Academic Achievements 2025

Congratulations to the Class of 2025 and their dedicated teachers for achieving excellent VCE results. Whether the next step on their journey be to university, TAFE, apprenticeships or to work, they will be better for facing the challenges of the year and overcoming them successfully. Our 2025 VCE results reflect the hard work of the students, in collaboration with their teachers and support from their families.

We thank and commend the Class of 2025 on the contribution they have made to Parade College over the past six years in all endeavours that they have pursued. Their leadership, service to others and their contribution to the cocurricular life of the College have added to the richness of our community.

Congratulations to our College Dux, Alexander Larocca, with an ATAR of 99.05 and to Tom Montgomery-Scobie, our Outstanding Senior VCE Vocational Major Student for 2025.

Congratulations to the 33 students that achieved excellent VCE ATAR scores of 90+. These High Achievers include the following students in alphabetical order:

Parents of Parade (POP) – Thank you

I would like to thank our dedicated family members who donated their time to being a part of the POP team in 2025. Their dedication to Parade and our community is very much appreciated. The team, led by President Beth Henry, were always willing to support College events and provides opportunities for families to enhance their connection to the College and to build new friendships. We look forward to this team growing in 2026.

Best Wishes for the Festive Season

I take this opportunity to thank you all for your support of the College and our students in 2025. We have been able to see our students achieve some outstanding results and extend themselves in a variety of different programs and activities throughout the year. This brings joy to our work on a daily basis.

On behalf of all of the staff at Parade College, we wish everyone a safe and restful Christmas break.

We look forward to working with you again in 2026.

As another school year draws to a close, we pause to reflect on the many blessings that have filled our community. Advent invites us into a time of waiting, hope and joyful expectation as we prepare our hearts for the coming of Christ at Christmas. In this spirit, we give thanks for the light, kindness and generosity that have shone so strongly across our College throughout 2025.

One of the clearest signs of this has been the incredible response to our social justice and fundraising initiatives this year. Thanks to the compassion and commitment of our students, families, and staff, we are delighted to announce that together we have raised $20,138 for The Good Samaritan Inn. These funds directly provide support and advocacy for women, gender diverse people and children who have experienced family violence and homelessness. This remarkable achievement reflects the collective kindness and commitment of our community, allowing us to support those most in need and to continue building a school culture where every person is valued and included.

As Christmas draws near, we return to the simplicity and wonder of the Nativity story. Like the shepherds who heard the angel proclaim, “I am bringing you good news of great joy for all people” (Luke 2:10), we too rejoice in the coming of Christ. The manger scene teaches us that greatness is found in simplicity. Jesus is born not in a palace but in a stable, surrounded by ordinary people. This challenges us to notice the sacred within the simple: a shared meal, a quiet moment, an act of kindness. Christmas invites us to slow down, reflect and appreciate the blessings that often go unnoticed.

We wish you and your loved ones a joyful Christmas and a restful, safe holiday break. May this time be filled with the blessing of peace, laughter, and the warmth of family and friends.

As we close the 2025 academic year, we extend our heartfelt congratulations to all our students for their dedication and achievements throughout the year. To our VCE students, congratulations on receiving your results. Whatever pathways now open before you, know that your hard work, perseverance, and commitment have prepared you well for the next chapter. We are incredibly proud of all you have accomplished.

To our VCE VM students, we commend you for your engagement in applied learning, work experience, and the positive contribution you have made to our senior school community. Many of you are already actively pursuing your chosen pathways, and we celebrate the seamless transitions you are making from school to your future endeavors.

As we prepare for the holiday break, we extend our gratitude to our entire school community, students, families, and staff. We look forward to welcoming everyone back in 2026 for another year of learning and growth.

Wishing you all a safe Christmas and New Years.

2025 Year 7 to 11 Academic High Achievers

The Academic High Achiever Award acknowledges students’ academic achievement over the whole of 2025 and were handed out to students at the final Year Level assembly for 2025. The Academic High Achiever Award was awarded to the students within each year level that achieved the highest overall assessment grades across all subjects over both semesters. Students that achieved the highest three scores were identified. In each year level there are minimum of three students that are bestowed the award, but depending on grades achieved, there may be more than three. The Academic High Achiever Awards are intended to acknowledge the excellence that exists within each Year Level. The 2025 winners in alphabetical order by surname were:

Year 7

Isaac Cusumano T11

Lucas La Torre H17

Hudson Offerman N19

Year 8

Darius Anthony H11

Nathan Dang L14

Christian Nikolovski B15

Year 9

Thien Dang L14

Nathan Drazic L16

Blake Hildebrandt L14

Year 10

Ronit Mirpuri L03

Viyan Perera N05

Lachlan Ross L03

Year 11

Christian Dang L04

Alfie Eldhose B04

Orlando Pettinella T07

2026 Resource List

As we prepare for the upcoming school year, we wish to remind families to order your child’s resources for 2026 in time for the commencement of Term 1. Resource lists were emailed to families and are also available online at Campion Education (www.campion.com.au).

To place your orders, please visit Campion’s website and use the following codes:

• Bundoora Campus: CQW7
• Preston Campus: HF2F

For students enrolled in VCE Unit 1 & 2 or Unit 3 & 4 subjects that require an Edrolo textbook and/or digital subscription, payments must be made via the Edrolo Payment portal (www.edrolo.com.au/activate/mkp-rxb). These subjects will be clearly indicated on the resource list. Detailed instructions on how to make payments for Edrolo resources were included in the letter sent with the resource lists to families of students in Years 10-12.

All other Year 7-12 digital resources listed on your child’s resource list must be ordered and paid for, through Campion Education.

University of Melbourne Kwong Lee Dow Scholarship

Since 2007, the University of Melbourne has offered the Kwong Lee Dow Young Scholars Program, an academic enrichment program designed to support high-achieving secondary students. The program was open to Year 11 students in 2026, who had to complete a rigorous application process that the University of Melbourne critiqued, then selected the successful applicants from around the state.

This year the University of Melbourne has accepted Thisath Dissanayake L02 into the program. We congratulate Thisath on this achievement. There were several fine applications from Parade students, and all applicants are to be commended on the standards of their applications.

2026 Year 12 VCE and VCE VM Day at La Trobe University

All Year 12 students in VCE, VCE VM (including Sport and Business Academy) will launch into their 2026 school year with an opening day at La Trobe University on Thursday 29 January. Guest presenters, past students, and staff from both La Trobe University and Parade will run a day that caters for all students in the Parade Class of 2026.

This is a compulsory event for all Year 12 students with the correct summer school uniform to be worn. Students will need to make their own way to and from La Trobe University (Plenty Rd) with the day concluding at 1 pm. This program has previously proven to be a fantastic way to kick start the school year, demonstrating its success and benefits for students.

More information will be sent to families regarding details, as well as a map of where students are to meet.

Year 9 Rite of Passage Assemblies

On Monday 1 December, all Year 9 students took part in their Rite of Passage assemblies, held in their House groups.

These assemblies marked an important milestone in each student’s journey at Parade College. The transition from the junior to the senior school, and from the lower to upper houses. This formal recognition of their progression was designed to strengthen their sense of identity, belonging, and connection within their House and the wider Parade community.

Year 12 Memorabilia Jumper Orders Now Open

Year 12 families have been emailed full details and the ordering link for the 2026 Memorabilia Jumpers. These jumpers are a great way for students to mark and celebrate their final year at the College, and we encourage those interested to place an order early.

Key Reminders:

• Orders close Wednesday 4 February 2026 — no late orders can be accepted.
• Surnames only are permitted for customisation (no nicknames or abbreviations).
• Please double-check sizing before submitting your order.
• Ensure the student’s name and campus are included when ordering. Orders should not be placed under a parent/guardian name.

Community Action Christmas Party Brings Joy, Laughter, and Dancing

Our annual Community Action Christmas Party was an unforgettable celebration of warmth, connection, and festive spirit. This year we welcomed over 150 aged care residents and staff, filling Greening Auditorium with conversation, music, and Christmas cheer.

From the moment our special visitors arrived, it was clear that the day would be something special. Our students shone from start to finish—greeting guests with genuine kindness, ensuring everyone felt included, and hosting the event with maturity well beyond their years. Whether they were escorting residents to their seats, serving lunch, getting tea or coffee, performing on stage, or simply sharing a friendly chat, their compassion created an atmosphere of joy and belonging.

Many guests commented on how impressed they were by the students’ attentiveness and enthusiasm. A highlight of the afternoon was the return of The Retros, who once again had the crowd singing along and up and dancing before long. The dance floor was full—students and residents alike joining in the fun. The entire event was a beautiful example of what community action truly means: connection, service, and shared joy. Our students embodied these values wholeheartedly, helping create a festive celebration that many of our guests described as the highlight of their Christmas season.

A huge thank you to staff who assisted, especially Liam Petti and Melissa Calia for all their assistance, and to all the wonderful student volunteers for making the day so memorable.

It was a wonderful reminder of the difference kindness and community can make— especially at this time of year.

Community Action Christmas Appeal

Our Community Action Christmas Appeal has once again highlighted the incredible generosity and compassion of our College community. We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all the families who donated toys, books, stationery, toiletries, grocery items, and household essentials. Your kindness has made a real and immediate difference to families doing it tough this Christmas.

Big Group Hug was deeply appreciative of the carload of donations delivered by Liam Petti and I last week. They shared that this year they have 300 families and 500 children registered for assistance, and your contributions will help ensure these children experience some joy and comfort during the festive season. We also extend our thanks to Mike Flynn from Bundoora St Vincent de Paul, who collected the generous grocery and toiletry donations from our school. These items will go into their Christmas hampers for local families in need, helping to bring some relief and dignity during what can be a challenging time of year.

In addition, RizeUp expressed sincere gratitude for the toys and household goods donated by our community. These items will help bring happiness, hope, and a sense of normalcy to women and children escaping domestic violence as they settle into safer new beginnings. Thank you once again to our students, families, and staff for embodying the true spirit of giving. Your generosity ensures that many children and families across our community will feel supported, valued, and remembered this Christmas.

Wishing you all the blessings of Christmas.

Manchester City Football School teams from Brisbane, Adelaide, Sydney, and Jakarta (Indonesia) travelled to Melbourne for this year’s Australia Cup, hosted at the Casey Fields Training Complex, home of the Melbourne City Academy. Following last year’s inaugural event at Parade College, this year’s tournament built on that success and delivered a fantastic day of football for all involved.

The event provided players with an excellent opportunity to showcase the development they have made throughout the year. Competing against teams from other states and overseas challenged players to adapt quickly, make smarter decisions, and demonstrate their understanding of the Manchester City playing style. Technical quality was high across all age groups, and several standout performances highlighted the depth of talent within the program.

The atmosphere on the day was a major highlight, with families travelling significant distances to support their players. The professionalism of the venue, combined with strong sportsmanship and positive behaviour from all teams, created a memorable experience for players and parents alike.

Feedback from players, parents, and coaches was extremely positive. The cross-centre competition proved valuable, especially with the involvement of the Jakarta squad, and coaches noted the tournament’s effectiveness as an end-of-year assessment tool.

Overall, the 2025 Australia Cup was a great success and a strong progression from last year’s inaugural event. With a few small refinements planned for 2026, the tournament looks set to become a flagship annual event within the Manchester City Football School program.

Thank you to our club partners, Melbourne City and all the City Football Group schools, players, coaches, and parents, who attended and helped to make the event special.

As another year draws to a close, the NLC Team would like to congratulate everybody who took a walk in somebody else’s shoes through the magic of reading. Whether it be through a novel, an audiobook, or a comic, reading has broadened horizons for countless students and staff this year.

Having a look at the statistics in BeanStack shows that collectively we read 536,599 minutes. That is over 300 consecutive days! Year 10 Raphael Glow B09 won the 2025 Reading challenge with over 10,000 minutes.

We held so many activities, hosted clubs, ran reading classes and welcomed groups of students during recess and lunch. Next year will bring some new clubs, we will launch the student newspaper and have a few new surprises to show everyone on their return.

Do not forget that over the break you have the ability to borrow magazines, newspapers, novels, manga, comics, and audiobooks through our Homepage and log your reading in BeanStack to be in the running for the Summer Reading Challenge prizes.

We wish everybody a safe and relaxing summer break and look forward to seeing you in the new year.

Students Not Returning in 2026

If your child is not returning in 2026, please contact the Enrolment Office via email at enrol@parade.vic.edu.au to enable timely completion of the appropriate paperwork.

Paradian

To enable us to capture all the exciting events happening at the College during Term 4, this year’s Paradian will be distributed to students in early February.

Academy Uniforms

Students will commence Term 1 2026 in summer uniform. Uniform items can be purchased online from Academy Uniforms at www.academyuniforms.com.au or onsite at their Thomastown store: 238 Wolseley Place, Thomastown. The Uniform Shop at Bundoora Campus will reopen on Friday 30 January from 8:00am-9:00am.

School Photos

2026 student photos will be taken on Thursday 5 February for Preston Campus students and Friday 6 February for Bundoora Campus students. Further details regarding Photo Days will be published in the first 2026 College Newsletter in January.

Enrolment Applications

Applications for Year 7 2028 are currently open and will close on Friday 14 August 2026. If you have a son who is currently enrolled at Parade, please note that you are still required to submit an application for younger siblings. Applications are to be submitted via the College website.

Open Day

All existing and new families are invited to explore our facilities at the Bundoora Campus during our Open Day on Sunday 22 February from 9:30am-1:30pm. Registrations can be made via the College website.

Christmas Wishes

On behalf of the Development Office, we wish all families the peace and joy of Christmas and a prosperous 2026.

As 2025 draws to a close, we are proud to reflect on another wonderful year for the Parents of Parade (POP). The events and activities we’ve been part of have brought us closer together and strengthened our ties with the Parade College community.

We began the year with a warm welcome at the 2025 Open Day barbecue, setting the tone for a year of engagement and support. Our continued sponsorship of the Year 11 RYDA driving program gave students a valuable opportunity to build confidence and awareness as they prepare to take on the roads.

Welcoming our newest Year 7 families with a Games Night was a highlight, helping foster a sense of belonging from the very beginning. We also celebrated our amazing parents and carers with the Mother’s Day Pancake Breakfast and Father’s Day events—two heartfelt occasions that reminded us of the strong support network behind our students.

A particularly special part of this year has been our Community Cooking events, where POP volunteers and students worked side by side to prepare meals for those in need. Thanks to their generosity and teamwork, we were able to support both the Exodus Community and Carenet, extending our care beyond the school gates and into the wider community.

We were also proud to raise funds for the two school gardens—Waterford Garden (Bundoora) and Curraghmore Garden (Preston)—projects that continue to make a positive impact on student wellbeing and learning.

We finished the year with our biggest fundraiser—the POP Mega Raffle. We are grateful to all the families who purchase tickets, as this support helps fund many of the initiatives POP contributes to throughout the year. All winners have been contacted, and for those interested, the winning ticket numbers are listed further on.

I would like to thank all members of POP, with a special mention to Trish Liddell (Secretary), Leesa Mercadante (Treasurer) and Anthony Mercadante (our all-rounder!) for their commitment, support, and efforts in 2025.

Save the Date

There are a few dates in 2026 that you can mark into your calendar now:

POP are working on many other events and fundraisers for 2026, so keep you eye out for what is in store.

For those that would like to be involved with POP, we have two different ways you can be:

• Become a full member: Attend our meetings held once or twice a term. It is not a big commitment, but you will have the chance to share ideas and help shape what POP does.

Or

• Join the volunteer group: We will email you when we need a hand—for a barbecue or a meet-and-greet. You can choose what suits your time and interest. If you would like any further information about POP or would like to share some suggestions, simply email pop@parade.vic.edu.au and I can share further details or answer any questions.

POP wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year and look forward to seeing you at the next event we hold!

Mega Raffle Winning Tickets