A Ministry of Mercy Education Ltd Newsletter Issue 13: Friday 14 August 2015 FROM THE PRINCIPAL Dear Parents/Guardians, Friends and Students of SAC, You may have heard reports in the media recently that Catholic Education SA has reviewed the Same First Day Policy and decided to allow the option for Catholic schools to offer two entry points for children beginning Reception. Children born on or before April 30 will start school in Term 1 and complete a full year of Reception. Children born after May 1 but before October 31 will begin in Term 3 and complete six terms of Reception. The focus will remain on what is best for the individual, with families and schools working closely together to provide the best early learning experiences for children at the right time. Student leadership was celebrated at last week’s Primary Assembly. Hosted by the Year 5 students, the presentation of badges to the Semester 2 Student Representatives and Tech Reps was a highlight for all in attendance. The breadth of leadership opportunities available to our students means that students with a wide range of interests and abilities can lead in different ways. I would also like to acknowledge Ms Paddy McEvoy the staff who support the Student Representative Council and the Tech Reps in listening to their peers PRINCIPAL and continuously seeking to improve our school community. We were thrilled to hear that four of our Year 11 students have been selected to attend the National BOOK WEEK & SCIENCE WEEK Youth Science Forum in Canberra in January, 2016. Each of these students has been supported by their local Rotary club, after a rigorous application and interview process. Their selection is a reflection of Monday 17 August to the passion for Science that is shared by so many of our Senior students, a passion that is nurtured through the dedication of our Science teachers. We hope the girls will be inspired by what they learn Friday 21 August through this immersion experience. This weekend we will be hosting the Australasian Mercy Secondary Schools’ Association Conference here in Adelaide. This is a significant event in our calendar, bringing together 140 delegates from over 40 BOOK WEEK PARADE schools across Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea. The whole staff of St Aloysius College R-7 and Mercedes College will also participate in Friday’s program, along with the visiting delegates. Led by some outstanding keynote speakers, we will reflect on our mission as Mercy schools in today’s world Friday 21 August at 10am and ensure that we continue to bring Catherine McAuley’s vision alive in new and exciting ways in our schools. We thank our choir and student leaders who will help to make the Conference a very special experience for all involved. It has been a pleasure to welcome back Felicity Martin Inside this issue and Charmaine Paddy, two students from the Pipalyatjara SAC Can Drive ...................................2 School in the APY Lands. We value our relationship with this Term 3 Diary ......................................2 remote school and appreciate Canteen Roster .................................2 the welcome they extend to our Legally Blonde Congratulations ... 3 students when they visit. We look forward to continuing to MDI Survey .........................................5 offer students, both here and in Book Week at SAC............................5 Pipalyatjara, the chance to learn Career Education..............................6 from one another and build friendships. Justice & Mercy..................................7 We hope students enjoy their The Maritime Museum...................8 long weekend and we all look Primary Sport.....................................9 forward to the warmer weather Secondary Sport.............................10 on the horizon. Four of our Year 11 students have been selected to attend the 2015 Athletics Carnival.................11 National Youth Science Forum in Canberra in January, 2016. Ms Paddy McEvoy Who Do You Think You Are?.........12 Well done girls! PRINCIPAL Page 1 SAC CAN DRIVE TERM 3 DIARY (for students and parents) WEEK MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY August 17 wsletterAugust 18 August 19 August 20 August 21 August 22 August 23 First draft Subject Illustrator Marc 10am R-7 Book Selections for McBride (Library) Week Parade next year due L4&5: Year 8 (Years 78, 910, Mobile Science 1011, 1112) Chemistry Show 5 1pm R-12 SAC Can Drive Reception to Year 6 reports issued to students BOOK WEEK AND SCIENCE WEEK August 24 August 25 August 26 August 27 August 28 August 29 August 30 Year 9 Camp 1pm Year 12 Society Year 9 Camp ends 4pm Sacrament of begins (3 classes) & Culture Social (3 classes) Confirmation Year 7 LOTE Action Lunchtime (St Patrick’s (Undercroft) L6&7 All Year 10 Church, Grote St) 6 trimester 3 begins students SA Police L6&7 Year 5 & 6 presentation SAPOL Cyber Safety talk (Undercroft) Newsletter available on SAC website CANTEEN ROSTER WEEK MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY August 17wsletterAugust 18 August 19 August 20 August 21 5 Fran Buller Joanne Madi Anne Shattock Pam/ Rex Robinson Lucy O’Grady Di Young CANTEEN ROSTER Margaret Buckham August 24 August 25 August 26 August 27 August 28 6 Fran Buller Sue Moyle Andy Mennillo Pam/ Rex Robinson Kylie Brooks Di Young Page 2 CONGRATULATIONS TO THE LEGALLY BLONDE CAST & CREW! To the students from Legally Blonde: The final show ends, the lights dim and the curtain falls. Suddenly, you all screamed, hugged and cried and realised it was all worth it - the long rehearsals, the weekends, the mistakes we made and the bedlam of that final week. So much time, so much energy, so much of yourself has been poured into Legally Blonde - The Musical. You’ve spent weeks creating something, transforming a script into characters that live, speak, feel, dance and sing. Hopefully, you found that dedication, cooperation and teamwork were the very essence of a school production. This is why we do these things. You learnt to become enthusiastic, to become interested, to solve problems and gain satisfaction from your own achievement. And finally, during performances, you gave this enjoyment to an audience. You girls did an amazing job! A big thank you to all the SAC staff who helped out with this production. It was a great effort from a dedicated and talented team. Mr Tom Coultas DRAMA COORDINATOR Page 3 Page 4 Parent/Guardian of Year 6-9 students ‘Understanding Student Wellbeing: The Middle Years Development Instrument Survey’ Book Week at SAC Monday 17 August - Friday 21 August 2015 Your child is invited to take part in a survey being conducted in our school this year. Books light up our world Book Week is being celebrated a week early at Purpose of the survey St Aloysius College this year. The decision was made Children’s sense of wellbeing is an important part of their as Year 9 classes are on camp during the official Book development. The purpose of the project is to understand Week and would miss the annual Can Drive event how children during the middle childhood years think which is always held during this week. The library and feel about their lives both inside and outside of has organised a range of exciting activities and visitors for students in Reception to Year 7. school. Students will complete a survey called the Middle Years Development Instrument (MDI). The information Book Week is an initiative of the Children’s Book collected from the survey will help inform educational and Council and celebrates the best of young adult and community efforts to help improve young people’s health children’s literature published in the past year. and wellbeing. The 2015 Book of the Year Award shortlist can What is the survey about? be found on the Children’s Book Council website The Middle Years Development Instrument (MDI) asks http://cbca.org.au/ShortList-2015.htm. The books will be available for loan from the library after Book Week. young people about their: 1) social and emotional development Ms Carol Grantham 2) feelings of connectedness to school, family, friends and COORDINATOR OF INFORMATION SERVICES communities 3) school experiences 4) physical health and wellbeing and 5) activities after school. Students’ answers to the survey will be kept confidential. Results will not be used to identify individual students. Where can I get more information? Further information can be found at www.mdi.sa.edu.au. For questions or concerns, or to view the MDI questions, facebook.com/SAC.Adelaide please contact Anna Lewkowicz, Project Manager, via email at [email protected] or [email protected] or All Responsible Facebook Users: by phone at 08 8226 0452 or Betty Curzons, phone 08 8226 9144. Become a fan of the official SAC fan page. To do this, simply search ‘St Aloysius College A detailed letter has gone home to all families summarising key information about this survey which St Aloysius College Adelaide’, choose the one with the logo as shown has taken part in over the last two years. above and click ‘Like’. You will then be able to view all recent posts, relevant links and photos. You’ll be kept Mr John Konopka up to date with student achievements, DEPUTY PRINCIPAL upcoming events and more! Page 5 developed skills and engaged in activities that strengthened her CAREER EDUCATION writing but her career as a writer has taken time, perseverance and a career change. Jacqueline Harvey’s own story of how she became an author is true of so many careers. I was fortunate enough to hear award winning Australian author Jacqueline Harvey speak to children in Adelaide during Jacqueline Harvey is a gifted storyteller. It is important for the July school holidays. Jacqueline is famous for her series of children to know that careers are not linear but are instead children’s books ‘Alice Miranda’ and ‘Clementine Rose’.