St Mary s College - Amazon S3 · St Mary’s College A Journey of Truth Issue 1, Monday 13 February...

S t M a r y ’ s C o l l e g e A Journey of Truth

Issue 1, Monday 13 February 2017

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]

From the Principal

Welcome to 2017

As I welcome you to a new year - new and old families - I am extremely conscious of the year of change it will be in our community. This sense is a wider

societal apprehension also as much discussion and energy is expended on the change of political leadership in the USA. We have been flooded, indeed

overwhelmed, in the media by the juxtaposition of the promise of hope versus the carriage of uncertainty it brings – both in the American and global psyche.

2017 holds similar change for our College – but the difference is it comes to a faith filled community that is absolutely confident in the underpinning values,

tradition and identity of itself.

I will have the honour of introducing the new Principal, Ms Clare Nocka, progressively throughout the term to students, staff and parents when opportunity

allows and as we progress the leadership transition program.

New Master Plan

I will have the thrill of seeing the design of the new Master Plan development finalised and in giving you this first glimpse hope that you join me in being excited

about its materialisation for later in 2018. There will be much dust, rubble, inconvenience and noise as it emerges, but the educational opportunities it will offer

your daughters will be the focus of this year.

A Journey of Truth

2017 invites us into a significant Dominican engagement with our annual theme: A Journey of Truth. The delightful banner with its youthful appeal is a striking

image of truth seeking. The young girl, as she peers into the reality behind the landscape presented, discovers a new and deeper reality than what she

thought existed. Her actions in seeking truth opens her to the beginning of a new journey of learning and discovery. The journey of truth seeking is a journey

that never ends, you never ‘get there’. Truth is always a horizon…there is always more to be discovered.

2016 Year 12 Achievements 2016 Year 12 results continued in the proud and successful tradition of past years. Dux of the College was Caitlin Hegarty with an ATAR of 97.95 and as the summary prepared by Mr Corey Tavella will highlight, a large percentage of the year level joined Caitlin in the 90s ATAR category whilst the entire cohort found success and pathways into their chosen fields of study. The summary is both interesting and an indicator of the potential for success at St Mary’s College that lies within each student’s grasp.

….. continued page 2

St Mary’s College, Issue 1, Monday 13 February 2017

From the Principal: Curriculum

New Staff

St Mary’s is delighted to welcome on board to the Teaching Staff the following new staff for 2017:

Returning from Leave is Mrs Samantha Girgolas and Mrs Lynda Justin-Barber.

Mr James Deslandes, previously an instrumental teacher, will this year take up a position as an ESO in the Music Department.

Commencement Activities

Already prior to this newsletter’s publication, your daughters will have been engaged in a myriad of activities before lessons even commence. Year 12s

and their Retreat, Years R-11 and their Induction Days Program. These experiences will ensure your daughters start off the school year in a positive

mindset with support to be well organised and motivated.

Jessica Foster

RE/Humanities

Tara Hetherington

Year 4

Maureen McCarthy

English/Humanities/RE

Mark Roberts

Biology/Science

James Deslandes

Music Dept ESO


Junior School The Junior School calmly settled into classroom activities that promoted and supported students in re-engaging friendships, developing class cohesion and encouraging a relaxed environment as students transitioned back into school routines. The students had the opportunity to take part in Meditation, Yoga, Art Mandalas and Nature Play activities, as well as classroom activities centred around positive wellbeing, growth mindset and emotional regulation. These two days have certainly added to the smooth transition of students into new classrooms and created a fun positive start to the school year.

Middle School “I enjoyed meeting new people and making new friends. I liked not being stressed because I had a few days to settle in. It helped so much. I’m so glad that we had it because it really helped me settle in. It’s a big change for me so it really helped. Erin Bell was useful. I learnt a lot in that session. Jasmin

“The first three days were so much fun and I felt like I was welcome to be myself. I loved the team building activities, especially the one across the park because I met the older girls and they all seemed really nice. I liked not going straight into lessons, if we didn’t do that I don’t think my first week would have been as good as it was.” Kiara

“On my first day here I didn’t know anyone. The three orientation days helped me to feel comfortable with my class and I knew everyone’s name. I enjoyed the team building challenges and all of the activities we did as a class to get to know each other.” Harriet

“Year 10 has been a fantastic experience so far. On the first day of school, we met our Care Group teacher in the morning, followed by a speech in the library by Miss Parasiers regarding Year 10 and the SACE. This was very useful as it gave us an understanding of future study pathways. Finally, to conclude the day, we went to the Study and Learning Centre to watch Inside Out. Inside Out is a movie that teaches you to reflect on your feelings and emotions, and the message that myself and my peers learnt from it, is to persevere through 2017 with a positive attitude.” Amber

“After the information packed day, we all came back to school the next day and started the day off in our Care Groups, having a follow up session from the movie we watched the day before, ‘Inside Out’. We discussed as a class the emotions that were involved throughout the film and how important they are. It showed how much of an active part they play in our everyday lives. After our recess break, we then had a talk from Penny Sih, who taught us many skills involving the psychology of being successful throughout the year. She showed us some useful steps on how to stay focused and motivated throughout Year 10. Then after our lunch break, there were activities such as drawing in the art room to exercise the character strength of creativity, and board games in the library that uses the skill of teamwork and much more. Other activities included dance, science experiments, drama games, gratitude journaling and making dreamcatchers or stress balls. This will help us through the year by reminding us of our character strengths and giving us examples of these qualities. We left the day ready for a year of hard work and perseverance.” Elly

Year 11 “On Year 11 Induction day, Thunderbirds Captain Erin Bell came in to speak to us about setting goals and how to be the best person we can be. She explained her challenges and how she managed to get to the position she is in today. This talk inspired us to set goals and reach our personal best with all aspects of our lives in 2017 and beyond. Anna & Anastasia 11 Red shimmied their way up to M35 as we prepared ourselves for our Bollywood dancing session with Tahni, from M.O.V.E IT Fitness. After a few minutes of strenuous stretching, we finally began learning our routine. Beginning with simple hand movements, the routine quickly became much more fast paced, teaching us moves not many had ever done before. By the end of the lesson, 11Red had bonded over some new dance moves, laughter and relaxation which all helped us to distress before the new

school year began.” Jordana and Pietra

“On Wednesday 1 February, all the Year 11s eagerly took part in The Amazing Race. It was a fun way to start off the year working as teams to complete challenges along our given routes. Although it was challenging, the best part of the race was coming together as a team and bonding with people that we might not have spoken to before.” Casey and Emily H


From the Deputy Principal: Student Wellbeing

Welcome back everyone to another exciting year, and an extra welcome to those families joining us for the first time……it’s great to be back! Everyone seems to have returned feeling very refreshed and renewed, which is good to see, and the Induction Days were a great way for students to establish a strong foundation for the start of the year. The Induction Days will have long term benefits for student well-being, and thus their engagement with their learning. Students have started to build their resilience skills from the start of the year, as well as exploring what fixed and growth mindsets are. A few reminders to those families who’ve been with us for a while, and new information for those families joining us this year for the first time: Extended non-health student absences St Mary’s College recognises that, at times, students need to be absent from school for reasons other than health. These occasions may include family holidays, family occasions that require several days’ absence or participation in events with other family members, with workplaces or similar institutions. Should it be planned that your daughter will be absent from school for a non-health related reason, for three days or more, we ask that written communication is made directly to the Sub-School Director outlining the reason for your daughter’s absence and the dates affected. Please ensure a minimum of two weeks’ notice is given to the College. Should your daughter’s absence be longer than six weeks, a minimum of four weeks’ notice is needed. Junior School students will be asked to keep a diary of their experiences while they are away, which they will hand in to their Care Group teacher upon their return to school. Middle and Senior School students will be expected to negotiate with individual teachers the completion of work missed, where possible. This may include renegotiating due dates, completing work while away, or completion of work missed upon returning to school depending on the length of time absent from school, the task requirements, etc. Prescription Medications Students who need to take prescribed medications while at school must adhere to their doctor’s recommended dosage and must not allow another student access to these drugs. The student’s name and dosage requirements for prescription medications must be clearly visible. These will be stored in a locked cabinet in the SSO. The First Aid Officer will keep a record of the dosage, time and date of administration of medications.

All Students: (a) Must have a note in their diary from a parent/caregiver or legal guardian and/or doctor notifying the school of their need to be taking medication; (b) Must surrender medications to the First Aid Officer at the Student Services Office unless this would inhibit a student’s safety and wellbeing; (c) Must be administered in the Student Services Office, under the supervision of a staff member; (d) Must notify her Class/Subject Teacher when she is going to take medication.

Off-campus camps/trips/activities: Students who need to take prescribed medications while attending a school activity off campus must adhere to their doctor’s recommended dosage and must not allow another student access to these drugs. All medication, including relevant notification or letter from the doctor must be presented to the appropriate Coordinator/Activity Director before the start of the activity, and must be taken under staff supervision. Term 1– Summer uniform A reminder that this term students are expected to wear the Summer uniform: College summer dress, school shoes (black flat lace-up) and (long) white socks. If an additional garment is needed for warmth

transitioning to and from school or at school during this term, only the College jumper or blazer may be worn. A College hat must be worn during recess and lunch in Terms 1 and 4 if outside in the direct sun, and for all their PE lessons and sport activities. PE uniform is only to be worn to and from school on days where they have scheduled PE lessons. On days where they have Sports training before or after school, the summer dress must be worn to and from school, and students change in and out of their PE uniform just prior to and after training. Contacting your Daughter We ask that parents and other family members do not try and contact their daughter during lesson time, as it disrupts both the teacher, the lesson and other students from their learning. If there is an emergency, please contact the SSO and they will get a message to your daughter straight away. Students use of their mobile phones during class time is only for educational reasons, and with the permission of their teacher. Students can use their mobile phones at recess and lunch. Contact Please feel free to contact me directly on 8216 5728 or via email [email protected] at any stage during the year should you and/or your daughter have any concerns or issues related to their wellbeing. Please don’t wait until the issues have been going on for weeks, and your daughter has become more and more withdrawn or upset. The earlier we are aware of issues or concerns, the quicker they can be dealt with and your daughter can stay happy and engaged with her peers,

teachers, and ultimately her learning.

I look forward to meeting you all as the year unfolds.

Lorna Starrs Deputy Principal: Student Wellbeing

SAPOL Youth Leadership Camp On 8 January 2017, I had the opportunity to attend a week long Youth Leadership Camp with SAPOL’s elite Special Tasks and Rescue force and the SA Ambulance Service. 23 other students and I from around South Australia were put through their paces during the camp which took place at Echunga Police Reserve. The camp which included 12 females, and 12 males was all about preparing yourself mentally and physically for the challenges of our final year of secondary school. The camp encouraged all students to work together as a team, and provided various opportunities for every student to display their leadership qualities in tasks that were being undertaken. We also participated in a number of leadership talks which gave us the chance to engage and improve our skills in areas such as teamwork, communication and leadership. A range of activities was undertaken during this gruelling week, such as assault courses, challenging group and individual exercises, early morning PT sessions, tackling different scenarios and multiple problem solving tasks. Each and every one of these activities challenged every student differently. Whether it was mentally, physically or emotionally, it enabled us to realise our own personal limitations but also taught us how to persevere and be resilient.

The camp created bonds between friends that will continue, and encouraged each student to be stronger and more positive leaders in their everyday communities.

Bailee Phillips

Year 12

mailto:[email protected]


Maths & English Help Maths & English Help is now up and running. This is a fantastic opportunity that students have to receive assistance with their literacy and numeracy. Students are invited to bring friends as a form of peer support and gain help with homework and classwork. For those students who are struggling, or having difficulties completing homework, this can be an excellent way to get ahead.

At lunchtimes on Mondays and Tuesdays, there are at least 5 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. Students can get help with all Maths topics up to Year 12. The English staff assist students in developing self-drafting techniques, empowering them to edit their own work as well as essay structure, spelling and grammar.

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.

From the Deputy Principal: Curriculum

It’s great to be back with you in 2017. We are looking forward to so much that this year has to offer. As a staff, we began the first week looking at the start of the year as opportunities for both reorientation into school life and reimagining what the present and future of schooling, and specifically St Mary’s College, will look like. Over the year both Lorna Starrs and I, as Deputy Principals, will be detailing a variety of initiatives this year where St Mary’s will look at reimagining what education for your young women both looks and will look like, and how we are maintaining our status at the forefront of these changes.

In moving slightly back to the recent past though, it is my pleasure to share academic success of the graduating class of 2016. We are extremely proud of our most recent graduates and all of their achievements across the board. Most importantly, our cohort achieved 100% SACE completion from eligible students. This important statistic suggests that all of our students have achieved a solid platform of attaining our policy on learning, which is that St Mary’s Students are Challenged and Supported to Achieve their Personal Best.

We particularly congratulate Caitlin Hegarty who was the Dux of the College with an ATAR of 97.95. Caitlin achieved excellent results in all of her Year 12 subjects in 2016, having already gained a Merit in 2015 for Information Publishing and Processing.

Below are further details of the results class 2016:

5% of our Graduates are ranked in the top 3% of the state (with ATARs

over 97)

13% are ranked in the top 5% of the state (with ATARs over 95)



96% of students’ first round SATAC offers were for a first or second

preference

22 Merit Scores in Child Studies, Classical Studies, Food & Hospitality,

Information Publishing & Processing, Psychology, Research Project, Visual Art and Workplace Practices

86% of all subject grades are As or Bs.

In reflecting on our policy on learning of Personal Best and these results, I often view them through my parent’s lens in thinking about what I want for my own children at the conclusion of their schooling. In knowing the girls as well as we do, and through a mix of formal and informal qualitative feedback as well as the quantitative data we receive above, when your daughter has graduated Year 12 at St Mary’s College here, she will have:

undergone a thorough SATAC counselling process to almost definitely

achieve her first or second preference for University;

had over 1 out of 2 chance of achieving an ATAR over 80;

had an over 85% chance of gaining an A or B for all of her subjects;

emerged as a confident young woman with critical questioning skills of

herself and her opportunities in the world;

developed a strong relationship with learning whereby she can set,

attain and often surpass academic goals;

understood the nature of learning from mistakes and not to fall down at

hurdles placed in front of her, be they minor or major;

‘accessed her allies’ and developed systems to search out for those in

new contexts;

achieved the best she could have in our learning community which

placed high expectations on her, but with high levels of support along the way.

As parents, these are not a bad set of goals to have achieved. We look forward to working with your daughter across 2017 to help her achieve similar ones, as well as reimagining and creating ones of her own.

Corey Tavella Deputy Principal- Curriculum

Jayda Addleton (11W) has recently completed her Silver award after registration via SA Open Award Centre, South Australia, Australia, Asia Pacific. Jayda is now working on her Gold Award.

It should be noted that only 8% of young people attempting the Silver award actually complete it. This is an incredible achievement for Jayda.

Congratulations Jayda, and all the best for your Gold Award.

On Tuesday 7 February, SMC students who received Merit Awards for 2016 attended Government House for the Merit Ceremony.

Pictured below are some of the 22 merit award students.


The Year 12s of 2017 spent the first three days of the year on Retreat at the Nunyara Centre in Belair. The theme was “Renew, Sustain, Rejoice” and was aimed at preparing the senior cohort for their final year of secondary schooling.

The Retreat consisted of engaging activities which provided opportunities for us to reflect on the year ahead. We heard from various speakers, including Luma Kelsang, a Buddhist nun who spoke about the importance of happiness; Mike O’Brien, a Kaurna man who shared his cultural knowledge and personal insight on interconnectedness and other Indigenous issues; and our very own Ms Christina Kilishiri, who spoke about hope and setting goals.

We were also involved in a reconciliation ‘rock’ ceremony one evening, where we were encouraged to heal any wounds that we had carried throughout our lives. The rocks symbolised our feelings of pain, guilt, anger or resentment. Dropping our rocks into the pool of water represented letting go and starting afresh. An overwhelming mixture of emotions were present in the room but in true St Mary’s spirit, this soon changed to excitement and joy, as we spontaneously ended with a year level hug whilst belting out the Hymn to St Dominic. This was capped off with a great night of karaoke, including a special song sung by some of our very talented teachers - a special moment shared by all, and one that many of us will remember for a long time.

The Retreat was an enjoyable experience for the Seniors, as it gave us a renewed perspective on how we can maintain a positive outlook throughout the year. We now begin our ‘Journey of Truth’ together as we set our focus on our studies in 2017. Annabelle Witkowski (College Captain) Chelsea Carruthers (Deputy Captain) Marie Khoury (Deputy Captain)


February

15 - 17 Year 8 Camp - Victor Harbour

21 School Tour (9.30 am - 11.00 am)

25 Year 12 SRC Leadership Planning Day (Saturday)

26 Year 12 SJ Leadership Seminar Day (Sunday)

28 SRC and SJ Leaders Induction Day (from 1.30 pm)

March

13 Public Holiday

14 Catholic Primary Schools’ Swim Carnival

15 Catholic Secondary Swim Carnvial

16-17 Year 11 Retreat (Encounters Centre)

20 R-12 Sports Day (SANTOS Stadium

21 Catholic Schools’ Secondary Athletics Carnival

Year 8 Vaccinations

22 Year 8 Parent Twilight Gathering from 6.30 pm

25 Year 11/12 Formal (Saturday)

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

First Reconciliation Confirmation First Holy Communion

If there are any students in Years 5-7 who have not yet celebrated their Sacraments of First Reconciliation, Confirmation and/or First Holy Communion, but are keen to do so in 2017 with the school community, please contact Ms Anne Soldan (Sacramental Coordinator) [email protected] for an application form.

Anne Soldan Coordinator of Sacraments

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 Joseph’s Old Scholar Mass Sunday 26 March at 2.00 pm St. Joseph's Old Scholars Annual Mass at Kensington Convent Chapel. Priest is Father Kevin Taylor. Devonshire Afternoon Tea will follow ($5). Invitation for ALL former teachers/students (male and female) from ANY Josephite School/College here or interstate to attend.

mailto:[email protected]

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