Newsletter

A very warm welcome and return to all Senior Years students this week. 2026 promises to be a dynamic and exciting year, particularly for students in the Senior Years with the advent of the opening of the Senior Years Boundary Road campus.

As we return to the 2026 school year, the College theme is Mercy Unfolding: The spirit of unity dwells amongst us. This unity for all VCE students is symbolised by the new VCE jumper recognising the status of VCE students as ‘senior’ students and leaders in the St Aloysius community. This includes commemorative detailing to recognise and pay respect to the heritage and traditions of all-girls education at St Aloysius College.

Year 12 students also have the Year 12 scarf, with the design phase with Noone Imagewear. Exciting updates to align with the College uniform update of 2023. These unify the VCE cohort to each other and to the new College branding.

Year 12 Retreat

I commend all Year 12 students for the positive start to the 2026 year at the Year 12 Retreat hosted at Australian Catholic University. The Retreat centred on the importance of unity and the Mercy values in the Catholic faith tradition. It was time for Year 12s to come together, unify and set their intentions for their coming year of studies.

A new addition for 2026 was emphasis on First Nations spirituality, as part of our ongoing College commitment to reconciliation. This included an artful reflection activity facilitated by Emma Bamblett (pictured above with students) - an Aboriginal artist with connections to Wemba Wemba, Gunditjmara, Ngadjonji and Tanugurung mobs. This was an important moment for students to connect with the artist commissioned by the College to design artworks that will be featured throughout the new Senior Campus at Boundary Road. Connecting with Emma as the commissioned First Nations artist can give students greater understanding of her personal story, identity and connection to the designs that will be visible in the new building.

In addition, students visited ACU and the University of Melbourne for two university tours. These were valuable opportunities for students to consider how their studies and efforts to ‘strive for higher things’ will align to the entry requirements for further studies in the future.

The Retreat was a resounding success thanks in large part to Mr Valladares. I know students thanked him and Pastoral leader, Ms Litvin, for their facilitation on the days.

Year 12 Formal

In 2026, the Year 12 Formal was held at the Park Hyatt in East Melbourne. This was a glamours venue and a new direction from previous years which best accommodated a ‘small but mighty’ year level in a more suitable. The evening was a fun-filled night of celebration for the commencement of the 2026 year for the Year 12s. Joy is a crucial aspect of formal schooling. It energises and adds enriches student experience. Indeed, memories of schooling may focus far more, it could be argued, on the collective experiences of co-curricular and enrichment such as events like the Formal.

Students were resplendent in their formal attire and enjoyed the updated format with canapés and mocktails in a leafy and secure courtyard garden. A fitting beginning for an evening of fun and celebration.

STRIVE Program

Another highlight of Term 1 so far has been the STRIVE Program – a four day integrated program that focused on offering an engaging week of activities and experiences that promoted the idea of a ‘healthy body, healthy mind.’

For Year 12 this included a keynote address by Glen Gerryn, former young Australian of the Year and motivational speaker, who spoke about the powerful force of ‘hope’ in the lives of young people in order to ‘strive’ to achieve personal excellence in their education and broader lives. Students also bonded and worked in teams in Strike Laser Tag and Bowling, yoga practice, a boxing circuit session, a nutrition session that included making nutritious salads and an acai bowl dessert, completing the artful reflection activity from Retreat to be used for a mural in the Year 12 common space and mental health seminars from College psychologists and a second from Headspace which is the National Youth Mental Health Foundation.

For Year 11 this included a keynote address by Darren Pereira, that focused on VCE success strategies, two off-site ‘trail days’ in the city at Hardrock Climbing, Adventure Escape Rooms, the National Gallery of Victoria and the State Library. This was in addition to school-based days that included a ‘study sensei’ session facilitated by Elevate Education, a yoga session, an artful mindfulness activity and a boxing circuit and nutrition session across the four days. In short: a jam-packed week of engaging, active, collaborative and mindful wellbeing activities.

It’s always difficult to gauge the favourite from students, but it would be a close call between Hardrock Climbing and the Adventure Escape Rooms.

Thank you to the Year 11 students who really made the week a joyful experience for each other and the staff who attended. The students were a great group to spend the week with, were on time (early!) to all sessions and wore the uniform with pride – a great week.

I think the standout for students was the laser tag. Who knew the group were a competitive group of would-be snipers in the dark.

Thank you to the Year 12 students who really made the week a joyful experience for each other and the staff who attended. The students were a great group to spend the week with, were on time (early!) to all sessions and wore the uniform with pride – a great week.

Tom Crowle
Senior Years Leader