Tidings
I am bolstered daily by the positivity and cheerful greetings I receive most mornings from most students. Teenagers! We choose to work with them in the knowledge that on any day something may be concerning them. These concerns can deflect their attention from their friends, from their teachers and ultimately from their learning. I met one student leaving last week, clearly upset. It was the exam the next day that was her worry. I asked her if she knew ‘stuff’. Yes. Did she know that there was ‘stuff’ that she did not know? Yes. Did Mum and Dad know that there was ‘stuff’ she didn’t know. Yes. Well! Exams let teachers know how much you know, so that teachers can let parents know through the end of semester report. If Mum and Dad know that there is ‘stuff’ you don’t know, then they won’t be surprised with a report that says you don’t know some ‘stuff’. The response was priceless: a smile. It is important to keep everything we do in perspective.
Junior school reports reflect student learning against a standard set across the country, with a C grade being the cohort standard / expected level of achievement. It does not reflect a ranking or worth. We all need to take the grade on board, to look at how we can promote additional learning and minimise any obstacles. It is not an indication of ultimate life success, or failure, which is more likely reflected in the reaction to the grade / report. The Science of Learning informs us, based on research, that everyone has the capacity to learn. There are factors that can impact our capacity, but ultimately growth can be achieved.
In our Year of Community, it has been wonderful to engage with our inaugural Community Council Executive (detailed in a Compass message from our Community Council Chair: Dr John Norgrove) and plan meetings, forums and events for Semester 2. The Council endorsed the creation of the Netball Working Group, which has been set up as a Club Committee. I am appreciative of the support for the College, and specifically for our keen netball students, given by our winter sports parents and particularly those who have volunteered for the first committee. Positions will be elected for 2025. For 2024, I very pleased to announce the following volunteer appointments:
• Committee President (Operations, Sponsorship & Uniforms): Matt Heffernan
• Umpire Coordinator: Lisa van der Plaat
• Coaching Coordinator: Rhiana Webb
• Managers Coordinator: Mandy Boriani
• Equipment Coordinator: Dallas Richardson
• Secretary: Kirsten Leitch
• General Committee Member (General Duties & Support): Liza Marando & Angela Barkowiak
The St Clare’s Netball Committee aims to support the College in the planning and delivery of a collaborative, inclusive, highly organised and cohesive weekend netball program, encouraging participation in sport for all students, at all levels. In addition, the Committee will be raising funds through donations and sponsorships to support the strengthening of the program through equipment, coaching sessions and umpire development. The Committee is pleased to invite players and supporters to meet at the STCC Marquee at the Deakin courts each Saturday. Anyone interested in joining the committee can get in touch with Matt Heffernan initially via the the.principal@stcc.act.edu.au email address.
I am excited by the formation of these new groups and look forward to their initiatives in Semester 2.
Ann Cleary Principal
Earlier this year, Archbishop Christopher announced changes to the governance arrangements for Catholic Education within the Archdiocese from 2025. This will result in a change to the proprietor of each Catholic School in the ACT but will not otherwise materially impact school operations. If you would like further information about this change, or you would like to provide feedback about the change in proprietor, please contact: governance@cg.catholic.edu.au by 19 July 2024.
From the Desk of the AP
In the words of Steve Perry and Journey:“‘Don’t Stop Believin’”
I recently had the privilege of seeing Dr Jane Goodall in Sydney. Dr Goodall has spent her life studying chimpanzees and promoting the reforestation of their natural habitats. She’s 90 now and this was my second and most probably my last chance to listen to her wisdom. The first time I saw her she spoke about the plight of not only chimpanzees but the people who live near them. As the locals struggle to earn money and feed their families, they take more land to grow their food which destroys the homes of the chimpanzees. Her foundation addresses the needs of both the humans and their local chimpanzees.
This time in Sydney she spoke about hope. Her life’s work will continue once she is gone as she has strong organisations in place to support it. She has hope that her work will not be in vain and that her years of study have served their purpose and will continue in others. She also has hope in humanity. When asked what brought her to her current place in life, she told a story of her mother advising her that “Whatever you do in life… do it well”. Dr Goodall shared that wisdom with the young people in the room in the hope that the advice will be used by others.
We are fortunate at St Clare’s College that each day we have our own hope that our students are entering our learning environment with hope as they come to seek their own wisdom and staff who have hope that our learning environments are places of wonder and growth. In order to acknowledge the work of our community we give Brava Awards to our students and we have now invited our students to express their gratitude to all teachers, including our relief staff and support staff by giving their own Brava Awards. To date we have had over 580 students express their thanks for the hope in its various forms that our staff give them each day.
I wanted to share a few of the Bravas for staff with our parent community in this issue:
• For making me feel welcome at school.
• Welcoming new student to her Year 8 class and trialling new instruction methods as part of her lesson starters.
• For always helping me out and supporting me throughout my first year in St Clare’s
• For helping me get used to STCC. And always being a friendly face in the hallways.
• For always helping me in class and helping me improve my English.
• He makes class enjoyable for everyone in it.
• For helping, understanding and giving us home made flowers.
• For being a wonderful PC teacher.
• Because you make math fun.
• Because she makes HASS an interesting and fun subject for the whole class and make everyone engaged.
• He was very good as our relief and helped us stay on task. He was a great relief teacher.
The two staff members and two students from each House who receive the most Bravas this semester will enjoy a special lunch in the last week of term provided by the College Leadership team. Hope is always something that we can use to motivate us and use to improve our lives. I invite you to spend some time thinking about the hope you have for your daughters as they make their way in the world.
Juliette Major Assistant Principal Staff Support and Development
Dear Families,
Life can sometimes be challenging when we are dealing with changes such as divorce, separation, migration, school transitions, death and natural disasters. To support students who are facing these and other challenges, we are offering a program called Seasons for Growth. This program is an opportunity to learn with a small group of peers who have experienced similar issues.
Seasons for Growth can help you learn new skills to cope effectively with change and loss. It focuses on developing strengths in areas such as managing feelings, problem-solving, decision-making, communication and building support networks. Seasons for Growth is not counselling. It is an education program that uses a wide range of activities to help you learn how to manage well in times of change.
Seasons for Growth will be timetabled to run for eight weeks commencing on Friday 26 July, with each weekly session being approximately 50 minutes (one class period). Later in the year each group will have the opportunity to meet for two further sessions to reconnect and build on earlier learning.
If you are interested in joining Seasons for Growth, please complete the online form by 19 July 2024 https://forms.office.com/r/mEvika35hk or follow the below QR code.
For further information about the Seasons for Growth program, please contact Hannah or Lauren through email: counsellors@stcc.act.edu.au OR come see us in C-2-11 just across from the FLC!
Thank you,
Hannah, Lauren and Alice St Clare’s College Counsellors
Visual Arts Exhibition
On June 12 the Learning Commons was transformed into a vibrant gallery, buzzing with excitement as visitors admired a showcase of talent and creativity, featuring works from our Visual Arts, Photography, and Media Arts students.
As always, our 7-10 Visual Arts students demonstrated their skills across an array of mediums including ceramics, watercolour and charcoal. The Senior Visual Arts students, exploring the theme “Narratives in Visual Arts,” presented an eclectic range of artworks to share a story they thought was worth telling. Our Senior Photographers demonstrated exceptional skill and innovation in their exploration of “Creativity in Photography.” The music videos and stop animation films by our Media Arts students were a favorite among visitors, illustrating the students’ proficiency in multimedia storytelling and production.
We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to all the students who participated, the faculty who supported them, and everyone who attended the exhibition.
We looks forward to continuing to nurture and showcase the talents of our students and hope to see you at our next creative endeavor.
Larinda Knight Leader of Learning- Visual Arts
Visual Arts Exhibition
In the Classroom
Science
Human Biology students were recently fortunate to spend some time with Dr Kiara Bruggeman, Senior Lecturer in the School of Engineering at ANU. The focus of Dr Bruggeman’s current research centres on designing nanomaterials to mimic healthy brain tissue and trick stem cells into behaving like brain cells – all this with the intention of one day helping stroke victims to recover brain function.
During her time with us, Dr Bruggeman was able to expose our students to some of the realities, challenges and opportunities of exploring a career in Science, and challenge our students to think critically and flexibly about the properties and functions of human tissues.
We thank her for her time and hope to see her again soon!
Mr Shane Devoy Science Teacher
Year 9 Business Students Market Day
On Monday 3 June Market Day occurred at the College. Business students presented 17 stalls making a variety of products from brownies, pizza, spiders, slices, rocky road, cupcakes, waffles, fairy floss, cookies, smashed croissants, chocolate coated fruit with marshmallows and also a lolly jar competition. The lolly jar competition was won by Caitlin who guessed correctly at 112 lollies. Congratulations, Caitlin!
Students and staff enthusiastically supported Market Day. Students applied themselves to the challenge of making quality products and they also decorated their stalls to attract customers.
It was a great experience for business students on how to manage running their own store; from budgeting, promotion and selling their products.
Ms Caroline Blackshaw
HASS Teacher
Performing Arts - Dance
St Clare’s College were very privileged to host an exclusive dance workshop run by two dancers: Morgan and Ryan, from Sydney Dance Company. They are performing Rafael Bonachela’s new production: ’Momenta’ at the Canberra Theatre Centre this weekend and some of our senior Dance students were delighted to learn repertoire from that production and to participate in some creative activities. Thank you Sydney Dance Company for this amazing opportunity.
Ms Laura Pearce
Performing Arts Teacher
Science & Engineering Challenge
On June 4, 16 students from Years 8-10 represented St Clare’s College at the Science and Engineering Challenge, held by the University of Newcastle at Emmaus Christian College. This event gathered young minds to showcase their problem-solving skills and innovative thinking through various tasks.
Our team took part in different challenges that tested their knowledge, creativity, and teamwork. They constructed bridges and planes, designed earthquake-resistant buildings and windmills, developed efficient power grids and natural fish traps, and solved light-coding and job puzzles. The students worked hard and supported each other, showing great teamwork and perseverance.
We are very proud of our students’ achievements and their clever solutions and dedication. Their ability to solve real-world problems highlighted the potential of our future scientists and engineers.
Engineers Australia Incursion
On the 31 May our senior Physics and Specialist Mathematics students had the opportunity to participate in a session with Spiire, as part of Engineers Australia’s “Visit an Engineer” program. This initiative aims to help students understand the role of engineers and inspire them to consider engineering careers.
The engineers from Spiire educated the students on the role of a civil engineer and shared with them the work they do on a daily basis. A highlight of the visit was the bridge-building challenge. Students worked diligently to construct the strongest bridge, showcasing their problem-solving skills and creativity. The hands-on activity provided valuable insights into engineering principles and teamwork.
We extend our gratitude to Spiire for their engaging presentation and for inspiring the next generation of engineers. This event has sparked interest and excitement about engineering careers among our students.
SWITCH Robotics
The St Clare’s Robotics Team has been diligently developing, building, and refining robots for this year’s VEX IQ game - Rapid Relay. This exciting challenge requires the robots to pick up a 6-inch plush ball and shoot it through a target. Bonus points are awarded if the robots can throw and catch the ball!
The team has had the privilege of visiting Daramalan College to develop their robots. Students from both schools collaborated, sharing ideas and working together to enhance their robots.
The team has since visited Daramalan College again to participate in their first scrimmage against teams from Daramalan College, Goulburn High, and Canberra College. These hands-on experiences have been invaluable for testing and improving the design of their robots as well as for developing game strategies.
Stay tuned to see how our robots progress throughout the year. We look forward to showcasing the hard work and ingenuity of our talented students as they prepare for the Regional finals in October.
Sarah Parry (Sheldrick) Leader of Learning Innovation (Acting)
In the Classroom
High-impact teaching in Year 7 French
Choral response is a simple yet effective way to keep students participating throughout languages lessons. In Year 7 French, the students fully engage every week in Daily Review and they show enthusiasm while using individual white boards to show their progress.
This is what they say about it:
“I enjoy the whiteboard revision routine because I find it an effective and entertaining way of learning. I also find it easier to remember words and how they’re spelt when we do them on the review, and it’s also a fun challenge.”
Eloise
“I like the revision exercises using whiteboards because it drills the new vocabulary into our brain and creates new learning habits.”
Madeline
Catherine Verscheure
Languages Teacher
English
Year 9 English Students enjoyed spending time in the Senior Study space for English with Ms Gardiner creating Shakespeare Board Games.
Technologies
Year 9 students have been busy in their Textiles class creating fleece hoodies. They are the perfect staple item for the frosty Canberra Winters.
STCC Sport
Snowsports
The St Clare’s Snowsports team has been busy preparing for the snow season for the past few weeks at early morning dryland trainings. It was great to finally be out on the snow as a team this past Sunday 23 June. It was a very early start for all of the families involved, but we were rewarded with a bluebird day and new terrain open to explore. The girls had a blast warming up their snow legs for the season. Every Sunday the team will be training together at Perisher preparing for the ACT & Regional NSW Snowsports Interschool races that will be held from 24 – 26 July. We are all looking forward to a great snow season ahead!
Sarah Parry (Sheldrick) Leader of Learning Innovation (Acting)
U16’s Rugby League Team
Best of luck to Amiah and Adelaide who have been selected in the ACT U16’s Rugby League team. Amiah and Adelaide will be heading to Port Macquarie for the ASSRL Championships!
CT
Learn
THE CRAZY GOOD TECH CHALLENGE
Students in Year 7 - 10 please complete the form if you would like to participate in the Crazy Good Tech Challenge. Please Let Mrs Parry (Sheldrick) know by the end of Week 9.
