Congratulations to our students on your achievements during the year. I am privileged to watch you grow “in faith and love” each day. I would also like to acknowledge our wonderful staff of MSM, teaching and non-teaching. Your passion for our students is evident in all that you do. Thank you!
At our Advent Liturgy today we gave a blessing to our staff members who are leaving our community. I would like to thank and acknowledge the following staff for their valued contributions to the MSM community:
- Mr Fabrice Alleaume – French Teacher
- Ms Annabel Bolton – English and Humanities Teacher
- Ms Ash Carey – Psychology and Mathematics Teacher
- Mrs Willie Coleman – Human Resources Officer
- Mr Mark Elliot – ICT Officer
- Ms Carmel Hickey – Science and Mathematics Teacher
- Ms Karen Murry – School Officer Art Support
- Ms Aura Parsons – Humanities Teacher
- Mr Declan Ryan – Physical Education and Mathematics Teacher.
A special thank you to Ms Kathy James, College Psychologist, who is retiring after 16 years of service to MSM. Kathy has supported countless students and their families over the years, and we wish her every blessing for the next exciting chapter of her life.
We look forward to welcoming back Ms Alison Larkings (Program Leader - Middle School) who has been on long service leave this term. I would like to thank Ms Caitlin Conway (Acting Program Leader - Middle School) and Ms Natalie Mc Masters (Acting Year 8 Pastoral Leader) for their dedication to their acting roles this term.
In Term 1, 2025 we have five staff members who will be enjoying some well-deserved long service leave. We wish Ms Paege Bellet, Mrs Madonna Kelly, Mrs Sandra Mannion, Mrs Maree Swanson and Ms Rebecca Valmadre a relaxing and rejuvenating break.
Today students have received the 2024 College Magazine “Voices”. This is a tremendous historical record of our 99th year. Thank you to students, staff and other members of our community who have contributed articles. A huge thank you to Ms Terri Braur and Ms Danielle Ferris for the countless hours that they spent bringing our yearbook together.
Thank you for your generous support of our St Vincent de Paul Christmas Appeal. I am always overwhelmed by the way our community responds. Thank you for making Christmas special for those vulnerable people in our society.
It is with great excitement that I look forward to sharing our centenary year next year. As our planning for 2025 continues a reminder that enrolment applications for Year 5 2026 and Year 7 2028 close on Friday 24 January 2025. Details are available on our website.
Thank you for being part of our College family this year. May your Christmas be filled with joy, peace and the warmth of loved ones. I wish you a safe and blessed holiday season, filled with relaxation and happiness.
In Faith and Love
Sharon Volp
The assembly commenced with a very interactive showcase of Year 7 music games, highlighting the creativity and enthusiasm of music classes, setting an energetic theme for the rest of the assembly. We celebrated the achievements of our academic enrichment co-curricular groups including the Junior Space Design Competition and our QAMT Year 7 and 8 Mathematics Quiz State Final participants. Year 9 students continued to share their leadership experiences from Altitude Day, involving the audience in a Mexican wave, creating a sense of unity, followed by a Christmas Just Dance. Year 8 Dance students shared their Community Dance project at St Vincent’s Aged Care home focusing on using dance as a form of communication and connection. Thank you to Mrs Devenish-Meares for her overall coordination of the Assembly.
As we reflect on the past year, we are deeply grateful for the partnership and support of our parents. Your collaboration has been instrumental in fostering a thriving and nurturing environment for our students.
I would also like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to our staff for their unwavering commitment and tireless efforts. Their dedication to excellence and passion for education have made this year truly remarkable.
Thank you to our students for your continued efforts for making this year a memorable one.
Wishing everyone a joyous and holy Christmas. May this festive season bring you peace, happiness, and cherished moments with your family and friends.
Advent Blessings and Christmas Joy
At this time of the year, as we hang our lights, decorate our trees and watch our favourite Christmas movies, we also come together with the people that we love. We talk about the Christmas spirit, and we celebrate generosity, kindness to strangers and pray for peace.
We know that peace is difficult to find at the moment. Once again, our world finds itself on the brink of war, with people made homeless and the rhetoric of hatred ringing through the streets.
But it doesn’t have to be that way.
The Christmas story reminds us of the inherent goodness of human beings: Joseph and Mary, whose love and courage brought Jesus safely into the world; the people of Bethlehem who helped them to find shelter; and the wise men and shepherds who placed their trust in the light of the night star and the word of God.
At the heart of the Christmas story is a tiny, innocent child, who becomes a symbol of God’s eternal love for his people. As each visitor to the manger gazed into the eyes of the tiny baby, they found peace and hope.
Mother Teresa once said, “It is Christmas every time you let God love others through you.”
As we close the 2024 academic year, it is our sincere prayer that in this Christmas season, we may open our hearts to others, particularly those who need our compassion and care.
A year of Compassion
Across the course of 2024, our staff and students have been exceptionally generous, remaining faithful to the mandate of the Sisters of Charity to courageously and creatively serve the poor in our midst. Our philanthropic giving across the year speaks strongly to this. Here are a few highlights:
- $17,528 to Project Raise the Roof, to help a person transition from modern slavery to safe housing and meaningful work,
- $2,897 to Zephyr Education, a Queensland Charity that provides school supplies to children in domestic violence shelters. These funds were raised by our Interact group across Term 4,
- $2,500 to Downs & West Community Support, raised by our Year 12 students at their Charity Ball,
- $600 to the Romero Centre, raised by our Year 9 students through their Welcome Walk,
- $500 to Project Compassion.
- 6 boxes of sanitary items to Share the Dignity
- 150 home made pies and 100 individual meals to St Vincent de Paul Inala
- 30 towel and washer packs to Downs & West Community Support
- The largest donation to the Vinnies Christmas appeal we have made yet!
Our wonderful Middle School Choir students visited patients and residents at St Vincent's Kangaroo Point this week, performing a concert of new and familiar Christmas songs to bring some festive cheer to patients and aged care residents. Sincere thanks to our generous students, and our wonderful Choir staff, Ms Kaitlin Littlewood and Ms Jerica Lau, for bringing the hope and joy of Christmas to our friends at St Vincent's.
I would like to sincerely thank our generous staff and students who have given so much to support Mission life of the College.
I wish you and your family every blessing for a peaceful Christmas.
Our students have demonstrated remarkable prowess in their examinations, with many achieving excellent results across various subjects. Their success is a result of consistent effort, guided by our dedicated teachers who have provided unwavering support throughout the year. While academic achievements are a significant aspect of our students' growth, we also celebrate their holistic development. This year, students have actively engaged in extracurricular activities, including sports, arts, and CAN groups, demonstrating a well-rounded approach to education. The integration of Catholic values has guided them to become compassionate, ethical, and responsible individuals.
None of these accomplishments would have been possible without the dedication and expertise of our college staff. Their commitment to nurturing each student’s potential, providing personalised support, and fostering an environment conducive to learning has been instrumental in our students' success. We are grateful for their tireless efforts and passion for education.
As we look forward to the next academic year, we are excited about the potential that lies ahead. We are committed to providing a supportive and challenging environment that encourages every student to reach their full potential.
In closing, I would like to extend my congratulations to all our students for their remarkable achievements. I would also thank the parents, guardians, and wider school community for their ongoing support. Together, we celebrate the triumphs of this year and look forward to many more successes in the future.
The College was a buzz of excitement as we welcomed our first cohort of Year 5 students joining us in 2025 for their Orientation Morning. Students and their families were welcomed and introduced to key staff members who will share the journey with them in 2025. Year 4 students participated in ball games in the Sophia Centre and a reading activity in the MSM Library before enjoying morning tea and getting to know new friends. Our Year 8 ‘Big Sisters’ then joined our Year 4 students for a ‘getting to know you’ activity and Just Dance to round out an enjoyable morning.
The Sophia Centre was alive with excitement as students and staff participated in the last fundraising event for the year. There was a wide range of stalls including succulents in hand-painted pots, reindeer bags, lavender hearts and handmade cards, a sausage sizzle, icy poles, soft drinks, lollies, baked items and candy cane delivery. All money raised will support the Zephyr Education Foundation Australia.
MISSIONS OF ST VINCENT
Our College community has once again generously supported this year’s SVDP Christmas Appeal. Our Missions of St Vincent students tirelessly worked to pack hampers that will be distributed to the Ashgrove and The Gap St Vincent de Paul Chapters to help vulnerable community members this Christmas season. Thanks to our wider MSM family for their generous support of this important appeal.
Year 9 Digital Technology in Term 4 undertook a fun and creative project: designing and 3D printing tote bag holders. We started by exploring various designs, focusing on strength, usability, and aesthetics. Through research and image boards, we combined the best ideas to create unique designs.
Next, we measured desks around the school to ensure a perfect fit. This involved lots of hands-on trial and error. The result?
The outcome of our efforts is a series of tote bag holders that are both functional and visually appealing. This project has provided valuable insights and practical experience in design and 3D printing, demonstrating the potential of innovative solutions in everyday applications.
The results were "tote-ally" amazing!
Term 4 provided the opportunity for Year 9 Economics and Business students to individually research earring designs by studying their own collections and researching popular brands. Further research was conducted via a whole class survey to the cohort to identify insight into designs demanded by peers. The next phase of the project allowed students to work in small groups to evaluate all their ideas and designs with data collected from whole class survey to decide and send to 3D Printers one design. Each student received their chosen design, and worked with the teacher to add the final touches to make the 3D print an earring product.
Students were thoroughly engaged in developing an earring product and shared their findings via a multimodal presentation to the teacher as a final response to this task.
During Term 4, Year 10 Religious Education has focused on how core beliefs and practices of the major world religions reflect the mystery of God, which is beyond human understanding. Following submission of their final investigation, classes have been learning about joyful calendrical rituals in each tradition that reflect valuable insights into the idea of the divine or ultimate, including Hanukkah, Eid al-Fitr, Diwali, Vesak and Christmas.
YEAR 9 DANCE STUDENTS TAKE THEIR CHILDREN'S DANCE PRODUCTION ON THE ROAD!
Our talented Year 9 Dance students had the exciting opportunity to visit four local primary schools and share their creative and energetic children’s dance production with students from Prep to Year 3. The production, filled with lively movements, vibrant costumes, and engaging storytelling, brought smiles and laughter to young faces as the high school dancers showcased their skills and creativity. A huge congratulations to our Year 9 Dance students for their dedication and hard work in bringing this special production to life, and to the primary schools for welcoming them. It was a wonderful and rewarding experience to close out 2024 in curriculum Dance.
The purpose of these visits was not only to entertain and inspire a love of dance, but to also educate the younger students about building positive relationships. Our Year 9 dancers performed with enthusiasm and passion, engaging with the children through interactive elements of the show. The young audience was captivated by the dancers' performances and were clapping along in encouragement.
These performances also gave the Year 9 students a chance to demonstrate the value of teamwork, discipline, and dedication, as they worked together to create a dynamic and professional performance. For the primary school students, this was a fantastic opportunity to witness the joy of dance and learn about building healthy and strong friendships. Many of the children and their teachers expressed their excitement after the performances.
Thank you to our MSM families who have purchased a heart in support of our Light the Way Capital Campaign.
Funds raised will be used to support college initiatives, ensuring that future generations of Mt St Michael’s students can receive the very best education.
All donations are tax-deductible and heart plaques will be mounted and blessed on Mary Aikenhead Day.
- “Back to MSM” Alumni Reunion Day – Saturday 22 March at MSM.
We look forward to welcoming back all MSM Alumni for this day of celebration.
- Mary Aikenhead Day Mass – Friday 25 July at 12noon.
All members of the MSM Community are invited to join us for this very special mass to be held at Riverlife Baptist Church.
- Centenary Gala Dinner - Saturday 26 July.
More details to come!
As we begin to plan for the upcoming academic year, we kindly ask that you inform us if your daughter will not be returning to the College next year. It is crucial for our planning and resource allocation that we have an accurate count of returning students.
Please contact Monica Elmer, our College Registrar, at [email protected] to let us know if your daughter will not be re-enrolling. The deadline for this notification is Thursday, 12th December. Your prompt response is greatly appreciated and will help us ensure a smooth and efficient planning process for the next academic year.
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
67 Elimatta Drive
Ashgrove, QLD 4060
Australia
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