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(03) 5421 1200
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The Fifth Station of the Cross – Simon of Cyrene Helps Jesus Carry the Cross
Jesus has been sentenced to death and the road to the place of execution is long and steep at times. As Jesus carries his cross, he begins to feel weak. Finally he falls to the ground and has to be helped up again. Angry and impatient, the soldiers pull a man out of the crowd and make him help Jesus carry the cross.
The man, Simon, was himself a stranger and an outsider who was far from his home of Cyrene in North Africa. And so together these two men struggled under the weight of the cross, and under the weight of the oppression that it represents.
When people need help we must come together with the common conviction that we can no longer tolerate the challenges experienced by those who are suffering. Our faith teaches us that people are not issues or problems, but our sisters and brothers in one human family. And so the message of this station is a clear one: to be Christian challenges us to get involved and to work for justice.
This week’s reflection is taken from yesterday’s Easter Liturgy that was held in the Mary Moloney Theatre and brought a number of the Stations of the Cross into dialogue with contemporary issues of justice locally and globally. With the 2024 College theme of 'Called to Act for Justice', exploring the deep foundations of Catholic Social Justice teaching was especially timely.
Congratulations to the students who performed and proclaimed as part of the reflection, especially as it was repeated five times across the day. Thank you also to Mr Sam Weir, Director of Faith and Mission, for putting the deeply moving liturgy together.
I wish all Sacred Heart College students, families and staff all the blessings of Holy Week, the Easter Triduum and the holiday break that follows.
Bereavement - Your prayers are asked for the Sgubin family on the passing of Charlie Sgubin, grandfather of Ruby Year 8. Our thoughts are with you at this sad time.
Yours in Mercy,
Dr Darren Egberts
Principal
SHC Office Hours over the Term Break
Tuesday 2 April 8:30am to 4:00pm
Friday 12 April 8:30am to 4:00pm
Any queries outside these hours please ring 5421 1200 and leave a message.
Last day for Uniform Shop - Term 1 2024
Tuesday 26 March 2024
(Uniform Shop will be closed on Thursday 28 March - Student Free Day)
Over the last couple of weeks Year 7s and 8s have been practicing their baking skills and focusing on the 'rubbing in' method. During their practical lessons, most groups practiced the skill by making scones, then mastered it by making Easter themed biscuits. After shaping their dough using Easter themed cookie cutters, then baking their biscuits, students had an opportunity to decorate them using icing pens, lollies and chocolate.
Hopefully they will give them a go over the school holidays for everyone at home to try!
In the closing weeks of Term 1, our Year 12s travelled to Rutherford Park, Blampied, to participate in a three day Retreat program. Their Retreat included time spent in conversation with small groups, time spent in prayer and liturgy, and time spent engaging with guest speakers and workshops.
A significant celebration within the Retreat program was the annual Op Shop Formal. This year, the Op Shop Formal was reimagined as a fundraising event for Project Compassion, with students invited to 'purchase' their cutlery, seating and dessert for the evening meal. We were thrilled to see our Year 12s taking on the good humoured spirit of the event, and over $700 was raised through their efforts.
Another longstanding element of the Retreat was the affirmation bags that students offered to each other, and to their teachers. At a conservative estimate, at least 1500 affirmations were written over the course of the three days, totalling at least 150,000 words of positive, caring and affirming comments shared between our Year 12 community.
The College recommends downloading and using the SIMON Everywhere App. It delivers PAM accessibility with an easy login using existing PAM credentials, plus the ability for parents to communicate directly with teachers, and for the College to communicate directly with families. Please click on the link for instructions on how to set up and use your SIMON Everywhere App.
Year 8 camp has definitely been a highlight in my year so far. It was filled with many amazing memories and experiences. Here are some of my favorite memories:
- I really enjoyed the overnight hike because it gave me a chance to see some amazing views, cook my own food, and sleep in a tent that I carried and set up. It gave me a really good sense of the beauty of our world and I think it was an amazing experience. We had Arthur for our camp instructor and he was really funny and entertaining.
- Next, I absolutely loved surfing. I have always loved being in the ocean and surfing was a great experience for me and my group. I got to catch waves and try standing up on the board. I also had a great time as I felt very safe in the water. It was such fun watching everyone in my group work together and learn about each other.
- I also loved the vertical challenge. This was an activity where you had to climb up some obstacles and compete with your friends. The top was an amazing 18 metres high. I really loved this activity. It was an wonderful experience to watch everyone push their boundaries.
Camp was an amazing experience and something I would do again in a heartbeat. All of the teachers were amazing and it was really exciting to spend camp time with them. I also really enjoyed meeting the camp instructors and doing many activities with them.
Overall camp was fantastic! I learned many new skills, and it was awesome to get to know my year level better!
Stella Egberts 8E
Volleyball
On Tuesday 26 March, eleven Year 7 girls and two sport leaders from Year 10 travelled to Epping to participate in school Volleyball. The team played three games. The first game was played against Hume Grammar and the students lost two sets to nil, but both sets were very close 9-15. The second game against Edgar's Creek College was even closer, winning the first set but losing the next two. In the third game, the girls won two sets to nil against Hume Anglican Grammar Donnybrook which was really exciting. The team worked really well together, showed great spirit and improved dramatically throughout the day. The girls want to thank Renee and Cheyanne for their coaching, as well as Mr Oreo and Ms Perston for their support. We had a great day.
NMR Swimming Competition Finals
On 25 March, a group of keen Sacred Heart students went off to the NMR Swimming competition. The day started off with exceptional participation from SHC swimmers in individual events - everyone had a go and some even placed!
Dylan Campbell-Quigley placed 2nd in his 50 metre Breastroke and
Freestyle events and powered off to 'States' with his win in the 50 Backstroke.
Cate Mahony placed second in her 50 metre Freestyle race, and came 1st in her
50 metre Breastroke, sending her to 'States'!
Matthew Skewes also placed 3rd in the Open Backstroke!
The relays were the real excitement of the day for the group, as so many students
came along to participate for their teams.
The 17-20 year old mixed relay with Trea
Harkin, Dylan Campbell-Quigley, Cate Mahony and Angus White placed 3rd in their
race.
The 17 year old girls Freestyle team with Trea Harkin, Jen Sullivan,
Chevy Muir and Cate Mahony placed 3rd.
The 15 year old girls Freestyle
relay with Anna Elliott, Natalia Scuteri, Simone Durrant and Mia Feist placed
first - off to 'States'!
The 15 year old boys relay with Angus Haslett, Oscar Bateman, Mason Bray and Hans Ramselaar placed 3rd.
The 14 year old girls relay with Isla Munro, Abi Cross, Molly Ramselaar and Ayla Furness placed 2nd.
Overall, it was a super fun time with so much
hard work and dedication from so many students. Well done and thank you to
everyone who came along and had a go!
Japanese Sister School Visit - Host Families Needed
In November last year, 16 SHC students and three teachers embarked on a study tour to Japan, and were warmly welcomed by our sister school, Ibaraki Nishi High School, in Osaka. We are very excited to announce that our friends from Ibaraki Nishi are planning a reciprocal visit, and will be coming to Sacred Heart College Kyneton in Term 3, from Tuesday 30th July to Friday 9th August.
We are seeking families of students currently studying Japanese who may be interested in hosting a student as part of this exchange. It is a great opportunity for students to practise their Japanese language and learn a little more about Japanese culture. It can also open up lasting friendships as hosting may be reciprocated when our next SHC Japan Study Tour takes place.
This experience is about immersion in everyday Australian life. Please note that host families are not expected to provide experiences above and beyond what they would normally do. Weekdays will be spent attending school, and on weekends activities such as family catch-ups, sporting events, local festivals are perfect for sharing Australian culture with the Japanese students.
Additionally, it is not a requirement for the Japanese students to be accommodated in a separate bedroom. It is perfectly acceptable for the students to share a room with their host brother/sister of the same sex. Please note that it will be a requirement for all adults within the host family home to have a Working with Children Check, and sign a Code of Conduct, to ensure the appropriate care of the visiting students.
If you are interested in hosting a Japanese exchange student, please register your details below by Friday 19th April. Please note that this does not automatically commit you to hosting, at this stage it is just an expression of interest to assist with our planning. We will be contacting potential host families with more information early in Term 2. Please click here to register your interest.
If you have any initial questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Kim Twilley, Languages Learning Area Leader, at the College.
On Thursday 21 March students in Years 10 and 11 attended the 'Tomorrow Man/Tomorrow Woman' Program. The program focused on a variety of different things and focused on gender stereotypes that women are faced with. We created a list, and discussed how to combat the negative things on that list. We also did some other team building activities which posed particular questions, and in response we would either walk towards the line, stay still or walk backwards away from the line depending on the answer to a question. Another activity we completed was responding to what we thought it meant to be brave, and how we thought we could improve personally in being that 'little bit braver'.
The 'Tomorrow Woman' Program has really helped students by making us feel more comfortable with ourselves and others. We were able to talk about how certain stereotypes or situations make us feel, and connect with our classmates. We spoke about how we felt about these types of things, and asked questions to get to know each other better. We learned that we don't always have to use our voices to be heard, and that we don't have to follow the stereotypes women face, we should love who we are and embrace our differences.
'Tomorrow Woman' left us all feeling more empowered, confident and comfortable with who we are. We all felt closer and made new connections and friendships as a result of the program. The experience was truly indescribable. We left feeling more assured that we were all in the same boat and weren’t experiencing anything alone.
Clara Sheridan and Kate Noonan
Debating Term One Wrap Up
On Tuesday 26 March, Charisma Taylor from the Debaters Association of Victoria (DAV) attended Sacred Heart and delivered fantastic training to our Years 7 to 9 debating students.
This training focussed on debating case preparation and rebuttals. We participated in a variety of group activities. It was lots of fun and our students took away some very practical debating tips.
Term One has been a busy term for our senior debaters, participating in the Ballarat regional debating competition at Ballarat and Anglican Grammar School. Term Two will see the continuation of this competition. Thus far, we have debated the following topics:
- That schools should ban contact sports.
- That Victoria should cancel the Suburban Rail Loop.
Sacred Heart has registered seven students across Year 7 to Year 10 in the DAV online junior and intermediate public speaking competition.
Year 7 students have a choice of topics. Students must prepare a 4 to 5 minute speech on one of the following prompts. This speech must be persuasive in nature.
- Beating the odds.
- Where to next?
- The natural world.
Years 8 to 10 students are presenting on a topic of their choice. This speech must also be persuasive in nature. Our students will be preparing their speeches over the term break.
In Term Three, our junior debaters will have the opportunity to attend the DAV junior debating program (JSP). The JSP is an introduction to debating for junior secondary students in Years 7 and 8 who have not participated in the DAV school’s competition. The program is designed to provide training in the basic skills and structure of debating whilst also giving students an opportunity to participate in three 'friendly' inter-school debates.
I would like to thank our students for their dedication to debating this term. I would also like to thank Ms Lydia Lawrence for her wonderful support.
This term our talented Year 8 Robotics students embarked on an exciting journey of engineering and innovation. Students have been diligently working to build and program their Lego Mindstorm robots to move in the form of shapes, many of which successfully used sensors, such as distance recognition to avoid any obstacles. Through this hands-on experience, students have gained invaluable skills in problem-solving, teamwork and critical thinking. In our final lesson, students transformed their robots into formidable contenders for a Battle Bot competition where the most robust and well-built robot could win against any competitor! Congratulations to the Battle Bot winners: James Beattie, Zuri Brownscombe, Victoria Coundon, Aidan Connors, Koby Campbell and Vincent Caruana.
This week Year 10 HHD students participated in some extra fun practical activities linked to our Nutrition Area of Study. Utilising the Australian Healthy Eating Guidelines, we planned and prepared a balanced snack of rice paper rolls filled with chicken, cucumber, noodles, carrots, avocado, coriander and carrot with a delicious dipping sauce, followed by blueberry muffins. Thanks to Lucy for her support in making this happen. Secondly, we visited our local supermarket for a challenge to find, compare and select the healthiest products, utilising the nutrition panels, identify advertising tricks and working out the most economical way to feed ourselves when we live independently. A terrific way to end the term. Well done team.
Unit 1 Geography Coastal Hazards Fieldwork Camp “…a once in a lifetime experience!” (Quote by Genevieve Eames)
The Unit 1 Geography students recently had the opportunity to visit and interact with the beautiful and significant coastal environment of the lower reaches of Port Phillip Bay on the Mornington Peninsula. The students collected data in the field on plastics and other man-made hazards impacting habitats and endemic species. They had the memorable experiences of swimming with Burrunan dolphins in the Bay, and, whilst snorkelling the reef adjacent to Portsea Pier, observing weedy sea dragons, 11-armed sea stars, and sting rays. Our accommodation was at the Portsea Surf Club where both the food and the views were amazing.
We would like to thank the owners of Polperro Dolphin Swims and Over2UEnviroResources for contributing to an excellent program.
The College Show Band has been 'out and about' performing in the community over the last two Saturdays. Headline acts at both the St Ambrose Primary School and Tylden Primary School fetes, the students played a mix of rock, jazz and Latin music that was enjoyed by all. A big shout out to all the students in the band who gave up their Saturday mornings to share their talents with others.
As the world grapples with pressing environmental challenges, Sacred Heart College demonstrated its unwavering commitment to environmental stewardship. On Friday 22 March 2024, classes across the school observed Earth Hour. At a time of their choosing, teachers and students turned off the lights in a symbolic event that underscores the collective effort needed to combat climate change. Well done team!
