From the Head of Senior School

In our Senior School Assembly, Mrs Leanne Haddad, the Executive Director of Centacare Catholic Family Services, thanked our students for their great support of donations and highlighted the many ways that our help makes such a difference in the lives of those in need. In 2023, Centacare celebrated 80 years of service in supporting South Australians across 63 services.

The Senior Leaders also launched a donation drive for nutritious food and warm winter clothing to support Centacare, the St Vincent De Paul Society, and the Adelaide Day Centre. This is known as our Winter Appeal. Families will receive information about what items to donate soon. Could I encourage you to be generous in contributing what you can.

This week, our Year 8 students had an engaging week filled with various activities. They enjoyed a three-day camp at Finniss River, a Day of Reflection involving faith and service activities, and a formation day focusing on respect, emotional wellbeing, and social welfare at the College. We are thankful for the staff who worked hard to prepare and guide this formation program.

The Dennett Centre underwent a transformation for our annual Careers Market. More than 60 stalls were set up, showcasing a wide range of career pathways. The universities also provided information about their courses. We are grateful for the enthusiasm and commitment of the voluntary presenters, as well as the efforts of Mrs Holly Peters, the Acting Vocational Services Coordinator.

Phil Donato
Head of Senior School

Please take note of some special events at the Senior School during Weeks 4 and 5:

Monday 20 May
Pentecost Mass

Monday 27 May
Reconciliation Week

Tuesday 28 May
Senior School Tour

Tuesday 28 May
Cambodia/Vietnam Parent Evening – 6 to 7 pm, Bellarmine Room

Thursday 30 May
Year 7 Day of Reflection

Last week, Georgia Campagnale, a Clinical Dietitian, visited the Year 12 Nutrition class and spoke to the class regarding the study she completed at university following her completing Year 12 Nutrition back in 2014.

Georgia currently works for SA Health in hospitals supporting patients who have illnesses or have had surgeries that impede their gastrointestinal tract, and therefore, their ability to eat. The students were able to ask questions about the digestive system and we discussed the new research into gut microbiome that still requires more research to be done.

The students were also able to discuss the work of a dietitian and a range of the simple and complex cases that Georgia has worked through.

This provided great insight into nutrition post-Year 12 whilst also reinforcing the theory the students are learning this year. Georgia also shared her experiences as a professional footballer for Adelaide United and her work in sports nutrition, which is a growing field with the need of nutritionists or dietitian working with professional sporting clubs.

Lisa Cibich
Middle and Senior Years Teacher

On April 11, Year 11 and 12 Art and Design students attended the SACE Art Show, as well as the Art Gallery of South Australia. The primary aim of the excursion was to acquire Art and Design knowledge and inspiration related to areas of fascination, curiosity and/or personal interest.

This annual excursion is critical as it allows students to select works within the Art Gallery that evoke emotional or sensory reactions. In preparation for the outing, students were instructed about how to analyse works to deepen their understanding and knowledge.

Focus was also given to developing an appreciation of the intrinsic value and significance of Art and Design within both historical and contemporary settings. Another aspect of the excursion involved an investigation of a range of student work from 2023 that SACE deemed 'successful' in relation to marking structures and criteria.

At lunchtime, our students enjoyed strolling through Rundle Mall on their way to the Light Square Gallery. Within this basement exhibition space, students studied a diverse range of works under the watchful eye of their teachers. Many constructive conversations were had while teachers addressed questions and provided context around methods and techniques.

In discussion with students, it was apparent that our Senior School Art and Design classes felt inspired by, not only the subject matter covered, but also by the skill and creativity of the student work on show.

Mary-Anne Hobbs
Visual Art Teacher

On Thursday, 24 May, two teams of Year 10 students competed in the SA Senior Ethics Olympiad online. This competition encourages respectful dialogue about ethical issues. Students have to prepare ethical cases and present their ideas on the ethical issues therein.

I am pleased to announce that one of our teams gained first place in the competition and received gold medals! Congratulations to our winners for doing so well in a competitive but very worthwhile contest and to all of the students who took part.

Kathryn Wills
Gifted and Talented Coordinator

On Friday, 10 May, select Year 8 Science students travelled to Hamilton Secondary College where they participated in a ‘Mission to Mars’ simulation as part of the Gifted and Talented Enrichment Program. Students were asked to work in teams and use problem-solving skills to successfully complete a geological survey of a martian crater.

They adopted real-life roles on the mission such as Mission control officers and astronauts. Students had to collect soil and rock samples, drill an ice core, conduct a thermal survey and take seismic measurements on their mission. After returning to Earth, they were then asked to analyse their samples and work in the science research laboratory.

Students were also treated to an introductory session in the new planetarium that has been built on the site. This was a wonderful opportunity. The students thoroughly enjoyed this activity and they were able to see the work involved in a real-life out of world mission. We may have some budding astronauts among us!

Kathryn Wills
Coordinator of Challenge Program (Gifted and Talented)