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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 2 Week 3 2022

From the Principal

From the Principal

Dear St Michael’s College Community,

Founder’s Day Mass

Founder’s Day is a time to reflect on the rich history of the Lasallian mission and celebrate the man whose vision and dedication to providing a human and Christian education to the young, especially the poor, launched the worldwide Lasallian network. Each year, Lasallians honor St John Baptist de La Salle, founder of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools and patron saint of teachers, on May 15, known as Founder’s Day.

St Michael’s College is a part of that network, and we acknowledge the importance of the foundations that De La Salle set out, and on which this school is based. The theme for the 2022 Mass, Lasallians Without Limits, reminds us of the influence Lasallians have around the world and the challenges we face to create sustainable communities and be stewards of our fragile planet for future generations.

Once again, due to COVID restrictions, arrangements were modified with a small group of special guests, staff and students joining together in the Chapel for a Mass led by Fr McCormack with other students engaging in the ceremony via a live-stream to their classes.

At the conclusion of the Mass, Fr McCormack blessed the 2022 Lasallian Youth Leaders and Board Chair, Mrs Marie Dorrington OAM and Deputy Chair, Mr Damien Foulis, presented Staff Service Awards to long-serving staff members. We thank the following staff for their dedicated and valued contributions to the St Michael’s College community.

40 Years
Roger Dugan

30 Years
Grant Turner

20 Years
Ray Becker
Maria Cardillo
Cathie Gaffney
Robert Dempsey
Andrew Hynes
Pat Pietsch

10 Years
Paul Flaherty
Katrina Kreis
Maree Plew
Paula Rogers

Election of the New Superior General of the Brothers of the Christian Schools

On 18 May 2022, during the 46th General Chapter of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, the Assembly of 70 Chapter Brothers, meeting in the Aula Magna of the Generalate in Rome, elected Brother Armin Luistro 28th  Superior General of the Institute.

Brother Armin also holds a Doctorate in Educational Management from Saint La Salle University in Bacolod and a Master’s Degree in Religious Education and Values from De La Salle University in Manila. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy and Humanities from De La Salle University.

Read further about Brother Armin’s teaching career and his life as a Brother here.

Kind regards,

Mr Damian Patton
Acting Principal

PARENT AND CAREGIVER SURVEY

On Monday 23 May 2022, parents/caregivers will receive an email regarding the Parent and Caregiver Survey (PaCS). With an emphasis on continual improvement, the College has engaged Curtin University’s ‘National Schools Improvement (NSI) Partnerships Effective School Improvement Program’, to seek key stakeholder feedback.

The PaCS collects Parent/Caregiver experiences regarding:

  • teacher support, student behaviour, student progress and assessment criteria;
  • affirmation of diversity, welcoming ethos and communication, and
  • aspirations for your child’s education and your satisfaction with the College.

We invite and encourage you to participate in the PaCS.

Weekly Communication and Important Dates

Weekly Communication and Important Dates

IMPORTANT DATES

26 May
National Sorry Day
Year 8, 9, and 10 school photos

27 May – 3 June
National Reconciliation Week

31 May
Year 7, 11, and 12 school photos

Please click here to view our online calendar.

LAUDATO SI’ WEEK

Laudato Si’ Week, held from 16 to 24 May, is a celebration of Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’ and a call to action for Catholics around the world to care for our common home. You can participate through prayer, action, and reflection with the new resources for parishes, schools, organisations, and individuals created by the ACBC Office for Justice, Ecology and Peace. Click here for more information.

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.

 

Primary Campus

Primary Campus

WRITERS WORKSHOP AND BOOKMAKING

When you teach a child to write you are giving them a superpower. The power to share their thoughts, ideas, and feelings with the world.

At the Primary Campus, educators have been working with Lisa Burman deepening their knowledge of Writers Workshop pedagogy.

In Year 2 we have been all about facts, facts, facts. Students see themselves as expert authors and have been learning how to create engaging information texts. They have studied mentor texts and learnt about content pages, page numbers, subheadings, diagrams and pictures and labels. Now we are ready to share our expert knowledge with our readers.

Bookmaking has empowered our Year 1 authors to create texts that communicate their ideas. They have also been reading like a writer and are developing positive dispositions towards reading and writing. Through viewing and reading a wide range of mentor texts, we have noticed other authors using past tense, characterisation, perspective and meaningful illustrations to entertain. We began writing ‘stories from my life’ to entertain our readers.

We love bookmaking in Reception! Our students see themselves as authors and illustrators and enjoy immersing themselves in a wide range of texts and learning about what authors intentionally do to entertain their readers. The students have had a go at adding these crafts to their books and constructing different texts. Our Reception authors have been including speech bubbles, onomatopoeia, ellipses, big and bold writing, exclamation marks, and crafting with colour throughout their books this semester.

We are so proud of our young authors!

Early Primary Team
#alwayslearnngalwayswillbe

Reception Authors

Year 1 Authors

OUTDOOR CLASSROOM DAY

Outdoor Classroom Day is a global movement to inspire and celebrate outdoor play and learning at school. Children are spending less time outdoors than ever before and this is affecting their health, wellbeing and development. Time outdoors – on Outdoor Classroom Day and every day – will make children happier and healthier, as well as equipping them with the skills they need for life.

At the Primary Campus, students across all year levels engaged in various activities throughout the day. Years 2M and 4M recently planted some Indigenous flora obtained through Provenance nursery with a Charles Sturt Council donation. These plants have been placed in our bush tucker garden and select replacement native plants for the nature play west area. Reception students had their art lesson outside and created beautiful water colour leaves.

It was a great day to spend outdoors in the sunshine!

EXTEND (OSHC) TERM 2

Some activities planned for May at the Primary Campus OSHC include:

  • Mother’s Day Arts and Craft
  • Gratitude Tree Display
  • Making Rocky Road
  • Minor Games – Talent Show
  • Footy and Handball

 Please click here for more information.

SCHOOLASTIC BOOK FAIR

Our annual Scholastic Book Fair commences 19 May and will run through until Wednesday 25 May. Book Fairs are designed to give children access to more books they want to read, from relevant new-releases to classic award winners. As your children grow, Book Fairs make it easy for home libraries to grow with them; they provide:

  • An exciting event that engages children and promotes literacy.
  • The best range, hand selected from over 50 publishers worldwide.
  • Affordable books to suit every reading level and interest.
  • A fun opportunity for children to see, touch and connect with books they want to read

Students can visit the Resource Centre before/after school and throughout lunch, complete a wish list and take it home, with the price, for parent consideration. Payments can be made online at ParentPayments (scholastic.com.au). Select South Australia and St Michaels College Primary (Beverley); once payment has been successful, please provide the details on the Wish List overleaf including the 8 digit receipt number and amount paid and the ordered goods will be given to your child to bring home to enjoy.

Mrs Glenyss Steventon will be more than happy to assist students if they need support in making a selection. Students will also be able to select books during their class visits to the Resource Centre.

Secondary Campus

Secondary Campus

COLLEGE LEADER PROFILES

College Leader David Levett

As a leader I would describe myself as a good listener and communicator as listening to others’ ideas can build new ideas to build your confidence.

I am the proudest of balancing school work with home life because it’s not easy to manage your work time and social time, but once you find the balance, you can accomplish more than you’d ever expect.

My favourite artists are Post Malone and The Weeknd.

Someone I admire is my father.

The best thing about attending SMC is the people you get to meet and the support you get from your peers and teachers.

To be a Lasallian Leader means to be part of a strong spiritual community and being able to count on one another.

This year as a College Leader, I wish to be best known as a reliable leader you can always count on.

Five words which best describe my personality are friendly, thoughtful, determined, reliable, and sometimes awkward!

A quote that I believe in is “Confidence comes not from always being right but from not fearing to be wrong”.

A teacher at SMC I admire is Mr De Silva because he always has a story to tell and is always understanding of the situation you are in.

Benilde House Captain Andre Melki

As a leader I would describe myself as disciplined, respectful, team orientated, and mindful of others.

I am the proudest of getting along well with everyone and providing everyone with a sense of belonging because it makes me happy to see others happy, especially when you are the person to contribute to another’s happiness.

My greatest sporting moment was my first mountain bike race for the school. Although we didn’t come first, it was still good to work in a group with members from the College I had never met.  We worked so well together.

My favourite songs are Nuestra Cancion by Monsieur Perine, Dancing in the Moonlight by Top Loader, and Exit Sign by Hilltop Hoods.

Someone I admire is my dad, as despite his slowly deteriorating body over numerous years of physical work, he is still up and about providing a roof over our head and the ability for me to go to a private school.

The best thing about attending SMC is the teachers, as they know how to balance the teaching with humour and practical activity, calling upon students for their opinion on a question.

I have a pet dog named Cleo and she is a staffy!

To be a Lasallian Leader means sacrificing your time for the greater good, whether it be working in teams with fellow leaders or staff to best find a solution to a problem.

A quote that I believe in is “focus on the negatives you’ll get negatives, focus on the positives you’ll get positives”.

A teacher at SMC I admire is Mr Anderson because he inspires students to be the best they can be and works with student capabilities, and pushes them to help better themselves.

TAFE SA EXCURSION

On Tuesday 17 May, Year 10 Food Technology students attended a cooking class at TAFE SA. Chef Anthony showed our students how to make traditional Korean Fried Chicken and a passionfruit Bavarian for dessert. Students had a fantastic time learning new skills in a hands-on environment.

Ms Myri Kyriacou, Food Technology Assistant

YEARS 7-9 WELLBEING CHARACTER STRENGTH FOCUS

Week 3: Perseverance

When my children were little, one of our favourite stories to tell at bedtime was the story of the Little Red Engine. They would wait for however many laboured ‘I think I cans’ until that little engine made it over the hill. As we told the story, we could always see the hope, excitement and happiness in their tiny faces as that persistent engine overcame the summit and rattled off with great joy! I really loved to see that innocent outpouring of emotion that responded in such a heartfelt way to the plight of others, even without intention.

That really feels like yesterday…and in case you haven’t yet noticed, another year is flying by. We are well into Term 2!

Perseverance sits squarely at the foundation of ‘grit’, that powerful stuff that helps us to carry on, even when we are exhausted, or things look their bleakest. Eventually, if we persevere, we reach our goals, whatever they might be, just like the Little Red Engine.

Faith is an important element that can help us to persevere, which shouldn’t be underestimated, as prayer and attention to our many blessings, gratitude can help us keep an even balance and help us stay on course despite challenges. When hope joins the party, too, this can help to create the silver lining at the edge of the clouds. Suddenly, the outlook can become a little rosier, and we think we can!

Setting goals and little achievable steps can help us along our journey, and students have been encouraged towards this in recent weeks.

While we cannot always feel energised, full of positivity and be smiling, we can be aware of how we are feeling and take steps to work on areas that can use a boost. Perseverance is an important one in this context.

This week we celebrated our Founder, St John Baptist de La Salle, in a Whole School Mass. The format of the Mass itself, live-streamed perfectly to all classes simultaneously, is an example of perseverance in itself, but without the perseverance of St John Baptist de La Salle, we may not be here at all! It was inspiring to hear Father Paul speak about the curiosity and the wonder of little children, who are present and embrace opportunities in the moment, and the Communion Reflection reminded us of the importance of “dreaming our way forward”.

We all know people who stay strong and positive, despite the challenges and disappointments they confront on their journey. The experiences of the last two years are a testament to our perseverance as individuals and as a community. Little steps; setting goals, celebrating the milestones, supporting each other, and looking back in gratitude and forward in hope, can help us to persevere and develop the confidence to explore our curiosities and be the leaders and learners of the world!

Enjoy the rest of your week and weekend ahead… may perseverance help all of us succeed in thinking we can, and may we eventually celebrate knowing we could!

Mrs Tonia Carfora, Year 7-9 Wellbeing Initiatives Leader

SECONDARY CAMPUS SCHOOL PHOTOS

A reminder that school photos will be taking place on Thursday 26 May for Year 8, 9, and 10 students, and Tuesday 31 May for Year 7, 11, and 12 students. Please see the information below on how to order your photos.

Careers and VET Services

Careers and VET Services

MTA (MOTOR TRADE ASSOCIATION) OPEN DAY

  • Wednesday 15 June – Thursday 16 June
  • 10:00am – 12:00pm or 12:30pm – 2:30pm
  • Automotive Skills & Careers Centre, 3 Fredrick Road, Royal Park

Click here to register. For more information, click here.

MECHANICAL APPRENTICE WANTED

Metro Service Centre at 121A Tapleys Hills Rd Hendon is seeking a mechanical apprentice to join their team.

They seek a Year 11 or 12 student with our without VET experience – just a passion. The successful person needs to be able to work in a team and follow instructions, be punctual, willing to learn, work hard, and have good communication skills.

If you are interested, please forward resumes to metroservicecentre@gmail.com

Students who would like to know more can contact Angelo Rullo on 83454400 or 0412287650.

Ms Leanne De Young, VET Coordinator

AVCAT SCHOLARSHIPS

AVCAT scholarships, including the Long Tan Bursary, are tertiary scholarships for the children and grandchildren of Australian ex-serving veterans. Scholarships are $4000–$6000 per year for three years.

Applications open on 18 August 2022, Vietnam Veterans’ Day, and close at midnight AEDT on 31 October 2022.

Applicants must be:

  • Enrolled or planning to enrol in a full-time course for one or more academic year’s duration at university TAFE, or RTO in 2023.
  • The child, stepchild, foster child, or grandchild of an Australian ex-serving veteran.
  • An Australian citizen or permanent resident.
  • In receipt of, or eligible to receive, Centrelink payments including Youth Allowance, ABSTUDY, Austudy, VCES or an accepted means-tested Commonwealth government payment in 2023.

Find information about scholarships, the application process, and scholarship eligibility at avcat.org.au.

Community Notes

Community Notes

GIFTED AWARENESS WEEK 2022 PARENT/CARER WORKSHOP AND DISCUSSION FORUM

  • 26 May 2022 at 9:30am-11:00am
  • Catholic Education Office, 116 George Street, Thebarton

Please note registrations close Monday 23 May 2022. Please indicate that you are from St Michael’s College in your response.

Click here for more information.

INTERESTING READING

Lasallian News

The Southern Cross