Ms Angela Romano -
As another busy and rewarding term closed, I find myself reflecting on what has been an extraordinary few months at Marian College. Term 2 was filled with learning, laughter, challenge, achievement and countless moments that have strengthened our community. It has been a term where our students have embraced opportunities, our staff have continued to inspire, and our families have partnered with us in supporting the growth of every young person.
One of the greatest privileges of being Principal is witnessing the remarkable growth of our students, not only in their academic learning, but in the people they are becoming. Every lesson, every conversation, every challenge overcome and every act of kindness contributes to shaping confident, compassionate and capable young women.
Throughout the term, our students have immersed themselves in a rich variety of experiences. Reflection Day, Semester One examinations, CGSAV Sport, production rehearsals, Mother's Day Breakfasts, National Reconciliation Week, excursions, co-curricular activities and countless classroom learning experiences have all provided opportunities for students to discover new strengths, deepen friendships and contribute positively to our College community. When viewed together, these experiences tell a much bigger story. They are not simply events on a school calendar; they are opportunities to shape character, build relationships and nurture the qualities that will serve our students long after they leave Marian. It is this understanding of education that drew me to reflect on the words of Pope Leo in his recent encyclical Magnifica Humanitas (Magnificent Humanity).
In a world increasingly shaped by Artificial Intelligence and rapidly advancing technologies, Pope Leo reminds us that while machines may process information with extraordinary speed, they can never replace what makes us uniquely human. He writes:
"So-called artificial intelligence does not undergo experiences, does not possess a body, does not feel joy or pain, does not mature through relationships and does not know from within what love, work, friendship or responsibility mean."
His words resonate deeply with our mission as educators. Schools remain one of the few places where young people learn alongside one another, build relationships, experience belonging and discover who they are. Whilst technology will undoubtedly continue to transform the way we live and work, the formation of character cannot be automated. Courage, compassion, resilience, wisdom, empathy and hope are cultivated through relationships, shared experiences and communities that genuinely care. At Marian, these qualities remain at the heart of everything we do.
Our commitment to justice has also been beautifully demonstrated through our support of the Brigidine Asylum Seekers Project (BASP). At the beginning of the year, I challenged our students to help raise $10,000 for BASP. At the halfway point of the year, I am delighted to say that we are well on our way to achieving that goal.
We finished the term with the Great Marian Shave! It was wonderful to see our community embrace the fun while remaining focused on the important purpose behind the event.
One of the highlights was welcoming Renee Mazloum, CEO of BASP, who shared powerful stories of the work BASP undertakes to support asylum seekers and refugees. Her presentation challenged us to see beyond statistics and recognise the dignity, courage and humanity of those seeking safety and a new beginning.
Students also participated in our backpack walkathon, carrying backpacks to symbolically experience, in a small way, the burden of leaving everything behind in search of hope and safety. These experiences remind us that justice begins with understanding and that our Kildare values call us not only to care, but to act.
I thank our students, staff and families for their extraordinary generosity and look forward to continuing to support this important initiative throughout the remainder of the year.
This last term we commenced the development of our new Strategic Plan 2027–2030 in partnership with McCrindle. Through a series of workshops and consultation sessions, students, staff and parents have generously shared their aspirations for Marian's future. These conversations have been thoughtful, inspiring and, at times, wonderfully challenging as we collectively imagine what Marian can become over the next four years.
During the final week of term, our leadership team, some staff and student representatives worked alongside McCrindle to begin shaping a future-focused vision for the College. While there is still much work ahead, it is exciting to see a shared direction emerging, one that honours our rich history while preparing our students to flourish in an ever-changing world. I look forward to sharing more of this journey with our community as we continue to shape Marian's next chapter together.
Thank you to our exceptional staff for your dedication, professionalism and unwavering commitment to our students. Thank you to our families for your continued partnership, and most importantly, thank you to our students. You continue to make Marian a place of hope, learning and belonging through the way you support one another, embrace challenges and strive to become the very best version of yourselves.
I look forward with great excitement to all that awaits us in Term 3.
Strength & Kindness
Ms Shelley Smith - Transition Coordinator -
As Term 2 comes to a close, it’s wonderful opportunity to reflect on the many events and initiatives that have strengthened our connections with prospective students, families and parish school communities. Through school visits, Discovery Day and our Twilight Open Evening, we have welcomed hundreds of visitors to Marian and shared the many experiences that make our College such a vibrant and supportive place to learn.
Throughout the term, we visited six of our priority parish feeder schools: Holy Eucharist, Mother of God, St Peter Chanel, St Lawrence, St Mary Mackillop and St Bernadette’s.
Accompanied by student leaders and alumni, these visits provided primary students with valuable insight into the transition from primary to secondary school. Students learned about Marian’s facilities, programs and co-curricular opportunities, while also hearing firsthand about the experiences of those who have successfully made the move to secondary education.
The visits provided a welcoming environment for students to ask questions and begin to picture themselves as part of the Marian community. Their enthusiasm, curiosity and engagement were a highlight at every school we visited.
One of the standout events of the term was our Twilight Open Evening on Thursday, 28 May, which welcomed more than 220 guests throughout the evening.
Families began the evening with a presentation from Principal Angela Romano, who shared the College's vision, values and commitment to providing a holistic and enriching educational experience. Visitors then explored the campus through guided tours led by our student leaders, gaining a firsthand look at the diverse learning opportunities available across the College.
Interactive activities in Science, Technology and the Design Warehouse were particularly popular, offering engaging, hands-on experiences that showcased learning in action. Visitors also explored displays in the Year 9/10 Building and spoke with staff about curriculum offerings and student pathways. The evening featured performances from the choir, concert band and cast of The Addams Family, along with a VET Beauty showcase demonstrating student treatments and industry skills, highlighting the breadth of talent and opportunities within our community.
Adding to the welcoming atmosphere, families enjoyed a sausage sizzle in the Marian tents, coffee and muffins prepared and served by students. The evening was a wonderful celebration of our college community and provided prospective families with an authentic glimpse into life at Marian.
Another memorable occasion this term was Discovery Day held on Friday 29 May, where Grade 4 students spent the day immersed in a range of engaging learning experiences across the College.
Students participated in practical workshops in Woodwork, Food Technology and Science, allowing them to explore specialist facilities and develop new skills in a fun and supportive environment. These hands-on sessions offered an exciting introduction to secondary school learning and encouraged students to step outside their comfort zones and try something new.
During recess in the Resource Centre, students heard from current student leaders and alumni, who shared their transition journeys and reflected on their experiences at Marian. The day continued with delicious muffins prepared by our college chef, before students took part in sports games to conclude the visit. Students and teachers left with positive memories and plenty of excitement for the future.
As we look ahead to Semester 2, we thank our staff, students and alumni for their enthusiasm and support in making these events such a success. Their contribution continues to strengthen the connections between Marian, our feeder schools and the families we are privileged to welcome into our community.
This term in Personal Development Skills, the VCE Vocational Major students went on three excursions to Welcome West Wagon. West Welcome Wagon is a volunteer run not-for-profit based in Sunshine, started in 2013 they are committed to welcoming and supporting asylum seekers and refugees as they start new lives in Australia. While we were there we helped organise and pack bags for refugees arriving in Australia, these bags include clothes and necessities for new arrivals. This experience taught students the importance of helping people in need. Students also learnt about the challenges refugees and asylum seekers face when leaving their homes and adapting to a new country. The excursion helped us understand how small acts of generosity can make a big difference in someone’s life and create a welcoming community for everyone.
Sabrina Cornally -
As we move into the cooler months and seasonal colds and flu become more common, we kindly ask families to keep children at home if they are unwell or experiencing cold or flu-like symptoms. This helps reduce the spread of illness and protects the health of our school community.
We also encourage families to consider annual flu vaccination as an effective way to help protect children, staff and vulnerable members of our community. Thank you for your support in keeping our school healthy and safe.
Parents and carers of students with asthma or allergies are reminded to provide the school with current Asthma or Allergy Action Plans and ensure all required medications, including Ventolin, spacers, antihistamines, or EpiPens, are supplied and in date. Up-to-date plans and medication help us respond quickly and safely in an emergency.
If you have any questions, please reach out to the College's nurse via email at Nurse@Mariansw.vic.edu.au
Ms Kerrie Williams - Assistant Principal : Wellbeing -
With the end of Term 2, and the beginning of Semester 2 with the mixture of unseasonal warmer weather and then the coldness, rain and the winter solstice, we need to remind each other of the strategies that help and enhance our own wellbeing and that of our students.
The key aspects of our wellbeing are eating well and making sure that we are getting enough sleep so that we can keep doing all the things we have to
With this in mind some key information that we need to share with our community at this time.
Each year at around this time our Head of Learning Diversity – Ms Tracey Deguara does an amazing job of collecting and collating all the data over the course of the year where adjustments have been made to any students learning program. These individuals and the adjustments that have been made need to be included in our NCCD data for the Federal Government.
Please take a moment to look at the attached information, and please note that students are de-identified in the process.
At this time of the year, it is pleasing to give our community on an update on our school production – ‘The Addams Family - Young @part’ that will take place in the first week of August this year.
Our dedicated staff and cast have been working tirelessly to put this all together and at our end of term assembly members of the cast will give an update to our student community and where the process is at.
We look forward to all this hard work coming to fruition as we celebrate the creepy and the spooky family that lives next door.
In our last edition of the Marian News, we highlighted the fact that we needed to reschedule our Athletics carnival due to the weather in early May.
This has been rescheduled for Friday 9th October which allows our graduating Year 12 to be part of the day which is very important for us as community.
At a recent staff meeting the Whole School Framework Working party presented to the staff their vision for what the framework looks like and asked for input from the staff on their thoughts about what this will look like.
This framework is key – as it will be the scaffold on which all our work from a learning, wellbeing and faith perspective will be aligned.
The working party will now reconvene to review the staff input and look forward to sharing with our community later in the year this key piece of our work in supporting our students to succeed and flourish.
The staff recently looked at the changes to the PROTECT process that were introduced in March this year.
These changes look at the new categories on which a report to the authorities would take place. These include:
A report related to an adult engaged in working in the school community
Student to student offending
Child Abuse within a family
Child Abuse within the community – for example a sporting club.
This does not change in any way the staff’s obligation to report their concerns to the authorities, but it broadens the reasons for reporting in an effort to ensure that the young people in our care are protected and cared for in the manner that our families expect when they send to school each day.
On Wednesday 3 June we held our most successful Sudanese and Burmese Parent Evening were our families covered the following areas:
SEQTA and how we can use it as parents
How to check attendance and assessment information for our child
Child Protection Update
School Update – renovations and changes into the future...
We look forward to the next Sudanese and Burmese Parent Evening later ths year, as we continuing to build this important partnership with our community.
A reminder to all our families of the expectation of explaining student absences each day.
Letters related to significant unexplained student absences are being processed this week for families that have not explained the multiple absences of their children.
We thank all those families who support this process daily by contacting us to inform us of the absence of their child.
As we enter the colder months, we often have additional clothing items that seem to become additional uniform items.
These include:
Kathmandu jackets and other variations of this type of jacket, rather than our school blazer.
Hoodies added to their PE uniform that are not part of our uniform.
Other uniform concerns are:
Students not wearing their school tie – which is a compulsory item.
Wearing their PE tracksuit pants pretending that they are school pants.
Wearing nose piercings, even though we have changed to rule and students are now allowed to wear a plug during the school day.
A reminder to all families that our uniform shop is open each Wednesday and Friday between 10.30 and 1.30pm.
We have started the process of handing out raffle tickets at the front gate each morning to those students who are in the correct uniform, and they will go into a draw at the end of term assembly for a voucher.
We are also collecting the names of students who have the incorrect uniform, and we are issuing detentions for these students.
