Newsletter

This year, the focus for International Women’s Day is “accelerate action” towards gender equality and a fully inclusive, equal and diverse world.

The themes of inclusion, diversity and parity were a focus in the St Aloysius College whole-school assembly where students were fortunate to hear from a panel of women working in the construction industry at Bldg Eng and SEMZ.

Each of the four women guest speakers spoke to their experience of inclusion, equality and high degrees of professional and personal success in the construction industry. This has included delivering meaningful projects for communities across Melbourne and Victoria, namely the construction of the St Aloysius College Senior Campus (set for delivery in 2026).

The speakers busted myths about fears around on-site safety in a male dominated industry. They affirmed the positive legislated protections for all workers, as well as the focus of their own employers as ‘employers of choice’ for women, as shown by Bldg Eng's 50:50 gender balance across the business. This affirmed the positive place of diversity and inclusion in construction.

Year 11 Student Leadership: Badge Blessing and Presentations

Congratulations to the following students on being voted as Year 11 leaders this year. Commendation goes to all students who put forward their nominations. I know that all students will lead with courage and compassion in service others in the College community. The badges were presented by Siobhan Bloomfield and Sister Anila Isaac, who blessed the badges in the Mercy tradition of the importance of selfless other-focused leadership in accord with the Mercy charism of Catherine McAuley.

Term 1: Mid-term reflections

Term 1 has been a busy, exciting and in the coming weeks a time of academic focus with the first formal summative assessment tasks. This is an important time for students to give themselves the best possible success through balanced preparation across all subjects, keeping things in perspective and being dedicated to growth, curiosity in their learning and continued improvement.

The past two weeks in year 11 have been quite busy. With our opening school mass on Friday, 28 Feb, which was a great way to open our new academic year, to International Women's Day Assembly which was led by some women in charge of the construction of our new campus and the Ash Wednesday liturgy which each pastoral class participated in and received ashes on their forehead, these are important markers of our College calendar. So far in VCE, there has been a jump in workload from Year 10 and our teachers and mentors have been really helpful in supporting us as a lot of our SACs are coming up soon.
Jaqui P, 11B

Year 11-12 Legal Studies Incursion: Rob Hulls AM

On Thursday 6 March, the College welcomed former Victorian Attorney-General and Deputy Premier, Rob Hulls AM, to speak to all Year 11-12 Legal Studies students about his experience in the Victorian criminal justice system. With a vast wealth of legal knowledge and lived experience, his talked enriched student learning of their Unit 1 and Unit 3 course work and outcomes. Additionally, the stories he shared of his work in Victorian law reform, notably the creation of the Koori Court and Drug Court to include greater cultural sensitivity and rehabilitative focus within the legal system, shed a light on the considered, important and incremental process of legal change and reform in Victoria.

Mr Hulls shared his professional story as a young lawyer working in rural Queensland and later as a highly experienced Attorney-General. It was inspiring to hear about his work within Australia's justice system and this provided valuable insight into the ongoing disparities between communities across the country. It was clear how the social teaching we learned about in Religious Education had links with the Victorian criminal justice system and how fairness can be achieved in meaningful ways in the legal system through reform. It was amazing to meet one of the key creators of the Koori Court that we had learned about in Unit 1 Legal Studies. Thanks to Mr. Hulls, we were able to gain a deeper understanding about the legal system and the efforts being made for it to become more inclusive and fair.
Astha B, 11A

This incursion was an eye-opening experience that highlighted the importance of a fair and accessible justice system and made us reflect on how the legal system should focus on helping people, not just punishing them. His passion for the legal system was evident as he spoke about the need for specialist courts, such as the Koori Court and Drug Court, to address underlying social issues rather than simply punishing offenders. It was a powerful reminder of how the legal system can be used to create positive change in society. Overall, after Mr Hull presented his experience, it inspired us to learn more about the legal system and how the justice system can continue to evolve to better serve the community.
Jasmine F, 12C

Tom Crowle
Senior Years Leader