S t M a r y ’ s C o l l e g e “Truth-Seeking Through Dialogue”

Issue 11, Monday 3 December 2018

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

From the Principal

Dear St Mary’s College, As we move towards the end of the year, we begin to look towards the new year that is just on the horizon. In our 150th birthday year there is so much to celebrate. We welcome an increased cohort of Year 7 students, our Year 12s move into their new Senior hub and the Visual Art team move into their beautiful new learning spaces. Our Sports Centre will be fully operational, and the Junior School will have new play spaces to enjoy. Here at St Mary’s College we have a great story to share. The new prominence of the Veritas Centre on the West Terrace and Franklin Street corner gives us the perfect opportunity to share that story even more widely, especially as we celebrate our 150th birthday. Throughout this year we have reflected on and developed our brand identity, thinking about both who we are and who we want to be as we move into the future. What is our brand? Our brand tells the story of who we are for our students and families. It is a window into what matters most. Who is St Mary’s College? St Mary’s College is an R-12 school, educating girls in the Catholic Dominican tradition since 1869. Our Dominican spirit inspires us to be seekers of truth, to be daring and courageous, open minded and to hold an unwavering commitment to inclusivity and welcome. Our approach to learning is contemporary and innovative. We challenge and support our students to achieve their personal best. We develop leadership in diverse ways. Our restorative culture is at the heart of all that we are and all that we do. Relationships matter. As a city school located on one campus, there is a tangible sense of community. We network and connect with all the opportunities our

city location has to offer. We nurture the growth of strong women equipped to find their place in the world. What is our Core Purpose? St Mary’s College empowers young women to excel in learning and in life. We nurture relationships that challenge and support students to contribute to a more just and compassionate world. What are our Core Values? Truth, Justice, Community We live this story each day. It is both true and aspirational as we work with students to also strive for our personal best.

I look forward to celebrating the end of 2018 at our End of Year Eucharist, a beautiful celebration for all our families and a great reflection of who we are and what we value as a community.

Clare Nocka

Principal

St Mary’s College, Issue 11, Monday 3 December 2018

From the Deputy Principal: Teaching and Learning

It’s great that learning continues right until the end of the term at St Mary’s College. There is no escaping it; there is ‘so much’ going on this term. However, all activities planned are connected to different elements of the teaching and learning program for that specific class or year level. This is through formal and informal assessments of learning, or different learning activities throughout the Junior, Middle and Senior Schools. Our students are certainly ‘kept busy’ during these last few weeks. More than this though, they are engaged in deep and different learning activities that continue to challenge and support them right up the last few days of school.

It's great to see so many chances to continue students’ learning journeys across the College. The Junior School has naturally been engrossed with the production of ‘The Little Mermaid’. While it is obviously not learning in a traditional classroom setting, there are so many learnings that arise from being involved in a production: teamwork, collaboration, planning, adjusting, reviewing, resetting goals, positive risk taking and performance pressure are just a few. In addition, it becomes an experience that the girls will remember for the rest of their schooling days. Thank you to all involved with the Production, students and staff.

In the Senior School, with Year 12 exams complete, Year 10 and 11 exams occurred during Week 6 and 7. Year 12, 2019 (current Year 11s), students returned to school on 29 and 30 November to experience Year 12 subjects on the Thursday and routines on the Friday as part of the Year 12 Orientation.

Many of our Year 12 teachers over the final weeks will involve themselves in SACE Moderation and Marking procedures, which is always of great benefit to the College and ultimately your daughters’ learning. It helps them become masters of the Standards by which the students are assessed, which in turn allows them to better work with students to help them construct the best evidence of learning against these Standards. In addition, many of our teachers lead these processes at the State level.

A reminder also that all R-12 Reports will be distributed via Seqta this term. Please contact Peter Channing, Coordinator of Administration (pchanning@stmaryscollege.catholic.edu.au) if you have yet to gain access to a Seqta account.

Finally, I will be away from St Mary’s for most of Semester 1 next year. In Term 1, I will be Acting in the Deputy Principal’s role at Thomas More College which should help to broaden my experience of educational leadership. In looking to finally complete my Master’s degree, I will be taking Renewal Leave in the first six weeks of Term 2, which includes a short residency at High Tech High in San Diego, USA. The School has become an international focus of the Deeper Learning movement that has fuelled our work with interdisciplinary and Capabilities-based learning over the last two years. It was also the inspiration for the educational documentary Most Likely to Succeed, the catalyst for the three day Future Learning Symposium that we ran for staff in 2017.

I will be looking to design some research around, in a broad sense, the impact that these initiatives in education (which are responses to the changing nature of work and education in work in the 21st Century) have on overall student achievement, both in the confidence they develop about themselves as a learner as well as their Academic, Engagement and Endeavour grades and other assessment data. I hope this will also be of value to St Mary’s when I return in Week 7 of Term 2.

I wish you and your families all the best for a safe and blessed Christmas and New Year period, and in turn hope the 2019 school year starts and

progresses well. I look forward to reconnecting with you towards the middle of next year.

Corey Tavella Deputy Principal: Teaching and Learning

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Doing Maths like a research mathematician ... sounds like fun!!! Three lucky Year 8 students did just that on Friday 16 November when they joined groups of students form other schools at Mercedes College to participate in a problem solving challenge. Scarlett Cox, Harriet Burgess and Hannah Freer worked brilliantly as a team to unravel solutions to interesting problems with the help of guest mathematicians on the day.

Congratulations to these girls on their perseverance and hard work. They represented St Mary’s College brilliantly. Anna Fontanelli Maths Coordinator

Jess Robjohns (2019 College Captain) with Teresa Kelly and Lucy Codd, collecting donations for the annual RSL Poppy Appeal, with sisters Alice and Yen Banh receiving their poppies. $181.00 was raised.

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St Mary’s College, Issue 11, Monday 3 December 2018

From the Deputy Principal: Student Wellbeing

Taking Time A recent article in the newspaper shared the results of a study of 7000 Aus-tralian children aged 4 – 18 years of age by the Queensland Family and Child Commission. There were a couple of very interesting findings that came out of the study:

• Children are frustrated that busy parents spend too much time on tech-

nology;

• Children want to be taken seriously and for their parents to pay attention

to them and take an interest in their lives. I found the first point particularly pertinent, as most adults will accuse young people of being addicted to their phones and obsessed with social media and selfies, and yet this is exactly what young people are saying about their parents (and other adults in their lives). Another study by the website Find-er.com.au found that 17% of Australian children under the age of 12 have a mobile phone, equivalent to 690,000 children, and the average age they were given a phone was seven. Our hope as a school is that those children who are receiving a phone this young are being supported by their parents around the safe use of their phones and are not joining any apps like Face-book, Instagram, Snapchat, etc, who all require children to be legally 13 years of age before joining, for very good reasons. Point two is also a real challenge to us as parents, especially those of us with teenagers who seem to constantly reject us and tell us they want noth-ing to with us, and subsequently hide away in their bedrooms! Teenagers DO want people to listen to them and they want their parents especially to listen to them. This means finding time to spend with them when they are children and developing a culture and practice of discussion and talking within the family, so that when they’re teenagers, this practice continues quite naturally even when the hormones kick in! With the up and coming school holidays, this is a perfect time as families to set up expectations and practices around the safe use of devices and finding quality time to spend together so that the family culture of deep listening and shared interest is established. Holiday Support As another year draws to a close, and students and families embark on long summer holidays and a break away from school, I’m mindful of those people within our community who may need extra support over Christmas and New Year. Below is a list of services available specifically for young people, both online and phone support and resources. Christmas and New Year can be a difficult time for some people, especially those who have lost loved ones, those who live between different households due to separation/divorce, those who live alone or have limited contact with other people, and those living with anxiety or depression, etc. This is not an exhaustive list, but some of the main resources available. Kids Helpline www.kidshelp.com.au/ 1800 55 1800 Kids Helpline is Australia's only free, private and confidential, telephone and online counselling service specifically for young people aged between 5 and 25. Counsellors talk with more than 6,000 kids each week, and help with all sorts of problems, big and small. Beyond Blue www.beyondblue.org.au/ 1300 22 4636 (24 hours) Chat online: 3pm – 12am Beyondblue is the national initiative to raise awareness of anxiety and de-pression, providing resources for recovery, management and resilience. Youth Beyond Blue: Information service on depression and anxiety: beyond blue Support Service - 1300 22 4636 (cost of a local call; 24 hours)

http://www.youthbeyondblue.com Headspace www.headspace.org.au Information and advice for young people, their parents and carers, and pro-fessionals working with young people. Headspace Centres www.headspace.org.au/headspace-centres With 40 centres across the country, any young person who needs support, advice or just someone to talk to about a life problem, can walk in and be treated with respect and compassion, within a confidential and safe environ-ment. EHeadspace 1800 650 890 Online and telephone support service that helps young people who don’t feel ready to attend a centre or who prefer to talk about their problems via online chat, email or on the phone. Moodgym https://moodgym.anu.edu.au This free, fun, interactive program helps young people identify and overcome problem emotions and show how to develop good coping skills for the fu-ture. Reachout Online mental health service providing you with lots of information to support young people to lead happier lives. Includes factsheets, videos, stories, guides, tools and apps. www.reachout.com.au Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service: CAMHS is a free community mental health service for children, young people and their families who are having difficulties in emotional, behavioural and/or social areas of their lives. There are a number of locations in Adelaide.

Elizabeth Ph: 8252 0133 Port Adelaide: Ph: 8341 1222 Paradise: Ph: 7321 4500 There are also other locations in Marion, Onkaparinga and Aldinga Uniting Communities Support service for adults, young people and families: Services include counselling options for young people and families, financial and legal advice, emergency assistance, etc. Ph: 8202 5190 10 Pitt Street, Adelaide Useful Smart Phone Apps for mental health and wellbeing

• Worry time (reachout)

• Smiling Mind

• Guided Meditation and Mindfulness ( Headspace)

• Recharge-Move well, sleep well, be well (reachout)

• CBT-iCoach

• Breathe (reachout)

I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very happy Christ-mas, and every blessing for a fun-filled new year. May the Christmas holi-days be an opportunity to spend quality time with loved ones, and to take time out for yourself. Life is precious, so make the most of the time you have … live well, love hard and laugh a lot. I look forward to working with you all again in 2019.

Lorna Starrs Deputy Principal: Student Wellbeing

St Mary’s College, Issue 11, Monday 3 December 2018

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Year 9 Retreat On Monday 5 November, the Year 9 students were given the opportunity to go to Surf Life Saving SA for their Retreat. The Retreat gave me the chance to explore and develop stronger relationships with my classmates, and use teamwork.

During the retreat, everyone received a personal letter from their parents or guardians, which led nearly everyone to tears. Reading these messages opened up our minds to know how proud our loved ones are of us.

For the final activity, we walked down to the beach and as Care Groups, collected shells, rocks, and other sea objects and created a sand mandala that represented us as a class and team. My class, 9 Blue, placed our hand print all around the outside to represent our friendship and connectedness. We used shells through the mandala to know that even though the shells may break our friendship won’t. Finally, we used seaweed to outline the circle of the mandala to symbolise how we are together as one team. (Rachel) The Year 9 Retreat for 2018 was very enjoyable. We were able to reflect on the year and bond with our classmates through various activities. Some of the activities were personal reflections and others were teamwork-based activities. A few of our favourites were decorating our intention sticks which can be used to set positive intentions and remind us to be kinder than necessary, and creating beach mandalas where we were able to express some of our class’ values, qualities and hopes for the futures. Another highlight was when we were surprised with letters from a loved one. This was a very emotional experience for most of us and I’m sure it was very special for all of us. Hannah, Edie and Aphrodite

St Mary’s College, Issue 11, Monday 3 December 2018

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In Week 3 of this term, the St Mary’s Year 7 students undertook an educational tour of the National Capital. Students were given the opportunity to participate in a variety of educational programs with a focus on Australia’s history, culture, heritage and democracy. The Australian Government recognises the importance of all young Australians being able to visit the national capital as part of their Civics and Citizenship education. To assist families in meeting the cost of the excursion, the Australian Government is contributing funding of $60 per student under the Parliament and Civics Education Rebate program towards those costs. The rebate is paid directly to the school upon completion of the excursion and has already been subtracted from the total amount each student paid for the tour. Following a very successful mock election the previous week, the students were well prepared for their trip to Canberra. They were highly engaged and answered many questions posed to them by the various guides at each of the venues. We received positive feedback from many tour guides about how knowledgeable and well behaved the girls were. It was a busy, yet rewarding tour. There is so much to see in Canberra, a week is almost not long enough! There were many highlights, including meeting His Excellency General the Honourable Sir Peter Cosgrove! Here are some of the highlights the students will remember: Canberra was such a fantastic experience. We did so many exciting things from learning about the House of Representatives to sliding down a six metre slide at Questacon. The visit to the Australian War Memorial showed us to be thankful for the peaceful life we live today. At the Australian Institute of Sport we went into the interactive area. As well as getting our hearts pumping, it was fun. Arielle 7B In Week 3, the Year 7s went to Canberra to learn about government. A few of the highlights for some of us were the AIS, Cockington Green Gardens, Questacon and Parliament House. While we were at these places we had a lot of fun but it was also a great learning experience as well. Lily 7B Overall we loved Canberra - it was a very educational and fun experience! Some of the highlights for us were the AIS because we were able to see athletes in action. The War Memorial was very moving and we gained a better knowledge of war. We also enjoyed our cabins and bonding with new people and having a better understanding of independence. Now, after this camp we have made new friends and have learnt more about the heart of our nation. Alice and Paris 7G Canberra was THE best camp we've been on. We had a great experience with a great group of people. The War Memorial was the absolute biggest highlight for us. We reflected on and remembered those who made us ourselves. We've learnt so much in just a couple of days. It is a different way to learn whilst having fun. Jaime and Tahlia 7G On 29 October, the Year 7 girls left for Canberra. There were many highlights on the trip. We enjoyed going to Cockington Green because of the hunt to find the specific statues and it was fun looking at every detail just to find the one statue. We also enjoyed the War Memorial because we got to see all the different types of planes, and the sound and light show was really cool. The Canberra trip was an amazing experience. Evelyn and Nathara 7G Canberra was a very enjoyable trip. We went to many different places such as the Australian War Memorial, Parliament House and Questacon. This was a fun way to learn about our Nation’s Capital. We came home with a lot more knowledge. Regan 7B

Year 7 Canberra Tour

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St Mary’s College, Issue 11, Monday 3 December 2018

During week 5, four students attended a Youth Environmental Leaders bus tour. Students had the opportunity to facilitate and participate in hands-on activities, and share and develop their skills and knowledge regarding sustainability action.

Angela Carbone Year 8 Care Group Teacher

The tour provided us with insight into how much other schools are doing to protect the environment. Some great ideas included a 10c can drive between school houses and upcycling artwork. I really enjoyed having the opportunity to explore all the fantastic projects, like an outdoor space with furniture made from recycled materials, used as a hub for sustainable thinking and sharing. Olivia Kelly (Yr 8)

The NRM site tour was a very educational and exciting experience. I loved learning about what other schools did to help tackle environmental issues around the world. It's great to hear other ideas coming from very different schools. Jacinta Dela Rosa and Emily Jackson (Yr 5)

One school had a garden with a variety of different fruit trees, which the students help to maintain. They use the fruits and vegetables in their kitchen which teaches the students about how to grow fresh food. An exciting part of the day was when we discussed our ideas with other schools and vice versa. This was enjoyable as we could share what we learned and things we want to implement here at St Mary’s. Elisabetta Sicuro (Yr 8)

Attending the Awards Ceremony at Bonython Hall at the University of Adelaide for the School of Languages, I was very proud of our St. Mary's College students who study a language outside of their school curriculum, and there are many who do this, valuing the importance of studying their background language or a new foreign language. The benefits for their personal and academic development are huge!!

Congratulations to the following students (pictured from left to right):

Tayla Hume: Year 9 Croatian Award of Merit

Stella Kemp: SACE Stage 1 Japanese Continuers Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement

Jasmine Kha: SACE Stage 2 Chinese Continuers The Award of Excellence

Brinda Murlikrishna: SACE Stage 1 Korean Beginners Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement

Karolina Szmeja: Year 9 Polish Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement

Joanne Yu: Year 10 Japanese Award of Merit

Well done, girls!

Mrs Catrina Tridente Languages Coordinator

Congratulations to Abbey Hilder (10G) on having her poem ‘Mona Lisa, me’ chosen for publication in the 2018 Spring Poetry Festival!

Maureen McCarthy English Teacher

https://www.aate.org.au/saeta-cont…/…/spring-poetry-festival

Mona Lisa, me Abbey Hilder

Picture this, Eyes from across the world coming into your home, coming into your space, To see the beauty, you were painted into. A face A place, taking up one small white space. So much judgement and so few are amazed of the actuality of it all. Taking pictures of a picture, painted on a canvas that hangs on a wall. Hung up and put on display waiting for hungry eyes to consume what they were made into. But few see the strokes of paint that made eyes glisten, or stars in The Starry night shine brighter.

How I would hate to be a painting constantly watching

people strip me bare for them to only see me for

something less than I am.

St Mary’s College, Issue 11, Monday 3 December 2018

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2018 Vietnam Pilgrimage Saturday 10 November - 18 pilgrims arrived in Saigon on a hot and humid evening amidst the chaos of noise, motor bikes, cars and a mass of humanity. Their journey of mission and immersion was about to begin.

Over the next 15 days, these pilgrims would walk in the footsteps of the previous pilgrims starting with the walk through the gates of Phu My orphanage. Here they would feed, comfort, hold, play and form special relationships with the kids of Phu My. There was no language barrier as they formed attachments based on love and compassion. After many hours of working with the children, our students soon realised that what they gave was insignificant in comparison to how the children enriched their lives.

Apart from Phu My, the mission work continued at the Ethnic Minority Convent.

Students split into working groups and rotated visiting Phu My Orphanage and the Bao Hoa Food Kitchen, which provides meals for the rural poor who travel to the city to be with their hospitalised relatives. This was a humbling experience and was complimented by a cultural interaction with Vietnamese College students who enjoyed practising their English almost as much as we enjoyed being transported through the streets of the city on the back of their motorbikes.

Apart from the mission work the pilgrims also experienced a taste of Vietnam. They visited the war museum and the crazy Ben Thanh markets where they had a lot of fun haggling for purchases. A variety of Vietnamese delicacies were on offer at the street markets and the many restaurants they visited on a daily basis.

Prior to arriving back in Adelaide on 26 November, the group also visited the Bao Loc Phu My Orphanage Farm where they will interact with the 80 disabled residents who live independently growing coffee, tea, vegetables and flowers. They picked an amazing three tonnes of coffee beans in two days. From here the group spent a well-deserved two days in Phan Thiet, relaxing by the pool and on the beach, with time spent reflecting on their 15 day Vietnam experience.

As teachers, it has been a privilege to witness our students’ resilience, care, compassion and empathy towards others - they served tirelessly!! The girls have embraced this experience and we are very proud of their commitment. This journey will be something that will remain close to their hearts and ours for many years to come.

Well done to Annie Burgess, Lucy Codd, Jasmine Couch, Emmeline Fragnito, Brianna Hegarty, Laoise Kurmelovs, Felicia Maragkos, Jacinta Nye, Michaela Slater, Catherine Stankevicius, Sophie Teakle, Maxine Tsoukatos, Milla Vawser, Olivia Walters and Zoe Witkowski, who were great ambassadors for all St Mary's College students.

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St Mary’s College, Issue 11, Monday 3 December 2018

Recently, some of our Junior School community has been preparing and celebrating liturgies that connect closely with their learning. Families were invited to join us in our beautiful College Chapel.

Student reflections on these liturgies highlight the very real gifts we receive from God in sharing prayer with those we care for.

Mr Ashton and Year 6: Working for Social Justice LIturgy “Through Project Profit, we have been working for Social Justice. We learnt that there is less poverty than there used to be in the world – but there is still too much! After we sold our products to the school and our parents we decided to give the money to different projects around the world. It was great to help someone else make a difference to their life and be grateful for all we have.”

Year 4 and Mr Pastro: Liturgy for Saint Mary MacKillop “Mary MacKillop cared for children and gave things to the poor. She was brave and helped people everywhere she went. It was peaceful in our Liturgy – I felt safe and grateful.”

Year 1 and Ms Cooper: Liturgy for Beloved Pets and Animals “We made animals and put them on the Noah’s Ark prayer mat. Our Mums and dads helped us. We all had a turn to sing or read. We said thank you to God for all the animals and pets.”

Ms Shattock and Reception: Liturgy for Children Close to God “It was quiet in the chapel. We were all together and prayed to God and sang songs. It was good to be with our families.”

Praying with families and friends has been a joyful time for all our Junior School girls. Each liturgy has been a unique way for our girls to wonder, pray and celebrate a special aspect of our God.

Anne Soldan

R-6 Coordinator Prayer and Liturgy

Year 10 $20 Boss Project Year 10 students undertook an independent project for entrepreneurial studies, designing and operating a business over Term 3. This $20 Boss

Project saw the business financed by a $20 loan and aimed to achieve the three aims of People, Planet and Profit. Congratulations to all girls involved, with a particular commendation to our state prize winners, Thrift Tea. Jasmin Parasiers Year 10 Coordinator

Thrift-Tea is a business that strives to bring the green into everyone`s home, in a sustainable and waste free way. We sourced old, un-used teacups, bowls and other crockery from charity second-hand stores, then grew succulents in them to fit into even the smallest of homes. Reduce, Reuse and re-imagine was our motto and what we stood for. We reuse things that would have otherwise been discarded, like the crockery and re-imagine different ways in which we could use the items to give them a new life.

We loved working on this $20 Boss Entrepreneur Project together. We enjoyed learning about what it takes to run a business and to make a profit. It also opened our eyes as to what some of the issues are that we face environmentally, how a business can make a difference and how we can be a force to create change. We liked working together to come up with Thrift-Tea and we tried to allocate roles within our team based on our strengths. For example, if someone was good at marketing and making something look good, we put them in charge of Instagram and so forth. We would like to thank Ms Parasiers and the Care Group Teachers for their support through the project as you helped us understand what we were doing and guided us through the learning journey. We would also like to

thank all the other Year 10 students for their efforts in creating their businesses and we are so happy that together we have raised over $1000 for AIM, which is such a major accomplishment. Well done girls!!!

Lilah Cox 10R

St Mary’s College, Issue 10, Monday 5 November 2018

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Did you know that St Mary’s College has a Facebook page? Check out our weekly uploads (each Friday) of the events and activities that students and staff are involved in at the College.

Facebook is a great way to see our college community in action! https://www.facebook.com/StMarysCollegeAdelaide/

Tuition Fees Now Overdue

As detailed in the St Mary’s College Fee Schedule and Policy, all families are reminded that fees were due to be paid in full by 30 November 2018.

Exceptions apply to those families who have established an alternative arrangement with the Business Manager due to extenuating circumstances.

Non timely payment of tuition fees invariably applies pressure to the resources available to deliver curriculum to students.

I ask that if you have not finalised payment of your 2018 fees, without arrangement, please contact the College immediately. Payments can be made by cash to the Front Office, cheque, Eftpos, Credit Card, Direct Debit, B-Pay and Qkr!

Richard Watson Business Manager

December

6 Last Day of Term 4 (EYEC and Year 12 Graduation)

7 Ireland Music Tour departs

January 2019

28 Australia Day Public Holiday

29 Year 7 and 8 Orientation Day

29-31 Year 12 Retreat

30 Term 1 begins for all students

R-11 Student ID photos

February

13-15 Year 7 Camp—Victor Harbour

19 R-12 Sports Day—Santos Stadium

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

St Mary’s College is an Allergy Aware school with policies and procedures in place to provide care for the wellbeing of staff and students with allergies. Anaphylaxis is an allergic reaction that in some cases can be severe and even life threatening. It is important that the school has medical information and medication along with an annually updated medical care plan for students with Anaphylaxis.

As a community, we can all provide support by not sending students to school with food containing nuts; things like peanut paste or Nutella in sandwiches is a common issue. Given that the most extreme reactions can be caused by contact with surfaces or in the proximity of the allergen, this is one precaution we can take as a community. It also helps when providing food for school events and fundraisers, if we avoid food containing nuts.

Our Allergy Awareness Guidelines are on the website. Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns.

https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/wh1.thewebconsole.com/wh/4810/images/AllergyAwareGuidelinesJan14.pdf

Earlier in the term during a Writers INK session, students were asked to look closely at the new Veritas Centre and write a reflective piece. Rebecca Aaserud (Year 10) composed this most original and insightful piece. Bernie McInerney English Coordinator

“Here has the old and ugly been torn down in favor of air and light; is

that not enough?” * *Swedish national poet August Strindberg The destruction of old memories as metal and bricks turned to rubble. The moments and experiences of teachers and students alike, peacefully resting underneath the leftover debris. The loud gym classes where nothing but the loud cheering of students was audible had been replaced by the sound of rumbling machinery. The once green and luscious grass was a war-zone, littered with various heavy equipment and tools. Months passed by with students longing for the chance to run around and cause havoc once again. It seemed as if the construction was going to take centuries to complete and we were all tired of impatiently waiting. Waiting for the gravel pits to be filled up, the concrete to harden and the scaffolding to be removed. Young students stared with shocked and curious expressions at the towering walls as they grew taller and taller. Weeks ticked by and slowly but steadily the new building elevated from the ground, greater and grander than ever before. Rebuilt from the ashes like a new born Phoenix, the future stands tall. A structure unlike anything the ancient school has ever seen before; bursting with sparkling gym floors, new lockers and classrooms all begging to be used.

The potential knowledge and learning that will be taught within the newly built walls is immeasurable. The long wait and hard work have all been worth it in preparation of the future of St Mary’s College. Rebecca Aaserud 10G

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

Orders can also be placed online at https://hambours.com.au/

St Mary’s College OSHC : 8216 5743

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St Mary’s College, Issue 11, Monday 3 December 2018