Principal's Message

Blessed be the mercy journey that beckons us forward to need. - Madeline Duckett RSM

Farewell to the Seniors of 2019

This week we gave the Seniors of 2019 a rousing farewell, with our final Year 12 Assembly and Graduation Mass. This is a significant milestone in their lives and those of their parents and the College. In my final speech to them at their Graduation I spoke about the values of respect, kindness, honesty and compassion which as parents we instill from an early age. Then in partnership with the College we develop the whole child during her high school years. I share the following excerpt from this speech:

“During her time as St Mary’s College your daughters have flourished and grown into the young women we see here tonight. Nurtured by caring compassionate staff and teachers who share their knowledge and wisdom, and who provide providing opportunities for learning - academically, socially, emotionally and spiritually. Their spiritual paths have been guided by key role models of Jesus and Catherine McAuley and the college motto “Faithful to God and integrity”. Now they are reaching the milestone our teachers can celebrate too, for they have been part of their journey.

Teaching is an act of faith, described as ‘iceberg work’, because so much of what we achieve goes on beneath the surface in the hearts and minds of our young people. The most precious fruits of good teacher’s work are those that they are never likely to see.

St Oscar Romero, Archbishop of San Salvador in 1980, shares this reflection of education and teaching;

We plant the seeds that one day will grow.

We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise.

We lay foundations that will need further development.

We provide yeast that produces far beyond our capabilities.

We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that.

This enables us to do something, and to do it very well.

It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way, an

opportunity for the Lord's grace to enter and do the rest.

So, we the teachers and parents have sowed the seeds.... now is your time, our Seniors of 2019 to go forth and bloom and grow to be the people we want you to be and we know you can be...the best version of yourselves possible.”

We also farewell those families who have a long relationship with the College. We have valued your partnership and support. Please remember that St Mary’s is a community which welcomes you always.

We Love our Parent Volunteers

Thank you to those parents who continue to support the College through their participation in our community groups. Both the P & F and the College Board provide opportunities to get involved in the school and we are delighted to have such active volunteers who support the College. This year Bret Parker will finish his time as the Chair of the College Board after ten years of service. Bret and Theresa have had three daughters attend the College, with their youngest, Letiesha, finishing this year.

Mercy Outreach

We are proudly a Catholic School in the Mercy tradition and this was evident in the generous donation by students and families to our Christmas appeal. Showing mercy is about meeting the needs of others and this is what happens through this program. I want to thank all of you for your support of the appeal which saw the compilation of hampers.

New Staff Member

We welcome Gemma Easton our newest member of staff, who has taken up the Marketing and Communications position at the College. This is her first newsletter for St Mary’s College, so we hope you enjoy her work.

May God bless you all and especially our 2019 Graduands and their families.

Judith Finan | College Principal

Defence News

Walk to Remember

The annual Walk to Remember was held on Remembrance Day, Monday 11 November. This year, in recognition of the Centenary of the Armistice marking the end of the First World War and Remembrance Day, our College Community along with St Edmund’s College and St Mary’s Primary took part in the Walk to Remember. We gathered to reflect on the sacrifices made by all serving members of the forces past and present with a service held at the Woodend War Memorial. We heard from St Mary’s students Rachel England Year 12, Ashleigh-Rose Green Year 12, and year 7 student Summar Miller who on behalf of Defence students wrote a poem praying for future generations to realise how important it is to remember those that have sacrificed so much so that we can have our safety.

The guest speaker was Flight Sergeant Just, father of St Edmund’s student Nicholas Just. His speech was a moving reminder to also consider those that have returned and are living with the scars of war. Many lives may not be lost these days but many more are still bringing home the tortures of what it is to protect our country.

I would like to thank the teachers who kindly participated in the walk. Thank you to all the students, staff and wider community that participated in the Walk to Remember. May we always remember.

Thank you to the Defence students and the wider school community who participated in this year’s events and activities. Congratulations to our Year 12 Defence Students who are onto their next adventure! We wish those who are pursuing Defence careers the best of luck and encourage you all to stay in touch.

The Defence program looks forward to welcoming new Defence students to the program next year especially those that will be starting Year 7. Here’s to a safe and happy holiday. See you all next year.

Christina Page | Defence Mentor

Cultural Update

Cultural Showcase and Art Display

St Mary’s College hosted the 2019 Combined Schools’ Cultural Showcase and Art Display on Friday 8 November. The evening began with a display of the many artworks created by the Visual Art students of St Mary’s and St Edmund’s Colleges. The pieces on display were astounding, with high praise being heard from all who visited the display and sampled the wine and cheese on offer, courtesy of the St Mary’s College Hospitality team. The evening continued in the McAuley Centre where students from the Cultural Departments of St Mary’s and St Edmund’s College performed spectacularly at their 2019 Cultural Showcase. Performers included the Combined Colleges’ Choir, Bands and Ensembles, the St Mary’s College Dance Troupes, the St Edmund’s College Jazz and Contemporary Bands and several senior students who performed solos and duos for their final ever Cultural Showcase.

Thank you to all those who attended to support our talented artists and performers. Congratulations to all students on a fantastic final performance for 2019.

Cultural Breakfast

The final Cultural event for 2019 was held on Monday 11 November. The Cultural Breakfast was held to celebrate the awesome year that the Cultural Department has had. The morning featured a superb breakfast, courtesy of Deb Doolan and the St Mary’s College Tuckshop, some mingling and lawn-games, and concluded with award presentations, speeches and thank yous.

Congratulations to all students on your participation in the Cultural Programs this year. Special congratulations to the following students who were recipients of the new Cultural Recognition award which acknowledges one student in each Cultural activity who is dedicated, passionate and reliable. They are the student who is always there on time, supports others and gives their best. Recipients were:

Kira Bell – Junior Dance Troupe

Mackenzie Smith – Senior Dance Troupe

Shania Giarrusso – Showcase Dance Troupe

Addlea Devlin – Introductory Dance Troupe

Jean McNeill – Show Choir

Hanneke Miller – Junior Choir

Ashleigh Ramirez – Combined Colleges’ Choir

Amber Robertson – Combined Colleges’ String Ensemble

Grace McIntyre – Combined Colleges’ Concert Band

Josie Minz – Junior Debating Team

Sophia Blake – Senior Debating Team

Jasmine O’Malley – Journalism Club

Mackenzie McDermott – Drama Club

A huge thank you must also go to the wonderful staff of St Mary’s College who volunteer their time to ensure that the Cultural programs run each year.

Eryn Gower – Debating and Journalism Club

Tami Hammond – Debating

Kate Chapel – Debating

Phil Kefford – Debating

Sarah Minz – Debating

Simon Paxton – Musical, Mass Band, Junior Concert Band

Ciara Geoghegan - Drama club and Musical

Narelle Thompson - Musical

Amy Woodruff – Musical, Mass Band and graphic design

Matt Jensen – Musical

Erin Kirkup - Musical

Anita Thompson – Mass Band

Sue Stevens – Mass Band

Angela Walsh – Mass Band

Frances O’Sullivan (SEC) – Combined Colleges’ Choir

Tim Kirkwood (SEC) – Combined Colleges’ Band

Middle Years Learning Update

Writing Strategy

Our focus on writing across the College continues as we move towards the end of the year with students engaging in Sustained Silent Writing during their Period 2 classes each day. We’ve managed to snap a few more photos of our writers in action. Enjoy!

Learning Pit

During the Week 5 assembly, I spoke to students about the learning process and what learning looks and feels like. I used the ‘Learning Pit’ analogy for this. The idea being that learning is meant to be difficult and might feel a little like being at the bottom of a pit and having to claw your way out. Have a look at the image below and please make time to discuss it with your daughter in the next week.

Semester 2 Assessment

Students across Year 7 to 9 will be in the thick of assessment currently. Hopefully they have used the Student Assessment Calendar to plan for this, however, somethings come up and an extension might be required. If this is the case, please note that there is an Assignment Extension process which must be followed. A form can be accessed on the Parent Portal and completed by yourself and your daughter before being returned to the Student Office for processing. Please contact me or the relevant Curriculum Leader if you have any questions or concerns about this process.

Homework Club

Homework Club runs each Tuesday and Thursday afternoon from 3:00 to 4:30pm in the Wandiny Room. Homework Club offers a myriad of assistance from staff as well as the opportunity for student collaboration.

Literacy in the Media

The focus of ABC’s Four Corners program on Monday evening was an examination of why too many young Australians are struggling with literacy in the digital age. There was some great advice for parents and adults on raising children with high literacy levels and I would strongly encourage every parent to watch this episode on ABC iView at this link.

Mr Matt Jensen | Middle Years Learning Leader

mattj@stmarys.qld.edu.au

Community Notices

Position Available

St Mary’s College is seeking a full-time Facilities Officer to manage the maintenance and grounds areas of the College. The role does involve Workplace Health and Safety compliance and therefore computer skills are required. For more information about the role, please contact College Reception on 3432 5444