From the Principal

Dear St Mary’s College Community,

Welcome to the 2023 school year. I extend an especially warm welcome to the students, families and staff who are new. It has been wonderful to welcome everyone back.

This week, we launched the return of the St Mary’s College Middle and Senior School Musical. In 2017, my first year at the College, I was in awe at the quality of the student production of Annie. The staging, orchestra, vocals and production were all exceptional and well beyond anything I had experienced in school productions before.

In 2019, we had a gala for our 150^th celebrations instead of the musical, and then in 2020 and 2022 the musical was cancelled. So, while we have had two wonderful Junior School productions, it has been a long time since a full-scale Middle-Senior event.

'Oliver!' is a wonderful production to mark our return and to introduce the work of David Gauci, our Coordinator of Performance Music. David has a strong reputation for his work in musical theatre, and he has an exemplary team of staff and students to work with at St Mary’s. It’s sure to be a highlight so encourage your daughter to get involved.

Our theme for this year is Connecting In - Reaching Out.

This theme gives us a window into living our purpose - to contribute to a more just and compassionate world. We do this when we live with generosity and when we discover our strengths and passions and share them abundantly.

Connecting in, with ourselves, and each other, is what feeds our capacity to reach out. We look forward to sharing this theme in our community this year.

We are excited about all that lies ahead in 2023, and we are delighted to have you here with us.

Warm regards,

Clare Nocka

Principal

2023 Middle and Senior Years Musical

On Thursday 2 February at 8.57am, the 2023 Middle and Senior Years Musical was launched.

In the words of our Principal Clare Nocka, “Our community has always been known for quality productions that are sure to entertain. More than that, the production is a fabulous way to engage diverse community members."

In December 2022, we were tasked with the role to find a musical that ticked all the boxes of engagement and community. We thought long and hard about our important decision and decided on, the most popular musical of all time, Oliver! With music and lyrics by Lionel Bart, and based on the book Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens.

This beloved musical will include a cast made up entirely of Year 7 to 12 students from St Mary’s College. But it takes a village to raise a musical! We are now looking for cast, crew and volunteers to help to make this event a reality.

As parents, caregivers, and community volunteers, consider the opportunities that exist to be a part of this return to a great tradition of the College. The Musical Portal on SEQTA is now open - this will be the hub for all things 2023 Musical.

AUDITIONS AND REGISTRATIONS OF INTEREST ARE OPEN NOW AND CAN BE FOUND ON THE MUSICAL PORTAL.

Please click HERE to access the portal link.

David Gauci
Coordinator of Performance Music

St Mary's College Board Chair Announcement

Mr John Foley has been appointed as Chair of the Board of St Mary’s College, a school within the network of Dominican Education Australia (DEA). His appointment took effect on 1 January 2023.

DEA would like to thank Interim Chair, Ms Lucy March, for her generosity of time and dedication to the acting role whilst Mr Foley’s appointment was in progress. Ms March will continue as Deputy Chair, supporting Mr Foley in leading the governance of the College.

Mr Foley is a well-known Adelaide educational leader who was Principal of St Michael’s College, Henley Beach until 2021. Since then he has been employed in a senior management role at Catholic Education SA (CESA).

Mr Foley is familiar with history of St Mary’s and the Dominican charism as his four sisters attended the College and his mother was a member of staff for nearly 30 years in a learning support services role.

The St Mary’s College Board has the task of overseeing the good governance of the College, and together with the College Principal, Ms Clare Nocka, to guide St Mary’s as it continues to be a leader in girls’ education.

Eileen Young
DEA Chair

Introducing our 2023 College Captains and Deputies

Hello St Mary’s College Community,

We are your College Captains for 2023, Zenja and Tahlia.

Our role as College Captains is important to us as we want to help and lead the younger students in our community. We aim to demonstrate that our initiatives and actions within St Mary’s, can be brought further into our society, part of “Connecting in, Reaching Out”. By doing this, our hopes are to lead through taking on work and activities and by making connections.

In 2022, we were privileged enough to be selected for the Oak Valley Immersion trip. The 13 days allowed us to ground ourselves and appreciate the smaller moments in life. Since returning from the trip, the skills that we gained have been transferred across into our everyday lives.

We are looking forward to creating opportunities for year levels to come together and work collaboratively throughout the course of the year. Student Voice and Justice are ideals that can become values for involved students, as we wish to help deepen their passion and guide their curiosity.

Looking ahead into 2023, we aim to maximise involvement across school events and activities. Our voices will guide our College and be patient with new initiatives. We will encourage open dialogue across all year levels and allow the community to reach out where necessary. We want to encourage a fun, inclusive environment.

Written by Zenja Z (College Captain SRC) and Tahlia D (College Captain Justice)

Dear St Mary’s families,

We are Sophie, Chanelle and Brooke, your Deputy College Captains for 2023.

This year, we are looking forward to coming together as a community and connect with each other, as the past few years have been limited in the events our College usually holds. As a group, we are excited to help lead the College and be a role model for all students. We are excited to be working with the other Year 12 student leaders and representatives to create a fun and exciting environment in our everyday school life. Being a part of a great leadership team this year, we look forward to turning dreams into realities and create our mark in our College's history.

Written by Sophie P and Chanelle W (Deputy College Captain SRC), and Brooke S (Deputy College Captain Justice)

To read more about our Student Leadership Team, please click here.