RUOK? is a charity that encourages people to stay connected and have conversations that can help others through difficult times in their lives. They focus on building the motivation, confidence and skills of the person who can have a meaningful conversation with someone who is struggling.

Life's ups and downs happen to all of us. So chances are, someone you know might be struggling – and your genuine support can make a difference, whatever they're facing – big or small.

R U OK? Day is Thursday 9 September and this year their message is: Are they really OK? Ask them today.

Taking into consideration the past couple of years, it is more important than ever to ask someone if they are ok. Because of COVID lockdowns it makes it hard to tell if the people you care about are actually doing ok.

So we encourage you to reach out whether that be through a message, a phone call or FaceTime to genuinely ask the people around you if they are really OK, remember to keep an open mind when having these conversations and that it is a safe space for both people to express how they are doing, there should be no judgement. Remote learning has been difficult for everyone and definitely affects everyone differently so this year’s R U OK? Day is significantly important.

Your help and support can really make a difference in someone’s life, so make sure you ask someone if they are ok, listen and encourage them, and continue to check in on them.

Media presentations of mental health have increased in recent years, with the suicide of high-profile athletes, celebrities and most recently the pandemic. Despite the increased awareness in media, Duncan believes there is still a stigma that needs to be broken, especially among young males.

“I was motivated to choose men’s mental health for my public speaking topic when I found out that men our age (17-18) all the way up until 44 are twice as likely to die from suicide than a road accident,” said Duncan.

“As Seniors, many of us are getting our licenses. Adults are drilling into us the importance of being careful on the road. They worry,” said Duncan, “but through my research I realised the real killer of young men is suicide – which is often left in the dark.”

While delivering his speech, Duncan asked the Year 12 men to look around. “Out of the 40 or so males in Year 12, statistically, five may suffer from depression and a further eight may suffer from anxiety. Putting it into perspective like that hit close to home.”

“Men’s mental health needs more awareness so we can better look after ourselves, have a strong support network for our mates and so we know what to do when we are in crisis,” said Duncan.

“I was scrolling through TikTok and came across a video by a New Zealand fisherman who likened mental health breakdown with a broken boat motor,” said Duncan. “He asked ‘if your tinny breaks down at sea, do you put your ego aside and call someone?’”

“Just like when a tinny motor breaks, calling someone when you are having a mental health crisis could prevent a devastating consequence,” said Duncan. “I used the analogy of a boat motor to implore men to seek help when faced with mental health issues.”

“My hope is that the next time a parent asks us to ‘be careful’ or ‘ring me when you’re there’, we are all reminded of what the real killer is, and, using a quote from Beyond Blue “check yourself, check your mates and get help if you need it.”

A poster, designed by Duncan, acts as a reminder to check in with each other. This poster will circulate the College throughout Term 3.

“Our student leaders have been active this year and I commend Duncan on this most recent initiative to help our students as they navigate these challenging times. Duncan spoke about the importance of being connected and this is a feature of Nagle’s pastoral structures and program,” said Nagle’s Principal, Mr Neville Powles.

"We were very fortunate to be able to come together to hold this very important event after having to re-schedule on two occasions this year," said Mrs Buurman, Deputy Principal - Pastoral.

Nagle's athletics Carnival went ahead, after being forced to reschedule three times due to weather and Covid lockdowns. As Athletics Carnival was held on Founders' Day, the morning began with a short liturgy to acknowledge and pay tribute to our Patron and Founders.

"Our day was in keeping with our Salesian tradition to be a home that welcomes, a school that prepares for life, a church that evangelises and a playground where we have fun," said Mr Powles, Principal.

It was pleasing to see so many students enjoying the day. Students from each House put forth their best effort, especially those from Polding who demonstrated that participation goes a long way in deciding the winning House.

It was also pleasing to see three students break previous records. Year 11 student, Amy Curnow's (Bosco)100m sprint time of 13.42 seconds beat a 35 year old record set by Kathryn Forysth (13.49 s). Also in 100m, Year 7 Douglas Ashby's (Chisholm) time of 12.88 seconds beat that of Tyrone Hayes (12.95 s) set in 2012. Year 9 student, Antje Kempff's (Polding) time 1:03.21 in the 400m race took over 3 minutes off the previous record set by Christine James in 2009 (1:06.71 s). Nagle Congratulates these students on their achievement.

Age Champions

House Results

	1st Place	2nd Place	3rd Place	4th Place	5th Place	6th Place	7th Place
House
Points	1,366	1,320	1,260	1,110	1,105	913	868

Mr Hulls was an inspiring presenter who spoke with great passion about the importance of human rights and a just legal system. This is not surprising considering Mr Hulls’ extensive and impressive career which includes serving as the Victorian Attorney General and Deputy Premier and being a member of the House of Representatives. Mr Hulls encouraged students to be determined to strive to achieve their goals and believe in themselves. He also shared his experience in helping shape the Australian legal system.

“Mr Hulls’ story is astonishingly unique and listening to his experiences gave us extra appreciation for the changes our legal system as gone through since he first started working in law in 1984,” said students.

“The changes Mr Hulls has made in our legal system, by implementing the Drug and Koorie courts, the first charter for human rights in Victoria, understanding and helping those with mental health concerns and helping to achieve fairness, equality and access within the courts are acts that will be remembered for generations.”

For students interested in pursuing a career in law, this talk was especially insightful.

“As someone especially interested in working with healing law, listening to your anecdotes widened mine and many other students’ eyes to the possibilities within cases, and how each case is made up of unique and important details.”

Students were grateful that Mr Hulls gave up his time to speak to them.

“This was a remarkable opportunity for us, which provided insight into the development of sections in our legal system, as well as comfort into what our futures may hold in law.”

“We are immensely grateful for this opportunity. Mr Hulls has filled us all with inspiration and hope for our futures.”

The Step Challenge encouraged students, their family, staff and past students and staff to take as many steps as possible between Wednesday 1 September until Wednesday 8 September 2021.

Bosco House also had the most past students/staff participate. Collectively, these 15 participants contributed 991,606 steps for Bosco, and helping contribute to their win.

The greatest achievement throughout this competition, however, was that of Mrs Kool. Mrs Kool is congratulated on setting a new step count record - 224,952 steps - breaking Mr Carr’s record of 210,000 steps which he set in September 2020.

Nagle's Sport Coordinator, Mrs Paula O'Neill first introduced the Inter-House Step Challenge in May 2020 after Nagle Students missed the opportunity to participate in the Cross Country and Athletics Carnivals due to lockdown. After the success of the first Step Challenge, a second challenge took place during the extended lockdown in September 2020.

“The House Step Challenge was created to encourage students and staff to get moving during remote learning. It was also an opportunity to generate House competition and spirit at a time when students would normally be participating in sport carnivals. It is important to maintain the pastoral elements of school alongside the educational,” said Mrs O’Neill.

Nagle congratulates everyone for their participation.

Overall House Results

Place		Total Steps
1st Place - Bosco		2,805,375
2nd Place - Newman		1,727,063
3rd Place - MacKillop		1,228,887
4th Place - Polding		1,225,330
5th Place - Avila		1,149,213
6th Place - Xavier		1,002, 283
7th Place - Chisholm		351,839

Student Results - Age Champions

Student	House	Total Steps
Izaac Alleaume		80,762
Summer Smith-Entink		111,374
Sikha Stafford		82,895
Grace McKenna		83,733
Braiden Wylie		104,487
Noah Price		139,541
Layla Chapman		82,274

Staff Results

Staff member	House	Total Steps
Judy Kool		224,952
Narelle Buurman		173, 375
Jacqui Baylis		53,800
Aiden Giove		92,508
Paula O’Neill		168,858
Andrea Blunden		161,877
Gabrielle Costin		92,102

One of the most rewarding Founders’ Day experiences for students is a stewardship activity. Houses collectively plant 1,000 indigenous seedlings along the Mitchell River. This activity allows staff and students connect with nature and celebrate the biodiversity of their special school environment.

Unfortunately, this year, students and staff had to forego the usual Founders’ Day activities due to Covid Restrictions. Since these seedlings could not be planted at school, the seedlings were redistributed to staff to use in their own biodiversity projects.

The plants were allocated to Nagle College by East Gippsland Landcare, and included a variety of trees, shrubs and grasses. The staff took up the opportunity with great enthusiasm. With Term break nearly upon us and plenty of rain falling, staff can look forward to spending time in the garden planting and improving the diversity of their properties.

For many of our junior students, their Textiles class will be their first sewing experience, which can be challenging during remote learning. Our teachers have adapted to these challenges by setting briefs that are fun, engaging, and inclusive.

Year 7

Year 7 students were tasked with creating a woven piece using materials sourced from their garden or nature. Weaving is an age-old art form, used not only for fabrics, but for baskets, mats, nets and more. This activity allowed students to express their creativity and practise this artform.

Year 8

Year 8 students created a sock puppet using items found around the house. Through sewing these puppets students learnt the basics, such as threading a needle, sewing buttons, hand stitching and using a sewing machine.

Todd, a Fashion and Costume academic at LCI Melbourne, generously donated his time to teach Nagle College students what a career in the fashion industry could look like. Along with lecturing, Todd has been in both costume and fashion design plus publication for the last 15 years.

Since beginning is work at LCI Melbourne, Todd started an initiative at LCI Melbourne that gives students an opportunity to experience what it may be like to study and work within the creative industries.

“Usually, we run workshops as incursions or excursions but as soon as we went into the current lockdown this was not possible,” said Todd. “I spoke to Karen Webster, our Dean and Principle, and asked if we could offer all schools the opportunity to access LCI Melbourne virtually – for free – to give both students and teachers something different. We looked at this initiative as our way to give back to the community.”

Virtual incursions provided Nagle students with the opportunity to learn about fashion illustrations from an industry expert over several days. Student illustrations were diverse and included bespoke clothing designs.

“I was proud of the way students applied themselves to the tasks they were assigned. These sessions allowed students to use their skills to create their own fashion illustrations,” said Teacher, Mrs Hilary Arnold. “Todd helped provide tips and guidance to ensure our students could achieve their potential. We are very grateful to Todd and LCI Melbourne for this opportunity.”

The standard of work submitted by students is a testament to Todd’s support and dedication.

“It was such a pleasure to work with the students and Hilary,” said Todd. “I am impressed with the quality of work that the students at Nagle College have been producing.”

Thank you and congratulations to all our students who participated in this year's Nagle's Got Talent Photograph and Digital Arts Competition. Mrs Bailey was pleased to see so many students take up the opportunity to submit their work. Over 150 images and photographs were submitted, from which 55 were selected as finalists. These finalists represent all seven Houses and all year levels. Also included below are the Junior and Senior Honourable Mentions photographs. While these photos were not selected as one of the top two in their House, they are beautiful photos worth sharing. Please enjoy this virtual gallery of student art.