Celebrating St Dominic

Our celebration of the Feast of St Dominic took place on Thursday, 4 August. We had our Eucharist in St Dominic’s Church and a Liturgy of the Word in the Latingata Morrom Gym. It was wonderful to gather as a community, albeit in two places and our readings on this day inspired us to continue to seek truth by being messengers of the Good News.

Commissioning of FIRE Carriers

On this special day we also commissioned our FIRE (Friends Igniting Reconciliation in Education) Carriers. Staff and students heard that the story told by Jesus and then Dominic was a new way of caring about all people and all things. This was the same as the spirit ancestors of this land used to do, so the Fire of New Dreaming story belongs to Siena College, just as the Scriptures do.

To be a FIRE Carrier requires strength and courage.

As FIRE Carriers you will lay strong foundations in our Siena community
to build respect, understanding and knowledge of our shared story
that started in this rich land thousands of years ago and continues today.

Stand tall FIRE Carriers
you are the Living Flames that will ignite the Fire of the New Dreaming
of True Justice, Love, Compassion and Hope for the world.

The Energy of St Dominic for Our Time: Parent Session

We joyfully invite our parents/guardians to a session that will provide you with the opportunity to learn more about St Dominic and the impact he made on the Church for over eight centuries and even now upon our students, your daughters. No experience necessary! Expect to be surprised.

When: Thursday, 8 September 2022 from 4.30pm to 5.30pm
Where: Heritage Board Room, Siena College

Subject Selection Process

The subject selection process continues in preparation for the creation of a 2023 timetable. Heads of Learning and Subject Selection Coordinator, Mr Soon, will contact any student who may have missed out on a subject choice due to timetable constraints and discuss alternative options with them. Students will be notified of their subjects in Term 4, coinciding with the release of the 2023 Booklists.

The accelerated subject application results have been emailed to parents and students. Those who were deferred will have the opportunity to reapply at the end of Semester 2. The same criteria was applied across the cohort unless there were exceptional circumstances. The process therefore remains fair and consistent for all our students. This ensures that students have the opportunity to perform to the best of their ability and have a solid foundation for their final year of study. Deferred application candidates will be contacted at the completion of their exams regarding the status of their application.

2023 Booklists

Booklists will be available on Siena Central in Term 4 and parents will be notified via email. Secondhand books will be run by the Siena Parents' Association on the College premises. Further details will be communicated at the start of Term 4.

Learning Conversations

In response to parent feedback, we have endeavored to provide more evening timeslots for Term 3 Learning Conversations. They will be held online on:

• Tuesday, 6 September from 3.15pm to 7.35pm
• Wednesday, 7 September from 10.00am to 7.00pm

It would be greatly appreciated if you could prioritise attending a daytime slot, therefore freeing up evening slots for those who cannot attend during the day.

Year 11 and 12 students taking a Unit 3/4 subject will be taking part in the GAT on Wednesday, 7 September from 9.30am to 3.30pm. These students will only be able to attend Learning Conversations outside this time. Whilst students are encouraged to attend the Learning Conversations, parents may arrange a meeting without the students' presence.

Wednesday, 7 September is a non teaching day for Years 7 to 11 students who are not taking a Unit 3/4 subject. Students are expected to attend the Learning Conversation with their parents.

Bookings can be made via the Learning Conversations tile on Siena Central, which will be made available on Tuesday, 30 August. If you are using a smaller device to access the tile, it will be located at the bottom of the page. Please scroll down to locate the tile.

Parents are encouraged to engage with their daughter’s subject reflections via Siena Central. Interim Reports will also be available for download from Siena Central (Academic Reports) prior to Learning Conversations.

General Achievement Test (GAT)

The GAT will occur on Wednesday, 7 September from 8.40am to 3.00pm. All students completing a Unit 3/4 subject are required to complete the GAT. Students allocated special provisions will finish later. Buses will run at their regular times to ferry students completing the GAT. Please see separate News Item for more information.

Trial Exams

Unit 3/4 Trial Exams will take place from Monday, 26 September to Thursday, 29 September. This is an important opportunity for our Year 12 students and Year 11 accelerated students to prepare for their final exams. All students completing a Unit 3/4 subject are expected to attend. Parents and students have already received the Trial Examinations Timetable. Parents will receive a Trial Exam Report in Term 4. Please see separate News Item for more information.

Happiness is a term that captures a huge variety of positive emotions such as humour, serenity, optimism, joy, pride, inspiration, love and hope. Happiness means different things to different people, which is essential to your understanding of emotional literacy. Throughout history, philosophers, religious writers and poets have pondered on the meaning of happiness and how it may be achieved. In the last few decades, scientists and psychologists have been doing extensive research on a field of science called 'Positive Psychology'.

The result of this research suggests that there is a strong correlation between gratitude and greater happiness. Practising gratitude helps you to shift your focus to positive memories or experiences by noticing the good in your life. Over time, this will rewire your brain to create new neural pathways, increasing your state of happiness and overall wellbeing.

At Siena, we are blessed with an environment that fosters positive relationships. House Group Teachers share a unique relationship with their students where they can celebrate House victories, participation and individual achievements. These relationships build on the Respectful Relationships curriculum and are supported by teachers who set classroom norms upon consultations with students to ensure that the learning environment is a safe and supportive space for all.

Students are encouraged to seek support within and outside the classroom to learn this life skill which can be developed throughout their time at Siena and beyond. Our Heads of House, Director of Students and College Counsellors are a great support to students across all year levels. A counselling services self referral form has recently been shared with students and it is heartening to see an increase in the number of students utilising this service.

SchoolTV provides parents and guardians with an opportunity to learn more about how to achieve happiness and the benefits of practising gratitude. Here is the link to the many resources available.

“Happiness is not the result of bouncing from one joy to the next; achieving happiness typically involves times of considerable discomfort. It’s more than simply a positive mood, it’s a state of wellbeing that encompasses living a good life.” Dr Michael Carr-Gregg

In 2022, the Office of the eSafety Commissioner has received more than a thousand reports of image based abuse (IBA), an increase from six hundred cases reported in 2021. More than half of the reports in 2022 are from people aged between thirteen to twenty-four years old, which is almost double from last year.

IBA happens when an intimate image or video is shared without the consent of the person pictured. This includes images or videos that have been digitally altered (using Photoshop or specialised software). IBA also includes the threat of an intimate image being shared, without the image itself being circulated. Both forms of IBA are often used as a weapon against people on social media apps.

What can you do?

If you find your daughter/child’s image has been shared online, it is important to remember the below key steps:

• Screenshot evidence
  It can be very helpful to have a record of what has happened; before deleting messages or posts, take screenshots of the account usernames, messages and posts involved. This includes URLs and remember to store the evidence in a safe place. Be careful about screenshotting nude images, even if it is a nude selfie. Creating, possessing or sharing nude images of people under eighteen may be a crime
• Report and block
  Make an IBA report to eSafety. You may like to assist your daughter/child in filling out the report form. You can also report the image to the social media site on which it was shared; the posting or sharing of nude images or videos without someone’s consent is against the guidelines of most social media services

If you are concerned about your daughter/child’s physical safety, contact your local police. When you have taken your screenshots and reported what has happened, encourage your daughter/child to block the other person’s account to stop them communicating with your daughter/child.

In response to the increased reporting of the crime, a campaign called ‘SCROLL’ has recently been launched by the Office of the eSafety Commissioner. It is aimed at educating adolescents in particular, on how to respond to online abuse.

If your daughter/child, or someone you know has been the victim of IBA, please contact me or a member of the Wellbeing Team to help you navigate next steps.

Here is the link to the Office of the eSafety Commissioner reporting service.

Selected students from Years 10 to 11 attended the Building Bridges Creative Day at Melbourne Grammar on Thursday, 28 July. The Building Bridges in Schools Program promotes mutual understanding, respect and ethical behaviour across our cultural and religious diversities. History illustrates that one of the primary causes of hatred is ignorance. Without developing relationships with those we consider to be different, our perceptions of those people are too easily defined by stereotypes born out of prejudice. The more we engage with people who are different from us, culturally and religiously, the more we realise how similar we really are.

This group of Year 10 and 11 students from Siena attend a series of rich and challenging sessions in interfaith dialogue and ecumenism at a range of Christian, Jewish and Muslim schools in the Central region. Our Creative Day began in the beautiful Melbourne Grammar chapel, featuring a prayerful service which was student led. We walked the labyrinth, created art, and journaled while focusing on Big Questions around the Climate Crisis and/or Peace. We shared a meal together and enjoyed some games which helped to consolidate friendships.

Some student reflections include:

"During the Building Bridges Creative Day at Melbourne Grammar School, other participants and I were granted opportunity to reflect upon our faith through connection with our mind, body and soul. Various rotations guided us with journaling, art and poetry to find clarity in big world issues, such as, World Peace and Climate Change, as well as our own personal struggles. Furthermore, central to the teachings of the day was the Labyrinth, a maze/pathway used by different faiths and cultures around the world for contemplation, mindfulness and prayer. Overall, through this reflective session we were able to strengthen our friendships with students of different faiths as well as with ourselves, gaining clarity on our stresses while connecting to our spirituality."

Carly W

"The Building Bridges program is one that I would highly recommend to all students. It has been an amazing opportunity to meet lots of new friends and learn that despite our diverse faith backgrounds we are actually quite similar. The program itself has provided us with a forum where we can reflect on what faith means to us and broadly, how we choose to live our lives by the things that shape it. Through sharing a meal and making new connections, which was enhanced by the Creative Day, I believe the program has empowered me to be a more open minded and empathetic person towards everyone."

Abbey B

Siena College encourages students to use their voice to uphold truth and justice, just as St Catherine was known to do. To foster this, we offer an opportunity called the Pillars Leadership Program which has run this term. This program is open to Years 7 to 11 students and aims to develop their knowledge and skills in various areas of leadership, recognising the importance of student voice and a shared vision. In addition, drawing their awareness and understanding of leading and working in teams with a Dominican lens and desire to be of service to others.

Below is a reflection by Year 11 Dianella House Captain, Evie G and Year 10 Cassia House Captain, Amy D

Over the past few weeks of Term 3, Years 10 to 11 students have had the opportunity to take part in the 2022 Pillars Leadership Program. The leadership course has been split into four sessions:

• Dominican Charism and Leadership
  Session One focused on the nature and leadership qualities a Dominican leader displays in all aspects of their life. We learnt about the importance of acknowledging our strengths and weaknesses as Dominican leaders, in order to put our best foot forward in team environments and reach out when we need to lean on the support of others.
• Collaboration and Delegation: Working with and for the Team
  Session Two focused on what makes a positive and cohesive leadership team. We learnt about the importance of establishing a shared vision in leadership, so all team members are aware of the common goal and see value in the part they will play to enable their team to reach it. We discussed that delegating tasks is empowering as you are able to play to the diverse strengths of all team members, for the best result.
• Public Speaking and Authenticity: Q&A with Current Leaders
  Session Three focused on bringing our authentic and unique selves to leadership roles. We learnt that knowing our audience and the space we are presenting in is important, as it helps us to build a sense of connection between the speaker and audience as well as the level of formality we need to bring to our presentation.
• Wellbeing, Self Care and Challenges in Leadership
  Session four focused on being able to take a step back, and take time to look after ourselves as leaders, especially when we find ourselves getting caught up attending to the needs of our peers. We acknowledged that as leaders sometimes we get run down and need to do what makes our ‘cup full' and refreshed. We learnt that saying ‘no’ to things is okay when we need to, and communicating with those around us when we need a hand is key. We also discussed the challenges that we will encounter whilst working with others. Considering how to have the ‘difficult conversations’ and manage situations in the best way were investigated.

On the sunny morning of Thursday, 21 July, thirteen Siena students from Years 7 to 9 and two staff members attended the Academy Conferences Thriving Minds Enrichment Day hosted by Scotch College.

Speakers included Oxford Farmington scholar, Julie Arliss, as well as particle physicist and Roman Catholic priest, Dr Andrew Pinsent, who joined us virtually from the UK. It was a fruitful experience which improved students' ability to make judgement and consolidate opinions in relation to controversial topics.

"The conference was an interesting experience that improved and consolidated the philosophical learning we had done previously, while breaking down more controversial topics to test our judgement and opinion-making. I particularly enjoyed the funny and sometimes confusing anecdotes which were delivered by our speaker. In one example, we looked at how parallel lines could theoretically meet, all while making a quick comparison to Elsa from Frozen. By making quirky links like these our speaker was able to interoperate and distort complex case studies as relatable media or stories which our brains could interoperate easier, while also making the lectures more engaging and very enjoyable to listen to."

Year 9 Student, Lilla M

Year 7 French Class

Being an island so far away from other countries, Australian students are not exposed to other cultures, cultural practices, languages and countries as casually as students from other countries around the world. As part of their language study, our students are encouraged to explore the history and culture that inform the languages that they are studying, in order to give them a fuller understanding of that language. Recently, our Year 7 French and Year 11 Italian classes have been exploring the influence of French and Italian culture in Australia.

Year 7 French students have been discovering the presence of French culture in Australia and have explored the challenges and benefits of living in a multicultural society. They were asked to create a presentation to demonstrate their findings to the class and were invited to share details about their own cultural heritage.

Year 11 Italian Class

Year 11 Italian students have been studying Italian immigration to Australia after the Second World War. They have considered the challenges faced by these Italians in a new country and considered the impact that they have had on Australia. As part of their studies, students were asked to write a dialogue in which they interviewed an Italian immigrant. Here is the dialogue written by Kiara B and Cassia A.

Click here to listen to the interview.

Interview Script

K: Buongiorno, oggi abbiamo un’ospite speciale, si chiama Cassia. Lei è un’immigrante italiana. Ciao Cassia, dimmi quando sei arrivata qui in Australia?

C: Ciao Kiara, grazie per avermi ospitata. Quando avevo 11 anni, sono venuta in Australia nel 1952 con mia mamma, mio papà e mia sorella. Siamo venuti in barca. Sono stata in barca per 3 mesi. C’era poco cibo e acqua, molte persone sono morte durante la traversata a causa delle cattive condizioni igieniche, le malattie, la fame. Era troppo affollato!

K: Perché sei emigrata? C'è una storia dietro il tuo ragionamento?

C: Sono emigrata perché Italia era distrutta dopo la Seconda Guerra mondiale, e non era più sicuro per la mia famiglia vivere lì.

K: Come ti sei sentita a lasciare il tuo paese d'origine?

C: Mi sentivo triste perché ho lasciato le mie amiche e la mia famiglia. Ma ero anche felice perché c’erano più opportunità di lavoro e di una vita migliore.

K: Com’era la vita dopo la Seconda guerra mondiale in Italia? Sei stato discriminata quando sei arrivata in Australia?

C: Dopo la Seconda guerra mondiale in Italia, c’era poco lavoro e un flusso di immigrazione perché tutti speravano in una vita migliore. Molti dei miei amici sono partiti con me sulla barca. Questo mi ha fatto sentire meglio nel lasciare il mio paese. C’era anche molto razzismo perché venivo da un altro paese e non parlavo bene la lingua. A causa del razzismo, era molto difficile trovare nuovi amici australiani.

K: Oh, che triste! Quanto tempo ci hai messo a trovare un lavoro dopo la migrazione?

C: Ci ho messo un anno a trovare un lavoro. Il mio primo lavoro era la fruttivendola. Mi piaceva molto e ho incontrato il mio primo amico di nome Luigi, che è diventato attuale il marito, che amo molto. Adesso abbiamo una famiglia con due figli e un cucciolo.

K: Che bello!

C: Sono orgogliosa di essere un’immigrata italiana. Sono felice di aver lasciato l’Italia perché ho una vita migliore e la mia famiglia è molto contenta.

K: Grazie per essere venuta oggi a SBS. È stato bello parlare con te!

C: Grazie a voi per avermi ospitata

2022 Berthe Mouchette Poetry Competition

A number of our French language students also participated in the 2022 Berthe Mouchette Poetry Competition. This competition promotes Francophone language and culture in Australia. We would like to congratulate the following students for reaching the finals of the Berthe Mouchette Poetry Competition organised by the Alliance Francaise. This year the students were required to send in digital submissions of themselves reciting their chosen poem. Finals will be held over the next few weeks. We wish the student semi finalists the best of luck as they participate in the finals.

Year 8

• Lucy B
• Amelia H
• Katie H
• Alice O
• Elodie B

Year 9

• Natacha V
• Asta R

Year 10

• Grace P
• Gabrielle G

Siena alumna (Class of 1999) and Scientist in Residence, Dr Lorien Parker has been conducting Science classes with our Years 7 to 9 students.

Year 7

In this class, students are learning about forces, and how unbalanced forces lead to motion. They have been graphing data obtained from investigating forces present in constant motion, falling downhill, rolling uphill and encountering friction. They will be applying their learning in their project which is building a marble run. This lesson was a chance to learn about how they might optimise a marble run to achieve a target of 30 seconds for the marble to fall.

Year 8

The Year 8 students are learning about light and sounds in a unit of physics. They have been exploring the properties and behaviour of light through a range of media, including using mirrors and lenses to explore reflection and refraction. They have explored the works of Carnovsky, a Milan based art and design duo whose artworks tell different stories depending on the colour of light used to view them. They were also able to create their own artworks that appeared differently under different colours of light.

Year 9

Students have been learning about control and regulation, specifically about the nervous and endocrine systems, how they function and support homeostasis. In this lesson students were investigating the stimulus response model and observing the speed of different senses. They then observed Ozobots and how their sensors are analogous to human senses in taking in external information.

Siena College Winners: St Kilda Football Lightning Premiership

Congratulations to our Senior Football team who have just won the St Kilda Lightning Premiership (Northern Zone). They attained top of the ladder after playing against Mentone Girls' Grammar School and St Mary's College. Siena beat Mentone Girls' Grammar again during the semi final to progress to the grand final, facing off against Kilbreda College. It was a very tightly contested grand final with Siena emerging as the winner.

Siena : Kilbreda
Round 1 - 4 : 3
Round 2 - 2 : 4
Round 3 - 26 : 22

The team now progresses through to the grand final at RESA Park, St Kilda Football Club to play against the Southern Zone winner.

Gender Equality in Sport Workshop

Thirty students from Years 8 to 10 attended a series of workshops on gender equality in sport recently. Olympian, Jemima Montag was the keynote speaker and host who recently won a gold medal at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games.

Students also listened to a panel of women elite athletes, and had an opportunity to ask questions about nutrition, women as athletes, mental health and high performance pathways.

In addition, students were given a tour of the St Kilda Football Club and were shown how high performance athletes at the St Kilda Football Club train and recover during the week.

GSV Preliminary Athletics Carnival

Well done to our Athletics team who competed in the GSV Preliminary Athletics Carnival. A special mention to the following students who came first in their respective events:

• Siena M (Discus)
• Chloe C (800m race)
• Holly N (Long jump, Javelin, 100m race, 200m race)
• Emmaline C (100m race )
• Valerija L (200m race)
• Alice O (High jump)
• Nati S (1500m race)
• Lucy P (Long jump)
• Teah W (Javelin)

We are looking forward to the GSV Championship Athletics Carnival on Wednesday, 24 August and we wish our students all the very best!

Annual Concert: Wednesday, 31 August

There is great anticipation for our Annual Concert after two years without one! The event will be held at Monash University’s Robert Blackwood Hall and will feature Siena’s many ensembles and choirs. We have been rehearsing and preparing throughout this term and are now counting down the days till this major school event takes place. Parents are reminded to complete the EdSmart permission form and to purchase concert tickets here. All are welcome.

Music Camp and Performing at Catholic Regional College

We were thrilled to take ninety-eight students on Music Camp over the weekend of Saturday, 6 August to Monday, 8 August. We set off on Saturday morning for Rutherford Park, Blampied, where we unpacked and got right into rehearsals and sectionals for Symphonic Band, Junior Band, Junior Choir, Junior Strings, St Cecilia Strings, Groove Train and Sisters of Swing!

It was amazing to listen and watch students improve their instrumental and ensemble skills. The legendary Trivia Night led by Ms Redman was a lot of fun for all. We worked and played hard, and made many new friends over shared experiences. A key highlight involved all students and staff joining together as a Super Band to play the Top Gun classic, Highway to the Danger Zone. It was also a wonderful surprise to have Mrs Hanney visit on Sunday and listen to our rehearsals. Many thanks to our students for their energy and effort, and to our staff for working tirelessly to provide an incredible experience.

On Monday, 8 August, we visited Catholic Regional College to perform for their Year 7 cohort. On entering the school, we noticed a St Catherine of Siena sign on the front gate and we felt an instant connection. Their College band students joined our Super Band for a fabulous performance and it was a wonderful opportunity for Siena ensembles to share their love of music with another Catholic school.

Victorian School Music Festival

Wind Orchestra and Symphonic Band have participated in the Victorian School Music Festival this week. This is a wonderful opportunity for our ensembles to perform at Hawthorn Arts Centre, participate in an onstage workshop with an expert clinician, and listen to other school bands perform. Thanks to all staff and students for their efforts!

Year 9 Silk Class

Year 9 students have gotten off to a great start this term. They have selected and researched a theme and then drawn up their own design for a silk panel artwork. Students then carefully applied this design to silk with gutta, a product that is derived from rubber trees to form a barrier between the different shapes and colours of their design. While applying the dye, students also used water and salt to create textures and patterns. They have all been working very hard and should feel very proud of their beautiful work.

Year 10 Costume Design Class

A costume communicates to an audience the role and personality of the character wearing it.

Last semester, our students conducted research work on a range of successful costume designers and the history of costume. They have all worked very hard to create folios and leather accessories from a selected time period. Building on this knowledge, students worked independently to research, design and create an imaginative children’s costume within a performing arts context. The students have all successfully completed a range of fabulous costumes.

Year 10 Product Design Class

Year 10 students have designed and produced a range of polymer clay jewellery that is inspired by a traditional design style. The design brief requires students to research the historical and aesthetic significance of the cultural tradition and to experiment with a variety of polymer clay decorative techniques and processes. The jewellery range must strongly reflect the design style and be constructed to a high quality. It must also display aesthetic appeal, functionality and durability. Check out below for some of our students' works.

Congratulations to Years 7 to 9 Geography students for achieving fantastic results in the 2022 Australian Geography Competition. Students tested their geographical skills and knowledge against nearly 70,000 students from all around Australia. Well done to all students involved!

High distinction: Zoe Z
Distinction: Lilla M
Credit: Amelia P, Valerija L, Zoe J

Some of our best public speakers from every year level and each House are competing for the prestigious Antonio de Montesinos Award next Thursday, 25 August from 6.00pm in the Susan Alberti Auditorium. Named after the intrepid and fearless 1500s Dominican friar and missionary, Antonio de Montesinos, this award immortalises his speaking prowess in small defenceless countries like what is now called the Dominican Republic, where he named and shamed leaders of the Spanish Empire and its treatment of indigenous peoples and indeed, influenced the whole New World.

We will welcome back to Siena College, our guest of honour adjudicator, Emilia Fuller (Class of 2014), who is now a producer and on-air contributor to Radio 3AW. Public Speaking Captain, Sasha Sahely, will be chairperson for the night and also interviewing Emilia on the night.

Congratulations to the following six students who will all speak on the topic, In Truth and Action and then attempt the same impromptu topic. Please come along and cheer them on as they battle for the Siena Public Speaking Champion bragging rights.

• Year 7: Gabriella van Delden (Dianella)
• Year 8: Steph Cullinan (Kurrajong)
• Year 9: Alana Stravato (Waratah)
• Year 10: Charlotte Lang (Kurrajong)
• Year 11: Sophia Velasquez (Cassia)
• Year 12: Helya Ezadi (Dianella)

Term 3 is always a hectic time for students in Years 10 to 12 as they choose subjects and explore future career pathways. Many students have been attending Tertiary Open Days in order to research further education options and gain understanding on life beyond Siena College. I am happy to meet with students and parents to discuss subject selections and tertiary pathways. Students and parents are encouraged to book an appointment using the Siena Careers appointment booking page.

In this week’s edition of Siena Career News you will find:

• Winter Discovery Nights at Box Hill Institute
• Information on the Monash Guarantee and Access Melbourne programs
• ADFA Virtual Open Day
• ACU Industry Talks (including Paramedicine, Nursing, Occupational Therapy and Exercise Science)
• Information on Diploma of Languages
• RMIT Flight Training Open Day and Tech and Trades Experience Day
• Nutrition and Exercise Science courses at VIC Institutions

Notice of Siena College Alumnae Association Annual General Meeting to be held on Monday, 12 September 2022.

Business to include:

• Election of Office Bearers and Committee Members
• Presentation of Reports
  

Click here for AGM Notice of Meeting, Nomination Form and Proxy Form

The De Castella Run is taking place on Sunday, 28 August. If you are interested, click here to join.