This week the Australian Catholic Church celebrated the Feast Day of Blessed Mary MacKillop, Australia’s First Saint. Mary MacKillop was a strong independent woman who worked for the marginalised in rural communities, recognising that education was the gift to escape poverty and to fight for a more just and fair world. MacKillop, like our Sisters of Mercy, was a pioneer and a leader, someone who had compassion for others regardless of race or situation.

Having grown up in the slums of Fitzroy, MacKillop was drawn to education and the fire within was ignited as she witnessed the injustice and equity she saw on her daily basis. MacKillop was invited to teach for a rural family in Penola, South Australia, it is here where she witnessed the poverty and discrimination of rural Australia and her passion to provide to the poor was cemented. Galvanised by her belief in the value of education as the foundation for a fulfilling life, Mary’s motto was ‘never see a need without doing something about it’.

A hundred and fifty years later, we as people, have much to learn from Mary MacKillop. She was a faith filled woman who was determined to bring God’s Kingdom to life in the here and now. She was not willing to watch injustice, she had a deep desire to respond to inequity, she was not going to let her gender be a reason for discrimination, but rather she stood tall, strong and fiercely articulate. I have admired MacKillop’s strength to challenge the Church authorities for her to fulfill her vocation to establish Australia’s First Religious Women who had their own central governance, led by the women in the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart.

MacKillop’s humility can be seen in how she quietly responded to the needs of her own family and those of her family structure. She recognised the fragility and complexity of family. A woman who recognised that family can be a strength and a challenge. She made no apologies for her families short comings, rather she interpreted as a strength that allowed others to take on leadership. We can learn much from her ability to work and with her family even in times of despair, disappointment and frustration.

Mary MacKillop’s attitude was always of forgiveness and respect. Her many letters are evidence of her vision, courage and leadership.

Next week, Monday 14 August, College staff will be involved in our own Faith formation Day led by Sharon Lehtonen, Assistant Principal Catholic Identity. Our theme for the day is Living with Mercy. A number of workshops will be led by our staff in faith, learning and wellbeing.

Last week Trish Rowe finished her time at the College after 40 years of service. Trish was a passionate teacher of English, Literature and History. Many parents would remember Trish from their time at Sacred Heart. An articulate, intelligent and insightful woman Trish has left a strong mark on her community. We wish Trish well in her retirement and are grateful for her commitment to the learning and growth of our community.

Kristiana Withers has completed her service at the College last week. Kristiana has passionately taught French and Music. A regular member of our staff choir, Kristiana will be missed for her gentleness and wit. We wish her well as she pursues study and travel.

This we welcomed Lucas Groud, who will work alongside our Languages Team. Lucas has recently moved to Ballarat after having worked at Camberwell Primary School. A native French Teacher, Lucas will bring new insights and energy to our dynamic Languages Team.

Last week l attended the DAV debating which continues to be held online. I was so impressed to watch our Senior Teams navigate this space with its limitations and frustrations. Our students were reflective and determined.

With every blessing

Thank you to the random set of families that were chosen, and took time to complete, the School Improvement Survey. All students and staff were also asked to complete the survey and this data will assist in understanding how well our College is operating, including the College Climate and Culture.

The winning family has been drawn and notified, for the $100 Wine and Cheese Hamper. Thank you again to all families who completed this survey.

The Junior School formal, originally scheduled for Friday 4 August, will now be held on Friday 25 August, in the Damascus Events Centre from 6.30pm to 8.30pm.

This is a social opportunity Damascus College facilitates for our Year 7 and 8 students. It has always been a very positive event on our calendar, but it is important that I reiterate that normal school rules apply. There are no pass-outs through the evening. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the evening, please contact your House Leader. Students are encouraged to bring a plate of food to share. To purchase tickets, please click here or visit the link sent to you from the College, Tuesday.

One of the planned activities within our calendar is the staff Faith and Catholic Identity Development Day planned for this Monday, 14 August. We are looking forward to a challenging and rewarding day unpacking our Catholic identity and

On Monday, it was fantastic to conduct mock interviews with our Year 12 VCE/VM students. I was so impressed by how our senior students were optimising their time in class to refine their interview skills, resumes and general communication capabilities. We are very proud of the achievements of these young women and men who demonstrated that they are ready to take the leap into life beyond secondary school.

Students submitted their subject selections last week, and we are working through the blocking processes regarding what subjects can be run and those that cannot. It is certainly an exciting time of year when students can reflect, plan and prepare for their future pathways, their journey to their chosen career, or simply stepping outside their comfort zone and having a go at a subject of interest next year.

Chris

Today I had the pleasure of conducting mock job interviews for a number of Year 12 students. The students all shared their sense of nervousness as they engaged in this process. Having “been there, done that”, I certainly empathise with the feeling of vulnerability that one experiences embarking on a process where you are asked to identify your strengths, opportunities and navigate the unexpected question. On this occasion I want to acknowledge that the 7 students I interviewed did an amazing job. I’m glad I wasn’t forced to make the decision on who was awarded the position.

At the end of the interview, when applicants were feeling more relaxed, I asked them how they were feeling having gone through the process. All the applicants agreed that they enjoyed the process with comments such as “that wasn’t so bad” and “I’m not sure why I was so nervous” being the common response. I reminded them that it's natural to feel nervous in certain situations. Whether you're about to give a speech, attend a job interview or meet new people, nerves can get the better of you. In fact, accepting that you're nervous can help you relax and focus on the task at hand, rather than wasting energy trying to suppress your feelings.

I draw this to your attention to encourage your student to relish the experience of what it means to feel nervous. Rather than avoid situations or circumstances that make us feel uncomfortable, accepting nervousness can assist in building resilience and open opportunities that can potentially contribute to personal growth. Navigating a situation despite feeling nervous will enable you to feel a sense of accomplishment and confidence that can carry over into other areas of your life. Over time, you may even find that you're less nervous in similar situations, as you've learned to trust in your ability to handle them.

In a similar vein, I had the opportunity to attend the South Street Public Speaking Competitions held last Friday. Congratulations to Zoe Newman, Eli Spielvogel and William Hollitt who competed in the impromptu and prepared speech categories. All three spoke very well with Zoe being awarded 3^rd place in the impromptu category and receiving a “honourable mention” in the prepared. The 3 students were wonderful ambassadors for Damacus College and their families. Well done. I encourage all students to explore the many opportunities to experience cocurricular activities such as these. They are wonderful opportunities to feel nervous and experience personal growth.

Assumption

August 15 is the feast of the Assumption of Mary. In the Catholic tradition, it is believed that this is the day when Mary, the mother of God, ascended into heaven at the end of her life, body and soul.

It is an important feast day around the world and known as a holy day of obligation. Meaning that believers would go to Mass and honour Mary on this day of dedication to her.

The gentle, nurturing and loving energy of Mary can break into our lives in subtle ways, in profound ways and in extraordinary ways. She exemplified devotion to God in all that she did and provides us with a lens through which we can view, manage and thrive in our own lives.

Mary loved her son, Jesus, unconditionally:

When he was lost, she looked for him – and found the young Jesus preaching on the steps of the temple.

When he suffered, she stayed with him - at the foot of the cross.

Mary’s story invites us into a life of faith, when lost, when giving comfort when needing comfort. Her story and her influence is pivotal in understanding a Christian way of life.

Like Mary, at times, we need to guide the young people in our care. That might mean challenging them to raise the bar so they can realise their potential. Sometimes we just need to hold them steady and act with discernment.

Mary’s simple words to Jesus at the Wedding at Cana, Jn Ch2:3-12, show her concern and compassion and her desire for right relationship, when she said, ‘they have no wine.’ Jesus replied, ‘what concern is that to me?’

But Jesus did take heed of his mother’s request and changed the water into wine, the first of his signs, and in this he revealed his glory and his disciples believed in him.

So, we honour Mary – the embodiment of unconditional love, of gentle listening, discernment in action, of courage, perseverance and hospitality, of devotion to humanity and faith in God.

MARY, WOMAN OF LISTENING

As we pray, open our ears;

grace us with knowledge to know how to listen

to the world of your Son, Jesus,

among the thousands of words of this world;

grant that we may listen with our hearts

to the reality in which we live,

to every person we encounter,

may we know when to be silent and when to speak.

Mary, woman of decision,

illuminate our minds and our hearts.

Give us the courage to decide, not to let ourselves be swept along,

letting others direct our life.

Mary, woman of action,

mobilise our hands and feet to move “with haste” toward others,

to bring them the charity and love of your Son Jesus,

to bring the light of the Gospel to the world, as you did.

Let us belong to this people.

Let us make a place for Mary in our home.

Amen

As an educator with over a decade of experience in both single-sex and coeducational settings, I've witnessed the evolving challenges that students face in today's world. Social and emotional learning (SEL) has emerged as a pivotal aspect of education, addressing issues such as behavioural challenges, anxiety and depression. In light of this, I'd like to introduce you to a powerful teaching strategy that goes beyond academics, focusing on enhancing essential life skills using explicit instruction and the 5Es framework: Engage, Explain, Explore, Elaborate, and Evaluate, which is the instructional model used at Damascus College. In this article I will be using the 5Es framework to model to our community how we as educators enhance our student’s academic outcomes.

Engage: Identifying the Skill to Emphasise

Each week, I start by identifying a "Skill of the Week" that directly addresses the challenges my students are facing. Just as I adapt my academic curriculum to student needs, I do the same with SEL. For instance, if I notice students struggling with asking for help, I emphasise self-advocacy. This skill is then integrated into the learning intention and success criteria, ensuring all students know the focus. Similarly, if I am focusing on analysing text, I provide a learning intention and success criteria as well as the process in which I will be explicitly teaching the skill.

Explain: Teaching the Skill

Incorporating 5-10 minutes of instruction time each day, I guide students through co-creating a definition for the selected skill. We then process “I do”, “We do”, You Do” through examples and non-examples. I ensure a thorough understanding of the skill, bridging the gap between adult perceptions and student interpretations.

Explore: Revisiting Daily

Consistency is key. I designate daily time to revisit the chosen skill, displaying the explicit instruction in their TEAMs notebooks and on the screen. Whenever a student demonstrates the skill, I acknowledge their efforts publicly, reinforcing positive behaviour just as we do with academic achievements. For students who are yet to grasp the concept, I offer one-on-one support, scaffolded instruction and concise guidance to foster growth.

Elaborate: Providing Pathways to Success

By engaging students in reflective conversations, I empower them to proactively tackle challenges. For instance, when a student grapples with resilience, I ask, "Can you identify a way to be resilient, or would you like me to suggest an idea?". By instilling a sense of ownership, students become active participants in their own growth.

Evaluate: Reflect and Recognise

Acknowledging progress is vital. In my classroom, I recognise their efforts, fostering a positive environment that celebrates both academic and social-emotional achievements. Sharing this accomplishment with caregivers further reinforces the reinforcement loop.

Through the 5Es approach, explicit instruction transcends academics, nurturing crucial life skills such as literacy, resiliency, self-advocacy, and problem-solving. By focusing on these skills intentionally and methodically, we enhance your student's ability to navigate the challenges of the modern world with confidence and grace.

As we embark on this journey together, I encourage you to converse with your student about these skills. Your support at home can reinforce the lessons learned in the classroom, fostering a well-rounded and resilient individual.

On Friday August 4, our Year 9 students participated in the Footy Codes experience with tours of the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) Sports Museum and Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI).

Footy Codes explores and executes movement skills from a games-based approach. Students learn the influences on movement including individual, task and environmental constraints on motor skill development for the football code activities. They analyse the various football codes to review the importance of skill frequencies, movement patterns, heart rates and work-to-rest ratios. In this subject, they will explore the football codes from a skill acquisition perspective and sports nutrition and its importance for athletic performance.

The group then headed to Marvel Stadium for an Australian Leagues Football (AFL) match between the Western Bulldogs and Richmond where they were lucky enough to get some pictures and autographs of the players before the match.

All who attended this great learning day agreed that it was a great experience.

#DamascusCollege #DamascusPride #BeMyBest #ImReadyToTakeOnAnything

On Monday 7 August Damascus College Year 11 Youth Ministry Students had the opportunity to take part in an interactive faith formation class.

As part of this study unit, students delve deeper into their own faith journey. To assist with this exploration various engagement activities, with different themes were undertaken. Engagement stations included New & Old Testament Hidden Figures, Gratitude, Devotions, Music, and Journaling & Prayer.

#DamascusCollege #DamascusPride #BeMyBest #ImSupported

It has been a busy term 3 for our VCE Damascus Art students as they rapidly approach the finish line! Our VCE Art Making and Exhibiting, Drama, Music, VCD and Media students have been working on their final art pieces, productions, and performances to have them ready for submission later this term and their examinations early term 4.

We are so proud of the effort, maturity, time (in and out of class) and commitment our Visual and Performing Art students have shown in exploring their concepts and perfecting their craft. We wish all of our VCE students the best of luck with their final pieces and cannot wait to celebrate their achievements in term 4.

One of these celebrations will be the VCE Visual Arts and Technology Exhibition on Monday the 9^th of October. Further details will be provided closer to the date.

On Wednesday 2 August, Damascus College students participated in the BAS Cross Country, held at Ballarat High School. Every student that took part in this event put in a fantastic performance and should be very proud of their efforts.

We look forward to the final event of the Cross Country season with the ‘Lap of the Lake’ held at Lake Wendouree on Wednesday 23rd August.

On Thursday 3 August, 200 Damascus students joined with 500,000 students across Oceania by participating in the Australian Mathematics Competition.

This is organised by the Australian Mathematics Trust and has been running for almost 50 years. (Some of our parents will remember this as the Westpac Maths Competition.)

The competition includes a very small amount of testing of routine skills, and a large amount of genuine problem-solving type questions. That is, problems which at the first reading do not have an obvious or clear method of approach. These increase in difficulty through the paper, with the last questions typically accessible to very few of the participants. It is different to school-based tests or exams where capable students would be expected to have some success in every question.

We congratulate all students for stepping up to this challenge. It takes no small amount of courage and resilience to participate when the work is difficult. We look forward to receiving their results later in the term.

Hamish McCrum

Learning Area Leader, Mathematics

On Friday the 28^th of July the sun shone bright, and it was great to see eager students take part in planting trees on the Damascus College property for National Tree Day, with the aim being to plant 100 trees near the Commemorative Walk on campus, during lunchtime.

The act of tree planting engages students in an activity to connect them with nature, whilst highlighting the magnificent bushland backdrop that we have here at Damascus.

What greater classroom can there be!

We are excited to celebrate some great recent sporting achievements from Damascus College students.

Year 9 students Ethan Kuchel and Luka White were recently selected by the BFNL as 2 of only 22 players to represent Ballarat in the Under 15's Interleague Football Competition against Bendigo on the 3rd of June, in Bendigo. Year 10 student, Elliot Bushel also played in the under 16's team.

Also representing Ballarat in the Interleague competition were students, Tessa Wilson and Imogen Dafonte in the Under 14’s; Freya Palmer, Keisha Darroch, Madi Dixon and Jovie Skewes-Clinton in the Under 16’s; Charley Gartlan and Lucy Wilkins in the Under 18’s.

Year 12 student Tyla Crabtree made the Under 18 VIC Country Squad, playing QLD in Perth.

Luka White also recently played in the Under 16 A Grade division of the Ballarat Junior Basketball Tournament for the Ballarat Miners Division 1 team last month, and his team won the title! Jacob Leech also recently competed in Under 16 A Grade Ballarat Miners Division 2 team in the tournament. Year 9 student, Mia Reynolds played in the tournament for Ballarat District United.

Year 12 student, Amali Price was the assistant coach for the Ballarat Miners in the Under 16 girls Division 1 team at the tournament! Amali also plays in the Under 23 Competition called the Victorian Championship Women (youth league) for the Ballarat Miners.

An amazing effort by all of these students, keep up the great work.

Please see following a downloadable PDF in relation to NCCD information for families: -

NCCD Information Sheet parents

Damascus College is excited to release a new video, where Principal Mr Steven Mifsud presents key information about the uniqueness of Damascus, as well as identifying key points of difference that a Damascus College education provides.

Damascus College Rowing is Recruiting NOW!

Are you in year 7, 8, 9, 10 or 11 and interested in rowing for the 2023-2024 rowing season? We are recruiting right now and no experience is necessary. If you would like more information please contact Paul Blanchfield p.blanchfield@damascus.vic.edu.au

Training for years 7, 8 & 9 starts this Thursday 27^th July, training for years 10 & 11 is already running. Term 3 training schedules for both groups are below:

JUNIOR – Years 7 & 8

Tuesdays & Thursdays 3:45pm – 4:30pm in the DC ergo room

Attend just one day or both

INTERMEDIATE – Year 9

Tuesdays 6:30am – 8:00am in the DC Ergo Room

Thursdays 6:30am – 8:00am in the JSC

Breakfast supplied after training

SENIOR – Years 10 & 11

Mondays & Wednesdays 6:30am – 8:00am at Elements Health & Fitness (bussed to school after session)

Fridays 6:30am – 8:00am in the DC Ergo Room

Please se following information in relation to the upcoming event at Emmaus Catholic Primary School

Please see following information on a fundraiser for Delacombe Primary School and to book a table or tickets please follow this link https://www.trybooking.com/CJZDB