SMC NEWS 2023 - Term 2, Week 3

Week Ahead

From the College Principal

Academic Focus - How to approach assignments at secondary school 

At this time of the term, it is very important that students from all year levels start getting prepared for assignments that will inevitably be issued in the coming days and weeks. 

Assignments in the Australian Curriculum, and at St Mary's College, are about completing a successful draft by answering the question properly and then improving the writing for the final submission.  Our teaching staff want to help your son!

It is my experience that boys who struggle with their assignments are normally not starting their assignments early enough.  Once students get into the habit of completing a solid draft, handing in for feedback, and then improving the assignment for the final, then grades tend to improve.  We have instituted the AIC (Academic Integrity Centre) only for those students who do not demonstrate enough effort on the draft they are submitting.  The AIC is NOT for those students who are giving their best effort. 

As a reminder, all students and families should be aware that learning is our first priority.  It is not possible to represent the College outside the classroom if students do not provide a reasonable effort on assignments or other school academic work.

Please encourage your sons to work very hard on their assignments in the coming weeks.

Cross Country and Anzac Day

We conducted two huge events over the past week and at the risk of missing people, I wanted to thank a few of our valuable staff.  A big thank you to the Identity Team, led by Kev Murphy and Lucia Armstrong, for their work with our Anzac Day commemoration.  It was wonderful again to see the support of the Old Boys at the College for this ceremony -  they are welcome back every year!  The postponed St Mary's College Cross Country was conducted over the school campus last Friday for the first time and was a great success.  My thanks go to the Director of Sport, Scott Cowan and his team of Nicole Hardy and Hugh Sedger.  It was great to see students from all year levels giving the new course a workout!  My thanks also to the Property and Maintenance team of Damien Fry, David Beachamp and Brendan Duerloo for all of the logistics required.  Thanks also to the College teaching staff for their energy on the day.

Have a wonderful week,

Deputy Principal

Exams and Study Advice 

Our Year 11 and 12 students have a number of examinations coming up. It is timely to reflect on their study habits. It is essential that students use their time well and develop effective study techniques. This will help them enjoy the learning process and feel that they are being rewarded for the time spent on study. A summary of the advice is detailed below:

1. Don’t cram: Ideally students should break study time into 30–50 minute breaks, with short rests in between. This is an effective way to ensure that the brain continues to work at its optimum level. Longer time periods will result in a loss of concentration and inefficient use of time.

2. Set achievement goals: Research shows that students should aim to achieve something in each study session, rather than aim for a time limit. Working for 45 minutes is not an achievement. Decide on a task or tasks that would feasibly take approximately 45 minutes, and then aim to complete the work to the highest standard. This might be perfecting one or more specific skills or processes, developing some better ideas for written work, or learning a set of facts or a system. These are achievements.

3. Practice test questions: Research shows that posing and practicing questions is a very effective mechanism for developing understanding and creating a long term memory, as opposed to summarising and reading notes. It is important to work under some pressure in order to develop the ability to respond to questions with accuracy and precision.

4. Do something active every day: Regular exercise and activity improves blood flow, relieves stress and improves memory. Research shows that exercise assists with the development of a sharper memory and thinking skills. Endorphins that are released through exercise that make you feel better are the same ones that help you concentrate, and stimulate the growth of new brain cells.

5. Get plenty of rest and sleep: Working for too long can be detrimental to performance. Periods of deep sleep are when the brain consolidates the events and learning experiences from the day and creates long term memory. Without appropriate sleep, most work or study done that day will be forgotten.

Mr Stephen Monk
Deputy Principal
monks@stmaryscollege.com

Identity

Mentor Liturgies 

Mentor liturgies resume this week. Classes involved are McGoldrick 9 and 10, and Bowdler 1 and 2.

Bowdler 3-10 will have their liturgies in weeks 5 and 7.

Mentor classes are the bedrock of St Mary’s College and these mentor liturgies give the boys a chance to connect with their own sense of spirituality with their peers.

This is an area of themselves that boys may sometimes overlook, and these events are a safe space for them to connect with something bigger than themselves.

Liturgies are prepared and planned by the boys in conjunction with their mentor teacher and are led by a specialist member of staff who are trained in delivering these experiences.

This gives real meaning and ownership of the ritual, which hopefully has some lasting effect on the way the boys connect with the world.

Please consider discussing the mentor liturgies with your sons, and if you have any feedback please get in touch.

Mr Kevin Murphy
Assistant Principal Identity
murphyk@stmaryscollege.com

Curriculum

ChatGPT

When I first saw the capability of ChatGPT at the end of last year, I experienced a similar wave of curiosity and concern as mentioned in the article below.  It raised so many questions about how we conduct assessments and how we can ensure student authorship going forward.  What skills will our students lose by using this app?  How will we police its use?  Like many educational organisations, we blocked it on students’ devices knowing full well that this is a somewhat futile resistance to its use by students.  They have access to their phones, and home devices and will always find a way to access it if they so choose.  There is a significant amount of research currently being conducted into the use of ChatGPT in educational settings and I found the following article interesting.  It concludes with the sentiment that we need to withhold quick judgement on the use of AI chatbots in the classroom and fully explore their use.

https://www.technologyreview.com/2023/04/06/1071059/chatgpt-change-not-destroy-education-openai/

Mr Mark Watson
Assistant Principal Curriculum
watsonm@stmaryscollege.com

Student Engagement

EREA Touchstone of Justice and Solidarity

The communication theme for this term is our EREA Touchstone of Justice and Solidarity. In Assembly at the moment, we are unpacking the concept of justice and considering what is ‘fair’.

“That’s not fair!” is a commonly heard phrase around the school yard, and probably in your homes as well. We are challenging the boys to consider the idea of fairness and look for those in our community who are not treated fairly. In particular, we are looking at the idea that ‘fair’ is not always the same as ‘equal’. As teenagers, our boys can tend to look at the world through their own eyes and be ignorant of the situations that others experience. If we can encourage our young men to be curious about the world around them, they can develop a fuller sense of ‘what is fair’.

House Points Competition

The House Points competition continues to be watched with many keen eyes – Purcell took the prize at Cross Country last week AND continue to be on top in the points for Term 2.

Boys can earn House Points via Merits (2 points per Merit) as well as through their involvement in activities at school – such as participation in chess, musical or a sporting team. Twenty lucky boys were recognised at Assembly on Tuesday for earning Merits in the first two weeks of term – well done boys!

Mrs Samantha Parle
Assistant Principal Student Engagement
parles@stmaryscollege.com

Business Manager

As we progress through Term 2, we trust that you should have received your Term 2 invoice and the April statement, reflecting your overall balance. If, for any reason you have not received these documents, please do not hesitate to contact our accounts department at accounts@stmaryscollege.com. They will be more than happy to assist you by sending these through.

We understand that the payment of school fees can be a challenge for some families, and we are here to help. If you are experiencing any financial difficulties, please know that you can contact me personally in in confidence and we can discuss payment plans and financial            concessions available.

Mr Patrick Wilson
Business Manager
wilsonp@stmaryscollege.com

New Parent Portal App

We are excited to announce that our new Parent Portal App is now available for parents to access.

To access the app please follow these steps:

• Open App Store or Google Play
• Search "St Mary's Toowoomba"
• Download the app (picture below)

The app includes important information and a live calendar with event information, that will act as our point of truth moving forward.