The annual VCE Folio Night was held on Tuesday the 14th of October, and was an exhibition of the Visual Arts’ senior student’s work. Parents, friends, and teachers alike were invited to attend and celebrate the incredible effort from the students.
With pieces from across the entire Visual Arts Domain Art Making and Exhibiting, Media, Visual Communication Design and from the Technology Domain, Product Design and Technologies - attendees witnessed the creativity, discipline, and visual language techniques that were unique to each work and provided an insight into various interests chosen by the artist.
In between the short speeches from our MSJ Principal, Kate Dishon, and the 2026 College Captains, Arden Roche and Abbey Nordern, I had the pleasure of reminding our talented artists of just how much their artwork is valued in the MSJ community, and congratulated each and every one of them for having the courage to portray their own stories through their pieces, be that a painting, photograph, or short-film.
There were also awards handed out to student recipients who showed exemplary dedication and willingness to take on feedback when creating their pieces, and another congratulations on your achievements.
Amalia Brocas-Reti - Year 11 (2026 Arts Captain)
Endeavour Awards are handed out to student recipients who showed exemplary dedication and willingness to take on feedback and to collaborate throughout the year and the creation of their works, and another congratulations on your achievements.
Congratulations to the 2025 Endeavour Award winners:
Art Making and Exhibiting Unit 1 & 2 - LilyAnne Swaris
Art Making and Exhibiting Unit 3 & 4 - Amelia Martin
Media Unit 1 & 2 - Abbey Norden
Media Unit 3 & 4 - Ebony Silva
Visual Communication and Design Unit 1 & 2 - Amelia Bui
Visual Communication and Design Unit 3 & 4 - Evie Lamieszek
Product Design and Technologies Unit 1 & 2 - Elizabeth Raffoul
Product Design Unit 3 & 4 - Janae Lawless
We would especially like to thank Kate Dishon for her support and speaking on the night and the all of the Visual Arts Domain teachers, especially our VCE teaching team:
Year 11 Art Making and Exhibiting - Deborah Dias, David Meilak
Year 11 Media - Andrew Douglas
Year 11 Visual Communication Design - Clare Kubacki
Year 11 Product Design and Technologies - Laura Dalta-Violta
Year 12 Art Making and Exhibiting - Laura Dalta-Viota
Year 12 Media - Sally Frith
Year 12 Visual Communication Design - Nadia Graziotto
Year 12 Product Design and Technologies - Laura Dalta-Viota
Thank you to our dedicated Art Technicians Denise Spiteri, Suzanne Goh and AV Technician and photographer Tina Pignatelli for supporting the installation of the exhibition and the event as well as in classes throughout the year. Thanks again to the Maintenance Team and Caroline Russo for all of the events management leading up to the evening. A special Thank you to student Weiwei Yang for being our student photographer on the night.
An extra special big thank you to the friends and family who supported our creatives throughout the year - whether it be through feedback stages of trials and experiments, discussing themes and concepts or roles as cast, crew and taxi drivers - you have been most important to the success of the students' final works.
Thanks to everyone who came along on the night it was a wonderful celebration.
Sally Frith - Visual Arts Domain Leader
On Tuesday, 21st October, our VCE VET Music students completed their end-of-year performance exams. Each year, the Languages and Performance exams are scheduled before all others, meaning our students completed their exam only a few days after Graduation!
For their Music Performance exam, students were required to prepare and perform a 25-minute solo set. Each student had to create a scenario in which this "gig" would take place, choosing songs that connected meaningfully to it, as well as curating elements such as costuming and set pieces to support their chosen theme. Not to mention, physically loading in and setting up the whole thing at the examination centre themselves! It was a huge effort, but our students were well-prepared and had a very successful day. If you see them around the school for their other exams, make sure to wish them congratulations.
Jacqueline Wong - Music Teacher
All three MSJ Debating teams won the most recent competition rounds and they are all in next week’s regional finals. The students of the MSJ Debating teams showed excellent teamwork and supported each other effectively throughout the debates. They were very thorough researching beforehand to get evidence and examples to strengthen their speeches. Each individual maintained confidence and composure under pressure, which really impressed the adjudicators. The teams’ presentations were persuasive, polished, and passionate. They all deserved the win. A very special mention to Paige Habner, Emily Klova, Andi Chisholm and Bani Shah who the award for “Best Speakers of the debate”.
Thank you to Ms Dishon and Ms Bourke, for their ongoing support. Also, to Ms Azzopardi and Ms Calleja for their guidance and feedback during the scheduled practice at lunch time. Your care and continuous assistance allowed the teams to achieve such great results.
Anthea Heiniger - Teacher
Year 11 designer Siena Melisi showcased exceptional creativity and craftsmanship in her award-winning entry at the Wyndham Fashion Awards Australia, held at the Encore Events Centre in Hoppers Crossing. Entered in the Senior Secondary Calico Section, Siena created a stunning hand-crafted bustier and mini-skirt ensemble that combined traditional garment construction with contemporary artistry.
Working entirely in unbleached cotton calico, Siena constructed a boned, lace-up bustier using precision patternmaking and sewing techniques. She then transformed the surface through intricate hand-painting and beadwork, inspired by elegant oriental blossom motifs. The result was a piece that balanced structure and softness - a celebration of patience, discipline, and design flair.
Throughout the competition, Siena embraced the professional fashion world - presenting her work to a panel of esteemed designers, learning choreography for the runway, and networking with other emerging talents. The event featured students from Ballarat Grammar, Penola College, and St Albans Secondary College, along with tertiary entrants from Holmesglen TAFE and LCI Melbourne. Sharing a dressing room with the Ballarat Grammar team, Siena enjoyed the collaborative and inspiring atmosphere backstage.
The glamorous Gala Presentation, hosted by Nathan McManus, was a vibrant showcase of creativity, sustainability, and youth talent. Siena’s dedication was rewarded with Third Prize in her category. Fellow Year 11 designers Rebecca Hay, Elizabeth Raffoul, and Joanne Deny also proudly represented our school. Inspired by this success, our students are already planning next year’s entries - ready to take on even more categories in 2026!
Laura Dalta-Viota - Technology Domain Leader
There have been several articles in the Australian media recently about falling literacy rates and how young people are spending less time reading for pleasure and more time on their devices. These are issues that are causing concern around the world.
The Decline in Volitional Reading report, released last month from the National Institute of Education in Singapore, has been published in response to a global downward trend in young people’s engagement with reading.
According to the report, 29% of Australian teens are choosing not to read for pleasure. And there are concerns this figure will grow and so will the problems associated with poor literacy.
The report cites four reasons for the fall in reading for pleasure. These are: digital media, lack of reading models, too much emphasis on obtaining skills at the expense of reading for pleasure, and limited access to books and text.
The benefits of reading are numerous and are vital to an individual’s success and a society’s success. Benefits include: better vocabulary, increased brain connections, improved sleep, more empathy, improved maths and problem solving, improved concentration, reduced stress, lower cholesterol, better memory, more world experiences, boosted creativity, more experiences of love and many other emotions, self discovery and broadened horizons.
Library staff believe in the power of reading and would love to see all students and staff reading for pleasure at least four times a week (reading does include listening to audio books). The library is open before school, after school, at recess and at lunchtime. Students can borrow up to five books at a time. New books are added to the collection every week and can be easily found on the LRC website under New Books. Students are also able to request books for the library to purchase. We have been expanding our three most popular genres: graphic novels, romance and fantasy, plus purchasing new copies of some of the most loved books in the collection. Ebooks and audio books can be downloaded 24/7 from the LRC website. To further encourage reading we’ve put up book displays (Spooky Books to celebrate Halloween and 21 Reasons to Read to encourage reading); set up a table of free pre-loved library books, which students can help themselves to; held reading competitions; and book celebrations for Book Week.
Model by reading for pleasure yourself. Talk about books - what they’re reading, what you’re reading, what you read when you were their age, recommend books to them; take them to their local library and get them a library card (it’s free); buy books for presents; take them to a bookshop; check out the book selection in chain stores like Kmart and Big W; read reviews; watch Book Toks; read a book together; listen to an audio book together; read a book and then watch the movie and compare the two. Above all, enjoy reading.
The Decline in Volitional Reading report can be accessed from the Australia Reads website HERE
Rebecca Green - Librarian
