SMC NEWS 2024 - Term 3, Week 1
Week Ahead
From the College Principal
Dear Parents and Carers,
Welcome back to the College in Term 3!
Semester 1 Academic Reports and Parent-Teacher Evening
A very sincere thank you for your support with our Parent-Teacher interviews this week. Your continued engagement with the College is appreciated and I know in the long run it will help your students.
I would like to make a couple of comments about the recent school reports. It was pleasing again to see the large number of students who made a productive effort in their studies in Semester 1. At St Mary's College, we truly believe that academic improvement is possible for everyone. A student's sustained, patient and gritty efforts are the most common way that this improvement occurs. We will recognise outstanding effort and achievement with upcoming events at the College. Congratulations in advance to all of these young achievers!
Through our intentional College goal of improving boys' literacy, many students will achieve improvement through the standard academic expectations of a St Mary's College classroom. However, as I have mentioned above, openness to feedback is a vital skill for all aspiring improvers. I have worked with many boys over the years, and the one reflection I would have is that the boys who "get there" are almost always the students who tailor their work to the feedback for improvement that they receive from the teaching staff. Please ask your sons to reset their goals for Semester 2, based on their Semester 1 reports.
Confraternity Carnival
A very sincere thank you to everyone involved with the Confraternity Carnival in Townsville over the holidays. After a series of tough (and mostly wet) games, the team ended up 11th (over 50 teams in the competition) but were incredibly unlucky in at least 2 of the games. Thanks to Luke Duggan, Hugh Sedger, Corey Morrissey, Stephen Sowter and Physio Patty Collins for their work in Week 1.
Thank you also to the players for their efforts in a tough week and parents and carers for their support in their time in Townsville. Your support and encouragement of everyone concerned was a real highlight for the staff this during the carnival.
Staffing Update
I would like to welcome the following new staff members to the College starting this week.
- Mr Rob Anderson: Physical Education (Acting AP Curriculum from Term 4)
- Mr Chris Parker: English (Harristown SHS)
- Ms Louise Dowling-Manns: English (NSW)
- Ms Cynthia Harvey: Careers Support Officer
- Ms Erin Kehoe-O'Shea: Public Relations (Tyhla Roper Maternity Leave)
Congratulations to Marty Hollis, who will be Acting Deputy Principal for the next four weeks in Samantha Parle’s absence. We look forward to Marty’s energetic work with scheduling and organisation over that period.
Ms Kirsty Eckhardt also returns from Maternity Leave for a Part-Time role in Special Projects, assisting the Principal this week.
At the end of Term 2, we said many thanks and farewell to the following staff. I want to thank Harry and Bronwyn for their enormous contributions to College life over the past few years.
- Ms Harry Murphy - English
- Ms Bronwyn Littlewood - Careers Support Officer
Additionally, several people have taken periods of leave from the start of Term 3, including:
- Ms Geraldine Connor - CL English (6 months)
- Ms Sam Parle - Deputy Principal (4 weeks)
- Ms Tyhla Roper - Public Relations (Maternity - 1 year)
NAIDOC Reflection
As it is NAIDOC Week this week, I wanted to include a special Catholic Prayer for reconciliation with the First Nations people of our community.
Acknowledgement of Country
The love of God flows through the land on which we gather today, let us pause in silence and acknowledge the traditional owners who have cared for this land for generations. Let us honour those elders past, present and emerging whose sacred connection with this country is a gift to us all.
Prayer
Father of all, You gave our Aboriginal People the Dreaming
You have spoken to them through their beliefs,
You then made your love clear to them in the person of Jesus.
We thank you for your care of these people.
You are their hope.
Make them strong as they face the problems of change
We ask you to help us, the people of Australia,
To listen to them and respect their culture.
Make the knowledge of you grow strong in all people
So that you can be at home in all of us,
And so that we can make a home for everyone in our land.
Live Jesus in Our Hearts, Forever.
Amen.
Mr Brendan Stewart
Principal
Acting - Deputy Principal
Term 3 Week 1
The beginning of Term 3 allows the opportunity for you and your son to assess, evaluate, and recalibrate to ensure Semester 2 can be as successful as it can be. Evaluating your personal performance is a powerful tool to seek new goals in a variety of areas. For example, you may strive to focus on new aspects in curriculum, social or community engagement perspectives.
In this modern world, the power to make and act on a decision, interest or theme without knowing the outcome is hard. However, my challenge to everyone in the St Mary’s community for semester 2 is to be curious. I personally want to witness students and parents demonstrate curiosity and a sustained commitment to explore an interest, a theme, or an idea. I was reminded this week that a strong focus on curiosity drives new experiences, learning and opportunity. The flow of learning and understanding becomes fun. It is joyous.
Your interests may include aviation, engineering, agriculture, poetry, art, ancient history, politics, or other fields.
To assist you through my challenge, here is a weekly tip for success. Enjoy!
Weekly Tip for Success
Embrace Clarity
Seeking clarity means we are constantly pursuing and providing clarity on the complexities we experience daily. Below are SMC’s main communication channels where we provide you and your son with key information.
1. SMC App – Calendar
The SMC app is considered our “point of truth” for parents. The app allows parents to see notices, the school calendar, report absentees, access the Sentral Parent Portal, and more.
2. Sentral – Daily Notices
Daily notices on Sentral are an excellent resource for your son to see what upcoming opportunities are or when daily class changes, etc., occur. Making time to read these daily notices in the evening or morning of school days will improve the rate of success for your son.
3. Email
Email is another communication channel we use. Communication through email is like daily notices; however, our school's focus is on reducing email traffic and utilizing daily notices more effectively.
4. Canvas
Canvas is the learning management system (LMS) we use for your son to access daily lessons, upload assessments and engage in learning using a variety of eLearning tools. As parents, you can generate an account and be another support in your child's learning journey. If you are interested in creating an account, please email me.
Mr Marty Hollis
Acting -Deputy Principal
hollism@stmaryscollege.com
Identity
Welcome to Term 3
Welcome back all students and families to term three- the halfway stage of the school year has passed!
For our year 12s, this will be a time of some celebration as the final stage of their school journey is upon them.
However, it will also be a time when the stress of looming exams and assignments will not be far from their minds. The reality that school will soon be behind them may well be a source of anxiety for some, too!
We pray that all of our students, not just those who will be finishing soon enough, have a happy, safe and productive Semester 2.
Papua New Guinea Immersion 2025 Opportunity
The college is pleased to resume our relationship with OLSH International School, Fangalawa Elementary School and St Jude’s Mongop High School in and around Kavieng, New Ireland.
Pre-COVID, St Mary’s College ran a bi-annual immersion program in this area. This will restart in March 2025, with the first visit of a group of year 11 and 12 boys.
This will be a transformative experience for the young men on the immersion as they “come as guests” to work on a project benefiting the community they are visiting.
If your son is in year 10 or 11 at the moment and you’d like more information, please contact Mr Kevin Murphy, Mr Stephen Sowter, or Mr Simon McKeiver.
Mr Kevin Murphy
Assistant Principal Identity
murphyk@stmaryscollege.com
Curriculum
Assessment Calendars
Assessment Calendars are now accessible via the College App under the “Links” tab, followed by “Teaching and Learning.” We have now included both draft and final due dates in our assessment calendars for greater transparency. Students should carefully review their calendars to ensure they know their assessments for the term.
Assessment Calendars are designed to:
- Assist students in planning their study time
- Help students to prioritise their work
- Be an organisational tool
- Communicate due dates to parents/carers and students
Assessment Calendars should inform students of the amount of study and assignment work needed at different points in the term and their commitments.
Subject Selection Evening
On Monday 22nd July, we will hold our Subject Information Evening. This event will provide further information regarding our subject offerings and future career pathways.
During the evening, three sessions will be held according to each year level:
- 6.00pm - Year 9 in 2025
- 6.45pm - Year 10 in 2025
- 7.30pm - Year 11 in 2025
Venue: Edmund Rice Cultural Centre (ERCC), Cnr Hill & Helen St, Newtown.
If any Year 9 or 10 students wish to discuss their subject selections, they can speak with me in the Curriculum Office, where I can assist them. Alternatively, parents can reach out to me via email. Students in Year 8 are to speak with Mrs Shari Pauli regarding their subject choices.
Mrs Jade Love
Assistant Principal - Curriculum
lovej@stmaryscollege.com
Primary and Middle School Curriculum
ICAS Assessments - Years 5-9 Students
This year, students from Years 5-9 at St Mary’s College can join the ICAS Assessments. ICAS is part of UNSW Global, a group linked to UNSW Sydney with over 40 years of experience in educational assessments.
ICAS is designed to help students improve their thinking and problem-solving skills in English, Mathematics, Science, and Writing. Each assessment is a chance for students to show what they have learned.
Everyone participating will get a printed certificate and an online result report. The best performers in ICAS can win medals and will be invited to special award ceremonies to celebrate their hard work.
The assessments are a great chance for students to challenge themselves and participate in an international assessment. Your child will get to answer high-quality questions made by experts and test their knowledge against students from all around Australia.
Remember, these assessments are optional. If you want your son to participate, we’ve emailed all parents of students from Years 5-9 with the code to book. The tests will be held at school on these days:
We’re excited for your child to take part in this great experience.
Mrs Shari Pauli
Primary and Middle School Curriculum
paulis@stmaryscollege.com
Student Engagement
School TV
If you have not yet had the opportunity to explore School TV on our college website, I would encourage you to do so. This new addition to our website has had over 650 hits in the last three months, with parents accessing current and cutting-edge information.
Year 12
This a crucial term for our Seniors, as such the following link Surviving Final Year | St Mary's College - Toowoomba (schooltv.me) is recommended viewing. The marathon is nearly over, and the boys have been challenged to finish strong.
World’s Greatest Shave
To be in solidarity means walking alongside someone, sharing their struggles, hopes, dreams, and history. St Mary’s College took part in the World’s Greatest Shave on the last day of Term 2 to raise money to help beat blood cancer by getting sponsored to shave in solidarity with those going through this struggle. Led by our College Captain, Ethan Payne, the goal was to raise $3500.
This goal was surpassed, with the college raising over $5000.
I especially want to thank all our volunteer hairdressers for the event and our Year 12 barber, Humphrey. We also thank Kaycee Atze, Kirsty from Beauty Perfection, Kylie and Tracey, TAFE Teacher Ally Jarrad, and her two students from Toowoomba TAFE for donating their time and skills. Thank you to the staff and students who took part in the event.
Mr Matt Draper
Assistant Principal - Student Engagement
draperm@stmaryscollege.com
Business Manager
Welcome back for Term 3
Dear Parents and Caregivers
It's great to have everyone back for Term 3. We aim to issue Term 3 fees this week as part of the July Statement. If you require an invoice, please get in touch with our friendly finance team at accounts@stmaryscollege.com. You can also find all fee information on our website here.
You can reach our accounts team via email at accounts@stmaryscollege.com or by telephone 07 4631 7333 (Option 3) to speak to one of our friendly team.
Just a reminder, there is a strict 14-day payment policy once fees are issued unless you have a direct debit/credit or agreed payment plan in place. Timely payments help us maintain the high-quality education we provide to your children. If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact us.
Patrick Wilson
Business Manager
accounts@stmaryscollege.com