Newsletter 11 2012 - 24 August
thanks for the many blessings that we enjoy in this excellent school.
Dear parents, I hope that this beautiful weather finds you well. The days are lengthening and we are just beginning to see the emergence of some spring days in between the wind and the cold of winter. We are a little over half way through Term 3 and as always life is very busy at the college. Our Year 12 girls have begun the serious business of studying for their HSC exams, with our Dance, Drama, Language and Industrial Technology students already commencing the exam process. At the same time our Year 10 students are making choices about their direction in senior school while becoming very excited at the prospect of being able to wear the senior uniform from the commencement of Term 4. We are also beginning to organise the Orientation Day for our 2013 Year 7 students, while planning our Try Year 7 for a Day opportunities for students contemplating enrolling at St Mary’s in 2014. Needless to say, the staff and students are working very hard at this busy time of the year. The college celebrated “Good Sams” Day last Friday, commencing with Mass and the presentation of our inaugural Good Sam awards. This was followed by a day of great activity as we held a college talent contest, our house choirs did battle and we had a day of partying, with rides, food, a “silent” disco and all manner of stalls and displays. This was a great day and one that again highlighted the wonderful sense of community at St Mary’s. This was also the final opportunity for our Year 12 students to just have fun before they commence the more formal aspects of leaving school. It was a wonderful day where we prayed and celebrated as a community and we gave
The Good Sam awards have proven to be a huge success, with nine students and three staff members recognised at Mass as being Good Samaritans. The students and staff were very proud to have been nominated and receive these awards and it was a great privilege to congratulate our “Good Sams” and watch them receive their awards from Sr Christine Manning, the college’s Chair of Members, and Sr Catherine McCahill who was representing Sr Clare Condon, the Congregational Leader of the Good Samaritan Sisters. The award winners are members of our community who model the values of the Good Samaritan in their words and actions. The people nominated seek no praise or recognition and continually support others through their thoughtfulness and sense of Christian charity. The Good Samaritan Award winners were: Staff - Sr Rita Fitt, Mr Bob Cooper, Mrs Noelene Mahoney Students - Brigitte Bradley, Amber-Rose Bubb, Nicola Downing, Cassandra Green, Jessica Grozdanov, Tayla Howard, Gabriella Merkuloff, Lucy Packer, Grace Pifferi. I congratulate our 2012 Good Sams and thank them for their service to our community. The college has a number of important events coming up that you might like to include in your calendar. The first is the HSC Showcase which will be held on Wednesday 29 August, commencing at 5.30pm in the PLC with a viewing of the Body of Works and projects. This will be followed by live performances from our music, dance and drama students. This will be an excellent evening and one not to be missed.
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY 29 Aug
HSC Showcase: 5.30pm displays in PLC 6.30pm performance in SGN
30 Aug
Year 8 disco 6pm at ERC
31 Aug
Father’s Day breakfast 7.30am
17 Sept Year 12 Academic Assembly 9am in SGN 18 Sept Year 12 Graduation Mass 10.30am at WEC 21 Sept Year 12 Dinner Dance Last day Term 3 For student enquiries and notifications, please ring Student Office on 4226 3969
We are holding our decades reunion for former students on Saturday 1 September, commencing at 10am in the PLC. If you are an ex-student and you are celebrating a decade or decades since leaving St Mary’s, please come along and join us for morning tea and the opportunity to catch up with classmates. I thank parents for your ongoing support. Frank Pitt, Principal
The next event for your calendar is the Father’s Day Breakfast which will be held on Friday 31 August, commencing at 7.30am. I invite our dad’s to come along and let us spoil you with a special breakfast before work. Our students had fun on Good Sams Day
Love of God · Love of Learning · Hospitality · Stewardship · Peace
GOOD SAMS DAY Congratulations to all who contributed to a day full of community spirit and enthusiasm. The clubs prepared and organised fantastic stalls that raised awareness and combined to create a positive and enjoyable experience for all. The Social Justice Corner was well attended with activities such as knitting, hair braiding and face painting. Thank you to all who contributed to the collection for a Good Samaritan cause. The total was $1,300 which is a fantastic effort for the one collection. What a great community we have - always striving to build a better one. Kerrie Guillaume
COME AND ENJOY THE ARTISTIC TALENTS OF OUR HSC STUDENTS Next Wednesday evening the college will be showcasing the fantastic talents of our Year 12 students in Dance, Drama, Music, Design and Technology, Multimedia, Visual Art and English Extension II. The evening starts at 5.30pm with time for parents, students and friends to wander through the PLC and enjoy the variety of major works. Light refreshments will be served. At 6.30pm our performance showcase begins in the SGN Hall with a wonderful selection of individual and group pieces from this year’s practical HSC examinations.
Our “Good Samaritans” with Sr Christine, Sr Catherine and Mr Pitt
We look forward to sharing this evening with you. Kerri Harrigan, Creative Arts Coordinator SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES FOR 2013 To encourage local female high school students to take on the challenge of extension Mathematics, BlueScope Steel are offering Maths tutoring scholarships which are open to female Year 10 and 11 students who will be undertaking Extension 1 or 2 Maths in Year 11 and 12. Winners will be awarded an obligation-free payment of $2,000 for Year 10 and $1,000 for Year 11 to cover the cost of a Maths tutor, paid in $500 instalments at the start of Terms 1 and 3. Applications are now open for the 2013 scholarships. To apply, please submit a letter covering the following information: • Subject results for year 10 • List of subjects you have enrolled in for Year 11 and 12 • Cover letter outlining why you feel you would benefit from a scholarship for tutoring • Why you are interested in Maths and pursuing a career in engineering. Email applications to Andy Stirling by 30 September - Andrew.Stirling@ bluescopesteel.com. For more information visit: www. bluescopesteel.com/cadets or phone 4275 3326. Pauline Judd CIRCUS MONOXIDE: This September holidays Circus Monoxide will hold five-hour “A Day at the Circus” workshops. For info and bookings visit www.circusmonoxide.com.au or call 4285 0066.
UNIFORM SHOP: closed during September school holidays Last trading day Thursday 20 September - resuming Tuesday 9 October.
FROM THE DEAN OF PASTORAL CARE: SOME GREAT APPS TO EXPLORE!
ST MARY’S SCIENCE FAIR Last week the Science Department conducted its annual Science Fair and the quality of this year’s Science projects was very high. 45 projects were entered from over 90 students. There was excitement in the air as students explained their research projects to the judges and it was a close competition for prizes. A group of students will now be selected to present their projects at the Regional Science Fair, to be conducted at the University of Wollongong in Term 4. Major Science Fair prizes went to:
Following on from my articles in earlier newsletters, I encourage you and your daughters to explore these apps a little further. All are available from the Apple App Store. Live Happy - a great positive psychology approach Body Beautiful - super for encouraging positive self image MnF Mindfulness - opportunity for mindfulness and meditation
YEARS 7 AND 8 SECTION - 1 place Hannah Shipp and Kiara Zentrich; Runner-up Brittany Polsson, Grace Agnew and Lauren Turton. Highly Commended: Rebecca Jones, Rachel Gandy, Kiarna Rosandic, Simone Carmody, Sarah Skeates, Josefin Bauch, Paige Penrose and Evelyn Dillon. st
Headspace - another opportunity for directed mindfulness and meditation Re-Mindful - An app to remind us to smile and breathe! Take A Chill - some fantastic strategies to find a sense of calm
YEARS 9, 10 AND 11 SECTION - 1st place Marissa Couldridge; Runner-up Melissa Marin, Brooke Carmody and Jessica Knight. Highly Commended: Alice O’Keefe, Emilia Dobbins, Alexia Clementi, Bronte Mandaric, Meg Cummins, Marissa Couldridge, Lucinda Beck, Sally O’Donoghue, Annelise Bussoletti, Katelin Koprivec, Alexia Mihalopoulos, Vivienne Connor, Victoria Somerville, Natasha Karabolovski, Kate Johns, Cassie Grant and Emeline Cacciaguidi-Fahy. Adrian Bell
Without Power Struggles - a parenting version of Take A Chill Take a Stand - an app that provides tips and advice to different bullying situations MAX POTENTIAL For the past 22 weeks, five Year 11 girls have taken part in the Dapto Leagues “Max Potential” leadership program, designed to develop their leadership abilities under the mentoring of a personal coach.
TOURNAMENT OF THE MINDS Recently St Mary’s hosted the Regional Drama Workshop, “Thinking Skills”, for the national Tournament of the Minds. Teams showed their creativity by competing in practice challenges, and were given creative ideas on how to problem solve. We thank Mrs Caroll O’Donnell who is the International Director of Tournament of the Minds. She spent the day helping the teams to be creative. Thank you also to Mrs Boyle for organising the event. This year’s team representing the college on Sunday 26 August at St John the Evangelist High School in Nowra are: Year 7 Chiara Sirianni, Courtney Buchanan, Grace Parker; Year 8 Kiara Zentrich, Caitlin Lasek, Hannah Shipp; Year 10 Miranda Clark Chiara Sirianni, Year 7
Students participating in Thinking Skills workshop
VISIT FROM DEAN OF LAW We received an illustrious guest, Professor Luke McNamara, Dean of Law at the University of Wollongong, on Monday 20 August. He discussed the advantages and flexibility of studying a Bachelor of Laws at UOW with our Legal Studies students. Prof McNamara was accompanied by exstudent Katelin Isabella, who gave students an idea of university life and her double degree of Economics/Law. It was a great insight for the students to hear how a law degree could be integrated into their future studies and the girls enjoyed the friendly, relaxed and informal manner in which the information was presented. I would like to thank our guests and Mrs Judd and Mrs Coleman for organising the visit. Lisa Kendell
Prof McNamara and Mrs Kendell with Legal Studies students
The students conducted a project that would use their leadership skills to give back to the community. These community projects helped them to learn that they have the power to make a difference. On 14 August a showcase of all student projects was held at Dapto Leagues Club. Here all participants had their own booths to demonstrate what they had done with their project. The booths were all decorated with balloons, neon lights, the occasional spotlight and TV screen, free food and even an interactive Wii game. As a result of the experience the girls have developed their organisational and leadership skills, as well as gaining a new understanding of their own capabilities. Each of the girls enjoyed their experience and highly recommend the opportunity to other students. Michael Bee
Erin Cranney, Rebekah Zamroz, Kara Agostinho, Jessica Wotherspoon and Alexia Clementi
DISCOVER ENGINEERING DAY
TRIP TO CANBERRA
On 8 August six students attended the Discover Engineering Day, held by Engineering Australia. They had the opportunity to talk to various employers regarding engineering careers, participated in experiments and inspected a hotrod which was designed by mechanical engineering students. Presentations were made by cadets from Bluescope Steel and students from the Universities of Wollongong and Sydney, as well as retired engineers from all facets of the engineering industry. The girls left the day with a good understanding of a day in the life of an engineer. Pauline Judd
Recently five students, Mrs Worrall and Ms Lettman travelled to Canberra for three days. They visited Questacon - the favourite interactive display was the “Earthquake House” where we had the experience of being in an earthquake. We stayed at the Canberra Motor Village in cabins. In the evenings we played games and watched a movie.
FENCING AT ST MARYS For the last four weeks, any student walking past the Marian Hall on a Wednesday afternoon would have heard the call “on guard”, and the sounds of “foil against foil” as students practise their bouts in the sport of fencing. Students have been learning this ancient art, and the rules and regulations which govern the sport, in the hope of one day competing for St Marys. It’s loads of fun, helps with your fitness and coordination - and yes, you do need to get fully “suited up”! If you are interested, just contact me. Jodi Harris
On the second day we went to Canberra Zoo. There were lots of different animals and we were able to pat the dingoes. On the last day we woke to a heavy frost. We went to Cockington Green, a model village, and we followed a worksheet which showed us what the miniature houses represented. The drive back was fine until we neared Wollongong where we noticed the very strong winds and it felt colder than Canberra. Stephanie Pozzar, Jessica Harb, Melissa Pennimpede, Sherry Potter, Nicole Panetta
CONSOLING MASS Fr Ron Peters invites people who have lost family members or friends in tragic circumstances to attend this special Mass at 12 noon on Friday 14 September at Mater Dolorsa Church, 47 Balmoral Road, Balgownie.
WINTER HARVEST Last week Mr Everatt’s Year 8 Geography class worked hard harvesting broccoli, spinach, lettuce, spring onion and beetroot from our community garden. It has been a tough couple of months as the rainfall was down compared to past years. Without the care from our students, the veggies would have died ages ago, but the persistent watering has produced a terrific harvest. For our keen gardeners August is the perfect time to plant potatoes. If you have shallots and/or chives it’s a good idea to divide clumps, and give your citrus trees a good feed of complete fertilizer. If peas find a lovely home in your garden now, you will be rewarded with a yummy treat in about six weeks! Six vegies to plant now: beetroot, broccoli, carrot, silverbeet, turnip and zucchini. Please send questions or comments about the garden to communitygarden@stmarys.nsw.edu.au. Adam Everatt
2012 HSC TEXTBOOK RETURNS A message from the PLC: Dear HSC students and parents, the final date for HSC students to return their textbooks to the PLC is FRIDAY 9 NOVEMBER. Fencing at St Mary’s CADETSHIPS, TRAINEESHIPS AND APPRENTICESHIPS Year 12 students should visit the following websites for information about cadetships, traineeships and apprenticeships that are to commence in 2013. Pauline Judd Wollongong Council cadetships: jobs@ wollongong.nsw.gov.au.
PLC staff will facilitate returns by providing baskets for the books near HSC exam areas, or students can return books directly to the PLC. Textbook deposits are issued (via post) once all textbooks have been returned. If you have any queries regarding textbook returns, please call the PLC on 4253 5207. Rachael Baez
Wollongong Council traineeships and apprenticeships: www.illawarragt.com.au. Wollongong Uni Management Cadetship Program: www.uow.edu.au/about/ scholarships/ug/cadet/index.html. Blue Scope Steel cadetships: www.cadets. bluescopesteel.com/home/australiancadetships/brighter-future/brighter-future.
KIDS AND BULLYING: To help parents better understand a range of issues associated with bullying CatholicCare is running workshops on 13 and 20 September, 10am-12.30pm. CatholicCare is located at 25-27 Auburn Street, Wollongong. For bookings or information call 4227 1122.
Students tending the community garden GLS WORKSHOP FOR SUPERVISING DRIVERS AND ACCOMPANIED LEARNER DRIVERS: Wollongong City Council is hosting a free “Graduated Licensing Scheme” workshop, to help you with practical advice about supervising learner drivers, completing their Log Book and how to structure driving practice. The workshop is for supervising drivers - learner drivers are also welcome to attend with their supervising drivers. The two-hour workshop will commence at 6pm on Thursday 13 September on Level 9 at 41 Burelli Street, Wollongong. Bookings are essential - please call Jack Harrison on 4227 7261.
16 Harbour Street Wollongong - Locked Bag 42 Wollongong NSW 2500 Phone (02) 4228 6011 Fax (02) 4229 8555 www.stmarys.nsw.edu.au