St Aloysius Newsletter

Acknowledgement of Country

From the Principal

Dear Parents/Guardians, Friends & Students of SAC,

The Australasian Mercy Secondary Schools’ Association (AMSSA) Conference is being held at All Hallows’ School in Brisbane this week. It is a wonderful opportunity to gather with our Mercy colleagues from schools in Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea – our last AMSSA Staff Conference was held in 2019 and since then, COVID-19 interrupted plans! The Conference theme, “Mercy in Liminal Times”, calls us to reflect on the changes we have experienced over the last few years through the lens of our Mercy charism. 

24 students from Years 4 and 5 received the Sacraments of Confirmation and First Holy Communion on Wednesday evening at St Francis Xavier’s Cathedral. Archbishop Patrick O’Regan presided over this ceremony, marking a significant step in the faith journey of these primary students and their families. In preparing to take this step, students reflect on God’s presence in their everyday lives, on the meaning of the Eucharist and on the Sacrament of Confirmation. It was a joyous occasion, despite the obvious preoccupation with the Matilda’s game being played at the same time! I am grateful for the work of Ms Isabella Deluca, Primary Religious Education Coordinator, in preparing the students so beautifully for this sacred moment. 

Inspiring the next generation of writers and poets is a responsibility that the English teachers at St Aloysius College take very seriously. At our Assembly last week, we presented the winners of the Neville Stapleton Poetry Prize in the Middle and Senior School. This prize was named in honour of a dearly loved, long-serving SAC English teacher and Archivist who died in 2022. Neville’s wife, Phil, attended the assembly to present the prizes. Neville’s family shares a love of poetry and selected the winners from a shortlist compiled by the English faculty. They were blown away by the high quality of the entries! Congratulations to Eleanor Buckham and Isabella Ilicic, who won the Senior and Middle Years prizes respectively. This is the second year we have awarded these prizes and we are seeing a rapid increase in submissions. As our primary parents are busy planning costumes for the Book Week Parade, it is good to know that students’ passion for literature will continue to be nurtured creatively in the secondary years.

On Wednesday, we presented badges to the primary students who have been selected as members of the Student Representative Council for Semester 2. It is never too soon to start to learn about leadership, and our students have a safe and supportive environment in which to develop their skills. Learning to listen, to be a voice to others and to serve with a spirit of generosity are valuable lessons they can take from these early experiences. We have had some wonderful examples recently of leaders in the primary school, with Mariana in Year 5 making such an impact with her walk for the Hutt St Centre. You can read more about Mariana's achievements and the JAM group's participation in National Homelessness Week events in this newsletter. Our students are blessed with inspiring role models around them of all ages and we are proud to be educating the Mercy leaders of tomorrow.

Ms Paddy McEvoy
PRINCIPAL

From the Catherine McAuley Library

Book Week 2023 - cOMING SOON!

The excitement for Book Week is building as we gear up for this special occasion next week, with a 2023 theme of Read. Grow. Inspire. 

All classes have been reading their way through the shortlisted books this term, and the Reception and Year 1 students particularly loved responding creatively to Lionel and Me. A story of friendship and loyalty between Maverick the Labrador and Lionel the Dachshund set the scene for a stretchy craft activity! Students enjoyed creating their own model of Lionel and discussing the important messages the story poses to its readers. 

Our Reception to Year 6 students are joining with our friends from Chancery Lane in the Book Week Parade next Friday (25 August). Parents are welcome to join us for the parade in the Redden Undercroft at 9am. We have encouraged our primary students to come along dressed up to reflect this year’s theme or as one of their favourite book characters. Costumes need not be expensive or complicated – the library team is getting crafty and making our outfits! We look forward to your support of this opportunity to celebrate the joy of reading together.

Ms Ali Ripberger
Teacher‑Librarian & Information Services Coordinator

NAT AMOORE – VISITING AUTHOR

As part of our Book Week celebrations, we were lucky enough to host renowned children’s author Nat Amoore recently and our Year 4 and 5 students gave her a rockstar welcome! With titles to her name such as 'How to be a Schoolyard Millionaire', 'The Power of Positive Pranking' and ‘The Right Way to Rock', we knew we were in for a treat, and we weren’t disappointed. Nat's hilarious and energetic presentation was awesome – we heard about her books, how she got into writing after she retired from acrobatics, and she demonstrated what it takes to make readers believe a story (hint…it’s all in the details and how you tell it!) Thank you, Nat, for coming to SAC, we loved having you here!

Some Year 5 Reflections:

"Nat Amoore I loved your visit and you’re so funny. You’re great at storytelling and you should be a comedian one day." – Ziqi

"I liked how Nat made all her stories very funny and she was very nice. She left us laughing and it felt like it was at a comedy show." – Daphne

"I liked Nat because she was really funny and she had a lot of funny stories to tell, and she taught me a lot about what goes into making the books and made me want to read them." - Anonymous

"Nat Amoore is such a funny and amazing author and I can’t wait to read more of her books!" ­– Stella

"My favourite part of Nat’s visit was getting her autograph and her story about her head, and my absolute favourite part was when she told us adults are boring." – Penny

"Nat was so inspiring and so funny. Now I want to create my own book. You make me think that anyone can be anything." – Ruby

Walking the Extra Mile in Mercy

Mercy Light: Leading

On any given night in South Australia, approximately 7,000 people are experiencing homelessness. National Homelessness Week, which was this year marked from August 7 to August 13, is an annual event to raise awareness of the issue and advocate for solutions to minimise it.

On Friday 11 August, more than 70 students from St Aloysius College volunteered their time before school and during lunch hour to participate in two important National Homelessness Week events. The first event saw students brave a cold, early start on Wakefield Street to walk two miles before school, to The Hutt St Centre and back to SAC again, as a part of The Centre’s Walk A Mile In My Boots fundraising event.

Later that day, a group of students attended Homelessness SA’s memorial service at Tarntanyangga (Victoria Square) to acknowledge the lives of South Australians who have died while experiencing homelessness.

One student who went the extra mile to show her support during National Homelessness Week is Mariana Mangos in Year 5, who heard about the Walk A Mile In My Boots campaign at school.  

“I wanted to Walk A Mile because I wanted to help people less fortunate than me. I knew that many homeless people don’t have money for food, clothing and a house to live in. I really wanted to make a difference and show love and kindness to them,” Mariana explained.

“When I heard about Walk A Mile, I asked Mum to help me start a fundraising page on The Hutt St Centre website. I told my family and friends and spoke to my school teacher to ask if they could support me by donating to my fundraising page.”

Within 24 hours, Mariana’s fundraising tally had climbed to $2,000, so Mariana increased her goal amount to $3,000. When even that amount was reached, Mariana increased it once more, to $4,000. In less than one week, Mariana raised a total of $4,102 – four times her initial fundraising goal! These funds will contribute to the life-changing work achieved by The Hutt St Centre in supporting South Australians.

In thanks for her inspiring donation, Mariana was invited to participate in The Final Mile event with fellow fundraisers, Hutt St Centre staff and volunteers, media and politicians. Mariana was praised by South Australian Premier, Peter Malinauskas, whom she met. But despite the public accolades she received, it was the private support of her loved ones and the SAC community that brought her the greatest joy.

“I felt really happy and excited to see so many people donating as it showed me that other people care about the homeless and wanted to help too. They were making a difference too, which made me even more happy. I think we should all want to help the homeless and it doesn’t matter how old you are. If you really want to make a difference, you can. I think that homeless people can be young people too, so we should care about them. If we help homeless people when we are young, we can inspire other young people to help too.”

Mariana demonstrates insight beyond her 10 years, and this isn’t the first time she has exceeded expectations to be of service to others. Last year, Mariana collected 10,000 bread tags for Aussie Bread Tags for Wheelchairs, and for many years, with her family, has been supporting organisations in Madagascar, Eastern Uganda, Tanzania and Sierra Leone.

What is it that sustains this bright, young changemaker?

“I know I can do this with God’s help because He wants us to help the poor and with God, all things are possible,” Mariana says.

In celebration of her efforts, Mariana was gifted a copy of The School That Hope Built, about The School of St Jude in Tanzania. The book tells the remarkable story of its visionary Founder, Gemma Sisia, who, by courageously pursuing a dream to educate the poor and armed with faith, created avenues for thousands of others to make a difference too.

It is the same spirit of radical empathy that drove Mercy Foundress, Catherine McAuley, in whose footsteps SAC students are walking today, and the words of American Anthropologist, Margaret Mead, ring true: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

Ms Maddie Kelly
JAM Coordinator

Charter Ambassadors’ Summit on Health and Wellbeing

Our Year 10 Charter Ambassadors, Revathi, Poppy, Ava, Annabelle and Julia, attended the Charter Ambassadors’ Summit on Health and Wellbeing at the Adelaide Zoo. Students heard from Australian of the Year, Taryn Brumfitt, and Dr Larissa McLoughlin, among other experts, met students from other schools across South Australia, and learnt about what can be done to promote health and wellbeing in schools. The Charter Ambassadors will take what they’ve learnt back to school and continue to promote health and wellbeing initiatives at SAC. 

Spectacular Sceneries for Assessments

The Stage 2 Outdoor Education classes recently completed the second of their expeditions for the AT2 assessments.

Dhilba Guuranda-Innes National Park was the chosen location for the camp and provided some spectacular scenery for the students to immerse themselves in. Students had the opportunity to demonstrate progression of practical skills and their own detailed planning in order to show self-reliance. 

For some of the intrepid campers, this was the final opportunity to participate in an expedition whilst at school, drawing to a close two years of Outdoor Education participation and many Duke of Edinburgh Program journeys. This provided some added motivation (and a hint of sadness) during the long hike from Gym Beach to Daly Head.

Mr Michael Heath
Outdoor Education Coordinator

From the Music Department

On Friday August 4, the SAC Stage Band, Catch 22, Concert Band and Senior Rock Band had the amazing opportunity to travel north, and compete in the Balaklava Eisteddfod. This was the first time we have been able to attend since COVID-19, and what a great day it was!   As well as providing a great performance opportunity, it was terrific for our ensemble members to hear and encourage both each other and other schools from all around South Australia. 

Three of the ensembles who attended achieved awards in their divisions, with Catch 22 and Stage Band placing first and Concert Band placing second. Catch 22 were also announced as the Overall Choral Champions for the vocal divisions. Although our Senior Rock Band did not place this year, they gave a great live performance which included one of their originals, The Waves. 

The day was filled with lots of cheering, laughter and truly displayed the spirit of community and camaraderie of the SAC Music Department. Participating in ensembles like these have given us the opportunity to connect with students beyond our own year level, all whilst improving our musical abilities and having fun!

The second day of the Balaklava Eisteddfod’s saw further success for the SAC community with Old Scholar, Holly George (Class of 2021) placing first the Open Vocal Classical Section. Holly also won a vocal scholarship provided by the Adelaide Plains Male Vocal Choir and has recently participated in the Adelaide Eisteddfod, placing third in the Italian Art Song Prize and second in the English Art Song Prize. It is great to hear about the musical pursuits of our old scholars, and we congratulate Holly on her achievements.

We’d like to especially thank our ensemble directors and SAC Music staff: Ms Fiona Turner, Ms Stephanie Neale, Ms Nicole Wedding, and Ms Tennille Gibson for accompanying us on our journey!

Angelica 12SP, Rita 12SP & Rachael 12LZ

HASS Faculty News

Term 3 started off in performance mode, not just because of the whole-school production but because we welcomed Glen Phillips from Troubie Theatre who impressed the Yr 9 & 10 students with several performances throughout Week 2.

Year 9s were treated to a WW1 performance in which Glen focussed on the very personal aspects of WW1 for those who served and those left behind in Australia. Fitting very much into the Australian Curriculum requirements, the performance certainly enhanced content students have covered in class.

Year 10s were offered a theatrical glimpse into the machinations of WW2 and then the Rights & Freedoms/Referendum presentation was a timely reminder about the ways in which democracy can forward the agendas for those who have been discriminated against in the past. Through the use of powerful songs like Midnight Oil’s Beds are Burning and Goanna’s Solid Rock, Glen was able to illustrate the need for restitution for those who have not always benefited within our democracy.

The value of such performances for our Yr 9 and 10 students lies in the performers use of historical primary sources like speeches, songs, poetry, political declarations, reportage, anecdotes, recollection and opinion. Therefore, students receive a diverse range of perspectives from which to better understand the historical and contemporary aspects of events.

Meanwhile, 9TC were treated to an exciting excursion to the Army Museum of SA at Keswick. As a very hands-on and visual treat, students were able to see the armaments and other paraphernalia associated with our Army personnel, their daily experiences and involvement in war, particularly WW1.

Ms Carolyne Williams
HASS Coordinator

Gold Dukes Residential Project – Tiwi Island

After a break of nearly three years, due to COVID-19 restrictions, we were recently fortunate enough to resume taking Gold Dukes students to Bathurst Island, one of the two Tiwi Islands 80 kilometres north of Darwin, for their Gold Dukes Residential Project. We were thrilled that our Principal, Ms McEvoy, was able to join the group. Eleven Gold Dukes participants and staff departed Adelaide on Monday 31 July at 5:30am(!) to fly to Darwin and then board two small planes to fly over to the Tiwi Islands. SAC has been travelling to Tiwi for over a decade, during which time we have visited and supported the good work of 2017 Senior Australian of the Year, Sister Anne Gardiner, on the island.

Sister Anne is a Daughter of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart. In 1953 when she was just 22 years old, Sister Anne was asked to move to Bathurst Island to live and work among the First Nations peoples of Tiwi, to whom she has devoted her life.

The students worked with the local staff of the Murrupurtiyanuwu Catholic Primary School where they interacted and socialised with the primary students and participated in an excursion with a Year 6 class to the Ranku waterhole and assisting in the school’s sports day. Below, our students reflect on their ventures and experiences.

Mr Alan Brown & Ms Libby Butterworth
Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Coordinators

Tiwi reflection by the Gold Dukes Students

"Our trip to Tiwi has been nothing short of amazing. After landing on Bathurst Island, we were overwhelmed with the love and hospitality that we were shown by the Tiwi community.

Our staff and students were welcomed to MCPS through a whole school assembly, and shortly after we were off on an excursion to Ranku Waterhole with the year six class. This waterhole was just one example of the many stunning sites we were able to visit in Tiwi.

Sister Anne, who has a long-standing connection with the St Aloysius community, invited us to her home where we shared a meal and learnt about her impact on the Tiwi Island community, such as her service to the local schools and creation of the Tiwi museum. She is such an inspiration to us all.

We are grateful for the opportunity to travel to Tiwi island and the insight this has given us into the Tiwi community and our ability to make positive impacts on the world. This experience has been extremely eye opening which has given us a deeper understanding and empathy for others. We will continue to remember the amazing connections we have formed with the community for many years to come.

We would like to especially express our gratitude and thanks to Ms Butterworth and Mr Brown for all their hard work and organisation to make this adventure possible for us."

SAC's 2023 Short Story and Poetry competition 'Voices'

The theme for SAC's 2023 Short Story and Poetry competition was 'Voices'. Students were passionate and playful, inspirational and imaginative as they used their voices in poetry and narrative. Secondary poetry entries were considered for the Neville Stapleton Poetry Award. In honour of late SAC teacher and archivist Mr Neville Stapleton, the award is gifted to one middle school and one senior student to pursue their interest in writing poetry. Once again, Mr Stapleton's family were impressed with the quality of the students' writing, feeling challenged to choose between the short listed entries. Congratulations to the winners:

• Neville Stapleton Award Senior: Eleanor Buckham - The Voice Within
• Neville Stapleton Award Middle School: Isabella Ilicic - My Island
• Senior Poetry 2nd Place: Balsar Mosleh - The moon, me and her
• Middle School Poetry 2nd Place: Gianna Dias - Little Key
• Primary Poetry: Chloe Battilana - The Voice
• Secondary Short Story Winner: Samantha Hay - Short Story
• Primary Short Story Winner: Alessia D'Annunzio - The singing Crocodile

Ms Genevieve Pelekani
English & Literacy Coordinator

From the Religious Education Coordinator (Primary)

On Wednesday August 16, 24 students from Years 4 and 5 took a significant step forward in their faith journey. In a special Mass at St Francis Xavier’s Cathedral, students received the Sacraments of Confirmation and First Holy Communion, celebrated by Archbishop Patrick O’Regan. With the guidance of teachers and the support of their families and the parish community, these students have spent months preparing for this special occasion.

The Sacrament of Confirmation marked students’ commitment to living out their faith where they renewed their baptismal promises and received the gifts of the Holy Spirit. In the Sacrament of First Holy Communion, students were able to partake in the Eucharist for the first time, strengthening their connection with God and the Church.

A warm congratulations to the 24 students who have received these sacraments. I would also like to express my gratitude to the families, teachers, sponsors, and parish community who have played a pivotal role in preparing the students for these sacraments. 

Ms Isabella Deluca
Religious Education Coordinator (Primary)

SAC Fashion Designer

You can read about Gorman's social and ethical commitments here

Continuing the Storytelling of our History

Seedbed of the Women’s Movement

The pioneering Mercy Sisters carried on Catherine McAuley’s commitment to the care of girls and to the ideal of the dignity and worth of women. By the 1960s, many of the Sisters had university degrees and encouraged girls to follow any career path they chose. Political change in South Australia during the 1970s saw a more liberal society and SAC was not immune from the rise of the women’s movement. In 1975, Feminism Week was celebrated at SAC and the achievements of women continue to be celebrated on International Women’s Day.

Ms Carol Grantham
Head Archivist

Community Event

Adelaide Cathedral Parish

FUNDRAISING TO BUILD A PRESBYTERY AT KANGAROO ISLAND PARISH

The Adelaide Cathedral Parish have twinned with The Kangaroo Island Parish and one of our Priest’s travels to and from the Island each weekend and on other occasions, to celebrate Mass and provide other Pastoral Services.

The Adelaide Cathedral Parish has undertaken to provide certain funding through a non-interest loan and fundraising to build a Presbytery and office for the K I Parish, a number of fundraisings throughout the Diocese have already taken place and others are planned.

A movie Fundraiser is also planned for the 24^th of September details are included in the promotional flyer attached to this email.

Donations towards this cause would be most appreciated.  

For more details contact Tony Versace OAM (0418 814 335)

From the Secondary Sport Coordinator

Winter Sport Wrap Up

Term 2/3 Secondary Sport comes to an end this weekend, with play-off finals to take place across netball, badminton and soccer. AFL teams also competed in play-off finals this week, with our Senior girls coming up against Cabra on Wednesday afternoon for the B-grade grand final. It was a hard-fought game, and our girls played their signature, pressure-style footy to give a stacked Cabra team a real run for their money. In the end, it was Cabra who were able to capitalise on their forward opportunities and take out the win. We are so proud of the girls' efforts and thankful for the support of coach Mr Michael Heath year in and year out.

We wish all of our teams good luck for their games tomorrow, particularly those playing off for a premiership. A reminder that all teams are expected at games 20 minutes prior to match start time to get a good warm up in.

Intercollegiate Netball – 14 August

On Monday 14 August, St Aloysius College hosted the first Intercollegiate match against Kildare College. This was the first time the two schools have come together for an event like this, and being the first of it’s kind the schools agreed a Netball Game would be a great kick-off to hopefully a long-standing tradition in years to come.

Year 12 students from both schools came along to spectate, support and cheer on their schools. The atmosphere was electric! In the end Kildare proved too strong for our girls, winning by a convincing 20-point margin. We look forward to evolving the intercollegiate competition next year and adding a wider variety of sports to the playing calendar. We congratulate both teams on their conduct, teamwork and skill.

Term 4 Sport Nominations

Nominations for Term 4 sport are now open!
Online nomination and payment close Friday 25 August 2023 (end of Week 5). 

Available Sports:

• Basketball
• Touch Football
• Indoor Volleyball
• Tennis
• Water Polo
• Dance & Fitness

CLICK HERE TO NOMINATE!

Sporting Spotlight – Short Course State Championships

Several St Aloysius College students recently competed in the State Short Course Championships. Claire Borgmeyer, Diana Rezaei, Lucinda Lugg, Lavender McMahon & Amelia Williams were amongst some of the talented SA swimmers at the event, who all achieved great milestones on the day including medals, PBs and national qualifying times.