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News

Term 4 Week 2 2021

From the Principal

From the Principal

Dear St Michael’s College Community,

Our Graduation Mass, celebrated this Thursday evening, was a wonderful opportunity to farewell our Graduating Class of 2021.

Our College Captains, Alice Kneebone and Sebastian Leaney, have represented the Year 12 cohort exceptionally well in what has been another challenging year.

We share below excerpts from their Grad Mass presentation…

It is sad to think that our time together has come to an end. Writing this address has been, honestly, an emotional rollercoaster. From reminiscing the best times, to remembering the worst, it has truly been a cathartic experience.

Ten months ago, we stood before you and the College community as freshly selected Captains, not knowing where this year would take us, or how our public speaking would go, terrified to stumble over our own words or trip up the stairs in front of hundreds, if not thousands of people.

Our Vice Captains, Sam and Elena, along with the rest of the College Leaders have truly done wonderful things for our school. From early mornings at breakfast club, to a helping hand on the BBQ’s and raising money for those in need, the team has been outstanding.

We can speak for all the students when we say that it feels like we walked into Turon for our first day of Year 8 just yesterday. 250 new faces, new staff, new surroundings, new beginnings. And for 50 of us, we started our St Michael’s journey at Beverley, 13 long years ago.  … No matter when we joined St Michael’s, this community has welcomed us with open arms, made us feel valued and cared for, and shaped us into who we are today, a cohort of fine young adults.

We always have a sense of pride when we get to say we go to St Michael’s College. Even though from now on, we won’t be here physically, this school will always be a part of who we are, and we will continue to say with pride, ‘I went to St Michael’s College.’

A main reason as to why this school will always be a part of who we are is the staff and the teachers, those who guided us every step of the way. That is why, firstly, we would like to thank all our Pastoral and Subject Teachers this year in particular. From help with assignments, to deep conversations about our futures, you all have given your students the opportunity to flourish and excel in their chosen areas of expertise. And for that, we say thank you.

To Mr Labrosciano and Mrs Webb, thank you for the way you have looked after our year level. All our shortcomings, successes, shenanigans, the support you both have given us is something we will never forget. For that, we say thank you.

We’d also like to thank you, the parents and carers, for going above and beyond for us this year, in what has been a year of challenges that none of us would have ever expected. You have put up with our irregular sleep patterns, intensely high stress levels and breakdowns, but most importantly, your support when times were tough and when moments like this … didn’t seem achievable, is something that we all cannot thank you enough for.

Finally, while we held a celebration earlier today, as the Year 12’s farewelled Mr Foley, we would like to thank him for being an outstanding Principal to this College. Your 17 years of service to our school will not go unnoticed. We cannot thank you enough for the smiles and insightful conversations you would give anyone who walked past you.  And finally, we cannot thank you enough for the way you have handled this year, a year unlike any other. From the bottom of our hearts, it has been an honour being your College Captains this year, and on behalf of the Year 12 cohort, we wish you a happy and successful future.

Our time together will not be remembered by grades, or regretting the nights we stayed up studying, or popularity or Instagram likes, but by the relationships we have made. The hearts that have been loved, and the hearts that have been broken. The friendships made, that will last for many years to come.

 

To the graduating Class of 2021, it has been an honour and a privilege being your College Captains. Thank you all for the memories, and thank you all for being the best cohort we could ever have asked for.

Alice & Sebastian

Following the formal part of the Graduation Mass, a number of award presentations, including the esteemed De La Salle Award were presented to students.  Next week’s Star will provide an overview of these prestigious awards.

Kind regards,

John Foley
Principal

Weekly Communication and Important Dates
Weekly Communication and Important Dates

Weekly Communication and Important Dates

IMPORTANT DATES

26 October
Domestic Violence Awareness Day (S)

29 October
Sports Day (P)

1 November
Year 12 Exams commence

5 November
Year 12 Art Design Technology & Photography Exhibition Launch

STAFF MORNING TEA FOR FROCKTOBER 2021

On Friday 29 October, Secondary Campus staff will come together in a shared morning tea in conjunction with Frocktober 2021. It is also a time to remember a much loved and missed colleague Jenna Crierie, who was sadly lost to ovarian cancer in October 2020 at age 33.

Our connection to Frocktober began when Jenna was approached by the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation (OCRF) to be involved. Her cousin, talented Adelaide fashion designer, Jaimie Sortino, also became part of the fundraising team creating a couture gown to be modelled by the OCRF patron, the Honorable Julie Bishop. The project is a way to share Jenna’s story, provide support to other women affected by the disease and raise urgently needed funds for the research projects undertaken by OCRF.  For the second time in two years, Former Foreign Minister Ms Julie Bishop will wear a custom-made pink gown designed by Jaimie to raise awareness of this insidious disease. Unfortunately, no early detection test is available at present for this kind of cancer.

Staff will have the opportunity to wear a touch of pink, Jenna’s favourite colour, for a gold coin donation at the morning tea.

Every 8 hours, an Australian woman dies from ovarian cancer.  Around 70% of women diagnosed are already in the advanced stages of the disease.

Click here to read more on Jenna’s story or to make a contribution towards OCRF’s research, please go to the St Michael’s College Official Frocktober Fundraising site.

BOARD DIRECTORS – EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

St Michael’s College is a company limited by guarantee. Expressions of Interest from a diverse range of experienced candidates interested in a position as a Director on our Board are welcome for 2022 and into the future, with a high level of experience in educational leadership and marketing particularly sought.

Please click the document below for more information regarding these roles.

board directors - expressions of interest

 

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Primary Campus

Primary Campus

WOOSH IT’S TERM 4 ALREADY – NOT ALL LEARNING TAKES PLACE IN THE CLASSROOM

Apparently, you can learn a lot at school and not all of it is book related. Sustainability – how can we do our bit to make sure that we can continue to enjoy our lifestyles into the future? In a month when the grand and powerful leaders of the world are meeting in Glasgow to discuss the future of the planet, it seems fitting to pay tribute to what primary students and some primary educators have achieved at our campus. Whatever your politics are on this doesn’t matter; the authentic learning and the action that has been taken by these students is to be commended.

Since 2012, the students and staff at the Primary Campus have been part of a group called SEMP which stands for School Environmental Action Plan. This committee works with all students and teachers to develop a whole school approach to sustainability with the focus being that students act and feel empowered.

Here is a snapshot of some of the activities from over the last two years:

  • Monarto Zoo Conservation Program – planting
  • Stephane Alexander Kitchen Garden Cooking program – students’ plant and grow produce and then cook with it!
  • Chicken Management and Care – Reception students plus Year 12 students built the chooks some play equipment.
  • Weekly Waste management and Recycling run by students – we don’t have any landfill bins
  • Weekly Garden routines – from Lasallian STARs upwards – kitchen garden, herb garden, butterfly garden, rainbow garden and soon to be planted Indigenous bush tucker garden
  • Conservation – Wetlands Project – designed and built by the whole community
  • Nature Play West – new playground designed by students
  • Youth Environmental Leaders (YELS) have run their own programs – including nude food picnics, mobile phone muster, recycle bread tags
  • Market stall that raised enough money to plant 75 trees though a donation to the WoodiWild

It seems to me that in our society if you stand still you go backwards, life moves so fast. As we come to the end of 2021, we are already thinking about what 2022 may bring. Let’s face it, the future is uncertain.

However, with careful planning we will continue to provide an inquiry-based curriculum to students that provides quality and authentic learning experiences that connects specialist subjects and classroom learning. Our literacy and numeracy skills are also enhanced as we apply skills to real problems that we have at school.

Through SEMP and the learning experiences at school, our students have had the opportunity to build a connection to nature in the hopes they will care enough to do their part in ensuring its sustainability. No one is perfect but if we all try to make one change then we can make a difference. I wonder what you could do.

If you are interested further in the SEMP program and have some ideas for 2022, please feel free to contact the SEMP committee via the primary admin email.

Ms Joanne Gilmore, Director of Teaching & Learning
#alwayslearningalwayswillbe

Secondary Campus

Secondary Campus

YEAR 12 ACADEMIC AWARDS

Academic Excellence
Awarded to students who averaged an ‘A’ grade across their Term 3 subject areas.

Academic Endeavour
Awarded to students who achieved ‘Excellent’ or ‘Good’ for Application to Study and Behaviour in class for all subjects.

Congratulations to the following students in Year 12 who achieved Academic Excellence and/or Academic Endeavour awards for their Term 3 studies.

year 12 awards

 

YEAR 10 CAD

Year 10 Computer Aided Design students entered a competition in week 1 run by SeaLink in which SA students are tasked to design a ‘Ferry for the future’. Students had an opportunity to bring STEM, tourism, and eco-friendly approaches to their ferry design and continued to develop their ability to use the design process to meet a brief. Students used computer generated models, engineering drawings and 3D printing to communicate and evaluate their designs.

Another objective of the competition was to promote Kangaroo Island and to encourage South Australians to holiday in their own backyard, to support our regional communities doing it tough during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to help with communities impacted by the bushfires.

The competition winner is awarded return ferry fare and two nights accommodation on Kangaroo Island for themselves and their family. Students worked very hard, developed some fantastic designs and I wish them the best for the competition!

Ms Tess Morcom, Design and Technology Teacher – Secondary

YEAR 9 BOOK TRAILER COMPETITION

Congratulations to the following Year 9 students who have won a Westfield voucher for creating the most original and creative book trailers for 2021. Each trailer also ethically and correctly acknowledged other people’s work. To view the book trailers, go to Clickview/Booktrailers.

1st prize ($50 voucher)
Charlotte McCarthy (9GPC-04) : Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen Mah

2nd prize (joint winners – $25 voucher each)
Sebastian Cesare (9BPC-06) : The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien
Hamish Beeby (9BPC-06): Gone by Michael Grant

3rd prize  (joint winners – $20 voucher each)
Ava Perin (9GPC-05): Five Feet apart by Rachael Lippincott
Will Noblet (9BPC-02): Specky Magee by Felice Arena and Gary Lyon

Mrs Maria Pepe-Micholos, Head of Library – Secondary

YEAR 11 MODERN HISTORY EXCURSION: ADELAIDE HOLOCAUST MUSEUM AND ANDREW STEINER CENTRE

To support their study of Genocide, Year 11 Modern History students visited the Adelaide Holocaust Museum Centre and Steiner Education Centre on Monday 18 October. The Museum and Centre are a fabulous new facility in Wakefield Street in the city. We were guided by volunteers who showed us through the vast range of sources on the different stages of the Holocaust, from discrimination, isolation, ghettoization and deportation, through to the Final Solution. The highlight of the visit was the special exhibition titled ‘Let Me Be Myself: The Anne Frank Story’. The Museum is a compelling place to visit and one we will certainly return to each year.

“Our history excursion to the Holocaust Museum was very informative and insightful. We had the opportunity to see the new Anne Frank exhibition, educating ourselves on the tragedy she and her family endured during the Holocaust. Her story was significant in the way that she is the modern face of the Holocaust. Anne was a strong young girl, having the bravery to write about her journey in the hopes we can learn from the mistakes of the Holocaust. The volunteers at the museum were amazing and were able to give us a perspective of how people lived during this horrific event. We walked out of the museum with a fresh perspective and having learned so much about Anne Frank; it was an experience we would recommend everyone to see”. – Madison Caldwell (11PC-05) and Jessica Meade (11PC-05)

Mrs Ady Webb, Assistant Year 12 Director

YEARS 7-9 LEARNING AND WELLBEING CHARACTER STRENGTH FOCUS

Week 2: Honesty

Two years ago, my husband and I had the really good fortune and timing to take a much awaited and planned overseas holiday. Our first stop was the Greek Island of Milos. If you can imagine the Garden of Eden, well, I think you’d be pretty close to capturing the idyllic landscape. The terrain was hot and dry, olives, prickly pears and grapes, and some scattered tomatoes seemed to soak up the hot sunshine and burst with colour and flavour. The sea surrounding the island reflected a kaleidoscope of shades of blue, and the bougainvillea flowers seemed to create a perfect contrast. Milos is a very natural and tiny island of less than 5000 people.

When we arrived, hot, tired and jet lagged we caught a taxi to our AirBnB.  On the journey that seemed to take 100 hours, but was probably 10 minutes, the driver just kept talking, animatedly. We passed a kafenion and amidst our microsleeps he laughed, beeped his horn and waved, and then continued to tell us his 90-year-old grandfather spent his days there smoking and drinking. Welcome to Greece! Yiasou!

When we arrived at our accommodation we practically fell out of the car, exhausted, gathered our bags and looked towards a shower and a bed. Half an hour later my husband realised he had left his phone in the taxi!

Panic, a bit, on Day 1? We ran down to the house our host lived in and in simple English and restrained panic explained what had happened.

“Who was the driver?” She asked, hopefully.
We looked at each other. “No idea”.
“What sort of car?”
Again, blank looks between us. “No idea-ummm… silver?”

What we did know was that his papou was 90 and drank and smoked in a kafenion and loved life!

“Oh, I know him!” she says when she hears this description, without batting an eyelid. “I will call him”. Within half an hour the smiling taxi driver returned with my husband’s phone. Major mess averted!

Honesty…Billy Joel sang… is such a lonely word… but isn’t it the best thing in circumstances like this, and doesn’t it make us feel good about being able to trust people around us?

While honesty is about speaking the truth, more broadly it means conducting ourselves with integrity; being true to our values across life’s various domains and taking responsibility for our actions. At St Michael’s those values encapsulate Community, Challenge and Choice, and making choices that reflect the values of the Lasallian ethos. It goes without saying that when we try to respond with honesty and integrity, this influences our relationships and our state of wellbeing in a positive direction.

How can we encourage honesty in our children? Available literature indicates, amongst other advice that like most aspects of parenting, role modelling is important, perhaps even discussing the ‘white lies’ we might tell to protect their childhood at a stage when they are old enough to understand. Celebrating honesty in difficult situations is also a plus, even when it may not be what we want to hear. The way we respond to the honesty of our children can highlight that honesty nurtures trust; an important feature of all meaningful relationships.

This week in my email to students and staff I shared a quote by Nelson Mandela about honesty. In this quote, Mandela speaks about honesty as being fundamental to peace. First of all, it allows us to be at peace with ourselves, and this is so important to our wellbeing and to our relationships with other people. He also explains that when we are honest our actions can also have a positive knock-on effect on our community and world around us. It can help us to know, value and care for each other, as our Mission and Vision at St Michael’s would suggest.

Have a great weekend and Week 3 ahead!

Mrs Tonia Carfora, Year 7-9 Learning and Wellbeing Initiatives Leader

CARDZ FOR KIDZ

On Wednesday 20 October, the Year 11 cohort came together to create homemade cards to support ‘Cardz for Kidz’. Since 2010, Cardz for Kidz has provided emotional support via handwritten cards to vulnerable individuals including those in hospitals, foster homes, or assisted living homes around the globe. This provided the Year 11s with an opportunity to get creative and give back to our wider community!

Ms Anna Porcelli, Year 11 Director

Careers and VET Services

Careers and VET Services

CIVIL CONSTRUCTION WORKER

 Pasculli Enterprises, located at Beverley, are currently advertising a long-term position as a Civil Construction Worker. This position would be suited to someone not looking at going on to any further study. An inexperienced worker would generally start as a Construction Worker A and then move up the classifications as skills are developed. Please click here to read more information.

Mr Kevin Woolford, VET Coordinator

YEAR 12 STUDENTS – SACE RESULTS RELEASE REVISED DATE: MONDAY 13 DECEMBER 8:30 AM

Students will be able to access their results here prior to the results release day, students must ensure they are able to log in and that their personal details are correct. Please click here for more information. SACE has produced a short video encouraging students to check their ‘Students Online Account’ before results release day which can be viewed here. Students are encouraged to check their log in for SACE students online ASAP.

Students must be available for any follow up discussion that they may require on Monday 13 December i.e. SACE results release date. This is the only day careers counsellors will be present at the College to assist in person.

SPACE INDUSTRY WORK EXPERIENCE – YEAR 10 TO 11 STUDENTS

Applications are now open for the 3rd Space Industry Work Experience (SIWE) Program. This structured work experience program organised by the South Australian Space Industry Centre (SASIC) and the Commonwealth funded SA Student Pathways Program within the SA Department for Education allows South Australian secondary school students aged 15 and over to complete two to five days placements (depending on host capacity) with ‘Space Industry’, ‘Space Research’ or ‘Space Skills’ hosts.

Current secondary school students (including 2021 completing Year 12s) who applied in 2019/2020 who were not shortlisted or were placed on a reserve list are invited to apply again. Students who have completed a previous SIWE placement are ineligible to apply. Those who were shortlisted in 2020 and have not yet received a placement due to COVID-19 restrictions will be automatically shortlisted for the 3rd SIWE program and given ‘placement priority’.

Placements for this Space Industry Work Experience pilot program are strictly limited, and all applications will be assessed by a panel of representatives from SASIC and the Department for Education. Applicants will be shortlisted for the positions and interviews may be required to determine the successful final applicants.

Further information can be found at Space Industry Work Experience Program-3 and students must complete all questions and submit all completed/signed documents listed online here. Applicants will be notified by email about their completed application registration within two weeks and advised whether they have been shortlisted after applications have been reviewed by SASIC and the Department for Education personnel by late November, 2021.

Please note it is highly competitive process and students need to devote a lot of effort to their applications to have a chance at success.

OCTOBER HOLIDAY WORK EXPERIENCE

This week we are highlighting Nicolas Andresakis (12PC-02) who undertook a placement as part of his career research into alternative options. Nicolas attended ‘Luay’s Fades’ and saw some of the top Barbers at work at the Woodville South location. Luay himself was present and suitably impressed with Nicolas’ skills, even though he didn’t get the chance to shape anyone’s hair! Nicolas made great use of his holiday time to be more informed about future pathways.

 

GOOD NEWS WEEK

Congratulations to Mr Stanislaus’ Year 12 Pastoral Class who took out one of the prizes for the speedy completion of the Year 12 destination surveys.

Ms Rose Coorey and Mr Anthony Vizaniaris, Careers Counsellors

Co-curricular

Co-curricular

ACHILLES CUP ATHLETICS CARNIVAL

On Thursday 23 September, St Michael’s College participated in the Achilles Cup Athletics Carnival against various Catholic and Independent schools in the B Grade competition.

We took a relatively small team of boys for this event, however we had some fantastic results on the day.

Well done to the following students who won or gained a place in their respective events:

StudentPlacingEvent
Cooper Raftery1stU13 Hurdles, U13 Triple Jump
Thomas Antoniadis 1stU13 200m
Lachlan Sands1stU14 Long Jump, U14 100m, U14 200m
James Bowling1stU14 800m, U14 1500m
Archer Charles1stU16 800m
Sebastian Hartas1stU16 Shot Put, U16 100m
Michael Moschou1stOpen 100m, Open 200m, Open 400m
Jarrell Vitale1stOpen Shot Put
Cooper, Jed, Tom, James1stU13 Relay
Michael, Lachlan, Seb, Harry1stOpen Relay
Thomas Antoniadis2ndU13 100m
Harry Dodd2ndU15 100m
Archie Walsh2ndU16 1500m
Daniel Charles2ndOpen 1500m
Jarrell Vitale2ndOpen Discus
Cooper Raftery3rdU13 High Jump
Nick Boeyen3rdU16 High Jump
Michael Moschou3rdOpen Hurdles
Daniel Charles3rdOpen 3000m
Harry Dodd3rdU15 200m
Jed Remphrey3rdU13 Long Jump

Thank you to all students who participated with great spirit on the day, and to our old scholars and students for officiating and assisting with running events throughout the day.

Mr Jordan Young, Secondary Co-curricular Coordinator

MOUNTAIN BIKE TEAM

Last Friday on 15 October, the inaugural St Michael’s College Mountain Bike team competed in the School Sport SA Championships at O’Halloran Hill in what was looming as a wet, muddy, and cold day. Cross Country Mountain Biking is a Commonwealth and Olympic event which requires fitness, skill and endurance, where competitors need to traverse and navigate over or around obstacles and up and down hills.

We entered three teams across Year 7 to 11 with the U13 and U15’s commencing their 90-minute race in muddy conditions at 9:00 am. The senior team rode later in the day for 120 minutes and were fortunate that the track dried out after the morning competitors. For most students, it was the first time competing in such an event and it appeared as though all students had a great time:

“The school’s mountain bike state champs was a great event for SMC students to experience a new type of sport within a supportive environment. The event also helped us to work together as a team and represent St Michaels in a respectful manner whilst pedaling to the finish line. Thank you to the staff for organising the day and cheering us on. Overall, everybody had a great time!”

Mr Ryan Fleetwood, Director of Learning Technologies and Analytics

YEAR 8/9 KNOCKOUT BASEBALL

Warm and windy conditions greeted the Knockout Baseball team for its match against Seaton High School at Seaton in the first round of the competition. Despite having only eight players, St Michael’s College was the first to score with three runs in the 2nd innings on the back of hits to Zach Stanmeyre, Kalan Palmer, Boston Hodges and Carter Roe. Our pitchers did well to throw strikes but unfortunately their batters were able to consistently find the gaps in our outfield. In the last inning we were down by three runs and to our credit scored twice but unfortunately fell one run short of making Seaton bat again. A special mention to Matthew Pegoli who got hit by a hard fastball to the arm and battled it out for the remainder of the innings. A great team effort, well done boys. Final result: SMC 6 – Seaton HS 7

Mark Stephens, Daily Organiser – Secondary

SMC V HHS 1ST XI CRICKET

On Monday 18 October, St Michael’s College and Henley High School played against each other in an inaugural boys 1st XI Cricket match to start their season. While this is the first time the two have played each other to start the season, we hope that we can continue this tradition each year and grow our sense of community with our Cudmore Terrace rivals! Finals score on the day were SMC 5/146 def. HHS 8/131 (L Hoy 38, J Ford 28no, J Bertram 27, L Hoy 3/18, B Stavrides 1/6, L Leaney 1/10).

Mr Jordan Young, Secondary Co-curricular Coordinator