This week we celebrate Catholic Education Week across our Diocese of Ballarat, with the annual theme ‘Let the words you speak always be full of grace’ – Colossians 4:6. I have taken the below extract from the Diocese of Ballarat Catholic Education Limited (DOBCEL) website, as it speaks of the need to lead people to conversations and interactions that transform our lives.

“How we speak and how we are open to be changed through dialogue, has been subject to deep consideration in many different circles – political, social, ecological, theological. Dialogue opens us to the other, to learn and to change – it is an openness to be moved or influenced and allow for the spirit to be present.

The way we live and act and the words we speak provide insight into the very essence of our individual being. Our use of language, with expression and gestures, brings us into engagement with others. Most regularly this engagement is through conversation or dialogue. For Christian people, sometimes this dialogue may be with the divine.

Grace is the gift of God’s presence in our lives. How we engage, speak and dialogue with others can bring God’s presence into being.

St Paul’s letter to the Colossians was written to a community receiving distorted accounts of Christian conduct and belief. St Paul was urging Christ’s followers to be above the misrepresentations. His words could be seen as inviting people into dialogue about Jesus and the Christian message in the world. We are invited to do that again today by Pope Francis who provides three fundamental guidelines to help us dialogue or speak with grace:

‘The duty to respect one’s own identity and that of others, the courage to accept differences, and sincerity of intentions.’ “

If there is one word that we should never tire of repeating, it is dialogue. We are called to promote a culture of dialogue by every possible means and thus to rebuild the fabric of society. The culture of dialogue entails a true apprenticeship and a discipline that enables us to view others as valid dialogue partners, to respect the foreigner, the immigrant and people from different cultures as worthy of being listened to. Today we urgently need to engage members of society in building ‘a culture which privileges dialogue as a form of encounter’ and in creating ‘a means for building consensus and agreement while seeking the goal of a just, responsive and inclusive society’. This calls for the ability to recognise other people’s right to be themselves and to be different.

Dialogue is much more than the communication of a truth. It arises from the enjoyment of speaking and it enriches those who express their love for one another through the medium of words. This is an enrichment which does not consist in objects but in persons who share themselves in dialogue. (Jim and Therese D’Orsa et al. 2019.)

This concept of dialogue and openness to the other has been celebrated and affirmed in the past fortnight at Damascus. As a community we have acknowledged IDAHOBIT Day – International Day Against Homophobic, Biphobia, Interphobia and Transphobia. As Catholics we are called to be people of respect, acceptance and understanding. The lunchtime activities organised by our students demonstrated our young people’s willingness and deep desire to be people of inclusion to respect diversity and to understand the other.

Thank you to parents who attended last weeks subject teacher interviews, we appreciate your support. This is an ongoing dialogue about learning and our partnership about challenging all learners to be their best. We would love to hear your feedback. Please click this link to access a short survey on how we can continue to improve this important partnership into the future.

Our Year 10 students participated in either work experience or faith formation activities that supported our students to broaden their worldview and to develop deeper empathy, understanding and tolerance. Gen Bryant, Melbourne based singer, song-writer worked with our students in the DEC on Monday, whilst on Tuesday the students discovered more about The Big Issue, an independent, not-for-profit organisation dedicated to supporting and creating work opportunities for people experiencing homelessness, marginalisation and disadvantage.

I’d like to thank the many staff who attended the Year 9 Camp last week. Students were able to further develop friendships, challenge themselves and to build personal strength. A special call out to Paul Briody who leads our camp program with genuine care and honesty.

This week our Year 8 students participated in their camp journey to Anglesea, l look forward to hearing the stories from our staff and students.

On Monday l had the privilege to attend St Patrick’s Primary School in Gordon where our students were invited to present ‘Little Feet Big Footprints’ program in a panel discussing what student leadership means to them. The program is an initiative that brings together Year 6 students from 6 smaller, rural Catholic primary schools (St Mary’s Clarkes Hill, St Brendan’s Dunnstown, St Michael’s Daylesford, St Patrick’s Gordon, St Brigid’s Ballan and St Augustine’s Creswick). Laura Kimm, our transition leader, invited Jessica Hodge and Rohan Shilito from Year 12 to share their experiences of leadership and the qualities one needs to be an effective and confident leader, both Jess and Rohan spoke with confidence, humility and great insight. They represented our College with much pride and insight – Thanks Jess and Rohan

With every blessing

Steven

Beginning this Saturday, is National Reconciliation Week (NRW). It is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements and explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia.

Reconciliation must live in all Australians’ hearts, minds, and actions as we move forward, creating a nation strengthened by respectful relationships between the wider Australian community and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

We all have a role to play when it comes to reconciliation, and in playing our part, we collectively build relationships and communities that value Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, histories, cultures, and futures.

Before many of our meetings or gatherings, we acknowledge the Country in which we live, learn and work.

We acknowledge all the Country in which we minister in Catholic education in this Diocese. Those of us in Ballarat are in Wudawurrung Country, and all of us are located in culturally significant lands.

We acknowledge our first people who have nurtured and cared for Country for tens of thousands of years, and we acknowledge that they have managed to survive and thrive, demonstrating their strength, resilience, and adaptability.

We also acknowledge their elders as custodians of this land that was taken from them without consent, without compensation, without treaty, but not without resistance.

We commit to the work of truth-telling and reconciliation in our nation.

We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.

Tuesday 23/5 was the one year anniversary of our colleague Jeff Simpson’s passing. For those who don’t know Jeff or had the absolute privilege of meeting Simmo, he was a long-term staff member and a valued member of our community. We pray for Jeff’s family and all those in our community experiencing grief and loss. We offer our condolences to all those going through hardship, that we may or may not be aware of. The College Chapel has been open for quiet reflection and prayer for staff and students to attend.

Dear God, hold all those who grieve and suffer close to your heart. Comfort them and equip me with peace and with strength. Guide me, Loving God, our comforter, and our friend. AMEN

This week is Catholic Education Week, which is an opportunity to celebrate and enhance the reality of this identity, to dialogue with the Catholic faith tradition and the world in which we live to interpret and proclaim the good news. Our communities are beautiful places that can and do enrich the mystery of Christ's identity and enable his way to be continually raised up in and by the community. We pray that our communities inspire from within to be people of peace, hope and love in these times of displacement, anxiety and concern for Earth as our common home: to realise each unique community's intimate connection in proclaiming who Jesus is and what it means to follow in the light of the gospel for these times.

We are hosting the DOBCEL Leadership Dinner this Friday in the Damascus Events Centre, where all schools in the diocese come together to recognise and celebrate the achievements of staff who have 30 Years of Service to Catholic Education. Being recognised for Damascus College is Leigh Denning. Leigh began his teaching career at Xavier College, Kew in 1980, and is currently support Damascus College in various Teaching roles…A fantastic 42 Year teaching achievement and involvement in Catholic Education. Congratulations Leigh!

Chris

Over the last two weeks member of the College Leadership Team and House Leaders have met with the majority of year levels in a formal assembly. These gatherings are an important opportunity to address opportunities and successes with each of the year levels that are most pertinent to them. It was wonderful to observe the number of students that had recently represented the school in BAS athletics. In particular I make reference to our current year 7 and 8 group who were extremely well represented. Congratulations to those students who commit themselves to representing the school in cocurricular activities. As I have noted several times there is a clear connection in improved students wellbeing and engagement in the co-curricular program of Damascus College.

The assembly also provided us an opportunity to reiterate the expectations we have with students to ensure they are focused and prepared for classes. In particular we spoke of student committing to basic classroom norms and expectations. I draw these norms to your attention so they can be reiterated at home as your student prepares for classes. Before arriving to class students will be wearing the correct uniform. This includes:

- Full winter/summer (including blazer) or PE uniform;

- No spray jackets;

- Shoulder length hair is tied back;

- Have the required learning materials including workbook,

- Excess jewellery removed

Upon arriving to class it is expected students will;

- Line up quietly outside the classroom;

- Enter the classroom when invited to by the teacher;

- Devices should not be opened unless explicitly instructed to do so by the teacher. This includes using headphones / earbuds;

- Sit quietly in their seats and wait for the roll to be called;

- Await teacher instruction.

During class students will;

- Listen to teacher instructions by being attentive (not talking);

- Follow the teacher’s directions the first time they are given;

- Raise their hand to speak and not call out across the room;

- Stay in their seat unless explicitly instructed by the teacher to move;

- Stay focused on the task at hand and be respectful of others who are working;

There is nothing new in these expectations nor anything that our students should feel challenged by. We want our students to experience a predictable and consistent approach to all classes so the learning and teaching environment is a vibrant and engaging place for all.

Makarrata

Last week was National Reconciliation Week.

We asked our students why should we care? What does reconciliation mean to you? They were able to articulate a number of reasons in response to this question. Above all, as Christian people, it came back to healing.

The works from the Makarrata Commission encapsulate the sentiment of healing:

‘ ….it means two parties coming together after a struggle, to heal the wounds of the past, and live in peace. The word’s core message is to acknowledge that something wrong has been done and seek to make tings right. The word captures the aspirations for a fair, truthful and reconciled relationship between First Nations and the people of Australia, and for a better future for First Nations’ children based on justice and self-determination.’

Makarrata is a word from the language of the Yolngu people in Arnhem Land

Guest Speakers

The College was joined by two guest speakers during Reconciliation Week. Through their lived experience, they were able to share insights and learnings to help us all on the journey to reconciliation.

Emma Leehane is proud Yorta Yorta woman and Aboriginal Hospital Liaison Officer for Grampians Health.  She provided insights to students about the impacts of colonialism and unjust government policies on her family and people.

Chris Saunders is a proud Gunditjmara man. He has been studying at Deakin and working as a leader in his community to advocate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices. He has recently taken on a role at St Pat’s new ‘Clontarf Academy’, a space and program designed to improve outcomes for indigenous students.

The Unbreakable Bond: Nurturing Social-Emotional Learning Skills at Home

Welcome to the second article in our series on fostering strong partnerships between teachers, students, and parents. In our previous article, we delved into the power of vulnerability and authenticity in building connections. This time, we shift our focus to the importance of Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) skills and how parents can actively support their child's development both at school and at home.

The Significance of SEL Skills: Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) skills are instrumental in shaping our children's overall well-being, academic success, and future achievements. These skills encompass engaging relationships, confidence, perseverance, resilience, and organisation, equipping students with the tools they need to navigate challenges, build positive relationships, and thrive in diverse environments.

Inspiration from Angela Duckworth: Angela Duckworth, in her renowned book "The Power of Passion and Perseverance," highlights the significance of grit and resilience in achieving long-term success. Duckworth's research has shed light on the importance of nurturing these skills in our children.

Fostering SEL at School: Educators recognise the value of SEL skills and have integrated them into the curriculum. Damascus College provides students with opportunities to develop social and emotional competencies through collaborative activities, mindfulness exercises particularly in Health and Religious Education classes, and through formative assessments. These initiatives empower students to thrive academically and in life.

Supporting SEL at Home: Angela Duckworth's Perspective as Parents, we play a pivotal role in supporting our children's SEL growth. Drawing from Angela Duckworth's work, we can employ evidence-based strategies to nurture these skills in our children.

1 - Cultivate Engaging Relationships: Encourage open communication at home. Listen actively and empathetically to your child, allowing them to express their thoughts and emotions freely. Foster connections by participating in shared activities and creating a nurturing family environment.

Angela Duckworth states, "The quality of our relationships determines the quality of our lives." By prioritising relationships, we provide our children with a strong foundation for emotional well-being.

2 - Nurture Confidence: Recognize and celebrate your child's strengths and achievements. Encourage them to pursue their passions and interests, instilling belief in their abilities. By fostering a growth mindset, we teach them to embrace challenges and view setbacks as opportunities for growth.

Duckworth emphasises, "Grit is living life like it's a marathon, not a sprint." Encouraging perseverance and instilling confidence in our children helps them navigate challenges with resilience.

3 - Foster Perseverance: Teach your child the value of persistence and effort. Encourage them to set goals and develop a plan to achieve them. Emphasise the importance of hard work and dedication in overcoming obstacles.

Duckworth notes, "Without effort, your talent is nothing more than your unmet potential." By teaching perseverance, we empower our children to persevere through difficulties and achieve their goals.

4 - Build Resilience: Equip your child with strategies to cope with stress and adversity. Teach them problem-solving skills and guide them in learning from failures. Encourage a positive outlook and emphasise the importance of bouncing back from setbacks.

Duckworth highlights, "Resilience is not just bouncing back; it's bouncing forward." By cultivating resilience, we help our children navigate challenges and develop a strong sense of self-efficacy.

5 - Enhance Organisation: Teach your child effective organisational skills, such as time management and task prioritisation. Encourage them to break down complex tasks into smaller, manageable steps. Establish routines that promote structure and support their organisational skills.

Duckworth asserts, "Effort is the secret ingredient that unlocks talent potential." By fostering organisation, we enable our children to manage their time effectively and take control of their responsibilities, leading to greater productivity and success.

As parents, we have a significant role in nurturing our children's social-emotional learning skills. Inspired by Angela Duckworth's insights on passion and perseverance, we can actively support our children's growth by cultivating engaging relationships, nurturing confidence, fostering perseverance, building resilience, and enhancing organisation.

By incorporating evidence-based strategies supported by reputable sources such as the OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) and educational resources like Edutopia, we empower our children to thrive academically, emotionally, and socially.

Remember, the unbreakable bond between parents, teachers, and students lays the foundation for their success. Let us embrace the power of social-emotional learning and work together to cultivate resilient, confident, and compassionate individuals who can navigate life's challenges with determination and grace.

References:

• Duckworth, A. (2016). Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.
• Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) - oecd.org
• Edutopia - edutopia.org
• "SEL Research and Learning Outcomes" - edutopia.org/sel-research-learning-outcomes

Together, let's foster an unbreakable bond that supports our children's holistic development and equips them with the essential skills to thrive in the ever-changing world.

In Year 7 Humanities we are investigating Ancient Australia and our Indigenous sisters and brothers. As a part of that work Ms McLachlan’s classes have been creating dioramas.

This is Pepper Sharman and Heidi Jones with their Humanities diorama titled Connection to Land.

This is Josie McGinniss, Sophie Mason and Mabel Rush with their diorama, “The Dreaming”.

It has been a big start to term two RE at Damascus. Our Youth Ministry team have been busy organising spiritual experiences, while Year 10s have enjoyed their retreat and Melbourne experiences.

Youth Ministry

Our Youth Ministry students have been working hard developing and implementing spiritual experiences for their fellow students. The Year 11 Youth Ministry students have planned four year-level masses amongst themselves with the assistance of our Liturgy Leader and Youth Ministry leaders. They conducted masses for our Year 7 and Year 12 students, with Years 10 and 11 to come. Staff and students spoke in praise of how our Year 11s conducted themselves and how well they facilitated the mass.

The 10 Youth Ministry students have also been busy planning and presenting Pentecost spiritual experiences for our Year 8s. They were challenged to explore what Pentecost is and how it is present in our lives today.

Both cohorts of Youth Ministry were extended in areas of personal faith, leadership, organisation, working with others and public speaking.

Languages Article

While the Languages team are a relatively small domain of staff distributed evenly between French and Indonesian, we are also a bustling unit with classes in both languages being run right across all year levels. It has been amazing to be a part of the Languages team witnessing firsthand the awesome work of my colleagues, and it has been a privilege this year to be at its forefront as domain leader. 2023 has already been a hectic year for the Languages Learning Area here at Damascus.

All Year 7 classes have made an enthusiastic and positive start to their studies of French and Indonesian. These are new languages to the vast majority of students who start at Damascus, the majority of whom learnt Italian and Japanese in primary school. French and Indonesian might still seem quite strange, new and foreign at the moment especially for the Year 7 cohort. However, students are encouraged to retain their study of their language for as long as possible beyond their non-compulsory years, i.e. Year 9 and beyond. There are countless good reasons for learning a new language; just three of them are addressed towards the end of my piece.

Year 8 French classes have been running a hotly contested Culture Competition between the core groups, while their counterparts in Indonesian classes learnt lots about culture, music and arts in the ‘Bagus Kan’ Immersion Days on 17-18 May. As part of their respective assessments, the Year 9 French class showcased their fashion show while the Year 9 Indonesian class role-played bargaining scenes at a traditional market. Senior French students were exposed to discussions about the 2023 Alliance Françoise Film Festival, opening up opportunities to attend in Melbourne. Senior French and Indonesian groups continue to spend numerous lunch times at their respective Speaking clubs. 2023 has been a big year so far with more to come:

After an interlude of the past three years due to the Coronavirus pandemic impacting international travel, finally Damascus has a Study Tour! A group of senior Indonesian students are gearing up for their travel to Indonesia at the end of Semester One. Twenty-four current and former students from Years 9–12 will be spending their school holidays in Bali and Java learning about the local cultures and building up their proficiency at Bahasa Indonesia. The students will be accompanied by tour organiser Brendan Bawden, Steven Mifsud, Kirsten Phyland and Anna Rowland. While the thought of beautiful landscapes of beaches, volcanoes and terraced paddy fields, spending time with friendly locals and eating delicious exotic foods is both enticing and envy inducing to the onlookers, it is in reality a huge commitment from our Damascus contingent not least for the investment of their respective school holiday time for this tour. Brendan would know the amount of hard work that has been required to organise this tour. There is a possibility that the College will facilitate a French Study Tour in 2024, which make it if it goes ahead the first Damascus tour to France in six years.

As a conclusion, I wish to share with readers some commentary* about the benefits of learning languages that I sourced from Middlebury College in Vermont USA, which is widely regarded as the premier language learning school in that nation:

1. Learning a second language improves your memory
   The more you use your brain to learn new skills, the more your brain’s functions work. Learning a new language pushes your brain to get familiar with new grammar and vocabulary rules. It allows you to train your memory to remember new words, make connections between them, and use them in contextual situations.
   
2. It enhances your ability to multitask
   Time management and multitasking are two skills that will always help you. Multilingual people have the ability to switch between languages. Their ability to think in different languages and be able to communicate in more than one language helps with multitasking.
   
3. It improves your performance in other academic areas
   Fully immersing yourself in a language learning environment means not only learning the basics of that language. It means learning how to communicate in another language with your peers or participating in extracurricular activities in that specific language.
   
   *Sourcehttps://www.middlebury.edu/lan...

This week we bring you news from our middle school English students. Steph Macdonald and Brock Perks have been working with enthusiastic writers including Isabeau Turner (7.1), who had this to say about Writing Club:

Every second Friday, a group of writers and book lovers alike meet in the library for Writing Club. We discuss ideas, enter competitions, talk about our favourite books and share pieces and stories we've been working on recently. It's a great way to get peer and teacher support on our writing and to meet new people with similar interests to us.

Congratulations to all our passionate thinkers and writers who are making their mark on the world through Writing Club!

Late last term, Year 7s went to Showbiz Cinemas to see the film Blueback. Greta Kelynack (7.5) wrote the following review:

Blueback is a family drama based on the 1997 novella, by Tim Winton. Directed by Robert Connelly, the film follows the life of Abby (Mia Wasikowska) who befriends a wild blue groper. Abby and her mother Dora (Radha Mitchell) come into conflict with a group who is led by Costello (Erik Thomson) who has no respect for conservation of native life.

Abby’s friendship with the groper gives her connection with the ocean and she works out, it’s her life’s work to protect not only Longboat Bay, where the film is set, but international waters too.

While the book was slow moving, the movie was faster. It was a gentle film but its message to us, as custodians of the land, was that we need to take care of the environment. We all do.

Our Year 7s continue to write passionately about the environment in a persuasive piece for their next Assessment Task.

Throughout Term One, Damascus College students and staff endeavoured, in accordance with the values and ideas of Lent, towards fundraising money for Caritas Australia’s Project Compassion initiative. Many methods of fundraising were present, such as the annual Bake Sale run by the SRC, made possible by the students who had a go at baking and those who purchased some of the delicious food available, a free dress day on the final day of term, and weekly TA challenges.

One of the challenges was which TA could collect the highest weight of money. This challenge was won by McAuley 07, who managed to collect an impressive 910 grams. Congratulations to all TAs that took part in the challenges.

Through all of the combined efforts, Damascus College has succeeded in raising a grand total of $4083. This money will contribute significantly to helping people living in some of the most vulnerable communities across the world.

Thank you to all who contributed to our fundraising efforts. Your generosity doesn’t go unnoticed.

JAG team

Year 10 were privileged to have Gen Bryant and Team join them on Monday 15 May for their retreat experience. Hosted at the DEC, we were challenged with the theme “Our Call to Justice” and what that means as a faith community, and how we can implement social justice personally. The day included music, keynote speeches and discussions about our ability to influence the world around us for good. Students had many opportunities to engage with the topic and build relationships with their peers.

Following the retreat day the Year 10s travelled to Melbourne with social justice in mind to explore the importance of helping our neighbour. They were introduced to a range of services and social enterprises that respond to the social inequality experienced in Melbourne.

Students visited The Big Issue classroom where they heard from two presenters, one of whom had experienced homelessness. Students participated in an activity where they had to put a puzzle together, but most groups faced some barrier to participation: whether it be discouraging words, distorted images, or other invisible barriers. This emphasised that we may not always know if someone is on the margins – something that the students had now become more aware of. Students also considered what homelessness looks like in an effort to combat stereotypes, learning that 44% of homeless people are women, and a good proportion of them are homeless as a result of fleeing domestic violence.

Whilst in the city, students had the opportunity to visit other locations to gain a better understanding of the marginalised and the challenges they face. Many students noted the wealth disparity made clear in Hosier Lane, where a number of people had made shelters in the alcoves, next to a “Culture Kings” high-end boutique clothing shop. They questioned how such luxury could be located amidst such visible poverty. Students returned to school with a renewed empathy with the marginalised and a desire to make a difference in their local communities.

Reading Challenge – READ. GROW. INSPIRE

Help our Reading Challenge Tree to grow! Read or listen to a book or magazine, and earn two leaves in your house colours to put on the tree. On one leaf write the name of book (or magazine) and author, and on the other leaf write how the book inspired you.

Grab a Reading Challenge Brochure from the circulation desk for further information, to record the books and use it as a book mark.

Ask a librarian for further information.

From 24th to 26th of May at 6pm senior drama students will present an original performance piece to showcase of their talents and skills within VCE Drama.

The performance is designed within the Unit 3 study to assess students on their abilities to create and work within an Ensemble performance. This year they have been given the challenge of creating a performance that focuses on the theme of Smoke and Mirrors.

A key concept within this performance is the suspension of disbelief and our willingness as a society to dispel logic and truth to believe in something surreal or fabricated. What is ‘real’ anyway? How much of reality is matter of perspective?

The play, written and conceived by the student’s themselves, is set within a hall of mirrors where a character finds themselves trapped and must in their efforts to escape learn to distinguish reality from illusion. Conspiracy theories, Propaganda, Reality TV, the internet, virtual reality and many nods to popular culture, literature, film and theatre all feature within this bizarre world of reflection and distortion.

The complex task challenges them to master the skills required to both create and perform their own work. The play will be a strong blend of both comedy and drama and will be presented within an eclectic theatrical style. The performance will run for approximately forty minutes and will incorporate the use of a dynamic soundtrack and creative use of lighting and projection.

Seating is unreserved and no booking is required over the 3 night season.

Venue is the Mt. Clear Auditorium. Entry via gold coin donation

Wednesday 17 May was the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Interphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT) day.

As a Damascus community we are proud to provide a safe and inclusive learning environment where our Catholic beliefs and traditions recognise the dignity and uniqueness of the individual.

The Damascus College Pride Group has been meeting throughout the year to ensure our college acknowledges and respects the rights of LGBTQIA+ communities. IDAHOBIT day is a day to go rainbow and show pride and support for the LGBTQIA+ community, whether you're a part of the community or an ally.

The college has welcomed the direction and support of the Pride Group in promoting IDAHOBIT day. Students and staff have been invited to wear socks, scarf or a beanie in rainbow colours to represent the rights of the LGBTQIA+ communities and to reiterate our commitment to recognising and supporting the uniqueness of each individual in a safe and progressive learning environment.

On Friday night, Damascus College proudly hosted the 2023 Senior Formal.

Students from Years 11 and 12 had a tremendous time. This event is a wonderful opportunity for this cohort to get dressed up and celebrate together.

Hats off to all of the students and staff who worked so hard to make this event a success.

#DamascusCollege #DamascusPride #BeMyBest #ImSupported

On Thursday 11 May, the Damascus College community came together for a delicious hot buffet breakfast in celebration of all the amazing women who enrich our daily lives. It was an incredible morning filled with good conversation, laughs and a yummy meal, in our Damascus Events Centre.

We are grateful to all attendees for buying a raffle ticket at the breakfast, which saw more than $1,000 raised for the Bright Futures Scholarship, and some lucky winners accepted some wonderful prizes donated from local businesses. We trust everyone had a lovely Mother’s Day last Sunday, and enjoyed the beautiful weather, whilst celebrating with family and friends.

At Damascus College we are committed to supporting the wellbeing of our young people, we have trained a number of staff in Mental Health First Aid in partnership with DOBCEL and the City of Ballarat. The College will launch Live4Life for all our Year 8 students in Term 3.

Please see following information on a Woman in Golf Careers Showcase being held in Ballarat: -

Please see following information on the 1st Ballan Scout Group Community Open Day: -