Tidings Edition 3

Tidings

Term 1 2023 has proven to be a very solid start to this academic year. It has been wonderful getting to know the Year 7 students and all families new to the College, and connecting with more established families who have transitioned through the lockdown and restriction period encompassing the past 3 years.

I wanted to highlight a number of Term 1 initiatives that have supported our learning and community building priorities:

• Our IT migration to be under the direct auspice of Catholic Education (CECG), including integration of Office365 and improved cybersecurity. There have been some hurdles, but we have successfully transitioned and staff and students can access industry standard programs

• Parent events onsite for the first time in a number of years with our Year 7-8 Information night, our Year 11-12 evening and our Parent Teacher evening.

• Our inaugural Pastoral Care Parent Student Teacher Interviews

• Reestablishment of Work Experience and ASBA programs (post-Covid) for Years 10-12

• The signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the University of Canberra to facilitate guaranteed entry to university for students meeting minimum pre-requisites in sports studies at St Clare’s

• Collaboration with St Edmunds College with St Clare’s senior students studying the Certificate III in Fitness

• St Edmund’s students participating in Dance and French classes at St Clare’s

• Reestablishment of the combined St Clare’s and St Edmund’s College bands

• Immersion experience to the Kimberley for senior students set for the end of next term

• Unfortunately, insufficient uptake to run a tour to Japan this year. We’ll try again next year.

• The Student Progress Program (SPP) is in full swing on Tuesdays and Thursdays with teachers, senior students and university students as tutors

• For the first time in four years we have run both the Swimming and Athletics Carnivals, providing pathways for our athletes and being fantastic opportunities for our students to show their House and School Spirit.

We have reinvigorated our Personal Best approach, with each year group focussing on key personal traits. We know that learning requires emotional safety and we continue to work in partnership with families and with the support of our dynamic new counsellors Hannah and Lauren.

Teachers are applying their learning from the Catalyst program delivered through Catholic Education. All teachers undertook training on our professional learning day at the start of the year and this will be a focus for our next training day on 24 April. Select teachers are also undertaking learning in High Impact Teaching Practices: our 3ʳʳ school cohort. Students would be becoming familiar with teacher’s full participation strategies, including the use of mini-white boards so teachers can check student understanding; frequent reviews of recent and foundational concepts that need frequent revision; and our continued focus on Learning Intentions and Success criteria (LISCs) with our Learning Dispositions. It is essential that students are active participants in the learning process; not passive receivers of information.

As we see out the term, the SWITCH club has settled into the Makerspace in the Learning Commons, rehearsals for High School Musical are well underway, and innumerable (!) Netball Teams are prepping for the season; there is a lot of forward momentum to launch Term 2!

As we progress through Holy Week, with the crucifixion and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ being the pinnacle of our Catholic liturgical year, I hope that all our families take time to reflect on the significance and blessings of this season. I wish you all a blessed, safe and restful holiday period.

Ann Cleary Principal

From the desk of the AP Operations and School Development

The end of Term 1 is drawing near, marking the conclusion of 10 weeks of learning, growing and challenge for staff and students alike. It has certainly been a term packed with events and some wonderful community celebrations, and I can’t help to be astounded by just how much we manage to fit in to every week at the College.

Perhaps it reflects the busyness of Term 1 that I also find myself surprised at the way Easter has snuck up on us. It feels like a lot has happened since we gathered as a community on 22 February to recognise Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent, yet we have now celebrated Palm Sunday and entered into Holy Week and the lead-up to Easter.

Surrounded by advertisements for chocolate eggs and other must-have goods to celebrate this festival, I’ve found myself musing on the notion of authenticity. You are no doubt aware of the growing discussion around Artificial Intelligence (AI) – perhaps you are even finding uses for these tools in your own lives! AI has certainly been a focus of discussion in educational settings, including St Clare’s, where we are navigating the possible uses, but also impacts of these tools on learning and assessment. In recent days, images of Pope Francis dressed in a Balenciaga puffer jacket have made a splash on social media, prompting commentary about his fashion sense and style. Yet these images were completely fake – generated by AI, and fooling swathes of viewers into believing they were real. One of the challenges of an AI-infused world is that our ability to discern what is real from what is not, or what is truth from what is fake. The lines are increasingly blurred in a digital age, and one of the most important roles we have as educators – parents and teachers alike – is to ensure we explicitly teach critical thinking skills so that students can make informed distinctions. This strikes me as particularly relevant right now as we seek the truth of Easter amidst the appropriation of the season for commercial gain.

During this Lenten season, our St Clare’s community has walked with our global Catholic family to focus on the three key Lenten pillars of prayer, alms-giving and fasting. In our liturgies on Ash Wednesday, we were each given a focus word to reflect on to help us to make deliberate choices so that we could enact our focus scripture for this year, and “understand the gifts bestowed on us by God” (1 Corinthians 2:12). These focus words helped us to embody a model of fasting that promotes action, and drew inspiration from Pope Francis’ advice for Lent:

Fast from hurtful words and speak kind words.

Fast from hatred and be loving to one another.

Fast from distrust and be filled with faithfulness.

Fast from anger and be more patience.

Fast from boosting and contemplate humility.

Fast from conflict and seek peaceful interactions.

Fast from recklessness and consider goodness.

Fast from pride and instead be generous.

Fast from bitterness and fill your heart with joy.

Fast from selfishness and be compassionate.

Fast from accusation and be forgiving.

Fast from impatience and be filled with tolerance. In these final days of the term, as we move towards the commemoration of the most significant moments in Christian history and the celebration of the Easter miracle, we have an opportunity to reflect on our Lenten journey. Have we allowed time for prayer in the midst of our busy days? Have we considered the needs of others through our active contributions to charitable events, but also in our shared sense of fraternity and common purpose? Have we really tried to move away from allowing negativity to dominate our behaviours, towards more positive expressions of care and compassion for those we encounter? Has this 6-week period been a time for authentic connection with faith, and with those people who are sharing this journey with us?

From the desk of the AP Operations and School Development

These are big questions for young people (and adults alike!) to grapple with, especially with holidays in sight. Thankfully, the end of Term 1 is not the end of the school year – just as the end of Lent is not the end of our spiritual journey. In our parent teacher interviews held in Weeks 9 and 10, the opportunity to discuss progress in learning journeys has given students the chance to consider how they are tracking and where they could be going next. This is an excellent point in time to take stock and reflect. Making time to look back on the term with your daughter is one way to help her to make authentic connections and plan for next term. Some possible conversations starters might include:

• What were the top 3 moments this term?

• What subject are things working well in and why?

• How do you know when things are working well?

• What is one thing that could be working better?

• What are 2 things to be grateful for at the end of Term 1?

Easter marks the celebration of the triumph of hope over despair. As we draw Term 1 to a close, I know our staff and students will be thankful for an opportunity to recharge, but also grateful for the many “wins” they have achieved, no matter how small or large. In the midst of challenges that life may have presented in these past 10 weeks, let us remember that the great feast of Easter is all about the act of rising. This is the authentic truth of our faith, so often hidden beneath the artificial veneer of foil egg wrappers. During this mid-semester break, may we be blessed with time to offer thanks for the gift of new beginnings, and opportunities to witness the risen Christ in our own lives.

Nicola Edghill Assistant Principal Operations and School Development

From the desk of the AP Learning and Teaching

Click here to watch Assistant Principal Learning and Teaching - Phil Coe discuss “Senior Studies Unpacked”

Mission and Ministry

Mission and Ministry Activities

World’s Greatest Shave

So far we have raised over $3000 for the WGS thanks to all those who came to support Mr Tom Van de Waterbeemb and Saffron Sheffield (7) shave and Rosie Lang (7), Sienna Hamlin (8) and Isabella Laria (12) cut 20 cms of their hair on Friday 17 March. Many thanks to Trish Morrison (mother of Tash Year 12 2020) for giving of her time to cut and shave hair for us on the day.

https://worldsgreatestshave.com/

Donate life Walk

Big sunny smiles from the 350 students and staff who participated in the Gift of Life - DonateLife Walk. St Clare’s has a long-standing tradition of participating in this event which aims to raise awareness about the importance of organ and tissue donation. Thank you to Catherine Scott President of Gift Life ACT for her support on the day and the 9 Year 10 students who along with Mrs Batch and Mrs Manning volunteered their time to assist with the ACT GiftLife walk around the lake on 21 March. For more information head to: https://www.giftoflife.asn.au/2023-walk https://www. donatelife.gov.au/

Charity Day for Karinya House – Supported by Ulamina and Wareen!

Thank you to staff and students who showed their support for Karinya House on Wednesday 22 March by wearing blue ribbons, pig tails and fuzzy socks for a gold coin donation. At recess we had the opportunity to purchase raffle tickets, and baked goods and at lunchtime a BBQ, and fun activities on the tennis courts. A big thank you to our organizers, students and staff members who participated and donated and Lavinia Tyrrel (CEO) and Belinda Munn who joined us from Karinya House.

Harmony Week 2023!

Harmony Week celebrates Australia’s cultural diversity and highlights the importance of inclusivity, respect and creating a sense of belonging for all members in our community. St Clare’s students celebrated by gathering together at lunch time for a concert, wearing orange ribbons, participating in a Trivia competition, and baking cakes to share.

Easter Egg Collection

A huge thank you to all staff and students who have donated Easter Eggs for St Vincent de Paul Joeys and their families this Easter.

Marie Manning

Mission and Ministry

Mackenzie Graham Social Justice Captain

Tidings

– 2023

In the Classroom Geography Excursion

On a bright sunny morning on the 28 March, two Year 9 Geography classes went on an excursion to the Botanical Gardens. Students participated in 2 programs - ‘Around OZ in an hour,’ and the ‘Aquatic Wetlands Workshop.’

Students really enjoyed the Australian Native Garden and collecting and classifying species.

Caroline Blackshaw Geography Teacher

In the Classroom

Civil Engineers from Spiire Australia

Civil engineers from Spiire Australia visited the College as part of National Engineers Week. Students studying Physics, Digital and Information Technology and Specialists Mathematics participated in a workshop learning about careers in engineering and then constructed spaghetti towers to hold a marshmallow. The winning team took home Apple iTunes vouchers generously donated by Spiire. The College is very grateful for the time given by our local engineers to work with our students.

Juliette Major Leader of Learning ICT

Year 10 Food Technologies

Students in Year 10 have been learning about traditional foods. They enjoyed making a variety of spreads, dips and bread.

Happy St Patrick’s Day from the Learning Commons!

Our Education

Visual Art Faculty

Visual Arts has had a busy and productive start to the year with some wonderful creative projects underway.

Year 12 Visual Arts and Senior Photography have started the year exploring how narratives are created within Visual Art forms. Our Year 11 class is undertaking a major clay project, busily recontextualizing sculptural busts. Media remains a popular subject with Year 10 enjoying an excursion to Maunka shops where they practiced the art of street photography, while Year 9 Media have been learning to manipulate media for different purposes.

Year 10 Visual Arts have been creating watercolour landscapes through the eyes of Impressionists and Post-Impressionists. Year 9 have been exploring drawing outside the box through collage and clay.

Our juniors are thriving in their introduction to Visual Arts creating a menagerie of fantastical beasts for their clay hybrid animal project.

At the end of this term we sadly farewell longtime staff member, Toni Smith. For over 9 years, Toni has been a generous and passionate presence in both the Visual Arts and Religious Education Departments. Her students have benefited from her commitment to exemplary practice and her artistic expertise. Toni’s wealth of knowledge (especially in printmaking) and sense of humour will be sorely missed by staff and students alike. We wish her a wonderful and relaxing retirement.

Larinda Knight Leader of Learning

Larinda Knight

Toni Smith

Pamela Miller

Adam Buck

Madeline Cardone

Photo by Evie Williams Year 10 Media Student

Inclusive Education Faculty

Every child is an equal participant in the learning process and receives the supports that are needed to be successful both academically and socially. The College strives to uphold these core values - all students; in all classrooms; at all times regardless of ability

Inclusive Education is a priority within the College, we strive to ensure all students are able to engage in their learning alongside their peers. The Inclusive Education faculty is committed to supporting teachers build capacity in their classrooms to ensure the student’s needs are being met. The College has employed a Learning Support Teacher, Joshua Freeman, to support staff in ensuring all students are able to access and engage in the curriculum. Regular teacher meetings have taken place to guide staff’s development of modified curriculum and support the process of ensuring students have access to the curriculum at an appropriate level suited to their needs. The College has also employed Jack Downes and Georgia Vickers as Classroom Support Assistants within the College to support teachers.

The Inclusive Education faculty has continued to create opportunities for neurodiverse students to achieve and to strive to be the best they can be in both the classroom setting and playground. This year alternative programs will continue to be delivered and adjusted to suit participants. Some of the programs have been carefully designed to enhance engagement and build upon some skills students find challenging. As diversity within our college continues to grow so does the need for learning to support all students within our College.

MenU and PEERS Program

The MenU program is designed to help young people understand their bodies, their emotional and social needs and their relationships with others. The program was offered to a selected group of students and is delivered each week for one hour.

The program includes group-based learning which focuses on:

• Developing social skills

• Understanding the concept of consent

• How bodies change and grow

• Healthy and hygienic habits

• Protective behaviours to stay healthy

The PEERS program was offered to a selected group of students and is delivered each Thursday afternoon for one hour. It is an evidence based social skills program that focuses on the following:

• Conversational skills

• Use of social media and electronic communications

• Assessing humour and feedback

• Friendships

• Get togethers

• Being part of a team

• Handling arguments and disagreements

• Bullying and rejection

• Changing reputations

Life Skills Program

A new Life Skills program was carefully designed and planned and is in addition to the PEERS and SOSAFE Program. The purpose of the program is to build on social skills used in everyday life. The program will be delivered every Friday. The program is skills based that encourages collaborative group discussion around purpose and effective procedure, which then allows the students to practice these skills in real life situations. The program focuses on the skills needed to live independently and communicate effectively in society.

The program includes activities such as:

• Purchasing items from the grocery shop to make their own lunch or create a platter for afternoon tea.

• Catching a bus to do the grocery shopping.

• Ordering food online.

• Creation and maintenance of a vegetable garden.

• Kitchen safety skills.

• Laundry skills.

• Daily living skills.

• Communication skills in the broader community.

• Everyday problem-solving skills.

• Access to the community, for example making appointments.

WISDOM Program

The WISDOM program has continued in Years 7 and 8 which is a targeted literacy intervention program that enables students to build on those skills they find most difficult. Students engage in MacqLit which allows students to develop the skills needed to be successful in all classes and to build upon independent learning. Students learn to find a love for reading and are able to access written literature with a range of tools that they were unaware of or unable to use. Auslan has been introduced as a small part of the program.

Pathways to Work and Learning

The Pathways to Work and Learning subject is offered and will continue to grow in numbers to support students who aim to:

• Develop language, literacy and numeracy skills for the workplace

• Making informed career choices by exposure to a range of workplaces’

• Make informed career decisions

• Developing an action plan for Work

• Learning lifelong work skills

As part of the Pathways to Work and Learning subject the College will introduce the Pathways to Work and Learning Business Centre. This initiative allows students to practice and demonstrate:

• Task skills – undertaking specific work place task(s)

• Task management skills – managing a number of different tasks to complete a whole work activity

• Contingency management skills – responding to problems and irregularities when undertaking a work activity, such as: breakdowns, changes in routine, unexpected or atypical results, difficult or dissatisfied clients;

• Job/role environment skills – dealing with the responsibilities and expectations of the work environment when undertaking a work activity, such as working with others, interacting with clients and suppliers, complying with standard operating procedures or observing enterprise policy and procedures.

The Pathways to Work and Learning Business Centre initiative allows students the opportunity to establish and practice the desired skills. The simulated business centre will operate out of the College Flexible Learning Centre (FLC). The time commitment will involve one lesson a cycle. Students will rotate through the different positions such as Office Manager, Finance Manager, Office Assistant and Receptionist completing exercises using documents and processes that support the day-today working of the business. Students will reflect on their experiences identifying challenges and sharing progress during scheduled staff meetings. Students will have the opportunity to produce work just like they would in the real world.

The Pathways to Work and Learning Business Centre will offer services to the St Clare’s community once a cycle including shredding, photocopying, laminating and binding. We will add services as we progress throughout the semester. The business centre will share a promotional flyer in the upcoming week.

Literacy Planet Intervention Program

Literacy Planet is an online literacy tool that provides a personalised learning pathway aligned to the curriculum. “Missions” assigned allow students to build upon their literacy skills, as well as permit access to subject-specific vocabulary lists to develop their understanding of keywords.

Students are assigned five “missions’ each week (Friday). This equates to 30 minutes of literacy-focused activities. Once the assigned missions are created using twelve words from each “HASS, Science and Mathematics”, students will have access to a range of literacy-based activities to extend and progress their literacy skills and learning.

Once a cycle students will engage in the pre-test to determine what they already know and will determine the level of “missions” that are assigned each week. Post-testing will be conducted every week to evaluate learning and to ensure students are progressing. In order for students to engage in the pre-test, those involved in the program are invited to attend an incursion once a cycle during the allocated lesson.

SPP Program:

Students in Year 7 – 9 are assigned to a senior student to meet with during their attendance to the SPP program. Students engage in a daily review of their classes and gain assistance with homework and/or assignments by collaborating to create a goal for each session.

Belinda Maher Leader of Learning - Inclusive Education

All Ability Multi Sports Day

Selected students will be invited to attend an All Ability Multi Sports Day. Students with lower abilities will have opportunities to meet and play with students from other schools within Canberra. The goal of the day is to create opportunities for students to meet other students with similar abilities and socialise in a relaxed environment.

Belinda Maher Joshua Freeman

Georgia Vickers Jack Downes

Religion Faculty

The Religious Education faculty has jumped into the new school year with enthusiasm. In RE we remind our students that we are learning about religion, not necessarily how to be religious. This is an important distinction in the classroom and ensures that every student can participate fully in the learning in RE, regardless of their personal faith.

We welcomed four new staff members to the RE faculty this year, Mr Nicholas Barry, Ms Alice Riley, Mr Tom van de Waterbeemd and Ms Kat Allan. We also welcomed our new Year 7 students to the College by introducing them to the life of St Clare, our patroness. We learned how she was a rebel in her day, defying society’s expectations for her life and forging her own path by listening to God’s voice. We hope that our students will be inspired to make their own path as St Clare did. Yr 7 have also been learning about our school’s liturgical theme, which is “understanding the gifts that God has bestowed upon us” (1 Corinthians 2:12). We have been discussing the gifts that come from God, how these are received and importantly, how they can be utilised fully in our lives?

Year 8 have been exploring covenants in great depth. They have looked at the Abrahamic covenant, as well as the covenant that was made between God and Moses. Recently they have been looking at Jesus’ fulfilment of the covenant and how this applies to our modern lives.

Year 9 have been developing their skills in Biblical Criticism. They have been using the Three Worlds of the Text model to unpack scripture by understanding the context of the story, what it meant for the audience when it was written and finally what it means for our students reading it today in 2023. This method has taken some perseverance as it is required critical thinking, but Year 9 have been working hard and making interesting discoveries about the Parables in the Gospels.

Year 10 have been looking at how five of the world’s largest religions understand the concept of God. Studies have looked at Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism with students choosing one of these to focus their independent research on.

Year 11 Religious Studies classes have been exploring religion, spirituality and myths and how these can assist humankind to answer the “big questions” and find meaning in their lives.

Year 11 World Religion classes have been exploring narratives and world views. We began with Ancient religions and how they communicated their beliefs and rituals. More recently we have been investigating the development of sacred texts including the Torah and the New Testament.

Year 12 World Religions classes have been exploring the relationship between religion and popular culture. We have been unpacking the impact of stereotypes that are conveyed through popular culture and how they impact the perception of religion and treatment of religious people.

Absent: Helen Bos

Absent: Alice Riley

Jessica Campbell Leader of Learning - Religion

Nicholas Barry

Mark Bruton Nicola Edghill

Rebecca Lee

Kathryn Allan

Jessica Campbell

Marie Manning

Bronwyn Adams Karim Najjarine

Toni Smith

Tom van de Waterbeemd

Charlotte Tavite Veamatahau

Catherine Verscheure

ASC Touch day

Year 11/12 Team

The senior team did a superb job of taking out the Championship after a long day playing many different schools. Ava Boyes did a wonderful job as Captain/Coach of the team on the day. The girls played a quick and decisive game and were able to get that last pass out to the wingers to finish off the play.

The results of each game are as followed:

• Round 1 – Draw 3-3 against Canberra Grammar School

• Round 2 – Won 5-1 against John Paul College

• Round 3 – Won 6-1 against McKillop College

• Round 4 – Won 6-2 against Canberra Girls Grammar School

• Semi Finals – Won 5-4 against Canberra Girls Grammar School (in a drop off which went down to 3 players)

• Grand Final – Won 8-4 against John Paul College

The team members were:

Ava Boyes, Imogen Johnston, Alicia Trevethan, Izzy Lister, Katie Everett, Abbey Everett, Heidi Croke, Charlotte Royal, Sophia Sykes and Emily Hickey.

They had a total of 33 points for and 15 points against them.

• The Player’s player was a tie between Alicia and Sophia.

• The MVP was again Alicia, however, Heidi and Imogen were also very valuable players.

• The coaches award goes to Heidi.

• The top try scorer goes to Alica.

Year 9/10 Team

The team played very strongly throughout the round games and were sitting in top position after the round games. In the Semi Finals they played Daramalan again but could not break their strong defensive line to gain further advancement to the Grand Finals. The team showed excellent promise with strong defence, quick drives and clean passes. They just ran out of steam to go the whole distance. Don’t worry girls we will get them next year.

• Round 1 – Draw 4-4 against Daramalan College

• Round 2 – Won 4-0 against Burgmann College

• Round 3 – Won 7-0 against Radford College

• Round 4 – Won 6-0 against John Paul College

• Semi Finals – Lost 5-1 against Daramalan College

• Final ranking was 3rd overall

They had a total of 22 points for and only 9 points against them.

• The Player’s player was Eden.

• The MVP was Amelia, however, Darcey was also very valuable player.

• The coaches award goes to Charlise.

• The top try scorer was a three-way tie between Amelia, Tayla and Eden.

Team members: Darcy Williams, Sage Haling, Eden Morrisey, Ava Brassil, Tayla Bray, Kate Patton, Charlise Webb, Ella Norton, Amelia Norton, Kayley Maguire, Georgia Maguire, Amy Maka and Madeleine Higgins.

Year 7/8 Team

The team worked hard to learn the driving patterns and defensive play. They have so much more to learn, however, they certainly improved as the day went along. There are some great things to take from the day and they will be stronger and fitter next year and ready to give the other schools a run for their money.

• Round 1 – Loss 5-0 against Daramalan College

• Round 2 – Loss 3-0 against Burgmann College

• Round 3 – BYE

• Round 4 – Won 4-0 against John Paul College

• Play offs- Loss 7-1 Canberra Gammar School

They had a total of 5 points for and 19 points against them.

• The Player’s player was Rosetta.

• The MVP was again Rosetta, however, Sophie was also very valuable player.

• The coaches award goes to Sophie.

• The top try scorer goes to Maleta.

Team members: Sophie Tuckerman, Rosetta Gibson, Amelie Moss, Maleta Lolesio, Josie Heffernan, Grace Eagles, Mackenzi Williams and Jasmine Miller.

Carolyn Batch and Adam Buck Touch Coaches

Careers VET

Careers

Year 12 University Application Process

Year 12 students who require assistance with their ANU or UAC applications for university study in 2024 should make an appointment to see Mrs Brown. Appointments can be made via the St Clare’s College Careers website.

Work Experience (WEX) Announcement

Students are welcome to see Mrs Brown to begin planning for future WEX opportunities. Appointments can be made via the College’s Careers website.

University of Canberra Discovery Day - Year 10 Flex Program

Year 10 students participated in a UC Discovery Day on Wednesday 29 March. When thinking about future pathways, having an opportunity to be a university student for a day is invaluable. The Year 10 students will learn about the senior course offerings on 26 April as they prepare their Year 11 subject selections.

Term 2 Events – Save these dates!

• 24 May ANU Direct Entry Applications Close

• 6 June St Clare’s College and St Edmund’s College Career Expo

• 6 June Year 11 2024 Information Evening

Trish Brown Leader of Learning Careers and Future Pathways careers@stcc.act.edu.au

VET

ASBA Student in Focus

Seerat Ahmed

What certificate are you studying?

I’m currently studying a cert III in Information Technology.

What career pathway are you working towards?

While I’m not sure what exact career I’d want to do post-school and ASBA, I’m looking towards possible career options within Cyber and through the ASBA finding out what part of Cyber interests me and what part of tech in general I am leaning towards, e.g data analysis and data science, programming or network security.

What is your favourite aspect of training?

My favourite part of the ASBA would be the people and all the different experiences they bring to the team that I work in. Hands-on experience with data analysis and asking multiple people on how they do it, what works for them and through this learning different programming languages and software is my favourite part.

For further information about ASBAs please go to https://www.stclarescareers.com.au/workplacelearning/asba

Pilot Employment Program

St Clare’s College in partnership with a Canberra Government Agency

Our school is partnering with a Canberra based government agency to offer employment for Year 12 students who are keen to get on and start their career.

The agency is looking for reliable, motivated and inquisitive Year 12 graduates wanting to enter the workforce from mid-2023. All training will be provided on the job.

You will gain experience in an office environment and develop skills in:

• Accounts management

• IT systems

• Customer service

This is an exciting opportunity that we are proud to offer to our Year 12 students. It provides a gateway to work experience and genuine employment.

Please send a written application to Ms Brown outlining why you want the role and how you could make a contribution.

If you are selected, you will be invited for a week of work experience with the agency.

This will give you and the agency an opportunity to see if you suit the type of work available.

At the conclusion of that week you could be invited to commence work at the completion of your studies.

After 12 months with the agency, you will be invited to apply for one of many roles available that can lead to careers in investigations; administration; management; finance; IT support; project management; policy and law.

In the Headlines

Congratulations to talented athletes Imogen, Lily, Sophie, Sarah, Sophia, Amelia, Ella and Estelle who were nominated by the College for a School Sport ACT Achievement award on the basis of their outstanding results in school sport. Well done to Lily, Sophia, Amelia, Ella and Estelle who were selected as finalists by School Sport ACT. Lily was named the 12 and Under winner of the SSACT Achievement Award. Congratulations!

Congratulations to Sethmi on her recent interview with ABC Radio Canberra. Sethmi is in Year 9 at St Clare’s; she is a creative, joyful daughter, sister, friend, student and chef. She also happens to have autism.

Sethmi, along with her Mum Erosha, has started her own business making delicious treats. But not just any treats! Sethmi has embraced her Sri Lankan heritage making spiced bliss balls and toffee sago pudding.

Sethmi’s Mum Erosha thanked stated that “Amy Denford, Sethmi’s Year Coordinator and Belinda Maher the Inclusion Coordinator at STCC have been great supporters for her to have an engaging, inclusive and meaningful education at STCC. I want to acknowledge their commitment and dedication in making sure Sethmi is set up to succeed not just as a Year 9 student but also as a well rounded individual with hopes and expectations for a bright future. they have been instrumental in bringing Sethmi’s teachers along the journey to realise her vision! We are most pleased to have your continued support to help Sethmi grow and become a valued member of her community”.

Hear their conversation with ABC Radio Canberra’s Alice Matthews. Please see here the link to the segment

Alicia is representing ACT in Oztag in Coffs Harbour

Imogen is representing the ACT in the U20 and Open Australian Athletics Championships in Brisbane

Imogen Johnston

Alicia Trevethan

The 2023 Young Voices Awards are brought to you in conjunction with Australian Catholic University.

The YVA theme for 2023 is ‘Climate for change’. The competition is open to secondary school and senior primary school students – Junior (Years 5 and 6); Intermediate (Years 7 to 9); or Senior (Years 10 to 12). Teachers are encouraged to incorporate this theme into classroom planning so that students can submit their assessment to the competition or interested students can submit original projects individually.

Each section has three entry categories: articles, photographs and digital (video or podcast). This year, prizes will be awarded for each category. A selection of the best entries will appear in the magazine (with permission from the creator and their parents).

ENTRY AGES

The Young Voices Awards have three sections:

• Junior (Years 5 and 6)

• Intermediate (Years 7 to 9)

• Senior (Years 10 to 12).

Each section has three entry categories: Articles, Photographs and Digital (Video or Podcast). This year, prizes will be awarded for each category.

PRIZES

Senior Winners

• Seven Steps workshop of your choice (for teachers) value $330

• Sharpie/Paper Mate/Parker/Elmers prize pack value $170

• Cash

Intermediate Winners

• Seven Steps workshop of your choice (for teachers) value $330

• Sharpie/Paper Mate/Parker/Elmers prize pack value $170

• Cash

Junior Winners

• Seven Steps workshop of your choice (for teachers) value $330

• Sharpie/Paper Mate/Parker/Elmers prize pack value $170

• Cash

All you need to know about entering is in the video:

https://youtu.be/ZTu9WSyFLGE

A reminder that Snowsports Meeting Number 2 is on Wednesday 5 April at 5:30pm in the College Hall.

Happy Easter Share the Light

Kirsten Hayes Class of 2015

My name is Kirsten Hayes and I graduated from St Clare’s in 2015.

In 2016, I began a music course at CIT and gained both a Certificate 3 and a Certificate 4 in Music Performance. Halfway through 2017, I transferred to a forensics course at CIT. Science was always a huge passion of mine and I truly believe I have found my calling.

Currently, I am working towards my Bachelor of Forensic Science. My advice to all the students considering their futures would be: Don’t think that you can only study one thing and have one job.

I changed my study path and found what I really wanted to do and I believe that can happen for each and every one of the girls at St Clare’s.

Contributions are greatly welcomed from past students. Send 300 words plus a current image to media@stcc.act.edu.au