Educational Support Staff Day
16 May was Educational Support Staff Day. We thank our many educational support staff (learning support officers, allied health, administrative staff, classroom and department assistants, technical support, maintenance and many others) whose work underpins the success of every school day. We thank them for the valuable work they do to assist the running of our school and the crucial role they play in supporting safe, inclusive, and effective learning environments.

Pre service teachers
Over the past two terms we have welcomed a number of pre service teachers and education support students from the following educational institutions: The University of Melbourne, Australian Catholic University, La Trobe University, Victoria University, Monash University and RMIT University. Pre service teachers are supervised by our Penola Catholic College staff and placement provides an opportunity to bridge educational theory with real world teaching. Thank you to our College staff of their support for this valuable process.

Student feedback
Student feedback is valued at Penola and provides insights to teachers about classroom practice, teaching strategies and student engagement. Surveys completed during term 2 included:

• PIVOT surveys providing students to offer feedback about their Teachers practices in selected classes.
• Resilient Youth Survey, Australia’s largest online student wellbeing assessment tool which assists the school in pin pointing key factors to influence student wellbeing.

Thank you to our students for their participation in the feedback surveys across Term 2.

Professional Development
Our staff continue to engage in ongoing professional learning to support high quality learning and teaching at Penola Catholic College. In addition, the College supports ongoing leadership development. Professional learning opportunities for staff in Term 2 have included:

• Learning walks to observe each other’s classroom practice
• Women in Leadership annual event
• Appraisals for staff in leadership positions
• Variety of curriculum and role specific professional learning
• Participation in local education and employment networks
• Early Careers Teacher Network facilitated by the College Professional Practice Coach
• Staff engaging in internal an external coaching and supervision opportunities

Term two has certainly had an eventful start with lots of learning opportunities happening both in and out of the classroom.

Wellbeing Events

Optus Digital Thumbprint program Years 7 and 8 students
This program provided students with a safe and supportive environment to explore important topics around managing their digital footprint. The program encouraged thoughtful discussion and equips students with practical strategies to make informed and responsible choices in online spaces. While the presentation supports students social and emotional development it also complements the Health and Physical Education curriculum, particularly in developing skills related to respectful relationships, decision making and personal safety in both online and offline contexts. This is what some students had to say about the workshops:

• ‘The session was engaging as it explained how complicated internet use can be and its impacts’ Olivia P 8C
• ‘It was very helpful to understand what can happen when using the internet especially when giving organisations your personal details’ Zara H 8C
• ‘The workshop was worthwhile as it taught us how to be safe online and this is important as it is a part of our everyday life’. Ricky L 8V

Body Image Incursion Year 8
The year 8 students had the opportunity to participate in a workshop focused on body image. The workshop titled ‘This is your body’ provide a safe and supportive environment where students can explore topics related to body image, wellbeing, and self-perception. The program encouraged open, respectful discussion and aims to equip students with practical strategies to navigate the pressures they may experience during their teenage years. Here is what the students had to say about the workshops:

• ‘The presentation taught us about respecting our body and being respectful towards other people and their body’ Merrick N 8V
• ‘It was interesting to learn about “body stereotyping” and how this can impact our minds and perceptions of people around us.’ Alex T 8V
• “The presentation was interesting as it allowed us to listen to a person sharing their experiences about issues related to body image. This made us aware that these experiences are shared and we are able to speak about them.” Mika G 8F
• “The session made me think about possible ways that I could advocate for my friends or myself on issues that relate to body image.” Madison F 8F
• “The presentation made me feel seen and that I belonged to a community that I can seek support from on body image topics such as size and appearance.” Karmen S 8F

The Year 7 students have also been enjoying their first Premier League experience. Our AFL, basketball, netball, volleyball and soccer teams have all participated in the competition and represented Penola with pride. It has been wonderful to see our students demonstrate teamwork, determination and sportsmanship throughout the season so far. We wish all of our teams and their coaches the very best for the remainder of the competition.

Child Safe Standards
The Child Safe Standards for April and May are outlined below and titled standard 3 and 4. For further information, please visit: https://ccyp.vic.gov.au/child-safe-standards/

Child Safe Standard 3
‘Children and young people are empowered about their rights, participate in decisions affecting them and are taken seriously’

Child Safe Standard 4
‘Families and communities are informed, and involved in promoting child safety and wellbeing’

Tomorrow Friday 29 May, the Junior Campus community will gather to celebrate our Pentecost Mass with Fr Sam Pearson. Pentecost reminds us of the coming of the Holy Spirit upon Mary and the Apostles, bringing courage, wisdom and faith to spread God’s message throughout the world.

This celebration is also deeply connected to the former name of our campus, Sancta Sophia, meaning “Holy Wisdom.” As we reflect on the significance of Pentecost, we pray that the Holy Spirit continues to bless and guide all who work, learn and grow within the old Sancta Sophia school, now our Junior Campus community.

During the past month, the College opened its doors to our local community in hosting the ‘Building Resilience in the home’ seminar facilitated by Sam Korsch from The Resilience Project. Sam hosted an informative and engaging session looking at strategies to assist with parent and child connection. Following the seminar, all students from Years 7 – 12 had the opportunity to complete the Resilience Project’s Youth Survey. Student responses assist the College in implementing fun, informative and engaging pastoral sessions throughout the year, with student responses playing a role in the design of the pastoral sessions. We thank our students for completing the survey and thank Sam for his ongoing work with Penola Catholic College.

As we approach the end of Semester One, all year levels have exciting events in the coming weeks:

• Year 9 Students will be engaging in a week of City Experience Tuesday 9 June until Friday 12 June. The students will be immersed in various activities including visits to Queen Victoria Market, Melbourne Magistrates Court, Victoria University (Queen Street) and the Shrine, just to name a few! We wish all our Year 9 students an enjoyable four days.
• Year 10 Students will be completing exams 1 June to 5 June followed by a week of work placement 9 June to 12 June.
• Year 11 Students will be completing exams and unit 1 coursework. A copy of the exam timetable can be found on MyPenola on the VCE page
• Year 12 Students are finalising Unit 3 assessment and will sit the General Achievement Test (GAT) on 16 June.

More specific details about each of these year level events and activities will be communicated to families via Compass Lite. This busy period can contribute to student stress and motivation levels. I encourage all students to maintain consistent routines regarding sleep, diet and exercise and to use their College planner to maintain good organisation levels.

As we continue looking at the 11 Child Safe Standards in 11 months, it’s time to get to know…

Child Safe Standard 4
Families and communities are informed and involved in promoting child safety and wellbeing.

Overview of Child Safe Standard 4:
To be aligned, schools must support the following:

• Families participate in decisions affecting their child
• The organisation engages and openly communicates with families and the community about its child safe approach and relevant information is accessible.
• Families and communities have a say in the development and review of the organisation’s policies
• Families, carers and the community are informed about the organisation’s operations and governance.

If you would like to learn more about the 11 Child Safe Standards, please visit:

https://ccyp.vic.gov.au/child-...

Welcome to the midway of Term 2, the Church has just celebrated the 1st anniversary of the of Pope Leo XIV ‘s canonical authority as Pope on 8 May 2026. On 15 May, Pope Leo XIV signed his first encyclical letter to the faithful, Magnifica Humanitas, that addresses one of the defining questions of our age, that of human dignity in the era of artificial intelligence. This was signed exactly 100 years after Pope Leo XIII signed his Encyclical Rerum Novarum, that was the genesis to the Catholic Social Teaching principles. Magnifica Humanitas and was released on 25 May 2026 and explores technology, human identity, work, truth and the Christian vision of authentic humanity. It is addressed to all Catholic faithful, to all Christians and to men and women of good will. Both popes highlight the dignity of the human person during the advent of technology.

Furthermore, the Church has celebrated the Easter Season culminating in the feasts of the Ascension of our Lord and finally, the great Feast of Pentecost, signifying the birth of the Catholic Church. Happy birthday to the Catholic Church. You can read the story in the Acts of the Apostles, written by the gospel writer, St Luke.

At school, we continue to provide staff and students opportunities to enrich their faith, through year level reflection days, youth group (Faith Corner) meetings and specific prayers such as the Divine Chaplet, the Rosary and Novenas. It is inspiring to see staff and students engage at various moments of the College life in these sessions. This is an example of the Josephite spirit that continues to live in all of us!

Term 2 has been a difficult one in the life of the College. Sadly, we mourn the passing of Charlie Collings (Y12). Staff and students gathered frequently in prayer for Charlie and his family. We particularly prayed a Novena to St Joseph, a Saint that St Mary MacKillop loved so much. We prayed to Jesus’ earthly father to intercede for Charlie’s health and his subsequent birth to eternal life. It was right that the Novena was held in the Chapel of St Joseph. The College also gathered for a prayer liturgy, led by Fr Sam Pearson on Thursday 7 May, this was held in the Performing Arts Centre. We continue to pray for Charlie, his family and all who mourn his passing withing the school community.

In April, the Faith and Mission Team took a group of 20 students to St Patrick’s Cathedral for the Six 30 Holy Hour. We commenced with pizza at school and then headed down to East Melbourne to participate in Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament with many other young people throughout Melbourne. Thank you to the staff that attended, Ms Abboud, Miss Guzman, Miss Yako, Ms Nguyen and Mrs Fry

Sacramental Program: The College was invited to help the students from Corpus Christi Primary School Glenroy as they prepared for the Sacrament of Holy Communion. Three students from Years 10,11 and 12 went across, accompanied by members of the Faith and Mission Team and spoke about their own experiences of preparing for the Sacrament of Holy Communion as well as what it means to them to be Catholic. It was an amazing experience to see young people teach young people elements of the Catholic faith; this was a beautiful example of catechesis and the Holy Spirit at work.

May, the month dedicated to Mary, the mother of Jesus was also an opportunity to gather for regular Rosaries and Divine Chaplets in the chapel. Fr Sam attended regular Friday lunchtime sessions to help lead us in prayer.

Mother’s Day Mass was celebrated on Friday 8 May at the early hour of 7.20am by Fr Colin Xavier, parish priest St Mark’s Fawkner. It was wonderful to see such a great number of mums and children at this Mass. My sincere gratitude is extended to the senior and junior ambassadors and the staff that prepared them, Mrs Quiriconi and Mrs Lucarelli. The students were fantastic!

In May we also conducted some Reflection Days. We began by running the make-up session for two Year 9 classes whose original day was rained upon in April. Thank you to classes 9B and 9 I and the staff that attended. We completed a variety of activities at the Westmeadows Indigenous Community Garden and enjoyed a First Nations Cultural Incursion led by Sean and Ronan. We are very grateful to the City of Hume and aunty Jo Russell and Eva for their continued support of the Yr 9 Reflection days.

Year 10 Reflection Days: The Year 10 boys and girls experienced their reflection day in separate locations. The boys went to St George Catholic Chaldean Church in Campbellfield and the girls remained on campus at school. Each had a presentation delivered by Real Talk Australia who spoke about the amazing gift of love, sex and relationships through a Catholic lens. The talks were tailored for the specific groups, and we hope that the students took something away with them as they mature from adolescence into adulthood.

Maria and Wirrhena, the College Christian Services captains have been busy juggling life, studies and their respective roles at school. During Term 2, we have had 3 Faith Corner sessions where topics were discussed among our young people. We have worked through topics from the Augustine Institute with youth the target audience from the program Anima Youth. We spoke about questions related to the fundamental questions of the human heart and where is Jesus for me? and the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Last week, the Christian Service captains prepared a reflective presentation about the birthday of the Catholic Church, Pentecost. Both Maria and Wirrhena continue seek to animate the faith in their own capacity amongst the students through these topics. Furthermore, we continue to provide opportunities for staff and students to engage in prayer through the Divine Chaplet and Rosary at Penola.

Finally, thank you to the Faith and Mission Team, Ms Abboud, Miss Yako, Marc and Melissa, who without your support is so needed to evangelise the Good News of the Church to all members of our College community.

Have a great Feast of Pentecost!

St Mary of the Cross MacKillop, pray for us

St Joseph, pray for us

And may we always remember, to pray for one another. Amen

Tonight’s the night! Wishing all of our incredible cast, crew and musicians the very best as they take to the stage for Opening Night of Mamma Mia!

Your hard work, dedication and talent have been truly inspiring, and we cannot wait to see the magic come to life on stage. What an amazing celebration of the Performing Arts at Penola.

Limited seats remain for Friday and Saturday performances, book now via https://www.trybooking.com/DJPLF

As we move towards the end of Semester One, students across the College are entering an important period of learning, assessment, reflection and future planning. For students in Years 7, 8 and 9, this means continuing to work through their Semester One learning programs while completing summative assessments across their subjects.

For our Year 12 students, they are completing Unit 3 coursework and assessments and preparing to begin their final units and content of their secondary schooling. The General Achievement Test, commonly known as the GAT, is occurring on 16 June for all Year 12 students and Year 11 students undertaking an accelerated Unit 3 and 4 subject. Further information regarding the GAT, including arrangements and expectations, will be communicated to students and families shortly.

Year 11 students are currently finalising their Unit 1 studies and preparing for exams starting June 4. Year 11 VCE VM students will be engaging in Structured Workplace Learning during this period, allowing them to further develop workplace skills and connect their learning with real-world industry experience.

Year 10 students are preparing for their upcoming examination period starting 1 June. Following exams, students will either participate in Work Experience or attend school for an alternative program. This is an important opportunity for students to engage with future pathways, reflect on their strengths and interests, and begin thinking more deliberately about senior subject choices and post-school options as they move into the pathways and subject selection process at the end of this term.

As students in Years 8–11 begin preparing for subject selection and considering future pathways, including VCE, VCE VM, VET and broader career options, families are encouraged to discuss their child’s strengths, interests, learning habits and future goals. These conversations will help students make informed decisions about the subjects and pathways that will best support their next stage of learning.

To support and inform these conversations, the College Careers Expo will be held on Tuesday 23 June from 3.30pm to 6.15pm. Students in Years 10 to 12 will also have the opportunity to visit during the school day. This event will provide students and families with valuable information about subject pathways, senior school options, tertiary study, vocational education and future career directions. At the conclusion of the Careers Expo, a Pathways Presentation for current Year 10 students and families will take place at 6.30pm. This presentation will focus on the transition into senior pathways, including VCE and VCE VM options. Further information regarding the Expo, will be communicated to students and families in the coming weeks.

All students will commence Semester Two on Tuesday 16 June. Semester One reports will be available to families at the end of the term.

Our upcoming Year 10 Work Experience Program provides students with an exciting opportunity to explore future career pathways, develop workplace skills and gain valuable real-world experience.

We encourage families to begin discussing possible placements with their child and supporting them in securing a meaningful opportunity in an area of interest. Work experience is an important step in helping students build confidence, independence and future aspirations.

Parents can access the Work Experience Information Presentation for important dates, requirements and program details.

Big ideas are coming to the Penola stage this June as we prepare to host the TEDx Penola College Youth Event for 2026.

TEDx Youth Events are inspired by the world-renowned TED Talks and feature short, powerful presentations designed to spark curiosity, challenge perspectives and inspire change. This year’s theme, Voices Unheard: Bringing marginalised or overlooked perspectives to light, will see Penola students courageously share original ideas, personal stories and thought-provoking insights with the College community.

In preparation for the event, participating students will work alongside Penola teachers and external TEDx facilitator Paul Kooperman through a curated workshop and rehearsal program designed to strengthen their public speaking and presentation skills.

The TEDx Penola College Youth Event will be held on Thursday 25 June 2026 from 6.00pm – 8.00pm, promising an inspiring evening of creativity, courage and student voice.

More information, including ticket bookings, will be shared soon.

New Catholic School Parents Victoria website launched

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Art Anthology

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DVBC Youth

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High School Homework Support