeting the members of the Neale Daniher MND drive.

It’s been a wonderful display of their enthusiasm and passion to represent the school. We look forward to their continued leadership over the remainder of Term 4 and into 2024.

Stephen Bellis
Professional Practice Leader

2024 Assumption College Student Leaders

Assumption College House Leaders

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Year 12 Retreat

As the final day of Year 12 drew close, the graduating class of 2023 were given the opportunity to have a final retreat in the afternoon that brought to a close the formal Religious Education and Faith Development program that has been so much a part of their Assumption journey.

The afternoon began with a presentation from our principal, Kate Fogarty. An inspiring talk about what it means to be a student from a Marist school, and how the class of 2023 will always be connected to the College and the Marists. This led into an extended session of affirmation and parent letters. The affirmations were exchanged through words of kindness, gratitude and compassion. The parent letters were one of the highlights of the afternoon, with letters of encouragement and appreciation for their schooling journey and how proud they were of what their child achieved throughout their time at ACK.

After these letters, the students moved to St. Patrick's Church for a final mass together. Throughout their years at Assumption, students have sung the Sub Tuum, Shandon Calls and an Assumption classic, The Power of Your Love. The mass was a wonderful way to mark the conclusion of the many times they have gathered in prayer and celebration together and to give thanks to God for these spiritual opportunities.

They concluded their retreat afternoon with dinner in the Neale Daniher pavilion. There was a great sense of excitement and joy as they sat down for dinner with their fellow classmates and friends. One of the nine Quae Supra Quaere values is gratitude and it was shown by every single student on this retreat afternoon. The thankfulness and appreciation for each other and their teachers was inspiring.

The graduating class of 2023

Year 12 Graduation

Our Year 12 Graduation was a wonderful night of celebration of the Year 12 cohort.

Excitement filled the room at Hyatt Place Melbourne Events Centre, Essendon Fields on 12 October where students, families and College staff enjoyed the Graduation Liturgy and celebrated the presentation of Graduation Certificates. 

Guests enjoyed a cocktail supper, professional family photos and enjoyed the DJ on the dance floor. 

Congratulation to all of our Year 12 cohort for 2023!

Timor-Leste Student Immersion

In Matthew 22:39, Jesus calls us to “love your neighbour as yourself”. Today, there is perhaps no greater example of how we can exemplify this than standing in solidarity with Timor-Leste, a developing country less than 700 kilometres from Darwin.

Timor-Leste is one of the poorest countries in the world. Only 58% of the population over 15 years old can read and write, and 37% live on less than US$1.25 a day, which is below the international poverty line. Over 70% of the population lives in rural areas, which denies the majority of Timorese access to education, employment and sanitation facilities.

In September this year, the Assumption College Timor-Leste student immersion saw 17 students (Rose Aldridge, Tierra Balfe, Ellie Borg, Jaimie-Lee Cook, Chloe Creedon, Noah Denis, Abbey Dewhurst, Sofia Harrop, Jasmine Hawke, Brianna Jani, Brodie Johnston, Sophie Manton, Leila Marr, Jessica Schroen, Darcie Stephenson, Xavier Stute, and Ruby Trimble) and 6 staff (Paul Reed, Florence McKay, Marita Dumaresq, Madison Nicholls, Ben Egan, George Buya) spending 10 days in Timor-Leste visiting communities in Dili, Baucau, and Kulugia.

The immersion involved exploring East Timorese history and it’s intersection with Australia, focusing on how we have a moral obligation to educate ourselves and support one of our closest neighbours.

Additionally, students had the opportunity to visit organisations for which our school has fundraised, including Caritas Australia and their Women’s Shelter for Growth and Development. We also visited Uai Aca preschool, which has a special partnership with (our neighbour) St Patrick’s Primary School. Most exciting was the opportunity to visit schools that we have helped to fund through Australian Marist Solidarity, including the Baucau Teacher’s College, the Katilosa school for inclusive education of children with disabilities, St Terezinha Primary School in Quelicai, and our latest fundraising project - a primary school in the village of Kulugia.

Our students pushed themselves outside of their comfort zones and engaged whole-heartedly with these communities. It was an eye-opening, confronting, and deeply enriching experience for all. The immersion was a poignant reminder of the power of Marist values, our capacity to make a difference in the lives of others, and the priceless nature of joy and compassion.

VCE Dance & Music Night

The Assumption College VCE Dance and Music Night (Unit 2 students) will soon present their choreography, compositions, and ensemble works for their performance assessments. Parents and friends are invited to support their passion, creativity and innovation in the Performing Arts at our VCE Dance and Music night on Thursday, 2nd November 6:30 pm – 8:30pm in the College Theatrette.

A light supper will be supplied at the interval.

Book your ticket here https://www.trybooking.com/CMFPD

Visual Art & Technology Exhibition

We're thrilled to share the outstanding success of our annual Visual Art & Technology Exhibition held on October 5th in the Hermitage. This year's event was a celebration of creativity, talent, and dedication, and we were truly impressed by the remarkable display of artwork and student designs.

We extend our heartfelt commendation to these students who poured hours of dedication into their creations, often working through recess, lunch breaks, and late into the evening. Your hard work and passion were truly evident in every piece.

We also want to acknowledge the invaluable contribution of our teachers and technicians. Their unwavering support, advice, and guidance have been instrumental in shaping the talents of our students. They consistently go above and beyond, putting our students first and nurturing their artistic aspirations.

The entertainment for the evening was provided by our talented student bands, who delivered exceptional performances, adding to the vibrant atmosphere of the event. We extend our congratulations to these budding musicians for their talent and dedication.

A special mention is due to our food technology students, staff, and technicians, who treated us to a feast of delicious treats. Your culinary creations were not only delicious but also a testament to your skills and creativity.

We are delighted to share that the event drew a large crowd from our community. The support and enthusiasm shown by everyone who attended added to the overall excitement of the evening.

Lastly, we would like to congratulate the winners of this year's awards:

Adele Clune - Textiles Award for her Cloud Headpiece and Women & Power designs.

James Ryan - Technology Award for his innovative storage unit.

Max Bradbury - Media Award for his captivating short film '7 Days'.

Lily Hocking - Visual Communication Design Award for her exceptional folio and presentation boards.

Jack Exell - Art Award for his compelling piece titled 'Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince'.

Naomi Leeder - Staff Pick Award for her painting, ‘I Can’t Feel My Feet’.

Once again, congratulations to all the winners and participants. Your talent and creativity inspire us all.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to making this year's Visual Art & Technology Exhibition a resounding success. We look forward to seeing more incredible artworks and designs from our talented students in the future.

Deana Pillay
Learning Leader (Visual Art)

MyMAP Mathematics at Assumption

With the emergence from the landscape of remote and hybrid learning environments, Assumption College has developed and is now implementing an exciting, new MyMAP Mathematics program for our learners. We have taken learnings from the digital education space, we have incorporated leading evidence-based research, and we have listened to the measured and considerate feedback from the community to inform this innovative program.

In our Mathematics classes, our students continue to have access to the best digital education tools that provide them with rapid feedback loops on their learning and a fully-differentiated and individualised learning experience that allows students to grow their mathematical understanding, fluency, reasoning, and problem-solving in a truly ‘stage-not-age’-based environment. We have also now carefully interwoven into this program the pedagogical expertise of our Mathematics teaching staff so that we can also stay true to the best of traditional mathematics teaching in a space that is now more than ever student-focused, collaborative, and engaging.

With the backing of Assumption College’s Professional Learning Team inquiry investigations into the High Impact Teaching Strategies of Collaboration, Metacognition, Differentiation, Goal Setting, Class Structure, Worked Examples, and Feedback our Mathematics program is developing mathematical curiosity in real-world applications, supporting consolidation of essential numeracy building blocks, and forging pathways for all of our young people whether they are choosing vocational endeavours, rigorous academic pursuits, or anything in between.

This new chapter in our students’ learning journey is continuing to evolve and grow in a way that only a platform as progressive and flexible as MyMAP can support and we look forward to not only the future successes but also the immediate ones that this innovation will allow us to celebrate with our learners.

Christopher de Sousa
Learning Leader (Mathematics)

Opening of Shandon House

There was plenty of superb storytelling during the official re-opening of Shandon House recently.

Many past and present families joined us to celebrate our beautiful building’s re-opening over a cuppa and morning tea treats. Thank you to our wonderful community for gathering for this special occasion.

Inaugural Women of Assumption College

As part of the Assumption College 130th-anniversary celebrations this year, Kate Fogarty, the first female Principal of Assumption College, hosted an afternoon tea celebrating over 50 years of the education of women at Assumption College.

The exquisite high-tea held on 8 October 2023, was the inaugural women-only event for alumnae and the many other women who have served our community over the years as teachers or allied staff.

The event was an astounding success, with 150 guests in attendance the Neale Daniher Community and Sports Pavilion on the College grounds.

It was a very special gathering for Assumption College women. Guests, including the first ever female enrolled student, welcomed the opportunity to spend time together, to create a space to connect, listen, laugh, and share all while enjoying glorious spring weather and high tea catering.

Small group campus tours were held in conjunction with the event, the experience of walking through the grounds, buildings old and new brought back many memories and a rekindling of what it means to be a part of the wonderful Assumption College community.

A few notes of feedback from our guests:

“Thanks for organising Jenny and Kate and Kate and crew. A great afternoon, only wish I’d had a chance to chat to even more people, the afternoon just whizzed by!”

“I was anxious about coming back but so glad I came. I certainly felt the love and welcoming in the room.”

“A note to say thanks for a great afternoon at Assumption. Mum and I had a wonderful time catching up with many others and reminiscing.”

Drusilla Opening

Assumption College was proud to formally open our brand new, state of the art Agricultural & Animal Studies precint recently. 

Current families and alumni took small group tours, met with students and reptiles.

There are exciting times ahead for our agricultural program.

Sport Achievement - Mia

Assumption College students are out and about doing great things.

Mia recently competed at the Victorian State BMX Championships at Knox BMX Club, placing an incredible 4th place in the Women's Superclass category.

Next on the calendar is the Nationals, where Mia will contest the Junior Elite and Superclass titles in early November.

Sport Achievement - Darcy

Darcy, an Assumption College Equestrian rider joined over 2,000 enthusiastic inter-school competitors, their families, friends, and supporters as they converged from every corner of the nation to Werribee Park Equestrian Centre for the Australian Interschool Equestrian Championships.

The event is Australia's most extensive grassroots program and ran from September 29 to October 3. The event is open to school-aged equestrians who have qualified throughout the year in the Victorian Equestrian Series and/or the State Interschool Championships.

Congratulations Darcy (and Parklands Faltango)!

Sport Achievement - Mackenzie

Our college students demonstrate yet again that they are willing to take risks and strive for their personal best.

Mackenzie recently competed in the Australian Taekwondo Championships in Perth, in the u152cm Cadet (12-14 years) division, her world championship category. She won her final in two rounds, in a best-of-three system, claiming gold.

This is Mackenzie’s second national Sparring championship, and seventh in total combined with her Poomsae titles.

The result at the Nationals caps off an extraordinary year, having placed 5th at the World Championships and winning gold at the Bosnia Open, in Bosnia-Herzegovina in August. 

Mackenzie's next major competition will be in February, at the prestigious US Open tournament. 

Year 7 2025

Round 1 offers for our Year 7 intake in 2025 have now been issued. There has been immense interest in the College for the 2025 intake and we thank families for their cooperation throughout the interview process.

Do you have a child/sibling/family friend, preparing for secondary school in 2025? Have they started their application, but not yet hit 'submit'? As we work through the applicant pool, there will be limited positions available, so before they can join in the fun and exciting things happening at the College for Year 7, they will need to complete their online application form.

There remain limited positions across Years 8-12 for 2024, prospective families are encouraged to contact our team for a discussion. 

Our online Enrolment Application Form as well as our Enrolment Policy and School Fees can be found on our College website, here.

Any questions regarding enrolment can be directed to our friendly team 0357835000 or registrar@assumption.vic.edu.au

Financial Assistance - CSEF

The Victorian State Government's Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) helps ensure no student will miss out on the opportunity to join educational activities. CSEF is provided to assist eligible families to cover the costs of school trips, camps and sporting activities. If you hold a valid means-tested concession card or are a temporary foster parent, you may be eligible. New applicants should contact the school to obtain a CSEF application form or download it from HERE. You do not need to complete a new application if you have previously applied. You only need to re-apply if your child has enrolled at a new school or family circumstances have changed.

Reception and Student Services Update

Families are now invited to visit the Reception of the College, via Gate 5. Reception is now located at Shandon House and we welcome your attendance in our newly refurbished space. Car parking remains on Sutherland Street until our new carpark is established.

Student Service remains in its temporary location. Students are aware that they sign in and out via this location. Parents should report to Reception at Shandon House to collect their children.

A friendly reminder, that dogs are not allowed on-site unless they are an authorised support companion. 

ICT Update

Families are advised that the College has, until now, charged $40 for replacement laptop chargers.

Due to rising costs and supply demands, the cost of replacement chargers will soon rise to $50.

Should you have any questions for our friendly ICT Team, please email ict.support@assumption.vic.edu.au

Alumni Call Out

Attention all alumni of Assumption College! We would love to hear from you and feature your story in the next edition of Shandon Calls. If you have any updates or interesting experiences to share with the college community, please reach out to Kate Boulton, our Enrolments & Community Relations Officer, at:

Kate.Boulton@assumption.vic.edu.au

As a past student, you are an important part of the Assumption College community, and we value your contributions to our newsletter. Whether you have a success story to share, updates on your life after college, or just want to say hello, we want to hear from you.

Don't miss the opportunity to be featured in the next edition of Shandon Calls. Get in touch today! And if you want to catch up on the latest news and updates from Assumption College, check out the latest edition of the Shandon Calls by clicking the link below.