Term 2 has begun with gusto! From the final two weeks of term to now, there have been some fantastic leadership opportunities and experiences on offer at Sacred Heart, including Macedon Ranges Youth Summit and a combined leadership day with students from Catherine McAuley College in Bendigo.

The aim of these experiences was to expand our students’ opportunities to connect with our College and the broader Regional Community. In each event students were able to add their voices to matters concerning young people, generate ideas for improvement and plan actions to bring these ideas to life.

Our College Leadership Cabinet also led our College ANZAC Day Service with reverence and pride. Many then went on to represent our College in Dawn Services and ANZAC commemorations across the region. Thank you to those student leaders, and their families, for taking part in this special day.

Finally, this Saturday sees many Year 11 and 12 students participating in the Debutante Ball. This is the culmination of many evenings of practice and is yet another opportunity for our students to represent Sacred Heart and be recognized by our wider community. A big thank you goes particularly to Year 11 Level Leader, Anthony Diamond, and the Year 11 Team, as well as Gayle and Andrew from GA Events for all their work behind the scenes to get this event up and running. Like all families involved, we are looking forward to seeing our students shine!

IDAHOBIT

As part of IDAHOBIT (International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia) Sunbury Cobaw Community Health has a range of community events to connect young people across the ranges. At SHC we support diversity through our D@SH Group which meets on Wednesday each fortnight. If you would like to access the events flyer click here.

Student reflections from Macedon Ranges Youth Summit

On the 21 March, approximately 20 Sacred Heart students travelled to the Woodend Library to participate in the 2024 Youth Summit. There were students from many different schools around the area and we all got together to discuss today's issues. It was a really fun day. During the many 15 minute sessions we discussed different issues in small groups such as Climate Change, Public Transport, Mental Health and more, to get young people's opinions and thoughts on improvements. To break up these discussions, there were many fun activities to participate in. We had live music (with a Didgeridoo), a visit from 'The Zoo comes to you', a polaroid photo booth and a delicious lunch. It was a really fun day and it would be great to have even more people joining in next year!
Inga Foerster, Year 9

At the MRSC Youth Summit, we worked in groups with people from different schools to come up with new ideas and suggestions for what could happen in the Macedon Ranges. We looked at different things that affect people our age, such as transportation, education, school holidays etc and tried to brainstorm things that could be done to improve these areas. We worked in groups and were also given breaks so we could talk to people from other schools and learn about what they are doing for their school. There were lots of fun activities available during the breaks such as a photo booth and a mini animal show. I really enjoyed hearing about what ideas other people had thought of because it meant that I got to use their ideas to help expand my own, which meant that I could come back to school with a better understanding of what people my age might want to happen in the school or the community. Another thing I really liked was the activities that were provided at breaks because it gave us time to reset our minds and made the day flow really smoothly, it also added a lot of fun into the whole day. The people running the MRSC Youth Summit were all very kind, they made sure everyone was included in the discussion and wanted to hear every person’s point of view. I think the Youth Summit was a great way for people to share ideas and a way to give younger people a voice.  
Nic Needle, Year 9

On 21 March, selected students from Year 7 to 9 went to a Youth Summit held in the Woodend Hall. On the day we went through different topics on what we think as the younger generation that Macedon Ranges Shire could explore in the future.  Throughout the day I learned that there are so many problems in this shire that could easily be fixed by a few actions such as fixing the potholes in the roads, or just fixing the road in general, or allowing us to make transport easier by putting in more transport options in place.  I contributed to the discussion and the ‘Zoo's come to you’ activity that happened later in the day.  I enjoyed being able to share my opinion on what I believe should be done to make this shire better. I also enjoyed meeting other students from other schools.  For any students that are involved in the Youth Summit next year, I would like to say that you should give truthful answers and have as much fun as possible.
Charleigh Ager, Year 8