College Captains
Amy and I have been working hard at the start of this term and are excited for all of the great activities planned for the remaining term of our leadership. With JJAMM Week coming up, we have been working closely with all of the class captains to organise their stalls and other activities. We have also been working with the Ministry and Social Justice team to organise whole school events for JJAMM Week. We cannot wait to have our first ever ‘PJJAMMA’ Day where all students can wear comfy clothes for the day while we turn off all heating and electricity.
We also recently held our first assembly of the term where we welcomed our Seirei sisters from Japan. We hope they have the best time at MSJ and hope all of our MSJ students make them feel welcome.
With the end of our leadership fast approaching, the last few activities from each portfolio are also occurring this term. We have already heard from past student Steph Kelly, had a Mamma Mia sing-along and re-established Aced It! Tutoring. We are proud of all the events run by our fellow leadership team and cannot wait to see what they have in store for the remainder of the term.
Amy Smedley & Mia Palladino - College Captains
Wellbeing
The Wellbeing portfolio has had a very busy and fun start to the term. On 17 July, MSJ was grateful to have Steph Kelly, a past student from MSJ and a previous sports captain, come back as a guest speaker. Steph Kelly shared with us her experiences and achievements in sport and what she has been doing since leaving MSJ whilst at College in the US.
From 22-26 July, the Wellbeing portfolio organised numerous activities for students to stress less and have fun with their friends. These activities ranged from board games in LRC, mindfulness colouring with chalk, mindfulness over the PA, trivia, and watching the movie Mamma Mia, complete with sing-along.
On 30 July, friendship bracelets were made to celebrate International Friendship Day. Friendships are the most critical relationship after family and students took this day to be thankful for the friends they have.
The Wellbeing portfolio is currently planning more fun and exciting activities, some of which may include a large yoga class, student vs teacher events and more. Stay tuned!
Emma Walton - Wellbeing Captain
Academic
Congratulations to all of those students who earned a Saint Ignatius Award at our last assembly and also to everyone who worked hard in Semester 1. I hope that the perseverance these students demonstrated with their studies will encourage others to do the same this Semester.
With less than half of the academic year left, I hope that all students are able to maintain a healthy study-life balance and continue to try their best with their studies. Remember your teachers and the LRC are available to help you out, and Aced It! Tutoring will continue to run during Term 3.
Thank you again to all the senior students who have volunteered as tutors for Aced It! Tutoring. We hope to see many more students taking advantage of the program! Sign up using the link on the bulletin.
Also, look out for a few more potential activities this term, including Trivia.
Madi Hansen - Academic Captain
Arts
The Arts at MSJ has been in full swing since the beginning of the term, with the start of MSJ’s Got Talent. The first round of private auditions were held in the first week of Term 3. We had over 30 talented students and groups this year showing us their amazing talents in singing, dancing, and even DJ-ing. Week 2 was time for deliberation before deciding which 15 acts would go through to the second round. Week 3 is when the 15 acts will showcase their talents to the MSJ community over three lunchtimes. It is a tradition at MSJ that always gets people from every year level excited, and this year is no exception. With the help of the Arts portfolio, I’m sure this year's competition will be one of the best yet. I cannot wait for the school community to be blown away by the talented students here at MSJ.
The rest of the term is looking just as busy for the Arts portfolio with the planning of a very unique event to showcase the talents of our textiles and visual arts students. More details regarding this event will be coming after the finals of MSJ’s Got Talent on Feast Day.
Emily Frydas - Arts Captain
Ministry
In the last week of Term 2, the Ministry and Social Justice team held the Rations Challenge. The Rations Challenge was in support of Refugee and Asylum Seeker Week which ran from 24 - 27 June. The challenge entailed 14 participants (students and teachers) eating rations of just rice, lentils, dried chickpeas, tuna, and kidney beans in almost the same portions that are delivered to refugee and asylum seekers. This difficult challenge ran for a period of two days and one night.
We also have been busy planning JJAMM Week, 5-9 August.
On Monday, we will celebrate Father Julian Tenison Woods with a PJJAMMA ‘Snug as a bug in a rug’ Day. On this day, students are invited to dress in warm clothes such as pyjamas or tracksuits as no heating or electricity can be used on the day. This is to raise recognition of the environment, an area Father Woods as a geologist and scientist, was passionate about.
On Tuesday, we will celebrate Saint Joseph, a humble man who focused on caring for Jesus. He is a good example of virtue and courage in our lives. We will do this through a Dress to Impress competition. Teachers will be nominated to support this activity. Each teacher will then have a fundraising limit attached to them; if this limit is reached, that teacher has to wear the school uniform, or other costume as agreed upon, for the entire day.
On Wednesday, we will celebrate our College founders, the Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart. In recognition and thanks for their work and contribution to Australia and Melbourne, we have invited the Sisters to join us for lunch on this day. If you are interested in hearing about their life and their hopes for the future, please join us in the Tenison Woods building for a panel discussion.
Thursday is the day allocated in the Catholic Church to celebrate Mary MacKillop’s Feast Day. Although our key celebrations will occur on Friday, we will be holding our annual JJAMM donut eating contest on Thursday in recognition of this important day.
On Friday, we will celebrate Feast Day. On this day, we will hold our annual Feast Day Fete. All funds raised on this day will go to Mary MacKillop Today. Mary MacKillop Today supports programs with women, men and children here in Australia and internationally. We will also come together to celebrate Mass in honour of Saint Mary MacKillop.
Look out for information in the upcoming weeks as to when you can buy ‘MSJ Vouchers’ which you can use your debit card to purchase and use them in the stalls at the Fete.
Emily Thiel - Ministry Captain
