ANZAC Day & Pope’s Leo’s calls for peace

As a College, we commemorated ANZAC Day this morning, and I will be accompanying our College Captains to the Ringwood Clocktower for the dawn service tomorrow morning. The central sentiment for ANZAC and Remembrance Day services is LEST WE FORGET. In our times of peace, we must not forget those who sacrificed their lives in times of war but also not forget the devastation wrought in so many places around the world not just in the optimistically misnamed ‘War to End All Wars’ but in the many conflicts since and those ongoing.

Last Sunday’s Emmaus reading (Lk 24:13-35) recounts the resurrected Jesus being recognised by the apostles “at the breaking of the bread”: the communal activity of belonging, sitting at table to listen to each other. Pope Leo’s recent Holy Rosary for Peace addressed world leaders in calling for an approach that recognises the pre-eminence of dignity, dialogue and breaking bread instead of breaking lives:

“It is time for peace! Sit at the table of dialogue and mediation, not at the table where rearmament is planned and deadly actions are decided! ... We are an immense multitude that rejects war not only in word, but also in deed. …Let us turn to a Kingdom of peace that is built up day by day — in our homes, schools, neighborhoods, and civil and religious communities. A Kingdom that counters polemics and resignation through friendship and a culture of encounter. Let us believe once again in love, moderation and good politics. We must form ourselves and get personally involved, each following our own calling. Everyone has a place in the mosaic of peace!"

Shortly afterward, Pope Leo reiterated this message in Cameroon, noting peace “is everyone’s responsibility, beginning with civil authorities. To govern means to love one’s own country as well as neighboring countries; the commandment ‘love your neighbor as yourself’ is equally applicable to international relations!”

2025 Graduate honoured at VCE Top Designs

During the recent break I was honoured to join VCE teacher Kathy Thompson in attending the opening of the VCAA Top Designs. The exhibition highlights the innovative work of design students from across Victoria as part of the VCE Season of Excellence, with just 81 projects selected from nearly 1,000 submissions. Congratulations to Aquinas Class of 2025 graduate Cameron O’Keefe on being recognised for his outstanding desktop greenhouse design at the awards. Top Designs 2026 is open to the public until 26 July at Melbourne Museum: to read more about Cameron’s achievement, please click here.

MACS Family Survey: Understanding family experience and school choice

To honour the commitment to strengthening the Catholic education sector and to inform strategic provision planning, MACS would like your help with building our understanding of our current families’ experience, decision-making and engagement with Catholic education. The MACS Family Survey is part of broader system‑wide research that informs MACS efforts to ensure we meet our communities’ needs in the years ahead.

The survey is anonymous. All responses are confidential and will be used solely for the purposes of this research. To ensure confidentiality, MACS has partnered with Edified – a specialist education research firm – to support the design and analysis of this work. All families are encouraged to please contribute to the survey, which takes approximately 10–15 minutes to complete.

New PAM Processes

As part of our ongoing commitment to clarity and consistency, we are refining several processes at the College, including how we communicate with families regarding student expectations.

From this term, parents and carers will receive direct notifications via PAM when a student receives a uniform or mobile phone infringement. These emails will clearly outline the specific requirement that has been breached, along with the next steps if required.

To ensure consistency:

• Students who are out of uniform on three occasions will receive an after-school detention.
• Students who have their mobile phone confiscated on three occasions will also receive a detention, and a parent or carer will be required to collect the device from the College.

We appreciate your support in reinforcing these expectations with your child. Clear and timely communication helps us work in partnership to support all students in meeting College standards.

Aquinas Trackpants

Thank you to families for your continued support in ensuring students are wearing the correct Aquinas College trackpants as part of the PE uniform. We appreciate your partnership in maintaining these standards. A reminder that if a student does not have the correct Aquinas trackpants, they should attend school in full academic uniform and change for their PE lesson, sport or dance, rather than attending in PE uniform.

Jess Alger
Deputy Principal

Staff Spirituality Day

Each year, staff spend a day of professional learning focused on faith development. As we welcomed our new term with glorious weather and a happy smile, our staff gathered to understand the charisms of our House patrons and how they reflect our college values. We were fortunate to have 7 guest speakers, each presenting on their specialist topic. In the case of McCormack, our guest speakers knew her personally and were able to talk first hand about working with their colleague and friend.

After the presentations staff worked on building connections between their house patron and our Core Values. This work will be used with our students and staff as part of our introduction to Aquinas. The staff also spent time exploring their house outreach so that they can work with students on ways they can help communities in the wider community.

Tania Grace
Assistant Principal Mission

I hope you had a lovely Easter break and spent time relaxing with your families.

Our staff had a wonderful day to start Term 2 learning about House Patrons, House outreach programs and participated in the inaugural Staff House Challenge cup. I’m very pleased to say the winners were MANNIX! It was a great way to bond as a House staff group and take away some important learnings that can be shared with the students in their Houses.

Here are some photos of staff participating in the House “Just Dance” challenge!

Can you help??

The School Production team is on the hunt for some portable seating/ scaffold on wheels, for our July production of “Grease”. Something like this (But doesn’t need to be as wide):

Are there any Aquinas families that have contacts with a scaffold company that could assist us? If so, please contact me at the College.

Gina Goss

Assistant Principal - Staff

This morning our school community commemorated ANZAC Day with a warm and reflective Liturgy. Marking the loss and suffering caused by war and conflict through words, song and prayer. Honouring all service personnel, both past and present from every conflict, and to acknowledge those who have died and those who continue to endure the horrors of war.

Our students play an important role in this act of remembrance, helping to connect the past with the present. Through remembering, we reflect on lives lived and sacrifices made, preserving the legacy, values, and contributions of those who served. In doing so, we ensure their courage and resilience are not forgotten, and we deepen our understanding of the importance of peace.

Tomorrow morning the College Captains, Oliver Mees and Ria Jijose with College Vice Captains Rose Ennis and Will Elliott alongside Faith Captain, Marcus Vincitorio will attend the Ringwood RSL ANZAC Day Dawn Service, laying a wreath on behalf of our school. We hope to see some of our families there as we gather with the wider community to further honour and remember members of the armed services. 

Rachel Crawley

Head Senior Years

It has been pleasing to see that over the Easter break, students found opportunities to switch off, recharge and engage in activities that ‘fill up their cup.’ Returning refreshed and ready to learn sets a positive tone for the upcoming school Term.

At the beginning of this term, our focus is on reinforcing the routines and expectations that were established in Term 1. Consistency is key to creating a productive and respectful learning environment and revisiting these expectations helps ensure that all students have the best chance of success.

It is becoming increasingly common that big group chats are being used on social media sites containing hundreds of young people from different schools. It might seem like a fun way to stay connected but they also come with challenges.

When many people are involved, messages can quickly become overwhelming which makes it very hard to keep track of conversations. Misunderstandings are also more likely as tone can be difficult to interpret through text alone.

Another concern is peer pressure. In large chats, students may feel pushed to agree with others or share things they are not comfortable with or join in negative behaviour such as gossip or exclusion.

Privacy is also at risk, as messages, screenshots, or personal information can be easily shared beyond the group.

It’s important to think before posting, respect others and know when to step away. Being mindful in group chats (or not joining them to begin with) helps create a safer and more positive online environment for everyone.

Sam Storey
Director Middle Years

 
Social Justice

On the back of our previous success with our Project Compassion initiative, we are looking forward to mirroring this throughout Term 2 with our Tinnies for Vinnies appeal.

Who are Vinnies? St. Vincent de Paul Society (commonly referred to as Vinnies) is an international Catholic organisation aimed at serving those in need in our society with love and respect. As an organisation, St. Vincents encourages us to raise these individuals up and offer assistance through providing the needy with food, clothing, housing and financial aid.

What is the Appeal and Where Do the Cans Go? "Tinnies for Vinnies" is a national program run by the St Vincent de Paul. In support of this, Aquinas college will be collecting tinned food and other essential non-perishable goods.

Every single item donated by our community goes directly to local Vinnies support centres. From there, Vinnies volunteers use these donations to create emergency food parcels for individuals and families right here in our Maroondah, who are facing food insecurity or sudden crisis.

How to Get Involved Over the coming weeks, families and students will be asked to bring in non-perishables to mentor classes as a collection point.

We ask that throughout this, that everyone kindly consider this appeal as we go grocery shopping and provide for our own needs.

Thank you once again for your support, and compassion and knowing that every small contribution makes a very real difference in our community!

Nam Nguyen
Social Justice & Outreach Coordinator

I hope everyone had a wonderful and eco-friendly Easter. One way to build on the ideas of sustainability during this time is to introduce a regular meat-free night into your weekly meal planning. This small change can have a range of positive benefits for your health, budgets, and the environment.

There are also simple ways to make more environmentally responsible food choices here in Victoria. Buying local produce helps reduce the distance food travels, lowering transport emissions. Choosing seasonal fruits and vegetables uses fewer resources and often provides fresher, more affordable options. Where possible, look for certified organic products, sustainably sourced foods – particularly seafood – and RSPCA Approved products when meat is consumed. Reducing food waste is another important step; leftover food can be composted or placed in your FOGO (Food and Garden Organics) bin.

Why include a meat-free meal?

1. Reduces greenhouse gas emissions  Producing meat - especially beef and lamb - generates significantly more greenhouse gases than plant based foods.

1. Saves water Meat production requires far more water than growing vegetabless, grains and legumes.
2. Uses less land Plant based foods required less land, helping to protect forests and support biodiversity.
3. Supports sustainable food systems Eating less meat encourages more efficient and environmentally responsible food production.

Even one meat-free meal each week can make a meaningful difference.

Karyn Myers

Sustainability Coordinator

As we finish our first week back after the holidays, we hope that everyone had a restful and relaxing Easter break. Reflecting on Term 1, it’s hard to believe we are already a quarter of the way through the school year—and for us Year 12s, nearly a third of the way done. As we get into Term 2, we understand that it gets harder to stay motivated, especially as the weather begins to get colder. However, we encourage everyone to continue making the effort to attend every class, show up each day, and keep giving their best.

This week, the year 12s received their year 12 jackets, really reinforcing the fact that we are now well into our final year of high school. As the term continues, there are many events to look forward to including free dress days, Generations in Jazz, house celebration days, restaurant nights, dance showcases and more. These events provide a great opportunity for all students of all interests to get involved, connect with others, and make the most of the term ahead.

Let’s continue to support one another, celebrate achievements, and make the most of the opportunities this term has to offer. We wish everyone a productive and fun Term 2.

Ria Jijose and Oliver Mees

School Captains

It has been a real pleasure and a big learning curve for me as I have stepped into the Arts learning Area Leader role. As a theatre practitioner and educator, I have really enjoyed observing how my Visual Arts colleagues design and deliver their curriculum. Their approach to fostering creativity has been inspiring and instructive. In their learning spaces, students experiment with materials, take conceptual risks and develop a personal artistic voice. The same is true in performance subjects like Dance, Music and Theatre/Drama.

It can be easy to view subjects like Music, Dance and Theatre Studies as complementary rather than essential. These elective subjects might be selected as a “brain break” or for “something fun” in a student’s timetable. However, I’d like to suggest that performance-based subjects play a critical role in shaping well-rounded learners, equipping students with the very skills that underpin success in STEM and core academic areas.

At the heart of performance learning is discipline and rigour. Imagine a student rehearsing a musical piece, refining choreography or developing a character — here is a learner engaging in sustained practice, goal-setting and refinement. Imagine the same student applying this process to maths and science, where persistence and precision are key to problem-solving. The same habits are required to be successful in both areas.

Performance subjects also cultivate confidence and communication. Students learn to present ideas clearly – often in front of an audience; they interpret texts – scripts, sheet music and live performances, and they also respond to feedback. These are skills that translate directly into stronger performance in oral presentations in Humanities and English. The ability to articulate thinking is often what distinguishes competent learners from exceptional ones.

Creativity is equally important. In performance classrooms, students are encouraged to think divergently, take risks and explore multiple solutions. This mindset is invaluable in STEM fields, where innovation depends on the ability to approach problems from new angles and imagine possibilities beyond standard formulas.

Ensemble work in music, group choreography in dance, and cast dynamics in theatre all require students to collaborate: listen actively, negotiate ideas and work towards a shared outcome. These interpersonal skills are essential in modern STEM careers, where teamwork and interdisciplinary thinking are common practice.

Finally, performance subjects build resilience. Live performance teaches students how to manage nerves, adapt in the moment and recover from mistakes—an invaluable skill set for exams, assessments and high-pressure situations across all subjects.

Far from being separate from academic success, performance subjects actively strengthen it. By developing confident, creative, collaborative and resilient learners, Music, Dance and Theatre Studies provide students with a powerful foundation that enhances achievement across the entire curriculum.

Paola Unger

Arts Learning Area Leader

Semester 1 VCE Dance Incursions!

The Year 11 and 12 Dance Classes have recently been working with Professional Dancer and Choreographer Ebony Dossetter in a series of incursions. Dancers have spent time refining their technique with Ebony in the styles of Jazz, Ballet and Contemporary. Systematic dance training is key for success in VCE Dance as students are required to show off skilled and versatile use of Balance, Flexibility, Alignment, Control, Coordination, Transference of Weight, Strength and Stamina in their Performance Outcomes.

The Year 11 Dance class has been learning an energetic technical Jazz Dance ‘Americano’ for their Unit 1 Learnt Work, while the Year 12 Dance class has been developing their Unit 3 Learnt Work ‘Everybody’, which explores lyrical contemporary movement from famous dance practitioners Isadora Duncan and Martha Graham. Ebony’s choreography has been a welcome challenge for dancers, which has at times pushed them out of their comfort zone, resulting in refinement of physical skills and artistry.

Over the course of Term 1 and 2, Dancers have also been eagerly preparing their Skills Based Solos which feature their own style and personalised movement. The Year 11 and 12 Dance Solos along with the Year 11 Learnt Work (Americano) and Year 12 Learnt Work (Everybody) will be performed at the upcoming Semester 1 VCE Dance Performance Night on the 13th of May, 7.00pm in the Mahon Theatre (entry is free). It will be wonderful to see the fruition of everyone’s hard work and the positive impact of incursions with Ebony at the Performance Night!

Sarah Owen

VCE Dance Teacher

Student reflections

“Working with Ebony is always so much fun! She pushes us to become stronger dancers”- Ben

“Incursions with Ebony give us a new perspective on dance skills and improving our technique”- Lily

“Learning from Ebony is always a rewarding experience as she is a skilled and talented professional dancer”- Ewan

Aquinas Career News can be found HERE. Topics this week include:

• Dates to Diarise in Term 2
• VCE and Careers Expo 2026
• JMC Academy Open Day – May 2026
• University of Melbourne: Open House 2026 - Residential Colleges
• Collarts Information Sessions
• ANU Information Sessions in Melbourne
• Careers in Sports Medicine Evening
• News about the Bachelor of Early Childhood Education at Box Hill Institute
• VU Early Entry Program
• Torrens University: Free Interior Design and Decoration Short Course
• Accounting & Actuarial Science Degrees in Victoria in 2026
• Banking and Finance Degrees in Victoria in 2026
• Snapshot of La Trobe University in 2026
• Upcoming Events and Opportunities

Vanessa Ramsay

Careers Counsellor

Congratulations to Cameron O’Keefe on being recognised for his outstanding desktop greenhouse design at the VCAA Top Design Awards, which opened at the Melbourne Museum last week.

 Principal Mr Broadbent and teacher Kathy Thompson were proud to attend and support Cameron at the event. The exhibition highlights the innovative work of design students from across Victoria, with just 81 projects selected from nearly 1,000 submissions - an incredible achievement! Exploring technology, materiality, sustainability, and community practice, these works demonstrate the research and experimentation involved in the development of responsive design.
Top Designs is presented as part of the VCE Season of Excellence, a five-month annual festival showcasing outstanding works across art, design, technology, multimedia, film, dance, theatre, drama, music, literature and research – all created by exceptional VCE students.

Top Designs 2026 is open to the public until 26 July at Melbourne Museum. Be sure to check it out and get inspired!