Music Department News

What an exciting start to the year for our new students to the college, as well as our established music students. Already this year we have had some wonderful events happening in the music department.

Year 7 Music Demonstration

On the first day back, our new year 7 students were treated to an energetic performance by our Instrumental and Classroom music teachers. The band played 2 songs, and we went through each instrument, explaining how easy it is to sign up for lessons. We have had a wonderful uptake by our year 7’s so far, but we always have room for any student who wishes to learn an instrument! If you would like to sign up, please go to the Music Portal on SEQTA for more information.

Co-Curricular Music Ensembles

Last week our co-curricular ensemble rehearsals started for the year. It was great to see so many students in rehearsals, especially our new Year 7’s! We would love to see some new faces in each ensemble too.

If you have any questions, or would like to join, please contact Mr. Donovan in the music department by phone, or at tim.donovan@smc.sa.edu.au.

Music Department contacts and SEQTA Music Portal

If you would like any information about Instrumental music lessons, how to join Ensembles, the Ensemble Rehearsal Schedule, the 2023 Music Department Calendar, or anything else, this can all be found on the Music Portal on SEQTA. Alternatively you can contact any of the Music Department as follows:

Director of Music – tim.donovan@smc.sa.edu.au

Head of Department – Music – james.musci@smc.sa.edu.au

Instrumental Music Administration Officer – Sonia.vial@smc.sa.edu.au

Co-Curricular Music Administration Officer – Ellena.williamson@smc.sa.edu.au

Tim Donovan, Director of Music

SACE Art Show

We congratulate the students from St Michael’s College who have been selected to have their work displayed in the Annual SACE Art Show : Cesar Machiste Guitian; Luca Camozzato; Madison Caldwell and Megan Adrain, a wonderful achievement!

The Annual SACE Art Show is a celebratory showcase of SACE Arts students, and the amazing creativity they have to offer. Arts students spend years honing their craft, showing a dedication and passion for creativity. Through the SACE, students deepen their understanding and utilise their skills to express their view of the world around them through art.

Our students work will be on display at this year’s Art Show – Tuesday 21st March to Fri 14th April.

PASTORAL CARE & WELLBEING

YEARS 7-9 WELLBEING CHARACTER STRENGTH FOCUS

Week 3: Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence

Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence is the ability to recognise and take pleasure in the existence of goodness in the physical, spiritual and social worlds. A person who is strong in this strength often feels emotions like admiration and wonder. Little children are champions at this- the whole world and the simplest things in it are constant sources of awe and wonder! You’ll definitely remember those moments when your kids were toddlers and seemed to perpetually exist in wonderment!

This character strength is really about noticing what’s right instead of what’s wrong. When we open our minds to notice the good, something wonderful happens. Our thinking becomes more open and we feel our bodies relax. We’re less likely to snap at others and our ideas start to flow. The great thing is that the more open we are to looking for excellence and beauty, the more we notice it!

We celebrate so much excellence at St Michael’s. This week we honoured the excellence of our graduating class of 2023. The ceremony highlighted teaching and learning excellence and demonstrated our perseverance as a community, to continue to work towards our best notwithstanding constraints and the challenging moments of 2022. The remarkable results of our Year 12’s fill us all with wonderful hope for the future, while the exceptional talent of musicians and the school community that works tirelessly to see such events unfold is really second to none.

In addition to academic excellence, we also remember that excellence and beauty take many forms and they are all equally stunning in their own ways. The beauty of our College Garden and our peaceful Reflective Garden create spaces for us to connect with nature, to watch insects thrive in their natural habitats and of course, to nurture fruit and vegetables until they are ready to pick and enjoy. The Garden is lovingly tended twice a week by our Eco Squad of students, led by Ms Palmer, Ms Pearce, and a host of other staff and some amazing Year 12 Leaders who have just begun to work with their younger ‘brothers and sisters’.

Just this week many classes visited the Reflective Garden to sit in its beauty to be still or to read. Mr Welford’s Year 7 class was one such class, visiting the garden for a morning mindfulness exercise, followed by prayer, an initiative begun by Year 12 leaders, Giovanni Troia and Paul Choimes.

Our opportunities to participate in sport, music and drama are also testament to excellence. Watching the students involved in the coming musical, We Will Rock You, is a constant reminder of the amazing opportunities and talents we are blessed to have at St Michael’s.

There’s never a better time to look for and cherish the amazing good that surrounds us; families and friends, and all the people in our lives and their remarkable contributions, gifts and achievements, amazing nature spaces and places we share, to the technologies that make our life easier, our many opportunities, and our current ‘normality’ of life, with everyone present at school and smiles visible and shared!

Have an awe-inspired week!

Mrs Tonia Carfora, Year 7-9 Wellbeing Initiatives Leader

The Easter Season

Ash Wednesday, 22 February, marks the beginning of Lent, which continues until Holy Thursday. Lent is a 40 day time of penance observed with fasting and abstinence. (Meat will not be available for sale on Ash Wednesday).  A common devotion for Lent is praying the Stations of the Cross. The church or chapel is draped in violet. It is a time of penance and self-denial as well as a time to go the extra mile to help others. It is a time of preparation for and renewal of baptism.

On Wednesday next week, the College will observe Ash Wednesday with a Mass in Founders Hall with Fr Paul Cashen and Fr Paul McCormack. Ashes will also be available during the Mass. The mark of ashes, in the sign of the cross on the forehead, is a symbol of repentance and is given to Christians to indicate the start of the penitential season of Lent.

It is also a time where students can go without something and put a donation in the Project Compassion box in their classroom to assist people overseas through Caritas. More information on Project Compassion can be found via this link:

Project Compassion | Donate Now | Caritas Australia

Robert Dempsey

Director of Mission

Co-Curricular

Sport Results – Week 2

St Michael’s College Co-curricular sport got off to a flying start on Saturday with our Drive Tennis team and 1^st XI Cricket team starting the year in great fashion.

The Drive Tennis team played at Rostrevor in their first game of the season and with some young players in the side, managed an emphatic victory over Rostrevor College with a 7-2 win.

The 1^st XI Cricket team played their first game of the season at home against Rostrevor College as well. The batting top order fought hard, with Harvey O’Brien opening in his first game, and batting for long periods to help out the middle order. Ben Scheuffele made a very handy 31no down the order to help us get to 9/131 off our 45 overs. The bowlers backed up with a very solid performance, led by opening bowler Liam Scheuffele taking 6/10 in his opening spell, which is an amazing effort. Archer Wilson in his first game at this level took 3/9 to wrap up the Rostrevor innings for 74. Well done to the boys who sit on top of the ladder heading into the end of the season.

We now look to the start of the season for the rest of our teams this week and we wish everyone the best of luck this weekend.