Angela Romano - Principal -
As we move through another busy and productive term at Marian College, there continues to be much to celebrate across our community. From student achievements and learning opportunities to staff initiatives and future planning, there is a strong sense of energy and purpose throughout the College.
A particular highlight recently was our Staff Spirituality Day, centred on the theme of Justice- Making the Needs of the Vulnerable Paramount. In the busyness of school life, it is important that we take time as a whole staff to pause, reflect and reconnect with one another and with the values that underpin our mission. The day provided an opportunity for staff to deepen their understanding of justice as a Gospel value, to engage with important social issues and to consider how we can each contribute to creating a more just and compassionate world. It was a powerful reminder that our commitment to justice is not simply something we teach, but something we seek to live each day through our words, actions and relationships.
This focus on justice has also been intentionally woven through our recent Year 7-11 Reflection Day inviting students to consider their responsibility to stand with those on the margins and to use their gifts in service of others. Through these experiences, our students are developing a deeper understanding of justice, compassion and advocacy, helping to form young women of strength and kindness who are committed to making a positive difference in their communities and the wider world.
Marian College continues to thrive as a vibrant and connected community, with staff, students and families embracing the many opportunities that enrich College life. Planning for 2027 is already underway, with significant work occurring around subject selection, staffing and future programs. The subject selection process is a particularly exciting time for students, allowing them to explore their interests, strengths and aspirations while creating personalisedpathways that support future study and career goals. The breadth of opportunities available reflects our commitment to student voice, choice and engagement, ensuring every learner can pursue a pathway that is meaningful and challenging.
One of the highlights of the term has undoubtedly been our outstanding school production, The Addams Family. The production showcased the remarkable talents of our students, both on stage and behind the scenes, and demonstrated the creativity, dedication and teamwork that characterise Marian College. The performances brought together students, staff, families, alumnae and local primary school communities, creating a wonderful celebration of the arts and strengthening the sense of connection across our College community. Events such as these remind us that Marian is more than a school; it is a community where people come together to support one another, celebrate achievements and create lasting memories. As we look towards 2027, it is this strong sense of community, partnership and shared purpose that gives us confidence for the future.
There is a real sense of excitement across the College as we put the final touches on our Strategic Plan 2030. This important document has been shaped through extensive consultation with students, staff, parents, College Stewardship Council members, ensuring it reflects the hopes and aspirations of our entire Marian community.
The Strategic Plan builds on our strengths while setting a bold and inspiring direction for the future. Grounded in our Brigidine Tradition y and the Kildare Ministries identioty, it will guide our priorities and decision-making over the coming years as we continue to empower young women to thrive, lead with courage and make a positive difference in the world. We look forward to sharing the completed plan with our community in the near future.
Strength and Kindness.
May God bless our Marian community as we grow in faith, live with strength and kindness, and use our gifts to make a positive difference in the world.
With this week being Bullying, No Way! week our prayer recognises those who may feel excluded
God of Love,
We pray for anyone who has ever felt excluded,
Ignored, judged or alone.
Remind them that they are valued,
Loved and worthy of belonging.
Open our eyes to those around us
Who may be struggling in silence.
Give us the courage to reach out,
The compassion to listen
And the kindness to include everyone.
Help us build a community
Where differences are celebrated,
Every voice is heard
And every person is treated with dignity.
May we follow Jesus' example
By welcoming everyone with love.
Amen.
Belinda Flynn - Assistant Principal : Learning & Teaching -
It has been a busy and exciting start to the term, with plenty of opportunities for students and families to think about learning, pathways and what comes next.
We began the term with our Careers Expo and Aspire Information Evening, welcoming students and families from Year 8 – 12. Students had the opportunity to explore the subjects and pathways available at the College, while also speaking with representatives from more than 20 external organisations, including Deakin University, Victorian University, RMIT and the Australian Defence Force. It was fantastic opportunity to ask questions, explore possibilities and start thinking about where learning At Marian might lead.
Our Year 9 Inquiry Project Evening was another highlight. Students proudly showcased their learning from their City experiences and shared their projects with families and members of the College community. The evening captured what authentic learning can look like when students have the opportunity to investigate, create, problem-solve and share their learning with a real audience.
Planning for 2027 is also well underway. Information evenings, Subject Mentoring and Web Preferences have provided students with opportunities to make informed decisions about their learning programs for next year. We know how important these choices are to students and families. While it is not always possible to accommodate every first preference, we work carefully through the process to provide students with a program that supports their interests, learning needs and future pathways. We are excited to see our Wonder, Explore and Aspire programs continue to take shape in 2027.
Our Parent-Teacher-Student Conferences have also been and gone for another Semester. Thank you to the many families who participated. These conversations are an important opportunity for students, families and teachers to reflect on progress, celebrate growth and identify the next steps in learning.
For our VCE students, the coming weeks are particularly important. As coursework is completed and students move closer to final assessments and examinations, establishing consistent study routines becomes increasingly valuable. Families can support students by encouraging a manageable study schedule, regular retrieval and practice rather than simply rereading notes, good sleep and breaks, and conversations about what they are learning rather than focusing only on results.
Our Year 12 Trial Examinations, held during the second week of the September holidays, provide another valuable opportunity for students to practise under examination conditions. More then simply a test of knowledge, the trials allow students to refine their study techniques, practising managing time and identify areas requiting further attention before their final examinations.
Across the College, we are also continuing our focus on the Science of Learning and what this looks like in action in our classrooms. Our aim is to ensure students experience learning that is clear, purposeful and responsive to their needs. Teachers continue to explore evidence-informed approaches that strengthen memory, check understanding, support active engagement and help students make meaningful connections with their learning.
There is plenty still to come this term, and we look forward to continuing to work in partnership with our student and families as we support every student to grow, learn and prepare for what comes next.
Kerrie Williams - Assistant Principal : Student Wellbeing -
As we approach the last part of winter and the daylight is lasting a little longer and we can see the first signs of Spring trying to break through we look at all that has been happening over the first part of term 3. This includes.
The eSafety commissioner has just released a 3-month report evaluating the impact of the social media age restrictions on our young people.
Please click here to see the report
This report explores the early experiences of children, as well as their parents, three months after the commencement of Australia’s social media age restrictions.
It describes early findings from eSafety’s evaluation of the age restrictions, drawing on baseline data collected before the commencement of the age restrictions (November to December 2025) and data from the three-month follow-up survey (March to April 2026).
This report is the first in a series that will be published over the course of the two-year evaluation.
It highlights any changes observed since the commencement of the age restrictions and provides an early assessment of how the restrictions are being implemented and experienced (for example, whether children continue to hold accounts on age-restricted social media platforms or have lost access to them), alongside early outcomes and any potential unintended consequence.
While substantial changes were not necessarily expected at this early stage, the report highlights how the restrictions are being experienced by children and their families, helping to identify emerging issues that may warrant ongoing monitoring.
What this report can and cannot tell us
This report provides a snapshot of children’s and parents’ early experiences three months after the commencement of the social media age restrictions, offering insight into initial patterns of access, behaviour, and emerging signals of change.
Importantly, the value of this report lies not in determining the long-term effectiveness of the policy, but in examining whether the early changes anticipated under the policy are beginning to occur and whether the foundations for longer-term outcomes are being established.
We encourage our families to take a look at this report and the summary report of their findings. We will continue to share this information with our parent community.
We have over the course of the last couple of weeks needed to send a number of students who have been unwell which is understandable given the winter months.
We have also had a number of parents/guardians come over the course of the day needing to collect their child/children. We understand that at times this is unavoidable but please note that sometimes due to movement of classes, students moving to specialist areas such as the Sports oval or Design Education that this can sometimes take some time.
We thank you for your understanding in this space.
As part of our involvement in the Refugee Education Support Program we held the term 3 meeting at Marian on Wednesday 12th August.
This involved a gathering of 40 staff from a range of primary and secondary schools in the Brimbank Melton area that are working collectively to support our families from a refugee background.
The focus of the day was around the best ways to support our families with simple measures such as ensuring that our families receive material from school not only in English but in their native tongue.
We discussed this in our context and how we can best support our families at events such as parent teacher conferences.
We are working towards developing a project with the help of our families that would identify the best ways to support our families. In some schools this has been a homework club or family gatherings around food. Feed them and they will come.
Our Year 10’s with the support of our school nurse Sabrina have been involved in the council immunization program for meningococcal.
This is such an important free service provided by the council to ensure that our young people are protected from diseases.
One of the ways that we as a society ensure that these diseases are kept under control is by a vaccination program that supports HERD immunity that then offers protection for all, espcially the most vulnerable within our community.
Those students who did not receive their vaccination from the council will be followed up by the council to ensure that they are at least receiving the vaccination from their own medical practitioners.
Over the course of this term we have found several members of our community who are struggling with our uniform expectations in relation to grooming such as false eyelashes, nails and facial piercings. This has required our Community Leaders and Director of Students to either withdraw students or send them home to correct these concerns. We made adjustments to our piercings policy last year – where students can have a plug but not the stud during the school day, but a number of our students feel that this may not apply to them.
We thank all our students and families that support our uniform expectations by ensuring that their students are in the correct uniform on a daily basis.
Thank you to all our families that support our attendance processes by calling the school and confirming that their child is absent for the day and the reason why.
Can we also remind families that if you know that your child has an appointment during the day and needs to leave early, that if they bring a note in the morning that this will be checked by their homeroom teacher and they will be given a leaving early pass that they will present at student reception when they depart.
Finally, a government expectation is that all families explain their child’s absence when this occurs. We remind our families that our expectation is the government expectation. This includes completing the Attendance Follow up documents if your child brings them home.
We are now only a few weeks away from September and the second half of term 3. It is hard to believe that term 4 is just around the corner. How time flies! in the meantime take care of yourself and your wellbeing and check on a friend to see how they are travelling as well.
The strength of a community is its collective wellbeing
Trina Siwabessy-Zhou -
On the 31st of July, Year 11 Indonesian students had an opportunity to particpate in the Model UN Conference that was held in collaboration by the Victorian Department of Education and Training (DET) and the Victorian Indonesian Language Teachers’ Association (VILTA).
This year's UN Conference was on the topic of Modern Slavery. Many schools were gathered in the auditorium of the Victorian Academy of Teaching and Leadership building, in which small groups within the schools to represent members of the UN, such as Indonesia, Australia, Canada, China, Saudi Arabia, UK, and Japan - just to name a few.
Our school represented Germany at the UN conference demonstrating to be a beneficial and exciting experience for the VCE students. Furthermore, the experience enhanced the student's confidence, sense of global citizenship and love of learning Indonesian language and its culture.
Shelley Smith - Transition Coordinator -
This semester, Marian College has connected with six of our primary parish feeder schools through visits designed to introduce students to the opportunities and experiences awaiting them in secondary school. Accompanied by Marian student leaders and Alumnae, our team shared insights into College life, highlighting our facilities, programs and the many opportunities available to students.
These visits provide primary students with an opportunity to ask questions, discover what secondary school is really like and hear directly from students who have experienced the transition themselves. The excitement and curiosity of the students make each visit a wonderful opportunity to strengthen our connections with our feeder schools.
On Wednesday 5 August, the College welcomed students and staff from St Paul’s, St George Preca and St Marianne Cope for a special primary school matinee performance of The Addams Family Jr.
The students enthusiastically embraced the performance and enjoyed the opportunity to learn more about what happens behind the scenes. During a Q&A with members of the cast, they asked thoughtful questions about the characters and acting, rehearsals and backstage production.
The positive feedback from our visiting schools reflected how much the students enjoyed the experience. They were impressed by the talent and dedication of our students and staff and grateful for the opportunity to visit the College. We look forward to continuing to invite our primary school communities to experience events at Marian.
St Theresa’s and St Lawrence Primary Schools joined us this term for Discovery Days, giving students the opportunity to experience a taste of secondary school through a range of engaging, hands-on activities.
Students explored Science, Food Technology and Woodwork, taking part in science experiments, creating sculptures from scrap wood and making delicious chocolate balls. There was also time to unwind in the Resource Centre, where students enjoyed muffins, browsed the books and took part in some fun competitions.
Thank you to our college representatives who welcomed our visitors and supported the activities throughout the day, helping to create a warm and memorable experience for our primary students.
Building strong relationships with our primary school communities remains an important part of Marian’s transition program. Through school visits, Discovery Days, performances and other transition events, we aim to build familiarity and excitement while helping students feel confident about their journey to secondary school.
We are pleased to announce that the much-anticipated Year 10 Social for our Year 10 students from Marian College and Emmanuel College is almost here! This will be a fantastic evening of fun, music, food and friendship.
Date: Thursday 10 September 7:00 - 9:30 pm
Tickets: $10 each
A try booking link will be distributed with the upcoming student note.
We are excited to host our annual Father's Day Breakfast for 2026, a fantastic morning to come together and celebrate Father's and Father Figures within the Marian Community
Come along on Friday, 4 September from 7:30am, and enjoy a BBQ breakfast and barista coffee!
Click the poster to RSVP!
