Link Up Term 2 Week 4 2022

As we approach the mid-point of Term 2, I reflect back over the start of this term and the positive manner in which face-to-face learning programs have continued for our students, and how we have managed to utilise the relaxation of restrictions for some key co-curricular experiences to occur.

It was wonderful for our Year 12s to be able to engage in their Retreat experience, postponed from the very start of the year. As in previous years, their time away together was a meaningful and important encounter that will no doubt assist to sustain them through the rest of their hectic 2022. It was also great for our Year 10 students to have the opportunity to undertake their Outdoor Education week away in the Coorong, taking themselves beyond their comfort zone with activities that were physically and mentally challenging. Congratulations to them all in the way they pushed through and came home on Friday, exhausted, but with a real sense of achievement. As always, no great experience like this for our students would be possible without the generosity of staff willing to take themselves away from their own families. Thanks especially for their week away to Nadia Honner, Mark Andrews and Mark Billington.

It has been wonderful to welcome David Booth to our College community on Mondays throughout this term. David is a Queensland man with strong Peramangk and Ngarrindjeri connections, who has been undertaking an education process with our R-6 students and having them assist in producing an Indigenous art mural, which we look forward to having installed in our community. These are great experiences for our students to have and perfectly timed when, as a nation, our attention turns next week to National Reconciliation Week.

2022 Catholic Education South Australia Awards

In recent weeks Catholic Education South Australia (CESA) have presented the inaugural CESA Awards, designed to acknowledge and celebrate outstanding service. I am delighted to share news that the following four people were celebrated as nominees for the 2022 awards for their great service to our College community:

Sue Werts (Volunteer Supporter) – Sue was nominated for the outstanding work she has undertaken for over ten years, participating in her children’s education, and engaging other parents to do likewise, driven by her personal belief that parental interest and involvement is a key driver in student success. Sue’s outstanding work with the Parent Community Group, of which she held the position of chairperson for a number of years, was always undertaken with a strength of leadership that involved collaboration with others and valuing the gifts that those people could bring. All of Sue’s contributions to the College have been undertaken through a lens of genuine care and dedication to build a better community, and undertaken in strong alignment with the values that we as a community aspire to develop in our young people. The College’s message, “Belong for life”, is nowhere more evident than in the life-giving work Sue has undertaken to ensure our community is one where every person can find a sense of authentic belonging.

Aleks Bojanic (Volunteer Supporter) – Aleks’ nomination was based on the incredible support he has provided to the celebration of Performing Arts within our College community over many years. Aleks has utilised his great expertise and experience as a performance artist in technical support to performance events, that has enabled the delivery of a professional quality of product in which our students have been able to have great pride. Aleks has excelled in his support of both during the day and after-hours performances, with his enormous technical knowledge in sound and light mixing, recording, advertising and post-production video editing. Aleks’ generous commitment of time in pre and post-production of events has always been driven by his desire to celebrate the achievement of our students and provide them with the experience of professional performance that he himself so highly values. His ability to model for the students how to be calm and professional during the frenetic activity of live performance has been great learning for our students. Aleks has served this community with countless hours of work across days, weeks, and years, and has always done so with a generosity of spirit, sense of inclusion, and desire to provide opportunity for students; an approach that completely resonates with the Heart Values that define us as a community.

Elyse Edwards (Early Career Teacher) – Elyse was nominated as a dedicated and passionate young teacher who aspires to continuously improve her teaching practice to ensure the very best opportunity is being provided for her students. Elyse grasps every opportunity to develop herself professionally with that student-focused goal in mind. Her excellent communication skills with students, families and staff are valued by all. Elyse is a collaborative and reflective team member within our new co-teaching structures at the College, sharing and planning in order to provide exciting provocations of learning that draw her students to enquire and go deeper. Elyse deeply values the provision of differentiated learning opportunities that ensure the base right of access to learning is available to all. She is committed to gathering evidence of learning, and using this data to inform and reflect upon her teaching practice. Elyse possesses a great capacity to develop her student’s social/emotional skills as they learn and play. She is a strong promoter of the importance of students having a growth mindset so that they may be willing to take risks as learners and develop resilience and perseverance.  Perhaps above all else, Elyse lives and models the Heart Values that we hold so dear as a College; most clearly and significantly within all her relationships and interactions. She is a person who always acts with integrity and respect for self and others. Her open, honest and caring nature is a gift from which all benefit; whether working with her as colleagues, learning with her as students, or partnering with her as parents.

Ros Mattner (Experienced Teacher) – Ros was nominated for the incredible service she has provided to this community across the twenty three year association she has had with it as teacher, leader and parent. Ros is highly respected by all members of our community, and most recent years her work has most deeply touched the students navigating their final years of secondary schooling. Those that Ros serve would also identify her great affinity for those at the margins, with her greatest compassion and love being for the most vulnerable students and families. Ros is the ultimate example of how successful teaching is grounded in building strong and respectful relationships with students and their families. She knows her students and deeply supports them above and beyond. Ros is a highly regarded member of the Hills’ community and she knows the region and its people well. Similarly, her knowledge and alignment of the story of the College is unparalleled and she is the holder of collective wisdom of stories of our history and tradition, which she uses to build and value add to our current day community. Ros is an outstanding practitioner as a teacher with her great knowledge skills and capabilities in her specialist areas consistently recognised by graduating students. Ros has special strength in the areas of task design and criteria to support accuracy in engaging student progress, always with an eye on how such data can inform her practice to better serve her students. Ros has great affinity for learning needs present amongst her students and sees it as her ultimate responsibility to ensure equity of access for all. Ros’ capacity as a teacher was recognised in 2021 with national certification at the Highly Accomplished career stage of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. Ros has over many years also worked to provide outstanding co-curricular opportunities in a range of areas, including camps and retreats, and significantly sharing her love of History with students through her coordination of events such as Remembrance Day ceremonies and an overseas Anzac Study Tour. Above all, Ros’ service to this community is grounded within a deep and impactful personal faith, which is real and tangible to all with whom she interacts. She provides exceptional role modelling to all community members; students, colleagues and parents, of who we aspire to be, personally, professionally and communally.

The College was deeply honored to be able to nominate these four outstanding members of our community of the 2022 CESA Awards and we celebrate with them both their nomination and their outstanding service to this community.

College Board Annual General Meeting

The Board AGM was held Tuesday evening to elect the Board for 2022/2023 and I am delighted to share with you details of the following members of our parent community elected to that Board:

• Alana Martin (Clara - Year 3, Lucy - Reception) and Olivier Sirop (Xavier - Year 1) are new members to the Board.
• Mark Rogers (Hudson - Year 1) and Thanuja Hiripitiyage (Ryan - Year 1) have been co-opted members to the Board over the last 12 months who have now been elected to full Board positions.
• Kate Clarke (Lucas - Year 5 and Ben - Year 3) and Mel England (Chelsea - Year 5 and Luke - Year 2) have completed a 2 year tenure on Board and re-nominated and been elected for a further 2 year period.
• Nick Crowe (Emily - Year 8 and Olivia - Year 6), Ray Jackson (Lainie - Year 8 and Archer - Year 3) and Olivia Carter (Joshua - Year 4 and Caitlin - Reception) are existing members of the Board in the middle of a period of current tenure.

We warmly welcome Alana and Olivier to their new roles, excited with the gifts they have to share in the governance of our community, and welcome back all our returning members. The community is deeply grateful for your service.

Departing the Board at the AGM were David Kyriacou (Trinity - Year 12 and Mitchell - Year 11), Megan Woodward (Erika and Roary Bonehill - Year 6), Anthony Werts (Michael - Year 10, Lachlan - Year 9 and Trinity - Year 5) and Rosie Lillas (Harrison – graduated Year 12 in 2021) and Board took the opportunity to recognise and value the collective twenty years of service these four people have provided to the Board.

Gavin McGlaughlin
Principal

Demonstrating integrity requires understanding humility

Unpacking the Heart Value Integrity is an interesting exercise. Being described as a person of integrity is a high compliment indeed. It conjures an image of someone whose conduct is exemplary. They are trustworthy, honest and reliable. Consistent in their response, people of integrity do the hard yards day in and day out, they might complain from time to time but they continue to ‘show up’ and get on with doing what needs to be done. They also develop a mindset that invokes an understanding of purpose and through this comes a sense of pride in what they do. Intrinsic motivation without overt gratification are qualities of people who demonstrate integrity. This is where humility comes in.

It has been said in education circles that humility is less developed in young people these days. There is speculation that society is to blame for this. Recently, our College staff listened to a keynote address from highly regarded educator, author and counsellor Mark Le Messurier. Mark took us on deep dive into the lives of young people as he sees them and he thinks that many young people today miss out on being taught humility. Parenting styles have changed, many would say for the better but others would argue that values of respect and courtesy have been lost in the transitioning of parents to enabling their children greater agency. Traditionally in Australian culture, humility is often regarded above many other qualities. Having a modest view of your own self-importance is preferred. Nobody takes too kindly to a braggart or show off but in these days of hedonistic social media, attitudes are changing. Perhaps one of the best definitions of humility comes from British writer C.S. Lewis who said True humility is not thinking less of yourself, it is thinking of yourself less. Perhaps Lewis had an eye to the future.

Humility is not one of our College Heart Values but it is inherent in all of them. It is acquired through the processes of observing appropriate responsive behavior, showing gratitude and demonstrating acute awareness of the perspectives of others. It is learnt at home, at school, at work, on the sporting field, on camp, in the queue at Foodland, driving in traffic and in just about every social situation. Our young people at St Francis de Sales are able to acquire humility in and outside of class by learning how to work collaboratively with others. Mark Le Messurier challenged the staff to think about who our wise guides are. The mentors and role models who assist in shaping our morality. Even though she is in India with her family at present, we are blessed to have Sr Shiji as a member of our staff. Her quiet, role modelling of humility is inspirational to all as she observes children’s behavior through soft eyes and with a warm heart. At a time when our world needs positive role models, it is timely to consider and invest in humility.

Paul Fairlie
Deputy Principal – Community and Wellbeing

It’s full steam ahead at St Francis!

More ‘wintery’ weather is upon us as we nestle into Term 2. The first four weeks have gone smoothly, especially after the COVID disruptions that we capably negotiated during Term 1 this year. Online NAPLAN testing has featured strongly recently, with students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 completing the various components over a number of days. Of particular note, we were very excited to have families rejoin us for events such as the Year 7-12 Academic Assembly and the R-6 Hearts and Leadership Assembly. We acknowledged our Year 12 high achievers from 2021, including the Dux, Madeleine Lipscombe who gave an outstanding speech to the students and families. We were fortunate too, to welcome back the College’s 10 Year Dux, Tayla Hassam, who shared some insights about her life since leaving St Francis at the end of 2011. The video and transcripts of these addresses can be found on the College website under Latest News. The R-6 Hearts and Leadership Assembly gave the junior school and families the chance to formally welcome our new students and staff by presenting each person with a College Heart Badge. Student leaders were also formally presented to the community at this special event.

With COVID restrictions slowly being eased, it has been wonderful to see many more off-campus activities occurring across the various year levels. Both the Year 11 and Year 12 Retreats have been enjoyed, with our intrepid Year 10 students all coming back in one piece from the week-long ‘survival’ camp experience! The Year 2s have been off to the Zoo this week, the Year 7s to the Playhouse Theatre, some Stage 1 students to the markets, all while the Knockout sporting competitions ramp up for the year – what a busy, busy time!

We look forward to the many other performances and presentations over the next few weeks as Semester 1 draws to a close, and I hope to once again see parents and families enjoying these events in person at the College. As the rain sets in and the temperature tumbles, we encourage all students to ‘lean in’ to the diverse learning opportunities and activities that are occurring inside and outside of their classroom setting. There can sometimes be a tendency to slow down as the weather cools, but this is the perfect time to pick up the pace and get moving! Be sure to make contact with the home class or subject teacher if there are concerns or strategies that you wish to discuss, as we continue to work in close partnership with you to support the best outcomes for your child.

All the best for the chilly days ahead. My best wishes and blessings to everyone in our connected St Francis de Sales College community.

Sonia Nelson
Deputy Principal - Learning

Caritas Project Compassion

A huge ‘thank you’ to all in our community who supported the Caritas Project Compassion Appeal last term. Your generosity is very much appreciated, and will make a difference in the lives of so many people in need. As a College we raised a total of $2,069.

Congratulations to Lyon House, who raised the highest amount for the term. Well done! The amounts per House are as follows:

Lyon $618
Savoy $542
Geneva $491
Padua $417

Year 12 Retreat

We were fortunate to be able to run our Year 12 Retreat in Week 1 of this term, and needed to sleep in tents during the night to meet the COVID-19 restrictions at the time. This provided a unique experience for the students and staff who attended. Year 12 student, Lauren Watson, reflects:

“At the start of Term 2 we went to Adare Campsite at McCracken for our Year 12 Retreat. Through this Retreat experience we were able to learn many helpful life-skills through the talks and activities that were run for us. We had the opportunity to bond as a year-level and learn new things about ourselves and others. I especially enjoyed reading the letters from our parents, and having the chance to showcase and share our special object and the significance it had for us. These activities got us to really think and reflect, and be grateful for the people who surround us as a cohort and our families. All in all, I really enjoyed our Retreat and hope that the Year 11s get to experience a Year 12 Retreat just like it”. Lauren Watson

See Year 7-12 Highlights to view the photo gallery.

Year 11 Retreat

In Week 3 of this term, COVID-19 restrictions changed and we were able to run our Year 11 Retreat as initially planned, with dormitory accommodation. Year 11 student, Caitlyn Dickeson reflects:

“On 16 May, the Year 11 cohort departed the College to arrive at Mylor Baptist Campsite. Over the two day Retreat experience, Sam Clear was our main presenter and he explained his walk across the world to raise awareness of the importance of ‘Unity’. He enlightened us on the different and eye-opening situations he was faced with, demonstrating enormous strength and courage. Hearing Sam speak was really inspiring and taught us all the importance of facing new challenges with perseverance and determination. His presentation was also immensely helpful with our current Religion task, which focuses on Growth, Belonging and Flourishing. The Retreat was broken up into two parts, sessions with Sam, as-well as various outdoor activities. The outdoor activities included the giant swing, high ropes course and archery tag. All were highly enjoyable despite the cold, rainy weather.” Caitlyn Dickeson

See Year 7-12 Highlights to view the photo gallery.

Vinnies Winter Appeal

Term 2 is our Vinnies Winter Appeal term. The Appeal assists Vinnies to provide emergency relief to people at risk and experiencing homelessness. Your donation will help the Vinnies volunteers to rebuild lives.

Each Home Class has been given a plastic basket to put their donations in, and there are three Stations of Vinnies Wheelie Bins around the College site. They are located: Junior School Deck, Mercy Courtyard, and Callen Quad. Each bin is labelled with a House name, as the donations collected will be sorted via House teams. The items will be counted per House and the total number will be translated into points going towards the Community Shield.

All items that are donated will be welcomed by Vinnies, however they have asked the College to specifically focus on the following items:

• Tinned vegetables
• Tinned fruit
• Meal bases
• Rice Cream
• Peanut butter
• Vegemite
• Cake mixes
• Sweet biscuits
• Muesli bars
• Cereals
• Shampoo
• Deodorant
• Ladies sanitary products
• Toothpaste
• Tooth brushes
• Hand soaps
• Tea
• Coffee

For our College, Friday 1 July will be the close of the Vinnies Winter Appeal and the last day for people to donate items. Thanks in advance for your support of this Appeal and your generosity.

Vinnies Sleepout

As part of the Vinnies Winter Appeal, on Tuesday 28 June, the College will be hosting the Vinnies Sleepout for students in Years 6-12 who wish to attend.

Students participating in the Sleepout, are asked to obtain sponsors (family members, friends etc) prior to attending, and bring the money collected with them to the Sleepout. All money collected will go towards the Vinnies Winter Appeal, and is greatly appreciated.

The format of the event is as follows:

• 6:00pm Dinner provided on the Tuesday.
• Various activities and guest speaker (Umes Acharya from Vinnies) input throughout evening, to raise awareness of the issue of homelessness and poverty.
• Cardboard shelter building in Callen Quad under the veranda.
• Sleep in sleeping bag within cardboard shelters overnight.
• Pancake breakfast provided in the morning. 
• Shower and bathroom facilities available to get ready for the school day on the Wednesday morning.

Students who wish to attend are required to email Mr Farrugia at ofarrugia@stfrancis.catholic.edu.au for further instructions.

Wellbeing Wednesdays

The Senior Student Leaders and Year 12 House Captains continue to plan and facilitate Wellbeing Wednesdays for R-12 students once a fortnight at lunchtimes. This provides a fun and active way for students to interact with each other whilst also looking after their wellbeing.

In Peace

Oreste Farrugia
APRIM

This is my last Link Up article as Chair of the College Board as I stepped down from Board at the AGM held on Tuesday night.

I would like to thank the Board members for their focus and work, where much has been achieved in trying conditions. These positions and the role of all volunteers in our community is an important one, where parents and caregivers contribute their personal time and experience.

I would like to thank outgoing Board members Megan Woodward, Anthony Werts and Rosie Lillas who also completed their time on the Board. I would also like to welcome new Board members who were voted in at the AGM, Thanuja Hiripitiyage, Mark Rogers, Alana Martin and Olivier Sirop.

I would like to thank this Board along with previous Boards I have served on, led by Leah Bullivant and Emily Jenke for their hard work and dedication to the ongoing success of the College. I have thoroughly enjoyed my near six years on the Board with the last two as Chair. I have found it to be extremely rewarding so it is with a mix of sadness and pride that I step away.

The Board is only as good as the sum of all the parts so I am supremely confident that I leave the Board in great shape. I know this group of dedicated and giving people will continue to push ahead in support of the success of the College. Special thanks to the deputy, Nick Crowe for his support whilst I have been Chair. His advice is always well measured and well thought out so it was sought regularly.

I would also like to thank Gavin McGlaughlin, Lisa Andrew and Paul McCabe for their support friendship in my time on the Board. A new Chair will be appointed at the next Board meeting and I wish them every success in leading the next Board.

David Kyriacou
Outgoing Chair of the College Board

Meet Amelia Edwards - Senior Student Leader

As a leader I describe myself: as confident, loyal and compassionate.

The best thing about attending St Francis de Sales College is: the support that the teachers and staff give me, when I feel like I’m struggling and need help they are more then happy to offer advice and the help that I need.

I started at St Francis de Sales College in: Year 11

My goal for this year is: to try my absolute hardest and give 110% in all of my classes so that I’m able to get into uni next year.

What extra-curricular activities/hobbies do you enjoy outside of school? the hobbies that I enjoy outside of school are Ballet and Netball.

Meet Nathan Sachse - Senior Student Leader

As a leader I describe myself: as a dedicated individual, who always wants to see others achieve their best.

The best thing about attending St Francis de Sales College is: it has a really great sense of community, which is something I really enjoy. I am able to get to know so many individuals throughout the College, and there is a great aspect of every student being valued and appreciated.

I started at St Francis de Sales College in: Reception.

My goal for this year is: to achieve my best potential in schooling whilst also having a healthy balance in other aspects of life and simply enjoy my last year.

What extra-curricular activities/hobbies do you enjoy outside of school? I enjoy playing Cricket and Footy for Bridgewater, as well as participating in school sport knockout and athletics competitions. I am also an active part of my church community at St Mathews Catholic Parish, and I am privileged to be one of the Senior Music Captains this year at St Francis de Sales College.

Meet Stephanie Formby - Senior Student Leader

As a leader I describe myself: as determined, energetic and positive.

The best thing about attending St Francis de Sales College is: my friends and supportive teachers.

I started at St Francis de Sales College in: Year 7.

What extra-curricular activities/hobbies do you enjoy outside of school? Basketball

On Thursday 19 May, our R-6 community were able to come together to celebrate the Semester 1 Hearts and Leadership Assembly. It was wonderful to have families in attendance and able to celebrate with us. As is tradition at the College, all new members of the College receive a Heart Badge as a symbol of welcome to our community. The Heart Badge symbolises the foundational values of our College: Faith, Perseverance, Compassion, Integrity, Respect, Wisdom and Justice. We pray that each of us uphold these values in all that we do and say. It was wonderful to see so many new students and staff receive their Heart Badge.

We also acknowledged all the hard work that our students will undertake this year in various student leadership roles. Jaikob Wright and Anthony Pham received their R-6 College Captain badges and also did a fantastic job of hosting the Assembly for us. Our Year 2, Year 4 and Year 6 House Student Leaders were recognised for their leadership roles this year and our SRC and Vinnies FIA Leaders received their badges for all the work they will do this Semester in providing a strong student voice for the betterment of our College and community. 

Our Hearts and Leadership Assembly was a lovely celebration of our students and we look forward to watching all of our students grow and develop over the course of the year.

Alice Taylor
R-6 Director of Learning

It has been a busy start to Term 2 for our 7-12 student cohort. The Year 12 Retreat was held in Week 1 with the Year 11 Retreat in Week 2. Students returned with a calm approach to their learning and relationships were strengthened during their time away.

Our Year 10 Survival Camp aligned with work that all students completed in Personal Learning Plan and Religious Education around goal setting and the idea of Growth, Belonging and Flourishing.

NAPLAN for our Year 7 and 9 students, was held over two weeks this year to accommodate for COVID-19 interruptions. A credit to all our participating students, they were organised and diligent in completion of the four assessments. A special mention to our ICT team, in particular Simon Miller, who was so supportive in all IT technical difficulties.

Our team of teachers in 7-12 are continuing to support students both those isolating and in class, through lessons, resources and feedback via SEQTA . It is with thanks and gratitude that we acknowledge their diligent work and effort to ensure every student has the opportunity for success in 7-12.

Yours in Learning

Kim Bathe
7-12 Director of Learning

Wednesday 1 and Thursday 2 June, Week 5, Term 2 are the dates to mark in your calendar for the Semester 1 Dance production – The Mix Tape. This performance will showcase the talents of the Dance Minis, Dance Crew, Year 8, Year 9 and Stage 1 and 2, Semester 1 Dance classes, all presenting their choreographed routines.

A Junior School matinee performance will be held on Wednesday 1 in the Performing Arts Centre at 1:45pm, with two evening performances for parents and friends on Wednesday and Thursday at 6:15pm.

The format for the performances will be the same as the last few years due to COVID restrictions and socially distanced seating, therefore it is expected that there may be family and friends who miss out on a seat at the live performance as a result of the limited audience numbers. Unfortunately we can only accommodate for one person per student for one night only to attend the production as we must adhere to the government regulations of numbers allowed in the space. Please understand that this is completely out of our control and will be strictly monitored.

Booking a seat (as per instructions on the email sent to parents/caregivers) is necessary and a check-in system on the night will ensure those with a booking will definitely have a seat! This will also make certain that we are keeping everyone safe. To accommodate for this, or for those who may not feel comfortable (given the COVID situation) attending a live performance, we will stream the recorded performance of The Mix Tape which will be available for a limited time via a private link which will be emailed to all performers.

As Sir Ken Robinson stated, dance allows students ‘who need to move to think’, and in providing Dance as part of the curriculum, we allow them to do just that!

Peta Bojanic
Dance Teacher

Barker District Athletics Carnival

On Tuesday, 5 April our Year 4-6 Athletics Team travelled to Oakbank Area School to compete in the Barker District Athletics Carnival. We had a fantastic, enthusiastic team who tried hard all day and encouraged each other in all events. There were a number of outstanding individual and team results and in the end we were declared the overall winners!! A huge congratulations to all athletes, teachers and volunteers.

Barker District Cross Country Competition

On Tuesday, 24 May we took a keen team of long distance runners from Year 4-6 to Woodside Oval to compete in the Barker District Cross Country Competition. For the first time in years we had a dry and reasonably warm day, and the runners performed exceptionally well. At the end of the competition we came 2nd overall, which is a fantastic effort. Well done all!!

Interschool Sport

Term 2 has seen a flurry of trials and trainings as AFL, Netball, Basketball, Volleyball, Soccer and Futsal all kick-off. It has been amazing to see the dedication, commitment and sportsmanship of students as they trial for the many teams. I wish all students and coaches/managers the best as they enter into the competitive phase of the events. I would also like to acknowledge the efforts of the many teachers and volunteers who give up their time to run trainings and allow the students to participate in these opportunities.

In the first four weeks of term we have already had a number of teams achieve success. Firstly, our 7-9 Girls AFL team won through to the second round by convincingly beating Goolwa High School and Victor Harbour High School. Our 7-8 Boys AFL team have also progressed to the second round with excellent wins against Murray Bridge High School and Unity College.

Over the course of the year we are always looking for parents and volunteers to assist with the various teams. If you are interested in volunteering at the College find out more via our Volunteering page on our website.

For all sports related information parents and caregivers can keep an eye on daily notices through SEQTA Engage. If there are ever any questions about these activities or other sporting related opportunities please email Nadia Honner.

Nadia Honner
Learning Area Specialist - Health and Physical Education and Specialist Sport Coordinator

As a Music Department we are heading into some exciting times. Our students, right from Reception through to Year 12 have been working super hard on their individual studies together with being part of the many ensembles, bands, choirs and vocal groups that we have at the College.

Starting with performances from soloists and vocal groups at our R-2, Year 3-4 and Year 5-6 Assemblies in Week 3 and 4, our many talented musicians and singers will also feature in Masses and other Assemblies throughout the term.

The annual Generations in Jazz (GIJ) Festival in Mt Gambier was unfortunately not held in person again this year due to COVID but that doesn’t mean our GIJ ensembles haven’t been hard at work. On Thursday 16 June, there will be a special Generations in Jazz Gala Performance live stream at which time, winners and annual awardees will be announced. This year we have entered VoCo, deGroove and JazZone who are all in the process of recording their entries. Our Stage 1 and 2 music students will showcase their talents in a ‘Mini Concert’ format prior to the GIJ Gala Performance in the Performing Arts Centre (PAC).

Also happening in Term 2 is our annual Ensemble and Choir music concert, which this year, we are calling Guess Who’s Back…?, as we are finally, with the relaxing of restrictions, able to get back to the business we really like, entertaining audiences. Guess Who’s Back…? will be staged in the PAC in Week 9, Thursday 30 June from 6:15pm. This will be a great celebration of Music at St Francis de Sales College.

Stay tuned for some other new and exciting developments within our Music Department.

Bec Page, Amy Waters and Aleks Bojanic
Music Department