On Sunday 3 March, students from Years 7 to 12 participated in Clean Up Australia Day at WG Cresser Reserve in Seaholme. It is important to the Mount St. Joseph community, as environmental problems are a real focus at the college. Australia as a whole, struggles with water pollution as 130,000 tonnes of plastic leaks into marine ecosystems, so we thought as a community, it would be most important to clean our marine environment.
We had many staff, students and family members that joined us with picking up rubbish. With so many people participating in Clean Up Australia Day, we managed to form many groups, allowing us to spread out and thus letting us finish cleaning the reserve quickly. We found lots of interesting items, that ranged from blankets to hoodies to even wood and bricks. As a community, we managed to collect around 30 bags filled with rubbish found on and around the beach.
We are proud of everyone's hard work and dedication from lots of staff, students and other family members who came together to help pick up rubbish. It was amazing to see how enthusiastic everyone was and how willing they were to come help. Overall, a great day filled with lots of laughs and hard work.
Bianca Anderson and Priscilla Law (Year 11)
The Learning Resource Centre celebrated amazing women from Australia’s past during Women’s History Month with a display of some of the fantastic women who have made an impact on our world. Women included Nancy Bird Walton, the first Australian woman to gain her commercial pilot’s licence; Ruby Payne-Scott, one of the most outstanding physicists Australia has ever produced; Julia Gillard, the first female Prime Minister of Australia and a former resident of Altona (who visited MSJ during her prime ministership); and AFLW big kicker Tayla Harris, who was named 2021 Victoria Young Australian of the Year for her impressive actions in standing up to online bullies and calling out sexist comments.
Other notable women in the March display included Cathy Freeman, Rose Quong, Germaine Greer, Dame Roma Mitchell, Louise Lovely, Dame Nellie Melba, Edith Cowan, Nicole Kidman and Miles Franklin. Starting on International Women’s Day (8 March), every day we introduced a different woman on Simon, with a short snippet about her achievements and links to quality websites, so students could find out more.
In March, the LRC also celebrated Harmony Week with free bookmarks and a spectacular paper people display. Harmony Week is about inclusiveness, respect and belonging. It is about celebrating Australia’s wonderful multiculturalism. With that in mind, we invited students to decorate a paper person and add them to our display. The result was a gorgeous colourful wall of paper people made with lots of love, enthusiasm and glitter.
New books in the LRC this term include biographies: Life as I know it by Michelle Payne and John Harms, Truganini by Cassandra Pybus, Under her skin by Sue Williams, Hannah Gadsby’s Ten steps to Nanette, The six by Loren Grush, Britney Spears’ The Woman in me, and This is 18 (Girls lives through girls eyes) edited by Jessica Bennett. New fiction titles include: The Wolves of Greycoat Hall series by Lucinda Gifford, The upside of falling by Alex Light, Two sparrowhawks in a lonely sky by Rebecca Lim, Divine rivals by Rebecca Ross, Alone by Megan Freeman and the first two Percy Jackson graphic novels. Our next lot of book purchasing will include the Children’s Book Council of Australia 2024 shortlisted books.
Enjoy the holidays. We hope you find time to relax with a good book.
Rebecca Green - College Librarian
Updated statements were issued 18 March 2024.
The Early Payment Discount has been applied to all families who qualified (account paid in full by 23 February 2024).
If you are yet to commence 2024 payments, it would be appreciated if you bring your account up to date. Please review the fees schedule on the website by following the link below.
Deduction forms (Direct Debit / Debit or Credit Card / Centrepay) can also be accessed via the link below.
https://www.msj.vic.edu.au/enrolments/tuition-fees
$1,250 CSEF reduction in fees
The CSEF / HCC Concession has been applied to all MSJ accounts for families who have completed an application and were eligible.
Families who have not already applied and are eligible (hold health care (HCC), pensioner concession (PCC) or veterans’ affairs gold card and temporary foster parents) are strongly encouraged to complete the CSEF form (also included on our website) as it provides significant reductions in fees.
https://www.msj.vic.edu.au/uploads/Fees/2024-CSEF-application-form.pdf
Should you have any queries in relation to your account, please contact Mrs Heather Rinaldi (msjfees@msj.vic.edu.au) or 8398 2000 (Option 3).
Your continued support is appreciated.
Daniel O’Malley - Business Manager
The Languages Domain has recently launched a new initiative inviting Years 10, 11 and 12 students to nominate as Language Ambassadors.
The role of MSJ Languages Ambassadors was created for senior students who have continued their language study. The aim of the Languages Ambassador role is to create a sense of connection and community between senior students of languages and to foster connection with language students in junior year levels. Languages Ambassadors will be role models for language learning and linguistic diversity in our school. Students will be involved in planning and supporting cultural activities and celebrations with the Languages Department, running lunchtime activities such as film club, language games and homework help for all year levels.
| French | Italian | Japanese |
|---|---|---|
Year 12 Ayda Haileselassie Year 11 Ella Tucker Chloe Vella Year 10 Joyce Apaac Chloe Appels Holly Austin Hannah Haroun Naledi Radihephi | Year 11 Michelina Paglianiti Cheyne Peet Sophia Rubino Year 10 Ella Beecroft Siena Melisi Arden Roche | Year 11 Sophia Bowden Julie Wakfer Erica Whitmore Year 10 Guinevere Algallar Emilie Blight Joni Korokoro Priscilla Law Sienna Lazarkov Bella Munro LilyAnne Swaris Jeanine Uy |
The first official duty of the French Language Ambassadors was to host an activity to celebrate La Journée Internationale de la Francophonie (International Day of Francophone Language and Culture). It is observed on March 20 by the 88 member states of the International Organization of La Francophonie (French speaking countries).
March 20 celebrates the French language and Francophone culture. It was established to promote the French language and cultural and linguistic diversity as well as peace, democracy and human rights. There are over 321 million French speakers on Earth.
The United Nations observes March 20 as La Journée de la Langue Française (International Day of the French Language). The day was established to celebrate multilingualism and cultural diversity.
At MSJ, we celebrated the French language with a French Trivia Kahoot and all students were invited to participate. Adding to the atmosphere was a playlist of French songs curated by 10 French student Hannah Haroun.
Our event was even accepted for publication on the official 20mars.francophonie.org website!
Congratulations to our Top 3 prize winners: Chloe Appels, Tara Madden, Sophie Martin.
On March 15, Year 10, 11 and 12 French students attended a screening of the film 'The Snow Must Go On' (Les Têtes Givrées) as part of the French Film Festival. The film touches on several themes and topics addressed in each level's curriculum (environmental issues, school life, adolescence).
The students were able to practice their language skills while introducing them to aspects of French culture and enjoying the film’s stunning setting in the French Alps. Students will complete language and research based activities such as writing a film review, researching the region where the film is set and the impact of climate on the region's largest glacier “La Mer de Glace” which has been receding at an increasing rate and is expected to disappear in the next 50 to 100 years. Feedback from the students was very positive with some saying they felt empowered by the film’s message which gave them ideas on how they can be more sustainable in their own lives.
Congratulations to Sunita Daravong (Year 12 Art Making and Exhibiting 2023) who won the Secondary Schools Portrait Prize at this year's Catholic Education Week Creative Arts Exhibition. Sunita's series of four highly detailed coloured pencil drawings of her father stood out in a talented field of finalists from schools across the Archdiocese of Melbourne.
Artist Statement
"I have produced as series of four books illustrating the stories behind my father’s life. The illustrations delve into his thoughts and emotions, portrayed through the ‘Language of Flowers’. The motif of flowers is represented by Calla Lilies, known as the “flower of Sadness, which connects to my father’s state of mind in the couple of years before he passed away."
Congratulations to the 19 students who have had their artworks selected for Hobson Bay Councils 5x7 art prize. Their work will be exhibited at the Louis Joel Gallery 6th -24th April.
This year’s theme for the exhibition is “THAT SONG” so students were encouraged to explore this subject innovatively using any medium, the only restriction being the size of the canvas. It was wonderful to see the range of artforms from drawing, painting, photography, collage, and digital illustration used to express h concepts based on the selected theme.
Isabella Ten
Ruby Moloney
Luka Brosnan
Chloe vella
Christina Ogrizek
Liyanne Swaris (Two entries)
Grace Kinniburgh
Ava Scott
Ava Arguelles
Isabel Martin
Chiara Fortuna
Etienne Green
Daisy Boschetti
Lily Castro
Abbey Norden
Elehanna Hutchison
Moira Gingco
Elizabeth Raffoul
Christine Yeung
