Torres Strait flag donation

We were pleased to welcome the Hon Elise Archer MP to the College last week for a meet-and-greet with Principal, Damian Messer and our Year 6 Junior Leaders.

Earlier this year, Ms Archer, as patron of the Australian National Flag Association (Tasmania) gifted us a Torres Strait Islander flag, which she had the opportunity to view in person during her recent visit.

The flag is flown alongside our Australian flag and Aboriginal flag, which together, represent connections, pride and our shared histories.

We thank Ms Archer for her generous donation and her ongoing support of our College.

Year 8 Retreat | People of Character

Last week, Year 8s attended their annual Retreat at the Lindisfarne Rowing Club. This year's theme was 'People of Character', which encouraged students to identify their character strengths and then commit to using those strengths to make the world a better place.

Students were inspired to see their gifts and talents as important and valuable, and were challenged to ignore the limitations society puts on them.

A highlight of the day was creating 'yarn dolls' made from coloured threads which represented the unique combination of character strengths from each student.

A big thanks goes to the Religious Education and Identity and Mission teams for their work in running this successful program.

Sharon Lawler

Director of Identity and Mission

Father's Day breakfast

We had a fabulous turnout for our annual Father's Day Breakfast on Wednesday 31 August, and the beautiful crisp weather sure didn't disappoint!

Dads, grandads, uncles and special male friends (along with a few mums and grandmothers too) turned out in droves to enjoy a brekkie burger and hot beverage, and the chance to mingle together on the College Green, before heading off to work.

Thank you to our wonderful College community for supporting this much-loved tradition at SMC.

To our families, staff and students; our handy helpers, egg-flippers, bread roll assembly line, coffee connoisseurs, drink servers and set-up/pack-down crew - we appreciate you all.

More photos from the morning are available on our website here.

School garden program gets green tick of approval

St Mary's College is honoured to have been selected as a successful recipient of the Keep Australian Beautiful - Tasmania Sustainable Schools Award 2022.

The grant will be used to further develop our Junior School 'bush tucker' garden, which is growing edible Australian native plants in recycled and repurposed garden beds.

We have also recently added a number of food cubes to the site - self-watering modular wicking beds made from recycled plastic that will help us maximise plant growth while minimising our water usage.

This innovative technology also maximises growing space, which is important for an inner-city school like St Mary’s!

Thank you so much for your support, KAB Tas, and well done to College Sustainability Officer, Phil Shanny and our many student green thumbs who are contributing to the program's success.

We're looking forward to treating our school community to a range of delicious homegrown treats, come harvest time.

Music Gala hits the right notes

Our College community gathered in the Nagle Centre on Thursday 1 September to support our Junior and Senior School students as they took to the stage to present a variety of instrumental and vocal works.

An outstanding celebration of music and choir at SMC, the Music Gala gives our Performing Arts students the opportunity to showcase the breadth and depth of their talents and accomplishments.

Audience members were treated to stellar performances from the College concert band, rock band, string ensemble and student choirs, along with our instrumental soloists and vocalists, that kept fingers and toes tapping.

Some highlights of the evening included vocalist Grace Simonetis (Year 11) with a soulful rendition of 'Gravity'; the Rock Band taking it up a notch with their covers of 'Can't Stop' and 'Iris', and the Senior Choir bringing the event home with a grand finale-worthy performance of 'Fireflies' and 'Somebody to Love'.

Our Junior School performers also stole hearts with their amazing stage presence and high energy performances. For some students, this was their first time on the big stage, and they did their families and teachers proud!

Well done to all students who performed on the night, and a big thank you to our dedicated music staff, Scott Weston, Mary Heferen-Faulkner and Maggie Bowman, for all their work in bringing this Gala together.

View more photos from the night here.

Legal Studies students take a field trip

The College's Legal Studies students had their first brush with the law recently; however, unlike most encounters with the justice system, this was an enjoyable and informative experience.

The field trip, which was hosted by Butler McIntyre & Butler - the oldest continuing law firm in Tasmania, and possibly the oldest in Australia, gave the students a rare glimpse into the inner-workings of a successful law practice.

The group met with senior partner, Daniel Zeeman, who walked students through the key features of our criminal justice system, such as the integral role of the jury in the adversarial system and how a lawyer's duty to the court takes precedence over their client.

Our aspiring lawyers also learnt how practising estate law, workers compensation law and personal injuries law can be very rewarding, challenging (in a good way) and never boring.

A sincere thank you to Mr Zeeman for taking the time to share your knowledge and expertise with the group.

Law and Politics class heads to Parliament

On Wednesday 24 August, our Law and Politics class visited the Tasmanian Parliament, where we were given a unique insight into how our representative democracy works.

In the House of Assembly, we witnessed a group of elderly residents showing their passionate support for a reduced speed limit on the East Derwent Highway in Geilston Bay. We also observed parliamentary discussion of amendments to the anti-protest 'Workplace Protection' bill.

Meeting with individual members, including the president and clerk of the Upper House, was such a privilege. It was a fascinating and educational day and we definitely want to go again.

A huge thank you to the educational officers, Kimbra and Collette, for having us.

Angela Deconinck

Secondary Teacher

Chapter closes on Book Week

After five action-filled days of bookish fun, the College's Book Week celebrations drew to a close on Friday 26 August.

We had a wonderful time immersing ourselves in our favourite fictitious worlds, as students and staff alike opened their minds to astounding adventures, magical mysteries and exciting escapades. Seeing that the joy of reading and literature is alive and well at SMC was truly inspiring!

A big thank you to our dedicated Student Resource Centre team who organised the week's program and created a fabulous visual display to celebrate the 2022 CBCA Book Week theme, 'Dreaming With Eyes Open...'.

To mark the official start of Book Week on Monday 22 August, book 'buddies' in Year 1 and Year 9 found a quiet spot in the library to cosy up and enjoy a book together. The activity made for a memorable experience for all students, who delighted in sharing stories and laughs with one another.

On Tuesday 23 August, our Year 5 and 6 students were privileged to participate in a writing workshop with acclaimed Tasmanian author, Emily Conlan. Students enjoyed using their imagination to craft a story about a hero who encounters a problem and the journey they undertake to find a happy ending.

The College was transformed into a sea of colour and characters on Wednesday 24 August for our annual Book Week parade. View more photos from the day on our website here.

Other highlights of the week included 'Drop Everything and Read' in the Junior School, the Senior School 'Poetry Slam' and a staff versus student debate on the topic: 'Should fairytales be banned?' The heated discussion was full of laughter, rebuttal, dramatic flair and even a bit of bribery.

Congratulations to the staff debaters who successfully argued that fairytales have a rightful place in society, and well done to our senior students who made for some tough competition, narrowly missing out on the win!

Year 1s explore great outdoors

Mud pies, magic potions and mysterious bugs were all on the menu for the Year 1s when they converged on the Sustainability Learning Centre recently for a day of nature-based fun.

Donning gumboots and armed with only their innate curiosity, students had an amazing time building bush shelters, finding buried treasure and exploring the natural environment.

The learning continued indoors, where the Year 1s marvelled at all things light-related. They explored solar power and renewable energy sources, experimented with sounds and shadow puppets, learnt about how torches worked and even spotted a thylacine in an optical illusion.

There was a bit of rain and plenty of mud, and the students were very engaged and resilient too, making for an enjoyable excursion for all!

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