Alma-Mater-2020-Final.Pdf
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Alma Mater 2020 EDITION 1 ST MARY’S COLLEGE ALMA MATER JULY 2020 CONTENTS From the Principal 2-3 Prefect report 4 Pedagogy report 5 Sowing seeds of sustainability 6-7 A new chapter for Kindergarten 8 Fleeing war and finding paradise of the earth 9 Staff in the spotlight 10-11 Community outreach 12-13 Term 1 in photos 14-15 Class of 2019 16 150 Faces special deal 17 Reunions galore 18-19 Anecdotes from the archives 20 Vale Christine Wood 21 Staying in touch with our alumni 22-26 Alumni achievements 27 Welcome to Setup for Success 28 From the Principal Editors: Stefania Bostock and Shelley I can’t help but think we are living ‘everything’, had ceased to exist. Medhurst. Articles and photos are a combined effort from students, staff and alumni. through history. The current Adults continue to struggle with Cover image: Sydney Woods circumstances of COVID-19 unemployment, and have been and Lucinda Pfund around the world, of death, illness, working from home, keeping kids fear and lockdown, have caused at home and not seeing their usual widespread disruption to the daily support networks. lives of people, young and old. For our small children it meant adapting As a school, we had largely gone to to a world where they can’t play in learning online. While we remained a park or visit their grandparents. open for students, the vast majority For many, they couldn't learn at were learning from home. Teachers school. For our older students, who were using digital platforms such 164 Harrington Street, Hobart, Tasmania 7000 were mostly learning from home, as Seesaw, ClassDojo, SEQTA and (03) 6108 2560 their social world, which is their Microsoft Teams to work with their [email protected] www.smc.tas.edu.au Printed: 5 June 2020 2 ST MARY’S COLLEGE ALMA MATER JULY 2020 classes. They set work for students we are back together and share a and provided feedback through classroom, a playground and a meal. digital technology. The school In this challenging What turns out to be a significant building was quiet; classrooms time, we all must truth in education is that the empty, except for the presence practice of teaching and learning is of teachers, sitting on their own, look for ways to a social enterprise. While we might talking to a laptop. We worked hard need to find better ways of doing it, to ensure we prioritised student connect with our we have now broken the industrial wellbeing and connecting with fellow humans. model of schooling, and I’m individual students in this strange convinced it won’t be replaced by time. Each day we had some digital learning. In the meantime, we students at school, more in the online facility, but we all know it will continue to look for ways to be younger year groups. isn’t the same. together and to love one another. As the pandemic transpires and its Being human demands that we are Helen Spencer impacts continue to unfold, we are in relationship — in fellowship. If Principal all made to slow down and take you think of The Last Supper, it was stock of what is truly significant. simply a shared meal, but at the It turns out that Jesus’ greatest This page: A view of the College and same time, of course, it was much teaching rings true, even in these surrounds at sunrise (taken by former more than that. Our humanity binds most challenging times – love one Senior School Counsellor, Andrea us. In this challenging time, we all another. We are finding new ways Maver). must look for ways to connect with to express this love with digital Opposite page (top-bottom): Faith our fellow humans. Mother's Day and ‘Zooming’ with Wara; Patrick Moloney; Fatima friends. We are lucky to have this St Mary’s College is rejoicing now Akbari. ST MARY’S COLLEGE ALMA MATER JULY 2020 3 PREFECT REPORT Culture of resilience This Prefect report will be very different from those of the past. At the conclusion of Term 1, the Prefects usually have carnivals, events and fundraisers to help organise and participate in. This is not the case for the 2020 Prefects due to the unprecedented times we are living through. Fortunately, we were able to sneak in a few events before we were all homebound. There is no doubt that this year is going to be one for the record books! We started off the year with the Leaders' Commissioning in St Mary’s Cathedral. This was a motivator for the Year 12 cohort to make the most of their leadership opportunities. Following this, we had a busy week arise with the Big Splash; the annual International Women’s Day breakfast (IWD), which we hosted at the College, and the Alliance of Girls' Schools AustraIasia IWD breakfast at Ogilvie High School. The aim of these events is to empower women to live out their dreams and be the best version of themselves they can be. With preparations for the Mother’s Day breakfast sadly cancelled, the Prefects kept busy by making knitted blankets. Once completed, these blankets will be donated to St Vincent de Paul for its Winter Appeal and distributed by Loui’s Van and other Vinnies groups for Tasmania’s homeless community. This year, as Presentation people, our resilience is certainly being tested. To address this challenge, the Prefect body created an online video offering study tips and wellbeing advice to our fellow students as we all learn to cope with adversity at this time. The Prefects are pleased to be back at school with everyone and This page (top-bottom): The College Prefect team we can't wait to get back to planning big and exciting things! of 2020; the fiddly task of putting a blanket together; the Prefects at this year's International Amy Prokopiec Women's Day Breakfast. Head Prefect 4 ST MARY’S COLLEGE ALMA MATER JULY 2020 Silver lining for learning PEDAGOGY This year has been like no other for students and teachers. Learning from home and social distancing requirements created an enormous challenge for educators across our nation, which was then amplified by schools and education being the focus for daily political debate. The response to COVID-19 from the St Mary’s College community, however, reinforces why our College is an outstanding educational institution. During a time of considerable stress and insecurity, St Mary’s staff have maintained learning for our students at home while changing workplace practices to create a safe environment for those at school. teacher-student relationships are a cornerstone of education. During the final weeks of first term, Teachers have been As educators, being able to teachers spent many hours on top outstanding in their observe students as they struggle of their regular teaching duties with learning, intervene where undertaking professional learning ability to manage appropriate and build their trust and to plan age-appropriate remote resilience to take risks with their or online learning. In lower Junior fundamental changes learning is a social activity that is School, our existing digital learning in how they best done in a physical classroom platform, Seesaw, was combined rather than a remote online with other digital resources to deliver lessons. environment. Schools provide much deliver online lessons that even more than academic learning. included recordings of teachers During this period of social isolation, demonstrating tasks and online provide live or recorded lessons. the value to our students and school reading activities. As younger When online, students interacted community of pastoral, sporting and students are not fully independent with their teacher, asked questions cultural activities, or just being with learners, these packages were in real-time, shared ideas with their friends, has never been clearer. In designed for parents to support class and received instruction on recent years, some ‘futurists’ have learning at home. Upper Junior key knowledge and skills. For our suggested that physical schools School and Senior School teachers Year 11 and 12 students especially, may disappear as the digital world combined multiple digital platforms having a teacher available to explain grows. One silver lining from important concepts was critical such as SEQTA, Microsoft Teams, COVID-19 may be a reminder of during this challenging time. Most OneNote and Maths Pathway the interpersonal nature of learning leading academics in education to deliver a flexible approach to and teaching and the vital role that believe that teacher clarity and well- remote learning. Throughout the schools play in educating the whole managed explicit instruction remain COVID-19 response, teachers have child. been outstanding in their ability to vital cogs in education, with the use manage increased workloads and of digital technologies providing a Simon Eade the fundamental changes in how means for teachers to actually teach Director of Pedagogy they deliver lessons. their students. The digital communication platform, However, remote learning also This page: Year 4 teacher Nicky Microsoft Teams, has been an highlighted to teachers and students Wakefield delivers a class online. invaluable element of online lesson the limitations of digital learning. delivery, enabling teachers to We are social beings and positive ST MARY’S COLLEGE ALMA MATER JULY 2020 5 Sowing seeds of sustainability St Mary’s College is showing passion enough crockery, cutlery and cups to for its environment, while at the same help serve up its new menu to more time reducing its ecological footprint, The College is than 1,000 staff and students who with the launch of its new canteen. revolutionising the then return the dishes to the canteen at the end of the day to be washed When members of the College’s and reused.