Science investigations in the spotlight

Science is back in the spotlight at St Mary's College this week!

After many months of hard work and dedication, Years 7–10 students this week had the chance to show off their research investigations in the College's Women in Science Centre.

Students chose a topic or real-world problem to investigate using scientific methods of inquiry and experimentation, and then produced a scientific report to illustrate their findings.

'This was a fantastic opportunity for our students, encouraging them to work independently, think creatively, collaborate with a group and come up with a solution,' St Mary's College Learning Area Coordinator – Science, Karen Walter said.

'The range of projects for 2021 has been outstanding with students investigating issues such as the cleanliness of Hobart's beaches, the impact of drinks on tooth enamel, the effect of different soil conditions on the growth of bean plants, the biodegradation of newspaper, and the concentration of vitamin C in various foods,' Mrs Walter said.

For some students, the eye-opening scientific research yielded surprising results:

Matilda Wise (Year 7), conducted an investigation into the effects of different stabilisers on ice-cream.

'Egg yolk, as an ingredient, had the most surprising results. It acts as a natural emulsifier and stabiliser, so it absorbs water,' Matilda said.

'I enjoyed trying the different types of ice cream and comparing when I could taste chemicals, where there were different textures, which ones were creamier and which were grainy.'

Holly Teale (Year 9), who investigated the patterns that fingerprints form in families, was intrigued to find that twins do not share the same results in fingerprint patterns, although some similarities are common.

'It was also a surprise to discover that for some, their fingerprints do not form in the womb. Those born without fingerprints have a condition called adermatoglyphia,' Holly said.

More than 30 of the most innovative research projects have been entered into the UTAS Science and Engineering Investigation Awards.

Today, the participating students shared their findings, supported by their poster display and written report, with judges from research, industry and education at the UTAS Project Presentation Day.

Students shortlisted for an award will attend an awards evening held on Thursday 23 September.

All boards will be on display in the Science labs during the last week of Term 3 and first week of Term 4.

Law and Politics students in good company at exhibition

On Monday 27 August, a group of Year 10 Law and Politics students attended the 2021 Australian of the Year exhibition at TMAG, where they had the opportunity to meet and speak with national winner, Tasmania's Grace Tame.

An activist and advocate for survivors of sexual assault, Grace was truly inspirational in discussing her historic #LetHerSpeak petition.

Grace also spoke broadly about grassroots law reform campaigning and the challenges and rewards of advocacy work and law reform, areas directly related to the College's civic engagement unit on consent training in schools.

Students came away with knowing that one person can make a difference by simply signing a petition, as well understanding the need to have consistent laws on consent throughout Australia—the focus of Grace's new Harmony campaign.

Aspiring lawyers get insight into inner-workings of law firm

Our Legal Studies students were recently offered the amazing opportunity to visit the oldest ongoing law firm in Australia—Butler, McIntyre and Butler.

During their visit, the students met Partner, Daniel Zeeman, who provided an invaluable insight into the role of defence counsel in criminal and estate law.

They also met with Managing Partner, Anna Grant and learnt about telecommunications and family law, as well as the particular traits that law firms are currently looking for in law graduates.

As the following photos reveal, the visit was very interactive!

Angela Deconinck

Secondary Teacher

Students honoured at Chinese Speech Competition Awards

The CLTAT Chinese Speech Competition Awards ceremony was held at Elizabeth College on Friday 10 September.

The audience enjoyed performances which included some beautiful traditional dancing and the famous lion dance.

The following students attended the ceremony and received their awards:

Molly Topham (Year 11) – 1st place TCE Level 3
Issaquah Clayton (Year 4) – 2nd place
Ashlee Bowden (Year 5) – Highly Commended
Mia Wanandy (Year 2) – 1st place
Eloise Riley (Year 2) – 3rd place

Those students who were unable to to attend will receive their awards at school.

Huge congratulations to all who participated. We are very proud of your hard work and achievements.

Thanks to Angela Song, who volunteers her time at St Mary's College to practice with our students.

Shelley Macleod and Alison Lowe

Chinese Teachers

Music Gala Night

Congratulations and thank you to our talented student performers and staff members, Scott Weston, Mary Heffernan-Faulkner and Estelle Levy, for a fantastic Music Gala Night on Thursday 2 September.

Following weeks of rehearsals and sound checks, all students rose to the occasion to perform with confidence and commitment.

The polished evening brought together the elements of music in a rich and varied program, which reflected a great diversity of instruments and style.

Thank you to all members of our College community for supporting this important event.

Putting the 'fun' in fundraising!

The Vinnie's Quiz Night went off without a hitch on Friday 10 September, in large part due to the hard work of the Vinnies Team, which is coordinated by the College's Youth Minister, Belle Young.

The girls were involved in every aspect of the event's preparation from gathering donations for prizes and the silent auction, and writing the quiz questions to cooking soup for sale on the night.

Several of the Year 12 students in the team also put their hands up to help MC the event—ensuring it was both fun and well organised.

Around 70 people attended the evening, including groups from other schools, as well as parents and friends of St Mary's College.

The event raised a total of $2,400, which will go far in supporting the work of St Vincent de Paul in our community.

Shed gets new lease of life

Year 10 Visual Arts students swapped their studio for a spot of painting outdoors recently as part of a project that is transforming the local community.

Armed with paintbrushes, paint and rubber gloves, the students worked together to complete a beautiful mural to brighten up the reflection space outside the women's accommodation at St Francis Xavier Church, South Hobart.

All students should be commended for their generosity of spirit and encouragement of one another. Well done!

Getting creative with kelp

Our First Nations students had a go at making their own kelp creations this week using bull kelp sourced from their recent visit to tiralina (Eaglehawk Neck).

Kelp can be a challenge to work with, but under the expert guidance of parent and community member, Sharnie Read, the students were able to fashion a range of decorative and sculptural items, including jewellery and even head pieces.

Students were encouraged to think creatively and add their own spin to their works, with the pieces also featuring other naturally sourced materials, such as stones, shells and feathers, to pay homage to the natural world.

Nativity of Mary

To celebrate the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Wednesday 8 September, the Year 3 Bottlebrush classroom featured a wall dedicated to devotional prayers and images of Mary.

Once our wall was completed, we spoke about what was happening to the different images and looked at the prayers and what they meant.

One of my students took a step back, looked at the wall and said, 'Wow, Mary is such a beautiful person!', and another student said, 'I really love this wall'.

Patricia Mehl

Year 3 Bottlebrush Teacher

Congratulations to our staff

Congratulations to College staff members, Jenny Noble and Jo Holborow, who received their Catholic Education Tasmania 25 Years of Service recognition awards on Tuesday 7 September.

Thank you both for everything you do each day at St Mary's College and for your wonderful years of service and support.

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