For four years now, MSJ students and staff have participated in the St. Vincent De Paul Society’s ‘Winter School Sleepout’, where students sign up to sleep at school for the night to raise awareness for Australians experiencing homelessness.
Lockdown hasn’t stopped us from continuing this tradition, with the 2020 Sleepout occurring from the homes of MSJ students and staff around Melbourne. Students and staff were able to select how uncomfortable their night would be, whether sleeping on their bed, couch, or floor - and some staff even elected to sleep in their cars on the night of 17 September.
Aimed at promoting conversations about how COVID-19 and lockdown has impacted those experiencing homelessness, the night was organised and run by the Social Justice Team at the College.
Amazingly, the school also raised over $500 for Vinnies, which will go towards on-ground support for people experiencing homelessness across Victoria.
This is a fantastic effort that truly reflects Mary’s words to “never see a need without doing something about it”- well done, MSJ, and thank you to all who donated to or supported our cause.
Darcy Robinson - Social Justice Leader
The Performing Arts Soiree held on Thursday 10 September was MSJ’s first-ever virtual soiree via Zoom. It was a fantastic opportunity for students to perform and showcase their talents, especially since there have been limited opportunities for live performances this year due to the pandemic.
There were over twenty students from all year levels who performed with a range of different performances from vocalists to instrumentalists. It was fantastic to see that so many family members, friends and teachers joined to support the students. The Soiree was also a great way for families and friends to connect with each other. A real positive about performing virtually was that family who live far away were able to attend who otherwise would not be able to. MSJ’s Arts Captain, Tia Stuart, did a great job as Master of Ceremonies on the night.
Overall, the evening ran very smoothly with no technical difficulties and it was great to see the students’ talents and hard work on display. A big thank you to the music department and teachers for organising the night and to the students and audience who attended.
Allison Webster, Year 11
All Year 10 students were involved in a remote learning program called Road Smart. The Road Smart webinar program taught us how to keep safe when driving for the first time and being confident when learning to drive.
The Road Smart program created insight for the Year 10 students on how safe their car may be and what to look out for when deciding what car will be their first car. The Year 10 students also learnt about the Graduated Licensing System which explains which age group (Learners, Green P's and Red P's) experienced the most amount of car crashes, the number of hours required and the minimum years that are needed to complete this section of the course. The Road Safety system was then introduced to the students and this consisted of Safe Speeds, Safe Vehicles, Safe Roads and Safe people.
Overall, the Year 10 students were provided with useful information that will guide them through the next chapter of their lives. Each student that participated was entitled to a free driving lesson.
We would like to thank all the presenters for providing us with this opportunity to help guide us through this process of learning to drive and all the things we need to consider.
Nikita Sinclair, Year 10
For those families that do not have a regular, scheduled payment arrangement in place, it would be appreciated if families could make sure their accounts are finalised by 28 September unless alternative arrangements have been made with the Business Manager.
If you have been adversely affected by COVID-19 and wish to confidentially discuss financial assistance, please contact our accounts department (Tel: 8398 2001 / email: feerelief@msj.vic.edu.au)
Daniel O’Malley - Business Manager
Lola Coombes from Penola 1 is participating in the World's Greatest Shave to raise money for The Leukemia Foundation.
Here is the link if you'd like to donate: https://secure.leukaemiafoundation.org.au/registrant/FundraisingPage.aspx?Referrer=%26Referrer%3ddirect%252fnone&RegistrationID=797854
She has absolutely smashed her goal of $500 so help her smash it even more!
She would appreciate your support.
