麻豆视频AV

Celebrate Excellence Evening

On Monday evening we were finally able to gather as a community to acknowledge the students who had achieved excellence during 2020. This included those from our Graduating Class of 2020 who placed in the top 10% of graduates in Australia; those who excelled in VCAL and VET; those who achieved perfect 50 Study Scores; and those who received special awards. We were also able to acknowledge student excellence at each year level and I made note in my address that it was especially pleasing to see that so many students had continued to thrive even when their learning moved to an online mode during the Covid-19 lockdown of 2020. It was also wonderful to be able to finally invite parents and guardians back to the College to celebrate the success of their young people, albeit with area density guidelines and masks in force. Congratulations to the recipients of awards and thank you to those who put in so much work in preparation for this event: Ms Grierson, Ms Greenwood, Mr Box, Ms Kalla, Ms Crawley and many others.

Opening Mass and Assembly 

On Tuesday morning we welcomed the newest members of our community into their first whole school gathering as our Year 7s paraded into our Opening Mass. To rousing applause, our youngest students were extended a warm Aquinas welcome, including those in the Rice team who joined us by video from Camp Adanac in Yarra Junction.  Father Dispin John presided over a beautiful Mass and encouraged the community not to settle for mediocrity, but strive to make the most of our God given talents in an inspiring homily. He reminded us of the important role that our faith tradition plays in keeping us grounded and that we are strong as a people of shared belief because our roots go deep into fertile soil. Thank you to the Catholic Life Team and Ms Grace in particular for her work to prepare our liturgical celebration.

At the conclusion of Mass we moved into our Opening Assembly led by our College Leaders. Student voice is a huge element at our assemblies and we have very capable public speakers amongst our student body who benefit from the experience to present to their peers. The Deakin Shield was presented to Year 11 Dux (2020) Reuben Steen by Hon. Michael Sukkar MP who spoke to our community from Parliament House, Canberra. Mr Sukkar spoke of his own fond memories as a student of the College and acknowledged the excellent contribution that Reuben has made to College life. All student leaders were presented to the gathering and given their badges as they made a pledge to serve the community to the best of their ability. For the first time we were able to award our Spirit of Aquinas Awards to students who had received the most commendations by their teachers for their contribution to the life of the College and the welfare of others. Thank you to those who prepared the Gym so that we could gather as a whole community after such a long hiatus due to Covid-19 and especially Ms Greenwood as coordinator.

Year 7 Camps

The last of our Year 7 Camps occurred this week and it was a real pleasure to visit the camp site in Yarra Junction and see the students having a great time trying activities that sometimes pushed them outside their comfort zones. While the skies were quite overcast, this did not seem to deter the students and it was impressive to see everyone so willing to participate and make the most of this experience. Of course, it was also a great opportunity to meet new people and start to build friendships. Thank you to the staff who so generously offer their time so that this sort of experience is available to our students.  

Visit of CIS Accreditation Team

If you were to look closely at any 麻豆视频AV publications you would notice, usually in the bottom corner, a symbol saying CIS Accredited. What does this mean? CIS stands for the Council of International Schools and is a global non-profit organization committed to high-quality education. CIS includes more than 1360 schools and universities representing 123 countries. In Victoria, there are six CIS Accredited Secondary Schools - Aquinas, plus McKinnon Secondary College, Mentone Girls Grammar School, Werribee Secondary College, Whitefriars College and Xavier College.

So what is special about a CIS-accredited school?

The final award of CIS accreditation shows that the school has achieved high standards of professional performance in international education and has a commitment to continuous improvement. In particular, the award of accreditation shows that the school:

• is devoted to its mission and vision for students
• has thought deeply about the services it offers to students, family and community.
• invests the time and resources for validation from a globally-recognized accreditation authority
• focuses on the quality of teaching, student learning, as well as student safeguarding and well-being
• is committed to the development of the students鈥� global citizenship
• has a suitable philosophy of education suitable for its students
• promises only what it can deliver
• constantly seeks improvement in all areas of the school plans strategically for the future.

From Monday 15th March we will be hosting an Accreditation Team from CIS made up of expert educators from all over the world - most based in South East Asia. Because of Covid-19 they cannot travel to Australia so their visit will be virtual, but they are very keen to see our school and provide feedback on how we perform against the standards. Thank you to those who have already contributed to our Self Study and especially to Mrs Blackwell who is coordinating our re-accreditation process. I look forward to providing you with an update after the visit.

Open Day 

Advance notice that on Sunday March 21 we will have our Open Day from 12pm to 3pm.  Tours will be conducted regularly throughout the day with the last tour departing at 2.15pm.  Bookings are not required. Parents with a child in Grade 5 are reminded that the enrolment period for the 2023 Year 7 class closes on Friday, August 20th, 2021. Please note that we do not presume that you are enrolling your child at the College and that an application is required. Should you have any questions please contact College Registrar, Ms Madeleine Kalla on 9259 3008

Darren Atkinson
Principal

The 10,000 hour rule

The last Lighthouse article concluded with a quote about practice, 鈥淏ut, that students will only remember what they have extensively practiced—and that they will only remember for the long term that which they have practiced in a sustained way over many years—are realities that can't be bypassed.鈥� The article emphasised the importance of practice and how that contributed to the development of memory which is essential to learning. So that is the starting point. We know that aptitude and effort combined with practice time will make us good at something, but how long will it take to make us really good. Most parents, when their child begins high school, hopes that in the next decade that child will develop a set of skills to provide for themselves for a significant part of their adult life. So the question is how much practice does it take to become an expert.

You would imagine that this is a difficult question to ask with the range of human variations meaning that it is different for everyone. In 2008 in his book Outliers, the pop economist Malcolm Gladwell published a chapter that investigated the question, 鈥渋s there such a thing as innate talent?鈥� The central research featured in the chapter was the work of Anders Ericsson and his colleagues who studied the practice habits of musicians and observed that while all the future musicians started learning with similar practice schedules, at the age of three or four they practised around two to three hours a week (yes that was three or four years of age, we鈥檇 better get moving!) the single-minded focused musician whose goal as a professional career was practising thirty hours a week. 

By the age of 20, and these are Gladwell and Ericsson鈥檚 categories, those destined to be music teachers might have totalled four thousand hours, those who were good musicians eight thousand, while those who were destined to be elite performers had completed 10,000 hours. The 10,000 hour rule was briefly an accepted truth in the development of genius. As Gladwell reported, 鈥淓ricsson and his colleagues could not find any 鈥渘atural鈥� musicians who floated effortlessly to the top while practising a fraction of the time their peers did....They work much, much harder.鈥� All of Gladwell鈥檚 work is punctuated with entertaining anecdotes to illustrate his research and in Outliers he uses some heroic examples: The Beatles and the time they spent in Hamburg honing their skills (there is a calculation that they played 1200 hundred shows in Hamburg alone) and Bill Gates time spent in Lakeside school鈥檚 nascent computer club and working for businesses in exchange for screen time, so 鈥渂y the time Gates dropped out of Harvard after his sophomore year to try his hand at his own computer company he had been programming practically non stop for seven consecutive years.鈥� 

Just to give this information a focus, assuming one starts at three and is an expert by twenty years of age, 10,000 hours of practice is 11.3 hours every week for seventeen years. It is a great deal of time and one would need to love the activity and the outcome at a very early age to even consider it.

Not surprisingly, the 10,000 hour as a rigid measure of the time required to become an expert eventually came under attack. Natural ability, emotional intelligence, the type of practice, being mentally ready are all cited in various rebuttals of the rule. Even Ericsson concedes that the number is arbitrary although he argues the fact that it is easily remembered helps to emphasise the importance of the work. The strongest push back against the 10,000 hour rule came from David Epstein who argued for diverse ways of developing expertise, citing his own heroic examples comparing Tiger Woods who could putt before he could walk with Roger Federer whose parents encouraged a diversity of interests until he settled on tennis.

So what does this mean for us? 10,000 is not necessarily the magic number, but work, effort and time are significant in achieving expertise. One of the co-authors on the Ericsson study, 鈥淩alf Krampe, a psychologist at the Catholic University of Leuven, said nothing in any contradicting papers made him question the original findings. 鈥淒o I believe that practice is everything and that the number of hours alone determine the level reached? No, I don鈥檛,鈥� he said, adding that the quality of practice, teachers and parental support all matter too. 鈥淏ut I still consider deliberate practice to be by far the most important factor.鈥�

The deliberate part of deliberate practice is something we will talk some more about this year.

Books and articles mentioned here
Gladwell, M Outliers 2008
Epstein, D Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World 2019

Michael Box
Deputy Principal Learning

Embracing respectful relationships in times of uncertainty

As the world prepares to celebrate International Women鈥檚 Day, it is important that we acknowledge and celebrate the value that our female role models have in our wonderful community. I hope that all our female members are able to celebrate the role of being a woman in an empowering sense. One of our House patrons at Aquinas, Saint Mary Mackillop, impacted the mission and vision of Catholic education in Australia during the time of her ministry and her work has had a significant impact in the way that we practice Catholic education today. Her ability to determine, early in her ministry, that the welfare of the poor required a commitment to education as a vehicle to address personal circumstances, a need to enhance faith through a devotion to goodness and nourishing of the soul, and the desire to believe in a salvation that extends beyond a life on earth, motivated her to attend to the needs of people in South Australia, particularly those living in poverty in rural areas. Her work extended to other parts of Australia and is now an extensive mission promoted by the Sisters of St Joseph鈥檚 of the Sacred Heart. 

Her legacy as a leader exemplifies servant and action leadership, in which her charisma, involvement and actions led others into adopting her vision through their commitment to the poor, just as Jesus had done 1860 or so years before. Mackillop is a great role model to our girls and boys alike and her legacy lives in the balanced practice of wellness for learning and learning to be one鈥檚 best. Practicing Jesus鈥� Ministry in our current times requires a strong commitment to promoting equity amongst all. If we look at the ways that Mary Mackillop devoted her commitment to working with the poor, it is evident that in her actions, a selfless approach to loving unconditionally meant that her vision and aspirations turned to actions with instant results. In her work, those in need were supported unconditionally.  

In contemplating our times, it is evident that Mackillop鈥檚 example continues to illustrate the servant ministry that Jesus encourages us to follow in action. Our students have the opportunity to also create change, to enhance equity and be supportive of the belief that we are all God鈥檚 children and deserve dignity and love by following the example of Mackillop. In recent weeks, our society has been stunned by the allegations of rape and abuse within the confines of Parliament House in Canberra. The media attention has led to many opinions and views on what happened, provoking thought and perhaps instigating a conclusion that we have a long way to go when it comes to respectful relationships and understanding the true meaning of consent. Although opinions about specific events may differ, it is clear that our great society promotes the ideal of safety for all, of respect for the dignity of the person and the right of each human to have choice for their actions. For such ideals to be the experience of all however, it is clear that we must continue to educate ourselves and our young people in ways that allow us to see the value of each person as a dignified sister and brother.

The current petition to have sex education embedded within the Australian curriculum at an earlier age, in order to prevent experiences of abuse, has gained motion and rightly, has offered victims a platform to voice concerns and share past experiences of sexual abuse. A past student of our College has shared a testimony that she didn鈥檛 fully understand the meaning of consent when in relationship with a student from another College and accepted conduct that she now sees as abusive. We hope that this ex-student is able to get the support that is required for her to overcome the pain of her experience and that her story encourages other victims in the greater Melbourne community to also come forward and seek help. Her actions are brave and fitting in support of a movement to liberate victims. Our SchoolTV account provides you with a special segment that explains how you may be able to assist your child in understanding consent. As the term is continually referenced in the media, watching the segment with your child may assist you in supporting him/her to understand their rights and responsibilities. Please find the link to the SchoolTV article .

Respect for women is something that as a nation cannot be compromised. All women deserve respect and it is the responsibility, primarily of each family, supported by the school and the rest of the community, that our young people understand this. We cannot ignore this responsibility, and we must empower both young men and women to understand their rights and their responsibilities as they are the future of our society. Since the return to school from the restrictions that 2020 imposed, many students have struggled to deal with the exposures that social media and the internet provided in often unsupervised environments. It has been widely reported that access to inappropriate material is an example of this, with an increase in the number of young people accessing pornography and other inappropriate content online. This has led to increased sexualised behaviours amongst young people. I was recently advised by the Victoria Police, that personal devices can be confiscated and handed to the authorities by schools if there are suspicions that students may have inappropriate material on phones or other electronic devices. It is important that this is discussed with your children, as the practice of sexting, sexualised conversations and distribution of such material has increased and the practice often leads to criminal activity when material is accessed and distributed. More information about processes to confiscate devices will be shared in the coming weeks as we develop procedures that reflect our policy agreements. 

Although it is clear that the majority of the student population at 麻豆视频AV are engaged in respectful relationships, I do encourage you to discuss with your child the dangers that the on-line world presents. A recent discussion with officers of the Knox Sexual Offences and Child Abuse Investigation Team has led me to better understand the impact that social media can have as a way to harm students who may innocently receive unwanted inappropriate material. Please discuss with your child the need to embrace their rights as dignified humans, to exercise self respect and be conscious of the impact that irresponsible use of technology can have. 

A good source of support to assist you in the education of your child is the . The website provides excellent resources and is divided into key areas addressing the threats that an on-line world may bring. Technology, when used well and safely, is an excellent resource that enhances the potential to learn. Please ensure that you are familiar with how to support your child in their use of technology and personal devices so that they are safe. This is a key step in ensuring that self-respect leads to respectful relationships with others. 

If you require support with addressing this, please contact your child鈥檚 Team Leader or Year Level Leader. Additionally, you may refer your child to the Youth and Family Centre for counselling support and guidance. Please note that the following links may also provide support:

• 1800 Respect national helpline 1800 737 732
• Lifeline 24 hour crisis line 131 114
• Beyond Blue 1300 224 636

It is important that we continue to work in partnership as we support the holistic education of your child. For Mary Mackillop, it was her commitment to helping others that made her ordinary actions become extraordinary outcomes. We must embrace the example of strong women as modelling for our children to understand that respect for the person does not differentiate between genders and that mutual respect is not a privilege but a right. If you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to email me.

rodeznone@aquinas.vic.edu.au

Dr Napoleon Rodezno
Deputy Principal

Lent: a Time for Renewing Faith, Hope and Love

This edition鈥檚 theme is based on a letter written by Pope Francis of the same heading as above. It is a beautiful message encouraging us on our Lenten journey. He reminds us to focus on three main areas:

• Renewing our Faith
• Renewing our Hope
• Renewing our Love

There are many ways in which we can express our faith to both God and to others. Fasting during Lent, giving to others and prayer are simple tasks to achieve. Maybe take time to go to your local parish and pray with your community or give some of your time to help a neighbour in need.

In these times of pandemic uncertainty sometimes we can struggle to have hope.  Francis suggests, 鈥渢o give hope to others, it is sometimes enough simply to be kind, to be 鈥渨illing to set everything else aside in order to show interest, to give the gift of a smile, to speak a word of encouragement, to listen amid general indifference鈥�. His words remind us that the small gestures in life can make a big difference for others.

The third focus, to renew love can be just as challenging. Christ鈥檚 love was full of concern and compassion for others. Francis points out that love rejoices in seeing others grow. Hence it suffers when others are anguished, lonely, sick, homeless, despised or in need. Love is a leap of the heart; it brings us out of ourselves and creates bonds of sharing and communion. The giving and receiving of love is a gift that creates happiness, growth and meaning to our lives. How can we share this love with others ? By treating all people with dignity, by respecting others identity and culture and by praying and sharing our goods with others.

When you break down the three focal points at the beginning, we see that it does not need to be daunting or overwhelming. It is more likely ensuring that we keep doing the little things we probably do already unconsciously and bring to to the forefront of our daily lives. 

Tania Grace
Assistant Principal - Mission

Audiences at the Excellence Assembly on Monday evening and the College whole School Assembly on Tuesday were treated to some outstanding live music performances from the College鈥檚 instrumental program. The performances marked the return to live music at the College with performances from Rachael Prete (Voice), Jay Hills (Guitar), Brad Steer (Clarinet), Charlotte Bratt (Voice) and Harriett Braat, who graduated from the College in 2020.  

All the students performed pieces from their 2020 music investigations or performance program.  Harriett Braat has also been selected to perform at the VCAA top acts performance in the coming week which is recognition of her outstanding performance and result from exams last year.

The recruitment for new students in 2021 continues as the music department offers a no-obligation introductory trial lesson for Years 7 to 10 students. If your child is interested in learning an instrument, but has not yet signed up a trial lesson may answer the questions: 

• Which instrument to choose? 
• If they will like the teacher?
• Will lessons disrupt their classwork? 

We offer a variety of instruments, including voice, at 麻豆视频AV.  All parents need to do for your child to participate is complete the following Google form and one of our instrumental staff member will organise a day and time for a 30 minute trial lesson with your student on the instrument of their choosing or they can be guided by our expert staff which instrument they are best suited to. 

*Please note: instruments will not be shared amongst students. Only one student will use an individual instrument during the trial.  

If you have any further questions please feel free to contact the Music Program coordinator Jared Campbell campbelljl@aquinas.com.vic.edu or the music department secretary Trish Thompson thompsontm@aquinas.vic.edu.au or on 9259 3245

Jared Campbell
Music Program Coordinator

The long weekend is a great time to get involved in Clean Up Australia Day on Sunday 7th March and School Clean Up Day on Friday 5th March. The theme is Step Up To Clean Up, for the environment. There are many ways can you contribute to Clean Up Australia Day . By collecting and sorting rubbish, by fixing items rather than replacing, them, by reusing containers, planting indigenous species in your garden you can assist the environment and make a positive difference to waste generated every year.

You can also make a pledge identifying one action you can change this year that will help conserve our environment. 

How will you Step Up?  Share your pledge using the hashtags #CleanUpAustralia #StepUpToCleanUp

Some examples from the staff in our Middle Years offices are:

• To use reusable coffee cups and containers
• I pledge to pick up litter on my trips to the beach
• To rinse containers before recycling
• I pledge to only buy second hand clothing and not fast fashion
• To fill up and use my water bottle

"It made my year to see that we got chickens!!!!!"  Danialle 

"The chickens are very social and territorial it is funny watching them. I like hanging out in their cage when we are looking after them." Caitlin

The chickens are very entertaining and fun to be around..." Finn 

Karyn Myers
Environment & Sustainability Coordinator

Introducing our Year 8 Captains - Lucy Crouch and Orlando Tsui

"My main inspiration to try for the Year 8 Captain role was all about growing and improving my leadership skills while also being a voice for my fellow students. I鈥檓 hoping that this experience will help me improve those skills while also being able to learn from experience and the way that other people show leadership. I believe that all people have a voice and this role is a great way for me to discover my own, and help others discover theirs . I look forward to getting to know lots of new people this year and to representing Year 8."
Lucy Crouch

"The COVID-19 global pandemic has turned our day-to-day lives upside-down, especially for us as students. We鈥檙e used to being in full classrooms, but all of us went into remote learning in 2020. I believe it can be a challenge to stay motivated with remote learning if you鈥檙e not used to it. For me, remote learning was okay, I kept myself motivated during learning from home. 

Here are the three things that kept me stay motivated:

• Plan a daily routine - by developing a routine, it helped me getting motivated to work, stay on top of things and as well as stay positive. On my agenda, I wrote down all the tasks and cross them off when I had completed them, which helped me keep track of all my assignments.
• Reward myself - each time when I completed a task, I would reward my self by going for a walk or bike ride. It would not only motivate me to complete tasks, but as well as provide me physical exercise.
• Stay balanced - lastly but most importantly, take care of myself to stay balanced and keep myself energized. I would take regular breaks when studying, go outside for some fresh air for at least 5-10mins. To keep myself active, I go cycling with my family everyday.

Staying motivated, keeping up with school work and getting tasks done on time were the keys to help me through the remote learning."
Orlando Tsui

To comply with current DHHS requirements, potential attendees of the 麻豆视频AV Open Day are asked to perform a COVID-19 symptom self assessment () prior to leaving home, and to not attend this event if they or anyone at home has:
鈥� Fever or flu-like symptoms such as a high temperature, coughing, sore throat and fatigue.
鈥� Shortness of breath.
鈥� Been in close contact with someone who has returned from overseas in the last 14 days.
鈥� Been in close contact with someone with a confirmed case of COVID-19.
Please refer to the 麻豆视频AV COVIDSafe public event registration () for more information.

Supporting the Three Storey Intellect in Technology Subjects at home

The Three Story intellect has been the cornerstone of classroom practice at 麻豆视频AV for many years now. Designed to give students a structured pathway to achievement, it lets them gather information, process what they have learnt and then apply it.

In Technology subjects it is useful to understand how this is applied and how parents can support their child in the process.

Many students select a Technology subject with the assumption that it will be a very hands-on subject and this is a fair assumption. The development of practical skills is a key focus for the Technology department, whether it be in Engineering, Software Development, Food Studies or Product Design.

When students are asked to create something they are often more interested in the end product rather than the journey, so as a parent, how can you support your child to value the journey and create better outcomes? All subjects in the Technology Department use the Design Process as a model for product development. The elements of the Design Process are reflected in the requirements of the Three Storey intellect. 

Supporting students in the First Storey, Gathering, students will often be asked to investigate ideas, materials, processes or alternate solutions and build a rich folio of resources that can be drawn from in the Second Storey. Often students will look at problems from their own perspective. Encouraging them to think creatively by looking at a problem from an alternate perspective or an end user is a great way to help them broaden their investigation and create a richer resource of information.

Processing this information in the Second Storey can be equally challenging for students. Students will often have a preconceived notion of what they wish to create and are reluctant to explore alternatives. Challenging them to revisit their ideas on a regular basis and create simple variations on the same theme can yield some creative results. This may take the form of drawings, coding, recipes concepts depending on the subject.  Ask them to demonstrate and discuss how their ideas have developed during this activity. 

Finally the students need to apply what they have learnt and create their product in the Third Storey. As much as this process is about creating the final product, equally as important is their evaluation of what they have done. Students are asked to reflect on the work they have completed and challenge themselves to critically evaluate not only their final product but the journey they have taken to achieve it. When your child presents work to you, of course congratulate them on the great work they have done and then ask them to reflect on what they might have done differently if they were to repeat the task. Let them discuss areas of improvements and opportunities where you might have been able to contribute earlier in the design process to provide feedback. Last year highlighted just how important parent contribution is to your child's learning. Hopefully this summary of the process will allow you to share in their Technology successes.

Andrew Russell
Technology Area Leader

Our Year 7 students have all returned from their House camps at Camp ADANAC. The students had a great time challenging themselves, making new friendships and having fun.

Here is snapshot of the comments and photos...

"The cabin groups and the waterslide. I liked the waterslide because it was really fast and I liked getting wet. I enjoyed being in a cabin with all my friends."

"I thought the food was great, the activities were super fun especially the waterslide and flying fox, my camp leader was really nice and supportive and kickball was also really fun and I loved being able to meet new people and hang out with my friends."

"I really enjoyed Year 7 camp because I made a lot of new friends and did activities I wasn't sure about but I did them which got me out of my comfort zone. I also enjoyed it because the food in my opinion was really yummy and and different things like kickball, night walk, trivia, movie,  were so good because i got to interact with all my friends in MacKillop."

"I loved everything about camp! Especially how seriously the teachers and camp leaders took kickball - it was so fun!"

For the last six years, the VCE VET Hospitality and Kitchen Operations classes have hosted a Cocktail party evening for their parents and school leadership as the start of the events season. The Cocktail party is run over two nights with approximately 100 guests each night.

The purpose of this event each year is to showcase, to the student鈥檚 parents, the fantastic facilities and showcase the student鈥檚 craft. This year鈥檚 event was so big that it was held in the O'Driscoll Room and tours were conducted to see the students in action in the Wurundjeri Trade Training Centre kitchen and bar.

The senior students in Units 3 and 4 designed the menu and drinks list and were then responsible for managing the incoming students in Units 1 and 2. This skill of supervising staff was quite challenging for some students but also very rewarding. This event creates a team atmosphere and a sense of comradery between all the students and gave the incoming students in Unit 1 and 2 an insight into what they can achieve in one year of training by seeing the Unit 3 and 4 students in action.

As well as the delicious food and drinks the parents informed on the opportunity for Hospitality/Kitchen Operations students to travel to our sister culinary school Notre Dame du Roc in France as part of the French study tour, once overseas travel is once again possible.

I would like to thank all the teachers and student who participated in making this such a fabulous series of events. Restaurant Nights are running throughout the year and dates are on the school calendar. Everyone is welcome to come and experience one of these gastronomic events by booking online through the school website /events/restaurant-night-2021.

Owen Stott
Director, Wurundjeri Trade Training Centre and
VET Hospitality and Kitchen Operations Teacher

"The Year 12 geography class ventured out to Harcrest Estate for a fieldwork. The aim, to find out about Harcrest Estate and interview the residents who lived there as part of our research project. Along with finding out plenty of information, it allowed the class an opportunity to work as a team."
Goerge Sajive

"It was good to experience and observe geographical concepts first hand. It was interesting to investigate what was at the estate as well as the type of people who live there. The fact that a quarry used to be on the site was also unthinkable, as there is no evidence of anything else ever being there."
Buster Todd

"The fieldwork trip to Harcrest Estate was a good experience to interact with the surrounding community and get to know what people like and dislike about the Estate through questionnaires and surveys. I built stronger connections with the people in my group whilst on this excursion. This helped group coordination and improved our public speaking/communication skills. This also helped build our sense of community within the college by expanding our knowledge outside our usual comfort zone."
Jack Catalano

"Our Year 12 Geography fieldwork excursion to Harcrest Estate, was an enjoyable and fantastic experience for our Year 12 Geography class as our class have gotten the experience to develop our understanding of the estate and our surroundings to develop our learning and gather a broader understanding of the estate through first hand geographic concepts and apply our new knowledge to our fieldwork reports as well as developing a greater relationship with our peers."
Bryce Cosham

鈥淣ick Tellus鈥� speech was inspirational and gave helpful advice about how you can never ask too many questions. The music performances were fantastic. It was a great evening and an honour to be acknowledged.鈥�
Monique Bambery, Year 9

鈥淭he notion of always asking why and searching for a deeper understanding is a great mindset. Going forward I will implement this in my learning.鈥�
Jayson Nestic, Year 10

"It was a great night celebrating Aquinas student鈥檚 diverse range of talents and achievements. Nick Tellus鈥� address was very insightful and provided helpful tips to aid me in my studies moving forward.鈥�
Jackson Boundy, Year 10

"Listening to Nick's address, he talked about the tips and his motivation that helped him achieve excellence that I am sure to take note of and incorporate for myself. His outstanding academic performance throughout his time at Aquinas has further inspired and motivated me to continue to pursue excellence in all aspects inside and outside school life."
Jay Tolentino, Year 10

As the numerous accolades that VCE Dux of 2020 and College Captain, Nicholas Tellus, had received were recounted at Celebrate Excellence! 鈥� the College鈥檚 Excellence evening, there was an audible buzz of awe and appreciation amongst some of the younger award recipients. Subsequently, as Nick addressed the audience and spoke about his learning journey and offered some motivational words and useful advice, the one hundred and sixty odd students listened intently.  That type of response is one of the reasons that we have continued to hold these award nights. Nick Tellus is a role model, and many of those younger award recipients already admire him and will want to emulate his success. 

In her address to the whole College community on the following day, current College Captain, Mikaela Tenney recalled her first days as a Year 7 and the impact that then Leader and himself a high achieving, excellent student Brett Honey had on the impressionable little Mikaela. But the excellence evening is not just about ATARs and VCE.  Anyone hearing the description of all the achievements and qualities of our Dux of VCAL, Jack Spicer, could not have helped but be impressed. Not just at school but also at TAFE and on the worksite, everyone agreed that here is an excellent young man. And the list goes one. 

Our recipients of College and ADF awards whose commitment to their studies but also the Arts, Sport, Social Justice and Leadership is so impressive.  Every year as part of the interviews for College Captains, applicants are asked to discuss the important influences on them as learners and leaders. Every year a number of aspiring College Captains speak about the student role models they have heard speak and present and receive recognition over their secondary schooling.  It is therefore so important then that we continue to offer the opportunity for that exposure to continue.

Meredith Greenwood
Head Senior Years

On Tuesday morning we welcomed the newest members of our community into their first whole school gathering as our Year 7s paraded into our Opening Mass. To rousing applause, our youngest students were extended a warm Aquinas welcome and Father Dispin John presided over a beautiful Mass. 

At the conclusion of Mass we moved into our Opening Assembly led by our College Leaders. The Deakin Shield was presented to Year 11 Dux (2020) Reuben Steen by Hon. Michael Sukkar MP who spoke to our community from Parliament House, Canberra. All student leaders were presented to the gathering and given their badges as they made a pledge to serve the community to the best of their ability. For the first time we were able to award our Spirit of Aquinas Awards to students who had received the most commendations by their teachers for their contribution to the life of the College and the welfare of others. 

Our Inspiring Young Women Leaders

On Thursday the 4th of March College Leaders Molly, Charlise, Mikaela, Grace and I attended Maroondah Councils annual International Women's Day Breakfast at Federation Estate. Joined by many other men and women to celebrate female empowerment, we were fortunate enough to witness a live presentation from the co-creators of "Too Peas in a Podcast" which is an online podcast sharing the strength of parents with children who have additional needs. We all thoroughly enjoyed it and we've tried to do it justice with some statements shared below. 

Listening to the both inspiring and captivating words of the women behind "Too Peas in a Podcast" really reaffirmed for me just how strong mothers are. I'll never forget such an experience and will carry both their energy and advice with me into my future, gaining "too" new strong women to idolise. 

Rory O'Brien
Year 12, College Leader

"Mandy and Kate (including several other women also) were so inspiring, at times they even brought tears to my eyes. I am so grateful to have been a part of such a wonderful event, I definitely intend to go again in the future years to come."
Charlise Smith

"What made Kate and Mandy even more unique and inspiring than the influential women in powerful roles we normally look up to, was that they are two Maroondah mums igniting change right before our eyes and uniting a community across the globe in between school pick up and drop offs plus a million other tasks. Truly strong and incredible women!"
Mikaela Tenney

"Kate and Mandy have gone through so much and are truly inspiring and powerful women. Listening to these ladies speak about their experiences with disabled twins really made me feel empowered even though I can鈥檛 directly relate, 鈥渋f they can do this I can totally get through my SACs this term!鈥�
Molly Daley

"The theme for International Women鈥檚 Day this year was 鈥楥hoose To Challenge鈥�. This theme was very much evident through the message of the guest speakers' inspiring story and also applicable to myself and my peer leaders, as it encouraged us to consider where we could 鈥榗hoose to challenge鈥� in our everyday lives."
Grace Scutt

In 2021 we have created the role of Senior Sports Captains. Ten Year 12 students applied for the position and the task of selecting the two Captains was challenging given the quality of the applicants.

The two successful candidates for the Sports Captains are Mikayla Aloi and Owen Foxwell. Apart from their involvement in a lot of sports activities across their years at 麻豆视频AV, they both have shown great leadership qualities already.

In their role this year, they will work with the Year 9 House Leaders, be involved with carnivals, present at assemblies and continue to encourage students to be part of any opportunities to play sport at Aquinas.

Congratulations to both of them.

Bernie Brummell
Sports Coordinator

On Tuesday night the Aquinas swimming team competed in the EISM Division 1 swimming carnival at MSAC at Albert Park. The squad had been training twice a week before school from 7am for the past month in preparation for the carnival. After last year鈥檚 best result for many years of finishing third, we again were aiming to continue our improvement.

We did again finish third (behind Huntingtower and Luther) but we were closer to second than last year. We were able to have swimmers in each event which was wonderful given we had some late withdrawals from the expected squad. A huge thank you to the swimmers who swam in higher age groups and to Liam Treeby and Will Elmer who joined the squad at the last moment.

The following students/teams had top 3 placings:

U13 boys - Medley Relay 2nd,  Freestyle Relay 1st
Tharwin Prarom - 50m A freestyle 1st Backstroke 1st Breaststroke 1st
Tristan Hew - 50m B freestyle 1st, Freestyle Relay 1st

U14 girls - Freestyle Relay 2nd
Grace Rider - Breaststroke 3rd, Freestyle Relay 2nd

U14 boys - Freestyle Relay 2nd
Oscar Dubois - 50m A freestyle 3rd Backstroke 1st Breaststroke 1st Butterfly 2nd
Sam Guerin - 50m B freestyle 3rd, Freestyle Relay 2nd

U16 girls - Medley Relay 2nd, Freestyle Relay 2nd 
Lexie Quinn - 50m A freestyle 3rd Backstroke 1st
Caitlyn Sultana - Breaststroke 3rd,  Freestyle Relay 2nd

U16 boys
Josh Nester - 50m A freestyle 3rd Breaststroke 2nd Butterfly 3rd

Open girls
Vanessa Linton - 50m B freestyle 3rd
Grace Higgins - Breaststroke 3rd

Congratulations to the following students who were in the squad that attended the carnival:

Girls: Isabelle Bowden,  Zoe Guerin, Gabby Hooper, Ava Breaden, Lucy Crouch, Jarrah Hammersley, Grace Rider, Hayley Laukens, Alyssa Martin, Gabby Linton, Emma Breaden, Chloe Chambers, Maddie Bowden, Lexie Quinn, Teagen Barden, Caitlyn Sultana, Kate Laukens, Sally Spicer, Grace Higgins, Vanessa Linton, Indi Clarke (Team Capt).

Boys: Tharwin Prarom, Tristan Hew, Ben Qi, Griffin Box, Jordan Bruton, Luke Clemow, Ethan Fredericks, Josh Crachi, Oscar Dubois, Sam Guerin, Josh Hiney, Sebastian Varela- Torres, Tom Vardy, Will Clemow, Connor Haughie, Josh Nester, Tom Cunningham, Winchester Walsh, Liam Treeby, WIll Elmer, Ivan Tato-Guo, & Jesse Meikle (Team Capt).

A huge thank you to the following staff who assisted with training and being at the carnival - Ms Renee Johns, Mr Scott Buchanan, Mr Darcy Taylor,  Ms Crystal Delosa, Mr Peter Jones, Mr Brad Gatherer,  Ms Olivia Spadea & Ms Jess Lane. Also congratulations to Ms  Megan Lemieszek (Team Manager) and Ms Teisha Hickleton (Coach) for all their superb effort with the preparation and organising of the squad.

As a result of the carnival, many students will be invited to the EISM Champions Carnival which is being held on Monday 22nd March at MSAC in the evening. This carnival is a carnival for the students to compete against the best swimmers from the 3 divisions (22 schools) in the EISM.

Bernie Brummell
Sports Coordinator

The VCAL students at Aquinas College traditionally raise funds for Project Compassion through their pancake making on Shrove Tuesday. Unfortunately with the "snap lockdown" that week, the students were unable to hold this event. Some of the VCAL students created posters to encourage the 麻豆视频AV community to donate to this cause. Donation boxes can be found at Middle Years and Senior Years receptions; in the ARC; and in Homeroom or Mentor classes.

Not sure you鈥檒l get value out of an Entertainment Membership?

• Head to Casalinga and save up to $40.
• A free frozen yoghurt at Tutti Frutti. 
• $10 off at Star Car Wash. 
• Coffee and cake or a loaf of bread at Laurent. 
• Up to $50 off at Sushi Hub. 
• $50 off a major car service at ABS Auto. 

All this within a few kilometres from Aquinas. And there is so much more…JB HiFi, Woolworths, WISH e-gift cards, Dan Murphy鈥檚, Rebel Sports, Big W, The Iconic…

Don鈥檛 forget that 20% from each Membership contributes to the Mary Rice Centre in Nairobi.

Spartans will be open on Saturday March 6th from 9am to 12pm as well as our regular trading hours of Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm. 

When families are ready to purchase their Winter uniform you can head in store or purchase online. Just a reminder...the first Saturday in April falls on the Easter weekend so Spartans will not be open.

Read more about the 麻豆视频AV uniform requirements