On Sunday 31st August, Mount St. Joseph Girls' College hosted the annual Mary MacKillop Today charity event. This year was the first time the event featured a luncheon and this proved to be a great success.
Approximately 140 people attended the event, whose purpose was to raise much needed funds for the amazing things that the organisation supports. A small group of MSJ students did us proud, warmly welcoming the guests to the school and assisting them where needed.
The guests were also very blessed to hear the lovely sounds of Ash and Isabella as they performed before and during the event. A big thank you must go to the staff and students who supported us with the set up and clean up and for being such a good representation of the community we have here at our College.
On Friday, 5 September, Mount St. Joseph Girls’ College proudly hosted our annual Male Mentors’ Breakfast, celebrating the significant influence male role models play in the lives of our students. Fathers, grandfathers, uncles, brothers, and meaningful mentors came together for a morning of connection, gratitude, and inspiration.
We were delighted to welcome more than 500 guests who enjoyed a delicious breakfast, our interactive photo booth, and the chance for students to write heartfelt cards to their mentors.
We were also privileged to hear from our inspiring guest speaker Paulie Stewart - journalist, musician, and advocate for social justice - who shared his moving story of resilience and hope. His words encouraged all present to reflect on the profound influence of mentorship in shaping the lives of young women.
A heartfelt thank you to our wonderful community for making this event such a success. Your presence and ongoing support is a testament to the lasting impact of strong, positive role models who help shape the lives of young women.
Caroline Russo - Marketing, Events & Communications Officer
On Saturday September 13th, several MSJ students took to the stage at Altona City Theatre's production of Mary Poppins Jr - and what a triumph it was!
This year’s September production is Mary Popins Jr. Mary Poppins was beautifully played by year 12 student Amy White, with her angelic voice and no-nonsense demeanour, Amy was the perfect Poppins. The role of Burt was played by Eliza Pelns, also year 12. Her cockney accent was pitch perfect and her characterisation of the fun-loving Burt gave a light-hearted brilliance to all her scenes. Shannon Williams as Winifred Banks was a gentle and caring mother to the Banks children. The cast also includes Jasmine de Thierry as sweet shop owner Mrs Corry, Kate Birthisel as Mrs Smythe and Grace Gardiner as ensemble member.
Altona City Theatre runs a very successful junior theatre program known as ACTion Youth Theatre which has been involving and educating children in the performing arts from the local area and beyond for over 15 years.
A huge congratulations to all the students involved, a wonderful show to be very proud of. It is so encouraging to see MSJ students out in the community experiencing all the arts has to offer, new friendship, fun and in this case, a little bit of Poppins magic.
Trudi Camilleri - Music and Performing Arts Coordinator
As a part of the Supportive Friends team, we were invited to join 5 other schools at Marian College to attend the Vinnies Networking Conference.
We heard from several guest speakers including Mr Dominic Cichello (Laverton/Altona Meadows Conference President), Rebecca who organises the Soup Vans and Clare, who is the Youth representative for Vinnie’s.
Each school was required to prepare and present a 10minute reflection on how their schools contributed to Vinnie’s throughout the year.
We thoroughly enjoyed hearing about the different ideas from the other schools at the conference. Everyone had the same vision - to help those in need, to be selfless and to make a difference. It was so refreshing to meet with like-minded people.
As each group presented their ideas, we were inspired and we asked questions and have taken some of their ideas to try out next year such as BBQ’s, bake stalls, a house competition as to who donates the most items with House Points awarded.
We were able to mingle with the students from other schools at morning tea and the delicious lunch they provided. We loved the little activities throughout the day that made us think and laugh. Lots of us exchanged details so we could keep in touch. We were all moved by this event and hope to be able to attend again. We would also love to help out at the Soup Vans or tutoring the primary school aged children. Together, we know we can make a difference!
Helen Simcic - Student Engagement Associate
