Term 3, Week 10, 14.09.2021

Principal News

Thank-you again for your support in a very busy and at times, disrupted term.  As a College, we are finding ways to communicate and keep people informed as we navigate our way through a school year that is again punctuated by the disruptions of the pandemic. 

NAPLAN

I wanted to spend this final newsletter for the term discussing NAPLAN and our results.  Overall, the story is mixed but I wanted to acknowledge the hard work of our boys and teaching staff in preparing for the exams, especially Ms Jade Love (Years 5 - 9 Director of Curriculum) and our Year 5, 7 and 9 teaching staff.  We understand that there are some areas for improvement and we will work hard in our preparation to address these areas. Individual results are being mailed and should arrive at your household this week.  Please let the office know if they do not arrive.

As our students progress through their school years, it is very important that checks are made along the way to see how well they are learning the essential skills of reading, writing and mathematics – skills that will set them upon the path to success as adults.

NAPLAN is a point-in-time assessment that allows parents to see how their child is progressing in literacy and numeracy against the national standard and compared with their peers throughout Australia. At the classroom level, NAPLAN provides additional information to support teachers’ professional judgement about student progress.

Federal, state and territory education ministers agreed to gradually transition to NAPLAN online by 2022. NAPLAN Online is a tailored test that adapts to student responses, providing better assessment and more precise results.  This year, St Mary's College participated in the Online version of NAPLAN and the test was appropriately conducted.

From my observations so far, I have not noticed any particular advantages or disadvantages in conducting NAPLAN Online versus a pen and paper style of test.

Regarding St Mary's NAPLAN results this year, the highlights are as follows:

• St Mary's College was above the National Mean in Reading (Years 5 and 7), Grammar and Numeracy (Year 7).
• We have demonstrated improvements in our Writing in Years 5 and 7.
• There is a question around our preparation for our Year 9 students leading into next year.

Reflection for the Week

My Australian Story - Masooma (Working as a Teacher Aide at St Mary's College)

My background

First of all I want to tell you about myself then about my life, what life was like for us in Pakistan, and why we left our homeland and came to Australia. 

My name is Masooma and I was born in Karachi, Pakistan. I have three brothers: I have no sister. I am the eldest of my siblings.  I am Muslim. I belong to the Hazara community. Hazara people are from Afghanistan. Almost all the people of Pakistan are Muslim. Isalm is the state religion of Pakistan and about 95%to 98% of Pakistanis are Muslim.  Pakistan has the second largest number of Muslims in the world after Indonesia. 

I am Shia Muslim.  Shia Muslims believe that Imams are leaders appointed  by God to Hazart Muhammad's successors.  Shia Muslims believe that Imams are inspired by God, are without sin and are infallible.  This means that they can interpret the teachings of the Qur'an without making any errors. 

My story

My father had his own business in Pakistan. My father used to send handmade carpets to foreign countries, including Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, etc. We were very happy and lived a good life. God gave us everything.

My father's business was going very well. My father wanted to expand his business. Suddenly after a few years, some unknown people started teasing my father.  We did not know who they were, but all they had to do was call the business people and ask for money. They called my Dad and said that if we did not give them money, they would pick up the children from school.

We didn't go to school for a few months. They kept bothering us. They kept harassing us. Eventually, my father, annoyed by the situation, sold his business and came to Australia by boat. When my father left Pakistan, we had no one to support us. My mother and I took care of all the household chores, until we came to Australia

When I applied for a job through Multicultural Australia, I got the opportunity to work at this school. I like St Mary's school environment, including the behaviour of the school staff and the children. I like it very much. If I get a job in this school in the future I will work hard.           

Islam

Shia Muslims can combine prayers to pray three times a day.  Shia prayers can often be identified by a small tablet of clay from a holy place (often Karabala) on which they place their forehead while bowing in prayer.

The lslamic calendar consists of 12 months, similar to the Gregorian calendar.  Shia Muslims prepare for the following months:

1. MUHHARRAM
2. RAMADAN

"Muhharram"

In itself this means "forbidden" and since it is considered to be holy, many Muslims use it as a period of prayer and reflection. ... Muharram also marks the anniversary of the battle of Karbala, where the Islamic prophet Muhammad's grandson Imam Hussain Ibn Ali was killed.

"Ramadan"

Ramaḍān, in Islam, is the ninth month of the Muslim calendar and the holy month of fasting.  It begins and ends with the appearance of the crescent moon.  God forgives the past sins of those who observe the holy month with fasting, prayer, and faithful intention.

Peace,

Mr Brendan Stewart - College Principal 

Student Engagement

Previously, I have made some recommendations to families about accessing advice on parenting, especially through the teenage years. A profile that I follow on Facebook is Linda Stade, an Australian educator based in Western Australia.

Linda posted this wonderful advice on her page last week and I thought it was worth sharing,  especially as we head in to the holiday break.

Another Facebook page that is worth following is Action for Happiness. A great one to look into if you are – like most of us - working on your personal well-being and trying to raise resilient and positive young people.

Mobile Phone Policy

The existing policy is in need of an update and we have been working on that over the last few months. The policies and practices of other schools have been considered, as well as our own observations of our young people, their interactions and their learning. The existing policy can be found on the College website.

If you would like to provide some feedback on this topic, please click on the below link:

Parent Feedback – Mobile Phone Policy

Mrs Samantha Parle, AP Student Engagement - parles@stmaryscollege.com

2022 Leadership Team

With great pleasure, we would like to announce the St Mary's College Captains for 2022. Joshua Somerfield has been named College Captain and the Lachlan Debel has been named College Vice-Captain. 

Joshua is a man of integrity and brings great energy and enthusiasm to the role, as well as many connections with the history and story of St Mary's College.

Lachlan is a man of faith and action, and brings enormous care and concern for others to the College.

Congratulations to Joshua and Lachlan! We wish you all the very best as you head into Year 12 in 2022.

2022 Primary Leaders

With great pleasure we would like to announce the St Mary's College Primary Leaders for 2022.

Congratulations to the following students:

• Primary Captain – Hamish Tomlinson
• Primary Vice-Captain: Mission, Identity & Student Voice – Charlie Wilson
• Primary Vice-Captain: Academic, Culture & Student Voice – Jasper Eagleson
• Primary Bowdler House Leader – Lane Madden
• Primary McGoldrick House Leader – Noah Betros
• Primary Purcell House Leader – Cameron Watt
• Primary Waterford House Leader – Leo Ellison

We would also like to recognise the students who applied for primary leadership positions this year. An exceptional group of 22 Year 5 students expressed interest and we are extremely proud of their efforts!

Term 4 - Mrs Chantler's Pink Day

The Hub

Support is available to all students who require assistance with homework, assignments or reviewing current classwork. Support is available with Mr Roy in the Hub every morning before school from 7.00am and at both lunch breaks. Support will also be available after school on Thursday afternoons from 3.05pm until 4.00pm. If you would like further information, please contact Dave Roy on 07 4631 7333.

Can you lend a helping hand?