From the Principal

Congratulations to our students who have transitioned so seamlessly back to Distance Learning Mode (DLM).

Last week we saw very high compliance with the new requirements to wear masks followed by the switch this week to DLM.

We know that most students prefer to be at school in the company of friends and with the benefit of face to face instruction. However, we are grateful for the technology available at Catholic Regional College Melton and for the hard-working staff who ensure that learning continues despite the challenges of this fourth lockdown.

One of the benefits of a lockdown is that we are all forced to slow down, stay home and relax a little.

While relaxing this Sunday, I started watching Gardening Australia and heard Karen Mundine speak about Reconciliation Week. Karen is CEO of Reconciliation Australia, an organisation formed in the wake of the momentum of the 2000 walk across the Sydney Harbor Bridge.

This year’s Reconciliation Week theme is More than a word. Reconciliation takes action.

The 2021 theme is a powerful reminder that rhetoric is insufficient. Reconciliation is a journey, and this year’s theme asks all Australians to consider:

• What is it I can do to build reconciliation?
• How do we as educators tell the story of our nations first people?
• What does it mean to reconcile with our first nations people?
• What are the actions that I can take?

In 2021, Mrs Daniella Harrington was appointed as Project Officer Indigenous Students. Her role is to work with our Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander students to ensure we close the gap in numeracy and literacy and ensure the best possible pathways outside of school for our students.

I encourage you to read about some of her work in this week’s newsletter.

Another necessity of lockdown 4.0 is the transition back to Mass for You at Home. This separation from the community is not ideal, but the format has recently undergone a revamp.

I recommend Mass for You at Home to our families as a way to maintain our prayer life together.

Mass for You at Home, which up till now had been produced in the studios of Channel Ten, has a new base in the Diocese of Wollongong (NSW). The Mass is celebrated in St John Vianney Co-Cathedral, Wollongong. It airs at 6am Sunday on Channel Ten and is repeated multiple times on Foxtel’s Aurora channel.

Looking Ahead

View the full College Calendar

From the Deputy Principal Student Wellbeing

As a community, we must work in partnership to educate and inform our young people on behaviours that can put them at risk.

E-cigarettes or vaping has increased in the local community, and we need to ensure we are all fully informed of the risks associated with this activity.

E-cigarettes or vapes are devices that deliver an aerosol by heating a solution that users breathe in. The aerosol is referred to as vapour.

Using an e-cigarette is commonly referred to as vaping. They are promoted as a safe alternative to cigarettes through social media by influencers on Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.

Please be aware, they are not safe, especially for adolescents, whose developing brains may suffer lifelong adverse effects from products that contain nicotine.

E-cigarettes have not been around long enough to assess the long-term effects vapours have on the body.

It is important to have an open dialogue with young people and talk to them about risk-taking behaviours to keep them safe. Remember to:

• Discuss the topics of concern early and frequently.
• Discuss vaping when your child is likely to listen and be open to the conversation.
• Be educated and know the facts about the harm vaping does to the body.
• Lead by example and do not use e-cigarettes when children are present.

Below is a fact sheet provided by the Victorian Department of Education and Training that outlines the ban on all smoking and vaping  within the grounds of, and within four metres of an entrance to, all childcare centres, kindergartens, preschools and schools.

Click on this link to read the full Fact Sheet: Smoking and Vaping Ban Factsheet

Lockdown 4.0

As we find ourselves in another lockdown, it is a timely reminder to find ways to support your child through Distance Learning Mode (DLM) and help them become stronger and develop their resilience during these difficult times.

Here are some reminders about how to keep you and your child connected and motivated:

• Keep to regular sleep patterns by going to bed and waking up at the same time.
• Ensure meals are eaten at the usual time.
• Try and keep to a consistent exercise schedule.
• Encourage frequent contact with friends, via phone or online meeting.
• Recognise that during times like this, it is normal to feel stressed.
• Practice accepting and tolerating uncertainty.
• Consider skills used in the past to cope with unpredictable events and draw on these again.
• Practice positive self-talk.
• Keep informed about the facts from reliable sources. Limit media exposure so it does not become overwhelming.
• Seek additional support if needed: Lifeline (13 11 14); Kids Helpline (1800 551 800); Eheadspace; Reachout.com; your child’s homeroom teacher or Year Level Coordinator

Parents and guardians who would like assistance to support their child's mental health through COVID-19 are invited to a free webinar hosted by headspace next Wednesday 9 June at 6pm.

Click here to find out more and register

More helpful advice on coping with stress related to COVID-19 is available in the headspace fact sheet below.

headspace Fact Sheet - Coping with COVID 19 Stress

From the Deputy Principal Learning and Teaching

Last Friday, our teachers spent time planning for the move to Distance Learning Mode this week.

Teachers will discuss goals or learning intentions with students each day and provide structured and engaging lessons.

To ensure our Year 7 and 8 students manage their lesson and screen time, they will have 60-minute lessons with a 15-minute break at the end.

We ask parents and guardians to work with their child on how this break is best spent. Ideas include exercise, creative time, reading, finishing incomplete school tasks or playing.

Keeping on top of stress and anxiety during this time is important. All students can engage in learning when they feel positive about their own wellbeing.

The Year 10 and 11 Exam Timetable and Year 7 and 8 Timed Assessment Tasks (TATs) have been adjusted for our current lockdown. Our Year Level Coordinators have sent the new timelines to students. As mentioned last week, students should keep these ideas in mind when preparing for exams.

At this point, our Year 11 and 12 VCE students undertaking Unit 3/4 VCE subjects will complete the General Achievement Test (GAT) on Wednesday 9 June. There has been no change to this date.

Semester 2 subject changes for Year 9 electives and Year 10 and 11 subjects close at 3.20pm on 16 June. No further changes can be made after this date. Students will be notified by email of successful changes providing class numbers and the timetable allows this. Families must obtain all equipment (eg texts, stationary, Edrolo) for the new subject for the beginning of Semester 2.

This has been and continues to be a busy term. Being flexible and agile in response to changes we have no control over allows us to navigate the experience successfully. I am sure the hard and dedicated work being undertaken by students and staff will bring great rewards.

Reconciliation Week

Cape York Immersion 2021

In the second week of the Term 1 school holidays, Year 11 student Nicholas Borg and our Project Officer Indigenous Students Mrs Daniela Harrington joined 15 students and two staff from CRC North Keilor on an immersion to Indigenous homelands and communities in Cape York, North Queensland.

Nicholas was asked to describe the journey and his experience. Here is his story.

Mrs Harrington and I, along with 15 other students and two teachers, spent ten days and eight nights experiencing the culture and people of Yalangi Country, which is made up of five tribes and multiple clans.

We began our trip with an early morning flight to Cairns and then boarded our four-wheel-drive bus and drove north to the Daintree River in the Daintree Rainforest. We took a river cruise where we saw local wildlife such as baby crocodiles, crabs, archer fish (which shot Mrs Harrington in the eye) and tree snakes.

We then boarded our bus and took a six-hour trip inland (due to flooding damage to the roads) and set up camp at Wujal Wujal – our first homeland.

We were Welcomed On Country and received a blessing at Wujal Wujal Falls, which is a sacred site. We the visited Black Mountain, also a sacred site, and heard stories about the spiritual history of these sites.

Here we swam in beautiful water holes, heard stories from the elders, worked on a community project building a BBQ shelter and preparing a vegetable patch. We cooked all our meals and even attended a local disco. We participated in men’s and women’s business - the men made spears and the women painted and learned about women’s ways.

We then travelled about four hours to our second homeland, Bana. Here we set up our campsite.

We were Welcomed On Country, attended language classes to learn some of the Kuki Yalanji language, and cooled off in some beautiful watering holes.

We learnt about the seasonal calendar and foraged for bush tucker such as green ants and plums. We visited more sacred sites, heard Dreamtime stories, participated in art workshops and help prepared a traditional ground feast.

We spent our time with community members. One of the funniest times was when we danced. The men danced the shake the leg, crocodile dance, kangaroo dance, the hawk and honey tree dance. The women also danced – it was like a shake your skirt dance, but we cannot remember the name. It was heaps of fun.

We finally packed up our camp and travelled inland for six hours and back to Port Douglas as there were heavy rains and the roads had become dangerous.

In Port Douglas we stayed in a camping ground with a pool and water park. Here we slept under the stars for two nights and enjoyed our last meal together.

On our second last day we went snorkelling in the Outer Great Barrier Reef.

We had such a wonderful time, learnt a lot, experienced so much and will be forever grateful to have spent time with the communities and the people and to have been able to learn more about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, history and lives.

This trip was an eye-opening experience for me and the other students and teachers, particularly learning the language and traditions of these Indigenous communities. Each day I felt more connected to these communities, and being Indigenous myself, I felt a stronger connection with the land and want to learn more about my tribe.

Nicholas Borg - Year 11 student

2021 Production - Tickets on Sale Now

Don't miss out on securing your seat at the 2021 College Production. Tickets for all three performances are now on sale.

Showtimes are:

Friday 23 July at - 7pm

Saturday 24 July - 1pm

Saturday 24 July - 6.30pm

Tickets cost $20 for adults and $15 for students, concession card holders and pensioners.

Tickets will sell quickly so get your family together and book your seat to make sure you don't miss this year’s amazing production.

Go Wildcats!

Click here to book your tickets to the 2021 CRC Melton Production.

Theology and Ethics Competition Winners

Our Theology and Ethics writing competition attracted some thought-provoking entries with three winners chosen in two divisions.

Students were asked to choose a stimulus statement from one category (theology, philosophy or religion) in their year-level division and write a response.

The winner in the senior division was Nathan Furtado of 11M who chose the philosophy stimulus: "The nature and purpose of human life is to reach eternal life/ heaven." Discuss.

Nathan posed some interesting questions such as “Should humans spend their life on earth believing in a place after Earth that may not even exist? What is the purpose on Earth then, if heaven is eternal happiness? Is eternal happiness even possible?”. He also discussed a range of perspectives on the nature of our existence and the possibility of an afterlife.

Religious perspective

“Following religion is an easy way for humans to understand their purpose. Not only does it address the incomprehensible way the universe was formed and the nature of reality, but it outlines what morals and purposes humans should follow in their daily lives."

Scientific perspective

“If we only judge humans by their physical capabilities as organisms, then the primary purpose for humans is to reproduce and live as long as possible.”

Philosophical and Historical perspective.

“Existentialism contends that purpose in life is dictated by the individual, that humans have truly free will and live a life the way they feel the need to live it. This also means that there is no inherent purpose for all humans universally. And that's a good thing. Life is an individual experience, no two humans will have the exact same memories, actions and personalities.”

Our winners in the Junior division were Alanis Furtado of 8C and Hannah Dalumpines of 7A who both chose the philosophy stimulus: "We should not always save human life." Do you agree? Show that you have considered both sides of the argument.

Alanis approached the stimulus statement from the perspectives of religion and philosophy discussing the Catholic belief about the dignity and value of human life and using the well known Trolley Problem to make her point. She emphasised her own perspective with this statement: “Instead of deciding the worthiness of a person, we should instead spread the message of God and live our lives the best way possible, to show mercy, compassion and love, just as Jesus did….to save each and every human life, because the life God has given us is a gift. What every person decides to make of themselves is their own decision, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t spend our lives in aid of others.”

Hannah discussed the good and the evil of human nature and contemplated the idea that as a species, our way of living naturally leads to loss of human life. She concluded her response with this strong statement “So, the answer to the question "We should not always save human life" is that it's already biting away at itself. Human life is not something to toy with but if we keep repeating the same cycle then we will not be able to save others, including ourselves.”

All three winners will receive a $50 Woodgrove Shopping Centre voucher for their responses. We will run the competition again later this year and look forward to reading more fantastic entries.

2021 Ensemble Camp

Our College Vocal, Guitar and Percussion ensembles travelled to Healesville last Wednesday to attend the annual Ensemble Camp.

Students took part in rehearsals and were scheduled to perform at St Brigid’s Primary School, Healesville, on the way home. However, due to the COVID-19 lockdown announcement, we could not perform and returned a day early from the camp.

Despite the disappointing news, students adapted well and performed their newly learnt repertoire to each other, showing incredible support and encouragement.

Once the lockdown was announced, students swung into action, packing up equipment and their rooms. Every student pitched in and the teamwork shown was inspiring.

Upon return to the College at 6pm on Thursday, the students once again helped put away equipment and instruments before heading home. We thank parents and guardians for their patience on the night and for promptly picking up their children when plans were changed at short notice.

The Ensemble Camp is an excellent experience for students involved in our College ensembles. The skills, friendships and experiences are remembered and valued for years to come.

Food Fiesta

Some of our Year 9 students shared great food and their thoughts on friendship last week as part of their Rite Journey experience.

During the mid-term Food Fiesta (held before COVID-19 restrictions were introduced), each student brought in some delicious food for the class. They gathered to enjoy the feast and shared very insightful ideas and personal moments of their experiences around friendship in their lives so far.

The focus of this class was not only to recharge the students during the middle of a long term but to change the setting and spark great conversations.

Futsal Tournament

A cold Melbourne morning did not deter our intermediate futsal teams that travelled to the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre on 24 May to compete in a one-day tournament.

Although our girl’s team did not score a win, the students showed their competitive edge and played close games against tough competition. The team of seven played five games that consisted of two nine-minute halves with the following results: 1-1 draw, 3-1 loss, 4-0 loss, 4-2 loss and a 3-1 loss. The team are to be congratulated for their fighting spirit and enthusiasm.

Our boy’s team ended the day with two wins, one draw and two narrow losses. They finished third overall and just missed out on the final. All students thoroughly enjoyed their day.

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