秘密研究所

End of Term 3

This is the last edition of The Lighthouse for this term and, as we come to the end of a busy Term 3, I would like to offer my congratulations to our students for their perseverance and continued focus. I would also like to offer my thanks to staff for their efforts to continue to provide high quality learning opportunities and environments in which learning can flourish. For our Year 12 cohort who are sitting VCE exams, there are days of revision classes and practise exams set for the holidays which will have been shared with students already. Thank you to our staff for being available over the break to run these classes. I wish all students, staff and our families a safe and restful break over the upcoming holiday period.

New Caledonia trip

This week we wished bon voyage to a group of staff and students who are on the first international study tour since COVID hit our shores. The fortunate travellers are in New Caledonia where there will be ample opportunity to enhance their French language speaking skills. We look forward to hearing about the trip on their return.

Office hours during the holidays

The main reception office is closed in a physical sense, over the break. However the phone will be answered by those in Administration who will be onsite each day from 8am-4pm.The ARC will be open both weeks from 8am-4pm. Please remember that Friday 29th is a public holiday so no one will be onsite on this day.


First day Term 4:

Students return to school on Tuesday October 3rd. On Monday October 2nd, staff are involved in a Professional Development day.

Uniform:

Term 4 sees the gradual change back to summer uniform. This includes the College hat. Please refresh yourself with the expectations and requirements for uniform as per the Uniform Policy and ensure that your child is aware of uniform requirements.

Please note that the only option for an outer garment to and from school in summer is either the summer dress, the blazer, or the white short sleeve shirt with the Aquinas emblem on the pocket. On no occasion is the College jumper permitted to be worn as an outer garment to or from school.

Darren Atkinson

Principal

SPECIAL REPORT: R U OK? Day

Understanding the growing challenges related to mental health among young people is an important consideration. Anxiety, depression and self-harm 鈥撯�� are all causes for concern. Factors like academic pressure, social media, family dynamics, and societal expectations, are contributing to these issues. It's therefore crucial for parents and caregivers to take action early, remove the stigma around discussing mental health, and offer accessible support to address these issues and the wellbeing of their children. R U OK? contributes to suicide prevention year round by urging people to invest time in personal relationships and empowering informal support networks to identify signs of distress. We urge all families to take part, emphasising the value of genuine human relationships and reminding everyone to ask the important question, 鈥淎re you OK?鈥�

Engaging in R U OK? Day activities goes beyond the classroom; it's a commitment to our students' overall development. By talking openly about mental health, schools create safe spaces where students feel understood, valued, and supported. As parents and caregivers, you can contribute by fostering open conversations, normalising feelings and breaking down mental health stigmas. Participating in R U OK? Day promotes compassion and shows our dedication to the wellbeing of the entire school community, reaffirming that together, we can truly make a difference. This Special Report provides guidance on how to talk to your child about mental health and engage in meaningful discussions. We hope you take a moment to reflect on the information offered, and as always, we welcome your feedback. 

If this raises any concerns for you, a loved one or the wellbeing of your child, please consider seeking medical or professional help. Here is the link to your special report

Nap Rodezno

Deputy Principal

Senior Years Report

As time approaches for students undertaking VCE exams, teachers and families alike will have observed tensions rising in our young people. To specifically address the topic of exam stress, Jess Callanan from the Youth and Family Centre, invited students to attend 3 weekly stress management sessions.

Session one primarily focused on psychoeducation relating to anxiety and mindfulness. Attending to the different psychological and physiological symptoms of anxiety, including the 'fight or flight' response and how fear can present differently for everyone. The groups reviewed various triggers for anxiety, one of which could be exam time, and discussed different ways to manage these feelings of stress.

Session two centred on the concept of negative self-talk. .It is natural that our feelings towards a situation, inform our thoughts and left unchecked, our thought inform our actions. Discussions targeted how we talk to and think of ourselves and how these thoughts can influence our ability to lean into our full potential. Different types of negative self-talk, including cognitive distortions, were introduced. Jess invited students to consider their self-talk and discussed how to challenge the talk so that it does not impede performance.

Session three built upon the content discussed in session two. Looking at specific cognitive distortions that the students are experiencing most regularly and focusing on how we can healthily restructure these thoughts. Students practised calming and focussing methods based on using surroundings to settle nerves and promote their ability to perform in their best state.

Across the three sessions, students learnt about the human stress response and practised various breathing and grounding techniques. Benefits of these methods for students include learning to stabilise themselves during high-stress situations, regaining control over one鈥檚 psychological and physiological state.

Managing stressful moments in our life is an important skill. Students looking for further support are welcome to make contact with the YFC. If seeking additional information on wellbeing issues then any student can access material through 鈥淭he Wellbeing Hub鈥� via the link on SIMON.

We are pleased to notify the Year 11 students that they will have the same opportunity to attend sessions leading into their exam period.

Rachel Crawley

Head Senior Years

Middle Years Report

It was a privilege to attend the 75th anniversary celebrations of our partner school St. Mary鈥檚 as they honoured three-quarters of a century in education for the deaf and hard of hearing. It was great to catch up with the many dedicated past and present teachers who are the fabric of St. Mary's and to hear their stories.

Equally, it was wonderful to catch up with the many past and present students that attended and to meet the people that they have grown into.

The challenges in our society of communication, making social connections, gaining employment, social isolation, and stereotyping are there for all of us, however these can be very much magnified for people who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Seeing how these past students have strived to overcome these barriers each and every day in order to become medical students, lawyers, plumbers, worldwide travellers, parents, nurses, and builders among many other callings and professions was inspiring. It was clear to see how the values that St. Mary's aim to promote in their students were so evident.

St. Mary鈥檚 and Aquinas should be very proud of their students past and present for how they continue to live out the 鈥渧isions and values鈥� that St. Mary's wishes to promote. They aim to:

Build resilient deaf and hard-of-hearing young people capable of dealing with life鈥檚 challenges, maintaining positive relationships, and holding a healthy sense of their own identity.


Foster self-sufficient, capable deaf and hard of hearing students actively setting and achieving their own goals.


The St. Mary鈥檚 philosophy incorporates their key values of empowerment, inclusion, independence, and resilience.

With fantastic staff support, what an amazing job the St. Mary's students have done in living out this philosophy, and how fortunate Aquinas has been to learn and partner with them over the years.

Phil Box

Head Middle Years

As you know, last Friday we had our annual Fair Trade Fair. It was such a fantastic afternoon to see the work invested by our Students for Social Justice and Outreach Group helping to plan, prepare and organise the day and to see students working together to run activities and stalls with staff.

All proceeds from the day will go to CAPSA (the Catholic Alliance for People Seeking Asylum), an alliance of individuals, organisations, schools and parishes from across the Catholic community, advocating for fair and humane treatment for people seeking asylum in Australia.

So thankyou, your participation in the fair has helped us be able to help CAPSA in their efforts to make life better for those who come to Australia seeking a safe haven.

Last week our Year 8 Teams each went on a day retreat to Don Bosco in Lysterfield. The retreat itself was run by Ms Marita Kermani and her Year 11 EDGE students Below are some quotes from students who attended the retreat.

What was the retreat attempting to do?

"The retreat was attempting to show us how to connect with God."

"To bring us closer to God and relax us from our daily works."

What was the key message of the day

"The key message of the day was to always be faithful and true to yourself."

"Get more connection with god and how we can bring him into our daily live"

"That everyone is at different stages in their journey"

What worked well for the retreat?

"Something that worked well for the retreat was being able to be with my friends and hear about other peoples opinions in my class."

"The split up into small groups part, in which we answered a few questions were smooth and interesting"

This fortnight ten Year 9 student leaders participated in the 鈥榁ictorian Young Leaders Global Youth Forum鈥�. This three day forum was run by the Asia Education Foundation and supported by Melbourne University, and aimed to help our young leaders develop global citizenship skills including cultural understanding, teamwork, public speaking, and problem solving.

The forum was based on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, specifically goal number 4: quality education. After learning about the importance of understanding cultural differences in communication and some strategies for presentations and public speaking, students worked in teams to identify a local challenge in education and come up with an action plan to help solve the challenge. The groups utilised their new skills to pitch their solution to a variety of industry experts and many other groups of students. Both Aquinas teams focused on the issue of mental wellbeing in schools and investigated some solutions for how to improve student wellbeing and promote the valuable services of our YFC.

A highlight of the forum was interacting with students from across the globe. In total 47 schools from seven countries joined the program via Zoom, including Australia, China, India, Indonesia, South Korea, Malaysia and Vietnam.

Here are some comments from our participating Year 9 students:

鈥淭wo of the main skills that we had a chance to practise were communication and presentation. We had the opportunity to communicate with schools all around the continent and we presented ideas for how we could change our school鈥�. - Jess


鈥淚 have learnt that the way we learn is different to how schools around the world learn, for example schools in China go to school until 5pm. This shows how different everyone is and how different everyone learns鈥�.


鈥淥ne thing we learnt was public speaking skills and confidence to be the first to speak in breakout rooms and having the courage to speak to the whole group鈥�.


鈥淭he main thing that we were able to learn from the Global Youth Forum was the importance of communication, globalisation and learning about the modern world. I think it was a great opportunity to talk to like minded young people across the globe, because it is us that have the opportunity to change the world鈥�. - Ria


鈥淥ne thing I learned is the confidence that you get from practising things such as your speech or eye contact鈥�.


鈥淪omething I learnt was the lives of people all around the globe and what it鈥檚 like to go to school in those areas and it was really cool to be able to connect and share our experiences with other students around the world鈥�.


鈥淭he Global Youth Forum allowed us to tackle challenges in our school community and I learnt that schools across Australasia are all dealing with the same issues. It was amazing that we got the chance to speak with students from other countries鈥�.


Natalie Zuccon Intercultural Learning Coordinator

The Aquinas students had the wonderful opportunity to perform all of the songs they had been learning in their respective bands, choruses, and groups over the past few months at last week's annual music showcase, which was hosted at our very own Mohan theatre by the senior and junior music captains. All the senior music students put on an amazing display of musicianship and talent following some outstanding performances after the Victorian School Music Festival and pieces played in school and out of school events.

In addition to showcasing the finest of Aquinas鈥� music groups, A few VCE soloists also had the chance to perform work that will be included in their performance exam at the end of the year, Along with the year 12 music class showcasing their talents in their rendition of the American rock band Bon Jovi's "It's My Life".

As a closer to the evening, everybody's hard work from the numerous rehearsals leading up to this showcase, as well as the music camp that took place earlier this year, paid off in the amazing combined piece where all the groups and ensembles played the Back To The Future theme "The power of love" with our conductor Head of Music Jared Campbell, who went the extra step to dress up to fit the movie.

The showcase is a fantastic opportunity for students to perform in front of their friends and family and gain confidence in their developing musical talents and it鈥檚 a fantastic demonstration of what our music department is able to accomplish as well as encouraging and inspiring the younger music students by what they can become if they continue to learn and developing in the music department. The night was a big success and the fact that so many people participated in the programme and tried something new was wonderful to see.

~ Julia Peterson, Senior Music Captain

On Wednesday 6th Sept, our Cross Country team competed in the EISM Cross Country carnival at Ruffey Lake Park in Doncaster. A sunny but very windy day, we were aiming to improve on our 2nd place from last year (only 2 points behind Mt Lilydale), with the boys winning their division and the girls a very close second.
Unfortunately, this was not to be the case, overall we finished 4th. The boys again won their division but the girls finished 5th.

We had a couple of excellent individual results on the day-

Under 14 girls - Zoe Fabre 2nd

Under 15 Boys - Callum Settle 1st

Open Boys - Isaac Ghosn 1st and Tom Vardy 3rd

Congratulations to these students

Our U14 Boys team won their age group as well

A huge thank you to all those who competed on the day and the group of students who had to run up from their age group to cover students who were not able to run on the day as planned.

Well done to our Cross Country captains for their involvement in the Cross Country program at Aquinas - Ava Campbell and Nathan Reid

Aquinas鈥� other runners on the day were

Year 7 

Levi Bench, Emily Bruton, Zac Buyck, Ben Campbell, Scartett Carrazza, Pat Conboy, Evie Dedovic, Isabelle Dubois, Jarvis Gavin, Casey Grey, Caleb Hawkins, Charlotte Leahy, Ethah MacDonald, Isabelle Roberts, Sam Schulz, Mikayla Scott, Grace Seadon, Oliver Simkin, Erin Vallas, Arianah Vella, Lily Veysey, Ben Weston,

Year 8 

Will Adzijovski, Chloe Anderson, Fraser Brown, Jett Clarke, Kingston Clarke, Pia Crozier, Madeleine Dunne, Ben Hines, Harley Jemmeson, Lily Jennings, Riley Kwong, Max Lorkin, Xavier Micallef, Matilda Shine, Stuart Simms, Jethro Steen, Oliver Stuart, Nicholas Tanurahardja, Dominic Tolcher, Joe Vardy, 

Year 9

Laura Blackman, Griffin Box, Jordan Bruton, Randan Cerantola, Leah Coffey, Emma Davies, Campbell Eastwood, Ruby Fox, Lachlan Ghosn, Aleisha Harmer, Sophie Heazlewood, Gabby Hooper, Louis Kluever, Edward Leahy, Holly McGill, Amy Powell,April Shields, Kiah Singh, Jack Taylor, Judd Walhout, Abigail Watson, Ryan Zupanovich

Year 10 

Lachie Buyck, Oscar Dubois, Evie Evans, Emma Fabre Alovi Gomes, Jarrah Hammersley, Jemimah Lees, Sean O鈥橪eary, Josh Ross, Lucy Scutt, Cameron White, Aragon Yuzon

Year 11 

Jamie Clarke, Georgia Kavanagh, Sophie Lorusso,Georgia Scheer,

Year 12 

Matt Azzopardi, Sam Box, James Brown, Asher Franklin,

Aquinas had 3 Boys netball teams ( Junior, Intermediate and Senior ) compete in the State Netball Championships finals day at the State Netball Centre in Parkville last week; having won through from the qualifying day earlier in the term.

The Junior boys did really well against some very tall teams and finished 3rd overall in the State. They played 6 games on the day in the round robin section and won 4 of these games against . In the semi final they played well against Flinders College but their taller players made the difference and we unfortunately lost

Congratulations to these students:

Noah Barclay, Jett Clarke, Kingston Clarke, Jonathan Doan, Spencer Lee, Max Lorkin, Ben McCallum, Arcie Pinney, Cameron Terrill, Brodie Williams 

Coach: Ms Karen Woods

The Intermediate boys played well throughout the day but unfortunately were not able to win the close matches they played. They ended up winning 2 matches, drawing 1 and losing 2.. Coincidentally, the team that won the Intermediate Boys- Flinders College, Aquinas had beaten on the qualifying day.

Congratulations to the the team:

Aidan Campbell, Zody Cantelo, Ben Cooke, Oscar Dubois, Will Ghosn, Seb Horwood, Jayden Kaminaga, Owen Prior, Josh Steen, Chase Stone 

Coach Ms Dani Lorkin

Our Senior boys team won 5 out of the 6 round robin games, finishing 1st overall. We went up against Geelong Christian College in the semi final and won convincingly, 11-4. In the grand final we played Flinders College who were on a roll and the only team who鈥檇 beaten us in the round robin stage. This wasn鈥檛 enough in the final though, as we played our best netball all tournament and won 11-5. 

Congratulations to our state champions: 

Nathan Reid, Tyson Langsdon, Felix Seymour, Isaac Curtis, Rhys Cameron, Isaac Ghosn, Tom Nezda, Riley White, Lachy Warton 

Coach, Mr Scott Buchanan.



Sam Box (Captain)

Year 9 Rice student, Tharwin Praron, participated at the 2023 Victorian Age Short Course Champs on 1-3 September. He had a massive 3 days of racing swam very well and won the following medals in the under 14's: 

5 Individual gold 

3 Individual silver

2  Gold in Relay

The 5 gold medals added state titles to his name and 2 of his times qualifies him for the Australian Open Short Course championships. Aquinas would like to congratulate Tharwin and wish him the best for the Australian championships.

On the 10th of September, Abigail and Amelia Watson entered the Victorian All Schools Canoe Slalom & White Water Championships held at Westerfold Park in Templestowe. Both sisters achieved fantastic results.

Amelia and Abigail competed in Slalom and Sprint events with excellent individual results and also taking the win for the Small School trophy for Aquinas. Results listed below:

Abigail Watson
Slalom - Under 16 female - 1st
Slalom - C2 mixed team - 1st
Sprint (wildwater) Under 16 female - 2nd

Amelia Watson
Slalom - Under 14 female - 1st
Sprint - Under 14 female - 1st
Also taking the award for fastest Junior female (only 2 female competitors recorded a faster time - Abigail & U 18 - Sarah)

Congratulations to you both on your success.

Thank you to all of our wonderful students for participating so enthusiastically in the activities for RUOK Week.

Students enjoyed:
- Scavenger Hunt
- Conversation Circle
- Year 10-12 PnF RUOK Day Shield- Teacher V's Student Basketball Match
- Year 7-9 Shoot-out Competition
- Friendship Bracelet making
- Visits from Community Mental Health resources including Tilly the therapy dog
- Colouring the muriel
- Treats in the canteen
and so much more!!

Very special thanks to the Parents and Friends Network for sponsoring many of our activities through their donations to prizes and awards.

Remember each and every day to check in on our mates, family and friends. Asking a question, listening, encouraging action and checking back in can make a life-changing difference. Find out more at

Sharon Daley

Director Student Services

The Unit 2 Dance students performed their Solo dance work and Learnt group dance work for assessment yesterday.
They performed a self choreographed Cohesive Solo work, covering criteria such as:- the choreographic process and safe dance practice- manipulation of the elements of movement and movement categories- communication of a clear intention chosen from a list of themes provided by the teacher. The Learnt group dance work assesses the students' ability to perform a routine choreographed by the teacher, demonstrating and documenting;- safe, secure and accurate execution of movement categories and elements of movement- performing the dance work communicating the choreographer's intention to the audience - performing the chosen style(s) with strong technique and artistry. The theme for the group dance was "Moulin Rouge" and some of the students performed in a musical theatre style and chorus heels for the first time! They certainly executed the Can Can with flair and energy.

We also welcomed Tia Mirtschin (VET Dance) and Amy Talia (VCE Dance) who are studying Dance externally and presented their Solo works at the showcase.

Well done to the students and wonderful performances, and special thanks to Ms Sarah Owen and Ms Alysia Silvagni for their assistance at the Showcase.

Ms Gina Goss

Yr 11 Dance teacher

Effective home study in Science: Exam preparation

Our Year 12 students are about to commence their final term break before they graduate secondary school. It has been a momentous journey to get to this stage but they are not quite at the end yet. 

For those students who are studying a scored VCE, the exam period awaits. Students have been actively preparing for this experience across their educational journey but the previous months have seen an explicit focus on this preparation, both in classes and as part of the home study program.

In the VCE Sciences, the exams contribute to a significant proportion of the study score for a subject. The exams are a form of common assessment for all students studying each VCE subject and are a culmination of the VCE journey.

In my classroom we use the analogy of preparing for a marathon. If we were to embark on a marathon, running would feature most heavily in our training schedule. Sure, there would be a significant emphasis on overall health and wellbeing (nutrition, hydration, sleep schedules), support from a range of professionals (health care practitioners, sports psychologists to name a few) and a variety of physical training (gym sessions, cardio workouts etc) but ultimately the competitors would be running as their primary form of training.  Running in similar conditions to those that will closely match the conditions of the marathon is likely to provide a higher chance of success.

In comparing this analogy to exam preparation, students should condition themselves by accessing as many practice exams as possible and completing a wide variety of trial exam questions and exam papers under timed test conditions to build confidence, stamina and expertise in their subject area. It is in this spirit of training, that students are provided the opportunity to sit practice exams at the College over the September study break. For further information on the practice exams, please refer to the email sent 27th July from the College Registrar

Completion of exams under exam conditions (timed appropriately with the permitted writing materials) is essential. Careful assessment of performance with the input and guidance of teachers enhances the learning from such experiences.  The VCAA Study Designs outline the key knowledge and skills that are assessed in the VCE exams. Students should use these documents to guide their revision and review their progress regularly. In addition, there has been an emphasis on understanding VCAA command terms and developing literacy based skills in each subject area. 

Classroom teachers will guide students through the revision process and support students in their growth. Every mistake made in a trial exam is an opportunity for learning. Students are encouraged to clearly identify areas of strength and opportunity at the completion of each trial test or exam, with consideration for both key knowledge and skills. Where students don鈥檛 understand an aspect of the key knowledge or a subject specific skill, teachers support students to develop and extend their knowledge and understanding. 

Students should draw on a range of strategies to support and enhance their exam preparation. They should plan for success and understand the scope of what they are preparing (or training) for.  The months leading up to the exam are a time to organise and finalise study notes and undertake a wide variety of activities that keep students engaged and working actively towards the end goal. The recognition of learning materials does not necessarily equate to recall under test conditions. In Science, repetition assists with the recall of key knowledge as does the use of diagrams and graphic representations and the conversion of text into visual representations.

Families can support students in their exam preparation by supporting all aspects of wellbeing and encouraging specific times for rest, work and recreational activities. Careful use of time over the upcoming term break is essential to success. Following this, students will return to class for a two week period before the home study period and then exams commence.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish all our Year 12 students every success as they navigate the final months of their secondary studies at the College, and get set to embark on future adventures.

Mrs Lynda Schulz, Learning Area Leader Aquinas

"Our students have been very busy in the WTTC over the term serving amazing food and drinks to our wonderful families who have supported us throughout the year. Many of you may have had the delight of our Year 11 Hospitality students making over 300 coffees for parents and staff at our Subject Selection Expo. The Year 12 Kitchen Operations class certainly outdid themselves serving over 180 staff on the night as well which was very well received by our staff. Our Year 12 students will finished off their final practical assessment with a show stopping degustation menu. The hospitality team is so proud of our students and wish them all the best for their upcoming final restaurant night".

This is what to expect in the coming months:

• Services Rough In
• Storm water 
• Final Trim 
• Form, Reinforce & Pour Footings 
• Form, Reinforce & Pour Slab On Ground 
• Continuation of product manufacturing offsite.

Term 4 

We remind families not drop off students near the bus bays section of Great Ryrie St. Barriers in the Bus Bay area have been erected and the gates are being locked during the school day. Students are not able to enter the school from the gates near the bus bays (see the map below) and it is dangerous for them to attempt to get past the gates or enter via the bus gates. Students can still enter via the main gates and Thomas Street gates. It is advised that all students, staff, parents/carers and visitors to the school be mindful of any scheduled works. We will continue to update staff, students and families as more information is provided by our contractors.

You can stay up to date with the progress of the project via our website page: here