Dear St Mary’s College Community,

In recent weeks, I have had the opportunity to connect with our wider Dominican community. Early in the term, I joined the Holy Cross Congregation for Eucharist in the Cabra Chapel. The celebration included the community of sisters, the Principal of Cabra Dominican College, members of Dominican Education Australia, and others who have worked with the sisters in their various ministries in Adelaide.  

A few weeks later, I attended the blessing and dedication of Columba Place, a cluster of units near Cabra. The sisters have collaborated with Amélie Housing, part of the St Vincent de Paul Society, to commit four units as affordable housing for women over 55 at risk of homelessness. 

At these gatherings, I have been reminded again of what a privilege it is to stand with this inspirational group of women. The active ministry of the congregation is slowly coming to an end, but their current work ensures that their legacy will continue for many years into the future. I am honoured to lead our school as one part of that legacy. 

This week, I was with members of the Dominican Education Australia (DEA) network at a memorial service for a student in one of our ministries. The gathering, both immensely sad and movingly beautiful, was a reminder that in the awful complexity and tragedy of life, we are held in community. 

The St Mary’s End of Year Eucharist Celebration, colloquially known to students and staff as EYEC (eye-yak), is a special time in the year when our community comes together in one place to celebrate.

EYEC is a joyful and meaningful way of formally acknowledging and celebrating everything that every individual has achieved throughout the school year. EYEC is a significant expression of our Catholic Dominican identity and a chance to showcase our ethos. It’s a wonderful way to bring the school year to a close and an opportunity to look forward to next year.

The community attends a mass followed by a graduation dinner and ceremony for Year 12 students, their families, and their teachers.

The St Mary’s community looks forward to gathering on Thursday 7 December to celebrate the year that was, congratulate Year 12 students on their efforts, and wish them well for the future.

It is expected that all students attend this event. Please register your attendance here.

Last week, our Year 6 students travelled to Canberra to embark on an educational tour to support their HASS studies this semester. With funding from the PACER (Parliament and Civics Education Rebate) Program, our students were provided  valuable on-site experiences directly aligned with the Australian Curriculum.

In class, Year 6 students have spent time learning about the three levels of government, with a strong focus on the federal government and how this works within our society. In Canberra, students visited the House of Representatives and Senate at both the old and new Parliament House. They also learnt how the preferential voting system works at the Electoral Office by running a mock election. This trip brought to life and consolidated our students HASS learning through hands-on, educational activities.

Our students and staff enjoyed visiting the interesting places of Canberra; some highlights include The War Memorial, the Museum of Australian Democracy, The Australian Electoral Office, Questacon, and The Australian Institute of Sport. Our students particularly enjoyed exploring the power of art in telling the stories of our Indigenous Australians, and engaging in the unique activities Questacon had to offer.

Their final stop was in Sydney, where students took a boat cruise to explore the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge, describing it as the ‘cherry on top’ of their exciting interstate camp.

This experience was rewarding and beneficial for all students socially and academically. They were able to gain a deeper understanding of Australian Civics and Citizenship and build stronger relationships with their peers.

Congratulations to Year 12 student Imogen J on signing a collegiate golf scholarship with US Eastern Kentucky University (EKU). Imogen won this scholarship using her academic results from Years 8 to 12 and her elite sports skills, and impressive accomplishments in golf. Imogen will begin her Bachelor of Business in Sports Management studies at EKU in August 2024.

The Head Golf Coach of EKU, Mandy, shared, “We feel very lucky to be adding Imogen to our team. She has a lot of great tournament experience and knows how to win”.

Imogen has been ranked as high as 836 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings and was the 2023 winner of the South Australian Junior Masters. Imogen was also the captain of the 2023 South Australian Interstate Team and the youngest member of the South Australian State Representative Team in the Open Women's Australian Interstate Series.

We congratulate Imogen on this outstanding achievement and wish her the best of luck.

St Mary’s College is a member of the national Future Schools professional network. In their own words, “Future Schools brings together some of the most innovative educators and schools worldwide to explore and demonstrate what is possible in education.” It is an exciting community, and our engagement with them puts St Mary’s at the forefront of visionary educational leadership. 

In Term 3, our school was one of the stops on a South Australian Future Schools tour. Visiting teachers from Leighland Christian School in Tasmania were so inspired by what they saw in Student Wellbeing, Innovation, and the Learner Hub, that members of their school leadership team came this term to see the work for themselves. 

This is St Mary’s at work in school and in the community, educating young people and others about “what’s possible” when we lead courageously, work collaboratively, and think and design creatively. We do this work with students and their families at the centre, and it leads to great outcomes at school and in post-school pathways. 

The opportunity to share our work and all we are learning from it is one of the great gifts of working in schools. We are grateful to be able to share our work, see it through the eyes of others and know that we are living our purpose every day, empowering our students to excel in learning and in life.