Next Tuesday is Shrove Tuesday, and our senior student leaders will travel into St Patrick’s Cathedral to celebrate Mass with Bishop Paul Bird. Our leaders will join Loreto College and St Patrick’s College leaders.

The liturgy on Shrove Tuesday marks the commencement of our community recognition of the season of Lent. Next Wednesday (2nd March) is Ash Wednesday, and globally, the Catholic community are being marked (sprinkled in COVID safe times) with ashes from the earth as a sign of humility. From Ash Wednesday, Lent is the forty days that follow until the blessed celebration of Easter, the zenith of belief for Christian people.

Here at Damascus College, we look to the period of Lent to support the fundraising activity for Project Compassion across the College. Damascus has a wonderful reputation as supporters of social justice. Project Compassion is the annual appeal for Caritas Australia, which is the Catholic Church’s international aid organisation. The community’s support of Project Compassion throughout Lent has been very generous over recent years, and we hope to continue that in 2022.

Lent is a time of preparation for Easter. We encourage our students to reflect on how they can give Time, Talents or Treasure over this period. Time in prayer or personal reflection about their relationship with God, Talents; the sharing of their personal gifts or talents to benefit others; finally, Treasure; charity or almsgiving to support those in need. At home, you may like to engage in the conversation about how this Lent as a family, you may be able to give Time, Treasure or Talents.

The Enhancing Catholic School Identity (ECSI) survey that we have been speaking of in recent newsletters is now open and ready to accept your responses. Families would have received an email today from the College with information on how to access the survey, including login details and an information sheet. The College is very appreciative of the time that you are committing to complete the survey. Your responses, along with the responses of Students and Staff, play a vital role in our self-understanding as a Catholic Education provider. For more information please click here.

The Victorian Government have extended their return to school plan until the end of Term 1 and will be providing Rapid Antigen Test kits for all students over the next six week period. We anticipate receiving the required delivery for the next two weeks in the coming days for distribution through TA’s early next week.

An additional announcement was made yesterday regarding masks in indoor settings and, in particular, in secondary schools. Effective from 11:59pm Friday 25th February, in education settings, face masks are no longer mandatory in secondary schools. Whilst this is the government’s stance, the College’s principles of keeping our community safe - the 5 S’s, still remain. Our language around masks will move to ‘highly encouraged’ in classes from Monday. Students and staff are highly encouraged to continue wearing masks indoors to support the safety of all. Students must still wear a mask whilst on public transport, including school busses and those used for school excursions.

The House Swimming Carnival scheduled for tomorrow has now been postponed. We believe that with the information at hand and based on our Risk Assessment (along with that of Ballarat City Council), inclement and unstable weather may likely compromise the safety of all students and staff. The carnival will now be postponed and rescheduled for Thursday, 3^rd March, and we are awaiting confirmation from the pool. We apologise for any inconvenience that this may caused and appreciate your understanding in making the necessary decision with the safety of all in mind. The School day will proceed as normal tomorrow, Thursday 24^th February.

Our Rowers will be out on Lake Wendouree this Sunday for the Head of the Lake Rowing Regatta. There has been much discussion in the news around Spit crews – their attendance, and if they can sing and voice their chants; however, the collective decision between all the schools is that the focus is on the rowers and maintaining a safe environment. There will be no chanting and no big entrances onto the spit; instead, student supporters will be encouraged to cheer on all rowers from all schools as they pass the finish line. Head of Sport, Nicole Hexter, has sent out an expression of interest for students who wish to come and support on Sunday. Student supports in attendance must be wearing a mask and are required to come in full summer uniform. All schools will be positioned on the judge’s box side of the finish line, with all parents and the general public on the Loreto side. We wish all our rowers, coaches and support staff best wishes for this weekend’s Head of the Lake Regatta.

Over the weekend, Year 9 student Armani Anderson competed in the Victorian Track & Field Championships in the 100m. Armani won this event, meaning she is now the quickest U16 female in Victoria with a time of 12:28. Armani will now compete at Nationals in Sydney next month to see if she is the fastest U16 in Australia. Congratulations, Armani, on a fantastic achievement!

We have made minor changes to student traffic flow in the Canteen when ordering food to better support social distancing and the orderly procession of students. By far, the quickest way to order and receive lunch at the Canteen is by ordering online through QuickCliq. Parents, students or staff can visit www.quickcliq.com.au to sign up and register. Students will need to order their lunch by 9:00am daily.

We keep the Sisters of Mercy in our thoughts and prayers on the passing of Sr Anne Forbes. Sister Anne, a Sister of Mercy, came from Bungaree, was an early staff member at St Martin’s in the Pines, and had a powerful sense of social justice. She spent significant time in Timor, during a great time of unrest – and did not want to be moved. She was a fantastic support of the students from Timor that came here and will be forever in our minds. We pray for the Sisters at this time. Additionally, we keep Marian College Ararat in our thoughts and prayers on the passing of a much loved and respected staff member.

Until next week…Chris

On Monday 21 February Damascus College welcomed back members of the Class of 2021 as we celebrated academic achievement throughout 2021 at the annual Academic Assembly.

It was a wonderful affirmation of the students’ hard work, dedication and perseverance displayed throughout what was another very challenging year - 2021.

Due to COVID-19, the event had limited attendance, and in order to share this wonderful occasion with the whole school cohort, it was recorded and shown at a TA session next week.

Our 2022 College Captains Megan O’Beirne and Lewis Clark were the MC’s for the evening, and we were excited to welcome back our College Dux Mia Lepair as she addressed the audience and shared some beautiful memories of her time at Damascus. She also provided insight as to how she achieves academic excellence.

To entertain the audience, Year 11 student Zeb Nelson performed ‘Arabesque No 1’ by Claude Debussy on the piano.

Congratulations to all award recipients. Below are the award recipients recognised and celebrated.

Last week our new Year 7 students were excited to go on camp to Creswick Log Cabin.

Students participated in an overnight stay where they took part in a range of team and confidence-building activities. It was heart-warming to see students form new and lasting friendships with other members of their Year 7 cohort.

It certainly is wonderful to see our young people enjoying each other’s company in a supportive and safe environment.

On PAM parents will now be able to find a copy of the slide shows used for the respective VCE and VCAL information evenings. Along with Policy and Procedure handbooks for both and the VCE SAC and SAT timelines for Year 11 and 12 studies. This information can be accessed via PAM > Knowledge bank > VCE / VCAL information.

For those parents who were unable to join the information evenings the videos of the presentation can be accessed through the following links;

VCAL information evening

VCE information evening

If you have any further questions about VCE they can be directed to Matthew Hallowell (email: m.hallowell@damascus.vic.edu.au) and VCAL/applied learning questions to Belinda Dwyer (email: b.dwyer@damascus.vic.edu.au)

We wish your child all the best for the upcoming school year.

The Enhancing Catholic School Identity Project (ECSIP) is with us. ECSIP offers a tool to help us understand the Catholic culture of our college. But how is Catholic identity described in the tool? In recent weeks we have introduced two of the three scales that are used in the tool.

The final approach to understanding Catholic identity in the ECSIP is measured by a tool known as the Melbourne scale. This is a scale that relies on the passage of time and reflects on approaches to Catholic identity from the more distant past and more recent approaches or possibilities for Catholic identity. How much do we long for the past? What kind of future do we imagine for catholic identity in our schools?

There is a short YouTube animation that explains this.

It is now time to take complete the series of tools. This process is explained in the following document: ECSI VIC 2022 Survey Instructions for Parents.pdf.

This has been emailed to all families with other important information about the details of completing the survey.

Please make time as soon as possible to complete the survey and contribute to our understanding of Catholic identity.

Congratulations to three Class of 2021 students: Charlotte Grimes, Samuel Payne and Jessica Sainsbury, for being invited to exhibit their work, as part of the 2022 Next Gen exhibition at the Art Gallery of Ballarat.

This exhibition showcases the creative endeavours from government, Catholic and Independent schools in Ballarat and the broader region in VCE Art, Studio Arts, Design and Technology, Visual Communication and Design and Media.

Charlotte created a digital print of a fashion brochure. The established alternative fashion label, Dangerfield requires a brochure to promote its new range of clothing.

Samuel’s piece is a framed photograph entitled ‘Screen Time,’ which attempts to use a dreary and hushed aesthetic to communicate presumed ideas about mobile phones and their negative effects.

Jessica’s work is called ‘Perceptions of Being Human,’ and it reflects on gender and how societal perceptions of someone’s gender is influenced by their masculine, feminine or androgynous features. This effectively puts them in a box based on their appearance, however, at the end of the day no matter what, we are all one thing. Human.

The exhibition is now on at the Art Gallery of Ballarat and runs until 24 April.

Well done to Charlotte, Samuel and Jessica in gaining this significant acknowledgement for your creative work.

We would like to remind students and families within the Damascus College community or the procedure for bush fire preparedness.

Fire danger ratings and warnings are used in Victoria to provide clear direction on the safest options for preserving life.

Schools and children’s services listed on the DET Bushfire At-Risk Register (BARR) will be closed when a Code Red fire danger-rating day is determined in their Bureau of Meteorology district. Our school has been identified as being one of those at high bushfire risk and is listed on the BARR.

Where possible, we will provide parents with up to four days’ notice of a potential Code Red day closure by letter and SMS. A Code Red day will be determined by the Emergency Management Commissioner no later than 1.00 pm the day before the potential closure. Once we are advised of the confirmation of the Code Red day we will provide you with advice before the end of the school day.

Once confirmed, the decision to close will not change, regardless of improvements in the weather forecast. This is to avoid confusion and help your family plan alternative care arrangements for your child. It is also important to note that:

• No staff will be on site on days where the school is closed due to a forecast Code Red day.
• Any planned after school activities at the campus will be cancelled.
• School camps will be cancelled if a Code Red fire danger rating day is determined for the Bureau of Meteorology district in which the camp is located.
• As a bus co-ordinating school all bus routes will be cancelled.
• Depending on which Bureau of Meteorology district is impacted bus route cancellations may affect our school.

On these Code Red days families are encouraged to enact their Bushfire Survival Plan – on such days children should never be left at home or in the care of older children.

For those of us living in a bushfire prone area, the CFA advise that when Code Red days are forecast, the safest option is to leave the night before or early on the morning of the Code Red day.

As part of preparing our school for potential hazards such as fire, we have updated and completed our Emergency Management Plan and our emergency evacuation drills will be conducted as scheduled.

Please note that we have not had a code red closure to date, a ‘code red’ is only used for days of extraordinary and extremely dangerous conditions.

What can parents do?

• Make sure your family’s bushfire survival plan is up-to-date and includes alternative care arrangements in the event that our school is closed.
• Ensure we have your current contact details, including your mobile phone numbers. Keep in touch with us by reading our newsletters, by checking our website http://www.damascus.vic.edu.au and facebook page.
• Most importantly at this time of year, if you’re planning a holiday or short stay in the bush or in a coastal area, you should check warnings in advance of travel and remain vigilant during your stay.

• Talk to your children about bushfires and your family’s bushfire survival plan.

• You can access more information about children’s services closures on the Department of Education and Training website – see http://www.education.vic.gov.au/about/programs/health/pages/closures.aspx

For up-to-date information on this year’s fire season, visit the CFA website at www.cfa.vic.gov.au or call the 24-hour Victorian Bushfires Information Line on 1800 240 667.

A courtesy reminder for any families wishing to pay upfront and receive the early fee payer discount that payment in full is required by February 28^th. Families who have nominated to pay their fees via direct debit or direct credit will have their payments processed on the 28^th and the discount applied to your account.

The English-Speaking Union (Victoria Branch) is pleased to advise that our Young Leader Bursary is now open for applications.

This award provides up to $3,000 to enable the successful applicant to undertake a development program or an experiential leadership course (e.g. an Outward Bound course or similar program).

Applications are warmly invited from individuals who meet the following criteria:

• Australian citizen (or permanent resident)
• Aged between 18 and 25
• Resident in regional Victoria (i.e. living outside the Greater Melbourne region)
• Keen to develop leadership skills

The closing date is 11:59 pm on Friday 30 April 2022 (Melbourne time). Full details and the online application form are available via: https://esuvic.org.au/content/young-leader-bursary-0

Please publicise the Young Leader Bursary to your members and networks and encourage relevant people to apply.

For further information, please contact the ESU's Awards co-ordinator by email: awards@esuvic.org.au

Below are the criteria used to determine a stud ent’s eligibility for the Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF).

Criteria 1 – General eligibility

To be eligible for the fund, a parent or carer of a student attending a registered Government or non-government Victorian primary or secondary school must:

• on the first day of Term one
• on the first day of Term two

For the list of eligible financially-means tested cards refer to the CSEF Policy:

https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/camps-sports-and-excursions-fund/policy

Parents who receive a Carer Allowance on behalf of a child, or any other benefit or allowance not income tested by Centrelink, are not eligible for the CSEF unless they also comply with the above.

Criteria 2 - Be of school age and attend school in Victoria

For the purposes of CSEF, students may be eligible for assistance if they attend a Victorian registered primary or secondary school. CSEF is not payable to students attending pre-scho ol, kindergarten, home schooled, or TAFE.

Special Consideration

A special consideration category exists for

• Families on a bridging visa, temporary protection visa, in community detention or are asylum seeker families
• Student’s in temporary out of home care arrangements, including statutory kinship care

For more information, see https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/camps-sports-and-excursions-fund/guidance/eligibility

Eligibility Date

For concession card holders CSEF eligibility will be subject to the parent/carer concession card being validated successfully with Centrelink on the first day of either term one (31 January 2022) or term two (26 April 2022).

PAYMENT AMOUNTS

CSEF payment amount

The CSEF is an annual payment to the school to be used towards camps, sports and/or excursion expenses for the ben efit of the eligible stud ent.

• Primary school student rate: $125 per year.
• Secondary school student rate: $225 per year.

The CSEF is paid directly to your child’s school and will be allocated by the school towards camps, sports and/or excursion costs for your child.

For ungraded students, the rate payable is determined by the student’s date of birth. For more information, see: www.education.vic.gov.au/about/programs/Pages/csef.aspx

HOW TO COMPLETE THE APPLICATION FORM

NOTE: ALL SECTIONS MUST BE COMPLETED BY PARENT/LEGAL GUARDIAN

1. Complete the PARENT/CARER DETAILS section.

Make sure that the Surname, First Name, and Customer Reference Number (CRN) details match those on your concession card. You will also need to provide your concession card to the school.

If you are claiming as a temporary Foster Parent or a Veteran Affairs Pensioner, you will need to provide a copy of documentation confirming your status as a temporary Foster Parent or provide your Veterans Affairs Pensioner Gold card to the school.

If you are seeking special consideration, mark this in the form and provide a copy of the relevant documentation.

2. Complete the STUDENT/S DETAILS section for students at this school.

3. Sign and date the form and return it to the school office as soon as possible. The CSEF program for 2022 closes on the 24 June 2022.

Forms are available through the front office or online Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) application form (education.vic.gov.au)

Conveyance Allowance

To be eligible for a conveyance allowance, individual students will be assessed under the following criteria:

1. Attend a school/campus located outside the metropolitan conveyance allowance boundary
2. Attend the closest appropriate school/campus at which admission is permissible
3. For students attending specialist schools, this will be determined by the specialist school’s Designated Transport Area (DTA) in which the student resides
4. For students attending government schools, this will be the closest school/campus appropriate to the age and gender of the student (e.g. primary, secondary, single sex)
5. For students attending non-government schools, this will be the closest school/campus of the recognised denomination for conveyance allowance purposes.
6. Reside 4.8km or more from the school/campus (shortest practicable route calculated by the school attended at the time of application from the student’s home to the school/campus)
7. Be of school age (between five and 18-years-old at the time of application), and a resident of Victoria
8. Be enrolled and travelling to school three or more days per week.

Students’ circumstances can change during their school years (e.g. moving residence or changing schools/campuses). Change of circumstances affects eligibility and a new application must be submitted with each change of circumstance.

Private car
A private car conveyance allowance is not available if the journey could have been made using a public transport service or free school bus.

• Where there is more than one student in the vehicle, there are two rates claimable: ‘furthermost’ and ‘additional.’
• Where there is more than one student in a vehicle, and they attend different schools, the amount claimable is based on the distance travelled to school by each student. That is each student must be the subject of a separate application and the student attending the furthermost school is identified as the ‘furthermost’ student; each of the other students must be claimed as ‘additional’.
• Rates are calculated according to the distance (measured in kilometres) from home to the campus attended using the Department’s standard measurement method; for details of the rates claimable, refer to Appendix 1 Conveyance Allowance Rates
• It is assumed that all students from the same family will travel in one car therefore only one family member may claim furthermost student allowance.

Pro-rata adjustment of reimbursement (time fraction)

Where students change school, transport mode and/or address that affect the payment of conveyance allowance, pro-rata payments are made, having regard to the number of days of actual attendance. It is the responsibility of each school to report any mid-semester student changes and the required pro-rata adjustments that are required.

Late payments
Late (past year) applications cannot be accepted or paid.

Any inquiries relating to this allowance or to any bus travel matter may be directed to Tracey Williams at the College office Phone: 5337 2222.

** FAMILIES ARE REQUIRED TO SUBMIT A NEW CLAIM FORM EACH YEAR** FORMS ARE AVAILABLE FROM THE FRONT OFFICE

Come and join us with Indoor Soccer - more details following:-

Are you keen to get fit and join a Football club in Mount Clear - please see following:-