Parent – School Partnerships
Parent-school partnerships foster positive relationships that significantly enhance student learning and wellbeing. These collaborations are centred on student needs and driven by a shared commitment to making a meaningful impact on our students’ education. Key elements of these positive partnerships include:

• Effective and respectful communication
• High expectations for student success
• Community collaboration
• Shared decision-making

These relationships are crucial and allow for positive resolutions during challenging times. Consistent messages from both home and school provide support for students and encourage collaborative approaches for problem solving. Research demonstrates that parent-school partnerships lead to motivation and better student outcomes.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all our parents for maintaining these effective partnerships. Your continued support contributes to a holistic learning environment that promotes and enriches student learning and wellbeing.

Upcoming reminders and events

• CaSSSA Interschool Athletics is on Monday 12 August. 
• Students have two student free days next Thursday 15 August and Friday 16 August. This provides a great mid-term break for students to catch up on assignments and prepare for exams.
• Spirit of the Arts Festival held on Thursday 22 August from 5-8pm.

August is a busy month for our Mission, Formation and Outreach programs. Here is a small taste of some of the wonderful activities and initiatives that have been running at MSM in the last fortnight.

Year 8 Retreat
On Monday our Year 8 students enjoyed a wonderful day of reflection, prayer and friendship at their annual Retreat day. Using the characters and story of the film Frozen, our students reflected on the ways that they can cultivate courage, kindness, positivity and happiness in themselves and each other. Our time together finished with a powerful liturgy, where the students anointed one another, tracing the shape of a heart on the hands or cheek of another person and naming the strengths that they bring to our community. In our Catholic Christian tradition, anointing is a beautiful symbol of welcoming and affirmation, signifying that a person belongs to us. Sincere thanks to Ms Conway, our Year 8 Pastoral Team, Ms Brydon and Ms Vacher for their excellent work at the Retreat.

MSM Chop & ExtravaCANza
As we continue to work towards our fundraising target for Project Raise the Roof, I would like to congratulate our Year 12 students for their involvement with the MSM Chop. In what I have dubbed the “CHOPtravaCANza”, our Year 12 students and CAN Groups combined efforts to host a mega-market day featuring food, music and games. 39 seniors took part in this year’s Chop, cutting or shaving their heads to raise funds for Project Raise the Roof. All hair, lovingly grown over the course of a year, was donated to the Ponytail Project to be made into wigs for people undergoing treatment for cancer.

Fundraising for the MSM Chop will continue for two more weeks, and we look forward to announcing the total funds raised later in the term. If you would like to support the students in their endeavours, you can make a donation via the payment portal on our website.

I would particularly like to thank and acknowledge our wonderful College Captains Mia and Adelaide, and College Mission Captains Chiara and Anabelle, for their leadership of this year’s Chop. My thanks also goes to the Class of 2024 for so beautifully responding to the challenge of our 2024 theme Compassion: the courage to look, the courage to act.

SJC News: Luminous Lantern Parade
On Saturday evening, students from our Social Justice Council represented the College, walking in Multicultural Australia’s Luminous Lantern Parade. MSM has proudly attended the parade for many years and was honoured to walk again this year, carrying the beautiful MSM Blouse Lanterns created by Ms Bateman. The parade was a festival of colour, music and light, featuring performers from many different countries who now call Australia home. I thank Mr Beavon, Ms Carey, Ms Parsons, Ms Wiseman and Ms Vacher, and our wonderful SJC students for their attendance at this important event.

Environment Group News: Micah Shoe Drive
The MSM Environment Group has partnered with Micah Projects, Tread Lightly and the Marist Ashgrove Environment Group to launch a shoe drive. To reduce the number of serviceable shoes going to landfill, the Environment Group is calling on MSM families to clear out their cupboards and donate enclosed shoes to this drive. All shoes of good quality will be donated to Micah Projects, where they will find a loving second home with a person in need. Shoes that cannot be salvaged will be donated to Tread Lightly for recycling. Donations can be dropped into the labelled bins on the Mezzanine level of the Sophia Centre.

SES News: Think Pink Drive
Our Sisters Empowering Sisters have launched their annual Think Pink Drive in aid of Share the Dignity. Period Poverty continues to rise and 1 in 5 Australians have been unable to afford period products at some point in their lives. Share the Dignity aims to provide sanitary products to people who are vulnerable. Throughout the month of August, SES is inviting students in Years 7-10 to donate sanitary products (pads, tampons, menstrual cups or thin washers), using the baskets in their homerooms. In 2023, MSM donated more than 600 items to Share the Dignity, and we hope to meet or exceed this total this year!

Wellbeing and Leadership 
At Mt St Michael’s our beautiful students are blessed with many opportunities to embrace the challenge of leadership. Our Positive Education program offers this privilege and responsibility to our Year 11 students who undertake Coaching with their Year 7 buddies. This year Mrs Paula Brydon has introduced a Leadership Forum for interested Year 10 students which focuses on identifying and developing the characteristics of positive leadership. In addition, we have the formal leadership roles in Year 12 who participate in bespoke Coaching sessions with renowned practitioner, Kate Wilkie. We consider the intentional development of compassionate and confident leaders as part of achieving the goal of flourishing, both for individuals and our community.
 

 Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself.
When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.
Jack Walch, CEO General Electric

 
We are currently in the midst of the discernment process for the 2025, centenary year, Student Leadership Team. As is always the case we have a plethora of outstanding young women who have expressed their commitment to the MSM community and put themselves forward as nominees. We wish each of them all the best of luck in this undertaking and anticipate both a wonderful 2025 SLT and cohort of leaders to take us into the next 100 years of MSM.
  
Bus Fare Reminder 
Brisbane Bus Lines have made several complaints regarding Mt St Michael’s students not paying fares when catching buses to and from the College. Although it is understood that from time to time a Go Card might be forgotten or not topped up, the frequent evasion of fares is not an acceptable behaviour, nor does it align with the values of the College. I would ask that parents speak to their daughters about the importance of honesty and paying for goods or services regarding their bus travel. If your family is experiencing financial difficulties and is legitimately unable to pay bus fares, please contact a member of the College Leadership Team to seek support.

Year 11 and 12 Parent Teacher Conferences
Parent Teacher Conferences for students in Years 11 and 12 will occur next week on Tuesday 13 August. These conferences will be conducted online using Microsoft Teams. If you are unable to attend the session that has been booked, please contact the MSM Help Desk on 3858 4999 or [email protected]. 
 
Booklists for Unit 3 and 4
Parents of current Year 11 students have been emailed the textbook and stationery requirements for Units 3 and 4. We are moving to a new provider, Campion, for 2025. Please be advised that if you purchased a textbook for Units 1 – 4 through Box of Books, Campion will make these available to students from the beginning of Term 4. Orders for Units 3 and 4 must be placed by Friday 23 August 2024 for students to receive them in time for the commencement of Unit 3 in Term 4.  
 
All information regarding the purchase of textbooks and stationery for Units 3 and 4 can be found on our College website, under 'Resources for Parents > 2025 Textbook & Stationery Requirements'. Please click here to refer to the information from Campion about how to order your student’s resources. 
 
If Year 11 students are still contemplating subject changes, I would encourage them to make contact with Mrs Kean, Program Leader - Senior School, in the next few weeks as all subject changes need to be finalised by the end of Term 3. Students are not able to make subject changes across Units 3 and 4.