COLLEGE LEADER PROFILES

College Leader Zahra Mohammadi

As a leader, I would describe myself as determined, dedicated, and kind.

I am the proudest of being a leader because I love helping others.

My favourite TV programs are F.R.I.E.N.D.S and The Good Doctor.

My greatest moment so far was when I won the Best Artist of the Year Award in my institution in 2017.

In my spare time I like to ride my bike and meditate.

The best thing about attending SMC is everyone encourages each other to be the best they can be, and the teachers are cheerful!

This year as a College Leader, I wish to be best known as a respectful and determined leader who cares and is willing to help and give back to the school and other students.

Five words which best describe my personality are respectful, motivated, hardworking, determined, and enthusiastic.

A person I most admire is my dad because of his hard-work and determination.

A quote that I believe in is “You are enough, as you are” – Megan Markle.

A teacher at SMC I admire is Mr Biggs because he has taught me not only education-wise, but also in life to be the best version of myself. He is a source of motivation and inspiration for me and creates a learning environment where taking risks is encouraged.

Something interesting about me no one knows is that I can speak three different languages: Persian, English, and Urdu.

Solomon House Captain Sebastian Menta

As a leader I would describe myself as easy to get along with.

I am the proudest of winning a Football Grand Final because I got to do it with my friends.

My favourite band is Spacey Jane.

In my spare time I like to catch up with friends.

The best thing about attending SMC is the culture and traditions.

One chore I don’t like doing is vacuuming!

Leadership means to me that I will help others along their journey.

I have a pet dog whose name is Chewy.

This year as a House Captain I wish to be best known as easy-going, approachable, and amicable.

Five words which best describe my personality are friendly, calm, energetic, helpful, and respectful.

A person I most admire is Mr Williams.

A quote that I believe in is “Failing to prepare is preparing to fail”.

YEAR 11 FOOD TECH WITH MAX SHARRAD

Year 11 Food and Hospitality students were lucky enough to have a special pasta masterclass with old scholar, chef, and owner of Nido and Fugazzi Bar & Dining Room, Max Sharrad (class of 2009).

Students were taught how to make Pasta alla Gricia and were given an in-depth and hands-on lesson in making fresh pasta. They were shown various culinary skills which they can now apply at home and in class!

Ms Liesel Dunstan, Year 10 Assistant Director

INDIGENOUS GUERNSEY DESIGN

At the beginning of the year, Mr Spencer approached me with the idea of designing the First XVIII Football Indigenous Guernsey. When approaching the concept, I wanted to include my totem and my Indigenous background, whilst also incorporating the College into the design.

The Kungari (black swan) on the front of the guernsey symbolises my nation groups totem of the Ngarrindjeri peoples who’s rwi (land) are the lower rivers Murray, Lakes and Coorong. The groups surrounding the Kungari (black swan) symbolise my journey from Year 7 to Year 12 and symbolise a few boys in the First XVIII whose final year it is. The footprints surrounding the meeting groups are each boy’s journey to playing for the College team and their journey in life and paving the way for their future, and how the St Michael’s community and culture will stick with us forever.

Written by Year 12 Student, Halle Rigney

Halle is pictured with First XVIII Football captain Finn Higham, who will be wearing the guernsey with his team next Saturday, 4 June. The team will be playing at St Michael’s College at 2:15 pm against Mercedes College.

YEAR 11 ART & DESIGN EXCURSION

On Thursday 19 May, Year 11 Art & Design students ventured into the Adelaide Zoo and The Botanic Gardens to use their creative talents to observe, learn, and create through drawing, painting, and photography. It was an incredible experience for the students to gather inspiration and visual content, which will act as the foundation for the Term 3 Folio and Practical Assessments.

Mrs Nicolle LeRay-Warren, Head of Visual Arts

YEAR 12 ART & DESIGN VISUAL ARTS WORKSHOP

Our Year 12 Art & Design students recently experienced a full day ‘Visual Arts Workshop’ to kickstart their folio and practical works.

The workshop aimed to expose students to a range of different media, techniques, and styles. It was an incredible opportunity for our students to interact, collaborate, and be hands-on, using visual thinking to problem solve and think outside the box!

The Visual Arts Team inspired and motivated the students by conducting workshops in Still Life Drawing, Portraiture, Photography, Graphics, Fashion, Product, and Environmental Design.

“The 2022 Year 12 Art Bootcamp was a great way to get art students’ creative brains going in preparation for our practicals. Our amazing art teachers put together an entire day full of learning, problem-solving, and fun. There was something for everyone; as a fashion design student, I enjoyed being able to construct a dress from a newspaper.” – Megan Adrain (12PC-02), Design student

“Despite the challenges presented by COVID, I found that the experiences gained from the incursion were more than insightful in the exploration of my study. I think that by the end of the day, I, along with all art and design students, came away with a refreshed and revitalised understanding of the course, as well as an understanding of what can be painted with household items and plants!” – Henry Cook (12PC-02), Art student

Mrs Nicolle LeRay-Warren, Head of Visual Arts

STAGE 1 AND 2 ITALIAN IMMERSION DAY

The Italian Continuers students recently immersed themselves in the Italian culture by participating in an interactive, engaging day full of hands-on grammar activities, film viewing, reflection, meal preparation, and sharing delicious, traditional Italian food! The immersive experience allowed students to boost their confidence in their language speaking abilities and grammar skills in a comfortable environment that encouraged each student to participate. We were prompted to dress up as something that represented our Italian culture. As a result, we were lucky to spend our day with Mario & Luigi, a Baci Chocolate and Calciatori!

The day began with preghiera, led by Signora Carfora, outlining what it means to be a true friend, tying into our recent learning topic of Youth in Italy. A range of activities followed, including a Caccia al Tesoro (Scavenger Hunt) around the school, requiring communication in Italian and working as a squadra (team) to be the first to complete the hunt! Grammar activities followed, allowing our progression of understanding the Italian language and familiarising ourselves with new forms that will be useful in text production. We were then surprised with our straordinario chitarrista Signor Mosca, who serenaded the group with an original song, and some rhymes to help us remember verb forms. Catch him in the Anzac Courtyard at Lunchtime in Italian Week!

The group was then accompanied by Professoressa Luppino’s Year 7 class, where Prof. Andreula led us in learning the iconic La Jerusalema dance, performed by doctors, students, and people all over Italy, as a sign of unità (unity) during the COVID pandemic. Soon after, we were treated to a well-deserved Chicco Palms lunch, enjoyed by the students and the iconic Italian teachers! Soon after, when the group was too full to even think, we walked together to the delicious Bottega Gelateria in Henley Square, where we were able to practice our skills in the real world and order our gelato in Italian! Che figata! (How Cool!)

Later, we continued developing our knowledge of Youth in Italy by listening to songs, reading articles together and viewing an Italian film, Tre Metri Sopra il Cielo. Finally, we shared a delicious dinner together that we all helped prepare, including Gnocchi, Pollo, e Insalata. The day was complete with a plate of Tiramisu` and a group reflection. Ultimately, the day strengthened relationships, improved skills, ignited confidence and developed the students’ abilities.

Let’s hear from Mario, aka Year 11 student Isabella Martino:

For the Italian 2022 immersion day, Rosanna Triulcio and I dressed up as the characters Mario and Luigi. From this fun and hands-on day , I learned many brand-new skills about the Italian culture and the way they do things differently to us and how to engage myself as a learner with an open mind. I found this day an amazing day to push myself and get out of my comfort zone by Signora Carfora and Prof. Andreula testing me with new grammar and incorporating it with fun hands-on games to help us, an open-minded class, understand it better. One thing I found super useful is Signora Carfora incorporated preparation for our oral coming up in a couple of weeks by sitting us in a circle and talking to one another like the oral.

The most enjoyable thing about the day for me was the eating and cooking. Io amo cucinare (I love cooking). For lunch, we had the delicious Chicco Palms pizza which was well deserved, we then as a group went to Bottega Gelateria to get some amazing authentic ice cream to enjoy. Rosanna and I made delicious melanzane (eggplant) balls. Everyone else made delicious meals that included Gnocchi, Tiramisu, and Insalata. Those were my favourite! I also loved the film we watched as a class, Tre Metri Sopra il Cielo. This movie was a good choice of Signora Carfora and a great way to finish the amazing day. This day has brought our class a lot closer, and it took us all out of our comfort zone and got us to learn a different way to learn other things. Signora Carfora and Prof. Andreula encouraged us, which made it easy to collaborate with everyone. Overall, the day was perfect and very enjoyable. The day strengthened relationships, improved learning skills, provoked confidence and developed abilities that we probably didn’t know we could be capable of.

Written by students Annalisa Cirillo (12PC-08), and Isabella Martino (11PC-05)

YEAR 9 FOOD TECHNOLOGY

Our Year 9 Food Technology students have been focusing on Indigenous Foods this term. The students have learned and discovered new and unusual ingredients such as Wattleseed, Salt Bush, Rosella Flower, Crocodile, Kangaroo, Buffalo, Wild Boar, and Camel.

Mrs Becky Parker, Food Technology Teacher

YEARS 7-9 WELLBEING CHARACTER STRENGTH FOCUS

Week 4: Forgiveness

Forgiveness, as a character strength, can sometimes be difficult to harness, mostly because when we need to call on it, we’re feeling hurt. This reflects the words of Mahatma Gandhi: “Forgiveness is an attribute of the strong.”

It’s true too that we all make mistakes and that we all see the world differently, through our own eyes and personal value systems. These are influenced by family, education, culture, faith and world views. Sometimes holding onto anger, pain and other damaging emotions associated with conflict or difference of opinion can be unhealthy and can lead to bitterness and can impact on our physical or mental health. There are times when we can benefit from moving on or forgiving in a particular situation to also protect our own wellbeing.

We can also try to forgive ourselves for our own mistakes; sometimes the voice in our heads can be our harshest critic. It’s true that we all make them: little errors made at work, missing a deadline, or saying something without fully thinking through the consequences. Sometimes it’s true that we’re kinder and more considerate to others than we are to ourselves, and we can all benefit from a little self-compassion.

In the Gospel of Matthew 18:21-22, Peter asks Jesus how often he should forgive: ‘Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?’ Jesus responds, ‘Not seven times, but I tell you, seventy-seven times’.

This shows that opportunities for forgiveness never really end. During his Angelus address from a window overlooking St Peter’s Square in September 2020, Pope Francis said that when Jesus said we must forgive “seventy-seven times” he meant, in biblical language, to forgive always. He went on to question just how much suffering and war could be avoided if forgiveness underpinned our lifestyle.

This week as a community, we focus on the remembrance of National Sorry Day. As Mr Spencer writes in the daily notices “National Sorry Day remembers and acknowledges the mistreatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who were forcibly removed from their families and today we know them as ‘The Stolen Generations’. National Sorry Day also acknowledges the great strength of Stolen Generations Survivors and reflect on how, as Australians, we can all play a part in the healing and reconciliation process for our people and our nation”. The willingness to forgive in the cases of such traumatic hurt demonstrates incredible strength.

In Pastoral Care at SMC, students have been working with tools and strategies associated with forgiveness. Year 9 girls attended the Enlighten Education session, which forged pathways in conflict resolution, and Year 8 and 9 Boys also attended sessions presented by Daniel Merza and Ash Manuel, who both focused on the need to work through differences of opinion and confront them with respect and fairness, amongst other important content around being the best we can be. Forgiveness is key to all of these processes.

It’s true that using the strength of forgiveness doesn’t delete mistakes, but it does help us to try to focus on the positive, which can be a lot more constructive, for those closest to us and for the wider world. It can potentially lead to the forging of positive change, and also helps us feel more peaceful, sleep better and encourages better relationships.

Wishing you a peaceful week ahead.

Mrs Tonia Carfora, Year 7-9 Wellbeing Initiatives Leader

PROJECT COMPASSION

Thank you to the St Michael’s College community who contributed to raising money for Project Compassion. Together we raised $2,434.90 to assist Caritas Australia in their special projects. The Year 11 Lasallian Leaders were significant contributors with the sale of Zooper Dooper ice blocks at lunchtime.

Your donations and support enable Caritas Australia to work alongside vulnerable communities in Australia and overseas to address the challenges of poverty today and drive lasting change for a better tomorrow.

Catholic Social Teaching sums up the teachings of the Church on social justice issues.

It promotes a vision of a just society grounded in the Bible and in the wisdom gathered from experience by the Christian community as it has responded to social justice issues throughout history.

The main Catholic Social Teachings are:

Thank you for your support.

Mr Robert Dempsey, Director of Mission