Newsletter 03.25 - Friday 7 March 2025

Principal's Message

Dear Parents/Carers and Community Members,

The Season of Lent: A Journey of Hope and Reflection

As we continue our Lenten journey, we are reminded of the importance of reflection, renewal, and preparation. At St Mary’s Catholic College, Lent is a time for us to deepen our faith and align our actions with the teachings of Jesus Christ. This season calls us to prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, inviting us to be pilgrims of hope.

Our Josephite tradition inspires us to serve others with love and humility. As pilgrims of hope, we are called to walk alongside those in need, offering compassion and support. Let us take this opportunity to strengthen our community, show kindness, and be the face of hope for one another. Through our collective efforts, we embody the College’s vision of learning, Growth, and hope.

International Women’s Day: Celebrating and Calling to Action

This week, we celebrated International Women’s Day 2025 with great joy and reflection. The theme for this year, Accelerate Action, challenges us to continue striving for a more inclusive and equitable world. Our celebrations brought together students, staff, and the inspiring presence of Sister Jan and Sister Brigid, whose legacy reminds us of the transformative power of education and the call to be people for others in service.

The event also highlighted the important role men play in advocating for gender equality, and we were heartened by the strong support and presence of male students and staff. Their commitment as allies and advocates shows the strength of our community in working together toward justice and equality.

We are proud to support two wonderful charities through our IWD celebrations — Mum’s Cottage and the Period Positivity initiative. These causes reflect our commitment to uplifting women and ensuring dignity and support for all. A special thank you to our senior students for their outstanding participation and enthusiasm. While the celebrations were remarkable, they also serve as a call to action. It is through our ongoing efforts and commitment that we will continue creating a more gender-equitable world.

Staffing Update

It is with great pleasure that we welcome Alice An to St Mary’s Catholic College in the position of temporary 0.6 FTE Languages teacher, replacing Clover Chatburn. Alice commenced on Tuesday, 4 March and brings a wealth of experience and passion for education.

Since 2023, Alice has been teaching at Newcastle Grammar School, where she has taught Japanese and Mathematics, and most recently worked in Learning Support with students with EALD while pursuing her Master of Leadership and Management in Education at Newcastle University. Prior to this, Alice spent three years teaching Japanese across DET schools.

Alice’s native language is Korean, which she is also qualified to teach. At St Mary’s, she will be teaching Japanese and sharing her deep passion for her Korean heritage, having previously led cultural clubs to help students become familiar with Korean culture. We are delighted to have Alice join our community and look forward to the wonderful contributions she will make.

Parent Engagement Forum: Strengthening Our Partnerships

Thank you to the strong contingent of parents who attended our recent Parent Engagement Forum. Your interest in the strategic direction of the College and our improvement plan in the domains of Catholic Identity, Learning, and Wellbeing is deeply appreciated.

I will soon be organising a meeting with four parent representatives to discuss our ongoing commitment to Family and Community Engagement (FACE) Forums for the remainder of the year. The diocese officially launched the new FACE forum last week, and we look forward to rolling this out across all schools. More details about this initiative will be shared in upcoming newsletters.

Thank you for your continued support and partnership in shaping the future of St Mary’s.

Kind regards,

Brett Donohoe - Principal

Key Dates

Two weeks at a glance

Ministry

Pilgrims of Hope

More than 1000 people joined together last Sunday to walk from Nobby's to the Sacred Heart Cathedral to launch the Catholic Church's Jubilee Year. Bishop Michael Kennedy was joined by community members from across the Catholic Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle who walked in together, celebrating everything they receive from God and offer the world.

After the pilgrimage, the Cathedral was overflowing for an inspiring and reflective Mass before everyone enjoyed a festival of family activities, free food, and connection. Pictures below show the St Mary's contingent enjoying a beautiful sunny morning together as Pilgrims of Hope.

Assistant Principal - Learning & Teaching

All Years 9 & 10 students will receive a hard copy of their Assessment Handbooks on Monday 10^th March and will have access to their 2025 Assessment Handbooks via the Student Portal under Assessment. Year 11 & 12 Handbooks are already available.

The handbooks contain all Assessment Schedules, calendars and due dates/weeks for our students.  Formal Assessment Dates are also visible on the Compass Calendar for students.

All students are expected to familiarise themselves with our Assessment Policies and Procedures.

An introduction for all Stage 5 students to the Handbook and our Policies will be held on Monday 10^th March during Roll Call/Period 1. We encourage parents and carers to read through the handbook with your child/children at home and ensure that they are familiar with their responsibilities and rights.

Cathy O'Gorman - Assistant Principal, Learning & Teaching

Assistant Principal - Wellbeing

Social Media & Comparison Culture

Year 7 and 10 Vaccinations

A friendly reminder that the Year 10 Vaccinations will take place on Wednesday 26 March. Please consent by using the information shown below. 

Year 7 vaccinations are scheduled for Wednesday 18 June 2025. Parents/carers of Year 7 students are also able to provide their consent through the QR code below.

If you are unable to consent electronically, please contact Student Services who will arrange for a paper consent to be given to your child to bring home. Without consent your child will not be vaccinated.

Extended Leave

Families of students who apply for extended leave during term time for 10 days or more must submit an Application for Extended Leave. This form can be found on Compass by clicking the 'More' button at the bottom right of the screen (phone App) then clicking on the 'School Documents' folder then 'Attendance Forms'. Once this form has been submitted and processed, you will receive notification of the outcome by email, sent via the Compass portal.

Year 11 Drama Theatresports Day

On Thursday March 6^th, Year 11 Drama students attended the Diocesan Theatresports day held at Trinity College. Henry Barnett, Matilda Sheather, Abbey Toshack, Chloe MacDonald, Chloe Griffin, Georgia Hogan, and Wendi Harris all performed with creativity, energy and great gusto! The students demonstrated support for students from junior years, encouraging them in their challenge of a series of short improvisation games. The day provided an opportunity for all students to deepen their understanding of what it means to be truly collaborative and skilled in ensemble work. Thank you, Year 11, for your energy and time. We are very proud of each of you!

Year 11 Leaders - Josephite Justice Workshop

On Wednesday 5^th March, Ariella Doyle, Angela Johnson and Kiara Barr of Year 11 took part in the Josephite Justice workshop focusing on advocacy and possible strategies for creating awareness and engagement of others in action in areas such as climate change and social justice.

In this online conference, the girls had the opportunity to meet with Sister Jan Barnett and two of the Josephite team, learning how to create slogans and social media posts that demand attention; how to construct an email to local members, politicians and significant members of the community when seeking support on a particular issue; and how to best conduct conversation and dialogue with those they are seeking to influence. All three students were outstanding ambassadors for the college - intelligent, articulate and passionate. Our community, and indeed, the world, are in safe hands!

University of Newcastle High Performing Students Program

Congratulations to the following Year 10 students who have been accepted into the University of Newcastle High Performing Students Program.

• Tom Chapman
• Victoria Chong
• Lillian Coddington
• Hayley Cummings
• Sheridan Owen
• Laura Smith

This program allows students to explore their academic interests, make informed career decisions, and get a head start on their university education, earning credits toward future University of Newcastle degrees. This year students have chosen to study a unit in the following areas.

• Globalisation and International Management
• Foundations of Health and Disease  
• Discrete Mathematics

These students were nominated by their Year 9 teachers in 2024.

We look forward to hearing more about their university studies.

Louise Henderson - Gifted Education Mentor

Mathematics

The Mathematics Department welcome all students, parents and caregivers to St Mary’s for 2025, and extends a warm welcome to our new faculty member, Mrs Bonnie Chen. Mrs Chen has worked previously at St Bede’s Catholic College, Chisholm, as well as Hennesey Catholic College, Young, where she has taught all Mathematics levels from Year 7 to Year 12 Extension 2. We also welcome back Mrs Prue Owen from Maternity leave.

This year, our faculty will continue to focus on building strong foundational skills while fostering a love for problem-solving and logical thinking. Students are engaging in a range of topics, from algebra and geometry to real-world applications of mathematics. Interactive lessons, hands-on activities, and technology-enhanced learning are helping students develop confidence in their mathematical abilities. Our goal is to challenge and support every student, ensuring they achieve their best while seeing the relevance of maths in everyday life.

The new NSW syllabus continues for the second year for Stage 4 Year 7 and 8 as well as Stage 5 Year 9, and for the first time in Year 10. The new Stage 6 syllabus will begin in Year 11 next year. The syllabus structure illustrates the important role Working Mathematically plays across all areas of mathematics and reflects the strengthened connections between concepts. When students are working mathematically it is important to help them to reflect on how they have used their thinking to solve problems.

We encourage students to stay curious, ask questions, and embrace the challenge—because every problem solved is a step closer to mastering the beauty of mathematics!

Averatile Puzzles

In an Averatile puzzle, every shape must be filled with a positive digit according to two rules:

• The number in each square is the average (sum of all scores divided by the total number of scores) of all the numbers in the triangles that the square shares a side with.
• No two shapes that share a side may contain the same digit.

Example:  

4 is the average of 7 + 1 + 3 + ?                                                                   

Sum = average x total number of triangles

         = 4 x 4

          = 16

Then missing number is 16 – (7+1+3) = 5

Try this one:

Your sincerely,

St Mary’s Maths Department of 2025:

Dr. Adams, Mrs. Cook, Mrs Chen, Mrs. D’Arcy, Mr. Frize, Mr. Hepworth, Mrs. Hogan, Mrs. Hookway, Mr. Knight, Mrs. Lane, Mrs. Lang, Mrs. Owen, Ms. Smith and Mrs Eastcott (Leader of Learning).         

Study Skills

Students and Parents -

A reminder that our school is a subscriber to the study skills website www.studyskillshandbook.com.au

This website will help you develop essential skills for academic success. There are units of work on improving time management skills, how to study, research skills, summarising, technology use, brain and memory and much more. Everything you need to know about becoming a more powerful learner and improving your marks at school can be found on this site. For example, learn how the colour of your room affects your ability to study, what the best study techniques are for your type of brain, how to improve your handwriting and useful software and Apps to block yourself from technology distractions.

You will also see lots of useful handouts, grids and planners at the bottom of the THINGS TO PRINT page.

To access the handbook, go to www.studyskillshandbook.com.au and login with these details:

username:   stmarys

password:  106results

The more of this website you can work through, the more you will set yourself up for academic success.  

Year 12 Marine Studies Port Stephens Excursion

Recently, 26 of our Year 12 Marine Studies students embarked on an unforgettable three-day adventure to Port Stephens, filled with hands-on learning, marine encounters, and plenty of fun in the sun.

After setting up our campsite at Middle Rock Caravan Park on Thursday evening, we settled in for a good night’s rest, eager for the adventures ahead.

Friday morning was spent enjoying the beach before heading to the Irukandji Shark and Ray Centre. Here, we learned fascinating facts about marine life, but the real highlight was snorkelling with the sharks and rays. The experience of hand-feeding the rays in the shallows was a thrilling and unforgettable moment for many.

Saturday started early as we took advantage of the high tide for snorkelling at Fly Point, Nelson Bay. The underwater world did not disappoint—an abundance of fish surrounded us as we hand-fed them. We spotted some huge flathead, Wobbegongs and Port Jackson sharks gliding through the kelp gardens. A special moment of the day was when Mr. Abell took to the water in a kayak and found himself paddling among a pod of playful dolphins. The afternoon was just as enjoyable, with a friendly cricket match and a refreshing swim and surf at Birubi Beach.

On Sunday, we boarded the Moonshadow Cruises boat and ventured 10 nautical miles offshore to the breathtaking Broughton Island. We spent four hours exploring, swimming, and snorkeling around Esmerelda Bay and Providence Beach, where we met more local marine life, including some super friendly rays.

It was an incredible experience, and our students represented the school with exemplary behaviour, proving to be wonderful ambassadors for both our school and themselves. A huge thank you to Mrs. Abell, Mr. Crispin, Mrs. Bergin, and Mr. O'Neill for their support and supervision throughout the trip.

This excursion truly showcased the beauty of marine environments and the importance of conservation, while also creating lasting memories for all involved.

Shane Abell - Marine Studies Teacher

Library Matters

NSW Premier's Reading Challenge

The 2025 NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge is now underway. Thank you to all those who have already signed up. Your Library team looks forward to working with you to support you through the challenge this year. For all those students new to St Mary’s this year and who would like to do the challenge, there is a form you will need to complete. Collect this from the Library and return it to Mrs Dunn. This will allow for your Primary school record to be matched with your new Secondary school record.

Remember that most PRC books are also available via the SORA e-book platform too!

Did you know that the St Mary’s College Library never closes?

Well, that is partly correct. While the physical library is only open during the school day, our SORA digital library is available 24/7- 365! Yes, day and night and all year long. As a member of the Australian Catholic Education Network (ACEN) our students (and staff) have access to over 30,746 titles which include 26,445 e-book titles, nearly 3,500 audio books and over 850 separate magazine titles with access to back issues.

The library caters for readers from K-12 and beyond, with access levels determined by the student’s year group. E.g Students in Year 7 and 8 can read the Young Adult, Junior and Juvenile collections, while the older students have access to more mature content levels, all being aligned with our Catholic values. To access SORA students can either take the link via the School Portal, go directly to the website or can download the app.

Mrs Rosalind Dunn - Teacher Librarian and Ms Melissa Watt - Library Assistant

Finance

Canteen

The Canteen menu has been revamped. Please see below items now available for purchase and when.

Community Grants

Thank you to Pat Conroy MP, Member for Shortland, who shares the Grants Newsletter each month. Any grants that may be of assistance to community members will be shared in our Newsletter. To view the full list of grant opportunities, please subscribe to Pat's newsletter at his email address shown below.

Long Tan Bursary

Amount: $12,000
Closing Date: Ongoing
Purpose: The Long Tan Bursary helps eligible children and grandchildren of Vietnam veterans pay for their tertiary education. Each year 37 bursaries are awarded to successful applicants across Australia. Each bursary is worth up to $12,000 over 3 years of continuous full-time study.

For more information:

School Student Broadband Initiative

Amount: Access 12 months free broadband
Closing Date: 30 June 2028
Purpose: To provide up to 30,000 families with no internet at home free NBN for 12 months. To be eligible, a family must:

• Have a child living at home that is enrolled in an Australian school.
• Have no active broadband service over the NBN network.

For more information:

Student Achievement

Our congratulations extend to Nicolas Gray (7.5) who was part of the U14 Wallsend Wolves touch football side that came away as the NSW  U14 Junior State Champions last weekend.  The team won their first game against Wollongong 9-4 and sealed their victory with a 17-4 win in the second.  Nicolas is a member of the first Wallsend team to win a Junior State Cup grand final since 2008. Wallsend Wolves now hold both titles for Northern NSW Junior State Champions and NSW Junior State Champions.

Well done Nicolas and congrats to the team! Thanks to mum Lisa who shared this lovely news.

If parents/carers would like to share their child's achievements with activities out of school, please send through to admin@mn.catholic.edu.au 

Good news stories should be celebrated!

Landcare

So much hard work and enthusiasm is put into our Landcare initiatives at St Mary's so it was wonderful to see this week that the wildlife is also taking the opportunity to enjoy it. This truly makes the staff and student efforts worthwhile and this is evidence that the creek is certainly providing habitat.

Stay safe and enjoy the weekend.