MSM College Captains Lead The Chop!
Our 2023 College Captains and Student Leadership Team have been integral in the many initiatives we have enjoyed at MSM this year. The inaugural MSM Chop on Wednesday is a prime example of their servant leadership, determination and influence. Over 40 girls from Year 12 either cut their hair to shoulder length or shaved their heads to donate their hair to cancer patients and raise money for the Wakitikimi Project.
The event was a celebration of all that makes Mt St Michael’s College such a wonderful place, so full of students with love and compassion motivating them to make a positive impact.
An enormous thank you to all involved, especially Breeze and Emily who had a shared goal and made it happen! Thank you for your spirit, compassion and authentic leadership.
NATIONAL SCIENCE WEEK
To celebrate National Science Week at MSM, students joined our UQ Science Ambassadors to discover the intriguingly stretchy world for slime during lunchtime.
CRAZY HAIR DAY
As part of the Year 12 cohorts fundraising initiative 'The MSM Chop', students were invited to add some spice to their MSM life and wear crazy hairstyles/ribbons with a gold coin donation going to Project Wakitikimi.
STATE JAPANESE SPEECH CONTEST
Congratulations to Year 12 student, Maddy who was a State Finalist in the Japanese Speech Contest. After winning the Senior Section of the Brisbane Contest, Maddy represented MSM at the state level with confidence and poise.
FAREWELL MATHILDE!
With much sadness we farewelled French exchange student, Mathilde. French classes, especially Year 11 were very fortunate to have spent time with Mathilde. The Cavanagh family were wonderful hosts and we hope that Mathilde retains a little MSM spice back in Paris.
YEAR 10 BIOLOGY VISITS QMIR
Year 10 Preparatory Biology students enjoyed an excursion to the Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR) in Herston, participating in the “A Day in the Life of a Scientist” program. Related to their learning of DNA and genetic inheritance students learned a variety of molecular biology techniques in the QIMR teaching laboratory. They masted the use of micropipettes, benchtop minicentrifuges and vortexes, and practiced loading small volume samples into electrophoresis gels. Their new laboratory skills were then put to the test in the final activity where the electrophoresis gel results assisted in determining genetic relationships within a family using the inheritance of the ‘Alu’ polymorphism. Students were then able to construct an accurate family pedigree based on the gel results and their previously learned knowledge of genetics. This was an introduction to how genetic profiling and bioinformatics could be used to inform health outcomes. Students also learned about the work of the QIMR in cancer, infectious diseases, and mental health research.
JAPAN CLUB
Japan Club participants crafted soot sprites - small black balls of soot that wander around empty houses, leaving behind dirt and dust. They are the magical creatures that appear in Studio Ghibli films, “My Neighbor Totoro” and “Spirited Away".
STEWART HOUSE DAY
Stewart House students recently celebrated with a cake and spirit activities. Stewart House was named after Alexander Stewart. In 1928, the Sisters of Charity purchased the Stewart family house to commence what is now Mt St Michael’s College.
2023 SENIORS 100 DAYS CELEBRATION
The countdown has begun for our 2023 Year 12 cohort. With less than 100 days left of their MSM student experience, they are making sure to create amazing memories each day.
YEAR 12 HOSPITALITY HIGH TEA
The Year 12 Hospitality students put together a fantastic High Tea event for their final assessment on Wednesday 23 August. The girls' hard work paid off as they managed to create a wonderful experience that was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone who attended. The high-quality food and the overall elegance of the event contributed to its high-class atmosphere. This assessment provided the students with a valuable opportunity to showcase their skills and creativity in the field of hospitality.
STUDENT V TEACHER DEBATE
On Thursday at lunchtime, the College Academic Captains, Lucy and Elise organised the annual Student vs Teacher Debate! This year the topic was around Lanschool which sparked the interest of many, leading to great support from the student body. The staff team, Mr Koning, Mr Cooper, and Ms Conway delivered passionate speeches based on experience and expertise in the education field. They were challenged fiercely by the student team, consisting of Emily D (Debating Captain), Emily F and Amy, who delivered well-researched and well-written arguments that led them to victory. It was an event enjoyed by all which has hopefully sparked interest for the 2024 Debating season!
EXTRAVANCANZA
The Sophia Centre was a buzz with our MSM family supporting our Term 3 ExtravaCANza! With the traditional sausage sizzle, bake stall and lollie stall, this ExtravaCANza also had Lob-a-Choc and a MSM Chop Photo Booth! The excitement was electric with all proceeds going to our 2023 MSM Charity, Project Wakatikimi.
BOOK WEEK AT MSM
The MSM Library was transformed into a beautiful garden during Book Week to reflect this year’s theme, “Read, Grow, Inspire.”
We kicked off the week with a Book Cover Puzzle competition. Six teams competed fiercely to reassemble the cut-up covers of some of the Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) short-listed and winning books during second break. Each member of the winning team came away with a Book Week themed prize pack and certificate.
On Tuesday, a Bookshop popped up on the Grantuly veranda just in time for students to find a book for MSM READS which ran on Wednesday during extended homeroom time. Every student who borrowed out a book was given a free entry in our “Guess the number of lollipops in the jar” competition. Congratulations to Maggie from 7A who correctly guessed that there were exactly 100 lollipops! Our Library Instagram competition asked students to correctly name one of this year’s award-winning books and Luella from 8C took away a $10 KAF voucher for being the first to do so.
Wednesday was also Australian School Library Day, and MSM donned their most flowery finery, as we raised funds for project WAKATIKIMI. At morning tea, the MSM Staff gathered to share a delicious Book Week cake and during lunchtime a small but dedicated group of students gathered in the library to make paper origami flowers. We also thank the Staff and Middle School homeroom classes who wrote down the title of a book that has inspired them, and all these responses will be collated into a new display for the M Block noticeboard.
Book Week finished with the announcement of our Bookmark competition winners. Students were invited to create their own “Read, Grow, Inspire” bookmark. We received many beautiful hand drawn and computer generated entries and after much deliberation decided to award four $10 KAF vouchers to the following students: Ava-May 7E , Eva 7B, Julia 9C and Abegail 10A.
Thanks especially to the wonderful Library team who put in an enormous effort to create such engaging displays, activities, and competitions for our MSM community. You really do inspire us to read and grow and we look forward to celebrating Book Week with a new theme in 2024.
MSM V MARIST VOLLEYBALL
On Monday afternoon Marist hosted our MSM team to a volleyball clash – their aim to even the score after their big loss to MSM in netball during Term 2. Our girls fought hard but Marist got the better of us on the volleyball court to win the game 2 sets to 1. Our cheer squad was loud and proud and the energy in the Marist hall was electric. A fun time was had by all and we are very grateful to Marist for hosting this game. Overall we end 2023 in a series draw 1-1.
YOGA AT MSM
Yoga at MSM is an opportunity provided to students as part of our social sport program during Term 3. It is a relaxing and mindful way to participate in physical activity and run by our very own “Colonel” here at MSM. The girls always enjoy this experience in a safe and comfortable environment with their friends during Term 3.