Staff Report

Staff

Report

Zooming, flipping, sanitising and flattening.

2020 was the year of developing new skills and lexicon. Our attention focused on surviving, rather than thriving, on both a personal, family and a professional level.

The year began like most others. The ocean was calm. Our new staff arrived full of enthusiasm, eager to become acquainted with their colleagues and students. Jamie Davin joined us from Aquinas College, Ringwood. Rimma Campos and Steve Emmett were recruited to the Visual Arts Faculty from Berwick College and Brighton Grammar, respectively. Chris Windley arrived from St Peter’s College, Cranbourne. Old boy Keegan Coulter followed the family tradition to commence his teaching career in Mathematics. Former Mazenod Language Assistant Denis Passalent stepped into VCE Italian and Michelle Symss assumed the role of Development Manager.

Our Religious Education Faculty recruited Irish teachers John Tighe from Dublin and Noel McGarry from Salesian College, Chadstone. Anthony Bolling and Kevin Nguyen joined the Faith and Oblate Charism team to support youth ministry. They were joined by Fr Giancarlo Iollo OMI, who enhanced the international flavour of the de Mazenod family, with his arrival from Italy.

We were thrilled to welcome back Patrice Stevens, Rachel Horne and Louise Lin who all returned to teaching from maternity leave, along with Dan Kelly who traded the Study Hall for the classroom.

The first wave began to rise. Physical Education teacher Michael Miller was employed by our Sports Department from Parade College, Bundoora. The department also enlisted Sports Assistants Sean Welsford, Lachlan Bray and Andrew Papalaskaris. Similiarly, the Learning Diversity team welcomed former Mazenod replacement teacher Yvanna Dyson and three new Learning Support Officers, Dominique Castro, Brinda Mangaran and Denise Tan. In addition, Patricia Munday supported Kate Sanford in her new role of Food Technology teacher and Fleur Ellis replaced Nick Lewton in the Provence Centre. Rebecca Ferrarotto joined the College Counselling team and Peter Marinick stepped into the role of College Archivist.

Suddenly the Lifeguards ordered all swimmers from the ocean and the flags were removed.

Early morning coffees in the staffroom were replaced by temperature checks. Monitoring the medical needs of staff and students became more crucial than ever before. The Health Centre recruited nurses Leanne Jelly and Kate Mitchell. Contact tracing became a priority and the Administration team welcomed Jill Whalley and Liz Plumridge as the maintenance team established sanitiser stations. Out the back, a larger, second wave was building.

Reinforcements were needed and we welcomed our replacement teachers – Ross Vernon, Lauren Oliver, Mel Asik, Nicole Wong, David Naidoo, Christina Klonis, Peter Saaksjarvi and Gemma Clement. Technology uptake went viral.

The second wave was more powerful than the first. All classes remained virtual and microphones were set to mute. Our tech savvy colleagues worked overtime to upskill staff. Attention shifted to balancing wellbeing with academic progress. For staff, this meant a Strength Spotting Challenge, a lip sync, or a Year Level drop-in before Homeroom.

Social Distancing was at odds with Socialising and maintaining a sense of connectedness became challenging. The College Counsellors showed their support with Mental Fitness Workshops, the PE team arranged yoga classes and our Oblate Chaplains, through their constant presence, reminded us that we all belonged to the de Mazenod family. The Staff Wellbeing Committee shared their insights and the Staff Association patiently awaited the opportunity to enact their re-connection plans with social gatherings.

In the meantime, we celebrated new life. Theresa Syle and Andrew welcomed their second daughter Willa Victoria. Matt Rowland and Catherine celebrated the arrival of their son Thomas Francis. Mike Pearson and Tenille became the proud parents of Rocky. Nick Young and Holly welcomed their Aussie daughter Ella Grace. Chris Lee and Angie were thrilled with the arrival of Maxwell Atticus. Matt Fyfield and Rebecca were blessed with the arrival of their second daughter Bethany. Marilou Gelderbloem and Jody became proud parents of Liam James.

Finally, we wish our departing staff members every success as they explore new opportunities. In particular, we thank our long serving teachers Mrs Paulette Weegberg, Mr Richard Faragher, Mrs Midori Cranston, and Mr Jason Mears for their respective 40, 39, 36 and 24 years of service to Education.