Newsletter - T4W10 - 10/12/21
From the Principal
I would like to congratulate our Year 12 students on their graduation from SMCC. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the Year 12 students had their Graduation and Award ceremony at the College Formal last Saturday night. Good luck to our Year 12 Graduates as they move to the next stage of their life journey.
The College welcomed our incoming Year 7 students at an Orientation Day last week. The 2022 Year 7 students were all very excited to be part of the school for the day and I was very impressed with their enthusiasm and efforts that they made. It was the first time that some had been into the College and all seemed ready for this next step in their education journey. To all these new students - we welcome you and are very excited to have you join our community.
As we come to the end of another school year, I would like to thank all parents who entrust our College with the care and education of your children. Your support, timely reminders and communication are most valuable and important to us. I do believe that great things happen when there is a shared responsibility between the student, home and the school. This is a great school and all of our families, and the wider community have helped it become so.
Some dates to remember:
Parent/Teacher/Student Interviews will be held on Thursday, 16 December from 9am to 12noon via phone interviews. The Semester Two school reports will be sent home with students today including details on how to book an interview. Please remember that the interviews should be booked for teachers of students in 2021.
- The last day for students will be Wednesday, 15 December.
- Uniform Shop will open on Monday, 17 January 7.30am – 1.30pm and Tuesday, 18 January 9.30am – 1.30pm.
- Students in Years 7, 11 and 12 will start back on Tuesday, 1 February. This will be a Day 2 on the timetable.
- Students in Years 8, 9 and 10 will start on Wednesday, 2 February. This will be a Day 3 on the timetable.
We need to thank and farewell both of our YMO’s this year. Daniel Pouloudis has been a wonderful addition to our College and he leaves us to pursue the next part of his journey. Theo Scholl has been part of our College for the last seven years - the last being as YMO. Thank you for being part of our community for so long Theo. I would like to wish both Dan and Theo the very best for the next chapter of their lives. Wil Parsons (Student Support Aide) will also be leaving us to focus on university and teaching. Darren Morrissey and Grant Ryan have been with us in 2021 to assist our staff members. They are now leaving to move on to other work. We thank Darren and Grant for their time and efforts at the College. You have all been part of the St Mary’s story and for that we are blessed.
We will publish a full list of all new staff and Coordinators in the first Newsletter of 2022, as we are still in the process of completing some other appointments.
As holiday time is often when students take the opportunity to ‘alter their appearance’, I would remind all parents that students will be expected to return to school in 2022 having fully adhered to guidelines in relation to neatness and grooming. Of particular note is school shoes, and I thank you, in advance, for your cooperation in ensuring that our students return to school looking like fitting ambassadors for the College within the wider community.
I offer the following Advent reflection for your perusal:
‘The Christmas message is that the really great stories of our lives involve risk. And that it’s deeply human to feel afraid, or not good enough, or wanting to run away. But that it’s also part of being human, a person of faith and hope, that at some point, God gives us the grace we need to take up our role in the story. At some point, God enters our lives and helps us to take responsibility for the lives we are called to lead for others. Advent is a time of waiting in hope for the arrival of this grace’. (University of Notre Dame).
Thank you for your support throughout 2021. I look forward to working with you again in 2022 and wish you all a happy and holy Christmas spent in the fine company of family and friends.
Tracy Robinson
Principal
Upcoming Dates
Week 11
Tuesday, 14 December - SRC Santa Photos
Wednesday, 15 December - Last day for students
Thursday, 16 December - Parent/Teacher Interviews
Friday, 17 December - Last day for staff
Week 1, 2022
Friday, 28 January - Student Free Day - All staff return
Week 2, 2022
Monday, 31 January - Staff PD Day - Student Free Day
Tuesday, 1 February - Years 7, 11 & 12 return to school (Day 2)
Wednesday, 2 February - Years 8, 9 & 10 return to school (Day 3)
Friday, 4 February - Year 7 Unity Day
Parish Mass Times
WEEKEND MASS
6 pm (Sat) & 8 am (Sun)
Weekdays
Monday 9.00am
Tuesday 8.00am
Wednesday (St Elizabeth of Hungary) 8.00am
Thursday 9.00am
Friday 9.00am
Saturday 9.00am
RECONCILIATION
Saturday 8.30 am - 9.00 am
NOW OPEN
Churches in our parish are now open in accordance with health orders. This means that both
vaccinated and unvaccinated are permitted in the church buildings.
FUNERALS
In regard to funerals, the present health regulations are:
(a) up to 140 if all are fully vaccinated;
(b) only 10 if there are one or more not fully vaccinated.
Arrangements are made through the Funeral Director
From the Assistant Principal - Mission
Christmas Joy
Christmas is a glorious season of the year. It is also a busy time for most of us. It is my hope that we may not become so caught up in the pressures of the season that we place our emphasis on the wrong things and miss the simple joys of this season.
Finding the real joy of Christmas comes not in the hurrying and the scurrying to get more done. We find the real joy of Christmas when we make Jesus the focus of the season. We find joy in our community and sharing together with our families.
Student Representative Council, House Captains and Ministry Captains
We were pleased to announce our 2022 Student Leadership Team at our assembly this week. I look forward to working alongside our student leaders as they set the tone for our College experiences and expectations.
Christmas Hampers
Just a reminder we will continue to collect donations for St Vincent dePaul Society until Monday. Due to Covid restrictions, we are recommending Homerooms collect donations of money. We will then complete a large shopping order and ensure the goods are appropriate for the families SVdP service. This will be given to SVdP at our Christmas Liturgy next week.
Captains Council
Last weekend, our eight Year 12 captains spent time learning what it means to be a good leader and understanding how to work together as a team. We looked at leadership styles and planned our approach to leadership. I am grateful for our emerging leaders for engaging with the process with the goal of improving outcomes for all students at our College.
Clare Axman
Assistant Principal - Mission
From the Leader of Pedagogy
SMCC Staff Innovation - An Apple Education School
With the rollover into the new academic year, SMCC also saw an exciting rollover of staff devices with the introduction of Macbooks and iPads. As old staff devices reached their tenure, we were presented with an opportunity to become an Apple Education School.
The Apple devices are unique in their development of educational apps designed to aid teachers in making the classroom more flexible, collaborative and personalised for each student. This will allow SMCC to keep our students at the cutting edge of technology in the classroom, as the apple devices will complement the junior students’ use of Chromebooks, the senior students’ use of Macs, and the class sets of iPads already available for use in the school.
As part of our leasing contract, Apple Education provided a full day of Professional Learning for all staff on iPad basics, Apple Teacher, iPad apps and augmented learning. We look forward to the amazing opportunities for learning and teaching that these tools will bring to our College, leveling the playing field with our city counterparts and facilitating growth in student learning.
2021 Teacher Accreditation Achievements
2021 has been a very successful year for SMCC’s Graduate Teachers, with three members of staff new to teaching being awarded their proficiency after completing the rigorous process of accreditation with the Australian Institute of Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL).
On behalf of the St Mary’s Catholic College community, I would like to extend congratulations to Ashleigh Bailey, Katie Coughlan and Mahaila Day.
A very big thank you to their mentors along the way, Kelly Winters, Stephen Humphrys, Clare Axman and our Richmond Cluster mentor, Jocelyn Reese.
Dana Barnsley
Leader of Pedagogy
Literacy Coach
During Assembly this week we presented the prizes and certificates for the Reflective Writing Challenge. So that there was no conflict of interest, the SRC judged the Staff entries and a panel made of Mrs Champion, Mrs Connolly and Mr McCaffery judged the student’s entries. I called upon Mrs Connolly, Nicholas Carey, Kristhine Salceda and Mrs Robinson to present the awards and certificates. The recipients were;
Stage 4
First Prize: Amelia McCray, with ‘My Most important Learning’
Second Prize: Tayla Wood, with ‘The Year of 2021’
Third Prize: Carolyn Smith, with ‘Time in Lockdown’
Stage 5
First Prize: Nicholas Carey, with ‘The Whims and Woes of Winky and Boo’
Second Prize: Gloria Sampson, ‘Love and Growth’
Third Prize: Kendra Lynch, with ‘2021’
Stage 6
First Prize: Alexander Russell, with ‘2021: COVID Strikes Back with Perspective
Certificates of Participation:
Peyton Frame
Conner McCormack
Jackson Lawler
Georgia Falls
William Klaassen
Libby Walker
Jaleigh Macdonald
Sophie Winkler
Will Macdonald
Staff
First Prize: Mrs Maguire, with ‘2021 - The Year That Never Was’
Second Prize: Mrs Winters, with ‘Know Thyself’
Third Prize: Mrs Connolly, with ‘New Starts Bring New Challenges’
Certificate of Participation:
Mrs Barnsley, with ‘Dis-connection’
I would like to thank those who opened up their thoughts, feelings and key learnings from this year and entered the challenge, both staff and students. I thank you especially for being brave and allowing us to read your amazing words. Hopefully next year we can continue to offer opportunities for our community to share our writing publically.
I would also like to wish our community a very happy, holy and safe Christmas. Maybe Santa Claus might bring a good book to read or a journal to write in for 2022. Merry Christmas everyone.
Kelly Winters
Literacy Coach
SMCC Sport
Lismore Diocesan Touch Football Trials 2022
Students who are representative or gifted touch football players are encouraged to nominate for selection to attend the Lismore Diocesan Touch Football Trials.
Date: Thursday, 3 March, 2022
Venue: Coffs Harbour Leisure Park
Age Groups: U15 Boys, U15 Girls, Open Boys, Open Girls
Start and Finish Time: 9am - 2pm (approx)
Cost to Trial: $10pp paid to school
Canteen: No
Closing Date for Nominations: Tuesday, 15 February, 2022.
Online nominations to attend these trials are now being accepted. Please see the attached letter, detailing how to register.
If selected to trial from applications, students will need to organise their own transport.
If you need further details please contact Mr Ryan via the College office or mike.ryan@lism.catholic.edu.au.
Swimwear Policy
As Summer is now upon us, students and parents may be considering purchasing new swimwear.
Please keep in mind the swimwear policy that is being introduced for all school swimming events, including our annual swimming carnival and Thursday sport.
Student Success
Oliver Shields (Year 10) was recently selected in the U16 NSW Softball Squad for 2022, following the State Championships in Sydney on December 4th and 5th. With no Far North Coast team competing, Oliver was picked up by Southern Districts to join their team and impressed selectors, earning his spot in the NSW Squad. Oliver will now attend a training camp in January where a team will be selected to compete at the National Championships in Canberra. Congratulations Oliver.
Jackson Bennett (Year 10) was recently selected in the U16 Northern Rivers Titans Squad for 2022. The Titans compete in the Andrew Johns Cup, a competition for NSW’s regional representative players to showcase their talents in the hope of catching the eye of NRL clubs. Well done Jackson.
Mike Ryan
Sports Coordinator
SMCC Ministry Corner
We have come to the end of 2021. Ministry has been such an important and growing part of our community this year. Here's a look at what's coming up over the last week.
2022 YMO’s:
We are beyond excited to welcome our incoming YMO’s for 2022, Jacob Franey and Hannah Winkler. We know they're both going to do an amazing job and continue the passion and growth for ministry here at the College. We reached out to them both and asked a few questions, here's what they had to say:
What is a fun fact about you?:
“I love playing hockey and going to waterfalls!” - Jacob
“I can do a backflip!” - Hannah
Is there something you're most looking forward to in 2022?
“I'm most looking forward to becoming actively involved in the St Mary’s community and being a support network for the students!” - Jacob
“Starting my journey as a Youth Ministry Officer” - Hannah
What are your hopes for ministry in 2022 at St Mary’s?:
“I hope that I can build students up and help them in striving to be the best version of the person that God created them to be.” - Jacob
“To have an amazing year full of challenges, growth and happiness” - Hannah
2022 Ministry Captains
Another piece of exciting news for the end of year is the announcement of our 2022 Ministry Captain’s. Congratulations to Nicholas Carey and Charlotte Day (Year 11) who were voted in by the 2021 Years 9 & 10 Ministry Classes.
Christmas Liturgy
The 2021 St Mary’s Catholic College Christmas Liturgy is being held on Wednesday, 15 December during period 4. All students will be in attendance at the Liturgy.
Christmas Hampers
We are encouraging all students to bring in $5 to contribute towards the 2021 Vinnies Christmas Hampers. It would be great if students could please bring it in by Monday to allow for purchasing.
Finally we would like to thank staff, students and families for their outpouring of support this year. We have both had such an amazing time ministering to the St Mary’s Community and wish you a Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year and a good luck filled 2022.
Until we meet again...
Dan and Theo
Youth Ministry Officers
Year 7 Orientation Day
On Friday, 3 December we welcomed Year 6 students from across the region for an orientation to High School life. Students were exposed to a number of their upcoming subjects and experienced a ‘day in the life’ of a Year 7 student. I was lucky enough to have a group of students participate in an introduction to High School religious education lesson, where the students were asked to create 10 ‘Classroom Commandments’ that incorporated the values and missions of the Catholic Church.
The class decided on the following 10 classroom commandments and each made a pledge to honour these in their future classrooms and on the playground;
- Respect each other
- Don’t talk over others
- Always raise your hand to speak
- Always try your hardest
- Don’t give up
- Persist with your learning
- Respect school property and equipment
- Speak with respect
- Always help and support one another
- Listen to and respect your teachers
Each student created a beautiful visual display of their work and I was very proud of their encouragement of one another and their shared value on the respect of others. St Mary’s Catholic College is very lucky to have such wonderful students joining our community in 2022.
Che McDougall
Teacher
Canteen
Volunteers
We are looking for volunteers to assist in the Canteen. Please contact the Canteen via the College office if you are available at any time to help.
Flexischools
Flexischools is a well-established organisation allowing you to easily place all your canteen orders online at any time.
Download the Flexischools app from the App store or Google Play. Click here for details on how to set up your account.
Once registered, you can start placing orders immediately.
Please note that sushi orders will need to be placed before Tuesday afternoon at 1pm as Sushi will only be available for Wednesday orders.
There is a charge of $0.29 per order for using this service.
If you have any questions, please contact the Flexischools Customer Service Team via their website contact page.
The normal process of ordering from the canteen (cash, eftpos, morning lunch orders) is still available.
Uniform Shop
Uniform Shop Opening Times:
Tuesdays: 3.15pm – 5.00pm
Thursdays: 2.00pm – 5.00pm
January 2022 Uniform Shop Opening Hours
Monday, 17 January – 7.30am – 1.30pm
Tuesday, 18 January – 9.30am – 1.30pm
Payments of cash, cheque or EFTPOS are welcome.
Flexischools
Orders can also be placed via the Flexischools service. No fees are charged to families for using this service.
Orders placed through the holidays can be collected on Tuesday, 18 January.
Please note the following information for orders made via this service:
Tuesday Orders
- Cut off time is 12noon on Monday
- Pick up available from the College office on Tuesday afternoon from 3.30pm - 5.00pm
Thursday Orders
- Cut off time is 12noon on Wednesday
- Pick up available from the College office on Thursday afternoon from 3.30pm - 5.00pm.
Orders not collected will be given to the student the following day to take home.
Whilst all care will be taken to ensure that stock availability is correct at the time of ordering, there may be some items that are not in stock at the time of packing the online orders. In this case, you will be contacted to advise of an estimated time of arrival for new stock of that item or given the option of a refund processed through Flexischools.
All uniform shop order enquiries can be emailed to: cash-uniform@lism.catholic.
Second Hand Uniforms
Sustainable School Shop is an online shop dedicated to buying and selling of second hand uniforms. For more information ring 1300683337 or visit www.sustainableschoolshop.com.au.
Please note that this facility is available for use with the new College uniforms only.