污污漫画

It is my great pleasure to welcome you to the first edition of The Lighthouse for 2021 and, in so doing, celebrate the commencement of another school year at 污污漫画. We commence the year with an enrolment of just over 1700 students including 9 international students and 15 students from St Mary鈥檚 College for the Deaf. Of course, we welcome most heartily all students new to Aquinas, especially those who join Aquinas for the first time in Year 7.  It has been wonderful to see so many happy smiling faces and hear such excitement as their secondary schooling begins. Early reports from other levels indicate that our students are pleased to be back at school and keen to make a good start to the year.

MACS

As of January 1 we have a new governance structure for most Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Melbourne. Regional Colleges, like Aquinas, are now incorporated as Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools Ltd (MACS) and Archbishop Comensoli announced the membership of the MACS Board just before Christmas. With this change in governance it is appropriate to recognise that 污污漫画 has benefitted from the strong leadership of Fr Anthony Doran and Fr Mark Reynolds as Presidents of the Association of Canonical Administrators over recent years. We look forward to continuing the important relationship with our local Parish Priests in offering spiritual guidance to our community. The 污污漫画 Board also takes on a new identity as the School Advisory Council. I will report on our first School Advisory Council meeting for 2021 in the next edition of The Lighthouse.

CovidSafe Return to School

LATEST UPDATE: Due to the events in Victoria announced late on Wednesday evening (3/2/21) in relation to COVID-19, the new guidelines for schools are as follows:

• Students over 12 years of age are required to wear masks in school while in public indoor spaces. Students will be asked to wear masks while in class and indoors in any capacity. Please ensure your child comes to school with a mask.
• School staff are not required to wear face masks while teaching or caring, but those who wish to do so, can. 
• Staff must wear face masks in indoor areas of the school when not teaching or caring.
• Please refer to the link at Latest COVID-19 updates for the most current information.

It is really pleasing to be able to commence the 2021 year in a period in which community transmission of COVID-19 has been consistently low and we are able to plan optimistically for a more normal school program. Of course, we must remember that COVID-19 is still with us and that we need to maintain a certain level of vigilance. The key protective measure remains to stay away from school if showing the symptoms of COVID-19 and seek medical advice. Students who normally show symptoms of allergies and hayfever do not need to remain at home unless the symptoms seem unusual or more severe than normal. 

To ensure that we minimise risk, Aquinas students are required to adhere to the following expectations:

• Students should maintain good hand hygiene and clean their hands with soap and water or an alcohol based rub regularly. They should try and avoid touching their face.
• Masks are required if students attend large gatherings such as assemblies.

Other 2020 restrictions that have been lifted mean that students can drink from taps, enter and exit buildings freely, access their lockers when necessary and make use of all facilities when appropriate. Area density guidelines do not apply in schools unless there are visitors present. Sports (including contact), excursions and camps can resume within CovidSafe guidelines. Music programmes can also resume with limitations about how each type of instrument is used and strict area density requirements.

Please refer to the link at Latest COVID-19 updates for the most current information.

College Opening Mass and Opening Assembly

Due to COVID-19 area density guidelines when we have visitors at the College our Opening Mass and Opening Assembly will be student only events this year and therefore will be conducted during the school day. Both will occur on the morning of Tuesday, February 16 in the College Gym. 

Celebrate Excellence @Aquinas

We will gather as a community and recognise those who achieved excellence in 2020 on Monday, February 15 at 7.30pm in the 污污漫画 Gym. This year the students who excelled at Year 12 will also be invited to return and be acknowledged as part of this ceremony. Invitations for participants and guardians will be available over the coming days. The event will need to be ticketed to ensure that we comply with area density guidelines, but we are confident that we will accommodate our parent community.

Post School Offers

In January, 184 Year 12 graduates received a First Round Offer with 142 receiving their first or second preference. This is an excellent outcome for our graduates who wish to pursue tertiary studies. We have also had many students secure full apprenticeships and other traineeships. We wish all of our graduates great success in the next stage of their education.

Stormwater Project

If you have visited the College recently you will have seen the significant work to upgrade our stormwater system which commenced in the first week of January. Until the works are completed in April there will be some unavoidable inconvenience and noise adjacent to the construction site. Those who have seen our flooded Mahon Theatre over recent years will understand the necessity to improve our drainage system and we will look forward to the issue being resolved.

Parents and Friends Committee

The P&F provides valuable feedback to the College leadership and gives a 鈥減arent鈥檚 perspective鈥� on life at Aquinas. They also help us welcome families to the community and show the Aquinas hospitality of which we are so proud.  The committee is looking for new membership as a number of current members finish their association with Aquinas with their child鈥檚 graduation.  Meetings are held on the first Monday of the month. Should you wish to find out more please contact Dr Nap Rodezno on rodeznone@aquinas.vic.edu.au.

Darren Atkinson
Principal

Welcome back to the 2021 school year. We are thrilled to be back on campus and ready to make the most of the year ahead, and if the first few days are any indication, the students must share the same mindset we have. In the last week, we have spoken to many year levels extending this welcome, highlighting that through engagement, commitment and effort, they can make great contributions to our learning community at Aquinas while leading their own path as well. Please encourage your child to take advantage of all the opportunities that will emerge in their educational journeys.

We are writing together to outline the first steps in the College鈥檚 implementation of the Victorian Government Tutor Learning Program with consideration of our context and the emerging needs of some students due to the impact of the 2020 school year. As you may be aware, the Victorian Government has made funds available for tutoring to 鈥渟upport students to accelerate their learning in 2021 to compensate for the disruptions they have experienced this (2020) year.鈥� Aquinas is able to provide catch up or remedial assistance to ensure that students achieve success in the 2021 school year through their commitment to their studies and in some instances, through an effective participation in additional tutoring support. The following highlights the process that we are currently establishing:

1. Identification of students
Using a range of data, each student from Years 7-11 will be assessed and those requiring assistance will be selected and offered an opportunity to take part in the program. Students not selected to partake in the tutoring program are asked to work closely with their teachers in meeting the demands of the 2021 school year while making use of other support resources available to them. Please discuss this with your child鈥檚 homeroom teacher or learning mentor.

2. Organising the tutors
Qualified teachers will be available to deliver specialised programs aiming to address the interrupted learning caused in the 2020 school year by the COVID-19 Pandemic. There will be a strong emphasis in skill building and catching up on missed experiences and development.

3. Organising the times and spaces for the tutoring
The tutoring sessions will be available on a weekly basis after school. It is important that students attend all classes and are supported through additional tutoring additional to their scheduled learning program. The decision to work with students after school is in the attempt to avoid students missing out on directed learning from participation in classes.
 
4. Communicating with students and reaching agreement about the program
Identified students and their parents will be contacted by their respective Year Level Leader or Team Leader with an offer to join the program and a schedule of sessions. You are asked to take advantage of this opportunity.

5. Developing the content
The program will reflect areas of skill required across all subject areas that reflect both literacy and numeracy as a way to catch up, consolidate and extend on learning in readiness to achieve positive progress throughout their respective year level. 

Tutoring is one aspect of how students affected by the constraints of 2020 can catch up and improve and we appreciate the funds that have been made available to assist the College in this pursuit. All selected students are encouraged to partake in a program designed to offer high quality classes and specific remedial skill development sessions to help with organisation, efficacy and offer the scope of a growth mindset in learning. If you have any particular concerns with the progress of your child, we ask that you make contact with their Homeroom Teacher or Mentor.

COVID-19 Update: Inline with correspondence from your child鈥檚 Homeroom Teacher or Mentor, it is important that all students carry a mask at all times. There has been explicit guidance regarding the mandatory wearing of masks in all public indoor spaces and this includes schools attended by people over the age of 12. It is therefore important that your child adheres to the requirements and is cautious of the possible dangers that not wearing a mask as mandated can lead to. We pray that the recent developments in Victoria do not bring any suffering for the state and the local Aquinas community. 

We hope that 2021 is a year of great achievements for your child with opportunities to consolidate and celebrate learning. We look forward to our ongoing partnership with all our students and their families in this process.

All the best for the year ahead.

Nap Rodezno and Michael Box
Deputy Principals

Welcome back to a new year full of excitement, anticipation and hopefully joy. During our opening liturgies we focused on the Holy Spirit and the coming together of community through the Spirit. Traditionally we focus on the Spirit through the symbol of fire - Illuminate et Ardere! This year, we looked at the symbol of water, life giving, nourishing, cleansing. 

The Holy Spirit is the water for our soul quenching our thirst and giving life into us when we are feeling spiritually tired. Because the waters flow from your spirit within, you never have to worry about emptying your source.

The Holy Spirit is not only represented by refreshing rivers of living water; He is also represented by rain washing, cleansing and freeing us from the dust and dirt that clings to us. Jesus says in John 6:63, "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life." As such we share the spirit through our thoughts, words and deeds.

In both the staff and Year 12 liturgies, people were given some water as a focus to reflect on themselves and to imagine putting all their hopes, talents, joys and sorrows into the water. We then had empty carafes passed around so that people could pour some of their water into it - sharing it with the community. They did not pour all of it in. Life is a balance between giving and receiving. This water was then poured into six jars - each representing the core values of Aquinas, reminding us that as a community we strive to work together to be our best selves.

As we start this year together, I pose these questions: 

• What are your hopes, talents, joys and sorrows? 
• How can your gifts be shared with the community? 
• How can the Holy Spirit, shared through the community help and support you this year?

Tania Grace
Assistant Principal - Mission

Welcome back to all of our students, staff and families for 2021. I hope that you all had an enjoyable Christmas and had a relaxing break with family and friends. 

At the start of every school year we 鈥渉it the ground running鈥�, with staff preparing for classes, attending meetings and Professional Learning in the weeks prior to students commencing. It is wonderful to be back on site!

There are a number of Information Evenings coming up and I encourage you to attend to hear important information and meet the teachers and staff who will assist your child throughout this year. Remember that staff are here to support you and your child, so please keep in contact with us.

In the coming weeks we will get to know our new staff. They have been busy participating in the Induction sessions and are very excited to be a part of the Aquinas community.

I wish you all the best for the coming year.

Gina Goss
Assistant Principal - Staff

The new school year has launched and we are eagerly anticipating the joy of making music. As this is my fourth year at Aquinas I am again very excited and enthusiastic about leading a program with such passionate staff and students into the future.  Thank you in advance to all our music families for your support and particularly for encouraging your child to continue his or her study of music at Aquinas. 
 
Students have been informed that instrumental lessons and ensemble rehearsals will begin on the 8th of February.  Students have been asked to check the music notice board for their lesson times with timetables for term 1 up by the end of this week.  The instrumental music teachers will always attempt to minimize the disruptions by regularly rotating their student鈥檚 times over periods, days, and weeks. However, as I am sure you can understand, this becomes a very complicated process allowing for such things as double periods, part-time staff and other timetabling matters.
 
One of the most important aspects of successful instrumental, choir and band participation is the element of home practice. By taking a few minutes each and every night, students can reinforce the musical material learned in the day's lessons and rehearsal. They can work on various technical aspects at their own pace and continue to refine their skills and improve their technique and musical tone quality. Students who practice regularly at home tend to get the most pleasure out of group participation. They look forward to rehearsals and performances and take a great deal of pride in performing to the best of their abilities. These students help to ensure that the Aquinas music program will continue its tradition of excellence.
 
Students are highly recommended, as part of instrumental and voice lessons, to become a member of the varied College ensembles.  Ensemble rehearsals are held before and after school most days, in addition to some lunchtimes and students will be invited to participate in performance opportunities such as major and minor College events, local community performances and representing the school at state and national festivals/competitions.   

 Due to Covid-19 restrictions our regular 鈥業nstrumental Recruitment Night鈥� will be cancelled for 2021.  However, alternative arrangements have been made with all Year 7 students experiencing trials starting next week during the timetable.  Teachers will be meeting and working with all our year seven students to select the best and most appropriate instrument for them to select in 2021. 

It is important that students strive for excellence in all their endeavours. As students play their instruments better, they seem to gain more from the musical experience. The feeling of accomplishment through musical performance directly increases their sense of self-worth. It is always amazing to see how this improvement is reflected in better attitudes, better grades and a brighter outlook on life.
 
One of the most important ways to improve as a musician is through private lessons. There is no substitute for weekly sessions of individualised instruction by an instrument specialist. Private lesson instructors serve as an ideal model and mentor to assist in your child's improvement in the areas of tone, technique and general musicianship. The helpful hints or minor adjustments suggested by the instructor can greatly improve your child's playing ability. 

If parents or students would like more information about enrolling in instrumental lessons and have not yet completed the online enrolment, which is available on PAM, please feel free to contact any instrumental staff member directly or contact myself or Trish Thompson, our Music Secretary. With spots filling up quickly across the program we are looking for recruits to join our amazing beginner ensembles for fun and exciting opportunities.  There is still time, but be quick!

Jared Campbell
Music Programs Coordinator

It is shaping up to be another exciting Environmental and Sustainability year. The Indigenous food trail has enjoyed the summer rains and lower summer temperatures.  The Strawberry Gums (Eucalyptus olida) are looking particularly vital and lush. They have cream coloured flowers and highly aromatic leaves. 

The chickens have recently hatched. We are eagerly awaiting confirmation of their gender before they can come to call 污污漫画 home, as roosters will be unsuitable for our urban setting. 

A few handy cooling tips during the summer when using cooling systems:

• Clean your air conditioner or cooling system so it does not use as much energy to run.
• Close the doors to unused rooms to reduce the area you need to cool.
• Set cooling systems between 22 and 24 degrees Celsius.

Karyn Myers
Environment & Sustainability Coordinator

In a year of lockdowns, Google Meets and remote learning, the VCE results were finally delivered to students today.

Congratulations to our class of 2020 on pleasing results, with some excellent individual scores from both Year 12 and Year 11 students. Overall, 23 students gained an ATAR over 90 and over a quarter of the cohort scored ATARs over 80 which is a fine reward for these individuals. In VCE, 6.3% of our study scores were over 40 and the median study score was 30 which is the state average. While comparisons between year cohorts are largely academic, it is worth noting, given the interrupted year, that the results for 2020 are equal or superior to any this decade at Aquinas.

Given the unexpected nature of the school year there are some excellent individual results. College Dux for 2020 is Nicholas Tellus who attained an exceptional ATAR of 99.7; a score that puts him in the top 1% of all students in the nation. Previously, in 2019, Nick performed exceptionally well in his two accelerated subjects, Maths Methods and Biology. This year he flourished in English Language, Physics, Chemistry and Specialist Mathematics, scoring over 40 for each study. What is remarkable about the performance of Nick is that he was also one of our College Captains. He and our other leaders, Bridget Dale, Jules Carboni and Anita Mugamu were instrumental in maintaining student morale in such a tumultuous year and providing invaluable input into our decision making. That each performed so well as individuals says much about their maturity, focus and commitment. 

Joining Nick, Jules and Anita in our top ten ATARs are Lucas Clarke, Claire Hurley, Jade Leonard, April Smith, Maggie McKellar, Isobel Faktor and Daniel Barber. Daniel, who achieved a very good ATAR of 95.2, also scored a perfect 50 in Media in a year when completing any subject, let alone an Arts subject, was fraught with difficulties. Congratulations to Daniel and his teacher, Mr Sam Higgs.

Lucas also received a perfect score and subsequently a Premier鈥檚 Award for Computing Informatics in 2019. Unfortunately Covid restrictions meant that Lucas was unable to receive the public recognition but his place as our second highest achiever overall with an ATAR of 98, plus his attainment of a prestigious scholarship to the University of Melbourne, should go some way for compensating for that disappointment. Lucas is indeed a proud member of our AGiLE program and has also had to overcome some physical hurdles, diagnosed with essential tremor, a condition uncommon at his age.

A number of Year 11 students achieved very highly in their accelerated studies with both Reuben Steen, College Vice Captain for 2021 and Jamie Hanrahan attaining perfect scores of 50 for Chemistry and Environmental Science respectively. Congratulations and well done to Reuben and Jamie and their teachers: Mr Peter Shim and Mr Craig Cleeland.

Our VCAL class of  33 students will all enter into suitable Pathways for 2020 and beyond. 22 converted to full time apprenticeships; 4 are continuing at TAFE and the remaining students are awaiting the outcomes of interviews. A number of our students were acknowledged for their excellence in VCAL by our SBAT partner atEast. Dux of VCAL Jack Spicer was also awarded the Outstanding Achievement Award Overall Winner by atEast, Jack has excelled in all areas of his VCAL journey and is currently employed in a full time plumbing apprenticeship. Chris Kassimiotis and Oliver Willgoose (Electrotechnology Electrician), Michael Sloane (Warehousing) and Alice Farinacci (Disability Studies) all were recipients of achievement awards in their fields of endeavour and John Dib (Hospitality) was awarded a certificate of recognition. 

In recognising our high achievers, we would like to acknowledge all students who committed fully to their studies and made the most of their opportunities this year when conditions were far from normal. As a community we are proud of the achievement of our 2020 graduates, their resilience and application to their studies. We remind all students that they are 鈥渕ore than their number鈥� and encourage all to look forward with a great sense of optimism and to seek assistance from our careers advisors should they wish to reassess next steps.

Thanks to our Aquinas teachers who responded so positively to the challenges posed by Coronavirus this year for their continued dedication and care. Thanks also to our College families for the outstanding support students received, so much more obvious during remote learning. It was integral in their success. 

Well done, we wish each graduate all the best for the future.

As we were unable to have a Grad Display of Year 12 Visual Arts SAT work last year, two virtual exhibitions have been created showing our young artists, photographers and designers work.

Please click on the links to have a look at the remarkable work by Studio Arts, Visual Communication Design and Media students 2020.

A big thank you to Sam Higgs, Dennis Sartory and Kerry O'Gara, and all the Visual Arts team for their inspiring teaching that leads to students having the skills and confidence to express themselves so creatively.

Sandi van der Niet
Arts Learning Area Leader

Homework and Learning Strategies (with a focus on effort and growth)

Setting aside structured time beyond the classroom to complete required homework / cycle planner tasks is a very important starting point as effort precedes improvement / growth. To use a sporting analogy, most students that play a sport have a regular training schedule and then a game on the weekend. Meeting the sporting commitment usually involves a significant amount of effort from the parent(s) in terms of the drop-offs and pick-ups and also going to watch the game, and potentially even giving your child feedback about their performance and suggestions for improvement. Obviously the coach will also provide feedback about performance and then implement specific training drills to assist with growth and development. This is where the structured Maths homework comes in. Setting aside specific times across the week where Maths homework / cycle planner tasks are completed provides the framework for where the required effort happens.

As students鈥� progress through each year level the amount of time spent completing homework generally increases incrementally. Setting aside 4 blocks where Maths homework will be completed across the week is a good framework for all year levels, and the time spent in each of these blocks builds as each year passes. For example: at Year 7 setting aside 4 x 20 to 25 minutes would be a great start. Note that ideally one of the four sessions is dedicated to 鈥楥losing the Gaps鈥� (discussed in more detail below). By Year 12 setting aside 4 x 45 to 60 minutes is more likely to be the required amount. Setting the homework framework at Year 7 will provide the required routine and this framework remains with a gradual build in required effort. Of course, there is no time like the start of a new school year to make a fresh start. If past efforts haven鈥檛 been ideal then jump into this routine / strategy and set new work habits.

Collaboration and 鈥楥losing the Gaps鈥� assist with maximising growth. Students are encouraged to discuss strategies with their peer group and of course their teacher as required. For example, if a particular question is challenging , then reaching out to peers for assistance is often a good starting point. It鈥檚 not about asking for 鈥榯he answer鈥� but more importantly the strategies that demonstrate the correct process. If students can set up a collaborative peer group that has 4 to 6 members this provides a richness of input and hopefully at least one of the members will be available when someone reaches out for assistance with appropriate strategies that do lead to correct understanding. 鈥楥losing the Gaps鈥� relates to setting aside the time to look back on items that were challenging the first time around, this might be a homework question or might be something on an assessment task that was challenging. The main idea here is that students鈥� dedicate some time to reviewing these items until they feel confident about their ability to successfully hurdle the content. 

So what does this look like in practical terms? During a particular week a student completing a series of Maths questions might identify that 8 of the questions were not correctly answered under their own steam. The student would identify these by marking a yellow highlighter next to each of these 8 questions. At this point the student then proceeds to the collaboration stage and reaches out for assistance from their peer group / teacher for these items. About one week later it is recommended that the student uses one of the 4 homework sessions to 鈥楥lose the Gaps鈥� on these 8 questions by having another go at these tasks. Hopefully the second time around the student is able to do some / all of these items on their own. For the items that can successfully be done upon this reattempt stage the student uses a green highlighter to mark over the yellow as a means of identifying growth has occurred. The student continues to circle back on the yellow items and works towards turning as many of them into green as possible. Dedicating time and effort to 鈥楥losing the Gaps鈥� seeks to maximise growth opportunities. 

I am looking forward to the opportunities and challenges ahead and look forward to seeing the growth that the students achieve during 2021 and beyond. Structured routine and effort by students with their Mathematics will provide an excellent framework for improved learning outcomes.

Gary Kenworthy
Mathematics Learning Area Leader

Zac and Sam found themselves on either side of the net on the same court earlier this week. They are from the same House and the same Year 8 Homeroom. What a coincidence!

When a child starts high school, they are suddenly becoming one of the youngest and newest kids at school all over again 鈥撯�� a small fish in a big pond! The transition between Year 6 and Year 7 is one of the biggest jumps in a child's life and is a very important milestone. This can easily become a daunting time for students and parents alike.

Starting Year 7 poses many new challenges, but also exciting opportunities. It comes with a number of mixed feelings. Unfortunately for many Grade 6 students, 2020 was marred with school closures and remote learning due to the pandemic and the overall impact of this is still unknown. Studies have shown that the mental health of this age group already appeared to be deteriorating before coronavirus hit and it is expected that cases of anxiety and depression will be on the rise.

For many students regular orientation activities at the end of 2020 were less than ideal. Therefore, many students may be feeling a little bit more anxious than usual about their expectations of starting Year 7 and finding their place in the 鈥渂ig pond鈥�. As your child grasps new skills and engages in new study practices, it is important for parents to be supportive, but also realistic in their expectations. Parents and students can easily become overwhelmed during this time of transition, but there are a number of strategies that can be implemented to start things off on the right foot!

Congratulations to Miriam Rose from Daly River on receiving the Senior Australian of the Year award. Miriam is the Elder at Daly River and many of our staff and Year 11 students know Miriam from their Immersion programme. Our Year 11 students also gave Christmas presents to her community for several years.

The Aquinas Community assisted her grandsons to enrol at a local Catholic school and arranged their homestay, travel and clothing. She also recorded a great webinar with CEVN student support last year which is well worth a listen. 

The Senior Year Parent Information Night is being held on Monday 8th February at 7.30pm.

Unfortunately, due to current COVID-19 restrictions we will no longer be holding this event at the College. The Parent Information Night will now be held virtually. Parents will receive an email from their child's Mentor teacher before Monday evening with a link to a Google Meet and instructions.

There will also be additional Google Meet links to a live meetings with Ms Meredith Greenwood, Head Senior Years, Dr Nap Rodezno and other key staff to assist with any broader questions about Senior Years.

Please contact your child's Mentor if you have any concerns or further questions or have not received an email link by 5pm on Monday 15th February.

Please refer to our Latest COVID-19 updates page for any changes to the above.