Newsletter

Term 3 has been an incredible journey for Year 9, filled with opportunities that have allowed us to learn, grow, and challenge ourselves. From electives and excursions to leadership opportunities and performances, we believe that everyone has gained valuable experiences that will stay with us. As students reflected, highlights ranged from new friendships and cultural exchanges to House Performing Arts and the Vice Prefect application process, while the Pat Cronin Foundation presentations gave us all a powerful reminder of the importance of kindness and making the right choices.

As the Vice Prefects, we feel grateful for the countless opportunities this year has offered us to grow academically, socially, and as leaders. It’s clear to see the resilience and energy our year level has shown and the excitement to finish our Year 9 journey on a high in Term 4. With celebrations, challenges, and new memories still ahead, we look forward to carrying the lessons and experiences of this year into the future and hopefully for the rest of our lives. Here are some reflections from the students in year nine.

Pat Cronin Reflection

The Pat Cronin foundation visited us again on Monday the 1st of September. Last time the Pat Cronin foundation visited us they taught us about the impacts of violence and encouraged us to change the way we view it. This time we looked at the emotion of anger, and how we shouldn't allow it to control our actions, as well as some of the consequences of doing so. Our new guest speaker Stacey told us that anger is okay, but aggression is not. She walked us through personal experiences as well as cases of unmanaged anger which led to violence. She demonstrated how allowing ourselves to be ruled by anger never resulted in anything good and used cases of violence to emphasise how both the victim and the person acting with aggression are negatively affected. For me, it was interesting to see how different people can have different ways of controlling anger. Aside from this, I really enjoyed this information session because it built on what we learnt in the first session and gave me a deeper understanding of the consequences of aggression, and how we can avoid it in ourselves, our friends, and other people around us.

Student Reflections

Looking back on Term 3, it has been a very busy term full of many new opportunities and challenges that have shaped my learning and growth. The year 9s started their new electives including Food Technology, #NoFilter, TIDE, Art 2D and Art 3D. I started Discover Design and Body Mind Soul. These electives have allowed me to explore different subjects that extend my knowledge beyond the textbook. Furthermore, I served as a class captain this term, a role that has helped me to develop my responsibility and ability to support my peers in many ways. Moving on to LOTE, our Japanese class went to the Melbourne Museum to spend time with Japanese exchange students from Kyoto Seibo Gakuin. We got to meet new people and practise communicating in Japanese, which was invaluable. Additionally, for debating, the last debate for D Graders was held. Despite my team's debate being cancelled last minute, the preparation leading up to it was fulfilling because it gave me a lot of knowledge about the topic, which was on the Australian Census. Moreover, I had the privilege to compete in both the Australian Mathematics Competition and the Year 9 Maths Games Day. Both of these pushed me to extend my thinking beyond what I would usually do in a classroom. Finally, the SAGE students competed in the Tournament of Minds held at Deakin University, which was a collaborative competition consisting of problem-solving and critical thinking challenges. This allowed me to gain confidence and think more creatively under pressure. Beyond co-curricular experiences, the academic subjects have been running smoothly. The highlight of my term was the Romeo and Juliet performance in English where we were required to perform a scene of our choice. In science, we learnt about different chemical reactions, and for humanities, we learnt about the history of Australian colonisation. All things considered, this term has been challenging yet exciting, and I am looking forward to seeing what Term 4 has to offer.
Holly Trang 9C

Throughout this term I have enjoyed the diversity of new electives, as they provide me with opportunities to further expand my knowledge spanning across various different areas. These electives aid in preparing me for my future, whilst also making it an enjoyable experience by meeting new people and learning new things.
Sonja Rutz 9A

This term has been one of the most memorable and enjoyable parts of the year. I had the chance to experience so many new things, from hanging out with the Japanese students to performing in front of a huge crowd during the House performing arts. A highlight of the term was when Alex, Noah, Josh, and I performed "Livin' on a Prayer" for our House performing arts. We were a little nervous at first, but as soon as we got on stage, the crowd energy was amazing. Everyone was screaming and singing the lyrics, which made the whole experience so much fun and memorable. Another highlight of the term was meeting the Japanese students who visited our school. It was really interesting to learn about their culture and practice some Japanese with them. We spent time together, told stories, and discovered more about each other. It was a great opportunity to make some new friends and gain some new knowledge. Overall, this term has been full of fun moments, new experiences, and lasting memories. I’ve learned a lot, grown more confident, and made some amazing connections. I’m looking forward to seeing what next term brings!
Marcus Ng 9A

Term 3 has been a massive term especially for myself and a handful of my fellow students applying for Vice prefect positions. Starting from the 4 intensive leadership sessions where we learnt about the deeper meaning of the word "Leader" and how all the aspects are collated into each other. After that we then entered the vice prefect process consisting of the application, interview speech, student and teacher votes and now awaiting the final results. For myself the speech was a really nerve raking part for me but thankfully I continued to believe in myself and from support from others to complete it. Another big highlight was our ACS Winter season where I played tennis and won 5 out of my 6 tennis singles sets which was a really fun opportunity to play sport.
Harrison Brink 9B

Term 3 has been extremely action packed and engaging this year. For starters, we have been lucky enough to experience amazing opportunities such as incursions from the Pat Cronin organisation teaching us about the dangers of violence. These presentations were both engaging, knowledgeable and important to hear the harsh realities of violence. Selected students also had the opportunity to take part in the Australian Maths competition which was a great way to challenge and extend our understanding of mathematics. Furthermore our new elective subjects have been a particular highlight, with it being interesting to take on something new and help shape what our future years at St Aloysius could seem like.Term 3 has been my favourite so far of year 9!
Ruby Chiu 9E

This Term has been such a fun term with so many different topics learnt, and many goals achieved! A highlight for me from this term has been the semester two food tech class excursion to ‘Il Mercato Centrale,’ where we got to take a tour around the food hall and buy and eat great food from different cultures but mainly Italian.
Seb Hall 9B

On behalf of the Vice Prefect team, we wish the very best for the end of the term!

Annamai Wells, Noah Richardson Buchanan, Saskia Wong, Matilda O'Mahoney and Seb Hall
College Vice Prefects