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Absentee Line - Text 0417 596 611 or Phone Primary 8150 2397, Secondary 8150 2323 or Email student.reception@smc.sa.edu.au

News

Term 1 Week 4 2022

Primary Campus

Religion and Spirituality

YEAR 6 LEADERSHIP MASS – OUR GUIDING LIGHT

What a beautiful Wednesday morning. There was a sense of stillness and silence in the air that suggested this was a special day. The school Chapel doors opened early. The light filtering through the stained-glass windows of our Lord and the Archangel Saint Michael filled the sacred space with a golden hue. On one side of the Altar stood a table adorned with a blue cloth. A tray with the Leader Badges and the Commemorative Polo Tops were placed on it. The candles were lit.

Today, 23 February, we gathered for our first Mass of the year – the Year 6 Leadership Mass, presided by Fr Lancy. We gathered to celebrate our Year 6 students and to recognise our new House Leaders and Faith Service Community Leaders for 2022, strengthening them for their roles with our prayers. The Year 6 Commemorative Polo Shirts and Leader Badges were blessed by Father during the Mass. Our new leaders were invited to come forward to collect their badge and they did so with a great sense of awe, joy, and pride. May they be guided in a practical and spiritual way by the trusted adults in their lives, especially their families and their teachers, Mr Damian Basso and Mr Anthony Martino, to carry out their responsibilities to the best of their abilities. May they be the guiding light in the lives of those they serve, especially those in need. We trust in God, our Good Shepherd, and in St John Baptist de La Salle, our Founder, to guide our School Leaders and all Year 6 students throughout this new school year.

We extend our warm congratulations to all our School Leaders for 2022, including the Primary Campus Leaders who were presented with their badge at the end of last year.

Primary Campus Leaders: Joseph Esposito, Tyhsen Javier, Cooper McLaughlin, Luca Montagnese, Liam O’Brien, Fraser Oppermann, Samarbeer Singh Sandhu, and Charlie Santos Tait.

House Leaders: James Del Bono, John Hallak, Finn Maddern, Frank Marino, Hunter Marr, Ari Parisi, Marko Perac, and Daniel Romano.

Faith Service Community Leaders: Alexander Gardiner, Rocco Parisi, Lucas Strelan, and Sotirios Tsaconas.

Let our greatest passion, be compassion. 
Our greatest strength, love. 
Our greatest victory, the reward of peace. 
In leading, let us never fail to follow. 
In loving, let us never fail.  

(Excerpt from Leadership Prayer, St Michael’s Year 6 Leadership Mass)

Mrs Patrizia Puglia, Director of Religion and Spirituality – Primary

Weekly Communication and Important Dates

Weekly Communication and Important Dates

RIP

Zuzi Hooper
Much loved wife of Paul Hooper (staff member 1985 – 2000).

Eternal rest grant unto her O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon her. May her soul, and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, Rest In Peace. Amen

IMPORTANT DATES

Week 5

28 February
Secondary Sports Day CANCELLED – Normal school day

2 March
Ash Wednesday

Week 6

7 – 11 March
Secondary Campus Arts Week

8 March
International Women’s Day

Week 7

14 March
Adelaide Cup Public Holiday

17 March
National Close the Gap Day

18 March
National Day of Action Against Bullying and Violence

Click here for Term Dates.
Click here for Uniform Shop hours and information.
Click here to purchase the Entertainment Book.

For previous editions of The Star Newsletter, if using Desktop, please navigate to the side bar to view previous editions or if viewing on a mobile phone scroll to the bottom of the page.

Not all College activities make it into The Star so please be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram to keep up to date.

Secondary Campus

Secondary Campus

GET TO KNOW OUR COLLEGE LEADERS AND HOUSE CAPTAINS

College Leader Megan Adrain

As a leader I would describe myself as passionate and inclusive.

I am proud of being a part of the South Australian Student Representative Council start up group because it is an opportunity for high school students to get their voices heard within their local government councils.

My favourite TV program is Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

Someone I admire is Sarah Hanson-Young.

In my spare time I like to do anything creative – sew, paint, cook!

The best thing about attending SMC is being a part of the arts community.

Leadership means to me working within a group to come up with initiatives that will help the students at St Michael’s College to reach their full potential.

I have a pet dog whose name is Obi.

To be a Lasallian Leader means to create positive change within the community.

Five words which best describe my personality are creative, empathetic, quirky, focused, and passionate.

If I could create one change for SMC in 2022 it would be creating a more environmentally conscious community.

A teacher at SMC I admire is Ms Burns because she goes the extra mile to provide amazing opportunities for students.

Turon House Captain Nicholas Boeyen


As a leader I would describe myself as an approachable and compassionate person.

My greatest sporting moment was the 2021 Second XVIII Premiership.

My favourite band is the Arctic Monkeys.

Someone I admire is Pat Cummins.

In my spare time I like to watch sport and spend time with my friends.

The best thing about attending SMC is the community and the relationships I have with fellow students and teachers.

One chore I don’t like doing is hanging out the washing.

Leadership means to me being a role model for fellow students and setting an example for everyone in the school.

To be a Lasallian Leader means setting a good example to all people and following in the footsteps of St John Baptist de La Salle.

This year as a House Captain I wish to be best known as a strong leader who led Turon well.

A quote that I believe in is “Actions speak louder than words”.

A teacher at SMC I admire is Mr Biggs because I look up to him.

YEAR 7 LEADERSHIP PREPARATION

As Year 7 students prepare to elect Class Leaders, some of our current Year 12 College Leaders visited their classes to talk about what it means to be a leader at St Michael’s College and some of the opportunities they have had through leadership. The College Leaders provided some excellent insights for the Year 7 students to think about ahead of this week’s Extended Pastoral Care where the leaders are chosen.

“Last week, 7BPC-03 had a visit from some Year 12 College Leaders. They explained what it’s like to be a class leader, and what you need to do to become one. They said if you want to become a class leader you will need to be kind, supportive, a team player, and be fair to others”.  – Jayden Worthley (7BPC-03)

“When the Year 12 College Leaders came into our classroom, they talked to us about how being a leader is an honour and it opens up a lot of opportunities. They told us that being a leader is a position of recognition and not a duty. Their speech convinced a lot of people to nominate to be a leader!”  – Dana Court and Zaria Giessauf (7GPC-02)

Mrs Joanne Howat, Year 7 Assistant Director

ECO SQUAD NEWS

The Eco Squad is a co-curricular group who work on a range of activities. Over the past three years we have

  • established the orchard and vegetable garden on Lawrie St (next to the Uniform Shop),
  • grown food that our Food Technology classes have used in their cooking practicals,
  • run the Clean Up Australia Day activities for the College,
  • planted the rosemary hedge in the ANZAC Courtyard,
  • developed our own range of personal care products,
  • made mosaics,
  • worked on mats for charities that support people who are homeless,
  • Visited Monarto Safari Park and planted trees as part of their revegetation work,
  • Visited the Henley Beach Community Garden,
  • Constructed shade structures and worked on paving projects in the garden.

New and continuing students who would like to participate are encouraged to register.

Students in Years 7 – 11 can register using this link https://forms.office.com/r/seniAipznA or by dropping into The Garden on any Tuesday or Friday lunchtime.

Year 12 students who would like to be involved can speak to Miss Pearce during PC or by using the link.

Miss Catherine Pearce, Head of Humanities

MATHSHELP

MathsHelp is once again running every Thursday lunch time in LEC-03 (downstairs in the LEC). If students need some one-on-one assistance with any Maths problems, they are welcome to bring their lunch and come on Thursdays.

Ms Anne Finlay, Head of Mathematics

YEARS 7-9 LEARNING AND WELLBEING CHARACTER STRENGTH FOCUS

Week 4: Leadership

According to the Institute of Positive Education, leadership is “supporting others to be their best and making things happen.” We can be inspired by evident leadership in novels such as The Hunger Games, in films such as The Lion King and in people such as Jesus and St John Baptist de La Salle.

As this year began, students and staff found themselves working online and to be honest, it was inspiring to see how we can ‘pivot’ together and make such a drastic change work, for everyone concerned. One way or another, it seemed to work without too much fuss, though I imagine that it was sometimes a challenge at home, just as it was at school for staff. Our ability to prevail in times of challenge is a testament to the leadership we have and our ability to adapt and change, and to care for each other; staff, students, and families, together.

When things are difficult, we instinctively look to leaders to light the path ahead of us towards a resolution. Sometimes we step up and take positive action, in whatever way we can, and it’s true that we can all lead in different ways, whether we hold a formal role or not.

Research tells us that effective leaders manage to acknowledge and harness the strengths of the people they lead. It’s about positively influencing others by organising and encouraging them to accomplish goals, nurturing positive values and at the same time maintaining unity and cohesion. That can be a hard task!

While there are many different models of leadership, relationships are a source of strength and connection and also enable visions to become reality. At a PESA (Positive Education Schools Association) conference last year, one of the presenters, Daniela Falecki, discussed the work of Jane Dutton, one of the editors of the book, How to Be a Positive Leader: Small Actions Big, Impact (2014), and her chapter on High Quality Connections (HQC).

This notion of HQC – where people feel attuned to each other and experience a sense of worth and value- resonates strongly with the Lasallian ethos as strong relationships sit at the core of our tradition.

Dr Brené Brown, bestselling author and researcher, believes that the connections we make with others is our purpose and meaning in life. In her book, Dare to Lead, Brown indicates that connections are possible when we have the courage to be ourselves and embracing our vulnerabilities is a necessary part of this. For leaders, it’s important to show that vulnerability isn’t a sign of weakness. Admitting our faults, asking for help, and embracing weaknesses shows others that we all share the same feelings. This humility allows others to connect with us and trust to follow our example. Leadership is intrinsically connected to gratitude, being a life-long learner, kindness, hope, appreciating our value and that of those around us, cultivating inclusion and belonging and leading from the heart. This also resonates perfectly with our vision at St Michael’s College.

There are many people who are strong and true leaders without a formal role. We see them every day. They lead by example without thinking about ‘what’s in it’ for them. We too can do our best to develop the most authentic leadership we can, in every context.

Students at St Michael’s are afforded many opportunities to explore leadership in a myriad of roles, in and out of the classroom. Class Leaders have just been appointed, College Leaders and House Leaders are already active in their roles, Eco Leaders never stop… just to name a few. In recent times, I also had the pleasure of working with an extraordinary group of young people in planning the refurbishment of bathrooms so that they might be a safe and affirming space. There are many similar examples of fine leadership all around us for all of us to see and notice in our classrooms, on the playing field, in our homes and in our places of work – it’s likely you’ll find them reported in each section of The Star!

Each one of us is a member of the St Michael’s College inclusive and respectful community, where we do our best to be leaders in whatever way we can, and strive to ensure that each person is known, valued, and cared for, confident to explore their curiosities and flourish…to be the learners and leaders of the world.

Have a wonderful week ahead!

Mrs Tonia Carfora, Year 7-9 Wellbeing Initiatives Leader

YOUTH ENVIRONMENT COUNCIL 2022

Are you a student aged 11-17 with a passion for sustainability? Do you want to make a difference and develop your leadership skills while having heaps of fun?​

The Youth Environment Council (YEC) of South Australia provides young people with a voice in key environmental issues facing South Australia and gives them opportunities to take action to achieve a more environmentally sustainable future for SA. Members learn and share ideas about sustainability, take part in online and face to face forums, and receive support to run their own environmental projects at school or in their local community.’

Applications are now open for the Youth Environment Council SA 2022. Applications must be submitted by 9:00 am Friday 11 March 2022.

Places are limited on the Council with only one or two students per school being selected. Although young people from 11 to 17 can apply, it is ideal experience for people in Year 9 onwards as the students do need to be able to work independently on their project with some support from other people.

Students who would like to apply need to speak to Miss Pearce by Wednesday 2 March 2022.

This year’s activities include:
Term 1
Week 11: Thursday 14 April 2022 – Welcome Forum,  Adelaide Hills

Term 2
Online discussion forum: to be used throughout the year from the first event to the last event.

Week 3: Monday 16 to Wednesday 18 May 2022 – Two-night camp, Adelaide Hills

  • Join in fun team building exercises and activities to develop your leadership skills.
  • Develop skills and knowledge on environmental and sustainability themes and ways to take action.
  • Work with other like-minded students to research areas of interest and develop a plan of action.

Term 3
Work on your project.

Online discussion forum: to be used throughout the year from the first event to the last event.

Monthly online catch ups: will be on Zoom for members to share and seek support for their projects, network with other members and participate in workshops. These provide optional support to members and run for maximum 1 hour. Times and dates are released later in the year.

Term 4
Week 3: Thursday 3 November 2022 – YEC Sharing and Celebration Forum, Adelaide CBD
Share and celebrate your environmental achievements, demonstrating your skills and knowledge in practice, and reflect on actions and changes as a group.

Miss Catherine Pearce, Head of Humanities

Careers and VET Services

Careers and VET Services

VET IN 2022

After a delayed start due to COVID-19 restrictions, last week almost 200 Year 11 and 12 students commenced their VET courses.

Students are undertaking courses in the following areas:

  • Automotive
  • Construction and Carpentry
  • Metal Engineering
  • Hairdressing and Makeup
  • Business
  • Sport and Recreation
  • Game Development
  • Aviation
  • Early Childhood Education and Care
  • Dance
  • Digital Media Technology
  • Education Support
  • Electrotechnology
  • Entrepreneurship and New Business
  • Fitness
  • Food Processing
  • Horticulture
  • Kitchen Operations and Hospitality
  • Individual Support (Disability)
  • Digital Media & Cyber Security
  • Music Industry Performance
  • Nutrition
  • Photography and Digital Imaging
  • Plumbing
  • Public Safety
  • Real Estate

To find out more about the College’s VET Program, please click here to visit our website, or contact Ms Leanne De Young, VET Coordinator: leanne.deyoung@smc.sa.edu.au or ph (08) 8356 5966.

VET Fitness students

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

VET STUDENT PRESENTATION

Last week the Secondary College leadership met with Year 11 and Year 12 VET students to outline our expectations of them during their VET study lessons. VET study lessons are provided to students to complete their VET work and/or any outstanding subject requirements and are closely monitored by the supervising staff.

Students were reminded that they are:

  • Required to report to the teacher so that the roll is accurate.
  • Sit only at tables (not soft furnishings) on the ground floor (upstairs is out of bounds).
  • Work without disrupting others.
  • Not to use their mobile phones (refer electronic device policy).
  • Not to view unsanctioned videos on laptops.
  • Remain up to date for VET and all other subjects.
  • Not allowed to visit the café during these lessons.
  • To seek a signed note from Subject Teacher(s) if wanting to work in specialist areas.
  • To treat all staff with respect – St Michael’s teachers and ESO’s as well as their VET providers.
  • Ambassadors of the College when attending outside agencies for VET purposes and poor behaviour will not be tolerated.

Leadership discussed that the ability to leave early when VET study lessons fall at the end of the day is a privilege which will be revoked if student behaviour does not support this concession and any student who chooses to operate in a manner not conducive with our expectations will be removed from the LEC and placed in a supervised classroom.

A copy of the presentation is available on our College website here.

Ms Leanne De Young, VET Coordinator

SEIZING OPPORTUNITES 

One of the critical predictors of success is one’s willingness to take advantage of opportunities presented and to use such opportunities to create the next opportunity. This sense of resourcefulness and self-reliance has been sighted in many student’s career planning. Sometimes it appears as the students who come in for a self-initiated career appointment and then organise a block of Work Experience in the allocated week of the school holidays. Involvement in these opportunities contributes to enormous personal growth and at a very practical level, depth in applications and resumes.

We see many students identify external opportunities such as the recently rolled out Smith Family Student2Student Reading program. We have five students entering the program in 2022. Currently a Year 11 student is enrolling in the Duke of Edinborough Bronze Medallion program operated by Zoos SA, achieving a position in this experience after a rigorous application process. Last year we saw three Year 12 students apply for competitive scholarships and receive offers. We often talk to students about filling up their ‘careers bucket’ with a range of skills and experiences that help them position themselves for more opportunities. Currently Year 12 students whose family have “limited financial resources” have been invited to look at The Hansen Scholarship at The University of Melbourne, with applications closing 9 March 2022.

South Australian United Nations Youth State Conference

There is no direct involvement from St Michael’s staff, however students from Year 11 and Year 12 may wish to assess and consider getting involved in the South Australian United Nations Youth State Conference.

  • Friday 18 March 2022, 10:00 am to Sunday 20 March 2022, 3:30 pm
  • Nunyara Conference Centre, Belair Cost $200 per person
  • SA State Conference (SACON) brings high school students together from all over the state to learn about leadership, diplomacy, and advocacy.

Spanning across three days, students will learn about global and local issues facing world leaders today and participate in the global conversation. At State Conference, students will become inspired to lead change in their community and globally while forming friendships with diverse group of SA students along the way. Click here to find out more.

Volunteering Opportunity

There is an opportunity to volunteer for ‘Clean Up Australia’ at Linear Park on Sunday 6 March 2022. Please click here for more information.

Many of these opportunities are advertised in the Daily Notices on the Careers and VET Portal on SEQTA under the ‘Important Information’ tab. Families can access the ‘Calendar of Events’ which shows many events happening here in South Australia. All events with the Defence Force are also well noted there. 

WORK EXPERIENCE 2022 

Work Experience Term 1 Holidays

Please note: the first allocated week for Work Experience this year is in Week 1 of the Term 1 holidays (Monday 11 April to Friday 14 April 2022).

Students will need to complete all Work Experience requirements by the end of Week 8 (Friday 25 March 2022). Students in Year 11 and 12 that are considering Work Experience at any time during the year for VET requirements, subject requirements or career research must attend a compulsory preparation session to be held on Thursday 10 March from 9:00 am to 9:40 am in the LEC Auditorium. This session will provide students with the information required to prepare for work experience during the year.

Students requiring Work Experience for VET will automatically be registered for this session. Any student who is considering undertaking Work Experience this year either for Workplace Practices, Maths in the Workplace or for their own career research / choice must register to attend by emailing Ms Tidd nikki.tidd@smc.sa.edu.au  by no later than Wednesday 2 March 2022.

NO PLACEMENTS CAN BE AUTHORISED OR COVERED BY INSURANCE WITHOUT ATTENDING THIS SESSION AND MEETING ALL PREPARATION REQUIREMENTS.  

2023 UNIVERSITY CONDITIONAL OFFERS SCHEMES BASED ON YEAR 11 GRADES 

For the last two years University of Adelaide and Flinders University provided a pathway for entry to some of their courses being based significantly on Year 11 grades. At this stage, the University of Adelaide have no plans to run the program for this year’s Year 12 students. Flinders do not usually confirm if the program will continue until late June.

The emphasis for now will be achieving a competitive ATAR. Year 12 students who are concerned about this pathway not continuing are encouraged to book an appointment with one of the Career Counsellors to discuss.

2023 AUSTRALIAN DEFENCE FORCE GAP YEAR APPLICATIONS FOR YEAR 12 STUDENTS OPENING IN MARCH

If you’re 17-24 years old and interested in experiencing the Navy, Army of Air Force without making a long-term commitment, the ADF Gap Year program is a great option. The program will enable you to get paid for meaningful work while travelling around Australia, gain skills for life, and make lifelong friends.

Applications open in March and with more than 20 roles to choose from, you’re sure to find one to suit you and your interests.

The program offers experiences including what it’s like to be an officer, in management, engineering, logistics, warehousing, combat, security and administration. The very popular roles such as Helicopter Pilot fill up as soon as applications open, so we advise checking each day in March to seize this opportunity.

With an ADF Gap Year you’ll:

  • Enjoy a great salary package plus free healthcare.
  • Gain valuable skills and work experience.
  • Have job security and stability.
  • Live a varied, active, and healthy lifestyle.
  • Make friends with like-minded people.
  • Have the opportunity to see more of Australia.

Click here for more information.

Ms Rose Coorey and Mr Anthony Vizaniaris, Careers Counsellors

Community Notes

Community Notes

DISCOVERING THE KEY TO STARTING LENT RIGHT

Lent is fast approaching, which means soon enough we’ll be hearing about nothing but deserts for forty days at Mass, writes Christian Bergmann in the Melbourne Catholic.

A lot of people struggle with Lent – they struggle to make it a fruitful time, finding it to be a depressingly mediocre affair, a pointless 40 days of giving up the same things they did last year.

It doesn’t leave them changed – just annoyed and then relieved when Easter finally dawns. But that relief has very little to do with the resurrection of Jesus if we’re being honest.

How do we make Lent different? How do we go deeper, go further, and make it a spiritually rich time? We could start with the three traditional practices of Lent: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. We could focus more on the doing of things and raise the stakes. But we’re not going to do that.

Just stop for a second. Take a breath.

Maybe we jump out of the gate too soon. Maybe we launch into the practices that are supposed to take us deeper, but we haven’t laid the groundwork to ensure they do take us deeper.

In which case, we need to do some heart-work first. We need to do some deep self-reflection.

What if we saw Lent not primarily as a time of personal sacrifice, but as a time in which God is trying to court us, to win our hearts? As a time where he is trying to get us to know him, in the most intimate way possible? As a time that is about God and not about us? How would that change our approach?

If we want to start Lent right maybe we should take a step back. Become aware of how God is using this time to win our hearts. And then reflect, and reflect deeply, on what is preventing us from going deeper or becoming more intimate with the Lord.

To read the full article published by Christian Bergmann in the Melbourne Catholic, please click here.

ASH WEDNESDAY – 2 MARCH 2022

This week the season of Lent begins with Ash Wednesday, which also marks the beginning of the annual Caritas Australia Project Compassion Appeal. Donations to Project Compassion allows Caritas Australia, the Catholic Agency for International Aid and Development, to work with local communities around the world to end poverty, promote justice and uphold dignity.

The theme of Project Compassion 2022 is ‘For All Future Generations’ and reminds us that the good that we do today will extend and impact the lives of generations to come. It invites us to make the world a better place by working together now and finding long-term solutions to global issues.  We encourage you to put your compassion into action this Lent through your prayer, fasting and almsgiving by supporting Project Compassion. Each class will receive a Project Compassion box and/or a set of envelopes for their donations, or you can donate online via the Caritas Australia website.