Dear Mother Mary, Queen of the Holy Rosary, 

We come before you in this blessed month that the Church has set apart to honour your maternal intercession, asking that the light of your rosary may illuminate our hearts and minds.

Protect us from the many evils that threaten us, and through the intercession of your most holy Mother, obtain for us the grace to stand firm in the truth of the Gospel.

May the recitation of the Rosary in our classrooms, chapels and homes become a daily source of consolation and a powerful means of obtaining God’s mercy for our school, our families, and the whole world.

Through your maternal care, may we become true witnesses of Christ’s love, shining the light of the Gospel in our schools and beyond.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Principal’s Message

As we begin Term 4, I look forward with great enthusiasm to the continued growth of our Catholic Regional College Caroline Springs community. Together we strive to strengthen the already positive relationships that underpin our College, ensuring we provide the best possible contemporary, spiritual and faith-filled experience for our students.

During the recent holiday period, an enormous amount of work was undertaken to prepare our facilities for the term ahead. Classrooms, IT systems, sports facilities and College grounds were all refreshed and maintained to ensure students have the highest-quality learning environment. I extend my sincere thanks to all teaching, administrative, support and maintenance staff whose commitment and effort make such a significant difference to the life of our College.

At CRC Caroline Springs we are truly blessed, not only with modern, outstanding facilities and resources, but with a culture of positive, respectful relationships that permeate every aspect of College life. These relationships are at the heart of our mission and enable our students to flourish in all areas.

Throughout Term 3, high-quality learning and teaching continued each day in our classrooms, supported by a vibrant range of co-curricular experiences. Students participated enthusiastically in SACCSS sporting events, excursions and incursions, faith and development days, whole-school assemblies and liturgies, and music performances.

Two particular highlights were our College musical Once Upon a Stage and Live Fully Act Justly Day — a celebration filled with faith, joy, and community spirit. This special day also raised an impressive $17,700 for our sister school, St Francis Kizinga in Uganda. These funds will help sustain the daily feeding program and support the construction of a new classroom block. I sincerely thank our entire College community for your generosity and support.

It is in this same spirit of compassion and global solidarity that I reflect on the words of Pope Leo XIV from his first major apostolic exhortation, Dilexi Te (“I Have Loved You”), signed on 4 October 2025, the Feast of St Francis of Assisi, and released on 9 October 2025. In it, the Holy Father reminds us that:

By releasing this message on the feast day of St Francis, Pope Leo XIV reminded the world that humility, compassion and service are not optional for Christians; they are the very foundation of our faith. His words speak directly to the heart of our College mission and our connection with St Francis Kizinga. Those we serve are not merely recipients of our generosity; they are people who inspire us to live with deeper gratitude, humility and love.

Our partnership with St Francis Kizinga embodies this message in action. Through our shared faith, generosity and friendship, we are reminded that when we lift others, we too are transformed. This partnership beautifully reflects our College motto, 'Live Fully, Act Justly'.

We are also very proud of our current Year 10 students, who will leave us at the end of the year. They have served the College wonderfully in their respective leadership positions. As a community, we deeply value student leadership, advocacy, and agency. I sincerely thank our current student leaders for their outstanding contributions. In particular, our College Captain, Jennilyn Magtalas, whose recent address to the College community was both inspiring and relevant, exemplifying leadership with grace and vision. I also acknowledge our Deputy Captains, Klark Neustro, Cienna Victuelles, and Keisha Cortes Alinea, for their dedication and presence; Charlotte Attard, our Faith and Social Justice Captain; Sophia Clayton, our Performing Arts Captain; and all our House Captains and student leaders, who serve with dedication and pride.

We congratulate the new College Captains for 2026, Best Nnajieze (9LI) and Richardine Culas (9WO), and Deputy Captains, Gabriella Lawrence (9WU) and Manuela Maksemos (9KO). We also thank them for their recent speeches to the entire College community. They spoke beautifully and should be commended for having the dedication to speak publicly and share their vision with confidence and genuine passion.

As we move through Term 4, may we continue to embrace every opportunity to learn, grow and serve within our College, in our local community, and across the globe. May all members of our College community truly live, breathe and enact our College motto, Live Fully, Act Justly.

On Saturday 18 October Catholic Regional College Caroline Springs were excited to welcome our Year 7 2026 families. Nearly 300 students began their day with a homeroom session led by our teaching staff and one of our student leaders, whilst parents attended an informative session by our College Leadership team in the College Hall. Parents and students were invited to visit stalls, engage with leaders in community conversations, and allow families the opportunity to ask any questions.

Our Year 7 2026 students completed a College tour and had a taste of what it means to be a CRCCS student through learning about:

• Our College motto
• Our College Pillars of Stewardship, Learning, Prayer and Compassion
• Their 2026 curriculum
• St Catherine of Siena
• How a timetable works

As a College we prioritise a positive transition experience for our new students, and the journey began for many on this day. I know many parents can be quite anxious about their child beginning secondary school, however a lot has been put in place to support students including our upcoming Orientation Day later this term, our Welcome Days at the beginning of the year and the MacBook Orientation Program. To also help with the transition of students we have been working closely with their primary schools to learn about them through school visits and feedback.

It was a blessing to have over 800 people join us for the morning and officially become part of our school community. We were also fortunate with amazing weather as we enjoyed the sausage sizzle and coffee van provided. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Primary Links Team for putting together a terrific event for our school community and to the staff that attended the day and ensured families and our new students felt very welcome.

October: Month of the Holy Rosary

The entire month of October is dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary. The rosary has its origin in several hundreds of years of Christian prayer with repetitive structure. Third-century Christian hermits and monks in Egypt (known as Desert Fathers) used stones and later prayer ropes to keep track when praying the 150 Psalms. The Hail Mary prayer as we know today came together slowly over the centuries. 

In around 1050 AD, the words Elizabeth used to greet Mary during the Visitation were added: Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb (Luke 1:42). In 1261, Pope Urban IV added the name of Jesus to the end of Elizabeth’s words. It is believed that in 1214 St. Dominic had a vision of Mary. Mary is said to have presented St. Dominic with the rosary, both the beads and the prayers to be prayed. Dominic had a great devotion to Mary and the rosary, which he promoted wherever he preached. He encouraged the faithful to gather in small groups to pray together what was an early form of the rosary together. The version of the Hail Mary we pray today was given official approval in 1568. The Rosary is a powerful prayer and has been attributed to many miracles and apparitions most famously Fatima.

Our students are encouraged to participate in our annual ‘Live Rosary’ which will occur at lunchtime on Tuesday 28 October.

The Rosary Explained in Two Minutes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuT7HI7ZvfA

Article Title Year 9 Faith Formation Day – Real Talk

On 15-16 October our Year 9 students participated in their Faith Formation Day. The event was facilitated by Real Talk Australia, and students explored the dignity of the human person, as well as God's incredible gift of sex, love, and relationships. This day complemented the current Year 9 Religious Education unit on the Theology of the Body.

Michael Gigliardi of 9 Wonga shares his experience of the day:

On Wednesday and Thursday, Year 9s was presented with this term’s Faith Formation Day, hosted by Real Talk Australia. The presenters, Hannah, Cherrie and John shared their testimonies to show the importance of self-worth, following the teachings of the church about sex and marriage, aligning it with God’s plan and the human dignity of every person involved. We also learnt about consent and the consequences of not respecting the dignity of others. We also covered why making better decisions is better for us in the long term and how negative decisions impact us, not just legally or socially, but also mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

We learnt that consent in practice must be a definite ‘yes’, it’s specific to a certain type of activity, and it must not be immoral. For example, if you ask someone if you can punch them, and they say ‘yes’, that still isn’t exactly a good idea.
The day provided the opportunity to challenge our thoughts and reflect on our catholic values and allowed us the chance to change for the better and becoming better humans.

Semester Two Examinations (14 November – 28 November)

The purpose of the examinations is to practice examination protocols, study techniques, consolidate knowledge and assist with preparation for the following year.

If students are absent for a particular examination, a medical certificate is to be sent to the Executive Assistant to the Deputy Principals, Emma Luhm (eluhm@crccs.vic.edu.au).

If you have any questions, please contact the Director of Student Pathways at the College.

Catholic Regional College Caroline Springs have engaged Campion Education for our 2026 resources.

The College has chosen to use Campion Education to provide families with:

• a simplified online resource list and ordering process
• digital and physical resources and required stationery in a single resource list
• a Campion Education shop in Derrimut where parents can purchase physical resources and stationery, if preferred
• reduced delivery costs for the delivery of physical resources

Detailed information regarding ordering from the resource list has been direct messaged to families via Seqta Engage, and appears in the Seqta Learn and Seqta Engage notices tab. Please see below for a summary of key dates, along with details regarding how to access the resource list on the Campion website.

Important Dates:

If you have any questions regarding ordering resources for 2026, please direct your enquiries to Hayley Iannazzo here at the College.

The 2026 School Fee Schedule and Fee Payment Agreement were sent to parents via Operoo on 17 September 2025. These documents are also available on the College website (College Tuition Fee - CRC Caroline Springs) for your convenience.

If you have not yet returned the signed Fee Payment Agreement to the College, please do so as soon as possible.

The BPAY payment option is now available, and the details can be found on your monthly statement.

If you have recently changed your home address or email details, please notify the school.

A kind reminder that 2025 school fees must be finalised by 28 November 2025 unless prior arrangements have been made.

For any fee queries or concerns, please contact us by phone 9217 8000 extension 2 or email accounts@crccs.vic.edu.au

During the week of 20–24 October, Catholic Regional College Caroline Springs came alive with colour, creativity, and innovation as we celebrated Arts and Technologies Week. This year’s festivities not only showcased the incredible talent and passion of our students across all year levels but also provided the perfect opportunity to officially show off our new three-storey Sacred Heart building, a fitting name for a space where students express their hearts through art, food, music, design, and creativity.

The week was packed with exciting activities and hands-on workshops. Lunchtimes buzzed with energy as students competed in the much-loved One Pan Cooking Competitions, as well as celebrating an ex-student from William Angliss who prepared fresh fettuccine for everyone to enjoy. There were also drama games, keychain making, metal embossing, digital technology workshops, garland crafting, gelli painting workshops, and plenty of opportunities for students to explore their creative sides.

Music and performance filled the air, with students showcasing their skills through Broadway tunes and an entertaining Guitar Hero challenge that drew cheering crowds. The daily Arts and Technologies quizzes kept homerooms buzzing, as students tested their knowledge across the various domains. In addition, information about Patron Saints and creative disciplines was made available to the school community, adding a reflective touch to the week.

The celebrations culminated in the Arts and Technologies Evening Exhibition - the highlight of the week, where families and guests gathered to admire a stunning display of art, food, music, and drama all in one space. The night was a true testament to the hard work, imagination, and collaboration that thrive within our college community.

A heartfelt thank you to all staff and students who contributed to making Arts and Technologies Week a memorable success. It was a joyful reminder that when creativity and heart come together, brilliance shines through.

There was a real energy coming from the kitchen during Arts and Technologies Week. You could smell, hear, and feel the excitement! From the moment the chopping boards came out, the room was alive with energy, creativity, and a whole lot of fun.

We kicked off the week with our Junior and Senior One Pan Competitions, where students were met with a huge range of fresh ingredients, all sliced, diced, and ready to go, plus a trolley loaded with sauces, herbs, and spices. The brief was simple: make something delicious using just one pan and a wooden spoon. The results? No two dishes were the same! Students experimented, got creative, and plated up some truly amazing combinations, ready for our two staff judges.

Midweek, we had the privilege of welcoming back former student Lachlan, who’s now studying at a culinary school. He wowed everyone by making fettuccine from scratch, the authentic way. Some students were a little unsure when they realised there was no cream in sight, but once they had a taste, all doubts disappeared. The verdict? Absolutely delicious!

To top it all off, our evening event featured beautiful grazing boxes for staff and guests to enjoy as they wandered through our spectacular new three-storey Sacred Heart building. And because no one should leave empty-handed, we offered rustic Italian soup packs with recipe cards to take home — the perfect cosy finish to a wonderful week.

A big thank you to our amazing Technologies Team who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to make it all happen. What a remarkable celebration of creativity, teamwork, and flavour!

During Term 3, students had the opportunity to participate in the annual Mathematical Association of Victoria (MAV) Maths Games Days. These days are a fun and interactive event where students work in teams of four to solve a variety of mathematical puzzles and challenged. The day is about building problem-solving skills, encouraging creative thinking, and most importantly, enjoying mathematics in a supportive and collaborative setting. It gives students the opportunity to extend their mathematical ability to a setting outside of the traditional classroom while developing teamwork and communication skills. 

Congratulations to the following students who represented the College to an exceptionally high standard at the MAV Maths Games Days: 

Year 7 – Monday 18 August
Hosted by Overnewton Anglican Community College 
Devansh Puri
Sofia Samson
Danny Atanasovski
Joshua Stino
Rayyann Nabil
Zach Murray
Alex Mai
Lucas Jose

Year 8 – Wednesday 20 August 
Hosted by Penleigh and Essendon Grammar School
Emily Buttigieg
James Antunis
Jamie Brown
Bradley Vincent
Jeremiah Hanna
Matilda Snooks

Year 9 – Thursday 4 September
Hosted by St. Albans Secondary College
Marcus Batin
Joshua Llano-Machado
Xavi Scriva
Teddy Jeske
Ann Shibo
Michael Gagliardi
Amelia Pai
Richardine Culas

Year 10 – Wednesday 3 September
Hosted by Trinity Grammar
Daniel Thanh
Carlos Tolentino
Lorenzo Calingin
Luaine Sanchez
Astrid Yu
Ylai Casem
Klark Nuestro
Cienna Victuelles

Here are a couple of student reflections about their experiences:

I’d been looking forward to this day for weeks, as I enjoy anything mathematics or academic related. Once we arrived at Overnewton and were divided into two teams, we were able to complete mazes and Sudoku puzzles as a warmup. We started the competition with a group problem solving activity where we received booklets full of worded problems that got progressively harder. To solve more problems, we quickly came up with a strategy: split the booklets in half so that we could solve them in pairs. After a quick break, we had our next activity, which was a relay where we had to solve a problem, get it checked, and once we got it right, run and get our next question. Then, after we had lunch, we had a very different challenge: origami. Some were very easy to make, and others were quite challenging. The harder the origami, the more points. The final activity of the day involved playing different mini games with the team sharing our table. Even though winning didn’t earn us any points, we still had some friendly competition with the girls from PEGS next to us. It was fun talking to people from other schools about our shared passion. Then came the awards ceremony. While we didn’t come in the top three, it was an amazing experience, and I can’t wait to sign up again next year.
Sofia Samson, 7KO

Recently a group of eight, Year 9 students, went to St Albans Secondary College to compete in MAV Maths Games Day with schools from all over Melbourne taking part in the day. Our group was broken into two teams and the day started off with a series of team puzzles like Skyscapes and Shikaku that tested our logic and reasoning abilities while racing against the clock to complete them all. After a short break, we were given a set of 25 problem solving questions to complete as a group that covered a wide range of topics and concepts that required a lot of understanding while being under time pressure. Then there was an opportunity to play some mathematical games against other teams before having lunch. We finished our day off with some rapid-fire questions, that required us to answer that question successfully before moving on to the next one. These questions required our team to quickly think , have good communication and some good luck to get through. Overall, even though we didn’t finish on the podium we still had fun testing our skills and working together in our teams while representing our school.
Michael Gagliardi, 9WO

On Thursday 18 September, our Year 10 VCE Psychology students had the opportunity to engage in an incursion presented by Therapy Animals Australia. This incursion is designed to enhance students’ understanding of content taught in Unit 2 Area of Study 2, by unpacking the role of attention together with top-down and bottom-up processing through the use of a canine training model. Presented by Dr Brad Rundle, students were able to apply their understanding of sustained, divided and selective attention and how these are used to train an animal.

Students found the incursion particularly helpful for strengthening their understanding of the two types of perceptual processing through the visual demonstrations provided by Dr Rundle and Radar, his German Shepard. Radar was a real hit for our students who were amazed by his extremely high levels of training and obedience (and continued motivation to play with his ball!). Here is what Year 10 student Charleen Andre had to say about the incursion experience: 

The incursion involved a dog with his trainer that demonstrated the concepts of perception, attention, and top-down and bottom-up processing through the multiple games that the trainer showed the dog participating in. I enjoyed the incursion because the dog doing tricks and games was very engaging and cute and the explanation that the trainer provided us with allowed us to make comparisons and use the dog’s behaviour to better understand the topics that we are exploring in VCE Psychology. 

The way that the dog was able to recognise what he needed to do next to get his reward, which was the balls that he was playing with, displayed bottom-up processing when the dog received sensory information and top-down processing when the dog knew to ring the bell even though he had not been trained to. I also really liked how the trainer let us respond at times, such as showing us objects and letting us guess what it was, then comparing the student’s perception of the objects to the dogs. It deepened my understanding because we were able to see it happen when the dog was using memory or sensory information in order to dictate its behaviour and complete tasks.

Congratulations to the students who qualified for and participated in the State Chess Championships, due to their outstanding performances in earlier interschool Chess tournaments.

James Antunis, Evan Santiago and Matejas Juric all competed in this exciting event, which was held at Xavier College in Kew on Thursday, 9th of October.

Each student played 9 games of chess, with a maximum time of 30 minutes per game.

The boys all played exceptionally well against some very skilled players and were a credit to our school.

For the first time, our Instrumental Music students were treated to an exciting and enriching excursion as part of the College’s music program. Students who participate in instrumental lessons at the College had the incredible opportunity to attend an Open Rehearsal with Rodolfo Barráez, conductor of the world-renowned Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO).

Held at the stunning Hamer Hall, the excursion gave students a rare glimpse behind the scenes to see how a professional orchestra prepares for a performance. They explored the inner workings of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, observing musicians in rehearsal, watching how the conductor communicates artistic direction, and learning about the teamwork and precision required to bring a symphonic piece to life.

This experience was invaluable for our instrumental music students, deepening their understanding of performance, musicianship, and the dedication required at a professional level. It was both inspiring and educational - encouraging students to continue developing their skills and passion for music.

A huge thank you to the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and Rodolfo Barráez for providing such an engaging and memorable experience for our young musicians.

How long have you worked at Catholic Regional College Caroline Springs?
12 and a half years

What is your role at the school?
Classroom teacher, English and Literacy Leader and Professional Learning Coordinator.

What is the most rewarding part of your job?
I really enjoy being able to work with staff who are early in their careers and see them learn and develop their skills

What is your ideal way to unwind and relax?
I find it hard to go past a cup of tea as a way of relaxing

What's your most fond childhood memory?
It would be a toss-up between family holidays, and big family Christmases. I have big families on both sides, and we had very large loud and fun Christmas Days when I was a kid.

When you were little what did you aspire to be?
When I was really little a doctor, as I got older a special effect make up artist, for most of my life though I wanted to work with children or adolescents..

What was your favourite subject at school?
Health, English, Food Technology

How many languages do you speak?
Really only one (English), a few phrases and words from a couple of others

What skill would you like to master?
Cardistry

What book/tv series/podcasts are you into at the moment?
I'm currently reading The Keeper of Hidden books, it’s very good but a bit sad. I have just listened to a podcast about the life of Christopher Skase which I found very interesting.

What is your favourite sport to watch or play?
I enjoy watching my kids play Soccer and Futsal

Do you play a musical instrument? If so, which one?
I can play the piano; I had lessons as a child. I also like to sing

What would you sing at karaoke night?
It has to be You’re The Voice by John Farnham

If you could choose to be anything for a day, what would it be?
Maybe a time traveller

If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Roast pumpkin or garlic bread (gluten free lol)

If you were a superhero, what powers would you have?
Teleportation

What's your favourite holiday destination?
Far North Queensland

Who would you want to play you in a movie of your life?
Meryl Streep

Do you collect anything?
Balls of yarn and vintage children’s books (both are supposed to be used for craft projects but I seem to just accumulate them)

What are your hobbies?
Most things crafty- crochet, embroidery, painting, paper craft, I also enjoy Reformer Pilates

What is something you could spend hours doing?
Being with my sisters and other member of my family or friends.

If you had to watch a documentary, what would you want it to be about?
WW2 history or anything a bit unusual or mysterious

How have your interests changed over the years?
I enjoy spending time alone doing things now - I didn’t used to enjoy being alone but I quite like it now (for a little while anyway).