Principal's Message

Antonine College welcomes the Saints Relics

What a Blessing it was to have the Relics of Saint Maroun, Saint Charbel, Saint Rafka, Saint Nehmetallah, and Saint Mary of the Cross Mackillop, visit Antonine College on Thursday 17 August 2023.

As the only Maronite Catholic College in Victoria, founded by the Antonine Sisters Order, we were excited to be included in the Relics tour. Sr Mariette Kareh, the Congregational Leader of the Antonine Sisters, along with Sr Veronique Karam and Sr Rita El Azzi, place great importance on opportunities for the students to develop and deepen their faith, and therefore, immediately responded ‘yes’ to having the Relics visit the College.

This year, the Maronite Eparchy in Australia is celebrating its Golden Jubilee or Fifty Year anniversary, under the theme - The Maronites in Australia: A Journey of Holiness and Openness. His Excellency, Bishop Antoine-Charbel Tarabay provided our College the opportunity to have the Relics Visit as part of the Jubilee celebrations.

Foundation to Year 12 students took part in a Prayer Service where they could venerate the relics. Parents and special guests attended also. Children from the Antonine Sisters Childcare joined the Foundation to Year 4 prayer service. It was so special for all.

Students at Antonine College have been learning about Relics in the weeks leading up to the visit. All religious education classes covered the lives of all five Saints and how they became Saints. They learned that we can all be Saints by praying, loving God and loving one another. Saints are real people who set examples for us so we can become better people.

The Relics Visit highlights to us that we should take time to learn from the Saints how to love God more, and how to love God’s creation. Our College theme this year is, ‘We are all called to care for creation’. The Saints show us what it means to love God, to love one another and in turn, care for all creation.

May our Antonine College community continue to receive God’s Blessings.

You Remain our inspiration

Saint Maroun, Saint Charbel, Saint Rafqa, Saint Nehmetallah and Saint Mary of the Cross MacKillop

Pray for us

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- Ms Joanne Bacash

Welcome back Sr Marie and Sr Daad!

Antonine College welcomes Sister Marie Nassar and Sister Daad Azzi, both former Principals of the College, all the way from Lebanon. They join us to celebrate the Opening and Blessing of our Stage Two building works. The Sisters arrive in Australia later this week and we are thrilled to have them spend time with staff and students. In early September, Mother Superior Nazha Khoury, will also be joining them as she makes her way from the United States and Canada. This will be a special time for Antonine College and for the Antonine Sisters.

On Thursday 14 September, His Excellency Bishop Antoine-Charbel Tarabay, our College Chaplain and Chair of our Board of Directors, Mon. Joe Takchi, Mother Superior Nazha, Sister Marie and Sister Daad will all be present when we officially open and bless the new Mother Isabelle Khoury Stadium. Parents are welcome to this special event and an invitation link will be sent out soon. We couldn’t be more pleased with the new facilities at the College. Please see link to previous newsletter about Mother Isabelle Khoury https://www.antonine.catholic....

Sister Marie Nassar founded Antonine College in 1998 when she opened Antonine Sisters Primary School on the current Cedar Campus site. Sr Marie, with support from Mon. Joe Takchi and other members of the Maronite community, heard the call from the Melbourne Maronites who wanted a school of their own. People loved to support Sr Marie because they could see her love in all she did. So we are so proud to show her how far the school she started in 1998 has come.

Sr Daad Azzi worked with Sr Marie to establish Antonine Sisters Trinity Maronite Secondary Catholic College in Brunswick, becoming Principal as the primary and secondary amalgamated. Sr Daad continued the devotion and love shown by Sr Marie and worked hard to introduce VCE to the College. As Principal, the sale of the Brunswick site and the purchase of the Pascoe Vale site that become St Joseph Campus was overseen by her.

Both Sr Marie and Sr Daad were great role models and I credit most of what I have learned about education to them. Professionally and personally, they shaped the way I approach my role as Principal. There have been many Antonine Sisters working at the College in the past, all of them so important for the development of the College. Sr Mariette, as Congregational Leader and previously Co-Principal works tirelessly to support the College and of course to direct the Childcare which has helped to raise many children from our community. We are so blessed to have all the Antonine Sisters.

- Ms Joanne Bacash

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

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 10 RE Lecture – The Great Schism

This week, Year 10 students began a new unit of work on the Great Schism. For the remaining of the term students will interpret and analyse key Church teachings within their historical context whilst reflecting on the relevance of this historical period to the life of the Church today. Students in Year 10 were lucky enough to be able to spend a period on Friday with Ms Bacash to gain some understandings into their next topic of work including key figures of the split between the two churches, key dates and some similarities and differences are between the Eastern and Western Church. Ms Bacash’s lecture was very insightful, and students were very pleased to be able to have this opportunity before beginning the unit this week.

- Miss Isabella Athaide

Relics Artwork

In preparation for the visit of the blessed relics, students across the college were given the opportunity to create an artwork representing one of the saints. We are very fortunate to have many talented and creative students at our college and thank each and every student who submitted an artwork. Your talent has not gone unnoticed! Well done

Click here for photos of Artwork

- Ms Tanya Khattar

Year 3 First Reconciliation

On Thursday 24^th August, students in Year 3 celebrated the sacrament of their First Reconciliation. Students have been learning about the different ways we become closer to God and how we can make sure that we live a pure life. Receiving Reconciliation is an important sacrament in our Catholic lives as it shows that we are truly sorry for our wrong doings and are working to better ourselves and walk alongside the example of Jesus. Congratulations to those students who celebrated this sacred Sacrament

Click here for photos

- Ms Tanya Khattar

Learning and Wellbeing

Years 1A and 3A Buddies

Years 1A and 3A enjoyed their buddy session together this term.

We decided to get to know each other a little better while participating in some physical activity. Here are some photos of our fun afternoon together!

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- Ms Janine Wanda

Year 2A Gardening

This term, Year 2A have been planting vegetables in our vegetable garden. This week we made and ate a salad with the lettuce from our garden. The children recorded their experience.

On Wednesday we experienced picking lettuce from the vegetable garden. When we went home, Mrs Anna cleaned the lettuce. The next day we went to the kitchen and chopped the lettuce. We put oil and salt on the lettuce. We ate the salad and a piece of bread with butter.

It was so yummy and it was the best.

When we were done we all packed up.

By Noah and Antonio

Click here for photos

- Ms Anna Candido

Year 2B Gardening

In Year 2B, we have been patiently watching our seedlings grow and grow. Our garden is flourishing! We were very excited to harvest our produce including our lettuce and make a salad. It was delicious and we loved it! We are looking forward to our next harvest in spring.

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- Mrs Maria Amaru

Year 3 Inquiry

In Inquiry this term we have been looking at Australia's geography. In today's lesson we were able to explore the many wonderful natural and manmade landmarks we can find across the beautiful country. QR codes were placed around the classroom and students needed to scan and identify the image which appears. It was a fun and engaging way for the students to demonstrate their knowledge of the different landmarks.

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- Ms Tanya Khattar

Year 4 Immigration Museum Excursion

On Tuesday 22nd of August Year 4 students visited the Immigration Museum as part of their Inquiry unit on ‘Culture and Religion’. Students explored the waves of migration and varying perspectives of Australian society across 19th to 21st century. Students had the opportunity to partake in an interactive storytelling session introducing them to primary sources and the perspectives of immigrants. This was followed by another interactive session which involved unpacking migration and First Peoples stories through museum objects. Students explored a range of cultural and religious histories and made connections to their own family history. It was a very engaging and informative excursion for our students.

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- Mr Blanco Mrs Gawro Ms Petraki (Year 4 Teachers)

Year 4 - 6 Coburg Athletics

The SSV Coburg District Athletics Carnival brought together 30 of our school's athletes for a day of interschool competition. While none of our students finished in the top 3, the event highlighted their determination and sportsmanship.

Despite not making it to the finals, our students participated in the track and field events with enthusiasm. Their positive attitudes and support for each other created a lively atmosphere, demonstrating true sportsmanship.

Success isn't only about winning medals; it's also about growth and character development. Our students showcased these qualities, making Antonine proud. A big thank you to the staff and parents who helped out on the day.

While this year's carnival might not have ended in victory, it underscored the value of effort and unity. We're excited for next year’s event and the growth of our athletes.

Click here for photos

- Mr Hayden Wyllie

Year 5 Mary MacKillop Excursion

On Thursday 10th August, years 5A and 5B went to visit the home of Mary MacKillop in East Melbourne.

On arrival, we were greeted by Sr Maria and Sr Claire, where they spilt us into two groups and our tour began.

The first tour spoke about the life of Mary MacKillop. We heard about the struggles she went through as a child and how she lived a very poor life. They also spoke about how she became a nun and her mission of helping to establish the Sisters of St. Joseph and her desire to help to educate the poorest children in the Catholic education setting.

Following the talk, we then went on a tour around North Fitzroy, where we visited ACU and went to the chapel named in her honour. The chapel sits across the road from her birthplace in Brunswick Street. We then made our way to St. Patrick’s Cathedral, where we had a chance to be silent, pray and reflect and be thankful for all we have. We walked through the gardens and had lunch there.

The day was very special, as students had time to pause and reflect, as well as discover parts of our faith. It was enjoyed by all who attended.

Mary MacKillop was an advocate for those with no voice and her motto, “Never see a need without doing something about it,” is a practice students are taught each day.

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- Mr. Nick, Mrs. Tania, and Sr Veronique

Year 5 MAV Games Day

On Friday the 11^th of July, eight Year 5 students had the opportunity to represent our school at the Mathematical Association of Victoria (MAV) Statewide Games Day at Penleigh and Essendon Grammar School (PEGS). Each of the MAV Games Days are different, but all focus on problem-solving, challenge and fun. Our two teams completed an hour of collaborative problem-solving in the morning, racing through challenging booklets as the clock counted down. After the first break, it was time for the most distinctive feature of the Year 5 Games Day: automatic recall races.

Two maths teachers from PEGS stood at the front and all of the students lined up in pairs, beside someone from another school. The teachers called out questions (e.g. How much do I need to add to 43 to get 100? Or Today is Friday; what day was it 10 days ago?) and the first student to call out the answer would stay in to the next round. The questions got faster and harder, and we were especially proud of Rachelle, who remained in the second-final round!

After the second break, students participated in probability games in which they had to not only guess which colour teddy or which suit of card would be drawn next, but also had to think about their reasoning for making these predictions. Michael and Crystal both made brave choices and ended up being the only student remaining at their predicted choice. Michael was unlucky in his prediction, but Crystal won her team a spot prize of some mathematical footy cards!

All participating students had a great time and came home exhausted from so much thinking. We are very proud of all of them for representing Antonine College so well, and look forward to hearing how our Year 6s go in their upcoming Games Day in September.

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- Ms Mori Milholland

Year 9 Dance Incursion

On Monday the 14^th of August, the year 9 Dance class travelled to Hamer Hall in the city to watch the ‘VCA: Musical Theatre Showcase.’ The performance included a range of music and dance numbers from all different Broadway shows. This allowed the students to see numbers from musicals they were aware of such as ‘Sound of Music,’ but also musicals they had never heard of such as ‘Oklahoma.’ This was a great experience for the students to broaden their understanding of a professional show in preparation for their upcoming Year 9 Production.

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- Ms Kristina Gurmesevic

Year 10 Electronics

In Electronics we have been learning all about circuits and ohms law. We have used electrical snap circuit kits to create many amazing projects such as creating a lie detector. We also made paper circuits where we were required to create a circuit using coin batteries, copper strips and led lights to create a project.

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- Marybel Hadchity 10D

Year 11 Business Management Marketing excursion

On Monday 21^st and Tuesday 22^nd August, the Year 11 Business Management classes, Mr Lattouf and myself attended an excursion to Melbourne Central to support the learning occurring in class. The students are currently learning about the topic of Marketing a Business and will complete a marketing presentation as part of their overall assessment for this outcome. This excursion was designed to support students in the development of their own presentation and give them a sense of marketing in the real world supporting the content studied in class.

After catching a bus and train into the city, the students were given a note taker to complete where they had to choose products and assess the various marketing components taking place within the business. They needed to assess a product, determine the pricing strategies used, reflect on the physical space provided by the business as well as conduct a short interview regarding the customer service received.

Student feedback was positive, and the students enjoyed the opportunity to work in partners/threes, independently move around the centre and have choice in the businesses they chose to study. Upon return to school in a follow up lesson, students were able to recall real life examples and link them to the content learned. Students also completed a reflection. This was the first time we had integrated this excursion into our learning and feedback suggests we will do it again.

I would like to thank Mr Lattouf for accompanying the students on both excursions and congratulate the students on their behaviour representing the school.

Student comment - Yacoub Issa Year 11

On Tuesday 22 August, my business class and I made our way to Melbourne central through public transport with the help of Ms Vitteta and Mr Lattouf. We were tasked a worksheet that needed to be completed and a partner to complete it with. I was with Ushae and we completed our note taker. We then roamed around the shopping centre and enjoyed our time with our friends. Overall it was excursion that i would repeat with nobody else but my class. Thank you to Mr Lattouf and Ms Vitetta for organising this experience and all your efforts. Highlight of the excursion was Ms Vitetta running to the bus stop.

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- Ms Maureen Vitetta

Upcoming Dates:

25 August: Book Character Dress Up Parade

28 August - 1 September: Father's Day Stall

9 September: First Holy Communion Mass

30 August: Father's Day Breakfast at Cedar Campus

14 September: Official Opening - St Joseph Stage 2 Buildings

15 September: End of Term 3

We are called to care for CREATION - 2023 College Theme