From the Director of Curriculum

Chelsea Mouritz

Schools Recommendation Program (SRP) and university offers

The College is thrilled to extend its heartfelt congratulations to the Year 12 students on their recent admission offers to university. The Schools Recommendation Program (SRP) sent offers to 40 of our students who applied for programs in 2025, including:

Architecture
Pharmacy
Exercise and Sports Science
Nursing
Engineering
Nutrition
Education
Social Work
Psychology
Law
Science and Business

This is a remarkable achievement that reflects the students' hard work, dedication and perseverance. It marks the beginning of an exciting journey filled with opportunities for growth, learning and new experiences. The path to success doesn’t end with getting into university, it is just the beginning. The remaining weeks of Year 12 are vital to this pathway, and we wish our senior students all the best in their final weeks of study.

Tournament of Minds: A celebration of creativity and collaboration

The year's Tournament of Minds (TOM) was an unforgettable showcase of creativity, teamwork and innovation. Tournament of Minds is a problem-solving program for teams of students from both primary and secondary schools. The competition encourages participants to apply their knowledge, creativity and lateral thinking to solve open-ended challenges. Each team works collaboratively to prepare their solutions over several weeks, and on the competition day, they present their ideas to a panel of judges.

Our four teams put in countless hours of hard work, meeting during and after school and over weekends to refine their strategies and solutions. The Primary and Secondary Arts teams were tasked with sharing a story of a local person based on the concept, Connection, while the Primary and Secondary Language Literature teams explored creative storytelling based on a text: The Lorax by Dr Seuss (Primary Team) and Blueback by Tim Winton (Secondary Team).

We are thrilled to announce that all teams performed exceptionally well, with the Secondary Arts team earning Honours for their showcase on a local Polish politician, a student's aunty. The students’ passion, perseverance and commitment to teamwork were evident in every part of their presentations.

We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the teachers, parents, carers and volunteers who supported our teams throughout their journey. Your guidance and encouragement made a world of difference. Lastly, congratulations to all the students who participated, you have made St Mary's proud with your creativity, collaboration and confidence.

Pictured above and below: These Junior and Senior School students proudly represented St Mary's College at this year's Tournament of Minds.

VET Certificate II in Animal Care: A pathway to passionate careers

Our College works in partnership with local business to offer students the opportunity to complete the VET Certificate II in Animal Care, a program designed to give students hands-on experience and foundational knowledge in the animal care industry. This nationally recognised qualification provides students with the essential skills needed to pursue careers in animal care and prepares them for further study in the field.

The Certificate II in Animal Care is part of the Vocational Education and Training (VET) program, which provides students with practical, career-oriented training while they are still at school. The program focuses on developing the knowledge and skills required to work with animals in various settings, including animal shelters and veterinary clinics.

Throughout the course, students will engage in a range of hands-on activities and theoretical studies. Key areas of focus include:

Animal health and wellbeing
Basic animal care and handling techniques
Animal first aid
Safe work practices in animal care environments
Nutrition and feeding practices for different species.

Year 12 students, Georgia Wilson and Charlie Spotswood are currently embracing this opportunity, with Charlie working with Lindisfarne Veterinary Clinic and Georgia at Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary. The students are to be congratulated on their passion and commitment to this program. Both organisations are highly impressed with Georgia and Charlie's approach to animal care and have engaged the College in discussions for future pathways in 2025 with the students.