Term 2, Week 4 - 11.05.2021
Principal News
Toowoomba Catholic Schools (TCS) - Teacher Excellence Awards
It gives me great pleasure to announce that the College's Executive Leadership Team (ELT) have nominated several outstanding teachers and school officers for the annual TCS Teacher Excellence Awards.
The awards are divided into a number of different categories. At St Mary's College, we are fortunate to have several outstanding practitioners, across a wide range of subjects and skillsets. Below you will find a brief description of our nominations. Dr Pat Coughlan (Executive Director, TCS) will announce the awards later in the year. The ELT are thankful for the amount of time each staff member has given to the community.
Primary Expert Teacher - Shari Pauli
Shari Pauli is an exceptional Year 5 Teacher at St Mary’s. Throughout her time at the College, she has always been willing to step up and provide support where necessary. In Term 4 of last year, she was the Acting Primary Curriculum Leader.
Focusing on inclusivity for all students, Shari provides differentiation in her planning, teaching and assessment. She wears a microphone to ensure all students in her class can clearly hear the content she delivers. Shari has seen great success with students with learning support needs. This was evident during her dance and movement unit in Term 1 2021, which culminated in an Easter dance performance by all Year 5 and 6 students at the College.
Shari is a team player, regularly sharing specific subject knowledge with the other primary school teachers. Along with her teaching responsibilities, Shari also leads the literacy extension program and primary dance program that is available to all primary students.
Additionally, Shari is very dedicated to the St Mary’s College community. She regularly participates in co-curricular activities, including the recent musical “Jesus Christ Superstar”. Shari spent countless hours working with the cast of St Mary’s College and St Saviour’s College students, choreographing their performances. She worked with the production team over an 18-month period, playing an integral part in delivering a high-quality production.
In 2020, amidst the challenges of COVID-19, Shari was the main driver behind the St Vincent’s De Paul Christmas Giving Appeal. Given the restrictions around gift giving, Shari thought of different initiatives to raise money to purchase grocery vouchers. More than 60 vouchers were purchased and donated to families in need at Christmas time.
Shari is a brilliant, caring teacher, who enables students to achieve excellence.
Secondary Expert Teacher - Tammy Banks
Tammy is an experienced teacher, who is not only an expert in planning and implementing engaging and innovative programs but is also someone who is willing to share her knowledge and expertise to ensure that the community is able to continuously grow and improve. This allows for the building of capacity amongst staff and ultimately leads to improved outcomes for St Mary’s College students.
Tammy is highly effective at using the syllabus as a roadmap to implement effective teaching and learning. She makes use of an array of pedagogical practices to stimulate student engagement and ensures that all her classroom practices are underpinned by differentiated teaching strategies and metacognitive processes. This allows students to follow their own learning journey and reflect on and evaluate their progress.
Tammy is exceptional at planning for and implementing personalised learning. At the start of each term, in preparing for her teaching, Tammy methodically analyses qualitative and quantitative student data, to ensure that specific adjustments are made for individual students. This ensures that equity is attainable in her classroom and that the diverse range of student needs are met. Furthermore, Tammy provides scaffolded learning and assessment, with inclusion of worked examples, to reduce the cognitive load on students and to support the building of skills.
Tammy is proactive in her approach to forming positive relationships with her students and their caregivers. Tammy always starts the term with an email home, detailing her approach to teaching and learning and providing caregivers with an outline of expectations and plan for the term. Tammy continues this communication throughout the term, with emails about upcoming assessments, progress on class work and any other concerns or positive reports. Tammy’s communication ensures that students are not just coasting but are pushed to work to their potential.
In addition to ongoing communication, Tammy also regularly attends events (within and outside of school hours) to encourage the development of positive relationships with students, caregivers and the broader community. This also enables her to get to know students’ strengths, weaknesses and interests so that she can tailor her lessons, making them more relatable and manage behaviour more effectively.
As part of her role in the professional learning community, Tammy leads the guided reading program. Tammy has committed to developing her knowledge in data analysis to support this program and constantly undertakes research to find new and innovative was to improve the offering. In this role Tammy also mentors’ teachers and support staff, providing one-on-one support and professional development opportunities.
Tammy takes an active role in ensuring students are literate and numerate. This not only prepares students for NAPLAN testing, but also uses test data to evaluate and modify teaching programs to ensure continuous improvement at a cohort, class and individual level.
Tammy is always happy to volunteer as a year level co-ordinator. In this role Tammy not only develops shared teaching and learning resources, she also actively mentors junior staff, evaluates teaching programs and provides and/or implements suggested improvements to these programs.
Tammy actively engages in a reflective process, and is constantly seeking feedback from her students, parents, colleagues and leaders to ensure that she remains current in her practices.
Tammy genuinely cares for her students. St Mary’s College would like her to be recognised for not only her years of service in Catholic Education but also the immense contribution she makes to the entire community.
eLearning - Leah Dempster
Leah Dempster has been a valued staff member of St Mary’s College since 2014. She is an exemplary leader in her current positions of Director of eLearning and Director of Special Projects.
In addition to these roles, Leah continues to teach the boys in Film and Television. Her teaching specialties also include Information Technology Systems (design) and Information Processing Technology (programming).
Over the years, Leah has been instrumental in developing the learning management system CANVAS. She also helped drive the implementation of the 1:1 device program and more recently, has been the key liaison for Sentral and the Sentral Parent Portal.
Leah is a problem-solver, with exceptional people skills. She has time for anyone, offering flexibility when meeting with staff and providing them with valuable advice and skills in a short timeframe.
In 2020, Leah gained a Lead Teacher qualification. She was announced as one of the first teachers in the Queensland Catholic Schools network to achieve this certification.
The Lead Teacher certification is recognised nationally and teachers gaining this status have been independently assessed as having the highest levels of expertise and capability as classroom practitioners, and educational leaders in their fields. St Mary’s College can attest strongly to this capability as a leader of teaching and learning.
To achieve a Lead Teacher status, Leah had to partake in a rigorous application and demonstration process over the course of 12 months with the Queensland College of Teachers. The portfolio showcased Leah’s work across a 5-year period to lead key projects. She integrated Canvas (LMS) and eLearning (SAMR model) within the context of the College’s teaching and learning framework. This work provided a wonderful support platform for students and staff during COVID in 2020 and beyond.
Leah continues to lead staff at St Mary’s College to develop their teaching and learning capabilities and knowledge, especially in the eLearning space. She is passionate about staff wellbeing and more than willing to go over and beyond the expectations of her position. Leah is a wonderful leader of staff and teacher of students.
Middle Leader - Louise Rapson
Louise is a wonderful teacher and an inspiring Curriculum Leader of her Science department at St Mary’s College, Toowoomba.
She is passionate about Science and importantly, making the curriculum engaging for the boys every day. Louise motivates others in her department to work more effectively, by communicating and reinforcing College expectations through respectful conversation. She works hard to build capacity in her department, to the extent that our Science teachers are recognised as a group as a highly proficient team.
St Mary’s College students perform very well in the challenging Science subjects of Chemistry and Physics in the Senior years of schooling. This is, at least in part, due to the leadership and effective support provided by Louise to her Science teachers. Louise has taught several outstanding performers in Chemistry over the past few years at the College, leading to outstanding ATAR results.
Louise promotes Science Week each year with a set of activities that engage our students and adds to the general interest in the subject area. This has led to the instigation of several after-school clubs for boys in extension activities regarding Science.
Louise works exceptionally hard and is highly organised in one of our biggest Curriculum areas. As a busy young Mum, she is also respected for the work-life balance she brings as a role model to other young women on staff.
Middle Leader - Kerrin Cridland
Kerrin Cridland is the Curriculum Leader for Enhanced Learning at St Mary’s College. She is passionate and dedicated to supporting the staff, students, and their families.
Kerrin works tirelessly to lead the learning support team. She is currently developing a new model for Learning Support Teaching that will incorporate tier intervention and a co-plan, co-teach and co-reflect model.
Positive and proactive in her approach, Kerrin is student focused, always working to find solutions while navigating a complex role. She clearly understands the demands of her role and is effectively motivating others to collect evidence to support the learning of all students at St Mary’s College.
Kerrin recently spent time at another Edmund Rice school in North Queensland, collecting research on current trends regarding inclusion. She intends to bring this learning to St Mary’s College and implement improvements to the support and pedagogy offered to our students with exceptional needs.
Additionally, Kerrin has led a process of interviewing students and families to support the enrolment process at the College. This facilitates effective communication and engages the most effective strategies to support students in the classroom.
Kerrin is always available to staff and students. She is warm and responsive to families, always making them feel at ease and welcome in the St Mary’s College community.
Administration Support - Tamika Robinson
Tamika Robinson is a professional and dedicated school officer at St Mary’s College. As the Finance Officer, Tamika works closely with the Business Manager to manage the financial operations of the College.
All while working full-time, Tamika recently completed a Bachelor of Business and Commerce majoring in Accounting and Finance with distinction.
Earlier this year, Tamika provided exceptional support with the change of finance systems. She often works closely with the Toowoomba Catholic Schools finance team to review and refine best practice financial systems that are used throughout all schools in the diocese.
She continually works with the St Mary’s College team to ensure the College is on track to achieving the strategic goals. Relationship building with business stakeholders, staff and parents forms an important part of her role.
Tamika takes ownership of projects and uses problem-solving skills to reach desired outcomes. Forming part of the wider administration team, she shows consideration to other team members and often provides advice to better processes to achieve consistency and efficiency.
Having worked within the Toowoomba Catholic Schools community for several years, after attending St Joseph’s College as a student, Tamika truly believes in the Edmund Rice ethos. She lives out the values every day and in 2019 she decided to undergo the RCIA program to be confirmed as a Catholic.
Tamika continually goes above and beyond, always willing to volunteer and help with events and activities outside the scope of her role. Tamika is loyal, diligent and hard-working. She is a valued member of the St Mary’s College community.
Administration Support - Caain Miller
Caain Miller is the Edmund Rice Cultural Centre, AV and eLearning Manager at St Mary’s College. Caain started working at the College in 2018 after studying a Diploma of Information Technology.
As an Old Boy of College, Caain has been a member of the St Mary’s College community for more than a decade. In school, Caain showed a keen interest in digital media support.
Over the years, Caain has been involved in many projects including the development of the learning management system CANVAS. When Caain commenced working at St Mary’s College, CANVAS was in its infancy stages. He worked to develop the program to become a reliable and well-used platform by all teachers in the College.
In 2020, Caain was instrumental in the move to online learning during the unforeseen Coronavirus pandemic. Following the move to online learning, he worked with the marketing officer to produce a Virtual Tour in lieu of the standard Open Day.
Earlier this year, Caain welcomed the establishment of the Edmund Rice Cultural Centre and took on the responsibility of managing the state-of-the-art facility. Amongst other duties, Caain provides AV support for all school events, assemblies, meetings and activities. He is continually developing the functionality of the Auditorium and provides expert knowledge and advice.
In April 2021, St Mary’s College held a musical “Jesus Christ Superstar” in association with St Saviour’s College. Due to COVID-19, the musical was postponed twice. After a year and half in the making, the cast finally performed the show to more than 1000 people. Caain worked tirelessly with the cast and production team, to execute a production to the highest standard. His work in AV consultancy is commendable.
Each year, Caain mentors film and technology students at the College and works with them to produce high quality video content for various marketing platforms, including the College website, social media pages and television. He also works with the wider College community to produce the annual College Presentation Night. Unlike most school presentation nights, these events are filled with engaging and humorous video content, photo montages and striking entertainment pieces.
Ultimately, Caain is dedicated to the St Mary’s College community. He always completes tasks to a high standard, achieving the desired outcome; however, he continually looks for ways to improve that outcome. He is generous with his time, always going above and beyond to support the St Mary’s College community.
Teaching and Learning Support - Cheryl Knox
Cheryl Knox has been a Teacher Aide at St Mary’s College for many years. Recently, Cheryl has been instrumental in the organisation and resourcing of our Guided Reading Program at the College. She collaborates with Curriculum Leaders to ensure all resources are up-to-date and relevant for students.
Additionally, she proactively performs administration duties to ensure all the resources are ready for each guided reading class across Years 5 to 9. Cheryl completes this role in addition to the support she provides to students who require additional support.
Cheryl is excellent at supporting the boys with their class work; however, she also prioritises establishing a personal connection with the students by initiating conversations about their interests such as cars or football.
Cheryl prioritises the students. She works with the teachers to provide the best outcome for the boys and can always quietly spot those in need of extra support. Whether she is in a humanities classroom or a manual arts lesson with steel cap boots and safety glasses, Cheryl is adaptable and always eager to help.
St Mary’s College is lucky to have Cheryl as a Teacher Aide. She shows patience, care and assists in growing the boys into independent learners.
School Leadership - Paul Grealy
Spirit of Catholic Education - Paul Grealy
Paul Grealy is the Assistant Principal of Identity at St Mary’s College. He is an expert in his field of identity leadership and plays an important role in the Executive Leadership Team.
Over the years, Paul has been involved in many different projects including the re-development of the College Religious Education program.
Paul brings staff formation to all in the St Mary’s College community. He has the capacity to connect our everyday lives and work to a gospel spirituality through his teaching in the Legal Studies classroom, the staff prayer and liturgy.
Through the use of the touchstones, Paul successfully brings the understanding of the Edmund Rice Charism into the 21st Century.
Paul’s spirituality is student-centred in all his work. He mentors student leaders for Identity and Mission. He brings relevant and inspiring speakers to the College for Catholic Education Week and other significant events, such as Anzac Day.
He presents Masses, Liturgies and other rituals to the highest calibre. A special highlight is the College Year 12 Retreat program. He also empowers staff to develop internal retreat programs for boys in all year levels.
With a strong drive to encourage the boys of St Mary’s College to become men of faith, action and excellence, Paul is continually implementing initiatives, for example driving the Papua New Guinea immersion and developing the Praxis program. He has established a connection with Yellow Bridge who provide housing and disability support and Rosies, an organisation that helps feed the homeless.
Additionally, Paul facilitates the process of welcoming staff to a full communion with the church. He regularly provides opportunities outside of hours for groups to meet and deepen their faith.
Despite a busy schedule, Paul doesn’t discount his role as a Mentor Teacher. He takes the time to truly get to know the boys in his care and their families. He regularly engages in extra-curricular activities and always lends a helping hand at College events to further student and parent engagement.
Paul is an outstanding Catholic Leader, Educator and member of the Catholic Diocese of Toowoomba.
Reflection for the Week
Sixth Sunday of Easter - “Pick a person a day . . . ”
A year ago, at the start of the pandemic, the famed cellist, Yo Ma, began posting videos he recorded at his home during the lockdown. With no ornamentation or accompaniment, he performed Antonin Dvorak’s “Going Home” as his first posting. That video has been viewed over 400,000 times.
“Going Home” became one of many early offerings in Ma’s #SongsofComfort project that has now spread across six continents and spurred an internet phenomenon, with musicians around the world and from every genre from rock to opera posting contributions.
Some of Ma’s recordings have come with dedications, such as his recording of Bach’s Cello Suite No. 3 for health care workers: “Your ability to balance human connection and scientific truth in service of us all gives me hope,” he wrote. He posted Albinoni’s Adagio in G Minor with the simple caption: “For those grieving.”
Yo Yo Ma has posed this challenge to every musician and artist who owns a phone: “Practise the one-on-one principle because as a musician, your job — our job — is to actually move one person at a time. So, pick a person that you know, or maybe you don’t know . . . that may need what you do as a service. Maybe it’s someone who’s healthy, maybe someone who’s ill, maybe it’s a child who has been stuck at home. Pick what you think is the right thing to play for them. Make it personal, because [music] is always personal, and record it with a little message and send it to them . . .”
The effectiveness of the one-on-one relationship, Ma believes, is the “first principle” of music and science — and everything of value and meaning: “That’s how we rebuild our humanity,” Ma says. “So, create the value of that one-on-one idea: for each musician, for each actor, for each poet, for each artist to say, "Pick a person. Pick a person a day.” [Beyond the Canvas, PBS, July 29, 2020.]
Peace
Mr Brendan Stewart
College Principal
Curriculum
The Term Two assessment dates have been released.
Please click here to view Middle College assessment dates.
Please click here to view Senior College assessment dates.
Primary News
The Year 6 Camp will be here before we know it. Traditionally we have always offered optional apparel for parents to purchase for their son to wear at camp. These items are not part of the regular College uniform, therefore cannot be worn in that manner upon our return.
This year we are offering the opportunity for parents to purchase any of the following items. Please remember this is not compulsory.
- Hoodie - $41.00
- Jacket - $45.50
- Bucket Hat - $20.00
I have samples if you wish to see the product or would like your son to try one on.
We will only be placing an order for those that have been submitted via the link and paid for by 9.00am, Friday 14th May. Due to ensuring that the supplier can provide the product on time, we will not be able to extend this time frame.
If you wish to place an order please click here.
Mrs Terese Dyne, Head of Primary - dynet@stmaryscollege.com
College Careers
Year 10 Aspire 2 Health program
Year 10 students are able to participate in a workshop where they can experience a simulated emergency with paramedics, nurses and doctors as well as experience hands-on procedural workshops. Students can also talk with local health care students and professionals to share their experiences in health.
There are only six spots available for St Mary’s College Year 10 students, so it will be first in first served.
Please see the Careers Team as soon as possible if you are interested in registering for this event.
Toowoomba Virtual Jobs Fair
The Jobs Fair is a virtual event that is being planned for Thursday 13th to Saturday 15th May and will be free of charge for job seekers.
The aim of the event is to:
- Expose Job Seekers to potential employers and resources to help them in their job search.
- Expose Job Seekers and current employees to training opportunities to help them retrain or upskill.
If you are interested, you can register online by clicking here.
School-Based Apprenticeships & Traineeships
SBA | Year Levels | Business/Location | Closing date |
Certificate III in Hospitality (Front/Back of House | 10 & 11 | Golden West Apprenticeships, Toowoomba For further information click here | Friday 21st May |
Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care | 12 | New Childcare Centre in Westbrook, Toowoomba For further information click here | Friday 21st May |
If you are interested in a School-Based Apprenticeship, please contact the Career Support Officer, Mr Barber via email at barberp@stmaryscollege.com or drop in to the Careers Centre in DUHIG 21.
You will need to complete a SBA Expression of Interest Form and have a current resume and cover letter.
Resume templates and information to assist are available on the Careers Canvas page, link below.
School-Based Apprenticeship Sign Ups
Xavier Brown (Year 10) with Brett Morris of KFC Toowoomba South. Xavier has been successful in commencing a Certificate III in Hospitality school-based traineeship.
Dean Conway (Year 12) with Victor Diruggerio of VJAS Building. Dean has been successful in commencing a Certificate III in Carpentry school-based apprenticeship.
Luke Cesari (Year 11) with Jason Dolley of Vibe Builders. Luke has been successful in commencing a Certificate III in Carpentry school-based apprenticeship.
Jacob Austin (Year 10) with Jay Austin of JJ Building Services. Jacob has been successful in commencing a Certificate III in Carpentry school-based apprenticeship.
Enhanced Learning
Sport News
Congratulations to our U13s Rugby League boys who went to Dalby last week and won their game against Our Lady of the Southern Cross.
Win | U13s Rugby League | St Mary’s College | 20 | Our Lady of the Southern Cross (Dalby) | 6 |
Win | U15s Rugby League | St Mary’s College | 22 | Mabel Park State High School | 16 |
QLD Sport State Championship
We would like to wish Brock Smith and Scott Forknall all the best as they attend the QLD Sport State Championship for Football this week!
Jacaranda Cup
Jacaranda Cup has been postponed until Term 3. A trial will be held later this term. This will be a pathway towards inclusion in the All Schools Competition later in the year.
Opens Rugby League
Our Opens League side is playing a trial match at 2.00pm against Ipswich SHS tomorrow. You are welcome to view from the ERCC grandstand and help cheer on the boys.
Walters Cup Qualifier
The Walters Cup Qualfier sees us vs Stretton this week. The game plan is simple - win and progress. Best of luck to Mr Koina and his squad of U15s.
Last week saw the side secure a win against Mabel Pak State High School. The score was 22 to 16. Jake Durie was the Man of the Match who scored three points. Tom Dettori scored two points and Noah Rogers scored one point.
Struddy's Competition
The Struddy’s Competition kicked off with the boys travelling to BellBird SHS last week. It was great to see the boys getting amongst it and playing some quality football.
The boys have a break now and will play against Woodridge in Week 7.
Round 1 Results
Loss | Grade 7 | St Mary’s College | 18 | BellBird SHS | 26 |
Loss | Grade 8 | St Mary’s College | 22 | BellBird SHS | 24 |
Win | Grade 9 | St Mary’s College | 20 | BellBird SHS | 14 |
Round 2 Results
Loss | Grade 7 | St Mary’s College | 0 | Mabel Park SHS | 48 |
Loss | Grade 8 | St Mary’s College | 4 | Mabel Park SHS | 36 |
Loss | Grade 9 | St Mary’s College | 6 | Mabel Park SHS | 22 |
Bill Turner Cup
Bill Turner Cup was a hotly contested event this year. Thank you to Mr Weise and Mrs Joyce for taking the boys out last Thursday.
The results were not good enough to see us progress but our young squad is looking promising for future games.
Loss | Bill Turner Cup | 0 | Harristown State High | 2 |
Win | Bill Turner Cup | 2 | Lowood State High | 0 |
Loss | Bill Turner Cup | 0 | Concordia College | 2 |
Cross Country Results
Cross Country Champions - 2021 | ||||
U10 - 2011 | House | Time | Record to beat | |
1 | Patrick Waters | McGoldrick | 8.19.36 | 2km |
2 | Xander Driscoll | Bowdler | 8.19.74 | Alastair MacLachlan |
3 | Jasper Eagleson | Waterford | 9.03.11 | 2018 |
8.02.73 | ||||
U11 - 2010 | ||||
1 | Ty Khomenko | Purcell | 12.26.65 | 3km |
2 | Lane Madden | Bowdler | 12.27.06 | Brock Smith |
3 | Jaxen Salmi | McGoldrick | 12.27.43 | 2015 |
12.02.66 | ||||
U12 - 2009 | ||||
1 | Oscar MacAvoy | Waterford | 12.35.18 | 3km |
2 | Lachlan Ottobrino | Waterford | 12.43.38 | Numbe Mzaliwa |
3 | Lachlan Parker | Waterford | 12.59.00 | 2015 |
12.10.00 | ||||
U13 - 2008 | ||||
1 | Finn Crockett | McGoldrick | 12.29 | 3km |
2 | Mohamed Haroun | Bowdler | 12.32 | Ben McGahan |
3 | Hayden Macready | Waterford | 12.57 | 2015 |
11.47.00 | ||||
U14 - 2007 | ||||
1 | Braithen Scott | Purcell | 16.47 | 4km |
2 | Fletcher Tate-Roache | Purcell | 17.14 | Jacob Madden |
3 | Harrison McCarthy | McGoldrick | 18.28 | 2018 |
15.08.36 | ||||
U15 - 2006 | ||||
1 | Jackson Carney | Purcell | 15.43 | 4km |
2 | Nikolai Bradley | Bowdler | 16.43 | Declan Trezise |
3 | Mitchell Prior | Waterford | 18.3 | 2017 |
14.42.30 | ||||
U16 - 2005 | ||||
1 | Ronan Delaney | Purcell | 16.01 | 4km |
2 | Lachlan Moore | Bowdler | 17.31 | Declan Trezise |
3 | Alastair King | McGoldrick | 20 | 2018 |
13.52.61 | ||||
OPEN - 2004 plus | ||||
1 | Scott Forknall | McGoldrick | 25.14 | 6km |
2 | John Ndabarishe | Purcell | 26.34 | Luke Betros |
3 | Bailey Fry | McGoldrick | 27.35 | 2015 |
23.36.00 | ||||
Orienteering
Last Tuesday, St Mary's College students Caelan Williams and Lachlan Moore participated in the Darling Downs Orienteering trials in Warwick.
The boys first attended a scatter sprint before participating in a long bush event. Caelan is to be commended on placing 7th on the sprint course and 6th on the bush event in the highly contested Junior Boys age group.
Lachlan was able to place 4th in both of his events with competitive times being presented alongside the rest of the senior boys results.
Approximately 47 students were in attendance at the trials, and from that crowd both boys have been selected in the DD team and will compete at the Queensland State Orienteering Championships on 24th and 25th July.
If you are interested in starting Orienteering, please do not hesitate to get in contact with Mr Parker or either of the students who have finely represented the College. Let us congratulate the boys again on their efforts.
Library
Library & Information Week
Every year in May, libraries and information services throughout Australia showcase their resources and services to their communities, through programs and events. At SMC, this is the week where we celebrate the services that school libraries provide to their staff and students, as well as being an opportunity to learn more about the important role of a library in a school setting. During this time, we reflect and build awareness of the broader range of the library and information services and how we promote these in our community.
This year’s theme is “Adventures in Space and Time”, which ties in nicely with libraries being places of adventure, with books taking readers to different places and times. Students, who connect with libraries through books, take a journey, whether it's in search of specific information, browsing through the relevant collections, or coming together with others to learn something new. Modern libraries are now meeting places, new, innovative and inspiring building spaces, where learning occurs both physically and virtually, and where students can interact and stay connected to information and each other. So, during this week, connect with your libraries, and take an adventure - in space and time!
SMC Library & Information Week Program
Due to the huge success of our previous Book Trivia competitions, during this week we will be holding Book Trivia Competitions in the library, with the different year levels, to make it more equitable. There will also be activities, such as space quizzes, during the primary library classes relating to the theme.
Date | Library Activity |
Mon 17-5-21 | Creating a bookmark, Colouring-in/drawing activities |
Tues 18-5-21 | Years 5-6 Book Trivia Competition – students sign up in groups of four, sign-up sheets in the library, prizes to be won. |
Wed 19-5-21 | Hangman Competition – sign-up sheets in the library, prizes to be won. |
Thurs 20-5-21 | Years 7-9 Book Trivia Competition – students sign up in groups of four, sign-up sheets in the library, prizes to be won. |
Friday 21-5-21 | Years 10-12 vs Staff Book Trivia Competition – students/staff sign up in groups of four, sign-up sheets in the library, prizes to be won. |
Overdue Library Resources
Please remind your son(s) to keep up-to-date with library loans through the Library Web App, where they can see overdue items. Students are emailed overdue loans weekly and we ask that this be actioned as soon as possible. Students can either renew or return their overdue library items. Any overdue library items, that were billed during the last week of term, may be returned to the library by Friday 30th April 2021 to receive a refund. Your help with this is much appreciated!
Mrs Gemma Tracy, Teacher Librarian - tracyg@stmaryscollege.com
"It is an awfully sad misconception that librarians simply check books in and out. The library is the heart of a school, and without a librarian, it is but an empty shell."
- Jarrett J. Krosoczka (Author)
The Hub
Support is available to all students who require assistance with homework, assignments or reviewing current class work. Support is available with Mr Roy in the Hub every morning before school from 7.30am and at both lunch breaks each day. There will also be an after school support session every Thursday afternoon from 3.05pm until 4.00pm. Should special circumstances occur, times can be varied according to need so please contact Dave Roy on 07 4631 7333, so that a suitable time can be negotiated.
Maths Competition
On Tuesday 4th May, sixteen young brave mathematicians ventured out to the Maths Team Challenge competition, competing against thirteen other schools within the district. These boys represented the College to a high standard. They displayed professionalism towards the other contestants throughout the day and demonstrated excellent sportsmanship to those teams that won the competition.
The boys participated in two rounds. The first round required students to complete a vast amount of challenging mathematics questions within a 45 minute time allocation. In the second round, teams competed in a relay style round whereby the boys split their teams in two, again completing questions, however in a rotation between the two groups.
Although these rounds presented challenges to the boys, they demonstrated their dedication and perseverance, doing all they could on the day.
Mr Canard and I are extremely proud of the boys’ efforts on the day and look forward to competing again next year.
Mr Benjamin Ingram & Mr Andrew Canard
House BBQs
All boys and their families are invited to our annual House BBQ - a chance to mix with other families and mentor teachers, have a bite to eat in Anzac Place and play a game of cricket on the Oval.
The College House BBQ is for SMC students only and their Parents/Carers.
Date: Wednesday 19th May 2021
Time: 3.30pm - 5.00pm
RSVP: Thursday 13th May 2021
Please click HERE to book tickets to this free event.
P&F Race Day
Save the date! The St Mary's College P&F Committee are organising a Race Day for the 11th September 2021.
A Race Day meeting will be held at Cafe 63 Wilsonton on Friday 4th June from 5.30pm. All are welcome.
St Mary's College Open Day
St Mary’s College is the leading Toowoomba boys’ school that provides an holistic Catholic education in the Edmund Rice tradition. At St Mary’s College, we empower students to be men of faith, integrity, action and excellence.
Join us for our 2021 Open Day on Sunday 23rd May.
There will be two guided tours. The first session is from 10.00am to 12.00pm and the second session will be held from 12.00pm to 2.00pm.
The tour will commence in the Edmund Rice Cultural Centre on the corner of Hill and Helen Street.
What can you expect:
- Listen to the Principal’s address
- Understand how we focus our learning to the way boys learn best
- View our outstanding facilities
- See our clear academic focus with interesting demonstrations and curricular displays
- Understand the care give to each individual boy
- Enjoy our Music, Art and Drama programs
- Understand the wonderful sporting opportunities on offer
We look forward to seeing you there! Bookings are essential. Register now on our website.
Tuckshop
Weekly Lunch Plan
The Weekly Lunch Plan has restarted. Please click on the following link to place an order: www.smcmeals.com
Please note the order window does not open until Wednesday afternoon, and will close Sunday evening at 8.00pm.
Sandra Kelly, Tuckshop Manager - kellys@stmaryscollege.com
Tuckshop Menu
