It has been an eventful start to the 2024 school year at the Tyabb Campus, commencing with the welcome of our new Year Seven students, who will eventually be known as the Class of 2029. Already this cohort has become a valuable addition to our community, enthusiastically engaging in many school events.

Indeed, term one has already presented several exciting opportunities for student participation and, in continuing to celebrate student voice as a means of empowering our young people, students have shared some of their experiences below…

Tyabb Opening Assembly

It was great to gather as a whole Tyabb community for our first assembly of the year where we covered our new uniform focuses, our new school motto, and 2024 focuses and most importantly we happily welcomed our lovely New Year 7s. We had them process into the gym in House order and it was great to meet our new Tyabb members formerly. First, we welcomed our lovely new McCormack house, they had a photo and then continued to their seats. Then we had our Geoghegan and Doyle houses. And finally, we saw our Cardijns before we continued with the assembly.

Written by Zoe Armour

Opening College Mass

On 15 February, there was a Mass held at Padua College’s Mornington Campus to celebrate the arrival of Year 7 students, new staff members and the school leaders taking on their responsibilities. The Mass, filled with music, prayers and references to Taylor Swift, went by quickly. The atmosphere was peaceful and everyone was respectful, reflecting on their relationship with God. It was great to see all of the year seven students dressed in their blazers, showing how proud they were to be part of Padua College. All in all, the Mass was a great experience, especially for the Year 7’s (and Swifties.)
Written by Rob Ammann.

We all were waiting outside to be brought into the gym so the mass could begin. I was feeling nervous and excited to finally be presented into high school. I was waiting patiently in my seat to consume the holy bread. After the mass finally ended all of my nervous energy was gone.
Written by Harry Birks.

Ash Wednesday

On 14 February the Tyabb Campus had a mass to celebrate Ash Wednesday. We all gathered in the hall to celebrate this liturgical event. The liturgy went on until eventually the time came to have ashes from last year's Palm Sunday spread on our forehead in a cross symbol. As Ash Wednesday finished, Lent started, and everyone was encouraged to give something up until Easter.
Written by Jade Ross.

Year 7 Camp

On the 19th of February the Year 7s went on camp up in Healesville. It was a 1 hour and 45-minute ride to Ferngully Lodge. When we arrived, Jason, the owner of the camp, gave us a quick safety lesson about the camp rules. After the safety lesson we got straight into the activities such as; the flying fox, the commando course, the dragonfly (baby giant swing), the trampolines/indoor games such as air hockey and table tennis. Then we got told our 4 groups and started to get ready for the night. After showers and dinner (schnitzel, potatoes gravy, and veggies, dessert we had a dark chocolate brownie and whipped cream) then we went into the hall and played in homeroom group games with Jason. Then we all went to bed.

In the morning, we ate breakfast (scrambled eggs and bacon on toast) then we got into our four groups and started more activities: The Giant Swing, The Pool, Initiatives/ Games indoors with Mr Nisbit and Archery. For lunch we had Burgers and then for dinner we had Spaghetti. After dinner we had a liturgy led by Miss Mo and she brought Luna along as well. Then we watched a movie, Over the Hedge and we got to eat Lollies during the movie. Then we went to bed.

The next morning, we needed to pack up our cabins and get ready to go to the Healesville Sanctuary before we went home. For breakfast we had pancakes with maple syrup. Then we loaded the bus with all our luggage and said goodbye and thank you to Jason and his staff, before heading off to the Sanctuary. We saw many different endangered animals such as the oranged-bellied parrot. We watched a bird show with trained animals and then visited the gift shop. Once we had lunch, we left for the bus ride home.

It was an amazing experience for our first high school camp.

Written by Charlotte Whittle and Rachel Davidson

Term One SRC Update

This term in SRC we have been discussing what we can do for the term 1 sport at lunchtime. We have also begun to look at ways we can celebrate Easter and academic competitions for those who would be interested in extending their learning. As a team, we have also been brainstorming is ways we can commemorate International Women's Day on Friday 8 March. Some ideas we have come up with are:

• wearing a touch of purple on your uniform
• arts and crafts activities
• and watching movies directed by women.

Written by Holly Modderkolk.

Life-Saving Victoria Surf League Comp

On Tuesday the 20th of February the Life Saving Victoria School Surf League competition was a huge success. Down at Cosy Corner, Torquay, school students battled it out in several events including board, swim, beach sprints and flags, and relays. Padua College had a strong team across all three campuses in all age groups. Padua gathered a team of about 30 students and there were around 300 competing on the day from all schools. It was great to connect with students from other campuses and meet new people from other schools. Everyone had lots of fun and gave it their best shot. Padua ended up coming second overall which was an amazing outcome. Huge thanks to all Life Saving Victoria officials, volunteers and Kelly Parrish for organising it on behalf of Padua College.
Written by Jack Willis.

On the 20th of Feb I went to Cozy Corner in Geelong -Torquay Front Beach- for a schools’ lifesaving competition. There were lots of different schools all over the state ready to win. We competed in year levels and gender. There were heaps of great events to choose from, my favourites in the water were the swim, board race and I really loved the wade relay and the aqua cameron relay. As the day went on, I realised that it was more of a fun experience than a scary one. On the beach there were Flags, sprints, and sprint relay. Sprint relay was better than I’d expected because by the time the water events had finished it was low tide, so we got to run on the hard sand! Overall, the day was so much fun and so worth every scary moment. The event ended at 2pm with Padua coming in 2nd overall! Everyone put in a great effort, and I can't wait to do it all again next year!
Written by Kalani Love

Tyabb’s Flags

This year Aaidan and I are responsible for the 4 flags displayed on the flag poles at the Tyabb campus. The flags that are displayed at Tyabb are the Australian flag, the Indigenous flag, the Torres Strait islander flag and the Padua College flag. Every afternoon we lower the flags carefully, so they don't touch the ground and then another two monitors put them up every morning.
Written by Tom Hoadley Royale.

Aspire9 Update

Aspire9 Launch

On Wednesday the 7th of February, the year nines of 2024 went on their first Aspire9 excursion. We were heading up to Seawinds, Authur’s Seat. The Tyabb students hiked along steep hills to get there, where we were greeted by Rosebud and Mornington students. Some teachers and house leaders ran a liturgy, and then we all split into small groups based on houses and did some “Getting to Know You” activities. After that, we had a lunch break where many people socialised and made new friends. Then, there was a small assembly-like thing to discuss the day's events and say goodbye. Then, we all left one house at a time and returned to school.

It was a great experience and almost all of us, if not all of us, made some great new friends.

Written by Madeleine Little.

Aspire9 First Aid

For Aspire9 today we were split into two groups, half would go to Point Nepean and the other half would stay at Tyabb and do some first aid. My friends and I were part of the first aid group and even though at first it sounded quite boring it was a pretty good day. The person who was teaching us was a lady named Jess who gave us some theory then launched into a few practical tasks. We learned CPR, how to wrap bandages properly and when to and what to do in other medical emergencies. She finished it off with a quiz rewarding everyone who got the answer right with a lollipop.

Written by Bella Birks.

Aspire9 Bush Walk

The 2024 Aspire9 bush walk was very interesting and fun. We walked the Point Nepean walk and learned so much about the history behind the place. After the walk all of us went on a bus which told us more fun facts about the place. Once we got off the shuttle bus we arrived at the old quarantine centre, where we did a scavenger hunt trying to find facts on the place.

Written by Tilly Jenkins.

Walking Club

Every Monday at lunch Ms Brown gathers a group of students at Tyabb Campus who are enthusiastic about getting out and about and going for a walk. We meet at the office after grabbing our food and head out for a 50-minute walk. We’ve only done this three times but every week we have gone somewhere new. We’ve seen horses, played on a tire swing, and walked around the back of the school.

Written by Bella Birks.

There continues to be many upcoming events and activities throughout the remainder of the term. Carers, please keep an eye on the school calendar for important dates and encourage students to check messages daily on Simon for relevant information. We look forward to sharing many more experiences with you.

God bless.

Student Photo Permissions

At times, photographs or videos of our students will be published in newsletters, on the school intranet or website, or in our social media. Copies of our Standard Collection Notice and Privacy Policy are available on the College website in the Enrolments section of our Policies page. Please note that consent to use these images in this way, if provided at enrolment, may be withdrawn at any time by contacting our marketing team via email: marketing@padua.vic.edu.au .