Other
Personal Hygiene for School Sport
Students are asked to take the following precautions to protect themselves and others when attending any sporting activities during St Maryâs Sport:
- Wash hands thoroughly with soap and water before and after participating in any sports activities.
- Use hand sanitiser before and after activities if provided at a sports venue.
- Bring a towel to use at all sports activities â use the towel to lie on for floor exercises and to wipe off sweat.
- Cover your mouth and nose with an elbow or tissue when coughing or sneezing, then dispose of tissues immediately into a bin.
- Stay at home if you are feeling ill.
- Monitor new information from health authorities each day.
Library News
Lunchtimes in the Library are a buzz of activity. The photos show our students playing board games, working collaboratively on tasks and our fortnightly
craft group.
2020 has been a great year for reading thus far. Fiction borrowing has increased significantly with almost double the amount of novels borrowed in comparison
with the same time last year.
Reading Challenge
Now is an ideal time for students to immerse themselves in the wonderful world of reading so the annual PLC Reading Challenge has had an early start for 2020. This is a House based challenge, students earn House points for entering and then earn points for the books they read. This year we have opened it up to include Audio Books, which students can access via the Library’s ePlatform. Students can register via SEQTA notices and collect a Reading log from the Library Desk. There will be random eBook voucher giveaways throughout the Reading Challenge.
Library online services
As the Library plays an integral role in the life of the College it is important for students to continue accessing the Library’s resources electronically during any extended absence.
The PLC google site has been established for many years and is the gateway for students to access Library resources to support their classroom learning and provide reading guides. Students can access the PLC google site via SEQTA or the Portal from the College website and the link is below: https://sites.google.com/a/stmarys.nsw.edu.au/polding-learning-centre/home
Students can borrow eBooks and Audiobooks through the Library’s ePlatform. The Library has offered this service for many years as it is easy to use, works on all platforms, has a great selection of books with the added bonus of enabling students to make requests for purchase. Students can access ePlatform via the PLC Google Site and the link is also below:
https://smc-college.wheelers.co/.
Importantly, students can contact Library staff for assistance with research tasks or reading suggestions via email to plc@stmarys.nsw.edu.au
Year 11 Assembly Guest Speaker
On Monday, 9 March we were fortunate to host guest speaker: Karen Murphy -Commonwealth Games Lawn Bowls champion present to Year 11 regarding setting and reaching personal goals and overcoming adversity.
TexStyle Excursion
On 4 March, the HSC Textiles class, accompanied by Mrs Keyte, travelled up to The Muse at Ultimo TAFE to attend the TexStyle exhibition. This exhibition showcases an exemplary range of major textiles projects from the 2019 HSC year.
Through the TexStyle program, we were able to sit down and listen to one of the HSC marking directors talking about the folio component of the project and how we as the designers are able to develop our own Major Textiles Project in a range of creative and innovative ways.
Throughout this seminar, we also had the opportunity to listen to a teacher from the TAFE design school talking about what we as designers are able to pursue into the future through the TAFE design programs. As students, this exhibition has inspired us to enhance our projects using innovative and creative techniques of design.
Reflection on the week
The shared human adventure of life means that we, all of us, can find ourselves moved to tears, to joy, to frustration, to confusion by those common experiences that are often not even surprising in our day to day lives. At the moment, I get home from work each day to wrangle a relatively new puppy, Brescia. Each day is an unfolding surprise and as I pull up the car, I brace myself wondering what Brescia has destroyed today.
There’s been a long list since her arrival in December including two pairs of prescription sunglasses in two days, sundry shoes and enough rolls of toilet paper to circle the suburb. Of course, these things pale into insignificance when I consider how much the world has changed since Brescia arrived from drought stricken Inverell.
As a long-time dog owner, I take seriously the naming of each new dog. Brescia is named, not for some deep interest in leather furniture but for a sleepy
little city in Northern Italy, a UNESCO historic town, home of literally dozens of churches and birthplace of Pope Paul VI. I spent a few days there
last year walking the days away on cobblestoned pathways, looking at ancient ruins, visiting churches no one had ever heard of and wasting my afternoons
at cafes over long coffees and gelatos. It was a calm, quiet rest after the frenzy on the roads of Rome, Florence, Siena and Milan. Now, in so many
ways Brescia seems a world away.
As I write this, those cobblestoned streets are the spaces for tent hospitals as corona virus has ravaged this beautiful historic town in a country overwhelmed by a medical emergency. Here in the southern hemisphere we are beginning to understand their horror and share their fear. We live in a complex and confusing world where we are making up the rules as we go along. Its unsettling to wake each day and wonder what destruction will greet us in the latest news bulletin.
Brescia and Wollongong are so far apart and yet united in our shared human realities. In many ways the world community has not known such disconnection since we’re not sure when. And yet, in the midst of turmoil there are ties that bind and shared humanity. We have seen it online in Italians singing to each other across streets and piazzas while in lock down to build up each other’s spirits. We have learned of it through the Chinese government’s gift to Italy of 31 tonnes of medical equipment including masks, respirators and a team of doctors.
We are at the moment rightly concerned for those we know and love. That’s also part of our shared humanity. In the uncertainty let us not forget our connectedness. Whether in classrooms or online we are connected to each other as other learners. There are grandparents we can phone and have a conversation. There are friends we can communicate with over social media and keep those communications life giving and uplifting. I suspect while my friends are tired of my photos of Brescia they are also endlessly amused by her latest antics; and just for a little while can forget the difficulties we all face at the moment. Whatever separates us we are stronger and healthier in every way when we find ways to connect with each other, pray for each other and share and celebrate our common concerns and humanity.
From the Principal
Dear Parents
The Senior Study area on a Friday morning between 7.30am and 8.30am was the last place that I was expecting to be reassured and inspired about the purpose and mission of our work at St Mary’s. The occasion was the recent breakfast to celebrate International Women’s Day on 6 March. Our guest was Sonia Henry; an ex-student of St Mary’s in the class of 2003, physiotherapist, medical doctor, activist and author. Perhaps more accurately, a balanced, inspiring and vivacious human.
Only infrequently do you listen to someone speak with such authentic conviction and deliver simple but important, powerful and inspiring messages to those who were gathered, especially our girls who made the early wake-up call to attend the breakfast. Woven throughout Sonia’s reflections about her time at St Mary’s as a student and her life as it has unfolded since, was the influence that her time at the College and particular teachers who she encountered in that time, have had on her subsequent life and work. Doubtless, this was only complementing the foundational and loving experience of her own family upbringing but nonetheless, clearly her time at St Mary’s was formative and influential. There were two things that Sonia said that specifically resonated with me. The first was: “St Mary’s didn’t teach me to be perfect. It taught me to be myself”. Of all the wise words that we might capture in our statements of ethos and mission, none would be more important than this. The other reflection that Sonia shared was in relation to the impact that her then Principal, Sister Rita Hayes had on her as a student to nurture a profound belief in her that “you can do anything and be anything that you want to be”. Is there any more important belief that we should commit to nurturing in our young women?
For me, there are some poignant moments in life that seem to make sense of the milieu of the rest. The privilege of spending only a short time listening to Sonia’s reflections and more particularly, imagining how better our world will be in the future as a consequence of Sonia’s contribution to it, was one of those moments. For whatever the contribution St Mary’s made to the person that Sonia has become, our community can be rightly proud. More importantly, we will do well to be motivated by the authenticity and conviction of the wisdom she shared with us on that Friday morning.
Our recent Open Day was a further reminder to me about how fortunate we all are to be members of the St Mary’s community. To see the incredible showcase of opportunities available to our girls at the College, the pride of our current girls showing their school to potential new students and the incredible numbers of Year 5 and Year 6 girls and their parents who attended the day was quite inspiring and quite a privilege. Thank you to Mrs Marie Pulford for her considerable work in organising this important day, to our teaching staff for their support of tours and displays, to you as parents for your advocacy for our College which leads so many new families to us and especially to our girls who are the most wonderful ambassadors on occasions such as this.
As we continue to move through Lent, albeit in these challenging times, one of the things we are invited to is moderation. That is, a specific invitation to free ourselves of some of the things that distract our attention from our relationship with God. In the modern world in which we live, we are much more likely to be excessive and obsessive than we are to be moderate and temperate. The invitation during Lent to make particular commitments to ‘let things go’ is less about some kind of self-imposed denial or suffering and more about uncluttering our lives of ‘things’ that sometimes diminish our capacity to be selfless, to be other centered, to be compassionate and to be kind. When we are those things in our relationships with the people in our lives; compassionate, kind, generous, caring, our relationships are immeasurably enriched, we are better people as a consequence and so inevitably, we grow in our relationship with a loving God.
Perspective and Control
As Australians and humans, we have had some difficult challenges to manage of late. Individually we have stressors and other challenges we overcome on a day to day basis. In Australia we are not used to having our individual stressors and our community stressors heightened at the same time. It is a blessing to be living in Australia and to have the ability to manage the community and individual stressors the way we are.
The reality of being human is that we are powerless in controlling many matters. If it rains, it rains. If the sun is shining it shines. This is something
that will always be out of our control. It is a relief to let go of/accept the things we donât have control of and focus on what we can. We may be
powerless in many things however we are also powerful in so many matters as well.
I canât control if my elderly grandmother is exposed to COVID-19 and is in isolation, I cannot visit her, take her meals, hug her. However, I can control
if I call her, Skype her, send her snail mail. I can send care packages to the retirement village full of bubble wands, flowers and toilet paper.
Notice your behaviors, thoughts, urges, instinct. Does it lay in the area you have control of or does it lay in the area we do not have control of. If it lies in the area of control than you will be more effective in managing these stressors we are managing together.
We recognize how vulnerable the community feels at present and we will support each other through this.
Stay Safe, stay smart, stay connected.
Kids HelpLine - 1800 55 1800 (24/7) W| www.kidshelpline.com.au ;Lifeline - 13 11 14 (24hr Crisis Line) W| www.lifeline.org.au ;YouthBeyond Blue - 1300 22 4636 (24hrs) W|www.youthbeyondblue.comMental Health Line - 1800 011 511 (24hr Help Line); Suicide Call Back Service - 1300 659 467 (24 Hrs).
NYSF Students Report to the Rotary Club
On Friday, 13 March, Year 12 students Alanah Hunter and Darcy Cullen reported to the Illawarra Sunrise Rotary Club their experiences in attending the National Youth Science Forum (NYSF) summer school in January this year.
The girls spoke in detail about the wonderful experiences they had in STEM related activities, the inspirational speakers they listened to, the many friends they made and how beneficial this experience was for them in discerning their future direction. They expressed their gratitude to the Rotary Club and the College for their support and sponsorship.Their presentation was well received, they were excellent ambassadors for the College.
Mountain Bike Success
Lillee and Poppy Pollock raced in the National Cross Country Mountain Bike Championships in Bright, Victoria, and also the Thredbo Interschools Championships
this month.
Lillee, in particular, has been training for 12 months for this event. She recently represented Australia at the Oceania Mountain Bike Championships in Dunedin where she placed 6th in the under 19 age group, which is an incredible result as Lillee is only 16. Lillee won a Bronze Medal in the Under 19 Short Course Cross Country at the National Cross Country Mountain Bike Championships and she finished 6th in the Cross Country Olympic Course.
The competition was very tough with the country’s best riders competing for selection for World Championships. The course was incredibly brutal with
a punishing terrain and very steep technical descents.
Due to amazing results and talent, Lillee has been selected in an all-women’s racing team to race for ‘The Motion Orbea’ to assist her development in the sport.
Poppy recently raced at Thredbo at the Super Enduro. She won the under 17 age group and actually placed 3rd overall in elite women which is incredible for a 14 year old. She was recently selected to ride for Specialised Australia due to her incredible talent in Enduro Style Mountain Bike racing.
At the National Cross Country Mountain Bike Championships, Poppy finished 8th in the under 17 Cross Country Olympic Course and 9th in the Short Course Cross Country.
Both Lillee and Poppy are to be commended on their dedication to their training and competitions, as well as managing their school commitments. We wish them all the very best for their future events.
Congratulations girls.
International Women's Day Breakfast
The Z Club hosted the International Women's Day Breakfast on Friday, 6 March for our St Mary’s community. We were privileged to have as guest speaker - Dr Sonia Henry, Class of 2003.
Dr Sonia Henry is also a Writer. Prior to her career in medicine she qualified and worked as a physiotherapist. She has been published on a variety of platforms, including the Physician blog Kevin MD, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian Medical Students Association magazine and the ANZ Journal of Surgery. She recently completed her fellowship in general practice.
In 2017 her anonymous article ‘There is something rotten inside the medical profession’ was published on the physician blog Kevin MD. It went viral and was shared over 22,000 times worldwide. Her first novel ‘Going Under’, a fictional account of the first year of a doctor in training, was published in September 2019. It was No. 9 on the Australian authors fiction best seller list the month it was released. The book received national media coverage, featuring on ABC breakfast, Channel 7, national radio and podcasts. Sonia is currently working on her second novel.
Sonia inspired all of us with her presentation as she reminisced and spoke fondly of her school years at the College. Here is an extract from her speech:
…"I think generally, and certainly as a doctor and a person, I have faced many ethical and moral dilemmas - if you ask yourself what is fair,
and true and kind, you can’t really go wrong. Those are the values St Mary’s instilled in me and the values by which I live my life today".
International Women’s Day
On Tuesday 10 March, we were fortunate to attend the IWD #EachforEqual panel discussion with Mrs Judd and some very inspiring women. The panel was hosted by Amy Duggan and consisted of three influential women; Bianca Hunt, Nicki Bowman and Stella Lauri who have all had a major impact on the perception of women in society.
Bianca Hunt is a Speaker, UOW Advancement and TAFE NSW Ambassador, Vice President –Junior Chamber Illawarra and a Gumbaynggirr Woman. Nicki Bowman is a Leadership Consultant, Professional Board Director and Chair – Dressed for Success Illawarra. Stella Lauri is the National News Director for the WIN Network and presenter Amy Duggan is WIN News Sports Reporter, Sportswoman and a Board Member.
The panel discussed; in our world today we cannot achieve equality without equity. Along with other students from around the Illawarra, we were able to draw from each speaker's experiences and valuable knowledge. Each individual discussed their stories about adversity and experiences faced being a woman in the workforce. In our world, in order to have equality, men are an aspect in doing so. They have the responsibility to speak up for the rights of women.
Fee Update
Annual School Fee Statements have been issued to all families and are due for payment or an instalment plan has been completed using the School Fee Agreement Form to advise the College of your intended payment option. This Agreement gives the College advice regarding parents/carers preferred method and frequency of payment. Please contact the Fees Coordinator if you have not received your copy or to discuss your account further. A ‘School Fee Calculator’ is also provided on the College website to assist families to determine their regular payment.
DIRECT DEBIT OPTION - if you would like to continue or commence Direct Debit arrangements please complete the request form (included with statement) and return to the College.
Leaving the College: Just a reminder, if a student is withdrawn from the College one full term’s notice must be given in writing to the Principal. If one term’s notice is not given a full term’s fee will be charged.
Leave of Absence: If a student applies for leave of absence for a holiday or travel, school fees are to be paid prior to approval of leave.
Dragon Boat Challenge
On Saturday 7 March, 20 keen students participated in the Shellharbour City Festival of Sport Dragon Boat Challenge on Lake Illawarra. In each heat, students raced against a variety of community groups over a fast and furious 200 metres.
Over the course of the day, St Mary's teamwork and synchronisation improved and they finished an honourable second place behind Jamberoo Juniors in the schools final, narrowly missing a gold medal by less than two seconds!
Most importantly, a great day was had by all participants, who are keen to return next year. The students are to be congratulated on their enthusiasm and willingness to participate in such a wonderful community event. Well done!
âInformation provided to DESE
St Mary's College has been requested by the Department of Education, Skills and Employment (DESE) to provide the names and addresses of parents/guardians
as part of an annual data collection process. This information will be used by the Government and the Australian Bureau of Statistics as part of their
ongoing review of Commonwealth funding arrangements. The use and disclosure of this information is in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).
IWD 2020 Year 11 and Year 12 Volunteer Experience
On Friday, 6 March, thirteen Year 11 and eight Year 12 students had the wonderful opportunity to volunteer for the International Women’s Day luncheon at
the Wollongong WIN Entertainment Centre. The Year 11 girls were involved in the selling of raffle tickets to guests, ensuring that the procession of
the day ran smoothly and contributed to folding the raffle tickets that were entered into the ballot draw. It was an enriching experience to
be able to give back to the community and represent St Mary’s, as well as communicate with talented, hardworking young women at this fantastic event.
Fortunately, it wasn’t all work for the group of Year 11 girls, we were lucky enough to listen to the guest speaker Rachel Robertson who was the second female to lead a team of 120 people to Antarctica. Her speech was empowering, inspiring the girls and supporting our school motto of “I am born for higher things”.
It was also a privilege for the Year 12 students to have attended as guests at this prestigious event. The International Women’s Day lunch offered many
new insights, Rachael Robertson's speech giving ideas for our future on how to handle difficult social environments and how to work through issues
with the techniques she used during her Antarctic expedition. The experience exposed us to the success of women in the Illawarra and influenced us
to aspire to be the best versions of ourselves, and to believe that as women we all have the potential to help our community. Overall, it was
an empowering and rewarding experience.
All students who were involved in the day would like to thank Dr Holdsworth and Miss Magill for providing us with this amazing experience.
Diocesan Swim Carnival Report 2020
Several
SMC girls were rewarded for their efforts with being named in the Age Champion places:
Isabella Green: 17+ Age Champion - 126 points
Sarah Locke: 2nd in the 16yrs - 116 points
Grace O’Hara: 2nd in the 15yrs 70 points
Aya Milton: 2nd in the 14yrs – 140 points
Jessica Cole: 2nd in the 13yrs – 92 points
Cate Giason: 3rd in the 12yrs – 52 points
Records fell with the following St Mary’s girls showing their prowess and gaining selection in the Diocesan Swim team:
Aya Milton: 50m Freestyle 27.66secs; 50m Butterfly 30.67secs; 100m Freestyle 1:01.76
Jessica Cole: 13yr 50m Freestyle 28.46secs; 50m Butterfly 31.06secs; 100m Freestyle 1:02.86
Isabella Green: 50m Backstroke 32.28secs
Our Junior Relay team also broke the 4X50m Freestyle relay record with a time of 2:02.33 – swimmers were Aya Milton, Grace O’Hara, Jessica Cole and Stephanie Staniforth.
The All Age relay was won by 30m in a time of 3:02.74, with the following teammates: Cate Giason, Jessica Cole, Aya Milton, Grace O’Hara, Sarah Locke and Isabella Green.
Our Junior Medley relay team of Manna Berry, Jessica Cole, Nieve Campbell and Stephanie Staniforth won in 2:23.24; while our Intermediate team finished 2nd. Our Senior team of Isabella Green, Holly Holmesby, Eloise Happe and Isabella Whetstone won the 4x50m Free relay in 2:01.09
All girls that finished 1st in their events or second in the 50m Freestyle were selected to represent Wollongong Diocese at the NSW CCC Swim Carnival. Congratulations to the following girls:
Stephanie Staniforth: 13yr 50m Free
Grace Ohara: 15yr 50m Free
Sarah Locke: 16yr 50m Free; 100m Free; 50m Backstroke
Isabella Green: 50m Free; 50m Butterfly; 100m Backstroke; 100m Freestyle
Holly Holmesby: 17+ 50m Free; Snr 100m Butterfly
Eloise Happe: Senior 200m IM
Aya Milton: Jnr 100m Butterfly
All Swim Carnival results are available at https://www.dow.catholic.edu.au/sport/events-secondary/
Unfortunately, the CCC Swimming Carnival has been postponed and may not be rescheduled due to the current COVID-19 health restrictions. The NSW CCC Touch carnival at Nelson’s Bay has also been postponed. Other sports events will be considered as time goes on and the current outbreak is monitored.
SMC Noticeboard
Week 9
27 March - SMC Cross Country
Dates to Remember...
26 March - P&F AGM and General Meeting, commencing at 7.00pm in the PLC (Market Street entrance).
8 April - End of Term 1
27 April - Term 2 commences
Update Details
To review and update your daughter’s details including important medical data please visit https://tass.stmarys.nsw.edu.au/parentlounge/login.cfm