Pulse 14 – “SMC Live in Concert with the Billy Joel Tribute Show Australia”

Wow, what an amazing night! “Pulse 14 – SMC Live in Concert with the Billy Joel Tribute Show Australia” didn’t disappoint! Once again, the SMC ‘Pulse’ tradition continued, in showcasing the vast array of hard work and talent in our College’s music department. Ensembles including Big Bands, Concert bands, Drum Corps, Choirs, Rock Bands, String Ensembles, and so much more, performed to a very appreciative audience of nearly 600.

The Billy Joel Tribute Band, led by SMC old scholars Anthony Marafioti and Daniel Braiotta, were fabulous, and worked so well with our students, allowing them to really shine on stage. Some popular songs included “The Longest Time” – an acapella song with Anthony and our senior choirs. Also “River of Dreams” with our Drum Corps, “The Stranger” with seven senior guitar students, and the huge finale, “Piano Man”, which featured all 4 choirs, Combined Schools String Ensemble, Senior Wind players, and the Billy Joel Tribute Band. It was such a diverse and wonderful programme, and we were so proud of our students!

Other highlights were the debut performances from our Henley and Beverley Drum Corps, and also our Beverley Junior Choir, the first co-educational music ensemble at Beverley campus! With some extra ‘cute factor’, they really stole the show!

A very big ‘thank you’ to our huge team of hard-working staff who helped make this event a success, and also to our SMC and Star of the Sea parents and friends who attended. We are already planning for Pulse 15!

Mr. Tim Donovan, Director of Music

Year 8 Retreat Reflection

This year’s theme for the Year 8 retreat was ‘Finding the Hero Within’.  Daniella shares her experience of the day.

This day was full of different activities to teach us how to build up our confidence and be proud of who we are. However, some of the highlights for me were when we formed groups of about 5-6 people, and we had around 15 minutes to come up with a short dance to perform to everyone else. This activity was to help everyone build up their confidence by having fun and just letting go in the action of dance. It was also a competition and each member from the winning group got a Freddo Frog.

Another highlight for me was when we got to have some reflection time and write down on a sticky note, who our 3 heroes are in our lives and who we look up to. We also got to play a really fun game called ‘Jockeys Up’.  

My last highlight of the day, would be when we walked back to school and Mr Mosca shared his story with everyone and even performed a song to us. 

This entire day was very fun, but those were just the highlights that stuck out to me. 

This retreat has taught me to not only be the best version of myself, but also to not care about what other people think of you and just to be proud of who you are.

Catholic Schools Music Festival

Congratulations to a number of our music students who this week performed on the main stage of The Festival Theatre, for Catholic Schools Music Festival. Well done to all students!

Alyssa Faranda – Year 7 (Voice) – “In My Dreams” from Anastasia The Musical

Alyssa participates in acting, musical theatre and singing lessons as well as being a voice student of Mr. Brian Gilbertson for the last year.

Alyssa has played numerous roles in musicals already, despite her young age. She recently landed the role of “Killer Queen” for the 2023 St Michaels College Musical, “We Will Rock You”.

Alyssa just adores Musical Theatre. Alyssa has already realised that Singing is what she wants to do as a career in the future. Alyssa lives and breathes music. Her dream is to perform her dream roles on the West End or Broadway.

Max Pook-Kathriner – Year 10 (Alto Sax) – “Megalania”

Max has been playing since age 9 (6 years). Sarah Byron is his saxophone teacher.

Max currently plays in 4 school ensembles, as well as the Adelaide Youth Wind Orchestra, and the Burnside Youth Concert Band.

Max has played at numerous Pulse concerts, Burnside regular Cabarets, Generations in Jazz, and was a soloist at last years CSMF

Big Band 1 – “Something” – by George Harrison

The band consists of students from years 7 to 12.

They have performed at the Catholic Schools Music Festival on the main stage of the Adelaide Festival Theatre for 11 years running, and also on stage in the Adelaide Entertainment Centre.

Played at the ABODA Band Festival for 10 years, have been section winners twice.

Played at Mt. Gambier for “Generations in Jazz” Festival, for 10 years.

Performances in recent years have included playing with James Morrison and the JMA Jazz Orchestra and also Adelaide’s own “The Zep Boys”.

The band was excited to perform with The Australian Billy Joel Tribute Show Iast week for the College’s annual “Pulse” Music Showcase.

The soloist today is Max Pook-Kathriner on Alto Sax.

Mr. Tim Donovan, Director of Music

Paul Dillon

We were pleased to welcome back into our community Mr Paul Dillon. Paul has worked in partnership with the College for the last ten years and is at the cutting edge of drug and alcohol research. Due to COVID-10, Paul presented via Microsoft Teams in the previous two years. So, it was fantastic having him attend in person this week, speaking to Year 10, 11 and 12 students. He is one of the best public speakers for young people in Australia, with work and presentation well supported by research. The information is available on the Drug and Alcohol Research and Training website. The students were kept engaged for the 80-minute presentation and had the opportunity to ask questions.

We know that the dangers of drugs on the teenage brain and body are well documented – even for emerging products such as vapes. The issue of vapes for young people is present throughout Australia and does not discriminate from school to school. Young people’s brains are still developing and are particularly vulnerable to the effects of vaping. The brain develops gradually from the back to the front, leaving the pre-frontal lobe the last to develop. The teenage years are crucial for the development of the frontal lobes. Sadly, drug use during this time can lead to permanent damage. This includes alcohol consumption, marijuana use and vaping.

What was clear from Paul’s presentation is that the average vape user does not know what they are inhaling or what it does to their body and brain. Often, additives are often not listed, including carcinogenic chemicals typically used in pesticides, disinfectants and, in some cases, nicotine.

Research shows that vaping activates motivation and rewards within the brain, which can easily stimulate addiction formation. If nicotine is present, which it often is, this likelihood increases drastically. We also learned that disposable vapes popular amongst young people are filled with e-liquid, and it is dangerous to refill them. It was also noted that a refillable vape can contain the same amount of nicotine as 20-30 cigarettes. It is also widely known that the so-called ‘non-nicotine’ vapes also contain nicotine, making it more addictive to have the user return for more.

A few interesting facts:

• 93-98% of all vapes available in Australia have been found to contain nicotine and are, therefore, illegal.
• Any disposable device that contains nicotine is illegal.
• If caught with non-prescribed nicotine vape in SA, there can be a fine of up to $10,000.
• The purchase of vapes online is a separate crime prosecuted by the Federal Police.
• The only legal way to purchase a nicotine vape is via prescription from the GP who provides a liquid nicotine government-approved device.
• The “smoke” is not vapour, and this has been tested. It is an aerosol, the damage of which is currently unknown.
• A big concern is that users will be nicotine-dependent with vapes.
• Some, such as vanilla and cinnamon, have been banned as they are carcinogenic.

The College continues to educate and provide the best information to our young people. This is a serious concern with fads or opportunities to take risks involving vaping. Staff at the College work hard to provide a safe school, and students must be aware that we do not allow students using a vape on or off campus. We seek parental support and willingness to share with your child or children the need to avoid this temptation at all costs and to reinforce these messages with their children at home.

Mr Matthew Williams, Deputy Principal Pastoral

Charities Week

Fri 23 Sept 22 Middle School March

On behalf of the Year 9 and 10 teams, we’d like to thank you for your support of the activities run by Year 9 and 10 students during Charities week.

In total, we managed to raise an outstanding $4863.85, which will be divided amongst the following charities:

Catherine House – was founded in 1988, by the Sisters of Mercy to address an unmet need for women experiencing homelessness in Adelaide.

Centacare – offer programs in a range of sectors, including domestic violence, homelessness, registered training, NDIS and carer support, children’s services, family and relationship supports, and health, wellbeing and education.

Yourtown – is a charity with services young people can access to find jobs, learn skills, become great parents, and live safer, happier lives.

Caritas Australia – committed to tackling poverty and inequality in Australia and overseas since 1964.

Lutheran Care – Founded 50 years ago on the principles of the Lutheran Church, Lutheran Care has always been champions of advocacy and equity.

Australian Refugee Association – Creating a fair and equitable society where all communities are able to fulfill their potential.

Thank you to the College community, staff, students and parents, for your support of our Charities Week.  Raffle prize winners:

Signed Adelaide Crows Guernsey

Donated by Jarrod Meers (SANFL & Academies Manager).  Won by Ben Stavrides (Year 12)

 Signed Port Adelaide Guernsey

Donated by Will Northeast (Youth Programs Coordinator at Port Adelaide Football Club & Assistant Football Coach – First XVIII, St Michaels College). Won by Glen Cook (Parent)

Signed Adelaide United Guernsey

Donated by Gianluca Girolamo (Commercial Operations Coordinator). Won by Alessio Marcon (Year 12)

Adelaide 36ers merchandise pack

Donated by Mary Billows (Corporate Hospitality Executive at Adelaide 36ers). Won by Craig Burns

Russell Ebert – ‘Geez It’s Been Worth It’ signed autobiography

Donated by Benjamin and Albert Ebert. Won by Alexander Slattery (Year 7)

Jars of jellybeans – Lily Paynter (Year 9) & Michael Maraia (Year 12)

A big thank you to Ms Sokolovic and Ms Pellicone for always lending a hand and to our great maintenance team for their assistance with the BBQ setup.

Year 11 Computer Game to Life Semester 2  (Tricia needs to open these)

Healthy Children’s Party 2022

Year 11 and Year 12 Child Studies Class activities

The Year 11s were implementing their practical activity for their Computer Game to Life task, whereby they had to create a 30 minute activity based on the importance of physical activity, and utilizing the theme of a popular computer game. The Year 12s completed an activity based on nutrition and included a practical cooking activity that was appropriate for children in Reception. This was an hour in length.

Happy Snaps Display Year 7-9

Over the course of Wellbeing Week, Year 7-9 classes wondered about the things that brought them happiness and positive emotions. The Happy Snaps display, now available for all to see and enjoy on the Library windows, aimed to capture some of these feelings and share them with others. Framed by Communication and Community Relations Team as a collection of gold, the snaps and comments give us all the opportunity to experience the moments as we recall them and as we share them with others.

Positive Emotions are central to our wellbeing. As one of the pillars of Wellbeing, positive emotions can uplift us when we are not at our best and help us to work towards stronger hope and motivation – building resilience and grit. They also help to increase our awareness, attention, and memory which is pretty valuable to creative problem solving. But it doesn’t end here- positive emotions even have an impact on our physical health- they can lower blood pressure, reduce risk of heart disease, help us achieve better blood sugar levels, and lead us towards a longer life!

It’s important to celebrate the good every day. What are three things that went well, and made you smile today?

Thank you, Year 7-9 students and Pastoral Care Teachers for leading the way!

Tonia Carfora

Year 7-9 Wellbeing Initiatives Leader

Photos below!

Increasing Biodiversity and helping charity

Our Senior Eco Squad have been busy growing native butterfly attracting plants since Term 1. After planting as many as possible into our newly painted butterfly gardens, we wanted to also help others attract butterflies into their own gardens.

During Charities week, with the assistance of our Year 11 Lasallian Leaders, we were able to hold a stall and sell over $100 worth of plants, raising money for charity.

It is the absolute perfect time to plant and we have loads of seedlings left, so please contact myself if you are keen to buy a few. They are at the bargain price of $2 each, and attract beautiful native butterflies, such as the Australian Painted Lady and the Saltbush Blue butterflies.

Robyn Palmer, Sustainability Officer

YEARS 7-9 WELLBEING CHARACTER STRENGTH FOCUS

Week 10: FAIRNESS

 “Fair go, mate. Fair shake of the sauce bottle. Fair crack of the whip.”

Some of these sayings might be familiar ?. They’re often associated with the stereotypical Australian- you know, the tall, tanned, blonde surfer, lovable larrikin type that looks a lot like me! ?

The Department for Home Affairs affirms that “Australian society values respect for the freedom and dignity of the individual, freedom of religion, commitment to the rule of law, Parliamentary democracy, equality of men and women and a spirit of egalitarianism that embraces mutual respect, tolerance, fair play and compassion for those in need and pursuit of the public good”. Our national anthem implores us to Advance Australia Fair!

Fairness as a character strength, is definitely valued by our culture. It is also a strength we aspire to, both singularly and in our community, where we wish to be known, valued and cared for, explore our curiosities and become the leaders and learners of the world!

My earliest memories of thinking about fairness in a public place were associated with going to the footy at Norwood Oval with my dad and older sister, which we did regularly. It was the only place I really heard people publicly screaming their thoughts about fairness (not always in the politest of terms!).

Fast forward about 35 years from Norwood Oval, and in a completely different context, something similar unfolded. I had taken my Year 11 Italian class to a Languages Forum at Adelaide University and during the then Premier’s address, a group of protesters stood up in Bonython Hall, and began to sing loudly at the top of their lungs for most of his address, so as to drown him out. From memory, when he paused so did they. He resumed and so did they. My students looked at me wide eyed, in astonishment; wondering what was going on around them in ‘sleepy’ Adelaide.

Last year, I recall being held up in the traffic of protesters in the city. Whilst this was inconvenient in that moment, I again felt grateful for the shawl of freedom that surrounds the country in which we live. It reminded me of a scene in one of my favourite films to teach Looking for Alibrandi– you might know the scene. Jacob Coote, a young man who is a little rough around the edges, speaks about his pride at living in a country where we can peacefully make our feelings about public policy known, without fearing the consequence of death. His speech sees the whole arena applaud thunderously, because they know it’s true. We are very lucky in so many ways.

Fairness is clearly very much a part of the Australian culture, but this doesn’t mean that everything is fair.  It does, however, mean that we can find our voice and express an opinion when we feel it is not. We can, aspire to, and work towards making life fairer for everyone.

In my email to students and staff this week I invited them to think about these ideas:

We can develop our fairness by:

• Seeing things from the perspective of other people and appreciating their feelings or point of view.
• Being aware of the upset that comparison can cause us and avoiding it.
• Looking out for people or things we can help in some way and offering to help. The environment qualifies here too.. what can we do to help and safeguard it- maybe pick up any rubbish you see around you or join Eco Squad in their great work?
• Checking our own thinking to see if we view other people or cultures stereotypically or based on gossip, rather than as unique people.
• Avoiding gossip and thinking many times before we post or upload anything.  Are we creating a positive digital footprint?
• Thinking about the mistakes we make and checking to see if we are taking responsibility and trying to use them as learning opportunities, rather than blaming others.
• Thinking about other people’s feelings when we are speaking or acting, rather than just our own thoughts and needs.
• Taking up an active role in the College or another social justice group.
• Reading about an event in the world where human rights are threatened and looking for ways to promote social justice on the issue.  Charities Week just celebrated was a great opportunity to think, participate and act.
• Reflecting on the life of St John Baptist de La Salle or reading a biography or watching a clip about others who are strong examples of social justice, such as Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa…and thinking about how these people can inspire us to lead with fairness.
• Making sure that in all that we do, we are lifting people up around us, not pushing them down by our actions or our words.

This week we also celebrate De La Salle Day, a day that honours our founder in his quest for fairness in education, bringing us to where we are today

Wishing you all a fair go this week!

Enjoy the sunshine in all its forms during the break ahead!

Tonia Carfora, Year 7-9 Wellbeing Initiatives Leader