I warmly welcome all members of our College community to this first edition of our College newsletter, The Paduan, for 2025. This year is a significant one in the Catholic Church as we celebrate a Jubilee Year with the theme of ‘Pilgrims of Hope’, this dovetails beautifully into our own 2025 College them from Catherine McAuley, ‘Do good today but better tomorrow’. Our students have already been introduced to both these themes this year at our College commencement celebrations.
Last week we assembled as a whole college for our High Achievers Assembly. This is one of the times throughout the school year where we all come together as a community and celebrate our high achieving graduating 2024 students, as well as a number of Year 11 2024 students who completed Unit 3/4 subjects last year. It is important that we celebrate this success as a college community not only to acknowledge these achievements, but also to provide the rest of the student body the opportunity to see what success looks like and aspire to achieve their own personal best. This assembly is also where we welcome our new Year 7 students to our community and it is a delight to watch them parade into the gym under their House banners.
We also celebrated our College Opening Mass led by Bishop Tony Ireland and concelebrated by a number of our parish priests – Fr Geoff McIlroy, Fr Bill Ousley OMI, Fr Shymon Thekkekalathungal and Fr Jacob Alvares SAC. This was a beautiful ceremony and I extend my sincere thanks to the members of our College Mission Identity Team – Mr Matthew Williams, Mr Jean-Paul Antoine, Deacon Graeme Pender, Mrs Anne-Marie Wilkinson, Mrs Natalie Beattie, Mrs Kathleen Ronchi, Ms Mo Cromar, Mrs Emma O’Dowd, and Mrs Jodie Williams. I also extend my thanks to Mrs Williams Music in the Spirit class for leading the beautiful music during this celebration.
Last week was certainly a busy one at Padua College as our Aspire9 cohort of students and staff joined together for the 2025 Aspire9 Launch Day at Seawinds at Arthurs Seat. I thank Mrs Emma O’Dowd who has taken on the role of Acting Director of Aspire9 for 2025 and the Aspire9 Coordinators: Mrs Georga Bryant, Ms Lauren Ori and Mr Jayden Tomkins along with Ms Rebecca Seal, for their organisation of this important day to start the Aspire9 program.
Term 1 commenced with the Wominjeka (Welcome) Retreat for our Year 10 students which was enjoyed by all involved. This week we have had Welcome Evenings at each of the campuses and next week we start our Year 7 camps with the Mornington Campus cohort heading off on this valuable experience that provides opportunity for our incoming Year 7 students to get to know each other and their teachers. Over the coming weeks Year 7 students from the Rosebud and Tyabb Campuses will also attend their camps and our Year 12 students will head out on their Year 12 Retreat.
Student Achievements
Congratulations to Caitlin Bouwmeester (Year 12 2024), who has been selected to exhibit her VCE Visual Communication and Design work in Top Designs 2025 at Melbourne Museum. Top Designs is an annual exhibition coordinated by the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) in partnership with Museums Victoria, showcasing outstanding design works made by VCE and VCE VET students from schools across the state. Selected works exemplify the innovation, skill and creativity that can be achieved within the Victorian Curriculum.
Top Designs will run from 29 March until 20 July at the Melbourne Museum, 11 Nicholson St, Carlton.
Staff News
We welcome the following new and returning staff to the College this year:
- Mary Armstrong (St Peter’s College)
- Chelsea Brodie (Keysborough College)
- Jodie Connell (Mary Mackillop Catholic Regional College, Leongatha)
- Louise Duke (Casimir Catholic College, Sydney)
- Helen Gianopoulos (The Grange College)
- Heidi Hutchison (Mount Eliza Secondary College)
- Karyn Jones (Westernport Secondary College)
- Dean Patton (Mount Eliza Secondary College)
- Damian Perry (Aquinas College)
- Elise Quirk (Mackillop Catholic College, Darwin)
- Kate Swift (Sacred Heart College, Geelong)
- Claudine Zalatan (Genazzano College)
We welcome back the following Staff Returning from Leave at the Commencement of 2025:
Staff Taking Leave at the Commencement of 2025:
- Anthony Barnhoorn (LSL) then resigning
- Andrea Cummins (LSL) then resigning
- Jenny Tomkins (LSL) then resigning
Currently on leave and continuing leave in 2025:
- Brittany Van Schajik-Graham
Congratulations
Congratulations to Shaun Price
and wife Chloe on the arrival of baby Elodie earlier in the year.
Condolences
We extend our condolences to the following staff who have lost family members over the holiday break and early this year:
Anna McShane on the passing of her mother, Beverley Creese.
Sean Glyde on the passing of his father, John Glyde.
Sam Dewhurst on the passing of her father, Alan Dewhurst.
We also keep in our thoughts and prayers Deacon Graeme Pender as recovers from serious surgery and Mrs Suzanne Enderlin who is also recovering from serious surgery at this time.
Mobile Phone Policy
I wish to thank parents for their continued support of our College Mobile Phone Policy. At the commencement of 2019 Padua College implemented this Policy which does not permit students to access their phones during the school day and it has been met with great success with our students being so much more engaged with each other during the day.
I would like to take this opportunity to remind both students and parents that if mobile phones are brought to school, they are to be placed in lockers prior to the first bell, and remain in lockers throughout the day where they can then be accessed again after the final bell. Any mobile phones being used throughout the school day will be confiscated.
If students need to contact home throughout the day, they should see their House Co-ordinator or go to College Reception.
Uniform
A reminder to all members of the Padua College community that the College Uniform is expected at all times. The College Uniform policy can be found in the student diary (for Year 7 - 9 students) and on the College website: https://www.padua.vic.edu.au/enrolment-tours/uniform. Wearing the College Uniform reflects our students’ pride in themselves and in the College and I ask all parents and guardians to make themselves familiar with these regulations and support us in ensuring that your child is wearing our College uniform correctly.
Enrolments
Year 7 2026 Enrolments
Please be aware that enrolments for Year 7 2026 were conducted last year with the Grade 5 2024 students. If you have a current Grade 6 2025 student who is not already enrolled or not on College waiting lists, you should contact Mrs Rachael McIvor, Enrolment Registrar, immediately.
Year 7 2027 Enrolments
Online Enrolments for Year 7 2027 at Padua College (children in Grade 5 2025) opened on Tuesday 28 January 2025.
Prospective families are invited to visit their nearest Junior Campus on a school tour to get a sense of the culture, community, environment, and opportunities that an education at Padua College offers, bookings can be made via the following link: https://www.padua.vic.edu.au/enrolment-tours/school-tours-3.
Details regarding Year 7 2027 enrolment are now available on the College website https://www.padua.vic.edu.au/enrolment-tours/information-applications.
Enrolment applications for Year 7, 2026 close Friday 30 May 2025.
School Photographs
Annual school photos have been taken at all Padua College Campuses. To be able to view the images of your child and order photos, you will need to register online by going directly to the Arthur Reed website: https://order.arphotos.com.au . You have to enter the 2025 image code for your child (from their personalised flyer distributed by their Homeroom Teacher). Please note that all photo packages will be sent directly to you at home this year, so please ensure that you enter your correct details and delivery address upon checkout. If you do not have internet access or encounter difficulty ordering photos you may contact Arthur Reed directly on (03) 5243 4390 or email: customerservice@arphotos.com.au
Staff Contacts
Padua College works in partnership with parents, recognising families as the prime educator of their children. During the year, parents should feel free to contact the relevant staff if they require help or advice. The list of Staff Contacts for 2025 is available on the College website via this link.
Peace and blessings,
Kelly McGurn
PRINCIPAL
