Ave Maria College

It is with great pleasure that we acknowledge Adam Hipwell, a member of our Health and Physical Education Domain. Adam joined the Ave Maria College community at the commencement of the 2020 school year. Adam recently received the 2019 ACHPER Honour Award.  In receiving this award Adam has been recognised for his ongoing commitment to the delivery of Outdoor Education programs and his leadership in mentoring teachers who are new to delivering Outdoor and Environmental Studies. Well done Adam! 

Semester One Reports

Semester One reports for Years 7-12 students are available via the Parent Access Module. Please refer to the letter emailed to all parents/carers last week regarding the new look semester reports and changes to assessments due to the online learning environment.

Parent Teacher Student Interviews – Term 3

VCE PTS Interviews are scheduled for Thursday, 30 July 2020.

7-10 PTS Interviews are scheduled for Wednesday, 9 September 2020.

Parent Teacher Student (PTS) Interviews will take place as scheduled in Term 3 however, we cannot confirm at this stage whether they will be conducted onsite or via MS Teams.

Term 3 Onsite Operations Guide

The CECV have informed all Catholic schools that updated advice for the return to school in Term 3 will be made available during the holiday period. When this information is received, we will then communicate any changes to all families about daily bell times, onsite protocols and College events.

May I take this opportunity to wish all students a well-earned break over the holidays! You have risen to the challenges of Term 2 and achieved great things! Be proud of yourselves and enjoy!

Michelle Robertson

2021 Subject Selection

The Subject Selection process is an annual event that involves students across Years 7 to Year 11. Throughout the process, students are required to consider their academic pathways and areas of interest, in order to select suitable subjects for 2021. Parents/carers are encouraged to have constructive conversations with their daughters about subject selection and the pathways that they are interested in pursuing.

The Subject Selection Evening will take place on Wednesday, 22 July 2020 from 5.00pm – 8.00pm. This night is particularly aimed at students currently in Years 8, 9 and 10. This year due to COVID-19 restrictions, the evening will be held virtually via Microsoft Teams. Further information about the Subject Selection process, accessing the event, and the schedule for the evening will be communicated to parents/carers and students at the commencement of Term 3.

Subject information guides will also be produced for all Year Levels and digitally distributed to students and families in the latter half of the term break. Students will also receive an abridged printed version with key information prior to the Subject Selection Evening.

VCE Seminars

Having completed all of the coursework for Unit 3 and already commencing Unit 4, our Year 12 and accelerated Year 11 students are now past the halfway point of their senior studies for this year.

Over the upcoming break, there are a number of externally facilitated VCE seminars that your daughter may wish to attend. Whilst many of these incur a cost, there are some free sessions available. During these workshops, students are often given a range of revision strategies and the common mistakes made in previous exams will be highlighted.

The programs are also structured to assist students with learning activities that can reinforce key knowledge and will enable students to plan and implement good study skills for the end of the year.

Some of the VCE seminar providers include ATAR notes, Access Education, TSFX – The School for Excellence and TSSM.  Please note; that the College is simply highlighting these providers as a resource for your daughters and are not responsible for the content and/or quality of the programs. Further to this, we are not in any commercial relationship with the aforementioned providers, nor do we receive any incentives for promoting these providers.

James Vella

Cloth for Liturgy

For our return to school liturgy on Tuesday, 9 June 2020, there was a cloth wrapped around our cross. At the time the cloth had been written on by Year 11 and 12 students. In terms of their remote learning experience, they responded to one of the following prompts:

• Something I’m happy to leave behind.
• Someone/something for which I’m grateful.
• Something I’ve learned about myself.

Over the course of the last 2 weeks, students in Years 7 to 10, as well as staff, have had their opportunity to also write on the cloth. The cloth will find a permanent home within the College.

While we have always been aware of the interconnection between academic achievement or progress and student wellbeing, this past term has really emphasized the strength of this relationship. Research into learning shows that the conditions have to be right in order for students to make optimal progress with their learning.

The lack of certainty, the high demands that come with change and the challenges that have presented through working online and then returning to onsite learning have all demanded a cognitive and emotional load from students. Each of these things in isolation is challenging, however, when presented together these conditions can have a significant impact on mood regulation, problem solving skills, and the ability to navigate the demands of learning multiple disciplines. In addition to this, we have observed an increase in tiredness among our students as the term has come to a close.

The conditions for optimal learning include strong student-teacher relationships and feeling safe in the learning environment. As our students have navigated the challenges of this term we have seen the strength of these relationships, as well as the importance of working in partnership with families. The Student Wellbeing Team have worked with families and the staff at the College to ensure that students have been well supported throughout the term. Coming back to onsite learning has been exciting but also challenging. Our team approach has been vital in providing a network of support for our students, helping them to feel safe and to ask for help when they need it. We continue to encourage students to reach out if they need to.

The holiday period provides a well needed break for many, but also some added stress for some as the routine of school is disrupted again. As we consider the return to Term 3, we encourage parents and carers to contact the College if they need any support with the return to school. We can provide support onsite, through the Student Wellbeing Team, in addition to supporting referrals to external agencies, such as Headspace.  

Natalie Meddis

To our Ave community,

We have made it to the end of Term 2!

Whilst reflecting on this term, we found that there are so many aspects which we should celebrate and recognise as achievements.

With remote learning coming to an end about a month ago for our VCE students and only a couple of weeks ago for our 7-10 students, we look back and reflect upon what a challenge it was, but also how well our community overcame this obstacle. There is no denying that online schooling was difficult for all of us – students, teachers and families alike. However, with the whole school community returning to learning onsite, we have noticed an overwhelming sense of togetherness and unity. Despite having to abide by social distancing rules, resulting in staggered class and lunch times for different year levels, we have seen each respective year level bond and reignite the spark that was present at the beginning of the year. It is so wonderful to witness the ability of our community to rekindle relationships and continue pushing through the year, despite facing some struggles a few weeks prior – this in itself, is something of which we should all be very proud.

We would also like to recognise and express our gratitude to all the Ave Maria College staff – especially the teachers. Their constant dedication to their students had much to do with our ability to continue learning at home. We hope that you too can reflect on these members of our community and take some time to express your thanks for their work during these unprecedented times.

Now – looking forward. Of course, the remainder of the school year is still quite uncertain, however, we have learnt to face each day as it comes. Whilst at school during the last weeks of Term 2, we have worked alongside our incredible Senior Leadership Team, as well as members of the College Executive, organising the upcoming event of ‘Spec! Spec!’ The House Captains are all in action, organising auditions, scripts and everything in between, for their respective performances, which will all take place on Ave Day this year. We hope to continue sparking participation and involvement from each House to ensure that this day is filled with enthusiasm and excitement. In addition to this, we have also continued to work on our sustainability initiative. Next term, these plans will be put into action, with some sustainable items being implemented onsite! With the holidays coming up, we also hope to carry out some challenges for all members of our community, so, please keep an eye out on the College social media platforms for ways to get involved!

This sustainability initiative has allowed us to live out our College Theme; ‘True Power is Love’, as we are expressing love of and care for the environment – our common home. In addition to this, we hope to continue expressing love to each other and ourselves. We urge you to take some time these holidays to consider the environment around you – implementing sustainable habits at home, like more recycling, turning off the lights, or using less plastic. We also encourage you all to continue loving each other. With the current health concerns and risks in our state, it is important that we are aware of those around us, staying home when we can and being mindful of our social gatherings. Finally, we remind you to love yourself. After a long and tiring term, it is important to take some time for yourself, doing whatever you need to do to relax and rejuvenate for Term 3.

We hope that everyone enjoys a well-deserved break – please remember to love the environment, love each other and love yourselves… and keep up to date with our initiatives on the College social medias!

Danielle Reed and Claudia Fox

Ave Maria College is proud to introduce Simon Everywhere, a smartphone app, designed to streamline the communication process for our families.

Simon Everywhere allows you to conveniently access your daughter’s reports, grades and attendance, update medical information, notify student absences, give consent for excursions and communicate directly with teachers. Essentially it is your Parent Access Module (PAM) account in the convenience of an app.
To utilise this facility simply download the Simon Everywhere app from your devices App Store, select Ave Maria College from the schools dropdown list and enter your previously supplied PAM account credentials.