Newsletter 18.24 - Friday 1 November 2024

Principal's Message

Dear Parents/Carers and Community Members,

Celebrating Our Senior Students: Honouring Year 12 Graduates and the Rising Leaders of Year 11

Congratulations to our remarkable fifth cohort of Year 12 students, who have completed or are soon to complete their HSC journey. Their time at St. Mary’s has been defined by maturity, diligence, and a positive outlook, setting a powerful example for all. Their leadership has extended beyond academics, fostering social and spiritual growth that has left an enduring mark on our school community. Their legacy will continue to inspire those who follow in their footsteps. We look forward to celebrating their achievements alongside their proud families at NEX on Tuesday, 12 November. While we will greatly miss their presence, we are confident they are on the path to remarkable success. May their journey ahead be filled with triumph and fulfillment.

I had the fortune of celebrating the achievements of our Year 11 students at their Awards Ceremony this week. The ceremony was a wonderful celebration of their hard work, dedication, and resilience. I made mention to this cohort of their new responsibility helping build our college community and preparing to take on the leadership mantle as the Class of 2025. We look forward to seeing how they continue this legacy and rise to the challenge of making a lasting impact.

New Staff Update

I am delighted to introduce new teaching staff who will be joining us in 2025. We were fortunate to receive an impressive pool of high-quality applicants across all areas, and we are confident that these educators will bring valuable skills and qualities to enhance our community at St Mary’s. We look forward to the impact they will have in fostering the growth and development of our students. While all staffing decisions have been finalised, we will share further details as soon as we are able on other staff who will also join our community in 2025.

Chantelle Lebrocq HSIE Teacher Fulltime Temporary Terms 1-3

After 30 years as an educator, Nathasha Convery will be having some well-earned time travelling abroad with her husband next year and return in Term 4. Chantelle Lebrocq will be replacing Natasha in her period of leave. Chantelle has been an invaluable addition to the HSIE faculty at St Mary’s over the past two terms, fulfilling both casual and block appointments with a high work ethic and a strong sense of teamwork. As a dedicated team player, she has seamlessly integrated into the HSIE faculty, consistently supporting her colleagues, and contributing positively to our college community.

Jacqueline McInherny - RE Teacher Fulltime Permanent

Jacqueline has been an integral and collaborative member of the PDHPE faculty at St Mary’s since 2021, bringing strong teamwork skills and dedication to her role. Previously, she taught PDHPE at St Paul’s, Booragul, and St Catherine’s Catholic College, Singleton, since 2016. With her qualifications in Religious Education, Jacqueline is excited to transition into a new role as a permanent, fulltime member of the Religious Studies faculty, where she looks forward to contributing her expertise, passion, and collaborative spirit.

Wayne Caruana - RE Teacher Fulltime Temporary

This year, Wayne joined St Mary’s as a Religious Studies teacher, bringing a unique perspective as he transitions from a career in psychology to teaching. A man deeply rooted in his Catholic faith, Wayne is enthusiastic about his first year of full-time teaching in Religious Studies and looks forward to sharing his knowledge, insights, and faith journey with staff and students alike.

Simon Donohoe – English Teacher Fulltime Permanent

Simon joins us with extensive English teaching experience across a wide variety of Independent, Catholic, and Department schools across the state since 2011. Most recently Simon was appointed to St Francis Xavier College, Hamilton at the start of this year as a teacher of Studies of Religion 1 and 2, and Studies in Catholic Thought. Prior to this he taught English at all levels from Stage 4 to Stage 6 Extension 2. Simon looks forward to joining the vibrant welcoming community of St Mary’s.

Bonnie Chen - Mathematics Teacher Fulltime Permanent

Bonnie joins us with teaching experience, most recently from St Bede’s Catholic College, Chisholm, and previously from Hennessy Catholic College in Young. She brings proven success in teaching students across a wide range of abilities, from lower-level classes to accelerated courses. Bonnie has experience in teaching Stage 6 Mathematics, Extension 1, and Extension 2, where her students achieved outstanding results. Bonnie is excited to become part of the mathematics faculty and contributing to the St Mary’s community as a whole.

Leah McGovern - Science Teacher Fulltime Temporary

Leah has been a collaborative member of the St Mary’s Science faculty since 2023. Prior to this, Leah had been working as a Mathematics-Science teacher at West Wallsend High school since 2017, and she had been a casual teacher across various state schools within the region. With a background in Stage 4-5 Science and qualifications in senior subjects including Earth & Environmental Science, Physics, and Chemistry, Leah brings both expertise and commitment to student growth. Leah is eager to continue supporting our students' spiritual, emotional, and academic development as a valued member of our community.

Zac Rediger PDHPE Teacher Fulltime Temporary

Zac joined St Mary’s in July as a temporary 0.8 FTE PDHPE teacher and has quickly become a valued member of the faculty, bringing a wealth of skills and a collaborative spirit to the team. With prior experience teaching PDHPE at Tomaree, and Singleton High Schools, as well as four years as a Group Leader with the NSW Office for Sport delivering programs for children with diverse needs, Zac has seamlessly integrated into our community. He is excited to continue with us in 2025 as a full-time temporary member of the PDHPE faculty.

Julia Calver Visual Arts 0.6FTE Temporary

Since 2018, Julia has been a dedicated member of our teaching staff, serving in both temporary part-time and casual roles. Her teaching journey also includes valuable experience at Cobar High School and Kurri Kurri High School, and prior to that, she contributed as a casual teacher and a temporary full-time teacher in the Visual Arts department here at St Mary’s. Julia brings extensive knowledge of our students and staff, along with exceptional expertise in Visual Arts. Beyond the classroom, she enriches college life through her involvement in coaching sports teams, supporting Ministry, and leading Roll-call classes. Julia is thrilled to continue being an integral part of the St Mary’s community in 2025.

We wish all these teachers well in their appointments for 2025. We will again share news of more appointments in upcoming newsletters.

Year 11 Parent, Student, Teacher Conferences

It was wonderful to meet so many families at the recent parent, student, teacher conferences and to engage in conversations centered on their child’s learning. As the primary educators, parents play a vital role in their child’s success. When parents actively show interest in their child’s education; discussing progress, areas for growth, and setting goal, they create a strong foundation that supports their child’s learning and development. This partnership between home and school is crucial, fostering an environment where each student is encouraged to reach their full potential.

Parent and Carer Engagement Evening

We will be hosting a Parent Forum on Wednesday 27 November commencing at 5.45pm with tea/coffee and concluding at 7.00pm. The event will be held in the College Cafe and all parents and carers are warmly welcome. We will again offer a hybrid model where we will have a mix of those who are present in person and some who will access this evening online. A link will be sent to the community on the date of the event via Compass so you will have access to the evening. Members of the College Senior Leadership Team will be present to give parents an update and our key-note speaker will be Cathy O’Gorman (Assistant Principal Teaching and Learning) who will present on student learning at St Mary’s.

A reminder that this evening is an alternative model to a Parents and Friends Association, which some may be more familiar with. The aim of the forum is to maximise parent/carer engagement with the College. There is no requirement to be on a sub-committee and we thank both Michelle Burns and Tonee Summerville for their support as parent representatives who are the communicative body between the school and the parents.

Kind regards

Brett Donohoe - Principal

Key Dates

Two weeks at a glance - Weeks 4 and 5 - Term 4

Assistant Principal - Wellbeing

Reminder: Respectful Relationship Event

A reminder about our Respectful Relationships event. Detailed information has been shared on Compass for the event for parents and carers, as well as the student sessions years 7-11. Parents and Carers are invited to a special event hosted by St Mary’s Catholic College on Wednesday 6:00 – 7:30 pm 13^th November 2024. Melinda Tankard Reist is a renowned author, speaker, media commentator and advocate for young people. She will be discussing, Navigating a sexed-up world: How can we help our young people resist harmful messages from media and pop culture and aspire to respectful relationships. More information is attached. and please RSVP using the details below.

Ben Frize - Assisant Principal

Year 10 Examination Timetable

Religious Education

Yr 10 Diocesan Religion Literacy: Celebration of Results!

Every year, students in Year 10 complete a Maitland-Newcastle Diocesan wide exam on their knowledge and understanding and application of the Religious Studies Syllabus and their competency in using religious terminology and content in written form.  

In the recent Year 10 Religious Literacy Exam, completed in Term 3, students from St Mary’s were recognised for their high level of achievement and achieving a mark above the religious literacy standard. This exam tested the student’s knowledge and understanding of the units God and the Search for Meaning, Finding God in the Human Experience and Growing in Loving Relationships from the new Religion curriculum implemented this year.

Overall, the student’s collective results placed St. Mary’s second in the Maitland-Newcastle diocese, with a number of students in the top 10% of all Year 10 students in the dioceses. This is a significant achievement and reflects their dedication to learning, aspirations to do their best and engagement with their coursework. 

Additionally, the Year 10 cohort have shown significant growth in their Religion Literacy knowledge, understanding and application in comparison to their Year 8 results.

The Religion faculty and the Year 10 Religion teachers, Mrs Henderson, Mr Caruana and Miss Savovski would like to pass on their congratulations for the outstanding growth and achievement of all Year 10 students.

Congratulations to the following students:

Elizabeth Savovski - RE Faculty

Aboriginal Education

Year 7 Aboriginal Astronomy

Science classes in Yr 7 have been learning about Aboriginal Astronomy. Students have been learning about the ‘Emu in the Sky’ and how its position informs Aboriginal people of the seasons and times to collect emu eggs. They learnt about ‘The Three Brothers’ (Orion constellation)  and the ‘Story of the Sun and the Moon.’  Levi also taught the students the story of ‘The Blind Man and His Wife’.  Check out Alice O’Shannessy’s sketch!

Minimbah Local Area Land Council

Aboriginal students from Years 7-9 met this week with Alex from our local Minimbah Aboriginal Educational Consultative Group (AECG). Alex set the students on a pathway to explore establishing our own junior AECG in the future. More to come!

Awabakal Seasonal Calendar

The Awabakal Language Program have recently released an interactive Awabakal Seasonal Calendar for our area.

This Calendar is the culmination of years of monitoring country and months of research and community consultation with various groups, knowledge holders and local elders. This calendar will be living and as such will continue to grow with knowledge.  Have a look on: https://seasons.awabakallanguage.org.au/

Paul McKay, Levi Briggs and Roo Faulkner - Aboriginal Education Team

Sport

U16 Boys Rugby League

Last week, the U16 boys Rugby League 9s team competed in the NRL 9s Championships at Windale.

Throughout the day, the team was a dominating force, remaining undefeated in their pool games and showing exemplary skill and teamwork.

In their first game, the team played Newcastle High. From the start, the boys set the tone of the game with all players ripping in and giving it their all, eventually securing a 33 – 4 victory.

In their next game the team versed Irrawang High in what was a fast-paced and action-packed game. Through several powerful runs and bone crunching defence, the boys were victorious 29 - 11.

The boys then progressed to the Quarter Finals where they came up against Rutherford Tech High School. The game was an intense and nail-biting spectacle, with both teams going try for try and the lead repeatedly changing. Unfortunately, we were unable to come away with the victory with the final score ending up 22 - 15

All players were exceptional ambassadors for our College and are to be congratulated for their efforts as they played with great commitment and sportsmanship.

Notable mentions go to James H, George K, Nate L and Chayce A for their efforts throughout the day.

Finally, thank you to Mr Wilson for acting as assistant coach and high performance sports trainer throughout the day.

Kieren Knight - Coach

Canteen News

Due to unfortunate circumstances, we will be having a change of supplier for our pies and sausage rolls. However, we have sourced a delicious substitute! There will be no change in price to our customers, which we are very excited and happy about! There will also be some new surprises added over the next few weeks! 

Deb Tserepas - Canteen Supervisor