Marian News · 2019-11-01 · Marian News A ommunit growing in Faith & Love Serving Others Striving to Achieve Thining for the Future Student Wellbeing AWARDS NIGHT CELEBRATION On

Marian News A Community growing in Faith & Love • Serving Others • Striving to Achieve • Thinking for the Future

Marian College196 Glengala Rd

West Sunshine 3020Phone 9363 1711Fax 9363 2386www.mariansw.catholic.edu.au

ISSUE 1428 OCTOBER 2019A Community growing in Faith & Love • Serving Others • Striving to Achieve • Thinking for the Future

» Marian News, PG. PB

Marian NewsFrom the PrincipalYou may have heard the term Project Learning. In this way of learning students are involved in working on a project over an extended period of time, from a week, month or semester. They will be involved in solving a real-world problem or answering a difficult or complex question. In the end, they illustrate their knowledge and skills by developing and generating a public product or presentation for a live audience. In this way the students develop and demonstrate a deep understanding of the content as well as exhibit qualities of critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, and communication skills.

Our VCAL students have been using this type of learning over the course of the year. In early 2019 they submitted a proposal to the School Leadership Team that centred on working on a project which they called MC Fest. The ultimate aim was to present a night of entertainment to the Marian Community in the form of a film festival that would incorporate student made short films. However, the students discovered that there was more to their project than they could imagine. For example, they had to give the public a strong reason to attend and that resulted in organising a wider range of entertainment activities including dance and rock band performances as well as carnival novelties. This extended the concept a great deal so they also developed plans for catering, general administration, scheduling and public participation.

On Friday 25 October, the students extensive efforts paid off when MC Fest was held at the College and over 650 people attended to enjoy the program that was presented. The food trucks, Leo’s Club barbecue, Lolly shop and confectionary stand provided the sustenance. The dance group, school rock band and the short films provided the entertainment. The carnival activities provided opportunities for families and young people to enjoy happy times together. There was a wonderful spirit of hospitality, joyfulness and pleasure as the large crowd took advantage of this community-inspired event.

As an added bonus, the Design Education department also supported the night by curating the annual Design Education Exhibition. There was a fantastic array of student creativity and talent on show. Those who attended the Exhibition were full of praise for the quality of the designs, folios and final pieces of artwork in the various genres. Congratulations to all the students who had their works exhibited and to all the staff who are wonderful mentors to all the students.

It is important to acknowledge the efforts of those VCAL students who were central to the organisation and presentation of MC Fest. They showed traits of perseverance, teamwork, communication and diligence to ensure that the night was such a success. Furthermore, the Applied Learning staff have capably and expertly supported the students throughout the development and formation stage of the project. We also thank the many staff who supported the students on the night by attending and offering various forms of assistance. The VCAL students and staff have much to be proud of in offering their time and talent, in this year of hospitality, to the wider Marian Community.

Raymond Pisani - Principal

EVENTS:OCTOBER30th• Wellbeing Parent

Evening - Resilience Project - 7pm

NOVEMBER4th• Staff Professional

Practice Day. No Students

• Melbourne Cup. Public Holiday

6th• Excursion Yr 9 Just

Do It• VCAA Written

Examination

7th• VCAA Written

Examination

8th• VCAA Written

Examination• Unplugged Day

11th• Marian News• Year 10/11 Study Day

12th• Open Morning 9am• Year 10 and 11

Examinations

14th• Year 10 and 11

Examinations

15th• Year 10 and 11

Examinations

As a Catholic Community we respect the

Wurrundjeri people, traditional custodians of the land which our

College resides and commit ourselves to reconciliation

and justice for all in our community

and nation.

PRAYER Thank you, God, for the tremendous sacrifices made by those who have gone before us. Bless the memories of your saints, God. May we learn how to walk wisely from their examples of faith, dedication, worship, and love.

Amen.


Faith and MissionALL SAINTS DAY AND ALL SOULS DAYAll Saints Day, is celebrated every year on November 1. On this day Catholics honour all those who have entered heaven. All Saints’ Day, also known as the Feast of All Saints

Many of the known saints have their own feast day during the year however, on November 1, the Catholic Church remembers them all through the Solemnity of All Saints. For the saints that we do not have as much information about, or for those whose feats are still relatively unsung, the day offers an opportunity to commemorate their accomplishments and to pray to them, asking for their intercession.

The first evidence of Christians celebrating the Saints comes from the second century AD when churches celebrated local saints. Those honoured varied by location. As time went on, feast days slowly became more universal.

All Saints Day was formally established in 609 AD by Pope Boniface IV, although it was then held on May 13. In Eastern Churches, All Saints Day is marked on the first Sunday after Pentecost. The pontiff also created All Souls Day which is now held one day after the feast of All Saints on November 2.

Leo Mc Inerney - Assistant to the Principal - Faith and Mission

Learning & TeachingEND OF YEAR EXAMINATIONS AND ASSESSMENTSWe wish all of our Year 12 students and other students studying Unit 3/4 VCE Studies every success in their VCAA Examinations that commence on Wednesday 30 October. We look forward to hearing of their achievements later in the year.

In the last edition, I wrote about the End-of-Semester Examinations and the importance of each student performing to potential in these important assessment tasks. Please refer to that edition of Marian News, as well as the letter given to all students, for details. Year 10 and 11 Examinations run from Tuesday 12 November to Monday 18 November and the timetable is available on the SEQTA Examination Information Portal Page for students and parents. Year 9 Examinations will take place on 28 and 29 November and a letter outlining details will be distributed soon.

CLASSES COMMENCE AND RESOURCES FOR 2020Students have received notification of their VCE subject allocations for 2020. This week only, from Monday 28 October to Friday 1 November, there is an opportunity for students to request a change of subjects. Applications to change will be considered but will not be possible in all cases.

On 21 November, students will commence their VCE classes for 2020. The VCE Resource List is available through OfficeMax and information has been sent via SEQTA Message to all families. The information is also available on the SEQTA Engage Parent Welcome Page. Resources must be ordered by Friday 8 November to ensure delivery to homes, prior to Commencement Classes. It is essential that students attend all of the scheduled classes with the required resources.

Our current Year 9 students, who have enrolled in an acceleration study for 2020, attend the VCE Unit 1 Commencement Classes. They will require the resources for that study.

There will also be a VCAL Orientation Program for all students enrolled in the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning for 2020. This begins on Tuesday 12 November. Jane Goddard - Assistant to the Principal - Learning and Teaching

From the ArchivesDID YOU KNOW?In 2014 eight teams from Marian College participated in the Royal Australian Chemical Institute crystal growing competition. The wonderful news was that one of our teams, consisting of Tran Vu, Katina Nguyen and Selina Nguyen (Year 9) received a second place in the Victorian State Open Division. This was an amazing feat as over 400 schools participated in this prestigious event. Source: Marian News: 2014 August.Marilyn Taylor - Archivist


Student WellbeingAWARDS NIGHT CELEBRATIONOn Thursday 17 October, we celebrated our annual Awards Night to acknowledge over 160 students for their achievement and commitment over the course of 2019.

We also acknowledged the class of 2019, lead by Nikki and Gauri our Lamp Bearers for 2019, as they formally completed their studies.

Mr Pisani, in his formally opening to the gathering, spoke about 3 questions that we may be asked by GOD. He spoke about achievement, recognition and commitment to finding those answers.

We then recognised over 160 students who have demonstrated our core values – Strength and Kindness, Living with Joy and Wonder, Practising Justice and Service, Welcoming and Including All and Love of Learning.

The final awards of the evening are the Delany Awards for:• Achievement and Endeavour• Sporting Awards for Achievement and Endeavour• Performing Arts Awards for Achievement and Endeavour

WE announced our most significant award for the evening, our Kinsella Award, to recognise one student for their commitment and living out of all our core values for the 6 years at Marian.

That award went to the very worthy recipient – LISA NGUYEN.

We thank all of our families and students for supporting this very significant event on our school calendar. We have many students who strive each year to do their best whether it be from a learning and teaching or relationship perspective. It is fitting that we recognise these students at our awards night.

STUDENT LEADERSHIP TEAM FOR 2020As we farewell our class of 2019 we are now in a position to announce our Year 12 Leadership team for 2020.

Since the end of Term 3 we have been working with our Year 11 student leaders as they have gone through the process of selection of our Lamp Bearers for 2020.

This has involved attendance at our Leadership Day in September, a written application to Mr Pisani and then an interview process with the selection panel of Mrs Stafford (Director of Students), Ms Williams (Assistant to the Principal - Student Wellbeing) and Mr Pisani our Principal.

The process concluded with interviews of the candidates and then the Year 11 cohort and staff had the opportunity to vote for any two of the candidates.

It is with much pleasure that we introduce our Lamp Bearers and Student Representative Council for 2020.

Lamp Bearers – Farah Besisou and Dahlia CremonaStudent Representative Council – Mia Rappazzo, Ari Veseli, Indiana Hatzakortzian and Jenny Pham.

This is a very strong leadership team and we look forward to adding to it in the weeks ahead with leaders from our Social Justice groups. After that we will begin setting goals for our student leaders in 2020. We will work extensively on this at our Leadership Retreat in the middle of November.

UNIFORM REMINDERSAs we enter the last part of Term 4 we remind all of our students of the expectation of wearing either the full summer uniform or the Health and PE uniform over the course of the week. Hoodies are not part of our school uniform.A reminder to note the expectations that we have for jewellery and nail polish.

RESILIENCE PROJECT EVENING ON WEDNESDAY 30TH OCTOBERAs part of our wellbeing program we strive to develop in our students a level of resilience and the ability to deal with the challenges of being an adolescent in the 21st Century. To support this aim we have organised a parent evening for Wednesday 30 October where the Resilience Project will give our parents strategies in supporting their children through their adolescent years.

A Care Monkey invitation has been sent out to all families and booking is via Try Booking.

We look forward to giving all of our families an insight into the presentation in the next edition of the Marian News.

PREPARATION FOR EXAMSAs we approach the exam period for students in Years 10 to 12 we remind our families that this can be a stressful time for students.

It is important that we ensure that our students are getting enough sleep and downtime as they prepare for exams. They may get emotional and find the time challenging. We need to support them and help them through this time by doing all we can to remind them that this time is only a short stage in the educational journey. Kerrie Williams - Assistant to the Principal - Student Wellbeing


Student WellbeingIRELAND PILGRIMAGE – WHAT A PRIVILEGEI had the extraordinary opportunity, along with Michael Baddeley our Business Manager, to attend a Kildare Ministries Ireland Pilgrimage over the September school holidays.

In my time at Marian, I have been immersed in the Brigidine Story, that of St. Brigid and Daniel Delany, and I thought that I had a reasonably good understanding of Brigid the Saint and Brigid the Goddess. I have also been part of the transition into Kildare Ministries and was present on the day the new ministry was launched.

Now, having been to Ireland and represented our school, I know I have gained an even deeper understanding of that story and the story before it.

The first part of the pilgrimage was spent learning more about Ireland’s Celtic spirituality and the history of this amazing country that included the work of St Kevin and St Patrick and how the seasons are very much part of this spirituality.

Those seasons are marked on the Celtic Cycle. February 1, St Brigid’s feast day, is the beginning of Imbolc the beginning of Spring in the Northern Hemisphere. May 1 or May day is Bealtaine which is a time to celebrate the coming of Summer. Lughnasa, in early August, mark the harvest time and Samhain or Halloween on October 31 marks the end of the yearly cycle and is a time of waiting and reflection.

The second part of the pilgrimage was learning more about the story of Nano Nagle, founder of the Presentation Order, and her commitment to the people of Cork. This exceptional woman, who was born into a life of privilege, was educated in France and when she returned to her homeland recognised the need to work for and educate the poor Catholic children of Cork. She started a number of secret schools to give these children an opportunity of a better life. Now the Presentation Sisters are found in many parts of the world, in both schools and community works, continuing the work that Nano began in the 1700’s.

The final part of the journey was spent in Tullow and Kildare immersed in the story of Daniel Delany the founder of the Brigidine Order. Kildare where, in the 4th Century St Brigid established an abbey and Church, became the driving force behind Daniel Delany re-establishing the order of St Brigid in Tullow in 1807.

Firstly, we ventured to Tullow and the Convent and Church started by Daniel Delany in 1807. The convent is still part of the present day Brigidine Sisters and was a place of welcome and hospitality for all of us. It gave us an insight into the life of Daniel and we learned more about his work with the poor of Tullow. He worked to give those members of the community an opportunity for education and support when penal laws stretched across Ireland.

Finally, we found our way to Kildare where St Brigid lived from 454 CE to 525 CE. It was during this time that Brigid established an abbess and church and whose ruins still exist today in the grounds of St. Brigid’s Cathedral. In this area, where the Brigidine Sisters have now established Solas Bhride Brigidine Centre, Brigid the Saint began her nunnery and she became interwoven into the history of Ireland as Goddess of the Good, protector of women, protector of fertility, protector of crops and of health.

The Brigidine Cross, a sign of fertility, is woven each evening before St Brigid’s Feast Day and then placed over the entrance to the doors of the house or farm to bring healing and protective powers to the home.

St Brigid of Ireland, protector of the poor in her lifetime, has become known in Ireland as Muire na Gael – Mary of the Gael – Our lady of the Irish.

For this pilgrim, being immersed in the story of Brigid and Daniel made me feel that the story that I had learned in my time at Marian had far more richness and depth than I was aware of. It has also reminded me on my return that part of my role is to ensure that as we move further and further into the Kildare Ministries story we keep alive, in our students, the Brigidine Story. Its history and the vision that both St. Brigid and Daniel had for the children of Ireland of their time is one that we share for our students at Marian in the 21st Century.

The pilgrimage has offered me a greater understanding of the story, the history and the work of people before me. In moving forward, I strive to continue to keep the story alive in those students we work with every day as we steward to those who choose Marian, a Kildare Ministries school in the Brigidine tradition.

Kerrie Williams - Assistant to the Principal - Student Wellbeing Pictures from the top of the page:Pic 1 Daniel Delany windows at TullowPic 2 Celtic CrossPic 3 St Brigid Cathedral in KildarePic 4 Teach BhridePic 5 Statue of Nano Nagle at BellygriffinPic 6 Brigidine Well at Kildare


Student AchievementYoung Writers Poetry Awards

I discovered the “Western Region Imagination Creation Writing Competition” last year, when a friend from primary school informed me about it. I immediately knew it was something that I wanted to participate in, as I have always loved writing. I first entered in 2018, however, I was very new to writing, and had little experience with the competition, so the story that I entered did not place. However, this year I decided to take a different approach to the competition; writing poetry and entering that instead. I was astonished when I received the email, telling me that my poem had received an award in the competition, considering that there were over five hundred entries. It was extremely humbling attending the awards night; meeting other brilliant writers that were my age, and reading their work. Overall, it was a great experience and it is a night that I will remember forever.

Mariah Cini - 7 Dawson

Science and LOTEOn Wednesday 16 October, all Year7 students visited the Melbourne Zoo as part of their Science and LOTE (Indonesian and Italian) courses.

Below are some comments from our students about their experiences at the Melbourne Zoo.

Last Wednesday, the Year7’s went to the Melbourne Zoo for Science and LOTE and it was a thrilling experience because we got to interact with various species of animals at the zoo. Therefore, it was a very stimulating experience to observe the animals in their natural environment, as well as having quality time to enable us Year 7’s to learn and enjoy the day with some friends and teachers at the Melbourne Zoo. - Lorin Francia (7 Delany)

On Wednesday, we experienced a very educational trip to the Melbourne Zoo. My most memorable moment of the trip was taking photos and videos of all of the living primates that were there. Taking a selfie with an orang-utan was marked off my bucket list too. It was very lots of fun to spend the day with friends. - Agatha Rigor (7 Delany)

Last Wednesday, the Year 7’s went to the Zoo for Science and LOTE. The Melbourne Zoo was an educational and thrilling experience that enables students to learn, see uncommon animals and interact with classmates. The most unforgettable moments were spending time with my classmates and helping each other work though the booklets, as well as learning more information about the animals and their habitats (such as the lions, meerkats, giraffes, zebras, seals, penguins, fish, tiger, monkeys and many more). I think this is a good way for students to have fun in different types of environments, as well as gaining knowledge from the day as well. - AJ Bazar (7 Delany)

I had to complete 2 booklets for Italian and Science during my school Zoo excursion. My class (7 Dawson) filled them in while visiting the animals. For the science booklet we answered 4 - 6 questions per animal, focusing on habitats and whether the animal was endangered or not. For the Italian booklet we filled the table about the animals. Answers were written in english and later translated to italian. The experience was exciting and fun. I enjoyed seeing the animals with my friends and it was interesting to identify, classify each animal and learn about which environment they belonged to. - Isabella Cancino (7 Dawson) Suzanne Matejin (Learning Leader)


Performing ArtsIt’s been a big fortnight at Marian, and like much of the school we have gearing up to formally farewell our Year 12 students. One of our Performing Arts Co-Captains, Indiana Hatzakortzion, has been hiding cards and quietly getting students and teachers to sign them. This year we say a heart-felt goodbye and good luck to:Emilee Brown - Leader and bassist, Liturgy EnsembleElisha Jemm Tiquia - Performing Arts Co-Captain, Keyboard player Senior Rock Band and Choir AccompanistCheryl Lafituanai - Gospel Choir accompanist, singer and mentoAlly Petanic - guitarist, Liturgy EnsembleCecilia Tafua - Mentor, Gospel ChoirDestiny Lui - Gospel Choir

We wish them all the best in their examinations and in the years to come.Mari Eleanor - Co-ordinator


Documents

Marian News · 2019-11-01 · Marian News A ommunit growing in Faith & Love Serving Others Striving to Achieve Thining for the Future Student Wellbeing AWARDS NIGHT CELEBRATION On