Principal's Report

We wish our graduating class every best wish as they move to the next stage of their lives, confident that they are well grounded with the knowledge, skills and, most importantly, values, to become agents of positive change in a world that is fractured.

VCE Exams

The exam period for our Year 12 and some Year 11 students commenced this week and we wish everyone who is undertaking these assessments every success.

At our recent final assembly, I asked the community to reflect on their measures of “success”. I was prompting the students to consider that success might look different from one person to another. This is an important consideration at this time of the year because some of our graduating class will be seeking an ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admission Rank), but others will be pursuing other pathways. The ATAR is an important measure for those who desire to undertake tertiary studies that require this rank, and it is the culmination of many hours of work. But it is one metric and should not be seen as the only measure of school success. Such a view diminishes the value of the full person that has developed during these formative school years and tells only part of their story. There will be graduates who proceed to apprenticeships, or work, and we celebrate with these young people on having exciting post-school pathways and a clear sense of purpose.

We wish our graduating class every best wish as they move to the next stage of their lives, confident that they are well grounded with the knowledge, skills and, most importantly, values, to become agents of positive change in a world that is fractured.

P&F at Bunnings

Last Sunday we had members of our P&F, parent helpers and student volunteers at Bunnings in Port Melbourne conducting a very successful fund raiser. Leah Lloyd-Smith, co-president, reported a great turnout of volunteers, including several students, and a strong sense of community. The students will each receive a commendation. Thank you to the P&F co-ordinators of this event and those who were able to volunteer their time to ensure the success of this fundraiser.

Year 9 Camp

Thank you to co-ordinators, Brendan Tollit and Paul Quinn, and the staff in attendance at our Year 9 Camp on Philip Island this week. Mr Tollit has commented on the great spirit on display from the students who were collaborative and cooperative. Some students commented that they slept much better without their phones, which is an interesting, albeit not surprising, admission. The venue seems to have been idea with great conditions and a variety of activities on offer. This is the first experience of our new model of year level based camps that will also occur at Year 7 and 8 in 2025 and it is pleasing to hear that it has been successful.

Year 7 Information Evening

Our Year 7 families of 2025 will gather on the evening of 11th November to commence their orientation program in preparation for next year. Orientation Day for our new cohort occurs a month later December 10. You may recall the transition period from primary to secondary and the questions that you wanted answered as you helped prepare your young person to move to this next stage. We hope to be able to address any uncertainty by bringing together the key people who will explain the process and the resources on hand to provide our incoming families guidance.

Please help promote our school to friends or family who may be looking at secondary school options and are still undecided.

School Closure Day

A reminder that next Monday is a school closure day ahead of the Melbourne Cup public holiday for all except students scheduled to sit VCE exams on this date. School resumes on Wednesday 6th November. I also offer advance notice of a Student Free Day on Friday, 22nd November for teachers to complete assessment and reporting duties. Thank you for your ongoing support.

Darren Atkinson 
Principal

Deputy Principal

“It is like sending your child through the international gates at Melbourne airport for the first time”.

Dear St Mary’s College Families,

“It is like sending your child through the international gates at Melbourne airport for the first time”.

This is a quote that I have heard and said, and is one that best captures the feeling a Year 12 teacher has as they wish their class well as they enter the final exam for their subject. All teachers are different, as are students. I smile a lot, say very little, and remind students that the basics matter in their answers (key definitions, handwriting, spelling etc.). I also say very little at the end of the exam, encouraging students to pretend like it never happened, as inevitably they have another exam in the next few days to now focus on. The possible result is also something I discourage in conversation. VCE exams are anonymously marked and the subjects studied produce a score out of 50 which, when combined, provide students with a ranking – the ATAR. To have a strong sense of what the result might be is impossible. What is known by students, often teachers and usually parents, is the time, effort and energy that has gone into preparing for each exam. Results, and even more importantly, the overall academic outcome and future pathway should be judged against these metrics – what we know – not what we don’t know and can’t control.

I mentioned in my last newsletter article that the 2025 Prefect Team had been announced. Please join me in congratulating the following students:

Matilda Phyland

College Captain

Jude Fitzgerald

College Captain

Madeline Gournas

Vice-Captain – Social Justice

Campbell Lavender

Vice-Captain – Liturgy & Service

Liam Harrison

Prefect of Academia

Amalia Ryan

Prefect of Culture and Events (Visual Arts)

Tomasz Tamowicz

Prefect of Student Wellbeing

Eva O’Keeffe

Prefect of Culture and Events (Co-Curricular)

Thais Murray

Prefect of Culture and Events (Performing Arts)

Joel Farrar

Prefect of Sport


A reminder that Monday is a student free day prior to the public holiday on Tuesday.

Shaun Lancashire
Deputy Principal

Director of Students

Our Year 11 students participated in a workshop led by Elephant Ed.

This week, as part of our Pastoral Care program, our Year 11 students participated in a workshop led by Elephant Ed. The workshop was based on sexual violence.

Sexual violence can take many forms, including assault, abuse and harassment. Experiences vary across population groups and in different settings, and there can be long-term physical, psychological, financial, legal, and spiritual consequences for individuals and communities.

  • 14% of people aged 18 years and over have experienced sexual violence since the age of 15
  • 1 in 20 women have experienced sexual violence from someone who is known to them.

Addressing this topic can be challenging and confronting, which is why the workshop aimed to help our students understand and navigate the following key areas:

  • Legalities and statistics relating to sexual violence
  • Exploration of the causes and origins of sexual violence, including discussions around gender imbalance and power imbalance
  • Relationship between everyday culture and how sexual violence manifests within society
  • Prevention strategies that emphasise collective responsibility and encourage bystander intervention
  • Seeking help and supporting peers

The goal of this workshop is to empower our students to make informed, safe, and positive decisions. The workshop also aims to help students identify who to talk to if they are concerned about their own safety or the safety of others.

By partnering with specialists like Elephant Ed, we ensured that the information presented was relevant, engaging, and accurate. The survey completed following the session highlighted that:

  • 98% of students felt more informed on the topic after the workshop
  • 98% students felt there was someone they could talk to about this topic

For more information on Elephant Ed, please visit elephanted.com.au

If you would like additional support and resources for discussing this topic with your child, please visit kidshelpline.com.au

Jen Howard 
Director of Students

From the Careers Office

Endings and Beginnings.

Endings and Beginnings

Teachers and students often look forward to Term 4 as a quieter time, but we always find that it is not as expected!

Whilst some Year 12 students are all finished, most are studying harder than ever as they attempt each of their final exams. Year 12 Teachers are still assisting, holding revision classes and supporting their students to do their best.

Still ahead for VCE students are the Unit 3&4 subject results – Study Scores – and ATARs. Many students are not aware that they need to REGISTER with the combined VCAA & VTAC RESULTS and ATAR Service in order to access their results from 7am on 12 December. Parents might like to point this out and encourage students to register.

After that date there is a short window for Year 12s to VTAC change preferences to ensure an offer on 23 December, after which there is another short Change of Preference (COP) window to 12 noon on 24 December….and so on with each round of Offers. This is all explained in detail in the Beyond Year 12 School Leaver Handbook that was emailed to students and parents last week. The messages are:

  1. Do not be too hasty to delete courses – ATARs change each year and there are factors such as SEAS and Subject Adjustments to consider. Please talk to me first!
  2. There is always a way! I know many tips and tricks to find alternatives and pathways to your favourite

I addition, I am available over November, December and January to assist students and parents with these processes. We can meet in person or on Teams – just make a time at https://calendly.com/mellwood/30min or email me at mellwood@stmaryscollege.vic.edu.au

One trend that I have noticed in recent years, is that very many Year 12 graduates change their minds about their plans – whether career, courses, gap years or deferrals – in the period between exams and tertiary offers. This is absolutely fine and to be expected. For many, this is their first opportunity for some time to sit back and reflect on their skills, talents and aspirations. So even quite sharp changes of direction are fine at this stage, and even later when they dip their toe in the water of a new experience and are open and flexible enough to realise that a change is needed.

This is a good time to keep in mind that ikigai diagram that can help us find happiness and fulfilment in life. We all need to find a career that allows us to do:

  • What we love
  • What we are good at
  • What the world needs
  • What someone will pay us for

Some of these things take time will, of course, take time to work out, but young people have plenty of time ahead to work it out, even if they feel they should know now!

The purpose of tertiary education is not to get ticket to a lifetime job, but to develop skills and understanding, have a variety of experiences and expand the mind, all whilst seeking your place in the world and, hopefully, finding your happy place, your ikigai!

IKIGAI
Mandy Ellwood
Careers Counsellor

Director of Sport

CGSAV Softball competition.

Thursday 24th October St Mary’s girls competed in CGSAV Softball competition. Our senior girls learnt a lot and had lots of fun, but unfortunately didn’t make finals. Our Juniors on the other hand, didn’t lose a game for the day, winning the grand final against CLC 4 -1

Dean Bird
Director of Sport

Australian Mathematics Competition

In August students from Year 7 to 10 took part in the Australian Mathematics Competition (AMC).

In August students from Year 7 to 10 took part in the Australian Mathematics Competition (AMC). The AMC provides an opportunity for students to showcase their mathematical skills and problem-solving abilities, with topics ranging from basic arithmetic to advanced algebra, geometry, statistics and probability.

Congratulations to the following students.

Year 7:

Credit Certificate:

  • Arthur Dunlop
  • Edison Lehocz
  • Tyler Nguyen
  • Emerson Nicolai
  • Alex Piva

Participation Certificate:

  • Sascha Fantini

Year 8

Credit Certificate:

  • Julian Erata
  • Tristan Fernando
  • Nathan Nguyen

Proficiency Certificate:

  • Sofia Bautista
  • Sophie Hoad

Participation Certificate:

  • Abigail Scroggie

Year 9

Distinction Certificate:

  • Sebastian Maddams

Credit Certificate:

  • Eddie Lloyd-Smith
  • Mick McMahon
  • Harley Roach

Participation Certificate:

  • Alessandro Bautista
  • Maksymilian Kaplon
  • Joaquin Majcen

Year 10

Credit Certificate:

  • Hamish Beard
  • Plato Che
  • Dylan Collett
  • Andy Quach

Proficiency Certificate:

  • Rohin Basu
  • Hugo Boddington
  • Milo Dressel-De Bruyn
  • Stephanie Edwards
  • Oscar Fantini
  • Alexander Grivicic
  • James Hay
  • Cameron Hoad
  • Alexander Grivicic
  • James Hay
  • Cameron Hoad
  • Oliver Jordan
  • Dakira Nguyen
  • Jack Prentice-Evans
  • Justin Truong

Participation Certificate:

  • Kamilla Fatseas
  • Georgia Le Hunt
  • Vinh Nguyen
Cathryn Quigley
Learning Leader - Mathematics

Languages Week

A very enjoyable week for all.

Languages Week at St Mary’s in 2024 kicked off on a warm spring day with a visit from a gelati truck at lunchtime. We then had students from various year levels creating some Italian classics. Our recently completed new Food Technology areas were put to great use as our students made traditional bruschetta and pizza margherita across a range of year levels. Tombola (Italian bingo) and Italian quizzes were also part of the week.

Many thanks to Mr Salvatore Lima and Ms Sandie Saundry for all their assistance in what proved to be a very enjoyable week for all involved.

Rosario Genovese
Learning Leader - Languages

Visual Arts Department

Delicious looking artworks.

At present, Year 10 students are working on their final painting of a decorative cake in the style, technique, and colour palette (pastel) of the American painter, Wayne Thiebaud.

Thiebaud’s work was inspired by bakery displays that offered desserts, cake slices, ice cream cones, and all sorts of sweets in the Pop Art tradition. While his textures were bold and lavish, his shapes were contained and their arrangements precise.

The subject matter of cakes lends itself to experimenting with and exploring painting techniques that parallel the application of textures applied to real cakes – compact icing using thick impasto medium applied with a knife painting, while drips of paint to suggest gooey icing overflowing, and thick scoops of paint to suggest thickened cream liberally applied. The building up of layers and paint glazes applied thinly to subtly change a base colour. Fine brushwork is included, as well as decorative features like ribbons, sugared flowers, and bark.

Wayne Thiebaud’s artworks are instructive to students; he offers the painting medium as something beyond paint used to colour in shapes within an outline. Here students learn that colours sitting side by side can separate shapes, that paint for its own sake can be explored for its material potentials, and provide paintings with not only a visual delight and vibrancy but also a luxurious textural surface. “Paint as paint” also instructs towards an appreciation of abstraction that is helped by focusing on the physicality of paint.

The following works by our students Jahrielle McAlary, Sasha Wierzbowski, James Cappola, and Hugo Boddington. They have considered the delicacy of fine cakes, their details carefully and precisely painted with textural surface variations and details.

I hope that you enjoy viewing these lovely and delicious looking artworks.

Ms Susan Lopez
Year 10 Art Teacher

* Artwork created by Sasha Wierzbowski (Cake 1), James Cappola (Milkshake), Hugh Boddington (Cake 2), Jahrielle McAlary (Cake 3)

A Sizzling Success: Thank You to Our P&F and Volunteers!

A Sizzling Success

A big thank you to the St Mary’s College Parents and Friends (P&F) team, as well as the volunteer students, and parents who came together for our recent Bunnings Sausage Sizzle! 

Your hard work and enthusiasm made the event a fantastic success, raising just under $2,500 for the College. We appreciate the time and energy each of you put into making this a memorable day for our community. 

Thank you for your incredible support!

David Formosa
Director of Development

Our School in Images

Capturing moments!

2024 Lumina Edition 16 - 01 Nov 2024

A Sizzling Success: Thank You to Our P&F and Volunteers!

1948

A Sizzling Success

A big thank you to the St Mary’s College Parents and Friends (P&F) team, as well as the volunteer students, and parents who came together for our recent Bunnings Sausage Sizzle! 

Your hard work and enthusiasm made the event a fantastic success, raising just under $2,500 for the College. We appreciate the time and energy each of you put into making this a memorable day for our community. 

Thank you for your incredible support!

David Formosa
Director of Development

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