Star of the Sea College

This time last year the Year 12 students from the class of 2025 were busy preparing for their exams. One year on, they returned to Star to reunite with their classmates and teachers. Now studying, working, and travelling, this group of past students enjoyed updating each other about their lives post-school.

It was a pleasure to welcome them back to Star.

Star teacher Diana Brooks today spoke with our Year 9 students about the experiences of Australian women at war during WW2.

Diana has recently published a book Code of Silence: How Australian Women Helped Win the War which explores many individual stories of women from Australia and their experiences toward the war effort during WW2. She shared some of these stories with the students today.

Our Year 9 girls are currently studying WW2 and have this week been learning about the role that women played throughout the war. Diana's presentation was the perfect way to cap off a rich learning experience for all of our students at Year 9.

Our Year 8 students stepped beyond the classroom for their Reflection Day, exploring some of Melbourne’s significant places of Christian worship.

Visiting churches and cathedrals from a range of Christian traditions, students discovered their history, architecture, symbols and worship practices, while reflecting on both the differences and shared beliefs across denominations.

The day provided a valuable opportunity to deepen students’ understanding of their own Catholic tradition while developing respect and appreciation for the diverse ways Christians worship, pray and serve their communities.

We are delighted to share our Artist of the Week, Year 9 Visual Communication Design student, Allegra.

She shares: We were asked to design a modern stool for a small apartment. I gave the stool an area for a cat to rest, while also having room for a person to sit above. Both the cat and user have a pink cushion which makes the stool practical and comfortable for the small space.

As part of our Year 9 Exploration Day, students had the privilege of hearing from Holocaust survivor Peter Gaspar, who shared his remarkable story of survival.

Born in Czechoslovakia in 1937, Peter spent his early childhood living through the terror of the N**i regime. In June 1942, 40 members of his family were deported to Auschwitz. Peter and his immediate family were forced into hiding, spending their nights wherever they could find shelter. During the winter of 1944, they spent several days sleeping in a dugout no bigger than a grave.

After years of hiding, Peter and his mother were sent to Terezin concentration camp, where they remained until their liberation on 8 May 1945. Of the thousands of children imprisoned at Terezin, Peter was one of the very few who survived. The Gaspar family immigrated to Australia in 1949.

We are incredibly grateful to Peter for sharing his story with our Year 9 students, providing a powerful and deeply personal insight into the Holocaust and the importance of ensuring these stories are never forgotten.

Star of the Sea College proudly presents Horizons, our 2026 Visual Arts & Design Technology Show.

Featuring hundreds of works by students from Years 7–12, Horizons celebrates the creativity, imagination and artistic growth of our young artists and designers across drawing, painting, textiles, ceramics, sculpture, photography, film, food, design and more.

This year's theme invites us to look beyond what we already know and explore new possibilities, perspectives and ideas.

Join us for Opening Night and experience three floors of student work throughout the Heritage Building, along with interactive experiences, awards and refreshments.

Tuesday 8 September | 6.00pm
Kildare Café & Heritage Building

A special mention to Year 12 Art Captain Millie, who created this year's fantastic Horizons show design.

We look forward to welcoming students, families, friends and members of the wider Star community.

Yesterday, senior Nagle students from Years 11 and 12 had the opportunity to visit our Outreach partner, St Kilda Gatehouse, for a valuable and meaningful session. St Kilda Gatehouse operates the Greeves Street Op Shop, alongside a drop-in centre supporting women in the heart of St Kilda. Our Nagle students have proudly fundraised and donated essential material goods to support the centre. To finish the experience, students also created handmade gift cards to be sold through the Op Shop.

Last week, Year 10 students Chloe, Ella, Grace and Izzy spent three days at Iona College in Perth, WA, proudly representing Star at the 2026 Nagle Education Alliance of Australia (NEAA) Student Conference.

This year's conference theme, Carriers of the Lantern, invited students from Years 9–11 to honour the 250-year legacy of the Presentation Sisters and explore how Venerable Nano Nagle's mission continues today.

Through a focus on spirituality, service, social justice and leadership, students were encouraged to reflect on their own role in carrying Nano's light forward and how they can use their gifts to serve others and make a difference in their communities.

The conference was also a wonderful opportunity to connect with students from other Presentation schools across Australia and deepen their understanding of the Presentation charism.

We are very proud of the way Chloe, Ella, Grace and Izzy represented Star and look forward to seeing them bring their experiences and ideas back to our community.

Thank you to Star's Director of Student Wellbeing, Maree Fletcher, who accompanied and supported our students throughout their time in Perth.

A reminder that applications for Year 7, 2028 close this Friday, 21 August at 6.00pm.

Families considering Star of the Sea College for Year 7 in 2028 are encouraged to submit their application before the closing date.

Current Star families are also reminded that an application is required for younger siblings commencing Year 7 in 2028.

Applications can be completed online via the College website.

Applications close: Friday 21 August, 6.00pm
Enrolment information: star.vic.edu.au/enrolments or link in our bio

We are delighted to share our Artist of the Week, Year 10 Art student, Katia.

She shares: I loved the one day workshop with our 'Artist in Residence' Lizzie Sullivan. I learned many new techniques, including how to use contrasting colours effectively without overwhelming the artwork. I chose to paint the flowers as the main focal point as I wanted to experiment with the textures and different shades of pink. I chose to use a random section of the heritage building that was seen on the screen, enlarging it to create the background of the artwork.