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Dear St Mary’s College,
This week we introduce
our refreshed newsletter with a new format and a new approach to content development.
We want
to connect more regularly with our families and wider community. The newsletter will be sent fortnightly
on a Friday. A special edition of the Junior School newsletter will be sent in the alternate weeks.
We want this communication to be accessible on any device. And we want to make sure you don’
t need to set aside hours to read it!
We want to celebrate achievements, and share news about
events, programs, and initiatives.
We want this to be something you will read, and even share
with family and friends.
Our newsletter refresh has come about in response to parent feedback;
it is important that it meets the needs of our community so please let us know what you think.
In the final week of the school term, Christian communities commemorate the days leading up to Easter,
known as Holy Week. This is often a time to slow down, reflect and be still. As a child, I remember when
everything closed for the four days of Easter, things really became quite still. We are not so good at
allowing for that in our world today.
This time of slowing down is intended to bring us more fully
into the presence of our God who loves us, into the presence of each other, and of a world that needs
our care. For Christians, it is a time to remember the death and resurrection of Jesus, a feast that gives
us hope that goodness and love will triumph over evil. There is something in this time of Easter
for all people.
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I hope there is something good in these days ahead for you and
your family.
Warm regards,
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The
Rite Journey
As part of the newly developed
WRAP program, the Year 9 cohort is engaging with the Rite Journey program. The Rite Journey is a
unique structured educational program that is designed to support the development of self-aware, vital,
responsible, and resilient adults.
Given the current lack of Rites
of Passage in the western world, young people are left to invent their own, which are often unhealthy
and unsafe. The Rite Journey reinvents the traditional process of a Rite of Passage to assist in transforming
adolescents from dependency to responsibility. The program is part of the students' lives for an entire
year, and at key stages of the year, the students and families participate in symbolic ceremonies.
At sunrise on Wednesday 30 March, the Year 9 cohort participated in the first of these ceremonies, the
Calling and Departure ceremonies. As part of these ceremonies, families were able to share some
private time with their daughters to reflect on their childhood and begin to explore their journey towards
adulthood.
Andrew Footner
Director: Middle School
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Farewell Bernie McInerney
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Bernie McInerney begins Long Service Leave in Term 2, and at
the end of that time, he will retire from teaching. Education has been Bernie’s world for 42 years,
16 of those at St Mary’s College. His career has spanned Whyalla, Port Augusta, Adelaide and Sydney,
and he has worked in boys, girls and co-educational settings.
While at St Mary’s, Bernie
has taught the daughters of students from early in his career. He has enjoyed this cross-generational
connection.
One of the things he has enjoyed most is engaging with young people in learning and
the development of critical awareness. Inspiring a love of literature has been central to his work as
an English teacher. He has appreciated the opportunity to work alongside inspiring colleagues.
Bernie will miss the daily connection with students and colleagues. He will miss the sense of community
at St Mary’s and its strong commitment to social justice and action.
We wish Bernie well
as he begins the next adventure.
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Vale - Leanne Armand (nee Dansie)
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Early this year, Old Scholar, Professor Leanne Armand, (nee
Dansie) ANZIC Director (1968-2022), died following a brief illness.
Leanne is survived by her
husband Stéphane and sons Maxime and Gaston, and parents Keith and Lynette Dansie. Lynette has
been an Old Scholar, parent, librarian, and part of the St Mary's College community since 1956.
Leanne was a leader in her field of marine science and completed her PhD in Micropalaeontology which
enabled her to travel the world in her chosen career. She was also the first Australian recipient of the
prestigious European Union Incoming Marie Curie Fellowship, among her many professional accomplishments.
The obituary shared by RESEARCH SCHOOL OF EARTH
SCIENCES ANU
College of Science (click on the link below) states that "a keen interest in biology was
fostered by teachers at St Mary's College in Adelaide and led to Leanne taking a major in biology
at Flinders University."
In the past, St Mary's College students have been fortunate
to have Leanne present at Career Expos and share her career journey.
We hold Leanne's family and
friends in our prayers.
https://earthsciences.anu.edu.au/news-events/news/obituary-professor-leanne-armand-anzic-director-1968-2022
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Nationally Consistent
Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD)
Every year, all schools
in Australia participate in the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability
(NCCD). The NCCD process requires schools to identify information already available in the school about
supports provided to students with disability. These relate to legislative requirements under the Disability
Discrimination Act 1992 and the Disability Standards for Education 2005, in line with the NCCD
guidelines (2019).
Information provided about students to the Australian Government for the
NCCD includes:
· year of schooling
· category of disability: physical, cognitive,
sensory or social/emotional
· level of
adjustment provided: support provided within quality differentiated teaching practice, supplementary,
substantial or extensive.
This information assists schools to:
·
formally recognise the supports and adjustments provided to students with
disability in schools
· consider how they
can strengthen the support of students with disability in schools
·
develop shared practices so that they can review their learning programs in
order to improve educational outcomes for students with disability.
The NCCD provides state and
federal governments with the information they need to plan more broadly for the support of students with
disability.
The NCCD will have no direct impact on your child and your child will not be involved
in any testing process. The school will provide data to the Australian Government in such a way that no
individual student will be able to be identified - the privacy and confidentiality of all students is
ensured. All information is protected by privacy laws that regulate the collection, storage and disclosure
of personal information. To find out more about these matters, please refer to the Australian
Government’s Privacy Policy (https://www.education.gov.au/privacy-policy).
Further information about the NCCD can be found on the NCCD Portal
(https://www.nccd.edu.au).
If you have any questions about
the NCCD, please contact Jo Cains - Director of Wellbeing and Inclusion jo.cains@stmarys.sa.edu.au
JO CAINS
Director of Wellbeing and Inclusion
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Principal's Campus Tour and Come and Try Days
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Welcoming new families to St Mary's College, please share with
family and friends:
Principal's Welcome and Campus tour Saturday 14 May 2022
Come
and Try Day Monday 9 May 2022
For further information and registration, please click on the link
below:
https://bit.ly/ToursSTMCNewsletter2022
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