Welcome back everyone and a very warm welcome to our Year 7 families. We also welcome some new Year 8 and 9 families to our community. We hope that the transition for all has been a smooth one.

It has been a fantastic start to the year for our new Year 7 students, who have settled in well and embraced the transition to secondary school with enthusiasm. They recently took part in a session learning the Padua song, with Mrs Williams. The students sang with passion, and this was a great way to connect with one of our Paduan traditions. Now, they are eagerly preparing for their upcoming camp at Ferngully Lodge, which promises to be an exciting opportunity for adventure, teamwork, and new friendships.

Meanwhile, our Aspire Nine students kicked off their leadership journey with a launch event at Arthurs Seat in Seawinds. Despite the hot weather, they made the most of the day, engaging in activities that encouraged collaboration and connection. It was a great opportunity for them to build relationships and develop skills that will serve them well throughout the year.

Furthermore, last week was a significant one for our school community, with two important events marking the start of the year.

We came together at the Mornington campus to celebrate the achievements of our students for 2024 at the High Achievers assembly. This special occasion recognized the dedication, hard work, and successes of our students, setting a positive tone for the year ahead. It was inspiring to see so many students acknowledged for their efforts and commitment to their learning.

We also held our Opening College Mass, a meaningful tradition that brings our school community together in faith and reflection. This was a wonderful opportunity to set our intentions for the year and reaffirm our shared values.

Today Monday 17^th February, we also held an assembly to recognise student leadership, focusing on our school motto: Resolve to be good today, but better tomorrow. This serves as a valuable reminder for all students to strive for continuous improvement and personal growth as the term progresses.

A sincere thank you to all parents for your support in making these events so special. Your presence and encouragement help us celebrate these significant moments as a school community. We look forward to a fantastic year ahead!

We look forward to an exciting term ahead!

Plant & Animal Studies

In Plant and Animal studies this term, my class has been learning about different life cycles, great ways to weed and best of all, how to take care of a chick. Recently, we got some chicks from a local farm which we are now raising during class. We also have a babby turkey. This includes feeding, patting and weighing the animals while studying their species and habits. During past class periods, we have tended to the gardens. We look at the different plants that have grown, observing whether they have bloomed or not.

-Jaime Melis

Aspire 9 Launch Day

Seawinds Gardens

On the 12th of February us and the rest of the Rosebud years nines of 2025 gathered in the Mercy centre to begin our Aspire 9 journey. After a brief discussion about what we would be doing on the day, we headed to the bus bay. A quick bus ride then took us to the Two Bays walking track. The walk was 3.5kms and the first kilometre was up a steep hill in the hot sun. Most of us were glad when we reached the top and thought it was over but were left to realise, we had two more kilometres to go. Once finding out that it was not over no one wanted to go on, but the walk after tat first steep hill was not too hard; it was shaded and had gorgeous views.

We were the first campus to make it to the Seawinds Gardens but were quickly followed by Tyabb and later on by Mornington. We had a quick break, followed by a Liturgy presented by the campus leaders. We acknowledged all the assistance and resources that have been put into the program and spoke about what Aspire 9 is and why we participate in it.

Following the Liturgy, we split up into our colour groups. We did some icebreakers and fun games to learn each other's names and more about the people we will soon be sharing a campus with. At first it was awkward, and no one really wanted to talk. After some time, we began to become less scared and spoke to the others, soon making new friends.

We had a lunch break which then offered us opportunities to socialise with new people. After lunch we finished our day with a quick meeting and said goodbye to our new friends from the other campuses. Rosebud stayed back a bit longer, for we had less time to travel, and did a quick cleanup. The buses then picked us up from the top and we travelled back to Rosebud, finishing our very eventful day.

- Lucy Green + Elizabeth Mckinnon

Aspire9 Launch

On Wednesday 12 February, all the Year 9s from Padua College attempted the gruelling uphill trek to Seawinds, Arthurs Seat. In 30 degree weather, this was our very first challenging experience in Year 9. We have many more challenges ahead so we were grateful for this uphill challenge to get us started.

It was a tough, sweaty walk but it was all worth it once we got to the top. We had a scenic little lunch break and then had a peaceful 30 minute liturgy which was led by the student leaders. After the liturgy, we went into groups of 20 students from all campuses and played mini games to get to know each other. We all received melted zooper-doopers which were really tasty and then headed off to the bus bays to make our way back to school.

Overall, this was a great opportunity to make new friends and meet new people from all the other campuses.

Khaya Grimaldi (Y9 Cardijn) & Calais McOwen (Year 9 Doyle)

Photos below by Thomas Jackson

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 .