In late July, the curtains rose on a truly magical production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at the Geelong Arts Centre, performed by students from Iona College, Sacred Heart College, Clonard College and St Joseph’s College. Hosted by Iona College this year, the combined schools musical brought students together to collaborate on this much-loved story, filling the theatre with colour, energy, and imagination from Thursday 25 July through to Saturday 26 July.

This year’s production was the result of months of dedication and creativity, with students beginning rehearsals at the start of the year. We would also like to acknowledge the two leads, Evie Dando and Mia Lester for their performances.

One of the highlights of the week was seeing our Year 8 students attend the production as part of a school excursion. For many, it was their first time seeing a live musical — and they were utterly captivated. It was a special opportunity for them to support their peers and witness the magic of live theatre firsthand.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was a celebration of creativity, teamwork, and the power of the arts to bring students together. Congratulations to everyone involved on a spectacular show!

Well done to the following students who were part of this amazing production:

Our Year 9 cohort attended camp in early August, which took place over three days and two nights at The Summit in Trafalgar East, an outdoor adventure park.

The camp focused on personal development through high-energy, team-based activities, and by the looks of things the students gave their all in each and every way! Bonds were made or strengthened, limits were reached and surpassed, and personal pride was achieved over the duration of the camp. There was also time for lots of laughs and fun with each other, and support was given and received in equal measure.

Thank you to our Year 9 students for embracing the challenges you were shown, often venturing outside your comfort zone in the process; we are sure you learned a lot about yourself and just how resilient you can be. Thank you also to our wonderful staff who attended, and made the camp such an unforgettable experience for all.

What a season!

This year, two teams of Year 9 students competed in the annual Debating Association of Victoria competition. Held in the evenings at Geelong Grammar, students from across the region competed against one another on topics ranging from the use of herbicides and pesticides to mobile phones in schools.

In five rounds over the last several months, Sacred Heart College students argued their cases with tenacity, passion, and aplomb. Their hard work preparing and communicating as coherent teams resulted in shared second place, only a hair’s breadth away from first. A remarkable achievement, especially given the calibre of this year’s competitors.

If this wasn’t impressive enough, our students were also nominated Best Speaker several times throughout the competition.

Our outstanding orators should be most proud of themselves and the way they represented the College.

La Fête Nationale/ Bastille Day

Bonjour! Students’ taste-buds were tantalised in July with a sale of authentic French pâtisseries from the wonderful That Place Bakery in Belmont. Mais oui! We shared these delicious delicacies to celebrate La Fête Nationale, or Bastille Day, which commemorates the storming of the Bastille prison in Paris on 14 July 1789, the event which marked the start of the French Revolution. ‪

This year we were tempted by croissants, pains au chocolat, lemon tarts, choux buns, mille feuilles, canelés and raspberry brûlées. ‪Oh là là! C'est magnifique! Miam miam!

What a day for football it was in Melbourne on Thursday 7 August, with our Intermediate team taking on a very strong Caulfield Grammar College in the Division 1 Herald Sun Shield.

From the first bounce it was a tightly contested football game, with Caulfield getting some early goals. The SHC spirit and determination soon took over however, and they did not give in to the continuous pressure the entire game, eventually coming out the victorious winners.

Well done to all players on their efforts across the last few months of school football. Each player should be proud of their effort in the game. A big thank you to staff Simone Nalder and Narelle Dickson for the brilliant display of coaching they showed. Thank you to our trainee Olivia Mairos for being our runner for the day.

Team:

Final score: Caulfield Grammar 8.6.54 v Sacred Heart College 15.7.97

Goals: Winter Davies (3), Sienna Schmidt (3), Layne Harvey (1), Rio Smith (2), Amelie Ruyg (1), Matilda King (4), Remy Sliwa (2)

On Thursday 7 August, the Herald Sun Shield Senior Football Semi Final was best summed up as a day that did not go our way. Up against it from the first bounce with only 19 players due to illness and various reasons, the effort displayed from our players was undeniable throughout the entire game. Caulfield Grammar, a tough and well-oiled machine that competes in the APS, was simply too good. While our senior players were able to stay competitive up until halftime, the lack of rotating players really got the better of us as the fresh legged Caulfield ran away with it in the second half.

Some absolute standout performances from our two co-captains Tara Trethowan and Ally Lappin were highlights; they could not have stood any taller as they led from the front all day. Supported by the likes of Sarah Conroy and Aarabella Taylor in the backline, whilst under siege they still competed solidly. Jayde Morrissy and Evie Albones battled hard playing the majority of the day in the midfield with little rest. Truly admirable performances from them both. Supported by goals from Milla Wall, Grace Carroll and Neave Dickson up forward, our seniors competed hard up until the final siren.

It was a fantastic effort to get to the Semi-Final of the Herald Sun Shield as a team that only plays together a couple of times a year, and despite the outcome our coaches and staff are incredibly proud of the fight that was shown by our players.

A big shout out to Sonia Conroy for her words of wisdom as Assistant Coach and to our superstar runner Olivia Mairos. These games do not happen without the behind the scenes and on the ground work from Bianca Cheever, a true master at what she does.

Finally, a huge thank you to our Year 12 students that end their football journey at SHC. I speak on behalf of all the football coaches from over the years in saying it’s been a true honour to watch you grow as not only footballers but as fantastic young people too.

Final scores: Sacred Heart College – 3.1.19 Caulfield Grammar – 14.6.90

Best: Tara Trethowan, Ally Lappin, Sarah Conroy, Jayde Morrissy, Evie Albones, Arabella Taylor

Goals: Milla Wall, Grace Carroll, Neave Dickson

Last Term Year 8 students and Year 12 VCE VM students learned about homelessness and how it's an issue for the most vulnerable in our community. The students realised that we as part of the Greater Geelong community can do something to raise awareness of this issue and send 'hope' for change.

For Homelessness Week (4 to 10 August), SHC joined the Houses at Parliament campaign to demand more action to build more public and community housing. The SHC community folded an impressive 2655 houses - what a monumental effort. Well done to all who participated! This tally has been added to the state-wide contribution, which currently stands at 48571 of 60000. 

On each house a message of hope was inscribed, to show support for those affected by homelessness. The folded houses will be displayed in the Atrium as a physical representation of the need in our community for accessible housing.

We are so very proud of our students for their commitment and care for such a worthy cause. Well done to all for your efforts, and for displaying such wonderful Mercy in action.

Year 12 students Charlie Coles, Daja Pitt and Molly Leith pictured below in an article from the Geelong Advertiser, Monday 11 August 2025

Congratulations to the students who travelled to the Melbourne Sports & Aquatic Centre in Melbourne on Tuesday 29 July to compete in the CGSAV Futsal (Indoor Soccer) competition. The day started with all three teams playing in games in a round robin against other Catholic schools from around Victoria. The Juniors had very competitive games across the day, making it to the grand final against Sacred Heart Oakleigh. They won 4-0. Congratulations to Piper Mazaraki who won “Best in the Grand Final”. The Intermediates and Seniors had some close games across the day, finishing 5^th. Thank you to staff Kate Ryan, Alice McMillan and Max Cloonan for coaching on the day, and assistant Evie Ryan for helping.

Congratulations to all teams for their efforts and good sportsmanship throughout the day.

On Wednesday 13 August, we travelled to Booln Booln to participate in Koore Aspirations Day. The aim of the day was to immerse students in cultural activities, connecting with peers from other schools in Geelong, developing teamwork and leadership skills and involved in activities designed to start them thinking about potential Career Pathways. 

Year 8 student Ila Cashmore and Year 7 student Scarlett Van Oosten enjoyed themselves immensely, gaining a lot of information and inspiration from the day.

Dena Redden, Students of Refugee Background Specialist

U/15 BASKETBALL CHAMPIONS CUP

What a fantastic day it was for the U/15 Basketball Champions Cup, down at the State Basketball Centre on Tuesday 12 August. We got off to a solid start, with quick transition basketball and tight defence on display going into the half time break. However, the second half saw our scoring dry up and Templestowe come back at us. Some composure and nice shooting from Maggie McDonald in the last couple of minutes meant we got the win (29-25).

Game two was against Lowanna. This game was a great all round team performance, with terrific pressure up the court. All guards either caused direct turnovers, or their intense pressure meant others could come through with an intercept. All girls did not stop running and pushing the ball up the court. The stand out for the game was Lyla Kenny, with a massive inside game, scoring 17 points. Overall we won (44-14).

Game three, the last of the pool games, was against Berwick College #2. After a slow start and an apparent lack of intensity from the group, a quick time out was needed to snap the girls back to their usual high standard of playing. They then came out with a bang and saw us have a lead of 25-9 at the half time break. Everyone was getting around each other and bringing lots of energy on the court. Another all-round team performance meant the scoring load was shared. Asha Albones stood out as a clear leader in this game, ensuring everyone was getting involved as well as being able to take it to the hoop and finishing strongly. We ended up winning 52-18.

After the pool games all 20 teams were ranked from their performances on the day, and we ended up finishing 3rd with a final game to play against Edinburgh College. This was a must win game and it was intense from the start. The girls worked together as a team, kept their cool and brought the intensity in the defensive end of the court. It was a tough battle with lots of momentum changes but the girls held on to win by 2 points. We are now into the elite 8 competition in a few weeks’ time!

- Kara Shuttleworth, Coach

TEAM

Our Principal Anna Negro and Year 12 student Georgia Wall featured in the Geelong Advertiser on Thursday 14 August 2025. In the article they spoke of how the College is working to improve the health and wellbeing of students and staff. 

Both Anna and Georgia were also able to elaborate on how our new Sports and Wellness Precinct will help in achieving this goal. 

We are excited to share with the Geelong community the importance we place on wellbeing here at SHC. 

You can read the full article by clicking here.

Six students attended the Seeds of Justice camp from Thursday 14 to Friday 15 August. The Seeds of Justice Conference is an overnight event at Araluen Camp in Anglesea. The camp allows a greater sense of connection between students from a variety of Mercy Schools around Victoria, with the aims of the camp being:

• To form students and staff in the Mercy charism
• To raise awareness of contemporary issues in social justice
• To facilitate new links between students and staff of Mercy schools, both city and regional

The students - Ava Howie, Nevaeh Huynh, Rachael James, Amelia Naylor, Matilda Norman and Imani Sagnol - gained a lot from their time at the camp. Ava and Rachael provided the following reflection:

In August we attended the Seeds of Justice Camp in Anglesea. We were given the wonderful opportunity to spend two days connecting with other Mercy schools from across Victoria. We spent this time discussing and collaborating about eco-justice initiatives.

We had two guest speakers come and share their experiences around both eco-justice initiatives and First Nations awareness. Juliet Talarico, from Terra Leaders, shared her powerful message about recognising the environment and how we can not only live sustainably but immerse ourselves into a regenerative lifestyle. Lisa Moloney, from the Opening The Doors Foundation, educated us on the importance of national reconciliation and the definition of FIRE carriers.

We discussed where Sacred Heart has succeeded in our First Nations efforts/campaigns and where we can continue to foster our connection in the season of creation.

A highlight for this camp was walking down to Anglesea beach and practicing Dadirri, a meditation practice that involves connecting with the earth. We spent time just getting to know students from other Mercy schools and sharing meaningful connections.

Upon our return, we utilised what we had learnt to further our initiatives around Season of Creation.

 - Ava Howie Year 10 and Rachael James Year 9

The Sacred Heart College Intermediate team took on a strong Rowville Secondary College in the Division 1 Herald Sun Shield Grand Final at Skinner Reserve, Braybrook on Tuesday 14 August. 

From the first bounce it was a tightly contested football game; the effort and teamwork from SHC was fantastic all day, and they did not give in to the continuous pressure the entire game. They unfortunately didn’t get the win but gave it their best.

Well done to all players on their effort in the game. A big thank you to Year 7 student Milla Belcher and Year 8 students Harriett O’Dwyer, Violet Miers and Addi Giles for stepping up to help out the team.

Thank you to staff Simone Nalder and Narelle Dickson for coaching the Inter team. Thank you to Liv for being our runner for the day, Carl Tracey for coming along to support the team and Apolonia for cheering the team on while watching her first AFL football game.

Final score:

Sacred Heart College 3.4.22 v Rowville College 9.19.73

Team:

Winter Davies, Tessa Leen, Stella Smith, Scarlett Farley, Sienna Schmidt, Kaeli Oliver, Layne Harvey, Isabel Toohey, Milly Naylor, Harriett O'Dwyer, Violet Miers, Addi Giles, Tamryn Van Rooyen, Jemima Hood, Ruby Doyle, Amelie Ruyg, Milla Belcher, Sibella Lehmann, Maggie Fisher, Georgia McDonough, Remy Sliwa