Newsletter
April 2024
Holy Lent
Lent teaches us to control our senses and desires.
Dear College Community,
Bread is important for the body and mind. A sound mind needs a healthy body, but bread can nourish the body without nourishing the soul. Healthy bodies do not necessarily indicate sound minds. The lust of the body can deceive humans, as seen in the story of Esau and Amnon. Esau lost his blessing for a simple meal of lentils that his brother Jacob had prepared, showing how the desire for food can lead to costly consequences. Similarly, Amnon's lust for his relative Tamar led to rape and caused a war within his family. Lust gives birth to death, as taught in the Bible. The people of Israel also lusted for food in the wilderness, longing for the food they had as slaves and murmuring against the food provided by the Lord. This angered the Lord, and despite giving them the meat they asked for, He struck them with a great plague.
The devil's first temptation was also about food, which humans failed. However, the Lord conquered the devil's temptations even in the weakness of a body that had fasted for forty days. The temptations on the mountain teach us to resist all our lusts, whether they are bodily needs or the love for worldly glory. Pursuing worldly glory can lead to unnecessary risks and even loss of life. Absalom's desire to be king led to betrayal, war, and ultimately his own death. Love for material possessions can also drive people to commit horrible actions. We should not be deceived by such lusts and instead learn to control ourselves.
The Lord has shown us the way and given us an example to follow in conquering the devil. We should only worship the Lord our God.
Fr. Tadros Sharobeam
Head of College
Acting Principal's Message
As we come to the end of Term 1, I want to take a moment to reflect on the incredible journey we've had so far this year at SMCOC. It has been a term filled with achievements, growth, and memorable experiences for our entire college community. First and foremost, I want to extend my heartfelt congratulations to all our students on their achievements this term. Whether it's academic success, sporting accomplishments, or personal milestones, each achievement is a testament to your hard work, dedication, and resilience. Your commitment to excellence inspires us all, and I am immensely proud of each and every one of our students.
Throughout the term, our college has been buzzing with activity, from parent meet and greets, camps, sporting events to creative arts performances and community service initiatives. It's been truly inspiring to see our students engage with passion and enthusiasm in every aspect of college life. I want to express my gratitude to our dedicated teachers and staff who have worked tirelessly to provide enriching opportunities for our students and foster a vibrant learning environment throughout Term 1.
As we approach the Resurrection season and reflect on the significance of Lent, let us take time to pause and consider the teachings of Jesus Christ. Lent is a time for spiritual reflection, repentance, and renewal, reminding us of the sacrifice made for us and the promise of resurrection and new life. Let us embrace this season with open hearts and minds, seeking to deepen our faith, cultivate compassion, and extend grace and forgiveness to others. In the words of Psalm 119:105, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." May we continue to draw strength and guidance from the Word of God as we navigate the journey ahead, knowing that God is with us every step of the way.
Over the school holidays, I encourage each of you to take time to rest, rejuvenate, and reflect on the blessings in your lives. May you find joy, peace, and renewal in the company of loved ones and in the embrace of God's love. Wishing you all a blessed school holidays and we look forward to seeing all the bright and smiling faces in Term 2.
Germaine Saad
Acting Principal
Child Safety
College Bus Service
Dear Parents and carers who utilise the College bus service,
Parents and carers who utilise the bus service to transport their children to and from school should advise the Bus Coordinator if you are going to move houses. The Bus Coordinator will then inform you if the College bus service is available to your new suburb, or new street address. If the service is available, the Bus Coordinator will inform you whether there is room for your child or children on that bus run.
Talking to the Bus Coordinator about your plan for moving houses will give you time to plan your child/children’s transport in a timely manner. This will also reduce any anxiety associated with securing transport to and from school,
- if the bus service is not available to your new address, or
- if there is no room for your child or children on the bus run that is available. In this case, your child/children may go on a waiting list.
Parents and carers need to be aware that the College cannot provide a new bus run to accommodate two or three students’ transportation needs. The College will consider that when the number of students (passengers) justifies providing a bus run to a new area or adding a bus run to an existing area that is currently serviced by our bus service.
Communication between parents/carers and the Bus Coordinator is highly appreciated.
خدمة باصات الكلية
،أعزائي أولياء الأمور ومقدمي الرعاية الذين يستخدمون خدمة باصات الكلية
يجب على الآباء ومقدمي الرعاية الذين يستخدمون خدمة الباصات لنقل أطفالهم من وإلى المدرسة إبلاغ منسق الحافلات إذا كنت ستنتقل إلى منزل جديد. سيقوم منسق الباصات بعد ذلك بإبلاغك إذا كانت خدمة باصات الكلية متاحة لضاحيتك الجديدة أو عنوان بيتك الجديد. إذا كانت الخدمة متاحة ، فسيخبرك منسق الباصات ما إذا كان هناك مكان لطفلك أو أطفالك على متن ذلك الباص
إن التحدث إلى منسق الباصات حول خطتك للإنتقال الى منزل جديد سيمنحك الوقت للتخطيط في الوقت المناسب لسفر طفلك / أطفالك. سيؤدي ذلك أيضا إلى تقليل أي قلق مرتبط بتأمين السفر من وإلى المدرسة
أ- إذا لم تكن خدمة الباصات متاحة لعنوانك الجديد، أو
. ب- إذا لم يكن هناك مكان لطفلك أو أطفالك على متن الباص المتاح. في هذه الحالة ، قد يضاف أسم طفلك أو أسماء أطفالك إلى قائمة الإنتظار
يجب أن يدرك أولياء الأمور ومقدمو الرعاية أن الكلية لا يمكنها توفير خدمه باص جديد لاستيعاب احتياجات السفر لاثنين أو ثلاثة من الطلاب. عندما يبررعدد الطلاب (الركاب) تشغيل باص، ستنظر الكلية في توفير تشغيل باص إلى منطقة جديدة أو تشغيل باص إضافي إلى منطقة تشملها حاليا خدمة باصات الكليه.
.ألتواصل بين الآباء / مقدمي الرعاية مع منسق الباصات هو محل تقديرنا الكبير
Hanan Khreish
Policy & Compliance Leader
College Bus Drivers’ Meeting
On Thursday 18th April, the College conducted a meeting involving all the College bus drivers. The meeting forms part of the College’s efforts to meet its obligations when it comes to raising the bus drivers’
awareness and understanding of policies and regulations that are related to the College’s bus operations.
The meeting commenced with lunch provided by the College, followed by a presentation covering some College policies related to the Bus Operation and driver legal obligations.
The main topics discussed during the drivers’ meeting included:
Incident Reporting and Investigation Policy, protocols and procedure,
Child Safety Code of Conduct and reporting child safety issues,
Bus Driver’s Code of Conduct, Smoking and Vaping Ban in schools, and around school sites in Victoria, and Bus Driver’s Emergency Management Plan.
Throughout the meeting, the drivers had the opportunity to ask relevant questions and share any issues encountered while on the job. Question time was also provided at the end of the meeting, during which we responded to questions and heard from the drivers about some of their concerns, as well as suggestions for improvement.
I would like to take this opportunity and thank the Canteen management for the catering service they provided us and thank members of staff who assisted with the logistics. We were pleased to meet with the drivers and hear from them and look forward to meeting again next term.
Mrs. Hanan Khreish
Policy and Compliance Leader
إجتماع سائقي باصات الكلية
عقدت الكلية يوم الخميس 18 نيسان\أبريل إجتماعا ضم جميع سائقي حافلات الكلية. ويأتي هذا الاجتماع في إطار جهود الكلية للوفاء بالتزاماتها بما يتعلق برفع وعي سائقي الباصات وفهمهم لسياسات الكليه والقوانين المتعلقة بعمليات باصات الكلية.
بدأ الاجتماع بغذاء قدمته الكلية، تلاه عرض تقديمي يغطي بعض سياسات الكلية المتعلقة بتشغيل الباصات والالتزامات القانونية للسائق.
:وشملت المواضيع الرئيسية التي نوقشت خلال اجتماع السائقين ما يلي
سياسة وبروتوكولات وإجراءات الإبلاغ عن الحوادث والتحقيق فيها -،
مدونة قواعد السلوك الخاصة بسلامة الأطفال والإبلاغ عن قضايا سلامة الأطفال -،
مدونة قواعد سلوك سائق الباص-،
حظر التدخين والفيبينج Vaping - في المدارس، وحول مواقع المدارس في ولايه فكتوريا ، و-
خطة سائق الباص لإدارة الطوارئ.
وطوال الاجتماع، أتيحت الفرصة للسائقين لطرح الأسئلة ذات الصلة ومشاركة أي مشكلات تمت مواجهتها أثناء العمل
كما تم توفير وقت للأسئلة في نهاية الاجتماع ، حيث قمنا بالرد على الأسئلة واستمعنا إلى السائقين حول بعض مخاوفهم ، بالإضافة إلى اقتراحاتهم البنائه.
أود أن أغتنم هذه الفرصة وأشكر إدارة الكانتين على خدمة تقديم الطعام التي قدموها لنا، وأشكر الموظفين الذين ساعدوا في الخدمات اللوجستية لقد سررنا بلقاء السائقين والاستماع إليهم
، ونتطلع إلى اللقاء مرة أخرى في الفصل القادم
ألسيدة حنان خريش
مسوءله سياسة الكليه والإلتزام
Stay Connected:
Get the SEQTA Engage App Now
SEQTA is our learning management system. Part of SEQTA is SEQTA Engage, which It is a powerful tool for parents and carers to have an overview of their child’s learning and assessments. It provides parents and carers with access to key information about their child's academic programs and progress, which is quick, easy and confidential. This includes access to their timetable, as well as attendance and punctuality records, assessment results, teachers’ feedback and College reports, enabling greater collaboration and enhanced learning outcomes for your children.
Both the SEQTA Engage and SEQTA Learn (for students) sites use the SEQTA Teach programmes as the primary vehicle, through which all the teaching and curriculum-related information are shared.
As parents and carers, you can download SEQTA Engage below.
BRIGHT, BRILLIANT, BOLD BLUE HOUSE!
This year, St. Mary’s Coptic Orthodox College implemented a new House Points initiative. Our House Points initiative encourages healthy competition, promotes teamwork and collaboration, and fosters a positive school culture.
All students in Primary belong to one of the following Houses:
Blue – St. Philopeter
Green – St. George
Red – St. Pheobe
Yellow – St. Theodora
Throughout Term One, students were working hard to collect points for their house. Students could collect points by demonstrating kindness, resilience, hard-work, perseverance, and other exceptional qualities. At the end of Term One, we announced that the house that achieved the most points was BLUE HOUSE! Today our Primary students in Blue House celebrated by wearing blue clothing. As you can see, our Blue House students were very excited to celebrate together.
Ms Sarah Fraser
F-2 Cluster Coordinator
Ms Carla Maisano
3-4 Cluster Coordinator
Liz Robertson
Year 5/6 Cluster Coordinator
Year 6 Classroom Teacher
Fit To Drive
Fit to Drive (F2D) is an educational program giving insight for our year 11 students about the complexities of decision-making, and risk assessment as a young road user. It is not only factual but interactive in a way to extract life skills such as avoiding distraction (use of mobile phones) that are useful in all aspects, especially in their studies.
Chris Mathew,
Year 11 Coordinator
Upcoming Ressurrection Event
“Even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus”
Ephesians 2:5–6
Dear SMCOC Community,
You are warmly invited to join us as we commemorate the profound love and redemption of Jesus Christ, who gave His life as the ultimate sacrifice for our salvation and freedom. Let us come together to honour and celebrate this transformative gift of love.
Share in the joy with us at our Resurrection Celebration on Tuesday, May 7th! This special event is a wonderful opportunity to come together and celebrate with our school family.
To add to the joy and unity of the occasion, we encourage everyone to wear white t-shirts; this will be a beautiful visual representation of the power of His love.
Students are encouraged to wear plain white t-shirts with their sports pants.
We look forward to seeing you all on May 7th!
Swimming Carnival
St. Mary's Coptic Orthodox College organised a thrilling swimming carnival for students in years 5 to 7. The event was filled with excitement and fun as students participated in various activities related to swimming.
The swimming carnival provided a platform for young students to showcase their swimming skills and compete with their peers. It was a great opportunity for them to demonstrate their abilities and improve their technique in a friendly and supportive environment.
The students thoroughly enjoyed the carnival and actively participated in all the activities. It was a day filled with laughter, cheers, and encouragement.
Anzac Cookies
The students made Anzac biscuits as part of their class project. They learned a lot about Anzac Day while preparing these delicious treats. They discovered that Anzac biscuits have a deep historical connection to the soldiers who fought in World War I. The students discussed the significance of Anzac Day and how it is a time to honor and remember the sacrifices made by the ANZAC soldiers. They also learned about the traditional ingredients used in Anzac biscuits, such as oats, coconut, and golden syrup. It was a fun and educational experience for the students!
English Week - Spelling Bee
SMCOC 2024 Spelling Bee
Recently, SMCOC celebrated 2024 English Week.
As part of the various activities, Year 7 and 8 students participated in the annual
Spelling Bee. All students had an opportunity to participate and strive for the coveted
titles.
Congratulations to our following winning students:
Marie Bayoud – 2024 Year 7 Champion
Marie Anderaus – 2024 Year 7 Runner-up
Nicole Toma – 2024 Year 8 Champion
Tiana Kadas – 2024 Year 8 Runner-up
Pascha at SMCOC
On Passion week, our staff and students gathered together in prayer to attend the Coptic Paschal service for Holy Week, led by our beloved Fr. Tadros.
We listened to a reading of the prophecies of the First Hour of the Monday service and chanted the paschal praise to our Lord, Jesus Christ: 'Thok te ti gom' (to you is the power). We then listened to the chanting of a psalm in the special 'Attribi' tune, followed by a reading of the holy Gospel in the mournful tune and the attached exposition.
We hope, as a College, to follow the advice of H.H. Pope Shenouda III, who wrote:
"Meditate on the events of the week one by one, from Palm Sunday when Christ refused His worldly kingdom and the Jews gave up their hopes in Him, until they crucified and buried Him".
These morning Pascha services at SMCOC will continue through to Thursday.
Year 2 Werribee Mansion Excursion
On the 24th of April, Year 2 students and their teachers experienced a day in the life of the Chirnside Family and their servants that lived and worked at Werribee Mansion in the past.
Year 2 students are currently studying about the History of Technology this term. This excursion encourages students to compare their own lives with that of the Chirnsides and reinforces their learning of how technology has changed since then.
Students were given a glimpse of what it’s like to live in the past through work and play - washing, drying and ironing clothes at the second biggest laundry room in Victoria, learning about children’s toys and education of the past, as well as walking through historic farms, gardens and mansion grounds.
It was a memorable experience for Year 2 students, with a lot of walking and learning, and a great day for all.
Cheers,
Ria
Important Dates
1Monday 15th April: Commencement of Term 2 for Teacher & Students
Tuesday 16th April: Year 11 Incursion - Fit to Drive
Thursday 18th April: Liturgy 8:30am Year 9 & 10
Friday 19th April: Swimming Carnival – Year 5-7
Monday 22nd April: English Week
Wednesday 23rd April: Werribee Mansion - Year 2 Excursion
Friday 25th April: ANZAC Day
Canteen Price Changes
As you have been informed the prices at canteen have changed, please make yourself familiar with these changes and ensure your child has the correct money to purchase from the canteen.
You can find out price updates on via the menu changes we circulated via SEQTA.
St Mary's Coptic Orthodox College
19-35 Thorpdale Avenu, Coolaroo 3048
93 - 301 0999
stmarys.vic.edu.au