Latest news
Student representatives convene for Vinnies mass
On Tuesday 9 March, students Niah Bester (Year 9) and Maddie Young (Year 10) attended the induction mass for the St Vincent de Paul school conferences.
The Mass welcomes schools and their Vinnies leaders from the greater Hobart area to gather, receive a blessing for their work in 2021 and confirm their commitment to living out the Gospel messages by serving Christ with love, respect, justice, hope and joy.
Maddie and Niah collected the badges and candle which were presented to the College leadership team at their recent Senior School assembly.
The College has a long association with St Vincent de Paul, which sees Junior and Senior School students supporting all St Vincent de Paul initiatives at the state level.
Presentation Sisters inducted into Tasmanian Honour Roll of Women
The College is delighted and proud to announce that the Presentation Sisters in Tasmania have been recognised as inductees on the 2021 Tasmanian Honour Roll of Women.
The work and achievements of the Sisters span more than 150 years, with the award recognising their significant contributions to education and pastoral care, both locally and internationally.
As the first Presentation school in Australia, St Mary's College is proud of its heritage, with the charism of the Presentation Sisters and their foundress, Nano Nagle, at the heart of the school community.
In addition to their community-based work, caring for immigrants, refugees and the marginalised in society, the Tasmanian Sisters have supported their international Sisters in the Philippines, Pakistan and Papua New Guinea.
For some Sisters, their volunteer efforts have directly improved the educational opportunities for girls and young women.
In 2018, the Sisters gifted a large parcel of land in Blackmans Bay to the Tasmanian people. The land will be used for affordable housing and supported accommodation for vulnerable women, people with disabilities and families in need.
In good company for International Women's Day
The College was excited to be joined by our fellow Alliance of Girls' Schools Australasia Tasmanian group members from Mount Carmel College, St Michael's Collegiate School and Fahan School at our International Women's Day Breakfast held on Friday 12 March.
Attendees had the pleasure of hearing from special guest speaker and St Mary's College alumna, Molly Gerke (class of 2012), while enjoying a delicious spread of savoury croissants, granola and fresh fruit.
Molly shared an inspiring story of her time volunteering in Vanuatu, the establishment of the Open Door Foundation and her work with the United Nations. Molly was joined by fellow speaker, Keisy Ureleo, whom she met through her foundation work in Vanuatu.
Celebrated annually on 8 March, International Women's Day is an opportunity to commemorate the achievements of girls and women, locally and globally.
As a member of the Alliance of Girls' Schools Australasia, St Mary's College works to challenge and call out gender bias and inequity, to seek and celebrate women’s achievements and to create a more inclusive, more equal world.
A time to retreat
The Year 9 and 10 classes have had a busy month participating in their annual camps/retreats.
The Year 10 Camp/Retreat was held on beautiful Maria Island and its theme was 'Women of Creation'. Students participated in many outdoor activities which enabled Belle Young, our Youth Minister, to develop retreat experiences designed to provide opportunities for students to encounter God through the natural environment.
Students were also given the opportunity to express their spirituality and personal stories through the creation of nature mandalas.
The retreat program was designed to complement the current Year 10 unit of Christian Ecology by incorporating a written reflection of the students’ retreat experience back in the classroom and culminating in an investigation of Pope Francis’ Laudato Si.
The Year 9 Camp/Retreat focused on the theme of 'Women of Resilience' and encouraged students to reflect on who they are as individuals, how they cope with change and challenges, and then develop skills of resilience to navigate the challenges of camp and life.
Students reflected on the scripture of Jesus’ Temptation in the Desert (Matt 4:1-11) in order to learn from Jesus about how to be resilient in the face of challenges.
The integration of retreats within camps has not only provided a more authentic retreat experience for students (by retreating from the world for a few days) but also enriched their camp experience by allowing students a chance to reflect on their experiences and their faith.
Sharon Lawler
Director of Identity and Mission
'Triveting' projects in Materials and Design
Year 7 students have been working on their first project in Materials and Design—a trivet (which is traditionally placed under a hot dish to protect a dining table from heat damage).
The process of making the trivet involved precise measuring, using a tenon saw and careful chiselling to create a neat cross for having a joint for the base.
Once the base was glued, the porcelain tile was detailed with some beautiful flowers using artist pens. Check out the finished products in the photos below.
Outdoor learning inspires little imaginations
The St Mary's College and St Virgil's College Kinder classes let their imaginations run wild this morning as they explored the natural environment during a fun 'Bush Kinder' session.
From gathering leaves and twigs to create imaginary campfires, climbing trees and logs, and tackling the different terrain, the children enjoyed the chance to engage in unstructured, outdoor play while making some new friends in the process.
