Get to know our College Leaders and House Captains

Lily-Mae Balkwill – College Vice Captain

My Leadership role in 2023 at SMC is: College Leader

As a leader I would describe myself as: Accountable, confident and approachable.

The thing that I do that I am the proudest of is:  My determination to achieve my goals because: when I set my mind to something, I can usually achieve it.

My greatest sporting moment is: Representing my state at the 17 and Under National Netball Championships.

My favourite song is: Summer of ’16

Someone I admire: Both my parents, as they give me the strength to work hard each day and push me to achieve my goals.

My favourite book is Perspective by Ellyse Perry

In my spare time I like to: Be with family and friends, play sports and watch TV.

The best thing about attending SMC is: The community that has been developed knowing that I always have someone to talk to if I need it, and I have a place where I feel I belong and have the opportunity to reach my full potential in my education.

Leadership means to me: Being a voice for the people who cannot or are afraid to speak up and being there to make a difference for others.

To be a Lasallian Leader means: To be inclusive and bring everyone together as part of a community.

This year as a College Leader I wish to be best known as: An approachable leader, who is inclusive and challenges people to be the best they can be.

Five words which best describe my personality are: Organised, kind-hearted, witty, optimistic, and empathetic.

A quote that I believe in is: “Never let the fear of striking out, keep you from playing the game.” Babe Ruth

A teacher at SMC I admire is: Ms Packard Why? I have worked with her in both school and co-curricular, where she is always caring for the students and wants them to get the best out of themselves.

Something interesting about me no one knows? I had Perthes disease when I was 5 and wasn’t able to do any sport for 5 years.

Paul Choimes – College Vice Captain

My Leadership role in 2023 at SMC is: College Leader

As a leader I would describe myself as:  A hardworking individual who enjoys helping others.

The thing that I do that I am the proudest of Is working on cars as it distracts me from stressful tasks.

My favourite TV program is suits

My greatest sporting moment is being undefeated in 3 seasons in a row in basketball.

My favourite song is “The Real Slim Shady”

Someone I admire: my parents as well as the rock.

My favourite book is Liar by Jack Heath

In my spare time I like to: Exercise and play sport

The best thing about attending SMC is: making new friendships as well as developing good study habbits.

Leadership means to me: A positive role model who will always be there to help out others

I have two pets, a cat and a dog whose name are Coco and Zoe.

To be a Lasallian Leader means: to help build a strong and inclusive community.

This year as a College Leader I wish to be best known as: someone who is always wanting to achieve the best they can.

Five words which best describe my personality are: Outgoing, Enthusiastic, High spirited, Humble and Accommodating.

A person I most admire is: My uncle

If I could create one change for SMC in 2023 it would be: to create a new activity every few weeks which brings individuals closer together.

A quote that I believe in is: Don’t count the days, make the days count.

A teacher at SMC I admire is: Mr Luppino as he is always willing to help out when needed.

Athletics Day

On Monday 27 February we held our whole school Athletics Day at SA Athletics Stadium. It was great to see the enthusiasm of both staff and students as we witnessed many wonderful track and field performances. The Year 12 students and House Captains led by example in what was their final Athletics Day and are to be commended for the support and encouragement shown towards the younger students.

Miguel House was awarded the Br Chris Gorringe House cup for the most House points awarded on the day. Turon House was awarded the Geoff Cornish Spirit and Sportsmanship cup for their exceptional display of cheering and positive energy.

The day finished with the prestigious Champions of Champions 100m sprint. Congratulations to Lachlan Sands (Year 11) and Anelise Bewry (Year 9) who were victorious in their respective races.

House placings:

1. Miguel
2. Solomon
3. Benilde
4. Mutien
5. Lasalle
6. Turon
7. Mackillop
8. Jaime

Champion of Champions placegetters:

BOYS

1. Lachlan Sands
2. Logan Hughes
3. Liam Scheuffele

GIRLS

1. Anelise Bewry
2. Lily Colville
3. Hannah Timpani

I would like to send an enormous thank you to all staff for their assistance on the day, especially the Physical Education faculty for the early start with setting up and ensuring that all events ran smoothly.

Sally Nicholson, Head of Department – Health & Physical Education

Music Focus Days

Last week, over 120 music ensemble students experienced our Music Focus days on both Thursday 2 and Friday 3 March.

The Music Focus Days are an immersive experience for students in the College’s 22 Co-curricular music ensembles.

There is a real focus on working hard in rehearsals and learning a lot of repertoire in a short amount of time.

Our students and ensemble directors did a great job, and really worked hard.

On Friday, our Music Leaders led a really fun session with all students, playing some games and giving out prizes. One of the best parts about the Music Focus Days was the chance for our younger students to get to know the older students, and vica-versa.

A shared BBQ lunch was next, followed by an awesome final concert, featuring fantastic local Adelaide Band, “Malibu Drive”. Our students absolutely loved the band, and a number of students even got up on stage and played and sang with them!

Well done to everyone who was involved in the Music Focus Days, they were so much fun and very successful!

Tim Donovan, Director of Music

Peer Support

On Wednesday Morning, the Year 10 Peer Support Leaders ran their session with the Year 7 Students. The focus for this week was Teamwork. The Peer Support Leaders led the Year 7 students in a range of activities, culminating in a challenging connect the dots puzzle. This puzzle required teamwork, not only between the Year 7s but with the Peer Support Leaders as well!

The Year 7 Class Leaders finished the session and thanked the Peer Support Leaders by presenting them with their College Badges.

The Peer Support Leaders will continue to run activities with the Year 7 Pastoral Classes throughout the year, as well as being a source of friendship and support for the Year 7 students around the College each day.

Joanne Howat, Secondary Teacher

Pastoral Care & Wellbeing

YEARS 7-9 WELLBEING CHARACTER STRENGTH FOCUS

Week 6: Leadership

According to the Institute of Positive Education, leadership is “Supporting others to be their best and making things happen.”

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 organizing and encouraging them to accomplish goals, nurturing positive values and at the same time maintaining unity and cohesion. That can be a hard ask!

While there are many different models of leadership, they share the idea that relationships are a source of strength and connection and also enable visions to become reality. At a PESA (Positive Education Schools Association) conference several years ago, 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). HQC occur where people feel attuned to each other and experience a sense of worth and value. This 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 are 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 also 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.

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 our first celebration of Harmony Day in several weeks’ time. The work ethic and collaboration in this diverse group of young people from a range of year levels was palpable.

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 on each page of The Star, including Arts Week this week, and celebrations for International Women’s Day, both of which relied heavily on student leadership.

In an email to staff on the occasion of International Women’s Day, Deputy Principals Bron Kemp and Amanda Price reflected on inroads made and the challenges remaining ahead. They encouraged staff, in every respective capacity, to “provide opportunities for our students to find their place in the 21^st century by encouraging, modelling and embracing the technological landscape that can function to advance the causes of the “least, the lost and the last”. This also echoes the spirit of heartfelt and authentic leadership.

Each one of us is a member of the St Michael’s College inclusive and respectful community. We strive do our best to be leaders in whatever way we can, 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!

Tonia Carfora, Year 7-9 Wellbeing Initiatives Leader

Year 12 Wellbeing Walk

This week, we commenced the Wellbeing Walk; a relaxing and mindful way to start our day, especially as the stresses of Year 12 begin to ramp up. All senior students are invited to attend as we walk from school to Henley Beach on Wednesday mornings. This gives us the opportunity to talk with each other along the way, sit by the ocean and enjoy the fresh air…often with coffee in hand. Returning in time for Pastoral Care, students are ready to tackle their studies with a clear mind.

Elli Nicola, Teacher Legal Studies, English, AIF

Year 10 Visual Arts students, d’Arenberg Cube Excursion

On Tuesday 7 March, our Year 10 Visual Arts students explored the Salvador Dali Exhibition featuring 25 authentic surrealist bronze sculptures and graphic artworks, at the d’Arenberg Cube McLaren Vale.

This discovery of SURREALISM involved three sessions that involved a range of visual, annotated, and practical responses.

SESSION 1

DALI EXHIBITION – THE GRAPHIC ARTWORKS AND BRONZE SCULPTURES

SESSION 2

THE CUBE – EXPLORING THE INTERIOR, and the many art installations on display.

SESSION 3

OUTSIDE THE BOX – SURREALISM IN THE ENVIRONMENT

The day was a special opportunity for our students to experience this unique exhibition showcasing some of Dali’s most iconic imagery, including two monumental sculptures and three life-size sculptures. Also on display were paintings by Australia’s own surrealist Charles Billich, whose artworks hang in the Vatican, The White House, and the United Nations.

This experience was to inspire, entice and excite the senses of our students, fueling their imaginations to create their own surrealist paintings. It is important that students learn from artworks created by others and gain inspiration from them to synthesise their learning and produce their own innovative artworks.

Nicolle LeRay-Warren, HOD Visual Arts

International Women’s Day

On Wednesday 8 March we celebrated International Women’s Day, a day to recognise how far we’ve come towards gender equality and how far we have to go.  A day for us to join voices with people around the world and share our message for equal rights.  It was a time to celebrate the achievements of women, whether social, political, economic or cultural.  We celebrated all women, in all their diversities. We celebrated those who came before us, those who stand beside us now, and those who will come after.

Let’s all step forward and commit to #EmbraceEquity.

Harmony Day

Australia is a vibrant and multicultural country — from the oldest continuous culture of our first Australians to the cultures of our newest arrivals from around the world. Our diversity is one of our greatest strengths, has enriched our lives and is at the heart of who we are.
On the 21 March we will celebrate Harmony Day at St Michael’s– a day when we focus on the beauty of our rich diversity and the opportunities, we all have to include each other in belonging to this great community.

There will be a Festival held at lunchtime in MMC and the Arts Courtyard- Everyone Belongs, where there will be food (yiros), dancing, music and a photobooth.

Students and staff are invited to wear cultural costumes, national colours, flags, pins that showcase their family’s origins. There needs to be an authentic reason for wearing the colours, and of course Australia is included. It is not a ‘dress up day’ but a day of showcasing our collective respect.

Orange ribbons will be distributed on Tuesday morning in PC. Traditionally, orange signifies social communication and meaningful conversations. It also relates to the freedom of ideas and encouragement of mutual respect.

We look forward to appreciating our diversity and celebrating the rich tapestry of cultures that we all bring to St Michael’s. Harmony Day; everyone belongs.

The Harmony Day organising committee.

Year 9 Food Tech excursion

In weeks 4 and 5 our six Year 9 Food Technology classes ventured to Sprout Cooking School for a hands-on cooking class. Students first learned about the economic, environmental, and nutritional benefits of choosing seasonal and sustainable produce before moving into the kitchen where small teams worked together to prepare a two-course menu for lunch. The recipes included Crunchy Chicken Tacos with Corn Salsa and Guacamole and Mango Tarts with Passionfruit Glaze. As expected, the excursion finished with plenty of smiling faces, empty plates and full bellies!

Larissa Murawsky, Food Technology Teacher