Final day of Term 1

Next Friday 4 April is the final day of Term 1.

• Knight Street students will be dismissed at 2:15pm
• Emmaus students will be dismissed at 2:10pm

Buses will run as per normal, just one hour earlier.

Normal school attendance is expected for all students as this is a regular school day.

Wishing everyone a safe and enjoyable Easter period.

Parent Teacher Interviews – coming up 28 and 30 April 2025

Further details will be sent to parents to notify when the booking portal is available.

Monopoly puts Notre Dame College on the Board

Monopoly the Shepparton Edition was launched last week with Notre Dame College announced as a prominent green-square destination on the board.

We are proud to have been selected to participate in this initiative and to be recognised as a key education provider on the game board. Notre Dame College (and formerly Sacred Heart and St. Colman’s Colleges) date back to the beginning of last century so to be seen as an historic and yet contemporary education destination is tremendous recognition.

The Monopoly game is in its 90th year, having sold over 275 million copies worldwide and is the most played board games in the world. The College has also purchased a number of sets of the game with more details about how you can get a copy of the Shepparton Edition to be announced shortly.

At the launch we had College Vice-Captain Noah Muir and Jennings House Captain Will Emanuelli along with Deputy Principal Emma Reynoldson represent the College where fun was had with Mr Monopoly.

Harmony Day Celebrations

On Friday the College came together to celebrate cultural diversity at our Harmony Day Assembly.

We welcomed guest speaker Ali Al Battaat a former refugee and migrant from Iraq, who shared his incredible journey with us.

We witnessed some amazing dancing and moving performances from our students, as well as a very special runway show that showcased the traditional attire from each country.

Congratulations to all students involved, you were amazing.

We would like to congratulate our Cultural Diversity Specialist Leaders Cidra Chkhaydem and Elizabeth Jegede who hosted our assembly, and assisted in all the preparations for today, hours of work.

A big shout out to Tina Mukasa, our Multicultural Education Officer for bringing everything together, and coordinating all of our Harmony Week activities, we are so lucky to have you. Thank you for sharing your passion today and reminding us all how important Harmony Week is.

Year 11 and 12 Parents - RE: School Assessment Rescheduling Procedures

I am writing to inform you about our school's procedures for rescheduling School Assessed Tasks (SATs), School Assessed Coursework (SACs), and Other Assessment Tasks (OATs).

We have recently digitised our rescheduling request process. Your child now has access to the Rescheduling Request Form via their Google Chrome bookmark, replacing our previous paper-based system.

As a reminder, the following timeframes apply for submitting these requests:

• For known absences: Requests must be submitted at least 48 hours before the original assessment date
• For unexpected absences: Requests must be submitted within three school days of your child's return to school

All rescheduled assessments must be completed within 10 days of the original date. For known absences, the assessment must be completed within three days either side of the original date.

The same form may be used to request extensions for ongoing assessments, but these requests must be submitted before the assessment's due date.

Acceptable Reasons for Rescheduling

Requests for rescheduling will only be approved for the following reasons, with appropriate documentation:

• Illness (requires a Medical Certificate or Statutory Declaration)

• Bereavement (requires supporting documentation)

• Religious/cultural events or obligations (requires supporting documentation)

• Approved absences as per an Absence Learning Plan

• Attendance at a school-based activity

• Other exceptional circumstances (must be approved by the Director of Learning and Teaching or Director of Students)

Important Process Information

Once a request is submitted with all required documentation, an outcome email will be sent to your child, their class teacher, and their Head of House. All rescheduled assessments must be completed during designated catch-up sessions, which are held after school on Mondays and Wednesdays. Study periods will only be used in extenuating circumstances. Please be aware that failure to follow these procedures may result in your child receiving an "N" (Not Satisfactory) for the unit. In such cases, they must appeal to the Director of Learning and Teaching – College Programmes within 7 days.

Thank you for your support in helping your child manage their assessment responsibilities.

Yours sincerely,
Casey Fogarty - Director of Learning and Teaching – College Programmes

Sports Academy Strength and Conditioning

This term, our Sports Academy students have been training hard in the gym with many finishing their summer sports seasons and preparing for their upcoming winter sports.

Students in the programme follow a Long-Term Athlete Development model, which progresses in complexity each term from Year 8 through to Year 12. These sessions aim to develop our student’s physical literacy, decrease their likelihood of sustaining injuries and promote healthier lifelong habits.

Year 9 Science visit to the Science Gallery

On Tuesday 18 March some of our Yr. 9 Science students visited the Science Gallery in Melbourne for a day focussed on technology, art, and future-work skills. The programme was run in conjunction with the Science Gallery, The University of Melbourne, and Telstra.

The students had the opportunity to use Python to program a small drone. They were given real-life challenges and had to programme the drone to fly in a certain formation, depending on the task e.g. to fly over a paddock so that a farmer could count the number of sheep. During this lesson they learnt more about the different areas in which drones are used, and the importance of technology studies and innovation.

They then visited the Telstra Creator Space at the University of Melbourne where they saw the amazing facilities available to students to make objects out of wood, metal, 3D printing, laser cutting, and many more.

The star of the show was a robotic dog called Dingu. Dingu can jump, sit, roll-over, shake paws and “talk”. Following hot on its heels was a rover that can be used over flat terrains like the Martian surface. The students learnt more about how robots and rovers can be used in situations and places where humans are unable to go.

The last stop was an interactive tour of the Science Gallery exhibition exploring science fiction and Asian mythologies. Students went on a scavenger hunt and learnt more about how different cultures and artists interpret themes in science fiction.

Daborra – Anglesea

Daborra - Eildon

Daborra - Yarrawonga

40 days of Lent Challenge

Lent is a season of reflection and preparation that many Christians observe before the celebration of Jesus Christ's resurrection from death on Easter Sunday. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and continues through until Easter Sunday.

Lent and the Easter season in general occur during a time of rebirth in nature that reminds us of the opportunity for rebirth in our own lives. This rebirth is possible because of the sacrifice made by Christ when he came to Earth to live, serve, and then die upon a cross, paying the penalty for our sin. Through Christ's death and resurrection, He made a way for our sins to be forgiven - all we have to do is ask. Christ extends grace, truth and love to each one of us, so that we can be made new in him.

Those who observe Lent by giving something up or doing something for others are remembering the great sacrifice Christ made in giving up His life for our own.

During this time, many choose to give something up or do something extra. This year, we challenged our Junior McGann students to join together in doing both.

The Challenge

Every day our Pastoral Groups will find two items that are not needed at home and put in our orange bag. As we do this, we will take a few minutes to reflect and count our blessings. When Lent is over, we will donate the bag to our local St.Vinnies Store and feel good knowing that our unwanted items will help fund life-changing programmes that serve those in need.

Well done to those who have brought in items.

BENTO BOX - NDC Discount Offer

To help our College community transition from soft plastics to reusable containers, we are delighted to offer this initial 20% discount opportunity with Bento Box provider ecococoon.com.au.

Bento Boxes are renowned as one of the most durable, versatile, and sustainable food and drink container products.

All you need to do is click on this link https://ecococoon.com.au/?snowball=NOTREDAMEC00005 to secure your 20% discount.

The 20% discount is only available until the end of Term 1.