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Eileen Young

Principal

S t M a r y ’ s C o l l e g e Sent to Proclaim the Gospel

Issue 8, Monday 27 June 2016

From the Principal Term’s end – nearly quietening down. Never!!

In the next few weeks, three significant journeys will take place underpinned by our Dominican identity.

This week, Year 11 pilgrim students and teachers fly out to the Cambodia Immersion experience teaching English language at the Providence Centre which

houses rural village students wishing to further their study.

As this newsletter goes to print, St Mary’s College student Marie Khoury and St Dominic’s Priory student Nhi Nguyen will have joined me to fly to Detroit USA

to attend and represent Dominican Colleges Australia at the American Dominican Preaching Conference. 22 American Dominican High schools will participate

outnumbering us Aussies considerably.

During the six-day conference, Dominicans (members of the Order of Preachers) highlight the charism of preaching as it has been practised from the earliest

days of the Order to the present. Participants meet many Dominicans who preach the Gospel in a variety of settings. Participants also have the opportunity to

visit outreach service sites where they can "put their preaching into action."

Each day will begin and end with a prayer/ritual prepared by the participants. At the closing Eucharistic celebration, schools will share ways that they can take

the message of the conference back to their local communities. This American Conference experience will enable Marie, Nhi and myself to:

Enjoy life with a community of new friends

Explore preaching in art, music, dance and drama

Reflect on the "Signs of the Times"

Discover how we preach the Gospel message in our own unique way

Learn about the origins and mission of the Dominicans (Order of Preachers)

Pray and share faith

Put our preaching into action.

On returning from America, Nhi and Marie will join other Year 11 students from Adelaide, Sydney, Melbourne and New Zealand colleges in Noosa for the bi-

annual Australian Common Ground Seminar. Representing St Mary’s College is Marie Khoury, Sophie Dignan, Nieve Jones, Breeze Matthew, Marie Blefari

and will be accompanied by Ms Christina Killishiri.

Colleges represented will be:

Cabra Dominican College, Adelaide

St Mary’s College, Adelaide

Santa Sabina College, Sydney

Siena College, Melbourne

St Dominic’s Priory College, Adelaide

San Clemente College, Mayfield

St Dominic’s Catholic College, Auckland

San Sisto College, Brisbane

In this 800 years celebration year, we are reminded that we are part of a larger

Dominican story that continues on in us today. These three ventures, or adventures, will certainly consolidate our sense of global Dominican action, preaching

and shared mission, as we build relationships with those that respond to the same charism and vision.

S t M a r y ’s C o l l e g e 253 Franklin Street

ADELAIDE SA 5000

T:8216 5700 F:8216 5730

W: www.stmaryscollege.catholic.edu.au E: [email protected]

St Mary’s College, Issue 8, Monday 27 June 2016

From the Deputy Principal: Curriculum

With Semester 1 classes winding up in the Middle School and Senior School this week, I taught my final lesson of 11RE to my wonderful class. In doing so, we worked through a variety of activities that, in my discussions with staff and students across all three sub schools, seem common practice in our many contemporary classrooms. These included a self-assessment of students’ own learning of growth, progress, strengths and challenges; feedback to me on elements of my teaching that were positive, challenging or could improve (good to always consider ways things may improve!); as well as a more general process of individual reflective practice at this ‘natural checkpoint for the year’. These different mechanisms of feedback are commonplace in all learning areas, and while they may look different in respective year levels and subjects they are essential components of the Loop of Assessment. Irrespective of Semester Changeover or any checkpoint, teachers will continuously encourage the ideas and processes of Reflective Practice. In my particular class, we used the ‘Stop, Let Go and Start’ method with the specific goal of working with those elements which perhaps haven’t gone so well in Semester 1 (with a view of letting go or working with them):

The essence of this method (more detail here) is to:

Stop and reflect on the moments/habits/people which have

promoted a negative reaction;

Let Go of those which are unimportant and may be causing

undue worry;

Start a process of self-guided or assisted help to address those

areas which are still important enough to see through. Our Junior and Middle School teachers work closely with students to help them learn when and how to best reflect on their progress, leading into the Senior School where we find that students taking ownership of these processes greatly assists with their learning. In lovely synthesis of technology and learning, our work this year with our Learning Management System, SEQTA, makes provision for parents and students to see teacher and student reflections. We currently have three classes of parents trialling the use of the Seqta Parent Portal (Seqta Engage). We look forward to expanding this trial as the year progresses. Staff Professional Development Part of my own reflective practice this week was to look at the various Professional Development (PD) activities that staff have accessed recently. Every week, Lorna Starrs and I meet to review individual staff PD, as well as plan for whole staff PD at staff meetings, school closure days and post-Term 4 days. Just taking a look at the few weeks in between newsletters being published, our staff have accessed the following Professional Development:

SACE Maths Essentials (Stage 2) Workshop

Vocational Educational Coordinators Network

Effective Support for Students in Secondary School

Graduate Certificate of Catholic Education

SEQTA Advanced Curriculum Training

Continuity and Change as Children Start School

South Australian Library Association Conference

SACE General Maths (Stage 2) Workshop

Microsoft Train the Trainer Coding Workshop

CESA Aspiring Leaders Program

Investigating Physical Science

CESA Nationally Consistent Data Collection training

CESA RELAT training

Using Robots

ICT Peer Coaching

Flinders Uni Career Counselling day

UniSA Career Advisors Session

National Positive Psychology Conference

On Semester Changeover Day, as well as completing preparations for Semester 2 Courses (and continuing programming for year-long courses), some seven staff members are attending a conference at Adelaide Oval entitled The Power of Assessment. We truly aim to be lifelong learners in always trying to be the best teachers we can be for our students. As an aside, a reminder also that the Term 3 Staff Professional Development day occurs on Thursday 28 July (Week 1). Senior School Exams Year 10 and Stage 1 Exams concluded last week with Year 12 mid-year exams occurring in Week 1 of Term 3 (July 25-29). Year 12 families will receive a hard copy of details and the timetable this week and the timetable was also emailed to students. The timetable will be available on our website soon. Year 12 students also have holiday lessons scheduled for most subjects for students who can make it on these days and times. Take care,

Corey Tavella

Deputy Principal: Curriculum

Maths & English Help

Does your daughter need additional help? Ask her if she knows about Maths & English Help. Taking a proactive approach to seeking assistance develops academic responsibility and remind her that she can always bring her friends!

Maths & English Help is in K11 during lunchtime on Monday and Tuesday and in the library after school on Wednesday.

At lunchtimes on Mondays and Tuesdays, there are at least five teaching staff available to help one-on-one. On Wednesday afternoons, the Library is staffed with teachers to help students who wish to stay after school.

https://prezi.com/0wf3er3odoac/reflective-practice/


From the Deputy Principal: Student Wellbeing

I would like to draw your attention to a couple of policies/guidelines which St Mary’s College follow, as do all Catholic schools in South Australia, which underpin our teaching of the Keeping Safe: Child Protection Curriculum, as well as the values and practices we put into practice:

Policy for the Care, Wellbeing and Protection of Children and Young People 2011 South Australian Catholic schools place the highest priority on the care, wellbeing and protection of children and young people. In South Australia, Child Protection policy and practices support a proactive role in the care, wellbeing and protection of children and young people, the provision of child safe environments and intervention procedures for responding to abuse and neglect.

The Archdiocese of Adelaide, in partnership with the Diocese of Pt Pirie, established the South Australian Catholic Child Protection Council to oversee the safety and wellbeing of children and young people within the South Australian Catholic Church community, in partnership with families. The Council developed a Charter, a Policy for the Care, Wellbeing and Protection of Children and Young People and Implementation Procedures for all agencies of the Catholic Church including Catholic schools and the Catholic Education Office.

The SACCS Policy for the Care, Wellbeing and Protection of Children and Young People is informed by the South Australian Catholic Child Protection Council Charter, Policy and Implementation Procedures and the Children’s Protection Act 1993. The Policy for the Care, Wellbeing and Protection of Children and Young People draws on the wisdom and guidance of experts in the area, and from a range of documents.

Schools have additional responsibilities for the care, wellbeing and protection of children and young people and in providing child safe environments. These responsibilities include:

• a duty of care to students • responsibilities as mandated notifiers of child abuse and/or neglect • the provision of child protection curriculum for every student • a code of conduct to promote respectful and caring relationships. Policy Statement All Catholic schools are to be child safe environments where children and young people are safe and feel safe, and their voices are heard about decisions that affect their lives.

Catholic schools play a significant role in the prevention of child abuse and neglect and are responsible for implementing policies and practices, including the provision of a child protection curriculum, for the care, wellbeing and protection of children and young people.

Responsibilities of school personnel (including paid or unpaid volunteers):

(a) To treat children and young people with dignity and respect, to act with propriety, provide a duty of care and protect children and young people in their care; (b) To notify the Child Abuse Report Line on 13 14 78, if in the course of their work, they suspect on reasonable grounds that a child or young person has been or is being abused or neglected; (c) To provide a physically and psychologically safe environment where the wellbeing of children and young people is nurtured; (d) To undertake regular training and education in order to understand their individual responsibilities and those of the Catholic Education SA, in relation to child protection and the health and wellbeing of children and young people; (e) To teach children and young people skills and assist them to develop an understanding which will empower them to achieve and maintain personal safety and wellbeing; (f) To assist children and young people to develop positive, responsible and caring attitudes and behaviours which recognise the rights of all people to

be safe and free from both harassment and abuse.

Cyber-safety - Keeping Children Safe in a Connected World In this dynamic, connected world of communication and learning, we need to ensure such opportunities do not place the young people in our schools at risk. Many of these risks are not new and educators are familiar with strategies and processes that maximise learning opportunities and outcomes, while minimising risk to children’s safety and wellbeing.

As mobile and fixed networks and technologies evolve rapidly, events may confront or challenge our current practices. Cyber-safety - Keeping Children Safe in a Connected World will assist leaders, educators and parents to share in the delights of young people learning online, while observing legislation, policies and practices that promote learning, protection and safety.

Opportunities for young people and adults to learn and engage with each other have exploded in recent times with the proliferation of computer networks, mobile devices, broadband connections to the Internet and virtual communities. With such exciting opportunities comes the need to ensure that leaders, educators, children and parents consider the implications for safe use of information and communication technologies (ICTs).

Learning is a social activity. It happens when people interact with other people and their ideas, knowledge and perspectives. ICTs provide children and students with new and engaging ways to learn. ICTs expand social and knowledge networks so that children and students access current information, interact with experts and participate in peer teaching and learning. Using ICTs, they can publish their learning, as evidence of achievement or to invite feedback for improvement.

It is important to both protect and teach children, students and adults, while they learn to use ICTs and become responsible digital citizens. This includes adults thinking ahead of new risks and children and students learn how to avoid exposure to inappropriate material or activities, and protecting themselves when they are online. They need to learn how to use ICTs, including mobile technologies and social networking sites, in responsible and ethical ways. In addition, they need to feel confident about alerting the adults in their lives when they are feeling unsafe, threatened, bullied or exposed to inappropriate events. In response, these adults need to take appropriate actions to protect the child or young person.

These guidelines underpin the St Mary’s College Digital Citizenship Policies for both Staff, Students and Parents/Caregivers, a copy of which can be found on our school website.

In the meantime, if you are looking for further support or information in regards to online issues, please contact:

Your daughter’s sub-school director or myself if it is a school related

issue;

Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA)

http://www.acma.gov.au/cybersafety

Bullying No Way http://www.bullyingnoway.com.au/

Kids Helpline http://www.kidshelp.com.au/

NetAlert website http://netalert.net.au

Office of the Children’s e-safety Commissioner https://

www.esafety.gov.au/

Lorna Starrs Deputy Principal: Student Wellbeing


Students, staff and parents were all encouraged to rethink homelessness during the launch of the Vinnies Winter Appeal. Year 12 members of the Social Justice Committee used parts of the College for a simulation of homelessness, with the aim of raising awareness of the diversity of situations which Adelaide’s homeless face. Also emphasised was that each person has a unique story and history that defy stigmas and stereotypes surrounding homelessness, allowing witnesses to the simulation to question and empathise.

The simulation was a great, thought provoking initiative to begin the launch, followed by the lunchtime soup kitchen which raised vital funds for St Vincent DePaul and the Moore Street Centre. The school community is also looking for donations of canned goods which will assist Vinnies in assisting

the growing number of homeless this year. Warm clothes and blankets would also be highly appreciated. Thank you once again for your generosity and support of the College’s social justice initiatives. Your contributions continue to make enormous impacts in the community.

Isabella Quek Year 12 Social Justice Representative

On 27 June, the 2016 Cambodian Pilgrims fly out to Cambodia. This year, 14 students and four staff will spend time in Phnom Penh, Battambang and Siem Reap. Our main focus will be in Battambang where we will teach English to 100 rural students who have been moved into the city for educa-tion by the Providence Sisters of Charity. We will also spend time in the villages surrounding Battambang working in remote schools. The villages we visit have extremely rustic school houses, dirt floors, wooden desks and of course, no electricity or technological devices.

The Pilgrims have spent many hours making resources and purchasing materials to use and leave in Battambang.

We look forward to working with the students at the Providence Centre and in the surrounding villages.

The Pilgrims will return on 12 July from an extremely hot and humid Cam-bodia to a wintery Adelaide.

The 2016 Pilgrims are: Grace Boyle, Ruby Catherwood, Karendeep Dhad-wal, Sophie Dignan, Grace Flitton, Kate Godfrey, Hannah Hudson, Shan-non Kay, Amy Lawrence, Eloise Napoli, Abigail Rogers, Amy Simpson, Grace Taylor and Jessica Van Pelt. They will be accompanied by Mr Peter Batty, Mrs Suzanne Megaw, Ms Terry Cooper and Mrs Tracey Thursby. 2016 Pilgrims and reflections from the 2015 Pilgrimage


The article below recently appeared in the Autumn edition of the Moore News. This newsletter outlines the happenings around Adelaide for the homeless and those in need this Winter within our community. Each Monday, St Mary’s takes soup and muffins to the Moore Street kitchen. They are also in desperate need of blankets. If you are donating soup, can you please label the container with the type of soup and the date it was made. Thank you to all those families who have helped so far this year.

Success at the Adelaide Choral Eisteddfod

On Tuesday 14 June, the St Mary’s College Senior Concert Choir competed in the Adelaide Choral Eisteddfod, conducted by Mrs Alexandra Bollard and accompanied by Ms Sue Rodger, performing two contrasting pieces: The Seal Lullaby by Eric Whitacre and Australian Traditional Waltzing Matilda, arranged by Ruth McCall. This is the first time the school has participated in this competition, and we were delighted to be announced as the winners of the section. It was wonderful for our students to be recognised amongst strong specialist music schools, and as always, our students were professional and excellent representatives of the College. St Mary’s are now proud owners of the Adelaide Eisteddfod Chamber Choir Shield, which is on display in the front office.

Thank you to our adjudicator, Carl Crossin OAM, for his positive and helpful remarks on the choir’s performance. We also thank the sponsors of our section, Mr John McKellar AM and The Order of Australia Association for their generosity, and for supporting Music Education in South Australia.

These performance opportunities not only complement our students’ studies, but enrich their educational experience and create a strong sense of

community in our school.

Alexandra Bollard Music Teacher

Positive Penguins When Sara was in Year 3 she created a PowerPoint for a school presentation on healthy mind, healthy body. The presentation was so well received that she was asked for copies of the presentation by staff, students and parents. This led to Sara and her parent’s financial help in having an App developed “Positive Penguins”.

Positive Penguins is an App (iOS and Android) that helps children understand that their emotions come from their thinking. It teach-es them to challenge (or problem solve) the negative stories they tell themselves. This is especially important when feelings relate to bullying, being different, anxiety, worry etc. Often the anxiety and stress we feel comes from not real threats, but stories we make up in our heads.

The four positive penguins take you on a journey to help you understand that feelings arise from your thinking and if you challenge your negative thoughts successfully you may be able to see things in a more realistic and even opti-mistic way.

Her website for the App is www.positivepenguins.com. The App can be downloaded from iTunes and Google Play (cost 99 cents).

Giovanna Iannicelli Technology Coordinator

http://www.positivepenguins.com/


Each year at St Mary’s College, we celebrate Reconciliation Week. National Reconciliation Week celebrates and builds on the respectful relationships shared by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and other Australians. It commemorates two significant milestones in the ongoing journey to reconciliation – the anniversaries of the 1967 Referendum and the 1992 Mabo Decision.

The 1967 Referendum was a national vote which recognised Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the census and allowed the Australian Government to make laws for them; and the 1992 Mabo Decision recognised that the Aboriginal people have a special relationship with the land.

This year’s theme for Reconciliation Week was ‘Our history, Our story, Our future’, and we dedicated specific days of the week to celebrate and learn about each of these aspects.

On Monday, we focused on our history where we learnt that history is not all about the negative aspects but is also celebratory of the positive historical figures and traditions of Indigenous culture. We came to understand that accepting the negative AND positive aspects of historical events is essential to our reconciliation journey.

On Wednesday, we focused on the notion of story. Story is an integral part of Indigenous culture and is how Indigenous people pass down laws and beliefs, as well as explaining how the world came to be. On this day, each of us were asked to write down part of our own unique story. We focused on the people and events that influenced us to be the people that we are today. These were displayed in the Susan Sullivan Library as our way of spreading our own good news stories just like the first Australians and just like St Dominic.

On Friday, we explored what the future of reconciliation might look like and our hope for a better world. To celebrate this, each Care Group came up with a statement to outline what they wanted for and thought reconciliation might look like in 25 years. These statements will be placed in a time capsule and buried in the Indigenous garden that will be planted later this term. The time capsule is a significant way to capture our story in 2016. It also allows us to share our story with the future St Mary’s College community when it is opened in 2041.

Over Thursday and Friday, we held our own Instagram photo competition where we asked the girls to take photos with the hashtag SMCNRW16 to show that they support reconciliation and stand by the ongoing journey to building a stronger Australia.

While National Reconciliation Week is celebrated over the period of one week, we know that reconciliation is an ongoing journey. It is up to us,

individually and as a St Mary’s College community, to continue this journey each day of our own lives. Stephanie Girgolas and Caitlin Hegarty Year 12 SRC Representatives

Reconciliation Event at Colebrook Home On Thursday 2 June, a group of Year 11 and Year 12 St Mary’s students were invited to a special Reconciliation Event, organised by Emmaus College and St John’s College, held at Colebrook Home, Blackwood. Colebrook Home began with the 'United Aborigines' Mission in 1924 in Dunjiba (Oodnadatta), later moving to Eden Hills where it continued until 1952. Many Aboriginal children, who were taken from their families, were brought here. We were privileged to visit a memorial park and listen to two of the many Aboriginal children whom were forced to grow up there, Aunty

Lowitja O’Donohue and Aunty Mona Olsson. Together we learnt about the hardships these incredible women went through and we sang together about the healing journey that we are all walking. As we reflect on this

experience, we take with us deeper knowledge of Aboriginal history, as well as a strong sense of hope that these women shared with us. Alexis Malone & Ruby Wilkinson Year 11 students

Uncle Shane Tongerie visits during Reconciliation Week Year 9 Blue Throughout Term 2, the students of 9 Blue have been exploring issues surrounding the relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous cultures in Australia. We have taken a cross-curricular approach to these issues, looking at them in the English, Humanities and Religious Education learning areas. In particular, we have investigated what reconciliation means and why it is important to all Australians. We have used the resources on the Share Our Pride website to help us develop our understanding. In Week 5, we were honoured to welcome Shane Tongerie who kindly gave up his time to talk to us about what reconciliation is and what it means to him and his people.

He spoke to us about the three things his people value most: environment, culture and the Dreaming stories. He also showed us a powerful video called ‘Swimming The River’ which highlighted many of the issues facing Indigenous people today and reminded us all of the impact European

……..continued page 7


settlement has had on Indigenous culture. This helped us better understand the journey some Aboriginal people have endured but also how many have ‘swum the river’ and thrived.

Many of us learned a great deal about the richness of Indigenous culture and the importance of reconciliation in Australian society. Ultimately, we were able to take away some very valuable lessons from Mr Tongerie’s enlightening and engaging presentation.

Kartia Altamura and Georgette Signoriello Year 9 students

Year 4 During Reconciliation Week ‘Uncle Shane’ Tongerie, Eleanor’s dad, visited the Year 4 class. We discussed culture and in particular, learnt about the importance of kinship (family connection), our relationship with the environment and The Dreaming. Shane also taught us some Kaurna words and now in Morning Care Group we can say ‘nina marni’, which means ‘good morning, how are you?’ Here are some student responses:

“We learnt the Aboriginal flag colours. Yellow means the sun, red

means the land and black means the people.” Acadia

“Shane was the best. I kept asking questions. I think the Dreaming

Stories are important.” Tully

“When Shane came in the room I was really excited. I loved learning

new Aboriginal words like uwa - yes and wiya – no.” Ava D

“I think Shane was trying to tell us to respect and treat everyone

equally.” Ezriella

Shane’s visit also inspired Natasha and Ava B to read a Dreaming Story to the class.

Ms Fogden and Year 4 students.

Sport Wrap Up Term 2

Cross Country Congratulations to Caitlyn Wymann, Annie Burgess, Olivia Buchanan, Nicole Buchanan and Eloise Napoli who competed in the State -wide Cross Country Championships last Thursday. The girls braved the wet, windy and freezing conditions, achieving outstanding results. All of the girls finished in the top 30 competitors of their respective age groups, with Olivia achieving an outstanding result of 6th in her age group. Our Senior students, Olivia, Nicole and Eloise won the bronze team medal, as the third best school team in the Open Age Group. A fabulous effort! Well done to all of the girls on a wonderful championship.

State Team Selections Congratulations to the following students on State Team Selection:

Georgia Sellman (Swimming) Xiao-Xing Bachman and Zoe Tolland (Soccer) and Ruby Porter (Basketball). We wish the girls all the best in their coming events.

Knockout Results Congratulations to the Year 6/7, Year 8/9 and Year 10 Netball teams who have advanced through to the State Semi Finals of the Knockout Netball Championships. We wish them well in the finals. Our Year 10 Volleyball team was narrowly defeated by Glenunga High last week, after defeating Adelaide High and Cornerstone College. Best wishes to the Open netball team and volleyball teams who play their first rounds next week.

Gold Coast Netball Carnival Best wishes to the 29 students and 8 staff who will travel to the Gold Coast in the July holidays, competing in the World Sport International netball carnival.

Rosie Petrilli Sport Coordinator


From the Music Department

‘A Team Unplugged’

On Sunday 5 June the ‘A Team Unplugged’ joined Belle Live (Annabelle Witkowski Year 11 student) at Deviation Road Winery with a laid back, acoustic afternoon of music for the general public. The set consisted of

‘unplugged’ versions of popular tunes with the odd classic for the audience to enjoy in a professional setting. It was a great opportunity for the girls to get a glimpse of what live gigs involve with a crowd experience. Annabelle Witkowski Year 11

Sunday Concert Series Day The first of the Sunday Concert Series performance days was held last week-end in the CPA. These end of semester concerts are held to celebrate the achievements of many of the vocal and instrumental students who undertake tuition here at St Mary’s as well as providing the senior performance stu-dents with a final public dress rehearsal before their performance exams in the coming week. There were three concerts held through-out the day which comprised of over 120 individual student performances ranging from reception students to Year 12 solo performance students. Once again is was a lovely way to spend a Sunday listening to some wonderful performances by our talented girls.

Well done and thank you to all the instrumental staff who helped prepare the students and of course, great job ladies in playing and singing so beautifully! Ben Chambers

Coordinator of Music

‘Club Muze’ "Club Muze" is an event that is greatly anticipated by the music department at St Mary's College. Last Friday night our CPA chairs were pulled back and replaced by stools, candle lit tables, and retro carpets to achieve the "club" vibe for this event. The evening was opened by three Year 12 Solo perfor-mance students and closed with the enthusiastic Year 11 Rock Band singing "Uptown Funk". Ensembles including the two Stage Bands, two Vocal Jazz groups and "A-

Team Unplugged" also performed, all contributing to a very enjoyable night full of high quality and entertaining performances. We were also very fortunate to have the opportunity to perform alongside some of our instrumental tutors and special guest musicians who wowed us with their talents which we could all aspire to. We as students are very grateful for performance opportunities like Club Muze to showcase our

talent and hard work in such a great set-ting and can't wait for upcoming events in the music department.

Alexandra Gavrilidis and Stephanie Girgolas Student Coordinators of Music


Year 6 Ballarat Camp The Year 6 girls have now returned from a sensational, thought-provoking and memorable camp experience at Ballarat. For most of the girls, the highlight was spending two days experiencing life as a student in the 1850s. This involved wearing period clothing and carrying out tasks that students in those times would have done such as sewing, rope plaiting and making lavender bags. The girls embraced this and enjoyed every minute!

Away from the 1850s classroom, the girls developed their charac-ter strengths of love of learning, curiosity and teamwork whilst walking around Sovereign Hill when exploring all the stores and attractions on offer such as panning for gold, candle making and playing 1850s games.

For many of the girls, this camp was the longest time they have been away from home and family. The girls were able to draw upon and develop persistence, bravery and teamwork as there was no contact with parents. The girls returned feeling extremely proud of this achievement!

Despite the weather being fairly miserable, it did not stop the girls from enjoying an evening light and sound spectator show on Sovereign Hill, seeing the original Eure-ka flag at the Australian Democracy Museum, collecting data from the Ballarat

cemetery or enjoying a game of mini-golf!

The girls have returned as enthusiastic historians with a wealth of knowledge and understanding about a key time in Australian history. Lewis Ashton Year 6 Teacher


St John Junior Cadet of the Year

Congratulations to Sienna Nickless, in Year 4, who was recently nominated for St John Junior Cadet of the Year. As well as delivering a speech in front of a panel of judges, Sienna answered a series of questions and demonstrated a variety of first aid skills. Sienna was also elected to compete in the Regional St John competitions where she had to attend to various accident scenes. Sienna missed out on the award by just one point – an amazing achievement!

Sienna’s dedication to St John is to be commended. She demonstrates high leadership qualities, is determined, eager and enthusiastic which is wonderful to see at such a young age. In 2015 she achieved the Knowledge of the Order and Anzac Heritage badges and certificates, and also received the Junior Encouragement and Commitment to the Division and Organisation Awards.

“I am extremely interested in St John because I love learning about first aid

and anything medical as I want to be a doctor when I grow up. I enjoy

meeting new friends, helping others, attending events, volunteering and just

enjoy the whole experience of St John.” Sienna Nickless

Hair today, gone tomorrow

Chelsea Ireland (10Y), was recently featured on ABC Online. After seeing a YouTube clip featuring a person donating their hair Chelsea was inspired to follow suit. Chelsea’s hair was below her waist but she stated in the interview “it will grow back”.

The Royal Adelaide Hospital operates a wig recycling and loan service for patients who cannot afford to buy one, so through fundraising, Chelsea was able to raise $1000 and with the donation of her hair as well, will be able to provide a wig for a teenage or child patient. The full interview can be seen at http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-06-06/adelaide-teen-cuts-off-hair-for-cancer-patient-wigs/7480844 Congratulations Chelsea on a fantastic fundraising event!

On Tuesday 31 May, Father Peter Dunn celebrated the Sacrament of First Reconciliation with fifteen of our Year 3 and Year 4 students and their families in our College Chapel.

This marked a special time in the girls’ deepening relationship with God as they celebrated God’s love and forgiveness through this sacrament of peace and healing.

It is through these Sacramental times as we open ourselves to God that we may experience God’s Grace that is so freely given to all participating.

Special thanks to Father Peter for leading us in prayerful reflection, to all parents for their love and guidance, and to Ms Eliza Miller for her care and attention in preparing the girls for this sacrament.

Ms Anne Soldan Sacramental Coordinator

Back Row: Mrs Eileen Young, Fr Peter Dunn, Ms Anne Soldan, Ms Eliza Miller Middle Row: Charlotte Townsend, Harriet Cash, Isabel Vulcheff, Rylee Conroy, Amelia Princi, Miesha Perera, Tyanna Krecu Front Row: Amelia Davis, Jacinta Dela Rosa, Kiara Didyk, Mikayla Rechichi, Isabella Brancato, Emily Jackson, Layla McGinty, Danika Neylon

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-06-06/adelaide-teen-cuts-off-hair-for-cancer-patient-wigs/7480844

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-06-06/adelaide-teen-cuts-off-hair-for-cancer-patient-wigs/7480844


Recently, St Mary’s College celebrated Enviroweek. This is an annual national schools event that connects students to the power of nature. Enviroweek’s actions empower students with the knowledge of their positive everyday impact – for them, their school and the environment.

In Morning Care Group, students watched a powerful video that spoke of how important mother nature is to us. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmVLcj-XKnM

On Wednesday afternoon each year level participated in various activities as a focus for Enviroweek.

Years R-6: Made flowers, out of recyclable materials with the help of buddy classes. Year 7: Participated in a tennis court activity using recyclable materials that focused on the students being one on one with nature. Year 8: Created enviro bookmarks using recycled materials with a message to another student being incorporated into the design. Year 9: Celebrated Enviroweek with Mass which centred around an environmental focus, and finished with an activity of origami made from recycled paper. Year 10: Made stocking grass heads out of recycled stockings and other eco-friendly materials. Years 11 and 12: Took part in a short reflection with an environmental focus while the Year 12s were involved in a Religious Education lesson with an environmental focus.

The week ended with an Enviro Week Stillness reflection and Free Slinky Apples at lunchtime for everyone, with the launch of the REPOWER OUR SCHOOLS, which aims to transition St Mary’s College to 100% clean, renewable energy in the next 10 years.

We thank everyone for contributing to Greening SMC!

Making the apple slinkys

Enjoying an apple slinky

Making a difference – signing the REPOWER OUR SCHOOLS campaign sheet Year 10 grass head stockings


The College is pleased to present the 2015 School Performance Report. As a requirement of the Australian Education Act (2008), the College must report School Performance information annually to the school community. This report provides an opportunity to share valuable information regarding staffing, student and community aspects of the 2015 school year. The 2015 St Mary's College School Performance Report is available online at www.stmaryscollege.catholic.edu.au under the Publications page. A hard copy can be provided upon request by contacting the College Front Office.

June

27 Cambodia Pilgrims depart

27 Pupil Free Day - Semester Changeover

29 School Photo Day

30 Junior School VIP Mass - 9.00 am St Patrick’s Church

July

1 Oak Valley School visit

7 Year 4-7 Primary Netball Carnival (All students)

8 Junior School Music Morning

Last day of Term 2 - 3.15 pm dismissal

12 Cambodia Pilgrims return

25 Monday - Term 3 commences for all students

25-29 Year 12 exams

28 Thursday - Pupil Free Day

E V E N T C A L E N D A R

http://www.stmaryscollege.catholic.edu.au/performance-reports.html

http://www.stmaryscollege.catholic.edu.au


St Mary’s College Absentee Phone Line : 8216 5716

Please telephone before 9.30 am if your daughter is absent

St Mary’s College Uniform Shop : 8216 5719

Opening times - Monday 8.00 am - 11.00 am Wednesday 1.00 pm - 4.00 pm Thursday 8.00 am - 11.00 am

St Mary’s College OSHC : 8216 5743

St Mary’s College Uniform Shop

Will be closed for one week to complete stocktake

Monday 27 June - Friday 1 July 2016

Reopening Monday 4 July at 8.00 am

We apologise for any inconvenience

Latest Federation e-News! The Federation of Catholic School Parent Communities is delighted to share with you its 2015 Annual Report which was presented at our 49th AGM on Saturday 28 May.

http://www.parentfederation.catholic.edu.au/__files/f/3408/Consolidated%202015%20Annual%20Report.pdf

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