Newsletter | Speaking the Truth in Love - Our Lady of Sion Newsletter

Opportunities and growth

As educators our responsibility is to encourage students to make the most of the opportunities that are offered to them, be they in their learning or in the broader life of the College. I am certain parents and carers also encourage their children in the same manner. In fact, as a teenager I recall my father always saying to me, ‘just do your best’. What he meant was ‘have a go’.

One of the privileges of working within a school is to witness what happens when students do take up opportunities; how their confidence and perspective on life grow and how this in turn can increase their motivation to take on new experiences. There are five examples that I would like to share with families that highlight the great capacity our students have when it comes to ‘having a go’.

In recent weeks, I have taken some of our Year 8 students to visit their former primary schools. The purpose of the visits is to support them to share what their transition to secondary school has been like and to answer the questions posed by the younger students. In some ways, the Sion students are taking on a mentor role and enhancing their leadership skills at the same time. Three elements stand out from the visits: the first is the way they spontaneously encourage the primary children by saying, 'there are so many opportunities at Sion'. The second notable aspect is the way they thank me for the opportunity of returning to their primary schools. Finally, when asked whether they would like to support us during Open Day to welcome visitors, not one of them says, ‘thanks but no thanks’. All want to continue to develop their ‘big sister’ role with prospective students.

Since the beginning of 2021, teachers have refocussed on the purpose and positive impact of formative feedback. And so, it was a real pleasure to hear one Year 8 recently tell me that she was eager to get to class because her teacher was providing formative assessment feedback. What she was most looking forward to, was learning what she had to do next to continue to improve. She clearly understood what formative feedback entailed and welcomed it as an opportunity for further growth.

The third example was the great excitement a Year 11 student shared with me and two of our Deputy Principals last week upon her return from the International Women’s Day breakfast she attended at Parliament House. She spoke so enthusiastically about how much she had gained from hearing the story and advice of the guest speaker, City of Melbourne Mayor, Sally Capp, and how much she enjoyed sharing this experience not only with Sion students but students from many other girls’ schools. She commented to us many times how much she appreciated the College and all the opportunities it had offered her personally.

It has also been very pleasing to witness the growing number of Year 12 VCE students who are availing themselves of our after-school study opportunity which provides them with a quiet and supported environment at school to complete homework and revision before they return home. They could easily go home to complete their study but they don’t.

Finally, our International Women’s Day events offered another opportunity to a group of junior and senior students to welcome students from Whitefriars College to our school to engage in open dialogue about pertinent issues that impact their lives. Topics included gender roles and gender bias, consent and respectful relationships, diversity and the importance of language and being inclusive to name a few. The depth and insights of students from both schools were inspiring. I hope all involved felt supported in their personal growth as a result of this experience.

In all examples, students could have declined the invitation to be involved; they could have suggested that they were not confident or it was not their thing, but they didn’t. This is a testament to the fact that through a little encouragement, our students can derive great learning growth, personal development, satisfaction and pride even when they are not confident or the experience is new. I invite parents and carers to continue to encourage their children to overcome any hesitancy by just supporting them to try their best and have a go.

I hope our families enjoy reading about how students are embracing school life in our newsletter this fortnight and if parents and carers would like to see the opportunities we offer firsthand, please know that together with prospective families, you are very welcome to visit the College on Open Day which is coming up on 22 March. We ask that all visitors book into one of the four timeslots for Open Day by visiting our website.

Catholic Education Week begins this Sunday and goes through to 20 March. This year’s theme, ‘The Way of the Gospel’ invites communities such as ours to reflect on the life and ministry of Jesus and to consider how they inform our lives today. In many ways, this is another chance to learn and grow. I thank Mrs Gionfriddo, Caitlin G and Charlotte S who will represent the College at the St Patrick’s Day Mass for Schools as part of Catholic Education Week.

With every blessing for the fortnight ahead.

Tina Apostolopoulos

International Women's Day

International Women's Day on March 8 is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. With this year's theme being #BeatTheBias, the day marked a call to action for accelerating gender parity.

This year, we celebrated the day through a range of activities on Friday 4 March and Tuesday 8 March. These included Year 11 students attending the Alliance of Girls' Schools Australasia International Women’s Day breakfast at Parliament House, badges, an impressive art installation, an Open Mic session on the Notre Dame decking, purple bubble tea and a Conversation Café. This year just over thirty Whitefriars College students came to the College and joined our students in dialogue about contemporary issues affecting women.

Now more than ever, it is important to empower all to support positive outcomes and celebrate the achievement of and show gratitude for the women in our lives.

Below is a student reflection:

The 8th of March is always a special occasion for women across the world to celebrate, reflect and be proud of what all women have managed to accomplish throughout the years and what women are continuing to do.

It is well known that International Women's Day is a very important date on the calendar for all women across the globe. Our Lady of Sion College was able to provide the students and female staff at the school with a day that was all about them, to appreciate every single female individual and make them feel appreciated for all that we do.

In the lead up to International Women’s Day, the College was already supporting other females around the world because after all, women empower each other. So, the SRC team and College Captains provided bubble tea for students to purchase with all funds raised going to McAuley Community Services for Women. Then on the day, we began by handing out badges followed by a whole school prayer led by the liturgy team. At the beginning of each lesson, the teachers shared information about a significant woman. Conversation Café took place with students from Our Lady of Sion College and Whitefriars College discussing the gender issues present in society today. Lastly at lunch, bubble tea was sold once more, many students took part in an open mic and showed their many talents. Finally an artwork that had been created by Aurelya T and the Arts representatives was installed in the piazza with many girls watching and admiring the talents of our students. Ally C (10 White)

Euphoria - Popular viewing with a significant need for parent supervision and content warnings

Euphoria is currently streaming on Binge and follows a group of high school students navigating their world through their experiences of identity, trauma, drug use, family, friendships, love and sex. The story follows Rue who has recently returned from rehab after experiencing an overdose. Jules is the new girl in town who is finding her way into a new community. Rue is presented as the narrator of the events alongside other characters throughout the television series.

The show appears to be popular with students even as young as Year 9 but raises some significant concerns about its suitability for viewing for any of our students. Firstly, Season 2 is R18+ and throughout the first episode, there are several scenes that are of high impact – drug use, sex scenes, vaping, coarse language, pornography, nudity, characters engaging in sex work online, risk-taking behaviour, violence and sexual violence.

Concerningly, interactions often lack consent and do not align with the values and ideas presented in our Respectful Relationships program.

I strongly encourage parents and carers to use the parental controls available on streaming services and to make informed decisions regarding what their child is watching.

Over the past week as a cohort and as a school community, we have been celebrating International Women’s Day! The Year 11 students have had the opportunity to celebrate women’s achievements, which both highlight and work to address barriers, that continue to perpetuate gender inequality.

During our second Pastoral lesson, students learned more about the origins of International Women’s Day, and what it looks like now. Students were able to share their own ideas of what they believe to be predominant issues that affect young girls and women but also to explore What are women fighting for? We considered the viral photos of Grace Tame and Scott Morrison from January, as a case study for discussion: How did the public respond to this moment? What does the public reaction suggest about society's expectations of women?

Two students provide their insights:

During our Pastoral lesson, we were allowed to express our feminist views, within an open and understanding environment. The discussions we had were mind-opening and further showed our strength as young women, but also highlighted the support we receive within the Sion community. Sarah H (11 Red)

During our Pastoral lesson, students were able to voluntarily have a conversation about the purpose of International Women’s Day and how we interpret the day. The story of Grace Tame was discussed respectfully and considerately, which really opened up our perspectives of what women are fighting for and how we can raise their voices. It was great to have the ability to talk about the political and emotional importance of speaking out and lifting up women. The sense of collaboration and conversation during this lesson certainly made me feel comfortable sharing my opinions, and our private journal entries were a great way to discover our personal connection to the topic. Megan M (11 Red)

The Year 11 students were also invited to write an application to attend the International Women’s Day Breakfast hosted by Alliance of Girls' Schools Australasia. Four students were selected to attend the breakfast at Parliament House. The morning consisted of breakfast and sharing a table with another girls' school - our group was seated next to students from Our Lady of the Sacred Heart College. We were able to engage in great conversations in response to the keynote speaker Sally Capp, who is the first woman to be elected as the Lord Mayor for the City of Melbourne.

Engaging with students on the topic of gender has been exciting and inspiring. We have been able to hold the space, listen and engage in dialogue with our young people, to allow them to talk freely about their experiences and observations. Moreover, there was a sense of hope and frustration, regarding the barriers these young women have noticed about their world. These opportunities have provided a collective validation of their experiences highlighting the importance of having conversations with young people to empower their voices and perspective.

We’re past the halfway point of Term 1 now and it has been great to see the Year 8 students settling back in and being such great role models to the Year 7 students.

Last Tuesday during our Pastoral lesson, we spoke about how the students have found the transition into Year 8, both individually and in terms of their friendships. A key point of the discussion was that change is naturally uncomfortable to us as human beings…it’s in our DNA; we like things to stay the same! Change is also a great growth opportunity, whilst it may be uncomfortable initially, it enables us to mature and develop. With friendships, students may meet new people that they want to spend time with and their current friends may feel upset about this. It is important to maintain friendliness and respect with everybody as the minimum expectation, even though friendship dynamics may have changed. This is a great discussion to have with your children and use the Zones of Regulation to establish what Zone they may be in and what tools they could use to get back to/stay in the Green Zone.

In addition to addressing these changes, we spoke about the harmful nature of gossiping at our assembly. It is common to only be thinking about the harm it causes the person being spoken about, but it also harms the person spreading it because they are perceived as being less trustworthy and not a safe person to be around. Everybody has the right to feel safe and respected at school, in line with our theme of ‘Ohana’. Students were also taken through some questions to determine whether what they’re going to say about somebody else should be said. If the answer to any of the following questions is no, what they’re going to say must be stopped and not shared; Is it true? Is it nice? Is it helpful?

Please encourage your daughters to approach their Homeroom teacher or me if they would like any further support with any of the above. Your support with maintaining consistent messages about what has been covered is greatly appreciated.

Design Technologies – Year 10 Food Styling

In Food Styling, students have been involved in completing practical and theoretical tasks. They have gained insight into the safe handling and production of food as well as learning about the techniques of food styling and photography.

Below are some student reflections:

In Food Styling this term, the topics we have discussed are, food poisoning and high-risk foods, food styling and techniques to take a great photo using editing apps and how to use them to enhance the quality of our photos. I have learnt a lot about food poisoning; for example, the temperature danger zone is between five and 60 degrees Celsius. If food has been left out for more than two hours in these conditions, bacteria will grow rapidly and people are at a high risk of food poisoning. I have enjoyed cooking a variety of different meals that can cater for many different situations. Helena A (10 Silver)

In Food Styling this term, we have learnt about food safety and hygiene, how to take good photos of dishes we created, editing tips, and how to cook different dishes. I have learnt about the temperature danger zone and how it is not safe as bacteria can grow rapidly and cause sickness if food is within five degrees and 60 degrees Celsius. During food styling, I have also learnt that lighting is a major part of taking good photos of your food and that editing your photos is a way to enhance the dish. I've enjoyed working with different people and making new things in the kitchen during our practical lessons. Aurelia G (10 Orange)

In Food Styling, I have learnt how to style food which includes photography skills, plating up skills and camera knowledge. I learnt how to prevent food poisoning and to understand food spoilage as well as hygiene and environmental safety. I have really enjoyed cooking unique and different meals and photographing them using the skills I have learned. I am also looking forward to investigating the physical and chemical properties of food. Jaymie S (10 Gold)

Brushetta made and photographed by Jaymie S (10 Gold)

Rose N (10 Orange), Jaymie S (10 Gold) and Mercedes M (10 Orange)

Tamara B (10 White) and Pippa L (10 Silver)

Year 10 Coding Competition

The students in Year 10 Computing are using their coding skills to problem solve. They are currently undertaking the NCSS Challenge which is a programming competition where students code in Python. Python is an easy to learn scripting language used for many different purposes. The challenge teaches students how to program as they go along, rather than expecting students to be an expert already. The problems range from relatively simple to mind-bendingly hard.

The NCSS Challenge is a coding competition where students from around the world are invited to learn Python - a programming language, complete various challenges, and compete with other students undertaking the competition. I’m really enjoying learning Python through the NCSS Challenge. As someone who has used Python before, I am still learning so many new skills through the challenge - not just programming skills but problem-solving skills and a lot of determination and resilience. Overall, I’m really enjoying this unit - it’s been quite enjoyable as well as beneficial and I am confident that these skills can help my class and I in the future. Tianna D (10 Silver)

Year 10 App Inventor

Students in Year 10 are creating their first app using a web application called App Inventor. The code is designed to run in Google’s App Engine. Students have used a variety of design tools such as wireframes, mock-ups and flowcharts to design the appearance and functionality of their app. Different soundboards have been developed to include a calming app to help with stress and anxiety, an app with a portable musical keyboard and an app to greet people in different languages. Students have also recorded their own music and used other sound effects for their chosen app development.

Year 9 3D Modelling with Blender

Year 9 students are developing their modelling and sculpting skills using Blender: the free and open-source 3D computer graphics software. Developing a winter scene, students have turned their still snowman into impressive animations. Students will continue to develop their rigging skills by transforming a model into a posable character.