Dear Members of the Antonine College Community,

From the Principal

The Annunciation

On March 25, nine months prior to the Birth of our Lord the Church celebrates the Annunciation to Our Lady. This feast is celebrated in both the East and West. The feast celebrates the events described in Luke 1:30-35.

“The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” (Luke 1:30-33)

The announcement by the angel fulfilled a prophecy revealed in the book of Isaiah. “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Emmanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14)

We ask Mary, our Blessed Mother, to pray for our Antonine College community for all our students, staff and their families.

Also this Friday, 25 March on the Feast of the Annunciation, Archbishop Peter A Comensoli will join Pope Francis in consecrating Ukraine and Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, honouring a direct request from the Ukrainian bishops. It will take place at the 7am Mass at St Patrick’s Cathedral. The Vatican has also released the official text for the Prayer of Consecration which parishes are encouraged to pray locally. Our Lady of Lebanon Parish encourages us also to join in the prayers.

Faith

Congratulations

Monsignor Joe Takchi celebrated 40 years of priesthood recently. What a wonderful achievement! We are so grateful to have him as our Parish priest and College chaplain. He has been a great support to the wider Melbourne Maronite community but in particular a great supporter of the Antonine Sisters and Antonine College. We congratulate him and wish him many happy years ahead.

Opening Masses

What a blessing it was this week to be able to celebrate our Opening Masses. We had the Cedar Campus Opening Mass on Thursday 24 March and St Joseph Campus Opening Mass on Friday 25 March. It has been a while since we can celebrate the Word and the Eucharist all together. We go to Mass not simply because it’s an obligation. Rather, we attend Mass because it’s our loving response to the God who has loved us first. It is an active choice of the will to give of our time, knowing full well it will never amount to the sacrifice endured by our Saviour.

Please see our Latest News next week for photos.

Learning and Wellbeing

Year 6 Victorian Parliament Incursion

Over the past week, all Year 6 classes had an opportunity to visit Victoria’s state parliament. Well actually, we didn’t visit parliament… it came to us! Each class had a video chat with a public servant from Parliament. He showed us the Legislative Assembly (or lower house), where the seats are all green like the House of Representatives in Canberra, and the Legislative Council (or upper house), where the seats are all red like the Senate in Canberra. We found out who our local representatives are in the Victorian Parliament, and how we can contact them if we want them to propose a law. Yes, that’s right – we can suggest new laws for Victoria! To learn how laws are made, we role-played each of the steps, using the example of a bill to ban single-use plastic straws.

Even though we didn’t actually get to go to Parliament, it was so interesting to learn all about it. Next time we go into Melbourne’s CBD, we will be sure to look out for the beautiful building on Spring Street and think about the important laws being passed in there to make our community better.

Year 7 Retreat

All Year 7 students participated in the Year 7 Retreat last Friday. Students began the day identifying the different dreams that they would like to achieve and how God is at the centre of their dreams. They then reflected on the different ‘masks’ they wear to fit in and reflected on ways they can be their true, authentic self as children of God. Students discussed the lives of saints and individuals who responded to God’s call for greatness and identified how they can be open to God working in them to achieve great things.

Click here to view Year 7 retreat

Year 10 Environmental Science Excursion

The year 10 Environmental Science class had the opportunity to visit Coburg Lake to conduct some field research based on the ecosystems in the area. Students were given questions about the habit of various animals and had to explain how they rely on each other and the environment to survive. They will then use this information to form their assessment.

Student feedback
The excursion was an amazing experience since we were given the change to walk around and discover the serene ecosystem of Coburg Lake. We observed different species of plants and animals and recorded our findings on a sheet. The crisp air and the clean reserve was a great way to focus and record what we saw. Although some aspects of writing down were difficult, the other parts were a great way for some of the students to consider if they want to look into biology when looking into study in the forthcoming years. Overall an amazing experience, and it really gave us an insight into how much we need to care for our environment and world. - Noah Elsikmani

Click here to view Year 10 Environmental Science Excursion

Latest News – So much is happening

Stay up to date with our latest learning activities and events such as:

https://www.antonine.catholic.edu.au/news/category/view-all

Upcoming Events

Book a School Tour (for prospective parents)

We are currently accepting applications for 2024 enrolments. We also still have limited capacity for 2023. Please see information about enrolments and about booking school tours here: Book school tour

College Open Mornings (for current parents)

We are pleased to welcome current parents back onsite and offer the chance to visit classrooms and see the school facilities. Please click below for information about how to book:

St Joseph Campus Open Morning 27 April - Only Parents/guardians to attend. Click to book https://bit.ly/3sDu35n

Cedar Campus Open Morning 28 April - for homerooms FA, 1A, 1C, 2A, 3A, 4A, 5A, 6A. No other children to attend. Click to book https://bit.ly/3poV8ak

Cedar Campus Open Morning 2 May - for homerooms FB & FC, 1B, 2B, 3B, 4B, 5B, 6B & 6C. Only Parents/guardians to attend. Click to book https://bit.ly/3srWsv0

Enrol now for Term 2 Instrumental Program

We have new instruments on offer – Click on image to view video

Please see this link to learn more about our Instrumental Program: https://www.antonine.catholic.edu.au/learning-teaching/instrumental-program

Camp Australia Outside School Hours Care (OSHC)

A reminder that Camp Australia offers After School Care at Cedar Campus for primary aged students. They also offer school holiday programs. Please click here for more information: https://www.antonine.catholic.edu.au/enrolment-information/outside-school-hours-care-oshc .

Click here to read about the Camp Australia Newsletter

Upcoming Dates:

• Wednesday 30 March: Parent Teacher Interviews (No classes) - After-school care available all day for Cedar campus students
• Thursday 7 April: Cedar Athletics Day
  
• Friday 8 April: St Joseph Athletics Day
• Friday 8 April: End of Term 1
• Tuesday 26 April: Term 2 Commences
• School Tours for Prospective Parents (see links above)
• Open Mornings for current Parents (see links above)

Rejoice and Be Glad! (Psalm 118:24) - 2022 College Theme