From the Director: Wellbeing & Inclusion
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Dear St Mary’s College
Recently, I received a
phone message from a member of the public who was concerned about something that happened on the tram
which involved one of our students. What was described was an accident, however, the member of the public
was concerned with the behaviours that followed by the student, which included what she described as ignoring
her and not saying sorry. There was an identifying piece of jewellery that the student was wearing so
I quickly realised this was an opportunity to support the member of the public, the student and their
family. I am sharing this story with the family’s permission. This student has a disability. An
invisible disability, a neurodiversity that impacts their social communication and interaction. I sought
the family’s permission to share a little bit about the student and their disability and what happens
in a situation like this with the member of the public. It was one of those moments when I knew everyone
had learnt something in the interaction. On closing our conversation, the person stated ‘this is
a story to share and thank you for your willingness to educate me in understanding disability..... I have
learnt something I did not know before’.
Developing the capacity of others to support people
with disabilities is fundamental in creating inclusive places. This year our school community has been
working collaboratively with CBC and SAC through a CESA initiative called Partners in Practice. The purpose
of this collaboration is to develop the capacity of all community members to develop the skills to support,
understand and engage students with disability and learning difficulties.
There a number of elements
including:
· SociAble teens and kids -
social-emotional development - small group sessions which support the development of self-regulation and
self-awareness strategies. The program supports the capacity building of both our students and staff.
· Power of Peers - a capacity-building approach
to supporting and understanding students on the autism spectrum. This is a see approach to developing
understanding and inclusion.
· Autism SA
Understanding Girls on the Autism Spectrum and Interoception capacity building workshop - developing staff
understanding of emotional regulation and how this is experienced in our student’s minds and bodies.
· Autism SA capacity-building consultations
- specialised and complex consultation, capacity building of staff and support of students.
We
all have a role to play in creating inclusive spaces and environments for all. Being mindful that disabilities
are not always visible provides a space for us to be curious, responsive, and empathetic to the needs
of others.
Warm regards,
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Director: Wellbeing & Inclusion
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At St Mary’s College we look forward
to a long term partnership with the families in the education and formation of your daughters. Whether
you begin in Reception, Year 7, or somewhere in between, we want all of our students to finish their time
as St Mary’s Year 12 graduates.
We are currently building
our timetable for next year, forming classes and finalising staffing. If you are planning a change of
school in 2023, now is the time to let us know. Please email the Principal - clare.nocka@stmarys.sa.edu.au
As always, the Leadership Team is available to discuss your child's
learning and wellbeing. We can also support when finances are a concern. At the moment, we are planning
for all our students to continue, and we look forward to nurturing their growth into a new year level.
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Student Wellbeing Advisory Group
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Welcome to SWAG - the Student Wellbeing
Advisory Group. This group is a new initiative at St Mary's College made up of self-nominated Year 10
and 11 students, working closely with Director of Senior School Christina Kilishiri and Wellbeing counsellor
Michelle Brown.
SWAG is a forum for student voice. Our aim
is to work collectively as a community to make school a happier and safer place for everyone. We will
promote positive mindsets, boost morale and wellbeing and support our community to manage their mental
health through a range of initiatives and activities. Our work will help inform the Wednesday afternoon
WRAP program by responding to student needs and developing resources to support wellbeing at St Mary's
College.
SWAG is currently busy organising our first initiative
- Vox pops. This will be a short video made up of interviews with staff and students about their opinions
on wellbeing at St Mary's College. These interviews will be taking place throughout Justice Day so look
out for us. We welcome your input!
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Future project ideas include year level
events and wellbeing afternoons and days.
The team: Chantal
D (10R), Makeely J (10W), Danielle R (10R), Katija Z (10W), Zenja Z (11B), Brooke S (11Y), Eimear A (10R),
Nez O (11B), Belle D (10R), Eleanor G (10R), Ella M (11W), Katie S (10R), Autumn W (10R)
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Outdoor Adventures
Changes
from an interstate to a local experience recently delivered a fantastic opportunity and adventurous challenge
for our Year 9 Rite Journey students. Camp activities included: rock climbing, high ropes, egg lord catapult
building, billy cart racing, save your pilot problem solving, bushwalking, rucksack packing and learning
how to pitch a tent.
Students also participated in one of the major
Rite Journey challenges for the year, The Solo Experience. The Solo is a symbol of the difficulties you
will experience throughout your life. Many traditional cultures believed that until you were tested you
could not become a real man or woman. The Solo experience is a unique opportunity to be alone in a busy
and hectic world and the students rose courageously to this challenge.
Other highlights included a personalised Zumba lesson from Ms Gav, perilous river crossings, morning
wakeup serenade from Ms Lovering, a homemade swing and an impromptu but passionate night time concert
performed by our girls, for the enjoyment of the whole camp site.
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Camp is about employing courage, working
collaboratively, demonstrating compassion and consideration for your peers, showing perseverance, developing
friendships, and having fun. During camp, our teachers were continually blown away by the compassion,
resilience, humour and supportiveness that the Year 9 students showed. This sentiment was backed up by
the Wilderness Escape Adventure team.
Many aspects of the Year 9
Camp are experienced through the Outdoor Education program, now taught through to Stage Two SACE. The
program encourages positive risk taking, learning to be self-reliant, getting immersed in nature and away
from technology, and building strong friendships.
Students have
the chance to engage in a range of physical challenges such as kayaking, hiking, indoor rock-climbing,
and tent camping. They develop collaboration skills, learn survival and safety skills and apply leadership
skills when in control of group situations. The program builds resilience - there is often no choice but
the finish. The sense of achievement when this happens is real world learning and feedback at its best!
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