Newsletter 6 2012 - 18 May
college staff, a fantastic silent auction and a raffle that had almost more prizes than people. I thank all who attended and offer a special thank you to Marie for her great organisation, and to all of our models who were both beautiful and very brave, This evening seems to just get better each year. Dear Parents, I hope that this newsletter finds you well and enjoying the beautiful autumn days. Since our last newsletter we have had a busy few weeks as we held another very successful Mother’s Day Dinner, welcomed new families at our Year 7 BBQ, had our Year 11 girls away on retreat, conducted the athletics carnival and held the NAPLAN tests. We have also welcomed over 250 prospective new Year 7 students who have attended enrolment interviews for places in 2013. While it was an incredibly busy start to the term, it has been quite exhilarating as we continue to celebrate the many blessings we enjoy at St Mary’s College. I was quite touched by last Sunday’s Gospel from St John as I find it to be one of the most beautiful pieces of scripture of the New Testament. In this Gospel Jesus provides us with very clear instructions on how we should relate to each other. He implores us to love one another stating: “This is my commandment; love one another as I love you”. He also makes very clear God’s great love for each of us. While listening to this Gospel on Sunday, I began to reflect on who Jesus is asking us to love and I was again confronted with the answer that he means everyone: family, friends and even those people we may find hard to love. Jesus also directs us to “walk the talk”: in other words to demonstrate our love through action and service. Telling people that we love them is often the easy part, showing them is far more difficult. The annual St Mary’s Mother’s Day Dinner was a night of high fashion, glamour and great fun. Over 200 mothers and some daughters attended the evening, held at Villa D’Oro, for an early celebration of Mother’s Day. Marie Pulford organised an excellent evening which included a fashion parade involving students, parents and
The Year 7 Welcome BBQ was also a very successful afternoon, with a large crowd turning up on Sunday 6 May to be officially welcomed by our P&F. We were blessed with a beautiful day and great hospitality, with parents meeting their daughter’s friends and families. We also had a large representation of teachers who joined with families. My thanks to all families who were able to join us, to members of staff who took the time to attend and to Megan Waud and her hardworking committee for organising a great welcome for new families. The annual athletics carnival was held on Tuesday 8 May and this was also a beautiful autumn day. The girls were very excited and participated enthusiastically. I don’t think that I have heard louder cheering as the girls began their House chants and the Year 12 girls paraded in their costumes. There were some excellent times and distances recorded as girls performed to a high standard in their various events. If this carnival was any indication we should be very competitive at the diocesan carnival. The college was very sad to hear that Dr Joanne Hack, our Dean of Mission and Innovation, lost her dad just before the return of school this term. We were devastated when Joanne’s mother unexpectedly passed away in the early hours of Monday 7 May. In just a few weeks she had lost both her mum and dad and, as you can imagine, this was a great shock and a time of sadness for Joanne and her family. The college was represented at both funerals, with a group of Year 12 girls singing beautifully at Ms Hack’s mother’s funeral last Monday. On behalf of the college community I offer Joanne and her family our most sincere sympathy and I ask that you keep the Hack family in your thoughts and prayers.
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY 21 May Year 9 exams commence 23 May Year 10 exams commence Year 9 camp commences 29 May Year 10 immunisations 1 June
Winter sleepout
5 June
Year 10 reflection day
8 June
Staff PD day - no classes
11 June Queen’s Birthday holiday For student enquiries and notifications, please ring Student Office on 4226 3969
and, as a result, there will be no lessons held on this day. Please put this pupil-free day in your diary as the date will soon be upon us. The staff will spend the day reflecting on teaching and learning at St Mary’s, with the focus being on how we as educators respond to the demands and changes of a dynamic educational environment. We will have ex-students, parents and the voices of current students guiding us as we focus on the strengths and challenges of education at our college. I hope that you and your family manage to remain healthy as the colder weather arrives and that you are able to take some time to appreciate the beauty of our changing seasons at this time of the year. Yours sincerely, Frank Pitt, Principal
The staff of St Mary’s will be undertaking professional development on Friday 8 June
Love of God · Love of Learning · Hospitality · Stewardship · Peace
Year 8 reflection day
WESTS ILLAWARRA YOUTH ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS 2012 Congratulations to the following Year 11 students for their success in this prestigious competition: Kara Agostinho achieved an Encouragement Award for the Arts category, Parrys Raines received a Special Sponsor’s Award for the Citizenship category and Lucy Packer won the junior section of the Academic Excellence category. All girls were presented with a beautiful trophy, certificate and a substantial sum of money to assist them with their studies and work. Well done. Liz Davis & Michael Bee
2012 ATHLETICS CARNIVAL The athletics carnival was held on 8 May in perfect weather. House competition was strong, with several records broken and the relays hotly contested. House points: Loreto 672, Lourdes 548, Carmel 480, and Fatima 354. Record breakers: Andrea Berrell broke 3 records in the 16 yrs 100, 200 and 800m events; Roisin Concannon broke the 15 yrs 1500m; Maddy Fisher in the 17+ 200m; Siobhan O’Brien in the 17+ 1500m; Alexandra Parker in the 13 yrs 400m; Sara Van Ryn in the 15 yrs Javelin and Isabell Parnell in the 14 yrs Javelin.
Kara Agostinho, Lucy Packer & Parrys Raines WATAC LUNCHEON
Congratulations to our age champions: 12s Bronte McHugh, Charlie Olds 13s: Alexandra Parker, Hannah Preeo 14s: Claudia Flynn, Rachel Gandy 15s: Roisin Concannon, Kristen Martinoski 16s: Madeline Martinoski, Andrea Berrell tied with Cassie Grant 17s: Maddison Fisher, Lucy Formosa 18s: Siobhan Ryan. Congratulations to all girls who participated. The carnival was a very successful and entertaining day. Thanks to the PDHPE faculty for their assistance in organising and coordinating the carnival. Belinda Sparks
Enjoying last week’s athletics carnival COMMUNITY... Berkeley Netball Club is looking for players for a young Senior C1 team. If interested, please call Gerry on 4271 2041 ASAP.
“Godspell” is now being conjured with magic and huge entertainment value from a large team on and behind stage 14, 15 & 16 June It’s going to be a community event not to be missed Tickets $20/$10 are available on our website (credit card required)
On 9 May, Laura Sheehy, Sevgi Murphy, Lucy Packer and Mrs Templeman were invited to attend the WATAC (Women and the Australian Church) Annual Luncheon, held at Parliament House in Sydney. The theme of the luncheon was Acting Now to Change the Future. Guest speakers included Rosemary Breen. Ms Breen is an inspirational social justice activist who astounded and captivated all members of the audience with her long list of achievements both on a local and international scale. She spoke at length about her water project in Burma. The luncheon made the students aware of the power of love and compassion and the different channels in which social equity can be achieved. And ... Laura won the lucky door prize! Lucy Packer DIOCESAN TOUCH CARNIVAL On 2 May five teams competed in the Diocesan Touch Football carnival at Fairy Meadow. The teams were highly competitive throughout what was a very warm day. The Open A team placed 2nd in their competition, losing only two matches. All the girls played in good spirit and enjoyed themselves. They were a credit to the college. Congratulations to Maddison Fisher, Sally Dwyer, Tahlia McCulloch, Claudia Flynn and Alexandra Parker who were selected for the Diocesan representative squads. Michael Bee FOR YOUR INFORMATION Mrs Pat O’Gorman is going on leave from 21 May to the end of Term 2. The college wishes her well during this time. We welcome Mrs Louise Phillips who will be replacing her during this leave. Frank Pitt
GEOGRAPHY AWARD WINNERS
MOCK TRIAL
YR 11 RETREAT
Last week the Geography Teachers’ Association recognised two of our Year 10 students in the Arthur Phillip Awards for Global Education and Research. Corrine Tzortzis was awarded first place and Antonia Wayne-Boyle was highly commended for their Junior Geopgraphy Projects undertaken in Year 9 titled “Land use, urban decay and renewal on Wollongong’s eastern CBD”.
Round 2: On 3 April our girls came up against Wollongong High in the second round. We were the prosecution in a case involving the capture of an illegal fish. The girls performed well; however, they lost the case and the trial by a small margin. Many thanks for giving up numerous lunchtimes in preparing for the trial. The team consisted of Isabella Rosandic, Frances Solano, Asma Salm, Sophie McGovern, Rebekah Panozzo and Jessica Watson.
The retreat was a chance for students to reflect on their lives, to acknowledge important people and events and to look at the different ways they portray themselves to others. They explored God in their lives before leading on to the question of how the year group can grow together and lead St Marys in 2013. From team building activities to painting bowls to dressing up for dinner to writing affirmations, we enjoyed a busy and fulfilling two days. A special thank you to Ms Halcrow for leading the retreat and to all the teachers who shared special times with their groups. Marian Redmond
The students and their families attended an awards ceremony at Sydney College of the Arts where Corinne and Antonia were presented with plaques by Dr Maurine Goldston-Morris OAM and Dr Don Biddle OAM. Terese Coleman
Round 3: On 10 May, with our Year 11 students on retreat, seven brave Year 10s took on the challenge of Mock Trial. We were the prosecution in a case that involved two charges of assault and one of property damage. The girls acquitted themselves very well, especially against their older and more experienced adversaries from Keira High. They learned a lot about advocacy and despite losing enjoyed the experience. The team comprised of: Sophie Whittaker, Leah Connell, Siobhan Pedroza, Lauren Tatton, Isabella Roberts, Alana Ridley and Mikayla Nackovski. Mrs Kendell
Antonia Wayne-Boyle and Corrine Tzortzis with Dr Goldston-Morris MUNA The Model United Nations Assembly was held at the Nan Tien Temple last Saturday. Isabella Rosandic and Jenny Luu represented our school as the United Kingdom. There were 26 schools representing the countries of the United Nations. The debating was very competitive yet also entertaining. The students dress as their country so Isabella and Jenny were quite innovative. We would like to thank the Rotary Club of Illawarra Sunrise for their sponsorship. Congratulations to Isabella and Jenny for their excellent presentation. Kerrie Guillaume ART CLUB Hi my name’s Vivienne and I’m the 2012 Visual Arts leader. As part of my role I am in charge of the college Art Club. Art Club is a place where you can come every Wednesday to finish Art homework, get assistance and practical advice for Art projects or just let your creative juices flow. We have a large variety of tools and materials that are provided by the P&F, and I and Mrs Boyle will be running workshops for all students. We also notify students of any competitions and exhibitions they can enter. Meetings are every Wednesday in room F115 for students who are interested. Come along, get creative and have fun. Vivienne Connor, Year 9
Asma Salm, Sophie McGovern, Rebekah Panozzo, Jessica Watson, Frances Solano and Isabella Rosandic
Year 11 on retreat LAW WEEK 2012
LEARNING AT ST MARY’S Year 7 and 9 students are sitting their NAPLAN tests this week. Students are assessed using national tests in Reading, Writing, Language Conventions and Numeracy. The college looks forward to receiving these results in order to further support the learning needs of our students. Year 9 and 10 students will be sitting assessments in their core subjects next week. They have received notifications providing details of these tasks and I encourage all students to prepare thoroughly for these assessments. Individual HSC examination timetables have been released online for Year 12 students. They are asked to check their timetable. The HSC Trial examinations will be conducted next term. The girls need to have developed a study program which includes the completion of HSC examination-style questions as well as seek feedback from and give feedback to their teachers about their learning. Gerry Sozio
14-18 May saw the Wollongong Local Court celebrate Law Week. There were a number of displays including the police dogs and Crash Investigation Unit. Nineteen students were lucky enough to observe a hypothetical entitled “The Night of the Year 12 Formal” where a group of students were involved in a car accident. A panel of experts from various fields including police, media, criminal defence barrister, coroner and magistrate all gave their legal perspectives on the events. It provided students with an idea of their rights and responsibilities under the law as well as the role and jurisdiction of the experts. Lisa Kendell CONGRATULATIONS! Jessica Grozdanov rode her bike from Sydney to Surfer’s Paradise, an average of 130-150km’s per day, in a charity event. Allison Matthews and Carly Knowles came in the top 10 in the world for cheerleading in a competition in the USA.
WOMEN IN CAREERS EXPO The Women in Careers Expo was held in our college hall on Thursday 3 May. The Expo was a great success and students in Years 10, 11 and 12 had an opportunity to meet and discuss career pathways with many of our invited guests. We were grateful to have so many generous people who took time out of their busy schedule to talk to our students about career options post school. Many thanks to all who contributed before and on the day! Pauline Judd, Post School Advisor YEARS 9 AND 10 ELECTIVE MUSIC AND TECHNOLOGY EXCURSION
CHESS CLUB Congratulations to our Chess Club who took out round two of the regional chess competition in a 4-0 victory over Warrawong Intensive English Centre on 9 May. The event was staged at our illustrious PLC and the home ground advantage helped the girls keep a cool head, as they went into battle against some experienced older students.
On 16 March our elective music classes visited the Powerhouse Museum to attend a Music and Technology workshop. Students learned how to create loops and samples and manipulate them into their own compositions very much like a professional DJ. They also used multimedia software that allowed them to create a rock video to accompany the music they composed. Year 10 Music have been studying C20th Music and Year 9 Music have commenced a unit on Rock Music so it was a wonderful opportunity for all classes to see how composing with the latest technology is fun and easy.
Emily Skillen and Mariam Tohmey made ground early and finished with convincing wins. Victoria Shephard soon followed, but the battle of the 1st rank player and captain Susan Asi drew a crowd and went down to the wire. She was looking like certain defeat when she pulled a stunning checkmate which left her opponent rubbing his eyes in disbelief. Well done girls on a great win and the first time St Marys’ has progressed beyond the 2nd round in the knockout competition. Chris Allen
The students also had the chance to see the Harry Potter Exhibition where we oohed and aahed over the movie set pieces and costumes that they had seen in the movies and read about in the books. Lisa Thrift
(on right) Susan Asi and Victoria Shephard GREGORIAN CHANT WORKSHOP A Gregorian Chant workshop will be held from 12-4pm on 11 June at St Patrick’s Hall, Port Kembla. It will explore all aspects of singing traditional Gregorian chant and is suitable for all levels of singers. Families and students are asked to consider this if interested. For bookings or more information call St Patrick’s on 4274 1192.
Enjoying the visit to the music workshop CONGRATULATIONS! MOTHER’S DAY DINNER 2012 The photos show the enjoyment of the evening. Pictured above are our staff who modelled the fashion so beautifully: Ms Pam Halcrow, Mrs Kerri Harrigan and Mrs Denise Adams.
Katelin Koprivec of Year 10 recently sang on Young Talent Time. Katelin sang a wonderful rendition of Beyonce’s Listen from the movie Dreamgirls. Although Katelin didn’t win, we are very proud of her achievement. Well done!
16 Harbour Street Wollongong - Locked Bag 42 Wollongong NSW 2500 Phone (02) 4228 6011 Fax (02) 4229 8555 www.stmarys.nsw.edu.au