Welcome back to Term 2. I hope the holiday break provided you and your child with an opportunity to rest and reconnect, and that the Term has begun smoothly for your family.

At the start of this Term, our community came together for our ANZAC Day ceremonies across the College. These moments of reflection were marked by dignity, respect, and thoughtful participation from our students. They provided a powerful reminder of the values of service, courage, and sacrifice, and of the responsibility we share in helping young people understand the significance of our history and the freedoms they enjoy today as a result of the sacrifices of many.

I am also pleased to share that our current building works are progressing well and remain on schedule. It has been encouraging to see the steady development taking shape, and we look forward to the enhanced learning environments these works will provide for our students and staff. I thank our students and staff for their patience and understanding as this work continues.

During the professional learning day at the start of the term, staff participated in the Man Box Professional Development program delivered by Jesuit Social Services. This was a highly valuable and engaging day that encouraged deep reflection on respectful relationships, positive masculinity, identity, and the impact of culture on wellbeing and behaviour. The learning aligns strongly with our commitment to student wellbeing, respectful relationships, and the formation of safe, inclusive learning environments. There will be further professional development opportunities specifically learning about girls’ education in the coming term.

I would also like to inform staff and parent members that we recently held a successful School Advisory Council (SAC) meeting. The meeting provided an opportunity for constructive dialogue, shared reflection and strategic discussion, and I thank Council members for their time, insight, and ongoing commitment to the College community.

Your partnership with the College remains central to your child’s growth and success. When families engage in learning conversations at home, take interest in progress, and work alongside teachers, students are best placed to thrive. I encourage you to remain actively involved in your child’s learning journey so that, together, we can continue to strengthen this important partnership.

I would also like to inform the community that the College is currently engaged in a formal review process led by the Victorian Catholic Education Authority (VCEA) as part of our ongoing registration requirements with the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA). This review is an important aspect of our commitment to continuous improvement and accountability. I look forward to updating the community on our progress in due course.

Our commitment to child safety remains unwavering. This term, we will continue to strengthen students’ understanding of their rights, the support available to them, and how to raise any concerns. Further information will be shared with students throughout the term, reinforcing our shared responsibility to ensure Caroline Chisholm Catholic College remains a safe, respectful and supportive environment for all. We have recently produced a video, explaining Child Safety at the College, which is included below. If you would like to find out more about our commitment to Child Safety, you can access our College policies here: https://www.cccc.vic.edu.au/ou...

Thank you, as always, for your trust, partnership, and ongoing support of the College. I look forward to another productive and positive term together.

Napoleon Rodezno

Principal

National Schools Constitutional Convention

Late last term, one of our College Captains, Minh Trinh, travelled to Canberra to attend the a Schools Convention. He has been kind enough to provide us with a summary of his time there.

On the 24th of March, I, alongside 112 other secondary school students, descended upon the nation’s capital of Canberra to partake in the 31st National Schools Constitutional Convention. Among being one of 25 Victorian delegates having the pleasure to attend, I was also fortunate enough to meet some of the most passionate student leaders from other states and territories in the country. Hearing not only their incredible achievements and passion for politics, but also how student leadership ran at their schools was eye-opening for my own leadership aspirations.

The three-day convention was jam-packed with incredible activities. From touring the breath-taking design of Parliament House to taking a tour into the past at the Museum of Old Democracy, it was so mesmerising to see Australia’s historic roots and how it has shaped the nation we live in now.

Among the activities, I had the pleasure to meet amazing Members of Parliament including Hon. Jason Clare MP (Minister for Education), Hon. Dr Jim Chalmers MP (Treasurer), and Victorian locals - Hon. Richard Marles MP (Deputy PM/Minister for Defence) and Hon. Alice Jordan-Baird MP who is my federal member of Parliament.

My highlight of the trip was watching Question Time in the House of Representatives. Question Time in the Lower House is a dedicated time where members of the executive are given questions from either the Opposition or members of their own party. Within the first 15 minutes, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, The Hon. Milton Dick, removed two members of the Opposition under Section 94a. Of course, the chamber erupted into chaos and laughter for what seemed like every single minute. If I had to describe Question Time in the Lower House, it would be a group of children arguing over the smallest of things.

I was fortunate enough to meet the Governor-General of Australia, the Hon. Sam Mostyn AC. As the vice-regal officer representing the monarchy, I asked her “How important is it for young people to participate in democracy and politics?”. And she answered with one word “critical”. Her answer was extremely insightful for me as it pushed me to continue nurturing my interest in politics, and I couldn’t be more grateful to have met her.

However, the most important feature of the program was the referendum topic. “Should Section 53 of the constitution be amended to prevent the Senate from blocking supply?”. We heard from engaging keynote speakers who gave history behind the referendum topic and provided their own perspectives on whether Section 53 of the constitution should be amended. Among these presentations, I also got the chance to provide my own perspective of whether the amendment should go ahead or not in various ‘soapbox sessions’. In the end, the referendum ended in a cumulative ‘No’ result, beating the ‘Yes’ result by an impressive one vote for the national majority.

I would like to acknowledge the Victorian supervisors who gave up their time and energy to supervise all 25 Victorian delegates:

· Martin Box – Leongatha Secondary College, Leongatha

· Lauren Old – Overnewton Anglican Community College, Taylors Lakes/Keilor

· Amanda Morrison – St Joseph’s College, Mildura

I thank them for their commitment to supporting all 25 VIC student delegates in their learning and encouraging us all to be curious.

Minh Trinh
College Captain

Congratulations to Sarah Mollison 

Our own Ms Sarah Mollison, HPE Teacher, has been selected for the national Women's Field Lacrosse Team!
Congratulation to Ms Mollison, and we wish her and the Australian team the bext of luck in the World Championship, held in Tokyo in late July. 

ANZAC Day Ceremonies

Our College marked ANZAC day during LM on Thursday morning, with students coming together at both sites to participate in a commerative assembly.

Staff and students held a minute of silence, along with hearing reflections and history of the ANZACs. Wreaths were laid, and have remained in prominent positions around the College for staff and students to stop and reflect on the sacrifice of the men and women who have served our country. 

Year 10 SACCSS Grand Finals

Congratulations to our Year 10 SACCSS Division 2 Netball students, our Year 10 SACCSS Division 2 Basketball team, and our Year 10 SACCSS Division 1 Volleyball boys for winning their grand finals earlier this week.

Both the Netball and Basketball was held on home ground in our BDH, while the Volleyball team played offsite. This is our Volleyball teams 4th year in a row that they've taken home the win, across Division 2 in 2023 and then Division 1 for the last three years. 

Congratulations to all our teams for their incredible efforts - even getting to the grand finals is amazing, so to sweep the finals and win across the board is a tribute to the hard work and training students and coaching staff!

Maribyrnong Youth Services Holiday Event 

We were incredibly excited to have 21 students from our College join Maribyrnong Youth Services for one of their holiday events. All reports from the evening are that our students had a wonderful time, and really engaged with the activities on offer. We look forward to future events that our College can get involved in!

Mother's Day Mass and Breakfast

Our annual Mother's Day Mass and Breakfast is coming up on the 8th of May. This event is always an incredible example of our community coming together to celebrate the important women in our lives. If you'd like to attend, or for futher details, please see the Compass post or register here: Mother's Day Mass and Breakfast

CTK Reading Initiatives

Our students at CTK have launched their 75 Booked Reading Challenge, which challenges students to read every single day for 75 days. There will be a number of exciting activities and rewards throughout the term, so parents and students can look out for information via Compass.

Meanwhile, across both campuses, the CTK students are partnering with Western Health to gather book donations for patients at Footscray hospital. If you have books that are still in good shape that you'd like to donate, the students have arranged for baskets to be at both campuses in the library. 

Soundlab by Maribyrnong Youth

Join TROU and Maribyrnong Youth Services for Soundlab, an 8-week program to find your voice as a performer.

Over eight sessions get hands on experience from music industry experts on:

• Songwriting: Crafting lyrics and melodies to express your unique voices.
• Recording: Learning the technical skills required to produce high-quality tracks.
• Performance: Developing stage presence and confidence for live performances.
• Branding: Building a personal brand to stand out in the music industry.

The program finishes with a showcase event at Phoenix Youth Hub, where all participants get the opportunity to perform their new tracks.

Program Details:

• Dates: 5 May- 23 June 2026
• Day and time: Tuesdays, 5.30-7.30pm
• Location: Phoenix Youth Hub, 72 Buckley Street Footscray
• Cost: Free!

This program is for young people aged 15-25 who live, study, work or hang out in the City of Maribyrnong (Footscray, Braybrook, Yarraville, Maribyrnong and surrounds)

Spots are limited so book in quick: https://maribyrnong-events.bookable.net.au/#!/event-detail/ev_a98411f82f28425ea5677ca7cc85ade7

Loving God,

As we commence Term 2, we give you thanks for the gift of new beginnings and the opportunity to grow in faith, learning, and community. After the joy of Easter, remind us that we are people of hope, called to live as witnesses of your love in the world.

You call us to be the salt of the earth,
to bring flavour where there is emptiness,
to preserve what is good,
and to make a difference through small acts of kindness and care.

In our classrooms, may we serve with humility,
listening with open hearts and learning with curiosity.
In our relationships, may we act with compassion,
seeking to understand, include, and uplift one another.
In our wider community, may we be people of justice and peace,
guided by your presence in all that we do.

Bless our students, staff, and families this term.
Strengthen us in times of challenge,
and inspire us to be people who lead through service,
reflecting your love in all we say and do.

We ask this through Christ our Lord,
Amen.