From the Principal

Thank you to all of our families for the wonderful support shown this term. It has been a great start to the year. Parents have supported our push for students to wear the correct uniform and footwear, maintain natural hair colour, and be at school on time.

Our Year 7 students seem to have made a very smooth transition to high school, and it's no wonder, with so many great events taking place this term.

Our Project Compassion fundraisers were very well supported, and students enthusiastically participated in Harmony Week events, with many spending long hours rehearsing their dances. The gymnasium is used constantly each lunchtime, and our Art, Design, Gamers, Dance and Drama clubs are attracting many regular attendees.

Our high-ability students are preparing for the DaVinci Decathlon, and our Year 12 cohort is using the library study space very diligently.

At a recent School Advisory Council meeting, it was mentioned that it takes a village to raise a child. We are grateful to partner with parents and guardians as we guide our young people toward their post-school destinations.

As we enter the sacred season of Easter, we are reminded of the powerful message at the heart of our faith - hope, forgiveness, and new life.

Easter invites us to reflect on the resurrection of Jesus and the promise that even in times of challenge, there is always light, growth, and new beginnings. It is a time to reconnect with what truly matters: love, compassion and faith.

May this Easter be a time of peace and joy for all members of our community. May it inspire us to carry forward a spirit of kindness and hope into the next term and beyond.

We wish all families a safe, restful, and blessed holiday break. We look forward to welcoming everyone back, refreshed and ready for another successful term.

Looking Ahead - Melton Campus

Looking Ahead - Cobblebank Campus

Final Day of Term 1

This Thursday 2 April is the final day of Term 1. Please note that all students will be dismissed at 2.30pm. Buses at the Melton Campus will arrive half an hour earlier than the usual pickup time.

The first day of Term 2 for all students is Wednesday 22 April.

School Holiday Office Hours

The school holiday office hours for each campus are listed below:

Good Friday (3 April) – College closed

Easter Monday (6 April) – College closed

Week 1 school holidays: Tuesday 7 April – Friday 10 April

Melton Campus office closed

Cobblebank Campus office open 8am – 4pm

Week 2 of school holidays: Monday 13 April – Friday 17 April

Melton Campus office open 8am – 4pm

Cobblebank Campus office closed

Parent Student Teacher Interviews

Parent Student Teacher Interviews will be held on-site at both campuses on:

• Tuesday 28 April from 3.30pm to 8pm
• Thursday 7 May from 3.30pm to 7pm.

Bookings can be made via the parent portal PAM until Sunday 26 April.

Below are instructions to help you make your booking.

How to book your Parent Student Teacher Interview

The College will provide an interpreter if you require one. You will be asked if you need an interpreter when you log in to PAM to book your interview.

We invite you to join us for these valuable discussions about your child's progress. It is important that students also attend to share in the conversations, reflect on what they have achieved and the priorities for the year ahead.

Please note that your child's interim report will be available on Thursday 2 April, the final day of Term 1.

Our staff look forward to meeting with you and your child in Term 2.

Night at the Museum - Year 9 Humanities

This term in Humanities, the Year 9 classes have been exploring World War I. As a part of the assessment for this unit, the students were expected to demonstrate both their historical research skills and creative interpretation on a World War I topic.

Students have been working hard to produce a creative museum exhibit piece that links to their research topic. These items will be on display for family and friends to view at both campuses tomorrow, Wednesday 1 April from 3pm - 4.15pm.

Cobblebank Campus - Blue Building

Melton Campus - Brindisi Building

Below and above are just some of the many works you can expect to see on display.

We look forward to seeing our students' final products and encourage you to join us for a Night at the Museum!

Nirasha Pandi and Mitchell Taylor

Humanities Domain Leaders, Melton and Cobblebank

Ks for Caritas

Melton Campus proudly concluded its Project Compassion fundraising efforts last week with the annual Ks for Caritas event.

This event gave students and staff a powerful insight into the daily realities faced by vulnerable communities who must carry clean water and food over long distances.

Each House team worked together to carry a 5kg bag of rice and a bucket of water across the width of the oval. The experience encouraged participants to reflect on the physical demands many people endure each day, fostering both empathy and understanding.

The event continues to grow each year, both in participation and impact. This year, 273 staff and students took part, collectively completing an impressive 2197 laps.

The results for each House are:

Anthony: 58 students - 466 laps

Bakhita: 39 students – 211 laps

Bernard: 11 students – 146 laps

Catherine: 14 students - 100 laps

Domenic: 31 students – 389 laps

Glowrey: 34 students – 560 laps

Lawrence: 29 students – 133 laps

MacKillop: 57 students – 192 laps

Due to the rain experienced last week, the Cobblebank Campus Ks for Caritas event was rescheduled and will be held during Big Break tomorrow, Wednesday 1 April.

Animals Delight Year 8 Textiles Students

Year 8 students at Melton and Cobblebank have been working hard this term, putting their sewing skills to meaningful, real-world use by creating joey pouches for marsupials in need. They eagerly anticipated their recent incursion, where they were able to see firsthand the impact of their efforts.

While sewing for marsupials was a key focus, students also explored the broader topic of endangered species throughout the term. They were thrilled to get up close with animals such as mangrove monitor lizards, saltwater crocodiles, and a variety of pythons. They also met smaller species that make use of their pouches, including woylies and sugar gliders.

One highlight was seeing a woylie nestled in a well-loved pouch sewn by an SFCC student in 2025, which the presenter shared was their favourite. You can see this cutie in the photo below.

Students proudly handed over this year’s donations and will also be sending additional pouches to wildlife rescue centers across Australia. Stay tuned for updates on where their contributions will make a difference next!

NAPLAN Completed

We are pleased to announce that our students have now successfully completed the 2026 NAPLAN testing program.

NAPLAN (National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy) is a nationwide assessment undertaken by students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. It provides a valuable snapshot of student progress in key areas including reading, writing, language conventions (spelling, grammar and punctuation), and numeracy. The assessment helps schools better understand student achievement and identify areas for future growth and support.

This year’s testing window ran from 11–23 March, with over one million students across Australia participating. 

Despite some minor technical challenges experienced nationally at the beginning of the testing period, our school successfully completed all assessments within the timeframe. 

ACARA, the organisation responsible for administering NAPLAN, is currently reviewing all student data affected by the recent outage. We will await further guidance on how to interpret results from impacted tests.

We would like to congratulate our students for the positive and resilient way they approached the tests. Their effort, focus and maturity throughout the process were commendable. NAPLAN is not a pass-or-fail assessment, but rather an opportunity to demonstrate learning and help guide future teaching and learning programs.

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to our parents and guardians for their ongoing support, especially in encouraging students to attend and engage positively with the assessments. Your partnership plays a vital role in student success.

A heartfelt thank you also goes to our dedicated staff for their careful organisation, supervision, and support throughout the testing period. Their teamwork and commitment ensured that the process ran efficiently across both campuses.

NAPLAN results will be released later this year, and families will be notified once they become available.

2025 Europe Trip - Visiting Auschwitz

This week, our 2025 Europe Trip Leader, Paul Iannazzo, shares this moving account of our students' visit to Auschwitz Museum.

I had a conversation with someone at home in early December last year. First thing in the morning for the St Francis students in Krakow, late afternoon for everyone back home in Melbourne. The crux of it was: how often do you walk out the door, reasonably confident you’re going to remember your day forever?

Memory is a recurring theme when visiting the Auschwitz Museum and the site of the former Auschwitz and Auschwitz-Birkenau camps. 

How do you properly remember what happened? Survivor, Primo Levi said the trauma of his internment made it hard to recall coherently. As you enter the first site, the names of all known victims are played over speakers. It will take close to a hundred years for the track to resume. 

Amongst the incomprehensible numbers, it is salient to keep in mind that those murdered here are individual people. Recently, King Charles attended the same site to mark eighty years since liberation. He said, “the act of remembering the evils of the past remains a vital task”.

This is a big part of why the SFCC Europe Trip includes a visit to Auschwitz. As the students walked under the “Arbeit Macht Frei” sign, they entered something that is part museum, part memorial, and part historical site. The barracks buildings are roughly the size of the Gadal building at Melton Campus. They all have historical artefacts from the camp’s operation. It is very hard to convey the enormity of what happened there. Halls piled floor-to-ceiling with personal items, taken from the victims on arrival, do a reasonable job of it. 

For many visitors, standing in front of the gallery of shoes is the closest they will come to understanding the scale.

Our guide told us she liked to tell the story of Maximillian Kolbe, the Catholic priest who sacrificed himself to save other prisoners. Block 11 is a hard part of the tour. The cell where Fr (now Saint) Kolbe was starved, standing cells and the execution yard speak to the barbarity of the camp. There’s more to the site. Some of it can’t be properly explained. You have to see it or stand in it to even hope to grasp the significance.

From the Auschwitz site, the students headed to Birkenau on the other side of town. The camp covers several kilometres and is surrounded by barbed wire, except for the gate through which trains cameto deliver their transports of people. Up to a hundred people in every railcar. One of those used is on the tracks. It is eerily quiet. The groups of visitors and their guides are all you can hear. The remains of the gas chambers and crematoriums are on either side of the tracks and off in the distance on the eastern boundary.

Birkenau is more of a preserved historical site than a museum. There are two exceptions. Placed to replicate the photographer’s point of view are life-sized prints from a 1944 roll of film that documents how the camp works. The transports arriving. Possessions being taken. Selection. The march towards the gas chambers.

Between the terminating points of the train tracks is a memorial to the victims. A monument in 22 languages imploring those who visit to treat the site as “a cry of despair and a warning to humanity”.

It is very hard to adequately write words that sum up visiting Auschwitz. Piotr Cywiński, the director of the Auschwitz-Birkenau memorial complex, said: “There are places and tragedies which make you at a loss for words, where actually there are no words to express what so many still see as unimaginable”.

Lawrence House Netball Champions

Team Lawrence won the grand final of the Melton Campus inter-house netball competition yesterday, defeating Anthony to become this year's champions.

The grand final was an intense, tight game, with both teams showing strong attacking and defensive play.

It took a long time before either team could score its first point, highlighting just how evenly matched Anthony and Lawrence were.

Once the game got underway, both houses played with determination and skill, but Lawrence ultimately proved too strong and secured the championship.

Congratulations to both teams on an incredible effort, and thank you to everyone who came along to support the houses.

Senior Cricket Champions

Congratulations to our SACCSS Division 2 Senior Cricket team, who won their grand final yesterday against Kolbe Catholic College.

The team didn't drop a game all season, and the hard work paid off as they brought home the ultimate prize.

Year 9 student, Adam, received the Peer Award.

We are incredibly proud of all students who participated, in particular our Year 12 students who played their final senior cricket match yesterday.

First Game for Cobblebank Cricket Academy Students

Cobblebank Campus Year 10 Cricket Academy students represented the College in their first competitive game last week against Lara Secondary College in Lara and came home with a win!

There were plenty of nerves amongst the group as it was also the first time some members had been part of a competitive T20 cricket match. 

The nerves quickly dispelled when the game started, and with some tight bowling, we were able to restrict Lara to 9/122 from their 20 overs.

Gursidak finished with 3/11 for three overs, while Kanwar also contributed two wickets.

As we went out to start our innings, the players were instructed to control the controllable, focus, and play each ball on its merits, so as not to lose easy wickets. 

Uv and Trip were instrumental -  both players retired after 10 overs with the score at 0/104. Uv finished with 55* and Trip 37*. Both students remained calm and confidently moved the ball around the field. This boosted the team's confidence, and we finished 8/153 after our 20 overs.

Well done to all players from both teams who participated on the day in hot conditions. They all demonstrated teamwork, communication and dedication.

Any students interested in the Elite Cricket Academy can contact me via email at mbretag@sfcc.vic.edu.au.

2026 Production Update

With performance dates slowly but surely approaching, excitement is building amongst the Mamma Mia production team. Each rehearsal brings new energy, as students grow more confident in their roles and become increasingly connected as a company.

Mamma Mia! is a vibrant, feel-good musical that has clearly inspired everyone involved. From the leads to the ensemble and the dedicated musicians, students have invested countless hours in the process. Many are attending multiple after-school rehearsals each week, demonstrating an impressive level of commitment to making the show as engaging, polished, and uplifting as possible.

With Act 1 now nearly complete, the team is beginning to see their hard work take shape on stage. 

There is a shared sense of anticipation as they look ahead to refining scenes and exploring even more creative possibilities. Both in the rehearsal room and under the stage lights, the cast and crew are embracing every opportunity to bring their talents to life and deliver a truly memorable performance.

Performances will take place in Term 3 from 23-25 July. Watch this space for all the details!

Year 8 Reflection Days

Over the past two weeks, all Year 8 students have participated in their reflection days.

This involved an incursion with the Youth Mission Team at each campus, focusing on relationships, and a pilgrimage into the city to celebrate Mass at St Francis Church.

Students were encouraged to reflect on their relationship with God and others while spending time admiring nature in the Botanic Gardens and visiting the Shrine of Remembrance.

Youth Festival Reunion

Last Thursday, nine students, accompanied by teachers Ann Praveen John and Patricia Operana, travelled to Melbourne to reunite with fellow students who attended the Australian Catholic Youth Festival (ACYF) last December. 

Below is how Cobblebank Faith and Mission Captain Dawt summed up the day. 

"The time we spent at the ACYF reunion with our friends from Melton Campus was really enjoyable. We played many games with other schools, discussed how to move on post-ACYF, how to incorporate what we’ve learned into our lives and had delicious pizza. It was nice seeing all of us gather in the same area for the same purpose once again. Seoul 2027, we’re ready for you!"

Online Holiday Reading Without WiFi

School holidays are a time to rest, recharge and ideally, keep young minds reading. 

One of the biggest barriers to holiday reading isn’t a lack of interest; it’s access. If a student must wait until they’re back on school Wi-Fi to open a book, the moment of enthusiasm can quickly disappear. That’s where our online library catalogue comes in.

Our digital library gives students 24/7 access to ebooks and audiobooks, and once a title is downloaded, no Wi-Fi is needed to keep reading or listening. Whether your family is travelling, camping, or managing limited internet access at home, downloaded library books work just like any other app on a device. This simple feature makes an enormous difference to holiday literacy.

Imagine an audiobook ready to go for a long car trip, or a graphic novel downloaded before boarding a flight. Students can enjoy their reading on a plane, at the beach, or in a remote location, without using mobile data. Removing the “Wi-Fi barrier” makes reading portable, practical, and stress-free for families.

Before the school holidays begin, we encourage all students to take part in a quick “download drive”. This involves choosing at least one eBook or eAudio title and downloading it while still connected to the school network.

Holiday reading doesn’t need to be complicated. With a little preparation now, and the advantage of offline access, our school library can travel anywhere your holidays take you.

Happy holiday reading!

Useful Links

Keep updated with College events, procedures, resources and information via the links below.

PAM – Parent Portal

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