HIGH DRAMA
CAST AND CREW PREPARE FOR THE MOST AMBITIOUS PRODUCTION THE COLLEGE HAS EVER STAGED
JOIN OUR ART SHOW TEAM
The APC Art Show is one of the most important events on the college calendar.
As well as raising funds for the college, the show highlights the work of student, emerging and professional artists from across the community.
The team that puts the art show together is made up of passionate parents and community members who are determined to make each show better than the year before.
As work on the upcoming show in November is now ramping up, they are looking for enthusiastic people to get involved and join their team.
If you love art or love the college (or both), the art show committee would love to hear from you. There are plenty of roles to fill, both in the coming weeks, or during the event itself.
Some of the roles include:
Artwork sales
Hanging team
Café and bar team
Photography during the event Community promotion Planning (for 2026) Being
• IMPORTANT DATES
FRIDAY 19 SEPTEMBER
Last day of Term 3
Classes dismissed at 2:02pm
MONDAY 6 OCTOBER First day of Term 4
WEDNESDAY 8 OCTOBER
Instrumental Music Evening Drums/Percussion
5pm Room 28
Danks St campus
MONDAY 13 OCTOBER
Instrumental Music Evening Piano, Wind and Strings
5pm Room 28
Danks St campus
WEDNESDAY 15 OCTOBER –THURSDAY 16 OCTOBER Drama production Disconnected 7pm Gasworks Theatre, Albert Park
MONDAY 20 OCTOBER
Instrumental Music Evening Voice 5pm Room 28
Danks St campus
WEDNESDAY 22 OCTOBER Year 12 Breakfast Lakeside Pavilion Albert Park
FRIDAY 24 OCTOBER IB Exams begin
TUESDAY 28 OCTOBER VCE Exams begin Parent/Teacher interviews (online)
WEDNESDAY 29 OCTOBER APC Book Club 6pm-7pm Danks St library
FRIDAY 31 OCTOBER
ALPACCA Coffee Morning 8am-10am
Gasworks Park Cafe
COVER: DRAMA STUDENTS PREPARED FOR OPENING NIGHT WITH A GROUP GETAWAY, STORY PAGE 4.
School captain Sophia Amin (above) was a finalist in the recent VCE Leadership awards.
The awards recognise VCE and VCE Vocational Major students for their important and innovative community work, as well as their leadership.
To make the final eight was a great achievement. Well done, Sophia!
CAMPS PROVIDE A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE
As you read this, a group of Year 9 students are flying home as they reflect on their time working in a remote village nearly three hours west of Hanoi in northern Vietnam.
They worked hard with shovels and wheelbarrows as they helped the villagers build a road.
The weather was hot and humid, but there were no complaints because the finished road will make life so much easier for the community.
In neighbouring Cambodia, other Year 9 students have eaten at a restaurant that trains street kids in hospitality skills and will shortly visit a centre that helps young girls who have survived human trafficking.
Further south, on the Malaysian island of Borneo, students have visited sanctuaries that are home
to endangered orangutans and gibbons, both trying to survive the effects of deforestation.
Closer to home, other Year 9s are diving on coral bleaching sites at the Great Barrier Reef, helping with revegetation on Kangaroo Island and trekking through the Tarkine rainforest in Tasmania.
At one point last week a group of students were wading through snow on Hobart’s Mt Wellington at the exact same time other Year 9s were diving on a reef off the coast of Sabah in northern Borneo.
APC is very proud of its Year 9 camps program. It’s one thing for students to study the world around them, but our camps help make the world very real!
During their adventures, every student is being pushed out of their comfort zone and challenged
to think critically about what they have been experiencing.
They are learning that the world may be a huge place but we are all connected, no matter where we live.
If APC is to play its role in helping to create responsible global citizens, we believe it’s important to expose students to the world they live in – not just the beauty but some of the ugly parts as well. Because it’s the world they will inherit.
At APC, the environment has always been an important part of our curriculum. Our students learn about it in years 7-8 and, thanks to our camps, get to live it in Year 9.
And, not surprisingly, they come back from these camps with a new perspective on life.
In our next newsletter, expect plenty of pictures from our returning adventurers!
AND FINALLY...
As we get ready for our two-week break, I’d like to say good luck to our VCE and IB classes who will be starting their final exams towards the end of October.
Use the holiday period wisely. As you prepare for your exams, remember to look after yourselves and each other. Don’t forget to take a breath, and savour the outside once in a while. It will make a difference.
To our entire school community, enjoy your break.
Madeleine Campbell Acting Principal
OUR YEAR 9s IN BORNEO RECEIVED A VISIT FROM A WILD ORANGUTAN.
STAFF AND STUDENTS
DRAMA PRODUCTION DIVES INTO THE MURKY DEPTHS OF VIRTUAL REALITY
Tickets are now on sale for one of the most ambitious productions APC has ever staged.
Disconnected is a high-energy production that dives into the world of gaming and AI, blurring the lines between virtual reality and real life.
There are more than 15 characters named Brian - each has a special quirk - and an ensemble that transforms into everything from a video game store to streams of binary code.
And, of course, there is an epic battle scene!
With fast-paced physical theatre, plot twists and big surprises, this show smashes theatrical conventions - it's loud, bold and unlike anything you've seen before.
More than 50 students are involved – more than 30 actors, 10 writers, five crew, three designers and three student directors from across all year levels.
It has been written by the Year 10 drama class with the support of artist in residence Amelia Evans.
Writing began in Term 1, auditions took place in Term 2 and rehearsals have been going full-steam ahead in Term 3.
Drama Coordinator Selene Beretta Grande said Disconnected was a big and extremely ambitious production.
But she said the cast and crew had thrown themselves into every challenge “with enthusiasm, passion and grit”.
This included an intensive twoday camp at Shoreham on the Mornington Peninsula
“The actors have had to train in physical theatre, fight choreography and learn tightly
timed sequences set to music,” Selene said.
“The students’ dedication is extraordinary. As we head into the final weeks of rehearsal, they’re tackling complex, professionallevel work with laser focus and creative energy.
“I deeply admire their tenacity, and I can’t wait for the school community to see what they’ve achieved.”
Disconnected will run at Gasworks Theatre on October 15 and 16. Scan the QR code below to buy your tickets.
SOME OF THE ACTORS AND CREW AT THEIR RECENT DRAMA CAMP.
WE'RE A FINALIST IN PRESTIGIOUS EDUCATION AWARDS
Albert Park College has been named a finalist in two categories of a prestigious education award.
The Victorian Education Excellence Awards recognises the inspirational teachers, principals, assistant principals, business managers and education support staff who support children and young people to develop the skills, courage, and curiosity they need to succeed in life.
The college is a finalist in the Dr Lawrie Shears Outstanding Global Teaching and Learning award for its work in developing global citizens.
The judges were impressed with its stand-alone campus for Year 9 students and the Year 9 curriculum which focused on global environmental and related social issues, as well as being one of the few government schools in Victoria which offer the International Baccalaureate.
STAFF AND STUDENTS
APC’s extensive French language and immersion program, as well as its sister school relationships with schools in France, Greece and Italy, was also highlighted as a reason for it being named a finalist.
APC was also named a finalist in the category Outstanding Provision for High-Ability students. Judges recognised our commitment to providing
KAYA LEADS AUSTRALIA TO VICTORY
The Junior Matildas football team are the toast of the nation after winning the ASEAN under 16 girls championship in Indonesia recently.
And it was our very own Year 11 student Kaya Jugovic (right) who led the way.
Kaya captained the team in the semi-final and the final, and was later named Most Valuable Player in the tournament.
Australia finished on top of Group C after the round robin matches (defeating Singapore and Thailand) before beating the host nation in the semi-final.
In the final, the Aussies took on Thailand and, in a hard-fought match, scored a narrow 1-0 victory.
What an outstanding performance by Kaya and the team.
outstanding curriculum that challenges, extends and provides enrichment opportunities for our students to reach their highest potential.
Winners of the awards will be announced at a special ceremony on 24 October.
STEVE COOK AND THE APC PRINCIPAL TEAM (ABOVE)
BANDS LEAVE STUDENTS
YELLING FOR MORE
The Danks St courtyard rocked and rolled when APC’s student musos hit the stage for Bandfest early this month.
And what a line-up it was!
Dougie Jude, Exit 43, the Masches, Groovy-Doos, Bay St Band, Distasteful Microwaves, Soul Band, Rebel Hearts, Violet Stones and Reality is Leaking gave it their all to the delight of the enthusiastic crowd.
Remember them, because these bands are going places!
AN EVENING THAT CELEBRATED
THE WRITE STUFF
LitFest was a huge success. Year 10 student Amanda Nagel was there and provided this report.
The soft hum of conversation swelled the APC Library for LitFest 2025 as students, staff and community members gathered. LitFest has always been about the celebration of words, and with guest speakers Tony Birch, Marija Peričić, and songwriter Ella Thompson, and our LitFest student award winners Ava Rydings and Kate Spiteri, the evening celebrated the tenderness, resilience and curiosity that define truly great writing.
Tony Birch shared with us in honesty and openness about his lifelong commitment to telling working-class and Aboriginal stories.
From his debut book Shadowboxing to his recent novels Women and Children and The White Girl, Birch employs lived experience in exploring family, place and emotional realities of everyday existence.
He emphasized that tenderness, not melodrama, is strongest in storytelling and illustrated how love and care survive despite violence.
Most inspiring of all, though, was the way he pushed marginal voices of working-class, Aboriginal, and ordinary families into the centre of the literary stage.
His message was unequivocal: these stories count, and the quiet strength of literature comes from observation, subtlety and a sense of community.
Marija Peričić put forward a sharply contrasting but equally compelling perspective. In a presentation of her novel Foreign Country, she
Perhaps most poignant was her closing thought: if given a global platform, she would have simply written, “Be curious.”
APC COMMUNITY
“THESE STORIES COUNT, AND THE QUIET STRENGTH OF LITERATURE COMES FROM OBSERVATION, SUBTLETY AND A SENSE OF COMMUNITY.”
That curiosity of spirit, toward memory, toward language, toward life is what marks her writing and stays with her readers long after the final page.
Ella Thompson brought a new rhythm to LitFest, weaving music and words together in a conversation that was as inspiring as it was sincere.
With credits such as Ripple on the Wing and Domino under her belt, Thompson described her songwriting as a communal one embedded in the voice as her instrument of choice.
The most poignant moment came when she discussed her song “Never Fight the Way You Feel,” a song she wrote as a tribute to one of her childhood friends, in which grief became an eternal expression of love and friendship.
Her music, like her words, honoured legacy, embraced vulnerability, and reminded us that stories need not be bound to the page to carry lasting power.
Finally, the spotlight turned to Ava Rydings and Kate Spiteri, our 2025 LitFest Student Winners, whose work reminded us of the remarkable talent flourishing within our own community.
Both pieces stood out not only for their polish but for their distinctive voices, balancing clarity with emotional depth.
Marshall White Port Phillip is the principal sponsor of APC’s major performing arts events, which includes LitFest 2025. We are grateful to directors Oliver Bruce and Ben Manolitsas for their continuing support.
STUDENT CLAIRE SEEAR (ABOVE) INTERVIEWS AUTHOR MARIJA PERIČIĆ
STUDENTS JULIETTE PHAM AND AMELIA SUMPTER CHAT TO POET CONNOR WEIGHTMAN (LEFT)
SINGER/SONGWRITER
ELLA THOMPSON (BELOW) TALKS WITH AMALIA MUELLER AND MAY HINNEBERG
APC STUDENTS GO WILD FOR SCIENCE
It’s been a busy period for APC’s senior environmental science students.
Late last month, the Year 11 and 12 Environmental Science classes visited the Melbourne Botanic Gardens to participate in the Green Careers’ program.
They participated in practical activities (such as making seed bombs) and learned what it took to run the world famous site.
They were also shown various education pathways that could lead to a career at the gardens – in fields as varied as horticulture, science, conservation, design and education.
Then, earlier this month, the Year 12 students went on a field trip to Werribee Park Zoo to learn first-hand the impacts of humans on biodiversity.
The trip gave them insight into the actions Zoos Victoria takes in real-life conservation scenarios to protect endangered species.
Data and information obtained by the students from their field trips will form part of their upcoming assessments.
IT'S SHOWTIME!
MUSICAL PROVES A PERFECT NIGHT OUT
Performing arts students got the opportunity to see Australia’s most talented “corpse” in action when they went to see Beetlejuice The Musical at the Regent Theatre last week.
Eddie Perfect not only wrote the music and lyrics, but also stars in the production.
Perfect has been described as the most mischievous corpse in the history of musicals and the students had a blast seeing him in action.
A few of them even waited at stage door after the show to meet Eddie.
Two Year 9 drama classes got plenty of inspiration when they attended the opening night performance of The Play That Goes Wrong at The Athenaeum Theatre.
INSPIRED BY A
PLAY THAT GOES WRONG
The play has been described as a “hilarious hybrid of Monty Python and Sherlock Holmes”, and has everything from an unconscious leading lady, a corpse that can’t play dead, and actors who trip over everything (including their lines).
The students are studying the play as part of their curriculum and will perform their own version of it later this year at the Performing Arts Festival.
We can’t wait to see them in action.
Are you 13-14?
The n t h e Su r f Rescu e C e rtifi ca t e i s f o r yo u
Dates/Times:
21 September to 23 September 9.00am to 4.00pm
Are you 15+?
The n t h e B r onz e M eda lli o n i s f o r yo u
Dates/Times:
Surf Rescue Certificate and Bronze Medallion Course 2025
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u s e firs t a i d an d commun i ca ti o n s kills Va l uab l e k now le dg e skill s
s o y o u c a n he l p y ou rs e lf , f a m il y an d fri end s!! !
O nc e y o u ’ v e o b t a i ne d y o u r q ua li f i ca t i o n , y o u w i l l b e pa r t o f a f an t as t i c t ea m t ha t pa tr o l s t h e S o u t h
M e l b o u r n e beach Yo u ca n a cces s c o ache s an d
tr a i n i n g t o d eve l o p y o u r w a t e r sk i l l s an d k n o w l ed g e ,
b e p a r t o f a c o m pe t i t i o n t ea m i n t h e p oo l , o n t h e beach , o r i n an I n f l a t ab l e R escu e Bo a t (I RB )
21 September to 25 September 9.00am to 4.30pm
To get involved in this course, please contact our Membership Manager to join SMLSC : membership @ s ou t hm el bou r n els c .c om a u
