Last Sunday's Gospel from John (15:1-8) of the 'true vine' has always appealed to me as a gardener and wine consumer (to share an insight to but one of my vices). The parable invites us to see God as the vinedresser, Jesus as the vine and we as the branches. It speaks to the importance of interconnectivity, and I think it is counter-cultural when we are encouraged to develop our independence rather than our interdependence. Here at Damascus, we are looking to grow and develop young people's social-emotional skills to enable them to engage most strongly in relationships and ultimately, community. I think this is a beautiful piece of scripture for that reason, at the heart of humanity, we are social beings and interconnected. In this community, we have the commonality of our Christian foundations, our vine, and we do best when we develop our skills to be able to collaborate together, restore relationships that are damaged, and recognise that sometimes aspects of our lives need to be" pruned" for us to flourish!!

Yesterday, as a result of the weather, we could not proceed with the BAS athletics; we will now work with the other BAS schools to determine if an alternative date can be found for us to re-schedule the event.

Last Friday night, it was a joy to witness our senior students' engagement with our College formal. Students were beautifully attired and behaved as they came together for the evening. With some trepidation, we allow our Year 12 students to invite a plus one, but these guests of our students have always been respectful and cooperative, and this was again the case on Friday night. Many of the "plus one's" are former students of the College who have moved off to other pathways, and it is always great to meet them again and hear of their success in the next phase of their lives. I thank Andrew Robertson, the House Leaders, and all the staff who enabled this event to proceed. Thank you also to parents for your patience and support in getting students safely to and from the venue.

Thank you to all those parents who have ensured students are now in their winter uniform. No doubt there have been trips to the uniform shop and adjustment to hem lengths, etc., over the past couple of weeks. Your efforts to support your students to meet the College uniform expectations are appreciated. If you have not had a chance to adjust hem lengths for skirts and pants, could I please ask that you do so as a matter of priority.

In many ways, this week is the calm before the storm. This week learning programs are progressing, with regular classes and other activities taking place concurrently. Next week Year 8 students head off on their camp with Core groups 1, 3, 5 & 7 heading off from Monday to Wednesday, and Core Groups 2, 4, 6, & 8 are heading off from Wednesday to Friday. Most students are excited about the prospect of camps, but this creates feelings of anxiety for others. We encourage families to talk to the College if their child feels nervous about the camp experience to put strategies in place to support their attendance. Non-attendance does not help the young person and can contribute to diminished well-being. If this is the case for your child, please discuss the matter with your TA, or House Leader or the College Counsellors through counsellors@damascus.vic.edu.au

Year 10 students also have a changed learning program for next week and will undertake either the Christian Personal Development Award (CPDA) or Work Experience.

On Monday 10^th, Year 9 students will take part in the STEM expo here at school where they will "speed date" a scientist.

NAPLAN testing for Years 7 & 9 students will take place next week from Tuesday 11th May to Thursday 13th May. NAPLAN is a national common assessment tool, and families are encouraged to explain to students that while it gives an indication of student progression, it is a single assessment on a single day and not to overemphasise its importance. At Damascus, we encourage all students to undertake the suite of NAPLAN tests; however, if you have specific concerns, please contact the College. Please also note that should your child be absent for a test without an official withdrawal, he or she will participate in the catch-up tests on Friday. YEAR 7 AND 9 STUDENTS NEED TO BRING A CALCULATOR for the Numeracy Tests on Thursday 13^th May.

For further information, please refer to the official letter circulated last week here.

The next Teacher Advisor Interview meetings are being held Tuesday, 18th May (3.30pm – 5:30pm); Wednesday, 19th May (8:00 am – 5:30 pm); Thursday, 20th May (3.30pm – 5:30pm)

The theme of the meeting is to AIM HIGHER. These interviews are at the forefront of our spiritual, pastoral and academic communication with families. It is expected that students and parents are in attendance. The interview will include a review of movement towards achieving goals set in first term, as well as acknowledging any concerns and setting pathways forward.

These meetings will be booked through PAM; we are just refining our learnings from 2020 to best support maximum family engagement and connection and provide more advice in our communication about booking.

With all these different comings and goings next week, we are not running our usual TA time in the morning. Students will head straight to Lesson 1, and rolls and notices will be delivered in class time. Particularly for Year 7 students and those students who are new to the College, this is a variation to our regular routines. These are all exciting learning opportunities in line with our intent of supporting holistic learning for the young people of the College, and I am sure it will be a great week.

As we move towards Mother's day on Sunday, we pray this week for our Mum's and the significant women in our lives. We gathered for Mass today in the John Shannon Centre before moving to the Damascus Event Centre for breakfast. I apologise to those families who were not able to attend due to limitations on size due to COVID restrictions. For all Mum's and significant women this week, we offer a prayer of gratitude. We ask that God bless and care for Mums and all women!

We also pray for Tori Belcher (Year 11) and her family this week as they grieve the death of Tori's stepfather. May they be comforted in their time of loss.

Until next week …