Last week we hosted the Time and Space event for Year 7 Students and a significant female mentor in their lives. Almost 200 attended and shared precious memories and stories. It was also wonderful to see some of our more senior students volunteer to lead small group sessions with adults and students. The Time and Space Events have become one of the highlights of Term 1.

We are nearing the end of Term 1; a term that seems to have gone by so quickly but at the same time everyone is feeling tired. This is always a busy term with so many different events and this year we have had to readjust and remember what that is like. I would like to commend the staff, students and families for your renewed approach to school and participation in all of the events this term. After the last two years and a new way of learning to live with COVID-19 it has been challenging for all of us to return to the normal activities and expectations. We have had to change our mindset and readapt to the expectations and the challenges of getting to school every day and moving from class to class.

In our final week Year 12 students will be participating in a Retreat program. Retreat is an important time for students to reflect on their journey so far, their hopes for the future and where their faith might continue to fit into their lives. It is also a wonderful chance to spend time together and have some fun. Year 12 Retreat is very often one of the fondest memories of Year 12 and we are very grateful that we provide this chance to students once again, albeit with a number of COVID safe protocols in place.

I hope that in the next few weeks families have a chance for a well-deserved rest. We are in the season of Lent, a time for renewal and hope in The Resurrection. As we approach this Easter we pray for the renewal of peace, health and safety for all in our world. May all who live in fear or poverty enjoy the hope of The Resurrection. May leaders in our world find wisdom to end conflict and suffering and may we all find hope in our hearts in order that we experience compassion, justice, courage and joy; the OLMC values that we hold so dear.

Following the invitation of Pope Francis with special prayers to Mary on the feast of the Annunciation, we the Australian Catholic community continue to do whatever we can.

Forgive us for war, O Lord.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us!
Lord Jesus, born in the shadows of bombs falling on Kyiv,
have mercy on us!
Lord Jesus, who died in a mother’s arms in a bunker in Kharkiv,
have mercy on us!
Lord Jesus, a 20-year-old sent to the frontlines, have mercy on us!
Lord Jesus, who still behold armed hands in the shadow of your Cross, have mercy on us!
Forgive us, O Lord.

Pope Francis, 16 March 2022

Earlier this year I wrote about the importance and value of communication between students and their subject teachers. In that article I explained that if a student is unclear about what is expected of them of them in relation to work, it is usually best if they contact their teacher directly. There are occasions, however, when it is necessary for a parent to contact a subject teacher. As we move into Term 2, assessment for students in all year levels will increase in volume and this can lead to stress for students, parents and teachers alike. It is during times such as these periods of assessment that it may be necessary for parents to contact a teacher, perhaps to clarify expectations about a task or to confirm dates for tests. Timely communication between parents and teachers is welcomed by OLMC staff as a message received from a parent may often alert a teacher to a student concern of which they are unaware.

When emailing a subject teacher, it is strongly recommended that parents and guardians ‘cc’ the relevant Learning Area Leader into the email as it is likely that they will be able to contribute to discussions about the inquiry, or provide direction if the teacher is unable to address the question. A list of Learning Area Leaders and their email addresses is provided below.

The “Digitech” course in Year 7 is an opportunity for our students to “think like a computer”. Students are introduced to topics that include how the internet works (did you know sharks have been known to bite undersea internet cables?!), binary code, file compression, encryption, decryption and using flow charts to design solutions to problems.

We also spend time understanding what a digital footprint is and how we can make sure we are aware of our own footprint before we fully enter the world of social media.

To finish off our first term the students have worked together to create flow charts of the steps of famous dance moves inspired by Jimmy Fallon’s “History of Dance” that could be then used to teach others- even those with two left feet!

After learning these moves via our flow charts they then performed these moves as a class. This has been filmed to be part of a time capsule that will be replayed when they make it to Year 12.

We have to say that our Year 7 class of 2022 definitely has rhythm!

Mark Jenkinson
Design, Art & Technology Learning Leader

On Monday and Tuesday of last week, Year 8 students attended an excursion to the Jewish Museum of Australia and the St Kilda Hebrew congregation in St Kilda.

As the students are currently learning about “The Life and Times of Jesus”, gaining a better understanding of what life would have been like in the first century for a Jewish person was most useful.

During our time at the museum, students learned about the history of Judaism, the important events in the Jewish calendar (including Passover) and beliefs and rituals. We were also fortunate to be allowed to visit a Synagogue nearby, where students asked and answered questions about the various elements of the place and what they represent.

Finally, we participated in a typical Shabbat feast, complete with delicious challah and grape juice, and students demonstrated the roles taken and the blessing given during the lighting of the candles and the blessing of the bread.

Thank you to the teachers who supervised this excursion.

Bernadette Hogan
Religious Education Learning Area Leader

On Wednesday 23 March, the Term 1 Horizon classes set off on the first camp of the year.

9NWA got to bike ride half of the way to the campsite while 9GTA went caving. Both were challenging but enabled us to feel proud and accomplished. The other activities that we participated in during the camp were extremely fun while testing our strength, determination and teamwork. Supporting our classmates to try their best was really rewarding. The mud pit was definitely a favourite between the two classes.

Camp also gave us the chance to be more independent. Not only were we required to supply, prepare and cook all our meals but we also needed to clean the kitchen and dry the dirty dishes. This encouraged us to cooperate, communicate and compromise with our peers, especially with different preferences and dietary requirements. Overall it was a great experience being able to laugh and create stronger bonds with teachers and classmates outside of the classroom.

Madeline L. (9NWA) & Lucinda W. (9NWA)

Well done to the Year 11 VCAL students for their initiative ‘11 to 7 Talk Time’.

The students saw an opportunity where they could provide support to the Year 7s and help them with some of the friendship issues they may be experiencing as they transition into a new school. The students came and spoke to a Year 7 class and then provided a question box for them to put in any questions they had about friendship or things they were experiencing with their friends that they wanted to talk about with some senior students. They planned a Q&A forum, an engaging session where they answered the questions and related personal experiences relevant to the issues raised. It was a real success, and very affirming to read the feedback from the Year 7s who obviously enjoyed the session.

Mrs Helen Hamblin
VCAL Coordinator

In this project, ‘11 to 7’, we created a program where we could help the Year 7s settle into the new environment and help them with friendship issues and changes that come from being at a new school. We shared our past experiences about friendships with the hopes of helping them discover how to deal with certain situations that may arise when they come into their own as individuals.

The session was relaxed and came across as us just having a conversation with them which we believe made it more comfortable for them, as we made sure they didn’t feel like they were being lectured by the senior girls. We think the session went well as we received good feedback from the Year 7s. Some of their comments are below:

“It was very helpful because they explained the questions we asked with a lot of detail. They also had a funny joke here and there.”

“I learnt that during time, friendships may not last and that your friends may go off on different paths. But that's OK”’

“I liked that they had advice for us and I'm going to keep that with me until I need it.”

“I enjoyed how they spoke from their own experiences and they gave really useful and wonderful advice on friendships.”

“I learnt that it is okay to have more than one friendship group and it is very healthy to do so.”

“I’m going to do what they said and include more people, and be more open to making new friends.”

By Georgina D., Montana M., Sammie M., Madison B. and Georgia B.
Year 11 VCAL

On Friday 25 March, Year 10 Mind, Body and Soul class attended a jam-packed day of surfing in Ocean Grove. We started off the day bright and early, eager to get our wetsuits on and jump straight in. After a relaxing drive down, we all stared in awe at the amazing surf, rushing to get ready. The day was so fun and full of laughter, especially after seeing all of our friends and ourselves stand up on the surfboard or even fall off into the water. We spent a total of 4 exhilarating hours in the water with smiles on our faces. Not once did we want to get out of the water or take a break, we were just having too much fun. It was by far one of the best and most memorable days of Year 10 that we will never forget. This day was purely to get a break from schooling and to nourish our souls. ‘Go Ride a Wave’ surf school, played a massive role in making this day so successful. All of the instructors gave us tips and tricks to improve our technique and were incredibly supportive in encouraging us to catch the ‘gnarly waves’.

Another way we are nourishing our Mind, Body and Soul is by undertaking a “self-change journey”. This opportunity allowed us to choose something that we felt we needed to improve. The task was to pick any habit in our lives that didn't have to be sport-related and implement strategies to help achieve our goals. We chose to change our health and wellbeing by becoming healthier and spending less time in our rooms, consumed on our phones. As the weeks progressed we noticed that we were improving our physical and mental health. We had to overcome the barriers that were setting us back from our goal and learnt to persevere through our setbacks. This showed our commitment to the task and how we were driven to succeed. There were 3 parts to our journey and throughout the process, we were able to analyse our strengths and weaknesses and implement new changes to improve our way of thinking as we continued our self-change journey.

This term we have worked extremely hard to ensure that we were the best version of ourselves.

Alexis R. (ALCA) and Zara B. (LJRC)

The 2022 Year 12 Physics class attended the VCE Physics Day at Luna Park on Friday 11 March, joined by other schools. The excursion has been designed to provide students with practical examples of some of the concepts covered in ‘Motion in one and two dimensions’ and ‘How fast can things go?’ for Unit 3 of the VCE Physics Study Design.

Our class of 12 students had a great time riding rides at Luna Park, but they also used the trip as a learning opportunity. They investigated the various ways in which physics is involved to create exhilarating rides in theme parks. They related learning to the real world and associated learning with fun experiences.

As a roller coaster travels through a loop, the students experienced an acceleration due to both a change in speed and a change in direction. They used the datalogging equipment provided by Cider House Tech to observe these changes in acceleration. They also got to experience how forces acted on their bodies while travelling upside-down and at high velocity. They related the application of energy transformations on the ‘Dodgem Cars’ and the ‘Scenic Railway’, the only riding brakeman operated roller coaster and the oldest continually operating roller coaster in the world today. They recognised how friction was used to slow the momentum of the rollercoaster.

With Newtons second law, life becomes more interesting. When students were free falling in the "Dropper" ride, they experienced weightlessness, just like astronauts floating in a spacecraft. The ride dropped them from a great height, causing them to accelerate towards the ground at a high velocity, giving them a ‘gut dropping’ sensation which they couldn’t get enough of.

Overall, the excursion to Luna Park demonstrated the Physics concepts that the Year 12 Physics class had been studying in class in Term 1. The class left the excursion with enormous smiles on their faces, all while learning about the beauty of engineering design.

Sally Ho
Teacher

In the OLMC Language classes, one of the challenges is to get students to speak in the language being studied. One way to encourage our students to speak the language is to do ‘speed dating.’

This involves having two rows of students facing each other. One student asks a prepared question to the student across from her, and the other student responds with her prepared response.

Then, one of the students at the top of the line briskly moves to the back of that line, and everybody moves up, facing a new partner. At this point, the students repeat the process, or change roles and reverse the question and response format repeatedly.

As each student moves to the back of the line, each student gets to speak to a new partner in the line, repeating the same question and answer format. The students become familiar with both the question and their response, because they repeat it many times, and they also memorise this information.

The aim is to memorise the information in Italian, but also to ease some of the anxiety that some students may feel when speaking in the language studied in class. The added bonus is that the students exchange responses, laughter and enjoy each other’s company.

Recently, our Year 11 Italian class practised ‘speed dating’ by asking each other – Per tenerti in forma, quali attivita` fai? (To keep fit, which activities do you do?) which ties in with the sub-topic we are currently studying on different components of well-being in Italian.

Giovanna Scollo
Year 11 Italian Teacher

St Pius Reading Club

OLMC will once again partner with St Vincent de Paul for the Reading Club at St Pius X Primary School in West Heidelberg.

A group of Year 10 girls will travel to St Pius every Tuesday afternoon to work with the primary school children to help develop reading skills, create positive relationships and foster a love of reading and books.

We are so thankful to the Year 10 girls who have put up their hands to volunteer this year.

International Women’s Day Event

Two of our staff members (Ms Lauren Marquet and Ms Christie Tran) went to the Mercy Hub on Wednesday 9 March for the International Women’s Day event “Sharing the stories of Afghan women and girls”.

We learned about the important work of organisation Mahboba’s promise. Mahboba Rawi OAM supports thousands of widows and children in Afghanistan who are struggling under the Taliban regime to have access to basic food and supplies. She runs “Hope houses” for orphaned children and gives them opportunities for a better future. For more information, visit: https://mahbobaspromise.org/

The Feminist Collective girls will be learning more about this important issue and see how we can provide more support to women in Afghanistan at this difficult time.

Lauren Marquet
Social Justice Coordinator

OLMC and Marcellin College present "Matilda the Musical"

DATES
Friday 20 May and Saturday 21 May 2022
Thursday 26 May, Friday 27 May and Saturday 28 May 2022

TICKETS
Grown up - Adult Ticket: $27.00

Revolting Child Ticket: $20.00(concession ticket)

Revolting Families (Good for 4): $90.00 (includes tickets for 2 adults and 2 children)

LOCATION
OLMC Mercedes Hogan Theatre
39 Yarra Street
Heidelberg VIC 3084

Congratulations to the Year 12 VCAL students who successfully planned and managed the OLMC UPCYCLE clothes stall last week. In an effort to bring fast fashion and the environmental issues associated with it into focus, the VCAL students collected donations from staff and students, sorted and priced them, and set up displays for the stall over 3 lunchtimes. There were some great pieces of clothing for sale, and many students and teachers picked up some fantastic bargains. OLMC Upcycle raised $325 and this money will be donated to St Vincent De Paul, with all leftover clothing being donated to Vinnies op shops. It was wonderful to see the VCAL students drive this project and achieve such success in an initiative that they feel so passionate about. Their project has raised awareness of fast fashion and clothing waste, as well as finding a new home for clothes that may have ended up in landfill.

Mrs Helen Hamblin
VCAL Coordinator

OLMC UPCYCLE was a bigger success than I thought it would be. It was awesome to see so many girls donating and also coming down to check out all the clothes. It was great to hear feedback from the teachers too. Ms Scott, who bought 6 items and was very happy with her purchases, messaged us to say, “Thank you very much VCAL for running the UPCYCLE stall. I was clearly very impressed with the selection!” We raised an amazing $325 which is fantastic and I am really proud of the efforts not only from us in VCAL and Mrs Hamblin, but also from everyone who contributed to helping to reduce fast fashion.

Bridie B. (MFTA)

I was prompted to think about a project that VCAL Year 12's could orchestrate, and we came up with the idea of running our own op shop. I have so many clothes that I have collected while online shopping in lockdown that either don't fit me or don't look like how I expected. I thought others around the school might have done the same, and when we talked in class about clothes waste, we saw an opportunity to make it happen. We raised $325 which we will donate to St Vincent De Paul as well as the remaining unsold clothes. Overall I am so surprised with how well this worked out and we were all pleased with the result!

Penelope M. (LMGL)

On Tuesday 22 March the OLMC Swimming and Diving Squad went to MSAC to compete in the Division 3 GSV Championship Carnival and what a fantastic day it was! OLMC won 24 first place ribbons, nine second place ribbons and also nine third place ribbons.

Our Junior Squad placed first overall. The OLMC juniors placed 1st in four out of the five relay races they competed in. The Intermediate Squad placed 3rd overall, with star performances from Amelie V. and Darby W. who both placed in the top two for every event they were in!

Our Senior Squad placed equal 3rd tying with Our Lady of Sion College. Our Senior Squad was affected with last minute changes, but it didn’t prevent them from getting great results. Stand out performances from Sofia P. who placed 1st in every individual race she competed in!

Congratulations also to our Diving Squad that secured 1^st place at the Division 3 Diving competition in the Senior category. Thank you to Eleanor B., Ebony P. and Felicity P. for your efforts not only this year but for your commitment to the OLMC diving program each year. Overall the OLMC Diving squad placed 4^th.

Thank you to all swimming and diving staff involved throughout the season: Ms Apfelstedt, Ms Burke, Ms Banfield, Ms Thomson, Ms Daly and also to our Principal, Ms Judith Weir for presenting the awards at the Championship carnival.

OLMC will be competing at the GSV finals evening on Friday 1 April. We will be represented in five individual races and two relays. We wish all of those competitors good luck, we know they will make OLMC proud!

As the term draws to an end so does the GSV season. In Term 1, OLMC participated in weekly GSV Sports of Tennis, Softball, Swimming and Diving. OLMC was well represented, with at least one team in each sport across each age division. Throughout the term, we had 25 wins and two draws. Our Junior A Softball team had a very impressive season, winning five out of the six matches played. The Intermediate B Tennis squad also fought hard throughout the season and walked away with four wins and two draws. A terrific season had by all teams! There were some first wins, first losses, first time players, first home runs and most importantly, friendships made. It was great to see the enthusiasm from each players every week, cheering on their team. A big thank you to all of the coaches in making GSV possible for the students.

Term 2 is already shaping up to be a huge term for all things sport! The weekly sports available to students are Netball and Hockey, and Cross Country is available as the carnival sport. There has been huge interest indicated across all sports and trials are well underway. Good luck to everybody who is trialling at the moment.

Beth McCullagh
Sports Administration

Parents/legal guardians holding a Concession Card and being successfully validated with Centrelink will be entitled to a payment of $225.00 per year for each Secondary School student and $125 per year for each Primary School student.

Parents please refer to the 2022 Camps, Sports & Excursions Fund (CSEF) Application Form https://www.education.vic.gov.au/about/programs/Pages/csef.aspx

Please complete this application and return it as soon as possible to Visitor Reception at OLMC along with a photocopy of your relevant Concession Card.

Ms Susan Gepp
Accounts Receivable Officer

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