Acknowledgement of Country
From the Acting Principal
Acting Principal
Dear Parents/Guardians, Friends & Students of SAC,
We had a beautiful celebration with the Primary students as we shared Mass and then Semester One Student Awards in St Francis Xavier’s Cathedral on Wednesday. Fr James spoke about the blessings we enjoy in our lives and the students were quick to comment about their gratefulness for their many blessings, including their family, friends, classmates, education and the earth. Congratulations to all of the students in their outstanding endeavour, application and persistence with their studies across Semester One, and well done to all students also recognised for their outstanding contributions to the Mercy values.
This week we have been celebrating NAIDOC Week and its theme, For Our Elders. This is a fitting recognition and showing of respect to the wonderful contribution that so many have made to community and to the people who have preserved cultural knowledge and are continuing to leave a legacy for future generations. We had a proud group enjoy the NAIDOC Week March and family Fun Day activities at Tarntanyangga (Victoria Square) earlier today.
We currently have 34 students with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture enrolled at the school, and they have been central to leading activities this week and across the year. The work that old scholar Maja Tongerie has been doing to grow the profile of our Nunga Room has been extraordinary, and there continues to be greater conversation and avenues to make a difference through our RAP (Reconciliation Action Plan) Group led by (old scholar) Viv Graney, connected strongly with our JAM (Justice and Mercy) Group led by even more old scholars in Maddie Kelly and Mia Konopka.
Thanks to our JAM students who ran a donut stall on Wednesday lunchtime!
all proceeds from the sales will go towards Tjindu, a foundation supporting young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
The Mercy value of justice just seems entrenched within our students and it is amazing to see it still burn fiercely in our staff and old scholars alike! Continuing in this vein, good luck to our Marketing and Communications Coordinator, Gaby Kinsman, who on Thursday as part of her Mercy Global Action Emerging Leaders Fellowship, will present a keynote address based on her research, Learning Beyond Borders: How can we pave pathways to lifelong learning for forcibly displaced people? Gaby is one of ten women in the world awarded a Fellowship and will present her findings to a live and virtual audience in Dublin at 10am on 13 July (6:30pm local time). Anyone interested can register here to view the research presentations.
This 12 month program has taken Gaby to Cambodia and New York, and will see her presenting next week in Dublin!
Speaking of old scholars, our SACOSA Winter Cocktail Party was very well received and attended by over 50 alumni. The SACOSA choir were a feature of the evening as was the chance to catch up and celebrate with classmates from across many decades. SACOSA’s next event is a High Tea planned for Term 3 so stay tuned for more information.
Our mid-year Reception students have now completed their transition and are ready for the real thing next Term! We are welcoming 16 new Receptions for their official first day on Monday 24 July and we hope that they feel the warm welcome and hospitality that SAC is renowned for.
We say “Bienvenue” to our visiting French students from Lyon; Mahée, Juliette, Lou, Nina, Faustine and Angèle. They will spend another couple weeks with their host families in Adelaide before flying home. Our French exchange students have contributed richly to our classroom dynamics and received a short but vibrant experience of life in an Australian school. Our SAC senior French students are looking forward to seeing their host sisters again when they visit France for their own immersion in November this year. Our students will spend two weeks in a French school in Lyon or Paris, another two weeks with their host families in the lead up to Christmas, and then tour around France with their French teachers. Certainly an experience to look forward to!
“Bienvenue” to our visiting French students!
We are looking forward to welcoming Paddy McEvoy back from leave for the start of the new term. We did get the chance to celebrate with her last week however, as Paddy was recognised by The Australian Council for Educational Leaders with an ACEL SA Educational Leadership Award. This award is in recognition of Paddy’s advocacy for the benefits of all-girls’ education, and leading a community that embraces diversity, promotes excellence for all students, and empowers graduates to pursue careers which challenge gendered thinking. Along with her many accomplishments, Paddy was recognised as a committed Catholic educator who empowers young women to pursue their futures with passion and purpose. On behalf of St Aloysius College, we acknowledge the impact that Paddy has had in leading our school and congratulate her in recognition of this significant award.
I hope that the school holidays present some time for refreshment and recharging for our students and parents and caregivers if you are lucky enough to have some time off too. Once again our students have shone brightly in their academic pursuits and in engaging with the many extra-curricular opportunities that so many have taken up in Term 2. I know the cast of the school production, High School Musical, will be working hard in final rehearsals across the holidays as they prepare for production week as soon as they return. I wish everyone all the best for the break.
Mr Nick Tattoli
Acting Principal
Tiwi Sausage Sizzle
The Gold Duke of Edinburgh's Award students along with Ms Butterworth organised and held a sausage sizzle to raise funds for the Tiwi Community. The team raised $830.00. The money will be presented to Sr Anne Gardener when the students visit Tiwi Island later this month. Thank you to all who purchased a sausage or two and a very special thank you to Highland Bakehouse who donated all the bread.
Working together CAN leave a great legacy
Mercy Light: Connecting
Tucked away in a city street, within five minutes’ walk from St Aloysius College, is a vibrant and kind community that has been delivering much-needed care to thousands of vulnerable Adelaide citizens for nearly 40 years.
Sister Janet Mead’s Adelaide Day Centre for Homeless is one of the primary Mercy Works supported by St Aloysius College. The Centre, in Moore Street, benefits from our students’ voluntary support, fundraising, and donations of goods throughout the year.
From the minute you step inside the Adelaide Day Centre, you feel a sense of warmth and comfort, like being wrapped in a thick blanket on a cold day. An artwork on the wall reads: "In the face of ugliness, creating beauty is the greatest form of protest."
The Centre is always abuzz with activity; the staff, volunteers and participants, engaged in the Centre’s outreach programs, provide visitors with a friendly welcome. The delicious scent of a hearty lunch, or soup for the winter food van, drifts through the Centre as you enter, and it feels like a homecoming of sorts.
For many people who walk through the Adelaide Day Centre’s doors, it is indeed a kind of home. It is a place that provides more than support. It provides community, validation and purpose.
The Adelaide Day Centre was founded in 1985 by two Sisters of Mercy, Sister Janet Mead and Sister Anne Gregory who both attended St Aloysius College as students in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Inspired by the Sisters who educated them, they pursued a spiritual calling to join them.
Sister Janet and Sister Anne were well-respected teachers for many years before establishing the Adelaide Day Centre in 1985. Although both women have since died, their spirit of service and social justice is just as vibrant as ever. Their legacy continues to positively influence SAC students.
Every year for many decades, the SAC community has provided support for the Centre. Each Wednesday, a number of students volunteer to assist at the Centre with welfare tasks. At Christmastime, the school collects items to be packaged into Christmas hampers for families in need. Perhaps most notable of all the activities SAC initiates is the annual Can Drive in winter.
Can Drive is an event centred on collaboration, imagination and joy. Primary and secondary classes are paired together and must collect as many cans as possible. On Can Drive Day, the classes use cans to create a sculpture that reflects a specific theme.
This year’s Can Drive was held on Wednesday June 28. Impressively, the College community donated more than 9,500 cans of food to the Centre.
Representatives from Adelaide Day Centre attended the SAC Can Drive to participate in the occasion and to judge each sculpture, which were themed ‘Read, Grow, Inspire’. They had their work cut out. When announcing category winners, Joyce Van Der Sman, Coordinator of the Adelaide Day Centre and SAC Old Scholar, emphasised:
“We found it the hardest that we have ever found it to be able to decide who the winner of the Sister Janet Mead Community Spirit Award would be. The first judge said to me, ‘We have to award it to the whole school.’ And I think that’s the right spirit. This is the first time in the history of the Can Drive that we have had to award the Sister Janet Mead Community Spirit Award to every class in the school.”
“SAC, you are well looked after and you have a wonderful spirit here. You know that every single person, no matter if you’ve only been here for one year as a teacher or you’ve been here all your life as a student, every single one of you carries the same spirit that we carry at Adelaide Day Centre. It is what makes justice and joy work. Because you are all being yourselves, you are being thoughtful for other people, and you are all doing it together.”
Joyce told the school that this year had seen a significant increase in the number of homeless needing help in Adelaide and that all efforts made a difference.
The cans of food collected for Can Drive will enable the Day Centre to feed thousands of people experiencing homelessness in Adelaide this winter. As cold days persist, it is heartwarming to know that Sister Janet Mead’s Adelaide Day Centre for Homeless can continue to provide comfort and assistance to those most in need, with support from communities like St Aloysius College.
Ms Maddie Kelly
Marketing & Communications Team / JAM Coordinator
Click here to watch a short video of the sac 2023 Can Drive!
Inspiring and Tasty!
As part of the Year 7 Health curriculum, students explore the topic of Nutrition. To introduce this unit, Sprout Cooking School visited the cohort last week. In the session Sprout dietician, Emilee, presented information around healthy eating and her colleague, Elsa, demonstrated how to cook a deliciously healthy version of butter chicken. Students learnt about cooking safety and hygiene tips, how to read and adapt a recipe, as well as ways to save money by using seasonal fruit and vegetables. It was definitely an inspiring and tasty way to begin the Year 7 Nutrition unit!
Ms Vashti Casserly-Lund
Health Teacher
Amazing entries for this year's Royal Adelaide Show!
We are so proud of the talented and creative students who, encouraged by the SAC Art Department, have submitted their entries for this year’s Royal Adelaide Show Junior Art, Craft and Design Competition. We had over 40 entries and they were all so good we have submitted them all! We wait with crossed fingers to see if they will be displayed at the Royal Show in September.
The Charter Ambassador Program (CAP)
The Charter Ambassador Program (CAP) seeks to ‘give life’ to the Charter for Children and Young People in South Australia. It is a step towards giving them a platform to use their voice and have a say about what matters to young people now and in the future, without discrimination. Our Year 10 ambassadors, Annabelle, Julia, Ava, Revathi and Poppy were privileged to attend Parliament House to participate in an inspiring Immersion Day.
“During our visit to Parliament House, hearing from changemakers such as Rhiannon Pearce, Heidi Girolamo and Connie Bonaros, was not only inspiring but extremely empowering for those of us who want to make a change in our communities. Hearing their personal experiences and receiving their advice, allowed for many young women in the room to feel encouraged to stand up for what they believe in making the whole experience extremely special." Revathi (Year 10 student)
"Whilst attending Parliament house, I enjoyed listening to the 3 members of parliament speak about their views on barriers and challenges in Australia. They inspired me to speak up for myself and make a change amongst young advocates including myself. " Annabelle (Year 10 student)
"I enjoyed the chance to question members of parliament and get their perspectives and insight into politics and change making. Going around the various rooms and hearing more about the history of parliament and women in politics was interesting and I learnt a lot. This event has inspired me to advocate for changes in my community and school." Julia Di Ciocco (Year 10 student)
Tatum’s Guernsey Debut
When Tatum noticed that the Junior teams of the footy club she played for didn’t have an Indigenous guernsey, she asked the club why. Their response was to suggest that she create a design and submit it to them. Without hesitation, Tatum did exactly this, and after several efforts to get the perfect design, she finally came up with one that she felt represented her club and her culture. The Flinders Park Football Club made good on their promise and made Tatum’s design a reality.
Tatum’s design features symbols representing the club and community coming together when they host other teams. It also represents the children and young people who play at the Club, the parents and carers who come together and the clubs in the division. The main design is outlined by a ribbon of blue, which symbolises the river and ocean close to the Club and signifies being connected and respecting Country.
Crows player Izak Rankine presented Tatum with her guernsey, and the football team she is a member of was the first team in her club to wear the guernsey, which will be used when teams play clubs of the same colour. If you follow the SANFL Juniors Show podcast you might even hear Tatum being interviewed about this. What a huge honour and show of leadership by Tatum. Perhaps one day, we’ll even see her designs on the field at Adelaide Oval!
Ms Viviana Graney
First Nations Focus Teacher
From the Careers Department
Careers & VET Coordinator
Discovery Day 2023 | ICHM
ADFA Open Day - defencejobs.gov.au
Open Day at SAE Adelaide - Register now!
SATAC Applications for university & TAFE entry 2024
Applications for university and TAFE in South Australia will be open on Monday 7 August. Year 12 students have attended a number of information sessions, as well as the SAC Careers Expo, to learn about post school opportunities and the application process. Individual career counselling interviews have commenced, and students will also have opportunity to book a 1:1 appointment with staff from each of the universities in Term 3. There are many open days for universities, TAFE and private training organisations in August and students and families are encouraged to attend these in support of the decision-making process. UniSA and Flinders University are offering campus tours during the July school holidays which provide an excellent opportunity to look around and to speak to current students. Please visit each university website to make a booking.
Undergraduate key dates:
TAFE SA key dates:
From the Music Department
Music Coordinator
On the 25th of June, over 100 students participated in the Music Department’s Sunday Soirée, with three concerts featuring various instrumental and singing performances. This was a great opportunity for students to hone their performance skills and share their talents with their families and friends. After their performances, students and families were able to grab a drink and a sausage at a BBQ, which was kindly sponsored by Paradise Motors.
Thank you to all the Music staff and instrumental/vocal tutors who supported the students on the day and congratulations to all performers!
Ms Fiona Turner
Music Coordinator
From the Catherine McAuley Library
Teacher‑Librarian & Information Services
Coordinator
HAPPY HOLIDAYS & STAY TUNED!
Welcome to the holidays from the library team! It has been great for students to have opportunities to stock up on many new books to read over the break. As Term 3 approaches, we are looking forward to celebrating Book Week with our school community in Week 5. We have many special activities planned, culminating in the primary Book Week Parade on Friday 25 August. This is a great celebration as our Reception to Year 6 students join with our friends from Chancery Lane to dress up as their favourite book character - or a reflection of this year’s theme: Read. Grow. Inspire. Parents are welcome to attend this event, so please feel free to mark it in your diaries and share the excitement and joy this special day brings.
Happy holidays and happy reading to all!
Ms Ali Ripberger
Teacher‑Librarian & Information Services Coordinator
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS YEAR'S BOOK WEEK!
Year 4’s Excursion to the Botanic Gardens
This term, the Year 4’s went on an excursion to the Botanic Gardens. We went there to learn about the social history of the Kaurna people and surrounding neighbouring language groups. We looked at different native plants and bush foods that are used for a range of different things in the Kaurna culture, such as hunting tools, medicine and shelter.
Firstly we walked there from school. We saw many interesting things on the way, like old buildings and interesting shops. When we arrived we met our tour guides Tjimari and Iteka. We split into groups and explored the gardens looking at all of the fascinating plants. We looked at a plant that when added to tea, it can cause an anaphylactic reaction!
After we said goodbye to our tour guides, we set off to school and reached our classrooms right as the skies opened and it started to pour!
Our excursion was informative, relevant to our HASS and Science topics and very fun!
By Andriana Timogan, Isabella Paez & Nancy Mitchell 4PG
From the Secondary Sport Coordinator
Secondary Sport Coordinator
Term 2 Sport Holiday Break
Wishing all teams an enjoyable, well-deserved mid-season break over the school holidays. A reminder that trainings and games will recommence in Week 1, Term 3. See some snaps from Pink Round last weekend – an important SACSSGSA calendar event to raise awareness for Breast Cancer.
2023 Year 7/8 Knockout Basketball
The title of Div 1 Silver Medallist belongs to the St Aloysius Year 7/8 Knockout basketball for 2023!
What an incredible achievement by this team.
It wasn’t an easy road for this young group, however with the guidance of Co-Captains Lottie 7LS and Alek 8AT they performed beyond expectations. After a thrilling first round 1 point win over Sacred Heart College, the SAC team went on to compete in the Statewide Year 7/8 Division 1 Girls Basketball Finals. The students worked tirelessly in every game on this day, no game was easy, but their determination and team spirit shone through achieving a 2nd place in their pool winning.
This won them a place in the semi-finals against Tenison Woods. Tight zone defence, strong rebounding and relentless attack saw SAC come from behind to win by 2 points and gain a spot in the Grand Final match against Henley High. Henley was a well-oiled unit with structure and depth which proved too strong for the young SAC team. However, to make the Grand Final and receive a silver medal is an incredible effort and we are so very proud of the students involved.
Thank you to the parents who supported the team on the day, especially Ms Diana Coyle for scoring each match. Also a big thank you to our teacher coach, Vashti Casserly-Lund for the hard work she put into training the girls in the lead up and her relentless support from the sideline on gameday.
Congratulations to the students who were members of the 2023 Year 7/8 Knockout Basketball Team.
SPORTING SPOTLIGHT!
Year 11 student, Gracie was recently selected in the National Medleys Team as part of the AFL Talent Pathways Program. As vice captain, Gracie led her team through a three-day tournament against the Woomeras, which was held on the Gold Coast at Heritage Bank Stadium. In addition to the matches, a three-day camp also took place which included training and recovery sessions, along with cultural and personal development activities.
Gracie’s team, The Medleys, won both games against the Woomeras. We congratulate Gracie on this amazing achievement in her Australian Rules Football journey, and we can’t wait to see where her future takes her!
Ms Meg Henderson
Secondary Sport Coordinator
From the Primary Sport Coordinator
Primary Sport Coordinator
Term 2 Primary Sport “Full Time”
What a busy second half of the term we have had in primary sport!
Since being selected, the Year 5/6 Knockout Netball team have been training hard once per week to learn how to play together as team and to get to know their coaches Ms Dani Toubia and Ms Rachel Grawich.
On Thursday 15 June, the team travelled to Parafield Gardens to play three games in their first round of the competition. They played against Mawson Lakes, Nailsworth and St Dominic’s to win all games convincingly and move through to the second round. Well done girls, you are really gelling well together.
The second round will be played against Pedare and Trinity College in Week 3 of next term. Good luck!
Year 5/6 Knockout Soccer
For the first time in many years, St Aloysius entered the Year 5/6 Knockout Soccer Competition. When the trials were held in Week 6, I was pleasantly surprised by the skills and knowledge that the girls had. I was further impressed by the commitment the team showed by training each Wednesday before school at the parklands at 7:30am in the lead up to Round 1. A big thank you to Year 12 students Isabel Trimboli and Cartia De Ieso who took on the coaching role and did an amazing job with the team.
On Thursday 29 June, the team were faced with St George College and Westport Primary in Round 1 of the competition. Both games were hard fought. In the first game against St George we lost 5-7 and in the second game against Westport we were up 3-0 but ended up going down 3-5.
I cannot express how proud I am of this team and the effort they put in. Unfortunately, the losses mean that the team do not go further in the competition, but I hope that they enjoyed the experience and learnt something along the way.
SACPSSA Netball Carnival
On Tuesday 4 July, the Thursday Thunder Cup Year 3-6 Netball teams had the opportunity to play in a SACPSSA Netball Carnival. The day was all about improvement and getting as much practice and experience as possible by playing a number of 20 minute matches throughout the day. Secondary coaches continued to develop their skills and we also had secondary umpires helping out. Thank you to the supervising teachers for their guidance on the day and for helping the day run so smoothly.
SAPSASA Representation
Congratulations to Kiki Lens who played in the Metro SAPSASA Netball Carnival in week 8 of this term. Kiki was a member of the East Adelaide Division 1 team who, after 3 days of tough competition, finished the carnival in third place.
Congratulations also goes to Year 6 students Pearl Bament-Sitkowski and Kaylee Pearce who were recently selected to represent the East Adelaide District in Soccer to play in the statewide carnival next term.
It is great to see so many St Aloysius Year 5 and 6 students trial for district SAPSASA teams in a variety of sports.
Ms Sarah Anderson
Primary Sport Coordinator
Bienvenues aux étudiantes du Lycée Saint-Marc, Lyon!
Welcome to our French Exchange students from Lyon. We are very excited to see the resumption of our exchange program and study tours following the official end of the COVID-19 pandemic, and our French students are getting very excited about their return visit to France coming up this November. The Lyon students are spending a month here in Australia with their host sisters: Emma Borgmeyer and Nina Juge, Elsie Overton and Lou Cordier, Alisha Cowling and Juliette Brelet, Lily Jones and Angèle Vincent-Adjerad, Georgia Vlassco and Mahée Bouzerar, and Mackenzie Freer and Faustine Laban.
We hope that they are enjoying the school experience of being with us at SAC, and are discovering many exciting things about life here in Australia.
Ms Jane Mahar
Languages Coordinator
