Dear St Mary’s College,
Last week we had our final
assembly and award presentation for Year 12 students, followed by a celebratory mass with our families.
The formality of the occasion is wonderful as we acknowledge the contribution our Year 12 cohort has made
to the Dominican culture of our school through a commitment to learning, prayer, service, and community.
It is a celebration of excellence in our community and of the strong formation we offer to the young women
through their years at St Mary’s.
Along with the celebration of achievement, it is
a wonderful time for sharing stories and expressing gratitude. Gratitude from us that we have been entrusted
with the learning and care of your children, and gratitude from families for all that St Mary’s
has meant.
In any school community, much of the powerful work that happens is not visible
to anyone but the families and students themselves. Often, our greatest work as educators is not what
is seen in newsletters or social media feeds. It is the students and families who are held through a crisis,
it is the student who keeps at their learning even when it is impossibly difficult, the one who doesn’
t really love school but keeps coming anyway, and the student who has not reached the highest grade but
has made exceptional growth. These achievements are captured in personal stories shared, and they sit
at the heart of a school culture alongside its greatest visible achievements.
It seemed
fitting that last week when we celebrated our Year 12s, we also celebrated World Teacher’s Day.
Our Year 12 students are the outcome of 13 years of development and support from a whole community of
teachers and support staff who create a school's learning and wellbeing culture. Each student cohort brings
its own flavour to our community, and we relish in the visible and invisible achievements of each of them.
Enjoy the weeks ahead.
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Dance and Visual Arts Showcase 2022
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On Thursday 10 November 2022, St Mary’s College will host
a Dance and Visual Arts Showcase.
From 6:00pm, you are welcome to join us in the CPA Foyer to
celebrate our students’ artistic and creative work. This includes art, design and photography displays
from our Senior School.
During this time, entertainment will be provided by our talented Small
Jazz Ensemble.
Attendees will be invited upstairs into the CPA from 7:00pm to view a performance
by our Stage 1 Dance students, with a special feature from our Year 7 Performance Team.
The dance
showcase is a chance for the Stage 1 Dance students to be assessed in performance and share their own
choreographies.
Charlize M in Year 10 has also worked on pre-production and technical theatre
elements this semester to help develop the program for the show.
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We look forward to inviting our community into the College next
week for our showcase.
Click
here to RSVP
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At St Mary’s College, we nurture the growth of strong
women equipped to find their voice and place in the world. Recent graduate Aphrodite Georgakopoulos (Class
of 2021) has done just that, having the confidence to find her place in the male-dominated industry of
construction.
Now studying for a Bachelor of Construction Management (Honours) at the University
of South Australia, Aphrodite finds that she is one of few women in the course. She is often the only
female in her classes and has unfortunately been subjected to comments made by male students who question
her intelligence and abilities. Always finding support at St Mary’s College from her teachers and
peers, Aphrodite finds strength in the tools she was given as a student at an all-girls school, to stand
up for herself and all the women she represents in her field.
Currently working in the Infrastructure
Division at the Department of Education, Aphrodite looks up to the women around her who work as project
managers and construction supervisors, roles typically held by men. Upon completing her degree, Aphrodite
hopes to work as a construction manager or in another similar field, such as estimating or quantity surveying.
Her 10-year plan includes attaining a builder’s license and running her own building company where
she can oversee and manage, as well as be on-site and hands-on.
Aphrodite believes that once you
have your degree and start working in the industry, no one can stop you from achieving what you want,
as you have all the knowledge and tools to get there. She wants young women to know that construction
is a legitimate option for girls.
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Aphrodite also wants young women to feel empowered working
or studying in a male-dominated field, not afraid. She believes that each time a young woman has the confidence
to do so, they inspire another to do the same.
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Last week, at our final Year 12 assembly, students from the
Class of 2022 were recognised for their efforts and commitment to the College in various areas.
We wish to congratulate the following students:
Service to Sport: Lucy P
Service
to Music: Olivia K and Harriet B
Commitment to Learning: Scarlett C
Commitment
to Prayer & Formation: Emma S
Commitment to Community: Abby C
Commitment
to Service: Madison K
Ethos Award: Reshma S and Paula K
Thank
you to all our Year 12 students for their commitment and contribution to St Mary’s College. We wish
you luck in your final assessments and upcoming exams.
We also look forward to gathering as a
whole school community on Thursday 8 December for our End of Year Eucharistic Celebration (EYEC).
Please register your attendance here.
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At the end of Term 1 2022, the College launched a refreshed
version of the newsletter with a new format and approach to content development. Our goal was to establish
a more regular connection with the community with a publication that was succinct, newsworthy and accessible
on any device.
The newsletter is a celebration of achievements and a place for the College to
share news about events, programs, and initiatives. Since its release, we have sent out 12 editions of
this newsletter and are looking for feedback from the community. Please click the link below to complete
the two-minute anonymous feedback survey.
Click
here to access the survey.
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