St Dominic's Priory College eNewsletter

PRINCIPAL'S WELCOME

Our celebration of the Feast of St Dominic and our 140-year history has been unfolding throughout all of August and will culminate in a school closure day on Friday 23 August. There has been much crammed into our celebrations including the traditional wearing of black and white by staff, the visit to other Dominican Colleges, our Feast Day Mass and of course the ever-popular Gala Day. The celebrations have captured the culture of the College as we unite in prayer, song, fun, service and joy. I invite you as parents, to ask your daughter about her experience of Gala Day. Perhaps try three questions – What was the theme of Gala Day? Did you have a favourite performance? What did people dress up as? In addition for the older students, it is important to ask them about the charity who presented to them in the afternoon.

Another element of our month of St Dominic is that several students in Years 4, 6, 10, and 11 will be celebrating their Confirmation and First Eucharist this weekend. This is an important time for families as your daughters experience the sacraments as an expression of their faith. I wish all candidates every blessing for this weekend. They are, from Year 4: Anna Calabria, Ella Hornhardt, Estelle Kamar, Celina Nguyen, Emilia Nguyen, Gisele Paglia, Annabelle Parisi, Eleanor Peric, Clarissa Tan, Miah Vu, Leona Vuong, and Kiera Wood. From Year 6: Amanda Vuong. Year 10: Ashley Wijayaratna. Year 11: Diana Vuong.

The College aims to provide many experiences for our students across all year levels. Teachers are always looking to find ways to enhance their pedagogy and the curriculum content. As I walk around the College I hear and see this every day and marvel at the variety of opportunities afforded to the girls. In recent weeks the Year 12 Legal Studies Class visited the Adelaide Courts where they were met by His Honour Magistrate Jensen (Current parent) and Her Honour Judge Matteo (Old Scholar). In this experience, the students were inspired beyond the classroom to hear and see where their studies apply in the everyday. We are most grateful to both Magistrate Jensen and Judge Matteo who were generous with their time and wisdom. There is a longer article in this newsletter written by Teacher Tina Caruso which I am sure you will enjoy.

This week, the Science Faculty have organised a wonderful Science Week overflowing with opportunities for students including:

Making bird feeders out of recycled resources
Endangered species posters and hopping mice on display in the Science Labs
A number of guest speakers including Dr Ruby Dawson (Postdoctoral Researcher Adelaide University) discussing her research on Cancer, and Abigail Davey (Chemical Engineer) discussing her pathway to become a chemical engineer and what it is like to work and study STEM
There is a Staff vs Students sustainable eating competition - participants will be presented with some interesting sustainable foods (such as insects) and will earn points if they are willing to consume them
On Friday there will be a presentation on Electric vs Petrol cars in the Year 12 Centre.

Then, on Saturday 17 August, we have two teams of Year 12 Chemistry students competing in the State Finals of the Titration Competition. Under the leadership and guidance of Chemistry teacher, Tracy Templeman, St Dominic’s girls have been well-represented in this competition over the past few years. We wish the teams every success.

I take this opportunity to thank all teachers who commit so strongly to providing the very best care of your daughters by providing excellence in learning in and beyond the classroom.

The Fete will be here in no time, and I thank all those who have made contributions to date. I am looking forward to meeting the Fete Ambassadors as we begin the work to promote the Fete and celebrate our community.

I hope you enjoy our newsletter this fortnight as we have once again captured the rich life of our students, staff and families at St Dominic’s Priory College.

Dr Helen Steele
COLLEGE PRINCIPAL

ST DOMINIC'S FEAST DAY MASS

Gala Day last Friday was a fantastic celebration for everyone at the College! This event is a significant effort led by our Student Representative Council (SRC) members, under the guidance of Ms Kirsty Nankivell and others, to create a fun and successful fundraising experience for our students. The Primary students loved the Fashion Parade and enjoyed the chance to purchase items from various stalls, demonstrating their independence and responsibility. The girls who participated in the Talent Show displayed incredible confidence as they shared their talents with the school community, and it was wonderful to see so many Primary students audition to be a part of this.

As we move through this term, we have several special occasions to look forward to. Many Year 4 students will celebrate the Sacraments of Confirmation and First Eucharist on the weekend of 17 and 18 August. On behalf of the entire school community, we congratulate them on this important step in their faith journey. May God continue to bless and guide them always.

Book Week is another highlight of Term 3. We have exciting activities planned for Week 5, including a visiting magician performing for the students and an optional dress-up day on Tuesday 20 August. Students can come dressed in the theme ‘Reading is Magic’ or as their favourite book character. Families are invited to join the fun during the parade at 9am on the bottom court. Additionally, there will be a Book Swap on Tuesday, where students can exchange their pre-loved book for someone else’s. The Year 6 Library Leaders have some fun activities planned for the students as well!

Our Year 6 Catholic School Music Festival Choir are busily polishing their repertoire, under the guidance of Mrs Anna Sordillo, for the festival later in the term. Often, they can be heard practising, and they sound superb.

Please keep an eye out for information about the upcoming Learning Conversations to be held on Tuesday 10 September. While these are optional, they provide a wonderful opportunity to meet with your child’s classroom teacher to discuss their successes and goals for the rest of the year.

Thank you for your continued support of the College. Wishing you and your family an enjoyable remainder of the term.

Mrs Natalie Cameron
DIRECTOR OF THE JUNIOR SCHOOL

OSHC ANNOUNCEMENT

As communicated to Primary families earlier this week, we are pleased to announce that YMCA will commence providing a quality Out of School Hours Care (OSHC) service for families that require Before School Care, After School Care and School Holiday Vacation Care for students at St Dominic’s Priory College from Monday 2 September 2024, here on site. We will therefore cease OSHC services through Blackfriars Priory School from this date.

The College is excited to offer this service to our families, as this will support the safety and wellbeing of our Primary students before and after school, and will also be convenient for our parents.

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOUR DAUGHTER

From Monday 2 September, if your daughter is dropped off at school prior to 8am, she will need to be enrolled in Before School Care (OSHC). Primary students who are not collected from Barnard Street by 3:30pm will be taken to OSHC and families will be billed accordingly and in line with YMCA’s billing structures. Students waiting for their older sibling/s will continue to be supervised until 3:25pm.

If your Primary-aged daughter is required to wait for a Secondary-aged sibling who is engaging in an activity outside of regular school hours, such as Sport training or Choir, the Primary-aged student will need to be booked into OSHC or collected by 3:25pm. This will ensure adequate supervision and the safety of our younger students.

For more information, and to enrol, please visit the YMCA website at:

YMCA OSHC at St Dominic's Priory College

You must enrol your daughter before she can attend OSHC. If you are currently enrolled with another provider, you will need to re-enrol with YMCA.

Enrolment Process.pdf

Please note that although the College works in partnership with YMCA, all enquiries and bookings are managed directly by YMCA. For questions regarding OSHC, please make contact directly with YMCA's Children’s Services Customer Support Team: 8200 2516 or oshc@ymcasa.org.au

For school-related queries or concerns, please contact Muriel Noujaim, Deputy Principal (mnoujaim@stdominics.sa.edu.au) at the College.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

DUTY OF CARE

We remind families of our joint responsibility regarding supervision and safety. This in schools is referred to as ‘duty of care’ and it is a legislative requirement.

Each school day, students will be supervised within the College grounds from 8:20am. Students are also supervised during recess and lunch times.
During the school day, no student is permitted to leave the College grounds without permission from a parent.
For safety reasons, students are not permitted to use playground equipment unless supervised by a teacher.
When dismissed in the afternoon, students are expected to leave the College grounds and proceed directly home. Students attending activities organised by the College outside of regular school hours (sports, drama practice, debating, etc.) will be supervised. We ask that parents collect their daughter/s promptly at the end of the school day and at the end of Co-Curricular activities.
When a student is absent, parents are asked to contact the College and advise of the absence. Parents will be contacted if the College has not been advised.

These measures allow both parents and staff to have a shared understanding and ensure a responsible degree of safety for the young people in our care.

Thank you for doing your part in ensuring student safety.

Ms Muriel Noujaim
DEPUTY PRINCIPAL

CATHOLIC SCHOOLS MUSIC FESTIVAL

Come along to celebrate and support our St Dominic’s Priory College musicians at the Catholic Schools Music Festival. Our Year 6 Choir will be part of the 370-voice Festival Choir on opening night – Monday 23 September – and talented St Dominic’s students will feature amidst the support acts and comperes in both the Monday and Tuesday program.

GET YOUR TICKETS HERE

Catholic Schools Music Festival

HASS WEEK

What better way to shine a light on all that the HASS Suite of Subjects has on offer than to hold a HASS Week? We launched the week on 29 July by taking the Year 10 students to the University of South Australia. Each of the lecturers presented a range of activities which highlighted how HASS subjects could lead to further study in areas as diverse as Bachelor of Arts (History and Global Politics) Bachelor of Business (Economics, Finance and Trade); Bachelor of Business (Legal Studies) and Bachelor of Laws (Honours). A highlight of the day was the hands-on business solutions workshop in which students discovered the importance of working in teams, offering solutions and listening to others.

On Tuesday 30 July the Year 12 Legal Studies students visited the Law Courts (see the article by Ms Tina Caruso, below). Meanwhile, back at school students were busy exercising their democratic right to vote for the best poster capturing the theme for this year’s 140 Year Celebration “In the Light of Truth." The winning entries were created by Brooklyn May in Year 2; Mia Paul in 5G and Mahnaz Haidari in 7G. Congratulations girls!

Queen Cleopatra (aka Ms Carson) visited the school on Wednesday, gathering a loyal following of students eager to demonstrate their historical knowledge. The Quiz was well attended by students representing the College's primary and secondary sections.

Thursday’s event in the Library saw students invited to view an episode of Back in Time for Dinner in the 1950s. We finished the week with two very different events. One was a time of quiet contemplation in the Museum thanks to Miss Trewartha and Sr Jill, whilst the other was a mad dash around the College using geographical skills to locate markers. Well done to the winning team, who beat the Year 12 girls by a few seconds.

Thank you to all who participated and a heartfelt thanks to the staff that helped to facilitate these events.

Ms Aurora Reid
LEARNING AREA LEADER - HASS

YEAR 12 LEGAL STUDIES VISIT TO THE COURTS

As part of HASS week, the Year 12 Legal Studies students visited the courts. This was an invaluable opportunity to see the courts in progress and to get an insight into the processes required to resolve disputes.

Our day began at the Magistrates Court where we viewed cases that involved summary or minor indictable offences. During our visit, we were fortunate enough to hear from His Honour Magistrate Jensen who provided an overview of how this court works and how they resolve disputes. He shared valuable insights into his legal career and was able to draw on his vast legal experience to respond to questions from students and provide thoughtful advice.

In the afternoon we visited the District Court. In this court, more serious offences are heard and so the court processes are more complex and procedures very formal. During our visit we were able to meet with an old scholar, Her Honour Judge Matteo who provided an overview of how the courts work and the different participants in the courts. Her Honour Judge Matteo was able to share her experiences from her distinguished career in the legal industry and provide insights into how she became a District Court Judge. We are incredibly proud of her achievements and so grateful that she was able to share these experiences and insights with us.

Mrs Tina Caruso
Year 12 Legal Studies Teacher

MIDDLE YEARS TECHNOLOGY

YEAR 9 GAMING AND PROGRAMMING

The Year 9 Gaming and Programming Class had an exciting and educational day at UniSA, participating in a variety of workshops. In the "Think like a Gamer" workshop, students explored the mindset of a gamer to understand what makes a game playable and engaging, as well as the latest practices in the gaming industry. During "Project LIVE", students immersed themselves in UniSA’s digital visualisations, exploring VR and AR in different setups. In the "Hack the Mainframe – UniSA Escape Room", students tackled a series of puzzles and tasks to bring down a target network using real networking tools and gear.

"It was a fun excursion, very hands-on. I think I learned a lot about programming and potential career paths. The whole experience was interesting and intriguing, and I can see how technology will shape my future." - Brianna Fernandez, 9W
"It was an informative and fun day. I had a lot of fun and learned a lot about future career paths, especially in game design. It has inspired me to consider a technology-related career." - Mineva Maju, 9W

Last week's DigiMinds Summit immersed Year 8 students in cutting-edge technology, providing them with a unique opportunity to network with peers and industry professionals. Students listened to people in the technology industry share their experiences and innovative ideas. Schools then took turns to present sessions for each other, showcasing their class work. There was even a Mario Cart comp and SDPC came third!

Lana Weller
LEARNING AREA LEADER - INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

GROWTH MINDSET

SUCCESS AND FAILURE

We have watched and cheered on our Olympians from our living rooms, celebrating their pursuit of gold and their remarkable achievements. While the Australian team has earned a record number of gold medals, not every athlete has reached their dream of Olympic success. For many, returning home will mean diving back into rigorous training schedules and collaborating closely with coaches to analyse their performance and identify areas for improvement.

It is easy to see the success of others and perceive that success comes easily to them or they have been blessed with natural talent.

Talk to someone who has succeeded, and they will tell you that persistence pays off. Hours of training and practice, many failed attempts, having another go, trying a different strategy and seeking advice from someone all help with eventually reaching goals.

Sometimes a fear of failure can stop us from trying something new or persisting when things get tricky. American basketballer Michael Jordan reminds aspiring players that he doesn’t always succeed. He had 9000 missed shots in his career and 300 lost games. He has failed repeatedly but credits this with his success.

In our classrooms, we celebrate the persistence of our students and encourage them to view their mistakes as valuable stepping-stones toward success. How we perceive ourselves as learners and our confidence in our ability to succeed play a crucial role in maintaining our determination to keep trying.

MOBILE PHONE USE AND SOCIAL MEDIA

THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY

On Thursday 1 August, Year 11 students participated in their annual Black Dog survey which has been measuring the mental health of students over the last four years. This national survey is due to be completed next year.

As an opening address for the session, the girls were given a 15-minute presentation on the impact of Mobile Phone Use. The information provided was twofold:

Mobile Phones are great in keeping us connected to our friends and family and helping us to reaffirm our relationships. In this context mobile phones are great.

They become problematic when access to Social Media causes an addictive habit. Since the advent of smartphones there has been a marked increase in anxiety, depression and suicide. Girls unfortunately get on Social media and straightaway compare themselves to others, either their friends or Influencers.

There are some excellent books currently addressing this issue:

Jonathon Haidt “The Anxious Generation. How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is causing an epidemic of Mental Health Issues”

Dr Billy Gavey “Guiding Growing Minds”

Dr Norman Swann “What’s Good for Your Kids”

In Haidt’s book, he recommends:

No smartphones before High school

No Social Media before 16

Phone-free schools

More independence from devices, free play and responsibility in the real world

He identifies the main areas of concern as:

Social deprivation. A smartphone is an experience blocker taking time that would otherwise be spent in physical play or in-person conversations with friends and family

Sleep deprivation

Attention fragmentation. Alerts and messages continually drag teenagers away from the present moment and tasks requiring concentration

Addiction. Apps and social media are deliberately designed to hack vulnerability in teenagers’ psychologies, leading to an inability to enjoy anything else.

YEAR 7 SURVEYS

Each year I interview our Year 7s 1:1. One of the questions is about mobile use.

95% report they have a phone with 80% having all the main Social Media apps, Snapchat. Instagram, TikTok. (NB: the legal age for joining these Apps is 13!) The government is currently discussing raising this to 14-16 with some “Proof of Age” being required.

In Utah USA, the legal age of Social Media use is now 18 without proof of age and parental consent.

Many girls admit to being addicted to their phones. Most seem to be using it wisely with parent-set boundaries. However, we have had instances of anti-social or illegal use of mobile devices and Apps, in addition to the concern for their mental health as they suffer from thinking their lives are not good enough.

We only have to observe the general use of these phones in and around us, and do our own assessment to draw our own conclusions.

We need to be good role models

We need to know what our girls are doing on their devices

You need to set clear boundaries for their use.

As parents, you are the primary educators, so we hope together we can educate the girls to use their mobile phones responsibly.

Mrs Georgia Meyer
STUDENT COUNSELLOR

PARENTS & FRIENDS

PARENTS & FRIENDS MEETINGS IN TERM 3

Thank you to those parents who joined us at our Strategic Planning session, following last week's Parents & Friends Meeting. The next Parents and Friends Meeting will take place between 7:30pm - 9:00pm in the Adams Mayo Library:

Thursday 5 September (Week 7)

All parents and/or guardians are welcome.

REMINDER - SCHOOL STREAM ROLLOUT

Families are reminded to ensure they have downloaded and activated their access to the School Stream app, in order to continue receiving vital communications from the College. In order for our systems to recognise users as a parent/guardian of the College, we ask that you log in using either the EMAIL address or MOBILE PHONE number you have previously provided the school. Login attempts via Facebook or Apple ID may not be accepted.

To find out more about School Stream, and to download the app from either Apple Store or Google Play, visit: https://www.schoolstream.com.au/download/ and then follow the prompts.

PORT ADELAIDE TO ST DOMINIC'S PRIORY COLLEGE

Tickets for the private bus service between Port Adelaide and St Dominic's Priory College can be purchased from the College Office. The prices are as follows:

$2.40 for a Single Trip
$20 for Ten Trips
$180 for a Term Pass (available for purchase from Term 3).

This service is provided by Grants Coachlines before and after school, exclusively for the use of St Dominic's girls in Years 5-12 (and accompanied younger sisters). For further information, please refer to the service flyer here.

No tickets will be available to purchase from the driver.

DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES (DHS)
WORKING WITH CHILDREN CHECK (WWCC) EXPIRY

IMPORTANT NOTICE

To undertake any volunteer work at St Dominic’s Priory College, you must hold a valid WWCC. You can apply for a free WWCC as a volunteer, or check if your existing check will expire within six months by visiting SA.GOV.AU.

Renewed DHS WWCC details can be forwarded to the College at employment@stdominics.sa.edu.au. If you are interested in becoming a registered volunteer with the College please visit our website.

SPORT NEWS

WORLD NINJA CHAMPIONSHIPS

We are extremely proud of Isabel Burgoyne (4G) who recently competed in the World Ninja Championships in Anaheim, USA. A summary of her events is as follows:

UNAA World Series Finals - Series 9

This was the biggest event that Isabel competed in over the championships, with a very challenging course. The course incorporated special obstacles that were made just for the event such as the Sphinx, grips that were shaped like US States, the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre and the Olympic Rings and flame.

Isabel ended up in 64^th place in the world out of over 150 athletes.

US Nationals - International Division

This was by far the most daunting course of the championships! 100m speed run on a course that looked like it was straight off the Ninja Warrior TV show. The U7 and U9 kids looked absolutely tiny compared to it, but took it in their stride.

Isabel ended up 18^th in her Division.

FINA Round of Champions

This competition was Isabel’s best result of the championships - 29th in the World!

Side by side racing in pairs, the fastest eight progressing to finals. After Isabel’s wave she was sitting in a great position, however, was unfortunately pushed down by later waves. There were some things in this course that she had never seen before, so was very happy to come away with two clear runs, winning both races, and on the second run she got to hit her first buzzer!

3km OCR (Obstacle course race)

The final event of the championships - 20 obstacles in 10 stations, with 10 X 300m runs in between each station, like the popular adult Spartan Races. The youngest category to run was U11 which is 1-2 age groups above normal. The SA U11 girls formed a pack and ran together as a team, even crossing the line together.