Newsprint Issue No. 3

Dear Members of the De La Salle Community, It is difficult to believe there is less than three weeks until the end of term; it seems like no time since the students all arrived on the first day, yet so much has been going on, in and around the College since late January.

We are now into the third week of Lent, clearly one of the most significant periods on the Christian calendar. To mark Ash Wednesday‟s beginning of Lent on 5 March staff attended a brief paraliturgy before school on each campus before moving into Homerooms where the service was repeated with each Homeroom Teacher working with their boys in a small ceremony culminating in the symbolic marking of foreheads with the ash.

In one of the many publications coming across my desk I was drawn to a summary of Pope Francis‟ reflections on the various themes for Lent. With thanks to Joe Doolan, the CEOM‟s Religious Education resource writer who reviewed Pope Francis‟ recent writings, I thought the following messages were clearly transferable and relevant to all of us in schools.

Pope Francis urges us to think about the humanity of Jesus and use Lent as an ideal time to reflect on the life, death and resurrection of Christ and recognise he was indeed a real person doing real work, not just a legend. The teachings, discussions; his stories and examples of healing demonstrate Jesus‟ deep human concern for his fellow man, even when confronted with prejudice and contempt. Jesus‟ mercy is another fine example to all of us as Christians. All of us in schools can aim to offer, encourage and model God‟s mercy in our everyday interactions.

Beyond the classroom, the primary focus for all in the College is preparation for Mission Action Day on Friday, 4 April, with the target of raising $100,000 for Lasallian charitable works both locally and abroad. Lasallian communities in India, Papua New Guinea, Sudan, Pakistan and elsewhere can only dream of our standard of living and education and every dollar we raise has an impact. It is heartening to see so many students and staff so determined to contribute in a range of creative ways to ensure they are able to provide a better future for those less fortunate. There is still plenty of time to contact potential sponsors or indeed make a donation via your son or to the College.

At the end of term two LOTE overseas study and cultural tours depart for Italy and France respectively. Besides immersion in language schools in-country and local schools the young men will have a tremendous range of opportunities to practise the language and develop confidence and competence for upcoming assessments back at school. The value of internationalism and being an active global participant cannot be underestimated in 2014 and I encourage all students to pursue a foreign language as long as they can into their secondary careers and beyond.

A very successful De La Salle Athletics Carnival was held on Friday, 7 March at Duncan Mackinnon Reserve. I would like to acknowledge the effort of the Director of Sport, Peter Harte, in putting together the program and thank him for the smooth running of the day, with the terrific support of so many staff who worked as officials and in supporting and supervising the students. I must say the students were exceptionally well behaved on the day and there was a healthy level of active participation and a great general feeling of cooperation and community – a key benchmark for days like this. A strong group of track and field athletes is continuing to train for the ACC Carnival to be held at Albert Park on Wednesday, 2 April. I‟d like to acknowledge in particular the significant numbers of staff turning out at 7.30am every Friday to train the boys and of course wish all involved – especially the athletes – the best of luck for the ACC Carnival.

Last Wednesday, 12 March Mr Pascal Rohan, Director of Student Wellbeing and the Student Wellbeing Team led a very successful Parents‟ Information Evening in the St Miguel Theatre where four young men presented on issues of anxiety, weight loss, depression and autism. The four students all had personal or family involvement in these issues and presented very clearly the problems therein and their capacities and strategies to deal with them. This was a tremendous and very powerful evening, attended by in excess of 80 parents who gained a great deal from it and asked many pertinent questions. The Wellbeing Team has more sessions planned for later in the year, based on parents‟ feedback requesting advice in relation to gadget/computer addiction, monitoring time/organisation, bullying, confidence and a raft of others.

One of my many observations in spending time in the yard and tramstops etc is the wide variety in how students attend to their responsibility to wear the College uniform correctly. While the vast majority of students represent the College well and present and generate an image of pride in their school there are young men who let us down, especially in the public domain. Can I please ask for parents‟ support in reinforcing expectations that when wearing the winter uniform, the top button and tie must be done up and fastened properly, shirt tucked in and blazer worn to and from school. I am sure we can address this issue by working together and reiterating the fair and clear expectations.

Many of you will be aware of the College‟s long and proud tradition of weightlifting and the significant commitment from David Hale in coaching and managing the team for many years. This year‟s team of Sam Gardiner, James Delaney, Jayden Dakdouk, Nicholas Chatgoglou, Jay Saddington and Bryce Morgan achieved some superb results in Round 1 of the Victorian Weightlifting League. All of the boys picked up a personal best, which is a superb result. In addition, Bryce Morgan has already qualified for the National Titles and James Delaney of Year 12 has already qualified for the World Titles in Russia later in the year. This is an outstanding achievement of which we are all very proud.

A very enjoyable part of my new role has been interviewing every staff member to gain their perspectives on the strengths of the College and areas in which we can improve. While I am only about halfway through the process it has been an invaluable exercise. Teachers and School Support Officers have articulated their roles and displayed tremendous enthusiasm in relation to the quality of our students, the pastoral care, various programs – the Social Justice initiatives in particular - and the potential for growth, improvement, development and innovation in a wide range of areas but primarily in teaching and learning. This augurs well for a bright future for our College.

That future is largely determined by the work committed to the School Improvement Framework in which all staff are contributing to one of five spheres: Leadership & Management, Education in Faith, Community, Learning & Teaching and Student Wellbeing. The main thrust of the teams‟ work at the moment is to measure our success in meeting the targets set four years ago and to set in place goals for the next four.

An intrinsic element of the School Improvement Plan is the ICT Strategic Plan. Deputy Principal Teaching & Learning, Mark Gustincic and KLAC: ICT & Infrastructure, Paul Maxted have invested an enormous amount of time and energy into researching, drafting and developing a vision and practical plan for the required improvements in the delivery of ICT to support improve learning and indeed all aspects of technology at De La Salle. A summary of the Strategic Plan follows, courtesy of the Mark Gustincic and the ICT Committee.

The College has made a major investment in the provision of infrastructure, developing online resources and building teacher capability in the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). Progress to date has been steady, but uneven. Some teachers and students now benefit from access to computers and digital resources in a 1:1 environment, but arguably only a minority is reaping the full benefits of the information technology revolution.

The federally funded Digital Education Revolution (DER) 1:1 program provided a once-in-a-generation opportunity to establish and enable a new future-directed vision for education in Australia. The role of digital technologies in delivering better educational outcomes and engagement in learning was established through this program. The funding has now come to an end so De La Salle College, like many others, must re-position itself to allow the benefits of 1:1 computer to student ratio to fully emerge.

A new Strategic Plan has been developed which outlines a vision for ICT at the College by setting a series of intended goals for the coming four years. This plan is the result of wide ranging discussions within the ICT Committee, followed by consultation with student, parent and teacher focus groups. The vision rests on the four essential principles derived from the DER program: Leadership that ensures the College has a coordinated plan for the provision of infrastructure, learning resources and teacher capability to address the educational challenges of the 21st Century.

Infrastructure which provides staff and students with communication and collaboration access to digital teaching and learning resources and the tools for processing information and building knowledge.

Learning Resources that stimulate, challenge and assist students in achieving desired learning outcomes. These include collaborative and interactive activities as well as instructional and reference materials.

Teacher Capability is the cornerstone of the ICT vision and attends to developing teachers with the necessary skills and tools to design and deliver programs that meet students’ needs and harness the benefits and resources of the digital revolution.

The plan has been met with a great deal of enthusiasm by those who have engaged with it over the course of its development.

There is no doubt that the efforts made in realising the goals established in the plan will lead to significant benefits to the College community over the coming years.

As part of the celebrations for Catholic Education Week, yesterday I accompanied four of our Year 10 students to the annual St Patrick‟s Day Mass at St Pat‟s Cathedral in Melbourne. This is a tremendous celebration each year, with schools represented in huge numbers, presenting a great opportunity for Catholic students from all over the Melbourne Archdiocese to gather and share the experience of celebrating our faith on this traditional and special day in our calendar.

This week also saw Susan McLean from Cybersafety Solutions presenting to the Year 8 cohort on the issues surrounding cyberbullying. Susan McLean is Australia‟s foremost expert in the area of cyber safety and young people and was a member of Victoria Police for 27 years. She addressed our Year 8s on Wednesday, 19 March exploring the following topics: Cyber Bullying , Sexting, Problematic Internet Use and Internet Safety Tips Amongst a number of other things, our students were encouraged to immediately update the security settings on all social media accounts they currently hold. Cybersafety will continue to be addressed at all year levels in 2014. We are very grateful to Ms McLean for imparting some invaluable lessons and warnings for all concerned in this controversial area.

This also ties in neatly with Friday‟s National Day Against Bullying and Violence, when all Year 7 - 9 students will attend an assembly to support the Tiverton campus 'taking a stand together' against bullying and violence. We hope this will shape how bullying is addressed in the years to come.

As a campus we will have homeroom together in the Gym, we will explore anti-bullying initiatives and strategies to combat this within our school. Both victims of bullying and bystanders will be our focus. We hope the day will also bring about positive ongoing conversations with our students against bullying and violence.

I would like to acknowledge the efforts of our Personal Development Coordinator Ms Kate McIlroy in organising these two important initiatives.

Finally, I urge students from all Year Levels to reflect on how they are approaching their studies. Term 1 is almost over, more than a quarter of the year is gone and Parent Teacher Interviews are less than two weeks away. It must be the goal of every student to be able to demonstrate at these interviews they are maximising their potential and working to their full ability in all areas of their studies.

I wish you all a happy, holy and safe Lenten period in the lead-up to Easter.

Peter Houlihan Principal

I am thrilled to announce the artificial grass surface on the Kinnoull campus was finished last week, much to the delight of Head of Physical Education, David Alexander and his PE staff. It was wonderful to finally see this part of the College being used again and Michael Ryan and his Year 8 Physical Education class were the first to get on and practise their cricket skills on Thursday during period 1 and 2. This surface now provides a much needed space for all students across the College and is a great addition to our grounds.

Thanks must go to all involved in this process and especially Michael Bohan for overseeing the management of what has been a lengthy and at times difficult process.

Peter Houlihan Principal

The term is fast coming to a close, marking the mid-point for semester one. Parent and Teacher appointments are always very important because we have the privilege to mutually share our ideas and to evaluate where students are heading with their personal growth and academic development. They are occasions to monitor your sonâ€&#x;s progress and ensure that effective and planned strategies are in place where there are any problems. They are also an important opportunity to affirm and celebrate hard work and success.

The following is the schedule for the upcoming Parent/Teacher Interviews. Further details, including individualised login information for the Parent Teacher Online booking system, are contained in a letter which was sent to all parents in the first week of this month.

Wednesday, 2 April 8.40am to 3.23pm 4.00pm to 5.30pm 5.30pm to 6.30pm 6.30pm to 8.30pm

Period 1-6 classes as normal Parent-Teacher Interviews Dinner break Parent-Teacher Interviews

Thursday, 3 April (NO CLASSES on this day) 8.30am to 12.30pm Parent-Teacher Interviews 12.30pm to 1.30pm Lunch break 1.30pm to 4.00pm Parent-Teacher Interviews Interviews will be of 15 minutes duration for Years 4, 5 & 6; and 7 minutes in duration for all other year levels.

Mark Gustincic Deputy Principal – Teaching and Learning

College uniform is a key element of the De La Salle community. The iconic blue and gold brings that sense of identity and belonging that should engender pride in oneâ€&#x;s school. The way in which boys wear the College uniform sends a powerful message about themselves and about the school to fellow students, staff, their family and the wider community.

College staff will be closely monitoring the manner in which students wear the College uniform to ensure the image created is consistent with our expectations.

All students are reminded of their obligation to wear the College uniform correctly. In particular this means knowing and following the rules as outlined in the College diary (page 8).

Disciplinary action will follow for students who choose not wear the uniform correctly. Unfortunately this will include punitive measures (including after-school detention; in the first instance this will be a 20 minute detention) as determined by Year Level Coordinators and/or Head of Campus.

Tom Ryan Deputy Principal - Pastoral Care and Organisation

De La Salle is a caring Christian community whose system of pastoral care is based on the charism of St John Baptist de La Salle, founder of the De La Salle Brothers. A key message as part of the approach to student management is the concept of “respect” i.e. respect for self and for others.

Under the system of care offered at De La Salle the needs of each individual are given attention to the best of our ability, through our policies, processes and procedures.

Contact with parents/guardians is a feature of our pastoral care. If minor difficulties arise the boy‟s Homeroom Teacher (the person who is “first port of call” in matters of welfare) will usually make contact with parents to discuss the matter.

Behavioural concerns are broadly classified and dealt with in 3 levels according to the degree of seriousness.

The Homeroom Teacher and/or the Subject Teacher deal with the matter. If punitive measures are necessary recess or lunch detention or 20 minute after school may be applied. Often the situation can be resolved with such measures through one on one discussion between the student and teacher and contact with home.

The Year Level Coordinator deals with the matter. These are more serious situations and may require measures such as longer periods of detention which may include supervised 1 hour after school or 2 hours on a Saturday morning or withdrawal from a class for a length of time. Contact will be made with parents to discuss the arrangements. In addition the parents and student may be asked to attend an interview at the College with the YLC and/or Homeroom Teacher.

The Head of Campus and/or Deputy Principal deal with the matter. When serious matters of welfare/student discipline arise at this level a number of serious consequences will result. These may include suspension from the College for a period of time, formal interview involving a contractual return to the College, a period of community service and other measures as determined by the College.

In the most serious types of issues the Principal is usually involved in the resolution process.

The College Wellbeing Team consisting of two Counsellors supports this framework. When counselling assistance is required, the Counsellor acts confidentially. All teaching staff and counselling staff are governed by a strict set of procedures (including Mandatory Reporting protocols) to ensure that referrals are made to the appropriate internal and external authorities when necessary.

Parents are asked to direct any concerns about their son‟s welfare or behavior to key staff at the appropriate level Tom Ryan Deputy Principal - Pastoral Care and Organisation

St Paul wrote: "If Christ is not risen, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins" (1 Cor 15:17). These words go to the heart of what we as Christian‟s believe: focusing on and attempting to live the Kingdom of God offered to each one of us through the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Each Sunday we recite our statement of faith. In the section of the Creed that refers to our belief in Jesus Christ, we say: "On the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures." What are we saying here? We are acknowledging the key to our Christian faith: that Jesus Christ rose from the dead. St. Paul instructed the early Christian‟s at Corinth thus: “For I handed on to you as of first importance what I, in turn, had received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he rose from the dead on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve" (1 Cor 15:3-5). Paul‟s statement of faith proclaimed the Risen Christ and acknowledged the death and resurrection of Jesus which is the core of our hope of salvation. Therefore, if Christ did not rise from the dead, our Christian belief would be a waste of time! There would be no point in the celebration of Mass, our Sacraments, nor would we probably even recall the life of Jesus of Nazareth. He would be completely forgotten. It is the resurrection of Jesus that makes us who we are as Christians and gives us our focus.

Over time, efforts have been made to muddy our faith in the resurrection. Allegations of it being a myth, or a lie, or Christian propaganda and the like have emerged with an attempt to distort the truth. What is often forgotten is that every apostle, except one – St John, who tradition considers, cared for Jesus‟ mother until her death - died horrendous deaths preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. Why would these men suffer agoniSing deaths for a lie or a myth? St Paul persecuted Jewish converts and then experienced a conversion to Christ. This change in faith enabled him to suffer various forms of physical pain, such as the lash, ship wreck, rejection, starvation and imprisonment during his missionary journeys, and probably a death by beheading in an attempt to bring the truth of salvation of Christ‟s death and resurrection to the Gentiles.

St Paul taught that Christ‟s resurrection gives the world the chance of a greater hope. He also taught a philosophy that evil, suffering and even death can be overcome. This hope empowers Christians to live life as fully as possible, and face its challenges with courage and commitment. The resurrection of Christ provides us with a fresh attitude towards living. It allows us to approach each day with a new perspective.

The other way we learn about the truth of the resurrection is through the various gospel narratives. Our first witnesses to the resurrection were 1st century Jewish women. They were the least likely of witnesses given their status in Israel 2,000 years ago. Yet, the Gospel writers narrated the event as it happened: the women were the first on the scene, and this is what happened. When they went to the tomb to anoint the body of Jesus, they found the first sign: the empty tomb (Mk 16:1). Then there was an encounter with an angel (a messenger) who announced: “Jesus of Nazareth, the Crucified One, is not here, he is risen” (Mk 16:5-6). What did the women do? They did what anyone else would have done. They told everyone what they had seen. They could not keep their experience to themselves.

Jesus was alive and they had to share it! Wouldn‟t you?

As Christian‟s, we should share this good news; but how? Simply by the way we treat each other. Jesus‟ „Kingdom‟ is a moral way of living: a life of compassion, justice, empathy, love, forgiveness, humility and the like. The Kingdom of God is not „heaven‟; it is how we relate to others in this world now. This is what being a Christian entails. This is what entering into Christ‟s resurrection means. We must attempt to live these qualities each day, even though we will probably struggle. The way we live our lives becomes the greatest testimony to Christ‟s resurrection. Luke tells us that: “The Kingdom of God is among you” (Luke 17.21). Jesus made himself present in a new way. He was somehow transformed following his death. He appeared in a „glorious‟ way; a mode of living the apostles and disciples were unable to comprehend at first. Gospel passages attest to this. For example: “When she had said this, she turned round and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus” (Jn 20:14); or, “Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus” (Jn 21:4); or, “While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recogniSing him (Lk 23:1516).

It was through his words and actions that their eyes were opened. For us today, an encounter with the Risen Christ can transform us in the way we live our own lives; the way we react to each other; the way we hold and nurture our little ones; the way we administer justice; the way we accept our neighbour; the way we show compassion and the way we forgive each other. In a world that seems to be spiralling out of control, we need to allow ourselves to be clothed in the Risen Christ so that we can be transformed. If we can try to become more fully human in the way we live our lives. We need to learn to love more sincerely and forgive others more honestly, then the misery that flanks this world might begin to dissolve. This time of Lent is a perfect opportunity to rearrange our priorities and attempt to live a better Christian life however difficult that may seem to be.

Graeme Pender Director of Religious and Moral Education

Parents and students gathered on Tuesday night in the Chapel for a lively exchange on preparing for the Sacrament of Reconciliation early next term.

In discussion with their parents, the students expressed their desire to respect others; to be able to forgive and to accept the forgiveness of others; to develop their sense of gratitude; to make good decisions; to learn to listen and show kindness; to focus on the positive in their life and to stop and see the needs of others. Reminders for all of us as we try to grow closer to God this Lent.

The Sacrament of Reconciliation will be celebrated in the Tiverton Chapel at 7.00pm on 29 April. Father Brendan Dillon, an old boy of the College, will administer the Sacrament.

Confirmation will be celebrated on Sunday, 10 August, 2014, 11.00am Mass at St Anthonyâ€&#x;s Parish Glen Huntly.

Classes will commence Term 2.

I leave you with a small prayer for busy days O Lord, You know how busy I must be this day.

If I forget you, do not forget me.

Joan Ferguson College Chaplain

Catholic families of De La Salle College are invited to a new 5.00pm Sunday Mass at St Finbar's in East Brighton.

The Mass will have a youth focus but all are welcome!

Thank you to all those who attended the Parent Information Evening – Depression, Anxiety, Weight and Autism on 12 March. A summary of what was presented on the night is available on the College Website. Thanks too, to the four student Wellbeing Team Members who conducted the greater part of the evening – and with such skill and honesty.

Four assisting with Parent Information Evening on the topics of depression, anxiety, weight and autism.

Shark petition against slaughter carrying 202 signatures sent to C. Barnett, Premier, WA. Preparation of short, fortnightly videos to be shown in Homeroom that pertain to an area of Wellbeing. The first is also available on Moodle under the heading “Peer Education”.

A “pub” group has begun whose work it is to ensure that positive initiatives made by the Student Wellbeing Team is published, photographed and documented.

We have a team of three boys – a section of the Student Wellbeing Team – whose task it is to raise awareness of the link between living well and respecting all life.

They have recently contacted the Australian Teens Against Animal Cruelty “ATAAC” in an effort to align their efforts with a larger group. The ATAAC website being http://ataac.org/ Our three members, known as “The Jordans” are: 1. Jordan Burns - Year 8 2. Jordan Couglan-Stevenson - Uear 9 3. Jordan Kelly - Year 10 You can also view other info related to living well and respecting life via Moodle – go to the Student Wellbeing link and scroll down to link 6.

Many teenagers today are sleep deprived. They need between 9 and 10 hours sleep each night, yet most get about 7 or 8 hours sleep. Some get less.

Sleep deprivation is akin to jet lag, where they don‟t function at their optimum.

The sleep/wake cycle for teenagers is delayed by up to two hours. That is, they are sleepy later and awake later.

Most teens secrete melatonin, which makes them sleepy around 11.00pm, which makes the time before then a sleepless zone. Children secrete melatonin far earlier than this.

Cortisol, the chemical that wakes them up, is secreted at 8.15am for many teens. It seems the teen brain wants to be asleep just when most have woken up.

One US study found that 20% of teens were asleep in class in the morning, which had catastrophic effects on learning. As a result a number of high schools have delayed the start of school time to accommodate the teen sleep/wake cycle. This enables teens not only to get more sleep but to be at their best (or at least awake) when they are at school.

The results were startling and immediate, including better learning, better behaviour, less fights and fewer kids dropping out of school.

Sleep maximises brain growth, which occurs during adolescence. Sleep also consolidates learning. Sleep research has shown that the brain practises what it has learned during the day when a young person is asleep. So sufficient sleep consolidates past learning as well as keeps a young person fresh to maximise their future learning.

Sleep experts stress that while adults may not have control over biology we can assist children and teens establish good sleep patterns. It has been noted that children who develop good sleep patterns tend to carry these into adolescence. If you are parent of young children struggling to get them to sleep or battling kids who want to stay up longer then some knowledge of good sleep habits maybe useful.

1.

Regular bed-times. Kids may fight this, but be regular during the week and let kids stay up a little later on weekends.

2.

Have a wind-down time of up to 45 minutes prior to bed. This includes, removing TV and other stimuli, calming children down, and limiting food intake (and caffeine for teens).

3.

An established bed-time routine that makes the brain associate behaviours such as cleaning your teeth and reading in bed with sleep.

4.

Keeping bedrooms for sleep and not for TV. Bedrooms that resemble caves seem to be recommended.

5.

Maximising the three sleep cues of: darkness (cave-like bedroom), lowering body temperature (baths can be good for this) and melatonin (work within their cycle).

Sleep is something that we can all be educated about. We take it for granted and often view poor sleepers through a behavioural lens. Better knowledge of the biology of sleep and of sleep patterns, as well as instigating good habits, will go a long way to helping kids and teens get a good nightâ€&#x;s sleep.

1.

Allow them to catch up on lost sleep during the weekends.

2.

Help your young person schedule their after school activities to free up more time for rest.

3.

Discuss ways to limit stimulating activities such as television and computer around bedtimes. Encourage restful activities such as reading.

4.

Afternoon naps are good ways to recharge their batteries.

5.

Make sure they go to bed early each Sunday night to prepare for the coming week.

For more ideas go to www.parentingideas.com.au.

Pascal Rohan Director of Student Wellbeing

Every year, the College Leaders put aside a week on the calendar to introduce the Year 10s to the Kinnoull campus through „Kinnoull Week‟ (Monday, 3 March – Thursday, 6 March). The week is designed to build good morale around the campus, healthy relationships between respective year levels (students and staff) whilst also raising social justice awareness. This year, events such as a Student vs. Teachers Gaelic football match, Shrove Tuesday celebrations, Battle of the Squares Competition, and the World‟s Greatest Shave brought the campus together.

Proceeds raised in 2014, went to the Leukaemia foundation.

Lasallian spirit buzzed through the air Monday lunchtime, as the students took on the teachers in a Gaelic football match to kick-start „Kinnoull week‟ (organised by Luke Brownhill, Edward Cheesman and James Yosiffidis). At the battle ground (Kinnoull oval), sparks flew as sheer brute force and skill unleashed between the two teams. Big man, Anthony De Luca, set his targets on Mr Larson early, then any other teacher in his way. Swift movements from Scott Vawser, Nick Taylor and Mr Wilson left the crowd dazzled, whilst Elliot Fabris and Mr Harrup attacked the ball hard. The game was in the teachers‟ favour early, despite the controversial goalie techniques used by Year 12 Coordinator, Mr Petrie. Umpires, Edward Cheesman and Tom Horan kept the game flowing and in relative control, with the exception of a few bone-crunching hits that were waved by with a „play on‟. Students from all years gathered to watch. The second half brought the margin closer and turned the game into a nail-biting match. The students lifted their intensity and brought out the big guns, catching up to the glorified teachers, ending the game in a draw. It was a very well fought and entertaining match, where I‟m sure some teachers took several days to physically recover from the hard hit-out (Mr Kenealy).

On a fine afternoon, the lunch bell rang throughout the campus, bringing joy/relief to the students. Most of the student population rushed to the pancake station for Shrove Tuesday, to purchase and enjoy some delicious pancakes created, cooked and served by the master chefs of the College Leaders group (Ben Stafford, Christian Di Donato and Matthew Swinnerton) and a can of drink. This initiative satisfied the hunger of those staff and students who were lucky enough to purchase one, as there was a lengthy queue to contend with at the start.

The year of 2014 marks the year of „DLS Squares‟, as more students than ever before across the campus, at both recess and lunch, compete in intense four squares battles where friends, become rivals. Four squares is one of the most vintage schoolyard games at De La and it was very appropriate that during Kinnoull Week students would compete in the „Squares ‟. Many students had talked the talk and now it was time to walk the walk and put their money where their mouth was, as students gave donations to play the game. With bragging rights and a Chadstone Shopping Centre voucher at stake, the heat rose in the squares and at the final lunch bell there could only be one who remained in the „king‟ position. Congratulations to Ayang Nyanjok of Year 10, the Kinnoull Campus‟ King for 2014 Kinnoull Week.

Thursday came rumbling in, with the activity for the day, The World‟s Greatest Shave‟, to end Kinnoull Week with a bang (or ‟bzzzzz‟). The courageous participants who put their name forward to shave included: Jack-Henry Attard, Luke Torrisi and Mr Hewett. Mr Petrie, Mr Harrup and various other students took the opportunity to have their hair coloured in the mighty blue and gold to contribute in raising money for the Leukaemia Foundation. The amphitheatre held the event, where one of the school‟s rock bands performed some classics prior to the shave. Hair by hair, and after some cheap shots from the host/MC James Yossiffidis and laughs from the crowd, the shave was complete.

Proceeds raised from the events held totalled $337.75. It was an awesome effort, with all Year 12 College Leaders working to put on the week – it was a true example of the spirit within the school community.

Special thanks to: Tom Horan (Gaelic Umpire), Lawrence Tiong (Shrove Tuesday helper), Ed Hirst, Luke Torrisi, Josh Subramaniam and Jonathan Dent (Band), Jack-Henry Attard (Band roadie), all the staff and students from Year 10, 11 and 12 involved in the Gaelic Football match.

Thanks also to staff that supported all events in any shape or form - from sourcing equipment to helping supervise.

James Benton and Stephen Athaide College Leaders

This year marks the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War, also known as the Great War, the war to end all wars. As we all know the world faced an even deadlier conflict 20 years later, both of these conflicts having a profound effect on Australia and the world. For many of us our families chose to call Australia home after these conflicts and the modern day Multicultural Australia was forged.

To commemorate these conflicts we are asking members of the De La Salle community to contribute a photo of a family member/s to be displayed to tell the story of 20th century conflict from the point of view of current families at De La Salle. Photos from the period of WW1, WW2, Korea or Vietnam are all welcome, including photos of those not necessarily directly involved in conflict such as women on the home front. We are asking families to contribute a reproduction of the original photo as although we will take care to return all items we obviously don‟t want to risk originals being damaged or lost. Most photo processing shops can now reproduce old photos quite cheaply and any sizes are acceptable with a 5x8 being an ideal size for display.

We are also asking families to provide some brief information about the photo, including, but not limited to: Who is in the photo?

Where was the photo taken?

When and where they were born and year they died?

Country they served and role in the forces if applicable?

Where they fought?

Date they immigrated to Australia if applicable.

Number of children, job after the war and any other interesting facts you wish to share.

Most important the family name of the current students/staff at De La Salle.

Information you provide will form part of the display so please don‟t include information that you don‟t wish to share with others. Families can submit more than one photo, however, depending on the response we may not be able to display them all. It is hoped the display will be ready to be viewed at the school in August to coincide with the outbreak of WW1 and we plan to have an open evening to launch the exhibit. I ask that photos with accompanying information are handed to the main office of either campus and directed to myself at Tiverton or Georgina Dwyer at Kinnoull. I think this will be a great learning opportunity for the students at De La Salle and a great way for us all to share our stories and remember those who suffered to protect our freedoms. If you have any questions in regard to this please contact myself.

Andy Wozencroft History Teacher

There are some very excited young men at the moment who are preparing for their “in Country Language Experience”.

On the 2 April 2014, 15 students of Italian and seven students of French along with six staff will be taking off for Italy and France respectively to do some intensive language study and experience first hand, the Culture of the country; not to mention, to put into practise what they have learned in the classroom!

This will undoubtedly be an invaluable and memorable experience for them all.

On behalf of the Languages Department we wish the Italian students, along with Mrs Russo, Ms D‟Angelo and Mr Mackintosh “Buon Viaggio” and the French students along with Ms Cooper, Mr Moran and Mrs Holmes a Bon Voyage and pray for their safe return!

Lord, be their guide and protector on the journey they are about to take.

Watch over them.

Keep them free from harm to body and soul.

Lord, support them with Your grace when they are tired.

Help them be patient in any trouble which may come their way.

Keep them always mindful of Your presence and love. “ We look forward to hearing lots of stories.

Kath Marino, LOTE Coordinator

Session times and ticket information available on the College Website.

ACCent on MUSIC ACC Music Spectacular Hamer Hall Arts Centre, Melbourne 7.00pm, 17 September, 2014 Following a successful inaugural concert in 2008, Associated Catholic Colleges is proud to announce that we will return to Hamer Hall in September this year for our second combined schools concert, “ACCent on Music”.

This music spectacular will feature the individual and collective musical talents of the eleven ACC member schools, as well as the legendary genius of one of Australia‟s pre-eminent musicians, Mr. James Morrison. We are delighted that James has made himself available to perform with a selection of our ensembles, and he will also act as compere on the night. He is a strong supporter of music education and we look forward to welcoming him to our event.

The aim of this concert is to provide an opportunity to showcase the variety and excellence of music programs within the ACC to our school communities and to the general public. It also provides our musicians and singers a potentially once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of performing high calibre works in a world-class concert hall.

A wide variety of musicians and vocalists will be involved in this performance in a number of ways: Several combined school items - Choir, Senior Concert Band, Junior Concert Band, Advanced Stage Band and Orchestra Individual School items – each school will have an ensemble perform on the Hamer Hall stage, as well as several ensembles performing in the various foyers leading up to the event.

Rehearsals for the massed items will be delivered within the scope of the usual ACC Music Workshop program to be held throughout 2014, as well as within the normal rehearsal program of each contributing school. The Directors of Music from our member colleges have been working hard in preparation for the concert, and will be working collaboratively to ensure that the concert is a great success.

We ask the support of all students and families in attending the concert, which is to be held at Hamer Hall, Arts Centre Melbourne on Wednesday, 17 September. Ticket prices, whilst still to be finalised, will not be expensive they are expected to be in the vicinity of $15 per ticket.

This event promises to be a memorable experience for performers and audience members alike.

For further details, please contact the Director of Music at your school, or the ACC office: Email: paddy@accmelb.com.au Phone: 8561 1132 website: www.accmelb.com.au Cindy Frost Director of Music

Join other Primary parents in the Performing Arts Centre for a relaxed nibbles and drinks event.

The inaugural Mother’s Day Breakfast. Enjoy breakfast with your boys followed by a guest speaker from the McGrath Foundation.

Your Year Level Representatives will be in touch with the details and date of your event. (date TBC) Unique event proudly supported by Peter Houlihan encouraging blokes and their boys to read books. This is a casual morning catch up followed by a guest speaker.

Details yet to be released but this promises to be like no other event previously held by De La Salle and the Parent Network.

Enjoy breakfast with your sons for Father’s Day. (date TBC) A new event for De La Salle Primary fathers and sons – enjoy a weekend away.

Celebrate the year coming to a close with your Year Level. Your Year Level Representatives will be in touch with details and date of your event.

M A RCH Monday, 24 March

Year 7 Jerome Camp at Jan Juc SLSC (until 26 March) ACCent Concert Preparation at CBC St. Kilda, 10.00am-2.00pm

Tuesday, 25 March

The Annunciation of the Lord

Wednesday, 26 March

Senior ACC Sports Finals Year 7 Jerome Family Barbeque Lunch at Jan Juc SLSC, 12.30pm

Thursday, 27 March

Year 10 Formal Social – Gymnasium, 7.15pm-9.00pm

Friday, 28 March

Tour of College, 9.15am

Monday, 31 March

VET (External) reports mailed home Lenten Liturgy

APRIL Wednesday, 2 April

ACC Athletics Carnival – Albert Park, 10.00am-4.30pm French and Italian Language/Cultural Tour (until 19 April) Parent/Student/Teacher Interviews, 4.00pm-8.00pm

Thursday, 3 April

Parent/Student/Teacher Interviews, 9.00am-4.00pm

Friday, 4 April

Mission Action Day – Students Dismissed 12.00pm (approx.) after Walkathon TERM 1 CONCLUDES

Sunday, 13 April

Palm Sunday

Friday, 18 April

Good Friday

Saturday, 19 April

Holy Saturday

Sunday, 20 April

Easter Sunday

Monday, 21 April

Easter Monday

Tuesday, 22 April

STAFF RETURN FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DAY VET (External) classes begin for Term 2 this week VET (Sport &Recreation/Building & Construction) – First Aid Course Year 10 ACC Football and Year 9 ACC Soccer commences

Wednesday, 23 April

STUDENTS RESUME CLASSES FOR TERM 2 VET (Sport &Recreation/Building & Construction) – First Aid Course Senior ACC Football Commences

Thursday, 24 April

Offers of places to prospective Year 7 (2015) students are posted ANZAC Liturgy – Gymnasium, 9.00am

Friday, 25 April

ANZAC DAY – Public Holiday

Sunday, 27 April

2nd Sunday of Easter (Divine Mercy Sunday) Feast of St. Roland

Monday, 28 April

Back up Date for ACC Athletics Carnival – Albert Park

Tuesday, 29 April

Year 10 ACC Soccer and Year 9 ACC Football commences ACC Open Golf Tournament – Northern Golf Club

Wednesday, 30 April

Senior ACC Soccer commences Year 5 Camp at Jan Juc SLSC (until 2 May)