From the Principal – Issue #15, 2024

From the Principal – Issue #15, 2024

Dear Parents/Guardians, Friends & Students of SAC,

The staff of the College gathered last Friday for a reflection day, focused on our Mercy ethos, with the staff of Mercedes College and St Francis de Salles College. Catherine McAuley’s vision to serve communities around the world through education, health and community service is alive and well in each of these Mercy schools today. We are grateful to the Religious Education teams from the three Colleges who planned the day, and to the team at Mercedes who ensured that every detail was well organised and reflected Mercy hospitality. We hope to continue to develop these Mercy relationships for our students and staff.

Students were able to recover from Thursday’s Athletics Carnival with a long weekend. We were especially pleased with the participation rates of the Year 7 and 8 students, who came out in force to earn points for their team. St Teresa’s won the day, but all teams showed strong spirit and the leadership of the Year 12 students was front and centre, especially Sports Captains Amy Peterson and Grace Sim. Thanks to Nicole Wedding and all the PE staff for their excellent organisation of the day, and to all the families who came along to support the students. Your presence brings the carnival to life!

Thanks also to the many families who made time to attend the Parent/Teacher/Student interviews this week. These conversations about learning are valuable at any stage, but especially when students are making choices that will influence their pathways in the senior years and beyond. It was great to see our Year 10 students at the recent Subject Selection Interviews, leading the conversations with a presentation they prepared as part of their Exploring Identities and Futures subject. The level of self-awareness and empowerment on display was really impressive, and augurs well for the choices they will make at school and beyond.

Fifteen children and their families from Early Learning Centres around Adelaide joined us for a Discovery Day at SAC yesterday. This term’s focus was on how we develop literacy skills and the range of experiences on offer in the Physical Education department at SAC. The children had a wonderful day engaging with all the learning experiences on offer, supported by some of our outstanding early years teachers. We look forward to welcoming some of these students to SAC in future years.

As Term 3 draws to a close, I am conscious of the vast array of curriculum extension activities that are finishing up for the year. SAC has been well represented in Grand Finals for Debating at Parliament House and Mock Trials in the District Court. A group of creative Year 9 and 10 students also took part in the Tournament of Minds competition last weekend. These activities, along with a multitude of sport and music options, are all made possible through the dedication of our teaching staff, who support and encourage the girls to have fun and represent their school with pride. I am grateful to these staff, as well as the many families who ferry the students around to different schools and venues.

Tonight we will once again be dazzled by our students’ musical talents on stage at the Town Hall for the Spring Concert. The highlight for me is always the final number, which brings students of all ages and abilities together for a spectacular finish. I look forward to seeing many of you there!

Ms Paddy McEvoy
PRINCIPAL

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