Across the College community, it is great to see so many young people and families making the most of the opportunities that the College has to offer. It has been evident over this past week the enormous diversity of opportunities available. A significant cast and crew of students are rehearsing for the College’s 30^th Anniversary production of The Final Hours. We had a substantive cohort of students attend the Head of School Girls Regatta in Geelong from Friday to Sunday. Last Wednesday, we participated in the BAS Swimming carnival, and we were very proud of our students’ representation. Our Student Leaders and SRC were inducted to their roles at the Opening Mass on Friday. The Sustainable Racing Team had opportunities for trainee drivers here at school on Saturday. Last night we celebrated the End of Season Rowing Dinner, with students and families coming together to celebrate a season of hard work and commitment. Principally, all these opportunities exist outside classroom learning, which is the heart of a Damascus education.

Our former students have also recommenced their engagement with the College, and it was wonderful to welcome back the graduates of 1970 to a luncheon here at school on Sunday.

In yesterday’s TA time, we showcased the achievements of the graduates and Unit 3/4 students of 2020 with a video excerpt of the Academic Assembly. It was great to hear our College Captain’s Shaun and Maya’s opening address to the school community. I thank Sarah Boswell, Korina Hegert and Jamison Thomas for their preparation of this resource.

As the seasons begin to change and the end of term rapidly approaches, it is timely that I remind parents/guardians of the importance of supporting the school’s uniform policy. While students should be responsible for presenting themselves for the school day, we look towards parents to reinforce uniform standards.

House Leaders and staff have found that when students are wearing their school uniform correctly, there are less behavioural issues and greater connectedness to their learning environment. When lines start to be blurred, such as wearing incorrect socks, the incorrect hair ribbon, no blazer and incorrect skirt lengths, students may sense a drop in standards and, in turn, expectations of them. This can then infiltrate into the classroom, where students begin to accept standards that are not reflective of their potential learning ability. As we are all aware, when we take short cuts in one area, we generally see repercussions in another.

The uniform is the public façade of how the community see our College. Wearing the uniform with pride confirms Damascus is a learning environment that students are proud to be part of and where personal pride and presentation is valued. Damascus College uniform expectations can be found at https://www.damascus.vic.edu.au/enrolment/uniform.

Today is St Patrick’s Day, a day within the Catholic tradition full of fun, friendship and lots of Irish music, dance, literature, drama, food and more.

I found this little Irish blessing to mark the day and celebrate the humble gratitude of the Irish this St. Patrick’s Day.

May there always be work for your hands to do, May your purse always hold a coin or two. May the sun always shine warm on your windowpane, May a rainbow be certain to follow each rain. May the hand of a friend always be near you, And may God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.

It has been a difficult week for members of the Damascus staff team; long term staff member, Deb Glasson lost her loved Mum last Friday, and the celebration of her eternal life will take place tomorrow.

College Counsellor, Jess Wong also lost her Mum unexpectedly on Saturday. We pray for Jess and her family as they grieve her death and celebrate all she is to them.

We pray for all those who need our prayer at this time.

Until next week …

MATT

Over this past weekend the Damascus College Rowing competed in its final rowing regatta of the season, the Head of the Schoolgirls Regatta.

Damascus had 46 girls competing in the Year 9, 10 and open divisions. A special mention to Georgia Peart who went from coxing the Open Boys 1st crew at Head of the Lake to rowing in the Open Girls Single Scull at Head of the Schoolgirls! Georgia performed extremely well and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

All girls crews rowed exceptionally well with all crews rowing personal best times over the course of the three day regatta, some crews even rowing five times in three days!

A fantastic end to a fantastic season!

Bishop Paul Bird celebrated the Opening Mass for Damascus College with the Year 12 students and Student Representative Council (SRC) members from all year levels.

The event was held in the Damascus Event Centre. The Sisters of Mercy, the priests of the Ballarat area, and the parents of SRC members joined us.

Leadership and SRC badges were blessed in the Mass and distributed to the relevant students at the assembly which followed. Year 7 badges were also blessed ready for distribution by House Leaders later this year.

The Damascus College theme for 2021 is "Be strong and courageous; for God is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9 and this was unpacked for those assembled by Principal Matthew Byrne.

The ‘VCE Next Gen 2021’ exhibition at the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery opened to a limited audience last Friday. This was due to the restrictions imposed by the coronavirse ordel. Exhibiting students could only select one guest to bring. Teacher were giving a preview the the night before, but missed catching up with their old students at the formal event. Next Gen 2021 showcases the creative endeavours, from government, Catholic and Independent schools from Ballarat and its broader region, in VCE Art, Studio Arts, Design and Technology, Visual Communication and Design and Media. While 2020 had been a very difficult one for students, they continued to work and create, and this Next Gen exhibition debatably includes work that challenges the standard of previous years.

Congratulations to the students representing Damascus College. Our talented participants from the class of 2020 include Sofie Sawka (who created an entire graphic novel from scratch), Kiara Powers and her eerie, perfectly processed photo of abandoned house, and Charlotte Grimes with her photographic series capturing the new reality experienced living in ‘shut down’ during the pandemic.

Studio Arts Photography student Charlotte Grimes was also the winner of the innovation award at the new Gen opening. Also ‘The Ineffable’ image was successful selected from over 3000 applicants to be exhibited at TOP ART at the NGV

All entries can be seen online at: https://artgalleryofballarat.com.au/gallery_exhibitions/nextgen-2021/ where you can also vote for the people’s choice award.

The Next Gen exhibition runs until Sunday 16 May at the Art Gallery of Ballarat.

Entry is free.

On Sunday morning, Damascus College warmly welcomed back students and staff from the Class of 1970 as they celebrated their 50 (plus 1) year reunion. As Damascus College is proudly celebrating 140 Years of Catholic education this year, it was a pleasure to have in attendance Sisters of Mercy Veronica, Therese, Marie and Geraldine.

This event was a fitting reminder that together, we celebrate our proud history, and recognise and celebrate our foundation schools; Sacred Heart College, St Paul’s Technical College, and St Martin’s in the Pines. That past students and staff of these foundation Colleges and Damascus College form our alumni.

Guests delighted in reconnecting with old friends as they enjoyed the wonderful new gathering space in the Damascus Events Centre. Deputy Principal Chris Grant was on hand to welcome alumni and guests before they enjoyed a delicious lunch and school tour. Sarah Boswell, Leader of Marketing & Development for the College attended and spoke about the importance of Giving and the Bright Futures Scholarship.

A spectacular event marked the start of the 2020 reunion season at Damascus College. The 2021 reunion dates will be published soon.

Arsad, an Indonesian farmer, had no toilet in his house, so always had to walk into the forest to the open defecation area. His family was often sick and open defecation caused many neighbourhood disputes. With the support of Caritas Australia and its partner agency, Laz Harfa, Arsad took part in hygiene, sanitation and financial management training. He then funded the building of a toilet in his house and helped other community members to save money to construct their own toilet.

Now, Arsad’s family is healthier, their community no longer practices open defecation and is more harmonious. Arsad inspired his community to ‘Be More.’

• · Around 17 percent of Indonesia’s rural population, or 45 million people, practice open defecation – going to the toilet outdoors in fields, forests and other open spaces. (World Bank)

Watch a short film about Arsad’s story here.

“Aspire not to have more, but to be more.” Please support Project Compassion: lent.caritas.org.au

A free Elevate Education Parent Webinar on Note Making Strategies is coming up on March 24th.

Please click here to register for this free event.

For previous Webinars please click here if you missed out or wish to review them.

On Wednesday 17th March the Damascus College School Captains, Maya Tolliday and Shaun Leonard, attended to A Pot of Courage Cafe for breakfast and then make their own way to school. They were supported by staff members Caroline Nolan and Tony Haintz. Ballarat Regional Multicultural Council, Ballarat African Association and A Pot of Courage co-hosted an Ubuntu Breakfast as part of Ballarat’s Harmony Festival. They were not surprised to see many Sisters of Mercy and Fr Barry Ryan also supporting the event.

Ubuntu.Ubuntu comes from an African Xhosa which means "a person is only a person through other people" or "I am because we are" or "I am human because I belong to the human community and I view and treat others accordingly." It captures the essence of the African philosophy of community, equality, common humanity, family and interconnectedness. It celebrates our oneness, harmony and unity in diversity.

When put into practice, Ubuntu encourages and inspires us to use our gifts and talents to enrich the lives of others and to build community and social bond where every person is included and no one is excluded; where every person is made to feel loved, welcomed, and accepted, irrespective of their race, colour, religion, politics, sexual orientation or background. Ubuntu Breakfast During Harmony Fest was successful in its aim to bring people from different backgrounds and cultures together in order to foster the BALLARAT UBUNTU SPIRIT.

The objective is to encourage a collaborative and supportive community in order to decrease experiences of isolation and disengagement that so many people, especially younger adults and the elderly feel, as well as to help people find community and support during these trying times caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Reverend Constantine Osuchukwu, Dr Michael Akindeju and Erica Echstein explained Ubuntu Philosophy and invited us to tell our 'UBUNTU STORIES' of harmony and diversity.

For a full listing of Harmony events please click here.

On Sunday 21st March an Interfaith Forum will be held in St Patrick’s Hall from 4:00 – 5:30 pm. This will include panellists representing various faiths such as: Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Baha’i, Sikh and Hindu, will address questions of interfaith interest. For more information see the flyer below:-

On Tuesday March 16, the Damascus College Rowing Community gathered in the Damascus Events Centre to celebrate the achievements of the 2020/2021 rowing season. The rowing excellence awards recognise students who have demonstrated excellence in attitude, sportsmanship, attendance, being a team player, personal improvement and being a good role model to others. Congratulations to the following students who received these awards on the night:

The Morongo Medals ‘Sint lucernae ardentes’ – ‘Keep the Lamp burning’ were also awarded. These medals have been struck to commemorate the contribution made by Morongo Girls’ College to the HOSG and latterly to recognise its supporters’ club, the Chirnside Club, as a valued donor to Schoolgirls’ rowing. Girls who have competed for three or more years and are in Year 12 at the Head of the Schoolgirls’ Regatta are eligible to receive a Morongo Medal. Congratulations to Olivia Reyjntes and Jessica Blackmore, who receive these medals in 2020.

Other awards included coach of the year, awarded to Brad Beutel and the coxswain of the year – Alice Lepair (winner) and Laura Bylsma (runner up). This night was a fantastic evening to celebrate all of these achievements. Congratulations to Olivia Reyjntes and Angus Shillito on their student leadership for the year and to Paul Blanchfield and Hamish Walsh for piecing together a successful 2020/2021 season.

There are just 200 days until the opening of the first assembly of the Plenary Council. A Plenary Council is the highest formal gathering of all local churches in a country. Our Plenary Council 2020 [Now 20021] is being held so that we can dialogue about the future of the Catholic Church in Australia.

The Council preparations include this week’s release of Continuing the Journey, the working document -- or instrumentum laboris -- for the Plenary Council. The document draws from the richness of the voices of the People of God, captured during the Listening and Dialogue and Listening and Discernment phases, as well as papal writings, bishops' statements and key documents from within and beyond Church to inform the Plenary Council journey. It has been co-authored by Ballarat Diocesan Priest, Fr Kevin Lenehan.

Citing the working document, Archbishop Costelloe says it “invites the whole Church, and in a special way the delegates to the Plenary Council, into a deeper discernment which can help us hear the voice of the Holy Spirit emerging from the multiplicity of voices”. “Every part of this journey so far has been embedded in prayer and, similarly, I invite people to recognise the need to engage with the instrumentum laboris with an open heart, an open mind and a receptive spirit,” he said.

In addition to the document itself, a new podcast series featuring interviews with those on the writing team for Continuing the Journey and a reflection guide might be helpful. The reflection guide, which is a continuation of the guides at other stages of this journey, invites people to pray and discern with the document individually or in small groups. Our journey is national, but the local reflection has proven to be a source of great fruit.

Click here to download Continuing the Journey.

Click here to read the media release on Continuing the Journey.

Click here to download the reflection guide.

Click here to access the first two episodes of the new Plenary Podcast series, featuring interviews with members of the instrumentum laboris writing team.

Congratulations to Year 10 student Sophie Busuttil in receiving the Damascus College Junior Art Acquisition Prize for 2020 (when in Year 9), for her piece titled “Oceanside.”

Sophie shares with us the meaning of this beautiful landscape painting.

“This is a painting of a beach in Warrnambool, Australia.

As a part of my Year 9 art class, it was our task to capture a picture of one of our favourite landscapes and paint it in a French impressionist style. Through my painting I hoped to convey the tranquil feel of the ocean through the rich and deep blues, but also express energy and movement through the quick strokes against the rocks, while creating a rough texture with the impasto. I painterly added thick and thin strokes to display texture, depth and interest to the eye, while also staying true to the French impressionist style.

I thoroughly enjoyed being able to dive deeper into the world of French impressionism through this artwork, while I explored different techniques, styles and was able to develop an even deeper love of art in the process.”

Well done Sophie, this is a welcome addition to the College art collection.

Last Thursday our Year 9 students turned our courtyard into their classroom taking advantage of the great Ballarat weather.

In Year 9 Mathematics students have been studying the topic of Pythagoras and Trigonometry in a unit called “Design From The Right Angle”.

This study unit requires the calculation of various sides and angles of a right-angled triangle. For the hands on activity today, students have built miniature cubby houses. Teams were allocated a roof pitch angle and cubby house height which they had to use in their calculations.

In groups, the students have constructed their model cubby house to suit the particular specifications for their group.

Congratulations to our Year 9 Mathematics students for their very impressive efforts in applying the theories they have learned in class to the application of building these mini houses.

Year 9 student Nathan Magri and his younger brother Ethan, shaved their heads for a cure over the weekend. So we thought we would show you the before and after shots.

Well done to the Magri family, for raising just over $6,000 towards the leukaemia foundation. A big thank you to our Damascus community for getting behind this worthy cause. Fantastic effort!