Yesterday we met as a leadership group and our Leader of School Development, Sarah Boswell, led us in our reflection. Sarah drew on this poem from the Sisters of Mercy website, and it resonated strongly with me. I have taken only the first and the last stanza, but what appealed to me was that our experience of the storm in which we currently exist is being experienced very differently by everyone. Also, the reminder that judgement is not helpful, as we so rarely know the full story. I include the link for the full version of the poem which, I think, brings a perspective to our different experiences of this time.

https://institute.mercy.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/We-are-not-in-the-same-boat_-A-poem-about-COVID-19.pdf

“I heard that we are in the same boat.
But it’s not like that.
We are in the same storm, but not in the same boat.
Your ship can be shipwrecked and mine might not be. Or vice versa…..

….Do not underestimate the pain of others if you do not feel it. Do not judge the good life of the other, do not condemn the bad life of the other. Don’t be a judge. Let us not judge the one who lacks, as well as the one who exceeds. We are different ships looking to survive. Let everyone navigate their route with respect, empathy and responsibility.”

One of the challenges of 2020 is determining adjustments to the College calendar and trying to pace breaks and well-being activities. Two things on the horizon that we are not able to plan for with any confidence are Damascus Day and the Year 12 (and Year 11’s undertaking a Unit 3/4) General Achievement Task, the GAT.

The GAT was scheduled for 9th September and has been pushed back to 7th October. We are going to take the 9th as a non-teaching day still to provide students and staff with a chance to catch up within their learning program. Pending the Government’s announcement about what is to happen for the last week of term, we will have the day to prepare. This will be important regardless of whether some or all students are to return onsite for the last week, or if we are to continue remote learning. Year 12’s and Unit 4 students will be supported to continue their learning independently on this day; there will be no expectation of planned learning for students in other year levels on the 9th September.

At this stage, it is very difficult for us to prepare for Damascus Day. We do not know who will be onsite. Regardless, we will try and bring a spiritual element to the day, but it will be very different from any other Damascus Day we have had in the past. I will continue to keep the school community informed as I become aware of Government announcements relating to onsite arrangements and the implications arising for the last week of term and beyond.

With the GAT testing day moved back to 7th October, we are mindful of juggling the learning needs of senior students’ onsite with those of the rest of our student population. For students to have the optimal conditions for the GAT, Damascus will conduct a day of remote learning on 7th October, regardless of other factors. This allows us to create the optimal exam environment for a test that will be more important in 2020 than it has been in other years and maintains the learning program for students in other courses and year levels.

We have also been looking at the implications of the move of the Ballarat Show Day holiday to the date of the Melbourne Cup on Tuesday 3rd November. Damascus will now take the fourth term holiday on 3rd November, as a result of country buses not running on that date.

Our Year 12’s final day of classes will be Friday 30th October. We were scheduled to have a full day of TA interviews on Wednesday 28th October, but we will move that day of interviews to Monday 2nd November to optimise (hopefully) on-campus class time for our Year 12’s.

I apologise for these changes to our calendar, which we typically work very hard to avoid, but 2020 is demanding that we approach so much of our program differently.

Tomorrow is our condensed timetable for this week and the times can be found on student messages in SIMON or PAM. Nicole Hexter has developed the following activity; The Great Australian Adventure, to encourage our school community to get active during the next fortnight and we encourage our families to support students to take part in the challenge. More information about the challenge and the support families can offer can be found here.

Nicole Burness has been reminding junior students through the daily messages that the Drama Club continues to meet through Microsoft teams on Wednesday and Thursday during lunchtimes. Students start off as one group then break out to work on sections of their script. If there is any student who would still like to be a part of Drama club, please send a message in MS Teams to Miss Burness, this week will be the last week for any new members to join in the Remote Drama Club.

Each year the College produces an annual report on the achievements of the College community for the preceding school year. The 2019 annual report can be found here and is located on the College website.

We keep the family of Rory Sheridan (Year 8) in our prayers and thoughts, as Denise, Craig, Rory and Brayden mourn the loss and celebrate the life of Rory’s Grandfather. May he rest in God’s loving embrace.

May the sun come out after one of the bleakest winter periods of recent times …

Until next week…

MATT

Catholic Mission...Can you help?

This year Damascus College is participating in Socktober. We invite our students to connect with young people experiencing challenges in the developing world through education and the world game of soccer.

We’ve had a challenging year ourselves, but the benefit of this program is that it covers several core parts of our curriculum, and it has been designed to make it easy for us to deliver, and fun for you to engage with at home.

Over several weeks, we’ll take a mission journey around the world, from India to Ethiopia, Thailand to Cambodia, and discover how other cultures live, learn, work and play.

Socktober works best when every student is on board. Take a moment to register your young people for Socktober so they have the opportunity to join their friends and make a difference for children in need around the world. Setting up the page takes only a few minutes.

Please register at our school’s Socktober page here:
http://www.socktober.org.au/fundraising/schools/damascus-college-ballarat

Then, simply share the page and encouraging family and friends to get behind your Socktober journey.

You’ll be asked to pick a fundraising goal when you register. Whatever you raise towards this goal will support the basic needs of vulnerable children around the world, such as food, clean water, healthcare, and education. You might choose from one of the targets below:

$30 can help purchase food, school uniforms and books for kindergarten children in Cambodia.
$75 can help towards purchasing sports equipment for children with disabilities in Cambodia.
$393 can go towards the costs of medical support and physiotherapy for children with disabilities in Cambodia.

Week 1 : Compassion
Catholic Social Teaching: Solidarity

Discover the origin of the iconic Catholic Mission ‘sockball’ and learn how to make your own. This week's Mission Pack takes us to India, where a group of young people made the first ‘sockball’ by hand, inspiring hundreds of students across Australia. Learn about their story, and discover mission in the south of India.

https://www.socktober.org.au/compassion

1. Tell us a little about you?
I am Sharon Davis, a Queenslander who hates the heat, teacher for many years in Qld. Stage 3 lockdown is quite enjoyable for me due to my favourite activities being reading while enjoying a glass of wine!! We have lived in Buninyong now for 15 years after arriving from Queensland with an intention to live and work here for 3….it was too good to leave!

2. How many children you have and what year are they in?
Our oldest son completed VCE in 2019 and our younger son, Drew, is in Year 9.

3. What have you done to support your student in setting up their study space?
Drew has the dining room table to use as his study space as both parents are working from home and we called ‘dibs’ on the two office spaces first….however, Drew gets to be in the centre of the home and keep an on everyone so is quite happy there.

4. What routines have stayed the same, what have changed?
Our routines have not really changed as we have both worked from home since Easter….I’ve almost forgotten what the outside world (and my work office) looks like. The biggest change to our routine is local around the block exercise rather than the gym/pool….our block never gets boring though.

5. As a parent do you use PAM, or utilise other ways to get information about what your student is working on?
We read the emails and talk to Drew about what he has to do and how he is going to structure his time. We also have fantastic support from his TA (Catherine) about the overall picture. His teachers have kept us up to date on what is happening with the learning as well.

6. What has been the biggest challenge for you during ISO and how do you plan to deal with it?
The biggest challenge has been simple pleasures: sitting in a coffee shop with friends or not being able to go for a trip to Melbourne…and remembering not to terrify people by standing too close to them. My plan this time is to stay put – not a fan of the mask wearing so I feel the garden might be getting some real attention over the next couple of months.

7. What has been the surprise joy of ISO (maybe extra family time, less running around or something else)?
One great thing has been the saving of money: without coffee shops and trips around, it is surprising how little you spend. It is also been how much more relaxed evenings are, given that we’re not checking the calendar each day to see whose turn it is to rush out of the house. Finally, as a family, we have smashed out a few great TV series together!

8. Finally could Drew offer other students a piece of advice?
Remote learning is easy and hard...but mostly easy - you can work at your own schedule and you don't have to put on a uniform each day. It's a little hard not being in the same room as the teacher but it's okay. You just have to look at your timetable to know what you have for the day and make a plan each morning.

Thanks Sharon and Drew!

Can the students and staff at Damascus College circumnavigate Australia without even physically leaving Ballarat? That is the challenge.

All Damascus students are staff are invited to participate in The Great Damascus Aussie Adventure. Between Thursday August 27 and Sunday September 6, students and staff are encouraged to get out for a walk, run, ride or row and record their distance. They can head out once or do something every day across the 11 days (evidence of the distance each day needs to be recorded via the MS Form).

The afternoon of Thursday 27, which is a designated condensed timetable for afternoon activity, as a school we aim to make it as far as Sydney – that is just over 1,000km.

Further details and instructions can be found on the daily messages, accessible to students via SIMON and to parents via PAM. Get involved!

We welcome our Damascus College student leaders as they share their learnings with the wider student population, in the hope that other students might take some tips from their experience to succeed in Remote Learning 2.0.

Please make sure you take advantage of the condensed timetable and be deliberate in getting away from screens - take a walk outside, mow the lawn, play a game - it will help with your own mental health and well-being throughout this time.

#InThisTogether

Today we hear from Year 9 student Liana Canfield as she shares with our Damascus community, her Remote Learning Hero.

Big thanks to Liana and Deb Hanson for getting involved in this.

In our oceans today, it is estimated that approximately 52% of the sea turtle population have consumed plastics of all kinds. The accompanying picture depicts a shark made out a plastic straws, (the most well known plastic danger), posing a threat to the small innocent sea turtle just above. Based on the film, Jaws, the image highlights just how much of a danger plastic is causing to not only the turtles and the ocean, but also, by association, us humans. What will happen when majority of waters are polluted by something we, ourselves are producing ? Is it not just a further step, along with climate change and other world issues, to the death of the planet we call home ?

However, there are ways in which not only major governments but also the general public can help to improve our waters and therefore the sea life, who inhabit them.

Instead of bringing our snacks and sandwiches in zip lock bags, put them in a container or buy a reusable water bottle instead of a plastic one. Just like Presley’s piece depicts straws are harmful also, but metal or paper ones are available. By doing this, we are greatly cutting down on the amount of single-use plastics used daily. In addition to the topic of daily-use materials, begin to take more care about what goes into the recycling bin and what goes into the regular bin.

Attending a beach or river clean up can be extremely helpful to your local environment, and helpful to the companies running it too. Even if there are no opportunities to take part in these events, still other methods can help. Spread the word on social media and sign petitions, which you can share with your friends.

Everyone can lend a hand in helping our ocean friends.

Article by: Jemma & Grace Vermeend

Artwork by: Presley Duncan

Get ready, the Dobsons annual Buy Early & Save Sale is about to begin! Save on selected uniform items when you shop with Dobsons from September 1st till November 28th, 2020. Beat the back to school rush and save on

a range of selected items, including:

• Blazers
• Pullovers
• Summer dresses
• Summer shirts
• Bags
• Sportswear

With a pain free returns policy, now is the time to plan ahead. Whether your child finds a few extra centimetres over the holiday break or not as many as you’d thought, Dobsons has you covered with a quick
and simple returns policy*.

Once Dobsons stores re-open they would love to welcome you in store but until then they look forward to servicing your uniform needs online. To shop the sale online go to dobsons.com.au

*Terms & Conditions apply. Sale available online and in store once store services resume.

We are excited to advise that scholarship applications opened this week for Damascus College students, as per info on the flyer below.

We encourage Damascus students to read over the various scholarship opportunities and apply by the closing date, Thursday 10 September.

Further information and application forms are available at: https://www.damascus.vic.edu.au/prospective-scholarships

Please see below a link to the latest Career's News:-

Careers News 18 August 2020