NEAA Student Conference

From 16–19 August, representatives from St Mary's College attended the 2022 Nagle Education Alliance of Australia (NEAA) Student Conference in Wagga Wagga, NSW.

The conference provided an opportunity for ambassadors like us from all around Australia to gather as a Presentation community.

The week consisted of numerous activities, experiences and prayer opportunities, plus some down time which gave us the chance to explore Wagga Wagga – the land of the Wiradjuri people.

During this conference, we connected with other Presentation people and realised that we shared one charism, focusing on the light of Nano Nagle.

In particular, we formed a special connection with the students from Iona College in Perth, WA, who we discovered we had a lot in common with.

Our highlights included the Welcome to Country, which involved a smoking ceremony; hearing from inspirational speakers; learning from the Presentation Sisters; visiting the Erin Earth sustainability garden; participating in a variety of hands-on activities and dancing all together at the Conference Dinner.

These experiences were enriching and deepened our understanding of Nano Nagle and what it means to be Presentation people.

We now hope to draw on these experiences to strengthen the spirit of Nano Nagle in all that we do at St Mary’s College.

We thank Mater Dei College, Wagga Wagga for hosting this wonderful conference.

The participating Year 10 students were Ada Hauler, Mykala Mastrocola, Maddy Grubb, Isabella Gebka, Gabi Radic and Holly Teale.

Sharon Lawler

Director of Identity and Mission

Feast of the Assumption

The College gathered on Monday 15 August to celebrate the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

In the Catholic tradition, the Assumption refers to the belief that when Mary died, she was taken immediately to heaven - body and soul.

This feast day is commemorated annually on 15 August and for us at St Mary's, it is a particularly significant one as we are, after all, named after Mary!

As a College, we strive to be inspired by Mary's peace, faith, courage and love, qualities that we instill in our students.

Throughout the day, students in the Junior and Senior Schools paused to remember and celebrate Mary through prayers, liturgies and learning activities.

A week of science for curious and creative minds

There was something to spark the curiosity in all of us last week, with our National Science Week program jam-packed with exciting experiments and mind-bending activities to inspire and engage students across all year levels.

On Wednesday 17 August, Karen Walter's Year 10 Science class put their teaching skills into practice with a visit from Year 2 Wombats.

The Year 2s worked with the Year 10s to undertake a range of different science-based activities around the general theme of 'How do we separate a mixture?'

The senior students also assisted the Years 2s in finding pond invertebrates under the microscope, with the Year 10s inspired by the range of curious and engaging questions a young scientist can ask.

Other highlights of the day included a presentation on the many powers of liquid nitrogen which proved to be a cracker!

The atmosphere in the Women in Science Centre was electric with popping balloons, frozen bananas and liquid nitrogen ice-cream - which students had the opportunity to sample, creating quite the buzz in the Senior School.

On Thursday 18 August, budding scientists pulled on their thinking caps for the 'Big Science Kahoot' - a science-themed trivia contest hosted by Dr Diana Nahodil.

Year 8 students welcomed Year 1 students into the lab on On Friday 19 August for a fascinating glimpse into the laws of reflection and refraction, as well as some close encounters with creepy crawlies through a microscope.

To close our Science Week program, Year 9 classes attended the Festival of Bright Ideas at Princes Wharf 1, an annual event that showcases the brightest innovation, research and technology happening in Tasmania.

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