As the term draws to a close, it is heartening to reflect on the remarkable commitment and resilience our students have displayed. The Year 12 theme "Aspire To Be More in 2024" has truly resonated, inspiring a surge in co-curricular participation and a dedication to excellence that has fostered a community of growth and learning. Congratulations to all our students for a term well spent, embodying the spirit of confidence and commitment.  
 
The second Careers Day for Year 10 students, held on Thursday 6 June, was a significant event that provided valuable insights into their future academic journeys. Engaging with Curriculum Leaders, the students explored the variety of subjects available for their senior years, aligning their choices with their aspirations and the SET Plan process. The Tertiary Expo, hosted in the Sophia Centre during lunch, offered a practical opportunity for students to delve deeper into their interests and goals. They received valuable advice on courses and career paths from various institutions, equipping them with the knowledge to make informed decisions for their senior years and the world beyond school.

Next Thursday all students are encouraged to attend the MSM Interhouse Athletics Carnival at UQ. This is a wonderful day for bonding and appreciating the spirit of friendly competition. The day is always filled with collective energy and cheer to support all athletes. We look forward to hearing individual results and of course the winning House.
 
Japan Trip
On 21 June, 19 students from Years 11 and 12 are boarding a much-awaited flight to Japan. Their first stop is Yokohama to visit our sister school and enjoy a homestay. Then, the group will explore the traditional and modern aspects of Tokyo, Hiroshima and Kyoto. Thank you to Mrs Sue Wiseman and Mrs Natsuko Kawakami for joining our students on this very exciting trip.

Staffing Updates
We wish the following staff all the best for a well-deserved break in Term 3 as they embark on Long Service Leave:

  • Ms Carmel Hickey
  • Ms Caroline George
  • Mr Peter McFadden

Mrs Jo Devenish – Meares will also be taking leave in Term 3. Congratulations to Ms Natalie McMaster who will be acting Year 7 Pastoral Leader for Term 3.

I would like to express my gratitude to our committed staff for their unwavering dedication and wish everyone a restorative break, filled with relaxation and joy. Looking ahead to Term 3, we eagerly anticipate welcoming our students back, ready to embark on the next chapter of our learning journey.

In Faith and Love

Ros Collier

UPCOMING EVENTS
2024 CAREERS CONVERSATIONS BREAKFAST WITH MSM ALUMNI
Join MSM Alumni for a light breakfast and gain insight into their personal journey from MSM to their chosen career pathway. Throughout the morning you and your student will be given the opportunity to speak to several Alumni from varied industries. We hope by connecting current students with College Alumni it will assist in subject selection for 2025. This event is open to all MSM students, regardless of year level.
2024 P&F MOTHERS' LUNCH
Tickets for the much anticipated MSM Mothers' Lunch will go on sale on Tuesday 9 July. Gather your friends and organise a table. Tickets will sell fast!

Can you support our 2024 Mothers' Lunch Raffle?
The P&F Association is seeking donations of raffle prizes to support their event. If you, your business or family can support this event in donating valuable products and services, we would love to hear from you.

The funds raised at the 2024 Mothers’ Lunch are directed to the MSM Foundation’s Light the Way Capital Campaign to assist the enhancement of new educational facilities for our MSM students.

For more information, please contact pandf@msm.qld.edu.au 

WIN $2500 CREDIT TOWARDS TUITION FEES paid in advance….  

Don’t miss out on the chance to win – buy your tickets now!  The Raffle closes Tuesday 11 June with the winner to be drawn on Wednesday 12 June at 10AM AEST.  *Terms and conditions apply  

Every member of the Mt St Michael’s community, past and present is invited to purchase a heart and help us light the way for future generations.

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.

COLLEGE LEADERSHIP TEAM

I return to our MSM Community refreshed and renewed after a wonderful month in Ireland, where I participated in a Retreat and the Mary Aikenhead Ministries Pilgrimage. It was humbling to follow in Mary’s footsteps, tracing the story of the Sisters of Charity from Mary’s birthplace in Cork, to her ministry in Dublin. Along the way, we were warmly welcomed by Irish Sisters who were happy to share stories of their ministry over cups of tea and endless plates of scones!

I was greatly moved by a visit to the Convent in Harold’s Cross, where Mary Aikenhead’s room has been lovingly maintained. There I saw the desk from which she wrote more than 3000 “begging” letters, urging the great and notable of Dublin to consider the needs of the poor. Some of her letters are maintained at the Congregational archives. Ever practical, and eager to economise, she used paper sparingly, and frequently reused paper for correspondence, writing sideways on used sheets! I was reminded of a line from Lin Manuel Miranda’s musical Hamilton:
Why do you write like you’re running out of time?
Write day and night, like you’re running out of time?
Every day you fight, like you’re running out of time
Keep on fighting. In the meantime…”


At every point on my Pilgrimage journey, I encountered examples of the Sisters’ courage and enterprise as they sought to advocate for the poor. Using equal measures of creativity and love, they insisted on better outcomes for the marginalised. We are better for their efforts.

I look forward to sharing more of the remarkable story of Mary and the Sisters with our community in the coming months, and I thank Ms Volp for giving me this wonderful opportunity.

Grantuly Day
Congratulations to Grantuly Captain Sophie and our Grantuly seniors on their efforts to celebrate Grantuly Day. Grantuly Day is celebrated in early June, and marks the anniversary of the opening of Grantuly College (as MSM was originally named) on the verandah of Grantuly Homestead in 1925.

Our Grantuly students gathered for a liturgy at the beginning of the day, where house ribbons were blessed and distributed. They enjoyed a shared morning tea, featuring an ever-popular cake from the Golden King Bakery!

MSM Chop Launch
Last week, our College Captains and Mission Captains launched the MSM Chop, a special fundraiser organised by our Year 12 students. 39 students have volunteered to cut or shave their hair in exchange for donations. All proceeds from the Chop will go towards our major fundraiser Project Raise the Roof, and all hair will be donated to the Cancer Council to make wigs for chemotherapy patients.

The Chop will be held in August. If you would like to donate to the Chop, please use the QR Code included below, or visit the payment portal on our College Website.

NAIDOC Week Liturgy
Our term will close next week with a liturgy to mark NAIDOC Week. Although NAIDOC Week will occur early in Term 3, our Year 11 students will be away at their Residential Retreat, so we will celebrate early. The 2024 NAIDOC Week theme is Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, Loud, and Proud! Our liturgy will celebrate the courageous, visionary and transformative women and men who have helped to advance the Reconciliation movement and have championed language, culture and sovereignty.

God of the Dreaming,
We thank you for the voices of your First Nations Peoples,
Raised with wisdom to educate
Raised with anger to transform unjust structures
Raised with longing for a fairer future for all.
These voices are a gift, and they are a blessing.
Help us to listen, to really listen
Even when there is anger,
Especially when there is sorrow or pain,
Help us to understand.
Help us to grow:
That our tomorrow might be better than our yesterday.
In faith and love, we pray,
Amen.

The World Happiness Report 2024 – Our Young People and Positive Education
In 2023 we identified our student wellbeing goal for the foreseeable future as an intentional move to make Mt St Michael’s College not only a school with a brilliant Positive Education program, but a Positive School with Visible Wellbeing. Recently, the World Happiness Report 2024 was published by the Wellbeing Research Centre, Oxford University. The report made for not only interesting but confronting reading. The key takeaway for me however was that at Mt St Michael’s College we are emphatically ahead of the game.

The report presented a thorough analysis of a series of data sets that measured the wellbeing of people across the globe. My primary focus was on the trends in self-perceived wellbeing of young adolescents (10-15), older adolescents (15-24) and specifically girls in high income, developed nations. The best predicator for life satisfaction is identified as subjective wellbeing and emotional health during childhood and adolescence. This recognised norm provided the lens for my reading, with the intentional contemplation of ‘what are we doing about it?’. Despite a considerable dip in wellbeing immediately post Covid19, in Australia and like nations that trend is beginning to reverse and data from 2022 indicates it is correcting. This is good news; however, it is also a call to action. As parents and educators, we are responsible tor ensuring that trajectory continues and informs our practice; how we respond counts.

Positive relationships at home and at school were key indicators of subjective wellbeing in responses from both young and older adolescents. The ability to independently resolve friendship and learning struggles was also highlighted as influencing the contentment of girls. These insights are overwhelmingly affirming and speak directly to the theory and practice of Positive Psychology. The concept of Positive Education is now in its 14th year with MSM introducing the curriculum in 2012. Finland which consistently tops educational outcomes in OECD reports as well as data from the World Happiness Report, has made Pos Ed the foundation of its education system. This is not a coincidence. Positive Psychology and Pos Ed are not passing fancies of sentimental academics, it is essential to the long-term contentment and success of our children.

It is my goal, dare I say mission to expand the practice of Positive Psychology at Mt St Michael’s beyond the Pos Ed classroom, into a visible characteristic of the community. I would invite you to discuss with your daughter her learning in Pos Ed and to engage in reading on the PERMA model yourself. Recently, our Curriculum Leader for Physical Education, Mr Elliot McGarry recommended the following podcast to our wellbeing team from the perspective of a parent. I would encourage you all to have a listen and get on board the PERMA movement. We have the indisputable data regarding the wellbeing of our young people, we have the knowledge of what can enhance that wellbeing. And, we have the responsibility to act.

Listen here: Groundhog Day Ep 079: Groundhog Day & breaking cycles. Pop Culture Parenting.
 
Have a wonderful and safe break!

Semester 2 Parent Teacher Conferences 
Parent Teacher Conferences for Years 7-10 will occur on Monday 8 July 2024 between 10am and 5:30pm. Please note this is a student free day. Teachers will be able to discuss how students have progressed across Semester 1 and provide actionable feedback as we move into Semester 2. The conferences will be conducted in person in the Sophia Centre. If there are any teacher cancellations on the day, due to unforeseen circumstances, parents will be notified via email.

Bookings for Parent Teacher Conferences opened on Tuesday 4 June and will close on Friday 14 June at 3pm. I have sent communications to all families about how to book these important conferences earlier in the week.

NCCD Processes
Every year, all schools in Australia participate in the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD). It is a federal requirement that we advise all families about the collection of this data. The NCCD process requires schools to identify information already available in the school about supports provided to students with disability. These relate to legislative requirements under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and the Disability Standards for Education 2005, in line with the NCCD guidelines (2019).
 
Information provided about students to the Australian Government for the NCCD includes:

  • year of schooling
  • category of disability: physical, cognitive, sensory or social/emotional
  • level of adjustment provided: support provided within quality differentiated teaching practice, supplementary, substantial or extensive.
 This information assists schools to:
  • formally recognise the supports and adjustments provided to students with disability in schools 
  • consider how they can strengthen the support of students with disability in schools
  • develop shared practices so that they can review their learning programs in order to improve educational outcomes for students with disability.

The NCCD provides state and federal governments with the information they need to plan more broadly for the support of students with disability. The NCCD will have no direct impact on your child and your child will not be involved in any testing process. The school will provide data to the Australian Government in such a way that no individual student will be able to be identified – the privacy and confidentiality of all students is ensured. All information is protected by privacy laws that regulate the collection, storage and disclosure of personal information. To find out more about these matters, please refer to the fact sheet below.

Further information about the NCCD can be found on the NCCD Portal at https://www.nccd.edu.au

Subject Information Evenings
As we start to look to Semester 2, we begin to consider the 2024 academic year. Our Year 10 students will engage with their Year 11 Subject Selection Evening on Tuesday 9 July commencing at 5:00pm in the Sophia Centre. The evening will conclude at approximately 7:00pm. This is a very important event that provides detailed information about the QCE system as well as the various pathways on offer to students in the senior years. Students and parents will be able to engage with a variety of subject talks at this event to determine their choices moving forward with a course of study.

On Thursday 18 July, students currently in Year 9 will have their Year 10 Subject Selection Evening. This evening gives students and parents the opportunity to speak with the Curriculum Leaders and subject teachers and ask any questions to allow them to make the best decisions they can for their academic journey. I strongly encourage all students to get involved with these processes to ensure that they are making informed decisions about their 2024 subject choices.

AROUND THE COLLEGE

SOCIAL COMMUNITY STUDIES

Year 11 students had an amazing time visiting Mater Dei to read their self-created books on cyber safety. As a part of Social Community Studies this term, our students researched, wrote, and illustrated their very own books to educate Prep and Year 1 students about how to be safe online. The younger students were a captive audience and took home some valuable lessons about online safety. Incredibly proud of their creativity and community spirit – well done Year 11! 

HUMANITIES

In Year 8 Humanities our students are undertaking a Civics and Citizenship unit. They took part in a parliamentary-style debate, mirroring the House of Representatives. Divided into Government, Opposition, and Cross Bench, they passionately discussed the topic of school uniforms. Advocates highlighted discipline and equality, while opponents stressed individuality and personal freedom. Through structured debate rounds, including arguments and rebuttals, students sharpened their critical thinking and parliamentary skills. This immersive exercise demonstrated the significance of their civic engagement and democratic participation. 

YEAR 7 THEME LAUNCH

As we approach the end of the Year 7 students’ first Semester at MSM we reflect on what has been a full and enriching time. They have been immersing themselves in the MSM story, new friendships new subjects, co-curricular activities and striving to be learners who aspire to be open to new ways of learning to flourish. During the week the Year 7 Homeroom Captains launched our 2024 theme and logo “Open the Door to New Beginnings in 2024”. Congratulations to Ella E and Sinead B who designed the logo. The logo captures a Year 7 MSM student, standing in front of an open door and preparing themselves to step out to the opportunities that lie ahead. 

JAPAN CLUB

A competitive meet was held by Japan Club where teams challenged each other in chopstick competitions and traditional daruma and kendama games. Yoku ganbarimashita! (You did well!)

BUSINESS MARKETS

The Year 10 Economics and Business Venture Unit includes a Market Day each year. This year the products students designed and developed focused on Sustainable Development Goal # 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production.  

Students pitched their products during Week 4 this term which also included the setting of group goals and using data and information from a whole school survey that students and teachers responded to.  

During the course of the term, Students in Year 10 Economics and Business developed marketing strategies and manufacturing plans from their class learning and, as a second task following the Markets evaluated their performance to ensure strategies and plans aligned with the Sustainable Development Goal, and their group goals.  

Products and Services at the Inaugural MSM World Environment Day Market included beautiful bracelets, ribbons, bath bombs, luxurious lip and body scrubs, charming layered succulent jars, a fun photo booth and hand pressed flower bookmarks. Proceeds of the MSM World Environment Day Market will be donated to our 2024 major project “Raise the Roof”. 

Students and Teachers of Year 10 Economics and Business sincerely thank the Maintenance Team, Mr Cooper, The Administration Team and the College community members who generously supported the Market. 

TEACHER V STUDENT DEBATE

The MSM Teachers' team triumphed over the Students' team in a spirited debate on whether schools should be more like universities. The Students' team argued for increased autonomy, flexible scheduling, and earlier specialisation to better prepare students for higher education and the job market. They believed that a university-like approach would enhance student engagement and time management. However, the Teachers' team effectively countered these points, emphasising the importance of a structured environment for adolescent development, the value of a broad-based education, and concerns over equity and access. 

  

The judges ultimately sided with the Teachers' team, whose arguments were backed by educational theory and a deep understanding of student needs. They highlighted that a traditional school structure provides essential support and a well-rounded knowledge base, crucial for personal growth and informed decision-making. The debate showcased the school's vibrant intellectual culture and the critical thinking skills of both students and teachers, serving as a valuable reference point for future discussions on educational reform. 

FOOD TECHNOLOGY

Year 10 are completing a unit called ‘The Science of Cakes’ where they investigated the chemistry of cake ingredients as well as different icing techniques. Students were challenged to create a cake suited to a dietary requirement and decorate the cake for a chosen celebration using buttercream piping and fondant feature pieces. 

MSM THE ARTS

ART COMPETITION

Providing a supportive platform for young artists, The Brisbane Portrait Prize encourages secondary Visual Art students to think about portraiture in a modern sense, inviting them to participate in the Next Gen Category. We congratulate MSM Visual Art students: Eva (Year 12), Lucy (Year 11), Mia (Year 11), Sienna (Year 11), Ava (Year 10), Ayla (Year 10), Emily (Year 10), Emilia (Year 10), Eve (Year 10), Isabela (Year 10) and Pia (Year 10),  for being nominated for entry into this prestigious competition, and for excellence in contemporary portraiture. Finalists, and Highly Commended works will be announced 20 July 2024. 

Mia W
Sienna G
Isabela C
Emily R
Pia M
Ava D
Ayla D
Lucy M
Eve M
Emilia H
Eva L
MSM SPORT

UHLSPORT SOCCER

It was an exciting afternoon at Mitchelton FC as our Uhlsport and ISSA Cup soccer teams played All Hallows’ in our allocated pool games. Congratulations to our Uhlsport team who have progressed through to the final series of this competition, undefeated in their pool games against Grace Lutheran, Indooroopilly SHS and All Hallows’. Our ISSA Cup team will have their final game on Monday against Indooroopilly SHS and we wish them the best of luck! 

MSM AEROBICS

The MSM Aerobics team had a full dress rehearsal in preparation for their first FISAF Super Series competition tonight. Best of luck girls! 

HIGH PERFORMANCE NETBALL

Congratulations to our high performance netball teams who recently competed in the met north regional Vicki Wilson Netball Cup and Shield competitions. Both teams progressed through their pool rounds undefeated, but bowed out to strong competition in the quarter and semi finals. Both teams have been training and playing together since Term 1 and represented MSM brilliantly in this competition as well as Qld Catholic Cup netball earlier in the term. This season involved both teams competing in the Super 7’s series and practice games against Mt Maria and Brigidine to create the best possible opportunity for our teams to experience success.  We are #MSMProud of their efforts. 

STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTS

Congratulations to MSM Year 7 students Grace R and Sophie M who were both part of the 12 Years Metropolitan North netball team who finished 3rd in the State Championships, held in Toowoomba. 

CAREERS
Careers Newsletter
The latest Careers Newsletter is out now! 

This newsletter is designed to provide you with a snapshot of events, scholarships, study and work options, and some personal skill development ideas. Whilst aimed more towards the Senior School, some of our wonderful Year 9 students may wish to have a read as they start contemplating their futures in our fortnightly careers’ classes.
IMPORTANT NOTICES
ON THE CALENDAR
MSM COMMUNITY

P&F FATHERS’ GOLF DAY

Thank you to the MSM dads and caregivers who attended the 2024 P&F Fathers’ Golf Day. Perfect conditions made for a tight competition and an excellent day! We extend a special thank you to our hole sponsors, Venture Crowd, Clarity Business and IT Solutions and Junior Senior Uniforms for helping to make this day a success. Our thanks is extended to our P&F Association for organising the afternoon's activities. We look forward to hosting again in 2025! 

NOTICES
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
PARKING NOTICE
In the interest of keeping everyone in our community safe and traffic flowing freely, please refrain from double parking in the pick up zone outside the Ionian on Aloomba Road.
IMPORTANT LINKS
Mt St Michael's College
67 Elimatta Drive
Ashgrove, QLD 4060
Australia

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