Tidings Edition 3

Principal’s Message

St Clare’s has been well served over the years by our School Board and I sincerely thank the Board who have supported me in my first two years at the College: Dr John Norgrove (Chair), Mrs Alana Scheiffers (Deputy Chair), Mrs Susan Harris, Mrs Anna Gilbert, Mrs Sam Losanno and Mrs Stephanie Males. The Board (current and previous members, working groups and committees) have supported Principals, overseen significant building projects and contributed to the strategic direction of the College. Last year was a year of consultation across all schools in Catholic Education Canberra and Goulburn (CECG) resulting in a system-wide decision to have all schools enriched by the involvement of parents, carers and guardians, staff and students through the formation of Community Councils.

Importantly, the Council provides a forum for consultation, a means for members of the community to share their skills and talents for the common good, and a framework for me, as the Principal, to draw on the collective wisdom and insights of the parent cohort. In our Year of Community, I am excited to be launching the Council, which is also intended to provide invaluable support to the school through community led activities.

ALL parents and carers of students attending St Clare’s College are Community Members of our Council.

All CECG schools have adopted an ‘umbrella’ charter and, at St Clare’s, we are now at the point of launching our School Community Council. We are planning our preliminary meeting on Tuesday 9 April, 5:00-6:30pm. This will provide an opportunity for Community Members to hear more about the role of the Community Council, to contribute ideas for our Community foci for 2024-2025, and importantly for you to identify your interests and talents and let us know how you could contribute to potential activities in ways that balance with your personal commitments.

Our outgoing Board have been instrumental in developing the transition plan and I am extremely grateful to John Norgrove for his generosity and willingness to provide continuity as our inaugural Community Council Chair. Members of the outgoing Board as well as other members of the community are invited to express their interest in being members of the Council Executive. We are seeking a Secretary, Treasurer (if we decide to fundraise) and up to four additional Community Members. We will also appoint up to two students and two staff to the Executive. Expressions of interest for Executive positions will open at the meeting. The closing date will be early Term 2 to allow time for all Community Members to consider their interest. Please feel free to contact me if you would like to discuss this further.

I hope to see you on Tuesday to share ideas on our new St Clare’s College Community Council.

Dr Ann Cleary Principal

Upcoming Events

April

Monday 8 Parent Teacher Interviews (Face to Face)

Tuesday 9 Community Council Forum (5:00-6:30pm) College Hall

Snowsports Parent Information Meeting 2

Wednesday 10 Whole School Assembly

Friday 12 Last Day of Term 1

Thursday 25 ANZAC Day

Monday 29 Pupil Free Day

Tuesday 30 Term 2 Commences

May

Thursday 2 School Tours

Wednesday 8

Thursday 9

St Clare’s College Try a Day

St Clare’s College Open Evening

Friday 10 Heart Health Challenge

Monday 13

Tuesday 14

Wednesday 15

Thursday 16

Friday 17

Year 7 to 10 PAT Reading and Maths

Year 7 to 10 PAT Reading and Maths

School Tours

Snow Sports Parent Meeting 3

Year 7 to 10 PAT Reading and Maths

Year 12 Retreat

Year 7 to 10 PAT Reading and Maths

Year 10 AGAT Testing

RMC Band and Combined Colleges

Year 7 to 10 PAT Reading and Maths

Tidings Distributed

From the Desk of the AP

The Impact of a Culture of Kindness

In the words of the great Pat Benatar “We belong”.

At our first College assembly I shared our vision to ensure St Clare’s maintains and builds our reputation in the community as a workplace where people love to work and seek employment. We are fully staffed, with all classes having permanent teachers, however, we do need to have the capacity to effectively cover teachers on short-term and extended leave, e.g. sick leave or Long Service Leave, and the nationwide teacher shortage still impacts us. I am confident that we can competitively seek new employees and casual relief staff. To enhance our competitiveness, we have engaged our whole community to express what it is to be kind, welcoming and grateful and to demonstrate hospitality. We should all openly demonstrate our joy, enjoy being with our colleagues and peers and develop great relationships as we learn together.

In my role as acting Assistant Principal for Staff Support and Development, I have asked our students to work with us to ensure our College a place where people feel welcomed and seen. The first step was inviting our students to say hello to everyone in the corridor that they pass. I asked them to respond with a greeting when they are greeted and to ask how people are, to show that we care for their well-being. We can greet and treat everyone as if they were Christ himself.

Our students have come to the party. Students are taking the time to show their kindness and to greet our staff as they pass them in the halls. Our visitors are commenting on how lovely it is to be greeted and smiled at as we walk with them through the school.. This is our culture of hospitality in our Year of Community.

Our wider community has an opportunity to be part of our very own kindness culture. As parents and carers of our young people, we can provide examples of kindness and gratitude each day. When was the last time we contacted a staff member to say thank you or send a note that they have made an impact in their daughter’s learning? Popular culture invites people to join the “media of outrage”. Too often the most popular social feeds are those that revel in others’ rage and poor behaviour. It is easy to get caught in the trap of negativity. What if we challenged that movement? Our community has chosen to send their daughters to our College. We belong. Let us support the community that works with our students and each other by demonstrating community driven hospitality and kindness.

My challenge to our community is to work with us to be kind: To demonstrate gratefulness. To write a note to say thank you. To let someone know they have made an impact. Let us enhance the reputation that our College has as a wonderful place to work and to learn, so that people want to belong. Don’t just think about a moment of gratefulness. Take the time to let others know.

A friend once told me I was a true Pollyanna. Someone who sees the good in everything. I’ll take that as a compliment any time. My hope is that our community sees the good, shows compassion, shares joy and like Christ; welcomes everyone. Please join our staff and our students in this movement. Share your joys with us.

Juliette Major

Acting Assistant Principal –Staff Support and Development

Athletics Carnival

What an amazing day we had Thursday 21 March for our College Athletics Carnival! The weather was perfect, the quality of competition was impressive, the costumes were loud and the cheering and school spirit even louder.

Thank you to our dedicated staff who made the event possible and to our students for their wonderful participation. Congratulations to the winners of the Championship Cup and Spirit Cup –Japara!

Congratulations to our St Clare’s College Gift (Athletics) 100m sprint top 8 qualifiers:

• Ava (Year 11)

• Imogen (Year 7)

• Sage (Year 10)

• Darcy (Year 10)

• Christana (Year 12)

• Hannah (Year 12)

• Camryn (Year 7)

• Sophie (Year 7)

Interschool Sports Captains

At our College Assembly we gathered as a community to celebrate and acknowledge our Interschool Sports Captains who have demonstrated incredible leadership through their dedication to their sport, encouraging spirit and initiative. Congratulations to the following students:

• Athletics and Cross Country: Amelia (Year 11)

• Aussie Rules (AFL): Poppy (Year 12) and Ava (Year 11)

• Basketball: Ella (Year 12)

• Football (Soccer): Ruby, Megan and Olivia (Year 11)

• Hockey: Abigail (Year 11)

• Netball (Representative Netball): Niamh and Sally (Year 12)

• Netball (Weekend Netball): Tiffany, Amelia and Meggin (Year 12)

• Rugby (Union and League): Hannah (Year 12)

• Snow Sports: Isabella, Addison and Annika (Year 12)

• Swimming: Jessica (Year 11)

• Tag (Oztag and League tag): Eden and Zali (Year 11)

• Touch Football: Miah-Louise (Year 11)

Following from the Interschool Sports Captains presentation a number of students addressed the College. Imogen (Year 12) performed an incredible musical piece, Olivia (Year 11) spoke about her Italian Exchange Program experiences during the summer break and Alex (Year 10) shared some highlights of the CASE Space School in which 8 STCC students ventured to the US to participate in the program.

Students and staff were also delighted to hear about our students who are currently at the US Create Open Robotics Competition. It was a fantastic community event celebrating our amazing students.

Defence Students

DSM Term One Highlights

The Defence students have had some lovely morning teas throughout the term. We have a lovely group of students from all ages that sit in the sunshine and enjoy baked goods each week! A favourite of many this term was the Easter themed morning tea with hot cross buns and chocolate eggs galore!

On Tuesday 26 March students took part in an Easter egg hunt throughout the Quad. A variety of large paper eggs were hidden around the Quad and students were given a specific colour to go and collect to swap for chocolate eggs. Elizabeth was the first to find all 5 of her target eggs and was rewarded with first pick of the Easter egg bowl.

On Tuesday 2 April, Mark Chifley and I took a group of 17 Year 7 and 8 students to Birrigai Outdoor School. We were there as a part of the DSM program to integrate students from other schools, we attended with students from Canberra Girls Grammar and Mackillop schools. Our students were an absolute credit to St Clare’s as they bravely tackled the giant swing and problem solved their way around a group obstacle course. It was great to see our students welcoming and encouraging those from the other schools as they were taking part in these tasks.

The rest of Term 1 will involve a schoolwide ANZAC commemoration ceremony on Wednesday 10 April and students with replica medals or a The Child of the ADF medallion are welcome to wear them for the assembly. I am happy for these to be held within my office for the rest of the day and students will need to email me to arrange this.

Thank you for a fabulous Term 1 and I look forward to Term 2 for more exciting Defence student activities.

Alice Coleman Defence School Mentor

US STEM Excursion

KBR Government Solutions-US, Science and Space hosted a student group from St Clare’s College, Canberra on March 22 for a VIP tour of the NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) facilities in Houston, Texas. The group also toured the KBR Houston Engineering, Logistics and Operations (HELO) space suit manufacturing lab located near JSC. St Clare’s College has a strong reputation in Australia for providing high-quality education and promotion of women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields. The group of students who visited JSC are high achievers, specifically focused on Robotics and Mechatronics. The tour included going on the floor of the International Space Station (ISS) Flight Control Room in the Mission Control Center (MCC) where they met the NASA Flight Director on duty and members of the flight control team, a walk through of the astronaut training Space Vehicle Mockup Facility (SVMF) where they were treated to a demonstration of the NASA robot “Valkyrie”, a visit to the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) where astronauts trained underwater for EVAs (extra-vehicular activities or space walks), and finally to the KBR HELO facility where they learned about critical hardware and processes to support NASA EVAs.

Their visit to JSC is part of a trip to the US, where members of this group have also been invited to participate in the VEX Robotics Competition in Omaha, Iowa. The hope is visits such as this to NASA centers will further develop relationships with St Clare’s College as well as other STEM-

focused schools in Australia to provide mentoring, work experience, and internships in space-related jobs, as well as to explore building a new recruitment pathway for space-related careers.

PARTICIPANTS

St Clare’s College Students, Philip Coe (AP Learning and Teaching), Natalie Hastings (St Clare’s College teacher), Andrei Ohlmus (parent), and Lucy Ohlmus (parent).

KBR GSUS/JSC NASA Tour Guides: Katia Haak, Robert Ibanez, and Costa Mavridis

The St Clare’s College SWITCH Robotics Team has won the Sportsmanship Award at the US Create Open Robotics Competition!!

The “Sportsmanship” award is presented to a team that has earned the respect and admiration of the volunteers and other teams at the event. This team is a model for all to follow and interacts with everyone in a positive, respectful and polite manner. This award is judged during the event by teams, referees and volunteers.

The SWITCH Team was the only Australian team at the competition. Our students who competed and volunteered have been exceptional ambassadors for the College and for Canberra.

Congratulations to Imogen and Elaine. We could not hope for a better result for students to demonstrate our Year of Community.

Harmony Day

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. On Friday the College celebrated by participating in various activities such as wearing orange ribbons and sharing harmony cake that was baked by our talented students. Congratulations to all involved!

• 1st = Bronte (Wirana) and Catie (Ulamina)

• 2nd = Maarij and Inshirah (Alinda)

• 3rd = Liana and Maryanne (Ulamina)

In the Headlines

Huge congratulations to Ava (Year 8) who was nominated for a School Sport ACT Excellence Award in the All-Rounder category. Nominees for this award are recognised for sporting excellence at a regional, state, national or international level in school sport.

Ava was short-listed in the top four students as an outstanding athlete who achieved excellence across a number of sports in 2023.

She was selected to compete at national level in two sports at the School Sport Australia championships for Cricket and Netball. She also qualified for, and competed in, the SSACT championships for Swimming and Cross Country.

Ava consistently displays the qualities of fair play, sportsmanship, support for teammates and respect for fellow competitors, officials and staff.

Congratulations, Ava!

Congratulations to Alyssa (Year 12) who is playing football (soccer) for a select touring group at the Dallas Cup in Texas, USA! What an amazing experience, best of luck to Alyssa!

As apart of the senior E fitness course students are required to volunteer at sporting events. Our combined class with St Edmund’s College Canberra volunteered at the South Weston swimming carnival.

Congratulations to Ashley in Year 12 on her recent sporting achievements.

7 months ago, Ashley was lining up on the mound in Ontario, making her national debut as pitcher in the Women’s Baseball World Cup.

Then just 16 years old, her stint in that world cup was impressive, earning her attention on Major League Baseball’s digital platforms as Australia finished the event in fourth place.

But now, in her AFLW draft year, her attention is firmly focused on footy.

Despite missing a large portion of the 2023 U18 Championships due to her baseball commitments, she was the only Canberran selected for the Marsh AFLW Academy this year. Click here to read more!

COUNCILSchool Community School Community School Community

As a member of our School Community Council you will become part of a network of parents and carers across the school that work together with the Principal to build a supportive and inclusive school community. You will be able to contribute to our school and our fundraising and community building activities in a way that suits you.

For some families this may be regular participation in activities, initiatives and events across the school year; for others it may be a dedicated focus on one particular event or a role about which they are truly passionate.

Whatever your contribution, we value your time, your efforts, your wisdom and your support as we work together to make our school the best it can be for our students, our families and our staff.

Our School Community Council will be in contact with you in the weeks ahead regarding opportunities for participation in the life of our school in 2024.

We look forward to getting to know you and your family.

When you enrol your child in a Catholic school, your child doesn’t just join our school.

Your family joins our school community.

Madeline Margetts Class of 2003

I am Alana, a proud graduate of St Clare’s College in 2009.

VET education has been my passion since I was part of Mrs Whitakers class (Business Administration) and Hospitality with Mrs Harris. After finishing Year 12, I knew University was not a path I was going to take straight away and decided to continue my VET education journey.

I continued my Business Administration course pathways with CIT before relocating to regional Victoria where I continued my study by distance education. During that time, I took my Business Administration skills and refined them during my employment journey, taking my first role in data entry and progressing over the years to a law clerk to partnership management. Still continuing my study, I was able to combine my love for VET education with the sector and commenced a 14 year career within the sector.

I finalised my TAFE education journey in 2020, taking my Certificate II in Business Administration in Year 12, through to Cert III, Cert IV, Diploma and Advanced Diploma of Leadership and Management whilst juggling career progression and family commitments.

In 2021 I completed my Bachelor in Applied Management at Federation University. I was able to complete this in one year instead of three due to my VET qualifications providing credits for two years of the course.

In 2022 I changed career sectors and now lead a team that manages the account supports for Philanthropy and Partnerships at Mission Australia.

I credit St Clares for helping me identify my passion in the administration field and the VET sector for giving me the skills to develop my career along the way.

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