Month of November
Traditionally, Catholics observe November as the month of the Holy Souls. The month commences with two great Feast Days, the Feast of All Saints (November 1) and the Feast of All Souls (November 2). As I have mentioned in previous editions of this newsletter, it is also quite appropriate that during this month we observe Remembrance Day, November 11, the anniversary of the day in 1918 when the hostilities ceased in the Great War, now more commonly known as the First World War. In remembering, honouring, and praying for the dead we recognise the inestimable value of life, the dignity and sanctity of those who have died, and the sure belief that life continues beyond death albeit in a way that we do not fully understand. In remembering and praying for own loved ones who have died, we pay tribute to the gift that they have been to us, and we extend to them the care that they shared with us during their lives on earth.

Last week, at a special Memorial Mass in St Joseph’s Chapel, we prayed with those in our community who have suffered the loss of family members and friends this year. The great consolation for us is that we know that those who have died are now with God and are experiencing the fullness of God’s mercy and love.

We also celebrated All Saints day on November 1. On this day we remember the people of God throughout history like our patron, St Mary of the Cross MacKillop, who have been recognised as Saints by the Church. These individuals, young and old have lived out their faith and, at times, have paid the ultimate price for believing in God by giving their lives as martyrs. We remember the living saints of our times, the people of God living in this world today who by their example live their faith out daily. We pray that the Saints past and present may inspire us all to follow their example of service to others.

Year 12 Graduation
Due to the current restrictions preventing mass gatherings we have made the decision to postpone the Year 12 Graduation Dinner until 2022 with the hope that mass gatherings can occur.

There has been a recent announcement indicating that the year level and staff can gather at the end of exams to conduct a graduation ceremony. The College staff will gather with the young men and women of Year 12 and it will be livestreamed for parents. It is very rewarding to see the pride and the joy amongst the students and the excitement about having finished this part of their educational journey. Congratulations to all members of the class of 2021, their parents, teachers, and all other staff who helped to get them to this point. We look forward to the release of the VCE results on Thursday 16 December and pray that our students get their just rewards for their efforts. More details will be provided in upcoming weeks.

At this stage, the Graduation will happen on Friday November 26, 6.00pm – 7.45pm under the shade area outside the Performing Arts Courtyard. The plan at this stage is for a mass to take place between 6.00pm – 6.40pm and graduation ceremony 6.45pm – 7.45pm. Year 6 and Year 12 graduations are permitted face-to-face in Victorian schools. Students from the graduating year level and staff can attend in person. Parents/carers and other family members or friends cannot attend in person but could engage via an online broadcasting of the event.

Confirmed COVID Cases
We have had 3 students and 1 staff member test positive to COVID-19 over the past week (2 Year 7 students at Glenroy and 1 Year 9 student and 1 Support Staff member at Broadmeadows). This causes significant disruption to classes, but it is not anyone’s fault as these students and staff member were not feeling symptoms whilst at school. When they experienced symptoms, they remained at home and were tested. In trying to determine who is considered a primary close contact factors such as the amount of time spent with the confirmed case, their proximity or closeness to other students and the vaccination status of the people involved. This meant over 180 phone calls to different families over the weekend to find out whether students were fully, partially, or completely unvaccinated.

To make this process quicker, I am requesting families to voluntarily complete the Operoo which was sent out this week regarding the vaccination status of your son or daughter. This information will remain confidential and is purely voluntary. In the event that you haven’t disclosed this information you will still get a phone call from the school so that we know the student’s vaccination status. For identified Primary Close Contacts who are fully vaccinated, the isolation period is 7 days whereas for partially or unvaccinated Primary Close Contacts the isolation period is 14 days. Thank you for the families that have already responded to this request.

Headstart Program
This year we have decided to continue our successful Headstart program at the end of the year for four days for current Years 7-11 students. In effect this means that our current Years 7 - 11 students will commence their 2021 classes on Monday, November 29 and finish on Thursday, December 2. The advantages to this program are that students can begin their 2022 classwork earlier, giving them additional time to learn their respective VCE and VCAL subjects or subjects for next year.

Students End of Year Mass
Years 7-11 End of Year Mass will be livestreamed on Monday, November 29 for both campuses. It is the beginning of Headstart and will mark the transition between finishing 2020 and starting 2021. The Broadmeadows campus mass will commence at 9.00am for current Years 8-11 students and the Glenroy campus mass will commence at 11.00am for our current Year 7 students. Parents are welcome to join our livestreamed masses via the links that will be placed on the Faith and Mission tab on MyPenola.

Exams
Year 12 students commenced their written exams with English on Wednesday, October 27. These exams continue through until Wednesday, November 17. The Year 11 exams commence on Wednesday, November 17 and conclude on Thursday, November 25.

Online Music Concerts
Given the difficulty of meeting together for performances, the Performing Arts faculty have decided to organise a range of different concerts for students to perform online. On Monday, November 8 there was a concert for Violin and Voice, Tuesday, November 9 was a concert for Woodwind and Brass and Wednesday, November 10 was a concert for Guitar and Drums. Congratulations to all performers for your efforts and a huge thank you to our Instrumental Music teachers and Music staff for their efforts in preparing the students. In particular, thanks to Mrs Ramona Arney, Head of Performing Arts, Mrs Tania Hatherell, Head of Preforming Arts – Glenroy and Mrs Dianne Lee for all of their organisation of these concerts.

Student Free Days this Term

• Monday, November 22 is a Student-Free Day to allow staff time for planning, preparation, assessment of student learning, collaboration, curriculum planning and professional learning. This day will be student free for both campuses.

• Friday, November 26 is another Student Free Day. This will allow our Senior students (Year 11) a small break between finishing exams and commencing their Headstart program and allow our staff to have a Correction Day to finalise grades. For our Junior campus staff, time for correction and report writing of the end of year reports.

Year 12 & VCAL Building update
In good news for the College, MACS has approved our application for the building of our new Year 12 and VCAL building as well as the loan to finance this building. It has been advertised for tender with the six builders who had been shortlisted by MACS and our Architects for the project, McIldowie Partners. Tenders close on Thursday, December 2 2021 at 2pm.

The projected timelines are listed below:

Year 7 Enrolments 2023
A reminder to all of our existing families that Year 7 enrolments for 2023 closed on Friday, August 16. A number of families applied after the close of enrolment last year making it very difficult to accurately plan for the following year, so I ask that you submit your enrolment as soon as possible. Often families assume that we know that there is a younger sibling, and I would be very disappointed if one of our existing families missed out on an enrolment due to not submitting their enrolment in a timely manner.

God our Father,
Your power brings us to birth,
Your providence guides our lives,
and by Your command we return to dust.

Lord, those who die still live in Your presence,
their lives change but do not end.
I pray in hope for my family,
relatives and friends,
and for all the dead known to You alone.

In company with Christ,
Who died and now lives,
may they rejoice in Your kingdom,
where all our tears are wiped away.
Unite us together again in one family,
to sing Your praise forever and ever.

Amen.

Chris Caldow

Principal