Advent – a journey of anticipation and encounter

As we prepare for the new Liturgical Year, Advent is the season that precedes and prepares us for Christmas. It is a season of hope and longing, of joyful expectation and of peaceful preparation. Director of Formation, Sr Sheila Flynn OP shares this reflection with us:

Advent emphasises hope and joy, the things we need to add into our lives: more grace, light and goodness.

God became human not so that God might be with us, but that we might be with God – ​the readings throughout Advent point to this extraordinary reality. The Messiah is not where we expect him to be; the One who is coming will make right, whole and bring peace. Jesus turns the world into a place of all that is plentiful, a great drama of abundance; he keeps on giving, empowering us.

When Christmas arrives it heralds a time to ponder and notice what has begun. We ‘sign on’ for justice, compassion and forgiveness – these are the hallmarks that show we have been attentive in our anticipation.

Energy levels are high and the end of Term 4 is rapidly approaching. Well done to our Year 11 students for engaging so well with the 2022 Headstart program. Our Year 10 Students celebrated their last exam on Friday and are no doubt looking forward to getting away and enjoying a fun break and Christmas period once Headstart concludes. Year 9 students complete their exams on Wednesday, 1 December and we farewell our Year 7 to Year 10 students on Thursday, 2 December. The final assembly and liturgy for 2021 will finish at 1.00pm.

This past week our Year 8 and Year 7 students have had the wonderful opportunity to participate in a cross-curricula program that investigates sustainability and combating the issue of world waste. Using the Design Thinking Process first introduced to students in their Discovery classes in Year 7, students will embark on a week of thinking, collaborating, learning, and questioning:

• Food Waste
• Food Miles
• Food and Community
• Food and Culture
• Food Insecurity
• Food for Fuel
• Ethics and Justice of production, distribution, and waste of food

We have heard from guest speakers from the food rescue service, FareShare, and Siena’s Scientist in Residence, Dr Lorien Parker, and students have been participating in challenge tasks which will help encourage them to transfer learning from school to home as they consider how food is used and disposed of.

Students also enjoyed their Upcycle, Recycle, Repurpose activity during which they explored ways of repurposing materials to create a new product.

We are delighted to be holding the Night of Excellence at the Hawthorn Arts Centre on Wednesday, 8 December. Over the course of the following week, award recipients and their families will receive an invitation to attend this special night as we recognise the hard work and commitment demonstrated by our students.

While we pray and hope that 2022 will be less tumultuous, we can look forward to the new year knowing that we are prepared and ready for almost anything!

Wishing you and your families a heart-warming time together, celebrating the simple joy of being with those we love and care for.

I can hardly believe that our students will complete their academic year next Thursday! It has been wonderful to have them back and hear their ‘happy noise’ around the school yet again.

Planning for 2022 classes is almost complete and next year we will be making a change to the current Middle House Groups to provide greater opportunities for new friendships and connections. We are hoping that this will provide students at each year level with an opportunity to get to know more of their peers and create positive connections, especially after the disruptions of the last two years.

We bid farewell to our Year 11 students today as they complete their Headstart program, and wish our Year 7 to 10 students all the best for their final days of school next week. We wish all our students and families a joy filled Christmas and holiday as we continue to reconnect with family and friends after another disrupted year.

Wishing you all a blessed Christmas and a safe and happy 2022.

Stay connected and, as always, be kind.

Year 9 Silk Painting and Textile Design

Year 9 Art students have recently completed a Mythical Creatures Silk Embroidery project. This entailed watching a favourite mythical movie (e.g. Harry Potter) to gain inspiration and then designing a unique mythical creature. Students learned various embroidery stitches and designed colour-ways and stitching. Some fantastic work was created as can be seen here.

Year 8 Art

Year 8 students have recently completed an Isometric City task. Students were given the opportunity to choose a theme - such as medieval, futuristic, haunted house, ancient museum - and create an isometric illustration of a city based on that theme.

Please join us for the 2021 Celebration of Sport webinar on Thursday, 2 December commencing at 6.30pm. This evening will celebrate the achievements of our students in their respective sports, despite another disrupted year.

The webinar will also include our 2021 and 2022 Sports Captains interviewing St Kilda AFLW players, Hannah Priest and Tarni White, as well as a recording of our Aerobics teams in action!

To register for the Zoom webinar please click here.

The majority of our remote Indigenous students reside at the Melbourne Indigenous Transition School (MITS) Boarding House in Richmond. This week, Siena staff were treated to a tour of this wonderful facility where we enjoyed afternoon tea with MITS staff and students, and staff from other partner schools.

The Boarding House staff do amazing work with our students at this ‘home away from home’ and it was pleasing to see the students so comfortable in this environment.

Shortly our students will return home for the holiday break (and to the wet season in the Northern Territory). We commend all our MITS students (including our Year 10 students not pictured) on their resilience through the past two years. Each period of holiday travel home has required two weeks of mandatory quarantine before they actually arrive, resulting in extended periods of online learning.

Pictured below are current Year 8 and 9 students and staff, along with two new students who will join us in 2022.

Many thanks to all parents and students for their support and feedback with Siena Career News this year. It has once again been a tough year to get through, particularly without “in person” Open Days and other Career related activities that are usually provided by the various Institutions to help students research courses and find out more about life outside of school.

Luckily in this week’s Siena Career News we see that the universities are starting to advertise campus tours again and I would strongly recommend students grab a friend or two and book themselves in to take advantage of these initiatives while the opportunity is there.

As many of you would be aware, there is a shortage of employees in the hospitality and retail sectors at the moment and many employers have been contacting the Siena Careers Office to advertise casual and part time positions. Students in Years 9 to 12 are advised to keep an eye on any emails from me regarding positions available if they are keen to pick up a job for the holidays and beyond.

Items in this week's Siena Career News include:

• Final reminder: VTAC 2022 Upcoming Key Dates
• Accessing VCE Results
• La Trobe University Campus Tours
• SAE Animation, Games, Music and Design Course Information Night
• University rankings
• Careers in Sport
• RMIT Maths Bridging Program
• Monash University Campus Tours are Back!
• 2022 VCE Summer School Programs
• My Science Three-Day Program at Monash University
• Useful Tips for Successful Interviews
• Swinburne University: MathsLink Bridging Programs

Kind Regards,

Clare Timmins
Head of Careers

The Siena Parents' Association (SPA) is excited to host their inaugural Christmas Car Boot Sale which will be held in the Siena College car park on Saturday, 4 December 2021 from 9.00am.

To book a car spot to sell items on the day CLICK HERE - bookings open to all!

For all visitors/shoppers, admission is free and we look forward to seeing you there 🎄

Learn more below:

The SPA Second Hand Uniform shop will be open to Siena families on the following dates. No bookings are required but all visitors must provide proof of vaccination/medical exemption at check-in.

• Saturday, 27 November 2021 from 9.00am to 12.00pm
• Saturday, 4 December 2021 from 9.00am to 12.00pm
• Monday, 6 December 2021 from 3.00pm to 5.00pm
• Friday, 21 January 2022 from 9.00am to 12.00pm
• Thursday, 27 January 2022 from 9.00am to 12.00pm
• Wednesday, 2 February 2022: normal operations hours of 8.00am to 9.00am and 3.00pm to 4.00pm

Call for Uniform Items

The SPA Uniform Shop urgently requires stock of both summer and winter uniform if you have items you wish to sell/donate. The following items are most needed:

• Summer dresses (smaller sizes especially)
• Blazers (no award embroidery on pocket)
• Winter pants
• Lab coats
• Sports bags

Items to be sold/donated can be dropped off at Main College Reception. Please remember that all items must be freshly laundered and pressed (blazers, winter pants and winter skirts must be dry cleaned, with dry cleaning tags still attached) and a consignment note must accompany goods for sale.

Click here to learn more about the SPA Second Hand Uniform Shop on the College website.

Siena College has partnered with Kenshi Candles to raise funds for the Kopanang Community Trust.

Founded by Melbourne teenager, Liam Foldi, Kenshi Candles is a social enterprise which donates over half their profit to fund charities and worthy causes that make a real difference in the world. Kenshi Candles are hand-poured in Melbourne with the full process, from pouring to packaging, completed in-house with help from members of the Chin refugee community. Learn more about Kenshi Candles here.

Candles are 380g (60 hours burn time), triple-scented, double-wicked and made from natural soy wax. Available scents are:

• Gardenia and Lily: Featuring peach nectar and fresh hay top notes; gardenia and star jasmine middle notes; and vanilla, cyclamen and Lily of the Valley base notes
• Sage and Sea Salt: Featuring sea spray and bergamot top notes; fir needle and sage middle notes; and oud and sea salt base notes
• Sandalwood and Amber: Featuring bergamot and orange top notes; cedar and amber middles notes; and sandalwood and cedar wood base notes
• Caramel and Vanilla: Featuring butter and balsamic top notes; salted caramel and coconut middle notes; and creamy vanilla and tonka bean base notes
• Coconut and Lime: Featuring lime zest and lemon verbena top notes; coconut and peach middle notes; and vanilla and buttermilk base notes
• Frangipani and Jasmine: Featuring fir needle and orange top notes; frangipani and Lily of the Valley middle notes; and rose and star jasmine base notes

Each candle purchased through Siena College will fund simple food needs for a small family for a day, or over-the-counter medication for sickness alleviation through the Kopanang Community Trust.