Volume 47, Number 12, 24 August 2018

Our Lady of the Sacred Heart College

Dear Family and Friends,

In a spirit of deep gratitude we eagerly look forward to our formal celebration of the 80th Birthday of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart College Bentleigh. On Thursday evening September 6 from 5pm-8pm we will have the Blessing and Opening of our newly refurbished Chapel, Student Reception, Administration, OLSH Centre, Learning Hub buildings and our Performing Arts Centre.

We will be privileged to have with us on this occasion Sr Tess Ward Provincial Leader of the OLSH Sisters and a number of other OLSH sisters who have either taught or themselves been educated at OLSH Bentleigh. We will also have past Principals, staff members and alumnae joining us. Mr Nick Staikos MP, State Member for Bentleigh, will open our Performing Arts Centre.

Importantly, we look to have as many members of current OLSH Bentleigh community at the celebration. I warmly invite parents and family members to join your daughters in coming to this celebration. I also ask you to join us on our Feast of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart - the next day, Friday September 7, for the 9am celebration of Mass. This Eucharist will be in thanksgiving for the 80 years of outstanding education in the OLSH Tradition that has taken place here at Bentleigh.

OLSH College Bentleigh

111 Jasper Road,

BENTLEIGH 3204

Telephone

(03) 8520 9200

Absence Line

(03) 8520 9250

office@olsh.vic.edu.au

www.olsh.vic.edu.au

Education in the OLSH

College tradition – we are

heart people who are faith

filled, reverence

relationships, pursue

excellence and touch the

hearts of others.

On these two special occasions we come together to remember and celebrate the essence of who we are because...

At OLSH we are Heart People who are Faith-filled Reverence relationships Pursue excellence Touch the hearts of others

Au Revoir Ms Lynn Egan

At the end of this coming week Ms Lynn Egan will conclude almost 13 years of service here at OLSH College. As a member of the College Leadership Team across 9 years Lynn bought her expertise and wisdom to a number of significant initiatives at the College. Lynn has always had a great love of OLSH and in particular our wonderful OLSH students. We are deeply grateful to Lynn for her leadership in curriculum as Deputy Principal Learning and Teaching (6 years) and Assistant Principal School Organisation (7 years). In particular, we say thank you to Lynn for her witness to being an OLSH educator – a heart woman. As Lynn moves house away from Melbourne we wish her every success and blessing. In the words of Jules Chevalier we say to you Lynn “We entrust you to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart who will always wraps

you in her gentle care”and dedication you’ve displayed as part of the OLSH community.

OLSH College School Review

During this coming week OLSH College is undergoing a whole school review. Our review is being completed using the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) National School Improvement Tool (NSIT). The NSIT assists schools to review and reflect on their efforts to improve the quality of classroom teaching and learning. It supports school wide conversations – including with students, teachers, parents and members of the College Board – about aspects of current practice, areas for improvement and evidence that progress is being made. The ultimate goal is to improve outcomes for our students, including levels of achievement and wellbeing. (ACER National School Improvement Tool Handbook, p.1). We welcome to the College our two reviewers, Mr Tony McGruther and Mr Ian Coffey. We look forward to continuing to celebrate the wonderful work that is happening here at OLSH and mapping out our future goals. Also in this week ahead we celebrate the life of Mother Marie Louise Hartzer – first Congregational of the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart. Her deep love of God, her courage to take the risk and bring to reality the vision of Jules Chevalier is at the heart of the story of our OLSH sisters it is at the heart of our story here at Bentleigh. May each of us be inspired to live with deep love and courage as we seek to continue to be faithful to that same vision...to be on earth the Heart of Christ.

Above all be very kind and considerate

towards each other…

Have a great spirit of gratitude.

Mother Marie Louise Harzer

Always united in our shared OLSH spirit

Anne O’Loughlin

Principal

3

Faith and Mission News

Feast Day 2018: 80 Years of OLSH College

Funds raised for our 2018 Feast Day on Friday 7 September will go towards supporting

the Sacred Heart Mission Nzhelele.

Photo 1 shows the terrain of the area our local carers of OVC (orphans and vulnerable children) work. They walk the village streets and check on the health, attendance at school, nutrition and home circumstances. They are advocates for the young ones who are often cared for by elderly grandparents or extended family. Photo 2 captures the conditions that many of the students do homework in. No electricity, no library resources, no furniture, no tutors, no computers. Photo 3 is a snapshot of the HIV+ kids at the special support group we run at the mission every month. This helps them to stay motivated to keep trying to stick to their daily life-saving ARV medication, combat rejection, fight for their rights, build self-esteem and gain support from one another. Photo 4 shows washing day. Apart from wear and tear the brackish water destroys clothes more quickly, as does washing by hand which is the only way for thousands in the valley who do not have electricity. This tap is shared by 20-26 families. Photo 5 is a nutrition supplement exercise where we have given a group of OVC some rice and mealie flour which are part of the basic diet. There are over 200 poor households on our program and each carer has a group averaging 20 children/teens to monitor. Her job is to visit families or child-headed households three days a week to be sure that these children are living in safe environments and to check house repairs needed, clothing, the situation of the children. Every Friday the carers gather the kids together for activities – sport, singing, dancing, storytelling, homework help, emotional support, advocacy planning and some craft. The carers come to the mission the last week of the month to give in written reports, share their findings out in the field, arrange intervention for those in need, support one another and plan for the month ahead. There is also a support group for the guardians and grannies who are trying to care for the orphans. Three gardeners are also employed to grow vegetables at the mission for the sick and the very poor. Sr. Christine Martin fdnsc

4

Curriculum News

Playing to Your Strengths

Often times as parents we discuss with our children how to improve their weaknesses. Anything from organisation, tidiness of the bedroom, being on time and the belief that you need to improve what you are not very good at. According to those who study and preach positive psychology we should be discussing what we are great at, what are our strengths. Both the staff and students at OLSH have taken the Values in Action Survey. There are a range of questions, around 150, which focuses on your best qualities. The overarching goal is to help the individual discover their ‘Pathways to Flourishing’. Speak with your children about their survey results as there are 24 character strengths grouped into the following categories: Wisdom, Courage, Humanity, Justice, Temperance and Transcendence. Once the strengths are known the discussions can be focused on how they utilise the strength in their learning journey and their relationships. These conversations where we ‘Pan for Gold’ rather than look to the dents and cracks foster a more positive outlook on life its challenges and opportunities. Please ask your daughter to show you her results. Speaking of ‘Panning for Gold’, OLSH College girls in the Ignite Program experienced great success on the weekend in the regional Tournament of the Minds Competition. The girls prevailed in the STEM competition taking home first place and the Social Sciences Team were awarded with Honours. The STEM Team will now compete in the State Finals and explained at our recent staff meeting their highlights were working for five weeks to develop their ideas and to be able to hear what others presented. They took the staff through a TOM spontaneous challenge – imaging if Australia shifted to the Mid-Atlantic – how would that alter the social, economic and overall development of Australia? We all had a great time with many staff commenting they would have a greater range of cheaper holidays but Australia might struggle to qualify for the World Cup. It was a great opportunity to hear directly from the girls about their experiences. Another example of ‘Gold’ for our OLSH College students was visible on Monday night with the VCE Music Recital. Girls completing the Unit 3 and 4 Music Studies had the opportunity to perform their body of work in front of their peers, friends, family and assessors. What we all learned was the range of the girls’ abilities as well as how high the stakes are for the students. There was an enormous amount of learning going on as the girls realised just how much they have gained this year but also the challenges their exam presents. We all wish them the very best as they continue to prepare and perfect their pieces.

5

Using intentional language surrounding learning journeys, opportunities and challenges is just that – intentional. Discussing what went well first and then asking what could we do differently next time has positive impact. Our girls need, especially in this world dominated by perfect images, social media and constant comparison to others, to hear what is going well. They need to hear that they are progressing. They need to hear that emotions can be strong but they will pass. They need to hear that they are on a journey of self-reflection, self-improvement and choice. They need to hear that they can do anything, it just might take some work.

Annie McGuire

Deputy Principal Learning and Teaching

6

Science is Alive at OLSH College

Science Week

The week beginning Monday 13 August and ending Friday 17 August was Science Week. The week got off to a howling start with the “Scream Competition” in Hartzer place. The courtyard was filled with girls wanting to test their vocal and lung capacities. Mr Liston was ready with his finely tuned equipment and the results were fabulous. During class time Year 7 students made lava lamps from alka seltzer which were very groovy. They also made absolutely beautiful marbled paper cards using shaving cream, coloured dyes and scraping sticks. Year 8 students used their chemistry skills to make casein (milk) glue. Students were fascinated to learn of the history of this glue in early aircraft construction and also somewhat dubious about how strong this simple glue could be. After the students made the adhesive, they glued the ends of icy pole sticks together and then tested its strength a couple of days later by hanging weights from one end of the sticks. The girls were amazed just how strong the glue was; much stronger than they had anticipated. The greatest weight was 18.5 kg and still the glue was holding. Year 10 students had been studying fermentation and other chemical reactions. So in their classes they made yoghurt and cottage cheese! The products were creamy, and delicious; rivalling Jalna and Kraft for quality and flavour. Wednesday morning Cameron Davis, Laura Campbell, Maddison Sivell, Piper Zielinski, Isabell Foscolos, and Olivia Jonasz attended the Alliance of Girls Schools Annual Science Breakfast. The guest speaker, Jacqueline Savage, the founder of MedCorp Technologies and award winner, is well known to the Biomedical industry through her company which develops wearable technologies for the healthcare industry. The week finished with a Fierce Fun Friday Science Quiz which was chance to test the students’ knowledge of fun trivia facts. Thank-you to all staff who contributed to the week, Mrs Hilton who tirelessly prepared all experiments, and the students who participated with great enthusiasm. Dianne Byers Head of Science

7

Alliance of Girls Schools Science Breakfast

Year 12 student, Cameron Davis, felt privileged to attend the 2018 Alliance of Girls

Schools Science Breakfast held at Mentone Girls Grammar on 15 August.

The guest speaker Jacqueline Savage, ‘maintains an active role in innovation, medical technology and gender issues and is well known for her strong and decisive leadership style. Often called upon to consult internationally, Jacqueline is a face of Australian Innovation globally and is known for her gender neutral and forward thinking approach to business.’

Sadly, the number of girls participating in Science continues to fall in Australia. Participation in events such as the breakfast, helps to positively influence young women to understand that there is a great future in the fields of Science, Mathematics, Technology and Engineering. Our young women at OLSH can take pride in their achievements in the fields of STEM while studying at school. With support and opportunities they will be able to see this a career path in their future.

“Being afforded the opportunity to attend the annual Science breakfast this year was inspiring. Being surrounded by students from girl schools who are passionate about science was uplifting. The guest speaker, Jackie Savage, gave an amazing speech about the flexibility and durability a STEM background can give you in your career. Her words of wisdom and persistence provided hope and excitement for us girls who are wanting to pursue a career in an area of STEM!

Thank you for providing this opportunity for us Ms Byers.”

Cameron Davis Year 12

8

2018 Titration Stakes

Year 11 chemistry students took part in the Titrations Stakes on Monday 30 July. It was a really fun way of learning the new skill of titration which is a technique used to determine the concentration of an unknown liquid solution. For this competition we were looking at acids and bases. The opportunity to take part in this competition was so rewarding. But if I can admit we also enjoyed facing off against one another other to get the best titration. All our results were sound and looked quite accurate. The competition taught us all about the titration technique itself but also about proper set up, pipetting and safety procedures which is very valuable going into Year 12 and for future practical activities in the field of Science. Panayiota Blassis Year 11

9

Berendale Visit

Senior students from OLSH College Bentleigh hosted students from the Berendale

School on 17 August. This annual event is organised to expose these students to new

educational endeavours.

The students were eager to participate

and showed great interest in their new

environment. The day was hosted by

OLSH students from the following

classes: VET Business, VET Community

Service and VCAL. OLSH College girls

were grateful for the arrival of the

Berendale and Bayside students because

they learnt how to develop, plan and

organise an event and most importantly

they made new friends and interacted

with others from the community.

Rithika Dass and Joanne Truong Year 11

10

Wellbeing News OLSH Students visit Mayberry Farm each year as part of their Issoudun Hartzer Campus Residential Program in the Southern Highlands. Over the past four years, 24 groups of students from OLSH Bentleigh have been visiting Mayberry Dairy farm to learn about the dairy and how milk is produced. This week we have had the privilege to visit this wonderful farm. We were greeted by week-old calves and two dogs, Billy and Jaffa. We were also welcomed by the lovely owners of Mayberry Farm, Tammy and Craig Whatman. We were then lucky enough to get a tour of their modern, computerised milking system and watch how efficient and effective its operation is. Nicolette Ballas described her insights from the experience about “the dairy farmer’s day-to-day work and life.” Grace Cant “felt a connection with the farm because of how welcoming Tammy and Craig were and because her dad had previously owned a farm.” It was a chance for everyone to embrace the opportunity and learn about the farm environment. We also had an opportunity to taste the fresh milk and feed some of the two-week old calves. It was an experience none of us will forget. We returned to Hartzer Campus and spoke about how great the experience had been. We wanted to help Tammy and Craig as we had learnt about the farmers’ struggle with the drought. After we returned to Bentleigh we endeavoured to educate past students who have been to the dairy, so they are aware of the challenges the Whatman’s are facing. We want to help save their beautiful farm and dairy herd and encourage others to do the same, to ensure the farm is still there for many years to come. Lilly Fowler, Saraya Torregrossa and Mia Jones Year 9

https://www.gofundme.com/save-mayberry-farm

11

Performing Arts News

Victorian School Music Festival Competition

The Junior Choir not only had the privilege to perform in the Victorian School Music Festival on 6 August but were awarded Silver. After hopping on a train from Patterson to Flinders Street we walked into Federation Square, stepped into this amazing hall and it hit us that this is where we will be performing. We sang against some very talented schools and choirs with double the number students but we performed very well and came out with a Silver. We had the opportunity to share this moment with each other singing in such a unique space and performing for an amazing audience and judges who gave us motivating critiques that will help our future performances. As I and the rest of the Junior Choir, who represented OLSH College, were very excited to give this our best shot and make the every one proud. I personally am so proud of this choir and am excited for the many more opportunities to come. Thank you to Rachel Pinto (2014 Alumnae) for being our accompanist on the day and to our conductor, Mrs Kellie Mentlikowski. Megan Edgley Year 9

12

Sounds of Glen Eira Band Competition

Congratulations to the OLSH College Bentleigh Band who were the winners of the

Sounds of Glen Eira Band Competition held on Friday 10 August. Year 10 students,

Jessica McKiggan, Ruby Looker, Tahlia Armstrong and Charlotte Coulson along with

Year 8 students Emma Callanan and Aria Pisano performed brilliantly.

Their prize includes two days of recording in a professional studio which the girls are so

very eager to take up.

13

Alice in Wonderland

14

Community and Development News

Father’s Day Breakfast

15

Class of 1988 Reunion

A wonderful night was had by the OLSH College Bentleigh Class of 1988 Alumnae at their 30 Year Reunion on Friday 10 August. There was much joy and laughter as the ladies reconnected and caught up on all the news. They really enjoyed seeing how much the school has grown since their time at the College.