Edition 13 - 20 August 2021 - Term 3
Last Sunday, 15 August, was the Feast of the Assumption; the celebration Mary, the Mother of God’s redemption and assumption into heaven. It is also the Patronal Feast of the Sisters of Charity.
As our world continues to grapple with this terrible pandemic, the Feast of the Assumption can be a source of hope and comfort to us. Mary reminds us to be grateful for God’s blessings as she proclaimed in her prayer The Magnificat.
“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Savior..the Almighty has done great things for me and holy is God’s Name.” Luke 1:46.
Mary was a courageous, joyous and faith-filled woman. She was the first to understand Jesus, his mission, and his disciples. Mary accepted difficulties and anxiety. She was a woman who understood the signs of her times and responded prophetically. Mary showed her humanity as she stood lovingly at the foot of the cross as she watched her son undertake an agonising death. She was a woman of great capacity to nurture, love and care.
We can take inspiration from Mary in these difficult and uncertain times. We can be grateful for the many blessings that we have in our life, especially our family and friends. Mary can inspire us to open our hearts and minds so that we can embrace challenges as opportunities. As we encounter these challenges, we could ask ourselves “How would Mary handle this?”
Reflection on the last few weeks
The last few weeks have been quite a rollercoaster ride. Firstly, there was the announcement of the snap lockdown and the transition to remote learning. This was followed by the return to school and the new challenge “hybrid learning” as we worked with those students and staff who were in quarantine.
As a community, we have had to respond to change quickly and embrace these challenges. I would like to extend a very sincere “thank you” to our MSM staff. There have been many, many hours of work happening behind the scenes by both teaching and non-teaching staff to continue to deliver highly engaging programs to our students. Your efforts have not gone unnoticed.
To our students – I appreciate that all these changes are unsettling and for many are a source of anxiety. You missed your friends during lockdown and your participation in extra-curricular activities. The wearing of masks at school has been difficult as well. I applaud you for your resilience and thank you for your cooperation. I am very proud of you!
To our parents and caregivers – thank you for the many messages of support that you have provided. It has also been a difficult time for you also, as you juggled the demands of remote learning, the challenges of quarantine and providing stability for your families in a complex, uncertain world.
During the week, the Premier has made several announcements, including the easing of some restrictions that will take place from 4.00 pm this afternoon. For the most current information on our College activities, I refer you to the correspondence that was distributed yesterday afternoon. We are particularly excited to see our extra-curricular program resume in a “COVID-normal” way.
Staffing Updates
Welcome back to Mr Adam Walker who has returned from his leave last week. Thank you to Mr John McKain (contract teacher) and Ms Katrin King (acting Curriculum Leader – Mathematics) for their fine contributions during Mr Walker’s leave.
Mrs Linda Morris (Library Technician) resigned at the end of Week 1 this term. We welcome Mrs Louise Copeman-Hill to the Library Staff as Library Assistant.
Ms Ruani Dias-Jayasinha has resigned from her teaching position. She will continue with her voice students until the end of this term. We welcome Ms Rebecca Jeffries to the music department.
College Leadership Team Restructure
At the beginning of the year, I engaged an external consultant to review the structure of our College Leadership Team. The current structure has been in place for many years and with our enrolments now reaching our “cap” of 900, it is timely to undertake a review.
The recommendation was to expand our College Leadership Team structure and align it to our current strategic plan. The new structure for 2022 will be Deputy Principal, Dean of Faith and Mission, Dean of Student Wellbeing and Dean of Teaching and Learning. These positions have been advertised and I am currently working through the recruitment process.
In faith and love,
Sharon Volp
Principal
As our world continues to grapple with this terrible pandemic, the Feast of the Assumption can be a source of hope and comfort to us. Mary reminds us to be grateful for God’s blessings as she proclaimed in her prayer The Magnificat.
“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Savior..the Almighty has done great things for me and holy is God’s Name.” Luke 1:46.
Mary was a courageous, joyous and faith-filled woman. She was the first to understand Jesus, his mission, and his disciples. Mary accepted difficulties and anxiety. She was a woman who understood the signs of her times and responded prophetically. Mary showed her humanity as she stood lovingly at the foot of the cross as she watched her son undertake an agonising death. She was a woman of great capacity to nurture, love and care.
We can take inspiration from Mary in these difficult and uncertain times. We can be grateful for the many blessings that we have in our life, especially our family and friends. Mary can inspire us to open our hearts and minds so that we can embrace challenges as opportunities. As we encounter these challenges, we could ask ourselves “How would Mary handle this?”
Reflection on the last few weeks
The last few weeks have been quite a rollercoaster ride. Firstly, there was the announcement of the snap lockdown and the transition to remote learning. This was followed by the return to school and the new challenge “hybrid learning” as we worked with those students and staff who were in quarantine.
As a community, we have had to respond to change quickly and embrace these challenges. I would like to extend a very sincere “thank you” to our MSM staff. There have been many, many hours of work happening behind the scenes by both teaching and non-teaching staff to continue to deliver highly engaging programs to our students. Your efforts have not gone unnoticed.
To our students – I appreciate that all these changes are unsettling and for many are a source of anxiety. You missed your friends during lockdown and your participation in extra-curricular activities. The wearing of masks at school has been difficult as well. I applaud you for your resilience and thank you for your cooperation. I am very proud of you!
To our parents and caregivers – thank you for the many messages of support that you have provided. It has also been a difficult time for you also, as you juggled the demands of remote learning, the challenges of quarantine and providing stability for your families in a complex, uncertain world.
During the week, the Premier has made several announcements, including the easing of some restrictions that will take place from 4.00 pm this afternoon. For the most current information on our College activities, I refer you to the correspondence that was distributed yesterday afternoon. We are particularly excited to see our extra-curricular program resume in a “COVID-normal” way.
Staffing Updates
Welcome back to Mr Adam Walker who has returned from his leave last week. Thank you to Mr John McKain (contract teacher) and Ms Katrin King (acting Curriculum Leader – Mathematics) for their fine contributions during Mr Walker’s leave.
Mrs Linda Morris (Library Technician) resigned at the end of Week 1 this term. We welcome Mrs Louise Copeman-Hill to the Library Staff as Library Assistant.
Ms Ruani Dias-Jayasinha has resigned from her teaching position. She will continue with her voice students until the end of this term. We welcome Ms Rebecca Jeffries to the music department.
College Leadership Team Restructure
At the beginning of the year, I engaged an external consultant to review the structure of our College Leadership Team. The current structure has been in place for many years and with our enrolments now reaching our “cap” of 900, it is timely to undertake a review.
The recommendation was to expand our College Leadership Team structure and align it to our current strategic plan. The new structure for 2022 will be Deputy Principal, Dean of Faith and Mission, Dean of Student Wellbeing and Dean of Teaching and Learning. These positions have been advertised and I am currently working through the recruitment process.
In faith and love,
Sharon Volp
Principal
2021 National Science Week at MSM
Happy National Science Week from our 2021 UQ Science Ambassadors. This week during Australia’s annual celebration of science and technology our MSM students have been busy exploring, understanding and questioning our natural and technological world. The critical thinking that occurs in the Science classroom can be applied to all subjects and is a relevant skill-set for life. And, Science is fun!
Electricity circuit with 'Don't touch the wire' game
Click here to watch a video
Click here to watch a video
Investigating Rocks
Exploring Moon Models
Learning about electric circuits
The Grand Finale - The Big Watermelon Experiment
Check out our Instagram and Facebook accounts at 6pm tonight to see the explosive results 🍉
Keep the Science Fun Going - Join our UQ Science Ambassadors in an experiment at home!
Click here for instructions on a fun experiment we did this week.
QAMT Mathematics Competition
On Thursday 12 August, 15 Year 7 and 8 students completed in the QAMT Mathematics competition. Students worked in teams of three to complete 5 rounds involving estimation, mental computation, general knowledge and problem solving in a team and individually.
Congratulations to the winning team, “Pi Guys” comprising of Sophia (Year 8, team captain), Eloise (Year 8) and Sophie (Year 7). Their scores will be forwarded to see if they qualified for regionals later in the year. We wish them the best of luck.
Many thanks to Mathematics teacher Katrin King, Year 12 Mathletes captain Grace and Year 12 student Jasmine, who assisted in running the competition and marking the responses as well as Ms Lanigan for assisting with supervision.
Many thanks to Mathematics teacher Katrin King, Year 12 Mathletes captain Grace and Year 12 student Jasmine, who assisted in running the competition and marking the responses as well as Ms Lanigan for assisting with supervision.
MSM EKKA
Despite the cancellation of the EKKA this year, the MSM community experienced a little taste of the EKKA. Each year level was allocated an activity that linked to the Ekka. Homerooms worked on their activity for 30 minutes and then Pastoral Leaders selected a winning Homeroom. Those Homerooms presented their activity to the whole school via an online platform.
Year 7 – creating face masks turning their Homeroom into a petting zoo.
Year 8 – creating a ‘Care in Quarantine’ show bag.
Year 9 – designing a thrill-seeking ride for Sideshow Alley.
Year 10 – designing of the ultimate ice cream sundae.
Year 11 – creation of a dance for the Opening Ceremony.
Year 12 – ‘Fashions on the Field’ – creation of a stylish hat.
The enthusiasm of the students and Homerooms was impressive and inspiring. Congratulations to all staff and students for showcasing their flair and creativity.
Senior Dance
Year 12 Dance students celebrated finishing their last internal assessment this week. Complete with confetti, the girls were excited to perform one last time on the MSM stage.
MSM Senior Drama - Something Wicked This Way Comes (Macbeth)
Congratulations to the Year 12 Drama students for their contemporary performance pieces, excerpts from Macbeth which were presented for assessment.
Supporting Ronald McDonald House
Thank you to the many MSM students and staff who volunteered to decorate a Red Boot in support of Ronald McDonald House Charities and the Red Boot Hoot charity event, their largest fundraiser of the year. Unfortunately this year, RMHC SEQ had to make the difficult decision to cancel the Red Boot Hoot due to government restrictions and uncertainty of health concerns in the community. A highlight of the event are these famous decorated ‘Boots’ which feature prominently on each table and are sold at the end of the night to help raise funds to support seriously ill children and their families. We are happy to report that our decorated boots have been delivered to the RMHC and will be up for auction at next year's event.
MSM Library Celebrates Harry Potter's Birthday
July 31 is the date when Harry Potter’s birthday is celebrated by avid fans around the world. This year the MSM Library decided to turn this into a week-long event and even a lockdown couldn’t spoil Harry’s party! Competition was fierce in the Harry Potter Kahoot! run over two consecutive lunchtimes, and a magnificent Lego creation of the Hogwarts Express took shape. Great fun was had by all. Expecto patronum!
MSM Library Celebrating CBCA 2021 Book Week
Next week students have the opportunity to explore “Old Worlds, New Worlds and Other Worlds” in the MSM Library during Book Week, culminating with MSM READS on Friday, August 27.
Daily lunchtime activities and competitions will be promoted on the Library’s new Instagram account - Click here to follow the MSM Library Account.
Click here to find out more about The Children's Book Council of Australia.
MSM College Community Groups
Please keep up-to-date with changes to meeting formats.
P&F Meetings: Please check the Mt St Michael's College App for meeting update notifications.
Alumni Meetings: Please visit the MSM Alumni Association Facebook page for updates.
P&F Meetings: Please check the Mt St Michael's College App for meeting update notifications.
Alumni Meetings: Please visit the MSM Alumni Association Facebook page for updates.
Parents and Friends Association
Meetings
Monday 6 September- 6pm
Monday 8 November (meeting and AGM) - 6pm
For more information about the
MSM Parents and Friends Association,
please click here
Follow the P&F on Facebook
Meetings
Monday 6 September- 6pm
Monday 8 November (meeting and AGM) - 6pm
For more information about the
MSM Parents and Friends Association,
please click here
Follow the P&F on Facebook
Alumni Association
Meetings
Monday 23 August- 6pm
Monday 13 September - 6pm
Monday 11 October - 6pm
Monday 29 November - 6pm
For more information about
MSM Alumni Association,
please click here
Follow our Alumni on Facebook
Meetings
Monday 23 August- 6pm
Monday 13 September - 6pm
Monday 11 October - 6pm
Monday 29 November - 6pm
For more information about
MSM Alumni Association,
please click here
Follow our Alumni on Facebook
Alumni Association
Going virtual with Alumni Association August Meeting
Given the current COVID restrictions in place and to ensure the safety of all our Alumni and the wider College community, our Alumni Association meeting on Monday 23 August, 6pm will be held online through Microsoft Teams. We look forward to welcoming our regular Alumni attendees and new Alumni members to this meeting.
Please access the meeting via the link provided to you in an email from our Alumni President. If you are an Alumni and are not currently on our mailing list, please follow this link to our ‘Keep In Touch’ form - click here
P&F Association
2021 P&F Mothers' Lunch
Thank you to the MSM mothers who attended the 2021 P&F Mothers' Lunch at The Greek Club today. It was a very special celebration and we look forward to sharing more photos of the event on social media and in our next edition of The Spirit.
Thank you to the MSM mothers who attended the 2021 P&F Mothers' Lunch at The Greek Club today. It was a very special celebration and we look forward to sharing more photos of the event on social media and in our next edition of The Spirit.
Notices
Supporting our Community -
Ministry Care Programme
Our College is aware that there are students and families within our community who, from time to time, are in need of support due to a variety of factors. As a community, we respond through preparing meals for families experiencing difficult circumstances. If you would like to contribute to the Ministry Care Programme and support those who are going through difficult times, please contact Stephen Campion: scampion@msm.qld.edu.au
Help Support the MSM Environment Group
Support the MSM Environment Group by donating your eligible containers! Bring your containers to school or use our scheme ID when returning to your local depot. Your donations will go towards funding our current and future environmental initiatives.
Mt St Michael's College scheme ID: C10333591
Now available on the College APP!
Mt St Michael’s College is pleased to bring to you the MSM Business Directory. Accessed through our website and APP, this online portal, profiles businesses and provides opportunities to connect with the wider MSM community to promote your services, sales and special offers.
Many business owners profiled in the MSM Business Directory are long-term friends of the College. They include current and past parents, local businesses and alumni who, together show a commitment to Mt St Michael’s College and support for MSM events, fundraisers and initiatives.
If you would like to be included in the online MSM Business Directory, simply email msmnews@msm.qld.edu.au.
For more information please click here
Mt St Michael’s College is pleased to bring to you the MSM Business Directory. Accessed through our website and APP, this online portal, profiles businesses and provides opportunities to connect with the wider MSM community to promote your services, sales and special offers.
Many business owners profiled in the MSM Business Directory are long-term friends of the College. They include current and past parents, local businesses and alumni who, together show a commitment to Mt St Michael’s College and support for MSM events, fundraisers and initiatives.
If you would like to be included in the online MSM Business Directory, simply email msmnews@msm.qld.edu.au.
For more information please click here
2021 Term Dates
Term 1
Wednesday 27 January -
Thursday 1 April (concluding at 3:05 pm)
Term 2
Tuesday 20 April -
Friday 18 June (concluding at 12:30 pm)
Wednesday 27 January -
Thursday 1 April (concluding at 3:05 pm)
Term 2
Tuesday 20 April -
Friday 18 June (concluding at 12:30 pm)
Term 3
Tuesday 13 July -
Friday 17 September (concluding at 3:05 pm)
Term 4
Tuesday 5 October -
Friday 19 November
(Year 12 students)
Tuesday 5 October to Friday 26 November
(Years 7-11) (concluding at 12:30 pm)
Tuesday 13 July -
Friday 17 September (concluding at 3:05 pm)
Term 4
Tuesday 5 October -
Friday 19 November
(Year 12 students)
Tuesday 5 October to Friday 26 November
(Years 7-11) (concluding at 12:30 pm)
Mt St Michael's College Merchandise
Available at the Secondhand Uniform shopFabric Tote Bag with words $12
Handtowel $5
Both items for only $15 (save $2)
Fabric Tote Bag also available at The Kaf
Parents are reminded, for the safety of everyone, to DROP students off in the LOADING ZONE area outside the Ionian Centre and avoid areas marked with yellow lines which is against road safety rules. This is dangerous as it blocks other driver’s visibility and obstructs cars from moving around.
Onsite parking in the College grounds; Grantuly, undercover in the Ionian Centre and within the campus near the Sophia Centre is only permitted for staff. In consideration of our neighbours, please refrain from parking across driveways, adhere to the 40 km speed limit and be considerate of those living around the College when dropping and picking up students. Please do not drop off or pick up students within the College grounds.
In consideration for our neighbours, where possible please avoid leaving your motor running, especially when parked outside a home.
In consideration for our neighbours, where possible please avoid leaving your motor running, especially when parked outside a home.
Important Links
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Mt St Michael's College - MSM News
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Mt St Michael's College
67 Elimatta Drive
Ashgrove, QLD 4060
Australia
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Mt St Michael's College - MSM News
Our mailing address is:
Mt St Michael's College
67 Elimatta Drive
Ashgrove, QLD 4060
Australia
Add us to your address book