QUICKLINKS
QUICKLINKS
QUICKLINKS
Celebrating Faith, Achievement, and Leadership
As we journey through Term 3, our College community continues to flourish through meaningful celebrations, sporting excellence, professional growth, and leadership renewal. These moments reflect our shared commitment to faith, learning, and child safety.
Father’s Day Mass and Breakfast
This term also saw the celebration of our Father’s Day Mass and Breakfast, a heartfelt tribute to the fathers, grandfathers, and father figures who nurture and guide our students. The event was a beautiful expression of gratitude and community spirit.
SACCSS Athletics Carnival
Held at Lakeside Stadium in Albert Park, the SACCSS Athletics Carnival showcased the talent and determination of our student athletes. From sprints to relays, our students represented the College with pride and sportsmanship. Congratulations to all participants and staff who supported this event. It was a successful day, especially for Samuel Dunning and Leanne Ellis, who were their respective age group champions. Leanne broke two records as well. In the aggregate championships, the students were 1st in Junior, 3rd in Intermediate and 1st in Senior divisions. 5 Pennants and 3 trophies have been added to what has been an impressive collection. It’s the first time that the College has won an athletics aggregate. Well done to all involved.
Vinnie’s Winter Sleepout
Many thanks to Mr Chesser and other staff who assisted with the Winter Sleepout. The event was successful and provided great opportunities for students to share time to reflect and appreciate ways in which they can help improve the circumstances of others, particularly the homeless in our society.
Child Safety Training
All staff have recently completed professional training in child safety, delivered by Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS) Reportable Conduct Scheme (RCS) Team and Child Safety (CS) Team. This training reinforced our unwavering commitment to creating safety, inclusiveness, and accountability for every student. It aligns with our ongoing efforts to embed the Child Safe Standards into every aspect of College life and the training explored our responsibilities with Reportable Conduct and Mandatory Reporting.
Why Do We Carry Out Such Training?
Our Collective Call to Action: A Commitment to Child Safety
It is considered that in our society, many of our children endure the trauma of abuse in experiences that shape their journeys in negative ways. As an educator, I have witnessed the impact of abuse in children, often leading to vulnerability, lack of trust, setbacks and delayed healing. At times, for years, many children carry the weight of silence and pain.
As the principal of the College, I carry not only the responsibility of leading a school but the sacred duty of protecting every child under our care. My commitment, and that of my peers, empowers us to prioritise child protection as the most important responsibility we hold. Our values at CCCC fuels our unwavering commitment to ensuring that no child in our community ever feels unsafe, unheard, or unprotected.
Child safety is not just a policy, it is a culture. It is embedded in every decision we make, every space we create, and every relationship we nurture. The College is committed to fostering an environment where children feel safe to speak, where staff are vigilant and accountable, and where families trust that their children are in good hands. The Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS) Child Safety Standards guide our practices, but our College values guide our commitment and actions. The College advocates for transparency, trauma-informed care, and the courage to confront harm wherever it may arise.
As parents and carers, you are integral members of the College community, and you play a big part in our mission.
- Let us work together to build a culture of safety, respect, and compassion.
- Let us speak up when something doesn’t feel right.
- Let us listen with empathy and act with integrity.
- Let us ensure that every child knows they are loved, valued, protected, and never alone.
Together, we can be the guardians of hope and healing.
Leadership Appointments
I am pleased to announce the following leadership appointments that will further strengthen our College’s commitment to excellence in Catholic education and student wellbeing.
Following what was a very long process with several interviews and in some cases, second interviews, I am confident that the successful candidates will give a lot to our community.
Deputy Principal, Mission: Tristan O'Brien
Tristan brings a deep commitment to faith formation, social justice, and Gospel Values in action, and will lead our mission and Catholic identity with passion and purpose. Tristan has extensive experience as an active servant of what is the mission of the church and will continue to work in his work on outreach, engagement with the community and educational leadership. In his application, Tristan wrote:
“Throughout my education and youth work history, I have always endeavoured to place the physical, emotional, social, and spiritual wellbeing of young people at the forefront of my work. I believe firmly in the innate dignity and potential of every young person and choose to respond as such. Seeing in them the face of God, deserving of my effort, service, and professionalism. For me, education has long been a path for every young person to access a future of their choosing, as free from prejudice, disadvantage and barriers as reasonably possible”.
Deputy Principal, Operations: Kat Nguyen
Kat’s experience in strategic planning and school operations will be invaluable in ensuring the smooth and effective running of our college. In 2025, her support of the leadership team has been invaluable, particularly as we ensured compliance across child safety and supervision of students. She has supported the College in finding spaces when the QA was no longer accessible, has been supportive of me in my first year at the College and is always willing to learn. Kat has been a strong voice in the planning of the upcoming construction projects and shared this in her application:
“Operational leadership, to me, is a form of service that ensures the right conditions are in place for staff and students to succeed. This includes the development and oversight of timetabling, events scheduling, daily operations, compliance, duty rosters, supervision, transport, and facilities management. My leadership in these areas is driven by collaboration, foresight, and attention to detail, with a strong commitment to supporting the teaching and learning program to enable student engagement”.
Deputy Principal, Staff: Paul Toney
Paul currently works at Loyola College, Watsonia, as the DP of Staff and Compliance. Paul will lead the development and support of our teaching and non-teaching staff, fostering a culture of professional growth and collaboration. Paul’s experience extends to work in England and many other schools in Victoria. Paul’s experience and dedication were evident through the process. He shared this in his application:
“As an experienced leader in Catholic Schools at both Loyola College and St Columba’s College in St Albans (Brothers of the Sacred Heart) I have played a role in shared leadership within the College mission, vision, and identity. My focus is centred around building a clear vision by establishing a commitment to goals, encouraging high expectations and showing high visibility in the school setting”.
Deputy Principal, Students: Melissa D'Amico
Melissa’s student-centred approach and dedication to wellbeing and engagement will be instrumental in supporting our young people to thrive. She is a leader in the education of STEM, having been an integral member of the creation of the STEM Centre at St Columbus College. Her capacity to discuss student engagement and wellbeing as central to learning and the innovation that schools must embrace to engage were outstanding. She has wide experience and commitment to education, having recently served as senior pastoral leader, and innovation and learning leader at Assistant Principal ranks at Aitken College, Greenvale. She wrote this in her application:
“The wellbeing of students is intricately connected with their learning experience. I am committed to delivering a curriculum that fosters diversity, seeks the ‘truth’; and develops faith filled global citizens with a sense of justice that will enable them to flourish. It is important to sustain a community that is nurturing and one that truly understands the students’ spiritual, intellectual and creative needs”.
Each one of these leaders brings a wealth of experience, a strong commitment to Catholic education, and a deep understanding of our college’s values and vision. I am confident they will make a significant contribution to the continued growth and success of our community.
Please join me in congratulating Tristan, Kat, Paul, and Melissa on their appointments, and pray that they are given the wisdom to help steer our College in the right direction.
Sadly, I wish to acknowledge the resignation of Mrs Ruddick, our Deputy Principal of Learning and Teaching. We thank her for her years of service, her passion for educational excellence, and her unwavering support of staff and students, particularly during the challenges that the College experienced in recent years. Her legacy will continue to inspire our learning community.
Dr Napoleon Rodezno
College Principal
