Acknowledgement of Country
From the Principal
I don’t think we could fit much more action into the last two weeks of the school year if we tried! SAC Spectacular was such a resounding success, a festival of energy and colour that had us all spellbound. Thank you to Eloise Griffiths, who always bring together such a brilliant program, to Fiona Turner and the Music team, and to all the Primary staff and specialist teachers who created such diverse performances. It is one of the major highlights of our school calendar, and I am so grateful to all the students, staff and parents who make it all happen year after year.
A few days later, we welcomed our friends from Chancery Lane and the new 2023 Reception students to the Primary Assembly. With the Year 2 floats in our Christmas pageant and each primary class performing a musical number, it was like a mini-Spectacular! Thanks to the many parents who came along to enjoy this event.
This week the students have enjoyed an Activity Day that took them all over Adelaide, year level gatherings and a Reception to Year 9 Christmas Liturgy and Assembly. None of these memorable moments would be possible without the hard work and dedication of our amazing teachers and support staff. Their constant commitment to making every day a special one is an absolute gift to the school and our students and I am deeply grateful.
Wishing all our students, staff and families a joyful Christmas and a Happy New Year. Looking forward to seeing you all in 2023.
Ms Paddy McEvoy
Principal
SAC Spectacular Recording
Did you Enjoy the show?
Order your $15 digital download via the following link:
https://SACA.formstack.com/forms/2022_sac_spectacular_digital_download_order_form
Year 3 Sacrament of Reconciliation Certificate Presentation
Year 3 students were pleased to receive their certificates acknowledging their Sacrament of Reconciliation. This Sacrament of Healing was celebrated by Fr Peter & Fr Matthew on 24 October in the St Francis Xavier Cathedral. Certificates were presented by Mrs Sandra Sofia assisted by Miss Isabella Deluca. Students will now progress to preparing and celebrating the Sacraments of Confirmation and First Holy Communion in 2023.
Meet Mia, SAC Student named SA's Young Historian
If you could choose to learn about any Australian historical figure, who might it be? For Year 12 student, Mia Konopka, the answer is clear: Gough Whitlam, Australia’s 21st Prime Minister, who held Office from 1972 until his infamous dismissal in 1975.
Intrigued by Whitlam’s political legacy, Mia saw a golden opportunity to broaden her knowledge about the impact of his leadership when her Modern History teacher, Ms Elizabeth Heuzenroeder, encouraged her to enter the 2022 National History Challenge. Mia was subsequently named the SA Young Historian and she also won in a Special Category – Democracy Matters.
The National History Challenge is a prestigious awards scheme organised each year by the History Teachers’ Association of Australia (HTAA). Students from primary and secondary schools all over the country are encouraged to participate by constructing an engaging research-based project that links to a specific theme for that year’s challenge. The theme for 2022 was ‘Causes and Consequences’ and Mia’s winning essay explores how reform introduced by Whitlam in the 1970s sparked conversations about social issues in the Australian political sphere.
Mia’s impressive use of both primary and secondary sources, her clear expression, fluency and engagement with her chosen topic made her entry a clear standout.
When reflecting on her participation in the competition, Mia remarked: “I think it’s good to go beyond what the scope of what we learn in the curriculum. It gives students opportunities to look at things they are interested in rather than just what is taught in class.”
“I first entered the competition in Year 10. I wrote an essay about Muriel Matters [Australian Suffragist] and it helped me discover an interest in politics.”
Participation in competitions such as the National History Challenge, as well as giving students the chance to broaden their interests, equips them with an array of skills that set them in good stead for the future.
Ms Elizabeth Heuzenroeder is on the Committee for the HTAA and says, “it helps students to develop really good critical thinking skills and extends ones who want to be extended and challenged and gives them the opportunity to try something different.”
Elizabeth accompanied Mia to Canberra for the National Presentation last month, where Mia spent time with students from all over Australia who share her passion for history. During their three-day visit of the nation’s Capital, they toured the National Archives, the National Museum of Australian Democracy, Parliament House and the Australian War Memorial.
Mia’s favourite activity? “Visiting the National Archives. They have the original draft of the Constitution, they had the signed document that amended the Constitution from the 1967 referendum to include Indigenous Australians. They also had a lot of interactive sources as well. And they had a whole section based on what I had written my essay on.”
Mia, who has attended St Aloysius College for all of her schooling, is now preparing to step into her new life as a university student, with hopes of studying a STEM Course at the University of Adelaide next year. However, she knows that her love for humanities, plus her commitment to integrating social justice with politics, won’t wain.
Thanks to studying history, Mia says she can, “link a lot of our learning at school to things that are happening in the real world; for example, learning about the Cold War and how it connects to the current situation in the Ukraine,” which goes to show that looking back on past milestones to understand their ‘Causes and Consequences’ can help society to progress.
We congratulate Mia for her success in the National History Challenge and thank her for her school spirit, and we wish her well with her next journey as a university student!
You can read Mia’s winning essay here: Mia-Konopka-SA-YH.pdf (historychallenge.org.au)
Chinese Singing Competition
Year 9 students, Charlotte and Mikayla, have won the first prize of the Friendship Cup Chinese singing Competition. The award ceremony was on Saturday 3 December 2022 at Elder Hall in the University of Adelaide. This competition was held by the Australia-China Cultural Promotion Association and sponsored by Adelaide University Chinese Students’ Association and a range of local Chinese business. Charlotte and Mikayla have received trophies and certificates from the Adelaide Consul-General of China, Ms Lanjing He. They have also received $588 gift cards. It was great opportunity for students to celebrate and showcase their Chinese learning journey.
Silver Duke of Edinburgh Adventures
The Silver Duke of Ed team set off from Cape Jervis (head of Heuzenroeder Trail) for a 14 kilometre hike to campground in Deep Creek Conservation Park. They visited Blow Hole Beach along the way and took a well-earned rest, before their final 4 kilometre trek to campground. A wash and a swim at Normanville Beach was the perfect way to finish off an awesome camp!
From the Digital Technologies Coordinator
Arch D Podcasting Awards
The 2022 Arch D Podcasting Awards were hosted at Sacred Heart College to celebrate the achievements of CESA students as one big podcasting community. The red-carpet event was lively, with a 70’s disco theme.
Congratulations to Year 9 students, Grace, Chloe & Olivia, who won The Most Creative Podcast (Middle) category for their podcast titled Eshay Bah. I was also presented with one of two StaffCaster awards, by Arch D Radio and Podcasting.
I would like to further congratulate the following Year 9 students for making it onto the very short nomination list for awards. No more than 5 people/teams were nominated in any of each of the award categories, with over one thousand students participating in the program. What an amazing achievement!
PODCASTER OF THE YEAR (MIDDLE): An award for a student that demonstrated leadership within their podcasting community, elevating the quality of both their own and other’s podcast work to the highest standard.
Revathi
PODCAST EPISODE OF THE YEAR (MIDDLE): Recognising the most engaging episode that consistently and effectively use the techniques taught within the Arch D courses in the creation of their podcast.
Social Butterfly – Camille, Hannah & Revathi
Siblings United – Alisha, Phillippa, Alana & Celina
MOST CREATIVE PODCAST (SENIOR): The most entertaining episode that went “outside-of-the-box” in terms of ideas, script, structure, interviewing or storytelling.
A Ticket to Tell – Isabella
MOST CREATIVE PODCAST (MIDDLE)
Eshay Bah – Grace, Chloe & Olivia Bourne
The Last Person on Earth – Serene, Rhiannon, Emilee & Georgina
Keeping Up with the Kampers – Harnaaz, Retha, Mariam & Clodeta
STUDENT VOICE AWARD (MIDDLE): An award recognising student who stepped out of their comfort zone to create an authentic podcast that sought to make a difference.
Chelsea
PODCAST ARTWORK OF THE YEAR (MIDDLE): An award to recognize creativity, attention to detail and an understanding of the way podcast artwork attracts listeners.
We Hate Everything – Zara, Aaliyah & Maggie
Teen Tok – Jelena, Eleanor & Ella
HerTechPath
HerTechPath, started in 2016 as a grass-roots community of women in South Australia working in the tech sector who wanted more girls to consider careers in our exciting and influential sector. Recently, HerTechPath, Planit and Aplo offered a school-based workshop designed to enhance interest in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) and help students discover diverse future opportunities, of which several Year 9 students attended.
Students reflect:
"The workshop focused on all the different possible careers in digital technologies. It was very interesting to learn about career options that I never knew existed. It was inspiring to be surrounded by so many people with different stories and backgrounds, and I feel that I learnt lots about app design and testing." Rose Hurley
"I really enjoyed the workshop where we reverse engineered an app’s design using a wireframe and designed extra features for it. It was helpful to hear all the possible career paths to get into IT and understand the different stories of all the intelligent women who talked to us. Overall, it was a lovely day and I’m grateful for the opportunity to be there." Sophia Vnuk
"I really enjoyed being at the workshop because the snacks were delicious, and the activities were interesting and required problem solving. I liked learning about the different computing careers there are, and the design one really took my fancy." Scarlett Adey Parham
"HerTechParh was a good opportunity to see all the different paths and careers in IT. We learnt about how apps function and what makes a good app. I was very thankful to get this opportunity as I learnt a lot of new things I didn't know about IT." Darcy Johnston
Ms Joanne Villis
Digital Technologies Coordinator
From the Careers Department
Careers & VET Coordinator
GIRLS ON TRACK
A small group of students from Years 3, 5 ,7 and 8 were extremely fortunate to attend the Girls on Track workshop at the Adelaide 500. They participated in STEM activities, a pit stop challenge, a media workshop, recreation and fitness challenge and a garage tour while learning about the many job roles in motorsports.
FIA Girls on Track is a global, not-for-profit initiative that was initially launched by former Formula 1 development driver Susie Wolff as 'Dare To Be Different'. In Australia the program is backed by Motorsport Australia and offers females aged 8-15 a unique opportunity to participate in motorsport events.
The goal of the program is to grow interest in STEM subjects and industries with the aim of increasing female participation in these sectors. Motorsport is utilised as a tool to expose students to the incredible opportunities and career paths available. It was certainly a fun and action-packed morning that was appreciated by our students.
UniSA ACCELERATE
Are you commencing Year 12 in 2023 and interested in studying a business degree at UniSA after completing school?
UniSA ACCELERATE is a program open to all Year 12’s in 2023, living in South Australia, providing opportunity to commence university subjects and guaranteeing an early place into a business degree at UniSA. Students will get study credit towards their UniSA business degree for successfully completed courses and can also apply for study to be counted towards SACE Stage 2.
Through UniSA ACCELERATE, students may study up to two subjects through UniSA Online in a wide variety of areas like accounting, business law, marketing, management, finance, retailing and psychology. Study is 100% online, giving the ultimate flexibility to balance other school studies and commitments. All learning, assessments and exams will be delivered online with dedicated academic and support staff, there’s no need to attend on campus. Participants get a student ID card, so if they want to explore a local campus and get the university experience they can!
Applications are open until 23rd December. Click here for more information - UniSA Accelerate - Study at UniSA - University of South Australia
Ms Julie Stephenson
Careers & VET Coordinator
From the Uniform Shop
Our Uniform Shop will be open during the school holidays:
Tuesday 24 January | 10.00am – 4.30pm |
Wednesday 25 January | 8.30am – 1.00pm |
Friday 27 January | 8.30am – 4.30pm |
First day of Term 1 Monday 30 January | 8.00am – 11.30am |
For holiday appointments please click here - https://sac.setmore.com/
Our online store will be open throughout the holidays and all orders will be processed and ready for collection on Tuesday 24 January 2023.
You can make your online purchase at insert online shop link here - SAC Uniform Shop (sac-uniform-shop.myshopify.com)
We would like to wish you a safe and happy holidays season and we look forward to seeing you in 2023.
From the Justice and Mercy Team
The Justice and Mercy students have had a very busy end to the year! Each Wednesday at lunchtime this term, a group of students between Years 7 and 12 have scurried down the road to the Adelaide Day Centre to volunteer. The students spend 25 minutes assisting staff and volunteers there with decorating and assembling some of the 3,000 Christmas hampers that will be given to people in need during the festive season. It is amazing to see what can be achieved in just 25 minutes – during a recent visit, students assembled more than 50 boxes.
SAC’s connection with the Adelaide Day Centre spans 30 years. The centre was co-founded by Sister Janet Mead and provides so much more than necessary services to vulnerable members of society; it is a hub of activity, kindness and community. The JAM team would like to thank everyone within our community who has generously contributed to the Christmas Hamper Appeal, either by placing gifts beneath the Christmas tree in our front foyer or volunteering time at the Adelaide Day Centre.
During Friday JAM meetings this term, students have been brainstorming ideas for activities to lead in 2023. It has been wonderful to see the enthusiasm and creativity expressed by all students, particularly some of our newest and youngest members from Year 4! We hope to see many new faces at JAM next year – it is never too late to participate.
In a special way, I would like to thank Nikita De Vuono and Gabriela Coelho, who have been the JAM Support Coordinators this year. Both young women are recent Old Scholars who were keenly engaged with JAM activities during their schooling and have carried this passion into their lives post-school. We wish Nikita and Gabriela all the best as they take on new endeavours beyond SAC next year.
Ms Maddie Kelly
JAM Coordinator | Communications Officer
Calvary Placemats Drop Off
On Tuesday 6th December, Year 7 students Raven, Sakura, Diana, Lucinda, Tayla and Remi visited Calvary Hospital to deliver handmade artworks that will be used as placemats for patients' lunch trays on Christmas Day. Over 140 placemats were made by the SAC students from Reception to Year 11 who got involved with this initiative with the theme of ‘Angels’ in mind. It was fantastic to see so many students wanting to brighten someone’s day with some artwork on Christmas day.
Ms Phoebe Koch
Art Teacher
Brava Katia!
From the Primary Sport Coordinator
Primary Sport Coordinator
On Monday 21 November, 28 Year 3-5 students travelled to Bridgestone Athletics Stadium to compete in the annual SACPSSA carnival. It was great to see the girls supporting each other throughout the long day, keeping their spirits up and always trying their very best.
A special mention to the following Year 5s who competed as Year 6s all day due to our 6 students being on camp: Pearl, Liliana, Sidney, Matilda and Atong - they did an amazing job against tough competition.
We had some fantastic results with the following girls receiving ribbons in their events:
Year 5s competing as Year 6s | - Sidney: 1st Long Jump, 2nd High Jump and 4th 1500m - Matilda: 4th 60m sprint |
Year 5s | - Ivy: 4th Long Jump |
Year 4s | - Chloe: 2nd High Jump, 4th 100m - Mila: 2nd Long Jump |
Year 3s | - Zara: 1st 100m - Chelsea: 4th 800m - Senudi: 4th High Jump - Isabelle: 4th Shot Put |
A big thank you to the following Year 9 students who travelled with us to be officials: Darcy, Maimouna, Feiya and Delilah and also to Year 12 graduate Ella who came out to help in her holidays… you did a great job at the long jump pit and your help is really appreciated.
Lastly, thank you to the parents who came out to support the girls, helping with the tent and generally just being there for the kids was wonderful.
Go SAC!
Ms Sarah Anderson
Primary Sport Coordinatior
From the Secondary Sport Coordinator
Secondary Sport Coordinator
Term 4 Sport
The summer season of sport has now come to an end with all Senior and Junior teams having played their last games in Week 6. It has been fantastic to see so many students being active with their friends throughout the term and developing their skills. Each week they have shown commitment and dedication to their chosen Secondary sport team and displayed amazing school spirit and sportsmanship.
We congratulate the following Term 4 premiership teams:
- Senior 1 Touch Football Team (Senior C Grade)
- Year 9 SAC 1 Basketball Team (Middle B1 Grade)
- Senior SAC 4 Volleyball Team (Senior C1 Grade)
Secondary Sport Term 1, 2023
Nominations for Term 1 Sport 2023 are now open. Information regarding Term 1 sport for Year 7-12 students next year has been emailed to students and place in the school bulletin. Please refer to the table below for information regarding nominations and sports offered to Year 7-12 students in Term 1 2022.
Term 4 Knockout Sport
Our Year 9/10 Knockout Basketball Team progressed through to the Division 2 SA Schools Statewide Final in Week 5, after defeating Cedar College & Charles Campbell College earlier in the term.
The girls put in an amazing effort, winning 2 out of 4 games on the day against Wirreanda and Eastern Fleurieu. To make it through to the finals and play so well is such an amazing accomplishment. We can’t wait to see how far they go next year!
Sporting Spotlight!
AASCF Cheer & Dance National Championship
A big congratulations to Year 10 Student, Josie who travelled to the Gold Coast for the AASCF Cheer & Dance National Championships on the weekend. Her cheer & lyrical teams came second & her hip hop team came 4th. What an awesome achievement!
Winner of the Indaily Emerging Athlete of the Year Award
Congratulations to Year 12 Taylor, who won the last two Junior Athlete of the Year awards. She is signed to D1 NCAA college – San Jose and well as having the opportunity to travel to the Canada Cup to represent Australian Diamonds team. Taylor has become a role model to those at her club, to our SAC students and to the wider community. Taylor also coaches the Tea Tree Gully SAPSASA district at the annual SAPSASA softball carnival and helped coach Port Adelaide Softball Club’s first ever t-ball program during the last season.
Well done, Taylor! We are so proud of you!