WHAT A TEAM
APC WINS TWO MAJOR EDUCATION AWARDS (P4)
MONDAY 1 DECEMBERFRIDAY 5 DECEMBER Year 10 Work Experience
WEDNESDAY 3 DECEMBER
Year 9 Da Vinci Exhibition
5pm-6.30pm Bay St campus
THURSDAY 4 DECEMBER
Year 9 into 10 Orientation Day
FRIDAY 5 DECEMBER
Final day Years 9 and 10 students
LET THE SHOW BEGIN
The annual APC Art Show is getting more and more popular. Which is why, for the first time, the event will run over four days.
This year, opening night kicks off tomorrow night (Thursday) at Studio 120, and there will be plenty of action to keep the VIP crowd entertained.
The doors will open at 7pm, and tickets will be available at the door for $40.
The ticket includes a complimentary drink on arrival and canapés prepared by APC hospitality students.
During the evening there will be a special auction of a fantastic piece
of art by Marshall White auctioneers Oliver Bruce and Ben Manolitsas.
All money raised over the four-day event goes back to APC.
OPENING TIMES
Thursday 7pm–10pm. Tickets for the opening night are $40 Friday: 3pm-8pm (free entry) Saturday: 10am-4pm (free entry) Sunday:10 am-4pm (free entry)
See HERE for details.
Marshall White Port Phillip is the principal sponsor of APC’s major performing arts events, which includes the APC Musical. We are grateful to directors Oliver Bruce and Ben Manolitsas for their continuing support.
COVER:
MONDAY 8 DECEMBER –
THURSDAY 11 DECEMBER Student camp Years 7 and 8
TUESDAY 9 DECEMBER
Year 6 into 7 Orientation Day
Parent Information Evening (Year 7, 2026) 5.30pm
Danks St library
MONDAY 15 DECEMBER
Principal’s Middle Years Awards Ceremony 9.30am- 11.30am
Danks St Drama room
THURSDAY 18 DECEMBER
Year 12 High Achievers Awards 9.30am Danks St Drama room
Sailing Day for Years 7 and 8
FRIDAY 19 DECEMBER
Last day of Term 4 2026
WEDNESDAY 28 JANUARY
First day for students in Years 7 and 12
Auditions for new contemporary dance students 3.15pm
Danks St Drama room
THURSDAY 29 JANUARY
First day for students in Years 8 to 11
THURSDAY 29 JANUARY - FRIDAY 30 JANUARY
Year 12 Study Camp Campaspe Downs camp, Tylden Deadline for payment December 1
A TIME FOR GRATITUDE
For some of us at least, each year seems to go a little bit faster than the one before.
I’d like to think it’s because we all seem to get busier each year ... and has nothing to do with Father Time! Certainly this year has been full of action and activity.
But sometimes life gets so busy that we forget to take a moment to pause, draw breath, and be grateful for what we have, and what we have achieved.
As we prepare for the 2025 Art Show, the upcoming year 7-8 camps, and the 1001 things necessary to welcome more than 250 new students coming into the school in 2026, I had a moment to reflect on how wonderful it is to be part of this amazing school.
It came at the Year 12 Presentation evening night, where we handed out graduation certificates, special awards and celebrated the achievements of our Class of 2025.
A grateful Year 12 student wrote a letter of thanks to their former Year 9 teacher and I read it out on the night. In part, it said:
“Although it has been a long while since we have been in the same classroom (or camp ground) I want to thank you for your monumental efforts in getting us hooligans through the treachery of Year 9 –putting up with massive amounts of teenage angst in order to help us through, safely and happily.
“Your job, raising a pack of ungrateful, cruel teens to become confident, kind adults is beautiful and I hope you know that your work is so important and immensely appreciated.
“Truly, thanks for getting me through.”
I am extremely proud to have such an incredible teaching team.
So I wasn’t the least bit surprised when the college won two awards at the Victorian Education Awards in Melbourne recently – the Dr Lawrie Shears Outstanding Global Teaching and Learning Award, and the Outstanding Provision for HighAbility Students (Secondary School) award.
Both awards recognise the strong pathways we have built over many years to foster learning and drive success.
You can read about the awards on the next page, but it’s the passion and hard work of our teachers and support staff that made these awards possible.
Another moment to feel grateful
came a week ago when the hardworking ALPACCA committee and other volunteer parents came into the Danks St library for the annual Tea For Teachers event.
The morning tea is a wonderful thank you by parents to our 200-strong staff – teachers and the support teams - for their work over the school year. The ALPACCA team decorated the library, baked some beautiful morning tea, and even raised money to afford plentiful supplies of tea and coffee.
It was generous, thoughtful, and truly humbling.
And, as we enter the final few weeks of the school year, I am incredibly thankful for the work of the 2025 Art
Show committee, who, even as you read this, are working tirelessly to make this week’s event the best yet.
If it takes a village to raise a child, then it surely takes a city to create a successful school, and we’re blessed to have such incredible parents and volunteers working so hard to support the college in so many ways.
You can still buy tickets to the Art Show’s VIP opening tomorrow night, otherwise head to Studio 120 on Friday and over the weekend to be amazed by the talented artists at our school and in our community.
Steven Cook Foundation Principal
Principal Steven Cook accepts the Dr Lawrie Shears award.
SIMPLY THE BEST
APC has won two major awards at the prestigious Victorian Education Excellence Awards in Melbourne recently.
At a gala ceremony in Melbourne recently, the college won the Dr Lawrie Shears Outstanding Global Teaching and Learning Award and the Outstanding Provision for HighAbility Students (Secondary School) category.
The Dr Lawrie Shears award recognised APC as an “exceptional school” that had demonstrated excellence in global learning and engagement by providing students with the skills and knowledge they needed to succeed in an increasingly complex and interconnected world.
According to the judging panel, APC was honoured for a number of reasons:
• Its stand-alone campus for Year 9 students, who study global environmental and related social issues through its Da Vinci Program.
• It is one of the few state schools offering the International Baccalaureate, which includes language study.
• Its language program. All students learn French in years 7-9 and they can also join a French immersion program. The college also supports the study of other languages.
• Its sister school arrangements with schools in France, Greece and Italy, providing global connection with visits and online collaborations.
• Its Year 9 camps, where students can immerse themselves in a range of overseas cultures.
In the Outstanding Provision for High-Ability Students (Secondary
School) award, the judging panel said the college won “for demonstrating excellence in provision for high-ability students, supporting their learning and wellbeing and helping them thrive now and into the future”.
Its citation read:
“Albert Park College’s Select Entry Accelerated Learning (SEAL) challenges and supports highachieving students.
“In 2024, more than half of the school’s SEAL students achieved an ATAR above 90. The average subject score was 35. These results are as strong as select-entry schools.
“This success reflects the school’s focus on growth and challenge.
“Students at the school can do early VCE subjects, university programs, and competitions. The school also runs a literary festival, Maths Academy and reading programs. From Year 10, all students can join the college’s 40+ Club for after-school tutoring and workshops.
“High-achieving students also lead in other ways. They take on roles as school leaders, performers, and mentors. Their efforts inspire others across the school.”
ceremony.
Principal Steve Cook (centre left) and senior staff are all smiles after the award
YEAR 9 S DIG DEEP FOR NATURE
A dozen Year 9s are breathing sighs of satisfaction after recently completing their mission to plant more than 200 saplings in the Yarra Valley as part of a special greening project.
The students worked on the project for several months, turning hundreds of peppermint gum, silver leaf stringybark gum, silver wattle, wooly tea tree and tree everlasting seeds into saplings.
The project was set up by Bay St campus staff member Tony Loprieto who organised the arrival of seeds earlier this year and worked with students to nurture them and prepare them for planting.
Under his watchful eye, students kept the seeds watered, and thinned them out as they germinated. Student Annabelle Ebeling took the lead
in nurturing the seedlings for five months until they were .05m high and ready to plant.
Seeds were supplied by TreeProject, a community-based organisation committed to linking urban and rural communities together to plant trees back on the land.
The species are all endemic to the Yarra Valley, and Yering Station winery was chosen to receive the trees.
On the day, students jumped into a bus and spent a rainy morning learning how to plant the trees properly and then worked relentlessly into the afternoon to ensure as many as possible were planted.
It’s now been decided that this project will become an annual event.
A NIGHT OF JOY AND CELEBRATION!
Timberyard in Port Melbourne again played host to parents, guardians and teachers as they gathered to celebrate the graduating Class of 2025.
Most notable throughout the evening was the celebration of a group that was not just academically driven, but had singular kindness and empathy for one another.
Nowhere was this more evident than the rapturous applause that greeted each Positive Education class as they crossed the stage, as well as cheers for subject prize
winners and the Lead, Create, Inspire award recipients.
The lasting influence of Albert Park College was also evident in the inspirational speech delivered by 2021 Alumni and former college captain Bonnie Sheppard, who testified to the legacy of excellence and enduring need for community, compassion and critical thought.
The college’s performing arts program was also on show - with Leif Weingott, Saskia Chatfield, the Contemporary Choir and the Alt Pop Choir all delivering rousing performances throughout the evening.
Congratulations to senior school Leading Teachers Tamara Palfrey and Lee Sharpe, who organised the event and MC’d the evening.
Their calm, methodical leadership made a highly complex event run seamlessly for staff, students and their families.
ended with students celebrating with their peers, parents and teachers, along with many tears, and a palpable sense of excitement for the future to come.
Congratulations, Class of 2025!
The night
ALPACCA co-presidents
Anna Vermooten (left) and Ruth Allen with Steven Cook at the morning tea.
TEACHERS GATHER FOR A TEA-RIFFIC MORNING
It was a wonderful Friday morning when teachers and staff gathered in the Danks St library for a special morning tea put together by the hardworking ALPACCA team and volunteer parents.
The Tea For Teachers event is an annual event to thank teachers and staff for their efforts over the course of the year.
And what a morning it was.
There were tables groaning under freshly baked food and treats, gorgeous homegrown flowers to decorate the library, and plenty of freshly brewed coffee and tea to savour.
The group also prepared a special message board, which was full of quotes from students singing their teachers’ praises.
ALPACCA co-president Ruth Allen said the morning was “magical”.
“The teachers look forward to this tradition every year, and it’s our privilege, as parents and carers, to treat them and show our appreciation for all they do for our children,” Ruth said.
Ruth said she wanted to thank all the parents who donated money to fund the free coffee and tea for the 200 staff, and especially the volunteers who helped cook the treats, set up, and then clean up afterwards.
“The food was absolutely incredible, so many delicious, thoughtful treats made with such care,” Ruth said.
“I have to give a special thank-you to parents Lucy, Amber and Ness for the flowers and the beautiful, inspirational Rotary book display.
“And thank you to Mette, who created the thoughtful message board with quotes from grateful students.
“This was a new idea and super special. As we all know, teachers don’t get to hear enough of the good stuff!
“For those who were there, I’m sure they felt it too: the atmosphere was magical.
Principal Steve Cook said the event was really appreciated by the teachers, who each year were left in awe by the thoughtfulness and generosity of the parents.
He said teachers experiencing the event for the first time were “blown away” .
“We have such a wonderful, supportive parent community and this event is a highlight of our year,” he said. “It is truly humbling.
“Thank you to the ALPACCA team, who do such amazing things for the college, and to every parent who made this event possible.”
CHINESE TAKE AWAY STEM KNOWLEDGE
More than 30 Chinese science teachers took a tour of APC recently to be shown how technology is being used to improve STEM learning.
The group, made up of primary and secondary school teachers, were taken on a tour by Principal Steven Cook and Assistant Principal Hayley Schirmer.
They were shown a number of STEM activities, and also saw a dance class and food class in action.
Chinese schools do not use technology in classes, and teachers have to manage classes of up to 45 students, so the visitors were impressed with APC’s style of learning.
But it wasn’t all about STEM. During their 90-minute tour they were also shown how to do a Tim Tam slam (biting off corners of a Tim Tam and using it as a straw for to drink a tea or coffee).
They loved it!
A special thank you to APC maths teacher and learning specialist Cheng Jin (right), who used his fluent Chinese to provide a detailed overview of APC’s technology applications to the visitors.
The group is spending three months at RMIT as part of a special STEM program sponsored by the Chinese Government.
AN AUSSIE WELCOME FOR LIPARI STUDENTS
It was APC’s turn to host students from the Italian island of Lipari as part of a new student exchange.
During their stay the students not only took part in the launch of a film documentary about 100 years of migration from Lipari to Melbourne, but also participated in radio interviews with SBS, organised through APC's own Bernard Mandile and the Aeolian Society of Melbourne.
The Italians were thrilled to take part in Aussie language and cooking classes, AFL and art classes and take multiple excursions to museums and Wilsons Promontory.
APC students were lucky enough to benefit from workshops run by the visiting teachers and academics to teach Italian and the history of migration from Italy to Australia.
What an exchange!
A special thank you to our local host families for providing such an incredible experience for the Italians during their stay.
A VISIT TO WILSONS PROMONTORY WAS A HIGHLIGHT FOR
THE LIPARI STUDENTS
APC STUDENTS
OTTO CRACKS THE CUBE CODE!
Year 7 student Otto Sahlberg has a special skill that leaves watchers in awe.
Otto (above) is a demon at solving a Rubik’s Cube … that infernal block of mixed colours that drives most people to distraction.
Otto is so fast that he has already qualified for the European Championships next year and is
aiming to qualify for the World Championships in 2027.
Sadly for Australia, Otto won’t be wearing the green and gold. He will be representing his country of birth - Finland.
Otto, who moved from Finland to Australia with his family in 2018, picked up a Rubik’s Cube seven years ago and has got faster
and faster ever since. He’s now so good he can solve the puzzle blindfolded!
Don’t believe it? Watch Otto in action HERE
Good luck next year, Otto!
EXAMS END WITH A BANG
The IB students marked the end of their exams in the usual way - letting rip with party poppers to celebrate. The tradition brought a festive mood to the final exam.
The IB Class of 2025 also asked to meet their teachers for a final time to pass on their thanks (and top secret presents).
The thoughtful gesture was really appreciated!
JUDO CHAMP IS ON A ROLL
Gursoronzon Battulga, a Year 11 student, has added more medals to his already impressive haul of wrestling titles.
Gursoronzon (or Guree) was born in Mongolia before moving to Melbourne and competes in judo, sambo and freestyle wrestling.
At the recent national judo titles in Brisbane, Guree (right) won gold in the junior 88kg division, and came third in the senior 88kg category.
He can add those medals to his already impressive list of titlesVictorian Sambo Champion, 2025 Beach Sambo champion, Judo Victorian champion, Judo Spring Tournament silver medalist (80kg), Senshi Classic medalist, and Victorian Freestyle Wrestling champion (80kg).
Guree isn’t letting up either. He’s now preparing for the Australian national sambo championships, and the international sambo championships.
HELPING HAND FOR TIMOR-LESTE SCHOOL
The first annual Threes and Frees charity event was a fantastic success, raising an impressive $600 for Suai Secondary School in Timor-Leste.
Run in partnership with Chase Basketball, the event brought the APC community together to support a great cause.
The money will go toward supporting the school’s sporting programs, continuing our partnership that helped build their first basketball court several years ago.
A huge congratulations to APC’s basketball academy students who played a key role in creating the event and ensuring everything ran smoothly.
Special mention to Mattias Athanasiadis, Oscar Barnes, Curtis Brown, Joseph Derrick, Archie Franklin, Ethan Jenkinson, Stellan Killeen, Zander Killeen, Madeleine Lawson and Trent Reese for their outstanding effort and leadership throughout the day
The event ended with a thrilling Staff vs Students basketball match, with the students taking home the win by 10 points.
The success of Threes and Frees reflects the generosity and community spirit of our students and staff. We’re already looking forward to building on this momentum and making next year’s event even bigger!
STEM STUDENTS DIVE DEEP INTO AQUARIUM PROJECT
Year 8 STEM students unleashed their creative side when they tackled a special aquarium project.
The students were asked to research the importance of aquariums, looking at both the benefits, such as conservation and education, and the ethical concerns around animal welfare and humane habitats.
Their final task was to develop a portfolio and design a prototype for their own aquarium exhibition.
This included habitat planning, environmental features, and wellbeing considerations.
DAZZLING DISPLAY ON DANKS
Last Thursday, Danks St came alive as we welcomed families and friends to our 2025 Performing Arts Festival.
More than 300 Music, Dance and Drama students from Years 7 to 9 took to four stages, sharing the work they’ve created throughout the semester.
The atmosphere was buzzing, with proud parents, excited performers and staff enjoying a joyful celebration of creativity.
It was a wonderful way to celebrate our students and round out a big week at APC.
Their trip to Sea World Melbourne gave students an engaging, hands-on learning experience that supported their final portfolios.
Seeing real exhibits and learning about marine conservation helped inspire and inform their own STEM designs.
Mariana (right) creates a 3D whale model for her final exhibit.
YEAR 8 S SNARE VOLLEYBALL BRONZE MEDAL
The Year 8 girls volleyball team has been soaring!
Having recently finished third in the SSV Interschool finals, the Year 8 girls recently competed in their final Volleyball Victoria event at the Junior Vic Open at Dandenong Stadium.
Over three days Gemma Yong, Georgia Fribel, Sarah Corcoran, Mariana Londoz Munoz, Isabelle Dimiropoulos, Lizzy Lachal, Angie Zhou, Lola McBride and Sofia Cross battled against the best school and club teams across the state in Division 1.
We came away with an amazing bronze medal!
Volleyball academy coach Raymond Yong was delighted with their performance.
“Thanks to Volleyball Academy alumni and Year 11 student Stella for coaching,” Raymond said.
“We’re looking forward to seeing more students join the Academy in 2026.”
A special shoutout also has to go to the Year 7 Girls who represented the college at this year’s Volleyball Victoria Youth Open.
They finished mid-field of 21 teams across the three-day tournament, playing with determination and spirit, pushing many of their matches right to the wire.
Well done to all involved.
Punching above their weight: the year 8 team (above) and the year 7 team (left).
AMANADA SELECTED FOR UNI PROGRAM
Year 10 student Amanda Nagel has been selected for the 2026 Kwong Lee Dow Young Scholars Program.
This is a really exciting achievement as Year 10 students from across Victoria and in in border regions from South Australia and NSW are encouraged to apply.
The Kwong Lee Dow Young Scholars program is a two-year program facilitated by Melbourne University designed to prepare Year 10s for university life.
Well done, Amanda!
