Principal's Message

On Tuesday 15 August the Catholic Church celebrates the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. On this Feast, Catholics traditionally celebrate Mary going to heaven. The tradition is that ‘God took Mary, body and soul, to heaven after her life on earth had come to an end’.

There is little described of Mary in the Scriptures. What we do know, however, is that she was a woman of deep faith, trust and service. In the Gospel of Luke, we see Mary chosen by God to bring Christ into the world. She is with Jesus at his birth, nurtures him in childhood, is present during his ministry, witnesses his death, and stands with the early Church as it grows and proclaims the Good News. In the Gospel of Luke, Mary gives these words, which we call the Magnificat:

“My soul glorifies the Lord
and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,
for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
for the Mighty One has done great things for me
holy is his name.” (Luke 1:46-49)

Mary is a source of inspiration to all people no matter their faith or background. Let us all reflect on the trust she showed in God and her gently supportive love to Jesus and to us all.

Wishing you all a Happy Feast Day especially those named after Mary. May Our Mother Mary continue to intercede on our behalf and pray for our Antonine College community.

Visit of the Blessed Saints Relics

As part of the Golden Jubilee celebrations, the Blessed Saints Relics of Saint Maroun, Saint Charbel, Saint Rafqa, Saint Nehmetallah, and Australia’s first Saint, Mary of the Cross MacKillop, will visit Cedar Campus of Thursday 17 August at 10am.

We are also delighted the 10.00am 5-8 Prayer Service will be celebrated by His Excellency, Bishop Antoine-Charbel Tarabay, Maronite Bishop of Australia.

The College invites parents and guardians to join us at the 5-8 Prayer Service at 10.00am. This is the only session parents/guardians attend due to limited spacing in the Atrium.

To RSVP please click here: https://bit.ly/SaintsRelicsVisit23 before Monday 14 August

Awards Evening Sponsors

Antonine College is searching for sponsors for our Awards Evening. If you are interested in sponsoring please complete this form and more information will be emailed to you https://bit.ly/AwardsSponsor23

Cedar Campus Canteen News

A reminder the Cedar Campus Canteen will be closed from the 18th August until the end of Term 3. Our P&F have organised “Special Lunch Fridays” on the following dates:

• Friday 18th August – Penne Bolognese or Napoli

• Friday 25th August – Hot Dogs

• Friday 1st September – Penne Bolognese or Napoli

• Friday 8th September – Hot Dogs

• Friday 15th September – Pizza

We will be sending out a lunch order on the Monday of every week. Please ensure that your child/ren brings their lunch and snacks

Father's Day Breakfast

Our Annual Father's Day Breakfast will be held on Wednesday 30 August at 8am Cedar Campus.

Please note: The Father’s Day breakfast is for Fathers/Carers only. Tickets can be purchased from the Cedar Campus office

Father's Day Breakfast/Auction Memorabilia

Do you need a present for Father’s Day or want to add new memorabilia to your collection?

We have three hand signed and certified sport pieces that will be auctioned off during our Father’s Day Breakfast.

If you cannot attend but still wish to bid prior to the event please complete this form before Monday 28 August
https://bit.ly/AntonineAuction23

Faith Development

Year 8 Retreat

On the 26th of July, I attended the Year 8 Retreat. It was a fun and entertaining day filled with many activities. We learnt about the importance of friendship, gratitude and forgiveness and we participated in many great discussions and games. In one of the activities, we were required to use everyday materials in order to create a fully functional shelter to show us the importance of connection with one another. We also watched many videos, including the story of the Abdallah family and their story of forgiveness. All in all, it was a day filled with joy and laughter.

Click here for photos

-Maher Moussa, 8C

Faith Formation at St Joseph Campus

Relics Artwork

Artwork by Daniel Chahda 7B

Students have been preparing for the visit of the relics of Saint Maroun, Saint Charbel, Saint Rafqa, Saint Nehmetallah, and Saint Mary of the Cross MacKillop in their Religious Education class. As part of this preparation, students have been busy creating wonderful artwork on a saint of their choice, to be displayed on the day.

Thank you to all students for their participation in this activity, especially those students who have submitted a piece of artwork. Final pieces are due Friday, 11th of August.

Mary MacKillop Prayer Service

This week, we remember and celebrate Australia’s first Saint, Mary of the Cross MacKillop. Students came together in prayer during their Religious Education class, thanking God for the example of Mary MacKillop. May her holiness inspire our students to be people of hope, love, and forgiveness.

Faith Club

Faith Club is a great opportunity for students to delve deeper into topics of interest. Over the past few weeks, Ms Angela Markas presented on the topic of Purgatory and the Catholic teaching around it. It was great to see new members join us!

“I joined Faith Club last week and I already love it. In Faith Club, I have learned things I did not know before such as forgiveness and understanding that no one is perfect when looking at the topic of Purgatory. I liked listening to the teacher explaining things I didn’t know, sharing my opinion, and listening to others.

Faith club is an amazing place to be, and I will make sure I attend every chance there is.”

Click here for photos

-Fadi Alshammas, 8C

Rosary Club

Thank you to Year 10 Faith and Social Justice Leader, Marybel Hadchity for beginning a new club at the College – Rosary Club! Students are encouraged to come along every Thursday, Break 2, in the Chapel, to pray the rosary for any special intentions that they may have.

- Ms Natalie Saliba

Learning and Wellbeing

Celebrating 100 Days of Foundation

On Friday the 28^th of July all Foundation students and families gathered to celebrate their milestone of successfully reaching 100 days of school. It was a fun filled day as students put on a performance and dressed up as 100-year-old people. We would like to thank all families for supporting the learning and growth of the Foundation students.

Click here for photos

– Miss Rita, Ms Barb, Ms Vicki

Year 1 Inquiry - Clay City

In Inquiry the Year 1’s have be focusing on communities and the different types of communities we see in the world. In art this term we are focusing on visual arts and using different materials to produce artwork. We decided to incorporate both art and inquiry to create an urban community made of clay. Students had to use their knowledge of urban communities and work as a team to create our 1C mini city of clay.

Click here for photos

- Ms Adele Chamoun

Year 3 and 4 MAV Games Days

On Friday the 28^th of July, eight Year 4 students went to the Mathematical Association of Victoria (MAV) Statewide Games Day at Lowther Hall Anglican Grammar School in Essendon. There were 14 schools there on the day, each with one or two teams of top mathematicians prepared to compete in a variety of fun games and challenges. Our two teams worked collaboratively on problem-solving booklets, and raced through strategy board games and the “Hot 100 Competition” in which they played against students from other schools. In the afternoon, both students and teachers got to put their estimation skills to the test to solve a real-life “case file” about a collection of pencils owned by the Deputy Principal of Lowther Hall! The day was lots of fun and we are especially proud of one of our teams for being awarded a spot prize for great gamesmanship.

The following Friday, 4^th of August, four Year 3 students represented Antonine College at their own MAV Statewide Games Day, this time at Derrimut Primary School. Similar to the Year 4 games, there were both individual strategy games and team problem-solving challenges. The highlight of the Year 3 Games Day was undoubtedly the team relay, in which one runner had to keep relaying solved problem cards to our team, with points awarded for both correct answers and speed. It was chaotic, engaging and lots of fun. Again, our team was awarded some spot prizes for their excellent behaviour and spirit.

Congratulations to our brilliant Year 3 and 4 mathematicians! We look forward to the Year 5 MAV Games Day later this week, and to the Year 6 MAV Games Day in September.

Click here for photos

- Ms Mori Milholland

Year 6 Assembly

Our Religion classes always have an element of prayer. We decided to show our love for Jesus by singing and dancing to "Shine Jesus Shine." We enjoyed sharing our love for Him with the whole school at our fortnightly assembly.

"Lord, the light of your love is shining

In the midst of the darkness, shining

Jesus, Light of the world, shine upon us

Set us free by the truth you now bring us

Shine on me, shine on me"

Click here for photos

- Mrs Anna Stradiot-Gatto

Year 6 Melbourne Immigration Museum

As part of our Inquiry unit, Year 6’s were able to attend a guided experience at the Melbourne Immigration Museum. Students began the day in small groups exploring different artefacts from migrants across the world. They used these artefacts to answer questions which they then were able to share with the class. After exploring these artefacts students went through and explored many other objects and immigration stories on display in the museum.

Click here for photos

- Ms Tanya Khattar

Cedar Campus Library Book Fair

The library was buzzing with excitement this week as students flocked in during break one and break two to scoop up a bargain at the Book Fair. Held over four days from Tuesday to Friday, the Book Fair contained a variety of fiction books for all ages ranging from colourful picture books for our youngest readers through to graphic novels and chapter books for older readers. Also available were quality non-fiction books and activity packs.

One parent of a student in Year 2 told me that her son brought his book home after purchasing it and read it all evening. Later he proudly showed which page he was up to. It was wonderful to hear such a positive story of engagement with books and literature.

Congratulations to the following students who each received a $10 voucher to spend at the fair by entering the ‘Hats off to Reading’ colouring competition.

Foundation - Marc Tabet
Year 1 - Angela Hanna
Year 2 - Antonio Maher
Year 3 - Bernadette Shahin
Year 4 - Daniel Hussaini
Year 5 - Yolita Hanoona
Year 6 - Hussam Al Samara

Coming up …

Meerkat Productions Performance Incursion: Wednesday 23 August

Book Character Dress Up Parade: Friday 25 August

The Great Book Swap: Wednesday 7 September

Click here for photos

- Mr Gavan Kelly

Year 7 and 8 Excursion to Melboune Zoo

Year 7 and 8 STEM students have the opportunity to apply their knowledge and skills by designing enrichments for Melbourne Zoo animals. These enrichments aim to enhance animals' mental and physical well-being, promoting natural behaviours and sensory engagement. Students will research, gather insights, and create prototypes to test their ideas, fostering scientific observation, engineering, and problem-solving skills. This project highlights zoo animal adaptations, classification, and the role of STEM in supporting animal survival and welfare.

Click here for photos

- Mr Steve Weng

Congratulations Emmy!

St Joseph Campus Arabic Report

The Arabic language in our school is in continuous development, both academically and culturally.

Premier’s VCE Award

On the academic level, our student Emmy Yaekoub won the Premier’s VCE Award in Arabic language in Victoria, and she was honoured by the VCAA in the presence of the Minister of Education. Congratulations to Emmy for this distinction and her parents and to our school as well.

Click here for photos

Year 9 Arabic Project

The Year 9 students present their projects related to the topic of travel and tourism, through which their knowledge of Arab countries and archaeological sites develops, and they discover more and more Australian tourist attractions.

Click here for photos

VALTA Competition

On the cultural level, we have started preparing for the annual VALTA competition, which is prepared by the Arabic Committee Teachers in the State of Victoria, and the theme for this year is “Why do you learn Arabic?”.

Click here to read more

The Community of Practice group (Cultures and community), have begun to prepare for many religious and cultural events in the school such as (Lebanese Cultural Day, Antonine Day, and others).

We wish more brilliance and success in the faculty of the Arabic language at the Antonine Sisters College, and our thanks to the principal Joanne Bacash, Sister Mariette and Sister Rita and staff for their continuous support.

- Ms Layla Issa

Year 12 Virtual Art Exhibition

Click here to view the Year 12 Virtual Art Exhibition: https://www.artsteps.com/view/64c05b0571f49ef78da37c71

- Ms Natalie Pelech

Year 12 Legal Studies Incursion – Victorian Law Reform Commission (VLRC)

On Wednesday 9 August, Nick Gadd and Phoebe Lindner, members of the Victorian Law Reform Commission (VLRC) visited Antonine College to present to the Year 12 Legal Studies Class.

The purpose of the incursion was to learn first-hand the important role of the Victorian Law Reform Commission and its ability to influence law reform in Victoria. The role of the VLRC and a recent example of the VLRC recommending law reform is prescribed as Key Content knowledge in the Unit 4, Outcome 2 Legal Studies Study Design and the incursion proved to benefit our learning and understanding of the VLRC.

Nick and Phoebe presented and engaging workshop explaining the role of the VLRC in influencing a change in the law, with reference to two contemporary examples: Inclusive Juries: Access for People Who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, Blind or Have Low Vision (2022) and Committal and pre-trial procedures in indictable criminal matters (2020)...

Click here to read more and photos

- Ms Fran Cometti

Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD) Submission Process for Antonine College.

The college has submitted the 2022-2023 NCCD data which is verified by our college Principal Ms Joanne Bacash and entered by the Learning Diversity Leaders, Ms Jessica Hine (Cedar Campus) and Ms Helen Diab (St Joseph Campus).

Ms Jessica Hine and Ms Helen Diab work together with families to understand the needs of each child. It is helpful if families give their child’s teacher a copy of any letters or reports they have. The letters or reports will help the school understand the child and the help that they might need. Letters from doctors, psychologists, speech pathologists, and occupational therapists etc. can be very helpful for schools. These reports along with information that the teacher has (i.e. school based tests, your child’s work and learning plans) help the school to understand and meet your child’s needs.

NCCD INFORMATION SHEET HERE (PDF)

NCCD ARABIC TRANSLATED VERSION HERE (PDF)

- Mrs Helen Diab

August Census

Please read the attached document regarding the 2023 Non-Government Schools Census collection notice.

Non-Government Schools Census collection notice here (PDF)