Dear family and friends of OLSH College, 

As we enter the home stretch of the 2025 academic year, there’s a vibrant sense of momentum across our community. With exams behind us and students stepping confidently into their 2026 classes, this is an excellent opportunity for all of us to harness that energy and engage fully with everything on offer—both in the classroom and beyond.

At the same time, we approach the final Sunday of the Church year and celebrate the beautiful Feast of Christ the King. The Eucharistic Preface for this feast speaks powerfully to our call to shape a world that reflects Christ’s example—a world that is:

a kingdom of truth and life,
a kingdom of holiness and grace,
a kingdom of justice, love, and peace.

Always united in our shared OLSH Spirit.

Anne O'Loughlin
Principal

Advent Festival 2025

This Christmas, Lord, come to the manger of my heart.
Fill me with your presence, from the very start.
As I prepare for the holidays, and gifts to be given,
Remind me of the gift You gave, when you sent Your Son from Heaven.

St. Vincent De Paul is again providing help to those in need at Christmas and are grateful for our donations and assistance.

During the last two weeks of the term, we will run several activities to support our Advent fundraising. 

• Monday 24th Nov. - Cake stall (Hartzer)
• Tuesday 25th Nov. - Sausage sizzle (Sweeney)
• Tuesday 2nd Dec. - Potato twists and lollie bags (Xavier)
• Thursday 4th Dec. - Ice creams (Chevalier)
• Student leaders: Raffle
• Staff raffle

Our Moorabbin Vinnies community have shared this message with us:

This year, we are again seeking cash donations from the wonderful OLSH College Bentleigh community. We do understand that some parents might also be finding it difficult, so we do not expect everyone to donate. We look forward to attending your end of year Mass and would be happy to say of few words of thanks.

GOSPEL Lk 21:5-19
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke.
R. Glory to you, O Lord.

When some were talking about the Temple, remarking how it was adorned with fine stonework and votive offerings, Jesus said, ‘All these things you are staring at now – the time will come when not a single stone will be left on another: everything will be destroyed.’ And they put to him this question: ‘Master’, they said ‘when will this happen, then, and what sign will there be that this is about to take place?’

Take care not to be deceived’, he said ‘because many will come using my name and saying, “I am he”, and, “The time is near at hand.” Refuse to join them. And when you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be frightened, for this is something that must happen but the end is not so soon.’ Then he said to them, ‘Nation will fight against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes and plagues and famines here and there; there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven. 

‘But before all this happens, men will seize you and persecute you; they will hand you over to the synagogues and to imprisonment, and bring you before kings and governors because of my name – and that will be your opportunity to bear witness. Keep this carefully in mind: you are not to prepare your defence, because I myself shall give you an eloquence and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to resist or contradict. You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relations and friends; and some of you will be put to death. You will be hated by all men on account of my name, but not a hair of your head will be lost. Your endurance will win you your lives.’

The Gospel of the Lord.
R. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

God's protective promise

Last Sunday we commemorated the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica. The Gospel then was from John with Jesus cleansing the Temple and its precincts, restoring it as the rightful abode of God’s presence and holiness. Today’s Gospel, continuing our liturgical journey with Luke, touches again on the theme of the Temple. But this time, Jesus anticipates its destruction and then springboards Gospel listeners into a sermon on the endtime. The Gospel theme prepares us for the final Sundays of the year before the new liturgical year, Year A and Matthew’s Gospel, commences in two weeks’ time with the beginning of Advent. '

Today’s Gospel is complex and often misunderstood. It requires careful explanation. Our selection comes from Luke’s ‘apocalyptic’ chapter. Here the evangelist draws on Mk 13 but reshapes it in the light of the audience’s experience and memory of Jerusalem’s destruction by Rome in 70 CE. This experience is retrojected on to Jesus’ teaching seeming to prophesy its destruction. In Jesus’ day the Temple was still standing; by the time Luke writes, Jerusalem and its Temple are already destroyed. 

Luke’s apocalyptic teaching acknowledges the struggle of Jesus’ faithful followers living generations after Jesus public ministry, assuring them of God’s comforting presence, warning them not to be carried away by messianic pretenders, and encouraging their patient endurance in all that unfolds. The last words of the Gospel contain the essence of God’s protective promise: ‘…not a hair of your head will be lost. Your endurance will win you your lives.’ We, too, lean into these words amid our struggles today.

Fr Michael Trainor

Gospel reading from The Jerusalem Bible, Copyright © 1966 Hodder & Stoughton Ltd. and Gospel Reflection, © St Pauls Publications 2025, are published with permission of St Paul's Publications. Strathfield NSW. All rights reserved.

Ms Megan Donohue
Deputy Principal Faith and Mission

A renewed focus on learning

With our Year 12 students all but finished their final exams, it is now the turn of our Year 9 to 11 students to take on theirs. Over the last week, our Issoudun students completed their English and Mathematics exams, and each of them did an exceptional job. 

Often, the biggest challenge in any exam is the one we face within ourselves. The ability to stay calm, think clearly, and recall information under pressure is an important skill to develop—and it was wonderful to see our Issoudun students demonstrating this with such focus and determination.

Improving focus and attention during exams comes down to a few key habits: getting a good night’s sleep, eating a balanced breakfast, and arriving prepared with all necessary materials. Taking a few deep breaths before starting can help calm the mind, while pacing yourself through each section and keeping an eye on the time ensures you stay on track. Most importantly, trust the work you’ve done—confidence can make all the difference.

This week we have an eye on the ‘Kickstart’ timetable which begins on Thursday. For our juniors, Kickstart is an opportunity to have a taster of the next year’s curriculum/ For our senior students, the Kickstart signals the beginning of their formal VCE content and skills. For them, it is an opportunity to begin afresh with a renewed focus on learning.

Good luck to all as the Kickstart begins.

Joshua Di Pietro
Deputy Principal Learning and Teaching 

Fresh Take digital exhibition

Our VCE VM students entered the Fresh Take digital exhibition, designing anti-vaping communications. There submissions were in the form of digital posters which are now in the digital exhibition. 

The students used illustration and language to convey their message on this important topic.

You can view the submissions here and cast your vote for the best one. We'd love you to view the OLSH submissions and vote for them. 

New Social Media Regulations December 10: What you need to know?

From 10 December 2025, new laws will take effect in Australia to protect young people online by restricting access to social media for those under the age of 16. This important change reflects growing community concern about the impact of early social media use on children's mental health, wellbeing and development.

Research shows that social media can expose children to unrealistic comparisons, online pressure and harmful content long before they are emotionally ready to manage it. While regulation is a positive step forward, real safety begins at home. Families continue to play the most powerful role in helping children build confidence, resilience and awareness in the digital world.

These new regulations provide an opportunity to talk openly with your daughter about their online experiences and what these changes mean for them. It's also a chance to review family technology habits, reinforce healthy routines, and explore age-appropriate ways for young people to connect, learn and express themselves.

This Special School TV Report explains what the new laws mean in practice and offers practical guidance to help families prepare for the upcoming changes. The written content on School TV can be translated into 60+ languages. Video content is available to view in Chinese, Hindi and Arabic

View the School TV Special Report here

Further Social Media Regulations Resources- eSafety Commissioner

For further information regarding the upcoming social media changes, please visit the eSafety Commissioner’s website. It provides valuable resources for young people, parents, carers, and educators. Free webinars for parents and carers are also available for registration. 

Access the eSafety Commissioner site here.

Dina Oro
Deputy Principal Student Wellbeing

Welcoming back our Alumnae

In recent weeks, we have welcomed back OLSH alumnae from the Classes of 1985, 2005 and 2015 for their reunions. All occasions were wonderful opportunities for reconnection -with each other, with cherished memories, and with the OLSH story. Our alumnae especially enjoyed hearing updates about the OLSH Sisters and former staff, and revisiting familiar classrooms and spaces around the College. 

We will release dates for our 2026 reunions soon, so keep an eye on the Alumnae page. 

As we draw near to the close of another remarkable year at OLSH College, we recently celebrated and farewelled our incredible Class of 2025. This year’s graduates have been a source of energy, optimism, and strength within our community, and their leadership has left a lasting mark on us all. We remain grateful for all of Keiva, Gabi, Lucille and Eve’s hard work and energy they brought into the role to lead their wonderful year level. We wish them every success as they take on their next chapters — filled with new opportunities, adventures, and dreams waiting to unfold.

For us, our leadership journey is just beginning. At the recent Jules Chevalier Handover of Leadership Ceremony, the 2025 Student Leaders—whose legacy will continue to inspire us—officially passed the reins to the newly elected 2026 Student Leaders. From that moment, our new journey had begun. With their legacy guiding us, we’re stepping forward with excitement and gratitude, beyond excited to lead with passion and heart as we create something truly special together! In these recent weeks, we have been introduced to the new role of conducting and planning our weekly student leadership meetings each Monday, with the first agenda being World Teachers Day. Thanks to our ongoing 2025 student leaders, we were able to celebrate the day with crown-shaped cards for our hardworking staff members to start their day with! We were also able to create a lovely video filled with messages and quotes thanking the staff at OLSH, with the theme ‘Hats off to the Teachers!’ Following this, we led our first assembly for the school as the MCs! Here we had the chance to introduce ourselves to the school with a few fun facts about ourselves and celebrate all the recent wonderful achievements throughout the school.

In the weeks ahead, our focus as a team is to strengthen the sense of connection and school spirit across all year levels. We’re passionate about creating opportunities for students to feel seen, valued, and involved, celebrating the amazing achievements happening every day at OLSH. Continuing to work with the incredible leaders this year and the newly elected ones, our goal is to continue building a community where everyone feels proud to belong and inspired to live out our OLSH values in everything we do.

These first few weeks have been such an exciting start to our leadership journey, and we already feel so inspired by the opportunities ahead. We’re eager to bring our creativity, passion, and teamwork to everything we do — continuing to build on the spirit that makes OLSH so special. We hope to make a positive impact in our community by sharing kindness, encouragement, and enthusiasm with everyone we meet.

On behalf of the Student Executive Team, Sarina Azad, Tianna Kamal-Eddine, Syanne Ancora, and Catherine Sim, we are beyond excited for the year ahead. We can’t wait to experience all the love, laughter, and unforgettable memories that 2026 will bring!

Sarina, Tianna, Syanne and Catherine
Senior Exec team

OLSH Sport for 2025 has reached it's end, and now we look to prepare for next year - Diving, Swimming and Triathlon training will commence early in the new year, and the summer holidays present the perfect opportunity to prepare!

The 2025 Regnet Christus Sport Awards, being celebrated on 24 November, offer an opportunity to reflect on the incredible team and individual performances from our students, and we look forward to sharing the joy with families of the award winners.

Well done to all students who have trialed, trained and represented OLSH this year. Sport is wonderful way to connect with peers and teachers outside of the classroom, and creates a sense of belonging. We look forward to building on our impressive achievements in 2025.

Exciting news from the Victorian All Schools Track and Field Championships

We’re delighted to share the some exciting results from the news Victorian All Schools Track and Field Championships. Year 11 student Fernanda won Gold in the Hammer throw with a distance of 58.76 metres, which has qualified her for the Australian All School Championships in December. Year 12 student Faith placed second in the 100m Hurdles, 8th in the 100m Sprint and 4th in the Long Jump. It was a fabulous effort from Faith who is balancing her training with VCE exams and also had to face storms and hail at the event! Faith will represent OLSH in Hurdles at the National Schools Championships next month. 

We wish Faith and Fernanda all the very best at the Nationals.

Finishing the year on a high note

We have two final music concerts coming up in the Performing Arts Centre to conclude a huge year of music at OLSH.

• Tuesday 25 November, 5 to 6pm: Instruments and Ensembles
• Tuesday 2 December, 5 to 6pm: Vocal and Choral Concert

We hope you can join us as we showcase the work of all our College musicians. 

We are starting a new series featuring our College musicians, to learn more about why they study music and their journey at OLSH taking up performing arts opportunities. Here are our first two students.