Monday, 11 November saw the parents’ Community Connect group hold its AGM and final meeting of the year for 2024. Over drinks and dinner at the pub, we reflected on a successful year of social connections and fundraising for the school, and we put a few plans in place for 2025.

The committee’s office bearers stepped down from their two-year terms, and the whole committee would like to thank our secretary, Matt Wilson, and our treasurer, Tony Thaus, for their tremendous work over 2023 and 2024. A new treasurer has been appointed (thank you, Kelly Miller!), and the roles of president and secretary will be voted on early next year. We invite anyone wishing to join the committee or the group generally to submit an expression of interest, outlining their intentions.

My two-year term as president officially ends now too, and I’d like to say what a pleasure it’s been leading the committee. We’ve had so much fun being involved with our children’s school and making great friendships along the way. I feel much more connected to other families, to my child’s education, and I have a better understanding of how the College operates thanks to this experience. I highly recommend any interested parent or guardian to come along to one or more of the monthly meetings next year, as it will definitely enrich your journey through your child’s high school years.

You’ll see me at the College Celebration Evening on 25 November, presenting prizes to students in each year, donated from some of the Community Connect funds raised in 2024. Other committee members will be there too and are always happy to chat if you’d like to know more.

I’d like to take this opportunity to introduce your parent year level representatives for 2025:

• Year 9 – Fiona Brink: year9_cc@aloysius.vic.edu.au
• Year 10 – Tony Thaus: year10_cc@aloysius.vic.edu.au
• Year 11 – Ruth McClelland: year11_cc@aloysius.vic.edu.au
• Year 12 – Nadia Cinalli: year12_cc@aloysius.vic.edu.au

The Year 7 and 8 representatives will be announced soon. Please feel free to reach out to your parent representative if you have any questions you’d like to discuss with another parent.

Finally, as we are all about community, we must make a special mention of Kwan and Lucy at the Melrose Street IGA, who generously donated all the sausages, bread, and sauce for our 18 October sausage sizzle. If you don’t have time to support or be involved in Community Connect in any other way, perhaps you or your children could support this local supermarket that has supported us.

The past two years on Community Connect have flown by, making you realise how quickly the high school years pass. If you’d like to be more involved with the social life of the school, the first Community Connect meeting for 2025 will be held on Monday, 10 February at 6 pm in the College STEM Centre. We’d love to see you there!

Ruth McClelland
President, Community Connect