SMC NEWS 2024 - Term 4, Week 9
Week Ahead
From the College Principal
Dear Parents and Carers,
Firstly - Aerospace Awards
A big congratulations to Alex Druce (Year 11 2024) who won his category at the Queensland Gateway to Industry Aerospace Awards for 2024. Alex has been enthusiastic about the subject this year and it is great to see him get this recognition.
A big thank you to his teacher, Mr Marty Hollis who led SMC to a runner-up finish in the same awards ceremony for School of the Year. Marty has been a leader in this area for the College and I know you will join me in acknowledging his efforts.
A Brief Reflection - 2024
I want to thank you as friends of the College for your support and your willingness to journey with us this year. It has been a very busy, successful year as we turned 125 with various events during the year. I am grateful for the support of all parents, staff and students as part of our community. I sincerely hope we were able to meet your expectations as a College and look forward to spending another year together next year.
This year, I’ve seen so many students grow, not just academically but also as young men of Faith, Integrity, Action and Excellence. Their hard work, determination, and mateship have made our school a better place and I thank you as parents and carers for supporting us with this most important work! This group includes the nearly 200 students who will attend the Merit Trips across the fortnight and we hope they again enjoyed the experience.
As this is the final newsletter for the year, I wish you all the joys and blessings that Christmas brings. It is a special time as family and friends get together. Thankfully the shops, on this day at least, will be shut so we can be focused on being together! At these times, we remember those who are less fortunate and will have not family or friends to share the Christmas spirit with.
Please take care of yourselves and your family as you prepare to spend some quality time together in the coming weeks. Merry Xmas from St Mary's College!
Reflection
Cast your mind forward to Christmas Day….
A family gathers around their table for the traditional Christmas lunch (what does it look like in your family?) I'm constantly fascinated by the rituals and history that families build together. As parents, we work hard to hold on to these rituals because we understand our children will carry on these traditions in the future and I believe it creates meaning for us all.
Like most families, they’ve experienced their moments of unconditional love and crushing hurt. Like most homes, theirs has been visited by joy and tragedy, conflict and struggle, life and death. This Christmas day they not only carve pieces of chicken, beef or turkey, but they carve out a moment of time: to come together and realise that, all in all, they’re a blessing to one another and resolve to be more so, fully realising that the future will continue to be a mix of mystery and struggle.
Their Grace and Prayer boils down simply to this:
This is our family. This is who we are. Thank God we have one another.
Peace and Merry Christmas.
Sincerely
Brendan Stewart
College Principal
principal@stmaryscollege.com
Deputy Principal
End of Year
As we reach the end of the year, families should be aware of the following –
- Lower attendance rates and the completion of assessment means that we have some flexibility in the last few days – please keep an eye on emails and the SMC App for communications
- Highschool boys will be required to hand their College lock in before departing for the summer. If your son’s lock is not returned, you will be charged for its replacement.
- Lockers will need to be left empty over the break.
If you have any questions regarding the end of year processes at SMC, please make contact with the College Office.
Open House
Each year, when we send the graduating class off into the world, we tell them to stay in touch. As I said to the boys this year – “You know, we’ve been here for 125 years, we are still going to be here next year.” In 2025, the College is launching a plan to make the return of Old Boys more accessible. Beginning next year, the first Friday of each month will be Open House at SMC. All old boys and past staff will be welcome to drop in for a chat, a chance to connect with each other and with their teachers and share their stories about where life has taken them. Open House is a continuing invitation to have our Old Boys visit, and we are keen to see how this idea develops. If you have SMC Old Boys in your life, please let them know about this and suggest they keep an eye out for updates.
Raising Good Men in Today’s World
Some of the commentary and dialogue around the world at the moment is a concern for anyone trying to raise good boys and men. While we are continuing to challenge our boys to be critical consumers of the media, this article refreshed my perspective and provides a ‘hope-filled’ perspective. I thought that sharing it with you would be a good way to wrap up the year. I particularly love these words: "Dr Seidler says little boys are simply good men waiting to flourish, and we need to offer them the space, love and warmth to do that."
You can read the whole article here:
Thank you for letting us provide a space for your boy this year. We look forward to seeing the 2025 cohorts back at school in January.
Samantha Parle
Deputy Principal
parles@stmaryscollege.com
Identity
Footsteps of Jesus Relaunch in 2025
I am delighted to announce that our service learning program, Footsteps of Jesus, will be relaunched in 2025.
When we first ran this program, it was a great success, which recognized all of the great service work our boys do over the year.
With huge thanks to Toowoomba Catholic Schools for assisting with data, this will now be rolled out again in 2025 with a new, improved software interface.
This will make it much more streamlined for boys to log their service learning.
Although the app doesn’t officially launch until January, I am testing it at the moment and it looks great!
Any boys doing service work over the holidays should record their hours personally for now, so that they can easily enter them in the app when it becomes available to them at the end of January.
Remember, service work is anything that:
- Is unpaid and voluntary
- Is in the student’s own time
- It has a benefit for the community or an individual.
The awards are based not just on hours of service but also on the students' reflections on the service activity they performed.
These are also logged within the app.
- 5 reflections: Bronze Award
- 10 Reflections: Silver Award
- 15 Reflections: Gold Award
Finally, I’d like to wish all of you a very happy Christmas.
I look forward to what 2025 brings our community!
Kevin Murphy
Assistant Principal Identity
murphyk@stmaryscollege.com
Curriculum
Report Cards 2024
For students in Years 5 – 10, Semester 2 report cards will be published next week. This report will provide a summative assessment grade based on student work in Terms 3 and 4. Students will also receive information about their learning behaviours. I would encourage you go through the report card with your son and ask them to reflect on their results and learner attributes. This is a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the year, celebrate successes and make plans for further improvement.
Year 11 Unit 3
Our Year 11 students have commenced Unit 3 work across their subjects and in some areas, students have actually completed their first Year 12 internal piece of assessment. These results will be reported on in 2025, however students will be able to access their provisional grades via Canvas.
‘Provisional’ results for Internal Assessment 1 (IA1) are the results the teacher has awarded the student based on the evidence. This work will then go through an external moderation process, known as Confirmation, with QCAA. This result cannot be confirmed until it has been through this process. Confirmed results will be available to students through the myQCE portal in Term 2 2025.
Angela Harris
Assistant Principal - Curriculum
harrisa@stmaryscollege.com
Student Engagement
As we close out another successful year, it’s a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the achievements and milestones of our incredible community, including our dedicated parents and outstanding students.
Parents, your unwavering support and involvement have been instrumental in our success. Your commitment has made a significant difference in our students’ lives. We are deeply grateful for your partnership and dedication with St Mary’s College.
Students, your hard work and perseverance have been truly inspiring. This year, we have seen remarkable accomplishments across various fields. From academic excellence to sports victories and from artistic achievements to community service, you have demonstrated exceptional talent and dedication. Your achievements are a testament to your hard work and determination.
Standards
Sustaining high standards as a college is an essential element in your son achieving his best and St Mary’s college is committed to upholding these high standards across all areas to foster an inclusive, welcoming community and a disciplined student body.
With a continual improvement agenda, St Mary’s reviews its Engagement Policies and Procedures as a matter of good practice each year to ensure consistently high standards are communicated and achieved. St Marys will continue to clearly communicate expectations on the following key components of student life, Attendance and Behavioural expectations, Co -curricular eligibility, Mobile Devices Policy and Uniform Policy to name a few.
Attendance is closely monitored to ensure students are consistently engaged in their education. Regular attendance is crucial for academic success and personal development and forms a key component in eligibility for attendance at privileged events.
Behaviour expectations are clearly defined, promoting a culture of respect, integrity, and responsibility. Students are expected to conduct themselves in a manner that reflects our values of action, excellence, faith and integrity.
Co-curricular eligibility is determined by key engagement data, including attendance and conduct data. These standards ensure that that students who participate in co-curricular activities are representative of our college values.
St Mary’s College’s Mobile Phone Policy is designed to minimise distractions and maintain a focused learning environment. Phones are turned off and stored in lockers at 8:10 for the school day. This approach is designed to:
- Reduce distractions from mobile devices to provide optimal learning.
- Increase face-to-face interactions between students.
- Promote student health and well-being.
The college enforces a Uniform policy to create a sense of belonging among our students. This policy also prepares students for professional environments where dress codes are common. Respectfully wearing the uniform shows that our students not only have pride in themselves but also in the community to which they belong.
Overall, our high standards aim to create a supportive and structured environment where students thrive academically, socially, and personally, preparing them for future challenges and opportunities.
House Points
Looks like Waterford will be finishing the year on top! Well done to the Waterford Vikings!
Congratulations to the boys whose meritorious conduct has built this enviable House Points tally.
To all parents of new students to St Mary’s in Year 7 in 2025 this edition of SchoolTV is dedicated to you. This week’s St Mary’s SchoolTV special edition is focused on. SPECIAL REPORT: Starting Year 7 | St Mary's College - Toowoomba
I want to take the opportunity to acknowledge the work of my student engagement team; including our Chaplains, Counsellors, First Nations Coordinator, Year 7 Coordinator, House Leader’s, Director of Well-being, and our Head of Primary.
Thank you for being a part of this year’s incredible journey of developing St Mary’s men have a strong moral compass, determined to make a difference in our world as men of action, excellence, faith and integrity.
As we look forward to the new year, let us carry the Edmund Rice Touchstones with us, continuing to build on the foundation we have laid.
Matt Draper
Assistant Principal - Student Engagement
draperm@stmaryscollege.com
Primary and Middle School Curriculum
If your child has any questions or needs guidance regarding their subject choices, please encourage them to email me at paulis@stmaryscollege.com. I am here to assist them in making informed decisions that align with their academic goals.
As we wrap up the school year, please remember that report cards will be published through Sentral. Take the time to review your child's progress and celebrate their achievements. Additionally, I encourage students and parents to reflect on the past year and set goals for the upcoming school year. Setting clear objectives will help pave the way for continued success and growth.
We also encourage parents to look beyond grades on report cards and consider vital learning behaviours such as application, behaviour, organisation, participation, and punctuality. These aspects provide a fuller picture of your son's engagement and growth at school. By focusing on these areas, you can help set meaningful goals for their learning journey in 2025.
As 2024 draws to a close, I’d like to thank our students and parents for another fantastic year of learning and collaboration. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out. Wishing you all a restful and enjoyable Christmas break.
Shari Pauli
Director of 5-9 Curriculum
paulis@stmaryscollege.com
Head of Primary
2025 Primary Leaders
I would like to announce the Primary Leadership positions for 2025. I acknowledge the Year 5 and 5/6 teachers and the boys’ parents who have obviously instilled very good leadership skills into these boys as I believe that they are exceptional young men.
- Primary Captain – Brodie Cameron
- Primary Vice-Captain (Mission, Identity & Student Voice) – Logan Rogers
- Primary Vice-Captain (Academic, Cultural & Student Voice) – Jack Coonan
- Bowdler House Leader – Will Farrell
- Waterford House Leader – Isaac Luker
- Purcell House Leader – William Johnson
- McGoldrick House Leader – Logan Doyle
I look forward to working with these leaders next year.
Thank you
Thank you to all parents and caregivers for your support this year. It is an honour to teach your boys, and we love working with them. It has been an eventful year full of great experiences and learning opportunities for both the boys and the staff.
Thank you to the wonderful primary staff who work exceptionally hard to provide the best education that they can to the young men of St Mary’s. The love of the College that many of our present and past students have, starts in the Primary and that is a direct result of the efforts of the staff.
I wish everyone a happy and safe holiday and a lovely Christmas with family and friends.
Stephen Coren
Head of Primary
corens@stmaryscollege.com
Business Manager
Dear Parents & Caregivers
As we approach the conclusion of yet another academic year, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude, along with my finance team and support staff, for your collaboration and dedication in helping to make St Mary's College Toowoomba the best it can be. Your commitment to our collective mission has been instrumental in fostering an environment where our students thrive.
Looking forward to next year, we are excited about the prospect of some capital projects as part of our Master Plan and strategic initiatives. These endeavours are designed not only to enhance the educational experience for our current students but also to pave the way for a bright future, benefitting many generations to come.
You can find all our fee information readily available on our website, www.stmaryscollege.com. Our team has diligently worked to absorb cost increases, ensuring that our fees remain as affordable as possible. While there are some slight adjustments to the fees for 2025, please rest assured that we have strived to keep any changes minimal.
As the festive season approaches, I extend warm wishes to you and your families for a safe and joyous Christmas filled with moments of togetherness and cherished memories.
Thank you once again for your ongoing support and partnership. Here's to a promising year ahead for our school and the St. Mary's College Toowoomba community.
Festive wishes
Patrick Wilson
Business Manager
accounts@stmaryscollege.com
Reflection
