This term has been filled with numerous achievements and learning experiences, including preparing for assessment, immersion in Community Action Network groups, preparing for finals in sport and performance in the Arts. It is all about commitment and passion for achieving excellence in all aspects of college life.

Co-Curricular Activities:

Debating
Congratulations to our Year 9.1 Debating Team, Sofia, Matilda, Emily, Oliva and Lyla who have debated their way to the finals. This is a remarkable achievement and a testament to their hard work, dedication, and exceptional debating skills. On the evening of the finals, our team showcased their prowess in argumentation, critical thinking, and public speaking. They faced tough competition and delivered compelling arguments with confidence and poise. As runners-up, their performance was nothing short of outstanding.

Maths Quiz
We wish students competing in the Middle School Ethics Olympiad and QAMT Year 7 and 8 Maths Quiz all the best in competitions next week.

Post Schooling Interviews
Year 12 students have reflected on their progress and discussed further goals and aspirations in their Post Schooling interviews. These interviews are invaluable in helping our students have conversations about their career goals. We thank Ms Anna Webb for her guidance through this process.

It is difficult to believe that in just a few short weeks, our Year 12 students will commence their mock exams block, signalling the beginning of the final phase of their MSM journey. The prayers and good wishes of our entire community will remain with them during the months ahead.

This signals, too, the changing of the seasons for our community. With our Year 12 students now firmly focused on their exams, it is time for our Year 11 students to step up and assume responsibility for leadership at the College. We warmly congratulate all incoming members of the Student Leadership Team for 2025, and trust that they will capably lead our College into our Centenary year.

I would like to thank our 2024 College Captains Adelaide and Mia, and our Mission Captains Anabelle and Chiara for their hard work. They have capably led our community  and have demonstrated integrity, compassion and great love.

Special thanks, also, must go to the wonderful students who led our CAN groups throughout 2024:

• Social Justice Council: Elsa L, Keira H and Ivy D
• Missions of St Vincent: Jess V, Sophie G and Tully C
• Interact: Ellen F, Finlay S, Georgia O and Astrid L
• Environment Group: Yasina E and Eboni C
• Sisters Empowering Sisters: Zara B, Georgina O and Tully C

In the coming weeks, we will be holding elections for 2025 Leaders, and we wish them all the very best for this process.

Time to Get Flourishing!
It is with unparalleled excitement that the OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) have replaced the education imperative of ‘Human Capital’ with ‘Human Flourishing’. After over 15 years in development, the positive psychology end point of ‘Flourishing’ has finally been acknowledged as an inarguable necessity for the future of humanity and not simply a warm and fuzzy ideal. An accepted definition of flourishing has been published by preeminent scholar Professor Tyler Van der Weele of Harvard’s Shine Institute:

“The relative attainment of a state in which all aspects of a person’s life are good,
including the contexts in which that person lives.”
(Van der Weele, 2017, Van der Weele and Lomas, 2023).

 At Mt St Michael’s we are ahead of the game, having had a Positive Education Programme in place for 12 years. As a staff we are working to revitalise what we are already doing and are committed to promoting a Flourishing Community. In a recent interactive Professional Development session our staff identified what their hope was for MSM students. Below is an image of what are truly heartfelt and noble aspirations for your daughters. With teachers like this, a flourishing future is the destiny of our MSM girls.

As we approach the end of week 7, students should be starting to think about their end of term examinations. To help them prepare for these assessments, they should be creating a study schedule to allow them to revise continually to eliminate panic prior to examinations.

To create a study schedule, the first thing that your daughter needs to do is ascertain exactly what examinations that she needs to prepare for. This information is contained on her Assessment Calendar, available in Student Cafe.

When creating her study schedule, your daughter needs to clearly identify when her examinations are occurring, what her dedicated study times will be as well as include all other commitments that will have an impact on her time.

It is important to note that there is no “right” way to make a study schedule. Your daughter’s study schedule will need to be personalised based on the examinations that she needs to prepare for as well as the time she is able to devote to it. The following tips may assist your daughter to create a study schedule.

#1: Evaluate your daughter’s current commitments – Use a calendar to identify your daughter’s upcoming commitments over the next three weeks. This needs to include when she will be doing her homework, co-curricular activities as well as family commitments. This will let her see how much of her time is already committed, and what time she has available for studying. If her current commitments leave her little room for studying, she may need to evaluate what she can cut back on for the next three weeks, or what she needs to rearrange to have more open time for studying.

#2: Develop a study schedule – Now that your daughter can identify what time she has for studying, she needs to schedule her study sessions. Add her study sessions to her calendar like any other commitments. This ensures that she remembers this is time set aside specifically for studying. Use her assessment calendar and identify the subjects that she needs to study for the remainder of the term. Plan out which subjects she will study on which day, to ensure that she is devoting enough time to each subject.

#3: Remove distractions – Your daughter needs to ensure that she can focus when studying. All distractions, particularly her mobile phone, should be removed from her environment prior to commencing on her revision. Every time that she is distracted, she will need to re-engage with her revision which will have an impact on her study schedule.

#4: Stick to her study schedule – A study schedule works best when it is followed consistently. Your daughter needs to be realistic when creating her study schedule. She may have to adjust it each week, depending on what she accomplishes as well as once she has completed her examinations. Remember, the most important thing is sticking to her schedule!

#5: Maintain accountability - Some students find it helpful to study with another student, as it provides accountability, as well as opportunities for discussion and collaboration. When creating her study schedule, check with other classmates to determine if she can coordinate study sessions with them. However, if your daughter tends to socialise more than study when around others, it is recommended that she stick to an independent study schedule. If she does have a study partner, make sure it is someone with whom she is likely to stay on task.

I wish all students the very best of luck with their upcoming examinations. If they develop a study schedule and follow this in preparation for their examinations, I am sure that they will be able to demonstrate what they know and can do.