Dear Families

Welcome to a special edition of Aspire especially for families who are joining us in Year 5 2025. I trust that you enjoyed your “Welcome to MSM Family Interviews” with Ms Jordan during Term 3. These interviews have assisted us to learn more about your daughters as we continue our preparations to welcome them in January 2025. 

In this newsletter we are pleased to introduce you to our Year 5 2025 staff: Kate Marsh (Teacher), Kate Toohey (Teacher) and Jen Roberts (Junior School Support Officer).

Also provided in this newsletter is important information regarding key dates, upcoming events and some details about the commencement of the 2025 school year.


It is my pleasure to share a snapshot of our girls' successes in this edition of AspireI encourage you to share this newsletter with your daughter and I look forward to seeing you and your daughters at our Orientation morning on Monday 18 November.

In Faith and Love

Ms Sharon Volp
Principal
We are excited to be welcoming your daughter into our very first Year 5 cohort, and wider Mt St Michael’s College community, in 2025.

In the Junior School, we are committed to fostering the holistic development of our students through delivering a rich and developmentally-appropriate educational program. This includes quality learning experiences, wellbeing programs, co-curricular activities and service learning opportunities. Our vision is to create a nurturing community that enables every student to flourish. Your daughters will be supported at each step of their Year 5 journey by our experienced, passionate and dedicated Junior School staff.

It has been pleasing to see a number of your daughters participating in the Term 4 “Come and Try” swimming and tennis offerings. These are wonderful opportunities for your daughters to have a ‘taste’ of sport at MSM and for them to meet some of their peers before the commencement of the 2025 school year. The coaches and sport staff have been providing positive feedback on the girls’ effort and engagement at these sessions.

We are looking forward to our youngest students bringing a unique energy to our College community.

Ms Katie Jordan
Head of Junior School
IMPORTANT DATES
2024
Monday 18 November – Year 5 Orientation Morning
 
2025
Tuesday 28 January – Year 5 Book Pack Drop-off
Wednesday 29 January – First Day of Year 5 (please note that this date has changed from previous communication)
Monday 3 February – Year 5 Parent Information Evening and Tablet Distribution (3:15 - 4:45pm).
YEAR 5 ORIENTATION MORNING
Monday 18 November 2024
 
This event is an opportunity for incoming Year 5 students to connect with College staff and students from other Primary Schools who will also commence their Mt St Michael’s journey next year.

8.30 am: Arrival at College Auditorium (enter via Gate 3 on Aloomba Road) for Registration and Welcome
Parents/caregivers are invited to be present with their daughters for this session.

9.00 am to 11.30 am: Orientation Activities
This component of the day is for students only. Students will be provided with Morning Tea (popper and muffin) Please advise Jen Roberts - jroberts@msm.qld.edu.au by Thursday 14 November if your daughter has special dietary requirements.

11.30am: Farewell and Final Messages in College Auditorium
Parents/caregivers are invited to meet their daughters at the Auditorium for this final session.

What to Wear: Current Primary School sports uniform and school hat

What to Bring: Small backpack/tote; Water bottle
INTRODUCING OUR YEAR 5 STAFF
My name is Kate Marsh and I bring to Mt St Michael’s College over 15 years of dedicated teaching experience across all primary years. Teaching Junior School students is a passion of mine, and this has been my focus in recent years in BCE schools, and at Padua College. The Junior School years are crucial in developing critical thinking and problem-solving skills, while fostering positive learning habits. I find Year 5 and 6 students to be curious, creative, and energetic. I believe that it is essential for them to feel challenged, valued, and supported in their learning environment.
 
Creating a learning space where students are safe and encouraged to express their thoughts, ask questions, and collaborate is an essential part of my teaching philosophy. I strive to make lessons engaging, ensuring that students are motivated to learn and explore new ideas. I believe that learning should be connected to real-world contexts. By making learning relevant, my aim is to equip students with essential skills for life-long learning.

Outside of teaching, I enjoy the outdoors and spending quality time with my family. I am genuinely excited about the opportunity to collaborate with colleagues, parents, and students in the MSM school community. I look forward to contributing positively to this vibrant environment, fostering a love for learning, and being a part of our students’ growth and success.
My name is Kate Toohey and I am very excited to introduce myself as a new member of the Junior Teaching Team at Mt St Michael’s College. With over 25 years of experience as a primary teacher in both Catholic Education and Religious Institute schools, I am well-versed in the upper primary setting.

I graduated from QUT with a Bachelor of Teaching (Primary) and later obtained a Master of Education, specialising in Inclusive Education. My experience has allowed me to develop a passion for creating engaging and inclusive learning environments where every student feels valued and inspired to learn. I am excited to collaborate with students, families and staff to create a vibrant learning community in the Junior years at Mt St Michael’s.

Throughout my journey in education, I have had the privilege of serving as a Support Teacher: Inclusive Education, which has deepened my commitment to helping all students reach their fullest potential. Over the last 6 years I have honed my knowledge, working in Years 5 and 6 and currently, I teach Year 6 at St. Rita’s College in Clayfield, where I have truly enjoyed the unique experience of working in an all-girls environment.

Outside of teaching, I am a sports enthusiast and enjoy running or supporting my own children's sporting pursuits. I have coached touch football, flag tag, and both cross country and track running at a school level. I am eager to participate in school events and connect with families at Mt St Michael’s.

I can’t wait to embark on this exciting journey with you all and look forward to a fantastic school year ahead!
My name is Jen Roberts and I will be the Junior School Support Officer next year. I am currently one of the College Receptionists and I am so excited to be part of the Junior School team embarking on what I think will be a fun, exciting and impressive year ahead when we welcome our first ever Year 5 cohort.

I started my second ‘career’ as a teacher aide in 2012 when my youngest child went to C&K. This was meant to be a bit of a ‘stop gap’ until the boys got through most of primary school, but I didn’t realise how much I would thoroughly enjoy working with children and how rewarding I would find it. I have worked in both State and Catholic primary schools in Northwest Brisbane. I’ve worked across all grades from prep through to Year 6 but most of my time has been supporting students in the middle to upper primary years both in the classroom and on excursions, sports carnivals and school camps. 

I have two boys out of school now, with one more to go, so my weekend sporting commitments aren’t as full as they used to be and I find myself enjoying activities outside of canteen duties, and cheering union, league and basketball. In my downtime I enjoy running, having discovered trail running about five years ago, hiking, reading, cooking and camping. I am just at the end of a five-week pottery course and whilst I’ve learnt that I enjoy pottery, I definitely won’t be making a career change any time soon!  

I’m really looking forward to meeting you and supporting your daughters in the best way possible. 
UNIFORM FITTINGS

Mt St Michael’s operates an onsite Uniform Shop for the purchase of College Junior School uniform requirements. A fit-out appointment must be made for all new students, including those starting Year 5 next year. Please book your appointment by accessing the link below.
TEXTBOOKS AND STATIONERY

Our textbook and stationery supplier is Campion Education. If physical copies of textbooks are required, this will be indicated on the booklist. The textbook list for Year 5 can be accessed via the link below.

Please note that there is a four-character code needed to access the 2025 resources lists – QYXF.

Orders need to be placed with Campion Education by Wednesday 11 December 2024 for guaranteed delivery for the 2025 academic year.
YEAR 5 BOOK PACK DROP OFF
Tuesday 28 January

To support a smooth transition on the first day of school, we invite Year 5 students to deliver their book pack resources to their classrooms on Tuesday 28 January between the times of 11am and 12 noon. Please note that there is only a one hour time slot available for this, as our teachers will be engaged in professional development for the rest of this student-free day. We ask that you reserve any necessary in-depth conversations with your daughter’s teacher for early next year.
YEAR 9 BIG SISTERS
 
With the introduction of Year 5 to Mt St Michael’s College in 2025, current Year 8 2024 students have been invited to apply to be a ‘Big Sister’ to our Year 5 students. The chief purpose of the Year 9 Big Sisters will be to support their Year 5 Little Sisters with navigating the transition to Mt St Michael’s. They will play a pivotal role in familiarising our youngest students with College expectations, buildings and daily routines, organising and facilitating structured playtime activities for Year 5 students, and actively participating in timetabled classroom Little Sister-Big Sister activities.

Your daughter will be receiving a welcome letter from her Big Sister towards the end of the term. Keep an eye on the letterbox!
AROUND THE COLLEGE
MEET YOUR 2025 STUDENT LEADERSHIP TEAM

The College community warmly welcomed the 2025 Student Leadership Team in our Commissioning Assembly. These exceptional students accept the honour and challenge to serve MSM in our centennial year. We look forward to the 2025 SLT sharing wisely the generously of their time, talents and energy.
College Captains:
Ellen F and Ava R
Academic Captains:
Lucy D and Sarah K
Mission Captains:
Tully C and Sophia W
Cultural Captains:
Max H and Lily W
Sports Captains:
Abigail J and Aisling D
Aikenhead House:
Finlay S
Grantuly House:
Georgia O’C
Rush House:
Hannah B
Stewart House:
Ella B
 
MARY AIKENHEAD DAY

Our MSM Family marked Mary Aikenhead Day with a beautiful College Mass. Faithful to the Sister's vow of service to the poor, our students spent time engaging in service activities that will benefit St Vincent's Hospitals and Aged Care, the Romero Centre, Birthing Kits International and Mater Little Miracles. And we finished the day with a tremendous display of house pride with our Sustainable Fashion Parade and House Lip Sync Competition!
SPIRIT OF THE ARTS FESTIVAL
 
The Spirit of the Arts Festival: Epoch was a huge success! This annual cultural event celebrates the varied talents of MSM Arts students through many diverse displays. The College was proud to showcase our co-curricular and curriculum-based activities in Visual Arts, Dance, Drama and Music, culminating the evening with a closing performance focused on the theme of Time. There was something for everyone, including food trucks and a bar hosted by the P&F Association.
CaSSSA ATHLETICS 
 
Despite very wet conditions at the track, our MSM Athletics Team showed resilience and grit as they battled our rival schools in CaSSSA Cup Carnival and achieved outstanding results.

Percentage Cup = Champions for a 9th year in a row! 🏆
Aggregate Cup = 2nd overall 🥈
Field events = 2nd overall 🥈
Track events = 2nd overall 🥈
12 yrs = 2nd 🥈
13 yrs = 3rd 🥉
14 yrs = Champions 🏆
15 yrs = 2nd 🥈
16 yrs = 2nd 🥈
17-19 yrs = 2nd 🥈
All Age Relay = 2nd 🥈
QCMF
 
During Term 3, eight MSM ensembles performed at the 33rd Queensland Catholic Schools and Colleges' Music Festival (QCMF) and delivered strong performances, earning the following results:
  • Guitar Ensemble: GOLD (GE1A)
  • Senior Strings: GOLD (IE1A)
  • Concert Band: GOLD (CB1B)
  • College Choir: SILVER (CH1A)
  • String Orchestra: GOLD (SO1B)
  • MSM Singers: SILVER (VE1B)
  • Middle School Choir: BRONZE (CH1B)
  • Percussion Ensemble: SILVER (PE1B)
We commend our students and their ensemble directors for their commitment and effort in preparing for this event. Their hard work was reflected in the results, which are a source of pride for our College community.
PROJECT 'RAISE THE ROOF'
 
We have just concluded our very successful major fundraiser for 2024, Project Raise the Roof, in partnership with the Sisters of Charity Foundation. Embracing our core value of Compassion, our students have been working hard to raise funds to help a person in Australia who has been trapped in modern slavery to transition to safe housing and meaningful work. The College is delighted to announce that we exceeded our fundrasing goal, collecting $17,528, which is the largest donation we have ever made to a single organisation! We will never meet the person who will be supported by these funds, but we pray that these funds will help to ensure that they can live in safety and dignity.
SPORTS CELEBRATION BREAKFAST

The MSM sports community gathered in the Sophia Centre to celebrate a truly remarkable year in sport. In their respective addresses, Principal, Ms Sharon Volp and Director of Sport, Mrs Kay Roy spoke of the research and correlation behind women who play sport and women who lead. Throughout the morning, students were recognised for their outstanding achievements across various sports. Both individual and team successes were highlighted in front of proud parents and peers, fostering a spirit of camaraderie and pride. A heartfelt thank you goes to our special guest, Australian Olympic Swimmer and MSM Alumni, Meg Harris. It was a true honour to have Meg back to the College to share her incredible journey. Meg’s words were both motivational and enriching, adding a special element to our event.  #MSMProud.
MSM CELEBRATES

The MSM community came together for our annual MSM Celebrates – a special occasion that recognises the outstanding achievements of students from Years 7 – 12 in all facets of our College life including, academic, sporting, cultural and community action. The evening was a wonderful celebration recognising our student and staff commitment to excellence throughout the year. 
FUTURE PROBLEM SOLVING NATIONAL FINALS
In 2024, MSM has proudly supported five FPS teams: three in the Middle Years competition and two in the Senior competition. Four of these teams successfully completed the rigorous qualifying lockups, showcasing their dedication and skill.  This year one of our Middle School teams were successful in becoming National Finalists. This year's National Final was held in Melbourne in mid October and the students did MSM and Queensland proud. They skilfully used the 6 Step Problem Solving Process to investigate the topic of Autonomous Transportation with particular focus on autonomous cargo shipping and the implications of this on society. Alongside this, the students were required to use a range of resources and present a 3 min creative and persuasive presentation to sell their recommended solution to the audience. 
DEBATING MENTORS AT ST JOSEPH'S, BARDON
Since the beginning of Term 3, four of our Year 11 debaters, Tully, Lucy, Ella and Eloise, have engaged as debating mentors to Year 5 and 6 students at St Joseph’s, Bardon. During their weekly sessions, the Year 11 students assisted the younger students with formulating arguments for their debates, providing constructive feedback on their presentation skills, and enhancing their love for debating. These four students are a credit to MSM, and are to be commended on their dedication and leadership.
QMAT 7/8 MATH QUIZ
Six MSM teams competed in Round 1 and Round 2 of the Queensland Association of Mathematics Teachers Year 7 & 8 Mathematics Quiz. This extension opportunity for Years 7 and 8 students involves applying mathematics skills and concepts to new contexts and sharing strategies with like-minded students along the way. Our Round 2 Regional winning team's overall point score qualified them to compete in the QAMT-UQ Year 7/8 Quiz State Final.
CO-CURRICULAR AWARDS ASSEMBLY
The College proudly celebrated individual achievements and participation of students across our diverse co-curricular program at our Co-curricular Awards Assembly. The second part of the celebration was dedicated to acknowledging the current leaders of the Co-curricular groups and commissioning the leaders of our Co-curricular groups and activities for 2025. Students of co-curricular groups were awarded certificates for commitment and valuable contribution throughout the 2024 year. 
OUR COMMUNITY
2024 P&F MOTHERS' LUNCH

The 2024 P&F Mothers’ Lunch, held on Friday 23 August in The Podium Ballroom, Rydges Southbank was a huge success, making this an event not to be missed on the MSM calendar! 

Thanks to the generosity of our MSM community, significant funds were raised though our raffle to support the Light the Way Capital Campaign, assisting the College to light the way for future generations of MSM students through the enhancement of new educational facilities.

Imagine your Year 5 daughter starting 2025 at MSM with a $2500 credit towards College fees!   

The Mt St Michael’s College Foundation Raffle is on! This is your chance to WIN $2500 credit towards tuition fees or $1500 cash prize*. What a great way to start your journey at MSM!  

Tickets start from $20 and can be purchased via the link below. Proceeds will be directed to the Light the Way Capital Campaign, assisting the College to light the way for current and future generations of MSM students through the enhancement of new educational facilities.  

Tickets are limited so the odds are on your side. Ticket sales are NOW OPEN - buy your tickets today!  

Ticket sales close Wednesday 27 November with the winner to be drawn on Thursday 28 November at 10am AEST. 

*Terms and conditions apply 

Best of luck!

Join the dedicated Facebook Group for the graduating Class of 2032 here.
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Mt St Michael's College - MSM News

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