Ave Maria College

As the school year draws to a close and we await the coming of Christmas, we look back on 2020 with gratitude and appreciation for all that was achieved by the students, staff and families of Ave Maria College. 
2020 highlighted the extraordinary community of Ave Maria College, especially our willingness to support each other in challenging times.
A reminder of the following key return dates for 2021: 

• Friday, 29 January 2021 Year 7 and Year 12 students commence Term One.  
• Monday, 1 February 2021 Years 8 – 11 students commence Term One.  

May I extend every blessing to all families for a safe and peace-filled Christmas and we look forward to welcoming you back for the 2021 academic year! 

God Bless, 

Michelle Robertson

Congratulations to all of our students on finishing the year so well. Whilst this year has been challenging and felt like it would never end, the Year 7-9 End of Year and VCE Orientation Programs were well attended, with students remaining engaged right until the very end of term.

2021 Subject Allocations

2021 subject allocations were communicated to students in mid-November.

There will be a short period at the commencement of the 2021 academic year where VCE students will have an opportunity to request a change of subject. These requests are subject to the student’s other allocated subjects, class size limits and student pathways.

Information about this process will be communicated to students via Ave Learning in the week prior to the start of Term 1, as the final date to submit a request for a change will be Friday, 5 February 2021.

Booklists

Booklist information was communicated to students and families as part of the 2021 Subject Allocation notification process. Booklists can be accessed via www.campion.com.au using the login code "HFDY".  Whilst the booklist closing date was Friday, 11 December 2020, Campion will continue to accept orders over the summer break – however delivery for orders placed after Friday, 11 December 2020 are not guaranteed to be filled for the distribution day on Wednesday, 20 January 2021. A copy of the booklist can be found on the College website.

A limited number of VCE studies are using Edrolo as the primary resource in 2021. Where this is the case, students and parents are required to log in to their Edrolo account and make the purchase via the Edrolo Payment Portal. Families are asked to purchase these resources via the payment portal prior to Friday, 18 January 2021. Instructions about accessing Edrolo accounts and the Edrolo Payment platform were communicated in late November.

Holiday Home Study

All 2021 Year 8 – 10 students are recommended to read their English novels in preparation for their learning in 2021.

2021 Year 11 and 12 students must read their English novels over the break, and have also been provided with holiday home study in each of their allocated subjects. This home study was communicated to students during the VCE Orientation Program, and is available to students via the Daily Messages in Ave Learning, and via the links below:

• VCE Unit 1 (Year 11) Holiday Home Study
• VCE Unit 3 (Year 12) Holiday Home Study

2020 VCE Results

Our 2020 Year 12 students, as well as our Year 11 students undertaking a Unit 3/4 sequence, will be able to access their results via the VCE Results and ATAR Service from 7.00am on Wednesday, 30 December 2020. To access results via the website or app, students will need to create an account on the site before 5.00pm on Tuesday, 29 December 2020.

Well done to all of our students who have persevered and been exceptionally diligent in their studies in 2020, despite all of the challenges that the pandemic and remote learning have brought to their year.

As has been previously communicated to Year 12 students, Mrs Poppy Ibrahim (Careers Education Leader) will be available to provide pathways support to your daughter (by appointment) on Wednesday, 30 December 2020 (10.00am – 3.00pm). She will also be available via phone on Thursday, 31 December 2020 (by appointment). Ms Marian Kolta (College Psychologist) will also be available (by appointment) on Wednesday, 30 December 2020 (10.00am – 3.00pm) to support your daughter.

James Vella

End of Year Masses

The end of the year was marked with a Mass for Years 10 and 11 on Friday, 27 November 2020. Our celebrant was Fr Tony Feeney.
The Mass was based in the St Clare Chapel and was a live event via MS Teams. One of the learnings from 2020 is to be grateful and this was recognised by a video put together by the Franciscan Leaders. That practice was also emulated by the Year 7 to 9 Franciscan Leaders in the gratitude video they compiled for their end of year Mass on Thursday, 3 December 2020 that was celebrated by Fr John Hannon, also in the Chapel via MS Teams.

The easing of restrictions meant that the end of year staff Mass was held in Francis Hall to allow for distancing. We are grateful to Fr Nhan Le for being our celebrant.

A key lesson in the Franciscan tradition is to become aware of the ways that God has gifted each of us – then put those gifts to use to build community. This is constantly on display at Ave. The College community got very creative throughout the course of this year to ensure that gifts were on display and the community was being built. It is also a very good way to stay healthy during a pandemic that has seen us separated.

The practice of a Christmas crib began from the ministry of St Francis with the people of Greccio. At Christmas we celebrate God-with-us. The power of the Franciscan charism is that it teaches us that each day we have the opportunity to celebrate God-with-us, through the people in our lives. Wishing you Christmas blessings of peace and joy.

Patrick Jurd

As we end the year we reflect on what we have accomplished in Student Wellbeing in 2020. It goes without saying that the year has provided us with unique challenges but also opportunities. The highlight of this year has been the way we have been able to navigate those challenges in partnership with families, carers, students and external agencies in order to provide the best possible support for our young people. Sometimes students see their challenges as a problem. In reality, this is a call for us to work together to help students progress, to learn from their choices and to take a more active role in their own outcomes. We see this as a privilege. We are privileged with the trust of our students and their families or carers. We take this trust very seriously and this has been the ethos behind the hard work of the Student Wellbeing Team and Mentor Teachers this year.

The challenges of the year have called on us to develop new ways of supporting students. We have reconstructed our Counselling Services Team to provide choice for students and a broad skill set that means that we can provide the best expertise for our students. We have also implemented Pulse, which allows students to check in and ask for help if they need it. Although Pulse will be closed for the summer break, this has given us a new insight into the way students are feeling on a weekly basis. As students have been at home for so much of the year, we have spent more time talking with parents, supporting them to support their daughters. This increased connection has been a highlight of the year.

The resilience and community that has been shown this year has exemplified the strength of our community and our commitment to the wellbeing of our students. We hope that the girls take the time over the holidays to invest in their wellbeing. This means creating positive habits that enhance their lives, developing positive relationships with the adults around them, seeking help when they need it and making the effort to do things for themselves. In doing this they develop their own belief that they are competent, productive individuals who make a substantial contribution to their world.

We look forward to seeing the contribution they will make in 2021! 

Natalie Meddis

Ave Maria College is proud to introduce Simon Everywhere, a smartphone app, designed to streamline the communication process for our families.

Simon Everywhere allows you to conveniently access your daughter’s reports, grades and attendance, update medical information, notify student absences, give consent for excursions and communicate directly with teachers. Essentially it is your Parent Access Module (PAM) account in the convenience of an app.
To utilise this facility simply download the Simon Everywhere app from your devices App Store, select Ave Maria College from the schools dropdown list and enter your previously supplied PAM account credentials.