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Principal's Update

Dear Parents, Carers and Members of our College Community,

Last Sunday was Pentecost Sunday. On Pentecost, the Apostles received courage from the Holy Spirit, among other gifts, to that they could take their place in the world and speak their truth.

So let us speak for a moment about gifts,

When I was a child, my older brother, Mark, was very sporty – he mastered every sport to which he turned his hand. He was particularly good at Cricket and when I was about 10 and he was 12, he would make me prepare our gravel driveway so that it was the perfect cricket pitch.

Then he would hand me his bat and make me stand in front of the stumps while he practised his fast bowling…with just the narrow piece of willow to protect myself. Consequently, I lived my young life with a fat lip. One day, he hit me in the head, and I still bear the scar of the six stitches that six stitcher gave me.

This, however, did not reduce my love of the game.

One of my favourite players was Andrew Symonds, who died recently in a car accident near my hometown of Townsville.

I remember watching Andrew Symonds, (or Roy), as he was affectionately known, play on many occasions. He was a gifted cricketer and a loveable rogue.

His cricket career and the antics he got up to, serve to remind us that GIFTS don’t always come neatly packaged. Sometimes GIFTS are not even easily recognised.

They come in the people we call the rough diamonds, the hearts of gold, the books one cannot judge by their covers. Those people who walk TOWARDS while others walk AWAY. Those people whose weakness is the source of their strength. Let me tell you what I mean:

Beethoven was deaf. Helen Keller was deaf and blind and Oscar Schindler, who saved so many Jewish people in the holocaust, was well known for his philandering.

The famous violinist Joshua Bell once busked in Washington’s Metro station. It is estimated that over 1000 people walked past him that day. At the end of the day, he had made $52.17, while that same evening he played for an audience of the glitterati, in a sold-out event with single tickets at a cost of more than $300.

Vincent van Gogh did not sell one single painting until after his death. Kurt Cobain, Amy Winehouse and Janis Joplin led lives of quiet desperation despite their huge talent.

A man not so well known in Australia was American, Jim Abbot. He was a baseball pitcher. He was born with one hand. His teenage years were full of self-doubt and embarrassment, but he decided to stop hiding his physical form and play baseball. He became one of the Major League’s best pitchers and once pitched a perfect game for his team, the NY Yankees, where no hits were scored from his pitching.

People are paradoxes. Apparently, even Mother Theresa could be a cranky little woman if you caught her on a bad day.

Great talent, great sacrifice, great risk, great deeds – not seen or noticed until caught in the glimmer in the eye of another, reflected against mediocrity or cruelty; illuminated by the light that everyday folks let shine on another’s need.

That gifts are given but not recognised as precious until accepted, does not mean the gift is less extraordinary.

Ruth Bader Ginsberg spent a lifetime flourishing in the face of adversity before being appointed a
Supreme Court justice. Her personal struggles neither decreased in intensity nor deterred her in any way from reaching and exceeding her goals, particularly academically. She would say, “Speak your truth, even if your voice shakes”, to encourage others faced with hardship to speak out and use their gifts.

God’s cricket team is looking pretty good at the moment – and given that she took Rod Marsh, Shane Warne and Andrew Symons in quick succession, I would that is evidence that God appreciates ‘rough diamonds’.

Let the light of YOUR Gifts of the Holy Spirit shine through you to others who need them, who can use them, who will come to appreciate them greatly.

God bless you,

Martina Millard
Principal

REMINDER: Friday 17 June is a student free day.
Supervision only, will be provided for students if no other arrangements can be made.

Calendar Dates

Week 09

Monday 13 June
Year 10 Maths Exam

Tuesday 14 June

Wednesday 15 June

Thursday 16 June
AGCC Trials

Friday 17 June
Teacher Collaborative Planning Day - Student Free Day

Week 10

Monday 20 June

Tuesday 21 June

Wednesday 22 June

Thursday 23 June
No Sport

Friday 24 June
College Track & Field Carnival
Last Day Term 2

Pastoral

Building Resilience Post Pandemic

Unfortunately, the mental health of young people has been significantly impacted by the pandemic. As many families settle back into pre-COVID routines, there seems to be a pervasive sense of optimism about what lies ahead.

Unfortunately, children and teens are not immune to what is now being termed the “psychological pandemic”. Young people are at risk of not achieving the primary demands of developmental tasks such as procuring independence, identity formation, as well as obtaining and maintaining peer relationships. What kids need most in the current environment is support, understanding, empathy and encouragement from caring adults. They live up or down to the expectations we set for them.

If there is a panacea to the adversity caused by the pandemic, then it is the building of resilience. Resilience is the capacity to face, overcome, be strengthened and transformed by adversity. Never before, have parents needed the skills, the knowledge and the strategies to build resilience in their children as much as they do now. There are 7 integral and interrelated components that makeup being resilient that can help young people thrive and develop healthy coping strategies.

This Special Report explores the “7 C’s of Resilience” and includes suggested strategies on how adult carers can best facilitate them. We hope you take a moment to reflect on the information offered, and as always, we welcome your feedback. If this raises any concerns for you, a loved one or the wellbeing of your child, please seek medical or professional help.

Here is the link to your special report

Vivian Savage
Assistant Principal Pastoral

Curriculum

Senior Curriculum

Year 10

Exams

Year 10 will continue sitting their exams in their normal timetabled classes during Week 9 & 10.
All students will be sitting their Mathematics exam on Monday 13 June in periods 1 and 2.

Assessment

The student assessment schedule can be viewed in the parent portal under My Students. Students must attend all exam sessions unless they are ill or experience a misadventure. If this occurs, please advise the College via the BCE Connect App or Parent Portal, and then complete a special provision form for Year 10.

Year 11

Unit 1 Reports

Unit 1 Reports are being finalised today and will be uploaded to the portal over the weekend. Although subject changes have closed if parents have any concerns about results and would like to discuss changes for Unit 2, please contact me via knicholson@marymount.qld.edu.auby Tuesday 14 June.

Year 12

Final Internal Assessments

Year 12 students are working on their final internal assessments – IA3. Students need to put the time into their assignments and exam preparation to ensure they get the best possible result.

Study Skills seminars

In Term 3 study sessions and career planning will commence on a Thursday afternoon.

Thursday in Week 1:

Elevate Education will deliver a seminar on study skills.
This seminar is for all Year 12 students and is compulsory to attend.
The seminar will cover effective study skills that will benefit students whether they are studying Applied or General subjects.
More information can be accessed from the Elevate website https://au.elevateeducation.com/programs/senior .

Weeks 2-7:

Students studying General English, General Mathematics, Mathematical Methods, Specialist Mathematics, and any of the Science subjects are required to attend compulsory tutorials.
The tutorials will focus on preparing students for the external exams.
A final schedule will be sent via email to parents and students in Week 10.

Assessment Policy

A reminder If senior students miss an exam, they must complete a special consideration form and provide a medical certificate.

If the illness is due to Covid-19, a photo of a RAT test will suffice.
If a student has missed a week or more of school and requires an extension for an assignment, they must request this prior to the due date and provide a special provision form as soon as possible.

This process is in place to ensure students who become ill are not disadvantaged.

If you have any questions regarding the process, please contact me at knicholson@marymount.qld.edu.au

These forms are available on the Parent Portal and in hard copy at SAO.

Enjoy the weekend.

Katrina Nicholson
Assistant Principal Senior Curriculum

Junior Curriculum

Homework and Achievement

As we complete Week 8 of Term 2 and near the completion of Semester 1, it is still important to maintain our homework routine.

Despite the many challenges homework poses for students and their families, homework is important to students’ academic achievement. The quantity of homework assigned, though, may be of less importance than the quality of the homework experience and students’ own study behaviours and habits in increasing this academic achievement. Teacher feedback is also a strong factor in successful homework completion and academic achievement. Homework has been found to be more purposeful and interesting to students if the teacher leaves feedback.

The benefits of reading – Part 3

Focus Area 3 - The importance of guided reading

Guided reading sessions are made up of three parts:

before reading discussion
independent reading
after reading discussion

The main goal of guided reading is to help students use reading strategies whilst reading for meaning independently. The practice of guided reading is based on the belief that the optimal learning for a reader occurs when they are assisted by an educator, or expert ‘other’, to read and understand a text with clear but limited guidance.

Guided reading helps students develop greater control over the reading process through the development of reading strategies which assist decoding and construct meaning. The teacher guides or ‘scaffolds’ their students as they read, talk and think their way through a text.

Wes Guthrie
Assistant Principal Junior Curriculum

Religious Life of the College

Thank God the sunshine has returned! Even with all the challenges of illness for so many it lightens our mood and puts a spring in our steps.

Year 11 Retreat

When the buses hit the road for Year 11 Retreat, the clouds cleared and it’s been mostly blue skies since.

We are grateful that the two Senior Retreats enjoyed glorious weather which allowed the students to be in the beautiful outdoors at the venues. Notice the outdoor settings for the celebration of Mass around the fabulous campfire setting at Outlook, under the stars, poolside at Brookfield, and lakeside at Kindilan. These are some of the heightened, unforgettable moments of Retreat which are cherished for years to come.

Sincere thanks to Father Jack and Padre for their presence, celebrating Mass and spending time with the students.

College Mass

Padre Morgan Batt and Father Jack were present once more to concelebrate the College Mass last week.

Since it was close to the Feast of Pentecost, it was a Mass of the Holy Spirit. The drama of the open flame, the vivid red of the priests’ vestments and the high energy singing by the choir ensured that the community was totally involved in the liturgy. It is so good to be able to not only come together for whole school liturgies, the College Mass and College Assembly but to be able to sing as well is quite wonderful.

Thank you, Padre, and Father Jack for celebrating Mass with us and thanks to Ms Jodie Young and Mr Paul Faughey and the choir for beautiful music and singing.

Year 7 students, new staff and other new students all received the Tau to symbolise their welcome into the Marymount College Community. The Taus were blessed by Padre during the Mass.

M-Fest and Have a Heart Day

Last week was M-Fest Week and the daily heady experience of music and song of many genres brought a carnival vibe to the P&F Courtyard.

The wonderful musical talents of many students held staff and students spellbound at times. With the music as the backdrop, Friday was our annual fundraising day for Rosies Have a Heart Day. Year 12s clad in pink and red pyjamas and most everyone else in some shade of red or pink had a lot of fun activities. Thanks to Year 7s and their huge cake stall and the donations of cuppa soup and warm socks and money from all PC groups.

More than $2000 was raised for Rosies in just one day.

The presence of Rosies volunteers was a reminder of why Have a Heart Day was happening and that our fabulous fun day is a way of giving thanks for the gifts we receive and that we are sharing in this way from our abundance.

Thank you and well-done everyone.

Dolores Maitland
APRE

College Chaplain

Dear Marymount Community,

In these past few weeks, I’ve had the privilege of accompanying our Year 11s and Year 12s on their retreat.

Together we came to a deeper understanding of ourselves and our values and reflected on the friendships and the various other relationships in our life. It is indeed a blessed time to be able to go away from the hustle and bustle of our daily routine and have a space to reflect and build new friendships. I thank our students for their willingness and openness to being part of this retreat experience. No doubt we’ve all left the various retreat venues with many memories we will treasure for many more years to come.

On the home front, an exciting new initiative began last weekend.

Our Year 11 rock band ‘Cast No Shadow’ now leads the music for our 5:30pm Sunday Mass at Mary Mother of Mercy Church on the first Sunday of each month. Their brilliant music, energy and passion made a marked difference to the worshipping community in our parish. Thank you to Tinka, Brock, Harry and Brodie (and their instrumental teacher Andy) and I look forward to our partnership ahead!

Finally, Year 7 & 8 families are invited to our Connect Mass on Sunday 28 August at 10:00am at Mary Mother of Mercy Church. More details will be sent out closer to the date.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone and keep warm!

Blessings,

Fr Jack

Year Level Updates

CLICK HERE TO VIEW HAVE A HEART DAY PHOTO PRESENTATION

Year 12

Key Dates

Year 12 Cohort photo—8:30am Tuesday 12 July
Tuesday 2 - Friday 5 August—Year 12 Applied Unit 4 Exams
Friday 21 October—Year 12 Farewell Assembly
24 October-15 November—Year 12 External Exams
Tuesday 15 November —Graduation Liturgy
Thursday 17 November—Year 12 Formal

A Busy Period

Winter is upon us, but thankfully the Year 12s have plenty to keep them busy and hopefully warm.

The past few weeks have been very busy with multiple activities that have engaged the Year 12s with the College community, as well as allowing them to have meaningful conversations about their futures and reflect on their responsibilities as they drive on the road.

Careers Expo

Career’s Expo was held Monday night last week. This was a great opportunity to talk to different universities, TAFE, and industry professionals regarding job opportunities and pathways to achieving their goals.

Hopefully, students and parents were able to gain valuable information that will assist them in plotting their course for next year and beyond. To further help with these decisions, Mr Grant (Acting Head of Careers) has offered advice sessions. Parents and caregivers should have received an email about this, with the option of booking a Teams meeting on Wednesday afternoons between 3:40pm-5:00pm. We encourage all of our seniors to consider having one of these sessions to talk through their options.

College Mass

Our College celebrated Mass last Wednesday, with Padre and Father Jack presiding.

It is always a joyous occasion when our school population can come together in prayer, and many of our Year 12 students played central roles in the Mass. A huge thank you to Mrs Maitland for her organisation and to those students who assisted with the procession, readings, prayers and singing.

M-Fest

Week 7 saw the first of our M-Fest weeks, which showcases the incredible musical talent at the College.

The P&F courtyard was packed each day as the students supported and encouraged the performers whose courage and gifts were admirable. Several Year 12 students stepped behind the microphone to perform, and we congratulate them all. A huge thank you to our Cultural Captains Charli Ackerman and Corey Nolan for taking the role of emcees for the week (not to mention Corey performing as well!). We are already eagerly awaiting a second M-Fest in Term 4.

Have a Heart Day

M-Fest week culminated in the annual celebration of Have-a-Heart Day with students turning out in their red and pink to raise money for Rosies.

Our Year 12s looked terrific in their pyjamas and entered into the spirit of the day enthusiastically. The College STAC team were the chief organisers and we congratulate our College Vice Captains, and Heads of STAC, Charlotte Threlfall and Jack Isaacs for their efforts.

Charlotte and Jack recounted the day:

Have a Heart Day was a huge success! The team of STAC Reps, who are the student representatives of each grade, ran multiple stalls to raise money for Rosie’s.

Year 7s ran a very successful bake sale, where many Year 7 students brought in baked goods to sell. By the end of lunch, all of the treats were gone. Thank you very much for your efforts Year 7.
Year 8s created an amazing photo booth, where all students could get pictures together in their pink and red colours. This was a popular spot for the Year 12s, who celebrated our last Have a Heart Day in bright pink pyjamas and took many photos to make memories with our best mates.
Year 9s held the very popular chocolate toss, where many students got around the hyped atmosphere and had fun attempting to win a variety of chocolates while supporting charity.
Year 10s took on the football toss, which is always very successful.
Finally, the Year 11s took on face painting, where they painted simple red and pink hearts on faces and arms, so everyone could be bright and colourful for the day.

Whilst all of this was happening, the M-Fest was also running. Together, Have a Heart Day was a massive success and created a terrific college atmosphere. Thank you to everyone who had a part in running the day, and to everyone who donated to a very worthy charity.”

Year 12 vs. Staff

A few weeks back I outlined the challenge that Mr Francis, the Head of HPE, had laid down to the Year 12s, that being a week of sporting competition against the staff.

Our Sports Captains, Keely Whatman and Zach Wren, had this to say:

Two weeks ago the students of our College bravely took on the teachers in our annual teachers vs students sporting competition. Over the week the teachers and students battled it out in a game of Basketball, Netball, Volleyball and Dodgeball. Our students played a very strong game of Basketball defeating the teachers, while the teachers came out victorious in Netball. Volleyball and dodgeball were both tied leaving the competition in a neck and neck draw. Thank you to the players and the spectators for your enthusiasm and participation. Better luck next year teachers.”

The week itself was fantastic, with the 12s turning out in force to support their peers against the teachers. An overall draw was fitting, but perhaps leaves the door open for a decider later in the year…

Two Weeks to go

As the term enters its final stages, we encourage the seniors to keep their heads down and to work hard.

Many assignments are underway, plus the content being learned will be relevant come the end of Unit 4 exams, as well as for the external exams. All work completed now will pay off down the track and all students should be in good study routines to allow them to maximise their results.

We thank parents and caregivers for their continued love and support of their sons and daughters.

Matt Carroll and Sarah Henttonen
Head and Assistant Head of Year 12

Year 11

Presentation

We are pleased with the presentation of Year 11 students. It is wonderful to see their smiling faces and that they take the time to present well for school.

As the weather cools please note;

only the College jumper and tracksuit jacket may be worn
Girls can wear navy stockings
Boys have the option of wearing trousers which are available at the uniform shop
A short sleeve, plain, white shirt may be worn under the formal shirt
It is not appropriate for the sports uniform to be worn on any other day than a Thursday.

Mental Health and Resilience

It is timely that our pastoral program is focusing on Mental Health and Resilience.

Each Thursday students are working through activities to develop a positive mindset and healthy well-being. Next term the program will explore risky behaviours and leadership.

Unit 2

Year 11 ATAR students have begun their second unit of work.

Recent, positive feedback from teachers of Year 11 has been pleasing. Keep up the great work. Student efforts for Semester 1 will be recognised in Week 2, Term 3 during our Principal Awards. I encourage students to seek teacher, peer, and parent assistance, be organised and act without always requiring instruction. These are key skills for successful learners, both in the classroom and at home.

Achievement and attendance

Absenteeism has significant implications for individuals’ life opportunities. It is important that Year 11 students are at school each day they are well.

There is a strong correlation between achievement and attendance. Please only allow your child to remain at home if they are sick.

Support is available if getting to school is a challenge:

Please contact:

Ms Cathy Cooper via ccooper@marymount.qld.edu.au or
College Counsellors via SBURCounsellors@bne.catholic.edu.au

Rosies Street Outreach

Next Semester, Year 11 students will have the opportunity to attend Rosies Street Outreach, a call out for volunteers to share a chat, a warm drink or a snack with less fortunate people in a safe environment.

Students who are Rosies volunteers live the Gospel messages taught at school around loving your neighbour and recognising dignity in people. We encourage our Year 11s to give their time to this worthy organisation and see Edwin (Campus Minister) to register interest.