Newsletter

I would particularly like to welcome our new Year 7 students and their families, with a special welcome to students who are joining our Marist community for the first time.  

I would also like to welcome the following new members of staff to Marist Sisters’ College.

I especially welcome to the College Leadership Team, Mrs Melinda Alvarez and Mr Daniel Ronchetti. They introduce themselves below.

I hold a Masters of Educational Leadership from Australian Catholic University. In the past 8 years, I've worked at Trinity Catholic College, Auburn/ Regents Park. I've held various positions during my time at Trinity, most recently I held the positions of Year 7 Pastoral Care Coordinator and Assistant Religious Education Coordinator. 

I have had more than 15 years experience as an Educator, KLA Coordinator, mentoring and leading high performing teams to deliver sustainable teaching services to students and the school community. 

From 2012 to 2018 I worked at the Good Samaritan Catholic College, Hinchinbrook as the HSIE Coordinator and Leader of Learning - Pedagogy.  From 2003 to 2011 I worked at Aquinas College, Menai as the Pastoral Care Coordinator and HSIE Coordinator.

Congratulations to Fr Kevin Bates who was awarded an Order of Australia (OAM) for his service to the Catholic church in Australia at this years Australia Day Awards.

What a wonderful and special way to acknowledge the significant contribution of Fr Kevin.

The HSC Class of 2018 were acknowledged on Wednesday at our annual High Achiever’s Assembly.

I particularly note Jacqueline Michalopoulos as our Dux with an ATAR of 98.75, an “All Rounder”, achieving a Band 6 in each of her subjects, and placing 4th in the State in Italian Continuers.

Further achievements included:

First in the Diocese: Eliza Jones – English Extension 2, Hee Rim Hah – Music Extension and Jacqueline Michalopoulas – Italian Continuers.

Mari Ohanes selected for the HSC Showcase ART EXPRESS

The Assembly also recognized 36 students with ATAR’s above 90.

Our HSC Class of 2018 placed the College 106 in the schools ranking with 83% of our course results ranked above state average, 33% of students achieving a Band 6 and 81% of students achieving a Band 5.

We were very fortunate to have Teresa Ientile (Class of 1978) at our Assembly to recall her time as a Marist girl and where her Marist education has taken her. Her speech inspired each student to be a courageous Marist woman of action, taking charge of her own destiny. It is our actions and choices in life that reveal who we are and what we value. A great message for our Marist girls.

Our High Achievers’ also provide this same inspiration and example to the rest of the student body. Here at Marist Sisters’ College every student has the opportunity to emulate these achievements. 

I warmly invite parents and carers to attend our Opening College Mass, next Wednesday 13 February 10:00am, at St Mary’s Cathedral.

Please refer to the information recently circulated on Skoolbag alerts.

Prior to teaching, I was a Woolworths Manager for just over 10 years.  I commenced my teaching at Oberon High School where I taught Mathematics. 

I returned to Sydney to take a Mathematics teacher role at St Joseph's College, Hunters Hill.

I'm looking forward to leading the Mathematics Department here at the College.

Most recently I have worked at Presbyterian Ladies’ College, Sydney. 2019 is my 20th year of teaching!

I have had experience as a Head of Drama and as a Coordinator of Creative and Performing Arts. I am a Senior Marker for HSC Drama and an Educational Advisor for the Sydney Theatre Company. I am also the recipient of a ‘Dedicated to the Dedicated’ Scholarship (2017) for my Audio Description (Theatre) work for Vision Australia.

I am stepping into the role of Gifted and Talented Coordinator. I have spent the last 3 years as Head of English at Loreto Normanhurst.

Prior to my time at Loreto I was Assistant Head of English at Shore School from 2006. 

I previously worked at Emmaus Catholic College Kemps Creek as a Mathematics teacher. 

I was involved with and lead the social justice initiatives such as "Walk for Refugees".  I cannot wait to bring my passion of math and social justice to the College.

I worked as a pharmacist and recently retrained to be a Science teacher.

I previously taught science at Holy Cross College, Ryde and St Patrick's College, Strathfield. 

Before taking up my current position at the College as a Technology teacher, I worked at The Ponds High School, also teaching Technology.

Before becoming a teacher I worked in industry as a chef for 4 years, and as a graphic designer where I illustrated birthday cards!

I am looking forward to sharing my experiences and knowledge with all students at the College in 2019.

I have worked within the Marist Community for the past 11 years at St Patrick's Marist College, Dundas and was also educated by the Marist Sisters at Cerdon College, Merrylands.

I have a strong interest in Technology, specifically Food Technology.  I also have experience as a Senior Marker for the HSC Examination and I am the Convenor of the CSSA Trial Examination for Food Technology.

I have a wealth of experience in teaching young women specialising in Visual Arts and Religious Education. 

I have a keen interest in Gifted and Talented, getting to know each individual student's interests and their motivation to learn.

I look forward to working with the students to pursue common goals and achieve outstanding results.

I have completed a Masters of Teaching (Secondary) with the Australian Catholic University and specialised in teaching Studies of Religion, the Religious Education and History. 

While completing my studies last year I taught at St Augustine's College, Sydney and have previously coordinated university courses and presented at conferences in the academic field of Religious Studies. 

I am very excited to join the teaching team at Marist Sisters' College and to contribute to the community of students and staff.

I extend my welcome back to 2019 to all of our returning families and to new families of the College Community. With the many resolutions that we may have made over the Christmas break, my hope is that each of us have a year filled with happiness and success in the aspirations we have for the year.

We have had a fast-paced productive start to the year with orientation to the College for our Year 7 Students and orientation to Stage 6 learning for our Year 11 Students. On Wednesday we celebrated the success of our HSC High Achievers’ of 2018. Yesterday, we spent time with the students assisting them in setting goals for themselves. These events are about a person looking at where they are at the moment and where they want to be in a given period of time. Additionally, it is about looking at where we are now and where we have come from.

With this in mind, it is time to focus on the year ahead and aspire to something that develops us in our learning, our wellbeing, our relationships with each other and our relationships with God.

As we begin this new year, I take this opportunity to remind parents/carers and students of the keys to success in learning and happiness at school.

Firstly, I would like to express my deep gratitude to the students, parents and teachers of the College, who have warmly and generously welcomed me to this wonderful and vibrant community.

I’d also like to thank Miss Mary Kleist for all her tireless preparation for 2019 at the end of last year and I wish her all the best for her well deserved leave this year.

Today we celebrate and remember the life and mission of St Josephine Bakhita, Patron Saint of victims of modern slavery and human trafficking and also Patron Saint of Sudan. Pope Francis has requested Catholic communities worldwide join him in commemorating St Bakhita’s Day on 8 February 2019, the Catholic Anti-Slavery Day.

Pope Francis stated to Participants in the Plenary Session, Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences Saturday, 18 April 2015, “...These new forms of slavery – human trafficking, forced labour, prostitution, organ trade – are very serious crimes, a wound on the body of contemporary humanity. The whole of society is called to grow in this awareness, especially with regard to national and international legislation, in order to prosecute the traffickers and redirect their unjust gains to the rehabilitation of victims.”

Worldwide there is an estimated 40 million victims of these modern forms of slavery that include forced labour, sexual exploitation, domestic servitude, forced criminality and organ harvesting. Modern slavery now ranks as the second most profitable worldwide criminal enterprise. Modern slavery is believed to have effects in every country of the world including here in Australia. The eradication of modern slavery has been a priority of the Catholic Church for some time and the Holy Father believes this can be achieved within this generation.

Below is a brief biography of St Josephine’s life:

“St Josephine Bakhita, also known as ‘Mother Moretta’ (our Black Mother) bore 144 physical scars throughout her life which were received after she was kidnapped at the age of nine and sold into slavery. Such was the trauma experienced that she forgot her birth name and her kidnappers gave her the name Bakhita meaning ‘fortunate’. She experienced the moral and physical humiliations associated with slavery.

In 1882 her suffering was alleviated after she was bought for the Italian Consul. With Italian families Bakhita received kindness, respect, peace and joy.

A change in the family’s circumstances meant that she was entrusted to the Canossian Sisters of the Institute of the Catechumens in Venice. It was there that Bakhita came to know about God whom, ‘she had experienced in her heart without knowing who He was’ since she was a child. She was received into the Catholic Church in 1890, joining the sisters and making final profession in 1896.

The next fifty years of her life were spent witnessing to God’s love through cooking, sewing, embroidery and attending to the door. When she was on door duty, she would gently lay her hands on the heads of the children who attended the nearby school and caress them. Her voice was pleasing to the little ones, comforting to the poor and suffering. Bakhita was a source of encouragement to many and her constant smile won people’s hearts.

Surrounded by the sisters, she died on 8 February 1947.”

Source: http://www.catholic-ew.org.uk/Home/Featured/Features-2018/St-Josephine-Bakhita-Day/St-Josephine-Bakhita3

Over the course of the next two weeks, every Year 7 student will receive a beautiful, new Catholic Youth Bible during one of their Religious Education classes. This special gift is at the heart of our faith, is essential to Catholic ceremony and is the foundation of our personal relationship with God.

St Paul described the importance of the scriptures best in his second letter to Timothy (3:11-17), “All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for showing people what is wrong in their lives, for correcting faults, and for teaching how to live right. Using the scriptures, the person who serves God will be capable, having all that is needed to do every good work.”

Through the next six years, students are required to have these Bibles as they engage with the Religious Education curriculum, but we also hope that they use their Bibles at home and they study it independently as they deepen their connection with our Lord.

Welcome to a new year of Learning at Marist Sisters’ College, I encourage all students to engage with the new learning year with enthusiasm and an open mind to the possibilities that 2019 will bring.

The focus of the College is on the formation of the whole student by caring for the individual to form a balanced academic, spiritual, emotional and physical wellbeing so that students are healthy, happy, engaged and successful. Every student is encouraged to take full advantage of everything the College has to offer both in and out of the classroom and aiming high.

Welcome back to another exciting year filled with new initiatives in the world of Wellbeing here at the College. We continue to work collaboratively within our community to assist each student in helping them to find their compass for Life. Wellbeing plays a significant role here at the College and to accommodate the need of building greater social & emotional skill development, the Colleges strategic approach is based on a 3 tiered structure:

• Whole school initiatives

• Universal year based programs

• Targeted/specialised interventions to support the learning and wellbeing needs of students.

In moving forward, the vision of Wellbeing for 2019 is to foster good relationships and continue to affirm the interdependence that exists between Learning and Wellbeing.

Research is very clear in stating the students will not thrive, flourish nor engage in their learning if they are not at their optimal best. Therefore the question needs to be asked “how well do we know our students?”. To assist us in better understanding our students and their specific needs, we need to be actively integrating in conversations with them.

One of the new whole school initiatives this year in continuing to bridge the fundamental union of student learning with wellbeing is through the process of goals setting. The benefits clearly articulate that it assists in developing self-directed learners, builds positive self-esteem, enables good decision making and prompts problem solving whilst feeling a greater sense of achievement.

On Wednesday 20 February 2019 - 8.30am - 7pm, tutors, parents & student will be involved in a 3 way 20 min interview, which will be taking place in your daughter’s Tutor room here at the College. There will be no classes on this day;  however it is a mandatory expectation that each student between Year 7-12 will attend with their parent(s) and discuss the proposed goals based on the 4 pillars of wellbeing.

Online bookings are now available by clicking on this link: https://www.schoolinterviews.com.au/book/closed?z=I3xa8M.

The code is: 7q8xk

The students have 2 weeks to prepare the necessary scaffold prior to the interviews. Please support your daughter by opening a conversation with her at home around what her goals are for the year ahead and how she intends to achieve them. They will work in partnership with their Tutor and enter the necessary goals into SEQTA Learn so that they can be presented and discussed at length during your interview time. If there are any issues, please feel free to contact the Tutor in the first instance and then the relevant House Co-ordinator.

Last week we welcomed our wonderful Year 7 girls to our House. Our Jaricot House Team meeting on Friday 1 February welcomed new J1 Tutor, Mr Darren Brett to the Tutor Team. Mr Brett brings a lot of enthusiasm and expertise to the team.

We also discussed our House theme for 2019 - ‘Finding your Inner Sparkle’.

We would like to focus on making sure everyone in our House is celebrated and has an opportunity to shine, it may be through a particular hobby, sporting team, curriculum goal or involvement in an extracurricular program. Girls have been asked to think about what makes them sparkle and to set some goals to make this happen across the year.

Please look out for our ‘Jaricot Stars’ as we move across the year, as girls will be recognised in our House Assemblies and through the newsletter. Congratulations to Juanita Koschier, who was in J2, 2018 and recently graduated as she has been awarded from UTS the Bachelor of Information Technology Cooperative Scholarship Program. We wish Juanita well in her endeavours.

Ms Amy Burrage, Jaricot House Coordinator

As we begin a new year, we welcome many fabulous changes!

With those changes, Chanel House welcomes new 2 new Tutors. Mrs Eden Makerry is joining Mr Will Naicker in Chanel 1 as their Tutor on Fridays. Mrs Makerry is a familiar face to the girls and brings a wonderful positivity and energy to Chanel House. Miss Charlotte Askew has joined Chanel 2 as their Tutor for the year. Also a familiar face for our girls with a wonderful spirit and enthusiasm. Welcome Mrs Makerry and Miss Askew to the Chanel family.

Chanel also welcomed our Year 7 2019 students last Thursday 31 January, at our orientation day. We thank our Chanel House Captains, Abbie Lewis and Sophie Gobran, along with our Liturgy Captain Luana Di Stefano and House Ambassadors Chloe Buchanan and Sydny Connolly. These ladies were here to run activities and welcome our Year 7 students before the return of the remainder of our students last Friday. It was a great day getting to know one another and learning all about the College setting and expectations.

At our first Chanel Forum meeting, Tutor groups had some time to get to know their newest members and provide essential information relevant to being part of Chanel and managing the first year of College life here at the College. Chanel house are very excited about the various gifts that our Year 7 group have brought to our family and we look forward to nurturing their journey and seeing them flourish as the years go on.

We have also been busy preparing for the College Swimming Carnival. Chanel’s theme for this year is the ‘Red Devils’. Despite our outfits, we’re promising to bring the light and love at the core of Chanel to each and every day, including the carnival. However, we’re looking forward to an enjoyable day with plenty of healthy competition with the other House groups.

I’d like to extend a congratulations to all of our Year 12 2018 Chanel graduates, who had spectacular HSC results and have gained entry into many incredible courses due to their efforts. I would like to particularly congratulate Jacqueline Michalopoulos of Chanel 6, who was an all-rounder! Jacqueline achieved a band 6 in all of her subjects and is our College Dux! We are so incredibly proud of her and her academic achievement while always bringing kindness and warmth to Chanel House. We wish Jacqueline all the best in all her future studies and endeavours.

Ms Rebecca Bombaci, Chanel House Coordinator

Congratulations Chavoin House Gala Day Winners 2018! Team work, enthusiasm, dedication and supporting your Chavoin sisters resulted in this fabulous result. A huge thank you to our House Captains, Olivia Achie and Amy Shidiak, and all of the Year 12 girls for your leading in such a positive manner. Every girl has shown your blue House Spirit and this starts us off well for a great 2019 year.

Welcome to our Year 7 students who are becoming known in their Tutor Groups and starting to form new friendships. Thank you to the leaders who supported you on your first day; remember you can turn to any of these girls, tutors and staff when needed.

Welcome to Mrs Claudia Calvi to Chavoin 6 who will share the Tutor role with Miss Sera Pollari. A new welcome to the College to Mrs Jo George as Chavoin 3 Tutor. We are looking forward to getting to know all our new community members and sharing our College life with you and developing your understanding of our Marist Patron Jeanne- Marie Chavoin and the symbolism of our House Crest and Motto “Excellence Above Glory”.

For our upcoming Swimming Carnival our costume theme is Ultimate Fighting Chavoin and all Chavoin girls are expected to dress in blue matching the theme. Girls have received from the House Captains an outline of suitable and suggested costume items as well as ensuring as much participation in the pool on the day. Looking forward to a fabulous Chavoin Blue successful year in all areas.

Mrs Louise Kalmus, Chavoin House Coordinator

A very warm welcome back to all members of Perroton House! I would like to particularly acknowledge our new Year 7 students, who had a very eager and enthusiastic start at the College last Thursday on their orientation day. Thank you to the Year 12 leaders who played an integral part of this day. They offered valuable advice, helped to facilitate orientation activities, and ensured that Year 7 knew that they were very warmly welcomed into the College and into Perroton House as their “sisters”.

I would also like to extend this welcome to new staff members joining Perroton this year.  Ms Rastegorac will be a Tutor for P3 on a Wednesday, Ms Jackson will be with P5 on a Tuesday, and Ms Dowdall is the Tutor for P7 in 2019. These Tutors, along with Mr Muller (P1), Ms Hunter (P2), Ms Deacon-Boys & Ms Duncan (P3), Ms Smith (P4), Ms Mathews (P5) and Ms Farrouk (P6) will continue their role in supporting and mentoring the students in their Tutor Groups. We look forward to seeing the girls with their parents to discuss their goal setting and aspirations for 2019, at the “My Marist Compass Goals” interviews in Week 4.

A big congratulations to the Class of 2018, with the students of Perroton House to be commended on their fantastic efforts and achievements. In particular, well done to Michaela Hah (P4) who was nominated for Encore after her successful HSC music performance, and Eliza Jones (P1) who  played first in the diocese in English Extension 2.

At our House Assembly in Week 1, the House Captains introduced the theme of “Aussie” for the Swimming Carnival. The students were given some ideas for costumes, and were encouraged to participate in events. Our house motto of “Courage” was discussed as to how to inspire the members of Perroton House on the day.

We celebrate “Perroton Week” during Week 2-3, which involves fundraising for the Marist Missions, and celebrating our House Patron, Marie Francoise Perroton. Marie Francoise Perroton was  a pioneer of Missionary Sisters of the Society of Mary. She left France when she was 49 , after reading an appeal of South Pacific women for teachers. Marie Francoise gave herself in mission despite the loneliness and the isolation she experienced. She taught daily by loving presence and action,  and expressed a great love of the Eucharist, in daily prayer and in confidence in God and Mary. Convinced that the way to change society is through the women and children, Marie Francoise Perroton is a role model to all of us.

To celebrate this week,  we held a BBQ and a bake sale. The members of Perroton House were very much the master chefs,  bringing in delicious homemade baked goods to sell. Thank you to everyone who helped and contributed towards these great events, and for displaying fantastic House spirit and camaraderie.

Ms Jenna Cremin, Perroton House Coordinator

Dr Dan White has requested the information sheet below regarding the key issues related to the NSW State Election (23 March) and Sydney Catholic Schools be shared with you.

Please download the file below.

Mr Justin Hodges, Leader of Governance and Communication

This article on College life meets The Archbishop's Charter for Catholic Schools - Charter #8

This week auditions were held for the Competitive TDP Dance Ensembles.

Students from Year 7 - 12 are welcome to audition for these groups in Week 3 as well, there are still spots available and communicated to students.

In terms of Open Dance Ensembles, we have two opportunities available. Open means there is no audition required so you just come at the allocated time. These will commence in Week 3 so just come along and enrol at the times below:

Open Dance Technique with Esther Monck will be on Tuesday afternoons from 3:30 - 4:30pm

Open Dance Company with Cristina Speranza will be on Thursday afternoons from 3:30 - 4:30pm.

All students are welcome to join these groups and build their dance technique and performance experience. We recommend doing both sessions to maximise your potential.

An exciting addition to TDP Dance this year is that we have two guest tutors for Contemporary and Hip Hop, Georgette Sofatzis and James Deane. These two industry professionals are resident teachers at Sydney Dance Company and we are so lucky to be given the opportunity to work with and learn from them this year. Thank you to all those dancers who auditioned this week and we look forward to seeing more of you in Week 3.

Ms Mel Cooper - Findlay, TDP Dance Tutor

Junior

Open

MSCW 1 vs Catherine McAuley 2 

MSCW Juniors 14 v St Patrick’s 1