Dear St Mary’s College Community,   

Our second strategic intention - Grounded in story and place - captures the tradition at the heart of our school. It uses the image of the golden thread, drawn from the work of Dominican theologian Edward Schillebeeckx, to name how we continue the story of the community that founded our school. 

We continue to be shaped by the people and values that formed us.

The founding narrative of seven sisters who left Cabra, Dublin to begin St Mary’s College, is one of immense courage, tenacity, and faithfulness. The spirit of those women permeates our work with the girls and young women of today.  

Our purpose is outward-focused, for a more just and compassionate world. Like Jesus, and Dominic, we are called to engage with the people and concerns of our times. 

As stewards of the Dominican charism in this time and place, we pick up the golden thread and continue to tell our part in the story of St Mary’s College. We hold the story and place entrusted to us with care, and inspired by all who have come before us, we educate, form and empower new generations of young women.  

In this week alone, we have lived the commitments named in this strategic intention in our acknowledgment and celebration of Reconciliation Week, our Academic Awards Assembly, our preparation for Environment Week, our Year 11 Retreat and in last night's Soup and Sleep Event.  

Our Soup and Sleep Team was made up of current staff, a former staff member and an old scholar. Our community supported us to raise close to $8000 for Café Outside the Square. We joined with others to learn more about homelessness and the ways we can support. It was a great opportunity to celebrate our place as connected with local community and our story as one that lives within and beyond the school gates.  

Warm regards,  

At St Mary’s College, our staff and students are passionate about caring for our environment. From the bee project to solar panels, to split bin recycling systems and gardening club, we are committed to take action to care for our common home.  

The annual ‘Environment Week’ celebrations highlight our commitment. The students participate in activities and workshops throughout the week that aim to educate them about eco-friendly practices such as using reusable containers and beeswax wraps as an alternative to plastic. The wraps are made by students and sold at our Eco-market. Other products such as reusable coffee cups, metal straws and recycled tote bags are also sold. All proceeds will support gardening projects around the college.  

This year our leaders are challenging our community to choose meat-free meal options to raise awareness about the effects meat consumption has on the environment. To support this, the school canteen is providing meat-free options throughout the week.  

Rostrum Voice of Youth is a national speaking competition open to Secondary students. It provides an opportunity for students to gain experience and confidence in expressing their views and communicating effectively with an audience. When India  in Year 8 responded to the notice in SEQTA, she had never heard of Rostrum or had any idea just how big and organised the event would be. 

Hosted at Emmanuel College with students from across the state, this is the first time St Mary’s College has been involved. Students have two challenges on the day: 

• Deliver a pre-prepared six-minute speech on a topic chosen from a list of five themes 

• Deliver a three-minute short notice speech - participants are given fifteen minutes to prepare 

India chose the topic “Start a Conversation” to raise awareness about the harmful impact of too much interaction with social media. She is concerned about issues of bullying and the mental health impact of photoshopped images, comparing ourselves to others, and the fear of missing out. Her key message was, ‘get off your phone and start a conversation.’