National Reconciliation Week

This week is National Reconciliation Week 2022 (27 May – 3 June), with this year's theme being 'Be Brave. Make Change'.

Reconciliation Week highlights the importance of collectively moving forward together.

It's a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving Reconciliation in Australia.

Staff and students have been busy creating work that represents what Reconciliation means to us as a College.

Among the projects on display in the Student Resource Centre is a fabulous collaborative art piece featuring students' handprints in the colours and shape of the Aboriginal flag.

Building Futures Showcase a resounding success!

The Building Futures Showcase made a successful return in 2022, drawing hundreds of students and their families to the Nagle Centre on 19 May to explore the many learning opportunities and career pathways available to our current students and future graduates.

It was fantastic to see so many Senior School students and their families having valuable conversations with their teachers, representatives from industry, education institutes and training organisations, and our wonderful SMC alumni.

A big thank you to everyone who attended and helped out on the night.

To view the Year 11/12 Course Guide, please visit this link.

More photos from the Building Futures Showcase are available to view on our website here.

Year 9 Retreat | It's the journey, not the destination

Enrichment is the focus of this week in Year 9, with students taking a well-deserved break from their classrooms to attend their retreat in Richmond.

The Year 9 retreat is an opportunity for students to reflect on their personal journey of self-discovery and spiritual development, which fits in nicely with this year's theme: 'People on a Journey'.

Students are exploring the concept of 'our lives as a journey' and are being encouraged to focus on the journey rather than the destination. As part of this process, they identified companions on their journey and wrote cards of gratitude for them.

The students heard from Leanne Prichard from Catholic Education Tasmania, who spoke about her journey on the Spanish Pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostella.

They also received an insight into the journey of the first Presentation Sisters who came to Tasmania in 1866, and who spent 18 months living and working in Richmond until St Mary's College was built for them.

The retreat wrapped up with a visit to the old school house of St John's School, in which the Sisters taught when they lived in Richmond.

Year 9 field trip, a true 'paddock to plate' experience

Year 9 students were privileged to visit the Glen Huon Dairy Farm recently for a special behind-the-scenes look into the small-scale dairy operation.

The field trip supported the Geography 'inquiry' unit that students are studying in Term 2 on 'Biomes and Food Security'.

Nestled in the beautiful Huon Valley, the Glen Huon Farm is the working dairy farm for the Bruny Island Cheese Co, which was founded in 2003.

The eye-opening tour allowed students to discover what makes the farm so different to other dairy farms in Australia.

They met with the dairy farmers on site to learn how the milk is produced and got up close and personal with their herd of rare breed dairy cows (who love a scratch!).

Students also paid a visit to the Willie Smith packing shed, where they met with the very knowledgeable fourth-generation apple grower, Andrew Smith.

Andrew provided a fascinating insight into the Tassie apple industry and his business' growth in the global market.

Woodworkers put their feet up

The first rotation of Year 8s have concluded their trimester in Design and Technology – Woodwork.

After finishing their veneer trays, the students explored the design and construction of footstools.

Part of the design brief was to also investigate fabrics and upholstery, with students selecting braid choices to add the finishing touches to their projects.

A selection of these projects are showcased below. What amazing work!

Teresa Klimek

Secondary Teacher

Students well versed in poetry

In Term 1, all Year 9 students wrote their own verse novels—narratives that are told through the medium of poetry rather than prose.

The students read various Australian verse novels in class, with their studies culminating in the creation of their novel.

The creative process saw students design the front cover and write a review of a peer's work to feature on the back of each text, before producing the final product.

The novels, which cover a range of topics from historical events and true stories to fantasy, are on display for students to browse in the Student Resource Centre.

Lorise Clark

Learning Leader of English

Tackling the Overland Track

Six days and 65km later, our Outdoor Education students have reached the finish line of the Overland Track.

Our intrepid explorers set off on their hike on Friday 27 May, braving the cold, wet and icy conditions, and challenging terrain, as they made their way through the heart of Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park.

Congratulations team on such an exceptional achievement! Early reports are that they had an amazing time and are looking forward to a hot shower, fresh pyjamas and a comfortable night's sleep!

For whom the Angelus bell tolls

During the month of May, St Mary's College has been following the ancient Catholic tradition of praying the Angelus.

At 12.00pm each day, we have paused in our classrooms and our offices to pray the Angelus; a prayer about Mary and her role as Mother of God.

In reciting this prayer, we remember the Presentation Sisters who brought this tradition with them from Ireland and have prayed it here at St Mary's since our school's foundation in 1868.

Thank you to the Year 6 students who have faithfully rung our bell for a minute each day during May.

Sharon Lawler

Director of Identity and Mission

Finding Mary

On Monday 23 May, our curious Kinders set off on a quest to find statues, images and paintings of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the College's Convent building.

As they entered the Adrian Doyle Chapel, they gazed awestruck at our beautiful stained-glass windows casting golden light throughout the space.

In the Catholic Church, May is the month of Mary—a special time for remembering and honouring Mary, the mother of Jesus, and learning what it means to be a disciple of Jesus.

Bee-Bots all the buzz

Prep Bilbies and Possums have recently been working on a Digital Technologies unit in which they are learning about programming.

After being introduced to all the fantastic things that computers can do and how they need directions to perform a task, the Preps had the chance to put their learning into motion using Bee-Bots—educational robots designed specifically for young children.

The students were buzzing with excitement as they 'programmed' their Bee-Bots to move forwards and backwards, and turn left and right.

The next session will provide the opportunity for the Preps to create a 'program' for their Bee-Bot, including mapping out the path they will take. Busy bees indeed!

Gather round for story time

Our Junior School students enjoyed participating in National Simultaneous Storytime on Wednesday 25 May, joining thousands of students across Australia reading Family Tree by Josh Pyke and Ronojoy Ghosh.

Now in its 22nd year, the event encourages students to get excited about reading and to discover a new children's book each year.

‘It started with a seed, and that seed was me. And, over time, laughter filled my garden...’

About the book

Family Tree looks at the beauty of life through the growth of a gum tree which spreads love and joy while depicting the ways in which communities and families around the world evolve together in unity.

Community news

Online session with Jacqueline Hardman on early entry to kindergarten and school