Weekly Reflection

Prayer of St Francis of Assisi

Many Catholics are familiar with the prayer known as the Prayer of Saint Francis. Usually, it is ascribed to St Francis of Assisi, the founder of the Franciscan order who died in 1226. However the Prayer of Saint Francis is only a century old. The prayer first appeared in a French publication in 1912, and was translated into English in 1927.

The Italian publication of 1916 was made at the order of Pope Benedict XV, who worked tirelessly for peace during World War I and saw the Prayer of Saint Francis as a tool in his campaign to end the war.

Similarly, the Prayer of Saint Francis became well known in the United States during World War II, when Francis Cardinal Spellman, the archbishop of New York, had millions of copies distributed to the Catholic faithful to encourage them to pray for peace.

There is no parallel to the Prayer of Saint Francis in the known writings of St Francis of Assisi, but after a century, the prayer is known today only by this title.

The Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi

Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace;
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is error, the truth;
Where there is doubt, the faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
And where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled, as to console;
To be understood, as to understand;
To be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. 

Amen.

Shaun Coates

Director of Catholic Identity

From the Principal

Welcome back to 2022. I hope that all students and their families enjoyed a happy and healthy Christmas break and that students are refreshed and excited to return to school.

While it is disappointing that the spectre of COVID is still hanging over our heads, there seems to be a sense that we will be able to keep our schools open this time around.

During the break, I read Jacinda Ardern’s biography and was taken by the phrase “Relentless positivity”, which formed the basis for her successful election campaign. This is a good mindset for us to develop as we begin the 2022 school year.

I have received confirmation from our Archbishop Peter Comensoli that the new name for our school will be St Francis Catholic College, after St Francis of Assisi.

This is an ideal choice on which to build a strong charism at the College. Over the next 12 months, we will develop a new logo, motto and branding to launch the new name at the start of 2023.

Any uniform changes will be gradual so as not to place a financial burden on our families.

Thank you to the working party of students, parents, and staff who contributed to this very exciting development at the College.

2021 College Dux

Congratulations to our Dux Solomon Miesen. Solomon was an outstanding member of the College student leadership team in 2021 and still managed to balance his commitments to study, achieving the well-deserved title of Dux for 2021.

Pleasingly, 96% of our VCE students received a first-round tertiary offer and all students from the 2021 graduating class have found successful pathways to either employment or further study.

This is an outstanding achievement for our school community and speaks volumes about the collaboration between year-level coordinators, careers advisors, teachers, students and parents. This strong partnership has proved time and time again to deliver the best possible outcomes for all of our students.

I am looking forward to the 2022 school year and wish all our parents and students a safe and healthy start to Term 1.

Marlene Jorgensen

Principal

Looking Ahead

Dates to remember
Wednesday 2 FebruaryYear 9 Gadal Information Night (online via Teams)
Friday 4 FebruaryStudent ID photos - Year 7 and new students only. Full school uniform required.
Thursday 10 FebruaryYear 7 2022 Information Evening 
Wednesday 16 FebruaryYear 12 Information Evening
Tuesday 22 February2021 Senior Awards Ceremony
Wednesday 23 February Parents and Friends meeting


Deputy Principal Learning and Teaching

I want to begin by welcoming all new families to the CRC Melton community.

Educating a child is a partnership between teachers, parents, guardians and the community. We continue to reflect and review how we can best support your child during their journey at the College.

Our 2021 graduating class achieved amazing results despite the challenge of completing their senior secondary education during two pandemic years.

Our Top 10 VCE ATAR students, those receiving subject Dux and 40+ study scores and our high achieving VCAL and VET students will be invited back to celebrate this success at our Senior Awards Ceremony.

Our Careers team worked diligently to ensure the Year 12 2021 student cohort were placed in pathway options of employment or further study.

In the first round of tertiary offers, 85% of students received their first or second preference.

Several students received early entry offers from tertiary institutions, including Victoria University (VU). The College received a recognition award from VU acknowledging applications for these early entry offers (see image below).

The Senior Awards Ceremony also acknowledges our 2021 Year 10 and 11 students who achieved academic excellence, leadership success and community recognition.

Current COVID restrictions led us to postpone this year’s ceremony to 22 February, by which time we hope to have as many students and families present as possible to celebrate. More information will be sent to families as it becomes available.

Year 7 PAT testing

PAT Testing in reading comprehension and numeracy will be held for Year 7 students in Week 2. This allows Year 7 staff to tailor teaching to class and students’ learning needs. Testing will occur in English and Maths classes between 9 and 11 February. Students require their fully charged device and all tests are online.

New STEM space

Once the new Gadal extension is complete, Year 9 students will access a purpose-built STEM ideation space.

This space will provide a range of equipment to enhance learning innovation and support our introduction of Project-Based Learning (PBL).

Our partnership with Wyndham Technical School (WTS) aims to enhance the current IT options and expand our STEM ideas. WTS provides opportunities to solve real-life issues with industry partnerships.

I look forward to meeting our new families throughout the year at various College events. We hope that there will be more opportunities to have families on-site as the year progresses.

Joanne Holmes

Deputy Principal Learning and Teaching

From the Deputy Principal Student Wellbeing

The start of the school year is always a precious time of new beginnings, fresh ideas and formulating goals to achieve throughout the year. We have hopes for what the year may bring and are excited by the prospect of learning new things.

It has been wonderful to hear the students chatting and laughing with their friends during each break time, engaging in many different conversations about their experiences over the holidays.

Having benefited from the Jump Start program at the end of 2021, each student already has a sense of how the year will look, enabling them to focus immediately on their learning goals.

Alongside this, we ask them to live out our Core Wellbeing Values of Community, Empathy and Endeavour. Students will delve deep into the meaning of each value and consider how we can unite to contribute towards the continued success of the College. This will further develop our students’ faith and independence as they flourish and grow.

Student ID photographs

On Friday 4 February, school ID photos have been scheduled for Year 7 and new students.

Full school uniform with the blazer is required, regardless of PE classes on that day.

Cheryl Bullen

Deputy Principal Student Wellbeing - Melton Campus

Year 9 Gadal Information Night

The Year 9 Gadal Information Night will be held online tomorrow, Wednesday 2 February at 7pm via Microsoft Teams.

The event will be run in the Year 9 student Team. Parents and guardians can join on their child’s device or use their CRC Melton login details.

Although students are welcome to attend, the information night is primarily for parents and guardians.

New Canteen Ordering App

We are excited to announce that the CRC canteen has a new lunch order service provider this year called Flexischools.

Flexischools is a lunch order service App with some great features. The App offers cashless convenience and you can order at any time that suits you. With Flexischools, either parent or student can order and manage the account and you can set automatic top-ups for when the funds get below a certain level.

Pre-ordering lunch ensures it is ready at the start of your child’s lunch break and pick-up is quick and easy. They can choose what they like online, ensuring they get a nutritious and filling lunch.

To set up an account, do an online search for Flexischools, register for an account and follow the prompts.

We have information brochures in the canteen that your child can bring home if you need more information.

If any families still have funds with Ultimate Schools, you should have received an email about how to apply for a refund. If you have any queries about this, please contact Ultimate Schools directly.

We look forward to working with you and your children again this year. Please do not hesitate to contact us via the College reception if you have any queries.

To set up an account, do an online search for Flexischools, register for an account and follow the prompts.
CRC Melton Canteen

College supports local Dinka language community on Australia Day

The College has a long history of supporting local communities and building connections. It provides community groups with access to school facilities, enabling them to run events that promote community participation and inclusion.

This year, the College hosted an Australia Day event to support the local Dinka language community.

The Dinka Ethnic School of Victoria is a community language school that has operated since 2019. The school provides language lessons in Dinka, one of the main languages of South Sudan, to school-aged children on Saturdays in our Trade Training Centre. The school is funded through the Department of Education and Training.

This year the Dinka Ethnic School was sponsored by the National Australia Day Council to host an event that allowed the school community and broader community of Dinka language speakers the opportunity to reflect, respect and acknowledge the multiple stories of Australians.

Guest speakers from the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Cultural Heritage provided a Welcome to Country that both educated the community on Indigenous perspective and history of the day and created strong and lasting connections between the communities.

The day was an opportunity for all to be part of the Australian story and recognise the shared values we have. As well as increasing connections and fostering a sense of belonging, the day showcased the talent among members of the Dinka Ethnic School.

Principal Mrs Marlene Jorgensen said there were many benefits to supporting community groups such as the Dinka Ethnic School including improved relationships between groups, increased connection between school and home and better engagement with parents, which led to improved outcomes for students.

“It is important that schools are outward facing and that we continue to look for opportunities to build connections with the large variety of cultural groups that make up our diverse community,” Mrs Jorgensen said.

“Only through dialogue and connection can we build trust, empathy and a deep understanding of those with whom we live and learn.”

Despite the heat, the Dinka students found ways to enjoy the day and reflected on being Australian through games, songs, and speeches.

Special thanks to the National Australia Day Council who made the day possible and supported the local community to tell their stories.

Useful Links

Keep up to date with College events, procedures, resources and information via the links below.

PAM – Parent Portal

Parent Handbook

Enrolment

Cobblebank Campus

Facebook

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Policies

Uniform

Library

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