Contents
- From the Principal
- Primary News
- Justice and Academic Assembly
- 2021 Celebrations (Term 4)
- EREA Prefect Gathering
- Mary Mackillop: Connected with our Senior Centre?
- Girl's Transition Day 9 Sep
- Music Showcase Evening
- Women in STEM Breakfast
- Mary MacKillop Excursion
- Andy Thomas Foundation Project
- Year 10 Coastal Excursion
- $5000 Aerospace Engineering Scholarships
- Torrens University Health Pathways
Dear Families and friends of St Paul’s,
As Term 3, our Assumption Term, draws to a close I would like to first and foremost sincerely thank all the staff, students and families for their amazing co-operation, patience and resilience in dealing with the major disruption to our school environment. Now that we can see the building works well and truly “above the ground” and walls being installed, a much greater sense of excitement emerges and a feeling that we are not as far as returning to normal as we would have thought a month ago. Hopefully by the time Term 4 starts we will be able to move much more freely around the College and through parts of the courtyard, out onto the oval and between classrooms. We all know just how great it will all look by the beginning of next year, so with that in mind, everyone’s patience is appreciated.
Our builders, Mossop, have been terrific in keeping us informed with all the developments and in also presenting at an assembly to the Senior Years students, explaining all the various stages of the program and offering to help students develop a greater understanding of the building and construction industry.
Music Night
Last Friday night we held our annual Music Night in the gymnasium. It was a terrific evening and showcased the outstanding talents of so many of our students from the primary years through to our most senior students. Our congratulations and thanks must go to Ms Libby Verrall, Mr Victor Oria and Ms Sarah Crisp for all their amazing work with our students. Our primary students also participated in the Catholic Schols Music Festival yesterday, so it has been a very big week for everyone.
Academic Awards and Justice Assembly
Today we also held our Academic Awards and Justice Assembly. Over the last 18 months or so we have not been able to gather as a whole school, so it was lovely to have another opportunity to do this and to congratulate the academic award winners as well as hear from the Justice Society. So many wonderful opportunities are provided for the students of St Paul’s, and to see so much understanding, belief, and advocacy being developed in areas like justice means the students are well and truly living the Edmund Rice Touchstones and St Paul’s values.
Staffing News
Families may have seen in recent times several advertisements for positions at St Paul’s in the newspaper, on Facebook, or on our website. With the growth in numbers for 2022 we are able to provide further opportunities for employment in areas of leadership, teaching and other ESO areas. It has been heart-warming to receive so many high-quality applications and it has been very difficult developing short lists!
The sad part to all this has been the loss of some wonderful members of staff who have won positions elsewhere. We have mentioned Mrs Emily Sayer previously. Emily has enjoyed her first term as Principal at St Monica’s Primary School. Recently we were both excited and saddened by the news that our beloved Leader of Learning in the Primary Years, Ms Lisa Daws, has won the significant position of Assistant Head of Junior Campus at Christian Brothers College. This is a wonderful opportunity and promotion for Lisa, but a very sad loss for us. Lisa has done a great deal of amazing work in the Primary and we will miss her. We wish her every success and happiness in this new role. She will remain a part of our Edmund Rice family, so we will certainly keep in touch with her.
Several of the other senior positions and teaching positions will be filled during the holiday period, which promises to be very busy for many of us.
I sincerely hope all the students and families have a restful break and that our Year 12’s use this time wisely in finalising major assignments and preparing for their final exams. They have only two more weeks of their academic journey left at St Paul’s. We wish them well.
Take Care,
God Bless
Mr Paul Belton
Principal
Today at our Assembly we acknowledged some of the Justice initiatives we have in our community. Our Justice Society informed our gathering of some of the charitable endeavours they have led. Additionally, we were made aware of the letter sent by one of our Year 8 LEAF classes to the Prime Minister in response to the tragedy in Kabul.
Please click HERE to view the letter.
One of our EREA Touchstones is Justice and Solidarity. Sometimes we think of justice as a consequence or punishment for a wrongdoing – we cry out for justice when something bad happens to someone. In the Old Testament the Prophet Micah tells us that ‘this is what the Lord God asks of you: to live justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.’ As such, Justice is not something someone does to another, it is a daily choice to look on the world with a lens of love and treat every person we meet with respect and kindness. Solidarity is when we stand together with those who are suffering because ultimately we share a common humanity. Perhaps we could think of this touchstone as our call to treat each person we meet with kindness and love as each one of us matters infinitely and without reserve.
We closed our assembly with the following prayer:
In the days ahead, may you die to the power of others’ opinions and instead live out of the relentless, abundant love God has for you.
As people become more cruel and careless with their opinions, may you become more loving and discerning with yours.
May you speak with precision, pray with power, and stand in courage. Your life and influence matter deeply in this desperate world.
Lean in and learn everything you can from the One who loves you deeply and intends to use you greatly.
Amen.
Ms Angela Collins
APRIM
The third and final EREA College Captain/Vice Captains gathering took place on Friday 17 September at St Paul’s College. The gathering included student leaders from St Paul’s College, Rostrevor College, and Christian Brothers College. This is the first year that the gatherings have taken place, with all involved agreeing that it has been beneficial to reflect, share, and collate ideas with other student leaders within EREA.
The highlight of the day's gathering was a tour of the current building sites, which provided some great insight into the progress and growth of the College.
Mr Nick Callary
Head of Student Develpoment
Among the excitement of our significant sports and senior learning centre that will open in Term 1 next year, we have the opportunity to name this building.
Staff and students have been consulted about possible names for this building. Many significant people and places in our school’s history, as much as our surrounding and EREA communities, have been proposed.
At this stage following consultation with students and staff, our College proposes that we pursue a name that connects our proud Catholic tradition with Saint Mary (of the Cross) Mackillop, Australia’s first Saint who worked throughout South Australia. She speaks to compassion, wisdom and persistence, as a great example of our College motto “Fight the Good Fight” (Certa Bonum Certamen). More information about Saint Mary Mackillop is available HERE.
The purpose of the communication is to invite our community to suggest how this connection might be made (i.e. the specific name of the new building) and/or other naming options that our College should consider.
Please email me (Josh Foulis, Deputy Principal): jfoulis@stpauls.sa.edu.au before Wednesday 13 October with any suggestions, or phone the College to discuss.
Mr Josh Foulis
Deputy Principal
Our Year 1 to 8 girls enrolled for 2022 had their second transition afternoon on Thursday 9 September. They got to know their future classmates and school as they participated in a range of activities from get-to-know-you games to a treasure hunt! It was wonderful to see so many girls leave with a smile.
It was fantastic to gather as a St Paul’s community last Friday night to appreciate the musical talents of our students. This Year's Music Showcase was the biggest yet, with 91 students performing in bands, choirs and ensembles. We heard a wide range of genres and styles, and our students relished the opportunity to hop up on stage and entertain the captivated audience.
Thank you to all the families who came and showed your support for our fabulous budding musicians.
Miss Libby Verrall
Music and Performance Coordinator
On Monday 20 September, some of our 2022 Year 8 girls attended the Women in STEM breakfast at the Adelaide Convention Centre. The girls enjoyed a delicious breakfast while they listened to inspirational Women working within the STEM industry, engaged in Kahoot Quizzes, and spent some time getting to know each other. The girls had a great time and are excited to commence their STEM projects next year. Thank you to Catholic Education South Australia for making this wonderful event possible.
Miss Donna Nguyen
Transition Co-ordinator
As part of their Semester 2 project, Year 8 students are answering the question:
'How might villages choose a patron saint for their village, and inform the public of their importance?'
Part of this task involved learning the impact that saints had on the community. Luckily enough, we live in a community where St Mary MacKillop worked. On 16 September, the Year 8 students participated in the MacKillop Walk through Norwood and Kensington, walking the path of Mary MacKillop and seeing significant sites which impacted the community.
Part of this walk took us to the Mary MacKillop Precinct, where students saw Mary’s life mapped out, including her canonisation. They had the opportunity to speak with Bruno, a tour guide from the museum who had dedicated his life to Catholic education in South Australia, who explained to them the impact Mary MacKillop has had on the area, and why we celebrate her life. Students also identified connections between Saint Mary MacKillop and Blessed Edmund Rice, and their commitment to inclusivity and education.
The Year 8's had a wonderful day, reflecting in the Aboriginal Garden, admiring the stained-glass windows of St Ignatius Church and spending some time as a cohort.
Prior to the excursion, students participated in a workshop held by our very own stained glass window expert, Mr Olesen. Mr Olesen discussed the significance of symbols, colour, light and stories within stained-glass windows, and that it took a whole village to create one stained glass window. Students are currently creating their own stained-glass windows which tell the story of their chosen medieval saint. These will be presented at the Medieval Fair in Term 4.
Mrs Joanna D'Angelo
Teacher
Year 7 classes recently visited Lot 14 to present their Andy Thomas Space Foundation project to the Minister for Education, John Gardner MP and representatives of the Australian Space Industry! The students have devised a way to improve the life of a remote Indonesian village by developing a sustainable means of food production. The 'SayurPonic 3000' is a hydroponic growing system made from recycled and waste materials found on the island.
Our students' project was also featured in the Advertiser this week.
A big thank you to Mrs Sue O'Malley for facilitating this amazing project!
On 16 September, two classes of Year 10 Geography students undertook a tour of Adelaide’s North-western coastal region. The intention was to provide students with an insight into the many and varied processes, uses and issues related to the metropolitan coast.
Places of interest included West Beach Marina, Torrens Outlet, Tennyson sand dunes, North Haven and Outer Harbor. Students were given an appreciation of the fact that without coastal management, our coastline would be markedly different. The development of the Adelaide airport and the surrounding western suburbs for example, would not have been possible without drainage of these low-lying areas facilitated by construction of the River Torrens outlet at Henley Beach. From the lookout in the Tennyson sand dunes, the students were able to contemplate that the sandhills are a remnant of what was the appearance of the entire metropolitan coast prior to settlement.
Students also gained an appreciation of the social, cultural andenvironmental issues pertaining to these areas. These include, for example, the human impact on flora and fauna, as well as an understanding of the significance of these locations to Indigenous cultures.
The responses from students on visiting these locations were quite insightful, and they often reflected on the newness of this experience to them. It is hoped that this experience will continue to evolve and in future years when they are likely to visit the coast more regularly, and that a foundational knowledge will serve to be both a curiosity and inspiration for them to further understand the unique features of our local coastline.
Mr Tony Goodwin
Teacher
