SMC NEWS 2023 - Term 4, Week 1

Week Ahead

From the College Principal

Welcome to Term 4!

Welcome back to all of our students and families this week! Our primary families especially will notice a number of improvements this term as we have invested in new furniture for their classrooms. We are also looking forward to finishing our  primary playground in the coming weeks ready for the second half of the term.

I hope Week 1 of Term 4 commenced well for all students. Being back in familiar surroundings and to the routines of attending school will be a relief for many families - and students.  May Term 4 bring great success to every student and may they reach their true potential.

Term 3 Interim Reports

Most importantly, if you have not had an opportunity to view your son's Interim Report on Sentral, please do so at your earliest convenience. These results, apart from being an important marker in assessing progress, are the final piece in the puzzle for the College's academic awards for 2023. I am happy to say that the reports are a strong reflection of the progress that your son is making this term and year.  If you have any queries about the report, please do not hesitate to contact Mr Mark Watson, our AP Curriculum, at the College.

Please be aware of the email sent in the last week of Term 3 about the reports. If for any reason you cannot access your son's report, please advise the office who will be able to assist.

Student Leaders for 2024

Recently, our students and staff were consulted about selecting student leaders for 2024.  Please see the final list below.  Congratulations to all of the successful students and families!  These boys are a motivated group, ready to strengthen and improve the school even further! I am looking forward to working with these young men in the coming weeks.

Reflection this week

A Prayer for our Year 12 Students to Mary

As you would be aware, this is a critical time for our Year 12 students in preparation for ATAR exams and final assessment in the coming weeks.  I would like to offer a prayer of support to our boys and ask for the intervention of St Mary in the critical weeks in the preparation for exams. 

I look forward to congratulating our students in the coming weeks as their final chapter at the College comes to an end.

Dear Mary,

Keep our Year 12 boys and staff in your care in the coming days in exam and final assessments.

Hail Mary full of Grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus. Holy Mary Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.

Live Jesus in our Hearts,

Forever.

Mr Brendan Stewart
College Principal

Deputy Principal

Aggregation of Marginal Gains

Welcome back to Term 4. We are hitting the ground running and it is important our boys make a great start this week. It is important we get the little things right and this reminds me of the work of Dave Brailsford and his impact on the British professional cycling team, Team Sky. In 2010 when Dave Brailsford took over as General Manager and Performance Director, no British cyclist had ever won the Tour de France. Using a concept called ‘aggregation of marginal gains’, he believed he could take Team Sky to a position where they could win the Tour De France in five years. To do this, the team was to focus on getting small seemingly insignificant improvement in everything they did. Brailsford believed a lot of small gains would add up to a remarkable improvement. He started with things like nutrition, ergonomics of bike seats, and weight of tires, the obvious areas to start. But he did not stop there. Brailsford looked for the one percenters in all places, examples include discovering the pillow that offered the best sleep and taking it with the cyclists to hotels, testing for the most effective type of massage gel, and teaching cyclists the best way to wash their hands to avoid infection. Brialisford was wrong about taking five years. A Team Sky cyclist, Bradley Wiggins achieved the goal after three years in 2012. This was followed up by another Team Sky cyclist, Chris Froome winning in 2013. British cycling has gone on to be the dominating force in the cycling world.

The key takeaway for our students; we tend to overemphasise the impact of big decisions, whilst underestimating the value of the small seemingly insignificant decisions. Examples of small decisions or commitments our sons and daughters could do straight away include:

• Making a regular sacrosanct time for study each night and sticking to it

• Consistently spend a few minutes reviewing new content from class each day

• Start assignments early and focus on regular incremental progress

• Go to bed at the same time each night and make sure they are adequately rested for each new day

It is timely to leave you with a quote from American Businessman Jim Rohn, “Success is nothing more than a few simple disciplines, practiced everyday”.

Mr Stephen Monk
Deputy Principal 
monks@stmaryscollege.com

Identity

Welcome back to Term 4

This week we inaugurated the first St Mary’s College Service Learning Awards. This was to recognise the outstanding service learning that has been done in the College since we introduced the Footsteps of Jesus program in Week 5 of Term 2.

In a short space of time, our boys have showed how remarkable they are in their compassion and awareness of the needs of others in their communities. The numbers are below:

• 966 verified service hours across all houses 
• 159 reflections completed 
• 82 students involved in logging hours
• 31 students were recognised for their efforts in serving their community

The Footsteps of Jesus program now resets and students can begin logging service hours for next years awards. Journaling is also a key part of the process. To achieve an award, some reflection is required.

Remember that service learning is anything which is unpaid, in a students own time and for the benefit of the community. If in doubt, students should log their hours and staff will verify.

Well done to all students who completed service hours and who were recognised this week!

Mr Kevin Murphy
Assistant Principal Identity
murphyk@stmaryscollege.com

Curriculum

Hybrid Learning - Future Opportunies 

A few exciting developments are taking place at Toowoomba Catholic Schools in the coming years and one of these is the opportunities afforded by Hybrid Learning in the Senior Years. 

There are a number of subjects that we currently do not run as the number of students selecting it are too low to run the class. By expanding to include all diocesan schools we will be able to expand our subject offerings. New subjects will be presented as part of our subject selection evenings in the future.

Mr Mark Watson
Assistant Principal Curriculum
watsonm@stmaryscollege.com

Director Years 5-9 Curriculum

Academic Awards

In Week 2, we will be able to recognise and celebrate students' academic success and engagement at our High Achiever and Commitment to Learning morning teas. Students who have met the criteria, based on their Term 3 Academic Reports, have now received an invitation via email. As outlined in Term 3 through our College newsletter, we have refined our Academic Awards criteria which is now as follows: 

 Commitment to Learning Award Criteria: 

• Maintain a minimum attendance rate of 95% (excluding medical absences)   
• Demonstrate "Very Good" or "Good" attributes in all aspects of their school life. No "Satisfactory" or "Needs Improvement" ratings will be considered. 

 High Achiever Award Criteria: 

• M-Score above 75% 

• Maintain a minimum attendance rate of 95% (excluding medical absences)   
• Demonstrate "Very Good" or "Good" attributes in all aspects of their school life. No "Satisfactory" or "Needs Improvement" ratings will be considered. 

*Students who meet the critiera for the High Achiever Award are not eligible for the Commitment to Learning Award.  

These events will occur on the dates listed below: 

Thursday 12th October: Commitment to Learning Morning Tea 

Friday 13th October: High Achiever Morning Tea 

We are looking forward to recognising and celebrating our students dedication towards their students at these events. 

Mrs Jade Love
Director of 5-9 Curriculum 
lovej@stmaryscollege.com

Student Engagement

Week 1 

I think I say it every year – but I really love Term 4! It’s such a busy and exciting time of the year and full of a string of wonderful celebrations. The Year 11 boys – our incoming leaders – will transition to our College Leaders in a few weeks and we will see them around the place with their Senior ties. Soon after, we will celebrate the many academic successes at our Presentation Night – the entertainment at SMC Presentation Night is legendary and I can confirm that the audience won’t be disappointed this year. The tail end of the term brings the departure of our Year 12 boys and then the graduation of our Year 6 boys to highschool.

Year 12 Families

This is a busy term and information will be coming directly to you this week – please note the dates in your diaries and make plans to celebrate your son’s achievement and success.

Merit Trip

Each year at St Mary’s College, we provide a reward for those students who have consistently demonstrated high standards in their role as an SMC student. The reward is the chance to spend the day at a theme park and referred to as the Merit Trip. There are two steps to be considered if your son is keen to attend the Merit Trip for 2023. The first step is to determine whether or not your son will be invited to attend. The criteria for boys to be invited on Merit Trip is from the Term 1, Term 2 and Term 3 report cards:

• All VG and G results for Behaviour for all subjects
• No N (Needs improvement) results for any subjects or learning behaviours
• No suspensions for the 2023 year
• An attendance rate over 85%

Boys will have a chance in Week 2 to work out whether they are eligible and to register that with their Mentor Teacher. Once the lists have been confirmed, families of invited boys will be asked to purchase their son’s ticket to Merit Trip. Please keep an eye out for further information regarding this process as the term rolls on.

Phones in 2024

Families are reminded that all students at St Mary’s College will be required to have their phones ‘off and away throughout the day’. This is in line with the standards set by Education Qld, as announced earlier this year. You should also note that this includes smart watches or other portable devices that allow for communication or notifications. If your son is in the habit of using his phone to pay for tuckshop at school, you will need to consider some alternative arrangements for 2024 as boys will not be allowed to access their phones to make purchases through the day.

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

Business Manager

School Fees

Welcome back to St Mary’s College and the final term of the year. As we approach the end of the year, please ensure that your school fees account is in order. Term 4 fee invoices were sent last week, and the September statement will be sent this Friday once receipting is complete. The term 4 fees are due in full by Thursday 12th October, unless you are on a payment plan.

If you have any concerns or questions on your account, please contact our  friendly accounts team on 4631 7333 or email accounts@stmaryscollege.com.

Mr Patrick Wilson
Business Manager
wilsonp@stmaryscollege.com