Newsletter 14.24 - Friday 30 August 2024

Principal's Message

Dear Parents, Carers and Community Members,

After a thorough and rigorous selection process, which included an application, Leadership Day, assembly speech, and interview, I am delighted to announce the leadership appointments for 2024-25. Each student demonstrated exceptional maturity, dedication, and a deep commitment to the values that define St. Mary’s. Their presentations were marked by a strong sense of service, echoing the example of Jesus through love, compassion, and humility. The true success of these leaders will be seen in how they inspire and empower others, fostering a community rooted in faith, learning, and wellbeing, as they lead with purpose and integrity.

Our appointed leaders for 2024-25 are:

College Leaders

Student Leaders

L-R 1st Row: Ava Corbett, Dylan Dunkley, Jessica Burrows, Harriet Mills

L-R 2nd Row: Julian Egan, Olivia Jenkins, Sunni Emerton, Larni Healey

L-R 3rd Row: Carmen Zuhair, Ella Smith, Finn Callen, Indianna Moloney

L-R 4th Row: Toby Moloney, Sophie Windever

A formal hand-over of our current student leaders and induction of our incoming leaders will be conducted next Wednesday 4 September at 12pm in the Cola with a special liturgy presided by Father Gregory Barker. Parents and carers of our student leaders are warmly welcome to attend this special liturgy.  

Stage 6 Acknowledgements

I would like to take this opportunity to commend our Year 12 students for their dedication and perseverance in completing their Year 12 Trial HSC Examinations. Many have also submitted outstanding major works across a variety of courses, reflecting their commitment to achieving their very best. As they approach the final stretch before the HSC, the efficient use of time can make a significant impact on their results. It is now crucial that they work together, supporting one another as a team. I encourage all students to lean on their teachers and peers, make full use of resources like the after-school Study Sessions, and balance their study with well-being to ensure they thrive. By making the most of every opportunity, they will leave the College as true ambassadors for the future, ready to embrace all that lies ahead.

I also want to wish our Year 11 cohort well as they prepare for their upcoming end-of-course examinations, which commence in two weeks. Your focus and efforts in these final weeks of preparation are important, and we encourage you to continue striving for excellence.

Parent Forum

Thank you to the parents/carers who attended our Term 3 Parent Forum Meeting on Tuesday 20 August, both in person and online, commencing at 6.00pm. At this gathering we welcomed our new Parent Representatives Tonee Summerville and Michelle Burns. The key-note speakers were members of our Wellbeing Team, including David Luschwitz (Stage 6 Coordinator), Amanda Pilley (College Psychologist) and Joanne Relf (Beyond the Gates Worker). Please visit the link below which provides a summary of the meeting. The Term 4 Parent Forum will be at 6.00pm on Wednesday 2 November in the Cafe. We welcome all parents/carers to this meeting.

Happy Father’s Day

As we approach the weekend, we take a moment to recognise and celebrate Father’s Day, a special occasion to honour the fathers and paternal figures in our College community. We extend our heartfelt thanks to all the dads, grandfathers, uncles, and mentors who play such an important role in the lives of our students. Your love, guidance, and presence are invaluable, not only to your families but also to our College community. We are grateful for the support you provide, helping to shape the future of our students and enrich our shared journey. Wishing you all a Happy Father’s Day.

Kind Regards,

Brett Donohoe - Principal

Invitation - Year 12 Mass and Awards

Key Dates

Two Weeks at a glance - Weeks 7 and 8

Ministry

A Call to Serve with Heart and Purpose

At the heart of Catholic education lies the principle of Servant Leadership—a leadership style that is not about power or authority, but about service, humility, and compassion. This concept, deeply rooted in the teachings of Jesus Christ, challenges us to lead by example, to put the needs of others first, and to foster a community where every individual is valued and respected.

Servant Leadership is a philosophy that turns traditional leadership on its head. Instead of leaders focusing on their own power and status, they are called to prioritise the growth and well-being of their communities. In a Catholic context, this means embodying the virtues of Christ—kindness, humility, and love—in every action and decision.

Jesus himself demonstrated this model of leadership throughout his life. He washed the feet of his disciples, fed the hungry, and healed the sick, showing that true leadership is about serving others. As Matthew 20:28 reminds us, “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

At St Mary’s Catholic College, we encourage students, staff, and the broader community to embrace Servant Leadership in all aspects of life. This is reflected in our commitment to social justice, our focus on the holistic development of each student, and our dedication to creating an inclusive and supportive environment.

Our leaders, from students to staff, are encouraged to listen actively, show empathy, and act with integrity. Leadership roles at our College are seen not as positions of prestige, but as opportunities to make a positive impact—whether it's through mentoring younger students, organising community service activities, or simply being a role model of kindness and respect.

When we lead by serving, we create a ripple effect that extends far beyond our immediate surroundings. Servant Leadership fosters a culture of cooperation, mutual respect, and shared purpose. It empowers individuals to take initiative, encourages a sense of responsibility, and builds a strong, united community.

As we continue to nurture and develop leaders at St Mary’s Catholic College, we remain committed to the principles of Servant Leadership. We believe that by following in the footsteps of Christ, we can inspire our students to become compassionate, thoughtful, and effective leaders—ready to make a difference in the world.

DeAnna Addicoat - Ministry Coordinator

Assistant Principal - Learning and Teaching

Twilight Learning at St Mary’s

As you know, we love learning at St Mary’s and, on Tuesday 27 August, our Twilight PLM saw teachers engaging in workshops that explored topics such as AI and its use in the classroom, Differentiation for Students with Disabilities, Thinking Routines and the General Capabilities, Excel and its use for creating student data sets, Writing and the use of packed noun groups, Adobe Express and Teacher Wellbeing. Yes, there’s lots to learn and we are committed to growing as educators. Thanks to all our knowledgeable others and to all staff who made our evening a success!

Subject Changes for 2025

In recent weeks I have received several requests for changes to elective subjects, from both Year 9 students and/or parents. Year 9 students seeking to change electives are advised that there will be minimal changes to subjects and that consideration of changes will not be occurring until the end of the year, and only IF there is availability for changes to be made. Further communication will be forthcoming on this matter. Year 11 students looking to change patterns of study, that is to drop a subject or change levels in a subject as you commence HSC, will have the opportunity to do so once End of Course Year 11 Formal Examinations have been completed.  Details of the process will be distributed to students via email.

YEAR 11 Examination Block commences 9^th September 2024 Week 8 Term 3

Once again, I take this opportunity to remind Year 11 students that it is important to plan for the coming exam weeks, commencing Week 8 Term 3 9th September. Reading exam timetables carefully, asking questions of teachers and planning study time across these weeks will allow students to prepare confidently. Time management and planning for study means taking an honest and realistic look at how time is spent both at school and at home. I encourage students to talk to their teachers and to seek assistance if required during this exam period. A reminder that students need to attend school only on the day of their exam, however, a  study space is provided for our students during the scheduled exams. All students need to sign in at Students Services if staying on campus and will have supervised study provided in L7 during the two exam weeks. A copy of the examination timetable is contained within this newsletter. I wish all students every success!

ASPIRE 2025

To all performing and visual arts students, I encourage you to see the flyer in this newsletter regarding auditions and information for 2025 ASPIRE. If interested to learn more, please see Mrs O’Gorman, Mrs McCrae, Miss Weekes or Ms Aitchison for further information. I encourage all our Creative Arts students to consider taking up this opportunity!

Cathy O'Gorman - Assistant Principal, Learning and Teaching

Assistant Principal - Wellbeing and Engagement

Term three is off to a great start! I would draw your attention to the following:

Student Leadership 2024-25

Term three saw the launch of the student leadership process for 2024-25. Twenty students from the class of 2025 responded to the invitation to apply for leadership and attend the Leaders Formation Day at Swansea Blacksmith Surf Club on Tuesday in week three. The purpose of the day was to shape an understanding of authentic Christian leadership in the minds of the young persons present through an exploration of the College’s Josephite history and the personal connection each now had, through their life within the College, to the example of the Josephite Sisters, to Saint Mary MacKillop and back through the millennia to the foundational statement given by our Blessed Mother Mary, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” [Lk 1:38].  Given time and space to reflect and connect, under the care and guidance of Mr Beckett, LoWE 11 and ,Ministry Coordinator, our next generation of student leaders responded with a maturity and insight beyond their years, embracing the challenge to explore how servant leadership within the College could and perhaps will be lived out in the 2024-25 academic year.

The following week nine student leaders put themselves forward for the role of College Leader and delivered a speech at the College assembly, extolling the purpose of leadership, and giving personal witness to their desire to place their time, effort, and gifts in service to our community. I cannot describe how impressive each of these young people were; both in the articulate and faithful witness they gave, and the deep sincerity each brought to the moment. The final step in the process saw ethe nine nominees participate in a panel interview with the College Leadership Team and LoWE 11, after which the panel made the difficult decision of selecting our four College Leaders. I look forward to working closely with this team as I believe they carry within them the potential to make a uniquely positive contribution to the culture and lived experience of each and every student within our community.

Enlighten Education and Goodfella’s Incursion

Utilizing the Commonwealth Governments Wellbeing Boost funding, the College engaged the services of Enlighten Education this week to deliver a wellbeing incursion experience to all students across years 7-10. Author and media commentator Danni Miller facilitated sessions delivered to the young women of the college while Jack Ellis, actor and gendered violence activist, presented to the young men.

Workshops across the year levels promoted four key pillars of wellbeing:

• Connection: development of positive, healthy relationships and peer bonds. Explicit teaching of conflict resolution skills, discussion of healthy relationship indicators and facilitation of peer affirmation activities.
• Meaning and purpose: highlighting the important role young people play as activists and young prophets in modern society
• Agency: developing the capacity in young people to think for themselves, make good choices and confront limiting unhealthy stereotypes.
• Altruism: young people are encouraged to exercise gratitude and to examine ways in which they can give to others and be forces for good in their communities.

Feedback from both staff and students was positive and that the sessions were of enduring educational value. Thanks needs to be extended to roll call teachers across year 7-10 for their assistance in facilitating the sessions.

Uniform Matters

The commencement of September marks the end of winter and therefore our change to summer uniform. Please be conscious of the following:

• Sports uniform is only worn on the allocated sport and PDHPE practical days
• Supportive runners appropriate to physical activity are worn with the PE uniform
• Black hard leather, lace up, hard sole with a heel shoes are worn with the formal uniform
• Skirt length is at the knee
• Tab ties are worn
• No facial piercings are permitted and only one stud or sleeper is to be worn in each ear lobe
• Men must be clean shaven

Thank you for your ongoing support of our College community.

Ben Frize - Assistant Principal, Wellbeing and Engagement

Wellbeing and Engagement

The Wellbeing Team recently read the following article and discussed the relationship between reading, literacy and mental health. We thought it might be of interest to our parents who we hope are having conversations at home with our students about the benefits of reading and facilitating opportunities to read. It is important, also, that children see their parents reading too, so pick up a book mum and dad and show your sons and daughters that it’s not a chore but a pleasure to take some time to chill out with a book.

Wellbeing and Engagement Team

Leader of Wellbeing - Year 9

This term, our theme of Respect continues to resonate across all aspects of school life. This week our students participated in an incursion focused on building positive relationships with friends and family. Through engaging sessions on consent, positive and negative stereotypes and communication, both our boys and girls showed outstanding enthusiasm and respect for these important discussions. Their active participation and willingness to engage with these topics highlight their commitment to fostering respectful and healthy relationships.

We are also thrilled to celebrate the many achievements of our Year 9 students. Whether in music, sport, or academics, they continue to excel. From standout performances in the recent Diocesan Aspire production, to impressive results in interschool sports, and academic dedication, their spirit, resilience and talent shine through.

One of the most inspiring aspects from our Formation Day in May this year, has been the creation of artwork and our Year 9 Formation Cross. This Cross was created by Year 9 students Gabriella Carter, Lilly Wearne and Helayna Siever, and alongside these students was Mrs Joanne Meagher. Ms Meagher writes about the cross, “The Cross represents our theme of Respect and community goals and of the Catholic of awe and integrity.

The front of the Cross features     

• Blue to represent lake and ocean along with seashells
• Pebbles represent the land
• Branches to represent the vegetation that protects and sustains
• Blue stones representing the Holy Wounds to show our faith

The back of the Cross is painted to represent unity and was influenced by the Community Day at Minimbah Centre. It represents the land, the Aboriginal people, stewardship and the song lines to show the sharing of knowledge.”

 We thank Gabriella, Lilly, Helayna and Mrs Meagher for their wonderful dedication to the Cross.

Year 9 welcomes Ms Brittany Avery as our Stage 5 Coordinator. Brittany will support Year 9 students with planned wellbeing sessions – the first of which focus on the College’s Mantras – Be Safe, Be Respectful and be a Learner. The first session was well received and we thank Ms Avery for her time and support of our Year 9 community.

As we head into the rest of the term, a few reminders: uniform expectations remain important in representing our school community with pride, and consistent attendance is key to staying connected and thriving in our learning environment. We ask our students, parents and guardians/ carers to support our expectations of uniform and attendance

Well done, Year 9! Keep up the fantastic work.

Ruth McCrae - Year 9 Leader of Wellbeing and Engagement

Gifted Education - ICAS Competition

Throughout August 110 students across Years 7-10 have been involved in the ICAS Competitions in Mathematics and Writing. ICAS is an academic competition that has been sat by over 10 million school students from 16,000 schools across 41 countries since 1981. It recognises academic performance in a way similar to sports or the arts, with engaging, fun questions designed by psychometricians, education measurement experts and experienced teachers to test students’ higher-order thinking skills. Everyone who participated will receive a certificate – results will be available from your teacher through the ICAS portal in the coming weeks. Thank you to Miss Kemeny, Mrs Hookway and Mr Hepworth for encouraging their classes to take up the challenge and stretch their minds in Mathematics and Writing. 

Louise Henderson - Gifted Education Mentor

HSIE

What is happening in HSIE in Semester 2

Our elective classes are keeping busy by:

What’s been happening in the classroom:

11 Legal Studies

Survivors R Us and Orange Sky Laundry visited Year 11 Legal studies on Thursday 15^th August to support student learning about non-legal responses to domestic and family violence. Both charitable organisations do amazing work to support the homeless and victims of Domestic Violence.

“Taken  from NSW Parliament Hansard Speech delivered by Greg Piper on 9^th August 2024”

Survivor's R Us is one of the biggest charities in Newcastle and the Hunter, and it helps people from all walks of life. Recently, its clients have even included doctors and lawyers, who cannot afford to buy food because of crippling mortgages and the cost of living. Some who present have not eaten for days. The charity is currently serving meals to over 100 people a day, five days a week. It is also regularly approached by housing department staff asking for free furniture, clothing and food for its clients.

The charity is regularly asked for help by funded charities with paid staff, while none of the 110 weekly volunteers at Survivor's R Us pull a wage. So far this year those volunteers have helped 446 domestic violence victims and 107 homeless people. They have handed out 7,232 hot and cold food bags, 2,110 OzHarvest bags, 617 dignity bags, 731 food hampers, 305 fruit and vegetable bags, 392 meat products and 314 manchester items. They have also cooked 2,935 hot breakfasts, provided more than 160 hours of free counselling and offered other support to 786 clients.

Year 10 Environmental Sustainability

Year 10 Environmental Sustainability class visited the nursery at the Lake Macquarie Sustainability Centre at Boolaroo on Thursday 15^th August. Students learnt the very delicate skill of transferring little seedlings to bigger pots where they will continue to grow in the nursery before making their way to one of 200 Landcare sites over Lake Macquarie. We are one of those sites and are recipients of said plants. A great big thank you to Stephanie who supported student learning on the afternoon. We had a very mindful afternoon.

Maryanne Murray - HSIE Teacher

Year 10 ENVS class installed 3 nest boxes on Monday for Microbats. This is part of the students’ curiosity project and will be their legacy  to provide refuge for native animals that might fly by.

University of Newcastle HDR Student Festival

This week Oliver Beath and Dylan Dunkley from Year 11 were invited to attend the 2024 Higher Degree by Research (HDR) Student Festival at Newcastle University. Only 20 students were invited across the diocese. This pilot program offers a unique opportunity for secondary school students, who are gifted or have shown high potential, to engage with cutting-edge research and innovation.

Activities of the day included:

• Three Minute Thesis Heats, School of Engineering
• Display of Architecture Creative Works, School of Architecture and Built Environment
• 5-minute seminar presentations on current research, School of Engineering
• Doctoral Training Centres (DTCs) and NIER Research Tours
• Poster sessions, School of Information and Physical Sciences

Highlights for Oliver included listening to a PhD student present his thesis on recycling solar panels using electrolysis and seeing a prototype that could create water from humidity.

Dylan enjoyed hearing from the “super conductor guy” in the 3 Minute Thesis Heats as well as the non-invasive quality control thesis. He really liked the NIER Research Tours as well as the case study of rock falls on Merewether cliff faces.

Both young men were grateful for the opportunity to attend the day and spoke enthusiastically about their experiences. Thank you to Mr Shane Abell for providing recommendations for these students.

Louise Henderson - Gifted Education Mentor

Library Matters

BOOK WEEK 2024 has come and gone, but the memories will remain, along with a new list of top books to read. The Children’s Book Council of Australia short list new titles from Australian Authors that they believe are the best for 2024. In our constant aim to be able to provide quality reading material to all students, I am pleased to say that students can enjoy these books from the Library. The winning book for the Older Reader’s section is called Grace Notes by Karen Comer, and I strongly recommend this title to all students! It is a great read and written in verse! The winning book for the Younger Readers section is Scar Town, written by one of my all-time favourite authors, Tristan Bancks. To find out more about the CBCA Shortlisted titles use this link: 

Throughout Book Week both students and staff had some fun with the theme Reading is Magic. Students took us the challenge to build a Minecraft World that represented one of their favourite books. Stay tuned to see the end results!

Our teachers also had some BOOK WEEK fun, showing our passion and love of reading by dressing up as our favourite characters or genre.

The NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge has drawn to a close for 2024 and I want to congratulate Jasmin Diu, Maggie Hardie, Kate Atkinson, Evie Duggan and Sheridan Owen who all successfully took on this year’s challenge. Their certificates will follow towards the end of this year.  

Mrs Rosalind Dunn - Teacher Librarian

Aboriginal Education

Cultural Session Years 7-9

Aboriginal students in Year 7-9 are invited to a Cultural session on Wednesday 4 September in period 3. Aunty Louise Campbell from CSO will be joining us for activities.

Baiame Cave Excursion

This week Year 11 Studies of Religion classes ventured out to Milbrodale to visit Baiame Cave. Baiame Cave is a heritage listed cultural site, containing an image of Baiame, the Creator. Uncle Warren, a Wonnarua Elder, welcomed us on country, told us some amazing stories and lead us on an adventure up through hills and caves.

Paul McKay - Aboriginal Education Teacher

Sporting Achievements

Dio Rep Basketball 7/8 & 9/10 yrs

On Thursday, Week 6, St Mary's took both a Year 7/8 and Year 9/10 Boys Basketball team to play in the Maitland Newcastle Diocese Gala day at Newcastle Basketball Stadium.

St Mary's junior side came out firing with a convincing win against St Paul's Booragul. They then came up against a strong St Clare's Taree team, narrowly going down. The boys bounced back to secure a win against St Joseph's Lochinvar in their third game, but unfortunately it wasn't enough to gain the side a spot in the quarter finals.

The St Mary's senior side were a little slow out of the gates, going down to St Joseph's Lochinvar in their opening game. The boys re-grouped well for their second game against St Clare's Taree, securing a win and a spot in the quarter finals. With momentum behind them, they managed to go back-to-back and get a strong win over All Saints Maitland. An impressive St Pius Adamstown side proved a little too strong for the boys in the semi-final, but a performance they can hold their heads high with.

An enjoyable day was had by all students, and we look forward to the next opportunity to take the court again.

Zac Rediger and David Luschwitz - Basketball Coaches

Congratulations Ruby Jones!

Last week, Ruby Jones in Year 11 represented SMCC and NSW at the All Schools Australian Football Championships in Rockingham, WA. 

Congratulations to Ruby and Team NSW who were undefeated against QLD, VIC, ACT, SA and WA. Ruby was the leading goal scorer of the tournament netting 8 goals over the 5 games, ensuring NSW claimed the title as Australian Champions!

Ruby is a Striker for the Newcastle Jets Academy playing in Reserve and First Grade in the NSW NPL Women’s Football League, and was recently named in the Daily Telegraphs Top 30 list of Rising Young Football Stars. In what has been her best season yet, Ruby has taken out the NSW NPL Women’s Golden Boot with a massive 30 goals. In July, Ruby represented Australia and Captained the Australian International Football U17s Girls team at the Dana Cup in Denmark, which is the World’s largest International Youth Football Tournament. As leading goal scorer, Ruby helped the team get to the Quarter Finals playing against teams from the USA, Canada, Norway and Denmark. In early August, Ruby was invited by Football Australia to play in the U20 Young Matildas Talent Development match, and in a standout performance, Ruby gained attention scoring 4 goals and 2 assists taking her team to a 7-3 win.

After six years at the Newcastle Jets and the last 5 years at SMCC, Ruby will leave Australia on Monday 26 August to move to Spain to further develop as a player and chase her dream of becoming a professional international footballer. Signed by Club Esportiu Europa, one of Barcelona’s biggest and oldest Football Clubs, Ruby will be joining Europa’s U19s Preferente Team for the 2024-25 season, starting in September.  Ruby will continue her studies and learn to speak Spanish while in Spain. 

On behalf of SMCC, we wish Ruby every success.  We are proud of her hard work, dedication, resilience and commitment as she takes this exciting step to live, study and play football in Spain.  Good luck Ruby!

Congratulations Georgia Twiss!

The East Mallorca Cup (known to be the most important international youth women's tournament) is a tournament in Europe played against multiple countries all over the world, clubs include Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, Paris Saint Germain, etc.

Over 600 players between ages 14 and 16 are divided into 32 teams. Georgia was selected to play in the Novocastrian team (Sydney and Newcastle players) for the East Mallorca Girls Cup. In October Georgia will fly to Mallorca, Spain, for 2 weeks. In week 1 she will train, prepare and learn how to take proper care of her body in preparation for the tournament then, in week 2 the games will be played. We wish Georgia every success.

Uniform Shop

Vinnies - Volunteer Opportunities