National Reconciliation Week (next fortnight)
National Reconciliation Week celebrates the rich culture and history of Indigenous Australians. It is the perfect time for all Australians to think about how to help turn around the disadvantage experienced by many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It is also a time where we can reflect about what we are doing to advance the process of reconciliation.

Reconciliation involves achieving an understanding of the facts of Indigenous Australia, including history and its continuing effects, the importance of culture, the contribution of Indigenous people to the Australia that we live in today, and the diverse situations of Indigenous people living in our communities. This understanding is fundamental for respectful engagements and mutual acceptance between people.

The week coincides with two important dates in Indigenous Australia’s recent history. May 27 marks the anniversary of the 1967 referendum in which more than 90 per cent of Australians voted to remove clauses from the Australian Constitution which discriminated against Indigenous Australians. It enabled Indigenous people to be included in the Census, and Federal Parliament the power to make laws in relation to Indigenous people.

June 3 marks the anniversary of the High Court’s judgment in the 1992 Mabo case. The decision recognised the Native Title rights of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the original inhabitants of the continent and overturned the myth of terra nullius – the belief that the continent was an empty, un-owned land before the arrival of Europeans in 1788.

Changes to Rapid Antigen Testing
I am writing to let you know about changes to the provision of rapid antigen tests (RATs) in our school for the remainder of Term 2. RATs will continue to be distributed to you as they have been throughout this school year for the remainder of this term.

However, from Monday 23 May 2022, we do not recommend that your child complete a RAT twice a week as previously advised. RATs will continue to be required by students who are household contacts to attend school (five negative tests over a seven-day period) or who have symptoms. The ongoing supply of RATs to families in our school will ensure that parents and carers have tests should they need them if their child is a household contact or has symptoms.

Families must continue to notify the Department of Health and the school if their child returns a positive RAT result. Additionally, you should inform us if any of your children are household contacts. Thank you to all families who have gotten their child vaccinated. Vaccination continues to remain the best way to protect students and staff in our school.

Getting vaccinated is easy and bookings can be done via the Department of Health’s website https://portal.cvms.vic.gov.au. If you have any questions about the vaccines, I encourage you to speak to your GP or a health practitioner.

Thank you again for your ongoing cooperation and support during this time.

Management of Parent Complaints
Penola Catholic College works in an educational partnership with parents for the benefit of all students. Upon entering into this partnership, families assume a number of important responsibilities which include loyalty to the College community, a commitment to the College Mission statement and support of all College policies and expectations.

It is acknowledged that there may be occasions when parents wish to express concerns / make complaints regarding College matters. Parents are always encouraged to communicate with the relevant College personnel to discuss their concerns.

The College is always available to assist parents through discussion in developing a clearer understanding of College expectations in all areas. Parents are required to express their concerns in a calm and respectful manner towards all staff who may be involved. Upon presenting the concern the family must be able to be identified. Any anonymous concerns or complaints cannot be satisfactorily investigated as the College would be unable to confirm them as genuine.

In having specific concerns / complaints addressed we recommend that initial contact be made

with the relevant College personnel in the order below:

• Curriculum Matters Subject Teacher, Head of Learning, Deputy Principal of Teaching & Learning
• Student’s Academic Subject Teacher, Year Level Co-Ordinators, Deputy Principal Head of Campus
• Student Wellbeing Matters Homeroom Teacher, Year Level Co-Ordinators, Head of Student Services, Deputy Principal Head of Campus
• General Student Behaviour Homeroom Teacher, Year Level Co-Ordinators, Deputy Principal Head of Campus
• Transport Matters Transport Co-Ordinator, Deputy Principal Head of Campus
• College Policies Deputy Principal Head of Campus
• Staff Deputy Principal Head of Campus
• Off Campus Incidents Deputy Principal Head of Campus
• Uniform Homeroom Teacher, Year Level Co-Ordinators, Deputy Principal Head of Campus
• Financial Business Manager

In all cases where the matter cannot be satisfactorily resolved, parents are encouraged to contact the College Principal.

Mother’s Day Breakfast
The Mother’s Day Breakfast was held on Friday 6 May. It is a great community event which enables mothers and grandmothers to spend time with their sons and daughters or grandchildren. My thanks to Mrs Angela Xidias and other staff who assisted with the preparation and serving of the breakfast, our fantastic Maintenance Team for their efforts in setting up and packing up the Assembly and Sports Hall and to Mrs Angela Xidias for her overall organisation of the various aspects of the event. Click here to read more about the morning and view a gallery from the event.

NAPLAN
Over the past fortnight our students in Years 7 and 9 sat the annual NAPLAN tests in literacy and numeracy. This is a major event organisationally and requires much preplanning so that the testing process can run smoothly. The student data generated by these tests will assist the College in continuing to improve student learning outcomes in the future and will provide valuable information about the level of improvement in student literacy and numeracy skills in the College.

My thanks to staff involved with this organisation particularly Mrs Sandra Warren, Mr Keven Zavadlal, Mrs Kim Donovan, Mr Simon Greatwood, Mrs Vera Treloar and Ms Tania Kay. This is the first time that the NAPLAN has been completed online so I would also like to thank our ICT Helpdesk team for their efforts in ensuring that the online aspects were all able to work effectively. Thanks to Mr Anthony Austin, our ICT Manager, for all of his preparation and testing that occurred prior to the past fortnight to ensure that it all ran smoothly.

Student Photographs
A reminder to all parents that you need to notify the College if you do not give permission for your son or daughter’s photograph to be published in newsletters or promotional materials. We would like to begin to place more photographs and videos on our website and so I take this opportunity to remind you of the student permission form for photographs. If we have not received your permission form back at the College we have assumed that your consent has been provided. It is the responsibility of each family to make this decision and notify the College if you decide to exclude your son or daughter from having their photograph published. In practical terms, this will mean that your son or daughter will need to be excluded from most group shots such as class photographs as these are published in our Yearbook each year.

Parent/Teacher/Student Interviews
Our next round of Parent/Teacher/Student interviews take place on Thursday 26 May from 3.00pm – 8.30pm with a dinner break in this time as well. This will take place via Teams which enables both staff and families to enjoy the interviews within the comfort of their own homes as the winter weather kicks in. I have been heartened by the numbers of parents who have been attending our interviews and taking an active role in the learning of their children. Research indicates that parents who take an active role in their child’s education, results in significantly better outcomes for these students. Your son or daughter notices whether you attend these interviews, whether you are taking an interest in what they are doing and whether you think learning is important. Parents act as role models in so many areas of a child’s life and their beliefs about education and the importance of learning are vital.

Prayer for the Journey of Healing

Almighty and loving God, you who created ALL people in your image,

lead us to seek your compassion as we listen to the stories of our past.

You gave your only Son, Jesus, who died and rose again so that sins will be forgiven.

We place before you the pain and anguish of dispossession of land, language, lore, culture

and family kinship that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have experienced.

We live in faith that all people will rise from the depths of despair and hopelessness.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families have endured the pain and loss of loved ones,

through the separation of children from their families.

We are sorry and ask Your forgiveness.

Touch the hearts of the broken, homeless and inflicted and heal their spirits.

In your mercy and compassion walk with us as we continue our journey of healing to create a

future that is just and equitable.

Lord, you are our hope. Amen.

NAPLAN
The students in Year 7 sat the NAPLAN tests online for the first time this year. As parents the NAPLAN results assists in determining areas that our children are succeeding in and areas for improvement. As educators they are combined with other forms of testing and allow teachers to target key skills and knowledge and extend in other areas.

LOTE Week
It was languages week on the Glenroy Campus this week and so students were involved in activities celebrating French, Japanese and Italian cultures. Some of the activities included a French play called Vive La France and Italian play called Ciao Italy, Anime drawing and a visit by the gelato van.

PTSPM
Next Thursday 26 May is our Parent Teacher Student Partnerships Meeting. These will take place online with staff sending a Microsoft Teams invite to students email address for the designated time that parents have booked.

College Assembly
On Friday 27 May we have a whole college assembly. The Year 7 & 8 students will need to arrive at the Broadmeadows Campus for the start of the day and will be bused back to the Glenroy Campus at the conclusion of the assembly. Can parents please ensure they accept the Operoo permission form for this event. Please note that students are required to wear a mask and full school uniform for the assembly.

Resilience Planners
As a Catholic school The Resilience Project embodies what it is to be a Christian and follow in Christs footsteps by helping one another. The Resilience Planners this year have reflective activities where students can perform tasks that practise gratitude, empathy and mindfulness (G.E.M) which make up the essence of what is the Resilience Project. I encourage parents to take some time and read their students planner to have a better understanding of what is being taught.

It has been a busy past 3 and a half weeks on the senior campus with a variety of excursions and activities taking place. It is wonderful to be able to provide students with these valuable learning and social opportunities again after the disruption of the past two years. I really enjoyed seeing so many families attend the Mother’s Day Mass and breakfast.

Assessment task and exam preparation
In the coming weeks our students will be finishing areas of study and completing work requirements and assessment tasks. In addition, our Year 10 and Year 11 students will be preparing for exams. I encourage all students to continue to work towards achieving the personal best. This time of year can be a period of increased stress and there are some things students can do to help maintain their wellbeing:

• A regular bedtime to ensure adequate sleep
• Clothes organised and bag packed the night before
• Healthy diet
• Limiting screen time (phones, gaming)
• Making time to be physically active: a walk around the block

Good organisation can assist in reducing stress. Each student was provided with a planner this year to document homework and upcoming assessment tasks. The planner also has great tips and strategies from The Resilience Project which focuses on gratitude, empathy, mindfulness and emotional literacy. You can also view your child’s upcoming assessments and study tasks via MyPenola.

Blazers
A reminder to all students and families that in term 2 and 3 students are required to wear their blazer to and from school. The weather is becoming cooler however students are not permitted to wear non school uniform items including hoodies and jackets. If worn at school these items will be confiscated by staff until the end of term. Thank you for your support.

MND beanie fundraiser
You may be aware of the charity FightMND that was established with the purpose of finding effective treatments and ultimately a cure for Motor Neurone Disease. Each year a major fundraiser is the selling of the MND beanies. Our student leaders have arranged to sell the beanies at school for $25 from May 23 until June 3. During this time students who buy a MND beanie will be permitted to wear it at recess and lunch.

Staff Spirituality Day
Last Friday, we held our Staff Spirituality Day at the Broadmeadows Campus in the St Mary of the Cross Mackillop Auditorium. We were very fortunate to have Professor Br David Hall, Dean of the La Salle Academy, Australian Catholic University in North Sydney, to lead us in an exploration of our purpose and mission, as staff members in a Catholic school and as part of the Catholic Church in our contemporary, secular society.

Br David captured the essence of this topic through the delivery of three sessions, commencing with our morning session entitled; Building a Civilisation of Love: the purpose of the Catholic School. In the second session, Br David discussed Education as Relationship: the heart of the matter and in his final session, he explored with us; We’re part of the Church: but what sort of Church?

Br David was thought provoking and engaging and his personal experience of having worked in schools, ensured a real connection to the topic. Many staff commented throughout the day and since, as to how Br David truly resonated with them, challenged them and sparked a flame within their hearts as to what our mission as a Catholic school is and how we all have a shared responsibility in assisting our students and families to come to know God’s infinite love for each of us.

A short Easter reflection from Fr Tony Cox, College Chaplain.

“Liturgically the Easter Season is ending BUT we still wait for the Resurrection.”

Mohandas Gandhi once said:

“When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love has always won. There have been murderers and tyrants, and for a time they all seem invincible. But in the end, they always fall. Think of it, always.’

We live in very difficult times. We only have to watch the news on TV, read any paper, magazine or listen to the radio on any given day or evening.

Being as it may we ask ourselves a question, don’t we?

If there is an all-knowing, all-powerful and all loving God who is Lord of the universe, his presence isn’t very evident on or in the News: Violence and wars all over the planet, the Covid Crisis, the war between Russia and Ukraine, fuelled on every side by self-righteous beliefs that sanction hatred, by a self-interest that forces Community to fend for itself and by a socially acceptable greed that forces the poor to fend for themselves in all areas of life.

We wonder: “Just where is the Resurrection in all of this”? Why is God seemingly so inactive? Where is the vindication associated with Easter Sunday?

These, I believe, are really important questions even if they are not new! They are questions that actually taunted Jesus whilst he hung on the cross.

‘If you are the Son of God, come down off the cross! If you are God, prove it! Act now.’

Then and now, it seems, we have never figured out why salvation cannot work like a normal movie where, at the end, a morally superior violence kills off the villain, or all that is bad.

The thing is: God does not work like a Hollywood movie. Never has and never will!

For centuries, the people of the Old Testament prayed for a Messiah, a superman, to come and display a power and a glory that would simply overpower evil. But what they got was a baby lying in straw. When the boy grew up they wanted him to overthrow the Roman Empire and instead he let himself be crucified.

We have not changed much in what we expect of God have we!

But God, as revealed in the death and resurrection of Jesus, doesn’t meet our expectations even as he infinitely exceeds them. What the Resurrection teaches us is that God doesn’t forcibly intervene to stop pain and death. Instead, he redeems the pain and vindicates the death. God rids the world of evil not by using force to blot it out but by vindicating what is good in the eyes of evil so that eventually the good is all that is left. Evil has to forever ‘look upon the one whom it has pierced’.

What the Resurrection of Jesus reveals is that there is a deep moral structure to the universe, that the contours of the universe are love, goodness, and truth and that it’s structure, anchored at the centre by Ultimate Love and Power is non-negotiable:

We live life it’s way OR it simply won’t come out right. More importantly, the reverse is also true. If we respect the structure and live life its way, what is good, true and loving will eventually triumph.

If this is true, and it is, then we don’t have to escape pain and earth to achieve victory. We are only to remain faithful; to be good and true inside of them. However, part of what is revealed here is that we need a great patience and this patience is what we all call Hope.

God’s day will come, but God, it seems, is not in any hurry. He does not have to use coercion or violence to achieve an aim. In many ways, God lets the universe right itself the way a body does when it is attacked by a virus. The immune system eventually does its work, even if, in the short term, there is pain and death. But in the end, the universe does right itself. As Gandhi said: ‘always, without exception, evil is shamed and good triumphs.’ Indeed, the Resurrection works!

On Friday 6 May, Penola Catholic College hosted its annual Mother’s Day Breakfast. After another disrupted year of not being able to gather in large groups, it was fabulous to gather together for a special celebration in the lead up to Mother’s Day on Sunday 8 May. It was a wonderful morning commencing in St Joseph’s Chapel with mass celebrated by Fr Tony and then moving into the ASH. Penola staff and the Hospitality students hosted approximately 370 people for breakfast. It was very uplifting and moving to see so many Mothers and Grandmothers sharing breakfast with their children and mingling with other parents and staff. The Faith and Mission Team ran a raffle and once again worked tirelessly to raise funds for the College.

As you would appreciate, an event like this requires a lot of organisation and helpers. A big thank you to Fr Tony and the Faith and Mission Team; all the maintenance staff, Mr Paul with the Hospitality Students, College Captain Jordan G and the many staff, both teaching and non-teaching, who were on deck before 7.00am to begin cooking under the guidance of master chef Ms Jess Mann and the many staff involved in the preparation, serving and clean up on the day. By the happy faces and feedback on the day and a few messages that I have included below, it certainly seems to have been a great success and we look forward to seeing mums again next year and the dads at the Father’s Day Breakfast on Friday 2 September.

I had a wonderful morning at the Mother’s Day breakfast with my children. The food was delicious and it was a lovely start to the day.
Thank you to everyone involved for their hospitality, it was much appreciated!
Kind Regards Faye

Thank you Mrs Xidias and everyone involved in the Mother’s Day breakfast. My mum, me and my children had a lovely morning with a lovely breakfast and a great opportunity to meet some of the other mums. My mum has never been to the school, so she really enjoyed visiting and spending the morning with all of us. Please pass on our thanks to all involved. I hope you had a lovely Mother’s Day too.
Regards, Maria.

Thank you to the organisers of the Penola Mother's Day morning. It was so lovely to finally have such a gathering and see everyone, especially after the last couple of years. The breakfast was scrumptious and the atmosphere was buzzing. No doubt all the mothers/grandmothers/friends that were there, felt spoilt and appreciated. I know I did! Thank you once again to all involved for making it a beautiful morning.
Josie Stocchero

NAPLAN
Year 7 and Year 9 students have now completed four NAPLAN tests: Reading, Writing, Conventions of Language and Numeracy. Students who were absent were provided with an opportunity to attend a catch up session. We are very proud of how our students conducted themselves during the testing window.

NAPLAN results are provided to schools from August. All students who participated in the NAPLAN tests receive an individual report of their results. NAPLAN individual student reports provide information about what students know and have achieved in the areas of reading, writing, language conventions and numeracy. The reports also provide information on how students have performed against the national average (over one million students participate in NAPLAN tests each year) and the national minimum standards.

LANGUAGES WEEK
Congratulations to all Languages staff on a terrific week of activities, quizzes, banquets and celebrations. Our Italian, Japanese and French teams have organised a myriad of tremendous activities for the Penola community to mark this special time in the College calendar.

EXAMNINATIONS
Semester One examinations have been scheduled for students in Year 10 and Year 11. Students must familiarise themselves with the timetable and adhere to all exam protocols. These summative assessments provide students with an opportunity to demonstrate the key skills and knowledge that they have developed over the course of the semester. It is our expectation that all students revise examination material thoroughly and work to achieve their full potential. Students are encouraged to access revision material on MyPenola and seek assistance from their subject teachers.

Please click here to view the exam timetable.

College Captains Report
Angus D (12G) and Jordan G (12I)

Year 12 Reflection Day
On Friday 25 March, the Year 12 first Reflection Day for 2022 took place. The theme for the first reflection day was Launching into the Deep! It was a valuable experience for our cohort, it really gave us the chance to leave the normal school day rush to one side, take a chance to have some reflection time and have a great time together as one cohort. On behalf of our cohort, we would like to say a huge thank you to the Faith and Mission Team and all staff who were involved and made the day a great success. Our next Reflection Day takes place on Monday 20 June.

Stations of the Cross
On Wednesday 6 April, the Stations of the Cross took place at both the Glenroy and Broadmeadows Campuses. We, alongside the Captains of Christian Service Sarah and Sofia presented the Stations of the Cross at the Glenroy Campus during Period 1. College Vice Captain Siala, Captain of Academic Excellence Leah alongside the Captains of Christian Service Sarah and Sofia presented the Stations of the Cross at the Broadmeadows Campus during Period 3.

Parent Teacher Student Partnership Meetings:
On Thursday 7 April, Parent Teacher Student Partnership Meetings took place in person, face to face for the first time since March last year at both Campuses! We alongside, Captain of Sport Joulia, Captain of Christian Service Sofia and Year 12 PSC Rose assisted through the afternoon and evening sessions, answering any questions as well as assisting people to different building across the Campus.

Fight MND Beanies
The Big Freeze beanie is such an important part of the FightMND story. For this year we have gained approval and the Fight MND Beanies will be sold across both Campuses to Students and Staff during Weeks 5 and 6 (Monday23 May through to Monday 3 June). The beanies may be worn by Students Before School, at Recess, at Lunch and After School. However, Students will not be allowed to wear them in class. This will be a really great opportunity to fundraise for a very well-known cause amongst our College Community.

National Sorry Day and National Reconciliation Week
National Sorry Day is Thursday 26 May and National Reconciliation Week is Friday 27 May to Friday 3 June. For this year the Acknowledgment of Country will be pre-recorded for the College Assembly, with Captains of Christian Service Sofia and Sarah, Captains of Sport Joulia and Tara, Captain of Academic Excellence Leah, Year 12 PSC Thomas and we were involved in the filming and will be showcased at the beginning of the Assembly. As well as also including a clip of the pre-game ceremony to the Dreamtime at the G AFL Match to celebrate the significance of the game.

World Refugee Day
World Refugee Day is on Monday 20 June. On JJAMM this was a day where we discussed in depth what we could to raise awareness of the day at our schools. For this year there is a Prayer from the JJAMM Booklet specifically for the day which will be prayer as well as there’s a video which will be played at the beginning of Prayer. Also, Siala and I spoke at length with Mr. Knobel during JJAMM Planning Time and an idea we came up with was that we might be able to have a Guest Speaker come in and speak to cohorts on the Friday during Pastoral prior to World Refugee Day from the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre.

Student Leadership After School Meeting
On Tuesday 17 May, the Student Leadership Team and Miss Perkin held an after-school meeting from 3:10-5:00pm. This was a fantastic opportunity for the team to collaborate and finalize many ideas which have been in the works or speculated about for some time as well as discuss the agenda and script for the upcoming College Assembly. This was the first of what is hopefully many after-school meetings that will focus on collaborating, as well as building leadership and teamwork skills.

Captain of Academic Excellence Report
Leah M (11J)

Broadmeadows Campus Study Hubs
One of my goals as Captain of Academic Excellence this year was to set up Study Hubs for the various Subjects on the Broadmeadows Campus. The different subjects included are English, Humanities, IT, Languages, Maths and Science. College Captain Angus and I have created a Vodcast with all of the information relating to Study Hubs which has been published on each of the Year Level Pages on My Penola for the Broadmeadows Campus. As well as they’re posters around the Broadmeadows Campus. The link to vodcast is: https://web.microsoftstream.com/video/fa158457-37bf-40c2-af59-6618e2f2d6bc.

Public Speaking Competition
There will be a Public Speaking Competition held this term! There are prizes involved which consist of Uber Eats Vouchers as well as House Points for your House team. There will be an information session on Tuesday 24 May in MCC005, and at this session the criteria will be explained and different ideas that you can do your speech about will be listed. If you want to participate in the competition the information session is compulsory! It is an excellent opportunity not only to develop your oral presentation skills, but also to earn House Points for your House. If students are interested, you can contact me anytime (leahmcgr@student.penola.vic.edu.au) or Mrs Alberto (malberto@penola.vic.edu.au).

Year 10 Exam Preparation
I’ve been working with the Year 10 PSC members Ava, Aston and Bhavana trying to generate a resource in which all Year 10 Students can utilise prior to the Semester 1 Exams. This will include a Vodcast with further Exam Information, the Exam Timetable, Exam Rules and helpful strategies to manage Exam Stress. There will be a chocolate for each student at the conclusion of the English Exam, which is their first exam, as a token of appreciation of the co-operation and for completing their first exam.

Captains of Sport Report
Joulia Y (12H) and Tara O (11H)

SACCSS Cross Country
Tuesday 3 May was the annual SACCSS Cross Country Day. We had runners in every age group, and everyone performed extremely well! Congratulations to the following students:

• Junior Girls 3000m: Chloe D 9^th place and Tahlia S 10th
• Junior Boys 3000: Lachlan F 7^th and Benjamin O 9^th place
• Intermediate Girls 3000m: Maia F 13^th place
• Intermediate Boys 4000m: Alex A 6^th place
• Senior Boys 4000m: James C 11th

Year 7 Premier League
On Wednesday 4 May all Year 7 Premier League Teams travelled to CRC Caroline Springs for their Round 2 matches. Congratulations to the Girls Basketball, Girls and Boys Volleyball teams on their Round 2 victories. Commiserations to the Girls Netball, Boys Basketball, Girls and Boys Soccer as well as Boys AFL teams who were outclassed by very strong CRC Caroline Springs sides in Round 2!

Round 3 took place at home on Wednesday 11 May. The Boys AFL and Girls Netball teams took on Mackillop with the remainder of the teams coming up against CRC North Keilor! Congratulations to the Boys Soccer, Volleyball, Basketball, AFL Teams and the Girls Volleyball on their respective Round 3 victories. Commiserations to the Girls Soccer, Basketball and Netball teams who were outclassed by very strong CRC North Keilor and Mackillop sides respectively.

SACCSS Senior Boys AFL
The SACCSS Senior Boys AFL team travelled to Marymede College on Thursday 12 May for their Round 3 clash. Well done for coming away with a hard-fought win defeating Marymede by 14 points 9.13. 63 to 7.11. 53! Good luck to the Boys as they look to consolidate a top of the table finish this week with 2 matches, for their Round 4 Clash against Kolbe at Home on Tuesday 17 May as well as their rescheduled Round 2 Clash against Antonine at Brealey Reserve on Friday 20 May.

Boys AFL Match Report
Mr. Reynolds and Mr. Vraca
We came up against a strong Marymeade outfit and knew it would be a tough game. The boys were well prepared for the challenge ahead, came out strong and set the tone early opening the scoring with the first two goals of the game. We led at every break, including a comfortable 4 goal lead at half time. Paul Pascu displayed a best on ground performance, showcasing his classy skills, physicality, and spectacular leadership qualities. Matt Tunnacliffe was solid in the ruck, while James Cox and Jake Bushell fought hard in the midfield all day. Marcus Rametta was a general in the backline and played a pivotal role in securing the win the final minutes. Year 10 student Rilley Holmes had plenty of the ball and used it well on the wing. Credit to Marymeade for clawing their way back into the game before Chris Gioupas’ left foot snap to seal the game in the final 2 minutes, securing a well-deserved 14 point win in a hard fought battle.

On behalf of the Student Leadership Team at Penola Catholic College, we thank all members of our community for their ongoing support of our program and the various leadership initiatives taking place. May we all recognise and live out our leadership potential and calling!

Welcome back to Languages week at Penola Catholic College, from Mon 16 until Friday 20 May. In this week we are not just celebrating the languages we teach at Penola, but also those languages our staff and students speak or hear in their families, as well as all our diverse cultural backgrounds. Studying languages and cultures means gathering people, constructing something new and sharing it in a meaningful way.

To inaugurate this week, we organised a staff morning tea on Monday, which displayed a wide selection of sweet and savoury foods, mostly inspired, when not truly authentic, by French, Italian and Japanese cuisine. Sushi, savoury croissants, French and Italian small patisserie and cakes…a feast for the eyes and the palate.

The big event of Languages week is always the Year 9 banquet, which this year was on Tuesday 17 May. All Year 9 Languages students and teachers, joined by the EAL, Jumpstart and Curriculum support students and their teachers as guests, took part in the banquet, which ran from the start of lunchtime until the end of the day. In preparation for this event, the students created and printed out their language-themed menus and organised the table decorations in groups. During the lunch, which featured sushi as the Japanese entrée, lasagne as the Italian main course and eclairs as the French dessert, there were several quizzes and activities, such as tongue twisters, where the students had the opportunity to show their knowledge of language, cultural facts and pronunciation skills.

All languages teachers are running special activities with all their classes during this week. For instance, Year 10 Italian students have been making ‘pizzelle’, a traditional waffle-like cake from the region of Abruzzo. Year 11 Japanese students enjoyed a special lunch with obento boxes on Tuesday. There is more coming, on Friday, all Year 10 Japanese students will be participating in two Japanese drummer workshops with amazing performer Toshi.

I would like to thank every staff member of Penola catholic College who has contributed to Languages week with their help, enthusiasm, passion for and appreciation of languages. I wish our students and families build an even stronger sense of community through love and understanding of different languages and cultures. Whenever we connect and build bridges, as it happens with languages, we are a family.

Fulvia Galigani
Head of Languages

Study Clubs
Did you know the College offers a vast range of study clubs for students to attend if they need support in certain subject areas? If you want to chat with teachers or need some quiet time to catch up on work check out the link for more details.

Broadmeadows Campus Subject Study Hubs

Glenroy Campus Subject Study Hubs

Public Speaking Competition

Showcase your skills, voice your opinion and win some great prizes by participating in the Penola Public Speaking Competition.

Develop a 4-6 minute speech in response to a prompt and deliver it to a panel of judges. All participants will receive house points, and first prize is a $100 UberEats voucher!

Compulsory info session will be held on Tuesday May 24 in MCC004 (Broadmeadows Campus).

Contact Mrs Alberto or Penola's Captain of Academic Excellence, Leah M for further details.
(Details regarding competition at Glenroy Campus coming soon)

Premier's Spirit of Democracy Retrospective
From the 10^th to the 14^th of March I participated in the Premier’s Spirit of Democracy study tour of Melbourne and Canberra, focusing on the study of Democracy, specifically their ancient roots in Classical Greece and their modern implications, with an additional focus on national impacts, social issues and the ways in which democratic participation has and continues to be withheld from Indigenous Australians.

I was informed of the study tour last year by my Year 10 Civil & Human Rights and the Law teacher Mrs Grech. To apply I had to write an essay detail my ‘original take’ on modern Australian democracy and its relation to ancient Greek democracy. As I was writing this, I used what I had learned both in my Civil & Human Rights and the Law class, my Year 9 Citizenship and Democracy and my VCE Classical Studies class, both taught by Ms Palma (all subjects I highly recommend).

The first two days were spent in Melbourne, with visits to the Hellenic Museum, Parliament House, the Greek Consulate, the Melbourne Museum’s Indigenous Peoples exhibition, and the immigration museum. We undertook a tour of Melbourne, learning how Greek architecture and urban city planning inspired the design of Melbourne’s grid layout, and the impacts of Melbourne’s 1956 Summer Olympics on the city’s planning and cultural identity. We also visited the Big Issue, where we had a speech from a guest speaker with firsthand experience of homelessness, who spoke about the ways in which her life has been help by the Big Issue.

On the second day, we woke up at 5am to catch the flight to Canberra, where we spent the last three days of the trip. We were given tours of Old Parliament House, New Parliament House, the High Court of Australia, CSIRO Discover Centre and went to the National Museum’s exhibition on Ancient Greece, with artefacts on loan from the British Museum. We were also lucky enough to attend a lecture at ANU on ancient democracy and it’s relation to modern democracy. On the last night, we flew back to Melbourne (despite a four-times-delayed flight).

This trip was a fantastic experience for me, and I am endlessly grateful that I had the privilege to attend, but it was truly a privilege. This was an opportunity that, for whatever reason, was not afforded to everyone throughout the state, and it would be amiss of me not to acknowledge the opportunity that I had in being accepted and attending. The Tour gave me a political and historical perspective on Australia and its democracy that I did not have before, and that has changed the way in which I view our electoral process and democratic systems. The main message I took away from this tour was participate. Don’t just vote because you have to, listen to (reliable) news sites, write to your local members of parliament, learn who is representing your believes and support them. The only way in which things can get better are if we (the people) change them. This begins with children (the most important people in a democracy) being educated on democratic processes by their elders, and being allowed to express, think about and change their political opinions. The only way for things to improve is to make them improve.

I’d like to once again thank Mrs Grech for informing me of this opportunity and with teaching me the content relating to democracy, our political system and civil rights issues throughout Australia’s history, Ms Palma for teaching me content relating to political systems in Australia and Ancient Greece, and Mr Caldow and the school for allowing me to go.

Henry A, 11K