Churchill Avenue News

A Term to Celebrate

As Term 3 concludes, I wish to thank each member of the community for making Caroline Chisholm Catholic College a place that welcomes, embraces the individual, and dares for excellence. Term 3 has been one of progress and celebration, and our students have made us all proud. From charity and spiritual connections, reflections and explicit learning of the relevance of faith in our lives, to the engagement and completion of courses, with explicit teaching focused on understanding to enable learning skills, experiences at the College have encouraged each person to achieve to their best. I wish to thank each member of the school community for their efforts, particularly the staff, who have implemented key strategies to achieve progress in the students and their learning.

The College will commence building the Technology Centre soon, and has already begun building updates in current buildings, from the installation of a lift in the St John’s Campus, renovations to toilets and amenities, and the restoration of the roof of the QA Auditorium. Although the costs are quite high for all three projects, they will provide the College with improved facilities to enable learning.

I wish to welcome Mrs Melissa D’Amico to our community, as the newly appointed Deputy Principal of Students. Melissa is an experienced educator, having worked across the state, independent and Catholic systems in a career that extends over 25 years. She is currently working as the Assistant Principal of Learning and Innovation at Aitken College, Greenvale. We also welcome Mr Paul Toney to the role of Deputy Principal of Staff. He is an experienced educator, having worked in Australia and England, with his most recent post as the Deputy Principal of Staff and Compliance at Loyola College, Watsonia. They bring new energy to the college, and we look forward to their start in 2026.

In recent months, we have also appointed Mrs Kat Nguyen as Deputy Principal of Operations and Mr Tristan O’Brien as Deputy Principal of Mission. Both staff members were appointed following a very rigorous selection process, which included interviews and writing of applications that identified the best candidates for each role. Tristan is an experienced Deputy Principal, having held the role previously at the College. Kat has served as the Director of Operations and has progressed to the role of Deputy Principal as I extended the leadership team to enable growth and operations of the College.

I share with you the speech which I presented in my address to the students on Friday. Apologies for the assembly going over time, I hope that this did not cause too many issues for parents waiting for their children.

My address focused on the violence and atrocities existing in the world. I pray that our children can be the solution in making the world safer, fairer and an example of God’s gift to us all. Please read the presentation below.

Best wishes for the holidays. The College will be closed to the public in the second week. Best of luck to Year 12 students who will begin their practice exams.

Napoleon Rodezno
College Principal

Principals Address - Friday 19 September 

Good morning everyone,

Thank you to all the presenters, organisers and performers. This has been an amazing assembly. Thanks to every one of you for your individual and collective efforts throughout this semester. Your presence and contributions make the College a special place. You may not realise this now, or perhaps you do, but let me assure you that Caroline Chisholm Catholic College is an amazing place. You, me, and our peers, we are all lucky to be here. Congratulations on your progress and your positive energy. If your term was not great, well, time to reflect on what could be done better. Enjoy the break and rest up.

Year 12s, and those others preparing for Unit 4 Exams, it is now time to start the final stretch of the journey. Congratulations on being here, but don’t forget that the journey has not ended yet.

My address today will focus on one very important message for you as young people in our society,and as the students of the College because you represent our hope, future and the seeking of peace. I invite you to pause and reflect deeply on the reality of war and violence in our world, and more importantly, on our responsibility as a Catholic community to stand against it.

In this recent month, Melbourne has experienced a troubling surge in violent incidents. On 1 September, violent clashes erupted during an anti-immigration rally under the banner of “March for Australia,” where far-right groups, including neo-Nazi figures, confronted counter-protesters. Police deployed its riot squads, used pepper spray, physical force and batons to separate the groups, resulting in multiple injuries and arrests.

A fatal shooting in Melbourne’s CBD on 7 September led to the death of a 26-year-old man and the arrest of four suspects. Police believe the incident was targeted and part of a broader pattern of public violence affecting community safety across our state.

Not far from here, two young boys, connected to our community in so many ways, were killed. The greater community has been left devastated, with parents publicly mourning and calling for answers, noting that four children have been buried in the area within two weeks due to similar violent incidents.

In the last week, the global landscape has been marred by devastating acts of war and violence. In Gaza, Israeli airstrikes killed at least 53 Palestinians, flattened 16 buildings including residential towers, and intensified famine conditions that have claimed over 420 lives due to starvation.

Meanwhile, in South Sudan, a UN Fact-Finding Mission reported systematic atrocities committed against innocent people. Civilians were deliberately targeted, with some detention centres described as “slaughterhouses,” and over 12 million people have been displaced. Some of these people live amongst us, and like many others, including me, we have faced displacement for reasons beyond our control.

In Ukraine, Russian drone strikes have escalated, killing over 100 civilians in recent months, with documented attacks on hospitals, schools, and residential areas.

Why am I telling you this? After all, these are the news stories that we don’t have to hear, but we can’t afford to ignore. This is because you must act against it, and it starts now, with how you treat each other.

What we continue to see on television, hear in the news, read in the newspapers and come across in our social media is a reality for those oppressed. This is the reality of human tragedy.

War and conflict are not just geopolitical or disputable events; they are a human tragedy. It tears apart families, destroys communities, and leaves scars that last generations. Violence, whether in distant lands or in our own streets, contradicts the very essence of the Gospel that we are all called to live. Yet equally, the way that a person is bullied, ridiculed or shown hate has substantial impact that is life changing.

In 2014, Pope Francis stated in his address at the Redipuglia War Memorial, that “War is madness. That it is the suicide of humanity.” The Redipuglia War Memorial is the largest war memorial in Italy and one of the largest in the world, housing the remains of 100,187 Italian soldiers killed between 1915 and 1917 in the twelve battles fought on the Karst and Isonzo front. Imagine that for a second, 100,187 people were killed in twelve battles. That is 56 times the number of people who attend and work in this College. How can this have happened? The Bible calls us to be peacemakers, not passive observers, so we have a responsibility to act against war. If war is the suicide of humanity, why do we accept it?

The Gospel according to Matthew tells us that “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.” Matthew 5:9

And the Book of Romans tells us that we must “not repay anyone evil with evil… If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” Romans 12:17–18

For us all, as faith leaders living under the love of God, these are not suggestions, they are commands. As followers of Jesus, we are called to reject violence and build peace. This is because war, although widely used, is abnormal. It is a sign of immaturity, of the inability to reach intelligent outcomes, to apply justice and compassion due to ignorance and hate.

The Church teaches that peace is built on justice, dialogue, and solidarity. As good people, we must:

· Advocate for the vulnerable

· Reject hatred and division

· Promote reconciliation and forgiveness

Again, Pope Francis challenged us to think about our roles as humans. He said, “We must not remain indifferent to the suffering of others… Peace is not just the absence of war, but the tireless commitment to recognise, protect and promote the dignity of all people.”

So, what can you do?

1. Speak up and challenge bullying, racism, and injustice wherever you see it. Do not stand by it. Do not accept it and seek the help of your teachers if you are a victim of it.

2. Pray for peace by making peace a daily intention in your prayers, in your thoughts and actions. Think about the impact that we will all have to change the world if we choose to be peaceful in our interactions with others?

3. Serve others by volunteering, support charities, and be present to those in need. It is not in what you give but how you give it, that we find your true impact.

4. Educate yourself to learn about global conflicts and the Church’s response. You can be a part of the solution.

Because you are mandated to love and spread the good news. We are told in the Book of Timothy to “Let no one despise your youth, but set an example in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity.” Timothy 4:12

You are not too young to make a difference. You are not too small to be a voice for peace. The beauty of God is found in each person at this College, and you hold the key in making the world better. The safety, respect and dignity of each person here are the most important priorities for each one of us. Wars overseas and the unrest that we see in our communities is the result of the choices we all make, the decision to not be mindful, respectful, embracing and celebrating of difference.

Let your actions speak for themselves. Open the doors to those who you do not know in your classes. Say hello to the teachers that welcome you when you arrive at school each day. Be respectful to your parents and aspire to be more. Aim to be better than before so that you can give and help others along. The impact of wars and crime can lead to death and permanent loss for many people overseas. We are lucky to be in this country and we have a responsibility to keep it safe. It all starts with the way that you conduct yourself and what you expect from yourself and others around you.

I challenge you to do more than you currently do. In many war-torn countries, through the eyes of good people, war is not strategy or politics. It is fear, confusion, and unbearable loss. For children there, it tends to be the sound of sirens replacing lullabies, the sight of shattered homes where laughter once lived, and the ache of missing parents, siblings, and friends. A child sees war in the empty classroom, the broken swing, and the silence where stories used to be told. Their innocence is pierced by images they cannot understand and grief they cannot name. In their world, war steals birthdays, bedtime hugs, and the promise of tomorrow. And yet, even in the rubble, a child may still draw a sun, because hope, though fragile, is their resistance.

Let us be like children and make the world better through hope, through determination and the thirst for happiness, fairness and peace. We must be a community that chooses peace over violence, compassion over indifference, and action over silence. Let us be the hands and feet of Christ in a world that desperately needs healing. May we always remember to “overcome evil with goodness.” I wish you a pleasant break and I acknowledge your contributions to the College community. You are all superstars.

Congratulations to our athletics team for winning their SACCSS meet and their promotion to Division One. Congratulations to all other achievers in what was an amazing term. A special thanks to all our staff. Our teachers, helpers and admin. You make this place a safe and inviting place. Teachers work very hard for you, and you should be very happy about this.
I wish to say goodbye and acknowledge Ms Brooke Evans-Brookes, College Psychologist, Ms Sangeetha Thanapal and Ms Kelly Harrison, English teachers, for their contributions at the College. They will be leaving us today. Mrs Ruddick, our former College Principal has also left the College. She will be farewelled at the conclusion of the year, so that we can thank her for the wonderful contributions she made to our community.

Again, well done on the term and for making our school a wonderful place. Thank you for making me the luckiest principal in the world and I am sorry for not being out in the yard as much as I wish I could be. I truly hope that this will change in the next term and beyond.

Many Minds, One Heart.

Enjoy the break.