Dear St Mary’s College Community, 

Our fourth strategic intention is all about our core business, learning. 

We design progressive learning experiences responsive to student voice and agency.

In our rapidly changing and increasingly complex world, schools need to shift. Old models of school will not serve our students well. We need to be creative, responsive and flexible in the ways we nurture the learning and wellbeing of all students. At St Mary’s, this happens in a way that is tailored to the needs of girls as learners; we grow their confidence and encourage them to have an active voice in their learning. 

Building a strong base in literacy and numeracy is critical; in recent years we have shifted our approach to teaching reading and developed an R to 9 literacy intervention support program so that students have the skill level they need to access the curriculum. Our learning continues as we explore ways to support our vulnerable learners and stretch our high achievers. 

Throughout Term 2, all teachers have been engaged in a development program called Lead Learn facilitated by Aleda. Teachers received targeted feedback from one of their classes and developed a goal to improve their teaching practice in response to that feedback. Working with a coach, through cycles of observation and feedback, teachers have been able to reflect on how their teaching supports the learning, voice and agency of students. Importantly, engagement with learning in this way, requires us as educators to apply the vulnerability and stretch we ask of our students, to our own adult learning. 

This term has been another tricky one to navigate, we have certainly felt the impact of staff and student absence. I am sure that this has impacted in different ways for all of you as well. I hope that the end of the term brings some time for rest and reset. 

Warm regards,  

Community Connections week is an opportunity for Year 10 and 11 students to experience the broader community through Service Learning and Work Experience Programs.   

Students will commit to various activities each day or week, either on campus or in the wider community. 

The Year 11 Service Learning Program encourages students to participate in organised service within the school or with marginalised organisations, groups or individuals in our community. These include Café Outside the Square, Riding for the Disabled, Suneden Special School, Adelaide Day Centre, Estia Health and Puddle Jumpers to name a few. 

Work experience is an opportunity for our Year 10 students to gain practical wisdom with an employer by learning about a particular role, organisation or career path.  

We appreciate all community connections who support our programs providing a valuable experience for our senior students.  

We are constantly inspired by the courage and tenacity of the seven Dominican Sisters who travelled to an unknown part of the world, just over 150 years ago, desiring to create a more just and compassionate world in their time. Hawi and Soreti Anderson are two inspirational sisters, full of courage and tenacity, making their mark on the world.

Hawi graduated in 2020 and Soreti graduated in 2017. They were both actively involved in the justice programs at St Mary’ s College, and Hawi was the driving force behind the Black Lives Matter initiative at our school in 2020. They both decided to take a break from university for a semester, to return to their roots in Ethiopia and reconnect with family. They stayed for five and a half months.

Hawi shared about her experience: “We have slowly adjusted to the lifestyle here - definitely a big change. We live with our siblings and their family which has been amazing because I’ve waited five years to see them again. There has been a lot of catching up with family. We would love to travel around Ethiopia but this is not possible due to civil war that has been going on for many years. I am learning a lot about my culture, my family and my country. Even my faith