S t M a r y ’ s C o l l e g e Sent to Proclaim the Gospel

Issue 3, Friday 4 March 2016

From the Principal

A huge “THANK YOU” to the many parents who responded so quickly to our Drop Off Zone request. The ease of traffic flow of a morning is excellent. Some people are still parking in the zone before 3.15pm and blocking other cars coming to pick up students. We will continue to seek your cooperation in this matter.

Women in Leadership Three significant school experiences in the last week have led me to focus on women in leadership.

On our first School Tour of the year, a fresh group of Year 10 Ushers hosted their first family campus tour groups. The girls were so obviously well prepared to speak about the school in an informed manner, exuded confidence and pride in their College, connecting relationally with the visitors that you would have thought they had been doing it for years. Rather it was their introduction to leadership responsibilities and persona.

The success of the Senior School SRC and SJ Executives’ weekend Leadership Induction on Sunday 21 February and the Leadership Planning Day for all Middle and Senior School Representatives on Tuesday 1 March, is testament to the students’ desire to lead and the enthusiasm for developing their leadership skills.

Such is the culture of leadership opportunity and engagement at St Mary’s that it gave me cause to reflect on the wider societal situation.

The 2010 Gender Equality Blueprint identified women in leadership as one of five key priority areas in achieving gender equality. Australian Sex Discrimination Commissioners have actively promoted the importance of women’s representation in decision-making roles in the community, government and business sectors.

Still, in virtually all sectors of the paid workforce, women are underrepresented in leadership positions.

As late as five years ago, women comprised 57.5% of all Commonwealth Public Service

employees and 35.3% of Government board appointments.

In Federal Parliament, three year old statistics tell us that women make up 24.7% of

elected positions in the House of Representatives and 38.2% of the Senate.[3]

Women account for over half of all academic staff in Australia[4], and make up 42% of

senior lecturing staff.

61.4% of all law graduates are female whereas [6] women hold only 22% of the most

senior positions in law firms (as partners, principals, directors or in sole practice).[7] In the Federal Court of Australia, women make up only 16% of the bench.[8]

22% of board directors in National Sports Organisations (NSOs) are women, and nearly

one in five NSOs have no women directors[9]

The statistics in corporate Australia showed that 8.4% of Board Directorships are held by

women.

Why are women in leadership a priority?

Gender disparity in Australian workplaces, such as the disparity between men and women in leadership roles, perpetuates existing stereotypes about the role of women, both at work and in wider society, and exacerbates gender pay inequity. Research has shown that having significant numbers of women in leadership positions encourages and sustains other women. The list of class representatives in this newsletter and the many leadership experience opportunities within the College across social justice, student council, sport, music, environmental groups, Big Sister programs, tour ushering, to name a few, allows us to see that many young women at St Mary’s are seeking leadership engagement to offer their services to this community and assess their capabilities to plan future pathways. NO LACK OF STUDENT LEADERSHIP AT ST MARY’S COLLEGE!!!

S t M a r y ’s C o l l e g e 253 Franklin Street

ADELAIDE SA 5000

T:8216 5700 F:8216 5730

W: www.stmaryscollege.catholic.edu.au E: enquiries@stmaryscollege.catholic.edu.au

Eileen Young

Principal

Student Safety Alert

St Mary’s College, along with all other Catholic schools, has been asked by Catholic Education SA to circulate the following communication which contains pertinent reminders and advice with regard to student safety….

You may be aware of recent media reports regarding a number of student safety concerns that have occurred around schools. Such incidents have involved students being approached by strangers at the beginning and end of the school day.

All staff at St Mary’s College respond to such matters of student safety with the highest priority and safety policies and procedures are in place and regularly reviewed. When students are travelling to and from school or when they are unaccompanied, they are reminded to be particularly wary of approaches from strangers. Parents are key partners in issues of student safety and this is a timely opportunity to speak to your child about keeping safe. If your child is approached by a stranger, he/she should not respond and should not accept offers of rides or gifts. Students should seek the assistance of nearby adults if they feel unsafe and should report the event to a trusted adult (parent or school staff member) as soon as possible.

Schools are implementing the Keeping Safe – Child Protection Curriculum and a parent resource with strategies for you to discuss with your child/young person at home and additional information can be found on the CESA website.

If you have any concerns to report or would like to discuss this further, please do not hesitate to contact me.

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St Mary’s College, Issue 3, Friday 4 March 2016

2016 SRC SJ

Year 6 Luisa Baldino Millie Eden

Elisabetta Sicuro Keely Floreani

7B Sarah Freeze Lucinda Hulm

Charlotte Lawrie Laura Hisgrove

7G Joanna Gergawy Emily Dennis

Vasilia Antoniou Izabella Scott

8B Georgia Beddall Victoria Moore

Natalia Barbieri Emilia Barbaro

8G Sabrina Donato Tiana De Palo

Deanna Filosi Ruby Golley-Bogaerts

8R Abbey Hilder Bianca Albenese

Amelia Luke Lydia Castellucci

8W Bridget Godfrey Caoilinn Murphy

Sabrina Wielgosz Zara Awramenko

8Y Taite Gomez Klarissa Balingit

Chloe Fennell Katelyn Rice

9B Kartia Altamura Georgette Signoriello

Rosie Cattrall Brinit Mathew

9G Catherine Stankevicius Georgia Sellman

Maxine Tsoukatos Jasmine Abbott

9R Sophie Teakle Teresa Kelly

Poppy Scaife Ruby Gomez

9W Caitlin Wyman Jess Robjohns

Siteri Lasainajiia Zoe Witkowski

9Y Tierney Duffy Megan Girdler

Hilary Thursby Annie Burgess

10R Simona Beric Holly-Mae Ellul

Stephanie Ursida Sophie Saville

10W Jade Bruno Hayley Brookes

Meg Toland Tayla Boydon

10Y Sinead Horsnell Steph Oxenham

Madelene Healy Matisse Chambers

11B Maria Labbozzetta Alexandra Deluca

Dannica Montilla Sara Lacanale

11G Marie Khoury Annabelle Witkowski

Soreti Anderson Olivia Buchanan

11R Denise Driz Kate Godfrey

Hannah Hudson Bailie Sauerwald

11W Ashlee Rinna Christina Vincent

Grace Boyle Tiana Colangelo

11Y Chelsea Carruthers Natasha Bourke

Nicole Buchanan Ashley Horton

12B

Isabelle Haklar Sophie Heath Laura Saville

Isabella Lloyd Alyssa Grdovic

12G

Nicole Wilhelm Samantha Krznaric

Amie Kapusniak Monique Whitters Carlie De Donatis

12R

Caitlin Hegarty Tayla Petrilli

Sarina Cornforth Olivia Weyland Sophie Owen Ruby Cooper Sarah Iannace

12W

Tayla Conroy Stacey Inge Stephanie Girgolas Paige Stevens

Nicole Zientara Maddie Ireland Alexandra Gavrilidis

12Y Madeleine Green Jorden Petrilli

Claudia Brace Isabella Quek

10B Gabrielle Byrnes Eilis Murphy

Francesca Covino Grace Bresolin

10G Isabella Donato Charlotte Loy

Feier Yang Keira Davies

2016 Year 6-12 SRC Representatives

2016 Year 6-12 SJ Representatives

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St Mary’s College, Issue 3, Friday 4 March 2016

From the Deputy Principal: Student Wellbeing

As you are all aware, we have a very vibrant sporting and music programme, with a wide array of opportunities and experiences available for all students to undertake in these areas. What many of you may not be aware of, are the many other experiences/groups that staff offer for students as well, some of which are outlined below:

Unwind – Tuesday lunchtimes (B22)….students are invited to come

for a cuppa & unwind with a range of mindfulness activities.

E-Commit – Thursday lunchtime……as its name suggests, focuses

on environmental issues and concerns, and in particular, raising awareness and taking action. Earth Hour is coming up, which E-Commit will work with the school community on.

Writers Ink (Years 8 – 12) – Tuesdays and Thursdays 3:30 – 4:30pm

in the Library. For all budding writers and poets…..an opportunity for students to work on their writing & receive feedback, as well as visits to Writer’s Week and by visiting authors.

Book Club (Years 7 – 12): Thursday lunchtimes.

Maths & English Help – Monday & Tuesday lunchtimes (K11) and

Wednesday afterschool (Library)

Research Hub – Tuesday lunchtime & afterschool; Wednesday

before school & Friday before school & lunchtime……teacher support for all students undertaking the Research Project.

Knit Happens – Wednesday lunchtimes……knitting and crocheting,

no experience required.

Recently, I have been inspired by Charlotte Lawrie, one of our Year 7s, who after hearing Melinda Tankard-Reist speak during the Induction Days at the start of the year about the sexualisation of girls, approached me to start a Collective Shout group here at school. Charlotte visited each of the Year 7 classes and all of the Year 8s together at an assembly and shared her vision for the group and where the idea had come from. Collective Shout, modelled on Melinda’s own non-profit organisation of the same name, aims to raise awareness about different products/companies, etc, that sexually exploit girls & women, and organise campaigns to bring about change in these areas. This group will meet fortnightly on Fridays at lunchtime in M28, and is supported by a staff member and a representative from Melinda’s group. Charlotte’s enthusiasm and energy about starting such a group and her passion about this issue, is a great example of how girls take up leadership roles within St Mary’s College, empowered and confident within themselves to do so.

The above groups indicate a vibrancy about St Mary’s College, that not only supports students with their learning in a safe environment, but also

provides opportunities for students to take up issues and projects that relate to their passion and interests. This could not occur without the support and willingness of our dedicated staff who give up their own time to be involved with students in these areas. Lorna Starrs Deputy Principal: Student Wellbeing

SRC and SJ Leadership Day

SRC Report On Sunday 21 February, the St Mary's College Year 12 SRC representatives met at Thebarton Community Centre to begin planning for some of this year’s events as well as getting to know and understand each other’s individual strengths that can be used as part of the SRC in 2016.

The day began with a guest speaker, Paloma D’Addario, who was the 2012 College Captain at St Mary's. She spoke to us about what an SRC is, the difference between the role of Social Justice and SRC and also shared

with us her experience as a leader of the school. We then played some icebreakers followed by an introduction of our individual Character Strengths and a discussion of how these strengths can be best put together as leaders of the college. At lunch time we were given a challenge…..we received $75 to buy lunch for the whole team. This allowed us to work as a team and to take into consideration people's dietary requirements, time and money constraints, which taught us that in order to create a successful event or be a good leader we need to make sure that everyone is involved with our decisions.

After a fun lunch we began the planning stage. We got into smaller groups and started to plan some of the upcoming events such as the Years 6-12

Leadership Day and International Women's Day. All in all, Leadership Day was a good opportunity for the 2016 College leaders to bond and plan for the year ahead. Tayla Conroy College Captain

Social Justice Report On Sunday 21 February the Year 12 Social Justice Leaders met for an all-day leadership and workshop day at Thebarton Community Centre. The Year 12 representatives looked at specific aspects of social justice and focused on questions such as: what is justice and what is charity? The girls strongly believe these key points are important to discuss and to have in mind whilst working through the year, to help bring the community together over specific issues. To get Term 1 events started, plenty of hard work was put into constructing Project Compassion and Easter Raffle packages for all year levels. This task was completed with a great deal of excitement and fun.

The Workshop day, for the Year 12s, enabled them to bond as a year level through group brainstorming, discussion and event planning, as well as putting their efforts together to make a delicious lunch on a budget, as an exciting bonding activity.

This dedicated group of Year 12s also planned upcoming events for the year such as the annual Year 6-12 Leadership Day, held on Tuesday 1 March, where the Year 6 - 11 representatives will meet their Year 12 mentors and will enjoy a fun day of learning leadership skills and the true meaning of social justice.

The Year 12 Social Justice Leaders are now prepared and more excited than ever to take on their senior year with such an integral leadership position that brings the St Mary’s College community together.

Sarina Cornforth Social Justice Captain

St Mary’s College, Issue 3, Friday 4 March 2016

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Project compassion and Easter Raffle Launch

At 8.40 am last Monday morning, the St Mary’s College community gathered on Veritas Lawns to launch the 2016 Project Compassion and Easter Raffle. These two initiatives are undertaken throughout the college, under the guidance of the Social Justice Committee.

Caritas’ Project Compassion is an annual event which focusses on assisting the marginalised in our world. This year, the six focus countries are Malawi, Laos, Papua New Guinea, Indigenous Australia, Cambodia and India. Through these weekly focuses, students will gain an understanding and appreciation of how Caritas helps each country with the help of generous donations.

All care groups have been invited to gain an understanding and empathy on how each of these countries can “Learn More to Create Change” in their communities.

The annual Easter Raffle is approaching fast…less than four weeks to go!

We need your help to make this year’s Easter Raffle a success by continuing to purchase tickets and donating items for the raffle such as chocolate, business vouchers, toys, baskets, ribbon and cellophane.

All money raised goes towards the projects that the Year 11 2016 pilgrims will be involved in whilst in Cambodia and Vietnam. All donations are greatly appreciated and vital to continue helping our brothers and sisters in Vietnam and Cambodia. The raffle will be drawn at school during lunchtime on Holy Thursday.

Sarina Cornforth Social Justice Coordintor

From the Federation of Catholic School Parent Communities

Family Support During Year 12

There is no doubt that Year 12 can be demanding, sometimes stressful, but also a very exciting year for both students and parents. You may have been through it yourself, or with other children, or this may be a whole new experience for you. You may be unsure about your role. You may have heard the buzz phrase ‘parental engagement’, but what does this actually look like in action during Year 12?

Last term, the Federation of Catholic School Parent Communities invited young people who were in Year 12 to complete an online survey to find out what it was their family did or said to support them during their final school year.

What they had to say was very powerful and we have captured their views in a new website resource for families - Family Support during Year 12 - What works and why does it matter?

This resource is available on the Federation’s website http://www.parentfederation.catholic.edu.au

Big Sister Gathering

On Friday 12 February, the Year 8 students and their Year 11 Big Sisters came together to enjoy an afternoon of ‘getting to know you’ games as part of the Big Sister program. Already many comments from Year 8 students

have shown how valuable the Big Sisters are, in assisting new students to the College feel welcome and comfortable in their new environment. I thank Ms Fiona Turner and all the Big Sisters for providing such a fun afternoon and for all their work in the Big Sister program.

Renee Irvine Director of Middle School

St Mary’s College, Issue 3, Friday 4 March 2016

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Small Business Enterprise

On Wednesday 17 February, the Year 12 Business class ran their first group small business venture called ‘Brownie Points”, selling home-made brownies. Students worked together to manufacture, market and sell their product. This proved to be a worthwhile experience for the students as it enabled them to begin to develop skills in all aspects of business opera-tions. Not only did they sell out in record time, but they ended up making a profit!

The students are now working towards setting up and operating their own small businesses. They are research-ing their business idea and completing their Business Plan. These young budding entrepreneurs will launch their businesses next term.

Christina Kilishiri Year 12 Business Enterprise Teacher

Music Department News

Music (in house) Camp Music Camp is always an excellent opportunity for the Music students to be exposed to and start learning repertoire for the year. It is a very important few days, particularly for the girls heading to Mt Gambier for Generations in Jazz at the beginning of Term 2. Music Camp was a little bit different as this year’s camp was held at the College rather than Longwood, but the set up at the College worked perfectly and was an awesome kick start to the year!

It was also a great opportunity for all Music students to get to know each other, in particular bonding with girls in all year levels during rehearsals, meal times and our sleep over night, where old scholars led us in fun games and activities before bed.

In all, Music Camp was a huge success, with every ensemble having at least one piece to perform to friends and family at the informal concert held on Saturday morning.

We couldn't have asked for a better start to this year as members of the Music Department and we all look forward to what is to come during 2016!

Adelaide Fringe Comes to St Mary’s On Thursday 18 and Friday 19 February, as part of the Adelaide Fringe Festival 2016, ‘The Colours of Brazil’ was held in St Mary's College Centre for the Performing Arts.

Produced and directed by Charmaine Jones, the program featured musicians Eddie Gazani a well-known and talented guitarist/singer from Brazil, Fabian Hevia a percussionist from Chile (now based in Adelaide) as well as St Mary’s College Coordinator of Music, Mr Ben Chambers on Double Bass and on Saxophone, Instrumental Tutor, Mr James Deslandes. (Year 11 student, Nikki MacLucas also performed a special violin solo.)

Six vocal students: (Year 12s: Bella Couch, Teleisha Daly, Aichlinn Duffy, Alex Gavrilidis, Georgia Turner and Year 11, Annabelle Witkowski), were privileged enough to have Mrs Jones teach songs in Portuguese and then accompany and support students on stage along with the amazing musicians.

It was a great night of stunning songs, and accompanying stories, and had audience members very impressed with all that was offered within the program. The show was a huge success, and a valuable opportunity for the girls involved to perform in this musical setting. It was a very memorable experience that all students were very grateful for, and we look forward to using some of the amazing repertoire we learnt and performed for other musical events in the future.

Thank you to all those people involved in this event. We students know how very lucky we are to have the opportunity to be a part of such events. A big thank you to Mrs Charmaine Jones, who continues to believe in our

abilities as performers!

Alex Gavrilidis Student Coordinator of Music Stephanie Girgolas

E V E N T C A L E N D A R

March

5 Year 11 & 12 Dinner Dance

9 Year 8 Parent Twilight Gathering

14 Adelaide Cup—Public Holiday

15 Year 8 Vaccinations

16 Catholic Secondary Schools’ Swimming Carnival—Aquatic Centre

17-18 Year 11 Retreat—Encounter Centre

22 Catholic Primary Schools’ Swimming Carnival - Burnside

25 Good Friday

28 Easter Monday

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St Mary’s College, Issue 3, Friday 4 March 2016

Year 8 Camp On Wednesday 17 February, 114 excited students and 10 just as excited staff headed off to Victor Harbor for the Year 8 Camp. Day one was spent at Greenhills Adventure Park, for the last time, as the Park will be closing down this year. The girls made the most of this final opportunity, enjoying the waterslides despite the less than warm conditions, the paddle boats, dry slides, archery and the maze. In the evening we went for a walk along the shoreline and played some fun games in the park.

The Big Sisters joined us on Thursday for a day of sand castle competitions, team building games and class versus class games. This year, the Year 8 cohort are certainly competitive and they joined in every game with enthusiasm. The annual camp quiz was another example of the zest and sense of joy these girls bring to life. The neighbours must have thought there was a rock concert in town, the girls sang so loud!

The final day was spent watching an inspirational film, “Soul Surfer” which gave the girls an insight into the courage and perseverance of Bethany Hamilton. Hopefully they take away the message that they are capable of great things.

We finished the camp with a relaxing yoga session, led by Ms Haegi before heading back to Adelaide - tired, yet with plenty of new friendships made. A huge thank you to all the staff who came along on camp and supported the girls in what was a most memorable time away.

Renee Irvine Director of Middle School

St Mary’s College, Issue 3, Friday 4 March 2016

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The Effective Living Centre has run Positive Parenting Courses for a number of years, supported by the Unley City Council. The program is as follows:

Wednesday 2 March: Talk so Kids will Listen and Listen so Kids will Talk

– Donna Broadhurst

Wednesday 16 March: Understanding your Child’s Temperament –

Donna Broadhurst

Wednesday 30 March: Managing Anger in Children – Donna Broadhurst

Wednesday 6 April: Talk so Teens will Listen and Listen so Teens will

Talk – Vina Hotich

All sessions run from 7.30 -9.30pm at 26 King William Rd, Wayville Cost $15 adult, $12 Conc, $10 ELC Friend, $ 24 per Couple

Further information on the full year’s program and how to book at www.effectiveliving.org or by email office@effectiveliving.org

POSITIVE PARENTING COURSES

ECOMMIT announces

Earth Hour

Earth Hour is an annual event organised by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and volunteer organisations around the world. It aims to encourage an interconnected global community to share the opportunities and challenges of creating a sustainable world. Earth Hour was famously started as a lights-off event in Sydney in 2007. Since then it has grown to engage more than 7000 cities and towns worldwide. The one-hour lights-off event continues to remain the key driver of the now larger movement.

This year, St Mary’s College will be participating in a mini-Earth Hour on Friday 18 March during morning Care Group. Students and teachers will be encouraged to turn off all non-essential lights and electronic devices from

8:40 am to 9 am. We hope to draw attention to the issues of climate change affecting the places we love in Australia.

For more information on Earth Hour, visit http://earthhour.org.au/

Feier Yang Year 10, Ecommit

Maths Challenge - Years 3 to 10

A great opportunity to try some problem-solving in a supportive and relaxed environment!!

Students from Years 3 to 10 are invited to participate in the Mathematics Challenge for Young Australians (MCYA). This is a problem-solving activity organised by the Australian Mathematics Trust, which is aimed at the top 15% of students in their year level.

The MCYA Challenge will take place over three weeks in early Term 2. An introduction session, at which students receive a problem book, and then three weekly meetings will be held. There are separate problem books for Middle Primary (Year 3–4), Upper Primary (Year 5–6), Junior (Year 7–8) and Intermediate (Year 9–10) students. It comprises four problems for students in the primary levels and six problems for students in the Junior and Intermediate levels.

Students are required to present written solutions to as many of these problems as they can. The problems are challenging and require time and persistence, but are based on mathematics which should be known at that level. Students in the Junior and Intermediate levels may work with a partner on two of the problems, students in the Primary level may work in groups of up to three on all the problems. Individual solutions must be submitted.

Costs: $18.15 per student (Years 3–6) & $25.30 per student (Years 7–10)

The Maths Challenge encourages and fosters a greater interest in and awareness of the power of mathematics and the joy of solving interesting mathematical problems!

Please see your Maths teacher for a registration form.

For further information, contact Ms Julianne Price (Maths Coordinator) jprice@stmaryscollege.catholic.edu.au

Mini Marys 2016

You may have noticed new posters around the Junior School and tuckshop. These are the work of our Mini Marys, a group of Junior School girls committed to building the Faith of Life through Active Service.

Every fortnight we meet to be inspired through prayer to plan our next step in the call to Laudato Sì – caring for our St Mary’s environment.

Our first action this year has been to form the Garbage Gophers. These girls, with tongs and bucket and bright yellow visi-vests, encourage everyone to grab a bucket and make sure our space is kept beautiful and litter free.

So keep an eye out for more Mini Mary’s initiatives this term.

Anne Soldan Mini Mary’s Coordinator

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St Mary’s College, Issue 3, Friday 4 March 2016

St Mary’s College Absentee Phone Line : 8216 5716

Please telephone before 9.30 am if your daughter is absent

St Mary’s College Uniform Shop : 8216 5719

Opening times - Monday 8.00 am - 11.00 am Wednesday 1.00 pm - 4.00 pm Thursday 8.00 am - 11.00 am

St Mary’s College OSHC : 8216 5743

Welcome back to the 2016 School year. We’re delighted to be able to bring

you our Term 1 e-News.

This is the quarterly e-newsletter for parents and families from the Federation of Catholic School Parent Communities. In this jam-packed edition, find out more about…

Curriculum resources for parents

What the Federation actually does

Becoming a Federation Ambassador

How to report cyberbullying

How you know you’re in a Catholic school

Catholic Education Week 2016

Nominations for the 2016 Tom Ffrench awards for Family Engagement

Project Compassion 2016

Shefia Nemer – Khoury

Family support during Year 12

And so much more…..

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St Mary’s College, Issue 3, Friday 4 March 2016

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St Mary’s College, Issue 3, Friday 4 March 2016